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Economist: High inflation took Western countries by surprise, which were wrong in their forecasts

Lavrov confirms Putin's readiness for negotiations with Ukraine

La Repubblica: Italy supplied Kiev with 20-30 M109L artillery guns and PzH 2000 howitzers

Typhoon in Philippines affects more than 932,000 people

Source: Turkey conducts 'telephone diplomacy' on food deal

Borrell: The EU urges Russia to revert its decision

Haiti PM Ariel Henry: The leader of a political party was murdered in the republic

Armenia MFA expresses condolences to South Korea over Seoul tragedy

Seoul receives more than 3,700 missing persons reports after crush

Armenian Defense Ministry: Private received fatal gunshot wound

Toivo Klaar: I emphasised the European Unions continued strong engagement in the peace process

Arrested for assaulting Speaker Pelosi's spouse faces charges

Major crush in Seoul: There are victims

Britain needs air defense in connection with war in Ukraine

President discusses latest foreign political developments around Artsakh

Azerbaijan officials considering opening embassy in Israel

Armenia PM, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus discuss regional security and peace

Nikol Pashinyan, Garo Paylan exchange views on Armenia-Turkey normalization process

Quake hits Armenia-Turkey border zone

Armenia ruling party adopting new vision regarding Karabakh conflict settlement

Russia MOD: Ukraine carried out terrorist attack on Black Sea Fleet ships, civilian ships in Sevastopol

Premier: CSTO should plan force operation, restore Armenias territorial integrity

Armenia PM: All countries consider Karabakh to be part of Azerbaijan

Armenias Pashinyan: CSTO does not exist

Kremlin responds to question on extending mandate of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh

Armenia premier: We need to know, ultimately, what Russian peacekeepers are doing in Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia PM: Im ready to sign document, accept that Russian peacekeepers term in Karabakh be extended 10-20 years

Armenias Pashinyan: We are ready to delegate border guard service operation to Russian border guards

Finland, Sweden promise to join NATO together

European Parliament calls on Armenia to consider diversifying its security partnerships

Visiting Armenia MPs brief Canada lawmaker on recent Azerbaijan military aggression

Armenia PM at ruling party congress: We declared repairing states foundation our primary task

Karabakh President: Russia leaders statement inspires certain hopes

Armenia ruling party congress kicks off

Man breaks into US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home, demands to speak with her, beats husband with hammer

EU-Armenia Joint Committee on Research and Innovation first meeting to be held in November

Provincial governor of Armenias Gegharkunik: EU monitoring mission already started

US accuses Russia of disinformation regarding Washington intentions towards Armenia, Azerbaijan

Mexico fully legalizes gay marriage

Newspaper: Azerbaijan not inclined to sign anything with Armenia in Russias Sochi

Armenia ruling party convening closed convention

Italian prime minister demands that she be addressed as prime minister in masculine form

Pentagon to send Ukraine new aid package worth $275 million

Europe will ban sale of one type of car

European Commission head announces new aid and investments for Serbia

Biden calls Putin's rhetoric on nuclear weapons 'dangerous'

Lukashenko on Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict: What are you fighting for in these mountains, where not even goats walk?

Swedish authorities offer to create united northern army

Lukashenko: Conflict issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be resolved now - with Ilham Aliyev

Lukashenko about situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border: Where are we racing horses, where are we rushing to?

Pashinyan: Armenia-Diaspora relations undergo profound substantive changes

Lukashenko to Pashinyan: Sit down with Aliyev and make a decision, if you don't make it today, it will be worse

Bulgarian interim government urges to speed up transition to euro zone

President of Karabakh: It is necessary to unite all national potential and efforts

IMF: China's sharp and uncharacteristic economic slowdown will stall growth in Asia by the end of 2023

Iran: Riots in country were planned by the intelligence services of the USA, England, Israel and the KSA

Steinmeier: Ukraine war caused 'epochal break' in Germany's relations with Russia

Gas prices in Europe remain high in coming years

Ararat Mirzoyan and Toivo Klaar stress importance of hosting EU civilian mission in Armenia

Armenia's ambassador-at-large: Daily false propaganda can't cover up Azerbaijani war crimes

Taiwan MFA outraged by Putin's speech on his status and Pelosi's visit

Armenia gives no response to peace treaty proposals, Bayramov says

Netanyahu expects return to power after 5th Israeli election in 4 years

Armenian gravestone found in Trabzon, Turkey neighborhood

Pashinyan: CSTO Secretary General's report mainly reflects existing realities

Azerbaijan talks possible deliveries of its gas to international Turkish hub

CSTO leaders to meet in late November: Situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border will be discussed

Dollar, euro continue falling in Armenia

Pelosi's house attacked, her husband injured

Russias Putin to have private talks with Armenias Pashinyan, Azerbaijans Aliyev

Mher Grigoryan: CIS needs a new scientific and technical agreement

Pentagon strategy doesn't rule out use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear threats

French National Assembly plans to pass resolution proposing certain sanctions against Azerbaijan

Mher Grigoryan: There are no other corridors in the trilateral statement other than Lachin's

Konstantin Zatulin: Russia should have made maximum efforts so that there would be no war in Karabakh

The Hill: The American people deserve to know how the war in Ukraine will end

Sochi to host trilateral talks of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on October 31

Poland receives first Turkish drones

Hungarian government may extend price limits on fuel and some basic foodstuffs

Armenias Simonyan attends meeting of heads of EEU countries parliaments

Polish general appointed as head of EU mission to train Ukrainian troops

Russia MP: Karabakh status decision is in fact its Armenians safety guarantee

Zatulin: West seeks to push Russia out of negotiation process at any cost

Legislature head proposes to organize, under CIS auspices, return of Armenians detained in Azerbaijan

Iran prevents bomb explosion in Shiraz crowded street

Iraqi parliament expresses vote of confidence in new cabinet

France lawmakers visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

Putin: Moscow is doing everything possible to normalize relations between Yerevan and Baku

Annual shopping festival kicks off in Dubai on December 15

Lazarevsky Club: Minute of silence held in memory of fallen Russian and Armenian soldiers

Bayramov and US Assistant Secretary of State discuss Yerevan-Baku relations

Expansion of cooperation with Interpol is important, Armenia PM says

Armenia defense minister briefs Austria envoy on situation due to recent Azerbaijan military aggression (PHOTOS)

Australia can't rule out energy price caps

Armenia parliament speaker: Use, threat of force undermine processes aimed at establishing peace

Garo Paylan is in Yerevan

Barack Obama tries to help Democrats win midterm elections

Azerbaijan president, Russia first deputy PM discuss North-South transport corridor project

PM Pashinyan receives France-Armenia friendship group delegation from French parliament

Taiwan urges China to start talking
Beginning at the end of September and throughout October, Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agencys Domestic Violence Services Department hosts several awareness activities to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the New York state Shine the Light on Domestic Violence campaign in an effort to bring more awareness to this important issue and hopefully spark some conversations and inspire people to get involved and be a part of the solution.

The first event is a kickoff to Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Purple Tie Event. This fundraiser, now going on its fourth year, will be held 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Springside Inn. All proceeds raised from this event will benefit the Domestic Violence Services Department. The event will feature raffles, auctions, food, and music by the The Foolz. Tickets are $25 and available for purchase at our office at 89 York St., Suite 1, Auburn, or our website at www.cscaa.com.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, the sixth Annual New York State Wear Purple Day Event will be held on the steps of the Cayuga County Courthouse at noon. Attendees are encouraged to wear purple, gather to hear brief remarks about the impact of domestic violence in our community, and participate in a balloon release. If you would like to be a part of this event or have a story you would like shared, you can email Sarah Barnard at sbarnard@cscaa.com.

With the overwhelming need for services for survivors of domestic violence, Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agencys Domestic Violence Services Department is always working to meet all of the needs of survivors who come to the agency seeking assistance. The state Office of Children and Family Services released its 2015 report for all licensed domestic violence programs in New York state. In this report the average occupancy rate for a Domestic Violence Safe Dwelling in New York state is 51 percent; however, the occupancy rate for Cayuga County is 83 percent, the third highest occupancy rate for all safe dwellings in Upstate New York. These statistics are alarming and demonstrate the magnitude of the need for services for survivors of domestic violence in Cayuga County. Continued focus on these programs and ongoing support allows the agency to continue to provide these vital services.

The Domestic Violence Intervention Program provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, assistance with obtaining clothing, personal needs items and all forms of advocacy a survivor may need. Additionally, C/SCAA operates a Supervised Visitation/Safe Exchange Program, which provides a safe, supportive and respectful environment where parents can feel secure when they visit with or exchange their child(ren). The centers first priority is safety while providing a welcoming, non-threatening environment for children.

We must work as a community to shine the light on domestic violence and raise awareness of this issue. Survivors should never feel ashamed to seek help, and as a community, we should support them and let them know they are not alone. This October, lets join together to support the many survivors of domestic violence in our community. By shining a light on domestic violence, we can show our support as a community for those who are living in danger and fear.

There are a number of ways you can participate in Domestic Violence Awareness Month including: attending The Purple Tie Event fundraiser on Sept. 30, wearing purple and attending our Wear Purple Event on Oct. 20, wearing purple ribbons throughout the month, and encouraging your co-workers, friends, family and fellow students to recognize the significance of the month and to support victims of domestic violence. Healthcare facilities and schools in the county are also encouraged to get involved by wearing purple, decorating windows and showing support for victims of domestic violence throughout the month.

If you are interested in becoming involved in Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities please contact Sarah Barnard, Community, Family and Victim Services Director, at (315) 255-1703 ext. 124 or sbarnard@cscaa.com.
Edgar Matobato, a self-described hitman has testified before a Philippines Senate committee set up to probe alleged extrajudicial killings in the three months since Rodgrigo Duterte became President.

Matobato alleges that Duterte ordered a militia group to carry out extrajudicial killings while he was mayor of Davao City.

The 300-member "Davao Death Squad" (DDS), which Matobato was supposedly part of, was allegedly run on the orders of Duterte.

Matobato testified the DDS killed alleged drug dealers and criminals in the southern city of Davao, on the order of Duterte when he was mayor, between 1988 and 2013. More than 1,000 people were killed in Davao City alone, he claimed.

Matobato also accused Duterte of killing a member of the Department of Justice with an Uzi submachine gun while serving as mayor.

The President's office has denied accusations.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has arrested 50 suspected militants in Rivers State and destroyed 15 illegal refineries in different locations in the Niger Delta region.

This was made known at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, by the NSCDC Commandant-General, Abdullahi Muhammadu.

Muhammady disclosed that the suspects were arrested on Wednesday night, during a special operation by the NSCDC operatives in Rivers State.

He said the suspects were presently being screened and profiled as part of investigations to know their level of culpability in pipeline bombings and vandalism in the Niger Delta region.

He stated that those indicted by investigators would be arraigned in court for prosecution as economic saboteurs.

"As at yesterday (Wednesday), 15 illegal refineries were destroyed and 50 militants were arrested. However, we need to screen them to know those who would be charged to court, because they are many; 50 of them, just in a night!" he said.

According to the CG, the mandate of the corps had been extended beyond pipeline and critical infrastructure protection to the provision of security for dams, agro-allied business, farms and proposed ranches across the country.

He stated that 2,000 NSCDC operatives were participating in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, noting that additional 2,700 others were undergoing training for deployment in the region.

"Before the end of October, I will send them down (to the North-East)," he added.

The CG noted that various parastatals, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Seed Council and the Ministry of Water Resources, among others, had sent him requests for deployment of NSCDC personnel.

The NSCDC boss said that the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), had approached the Presidency for permission to recruit additional personnel into the corps so that it could discharge its responsibility more effectively.

He pleaded for more financial support from the Federal Government.
A suicide bomber targeted a mosque in Mohmand Agency's Anbar tehsil, leaving at least 24 people dead, including five children, and 31 others injured.

The injured were transported to hospitals in Bajaur Agency, Charsadda and Peshawar for treatment.

The bombing took place in the village of Butmaina in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan, where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

Akbar said that the bomber came in as Friday prayers were in progress and blew himself up in the main hall. A curfew was later imposed in the area.

--IANS ahm/

( 134 Words)

2016-09-17-07:46:06 (IANS)
SRK's recent Instagram update shows the actor spending time at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, adoring the famous painting 'The Night Watch'

"Surrounded by Masters keeping a Nightwatch. Rembrandt & others at the most stunning Rijks Museum," he captioned the snap, which showed the 50-year-old actor with the 'The Night Watch' in the background.

Earlier, the 'Dilwale' actor was also snapped at the Kafka museum in Prague along with director Imtiaz Ali.

'The Ring,' also starring Anushka, will have SRK playing a Punjabi tourist guide and actress portraying a Gujarati girl.

On a related note, this will mark SRK and the 'NH10' actress' third film together, post 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan.'

On the work front, the Badshah of Bollywood is awaiting the release of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,' where he will be seen in a cameo, 'Dear Zindagi' opposite Alia Bhatt and 'Raees.' (ANI)
The programme has been organised under the Gujarat Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojna for the districts lying in the state's forest belt.

The projects include six water supply and four lift irrigation projects.

The water supply projects will provide drinking water to about 21 lakh people residing in 960 villages, including 23 settlements in the Dahod, Mahisagar, Narmada and Chhotaudepur districts.

The lift irrigation projects based on Kadana-Karjan and Kakrapar Reservoirs will provide irrigation in nearly 1 lakh hectares in Dahod, Narmada, Mahisagar and Surat districts.

Prime Minister Modi will also distribute aids and assistive devices to differently-abled persons at Samajik Adhikarita Shivir at Navsari in South Gujarat.

More than 11,000 people will be provided free-of-cost assistive equipment worth Rs. 10 crore.

This camp also holds the prospect of entering the 'Guinness Book World Records' in three categories namely most people fitted with hearing aid in eight hours, largest wheelchair logo image and most oil lamps lit simultaneously at single venue.

The aim of the program is to provide opportunities for the growth and development of differently-abled persons so that they can lead productive, safe and dignified lives.

Besides the programmes, the Prime Minister will hold rallies in Limkheda and Navsari.

He will also visit his mother Hiraba at Raysan village in Gandhinagar.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will celebrate Prime Minister Modi's birthday as Sewa Divas today.

Party leaders and workers across the country will hold events of social service on the occasion.

BJP President Amit Shah will take part in a cleanliness drive in Telangana to mark the day.

Union Ministers and party MPs will also travel to different parts of the country and spend time with the poor and underprivileged section of the society. (ANI)
New York State Police have asked for help in solving a series of recent burglaries that have occurred in Cayuga County.

Over the last 10 days, three separate burglaries were reported to state police along Quarry Road, Oak Hill Road and Rockefeller Road in the towns of Moravia and Niles.

Police said some notable items were stolen, including a KTM 300XC dirt bike, a 1987 Honda 250X ATV with a red seat and gray fenders, a 30.06 rifle with a synthetic stock and Nikon scope and a large quantity of change.

Anyone with information is asked to contact state police in Auburn at (315) 253-3103.
Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, took over the White House briefing lectern on Friday to praise the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, an unusual move that shows how hard President Barack Obama will push for the trade deal's approval.Obama, a Democrat who is leaving office in four months, met with the governor, who fell short in his bid to be the Republican presidential candidate, in the White House Oval Office to discuss strategies for overcoming domestic political angst over the TPP.The unlikely partnership comes as the White House makes a final full-court push to persuade Republican congressional leaders to approve the deal in a "lame duck" session after the Nov. 8 election. Both Republican and Democratic candidates have pilloried the TPP."We cannot get to the point in America that because a Democrat wants something, you can't agree with them," Kasich said in an impassioned plea to Republican lawmakers to back the deal, which is a key part of Obama's foreign policy legacy.Kasich said the deal is vital for the U.S. economy and also to counter China and Russia, and said business leaders need to apply pressure on lawmakers to approve it."Right now, China is pushing hard to create their own trade agreement," Obama told reporters in the Oval Office ahead of the meeting, saying U.S. businesses were at risk of being "cut out" of Asia, the world's fastest-growing market."I promise you that China's not going to be setting up a bunch of rules that are going to be to the advantage of American companies and American businesses," Obama said.Other business and political leaders also attended the meeting, including former Republican Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, International Business Machines Corp Chief Executive Officer Virginia Rometty and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.Republicans traditionally have backed free trade deals, but the party's presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has blamed the agreements for U.S. job losses and threatened to tear them up should he win.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the TPP would not get a Senate vote this year, and House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan has said he does not see enough votes for it to pass.Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has also opposed the deal, which is unpopular with labor unions and environmental groups.Obama has said he hopes opposition cools after the election. The White House has pointed to opinion polls showing most Americans support trade as a sign that the TPP could still squeak through Congress."If you're frustrated about rules of trade that disadvantage America, if you're frustrated about jobs being shipped overseas ... then you want to get this thing passed," Obama told reporters.On his final trip to Asia as president earlier this month, Obama spent time reassuring nervous partners that the United States would finalize the TPP. But on Friday, Vietnam's parliament indicated it would not ratify the deal quickly.White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Vietnam's decision was not a setback. "I think the real stumbling block, the real impediment, the obstacle here is (the U.S.) Congress," Earnest said, noting there was "every indication" that Vietnam would proceed as long as Congress approved the TPP. REUTERS DS0042 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-937120.Xml
In view of the rising cases of dengue and chikunguniya in the national capital, the Delhi government has ordered that all Mohalla clinics, polyclinics and dispensaries will remain open on all seven days of the week, including Sundays and gazetted holidays.The order will remain operational till October 30. Leave granted to doctors has been cancelled for effectively handling the situation. UNI SM DS0047 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0177-937121.Xml
In a message here, the Governor said"I extend my heartiest greetings and best wishes to you on your birthday''.

''Your farsighted vision, pro-citizen policies and your mission to bring about a change in common man's life and to develop a 'Skilled India' have led India to prominent position in various spheres''.

''I wish you a long, happy and healthy life in your distinguished service to make India a Global Leader,''Mr Rao said.

Ms Jayalalithaa said ''On the joyousoccasion of your birthday, I take great pleasure in conveying my warm wishes to you for a wonderful year ahead''.

''I pray that the Almighty may grant you many more years of good health and strength to serve our Nation and the people." UNI CS 1107

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-937232.Xml
Though bus services from Mysuru to other parts of the State,particularly to Bengaluru, had resumed, operations to Tamil Nadu,mainly to Chennai, were yet to start. Even bus services from TamilNadu had been suspended.

KSRTC Divisional Manager (Mysuru rural divison) Mahesh told UNIthat the estimated loss following suspension of services fearingdamage to vehicles and refund of fare was around Rs 4.76 crore.Despite resuming services to Bengaluru, the KSRTC initially did notoperate high-end buses such as Airavat, Rajahamsa, and operated onlySarige buses.

The Mysuru Rural Division's daily revenue is around Rs 80 lakhand it operates over 650 schedules across the district, State andinter-State daily. Bus services to Bengaluru could not be operatedvia Mandya during the protests last week. Even after operating onthe alternative route via Malavalli, there were frequentdisruptions, forcing the corporation to suspend operations.

The Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway was out of bounds for motoristsowing to roadblocks. Services to various parts of Mandya districtfrom Mysuru had been suspended owing to widespread protests.UNI BSP MSP CS 1145

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-937257.Xml
President Pranab Mukherjee has said that India deeply values its historical and traditionally close relations with Nepal and hoped that the Nepal government under Prime Minister Pushpa Jamal Dahal 'Prachanda' will work to further strengthen the age old relations between the two countries. During his meeting with Mr Prachanda, who called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday, the President reiterated that India's interest in Nepal is peace, stability and prosperity. India has nothing but goodwill for Nepal. Welcoming Prime Minister Prachanda, the President congratulated him on his election as the Prime Minister of Nepal. He appreciated his decision of selecting India for his first visit abroad as Prime Minister. He also expressed his happiness that the Nepalese Prime Minister was staying at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said that Prime Minister Prachanda has assumed office at an important juncture in Nepal's history. India recognises the immense contribution made by him in bringing peace to Nepal. The President said it is necessary to complete the peace process and establish a political system that accommodates the political and economic interests of all sections of Nepal's society. He wished Prime Minister Prachanda every success in his endeavour to promote national cohesion and reconciliation. UNI AR PS ADG 1225 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0177-937273.Xml
Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah will address a public meeting at Hanmakonda this evening in connection with the Hyderabad Liberation day celebrations. The day is celebrated to mark the end of the Nizam's regime in the erstwhile Hyderabad state and its merger with Independent India in 1948. Political observers feel that Mr.Shah's visit to participate in a function commemorating the Telangana Liberation Day was a part of the BJP's efforts to strengthen its base in the state to emerge as a force to reckon with ahead of 2019 Assembly election. Elaborate arrangements were made by the party at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue of the public meeting which the party claims will be attended by more than a lakh of people. The BJP has been demanding that the day be celebrated officially but the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government like the previous regimes headed by the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party did not respond.MORE UNI SMS CS 1241 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-937313.Xml
API Sunil Jadhav of the Tulinj police station under vasai division told this correspondent that the alleged accused and the victim, were college friends.

In March this year the accused invited the victim for his birthday celebration. There he gave her cold drink mixing with vodka and when she fell drowsy, raped her. He also videographed the rape and later threatened the girl that he would post it in social media and defame her and continued raping her repeatedly.

In a complaint she stated that the accused allegedly slit her body and tortured her.

Recently, when she asked the video to be deleted, he again hit her with the broken glass and enjoyed her sufferings the complaint stated.

The police have booked the accused under sections 376,328,324,504,506 of the IPC and the further probe was on, police added. UNI XR NV VS ADG RK1220

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-937245.Xml
Akash, a student of Architecture in National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu had participated in an International Online Competition for college students all over the world. He and his college mate Jeslu Celine Jacob from Cochin were honoured with Special Mention Award in recognition of their performance in developing a project, "The Panoramic Habitat".

They also participated in the International Green Building Conference (IGBC) held in Singapore recently.

The competition was jointly organised by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) and Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC).

The competition is a part of the annual Singapore Green Building Week and a total of 131 submissions from 15 countries were received

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development, Singapore, Desmond Lee presented the award to them in Singapore on September 7.UNI DH SB AN1540

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-937477.Xml
There was still no respite for the people as the curfew, restrictions and strike continued for the 71th day today in Kashmir valley, where one more youth was killed in fresh clashes with security forces, taking the number of people killed in the ongoing unrest took 83. Police said curfew will continue in Shehr-e-khas, downtown, Batmaloo, Maisuma Harwan while elsewhere in the summer capital. Security forces and police personnel remain deployed to strictly implement restriction on assembly of people under Section 144 of CrPC. Curfew also continued in Kulgam in south Kashmir and Budgam in central Kashmir while only restriction remained in force in rest of the Valley to maintain law and order. However, the situation was entirely different as people alleged in major towns and tehsil headquarters that they were not been allowed to move out of their houses by security forces. Both the factions of Hurriyat Conference and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), spearheading the present agitation, in the latest protest calendar have extended the strike to September 22 , demanding right to self determination. Meanwhile, chairman of hardline Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani remain under house arrest while moderate Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq remained lodged in sub-jail Cheshmashahi and JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik in central jail Srinagar.More UNI BAS JW AE 1657 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-937462.Xml
Workers today offered prayers to Lord Vishwakarma, the god of architecture, for safe conditions in factories and industries throughout West Bengal.All the industrial units, engineering departments, mechanical shops as well as owners of private and public vehicles observed the Puja and offered prayers. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted people on the occasion of Vishwakarma Puja. "Greetings on the occasion of Vishwakarma Puja. Har mazdoor bhai behen ko hardik subh kamnayein," Ms Banerjee posted on her social networking page.The entire city wore a festive look with colourful pandals, Devotional songs mixed with modern hindi and bengali film songs were played at almost all the pandals and small kids danced to the tunes.Despite a cloudy sky, multi-coloured kites soared high in the firmament and the master of all mechanics was worshipped in marquees, workshops and garages as West Bengal celebrated Vishwakarma Puja, heralds the beginning of the festive season. The streets wore a colourful and festive look as pandals were erected on roadside corners to celebrate the festival. Several cultural events are also organised in 'puja pandals' to mark the day.All buses, taxis, autorickshaws and other private and public vehicles were adorned with garlands and festoons.Preparations commence a day before in the city of joy with a heavy rush in market, as people are busy buying idols of Lord Vishwakarma, and other articles for the rituals.Traffic in the city was less compared to other days, the city police has also taken special measures to control any ontoward incident.According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishwakarma created the entire universe as well as heaven and earth. He also crafted the sacred weapons and chariots of all the gods. Vishwakarma is also known as the lord of engineers, artisans and craftsmen.UNI BM KK SB VN1700. -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-937480.Xml
Parliamentary secretary of Geology & Mining Dr Imtiwapang Aier has said Mokokchung district has been the highest revenue contributor for the last three consecutive years amongst the coal producing districts in Nagaland. Addressing the inaugural programme of the designated coal depot in Tuli at 10th Mile, NH 2, in the defunct Tuli railway station yesterday, Dr Aier said Nagaland coal deposits are found in Mon, Longleng, Mokokchung, Wokha, Tuensang, Kohima and Peren districts and presently coal is being extracted only in four districts namely Mon, Longleng, Mokokchung and Wokha. He also mentioned that Tuli designated coal depot is the first to be inaugurated out of the four designated depots already setup by the state government. In order to adopt scientific and systematic development of coal resources in the state and for optimum utilisation, the state government has framed the Nagaland Coal Policy 2006 and the Nagaland Coal Mining Rules 2006 under the Nagaland (Ownership and Transfer of Land and its Resources) Act 1990. The foresaid policy and rules has now undergone its first amendment in 2014 and the same is being enforced in the state which 'aimed at mutual benefit' for the coal miners, the state government and also the people, Dr Imtiwapang said. He, however, lamented that the owners of those resources do not have the finance and marketing capability to produce and sell our own product. Dr Imtiwapang expressed hope that the designated coal depot in Tuli will facilitate the local coal producers, landowners, entrepreneurs to sell their coal at reasonable prices without facing direct market fluctuation and do to away with market price monopoly. He also disclosed that the Nagaland coal is in huge demand in neighboring countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh adding the state government is trying its level best to attract more investors both from outside Nagaland and aboard. In this connection, D Imtiwapang said that state government will ensured the Tuli rail station is activated for transportation of coal and other resources besides deploying security at the designated coal depots to assist the separtment for smooth functioning of the stockyard. Parliamentary secretary of industry and commerce, Amenba Yaden, urged the entrepreneurs and coal depot owners to be more sensitive toward local environment and followed the guidelines laid down by the department of geology & mining and the Nagaland pollution control board. UNI AS AKM SB VP1715 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-937611.Xml
Punjab Congress Legislature Party chief and Leader of Opposition Charanjit Singh Channi today urged Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal to get an FIR registered against Akali Dal MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha for using casteist slur against the dalit legislator Tarlochan Singh Soond. In a statement here, Mr Channi said, "It is the most serious matter that calls for action against the culprit. As casteist slur was hurled at Mr Soond on the floor of the House, the Speaker must get the FIR registered against Mr Valtoha who should be arrested immediately as per the legal provisions." He said the Akali Dal MLA had denigrated the entire Dalit sections by abusing them and this could not be tolerated. He pointed out that recommending the registration of FIR was under the purview of the Speaker in the capacity of his being the custodian of the House. Channi recalled a member of the watch and ward staff had taken similar action on similar allegation against several MLA's in March, 2013 although the matter referred to the incident outside the House but within the Assembly premises. He said this was a very serious matter as a ruling party MLA had abused a senior Congress Dalit MLA and the situation warranted immediate registration of the case and his arrest. He slammed the Akalis for being anti-Dalit and he reinforced his attack with the example of two Dalit women recently protesting against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for discriminatory treatment during sangat darshan programme in his own Lambi constituency. He said one could imagine the treatment the Dalits were getting if such was the situation in the constituency of the Chief Minister himself. The Congress leader made it clear the Congress would not rest till Mr Valtoha was sent behind bars for insulting Dalits. UNI DB SB VN1602 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-937564.Xml
UN reforms, terrorism, and the deteriorating situation in West Asia are the foremost issues that will dominate discussions at the two-day 17th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) beginning in Margarita Island in Venezuela today. Vice-President M Hamid Ansari, who is leading the Indian delegation at the summit, was accorded a red carpet welcome at the airport where he was received by Venezuelan Executive Vice-President Aristobulo Isturiz. Deliberations at the ministerial and senior official levels preceded the summit. The summit is expected to deliberate on issues of contemporary relevance and concern such as terrorism, UN reforms, the West Asia situation, threats to peace and security, UN peacekeeping operations, climate change, sustainable development, economic governance, south-south cooperation, refugees and migrants, and nuclear disarmament. All these issues are of relevance in the context of the discussions that will take place at the United Nations in coming months. India has a close bilateral engagement with Venezuela, the host of the 17th NAM Summit. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ms Delcy Rodriguez had led a high level delegation to India last month when she personally extended the invitation for India to attend the NAM Summit. She had held consultations with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during the visit.More UNI SD RSA SB 1826 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0005-937915.Xml
Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today claimed that Congress will definitely get absolute majority in the 2017 assembly elections to form a stable, transparent and corruption free government. Interacting with mediapersons on the sidelines of a Mahila Congress rally under the Mission-2017 at a resort here, Ms Bhattal alleged that father-son duo -- Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal -- are befooling the people on the name of Panth while criminalising the politics and working for spreading political and administrative terrorism in the state. She said both Badals have no patience and spirit of sacrifice as senior Badal did not want to leave the chair of CM while his son Sukhbir is still CM in waiting. She reiterated her allegations that Badals have made the prosperous state of Punjab merely as a wholesale market of different kinds of drugs. Ms Bhattal said Congress will bring forward women and youth in coming assembly elections but winnibility would be considered as main criteria for allotment of the party tickets. Replying a question, the Congress leader said, "Election manifesto of the Congress could be released before November 14, but we are trying to prepare it by October 2". She said all accused responsible for spoiling the state would be put behind bars after formation of Congress government in the state. Answering a question about increasing infighting in the party, Ms Bhattal quipped and said it would be settled down soon and Congress will enter in poll fray with united face. She alleged that SAD-BJP never tried to bring women power in front line whereas she(Bhattal) herself was the choice of Congress high command for CM post, and moreover Congress is being run by a woman Sonia Gandhi. All India Mahila Congress president Shobha Ojha, General Secretary Neena D'Souza and Punjab Mahila Congress president Mamta Dutta and vice-president Balbir Rani Sodhi also addressed the conference and appealed to the women to come forward for formation of a transparent government in the state. UNI XC DB SW SB 1831 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-937865.Xml
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' today visited the 1500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri hydro power project of Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) in Shimla with the Indian and Nepalese delegation. He inspected the hard coating plant and underground power house of the project, which is the biggest power of the country. The authorities of the SJVNL briefed Mr Prachanda about the technical specifications and functioning of the project, which is the joint venture of the Central government and the Himachal Pradesh government. Mr Prachanda expressed keen interest in the project and said it was encouraging as SJVNL was working on few hydro-electric projects in Nepal. He said a Memorandum of Understanding had already been signed with India in May, 2014 for commissioning of 900 MW Arun-3 hydro power project. He expressed satisfaction over Nathpa-Jhakri project and added that the experience and expertise of SJVNL in hydroelectric projects would help Nepal in commissioning few more projects successfully. Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal said Arun-3 hydro-electric project was a beginning of new chapter between the relations of India and Nepal and the work on this project would be expedited. He said India and Nepal were working together on few more projects and it was a matter of great satisfaction that the neighbouring nation had expressed faith in India to go ahead with these projects. Mr Goyal also appreciated the efforts of the Himachal government for waiving off 12 per cent duty in hydropower projects over Chenab basin which would ensure restart of these projects. State Agriculture and Power Minister Sujan Singh Pathania thanked the Nepalese Prime Minister for visiting the project. He said the state government was making all-out efforts to harness the hydropower potential available in the state and the state government had also taken a historic decision to spend one percent amount of the total sale of power on welfare of the project affected areas. Earlier, Mr Pathania welcomed the Nepalese delegation on behalf of the state government. Chief Parliamentary Secretary Nand Lal and MP Ramswaroop Sharma accompanied the Minister. Mr. Pathania also hosted the lunch in honour of Mr Prachanda on behalf of the state government.UNI ML SW SB 1840 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-937872.Xml
Mr Kumar in his microblogging site tweeted, "Hearty greeting to respectable Shri Narendra Modi Ji on birth day".

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav also greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birth day.

Mr Yadav in his microbloging Twitter account commented, "Wishing a very Happy B'day to @ narendra Modi Ji. May U live long with more happiness & health! Sir".

He, however, also took a dig at Mr Modi on his promise for "Achhe Din" by commenting, "Achhe di se ache din ki shuruat ho", (Wishing for beginning of the best possible days").UNI DH BM CJ 2020

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiahtoday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is showingindifferent attitude to the plea of the State government to convenea meeting of Chief Ministers of riparian States to find an amicablesolution to the dispute arising out of the recent Supreme Courtdirection to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Siddaramaiah said "I hadwritten a letter to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention andconvening a meeting of the Chief Ministers and also spoke to thePrime Minister's Office (PMO) seeking time to meet Mr Modi. I didnot get any reply to my letter nor there was any response to my oralrequest for time to meet the Prime Minister. He said that the Cauvery water disputes tribunal, in its finalorder, had provided a provision for the riparian States to find asolution to any dispute in an emergency through mutual understandingand agreement. "For the riparian States to come to an understanding,the Central government should use its good offices to convene ameeting of Chief Ministers. In the past some Prime Ministers haddone so, but this time it has not happened", he added. Mr Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of changing its stance on theCauvery water dispute. He alleged that the party tried to politiciseit by taking a stand not to release water to Tamil Nadu and askingthe State government to defy the Supreme Court directions. He alsocriticised its demand for dropping the legal team headed by Fali S.Nariman from pleading the case of the State before the Supreme Court. He pointed out that Mr Nariman had been representing the Statefor the past 32 years and he headed the legal cases even when the BJPwas in power in the State. "Why the BJP had not removed him whenthe party was in power." Mr Siddaramaiah hoped that the State government's decision torelease water as per the directions of the Supreme Court would workin its favour when the case comes up for further hearing on October20. "We do not have any more water in the reservoirs to release toTamil Nadu after October 20, any more release would only meandenying drinking water to Bengaluru, other cities and villagesdependent fully on Cauvery river till the onset of monsoon". Karnataka required at least 27 tmc ft. of water to meet thedrinking water requirements and after October 20 the four reservoirsin the Cauvery would be left with just 28 tmc ft. of water whileTamil Nadu would be having a minimum of 42 tmc ft. in its reservoirsin the Cauvery delta.UNI SD MSP CS 1911 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-938054.Xml
The Governor wished him a long and healthy life on the occasion. Mr Singh went to Delhi today where he greeted the Prime Minister on his birthday.

A spokesman for the Chief Minister office said Mr Singh greeted Mr Modi at Delhi.UNI ML SW SB 1854

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Two farmers were injured when they were attacked by a wild bear under Osal village of Khadander village of tourist resort Dalhousie in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh today. These farmers were transplanting garlic when a bear suddenly attacked them. The injured were rushed to the near by Primary Health Centre Bathri from where they were rushed to Dr. Rajinder Parsad Medical College Tanda in critical condition. After the incident panic prevailed among the villagers. Victims have been identified as Bidodevi and Manhor Lal. The villagers said that three bears were seen by them in a maze field and one of them suddenly attacked the farmers while they were busy in field planting garlic this morning. Manhor Lal tried to protect them with the help of sickle however it attacked the woman and badly tore her face. The bear ran from the field when the local villagers rushed to the spot . Forest beat officer Rakesh Katoch confirmed the incidents and said that Rs 5,000 were given to victims as immediate assistance. This is the second incident in last two days in the area.UNI ML SZ 1924 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-937876.Xml
Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today said 'morally and financially' corrupt leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were indulging in malpractices and were looting the people with both hands. Addressing a gathering before distributing 440 sewing machines, certificates and saplings to girls and women of 12 villages here, Ms Badal said the exploitation of people in the hands of leaders of AAP had proved that they were looting the people for their vested political interests. Cautioning the people from the nefarious political designs of AAP leaders, she said this party was a pack of liars, who were hell bent to misguide the people of Punjab. She said it was written on the wall that people of Punjab would teach a stern political lesson to AAP in ensuing Assembly polls. Interacting with mediapersons, Ms Badal said the AAP government, led by Arvind Kejriwal, had no concern with the people, which could be gauged from present situation of Delhi. She said Mr Kejriwal had taken reins of power in Delhi by befooling the people but now in this hour of crisis when the people were facing severe dengue and chikungunya outbreak, not only the Chief Minister but also Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other Ministers were in foreign and other states. She added that AAP cabinet had left the people facing healthcare problems in the lurch since they were confined to vote politics only. On the recent political development in Arunachal Pradesh, Ms Badal said the whole episode had a symbol that in coming time people would eliminate the Congress from the political map of nation. "It has also proved that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is a failed politician on all fronts," she added. Asked about ensuing polls in Punjab, she said Punjabis should beware from the misleading propaganda of rival parties since they had a sole motive to take reins of power with their vested political interests. She added that Delhi people were now forced to face several crises, as they were caught in the trap of AAP. Answering a query, Ms Badal said the Bathinda Airport would also be inaugurated soon. More UNI DB SW SB 1951 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-938157.Xml
Lawyers abstained from post lunch court work after a decision to that effect was taken in an urgent meeting convened by Patna District Bar Association.

They also decided to abstain from the court on Monday if the order for introduction of court fees was not rolled back.UNI XC DH BM CJ 2135

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Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachand today said that his government would not allow any anti-India activities to be carried out from Nepalese territory. Talking to media persons at Nathpa Jakhari in Himachal Pradesh today, he said any insurgent group indulging in such activities would be dealt with sternly. The Nepalese Prime Minister visited 1,500 MW hydro power project at Nathpa Jakhari today.Mr Prachand said, he had cordial discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his four-day visit to India and two countries decided to further strengthen their relationships in field of hydro power generation and tourism.Mr Prachand said he listened to the problems of Nepalese migrants settled in India and would resolve all issues pertaining to them.Mr. Parchand saw the model of Nathpa power project and how it functions.UNI ML SHK 2110 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-938180.Xml
Municipal Council (MC) Sirhind-Fatehgarh Sahib employees have intensified their agitation and demanded immediate arrest of Congress worker Haryana Ram and his associated who allegedly assaulted the municipal council employees who had gone to remove encroachment from village Talaniya. Fatehgarh Sahib Congress MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra and District Congress Committee Fatehgarh Sahib president Harinder Singh Bhambri had extended support to the Congress worker. The council employees are on indefinite strike due to which there are heaps of garbage in the town. While addressing employees dharna, Municipal Employees Union Sirhind president Dharminder Kumar said the council employees had gone to remove encroachment in ward no 21 Talaniya but Haryana Ram and his associates assaulted council employees. He said the persons who had assaulted the council employees are roaming free. He said the council employees were only executing their duty but some persons are giving politicizing this matter. He said the council Executive Officer had already written a letter to Fatehgarh Sahib Deputy Commissioner and SC Commission as the council employees who had injured in associate belongs to Schedule Caste community. They warned that they will continue their stir till the arrest of all the culprits. They will launch their agitation at state level soon if accuse will not be arrested and administration will be responsible for it. He said earlier when the council employees staged protest dharna they lifted it only when the police had assured them to arrest the accused soon but no action was taken so far. Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Harnek Singh said the police is investigating the case. On the other hand MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra and District Congress Committee, Fatehgarh Sahib president Harinder Singh Bhambri said a false case was registered against the Congress worker at the behest of Akalis. UNI XC VJ CJ 2040 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-938238.Xml
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called on the Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' today who is on a four-day visit to India. After the meeting, Home Minister tweeted it was a great meeting with Mr Dahal and both the leaders discussed on various issues relating to India-Nepal relations. "Had a good meeting with Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Discussed various issues relating to India-Nepal relations," tweeted Rajnath Singh. Prior to this, Mr Dahal also met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and had talks over various issues related to political process with Nepal and ways to further strengthen ties between the two countries.Both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthen and deepen age-old, close friendly ties in diverse sectors such as trade and mutual investments, defense and security, economic and development partnership, infrastructure development, energy and water resources, and forging connectivity to facilitate movement of goods and services, people and ideas. It is Prachanda's first bilateral visit abroad after assuming office last month. Mr Prachanda's visit would provide an opportunity for both sides to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, as well as seek ways to strengthen the age old, close and friendly ties between the two countries in diverse sectors. UNI XC CJ 2334 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0441-938429.Xml
In a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi dispensation and Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan regime, Congress General Secretary and state in-charge Mohan Prakash today said that the public is distraught but the Centre does nothing else but talk and Mr Chouhan constantly reneges on promises made to the people. "The indigent populace's stomachs are empty but the government speaks to them regarding construction of toilets, opening bank accounts and performing Yoga. New Delhi is attempting to snatch the rights of the poverty-stricken," he alleged at a function here. In the context of recent flooding here, Congress state President Arun Yadav alleged that the state regime failed completely in providing succour.UNI BAG-AC CJ 2225 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-938388.Xml
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump unveiled a plan for 4.4 trillion dollars in tax cuts, offering less generous tax breaks than his original 10 trillion dollars plan but proposing to cut the current top rate for the wealthiest taxpayers.Trump's proposal, which he detailed in a speech in New York, would reduce the top individual rate to 33 percent from the current 39.6 per cent. It would raise the standard deduction and cap itemized deductions, which he said would reduce tax loopholes. Trump said his plan would not add to the federal deficit.But his estimate of the 4.4 trillion dollars cost of the plan uses a mechanism known as "dynamic scoring," which assumes that tax cuts will lead to faster growth, which in turn will allow at least some of the tax breaks to pay for themselves.Trump also offered a "Penny Plan" for cutting federal spending. He said he would shrink government programs outside of defense by 1 per cent each year. But entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare would be shielded from any cuts.The original tax plan laid out by the New York businessman last September was criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike for its costly price tag. Democrat Hillary Clinton, who will face Trump in the November 8 election, denounced it as catering to the very wealthy and ignoring the working class.Some economists also questioned the assumptions underpinning the plan he outlined yesterday.In his speech to the Economic Club of New York, Trump predicted his updated package to reduce taxes, curb government regulation and take a tougher stance on negotiating trade agreements would produce annual economic growth of 3.5 per cent."Everything that is broken today can be fixed, and every failure can be turned into a great success," Trump said.He added the plan would create 25 million jobs over a decade. Trump set 4 per cent as a goal for economic growth, in a message reminiscent of that of his former Republican rival Jeb Bush.The US economy last achieved 4 per cent growth during the administration of Democratic President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. The economy grew 2.4 per cent last year.'IT DOESN'T SQUARE'Oren Cass, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and domestic policy director of Republican Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential bid, said the plan for 1 per cent cuts in some programs would not be enough to pay for Trump's proposals."It doesn't square," Cass said. "The penny plan is an idea that's been out there for a while, but it does touch entitlement spending as well."Maya MacGuineas, president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, welcomed the scaling back of Trump's original tax-cut proposals but said the plan would still leave the country on an unsustainable budget path."He's moving in the right direction by pursuing a less costly tax plan and identifying some spending cuts to help pay for it. But the plan appears to rely on rosy assumptions and murky policy changes," she said in a statement.Other groups have predicted more adverse effects from Trump's policies. Earlier this week, global economic research firm Oxford Economics projected the US economy could be 1 trillion dollars smaller than otherwise expected in 2021 if Trump becomes president. REUTERS DS0620 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-935624.Xml
"On September 7, coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Raqqah, Syria, that targeted and killed 'Wa'il,' also known as Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, one of IS's most senior leaders," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

"He operated as the minister of information for the terror organization and was a prominent member of its Senior Shura Council -- IS's leadership group," Cook said.

Wa'il was killed by a drone targeting his home in al-Raqqah, IS's de facto capital in Syria, according to an ABC news report, citing an anonymous US official as source.

The confirmed death of "Wa'il" is the second strike in the past two weeks targeting a senior ISIS leader involved in IS's media operation. Earlier this week, Pentagon confirmed that the group's spokesman al-Adnani was killed by an airstrike on August 30 as he rode in a vehicle near the Syrian town of al-Bab.

Wa'il was a close associate of al-Adnani, said Cook.

--IANS ahm/

( 207 Words)

2016-09-17-03:12:07 (IANS)
US First Lady Michelle Obama took sharp aim on Friday at those who questioned her husband's eligibility for office, arguing a potential commander in chief should set a better example for the country's children. "There were those who questioned and continue to question for the past eight years up through this very day whether my husband was even born in this country," Michelle was quoted by CNN in Fairfax, Virginia, during her first solo campaign appearance for Hillary Clinton. "Well, during his time in office, I think Barack has answered those questions with the example he set by going high when they go low." The first lady was speaking hours after Donald Trump -- who for five years has etched a reputation as the highest-profile "birther", questioning if the President was born in the US -- admitted that Obama was born in America. With virtually unmatched popularity at her back, Michelle Obama sought to cast the race as a make-or-break moment for the country's future. "If a candidate is erratic and threatening; if a candidate traffics in prejudice, fears and lies on the trail; if a candidate has no clear plans to implement their goals; if they disrespect their fellow citizens, including folks who made extraordinary sacrifices for our country; let me tell you, that is who they are. That is the kind of president they will be, trust me," Michelle said. The first lady was debuting on the stump on Friday in the hopes of galvanizing suburban voters behind a candidate she once fiercely opposed. On Friday, Obama struck upon similar themes as her well-received speech at this summer's Democratic National Convention. Speaking on the event's first night, Obama's 10-minute address made an impassioned argument for keeping Trump away from the Oval Office. --IANS ahm/ ( 307 Words) 2016-09-17-03:32:06 (IANS)
Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation Party which holds four seats in the Australian senate, is expected to announce the identity of the former Trump adviser on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The appointment was confirmed by Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby at a community forum in northern Queensland on Friday night.

"Just on the economic things, tomorrow (Saturday) there'll be a front-page announcement, from what I understand," Ashby said when asked about economic policies.

"We have just hired - and they've just landed in the country yesterday (Thursday) - one of the world's leading economists, who has worked for Donald Trump."

"We have just taken him from the Trump camp, so he's come on board with us."

Hanson's hardline anti-Islam and anti-immigration stance has drawn many comparisons to the policies of the controversial businessman-turn-politician.

The senator made front-page news on Wednesday when she used her maiden Senate speech to warn that Australia is "at danger" of being inundated by Muslims.

"We are in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own," Hanson said.

Hanson reiterated that she would not be backing down from her comments.

The One Nation Party received 4.3 per cent of the national vote in July's Federal election, enough to guarantee two senate seats in Queensland and one each in New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA).

--IANS ksk

( 259 Words)

2016-09-17-08:14:06 (IANS)
Republican Donald Trump finally acknowledged today that President Barack Obama was born in the United States but accused Hillary Clinton of starting the so-called birther controversy, a charge that independent fact-checking sites have said is false."President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period," said Trump, reversing himself on a controversy about Obama's birth that the Republican helped launch but that had become a distraction to his White House bid."Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again," he said at an event at a new hotel he owns in downtown Washington.Without offering evidence, Trump accused Democratic rival Clinton of starting the birther allegations during her 2008 presidential primary campaign.Trump had for years promoted the birther movement against Obama, who was born in Hawaii to an American mother and a Kenyan father. In 2012, The New York businessman wrote on Twitter that the president's birth certificate was "a fraud."The birther conspiracies, which cast doubt over whether Obama is legally able to be president, incense black Americans whose votes Trump has been trying to court.Clinton demanded Trump apologize to the president for having helped spread the birther idea and said Trump had tried to "delegitimize our first black president.""His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie. There is no erasing it in history," Clinton said in an address to the Black Women's Association in Washington.The issue has not been a factor in the campaign for the November 8 presidential election, but it resurfaced in recent days, taking the focus of Trump's campaign away from topics such as immigration, trade and the economy, which he has been using to hit Clinton.Trump has gained ground on Clinton in national opinion polls after revamping his campaign staff in August and taking steps to give a more polished performance on the campaign trail.BIRTH ISSUE REBORNBut he revived the birther controversy yesterday in an interview with the Washington Post when he declined to say whether he believed Obama was born in Hawaii. A US president must be a natural-born citizen.The nonpartisan PolitiFact fact-checking website has rated the accusation that Clinton started the birther movement "false," saying it appeared to begin with some Democrats who backed Clinton in 2008 but there were no ties to her or her campaign.Trump had promised "a big announcement" about the birther issue, giving the impression it was the purpose of the event at his hotel.But, instead, he held off saying anything about it through more than 20 minutes of endorsements from military veterans. Only after that did Trump make a brief statement about Obama's birth.Obama declined to comment on Trump's revival of the birther issue, telling reporters he had better things to do."I'm shocked that a question like that would come up at a time when we've got so many other things to do - well, I'm not that shocked actually," Obama said.In 2011, Obama, the first African American to win the White House, released a long-form version of his birth certificate showing he was born in Hawaii.REUTERS DS0004 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-937106.Xml
Canada did not make concessions to China to secure the return of a Canadian citizen who spent two years in jail and was convicted of spying, Foreign Minister Stephane Dion told reporters today.Kevin Garratt was charged in January with spying and stealing state secrets. He was convicted on Tuesday, released on bail and then deported to Canada yesterday. REUTERS DS0147 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-937134.Xml
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump abandoned his false claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States after spending five years peddling conspiracy theories that the country's first African-American president started life as a foreigner.But, never one to let a controversy go without fanning its flames, Trump accused Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival in the November 8 election, of starting the so-called birther movement in her failed 2008 presidential campaign against Obama, a claim that does not stand up to scrutiny.Trump, who has won back some ground in opinion polls and made the White House race more competitive after he went through a summer slump, made his announcement in an attempt to clear the air as he prepares for the first of three televised presidential debates with Clinton on September 26."President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period," said Trump, a real estate developer. "Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again," he said at an event in Washington at a new Trump International Hotel down the street from the White House.Devoting only about 30 seconds to the subject, Trump did not apologize and did not expand upon his abrupt decision to shift from a stance he held for five years.The New York businessman brought up the birther controversy as far back as 2011, appealing to a right-wing fringe of voters who formed the early base of his support when he launched his presidential bid last year.The birther conspiracy movement is aimed at challenging the legality of Obama's presidency - the US Constitution requires that a president be a natural-born citizen.During his presidential campaign, Trump has readily trafficked in other theories that are the stuff of American supermarket tabloids.There was his declaration that the father of US Senator Ted Cruz, one of Trump's many rivals for the Republican nomination, might have been linked to the assassin of President John F Kennedy. And there was his false claim that thousands of Muslims in Jersey City, New Jersey, cheered when the World Trade Center twin towers collapsed in the September 11, 2001, attacks.In making his announcement yesterday, Trump advanced a widely debunked claim that Clinton and her 2008 campaign had been the original birthers."Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. You know what I mean," he said.His campaign directed reporters to a 2007 memo from then-Clinton adviser Mark Penn, who had encouraged the Clinton campaign to go negative against Obama by saying that his Hawaiian birth and boyhood in Indonesia gave him limited roots in American values and culture.Penn eventually left the Clinton campaign, and his advice was never acted upon."A NEW LIE"The Democratic National Committee yesterday condemned Trump's bid to link Clinton to the birther idea. "He had the audacity to spout a new lie about the birther movement that he helped to build," it said.Clinton, who leads Trump by 4 percentage points in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, yesterday demanded Trump apologize to the president for having helped spread the birther idea and said Trump had tried to "delegitimize our first black president.""His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie. There is no erasing it in history," Clinton said in an address to the Black Women's Association in Washington.Clinton seized on the issue after struggling to overcome the fallout from her remark a week ago that half of Trump's supporters are in a "basket of deplorables" and her initial secrecy about her pneumonia diagnosis.Obama, who produced the longer version of his Hawaiian birth certificate in 2011 to prove doubters wrong, had famously mocked Trump over the issue at a White House Correspondents Association dinner as the wealthy businessman sat in the audience fuming.Still, Trump clung to the contention that Obama was foreign-born, tweeting in August 2012: "An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud."Yesterday, Obama was asked for his reaction to the latest Trump declaration."I'm shocked that a question like that has come up at a time when we have so many other things to do. Well, I'm not that shocked actually. It's fairly typical. We've got other things to attend to," he said. "I was pretty confident about where I was born."Trump's embrace of the birther movement has incensed black Americans, whose votes Trump has been trying to court.Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a news conference yesterday to urge African-American voters to resist any temptation to support Trump."I'm wondering when this country is going to awaken from this reality show," said Representative Brenda Lawrence, a Democrat.First lady Michelle Obama told a crowd in Fairfax, Virginia, that her husband has set a strong example for those who have doubted "whether my husband was even born in this country.""Well, during his time in office, I think Barack has answered those questions with the example he's set: by going high when they go low. And he's answered these questions with the progress that we've achieved together," she said.At a rally in Miami later yesterday, Trump pushed back on the idea that he and his supporters were racist, saying that when Democrats are in trouble politically, "they always pull out the racist word."He walked out at the rally to a song from the musical "Les Miserables" in front of a backdrop that read "Les Deplorables," a reference to Clinton's comment last week about his supporters.The issue of Obama's birthplace has not been a factor in the campaign leading up to the November presidential election, but it resurfaced in recent days, taking the focus of Trump's White House bid away from topics such as immigration, trade and the economy, which he has been using to hit Clinton.Trump revived the birther controversy on Thursday in an interview with The Washington Post when he declined to say whether he believed Obama was born in Hawaii.Trump had promised "a big announcement" about the birther issue yesterday, giving the impression it was the purpose of the event at his hotel.Instead, he held off saying anything about it through more than 20 minutes of endorsements from military veterans. Only then did Trump make a brief statement about Obama's birth.Trump devoted more time at the beginning of the event to talking about his hotel where the event took place. He ignored reporters' shouted questions. REUTERS DS0446 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-937151.Xml
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said that if elected he would seek to reverse President Barack Obama's moves to open relations with Cuba unless the leaders there allowed religious freedoms and freed political prisoners."The next president can reverse them, and that I will do unless the Castro regime meets our demands," Trump said at a rally in Miami, which has a large Cuban population. REUTERS DS0450 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-937153.Xml
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has joined a growing list of celebrities and other public figures rooting for a presidential pardon for whistleblower Edward Snowden. #PardonSnowden, Dorsey tweeted on Twitter. The Pardon Snowden campaign, launched by three human rights groups, replied with a thanking note. Besides Dorsey, others supporting the campaign are heavyweights like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, author Joyce Carol Oates, actor Danny Glover, Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Britain-based human rights group Amnesty International, Mishi Choudhary, technology lawyer and legal director of Software Freedom Law Centre, and US-based Human Rights Watch. The campaign, launched on Wednesday, can be accessed on pardonsnowden.org and is also supported by Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the human rights organisation American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who said that Snowden should be thanked, not punished and should be allowed to return the US. Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, revealed government surveillance programmes to the media. He currently lives in self-imposed exile in Russia to avoid charges in the US for violating the Espionage Act and other laws. According to Romero, if Snowden were to face trial, he would have no opportunity to argue that he performed a public service. Under the Espionage Act, such an argument would be useless. Snowden joined the launch of the campaign via teleconference from Russia and said, "While I am grateful for the support given to my case, this really is not about me. It is about us. It is about our right to dissent." The White House has said it had no plans to pardon Snowden. "Snowden has been charged with serious crimes, and it is the policy of the administration that Snowden should return to the US and face those charges. There are mechanisms in our criminal justice system to ensure that he's treated fairly and consistent with the law," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. According to a report on online portal Fast Company, 10,000 people signed a petition by Wednesday night. The campaign said they were getting nearly 2,000 new signatures on the petition every hour and expect the total to get a lot bigger. On Wednesday night, Snowden was beamed into Manhattan's Upper West Side, to join the audience in singing "Happy Birthday" to Oliver Stone, director of "Snowden", the new biopic released on Friday. --IANS sku/rn ( 396 Words) 2016-09-17-14:42:07 (IANS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said today he hoped the United States would stick to its commitments on Syria, adding that he believed securing a truce in that country's conflict was the common goal of both Moscow and Washington.The United States and Russia said yesterday they wanted to extend the four-day-old ceasefire in Syria they have co-sponsored, although the agreement looks increasingly shaky, undermined by increasing violence and a failure to deliver aid.The two Cold War-era rivals also back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, making cooperation difficult. Moscow supports President Bashar al-Assad, while Washington backs some rebel groups fighting to oust the Syrian leader."Our partners (the United States) are calling for openness and transparency ... but they are deviating from this postulate," Putin told reporters during a visit to the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for a summit of former Soviet republics."This is because of the difficulties they (the Americans) are facing... that they still can't separate the healthy part of the (Syrian) opposition from the semi-criminal... But we are more positive than negative and expect that promises given (by the Americans)... will be fulfilled."Nearly five million Syrians have fled the country and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the more than five-year conflict, contributing to the record 65.3 million people who were uprooted worldwide last year.Putin also commented today on November's US presidential election, saying Moscow would support any person in any country who "is friendly to us".The US Republican Party's presidential nominee Donald Trump has spoken admiringly of Putin, spurring speculation about a possible thaw in currently still-frosty relations between Moscow and Washington if Trump wins the White House.Earlier today Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin would attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Peru in November, adding that US President Barack Obama was also expected to attend. Obama, who has had difficult relations with Putin, stands down in January.REUTERS SDR AS1537 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-937561.Xml
The ceasefire established in Syria has been violated 199 times since it came into force five days ago, a Russian defence ministry official was quoted as saying today."The United States and so-called moderate (rebel) groups under their control did not implement any of the obligations taken under the Geneva agreements," Russian news agencies quoted Lieutenant-General Viktor Poznikhir as saying."If the United States does not take steps needed to fulfil its obligations under the Sept. 9 agreement, then all the responsibility for any collapse of the ceasefire in Syria would lie with the United States," he added.REUTERS JW PR1827 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-937946.Xml
Far-right National Front party leader Marine Le Pen today said she was eager for France's presidential election campaign to start, portraying herself as the "candidate of the people" and mocking her opponents' primaries as cockfights.Opinion polls consistently show the anti-immigration, anti-EU Le Pen making it to the second round of the 2017 election. Her ratings have been boosted by worries over Europe's refugee crisis and concerns over Islamist attacks,But the same polls also show Le Pen losing the second-round runoff -- to be held in early May -- prompting her to make further efforts to polish her image and that of her camp, including with a campaign poster sporting the slogan "France Brought to Peace", and not bearing the party's name or logo."I'm very relaxed, impatient to start this presidential campaign," Le Pen told reporters. "I am eager for the match to start, to debate issues that are essential to the survival of our country as it is now.She was speaking at her party's annual rally, this year in the Mediterranean town of Frejus, where the mayor, David Rachline, is a rising party star and Le Pen's campaign manager.Le Pen, who was alone amid France's major party leaders to back Britain's exit from the European Union and is also alone in supporting U.S. Republican candidate Donald Trump, hopes to benefit from rising anti-establishment sentiment amid voters on both sides of the Atlantic."I am, and will be, in this presidential election the candidate of the people, who have been forgotten, scorned, over the 20 past years," she said at the start of the rally in the southern France town of Frejus.Le Pen mocked the bitterly fought primaries of France's conservatives and centre-right, which will pit ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy against former Prime Minister Alain Juppe and other candidates in November, and that of the Left, scheduled for January. She said they were battles of egos and cockfights.Rachline and her niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen both told Reuters that the party's campaign would only fully start once those two primaries are over."As long as we don't know who our opponents are, it is very complicated to launch a campaign," Marechal-Le Pen said, while insisting the National Front, or FN, believed it could win the presidential election, despite the opinion polls."I don't say it will be easy," she said. "But a lot of the pieces of the puzzles are falling into place."She said pointed to security concerns among voters after various deadly attacks in France, and at Britain's Brexit vote.Rachline said Le Pen would focus on asking voters "whether France must or no regain its independence" and "whether it will, or not, let radical Islam grow." REUTERS JW PR1827 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-937957.Xml
A Norwegian man held hostage by the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist militant group in the southern Philippines since September last year was freed Today, Philippine officials said.The group seized Kjartan Sekkingstad from an upscale resort on Samal island in Davao del Norte along with a Filipina, who has already been freed, and two Canadians, whom the militants later executed.Abu Sayyaf, based in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines, is known for kidnappings, beheadings and extortion. It had initially demanded one billion pesos ( 21 million dollars) each for the detainees, but it later lowered the ransom to 300 million pesos each.The group released Sekkingstad in the town of Patikul in the Sulu Archipelago and he is now in the custody of Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), in the regional capital Jolo, said Jesus Dureza, a peace adviser to the Philippines' president.Sekkingstad had been due to meet President Rodrigo Duterte later today but the meeting was cancelled due to bad weather."His first words when I spoke to him on the phone (were): "Thank you to President Duterte," Dureza said in a statement. "His release from captivity capped months of quiet, patient but determined efforts with the assistance of all sectors."Major Filemon Tan, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said the release of Sekkingstad was the result of "intense" military operations against the Abu Sayyaf.Tan also credited the MNLF for helping the government in seeking the release of the Norwegian.Abu Sayyaf beheaded the two Canadians it seized last year with Sekkingstad, the first one in April and the other in June, after a deadline for the payment of ransom money lapsed. The Filipina victim was released in June.It was unclear whether a ransom had been paid in exchange for Sekkingstad's freedom, but it is widely believed that no captives are released by the group without it.Security experts say brokers, messengers and go-betweens are involved at multiple levels, some taking substantial cuts. Payments are euphemistically called "board and lodgings".The group has made tens of millions of dollars from ransom money since it was formed in the 1990s, security experts say, channelling it into guns, grenade launchers, high-powered boats and modern equipment.REUTERS JW PR1837 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-937982.Xml
Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern has backed down from his call to end European Union accession talks with Turkey, German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) said, citing participants at the EU summit in Bratislava."Now is not the best time to ask for a termination of the accession negotiations," Kern said in Bratislava, according to a preliminary release of a FAS story to be published tomorrow.Kern said in August that he would start a discussion among European heads of government to quit talks with Turkey about joining the EU because of what he said were the country's democratic and economic deficits.The chancellery was not immediately available for comment. REUTERS SZ RAI2100 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0441-938311.Xml
When the New Horizons spacecraft approached Pluto in July 2015, many astronomers largely expected that a peek at Pluto's largest moon Charon would be uneventful. Unexpectedly, scientists found that Charon possessed a giant red cap on its north pole unlike anything else seen in the solar system to date. Now, researchers may have discovered how Charon got this dark spot: fumes from Pluto painted the moon's surface.

Charon is by far the biggest of Pluto's five known moons. At roughly 1,200 kilometers wide, Charon is nearly half the diameter of Pluto, making it the largest moon in the solar system compared to its host.

NASA's New Horizons discovered that Charon had a huge dark red cap on its north pole. If Charon were Earth, the red cap would probably cover a large portion of the northern hemisphere, extending south from the North Pole to at least 50 degrees north latitude, or roughly as far as the U.S.-Canada border or the English Channel. Hints of the cap could appear about as far south as Mexico City or the Red Sea, said study lead author Will Grundy, a planetary scientist at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

"This is the only case known so far in the solar system where we've found a satellite or an atmosphere-less body with polar colorations on it of the strong nature that we see on Charon," said research astronomer Larry Trafton at the University of Texas at Austin who did not take part in this study. "It was pretty much a surprise -- we expected Charon to be a blander object than it turned out to be."

Similar colors on Pluto's surface are probably due to organic molecules known as tholins, named after the ancient Greek word for sepia ink. These compounds arise from chemical reactions between methane and nitrogen. "They are chemically the same stuff as the smog that used to fill Los Angeles basin -- they have an orange tint to them," Grundy said.

Scientists previously speculated that methane and nitrogen escaping from Pluto's atmosphere got trapped by Charon's weak gravity, frozen at its cold poles, and slowly converted to tholins over time. However, until now, there were no rigorous models supporting this scenario.

To solve the mystery, Grundy and his colleagues first modeled how much gas might escape Pluto. Methane and nitrogen currently escape from Pluto at rates of 1.3 kilograms and 4 grams per second, respectively, as estimated from New Horizons data. Methane is the lighter molecule, so it is the main one escaping.

New Horizons scientists estimated that Charon intercepts about 2.5 percent of these molecules. The scientists developed models of Charon's surface temperatures that suggest Charon's winter pole -- the pole facing away from the sun -- would get cold enough for nitrogen ice to grow there at a rate of about 0.2 microns per decade, and for a layer of methane ice roughly 0.3 microns thick to accumulate at each pole of Charon during winter. (Pluto's year is 248 Earth years long, and its winter lasts more than a century.)

The researchers' calculations suggested that solar ultraviolet light striking Charon would convert material from Pluto into tholins. When Charon's winter poles reemerge into the sunlight, the nitrogen and methane ice would rapidly disappear, but the heavier, less volatile tholins would remain behind, with about 30 centimeters accumulating at Charon's poles over a billion Earth years.

"The calculations in the paper are simple back-of-the-envelope ones," Grundy said. "For every one of them, the numbers seem to add up. That doesn't prove anything, but this idea has seemed to survive the tests we've thrown at it so far."

The model suggests that Charon's south pole should also possess a red cap. Although Charon's south pole is currently in winter night, images of that moon's southern hemisphere lit by "Pluto-shine" -- that is, the scant amount of sunlight reflecting off Pluto -- that Grundy and his colleagues analyzed reveal that there is evidence of darkening toward the south pole, suggesting a red cap there as well. "I think it's interesting that each new place we look we find new phenomena," Grundy said.

Planetary scientist Bob Johnson at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, who did not take part in this research, said these findings join increasing discoveries of the transfer of materials between bodies in the solar system, such as between Jupiter's moons Io and Europa, and from Saturn's moon Enceladus to other Saturnian moons.

"It will also be interesting to see if similar features show up in other outer solar system bodies, like on Eris's satellite Dysnomia, or the recently discovered satellite of Makemake," Grundy said.

Future research should develop more detailed models of Pluto and Charon to rigorously test this scenario further and "make more detailed predictions about how the red stuff ought to be distributed," Grundy said.

The scientists detailed their findings online Sept. 14 in the journal Nature.
A gunman who wounded two Philadelphia police officers and three civilians and killed a fourth civilian appears to have opened fire because he was driven by hatred for the police, officials said today.Police did not immediately identify the gunman who they said began a shooting spree late yesterday and later was killed by responding officers.Sergeant Sylvia Young, a 19-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, was shot at least eight times by the gunman as she sat in her vehicle late at night, Police Commissioner Richard Ross said."He just walks up on her ... He just fired. He didn't say anything," Ross told a news conference today, saying the suspect fired about 15 rounds into Young's vehicle.Police found a "rambling" letter allegedly written by the gunman in which he expressed hatred toward police and probation officers, Ross said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. He said there was no reason to believe at this point that the gunman had any religious beliefs that drove him to the shootings, the newspaper reported.Philadelphia police could not be reached immediately to confirm the reports of a letter or its contents.The gunman was "driven by hatred," police spokesman John Stanford said on Twitter.Nearby officers heard the initial gunshots and began pursuing the suspect on foot. During the chase, the suspect fired shots into a tavern, striking a security guard in the leg, Ross said.He then used a woman from the bar as a shield before shooting her. He later fired into a car, seriously wounding a man and woman, he said.One of the women was shot seven times and later died, police said. They did not say which woman.The chase ended when the gunman exchanged gunfire with police in an alley, wounding a University of Pennsylvania police officer. The shooter was killed during the gun fight, Ross said."We have a lot of unanswered questions ... This is a completely bizarre situation," he said.The two police officers and three wounded civilians were all in stable condition, police said.Police officers in the cities of Dallas and Baton Rouge were the targets of deadly ambushes earlier this year after police killed two black men in separate incidents in a Minnesota suburb and Baton Rouge. REUTERS SZ RAI2152 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0441-938361.Xml
Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern today denied a German newspaper report which said he had backed down from his call to end European Union accession talks with Turkey."The chancellor maintains his call for breaking off EU accession negotiations with Turkey," a spokeswoman for Kern said.German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) earlier quoted Kern as saying that "now is not the best time to ask for a termination of the accession negotiations." The paper said it was citing participants at the EU summit in Bratislava.Kern said in August that he would start a discussion among European heads of government to quit talks with Turkey about joining the EU because of what he said were the country's democratic and economic deficits.The spokeswoman said Kern nevertheless sees Turkey as an important partner in economic and security policy. REUTERS SZ PR2239 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0441-938405.Xml
US Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence released a letter from his doctor today declaring Donald Trump's running mate was in "excellent" health."You are medically able to maintain your high level of professional work and your physical activity programs without limitations," wrote Michael Busk of the St. Vincent Health, Wellness and Preventative Care Institute in Indianapolis.Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has released a note from his doctor saying that he, too, was in "excellent" health. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate in the November 8 presidential election, and her running mate, Tim Kaine, also released medical information this week.The candidates moved to show their physical fitness to run for office after Clinton fell ill on Sunday at an event in New York City, prompting her campaign to disclose that she had been diagnosed with non-contagious, bacterial pneumonia.Busk said in the letter dated Thursday that he last examined Pence, who is the governor of Indiana, in July and has been his doctor since 2013.Pence exercises four days a week, mainly by biking, and takes no medications except for seasonal allergies. He had hernia repair surgery in 2015 and had basal cell carcinomas, a common form of skin cancer, removed in 2002 and 2010, the letter said.Pence's father died of a heart attack, the letter said. But it said his father smoked cigarettes, while Pence neither smokes nor drinks alcohol. Pence's cardiologists feel he has a "very good and strong heart," the letter said.REUTERS SZ PR2251 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0441-938416.Xml
MOSCOW, Sept. 16 (Xinhua)-- The Syrian government troops alone are observing a ceasefire agreement in the war-torn country brokered by Russia and the United States, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

"All attempts by our American partners to show the world at least some manageability of the opposition it supports in Syria have so far proved unsuccessful," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

Officers of the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria, based near the city of Aleppo and the Castello highway, confirmed the willingness of the Syrian forces to completely withdraw their units and equipment in synchrony with the opposition to agreed distances, it said.

Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir, first deputy head of the main directorate of the Russian General Staff, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that the Syrian government troops had effectively withdrawn tanks, combat infantry vehicles and artillery to the established distances to create a demilitarized zone.

But no response was observed from the opposition groups, which had breached the ceasefire agreement 144 times since it took effect, including 39 times in the past 24 hours, Poznikhir said.

However, Russia is ready to extend the Syrian ceasefire regime for 72 hours as part of Geneva accords despite numerous violations, he said.

The agency quoted another Russian official, Col. Sergei Kapitsyn, a senior operative of the Aleppo group, as saying during a video conference on Friday that the Syrian government troops had to be "redeployed to the initial positions to prevent the enemy from taking over the demilitarized zone."

In a separate development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov informed his U.S. counterpart John Kerry in a telephone conversation about the reluctance of the opposition to observe the truce.

Kerry promised to "push forward the solution of the problems involving the necessity to duly formalize humanitarian convoys under UN rules, as well as threats of illegal armed groups in the Aleppo area not to let humanitarian aid into the eastern part of the city," a ministry statement said.

The United States and Russia announced on Saturday a landmark agreement on a week-long nationwide ceasefire in Syria from Monday.

Related:

Syrian army returns forces to key highway in Aleppo following rebel attack

DAMASCUS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army returned its troops to the vicinity of the strategic Castello high way in the northern province of Aleppo, following a rebel attack on one of the military positions there, Syria's national TV said Friday.

The return of the Syrian troops came a day after the Syrian army started withdrawing heavy military gears from Castello, as part of a U.S.-Russian agreement to allow in aid convoys to the besieged rebel-held parts of eastern Aleppo city. Full Story

Russia insists on Kurds' inclusion in Syrian political process

MOSCOW, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Russia is still calling for the inclusion of the Kurds in Syrian negotiating process, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Thursday.
MADRID, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has published a report warning that the Donana wetlands in the southwest of Spain are in danger of slowly disappearing as they are not receiving enough water.

Donana is a 100,000-hectare World Heritage site which is home to round 4,000 species, including some unique habitats. It is also a vital stopping off point for migratory birds between Europe and Africa.

However, the WWF says Donana is now in danger of drying out as the result of several factors, including illegal farming, mining, gas drilling and dredging.

The wetlands are currently receiving only around 20 percent of the water they need to survive, according to a report published by the WWF.

The organization says that recent years have seen the drilling of around 1,000 illegal wells, and around 3,000 hectares of illegal farming activity.

"Over 80 percent of the marsh has been lost since the beginning of the 20th century, along with 90 percent of the shallow seasonal lakes," the report warns.

The WWF also warns of other possible threats to the park. For example, Gas Natural Fenosa, a Spanish natural gas utilities company, has been given a permission to use the empty gas reservoirs in the area to store gas for future use, a project which will require the construction of pipelines in the park.

Meanwhile, the Aznalcollar mine, which caused a major ecological disaster in 1998 when a dam burst, flooding Donana with toxic mud and waste, has also reopened. This has prompted fears of repeat of the incident which saw waste "equivalent to the contents of 2,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools" released into the park, provoking the deaths of "30,000 kilograms of fish," and requiring a major cleanup operation. Enditem
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Friday that he now admits the country's first-ever African-American president Barack Obama was born in the United States.

"President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period." he said at the end of an event to promote his new luxury hotel in Washington D.C.

The New York real estate developer did not apologize for stirring up the controversy year ago. Instead, he blamed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for the issue.

"Hillary Clinton in her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it," Trump claimed.

The billionaire has previously refused to publicly admit that Obama was born in the United States, despite the president releasing his birth certificate showing he was born in Hawaii.

Earlier on Friday, Obama said he was "shocked" the issue even resurfaced.

"I was pretty confident about where I was born," Obama told reporters.
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Swedish appeals court has rejected WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's latest attempt to make prosecutors drop a rape investigation against him since 2010, meaning the 45-year-old Australian will remain in detention.

The decision by the Svea Court of Appeal on Friday means the arrest warrant stands for Assange. He has avoided extradition to Sweden by seeking shelter at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012. Ecuador has accepted his asylum application.

Assange denies the rape allegation made in 2010 during his visit to Stockholm, after which he was detained "in absentia." He has challenged the detention order several times, and says that he fears he will be extradited to the United States to face charges if he leaves the embassy.

Assange's Swedish defense lawyer, Per Samuelsson, said he would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, according to Swedish Television.

In August, the Ecuadorian embassy accepted a request for Assange's questioning to be held there. The interview is due to take place on Oct. 17. It will be conducted by an Ecuadorian prosecutor, but a Swedish chief prosecutor and a police investigator will be present to ask questions via the Ecuadorian prosecutor.
CAPE TOWN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The State has filed an application for leave to appeal against paralympian Oscar Pistorius' murder sentence, the Supreme Court of Appeal confirmed on Friday.

The application was filed shortly before the cut-off time on Friday afternoon at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, Free State Province.

Last month, Judge Thokozile Masipa denied the prosecution team leave to appeal, but the State maintains that the six-year jail term the judge imposed on the convicted murderer is too short.

The six-year sentence was handed down after the Supreme Court of Appeal altered the judge's earlier culpable homicide verdict to murder.

The State argues that Pistorius deserves a longer sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day three years ago.

Pistorius said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.

According to the State, the six-year sentence fails to reflect the seriousness of the crime and outrage of the public.

The State wants a 15-year sentence for Pistorius. But Judge Masipa found compelling and substantial circumstances that persuaded her to deviate from the minimum sentence of 15-year imprisonment.

The defense argues that the case should be put to rest as Pistorius has already served a year in prison and house arrest, making it an effective seven-year sentence.
HARARE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said it is not discussing any financing program with Zimbabwe, which is pursuing a debt clearance plan with international financial institutions.

Zimbabwe in May hammered a plan to clear 1.8 billion U.S. dollars arrears to the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank (AFDB) to unlock fresh capital from the multilateral creditors, which suspended loans to the country at the turn of the century after it started defaulting.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mangudya said Thursday significant progress had been made and that Zimbabwe was on track to clear the arrears by December 31, 2016.

Responding to a question during a press beefing in Washington Thursday, the IMF director of communications and spokesman Gerry Rice said talks on financing could only start after Zimbabwe clears its arrears.

"I want to repeat that there's no financing program under discussion with Zimbabwe at this point. Indeed, the authorities have announced a plan to clear the arrears. Once they are cleared, which they are not at this point, our board would need to discuss that," Rice said in a transcript of the press briefing seen by Xinhua Friday.

In April, Zimbabwe Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the southern African country was preparing a financing program in anticipation of new funding from the creditors once it clears its arrears.

The country has proposed to use several funding mechanisms to clear the arrears.

These include utilization of the country's special drawing rights from the IMF to repay 110 million dollars to the IMF, utilization of a bridge loan of 819 million dollars arranged by the African Export-Import Bank to repay 601 million dollars to the AFDB, and 218 million dollars to the World Bank's International Development Association.

Zimbabwe would also utilize a long-term loan from a bilateral lender to repay the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development debt arrears amounting to 896 million dollars. Enditem
ANKARA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Five Islamic State (IS) group militants were killed by Turkish army supported coalition shells in Northern Syria, Turkish General Staff stated on Friday.

Some 13 Turkish howitzers shelled six IS targets on Tuesday in Wuguf area of northern Syria as part of the Euphrates Shied Operation, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on Wednesday.

With the latest shelling, the total number of shellings since the beginning of the operation rose to 2,245 against 524 targets, Hurriyet news added.

Turkey and U.S.-led coalition forces have intensified their joint military campaign against the IS in Syria and Iraq, according to local news.
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by Xinhua writer Shuai Rong

BRUSSELS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China has the power to lead on structural economic reform which is necessary across the globe, an European expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Center for International Political Economy said China and the other G20 members are right to call for much more structural economic reform which is necessary across the globe during the two-day Hangzhou G20 summit.

The expert said he believed that G20 summits are "opportunities for world leaders to understand each other and learn how countries react to different events."

"China made the right call to focus this summit on growth and the need to revive innovation, productivity, trade and economic growth, but the lasting effect of the summit will probably be that leaders had an occasion to speak to each other at an extraordinary difficult time for the world economy and world politics," Erixon said.

The world economy is in a structural slow down, driven by falling levels of trade growth and low energy levels in most leading economies, he said.

"Many Western economies are now confronted with a bitter economic reality, which two decades of rapid trade growth had masked -- their economies lack underlying strength and productivity growth has been on a downward trend for 40 years," said Erixon.

In his opinion, the global economy is now being held up by extraordinary support from central banks and governments running fiscal deficits, "but that is not sustainable."

Changing that direction, which requires far more innovation and economic dynamism, is not easy, and "no political leader face opinions and electorates that are desiring structural economic reforms," he told Xinhua.

"If you add to that the risk of forthcoming elections in Europe and America to electing populists, it is easy to see how a perfect storm may hit the world economy in 2017," he added.

The structural reform which is necessary across the globe won't emerge because of summit discussions and communiques, Erixon said. "The challenge is to deliver the reform, especially as they challenge incumbent interests in many countries," he added.

"China has strong power to lead on these issues -- to be an exemplar to other countries, showing that growth can be revitalised," the expert concluded.
ALEPPO, Syria, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- After losing his barbershop in Aleppo's raging war, Mahmoud Abla, who has been a barber for 27 years, became an open-air barber.

Despite his hardships, Abla is still offering free haircuts for the orphans and pre-war haircut prices for the poor.

When the war hit his neighborhood in the Masaken Hanano area in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo, the 47-year-old sought refuge inside Aleppo city.

"When I fled my area, I came to Aleppo, but I had nothing to do, with no income whatsoever," he told Xinhua.

A friend told him to be an open-air barber at the famous time-honored Sabil Park in the city to earn a living to raise his daughter and four sons.

However, being an open-air barber was embarrassing in the beginning, because it is unusual in Syria.

"At first I was so embarrassed, but later I became used to being an open-air barber," he said.

After two and a half years, the man has become famous at the park, especially among the poor.

"I am a poor person, but that doesn't make me a greedy man. I feel for the poor and displaced because I am one of them, and they have the right to look good and neat, in spite of their difficult situations," Abla said.

He promised the charges for haircuts won't be higher than the pre-war years.

"Until recently I took 100 Syrian pounds (0.20 U.S. dollars) for a haircut and face shaving, but now I have upped the price to 150, which was the cheapest haircut and face shaving ahead of the crisis five years ago," he said.

As for the children, it only costs them 75 pounds, which is near free of charge since the haircut prices have gone up at least tenfold since the beginning of the crisis.

Abla said he doesn't charge orphans who lost one parent or both during the war.

"I am the father of such children and I won't charge them, and that's something I have always done, even before the crisis," he said.

Abla's cheap services have won gratitude from his customers.

"I realized his prices were cheap and sometimes he does his job for free for those who don't have money. He is poor and he loves the poor," 71-year-old Hasan Hannoura said.

He said Abla is an example that should be followed, as people during the crisis need to help each other.

"Everybody now is having a hard time with this crisis. I personally would run a street stall if I have the chance to get money, because my pension doesn't suffice me," he said.

Abla is not the only one who seeks to have a small business, as the situation for the people in Aleppo is as tragic as in any other battered Syrian city.

A brokered truce that went into force across Syria on Monday has brought some peace in hard-hit cities, including Aleppo.

Both the government-controlled western areas and the rebel-held eastern ones in the city have witnessed a relative calm since then.

"I wish the truce could hold and succeed so that I can return to my home. Before the crisis our situation was fine," Abla said.
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi(L) meets with Governor of Maharashtra State Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao in Mumbai, India on Sept. 16, 2016. China is ready to further enhance cooperation with India's State of Maharashtra to achieve mutual beneficial and win-win results, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said on Friday. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)

MUMBAI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to further enhance cooperation with India's State of Maharashtra to achieve mutual beneficial and win-win results, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said on Friday.

Yang made the remarks when he met with Governor of Maharashtra State Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao in Mumbai.

China and India are working to build a closer development partnership, Yang said, noting that exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two countries are expanding.

At the same time, the cooperation between China and India's State of Maharashtra is in an active momentum, with cooperation carried out in various fields with high quality, said Yang.

He said China is willing to boost cooperation with the state in such fields as technology, information industry and climate change, among others.

Yang expressed hope that the State of Maharashtra would continue to give play to its unique advantages, offer more convenient administrative services and good legal safeguard to Chinese enterprises, create favorable business environment, and set an example for expanding the China-India pragmatic cooperation.

For his part, Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao said the state of Maharashtra is ready to further enhance economic and trade contacts and promote people-to-people exchanges with China, and make greater contribution to the development of China-India relations.

Yang also held talks with representatives from India's business and culture circles on Friday.
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Death toll of the suicide blast that hit a mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday afternoon has risen to 23, officials said.

Deputy Administrator of the region, Naveed Akbar, said that the death toll rose after seven of the injured succumbed to injuries during treatment at different hospitals, adding that at least 29 others were also injured in the blast that ripped through the mosque during Friday prayer.

"Death toll may further rises as six of the injured are still in critical condition," said the official.

According to Akbar, the incident took place when a suicide bomber entered the mosque and exploded his explosives laden vest amid people who were offering Friday prayer in Paye Khan village in Anbar area in Mohmand Agency, Pakistan's northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

According to local media reports, around 70 to 80 people were offering prayer in the mosque when the blast took place in the remote area of Paye Khan.

Security forces have launched a search operation in the region to arrest the suicide bomber's facilitators, especially those who provided him shelter and dropped him near the mosque before the attack.

Bomb disposal squad said that around 5-7 kilograms of explosives along with ball bearings was used in the blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast, saying "the cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country."

Earlier on Sept. 2, at least 14 people including six lawyers and two policemen were killed and 52 others injured in a suicide attack at district courts in Pakistan's northwest district of Mardan.

On Sept. 13, police foiled a terrorist attack at a mosque during Eid prayer when two suicide bombers attempted to enter a mosque in Shikarpur district in the country's southern province of Sindh.

At least 13 people were injured when one of the suicide bombers exploded his jacket after policemen shot him, while the second bomber was arrested by the policemen.
BISHKEK, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A package of 16 documents was signed here at the 25th session of the Commonwealth of Independent States(CIS) Council of Heads of State on Friday.

Four statements on anti-terrorism and other issues were also adopted at the one-day summit, said Sergey Lebedev, chairman of the Executive Committee and CIS executive secretary.

Member states discussed the state of affairs in the CIS and the necessity of adaptation of the Commonwealth to the new realities, he said.

"I am pleased to say that all heads of delegations unanimously noted the relevance of the CIS."

The statements, which were adopted almost unanimously by all the heads of the delegations, include the 25th anniversary of the CIS, which assesses the activities of the Commonwealth, states the need to improve and strengthen it.

CIS leaders signed statements on the results of the special session of the United Nations General Assembly, on further joint efforts to counter international terrorism and on the 70th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials.

The summit is attended by Presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and Moldova's Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan and Ukraine's Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.

The participants of the summit took a decision to transfer presidency in 2017 to Russia.

The CIS is a regional organization formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union. Nine out of the 15 former Soviet Republics are member states, and two are associate members (Ukraine and Turkmenistan). Georgia withdrew its membership in 2008, while the Baltic states (Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia) refused to participate.
ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has reiterated its commitment to continue supporting African countries to boost the number of tourist arrivals so as to spur economic growth and job creation on the continent.

Elcia Grandcourt, UNWTO Programme Director for Africa, told Xinhua Friday at an ongoing three-day workshop in Addis Ababa that UNWTO is also committed to helping African countries address the challenges in tourism sector.

"Today and yesterday, we talked about the issues of travel facilitation, for example, accessibility, visa facilitation, the right and appropriate infrastructure, the right policy framework-- these are all the challenges that are there," she said. "We work with our members to try and see how progressively we can have to address these issues."

Africa attracted 53.4 million international visitors in 2015, according to UNWTO. And it has a prediction of 134 million international tourist arrivals in Africa by 2030.

The workshop has been organized with aim to, among others, creating a platform for African destinations and all the relevant stakeholders to discuss ways of minimizing current constraints and improving the performance of the tourism sector as well as the economic and social wellbeing of local communities.

It also aims to enable the participants to explore the key principles of developing and promoting sustainable, competitive and quality tourism products.

Grandcourt said that the workshop, over the past two days, has seen very good debate, whereby participants shared their experiences in their respective countries.

"We hope that when the participants go back to their respective countries, they are able to take some of the elements that we have been discussing and to apply it in their own context," said Grandcourt.

"The work is going on, and UNWTO is committed here to help our members and Ethiopia with the development of the tourism sector," she added.
ACCRA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A report has accused Swiss commodity trading companies of selling low-quality diesel and gasoline in Africa that are damaging environment and people's health.

"Many West African countries that export high grade crude oil to Europe receive toxic, low-quality fuel in return," according to the report "How Swiss Traders Flood Africa with Toxic Fuels" published late Thursday by Public Eye, a Switzerland-based non-governmental organization.

What makes the diesel toxic is its high level of sulphur content that exceeds the standard in Europe, the report said.

Other toxic substances, such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, were also found in concentrations that are also banned in Europe, rapidly raising air pollution in African cities and jeopardizing the health of millions of people, it said.

The report noted that these toxic fuels were mainly mixed in the ARA-Zone (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) where Swiss trading firms had their own refineries and storage facilities.

"Producing and selling such products is illegitimate and violates the African populations' right to health," the report said.

For their test, Public Eye researchers drew fuel at local pumps in eight African countries, namely Ghana, Angola, Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Benin, and Zambia.

The report said the diesel with high sulphur levels were found mostly at pumps operated by Swiss trading companies exploiting lax regulatory standards.

"In Ghana, we found diesel at Vitol and Trafigura operated petrol stations with average sulphur levels between 240 and 360 times higher than the European standards of 10 parts per million (10 ppm)," the report lamented.

The result of the analysis revealed that the diesel samples contained up to 378 times more sulphur than is permitted in Europe.

The report explained that although fuels imported by Ghana's Bulk Distribution Companies (BDCs) from these Swiss traders fell within Ghana's national standard averaging 3,000 ppm, which is about 2000 times worse than the standard accepted in Europe.

In response, Senyo Horsi, Chief Executive Officer of the BDCs, said the burden of regulation and upholding standards lies on the government, adding that Ghanaians must be ready to pay for high quality fuel if the practice must stop.
FREETOWN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) - Sierra Leone's Minister of Internal Affairs has said the government would start implementing the death penalty to crack down on recent increase in gang-related killings in the country.

"We will kill when the state demands it," Palo Conteh said on Thursday. "I have called on the Director of Prisons to clean the gallows so that we will not be found wanting when the situation arises."

The gallows at the Male Correctional Center (Prisons) in Freetown have not been used since 1998 because President Koroma had put a moratorium on the death penalty, Conteh said.

"The death penalty is still in our law books and if any one is found guilty of murder we will not hesitate to enforce the law," he said.

Conteh pointed out that his ministry has instituted several methods to curb violence and the rampant killings in the country, in particular Freetown.

Meanwhile, the Sierra Leone police have started the "stop and search" raids in communities that are presumed to engage in violence activities. The ministry of internal affairs has also set up special units comprising Operational Support Division Officers together with detectives to go after thugs and cliques.

The minister also asked for the cooperation of the public with the police by informing them of any unusual activity in their community. Enditem
SKOPJE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The presidents of Macedonia and Serbia stressed that the two countries are fostering good neighborly ties, the Macedonian president's office announced on Friday evening.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov met with his Serbian counterpart Tomislav Nikolic on Friday in Bitola.

They vowed to focus on their countries' strategic goal, that is EU integration, and on providing mutual support, official sources said.

Macedonia and Serbia will sign an agreement on the protection of historical monuments in the two countries, the president's office said.

Ivanov also thanked the people of Serbia for sending aid immediately after the devastating floods that hit Skopje and its region on August 6. Enditem
HELSINKI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's on Friday raised the prospect for Finland from negative to stable.

The agency said Finnish economy is gradually recovering and the public economy is getting more stable on account of the stabilization measures of the Finnish government.

The agency estimated that Finnish exports would benefit from the recent agreement on increasing the competitive edge of the country reached between the government, the employers and the trade unions.

Commenting on the decision, Teppo Koivisto, a director at the Finnish Treasury, told the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that the view of the S&P matched the prevailing view in Finland.

"Finnish economy is growing slowly and economic policy measures have been beneficial to public economy," Koivisto said.

The Finnish Ministry of Finance predicted this week that the growth in 2016 would be 1.1 percent. In the next two years, the growth rate would be hovering around one percent.

After the upgrade by Standard & Poor's, now all the three major credit agencies have AA plus ratings with a stable outlook for Finland.
by Saud Abu Ramadan

RAMALLAH/GAZA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A flaring day of Israeli-Palestinian violence has left on Friday two Palestinians and one Jordanian killed and three more injured in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, according to official medical sources, eyewitnesses and Israel Public Radio.

On late Friday afternoon, Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian young man in the West Bank city of Hebron's old city, according to the Palestinian National Authority's (PNA) statement.

Israel Public Radio reported that the young Palestinian man was killed by Israeli soldiers right after he stabbed an Israeli soldier in the neighborhood of Tal Rumeida in the city.

The Palestinians didn't refer to the fact that the Palestinian young stabbed an Israeli soldier and wounded him.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli gunfire killed a Palestinian man and critically wounded his fiancee while they were in a car driving near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, official medical sources said.

The PNA health ministry said in a statement that the man, who drove a car was killed and his fiancee who sat next to him was critically wounded.

However, Israel Public Radio quoted Israeli army sources as saying the pair were killed after they attempted to drive over Israeli settlers.

Meanwhile, a 28-year-old Palestinian with Jordanian nationality was shot dead at the entrance to Damascus Gate in the old city in east Jerusalem, according to eyewitnesses and Israeli Radio.

The eyewitnesses said that one of the Israeli soldiers stationed at Damascus Gate has suddenly opened fire at the young man and killed him, while Israeli Public Radio reported the man was holding a knife and ran towards the soldier.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, PNA presidency spokesman, said in a statement that the PNA strongly condemns the killings by the Israeli soldiers.

"These crimes, which took the lives of more Palestinians, again proved that the Israeli government is determined to carry on with its policy of escalation and ignoring diplomatic and peaceful efforts," he said.

The spokesman added that these incidents are a clear Israeli response to the international efforts that aim at getting out from the stalemate status of the situation.

He called on the international community for an immediate intervention "to stop these crimes, ensure an immediate protection to our people and stop the Israeli policy of field executions."

The Palestinian consensus government, headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, also condemned the Israeli killings.

Yousef al-Mahmoud, spokesman of the Palestinian government said that the government calls on the United Nations Security Council to ensure an immediate protection to the Palestinian people.

Islamic Hamas movement spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri in Gaza said that "our Palestinian people are forced to escalate the confrontations with the Israeli occupation."

"Such field executions would never break our people's determination," said Abu Zuhri, adding that "the blood of those martyrs will be the fuels" for the battles against the soldiers and the settlers until all their lands are "liberated."

Since last October, a wave of tension has been flaring up between Israel and the Palestinians, mainly in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Official figures said that 227 Palestinians and 40 Israelis so far have been killed.
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The number of refugees in South Sudan has now passed the one million mark as instability and violence persist in the world's youngest country, a UN spokesman said here Friday.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the South Sudanese people seeking safety and shelter in neighboring countries included more than 185,000 people who have fled since violence erupted in the capital Juba in July, Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"Most of those fleeing are women and children," the spokesman said. "With this milestone, South Sudan joins Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia as countries which have produced more than a million refugees."

They included survivors of violent attacks, sexual assault, children that have been separated from their parents or travelled alone, the disabled, the elderly and people in need of urgent medical care, the UN agency.

Juba witnessed a new round of fierce fighting between rival forces in the country in early July, just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the country's independence.

In terms of numbers, Uganda, with 373,626 of refugees, accounts for the largest share of South Sudanese refugees.

More than a third of them arrived since the most recent violence broke out. Ethiopia (292,000) and Sudan (247,317) are the second and third largest hosts to people fleeing South Sudan.

Smaller numbers have also fled to Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) since July.

About 300 people a week have been crossing into Kenya, which now hosts over 90,000 South Sudanese refugees. Some 40,000 refugees are estimated in DRC.

"UNHCR warns that without further funding and support, they will struggle to assist the needy with even the most basic assistance," he said.

The UN agency called on donors to provide 701 million U.S. dollars for South Sudan refugee operations, of which 21 percent has been funded, he said.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has concluded their first mission in the country. The Commission was established by the Human Rights Council in March.

The delegation expressed concern about the diminishing space for journalists and civil society members, as well as the lack of access for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and humanitarian actors and the escalation of sexual violence.

"They also expressed grave concern about the ongoing impunity and lack of accountability for serious crimes and human rights violations in the country," Dujarric said.

South Sudan won independence on July 9, 2011 from Sudan after more than two decades of war that ended in a bitter divorce.

The country again plunged into conflict in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, which led to a cycle of retaliatory killings.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A senior Islamic State (IS) leader who, as the extreme group's "minister of information," oversaw the group's production of torture and execution videos, has been killed in an airstrike in Syria, Pentagon said Friday.

"On September 7, coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Raqqah, Syria, that targeted and killed 'Dr. Wa'il,' also known as Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, one of ISIL's most senior leaders," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. ISIL is known as IS in Syria and Iraq.

"He operated as the minister of information for the terror organization and was a prominent member of its Senior Shura Council -- ISIL's leadership group," Cook said.

Wa'il was killed by a drone targeting his home in Raqqah, IS's de facto capital in Syria, according to an ABC news report, citing an anonymous U.S. official as source.

The confirmed death of "Dr. Wa'il" is the second strike in the past two weeks targeting a senior ISIS leader involved in ISIS's media operation. Earlier this week, Pentagon confirmed that the group's spokesman al-Adnani was killed by an airstrike on Aug. 30 as he rode in a vehicle near the Syrian town of al-Bab.

Wa'il was a close associate of al-Adnani, said Cook.
IS Information Minister 'Dr. Wa'il,' killed in airstrike in Syria: Pentagon (NBC News/File Photo)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A senior Islamic State (IS) leader who, as the extreme group's "minister of information," oversaw the group's production of torture and execution videos, has been killed in an airstrike in Syria, Pentagon said Friday.

"On September 7, coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Raqqah, Syria, that targeted and killed 'Dr. Wa'il,' also known as Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, one of ISIL's most senior leaders," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. ISIL is known as IS in Syria and Iraq.

"He operated as the minister of information for the terror organization and was a prominent member of its Senior Shura Council -- ISIL's leadership group," Cook said.

Wa'il was killed by a drone targeting his home in Raqqah, IS's de facto capital in Syria, according to an ABC news report, citing an anonymous U.S. official as source.

The confirmed death of "Dr. Wa'il" is the second strike in the past two weeks targeting a senior ISIS leader involved in ISIS's media operation. Earlier this week, Pentagon confirmed that the group's spokesman al-Adnani was killed by an airstrike on Aug. 30 as he rode in a vehicle near the Syrian town of al-Bab.

Wa'il was a close associate of al-Adnani, said Cook.
GAZA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement condemned on Friday the decision of the U.S. State Department to list one of its top and prominent leaders in the Gaza Strip, Fathi Hammad, as one of the world terrorists.

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that the American decision "is a crucial and dangerous development that shows the Obama Administration is biased to the Israeli occupation."

"The U.S. State Department decision provides a cover to the endless Israeli crimes against our people," said Abu Zuhri, who called on the U.S. "to regret the decision and stop decisions that are provocative to the emotions of peoples."

Hammad is considered as one of the most prominent leaders of Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, as the movement has been ruling since it had violently seized control of the territory in 2007.

According to media report, the U.S. State Department considered Hammad as one of the top world terrorists, who threaten the security of the American citizens and the national security, economy and foreign affairs of the U.S..

Besides being a top Hamas leader, Hammad is a militant and was the interior minister of Hamas government that ruled the Gaza Strip before the formation of the Palestinian consensus government in June 2014.

Hammad was also the founder of Hamas Satellite Channel called "Al-Aqsa Television". The channel educates and recruits teenagers to become militants and suicide bombers when they grow up, according to media report.
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN Mission in Colombia is now ready to begin verifying and monitoring the bilateral ceasefire and laying down of arms once the peace agreement is signed on Sept. 26, a UN spokesman said here Friday.

"The group of observers and civilian staff are being deployed in eight cities," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here, adding that by Sept. 26, around 200 women and men will begin monitoring the ceasefire.

"Mission personnel are actively meeting with local authorities, religious leaders, members of civil society, including Afro-Colombian, indigenous and women's organizations, to explain the mandate of the UN political mission," said the spokesman.

"The Mission is also working to set up the tripartite mechanism in charge of monitoring and verifying the bilateral and definitive ceasefire, and supports logistical preparation in the areas where the separation of forces, the laying down of arms and the beginning of a transition to civilian life will take place," he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit Cartagena, Colombia on Sept. 26 for the signing of the historic peace agreement which ends the 50-year war between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
BRATISLAVA, Sept.16 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Europeans don't feel safe at the moment, European Council President Donald Tusk said after the informal EU summit here on Friday.

"People have concerns of what's going on and of insufficient control. They're afraid of migration, terrorism and of their own economic future. We must remove imperfections from the past. We won't continue as we have until now," said Tusk.

Tusk further stressed that the European Union can't tolerate an uncontrolled influx of migrants, and it should focus on full control of its borders, as well as cooperating with Turkey and countries of the Western Balkans and pursuing contacts with African countries.

The Union will support its member countries in guaranteeing their internal security, while the exchange of information between individual countries must be intensified, in addition to providing a boost to European cooperation in external security and defence, he said.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker highlighted that European leaders have agreed on contributing significantly to safeguarding the Bulgarian border with Turkey. This will include financial aid in total amount of 108 million euros (121 million U.S. dollars), personnel and equipment support, according to Juncker.

Bratislava Summit approved a road map, which brings the way how will EU tackle several challenges such as migration, terrorism, and economic and social insecurity. EU member states will further bring down the number of irregular migrants and ensure full control of the bloc's external borders.
(L to R) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend a press conference after the informal EU summit held in Bratislava, Slovakia, Sept. 16, 2016. Member states of the European Union(EU) have issued a joint declaration here on Friday, formulating a road map for the bloc to tackle a number of challenges, said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. (Xinhua/Andrej Klizan)

BRATISLAVA, Sept.16 (Xinhua) -- Member states of the European Union(EU) have issued a joint declaration here on Friday, formulating a road map for the bloc to tackle a number of challenges, said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

The road map approved at an informal EU summit here sets out how will the EU tackle issues like perceived lack of control of migration, terrorism, and economic and social insecurity. EU member states will further bring down the number of irregular migrants and ensure full control of the bloc's external borders, according to the declaration.

EU leaders are also committed to implementing the EU-Turkey deal on migration, continuing their support to the countries in the Western Balkans, and help to strengthen the protection of Bulgaria's border with Turkey.

At a press conference after the summit, Fico hailed the summit as a success. "The current situation in Europe and the result of Britain's referendum provided a good impetus for us in the EU to make some considerations. The summit was supposed to be the first response, and I believe that it was a correct response. The leaders had a sincere debate on the situation of the current EU," stressed Fico.

Even though the EU has showed some flaws, it's still the best possible project for Europe. "We believe that there is no reverse gear - we must continue going forward, because prosperity, stability and security in Europe can't be guaranteed but via the EU," said Fico.

"The Bratislava road map is an important document, which will lead our decision-making process during the next summits," stressed European Council President Donald Tusk.

Concerning internal security, EU leaders agreed to adopt measures to check people's identity when crossing the union's external borders. EU member states will set up a Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) to allow for advance checks.

Regarding external security, EU will strengthen cooperation on external security and defence.

Concerning economic and social development, EU leaders will adopt decision on the extension of the European Fund for Strategic Investment in light of evaluation and review progress on the different Single Market strategies including Digital Single Market, Capital Markets Union, Energy Union.

The road map will be debated in the next six months, and concrete reforms are expected to be put to discussion at a summit in Italian capital Rome in March, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaty.
LONDON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A tiny decoy device that can protect a multi-million dollar warplane from being blown out of the sky is to undergo trials this year, Britain's Ministry of Defense (MOD) announced Friday.

The MOD has placed a 3.3 million U.S. dollars order for British-designed and built miniature decoys which will help to protect combat jets from missiles.

Packed with missile-confusing advanced electronics, the miniature BriteCloud decoys, the size of a can of cola, can be fired from an aircraft's flare dispenser without the need for modification to the aircraft.

The MOD said in London the cutting-edge BriteCloud system, designed and manufactured in Bedfordshire and Scotland by Leonardo-Finmeccanica, will undergo flight trials on RAF Tornado aircraft later this year.

"Once deployed, it uses powerful radar emissions to disrupt systems within radar-guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles," said the MOD.

"A pilot can launch the compact unit, which is packed with advanced electronics, to confuse an attacking missile, drawing it away to a point where it no longer poses a threat," it adds.

CEO at the MOD's Defense Equipment and Support organisation, Tony Douglas said:" Flight trials planned for later this year will test the system's effectiveness against a wide range of current and potential threats."

The MOD has been working with Leonardo-Finmeccanica to develop the BriteCloud system since 2012 at its sites in Edinburgh and Luton.

The MOD has invested around 25 million pounds (32.51 million U.S.dollars) in the BriteCloud system through a project commissioned by Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and managed by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S).

"This new batch order will allow the RAF to explore how BriteCloud could best be deployed operationally. If successful, the system could be available for Tornado aircraft operations by mid-2017," added the MOD.

Wing Commander Matthew Tandy, Protection of Air Operations Desk Officer for the Royal Air Force said: "BriteCloud is much easier to install on a variety of aircraft than previous bulkier decoy systems, because it can be used from existing countermeasure dispensers such as flare launchers.

"Although the devices are highly advanced, they are straightforward to use. They can be easily re-programmed during operations to defeat new threats as they are encountered, giving the RAF an important advantage in engagements."
RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian aerospace company, Embraer, announced Friday that some employees will be put on forced leave from October as lower demand has led to reduced production.

"Employees in concerned sectors were already informed of the precise periods of the pause," said Embraer in a press release, without offering more details.

This decision, the company confirmed, will affect its main plant in Sao Jose dos Campos, although it said that the plant will not fully stop operating.

This announcement came a day after Embraer announced that 1,470 of its 19,000 employees had signed up for a voluntary dismissal plan, as part of the company's strategy to cut costs by around 200 million U.S. dollars.

In the second quarter of the year, Embraer, the world's third-largest aircraft manufacturer, suffered a deficit of 1.023 billion U.S. dollars, a stark contrast with the 1.21 billion dollars in profit it saw in the second quarter of 2015.
CANBERRA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A controversial right-wing Australian senator has hired a former adviser to U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation Party which holds four seats in the Australian senate, is expected to announce the identity of the former Trump adviser on Saturday.

The appointment was confirmed by Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby at a community forum in northern Queensland on Friday evening.

"Just on the economic things, tomorrow there'll be a front-page announcement, from what I understand," Ashby said when asked about economic policies.

"We have just hired - and they've just landed in the country yesterday (Thursday) - one of the world's leading economists, who has worked for Donald Trump."

"We have just taken him from the Trump camp, so he's come on board with us."

"That's pretty exciting. We need to build credibility on the economic front, so that's why we've hired somebody with credibility."

Hanson's hardline anti-Islam and anti-immigration stance has drawn many comparisons to the policies of the controversial businessman-turn-politician.

Hanson made front-page news in September when she used her maiden Senate speech to warn that Australia is "at danger" of being inundated by Muslims.

"We are in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own," Hanson said on Wednesday.

Hanson used the Rockhampton forum to reiterate that she would not be backing down from her comments.

The One Nation Party received 4.3 percent of the national vote in July's Federal election, enough to guarantee two senate seats in Queensland and one each in New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA). Enditem
QUITO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's experience in terms of development and structural reforms can contribute to helping Latin America with its strive for better long-term economic development, said Ecuadorian researcher Milton Reyes in an interview with Xinhua on Thursday.

China's experience is interesting as it has maintained a long-term strategy without being tied to a sole vision for economic growth, according to Reyes who is from the Asia-Pacific Observatory of the Latin American Association for Integration.

"The country has had the flexibility to progress while measuring risks bit by bit, allowing for sustainable economic growth," he added.

Reyes outlined how, in his mind, Latin America has swung between two political, economic and ideological strategies in its history: a central state focused on domestic growth and a growth mode closely tied to free trade.

"These purist visions have not allowed for very flexible development and have not allowed Latin American economies to adapt easily to the global context," Reyes observed.

This background means that Latin America must be careful when exploring which strategies to follow, according to Reyes. However, he said that China's progressive attitude to reform is applicable as it "realizes structural reforms, step by step, trying to build its own development based on its own interests."

Reyes added that it would therefore be interesting to work very closely with China in order to understand its experience in certain key areas. The partners have agreed on the possibility of setting up special economic zones, but Reyes argues this would just be the beginning.

"We could go beyond that and set up joint production between national companies in order to create strategic alliances and joint industrial policies. This could generate shared benefits which could be very interesting for the region," he noted.

In terms of China's financing in the region, Reyes credited it with allowing "our countries to fund projects that we have deemed to be convenient."

"When a country seeks to focus on its internal growth, the main bottleneck can often be finding financing. In this case, Chinese financing has been useful for solving these problems and avoiding the trap of enacting policies that benefit neither our interest nor our reality," added the researcher.

In 2014, on a regional tour, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a series of cooperation programs, including providing loans worth 20 billion U.S. dollars to finance infrastructure and other projects and a 5 billion- U.S. dollar fund to boost China-Latin American cooperation.

"China is a strategic partner for the region, allowing us politically and economically to claim more autonomy and sovereignty within the international arena," concluded Reyes.
YANGON, Sept.17 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar military has launched operations against a splinter group of the Klo Htoo Baw Karen Organization (KKO) in two regions in southeastern Kayin state since last weekend, triggering 13 skirmishes between the two sides until Thursday, official media reported Saturday.

The operations were carried out by the military in Wah Boh Taung-Kyonhtaw and Methawaw regions following KKO splinter group's shelling on military targets on the Myaing Gyi Ngu-Methawaw motorway on Sept. 3 when the Panglong Peace Conference ended.

The KKO group also exploded mines at Kawkareik fire station on Sept. 4 to 8, the report said.

More than 3,800 local people, who fled the area where clashes broke out, were being accommodated by the military in Myaing Gyi Ngu region, the report added.

The military claimed that it is strictly adhering to the terms of the Nationwide Cease fire Agreement (NCA).

KKO splinter group was said to have been extorting people travelling on the Myawaddy-Thinganyinaung-Kawkareik motor road and disturbed once the motorcades of the Kayin State chief minister and the commander.
HOUSTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Two police officers were wounded in a shooting on Friday night after they were responding to a suicide call in Fort Worth, a city in the northern part of the U.S. state of Texas.

The shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. local time (14:30 GMT) in a private residence in far south Fort Worth while the police officers were responding to a 911 call about a suicide, according to the website of the English daily the Dallas Morning News.

One officer had serious injuries to his upper extremities, and the second officer was shot in the chest but was not pierced because of his bulletproof vest. Their injuries are not life-threatening, and they have been rushed to a local hospital.

Police officers were reportedly involved in an active standoff, and neighbors were asked to evacuate as dozens of officers converged in the area.

In March, police officer Matt Pearce of Fort Worth was shot seven times while in pursuit of 43-year-old fugitive who was shot and killed by other officers.

Friday's shooting comes just more than two months after five police officers were killed and several other officers injured on July 7 by a shooter during a peaceful demonstration in downtown Dallas, a city in northern Texas.
ISLA MARGARITA, Venezuela, Sept. 16 (Xinhua)-- Foreign ministers and related envoys to the 17th Non-Aligned Movement(NAM) Summit in Margarita, Venezuela on Friday called for world peace and an end to regional conflicts.

This ministerial meeting worked to define the scope of the Margarita Declaration, which will be made public by the heads of state on Saturday.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said that "emancipation, anti-imperialism and peace are the flags that define the XVII NAM Summit Venezuela 2016," according to state TV network Telesur.

Peru's ambassador to Venezuela, Mario Lopez Chavarri, echoed that the Margarita Declaration would reflect the united condemnation against a number of threats to global peace, including the nuclear tests causing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Chavarri advocated for "dialogue and the peaceful exchanging of ideas, as ways of maintaining peace and development."

Lebanon's ambassador to Venezuela, Elias Lebbos, insisted that the NAM group should help find more effective solutions to the problems in the Middle-East, including Palestine.

"Lebanon urges the members of the Non-Aligned Movement to strengthen cooperation between us as well as efforts to tackle the challenges we face," he said during his address.

For Omar Castaneda, Guatemala's permanent representative to the UN, "the underlying issues for all interested parties must be dealt with for an inclusive dialogue."

Venezuela's Minister of Oil and Mining Eulogio Del Pino said on Friday that the 17th NAM Summit should help promote the kind of consensus needed to stabilize world oil prices.

"Countries want a fair price for their gas and oil," said Del Pino, adding prices have been "in the hands of speculators ... in the past two years."

Despite concerns about differing conflicts, the gathered diplomats stood firm on condemning terrorism, extremism, fundamentalism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and biological weapons.

The participants also agreed on a rejection of interventionism by states, preventive wars, economic blockades, and "unfair" differences in commercial exchanges.

Heads of state and top government officials will meet on Sept. 17-18 at the NAM summit.

The NAM is a group of 120 nations, which are not formally aligned, and share the goals of fighting imperialism, colonialism and oppression. It was founded in Belgrade in 1961.
BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's express delivery sector has grown steadily in the first eight months despite a slowing economy, according to the State Post Bureau.

Revenue for Chinese express delivery businesses hit 234.36 billion yuan (about 35.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the first eight months of 2016, up 43 percent year on year, said the bureau in an online statement.

A total of 18.27 billion deliveries were made during the same period, up 55 percent year on year, according to the bureau.

Despite a slowing economy, express delivery services have grown steadily as online shopping gains popularity in China.

China aims to nearly quadruple revenues of its express delivery market by 2020 in a move to boost consumption and services, as the economy slows with softening trade and investment.

The express delivery industry will have a target annual revenue of 800 billion yuan by 2020, according to a policy document released by the State Council last October.

The amount is nearly four times the 2014 revenue, which reached 204 billion yuan.
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Three Taliban militants were killed and 12 others detained after Afghan Special Operation Forces launched a raid against a militants' hideout in the country's northern province of Kunduz Friday night, a military statement said on Saturday.

"The raid was conducted in surrounding areas of Archi district. The detainees were shifted to an army camp and would be handed over the concerned authorities for questioning," Afghan army's 209 Shaheen Corps based at the region said in the statement.

The province bordering Tajikistan has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and Taliban militants over the past couple of months.

In addition, one militant of Islamic State was killed following an airstrike in Wata Pour district, eastern Kunar province Friday night, an army source told Xinhua earlier in the day.

The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants since April after Taliban militants started their so-called annual spring offensive and stepped up attacks across the country.

The militant groups have yet to make comments.
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Saturday embarked on his "most important foreign visit" of the year to New York to attend the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), his office said.

This will be the Prime Minister's fourth address to the 193-member world body in his third term in office.

In the statement he is expected to make to the General Assembly on Sept. 21st, he will enunciate Pakistan's position on key global and regional issues, especially focusing on the situation in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, a statement from the PM office said.

On the sidelines of the UNGA, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders, including the UN Secretary-General.

Among his many engagements in New York, he will also address a business meeting organized by the U.S.-Pakistan Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will make two other statements at the UN meetings on the global refugees crisis.

"The Prime Minister will call upon the international community and the United Nations to live up to their promise of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," the statement said.

He will reinforce Pakistan's call on the world body to play its role in immediately ending these grave violations.

Nawaz Sharif is also expected to urge the international community to help in resolving the longstanding Kashmir dispute which is among the oldest items on the UN Agenda.

He will be joined in New York by the Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz and other senior officials.
COLOMBO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 shops were destroyed in a major fire overnight in Kilinochchi, in north Sri Lanka, local police said on Saturday.

The fire, in a former war zone, was brought under control by the police with the assistance of the army.

Fruit stalls and textile shops were among those destroyed in the fire, which was believed to be caused by an electrical short-circuit.

The fire spread rapidly across the temporary shelters as strong winds made it difficult for the authorities to bring the situation under control.

The stores were set up following the end of the war between Tamil Tiger rebels and the military in 2009. The owners were just getting back on their feet when the fire destroyed all that they had.

The store owners had in the past appealed for a permanent structure to be erected for the stores to operate, but the appeal fell in deaf ears.

Kilinochchi was under Tamil Tiger rebels' control before they were defeated in the war in 2009.
by Xinhua Writer Qu Junya

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Whether Japan is truly seeking regional peace and security or just fishing in the troubled waters by increasing military presence in the South China Sea is not a hard question to answer.

Japan will expand its presence in the South China Sea by conducting "joint training cruises with the U.S. Navy and bilateral and multilateral exercises with regional navies", its Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said in a speech Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

This is to support the U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations for maintaining international maritime order, she said ahead of her first meeting with Pentagon chief Ash Carter.

As keeping maritime order in the South China Sea is a shared duty of the region's coastal states, the huge interest an outsider like Japan has shown in following in the footsteps of the United States can hardly be justified.

Japan is in dispute with China over the Diaoyu Island in the East China Sea. That is where its true and major purpose lies, as revealed in the very same speech Inada made. Japan is meanwhile seeking a "candid discussion" with Beijing, said the newly appointed defense chief of Japan.

Apparently, Japan is making catspaw out of the South China Sea issue to secure more bargaining chips at its own negotiating table, rather than pursue regional peace and stability.

Showing military muscles is the latest among a series of moves Japan has been stepping up in order to fish in the troubled waters of the South China Sea issue.

It is noticeable that Inada's remarks came after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe failed to incite members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the Sept. 6-9 East Asian Leaders' meetings to attack China.

It is absurd that Japan thinks it knows better than the concerned parties how to defend their own interests while they obviously prefer to manage or resolve differences through peaceful talks.

On this issue, Japan has left no stone unturned in stirring up the waters to cause tensions, with, for instance, its recent plan to cheaply sell arms to India in return for the latter's voice against China.

Japan is "continually examining if what we are doing is sufficient" to maintain stability and security in the Pacific, Inada told the Washington audience.

Analysts find the remarks hardly convincing as Japan still refuses to face squarely its history and atrocities during World War II, and that its government is seeking to amend the country's pacifist postwar constitution.

In fact, any military moves of Japan would quickly remind its neighbors of their war-time sufferings. So did the appointment to the defense post in early August of the 57-year-old Inada, who previously attracted attention for questioning mainstream accounts of Japanese war atrocities and the fairness of the postwar Tokyo war crimes trials.

As regards Japan's attempt to amend its postwar constitution, increasing its military engagement in the South China Sea also serves as an exchange for Washington's support for Tokyo.

However, it remains questionable if Japan can really let go the memory of the atomic bombs the United States dropped on it in 1945, and if the United States is ready to leave behind its painful memory of Japan's surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor in 1937 that triggered the Pacific War.
The Chinese Scholars Studio project is supported by donations from the Chan family, the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust, the New Zealand China Friendship Society and the Dominion Federation of New Zealand Chinese Commercial Growers. The Chan family have a long and generous history of giving to Victoria and they have a very personal connection with the project as their grandfather, Dan Chan, was the first editor of New Zealand Chinese Growers Monthly.
MOGADISHU, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least four Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers were killed and another was injured in heavy fighting in which Al-Shabaab militant group captured El-Wak town in Gedo region in southern Somalia, officials said Saturday.

SNA spokesman in Gedo region, Col. Warfa Sheikh Aden said the militants suffered heavy casualties during the fighting, which lasted several hours in the town near the Kenyan border.

"Al-Shabaab militants attacked our base on Friday. They were destroyed and defeated two times but they captured the town in their third attempt, (and) there are casualties on both sides. I don't know on their side, but we lost four soldiers and another one was injured from SNA," Warfa said.

However, reports said more than 10 Somali soldiers, including senior commanders were killed during Friday's attack on El-Wak. Al-Shabaab fighters were seen armed with heavy machine guns.

The SNA spokesman said terrorists ambushed the soldiers and used AMISOM vehicles in which they took during the El-Adde attack in the region early this year.

Sources said the insurgents who have been fighting the Somali government hoisted their black flag on the town's administrative headquarters and spoke to residents as fighters took strategic positions ready to repulse attacks from the joint forces late on Friday.

The El-Wak town is at the Somali border with Kenya and it was among first towns liberated from Al-Shabaab by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), which is part of the Africa Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM).

There was no comment from AMISOM which is reportedly preparing for a major assault against the militants blamed for a series of terror attacks in the Horn of Africa nation.
COLOMBO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- One lady was killed and 11 others injured when an elephant attacked crowd in Sri Lanka's Ratnapura, 97 km away from capital Colombo, on Friday night, police said.

The elephant was being prepared to take part in an annual parade, more popularly known as a "pera hera" when it went berserk and attacked the crowd who had arrived to witness the parade.

Police said altogether 12 people were injured in the attack and were rushed to a nearby hospital.

However one lady, later suffered a heart attack and died after being admitted to hospital.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

Pera hera is a sacred Buddhist processions held annually in Sri Lanka which attracts large crowds including a large number of tourists.

As a unique symbol of Sri Lanka, the procession consists of many traditional local dances such as fire-dances, whip-dances and Kandyan dances, in addition to the elephants who are usually adorned with lavish garments.
Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2016 shows a LED light show along the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. The 11th G20 summit was held in Hangzhou from Sept. 4 to 5. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- As the world lauded the achievements of the G20 Hangzhou summit earlier this month in addressing a sluggish world economy, China's new approach to foreign affairs became evident: summit diplomacy.

G20 leaders at the summit agreed to set the course for the world economy, creating new paths for growth, modernizing the world economy, improving global governance, revitalizing international trade and investment and promoting inclusive development.

These achievements came after China's long-term appeals to focus on developing the world economy and reform the international financial system. China's ideas were widely included in the Leaders' Communique issued after the summit.

Such consensus is a positive result for the G20 and is typical of China's proactive approach in pursuing foreign policy through summits and leaders' meetings in recent years.

The G20 summit was a major diplomatic event held in China, as was the APEC leaders' meeting held in Beijing in 2014.

At the APEC meeting, China advocated connectivity and cross-border collaboration. China's efforts for free trade in the Pacific area became more than just a vision; they became practical goals.

China has also been active in other summits throughout the world. In 2015 alone, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a series of UN summits, the Paris Climate Change Conference, the G20 summit in Turkey, the Asian-African Leaders' Meeting in Indonesia and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in South Africa.

Li Dongyan, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that such international meetings are playing an increasingly important role in addressing varying global issues.

As China gets stronger by participating in globalization, it is increasingly becoming more involved in global governance and shouldering more responsibility in addressing global challenges.

For this reason, playing a more important role in major global institutions is inevitable, Li said.

In March 2014 when addressing the Colbert Foundation in Germany, Xi said China will contribute a Chinese vision to the management of contemporary international relations, offering Chinese solutions to improve global governance, and work with international society to meet the various challenges of the 21st century.

In March this year, China's top legislature adopted the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), setting out the country's intention to "actively participate in global economic governance and to contribute to the provision of global public goods, increasing the power of dialogue in global economic governance."

Recent summits show that Chinese plans are becoming increasingly attractive to the international community, and China's capability to address global issues is improving.

Aside from China's contributions to the G20 Hangzhou summit and APEC Beijing meetings, its contributions to multilateral meetings are evident throughout the world.

Through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China is helping African countries in poverty relief, public health, infrastructure construction and other development issues. As the world's largest developing country, China hopes to help the world use its considerable experience and achievements in economic development over nearly four decades.

Jin Canrong, a professor at Renmin University, said China has gradually changed its attitude toward multilateral diplomacy.

"We used to be skeptical toward multilateral venues because we were not familiar with them, and we were afraid of being bullied. What's more, we were poor and weak," Jin said.

Over the past decade, China has gradually formed a foreign policy that treats "major power relations as key, relations with neighboring countries as a top priority, relations with developing countries as a foundation, and multilateral diplomacy as an important arena."

As it gets stronger and wants to promote its ideas, China finds that many issues must be addressed with the joint efforts of the world, and multilateral meetings can better aid China in advocating its concepts.

In summits and leaders' meetings, especially as the host nation as with the G20 Hangzhou summit, China can set the theme and influence the outcome, Jin said.

China set the theme of the G20 Hangzhou summit as "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy," which was reflected in the summit's outcome.

"As China continues to merge into the global system, it will play a more active role in summits and other multilateral meetings," Jin said.

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BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's ambition to advance reform and maintain medium to high growth has injected hope and stability into the world economy, experts have observed.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the Business 20 summit in Hangzhou, Chinese President Xi Jinping reassured the world's business leaders that China can realize strong growth and would not backslide on structural reform and opening up. Full story

Spotlight: Overseas analysts hail China's role in G20

BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Overseas China-watchers have hailed the country's active and more mature role in the Group of 20 (G20) by hosting a summit that highlighted innovation and cooperation to spur global economic growth.
GAZA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Fathi Hammad, one of the Islamic Hamas movement top leaders in the Gaza Strip, condemned Saturday the decision of the U.S. State Department to include him into the list of world terrorists.

"As Israel escalates its assaults on our people in the West Bank and Jerusalem, the American administration, which backs the Israeli occupation, puts me on the so-called world terrorists list," Hammad said in an emailed press statement.

"The American administration is the biggest supporter to the Zionist terrorism," said Hammad, adding "this decision biased to the occupation is an additional black page in the book of the American administration with bad reputation."

He insisted that such decisions "would never terrify us and never break our determination to serve our people and defend their just rights whatever the price is."

Meanwhile, Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that the American decision "is a crucial and dangerous development that shows the Obama Administration is biased to the Israeli occupation."

"The U.S. State Department decision provides a cover to the endless Israeli crimes against our people," said Abu Zuhri, who called on the U.S. "to regret the decision and stop decisions that are provocative to the emotions of peoples."

Hammad is considered as one of the most prominent leaders of Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, as the movement has been ruling since it had violently seized control of the territory in 2007.

According to media reports, the U.S. State Department considered Hammad as one of the top world terrorists, who threaten the security of the American citizens and the national security, economy and foreign affairs of the United States.

Besides being a top Hamas leader, Hammad is a militant and was the interior minister of Hamas government that ruled the Gaza Strip before the formation of the Palestinian consensus government in June 2014.

Hammad was also the founder of Hamas Satellite Channel called "Al-Aqsa Television." The channel educates and recruits teenagers to become militants and suicide bombers when they grow up, according to media reports.
JERUSALEM, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel's army said they shot dead a Palestinian youth in the West Bank on Saturday after he stabbed a soldier, the latest in a string of fatal incidents over the weekend.

A military spokesperson said in a statement that the incident occurred during routine security checks at a checkpoint in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in the flashpoint city of Hebron.

"An assailant, armed with a knife, stabbed an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldier," the statement read.

Soldiers responded with fire, killing the alleged stabber.

The man was later identified as Haytham al-Shaloudi, a 25-year-old resident of Hebron.

According to local media, the stabbed soldier sustained light wounds and was taken to hospital.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit released a photo of a kitchen knife with a blade of about 11 cm (about 4.5 inches) in size, identifying it as the weapon used to stab the soldier.

It was the fifth alleged attack on Israelis in less than 24 hours. On Friday morning, the police said they shot and killed a Jordanian citizen after he allegedly tried to stab police officers outside East Jerusalem's Old City.

Later, Israeli army sources said soldiers killed a Palestinian and critically wounded his wife near the southern West Bank city of Hebron after they attempted to drive over Israeli settlers.

Also in the Hebron area, soldiers killed a 21-year-old man from the Beit Ula village. Local media said the youth was shot as he was trying to escape an arrest by the military.

A year-long spate of violence in Israel and the West Bank has killed at least 230 Palestinians and 34 Israelis.

Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, home to more than five million Palestinians, where they wish to establish their own state.
LAGOS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government will embark on nationwide sensitization campaign to curb the abuse of Nigeria's currencies, an official said Saturday.

Abubakar Danchadi, a director with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) told reporters in northwest state of Sokoto that the organization is partnering with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to carry out the campaign.

He said the nation's currencies are grossly abused in a myriad of obnoxious ways.

"These include mutilating them and spraying them during ceremonies, thereby marching on them," the director added.

"These also include putting them in parts of the body where they are not supposed to be kept," he said.

Danchadi told reporters that the currencies should be patriotically respected by both Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike.

"The nation's currencies are part of our national symbols," he added.

He said the joint campaign by NOA and the apex bank was therefore to urgently reverse the ugly trend.

The apex bank had warned that abusers of the nation's currency notes risk six months imprisonment or a fine of 50,000 (158 U.S. dollars).

The bank described as criminal the abuse of the country's currency, stressing that offenders would be arrested and prosecuted.

Spraying of the naira, hawking and mutilating it are punishable under section 21, subsection 1-5 of the CBN Act of 2007.
by Xinhua writer Zhang Yongxing

DALLAS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- It was a "greatest moment" in Chinese history that Shanghai had hosted many Jewish refugees during World War II, a well-known Dallas-based scholar said Friday.

"It's really a model for the 21st Century to seek," Dennis Kratz, executive chair of the Confucius Institute Executive Board and Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), said, commenting on a photo exhibition on the Jewish refugees in Shanghai.

"This ... made Shanghai an international community that welcomes and braces integrated others into its community," he said.

The 30-day exhibition, jointly organized by the UTD Confucius Institute and the Ackerman Center of Holocaust Studies, displays 40 photos and dozens of artifacts on the life of Jewish refugees living in Shanghai some 70 years ago.

"Holocaust was one of the moments in history that represents the depth to which the humanity can sink. The corollary of this is that it represents the moment that community and government such as Shanghai can rise above the challenge that World War II began its post, to reach out and welcome refugees to ensure," the scholar said.

Dennis, aged over 70, also stressed the importance of the U.S.-China relations, saying the two great countries must work together to build a new world.

"We established the Confucius Institute in 2007. It's now in its 10th year. I believe it's one of the most important introductions to this University. China and the United States are two great cultural powers, as well as intellectual and economic powers. We need to grow and get along, and collaborate a way to create a harmonious new world," he said.

Some UTD students also showed keen interest in the exhibition, which opened on Sept. 1 and features a Chinese folk music concert, "Wind from the East," on Sept. 25.

"This photo exhibition seems very interesting. I've never heard that Jewish refugees in Shanghai before. So it's very interesting to learn about that," Keagon Mcdearmon, 20, said.

"I'm also very interested in it. My family was Jews from Russia. So I will learn more about Jews and how they escaped from their condition during World War II," Amanda Karasic, 21, told Xinhua.

Natalie Nduku, 24, who is from Africa, said that "I actually have never heard of Jews migration during Holocaust to Shanghai. It's a very fascinating exhibition and an opportunity to learn as well."

Shi Lanxin, associate director of the Confucius Institute, said that this exhibition is special and it touches the Americans' hearts.

"This exhibition is an excellent one. It will touch American people's hearts. It has shown how nice and brave the Chinese people are through these events," Shi said.
Photo taken on Sept. 1, 2016 shows twin panda cubs "Jianjian" (up) and "Kangkang" at a park in Macao, south China. Macao's twin panda cubs were officially named "Jianjian" and "Kangkang" by the government out of 1,718 names recommended by Macao citizens, the special administrative region(SAR)'s civil affair authorities said on Saturday. (Xinhua)

MACAO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Macao's twin panda cubs were officially named "Jianjian" and "Kangkang" by the government out of 1,718 names recommended by Macao citizens, the special administrative region(SAR)'s civil affair authorities said on Saturday.

The names for the twin brothers represent good wishes from the Macao people, as Jian Kang in Chinese means "being healthy". They are chosen by the government out of 1,718 names proposed by 3,587 citizens according to their meaning, pronunciation, and previous panda names, Macao's Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (CMAB) said.

"Jianjian" and "Kangkang" were the most favored choices as they were proposed by 1,117 citizens, some of which said they chose them to wish the panda cubs good health and wish Macao people good health and happy life.

CMAB said another reason for making the choice is their parents' names "Kaikai" and "Xinxin" are frequently used with "Jianjian" and "Kangkang" in Chinese. The combination of this family's names are Kaixin Jiankang, meaning being happy and healthy.

According to the panda care team, the twin cubs now weigh 4,115 grams and 3,335 grams respectively from 135 grams and 53.8 grams at birth. They have their parents' black-and-white appearance, with their eyes open but only can see things in a short distance.

Female panda Xinxin has given birth to the pair of male twin cubs on June 26, 2016. Xinxin and a male panda named Kaikai were chosen from Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwest China's Sichuan Province as a gift of the central government to Macao SAR.
MANILA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) - A radical Muslim bandit group released on Saturday a Norwegian man they took hostage almost a year ago, a spokesman for the Philippine military said.

Army Maj. Filemon Tan of the military's western Mindanao Command said the Abu Sayyaf bandits freed the hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad around 4 p.m. in a remote village in Indan, a town in Sulu. The military has yet to present the hostage victim to the media.

Sekkingstad and Canadian nationals Robert Hall and John Ridsdel were abducted in September last year in posh holiday resort in Davao del Norte.

There are reports that ransom have been paid for the release of Sekkingstad, but Philippine authorities could not confirm this as of press time.

The bandits killed Ridsdel and Hall in April and June respectively.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to crush the group and another similar Muslim extremist group operating in nearby provinces, the Abu Sayyaf group, that is also engaged in kidnap for ransom, killings and robberies.
BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of county leaders from Taiwan arrived in Beijing on Saturday for a visit to the Chinese mainland, a mainland spokesperson said.

The delegation includes officials for New Taipei City and the seven counties of Hsinchu, Miaoli, Nantou, Hualien, Taitung, Kinmen and Lienchiang.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said that the delegation would discuss economic, cultural and tourism cooperation with related personnel from the mainland.

The delegation made the visit at the invitation of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Beijing municipal government, Ma said.

Some members of the delegation also plan to visit other provinces and cities on the mainland during the trip, Ma said.
In light of continued developments, primarily since 2008, there exists in these United States a Legal System which operates on a proved Two Tiered approach to justice rendered, which primarily benefits Democratic Elites and Woke Ideological Virtue Signalers, representing their co-dependent wards, to the expressed exclusion of normal hardworking American citizens: What is your suggestion in remedying this widespread injustice and, if not corrected, its existential outcome for our Constitutional Republic?

Complete overhaul of the Department of Justice and their enforcers - the FBI - to reflect a far more honest justice system to keep patriots remaining calm.

Disband the FBI, and request that congress investigate all unethical and non patriotic practices to partially right the wrongs of a distrusted and politically weaponized "Department of Justice."
TIRANA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama pledged on Friday that his government will fully support the development of agriculture and rural economy.

Rama made the remarks during a meeting with some farmers from Albania's northern district of Malesia e Madhe.

The farmers were invited to submit their projects in order to benefit from a national fund set up by the government and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to improve financial access and increase lending for the agricultural sector.

The 300-million-euro (336-million-U.S. dollars) fund is a new lending instrument designed to improve financial access to the commercial banks for the agricultural sector over the next three years, Rama said.

According to him, the lending instrument will work as a guarantee fund, under which farmers will be able to receive interest-free loans to support their agricultural projects.
by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Italy was poised to mourn prominent former president of the republic and central banker Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who died on Friday at the age of 95.

A day of national mourning will be declared on Monday, with Italian and European flag at half-mast all across the country, the Italian government announced.

Private funerals will be held the same day in the Italian capital, according to Ansa news agency.

Ciampi died in a hospital in Rome after a long illness, Ansa also reported.

"Our grateful thoughts go out to the man who has served Italy with passion," Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Twitter.

Renzi would pay a visit to the burial chamber of the former head of state inside the senate late on Saturday, according to the cabinet.

Ciampi was president of Italy from 1999 to 2006, playing a crucial role in bringing the country into the European Union (EU) single currency system.

He had previously served as head of Italy's central bank between 1979 and 1993, as prime minister from 1993 to 1994, and as treasure and finance minister between 1996 and 1999.

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni praised him as "an example of coherence, competence, and dignity."

The Central Bank of Italy, which Ciampi joined since after World War II, also highly commended his figure.

"Today, Italy and Europe have lost one of the protagonist of the European integration, a mission to which Ciampi has devoted his whole life," the Bank's board said in a statement.

Ciampi was highly respected at international level, and several top officials paid tribute to him.

"His death is a source of deep grief," current President Sergio Mattarella said.

"It is also thanks to men like Ciampi that Italy has gained, and deserved, a leading position at international level, from which our entire community is now benefitting," Mattarella said.

President Mattarella added his name was linked to the birth of the euro, and to Italy's "uncertain participation in the leading group" (of the single currency project).

Indeed, Ciampi has been key in bringing Italy into the euro. Always on a strong pro-European position, he pushed to make Italy adhere to the single currency project, despite the many concerns some major EU allies expressed at the time about the Italian public finance's instability.

Before Italy's adhesion to the euro, as treasure minister, he had played a crucial role in stabilizing the country's financial situation between 1996 and 1999.

He introduced a controversial "euro tax", making Italy's deficit fall from a peak of over 10 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in late 1980s to 2.7 percent in 1997, clearly below the 3 percent ceiling required to enter the euro system, local media reported.

"I have always felt a European citizen born on Italian soil," Ciampi said in January 1999, while celebrating the official birth of the European single currency.

Ciampi also led the country in one of its most difficult phases in recent history, when Italy was shaken by the repercussions of a huge corruption scandal involving most of political parties.

From that crisis, and under his presidency, a new political framework commonly known in Italy as the "second Republic" overall emerged.

"Today, we have lost a great Italian and a great European, a model of moral integrity, civil passion, and political commitment," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement.

Born in Livorno, Tuscany, in 1920, Ciampi served with the Italian army in Albania during the Second World War, and then joined the Italian partisans fighting against the Fascist regime.

After the war, he graduated in law and started working with the Bank of Italy in 1946.
Muslim pilgrims from all around the world circle around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, in the Saudi city of Mecca on September 14, 2016. More than 1.8 million faithful from around the world have been attending the annual pilgrimage which officially ends on September 15. (AFP Photo)

RIYADH, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia has agreed to form a company to develop and increase the capacity of the holy sites in Mecca and Medina, local Al Eqtisadiya news website reported Saturday.

The proposed company, which will be owned by the government, was approved days after the kingdom announced the success of the hajj season that brought together more than 1.8 pilgrims.

The company will be in charge of enhancing the efficiency of utilities and services such as electricity, water, air-conditioning and cleanness. It will work to separate the routes of pedestrians and vehicles.

To generate money, the company will invest in the holy sites to be tourist attractions throughout the year, especially the religious archaeological sites.

The company is expected to generate thousands of job opportunities for local manpower.

The company is part of many initiatives the country are adopting to get ready for post-oil era by implementing various economic and investment projects.
BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- FAW Group, a state-owned car manufacturer, will recall 22,817 Mazda cars due to defected dusk seal rings, according to China's top quality supervisor.

The affected vehicles include 3,881 Mazda CX-7 cars manufactured between Jan. 6, 2013 and Aug. 13, 2014, and 18,936 Mazda 8 cars manufactured between April 19, 2010 and July 21, 2014, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement.

The defected dusk seal rings can cause dysfunction of the lower control arms of these vehicles and result in safety problems, said the statement.

FAW will check and replace the defective parts free of charge. The recall will start April 14, 2017.
LAGOS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian security forces had thrice struck a chord to rescue the abducted Chibok secondary school girls, the government has said.

In an update to the public on efforts of government to rescue the girls, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed told reporters in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city on Friday that the attempts were, however, stalled by a contact group and the division in the Boko Haram camp.

Mohammed reiterated the commitment of the government to trace, locate and ensure the safe and successful release of the Chibok girls.

The minister said in July 2015 a contact group was in touch with government with credible facts attesting to the fact that some of the girls were alive.

He said the President was briefed and he gave his assent for further negotiations on their release.

According to him, on July 17 2015, the secret service opened negotiations process with the group holding the Chibok girls.

"However, in return for the release of some of these girls, the group also made some demands," he added.

"These included the release of some of their fighters arrested including some involved in major terrorist actions, resulting in several fatalities, and others who were experts in manufacturing of locally assembled explosives," he said.

The minister told reporters that their demands were difficult to accept, but appropriate security agencies had to again inform the President of these demands, and its viewed implications.

He said it was finally agreed by all parties that the first step for the swap would commence on August 1, 2015.

The minister told his audience that in spite of the setback, the government and the security agencies did not relent in the bid to ensure that the girls were released safely.

He said on Nov. 13, 2015, another fresh negotiation process with the group was initiated.

The minister said by Dec. 10, 2015, another negotiation process was in place, but it failed to achieve results because of the varying demands by the group.

According to him, since the beginning of 2016 the security agencies had remained committed and also taken the lead to ensure their release.

Mohammed said renewed efforts had commenced using trusted assets and facilitators to ensure the release of the girls.

President Buhari had in August said his government has concluded plans to discuss the release of Chibok girls with Boko Haram insurgents.

The Nigerian leader said his government had since expressed its readiness to dialogue with bona fide leaders of the terror group, who know the whereabouts of the girls.

Buhari maintained that the terror group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, had been largely decimated by Nigerian military with the support of immediate neighbors of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.

A faction of Boko Haram militants, which seeks to impose strict Islamic law in northern Nigeria, recently released a new video showing the abducted Chibok girls.

The video showed a masked armed man standing in front of several girls, who, he claimed, were among the over 200 girls abducted from their school hostel at Government Secondary School, Chibok, in 2014.

The man said the video was released to send a message to the parents of the girls to beg the Nigerian government to release Boko Haram members in various detention centers in exchange for the girls.

The man said about 40 of the girls were already married while some were dead. Boko Haram has been blamed for some 20,000 deaths in Nigeria since 2009.
Refugees wait for water at the Protection of Civilians site 3 of the United Nations Mission In South Sudan in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Aug. 13, 2016. The humanitarian situation in South Sudan has witnessed significant deterioration, including in areas that were once relatively stable. Since December 2013, over two million people have fled their homes. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

JUBA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of South Sudanese refugees sheltering in neighbouring countries passed the one million mark this week amid renewed fighting in their homeland, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said Friday.

The UNHCR said over 185,000 people had fled South Sudan since the renewed fighting which erupted in the capital in Juba early July between forces led by President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former first vice president Riek Machar.

"Most of those fleeing South Sudan are women and children. They include survivors of violent attacks, sexual assault, children that have been separated from their parents or travelled alone, the disabled, the elderly and people in need of urgent medical care," it said in a statement received in Juba.

This makes South Sudan join Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia as countries which have produced more than a million refugees.

Most of the recent refugees have crossed into Uganda. And a surge of people have entered western Ethiopia's Gambella region in the past week with others heading to Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Central African Republic.

The UNHCR lauded these countries for keeping their doors open to the new arrivals.

The UNHCR said Uganda was hosting the lion's share of South Sudanese refugees -- 373,626 people, more than a third of them had arrived since early July.

"About 300 people a week have been crossing into Kenya... Kenya has over 90,000 South Sudanese refugees," the UNHCR said.

DR Congo is hosting an estimated 40,000 South Sudanese refugees and experiencing an influx into its Ituri province close to the border with South Sudan and Uganda, according to the UNHCR.

The UNHCR has called on donors to provide 701 million U.S. dollars for South Sudan refugee operations, of which 20 percent has been funded.

"Without further funding and support, we and our partners will struggle to assist the needy with even the most basic assistance," the UNHCR said.

The July fighting came as a major setback to peace efforts in South Sudan which has been torn by a civil war between factions of Kiir and Machar that erupted in December 2013. A peace deal signed last August between the rival leaders led to the formation of a unity government in April, but failed to quell the latest violence, which caused new waves of displacement.

Humanitarian organizations say they are finding it very difficult for logistical, security and funding reasons in providing urgent protection and assistance to the hundreds of thousands in need, including 1.61 million internally displaced people.
Zhang Biao (L), Political Counselor from the Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam shakes hands with Major General Salum Kijuu, the Kagera Regional Commissioner in Kagera region, northwestern Tanzania, Sept. 15, 2016. (Xinhua)

ARUSHA, Tanzania, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Tanzania has handed over assorted food items, medicines and tents to Kagera earthquake victims.

"The donation came from various Chinese companies, the embassy and Chinese community," said Zhang Biao, political counselor from the Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam while handing over the donation on Thursday.

Major General Salum Kijuu, Kagera Regional Commissioner, commended the Chinese government for the support, which, according to him, is a great relief to the affected families.

Kijuu said that all the donation received will be distributed to the affected people while begging for more support to rebuild the region.

He also called upon those who will be able to start reconstructing their houses to get advice from construction experts before doing so to avoid future quake damages.

"As per expert's reports, earthquake will continue to happen in Kagera even for the years to come because the region has been passed by the Rift Valley. What we need to do is to adhere to the geological expert advice especially in construction," Kijuu noted.

An earthquake, measuring at a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale, hit the Tanzania's Kagera region last Saturday. It left 17 people dead and over 200 injured, while thousands of houses were damaged.
by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The G20 summit held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou showed the strength and quality of China's leadership, and proved to be a possible new model in terms of global economic governance, according to Italian experts.

"In the past, it has often been said China was a major economic power, yet unable to play a global leadership commensurate with its new status," Paolo Garonna, professor of political economy with LUISS University in Rome, said.

"Well, all of us in Hangzhou have seen the Chinese leadership in action, in terms of strength and quality, and its ability to deliver results," said Garonna.

The expert made his remarks during a conference on the theme "The G20 in Hangzhou and the Sino-Italian cooperation" held at the Chinese Embassy in Rome earlier this week.

Along with Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Ruiyu, several Italian economic and political analysts attended the event.

China hosted G20 took place on Sept. 4-5, and closed with the adoption of a final statement expressing a common will of the world's 20 top economies to promote a more efficient global governance.

Great emphasis was given to innovation and cooperation as major drivers of growth, yet on the base of sustainable and inclusive long-term measures.

Furthermore, the Chinese presidency highlighted the G20 could serve as a "new starting point", and it firmly brought the two topics of development and inclusiveness into the focus of the summit.

Such a move could possibly help the G20 in itself, as a relatively young entity still trying to find a role, according to the Italian economist.

"From this point of view, China's emphasis on the 'new starting' was a strong signal," Garonna said.

Whereas other international organizations were born in the 20th century, the G20 was a more a contemporary entity.

"As such, many of these forums of international cooperation reflect a social, economic, and political equilibrium that no longer exists."

"With the new starting evoked by the Chinese presidency, the hope is now for the G20 to give impetus to a global governance more suited to the reality of the 21st century," he explained.

China's hosting of the G20 also proved the country's new confidence in facing the multiple challenges of the globalized world, other analysts noted.

Indeed, the summit in Hangzhou took place at a particular time, according to Antonio Cascio, head of the Office for Relations with Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organizations at the Italian Foreign Ministry.

"The global economy is certainly recovering, but the growth is still slow and unable to meet the needs of the world population," he told the conference.

"In addition, there are global phenomena, such as the terrorism threat, the immigration crisis, and the climate change, which has serious repercussions on the global governance."

"Innovation and inclusiveness were the two 'answers' on which the G20 focused," Cascio said.

Innovation was clearly defined as the essential driver for a stable and sustainable growth. Yet, the summit also showed a clear awareness that growth alone was not enough, since the fruits of economic development have been, more often than not, unequally distributed, according to the official.

"This is a risk we cannot afford: it would not bring a sustainable growth, and would have negative consequences at political level, in terms of a rise in populist movements that are against the very core of the current global economic system," he explained.

The Foreign Ministry councillor agreed with other experts that the G20 in Hangzhou distinguished itself for its approach.

"Even on the most controversial issues, it was possible to find an agreement on the text (of final statements)," Cascio noted.

Finally, Italian analysts also highlighted that official consultations were extended to include several developing countries, and several topics most dear to these economies.

"The attention went well beyond the common topics of a G20 agenda: it focused on inclusiveness, sustainability, and on the urgency of delivering concrete answers to the people's needs," Garonna pointed out.

"Consultations on these issues were not mere talks: the G20 did enter into sensitive issues on which countries have different positions."

Yet, the Chinese presidency made it possible to face them, and "make progress, maybe small but concrete," the economist concluded.
BELGRADE, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Joint forces of Serbian army and police have so far stopped 7,500 illegal migrants to cross its southern border with Macedonia, the Serbian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

A press release reads that Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic on Friday evening visited members of the joint police and armed forces in Sector A that secures part of Serbia's border towards Macedonia, and made sure that measures of control are effective.

"Results of these two systems (police and army) demotivate migrants from attempting to cross the state border and force them to find themselves another route to their final destination," Djordjevic said.

Reportedly, unit leader informed Djordjevic that the combined units of Serbian Army and the interior ministry managed to catch 50 people smugglers along with preventing 7,500 migrants from crossing the border.

During his visit, Djordjevic also toured positions in village of Cakanovac near the city of Presevo and the field near the village of Miratovac, where members of armed forces perform surveillance and discover attempts of illegal border crossings with patrols, control posts and ambushes.

"It is a pleasure to see that police and army systems function well together, directed towards the same goal," Djordjevic said.

During the recent visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sept. 5, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic announced that Serbia will not accept more illegal migrants, noting that the "situation is different from the beginning of the (migrant) crisis" as more than 80 percent of the migrants now are economic ones, coming from Afghanistan.

On that occasion it was announced that Hungarian army and police will assist their Serbian colleagues at Serbia's borders with both Bulgaria and Macedonia.

Last year, more than 700,000 migrants crossed Serbian territory on their way to the EU fleeing from armed conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, while some 5,000 new migrants are currently located in Serbia.
JAKARTA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian anti-corruption watchdog on Saturday arrested Chairman of Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Irman Gusman for allegedly receiving bribe, chairman of the watchdog disclosed.

Gusman was declared as suspect for allegedly receiving 100 million rupiah (some 7,615.6 U.S. dollars) bribe, linked with a case regarding sugar import quota for West Sumatra, from the president director of a firm, Chairman of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Agus Rahardjo said.

"The bribe for IG (Gusman) is allegedly linked with sugar import quota given by state logistic agency in 2016," Rahardjo told a press conference.

The watchdog also arrested and declared suspect president director of the company, his wife and his younger brother for allegedly giving the bribe, he said.

Gusman and the three suspects were arrested by a team of the watchdog in an operation at about 00 : 30 Jakarta time at Gusman's house just after the bribery occurred there, Rahardjo cited.

Responding on the arrest, President Widodo reaffirmed a call for terminating corruption.

"Stop engaging in corruption, this call is for everybody," he said after the watchdog's announcement.

Indonesia has strived to fight against seismic corruption and scores of officials, from lawmaker to active central bank governor, had been sent to jail and undergone legal process on corruption charges.
Press Release:

Contact: Crystal Feldman

Crystal Feldman govpress@nc.gov

Raleigh, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory announced today that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is working to bring a suspect back to North Carolina following an arrest in the shooting death of Shelby Police Officer Timothy J. Brackeen.said Governor McCrory.Early this morning, the Rhode Island State Police and the FBI apprehended Irving Lucien Fenner Jr. (23 years old), who was wanted in the shooting death of Officer Brackeen. Fenner was arrested in Providence, Rhode Island as part of a wide ranging investigation by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.Prior to Fenner's arrest, the Shelby Police Department and the SBI arrested Deitra Morris, Casey Fenner and Jolisa Peeler for Accessory to Murder, After the Fact. Ashley Hamrick of Shelby was also arrested for Harboring a Fugitive.The investigation was initiated on Saturday, September 10, 2016, after the Shelby Police Department responded to the area of 210 Gidney Street, in Shelby, North Carolina, in an attempt to locate Lucien Fenner Jr. for the service of outstanding warrants. Officer Brackeen encountered Fenner in the area and an altercation ensued. During the altercation, shots were fired by Fenner and Officer Bracken. Officer Brackeen was fatally wounded. Officer Brackeen was transported to Carolinas Healthcare System Cleveland Hospital and then flown to Carolinas Healthcare System Main in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he later died of his injuries.Fenner subsequently fled the area. The Shelby Police Department, the State Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement agencies in other states, and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, US Marshals Service, and the Secret Service have been working around the clock on the investigation and have been in consultation with the District Attorney's Office throughout.On Monday, Governor McCrory announced that the state was offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting of Officer Brackeen.This investigation is ongoing. The SBI will continue to work on this investigation and will provide the criminal investigative report to the District Attorney when complete.
European Council President Donald Tusk (L) arrives at a wharf by the Danube river on the sidelines of an informal European Union (EU) summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, Sept. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Gong Bing)

BRATISLAVA, Sept.17 (Xinhua) -- Member states of the European Union(EU) have issued a joint declaration here on Friday, formulating a road map for the bloc to tackle a number of challenges, said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

The road map approved at an informal EU summit here sets out how will the EU tackle issues like perceived lack of control of migration, terrorism, and economic and social insecurity. EU member states will further bring down the number of irregular migrants and ensure full control of the bloc's external borders, according to the declaration.

EU leaders are also committed to implementing the EU-Turkey deal on migration, continuing their support to the countries in the Western Balkans, and help to strengthen the protection of Bulgaria's border with Turkey.

At a press conference after the summit, Fico hailed the summit as a success. "The current situation in Europe and the result of Britain's referendum provided a good impetus for us in the EU to make some considerations. The summit was supposed to be the first response, and I believe that it was a correct response. The leaders had a sincere debate on the situation of the current EU," stressed Fico.

Even though the EU has showed some flaws, it's still the best possible project for Europe. "We believe that there is no reverse gear - we must continue going forward, because prosperity, stability and security in Europe can't be guaranteed but via the EU," said Fico.

"The Bratislava road map is an important document, which will lead our decision-making process during the next summits," stressed European Council President Donald Tusk.

Concerning internal security, EU leaders agreed to adopt measures to check people's identity when crossing the union's external borders. EU member states will set up a Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) to allow for advance checks.

Regarding external security, EU will strengthen cooperation on external security and defence.

Concerning economic and social development, EU leaders will adopt decision on the extension of the European Fund for Strategic Investment in light of evaluation and review progress on the different Single Market strategies including Digital Single Market, Capital Markets Union, Energy Union.

The road map will be debated in the next six months, and concrete reforms are expected to be put to discussion at a summit in Italian capital Rome in March, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaty.
AMMAN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Saturday condemned as "barbaric" the killing of a Jordanian national by Israeli forces in east Jerusalem, state-run news agency Petra reported.

On Friday, Israeli police said they shot and killed a Jordanian citizen after he allegedly tried to stab police officers outside east Jerusalem's Old City.

Spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry Sabah Rafi on Saturday refuted the Israeli narrative that the victim tried to attack Israeli officers with a knife.

"The Jordanian government is following up the case to look into all details and to hand over the body of the martyr to his family in preparation to take international legal and diplomatic procedures," Rafi said.

The government strongly condemns the killing of Saeed Alamro, he added.

Meanwhile, the victim's brother told Xinhua on Saturday that Alamro was on a visit to some relatives in Jerusalem and he wanted to enter al-Aqsa Mosque for the Friday prayer, but he was shot in the head.

"We do not believe the Israelis claims," Abdullah Alamro said.
PRAGUE, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A cultural exchange delegation from China's Tibet Autonomous Region attended a seminar in Prague on Friday to deepen exchanges with Czechs.

Jinmeiwangcuo, head of the delegation and the director of news office of the Tibet Autonomous Region government, said that representatives from Czech Senate and Parliament exchanged point of views with the delegation.

The Czech representatives showed their interests in Tibet and Tibet's development, raised many suggestions on the exchange of Tibetan culture.

They have reached a preliminary intention on inviting Czech experts to visit Tibet and promoting the exchange and cooperation of Tibetan culture.

The delegation was also warmly welcomed by local Chinese.

The delegation arrived in the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Leaving the Czech Republic on Saturday, they will head for Estonia and Latvia.
Residents attend a videoconference in which participates Julian Assange, founder and spokesman of WikiLeaks, from the Ecuador's embassy in London, in the framework of the "Freedom, privacy and the future of Internet" seminar, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 18, 2013. (Xinhua/Rahel Patrasso)

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Swedish appeals court has rejected WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's latest attempt to make prosecutors drop a rape investigation against him since 2010, meaning the 45-year-old Australian will remain in detention.

The decision by the Svea Court of Appeal on Friday means the arrest warrant stands for Assange. He has avoided extradition to Sweden by seeking shelter at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012. Ecuador has accepted his asylum application.

Assange denies the rape allegation made in 2010 during his visit to Stockholm, after which he was detained "in absentia." He has challenged the detention order several times, and says that he fears he will be extradited to the United States to face charges if he leaves the embassy.

Assange's Swedish defense lawyer, Per Samuelsson, said he would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, according to Swedish Television.

In August, the Ecuadorian embassy accepted a request for Assange's questioning to be held there. The interview is due to take place on Oct. 17. It will be conducted by an Ecuadorian prosecutor, but a Swedish chief prosecutor and a police investigator will be present to ask questions via the Ecuadorian prosecutor.
Clouds fly above Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, as Typhoon Malakas is approaching the east coast of Taiwan, Sept. 17, 2016. (Xinhua/Song Zhenping)

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Marine forecasting authorities on Saturday gave an orange alert for waves and storms, as Typhoon Malakas skirted Taiwan and moved to the east coast of the Chinese mainland.

Malakas, the 16th typhoon in 2016, has entered the southern part of the East China Sea on Saturday afternoon, China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said.

The typhoon is expected to whip up waves from seven to 12 meters-high off Taiwan's east coast, southern and central parts of the East China Sea, and the nearby Diaoyu Islands from Saturday to Sunday. Waves up to 4.4 meters-high are also expected in the coastal regions of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, said the center.

Coastal regions in Fujian and Zhejiang will see storms and rain starting Saturday night, and residents and ships operating in related waters were told to stay clear of those areas, according to the center.

Typhoon Malakas comes hot on the heels of Typhoon Meranti, which has left at least 28 people dead and another 15 missing in eastern regions of China since it landed in Fujian Thursday morning.

China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
A girl shows costume of Tibetan ethnic group during an art festival in Lhari County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Chogo)

PRAGUE, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A cultural exchange delegation from China's Tibet Autonomous Region attended a seminar in Prague on Friday to deepen exchanges with Czechs.

Jinmeiwangcuo, head of the delegation and the director of news office of the Tibet Autonomous Region government, said that representatives from Czech Senate and Parliament exchanged point of views with the delegation.

The Czech representatives showed their interests in Tibet and Tibet's development, raised many suggestions on the exchange of Tibetan culture.

They have reached a preliminary intention on inviting Czech experts to visit Tibet and promoting the exchange and cooperation of Tibetan culture.

The delegation was also warmly welcomed by local Chinese.

The delegation arrived in the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Leaving the Czech Republic on Saturday, they will head for Estonia and Latvia.
Geert Wilders (C), leader of the right-wing populist Party of Freedom PVV, gets ready to cast his vote at a polling station in Hague of the Netherlands, on Sept. 12, 2012. (Xinhua/Sylvia Lederer)

THE HAGUE, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- As political parties in the Netherlands started unveiling their program for parliamentary elections scheduled for next March, observers noted that the impact of the growing popularity of far-right populist Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) extends into sharply influencing the political debate and posing challenges for mainstream parties to keep their supporters on crucial European issues.

"PVV influences the issues on the political agenda, the framing of these issues, and the positions mainstream parties take on these issues. This effect is most notable on immigration and integration issues," associate professor of political science at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) Sarah de Lange told Xinhua.

In PVV's electoral program, Wilders maintained his usual anti-refugee and anti-Islam rhetoric, calling for closure of Dutch borders, Islamic schools and mosques as well as ban on refugees from Islamic countries. He also called for recording the ethnicity of all Dutch citizens.

In the Low Lands known for its openness and tolerance, opinion polls have for months given Wilders' party the edge over the current coalition parties of the Labour Party (PvdA) and the center-right liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) led by prime minister Mark Rutte.

Earlier polls in September even foresaw the race for the biggest party a tie between VVD and PVV -- they would get 25 to 29 seats each in the 150-seat Tweede Kamer [the lower house of the bicameral parliament] if elections were held.

"The support for the PVV is first and foremost motivated by voters' attitudes towards issues such as asylum and refugees, integration of migrants and Islam," said de Lange. Her current research concerns the role of citizens, the media and parties in the politicisation of immigration and European integration.

Wilders split from the mainstream liberal VVD in 2004 to form his own anti-Islam platform PVV. PVV won nine seats in 2006, 24 in 2010 and 15 in 2012. It is now the third largest party in the Tweede Kamer. In its peak year of 2010, it got nearly one sixth of the votes, enough to give him a pivotal role in the Dutch traditionally fragmented political landscape.

The far-right populist saw his popularity grow further since 2015 when thousands of refugees arrived on the European Union's Mediterranean shores and traveled north. In September last year when Wilders called the wave of refugees pushing into Europe an "Islamic invasion", opinion polls showed PVV as potentially winning one of the country's biggest bloc of seats in parliament.

"It's an invasion that threatens our prosperity, our security, our culture and identity," Wilders told the parliament as divisions grew over how the Netherlands should respond to the crisis. He was firm in protesting any measure to offer sanctuary to refugees and sought to capitalize on a rise in anti-immigrant feeling in the Netherlands and across Europe.

In January this year Wilders'party registered its highest score ever in an opinion poll, which foresaw he would win 42 seats if elections were held. His success was not unique as xenophobic populist voices grew stronger across Europe from Austria to Nordic nations.

Events such as sexual assaults and robberies on New Year's Eve in the German town of Cologne led to even harder attitudes towards immigrants, not only in Germany with the rise of the anti-Islam Pegida group and of anti-immigration party the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), but also in the Netherlands and across Europe.

"Many of Wilders' supporters are less radical than Wilders but their reasoning is that by voting for his party, they move the political debate into the right direction. They feel left behind by the mainstream political parties which are perceived as being unresponsive and arrogant," said political sociologist at Utrecht University Matthijs Rooduijn.

"Mainstream parties particularly the right-wing VVD have moved into Wilders direction especially regarding the issue of immigration," he added.

What's more, "Wilders presents himself as an outsider, although he is one of the most experienced politicians in the Dutch parliament, becoming thus attractive to voters," said Rouduijn. "Though he gives only very few interviews, the Dutch media pay a lot of attention to everything he says."

Adriaan Schout, senior research fellow and coordinator Europe at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations, known as Clingendael in Dutch, agreed that "Wilders filled the political void on the right side of the liberal party."

"The next elections will be about our identity. It will be about the position of the Muslim communities in the country, the position of the foreigners in the society and the Dutch national identity. Wilders is a wake-up call to the Dutch liberals," said Schout.

Observers noted that Wilders has also captured a wider spectrum of economic and cultural anxiety among Dutch voters, such as their frustration with the welfare state, distrust in politicians and political parties, euro scepticism, concerns about crime, law and order and terrorism.

When announcing the PVV's 11-point electoral manifesto in August, Wilders tweeted "millions of Dutch citizens have simply had enough of the Islamization of our country. Enough of mass immigration and asylum, terror, violence and insecurity. Here is our plan: instead of financing the entire world and people we don't want here, we'll spend the money on ordinary Dutch citizens." He pledged to quit the European Union, cut all foreign aid spending and boost funding for police and the security services.

"Wilders' PVV belongs to the group of radical right-wing populist parties that is most radical in orientation," said de Lange. "It is one of the prime examples of successful radical right-wing populist parties in Europe, together with France's National Front (FN) and Austria's Freedom Party (FPO)."

Prolonged economic stagnation, unprecedented refugee crisis and increasing terrorist threats have widened the influence of far-right parties across Europe. "These parties increasingly work together in the context of the European Union," said Rooduijn, "but they are still spread out over different fractions within the European Parliament."

In June last year PVV along with FN, FPO, Italy's Northern League, the Belgian Flemish Interest Party, Poland's Congress of the New Right, the United Romania Party as well as a former member of Britain's UKIP (Independence party) joined forces in the European Parliament under the so-called Europe of Nations and Freedoms (ENL) Group, which operates under the leadership of France's FN.

Earlier this month, Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was defeated by the right-wing, xenophobic AfD in elections in the German region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

However, experts believe it is difficult for Wilders to achieve electoral success lived by far-right populist parties in a number of European nations, thanks to the fact that the Dutch political landscape has always been fragmented. Governments in the Netherlands are always coalitions. In the last parliamentary elections, 11 groups gained seats, making coalition building difficult. Early elections have been called four times in ten years.

"Winders' chances of governing are really slim," said de Lange. All mainstream parties have indicated that they are unwilling to govern with PVV or Wilders, a decision mainly prompted by the party's manifesto which in some respects is unconstitutional, she explained.

Moreover, Wilders is due to go on trial in October for allegedly inciting racial hatred. In June 2011 he was acquitted of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims, Moroccans and non-Western immigrants. The politician is convinced he will be acquitted again.

Wilders has enjoyed popular support before in polls, but not on election day. Several polls ahead of the 2012 elections had given the impression that the PVV would remain stable or suffer a slight loss, but in the end PVV secured 15 seats, down from 24 in the 2010 elections.
MOSCOW, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told Moscow Saturday that Paris supports the release of a Russia-U.S. deal on the Syrian settlement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, in a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the French top diplomat welcomed the agreement reached between Moscow and Washington on the Syrian crisis, and voiced Paris' support for Moscow's proposal to make those documents public, the ministry said.

On Sept. 10, Russia and the United States announced a landmark agreement on a nationwide cease-fire in Syria, which both sides hope would lead to their countries' military cooperation to end more than five years of bloodshed there.

The week-long truce, which started on Monday, demands all warring sides in Syria stop attacks and airstrikes, and allow access to besieged areas, including the northern city of Aleppo.

It also includes improving humanitarian aid access and a joint military operation against banned terrorist groups.

On Friday, in a phone talk with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Lavrov called on the United States to make the agreement public. However, Washington has so far shown no interest in doing so.
The indigenously built "Mormugao" warship stands in the Arabian Sea during its launch in Mumbai, India, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- India launched on Saturday its most advanced guided missile destroyer, Mormugao, an indigenously built stealth warship, at a dock in Mumbai.

Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba inaugurated the ship at the state-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd and released it into the Arabian Sea, saying the stealth destroyer can be compared with the best vessels in the world.

"This ship serves the Make in India drive of the country as it is indigenously built. It secures the sea in a better way. There is a pressing need to build more such ships," he told the media.

The vessel is equipped with surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine launchers, and is also fitted with multi-mission radar for surveillance, along with medium-range air/surface surveillance radar and other advanced electronic warfare and decoys.

The vessel, which is also capable of carrying two anti-submarine warfare helicopters, belongs to the Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.

The first ship of the same class was launched last year.
BRATISLAVA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Bratislava Summit of EU leaders showed lack of unity on the migration issue, director of analyst centre Glopolis Petr Lebeda said in an interview with Xinhua on Saturday.

"We can see clear contradiction between the proposals of the European Commission and the national interests of several member states," said Lebeda.

"Brussels needs more support for initiatives like the protection of the external borders of the EU, the reform of the common European asylum system or cooperation with the third countries," stressed Lebeda.

The expert added that the summit confirmed strong dividing line between the western European EU member states and the eastern European countries.

"The key problem lies in the symbolic level. The dispute about the mandatory quotas opens up the question of cultural identity, solidarity, labor market issues, national sovereignty," said the expert, noting the issue is perceived very sensitive in some eastern European countries.

"Therefore, it's important not to insist on the quotas, but looking for some alternative solutions. For example, that if a country adopts less migrants, then should be more involved in the assistance to the third countries, which are on the transit route for migrants," explained Lebeda.

He expects the migration waves to Europe will last for several years.

"The climate change, diminishing water resources or increasing number of natural disasters in the Middle East region or Subsaharan Africa will force people to leave their homeland as well," added Lebeda.

Bratislava Summit adopted a road map, which brings the way how will EU tackle several challenges like perceived lack of control and fears related to migration, terrorism, and economic and social insecurity.

EU member states said the bloc will never to allow return to uncontrolled flows of last year and further bring down number of irregular migrants and ensure full control of the external borders and get back to Schengen.

EU leaders are committed to implementing the EU-Turkey deal as well as continued support to the countries of the Western Balkans and to offer immediate assistance to strengthen the protection of Bulgaria's border with Turkey, and continue support to other frontline states.

Before the end of the year, full capacity for rapid reaction of the European Border and Coast Guard will be developed.
Approximately 35 percent of the nearly 90,000 African-American male students tested in grades 3-8 attained grade-level proficiency on 2015-16 state reading tests. Less than a third of all African-American elementary and middle school male students were proficient in math. Statewide proficiency rates were over 20 percent higher in both subjects.

Among elementary and middle school students, reading proficiency rates for African-American male students peaked at 37 percent in fourth grade and dropped as low as 31 percent in eighth grade.

While 45 percent of African-American male third-graders were proficient in math, only 22 percent of eighth-graders reached proficiency, half of the statewide rate.

Just 34 percent of the over 19,500 African-American males tested met proficiency standards on the high school Math 1 course. Less than one in four were classified as "career- and college-ready." The statewide Math 1 proficiency rate was nearly 61 percent, while 50 percent of students scored attained "career- and college-ready" levels.

It seems that politicians and the media can't stop talking about teacher pay. The claim that the average teacher salary will reach $50,000 this year has been the subject of numerous political advertisements fact checks , and opinion pieces . Yet, I do not recall seeing one political advertisement, fact check, or opinion piece tackling our state's most serious problem - the persistent failure to raise academic achievement for African-American male students in our public schools.It is not a new problem, nor one exclusive to North Carolina. For over a decade, the Schott Foundation has published " The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males ," a report highlighting disparities in student performance and suspension rates that persist across student subgroups in every state. They observe that black male students often encounter a "practically insurmountable chasm of denied educational opportunities that consigns them to poverty and limited chances to succeed in life." What does that chasm look like in North Carolina?All told, roughly one-third of African-American males in North Carolina are proficient in reading or math. Moreover, only one in four demonstrated that they are prepared for college coursework or have the skills to become productive members of the work force by the time they reach high school. Given that the dropout rate for African-American males is consistently higher than other student subgroups, too many don't even get that far.So what can be done? The Schott Foundation report calls on states and school districts to "adopt tailored approaches adapted to personal educational needs, social contexts, and students' learning styles." Indeed, "one size fits all" approaches will not solve the problem. The performance of African-American male students is not representative of the general population or even specific subgroups. Proficiency rates for African-American males were lower, sometimes significantly lower, than Hispanic males, African-American females, and economically disadvantaged students generally.An initial step would be to find ways to empower schools, parents, neighborhoods, churches, nonprofit groups, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector to address the specific needs of African-American males in their communities. Public and private school choice must be a major part of that effort.Statewide statistics listed above paint a dire picture, but averages can never tell the whole story. Indeed, some schools are doing a marvelous job of educating African-American males. Many of the best are schools of choice. African-American male students excelled at a number of alternative, early college, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), magnet, and International Baccalaureate schools within the district system. A number of charter schools, particularly Henderson Collegiate in Vance County, Triangle Science and Math Academy in Wake County, and KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory in Northampton County, also earned high marks.And African-American voters want more choice and pro-choice candidates. According to a recent poll commissioned by Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, more than eight in 10 African-American voters believe state lawmakers must do more to expand school choice. In addition, 65 percent said that they would be more likely to support candidates who champion increasing educational options.PEFNC is quick to add that, despite their overwhelming support for school choice, African-American voters still tend to vote for candidates that oppose the expansion of educational options. Moreover, a handful of influential civil rights groups have become increasingly hostile to charter schools and other forms of school choice.In the end, school choice advocates have the unenviable task of overcoming numerous political, ideological, and institutional barriers that stand in the way of increasing the number of public and private educational options for our most vulnerable populations. We have made progress, but there is still a lot of work to do.
Foreign ministers hold a meeting for the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Margarita Island, Venezuela, Sept. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Boris Vergara)

ISLA MARGARITA, Venezuela, Sept. 16 (Xinhua)-- Foreign ministers and related envoys to the 17th Non-Aligned Movement(NAM) Summit in Margarita, Venezuela on Friday called for world peace and an end to regional conflicts.

This ministerial meeting worked to define the scope of the Margarita Declaration, which will be made public by the heads of state on Saturday.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said that "emancipation, anti-imperialism and peace are the flags that define the XVII NAM Summit Venezuela 2016," according to state TV network Telesur.

Peru's ambassador to Venezuela, Mario Lopez Chavarri, echoed that the Margarita Declaration would reflect the united condemnation against a number of threats to global peace, including the nuclear tests causing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Chavarri advocated for "dialogue and the peaceful exchanging of ideas, as ways of maintaining peace and development."

Lebanon's ambassador to Venezuela, Elias Lebbos, insisted that the NAM group should help find more effective solutions to the problems in the Middle-East, including Palestine.

"Lebanon urges the members of the Non-Aligned Movement to strengthen cooperation between us as well as efforts to tackle the challenges we face," he said during his address.

For Omar Castaneda, Guatemala's permanent representative to the UN, "the underlying issues for all interested parties must be dealt with for an inclusive dialogue."

Venezuela's Minister of Oil and Mining Eulogio Del Pino said on Friday that the 17th NAM Summit should help promote the kind of consensus needed to stabilize world oil prices.

"Countries want a fair price for their gas and oil," said Del Pino, adding prices have been "in the hands of speculators ... in the past two years."

Despite concerns about differing conflicts, the gathered diplomats stood firm on condemning terrorism, extremism, fundamentalism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and biological weapons.

The participants also agreed on a rejection of interventionism by states, preventive wars, economic blockades, and "unfair" differences in commercial exchanges.

Heads of state and top government officials will meet on Sept. 17-18 at the NAM summit.

The NAM is a group of 120 nations, which are not formally aligned, and share the goals of fighting imperialism, colonialism and oppression. It was founded in Belgrade in 1961.
Workers are occupied on a production line at a workshop under the BAIC Motor in Huanghua city, north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Mou Yu)

QUITO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's experience in terms of development and structural reforms can contribute to helping Latin America with its strive for better long-term economic development, said Ecuadorian researcher Milton Reyes in an interview with Xinhua on Thursday.

China's experience is interesting as it has maintained a long-term strategy without being tied to a sole vision for economic growth, according to Reyes who is from the Asia-Pacific Observatory of the Latin American Association for Integration.

"The country has had the flexibility to progress while measuring risks bit by bit, allowing for sustainable economic growth," he added.

Reyes outlined how, in his mind, Latin America has swung between two political, economic and ideological strategies in its history: a central state focused on domestic growth and a growth mode closely tied to free trade.

"These purist visions have not allowed for very flexible development and have not allowed Latin American economies to adapt easily to the global context," Reyes observed.

This background means that Latin America must be careful when exploring which strategies to follow, according to Reyes. However, he said that China's progressive attitude to reform is applicable as it "realizes structural reforms, step by step, trying to build its own development based on its own interests."

Reyes added that it would therefore be interesting to work very closely with China in order to understand its experience in certain key areas. The partners have agreed on the possibility of setting up special economic zones, but Reyes argues this would just be the beginning.

"We could go beyond that and set up joint production between national companies in order to create strategic alliances and joint industrial policies. This could generate shared benefits which could be very interesting for the region," he noted.

A mechanic checks a bullet train at the Xicheng high-speed train maintenance base in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

In terms of China's financing in the region, Reyes credited it with allowing "our countries to fund projects that we have deemed to be convenient."

"When a country seeks to focus on its internal growth, the main bottleneck can often be finding financing. In this case, Chinese financing has been useful for solving these problems and avoiding the trap of enacting policies that benefit neither our interest nor our reality," added the researcher.

In 2014, on a regional tour, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a series of cooperation programs, including providing loans worth 20 billion U.S. dollars to finance infrastructure and other projects and a 5 billion- U.S. dollar fund to boost China-Latin American cooperation.

"China is a strategic partner for the region, allowing us politically and economically to claim more autonomy and sovereignty within the international arena," concluded Reyes.
Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis (front) visit the Reventazon Hydroelectric plant near Siquirres, Limon province, Costa Rica, Sept. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Presidency of Costa Rica)

SAN JOSE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis on Friday inaugurated the 305.5-megawatt Reventazon Hydroelectric plant, which may be the biggest renewable energy project in Central America.

"This magnificent work, the result of many years of effort and labor, fills us with pride, and makes us look at the present and the future with optimism," Solis told officials and guests at the opening ceremony.

The opening was held in one of the water tunnels used to divert water from the Reventazon River during the construction phase. Also attending the opening were the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) chief executive Carlos Manuel Obregon, and Environment Minister Edgar Gutierrez.

Describing the plant as Central America's second-largest infrastructure work after the Panama Canal, Solis gave the order to bring it fully online by switching on the fourth and last turbine.

Work on the 1.4-billion-U.S.-dollar plant in northern Limon province began in 2010. It is expected to power 525,000 homes, providing electricity to roughly a third of all Costa Ricans.

In 2015, Costa Rica generated some 99 percent of its electricity from renewable sources such as hydroelectric plants, wind farms and geothermal plants, said Obregon.

The Reventazon Hydroelectric plant is seen near Siquirres, Limon province, Costa Rica, Sept. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Presidency of Costa Rica)

ICE, which will operate the plant, has helped El Salvador and Bolivia develop alternative energy sources, he said, adding that "more than selling our services, we seek to transfer our knowledge."

According to a 2013 press release from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) which financed 200 million U.S. dollars, the project's environmental features could serve as a model for other hydroelectric plants.

"The project will be the first to establish an offset for river habitat in Central America, which could be replicated in other projects throughout the region," the IDB said.

At the opening, the director of the project Luis Roberto Rodriguez said "more than 284,000 animal species were rescued and relocated to safe zones with similar conditions."

The plant, which incorporates 16 Chinese-made floodgates and Austrian-made generators, called for the construction of a 130-meter-high dam, flooding seven square kilometers for the reservoir and diverting more than four kilometers of the Reventazon River.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Four U.S. police officers and four civilians were shot on Friday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Fort Worth, Texas, authorities said.

In Philadelphia, sergeant Sylvia Young, 19, was ambushed late Friday night and shot a number of times in her left arm and protective vest, said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross.

The suspect later wounded Ed Miller, a former police officer who is now a member of the security force at the University of Pennsylvania, Ross said.

During the police chase, a woman was killed and three other civilians were injured by the suspect, before he was cornered in an alley and fatally shot by the police.

Young and Miller were rushed to hospital and were in stable condition early Saturday, Ross said.

In another incident in Fort Worth, two police officers were responding to a suicide call at a house Friday night.

When they entered the house, a suspect inside the backyard shed began shooting, local media reported.

One officer was shot several times and in critical condition, while the suspect was later found dead by the police.
JERUSALEM, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military said that its Iron Dome missile defense system in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights intercepted two errant mortar shells fired during Syria's civil war on Saturday.

Stray fire from war-torn Syria frequently hit Israel but it was the first time an Iron Dome battery used to fire down a projectile.

"An additional projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system," a military statement said less than an hour after the system was first activated.

Israel's air force usually retaliates the stray fire with airstrikes.

Israel had repeatedly declared it would not intervene in the internal fighting in Syria.

Israel had occupied the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed the territory in 1981.
Syrian men carrying babies make their way through the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held Salihin neighbourhood of the northern city of Aleppo, on September 11, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told Moscow Saturday that Paris supports the release of a Russia-U.S. deal on the Syrian settlement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, in a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the French top diplomat welcomed the agreement reached between Moscow and Washington on the Syrian crisis, and voiced Paris' support for Moscow's proposal to make those documents public, the ministry said.

On Sept. 10, Russia and the United States announced a landmark agreement on a nationwide cease-fire in Syria, which both sides hope would lead to their countries' military cooperation to end more than five years of bloodshed there.

The week-long truce, which started on Monday, demands all warring sides in Syria stop attacks and airstrikes, and allow access to besieged areas, including the northern city of Aleppo.

It also includes improving humanitarian aid access and a joint military operation against banned terrorist groups.

On Friday, in a phone talk with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Lavrov called on the United States to make the agreement public. However, Washington has so far shown no interest in doing so.
DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said Saturday that the U.S.-led coalition targeted a Syrian military position in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, killing undisclosed number of soldiers, Syria's national TV reported.

The U.S.-led air force struck a Syrian military position in the al-Tharda Mountain in the countryside of the Deir al-Zour airbase, said the report.

The attack resulted in the killing of Syrian soldiers and the destruction of military gears, said the military statement, adding that the U.S.-led attack on the military position facilitated an attack by the Islamic State (IS) group on that military position, which resulted in the IS control over it.

"This attack is a dangerous and flagrant aggression against Syria and its army, and constitutes an unequivocal evidence about the U.S. support of IS and other terrorist groups," said the statement.

"The attack also exposes the falsity of the U.S. claims in fighting terrorism," the statement added.

Meanwhile, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the Syrian army sent reinforcement to fortify their positions in the al-Tharda Mountain.

The incident marks the first U.S.-led attack on a government forces' positions since the coalition started striking IS positions in Syria in late 2014.
Syrian children slide down rubble of destroyed a building in the rebel-held city of Daraa, in southwesternSyria on September 12, 2016 as Muslims mark the first day of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said Saturday that the U.S.-led coalition targeted a Syrian military position in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, killing undisclosed number of soldiers, Syria's national TV reported.

The U.S.-led air force struck a Syrian military position in the al-Tharda Mountain in the countryside of the Deir al-Zour airbase, said the report.

The attack resulted in the killing of Syrian soldiers and the destruction of military gears, said the military statement, adding that the U.S.-led attack on the military position facilitated an attack by the Islamic State (IS) group on that military position, which resulted in the IS control over it.

"This attack is a dangerous and flagrant aggression against Syria and its army, and constitutes an unequivocal evidence about the U.S. support of IS and other terrorist groups," said the statement.

"The attack also exposes the falsity of the U.S. claims in fighting terrorism," the statement added.

Meanwhile, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the Syrian army sent reinforcement to fortify their positions in the al-Tharda Mountain.

The incident marks the first U.S.-led attack on a government forces' positions since the coalition started striking IS positions in Syria in late 2014.
MOSCOW, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led coalition killed 62 Syrian government troops and injured some 100 others in a round of airstrikes in eastern Syria's province of Deir al-Zour, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

"Today, in areas close to the Deir ez-Zor Airport, the aircraft from the international anti-Islamic State coalition carried out four air-strikes against units of the Syrian government troops surrounded by terrorists," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The operation left 62 Syrian servicemen dead and about 100 injured, the spokesman said, adding that the warplanes entered the airspace of Syria from the Iraqi border.

Syria's national TV also confirmed the killing of Syrian servicemen by the U.S.-led coalition.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence(L) greet after he introduced Trump at an event hosted by The Economic Club of New York at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York on September 15, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence's campaign on Saturday released a letter from Pence's doctor, claiming that the running mate of Donald Trump is in "excellent" health.

While Pence's father died of a heart attack, the letter noted that Pence, unlike his father who smoked cigarettes, neither smokes nor drinks alcohol and appears to have a "very good and strong heart."

"You are medically able to maintain your high level of professional work and your physical activity programs without limitations," said the letter written by Michael Busk of the St. Vincent Health, Wellness and Preventative care Institute in Indianapolis.

The campaign of Republican presidential nominee Trump also released a new brief note from Trump's doctor early this week, claiming that the candidate is "in excellent physical health."

According to the five-paragraph note written by Trump's doctor Harold Bornstein, Trump, 70, is six feet two inches (1.88 meters) tall and weighs 236 pounds (107 kg).

"Mr. Trump was hospitalized only once, as a child of 11 years old for an appendectomy," said the note, adding that there is no family history of premature cardiac or neoplastic disease.

Trump has annual physical exam in the spring of every year, and his last colonoscopy, chest X-ray and cardiac evaluation were results. Trump also takes a low dose aspirin and a statin, rosuvastatin, used for lowering cholesterol.

It was the second time since last December that the Trump campaign had released public documentation about Trump's health.

In his last note about Trump's health in December 2015, Bornstein declared "unequivocally" that Trump would be the "healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."

It was later disclosed that Bornstein spent five minutes writing the note.

The physical fitness of presidential candidates was put in the limelight early this month after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was videotaped being helped into a van while her feet appeared to be dragging on the ground during a 9/11 memorial in New York.

The Clinton campaign later acknowledged that the 68-year-old former U.S. secretary of state had been diagnosed with non-contagious, bacterial pneumonia.
Well, it was bound to happen. I've embarked on a new writing adventure. My Dunwoody Crier newspaper column, my blog and my contributions to BCN were born of a passion for writing. It seems I made the right decision oh-so-many years ago when I chose to major in English, my favorite subject, rather than something more practical like Business. I attempted poetry and once wrote a short story but never seriously pursued writing. In fact, I'd all but forgotten those endeavors until recently.Who knew that my degrees in English would take me from teaching high school English to a three-decade career in banking to a job as a columnist? In my corporate career, my various managers sooner or later discovered I could write, and I'd end up as the communications queen no matter my role. Even better, I enjoyed the work.Eventually, I moved into a position where writing was my primary responsibility. My team and I crafted presentations, training materials, and more. I even briefly wrote a leadership blog for our larger team. As a self-proclaimed word nerd and grammar geek, I was in heaven; I was able to indulge my passion for writing and also work with great people.So how did I come to be a columnist? I was reading The Dunwoody Crier one day when inspiration struck. Why not write a few articles highlighting the connections I'd made by reading the weekly paper? I wanted to promote our local businesses and the paper, and, goodness knows, with the economy in dire straits at the time, both needed support. I had no journalism experience, but I thought,I pitched the idea to the editor of The Crier, and, lo and behold; he offered me a job as a columnist. Thus began my side job. I find my topics in everyday life-the deer in the yard, a bicycle ride, my yoga class, holidays, our local July 4th parade, and trips here and there.It wasn't long before I wanted another outlet for my writing and began a blog. My blog gives me the freedom to write about whatever strikes my fancy. I may be inspired by reading an article in the Wall Street Journal, listening to NPR, seeing a Disney movie on TV, or chatting with a friend. Lately, my dog Banjo has been trying his handI mean pawat writing the blog. He's getting lots of praise, though he tells me he'd prefer belly-rubs.And now, drumroll please, I'm embarking on my latest adventurepublishing a collection of my columns and blogs in time for the holiday season. I'd had the idea for a while, but retiring last year prompted me to act on it.And that, BCN readers, is where you come in. You've accompanied me on this ride and, in many ways, have been the impetus for the book. Your comments on my BCN posts motivate me to write more, write better, leap tall buildingsoh wait; I got carried away. Suffice it to say your response brings a smile to my face and keeps me keeping on. Many thanks to one and all.I picture the book as one to keep on the nightstand for a daily smile, to place in your guest rooms, and to give to friends and family as the perfect hostess gift or stocking stuffer. Stay tuned for updates on how to purchase the book. Yes, it will be on Amazon. I look forward to you joining me on the next stage of the journey.
A Syrian boy carries a toy gun past a destroyed building in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on September 13, 2016 as a truce brokered by Russia and the United States saw guns fall silent at sundown the previous night. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 30 Syrian soldiers were killed on Saturday evening by the airstrikes of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition against Syrian military positions in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, a monitor group reported.

The airstrikes targeted the artillery and rockets battalion in the al-Tharda Mountain, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said the Syrian soldiers abandoned their positions following the strikes, which facilitated an attack by the Islamic State (IS) group.

The IS captured the positions, prompting the Syrian army to send reinforcements to the al-Tharda Mountain, located just 10 kilometers from the city of Deir al-Zour.

Local Syrian media said the Syrian air force then struck the IS positions in al-Tharda.

The general-command of the Syrian army accused the U.S. of supporting the IS in the attack in Deir al-Zour.

Some Russian reports placed the death toll of the slain Syrian soldiers at over 60.

Meanwhile, Syria's al-Ekhbarya TV said the Syrian air force was planning an operation on the IS-held areas that would help retaking Deir al-Zour city, where 50,000 civilians have been besieged by the IS since 2014.

The plan aimed at opening a road between Deir al-Zour and Palmyra in central Syria, but the U.S.-led airstrikes thwarted the plan and enabled the IS to advance.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the U.S.-led air raids enabled the IS of capturing al-Tharda Mountain.

The incident marks the first U.S.-led attack on a government forces' positions since the coalition started striking IS positions in Syria in late 2014.
NAIROBI, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Saturday denied allegations by the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch that the agency and the Kenyan government were harassing and intimidating Somali refugees in Kenya to let them return home.

UNHCR's Representative in Kenya, Raouf Mazou, said in a statement that the agency was working closely with Kenya to ensure that Somali refugees' rights were upheld and that solutions were found to enable them to live in peace and security, including voluntary repatriation in conditions of safety and dignity.

The UNHCR and Kenya are repatriating Somali refugees living in northern Kenya's Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp currently harboring more than 300,000 Somalis, as Kenya said it would close the camp in November, citing mainly security concerns.

Dadaab was set up over 20 years ago to house Somalis fleeing civil conflict.

The Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that Kenya was not giving the Somalis a real choice between being repatriated or staying, and that Kenya's repatriation program does not meet international standards for voluntary return of refugees.

The rights group said refugees described intimidation by the Kenyan government, silence over alternative options that would allow them to remain in Kenya, and inadequate information on conditions in Somalia.

It said that many refugees living in Kenya's Dadaab camp say they have agreed to return home because they feared Kenya will force them out if they stay. It also accused the UNHCR of not giving the refugees accurate information about security conditions in Somalia.

In response, the UNHCR said in its statement: "Central to any refugee return process is the principle of voluntariness. In all of our engagements with government officials, refugees and other stakeholders, we have consistently stressed that repatriation must be voluntary and cannot, therefore, be time-bound."

The statement says the UNHCR is committed to ensuring that all Somalia refugees receive adequate information about conditions in their country of origin and are able to make an informed decision regarding return.

"We regularly meet with refugees, and broadcast radio messages in English and Somali, emphasizing that returns must be voluntary and based on an informed decision," the statement said.

"We are also strengthening our Return Help Desks in Dadaab and Kakuma (another refugee camp in Kenya), working closely with colleagues and partners in Somalia to provide the most up-to-date information," it added.

The statement also said the Somalis returning home were receiving the necessary support, including financial assistance and basic relief items to facilitate.

The UNHCR says that prior to Kenya's decision to close the Dadaab camp, several thousand refugees had registered their intention to return, many of whom have since voluntarily gone back to Somalia.

"Over the past five years, the Somali refugee population in Dadaab has reduced by some 160,000 individuals," the statement said.

It also said the UNHCR recognizes the challenges that Kenya has expressed with regard to the Somali refugee situation in the country -- "one of the most protracted in the world".

Kenya, UNHCR and Somalia have laid down plans to repatriate about 150,000 Somali refugees in Dadaab by the end of 2016.
Students look at the original documents on display at the photo exhibition on the Jewish refugees in Shanghai, held in Dallas, the U.S. state of Texas, on Sept. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)

by Xinhua writer Zhang Yongxing

DALLAS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- It was a "greatest moment" in Chinese history that Shanghai had hosted many Jewish refugees during World War II, a well-known Dallas-based scholar said Friday.

"It's really a model for the 21st Century to seek," Dennis Kratz, executive chair of the Confucius Institute Executive Board and Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), said, commenting on a photo exhibition on the Jewish refugees in Shanghai.

"This ... made Shanghai an international community that welcomes and braces integrated others into its community," he said.

The 30-day exhibition, jointly organized by the UTD Confucius Institute and the Ackerman Center of Holocaust Studies, displays 40 photos and dozens of artifacts on the life of Jewish refugees living in Shanghai some 70 years ago.

"Holocaust was one of the moments in history that represents the depth to which the humanity can sink. The corollary of this is that it represents the moment that community and government such as Shanghai can rise above the challenge that World War II began its post, to reach out and welcome refugees to ensure," the scholar said.

Dennis, aged over 70, also stressed the importance of the U.S.-China relations, saying the two great countries must work together to build a new world.

"We established the Confucius Institute in 2007. It's now in its 10th year. I believe it's one of the most important introductions to this University. China and the United States are two great cultural powers, as well as intellectual and economic powers. We need to grow and get along, and collaborate a way to create a harmonious new world," he said.

A student looks at documents on display at the photo exhibition on the Jewish refugees in Shanghai, held in Dallas, the U.S. state of Texas, on Sept. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)

Some UTD students also showed keen interest in the exhibition, which opened on Sept. 1 and features a Chinese folk music concert, "Wind from the East," on Sept. 25.

"This photo exhibition seems very interesting. I've never heard that Jewish refugees in Shanghai before. So it's very interesting to learn about that," Keagon Mcdearmon, 20, said.

"I'm also very interested in it. My family was Jews from Russia. So I will learn more about Jews and how they escaped from their condition during World War II," Amanda Karasic, 21, told Xinhua.

Natalie Nduku, 24, who is from Africa, said that "I actually have never heard of Jews migration during Holocaust to Shanghai. It's a very fascinating exhibition and an opportunity to learn as well."

Shi Lanxin, associate director of the Confucius Institute, said that this exhibition is special and it touches the Americans' hearts.

"This exhibition is an excellent one. It will touch American people's hearts. It has shown how nice and brave the Chinese people are through these events," Shi said.
BAGHDAD, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Six Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Saturday in an airstrike in Salahudin province, while a roadside bomb attack killed a civilian in the northern province of Kirkuk, security sources said.

In Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, a helicopter gunship bombed two IS vehicles near Ajil oil filed in northeast of the provincial capital city of Tikrit, which itself located 170 km north of Baghdad, destroying the vehicles and killing six IS militants aboard, a provincial security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The small Ajil oilfield was captured by IS militants following the June 10, 2014 blitzkrieg when the group seized large swathes of territories in predominantly Sunni provinces, but the oilfields were freed by the Iraqi forces in March 2015.

The extremist IS group repeatedly failed to regain control of Ajil oilfield. It used to be an important source of funding for the IS, which extracted about 10,000 barrels per day and transported to other areas under its control.

In the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, at least one worshiper was killed and four others wounded when a roadside bomb detonated near the entrance of al-Safa mosque in southern Kirkuk, as dozens of worshipers were leaving the mosque after the evening prayer, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Since the U.S.-led invasion to Iraq, tensions have long been high in the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk which is part of the disputed areas claimed by the Kurds and both Arabs and Turkomans.

The Kurds want to incorporate the areas on the edge of their Kurdistan region, but Baghdad government fiercely opposes their move.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 691 Iraqis and wounded 1,016 others in August across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said earlier.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S. that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said on Saturday a U.S.-led coalition airstrike against the Islamic State may have unintentionally targeted Syrian government forces.

"Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh fighting position," said a Pentagon statement, referring to the extremist group in its Arabic acronym.

"The coalition air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military," said the statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier Saturday the U.S.-led coalition killed 62 Syrian government troops and injured some 100 others in a round of airstrikes in eastern Syria's province of Deir al-Zour.

"Today, in areas close to the Deir al-Zour Airport, the aircraft from the international anti-Islamic State coalition carried out four airstrikes against units of the Syrian government troops surrounded by terrorists," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The warplanes entered the airspace of Syria from the Iraqi border, the spokesman said.

Syria's national TV also confirmed the killing of Syrian servicemen by the U.S.-led coalition.
DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army announced it had captured all military positions fell earlier on Saturday to the Islamic State (IS) group in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, according to the Syrian national TV.

The Syrian forces backed by Russian air force managed to quickly restore the areas that fell to the IS Saturday after a U.S. airstrike targeted Syrian army positions in the al-Tharda Mountain in Deir al-Zour.

The Syrian army also thwarted an IS attack in the town of al-Jafra in Deir al-Zour.

More than 30 Syrian soldiers were killed on Saturday evening by the U.S. attack, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as the Russian Defense Ministry placed the death toll at 62.

The airstrikes targeted the artillery and rockets battalion in the al-Tharda Mountain, said the Observatory.

The UK-based watchdog group said the Syrian soldiers abandoned their positions following the strikes, which facilitated an attack by the IS group.

The IS captured the positions, prompting the Syrian army to send reinforcements to the al-Tharda Mountain, located just 10 kilometers from the city of Deir al-Zour.

Local Syrian media said the Syrian air force then struck the IS positions in al-Tharda.

The general-command of the Syrian army accused the U.S. of supporting the IS in the attack in Deir al-Zour.

Meanwhile, Syria's al-Ekhbarya TV said the Syrian air force was planning an operation on the IS-held areas that would help retaking Deir al-Zour city, where 50,000 civilians have been besieged by the IS since 2014.

The plan aimed at opening a road between Deir al-Zour and Palmyra in central Syria, but the U.S.-led airstrikes thwarted the plan and enabled the IS to advance.

The incident marks the first U.S.-led attack on a government forces' positions since the coalition started striking IS positions in Syria in late 2014.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said a U.S.-led coalition airstrike against the IS may have unintentionally targeted Syrian government forces.
Men inspect a damaged site after double airstrikes on the rebel held Bab al-Nairab neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, August 27, 2016. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said on Saturday a U.S.-led coalition airstrike against the Islamic State may have unintentionally targeted Syrian government forces.

"Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh fighting position," said a Pentagon statement, referring to the extremist group in its Arabic acronym.

"The coalition air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military," said the statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier Saturday the U.S.-led coalition killed 62 Syrian government troops and injured some 100 others in a round of airstrikes in eastern Syria's province of Deir al-Zour.

"Today, in areas close to the Deir al-Zour Airport, the aircraft from the international anti-Islamic State coalition carried out four airstrikes against units of the Syrian government troops surrounded by terrorists," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The warplanes entered the airspace of Syria from the Iraqi border, the spokesman said.

Syria's national TV also confirmed the killing of Syrian servicemen by the U.S.-led coalition.
DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Syria's Foreign Ministry on Saturday accused the U.S. of supporting the Islamic State (IS) group, after a U.S.-led airstrike killed 62 Syrian soldiers in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

"This cowered American act is an unequivocal evidence on the U.S. support to the IS," said the ministry.

The U.S. airstrike was followed by an attack by the IS on Syrian military positions in the al-Tharda Mountain in Deir al-Zour.

The IS managed to take over the al-Tharda Mountain, before the Syrian army backed by Russian warplanes successfully recaptured all fallen sites in al-Tharda.

Meanwhile, Syria's al-Ekhbarya TV said the Syrian air force was planning an operation on the IS-held areas that would help retaking Deir al-Zour city, where 50,000 civilians have been besieged by the IS since 2014.

The plan aimed at opening a road between Deir al-Zour and Palmyra in central Syria, but the U.S.-led airstrikes thwarted the plan and enabled the IS to advance.

The airstrike marked the first U.S. attack on a Syrian military position since the coalition started pounding terror groups' positions in Syria in 2014.
OTTAWA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A global fund has reached its goal of raising 13 billion U.S. dollars for the fight to eradicate AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday.

"We have raised almost 13 billion dollars, and in doing so, we have saved 8 million lives," Trudeau said at the close of the fifth replenishment conference for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which Canada hosted in Montreal.

Trudeau said that Canada pledges to provide 804 million Canadian dollars to the Global Fund in 2017 to 2019, according to CTV.

Canada is committed to creating a fairer world for the most vulnerable -- especially women and girls, and will continue to challenge world leaders to step up and contribute to the Global Fund, and address the gender inequality that fuels these epidemics, he said.

The conference has attracted a long list of wealthy donors and decision-makers from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

U2 frontman and rock star Bono praised Trudeau's "personal commitment to equality" and Canada's support of global health initiatives during a keynote speech at the two-day conference.

Money raised by the Global Fund has had "extraordinary success" with saving 20 million lives since 2002 with antiviral drugs, but the fight is not over and there is a search for "leadership anywhere we can find it," Bono told the conference.

"At a time when these kinds of multilateral initiatives are receiving so much chill, it's just great to see Canada leading on this. You've always been ahead of the curve in realizing we can do more if the international community works together."

The conference is designed to show Canadian leadership on the international stage ahead of what is expected to be Trudeau's first address to the United Nations General Assembly next week.

"Over the next 15 years we must all work together to achieve the sustainable developing goals," the UN secretary-general told the conference.

The Global Fund is the world's main funding body aimed at the prevention and treatment of the world' s most devastating diseases: AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

It currently supports programs in more than 100 countries which have resulted in an estimated 20 million lives saved since 2002, mostly in Africa, where the burden of disease is greatest. It is on track to save 22 million lives by the end of 2016. (1 Canadian dollars equals about 0.73 U.S. dollar)
"My accomplishments as Secretary of State? Well, I'm glad you asked! My proudest accomplishment in which I take the most pride, mostly because of the opposition it faced early on, you know. the remnants of prior situations and mind-sets that were too narrowly focused in a manner whereby they may have overlooked the bigger picture, and we didn't do that and I'm proud of that. Very proud. I would say that's A major accomplishment." - Hillary Clinton 11 March 2014

"Both the President and former Secretary of State Clinton should be forced to legally come clean about this serious breach of national security. While whistleblowers like Edward Snowden are held out to dry and prosecuted, higher ups are left alone to release classified national security information when it suits their political purposes."

Contact: Jim Kouri

Jim Kouri COPmagazine@aol.com

Considering that Hillary Clinton, from the recently concluded email investigation, is charged with gross negligence, dereliction of duty, was recommended that she lose her security clearance, while pathologically lying to congress, the press and the American People; and even though she was not referred for indictment because she is a Clinton: Will you? 11.84% Vote for Hillary 78.78% Vote for The Donald 9.39% Vote for none of the above 245 total vote(s) Voting has Ended!

And now for your additional voting pleasure:

What should be the priority of the Federal Government after the "Pulse" massacre: Should we turn our attention toward destroying, earadicating ISIS as Candidate Trump suggests, or, as Democrats' President Obama suggests, broaden our efforts to effect stricter Gun Control laws to limit "Gun Violence?" 88.24% After many years of trying to degrade and contain the murderous ISIS, we should make it the nation's policy to destroy ISIS immediately. 3.68% Gun Violence in America can be eliminated by limiting access to guns for all American citizens. 8.09% I don't care either way; I just live here. 136 total vote(s) Voting has Ended!

Should Americans be thankful for North Carolinians setting precedent in taking a stand for their state's right to manage the safety of their public facilities, where separation of the sexes remains, or should they follow Bruce Springsteen's lead and boycott the state as bigots since they will not allow grown Transgender men to use the same bathrooms /locker rooms as pre-pubescent girls? North Carolina is right to control the separation of the sexes as a matter of decorum and safety. North Carolina is a bigoted state to not require that children of opposite sexes share the same public facilities with adults of the opposite sex, although misidentified - the Transgender. I generally prefer the natural environs of the vacant, although rather public, large tree. 236 total vote(s) What's your Opinion?



Hillary Clinton told a crowd, which reacted with laughter and applause.But Josh Bernstein, a former police counter-terrorism unit member, retorted during a meeting of retired law enforcement officials:On Wednesday, some news outlets not under-the-spell of the Clinton Family reported that emails released revealed that former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell warned Clinton and her minions not to get him involved in her email scandal. In one of the emails, according to One America News Network, he used the termDuring an interview for Israeli television, Hillary Clinton said that Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump's views on U.S.-Israel relations vary from day to day, and for that reason Israelis should be extremely wary of him. She also claimed that the radical Islamists were praying to Allah for a Trump win on November 8. However, Clinton failed to back up her allegations with anything even resembling facts or evidence.In fact, there is more evidence that a Clinton presidency would be a danger to Israel based on Hillary Clinton's arguably treasonous activity against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.In October 2015, Conservative Base's editor and contributor Jim Kouri provided a news analysis to a leading media watchdog - Accuracy in Media (AIM). The column is as relevant today as it was when AIM first published it.The news coverage regarding the use by presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton of a non-government email system complete with private Internet server has placed other allegations of malfeasance or unlawful behavior by Mrs. Clinton and her aides in the backseat of the campaign's tour bus, according to a former intelligence official with a specialization in Islamic terrorist groups, Lloyd Victor McKeller.Allegations that Mrs. Clinton, as Secretary of State, leaked classified data to one of her news media sycophants was ignored, while other intelligence, law enforcement and military personnel who have done far less are sitting in prison and jail cells.A former Department of Justice prosecuting attorney who now works as an independent government watchdog has said that he believes then-Secretary of State Clinton - was responsible for leaking classified intelligence regarding the military plans of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Jewish State's intelligence and military officials with the goal of destroying Iran's facilities used to create a nuclear bomb.In a news story on published in March 2, 2015, the Washington Post's reporter Anne Gearan wrote that a possible reason for the release of Israel's top secret plans to a New York Times reporter was intended to curtail any action by Netanyahu, since President Barack Obama and his minions feared that Israel had the technical and strategic expertise to launch a sneak attack on Iran in order to eliminate their nuclear threat. Unfortunately, as the Russian delivery of an S-300 missile defense system draws near, such a surreptitious strike would be improbable.In her news story Ms. Gearan wrote:She also wrote:To date, Hillary Clinton hasn't even been asked one question about accusations she betrayed the trust of Israel and the American people.In contrast to Clinton's treatment, on Jan. 25, 2013, a former CIA official, John Kiriakou, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after he admitted emailing information on a past covert operation to a freelance reporter, who did not even publish it. Kiriakou at that time was the first current or former C.I.A. officer to ever be convicted of disclosing classified information to a reporter, and he wasn't the last.He led the team in 2002 that captured Abu Zubaydah, an Osama bin Laden leader with al-Qaida, and other Islamists whose capture in Pakistan was considered a decisive victory after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.According to documents obtained by the non-profit group Freedom Watch, which is headed by Larry Klayman, who once served in the U.S. Justice Department, Secretary Clinton and her closest staff members were the likely sources of the leaks to New York Times reporter David Sanger. Klayman also said Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents revealed that the Clinton leaks to the media were perpetrated with the knowledge of Obama White House's national security team, including Susan "Benghazi" Rice and Iranian-born Valerie Jarrett.Sanger, the New York Times's chief Washington correspondent , has criticized the Obama administration as being the "most closed, control-freak administration" he's ever encountered in his career as a journalist. This despite Obama and his minions telling the American people that they are the most transparent White House in modern history.In a sharp and biting statement, Larry Klayman, whose achievements include founding the very successful Judicial Watch, said at the time:
This is going to start off sounding a lot like Im bragging, but bear with me  I actually have a point.

Ive taken four fishing trips to New Zealand, trudging through ankle-twisting tussocks on a stream that shall remain nameless and over boulders in gushing Kiwi rivers too numerous to identify.

There was a fly-out on a float plane out of Iliamna, Alaska, to a remote stream where fat salmon-eating brown bears far outnumbered anglers.

Another fly-out to a wilderness river in British Columbia where the bush pilot needed to avoid stumps on the landing strip.

Ive hopped boulder to boulder down a steep cascade in the Broadwater River to catch brookies hand over fist where I bottomed out in what could only be described as quicksand. After sinking waist deep, I had a mental picture of someone coming along and finding my fishing hat resting on top of the muck with just a few air bubbles percolating to the surface.

I could go on, but Id better get to the point.

In all my travels and fishing outings near and far, the most serious injury I ever incurred was a bout of shin splints from trying to keep up with my fishing partner in New Zealand, whose walking pace increases in direct proportion to the number of fish he spots rising.

That all changed on July 14.

I dont want to over-dramatize my predicament; its not as if my life was in any danger. But it provided a life lesson.

It was my last day of two weeks of vacation and I arrived at the access point on the Blackfoot River before anyone else. Neither another car nor angler in sight  normally what I would term "perfect."

It was a great morning of fishing for cutthroats rising to caddis and pale morning duns. Once Id had my fill in the uppermost reaches, I started back toward the access with the idea of hitting just a couple of favorite holes on my way back.

As I approached that first hole  just above some rapids  I was scanning the river surface for rising fish. Still on the bank, I stepped on a rock like Id done a million times. But this time the rock gave way, followed by my ankle.

I heard the sickening snap  I can still hear it  and immediately knew I was in trouble. Looking down, my foot was basically dangling from the bottom of my leg.

I laid down on the bank and got my wits about me; I was surprised it didnt hurt worse, as bad as it looked. After 20 minutes or so of beating myself up for not bringing my cellphone, I couldnt see a boat on the river and remembered that I owned the lone car in the parking lot when I started out. Sure, it was the Blackfoot and if I stayed there long enough a boat was sure to drift past. But what if it didnt?

I called for help, but with the rapids so nearby I realized no one could hear me over the roar of the rushing water. The only real danger, I feared, was if I had to remain there overnight. So on my hands and knees, with the bad leg in the air behind me  discarding my fly rod and vest against my better judgment  I started downstream to get past the rapids to a place where I might be heard.

Perhaps a half-mile and a couple hours later I got to the calm water where the rapids tail out. I yelled again for help and sure enough, a guide with two clients heard me and responded as quickly as they could. Im sure I mustve ruined the rest of their afternoon, as they remained with me until Life Flight arrived. I am forever grateful.

As it turned out I had multiple fractures in my ankle that required surgery and a good deal of hardware. Ill be fine  eventually  and, at 57, I have no intention of curtailing my fishing addiction.

But the experience hammered home the point that circumstances can change in an instant. I love the solitude and beauty I encounter when Im alone with the river, but a couple of things will change.

When Im able to get out again Ill carry a GPS device in my vest that will allow me to summon help in the event its needed. A cellphone signal is frequently not available in places I prefer to fish.

And second, Ill make sure I let someone know where Ill be and when I expect to return. As soon as I can Ill let them know Ive made it home.

Taking some small precautions will allow me to enjoy even more that peace I find only when in nature.
Thursdays BIRD Bash gave property owners the chance to munch on bratwurst, down a libation or two and talk about where their East Billings neighborhood has been and where its headed.

Attendees celebrated atop one of their largest and most recent accomplishments  the smooth asphalt running down Second Avenue North between North Ninth and North 10th streets and on adjoining streets as well, part of a $3.1 million infrastructure investment.

Theyre not done, said advocates for the Billings Industrial Revitalization District, one of three such districts in Billings.

Next time were standing here, itll be to announce the construction of a 500-room hotel," said Marty Connell, board president for the Billings Industrial Revitalization District.

A number of projects within the district, which lies between downtown Billings and MetraPark, are in the design phase or even further along, said Tim Goodridge, EBURD coordinator.

Among them is the Mint Smartwash, the successor to the car wash planned for 411 N. Seventh Street.

Connell said the automated car wash, which reclaims the water used during its process, could be open as soon as spring 2017. Dirt work is already underway, Connell said. The facility was to have been built sooner under different ownership, but a pair of needed environmental assessments helped delay the project.

Kelly Chamberlin with Mountain Vertical, a construction, development and excavation company, said his company is looking to partner with NeighborWorks Montana to build affordable housing at 119 N. 19th St.

He said he and his business partner, Tyler Frazier, have known each other since third grade. The two grew up in Alaska, where they operated their first business venture together  a paper route.

Our goal, he said, is to create the coolest place to live that we can.

Chamberlin attended high school in Boise, Idaho. He said he sees parallels between that rapidly growing city and Billings. Creating housing in what has traditionally been an industrial area could jump-start growth within the district, he said.

The more residents who live in the BIRD, the more restaurants theyll need, he said.

MetraPark general manager Bill Dutcher said engineers are studying options for developing either an overpass or underpass to convey pedestrians from the BIRD into MetraPark.

Its a natural expansion to EBURD expansion, Dutcher said.

Goodridge said there will be an announcement on plans for the MetraPark connector during the BIRDs annual meeting in June.

Gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte, a Bozeman Republican, said he attended the BIRD Bash to learn whats going on in the district and to meet business owners and landowners.

He called tax increment finance districts an important tool that communities have to do self-improvement. This was one of those areas that was long in the tooth, and it needed a face lift. The state needs to give municipalities the tools they need to improve themselves.
Two years ago, Lockwood second-grader Elizabeth Bieber's mother, Therese Bieber, noticed a curious clinking sound coming from Elizabeth's pockets and sometimes her backpack as the girl prepared for school.

Elizabeth was sneaking her weekly allowance  a handful of change at a time  to school to donate to the Lion's Lair 2.0.

"I wanted it to be built quicker," Elizabeth, now a fourth-grader, said of why she donated.

On Friday, more than 200 adults, teens and children celebrated the completion of the $230,000 playground at Lockwood Schools with a ribbon-cutting.

The Lockwood Parent Teacher Association hoped the playground would fill a void that the previous Lion's Lair playground left in the community after it was dismantled in 2012 due to safety concerns.

Statewide PTA president Sherry Holderith spoke highly of the playground to Lockwood PTA vice president Loree Baasch.

"You're a good role model for other schools in the state that it can be done," Holderith said.

Baasch was quick to emphasize that it took more than the PTA to make the project happen.

"We had a community behind us that stepped up," Baasch said.

As in Elizabeth's case, Baasch said donations came both large and small.

"Kids were giving us their Tooth Fairy money for this," she said.

Retired Lockwood teacher Sue Robertson, who cut the ribbon Friday, said she was at the school board meeting years ago when the original Lion's Lair's bleak fate was announced.

"We had tears at the school board meeting when it was announced it had to be torn down," Robertson said.

Having taught in Lockwood schools for 40 years, Robertson let one of her students speak for her about the playground. After hugging his former teacher, Jett Black took off running toward the playground and shouted something back over his shoulder.

"There you go right there," Robertson said. She quoted Jett: "'I'm going to play.'"
We are teachers from all across Montana who have one thing in common: Weve been given Montanas highest teaching award for providing the kids in our classrooms with educational experiences that open doors for them  to college, to careers, to citizenship, and above all to healthy and happy lives.

We believe that opening those doors was what the framers of our constitution envisioned when they said that the goal of public education in Montana is to develop the full educational potential of each person. Were grateful for the efforts of Montanas citizens and public servants to ensure that our public schools are excellent environments for teaching and learning.

Were especially grateful for the efforts of Gov. Steve Bullock in the past four years. He secured record levels of funding for Montanas elementary, middle and high schools. He doubled the funding for the Montana Digital Academy, bringing talents and subjects that were once confined to one classroom to students throughout Montana. Recognizing that online classes mean nothing without high-speed internet access, he partnered with EducationSuperHighway to improve schools internet connectivity.

Better breakfast

Bullock has demonstrated a commitment to creating an education pipeline that ensures that all Montana kids enter school on a level playing field, receive the help they need to succeed along the way, and leave it ready for the next step. In his first term, he expanded preschool education in communities across the state and doubled the number of childcare providers in the STARS to Quality program. Knowing that hungry children have trouble learning, he improved access to breakfast programs for more than 40,000 public school students.

He bolstered investment in college and career readiness programs so that students plan appropriately for a successful future. To ensure that schools are welcoming places, he signed the first-ever Montana anti-bullying bill into law. Hes promoted running start programs that allow kids to gain college credit or career certifications at a greatly reduced cost while theyre still in high school. Participation in these dual enrollment programs has doubled during his term.

Thanks to Bullock and Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau and their ability to work with educators, business and community leaders, high school graduation rates are now at historic highs.

Tuition freeze

Bullocks vision for an education pipeline goes far beyond high school. Understanding that for many students, the cost of college has been an obstacle, he has frozen tuition at Montanas college and universities, making Montana No. 1 in the nation for affordable college tuition. Hes created the first-ever STEM scholarships in Montana, offsetting college costs for students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. And hes championed a major investment in research, broadening the educational opportunities available to college students while diversifying Montanas economy.

In short, Bullock has not only given us more resources to open doors for Montana students, hes created more doors to be opened. He went to public schools and his kids go to public schools, so he has both the history and the vision to protect and enhance what he rightly calls Montanas great equalizer: public education. The same cannot be said of his opponent.

Bullock has a record of achievement that is sure to grow even longer in his second term. We urge you to join us in voting to re-elect Bullock.
GREENOUGH  Here, it's strange to see a school bus pull up.

"It's surreal," said Sunset School teacher Toni Hatten, "because we never thought we'd get a bus."

This fall the one-room school, which is tucked in Greenough half a mile east of The Resort at Paws Up, has its highest enrollment in 10 years: nine students. That's five kindergartners, two second-graders, one third-grader and one fourth-grader.

And on the first day of school, Sept. 6, the students got to ride a big yellow school bus to Sunset  the first time in the school's history.

It's not directly tied to enrollment, however.

"We had some kiddos that couldn't get to school," said Missoula County superintendent of schools Erin Lipkind. "If you have kids that can't get to school because their parents can't drive, you're not meeting your obligation."

On Tuesday, Lipkind went before the county commissioners, asking for approval of school districts' budgets.

For Sunset, that included an increase in the transportation fund due to the added bus route. The school contracted with Majestic Bus Service.

"It alleviates some barriers students had now that they have transportation," Hatten said. "There are kids in this area who want to come to school here. Why transport them to a school 20 or 30 miles away when there's a school within 6 miles?"

Piggybacking

The school used to contract with parents who drove their kids to Sunset every day, allowable by state statute. Parents would get reimbursed after the semester.

"But that doesn't help them in the today," Hatten said.

It also helped that Sunset's school board enforced boundaries. In previous years  "and I was as guilty of this as anyone with my kids," Hatten said  Greenough students would hop on the high school bus headed to Seeley Lake to attend elementary school.

"We lost a lot of kids that way," she said.

Seven of the school's nine students this year live in Greenough, and take the bus. The other two are out-of-district. That's a spike from five years ago, when Hatten had one student.

"When we were at one, there was some talk outside our district of why do they need this school," she said. "But the voters of Greenough decide whether they want to support the school with their taxes, and they do. They've never suggested otherwise."

The school bus conversation began after a Greenough parent said they wanted their child to go to Sunset, but they couldn't get them there. "What am I supposed to do?" the parent asked.

"We were always told it would be too expensive," Hatten said of the school not having a bus before.

Then they figured out that if they adjust school hours  pushing start time to 8:20 a.m. and the end of school to 3:18 p.m.  Sunset can piggyback onto Potomac's school bus route. Potomac starts at 7:50 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m., so Sunset fits in between.

Because Sunset only pays for its section of the route, and gets partially reimbursed by the state and county, the annual bill comes out to $5,000.

"It's safe, and parents don't have to put their kids on the highway in a private vehicle when a bus is much safer," Hatten said.

Cooperative learning

Enrollment has roller-coastered over the years. Its high was 26 students in 1967. There's been a steady decline ever since. Enrollment has been in the single digits since 2006.

"When Paws Up suffers from an economic downturn, so does Sunset," Lipkind said, since some parents of Sunset students work at the luxury resort.

Three bus stops were squeezed in for Sunset students, though only two are being used at the moment: Blanchard Creek Road and Ninemile Prairie Road.

Sunset had three seventh-graders last year, but they didn't return this fall.

That's pretty common. Hatten never knows quite what she'll get.

Last school year, she started with a kindergartner, second-grader, third-grader, fifth-grader and seventh-grader. She ended with a kindergartner, two second-graders and three seventh-graders.

At that point, she got a teacher's aide to help out with the age gap. This year, aide Kathy Stevens helps Hatten split the kindergartners from the primary grades for part of the day.

"We do as much as we can together," Hatten said. "Logistically, you have to. But it's important for cooperative learning to take place. What's always impressed me is whoever the older kids are ... they're amazing at working with the younger kids."

Everyone hopes the bus helps attendance. Anecdotally, Hatten said she's already seen a difference.

"Last semester we had such an attendance issue," she said.

Hatten's not sure why school enrollment is on the rise, but she said it could have something to do with getting the school's name out there, reaching out to parents and inviting Paws Up to get involved with the school.

The bus route is expected to continue beyond this school year. Hatten is hopeful the school bus will attract other Greenough families who were questioning where to send their kids.

"What an exciting beginning," she said.
85 years was not long enough. Those who called her Mom, Gram Bam, Grandma, Aunt Marlys, or just Marlys, will miss her ready smile and sweet, gentle nature. She was a totally unpretentious, hard-working, cheerful Norwegian  and proud of it! She had a wonderfully positive attitude about life and you never heard her complain. Marlys Ramona (Thompson) Almer, 85, died at Sanford Health on Sept. 14, 2016, of complications following quadruple bypass surgery.

Marlys was born in Wyndmere on Oct. 15, 1930, to Hilda (Braaten) and George Thompson. She attended Viking Township country school and Viking Lutheran Church. She loved playing in the trees, listening to stories on the radio and had good times with her brothers and sisters. She often wore braids in her hair and carried her lunch in a tin bucket to school. When attending Wyndmere High School, it was necessary to board in town, which left her very homesick and anxious for the weekend! Following graduation from high school, she attended Interstate Business College in Fargo and was then employed by Standard Oil Company. She married Alvin Almer in 1950, and they moved to the very treeless home place of Daniel Almer, north of Tuttle. In 1962, they moved to their present farm where she had since lived. Oh, how she missed the trees of home!

Marlys was a dedicated farmer, wife, mom, sister, grandma and friend. She fed many a hired man over the years and delivered hot meals to the fields for many (complete with homemade buns and pie for dessert). If you had a favorite dish or treat, she would try to have it on hand just for you! Thousands of yummy bars and cookies were consumed by visitors to her kitchen. She also embroidered, made quilts and was an excellent seamstress. She milked a small herd of dairy cows by hand for years, until her kids were through college. When there was a shortage of help for field work, she became the hay raker.

Marlys was a great fan of the Tuttle Trojans and then the WTPR and WTP Wildcats, and she attended many games in support of her children and grandchildren. When they were little, she delighted in reading books to them, as well as playing all kinds of games. She was a fun Grandma and definitely her happiest times were spent with the grandkids, both when they were little and now as young adults. Recently, her favorite pastimes included helping her son, Allen (however she could), doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles, playing dominoes, watching Jeopardy and the Hallmark channel, having coffee with friends, keeping up with the grandkids on Facebook and traveling! Some of her most enjoyable trips were to Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Alaska, as well as New York, Nashville and Florida. Her daughter holds dear to her heart many memories of trips taken with her Mom. They also enjoyed many coffee and shopping outings together. In addition, Marlys loved spending time in Fargo with her good friend and sister-in-law, Marie Thompson. They were always on-the-go, be it to the senior center, to church, out to eat and shopping, or visiting friends; barely letting the tires on the car cool down before they had somewhere else to go. She made trips to and from Fargo with her grandson, Morgan, and they had great visits  Grandma trying not to doze and Morgan snapping a picture of her if she did!

Marlys was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin; her son, Allen, on Aug. 13, 2016; her brothers, Howard and LeRoy Thompson; her sister, Arlene Bishop; and her great-granddaughter, Jacqueline.

She is survived and will always be missed by her daughter, Joni (Tracy) Magstadt, Tuttle; her daughter-in-law, Myra Almer, Tuttle; her son, Wes (Cindy) Almer, Tuttle; her sister-in-law, Marie Thompson, Fargo; her sister, Joyce Braaten, Hankinson; her brother, Armour Thompson, Wyndmere; her good friends, Kathy and Dean Fallgatter, Steele, and Elmer and Virginia Dockter, Bismarck; as well as eight great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Her kindness and great sense of humor will never be forgotten by her grandchildren, Morgan Almer (Kim Koenders), Marin Opp (Josh), Brooke DelVecchio (Mark), Drew Magstadt (Tiffany), Travis Almer (Michelle), Troy Almer (Rochelle), Joey Almer (Mary Feist) and Billi Jo Almer.

We want to tell you something, so there wont be any doubt, youre so wonderful to think of, but so hard to be without.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at English Lutheran Church, Tuttle, with the Rev. Valerie Kinlan officiating. Burial will be held at 4 p.m. at Viking Cemetery, near Wyndmere, with the Rev. Wayne Quibell officiating. Lunch and fellowship will follow both the funeral and burial. There will be no visitation.

Go to www.eastgatefuneral.com to share memories of Marlys and to sign the online guest book. (Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck)
Autistic woman was strangled

Archalal, her father and brother were all bound and gagged by three men who broke into their Bonne Aventure, Gasparillo home on Thursday morning.

According to police, Vishnu Archalal was awakened from sleep at 2 am by loud crashing sounds.

He was secured with tie straps in his bedroom and gagged. His son Marlon, 34, and Carla were also bound and gagged in their respective bedrooms.

The three masked men forced their way into the familys business, The Bonne Aventure Mini Mart, situated nearby on the same premises. The intruders ransacked the mini-mart. They then gained entry into the house by prying open a door with a crowbar. They first entered the fathers bedroom where they announced a hold- up and demanded to know where the money was hidden. Reports are that the intruders ripped off a strip of bedsheet which they used to stuff into Carlas mouth to prevent her from screaming. She and her brother were also bound with plastic tie straps. Archalal said that he did not know his daughter was dead until police officers arrived at the house on being alerted by a neighbour who noticed the three men driving off. Money was also stolen.

Yesterday Carlas brother, Marlon, 34, said that the family is struggling to come to terms with his sisters murder. He said that family members are hurting.

They strangled her, he told Newsday. Carla, relatives said was a wonderful, kind loving human being, who did not deserve such a death. She will be cremated on Monday following a funeral service at the familys home. No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing.
Womans cause of death still undetermined

Relatives said that although they could not determine a cause of death, she will still be laid to rest this Sunday after a funeral service at her fathers home at New Settlement, Dow Village California. Newsday also understands that a male companion admitted to killing her and was instrumental in the location of her body. The man remains in police custody.

Matagoolam and her killer were in a relationship for about three months, but they broke up after he began abusing her. According to relatives she even put out a restraining order against the man. However it was unclear to the family why she would have gotten into a car with him, which relatives explained yesterday, was the last time that she was seen by any of her family members.

I really dont know why she went with him, said a brother-inlaw who asked not to be named.

The man was telling her that he would help her with her passport.

The last time we saw her was on Monday morning, when he (the male companion) picked her up.

We called on Monday afternoon, but the phone went to voice mail.

We kept on calling her but it kept going to voice mail. We found it strange because she would always answer her phone. Relatives told Newsday that Matagoolams sister had intentions of confronting the man when the woman failed to return home, but was advised to instead make a Missing Persons report. On Wednesday, the male companion was detained and questioned. Newsday understands that he was in possession of a rental car, and when the owner was called to claim his vehicle, he (the car owner) noticed that the trunk mat of his vehicle was missing. This prompted police to further question the man and he admitted to dumping Matagoolams body in Brasso Seco.

Matagoolam was described as an amicable and friendly person.

She was a mother of one.

She was a very nice girl, said a relative. She was very friendly and would talk nicely to anyone.

She was very easy to like as well.

Right now no one is taking this very well especially her daughter who is 16.

She is really traumatised. As a family we want justice for her, because no one deserves to die like this, the relative said. Investigations are ongoing.
Police return to home of arms, ammo suspect

It was on Saturday last, in an exercise spearheaded by Snr Supt Imraj Balram and including Insp Brian Ramphal, Sgt Terrence Victor, that officers seized five AK 47s, two shotguns, one rifle and one 9mm pistol along with 18 magazines, one scope and in excess of 1,000 rounds of assorted ammunition at the suspects home which he shares with his wife and daughter. On Tuesday, the suspect surrendered to police officers in a wheelchair in the presence of his attorney Shiva Boodoo.

He had heard that police officers were looking for him However upon his return yesterday, he was not in a wheelchair when he arrived in a police vehicle, at about 3.20 p.m., outside his flat near Lodge Road, Southern Main Road, Claxton Bay. He exited the vehicle wearing handcuffs and was accompanied by six police officers. Boodoo, his attorney, was also present. Boodoo told Newsday his client is diabetic and had the toes on his left foot amputated.

He revealed he had also undergone a double by-pass surgery in 2005.

Boodoo said his client was allowed to leave the house with more medication and bandages and also a pair of crutches. A file is expected to be re- submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in relation to the offence.
Princes Town fire victims cry for help

Kerri Ramlal, who had been renting one of the apartments for the past nine years, lived there with her 12-year-old son, Christian Beckles. Also tenants at one of the apartments were Patricia Mitchell, her sons Terrence and Kerneil Mitchell and her nieces Avian Mitchell and Shanele Ali.

Patricia, a security officer with Amalgamated Security Limited, and Ramlal were unable to secure a Fire Certificate and were told to return to the Princes Town Fire Station on September 23.

Ramlal, a librarian works at the Rio Claro Library.

I need to get the the Fire Certificate in order to seek leave from my work and also to apply for help from the government, Ramlal said. However, she is thankful for the assistance already provided by friends and relatives who have donated clothes and food items for both herself and her son. She noted that Christian has already gotten uniforms and school supplies from relatives and she hopes he can resume attending school on Monday. Patricia also visited the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) where Avian attends.

All her sporting gear and school material were destroyed and we had to go in to UTT to inform administration of the disaster, Patricia said.Ramlal is now appealing to Minister of Housing, Randall Mitchell, to assist Patricia and herself. We would not be able to stay at the home of relatives for long, she said, adding that she now has to travel from San Fernando to Rio Claro for work.
Murder accused in court

The charge read to Henry alleges that on August 27, he murdered Brown at Hector Street, La Romaine. Diop read a second charge which alleges that on the same day at the same place, Henry had in his possession an illegal firearm. A third charge also alleges that he illegally had in his possession, a quantity of ammunition. The charges were laid indictably by Corporal Charles and Henry was not called upon to enter a plea. He was represented by attorney Alvin Pariagsingh.

Henry was remanded into custody. The case was adjourned to October 14.
"The biggest thing is user education; an educated user is the first line of defense."

-- Dan Sipes, deputy of the State Information Technology Department, on ransom-ware problems with the states mineral resources department computer system.

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"This is a world-class event with people you would normally have to fly out of North Dakota to hear, and we're bringing them here."

-- Brenna Gerhardt, North Dakota Humanities Council, on a Pulitzer Prize symposium scheduled Sept. 24 at Legacy High School.

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"It sent chills up my arms. It feels like something we did together."

-- Roger Houseman Jr., a Yankton, S.D., Sioux, after learning last week that three federal agencies had joined in an unprecedented statement to temporarily shut down a critical portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

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"It hasn't been fair in all our history, why would we expect it to be fair? It's hard to say this process is fair when a company who has not complied with federal laws is allowed to continue and go on about their business."

-- Sara Jumping Eagle after defendants appeared in Morton County to face charges related to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

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"There were a lot of people at the protest site, and only two of them were charged. One was a reporter, and that certainly creates the impression that the authorities were attempting to silence a journalist and prevent her from telling an important story."

-- Steve Andrist, executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, questioning charges against Amy Goodman, a New York-based reporter who documented the use of guard dogs at a Dakota Access Pipeline protest.

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"It is unfortunate that the corporate world chooses to ignore the millions of people and hundreds of tribal nations who stand in opposition to the destruction of our lands, resources, waters and sacred sites."

 Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II commenting on Dakota Access Pipeline.

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"I am so grateful and honored to be part of this community. We may live (literally) from sea to shining sea, but we're a community nonetheless. Love knows no borders, and it transcends all boundaries."

-- Cynthia Pulham, of Colorado Springs, Colo., who raised $3,364 and purchased supplies for the Standing Rock protest camps.

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"I have a lot of '70s customers .... My customers like the romantic look of the 70s -- the hippie, the prairie. I think they like using it for photo shoots, my online customers."

-- Jessica Just, 34, who opened the Vintage Closet at 408 W. Main St. in Mandan.

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"Our opposition is not just to the river crossing, but to the very premise of this pipeline."

-- Dallas Goldtooth, spokesman for the Indigenous Environmental Network, on plans by some protesters to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline overall, not just where it crosses the Missouri River-Lake Oahe near the reservation boundary.

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"We've never done this. We're good at fighting floods."

 Department of Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong on a request for authority to borrow up to $6 million to offset costs for providing assistance to local law enforcement in response to Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

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"They want to raise their kids in a safer environment. Sometimes they didn't want to deal with the commute, the crime in the neighborhood. They moved because they were aspiring for something new for themselves, their families and their kids."

-- Ben Winchester, a research fellow on community vitality for the University of Minnesota Extension, on why families are moving to rural areas.
Relatives: He was killed for his inheritance

Speaking with relatives of the slain man yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, Newsday was told that they believe his murder had nothing to do with his chequered past, but because he inherited several properties from his father who died months ago.

This is not a situation where a gunman say he owing money or anything, said one relative who wished not to be named.

He was killed for his business.

It is greed that caused his death. Newsday was told that James father, the owner of James Transport, willed the business to him and he was given controlling interest of the company about two weeks ago. Since then, relatives said, other persons tried to take control of the company.

According to reports, James was killed near his home on Gopaul Avenue at about 3.30 pm.

Sources told Newsday that witnesses noticed a Hyundai Matrix car driving on Gopaul Avenue while James was walking along the street about to go to a parlour to get a small soft drink.

The vehicle pulled up alongside him and gunmen from within the vehicle shot him multiple times. He slumped to the ground, and died on the spot.

Relatives described James as a loving man and a good father to his two children, but Newsday was told that he was a person of interest in several criminal cases.

Relatives said he had four cases which were before the courts, but three of them have been dismissed.

All his matters were in 2004 and 2005. I am not saying that he is a saint. He did his dirt in earlier years. But he had changed his life for the better.
Soul food for women

The Life + Style brand, spearheaded by Mango Media Caribbeans managing director, Judette Coward, is launching its first event, Cocktails and Conversations, next month.

Coward says she was driven to create the brand after a conversation with a friend.

I was compelled to create Forward Forty after a conversation with my friend, Sheena Thorpe, who at the end of her fourth decade, opened her gift store at a shopping mall. Sheena is beautiful, determined, and authentic, but during a run last September, she mentioned that maybe she might have passed the age to achieve a particular feat that she wanted to.

And as I tried to convince her that she was not, it was in that second that the idea for Forward Forty was born, Coward said.

Culture and advertising dictates to us that after 40, we no longer matter! But we do, and Forward Forty came about as a way to engage women who have stories to tell. Its a way for me to be the conduit for other women to raise their own voice. Ive always been a storyteller, but it was the energy of the people who engaged with the initial videos that I put up, watched and then shared them that motivated me to create the blog and the movement. The brand is set to launch its inaugural Cocktails and Conversations experience bringing together four thought-provoking speakers, cuisine by award-winning chef Debra Metivier, an exclusive marketplace, and the company of some of the most engaging women in TT for an evening-long event.

Under the theme of If Not Now, When? the soulful event aims to inspire women to take charge of their lives, and to motivate them to transform their current realities into their ideal ones.

The event will feature conversations by Malene Barnett, a New York City-based creative entrepreneur and leading textile designer for brands such as Martha Stewart, Tory Burch and Saks Fifth Avenue among others, and Maria Daniel, a partner at Ernst and Young, Trinidad, who leads a female-dominated department in a male-dominated service line. Dianne Hunt, the founder of the popular Diannes Tea Shop and the former designer and co-owner of Radical Designs as well as Sharon Christopher, former deputy CEO at First Citizens and now a leadership development consultant at Sharon Christopher and Associates, are also included in the cast of conversationalists.

Together, the four will cover a wide range of topics from self-discovery and riding oneself of mental recession, to being authentic to oneself and manifesting the power of intuition.

Following the conversations, the event will ease into an evening of cocktails by the House of Angostura and hors doeuvres served poolside by award-winning chef, Debra Metivier. A part of the venue will be dedicated to an exclusive bazaar with booths from some of Trinidads most sought-after brands and pop-ups, including the multinational cosmetics company Revlon, Oscar Francois and its wildly popular Aunt Jackies line, among others.

What Im most looking forward to is serving soul food the kind that shines through the cuisine, music and cocktails, but mostly importantly, through the connections that women will make, Coward said.

Cocktails and Conversations is part of Forward Fortys larger commitment to providing enriching experiences, products, and content to women aged 40 and over. In the coming months, the brand is expected to roll out a slew of additional initiatives, including a health and fitness vertical dubbed Forward Forty Moves, and an e-commerce site highlighting merchandise and hand-picked products catering to women.

Cocktails and Conversations takes place on October 2 at the picturesque Drew Manor in the Santa Cruz Valley. Tickets to the experience are now on sale and can be bought online at http://forwardforty.

com/theexperience.

For more info information: judette@ forwardforty.com, marketing@ forwardforty.com or Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Via Crucis a lively comedy with soul to screen at ttff

As a devout Catholic, Isabel will appeal to a higher power, while Jes?s Maria plans to seek help from a more secular source a political contact who has promised financial aid from his mayoral funds. Both parents will be pushed to the limit , and as life begins to unravel, they will have to free themselves from the crosses they bear, returning to a place of innocence and love, in order to receive an unexpected miracle.

In this lively comedy, Via Crucis (Good Friday), written and directed by Harold De Vasten, we meet a Monty Phython-esque cast of supporting characters, said a media release. Theres the inebriated parish priest, Fr Arcesio, whose love of spirits keeps him too occupied to attend to his parishioners; the teenage girls, whose amorous intentions towards the heartthrob playing Jesus, have them scuffling for a place by his side; and then there are the boys. Passionately embracing their roles as Roman soldiers, theyre determined to exact as much suffering as possible from Jesus by beating the living daylights out of him, literally. Finally, there is Nelson, Isabel and Jes?s Marias young son whose encounter with a mysterious beggar will change the fortunes of his family forever.

Via Crucis is De Vastens first feature film. Shot in Timb?o, a coffee-producing town in Colombia, where there is no cinema, the making of the film became a major event for the Timb?ano community.

When the film found itself under budget, people gave what little they had.

They bought yuccas (cassava), bananas, eggs, milk, bread.

They provided lodgings for the production team, music for the film and auditioned for parts, with a number of them making their acting debut.

It became the film of the Timb?ano people.

Via Crucis will screen at the ttff and is presented in partnership with the Embassy of Colombia.

Sept 23, 11 am, Costaatt, San Fernando Sept 23, 10.30 am, MovieTowne, PoS Q+A Sept 23, 10.30 am, MovieTowne, Tobago Sep 24, 6 pm, MovieTowne PoS Q+A
PREDATOR NABBED

A series of Whatsapp messages, sent to Newsday last evening by the hero mom, detailed a conversation the suspected child molester thought he was sending to the schoolgirl whom he was hired to drop off to school and later picked up and taken home, after the regular driver could not make it on Thursday morning on account of his car not working. The suspect at the time, was driving someone elses car as PH, (Private Hire).

How u dont have a pic; So who home wit u right now; Ok, so I could see u; Ok, so I could come now den and We go drive by my hill view, were some of the messages the man sent to the childs phone after he asked her for the number before dropping her off at her home. In an interview yesterday the woman said that when her child arrived at home in tears and trembling.

The child told her mother what had transpired when the suspect demanded her cellular phone number while she was in his car.

If she did not think fast and give him the number he would have driven off with her.

She is fully aware what almost happened because I always tell her to be alert hence the reason she came to me immediately following the incident. I think by giving him the number, this gave him hope that they would have met up later. This is why she is with us today. This week is the first week she had to travel. She has a direct driver but his car is down, the relieved mother explained.

She said that on Thursday at about 4.45 pm her daughter ran into the house screaming, Mummy! Mummy! The driver wanted to take me for a drive and asked for my phone number. She said that she ran towards our home as soon as she left the car and the man drove off. The woman continued, My child was in her primary school uniform and that nasty man asked for her number and if she was on Whatsapp. What is more horrifying is that he could have driven off with my child at that very moment. The woman said she sat and waited for the mans messages to come.

Eventually he began to send messages at eight oclock in the night.

I took the phone and started Whatsapp chatting with him, leading him to believe it was my daughter he was chatting with. The man was behaving real tusty that he started asking what my daughter was wearing, what she was doing and who was home with her, she said.

HE INSISTED ON COMING OVER I wrote in the Whatsapp that I was home alone and that mummy went to work and coming home after midnight. I pretended to be my daughter in the messages and told the man I was watching TV.

He then again asked to go for a drive with him and I tried to persuade him to leave it for tomorrow (Friday) but he insisted that he could come over one time, the woman said. She added that the driver consistently asked if he could come over to look for her (the womans daughter) and for them to go for a drive up in Hillview, Chaguanas.

This is an area not too far from us. But it is not fully developed as yet, so there are a lot of empty lots. He continued asking if she can go for the drive and I answered saying, no, I dont have a key for the house and I cant leave the place opened. He then said that it was alright that all I had to do was push in the front door and nobody would not know it was unlocked. I told him to lets meet tomorrow but he insisted on passing over one time. I didnt even know this sicko living not too far from our home. I have never seen this person in my life. The woman said that she and other male relatives waited for the mans arrival and as soon as he entered the property, clad in a green jersey and a black pants, he was surrounded and beaten.

Using plastic tiestraps the dazed man was tied up and sat on the ground while a report was made to the Chaguanas police. He was arrested and taken to the Chaguanas Health Centre where he was treated before being discharged. The man was last night still in police custody. While he was tied and sitting on the ground in her house, the woman said she took photos of the man with her cell phone camera and uploaded the images to Facebook.

It has since been reposted hundreds of times.

The mother said that officers from Chaguanas Police Station contacted her to say that by posting the mans photo on online social media this could be construed as a form of Cyber Bullying and the mans family is threatening legal action against her. I told the officers to go ahead and press charges against me because I am not removing the pictures. The world has to know that he is sick and these sick people must be identified, she said.

NO TO VIGILANTE JUSTICE Contacted for comment, Communications Manager of the Childrens Authority Cheryl Moses-Williams said if the alleged incident as highlighted on social media is true, the Authority, commends the mother for being proactive in protecting her child. However, she said the Authority is calling on the public to report incidents to Police and not engage in vigilante justice as the Police are responsible for criminal investigations.

She said the Authority reminds the public that this country is operating under new and modern legislation aimed at protecting our children.

The Children Act, 2012, creates a number of new offences targeted towards the prevention of sexual abuse of children.

It defines a child to be a person under the age of 18 and there are severe penalties that have been established in relation to various offences which include sexual touching, sexual grooming and sexual penetration of a child, Moses-Williams said.

She said the Authority is appealing to parents and guardians to maintain open communication with their children so that they feel comfortable reporting any incidents or concerns.

Parents and guardians are reminded that they have a responsibility to ensure their childrens safety, at all times. She said the role of the Authority, under the Children Act, 2012, is mandated to investigate all reports of abuse.

Once a report of child abuse or mistreatment is brought to the Authoritys attention, the investigation process is initiated to substantiate or not substantiate the allegations with a view to determining whether the child is in need of care and protection and what interventions would be appropriate in the childs best interest, she said.

Moses-Williams explained that in order to substantiate a report, the Authoritys investigation officer usually conducts at least three main investigations which involve a home visit that includes interviews with the childs parents and other relatives, a school visit and community enquiries.

In some cases, additional investigative work is done to ascertain the facts of the case, so that a fully informed recommendation can be made.
Two men executed in Valencia

According to reports, a WASA employee was walking towards a WASA station when he saw the bodies.

The WASA employee alerted police and officers led by Snr Supt Trim and including Supt Phillip, ASP Rodain, Inspector Ken Lutchman, Sgt Lopez and others visited the scene.

Newsday understands there are no reports of missing persons fitting the description of the victims.

Sources said fingerprints were taken in an effort to make a positive ID via the police services fingerprint database.

Police said both men appear to be in their early twenties and of African descent. So far, 329 murders have been committed in TT.
Dont charge kids

As he opened the new Law Term, the Chief Justice said the rules will uphold the following principles as a matter of priority: 1) unless the public interest requires otherwise, criminal proceedings shall not be instituted or continued against a child if there are alternative means of dealing appropriately with the matter; 2) family relationships between a child a members of his or her family shall be preserved as far as possible and where appropriate; 3) all decisions regarding the child shall be based on the consideration that they shall be in the best interest of the child unless the public interest requires otherwise; 4) a balanced approach is to be taken between the needs of the child, the rights of any victims, and the interest of the community; 5) due regard is to be have to the views and voice of the child consistent with his or her age; 6) there is to be equality of treatment regardless of socio- economic status, race, sexual orientation, religion or family situation; 7) parents, guardians or persons with responsibility for a child should be encouraged to fulfil their roles and responsibilities for the care and supervision of the child; and 8) it is desirable that a child who commits and offence must bear responsibility for his or her actions and where possible make reparation while also being assisted with their re-integration into the community so as to sustain family and community ties.

These rules are very comprehensive, the Chief Justice said, addressing a ceremonial sitting of court at the Hall of Justice.

In previous addresses I have referred to the historical deficiencies that have persisted in respect of children in the criminal justice system. The development of Judges Rules aimed specifically at children is an attempt to address that lacuna and bring us in line with our international treaty obligations regarding the rights of children, the preservation and protection of their dignity and their interests having regard to their particular vulnerabilities. Archie further said, We are talking about the judges initiating a culture change in the way we interface with power so where better to start than with our most vulnerable? The DPP has the ultimate discretion on whether to institute criminal proceedings, Archie however noted. He listed the Office of the DPP among the entities that provided input into the new rules. Aside from the DPPs power to initiate charges, the rules also touch on initial engagement, questioning, stop and search, the conduct of identification parades, and the obtaining of statements from children.

In a far-ranging address the Chief Justice once more called for the abolition of trial by jury; said previously announced criminal procedure rules will have a substantial impact on the slow pace of criminal justice; lashed back at critics, throwing shade at radio and social media commentators and even, at one point, fellow judges; described the Vindra Naipaul-Coolman case as a total disaster; defended the hosting of a judicial retreat at Tobago and alluded to past criticism over his travel by sardonically saying he stayed home to work on the new childrens rules, in the process avoiding the racking-up of frequent- flyer miles.

In relation to criminal proceedings, the Chief Justice once more expressed displeasure at the pace of justice saying it was simply unacceptable. But he said his hands were tied.

Dont blame me, Archie said, in a speech in which exasperation was evident. We are simply at the limit of our current capacity. Though he did not mention the case by name, he alluded to the Vindra Naipaul-Coolman trial, the countrys longest and most expensive. Saying he was not criticising the presiding judge Justice Malcolm Holdip  who sat behind him at the Convocation Hall yesterday  the Chief Justice said the case was a disaster which came about as a result of a systemic failure. He cited the case as an example of why trial by jury should be abolished.

We cant let some of the members of the profession hijack this debate, Archie said, saying there is no explicit right to trial by jury but rather to impartial due process.

Read your Constitution. Archie said new limits on the size of bundles and compulsory paper proceedings for procedural appeals are to be introduced.

On the plan to give the Judiciary financial independence, he said this must be gradual and some delegation of duties had begun.

However, he envisioned total independence by 2018.
Chaguanas Mayor wants new closing time for bars

We discussed matters on how we can make the community peaceful and one of the proposals is the closing hours of bars, and what we decided is to continue that conversation with the bars, with the community, so like 2am, the bars could close and that would help in terms of family life, Mayor Boodhan said, adding, and this is where the community comes in to assist in the fight against crime. It is a proposal, we dont have any authority to say the bars should close 2am or 3am or what but what we are saying is it came out as an idea and people are looking at it, they would have their say on it, then we could do it on an experimental trial basis. Boodhan noted that the issue of illegal street vending was also discussed saying the need for additional municipal officers was needed to compliment the present force of four municipal police officers.

Areas such as street vending was also discussed and would also like to get additional municipal police to clear the streets because street vending is illegal and some elements disguise as street vendors to commit crime on the streets so we need additional policing, he said.

I am asking that the government hold strong to their manifesto promise which state that every regional corporation have 100 municipal officers so far we have 4 officers and we get very limited or close to zero from the 4 municipal police officers. And if they cannot give us the 100 officers, give us a quarter, give us 25 officers, and we will do the street vending we will also do community policing, he said.

Boodhan also pointed out that indiscriminate parking seemed to be the order of the day as there were ample parking spaces within the borough. A wrecking service in the Borough of Chaguanas would help deal with congestion mainly in the town centre because how Chaguanas is structured, you have one main street and you have a lot of indiscipline as it relates to parking. People just want to park anywhere and conduct their business and this can no longer be tolerated.

We have a lot of parking, both paid and free, so the question of parking space is not an issue, the issue is indiscipline, he said.

He said the inter-agency task would continue its community meetings with the police, councillors and religious organisations to, hear as many views on how we can curb the crime and the criminal element.
CJ: Vision is in short supply

The following is the start of CJ Archies speech.

INTRODUCTION The theme for this years opening and annual report is Consolidation for Enhanced Delivery. In keeping with that thrust, I do not propose in this instalment of our ongoing conversation to deliver a speech repeating at length the vision and strategic focus of the judiciary. Nor do I intend to dwell very long on statistics although I must report on our performance over the past year. I do make the general observation, however, that performance data must be understood in the prevailing national cultural and economic context, including existing infrastructure and available resources.

In that regard let me say at the outset that we are holding our own. Instead, I propose to spend a little time on the preparations and adjustments that we continue to urge and pursue in order to effect the longterm transformation to which we are committed.

Permit me to express my gratitude to Dr.Liverpool for adding some context to the discussion because it is easy to become impatient, as I have at times, at the pace of change if one does not appreciate the structural and cultural impediments to performance that continue to bedevil us within the judiciary as well as in the wider society.

Permit me also to preface what I have to say by making some remarks about our environmental milieu.

In doing so I am conscious that, without my deliberately setting out to have that effect, some people may be offended by some things I have to say but by the most generous of reckonings I am now more than halfway through my tenure and have come to the age and quiet pass where I lose no sleep over that. In a country where the national pastime is tearing each other down, I have no difficulty reminding myself and every other leader that our job is to lead and the job of talk show hosts is, well, to talk. As for social media commentary, why waste energy? Last year I talked about common sense.

There is something else that is in equally short supply and that is vision. By definition, those who possess and deploy it will be in the minority in every society.

The chickens that scratch on the ground making noise over scraps will always outnumber the eagles that have the benefit of a different and broader perspective. With that benefit comes the burden of being misunderstood and criticized.

The higher the eagle soars, the smaller it seems to the chicken.

I can only do my job; I cant make eagles out of chickens.

By all means those of us in leadership positions must seek consensus and try to help everyone to understand and embrace the vision. That involves explanation and consultation and sometimes persuasion but at the end of the day the driver must drive and everybody else must either help push, sit tight or get off the bus! This is not just Ivor Archie having a rant. In an environment where our culture and constitutional guarantees allow us to feel free to abuse each other without the benefit of research or reliable and accurate information, you must understand that I will remain resolute in my commitment to our vision once I sit in this chair. Vision involves the ability to appreciate the big picture; to take a systemic view and to understand concepts like case flow management and the fact that the judiciary is only one part of the administration of justice and that dysfunction in any one area affects the whole.

So if some of what I say sounds familiar it is because sometimes it is necessary to keep hammering away at the same issues until we reach a tipping point.

Forgive me, therefore, for mentioning without dwelling on the things that I have no control over but for which the judiciary always seems to be taking the blame  things like the slow turnover of forensic analysis, the absence of a Public Defenders Office, the persistence of the system of preliminary inquiries, the underfunding of the DPPs office, an under-resourced probation department, poor evidence gathering, shortage of physical plant, no video remand suite at the prison, push back in some quarters against the introduction of video recorded interviews, an archaic legislative regime, the fact that night courts were a failed experiment that keep being proposed by those who have no idea of how the system works, etc, etc. He that hath ears let him hear.

I dont pass legislation and I dont build judicial complexes. I am accountable for the things that the judiciary controls and I accept responsibility for that and I will tell you what we are doing.

That will be my focus.

Having said all that, from my perspective at least, I am beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

Under the new dispensation, some positive, fresh winds of change are blowing. What are some of the indicators? There are a few but I will mention two in particular THE SRC There were those who scoffed when I first publicly articulated my vision of the management of the judiciary and of the country and likened it to a corporate model.

Now at last the SRC has embarked on the necessary task of developing job descriptions and benchmarking compensation for key executive and judicial positions. Perhaps some of the unwarranted criticism of the past can be forgiven because nobody actually knew what the job of the President or the Prime Minister or even the Chief Justice involved, including some judges, because the office of Chief Justice did not previously come with a job description.

Let me share the information for those who care to know. My job is only partly judicial but it is also largely administrative.

In addition to being the Chief Judge, the Chief Justice sits at the head of several disparate hierarchies, which intersect in their roles in the administration of justice.

These include the judiciary as a corporate entity for which he/she must provide strategic leadership and administrative direction inclusive of guiding reform; the JLSC responsible for all judicial officers and public offices inside and outside of the judiciary requiring legal qualifications; The Rules Committee of the Supreme Court which determines and drafts procedural laws binding on the courts and its users; and the lesser but important roles of President of the Board of the Judicial Education Institute, Chairman of the National Awards Committee, Member of the Council of Legal Education, Member of the Conference of CARICOM Chief Justices, Member of the Editorial Board of the West Indian Reports etc, etc. In all of these roles he/she must develop and maintain strategic relationships nationally, regionally and internationally to propel the developmental agenda of one of the three arms of the state and to ensure that we remain contemporary and in line with international best practice and modern judicial reforms. The job of making Trinidad and Tobago attractive to investors does not solely rest with a high-performing executive.

There must also be confidence in the competence and independence of the judiciary and that story has to be told and it is only partially articulated in its judgements. That carries certain responsibilities, like the Prime Minister and many senior Public Officials. So, and I dont care if you feel Im throwing shade here, I cant stop people talking, but you not going to stop me from travelling.

Quite apart from that though, I raise it in order to acknowledge that, from the conversations that have begun, there now seems to be a growing understanding that one cannot have a high performing governance structure without attracting, retaining and holding accountable against defined parameters, the best available talent within the Public Sector. That requires vision! Until we decide on a clear compensation philosophy and fix the systemic, structural problems in the Public Service the we cannot have good governance or performance delivery across the board. Work on the restructuring of the Service Commissions must therefore continue. It is my hope that this will eventually find concrete expression in things like a properly staffed and compensated DPP s department, and a different recruitment profile in the Police Service just to cite two examples.

FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

After many years of us repeatedly making the case, in the last budget speech the Hon. Minister of Finance publicly committed to affording the judiciary a greater degree of financial autonomy consistent with internationally accepted principles of judicial independence and efficient administration. Contrary to expectations that appear to have been triggered in some persons minds, this is not a transition that can be achieved overnight. As we have always maintained, the capacity to handle full autonomy in an appropriately accountable manner requires, among other things, amendments to relevant legislation, increased capacity and control over hiring and human resources and engagement of all stakeholders including representative unions.

Those conversations have begun.

I am pleased to announce that in addition to agreement on the need for appointment of a transition team led by the judiciary, we have been able to take concrete steps in regard to short term measures such as virements and transfer of certain delegated authorities that will afford immediate relief as even as we move toward the implementation of long-term permanent reforms. It is my hope that the transition can be completed by the beginning of 2018.

With those in mind I can now turn to an account of our stewardship over the past year for the next 40 minutes give or take a few.

MAJOR AREAS OF FOCUS FOR THE JUDICIARY

In keeping with our thematic approach, it behooves us as we prepare to assume greater financial responsibility, to ensure that our culture and internal processes are fine-tuned to ensure greater efficiency and value for money, particularly in these times of financial stringency. The budget will be read two weeks from today. I want to assure the nation that whatever we receive, and I hope we receive our due share, the good ship Judiciary is and will remain on course because vision is being exercised on the bridge. Therefore, while we continue to work towards the acquisition of adequate physical plant and suitable personnel, the focus for the time being remains on process reform. Every initiative that we undertake is the concrete expression of a vision that has already been articulated. What now follows is a brief summary of some of our significant advances and a foreshadowing of where we hope to be in the future. As we look forward, the observation of our first Prime Minister that the future of our nation is carried in our childrens school bags remains cogent as part of the guiding philosophy that informs our strategic initiatives.

I have observed on previous occasions that, historically, our legal system was never designed for and therefore consistently failed to address the particular challenges and needs of a most vulnerable sector of our society, our children and youth. I will therefore report first on developments in that area.

1. JUVENILE COURT PROJECT

The Juvenile Court Project, an extensive project with an extremely ambitious timeline, has been undertaken by the judiciary with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the US National Centre for State Courts (NCSC). Thus far the project has seen several elements delivered including the passage and assent of the Family and Children Division Act, which enables the Judiciary to address Children matters in a less retributive way in an effort to stem the tide of criminality among our young people.

On full proclamation, the Division will comprise both a unified Family Court Sub-Division and a unified Children Court Sub-division.

The JCP project seeks to bring to life the Children Court sub-division by creating a Children Court system, the philosophy of which takes into account something that as adults, we all know; that adolescents do some crazy things and that most of them, given guidance and an opportunity to develop and mature will not continue to re-offend.

Empirical research suggests that, with appropriate interventions, prospects for successful rehabilitation are better for younger offenders.

Aware that appropriate interventions must be made to enable a positive maturation process, the Judiciary has together with colleagues in the police service, prisons, probation, childrens authority, the public and private bar, the ministry of education the IRO and others developed Children Court processes to offer appropriate interventions.

Key to the operation of the Children Court is the adoption of approaches that are rehabilitative in nature, and the provision of social services and programmes to assist children in embracing second chances when they come into conflict with the law. The Court is also being designed to provide judicial officers with the tools to engage additional supporting processes and procedures including, Peer Resolution programmes, alternative auxiliary programmes and hopefully appropriate placement options when adjudicating in matters related to children.

New Judges Rules for Children designed specifically to guide the police and other officials in the arrest, search, interrogation, and identification for children have been drafted and issued under the mantle of this project. I will speak about this in a little more detail shortly. New Children Court Rules have also been drafted and circulated twice over for consultation, and detailed protocols have been drafted to ensure that the interactions between the various agencies are founded on principles which support the overarching philosophy and condescend to process detail in the hope that all agencies are aware of their appropriate respective roles in the new dispensation.

In the course of this project the team has undertaken extensive youth outreach and interaction.

166 children in Trinidad and Tobago have been trained in Peer Resolution and have volunteered to perform a critical role in the court as Peer assessors. Of these, 20 children embarked in August this year on a study tour of youth and teen courts in the US. During this tour they visited several teen and youth courts, sat in on juvenile court cases, and interacted with senior judges from various jurisdictions. They also had the opportunity to attend the 2016 Summer Teen Court Attorney Training Program hosted by the Miami-Dade County.

Among the courts that the peer resolution youth volunteers attended was the Miami-Dade County Teen Court where 10 of them participated as jurors (in our system, peer assessors) in two trials involving teens who were in conflict with the law. In both trials, our volunteers were chosen as forepersons and delivered the sanctions to the teens before the court. They expressed that taking part in these two trials proved to be a very exciting, amazing and humbling experience.

They also overwhelmingly expressed the view that they felt that the system can work for their peers in Trinidad and Tobago.

We are indeed very proud of them and of all our Peer Volunteers who have and continue to participate so completely in their preparation for this new and unique role.

Aside from our Peer Volunteers, the projects youth outreach has actively engaged 657 children throughout Trinidad and Tobago to discuss the new Children Court system, Peer Resolution and their views with regard to the countrys approach to juvenile crime.

103 adult volunteers have also been trained to support the children involved in Peer Resolution and of these adult volunteers 22 have been trained as PR trainers.

SPEECH continues tomorrow
Fishermen to start receiving assistance today

They are to gather at the Vessigny Community Centre between 9 a.m. and noon.

According to Minister of Agriculture, Clarence Rambharat, successful applicants were called last week. Rambharat told Newsday yesterday that 196 persons out of 412 applicants are to receive payments totalling $.5 million.

According to Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, Claudelle McKellar, those receiving their cheques today are the first batch of more to come, as registration and validation is on-going. A total of 95 persons registered at the Vessigny Community Centre yesterday.

Asked whether the funds are being distributed equally to each applicant, Rambharat said payments are based on urgent need and household size. In July, thousands of dead fish started appearing along the Gulf of Paria. This, amidst conflicting reports about the cause or causes of the fish kill, caused the public to steer clear of fish. As a result, the fishing industry saw a drastic depletion in sales at the time of the year when parents start buying books, uniforms and sneakers for their children for the re-opening of school. After fishermen cried for months for some kind of assistance, Cabinet, on August 25, approved the distribution of $1million in assistance to those affected.

The Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development, began the process of distributing the funds with a registration process meant to determine whether those registered were valid fisherfolk and to assess their needs.

However, some fisherfolk from the affected areas were not happy with the way the process was handled.
Presbyterian Board not against new Princes Town School

However, PPSBE moderator, Carlyle Mulchan, wondered whether the school would now jump the ladder ahead of schools which were in various stages of construction over the past few years.

We will accept a new school from the Ministry of Education if that is what Ministry thinks is best, Mulchan said in a telephone interview yesterday.

And if the Ministry of Education is saying their preference is to demolish and build a new school, we will agree to that.

No right-thinking denominational board will not agree to that.

Why would we resist a new school ? But we have four schools that are incomplete and not being worked on at this present time and we have children being housed in the church compound.

However if we can solve the problem of the shift system, working within the guidelines of health and safety of the children and staff for a period of time, then we are saying we will explore that with you because we partner with the Ministry of Education, he added. Mulchan observed that a structural engineering investigation report commissioned by the Ministry of Education last June suggested refurbishment of the school which comprises three buildings.

However he said at an initial meeting with the Ministry, following last years General Election, the Board was told clearly that money was a problem so we agreed on this report by this engineering consultant company.
A federal appeals court on Friday ordered Dakota Access Pipeline to stop construction within 20 miles of Lake Oahe to allow the court more time to consider the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes request for an emergency injunction.

The tribe requested the emergency injunction after U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg last Friday denied its request for a preliminary injunction to halt construction on the four-state pipeline while the tribes lawsuit is pending against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permitting the pipeline.

The tribe argued that a short-term injunction is needed to prevent further destruction of sacred sites within 20 miles on both sides of Lake Oahe, a dammed section of the Missouri River.

In a temporary win for the tribe and other pipeline opponents, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit granted the administrative injunction late Friday to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the matter. However, the one-page order said the action should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion.

A future order will set a date and time for oral arguments on the motion for the emergency injunction pending appeal.

The Corps of Engineers had asked the judge to deny the tribes request for an emergency injunction. But the Corps also noted that it has paused construction of the pipeline at Lake Oahe until it can determine whether it should reconsider its previous decisions about the lake crossing under the National Environmental Policy Act or other laws.

The Corps, U.S. Department of Justice and Department of the Interior also asked Dakota Access LLC to voluntarily pause all construction activity with 20 miles of Lake Oahe, and the Corps said it wouldnt oppose a court order pausing construction activity within that area if all parties to this appeal consent to that injunction.

Dakota Access said in a court filing that all construction starting 20 miles east of Lake Oahe is completed, and to the west, all but the two miles closest to the lake have been cleared and graded. The pipeline also is strung and nearly installed up to Highway 6, about 17 miles west of the lake.

Granting the injunction would threaten the entire $3.8 billion project at a point when construction is nearing completion, the company said.

The tribe contends that the Corps permitted the pipeline in violation of federal law, including the National Historic Preservation Act, and that the pipeline threatens the tribes drinking water supply. But Boasberg wrote that the Corps had likely complied with the act and that the tribe had not shown it would suffer any injury that would be prevented by an injunction.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe issued a statement on Facebook late Friday that said the order will preserve the status quo while the court decides what to do with the tribes motion.

The tribe appreciates this brief reprieve from pipeline construction and will continue to oppose this project, which will severely jeopardize its water and cultural resources, the statement said.
It takes pressure to make a diamond

This was the figure quoted on Thursday by Pro Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, St Augustine campus, Professor Brian Copeland, as he welcomed the new students for 2016 The UWI Matriculation and Welcome Ceremony at The UWI Sport and Physical Education Centre.

And as he congratulated the first year students, Copeland also warned them that while this important step would be exciting and challenging, it may also be frightening, but, it would ultimately be better.

When you are faced with those inevitable challenges, just remember that it takes a bit of pressure to make a diamond, and The UWI is about making diamonds in The Caribbean populace, he said.

Copeland said that education was meant to ensure that every citizen possessed basic physical and mental survival skills. It also served to empower persons for the job market to allow them to achieve a decent standard of living.

He said given todays worrying economic state, education must ensure that society maintained and developed methods and products that improved upon the current state while ensuring that the existence of future societies was not compromised.

This, Copeland said, required nurturing the creative and innovative talents and skills of the people.

He said while The UWI would do all that was required to ensure that their academic delivery was in keeping with their education agenda, the students also had their part to play to be able to rise to the challenge of a job market that did not currently make the most of their qualifications. He added that regional nations were not significant net earners of foreign exchange.

I challenge you to make your contribution to society by working to change this abysmal state of affairs.Do as your counterparts in other lands have done and apply those creative and innovative talents and skills to devise products, processes, systems and methods that the world has never seen before, Copeland urged.

He told the students that they had opportunities to connect and create a whole new Caribbean experience.
Accounting firm eyes tax-revenues ahead of Budget

The firm hit the TT Board of Inland Revenues inability to pursue tax-dodgers, and urged its reform ahead of its replacement by the TT Revenue Authority (TTRA).

KPMG called on the Government to make clear statements on the efficacy of the current tax amnesty and the recent VAT reduction, and to state their intentions on the Property Tax and a Transfer Pricing Policy for multinationals in TT.

It will be interesting to see the revenues foregone in the form of penalties and interest as compared to the actual amount collected - especially given the skepticism meted out towards this amnesty with respect to its effectiveness given its frequency in recent years, said KPMG. What should be considered is increased tax audits across all sectors by the Board of Inland Revenue covering years of income, within the statute of limitation, of corporate tax payers who benefitted from the boom years when oil prices were at their highest. The firm wanted details of the effects of last Februarys cut in the VAT-rate from 15 to 12.5 percent and the expansion of the VAT-base.

However, many wait with baited breath to see the benefits from these initiatives, KPMG said.

It is hoped that the Honourable Minister will address the effectiveness of the VAT reduction in the upcoming Budget so as to give the general population some perspective on the Governments decision. The firm wanted an update on the Governments plans for a Property Tax.

However, there still remains much uncertainty about the new regime to be implemented, how residential and commercial property will be valued and the ricochet effect that this will have on citizens and companies who own property. Urging Finance Minister Colm Imbert to state his plan of action and timelines for the Property Tax, KPMG said the proposal so far raises more questions than answers.

The firm urged the Government yo state its plans to plug the loophole posed by this countrys lack of any Transfer Pricing Regime, whereby multinationals choose which jurisdictions in which to get tax-breaks for the global operations.

Saying only the Board of Inland Revenue can invoke the Income Tax act section 67 to identify artificial transactions, KPMG warned that complex related-party structures can be used by multinationals for tax avoidance.

The current main Tax Authority does not appear to have a structured means, if any, of treating with businesses that conceal transactions to avoid tax or operate outside the tax system.

The fact quite bluntly put, is that it is ill equipped to deal with the complexities presented in doing business in todays world, said KPMG.

Issues of training and expertise will be key in ensuring the success of the TTRA but moreso, there needs to be a shift in culture to one of diligence and excellence.
AG: New rules will have profound impact

They would have a profound impact on operationalising the new law, namely the measures relating to the Children and Family Division of the High Court, Al Rawi told reporters outside of the Hall of Justice where he attended the opening of the Law Term. He said nineteen pieces of legislation were affected. Those rules will come to assist in how we operationalise the Childrens Act, the foster-care arrangements, adoption, all of the court processes that are involved around children and who were previously referred to as juveniles. Of his own role, the Attorney General said, I am not a stranger to any of this. I am an active participant in all of these rules. Yes, the rules are ready. I will remind you that we have laid and have pushed the Criminal Proceedings Rules  which is a very significant development that will become operational in January 2017  and the new rules have been sent for signature and we expect to push that out.

That is an exercise of significant amount of work among several stakeholders. Al Rawi also said he hoped to table a bill on child marriage in September in a sign that the House of Representatives may be convened before the Budget (September 30).

It is ready and it will come to the LRC for a final session this Monday and thats a matter which I hope to bring to Parliament in September, the Attorney General said. Weve canvassed the views of thousands of people. Weve received submissions from many. And weve done that work across the board, be it in relation to the criminal justice side of the equation, the prison system, the childrens system.
UNC: PNM misleading public on OJTs

According to Lee, the PNM has yet to make good on its promise of a 20 percent increase for OJTs.

Lee made reference to his recent question to Prime Minister Dr.

Keith Rowley on the issue in Wednesdays lower house sitting, and noted that Rowley admitted his administrations failure to implement the new policy.

Lee wrote, During yesterdays sitting of the lower house I sought to confirm in my capacity as Member of Parliament for Pointe a Pierre if Government had actually implemented this policy given that it was listed as one of their achievements in the past year via an official release of the PNM by posing the following question to the Prime Minister during the Prime Ministers question session.
Pradesh BJP President Condemns Kejriwal Ministers Drama at Rajniwas

New Delhi, Sat, 17 Sep 2016 NI Wire

Delhi BJP Only Party Whose Cadre is Working to Help People at Ground Level Even as Delhi Govt. Indulging in Phot Opps in Garb of #OneDelhi & Congress in Political Melodramas to Make Media Image

New Delhi, 17th Sept: Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay has this morning talked to Union Health Minister & Lt. Governor of Delhi after media reports that Delhi Government is trying to fudge figures and veiled instructions have been issued to government & private Doctors to not to write viral disease name on prescription.

Delhi BJP has condemned Minister Kapil Mishra for doing Photo Opps in the name of #OneDelhi which is just a cover up for lost public face and make media image. Delhi BJP has also condemned the drama created by Delhi Government Ministers Satender Jain & Kapil Mishra at Rajniwas where they reached without seeking an appointment . Shri Upadhyay has said that it is regrettable that Kejriwal Minister continue their old dirty political games even in this hour of crisis.

Satish Upadhyay has said that BJP is the only political party which is positively contributing in the fight against Dengue & Chickungunya.

As soon as BJP got to know the gravity of the situation we cancelled all political protests unlike the ruling Aam Aadmi Party which continues to issue political diatribes or the Congress which is organising political melodramas to remain in news.

Upadhyay said even as Delhi Government & other political parties are busy in Photo Opps Delhi BJP to help people in right earnest has started a series of Blood Donation Camps beginning today to ensure full availability of Blood & Platelets for the needy patients. Party will organise One Blood Donation Camp a day in Delhi for next 12 days.

Our MPs, MLAs & District Presidents are going amongst people to ensure awareness, at the ground level. BJP Municipal Councillors are running Door to Door Campaign of Fogging.

Upadhyay said we have set up high level committees under senior leaders MP Shri Ramesh Bidhuri & National Secretary Sardar R.P. Singh to monitor the work of the 3 Civic Bodies.
Delhi Govt. Should Increase Free Beds In Private Hospitals

New Delhi, Sat, 17 Sep 2016 NI Wire

Delhi BJP President Writes to Lt. Governor Demanding Check on Private Hospitals, Labs & Blood Banks Who are Trying to Fleece Patients with Varied Treatment & Tests Charges

If Need Be Community Centres Be Converted Into Make Shift Treatment Centres

New Delhi, 16th Sept: Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay has said that due to initial negligence of Arvind Kejriwal Government in making medical preparations today the people of Delhi are facing extreme hardships in getting proper treatment for Dengue & Chikungunya.

Delhi BJP President has said though situation is already alarming yet we need to be prepared for last week of September to mid October which past experiences tell has been the worst period for spread of Dengue in Delhi.

Upadhyay has in a letter to the Lt. Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung drawn his attention towards media reports & public feed-backs indicating that several private hospitals & doctors in nexus with pathological labs are fleecing patients by overcharging for Dengue or Chikungunya Tests & Treatment.

In addition Upadhyay has said as there is a sudden rise in blood or platelets demand for Dengue patients there are media reports of illegal blood sale too. Shri Upadhyay has requested the Lt. Governor to direct the Health Department & Delhi Police to keep a check on private hospitals, pathological labs & blood banks.

Delhi BJP President has suggested that treating present circumstances as a Health Emergency in Delhi all big private hospitals should be asked to increase Free Beds for lower income patients and Delhi Government should prescribe standard fees to be charged for Dengue or Chickungunya tests & treatment in private hospitals.

Upadhyay has also suggested that if need be Community Centres of Civic Bodies specially in far flung areas or near unauthorised & rehabilitation colonies be converted into Dengue Treatment Centres to be run by government doctors.
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You cant spin a spin doctor. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Scandal star and all-around badass Kerry Washington appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher last night to talk about all things Donald Trump. Washington, who is on the September cover of InStyle, spoke out strongly against the deeply troubling candidate, from his laughable maternity-leave policy to how the media is encouraging the American public to vote for the loudest candidate.

Washington also pointed out we shouldnt be fooled by Trumps use of Ivanka Trump and other female spokespeople to make himself look like a more female-friendly candidate. I think its important that we not be distracted by these very smart, very articulate, beautiful women who work on the Trump campaign, who are a lot smarter than the candidate, I think. We need to be not swayed by them because they will not have their finger on the button  he will, she said.

When Maher brought up the enthusiasm gap that Hillary Clintons campaign is battling, Washington responded, I think theres a bigger problem, which is that right now we are being led by the media  no offense  to vote for the loudest candidate, and the meanest, the bulliest candidate in the playground, and that we are voting based on a cult of personality or a cult of celebrity rather than voting in our best interest. I think if we really look at policy, voting for Trump is voting against our best interests as Americans, as workers, as people of color, as women  Not voting is voting against ourselves. So, voting for Trump is voting against ourselves. Not voting is against ourselves. And I think, in this election, voting for a third-party candidate is voting against ourselves.

Scandal fans will have to wait until the midseason of 2017 for their favorite Gladiators to return to the small screen  as per Washington, shes knocked up again!  but seeing Kerry Washington discuss politics is just as good, if not better, than watching Olivia Pope agonize over Fitz and Jake.
can't stand this dumb fuck and his red neck supporters

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it's interesting



I know a couple of people in Canada who want him to win because they feel like Hillary would have more of a negative global impact than he will

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How is he a real person?

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I honestly can't believe how easy the media has gone on Trump. It's sickening.

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And he keeps saying that blacks have no jobs, and no education, and that 60 something percent of black youth are unemployed. Yeah buddy, keep shitting on us. You'll surely get our votes, now!

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is there anything the media could do to make up for lost time? bcuz i honestly can't think of anything.

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if they couldn't get him to release his tax returns by now they're toothless. the only way to go is to expose his incompetence and dodginess in business through other means.

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please die

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he thinks he can say whatever he wants again now that he behaved for 2 weeks and his poll numbers got a bump.

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It's almost like he wants to lose.

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People really need to stop saying this. He doesn't want to lose.

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This isn't the first time he's dog whistled for her assassination. He did it last month, calling for the "Second Amendment people" to do something. Supposedly the Secret Service talked to him then, because calling for the assassination of a Presidential candidate is a felony.



Funny how he keeps getting away with this psycho shit. And Fallon pats him on the head like a golden retriever. I cannot believe the world we are living in.



If you aren't registered to vote, do so today. Your life depends on it.

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I drive past a house that has a Trump sign out in front of it when he's reined in and every time he goes off the rails and says something psychotic, they take it down. It will be interesting to see if it's there today.

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Shouldn't they have learned to keep it down? That's silly.

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lol

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lmao

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hahhahaha

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Janice must be getting quite the workout.

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Lmaoooo

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we have only one on my block (but plenty "(town name) s our police officers") and I spat at it on my last walk.

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ugh... I drive past this one house every day with two lawn signs out front -- "Trump 2016" and "We Stand With Israel."



I really want to mail them a letter about how bad Trump's policies like encouraging Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear weapons would be for Israel.

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lol I wonder if it's a politically split house or something

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ugh November is taking its sweet time

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I've been thinking this too lately.

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just looking at his photo makes my skin crawl. awful, misogynistic piece of shit.

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I know I'm pursuing a career in medicine. But is it awful that I wanted him to get pneumonia?



This whole thing is just a shit show. I've planned out my whole voting day to get to the polls. And I already know I'm going to get into it with some white Republicans.

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I just meant if the current situation was reversed. I wouldn't want my comments getting flagged.

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Fucking trash. Someone needs to destroy, humiliate and leave him in ruins permanently

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i can't wait for this election to be o v e r

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He also wants to ban abortions http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/09/donald-trumps-new-anti-abortion-letter-should-terrify-you.html?mid=twitter-share-thecut

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*gasp* quelle surprise. he just keeps on climbing the mountain of awfulness

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He needs to drop dead asap.

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i just automatically assume hes against everything that would help people

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lol mte

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Someone should ask Ivanka about this rather than let her sing his praises yet again

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wtf is that keri lake (who?) tweet? the president is not an average american. i agree that my countries president/chancellor should have armed guards, that doesn't mean i think the average citizen should necessarily be allowed to have guns. and drumpf absolutely meant what he said in a sinister way

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Seriously lol. The average American also doesn't get the same amount of training and gun safety information as someone on the President's security detail. Of course I'm more comfortable with them handling guns than your average Joe

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Clinton doesn't even want to take all guns away, just assault weapons. Do you see the Secret Service carrying rifles, Trump? No.

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Exactly. It's based on a non-existent, non-factual position in the first place, so the fact that a news channel would be covering it from that angle is completely misleading and fucked up (which is typical of Fox, of course). They're acting as little more than NRA propagandists.

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GRAND FORKS -- Investigations into child pornography charges filed against three University of North Dakota employees in just over a year do not reveal any link between the cases so far, police said.

We dont have any evidence at this point that the cases are linked at all, said Sgt. Daniel Weigel, a public information officer for the UND Police Department.

Investigators always look for connections between related cases, Weigel said. Three university employees have been charged or convicted of child porn possession in the past year.

Earlier this month, UND aviation professor Eric Hewitt Basile, 37 was arrested and charged with eight counts of possession of certain materials prohibited, all Class C felonies. Detectives said they uncovered eight images of children between 1 and 3 years old being sexually assaulted on his computer, according to an affidavit. He could serve up to five years in prison and be ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for each count.

On Sept. 9, former UND Police Officer Paul Bradley Meagher pleaded guilty in U.S. Federal Court in Fargo to one count of receiving child porn and two counts of possessing child porn. He had been collecting more than 100,000 images and videos of child porn since early 2006, according to prosecutors.

He will be sentenced Nov. 29.

Robert William Beattie, a former UND chairman of the Family and Community Medicine Department, was sentenced in July to 12 years in federal prison for having 3,233 images and 100 videos of child porn.

Both the University and I take this seriously and the University is cooperating fully with the investigation, UND President Mark Kennedy said in a statement to students and staff last week. Mr. Basile has been placed on administrative leave. The conditions of his administrative leave include a ban from campus property and a no-contact order with UND students, faculty and staff.

Kennedy has not addressed the campus community further about the incidents, said Peter Johnson, UNDs interim vice president of university and public affairs. At this time, Johnson knows of no other plans to do so.
From Brian. As most of you already know my wife Lorine has passed away. It was a great shock to myself, her family and many of you in the...
Jeno and Lorenzo Cataldo, the owners of Jo-Cats Pub, 1113 E. Brady St., bought the building next door that houses Mimmas, an Italian restaurant that opened in 1988.

Girolama "Mimma" Megna sold the building to investors a couple of years ago, but continued to lease the restaurant space. She also lives in the building.

Jeno says whats next is up to Megna.

"She is important and integral to Brady Street," says Jeno. "The ball is in her court."

Jeno says he plans to meet with Megna next week to discuss options. "If she wants to stay, wonderful, but if she wants to retire, thats fine, too," says Jeno. "We have some ideas for the space if it becomes available."

The Cataldo family ran a Brady Street restaurant, called Cataldos, in the current Bosleys On Brady, 815 E. Brady St., for 40 years.

"I grew up in the restaurant business," says Jeno.

The Cataldo brothers also own numerous East Side and Brady Street properties.

"I've never been more excited about a transaction than this one," says Jeno. "Ive spent my entire life standing on Brady Street porches, and so much time standing on Jo-Cats porch, looking at that building and wondering if we could ever own it. I feel like we now have the Park Place and Boardwalk' of Brady Street."

Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for more information next week.


A Life isn't about how long we live.

(Image by headinmyhands.com) Details DMCA



It had been quite a while since I'd last seen her. Thus, when I walked into the living room of the nursing home, I was absolutely appalled. Somewhat small and fragile from the start, she must have lost at least an additional 40 pounds. Not only that, she was immobilized on a full-body chair, the like of which I had never seen before.

The sight of her was such a shock that for an hour and a half I just cried, while she, despite being lost in a fog of dementia, patted my hand and tried to comfort me. When she had left Connecticut in 2012 she was a feisty, loud-mouthed, opinionated old lady; now she was a shrunken gnome tied to a chair. Within two weeks of my visit, she died.

So what happened?

My mother was abused in a way that is typical of what is going on as boomers dispose of their elderly parents.

I had a sense that the situation was going south the moment my sister put my mother onto an Alzheimer's unit at Meridian Village in Illinois. It was a locked unit.

As soon as my Mom was safely secured in the unit, my sister and her family immediately went on a lengthy vacation. My mother was stunned. My Mom thought she'd be living in my sister's basement apartment experiencing the good life. She couldn't have been more wrong.

How did my sister get the power to do such a thing, you might ask? Unknown to me, in the years prior to my father's death in 2009, Belinda conducted what you could only call a love-bombing campaign where she inveigled herself into all aspects of my parents' lives. Thus, when my father died, it turned out that my parents had naively appointed her as power of attorney, which gave her total authority.

Complicit with my sister, the staff at Meridian Village immediately tripled the antipsychotic medication that my mother was taking although she was a small, elderly lady of only 110 pounds. When I found this out, I protested to Ms. Beth Sahuri, Director of Nursing, and gave her a 2011 report from the U.S. Department of health and Human Services indicating that the use of antipsychotics in the elderly with dementia can often lead to early death. She ignored it.

I agree that my Mom was an opinionated, annoying, demanding older lady who often got on my nerves. For instance, when she was living with me she'd sometimes wake me up at 6:00 in the morning and demand a home-cooked breakfast right away. At one point, she visited our neighbors to let them know that I was a mean daughter. My mother could also hit people. Still, she was so fragile that there is no way that her "hitting" could have had any more impact than a light pat on the arm.

Her medical team at the University of Connecticut didn't consider such behavior grounds to increase her medication, stating, "We feel that the patient's symptoms are adequately controlled on the current regimen and that the risk of patient fall, daytime somnolence, and possible hypotension is sufficient reason to not add any further medication."

Meridian Village, however, continued to over-medicate my Mom, and kept her in bed to the point where her feet became swollen and developed ulcers. Not only that, despite my protests, the psychiatrist at Meridian Village, Dr. Sanjay Nigam, raised my mother's medication even further, and for the remainder of her time there my mother received major doses of Seroquel, Buspar, Remeron, Trazodone, Depakote, Abilify, and Lamictal, etc.

How did the doctor justify this? He simply changed her diagnosis!

Throughout 2011, the University of CT diagnosed my mother with Mild Dementia, and Major Depressive Disorder notably without psychotic features. The Institute of Living, which did an additional evaluation, specifically stated that she had "no frank delusions." In contrast, at Meridian Village, her doctor expanded my mother's diagnosis to include borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective schizophrenia. He said my mother was hallucinating and psychotic.

How is it possible that within six months of being at Meridian Village, my mother's diagnosis changed from depression without psychotic features to depression with psychotic features? Furthermore, how did my mother, at the advanced age of 83, suddenly develop three major diagnoses she'd never had before in her entire life?

I'm not the only person who questioned the way my mother was being over-medicated. Two consultant pharmacists filed reports for the record deploring the use of antipsychotic medication with my mother as a form of restraint. My Mom's doctor simply brushed off these precautions, stating, "The patient is psychotic."

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At one point during World War II, Josef Stalin famously asked his then allies, Churchill and Roosevelt, "How many divisions does the Pope have?", underlining the crucial role of brute force in world affairs. Military might has still not taken a back seat to negotiation, however, there is a growing conviction across the world and across political lines, that morality must play a role in public life.

Notwithstanding Secretary of State John Kerry's recent posturing in front of the Hiroshima monument to the atomic victims of World World II, nuclear stockpiling continues unabated, while climate change competes as the ultimate threat of annihilation. Any hope of maintaining a human presence on earth can only come from a psychological turnaround.

The nineteen-sixties call by the American counter-culture for a spiritual transformation was not heard, but since Donald Trump entered the presidential fray, and refugees from US wars in the Middle East stormed Europe, progressive warnings about the rise of fascism are. In Europe, everybody knows what fascism is so they don't use the innocent sounding word Alt or 'alternative' to designate the militant far right.

In addition, Europe has a New Right, that backs the National Front's Marine Le Pen, who has tried hard to shed her father's anti-Semitic rhetoric. (The nationalist part of her platform also finds favor with the Russian President, who is more of a social democrat than either a cowboy capitalist or a communist, and about whom more later.)

The US's 'alt right' is not easy to define. It's nationalist, but so are most religious groups. On the other hand, to say it's misogynous barely scratches the surface of its attitude toward women, which tends toward disparage-ment, as opposed to the religious right's 'respect'. Ultimately, it's the alt right's demonization of 'the Other' that separates it from the new right. For Hitler's Nazis, the main 'Others' were Jews, but their xenophobia included Slavs, Communists and brown people across the board. The Alt right is against everyone who opposes its gun-toting, flag waving 'patriotism', putting it at odds with the New Right.

While both the European and the American left are reduced to desperate cries for 'equality', the new right has appropriated the left's major memes, from individual flourishing to decentralization, anti-globalization and anti-consumerism, while abandoning the old right's militarism and racism.

Its program is spelled out in a Manifesto published in 2000 by GRECE, a French think tank founded by the philosopher Alain de Benoist. http://www.arktos.com/alain-de-benoist-and-charles-champetier-manifesto-for-a-european-renaissance.htm l This 14,000 word text could have been written by a leftist were it not for its opposition to multiculturalism, which by the way dovetails with Vladimir Putin's opposition to the immigration of non-Europeans into 'Caucasian' societies. In response to what has hitherto been considered the most progressive view of human relations, the manifesto states:

The French New Right upholds the cause of peoples, because o ne is only justified in defending one's difference from others if one is also able to defend the difference of others. This means that the right to difference cannot be used to exclude others who are different. The French New Right respects ethnic groups, languages, and regional cultures, as well as native religions. It supports peoples struggling against Western imperialism. The diversity of the human species is a treasure, and 'universal', does not oppose difference, but recognizes it. For the New Right, the struggle against racism is not won by negating the concept of race, nor by blending all races into an undifferentiated whole, but by refusing both exclusion and assimilation: neither apartheid nor the melting pot, but acceptance of the other as Other in a perspective of mutual enrichment."

Many leftists will agree that this argument makes sense.But they will wonder what a right-wing party could have against Western Imperialism. It's that imperialism is the flip side of modernity, that generates alienation: While the contemporary left in the developed world has endorsed imperialism in a laudable commitment to equality, for the new right:

A couple of decades ago, that was a typical left-wing argument, but Neo-liberalism has traded ideals for efficiency, thought to guarantee the greatest good for the greatest number: "The 'free' market is an exacerbation of rationalization in which standardization is confused with superiority and equality implies conforming to a host country's customs and standards of behavior."

France has recently revealed the degree to which conformity can become absurd: freedom to dress as one pleases, which enabled western women to abandon stays and long skirts for shorts, is now an obligation to uncover one's body, turning so-called freedom into conformity. Progressives may argue that this is a convenient excuse for maintaining the bulk of humanity in an inferior condition, yet the abandonment of traditional social memes in the competition for 'more', seen as an intrinsic good, also leads to crime, drugs and alienation.

Referring to Russia, Vladimir Putin affirms that "It is clearly impossible to identify oneself only through one's ethnicity or religion in such a large nation with a multi-ethnic population. " People must develop a civic identity on the basis of shared values, a patriotic consciousness, civic responsibility and solidarity, respect for the law and a sense of responsibility for their homeland's fate, without losing touch with their ethnic or religious roots."

According to the Arab website Al Monitor, file:///Users/deen/Documents/PUTIN/Putin's Muslim family values.webarchive when Putin emphasizes Russians' shared moral values, he connects them to the "traditional" values of Middle Eastern, Asian and other non-Western societies. "We can see how many Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilization " People are aggressively trying to export this model all over the world. I am convinced that this opens the door to degradation and primitivism, resulting in a profound demographic and moral crisis, so we consider it natural and right to defend these values." While clearly identifying Russia as a largely Christian country, Putin draws a line between religious values and those of a decadent, secular West.

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Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Website

The latest from the Gallup Poll is that only 32% of Amerians trust the print and TV media to tell the truth. Republicans, 18- to 49-year-old Americans, and independents trust the media even less, with trust rates of 14%, 26%, and 30%.

The only group that can produce a majority that still trusts the media are Democrats with a 51% trust rate in print and TV reporting. The next highest trust rate is Americans over 50 years of age with a trust rate of 38 percent.

The conclusion is that old people who are Democrats are the only remaining group that barely trusts the media. This mistaken trust is due to their enculturation. For older Democrats, belief in government takes the place of Republican belief in evangelical Christianity. Older Democrats are firm believers that it was government under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt that saved America from the Great Depression. As the print and TV media in the 21st century are firmly aligned with the government, the trust in government spills over into trust of the media that is serving the government. As the generation of Democrats enculturated with this mythology die off, Democratic trust rates will plummet toward Republican levels.

It is not difficult to see why trust in the media has collapsed. The corrupt Clinton regime, which we might be on the verge of repeating, allowed a somewhat diverse and independent media to be 90% acquired by six mega-corporations. The result was the disappearance of independence in reporting and opinion.

The constraints that corporate ownership and drive for profits put on journalistic freedom and resources reduced reporting to regurgitations of government and corporate press releases, always the cheapest and uncontroversial way to report.

With journalistic families driven out of journalism by estate taxes, the few remaining newspapers become acquisitions like a trophy wife or a collector Ferrari. Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of amazon.com, handed over $250 million in cash for the Washington Post. Jeff might be a whiz in e-commerce, but when it comes to journalism he could just as well be named Jeff Bozo.

On September 12, Washington Post reporter Cindy Boren dropped the Washington Post below the level of the supermarket tabloid, National Enquirer. One must wonder where her editor was. Drunk perhaps? The Washington Post actually reported that a Nigerian MD, Bennet Omalu, "whose credentials and tenacity are well known," has concluded that Hillary Clinton's obvious medical problems could be due to her being poisoned by a Putin-Trump conspiracy.

One could possibly conclude that Cindy Boren and her Washington Post editor were having fun with Omalu, except that the article repeated the unfounded allegation that circumstantial evidence according to a UK inquiry associates Putin with the poisoning death of Litvinenko.

In other words, first Litvinenko, now Hillary.

If circumstantial evidence is to be the Washington Post's guide, then clearly that evidence suggests that the neoconservatives, well-ensconced in high government positions and desperate for a New Pearl Harbor in order to launch their wars of hegemony in the Middle East, are responsible for 9/11.

Yet the Washington Post has a full-time reporter whose job is to disparage conspiracy theories while the Washington Post itself launches the conspiracy theory of the century: Putin And Trump Conspiracy Poisons US Democratic Candidate for President.

If intelligence, or perhaps simply sufficient time in Americans' lives to investigate the news, were not in such short supply, possibly Americans would reflect on what the benefit is of being driven by Washington into conflict with Russia and China.

It most certainly will not be victory in war, as we all will be dead.
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What was the Halloween Death Smog Disaster? And Other Questions About the Fluoride Added to U.S. Water Supplies Despite the ever-mounting scientific evidence that adding fluoridation to U.S. water supplies causes severe harm to health, local governments continue to use it. The idea of putting fluoride in the water came from the atomic and aluminum industries as a way of disposing of their waste. Fluoride is a principal element in Sarin nerve gas, and dozens have died as a result of accidental industrial releases. Wednesday, October 19, 2022Despite the ever-mounting scientific evidence that adding fluoridation to U.S. water supplies causes severe harm to health, local governments continue to use it. The idea of putting fluoride in the water came from the atomic and aluminum industries as a way of disposing of their waste. Fluoride is a principal element in Sarin nerve gas, and dozens have died as a result of accidental industrial releases.

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Advice from a People's Lobbyist--Taking Action Against 5G Big Tech is working overtime to remove local government oversight of the rollout of hundreds of thousands "small" cell towers nationwide. This is alarming due to the extreme and well-documented health and safety hazards the towers represent. They will increase the risks of wildfires in CA tremendously. Many people want to fight 5G, but don't know how. The article explains how to lobby legislators, with a focus on California. Wednesday, May 5, 2021Big Tech is working overtime to remove local government oversight of the rollout of hundreds of thousands "small" cell towers nationwide. This is alarming due to the extreme and well-documented health and safety hazards the towers represent. They will increase the risks of wildfires in CA tremendously. Many people want to fight 5G, but don't know how. The article explains how to lobby legislators, with a focus on California.

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24 Activists Say Authors of Berkeley's 5G Laws Had Major Conflicts of Interest In response to the federal mandate that is rolling out hundreds of thousands of dangerous 5G (fifth generation) cell towers into neighborhoods, residents in many cities are fighting back. In this article, 24 Berkeley activists describe how the laws there were written by attorneys who have a deep connection with the telecom industry, which resulted in laws that fall far short when it comes to protecting the community. Monday, December 7, 2020In response to the federal mandate that is rolling out hundreds of thousands of dangerous 5G (fifth generation) cell towers into neighborhoods, residents in many cities are fighting back. In this article, 24 Berkeley activists describe how the laws there were written by attorneys who have a deep connection with the telecom industry, which resulted in laws that fall far short when it comes to protecting the community.

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EMF Assault: Coming Soon to a Utility Pole Outside Your Home The telecoms are unleashing a massive rollout of new cell towers, using a technology that has never been tested for health and safety. Unlike previous cell towers, these so-called "small cells" will be right next to our homes. This article discusses the myriad risks--potentially causing catastrophic fires, invading privacy, severe impacts on our health and to the environment. I also discuss ways people are fighting back. Thursday, December 5, 2019The telecoms are unleashing a massive rollout of new cell towers, using a technology that has never been tested for health and safety. Unlike previous cell towers, these so-called "small cells" will be right next to our homes. This article discusses the myriad risks--potentially causing catastrophic fires, invading privacy, severe impacts on our health and to the environment. I also discuss ways people are fighting back.

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#MeToo! Believing Survivors and Exposing Freud's Assault on Truth In light of #MeToo, people have begun to look more closely at how women's stories of having been abused get suppressed. Over 100 years ago, Freud became aware that many of his patients had been sexually abused as children, but was forced to abandon this belief due to the rejection of his ideas by his professional peers. In this interview, I talk to author Jeffrey Masson, former Freud Archives Director, about this topic. Saturday, January 19, 2019In light of #MeToo, people have begun to look more closely at how women's stories of having been abused get suppressed. Over 100 years ago, Freud became aware that many of his patients had been sexually abused as children, but was forced to abandon this belief due to the rejection of his ideas by his professional peers. In this interview, I talk to author Jeffrey Masson, former Freud Archives Director, about this topic.

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A Chicken in Every Pot and a Cell Tower on Every Garage Telecom companies are attempting to rush legislation through Congress and state legislatures that would allow them to install hundreds of thousands new cell towers throughout residential areas, with virtually no public or government oversight. This article looks at all the impacts of one such bill in CA. Friday, September 8, 2017Telecom companies are attempting to rush legislation through Congress and state legislatures that would allow them to install hundreds of thousands new cell towers throughout residential areas, with virtually no public or government oversight. This article looks at all the impacts of one such bill in CA.

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The Answer to the Question: Why on Earth Would Anyone Vote for Bernie? With the general election a few days away, more and more details are coming out about the alleged crimes and corruption of both of the worser-of-two-evils candidates. Many who want to break up the duopoly are leaning towards voting for Jill Stein, but she does not have a chance of winning this time around. In this article I explain why Bernie still has a path to the White House, and why it is imperative that we vote for him. Sunday, November 6, 2016With the general election a few days away, more and more details are coming out about the alleged crimes and corruption of both of the worser-of-two-evils candidates. Many who want to break up the duopoly are leaning towards voting for Jill Stein, but she does not have a chance of winning this time around. In this article I explain why Bernie still has a path to the White House, and why it is imperative that we vote for him.

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Buyer Beware: An Historical Look at Bayer's Unethical Practices This lengthy investigation into the history of Bayer's unethical practices was prompted by the proposed expansion of its plant in Berkeley in the 90s. I'm republishing it now due to the proposed sale of Monsanto to Bayer AG. In addition to examining Bayer's major role during the Nazi period, the article looks at other human rights and environmental violations by the company. Saturday, September 17, 2016This lengthy investigation into the history of Bayer's unethical practices was prompted by the proposed expansion of its plant in Berkeley in the 90s. I'm republishing it now due to the proposed sale of Monsanto to Bayer AG. In addition to examining Bayer's major role during the Nazi period, the article looks at other human rights and environmental violations by the company.
by Sen. Doug Whitsett

The American Conservative Union (ACU) is the nations premier conservative group supporting Americans who are concerned with personal responsibility, traditional values, a strong national defense and the preservation of liberty. The Washington D.C.-based organization is the national leader for providing conservative positions on issues to Congress, the Executive Branch, State Legislatures, the media, political candidates and the public.

The ACU is the only organization in the nation to rate the conservative voting records of state legislators. It researches and selects a wide range of bills that reflect a members adherence to government integrity, as well as economic, social and cultural conservative principles.

This year, the ACU produced a detailed scorecard across the full spectrum of conservative issues for over 8,000 individual legislators in all 50 state legislative bodies. Legislators with the strongest scores consistently voted with the ideals articulated in the U.S. Constitution and reflect how they view the role of government in an individuals life. Legislators in each state who score above 80 percent receive awards for their commitment to conservative principles.

Last week, the ACU released its 2016 ratings for the 60 members of the Oregon House of Representatives and the 30 members of the Oregon Senate. Representative Gail Whitsett (R-HD56) was the only member of the Oregon House to receive the ACUs highest rating. Likewise, I was the only member of the Oregon Senate to achieve a 100 percent ACU voting record. We also both received ACUs highest conservative awards in 2015.

According to ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp, The Oregon legislature continues to churn out a liberal wish-list of legislation that results in higher costs to consumers for health care, housing and energy. The list includes complex notification requirements for landlords of apartment buildings, forcing insurance companies to pay physician rates to non-physicians, and making Oregon the first state in the nation to ban coal fired power plants. Fortunately, a House-passed bill that would have allowed the state police to indefinitely hold up a firearms sale was not taken up in the Senate.

To continue reading Sen. Whitsetts newsletter, please click here

Senator Doug Whitsett is the Republican state senator representing Senate District 28  Klamath Falls
FARGO -- Its now been two years since a Fargo mother secretly whisked her two children off in the dark of night to the Cheyenne Sioux Indian Reservation in far northwest South Dakota.

A new ruling from the tribal appeals court came down this past week granting the two fathers immediate visitation rights, but they are afraid to step foot on the reservation and what they really desire is to gain full custody -- something theyve been awarded in North Dakota courts.

That custodial decision came shortly after the girls were found to be victims of parental kidnapping, a charge Cass County prosecutors convicted Tricia Taylor on after taking the children to the reservation.

Today, she still sits in jail  having served her time on the kidnapping charge but currently being held on contempt of court convictions for not returning the two girls to Fargo and their fathers.

Enough is enough, two years away from their fathers just because someone is stubborn just isnt right, family spokesman Mike Nygaard told Forum News Service.

To emphasize the point he said its been 752 days as of Sunday.

Tracy Lyson of Fargo, the attorney for Aarin Nygaard and Terrence Stanley, couldnt agree more.

Its been a long time. Each day that goes by I feel more for the fathers. And theres only one reason: Tricia Taylor.

Its been a brutal fight  played out in the courts, social media, the media and on the reservation.

Mike Nygaard said even though visitation has been granted with the new order, due to threats that have been made to the fathers and our family, none of us feel safe on that reservation. The threats have come from numerous members of the Taylor family.

Another one of the fathers attorneys -- RoseAnn Wendell of Pierre, S.D. -- agreed.

The family members have been harassed, threatened and verbally assaulted. As a result, they do not feel the need and are not comfortable with having visitation on the reservation, she wrote in an email to tribal court judge Brenda Claymore.

Taylor, who was arrested on the reservation by the FBI for parental kidnapping and returned to Fargo, first left the girls with her brother, but they are now with her half-sister in the town of Timberlake, about 350 miles away from Fargo.

So far, she appears content to the let the issue play out in the courts and stay in jail, although she could return the children and Lyson said she wouldnt oppose her being released at that time.

Taylor, who is now being represented by Fargo attorney Stormy Vickers, declined a request for an interview.

She has made some domestic and sex abuse allegations against Aarin Nygaard, but Fargo prosecutors looked in depth into the charges and found no convincing evidence.

As part of the new tribal appeals court ruling, a three-judge panel comprised of a University of South Dakota law professor and two tribal members, the issue of custody was returned to the tribal court -- for the second time.

The appeals court, led by chief justice and law professor Frank Pommersheim, criticized Judge Claymore for not allowing the fathers to be heard in a first temporary custody hearing, for not considering if the federal Parental Kidnapping Protection Act or Indian Child Welfare Act applied in the case and whether the North Dakota court orders should be followed with written findings of fact and conclusions of law..

If the North Dakota court orders were agreed to by the tribal court, the children would be returned, Lyson said.

Its called comity which is the legal principle that political entities will mutually recognize each others judicial acts. The underlying notion is that different jurisdictions will reciprocate each others judgments out of deference, mutuality, and respect.

In other words, its a true case of tribal law versus state law.

Its also a rare case -- as most custody cases are settled in a hearing and not in a trial setting, Pommersheim said in an interview last month.

The fathers and Lyson take exception with parts of the appeals court ruling, however.

For example, Pommersheim wrote that factual findings in this case are exceedingly sparse, almost nonexistent which is a reason why his court didnt rule on the custody

Lyson, however, was surprised by that comment as all of the evidence was in the case file about the parental kidnapping conviction and the North Dakota custody decision.

The fathers wanted the appeals court to award the children to them.

Now, its back to Judge Claymore and the fathers arent hopeful of an early decision -- despite the appeals court order to move to an immediate hearing.

Wendell shot off an immediate email to the judge after receiving the last weeks decision and called for immediate visitation every weekend in either Aberdeen or Bismarck with no need for another hearing.

She also said the custody hearing should be held immediately, also as ordered by the appeals court.

Wendell said her clients have been respectful to the tribe during the two years, that the fathers would ensure the girls had a chance to visit their mother in jail and that the girls would be fine spending time with their fathers and their families.

While the children have not seen their fathers for awhile, these children did not have the choice to be held from them, she wrote.
New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Reliance Jio has slammed incumbent operators Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone for allegedly refusing to help their mobile phone users port or switch to the new operator.

In a letter to TRAI Chairman R S Sharma, Reliance Jio said Bharti Airtel Ltd, Idea Cellular Ltd and Vodafone India Ltd are perpetrating "illegal and perverse actions" by refusing to enable the porting of mobile number connections.

"Considering that this is a clear and deliberate breach of the license conditions, TRAI must direct incumbent dominant operators to comply with their license terms and obligations ... failing which it should recommend cancellation of the respective licenses at the earliest," Jio wrote.

The three firms did not offer any immediate comment on the story.

"It is important to note that this is being done in blatant disregard to license terms and their obligations under the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2009 and TRAI directions," Reliance Jio wrote on September 14.

Jio said it has been certified as Mobile Number Portability (MNP) compliant by the Telecom Enforcement, Resource and Monitoring Cells of all service area and in this month it wrote to incumbents about commencing services.

"Inspite of being under legal and contractual obligation to port the numbers after a valid request is made, the incumbent dominant operators have rejected all the requests made for porting between September 9 and September 12," it said giving data of port requests rejected.

ALSO READ: Next set of smart cities to be announced next week: M Venkaiah Naidu



It said the rejections were in addition to "the rejection of MNP request of 4,919 corporate mobile numbers issued to employees and members of Reliance Industries Group by Bharti Airtel in August 2016. This was inspite of a confirmation from Bharti Airtel that there were no outstanding dues and that the MNP process could be completed."

Reliance had last month asked all its employees to shun rival mobile phone operators and shift to Jio.

"Almost all of these rejections have been made on the baseless and unsubstantiated ground of 'violation of contractual obligation'. The incumbent dominant operators have not even bothered to elaborate the contractual obligations that have been violated," it said.

The "baseless and unsubstantiated" ground of violation of contractual obligation was being raised to unnecessarily harass customers and prevent them from availing the services of Jio, the company said.

Jio asked TRAI to take serious cognizance of its complaint and intervene by taking strict action against the incumbent operators under the relevant provisions.

ALSO READ: iPhone 7 on sale in 28 countries; jet black out of stock
Lenovo released a new video mocking the lack of innovation in recent flagship phones. They did not shy-away from targeting the popular favorites like the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and even the Galaxy Note 7. Their tagline, "skip the sevens" is a direct dig on all three phones.

The people selected for this experiment were dissatisfied by Apple's recent launch. In the video, a woman introduced a bunch of "Apple-loyalists" to an alleged prototype of the next iPhone. She demonstrated the use of mods. The audience seemed impressed by the idea of mods that could provide long battery life, enhanced speakers and even doubles up as a projector.

ALSO READ: Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal: The big festive discounts are coming

Motorola's Moto Z received a lot of critical appreciation from the tech-community but failed to make a mark in sales. Apple on the other hand, has been pushing incremental updates and still maintains a massive user-base.

With the Note 7 fiasco at play, Samsung is mostly out of the flagship-game right before the festive season, which hardly leaves any substantial threat for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhones went on sale yesterday but experienced a mild response in the Asian market.
Suicide bomber killed 28 ppl at a mosque in Mohmand

GHALLANAI: A suicide bomber killed at least 28 people and wounded more than 45 others as they attended Friday prayers at a mosque in Mohmand tribal district, officials said.



The bombing took place in the Pekhan Killay area of Anbar tehsil in the area bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting the Taliban.



At least 20 people have been killed and more than 30 others wounded, deputy chief of Mohmand tribal district administration Naveed Akbar earlier told AFP. The death toll later swelled to 28, as some of the injured men succumbed to their injuries.



The official said that the bomber came in as Friday prayers were in progress, and blew himself up in the main hall. The suicide bomber was in a crowded mosque, he shouted Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) and then there was a huge blast, Naveed Akbar separately told Reuters.



He added that some fatalities were apparently caused when part of the mosque caved in from the force of the blast. A portion of the mosque and verandah collapsed in the blast and fell on worshippers. We are still retrieving bodies and the injured from the rubble of the mosque, he said. A curfew was later imposed in the area, as the law enforcers launched a combing operation.



The deceased included Noorullah, Wahab, Mazeer, Wahid Gul, Shahab, Naeem, Ibrahim, Nauman, Irfan, Hazrat Gul, Baseerullah, Rehman Shah, Raheem Gul, Rasool Khan, Zakirullah, Shakir, Zubair, Muhammad Zohaib, Wisal, Jamshed, Rizwan, Arab Gul, Fazl-e-Rabbi, Fazl-e-Wahid, Daud, Luqman and Farhad.



The injured were Juma Gul, Alam Khan, Rasool Muhammad, Raz Muhammad, Sabar Gul, Luqman, Saeedullah, Maseehullah, Ali Bahadur, Jafar, Fazal, Nausher, Amroz, Khursheed, Imran, Sameen Khan, Mukarram Khan, Nisarullah, Sher Ali, Bilal, Lal Mir, Ihsanullah, Khan Badshah, Dawar, Imran, Sherullah, Shakirullah, Sawab Gul, Mehrab Gul, Asal Muhammad, Ghulam Khan and Awais.



Shireen Zada, a resident who had prayed at another mosque, said he heard the blast as he was walking home. I rushed to the spot... brought my pick-up truck, loaded three wounded and drove them to the hospital in Khar, he said, referring to the nearest town.



One of the wounded, 41-year-old Ghulam Khan, said he heard a deafening explosion during the prayers. I cried for help, but no one came to me ... there were other bodies ... wounded worshippers, who were reciting verses from Quran and waiting for help, he told another foreign news agency.



Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later condemned the bombing, saying the government would remain steadfast in their fight against extremists.



The cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the governments resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country, read a statement from Nawaz Sharifs office.



There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban routinely attack soft targets such as courts, schools and mosques.



On September 2, at least 14 people were killed and more than 50 wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a court in the Pakistani city of Mardan in an assault targeting Pakistans legal community that was claimed by the Jamaatul Ahrar Taliban faction.



The group has also said it was behind an attack on lawyers in southwest Quetta, which killed 73 people on August 8, as well as the Lahore Easter bombing that killed 75 in Pakistans deadliest attack this year.



Pakistans deadliest ever attack occurred in Peshawar in December 2014, when the Taliban stormed a school, killing more than 150 people, mostly children.



The army launched an operation in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004.



As a result security in the country has since improved. Scattered attacks still take place, but they are fewer and of a lesser intensity than in previous years.
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...
An all-sky view of stars in our Galaxy  the Milky Way  and neighbouring galaxies, based on the first year of observations from ESAs Gaia satellite, from July 2014 to September 2015. Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC

The first catalogue of more than a billion stars from ESA's Gaia satellite was published today  the largest all-sky survey of celestial objects to date.

On its way to assembling the most detailed 3-D map ever made of our Milky Way galaxy, Gaia has pinned down the precise position on the sky and the brightness of 1142 million stars.

As a taster of the richer catalogue to come in the near future, today's release also features the distances and the motions across the sky for more than two million stars.

"Gaia is at the forefront of astrometry, charting the sky at precisions that have never been achieved before," says Alvaro Gimenez, ESA's Director of Science.

"Today's release gives us a first impression of the extraordinary data that await us and that will revolutionise our understanding of how stars are distributed and move across our Galaxy."

Launched 1000 days ago, Gaia started its scientific work in July 2014. This first release is based on data collected during its first 14 months of scanning the sky, up to September 2015.

"The beautiful map we are publishing today shows the density of stars measured by Gaia across the entire sky, and confirms that it collected superb data during its first year of operations," says Timo Prusti, Gaia project scientist at ESA.

Artist's impression of Gaia mapping the stars of the Milky Way. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab; background: ESO/S. Brunier

The stripes and other artefacts in the image reflect how Gaia scans the sky, and will gradually fade as more scans are made during the five-year mission.

"The satellite is working well and we have demonstrated that it is possible to handle the analysis of a billion stars. Although the current data are preliminary, we wanted to make them available for the astronomical community to use as soon as possible," adds Dr Prusti.

Transforming the raw information into useful and reliable stellar positions to a level of accuracy never possible before is an extremely complex procedure, entrusted to a pan-European collaboration of about 450 scientists and software engineers: the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium, or DPAC.

"Today's release is the result of a painstaking collaborative work over the past decade," says Anthony Brown from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and consortium chair.

"Together with experts from a variety of disciplines, we had to prepare ourselves even before the start of observations, then treated the data, packaged them into meaningful astronomical products, and validated their scientific content."

In addition to processing the full billion-star catalogue, the scientists looked in detail at the roughly two million stars in common between Gaia's first year and the earlier Hipparcos and Tycho-2 Catalogues, both derived from ESA's Hipparcos mission, which charted the sky more than two decades ago.

A visualisation of how Gaia scanned the sky during its first 14 months of operations, between July 2014 and September 2015.The oval represents a projection of the celestial sphere, with different portions of the sky gradually appearing, according to when and how frequently they were scanned by Gaia. Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC

By combining Gaia data with information from these less precise catalogues, it was possible to start disentangling the effects of 'parallax' and 'proper motion' even from the first year of observations only. Parallax is a small motion in the apparent position of a star caused by Earth's yearly revolution around the Sun and depends on a star's distance from us, while proper motion is due to the physical movement of stars through the Galaxy.

In this way, the scientists were able to estimate distances and motions for the two million stars spread across the sky in the combined TychoGaia Astrometric Solution, or TGAS.

This new catalogue is twice as precise and contains almost 20 times as many stars as the previous definitive reference for astrometry, the Hipparcos Catalogue.

As part of their work in validating the catalogue, DPAC scientists have conducted a study of open stellar clusters  groups of relatively young stars that were born together  that clearly demonstrates the improvement enabled by the new data.

"With Hipparcos, we could only analyse the 3-D structure and dynamics of stars in the Hyades, the nearest open cluster to the Sun, and measure distances for about 80 clusters up to 1600 light-years from us," says Antonella Vallenari from the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) and the Astronomical Observatory of Padua, Italy.

"But with Gaia's first data, it is now possible to measure the distances and motions of stars in about 400 clusters up to 4800 light-years away.

An all-sky view of stars in our Galaxy  the Milky Way  and neighbouring galaxies, based on the first year of observations from ESAs Gaia satellite, from July 2014 to September 2015. Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC

For the closest 14 open clusters, the new data reveal many stars surprisingly far from the centre of the parent cluster, likely escaping to populate other regions of the Galaxy."

Many more stellar clusters will be discovered and analysed in even greater detail with the extraordinary data that Gaia continues to collect and that will be released in the coming years.

The new stellar census also contains 3194 variable stars, stars that rhythmically swell and shrink in size, leading to periodic brightness changes.

Many of the variables seen by Gaia are in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of our galactic neighbours, a region that was scanned repeatedly during the first month of observations, allowing accurate measurement of their changing brightness.

Details about the brightness variations of these stars, 386 of which are new discoveries, are published as part of today's release, along with a first study to test the potential of the data.

"Variable stars like Cepheids and RR Lyraes are valuable indicators of cosmic distances," explains Gisella Clementini from INAF and the Astronomical Observatory of Bologna, Italy.

A virtual journey from our solar system through the Milky Way, based on data from the first release of ESAs Gaia satellite. Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC; acknowledgement: S. Jordan & T. Sagrista Selles (Zentrum fur Astronomie der Universitat Heidelberg)

"While parallax is used to measure distances to large samples of stars in the Milky Way directly, variable stars provide an indirect, but crucial step on our 'cosmic distance ladder', allowing us to extend it to faraway galaxies."

This is possible because some kinds of variable stars are special. For example, in the case of Cepheid stars, the brighter they are intrinsically, the slower their brightness variations. The same is true for RR Lyraes when observed in infrared light. The variability pattern is easy to measure and can be combined with the apparent brightness of a star to infer its true brightness.

This is where Gaia steps in: in the future, scientists will be able to determine very accurate distances to a large sample of variable stars via Gaia's measurements of parallaxes. With those, they will calibrate and improve the relation between the period and brightness of these stars, and apply it to measure distances beyond our Galaxy. A preliminary application of data from the TGAS looks very promising.

"This is only the beginning: we measured the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud to test the quality of the data, and we got a sneak preview of the dramatic improvements that Gaia will soon bring to our understanding of cosmic distances," adds Dr Clementini.

Knowing the positions and motions of stars in the sky to astonishing precision is a fundamental part of studying the properties and past history of the Milky Way and to measure distances to stars and galaxies, but also has a variety of applications closer to home  for example, in the Solar System.

In July, Pluto passed in front of a distant, faint star, offering a rare chance to study the atmosphere of the dwarf planet as the star gradually disappeared and then reappeared behind Pluto.

On 19 July 2016, Pluto passed in front of the faint star UCAC4 345-180315, offering a rare chance to study the atmosphere of the dwarf planet as the star first gradually disappeared and then reappeared behind Pluto. Credit: B. Sicardy (LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, France), P. Tanga (Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, Nice, France), A. Carbognani (Osservatorio Astronomico Valle d'Aosta, Italy), Rodrigo Leiva (LESIA, Observatoire de Paris)

This stellar occultation was visible only from a narrow strip stretching across Europe, similar to the totality path that a solar eclipse lays down on our planet's surface. Precise knowledge of the star's position was crucial to point telescopes on Earth, so the exceptional early release of the Gaia position for this star, which was 10 times more precise than previously available, was instrumental to the successful monitoring of this rare event.

Early results hint at a pause in the puzzling pressure rise of Pluto's tenuous atmosphere, something that has been recorded since 1988 in spite of the dwarf planet moving away from the Sun, which would suggest a drop in pressure due to cooling of the atmosphere.

"These three examples demonstrate how Gaia's present and future data will revolutionise all areas of astronomy, allowing us to investigate our place in the Universe, from our local neighbourhood, the Solar System, to Galactic and even grander, cosmological scales," explains Dr Brown.

This first data release shows that the mission is on track to achieve its ultimate goal: charting the positions, distances, and motions of one billion stars  about 1% of the Milky Way's stellar content  in three dimensions to unprecedented accuracy.

"The road to today has not been without obstacles: Gaia encountered a number of technical challenges and it has taken an extensive collaborative effort to learn how to deal with them," says Fred Jansen, Gaia mission manager at ESA.

"But now, 1000 days after launch and thanks to the great work of everyone involved, we are thrilled to present this first dataset and are looking forward to the next release, which will unleash Gaia's potential to explore our Galaxy as we've never seen it before."

Explore further Image: Star Mapper visualisation

More information: The data from Gaia's first release can be accessed at The data from Gaia's first release can be accessed at archives.esac.esa.int/gaia Fifteen scientific papers describing the data contained in the release and their validation process will appear in a special issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics. Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics
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Digital giving  transforming Save the Children with technology

In this weeks Computer Weekly, we talk to global charity Save the Children to find out how digital technology is helping to transform its work in improving childrens lives. We go behind the scenes at the UKs most secretive court as it discusses bulk data surveillance of citizens by the UK intelligence services. And we analyse the often contradictory experiences of firms implementing SAPs Hana in-memory database platform. Read the issue now.
DEAR ABBY: After the birth of our son, Ricky, my husband insisted he sleep in our bed with us. When our son was 3, I finally put my foot down because none of us were sleeping peacefully. Ricky is now 8, and my husband lies in his bed with him until he falls asleep.

Our daughter, Julie, was born 2 1/2 years ago. She slept in our bed until she was 1, when I moved her to her own bed. She goes down well on her own, but seems to be more clingy (with me especially) during the day. I try to make sure she gets the affection she needs before bedtime, but I feel guilty that she doesnt get that closeness at night.

By the end of the day Im exhausted, and I do not want to fall asleep in a kids bed. Am I wrong for wanting bedtime without kids? At what age should children sleep on their own?

SLEEPY IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR SLEEPY: Youre not wrong. Some parents co-sleep with their children for the first few months after they are born because they enjoy the closeness. After that, they transition the baby to sleeping in a crib nearby so the childs needs can be attended to as necessary.

According to Los Angeles pediatrician Faisal Chawla, M.D., children form their sleep habits early: The longer co-sleeping continues, the more difficult sleeping separately becomes. At 7 or 8 months, babies begin to develop age-appropriate separation anxiety. By the age of 1, a routine is usually set in a childs mind. By age 2, it becomes very difficult to change the sleeping routine because of the terrible 2s temperament that begins.

Your husband has done Ricky no favors by continuing to lie beside him until he falls asleep. Your son should have started sleeping alone years ago. A boy his age should be able to go to sleepovers at friends houses or away to summer camp without having to worry about sleeping because his dad isnt there.

DEAR ABBY: My boss and his wife recently hosted an employee appreciation dinner party at their home. We have close to 100 employees, and because of limited space, we were asked not to bring children. However, the invitations did indicate and guest (or our spouses or significant others name, if they knew it).

One of my co-workers, a single woman, asked me if I thought it would be OK if she brought a female friend (not someone she is in a relationship with). My interpretation of the invite in this particular situation was that if one co-worker couldnt bring their teenage child due to space limitations, it wouldnt be appropriate for another to bring a casual friend. To me, it seemed to be bad manners. What do you think?

APPRECIATION DINNER

DEAR APPRECIATION: When a host issues an invitation that says and guest, it means the host is prepared to accommodate whomever the invitee would like to bring. According to my interpretation, it would be wrong to bring a teenager to an adults-only business-related dinner because the younger person would likely feel out of place. However, bringing a companion along would not be considered a breach of etiquette.
WARRENSBURG  A motorcyclist was seriously injured Tuesday when a minivan backed out of a driveway and directly into his path.

Stephen and Jody May of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, were riding their Harley Davidson motorcycle down Main Street in Warrensburg at 1:59 p.m. when the crash occurred, authorities said.

After the couple was hit by the minivan, their motorcycle was thrown into the oncoming lane, where it struck the back of a car, according to the Warren County Sheriff's Office. The office released details of the crash Saturday.

Stephen May, 47, was flown to Albany Medical Center Hospital with serious injuries.

Jody May, 43, was taken to Glens Falls Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

Officers ticketed Sara Pfuelb, 29, of Johnsburg, for unsafe backing. She operated the minivan that struck the Mays, according to the Warren County Sheriff's Office.

Pfuelb will appear in Warrensburg Town Court at a later date.
SCHROON LAKE  After a treacherous Marine Corps career in Somalia and Bosnia in the early 1990s, and after even more risky military work as a private security contractor a decade later, Rob Shaver finds himself back in New Yorks 21st Congressional District.

This is not where he lives, but it is where he grew up and where he is now running as a write-in candidate for Congress.

During an Aug. 13 interview at the Schroon Lake Town Beach, the 43-year-old walked to the shore where he grew up swimming and down the gazebo steps where the retired Team Clif Bar mountain biker used to pedal his single-speed bike.

I know every hole in the wall in this area, Shaver said. My core is right here through the I-87 corridor, right up to the High Peaks.

Shaver claims a family lineage that can be traced back to 1689, 10 generations in the area around Glens Falls. It includes his father Bob Suttle, a gunsmith specializing in English walnut stocks who still runs his shop, Bobs Custom Guns, out of the basement of his home in Queensbury.

Shaver is using that Queensbury residence in the congressional race even though he lives in Bergen County, New Jersey, to commute more easily to work in New York City. He works for Templar Titan, a global firm managing security, logistic and cyber operations for foreign nations, as the firms senior vice president of global operations. He also said he is hired regularly as a project manager on capital improvement programs in New York City.

A registered Republican, when North Country voters go to cast their ballots for Congress on Nov. 8, Shaver will not be listed. He will not be a part of the debates, either. His campaign is self-funded and promoted mostly on social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn, although he plans to make more stops in the district come October.

But he wants people to know he is a viable choice.

The incumbent is Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, a 32-year-old regarded as a rising star within her party. She is seeking a second term on the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform Party lines.

Her challengers listed on the ballot will be Democrat Mike Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, and Matt Funiciello, a Glens Falls-based breadmaker with the Green Party who tallied 11 percent of the vote in 2014. The three candidates will debate three times next month.

As a write-in candidate, history shows Shaver has long odds, not only to win the election but to have any kind of an effect on it. But he has gained the attention of prominent conservatives such as Carl Paladino. They find him an attractive candidate thanks to his work managing infrastructure projects and his video game-like military backstory, as his campaign manager Santos Lopez puts it.Hes running on a platform in support of Second Amendment rights and conservative fiscal values, and opposed to the Affordable Care Act. He touts direct knowledge of foreign policy and health care due to his military background and because he has worked as a project manager for several major hospital projects, including at Inova Health System in Virginia.

Local supporters include Garry Hoffman of Saranac Lake, head of the Shooters Committee on Political Education, who said Shaver is an A candidate. Nationally, his backers include Ken Crow, a co-founder of one of the first national tea party organizations.

Hes for free markets, hes for smaller government, hes a smart guy, and Im very impressed with him, Crow said.

Initially, Shaver and Lopez had their sights set on the 19th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley. With Republican Rep. Chris Gibson not seeking re-election, Shaver and Santos saw an opportunity, but they quickly learned their fundraising wouldnt hold a candle versus former state Assemblyman John Faso and Andrew Heaney, a candidate supported by the Dutchess County Republican Committee.

When Santos and Shaver read an article in March about how Paladino, the 2010 Republican nominee for governor, circulated an email calling for primary challengers for Stefanik, they figured theyd give him a call and take a shot in the district where Shaver grew up.

Paladino serves as New York co-chair of Donald Trumps presidential campaign. In a phone interview this week, Paladino said he spoke with Shaver and Santos a couple of times last spring. He praised Shaver for his conservative values while again criticizing Stefanik.

She appears to be someone (whos) Republican in name only, and as a result, people such as me dont necessarily agree with some of her policies, and she has yet to strongly endorse Donald Trump, Paladino said. She is somewhat mixed up with her liberal feelings and should rethink some of the things shes been doing.

Shaver, who is endorsed by the Veterans Party of America, described Stefanik as disengaged from North Country voters and small businesses.

Multiple messages left with Stefaniks campaign staff this week, asking to comment about Shavers campaign, were not returned.

Though registered as a Republican, Shaver said he identifies first and foremost as a constitutionalist, independent of party influence. In an unusual political year, Shaver agrees with Trump on some things, such as opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, but he disagrees with the Republican presidential nominee on other things, such as his December 2015 call to ban Muslim travel to the United States. Years of firsthand interaction with people in the Middle East have helped Shaver appreciate and understand the situation of Middle Eastern Muslims, he said.

How is it better than having a congressional candidate that is actually over there involved in taking down ISIS? Shaver said. I am actually over there trying to help U.S. companies that are trying to conclude business with Iraq and Kurdistan. I have that hands-on knowledge of whats really going on.

Shaver said he has worked on more than 500 missions as a private security contractor in volatile areas, for private security companies such as Blackwater and Triple Canopy. His work in the Middle East came after his active duty in the Marine Corps, which began when he was 19 years old in 1992 and ended in August 1994.

In between, he said he served in places such as Somalia in 1993, where he said, as a member of the Marine Force Recon, he helped rescue Army Rangers who were shot down at the Battle of Mogadishu, memorialized in the movie Black Hawk Down.

More than a decade later, he found himself in an even more thorny scenario. On Memorial Day 2005, while working for Zapata Engineering, he was one of 18 contractors ambushed and detained by the Marine Corps in Fallujah, Iraq. Zip-tied and celled-up, they were suspected of being insurgents by their own country.

After several days of interrogation, Shaver said he was the last contractor freed. He was quoted in a July 2005 Washington Post article about the ordeal. Back home in Schroon Lake last month, he recounted it again.

I drive like a bat out of hell, like the Dukes of Hazzard, and my job is to call out anything that could possibly go Boom! Shaver said of his assignment. Im on the radio, driving fast, getting people out of my way, flashing my lights, and I pull in to set up security  a 90-degree turn  and everyone dives underneath me to set up a checkpoint. Well, the last vehicle hit (tire shredders), so we had to change the tires, and the next thing you know, the Marine Corps advances on us  a whole platoon.

While in the North Country last month, he said, as part of his job with Templar Titan, he was one phone call away from a flight to Kurdistan.

We always have our duffle bags and backpacks and bug-out bags  everything is always packed, he said.

Funiciello described Shavers effort as running a fight all by himself, but said he respects what the military man is trying to achieve. They may be on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum on several issues, but Funiciello did see some similarities between their campaigns.

Dubbing the election an exclusionary system, Funiciello said he wished Shaver could take part in the debates, though he said he didnt think it would happen. As for a numerical effect on the race, Funiciello said he thinks Shavers will be minimal.

I give all power to him for deciding to run as a write-in candidate, Funiciello said. It really shows he is doing it because he is sincere.

More voices, more choices, he added. Thats what democracy is supposed to be all about.
















Israel's army estimates that thousands of rockets could slam into the Jewish state in any future conflagration, military sources said Friday ahead of a nationwide civil defence drill. "Total war on several fronts, destruction of essential equipment and infrastructure and heavy rocket bombardment" all form part of the scenario for the exercise, which runs from Sunday until September 21, the army said. The drill is based on projections of the army's Home Front Command, which estimates 1,500 rockets crashing into the country each day, military sources said in a briefing to Israeli reporters, local media reported. The projectiles could be launched simultaneously by Lebanon's Shiite militia Hezbollah across Israel's northern border and to a far lesser extent from Hamas-ruled Gaza in the south. Hamas is said to have been left seriously weakened after a 2014 Gaza war against Israel, but it still holds thousands of rockets, according to a military official. Hezbollah has at least 100,000 and probably more, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Only around one in 100 rockets is likely to hit a building, military sources say, with the rest falling on open ground or being intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system. They say 95 percent of rockets fired will likely carry a light payload and have a range of less than 40 kilometres (25 miles), but Hezbollah can hit densely-populated central Israel with dozens of rockets each day. The Home Front Command, tasked with leading and coordinating civil defence, regularly publishes maps showing the maximum time, by location, that Israelis have to take shelter after air raid sirens sound. In Tel Aviv, Israel's seaside commercial and leisure capital, the time to scramble to safety has been reassessed from 90 seconds at present to 60 in the next conflict. After a 2006 war with Hezbollah, an official inquiry criticised authorities for lack of preparedness and organisation in civil defence procedures. During that conflict, the Shiite militia rained about 4,000 rockets on Israel and sent a million civilians into shelters, many of them dilapidated and cramped. The 34 days of fighting took the lives of more than 1,200 on the Lebanese side, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, almost all soldiers.

























The Russian General Staff said that the United States fails to fulfill obligations on Syria, adding that Washington will be responsible for the breakdown of the ceasefire if the situation does not change





The US did not respond to Russia's appeal containing data on the violations of the Syrian truce by US-controlled armed groups, the chief of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Savchenko, said Saturday.





"The United States didn't reply to any of our appeals containing information on ceasefire violations by US-controlled armed groups. Moreover, the US side declines telephone conversations, including those planned in advance, as it happened yesterday," Savchenko said during a videoconference.





"This indicates that the United States does not control the situation in Syria and is not ready to take steps to force US-controlled militants to implement ceasefire."





During a video link-up, Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir, the first deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, said the number of ceasefire violations by Syrian rebel groups had been steadily on the rise since the truce came into force last Monday.





"Five days into the truce, we can say that only the Russian and Syrian sides have fulfilled their commitments. The United States and the so-called moderate groups under their control have not fulfilled a single obligation."

























Intermittent shelling and clashes resumed overnight in Syria, a monitor said on Saturday, testing a strained truce brokered by Russia and the United States.





An initial 48-hour ceasefire came into force on Monday evening, and was extended for another two days on Wednesday.





According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, limited shelling and clashes have resumed on several fronts in Syria.





In particular, fighting erupted between rebels and pro-regime forces in the opposition-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, and air strikes hit several towns in the central province of Homs.





In the coastal province of Latakia, fresh regime air strikes hit rebel groups, including fighters from Syrias former al-Qaeda affiliate, in the flashpoint region of Jabal Akrad.





Still no progress, but the UN is ready to move once we get the go ahead, said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The UN has said it cannot deliver aid until all guarantees are in place for safe delivery.



































Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he remained "more positive than negative" over a shaky ceasefire in Syria, but a senior rebel in Aleppo warned the truce "will not hold out" as some fighting persisted and aid failed to come through.

The ceasefire is the result of an agreement between Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with air power, and the United States, which supports some rebel groups, and has cooled fighting since coming into effect last Monday.

But in comments delivered in Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, Putin cast doubt over Washington's commitment to the deal, saying it was "deviating" from its own call for openness, and had been unable to split moderate from "semi-criminal" rebels.

Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal, which they believe is skewed against them, because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control, and blamed Russia for undermining the truce.

Moscow has itself accused rebels of breaking the truce and said Washington needs to do more to make them abide by its terms, including separating from the jihadist Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which only broke formal allegiance to al Qaeda in July.

































The spotlight will be on Syria when world leaders gather at the United Nations next week as the United States and Russia try to shore up a fragile truce deal and President Barack Obama pushes for a boost in global refugee aid.









Some 135 heads of state and government and dozens of ministers will attend the 71st General Assembly, the last for both Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will step down at the end of 2016 after a decade in the job.





"While many conflicts are causing enormous pain, none is causing so much death, destruction and widespread instability as the worsening war in Syria," Ban told reporters on Wednesday. "Major countries with influence have a duty to use their influence and seize this latest opportunity to pursue a political solution."





Members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which includes Russia and the United States, are likely to meet on the sidelines at the United Nations on Tuesday, diplomats said, while the U.N. Security Council is due to hold a high-level meeting on Syria on Wednesday.





Russia had wanted the council to endorse its Syria truce deal with the United States during the meeting, but on Friday said a resolution was unlikely because Washington did not want to share the documents detailing the agreement with the 15-member body.









































A new report on Friday revealed that Congress is beginning an investigation into President Obamas secret bankrolling of an effort to defeat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the last election, an effort that failed.





The probe follows an internal government report that found the State Department turned over the money, and then deleted emails from government accounts detailing the relationship with a group called OneVoice.





The investigation concerned about $350,000 in grants given by the United States to a group called OneVoice to support peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. The organization pursued that goal but later used its assets, built up with the grant money, to campaign against Netanyahu, with whom President Obama has been at odds.





The Beacon report said, A group of nine leading lawmakers led by Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., are now formally petitioning the State Department to come clean about the effort and provide answers about how U.S. taxpayer dollars were permitted to be spent on an organization working against the elected leader of Americas closest Middle East ally. State Department officials failed to properly vet the OneVoice grant proposal because they failed to properly conduct an analysis of risks in the pre-award phase, the senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, the Beacon reported. Unfortunately, it seems that inconsistency and apathy toward oversight of such grants at the State Department is not new. Our aid dollars should be going toward solving real problems, not contributing to the destabilization of allied governments.

































Britain repeatedly has blocked efforts to establish a European Union army over concerns it would undermine the NATO alliance, the main defense pact that now guards the region, as well as national sovereignty.





But with the U.K. on its way out of the coalition, other leaders now are leaping forward with plans, according to a new report in Joseph Farahs G2 Bulletin.





Soeron Kern at Gatestone Institute uncovered a German-language report that details the move. The document confirms rumors that European officials are rushing ahead with defense integration now that Britain  the leading military power in Europe  will be exiting the 28-member European Union, he said.





Proponents of European defense integration argue that it is needed to counter growing security threats and would save billions of euros in duplication between countries, the report continued. Critics say that the creation of a European army, a long-held goal  of European federalists, would entail an unprecedented transfer of sovereignty from European nation states to unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, the de facto capital of the EU.








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September 17, 2016

UPDATED: Anti-Anti-Israel News



Last week, two significant anti-Israel programs were blocked within 24 hours of being publicized.



The first was a pro- Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) event scheduled to take place on Friday, September 16th on Capitol Hill, with support from an anonymous congress member. The presentation was to feature speakers who are active in the notorious BDS campaign against Israel, which is considered by many to be an anti-Semitic movement.



The event was announced Monday and drew bi-partisan outrage from citizens and other congressional members. Initially, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who had sponsored the event, refused to reveal herself publicly. But on Tuesday, after House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi got word of it, Lee withdrew her sponsorship and the presentation was canceled.



The event would have been the first forum in favor of boycotting Israel on Capitol Hill. The event was to be moderated and sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a known anti-Israel organization that garnered controversy after hosting democratic congressman Hank Johnson who compared Israeli settlers to termites.? The organization has been described by the Anti-Defamation League as a coalition of anti-Israel groups that promotes divestment from Israeli companies, organizes anti-Israel events, and lobbies the U.S.?



The second anti-Israel undertaking was a one-credit student-run course titled Palestine: A Settler Colonial Analysis,? which was to be offered at the University of California, Berkeley. On Tuesday, 43 Jewish and civil rights groups wrote a concerned letter to Chancellor Nicholas Dirks claiming that the course was in violation of the UC Board of Regents policy on course content and amounted to political indoctrination.



That same day, Chancellor Dirks suspended the course on the grounds that it did not receive a sufficient degree of scrutiny to ensure that the syllabus met Berkeleys academic standards.?



The swift response on the part of Congress and the university to take action against displays of bigotry is commendable and will hopefully serve as an example for the future.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the LA Times is reporting that the UC Berkeley course has been reinstated. Carla Hesse, executive dean of the College of Letters and Sciences and dean of the social sciences division rescinded the suspension saying her concerns have been addressed.



--Karys Rhea, International Letter-Writing Associate

Posted by SC at September 17, 2016 12:49 PM

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In the weekend WSJ, four letters were published pointing out the hypocrisy and counter-productive nature of the BDS movement that seeks to destroy Israel. All four were written by outstanding CAMERA Letter Writers. To sign up for our letter writing team, please click here.

Allison Brown and Patrick Connors claim that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is part of a long, honorable continuum (Letters, Sept. 12). I beg to differ. There is nothing honorable about the BDS movements goal of preventing dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis who try to forge paths of mutual understanding and respect. Nor is there anything honorable about BDSs attempts to shutter businesses in Judea and Samaria that provide good-paying jobs to Palestinians. BDSs support of entrenched Palestinian rulers leave Palestinians with little hope of escaping the oppression of their corrupt leadership. Furthermore, the BDS movement diverts attention from human-rights abuses inflicted by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas against the Palestinian people.

Hatred for the other? deflects responsibility away from autocratic regimes neglect and abuse of their people. Israel is the other? for the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, as America is the other? for North Korea. Supporters of BDS buttress the despots who deny their people basic rights such as freedom of the press, inclusion for the LGBTQ community and other minorities, justice for women and children and freedom to worshipor not to.

Lynn C. Koss

Fayetteville, N.Y.

The target of these New York campaigners, like the rest of the BDS advocates, is the existence of Israel itself. Omar Barghouti, a leading founder of the BDS movement, stated it with full clarity: definitely, most definitely we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine.? That means all of Palestineno Israel.

Meanwhile, Palestinians have a higher standard of living in Israel than in any Arab country. And they have full democratic rights.

Barry Salwen

Wilmington, N.C.

Regarding those victims of Israel: The Palestinian Authority September elections suddenly have been scrubbed. Fatah fears Hamass West Bank gains. Hamas is horrified at a surging Fatah in Gaza. An increasingly despotic Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas continues in the 12th year of a four-year term.

Richard D. Wilkins

Syracuse, N.Y.

Cooperating with BDS can be illegal per the federal statutes outlawing cooperation with the Arab League boycott of Israel, namely the 1977 amendments to the Export Administration Act and the Ribicoff Amendment to the 1976 Tax Reform Act.

Daniel H. Trigoboff

Williamsville, N.Y.
"What has made ECG wobbling is the debt. And the debt is not coming from the ECG or the private individual, those debt are coming from the government. So if it goes into a private hand, is the government now going to be disciplined and be paying [it bills]? this what we are asking?," he told TV3 Friday.

"Because as we speak now if you go to the ministries, they owe and nothing is happening. When they are given their budgetary allocation, it is not enough to pay ECG," he added.

The government is set to lease ECG to a private company for 25 years as part of the second compact of the Millennium Challenge Account signed by the Government in August 2014.

The concession has come under intense opposition from ECG workers and the Trades Union Congress.
Addressing party supporters at the launch of the NDC manifesto in Sunyani Saturday, the vice said the Dr Bawumia's lecture on the economy is nothing short of politics and throwing figures about to deceive Ghanaians.

"Part of the problem is that they [NPP] are trying to use figures to bamboozle us to make use believe what they are saying is true,' he said. "What they are saying is false and is not true."

According to the vice president, he had wanted to respond the running mate of the NPP but he was advised by friends not to do so since Bawumia was only engaged in politics.

Amissah Arthur said even if the economy were to grow by 8 percent per annum, it will take 9 years for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to double.

"How is it possible that the economy that was growing at 3%, 4% and so that in eight years some doctor is saying it grew by almost 500%[SIC]."
The 33-year-old rapper said integrity leads to fairness, adding that it allow people to become empathetic to each other.

He said:"I dont think its one thing, but I think if there is one thing at this moment that we need more, its integrity and fairness.

The more integrity you have, it will also lead to more fairness and if we treat each other with more fairness and more value, not trying to undercut each other, there is a lot that will go better because we will be more empathetic to each other as humans."

Speaking on Class FM's 'Class Drive' Wednesday, September 14, the God MC rapper also regretted the gap between pop culture and the academia.

He said he is looking forward to sharing knowledge with academia, saying the music industry has become influential.

He also said music trends has become an integral part of the global web, citing culture export and culture exchange programmes.

Im looking forward to actually going into the halls of academia more and being able to share what we do because you know, there is too much of a gap between popular culture, popular music, and academia.

"But what we do is very influential and Im not even saying it has to be studied but it has to be taken into account.
In an interview , the classic man submits about the awards; like Hello Magazine I think. Glitz Style Africa celebrates personalities from different walks of life and their commitment to style and fashionI am the new kid on the block so most people dont know me. I am still just over a year in this business and to be honest . I am sure they had a pool of talent to choose from.But by the way I love it when people love what I wear but I actually do it for myself more and not for recognition 
Visionary filmmaker Ava Duvernay and Selma star David Oyelowo are serving as festival ambassadors.

Like Cotton Twines is a thought-provoking drama on an ancient Ghanaian tradition called Trokosi.

It revolves around a 14-year-old Tuigi (Ophelia Dzidzornu) who had to serve at a shrine which is nothing short of sex slavery, to atone for the sins of her father.

To become a trokosi, Tuigi must abandon her education to serve as a sex slave.

In this world, not every woman gets to have a choice. Your father did a bad thing and you are the only one who can save us, her mother, Luckie Lawson, tells her about Trokosi.

Micah (Jay Ellis), Tuigis American teacher, wades into the unfolding drama to rescue her student only to realise he must also exorcise his own demons when he returns to the land where his ancestors were taken from as slaves.

The movie, produced by Akofa Djankui and Whitney Valcin, was influenced by Djansi own experience with a young slave girl in Ghana when she was 10 years old.

When I was 10 years old, I experienced a Trokosi in the market. I was very young, but I could still see that she has lost all hope.

Years later, a good friend of mine lost her father. At the funeral, there was a bus load of Trokosis in attendance because her dad was a voodoo priest," Djansi said.

The Trokosis were chanting 'we are queens, not slaves.' These women lived hard lives and their eyes were filled with so much pain, yet they were able to chant such a powerful statement.

I started to wonder how they were able to go from being pulled away from their families with their innocence and freedom stripped to chanting 'we are queens, not slaves.' Witnessing their strength first hand was a very powerful moment for me, and I knew that I had to tell their story," she told Hollywoods Black Renaissance.

Like Cotton Twines stars Ophelia Dzidzornu as Tuigi, alongside Yvonne Okoro, Miranda Bailey, David Dontoh, Mawuli Semevo, Luckie Lawson and Adjetey Anang.
President Mahama on Friday September 16, 2016 was spotted in a ceremonial military uniform at the Graduation Parade of the Ghana Armed Forces Academy at Teshie in Accra.

But the lawyer argued that, although Mahama per the constitution is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, he is bastardizing the military as well as breaking the law as a civilian by wearing their uniforms.

He said When the President wears military uniforms (operates military equipment or choose to stay at the Barracks), he blurs the constitutional distinction between the GAF and its civilian command. It also bastardizes the military laws against civilians wearing military uniforms.

Below is his full statement:

I cannot recall President Kuffour or Mills ever wearing military uniforms. President Rawlings wore military uniforms but, like Queen Elizabeth II, he earned that by virtue of his service in the military.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces is a constitutional position given to the President to signify that the armed forces are under civilian control.

The Commander-in-Chief is not a military rank or title and there are no insignia or uniforms associated with it. Being the Commander-in-Chief does not entitle the President to wear military uniform anymore than it entitles him to carry around an AK 47, ride in a pinzgauer or be housed at Gondar Barracks.

The Commander-in-Chief designation is reserved for civilians. By explicit constitutional design, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) are subject to civilian command. This is an extremely important separation of power given our prior history of having military men who held the position of Commander-in-Chief. Civilian control of the GAF is an important doctrine that places ultimate responsibility for strategic national security decision-making in the hands of the civilian political leadership, rather than the professional military officers, as happened under prior military regimes. Thus, under the Constitution, the military brass reports to the civilian Commander-in-Chief but that does not make the latter a military man or entitle him to any military benefits.

It must also be clarified that the Commander-in-Chief designation has nothing to do with a "commander" in the GAF. A "commander" in the GAF is a commanding officer or team leader. Thus, in the navy, a "commander" is the executive officer of a vessel. In the army, a lieutenant colonel is the commander of a battalion. In the air force, a wing commander commands a flying squadron. A "commander" is a rank in the GAF but a Commander-in-Chief is not. The former is an active member of the GAF and is subject to military law. The latter is not.

In my opinion, it is important to reinforce at all times the constitutional principle that the GAF are subject to civilian command. It is equally important to reinforce that the President is a civilian and his designation as Commander-in-Chief does not make him a member of the GAF or entitle him to any honours, benefits or uniforms of the GAF. The GAF frown upon civilians wearing military uniforms or operating military accouterments. The President is a civilian and should desist from wearing military uniform or wielding military weapons.

When the President wears military uniforms (operates military equipment or choose to stay at the Barracks), he blurs the constitutional distinction between the GAF and its civilian command. It also bastardizes the military laws against civilians wearing military uniforms.

The President should set an example for civilians by refraining from wearing military uniforms. His deeds, including his wardrobe, should also remind the GAF that they are under civilian command.
The party's director of communications and campaign spokesperson, Nana Akomea accused the president of failing to put in place proper measures to check the growing menace.

He told you that he would ensure proper governance of our natural resources," he told a news conference Wednesday. "Today when you go to the Ghanaian country side, galamsey is destroying the forest, land, farms, cocoa, and rivers. When you go and you see for yourself, if you are not careful you will get a shock, right under the watch of everybody and yet the man said he was going to ensure proper governance of our natural resources."

As a result of the unregulated operations of the galamsey operators, the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing has warned of a likely closure of three major water treatment dams.

The dams are the Barekese dam, the Kyebi Treatment plant and the Daboase water treatment plant.

Management of these plants is being forced to shut them down to prevent them from total collapse as a result of activities of galamsey operators.

The activities of galamsey operators have become a source of worry. As soon as the Minister visits the site, then these operators run into the bush; but whenever we return to our various offices, these guys come back to operate, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Abraham Otabil said in a media interview.

He said that the Kibi water treatment plant is giving an indication that within the next few days, if nothing is done, the treatment plant will be shut down.

As we speak now, Barekese in the Ashanti Region is being threatened seriously. We are looking at the Daboase Plant which is also seriously under siege by these galamsey operators, Mr. Otabil added.
His reaction follows a report by Public Eye in which it criticised Swiss firms for their links to the trade of diesel in Africa that contain high Sulphur considered illegal in Europe.

In West Africa especially, the report said Vitol, Trafigura and Addax & Oryx ruthlessly exploit weak regulatory standards and make the local urban populations pay with their health. Public Eye researchers drew fuel at local pumps in eight countries.

The result was shocking: as our analysis revealed, the diesel samples contained up to 378 times more sulphur than is permitted in Europe. Furthermore, other toxic substances, such as benzene and polycyclical aromatic hydrocarbons, were also found in concentrations that are also banned in Europe.

The report points to weak regulatory standards in Africa which allow diesel to have a sulphur content of more than 2,000 parts per million (ppm). Media reports suggest some allow more than 5,000ppm. In Europe, the standard is less than 10ppm.

However, Moses Asaga said Ghana is on the middle level around 3,000 ppm in a media interview.

He further noted that emission tests carried on the imported diesel show they are within allowable standard.

He also allayed the fears of consumers over the use of the dirty fuel, saying they meet emission control levels.

I need to allay the fears of the public and the consuming public that the ppm levels for Sulphur in Ghana meet the emission control levels in Ghana as prescribed by the EPA, he told Joy FM Friday.

We have done the emission test, bringing along all our alternative vehicles, pilot vehicles, using the diesel that we have procured into the country and when we did the emission test, it meets the environmental allowable standard," he added.
Speaking at the launch of the manifesto on Saturday, the president said the manifesto is: The authentic blueprint with which we envision the transformation of our country in the next four years. We are poised to change more lives and to transform Ghana."

He said: What we launch today is not a catalogue of lofty promises woven together to entice the electorate for votes as others want to do but a product of months of careful and diligent work by some of the finest brains our nation can boast of.

The president said the manifesto captures what the NDC plans to do to move the nation into the next level. It is a document that has content steeped in vision and pragmatism. It speaks to the aspiration of the people while confronting our reality as a nation.

READ ALSO: NDC Manifesto

President John Dramani Mahama earlier on Tuesday [September 13] presented to a cross-section of Ghanaians, the highlights of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto for 2016.

President Mahama during his presentation said he has plans to increase the number of administrative regions if he wins the upcoming elections. He also promised to rework the National Health Insurance Scheme with oil money if given the nod.

The NDC flag bearer reiterated what he plans to do when given the nod in the area of education, health, infrastructural development, among others during the manifesto launch on Saturday.

He touted what he calls improved life expectancy rate, which according to him is second to Cape Verde in Africa.

READ ALSO: NDC Manifesto Launch

He said the NHIS is growing from strength to strength and will be sustained even further with petroleum revenue.

The president argued that his party has been tremendous in the fight against corruption and "will continue to fight corruption wherever we find it."
The Vice Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofu, cited strategic purposes for the manifesto launch in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Ofosu Ampofo who is also the Director of Elections of the NDC said the party considered the political nature and political history of the region before choosing it as its venue.

Speaking to Accra-based Citi FM he said Brong Ahafo is a

He said they also considered the centrality of the region to all other regions and the easy transportation access for all who travelled to the Coronation Park in Sunyani for the launch.

President John Mahama officially launched the 2016 NDC manifesto today in Sunyani, Brong Ahafo region ahead of the December polls.

The manifesto which is themed Changing Lives, Transforming Ghana, captures what the party calls its strategic plans to move the country forward in terms of development.
The President was speaking at the official launch of the NDCs manifesto at the Coronation Park at Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.

President Mahamas term of office can arguably be described as one that has seen a lot of labour agitations than any other in the fourth republic. However President Mahama said he was grateful for the relationship that exists between his government and labour.

READ ALSO: Ghana Railway Workers to strike

Currently some organised labour groups are on strike mainly over their salaries and conditions of service. These groups include the Railway Workers Union and Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA).
According to him, the NPP has a track record of lying to the good people of Ghana via their manifestos in order to score cheap political points.

He said, They are missing in their path. They are a capitalist party that believes in creating the environment for the rich to thrive and for the poor to fend for themselves even if They cannot afford to do so by themselves."

Read more:

Addressing party supporters at the NDC manifesto launch in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo region,he said the NPP cannot win the fight of providing social amenities for Ghanaians.

"So why are they now coming to lay claim to the social policies that are the preserve of a socialist party like the NDC. We have an ideology that says that even though the rich must still make their money, the state must take care and protect the interest and welfare of the needy and weak in society. That is why we have no difficulty in continuing the school feeding, leap and the various social protection programs."
He made this known at the at the 2016 Manifesto launch of the party in Sunyani, Brong Ahafo.

He believes a door-to-door, room-to-room, house-to-house explanation of the manifesto will ensure victory for the party in the December polls.

The Vice President further called on supporters of the party to come out in their numbers and vote for the President to enable him to continue the developmental projects he has outlined in the manifesto.

READ ALSO: NDC Manifesto Launch

Meanwhile, the campaign coordinator of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Kofi Adams has argued that there is no alternative to President John Mahama in the December 7 polls.

According to him, Ghana under the John Mahama-led government has enjoyed infrastructural development and the electorate must therefore give him a second opportunity in the upcoming polls.

The good works that we (NDC) have done in the past few years in the region show that the region is swinging in favour of the NDC very seriously. If you travel around the country, you will bear witness to the level of development projects undertaken in the country. It is as if when you take away the NDC, no other party has been in power, he said.

READ ALSO: NDC Manifesto Launch
Well, this time, around at the NDC manifesto launch the Police Service is using drones to monitor activities at the event.

According to the police, this development will make them more effective as they will be able to detect any anomaly better.

The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GridCo) earlier this year donated the drones to support the work of the service.

The drone, worth between $10,000 - $20,000, is expected to improve police monitoring operations from the sky.

The governing NDC is launching its manifesto today at the Coronation Park in Sunyani. The Brong Ahafo regional chairman of the party Opoku Atuahene says the with the introduction of the drones he believes there will be 'maximum security.'
He said through the sunlight policy, corruption has been fought, exposed and prosecuted.

"Our government has been candid and transparent with the people of Ghana," he said. "We have applied the most potent disinfectant in fighting corruption which is exposure, sunlight. That is the sunlight policy to expose."

After going mum on corruption during the highlight presentation of the Manifesto on Tuesday, President Mahama, the National Democratic Congress flagbearer, promised to make corruption unattractive.

He said unlike the kufour administration, he will expose, investigate and prosecute corrupt officials when necessary.

He said: "Unlike in previous government, we have not declared that we will not expose corruption and bring down our government. We will expose corruption wherever we find it. And It will also be investigated wherever we find it and when necessary we have commenced investigations of persons who have indulged in corruption.

"We'll make corruption to continue to be high-risk activity. We will diligently continue implementation of the national anti-corruption action plan while applying ICT to remove as much human discretion in public financial management."

A conflict of interest charge was also labelled against him by the Minority in Parliament after it emerged that he received a Ford car gift from a Burkinabe contractor.
Speaking on Joy FM's newsfile Saturday morning, Mr Akomea catalogued some 'failed' promises of the governing NDC.

He said the party promised to upgrade 75 existing secondary schools in 2012 but has some far failed to deliver on that.

"There is a basis for judging what the President tells us which is his record in office and that is what every Ghanaian would do. I am sure when we get to that exercise you would find out that the delivery of President Mahama has been abysmal," he premised his argument.

"He [president Mahama] says he is going to upgrade 125 existing secondary schools. The report shows he hasn't even done half of it.

"And now you tell us that you are going to expand free secondary school to 120, 000 boarding students.

"When you pay a GHC118 out of GHC405... boarding fees are up to GHC735, now you come and tell us that now you are going to pay free fees cost GHC735.

"How are we to take it," he quizzed.
A statement signed and issued by the Eastern Regional Youth Organizer of the NPP, Jerry Osei-Poku, said: The NDC in the Eastern Region, led by the Regional Minister and their executives, have chosen the path of intimidation and abuse of power in their quest to usurp victory in the coming elections.

We are at a loss at the level of desperation exhibited by the Eastern Regional Minister and NDC parliamentary candidate for Abirem.

It said "We find it incomprehensible that Madam Mavis who has been a DCE for three years, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister for two years and is currently the Eastern Regional Minister for over a year, and therefore with all the resources under her control, has failed to bring development to the people of Abirem, yet she believes that she can bring development to Abirem with meagre resources as a Member of Parliament.

"It is very unfortunate that political actors within the ruling government tend to use the state coercive force at their disposal to intimidate and maltreat their political opponents instead of using them for the good of the people.

The tactics of intimidation is a strategy of the NDC implemented by most NDC parliamentary candidates who are also government appointees across the country, particularly in the Eastern region.

The statement also urged the police to remain neutral ahead of the polls while calling on the Peace Council to bring the minister to order.
Saeed secured 208 votes ahead of Baba Wahab, a former District Chief Executive, who pulled 168 votes and Basha Firdaus with 28 votes.

On Saturday, November 8, 2015, Bashiru narrowly escaped death when the V8 vehicle he and two other persons were travelling in, spurt a front tyre and rammed into a tree killing the two other individuals instantly on the Kumasi-Kintampo Highway.

Mr Bashiru is said to have been advised to resign to enable him fully recover from the fatal accident he had.

The re-election was supervised and conducted by the Electoral Commission, and witnessed by the NPPs first Vice Chairman F. F Anto and the partys Nasara Coordinator, Kamaldeen Abdullah.

In his victory speech, Saeed thanked the delegates for electing him, promising to wrestle the seat from the National Democratic Congress.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
ALSO READ: Police arraign taxi driver for assault

The accused identified as Joy Omoregie, was arraigned on Friday, September 16, for the alleged assault of one Prisca Evbidan.

The offence was reportedly committed on September 5, at No 5, Okunoghae off Edaiken Primary School, Benin .

During the assault, the accused used her fingers to inflict injuries to the complainant's face and neck.

Prosecutor Chuks Nnamdi, disclosed that the offence contravened Section 351 of the Criminal Code, to which the accused pleaded not guilty.

ALSO READ: Man arraigned in court for assaulting female police officer
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
Ambode, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, made the call at the inauguration of one the roads in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the government planned to inaugurate all the 113 roads between Sept.19 and Sept. 24.

We have chosen to inaugurate the road here to appreciate the diligence and seriousness of the contractor for being the first to complete the project within the stipulated six months.

I congratulate the contractor for this exemplary feat while I urge others to emulate the good example or face sanction, he said.

Ambode said that the ongoing road projects had added 56.1 kilometres, and 112 kilometres of walkways and covered drains to the states total road network.

At a time the national economy is facing challenges, our administration injected N19 billion to the economy of our state, stimulated employment and engaged the business sector.

As we hand over this roads to the communities, I urge residents to guard jealously the infrastructure provided by the government, the governor added.

Also speaking, Alhaja Shukurat Adewunmi-Okeowo, Sole Administrator of the local council, thanked the governor for fulfilling his campaign promise.

ALSO READ: Ambode promises to end traffic gridlock in Apapa

He said that the road would make life better for residents, and promised that the affected communities would take full ownership of it by ensuring its proper maintenance.

NAN recalls that contracts for the 114 roads were awarded on Jan 12, at the initial cost of N17.5 billion.
With the Nigerian government calling for local and foreign investments to rescue the country from its current recession, Aghalieku took his business farther from Nigeria's shores.

According to Daily Post, Aghalieaku Airways commenced operations last month at the Manzini King Mswati III International Airport, Swaziland.

"Aghalieaku Airways is an aviation company that has a business strategy to set up base in the Beautiful Country of Swaziland, a statement on the airlines website said.

"Developing the cargo aviation sector with a powerful and dynamic vision to create a hub site that will become your channel partner to servicing the aviation sector, locally, nationally, globally."

Arinze was quoted as saying: Driven by passion for people, development, growth and positive changes coupled with a strong will and sheer determination, my dream is to capture the aviation market sector and develop the african continent.

My vision is to leave a legacy behind that will inspire and motivate the future generation to strive for greater heights, leaving no stones unturned in achieving their goals and vision, by beating all odds in turning their dreams into reality.

ALSO READ: Governors urge Buhari to declare economic recession a national emergency

Pulse recalls that two weeks ago, one of Nigeria's major airline operators, Aero Contractors, shut down operations due to the economic recession, followed by First Nation airline.
The event will kickoff on Monday, September 19 and end on Friday, September 23.

The President is expected to deliver Nigerias statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly, on the theme: "The Sustainable Development Goals: a Universal Push to Transform our World.

He will also attend a high-level summit, hosted by the UN, on "Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.

According to multiple reports, Buhari will also hold a meeting with President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
The 71st UN General session opens on Monday. It will be President Buharis second appearance since he came to power on 29 May last year.

The meeting confirmed by White House was not on the itinerary of the Nigerian leader released on Friday.

Obama is also scheduled to meet with presidents of Iraq and Colombia.

Obama will discuss with President Buhari about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the governments efforts to counter the terrorist group Boko Haram.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, President Buhari will deliver Nigerias statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly on The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform Our World.

Adesina revealed that the president will also attend a high-level summit to be hosted by the UN, on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.

The summit, which is the first of its kind organised by the General Assembly at the Heads of State and Government level, is expected to come up with a blueprint for a better international response to enhance protection of migrants and refugees.

He also said that Buhari would deliver a keynote address on Taking Climate Action toward Sustainable Development in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin.

The presidents aide disclosed that leaders of member-countries of Lake Chad Basin will attend the summit, organised by Nigerian government, to highlight the urgent need to mobilise international response to the situation in the Chad Basin.

Over nine million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Lake Chad Basin.

He said that while in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders, the president would attend series of meetings as well as side events, which were of significant interest to Nigeria.

ALSO READ: Buhari is not our headache - Anambra monarch says

Adesina said that the president would equally participate in an event hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, on Ending Need in the Lake Chad.

On the margins of the 71 UNGA, President Buhari will sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and participate in activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development.

He said that the Nigerian leader would attend the Clinton Global Initiative as well as the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Business and Global Goals organised by the Secretary General.

According to Adesina, the president will lead discussions at the United States-Africa Business Forum devoted to investing in Nigeria.

He said that the president would hold bilateral meetings with some world leaders in furtherance of his administrations commitment in ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

He said that the discussions would also focus on the presidents longstanding commitment to returning peace and security in the North-East of Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.

The statement said that the president would deliver Nigerias statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly on The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform Our World.

Adesina revealed that the president would also attend a high-level summit to be hosted by the UN, on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.

The summit, which is the first of its kind organised by the General Assembly at the Heads of State and Government level, is expected to come up with a blueprint for a better international response to enhance protection of migrants and refugees.

He also said that Buhari would deliver a keynote address on Taking Climate Action toward Sustainable Development in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin.

The presidents aide disclosed that leaders of member-countries of Lake Chad Basin would attend the summit, organised by Nigerian government, to highlight the urgent need to mobilise international response to the situation in the Chad Basin.

Over nine million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Lake Chad Basin.

He said that while in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders, the president would attend series of meetings as well as side events, which were of significant interest to Nigeria.

Adesina said that the president would equally participate in an event hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, on Ending Need in the Lake Chad.

On the margins of the 71st UNGA, President Buhari will sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and participate in activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development.

He said that the Nigerian leader would attend the Clinton Global Initiative as well as the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Business and Global Goals organised by the Secretary General.

According to Adesina, the president will lead discussions at the United States-Africa Business Forum devoted to investing in Nigeria.

He said that the president would hold bilateral meetings with some world leaders in furtherance of his administrations commitment in ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

He said that the discussions would also focus on the presidents longstanding commitment to returning peace and security in the North-East of Nigeria.
According to reports, President Buhari read the alleged plagiarised paragraph that was inserted in his speech during the launch of the Change Begins With Me campaign on September 8, 2016.

A statement issued by the Presidents media aide, Garba Shehu said it was a mistake by an overzealous staff.

Shehu expressed regret that it happened, adding that Buhari has ordered that disciplinary measures be taken against the Deputy Director.

Shehu, who described the incident as a serious oversight, said the incident will be investigated and appropriate sanctions meted out.

Garba Shehu also said the President wants Nigerians to put the incident behind them and focus change message, which he said is key to restoring the right value system.
He said journalists break stories that work against efforts of security agencies in the country, adding that security authorities too share in the blame as they are not complete honest with the media.

Shettima stated this last Thursday at a workshop on synergy between the media and the military held at the Pinnacle Hotel in Maiduguri, Borno capital.

The workshop was jointly organized by the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army and the Borno State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

In address, the Governor said that in developed countries, the media is often taken into confidence and told the truth about security situations.

This, according to Shettima, is done with the understanding that the media manage their reports in ways that do not undermine security interests of their host countries.

He said: "I had asked myself many times that why was it that in developed countries, Presidents and other leaders would go to places like Afghanistan and Iraq to meet with their soldiers at the battle fronts but such visits would not be instantly reported by leading media houses of the world like the CNN, BBC, New York Times, Aljazeera, Reuters, AFP and other media establishments.

"Reports about these visits would mostly be made public only days after the visit of the President or when the media is sure that the safety of the Presidents at the front lines in Afghanistan would not be compromised.

"A lot of us have heard how the CNN reported meetings between President Obama and troops in battle fields only days after such visits.

"The International media completely shielded Prince Harry when he was fighting as a soldier and member of the British troops in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2008. He was only reported 10 weeks into his deployment after leaving dangerous point in Afghanistan.

"Let us now compare this with a classical situation in Nigeria. When President Goodluck Jonathan was said to be planning to visit Chibok in 2014, the trip was instantly revealed by virtually all Nigerian media houses even when at that time, the visit was supposed to be a secret one in order not to compromise the safety of the President given the strength of the Boko Haram at that time.

"So like I said at the beginning, I had asked myself, what was it that made the International media concealed President Obama's and Prince Harry's visits to Afghanistan and what was it that made our major media houses to act differently by revealing President Goodluck Jonathans planned visit to Chibok.

"I was wondering until I met one very experienced journalist in Lagos who had worked with both Nigerian media and one of the leading International media establishments in Europe and that journalist told me a very simple reason that made the difference.

"The journalist said to me, that the reason why the International media don't give instant or live reports concerning the visits of Presidents and world leaders to any dangerous places is because the international media houses are taken into confidence by those in charge of managing the information on the side of the world leaders.

"The International media establishments are told well about the plan and requested to give blackouts or delayed report instead of real time. At most, the media houses would mostly request that their reporters cover the trip or that clips are given to them at the same time without giving undue to any media house so as for all to break the news simultaneously after the visit

"If you compare that strategy with our case, it becomes clear that we mostly try to hide important steps from the Nigerian media, we try to beat the media by keeping our plans away from them, with a wrong notion that our journalists do not have the capacity to know that which we hide from them.

"The worst assumption any News-Maker can ever have is to assume that any journalist lacks the capacity to find out what is being kept away from the journalist.

"In the relationship between the News-maker and the journalist, the News-maker mostly wants to be the one to give out what he wants the journalist to know while on the other hand, the job of the journalist is not to just to report what the News-maker tells but to be more curious about what the News-maker didn't tell, what the News-maker doesn't want to tell and why he doesn't want to tell.

"This is always the mind set of a good journalist. So, what is the way out? The way out is to tell the journalist the whole story, the whole truth and seek his or her understanding in managing the truth," Shettima said.

He also warned journalists against being used by Boko Haram insurgents to fight psychological warfare using videos.

He further said: "The Boko Haram insurgents are always coming up with psychological warfare strategies. What we must know, is that for every video that the Boko Haram releases, they are using such videos as weapons in their fight.

"The videos are weapons in psychological warfare with the intention of slowing down our troops, showing strength on the part of the insurgents, in order to instill fear in the public, instill fear in our troops, instill fear in us the leaders and instill fear in you the journalist who constitute members of the most strategic public. When the journalists help to propagate insurgents warfare, the insurgents the journalists himself is not spared, after all.

"When Boko Haram was planning a suicide attack on the busy Emab shopping Plaza in Abuja, they didn't care whether a senior editor of the New Telegraph was going to be affected. They attacked that Plaza in June, 2014 and Suleiman Bisalla, a Deputy Editor, was one of those killed in Abuja.

"The same thing happened in Kano when Enenche Akogwu, a reporter and camera man with Channels TV was killed during attacks by Boko Haram on 20th of January, 2012 in Kano. The instances are many and this is why the journalist must see his or herself as an important stakeholder in National Security; as someone who has a role to play in discouraging the propaganda of Boko Haram."
Jibrin also calls for the resignation of the Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun, Whip, Alhassan Doguwa and the Minority Leader of the House, Leo Ogor.

He had accused the principal officers of the House of padding the 2016 budget, the revelation which has dragged the integrity of the low chamber in the mud in the past months.

Jibrin affirmed the call for the resignation of the accused in a 17 page letter to members of the House.

In the letter dated September 16, 2016, the lawmaker maker accused the principal officers of monumental fraud, corruption and abuse of office.

He urged members of the House to to ask Dogara and other affected officers to step aside to allow for a thorough investigation of all the allegations he leveled against them so as to ensure the House does not become a laughing stock.

The letter read in part: The truth of the matter is that I stood against corruption. I stood against budget fraud. The Speaker and the 3 Principal Officers saw me as a stumbling block to a free flow of corruption and budget fraud. They desperately wanted me out.

That is why despite the fact that I told him of my decision to resign, from his pronouncement, he had wished he fired me. I have stated repeatedly that I did nothing wrong in the 2016 budget, I did not abuse my office or corruptly enrich myself in the 5 years I have been in the House. I have stated repeatedly that anybody that has an allegation against me in that regard should feel free and bring it up.

The pronouncement of my questionable sack on the floor was immediately followed by a heavy campaign of calumny in the media spreading falsehood against my person and family sponsored by Speaker Dogara and in several instances using the House spokesperson and later his spokesman until some patriotic members called the House spokesperson to order.

But that was a joke compared to what followed after the close of session on Thursday, July 21, 2016. The plan is to execute my sack just before the recess so that by the time we return I would have been buried and the issue forgotten. I promised Mr. Speaker on July 21st that this issue will never be swept under the carpet.
The traditional priests, business owners and professionals, under an umbrella socio-cultural group, Nedoghama Nedo, announced their support Ize-Iyamu after a meeting in Benin.

According to the Eson of Benin Kingdom and one of the leaders of the group, Chief Amos Osunbor, they endorsed the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ize-Iyamu having assessed him and his his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress, Godwin Obaseki.

The Chiefs said they are convinced that the PDP candidate has the capacity to take the state to the level desired by its citizens.

We have painstakingly assessed the two candidates (Obaseki and Ize-Iyamu) and we have found that Ize-Iyamu is the man for the job, Osunbor said.
Mr Nick Dazang, INECs Deputy Director in charge of Publicity and Voter Education disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja.

He said that the rescheduled election would be concluded before the passing out ceremony.

Information available to INEC shows that the various batches of the NYSC will graduate from the scheme in the first week of October and November.

Their graduation thus does not coincide with the Edo governorship election re-scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 28 neither does it affect the conduct of the said election.

Stakeholders are please urged to discountenance the rumours, Dazang said, adding that the commission had the requisite number of trained staff and ad-hoc staff to conduct the election.

ALSO READ: Senator Kyari says postponement will not affect result
The body organising the protest, Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neo-Liberal Attacks (ANSA), have fixed October 1, 2016, for the march.

A statement released by the organisation reads, We call on Nigerian students, activists, left organizations and organised labour to join us as we match against fresh attacks at strangulating the living standard of the poor majority and demand the reinstatement of victimized students activists across Nigerian campuses.

This is following an event it organised at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State tagged All Nigerian Students Summit.

ALSO READ: Students go on rampage over unpaid tuition

The programme was developed in a bid to address all the common challenges faced by the Nigerian students.

Some of the issues discussed include poor welfare, hike in tuition fees and other key subjects.

According to Newsroom, a comment from the recently held summit reads, Despite the N100 billion NEEDS assessment fund distributed across Nigerian universities and many arbitrary attempts at commercializing education via vicious fee increments, this has not stopped students from hitting the street for things as basic as power and water supply.

Speaking at the summit, Adeyeye said, This is the time we stand up for the truth even when we are standing alone,

A salient difference exist between literacy and education."
Honestly, I cannot fathom why more people dont talk about Western Australia. It may not have major cities like trendy Melbourne or adventurous Cairns or world-renowned Sydney, but it makes up more than a third of Australias land mass! Even as youre reading this, youre probably trying to think of anything to say about Western Australia, anything that you know about it.

Well, take a break, because most amateur and seasoned travelers dont know about this part of Australia. And thats why were here, to regale of all the glory of Western Australia. With scenic coastline, diverse outback national parks, vast gorges, and delectable wine valleys, Western Australia has something for everyone.

Perth

First things first. Meet Perth, the capital of Western Australia, 4th most populous city in the country, one of most livable cities in the world, and your new favorite Australian city. Itll be the departure point for most road trips and tours throughout the region, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt stay a few days to explore it. A food capital, Perth is a culinary paradise that rivals its eastern brother Melbourne and is filled with food tours and cooking classes thatll encourage you to settle down here just for the food.

Due to its relative isolation, major bands tend to exclude it from their tour routes, but this gap has sparked an lively music scene of local artists that spawned famous artists like Birds of Tokyo and Troye Sivan.

Swan Valley

And what goes perfectly with the food is the amazing wine produced throughout Western Australia, especially in Swan Valley. With rich soil and Swan River feeding the region fresh water, Swan Valley was one of the major reasons Captain James Stirling chose to settle this region of Australia. As a result, the area developed into a fantastic wine region of numerous fantastic vineyards. But its not just a great producer of wine, but also chocolate, honey, coffee, and cheese, giving you plenty of options on a Swan Valley day trip from Perth.

Margaret River

Down south from Perth is another enchanting wine growing region: Margaret River. Making up most of the South West Australian peninsula, Margeret river combines scenic beaches and unmatched vineyards into an amazing combination. Originally, the first vineyards here were merely experiments with different techniques, but have grown in the 50 years since then to include over 215 wine producers! A day trip from Perth to Margaret River is a must for any wine connoisseur

The Pinnacles

One of the most popular attractions in Western Australia, is The Pinnacles is one of the strangest destinations weve ever seen. Straight out of a sci-fi film, this wind shaped this yellow desert over millions of years, carving out the towering limestone pillars that dominate the horizon. Only two hours from Perth, this fascinating region can be reach with a day trips or vacation package to the Pinnacles, giving you a variety of routes and options when you make a trip out here.

Karijini National Park

Far north beyond The Pinnacles is the enchanting and diverse Karijini National Park, a treasure trove of gorges, waterfalls, pools, and caves. Lined with trails and dotted with campsites, this is an adventure travelers mecca. A bit more isolated in Western Australia, itll take a few days to reach from Perth,and is better visited on a Western Australia tour package from Perth or a shorter trip from Exmouth to Broome. If you just want to take a day there you can also depart from Exmouth.

Exmouth

While were on the topic, Exmouth is another shining gem of Western Australia. One of the smaller cities, this coastal paradise is another adventure travelers mecca, granting you access to gorgeous beaches, stunning outback national parks, and northern cities of Australia. You can enjoy it on an extended tour of Western Australia or spend a few days here to snorkel in the calm blue waters, especially if youre looking to swim with the gentle whale sharks.

Ningaloo Reef

On the topic of whale sharks, a must for any trip to Western Australia is the gorgeous Ningaloo Marine Park, a stunning, 260km long reef. Home to 500 species of fish and 250 species of coral, the reef is highly protected with almost no human facilities within the park beside research facilities. The Marine Park composes various sub-parks and World Heritage sites, including Cape Range National Park, 21 sanctuary zones, and the North and South Murion Islands. By far the most popular activity here is swimming with whale sharks, but you can also go reef diving, hike through Cape Range National Park, join an atv tour, or just relax on the shore. You can easily enjoy the park from Exmouth, Shark Bay, and Monkey Mia.

Monkey Mia

Not far from Exmouth is another beach town that is worth a visit. Extremely popular for dolphin watching, Monkey Mia goes beyond crowded cruise boats with the chance to get right up to this playful animals right along the shore to feed them  right in knee-deep water! You dont even need to put on a bathing suit to swim (walk?) with dolphins here! Beyond the dolphins, Monkey Mia is a great place to learn about local Aboriginal culture, go diving, and visit Western Australias northern reaches.

Shark Bay

Surrounding Monkey Mia is one of the most expansive World Heritage Sites in Australia and the world: Shark Bay. Located within the Coral Coast, this cherished region covers more than 2.2 million hectares and is composed of two expansive bays, divided by the peninsula where Monkey Mia resides. A mixture of desert and cool coastal climates, this unique biosphere is one of the few places where you can easily swim with whale sharks and see the living fossils known as the Stromalites seen above. A hidden gem of natural wonders, if theres one thing you do on a trip to Western Australia, visit this spectacular region.

Broome

One of the northernmost cities in Western Australia, Broome is the bridge between Perth and Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, as well as a gateway to Kimberly. Sometimes called the Pearl of the North, this city is the centerstone of Australias pearling industry, perfectly located on the northwestern coastal to harvest these favored ornaments. Beyond its indsutry, Broome is a tropical paradise that hosts 22 kilometres of white sandy beaches, perfectly for relaxing beside or taking a scenic camel safari.

Kimberley

One of the nine regions of Australia and a bridge between Western Australia and the Northern Territory, Kimberley is sparsely settled and one of the last frontiers of Australia. Made up of tropical islands, romantic beaches, wild gorges, vast valleys, towering plateaus, and much, much more, Kimberley is a key stop on any trip between Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Take a 4WD tour along the rugged Gibb River Road, cruise on Lake Argyle, or uncover ancient Aboriginal history in Purnululu National park.

Whether you want to taste the delectable cuisine of Perth, take a day trip up to the Pinnacles, or travel the coast all the way to the Northern Territory, there are plenty of tours and things to do in Western Australia.

If you want to discover more travel news from around the world, or learn all the tips and tricks to planning your next vacation, please subscribe to our Tours4fun Newsletter below.
Defeated Somali troops retreated towards the border some three kilometres (2 miles) away, leaving the jihadists in control, the sources said.

"There was heavy fighting in Elwak this afternoon. Shabaab militants attacked the military base of the Somali national army in the suburbs," said Somali military official Abdukadir Elmi. "We don?t have the details yet but there were casualties".

Witnesses said fighting lasted into the evening when the militants took full control of the town.

"Shabaab fighters took control of Elwak town after storming the military base," said resident Omar Adan.

"More than 10 soldiers were killed in the fighting including the commander of the camp," he said.

A statement on the jihadists' Andalus radio telegram account claimed control of the town and said dozens of troops had been killed.

Another witness said the jihadists had entered the town disguised as Kenyan soldiers.

"They were riding in military vehicles they captured from the Kenyan army during the El-Ade attack," said witness Abdi Samow. "They stormed the main army base on the outskirts of town leaving 12 dead."

In January, the Al-Qaeda aligned jihadist group razed a base run by the Kenyan contingent of AMISON -- the African Union Mission in Somalia -- in El-Alde in the south, seizing arms and large quantities of munitions.

It was their third assault in months on an AMISOM base.

In its latest attack barely a fortnight ago, at least five people were killed in Mogadishu when jihadists exploded a suicide car bomb outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace.

The Shabaab, which was forced out of the capital five years ago, continues to launch attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets in its fight to overthrow the internationally-backed government.

The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.
This triggered a dispute between French and Egyptian authorities, French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Friday, September 16.

The origin of these traces remains unclear and Egyptian judicial authorities did not allow French investigators to examine the debris in detail, Le Figaro said, citing a source close to the investigation.

Egypt wishes to write a joint report with France to validate the presence of TNT on the debris. France has refused to do this because the investigators were not able to carry out an adequate inspection to determine how the traces could have got there, Le Figaro said.

A spokesman for the French national police declined to comment.

EgyptAir flight MS804, an Airbus A320, plunged into the eastern Mediterranean en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19. All 66 people on board were killed, including 15 French passengers. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

Audio from the flight recorder of the crashed aircraft mentions a fire on board the plane in its final moments, the investigation committee said in July.

ALSO READ: Voice recorder indicates attempt to put out fire before Egyptair plane crash
The group of senior cabinet ministers, members of parliament and independent journalists, including a Swedish national, were seized in a draconian purge on September 18, 2001 and the days that followed.

The government of Eritrea's authoritarian leader Issaias Afeworki has said those arrested were a threat to national security, and have never disclosed their whereabouts or state of health.

"Those arrested have been detained incommunicado and in solitary confinement," said Sheila Keetharuth, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea.

"Even family members have never been allowed to have any contact whatsoever with them," she said in a statement issued ahead of the 15th anniversary of the arrests.

Among those seized was Swedish-Eritrean journalist and author Dawit Isaak.

Despite efforts by Sweden, the EU and others to ensure his release or at least receive assurances that he is still alive, the diabetic journalist has been held incommunicado since then, accused of spying but never charged or sentenced.

Those arrested 15 years ago are not the only victims of rights abuses in Eritrea.

Keetharuth warned that "the 2001 clampdown set in motion a chain of egregious, widespread and systematic human rights violations that continues to this very day".

She listed arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention, disappearances and torture among the continuing abuses.
The supreme court prosecutor told AFP Tiao had been detained and charged as part of its mandate to investigate the "popular insurrection" which accompanied the collapse of the Compaore regime.

"Former prime minister Luc Adolphe Tiao has been placed in detention and was taken to a prison facility at Ouagadougou this morning," chief prosecutor Armand Ouedraogo told AFP.

"He has been charged with murder, beating and deliberate wounding and complicity" in violence in connection with military attempts to put down the uprising, which cost 33 lives according to an official toll.

Ouagadougou prosecutor Maiza Sereme last week decried the "difficulties" encountered in pursuing the case against Tiao and former regime leaders citing a lack of "cooperation" from state authorities.

Tiao spent a year-and-a-half in exile in Ivory Coast but returned voluntarily to Burkina Faso last weekend after questioning of several members of his former cabinet who remain in the country

Several sources have told AFP that former journalist Tiao is accused of having signed an order for the army to use force in putting down the popular uprising.

"Everybody knows it was him who gave authorisation to fire on demonstrators," said Ouedraogo, who added he could not say if other ministers in the government Tiao headed would also be detained.

In total, police have questioned 16 ministers from the Tiao government in connection with the killings linked to the anti-Compaore demonstrations at the end of 2014.

The remainder are in exile and some have found employment with international organisations abroad.

Following the suppression of the unrest, Amnesty International released a report on the anti-Compaore demonstration accusing the presidential security unit (RSP) of being behind the violence. The RSP was dissolved following last year's abortive coup.

ALSO READ: Burkina Faso Govt bans big buttocks beauty contest

Compaore is currently in exile in Ivory Coast and the transitional council has also accused him of high treason and of abusing the constitution in seeking to stay in power.

He is the subject of an international arrest warrant in connection with the murder of former president Thomas Sankara, killed in the 1987 coup which brought Compaore to power.
DAVIS COUNTY, IA REAL ESTATE & FARM EQUIPMENT AUCTION SALE TO BE HELD AT THE FARM: 27807 EBONY AVE.  BLOOMFIELD, IOWA MONDAY, OCTOBER 10TH @ 11:00 A.M. HOME & 32 ACRES Selling a brick constructed, 1,904 sq. ft., 3 bedroom home with 112 baths on 32 acres of land located in Section 35 of Fabius Township, Davis County, Iowa. PUBLIC SHOWING: THURS., SEPT. 29TH  4:00 - 5:30 PM ALSO SELLING TRACTORS, FARM MACHINERY & FARM SUPPORT ITEMS! Detailed li online! MARK & DANIELLE WIEGAND ATTORNEY: Rick Lynch  Lynch Law Office 207 S. Washington St.  Bloomfield, IA 52537  Phone: 641-664-3188 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT OUR NATIONAL REP: JOHN A (641) 856-7355 SULLIVAN AUCTIONEERS, LLC  TOLL FREE (844) 847-2161 www.sullivanauctioneers.com  IL License #444000107
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With a new job to look forward to, Martin Pizano was happy to get his hair cut Saturday.

It's an opportunity the 53-year-old doesn't get very often. Money's tight; he's saving up for rent on his own place one day.

Pizano, who immigrated from Mexico to the United States 30 years ago, has fallen on hard times and has been living in Christian Care's homeless shelter for men at 2209 3rd Ave., Rock Island, for the past five months.

"This helped me," he said of the agency.

Christian Care has helped countless people for 100 years. It started in 1916 when a man "found Jesus and $20," Rock Island Mayor Dennis Pauley said during Saturday's anniversary party.

The founder was Guy Rodgers, who was training to be a professional boxer when alcoholism nearly ruined his life. He was living on the streets and found the money on a sidewalk, but instead of buying liquor, he opened a one-room storefront shelter for homeless men, Christian Care's outreach coordinator Pam Hauman said.

Today, the nonprofit organization shelters up to 38 homeless men in dormitory-style bedrooms, but the need is far greater.

"We have as much of a need today as we had 100 years ago, unfortunately," said John Thompson, president of Christian Care's board of directors.

The front office has what Elaine Winter, Christian Care's CEO, called a "crisis log," where staff notes every call that comes in for someone seeking shelter and puts the names on a waiting list. The notebook is "two inches thick," Winter said.

William Ward needed the shelter to get back on his feet three years ago after getting treatment at the Robert Young Center for mental health and substance abuse. Now the 52-year-old has his own apartment in Rock Island and says life is "good."

Ward, who grew up in East Moline, visited the shelter for the anniversary celebration and took advantage of the free haircuts given by students from Capri College, Davenport.

LeShawn Townsend was grinning Saturday. He had just signed a contract for a new apartment at Sala Flats, 1829 4th Ave., and will move in Oct. 1.

"This is a great opportunity," said the 45-year-old U.S. Navy veteran and Christian Care resident. Townsend's life in and out of homeless shelters while struggling with substance abuse was profiled in the Aug. 21 Quad-City Times.

About a quarter of Christian Care's residents are homeless military veterans.

The agency moved into the 2209 3rd Ave. location in 2004, after Alpha M. and Franklin Wingard of Rock Island bequeathed $1 million, enough to build and furnish the 6,980-square-foot brick facility. Before that, it was just down the street at 2010 3rd Ave., its home for decades.

Officials couldn't figure out the address of the very first shelter that Rodgers founded in 1916, with some thinking it may have been housed behind a downtown Rock Island bar because the founder didn't have much money when it started.

Hauman said the agency has evolved over the years. While still providing shelter for homeless men, Christian Care also offers case management, counseling and community referral services.

The agency had a domestic violence shelter for abused women and children until earlier this year, when the leadership decided to close it because of budget constraints, Hauman said.

The 2209 3rd Ave. facility also serves as a heating center in the winter and a cooling center in the summer. It serves 60,000 meals a year and provides clothing.
A former Scott County Jail clerk is expected to admit to misappropriating at least $169,000 from the Sheriffs Office.

Jennifer Wierson, who was senior account clerk until she was fired in 2015, is expected to plead guilty in U.S. District Court, Davenport, to the charge of theft from a government receiving federal program funds, according to a plea agreement filed Friday.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release of not more than two years. Sentencing has not yet been determined.

Court records spell out a scheme by Wierson to steal, obtain by fraud or intentionally misapply money from the Sheriff's Office from 2012 to 2015.

She was interviewed by a Davenport police detective on Oct. 15, 2015, after being confronted with canceled checks from Quad-City Bank and Trust that were deposited into the wrong account to cover up cash shortages, her plea agreement filed in federal court states.

She told the detective that her scheme started with small amounts that she would borrow and intended to pay back, the agreement states.

She said she was getting a divorce and was "maxed out" and could not afford the divorce, the agreement states. She was trying to keep her car, her house and keep her kids comfortable. She said it got out of control and was hard to stop.

She admitted using the checks to cover for the cash she took from the cash drawers at the kiosk machines, the document states. She also admitted that officers placed cash taken for fingerprint services in the safe in her office and that she would then take the cash.

Wierson managed funds from several programs including the Turnkey Corrections account, inmate kiosk machines, fingerprinting receipts, inmate work release accounts and other sources of revenue and expenditures. She also oversaw cash bail received in the booking office.

She was terminated after it was learned that she had not paid Turnkey for four months, her plea agreement states.

Wierson claimed one of the cash boxes from a kiosk machine was broken, but investigators determined it was not and that $15,498 was missing, the agreement states.

An audit revealed that the report for the jail lobby kiosk for June 13-26, 2014, had no associated bank deposit. There was a time lag between removal of a box and the deposits.

A review of deposits to the inmate kiosk bank accounts from June 2011 to April 2015 reveal numerous discrepancies.

Investigators discovered that from January 2014 to April 2015, certain checks from other jurisdictions billed for fingerprinting and booking services were used to disguise cash shortages. Wierson took some of those checks and deposited them into another account to cover cash shortages caused by her stealing money from Scott County, her plea agreement states. The total misappropriation of this type was $13,882.

Checks used to disguise a cash shortage to reconcile money Wierson stole from kiosk cash drawers was $88,034, the agreement states.

Wierson was responsible for recording work release receipts and for remitting to the county its portion of room and board. Scott County management found that from 2012 to April 2015 cash receipts totaling $15,624 were not remitted to the Treasurer's Office or recorded in the general ledger, the agreement states.

Wierson had been the jail's senior accounting clerk since 2001, but her employment with the county goes back to 1990s, officials say. She is the daughter-in-law of former County Administrator Ray Wierson, who retired in 2008.
Iowa state Sen. Joe Seng has died after a long battle with brain cancer, the state Senate Democratic caucus said Friday.

He was 69 years old.

A Davenport Democrat, Seng has been a popular Quad-City political figure for more than 20 years. He also was a noted veterinarian who had a wide range of business and charitable interests and was active in the Catholic church.

Seng revealed in the fall of 2014 that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, but he said at the time he was determined to seek treatment and continue in the state Legislature for as long as he was able.

He served through the 2015 and 2016 sessions with the assistance of his wife, Mary, whom he wed last year. Lawmakers gave the both of them an extended ovation before the session ended this spring.

Colleagues on Friday remembered Seng as a kind man who cared about people, especially those who had little.

Its a tremendous loss to our community and to the Senate as a whole, said Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport. He had a big heart."

Rep. Jim Lykam, D-Davenport, recalled Sengs dedication to his veterinary practice and to the people who brought their pets to him, often without the ability to pay.

"He had such a big heart. It didnt matter if you could pay or not, Lykam said. If you went to Doc Seng, your pet was going to be taken care of. That was just Joe."

Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, said Seng would be "missed immensely, here and at the Capitol."

In addition to his veterinary practice, Seng had a fondness for playing the accordion and preserving historic buildings. He also was the driving force behind the former Marquette Academy, a small private school located at 6th and Marquette streets.

Seng came onto the political scene in 1993 with a late entry into the race for Davenport mayor. He lost that year, but it would be one his few political defeats. Two years later, Seng would win a seat on the Davenport City Council, where he served until winning election to the Iowa House in 2000.

In 2002, he won a seat in the state Senate, where he easily won re-election since then.

Seng did challenge U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack in the Democratic Party's 2012 primary, but lost. At the time, Seng said his candidacy was animated by his concern about a range of issues, including what he considered intrusions by the Obama administration on religious liberty.

In a statement Friday, Senate Democratic leaders recalled a man who bravely faced his illness.

Joe Seng lives his Catholic faith through his words and actions, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said. He was a friend, a colleague and a good person.

Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, noted that Seng cared deeply about the families and neighborhoods in his district. She also said we owe a debt of gratitude to his wife Mary, who was by his side every step of the journey.

Sengs passing means a special election must be called to fill his seat. He won re-election to his seat in 2014, so he was not facing re-election this year. His district, the 45th, includes much of west Davenport.
Rock Island is losing its city manager of five years.

Thomas Thomas told the Quad-City Times via email Friday that he is resigning to pursue "other opportunities in local government management," although not necessarily in the Quad-Cities.

"Many of the local government management opportunities I am pursuing will require me to leave the Quad-Cities," Thomas said.

He delivered a resignation letter to Mayor Dennis Pauley, the mayor confirmed on Friday.

"We've received a letter of resignation from Thomas," Pauley said. "We will take action on the letter at Monday's City Council meeting."

The mayor declined further comment.

Thomas has served since October 2011.

The city manager's departure comes on the heels of the city losing Walmart as an anchor for a major 11th Street development, but at least one alderman does not think Thomas should take the blame.

"I think condemnation of the mayor and Thomas is unwarranted," said Stephen Tollenaer, who represents Rock Island's 4th Ward. "The mayor never voted on the Watch Tower initiative that Thomas brought to us. Seven elected officials unanimously voted for the 11th Street development. It's disappointing that Mr. Thomas is leaving over this."

Tollenaer went on to say Thomas will be greatly missed, citing among the city manager's top accomplishments the creation of Black Hawk Commons, keeping a balanced budget and negotiating long-term contracts with unions.

"Clearly, the police station and the management of getting that through under budget and on time is a feather in Thomas' hat," Tollenaer said.

Before taking the Rock Island job, Thomas was the chief administrative officer for the city of Macon, Georgia. He succeeded John Phillips, who served for 24 years.
Rock Island's outgoing city manager, Thomas Thomas, could be given $77,500 as he leaves the city, according to a severance agreement aldermen will take up at their meeting on Monday.

Thomas, who served as city manager for five years, told the Quad-City Times via email Friday that he is resigning to pursue "other opportunities in local government management," but many of the opportunities are outside the Quad-Cities.

Mayor Dennis Pauley said the City Council will take action on the resignation at Monday's meeting.

The city will pay Thomas a severance of six months' salary from his separation date, including health insurance and life insurance coverage for that period, the agreement states. His annual salary is $154,902.

He will also be paid for his accrued and unused sick leave time in a lump sum, the agreement states. The city also agrees to provide Thomas a favorable reference letter regarding his employment.

Thomas' last day on the job will be Tuesday, according to a memo from Pauley to the council, which was posted on the city's website over the weekend, along with Thomas' Sept. 13 resignation letter and the severance agreement.

"I have given full attention to my duties and responsibilities," Thomas wrote in his resignation letter, which was addressed to Pauley and the council.

"It has been a unique honor to serve as Rock Island's City Manager. I greatly appreciate the opportunity and privileges I have enjoyed leading such a talented and dedicated team of city employees. I will truly miss my associations here."

Thomas offered no explanation in the letter as to why he's leaving, other than to say he's pursuing other opportunities.

Alderman Stephen Tollenaer told the Times Friday that Thomas "hung his hat" on the Walmart development, and when Walmart pulled out, the city manager decided it was time to leave Rock Island.

The city learned earlier this month that Walmart had decided not to build a store on 11th Street on land that used to be the Watch Tower Plaza. The retailer cited "projected long-term financial performance of the store" and other business factors in its decision.

The decision came after almost four years of planning, negotiations and a $15 million investment by the city to clear the lot and relocate the former tenants.

Before taking the Rock Island job, Thomas was the chief administrative officer for the city of Macon, Georgia. He succeeded John Phillips, who served for 24 years.
MUSCATINE, Iowa - The Muscatine Campus of the Eastern Iowa Community College offers accounting classes that can help a student improve their career skills including Payroll Accounting, QuickBooks, and Federal Taxation. These are just a few of the classes the student can take while earning their Accounting Certificate, which is a semester long program, or their Accounting Diploma, a one year program. There are also two year programs such as the Accounting Management AAS degree.

While you are pursuing your college career or just taking one class, you can become involved in one of our organizations. Business Professionals of America (BPA) is the leading CTSO (Career Technical Student Organization) for students pursuing careers in business management, office administration, information technology and other related career fields.

BPA has more than 51,000 members in over 2,300 chapters in 23 states. BPA provides opportunities to students to: network with business professionals; develop of career specific skills; acquire leadership experiences; make an impact in the community; earn academic credit; build your resume; or compete with peers at a state and national level.

Last year the Muscatine campus members of BPA competed at the state level and four of the winners went to Boston, Mass., to compete on a national level. Three of those students won at the national level in their competition. (Madison Maurer, Dustin Flake, and Kristine Korenberg).

For more information about accounting classes please contact Corey Frad at 563-288-6028, cfrad@eicc.edu and for BPA you may contact Corey Frad or Angela Henning at 563-288-6045, ahenning@eicc.edu.
Thumbs up to Bettendorf city officials for sticking to their guns.

The owner of The Lodge Hotel & Convention Center, Russell Company, has yet to agree to tax increment financing proposal that would help tear down the outdated building. In return, the city would retain some control over future development at the site.

TIF's aren't without controversy. School districts often complain that they siphon off tax dollars. Add using TIFs to fund demolition could be especially problematic. But, in this instance, Bettendorf officials were thinking long term.

Russell has every right to go ahead on its own. But Bettendorf taxpayers won't help pay for it.

Thumbs down to this weird propaganda campaign waged by allies of Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Months ago, Rauner-aligned PACs set up faux-newspapers in competitive legislative districts, including in Rock Island. The direct-mail publication is little but a spin machine for Illinois Republicans.

Now, the hit pieces have gone digital. Illinois Policy Actions film Madigan: Power, privilege, politics is showing throughout the state.

Rauner and his allies have every right to say what they want. And Speaker Michael Madigan deserves criticism. But it's dishonest to assert the obvious partisan propaganda is in anyway credible.

Thumbs up to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley for his quick response to a proposed merger that could drive costs up for farmers.

Executives from Monsanto, DuPont, Bayer and others will testify Monday before Grassley's Senate Judiciary. Grassley's instincts were spot on last month when he first scheduled the inquiry.

Bayer this week announced its intention to purchase seed-giant Monsanto, a move that could corner the market and send prices soaring.

Bayer might be eyeing a monopoly. If so, Grassley should do all he can to shoot the merger down.
CEDAR RAPIDS  U.S. House Rep. Rod Blum, who called for 10 debates with his Democratic challenger Monica Vernon, has now offered what his campaign called his final debate compromise  four debates.

The freshman Republican Friday proposed debates in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, the Cedar Valley and Marshalltown.

This proposal is offered in the spirit of compromise, and we hope Mrs. Vernon accepts so that the citizens of the 1st District can hear for themselves where the two candidates stand, Blum spokesman Daniel Sunne said.

Vernon campaign manager Michelle Gajewski called Blums debate offer a political game (that) has gone on long enough.

We have worked with multiple organizers to schedule debates and Congressman Blums team has ignored every one of them, she said. He has yet to agree to a single proposed debate, and he should be embarrassed by his constant lying to his constituents.

The Blum campaign insisted that the number of debates has to be agreed to before individual debates can be scheduled. The Vernon campaign, it said, has not responded to the debate offers.

We eagerly await the moment when (Blum) is ready to have a real conversation with our team to organize real debates, Gajewski said.

Blum initially proposed 10 debates in June. The Vernon campaign said it would agree to two  the same number Blum and his opponent had in 2012. Blum then countered with six debates. Vernon continued to insist on two.

This might be the first time in political history that a challenger whos behind in the polls wants less debates than the incumbent, Sunne said.

He referred to a poll commissioned by the Blum campaign that showed him leading 50 percent to 43 percent. Vernon said she has a poll showing her leading.
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Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, made his exit on Wednesday after speaking at a campaign event in Canton, Ohio. Credit Damon Winter/The New York Times

WASHINGTON  A few hours after Donald J. Trump publicly backed away on Thursday from a $1 trillion tax cut for small businesses, campaign aides privately assured a leading small-business group that Mr. Trump in fact remained committed to the proposal  winning the groups endorsement.

The campaign then reiterated to the Tax Foundation, a conservative-leaning Washington think tank it asked to price the plan, that Mr. Trump had indeed eliminated the tax cut.

Call it the trillion-dollar lie: Both assertions cannot be true.

At issue is whether small businesses, partnerships and other pass-through entities would get a 15 percent tax rate under the Trump plan, as originally promised, or would continue to pay individual income tax rates as they do now  as high as 33 percent  under the latest Trump plan. The campaigns conflicting accounts of its own proposal are particularly remarkable because the Republican presidential nominee and his advisers have taken months to refine the details.

But in this case, telling two versions of the same story has yielded some important benefits.

Dropping the tax cut is central to Mr. Trumps optimistic claim that his plan would not increase the federal debt. But by simultaneously promising to keep the tax cut, the campaign won the support of the National Federation of Independent Business, an influential small-business lobbying group.

Were comfortable that Mr. Trump is committed to preserving the tax break, said Jack Mozloom, a spokesman for the group. We have it directly from his campaign.

A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to emailed questions.

Mr. Trump on Thursday detailed a package of tax cuts that he claimed would cost $2.6 trillion, far less than the $10 trillion in cuts he proposed last year.

The estimated cost is based on an analysis by the Tax Foundation. Alan Cole, an economist at the foundation, said the Trump campaign provided him with the details of the plan, including the elimination of the small-business tax cut.

After learning about the statement by the business group, Mr. Cole said that he spoke again to the Trump campaign, and that he was assured that Mr. Trump still intended to eliminate the tax cut. The campaign told him it was making a more modest change in the plan that might reduce taxation for some small businesses.

There is a disconnect between the plan as understood by us and the plan as understood by the N.F.I.B., Mr. Cole said on Friday. And I think your inquiry into this is probably a productive one.

Under current law, corporations are subject to one set of tax rates while income from other kinds of businesses entities, like partnerships, is taxed like any other personal income. This is known as pass-through income. In general, the largest businesses are organized as corporations while most smaller businesses are organized as various kinds of pass-throughs.

Mr. Trump has proposed a 15 percent tax rate for corporations. And last year, he proposed taxing pass-through income at the same rate. That would reduce federal tax revenues by around $1 trillion over 10 years, according to the Tax Foundation.





The small-business federation said on Thursday that it was endorsing Mr. Trumps tax plan because it preserves this specific proposal.

We strongly support Mr. Trumps proposal to create a single business tax rate that would create parity between small businesses and their larger competitors, Juanita Duggan, the groups president, said in a statement.

But if the group is right, Mr. Trumps math is wrong.

Mr. Trump has said he would reduce taxation by $4.4 trillion, but the actual cost would be just $2.6 trillion, he claimed, because the cuts would generate explosive economic growth that would offset some of the lost revenue. He said he expected additional economic gains from changes in other aspects of federal policy, including less regulation and new trade agreements. The rest of the cost would be offset by spending cuts.

There is no precedent for a tax cuts generating that kind of economic activity, nor for a similar boost from changes in regulation. And Mr. Trump has not detailed any specific cuts he would make in federal spending. Finally, the plan works only without the tax break the small-business group says it was promised.

If Mr. Trump wants to keep the small-business tax cut, and avoid increasing the debt, he would need to find $1 trillion somewhere else.
NATION

Bomb explodes before charity run

A pipe bomb exploded in a Jersey Shore town Saturday shortly before thousands of runners were due to participate in a charity 5K race to benefit Marines and sailors, authorities said.

No injuries were reported in the blast in Seaside Park around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's office. He said no surrounding structures suffered any apparent damage, as well.

Investigators would not say if they suspected participants in the third annual Semper Five run were targeted. The race was canceled, and the immediate area was put on lockdown.

Doctor: Pence health is excellent

Mike Pence has released a letter from his doctor vouching for his "excellent" health. The letter summarizes the medical history of the Republican vice presidential nominee and says he can maintain his high level of work and exercise routines "without limitations."

The letter about Pence, the 57-year-old governor of Indiana, was dated Thursday and came after Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, also provided some details of their medical history. The health of the candidates has become an issue since Clinton stumbled at a 9/11 memorial event and revealed afterward that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia.

2 officers shot in Texas

A gunman hiding in a backyard shed opened fire on two officers and wounded them after they had responded to the home to check on a suicide report, police said Saturday.

Before they were shot Friday night, the officers discovered an elderly man dead in the Fort Worth, Texas, home, apparently of a gunshot wound, and someone inside the home directed them to a "potential witness" in the tool shed, authorities said. When they opened the shed doors, the gunman started firing.

The officers, both of whom were wearing body armor, returned fire and took cover until backup officers arrived.

WORLD

Militants free Norwegian hostage

Abu Sayyaf extremists on Saturday freed a Norwegian man kidnapped a year ago in the southern Philippines with two Canadians who were later beheaded and a Filipino woman who has been released by the ransom-seeking militants, officials said.

Kjartan Sekkingstad was freed in Patikul town in Sulu province and was eventually secured by rebels from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which has signed a peace deal with the government and helped negotiate his release, Philippine government officials said.

Sekkingstad, held in jungle captivity since being kidnapped last September, was to stay overnight at the house of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari in Sulu and then be flown to the southern city of Davao on Sunday to meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, said Jesus Dureza, who advises Duterte on peace talks with insurgent groups.

$12.9B raised to fight diseases

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that a record $12.9 billion has been raised for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over the next three years.

Trudeau made the announcement on the second and final day of an international donors' meeting as Microsoft founder Bill Gates, U2 frontman Bono, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and others gathered in Montreal to determine how to replenish the major global health fund that combats AIDS and two of the world's other leading killers in low-income countries.

Gates told The Associated Press he expects that figure to reach $13 billion by the end of the year. He calls it a significant accomplishment at a time of tight budgets and a growing refugee crisis.

Gates increased his individual commitment by 20 percent to $600 million. The U.S, the biggest donor, is contributing up to $4.3 billion.

People begin returning to Fallujah

The governor of Iraq's western Anbar province says families have begun returning to Fallujah three months after the city was declared fully liberated from the Islamic State group.

Suhaib al-Rawi says 40 families were cleared to return after they passed background checks and their neighborhoods were deemed safe.

Fallujah was declared "fully liberated" in late June after a monthlong operation by Iraqi forces aided with U.S.-led airstrikes. Fallujah had been the first Iraqi city to fall to IS, in January 2014.

The nearby city of Ramadi was also retaken from IS earlier this year, but is largely uninhabitable due to destruction caused by the fighting and explosives left by IS.
A good Friday to all. The weather word for the day  and for the rest of the weekend  is sun, and plenty of it. Here are the weather details
The federal government's planned release of 1,000 wild horses onto private land near Belle Fourche was made more complicated Friday after a formal appeal was filed, challenging the environmental assessment of the horse relocation.

The federal Bureau of Land Management plan is to move the wild horses from a grazing lease at a ranch near Ft. Pierre to a similar lease on a private ranch in southeast Butte County. The move is part of a larger effort to save America's wild horses.

The appeal was received on the deadline day on Friday by the federal BLM station in Belle Fourche.

Chip Kimball, South Dakota field manager for the bureau, said Friday that the appeal came in the 30-day time period following her signing of the environmental assessment for the project.

The BLM had planned to move the horses around the end of September.

Kimball would not comment on how the appeal might affect the project timeline. But earlier, she indicated the appeal will require more evaluation.

"If we get an appeal by Sept. 15, then we will look at the points they brought up in the appeal and see if we need to make changes, reevaluate the Environmental Assessment, she said

One way or another, she said, we will address the concerns.

Depending on issues raised in any appeal, It may or may not delay the arrival of the horses, she added.

The BLM, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, is charged with protection and management of wild horse herds under an act of Congress. But its also under orders not to let herds on public lands overgraze.

Since the horse numbers can double in four years, BLM has to lease private ranch land for the animals that arent adopted through a national program.

About 1,000 of these excess horses have been pasturing on the Standing Butte Ranch in Stanley County under a grazing contract with Spur Livestock, which contracts with the BLM.

When a move became necessary, Spur proposed a grazing lease with NW Ranches in southeast Butte County.

Normally a move of horses from one leased pasture to another wouldnt raise eyebrows.

But because of the federal involvement, BLM has to go through standard regulations to approve the move.
Four local authors will participate in the Montana Book Festival in Missoula, which this year features 150 authors and 23 venues between Sept. 20 and 25.

Local authors include Patricia Ann Holmes, Michael Hoyt, Mario Locatelli and Dr. L. Allen Strate, all published by Stoneydale Press in Stevensville.

Holmes, a retired educator and author, will participate on the panel Self-publishing Childrens Books, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 25, in the Fact and Fiction bookstore, 220 N Higgins Ave.

Holmes will present her self-published, illustrated Little Toad series and her new Mayzee book alongside author Cindy Owings, a former textile artist presenting her book Flouncy, Leafy and Wooly Go Wild in Wonderland. Their presentation is free and open to the public.

Adventure authors Michael Hoyt (Bitterroot Mountain Trails  Vol. 2) and Mario Locatelli (Friends in High Places) will share their insights on exploring and writing about the great outdoors. Their presentation is called Trails and Mountain Goats: A Stoneydale Press Presentation and is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, at Fact & Fiction bookstore. A $5, one-event visit or a $15 festival button is required for their presentation.

Dr. L. Allen Strate, author of High Lights, Low Lights, and Red Lights, will give a free presentation on Montanas Many Sides: Curiosities, Film and the Red Light District from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Fact & Fiction. Strate and Brian DAmbrosio, author of Shot in Montana: A History of Big Sky Cinema, will discuss Montana and films.

Holmes has a masters degree in educational technology and art. She taught school for 52 years and was a reading specialist the last 28 years of her teaching career. She helps students write and illustrate books and has them help her with her books.

I read books to the children now and give each student a copy of my books, Holmes said. I have three Toad books and I read those and do an art project, usually making a toad.

Holmes works with Echo Allison, the SPECTRA educator at Hamilton schools, to help her fifth grade students create a book.

The students write and illustrate their story, then make book covers with their summary and their author page, Holmes said. Then we have a big party.

Holmes most recent book, Mayzee Mouse in Huckleberry Heaven, is a picking and picnicking adventure on the trail to Lost Horse Lake.

I think this is my best book yet, Holmes said. A dog scares away raccoons that are eating the huckleberries that Mayzee has stored. She gathers more and a bear eats all these. then Mayzee faints on the trail and is rescued by hikers.

Holmes enjoys collaborating on books with students.

Whats nice is I write my story and they write their story and we talk about them, Holmes said. I read my book to them and on each page I say what do you think I should draw? So they contribute. I spend the next week drawing the picture and they are so excited to see what I drew.

Holmes said she will write another adventure of Mayzee Mouse as her next book with a new group of students beginning Oct. 7.

This time it will be lost while camping, Holmes said. Mayzee is expecting us to come back.

Holmes books are available for purchase at Valley Drug in Stevensville, Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton and for check out in the Darby Library.

The Montana Book Festival has a childrens festival at the Missoula Public Library and a book fair on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Holiday Inn.

For more information about the Montana Book Festival, visit online montanabookfestival.org.
Hamilton High School Principal Dan Kimzey, Montanas principal of the year, joined the top principals from 49 other states, plus Puerto Rico, in Washington, D.C., this week for the National Association of Secondary School Principals award and recognition event.

The NASSP Principal of the Year Institute included professional development training and networking for school leaders and an opportunity to advocate for students and schools with each states Congressional delegation.

The awards banquet was in the Willard Hotel, which is supposedly the hotel in which Martin Luther King, Jr. penned his famous I Have a Dream speech and has been frequented by U.S. presidents since the 1850s, Kimzey said. It was a humbling and amazing experience for my wife and me to be in such a storied place, in the company of 50 great principals and leaders and to be honored in such a way.

The NASSP National Principal of the Year program recognizes outstanding middle level and high school principals who have provided quality learning opportunities for students and made great contributions to education.

Kimzey said he enjoyed getting to know outstanding principals dedicated to improving their schools.

He said he was amazed to learn that schools of all sizes have similar struggles, constraints and challenges.

Whats more amazing is that there are great leaders throughout the country who fully commit their time, passion, and heart to working within those constraints to maximize the potential in each of their students.

Kimzey said he saw great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student.

Learning from and with them was an experience Ill never forget, he said.

Kimzey met privately with Montana Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Danies and Rep. Ryan Zinke. Kimzey said they listened to him and he felt supported in his belief that public education plays a critical role in sustaining American democracy.

With Senators Tester and Daines, we Montanans are really blessed with leaders who have national credibility and a deep-seated care for the success of our state, Kimzey said. I truly enjoyed visiting with each of them and am very thankful for the senators and their legislative aides for facilitating the meetings.

Kimzey said he could see Zinkes increased responsibilities in the House of Representatives.

We had a good conversation about leadership and the military  we served at the same time and place in the Middle East  but didnt get around to talking too much about schools and students, he said.

Kimzey was not selected as national principal of the year but said he is thankful for the opportunity to work with the students, staff, parents and community at Hamilton and for the honor and experience as Montana Principal of the Year.

As I mentioned when accepting the principal of the year award in Helena last spring, if only my high school teachers at Beaverhead County High School in Dillon could see me now, he said. Theyd be saying, That high-spirited kid grew up, went into the world of work and received principal of the year? Boy, I guess every kid has a chance. Yes indeed, every kid has a chance!
Comments and links to reports on science, and its applications.
America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!
Michael Curtis

Catholic religious leaders have been making unusually strong statements about Islamist terrorists. Pope Frances, in a ceremony on September 14, 2016, honoring the priest Fr. Jacques Hamel who had been murdered by two Islamist terrorists in his church on July 26, 2016, told his congregation that killing in the name of God is "satanic."

Equally dramatic is a pronouncement from a leading figure in the Church is Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, the 71-year-old Bohemian-born Archbishop of Vienna, a conservative who was a student of former Pope Benedict XVI and said to be his "spiritual son."

On September 11, 2016 the cardinal spoke on what is evidently a symbolic moment, the 333rd anniversary of the Battle of Vienna in 1683. This was the historic battle in which Christian forces defeated the third attempt of the Ottoman Empire to capture Vienna. The Christian victory was a turning point in the long struggle between the Holy Roman and Ottoman Empires.

The cardinal warned of an "Islamic conquest of Europe." Many Muslims, he said, want this and say, "Europe is at its end." He prayed for the European people who are in danger of forfeiting "our Christian heritage." The danger to Europe, he urged, was being felt not only economically, but above all, in human and religious matters. Schonborn in a TV interview in April 2016 had already commented that Islam had not experienced the Enlightenment, as Christianity and Judaism had, and "had a lot of catching up to do."

Cardinal Schonborn was reflecting on the general problems Europe was facing, the massive Muslim immigration, and the increase in Islamist terrorism. The general issues he is concerned with are present in his own country.

Austria, like all European countries, is troubled by the increasing immigration into the country. In 2015 the country admitted 90,000 migrants, of whom 11,000 were said to be possible suspects for crime. Between January and June 2016 there have been 24,000 applicants for asylum in Austria. Not surprisingly, Norbert Hofer, the far right Freedom Party presidential candidate, has benefited from this in the spoiled and annulled election of May 2016 where he received 49.7 % of the vote compared to 50.3 % of his opponent.

Like other European countries, Austria has acted. In February 2015 the parliament passed a law limiting funding for Muslim organizations and mosques, and requiring imams to be proficient in German. In 2016, another bill restricting the right of refugees to claim asylum in Austria was approved.

Yet, in spite of European efforts to control terrorism, a continuing problem is that terrorists have been able to take advantage of legal procedural rights and technicalities to benefit as a result of democratic procedures. This has been shown in some of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg.

Its latest case, equivocal in some regard, concerning Islamist terror attacks in London raises the need for examination of judgments concerning the activities of terrorists, even while adhering to the vital principle of the rule of law.

This case dealt with aftermath of the events on July 7, 2005 when terrorists attacked the London transport system, murdering 52 people and injuring hundreds. Two weeks later, on July 21, other Islamist terrorists, all Somalis, detonated four bombs, containing hydrogen peroxide and shrapnel, on the London transport system but they failed to explode. Three of the perpetrators were arrested and convicted.

The point at issue is that they were refused legal assistance while interviewed by the police who were attempting to protect life and property. The statements the terrorists made at that time were admitted at their trial at which they were convicted of conspiracy to murder, and sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment. On appeal, ECHR in October 2008 ruled by 5-2 that the right of terrorists involved in July 21, 2005 to a fair trial had not been violated, though they had been questioned without legal advice. The Court held the urgent need to avert serious consequences for citizens was more critical than their right to legal advice.

This view was again upheld on December 14, 2014, but the case was referred to the Grand Chamber of 17 members of the ECHR.

Meanwhile, a fourth individual, a man named Ismail Abdurahman, a British subject born in Somalia, had been interviewed by the police. He was not suspected of having detonated a bomb but was viewed as a witness to the planned attacks. He incriminated himself by explaining his help to a fourth bomber in hiding him for three days.

Technically, he should have been cautioned and offered legal advice, but the police continued, taking a written statement. On that basis he was arrested and then offered legal advice. His written statement was admitted as evidence at his trial at which in February 2008 he was convicted of assisting the fourth bomber and not disclosing information about the bombings. He was sentence to ten years' imprisonment, later reduced to eight years.

The terrorists who had been convicted appealed to the ECHR complaining about two issues: their lack of access to legal representation; and the admission at their trial of statements they made to the police. On September 13, 2016 the Grand Chamber upheld the conviction of the terrorists, and ruled that the temporary restrictions on them regarding legal advice were justified because of the need to avert further terrorist attacks. The London police in July 2005 were facing difficult conditions and were operating under enormous pressure.

But their decision on Abdurahman was different. The ECHR did not find he had been wrongly convicted. But it held by 11-6 held that in his case there were no compelling reasons to restrict his access to legal advice, or to fail to inform him of his right to remain silent. The presumption was that the proceedings in respect to him had been unfair. The overall fairness of his trial was prejudiced because of the police failure to caution him. The Grand Chamber thus ordered UK to pay him 13,600 (16,000 euros) for legal fees because his human rights were breached.

The rule of law was respected, but it is difficult to justify the decision to give compensation to an individual who had helped the terrorists planning to inflict mass murder on Londoners. The law ought to deal firmly with the barbarity that is threatening Western civilization. One wonders if Cardinal Schonborn sees the behavior of the terrorists in London as part of the Muslim attempt to conquer Europe, even if it was not the fourth attempt to conquer Vienna.
Stephen Michael MacLean

"England and America are two countries separated by the same language," George Bernard Shaw once remarked. Post-Brexit, why allow any barriers to stand between the world's two greatest allies?

During debate over the United Kingdom referendum to exit the European Union, Remain supporters argued that British trade would suffer; Leave campaigners countered that Britain had the world as its oyster, pointing to her proud history of overseas trade during which the "second" British Empire flourished. But why should Britain limit herself? Why not include her "first" imperial American offspring?

For even as the War of Independence created the worst relations imaginable between the two countries, with peace America wasted little time in renegotiating trade deals with her former mother country.

When the United States became tangled up in Britain's conflict with revolutionary France upon the high seas, President Washington sent John Jay as his envoy to London, resulting in the eponymous treaty which resumed trans-Atlantic "amity, commerce, and navigation."

Disagreement at the climax of the Napoleonic conflict brought the two nations to arms again during the short-lived, fairly inconsequential War of 1812. But tranquility and, more important, a dynamic alliance, has reigned ever since. Now another opportunity presents itself.

"Of all the many splendid opportunities provided by the British people's heroic Brexit vote," British historian Andrew Roberts writes, "perhaps the greatest is the resuscitation of the idea of a Canzuk Union."

Roberts foresees the time is ripe for the Canzuk ideal: "The Crown countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom need to form a new federation based upon free trade, free movement of peoples, mutual defence, and a limited but effective confederal political structure."

One question only remains of its organizers: Why limit Canzuk to its represented countries? Why not include the United States?

The New York Sun is America's principal advocate of such a liberty bloc of nations, united by rule of law and the common law tradition, free markets, and mobility of capital, goods, and labour. Canzuk's own numbers tell the story of its combined economic strength and political liberties. America's addition would compound the benefits, considering her population, financial, and military advantages.

Sun contributor Conrad Black is one vocal proponent -- and who can deny that the sometime media mogul, with ties to Canada, the U.S., and Britain, being a peer in that nation's House of Lords, embodies the very ideals of transnational unity?

"The top tier of the old Commonwealth" comprising Canzuk countries, and including Singapore and India, "would welcome a revival of some level of solidarity with the British," Lord Black writes. As for America, "any post-Obama administration" -- and Republican-nominee Donald Trump has denounced Obama's "back of the queue" pre-Brexit threat -- "would be happy to warm up relations with the U.K."

The Sun editor, Seth Lipsky, was unashamedly pro-Brexit and urged Republicans to offer the United Kingdom trade deals to offset possible disruptions with its European markets. "If you are prepared to stand for your own liberty," Lipsky proposed as the GOP's opening bid to Britain, "let us encourage you with an offer to strengthen our special relationship and forge -- along with such free market democracies as, among others, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Israel -- a new liberty bloc. It's an opportunity for both of us."

An opportunity clearly seen by the British government. In July the Department of International Trade announced plans to open three new offices in the U.S., in addition to eleven already established, in an effort "to boost trade and investment." Anticipating the launch, Britain's minister for International Trade, Dr. Liam Fox, made his first overseas trip to Chicago, "to draw on this enduring friendship" and "to ensure the UK and the United States strengthen our already close trading ties."

Between the UK and US, nearly $1 trillion worth of investment flows across the Atlantic: making us each other's largest investor, and each other's largest foreign job creator.

UK companies employ one million people in America and US companies employ a similar figure in the UK. []

This is what open trade is all about, something I'd like to hear more of in the current American electoral cycle.

It's about countries coming together to set the conditions so that businesses, skilled people, goods and services can move easily. This creates stability, enriches our cultures, and spreads prosperity.

I want the UK and USA together to lead the world as shining beacons of open trade. [emphasis added]

Meanwhile, speaking at the G20 conference in China in early September, British prime minister Theresa May acknowledged the government's "determination to secure trade deals with countries from around the world," in pursuit of which there would be "a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Brexit and International Trade [the first of many, one expects] to discuss how the government should pursue an ambitious trade strategy and to work out which markets we should prioritise." Given Dr. Fox's mission to Chicago, America is near the top of that list.

Arguably, this "commonwealth" model of free states was inaugurated with the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707; a Scot, Adam Smith, penned its theme: "Little else is requisite to carry a State to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things."

Such was the vision of the American Founders and Framers of the Constitution. It inspires Canzuk and liberty bloc supporters to-day. It inspires Prime Minister May: "A rules-based, open and inclusive global trading system can act as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth and the right trade agreements can be the greatest anti-poverty policy of our time."

With little fear remaining, then, of insuperable barriers betwixt Britain and America, it only remains to ask: Can anyone say "Canzukus"?

Stephen MacLean maintains the weblog The Organic Tory.
The forums spokesperson Philip Soe Aung said that the union-level leading committee would now discuss the draft policy.

He said: Union-level discussion will only run smoothly when we have a state-level youth policy. Thats why we drafted the state-level youth policy first.

Ma Elizabeth a representative of the Kayaw ethnic group in Karenni State discussed the societal and environmental issues that ethnic groups living in Karenni State face and she called on everyone to find solutions to these issues.

She said to Kantarawaddy Times: In reality the government alone cannot implement [the youth policy]. The public, youths and government need to cooperate for it [the policy] to be effective.

The draft Karenni youth policy covers many areas. They include: education, health, sports, human rights, preservation of ethnic culture and traditions, reducing drug use, rehabilitation of former drug users, peace, science and technology, job opportunities, entrepreneurial opportunities, independent and official recognition of youth associations, politics, arts, security, media, and the natural environment.

The drafting forum was held at the City Hall in Loikaw, the capital of Karenni State, from 9 to 11 September with the help of government, civil society organisations and ethnic youths. Its purpose was to help and encourage the emergence of a youth policy in Burma.

A total of 160 youth representatives attended the forum.

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
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Today a court in London okayed the extradition of a British hacker with autism to the United States, where he will face trial for breaking into high-security U.S. government computers.

Lauri Love, 31, who is described in the press as "having Asperger's syndrome," is accused in a series of 2012-2013 hacks into computers of the FBI, U.S. army, Missile Defense Agency, and Federal Reserve.

Mr. Love had asked the British court to allow him to remain in the UK. He faces life in prison under American charges, and said he might kill himself if sentenced to time in the U.S.

From Reuters:
sabrangindia.org - September 12, 2016

Written by Jairus Banaji

While all authoritarianisms are not fascist, all fascisms are a form of authoritarianism. What is distinctive about fascist authoritarianism is its appeal to forms of mass mobilisation and attempt to create sources of legitimacy among athe massesa a through cultural (e.g. pseudo-religious) and ideological domination

In The Indian Express (September 6, 2016) Prakash Karat, former general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has an opinion piece defending the BJP against its characterisation by sections of the Left in India as the external face of a fascist movement driven by the RSS and its vision of a non-secular, Hindu state. The threat that is sweeping through India today is one of authoritarianism, not fascism, he argues. Nor are the conditions present for a fascist regime to be established, even though a adetermined effort is being made to reorder society and polity on Hindutva linesa. The crux of Karatas argument is a conception of fascism lifted straight from the famous formula adopted by the Cominternas executive committee in December 1933. aFascism is the open, terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinist and most imperialist elements of finance capitala .

Why is it that every time mention is made of Prakash Karat powerful images of rigor mortis rush through my brain? Is it because the young student leader from JNU days always impressed me as the pure type of the apparatchik, the social type that flooded the Communist Party of the Soviet Union by the late 1920s, swamped it as the emerging base of Stalinas rapid consolidation of power within the party and then in the country as a whole?

The apparatchik destroyed Leninas party but he couldnat discard Marxism completely. He adapted to Marxism by converting it into a draw full of rubber stamps. Incapable of thought, much less of any more creative process like actual intellectual engagement, the building of theory, unfettered debate, etc., he (for we are dealing overwhelmingly with males) opened the draw to look for the right stamp every time some phrase or expression triggered a signal.

aFascisma, ah yes, what does the stamp say? It had Georgi Dimitrovas name on it. A definition of fascism first adopted by the executive committee of the Communist International at the end of 1933 became famously associated with Stalinas favourite Dimitrov when it was taken over and circulated more widely in his report to the Seventh World Congress in 1935. This is the one Iave cited in the preamble above, aFascism is the open terrorist dictatorship (etc.)a. It rapidly became orthodoxy on the Stalinist Left, the aofficiala line on fascism.

Karat reiterates it with a profound sense of loyalty and timelessness, citing it in the Indian Express piece. The implication here, of course, is that nothing that has been said or written about fascism since 1933a1935 has any relevance for him. We have gained not a whit (in understanding, knowledge, analysis and so on) since those (pre-Holocaust!) years. Do we have a better understanding of fascism today? Obviously not as far as Karat is concerned. That definition is aclassica, as he says. aClassica here means cut in stone, impermeable to argument, eternally true like some truth of logic. As Karat says, there is ano room for ambiguitya here.

The Comintern had deliberately narrowed the definition to afinance capitala to allow other sections of the capitalist class to join the fight against fascism once Stalin decided he desperately needed alliances (aPopular Frontsa) with all manner of parties regardless of who they represented. For Karat the reference to afinance capitala suffices. It sums up the essence of fascism, and fascism for him is simply a state form, a type of regime that breaks decisively with democracy (abourgeoisa democracy).

The response to this is simple: how did such a state emerge in the first place? Fascism must have existed in some form other than a state for it to become a state? Since Karat stopped reading Marxism decades ago, it may be worth rehearsing some of this for him. Before fascism succeeds as a state it exists as a movement. And fascism only succeeds in seizing power because it first succeeds as a mass movement.

The question the revolutionary Left simply failed to address in the twenties and thirties (with a handful of exceptions such the German Marxist Arthur Rosenberg and the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich) was why fascists are able to build mass movements. How do they create a mass base for the parties they form? As soon as we frame the issue in these terms (breaking with Karatas myopic fascination with end results), the problem itself becomes a practical one. We have to look at the specific techniques used to generate mass support. We have to ask also how this amassa that fascism creates and dominates differs from, say, the social forces that Marx saw driving revolutionary movements forward.

To suggest that fascism is largely or entirely about afinance capitala, that a handful of bankers could have created the fascist movements in Germany and Italy shows how detached dogma can become from reality when it ignores the formation of culture and looks simply at the economy as a force that affects politics without mediations of any sort.

To suggest that fascism is largely or entirely about afinance capitala, that a handful of bankers could have created the fascist movements in Germany and Italy shows how detached dogma can become from reality when it ignores the formation of culture and looks simply at the economy as a force that affects politics without mediations of any sort.

Anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, Islamism, Hindutva, patriarchy, male violence, caste oppression, militarism, and (not least!) nationalism then become basically irrelevant; window-dressing on a beast (capitalism) that works in some purely economic way, as if the aformation of the authoritarian structurea (Reich) which has everything to do with how reactionary ideologies come about in the wider reaches of civil society is not a process every bit as material as the economy.

What does Karat think he is debating? Is there anyone on the Left who claims that we are currently in the throes of a full-blown Hindu Rashtra in India, that the machinery of the law lies in ruins, that the media, servile as they are, have been taken over and remoulded by a self-defining Hindu state, that trade unions have been abolished, opposition parties banned, active opponents rounded up and murdered? That would be Indiaas counterpart of a fascist state.

On the other hand, is there anyone (on the Left especially) who is naive enough to think that there is no danger of any of this? That the rampant cultures of communalism, attacks on minorities and repeated violence against them (this includes unlawful detention) are not being used (consciously used) as tools of fascist mobilisation of a spurious aHindu majoritya? That the Indian state has not been extensively infiltrated by the RSS at all levels, even down to the vice-chancellorship of JNU?

That the Gujarat cases had to be transferred out of the state of Gujarat by the Supreme Court, no less, speaks volumes for the courtas view of the shamelessly compromised state of the justice system in Gujarat under Modias government there. That the mass violence against Muslims in Gujarat became pivotal to the consolidation of Modias support-base in the state and then rapidly in other parts of India, leading to his emergence as prime minister; that Modi financed his campaign for power with the explicit backing of big business groups who were looking for a adecisivea leader; that nationalism is now being used to whip up hysteria among the middle classes to try and justify the repeated use of charges like aseditiona and justify attacks on freedom of speech, thought and politics; that the Right-wing in India has repositioned itself in the more totalising and utterly sinister discourse of anationa and anationalisma to create the absurd sense of an Indian Volksgemeinschaft and construct definitions of the other as aanti-nationala, a sort of fifth column of the nationas enemiesa if none of this reminds us of the way fascism emerges and builds itself up historically, then we have no memory, and certainly not a historical one.

aIndia today confronts the advance of an authoritarianismaa , Karat argues, wanting to distinguish this from fascism. The issue surely is what form of authoritarianism we are up against in India today. While all authoritarianisms are not fascist, all fascisms are a form of authoritarianism. What is distinctive about fascist authoritarianism is its appeal to forms of mass mobilisation and attempt to create sources of legitimacy among athe massesa a through cultural (e.g. pseudo-religious) and ideological domination.

The political struggle against the BJP cannot be conducted in alliance with the other major party of the ruling classes. This of course reflects a major rift within the CPI(M) itself and may well be Karatas way of posturing for control of loyalties in the web of factional conflicts that have characterised the party for years.

This is why Hindutva becomes a marker of something more sinister than just authoritarian politics. In Karatas mental map, as I said, culture and ideology play no major role; they are simply tools to divide people to allow those in power to implement what he sees as the truly dangerous agenda of aneo-liberalisma. They are a sort of sideshow, pure excrescences on a largely economic programme where capital remains the chief instrumentality.

Karat agrees that the RSS has a asemi-fascist ideology (and) the potential to impose an authoritarian state on the people when it believes that circumstances warrant ita . Why asemi-fascista? What is its other half? When Golwalkar praised the extermination of the Jews as a possible model for the way a future Hindu state might want to deal with its minorities, was he being asemi-fascista? Is the growing culture of intolerance and forcible suppression of political views the BJP finds abrasive asemi-fascista?

And the qualification awhen it believes the circumstances warrant ita? How do people at large tell the RSS has finally come around to that belief? That it has so decided? The answer, alas, as with so much of the immobile Left, is a when itas too late!

The German film director Alexander Kluge calls this approach to history and politics aLearning Processes With a Deadly Outcomea. If that mum with her three kids in the basement of this house in Halberstadt on 8 April 1945 had fought the Nazis in 1928 and millions of others like her had done the same, she wouldnat be there now, on this dreadful day in April, sheltering from a fleet of 200 American bombers that will, in seconds, wipe out her entire town.

If Stalin and the Comintern hadnat worked overtime to sabotage the possibility of a United Front between the German Communists and the Social Democrats and the two parties had fought fascism with combined strength; if the Left in Germany had campaigned more consistently and vigorously against anti-Semitism than it ever did and started those campaigns much earlier; if feminism had been a stronger force in German society and the patriarchal/authoritarian order less firmly entrenched in German familiesa and so on and so forth.

Learning processes that shape history, that affect its outcome, are those that strive consciously to learn the lessons that generate a politics that preserves and affirms life against the adeadly outcomea. Do we wake up one morning and say, Indiaas fascism was amajoritarian communalisma after all!!

aThe political struggle against the BJP cannot be conducted in alliance with the other major party of the ruling classesa . This of course reflects a major rift within the CPI(M) itself and may well be Karatas way of posturing for control of loyalties in the web of factional conflicts that have characterised the party for years. So why was the CPI(M) in alliance with that aother major party of the ruling classa in the first place?

The alliance broke over a nuclear deal with the US but doubtless no similar deal with Putin would have occasioned a major crisis of that sort. Since the United Front has come up and Karat prefers the safety of a Third Period position (short of calling the Congress, a former ally, asocial fascista; Third Period refers to the politics of the Comintern in the period of widespread economic collapse that was said to have started in 1928), perhaps we can leave him with Nehruas more Marxist grasp of this issue than he himself seems to have:

aIt is, of course, absurd to say that we will not co-operate with or compromise with others. Life and politics are much too complex for us always to think in straight lines. Even the implacable Lenin said that ato march forward without compromise, without turning from the patha was aintellectual childishness and not the serious tactics of a revolutionary classa. Compromises there are bound to be, and we should not worry too much about them. But whether we compromise or refuse to do so, what matters is that primary things should come first always and secondary things should never take precedence over them. If we are clear about our principles and objectives, temporary compromises will not harmaa (Nehru, An Autobiography p. 613).

There is a constant sense in Karatas opinion piece that neo-liberalism is as dangerous if not more dangerous than communalism. But this is a senseless position. To the extent that communalism leads to a fascist transformation of the state, it deprives working people of any basis for resisting capitalist onslaughts. Neo-liberalism disarms the working class economically, destroying its cohesion in an industrial, economic sense. Racism, communalism and nationalism (all nationalism, not just what Karat calls achauvinista nationalism) do the same in more insidious ways, destroying the possibility of the working class ever acquiring a sense of its own solidarity and of what it really is.

The writer is Research Professor, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Victory for Students and Access to Knowledge in DU Copyright Case - Corporate Publishers Market ends at the gates of the University - Statement by ASEAK

 Association of Students for Equitable Access to Knowledge (ASEAK)

In a rare and incredible order today, the Delhi High Court has dismissed the copyright infringement case filed by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Taylor and Francis (Routledge) against Rameshwari Photocopy Shop in Delhi School of Economics and Delhi University. Justice R.S Endlaw in a 94 pages long judgment interpreted educational exception under section 52(1)(i) of the copyright act in broad enough manner to cover the acts of photocopying.

The publishers sought to claim damages to the tune of 60 lakh rupees from the shop citing infringement of copyright which the publishers claimed was happening through photocopying of parts of books published by them. However, the publishers themselves stated that this case, for them, was a test case where they wanted to introduce licensing systems across universities in India. These licensing systems intended to control the extent to which material could be photocopied and also direct a share of profit from these reproductions to the publishers. We, the Association of Students for Equitable Access to Knowledge (ASEAK) demanded to be made a defendant in this case as we believed that it is the rights of students to access reading material that was at stake in this case- aAssociation of Students for Equitable Access to Knowledge (ASEAK) filed IA No.3454/2013 for impleadment in the present suit and which was allowed vide order dated 1st March, 2013 and ASEAK impleaded as defendant No.3.a (from the judgment).

We, at ASEAK, had maintained from the beginning that the exceptions within the Indian Copyright Act, 1957, keep reproduction of material for the purposes of education outside the purview of copyright controls. Sure, publishers are running profit making enterprises but universities are not a market. Students pursuing higher education in India come from starkly different socio-economic backgrounds and further, most public universities work with a severe resource crunch. This is worsened by the high costs and very limited reach of academic books which the publishers anyway do not seem to be producing for students. They only make it to libraries and shelves of highly paid academics. Photocopying, then, is just a quick fix in a system which is unable to meet simple demands of students studying in universities. In this situation, to put restrictions and further try to control and profit from a system which in itself is ramshackle and can hardly be afforded by a majority of students is pure evil.

We so far had only appealed to the court to remove a stay order which had been put on Rameshwari Photocopy shop against photocopying from books of the said publishers. The court has gone far ahead and dismissed the publishersa case. Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw observed in the judgment that, acopyright, specially in literary works, is not an inevitable, divine, or natural right that confers on authors the absolute ownership of their creations. It is designed rather to stimulate activity and progress in the arts for the intellectual enrichment of the public. Copyright is intended to increase and not to impede the harvest of knowledge. It is intended to motivate the creative activity of authors and inventors in order to benefit the publica . The judgment has also observed that there is no evidence of aactionable infringementa when it comes to photocopying by the university and its agents, and therefore there is no need for trial and the asuit is accordingly dismisseda .

As observed earlier, publishers and universities (with their limited resources) together create a situation where students have to rely on photocopying. Academic books are highly expensive and university libraries only keep a few copies. Justice Endlaw observed in this Judgment a aIf the facility of photocopying were to be not available, they would instead of sitting in the comforts of their respective homes and reading from the photocopies would be spending long hours in the library and making notes thereof. When modern technology is available for comfort, it would be unfair to say that the students should not avail thereof and continue to study as in ancient era. No law can be interpreted so as to result in any regression of the evolvement of the human being for the bettera .

Once the case was filed in Delhi High Court, the profit mongering corporate publishing houses propagated many popular myths around this case:

Myth 1: Photocopying of reading material by students is illegal

Fact: The Indian Copyright Act 1957 provides an exception to infringement of copyrights in the context of educational use. Section 52 deals with those acts that will not be counted as infringement of copyright, and amongst others, Article (h) of the section states: a(h) the reproduction of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work- (i) by a teacher or a pupil in the course of instruction; or (ii) as part of the questions to be answered in an examination; or (iii) in answers to such questionsa does not amount to an infringement of copyright. The law was thus framed in such a way as to recognize the primacy and importance of first ensuring access to education in a developing country like India, and only then attending to concerns of copyrights. Moreover, the notion of copyrights was introduced to further intellectual and creative activity and therefore to protect the interest of authors, not to serve the interest of publishers.

Myth 2: Photocopying of reading material by students is a theft of the authoras labour

Fact: No academic author would dream of growing rich on money gained from their bookas sales. They get paid pittance from the publishers in the name of royalties. Instead, most academic authors are employed by universities that provide the resources and environment for the production of academic texts, in addition to providing remuneration in the form of salaries for the intellectual labour they put in. Moreover, several well known authors have voiced their discontent against the publishers including Amartya Sen, Nivedita Menon and several others who even signed photocopies of their books and presented them to libraries in Delhi University thereby expressing the view that they consider photocopies of their work as valid educational material. This is a clear testimony that authors, especially academic authors, write to be read and not because they earn their living from royalties of their books. The dissemination of her ideas is the authoras prime concern. Finally, universities that employ academics are funded by the state and through studentsa fees. So the remuneration for the intellectual labour that goes into producing books that are part of our courses comes from public funds.

Myth 3: If students were to buy the syllabus prescribed books from the publishers it would cost them aa couple of extra coffees per montha !

Fact: The cost of books prescribed per semester in most courses runs into several thousands. Therefore, the assumption that spending the extra bucks to purchase the books referred to in syllabi will amount to nothing more than aa couple of extra coffees or a Dominos pizzaa is patently incorrect if not arrogant. More importantly, however, such views assume that all students come from an affluent background and are only being stingy in not paying up for the publishers products. This is a most ignorant remark that tries to simply erase the experience of the many who struggle against severe odds just to make it to the institutions of higher education in our country. Moreover, it is uncomfortably at peace with the idea that higher education may only be restricted to the rich. The proposal that universities should buy photocopying rights from publishers where they get a per page royalty simply disregards our law that already has exceptions for photocopying for educational purposes, an exception that prioritizes education over copyright.

Today is a moment where the struggle and conviction of students has asserted itself in a powerful way. We want to remind the publishers that their market ends at the gates of the university. The knowledge produced in public universities belongs to the public. When the world is moving towards open access to knowledge, trying to control it is simply redundant. It is in these universities where minds like Rohith Vemula come and read about Carl Sagan. And it is minds like his that continue to keep these spaces and possibilities in it alive!

A copy of the judgment can be found here:

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI 16th September, 2016 THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS & SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD & ORS. ..... Plaintiffs Versus RAMESHWARI PHOTOCOPY SERVICES & ANR. .... Defendents

Sd/-

Apoorva Gautam

President, ASEAK

Usman Jawed Siddiqi

General Secretary, ASEAK
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Downtown Streets Team, a program in which homeless volunteers clean streets, receiving services and vouchers at stores like Safeway and Target, was created in Palo Alto by Eileen Richardson, a venture capitalist who served as the first CEO of Napster. It's since expanded to 10 cities with a budget of $6 million. Downtown Streets Team was first brought to San Francisco at Civic Center, thanks to donations from Dolby and Google, tech companies with mid-Market offices, and this week the Examiner covered the program's expansion to Union Square.

Officials say the Civic Center program picked up 13,200 gallons of debris and 5,500 used needles in five months. Since theyve been in Civic Center, there is a noticeable difference in the cleanliness of the city, says Public Works Deputy Director Larry Stringer, whose department fields more than 30,000 street cleaning requests per year. I am looking for Downtown Streets Team to move to a few more places.

Also in those five months: 16 participants found employment and two found housing. We are a gateway to the many awesome services that are often in a city already, especially this city, Richardson told the press on Thursday. You see these men and women here working so hard. All they wanted was a second or a seventh chance. And now theyve got it.

Participants spend 20 hours per week cleaning and receive case management and employment services to find housing and jobs plus $100 weekly stipends in the form of vouchers for stores like Safeway and Target. Our wait list alone is a huge middle finger to people who think that homeless folks are lazy and dont want to contribute to their own success, Downtown Streets Team project manager Brandon Davis tells the Examiner. In San Francisco, he says, "we have the most demand out of all of our branches [here], and the greatest attendance of any of our branches. Its a true testament to the fact that people need an outlet to suit their needs.

In addition to resources and cleaner streets, Downtown Streets Team also provides its volunteers with confidence. For example, on the first week she volunteered with Downtown Streets Team, a woman named Lisa who is housed at the Mission LGBTQ homeless shelter Jazzie's, was thrilled to be made 'participant of the week.' In her first month, she became a team leader. "It helps give me a purpose; It helps keep me a live," she tells Stories Behind the Fog.

Related: Campos Promises To Rid Mission District Of Homeless Encampments Within 4 Months


As always around these parts, this week was a busy one in the world of food. Importantly, we put together a list of some of the best pizza in the Bay Area. In addition to that, we took a look inside Black Cat, learned about a new 24th Street taproom, found out about the new restaurant coming to the Hotel Zeppelin, and saw that animal rights activists protested Chez Panisse.

Here's what else went down:

Perhaps most notably we learn via Inside Scoop that Ninebark, which opened to much acclaim in downtown Napa last fall and abruptly closed "temporarily" in July, apparently won't be reopening ever. What's more, the building its in, the historic Fagianis bar building, is up for sale, possibly to wine mogul Joey Wagner of Copper Cane Wine & Provisions, as a wine tasting concept spot.

In news of other change-ups, Eater reports that Oaklands Toast Kitchen + Bar is getting switched over to a Texas-style taco joint. The new restaurant, which will have margaritas, will be called Austin. Owners Kristen Policy and Heather Sittig are aiming for an October 6 reopening.

Meanwhile, according to Inside Scoop, Omakase Restaurant Group (which is behind Omakase) just got a corporate chef. The Michelin-starred restaurant plans to launch a Japanese-style brunch menu in the coming months.

The Inner Richmond's newest place to chow down on dry pots is picking up steam, with Hoodline reporting that Celestial Flame has perfected its version of the variation on traditional hot pots since its March soft opening.

Lovers of the San Francisco classic the Presidio Social Club will be stoked to learn that owner Ray Tang is launching a new restaurant in the South Bay. Inside Scoop tells us that while the name is still up in the air, the vibe is not  expect something similar to the Presidio Social Club both in menu and ambiance.

Potrero Hill's Aperto has quietly gone on the market, SocketSite reports, for just under $300,000. Would-be restaurateurs take note, however, while that price does include the liquor license it doesn't include the actual building. You'll still need to pay rent on that.

The Tradesman, the two-year-old restaurant just off 20th Street in the Mission, will close. The owner told Inside Scoop that he is selling the location to another business, but declined to give specifics as to the reason for the closure, just that it's hard running a restaurant in SF. While the liquor license transfers, a series of pop-ups will be held in the restaurant space.

Chef Chris Cosentino of Cockscomb, meanwhile, is eyeing Portland for his next restaurant. As Inside Scoop notes, he broke the news on a local TV morning program up there. At present, details are light.

The new development in a former auto repair shop at 834-838 Divisadero will include a spot for the Boba Guys, Inside Scoop tells us. According to SocketSite, this is in addition to the second-floor space being occupied by Che Fico, the big Italian restaurant weve been hearing about for a year now.

The Inner Richmond just got a new Korean BBQ spot, Eater tells us. Dancing Bill focuses strictly on bulgogi, and opened in late August. They even have an all-you-can-eat bulgogi option!

Seven Stills, the craft distillery in the Bayview, has run into some planning trouble. Hooldline reports that their liquor license is in conflict with the neighborhood's planning code, and the two men behind the distillery are working to gather public support to get a special dispensation from the city.

In other news of troubles, the Castro's Zapata Mexican Grill is set to close next month due to problems with its lease. Hoodline informs us that the 20-year-old restaurant's owner couldn't get the building's owner to give him a long-term lease, and as such he will close up shop.

This Week In Reviews

For his midweek checkup, the Chronicle's Michael Bauer returns to 20th Street's Central Kitchen, which recently underwent an overhaul and got a new, ostensibly more casual menu. Bauer clearly takes pleasure in all the dishes he samples  specifically the salmon and a frozen blueberry dessert  but writes that the total may be less than the sum of its parts. The critic found that the varying entrees and appetizers "melded into each other" and ended up perhaps being too similar. Bauer notes that despite chef Thomas McNaughton's efforts to turn the restaurant into a neighborhood spot, its pricing and vibe is still that of a destination restaurant  a fact that the critic, naturally, appears fine with. Bauer gives it two and a half stars.

Mr. Bauer's Sunday review focuses on new Tenderloin supper club Black Cat, which SFist's own Caleb Pershan had some thoughts about earlier this week. Bauer paid his traditional three visits to the place, and he finds plenty to praise about the space itself and the ambiance, calling it a "stylish haven" and saying, "When entering the main dining room youre in the world of Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck and other greats that blast from the speakers until the live entertainment starts later in the evening." But he finds that "the food turns out to be the least compelling element" of the place, ultimately garnering a dismal one and a half stars  though he can sort of recommend the "salty" deviled eggs. All told: two stars, and he says you should probably just come for drinks and entertainment.

Peter Lawrence Kane of SF Weekly, meanwhile, treks his way over to Berkeleys La Marcha. Opening with a soliloquy on his love for the food of Northern Spain, Kane dives into the casual restaurant's offerings  finding them approachable, affordable, and delicious. He loves the tortillitas de gambas, the patatas bravas, and calls the various paella options "the star of the show." He repeatedly mentions that the restaurant is a great date spot, although the acoustics may leave something to be desired (it's apparently loud). But loud is OK if that's the price for "a virtual guarantor of happiness," as Kane says of the menu. As one doesn't get too many guarantees in life, we think he'll be back.


Three news organizations  the Associated Press, Gannett, and Vice Media  together filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday against the FBI seeking to have access to the agency's records pertaining to its contract with an unnamed iPhone security expert earlier this year. As the AP reports, the news orgs want to know both the identity of the hacker, and how much the government paid him or her.

You'll recall that back in March the FBI abruptly dropped a lawsuit they had filed against Apple seeking to force the company to hack into the iPhone 5C that belonged to deceased San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook. The government argued that they had a national security concern in finding out whether Farook had direct contact with or direction from a member of ISIS, and they tried to argue that the All Writs Act allowed them to compel a company to break its own encryption technology.

The hacker, who's never been named by the government despite requests under the Freedom of Information Act, was reportedly a "gray hat," or one who identifies as neither mischievous nor selflessly good, but one who seeks to profit from his or knowledge by selling it to governments.

It was later surmised, via a vague statement made to the New York Times by FBI chief James B. Comey Jr., that the government may have paid upwards of $1.3 million for the job, but no one has confirmed the actual contract amount.

USA Today, whose parent company is Gannett, explains that all three news organizations filing suit had tried to discover the identity of the hacker and the amount of the contract, but the FBI repeatedly refused their requests saying "revealing the records would imperil its enforcement efforts."

See the full text of the complaint here.

The case drew the attention of the technology industry, privacy advocates, and security experts worldwide because of its potentially broad-reaching implications. Apple CEO Tim Cook, responding to the government's request that the company create a new version of its operating system to circumvent the security in iOS 9, said, "Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control." He also wrote in the same response, "In the wrong hands, this software  which does not exist today  would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession."

Confirming Cook's fear, after the successful hack, the FBI openly offered to help other law enforcement agencies use the tool they'd found to hack into other iPhones  though experts concluded that the hack was likely only going to be useful for iPhone 5C models with iOS 9 installed.

The exiled Edward Snowden, who via Twitter has become something of a pundit on topics of government overreach and privacy, tweeted the day that the government dropped its suit against Apple and proclaimed its own successful hack, "Journalists: please remember that [the] government argued for months that this was impossible, despite expert consensus."

Previously: Feds May Have Paid iPhone Hackers More Than $1.3 Million


Attorneys for Jasmine Abuslin a.k.a. Celeste Guap filed the first of what may be several lawsuits Friday in Oakland, a $66 million civil damages claim. As KQED reports, this is likely a precursor to a civil rights lawsuit by attorneys Pamela Price and Charles Bonner, and the pair plan more lawsuits to be filed next week in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties, and the cities of Livermore, Richmond, and San Francisco.

At a press conference, Price said that the case reaches beyond Abuslin, and she claims she's been contacted by other young women in Richmond who were "part of the same group" who were being sex trafficked by officers.

Also Friday, as CBS 5 reports, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley filed the first criminal charges against two of seven officers expected to be charged, Dan Black, a former Livermore Police officer, and retired Oakland officer Leroy Johnson.

Black is charged with two counts of engaging in prostitution, two counts of performing lewd acts, and one count of giving alcohol to a person under 21 in connection with two dates he went on with Abuslin  one of which, according to him, consisted of dinner in Berkeley and sex in his RV in the restaurant parking lot. He denies ever paying for sex, but he allegedly had two encounters with Abuslin this past April, both of which resulted in sex in his RV, according to court documents cited by KRON 4 and others.

Johnson, who is a family friend of Abuslin and her mother, an Oakland police dispatcher, has been charged with failure to report child abuse. Abuslin allegedly contacted Johnson via Facebook in September 2015 to inform him that she had had sex with four officers while she was underage.

Abuslin, who is now 19, returned to the Bay Area Wednesday with her lawyers after going to Florida for a drug rehabilitation program that was prescribed to her and paid for by the Richmond Police Department.

It remains to be seen if other jurisdictions besides Alameda County will pursue criminal charges against any officers. Abuslin has previously claimed she had sexual encounters with 30 officers in multiple departments including San Francisco's.

Previously: Celeste Guap Attorney Insists We Use Her Real Name, Says 'Celeste Guap Is Dead'


New York Times foreign correspondent Thomas Fuller, who's spent the last 27 years living abroad primarily in Asia, has moved back to States, to the San Francisco of 2016 that we inhabit, and his perspective is like that of someone who just stepped out of a time machine.

He penned a piece for this weekend's Sunday Magazine, titled "What San Francisco Says About America," and instead of describing how San Francisco is particularly awful with its "ganja yoga" and Tesla-filled streets and pervasive homelessness, he sees the city as a microcosm of where the country has landed in the middle of this second decade of the new millennium.

A few outtakes:



I spend hours in supermarket aisles. Organic ice cream sandwiches! Vegan shoes! A Bluetooth compatible electric toothbrush! The America of 2016 is so much more specialized than the one I left in 1988. It almost seems that we have created needs so that we can cater to them.

Everyone keeps offering me credit in America. I drove away from a dealer with a brand-new $30,000 car without handing over a penny. It was so thrilling that I keep repeating this routine.

It seems a terrible statement about my home country that my children will encounter homelessness and mental illness much more vividly in the wealthiest nation in the world than they did in Thailand, where we previously lived.

I stood in the checkout line and watched milk-fed Americans unloading their carts onto the conveyor belt. My mind flashed back to the diminutive workers in a factory I visited in Tianjin, China, who for a few hundred dollars a month stitched leather boots and who giggled when they thought about the giant feet that would one day fill them.
MINNEAPOLIS  When Alexis Doucette moved to college last month, she packed an unusual item for a dorm room: a sewing machine. Between classes in entrepreneurship this fall, shell be at the machine, running a business of her own.

The 18-year-old from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, is the founder of Allyhoo, a nonprofit that donates handmade stuffed animals to hospitalized children. Doucette launched it in 2014, a year and a half after she landed in the hospital herself.

She was 13, and her joints ached so much that there were days she couldnt get out of bed. It turned out to be arthritis caused by an unknown autoimmune disease.

Im one of those people that likes to know everything, so not knowing whats going on inside of me kind of sucks, Doucette said.

She quit the track team and started chemotherapy, with three self-administered injections a day and constant nausea.

She admits to having pity parties for herself. But that changed when she met other kids at Childrens Hospitals of Minnesota.

I started seeing cancer patients, or patients who are immobilized or have it far worse than I do, she said. I wanted to make other childrens stay at the hospital easier, because I know what its like to be scared.

After Doucette gave up track, her parents got her a sewing machine. She learned fast, and designed an owl-shaped pillow she dubbed the Allyhoo. She made 10 brightly colored, cuddly creatures, and donated them to Childrens.

People often will donate handmade blankets and pillowcases to pediatric patients, but the owls are different, said Maggie Overman Larson, senior development associate for the Childrens Minnesota Foundation.

Its unique in that its a homegrown stuffed animal, she said. We dont have anybody else doing what shes doing.

Doucette threw herself into Allyhoo. She designed more characters, and her father helped her launch a website.

To date, she has donated more than 200 huggable owls, puppies and penguins.

It really helped put her medical condition on the back burner, said Kate Pauly, Doucettes mother. Now when I think of Ally, I no longer think of my sick daughter. I think of this wonderful person starting this cause.

Doucette clipped coupons for fabric and stuffing, but she needed Allyhoo to become self-sufficient. So she came up with twins: When customers buy an Allyhoo for themselves, they pay to donate an identical one to a child.

Doucette recruited friends to stitch. Theyll stay on while she sews from Vermilion Community College in Ely, Minn.

She now has six team members, including Haley Johnson, 18, who was inspired by her friends idea. Everyones like, Teenagers are so bad, Johnson said, but then you look at what Allys doing.

Before creating Allyhoo, Doucette considered studying neuroscience. Now, shes all about business.

I want Allyhoo to become my career, so I have to learn more, she said. I dont know all the official business terms. Her goal is to have her own office building teeming with staff and volunteers.

Although shes back on chemotherapy, in pill form now, I dont have pity for myself anymore, Doucette said. The pain has never been so bad, she said, that she couldnt sew.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Rebecca Hertzog Burns birthday was nine days ago. She turned 2. She says thats her age, though shes really 27. After a relapse in her fight with acute myelogenous leukemia, Burns received a stem cell transplant on Sept. 9, 2014, through an infusion of umbilical cord blood from a baby boy.

By her way of thinking, she and her immune system were reborn that day. My new birthday, says Burns, who has been in remission since.

The treatment she received at the University of Kansas Hospital falls within a broad spectrum of care called immunotherapy.

It is the hot topic, the it word, in addressing cancer. While doctors report success combating several types of cancer through different versions of immunotherapy, KU clinicians say some of the most remarkable stories arise in the treatment of blood cancers.

Deadly forms of leukemia and lymphoma, which commonly strike young adults such as Burns, are now managed, and in many cases vanquished, using treatments unavailable just a few years ago.

In 26 years of practice, this is absolutely the most optimistic Ive ever been, said Joseph McGuirk, medical director of KUs blood and marrow transplant program. Patients from around the world travel here to take part in experimental trials.

Its not hyperbole at all to say were in the middle of a revolution in cancer therapy, he added.

The idea behind immunotherapy is to coax a patients own body to attack cancer cells. The way of doing that  in short, by harnessing the immune system to do the work that cancers dont let it do  differs from patient to patient, from cancer to cancer.

For former President Jimmy Carter, suffering from an advanced melanoma that many thought would kill him, the key may have been a checkpoint inhibitor drug with the brand name Keytruda.

Carter last year stunned the globe when he announced that his immunotherapy treatment, combined with radiation and surgery, eradicated tumors that had developed in his brain and liver.

Immunotherapy isnt new, but its getting a lot of attention now for a reason, said McGuirk, a soft-spoken physician reluctant to trumpet medical breakthroughs before theyve been proven to work.

Weve reached this critical mass where, kaboom, all of sudden (immunotherapy) has taken off like a rocket, he said.

National news media are jumping aboard, largely because of Carters success. The U.S. government and drug companies pour billions of dollars into research, and clinical trials underway at KU and hundreds of other facilities have produced strong data.

By itself or in combination with other treatments, immunotherapy is being credited for putting some terminal cancer patients  but far from all  in remissions that can last for years.

Some of the drugs being developed block a mechanism, the immune checkpoint, that cancer exploits to keep the immune system at bay. Other treatments remove from patients millions of disease-fighting cells, reconfigure them in a lab and infuse them back into their sick owners.

The hope is for these so-called T-cells to do the job theyre meant to do.

KU clinicians credit immunotherapy as one of the treatment paths that has allowed more blood-cancer patients to enjoy extensive remissions than ever seen before. The final blow to their disease is often an allogeneic stem cell transplant, which can rebuild the immune system from scratch.

Still, many patients dont respond to these treatments.

For them, conventional steps such as chemotherapy and radiation remain potential lifesavers. But in those treatments quest to attack all cells they can get, and not only cancer cells, their side effects usually are much harsher than immunotherapys.

Others warn that too much hype around immunotherapy could steal attention and funding from those more traditional strategies and other promising treatments.

Through the history of oncology, there are periods in which something gets really hot and everyone gets excited that its the answer, said Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society.

The immunotherapy treatments being developed are here to stay. But I worry about research and money shifting away from other approaches.

'It's been a bumpy, bumpy ride'

In the spring, a dying Artesha Singleton of Kansas City traveled to a St. Louis hospital to see if she might qualify for an experimental trial.

No, youre too sick, a physician told the leukemia patient. Return to Kansas City and find a hospice program. Youve got a few months.

Shes only 27. That she relies on Missouri Medicaid for coverage doesnt help.

I think the way they treated her was pretty monstrous, said Haylie Colby, a social worker at KUs Westwood clinic.

Singleton was diagnosed at Truman Medical Center just last summer. She has a 2-year-old son. When she returned from St. Louis, she spent three days crying in her bedroom.

All of the approved therapies for Singleton were exhausted. Rounds of chemotherapy had no effect. What do we do next? asked Shaun De-Jarnette, the quality management coordinator at KUs blood and marrow transplant unit, or BMT.

The team overseeing Singletons case knew that the drug manufacturer Pfizer was testing a product not yet on the market: inotuzumab ozogamicin. Though not an immunotherapy drug, it might reverse Singletons deathly slide enough for her later to benefit from a stem cell transplant.

We were desperate and asked Pfizer to give it to us, said physician Leyla Shune. For free.

Under a provision that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls compassionate use, Pfizer agreed.

Inotuzumab ozogamicin saved her. And with her cancer in remission, Singleton became a candidate for a transplant that would turn her immune system into that of a newborn babys. As of Sept. 9, her immune system was just a week old.

Resting in her hospital bed before the procedure, which took less than an hour, Singleton said, I feel wonderful.

Her aunt Regina Roberson was at her side. Its been a bumpy, bumpy ride, Roberson said. But the treatment we found here is working. Shes living proof.

In June, the New England Journal of Medicine reported encouraging findings on Pfizers investigative drug. The treatment led to complete remission in 80 percent of trial patients with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Chemotherapy alone produced that result in only about 30 percent of patients.

KUs McGuirk said similar success is being found in an immunotherapy drug called Blincyto, which put patient Emily Foxs leukemia in remission.

Fox, who has worked with cancer patients as a nurse, was diagnosed in February with cancer of her own. At the BMT unit, from the first day they were telling me, Were going to get rid of that cancer," said Fox, 28. I believed them.

But McGuirk cautions against overconfidence. False hope helps nobody dealing with cancer, whether its a patient or members of the clinical team who still see too many lives lost.

Immunotherapy is hit or miss, McGuirk said. Weve got a long, long way to go.

And its expensive. Patients whose insurance requires that they pay 20 to 25 percent out of pocket could spend $25,000 or more for a year of treatment on drugs such as Opdivo, approved for both melanoma and lung cancer.

Trying to target the bad cells

There are so many kinds of immunotherapy, said Mitch Schwarz, 24, of Blue Springs. Ive done two.

The first didnt work. Relapsing in 2014 in his bout with blood cancer, Schwarz for a month wore a backpack that contained immunotherapy medicine. The solution traveled through a tube to his chest.

But the treatment wasnt achieving the desired result. Schwarzs immune system wasnt recognizing the cancer cells as a threat to be devoured. When the treatments succeed, its like Pac-Man, said McGuirk.

KU doctors ultimately directed Schwarz to a clinical trial in Seattle, where he underwent a brand of treatment called CAR T-cell therapy. It was either this or certain death for me, he said.

Unlike chemotherapy and radiation, which kill cells both good and bad, Schwarzs treatment in Seattle was customized to get his body to target just the bad cells.

His blood was drawn and disease-fighting T-cells were taken to a lab for gene editing. The re-engineered cells were returned to his body and, if the therapy worked, they would attach to malignant cells and start punching.

The treatment has put Schwarzs cancer in remission and, like the others, he became ready for a stem cell transplant.

Im 115 days out of that transplant, so my immune system is that many days old, he said last week at the Westwood clinic. He visits weekly to have blood work done.

The results so far look encouraging, his doctors said.

Its exciting, Schwarz said. My cells are working. I hope they fight like hell.
SIOUX CITY | After three years, CF Industries is weeks from completion of its $2 billion Port Neal nitrogen complex, and production will be ignited with a flame-- a really big flame.

Kim Mathers, a spokesperson for the complex that sits south of Sergeant Bluff, said to burn off combustion gasses in the start-up process, a 320 foot tall ammonia flare stack will produce a flame around 200-feet high.

Mathers said the sight might be a shock to people, but it's a sign of completion on the extensive project and proper environmental practices.

"It is going to present a sight that people will see from quite a distance, and we want to make sure that nobody is alarmed by it, and that they understand it is a safety feature," she said. "If you see it is burning, it is just a sign that the plant it operating in the way that is is supposed to."

Mathers said the flare stack is the best known technology to rid of the gases during plant startups instead of releasing them to the environment.

The flames will burn continuously for a couple weeks as the plant starts their first production soon. Mathers said it is "not predictable" on how often the flare will occur after the initial burning process.

"The more effectively we run the plant the less often you will see the flare," she said, because the flare will only go off if production is halted. The plant is projected to produce 2,420 tons of ammonia per day.

After Woodbury County Supervisor Mark Monson spoke with Port Neal officials he announced at a public meeting this week that the flare stack would have a noise attached to it, neighbors of the area around the plant expressed concerns.

"Our plants make noise when they operate, we don't actually believe it's going to be any louder than when our plants normally operate and our neighbors are all use to that," Mathers said. She added a silencer was installed to the stack, and it was placed with distance from neighbors in mind.

Mathers said a communication plan was in place to notify the neighbors, but Monson's comments jumped the gun.

"We are not going to be be irresponsible about it. We already spoken with emergency responders and airport people, and we pan to let the media know at the right time," Mathers said. Port Neal also held community meetings to listen to concerns about the project, and increased traffic around the plant was the main issue, she said.

Supervisor Monson, of Sergeant Bluff, said he hasn't received any complaints from his constituents about the flare stack.

"They have permits to do everything they are doing, so it has got to be safe," Monson said Friday.

Construction continues on the 3,850-tons-per-day urea synthesis and granulation plant, which is expected to start up "closely thereafter," the ammonia plant, the company said in early August.

The Deerfield, Illinois-based CF, one of the world's largest producers of nitrogen-based fertilizer, broke ground in the fall of 2013 on the mega expansion in southern rural Woodbury County. At the time, it was the largest single private capital investment in Iowa history.

After peaking at around 5,300 earlier this year, the number of construction workers at the site has gradually ramped down in recent weeks, as laborers finish their portion of the mega project. As of Friday, Mathers said under 3,000 workers remained at the sprawling site.

The new ammonia plant will triple the Port Neal complex's daily production of ammonia, the basic building block for nitrogen-based fertilizers. The urea plant will produce granular urea, a solid nitrogen fertilizer that has not been produced at Port Neal in two decades.

The expansion added 125 new full-time jobs, more than doubling CF's Port Neal workforce. The new workers have been hired and have gone through training.

The Journal's Dave Dreeszen contributed to this story.
WASHINGTON -- NASA scientists may have noticed a wobble in Earth's axis Tuesday morning. Harry Reid, the irascible top Democrat in the Senate, had shown contrition.

The day before, Reid had attacked the integrity of Republicans, including the majority whip, John Cornyn, suggesting they were doing the bidding of the billionaire Koch brothers.

But Tuesday, Reid began his daily remarks to the Senate by declaring that "I want everyone to know that my criticism of the senior senator from Texas is not based on anything dealing with his character, his integrity."

Cornyn rose to express his "gratitude."

And then, as quickly as it had begun, the feel-good moment was over. A McClatchy reporter asked Reid about his remorse and Reid said "with great irritation" that he hadn't apologized. "He didn't ask for an apology, and he didn't expect an apology," Reid snapped.

Being Harry Reid means never having to say you're sorry. The former boxer and cop, retiring in January, is departing the Senate the way he led it: with ferocious partisanship and explosive language.

On the same day he gave his non-apology to Cornyn, he also suggested that Donald Trump is fat: "Take a look at this character that's running for president.  He's not slim and trim. He brags about eating fast food every day."

In the same news conference, Reid offered some violent imagery to describe Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) as she negotiated a spending package with Republicans: "You could put a gun to her head right now and she can't tell you what they're trying to come up with."

Just before returning to Washington from his summer break, Reid sat down with the Reno Gazette-Journal, saying it was "crazy" of Patricia Smith, whose son was killed in Benghazi, to blame Hillary Clinton. He also described Rep. Joe Heck, the Republican candidate to succeed him in the Senate, as "the most fraudulent person" he's known in 50 years of politics.

And Reid defended the false allegation he made in 2012 that Mitt Romney had not paid taxes for 10 years. "I'd do it again," Reid said. He reasoned that it's one of his strengths to "tell the truth," then added, "Maybe not the truth -- it's how I feel."

I've enjoyed covering Reid and will miss him when he's gone. His wild rhetoric made for good copy. But in this Age of Trump, I also wonder whether Reid's style -- insults, insinuations and sometimes false allegations -- helped to clear the way for worse.

To be sure, Trump is a uniquely Republican problem, created by years of GOP coddling of extremists. But I can't help thinking Reid is one who deserves some blame for the deterioration of discourse that numbed the country to Trump's vulgarity.

Reid has suggested that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom he must work every day, "agrees with Trump's view that women are dogs and pigs." He's accused Republicans of being "drunk with power," "puppets," "amateurish" and "cowards" who are led by "crazies."

George W. Bush, in Reid's telling, was a "loser" and a "liar" who "betrayed the country." Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan was a "hack" and a "fraud," and the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission "unethical, prevaricating," "a treacherous miserable liar," a "first-class rat" and a "tool."

Reid got in trouble for praising Obama as a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." He described Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as a "snake oil" salesman. He likened opponents of Obamacare to defenders of slavery.

Long before Trump's campaign, Reid said that "I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican." He joked to an Asian audience, "One problem that I've had today is keeping my Wongs straight." He has instructed the American Bar Association to "get a new life," advised a reporter to "get a brain" and asked another journalist whether she spoke English, suggesting she "turn up your Miracle Ear."

Reid shows no sign of easing into retirement. He walked onto the Senate floor Wednesday with a wooden cane and, peering at his speech through black horn-rimmed spectacles, proceeded through his daily denunciation of the Republicans. He accused them ("the party of Trump, whose pal is Putin") of trying to establish an "oligarchy." From there he went on to host a photo op where he derided news photographers as a "mob" and to hold a news conference where he accused Senate Republicans of a "ploy." The bile was bountiful -- and it was only lunchtime.

Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
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"In the walls of the cubicle there were three

orifices. ... Similar slits existed in thousands or

tens of thousands throughout the building. ... For

some reason they were nicknamed memory holes."

-- George Orwell, "1984"

WASHINGTON -- Documents inconvenient to the regime went into the Ministry of Truth's slits and down to "enormous furnaces." Modern tyrannies depend on state control of national memories -- retroactive truths established by government fiat. Which is why Russia's Supreme Court recently upheld the conviction of a blogger for violating Article 354.1 of Russia's criminal code.

This May 2014 provision criminalizes the "Rehabilitation of Nazism." The blogger's crime was to write: "The communists and Germany jointly invaded Poland, sparking off the Second World War." The secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact have gone down one of Vladimir Putin's memory holes.

The pact was signed Aug. 23, 1939. On Sept. 1, Germany invaded Poland. Sixteen days later, the Soviet Union invaded from the east. Poland was carved up in accordance with the secret protocols, and about six months later Soviet occupiers were conducting the Katyn Forest Massacre of 25,700 Polish military officers, officials, priests and intellectuals.

Although in 2009 Putin denounced the pact as "collusion to solve one's problems at others' expense," in 2015 he defended it as Stalin's means of buying time to prepare for the Nazi onslaught. This fable is refuted by, among other facts, this: Stalin did not prepare. When Germany's ambassador in Moscow informed Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov that their nations were now at war, a stunned Molotov asked, "What have we done to deserve this?"

The Russian Supreme Court's Orwellian ruling was that the blogger denied facts established by the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal. It convicted leading Nazis of waging aggressive war against, among others, Poland, but, in an act of victors' justice, made no judgment against the Soviet regime, representatives of which sat on the tribunal. This accommodation to postwar political reality was necessary to enable the tribunal to function, which was necessary for civilizing vengeance. The tribunal ignored, but did not deny, the patent fact of Soviet aggression.

The Russian court's ruling is a window into the sinister continuity of Putin's Russia and the Soviet system that incubated him. So, if the former secretary of state who aspires to the American presidency has time to read a book before Jan. 20, she should make it "The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin" by Steven Lee Myers of The New York Times. It is a study of the volatile nostalgia of a man seething with resentments acquired as a KGB operative -- a "devoted officer of a dying empire" -- during the Soviet Union's final years. It is a pointillist portrait painted with telling details that should cause sobriety to supplant dreams of happy policy "resets" with Russia:

As a senior security official in post-Soviet Russia, Putin kept on his desk a bronze statue of "Iron Felix" Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet secret police and terror apparatus. At Putin's May 7, 2000, presidential inauguration, a choir sang a composition "written in 1836 to celebrate a soldier's death in the war against Poland and rewritten in Soviet times ... to remove the homage to the tsar. For Putin, the choir sang the Soviet verses." There was the 2006 assassination in Moscow, on Putin's 54th birthday, of the troublesome journalist Anna Politkovskaya. (Asked about the frequent deaths of anti-Putin journalists, Donald Trump breezily said, "I think our country does plenty of killing.") And the 2006 poisoning in London of Putin's antagonist Alexander Litvinenko using radioactive polonium-210.

Domestically, Putin's "managed democracy" is Stalinism leavened by kleptomania, as in the looting of the energy giant Yukos. In foreign policy, Putin's Russia is unambiguously and unapologetically revanchist. The Soviet Union was likened to a burglar creeping down a hotel corridor until he finds an unlocked door. Putin, who found Crimea unlocked (when he honeymooned there in 1983, it seemed "a magical, sacred place to him," writes Myers), is pushing on the door of what remains of Ukraine.

The Democratic presidential nominee fundamentally misread Putin's thugocracy, and her opponent admires the thug because "at least he's a leader." As the Russian blogger's fate demonstrates, Putin practices what Orwell wrote: "'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'"

Back in the day, some analysts prophesied a "convergence" between the Soviet Union and the United States, two industrial societies becoming more alike. In our day, there is indeed a growing similarity: In both places, post-factual politics are normal.
The Boeing Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of airplanes and commands more than 50% of the market in some channels and categories. The company and its family of subsidiaries design, develops, manufacture, sell, service, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and related services worldwide. The company operates through four segments including Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital providing products and services to end-users in 150 countries.

Boeing got its start in 1910 when William E. Boeing developed a love for aircraft. Soon after he takes his first plane ride which leads him to build a hangar and begin construction of his first plane. The onset of WWI helped spur the companys growth but business was cut drastically in its wake. The start of WWII was another milestone for the company and one that led to its current position of dominance. The company was incorporated in 1916 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Boeing employs over 140,000 people in 65 countries making it one of the most diverse employers on the planet.

The Commercial Airplanes segment is built around the iconic 7-series which includes the 737, 747, and 787. The segment provides commercial jet aircraft for passenger and cargo requirements, as well as fleet support services for regional, national, and international air carriers and logistics and freight companies. In terms of global volume, the company estimates about 90% of all air freight is carried aboard one of its jets. This segment also includes the Dreamliner family of planes. The Dreamliner is a game-changing airplane for many carriers as it opens up the potential for new one-stop destinations because of its capacity and range.

The Defense, Space & Security segment develops and manufactures a range of systems including manned and unmanned aircraft, missiles, missile defense systems, satellites, communications equipment, and intelligence systems for governments. Among the many iconic brands within this segment are the AH-64 Apache, Air Force One, B-52, C-17 Globemaster, Chinook, F/A-18, and the V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft used by the Marines.

The Global Services segment offers a range of products and services that include supply chain and logistics management, engineering, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, spare parts, pilot and maintenance training, technical and maintenance documents, and data analytics to its commercial and defense customers.

Boeing is also a leader in innovation, leveraging its many decades and avenues of experience to further aerospace and defense technology. Among the many innovations is the MQ-25 Stingray which will be the worlds first autonomous aircraft. The Stingray is only one of many areas of research that also include drones and undersea vehicles.
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Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer and distributor of professional beauty supplies. The company operates through two segments, Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group. The Sally Beauty Supply segment offers beauty products, including hair color and care products, skin and nail care products, styling tools, and other beauty products for retail customers, salons, and salon professionals. This segment also provides products under third-party brands, such as Wella, Clairol, OPI, Conair, and L'Oreal, as well as exclusive-label brand merchandise. The Beauty Systems Group segment offers professional beauty products, such as hair color and care products, skin and nail care products, styling tools, and other beauty items directly to salons and salon professionals through its professional-only stores, e-commerce platforms, and sales force, as well as through franchised stores under the Armstrong McCall store name. This segment also sells products under third-party brands, such as Paul Mitchell, Wella, Matrix, Schwarzkopf, Kenra, Goldwell, Joico, and Olaplex. As of September 30, 2021, the company operated 4,777 stores, including 134 franchised units in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. It also distributes its products through full-service/exclusive distributors, open-line distributors, direct sales, and mega-salon stores. Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Denton, 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.
Bank of America has a rich history dating back to 1800 and even earlier. It was begun by immigrants as a group of separate and unrelated banks that, over the years, merged and grew together. One such is the Bank of Italy which was founded in 1904 by Amadeo Giannini to serve Italian immigrants that were facing discrimination. He later buys out the Banca de America e de Italia (Bank of America and Italy) which was also located in San Francisco. Over the years additional mergers and changes in Federal banking legislation, as well as the boom brought on by WWI and then WWII, helped boost the bank to national prominence.

Things turned sour, however, in 1998 with a major bond default that led to yet another merger, this time with Charlotte, NC-based Nations Bank to officially become the Bank of America that exists today. At the time, the merger was the largest bank merger in history and the company has only grown in the time since.

Other additions to the new Bank of America include MBNA (a major credit card operator), Fleet Boston (then the US 7th largest and one of its oldest banks), and Merril Lynch, now Merril, which was added to the group in 2008 to provide an investment banking branch. Together the company dominates as one of the Big Four Banks in America. Bank of America lays claim to nearly 11% of all US deposits which ranks in line with its peer group and Bank of America Securities is listed as the worlds 3rd largest investment bank.

Today, Bank of America Corporation provides banking and financial services for individuals, small businesses, institutions, corporations, and governments worldwide. The bank operates in three segments Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management, and Global Banking bringing in a combined revenue greater than $90 billion in 2022.

As of 2022, Bank of America serves approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,200 retail financial centers. The bank also operates more than 16,000 ATMs and digital banking platforms with approximately 41 million active users.

Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional banking and investment products for retail clients. These range from deposit accounts to savings, credit cards, consumer loans, and IRAs. The Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment and wealth management solutions including, brokerage, banking, and trust and retirement products. The Global Banking segment provides lending products and services, including commercial loans and leases for businesses of all varieties. The Global Markets segment offers market-making, clearing, settlement, and custody services, as well as risk management, derivatives, and FX exchange services.
Having a great team can be a huge benefit to any business. But even if you have the greatest employees, you still need to support them in a number of different ways to get the best possible results. Here are some tips from members of our small business community about supporting your team and getting the best possible results for your business.

Have Your Sales Team Leverage Content Marketing to Close More Leads

You might think that content marketing and sales are two completely different avenues. But you can actually have them work together to help your business. This Kissmetrics post by Derek Cromwell outlines how your sales team can leverage content marketing to close more leads.

Encourage Everyone to Take the Occasional Digital Vacation

Running a successful business and managing a team means that you need to be energized and ready to work. But its easy for people to get worn out or stressed by being constantly connected. Thats why Lisette Sutherland suggests taking a digital vacation in this Redbooth post.

Dont Get Overwhelmed With Too Much Data

Theres so much data out there for businesses to learn from these days. But there may come a point where you simply have too much data and not enough direction on how to actually use it. For more thoughts on not overwhelming your team or your business with data, read this post by Megan Totka on Biznology. Then check out what BizSugar members had to say.

Use These To-Do List Templates

Keeping your team on track can be a complicated process. But sometimes, all you need to do is provide them with the right tools so that they can manage their own tasks. This Process Street post by Ben Mulholland includes every to-do list template you or your team might ever need.

Jumpstart Your Influencer Marketing Program

Your team doesnt always just consist of the employees who come into the office every day. You might also consider influencers and brand ambassadors to be important parts of your business. Here, Blaise Lucey shares some strategies you can use to jumpstart your influencer marketing program on MarketingLand.

Dont Build a Business on Individual Heroics

Having great employees is a benefit for any business. But if you focus too much on each individual team members heroics rather than your team as a whole, it could be a detriment. Here, John F. Dini of Awake at 2 OClock shares thoughts on the subject. And the BizSugar community also chimes in here.

Use Brand Awareness and Reputation to Drive Growth

There are many different ways you can grow your business and your team. But in order for any of those strategies to actually work, you need to focus on creating some brand awareness and a positive reputation for your business. Ivan Maryasin shares some thoughts on the subject in this post on the BrightEdge blog.

Establish Health, Safety and Environmental Rules in the Workplace

Factors like health and safety are so important for businesses and their employees. So if you dont already have policies in place regarding those factors, it could be time to create them. This Techlofy post by Diana Smith goes over how to create some of those workplace rules.

Do Your Due Diligence to Validate Any New Venture

Before you jump into a new venture, its beneficial for you and your team members to do your due diligence. In this Startup Professionals Musings post, Martin Zwilling shares some due diligence steps you can take to validate any new venture. And BizSugar members share thoughts on the post here.

Follow These Top Business and Entrepreneurship Blogs

In order to effectively manage and support your team, you need to have the best possible information at your disposal. You can learn a lot by following some top business and entrepreneurship blogs like the ones in this First Site Guide post by Anja Skrba. Small Business Trends is honored to be included.

If youd like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com
SOCIEDAD ASIATICA

THE ASIAN SOCIETY

COMISION DIRECTIVA



THE DIRECTIVE BOARD



PRESIDENTE:

Liliana Garcia Daris



Universidad del Salvador.

Argentina

VICEPRESIDENTE:

Won-ho Kim

Universidad de Hankuk de Estudios Extranjeros.

Corea

SECRETARIO:

Luis Diaz Brougton



Universidad de Santiago, Chile



PROSECRETARIO:



Martha Barriga Tello

Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru



VOCALES:



Mauricio Martinez



Universidad de los Andes, Colombia



Juan Uriburu Quintana



Universidad de Chenchi, Taiwan

CONSEJEROS ACADEMICOS

ACADEMIC ADVISERS



ASH NARAIN, Roy,

Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi.

India



GARCIA BAZAN, Francisco,



CONICET, Universidad Argentina John F. Kennedy



MATSUSHITA, Hiroshi,



Universidad de Kobe, Japon



MIEMBROS FUNDADORES



FOUNDING MEMBERS



ALBERT, Liliana



Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



ANTON PACHECO, Jose Antonio



Universidad de Sevilla, Espana



ANTONIJEVIC, Ingrid



Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile



BARRIGA TELLO, Martha



Universidad Nacional de San Marcos, Peru



BERGMAN, Sergio

Melton Institute de Jerusalem, Israel



BERTOLINI, Luis



Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



CABEZON, Jose



Universidad de Santa Barbara, Estados Unidos



CAGNI, Horacio



Universidad Catolica de La Plata, Argentina



CARRANZA, Francisco



Universidad de Dankook, Corea



CASTLETON, Barbara



Ohio State University of Athens



CASTRO, Jorge

Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



CHAOUL-REICH, Alejandro



Universidad de Texas, Estados Unidos



CHELMICKI, Hanna I.



Universidad del Salvador, Argentina



DIAZ BROUGHTON, Luis



Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile



FRANCO, Raul



Universidad del Salvador, Argentina



GADRE, Vasant



Universidad Jawaharlal Nehru, India



GARCIA DARIS, Liliana

Universidad del Salvador, Argentina

GLUCK, Carol



Universidad de Columbia. Estados Unidos

HOPKINS RODRIGUEZ, Eduardo



Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru



KIM, Wonho



Universidad Hankuk de Estudios Extranjeros, Corea



KO, Heysun



Univesidad de Dankook, Corea



LOPEZ DEL CARRIL, Luis Maria



Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



LUCO, Enrique



Universidad del Salvador



MARTINEZ, Mauricio



Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia



MASATERU, Ito



Universidad Nacional de Osaka, Japon



MATSUSHITA, Hiroshi



Universidad de Kobe, Japon



MINKOWICZ, Gabriel

Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires

MONETA, Carlos Juan



Universidad del Salvador, Argentina



MORROW, John Andrew



Minot State University, Dakota del Norte, USA



NGUYEN, Thiet Son



Academia de Ciencias Sociales de Vietnam, Vietnam

OVIEDO, Eduardo

CONICET. Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina

PEREIRA, Ronan Alves

Universidad de Brasilia. Brasil

PEREYRA, Violeta



Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina

REMETE, Andrea

Universidad del Salvador, Argentina



RIMOLDI DE LADMAN, Eve



Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



ROMERO CASTILLA, Alfredo



Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico

TEDIN URIBURU, Virgilio



Universidad de Harvard, Estados Unidos

UEHARA, Alexander



Universidad de Sao Paulo. Brasil

URIBURU QUINTANA, Juan



Universidad de Chenchi, Taiwan



VITTOR, Luis Alberto



Universidad Argentina John F. Kennedy



XU, Shicheng



Academia China de Ciencias Sociales, Republica Popular China
George Robert "Bob" Crawford, 86, of Valley Lee, MD died September 14, 2016 at MedStar St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown, MD. He was born on October 15, 1929 in Washington, D.C. to the late George Stetson Crawford and Ethel E. Lee Crawford.



Bob was a graduate of Eastern High School in Washington D.C. He was a dedicated member of the Naval Reserves for nine years. He was employed by the National Institute of Health as an architect until his retirement in June 1995. On February 14, 1989 he married his beloved wife, Virginia "Ginny" Crawford in Upper Marlboro, MD. Together they celebrated over 21 wonderful years of marriage.



He enjoyed spending time on the water, particularly boating on the Saint Ginny, fishing and scuba diving. As a master woodworker he built many beautiful pieces. He was also very handy and could fix just about anything. He enjoyed history, particularly studying World War II. As an avid reader he enjoyed reading history books, how-to books, and cook books. He loved to listen to country music and opera. His favorite travel destination was to the Bahamas with his wife.



In addition to his wife, Bob is also survived by his children, Robert Crawford, Bonnie Crawford, Brenda Jacoby, William "Billy" Crawford (Angela), Brian Crawford, and Brett "Digger" Crawford; many grandchildren and great grandchildren, and his extended family and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents.



All services will be private. Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.




WASHINGTON

(Sept. 16, 2016)The U.S. Department of Defense today announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities., is being awarded a not-to-exceedfor firm-fixed-price delivery order 0001 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This modification provides for low-rate initial production Lot 10 air vehicle initial spares to include F-35 common spares; F-35A, F-35B and F-35C unique spares; and aloft spares packages/deployment spares packages required to support the air vehicle delivery schedule for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (24.4 percent); El Segundo, California (9 percent); Owego, New York (8.6 percent); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (7.2 percent); Cheltenham, United Kingdom (6.2 percent); Nashua, New Hampshire (5.8 percent); Torrance, California (5.5 percent); Orlando, Florida (4.9 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (3.7 percent); San Diego, California (3.6 percent); Phoenix, Arizona (3.1 percent); Melbourne, Florida (3 percent); Irvine, California (2.5 percent); North Amityville, New York (2.4 percent); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (2.2 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (2.2 percent); Papendrect, Netherlands (1.9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Illinois (1.8 percent); and Alpharetta, Georgia (1.8 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2019. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $89,299,340 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This delivery order combines purchases for the Air Force ($52,280,750; 38.3 percent); Navy ($1,303,033; 1 percent); Marine Corps ($35,715,557; 26.1 percent); non-DoD participants ($27,755,423; 20.3 percent); and Foreign Military Sales ($19,534,133; 14.3 percent). The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00017 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, requirements contract (N00019-15-D-0003) to exercise an option for organizational, intermediate and depot level maintenance and logistics services for the T-34, T-44 and T-6 aircraft in support of the Chief of Naval Air Training. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas (42 percent); Whiting Field, Florida (41 percent); Pensacola, Florida (12 percent); and other locations inside the continental U.S. to include Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia; Naval Air Facility El Centro, California; NAS Lemoore, California; Marine Corp Air Station Miramar, California; and NAS Fallon, Nevada (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2017. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00018 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-15-C-0092) to exercise an option for procurement of 64 AIM-9X Block II all up round tactical full-rate production Lot 16 missiles for the governments of Japan (4), Norway (20), and Taiwan (40). In addition, this modification provides for the procurement of 70 Block II captive air training missiles for the governments of Norway (30) and Taiwan (40); 39 all up round containers for the governments of Norway (16) and Taiwan (23); one spare active optical target detector for the government of Norway; two spare guidance units (live battery) for the government of Norway; six spare captive air training missile guidance units for the government of Norway; seven guidance unit containers for the government of Norway; one spare active optical target detector container for the government of Norway; and one spare Block II propulsion steering section for the government of Taiwan. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (43.74 percent); Andover, Massachusetts (10.08 percent); Valencia, California (6.10 percent); Ontario Canada, Midland (5.54 percent); Rocket Center, West Virginia (5.49 percent); Vancouver, Washington (5.07 percent); Goleta, California (2.86 percent); Cheshire, Connecticut (2.05 percent); Heilbronn, Germany (1.88 percent); Simsbury, Connecticut (1.61 percent); San Jose, California (1.48 percent); Anniston, Alabama (1.31 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (1.22 percent); Maniago, Italy (1.21 percent); Chatsworth, California (1.11 percent); San Diego, California (1.04 percent); Montgomery, Alabama (0.60 percent); Orlando, Florida (0.55 percent); Valencia, California (0.53 percent); Newbury Park, California (0.50 percent); El Segundo, California (0.50 percent); Claremont, California (0.43 percent); Joplin, Missouri (0.39 percent); Lombard, Illinois (0.28 percent); El Cajon, California (0.15 percent); and various locations inside and outside the continental U.S. (4.28 percent). Work is expected to be completed in December 2018. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $43,113,871 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the governments of Taiwan ($25,471,893, 59.08 percent); Norway ($15,935,179; 36.96 percent); and Japan ($1,706,799; 3.96 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded a not-to-exceedmodification to firm-fixed-price delivery order 0031 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This modification provides for low-rate initial production Lot 9 air vehicle initial spares to include F-35B aloft spares packages required to support the air vehicle delivery schedule for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (24.4 percent); El Segundo, California (9 percent); Owego, New York (8.6 percent); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (7.2 percent); Cheltenham, United Kingdom (6.2 percent); Nashua, New Hampshire (5.8 percent); Torrance, California (5.5 percent); Orlando, Florida (4.9 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (3.7 percent); San Diego, California (3.6 percent); Phoenix, Arizona (3.1 percent); Melbourne, Florida (3.0 percent); Irvine, California (2.5 percent); North Amityville, New York (2.4 percent); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (2.2 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (2.2 percent); Papendrect, Netherlands (1.9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Illinois (1.8 percent); and Alpharetta, Georgia (1.8 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy/Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $26,450,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded aindefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for portable, ruggedized, and man-packable surveillance equipment and their associated peripherals in support of Combat Direction Systems Activity Dam Neck's role as in-service engineering agent, technical design agent, and acquisition engineering agent. Work will be performed in Germantown, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by September 2017. Fiscal 2016 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,380,911 will be obligated at time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The, is the contracting activity (N00178-16-D-2027)., was awardedfor modification 07 to a previously issued, cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order 0026 placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-12-G-0006. This modification exercises options for software and hardware upgrades for 19 Marine Corps V-22 (MV-22) flight training devices. These options will upgrade the software and hardware configuration of the Okinawa MV-22 device and visual upgrades, to include the addition of a Mediterranean database. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia (26 percent); Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (21 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (18 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (10 percent); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5 percent); Albuquerque, New Mexico (4 percent); Clovis, New Mexico (4 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (4 percent); Okinawa, Japan (4 percent); Clifton, New Jersey (2 percent); Orlando, Florida (1 percent) and Mildenhall, United Kingdom (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. Fiscal 2014 and 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,002,860 will be obligated at time of award, $1,929,552 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Sept. 15, 2016)
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




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Small ports across the nation, like those in Chinook and Ilwaco, are on the cusp of a major victory in Congress that could give them more reliable access to federal dredging and harbor maintenance funds.

Washingtons two U.S. Senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, announced Thursday that they have secured critical reforms to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund in the Senate version of the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, a budget bill that pays for water projects.

The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, created in 1987, is financed by a harbor tax paid by importers and domestic shippers, passengers and other sources. It is intended to pay for harbor maintenance, but small ports have had a hard time competing for the funds, partly because Congress has historically raided the fund for other uses. The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association estimates that lawmakers over the years have siphoned off $9 billion for non-harbor purposes.

The House has yet to adopt the reforms in its version of the of the budget bill. If they are finally adopted, the reforms to the trust fund would:

Permanently set aside 10 percent of Harbor Maintenance money for small port dredging. Ports like Chinook and Ilwaco in recent years have had difficulty getting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge their federally-authorized access channels because so much of the trust fund money has been skimmed off for non-harbor causes.

Dedicated federal funding for our smaller ports means that Washington residents will continue to have access to the open ocean, one of the states most important natural resources, Kristin Meira, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, said in a prepared statement. This is critical for commercial and recreational fishing, as well as so many other industries that support our coastal communities.

Guarantee a set-aside of $25 million annually for donor ports to pay rebates to importers and shippers if the ports can show that the harbors taxes are steering shippers to competing ports in Canada and Mexico. Donor ports have naturally deep harbors  like those in Seattle and Tacoma  that dont need much dredging and therefore only get small amounts of trust fund money, even though their customers pay the harbor tax.

Seattle and Tacoma, which have joined forces as the Northwest Seaport Alliance, are losing business to ports in Canada. Even goods ultimately bound for U.S. destinations are not subject to a harbor tax in Canada, said Port of Longview spokeswoman Ashley Helenberg. This puts American ports at a competitive disadvantage, she said.

Ports are critical to the Washington state economy, but the current system has put them at a competitive disadvantage for far too long, Sen. Murray said in a prepared statement. With this legislation, small ports get the certainty they need, and we take another step toward ensuring greater equity in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to help donor ports maintain operations and keep customers coming back.

Washington state is a major player in international trade, Cantwell said in a press release. The Northwest Seaport Alliance alone impacts almost 50,000 jobs in our state and supports nearly $380 million in state and local. With so much at stake, we need to ensure American ports of all sizes have the tools and resources they need to move Washington products across the globe.

The reforms will not have a direct effect on the Port of Longview, which relies on continued federal dredging of the Columbia River to remain open and therefore is not a donor port, Helenberg said.

However, she added, were pleased to see reform of the Harbor Maintenance Trust fund.

Port of Longviews priority is making sure that money collected for the fund is used for harbor projects as intended, she said, noting that the Columbia River requires annual maintenance dredging ... to remain at our federally authorized depth of 43 feet.
The 2016 iPhone models of Apple Inc.  iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus needs no introduction. Apple couple of days back introduced both flagships with the market and the shipping of the models are still in the pipeline. But several factors are found in the iPhone editions of 2016 which lead Apple for severe criticism. While a few days back, Samsung condemned Apple for ditching the 100-years-old 3.5 mm audio jack, recently, another smartphone company Lenovo poked fun at Apple for introducing the design in its iPhone 7 akin to the existing Moto Z smartphone.

Lenovo, the Chinese conglomerate has published a new ad campaign in which targets two recently launched smartphones  Galaxy Note 7 and the iPhone 7. In the ad campaign, Lenovo tries to motivate consumers for buying a Moto Z instead of aforesaid and expensive flagships of Apple and Samsung.

To drive this campaign, Lenovo has published a full-page advertisement in New York Times that ran earlier today. In the ad, Lenovo found to support consumers to buying new models with fewer prices rather than going the same designer models of iPhone 7 and Galaxy Note 7. In the ad, it states that go for something new, something different.

But here the question arises  Why? Because the Moto Z doesnt concentrate on incremental changes but instead is a complete re-imagination of what a smartphone ought to be.

Following the hard attack through New York Times, people started posting the snaps of the mouth-opening ad of Lenovo on Twitter. However, the time will only say who will beat the heat of the market with their smartphones and how far this anti-iPhone campaign of Lenovo will go.
Environment Ministry celebrated the International Ozone Day yesterday on September 16 for preserving the depleting Ozone layer which protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays coming from the Sun. The Ozone Cell department organised contests in which school children participated for painting, writing slogans and making posters. Winners were awarded prizes.

The Ozone layer is a layer of Ozone molecules, that covers the earths stratosphere and resists the harmful UV (Ultraviolet) radiations by the sun and thus protects the earth. These UV radiations cause acute and irreversible effects to human body. The effects include mainly sunburn (or erythema) and tanning (or pigment darkening). The chronic effects of UV exposure can be much more serious, even life threatening, and include premature aging of the skin, suppression of the immune system, damage to the eyes, and skin cancer.

Book named The Montreal Protocol: Indias Success Story was released by the Forest and Climate Change department of Environment Ministry on the occasion of Internation Ozone Day. The report contains how far India has reached in controlling the substances that deplete the protective Ozone layer. For example, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in refrigerators was major contributor to the deteriorating health of Ozone layer, but CFCs levels have decreased severely in past few years.

Instead, CFC is now being replaced by HFC (Hydrofluorocarbon) which is Ozone friendly and government aims to completely replace HCFC (an alternative of CFCs) with HFCs by 2025, said Ajay Mathur, Director-General, TERI (The Energy and Research Institute), who was present at the event as a chief guest.

Mathur further added that although HFCs are Ozone friendly and aids in protecting us from ultraviolet rays but they have some other adverse effects. HFCs lead to warming of planet triggering global warming. Global Warming has become one of the biggest problems for the world and all the nations are putting efforts to curb the increasing temperature. Global warming has increased the average temperature leading to climate change and unpredictable weather due to which floods and droughts are becoming more common affecting the agriculture sector.

The effects of CFCs were first observed in 1980s when scientists observed a large hole in the Ozone above Antarctica. This is after which CFCs were banned in the whole world in 1987 under the Montreal Protocol by the United Nations and HFCs came into use.

Compounds like CCFs, HCFC and HFCs are very good coolant thus, they are used in refrigerators, AC, and solvents where cooling is required. But when released in the environment, it goes into the atmosphere and reacts with Ozone molecule (Ozone molecule is made of three atoms of Oxygen) which results in disintegration of Ozone molecule into Oxygen molecule (made up of two oxygen atoms) and one free Oxygen radicle.

However, a study by NASA suggests that HFCs too contributes to depletion of Ozone layer to some extent. Though not on large scale but in a significant amount. The study states that by the year 2050, the HFCs used in the above-mentioned cooling devices will have caused a total of 0.035 percentage of depletion on the Ozone layer. Read More
Over time, the percentages of shoplifting and burglary are rising at a faster pace. A new surprising case of robbery has come to the forefront that has stunned the entire market. Two individuals are arrested from Delhi who is alleged to rob 900 units of iPhones, worth Rs. 2.25 crores.

As reported by the Delhi police on Thursday, two persons named as Mehtab Alam, 24, and Arman, 22 have been detained from Mahipalpur region of South Delhi 900 units of iPhones. Both are from Mahipalpur area and alleged for stealing from a truck carrying over 1,000 iPhone 5s mobile phones worth Rs. 2.25 crore.

Both accused have been recognized reported to be the resident of Mahipalpur area, Delhi. While Mehtab Alam was detained from Mahipalpur, his companion Arman was arrested from Rangpuri, south Delhi, the police said on Thursday. 900 units of iPhone 5s have been recovered from them and the car they used for the stealing also has been seized by the Delhi Police.

According to the Delhi police, on 13th September, Tuesday, a truck was transporting the iPhones from Okhla area of south Delhi to Dwarka in southwest Delhi when the robbery took place. As reported by the driver, both accused with their some co-conspirators detained the truck driver and robbed all the mobile phones. This incident took place near Rajokri flyover, on Tuesday. As said by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Ishwar Singh, all the stolen mobiles have been seized, and the thieves are under arrest and soon will be presented in the court. However, no clues have yet received about other co-conspirators of Arman and Mehtab.
Obesity is responsible for the deaths of over three million people a year worldwide due to its associated diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

However, a subset of obese individuals seems to be protected from such diseases. Understanding the underlying protective mechanisms in the lower risk individuals could help design novel therapeutic strategies targeting those at higher risk of disease.

An international collaboration, funded by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), between the University of Bristol and Anti-Doping Laboratory Qatar (ADLQ) has revealed that fat stem cells in healthy obese individuals can store fat more efficiently than those with increased risk of diabetes. Efficient fat storage protects against fat deposition on internal organs such as liver, kidneys and heart leading to increased risk of diabetes.

Dr Wael Kafienah, from the University of Bristols School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, explained: The existence of obese individuals with lower risk of diabetes has received great interest in the past few years, as they may hold the clue to understanding and possibly treating obesity-associated diabetes. Our clinical data confirmed the previously-reported variability in obesity-associated pathology. Here, we have shown that the group with healthy fat stem cells had lower cholesterol and a better liver function.

Dr Mohamed Elrayess, from ADLQ, said: In this study we have shown that the impaired ability of fat stem cells to store excess fat was partially due to increased levels of the inflammatory marker interleukin-6 in the blood. Indeed, when fat stem cells isolated from healthy obese individuals were exposed to interleukin-6 in the laboratory, they behaved like those obtained from individuals with risk of diabetes. [FIGURE].

This study has shed light for the first time on the importance of fat stem cells in the context of diabetes. The collaboration between the two institutions will explore ways to improve the efficiency of fat stem cells in pre-diabetic obese patients, thereby reducing their risk of developing diabetes.

Paper

'Interleukin-6 induces impairment in human subcutaneous adipogenesis in obesity-associated insulin resistance' by Almuraikhy S, Kafienah W, Bashah M, Diboun I, Jaganjac M, Al-Khelaifi F, Abdesselem H, Mazloum NA, Alsayrafi M, Mohamed-Ali V, Elrayess MA in Diabetologia. 2016 Jun 24. [Epub ahead of print]
tech2 News Staff

Lenovo along with its Moto brand has kicked off a new campaign called 'Skip the Sevens'. Now, there are no brownie points to what the company is trying to convey. It is taking a dig at the big guns  Apple iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and S7.

The company with its full-page advertisement is directly pointing at Moto Z and Moto Mod and asking Samsung and Apple users to look at where the innovation is rather than at incremental product improvements. Well, that's not all, Lenovo has also put out a video showing the blind brand loyalty by users over choosing innovative products.

Interestingly, Lenovo isn't the first company to do so. We've already seen LeEco and OnePlus tweet out from their official handle to take a dig at the missing headphone jack and how it's nothing novel or rocket science!

https://twitter.com/LeEcoIndia/status/773540995824775168

https://twitter.com/oneplus/status/773590144234377216

Recently, LeEco's ad took a potshot at Apple and ridiculed it for tiny iPhone 7 Plus battery.

Microsoft had also mocked Apple recently, and we wouldn't blame it, for it's the latter's iPad pro advertisement that was targeted. And, these aren't really the first ones to do so. This has been going on for years now. And, as more companies join the smartphone battle, one can expect more of such potshots. Last year we saw Dell, Lenovo and Asus hit back at Apple for its Macbook line.

https://twitter.com/ASUSUSA/status/575729155494404096

And, Samsung was once again leading the pack when it came to mocking arch-rival Apple. We've seen Samsung take a dig at Apple's queues, battery and even had some hilarious 'genius' ads out. And, there is no denying that Samsung has also faced a fair share of mockery.

During Apple-Samsung patent wars back then, Samsung had claimed that Apples marketing chief Phil Schiller went crazy after Samsung launched its Next Big Thing advertising series. The campaign often showed people standing in line to buy the iPhone and took potshots at Apple fans.
Naina Khedekar

Samsung has been struggling for sometime now, from slowing markets to under-performing flagships. The latest Note 7 showed some hope, and many believed that the device may go down in history as the one that helped resurrect the company. However, it may very well go down in history, but for other reasons. The last thing the company expected was the device to explode and hurt its loyal users across the world. After about 35 incidents of the Note 7 exploding into flames, the company announced a total recall. Here's a timeline of the events from the time the device was launched, warnings issued and big price of $1 billion and the recall of devices.

2 August, 2016

Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 7 at the high profile Unpacked event. The highlight of the device was the dual curved display, iris scanner and that it was water resistant, including the S Pen.

3 August, 2016

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was made available for pre-order in the US.

11 August, 2016

The Galaxy Note 7 was launched in India at Rs 59,900.

19 August, 2016

The device went on sale in the US, both via online and offline channels.

25 August, 2016

The first incident of the Galaxy Note 7 explosion came to light. The device caught fire and exploded while on charging. The incident took place in China.

29 August, 2016

The Galaxy Note 7 was officially launched in China. But, some were disappointed to see only the 4GB variant, while the 6GB variant was given a miss.

2, September, 2016

By now, there were about 35 reported cases. Samsung acknowledged the problem, and announced a recall program. The company blamed the affected batteries. It said to have started conducting a thorough inspection with suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, the company said it didn't want to take any chances, and stopped sales of the device to immediate effect. The company also announced that all devices would be replaced. Sales stopped in China.

5 September, 2016

Samsung Electronics Australia advises all customers who use a Galaxy Note 7 smartphone to power down their device, return it to its place of purchase and use an alternative device until a remedy can be provided.

Soon there were reports claiming how it's the largest recall in the history.

7 September, 2016

An Australian man was left with burns when his Samsung smartphone exploded as he slept in his hotel room. Tham Hua, from Victoria state who was visiting Western Australia, said his Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploded in his hotel room, bursting into flames. By now, it was believed that Samsung is recalling and replacing up to 2.5 million Note 7 devices, with nearly $1 billion dollar cost to the company. And, soon there were reports that the device was being banned US flights.

8 September, 2016

Three Australian airlines banned passengers from using or charging Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 7 smartphones during flights due to concerns over the phones fire-prone batteries. Qantas, its budget unit Jetstar and Virgin Australia said they had not been directed to ban the use of the phone by aviation authorities, but did so as a precaution following Samsungs recall of the phones in 10 markets.

9 September, 2016

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission released an official statement warning users about the defective Galaxy Note 7 Lithium-Ion batteries and how dangerous they can be.

On the same day, Samsung also penned down in a blog post, urging users to power down their Galaxy Note 7 and exchange them as soon as possible. The company said they are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible and in compliance with related regulations. Samsung took to explaining what's causing the issue.

US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned the use of galaxy Note 7s in flights. Hours after the announcement, DGCA issued a warning and banned the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on flights.

"In light of the recent incidents involving battery incidents with Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices globally, traveling public and airlines are advised not to switch on these mobiles during the flight or stow them in any checked in baggage," issued DGCA order read.

10 September, 2016

Samsung Electronics started urging users of its Galaxy Note 7 phones to turn in their handsets as soon as possible as part of a recall.

11 September, 2016

Another incident, and this time, a 6-year old boy in New York had to be rushed to the hospital as the device exploded in his hands.

12 September, 2016

Reports claimed Samsung Electronics will only use batteries made by Chinas ATL for its replacement devices. The Chinese company is set to become the sole battery supplier for Samsung by shipments for the time being since the company stopped receiving batteries from its main provider and has not found a third supplier. Reportedly, Samsung used to get 70 percent of its batteries from its subsidiary while 30 percent was from ATL for Galaxy Note 7 devices.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltds shares fell to their lowest level in nearly two months after the recall announcement. More airlines across the world banned customers from carrying the devices.

13 September, 2016

Meanwhile, Samsung has planned to push an OTA that will limit Note 7 charging to 60 percent. A South Korean newspaper, carried a Samsung advertisement announcing the software update for any users of the Note 7 who may be disregarding its recall notice and continuing to use the smartphone.

14 September, 2016

In another incident, a car caught fire and the driver alleged that the exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 caused for the havoc. Samsung Australia has confirmed that it will start shipping Galaxy Note 7 replacements by 21 September. It will apparently come with an updated white barcode sticker with a blue S on the packaging.

15 September, 2016

US officially recalls Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The replacements are said to begin no later than 21 September. The new units will come with a green battery level icon to indicate theyve been replaced.

Meanwhile, there were other reports confirming the new devices will start shipping from 21 September.

Finally, Samsung America President & COO Tim Baxter put out a video message apologising to Samsung fans, promising that Samsung will work hard to earn back the trust and officially announced that the new devices will be available no later than 21 September, among other things. Watch the video here.

16 September, 2016

Just a day after the announcement, a news report about a lawsuit surfaced. Samsung Electronics was sued by a Florida man who said he suffered severe burns after his Galaxy Note 7 smartphone exploded in his front pants pocket.

Unfortunately, the whole event is a big setback for Samsung, especially considering the timing was so close to the iPhone 7 launch. However, it is yet to be seen how the company plans to successfully rollout the recall. After all, it's not just about the money, the company's long-standing reputation is at stake.
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Samsung Electronics said it will resume selling new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to customers in South Korea starting on Sept. 28, as the firm seeks to limit the fallout from a costly recall of the high-end device.

A Samsung spokeswoman told Reuters the schedule for restarting sales for the device elsewhere, including the United States, will depend on the circumstances for the individual markets. The firm has said it expects new sales to resume in Australia sometime in early October.

The world's top smartphone maker announced on Sept. 2 a recall of the Note 7 from 10 countries, including South Korea and the United States, due to faulty batteries that made some of the phones catch fire. The firm halted sales in the affected markets indefinitely until it could replace enough of the faulty devices with replacement phones with safe batteries.

Unfortunately, the whole Note 7 explosion fiasco is a big setback for Samsung, especially considering the timing was so close to the iPhone 7 launch. However, it is yet to be seen how the company plans to successfully rollout the recall. After all, its not just about the money, the companys long-standing reputation is at stake.



With inputs from Reuters
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Two persons have been arrested from Mahipalpur area of south Delhi for allegedly robbing a truck carrying over 1,000 iPhone 5s mobile phones worth Rs 2.25 crore, police said. The accused have been identified as Mehtab Alam, 24, and Arman, 22, both residents of Mahipalpur. Mehtab Alam was arrested from Mahipalpur while Arman was arrested from Rangpuri area of south Delhi, the police said.

The police recovered over 900 iPhone mobile phones and the car used in the crime from them. According to the police, the robbery took place on September 13, when the truck was carrying the mobile phones from Okhla area of south Delhi to Dwarka in south-west Delhi.

The two, along with their accomplices, held the truck driver captive before robbing the mobile phones near Rajokri flyover, Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Ishwar Singh told reporters. The officer said the robbers then dumped the driver near Dwarka Link Road.

"During investigation it was found that two robbers  Bhola and Pradeep  were the former drivers of the truck, and had left their jobs two weeks ago," the officer said.

"We also found that on the day of the incident both the drivers had followed the same route which was used by the truck carrying the mobile phones," Singh said.

The accused have also confessed to having committed the crime along with their accomplices Bhola, Rahul and Jitender, the officer added. The police was conducting raids to arrest the remaining gang members.

IANS
Schools have become very dependent on the cloud to improve learning and teaching environments, as well as peer collaboration.
In Exeter, Rhode Island, a 32-acre farm was the site for an exciting day of marital bliss and dreams coming true but with a stench of manure wafting through the marriage ceremony to ruin the mood. Why? The farms neighbor didnt bother to move a giant pile of manure away considering the occasion.

What makes this even sadder is that Julie Charren and her groom Kyle had wanted a wedding just like this for years, after their initial ceremony had to be postponed as Julie was fighting (and beating) breast cancer.

I dont know if I have words to describe the overwhelming smell of manure, said the brides father, Marc Charren. There is a beautiful yard, and all you smell is chicken manure.

So the property owner, Gerard Zarella, is now suing his neighbors James and Diane Lynch because of their steaming pile of crap that was dropped at the boundary of the two properties right before Zarrella was to host this enchanted wedding.

This is really a spite case for me because weve been having legal battles, Zarrella said.

It would have been a lot more beautiful if he hadnt done that, said the brides mother, Terry Charren, who just came up with the understatement of the century. People wouldnt be commenting and talking about it all evening.

The photo at the top of the story shows just how close the poop pile was to the ceremonys location, and nothing could be done to move the tent and eating areas on such short notice.

Julie was crying in the morning before she arrived here, Marc Charren said. We thought maybe wed send people home, that the smell would be so overwhelming.

Zarrella is hosting another wedding next week, and he hopes the crap gets cleaned up, both literally and figuratively, before then.

For people like him, there is a special place in hell, Zarrella said. And it probably smells like animal feces.

[FOX19]
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Mother, son among 5 killed in Tangail road crash

UNB, Tangail: Five people, including a woman and her son, were killed and 12 more people injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck at Kurni on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway on Saturday morning.



Three of the deceased were identified as Rahima Begum, 32, a resident of Rajarhat upazila of Kurigram district, her son Bayzid, 7, and Salma Begum, 24, wife of Mominur Rahman, of Mohadebpur village in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram district.



Officer-in-charge of Gorai Highway Police Station Khalilur Rahman Patwary said a passenger carrying bus was going to Dhaka from Kurigram in the morning.



When the bus reached Kurni, it collided head-on with a Tangail-bound truck around 7am, leaving the woman and the child dead on the spot and 15 other people injured.



The injured were whisked off to hospital where Salma and two unidentified young men succumbed to their injuries, the OC added.
Spotlight on Syria as world leaders gather at UN

A civil defence member carries an injured baby at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria.

Reuters, United Nations :

The spotlight will be on Syria when world leaders gather at the United Nations next week as the United States and Russia try to shore up a fragile truce deal and President Barack Obama pushes for a boost in global refugee aid.

Some 135 heads of state and government and dozens of ministers will attend the 71st General Assembly, the last for both Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will step down at the end of 2016 after a decade in the job.

"While many conflicts are causing enormous pain, none is causing so much death, destruction and widespread instability as the worsening war in Syria," Ban told reporters on Wednesday. "Major countries with influence have a duty to use their influence and seize this latest opportunity to pursue a political solution."

Members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which includes Russia and the United States, are likely to meet on the sidelines at the United Nations on Tuesday, diplomats said, while the U.N. Security Council is due to hold a high-level meeting on Syria on Wednesday.

Russia had wanted the council to endorse its Syria truce deal with the United States during the meeting, but on Friday said a resolution was unlikely because Washington did not want to share the documents detailing the agreement with the 15-member body.

White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said on Friday he anticipated many of the U.S. discussions at the United Nations "will focus on the situation in Syria, the response to North Korea's latest nuclear test, our shared efforts to combat (Islamic State) with many U.N. member states."

Nearly 5 million Syrians have fled the country, and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the more than five-year conflict, contributing to the record 65.3 million people who were uprooted worldwide last year.

Before the world leaders begin their traditional speeches on Tuesday, the 193-member General Assembly will meet on Monday to adopt a political declaration on migrants and refugees. It is not legal binding, does not include a call by Ban for 10 percent of refugees to be resettled annually and has been dismissed by human rights groups as insufficient.

The next day, Obama will host a summit that aims to boost humanitarian funds by a third and double the number of refugees being resettled annually. Countries are allowed to participate only if they are making pledges.
India need not worry about Russia-Pak military drills: Moscow

The joint military exercises are tactical drills which will be held from September 24 to October 7.

PTI, Moscow :

India need not worry about the planned Russia-Pakistan joint military exercises as these drills will not be carried out in disputed areas, a senior Russian diplomat said today.

Russia thinks India should not be concerned about upcoming Russia-Pakistan joint military exercises, the Russian Foreign Ministry's director of the Second Asian Department Zamir Kabulov said.

The joint military exercises, dubbed as 'Friendship-2016', are tactical drills which will be held from September 24 to October 7 in the Army High Altitude School in northern Pakistan's Rattu and at a special forces training center in Cherat area.

The exercises aim to strengthen and develop cooperation between the two former Cold War rivals' armed forces.

"We were informed by the Russian Defense Ministry that these exercises will not be carried out in (disputed) areas, and a place was chosen that has nothing to do with this. Hence there is no reason for India to worry about it," Kabulov was quoted as saying Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency.

Mr Kabulov said Moscow had informed New Delhi of the regions where the exercises with Pakistan were planned to take place.

Around 200 military personnel from the two sides would take part in the joint military exercises.

The move comes amidst increasing defence ties between Moscow and Islamabad as the latter was also thinking to buy advanced Russian warplanes.

The joint military drill is seen as another step in growing military-to-military cooperation, indicating a steady growth in bilateral relationship between the two countries, whose ties had been marred by Cold War rivalry for decades.

Islamabad is eager to improve its ties with Moscow to diversify its options in the event of any stalemate in ties with Washington.

After securing a deal of MI-35 helicopters, Pakistan is also exploring options to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, Pakistani media reported recently.
UN inquiry blames Syrian military for chlorine bomb attacks

Reuters, UN :

An international inquiry has identified two Syrian Air Force helicopter squadrons and two other military units it holds responsible for chlorine gas attacks on civilians, a Western diplomat said.

The finding by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical weapons watchdog, is based on Western and regional intelligence, the diplomat said.

"It was the 22nd Division, the 63rd Brigade and the 255 and 253 squadrons of the Syrian government," the envoy said.

The identification of specific military institutions responsible for attacks could strengthen a push by some Western members of the UN Security Council for a robust response, focused on sanctions and accountability.

President Bashar al-Assad's government has denied using toxic gas on the battlefield, and said it will cooperate with the OPCW over accusations it has used poison gas against insurgent-held areas during Syria's civil war.

Responding to the new finding, a Syrian military source said: "The Syrian state ... and we, the Syrian Arab army, have said more than once that the army has not and will not use any banned weapon, especially chemical or poison weapons."

"This issue is completely void of truth. We consider the United Nations to be a tool in the hands of some countries which support terrorists," the source said, adding that the UN had not responded to Syrian requests to investigate alleged use of chemical weapons by insurgents.

The year-long joint UN and OPCW inquiry, which is investigating reports of attacks between April 11, 2014 and Aug 21, 2015, is due to submit its fourth report to the UN Security Council next week. The third report, in August, blamed Syrian government troops for two chlorine gas attacks and the militant Islamic State group for using sulfur mustard gas.

It is unclear whether the fourth report will assign blame to individuals. The inquiry has focused on nine attacks in seven areas of Syria, where a separate OPCW fact-finding investigation concluded that it is likely chemical weapons have been used.

Eight of the attacks investigated involved the suspected use of chlorine. The inquiry said it had not yet been able to reach a conclusion in six cases, though it said three of those cases warranted further investigation.
JHENAIDAH: A cultural function was organised by artistes of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, Sailkupa Upazila Unit marking the fourth biennial conference of the organisation on Friday.
CCCI President left for USA

Chittagong Bureau :

President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce , Vice President of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of Confederation of Eastern Chamber of Commerce Mahbubul Alam left for USA as a member of the Prime Minister's entourage.

He will join the 71st session of UNO along with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He left Dhaka for USA by a flight of Ethehad Airways on September 16 at about 9.45 pm, a CCCI sources said yesterday.

Mentionable that Mahbubul Alam assigned as Consul General of Mali in Chittagong recently. Sources said during his visit in USA, he will meet with the different trade bodies in NewYork to find out the new investors and business entrepreneurs for investing in the newly set up special economic zones of Anowara and Mirsarai.

He also joined the 70th UNO session earlier as a member of Prime Minister entourage. He will return Bangladesh on September 24 next, sources said.


BCL activist electrocuted

Chittagong Bureau :

One chatra league activist died of electrocution in the port while removing the banner of a political party on Friday evening.

The chatra league activist identified as Md. Yasin Arafat The incident occurred at Enayet Bazar area in the city . Local sources said Yasin is the son of the organizing secretary of ward Awami League Haji Shahabuddin.

Local ward councilor Md. Selim told the media that Yasin went up 3rd floor of Ali Maket to remove the banner of one political party who fell into the incident of electrocution of power line of the market.

The local rushed him to Chittagong Medical College Hospital immediately but the attending physicians declared him dead. CHMH police camp ASI Pankaj Barua told that the body now lying in morgue for autoposy.


Ensure HR for all including migrants

UNB, Dhaka :

UN experts have said governments must recognise that human rights are for all, and that migrants should be

treated as equal, regardless of their migratory status in the territory they find themselves in.

A group of United Nations human rights experts said this in an open statement made public ahead of the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants. Leaders from around the world, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will join the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday to discuss what to do about the large movements of refugees and migrants, with the aim of bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach. The UN experts reminded States that their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law 'must underpin the Global Compacts on refugees and migrants'. These obligations, they stressed, include the fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination, and the States' duty to respect, protect and fulfil human rights,

including access to justice and remedies, according to a message received here from New York on Friday night."When migrants are viewed as equal rights holders, a duty to protect them at all stages of the migration process naturally follows," the statement insists. "If violations of their rights occur at any point, migrants need access to remedies to redress such violations."

The UN experts welcomed the Summit's draft Declaration as a step in the right direction, but called for the Global Compacts to 'take the Declaration' even further so that it becomes a solid and dynamic contribution in the common quest to realise all human rights for all." The experts are Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro; Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Francois Crepeau; Special Rapporteur on internally displaced peoples, Chaloka Beyani; Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Mutuma Ruteere; Chair of theCommittee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, Jose Brillantes; Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Benyam Dawit Mezmur; Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Anastasia Crickley. They, however, warned that the draft Declaration contains some areas of grave concern, particularly in reference to migrant children in detention which seriously lowers established human rights standard.

"The detention of children, even for short periods, can have severe physical and psychological consequences and adverse effects on their development, and it can never ever be in their best interest", the statement further says. "We call on Member States to ensure that prohibition of detention of migrant children, unaccompanied or with their families, is integrated and given full recognition with practical measures in the Global Compacts."

The rights experts noted the attention paid to the need to detect vulnerabilities, beyond those triggering international refugee protection, including the protection of the rights of trafficked and exploited migrants.

"In relation to children who are part of large movement of persons, we recommend a child-rights based approach with regard to of their specific vulnerabilities and their protection at all stages of the movement, in countries of origin, transit and destination," the statement mentions. "Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities entails taking into account that many migrants, particularly women and girls, have suffered sexual and gender-based violence en route and sometimes women and girls arrive at their destination pregnant as a result of rape," it adds.

With more than 40 million of internally displaced persons (IDP's) due to conflict alone, the experts said the UN Summit will be incomplete without addressing their plight. "Those forced to flee their homes yet remaining in their countries constitute a highly vulnerable population often living in the most difficult conditions."

"Without addressing root causes, prevention, and effective internal protection, today's IDPs will be tomorrow's refugees and trafficked or smuggled migrants." The UN experts also welcomed Member States' commitment to fight discrimination and xenophobia against refugees and migrants, by pledging to take measures to improve their integration and inclusion, as well as to ensure access to education, healthcare and justice.

"We reiterate our concern about the toxic, discriminatory and xenophobic narrative that is taking hold in many parts of the world based on fear and manipulation of that fear by politicians and the media," the statement stresses.


Rebels in Syria regrouping under truce: Putin

BBC Online :

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Syrian rebel groups are exploiting the current ceasefire to regroup.

He said the US, which backs some rebel groups, was more focused on retaining their military capacity than separating moderate and militant groups, a stated aim of the truce which began on Monday.

Mr Putin also urged Washington to make the ceasefire agreement public.

There are growing tensions between the two major powers over the rebels' role and delays in providing aid.

Separately footage has emerged of Free Syrian Army rebels expelling US special forces from the town of Al-Rai in northern Syria, calling them "infidels" in Arabic.

The Pentagon said on Friday that dozens of US troops had been deployed to the border with Turkey at Ankara's request, to fight so-called Islamic State (IS) militants.

In televised remarks during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, Mr Putin said Moscow was keeping to its obligations under the Syrian truce, and the Syrian government was "fully abiding" by the agreement.

But he said that the US seemed to be trying to keep the rebels' military capability in its conflict with the government, adding that this was a "dangerous path".

"What we're seeing now is not the separation of the terrorists from the healthy part of the opposition but an attempt by these terrorists to regroup," he said.

Previously Moscow has threatened to resume air strikes on "moderate" rebel groups if this separation did not happen.

Mr Putin added that he could not understand why the US had not shared details of the ceasefire agreement with the UN Security Council. A meeting of the Council scheduled for Friday was cancelled at the last minute as a result. The Russian president said Moscow would disclose nothing without US consent, adding that he was "more positive than negative" about a UN resolution being agreed.

The US has voiced concern about delays in providing humanitarian aid to Aleppo and other besieged areas.

Breaches of the truce by Syrian troops and rebel groups have also been reported.

However, both the US and Russia have said they want to extend the ceasefire. If the cessation holds for seven days, the US and Russia have agreed to plan joint attacks on the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham group, which was previously known as the al-Nusra Front, and IS.

The UN says it is still waiting to be able to deliver aid to besieged Aleppo. Some 20 trucks have been waiting for safe passage to cross from Turkey into Syria and on to rebel-held east Aleppo since Monday.


Pak columnist censures Islamabad for defending BD war criminals

bdnews24.com :

A prominent Pakistani columnist in the reputed newspaper Dawn has sharply criticised Islamabad for defending the war criminals in Bangladesh.

Pervez Hoodbhoy, who teaches physics in Lahore and Islamabad, writes

against the backdrop of the hanging of Mir Quasem Ali, when the Pakistan Foreign Office said it was "deeply saddened" by the execution.

Mir Quasem was found guilty of torture, multiple murders and arson in Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence against Pakistan. He was sentenced to death after what Pakistan describes as "a flawed judicial process".

In Hoodbhoy's opinion, Pakistan can "scarcely accuse Bangladesh of unfair trials because its own judicial system has even shakier legs."

"In contrast to Bangladesh's - where the war crimes trials are held before a civilian court - Pakistani civilians accused of waging war against the state are tried behind closed doors by military courts," he pointed out.
News / Local

by Stephen Jakes

Communities are reportedly increasingly getting worried about forced participation in political processes such as meetings and rallies by perceived and known Zanu PF members.Heal Zimbabwe Trust recorded 15 cases of forced participation in political processes.The trust said on 2 August 2016, in Maramba-Pfungwe, Ward 7, Mr Chikumo who is both a Village Head and Zanu PF District Chairperson allegedly forced his subjects to have their names written down in a Zanu PF register so that they become registered voters or they risk losing food aid."The incident happened at Barahwe School where Mr Chikumo also said, as a war veteran, they were instructed not to tolerate opposition members and anyone who does not participate in the party's activities should compulsorily do so," said the trust."In Mwenezi East, Ward 5, Zanu PF Deputy Ward Chairperson Mr Ezra Mashindi told villagers on the 30th of July (at Rata business centre) that everyone should attend the party's meetings. He went further to say that anyone in the area who fails to attend the meetings will be labelled a supporter of Zimbabwe People First member, Mr Munyaradzi Sigogo."The trust said he also warned them that Zanu PF youths had been deployed in the area to write down names of people boycotting meetings."Community members have now started attending some of the meetings being called for out of fear. Besides, it has also been noted that some community members were being forced to pay money towards the Heroes Day celebrations," said the trust."In Uzumba-Maramba, ward 8, Village head Mr Chitengu forced villagers to contribute $1.00 per household while in Mwenezi West teachers at Mwenezi Government School, Chingami Primary School, Masogwe High School, Chesvingo Primary School, Mavambo Primary School, Tsungirirai High School, Neshuro Secondary and Matande schools were ordered to pay at least $5 towards the Heroes day celebrations."The trust also said a Public Service Inspector, Mr Gondo allegedly gave the directive to Headmasters to collect these $5 contributions."Villagers were threatened with denial of food aid while teachers were told that they will not be allowed to become election agents if they do not pay. Zanu PF Chairman Tarisai Nanga for Buhera Ward 18 and Zanu PF Secretary Rongai Muchemwa (Mutoko ward 20) also threatened that people who do not pay the $1.00 towards the heroes' day celebrations will be denied food aid. Similar cases were also recorded in Marondera West, Ward 15 (Village heads Chasi, Matongo, Bvukumbwe and Mhizha)," said the trust.
Gridlock at ferry ghats

Passengers stuck for hours

Thousands of people were seen desperate to return to the capital but they remained stranded at Mawa Ghat in Munshiganj as the Mawa-Kawrakandi ferry route facing a huge pressure of vehicles following the disruption of ferry service. This photo was taken fr

Reza Mahmud :

Several miles long gridlocks in front of the Daulatdia and the Kawrakandi ferry ghats on Saturday created untold sufferings for the Dhaka bound passengers coming from the southern districts after celebrating Eid ul Azha.

Bus passenger Nur-e-Alam told a group of reporters, "We have been waiting for three hours at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat for clearance. We do not know when we shall be able to reach Dhaka."

He said, their bus stopped at three kilometers distance from the ferry ghat at 10:15am. The bus could advance one kilometer only in three hours, which exposed their helplessness to the road jam.

Sources said, the three ferry ghats out of four rendered services. The ghat No. 2 collapsed due to river erosion. The bus drivers and passengers alleged that the sufferings at Daulatdia had become regular phenomenon. "From our experience we can say that the BIWTA does not look after the passengers' facilities and that is why it takes no initiative to construct a permanent terminal," said Anisuzzaman, a bus driver at Daulatdia ferry ghat.

Contrarily, the officials said, they are working to resolve the crisis. "We are working to make the ghat completely workable. We found ghat No. 2 unable to work yesterday, but it is giving service today," said, Md. Shah Alam, Sub-Assistant Engineer of BIWTA.

Officials said, the ferries cruise very slowly due to severe tide. As a result, several hundred buses, microbuses and private cars have jammed the front side of the ghat. Witnesses said, the gridlock is several kilometers long. It has created unstated sufferings for the elderly, woman and child passengers. Sources said, the long gridlock at Daulatdia influenced many bus drivers to go to Kawrakandi Ferry Ghat, creating also tailback there.

The witnesses said, passengers from Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Jessore, Jhenaidah, Kushtia, Magura, Faridpur, Rajbari, Gopalganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Barisal and other districts have been trapped in those sufferings.

"A driver left us at three kilometers away from the ghat. There was no way, but to walk to get launches. How can we walk several kilometers with our kids and big bags?" said Abdur Rahim, a passenger from Khulna.

The passengers started for the capital and other cities from Wednesday to resume their duties after the holidays.

The public and private offices opened on Thursday after six-day Eid holidays. A large numbers of people were seen returning on Saturday.


School teacher held for torturing minor domestic help

Staff Reporter :

Police arrested a female school teacher on charge for torturing a minor domestic help from her relative's house in city's Badda area on Friday night.



The arrested teacher has been identified as Moni Begum, wife of Md Omar Faruk. She is a school teacher in Gazipur city area, police said.



Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Joydebpur Police Station Khondokar Rezaul Hossain said, "A joint team of Joydebpur and Chandpur police arrested Moni Begum from one of her relative's house in city's Badda area."Police had earlier arrested her husband Omar Faruk, a supervisor of cargo service at the Dhaka airport, from Joydevpur on Thursday after a case was filed with Haimchar Police Station of Chandpur district under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.



Mostafa Sardar, who had taken the nine-year old child to the couple, was also arrested.



According to the case, the minor domestic help, a resident of Nayani village in Haimchar upazila of Chandpur district, had been subjected to barbaric torture at Moni's residence for nearly a year.



Mostafa Sarder had promised to the victim's mother that he would give her Tk 500 a month if she would let her daughter work in Gazipur.



Chandpur Superintendent of Police Shamsunnahar, who visited the child at the Haimchar Health Complex, said, "There are bruises and scars all over the child's body. She is clearly traumatised and gets agitated when she sees a crowd."



"It seems that the kid's head was hit on tiles. Besides, different parts of her body appear to have been perched with hot kitchen tools. There were also burn marks apparently from electric wires on her body," said Depen Dey, a doctor at the health complex.
BD, Canada agree to find ways for Noor`s extradition

UNB, Montreal :

Bangladesh and Canada have agreed to find out a way for the extradition of Noor Chowdhury, the self-confessed killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman now living in Canada, through discussions. Both countries reached the consensus during a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau at Hyatt Regency Montreal on Friday.



Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Huq and Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the talks.



The foreign secretary said the officials of the two countries will sit across the table and find out a way for the extradition of Noor Chowdhury, a death sentence convict in the Bangabandhu murder case, from Canada. "The aim of the discussion will be to bring Noor Chowdhury to justice and execute the verdict of the Bangabandhu killing case," he said. Shahidul said the government had been trying in many ways to bring back Noor Chowdhury from Canada, and the discussion between the officials of the two countries about his extradition will open up a new door in this regard.



About militancy, he said the two leaders described the menace as a 'global problem', and they decided to solve it through united efforts. The foreign secretary said the Canadian Prime Minister highly appreciated Bangladesh's anti-militancy stance and ongoing movement against militancy and terrorism. He said the two prime ministers also discussed other issues like boosting trade and investment and export of garment products. Sheikh Hasina invited Justin Trudeau to visit Bangladesh and the Canadian Prime Minister cordially accepted the invitation, Huq said.



In this connection, the incumbent Canadian prime minister recalled his visit to Bangladesh along with his father Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the then PM, at the age of 12. Trudeau told Sheikh Hasina that he would visit Bangladesh soon as he has some hazy memories about her visit to Bangladesh that took place 1983.

The foreign secretary said the visit of an elected Bangladeshi prime minister took place in Canada for the first time after a span of 30 years. "The tour has opened up a new horizon in terms of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Canada," he added.


Factories exposed to fire hazards

Absence of checklist poses potential threat

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

A huge number of factories are operating in the country without a fire protection checklist, exposing them hazardous to fire incidents, according to Labour Rights Activists.



They alleged that these industrial units have employed million of workers ignoring workplace safety and compliance issues paving the way for fresh industrial disasters.



"Thousands of industrial units are operating across the country without a specific fire safety checklist posing a potential threat to industrial disaster," Roy Ramesh Chandra, a labour leader, told The New Nation on Saturday.



He said these factories are maintaining their production activities without installing adequate fire safety equipment in absence of stringent monitoring and inspection by the government agencies.



"Industrial units should not be permitted to operate in the country if they fail to ensure workplace safety," he said adding that the government should take effective steps to ensure that factories have adequate fire safety standards to prevent fire incidents.



According to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), there are a total of 23,218 registered factories across the country.



If the unregistered factories take into account, the total number of industrial units would increase manifold, sources said.



"Negligence of government agencies is responsible for the poor safety standards in the factories," Nazrul Islam Khan, a Labour Rights Activist, told The New Nation yesterday.



He said industrial units are running with high risk of fire incidents as they were housed in old structures without having necessary exits and firefighting equipment. "Though workers are working risking their lives, the government is yet to come out with a comprehensive plan to improve workplace safety," he added. Referring to media reports, he said, there are only six inspectors to monitor fire safety standards in over 23,000 registered factories. The number is frustrating and unacceptable. The limited number of inspectors proves that the government is not sincere to ensure the factory monitoring and implement safety issues there.



Nazrul Islam Khan also a senior BNP leader said the government should engage an all-out effort on remediation in fire safety standards in all the industrial sectors. Otherwise, fire incidents could take place one after another tarnishing image of the country.



'The situation in RMG factories is now better in view of stringent remediation measures under the European and the North American buyers. Other industrial sectors should also be taken into the process to reduce risk of industrial disasters," he added.



Nazrul Islam Khan further said that the government must give total emphasis on remediation in fire safety standards under a checklist taking account into recent fire incidents in the factories.



"We are working on formulating National Inspection Policy in line with the Labour Law. The policy will comprise a common checklist for the industrial sector," a senior Labour Ministry official told The New Nation yesterday.



When asked, he said, factories should not run without inspection or lack of fire safety measures. We are trying to routine inspection to the factories, but poor manpower at the concerned department makes the task almost difficult.



"We have already increased manpower to the concerned department but this is not adequate for proper inspection and monitoring of the factories," he added.


Another 17 killed in road crashes

YET ANOTHER FATAL ROAD CRASH: A Dhaka-bound passenger bus collided head-on with a brick-laden truck on Dhaka-Tangail Highway at Ichail point in Mirzapur on Saturday leaving seven dead and 30 others injured.

Staff Reporter :

Seventeen people were killed and 80 others injured in separate road accidents in Tangail, Sylhet and Jhalakathi on Saturday.



In Tangail, four people were killed and 30 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck at Madhupur upazila in Tangail in the evening.



The accident took place at Ashura area on Tangail-Mymensingh road around 6:30pm when a Mymensingh-bound bus collided head-on with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leaving four people dead on the spot and 25 other injured, reports our correspondent quoting police sources.



One of the deceased was identified as Liton Miah, 30, of Poddarbari village in Madhupur upazila. Identities of the others are yet to be known.



On information, police and Fire Service and Civil Defense personnel rescued the injured people and rushed them to Madhupur Upazila Health Complex.



Several critically injured people were later sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.



Earlier, a bus collided head-on with a truck on Dhaka-Tangail highway at Ichail in Mirzapur upazila around 7:15am, leaving five people including two women and two children dead and 30 injured.



One of the deceased was identified as Salma Akter, 25. All the dead and injured victims were passengers of the bus.



One of the injured died on the way to the hospital while two others succumbed after they were admitted to the hospital.



Vehicular movement on Dhaka-Tangail highway remained suspended following the road crash, creating heavy jam. The transport movement became normal after the law enforcers removed the damaged bus and truck from the highway.



Mahbub Hossan, deputy commissioner in Tangail, visited the spot and announced to give Tk 20,000 to each of the deceased' family and Tk 10,000 to each of the injured person.



In another incident, two motorcycle riders were killed as a private car rammed into a motorbike carrying the duo in Analiabari area of Kalihati upazila around 9:30am.



One of the deceased was identified as Mohammad Touhid, son of Belal Hossain of Bamondanga village in Gaibandha Sadar upazila.



They were heading towards Dhaka after enjoying their holidays back in their ancestral home in Gaibandha.

Doctors declared Touhid dead after he was whisked off to Tangail Medical College and Hospital.



Police seized the private car but its driver managed to flee.



In Sylhet, four people, including two children, were killed and 20 injured as a bus plunged into a roadside ditch at Kayasthagram on the Sylhet-Jakiganj road in Golapganj upazila around 10:30am.



The children are identified as Shuva, 10, and her sister Tanima, 6, daughters of Koyes Miah of Goashpur village in Golapganj, reports our Sylhet correspondent.



A Sylhet-bound bus, coming from Jakiganj, fell into a roadside ditch, leaving four passengers dead and 15 others injured, Mir Abdul Naser, Officer-in-charge (investigation) of Golapganj Police Station told The New Nation.



The injured were taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital where four people succumbed to their injuries, the OC added.



In Jhalakathi, two people were killed while one was severely injured in a road accident on Barisal-Khulna highway at Pingri of Rajapur upazila this afternoon, our correspondent reports quoting police sources



The incident took place when a Barisal-bound motorcycle with three passengers was hit by a bus coming from the opposite direction.
Manila daily said it was our fault, and questioned why BB investigation stopped

The Manila Standard on September 16 has raised the critical question as to why the government of Bangladesh has stopped investigation into the US$ 81 million money heist from its Federal Reserve Bank account and don't want to know the truth behind the theft. It wondered why the government is pressing instead the Philippines government to return the fund without fixing the blame. The daily has struck to the core point when it claimed the Philippines government has investigated and trying perpetrators at its end and Bangladesh now owes its probe to share with global public.



The sensational disclosure in the report that the code of the computers used in hacking the fund was in the custody of a brother of a senior Bangladesh Bank official has in fact clearly hinted how the money heist was made possible. Following that the removal of the Governor of Bangladesh Bank and two Deputy Governors instead of producing them before public investigation invariably suggests the kind of a cover up which the Philippines daily has rightly pointed out.



The daily has blamed Bangladesh Bank as the 'biggest stumbling block' to the recovery of the stolen money by leaving the investigation without making public the probe report. The CID probe report is nowhere. Finance Minister AMA Muhith has declined to make public the three-member probe report led by Dr Mohammad Farashuddin saying it will create problem in recovery of the money. It means the report has flashed out local perpetrators and the government is not ready to divulge their identity.



The theft succeeded clearly, the daily said because BB was negligent. Had the bank installed enough firewalls and used quality switches instead of $5 gear, the heist would not have occurred. It is indeed strange nobody has raised these issues in public in Bangladesh and the daily said an expert who raised the question was whisked away in murky circumstances and return to family later on in a shattered condition.



The Manila Standard wondered why Bangladesh Ambassador to Manila, John Gomes, is demanding the refund of money claiming it was an outsider job when Bangladesh is not making its probe report public. It said Bangladesh Finance Minister had earlier asserted that it was an insider job; which is by far the most credible explanation to the cyber robbery. Many fear that by withholding the probe Bangladesh government is trying to sidetrack the real perpetrators whose identity may be politically damaging.



"How can the theft happen if six different BB officials had to place their palm prints on a plate in proper sequence before any order to move funds could happen, the daily has rightly raised the question demanding full investigation report of the Bangladesh government before pressing for money. The Philippines government has been more than generous it said in helping BB. The least BB can do is to give its report to break the truth.



Why Bangladesh don't want to know the truth before asking for help from the Philippines government, the daily raised the issue pointing out that it is incumbent upon Bangladesh government to submit a full report to the Philippines government, detailing what happened in Bangladesh. The daily has asserted the point with full justification. "We washed our dirty linen in the global public. They owe us that report," the daily said quoting a banker involved in the probe process.



The fact that Bangladesh Bank did not sue the New York Federal Reserve where the money was transferred from clearly shows it had nothing to do with the theft. The local Philippines bank was not also involved, one of its employees was personally involved and she is facing trial, the daily said passing all blames on Bangladesh and its faulty safety system and some of its dishonest officials.



Quoting the New York Times the Manila Standard said over $565 million were looted from state-owned BASIC Bank between 2009 and 2012, yet the mastermind who was close associate of the government was exempted from Anti-Corruption Commission investigating. The culture of impunity is what is everywhere and the banks and financial system are the biggest targets of swindlers moving money out of the country.



The government cannot play game with the international banking management. Our government has no accountability within our country. It was a blunder for the government to withdraw the Governor of Bangladesh Bank and exempt him from investigation by Anti-Corruption Commission. This act clearly indicates the government's anxiousness not to worry about the stealing of unprecedentedly high amount of foreign exchange from Bangladesh Bank.



The government will not be able to escape liability. The present is not everything. We urge the government to come clean and allow honest investigation.



Impunity for corruption must not extend too far.
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.
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News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

Violence has flared up in some parts of Harare during NERA organised street protests as live bullets said to have been fired in Kuwadzana by police.In its update on the demos, Tajamuja sais police in Kuwadzana who were backed by a single cab Ford Ranger fired live ammunition on protesters." The single cab with South African No. plates was used to abduct 10 activists it said. According to the protest outfit, after the alleged abduction and arrests of three people, armed police with AK47 chased #MyZimbabwe activist known as Dunga instructing each other to shoot him."Two of these thugs were clad in ZRP uniform whilst one of them was wearing a Tshirt". Mabvuku and Epworth are said to be hot spots."Violence breaks out in Mabvuku...rioters badly beaten up" journalist Elias Mambo posted in his twitter account.At Sunningdale protestors were teargased by police. Many children in the suburbs affected by the teargas.Water cannons and more than 20 police officers in keeping s close watch in some parts of Chitungwiza."Planned protests so decentralized its hard to get a sense of organisation."Reports of group dispersed in Marlborough" a SABC correspondent Shinjayi Nyoka said. NERA Zimbabwe said #NERAdemo Today we fearlessly march in Byo, W tell th slayers that they won't kill our dream like they did our pipo".No incidences' of violence have been reported in Bulawayo.In Bindura North over 30 protesters heavily assaulted by police after teargasing protesters.MDCT provincial administrator and provincial womens assembly members are among those assaulted and arrested.MDC-T official Lilian Timvios said to have been arrested together with 16 others.
News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

A Chinese national in Zimbabwe has been spotted taking part in street protests calling on President Robert Mugabe to quit.The man was photographed carrying a placard inscribed Peace, Freedom Democracy a Long was to go" while another is written in Chinese.There are many Chinese nationals in the country who run various small scale business.President Mugabe's wife Grace has a degree in Chinese.
If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs.
Lafayettes economy has been led by the traditionally male-dominated energy industry. However, as women entrepreneurs across America create jobs, optimism and opportunities, we see the women of Acadiana adopting our famous wildcatter mentality and joining their male counterparts to the benefit of our community.

Female entrepreneurs and executives are impacting much more than how business gets done in America  they are shaping and redefining the workplace, the nations business networks, financial institutions and our culture. Womenowned companies along with other minority-owned businesses play a unique role in diversifying the business communitys outlook and have successfully changed the economic landscape. The growing number of women- and minority-owned businesses in Acadiana allows our residents more diverse and competitive services and goods by providing more locally owned options.

According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Business Owners, there are 9.8 million womenowned firms, employing 8.4 million people and generating sales of nearly $1.4 trillion in the U.S. The growth of women entrepreneurs in the U.S. has been impressive  there are 2 million more women-owned businesses in this country now than when the survey was last conducted. And overall, women-owned and equally owned businesses account for 47 percent of all businesses in America.

At the state level, Louisiana has more than 151,000 women-owned businesses, with 131,084 employees and sales in excess of $19.7 billion. American Express Open ranks Louisiana 10th in the nation for growth of women-owned firms since 2007, with 48 percent growth or more than 50,000 new firms.

SBO results also show in the Lafayette MSA there are 17,337 women-owned firms, employing 17,204 individuals with sales of more than $3.3 billion. Specifically in Lafayette Parish, there are 9,648 firms employing 11,471 workers with sales of $2.4 billion. Thats quite an impact on the economy.

Here in Acadiana we can see those numbers translate into real individuals. Many community leaders have been honored with ABizs Women Who Mean Business awards, including LEDAs current board Chairman Flo Meadows and Vice President Pamela LaFleur. Our staff has been fortunate to work with many past honorees who are making an impact in the community: Kathy Bobbs, Marianne Bourgeois, Buffy Domingue, Merline Herbert, Dr. Jeannie Kreamer and Betty Lowry, to name a few. This years list of honorees includes many more LEDA allies: Nanette Cook, Dr. Gwen Fontenot, Liz Webb Hebert and Courtney Reynolds. These honorees demonstrate that successful women from every background in every industry are making a positive impact on Acadianas economy.

Historically, women represent a larger percentage of the consumer base and often determine where household dollars are spent. Because of that, women-owned businesses are apt to provide a more consumer-centric experience and yield high returns for those efforts  strengthening our local GDP.

Im proud of Lafayettes wildcatter mentality. As a community, Lafayette has embraced the spirit of entrepreneurship  often with dynamic women at the lead  making Lafayette a better place for all of us.

Gregg Gothreaux is president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.

Save
While the members of this diverse group of Acadiana women cant all say they were firsts, each of them has contributed to our community in ways too countless to capture in 500-word profiles.

The proverbial glass ceiling was shattered in Lafayette in January when two women assumed spots on the Lafayette City-Parish Council, but the biggest crack appeared seven months later as Hillary Clinton became the first-ever woman nominated by a major party for the U.S. presidency.

While the members of the diverse group of Acadiana women featured on the following pages cant all say they were firsts, each of them has contributed to our community in ways too countless to capture in 500-word profiles. Thats largely due to the fact that these professionals, entrepreneurs, mothers and civic and community leaders are all still finding new ways to make those contributions, day after day. For the first time this year, we honor as part of the Women Who Mean Business Awards a life cut short: Scott City Councilwoman Tonya Carola. Carola, who died in June at the age of 48 after a lengthy illness, will be celebrated posthumously at this years luncheon.

Join ABiz on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 11:30 a.m. at River Oaks to hear more about the impressive and inspiring journeys of these women from the honorees themselves. Visit theind.com and click the INDEvents tab for tickets or contact Jenna King at [email protected] for more info.

TRAILBLAZERS

FIRST OF THEIR KIND

Our 2016 Trailblazers became fast friends as they broke through a 20-year barrier at City Hall.

Nanette Cook Photo by Robin May

Nanette Cook and Liz Webb Hebert took different paths to the City-Parish Council. The daughter of former Lafayette City Councilman Al Simon, Cook has been a physical education teacher for three decades who, after raising five kids, chose to follow her father into public service, filling an empty nest with campaign yard signs, fundraisers and door-to-door politicking. Hebert was a young newlywed without children thriving in the professional pressure cooker of sales management at the Cajundome and Convention Center.

I just genuinely want to help  I just genuinely care about the community I want to live in, says 33-year-old Hebert, who found herself in a tough spot the day after qualifying for office when she got a letter from the state attorney general informing her that she couldnt keep her job at the Cajundome  its owned jointly by the state and UL Lafayette and is partially funded by local government  if she were to win election. But she ran anyway, severed ties with the Cajundome and now has a similar day job at Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital.

Thank God it worked out, especially with the economy the way it is, Hebert says. Im blessed; I love this job.

For Cook, public office was the next  and logical  step in the arc of her life.

It was more of something that had been in the back of my mind for many years, but life just was happening too fast to stop and take action, she says. I was busy raising five kids, working full time, running kids to activities after school weekdays and on weekends.

Liz Webb Hebert Photo by Robin May

When her youngest, twins, turned 21 and moved out, she took the plunge  and she and Hebert landed in the same place: the first women to serve on the City-Parish Council in the 20-year life of Lafayette Consolidated Government, a distinction not lost on the folks at City Hall.

I am so happy for these two, gushes Phyllis Walters, administrative secretary to Cook, Hebert and three fellow council members. Its great smelling perfume and hearing bracelets jangle in the hallways! Cook and Hebert and their fellow rookie council members were sworn into office at a difficult juncture for Lafayette Parish: Low oil prices have the local economy gasping for revenue as sales-tax collections plummet, and their first year in office has coincided with a parishwide reassessment and some hard decisions to be made about property taxes  doubly so with the catastrophic flooding that hit the parish in August as a backdrop.

The pair has also pushed their own successful initiatives: Hebert teamed with Lafayette Police to create a safe space at police headquarters where online buyers and sellers can make exchanges; Cook sponsored a successful resolution directing the council to adopt paperless agendas.

Both will admit this first year in office has been challenging, but a special relationship was forged in that crucible.

We just hit it off, Hebert says of her fellow councilwoman. We bonded instantly. We had so many connections.

Liz is about the age of my oldest daughter, Cook says. I see many similarities in these two women, so I was instantly fond of her. The more I work with her we have become friends, and she definitely does not need a mother  she is one tough young lady.

Lisa Prejean Photo by Robin May

Lisa Prejean

Lisa Prejean is a communicator. Shes a thinker. She is an intangible fuel for Prejean Creative where she is an owner responsible for business development. The Lafayette firm handles a hybrid of creative and business needs for clients from hospitals and government entities to food and telecommunication companies across the country. And it all started when her husband, Kevin, took a chance more than two decades ago and she followed suit.

The Lafayette natives were both settled in careers and living in Missouri where Lisa worked at the University of Missouri and Kevin at an ad firm.

When we moved away we realized what a unique place this is, and it took us 10 years to get back home, she says. Kevin left the ad agency and started Prejean Creative and tested it for a year to see if we could make a go of it, and I stayed at the university. Technology was developing that meant we could work from anywhere, and we could move back home.

Lisa took the reins in business development and client relations as the couple relocated to Lafayette. Her background in communications and public relations was the perfect fit, and while working together came with challenges, the risk has certainly paid off long term with a business more than 20 years old and a marriage 35 years strong. Its been a long trip with endless changes in the industry; yet, the heart of creative work hasnt changed, according to Lisa.

The tools have changed, but the basic principles are the same in our industry and in business in general, she says. Its not just about making something look pretty. Its the strategic thought and the end goal and what is the best way to get there, and we are very creative in the process  we bring together the creative and the business strategy. In the end we are helping our clients communicate with who they want to reach.

Its that sort of reaching the right people in the right way approach that has served Lisa well.

Women are often natural planners and organizers and communicators, and that all fits into what I do, Lisa continues. Women are jugglers, and we keep all the priorities straight . A lot of our clients have strong female leadership, and while there is still progress to be made, there has been progress over the years.

Part of that progress in Lisas personal life has come by taking risks and choosing to move forward even when theres no guaranteed outcome  because she has learned there never is a guarantee: Be bold in jumping into things. I analyze all the angles before I jump in, and while there is value in that sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith. If you fail, its not the end of the world. That fear of failure can be paralyzing. You have to have faith in the people around you and in yourself.  AJE

Angela Cole Photo by Robin May

Angela Cole

==============

Angela Cole may not be from Acadiana. Its something you can sense early on in a subtle accent and certain turns of phrase. She may not be a part of the good ole boys club. Its something you can see in her killer heels and fashion plate wardrobe. But Cole has a relentless work ethic that makes those other advantages seem irrelevant.

The senior vice president at JP Morgan Chase handles business accounts totaling roughly $150 million.

Born in Peru and relocated to Miami at age 6, Cole is the only girl of four children and a graduate of the University of Florida. She is fluent in Spanish and had her eye on international banking before she took a chance and moved to Nashville for her first banking job out of college in a management training program.

I thought Ill pay my dues in Nashville and migrate back to Miami. I spent 10 years in Nashville, she says.

Somewhere into year eight she met her husband, Chad. The two were married after about a year, and the Acadiana man was ready to head back to Cajun country. Angela had some stipulations.

I knew very early on he was the guy I would marry and he wanted to move down to Lafayette, and I said thats fine  I will move if I can find a bank that deals with larger size companies and I can be in a banker role doing those larger size deals. I didnt think he would find it.

Angela Cole thought she knew Lafayette.

I was wrong. I was really wrong, she says.

Then she says one phrase: oil and gas.

Its been 13 years since she made the move to work for Bank One, which quickly merged with JP Morgan Chase.

It was only getting better when we moved, and today my client base is international. I didnt have to be in Miami to do what I wanted, and the quality of life is so much easier and better here, she says.

Cole is one of those rare women who seem to have the full spectrum of attributes in one package  a passion for business, helping others (shes on the board of United Way of Acadiana and a mentor at the705) and panache for life.

Im a big believer in always keeping your ear to the ground and dont be afraid to go where the opportunities are. I didnt know anyone in Nashville. But I knew it was going to lead me where I wanted to go. Know what you want and seek it, but always be open to learning from other people, she says.

Perhaps her best advice comes practically  the perspective of a woman who is often in a mans world: Always be prepared.

I may not come in and be able to talk about hunting with a client, but you learn everything about your client and everything about your product. Have the confidence to go out and win the big deal and have a disciplined approach of how youre going to manage your career, Cole says. Your client is looking for a solution, and you cant cheat your way out of being prepared.  AJE

Christina Dayries Photo by Robin May

Christina Dayries

====================

Christina Dayries loves to serve her community, and while she has been working in government most of her life, to call her a simple public servant doesnt do her justice.

Dayries began her emergency and risk management career with the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury as an emergency planner and claims adjuster in 1996. She then began working as the executive management officer for Louisiana State Police in 2003 and since 2008 has worked for the Governors Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

As part of her GOHSEP work, Dayries was responsible for establishing the governance structure and policy for the Louisiana Wireless Information Network. And she was instrumental in establishing the nations first statewide digital 700 MHz radio system in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

I was the one who kind of led that effort and helped get that operating, she says. And now, today, it is the top system in the nation.

Dayries was also critical in helping to redesign the way the state developed plans and procedures in response to disasters after Katrina by working with the local governments through a unified command system.

She credits these endeavours to how much better the response was from state and local governments to the historic flooding that swept over South Louisiana in August, in contrast to their response after Katrina.

Its drastically different, she says. It was 100 percent better than where we were back at Katrina. Lots of planning has gone in and lots of money has been invested in getting the state ready for the next event.

But despite these improvements, Dayries, who is now deputy director of grants and administration for GOHSEP, has had her hands full lately working damage control after the recent flooding.

It has not stopped, she says. Its been like 13- to 16-hour days every day since [Aug. 12].

This is on top of her regular commute from Maurice  where she lives with her husband and two children  to her office in Baton Rouge, which she has made each day for the last 13 years.

I absolutely love going to work every day, she says. Its important to kind of say that Ive never really had a bad day. Its intense a lot, but you see the rewards on the end of what you do every day. So it makes it easier to get up and, for me, drive an hour and a half one way, and miss time with my family. I give up a lot of that to provide my expertise or provide the assistance that I can at the state level.

Dayries has a strong affection for her community and the government work that sustains it. She doesnt see herself ever working in the private sector.

I love government, she says. I love watching what it takes to provide for the citizens from local government like trash pickup and mosquito control to the state level like providing for public safety and emergency activities. Theres a whole lot going on behind the scenes that your average citizen doesnt realize, and I like being a part of that.  WN

Dr. Gwen Fontenot Photo by Robin May

Dr. Gwen Fontenot

======================

Dr. Gwen Fontenot likes to build students. Academia is her foundation. And her business acumen serves as her primary tool.

As interim dean of the B. I. Moody III College of Business Administration at UL Lafayette, Fontenot is responsible for all functions and matters relating to academic programs and their support services within the college.

Building students and being able to give them the resources to help them fully develop in their careers is what Im most proud of, Fontenot says. Working with the students is what I like most.

Fontenot holds a doctorate in philosophy and marketing from the University of North Texas and a masters degree in business administration from Northeast Louisiana University (now UL Monroe). But the Vidrine native intended to become a lawyer while getting her undergraduate degree from LSU before getting married and moving to Monroe to find her calling as a business educator.

I originally wanted to be a lawyer, so I was studying in law school and got married and moved to Monroe and it didnt have a law option to study, so I changed to business education, she says. I just kind of felt at that time that teaching might be something that I would like to do since I was going to have to transition over.

Fontenot began teaching marketing at UL Lafayette in August 2001, eventually working her way up to head of the Department of Marketing and Hospitality.

Fontenot is also director of the UL Study Abroad Program, where she is responsible for 600 students in the areas of marketing, legal studies and hospitality management. She served as the site director for the Italy program before taking over as dean.

Many of [the students] havent left the area; its their first flight out of the country, Fontenot says. To be able to share with them foreign travels and cultures and to see them just grow into a whole different human being from the time that they leave here, in Lafayette, and go study abroad and come home is just amazing.

Fontenot also pioneered the development and creation of the Northwestern Mutual Sales & Research Laboratory while she was department head, which has led to national awards for the students who trained there.

Just to have the chance to be able to work with the students and help them develop  whether thats in study abroad or in the new financial services lab  thats what drives me, says Fontenot.

The opportunity to be a part of such a life-changing experience with the students is something that Im passionate about, Fontenot continues. Ive been privileged as department head, and now as interim dean, to be able to have a significant impact on that. I just feel very blessed to be in the position that Im in. Its not an opportunity that everybody gets.  WN

Janet Brewster Photo by Robin May

Janet Brewster

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Theres no better way to shatter glass ceilings than to bootstrap your own way to the top. Janet Brewster has burst through plenty of them herself in her 16 years as chief executive officer and owner of Brewster Procurement Group.

The Honduran native wasnt handed her success, even as she networked her way to creating her own business 10 years after becoming a U.S. citizen, and she doesnt take it for granted that she can rest easy and expect her career to continue to thrive.

From where she sits, her work speaks for itself. It doesnt reflect whatever obstacles to success are conventionally seen to be in front of women of color.

I do not focus or look at myself as a woman, minority-owned business, but as a business that creates value, she says.

And create value she has. Brewsters work has taken her to space and back, so to speak, with a supply contract for NASAs space shuttle program. After a chance encounter with a space program buyer, Brewster pounced on the opportunity to become a bespoke supplier for the nations space exploration program, outfitting astronauts with protective gear for their trips to and from the International Space Station and the film, pens, batteries, adhesives and resins that they used along the way.

From 2000 until the programs end in 2010, she took the shuttles as her charge. She watched from the John F. Kennedy Space Center as the materials she provided blasted from seaside launch pads, carrying the hopes of the American scientific community with them. She lobbied Congress on behalf of the shuttle program and the small businesses that supported it. In the wake of the Columbia shuttle disaster, she addressed her fellow suppliers at a symposium in Cape Canaveral about the crucial role suppliers play in protecting the men and women launched into the unknown.

But perhaps Brewsters most important work has taken place at home in Lafayette and not the outer climes of space. An active member of a dizzying array of minority commercial organizations, Brewster serves as a leader respected in an all business circles, regardless of the demographic. Shes a member of the Greater Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, the Womens Business Enterprise National Council and the National Minority Supplier Development Council, to name but a few. Through her work with these groups individually and as a communicator among them, shes built relationships that uplift the business community at large and prove that a diverse business community is a more powerful community.

I see so much potential for collaboration and partnerships between all these professional business organizations, she tells ABiz. So many opportunities to network and get to know one another, so much potential to create value for all those affiliated with these organizations.  CM

Jill SanFilippo Photo by Robin May

Jill SanFilippo

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A monumental undertaking, One Acadianas emergence from local business lobby to multi-million dollar regional economic development powerhouse was fraught with existential risk. At any moment during the 2014 transformation, the groups rapid rollout of initiatives and explosion of new employment threatened to out-pace its cash flow, a danger that could have sunk the enterprise before it ever got afloat.

Thanks to the quiet, confident fiscal stewardship of Jill SanFilippo, the commercial chambers chief financial officer and vice president of administration, One Acadiana pulled off an unthinkable miracle  uniting the roughly 150 investors scattered across nine parishes and municipalities in a singular vision of regional economic power.

One Acadiana Chief Executive Officer Jason El Koubi counts SanFilippos experience and good sense as one of his teams most valuable assets.

Everything went remarkably smoothly during that transition thanks to Jills tremendous leadership, careful planning and good judgment, El Koubi says. She instilled credibility with our volunteer leadership and investors and became a trusted partner to everyone involved in managing the organization.

SanFilippos money management acumen kept One Acadiana operations up and running through the most vulnerable moments of its birth. A single misstep could have pushed the organization, already operating with little margin for error, over a financial cliff with no parachute to soften the landing. Her boss gives her the credit. But she prefers it rests with the team.

One Acadianas team culture is a perfect fit for a modest person like [me.] Were all working together to make Acadiana one of the best places in the South to live, work and raise a family, she says.

For an organization entrusted by its members with millions of dollars in investments, fiscal responsibility means more than paying the bills and keeping the lights on. The scores of business partners in the joint venture that is One Acadiana expect progress and results with an efficient use of the funds provided. Staying lean becomes exponentially more difficult as businesses get bigger.

Following the transformation, One Acadiana not only got bigger, but it also adopted an entirely new financial model that tripled its previous operating budget to $15 million. SanFilippos work kept anxious minds at ease as One Acadiana evolved into an organization with no local precedent. Her fiscal management pulled One Acadiana safely through a precarious transition, and her presence continues to keep the organization financially poised for the foreseeable future.

Her work reaches across the organizations ballooning web of members, employees and initiatives, steadily guiding the process of growing an economic driver that serves more than 1,500 businesses around Acadiana.

Her behind-scenes-efforts have paced a generous cash reserve that sustains a lean and nimble operation able to jump any hurdle that comes its way, while giving it cushion to survive difficult times.

Pacing for the long haul is something that SanFilippo, a former Academic All-American cross country runner, knows all too well. Her years in distance running groomed in her the mental focus and fortitude to hold fast in shifting lanes.

Thanks to SanFilippo, One Acadiana stayed ahead of the financial risk that nipped at its heels throughout its emergence. More important, her day-to-day work keeps One Acadiana safely ahead.  CM

Courtney Reynolds Photo by Robin May

Courtney Reynolds

Courtney Reynolds doesnt have an off switch. She knows it.

I am so used to being in work mode I tend to forget about me time, and it catches up with me the hard way sometimes, Reynolds admits.

Most days start at 5 a.m. with either a morning walk or operating CReynolds Cleaning Service, one of two businesses the Lafayette native owns and operates. The other, Creative Events Group, is an event-planning company.

While everyone is headed to their 9 to 5, I am having breakfast, visiting a new business owner in the area and tending to commercial cleaning clientele, she says. My average day usually ends at 10 p.m. when I finally wind down or take a trip to Reds for my evening workout.

In addition to owning two businesses, Reynolds has served as president of the Greater Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce for the last two years. Shes been a member as a business owner for eight, and has previously served as the organizations second vice president and as its special events chair.

Did we mention that lack of an off switch?

Reynolds perpetual motion has paid off: Earlier this year the GSLBCC was recognized as Chamber of the Year for 2016 by the National Black Chamber of Commerce.

We nominated Courtney because of her tireless efforts to promote and grow small business here in Acadiana, primarily in the African-American community, says Missy Bienvenu Andrade, director of investment relations for One Acadiana. She constantly strives to connect business owners with opportunities and inspires those around her with her positivity and work ethic. Courtney is a bridge-builder in every sense and has taken collaboration in our community to a brand new level.

Having a black chamber of commerce in the 21st century might seem like an anachronism  a throwback to Selma and the Civil Rights Movement. Not so, says Reynolds, who believes her organization serves an ongoing need.

Black chambers of commerce are designed to assist minorities  not only black  to be less fearful of evolution, change and most importantly diversity, she notes. This chamber does not serve to put blacks against opposite races, nor does it serve to limit whom you conduct business with. This chamber has been a driving force for knowledge to both young and old, men and women, [those] who lack self-confidence, knowledge or respect. Most blacks and other minorities are often overlooked for contracts, bidding, certifications and more. This chamber pushes and directs accordingly.

Although she doesnt have much me time to show for it, Reynolds says shes most proud of being an example for women across the Acadiana region, being a business owner for eight years and counting, being nominated and awarded various awards and, most of all, being alive and making memories that my parents, family and close friends may witness daily.  WP

Tonya Carola, 1968 - 2016 Submitted Photo

Tonya Carola

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Tonya Carola will forever be defined by the promise she made following an organ transplant in 2009. At that time, she pledged to do more with her life, dedicating her energies to the community she loved. A young and determined woman, she set out to take on a life of service by storm. I told myself, if I make it through this, I will no longer sit at home letting life pass me by, Carola said. I would find some way to get out and get involved and take full advantage of my second chance.

First she spoke at drivers education classes for the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency about organ sharing. After I met my donors family, I could no longer do the same volunteer speaking, because the story was no longer mine to tell, she said back then. The 28-year-old son of Roger and Vicki Antley died from severe head trauma in a car crash. Because of Lance Antleys familys difficult decision to donate his organs, he saved the lives of two people. I was the recipient of his liver, and another person received his pancreas and kidneys.

Carola worked for Republic Services, the nations second-largest waste management firm. Through that affiliation, she became involved with the Scott Business Association and One Acadiana (formerly the Lafayette chamber). She credited state Rep. Vincent Pierre for suggesting, while he was running for office in 2011, that she explore her own interest in politics. The following year, she began attending Scotts city council meetings in preparation for One Acadianas Leadership Lafayette program. The process fueled her strong sense of community.

She signed on as a charter member of the Scott Boudin Festival committee and impressed everyone with her hard work and enthusiasm. She joined the Rotary Club of Lafayette North in 2013, and by 2014, she was voted its president-elect while serving as the Scott Business Associations president. Carola ran for public office in 2014 and was elected to become Scotts second city councilwoman (Hazel Myers was the first). She worked on the successful initiative to have Scott designated as a Louisiana Certified Cultural District, and she strongly supported the citys first responders.

Carola had plans to accomplish much more before leaving this world and public service. She died in June 2016, at age 48, just days before she would have been inducted as a Rotary officer had her life, health and schedule not become so demanding. Her ex-husband, whom she recognized for helping her so much through the hard times of 2009, was there along with his family to help her when her health failed in late spring.

Carolas mother, Janie Schoelman, and daughter, Alex, both express great pride in Tonyas accomplishments.

On Nov. 12, Cajun Harley Davidson will honor her memory in tandem with its poker run beginning at 8 a.m., and her Rotary Club will pay tribute to her memory at its trivia fundraiser that evening in the Frem Boustany Convention Center at the Heymann Center.

Scott is my home and I want to do more than just live here, Carola said.

Indeed, she did.  Theresa Rohloff

SaveSave
Landry has complained to lawmakers that two of his budget requests have been stalled by the Edwards administration.

Lawmakers are refusing to intervene in the latest budget dispute between Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration and Attorney General Jeff Landry.

Members of the joint House and Senate budget committee heard the disagreement Friday and told the two sides to go work it out on their own.

Landry has complained to lawmakers that two of his budget requests have been stalled by the Edwards administration, rather than advanced to the joint budget committee for consideration. The attorney general has suggested the delay was politically motivated.

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said the requests were denied based on policy and legal decisions, not politics.

Landry wants to beef up his office's spending on Medicaid fraud investigations, and he's seeking state money from another agency to defend Louisiana's new abortion laws.
Opinion / Columnist

THE Tongas have a good saying: Hearts are not far from concord when noses have already fraternised. Let me open my gonamombe, pull out the lid of the cow-horn canister, so you the reader and me, can share the snuff by which we summon our ancestors. We need them around us for the evil hour returneth. Before long and after our snuff, our hearts will gladly mate in amity. But the burden of supplying the snuff is mine.Yours is to open and extend the hand of your mind so you receive this week's rich offering.I trust the mudhombo made from the burnt stalks of tall tobacco grown on anthills, was administered in right proportion for a good leavening, so the snuff is to our nostrils' delight, assuring us of a mutual sensation that bores right through to the inner reaches of our persons. We both know the laughter of happy, well-fed nostrils. It comes by way of loud, wet sneezes that send darts of mucous wrapped in saliva flying, all to water and grow our friendship. After which in unison we both say "sikizi!", with a mutual giggle that throws back our torsos in mutual prop, exposing our broken teeth burnished iron rusty-brown by years of gnawing snuff. Even our little eyes water in delight, happily seduced by this powdery invention of our forefathers.Pronouncing "sikizi" in unisonAnd "sikizi" was my late mother's way of expressing and satisfying all the exigencies of decency, after a dart of saliva would have accidentally landed on the face of an unsuspecting fellow villager, who eagerly waiting for her turn to pull of draught of machwara, the potent village brew, finds herself in the path of catapulted saliva. A real dilemma. One had to be near enough, nay, part of the enchanted circle of bonhomie drinkers. But the downside came by way of the perilous proximity that placed you within pathway and range of wet exhalations from a rich, snuff-induced sneeze. Still too small a price to pay. "Sikizi" was the closest my half-drunk mother could get to pronouncing the white man's "excuse me", all done in the hope of making an impression on the half-drunk village: a display of sophistication that comes with awareness of the white man's ways, all of it never acquired through direct contact with the white man, but vicariously through her son - me - who had travelled far to eat big book which contains the secrets and mannerisms of the white man. Including rules of his etiquette invoked soon after an involuntary intemperance such as this.Honour to a better mother of better scionBeing in filial neighbourhood, my mother - the owner of the womb that bore such a wonderful son who had mastered the ways of the white man - would closely watch my new ways acquired from the white man, secretly rehearse my affected "Excuse me!" said politely after every mishap - for a garbled re-issuance at a beer party in the village and away from me, where anything remotely smelling European passes with remarkable ease, winning lofty awe for the sayer - my exhibitionistic mother! After the loud imperfection so haughtily put, her eyes, inexorably receding from consuming pride and drink but keenly watchful, would scan and survey all around her, all in the expectation of deep awe and regard she surely merited. Much like a tax-collector owed a lot by way of tribute! And praises would come her way - without fail - transporting her to the lofty pedestal reserved for rare mothers whose wombs know how to sire well. Not these other women of the village whose good-for-nothing-scions looked and behaved like they had been born through the fleshless, hard- and long-boned mipimbira - shins - in the process getting mentally and morally warped. Did their children not kill precious time chasing after village brew they could not even afford? All the time getting drunk on leftovers? Not Nyari, the Mother of Nathaniel!This complex woman who was my motherShe was a very sharp woman - sharp of mind and mouth - and always bragged before my rather quiet and bashful (or henpecked?) father that I owed more than half my good mind to her, brains which had made me go far - very far - with books. But she was very complex in speech and mannerisms. One was never clear when she was genuinely aping "excuse me", or mocking those like me who incongruously repeated the phrase in front of elders of the village; those who dared utter it in front of an elderly, uneducated couple that, save for their generosity, would never have seen the sun and this earth. For her it was who readily dished in retrospect the chilling threat of crushing you in her womb, many, many moons after you had left it, indeed long after you had become too, too big to re-enter it, even with the best of intentions! Nxa, dei ndakakupwanyira mudumbu, she would roar! Or maybe she was mocking the white man, himself the owner of the phrase of pseudo-politeness, for ever thinking his language would have travelled all the way from beyond the big waters, crossing dunes, hills and vleis, passing clans and kraals of numerous totems, tongues and manners, and then to finally land on the hot, stubby Savannah clime where donhwe raSarirambi resides, but without expecting any modicum of deference to Shona phonology.Clasping hands of old granniesGentle reader, I bet my last daughter - sorry dollar - that you missed Tendai Biti's last weekend remarks in Bulawayo where he braggingly told his sparse audience of his exploits in shaking hands of "old grannies" running for the US presidency. Of course this was a reference to Mai Clinton, the wife of Bill who is also a presumptive presidential candidate in US elections which, though so near by clock, is proving yet so far for her by the clock of wellness  her wellness. She was forebodingly taken ill on 9/11, a date of great augury in America's recent history. When you people get to know, bragged the impetuous Biti, whose hands these tiny African hands have clasped, you will ask in awe how so young a politician, so young a party, both have gone this high and far! Evidently self-pleased and fully consumed, he told his audience how he had enjoyed the unusual honour of being invited and given a seat at the US Democratic Convention held last July, at which event he managed to shake the hand of Mai Clinton. If she goes in, bragged on the young politician, tapinda tapinda (we have entered, we have entered)! Gentle reader, at the risk of indecency, I have deliberately refrained from giving you the meaning sense of "tapinda, tapinda", which would be "we are in, we are in", all to capture the characteristic crudeness of the native tongue of this rough son of this land. I am sure you haven't forgotten his writ threats to ZiFM, not too long ago, by which he threatened "to sue the station" to the nhingirikiri! Let me catch a breath by taking something to appease and quieten the itch of my big, snuff-powdered nose. Fuuu-u! It's good snuff, this one from the hand and notes of vamaMacharika, my grandmother of the Gumbo clan, daughter of Denhere. May her soul rest in peace evermore.In this land of Mwenemutapa?Ruffled reader, this is no laughing matter. Here we have a politician angling to rule this great nation of Mwenemutapa - The-owner-and-author-of-conquest - bragging about foreign patronage! What womb bore her, this one? And what is more, hoping to be passively hoisted to power by the outcome of US presidential race! Not by your vote. Not even by the tajamukas of this world. Simply by a US Democratic candidate's presumptive electoral fortunes! And bragging about such raise on the back of foreign interests which stand to be appeased by our soul, resources and hard-won sovereignty! I wonder where his father was during the war of liberation. He could be a true chip off an accursed block. Cry the beloved country. And a lawyer at that? My goodness! This column has maintained that the repeatedly flummoxed opposition has ceased thinking in terms of winning power lawfully, democratically. Not even thinking of subjecting itself to the electoral process. They know this is a dead end, whether they act singly or in concert, and doing so even now when the odds are heavily staked against Zanu-PF. They have chosen the sinister route of enlisting foreign support and even intervention, which is why all their acts - largely verging on the unlawful - are calculated to provide a pretext - beggarly pretext - for an equivalent of Resolution 1973 by which Libya's sovereignty was violated, its body raped by the West. Just a few weeks ago, this column gave you a glimpse of what would happen should events tend in, or even tentatively suggest such direction. I know it sends a chill, but let it be known this nation was born of war. That its children have seen blood, sacrificed before, much as they may deceptively exhibit peacetime languor at presence. Both violence and foreign intrusion will not work here, which is why we are all better advised to do our politics within the walls of the law. My mouth never falls to the ground and, like the bulging womb of a mature woman, expect a child at the end of it all.When Providence intervenedOf course Providence is always Zimbabwean, something prophecies have repeatedly confirmed. Within that week of Biti's brag, Hillary is taken ill, ostensibly by pneumonia. She wobbles out of 9/11, itself a dramatic metaphor of a broader misfortune. As her knees fail her small body, Trump catches up in a dramatic sprint which sees the two candidates panting neck-to-neck and, with that peripeteia, Zimbabwean oppositional fortunes tumbling headlong in sympathy! Not only do the fortunes of Biti cave in like a weakly supported concrete deck; his other granny - Mai Mujuru - is taken ill! I bet by my white heart, it was not Manheru's snuff-filled sneeze which got her to catch a cold. No, the sneeze that infected her came from afar - from distant America - which is what made her an extended patient of Hillary's pneumonia. She better be well, what with an impending trip to Chatham House where she hopes to impress her British benefactors, thanks to one Alex Vines. And what impresses the British is sure to nail her here on home stretch where power is got or lost. Kikikiki, seka zvako muzukuru waChiwashira wakachekwa nemakiwa!All united by the stethoscopeTalking about illness and politicians, this latest illness completes the cycle, does it not? Mate, give me more snuff, preferably from the bottom of the horn whence comes pinches of mature doses. Extend your hand, let me pinch from your palm, in the process soldering friendship. The politically bickering opposition can now unite around the less divisive stethoscope. All of them! And this man from Buhera? Asekuru! He must watch his mouth when it comes to Mugabe. When it comes to talking about his own death, like he did last week to dramatise a non-existent danger of a political crackdown. Before long we shall tell the world what the old man did not too far back to check his otherwise inexorable march to the cemetery. He should not provoke us. A hunter who follows a zebra that is in flight has braved his spear, is sure to meet a lion around the blind corner from which the zebra emerged!From "A" to "R"The Members of European Parliament, MEP for short, what are they up to? Did anyone read their turgid draft resolution threatening Zimbabwe with renewed sanctions? A very long draft resolution, one which nearly exhausted all the letters of the alphabet. I mean items from "A" to "R", all capsulising events of the past few weeks, punctuated by sojourns at GPA we had all forgotten about, Biti (again?)'s much vaunted tenure at Finance ministry, Dzamara, right up to NERA and Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and its strange pronouncements. At the base of it all, Mugabe's unpardonable crime: that he "has been in power since Independence in 1980 and is seeking re-election"! And not forgetting "Pastor" Evan Mawarire who is, thanks to the American Embassy here, is mobilising some funny demonstrations in New York meant to redeem him from his shameful record of "great betrayal". Together with the Dzamaras and many others travelling on US largesse, thanks to Ambassador Thomas! Of course it will come to naught, although the calculation was that this puny effort would get an echo here at home by way of violent protests calculated to burn Harare. The build-up started last week, with one Mackenzie of CNN doing a hatchet job, after breaking national laws, all to land here for media-led mischief. Of course all this harkens to 2007/8, and is part of a build-up to the imagined electoral victory of Hillary Clinton, a co(re)-sponsor of ZDERAOff to Chatham HouseMeanwhile the British, through Chatham House, are doing their own thing, beginning of course with Joice as already hinted, to be followed by the overrated Evan Mawarire. In the social media, the country continues to be subjected to instances of virtual terrorism, and lost of scare-mongering by way of hare-brained claims that Government intends to tax Zimbabweans in the diaspora. Or to seize their assets here or those of their relatives in the event of non-compliance or defaulting. You have to be an out and out fool to credit Government with powers to effect extra-territorial taxation. And also to find a law within our statutes that makes people liable for tax evasion, avoidance or defaults by consanguinity! But that is how mad the campaign is. Or how contemptuous of our intellect those behind it are. And silently, confidently, the arms of the law stalks all these illegal actors whose hour glasses are at different levels! We shall see. Meanwhile, pass me my snuff horn for another pinch, nekuti iwe neni tine basa.Icho!nathaniel.manheru@zimpapers.co.zw
Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes.

What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection?

Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were.

Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property  there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection:

You get to see exactly what will happen to your money

When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor.

Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on.

A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with.

You find out about potential major repairs

Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing.

If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately.

You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on

One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home.

Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly.

You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for

While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best.

This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit.

Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home.

You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price

If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home.

You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price.

You can sell your home faster and for more money

If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are.

In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price.

Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for.

Your home will hold its value longer

As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property.

When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home.

You can make smart decisions about property investments

Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property.

If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal.

There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about.

If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage

If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing.

They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit.

You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors

If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for.

For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money.

You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition

Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building.

You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure.

Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so.

As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process.
Opinion / Columnist

Last week Zimbabwe's Minister of finance Patrick Chinamasa confirmed that Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is getting completely out of hand. The regime is now spending 97% of the collected revenue on civil servant wages alone, for example, up from 80% last year when the aim was to reduce it to a manageable 40%.The Minister proposed laying off thousands of civil servants, stopping bonus payments, etc.; a desperate effort to contain public expenditure in the face of shrinking revenue. This was not the first time the Minister has tried to reduce public expenditure; he proposed similar measures last year but was publicly slammed down by senior Zanu PF leaders including the President's nephew Patrick Zhuwao and President Mugabe himself. Minister Chinamasa was slammed down again this time by the usual suspects.What I have found shocking is the out pouring of heartfelt sympathy for Chinamasa, with some even praising him; reminiscent of the Russians mourning Joseph Stalin! When the Russian dictator Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin died in 1953 it is said millions of Russians mourned him with the grief few had ever shown before or since.Joseph Stalin caused the untold suffering of hundreds of millions of his own people and the deaths of millions more. He reportedly sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers into battle with no weapons with instructions to find the weapon of any who gets killed. Millions of Russians were arrested send to labour camps or summarily killed during his reign of terror. And yet when the tyrant died millions of Russians who were themselves or had relatives and friends victims of his tyrannical rule shed more tears for the tyrant than those shed for his victims."This year has been pretty hectic for my learned friend and former Cabinet colleague Zimbabwe Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa," wrote Professor Welshman Ncube. "Patrick is a consummate politician, who in spite of the negative public image he has in many circles, mostly justly earned for having been at the forefront of the legal and media justification for ZANU PF's land grab policies and the attendant attacks on the judiciary, is honest, possesses a beautiful work ethic, loves his country and one of very few ZANU PF Ministers I know for a fact as being uncorrupted. To this day he remains largely very poor by ZANU PF standards because he has tried to practice honest politics."What a truck load of baloney!Patrick Chinamasa is one of the Zanu PF officials who have benefited greatly from the de facto one-party state in that he has returned his ministerial job and all the financial and other fringe benefits that goes with Mugabe's gravy train political system. He has received at least one former white owned commercial farm worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and never paid a single penny for it. No doubt he has helped a few of his relatives secure jobs, contracts, farms, etc.So someone who has had a well-paid Ministerial job for 36 years (earned by rigging elections), a large commercial farm (to gratify one's insatiable greed - never mind that the chaotic acquisition triggered the disastrous economic meltdown), etc.; is still considered "very poor by Zanu PF standards". Well by the standards of the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans who have paid dearly for having this corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship and are on the coal-face of the 90% unemployment, etc.; Minister Chinamasa is filthy rich!By the way, Professor Welshman Ncube is one of the opposition political leaders who was allocated a former white owned farms. Mugabe has dished out the farms to bribe or reward those who have helped him establish and retain this corrupt and tyrannical one-party state cum one-man dictatorship. Professor Ncube was a senior MDC member in the GNU and, as we know, MDC did the tyrant a great favour by kicking the democratic reforms into the tall grass. No doubt Professor Ncube considers himself "very poor by Zanu PF standards".A few weeks ago Minister Patrick Chinamasa shocked the listeners when he denied on BBC programme HardTalk that the $15 billion of diamond revenue, which President Mugabe had admitted was "swindled", had indeed been looted. Chinamasa insisted the money was not looted but was instead an accounting error due to "mispricing"!The wholesale looting of Marange and Chiadzwa diamonds is certainly one of the worst cases of institutionalized theft of public resources. The grand theft is taking place at the time when hundreds of Zimbabweans are dying every week of simple illnesses like appendicitis because the country's health delivery service has all but collapse after decades of chronic underfunding. $15 billion is a fortune for even the rich nations what more a country like Zimbabwe whose collected annual revenue is $3 billion! What is worse, the grand theft is still going on as we speak!After President Mugabe's confessed that the regime could not account for the $15 billion of diamond revenue in February this year, Minister Chinamasa and his counterpart in the ministry of Mines, Minister Chidhakwa, announced that the whole diamond mining industry in Marange was being reorganized to end the "mispricing"! In his budget statement last week Minister Chinamasa admitted that industry produced less than one million carats of diamonds in the last six months against an expectation of six million carats  proof that the regime is failing to stop the looting!Of course Minister Patrick Chinamasa, like so many of his fellow Zanu PF colleagues, is a dishonest, incompetent, greedy, corrupt and despicable scum of the earth; a curse to the nation. How anyone would describe him as "honest, possesses a beautiful work ethic, loves his country and uncorrupted" beggars belief and speaks volumes of the speaker!Professor Ncube shed buckets of tears for Chinamasa's frustrating position of knowing what he must lay-off the thousands of civil servant to reduce the public expenditure, for example, but being stopped by Mugabe. Ncube did not shed a single tear for the unlucky civil servants and the hundreds of thousands who dependent of them who are, for no fault of their own, are the real victims here. To end his clearly frustrating situation, Professor Ncube suggested that Chinamasa should resign or, better still, fall on his own sword and commit hara-kiri!For the first time, I found myself agreeing with the Professor! Whilst still on the subject, it would be even better if the Professor himself too committed hara-kiri; after all we are in this political and economic mess because he and his MDC friends sold-out during the GNU and failed to get even one democratic reform implemented!
Opinion / Letters

Dear Sir,I wish to commence this letter by calling you "father"  following your principles and enormous achievements for our continent, Africa. You are like a father to me and many other African youths with a focus on pan-Africanism, and your trajectory as noted in the history of our dear continent is and will remain a source of motivation against oppression and in promoting cooperation amongst our people. Whilst growing up in Nigeria, I have always set my eyes on the targets of great African nationalists and how to preserve legacies, including yours, for our continent's development. This positive feeling and aspiration hasn't changed!Around 1960, when you returned to your hometown from Ghana in order to show your mother your first wife, you met a drastically changed Southern Rhodesia  where thousands of black families were displaced by the new colonial government. This government had denied black majority rule and exploded the white population; and this resulted in violent protests. As one who had the interest of the average Zimbabwean family at heart, you were outraged by this denial of black rights  and in July 1960, you agreed to address the crowd at the protest march of 7000 staged at Salisbury's Harare Town Hall. Even in the face of stiff police threats, you adamantly steeled yourself and told protestors about how Ghana had successfully achieved independence, and about how change was possible in Zimbabwe. The advantages from the story is evidential as the Lancaster House Agreement led to the creation of a fully democratic Zimbabwe. Although times have past, I am fully persuaded that you, my father, hasn't changed at all; even in the altruism of heart.I write to bring to your notice the case of Linda Masarira; perhaps you may not have known in details or been following her story. She is a young Zimbabwean who has the interest of all Zimbabwe at heart. She is committed to the prosperity of not only Zimbabwe, but Africa at large; and her numerous works for the continent under prestigious organisation speak for themselves. Linda, a widowed mother of five little children (the oldest being less than 14 year-old), was arrested and detained from the #ShutDownZim and #ThisFlag exercise  which many participants felt was geared at a Zimbabwean economic revolution. Personally, I would have love to expatiate, but time wouldn't permit me to intently speak on the issue. However, I firmly believe that these protestors or activists would have followed a more diplomatic means  so as not to trash-talk or further soil the image of our continent.Many young people participated in the campaign. But unlike others who were granted bail and subsequently released, Linda's case has rather been worsened as she is further exposed to some inhumane conditions. Recent reports claim that Linda has been moved to the male section of Chikurubi prison  which is notorious for immoral sexual acts, molestations, the spread of HIV and even sodomy. I agree that Linda may have accorded more time to her campaigns  even the 16 day occupy Zim exercise, but this will not justify denying her bail and further exposing the widowed mother of 5, whose kids have barely managed to survive in her absence, to these terrifying conditions in the male prison. As the breadwinner in her family, her kids have barely managed to survive in her absence  and they have also missed, in a great deal, the motherly affection they enjoyed from Linda since July 6.Please father, African Youth wish that you will relook into Linda's case and make life easier for her and her kids. Unfairness has somewhat been on play in her story. Whilst she was arrested with 10 others on July 6, other accused persons are remanded out of custody and attend court hearings from the comfort of their homes and loves ones. Only Linda has been languishing in prison since her arrest on the aforementioned date; hence our decision to write to you for the sake of her kids.As rightly stated in court papers, Linda is a senior member of the Young African Leaders Forum (YALF)  an organisation with the initiative to move African nations to the first world status by 2063. All her works and campaigns are undoubtedly geared towards promoting a good standard of living and reducing the costs of living for many Zimbabweans. She exudes the same spirit you had earlier exuded, which brought about a democratic Zimbabwe in the 1990s. Perhaps, what she needs at this point may be mentorship to be able to tap into your vision for a prosperous Zimbabwe, rather than these accrued sufferings.Mr. President, I am convinced that you will not overlook this goodwill letter to effect the possible release of Linda. Moving her to the male section of Chikurubi prison in the first place is inhumane. She is not a criminal; at least until the court proves otherwise. Instead, she is a mother; your daughter and a sister to many other people. She is an African who has dedicated her time and life to the prosperity of the continent. It then suffices to say that as Africans we must not continue to shed more blood, cause agonies on the altar of politics. This is how we can realise the agenda 2063 vision plan and create the Africa we want.My father, I write you as a son, and on behalf of the many African youths who are on halt to see your swift reactions. Please, help save these kids by swiftly releasing Linda Masarira and entrench your legacy in the hearts of young African people.Prince Ifoh,President, Young African Leaders Forum (YALF),Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
NASA Hubble Telescope Captures Comet Breaking Apart

Trending News: Heres What Its Like To See A Comet Die

Why Is This Important?

Because these are the best images of a comet breaking apart that humanity has ever seen.

Long Story Short

NASAs Hubble Space Telescope captured images of a comet dying  or simply fragmenting  as it gets closer to the sun. Previously, scientists believed that as comets got too close to the sun they vaporized, but this shows that its a much more progressive process of pieces breaking up.

Long Story

In Greek mythology, Icarus disobeys his fathers instructions and flew too close to the sun, where, the wax of his wings melted off and he fell down into the sea. Comet 332P is learning pretty much the same lesson as we speak 67 million miles from Earth. The 4.5 billion-year-old comet has found its way into our solar system and has been breaking off in a long trail of dust stretching 3,000 miles  the length of the continental United States. Never before have scientists been able to witness what happens to a comet as it zooms closer to the sun, until a chance opportunity in January when the NASAs Hubble Space Telescope captured these fascinating images.

What youre seeing is 25 building-size blocks of ice and dust drifting away from Comet 332P, explains NASA. Previously, scientists knew that comets disintegrate, but hadnt been able to witness it.

Hubble captures one of the most detailed observations of a #comet breaking apart! ?

READ:https://t.co/sh2wPSSWkI pic.twitter.com/5UWuGOeuQn  Hubble (@NASA_Hubble) September 15, 2016

We know that comets sometimes disintegrate, but we dont know much about why or how they come apart, said lead researcher David Jewitt of the University of California at Los Angeles, in the NASA release. The trouble is that it happens quickly and without warning, and so we dont have much chance to get useful data. With Hubbles fantastic resolution, not only do we see really tiny, faint bits of the comet, but we can watch them change from day to day. And that has allowed us to make the best measurements ever obtained on such an object.

The scientists believe that when the comet approaches the sun, it heats up, causing jets of gas to erupt from its surface. These jets of gas make the comet spin out of control, causing the fragments we see to break off.

But it doesnt all happen at once. The process of disintegration and the comets imminent death is estimated to take about 150 years  a blink of an eye in space time, but still not exactly a short time for us measly earthlings.

Jewitt explains how important these images are to answering the question of what happens to a comet when it begins to die.

In the past, astronomers thought that comets die when they are warmed by sunlight, causing their ices to simply vaporize away, Jewitt said. Either nothing would be left over or there would be a dead hulk of material where an active comet used to be. But its starting to look like fragmentation may be more important. In Comet 332P we may be seeing a comet fragmenting itself into oblivion.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Dont images like these make you feel small in the universe?

Disrupt Your Feed

If you squint, you can see little aliens surfing on the comet chunks.

Drop This Fact

ICYMI, the big science news of the summer occurred when an Earth-like planet was spotted orbiting the star closest to our solar system.
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Democrats blame Hillary's criminal e-mail server for her loss, demand it face prison

Afraid of "dangerous" Trump presidency, protesters pre-emptively burn America down to the ground

Clinton Foundation in foreclosure as foreign donors demand refunds

Hillary Clinton blames YouTube video for unexpected and spontaneous voter uprising that prevented her inevitable move into the White House

Sudden rise in sea levels explained by disproportionately large tears shed by climate scientists in the aftermath of Trump's electoral victory

FBI director Comey delighted after receiving Nobel Prize for Speed Reading (650,000 emails in one week)

U.N. deploys troops to American college campuses in order to combat staggeringly low rape rates

Responding to Trump's surging poll numbers, Obama preemptively pardons himself for treason

Following hurricane Matthew's failure to devastate Florida, activists flock to the Sunshine State and destroy Trump signs manually

Tim Kaine takes credit for interrupting hurricane Matthew while debating weather in Florida

Study: Many non-voters still undecided on how they're not going to vote

The Evolution of Dissent: on November 8th the nation is to decide whether dissent will stop being racist and become sexist - or it will once again be patriotic as it was for 8 years under George W. Bush

Venezuela solves starvation problem by making it mandatory to buy food

Breaking: the Clinton Foundation set to investigate the FBI

Obama captures rare Pokemon while visiting Hiroshima

Movie news: 'The Big Friendly Giant Government' flops at box office; audiences say "It's creepy"

Barack Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Micah Johnson"

White House edits Orlando 911 transcript to say shooter pledged allegiance to NRA and Republican Party

President George Washington: 'Redcoats do not represent British Empire; King George promotes a distorted version of British colonialism'

Following Obama's 'Okie-Doke' speech, stock of Okie-Doke soars; NASDAQ: 'Obama best Okie-Doke salesman'

Weaponized baby formula threatens Planned Parenthood office; ACLU demands federal investigation of Gerber

Experts: melting Antarctic glacier could cause sale levels to rise up to 80% off select items by this weekend

Travel advisory: airlines now offering flights to front of TSA line

As Obama instructs his administration to get ready for presidential transition, Trump preemptively purchases 'T' keys for White House keyboards

John Kasich self-identifies as GOP primary winner, demands access to White House bathroom

Upcoming Trump/Kelly interview on FoxNews sponsored by 'Let's Make a Deal' and 'The Price is Right'

News from 2017: once the evacuation of Lena Dunham and 90% of other Hollywood celebrities to Canada is confirmed, Trump resigns from presidency: "My work here is done"

Non-presidential candidate Paul Ryan pledges not to run for president in new non-presidential non-ad campaign

Trump suggests creating 'Muslim database'; Obama symbolically protests by shredding White House guest logs beginning 2009

National Enquirer: John Kasich's real dad was the milkman, not mailman

National Enquirer: Bound delegates from Colorado, Wyoming found in Ted Cruzs basement

Iran breaks its pinky-swear promise not to support terrorism; US State Department vows rock-paper-scissors strategic response

Women across the country cheer as racist Democrat president on $20 bill is replaced by black pro-gun Republican

Federal Reserve solves budget crisis by writing itself a 20-trillion-dollar check

Widows, orphans claim responsibility for Brussels airport bombing

Che Guevara's son hopes Cuba's communism will rub off on US, proposes a long list of people the government should execute first

Susan Sarandon: "I don't vote with my vagina." Voters in line behind her still suspicious, use hand sanitizer

Campaign memo typo causes Hillary to court 'New Black Panties' vote

New Hampshire votes for socialist Sanders, changes state motto to "Live FOR Free or Die"

Martin O'Malley drops out of race after Iowa Caucus; nation shocked with revelation he has been running for president

Statisticians: one out of three Bernie Sanders supporters is just as dumb as the other two

Hillary campaign denies accusations of smoking-gun evidence in her emails, claims they contain only smoking-circumstantial-gun evidence

Obama stops short of firing US Congress upon realizing the difficulty of assembling another group of such tractable yes-men

In effort to contol wild passions for violent jihad, White House urges gun owners to keep their firearms covered in gun burkas

TV horror live: A Charlie Brown Christmas gets shot up on air by Mohammed cartoons

Democrats vow to burn the country down over Ted Cruz statement, 'The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats'

Russia's trend to sign bombs dropped on ISIS with "This is for Paris" found response in Obama administration's trend to sign American bombs with "Return to sender"

University researchers of cultural appropriation quit upon discovery that their research is appropriation from a culture that created universities

Archeologists discover remains of what Barack Obama has described as unprecedented, un-American, and not-who-we-are immigration screening process in Ellis Island

Mizzou protests lead to declaring entire state a "safe space," changing Missouri motto to "The don't show me state"

Green energy fact: if we put all green energy subsidies together in one-dollar bills and burn them, we could generate more electricity than has been produced by subsidized green energy

State officials improve chances of healthcare payouts by replacing ObamaCare with state lottery

NASA's new mission to search for racism, sexism, and economic inequality in deep space suffers from race, gender, and class power struggles over multibillion-dollar budget

College progress enforcement squads issue schematic humor charts so students know if a joke may be spontaneously laughed at or if regulations require other action

ISIS opens suicide hotline for US teens depressed by climate change and other progressive doomsday scenarios

Virginia county to close schools after teacher asks students to write 'death to America' in Arabic

'Wear hijab to school day' ends with spontaneous female circumcision and stoning of a classmate during lunch break

ISIS releases new, even more barbaric video in an effort to regain mantle from Planned Parenthood

Impressed by Fox News stellar rating during GOP debates, CNN to use same formula on Democrat candidates asking tough, pointed questions about Republicans

Shocking new book explores pros and cons of socialism, discovers they are same people

Pope outraged by Planned Parenthood's "unfettered capitalism," demands equal redistribution of baby parts to each according to his need

John Kerry accepts Iran's "Golden Taquiyya" award, requests jalapenos on the side

Citizens of Pluto protest US government's surveillance of their planetoid and its moons with New Horizons space drone

John Kerry proposes 3-day waiting period for all terrorist nations trying to acquire nuclear weapons

Chicago Police trying to identify flag that caused nine murders and 53 injuries in the city this past weekend

Cuba opens to affordable medical tourism for Americans who can't afford Obamacare deductibles

State-funded research proves existence of Quantum Aggression Particles (Heterons) in Large Hadron Collider

Student job opportunities: make big bucks this summer as Hillarys Ordinary-American; all expenses paid, travel, free acting lessons

Experts debate whether Iranian negotiators broke John Kerry's leg or he did it himself to get out of negotiations

Junior Varsity takes Ramadi, advances to quarterfinals

US media to GOP pool of candidates: 'Knowing what we know now, would you have had anything to do with the founding of the United States?'

NY Mayor to hold peace talks with rats, apologize for previous Mayor's cowboy diplomacy

China launches cube-shaped space object with a message to aliens: "The inhabitants of Earth will steal your intellectual property, copy it, manufacture it in sweatshops with slave labor, and sell it back to you at ridiculously low prices"

Progressive scientists: Truth is a variable deduced by subtracting 'what is' from 'what ought to be'

Experts agree: Hillary Clinton best candidate to lessen percentage of Americans in top 1%

America's attempts at peace talks with the White House continue to be met with lies, stalling tactics, and bad faith

Starbucks new policy to talk race with customers prompts new hashtag #DontHoldUpTheLine

Hillary: DELETE is the new RESET

Charlie Hebdo receives Islamophobe 2015 award; the cartoonists could not be reached for comment due to their inexplicable, illogical deaths

Russia sends 'reset' button back to Hillary: 'You need it now more than we do'

Barack Obama finds out from CNN that Hillary Clinton spent four years being his Secretary of State

President Obama honors Leonard Nimoy by taking selfie in front of Starship Enterprise

Police: If Obama had a convenience store, it would look like Obama Express Food Market

Study finds stunning lack of racial, gender, and economic diversity among middle-class white males

NASA: We're 80% sure about being 20% sure about being 17% sure about being 38% sure about 2014 being the hottest year on record

People holding '$15 an Hour Now' posters sue Democratic party demanding raise to $15 an hour for rendered professional protesting services

Cuba-US normalization: US tourists flock to see Cuba before it looks like the US and Cubans flock to see the US before it looks like Cuba

White House describes attacks on Sony Pictures as 'spontaneous hacking in response to offensive video mocking Juche and its prophet'

CIA responds to Democrat calls for transparency by releasing the director's cut of The Making Of Obama's Birth Certificate

Obama: 'If I had a city, it would look like Ferguson'

Biden: 'If I had a Ferguson (hic), it would look like a city'

Obama signs executive order renaming 'looters' to 'undocumented shoppers'

Ethicists agree: two wrongs do make a right so long as Bush did it first

The aftermath of the 'War on Women 2014' finds a new 'Lost Generation' of disillusioned Democrat politicians, unable to cope with life out of office

White House: Republican takeover of the Senate is a clear mandate from the American people for President Obama to rule by executive orders

Nurse Kaci Hickox angrily tells reporters that she won't change her clocks for daylight savings time

Democratic Party leaders in panic after recent poll shows most Democratic voters think 'midterm' is when to end pregnancy

Desperate Democratic candidates plead with Obama to stop backing them and instead support their GOP opponents

Ebola Czar issues five-year plan with mandatory quotas of Ebola infections per each state based on voting preferences

Study: crony capitalism is to the free market what the Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity

Fun facts about world languages: the Left has more words for statism than the Eskimos have for snow

African countries to ban all flights from the United States because "Obama is incompetent, it scares us"

Nobel Peace Prize controversy: Hillary not nominated despite having done even less than Obama to deserve it

Obama: 'Ebola is the JV of viruses'

BREAKING: Secret Service foils Secret Service plot to protect Obama

Revised 1st Amendment: buy one speech, get the second free

Sharpton calls on white NFL players to beat their women in the interests of racial fairness

President Obama appoints his weekly approval poll as new national security adviser

Obama wags pen and phone at Putin; Europe offers support with powerful pens and phones from NATO members

White House pledges to embarrass ISIS back to the Stone Age with a barrage of fearsome Twitter messages and fatally ironic Instagram photos

Obama to fight ISIS with new federal Terrorist Regulatory Agency

Obama vows ISIS will never raise their flag over the eighteenth hole

Harry Reid: "Sometimes I say the wong thing"

Elian Gonzalez wishes he had come to the U.S. on a bus from Central America like all the other kids

Obama visits US-Mexican border, calls for a two-state solution

Obama draws "blue line" in Iraq after Putin took away his red crayon

"Hard Choices," a porno flick loosely based on Hillary Clinton's memoir and starring Hillary Hellfire as a drinking, whoring Secretary of State, wildly outsells the flabby, sagging original

Accusations of siding with the enemy leave Sgt. Bergdahl with only two options: pursue a doctorate at Berkley or become a Senator from Massachusetts

Jay Carney stuck in line behind Eric Shinseki to leave the White House; estimated wait time from 15 min to 6 weeks

100% of scientists agree that if man-made global warming were real, "the last people we'd want to help us is the Obama administration"

Jay Carney says he found out that Obama found out that he found out that Obama found out that he found out about the latest Obama administration scandal on the news

"Anarchy Now!" meeting turns into riot over points of order, bylaws, and whether or not 'kicking the #^@&*! ass' of the person trying to speak is or is not violence

Obama retaliates against Putin by prohibiting unionized federal employees from dating hot Russian girls online during work hours

Russian separatists in Ukraine riot over an offensive YouTube video showing the toppling of Lenin statues

"Free Speech Zones" confuse Obamaphone owners who roam streets in search of additional air minutes

Obamacare bolsters employment for professionals with skills to convert meth back into sudafed

Gloves finally off: Obama uses pen and phone to cancel Putin's Netflix account

Joe Biden to Russia: "We will bury you by turning more of Eastern Europe over to your control!"

In last-ditch effort to help Ukraine, Obama deploys Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to Crimea

Al Sharpton: "Not even Putin can withstand our signature chanting, 'racist, sexist, anti-gay, Russian army go away'!"

Mardi Gras in North Korea: "Throw me some food!"

Obama's foreign policy works: "War, invasion, and conquest are signs of weakness; we've got Putin right where we want him"

US offers military solution to Ukraine crisis: "We will only fight countries that have LGBT military"

Putin annexes Brighton Beach to protect ethnic Russians in Brooklyn, Obama appeals to UN and EU for help

The 1980s: "Mr. Obama, we're just calling to ask if you want our foreign policy back. The 1970s are right here with us, and they're wondering, too."

In a stunning act of defiance, Obama courageously unfriends Putin on Facebook

MSNBC: Obama secures alliance with Austro-Hungarian Empire against Russias aggression in Ukraine

Study: springbreak is to STDs what April 15th is to accountants

Efforts to achieve moisture justice for California thwarted by unfair redistribution of snow in America

North Korean voters unanimous: "We are the 100%"

Leader of authoritarian gulag-site, The People's Cube, unanimously 're-elected' with 100% voter turnout

Super Bowl: Obama blames Fox News for Broncos' loss

Feminist author slams gay marriage: "a man needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle"

Beverly Hills campaign heats up between Henry Waxman and Marianne Williamson over the widening income gap between millionaires and billionaires in their district

Biden to lower $10,000-a-plate Dinner For The Homeless to $5,000 so more homeless can attend

Kim becomes world leader, feeds uncle to dogs; Obama eats dogs, becomes world leader, America cries uncle

North Korean leader executes own uncle for talking about Obamacare at family Christmas party

White House hires part-time schizophrenic Mandela sign interpreter to help sell Obamacare

Kim Jong Un executes own "crazy uncle" to keep him from ruining another family Christmas

OFA admits its advice for area activists to give Obamacare Talk at shooting ranges was a bad idea

President resolves Obamacare debacle with executive order declaring all Americans equally healthy

Obama to Iran: "If you like your nuclear program, you can keep your nuclear program"

Bovine community outraged by flatulence coming from Washington DC

Obama: "I'm not particularly ideological; I believe in a good pragmatic five-year plan"

Shocker: Obama had no knowledge he'd been reelected until he read about it in the local newspaper last week

Server problems at HealthCare.gov so bad, it now flashes 'Error 808' message

NSA marks National Best Friend Day with official announcement: "Government is your best friend; we know you like no one else, we're always there, we're always willing to listen"

Al Qaeda cancels attack on USA citing launch of Obamacare as devastating enough

The President's latest talking point on Obamacare: "I didn't build that"

Dizzy with success, Obama renames his wildly popular healthcare mandate to HillaryCare

Carney: huge ObamaCare deductibles won't look as bad come hyperinflation

Washington Redskins drop 'Washington' from their name as offensive to most Americans

Poll: 83% of Americans favor cowboy diplomacy over rodeo clown diplomacy

GOVERNMENT WARNING: If you were able to complete ObamaCare form online, it wasn't a legitimate gov't website; you should report online fraud and change all your passwords

Obama administration gets serious, threatens Syria with ObamaCare

Obama authorizes the use of Vice President Joe Biden's double-barrel shotgun to fire a couple of blasts at Syria

Sharpton: "British royals should have named baby 'Trayvon.' By choosing 'George' they sided with white Hispanic racist Zimmerman"

DNC launches 'Carlos Danger' action figure; proceeds to fund a charity helping survivors of the Republican War on Women

Nancy Pelosi extends abortion rights to the birds and the bees

Hubble discovers planetary drift to the left

Obama: 'If I had a daughter-in-law, she would look like Rachael Jeantel'

FISA court rubberstamps statement denying its portrayal as government's rubber stamp

Every time ObamaCare gets delayed, a Julia somewhere dies

GOP to Schumer: 'Force full implementation of ObamaCare before 2014 or Dems will never win another election'

Obama: 'If I had a son... no, wait, my daughter can now marry a woman!'

Janet Napolitano: TSA findings reveal that since none of the hijackers were babies, elderly, or Tea Partiers, 9/11 was not an act of terrorism

News Flash: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) can see Canada from South Dakota

Susan Rice: IRS actions against tea parties caused by anti-tax YouTube video that was insulting to their faith

Drudge Report reduces font to fit all White House scandals onto one page

Obama: the IRS is a constitutional right, just like the Second Amendment

White House: top Obama officials using secret email accounts a result of bad IT advice to avoid spam mail from Nigeria

Jay Carney to critics: 'Pinocchio never said anything inconsistent'

Obama: If I had a gay son, he'd look like Jason Collins

Gosnell's office in Benghazi raided by the IRS: mainstream media's worst cover-up challenge to date

IRS targeting pro-gay-marriage LGBT groups leads to gayest tax revolt in U.S. history

After Arlington Cemetery rejects offer to bury Boston bomber, Westboro Babtist Church steps up with premium front lawn plot

Boston: Obama Administration to reclassify marathon bombing as 'sportsplace violence'

Study: Success has many fathers but failure becomes a government program

US Media: Can Pope Francis possibly clear up Vatican bureaucracy and banking without blaming the previous administration?

Michelle Obama praises weekend rampage by Chicago teens as good way to burn calories and stay healthy

This Passover, Obama urges his subjects to paint lamb's blood above doors in order to avoid the Sequester



White House to American children: Sequester causes layoffs among hens that lay Easter eggs; union-wage Easter Bunnies to be replaced by Mexican Chupacabras

Time Mag names Hugo Chavez world's sexiest corpse

Boy, 8, pretends banana is gun, makes daring escape from school

Study: Free lunches overpriced, lack nutrition

Oscars 2013: Michelle Obama announces long-awaited merger of Hollywood and the State

Joe Salazar defends the right of women to be raped in gun-free environment: 'rapists and rapees should work together to prevent gun violence for the common good'

Dept. of Health and Human Services eliminates rape by reclassifying assailants as 'undocumented sex partners'

Kremlin puts out warning not to photoshop Putin riding meteor unless bare-chested

Deeming football too violent, Obama moves to introduce Super Drone Sundays instead

Japan offers to extend nuclear umbrella to cover U.S. should America suffer devastating attack on its own defense spending

Feminists organize one billion women to protest male oppression with one billion lap dances

Urban community protests Mayor Bloomberg's ban on extra-large pop singers owning assault weapons

Concerned with mounting death toll, Taliban offers to send peacekeeping advisers to Chicago

Karl Rove puts an end to Tea Party with new 'Republicans For Democrats' strategy aimed at losing elections

Answering public skepticism, President Obama authorizes unlimited drone attacks on all skeet targets throughout the country

Skeet Ulrich denies claims he had been shot by President but considers changing his name to 'Traps'

White House releases new exciting photos of Obama standing, sitting, looking thoughtful, and even breathing in and out

New York Times hacked by Chinese government, Paul Krugman's economic policies stolen

White House: when President shoots skeet, he donates the meat to food banks that feed the middle class

To prove he is serious, Obama eliminates armed guard protection for President, Vice-President, and their families; establishes Gun-Free Zones around them instead

State Dept to send 100,000 American college students to China as security for US debt obligations

Jay Carney: Al Qaeda is on the run, they're just running forward

President issues executive orders banning cliffs, ceilings, obstructions, statistics, and other notions that prevent us from moving forwards and upward

Fearing the worst, Obama Administration outlaws the fan to prevent it from being hit by certain objects

World ends; S&P soars

Riddle of universe solved; answer not understood

Meek inherit Earth, can't afford estate taxes

Greece abandons Euro; accountants find Greece has no Euros anyway

Wheel finally reinvented; axles to be gradually reinvented in 3rd quarter of 2013

Bigfoot found in Ohio, mysteriously not voting for Obama

As Santa's workshop files for bankruptcy, Fed offers bailout in exchange for control of 'naughty and nice' list

Freak flying pig accident causes bacon to fly off shelves

Obama: green economy likely to transform America into a leading third world country of the new millennium

Report: President Obama to visit the United States in the near future

Obama promises to create thousands more economically neutral jobs

Modernizing Islam: New York imam proposes to canonize Saul Alinsky as religion's latter day prophet

Imam Rauf's peaceful solution: 'Move Ground Zero a few blocks away from the mosque and no one gets hurt'

Study: Obama's threat to burn tax money in Washington 'recruitment bonanza' for Tea Parties

Study: no Social Security reform will be needed if gov't raises retirement age to at least 814 years

Obama attends church service, worships self

Obama proposes national 'Win The Future' lottery; proceeds of new WTF Powerball to finance more gov't spending

Historical revisionists: "Hey, you never know"

Vice President Biden: criticizing Egypt is un-pharaoh

Israelis to Egyptian rioters: "don't damage the pyramids, we will not rebuild"

Lake Superior renamed Lake Inferior in spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness

Al Gore: It's a shame that a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of polar bears

Michael Moore: As long as there is anyone with money to shake down, this country is not broke

Obama's teleprompters unionize, demand collective bargaining rights

Obama calls new taxes 'spending reductions in tax code.' Elsewhere rapists tout 'consent reductions in sexual intercourse'

Obama's teleprompter unhappy with White House Twitter: "Too few words"

Obama's Regulation Reduction committee finds US Constitution to be expensive outdated framework inefficiently regulating federal gov't

Taking a page from the Reagan years, Obama announces new era of Perestroika and Glasnost

Responding to Oslo shootings, Obama declares Christianity "Religion of Peace," praises "moderate Christians," promises to send one into space

Republicans block Obama's $420 billion program to give American families free charms that ward off economic bad luck

White House to impose Chimney tax on Santa Claus

Obama decrees the economy is not soaring as much as previously decreeed

Conservative think tank introduces children to capitalism with pop-up picture book "The Road to Smurfdom"

Al Gore proposes to combat Global Warming by extracting silver linings from clouds in Earth's atmosphere

Obama refutes charges of him being unresponsive to people's suffering: "When you pray to God, do you always hear a response?"

Obama regrets the US government didn't provide his mother with free contraceptives when she was in college

Fluke to Congress: drill, baby, drill!

Planned Parenthood introduces Frequent Flucker reward card: 'Come again soon!'

Obama to tornado victims: 'We inherited this weather from the previous administration'

Obama congratulates Putin on Chicago-style election outcome

People's Cube gives itself Hero of Socialist Labor medal in recognition of continued expert advice provided to the Obama Administration helping to shape its foreign and domestic policies

Hamas: Israeli air defense unfair to 99% of our missiles, "only 1% allowed to reach Israel"

Democrat strategist: without government supervision, women would have never evolved into humans

Voters Without Borders oppose Texas new voter ID law

Enraged by accusation that they are doing Obama's bidding, media leaders demand instructions from White House on how to respond

Obama blames previous Olympics for failure to win at this Olympics

Official: China plans to land on Moon or at least on cheap knockoff thereof

Koran-Contra: Obama secretly arms Syrian rebels

Poll: Progressive slogan 'We should be more like Europe' most popular with members of American Nazi Party

Obama to Evangelicals: Jesus saves, I just spend

May Day: Anarchists plan, schedule, synchronize, and execute a coordinated campaign against all of the above

Midwestern farmers hooked on new erotic novel "50 Shades of Hay"

Study: 99% of Liberals give the rest a bad name

Obama meets with Jewish leaders, proposes deeper circumcisions for the rich

Historians: Before HOPE & CHANGE there was HEMP & CHOOM at ten bucks a bag

Cancer once again fails to cure Venezuela of its "President for Life"

Tragic spelling error causes Muslim protesters to burn local boob-tube factory

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu: due to energy conservation, the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched off

Obama Administration running food stamps across the border with Mexico in an operation code-named "Fat And Furious"

Pakistan explodes in protest over new Adobe Acrobat update; 17 local acrobats killed

White House: "Let them eat statistics"

Special Ops: if Benedict Arnold had a son, he would look like Barack Obama







AD GOES HERE
MARION  A Williamson County church that started as a stop for traveling preachers celebrates its 170th anniversary this weekend.

The church is Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, near Illinois 13 on Corinth Road, in the village of Crab Orchard. The church is about nine miles outside of Marion.

The celebration service runs from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. The message will be delivered by the church's pastor, the Rev. Jimmie Dale Lambert; singing will be provided by Bill Shell and Rindy Nehrkorn.

"It was established for circuit riders," pastors who traveled throughout the area to preach to communities, said Gayle Anderson, who is treasurer for the church. "They didn't have preachers."

"It was one of the first areas to have a church at a crossroads," this one at Galatia Post Road and Corinth road, Anderson said.

The church started serving pioneers and farmers and grew to serve coal miners and educators, Anderson said. One of its claims to fame is producing many educators, Anderson said.

"We just still try to be a hub for the community, bringing the area together," Anderson said.

The church has about 25 members, including Anderson's husband, Dale Anderson, a lifelong member of the church.
MARION  Its been a busy couple of day for the Williamson County Regional Airport in Marion.

On Friday, the Williamson County Airport Authority was awarded a grant of $1.6 million for improvements to the runway at the airport, announced Congressman Mike Bost.

This is a significant investment in an important hub of transportation for many thousands of residents in and around Williamson County, Bost said in a statement. This airport is seeing an increase in traffic and the improvements to the runway are another sign this expanding airport continues to add to the economic growth of Southern Illinois.

The improvements could include rehabilitating the current runway surface and lighting. Bost says the grant money is being allocated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

That isnt where the commotion stops at the airport.

On Thursday, the Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois received a $10,000 donation from Peoples National Bank.

The check presentation took place at Williamson County Airport.

Peoples National Bank is committed to serving our veterans and is proud to honor them by being a strong supporter of the Veterans Honor Flight, said Bill Bonan II of Peoples National Bank.

The Veterans Honor Flight is a nationwide network dedicated to providing all veterans who apply a free trip to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials honoring their service.

Donations can be made to the Honor Flight online at www.veteranshoroflight.org, or by mail at Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois, 10400 Terminal Drive, Suite 200, Marion, or at any Peoples National Bank location in Southern Illinois.
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A delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), headed by Bruno Balvanera, director for the South Caucasus, Moldova and Belarus, arrived in Baku.

Balvanera introduced Ivana Duarte, new head of the banks Baku office, to the Azerbaijani government.

The EBRD delegation was received by Shahin Mustafayev, Azerbaijani economy minister, as part of the visit.

During the meeting, the minister informed the guests about the ongoing large-scale reforms in Azerbaijan with the aim of further improving the business and investment sphere, entrepreneurship development.

Mustafayev added that the support for the private sector remains one of the governments priorities.

Mustafayev said that Azerbaijan is interested in increasing the transit traffic through its territory.

For this purpose, the projects of developing the North-South and East-West transport corridors are being implemented, he added.

The minister emphasized the Southern Gas Corridor project, the creation of a free trade zone in Azerbaijani Alat settlement by attracting a consulting company from the UAE.

The minister also stressed the importance of the EBRDs support for business development and implementation of infrastructure projects.

Balvanera expressed appreciation and support for the reforms which are being carried out in Azerbaijan in the economic sphere, as well as in the area of ??developing entrepreneurship, customs, privatization and others.

Duarte said that the beginning of her activity in Azerbaijan coincided with the country's major reforms in the economy and the intention to continue the activity towards the development of EBRD-Azerbaijan cooperation.

EBRD has allocated 2.5 billion euros to Azerbaijan for implementation of around 159 projects since 1992.

One of the main tasks of EBRD is to ensure a stable development of Azerbaijan's non-oil sector by investing in the small and medium-sized private enterprises.

Azerbaijan is the largest recipient of EBRD funds in the South Caucasus, as well as one of the largest recipients of this organization's funds in the CIS and Eastern Europe.
By Azertac

The 65th meeting of the Council of heads of customs services of member countries of the CIS will be held in Azerbaijan.





The decision was adopted at the 64th session of the CIS Council of Heads of Customs Services in Minsk. The Azerbaijani delegation was led by the Chairman of the State Customs Committee Aydin Aliyev.





The Council of Heads of CIS Customs Services was created in 1993.
By Azertac

The 13th session of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation will take place in Astana on September 21-22.





The two countries will discuss a broad range of issues relating to bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, protection of environment, agriculture and culture.





The commission is co-chaired by Azerbaijani energy minister Natig Aliyev and his Kazakh counterpart Kanat Bozumbayev.
The 13th session of the Kazakh-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation will be held in Astana on September 21-22, the Kazakh embassy in Baku said in a message.

The Azerbaijani delegation will be headed by Natig Aliyev, energy minister, co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission.

"The sides will discuss a wide range of bilateral issues relating to the expansion of trade-economic and investment relations in energy, transit and transport systems, agriculture, education and tourism," said the message.

According to the message, a protocol will be signed following the meeting.

The 14th meeting of the intergovernmental commission will be held in Baku in 2017, the message said.

The mineral resources (oil), raw chemical materials, grain, barley, electrical equipment are mainly exported from Kazakhstan.

Oil products, ethylene polymers, agricultural products are imported to Kazakhstan.

More than 700 operating companies with Azerbaijani capital have been registered in Kazakhstan.

Some 60 companies with Kazakh capital have been registered in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan attaches great importance to CIS membership, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev during the meeting of the CIS Heads of State in Bishkek on September 16.

We believe that the organization has come a long way and withstood the test of time throughout 25 years, said President Aliyev.

Our organization was established as a result of certain historical events and thanks to the wisdom of our peoples and leaders, after 25 years, we have this organization which is of great importance both for the region and world, because the geography of our organization is quite large, added the president.

In a friendly environment, we discuss important issues which concern our countries and our peoples, said President Aliyev. There are many issues which need to be addressed.

I would like to mention Azerbaijans active role in strengthening the cooperation in humanitarian sphere. We attach great importance to this. I believe that the cooperation in humanitarian sphere is the basis of our collaboration. Probably, without this, there wouldnt be that level of trust and understanding which exists today, he added.

Azerbaijan, for its part, within our organization and in general, initiates various international events, said President Aliyev.

A few days later, Baku will host the 5th International Baku Humanitarian Forum under the patronage of Russian and Azerbaijani presidents, he said, adding that this forum has already become a very important international platform to discuss the issues related to humanitarian cooperation.

President Aliyev pointed out that these issues are always in the limelight, especially, in the present, when it can be seen how the humanitarian cooperation issues are sometimes interpreted in various countries.

We see the so-called migrant crisis. We see it, but unfortunately, instead of strengthening the mutual understanding between peoples and enhancing the cooperation in humanitarian sphere, it all goes in reverse: a process of splitting for ethnic, religious principle and grounds goes on. We are very concerned about this, since our organization is also strong for that representatives of peoples with different culture, faith and traditions are in it, said the president.

We are united by a common desire to strengthen the cooperation. I should also inform the colleagues that this year was declared the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan, he said. Azerbaijan has already been recognized as one of the centers of multiculturalism on a global scale. Baku hosted the 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations this year.

I would also like to emphasize the importance we attach to cooperation in the economic sphere both in bilateral format with member states and in multilateral format, said President Aliyev.

Good prospects are opening up here as well. Despite the level of decline in economic activity in the world, I believe that we will succeed to maintain the tendencies for the development of economic cooperation.
By Azertac

"Failure to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a a threat to peace and stability," said Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov as he addressed the meeting of Speakers of Parliament of the Council of Europe member states on "Parliaments' joint action against hate and racism" in Strasbourg, France.





He noted that the attempts to associate Armenia`s hostile policy against Azerbaijan with religious reasons did not have any grounds. "20 per cent of Azerbaijani territories, Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions have been occupied by Armenia for about 25 years and ethnic cleansing was conducted on these lands. More than one million Azerbaijani civilians have been displaced from their native lands, from the occupied Azerbaijani territories," Asadov said.

The Parliament Speaker expressed his regret that international efforts to solve the conflict had not yielded any results so far because of non-constructive and destructive position of Armenia. "The international community must finally demonstrate its resolute stance on this issue, and all conflicts, including the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute must be resolved on the basis of universally recognized norms and principles of international law, in particular within the territorial integrity of our country."





Asadov hailed the world parliaments' cooperation both in bilateral format and within international organizations in addressing global problems facing humanity. "Though promoting mutual understanding and tolerance of each individual country is extremely important, it is not enough yet. Today ensuring the mutual respect, trust and equality of rights among the societies and nations belonging to different civilizations is of crucial importance. In this regard different cultures in Azerbaijan have completed and enriched each other in a harmonious way throughout the history," he said. "Representatives of various nations and religions have always enjoyed the opportunity to live in brotherhood and good neighborliness in our country. The traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism, which are the national wealth of the Azerbaijani people, have been raised to the level of state policy and became a way of life. Today Azerbaijan is one of the world-renowned centers of multiculturalism. The year 2016 has been declared a Year of Multiculturalism in the country by the Azerbaijani President," Asadov added.
By Azertac

Speaker of Azerbaijan`s Parliament (Milli Majlis) Ogtay Asadov has today held separate meetings with speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Ismail Kahraman and chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament Jan Hama?ek in Strasbourg.





They discussed prospects for development of relations and inter-parliamentary cooperation between their countries.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of Mexico to the Republic of Azerbaijan Rodrigo Labardini has received Caspian Energys delegation headed by President and Editor-in-Chief of the Caspian Energy International Media Group Natalya Aliyeva.

During the meeting the sides discussed possibilities of expansion of contacts at the informational level within the Caspian European Club (Caspian Business Club) and Caspian Energy International Media Group, as well as possibilities of participation of the Mexican companies in the international Caspian Energy Forum to be held in Baku on December 7.

Labardini expressed interest in promoting recognition of the Mexican companies within the events arranged by the Caspian European Club (Caspian Business Club).

The ambassador noted that the transportation facilities and advantageous geographic location helped Mexico to develop an export-oriented economy. Likewise, as an important transportation hub, Azerbaijan possesses a big potential to develop an economy that would be competitive on the world markets.

He added that Mexico recognized Azerbaijan in 1991 and established formal relations on January 14, 1992. Azerbaijan opened its Embassy in Mexico in 2007, but it was a little more than 2 years until 2009, when the first resident ambassador arrived in Mexico.

Mexicos embassy in Azerbaijan opened a little later in 2014, and the first Mexican resident ambassador, myself, I arrived last year, he added. This points to the importance we have for Azerbaijan.

We know this is the most important country in the Caucasus and the region, ambassador noted.

In one year we have been able to do lots of things and there is still a lot more to do, he said. We have tried simply to make people aware that Mexico exists and making Mexicans aware that Azerbaijan exists. And we moved even beyond.

Touching trade relations, the ambassador stressed that the most significant increase in exports from Mexico was during 2014-2015, which was impulse by the opening of the Embassy of Mexico in Azerbaijan and its constant work to promote commerce between the two countries.

The data from Azerbaijan demonstrate a 211.72 percent increase in Mexican exports (from 7.1 million dollars in 2014 to $22.2 million in 2015). The data from Mexico show an exponential increase of 107.4 percent (from $877,000 in 2014 to $10.2 million in 2015) in only one year, the ambassador said.

We are both oil-gas producers and we can share experience and knowledge how to do this, he said while speaking about cooperation in the oil-gas industry. Both countries have an experience in deepwater drilling. A Mexican oil delegation came here in July and they were able to speak with several oil institutions here. They met and they started to talk in their own languages: upstream, corrosion, downstream, etc. Thus, we are sure that there will be some kind of cooperation between these institutions.

There are also other areas in which we can exchange experience, he emphasized.

The ambassador brought tourism as an example.

Mexico is one of the most visited country in the world, he said. We had over 32 mln visitors in 2015. The tourism is about 9 percent of Mexican GDP. Mexico is also the first destination of the world in terms of luxury tourism. Azerbaijan is now trying to develop tourism as well and we can share and learn experience in this area.

At the end of the meeting the ambassador gave an exclusive interview to Caspian Energy. In the course of the interview he touched the possibilities of development of bilateral relations, expansion of the economic and investment cooperation, spoke about prospects of development of the energy market, also touched the issues of development of the tourism sector and energy cooperation.
Regular meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, decided that Russia will chair the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) from January 1, 2017.

I would like to also say that a decision has been made that from Jan. 1, 2017, in accordance with documents and protocol, the CIS chairmanship will be handed over to Russia [from Kyrgyzstan], Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said at the Bishkek meeting, RIA Novosti reported on September 16.

The Bishkek meeting also approved to hold the next meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State on October 11, 2017 in Moscow.
US Special Operation forces are accompanying Turkish troops and Free Syrian Army fighters along the Turkish border near Jarabulus and Cobanbey in Syria, the Pentagon told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

The move came at the request of the government of Turkey, according to agency spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis.

U.S. personnel operating with Turkish forces and Syrian opposition forces will provide the same train, advise and assist support they have been providing to other local partners in Syria fighting ISIL, Davis wrote in an email using an alternative name for Daesh.

The new development comes as the Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkish artillery earlier in the day, began to move toward Daeshs stronghold al-Bab, nearly 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Cobanbey as a part of Operation Euphrates Shield.

Operation Euphrates Shield was launched Aug. 24 by Turkey and aims at improving security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the terror threat along Turkeys border using Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.

The Syrian town of Cobanbey and Jarabulus city were recently cleared of Daesh terrorists as part of the operation.

Davis said the U.S. would continue to support the counter-Daesh fight in northern Syria because access to the Syria Turkey border region is strategically important to ISIL's operations in Syria and Iraq as well as the group's attempts to export terror to Turkey, the wider region, Europe and the United States.

Denying ISIL access to this critical border cuts off critical supply routes in and out of Iraq and Syria and further isolates ISIL's so-called 'capital' in Raqqa, he added.
Leading construction companies will be launching a wide range of innovative products addressing energy saving, sustainability and fire safety challenges at the Windows, Doors and Facades Event which opens on Sunday (September 18) in Dubai, UAE.



Running for the first time, the GCCs only dedicated event to windows, door, and facades is set to welcome more than 150 local and international companies looking to network and develop business leads with more than 5,000 buyers of construction products at Dubai World Trade Centre till September 20, said the event organisers.



As the UAE construction industry prepares for the implementation of the new Dubai Civil Defence laws governing the health and safety of construction materials, safety-orientated solutions for windows, doors and facades will have great potential in the already burgeoning $6.7billion GCC construction sector, according to a report from Grand View Research.



Giridhar V. Pai, the director-operations, AviGiri Urethane and Rubber Industries, a manufacturer of safety and weather-resistant products used in building panels, said: "Dubai is an international hub and our presence at Windows, Doors and Facades Event will help us extend our international business leads."



With Expo 2020 set to attract 20 million tourists, the construction industry expects further growth in demand for innovative materials with 550 hotels already under construction in GGC, as reported in STR's June 2016 Pipeline Report.



"Currently, the Middle East is an export market for us and with Expo 2020 around the corner we expect to grow at 30 per cent in the next financial year," remarked Pai.



With the UAE Vision 2021 focusing on the reduction of the consumption of electricity and carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent within the next five years, Technoform Middle East, a global developer and manufacturer of high-precision insulating products, expects strong interest from visitors to their stand.



The exclusive purpose of our products is to ensure a higher level of building insulation compared with the regular solutions used by the industry, said Cristian David, the technical sales manager at Technoform Middle East.



"This is of particular importance in the hot climate of the UAE where high-rise towers with glass glazing pose tremendous challenges in terms of energy management. Only advanced thermal insulation with efficient air-conditioning management can prevent cool air leaks," he stated.



Muhammed Kazi, the exhibitor director of Windows, Doors and Facades Event, said: "All indications in the run up to the show have been pointing towards an incredibly busy opening day and were expecting a significant turnout throughout the show which boasts 4,400 sqm of exhibition space."



As well as a number of products tailored specifically for the GCC climate and aimed at decreasing its carbon footprint, a highlight of the show will be the Middle East Facades Summit, giving those in attendance extensive insight into the latest trends and initiatives, including future developments and newly implemented construction sector regulations, he added.



To be held on the opening day, the summit is predicted to draw over 300 delegates. It will feature five distinctive sessions focusing on building fire safety, cooling issues, sound optimization, and design green principles alongside two showcase presentations of Zaha Hadid projects in Beirut and Dubai.-TradeArabia News Service
Secretariat International, a global leader in the construction consulting industry, has announced the opening of its new office in Dubai, UAE, as part of its Middle East expansion strategy.



A specialist in development services, Secretariat offers clients a full suite of scheduling, cost, claim support and project management services and also construction expertise.



The Atlanta-headquartered company's services include bid assistance, contract document evaluation, baseline CPM development, schedule cost and resource loading, schedule updating and monitoring, and change order review besides programme management, owners representation, and construction management.



The company's region team, led by Mike Saulsbury, one of the most senior executives, will continue its commitment of providing top quality construction consulting and dispute services in the Middle East.



The company works in different capacities, depending on the need of each client, to develop, maintain, analyse, and optimise project schedules/costs on all types and sizes of construction projects, remarked its managing director, Don Harvey.



"We perform substantial work in the Middle East and Secretariat's presence will further complement the service to our clients in the region," he said.



On the new appointment, Harvey said: "Mike is a seasoned testifying expert who has worked on many world-class projects and is recognised as a leading expert in his field."-TradeArabia News Service
A small number of US forces entered the Syrian town of al-Rai near the Turkish border on Friday as part of operations to co-ordinate air strikes against Islamic State, a senior rebel source said.



However, the five or six US military personnel were then forced to withdraw towards the Turkish border after Syrian rebels protested against their presence in the town, the source said.



A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also reported the incident and said the US forces had left al-Rai but were still on Syrian soil.



One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial reports appeared to confirm the incident involving a small group of US forces.



The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident. But it did acknowledge that US special operations forces are accompanying Turkish and vetted Syrian opposition forces battling Islamic State in and around the area of the Syrian border near al-Rai and the town of Jarablus, further east.



Turkey's military said in a statement US special forces were supporting an operation being carried out in northern Syria.



Turkish-backed rebels have been battling Islamic State militants along the border as part of operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched last month, and in recent weeks pushed the jihadists away from the frontier with the support of Turkish warplanes and tanks.



The fighters Ankara supports were pushing south on Friday and five rebels and five IS militants had been killed in the region, the Turkish army said.



The rebel source said the US forces had entered Al Rai, 2 km inside Syria, as part of that operation.



In a video circulated on the internet purportedly showing the incident, fighters in al-Rai chanted anti-US slogans and threatened violence against them as a number of vehicles drove out of the area.



The Turkish operation also aims to push US-backed Kurdish forces, which have separately been fighting Islamic State, away from the border.



Clashes between Turkish-allied forces and the Kurdish YPG militia, a key US partner in the fight against Islamic State, have caused tension between Washington and Ankara.-Reuters
Syria's ceasefire "will not hold out", a senior rebel official in Aleppo warned on Saturday, as air strikes and shelling continued in some places and promised aid deliveries failed to come through.



The ceasefire is the result of an agreement between Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar Al Assad with air power, and the US, which supports some rebel groups, and has cooled fighting since coming into effect last Monday.



On Friday, Washington and Moscow agreed to extend the ceasefire.



Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal, which they believe is skewed against them, because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control, including in eastern Aleppo.



"The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (US) State Department - will not hold out," the rebel official said, pointing to the continued presence of a UN aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to travel to Aleppo.



"It is not possible for the party (Russia) that wages war against a people to strive to achieve a truce, as it is also not possible for it to be a sponsor of this agreement while it bombs night and day, while on the other side, the other party - America - has the role of spectator," he said.



Moscow has itself accused rebels of breaking the truce and said Washington needs to do more to make them abide by its terms, including separating from the jihadist Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which only broke formal allegiance to al Qaeda in July.



Both sides have accused the other of being responsible for aid deliveries being stuck far from Aleppo, where army and rebel forces were supposed to retire from the Castello Road which leads into besieged, insurgent-held eastern districts.



Russia on Friday said the Syrian army had initially withdrawn but returned to its positions after being fired on by rebels, who in turn say they saw no sign of government forces ever leaving their positions.



The United Nations pointed the finger at the government for holding up aid by denying letters guaranteeing access.



Warplanes strafed or bombed rebel-held areas in Maarat al-Numan, Saraqeb and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, Teir Maalah, north of Homs, and Souha, east of Hama, overnight after other strikes earlier on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.



The Britain-based war monitoring group also reported clashes between the army and rebels or shelling overnight in the capital's Eastern Ghouta suburbs, in Sanaisil and Jawalik, north of Homs, al-Eis and Ramousah, south of Aleppo and Ibta in Deraa.-Reuters
At least 80 Syrian soldiers were killed in a US-led coalition air strike at an army position near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group said, citing a source at the airport.



Russian jets had been bombing in the same area at the same time, the Observatory said.



The source at the airport said the air strike had paved the way for Islamic State fighters to overun the position at Jebel Tharda, the Observatory said.

Following the attack, Russian defence ministry officials have slammed the US offensive stating that

"If the strikes were a targeting error, the bombings were evidence of Washington's stubborn refusal to co-ordinate its military action in Syria with Russia."



A fierce battle between the Syrian army and Islamic state militants was now under way, it said.

Earlier, Syria's army general command said warplanes from the US-led coalition fighting against Islamic State bombed a Syrian army position at Jebel Tharda at 5 pm (1400 GMT) on Saturday,.



The air strike was "conclusive evidence" that the U.S. and its allies support the jihadist group, the state media reported citing the Syrian army.-Reuters
Apple employees enthusiastically counted down the last moments before stores from San Francisco to Shanghai opened on Friday to launch the iPhone 7, but the ranks of shoppers were notably thinner than in previous years.



Apple fans assembled at stores around the world to be among the first to buy the iPhone 7, the retail phenomenon that accompanies the launch of the company's updated flagship product each year.



The tech giant announced earlier this week that the larger iPhone 7 Plus had sold out, prompting some who had set up camp outside Apple's marquee store in San Francisco to pack up their bags and head home.



To be sure, online pre-orders have made lines unnecessary for all but diehard fans, and in Chinese stores only those who had ordered in advance were queuing to collect.



Yet in markets like China, online interest in the new phone has also been muted, as cheaper local brands amp up their design and marketing.



Wu Ting, a 28-year-old from Nanjing, was surprised to find herself first in line at a downtown Apple store in Shanghai on Friday, a holiday in China.



"I found last year that there were crowds of people, but this year almost no one. I came an hour early thinking I'd have to wait a long time before getting seen," Wu said.



The stakes for the iPhone 7 are high after sales of the gadget dropped during two straight quarters this year, the first declines in its history. The iPhone is Apple's lifeblood, accounting for more than half of the company's revenue.



The new iPhone 7 smartphone goes on sale inside an Apple Inc. store in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 16, 2016.



But some on Wall Street fear that the world's most valuable company is due for a disappointing year as the redesigned phone features largely incremental improvements, such as an enhanced camera and new headphone technology.



Sales in China will be a key harbinger for Apple's prospects: The success of the iPhone 6 in China propelled the company to record heights in 2014, while the 6S contributed to the company's first global revenue drop in over a decade earlier this year.



Apple will not release first-weekend sales of the phones this year, a break with previous policy. The figure has become a reflection of supply more than demand, the company said.



An index of searches on Baidu, China's most popular search engine, shows the new phone lagging both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5.



Apple's Greater China sales dropped by a third in April-June, albeit after more than doubling a year earlier, while its market share has fallen to around 7.8 percent, placing it fifth behind local rivals Huawei, OPPO and Vivo.



"From Steve Jobs to Tim Cook, Apple has never had any marketing strategy tailor-made for China," said Zhou Zhanggui, a Beijing-based strategic consultant. "Apple risks losing out more if it does not better cater to local demands in its marketing as well as product design."



In Beijing's fashionable Sanlitun shopping district, several people who had already grabbed new iPhone 7s were hawking them for a markup just outside a flagship store.



But Apple has not lost its shine for all customers.



Marcus Barsoum, a 16-year-old who described himself as a "diehard Apple fan," spent two nights camped outside the Sydney store. By morning, some 200 people were gathered in light rain to be the first customers globally to own iPhone 7s.



Weary but elated, Barsoum charged into the store at 8 a.m. to the cheers of Apple staff. He emerged with a matte black iPhone 7, although he had wanted a larger 7 plus in jet black.



"It feels great to be the first in the world to have the iPhone 7," he said. "It was 100 percent worth it."



Omar Nofal, a 26-year-old doctor in San Francisco, was all smiles as he emerged from the Apple Store with a silver iPhone 7, his first upgrade in four years. He said he was tempted to hold off until next year, when many predict Apple will redesign the iPhone to mark the gadget's 10th anniversary, but his phone has a cracked screen.



"I couldn't wait another year," he said.  Reuters
More than 600 hoteliers and hospitality industry professionals from across the globe are showcasing their innovative products and solutions at The Hotel Show and The Leisure Show which opened in Dubai today (September 17).



The leading events for the hospitality and leisure industry in the Middle East and Africa  also co-located for the first time this year with Piscine Middle East  are expected to welcome more than 30,000 visitors till September 19 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.



Majid Saif Al Ghurair, the chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, opened the 2016 Hotel Show and The Leisure Show this morning.



After officially opening the exhibitions, Al Ghurair was given a tour of the show floor by Event Director Gary Williams, during which he met leading representatives from the sectors that play a pivotal role in maintaining Dubais growing economy.



Issam Kazim, the chief executive of the Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said the annual hospitality trade event, The Hotel Show will bring together more than 600 exhibitors from around the world.



On its 17th edition, Kazim said: "Providing valuable networking opportunities for hoteliers and industry professionals offers Dubai an ideal platform for the city to showcase its diverse accommodation portfolio, ranging from luxury five-star resorts to mid-market hotels and more."



"As we continue to work towards our Tourism Vision for 2020 targets, which includes elcoming 20 million visitors per year to Dubai by 2020, Dubais hotel inventory continues to grow and expand month by month, in line with sustainable targets to ensure Dubai retains its competitiveness and attractiveness to international travellers," he noted.



On The Leisure Show, now entering its 4th edition, Kazim said: "It is a vital component of Dubais ever-expanding destination offering and plays a key role in ensuring that the city is at the forefront when it comes to attracting the global traveller over and above other destinations."



Throughout 2016 the Emirate continues to build on the pillar with a host of recently opened family attractions enhancing the emirates proposition including Dubai Opera and IMG Worlds of Adventure  and plenty more to come, such as Dubai Safari and Dubai Parks and Resorts, expected to come on line before the end of the year.



The expansion and diversification of the citys unique selling points, combined with the growing hotel portfolio ensures that Dubai remains a destination of choice, and critically encourages greater length of stay and repeat visitation.



At The Hotel Show, The Leisure Show and Piscine Middle East, thousands of global suppliers will showcase everything needed to build, develop and maintain hotels and leisure facilities across the region.



Speaking at the launch, Williams said: "In line with the Tourism Vision for 2020, our events are providing local and international suppliers and owners of hotels and leisure facilities with the unique opportunity to do business in a world-class destination that is investing heavily in the future of hospitality."



"This year, we have added more features to our line-up than ever before to provide more opportunities for networking, knowledge and ideas sharing, and trendsetting for the industry," he noted.



Noemi Petit, the event director at GL events, organisers of Piscine Middle East, said it was the first time Piscine Middle East was being held in Dubai instead of Abu Dhabi, whre the earlier edition was hosted.



"Dubai is one of the fastest growing markets in the world for pools and spas, particularly as the new hotels and leisure attractions coming on line are set to have some of the best of such facilities in the world," stated Petit.



"Our showcase of the latest swimming pools, spa features, equipment and accessories, is from all over the world including as far afield as Canada and Australia  as the world looks to Dubai as a lucrative market for this industry," she added.



An extensive content programme across the three events for 2016 includes: conferences (Vision Conference); presentations and live demonstrations (The Fit Hub and TecSec Summit); awards (Middle East Pool & Spa Awards and Pool Vision Awards); live features (The Future of Hospitality Design and Pool Innovations Zone) and much more.



Piscine Middle East is a growing event in UAE that draws pool and spa professionals of all types, giving them a unique opportunity to meet and exchange ideas. In 2014, the show welcomed 2,800 visitors and hosted more than 100 different brands.-TradeArabia News Service


Northwest tribal representatives urged a small group of Montana legislators on Wednesday to allow bison more room to roam outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Instead, the Environmental Quality Council voted by a narrow margin to draft a letter to Yellowstone National Park officials saying they support allowing tribal hunting inside the park.

I think its a damn good thing, said Sen. John Brenden, R-Scobey. Do I think well get anything out of it? No.

The decision prompted a Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes legal representative to urge the council to note in the letter that the tribe has not asked to hunt in the park. Sen. Mike Phillips, D-Bozeman, also wanted it noted in the letter that the council was divided on the issue.

Winter plan

The discussion arose during the first day of the EQCs two-days of hearings on a variety of subjects, including plans for how Montana would manage Yellowstone bison that migrate out of the park this winter.

Last year the Park Service delayed its trapping of bison to allow more hunter opportunity to kill the big animals, which is more politically and socially acceptable. The Park Service traps the bison in part to test for the spread of the disease brucellosis but also to ship animals to slaughter to reduce the size of the herd which otherwise has few natural predators.

The Yellowstone bison population has grown to more than 5,000 animals. Montana would like the park to drop that number to 3,000, a desire outlined in a court-mediated agreement between the Department of the Interior and the state.

The delayed trapping and the coordination of hunts to try and give the bison time to move out of the park before theyre shot created a situation that proved untenable in the Beatty Gulch area where the huntable bison congregated, according to Sam Shepherd, Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 3 supervisor.

So this year Yellowstone officials have agreed to start trapping bison immediately when the animals migrate out of the park in the Gardiner Basin. Some bison will not be rounded up to still allow for hunter opportunity, Shepherd added.

We recognize that hunting is not the entire solution, said Marty Zaluski, the state veterinarian. We want to make sure we are proactive and not creating a crisis situation with larger numbers of bison coming out of the park.

Tolerance

On the western side of the park, where bison migrate out near West Yellowstone, Montana last year expanded the tolerance zone for bison. That eliminated what had been an annual hazing of bison back into the park in the spring, which had been conducted by the Montana Department of Livestock and FWP to prevent bison from giving birth outside of Yellowstone. Birthing material is believed to be the main source of transmission of brucellosis, which ranchers fear may spread to cattle.

Shepherd called the new policy a resounding success. They self-regulated back into the park without any cost to us, he said. Past roundups included men on horseback, four-wheelers and sometimes the use of a helicopter, actions that gave Montana a black eye among bison supporters.

Tribal representatives praised the increase tolerance to the western side of the park and asked that it be expanded to the Gardiner region.

It would be good to watch them go out into their natural habitat, said Tom Wadsworth, captain of enforcement for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes from Fort Hall, Idaho.

Quincy Ellenwood, of the Nez Perce Tribe, said that Gov. Steve Bullocks expansion of the bison tolerance zone on the west side of Yellowstone National Park was a really big step in history, yet he added that it has been overdue.

Slow change

Management of the Yellowstone bison has been a controversial issue for decades as the state, National Park Service, tribes and an alphabet soup of other agencies have tried to cooperate to reduce the steadily growing bison population.

Incrementally the situation has changed, allowing bison more room to roam outside the park. But many state Republican legislators have called on Yellowstone to take a larger role in managing the parks animals.

A new bison management plan is being written that could add more options like establishing a disease free herd that could eventually be transported to other herds outside Yellowstone to provide genetic diversity and ease some of the slaughter. But even with that option the hunting and slaughter of bison would continue.

Tribal ties

The tribal spokesmen tried to relate to the EQC that bison, to them, are more than just wildlife.

That animal is the backbone of our community, said Ron Trehan, of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Im here to be that voice for them.

Trehan recommended that bison be managed by Montana like other wildlife, allowing them free range within a suitable portion of their historical habitat.

Because of our subsistence lifestyle  we learned by living it for thousands of years  we had to learn how to survive, said Darrell Shay of the Shoshone Bannock Tribes. And one of the teachers were the buffalo clan.

They are so important to humankind. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
City Council extended one of Caspers parked liquor licenses at a recent meeting amid questions over whether the city should allow owners to retain inactive licenses.

The one-year extension was for Retail Liquor License No. 8, owned by Z-Financial, Administration & Management, Inc. While the item came to council last week as a consent item and did not involve presentations, council members Wayne Heili and Kenyne Humphrey both voted against extending the license.

The license had already been inactive for about two years. Mike Reid, legislative chairman of the Wyoming State Liquor Association, told the Star-Tribune in July that under current rules a license can be parked for up to six years.

Z-Financial is registered to local business leader Gail Zimmerman. Zimmerman said he originally acquired the license from the city and used it to operate the Sidelines Sports Bar until it closed two years ago. He said he is now hoping to sell the license together with the former bars building.

I think the combination makes a better sale potential, Zimmerman said. If that doesnt happen, I could see in the future selling it separately.

Because state law sets a population-based cap on how many liquor licenses municipalities can approve, the issue of owners holding onto licenses that are not being used to run bars or restaurants is especially controversial.

During a July council work session, six local residents made pitches for a single new license that Casper had been afforded due to a population increase. The council selected John Huffs Old Yellowstone Garage as the new recipient.

Were going to look into this issue, said Mayor Daniel Sandoval. However, he said the city attorney had advised council not to start rejecting requests for parked license extensions until they had a uniform policy.

We need to figure out just how rough and tumble we want to get, Sandoval said. We just cant apply the standard arbitrarily.

Due to the artificial cap on their availability, liquor licenses can reportedly be sold for up to $300,000 and are often treated as financial assets.

At Tuesdays council work session, councilman Charlie Powell said the Wyoming Association of Municipalities was working on a proposal to reform the states liquor licensing system.

There are some people within the organization that are encouraging some major overhauls to the liquor license process, Powell said. It would address the caps on the number of licenses and the profits, essentially, that people make upon [selling] licenses.

Pat Sweeney, who recently sold Caspers Wonder Bar and is running as the Republican candidate in House District 58, is a staunch opponent of changing the liquor license system. He said no matter the problems with the existing process of granting licenses, rules are rules.

I dont agree with the laws of algebra and theories of algebra, but thats what you learn in school, Sweeney said. Im following the rules. This is our system.

City Manager V.H. McDonald said there is at least one proposal coming before the state Legislature during its upcoming session to amend the existing set of liquor laws.

A previous version of this story misspelled bar owner and liquor lobbyist Mike Reid's last name. It also incorrectly stated the bar which Gail Zimmerman used his now parked liquor license to operate until its closure.
The Democrat walked door-to-door in Evansville, a red-leaning town in the reddest of states, asking for votes. She approached a house where the owner was cleaning the garage.

Im not running for a particular party, Debbie Bovee said, introducing herself. I have a special interest and the interest is the people.

Her party affiliation already puts Bovee at a disadvantage. Whats more, she made the ballot only after a write-in campaign and is facing an incumbent whos on his third stint in the Wyoming Legislature.

On their own, either of those characteristics is enough to label a candidate a long shot. Together, they combine to form an almost insurmountable hurdle.

But theres another factor in the House District 36 race this year.

Bovees Republican opponent is Gerald Gay, who caused a storm of anger last week after questioning the dependability of women workers, despite his own record of absences in the Legislature. Gay also suggested women were at least partially responsible for Wyomings gender-wage gap, one of the worst in the nation.

Suddenly, the write-in candidate with seemingly no chance had one.

Sonja Jeffers, the woman cleaning the garage in Evansville, wasnt happy with her representative.

My daughter is a teacher, Jeffers said. She really works hard and has a family.

Jeffers said it was different for her when she had small children. She was a stay-at-home mother.

But you worked hard, Bovee said.

It just seemed demeaning, Jeffers said of Gays comments.

The woman continued talking, about all of the people in Wyoming who work hard, and about other issues important to Bovee  from Medicaid expansion to economic diversification.

I hope I can count on your vote, Bovee said at the end.

Jeffers is a registered Democrat who she said shes voted for Gay, a Republican, twice. But she wont vote for him on Nov. 8  he crossed the line, she said.

Yes, you can, Jeffers said, as the two shook hands.

On Friday, Gay said reporters misrepresented his views, although the transcript of one of the interviews he gave, with progressive advocacy group Better Wyoming, was published online.

Gay declined to clarify what he actually meant, saying he had to leave his house.

The Star-Tribune reached Gay at home, even though on Friday one of the legislative panels that he serves on  the Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Interim Committee  was meeting in Saratoga. The newspaper asked him in a text message why he wasnt at the meeting and whether he wanted to continue the interview at a later time. He did not respond.

Before he ended the interview with the Star-Tribune on Friday, Gay said his campaign is using a mix of television advertising, as well as his attending town hall events and knocking on doors to meet with voters.

I dont know if she has a chance of winning or not, he said. I think its really funny that the Democratic Party couldnt find a candidate to run against me from March, April, May  the candidate season  then runs a write-in campaign after the deadline (for filing for public office) was over. And shes missed all the transparency stuff, the financial reporting deadlines.

State law requires two separate campaign finance reports from candidates during each the primary and general election periods. Because she entered the race late, Bovee filed no reports during the primary. That means Gay wont find out how much his opponent has raised until late into the election season, when the next batch of reports are due.

Thats kind of an anathema to the Democratic Party, he said. Theyre the ones who push reporting and transparency.

***

Bovee, a political newcomer, said her campaign has received a boost after Gays comments about working women went viral.

You know, our Facebook page suddenly got well over 100 hits. I cant tell you how many, she said. My daughter sat here reading them, constantly reading them, and couldnt keep up. And they were all comments on how disgusted the people were with his comments. They were from men, they were from women. They were from all over the country, actually.

Bovee also said more people have donated money.

On Wednesday, about two days after Gays interview with Better Wyoming went online, she said she received about $400 in contributions from 11 people.

People are now asking me for yard signs, she said. The response has been huge.

But Bovee said she cant sit back. The district, which runs roughly west of Wyoming Boulevard in the neighborhoods near Beverly Street and includes most of Evansville, is heavily Republican. And she entered the race relatively late, having won a write-in campaign in the August primary.

There are more than twice as many Republicans than Democrats in HD36: As of Friday, 1,969 people were registered GOP, 737 were Democrats, 392 were unaffiliated and 40 belonged to other parties, according to the Natrona County Clerks office.

But the Natrona County Democratic Party thinks its a winnable race, said Eric Nelson, a party leader who tried to unseat Gay in 2014.

Were super happy Debbie stepped up, he said. Gerald, by making those comments, has shined the light of who he really is.

In Wyoming, everyone is busy. They dont have much of a chance to look at who their representative is. This is a Republican state, so sometimes I think that they just default to the R (on the ballot), if theyre registered as a Republican.

But that could change, since Gays opinions dont represent the way people think, Nelson said.

Gay defeated Nelson by just 168 votes in 2014. Nelson said he built a base of support during his campaign that he has mobilized to help Bovee.

But controversies can fade just as quickly as they explode. The support might help, but Bovee is still facing an incumbent Republican in a district where Democrats are the minority.

Two days after Gays comments, Bovee knocked on doors in her district and met a man who told her he would never vote for a pinko socialist Democrat. Then he shut the door in her face, she said.

I do think its put a boost to my campaign, she said of Gays comments. It doesnt mean Ive won.
Editor:

I was not surprised to read that Cynthia Lummis sponsored a bill to transfer federal lands here in Wyoming to state control. This is an age-old elitist tactic to profit off something that does not belong to them. The proponents of H.R. 2316 would have you believe that states can do it better.

In reality, H.R. 2316 is all about mineral leases, oil and gas leases, and good old fashioned land grabs. Currently, Wyoming cannot come close to meeting the financial responsibilities of managing the federal lands within Wyoming's borders. This would lead to Wyoming selling off chunks of land to meet fiscal responsibilities. I am positive there are those waiting in the shadows for the opportunity to pounce when these lands are slated for sale.

For years, many generations have enjoyed the wide open spaces of public lands here in Wyoming and around the country; people from all corners of the country. This land belongs to all Americans! I have enjoyed these public lands for over forty years. I most certainly have less years to enjoy these ahead of me than I have had in the past. I feel I owe future generations the same opportunity to enjoy these lands as I have had. I will start by only supporting those running for office, locally and in the congressional elections, who oppose H.R. 2316 regardless of part.
I think there are far too many people getting Social Security benefits. So I have a plan. I believe that in order to save the program, we need to take Social Security back to its original intentions. If we went back to the first Social Security law, who would no longer qualify for Social Security benefits?

A: Well if you really mean when the program first started, in other words, the original Social Security Act passed in 1935, then all we would have is retirement benefits for people 65 and older who were totally retired. Thats it. Period. Nothing else!

That means we would have no early retirement benefits at age 62. Those millions of people getting early retirement benefits could kiss their checks goodbye.

It also would mean we would not pay benefits to anyone 65 and older if they were still working. The original Social Security law required that you must be completely retired to collect benefits. So tough luck for all the working seniors out there.

Oh, and there would be no extra bonus for people who delay taking benefits until a later age. Millions of seniors currently plan to work until 70 to get a 32 percent bonus added to their checks. Your plan would turn off that incentive to delay retirement.

There would be no benefits for spouses or widows or widowers. And if a young worker dies and leaves small children, then the kids are outta luck. No government benefits for them.

And there would be no disability benefits. So if you have a heart attack at age 60 and cant work, well, thats just too bad. You would have to wait five more years to collect your Social Security, assuming you live that long.

I could go on and on. There are tens of millions of people getting Social Security benefits today who would not qualify for anything under the original Social Security law. So do you really think your plan is a good one? I will answer that question. No, it is not!

But, sad to say, you are not alone in your thinking. I hear from many people who say we should go back to the good old original Social Security. As another person said to me in a recent email: When it comes to Social Security today, Congress has added on too many goodies for too many undeserving people.

But I would make the point that Social Security expanded over the years not because Congress was looking for ways to give handouts to freeloaders, but because a caring and compassionate society should provide for its citizens legitimate needs. Thats why today we have Social Security benefits for working seniors, for spouses and widows, for orphaned children, for divorced women and for disabled workers.

I am doing a research paper on the growth of Social Security over the history of the program. Can you provide me with a list of all the changes that have been made to Social Security?

A: Obviously, I used your question in this column because it dovetails nicely with the first question.

I dont think you want me to give you a list of all the changes because that list could fill a book. Thats because Congress passes amendments to the Social Security law almost every year. But most of those are relatively minor or technical changes that really have no significant impact on the program or the benefits paid. But I will give you a short list of the major amendments to the Social Security Act and what those changes wrought.

1935, the original Social Security Act: Provided benefits for retirees at age 65 and nothing else.

1939 amendments: Added benefits for dependent wives age 65 and older and for the minor children of retirees. Also added benefits to widows age 65 and older and to surviving minor children of a worker who died. And included benefits for widows at any age if caring for a minor child.

1950 amendments: Added benefits for dependent husbands age 65 and older and widowers age 65 and older.

1956 amendments: Lowered the age at which a woman can get retirement benefits to 62. Also lowered the age at which a husband or wife can get spousal or widows benefit to 62. Added disability benefits to disabled workers between ages 50 and 64.

1960 amendments: Expanded disability benefits to a disabled worker of any age as long as long as he or she was insured.

1961 amendments: Lowered the age at which a man can get retirement benefits to 62. Also lowered the widowers age to 62.

1965 amendments: Lowered the age at which a woman can get widows benefits to 60. Added benefits for surviving children between ages 18 and 21. Added benefits for divorced women if they were married for 20 years. Also added the Medicare program.

1968 amendments: Lowered the age at which a woman could collect widows benefits to 50 if she was disabled.

1977 amendments: Lowered the duration of marriage requirement for divorced spouses from 20 years to 10 years.

1983 amendments: Raised the retirement age to 67 over a 50-year period. Childrens benefits eliminated for ages 18-21. Added benefits for fathers caring for minor children.
VERDE VALLEY  The valley is tucked south of the red rocks of Sedona, lush with greenery and alive with wildlife that flock to the banks of the river running through it.

One of the last remaining continually flowing rivers in Arizona, the Verde River is a lifeline not just for otters, beavers and bald eagles, but also for residents of the cities and towns in the Verde Valley who rely on it for drinking water, household use and irrigation. The river also provides 40 percent of the surface water delivered to Phoenix residents annually, according to the Verde River Basin Partnership website.

Growth and a lack of regulation are threatening that lifeline. A group of public officials, conservationists and economic development experts have spent three years trying to figure out how to slow down the loss of the Verde Rivers water. They pioneered a potential solution: a pilot program unique to Arizona that pays residents and business owners to conserve water.

If the plan works, others may one day mimic the concept in a state plagued by drought and overuse.

The program connects buyers and sellers. The seller agrees to reduce water usage by a certain amount, which can be sold to a buyer who needs the water. In the Verde Valley, a Cottonwood family has chosen not to irrigate its pasture for the next year. Two vineyards now get to use the water.

The Verde River is ecologically irreplaceable, and we want to give our community members a stake in protecting the river for the future, said Jocelyn Gibbon, a key organizer of the program.

Growth without regulation

Water levels have been rapidly dropping across Arizona, and 35 percent of the states river miles that once flowed freely no longer did so as of 2004, according to a Nature Conservancy study that year. The national advocacy group American Rivers has listed the Verde River as one of the 10 most endangered rivers in America because of extensive groundwater pumping spurred by development.

Only six percent of Yavapai County, where most of the Verde River is located, is regulated by the 1980 Groundwater Management Act, which puts restrictions on the amount of water that may be pumped, according to a study by the University of Arizonas agricultural college. The rest of the countys water has no protection at all.

Because we dont have regulation, anyone can come in and drill a new well and pump as much as they want, Gibbon said. Population growth has just made it worse.

Water for wine

Wine that makes its way to homes and restaurants in Arizona is a cornerstone of the pilot conservation program.

Page Springs Cellars Vineyards sits in the volcanic valley landscape overlooking Oak Creek near Sedona, where the Mediterranean climate and alkaline soils spawn critically acclaimed wines.

Page Springs owner, Eric Glomski, was a river restorationist before becoming a vintner, and was eager to be a part of the pilot program for the Verde River Exchange.

In the big picture, the river to me is a gigantic indicator and metaphor for the condition of our landscape and our relationship to it, Glomski said.

Heres how it works: A local Cottonwood family decided not to irrigate its pasture, which normally uses 3 million gallons of water every year. The Nature Conservancy Arizona paid the family for the unused water based on the average market rate. Then, the conservancys partner, Friends of the Verde River Greenway, sold the water credits to Page Springs and another local vineyard. Now, they can water nearly 10 acres of vineyards with less impact on the areas groundwater.

Glomski emphasized that protecting the Verde River isnt just about irrigation and drinking water, but also about bolstering tourism and the economy in the area.

People are more likely to come to Page Springs because theres a beautiful stream running through my property, said Glomski.

Nikki Bagley, who directs the wine program at Yavapai College, believes the Verde River program encourages the local, rapidly growing wine industry to be included in water conservation.

Our growers here strive to have as little impact as possible, Bagley said. This program offers an opportunity for every business owner who wants to participate to show leadership and take responsibility for guarding the treasure that is the Verde River.

Saving money

in the shower

One day, Verde Valley residents may take shorter showers, water their lawns less frequently or use less well water in exchange for water-offset credits. For now, the advisory council is working on standards to create credits.

They will also seek more community partners to work on pilot projects next year, including businesses in the hospitality and beverage industries and private homeowners and landowners.

The advisory group developed the exchange by taking ideas from similar programs in the Northwest. They hope the Verde River strategy could spur other water conservation plans throughout Arizona.
Two jobs fairs next week will help local people including veterans find work.

The University of Phoenix is hosting a job fair from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, at its campus at 300 S. Craycroft Road.

Hundreds of jobs will be available through recruiters representing organizations such as Tucson Unified School District, the University of Phoenix, Wells Fargo, Pima County Adult Probation, American Family Insurance, World Financial Group, the Pima County Sherriffs Department, New Horizons Learning Group, Primerica, Hughes Federal Credit Union, Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites, the Tucson Police Department, U.S. Customs & Border Protection and various other law-enforcement and public agencies.

Register online at uopjobexpo.eventbrite.com.

Meanwhile, veterans can find out about employment opportunities throughout Southern Arizona at a free career seminar from 8 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Tucson Electric Power, 88 E. Broadway Blvd.

The Next Steps for Vets event is a partnership of Arizona@Work-Pima County, Pima Community College, Tech Parks Arizona, Airman and Family Readiness Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona@Work Southeastern Arizona, Tucson Electric Power Company, Nesco Resource and Diamond Ventures.

Attendees must RSVP to 92116nsfv.eventbrite.com.

Employers taking part in the career seminar are: R.E. Darling Co., Southern Arizona Chapter American Red Cross, Ascent Aviation Services, Kelly Services, Pima County One-Stop, Bayada Home Health Care, Pima Community College and its AAMMP Up Program, Nesco Resource, Bombardier, Tucson Electric Power Company, Pi, Linkages, Raytheon, Department of Veterans Affairs, SMART - Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation, and Banner Health.
The USDA has ordered a recall of nearly 1,000 pounds of ready-to-eat beef products sold at Tucson Tamale Co. restaurants, the agency announced Friday.

The recalled products contain meat produced without federal inspection, U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Sarah R. Lichtman said in a news release.

No illnesses or adverse symptoms have been reported, but the USDA listed the recall as a high health risk.

The products include certain 10- or 11-ounce packages of two red chile beef tamales, chipotle beef tamales and chipotle beef and cheese tamales that were sold between Aug. 11 and Sept 13. The packaging dates and codes can be found at bit.ly/2cxoAW7.

The 915 pounds of tamales in question were sold only in the companys restaurants, either without packaging or in foil to-go containers or with the original packaging intact, the news release said.

The USDA found the issue during routine inspections earlier in the week, Lichtman said.

Owner Todd Martin said Tucson Tamale has for a number of years purchased its meat from Merit Foods, which has its beef inspected by the Arizona Department of Agriculture.

On August 10, we became certified to be federally inspected by the USDA as opposed to the state, he said. The inspector we have on site at the restaurant every day looked up the regulations and said we were fine with the meat we had in stock.

The next day, a different inspector came, saw the Arizona Department of Agriculture sticker, and informed Martin that the USDA rule doesnt allow state-inspected meat to be used in federally certified restaurants, he said.

Earlier this week, the USDA took a batch of tamales from the restaurant and tested them to make sure they were safe, Martin said, adding that everything came back fine.

The company has already started using new beef from Merits federally inspected facility and is now cutting and preparing it on site, instead of having the state facility cut and repackage the products.

The good news is, most of our customers dine in, so they would have already eaten it, Martin said. But they could have some two-packs to take home and freeze.

The USDA is urging anyone who purchased the recalled products to throw them away or return them to the restaurant. Martin said employees are aware of the situation and customers should feel free to bring them back.
APPLETON, Wis. (AP)  Fifteen years after a horrific diving incident, John Reese thinks a lot about what life used to be and what "home" really means.

The paralyzed former Appleton firefighter has been in assisted living ever since, and has made peace with the reality that he'll never again enjoy the level of privacy most people have, the Post-Crescent (http://post.cr/2cLBD6c ) reported. Still, at age 42, he'd love a little more time alone. And he misses the quiet times  without the traffic of nurses and neighbors just beyond his door.

"A lot of times I harken back, and I think about what it was like in my own home," Reese said. "It's wistful  it was one of those beautiful, incredibly blessed time periods of my life."

Those blessings could soon return.

Today, Reese is feeling overcome by love as the community rallies to return some of the freedoms he lost to quadriplegia during a 2001 diving accident. A fundraising drive is underway to build him a home.

A benefit on Reese's behalf will be Sept. 18 at the Bridgewood Best Western Resort Hotel in Neenah.

"It's humbling," Reese said. "It's been amazing to see the family response that I've had, the friends that have come out of the woodwork  even strangers."

Reese finished his work shift on Aug. 7, 2001, and went on a pontoon boat with colleagues. Reese dove from the boat into Lake Poygan, broke his neck and suffered spinal cord damage.

He spent the next four months in hospitals and several years re-learning how to function in everyday life. He's paralyzed below the shoulders and has limited shoulder and arm movement. And he can't move his hands or legs.

Heidi Frederickson, executive director of Kaukauna's Community Benefit Tree, said the home is no small project, but there are many people dedicated "to give him a better quality of life, for John to have his life back."

The Kaukauna nonprofit is organizing the event and fundraising efforts.

Donors have already provided a plot of land in the Village of Fox Crossing, near his parents. Architects chipped in, and design work is nearly completed. It will be a duplex  with one side for Reese and the other for a hired caregiver. Reese will have rooms to accommodate his visiting, teenage children.

Supporters are seeking not only for cash donations, but firms that are willing to assist in construction and plumbing or donate materials. Frederickson said the financial side is a big hurdle with costs anticipated to reach $250,000.

"That's a big chunk of change, but it isn't impossible," Frederickson said.

Friends Paul and Jolene Moran, owners of Century Oaks Assisted Living, are working hard for Reese's cause, and Jolene thinks they can reach the goal. It hasn't been difficult to convince people to help after hearing John's story.

"It's really heartwarming," she said. "He's just a very inspirational human being."

His home will require more than construction. Supporters are also planning ways to meet his care needs in a private home setting.

In thinking of a new home, Reese's mind often returns to his earlier life.

He's come to miss the little things, like having a low-key meal in the kitchen rather than heading off to a busy commons area. He's warmed by thoughts of the traditional neighborhood setting with lawns and sidewalks.

"So often, we take things for granted until they're ripped away from you or they disappear, and you think about what a blessing it was," he said.

Reese has endured some new battles in recent years.

He spent the last year in pain after developing a pressure ulcer and had a surgery in July.

He's currently recovering at Manor Care Health Services in Appleton and will soon transfer to Century Oaks  his fifth home in 15 years. From there, he'll continue to plan for a life that's a little closer to what it used to be.

A home would mean greater stability for Reese. He was forced to move twice after getting notices of involuntary discharge  akin to eviction  when new owners changed direction in services. He successfully appealed two other attempts.

"It's hard enough for somebody who's able bodied in a 30-day eviction scenario," Reese said.

Reese spends his mornings receiving care, and when his post-surgery bed rest is over, he'll be back in his wheelchair.

He enjoys taking strolls. He's found deep fulfillment in his Christian faith and in fatherhood.

But it took time to achieve equanimity, he said.

Reese was airlifted after the dive to what was then Neenah's Theda Clark Medical Center and spent a week in a drug-induced coma. He couldn't grasp his situation in those early months.

"Initially after my spinal cord injury, I was dead set on walking out of the hospital," Reese said, "and that was a real learning curve right there."

He wrestled with God and wrestled with himself.

Reese remembered how he weighed whether to head out on the boat on that fateful afternoon. It was a scorcher of a day  with a heat index of 110  and there was plenty of work to be done on his basement renovation.

He finally figured that with a growing family, there would soon be fewer opportunities  so he went along "and everything hit the fan from there."

He was hospitalized during the birth of his daughter, Nadia. He was soon divorced.

The physical aspects of paralysis required a daunting degree of adjustment.

"It's like being born into an entirely new body," Reese said. "You learn how to suffer and how to deal with pain management, you learn how to deal with seating and posture issues; skin integrity problems and a host of other issues that go with being paralyzed."

The spiritual journey provided just as difficult a climb. He said he repeatedly read the Book of Job, and finally came to recognize he wasn't the only one suffering.

His time in a care facility with a man who suffered a traumatic head injury taught Reese some important lessons.

"It's looking at life from a perspective that so many people live with less than what I had, and in some ways, less than I have now," he said. "My body is broken  I can't operate my body like I used to  but my mind is intact."

Mother Cathy Reese said her son, as a result of his struggles, gained a deep perspective and appreciation for the most important aspects of life. His attitude and strong faith has rubbed off on others. It's been a personal blessing, she said.

"Through all of this, he's become stronger, and we've become stronger, too," she said. "It's brought all us closer to God."

John Reese said acceptance became easier once he began to shift the focus from what he couldn't do to what he could do  and being a father was a big part.

He couldn't toss the ball around in the yard but came to see there's so much more to parenthood.

"I continued, and I will continue, to throw myself into fatherhood, because I think that there's really nothing better in life," he said. "I see being a father as being a leader figure, trying to breathe wind in their sails, to teach them about God and the value of faith and family and friends."

He relishes his phone calls and visits with 16-year-old son Drake and 14-year-old Nadia. He tries to squeeze the most from every minute.

It's the idea of family that's made the fundraising so overwhelming. But while Reese is excited about hitting the goal, he hasn't lost sight that the journey is incredible. He suspects the benefit will carry a feeling of family, and anticipates a joy-filled day of friends  some of whom he'll meet for the first time.

"To see so many people who are in good positions  to just be charitable, to share their time and talent and resources and reach out with love and compassion  is just humbling," Reese said. "It's a joy to see and I'm touched. My heart is really touched."

___

Information from: Post-Crescent Media, http://www.postcrescent.com

An AP Member Exchange shared by the Post-Crescent.
It isnt easy being king.

Its fraught with empty ceremonies, repressed emotions, betrayals, powerlessness and heavy loneliness.

And it all comes beautifully, painfully alive in Arizona Theatre Companys production of Mike Bartletts King Charles III.

This production, this play, underscores why it was so necessary for Arizonans to rally around ATC, infusing it with the funds it needed to launch its 50th season.

And what a launch.

King Charles III opens with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Punks with tattoos, spiked hair and snarly tudes are gathered around a picture of the queen, her coffin in the background. A mournful, graceful recording of the Beatles Because (The World is Round) fills the theater.

Next, we see Camilla and Charles, who is at long last king.

She praises him for his stiff upper lip during the funeral service.

Please dont, he says. Its simply what I had to do. Well find no dignity in covring up the way we feel.

This is a king we rarely see: pained with the loss of his parents, and the weight of what is now on his shoulders carved into his face.

The play takes off when the prime minister presents Charles with a bill restricting freedom of the press. Its passed the house and only needs the kings signature  a formality, as the signature really carries no power.

But Charles knows that while the press can be mighty pesky, too intrusive, it is essential to democracy. He wont sign it.

Thus begins the tragic downfall of a king who longs to be a ruler who is wise and good, but has no idea how to do that.

The play takes us on a journey that is rich with comedy, and even richer with human frailties, corruption, manipulations. Its an homage to Shakespeare not just in the way it was written  in blank verse  but in the way it forces us to reflect on what it says about human nature.

Peter Van Norden gives us a Charles that we can easily embrace, cheer, and feel deeply saddened by. He makes palpable the turmoil that his refusal to sign that bill causes him. And as we see him follow that refusal with a single-minded focus to bend the governments will to his way of thinking, we are horrified and disturbed by what he is willing to do to achieve a noble end: preserving a basic tenet of democracy.

This play vibrates with moral conundrums. Its packed with surprises. And the likelihood is high that you will walk out of the theater and mull it over, discuss it, and relish the memory of seeing it.

Matt August directs with wit and a sense of urgency. While we may not care about the royal family, August makes it impossible not to care about these people, or the very real human emotions and important ideas this play shines a light on.

Van Norden is riveting in his Lear-like portrayal, but he does not bring this piece to such vibrant life on his own. The whole cast makes music of the language and breathes full, complex life into the characters.

Particularly striking are Kate Maher Hyland as Princess Kate, a Lady Macbeth character who at first charms and ultimately destroys; Adam Haas Hunter as the conflicted William, who is pulled between loyalty to his father and his nation; Dylan Saunders, who gives us a Prince Harry who longs for a life free of royal trappings, and Jeanne Syquia, who plays Harrys love interest, Jess, with a toughness mixed with a touching vulnerability.

ATCs King Charles III is a play worth seeing. And then seeing again

.
Meet the beetles, and swarms of other insects at the wildly popular Arizona Insect Festival at the University of Arizona on Sunday.

The free festival runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom, third floor, of the Student Union.

There is free parking available at nearby UA parking garages.

The Western Hercules Beetle, Dynastes granti, is the star of this years show, but your old favorites  butterflies, hissing cockroaches, et al  will also be on display.

You can touch bugs, eat bugs, build bugs, snuggle with a roach and learn how to avoid things that sting.
A woman was injured in a two-vehicle crash on I-10 at West Orange Grove Road Friday night.

The woman, who suffered non-life threatening injuries, had to be cut out of her vehicle, said Capt. Brian Keeley of Northwest Fire District.

The crash occurred in a construction zone.

No one was injured in the second vehicle, said Keeley.

Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers were investigating the crash.

No further information was immediately available.
A Dallas firm was selected by the Arizona Board of Regents to help identify prospective presidential candidates for the University of Arizona, it was announced Friday.

R. William Funk & Associates is an executive search firm specializing in higher education executive recruitment, according to a news release.

The release did not state how much the firm will be paid because the contract has not been finalized.

UA President Ann Weaver Hart recently announced she will step down as president and stay on as a faculty member when her presidential contract expires in June 2018.

A new UA president is expected to be in place by next summer.

Its unclear what Harts role would be during the final year of her contract if a president takes over in 2017.

R. William Funk, the founder and president of the firm, will be the lead in the search. The firm has conducted more than 400 searches for university and college presidents, and chancellors over the last 35 years, the release says.

As part of the commitment to the UA presidential search, the firm confirmed that no other search for a university president is being conducted at this time.

Eileen Klein, Arizona Board of Regents president, said she was pleased Funks firm was selected as the consultant to support the board as it selects the next president of the University of Arizona.

Klein said Funk is committed to taking into account the needs of the university, the faculty and the community, as well as the thoughts and wishes of those who hold the university and its students close to their hearts.

In the release, Funk said the firm will adhere to the highest standards of professional ethics, procedures and practices regarding the search, with a commitment to diversity and excellence.

In the coming weeks, the board of regents will select and announce its search advisory committee members, approve and publish search guidelines and publish a leadership profile.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmental groups have filed two related lawsuits against the U.S. Forest Service and Tonto National Forest supervisor Neil Bosworth, objecting to approval of a mining companys plans to start preliminary activities on its proposed mine waste site.

Resolution Copper Mining, a subsidiary of mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton Ltd., wants to build a massive copper mine on Tonto National Forest land near Superior that Native Americans say is sacred.

The Forest Service gave approval last month for Resolution to begin exploratory work  including drilling, trenching, road construction and installation of groundwater monitoring wells  on a 28-square-mile tailings site.

The agency has not yet evaluated Resolutions full mining plan of operations. The approval says the activities are necessary to determine potential impacts from the mining plan of operations.

But opponents say those activities are destructive to public lands and the Arizona National Scenic Trail, which will be bisected by constructed roads. Five drill sites and trenches will be within a half-mile of the Arizona Trail, according to a press release.

The plaintiffs argue Forest Service violated environmental laws by only considering the impact of activity on the tailings site, not the cumulative effects of the entire mine plan.

Those impacts include destruction of cultural sites, loss of recreational opportunities, impaired water quality and more, according to a press release.

Clearly the Forest Service would prefer not to take a hard look at the cumulative impacts of this proposal, Bill Snape, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in the release. Fortunately the law requires them to do so, and the people have the power to compel them to follow the law.

Bill Tanner, Resolution spokesman, said in a statement that the lawsuits are without merit and that the mine will bring jobs and revenue to Arizona.

The U.S. Forest Service conducted extensive analysis prior to making a determination that the collection of baseline scientific data would not have a significant impact on the environment, Tanner said. The plaintiffs lawsuit is tantamount to telling the Forest Service that the agency cant gather data for an environmental review unless it first completes that environmental review. The purpose of the data collection effort is to advance the development of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Resolution Copper Mine. The EIS will be subject to public review and input, and it must be completed before a final mine plan is approved.

While the complaints filed Sept. 15 only focus on the mine waste site, opponents will use all means necessary to stop the entire mine, tribal Chairman Terry Rambler said.
Help India!

By Amit Kumar, TwoCircles.net

The lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh was a gruesome incident. But that was last year. Now, Dadri has become just a reference point: every state is clamouring it seems, to have its own Dadri Moment, and since Akhlaq was beaten to death by a mob for consuming beef, similar incidents have been reported in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir and of course Gujarat. Remember Una?

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Gujarat is still coming to terms with the Una incident, which shook the state to the core and saw Dalits of the region rise up in hitherto unseen defiance to government orders. What did not come as a surprise was the repression that the Dalits faced in the lead up to the rally and how attacks on Dalits had continued well after the Una rally was over. And given that Muslims had come out in support of the Dalits in the state in large numbers, attacks on Muslims too were expected. It did not take long.

Mohammad Ayub and Sameer Sheikh, who were in a Toyota Innova, were driving towards Ahmedabad with two calves on September 13 when they were accosted by cow vigilantes in three cars, chased, and their car rammed near Karnavati club in Ahmedabad. Pulled out of their car, the two were beaten with sticks and rods. Sheikh sustained head injuries but Ayub who bore the brunt of the thrashing succumbed to the beating, dying later in hospital on Friday evening.

The Ahmedabad police promptly filed a complaint in this regard: against the brothers, of course, under the Cow Protection Act.

After the friends and the family of the brothers protested, the police reluctantly filed complaints against the Gau Rakshaks also. But this is Gujarat. Allow me to explain.

Initially, the FIR listed the names of the attackers and their vehicle numbers. But in the second FIR the attackers were termed as unknown. The vehicle numbers: GJ27 C9077 and GJ01 CZ 1180 and the names of the cow vigilantes in the first FIR : Janak Ramesh Mistry, Ajay Sagar Rabari and Bharat Nagj Rabari have been removed.

As on Saturday afternoon, the family of Ayub refused to take the body of the deceased until the attackers were arrested. But his body was nevertheless brought by the police to the victims house against their wish, even as Ayubs brothers and relatives, along with members of Jan Sangharsh Manch have been detained. Remember, the culprits here are Gau Rakshaks, a breed promoted almost exclusively by the BJP and its sister organisations. The action, if any, can and will have to wait.

The Ahmedabad Police had a slightly more important job to do. Jignesh Mevani, the most prominent face of the Una Dalit Atyachar Ladak Samiti (UDALS) and the spearhead of the Una protests, was returning from Delhi after attending a Dalit rally. Minutes before PM Narendra Modi was to arrive in Gujarat, Mevani was picked up from the Ahmedabad airport and detained.

The Gujarat Police, and the state government knew this would spoil our PMs birthday party, so Mevani was picked from the airport even as his cousin, who came to pick him, was not even allowed to talk to him.

Earlier today, Mevani extended his support to Khurram Parvez, who too has been detained in Kashmir for speaking the Indian atrocities, and Prabhat Singh, a journalist from Chhattisgarh, who is being targeted by the state police and administration.

Friends and well-wishers, I am technically released but still under house arrest kind of surveillance as a team a Ahmedabad crime branch is constantly with me. Just received the news that activist friends Shamsad Pathan and Asim Sheikh are detained for raising voice against Dadri part-2, that is killing of Mohammed Ayub of Ahmadabad by so called cow protectors. Just go out and support them.

Just go out and support Prabhat Singh of Bastar and Khurram Parvez of Kashmir. My detention is negligible, they need tremendous support, Mevani said on Facebook.

On Saturday afternoon, Mevani was finally released and his team managed to reach Dholka to join the local villagers. They plan to gherao the Taluk office as promised a week back in the event that possession of the lands allotted to Dalits under an order dated 2006 isnt handed over to them.

According to Dalit Camera, the Taluk Office has been surrounded by Police from all sides. Undeterred, the villagers are sitting on a Dharna right next to the Taluk Office. Mevani also produced the Court Order which gives a clear direction about handing over of possession of allotted lands. Jignesh and team also observed two minute silence for Mohammed Ayub who has been killed by Gau Rakshaks in Ahmedabad, Dalit Camera said in a post.

In the last day or so, Mevani, a Dalit leader, was detained because he has been fighting to ensure justice for Dalits, Parvez, a Kashmiri Muslim has been arrested for well, being a Kashmiri, and a Muslim, and for speaking out against the atrocities committed by the Indian administration in the Valley, and another Muslim has again been beaten to death by Gau Rakshaks.

It is a fitting birthday present for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Afterall, in his own words, the nationalists are with the BJP. The others have their work cut out.
Lady Liberty is an exquisite and monumental tourist attraction whose essence represents many levels of human experience. Her home is Liberty Island, a unique spot with a history all its own. Known as Bedloes Island until 1956, this tiny enclave was a favored spot for pirates, particularly the notorious Captain Kidd, who is said to have buried his treasure somewhere on the grounds where Lady Liberty stands.

Lady Liberty has a glorious and patriotic past

Created in 1886, the statue was a gift from the people of France and was intended to commemorate international amity and the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Despite grandiose planning, a lack of funds on both sides of the Atlantic delayed progress. It was finally agreed that the American people would build her pedestal and the French people would be responsible for the statue and its assembly in the United States. A massive fund raising supported and sponsored the effort

It is said that French sculptor, Auguste Bartholdi, gave Lady liberty the face of his very own mother. His design was realized with the help of engineer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) who addressed important structural matters. The Statue of Liberty was completed in France in July of 1884. When it arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885, it was a puzzle of 350 individual pieces that were crammed into 214 crates.

Re-assembly took four months.

Lady Liberty may have company on Liberty island

While she stands in gleaming grace as a symbol of hope and refuge to all who pass underneath her extended torch of freedom, legends whisper of other, not so patriotic and other worldly residents of Bedloes Island. An 1892 New York Times article reported a story concerning two soldiers named Gibbs and Carpenter who were stationed at Fort Wood, which was the military base on the island that would later become the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty.

The area was known to be a pirate haunt, and the young men had heard rumors of untold treasure buried by Captain Kidd somewhere on the tiny island. As the story goes, they had only dug a few feet when their shovels uncovered a box made of wood. They were just about to reach down and claim it, when, as they both told the press, a terrifying vision appeared before them.

What did these young men see that frightened them so?

Although their claims differed slightly, both men agreed that it was some type of otherworldly creature resembling a horned demon that breathed sulfur in their faces. Carpenter managed to run, but Gibbs stood frozen in fear and claimed that the entity, perhaps the ghost of Captain Kidd, hurled him into the waters of bay. Supposedly too, both the demon and the wooden box disappeared into the ether of the air.

Whatever may haunt Liberty Island remains to be seen. Dont let that stop you from coming to visit the lovely lady in the harbor that so symbolizes the fabric of Americas destiny. It might not be a bad idea however, to always look discretely behind you, particularly when standing near her pedestal.
On Friday, September 16, a Georgia judge foundNick Gordonlegally responsible for the death of his girlfriend, Bobbi Kristina Brown. Because Gordon did not show up for the civil hearing at the Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, he was found in contempt of the order and the judge's decision was made by default. This was the second time the accused hasn't shown up for a hearing. The public must understand that even though the judge found Gordon legally responsible, he has not been charged for his girlfriend's death. The criminal case is still ongoing.

As a reminder, Bobbi Kristina, the only daughter of Bobby Brown and the late Whitney Houston died July 26, 2015, six months after she was found unconscious in her bathtub on January 31, 2015.

Nick Gordon's involvement

In August 2016, Gordon was faced with a wrongful death civil lawsuit from the Brown's family in the amount of $50 million. Nick Gordon has been accused of a long list of crimes against his 22-year-old girlfriend. He has been accused of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and for transferring money from Bobbi Kristina's account into his own account without permission to do so. Gordon has claimed his innocence from the very beginning, and he is still claiming he is innocent.

He appeared on the "Dr. Phil" show several times to deny the charges. Gordon has not responded to Friday's ruling.

Brown family's responses

Bobby Brown said in a statement that he was pleased with the judge's decision. The rest of the Brown family also released a statement about their delight that the judge ruled Gordon legally responsible.

While it won't bring their relative back, it is a relief that the court agrees with them about who is responsible for her death. One of the Brown's attorneys said he was pleased that thecourt has made this ruling. The lawyer emphasized that this is not a criminal case decision, and it doesnt have to be. The family wanted the court to establish that Gordon was responsible for the woman's injuries that came before her death. Nowthat this ruling has taken place, ajury trial will be scheduled to determine damages in the case.
A life-size and very disturbing statue of a naked Donald Trump suddenly appeared in Union Square today making quite the scene in Manhattan. It looks like the person who sculpted this piece of art ran out of plaster or clay when it came time to add certain vital parts to Trump's body to render it anatomically correct. It is obvious Trump is sporting a teeny-tiny man part, which is the same part of his anatomy once brought into question for its size by his political opponent, Marco Rubio. The artist sculpted something there, but it is about the size of a button barely protruding out from under a rather large and bloated belly.

Missing vital parts

This statue was far from an attempt at flattering Trump, in fact, at the base of the statue was an attached plaque with the title of the art piece..."The Emperor Has No Balls." The artist who created this sculpture made sure of that because there wasn't so much as a sign of testicles anywhere on the statue, which was apparently the message this piece of artwork was constructed to convey.

RT TimeOutNewYork "Someone put up a naked statue of Donald Trump in Union Square today (NSFW):  pic.twitter.com/PoBnbJ26c0"  Yuppie Bucket List (@yuppiebucketlst) August 18, 2016

Hair too big, man parts too small!

It took only minutes for the naked Trump statue to become an Internet sensation with YouTube videos and photos saturating the social media sites.

There is no question on who this statue was meant to portray, as Trump's comb-over hairdo is exaggerated for size and done up in a mustard-yellow color, so there's no doubt who this is supposed to be.

Marco Rubio's vision of Trump?

The artist, known only as "Ginger" who is with the American Activist Collective INDECLINE, has talent, but it is too bad she used this skill in an attempt to disgrace another human being.

She was able to create skin with a good deal of cellulite to a realistic form. The veins can be seen lightly through the skin and the breasts are done to perfection. She has given Donald Trump's image a set ofgigantic hands, which does not coincide with Rubio's description of the GOP candidate's appendages. The artist also paid attention to the detail of the backside of the statue, giving Mr.

Trump a very sagging rump that had a red rash-like appearance in one area.

A closer (PG rated) look at naked Donald Trump statue in SF. Not sure what the backstory is @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/LGxIscbdOf  Pete Suratos (@PeteSuratosTV) August 18, 2016

Naked Trump statue beckons the masses

As you can see in the video below the naked Trump statue has beckoned the crowds and people surrounded the very creepy statue of Donald Trump taking pictures as people posed with his image. Some appeared very interested in his tiny man part and they demonstrated this by squatting down to get this area of the statue in the many selfies taken today in Union Square. As quickly as this statue appeared, it disappeared, according to The New York Daily News.

It was gone in a flash at the hands of New York City grounds workers. They came equipped with sledge hammers and chopped away at the base of the statue until the disturbing creation became severed from it's anchor and was able to be carted away in the back of a city pickup truck.

NYC Mayor weighs in with 'frightening thought'

The mayor of NYC didn't say anything that would discourage this type of disgraceful event in the future. It seems Mayor de Blasio got a laugh out of the crowd when talking about the Trump statue. He told the crowd that a naked Trump statue was "a frightening thought." He went on to say, "When he's wearing clothes I don't like him. I can only imagine. If the same type of statue mysteriously appeared of Hillary Clinton, would the same thing be said? Probably not.You can check out that very disturbing statue of Donald Trump in the video below from Hip Hop News on YouTube.
Pentagon says coalition airstrike may have struck Syrian military Updated: 2016-09-18 04:59 (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon said on Saturday a US-led coalition airstrike against the Islamic State may have unintentionally targeted Syrian government forces.

"Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh fighting position," said a Pentagon statement, referring to the extremist group in its Arabic acronym.

"The coalition air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military," said the statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier Saturday the US-led coalition killed 62 Syrian government troops and injured some 100 others in a round of airstrikes in eastern Syria's province of Deir al-Zour.

"Today, in areas close to the Deir al-Zour Airport, the aircraft from the international anti-Islamic State coalition carried out four airstrikes against units of the Syrian government troops surrounded by terrorists," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The warplanes entered the airspace of Syria from the Iraqi border, the spokesman said.

Syria's national TV also confirmed the killing of Syrian servicemen by the US-led coalition.
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HA NOI  Real estate company Worldstar Land launched a new online platform for property brokers, nghemoigioi.vn, on Thursday.

The website hopes to enable property brokers to access information on a wide range of real estate projects, from apartment buildings to resort and condo hotel projects.

Notably, all projects will be verify projects legal status, prices and policies for brokers.

The website will also provide information about commissions and banking guarantees for all its members.  VNS
HA NOI  There remains room for Viet Nam and Brazil to foster bilateral co-operation, especially in agriculture, a business conference heard yesterday in Ha Noi.

Over past years, the Vietnamese Government has focused on developing the countrys agriculture, said General Secretary of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Pham Thi Thu Hang.

The State also encouraged domestic firms to co-operate in agriculture trade with nations with developed farming sectors such as Brazil, she said, adding that it was time for Vietnamese and Brazilian agri-businesses to boost co-operation and foster technology transfer.

The large geographic distance between the two countries could no longer affect the relationship, Hang said.

The fact is that enterprises can utilise business opportunities available in each country, she noted.

In his speech, Brazils Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Blairo Maggi described the forum as an opportunity for Vietnamese agri-businesses to learn more about Brazil and the potential it offers in trade and investment in agriculture.

Enterprises at the event agreed that the volume of agriculture trade had failed to match potential despite good relations between the two nations.

Brazilian agri-businesses expressed their hope to co-operate with Vietnamese counterparts in agricultural processing and trading and transfer their know-how to local firms.

Two-way trade has developed significantly from only US$16 million in 1989 to $3.8 billion in 2015 with Vietnamese key export items to Brazil including telephones and telephone components, computers, seafood, textiles and garments.

Agricultural products such as coin, wheat along with raw materials used in textile and garment as well as timber production were Viet Nams among major imports from Brazil. -VNS
HCM CITY  Provinces and cities in the Southeastern region should enhance linkages to enable the region to capitalise on opportunities and overcome challenges from global integration, delegates said at a forum held in HCM City yesterday.

Cao uc Phat, deputy head of the Party Central Committees Commission for Economics, said the southeastern region played an important role in the countrys economy since it was the pioneer in industrial and services development, especially in high-tech, electronics, oil and gas industries and tourism, telecommunication, financial, banking, commercial and logistics services.

HCM City and Binh Duong and ong Nai provinces lead the country in GDP growth, foreign direct investment attraction and improved business environment.

In the first half of the year, foreign investment in the region accounted for 51.6 per cent of the countrys total in terms of new projects, and 42.2 per cent of the countrys total foreign investment capital.

However, the regions development was not commensurate with its potential since its growth quality remained low and unsustainable, while its human resource quality was still low compared to its development demand, he said.

In addition, infrastructure development has not kept pace with its economic development, and there was a lack of co-operation between localities in the region, he said.

Phat as well as many other delegates at the meeting agreed that with the country participating in many free trade agreements, enterprises in the region would have opportunities to expand export markets, but they also faced challenges.

Vu Thanh Tu Anh, director of Research at the Fulbright Economics Teaching Programme, said: We have an unprecedented historical opportunity with countless opportunities but also bigger challenges. The most important thing is how to turn these opportunities to reality.

Connections

Regional connections have been built in the last 10 years, but poor linkages exist between localities in the region, he said.

Small boats of provinces should form a larger fleet capable of international competition, Anh said, adding that it was an urgent task for the region.

Vo Van Khoa, director of Binh Phuocs Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, said localities had faced problems in regional linkage in past years because of a lack of regional data and co-operation among localities in policy planning.

Poor regional linkages resulted in having too many investors in some places and a lack of investors in other places, he said.

Investors usually want to invest in localities near seaports and airports, so provinces like Binh Phuoc and Tay Ninh, with their infrastructure difficulties, especially roads, seaports and airports, find it hard to attract investors, he said.

Vo Van Tu, director of Lam ongs Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, said localities had committed to co-operate in investment promotion activities, but it was still all on paper.

He suggested that localities co-operate in creating zoning plans to harmonise regional development.

oan Duy Khuong, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the region should identify key sectors, industries and products that would enhance competitiveness both at home and abroad.

In addition, the region should work together to improve transport infrastructure.

ang Xuan Quang, deputy head of the Foreign Investment Agency, said FDI in the region was expected to reach nearly US$60 billion in the 2016-20 period, accounting for 45-55 per cent of total FDI in the country.

He urged provinces and cities in the region to complete zoning plans for socio-economic development, especially land-use zoning plans, to attract investors.

The region should also focus on improving human resource training to provide the market qualified staff who meet international standards.

In addition, it should enhance co-operation with other provinces and cities in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, Central and Central Highlands regions to create supply chains of products and services with high added value.

Organised by the Dien Dan Doanh Nghiep newspaper in collaboration with the departments of Planning and Investment, and Investment and Trade Promotion Centres of localities in the region, the forum attracted about 350 officials, businesses and others.  VNS
Power Construction JSC No 1 (PCC1) has sold nearly 11.5 million shares to the London-traded Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited (VEIL) for nearly VN380 billion (US$16.9 million).  Photo cafef.vn

HA NOI  Power Construction JSC No 1 (PCC1) has sold nearly 11.5 million shares to the London-traded Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited (VEIL) for nearly VN380 billion (US$16.9 million).

The shares were sold for a price of VN33,000 per share.

The deal also allows VEIL to act as a strategic investor in PCC1. With that shift, VEIL is now able to send a representative to attend PCC1s shareholder meetings.

After the deal, PCC1 increased its chartered capital to VN753 billion from VN638 billion.

VEIL is a closed-end fund, managed by the HCM City-based investment group Dragon Capital and traded on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

VEIL now owns total asset of more than $900 million.  VNS
HA NOI  A seminar held in the capital yesterday by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) and Japans Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) reported the findings of a study on the slow growth of the Vietnamese parts supply industry.

The report aimed to analyse challenges for Viet Nams parts supply industry and recommend policies to boost co-operation between Viet Nam and Japan in the industry.

According to Doctor Yoichi Sakurada from the MRI, the research was not only theoretical but also practical. It checked the countrys current models and policies supporting small and medium businesses and proposed policies to further develop co-operation between Viet Nam and Japan in the indusstry.

CIEM Vice-President Nguyen Thi Tue Anh said the countrys capacity for supplying intermediate products was still uncompetitive in quality, price and efficiency. Meanwhile, the domestic businesses capacity for participating in the global value change remains limited, even sectors with considerable advantages.

She said Viet Nam had many programmes and policies to support small and medium enterprises with institutions, credit, technology and human resources. However, the policy implementation was not effective enough.

Tue Anh took the policies to encourage parts supply industry under the Governments Decision 111/2015/ND-CP on the parts supply industry development as an example of ineffectiveness.

She said the policies had not yet created an impetus for the industry because the decrees preferences on tax, credit and human resources were not actually new, but present elsewhere in other regulations.

Viet Nam imports 80 per cent of raw materials. According to an estimate by the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the local content ratio of processing products made by Japanese manufacturers in Viet Nam last year was 32.1 per cent. As for industrial products, only the motorbike industry received a high rate of localisation, at 95 per cent. Other sectors such as electronics, auto and high-tech products had a local part rate of below 20 per cent on average.

Sharing experiences at the seminar, MRI experts said Japan proposed that Viet Nam test its model via a State-owned technology centre. This model was set up in Japan in 1920 and has been successfully carried out in Japan since.

This model is a place for small and medium enterprises, which are unable to invest in equipment for testing, to use the centres services and machines to study and test their products. The model is under management of local authorities and its fund comes from the local budget and partly from the enterprises.

CIEM deputy director Tue Anh said it needed to discuss in more detail which industries would need that support. There are many centres supporting businesses in localities, so many areas will only require upgrades through investment in equipment and machines.

However, she added that the most difficult thing is determining how to maintain the centres operation effectively, including funding, machine upkeep and human resources.

Economic expert Nguyen Mai said CIEM should propose that the Ministry of Planning and Investment issue concrete policies for businesses to develop parts supply industry and then submit the policies the Government.

In particular, we should not have different concept between Viet Nam and Japan about the parts supply industry. We should set up parts supply for every industry, said Mai.  VNS
Sai Gon Beer Alcohol Beverage JSC (Sabeco) asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to list its shares on the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE) in the future. Photo cafef.vn

HCM CITY  Sai Gon Beer Alcohol Beverage JSC (Sabeco) asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to list its shares on the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE) in the future.

Sabeco said it planned to sign a consultants contract with Maybank Kim Eng Securities JSC before September 20.

According to a source, it will take at least two months for all the procedures required for listing to be completed.

In August, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged the equitization process be carried out for Sabeco, which is still the nations largest domestic brewery, with nearly 90 per cent financed with State capital.  VNS
One of many people in Viet Nam who has suffered from the chemical known as Agent Orange will not allow it to let her down.

Vuong Thi Quyen has done well at everything she has tried and wants her life to carry on that way.

Her success has earned her help to study at a university in India.

There, she has been able to tell people from other countries about what Agent Orange did to people in Viet Nam.

By Thuy Phan

Returning home for summer holiday after two years studying in India, 27-year-old Vuong Thi Quyen from Thanh Luong Hamlet, Quang Xuan Commune, in the central province of Quang Binh, is as determined as ever to leave her mark on the world.

Although she weighs just barely 28kg, she defeated many other weighty applicants to win a scholarship for one young, talented female student, awarded by the Ministry of External Affairs of India.

Quyen is currently a third-year student in the faculty of journalism and mass communication at Niilm University in Kaithal City, India.

According to Vuong Quoc Thuan, Quyens father, she is the youngest daughter in the family. She is also the only one of his four children to suffer from the effects of herbicide dioxin Agent Orange, which was sprayed by the US military during the American War in Viet Nam.

At birth, Quyen used to be as physically normal as other children of the same age. However, when she reached nine, a tumour started to grow on her back and got bigger over time.

Conclusions from the local hospital stated that she has deformed bone structure, which is the consequence of the development of the tumour. All the nutrition is absorbed by the tumour, making her body very skinny, Thuan said.

But Quyen has never been defeated by her unfortunate fate. She has always performed best at school and was ranked among excellent students at secondary and high schools.

After graduating from Quang Binh University, majoring in computer science, Quyen was hired to work for Quang Trach Districts Association for Victims of Agent Orange/ Dioxin.

Sometimes I cast doubt on her working ability, but Quyen has always made me feel as if she were neither handicapped nor a victim of Agent Orange, says ang Ngoc Van, chairman of the association.

Quyens chance came when Viet Nams Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs of India jointly launched an interview to award a scholarship to a young talented female student in 2014.

Triumphing over many other contestants, she won the US$6,200 scholarship to attend Niilm University.

Simple wish

At Niilm University, most international students come from Africa and Asia, like Uganda, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, all of whom are the children of officials serving in the ministries of foreign affairs.

There are only three Vietnamese students at the university, and only Quyen is a victim of Agent Orange.

My international friends had no idea about the disaster caused to Viet Nam by Agent Orange or its victims. But then they understood, welcomed me with admiration and have helped me a lot, she said.

Her first days at school were a struggle. She fell far behind her classmates because her English skills were lacking, and all the teaching and textbooks were in English.

With the assistance of two Vietnamese students, Quyen spent most of her time, besides attending lectures, honing her English.

By the end of the first term, she was able to communicate as fluently as other students. From an average mark of 60/100, Quyen has acquired nearly 70/100 for each subject. Her great efforts have made a good impression on her international friends.

For a victim of Agent Orange, living in a foreign land seems to be fraught with enormous difficulties, from the erratic climate to different eating habits.

The weather in India is severe. In summer, the temperature can be as high as 48 degrees Celsius, while in winter it can plunge to below 0 degrees Celsius. Quyens body is highly sensitive to changes in the weather, and she sometimes feels tired and suffers from pain.

In Haryana State where Quyen is living, most of the residents are Hindus and vegetarians. Despite living there for two years already, she has not been able to get accustomed to the food. Quyen therefore has to ask her friends to go shopping for her and cook the food herself.

Im entering the third term and also the final term at Niilm University. My two Vietnamese friends have already finished their courses and come back home. Now Im the only Vietnamese at Niilm University, which makes me a bit worried, Quyen said.

I have a lot of dreams after graduating, she said. I have been tremendously supported spiritually and financially from my family and the whole community. After this summer holiday, I have to be back to school. However, Im sick most of the time in India, so my only wish now is to have good health to finish my last term so that I could repay what I have been offered and contribute to society. VNS





GLOSSARY

Returning home for summer holiday after two years studying in India, 27-year-old Vuong Thi Quyen from Thanh Luong Hamlet, Quang Xuan Commune, in the central province of Quang Binh, is as determined as ever to leave her mark on the world.

A hamlet is a collection of houses that is too small to call a village.

To leave your mark on the world means to do something for which you will be remembered after you have died.

Although she weighs just barely 28kg, she defeated many other weighty applicants to win a scholarship for one young, talented female student, awarded by the Ministry of External Affairs of India.

Defeated means won over

A person who is talented has natural skills.

Quyen is currently a third-year student in the faculty of journalism and mass communication at Niilm University in Kaithal City, India.

Currently means now.

A faculty is a department at an educational institution.

According to Vuong Quoc Thuan, Quyens father, she is the youngest daughter in the family. She is also the only one of his four children to suffer from the effects of herbicide dioxin Agent Orange, which was sprayed by the US military during the American War in Viet Nam.

A herbicide is a chemical used to destroy unwanted plants.

However, when she reached nine, a tumour started to grow on her back and got bigger over time.

A tumour is a swelling of a part of the body in an unusual way.

Conclusions from the local hospital stated that she has deformed bone structure, which is the consequence of the development of the tumour.

Conclusions are decisions made after something has been looked at, or examined.

A deformed bone structure is a bone structure that is not normal.

A consequence means a result.

All the nutrition is absorbed by the tumour, making her body very skinny, Thuan said.

Nutrition is the goodness that is in food that makes your body grow.

But Quyen has never been defeated by her unfortunate fate.

Your fate is what happens to you in the end, whether you have control of it or not.

Sometimes I cast doubt on her working ability, but Quyen has always made me feel as if she were neither handicapped nor a victim of Agent Orange, says ang Ngoc Van, chairman of the association.

People who are handicapped have something unfortunate that causes them to not be able to function properly.

Quyens chance came when Viet Nams Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs of India jointly launched an interview to award a scholarship to a young talented female student in 2014.

A scholarship is a payment made to help someone with their education. Scholarships are given to those who do well enough to deserve them.

Triumphing over many other contestants, she won the US$6,200 scholarship to attend Niilm University.

Triumphing means scoring a victory after trying very hard.

With the assistance of two Vietnamese students, Quyen spent most of her time, besides attending lectures, honing her English.

Assistance means help.

By the end of the first term, she was able to communicate as fluently as other students.

To communicate with someone means to send messages to them and receive messages from them. It can be done by talking to them, writing to them as well as in many other ways.

If you are fluent in a language you can talk it easily and are able to get people to understand you using that language easily.

Her great efforts have made a good impression on her international friends.

An impression of someone is an opinion of that person.

For a victim of Agent Orange, living in a foreign land seems to be fraught with enormous difficulties, from the erratic climate to different eating habits.

To be fraught with difficulties means to be loaded with difficulties.

If the climate is erratic, the weather changes in ways that you cannot understand. It does not follow a pattern.

Habits are things you do often and find hard to stop doing.

In Haryana State where Quyen is living, most of the residents are Hindus and vegetarians.

Vegetarians are people who do not eat meat.

Despite living there for two years already, she has not been able to get accustomed to the food.

To get accustomed to food means to get used to it.

WORKSHEET

State whether the following sentences are true, or false:

Vuong Thi Quyen is the only student from Viet Nam ever to study at Niilm University in India. Niilm University is in a place called Kaithal City. Quang Binh University is also in India. At Niilm University, students study in English. Most people who live in Indias Haryana State are Hindus.

ANSWERS:

 Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2016

1. False; 2. True; 3. False; 4. True; 5. True.
HCM CITY  The Department of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change on Thursday awarded top prize to three students at the Olympia Schools in Ha Noi in its outdoor painting contest in celebration of International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone layer.

One of the winners, seventh grader Nguyen Ngoc Tam, said that he had painted the last penguin crying for the loss of his home, family and friends because of the polar ice caps melting at the North Pole due to global warming.

Fifth grader Nguyen Viet Thuc Trang, who also won top prize, depicted a light bulb in the shape of a skull, and 10th grader Nguyen Nhi Linh, another winner, painted a Mahesh Vara god calling for environmental protection.

The contest, which attracted 700 of the schools students, included paintings and graphic design about the Earth, the ozone layer and climate in different media, such as acrylic, colored wax, markers and pastels.

Forty-eight of the paintings were exhibited at a ceremony for International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone layer at the Majestic Hotel in HCM Citys District 1.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam aims to develop a film making industry worth of US$50 million in revenue by 2020.

This is one of the targets mentioned under the Viet Nam Culture Industry Development Strategy, which was approved by the Prime Minister earlier this week. Revenue from the culture industry is expected to contribute three per cent to the countrys GDP by 2020.

Pushing forward human resources development and improving management and sales skills of employees working in the culture industry are among the tasks and measures that need to be undertaken to achieve the targets.

In addition, enhancing the application of modern technology in producing, publishing and storing cultural products is also required.

Reforming and developing the print and publication industry, art performances, film production, advertising and exhibitions must also be encouraged to realise the goals.  VNS
Lawyer Nguyen Tien

Lawyer Nguyen Tien Lap spoke to the journal Sai gon Economic Times on the need to address the interest of the people when evaluating economic projects

How should we evaluate the opinions of affected groups of people or communities in an economic project in Viet Nam?

Investment projects, in one way or another, all cause impacts on economics, society and the environment. The bigger a project, the bigger its impact. What I want to emphasise here is that the impacts are both positive and negative. A project may bring about positive economic impacts but cause negative impacts on the environment, like the Formosa Steel Project in the central province of Ha Tinh.

Though our Law on Investment has been revised several times, it still has constraints, particularly in project impacts assessment. Most of the assessment are based on information provided by the investors and government agencies involved in the appraising process. In that process, an independent professional agency is rarely invited to attend the meeting or the consultation with people who will be affected by the project.

In my opinion, it has been taken for granted that the State is the representative of the people. So there is no need to organise consultations with the people. Proof of what Im saying is the case of the Formosa Steel Mill.

In 2011, the United Nations adopted a resolution on common principles covering business and human rights. Under the document, all governments, investors and enterprises have to respect and protect human rights which have been legally acknowledged, particularly the right to livelihood, the right to live in a clean and safe environment. Thats why for an investment project, all affected communities have the right to participate in assessing the projects environmental, economic and societal impacts. But in Viet Nam Im afraid to say that this idea is still alien to many people.

Do you have any comments on land planning activities, particularly for big projects in our country?

Land planning activities are a headache for all of society, including people in power and the public.

Legally speaking, land planning supports the novel idea of equal, fair and sustainable development.

However, the quality of our land planning is poor. It is subjective and people are out for their own benefits.

It is high time for people in this field to adopt a more positive attitude toward the development of the nation and understand the true nature of the market economy that Viet Nam has been pursuing. _VNS
Illustrative Image.  vov.vn

HA NOI  The revised draft Law on Anti-Corruption proposes removing annual declarations for public employees and replacing it with an initial declaration and supplementary declaration, Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Government Inspectorate said.

The draft law aims to account for public employees properties and income when hiring them or promoting them. "We want people public employees to be transparent," he said at a conference on Thursday where lawyers discussed the draft.

When someone becomes a public employee, they have to declare the value of their properties and incomes, he said.

According to Thanh, the draft law has a separate chapter with many new, substantial provisions on the issue.

Anyone appointed for the first time as a public employee; civil servants holding managerial posts; cadres and public employees who are elected, appointed, re-appointed or assigned to positions in State agencies, political organisations, socio-political organisations, socio-politico-professional organisations and other organisations that operate with state budget funds, will have to declare their property and income.

Supplementary declarations will be required for those who have made initial declarations and wish to be elected, appointed, re-appointed or assigned to act as representatives of state capital at enterprises and for persons whose property and income increases by VN200million (US$8,900) or more.

We do not intend to prevent public servants from getting wealthier but the State must know whether their wealth is legal or not, he said.

The draft extends also mentions the non-state sector, requiring persons working at public companies, credit institutions and investment funds to declare their property and income.

A law expert, Professor Nguyen ang Dung said that requiring declarations from the non-state sector was inappropriate, adding that only those who use State capital and property should make declarations.

o Gia Thu, former head of Legal Department of the State Inspectorate, said property declarations should be conducted at the employees residence instead of at their offices.

Under the current law, more than one million cadres and public servants in Viet Nam must declare their property and income annually.

Only 17 cases of fraud in property declarations have been detected since the Anti-Corruption Law was enacted in 2006, according to the Government Inspectorate.  VNS
The HCM City Peoples Committee has asked for permission from the government to appoint investors for the Thu Thiem Bridge 4 project under the BT (build-transfer) model.  Photo motthegioi.vn

HCM CITY  The HCM City Peoples Committee has asked for permission from the government to appoint investors for the Thu Thiem Bridge 4 project under the BT (build-transfer) model.

The city proposed three investors, Phat at Corporation Real Estate Development, Investment Corporation 620, and 168 Construction Development Investment JSC.

The 2.16-km, six-lane bridge connecting District 2 and 7 is expected to have a vertical clearance of 45 metres, similar to that of Phu My Bridge. The clearance would ensure traffic flow of waterway vehicles.

The cost of building a tall bridge is expensive, according to the Ministry of Transport.

If Thu Thiem Bridge 4 were to have a lower vertical clearance, construction costs could be reduced. But traffic flows from Tan Thuan ong Port to pier K12, K12A, and K12B of Sai Gon Port would be negatively affected, it said.

According to the zoning plan for ports in the Southeastern region between 2020 and 2030, 11 ports and piers designed for 20,000-30,000-tonne boats on the Sai Gon River will be relocated. Piers K12, K12A and K12B are not included.

The committee has suggested that the government include piers K12, K12A and K12B in the plan and move them to Hiep Phuoc Port area because of heavy traffic from vehicles and container trucks carrying goods from nearby ports and piers in District 4 and 7.

This would free the hotspots such as the Nguyen Van Linh  Huynh Tan Phat intersection, Nguyen Van Linh  Tan Thuan Bridge 2 intersection, Nguyen Tat Thanh Street and others from serious traffic problems.

It would also be more convenient for construction of Thu Thiem Bridge 4. Since traffic would no longer travel from piers K12, K12A and K12B, the bridge could be built with a lower clearance, thus saving construction costs.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ha Noi administration has announced it will pave 936 streets with natural stone in 12 districts across the city.

The move comes as the citys pavement continues to show signs of degradation, hindering pedestrians to walk as well as worsening the image of the city, reported by Giao thong (Transport) online newspaper.

Le Van Duc, director of the citys Transport Department, said the natural stones biggest asset is its reliability of 50-70 years.

After testing the material in several streets in Nguyen Trai and Le Trong Tan, the department was impressed with the stones handsome aesthetic and determined to pave hundreds of streets with the stone, he said.

Twelve companies have been selected to provide the stone for the construction, he said, and the project is estimated at under VN500,000 (US$22) per square metre.

By choosing only one material to pave all across the city, the city hopes to ensure consistency and avoid the current mix of stone materials around the streets.

A representative from the capital Peoples Committee said the funds to implement the project will be withdrawn from the city budget and mobilised from the socialisation of investment capital.

The materials reliability will hopefully end to the rounds of replacements and repairs required every few years, he added.

However, experts responded in a variety of ways to the citys decision.

ao Ngoc Nghiem, deputy head of Ha Noi Urban Planning and Developing Association, advised the city to reconsider whether the natural stone will fit with all the streets.

Le Van Thinh, former Construction Quality Managemer under the Ministry of Construction, questioned whether the constructions quality was ensured at such a low price of below $22 per a square metre.

Thinh said the constructions quality often depended on two things, first, the builder, second, capital investment.

"If we spent little, it might be hard to get good quality," he said.

Disagreeing with Thinhs comment, Nguyen Van Hung, former principal of Construction University, said paving with the natural stone should be constructed along some major streets instead of all 936 streets.

Paving each and every street with the natural stone will be costly, he said.  VNS
Up to 228 Vietnamese fishermen being held for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters were released yesterday and arrived safely in Vung Tau City in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria  Vung Tau.  Photo tuoitre.vn

HA NOI  Up to 228 Vietnamese fishermen being held for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters were released yesterday and arrived safely in Vung Tau City in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria  Vung Tau.

This was the largest number of Vietnamese fishermen ever to be released by Indonesia.

The fishermen were transported by fisheries surveillance vessel KN 490, then delivered to representatives of the localities hosting them, the Foreign Ministry said.

Previously, upon Indonesias promise to return the fishermen in September, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned relevant ministries and localities to work together to bring the fishermen home as soon as possible, ensuring their safety.

The Foreign Ministry, related ministries, and Vietnamese representatives and offices abroad joined hands to protect the rights of the fishermen when they were caught and put on trial.

The agencies have been working to strengthen management and to monitor fishing activities of Vietnamese fishermen to ensure that they abide by international laws.

Last week Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti, met with the Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia in Jakarta to discuss the pending repatriations.

The Indonesian Minister said the return of the fishermen was the result of cooperation between the two nations. She expressed hope that the two nations would continue collaborating to return the remaining Vietnamese fishermen detained in Indonesia to their home country.

Minister Susi also highlighted Viet Nams potential for aquaculture and seafood processing and urged localities in Natuna to foster cooperation with Vietnamese enterprises in these areas.

Ambassador Hoang Tuan Anh expressed his gratitude to the Government of Indonesia and to the Minister for their contributions to the agreement which allowed the 228 fishermen to return home.

"Vietnam has taken numerous measures to prevent its fishermen from violating Indonesias waters," he said. He indicated that efforts were hampered by fishermens poor awareness of the laws and by their disadvantaged economic circumstances.

Indonesia has said it is currently detaining around 312 more Vietnamese fishermen. - VNS
Trinh Xuan Thanh

HA NOI  The Ministry of Public Security yesterday issued an arrest warrant domestically and internationally for Trinh Xuan Thanh, 50, former Chairman of PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC).

The ministry decided to prosecute Thanh, a former member of southern Hau Giang Provinces Party Committee, for alleged violations of State regulations on economic management resulting in massive losses for the PVC during his leadership.

The ministry ordered his detention and a search on his house.

The ministrys investigation police on Thursday announced a decision to start criminal prosecutions for violations of economic rules at PVC.

Earlier this month, members of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee agreed to expel Thanh from the Party with the motion winning 100 per cent of votes.  VNS
Unequal Budget funding for the Yes vote wont give Australians equal say If you seek to ensure not all Australians get an equal say in the debate about an enshrined voice, then dont be surprised when millions of them cry foul about the integrity of the result.

ISIS brides and children repatriated from Syria should be in a jail forever 04:45 Iraqi refugee Salam Qaro says all ISIS brides and their children who have come from Syrian detention camps should be in a jail forever".

Australian killed in South Korea stampede 00:12 It has been confirmed an Australian citizen has been killed in the Halloween stampede in South Korea.

Federal government warned to act quickly on power prices 02:54 The federal government has been warned it must act before the end of November to stop power prices from climbing another 50 per cent next year....
These are days of darkness for the Republican party and the nation, and my selfie with Evan McMullin reflects that unfortunate fact. Also, of course, the bad lighting at the Americana restaurant on Locust Street last night.But I was privileged to meet that humble patriot yesterday evening. Evan, for those who don't know, worked for the CIA part-time in college, and full-time afterward, eventually becoming a clandestine anti-terrorism operative in the Middle East. 9/11 prompted his decision to go full time. So he went to war against al Quaeda and ISIS and the enemies of our country and of freedom.When he left the CIA, he went to Wharton Business School (the one Donald Trump lied about having graduated from with honors) and went into finance. He later worked for the United Nations helping refugees and for the Republican caucus in the United States House of Representatives, working first as its advisor on national security and later as its policy director. When the Republican party disgraced itself by nominating Donald Trump, Evan- like me, and many others- hoped that some present or past member of Congress or governor or former presidential candidate would step up to carry the banner of genuine Republicanism and conservatism against that phony and the equally dishonest and unfit harridan the Democrats nominated, But none did,At last, he was asked to run himself. He said he considered it his duty. He could not stand by and watch the country he loved and had served so faithfully be put at risk by allowing Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to go unchallenged.He had worked in the Middle East, he said, against authoritarian tyrants just like Donald Trump, and recognized the type. He forthrightly addressed the most valid argument those who plan to vote for Trump have: the assertion that Trump is more likely than Hillary to appoint originalist justices who would interpret the Constitution as written rather than re-write it as they thought it should have been written. And he was blunt about why he believed the argument didn't hold water. And I agree with him.He'd seen Trump's type before, he said. Yes, Trump had promised at one point to appoint Supreme Court nominees from a list submitted by Tgood candidates all. Yet just the other day reports began to circulate that he planned to appoint financier and Trump crony Peter Theil,And during the debates, he put forward his own radical, pro-abortion sister as an example of the kind of justice he'd appoint!Donald Trump, Evan pointed out, simply can't be trusted to keep his word about anything. He lies like other people breathe, and his beliefs change with the circumstances. Within the past twelve months, Trump has reversed himself on virtually every issue. He doesn't fulfill his contracts or pay his bills; he even stiffed those young cheerleaders who performed at that rally of his in Florida during the primaries. He who inveighs against illegal immigrants hires them- and then declines to pay them. He pushes small businesses to the brink of bankruptcy by forcing them to settle for pennies on the dollar on debts he could easily afford to pay. He breaks promises without a second thought. He has no honor. What he has is an overwhelming will to power. Those who say that while we know what Hillary would do, we don't know what Trump would do are right, Evan said last night. The problem is the overwhelming likelihood based on his track record that what he would do would be worse than anything Hillary would ever do, and worse even than we imagine.If Trump becomes president, McMullin said (and again, from what I know of the man I fully agree with him), he will appoint whomever the whim of the moment might dictate to the Court- and once he's made the appointment, will simply ignore the Supreme Court and run roughshod over both the Court and Congress. His contempt for the Constitution is absolute. Evan McMullin reads Donald Trump exactly as I do: as the greatest threat to our American Constitutional democracy in our history and the most dangerous man ever nominated by a major party for the presidency.The lives of Evan's colleges in the CIA might well have been endangered by Hillary Clinton's carelessness with classified materials. He exercised considerable restraint, I thought, in not addressing how American lives were endangered and in fact lost by her mishandling of the Benghazi crisis.They would also be endangered by Trump's manifest ignorance, egotism, unwillingness to listen, and recklessness. Neither Trump nor Clinton, he has pointed out in the past, could even get a security clearance if they had not been nominated by our major parties to be president! Yet both were receiving routine briefings on our nation's most vital secrets, and one of them was about to gain the apex of American power, invested with a degree of trust of which neither is worthy. He could not stand by and watch that happen, Evan said last night. And that's why he's running.Nor is national security the only category in which Evan McMullin shines when compared to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (Gary Johnson, who is Hillary's clone on social policies and Trump's in his irresponsible and isolationist foreign policy, radical Jill Stein and tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorist Darryl Castle of the Constitution Party do not even merit consideration). This graduate of Wharton is an economist as well as an expert in keeping us safe. His grasp on economics is impressive. The Chinese, he points out, want to compete with us economically. They are in fact very good at imitating and "ripping off" the ideas of others. But what they can't do is what Americans do better than anyone else does, or ever has:Innovation, McMullin said, is the key to our prospering in the new century. It's the key to bringing the economy out of its doldrums and putting Americans back to work. In order to grow the economy, we need to be doing things that make the economy grow by taking advantage of our greatest neglected strength as a nation. Our future is in new technologies and new developments in old ones. We are currently going broke simply paying the interest on the national debt, he pointed out. We cannot-not- simply continue on our present path. Bold new steps are needed not simply to keep pace with what we owe to others, but to supercharge the economy and make America solvent again.One of the people at the gathering asked him about the space program. He pointed out that that is precisely one of the places where Americans have excelled in the past- and have virtually ceased to even try. No wonder unemployment is so high in the states where the aerospace industry once brought prosperity! I pointed out that the Mercury and Gemini and Apollo programs created whole new industries, employed huge numbers of precisely the people who have been hurt most by the economic downturn of 2008, stimulated countless spinoff industries and technologies which employed vastly more- and despite complaints from the Left and others who are ill-informed on the subject that we had far more pressing needs for the money we spend on it here at home,Evan McMullin understands that simplistic ideas about soaking the rich while spending huge amounts on new entitlements will only dig us deeper into our economic hole. What is needed, as President Bush tried so disastrously articulate during the 2000 campaign, is not to decrease the size of the slice some people get from the pie so that others can get bigger slices.And we need to do that by innovating, by trying new things, by pushing the envelope, by developing new technologies and ways of doing things- by doing the things Americans do best and do better than anybody in history ever has done.This is a very smart man- far smarter than Trump, probably smarter than Hillary and certainly healthier psychologically than either of them. In a debate, he would demolish them both (he's challenged Johnson and Stein and Castle to an "undercard debate;" it will be interesting to see whether they accept). Unlike Trump, he knows what he's talking about when he discusses national security. And unlike Hillary, it comes first with him.He admits that the odds are long. His campaign manager told me last night that he expects voters to have a chance to vote for Evan in somewhere around 40 to 43 of the fifty states despite his late start. But in some states, he'll be a write-in candidate. He freely admits that he has no path to 270 electoral votes. His strategy is to deadlock the Electoral College and throw the election into the House of Representatives- where, as the only one of the three top finishers in electoral votes who is fit to hold the office, members of the House from both parties who know personally will have a chance to put country ahead of party and make the right choice.Very honestly I think the odds are even longer than he does. But that's not the point. This election has confronted us with a choice between two major party nominees who are both categorically unworthy and unfit to sit in the Oval Office. The great preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, "When confronted with making a choice between two evils," The lesser of two evils, as someone once said, is still evil.But in this election, we are not merely confronted with choosing, as we sometimes have in the past, the lesser of two evils. The options we are presented with are not simply evil. They are both unacceptable.. It's not just that neither of them is worthy of the office they both seek.Either would be a threat to America's security and well-being. Hillary, at the very least, would endanger the Constitution through the appointments she would make to the Supreme Court, even if she proved a more competent President than she was a Secretary of State. Trump promises a foreign policy which would abandon America's responsibilities in the world, dishonor our alliances and treaties the way he dishonors contracts, and threaten not only our national security but world peace.He proposes a protectionist economic policy that would devastate our economy and plunge us back into the Great Recession.When faced with the options of being tortured to death, being hanged, or trying to escape, no sane person chooses the second because it hurts less than the first. One tries to escape, no matter how long the odds. And as long the odds might be against electing Evan McMullin- the only current candidate for president who is frankly qualified or worthy to occupy the Oval Office- those odds are no excuse for not daring them in order to save our nation and the future of our children from even the better of two inadmissible alternatives, no matter which we each may perceive that better bad option to be.
WAVERLY  U.S. Sen. Charles Grassleys office has confirmed the U.S. Department of Labor has approved federal assistance for Terex Cranes workers laid off when that plant closed in July.

It means the former workers are eligible to apply for benefits under the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program, including skills assessment, training and other benefits, Grassley spokesperson Jill Gerber said.

One day after the plant closed, Grassley wrote U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, urging prompt help for the 175 Terex workers in Waverly who were laid off when the plant there closed July 19 after 75 years in business in the city. Most of the affected workers were members of United Auto Workers Local 411.

Christi Mason, workforce development director for Cedar Valley IowaWorks offices in Waterloo, which has been working with the displaced Terex workers, was pleased at the comparatively quick federal assistance.

This is very good news as they will have access to a wide variety of benefits and services beyond what our normal dislocated worker program can offer, such as relocation assistance and a wage subsidy for older workers that covers a portion of the difference between their new wages and old, Mason said.

We will be offering another information session in Waverly to discuss TAA benefits, sometime in early October, Mason said. Monday is the first day the displaced workers can file for unemployment and we have multiple sessions set up on the 19th and 20th (Monday and Tuesday) here at IowaWORKS in our computer lab to assist them with filing.

We have seen a number of Terex workers at our center and some have already found jobs or are in the process of starting a training program, Mason said. She has noted those workers have skills which are very much in demand by other employers.

Terex announced July 19 it was moving Waverly crane production to a company facility in Oklahoma City. More than 100 unionized manufacturing workers, affiliated with UAW Local 411, were idled immediately, and another 75 nonproduction, nonunion personnel, including commercial office, design-engineering and purchasing team members were to be phased out gradually. The companys 100-employee global accounting center in Waverly remains open.
The Pleasant Valley Community School District school board voted unanimously to appoint Tracey Rivera to serve as school board director for Pleasant Valley's district #6, formerly held by Christina Anderson, who had to vacate her seat as her family is moving out of the district. Rivera will serve in Andersons former seat until the regular school board election scheduled for November 2023.
CHARLES CITY  For students who think attending classes can be a chore, a grant-funded program is expanding an initiative designed to give them project-based skills.

This year, Charles City Schools, Osage Schools, Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Schools and New Hampton Schools are offering elective courses through the Iowa Big program.

The program aims to connect high school students with local businesses using workplace-type projects  with real goals and deadlines  to solve mutually shared problems.

The program is open only to juniors and seniors from all four schools, said Charles City teacher Donna Forsyth.

A typical class setting for me is pretty boring, said Charles City senior Sam Mullen, 17.

But she was drawn to the program because she would be able to tackle practical projects  including possibly helping to develop access to counseling at school for students who may have lost a parent. Mullen plans to become a nurse after high school.

At the former Charles City Middle School, a work space is set aside for 37 juniors and seniors who registered to take the program as elective classes this semester.

Three different classes will be offered: applied English, science or professional studies.

Each student has to participate in at least two projects to learn how to juggle real-world priorities, Forsyth said.
CEDAR FALLS  Anne Holton, wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine and a former secretary of education in Virginia, will make a stop in Cedar Falls Monday afternoon.

Holton will hold an event at 4:30 p.m.Monday at the University of Northern Iowas Maucker Union. Doors open at 4:00 p.m.

People interested in attending can register online at: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/events/view/XGKWW3GBHUTJTZEI/.

Holton will focus on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons and Kaines plan to make college debt-free for all Americans. She will also focus on how young people can get involved in the campaign.

Holton will also make a stop in Cedar Rapids following her visit to UNI.
JOHNSTON  Iowa is crucial to both presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, according to two veteran campaign operatives who discussed the state of the race Friday during taping for this weekends episode of Iowa Press on Iowa Public Television.

Iowa has been one of the most competitive states in polling on the presidential election, most showing Trump or Clinton leading within the polls margins for error. Although Trump has been gaining in recent polls, a Monmouth University Poll published last week showed Trump ahead by 8 percentage points in Iowa.

Still, most election prognosticators say the Electoral College map shapes up better for Clinton.

The tightening race means Iowas six Electoral College votes will be important to either candidates hopes for becoming the next president.

At this point  it is incredibly important to both, and I think both candidates would, both of their campaigns would tell you that, said Brad Anderson, who ran Barack Obamas successful 2012 re-election campaign in Iowa. And we saw this in 2012. We saw, at the end of the day, it will come down to five or six states, and Iowa will be one because the math just doesnt work in a lot of ways without the electoral votes from Iowa.

John Stineman, who ran Steve Forbes 2000 presidential campaign in Iowa, said Iowa is crucial to Trump because of the difficulty presented to him by the Electoral College map.

I would say that its undeniable that the Electoral College at this point in time favors the Democratic candidate, Stineman said. And the math is there that there is a path for Trump. And whether Trump or any other Republican, it is a much more challenging path to 270 (the number of electoral votes needed to win), and I think that theres no way to shake it out other than to say that Iowa matters a great deal for Trumps victory scenario.

Trump already has campaigned in Iowa four times during the general election campaign. Clinton has been in Iowa once and held a Labor Day event in the Quad-Cities, just across the river from Iowa in western Illinois.
DES MOINES  Voters in large numbers do not approve of the presidential candidates presented to them by the Democratic and Republican political parties.

That has given third-party candidates an opportunity to make more of an impact on this election than any since the 1990s.

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton are viewed less favorably by voters than any major-party presidential candidate since pollsters first asked the question in the 1960s. In a recent NBC News poll, Trump was viewed favorably by 36 percent of voters and unfavorably by 62 percent, and Clinton was viewed favorably by 38 percent unfavorably by 60 percent.

That appears to have created an opening for candidates from outside the two major political parties, including Libertarian Gary Johnson, Jill Stein of the Green Party and independent Evan McMullin.

Its a race like no other in a sense that these are the two most disliked candidates that have run for president in recent memory, and some people are searching for some out, for some kind of third option, said Kedron Bardwell, chair of the political science department at Simpson College in Indianola.

Johnson thus far has had the most success in polling on the presidential race. He has reached double digits in many polls and has the best chance of the third-party candidates to qualify for the presidential debates.

In order to participate in the debates, Johnson must average 15 percent in polls approved by the debate commission. Johnson is averaging 9 percent in Real Clear Politics polling average.

Third-party candidates have faced long odds in U.S. presidential elections ever since the Democratic and Republican parties took command in the late 1800s. No state has gone to a third-party candidate since 1968, when George Wallace won five states in the South, and no third-party candidate has cracked the top two in an election since Theodore Roosevelt as a Progressive in 1912 finished a distant second to Democrat Woodrow Wilson but won six states and beat incumbent Republican President William H. Taft.

Third-party candidates most recently made tangible impacts in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 elections.

In 1992, Ross Perot qualified for the debates as an independent and earned 17.4 percent of the vote in Iowa. He tried again in 1996 with the Reform Party he created and got 8.5 percent of the Iowa vote.

In 2000, Ralph Nader of the Green Party got 2 percent of the vote. No third-party candidate has earned as much as 1 percent of the vote since.

Johnson and Stein, the two most prominent third-party candidates in the polls this year, were on the ballot in 2012 as well. Johnson secured just 0.8 percent of the vote in Iowa and Stein just 0.2 percent.

Theres a very low bar for how well these candidates have done in the last few elections, Bardwell said. I dont think a lot of people have that distinct memory of Perot, so theyre used to these elections where a certain number of people say theyre going to vote for third party and then a week before the race comes, all of a sudden they say, Oh, gosh, but that would waste my vote. So they change.

It appears unlikely a third-party candidate this year will succeed in winning a state. If he continues to move up in the polls, Johnson could reach the level of support Perot reached in the 1990s. But Johnson or Stein could affect the election by siphoning support from Trump or Clinton, tilting the scales of the presidential race.

Polling experts have said it is too early to tell whether Trump or Clinton are losing more voters to third-party candidates. Whats more, those experts say its not clear voters who say now they plan to vote for a third-party candidate will do so.

I havent seen (the polling impact of third-party candidates) shift a whole lot, and when I have seen it shift, Ive seen it shift both ways, said Chris Larimer, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa. I think its still a little bit of an unknown.

The third-party candidates also remain largely unknown. On average, more than half of voters surveyed do not know enough about Johnson or Stein to form an opinion, according to the Huffington Posts poll tracker.
Neighbors say a woman inside the house was able to get out safely on her own. Two men helped a dog get out of the home. The dog was given oxygen on site and taken to a veterinarian.
Does the current election cycle indicate a general trend toward meanness?

Perhaps thats a rhetorical question. You dont have to look far to find a negative  if not downright mean  tone in current political campaigns and society in general.

For example, Ive been disappointed in certain regional political ads, where Candidate A, whom I respect, depicts Candidate B, whom I also respect, as stiff and one-dimensional.

I expect better; I feel like Candidate A is unnecessarily mean  and without provocation. (Id say Candidate As are more hacky than funny, but that would be mean too.)

We live in odd times when the common culture is directed by a confluence of free speech and the widespread desire to control our public identities. We want to take a stand, snark and say our piece  and we want you to think were open-minded and nice.

Its nearly impossible to have it both ways. Technology, however, brings us close; we can delight in saying our meanness from behind the mask of anonymity.

Perhaps thats why a sort of public, tell-it-like-it-is persona is so marketable right now. Those few who dare to say mean things in front of everyone are practically folk heroes.

Take Donald Trump. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, white men overwhelmingly favor him as their presidential candidate, leading Hillary Clinton by 24 points in that category.

Why? Some Republican pundits interpret this support as the Reagan effect.

According to Irish Central, Ronald Reagan was a popular presidential candidate among so-called Reagan Democrats. These predominantly Irish and Italian-American male voters were given the moniker when they switched previous political allegiances to vote for Reagan.

(Irish American males) love that image of the strong man on his white horse coming to rescue the wagon train, writes Niall ODowd for Irish Central. Reagan was a brilliant communicator, and Trump has also played this skill brilliantly.

Reagans dramatic flair, self-deprecating humor and machoism appealed to white male voters. Trump, too, cuts a striking figure, dominates headlines and has a way with soundbytes.

Like ODowd, I find the comparison distasteful. Its lazy and misses the mark to the point of offense. For me, it comes down to two things: intent and reception.

Reagan had strong convictions. He used his theatrical background to make people listen to his perspective. He regularly asserted himself as a leader who was willing to do what was necessary to do whats best for the United States. He could be tough, even brutal. He wasnt mean, and Id challenge assertions to the contrary.

The same cant be said about Trump, who has a history of seeming to enjoy uncomfortable situations he creates by hurting feelings and bruising egos. His manner of engaging crowds appears to be about spectacle and showmanship, not the Reagans attempts to convey paternal wisdom.

Beyond that is what may be the bigger issue: reception. Many Trump supporters say the candidate says what everyone is thinking and is afraid to say. Thats troubling, especially since comparisons to Reagan are intended to smooth out some of the rough edges.

Consider previous eras, when many of us had fewer freedoms than we do today. We werent necessarily politically correct, and there wasnt such a rush to remain anonymous.

So if Trumps blunt, brash and often mean rhetoric is what everyone wants to say and feels they cant, what boils beneath the surface?
WATERLOO  The Waterloo Community Playhouse will have auditions for "A Christmas Story: The Musical" at 1 p.m. Sunday and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 in the WCP/BHCT Walker Building, 224 Commercial St.

The play is based the classic movie. Performance dates will be from Dec. 9 through 18. People should be prepared to sing selections from the production and wear comfortable clothes to dance in.

Neither experience nor membership is required to audition. Scripts will be available for a with a $10 deposit at WCP/BHCT Walker Building.
Even with 5-0 lead, Verlander can't get 1st World Series win
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Boza and I were walking at 5 a.m. and met a few guys staying at the Tiny Russian Village, to go duck hunting. One of them was a veterinarian. He was looking at Boza as we all talked and then said, He is blind!

I told him, Yes!

Then he did a few things as Boza stood there quietly and he told me that as soon as I get to Moscow, have him checked, but not much will help. The They can help any discomfort, but it looks as though he is not in trouble at that area. He petted Boza and his head and told me, Your friend?

I said yes and he scratched Boza behind the ears. Then said, Good friend!

I walked home and thought about Russian guys and have 90% of the time found them very intelligent and observant. This group was the same and they were on their way to their favorite hunting spot. They had their sons with them and they were all professionals in businesses. I meet many good people out here in the middle of nowhere and it is interesting. While I have never met them before, they knew who I am and were really happy to meet the American finally. It looks as if the Tiny Russian Village grapevine has expanded and included all family members of the villagers

* * * * * * * * * *

Thus a cup of coffee, which is Oh So Good and here pretty quick I have to go to the Big Village. Boza and I have walked three times already and I will leave at around 7 a.m. Boza is already sleeping again and in 20 minutes I will leave. I hear the boom of the shot guns these guys have and they have some very nice double barrels, by the way. Most use 12 gauge or about 70mm and one even had a 10 gauge. The double barrels that Russians use are extremely high quality and many are British made And yes there is lots of guns in Russia, just not handguns and unnecessary type weapons. But they have some fine double rifles and shotguns. Dont kid yourself what a shotgun can do with slugs, or some of these double rifles with solid jacket bullets. When they hunt wild boars, they are using some heavy powered weapons

* * * * * * * * * *

Svetochka comes on Wednesday (Happy Bear!), the engine is pulled from the other Volga (Happier Bear yet!), Have to pull the money donated for the engine being done this morning (Happy again!) and this next weekend I have to go back to Moscow. (Grumble and rumble Bear!)

Time to get Boza to the doctor, me to the doctor, my cracked tooth done and leave Russia for a few weeks. This all has to be done in a month and then I need to get back before winter sets in and snows the Tiny Russian Village under!

* * * * * * * * * *

Well, time to go! Got lots to do when I get back and I want to get to town before it wakes up. Just too busy for me when all the Big Villagers get up and going

Have a nice day

WtR
Are all birds created equal? I bet a Common Raven would tell you otherwise, and so would a lot of birders. Blasphemy say ye? Just ask yourself if you feel like giving the same value to a ratty looking Rock Pigeon as a candy-colored Jambu Fruit-Dove. Nothing against the Rocky Pigeon but lets be honest, if a breeding plumaged Blackburnian Warbler hops into view, Its pretty easy to forget about that pigeon, Warbling Vireo, or even a Pine Warbler when you can treat the good old retinas to a striking combination of red-orange, black, and white. Even the most emotionally detached birder on the block would be forced to admit, that Yes, now that bird is hot-damn beautiful.

We also have birds to which we attach the cute label. Bird species with big eyes and small bills tend to be labelled like so because those anthropomorphic features can trigger an emotional response but so what? Cute is cool, and especially when the bird is a lifer. Go birding in Costa Rica to get these avian examples of cuteness on the life list:

Collared Redstart cute and common in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama.

This species is sometimes known as amigo del hombre (friend of man) because it can follow people through the forest to catch bugs scared out of hiding. Yeah, its just using you as a beater but you get rewarded with close looks and photos.

Snowcap all hummingbirds are cute but this one is tiny AND the male looks like wine candy.

Green Thorntail like I said, all hummingbirds are cute (except maybe the Giant Hummingbird of South America. That one almost looks like a swallow with a super long beak).

American Pygmy Kingfisher its tough to express the cute factor of this species with a photo. See one in person, though, and the tiny size, shining colors, and ticking call notes will get your attention.

Long-tailed Tyrant this cute little flycatcher likes to sit out in the open and flick its super long tail as it gives a soft call note.

Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl Despite their rapacious ways and penchant to eat other cute birds, some owls fall smartly into the cute category.

Since cuteness depends on who is doing the looking, we could also talk about everything from Crane Hawks to antpittas and manakins. However, instead of being intrigued by pictures of cute birds, I suggest visiting Costa Rica to compare avian degrees of cuteness with your own bins. Hope to see you here!
Sep 17, 2016 | By Benedict

Its been another busy week of 3D printing activity, with big news from Carbon(3D), a fresh lawsuit for Formlabs, and some of the additive manufacturing industrys major players going head to head (though not literally) at Chicagos International Manufacturing Technology Show. In our second 3D printing roundup of the week, here are some extra updates from Materialise, UNYQ, XYZprinting, APWorks, and more.

1. Materialise launches Magics21 beta

Materialise, leading provider of additive manufacturing software and 3D printing solutions, this week released the beta version of Magics21, the latest version of its popular 3D printing data preparation software. The software enables users to convert, repair and edit files, and find an optimal position for a printed part on the build platform. Around 100 companies now have access to Magics21 after signing up for the beta program in advance.

The beta testers consist of companies from a broad range of fields, including automotive and aerospace, working with a range of 3D printing technologies. The group includes companies from across the world, so Magics will be available in eight languages for the first time ever. The public release of Magics21 will come in November, with all innovations in the release to be detailed during Frankfurts formnext conference.

2. UNYQ takes 3D printed scoliosis brace to White House

UNYQ, a 3D printed prosthetics and orthotics specialist based in San Francisco and Seville, Spain, this week brought its 3D printed scoliosis brace to an event at the White House hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement and Office of Science and Technology Policy. The UNYQ Align brace combines 3D printing and digital design, powered by the Intel Curie module, into a lightweight device for sufferers of scoliosis, a condition which affects the spine.

For the special White House event, UNYQ teamed up with designer Studio Bitonti to create a new and incredibly stylish edition of the 3D printed brace, which was modeled by Grace Mosier, a 15-year-old with scoliosis. UNYQ and Bitonti were able to create a brace which not only surpasses fashion expectations, but also delivers in terms of material reduction and breathability, making the device as comfortable as it is trendy.

Around 7 million US citizens suffer from scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that afflicts both young and old. Bracing is the most common treatment for children and teens, with prescribed usage of up to 16-18 hours a day. Traditional braces make it difficult for patients to reach the minimum recommended bracing period per day because they are constricting, bulky and perceived as unattractive.

The 3D printed brace uses sensors to detect how long a user wears the device, and monitors pressure points to ensure fit and function. A mobile app collects the data for use by clinicians to make adjustments based on empirical data. At 3.5mm thick, the new brace is lightweight and slim enough to wear under a shirt. These innovations dramatically improve the patients experience and impact their willingness to wear the brace.

3. XYZprinting unveils $289.95 da Vinci Mini 3D printer

XYZprinting, the 3D printer manufacturer behind the popular da Vinci line of 3D printers, has launched its latest model, the da Vinci Mini. The sub-$300 printer is designed for users of all skill levelsbusinesses, students, makers, and moreand comes packed with features like embedded WiFi, auto-calibration, an auto-loading filament system, an aluminum print bed, and biodegradable PLA filament. The printer has a build volume of 5.9 x 5.9 x 5.9.

XYZprinting's new da Vinci Mini 3D printer addresses the needs of 3D printing enthusiasts without sacrificing quality and ease-of-use, said Simon Chen, CEO of XYZprinting and New Kinpo Group. No matter your level of 3D printing experience, the da Vinci Mini is the perfect tool to create high-quality products at an affordable price.

A 3D printer could prove a particularly worthwhile investment for schools. Zack Boettcher from Milliken Elementary School in Colorado uses XYZprinting 3D printers to heighten his students' learning in the classroom. "For my classroom, 3D printing has been utilized as an exciting learning incentive for kids; where the winner gets to make their own print," Boettcher said. "Last summer, when it came to 3D printing, students were as engaged with the reward as they were with the lesson plan. My students got very excited whether it was just watching the da Vinci Mini print or experimenting with a design. With a 3D printer, as a teacher I was able to bring outside of the box problem solving skills to my students with the cool factor beyond the traditional classroom."

4. Luxexcel and A&R collaborate on quality control program for 3D printed lenses

Luxexcel, a leader in 3D printed optics, has teamed up with Automation and Robotics (A&R), a leading manufacturer of high-tech measurement equipment for optical labs, to develop a quality control program for 3D printed lenses. The program makes uses of A&Rs Dual LensMapper, and incorporates unique measurement technology and real-time manufacturing process evaluation tools.

Together with A&R Automation and Robotics we have now started a quality control program which will allow us to assure that our 3D printed lenses will meet both industry and user requirements, said Guido Groet, Luxexcel CMO. Our continuous development efforts will bring us to imaging quality and we expect to be ready for certain applications in the course of 2017. The Dual LensMapper allows us to inspect the lenses in detail and take our quality control to the next level.

According to the two companies, the accurate and high resolution optical power error map provided by the Dual LensMapper evaluates the ability of a digital 3D manufacturing method to replicate the expected theoretical design of a lens. While the requirements in transparency, surface smoothness, and accuracy have thus far limited the 3D printing of optics, developments like this new quality control program could accelerate growth in the industry.

5. APWorks receives EN 9100 Certification for Quality Management System

It was a good week for quality control all round, as Airbus APWorks received EN 9100 certification from TUV Sud, an international service corporation focusing on consulting, testing, certification and training, for its quality assurance procedures. The EN 9100 is a prerequisite for becoming an aerospace supplier, and APWorks can now assure others that the quality requirements of its own processes and products are fulfilled and are continuously improving. The aerospace company received the certificate for the engineering and production of metallic products and sales of metallic powders for additive manufacturing.

In order to receive EN 9100 Certification, a gapless, traceable documentation of the entire supply chain of a product is required, on top of an integrated document management system. Another prerequisite is a risk management system, as well as the implementation of standardized company processes. In order to comply with the Certification, APWorks makes initial sample inspections for quality assurance. These initial sample inspections include destructive and non-destructive testing on the effective loads of a part. These tests include but are not limited to tensile tests, CT Scans and X-rays.

This summer, APWorks entered into an additive manufacturing partnership with product design specialist Altair, after the two companies successfully worked together on the Light Rider, a 3D printed electric motorcycle that weighs just 35 kg.

6. Simufact to launch process simulation software solution for metal additive manufacturing

Simufact Engineering, an MSC Software company and manufacturing process simulation specialist, this week announced the launch of Simufact Additive, a groundbreaking new software solution for the simulation of metal additive manufacturing processes. The German companys scalable process simulation environment promises right first time optimization of laser powder bed fusion processes, and provides simulations of all steps in the additive manufacturing process, including printing, heat treatment, removal from build plate, removal of supports, and heat and pressure combined processes (HIP).

The initial release of Simufact Additive will predict the final distortion and residual stresses of metal 3D printed parts, though future releases will include additional features. Using CAD data, modeling is carried out in an innovative and newly developed Graphical User Interface (GUI) aligned with the real process work flow. Renishaw, a manufacturer of metal additive manufacturing systems, has already got on board with the Simufact project, and will incorporate Simufact Additive into its QuantAM build preparation software.

Simufact Additive helps to compensate distortion, minimize residual stresses, and optimize process parameters, and is powered by an application-specific solver based on MSCs powerful generic Marc solver. Using this solver, the software will be able to capture the complete process chain in the manufacturing environment and scale the simulation based on the user requirements. Today companies employing AM technology for 3D printing metal parts have to cope with failure in their production processes and the high knock on costs associated with this, said Michael Wohlmuth, Simufact CEO. Simufact Additive is an important tool which will help these companies get it right first time, by regularly running simulations prior to production.

7. 3D printing app Morphi gets an update

Morphi, The Inventerys 3D design and 3D printing app for iPad and Mac, this week received a version update, consisting of an entirely new set of tools and various tweaks and improvements. Morphi Edu, the programs identical sister app for iPad volume discount purchases, was also released. The app is an extremely user-friendly design tool which lets users create 3D printable STL files using 3D shapes, text, hand drawings, images, and streamlined 3D modeling tools.

New features released this week include a Type Tool for creating 3D text in over 75+ fonts; a Transform Button where dimensions, rotation, and object positions can be inputted with the keyboard; a Pan Tool; and an advanced Color Tool with more colors, tints, and shades. Other features, such as object selection and movement, the Up/Down tool, and object tapping, have been refined or reworked.

Morphi is available on both iPad and Mac, with a 50% volume discount available on purchases of 20 or more units. The app was created in collaboration with Geometros using sgCore, and has a presence in almost 100 countries across six continents. It will soon be localized in several languages.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

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Last Words

Splendidly, Shakespeares heroes,

Shakespeares heroines, once the spotlights on

enact every night, with such grace, their verbose deaths.

Then great plush curtains, the smiling resurrection

to applause  and never their looks gone.

The last recorded words too

of real kings, real queens, all the famous dead,

are but pithy pretences, quotable fictions

composed by anonymous men decades later,

never with ready notebooks at bed.

Most do not know who they are

when they die or where they are, country or town,

nor which hand on their brow. Some clapped-out actor may

imagine distant clapping, bow, but no real queen

will sigh, Give me my robe, put on my crown.

Death scenes not life-enhancing,

death scenes not beautiful nor with breeding;

yet bravo Sydney Carton, bravo Duc de Chavost

who, euphoric beside the guillotine, turned down

the corner of the page he was reading.

And how would I wish to go?

Not as in opera  that would offend 

nor like a blue-eyed cowboy shot and short of words,

but finger-tapping still our private morse, I love you,

before the last flowers and flies descend.

.

by Dannie Abse

from New and Collected Poems

Hutchinson, 2003

.
Michael Regnier in Quartz:

Laura met George in the pages of Readers Digest. In just a couple of column inches, she read an abridged version of his biography and was instantly intrigued. In the 1960s, apparently, egotistical scientist George Price discovered an equation that explained the evolution of altruism, then overnight turned into an extreme altruist, giving away everything up to and including his life.

A theatre director, Laura Farnworth recognized the dramatic potential of the story. It was a tragedy of Greek proportionsthe revelation of his own equation forcing Price to look back on his selfish life and mend his ways, even though choosing to live selflessly would lead inexorably to his death. But as she delved into his life and science over the next five years, Farnworth discovered a lot more than a simple morality tale.

Born in New York in 1922, George Price realized pretty early on that he was destined for greatness. In a class full of smart kids he was one of the smartest, especially with numbers. He was in the chess club, obviously, and his mathematical brain was naturally drawn to science. Determining that there was no rational argument for Gods existence, he became a militant atheist, too.

His PhD came from the University of Chicago for work he did on the Manhattan Projecthaving graduated in chemistry, hed been recruited to find better ways to detect traces of toxic uranium in peoples bodies.

More here.
Laws crafted by those elected should do most good for most people

columns
Nickelodeon Toon Shiva along with Superstars Motu Patlu were at Girgaum and Juhu Chowpatty today as part of a cleanup drive curated by CMCA, a non-profit organization which works with schools to promote civic awareness among youth and children. As part of the drive, over 800 students along with Nicktoons Shiva and Motu Patlu, collected the waste that got washed back by the water, after the Ganesh immersions. This was done in a bid to make the beaches litter free.

The purpose of this initiative was to sensitize children on the responsibilities that go with the celebration of any festival. In the case of Ganesh Visarjan, Nicktoon Shiva and superstars Motu Patlu educated the kids about the ill-effects of immersing POP idols in water bodies. The kids were encouraged to buy clay idols /eco-friendly idols or immerse their POP idols in artificial ponds.

Speaking on the occasion Motu Patlu commented We are extremely proud of CMCAs active involvement in promoting civic awareness and responsible celebration of festivities in Mumbai. It is important that the kids, who are our best friends, enjoy festivities but are also aware of the responsibilities that go with it. Children are not only impressionable and early adopters of change but also have tremendous power to amplify this message of a clean and Chakachak Mumbai.

Vinodini Lulla, Trustee at CMCA further added CMCA has always advocated celebration of festivals with responsibility. In this case, students are made aware of the harmful effects of POP idols which are immersed in the sea. Students are encouraged to use ecofriendly idols. Cleaning up of the beaches after the immersions give the students an experiential learning on what we do to our beaches and marine life. The cleanup is a life changing experience for our students every year. We are delighted to have found a partner in Viacom18 who has been actively involved in cleanliness and sanitation awareness in Mumbai. With this beach cleanup drive, we are sure that, together, we will be able to bring about a behavioral change towards cleanliness and environment protection amongst the young students in Mumbai.
United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has released an updated agenda for its 2016 Iran Risk Summit, a public event featuring a distinguished lineup of current and former foreign leaders, lawmakers, and Iran experts to be held on September 19 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, on the sidelines of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.

The day-long public event of interviews and discussions will examine the political and economic environment since the signing of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Comprised of former diplomats and lawmakers, UANI is spearheading a global education campaign focused on the risks of doing business with Iran, warning hundreds of international companies that may be contemplating Tehran as a new investment opportunity.

To RSVP, please follow this link. A complimentary lunch will be provided for all attendees. More speakers will be added in the coming days.

Media interested in covering this event should email Steven Cohen at press@uani.com.

Iran Risk Summit 2016 Monday, September 19, 2016 Roosevelt Hotel, New York City 45 East 45th Street

8:00 - 9:00 AM Coffee & Registration 9:00 - 10:00 AM The Iran Nuclear Deal After One Year: The View from the United Arab Emirates

Speaker:



His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba

United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States Moderator: Ambassador Mark D. Wallace UANI CEO and Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform 10:30 - 11:30 AM The Iranian Market: A New Gold Rush? Speakers: Governor Bill Richardson UANI Advisory Board Member; Former U.S. Secretary of Energy; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; and Former Governor of New Mexico Dr. August Hanning UANI Advisory Board Member; Former Director of the Federal Intelligence Service of Germany Dr. Matthew Levitt Fromer-Wexler Fellow and Director, Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence The Washington Institute for Near East Policy Moderator: Nicolle Wallace Political Analyst, MSNBC Former White House Director of Communications 11:50 AM - 1:00 PM The Future of the Iranian Nuclear Deal Speakers: The Honorable Eliot Engel (D-NY) [Invited] Ranking Member, House Foreign Affairs Committee U.S. Representative for the 16th Congressional District Dr. Gary Samore UANI Advisory Board Member Former UANI President Former White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction under President Obama 1:00 - 2:30 PM Iran's Destabilizing Role in the Middle East* Speakers: Dr. Ray Takeyh UANI Advisory Board Member Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Former Senior Advisor on Iran, U.S. Department of State Tony Badran Research Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Mohammed Khalid Alyahya Research Fellow, Gulf Research Center Non-Resident Fellow, The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East Moderator: Dr. Michael Makovsky CEO, Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs *A complimentary buffet lunch will be provided to Summit attendees during this session. 2:30 - 3:30 PM The Iran Nuclear Deal After One Year: Has Iran's Behavior Changed? Speakers: MK Tzipi Livni Co-Head, Zionist Union Party, State of Israel Former Israeli Foreign Minister and Justice Minister Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa Legal Advisor in the Kingdom of Bahrain Former President of the United Nations General Assembly and Former Bahraini Ambassador to France, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland Radosaw Sikorski UANI Advisory Board Member Former Polish Foreign Minister; Defense Minister; and Marshal of the Sejm Moderator: The Honorable Joseph I. Lieberman UANI Chairman and Former U.S. Senator (I-CT) 3:30 - 5:00 PM TBA: Current Government Officials to Speak

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160917005028/en/

UANI

Steven Cohen, 212-922-0063

press@uani.com








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Date: 11 September, 2016.

Place: New York, State of New York, United States.

On 11 September, during a tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack, a very strange incident occurred.

According to a report published on online news site Yahoo.com, a mysterious figure was seen floating above the clouds. This figure became visible when a beam of light illuminated it.

As the twin lights shined brightly in the air as a tribute to lives lost in the 9/11 attacks, a mysterious image appeared in the sky that has people talking around the world, states the report. The image of the beams reaching up to the heavens shows what appears to be a figure floating high in the light.

Even though some people have expressed their scepticism about the veracity of the image, some others are convinced that the figure belongs to Jesus Christ. I didn't realize the image was there until I looked back into the camera and saw a larger piece of white there and I kept enlarging it and saw the image, photographer Rich McCormack asserted. Mr McCormack, who took the photo, also affirmed that he was standing on the waterfront in Hoboken, New Jersey, when he snapped the alleged divine entity.

It looked like the image of the lord or an angel I feel like it was angels watching over us, Mr McCormack added.

On this unusual event, UFO researcher and writer Scott C. Waring, of UFO Sightings Daily, commented: this standing figure is over 5 floor tall and standing directly in the beam of the 9/11 tribute beam. A symbol of understanding the tragic loss of the day, even among other alien species. A gesture of respect from them, to humanity.

Mr Waring also quoted Dr Frank Strange, author of the book Stranger in the Pentagon. In that book, Dr Strange said that when he met an alien called commander Val Thor, he said he had an adopted brother on Venus, whose name is Jesus, the same Jesus who was once on Earth.

In Mr Waring opinion, it may be that this alien Jesus is still watching over humanity. Then again, such an alien with such powers would easily be considered godly.

Draw your own conclusions

For further information: www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2016/09/alien-being-appears-inside-911-tribute.html

Alien being Appears Inside 911 Tribute Light A Symbol Of Unity, Sept 2016, Video, UFO Sighting News.

Date of sighting: Sept 11, 2016

Location of sighting: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

News source: https://us.yahoo.com/news/mysterious-figure-appears-photo-9-203400520.html

This standing figure is over 5 floor tall and standing directly in the beam of the 911 tribute beam. A symbol of understanding the tragic loss of the day, even among other alien species. A gesture of respect from them, to humanity.

Dr Frank Stranges who wrote the book "Stranger In The Pentagon," said when he met an alien called commander Val Thor, that Thor said he had an adopted brother on Venus, who's name is Jesus...the same Jesus who was once on Earth. It may be, that this alien Jesus is still watching over humanity. Then again, such an alien with such powers...would easily be considered godly.

Scott C. Waring

News states:

The image of the beams reaching up to the heavens shows what appears to be a figure floating high in the light.

Many have been curious if it is a trick of light or a Photoshop job. Others see it as Jesus or an angel.

"I didn't realize the image was there until I looked back into the camera and saw a larger piece of white there and I kept enlarging it and saw the image," Rich McCormack, who snapped the photo, told Inside Edition.

McCormack says he was standing on the waterfront in Hoboken, New Jersey when he captured the heavenly image. It was 9:30 p.m. Friday and he was taking photos of the 9/11 beams of light across the Hudson River.

He says the photo is not Photoshopped.

"It looked like the image of the lord or an angel I feel like it was angels watching over us," he said.

Some people think it's an unusual cloud formation. Others see a greater mystery.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2016 - Syngenta Crop Protection has agreed to pay $1.2 million to resolve alleged violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the Environmental Protection Agency said today.

Begun in August 2012 and concluding in January 2015, the probe conducted by EPA Regions 4, 5, 7 and 8 concluded that Syngenta distributed and/or sold numerous pesticide products to refillers prior to having written repackaging agreements with the refillers, EPA said. In addition, Syngenta failed to maintain records of the repackaging agreements as required by the Pesticide Management and Disposal rule, more commonly known as the Pesticide Container Containment Rule.

Syngenta also violated FIFRA by selling and distributing misbranded pesticides, EPA said.

Many of the labels affixed to the pesticide products and/or containers bore labels that were either outdated or not in conformance with the EPA accepted label, EPA said. Some of these misbranded labels were of pesticides that were classified as restricted use.

In a statement, Syngenta said it promptly implemented measures to address the alleged violations. The company said it is also in compliance with all FIFRA requirements.

Most of the amount Syngenta has agreed to pay, $766,508, is in the form of civil penalties. The rest, $436,990, will go towards what the EPA calls a supplemental environmental project (SEP).

Not an Agri-Pulse subscriber? Get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.





The SEP will involve a four-year educational awareness training and campaign to educate the regulated community on FIFRA regulatory compliance requirements pertaining to the Pesticide Container Containment Rule, EPA said in a news release. The training will specifically focus on the requirements relevant to bulk pesticide containers, containment, labels, storage, transportation, delivery, clean-out, repackaging agreements and recordkeeping.

The repackaging, sale and distribution of unregistered and misbranded pesticides is illegal and puts people and the environment at risk, said Anne Heard, EPAs acting regional administrator for the Southeast. Users rely on accurate, up-to-date information about ingredients, directions for use, hazards and safety precautions. This settlement sends a strong message to pesticide companies to maintain compliance with all federal environmental laws.

The Consent Agreement and Final Order is available here.

#30

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.
Jerry Redman, co-founder and CEO of Second Life of Chattanooga, was the featured speaker at the Wednesday Hamilton Place Rotary Club Meeting. Second Life, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2007 as an awareness-driven organization with the purpose of providing individuals, groups, and organizations with basic knowledge of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, in addition to coordinating and providing services for trafficking survivors.

Mr. Redman's presentation included the following: defining the issue of human trafficking; describing the scale of the issue globally, nationally, statewide and locally; Second Life's mission; Second Life's role within the larger collaborative network in Tennessee and outside the state; survivor services needs; legislative needs and how does a community respond to this issue.

Trafficking is the fastest growing organized crime - $150 billion industry. One third of that is sex trafficking being done within the U.S. In the U.S., more than 300,000 children are at risk for sexual exploitation and slavery every year, and every two minutes in the U.S., a child is trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Second Life works closely with local law enforcement and remains focused on the ultimate goal of seeing sex trafficking and exploitation eliminated in Chattanooga and Southeast Tennessee.

To find out how to help or for additional information, visit Second Life's website at www.secondlifechattanooga.org.
Genocide of Christians By ISIS a Reality We Can't Ignore

Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40) Usually, we apply this verse to serving the poor or sick; but if we think about it, a person who faces daily death threats, whose family has been killed, and whose whole society is in real danger of extinction, definitely qualifies as one of the least of these my brethren. In that spirit, the ongoing genocide of Christians in the Middle East, especially in ISIS-controlled areas, is a reality we cannot deny. Crux editor John Allen Jr. documented the persecution of Christians a few years back in The Global War on Christians but the situation in the Middle East has deteriorated significantly since then. Christ based his judgment in Matthew 25 on how we dealt with these least: this applies not just individually, but how we  as an at least nominally Christian nation  respond to genocide against these least of Christ's brothers. Recently, I was at a conference run by In Defense of Christians, a non-profit founded to help persecuted Christian minorities. Andrew Doran, a senior advisor to IDC, began the conference by laying out the arguments used to convince both the U.S. Congress and the State Department to declare the violence against Christians and Yazidis and other minorities in Syria and Iraq as genocide. This is a radical move as only once before in American history has the government used the term genocide for a current event. Usually, genocide is declared after the fact like it was for the Jews in World War II and Tutsis in Rwanda. Congress's unanimous declaration repeatedly refers to Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities; I agree with this assessment but will focus on Christian persecution as I know more about it. The UN and the EU have also recognized these acts as genocide. Presenters at the conference calmly presented facts and conclusions that were shocking, not only in their reality but in how they have been ignored by the media. We have seen a few horrific videos of ISIS murdering Christians, but these are just the ones they record for recruitment, and not how the majority of Christians die under their rule. It isn't just ISIS. For example, two-thirds of the Assyrians were killed or displaced in the Armenian genocide 100 years ago, and they've suffered 50 massacres in the last 100 years. This creates a surreal world where an Assyrian woman like Mona Malik says things like, We're not allowed to memorialize an area where 5,000 Assyrians were massacred, and The Assyrian society has no future imagination, because repeated genocide has sapped their ability to see a positive future. This leads to the dramatic conclusion by another speaker: We may see the end of a 5000-year-old [Assyrian] civilization in our lifetime. We cannot accept that one of the world's original civilizations and one of the first civilizations to accept Christianity is no longer, that it's been destroyed on our watch. Looking at the long-term history and percentages eliminated, the persecution of Assyrian Christians seems comparable to the Holocaust during World War II, yet when was the last time you heard about it in society or in the media? If we really believe that all human life is valuable, and that all of us Christians are one in the body of Christ, we must value the life of an Assyrian Christian or Yazidi killed by ISIS in their homeland, not just an American Christian killed in our homeland. Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire, the UN commander in Rwanda who was ordered to stand down rather than stop the genocide, wrote in his memoir (Shake Hands with the Devil, pg. 517):

As the nineties drew to a close and a new millennium dawned with no sign of an end to those ugly little wars, it was as if each troubling conflict we were faced with had to pass the test of whether we could 'care' about it or 'identify' with the victims before we'd get involved. Each mission was judged as to whether it was worth risking soldiers' lives and a nation's resources. As Michael Ignatieff has warned us, 'riskless warfare in pursuit of human rights is a moral contradiction. The concept of human rights assumes that all human life is of equal value. Risk-free warfare presumes that our lives matter more than those we are intervening to save.' On the basis of my experience as force commander in Rwanda, j'accuse. This is even truer a decade after Dallaire wrote those lines in 2003. We have an obligation to prevent genocide, yet we don't put any boots on the ground and avoid accepting many refugees because we can't risk American lives. What is the point of the US being the last remaining superpower, or the world's police force  as most Americans would like to think  if we cannot prevent genocide? The lives of these people matter as much as our own! The current process of accepting refugees is in direct contradiction to the stated declaration of genocide. According to reports, just 54 of the 11,491 of Syrian refugees accepted to the USA  0.46 percent  are Christians. I realize many Muslims are suffering in the Syrian civil war and likely deserve refugee status, but they are over-represented compared to those whom the world has acknowledged genocide against. We might think the Middle East is Muslim but in 2006, before the civil war, 10 percent of Syrians were Christians according to the US State Department. So, despite suffering genocide in their homeland, they are admitted at less than 1/20 the rate of other groups. It is not that we ignore one class of people in discriminatory ways when we recognize that Assyrian Christians, Chaldean Christians, and Yazidis are facing genocide. It's like the waiting room in a hospital emergency: I remember as a teen waiting to see a doctor over what was a hairline crack in my leg from a sledding accident when a man came in with a serious ax wound. I had no objection to letting him go ahead even though he came later, because he would have died otherwise. The minorities in ISIS-controlled areas face death as cultures, if we don't do something in the next few years. Many of these people don't want to become refugees, and a large portion of the IDC conference was dedicated to solutions for once ISIS is defeated. One main focus is creating an autonomous province in Iraq in the Nineveh Plain to protect Assyrians, Chaldeans and other minorities like the Kurdish region protects Kurds. This is not a new plan, as the idea of a more federalized and less centralized Iraq was pushed by Sen. Joe Biden back in 2006. Article 125 of the Iraqi Constitution implies something along these lines when it says: This Constitution shall guarantee the administrative, political, cultural, and educational rights of the various nationalities such as Turkomen, Chaldeans, Assyrians, and all other constituents. Historically, providing land and autonomy to persecuted minorities has worked relatively well, and this seems to be what they want. (I'm not an expert on the politics of that region, but I trust the Assyrians and Chaldeans). Americans have always valued protecting persecuted minorities. Unfortunately, for years American Middle East policy was constrained by the fact that the US depended on the region for oil. However, with current trends towards US energy-independence, either absolutely or simply needing Canadian imports, the US has less to worry about in angering Middle Eastern leaders. Now the US can seek to have policies following its values, rather than have its hand forced because of short-term interest. If 100 million Americans show outrage and we get the media talking, the government will respond  the US government generally responds to the will of the electorate if it is big enough and loud enough. Then, hopefully, the US government will treat it like the genocide they've declared it to be. We have to change our actions  both individually and as a nation  to reflect the reality, which is that people are being exterminated based on their Christian faith. We cannot stand idly by but will be judged on how we treat these least of Jesus's brothers.
Actually Ex-Rep. Sandack Resigned Because Of A Sextortion Scam

By Jen Chung in News on Sep 16, 2016 9:39PM



Rep. Ron Sandack getting "too ugly" as someone had been setting up fake social media accounts in his name. Now the truth has come out: Sandack, who is married with two children, had been involved in a sextortion scamwhich included fake social media accountsbased in the Philippines.

The 52-year-old said today, "I'm human. I made a mistake for which I am remorseful and ashamed; especially because I have hurt my family, and there is no greater self-inflicted wound than that."

ABC 7 obtained police reports from Downers Grove (PDF) that describe a con as old as time, or at least as old as the Internet: He accepted a Facebook friend request of a woman he didn't know, and the woman started to message and Skype him. From ABC 7:

A short time later, the Downers Grove father of two connected via Skype video-where internet users see and speak to each other on their computer screens. Although the nature of the conversation between Sandack and the woman is blacked out in the Downers Grove police report, similar blackmail schemes have resulted in disrobing and sex talk between the participants. In Sandack's case, the woman on the other end of the Skype hook-up told him that she had made a video of their encounter and would distribute it to all of his Facebook friends...unless he paid her a sum of money...which he did. This scheme is fairly widespread in the U.S. and well known to federal law enforcement officials. Authorities have screenshots of Mr. Sandack's communication with the woman.

Curious about some of these Sandack redactions... pic.twitter.com/zvypGD3xAi  Casey Toner (@ctoner) September 16, 2016

In a statement, Sandack, who was an "attack dog" of Governor Rauner, said, "This past July, I was the target of an international crime ring focusing on high profile individuals luring them to engage in inappropriate online conversations with the intent of extortion. I took their bait and fell for it hook, line and sinker.. .Poor decisions on my part enabled me to be a victim and, as a responsible citizen, I reported it and have been working with the police throughout their investigation. I want it to be clear that no aspect of my involvement in this incident was related to my position as a state representative nor was the computer state property."

Sandack is now an attorney at a Chicago law firm.
Eylul 16, 2016

15 Temmuz darbe girisimi sonrasnda 27 Temmuz, 30 Temmuz, 2 Eylul ve 7 Eylul tarihlerinde yasanan dort ihrac dalgasyla TSKda gorevli binlerce subay ve astsubayn silahl kuvvetlerle ilisikleri kesildi. Bu ihraclarn TSKnn muharebe etkinligini nasl etkiledigine, kritik gorevdeki kadrolarda sknt yasanp yasanmadgna dair pek cok soru aldm. Iste bu yazda ihraclarn TSKnn personel mevcuduna ve Turk ordusunun muharebe gucune olan etkisini incelemek istedim.

Ihraclar sonrasnda Genelkurmay Baskanlgnn resmi internet sayfasnda ilk kez 8 Eylul tarihinde TSKnn personel mevcutlarna yer verildi.

Bu listeye gore kara, deniz ve hava kuvvetlerinde toplam 206 general, 29 bin 949 subay, 67 bin 646 astsubay, 48 bin 879 uzman erbas, 15 bin 888 sozlesmeli er ve 188 bin 611 zorunlu asker olmak uzere toplam 351 bin 176 personel gorev yapyor. Bu mevcutlara gore TSKnn yuzde 46 orannda profesyonel mevcudu varken mevcudunun hala yuzde 54u zorunlu askerlerden olusuyor. Yani TSKnn yar yarya profesyonellestigini soylemek mumkun.

15 Temmuz oncesindeki mart 2016 mevcutlar ile eylul 2016 mevcutlarn kyasladgmzda mart 2016da her uc kuvvette 325 olan general saysnda yuzde 38 azalma, 32 bin 451 olan subay saysnda da yuzde 8 azalma oldugu goruluyor. Diger rutbelerde ise gozle gorulur bir degisiklik yok.

Goruldugu uzere 15 Temmuz sonrasnda yasanan ihraclar en cok generalleri, ozellikle de tuggeneral ve tugamiralleri etkilemis durumda. TSK icinde cok buyuk bir albay havuzu oldugundan ihrac edilen 126 tuggeneral/amiralin telafisi cok kolay. Nitekim gerekli atamalar agustos aynda hemen yapld. Dogu ve Guneydogudaki kritik tugaylara tuggenerallige terfi eden albaylar atanrken Batdaki tugaylara ise albay rutbesindeki subaylar vekalet ediyor. Ihrac edilen 27 tumgeneral ve yedi korgeneralin de yerine atamalar da yine agustosta yapld. Su anda Turk ordusunda ihraclardan en fazla etkilenen kitle generaller olmasna ragmen ihrac edilen tum generallerin kadrolarna yeni atamalar yaplms durumda. Ksaca say acsndan su anda TSKda general sknts yok.

TSKnn ihraclardan en cok etkilenen subay kitlesi ise Hava Kuvvetlerindeki savas pilotlar. TSK envanterinde 321 (240 F-16) savas ucag bulunuyor Mart 2016da Hava Kuvvetlerinde 600 aktif savas pilot vard. Ancak 280e yakn savas pilotunun TSK ile iliskisinin kesilmesinin ardndan bu say su an 300ler duzeyinde. Yani 15 Temmuz oncesi bir savas ucagna yaklask iki pilot duserken simdi bu oran 1-0.8lere kadar dusmus durumda. Hava Kuvvetlerine mensup pek cok pilot hakknda sorusturmalarn halen surdugunu de not etmek gerekiyor. Sorusturmalarn sonucunda ihraclar artabilir.

Peki Hava Kuvvetleri savas pilotu ihtiyacn karslamak icin ne yapacak? Bu konuda, uc ayakl bir strateji ongoruluyor. Oncelikle mevcut savas pilotlarnn 15 yl olan mecburi hizmetinin 18e ckarlmas gundemde. Boylece savas pilotlarnn zorunlu hizmet sureleri uc yl daha uzatlms olacak. Sonra sivil universitelerin muhendislik fakultelerinden endustri, elektronik, havaclk ve uzay bilimleri ve bilgisayar bolumlerinden iki ve ucuncu snf ogrencilerinin Hava Harp Okuluna alnmas ve bu ogrencilerin iki yllk hzlandrlms bir egitimle savas pilotu yaplmalar da secenekler arasnda. Hukumet son olarak da gecmiste muhtelif nedenlerle savas pilotlugundan ayrlms ve sivil hava yollarna gecmis pilotlara Hava Kuvvetlerine geri donun cagrs yapt. Su ana kadar 140 eski savas ucag pilotunun bu cagr sonras ciddi donus hazrlg icinde oldugu ifade ediliyor.

15 Temmuz sonrasnda yasanan savas pilotu acgnn bu tedbirlerle iki senede kapatlmas on goruluyor. 2016 eylulu ile 2018 eylulu arasndaki bu iki senenin mevcut savas pilotlar icin cok yogun mesai, daha uzun rotasyon sureleri ve yuksek tempolu bir hizmet suresi anlamna gelecegini eklemek gerekiyor.

Hava Kuvvetlerinin Incirlikte konuslu ve savas ucaklarnn havada yakt ikmalinden sorumlu 10ncu Tanker Filosundan da 30a yakn ihrac oldu. Bu, az da olsa Hava Kuvvetlerinin havada yakt ikmal kabiliyetini etkileyecek bir rakam.

Ihraclardan etkilenen bir diger kitle ise Kara Kuvvetlerindeki kara havac helikopter pilotlar. Ihrac edilen subaylar arasnda aralarnda taarruz helikopter pilotlarnn da oldugu yaklask 20ye yakn pilot bulunuyor. Bu, su anda Guneydoguda PKK ile mucadelede onemli gorevler ustlenen kara havaclarn daha yuksek tempolu ve daha uzun rotasyon sureleriyle calsacag anlamna geliyor.

Ayrca ihraclardan ozel kuvvetlerin tabur ve tim komutanlar ile Deniz Kuvvetlerinin seckin birimi olan Sualt Taaruz (SAT) tim personeli ve Hava Kuvvetlerinin elit birligi olan Muharebe Arama Kurtarma (MAK) personelinin de yuksek olcude etkilendigini soylemek gerekiyor. Ozellikle 15 Temmuz sonrasnda ozel kuvvetlerden bese yakn tabur komutan ile saylar onlarla ifade edilen tim komutan darbede aktif rol aldklar gerekcesiyle tutuklanp ozel kuvvetlerden ihrac edildiler. Yine Hava Kuvvetlerinin Muharebe Arama Kurtarma (MAK) gorevlerinde kullanlan helikopter pilotlar ile bu birliklerde gorev yapan subay ve astsubaylardan da tutuklanp ihrac edilen ozel egitimli subay ve astsubaylarn says bir hayli fazla. Ksacas, 15 Temmuz darbe girisimi sonras yasanan ihraclarda TSK icindeki elit askeri birliklerden pek cok subay ve astsubayn ihrac edildigi goruluyor.

Kara Kuvvetlerinde ise ihraclarn buyuk ksm Ankaradaki Genelkurmay ve Kara Kuvvetleri gibi karargahlarla, Istanbuldaki birliklerden. Ozellikle Guneydogudaki terorle mucadele, snr guvenligi ve devam eden Frat Kalkan operasyonundan sorumlu Ikinci Ordu Komutanlg Malatyann ihraclardan en az etkilenen Kara Kuvvetleri ordusu oldugunu soylemek mumkun. Ikinci Orduya bagl tugaylarn 20ye yakn su anda yeni tugay komutanlar ile aktif operasyonel gorevlere katlyor.

Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlgnda da ihraclarn buyuk ksm Ankaradaki karargahlardan veya uslerde karargah gorevinde bulunan personel arasndan. Bu durum, Deniz Kuvvetlerini operasyonel anlamda ihraclardan en az etkilenen kuvvet yapyor.

Yukardaki bilgiler sgnda 15 Temmuz sonrasndaki ihraclardan en cok Hava Kuvvetlerinin (ozellikle savas ve tanker ucak pilotlar), daha sonra sras ile Ozel Kuvvetler Komutanlg, Kara Kuvvetleri (ozellikle Kara Havaclk birlikleri) ve Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlgnn (ozellikle karargah personeli) etkilendigini soylemek mumkun. Ihraclardan en agr darbeyi yiyen komutanlgn ise Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanlg oldugu goruluyor.

TSK su anda general atamalar konusunda yaralarn sarms gorunuyor. Ancak ozel birlikleri personel mevcutlarn 15 Temmuz oncesi seviyeye ckarmak icin en az bir seneye, Hava Kuvvetlerinin ise savas pilotlar icin en az iki seneye ihtiyac duydugunu soylemek mumkun.

Ancak Ankarada Al-Monitora konusan kaynaklar 15 Temmuz sonrasnda, ozellikle 24 Agustosta baslayan Frat Kalkan ile TSK icindeki moral ve motivasyonun cok yukseldiginin altn ciziyor. Izni olmasna ragmen izinlerinden erken donen, izne ckmak istemeyen, aktif operasyonel gorevlerde gonullu olarak yer almak isteyen pek cok subay ve astsubayn olduguna dikkat ceken kaynaklar TSKnn her ne kadar ihraclarla saysal anlamda kan kayb soz konusu olsa da bu kan kaybnn geri kalan personelin yuksek motivasyon ve fedakarlg ile hissedilmeden atlatlabileceginin vurguluyorlar.

Bayram tatili srasnda Guneydogudaki birlikleri ziyaret eden Genelkurmay Baskan Orgeneral Hulusi Akar ve kuvvet komutanlarnn kararllk mesajlar da 15 Temmuz travmasnn cabuk atlatldgnn bir gostergesi olarak yorumlanyor.

Ancak su anda tutuklanan TSK personeli icinde 15 Temmuz gecesi darbeye karsmayan ve sucsuz olanlarn da bulundugu gerceginden hareketle, onumuzdeki aylarda kamuoyu ile paylaslacak olan iddianameler ve dava sureclerinin TSK icindeki guc dengeleri ile motivasyon durumunu dogrudan etkileyecegini gormek gerekiyor.

Ksacas, basta savas ucag ve helikopter pilotlar ile ozel birlik personeli olmak uzere tum personel ihraclar TSKnn muharebe gucunu asagya ceken faktorler. Ancak geri kalan personelin yuksek motivasyonu bu saysal azalmann etkisini azaltabilir. Su anda Guneydoguda PKK ile mucadeleyi yuruten, Suriye snr guvenliginden sorumlu olan ve devam eden Frat Kalkan operayonunda faaliyet gosteren Ikinci Ordunun ise ihraclardan cok az etkilenmesi kritik donemde Turkiye icin buyuk sans. Ancak gunun sonunda, TSKnn 15 Temmuzu ve sonrasndaki ihraclardan kaynaklanan yaralarn sarmas icin en az iki seneye ihtiyac varms gibi gorunuyor.
Here are the top stories in Alabama business for Friday, Sept. 16, 2016:

Time is running out to give input on the new master plan for Cummings Research Park in Huntsville.

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Austal USA was awarded a $326 million contract by the U.S. Navy Friday for two more Expeditionary Fast Transport ships (EFT), marking a rare piece of good news for the beleaguered Australian shipbuilder.

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As more consumers demand convenience in their busy lives, two local companies are partnering to make one routine errand a little easier.

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The look of Mobile is changing fast. Here's how.

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The governor's office says Alabama's unemployment rate is down to 5.4 percent.

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Samsung is aware of at least 92 reports of Galaxy Note7 batteries overheating and is urging customers to stop using the devices.

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Visitors to Mobile's waterfront have a chance to see the catamaran transport ship USNS Yuma hitting the water Friday and Saturday.

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Follow all of Alabama's business news here anytime.
Pittock Mansion by Jeremy McWilliams (Flickr).jpg

Mansion by Jeremy McWilliams (Flickr). Used under a Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Home ownership has long been considered the first step towards accomplishing the proverbial American Dream. In today's economic climate though, careful home-buying decisions must take place to keep the American Dream from turning into the American Nightmare.

But what does that mean for Alabamians? How much house can Alabamians afford and still have financial margin for the other milestones that lead to the American dream?

Using household income quintiles provided by non-profit Corporation for Enterprise Development, we can draw a clear picture of how much home different Alabama incomes can comfortably afford. The household income quintiles from the latest data are listed below:

Lowest Income Quintile: Less than $17,144

Second Income Quintile: $17,144 - $32,774

Third Income Quintile: $32,775 - $54,273

Fourth Income Quintile: $54,274 - $90,153

Highest Income Quintile: More than $90,153

With those income figures in hand, we can now figure out how much house a typical Alabama household can reasonably afford per month.

According to financial fitness company, Ramsey Solutions, a typical household should obtain a 15-year (or less) fixed rate mortgage with a monthly mortgage payment equal to or less than 25 percent of household take-home pay. With those ground rules in place, let's run some scenarios using the income quintiles from above.

Let's use the $54,274 household as the first scenario. The monthly take-home pay for this household will be roughly equivalent to $54,274 (yearly income) x 0.70 (net after taxes and benefits) / 12 (months). This comes out to $3165 per month in take-home pay. With that take-home pay, the monthly mortgage payment should be $791 or less.

That may come as a low monthly payment, but if this $54,274 household decides to have more than a $791 monthly mortgage payment, then other important attributes like charitable giving, retirement investing, college planning, life insurance, and etc. will certainly be neglected.

Let's see what a little more income will get in house. Using the same math from above, a $90,153 household will be able to afford a monthly mortgage payment of $1314 or less. This payment likely goes against the popular perception of what a high-income household normally buys, but these are not calculations of what a household normally buys but of what a household should buy.

Don't let those numbers depress you though. If you're in good financial footing right now or in the near future, don't be afraid to get a house. Just don't let the house get you.

Ben Baxter is a Tuscaloosa dweller, a Dothan native, an experienced engineer and a regular contributor for personal finance and career development topics.
Longtime Birmingham defense lawyer David Luker has been appointed Jefferson County Public Defender.

Luker's hiring comes after the former director of the public defender office was fired in July. The public defender's office provides lawyers to criminal defendants who can't afford legal representation.

Luker was hired by the Office of Indigent Services in Montgomery this week on the recommendation of the Indigent Defense Advisory Committee of Jefferson County.

"I'm excited and I appreciate that the local committee agreed that I was the proper person to lead the office," Luker said. "I'm evaluating and analyzing all aspects of the office in an effort to make whatever changes are needed to accomplish the mission that it was designed for."

Luker has had a 33-year law career, principally in criminal defense, in both federal and state courts.

Over his career he has defended people in 17 capital murder cases, none of which got the death penalty, Luker said.

Among those cases was Marelo Devorria Harris, who was found not guilty of murder in the March 21, 2008 stabbing death of his roommate and co-worker at Publix in Homewood. The roommate was stabbed 77 times.

Luker said that one of the reasons he believes Harris was acquitted was that a cell phone tower expert was able to prove Harris' phone wasn't near the place at the time his roommate was killed.

Another case was the acquittal of a Montgomery doctor, who was among a group charged by federal authorities on charges involving the sale of drugs, including Viagra, over the internet. It was the first such case charged in Alabama, Luker said.

Luker is a past president of the Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He also was on the CJA Panel, a group of lawyers available to represent indigent defendants on federal cases.

Luker's wife, Katherine Patterson Luker, is also a Birmingham attorney. The two have practiced law together for a number of years at an office along Morris Avenue in downtown Birmingham.

Luker also has taught at the Birmingham School of Law. And he has received awards, including Outstanding Professor at the school and in 2012 the Roderick Beddow Award from the Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Presiding Jefferson County Circuit Judge Joseph Boohaker, who chairs the indigent defense committee, said the group met Sept. 6 to consider three finalists for the job. The finalists had been recommended by a special committee appointed to vet candidates who had applied.

On Monday the committee's recommendation that Luker be appointed was sent to Chris Roberts, the Director of the Office of Indigent Services in Montgomery, which is part of the Alabama Department of Finance, Boohaker said. Roberts decided later that day to hire Luker, he said.

Luker takes over after the departure of the office's first director Kira Fonteneau in July.

Fonteneau was hired in November 2012 as the first Public Defender.

The Alabama Office of Indigent Services, nor the Alabama Finance Director, has explained all the reasons for Fonteneau's departure. The state's finance director called it a resignation, but Fonteneau called it a firing.

A statement issued in July by the Jefferson County advisory committee for indigent services stated there was a dispute between Fonteneau and her appointing authority, the Office of Indigent Services, "over the best means of managing and administering the Public Defender's Office and the funds made available to it through the Alabama Department of Finance, the Fair Trial Tax Fund and the General Fund of the State."

The five-member committee, however, did not provide details of that dispute.

A few issues also had arisen concerning the office in the past year. More than a half dozen attorneys and staff have left. And in several cases public defenders have been removed from cases, or were never appointed in the first place, by judges.
A man was shot and killed in Ensley early Saturday morning after he pinned one man to a parked car and attempted to pin others, police said.

The unidentified white man was driving when he pinned a man between two parked cars with his foot still on the accelerator, police said. He then disengaged from those cars and attempted to collide with more victims against more cars.

A security guard working at a club fired at the car, which then rolled to a stop. The driver was struck at least once and was pronounced dead on scene.

Birmingham Police found the man sitting in the driver's seat of an SUV around 2:50 a.m. in the 500 block of 19th Street in Ensley. Police do not have a motive for his actions, and he only injured one person before he was killed.

The security guard was questioned and released pending a possible justifiable ruling by the district attorney.

"We are thankful for the heroic actions of the security guard. Further loss of life could have happened, but his quick responsible actions prevented that," Sgt. Bryan Shelton said in a press release. "Now we will try to understand motive or reasoning, if any, behind the victim's reckless actions."

Police are asking anyone who has information about the case to call the Birmingham Police Department's homicide unit at (205) 254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at (205) 254-7777.

Police are not yet releasing the names of either the driver or the man he pinned to a car.
state house mug by julie.JPG

(Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

The committee investigating impeachment of Gov. Robert Bentley has scheduled its first meeting since hiring a special counsel to investigate the allegations.

The House Judiciary Committee will meet on Sept. 27 at the Alabama State House. It has not released an agenda.

In April, 23 members of the 105-seat Alabama House signed a resolution to impeach Bentley for willful neglect of duty and corruption in office. The three-page resolution does not offer any evidence or mention specific actions.

Bentley says he's broken no laws and has done nothing to merit impeachment.

The governor's lawyers have said the resolution is invalid because it is so vague that it does not allow the governor due process in defending himself.

They asked the committee to suspend the proceedings until a resolution with specifics is passed by a full vote of the House.

Rep. Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, denied that request in August, saying the governor is not entitled to those specifics during the investigative phase of the process.

The special counsel hired by the committee has requested a lengthy list of documents from the governor's office, including some about the activities of Bentley's former political adviser, Rebekah Mason.

In March, Bentley apologized for making inappropriate comments to Mason after the release of audiotapes on which he is heard talking about kissing and fondling.

Bentley's wife of 50 years had divorced him last year.

Bentley and Mason have denied having an affair, and Mason resigned.

Bentley has also been in a dispute with former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Spencer Collier, who went public with allegations of a Bentley affair with Mason after the governor fired him.

Collier has filed a lawsuit against the governor, Mason and others.

In February, Bentley placed Collier on medical leave. Collier was dealing with a back problem. At the time, Bentley also said he was displeased that Collier had given an affidavit to prosecutors in the Mike Hubbard case against his orders.

According to Collier's lawsuit, Collier ordered an investigation into an allegation that a prosecutor in the Hubbard case had leaked grand jury information. The investigation found no wrongdoing. Collier told Bentley that the attorney's general's office wanted an affidavit saying so.

According to Collier's lawsuit, Bentley told him to tell the attorney general's office that the investigation was ongoing.

Bentley has denied telling Collier to lie to the attorney general's office.

Bentley said Collier was fired after an investigation found possible misuse of state dollars.

Collier has denied any wrongdoing.

An audit released in February by the state Examiners of Public Accounts found no issues with ALEA during a period that ended Sept. 30, 2015.

The Judiciary Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 200 of the State House.
A corrections officer and decorated veteran has died after he was assaulted and stabbed by an inmate earlier this month, Alabama Department of Corrections announced.

Kenneth Bettis, 44, of Monroeville, succumbed to his injuries at 5:35 p.m. on Friday at the University of South Alabama Hospital in Mobile. Officials said family members were at Bettis' bedside when he passed away. They are receiving emotional support from ADOC's Critical Incident Stress Management Team and chaplains.

Inmate Cleveland Cunningham stabbed Bettis at the dining hall in Atmore's William C. Holman Correctional Facility on Sept. 1. Prison officials report Cunningham stabbed Bettis in retaliation for being denied an extra tray of food during the afternoon meal.

Bettis has been a corrections officer at Holman since 2009. Corrections Commission Jeff Dunn extended the department's condolences to Bettis' family.

"Officer Bettis was known among his colleagues as a firm, but fair corrections officer, and was highly respected for his work ethic and dedicated service to his profession," Dunn said.

Cunningham was charged with attempted murder after he assaulted the officer. That charge will be upgraded to murder, officials said. The inmate was sentenced to 20 years for a 2013 first-degree robbery charge out of Baldwin County.

Along with being a husband and a father of three, Bettis was also a veteran. He served on active duty in Iraq with the Alabama Army National Guard. He has received the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal and Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Service Star.

Gov. Robert Bentley expressed his gratitude for Bettis' service in a statement.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Officer Kenneth Bettis during this very difficult time," Bentley said. "Officer Bettis was a dedicated civil servant taking on the difficult role of corrections officer. I want to thank Officer Bettis and his family for his years of service to the people of Alabama, through his work at Holman Correctional Facility and his time serving in the Alabama Army National Guard."
A few years back as my flight into Minneapolis was about to land in a heavy snow storm, I was jolted out of a trashy novel when the airplane abruptly aborted its landing and at full throttle climbed back to altitude.

After several minutes in a very quiet plane, the pilot came on the intercom to say there was a "minor problem" that he'd be right back to explain.

I happened to be sitting in the window seat of an emergency exit row and as we waited...and waited...for the pilot to get back to us, I could look down through the snow and watch the flashing lights of emergency vehicles as they gathered around the end of the runway.

Are juries the best way to determine guilt?

This is the type of experience that will make you think. What it made me think was: (1) how does this emergency exit work again? and (2) what are they doing in the cockpit?

When the pilot finally came back on the intercom, he told us that a warning light designed to signal if the landing gear had failed to properly deploy seemed to have malfunctioned. Either that or the landing gear had not in fact properly deployed. They were trying to figure out which.

It was night, and with the snow, it was impossible for anyone on the ground to see our landing gear.

Here is what I hoped was going on in the cockpit. I hoped the pilot was in serious discussion with every expert he could find who knew about this particular airplane. I hoped he was in contact with other pilots who had flown the plane recently, mechanics who understood chapter-and-verse about landing gear and the electronics of the warning light system, maybe even the designers of these systems.

Here is what I fervently hoped he wouldn't do - step out of the cockpit, hand the flight and mechanical manuals to the passengers, and ask us to figure it out. That would be crazy, right?

Oh, and if any of the passengers had any prior knowledge of airplanes or electronics, would they please not participate in the decision. In other words, I was deathly afraid they might make this important decision by resorting to the jury system.

We inherited the citizen jury system of legal decision making from medieval England. At that time, it probably made sense.

A panel of local citizens was no doubt better-suited to determine whether Oliver, the village blacksmith, had indeed stolen that pig or bashed in the head of the innkeeper than the King's magistrate. They would be more likely than a visiting magistrate to know something about Oliver's character, temper, and personal history.

However in the 21st century, does legal decision-making by juries still make sense?

We might take a hint from the way science operates.

After all, science has spent the past 500 years developing better and better ways to assemble and interpret evidence to get at the truth - something that our criminal courts are also supposed to do. The last thing scientists would think of doing is turning decision-making over to people with no special knowledge or training in the type of evidence at the heart of the matter. Science has learned to rely on peer review, assessment of evidence by impartial experts.

The jury system is about as different from that as you can imagine. A group of people, selected at random, with no special knowledge of evidence or the law are asked to choose between two stories, one of which twists and tortures the evidence to reach one conclusion while the other twists and tortures it to reach the opposite conclusion.

If this procedure reliably uncovered the truth, science would have adopted it long ago. It didn't.

The jury system certainly has its good points. It is democratic to the extent that any adult who is literate, a citizen, and meets residency requirements, is eligible to serve.

It encourages citizen participation in an important function of government, yet is independent of the government. It also makes for great television drama and keeps jury consultants employed.

However, it's a lousy way to make decisions if you are interested in getting them right. "Justice by amateurs" is what a judge in one of the number of countries that has done away with the jury system called it.

Defense lawyers know this. A trial by judge is always preferable if your client is innocent. The crap shoot of a jury trial is what you want if he is guilty.

DNA evidence, developed and validated over the years by standard scientific practice, has revolutionized criminal investigation. It has also highlighted - if more highlighting were necessary -- the fallibility of juries.

Hundreds of people, falsely convicted by juries, have now been freed because of DNA evidence. These exonerations have become so common they no longer warrant national headlines.

From a modern scientific perspective, the structure of our criminal justice system looks badly flawed, if we assume that its most important function is to uncover the truth.

The jury system as currently constructed is one issue, but there are others - the use of bought-and-paid-for experts, the inability of those judging the case to question witnesses, procedural weaknesses in forensic laboratories, the use of junk science, maybe even the adversarial system itself. I'll write about these occasionally in upcoming columns because I think it's important that people have faith in our criminal justice system. I'm afraid they currently don't.

Plus I think a scientific perspective has something to offer to help re-establish that faith.

Can the jury system be salvaged, improved substantially by some reasonably simple, do-able changes? I think it can.

That's my topic for next time.

By the way, the pilot of my plane thankfully did not consult his passengers, but did consult with a variety of experts on the ground and finally decided that the warning light rather than the landing gear had most likely malfunctioned. Our landing was tense but ultimately uneventful.

It did keep me thinking more seriously about how we make important decisions though.



Steven Austad is Chair of the Biology Department at UAB. Before becoming a research scientist, he had various lives as an English major, a newspaper reporter, a New York City taxi driver, and a Hollywood wild animal trainer. Living now in Birmingham with his veterinarian wife, 6 dogs, 2 parrots, and a cat, his column posts every other Saturday morning on AL.com.
Chicago Cop Indicted For Shooting At Unarmed Black Teens In 2013

By Jen Chung in News on Sep 16, 2016 9:15PM

The Chicago police officer who fired upon a group of unarmed black teenagers three years ago has been indicted on federal civil rights charges. U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon said, "When a police officer uses unreasonable force, it has a harmful effect on not only the victims, but also the public, who lose faith and confidence in law enforcement."

Marco Proano, 41, was charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law for the December 22, 2013 incident. A retired Cook County judge was so disturbed by what happened that he shared this alarming video with the Chicago Reporter:

The video shows Proano aiming his gun at the teens' car, which had been pulled over for speeding at 95th and LaSalle streets. A lawsuit from the teens claimed he fired at least a dozen times, and two teens were injured.

The indictment is noteworthy because it's "first time that federal authorities have brought charges against a Chicago police officer for a shooting in the past 15 years," the Chicago Tribune reports, adding, "A Chicago Tribune investigation published last month found that Chicago police had shot 702 people  killing 215  in the past 15 years, yet no officers had been charged by federal authorities in any of those shootings."

Last year, Proano was found guilty of fatally shooting a 19-year-old man in 2011 without justification, but a judge reversed the jury's $3.5 million award to the victim's family.

Timothy Fiscella, the attorney for the teens, said to the Sun-Times, "Obviously, we are happy to hear the news. For my clients, its a relief that the officers conduct is going to be judged, that there is going to be some accountability for Officer Proano. I am happy the U.S. attorneys office is getting aggressive about these cases."
Homeless Americans face challenges in voting during the 2016 US elections, but many still exercise their right.

Washington, DC  Inside the wide, sunlit foyer of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library, Eric Sheptock points to an expansive mural of the late civil rights activist.

I wish that the poor people of today were as willing to fight for justice as those who marched with Martin Luther King, he says. It seems that the poor have lost heart and are less willing to stand up for themselves.

Sheptock, who has been intermittently homeless since 1994, has become an activist for Washington DCs homeless community, which he hopes will vote in the forthcoming elections when Americans head to the polls to choose their 45th president.

There is no reason for a homeless person not to vote, he tells Al Jazeera. You cant be denied the right to vote because youre homeless.

While it is difficult to register to vote without a permanent address, it is not impossible.

Many states now allow individuals to list the place they generally occupy as their residence, which can include a shelter or even a park bench. However, the requirement for official identification when voting can cause challenges for the homeless  obtaining a state-issued ID can be both complicated and costly.

But, as political discussions take place in living rooms across the United States, Washington DCs homeless community also engages in its own political discourse  equally as captivated by the ongoing presidential campaign as the wider public, according to Sheptock. I do hear a lot of homeless people talking about politics  Weve had some pretty energetic conversations about Trump versus Clinton.

He explains that free newspapers, televisions in homeless shelters and internet access in public libraries are invaluable sources of information on the presidential campaign.

READ MORE: New Yorks homeless left out in the cold

A politically active community

Fifty-one-year-old Tony Leonard has been living on the streets of DC since losing his job and subsequently his home in 2011. He says that the citys homeless community is very politically active. A lot of us [who are] homeless in DC are educated people who had lives before but lost everything.

Come November, Leonard will be voting for the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, citing her political experience as his motive. As for her opponent, Republican candidate Donald Trump, Hes a joke, Leonard says. I dont think anyone thinks hed make a good president.

Sheptock says he wont be voting for Trump either. He tells Al Jazeera that he is torn between Green Party Leader Jill Stein and Hillary Clinton. All I can say right now is that I plan to vote for a woman.

Yet, while the majority of homeless interviewed for this article expressed their support for Clinton, not all were averse to Trumps message.

Jeffrey McNeill claims to have worked as a doorman at Trumps Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City for three years before he lost everything to gambling.

He subsequently moved to Washington DC in 2007, where he would spend the next three years of his life sleeping on the pavement and in shelters. McNeill bought Trumps book, The Art of the Deal, which he said changed his life forever.

It was the greatest book ever; it taught me about the economy, how to make deals, how to make money and how to get a job. The book taught him to be a good businessman, he says.

Ultimately, however, McNeill explains he feels let down by the Democratic administration. I was a lifelong Democrat; I voted for Obama twice  but there are more homeless people in the city now than when I arrived. I did better under Republican presidents than I have done under Obama.

Americas hidden homeless: Life in the Starlight Motel

More than 500,000 people in the United States were without housing on any given night last year, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Developments 2015 annual report. In Washington DC, the number of homeless reached 7,298 in 2015.

Experts say a lack of formal data on homeless voters means it is difficult to measure their electoral participation. However, statistically, people from lower-income backgrounds have been less likely to vote than those with higher incomes.

There are a good number of people experiencing homelessness who care about voting. Its no different to the population at large, said David Pirtle, a public education coordinator for the National Homeless Coalition, who has himself experienced homelessness.

Challenges of voting while homeless

But, there are variations. People living in shelters or transitional housing are far more likely to vote than those with no form of accommodation at all, said Pirtle. People who are literally living on the street probably have the lowest turnout because a lot of those folks are dealing with other serious issues apart from being homeless, for example, mental health [or] substance abuse.

Pirtle added that many of these individuals may not be capable or interested in the process.

WATCH  Voters Rights: Whats Happening to American Democracy?

David Lee Norris, 59, and his wife, Naomi Macmillan, 53, are among this group. Home for them is an underpass next to Washington DCs Union Railway Station. Having both suffered from drug-addiction, they moved from their home in South Carolina in January in the hope of receiving better healthcare for Naomi, who is HIV-positive.

Any assistance they receive comes from NGOs, not the government, according to Norris.

The government is doing nothing  they are the reason we are here, he says. Thats why Im not voting.

Obtaining information on voting procedures is very much down to the individual, which can be an extra challenge for those experiencing homelessness, said Julian Johannesen, director of research and training at Nonprofit Vote.

The government does not help anyone to vote here; you dont even know where the registration form is, Johannesen tells Al Jazeera. People who are already under enormous stress and  have bigger priorities that occupy their attention can benefit from having some help getting over the administrative hurdles.

Ken Martin, has been homeless in Washington DC since 2012, and while he will be voting in November, he agrees that for many homeless, it is a challenge.

When you are worrying about whether or not youre going to have a roof over your head or a place to eat or a place to get a shower, youre not thinking about whos going to be in the Oval Office  youre thinking about just making it through the day, says the 62-year-old.

Everyone should be allowed to vote

For the women at Washington DCs N Street Village, a shelter and recovery centre for homeless and low-income women, lively discussions on the elections are commonplace. Hillary Clintons healthcare policies feature particularly high on the agenda during such conversations.

Shes interested in womens care, mental health  Shes determined to make sure that women are well-taken care of when she gets to the White House, says Mary, who lost everything after health problems led to costly and unmanageable medical bills and asked to be identified using a pseudonym.

Cheryl Barnes, meanwhile, who has previously been homeless for 30 years, after suffering from substance and alcohol abuse, says the N Street Village saved her, and come November, shell also be voting for Hillary Clinton.

Another resident at the N Street Village, Julia Miller, says she doesnt align with any particular party. I like Trump, says Miller who has been living at the shelter for five years. [He] has an economic plan for the country, and I think  hell bring more jobs to the United States.

When it came to voting, Miller said that people should not be stereotyped because of their economic situation. Everyone should be allowed to vote, thats how homeless people get legislative action to change the situation and access more resources.

She said that no matter which candidate becomes president, she wants them to provide more resources for the homeless.

In the future, there needs to be a more focused campaign about voting, according to Pirtle.

We spend a lot of money in this country to get the general population to vote, he says. We shouldnt leave our homeless neighbours aside.

Voting can also have a very positive emotional effect, he adds. The general feeling [people] can get living on the street is that they are isolated, that they dont have a voice, but getting people to participate in the electoral process  can have a very beneficial effect on their morale.

Sitting in the cool foyer of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library, Sheptock emphasises that the space has become a sanctuary for many of the homeless community wanting to escape the citys blistering summer heat. Ultimately, he wants people to vote no matter what their circumstance.

If you dont vote, then you cant fuss and nag about what the politicians do, he says. If you do vote, that earns you the right to complain about what government does.

Follow Jessica Sarhan on Twitter @JessicaSarhan
The right-wing AfD is to stay, and will constrain Merkels leadership  but less so than in neighbouring EU countries.

With the September 18 elections in Berlin, the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to enter the 10th regional parliament in Germany.

While the AfD is drawing voters from all mainstream parties, the bleeding is strongest for Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The AfD has succeeded at turning regional elections into referenda on the chancellors refugee policy.

On September 4, in Merkels home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the AfD even managed to gain more votes than the CDU, dealing the chancellors party a highly symbolic defeat. Now polling between 9 and 14 percent nationwide, the AfD is likely to enter parliament with a strong showing in the autumn of 2017.

The rise of the AfD

This marks the decisive end of German exceptionalism on populism. While for years right-wing populist forces have had strong presence in all of its neighbours, they did not seem to have much luck in Germany.

For years, Merkel seemed to be able to defy political gravity. She pulled her conservative CDU towards the centre-left, made it more social-democratic (by protecting and partly expanding social security benefits), greener (by promising to end the use of nuclear power) and more open to Islam (by stating that Islam is a part of Germany).

She gained a considerable amount of centrist voters and did not seem to have to pay any price for it since no party was able to establish itself to the right of the CDU.

Staying in the centre seems a sensible path for the CDU. This would acknowledge that it likely cannot prevent the very existence of a party such as the AfD to its right which has become a fixture of all 'normal' European countries. by

Despite years of Euro crisis, the AfD received only 4.7 percent of the nationwide vote in the 2013 parliamentary elections.

This all changed with the mass arrival of (mostly Muslim) refugees. The party decisively morphed into a nativist, anti-Islam force and has scored double-digit results in all regional elections since the autumn of 2015.

Cornered by the AfD

Now facing a strong populist pull, governing in a centrist fashion will become harder for Merkel, whom AfD vice-chair Gauland derides as a chancellor-dictator. On refugees and migration, the AfD favours Australian-style detention centres on yet uninhabited island territories and is in favour of introducing full-fledged border controls within the European Union passport-free Schengen area.

AfD leader Frauke Petry advocated using firearms to restrict border crossings of illegal migrants into Germany. On refugees, Merkel has already adjusted her stance most significantly. She now emphasises controlling the EUs external borders, improving conditions for refugees in the Middle East and Africa, and keeping as many refugees out of Europe as possible.

Germany has already tightened its asylum rules and is starting to enforce the deportation of rejected asylum seekers with greater vigour.

For Merkel, communicating this change of approach more forcefully (something she has steadfastly refused to do over the the past year) could therefore go a long way in terms of countering the radical AfD proposals.

OPINION: Turkeys visa ordeal and Europes refugee deal

In addition, there will be additional pressure on Merkel to soften her line vis-a-vis Russian President Vladimir Putin. The stance of the AfD towards authoritarian regimes such as Russia is remarkable. The AfD party platform clearly states the principle of not interfering with the domestic matters of other states.

The AfD has been one of the strongest pro-Putin forces in German politics. According to a recent poll, 30 percent of AfD voters trust Putin more than they trust Merkel.

In the same vein, while nominally in favour of NATO and Westbindung (Germanys anchoring in the West), the AfD demands the assertion of German sovereignty by getting rid of all United States troops on German soil and all nuclear weapons stationed in Germany.

Regressive rhetoric

Still, compared with her counterparts in Austria and France, Merkel is still in a more comfortable position.

As centre-left leaders, French President Francois Hollande and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern have to contend with two main parties to their right competing for who is toughest on migrants, refugees, Muslims and the EU. Merkel only faces the AfD to her right.

For the time being, Merkels biggest danger is the rising nervousness within her own party and the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDUs Bavarian sister. Her internal critics demand drastic changes towards immigration and the role of Islam in order to put the AfD genie back into the bottle.

OPINION: Three paths to European disintegration

Over the past weeks, CDU and CSU officials have floated a number of ideas from a ban on the burka to outlawing dual citizenship  targeting Turkish Germans.

Merkel joined into the populist chorus for the first time two weeks ago when she demanded that all those with Turkish roots living in Germany develop a high degree of loyalty to our country.

In return, she promised to try to have an open ear for their concerns. This patronising language endangers the significant progress that has been made thanks to a more open position of the CDU on Islam in Germany.

Merkels CDU needs to choose whether it wants to be a modern and open conservative party or one that incorporates a hardliner wing with AfD views.

The laws of political gravity seem to dictate that you cannot be both. And even if you play to the right, you have no guarantee that voters wont go for the AfD original.

Therefore, staying in the centre seems a sensible path for the CDU. This would acknowledge that it is unlikely to be able to prevent the very existence of a party such as the AfD to its right which has become a fixture of all normal European countries.

But what it can do is keep the seemingly unavoidable populist right small by winning back the trust of many citizens currently casting their protest vote with the AfD.

Thorsten Benner is director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Saudi Arabia says new report vastly exaggerated and that rebels used schools, hospitals and mosques as bases.

More than a third of Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen hit civilian sites including schools, hospitals and mosques, according to a new study.

The findings came from the Yemen Data Project, a group of security and human rights researchers, who looked into more than 8,600 air raids in the campaign between March 2015 and the end of August this year.

The results of the study were published by British newspaper The Guardian on Friday.





Out of the air raids examined, the study found that 3,577 were listed as hitting military sites and 3,158 non-military, while 1,882 strikes were classified as unknown, according to The Guardian.

Over the course of the campaign led by Saudi Arabia, the survey listed 942 air raids on residential areas, 114 on markets, 34 on mosques, 147 on school buildings, 26 on universities and 378 on transport.

The study, which the report said was based on open-source data including research on the ground, said that one particular school building was hit nine times, and one market was hit 24 times.

The project said the coalition hit more non-military sites than military in five of the past 18 months.

Riyadh dismisses report

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was quoted by The Guardian dismissing the report as vastly exaggerated and challenging its methodology.

He said rebel fighters had turned schools and hospitals and mosques into command and control centres.

They have turned them into weapons depots in a way that they are no longer civilian targets  They are military targets. They might have been a school a year ago. But they were not a school when they were bombed, he said.

READ MORE: What is the solution to the war in Yemen?

Saudi Arabia, along with a coalition of other Arab states, intervened in Yemen in March 2015 in support of the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels took over the capital Sanaa.

Since then the conflict has killed more than 6,600 people, most of them civilians, and displaced at least three million others, according to the UN.

A United Nations report in June found the coalition responsible for 60 percent of the 785 deaths of children in Yemen last year.

Fighting has intensified since the collapse of UN-backed peace talks in Kuwait on August 6.
Sekkingstad was released after almost a year in captivity while Canadian hostages were earlier beheaded.

The Abu Sayyaf armed group has freed a Norwegian man held hostage in the southern Philippines for almost a year after a ransom was reportedly paid.

Kjartan Sekkingstad, 56, was handed over on Jolo island, about 1,000km south of Manila on Saturday, after Abu Sayyaf received $638,000 in ransom for his release, said Abu Ramie, a spokesman for the armed group.

Sekkingstad was abducted from a high-end tourist resort in September 2015 alongside a Filipina woman, who has already been freed, and two Canadian men.

In April and June, the Canadians  John Ridsdel, 68, and Robert Hall, 67  were beheaded after ransoms were not paid, while the Filipina, Marites Flor, was released.

READ MORE: Inside Abu Sayyaf  blood, drugs and conspiracies

Philippine official Jesus Dureza said Sekkingstad was handed over to the rebel group Moro National Liberation Front. The MNLF is currently in peace talks with the government and had been working with authorities to secure Sekkingstads release.

He is well, Dureza said, adding that Sekkingstad would be handed over to authorities on Sunday and then flown to the southern city of Davao.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was reportedly heading to Davao to receive Sekkingstad.

Norway said the release was a positive development.

According to Philippine authorities, Sekkingstad is now in a relatively safe place, Norways Foreign Minister Borge Brende said in a written comment to the AFP news agency.





Abu Sayyaf, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS), has entrenched its network in recent years with vast sums of ransom money.

The group released 14 Indonesian hostages earlier this year after negotiations and ransom terms were met.

Filemon Tan, a regional military spokesman, said the latest release was an offshoot of the ongoing military operations to sustain pressure against Abu Sayyaf.

Simultaneous land, air, naval and police operations complemented each other putting pressure on the Abu Sayyaf, the DPA news agency quoted Tan as saying.

After the swearing-in of Duterte on June 30, the countrys new military chief warned of a shock and awe offensive to wipe out Abu Sayyaf.

The United States and the Philippines have separately blacklisted the group as a terrorist organisation for bombings, extortion, kidnappings for ransom and beheadings of locals and foreigners, including Christian missionaries in the south.
After years of casting doubt on President Barack Obamas place of birth, Trump changes his mind  though no apology yet.

The Republican Partys presidential candidate Donald Trump has finally acknowledged that US President Barack Obama was born in the United States, and his admission quickly drew criticism for perpetuating a racist conspiracy.

President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period, said Trump on Friday, reversing his long-held position casting doubt on the veracity of Obamas birthplace, which was known as the birther controversy.

OPINION: Birth certificates and unconscious racism

Trump had for years promoted the Birther Movement against Obama, who was born in Hawaii to an American mother and a Kenyan father, questioning his birthplace and, by association, the legality of his presidency.

In 2012, the New York businessman turned presidential candidate wrote on Twitter that Obamas birth certificate was a fraud.

An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012

Without offering evidence, Trump on Friday also accused his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of starting the birther allegations during her 2008 presidential primary campaign.

She is the one that started it, and she was unable or incapable of finishing it. Thats the way it worked out, Trump said.

Clinton was quick to respond, saying that Trumps news conference about Obamas birthplace was a disgrace, and her Republican rival had expressed zero regret for years of pushing a racist conspiracy theory.

Clinton said in a series of tweets that when Trump tries to deflect blame for denying that Obama was born in the US, her Republican opponent was lying.

He had the audacity to spout a new lie about the Birther Movement that he helped to build, the Democratic National Committee said.

Again, Trump turns his faults on others. Psychologists call it "projecting." Kids call it "I'm rubber, you're glue." https://t.co/lKDDD0wwsn  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 16, 2016

READ MORE: Obama seeks to end birthplace controversy

Bernie Sanders, who was Hillary Clintons rival in the Democratic presidential nomination race, said in a tweet: The Birther Movement was about delegitimising the first African-American president in our history.

My dad was born in Poland. Do you know how many people ever asked me whether or not I was born in America? Nobody ever asked me that.  Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 16, 2016

The head of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Democratic Representative GK Butterfield, of North Carolina, called Trump a disgusting fraud. Other members of the CBC told reporters that Trump has tried to delegitimise Obama, the first African-American president.

Congressional Black Caucus (Rep. Greg Meeks): Trump has lied about Obama, lied about Muslims, lied about women. pic.twitter.com/6Cu50a48tc  Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) September 16, 2016

So, yeah. I'm judging you if after Central Park 5 & discriminatory renting & original birtherism & you were still giving Trump a pass.   April (@ReignOfApril) September 16, 2016

Civil rights activist Jesse James pointed out that Trump now owes Obama an apology.

.@realDonaldTrump left out something important about @POTUS -an apology for five years of birther nonsense. @BarackObama  Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) September 16, 2016

Members of the CBC also held a news conference later on Friday to urge African-American voters to resist any temptation to support Trump.

Celebrities also voiced their criticism of Trumps latest stunt. Actress Mia Farrow said: Listen now to the Members of Congressional Black Caucus and understand the pain Trump is inflicting on our fellow Americans.

The only true statement out of the demagogue's mouth was this: "President Obama was born in America. Period."#SuburbanWhiteVotesMatter  yvette nicole brown (@YNB) September 16, 2016

OPINION: The higher birtherism

Obama declined to comment on Trump, telling reporters that he had better things to do.

Im shocked that a question like that would come up at a time when weve got so many other things to do  well, Im not that shocked actually, Obama said.

In 2011, Obama, released a long-form version of his birth certificate showing he was born in Hawaii.












Russian and Syrian militaries say a US-led coalition air strike on an army base has killed more than 60 Syrian troops.

More than 60 Syrian soldiers have been reported killed in US-led coalition air strikes near a military base as they battled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters, a Russian military spokesman said.

Major-General Igor Konashenkov said the air strikes on Saturday took place near the Deir Az Zor airport in eastern Syria and were carried out by two F-16s and two A-10s. He did not identify the planes country affiliation, but said they were part of the international coalition.

Konashenkov said Syrian authorities told the Russians that 62 soldiers were killed and more than 100 wounded.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the planes had bombed Syrian troops battling ISIL near the airport. Fierce fighting between the Syrian army and ISIL fighters was now under way.

Russia blasts US over ceasefire violations The ministry said the strikes had been carried out between 5pm-5:50pm local time by jets that had entered Syrian airspace from the direction of Iraq.

Profile: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) If this air strike was the result of a targeting error, it is a direct consequence of the US sides stubborn unwillingness to coordinate its action against terrorist groups on Syrian territory with Russia, the defence ministry said in a statement. Moscow called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the deadly air strikes.

Citing the Deir Az Zor airport, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 80 Syrian soldiers died. American officials acknowledged that the US-led coalition fighting ISIL in Syria may have hit Syrian military positions. Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh fighting position, a Pentagon statement said, using an Arabic acronym for the group. The coalition air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military.

Syrias civil war: Ceasefire strained by fresh fighting

Al Jazeeras senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said Moscow used the incident to hit home the importance of communication between Russia and the US in military operations in Syria.

What the Russians are saying today is you  the Americans  because you dont want to coordinate on the ground these sorts of mistakes are going to happen more often. Its quite foggy in terms of coordination on the ground. With the various violations of the ceasefire, youre going to see more friendly type fire going on, Bishara said.

Russia and the United States brokered a ceasefire in Syria that took effect on Monday and has largely held despite dozens of alleged violations.

Russia is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government and has been carrying out air strikes on behalf of his forces since last year.
Assets of five prominent human rights activists and three NGOs, accused of accepting foreign funds, to be frozen.

An Egyptian court has approved a freeze on the assets of five prominent human rights activists and three non-governmental organisations in a case related to accepting foreign funds without government authorisation.

Saturdays decision paves the way for criminal proceedings against the defendants, who have been accused of pursuing acts harmful to national interests. They face life sentences of up to 25 years each if found guilty.

Gamal Eid, a vocal critic of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, is among those affected by the order of the Cairo Criminal Court.

We know from the start the case is political and the aim is revenge against NGOs that expose the state's abuses. by Gamal Eid, Human rights activist

We know from the start the case is political and the aim is revenge against NGOs that expose the states abuses, said Eid, the head of the Cairo-based Arab Network for Human Rights Information.

The assets of Hossam Bahgat, the founder and former director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, will also be frozen.

Today is a good sign that criminal indictments are probably imminent, Bahgat told the Reuters news agency.

The court also froze the assets of three organisations and their directors; the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and its director Bahey el-Din Hassan, the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre and its director Mostafa al-Hassan, and the Egyptian Right to Education Centre and its director Abdelhafiz Tayel.

The rulings can be appealed.

Bahgat, Eid, and nine others are also banned from travel in connection to the case that has been going on since 2011.

Shameless ploy

Amnesty International described the court order as a shameless ploy to silence human rights activism.

We are calling for this unjust ruling to be quashed with immediate effect, Amnestys Philip Luther said in a statement.

This is a blatant misuse of the criminal justice system to prevent people speaking out about the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

READ MORE: Egypt NGOs robbed of independence

Egyptian rights activists say they are facing the worst assault in their history amid a wider campaign to erase freedoms won in a 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubaraks 30-year rule.

Civil rights in Egypt have been increasingly restricted since 2013, when el-Sisi, then army chief, deposed president Mohamed Morsi.

NGOs have felt exposed since late 2011 when authorities raided 17 pro-democracy and rights groups, accusing them of joining a foreign conspiracy against Egypt.

In 2013, a court ordered the closure of several foreign pro-democracy groups, including US-based Freedom House, and gave jail sentences to 43 NGO staff including 15 Americans who had fled the country.

A case against dozens of Egyptian NGOs and lawyers was never closed but remained largely dormant until this year.

None of the NGO staff summoned for questioning has been formally charged. Egyptian law allows prosecutors to freeze assets, ban travel and remand suspects in custody for extended periods without charge.

Independent United Nations experts said in April that Egypt is closing down domestic NGOs and putting travel bans on their staff in order to obstruct scrutiny of human rights issues.
Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in Srinagar as nearly 100 people injured in clashes with security forces.

Thousands of demonstrators have defied a curfew in Indian-administered Kashmir to attend the funeral of a schoolboy whose body was found riddled with pellets.

Security forces fired tear-gas shells on Saturday to disperse stone-throwing protesters, triggering more clashes in at least half a dozen places across Srinagar and southern parts of the Himalayan valley.

Forces responded when large crowds defied restrictions. Many were injured on both sides during the clashes that followed, a local police officer told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.

Another police official said nearly 100 people, mostly protesters, had been wounded in the latest demonstrations.

READ MORE: Kashmir  a story of defiance amid grief

Eleven-year-old Nasir Shafis body was found late on Friday on the outskirts of the main city of Srinagar after security forces used pellet guns to break up protesting crowds  despite the government vowing to replace the controversial weapons.

A curfew has been in place in large parts of the Muslim-majority Himalayan region since July when deadly protests erupted following the killing of rebel commander Burhan Wani by Indian forces.

Schools, banks and business establishments have been closed amid the curfew, while internet and mobile networks have also been cut off in a bid to prevent protests.

Faisal Khan, a Kashmiri photojournalist, told Al Jazeera that thousands of people turned up for the funeral.

Khan said journalists were allowed to cover the protests only after the intervention of senior-level officials.

The intensity of protests has come down but it continues in a restrained manner after the security forces withdrew in the evening, Khan said. People desperately want something to happen this time.

Wanis video messages on social media were widely popular in which he exhorted young Kashmiris to rise up against Indian rule.

The killing of the schoolboy took the death toll to 81 in the worst violence to hit the territory since 2010.

Q&A: Element of fear is gone for Kashmirs youth

The government has come under growing pressure over the level of casualties. Most have died in clashes between protesters and government forces who have fired tear gas and pellet guns at demonstrators.

Earlier this month, Indias Home Minister Rajnath Singh said police and troops would use chilli-based shells instead of ones filled with pellets after hundreds of civilians sustained serious eye injuries in the clashes.

The metal pellets, or birdshot, fired from the pump-action shotguns rarely result in deaths, but can often blind victims.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in its entirety.

Rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers  currently numbering about 500,000  demanding independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.
Chicago State University Shoves New President Out With $600,000 Parting Gift

By Sarah Gouda in News on Sep 16, 2016 9:55PM



(istockphoto)

Chicago State University, one of the nine state schools struggling amid budgetary gridlock, voted to accept President Thomas Calhoun Jr.'s resignation at a board meeting Friday morning. Calhoun served just nine months in the position and will receive a $600,000 severance package per the separation agreement.

The Chicago Tribune says that students reacted negatively to the University's announcement, with people present at the crowded board meeting shouting, "Shame, shame!" upon hearing the board's decision.

Calhoun's time at CSU was apparently hobbled by a management committee prohibited him from having sole decision-making on personnel issues and not being enough of an "insider." Faculty Union President Robert Bionaz told WTTW, "Hes not politically connected in Chicago, and thats part of the problem. His idea of how to run the university was very different from the boards idea, and different from [former president Wayne] Watsons and the holdovers from the Watson administration. This is a very bright guy, very ethical guy that had some good ideas, but the board has never given him an opportunity to do the job he was hired to do.

Senior Angela Bailey expressed her disappointment to the Tribune, "I'm very irritated. I'm very upset at the underhandedness of the board and the undermining of the students. Dr. Calhoun is being treated very unjustly. I feel that he was pushed out. It's like we don't have a voice. Decisions are being made on our behalf but without our influence."

Chicago State, located on the South Side and predominately serving low-income and minority students, has laid off 40% of staff amid a 20% decline in enrollment. Its accreditation is also on uncertain ground.

In a statement released Friday, Calhoun said, "As I have said from my first day at CSU, this university is an incredible resource for the people of the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and beyond. While I am leaving after only a short time, I believe that many signs are now pointing to a very bright future for the university. I am especially proud of the CSU students, who have persevered under difficult financial conditions."

Chicago State's vice president for administration and finance, Cecil Lucy, will serve as the interim president.
Israeli forces shoot dead another Palestinian man, bringing death toll from the last 24 hours to five.

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man after he allegedly stabbed a soldier in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said, in the latest killing in a 24-hour spike in violence.





A spokeswoman said on Saturday that the assailant armed with a knife stabbed an [Israeli] soldier during a routine security check before being shot dead in the West Bank city of Hebron.

In response to the immediate threat, forces at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death, the spokeswoman was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.

It brings the death toll from the past 24 hours to five. On Friday, three Palestinians and one Jordanian were shot and killed by Israeli forces in separate areas across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

READ MORE: Death amongst the tourists of occupied East Jerusalem

Since October 2015, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 215 Palestinians, including unarmed demonstrators, bystanders and attackers.

During the same period, Palestinian attackers have killed at least 33 Israelis in stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks.

Human rights groups have accused Israeli forces of unlawful killings and using lethal force in situations where non-lethal measures would have been appropriate.

Palestinian leaders say the assailants have acted out of desperation over the collapse of peace talks in 2014 and Israeli settlement expansion in occupied territory.
Tens of thousands hit the streets against the TTIP over alleged threats to human and ecological rights.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets across Germany in protest over a massive transatlantic trade deal, dealing a new blow to the disputed accord.

In Berlin, as in Munich, there was a sea of flags on Saturday as people flocked to join the rallies despite the rain, carrying placards and banners representing dozens of anti-globalisation groups, NGOs, political parties and unions.

People are not letting their mood be ruined by the weather, a spokeswoman for the organisers, Kathrin Ottovay, told the AFP news agency.

Roland Suess, from anti-globalisation group Attac, said 250,000 people were expected to turn out in seven major German cities  including about 80,000 in the capital Berlin.

Participants waved banners demanding democracy instead of TTIP and share, dont divide.

Trade deal TTIP faces scrutiny after Greenpeace leak

The European Union and the United States began negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013, aiming to create the worlds biggest free trade market of 850 million consumers.

A new round of talks is due to start in October and US President Barack Obama wants the deal concluded before he leaves office in January.

A smaller version of TTIP is also in the works with Canada, and that deal, called CETA, is due to be signed in October.

Exporters are in favour of the deal as it promises lower tariffs, less red tape and a wider base of consumers for their goods.

But the negotiations have faced opposition in Europe, where consumers fear it would ride roughshod over the 28-nation blocs labour market and environmental standards, and lead to more outsourcing and thereby job losses.

Some of the protesters we have spoken to today say that by agreeing to TTIP theyll lose some of their essential human rights and it may take 100 years, they say, to get those human rights back, Al Jazeeras Dominic Kane reported from Berlin.

Others say there are erosions to ecological rights that are important.

Another prickly issue is the plans for a special court to hear cases by companies against governments over breaches of regulatory issues, which opponents see as giving firms a veto over public policy.

CETA and TTIP threaten environmental and consumer protection for millions of people in Europe and North America, said Jennifer Morgan, executive director Greenpeace International.

TTIP: The mother of all trade deals?

Not only the people, but European governments too are torn over the planned deals.

The French government has put up strident opposition with Prime Minister Manuel Valls demanding an end to the talks, while the leader of Europes biggest economy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, voiced her backing for a deal.

In a recent interview, Merkel noted the high unemployment rate in several EU countries, and said: we should do everything we can to create jobs  the free trade agreements are part of that.

Suspicion is running high in Germany over the accords.

In Europe, they need to put people first  thats why we must stop TTIP, said Berlin rally coordinator Axel Kaiser, representing a group of small and medium sized firms opposed to the deal.

A recent Ipsos survey found that some 28 percent of respondents doubted if free trade could really bring benefits. More than half, 52 percent, say it would lead to weaker standards and spawn increasingly inferior products.
President Putin says US failure to rein in armed groups is a very dangerous route threatening the precarious truce.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has questioned the US commitment to a shaky ceasefire in Syria suggesting that Washington wasnt prepared to break with terrorist elements battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces.

The truce came into effect on Monday but both sides have alleged dozens of violations, and aid convoys have been unable to enter rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo  a key opposition demand.

Syrias civil war: Ceasefire strained by fresh fighting

Russia has in turn accused Washington of failing to rein in the rebels, and on Saturday Putin asked why the United States has insisted on not releasing a written copy of the agreement. Officials have provided details of the deal in press conferences, but have not released an official document, fuelling suspicions on both sides.

This comes from the problems the US is facing on the Syrian track  they still cannot separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from the half-criminal and terrorist elements, Putin said during a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

In my opinion, this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad. But this is a very dangerous route.

He appeared to be referring to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, which is deeply embedded in rebel-held areas and fights alongside more moderate groups.



Syrias rebel group voices moderate stance

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Putins remarks during a phone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Lavrov noted the refusal by an array of illegal armed groups to join the ceasefire, and Washingtons obligation to separate units of the moderate opposition from terrorist groupings, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Moscow, said Russias Defence Ministry noted on Saturday that if there was a collapse of the ceasefire, it would be the fault of the United States.

According to Russian officials there have been almost 200 ceasefire violations and they blamed all of those violations on opposition forces in Syria, Jamjoom said.

Under the ceasefire agreement, the US and Russia would work together to target Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, as well as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), while Assads forces refrain from striking opposition-held areas.

But Washington has warned Russia that unless aid is delivered to Aleppo, it will not move ahead with the formation of the joint coordination centre.

Syria ceasefire deal explained

The leader of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, condemned the US and Russian-brokered ceasefire, saying it places Washington on the side of President Assad and against the Syrian people.

In an interview with Al Jazeera that was broadcast on Saturday, al-Golani said that the ceasefire deal reached last week would allow Assads forces to advance, while eradicating any substantial armed challenge on the ground.

Golani warned that if the US takes this step, it will be in conflict not only with one faction, but with the whole Syrian people.

Syrias conflict has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced half the countrys population since March 2011.
Though such claims are being made regularly, several experts in the US believe them to be propaganda.

With the US election less than two months away, recent attempts to hack election data systems have prompted some officials to say that Russia could be trying to manipulate the race.

But is such a thing likely? Or are the claims just propaganda?

The cyber attacks on voter registration systems in Arizona and Illinois late last month were blamed by some anonymous officials on Russia, and followed a high-profile hack of Democratic Party computers that resulted in a cache of emails being released by WikiLeaks.





While the voter registration hack resulted in the theft of only a single username and password, the FBI is investigating.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter also issued an implicit warning to Moscow last week while in Europe.

We will not ignore attempts to interfere with our democratic processes, Carter said. Asked later to elaborate, Carter said he was referring to Russias interference in the internal affairs of nations, short of war.

Russia has denied it sponsors or encourages any hacking activity.

READ MORE: US election fraud allegations prompt calls for reform

President Barack Obamas homeland security adviser said on Wednesday that it would be very hard to hack into Americas voting systems in a way that could alter an election outcome.

Lisa Monaco said election systems were not connected to the internet and were diffusely operated by state and local governments.

That makes it extremely disparate, extremely diffuse and, as a consequence, extremely difficult to have an effect across the board that would result in a change in results, Monaco said.

The bigger worry, she said, involved efforts to sow concern or confusion about the resilience of the system.

Monacos remarks echoed those of FBI Director James Comey, who told an audience last week that the vote counting in this country tends to be kind of clunky, which makes it harder for hackers to infiltrate.

Earlier this year, Republican party presidential candidate Donald Trump dismissed suggestions that Russia had sought to influence the US election by engineering the theft of the Democratic Party emails.

Representatives from Clintons campaign claimed Russians hacked computers belonging to the party, and had released the emails on the eve of the partys convention. They also pointed out that Trump had, in the past, expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

READ MORE: Heres why Donald Trump might win

The cyber leak showed Democractic officials scoffing at Clintons former rival, Bernie Sanders and his supporters, and prompted Debbie Wasserman Schultz to resign as Democratic National Convention chairwoman.

Trump has downplayed his relationship with Putin, but says he wants to improve relations with Moscow.

Shyla Nelson, a cofounder of the civil rights group Election Justice USA, told Al Jazeera: The narrative that somehow foreign operatives would be doing so [hacking] in order to interfere with our national elections is not only unsubstantiated, its reckless and incendiary.
As aid remains held up on the border and ceasefire violations mount, the UN warns the world is watching.

Air raids and fighting tested a fragile ceasefire in Syria into Saturday as civilians waited for aid and tensions mounted between Russia and the United States, who brokered the truce.

In New York, the UN Security Council cancelled an urgent meeting on Friday that had been called to discuss whether to endorse the deal, billed as the last chance to end a five-year war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions from the country.





The closed-door consultations were scrapped after Moscow and Washington failed to agree on how to disclose details of the ceasefire to the council.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had earlier called his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and condemned repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

Kerry told Lavrov that Washington expected Russia to use its influence on the government of President Bashar al-Assad to press it to allow UN aid convoys to reach Aleppo and other areas, according to Kirby.

The secretary made clear that the United States will not establish the Joint Implementation Centre with Russia unless and until the agreed terms for humanitarian access are met, Kirby said, referring to a deal to set up a joint committee to enable the US and Russia to coordinate attacks on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham armed groups.

US President Barack Obama also voiced deep concern that the government continued to block humanitarian aid.

The ceasefire has been marred by a lack of aid deliveries and sporadic violence, in which three civilians were killed on Friday.

If the truce, which began on Monday , lasts seven days and aid access is granted, Russia and the US say they will work together to target ISIL, also known as ISIS, and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the group formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

Under the deal, Moscow must put pressure on Assad and Washington must work with the Syrian rebels it supports to silence their guns.

Civilians killed

Earlier on Friday, Russia said that only Moscow and the Syrian government were fulfilling the deal.

Although the ceasefire agreement is bilateral, only one side is truly implementing it, Igor Konashenkov, the Russian defence ministry spokesman, said.

Russia said, though, that it was ready to extend the truce, which is due to expire late on Friday, by 72 hours.

Russia accused the US of not doing their part to get rebel forces to pull back from Castello Road, that vital link that aid trucks will eventually travel along into besieged Aleppo, Al Jazeeras Charles Stratford, reporting from Gaziantep along the Turkey-Syria border, said.

Also, the Russian defence ministry describing an incident last night saying that Syrian forces close to that road came under attack by the rebels using small arms fire, and  were forced to redeploy to initial positions to protect any kind of demilitarised zone that was beginning to happen there.

Members of the UN Security Council have said that they need more details about the deal before deciding whether to endorse it.

OPINION: Inside Bashar al-Assads mind

The Pentagon also said on Friday that dozens of US Special Operations Forces have been deployed to Syrias border with Turkey to fight ISIL, at Ankaras request, in support of Turkeys army and vetted Syrian rebels.

Three civilians, including two children, were killed in air raids on Friday on the rebel-held town of Khan Shaykhun in Idlib province, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Under the truce deal, fighting is to stop across the country except where ISIL and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham are present.

Experts say the deal will be particularly difficult to implement in areas where Jabhat Fateh al-Sham has formed strong alliances with other rebel groups.

The world is watching

Hours-long fighting and shelling erupted in neighborhoods on the edges of Damascus on Friday, with activists and residents calling the clashes the heaviest in the Syrian capital in weeks.

Fighting between government troops and rebels was concentrated in the neighbourhood of Jobar, next to Qaboun, where rebels, including Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, have had a presence for years, according to the Syrian Observatory.

Syrian state media said rebels violated the ceasefire by shelling government-held areas in the eastern Damascus neighborhood of Qaboun, wounding three people.

The observatory said that three rebel fighters and four members of the government forces were killed.

The UN has called the truce a critical window of opportunity to deliver aid to rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo city, where around 300,000 civilians are under siege.

READ MORE: Syrias war  UN appeals for passage of Aleppo aid

The UN had hoped that 40 lorry loads of food  enough to feed 80,000 people for one month  could be delivered there as soon as possible.

But on Friday, the trucks were still waiting at the border with Turkey, said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Under the truce deal, the main route into divided Aleppo, the Castello Road, would be demilitarised and aid convoys would enter from Turkey.

A military source said Syrias army has carried out its pledge and handed over a number of points to the Russian monitoring teams, but that rebel groups had not withdrawn from their positions.

As humanitarians, this is immensely frustrating. Were here, were on the ground and were ready to move The world is watching, Swanson said.
Trump sparks anger after calling on bodyguards of rival Clinton to drop all weapons and see what happens to her.

United States Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sparked fresh controversy late on Friday after he appeared to refer to the potential assassination of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for the second time.

I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. Disarm immediately, Trump told a rally in Miami. Take their guns away  lets see what happens to her.

Take their guns away, OK? Itll be very dangerous, he continued.

Clintons campaign manager Robby Mook slammed the comments, saying they ought to be out of bounds for a presidential candidate.

Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally, or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of commander in chief, said Mook in a statement quoted by CNN.

The comments came a month after Trump was accused of encouraging gun owners to assassinate Clinton if she wins the November 8 presidential election.

Hillary wants to  essentially abolish the Second Amendment, Trump said at a rally in North Carolina in early August, referring to the US Constitutions enshrinement of the right to bear arms.





By the way, and if she gets  to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is. I dont know, he continued.

Trump at the time denied the comments were an incitement to violence, saying he was encouraging guns rights activists to take to the ballot box and vote for him.

Birther Movement

Fridays comments came just hours after Trump, who for years had questioned Barack Obamas nationality as part of the Birther Movement, acknowledged for the first time that the president was a native-born US citizen.

President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period. Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again, Trump said in an appearance at his companys newly opened hotel in

Washington.

The US Constitution requires the president to be a citizen by birth.

Obama, the first African-American president, was born in Hawaii to married university students. His mother was a Kansas native, and his father was a foreign student from Kenya.

Clintons campaign blasted his comments as disgraceful, while Obama himself laughed off the issue, telling reporters he had no reaction to Trumps apparent reversal.

Im shocked that a question like that would come up at a time when weve got so many other things to do, Obama said before meetings Friday at the White House.





Well, Im not that shocked, actually. Its fairly typical.  I was pretty confident about where I was born. I think most people were, as well. And my hope would be that the presidential election reflects more serious issues than that.

More reversals

While campaigning on Friday in South Florida, which has a large Cuban-American population, Trump also said that if he is elected president, he will reverse Obamas efforts to normalise relations with Cuba  unless the country abides by certain demands.

Among those, he said, would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of all political prisoners.

Trump says he will stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression.

The comment marks yet another reversal for the Republican candidate, who previously said he supported the idea of normalised relations, but wished the US had negotiated a better deal.

READ MORE: Heres why Donald Trump might win

Trump also said that the US has a broader obligation to stand with oppressed people  a comment that seems at odds with his America first mantra.

The next president of the United States must stand in solidarity with all people oppressed in our hemisphere, and we will stand with oppressed people, and there are many, he said.

He added that the people of Venezuela are yearning to be free, they are yearning for help. The system is bad. But the people are great.

Trump has often cited the country as a model of a failed state, warning that if Clinton is elected, she will turn the US into Venezuela.
We explore how a lack of regulation and absence of a strong public broadcaster has impacted the coverage of US politics.

In this special edition of The Listening Post from New York City we explore how a lack of regulation and absence of a strong public broadcaster in America has affected the coverage of US politics.

As the 2016 presidential election campaign heads into the home stretch, many Americans are accusing their news outlets, particularly on the broadcast side, of not just reporting on the race for the White House  but actually affecting the outcome, through their commercial agendas, prioritising ratings and revenues over journalism and responsible reporting.

So how did we get here? Measuring the totality of media coverage over the entire presidential campaign  the content, the tone, the ideology  is near impossible. But what we can do is examine structural issues in the broadcasting landscape that are unique to the United States.

First, Americas regulatory requirement for editorial fairness is almost non existent. Broadcasters in the US can be editorially and ideologically biased whether Fox News on the right, MSNBC on the left.

The second thing that sets the US media apart is that unlike every other advanced country in the world, America does not have a publicly owned broadcaster provided with the resources  the budgets  to actually compete with privately owned media outlets. So broadcasting in the US is almost entirely corporate-controlled.

We examine the corporate domination of the American airwaves, the ratings and profit imperative related to that and the effect that that has on media coverage and public discourse.

Talking us through the story are: Dan Rather, former anchor, CBS Evening News; Cenk Uygur, host, The Young Turks; Amy Goodman, host, Democracy Now!; Nicholas Lemann, dean emeritus, Columbia Journalism School; Robert McChesney, communications professor, Illinois University; Janine Jackson, programme director, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting; Daniel McCarthy, editor, The American Conservative; and Patricia Diaz Dennis, former Federal Communications Commissioner.
China on Thursday hurled its first Tiangong-2 lab into space, marking another step forward in the country's plans to establish a permanent station by the early 2020s.

China's rapid development in space exploration within the past decade has impressed the world. Martin Barstow, director of Leicester Institute of Space & Earth Observation at the University of Leicester, told Xinhua in a recent interview that China's developing space program is another major milestone towards establishing a permanent presence in space.

"The earlier success of the first space station (Tiangong-1) shows how the program is developing and the new space laboratory will continue to add to China's status as a major space power," the professor said.

Former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, the first Chinese-American to be commander of the International Space Station, hailed Tiangong-2 as "another significant step for China's human spaceflight program."

"China is moving in a very deliberate and orderly fashion to advance their space capability," Chiao said. "I think the technology is good, and they are moving to get more operational experience through TG-2, before the beginning of space station construction."

Barstow also spoke highly of China's space capability, saying "China is already a key player in the international space industry," and Tiangong-2 will "enhance" its well-developed space capability.

Gao Yang, director of Surrey Technology for Autonomous Systems and Robotics (STAR) Lab, said manned spaceflight is of indicative significance in space technology, and China's rapid development in this area is well-known.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said in an article published on Thursday that "Beijing has made space exploration a national priority and is the third country, after the Soviet Union and the U.S., to put astronauts into space."

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION NEEDED

In different interviews Xinhua carried with space experts, all mentioned the need for international cooperation in space exploration. Space station programs have always been a cradle for countries to work together, Gao said.

Such collaboration has been vividly reflected in the Tiangong-2 mission, which carries, among a number of scientific experiments, an astrophysics detector that is the first space-science experiment built jointly by China with European countries.

POLAR, dedicated to establishing whether the photons from Gama ray bursts (GRBs) -- thought to be a particularly energetic type of stellar explosion -- are polarized, was built largely with Swiss funding, and with the collaboration of Swiss, China and Polish scientists and support from the European Space Agency (ESA), according to the British journal Nature.

POLAR project manager Nicolas Produit, who spoke to Nature, said U.S. law bars NASA from doing joint projects with China's space agencies, but the Chinese Academy of Sciences is discussing a number of other collaborative space projects with the ESA.

Gregory Kulacki, senior analyst and China project manager at the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists' Global Security Program, said that it is encouraging that China intends to solicit international participation in its space station project.

"My hope is that the United States and China will, at an appropriate time in the future, find a way to cooperate in the peaceful exploration of space instead of competing to turn it into a battlefield, as they are now," he said.

Chiao said international coperation is "a common point of interest that helps improve overall relationships. The International Space Station is a great example of that. Many nations came together to build the amazing facility, and we are working together to further science. This helps to improve overall relations between the member countries."

Barstow believed that more and more countries are seeing the importance of space activity but this will not turn into a race. He said that to benefit smaller economies, a growth of space activity across the world will need to be nurtured by the major agencies like ESA, NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscomos) and China National Space Administration (CNSA).

CHINA'S AMBITIOUS SPACE PROGRAM

China has been actively developing a three-step manned space program since the first decade of the 21st century.

The program's first mission took place in 1999 with the launch of the Shenzhou-1 to examine the performance and reliability of the launcher and verify key technologies relating to capsule connection and separation, heat prevention, control and landing.

The first step, to send an astronaut into space and return safely, was fulfilled by Yang Liwei in the Shenzhou-5 mission in 2003.

The second step was developing advanced space flight techniques and technologies including extra-vehicular activity and orbital docking. This phase also includes the launch of two space laboratories -- effectively mini space-stations that can be manned on a temporary basis.

The next step will be to assemble and operate a permanent manned space station.

China will begin building a space station that is more economically efficient and uses more data than the current International Space Station (ISS), starting as early as 2017, chief engineer of China's manned space program Zhou Jianping told Xinhua on Thursday.

With the ISS set to retire in 2024, the Chinese space station will offer a promising alternative, and it will make China the only country to have a permanent space station after the ISS.
           2005     ..        
Smaller, yet service-oriented. Compatible with digital banking. Profitable.

That is the vision increasingly being painted of the bank branch of the future. And before dismissing it as a delusion of the glass-is-half-full crowd, consider that notably tech-savvy companies like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and UMB Financial are among those making the case that branches are still essential to setting a bank apart from its rivals.

JPMorgan's branches have been crucial in building long-term relationships with more lucrative customers, even in today's high-tech world, said Erin Hill, the company's head of consumer branch banking and wealth management. Its younger, "more digitally active" employees spend time helping customers with more complex questions, using mobile phones and tablets to provide service and develop a rapport, she explained.

"If we were trying to shift to an all-digital channel I don't think we'd have nearly the success we've had," Hill said.

The future-of-the-branch debate took a new twist this month after Wells Fargo agreed to pay $190 million to settle charges that thousands of employees created unauthorized bank and credit card accounts for customers from 2011 to 2014 in order to meet sales goals and collect bonuses for themselves. It has sparked a discussion about whether banks, worried about the crushing overhead from quieter branches, are putting too much pressure on employees to generate revenue.

"The declining transaction volumes render sales more difficult," said Steven Reider, founder and president of the marketing and branch-planning adviser Bancography. "Can we keep rationing sales goals inexorably upward when branch traffic is declining? The answer is no."

Yet equating transaction decline with branch decline misses the fundamental point that branches no longer exist to cash checks, Reider said. More consumers receive direct deposits now, they pay bills electronically and withdraw cash from ATMs. Business receive less cash now or perhaps offload it through cash back at the point of sale.

Branches are starting to shrink in square footage and number of staff, and the average salary for branch employees will increase so they can keep who employees who can deliver more sophisticated services, Reider said.

JPMorgan's Hill painted a similar picture, and said it's not necessarily a dire reality.

"The truth is: if you look at the activity from customers coming in for basic transactions at the teller line, those are not necessarily the people growing their balances and leading to the growth of the overall business," Hill said. "We try to help our bankers understand the lessening of foot traffic does not at all affect their ability to deepen relationships with customers."

Moreover, the point is not to see the branch and digital as antithetical, she and others said.

"We cannot be naive to the fact that our customers want to be able to engage with us when and where they want in a very easy manner, hence the continued investment in the other channels," Hill said of mobile, digital and other innovation efforts and initiatives. "You can't have a successful branch network without those."

It's still a people business at heart, and the branch is the place to provide a higher level of service that breeds customer loyalty, said Joe Salesky, chief executive of CRMNEXT, a customer-engagement software provider for financial services. "There's no ability to differentiate the self-service.  What's it going to take to be a bank of service, to help the bank transform?"

His answer? Bring the physical and digital worlds together in customer interactions, Salesky said. Like Apple Stores, where bank associates would help customers side by side instead of face to face, using mobile devices as tools for service. It would be more comfortable yet still personal. Customers could book appointments with branch representatives in advance or walk in off the street for hands-on digital banking demos.

Bank of America is already doing that. Its 3,800 "digital ambassadors," easily identifiable by the lanyards they wear to customers who enter their branches, are trained to help customers better understand and navigate the mobile app or website for themselves  a sort of service for self-service.

Inspired by Apple's Genius Bar and Best Buy's Geek Squad, the year-old initiative at B of A also lets customers book appointments to digital ambassador bars. Similarly, in March 2014 UMB in Kansas City, Mo., put tech support specialists in its branches to help customers understand how to make mobile deposits and use online bill pay and other digital services.

"In-branch traffic is going down across the country," Christine Pierson, head of UMB's financial consumer division, said at the time. "[We're] interested in ways to get customers to be engaged with the bank."

That kind of side-by-side learning would give banks more opportunity to cross-sell. There is also an understanding gap between customers and the products banks are selling  which amount to far more than the number of products Apple has to sell, and with which many customers are largely unfamiliar.

Hill emphasized the importance of empathy, acknowledging the personal conversations, sometimes emotional and sometimes uncomfortable, that occur between bankers and clients when the latter are purchasing a home, saving for retirement, funding a child's education or financing a business.

She pointed to JPMorgan's branch in the retail area of the new World Trade Center complex in New York. At 2,700 square feet, it's about 35% smaller than the company's typical branch. But there are 11 ATMs throughout the large shopping area that can perform about 60% of basic bank transactions, giving customers a self-service option so JPMorgan can reallocate its branch space for one-on-one meetings.

Inside the branch, there are just two teller windows, four offices for customers to discuss their more complex needs with bankers, and a private-banking team. JPMorgan has no plans to incorporate its own Genius Bars or remodel branch floors into a coffee house environment, Hill said, but its philosophy has nuances of Apple's old "Think Different" mantra.

"We're continuing to think differently as to what would make something easier for our customer" through focus groups, its innovation lab and feedback from 250,000 employees, she said. "It's not just that we're going to keep doing what we're doing. We're going to continue to think differently."
President Obama signed a proclamation to reinstate Myanmars eligibility to the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences program that allows certain goods from developing countries to enter the U.S. duty free.



President Obama on Wednesday signed a proclamation to reinstate Myanmars eligibility to participate in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, which allows certain goods from developing countries to enter the United States duty free.

The reinstatement of Myanmar (Burma) to the program will take effect Nov. 13.

We see Burmas democratically-elected government giving new hope to its people, making commitments to continue implementing reforms that strengthen workers voices, and working to combat forced and child labor, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in a statement. We have partnered with Burma to support many of these reforms in the past and will continue to do so with GSP in place.

The U.S. suspended the countrys GSP benefits in 1989 due to worker rights concerns. After Myanmar requested reinstatement in 2013, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) led an extensive review of the countrys compliance with all of the GSP eligibility criteria, and in particular, of its recent record of labor reforms and strengthened worker protections.

Since the democratic government took office in March 2016, senior government officials, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and joined by the countrys business and labor leaders, have worked with the U.S. on labor issues, USTR said.

Access to GSP will give Myanmar the opportunity to export about 5,000 products to the U.S. duty-free.

The GSP program was created by the Trade Act of 1974 to promote economic development of developing nations. Under the program, 122 developing countries export about 3,500 different products duty-free to the U.S. The least developed countries, such as Myanmar, are eligible to export another 1,500 products duty-free.

According to the USTR, exports that entered the U.S. duty-free in 2015 under the GSP program from all countries totaled about $17.7 billion.

Myanmars exports to the U.S. have grown from $38,000 in 2012 to $142 million in 2015. These exports include GSP-eligible goods such as dried peas, rattan and wood products, and travel goods.

The USTR noted that Myanmar regained similar preferential trade benefits under the European Unions GSP program in July 2013. Canada, Japan, South Korea and Australia have also recently included the country in their GSP programs.
Catholic religious leaders have been making unusually strong statements about Islamist terrorists. Pope Frances, in a ceremony on September 14, 2016, honoring the priest Fr. Jacques Hamel who had been murdered by two Islamist terrorists in his church on July 26, 2016, told his congregation that killing in the name of God is satanic.

Equally dramatic is a pronouncement from a leading figure in the Church is Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, the 71-year-old Bohemian-born Archbishop of Vienna, a conservative who was a student of former Pope Benedict XVI and said to be his spiritual son.

On September 11, 2016 the cardinal spoke on what is evidently a symbolic moment, the 333rd anniversary of the Battle of Vienna in 1683. This was the historic battle in which Christian forces defeated the third attempt of the Ottoman Empire to capture Vienna. The Christian victory was a turning point in the long struggle between the Holy Roman and Ottoman Empires.

The cardinal warned of an Islamic conquest of Europe. Many Muslims, he said, want this and say, Europe is at its end. He prayed for the European people who are in danger of forfeiting our Christian heritage. The danger to Europe, he urged, was being felt not only economically, but above all, in human and religious matters. Schonborn in a TV interview in April 2016 had already commented that Islam had not experienced the Enlightenment, as Christianity and Judaism had, and had a lot of catching up to do.

Cardinal Schonborn was reflecting on the general problems Europe was facing, the massive Muslim immigration, and the increase in Islamist terrorism. The general issues he is concerned with are present in his own country.

Austria, like all European countries, is troubled by the increasing immigration into the country. In 2015 the country admitted 90,000 migrants, of whom 11,000 were said to be possible suspects for crime. Between January and June 2016 there have been 24,000 applicants for asylum in Austria. Not surprisingly, Norbert Hofer, the far right Freedom Party presidential candidate, has benefited from this in the spoiled and annulled election of May 2016 where he received 49.7 % of the vote compared to 50.3 % of his opponent.

Like other European countries, Austria has acted. In February 2015 the parliament passed a law limiting funding for Muslim organizations and mosques, and requiring imams to be proficient in German. In 2016, another bill restricting the right of refugees to claim asylum in Austria was approved.

Yet, in spite of European efforts to control terrorism, a continuing problem is that terrorists have been able to take advantage of legal procedural rights and technicalities to benefit as a result of democratic procedures. This has been shown in some of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg.

Its latest case, equivocal in some regard, concerning Islamist terror attacks in London raises the need for examination of judgments concerning the activities of terrorists, even while adhering to the vital principle of the rule of law.

This case dealt with aftermath of the events on July 7, 2005 when terrorists attacked the London transport system, murdering 52 people and injuring hundreds. Two weeks later, on July 21, other Islamist terrorists, all Somalis, detonated four bombs, containing hydrogen peroxide and shrapnel, on the London transport system but they failed to explode. Three of the perpetrators were arrested and convicted.

The point at issue is that they were refused legal assistance while interviewed by the police who were attempting to protect life and property. The statements the terrorists made at that time were admitted at their trial at which they were convicted of conspiracy to murder, and sentenced to 40 years imprisonment. On appeal, ECHR in October 2008 ruled by 5-2 that the right of terrorists involved in July 21, 2005 to a fair trial had not been violated, though they had been questioned without legal advice. The Court held the urgent need to avert serious consequences for citizens was more critical than their right to legal advice.

This view was again upheld on December 14, 2014, but the case was referred to the Grand Chamber of 17 members of the ECHR.

Meanwhile, a fourth individual, a man named Ismail Abdurahman, a British subject born in Somalia, had been interviewed by the police. He was not suspected of having detonated a bomb but was viewed as a witness to the planned attacks. He incriminated himself by explaining his help to a fourth bomber in hiding him for three days.

Technically, he should have been cautioned and offered legal advice, but the police continued, taking a written statement. On that basis he was arrested and then offered legal advice. His written statement was admitted as evidence at his trial at which in February 2008 he was convicted of assisting the fourth bomber and not disclosing information about the bombings. He was sentence to ten years imprisonment, later reduced to eight years.

The terrorists who had been convicted appealed to the ECHR complaining about two issues: their lack of access to legal representation; and the admission at their trial of statements they made to the police. On September 13, 2016 the Grand Chamber upheld the conviction of the terrorists, and ruled that the temporary restrictions on them regarding legal advice were justified because of the need to avert further terrorist attacks. The London police in July 2005 were facing difficult conditions and were operating under enormous pressure.

But their decision on Abdurahman was different. The ECHR did not find he had been wrongly convicted. But it held by 11-6 held that in his case there were no compelling reasons to restrict his access to legal advice, or to fail to inform him of his right to remain silent. The presumption was that the proceedings in respect to him had been unfair. The overall fairness of his trial was prejudiced because of the police failure to caution him. The Grand Chamber thus ordered UK to pay him 13,600 (16,000 euros) for legal fees because his human rights were breached.

The rule of law was respected, but it is difficult to justify the decision to give compensation to an individual who had helped the terrorists planning to inflict mass murder on Londoners. The law ought to deal firmly with the barbarity that is threatening Western civilization. One wonders if Cardinal Schonborn sees the behavior of the terrorists in London as part of the Muslim attempt to conquer Europe, even if it was not the fourth attempt to conquer Vienna.
Why do we have a government? What is its purpose?

Our founding documents give us the reasons in plain English: to secure the unalienable rights of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (the Declaration of Independence) and "to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" (the preamble to the Constitution of the United States).

In other words, our government exists to secure the liberty of its citizens. There is a reason why the word "Liberty" appears in both the Declaration and the Constitution: because liberty is the paramount moral directive by which one human being can interact with another. To rob another human being unwillingly of his time, effort, intellection, the fruits of his labor, or his very life is to violate his self-sovereignty and to do him evil. Governments were known by our founders to be the very worst violators of this principle, and so the founders set up our government to be the very basis for which self-sovereignty was to be preserved, which established our republic as unique in the whole of human history.

At least it used to be. We have lost our way.

The government we know today exists only for itself. It feeds off the citizenry to support its own largesse. It is used as a mechanism by its adherents to further pet projects and ply us with social experiments. It steadily erodes, rather than secures, liberty. The Constitution was established to confine government, but through two centuries of Supreme Court malignance, we have a government that, collectively, does not recognize self-sovereignty as a natural right.

How, then, do we regain our liberty? To further avoid usurping the rule of law, and thus perpetuating the problem, we must do it lawfully. This begins with the next presidential election. With three or more Supreme Court appointments, the next president will decide what could be the ultimate fate of our nation  will we be a nation that respects the rule of law and liberty, or will we bend the rules to the will of the mob, or even worse, to that of the executive?

Only one of the two main presidential candidates is heeding the advice of those who advocate for constitutionalist justices, and that is Donald Trump. For all the problems people have with him, I believe he will ultimately nominate men and women to the judiciary who will uphold the rule of law. Contrast this with Hillary Clinton, who has shown repeated contempt for the rule of law and the Constitution.

However, appointing constitutionalists to the Supreme Court is not a panacea. All too often, blatantly unconstitutional legislation is upheld by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote, and liberty suffers. Electing Donald Trump will be an important step, but it is only the first.

More important is to undo the damage wrought over the past several decades by an over-reaching executive branch and a complicit Supreme Court, and there is only one way to accomplish this. A handful of conscientious members of Congress who believe in self-sovereignty are helplessly outnumbered. If we wanted to, we could elect those who would restore our republic, but we don't want to. Despite approval ratings at 10% and less, Congressional re-election rates are in excess of 90%. The public hasn't the will to force Washington to change. And Washington certainly hasn't the will to force change upon itself.

That leaves the states, as was intended by the founders from the beginning. Just as Congress has the power to propose amendments to the Constitution at any time, so, too, do the states, under Article V of the Constitution, via a convention for proposing amendments. There is a growing movement for a convention  which Washington does not want. Indeed, Congress has headed off attempts in the past to hold a convention, starting right at the beginning, with the Bill of Rights. It takes two thirds of the states to apply for the same topic to convene a convention, and any amendments proposed by the convention require three fourths of the states to ratify, as is the case for amendments proposed by Congress. While hundreds of applications have been submitted in our nation's history on various topics, the Convention of States Project is gathering steam for a convention to propose "amendments that would impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress."

Given that all states will be represented, not only those that apply, and delegates from across the political spectrum will have a voice, the amendments that come about from this convention, upon which a majority can agree, will be some of the most important reforms we can conceive. Term limits for Congress and a balanced budget amendment are reforms with broad support among the states and the people, because these would do the most to stem the culture of corruption in Washington. And these are reforms Congress will never impose upon itself.

Some people voice concern that the delegates to such a convention could entirely rewrite the Constitution and claim that this is what the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia did. This is a misnomer. The Constitutional Convention was convened following the Annapolis Convention and had as its mandate "to render the Federal Constitution adequate to the exigencies of the Union." That is precisely what they did. Not only is a convention under Article V limited in scope, but proposals not in line with the purpose of the convention could be ruled out of order. Then, even if by some miracle an amendment that severely curtailed our liberty passed the convention with a majority vote, it would still have to be ratified by three fourths of the states, which means that only one chamber in each of thirteen states could pronounce a given amendment dead on arrival. This is an insurmountable obstacle for all amendments save those with the greatest support among we the people.

Still others ask, if the government doesn't follow the Constitution now, why would it follow it after a convention? The reality is that the government does follow the Constitution  but the wrong one. They follow the Constitution as amended by the Supreme Court, not the Constitution as written. For the moment, we are still a nation of laws, and the government would adhere to any amendment arising from a convention and ratified by the states. For the moment...

If we fail to act soon, we will lose our last vestiges of liberty and the rule of law to a corrupt government, an over-reaching executive megalith, a complacent legislature, and a faithless judiciary. We the people want a peaceful process to reclaim our republic. Well, this is it, and the time is now. Those in Washington won't reform, so we must do it for them.
Many people are understandably concerned about this years presidential election. Some are saying the two chief candidates are the worst available choices in decades. It's often said that elections are not so much about voting for who you favor, but more about voting against who you disfavor. In other words, voting for the lessor of two evils.

Some have decided to boycott the election altogether. This is a copout and negates the individual from participating in discussions, as they have opted out of the process. Not making a decision, is making a decision.

One of the justifications people have used to support Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump is she has experience. Just because someone has experience, does that mean they deserve to be the most powerful person in the world? Also, one has to evaluate their experience, to determine if what they have previously done merits greater responsibility, and reward.

One of the flashpoint issues of the day is terrorism. First off, since Trump has not served in public office, his experience with terrorism cannot be evaluated. Yet, he has made his views regarding terror quite clear.

Hillary, on the other hand, has significant experience, which includes serving as Secretary of State from 2009  2013.

One of the official duties in the job description of Secretary of State is ensures the protection of the US Government to American citizens, property and interests in foreign countries.

In March 2016 an American, Taylor Force, was murdered by a terrorist while he was visiting Israel. His killer, Basar Masalha, who was killed during the attack, was a member of Hamas. Masalha was praised as a martyr by the official PA newspaper Al-Hayat Al Jidada. PA President Mahmoud Abbas was asked to publically condemn the murder. He refused, which is tantamount to implicit support.

Whats the connection between Forces murder and Hillary Clinton?

Starting in 2003, when a soldier of Allah commits murder, or another act of terror his crime provides him with a place of honor. It also entitles him to be paid a salary. The more heinous the crime, the greater the salary. If the murderer dies, or is killed while committing his crime, he becomes known as a shahid, or martyr. In this case his family is awarded the financial compensation. Palestinian murderers and/or their families in some cases collect as much as $3,500 per month, which is five times greater than the average family income.

Aside from Hamas, the terrorist can be from numerous groups, including Fatah, the political party of PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Palestinian Authority allocates roughly 6% of its budget to reward murderers. Since the Palestinian government is providing compensation, it can easily be defined as state-sponsored terrorism. Yet where are the demands to halt this despicable policy?

While world leaders turn a blind eye to this official sanctioning of murder, the same world leaders are often heard roundly criticizing Israel for construction in areas that have long been understood as being part of Israel. Such voices have included Hillary Clinton. While there may be disagreement that said construction is in an acceptable area, how can leader deserving of respect focus on construction, while ignoring outright murder?

Yet, there is more to this story. The Palestinian Authority receives over $1.3 billion aid money from around the world. (2014 figures) The single largest source is the United States which provides $400 million annually. The EU, Saudi Arabia, and UK are second, third, and fourth, respectively in annual support.

This means that during the years 2009 - 2013 while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, she was part of an ongoing U.S. policy of being the majority financial supporter for a government which promotes and rewards murderers of civilians, including Americans. She did nothing to criticize, impede or prevent said policy, which remains ongoing.

Whats the takeaway from this?

Indeed it is true that Hillary Clinton has experience. The question begs is the knowledge of and financial support for ongoing murder of innocent lives (which includes Americans) the type of experience that justifies electing her president?

The question is, what will Americans say?

For more of Dan Calics articles see his Facebook Page.
England and America are two countries separated by the same language, George Bernard Shaw once remarked. Post-Brexit, why allow any barriers to stand between the worlds two greatest allies?

During debate over the United Kingdom referendum to exit the European Union, Remain supporters argued that British trade would suffer; Leave campaigners countered that Britain had the world as its oyster, pointing to her proud history of overseas trade during which the second British Empire flourished. But why should Britain limit herself? Why not include her first imperial American offspring?

For even as the War of Independence created the worst relations imaginable between the two countries, with peace America wasted little time in renegotiating trade deals with her former mother country.

When the United States became tangled up in Britains conflict with revolutionary France upon the high seas, President Washington sent John Jay as his envoy to London, resulting in the eponymous treaty which resumed trans-Atlantic amity, commerce, and navigation.

Disagreement at the climax of the Napoleonic conflict brought the two nations to arms again during the short-lived, fairly inconsequential War of 1812. But tranquility and, more important, a dynamic alliance, has reigned ever since. Now another opportunity presents itself.

Of all the many splendid opportunities provided by the British peoples heroic Brexit vote, British historian Andrew Roberts writes, perhaps the greatest is the resuscitation of the idea of a Canzuk Union.

Roberts foresees the time is ripe for the Canzuk ideal: The Crown countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom need to form a new federation based upon free trade, free movement of peoples, mutual defence, and a limited but effective confederal political structure.

One question only remains of its organizers: Why limit Canzuk to its represented countries? Why not include the United States?

The New York Sun is Americas principal advocate of such a liberty bloc of nations, united by rule of law and the common law tradition, free markets, and mobility of capital, goods, and labour. Canzuks own numbers tell the story of its combined economic strength and political liberties. Americas addition would compound the benefits, considering her population, financial, and military advantages.

Sun contributor Conrad Black is one vocal proponent -- and who can deny that the sometime media mogul, with ties to Canada, the U.S., and Britain, being a peer in that nations House of Lords, embodies the very ideals of transnational unity?

The top tier of the old Commonwealth comprising Canzuk countries, and including Singapore and India, would welcome a revival of some level of solidarity with the British, Lord Black writes. As for America, any post-Obama administration -- and Republican-nominee Donald Trump has denounced Obamas back of the queue pre-Brexit threat -- would be happy to warm up relations with the U.K.

The Sun editor, Seth Lipsky, was unashamedly pro-Brexit and urged Republicans to offer the United Kingdom trade deals to offset possible disruptions with its European markets. If you are prepared to stand for your own liberty, Lipsky proposed as the GOPs opening bid to Britain, let us encourage you with an offer to strengthen our special relationship and forge -- along with such free market democracies as, among others, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Israel -- a new liberty bloc. Its an opportunity for both of us.

An opportunity clearly seen by the British government. In July the Department of International Trade announced plans to open three new offices in the U.S., in addition to eleven already established, in an effort to boost trade and investment. Anticipating the launch, Britains minister for International Trade, Dr. Liam Fox, made his first overseas trip to Chicago, to draw on this enduring friendship and to ensure the UK and the United States strengthen our already close trading ties.

Between the UK and US, nearly $1 trillion worth of investment flows across the Atlantic: making us each others largest investor, and each others largest foreign job creator. UK companies employ one million people in America and US companies employ a similar figure in the UK. [] This is what open trade is all about, something Id like to hear more of in the current American electoral cycle. Its about countries coming together to set the conditions so that businesses, skilled people, goods and services can move easily. This creates stability, enriches our cultures, and spreads prosperity. I want the UK and USA together to lead the world as shining beacons of open trade. [emphasis added]

Meanwhile, speaking at the G20 conference in China in early September, British prime minister Theresa May acknowledged the governments determination to secure trade deals with countries from around the world, in pursuit of which there would be a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Brexit and International Trade [the first of many, one expects] to discuss how the government should pursue an ambitious trade strategy and to work out which markets we should prioritise. Given Dr. Foxs mission to Chicago, America is near the top of that list.

Arguably, this commonwealth model of free states was inaugurated with the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707; a Scot, Adam Smith, penned its theme: Little else is requisite to carry a State to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things.

Such was the vision of the American Founders and Framers of the Constitution. It inspires Canzuk and liberty bloc supporters to-day. It inspires Prime Minister May: A rules-based, open and inclusive global trading system can act as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth and the right trade agreements can be the greatest anti-poverty policy of our time.

With little fear remaining, then, of insuperable barriers betwixt Britain and America, it only remains to ask: Can anyone say Canzukus?

Stephen MacLean maintains the weblog The Organic Tory.
Hillary channels Michelle. And they both channel dictators. Back on the campaign trail (or at least the Twitter trail), Clinton sent out the following:

As @FLOTUS said, the choice in this election is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four years of their lives.

She was referencing Michelle Obamas proclamation at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, when M.O. said:

This November, when we go to the polls, that is what we are deciding. Not Democrat or Republican, not left or right. In this election and every election, it is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives.

It doesnt get any more blunt than that. The media, of course, yawn and look away, just as when Obama announced his desire to fundamentally transform America. It doesnt occur to them to ask questions about such shocking statements. Or if it does, they dont act on the urge lest it more fully reveal their own leftist intentions.

So its unlikely that anyone will press Clinton on what she means when she says she supports the idea of gaining power to shape the minds of Americas children. On one level, it hardly deserves a follow-up question that would only serve to provide her with a platform to prattle on about all manner of distractions.

Prominent people with access to the bullhorn need to shine a light on what she said. She needs to be challenged: Mrs. Clinton, history shows that dictators crave the kind of power you are talking about  power and abuse of power that run contrary to the foundation of American values and ideals. (See here, here, here, here, here, here, and here for more on this topic.)

Hillary Clinton is unfit to serve on every level imaginable. In no particular order: she does not uphold American values, shes a pathological liar, shes a felon, and shes got a neurologic disease that renders her incapable of being the leader of the greatest nation on Earth.

All hands on deck. This wannabe dictator must lose on November 8. (And, not to be too greedy, but preferably lose by a large margin.)

Hat tips: Conservative Firing Line, Los Angeles Times
The University of Pennsylvania will promote the Chinese tradition of filial piety to help find answers to handling China's rapidly aging population through a five-year research and service plan it announced on Friday. The program also includes more frequent personnel exchanges between China and the United States.

"We've come together to make a five-year commitment to studying eldercare in China and finding innovative solutions and doing that in a way that respects and reflects the Chinese tradition of filial piety," said John Dilulio, faculty director of Fox Leadership International, a program of the university.

"We are going to do these things in a way that reflects and respects the tradition of filial piety, which is central to the initiative."

Promoting filial piety is very important to encourage families to take more responsibility in caring for their elderly, which would help develop answers to the nation's eldercare dilemma, he said.

The program was jointly launched by FLI and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, one of the world's leading schools of nursing.

Wu Yushao, deputy head of the office of the China National Committee on Aging, said with the rapid increase of the elderly in China, most should receive care at home rather than at nursing institutes.

"Family care satisfies elders with love from children and psychological comfort, which cannot be provided by other forms of eldercare," he said.

The total number of people over 60 years old in China reached 220 million by the end of last year, accounting for 16 percent of its total population, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission. The age group is expected to reach 35 percent by 2050, according to some experts.

Yang Yansui, a professor in public management at Tsinghua University, said an eldercare system dominated by family care does not mean elders should get all services just from their own family members.

"More community nursing facilities should be developed and their services should be better integrated with family care for better elder care," she said.

FLI will sponsor between 125 and 150 faculty, staff and students in the next five years to visit China to understand the demographic, financial, administrative, social and other dimensions of eldercare in China, Dilulio said.

The organization will also sponsor Chinese national scholars, health practitioners and other professionals and students each year in the next five years to visit the US to explore cutting-edge approaches to caring for the aged, Dilulio said.
Democrats may be in shock over Hillary Clintons disastrous showing on the campaign trail in the last week, but if she withdraws from the race, it will not be an easy task to unify behind a substitute. In fact, a new poll from Rasmussen indicates that a deep split remains from the primary race among the Democrats.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 48% of Likely Democratic Voters believe Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Clintons primary rival, should be their partys nominee if health issues forced her out of the race. Twenty-two percent (22%) say Vice President Joe Biden should be the nominee, while only 14% opt for Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, the current Democratic vice presidential candidate. Nine percent (9%) of Democrats think it should be someone else. (To see survey question wording, click here.) Among all likely voters, its a closer contest. Thirty-six percent (36%) choose Sanders, 20% Biden and 14% Kaine. But 21% think the Democratic nominee should be someone else.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the last thing the Democratic Party is is democratic in its procedures. In the event of a withdrawal, they wont be asking their voters who should head the ticket; it will be the Clinton cronies on the DNC who will meet behind closed doors to choose a successor. And it will not be Bernie Sanders, who shows dangerous signs of actually believing his rhetoric. (In fairness, a number of DNC members may have noticed that it took Bernie only a few weeks to cash in and buy his third house, a getaway manse on an island in Vermont costing more than his reported net worth, demonstrating his pliability.)

Inevitably, should Hillary be forced to withdraw, she will want to name her successor, and one must assume that would be Kaine. That leaves the Obama faction of the party shut out. While Biden is probably regarded as loyal, his intellectual limitations would be worrisome, unless he agrees to install Valerie Jarrett as his controller executive aide.

The feminist faction of the party would not be happy about losing their chance for a female president. Would they argue for Michelle Obama as a substitute? One cant rule that out, for it would have the extra advantage of mobilizing black voters, especially female black voters. Mrs. Obamas return to the campaign trail as a surrogate for Hillary has to have planted a few ideas in the heads of her supporters as well as Herself.

There is no easy out for the Democrats.
On September 15, 2016, Malia Zimmerman and William Lajeunesse of Fox News reported that the Obama Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is refusing to release a report on the number of illegal aliens who cross the southern border. DHS claims that it catches 80% of those who cross illegally, but the report supposedly says DHS captures only 50%. Moreover, DHS refuses to release this report because Obama has blocked release.

According to Fox News:

If released by the Obama administration, the true numbers could have major implications in the current presidential race, in which illegal immigration and border security have become a key issue, say observers. One source familiar with the report told Fox News that DHS is suppressing the report for "political reasons ... because it would 'look bad' and 'help elect Donald Trump.'"

Obama and Michelle have been campaigning for Hillary, filling in for her while she rested from Clinton Pneumonia. Evidently, Obama has nothing to do but work for Hillary to win so she can preserve Obama's legacy. Obama is worried that Trump will get rid of the centerpiece of his eight years: Obamacare and the Iran nuclear deal.

One would think that with ISIS beheading Christians, Muslim terrorists attacking Americans at home, Iran harassing our Navy, and a $20-trillion debt, President Obama would be busy working on these problems. But to Obama, these are minor issues to foist on his successor. To Obama, the most important issue is electing Hillary.

Thus, in addition to campaigning for Hillary, Obama blocked release of the DHS report because the report confirms that Obama is lying about the percentage of illegals caught. He says it is 80% when he knows that it is 50%. This news would help Trump and hurt Hillary.

But news of the report has leaked, and now there will be pressure to release the whole thing.

Obama's method to deal with the illegals crossing the southern border is to lie about it to help Hillary win to preserve his legacy.
It's a good thing that U.N. secretary general Ban Ki-moon is on his way out. Given his many failures, including the civil war in Syria and enabling North Korea and Iran to become nuclear-capable, his exit can't come too soon.

Ban gave a wide ranging interview to the Washington Times where he claimed that the Paris Climate Accord was his biggest achievement and that the scientific and political debate about the reality of global warming is "over."

The debate on science and the debate on politics as far as climate change is concerned is over, Mr. Ban told The Washington Times in an exclusive interview. Still, the Republican Party, they are not convinced. There should be no political consideration on this, he said. There should be no room for politics to get involved. Mr. Ban, who has been secretary-general for a decade and is nearing the end of his tenure, made the comments in a wide-ranging interview on topics including Syrias civil war and the mounting threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea. The South Korean native at one point stressed that North Koreas potential use of nuclear weapons now represents a graver danger to humanity and the international order than any other single conflict raging around the world. We are talking about nuclear bombs, he said. Whatever we see, a conflict in Syria or South Sudan or Central African Republic or elsewhere, they do not have any nuclear weapons. North Korea has nuclear weapons, and theyve tested [them] five times successfully. They have [also] launched short- and midrange ballistic missiles, Mr. Ban said. So, it seems that they are in the process of making smaller, lighter, longer-range ballistic missiles where they can have this nuclear warhead on top. They publicly, have openly said that their target is to strike the United States with much lighter, longer-range ballistic missiles, he said. This is quite worrying, a very worrying situation. But the secretary-general stressed that the window remains open for a diplomatic solution with Pyongyang.

This would certainly comes as a surprise to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who has some weird ideas about a "diplomatic solution" to the question of North Korean nukes. In essence, he has declared unequivocally that his country has the unyielding right to manufacture nuclear weapons and has threatened to use them against any nation that tries to stop him.

Very diplomatic, eh?

As for his "science is settled" statement about climate change, a good example of why this is an idiotic notion can be found in the work of Albert Einstein and his theories on relativity. Years after relativity was considered "settled science," physicists discoverd errors made by Einstein that altered our perception of the universe. Scientific theories are constantly being changed as a result of new data.

But the global warming hysterics reject any information that does not fit their tidy little theories on climate and brand anyone who disagrees with them a "denier"  or worse. I leave it to future histrorians to decide which side is "anti-science."

You have to think that just about anyone would make a better secretary general than Ban, whose terms in office have proven to be a disaster for the world.
Video footage appears to show US commandos fleeing a Syrian town under a barrage of abuse and insults hurled at them by fighters from the American-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group.

The video appears to be the first evidence of US special forces cooperating with Turkish troops in their battle against Islamic State (Isil).

The incident illustrates the complex web of alliances and enmities in Syria, where many of Americas allies are fighting each other and some rebel groups that receive US support still harbour strong anti-American sentiments.

The footage shows a crowd of rebel fighters in the town of al-Rai near the Turkish border, which was captured from Isil by Syrian rebel groups with the backing of Turkey. Turkey, which launched a military incursion into Syria in late August, has been backing the FSA.

The fighters scream anti-American chants as a column of pick-up trucks carrying US commandos drives away from them.

Christians and Americans have no place among us, shouts one man in the video. They want to wage a crusader war to occupy Syria.

Another man calls out: The collaborators of America are dogs and pigs. They wage a crusader war against Syria and Islam. 

The US troops are not wearing traditional uniform but they carry American weapons and are wearing the distinctive round helmets favoured by US special forces.

Another video shows the US troops looking nonchalant and waving at the camera even as some of the rebels tell them to leave.

Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said the confrontation was sparked when FSA rebels accused the Americans of supporting the Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units (YPG).

Heated tempers and YPG relations aside, this was a big mistake by FSA. But it does go to show the diplomacy now required to make it work, he said.

Turkey is vehemently opposed to the YPG and its FSA proxies have fought with Kurdish fighters even though they are in theory both US allies committed to fighting together against Isil.

It was not clear if the confrontation in al-Rai was spontaneous or ordered by senior FSA figures or even their Turkish allies.
TPU cases for Googles upcoming Pixel and Pixel XL are allegedly up for sale in bulk over at AliExpress. While these are just cases for two yet unconfirmed and unreleased phones, its quite possible that the cases were based on the specs of phone schematics allowing them to be ready in time for the phones launch, which could happen soon after the rumored announcement that is set to take place in the beginning of next month on October 4th. Having said that, if these are in fact cases for Googles upcoming phone releases, it gives a slight idea of what the final design of these phones will be.

Based on the images of the cases, the Pixel XL will have a fingerprint sensor on the back of the device that appears to be in the same position of the fingerprint sensors found on the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P that were launched last Fall. The case also has a cutout for the rear-facing camera in the top left corner that is rather slim, suggesting the actual camera lens and flash will be somewhat small, as well as cutouts for what looks like a 3.5mm audio port on the top left of the device when looking at the case from the front, which would suggest that the Pixel XL will be coming with an audio port. You can also make out the cutouts for the volume rocker and power button of the device which would be on the right side of the phone if these are indeed cases for the Pixel XL.

When it comes to the case for the Pixel, cutouts show in exactly the same spots for the volume rocker, power button, cameras, fingerprint sensor, and 3.5mm audio port, and the case actually looks to be the same shape as the case for the Pixel XL, simply fitted for a smaller sized screen. The case listings also note the size of the display for each phone, which are labeled as 5.5-inches for the Pixel XL and 5.2-inches for the Pixel. Both cases are up for sale in lots, 300 cases for the Pixel XL and 100 cases for the Pixel, with prices set at $252 for a Pixel XL lot and $97 for a lot of Pixel cases, with both lots including cases in a range of colors. While its possible that these could be cases for the Pixel and Pixel XL, its also important to keep in mind that this is a leak, so these may not actually be based on the official designs of the phone. There have been plenty of leaks about the phone designs leading up to now, so the case manufacturer could have been working off of those leaked designs. Also worth noting, is that one of the most recent leaks for the Pixel XL which surfaced earlier this week, seems to show the volume and power buttons on the right side of the phone just as these cases depict.
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A screenshot from the video showing the bridesmaid drinking. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

The bridesmaid's family has been compensated 50,000 yuan (7,500) after she died consuming too much alcohol at the wedding ceremony. The family, from Wenchang, Hainan province, received compensation from the wedding organizer.

A video clip circulating on Chinese social-media showed 28-year-old Yang being encouraged to continue drinking baijiu, a type of Chinese liquor. The video captured her losing consciousness and being rushed to a local hospital. The emergency department was unable to resuscitate her.

An investigation by local police revealed Yang died after drinking excessive alcohol. She suffocated as she tried to throw up.

The bridesmaid's family agreed that the wedding organizer was responsible for Yang's death, but those who urged Yang to drink on directly caused the tragedy.

They will collect evidence of those who pressured Yang to drink and initiate legal proceedings. The incident has also sparked discussion over China's drinking culture.

In China, drinking is usually considered an important part of socializing, especially in business dinners and celebrations.

Traditionally, the host persuades the guests to drink as much as possible, a way of showing hospitality.

A survey on hinews.com shows that 80% of participants say they have been coerced into drinking more than they want at dinners.

There is a growing number of people expressing doubts over this tradition.

They say the drinking ritual goes too far, and is responsible for many unfortunate incidents, such as this bridesmaid's death.
The Royal Anguilla Police Force has arrested and charged 56 yr. old Wilson Cater of East End with causing death by dangerous driving. Carters arrest comes as the RAPF continues investigation into the 3rd road fatality for 2016 which occurred on Tuesday 13th September, 2016 shortly after 7:00pm.

The accident which occurred in East End in the area of the Chinese Restaurant, resulted in the death of 48 yr. old pedestrian Keithly Gumbs of Church Gate, East End.

Gumbs who received injury to his lower body was transported by ambulance to the Princess Alexandra Hospital where he remained until he died on Wednesday 14th September, 2016 around 3:45pm.

Carter who appeared before the Magistrates on Friday 16th September, 2016, was granted bail in the sum of EC $75,000.00 bond with one surety to return to court on Tuesday 10th January, 2017 at 9:00 am. CATER has also been ordered by the court to surrender all travel documents forthwith and not to leave Anguilla by any means without the courts permission as well as report to the Valley Police Station every Monday and Friday between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:00 pm.

As the Police continue the investigation into this accident they continue to appeal to members of the public who may have been on the East End Main Road in the area of the Chinese Restaurant at the time of the accident and may have witnessed the accident or have any information regarding the accident to contact the Valley Police Station with such information. The telephone number is 497-2333 and asks for the Traffic Department or to speak to any Police Officer of their choice.

Additionally information can be sent via the RAPF Tips Website by logging on to www.gov.ai/911 which is a secure website.

The RAPF would like to remind the public that:

a) The defendant is entitled to a fair trial;

b) There is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty;

c) Nothing would be stated or published which would prejudice a fair trial taking place; and

d) Section 115(g) of the Criminal Code applies and which provides for an offence in respect of any person who, while a judicial proceeding is pending, makes use of any speech or writing misrepresenting such proceeding or capable of prejudicing any person in favor of or against any parties to such proceeding, or calculated to lower the authority of any person before whom the proceeding is to be held.
International students walk in a Chinese campus. [File Photo: en.csc.edu.cn]

China will challenge the UK's position as second in the world for international study by 2020, according to a latest report led by Student.com, accommodation provider for international students.

The report said a record breaking 397,635 international students went to China in 2015 and China has been the third most popular destination for overseas students ahead of Canada, Germany and France. The report added that although there has been a slowdown in numbers since 2014, the number of foreign students in China has been growing on average 10% year-on-year since 2006. The report forecasts that at current growth rates China will overtake the UK to be the second most popular destination for international students, behind the USA at number one.

The Independent newspaper from the UK also quoted experts confirming that the number of international students studying in China has risen so rapidly, China will overtake the UK as the second most popular academic destination in the world.

The Independent noted that the trend is thought to be partly due to a drive by the Chinese government, as well as increasingly higher education standards and scholarship programs for degree-seeking students.

Professor David Goodman, who leads the China Studies program of the University of Liverpool, told the Independent international students benefit from the exposure to China and its culture, not least because of its growing economy and jobs market.
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South Sudan says its bilateral relations with Sudan will not be affected by the presence of its sacked First Vice President Riek Machar in Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mawien Makol, told Xinhua Friday in an interview that Machar's presence in Khartoum for medical treatment "is not a concern".

"It is not a concern because Sudan declared him (Machar) to be there on humanitarian reasons. It will not affect our relations," Makol said.

Machar fled South Sudan with some of his aides following fighting between his forces and government troops led by President Salva Kiir in Juba in early July.

He first arrived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the UN help, and later went to Khartoum to seek treatment on his swollen leg.

His presence in Khartoum initially raised a few eyebrows in Juba just after the two former civil war foes had started to thaw their relations since South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011.

In August, Taban Deng Gai, who replaced Machar as first vice president, led a high-level delegation to Khartoum and signed bilateral deals on oil, mining and security along the two nations' common border. Relations between the two had remained tense due to disputes over several issues.

Makol also reiterated his government's commitment to peace implementation in the wake of a visit by a UN Security Council delegation to Juba.

He said the government will receive the African protection troops proposed by regional countries after the July fighting.

The 4,000-strong protection force, approved by the UN Security Council, is expected to beef up the 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in protecting civilians. However it is still unknown when it will be deployed.

Makol however said South Sudan will have a say on the troop contributing countries, claiming neighboring countries had interests in South Sudan.

"We have accepted the protection troops but we shall have a say on which troops are coming here," said the spokesman.

South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 after President Kiir accused his then sacked deputy Machar of plotting a coup. Machar denied the accusation but mobilized a rebel force. Tens of thousands have died and more than two million displaced in the violence.

A fragile peace deal, brokered by regional countries and signed between the warring parties in August 2015, led to the formation of a unity government in April, with Machar becoming the first vice president again. However, renewed fighting flared up and Machar was sacked and pitted against Kiir again.


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The number of refugees in South Sudan has now passed the one million mark as instability and violence persist in the world's youngest country, a UN spokesman said Friday.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the South Sudanese people seeking safety and shelter in neighboring countries included more than 185,000 people who have fled since violence erupted in the capital Juba in July, Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"Most of those fleeing are women and children," the spokesman said. "With this milestone, South Sudan joins Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia as countries which have produced more than a million refugees."

They included survivors of violent attacks, sexual assault, children that have been separated from their parents or travelled alone, the disabled, the elderly and people in need of urgent medical care, the UN agency.

Juba witnessed a new round of fierce fighting between rival forces in the country in early July, just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the country's independence.

In terms of numbers, Uganda, with 373,626 of refugees, accounts for the largest share of South Sudanese refugees.

More than a third of them arrived since the most recent violence broke out. Ethiopia (292,000) and Sudan (247,317) are the second and third largest hosts to people fleeing South Sudan.

Smaller numbers have also fled to Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) since July.

About 300 people a week have been crossing into Kenya, which now hosts over 90,000 South Sudanese refugees. Some 40,000 refugees are estimated in DRC.

"UNHCR warns that without further funding and support, they will struggle to assist the needy with even the most basic assistance," he said.

The UN agency called on donors to provide 701 million U.S. dollars for South Sudan refugee operations, of which 21 percent has been funded, he said.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has concluded their first mission in the country. The Commission was established by the Human Rights Council in March.

The delegation expressed concern about the diminishing space for journalists and civil society members, as well as the lack of access for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and humanitarian actors and the escalation of sexual violence.

"They also expressed grave concern about the ongoing impunity and lack of accountability for serious crimes and human rights violations in the country," Dujarric said.

South Sudan won independence on July 9, 2011 from Sudan after more than two decades of war that ended in a bitter divorce.

The country again plunged into conflict in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, which led to a cycle of retaliatory killings.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Havana Saturday for the first official visit to Cuba by a Chinese premier since the two countries established diplomatic ties 56 years ago.

 Premier's Western Hemisphere trip
by Weena Kowitwanij

The Catholic Commission for Education (CCE) lays down the guidelines to be followed in the coming years. Msgr. Charatsri: "The cooperation between the school and the family is crucial, but unfortunately the latter is changing radically." The secretary general of CCE: "Catholic schools must not only communicate knowledge, but also to educate to a beautiful and peaceful coexistence."

Bangkok (AsiaNews) - The condition of today's family "is an issue of the greatest importance and has many consequences. The pastoral care of the family and of Catholic education are in fact two inseparable areas, considering that the family is the first school that educates the children, is the reflection of Msgr. Silvio Siripong Charatsri, chairman of the Catholic Commission for the Family. He was speaking during the seminar of the Catholic Commission for Education (CCE) that recently took place in Pattaya (south-east of Bangkok) on the theme: "Educating today and tomorrow : a passion that is renewed ".

The event was attended by 531 people including teachers, educators and CCE staff from all over Thailand. At the conclusion of the event, some personalities who work in Catholic education reflected on the subjects discussed, stressing that to solve the problems facing Thai society there must be greater focus on the formation of Catholic youth.

Catholic identity, they say, must be centered on Jesus Christ, who alone can help humans discover the mercy of God. By applying this principle, Catholic institutions must educate children according to the precepts of the Gospel in accordance with the new national education Plan (NEP), which will last from 2017 to 2031. In an educational system among the worst in the world (with very high costs but poor results), the Church must make its contribution in the formation of intelligent and virtuous youth.

To do this, says Msgr. Charatsri, "Cooperation between the school and the family is important and necessary. Unfortunately, the establishment of the Thai family is changing dramatically, both in structure and in relationships. Large families of the past have given way to small groups of three people or, worse, with only one parent [...]. It is a tragedy that 50% of marriages end in divorce, and that the educational role of young people end up on the shoulders of school personnel ".

Fr. Francis Xavier Deja Arphonrat, CCE secretary general echoes this statement, stating: "Catholic schools must above all be a means of evangelization of the Good News. In fact, their role is not only to transfer knowledge, but also talk about the goodness, beauty and compassion. We must teach Catholics to live in peace with people of different faiths and languages, overcoming cultural barriers. "
A US research reports 791 attacks in India in 2015. 43% by the Naxalite insurgency, associated with the Maoists: they are fourth in the world rankings for violence. The other major terrorist groups are the Islamic State (931), Boko Haram (491) and the Taliban (1093). The apostolic administrator of Jowai speaks of rebels motivations and the path to overcoming the difficulties.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) - The Communist Party of India (Maoist), banned by the authorities of Delhi, is the fourth worst terrorist group in the world, after Boko Haram, the Islamic State and the Taliban. This was revealed by a study conducted by US researchers, which reveals that in 2015 there were 11,774 terrorist attacks around the world. India is ranked fourth among the countries most affected by the violence, after Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Msgr. Thomas Menamparampil, apostolic administrator of Jowai (in Meghalaya) and former Archbishop of Guwahati (Assam), stresses the "fundamental value of dialogue to restore peace."

The study was carried out by the US State Department National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. It reports that in India last year there were 791 attacks. 43% of these were carried out by the Naxalite guerrillas (Communists associated with the Maoists), which resulted in the deaths of 289 civilians. The Maoists are involved in other terrorist actions 343, in which 176 people were killed. The most affected states are Chhattisgarh (21% of the total), Manipur (12%), Jammu and Kashmir (11%) and Jharkhand (10%).

As for the other terrorist groups, research says that the Taliban were responsible for 1,093 attacks and a total of 4,512 victims; Islamic State extremists committed 931 attacks, which killed 6,050 people; Boko carried out 491 massacres, claimed the lives of 5,450 people.

Msgr. Menamparampil works in areas affected by communist guerrillas and for years has been silently working to bring harmony between the communities. Speaking to AsiaNews he pointed to the hard and constant work of those who work for peace, and in particular of the local Church members.

Commenting on the report, the bishop points out an important difference between the "so-called Maoists" (rebel groups) and other terrorist groups: "The Maoists in central India are not ideological, but are motivated by ethnic claims. Most of them belong to indigenous communities, often called tribal Adivasis. They believe that the natural resources of their areas are exploited by others and that they are marginalized by the new economic system. "

The apostolic administrator of Jowai explains: "Since the tribals have no influence on the political level, often some groups choose the path of violence to express their frustration. To carry on the fight, they extort money from foreigners and even the local populations ".

Msgr. Menamparampil also reports that "the authorities that demonstrate ability to understand their demands and sympathize with their cause are successful in finding forms of cooperation". "Dialogue is always possible - he concludes -. Until the rebels see their demands met with appropriate measures, these movements will never cease altogether. Anyway, the door of dialogue must always be open ".
Is Donald Trump Fit To Be President?

Page 1 of 2

I have suffered for my art.



If you are willing to consider writing about health and fitness art, then know that I have suffered. I endured 40-some minutes plus commercials of His Holiness of Cheeto Dust engaging in fawning conversation with the Made Famous by Oprah Physician of Duck Sounds.



Yesterday, I watched Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appear on The Dr. Oz Show. Barf.



And on said circus of circle jerking the two discussed Trumps health in an effort to assess his fitness to hold the most powerful office in the world. Lets begin by assuming that everything that was said on the show was true, which would probably be the first time in the history of the program thats happened. It would also go against Trump trends, if you look at the fact checking of Donalds claims, which consistently show him as the candidate making the most untruthful statements throughout this election.



Dr. Oz began by saying, When youre running for president you have an obligation to be healthy. Youll get no argument from me on that one. I wonder if part of John McCains problem in 2008 was that he was 72 and people looked at him and said, If he dies in office, Palin takes over. Better not risk it.



According to Donald Trump, he has an intense exercise regimen: When Im speaking in front of 15-20,000 people and Im up there using a lot of motion, he said, waving his hands for emphasis, I guess in its own way its a pretty healthy act. I question whether Trumps hand waving workout DVDs are going to outsell P90X any time soon. A lot of times these rooms are very hot like saunas and I guess thats a form of exercise, Trump said. Uh, sure. Sure it is.

Photo credit to Sony Pictures Television



Dr. Oz didnt lay hands on the patient, but did ask him if he had any of a laundry list of maladies; Trump said no to them all. Trump did say he takes a statin drug to manage his cholesterol, which isnt a big deal. Over one-third of U.S. adults are eligible to take a cholesterol lowering drug or are already taking one.



Trump went on to describe that his PSA, which screens for prostate cancer, has been very good, and there is no history of cancer in his family. He then got all cozy with Americas Doctor by saying, of his appearance on the show, I view this as, in a way, going to see my doctor.



Remember how I ended my second paragraph in this article with the word barf? That.



Trump spoke of his long-lived ancestors, many of whom lived into their 90s. Thats usually a positive indication for future health. Yay grandma.



Then Dr. Oz said, Why not share your medical records?



Trump replied with: I have really no problem in doing it. I have it right here. Should I do it? There was much applause. Kill me.



The tests were done last week via Trumps longtime physician, Dr. Bornstein. But before we get into that, its worth taking a look at Bornstein a little closer. Last month Dr. James Hamblin wrote in The Atlantic about how Borsteins claims about Trumps health in a December 2015 letter were highly suspicious in nature. The language in the letter seemed like the words were selected by Trump, not a physician, and the proclamations did not seem to be in line with Trumps lifestyle.



But I cant verify if any of the numbers in the medical report are true or not. All I can say is that Dr. Oz was impressed with Trumps various health markers from the test results. He seemed very impressed with Trumps testosterone level. I thought Oz was going to high five Trump over that number and declare him alpha male oer the free world.



The numbers that are more obviously debatable are his height and weight. The report states that Trump is 63 and 236 lbs. Slate pointed out something that I too noticed: Trumps height has always been reported at 62. Did campaigning make him grow an inch? Or was the number stretched in order to keep his body mass index (BMI) in the high overweight range rather than let him slide into being classified as obese?



I noticed many people on Facebook expressed disbelief at the 236 lbs figure. Trump said hed like to lose 15 lbs and comedian Andy Borowitz posted on Facebook: If you believe Donald Trump is 15 pounds overweight you probably also believe he will make America great again.
Have you got written documentation that they refused? I only assume that many kids of expats have lived in Indonesia more that a year and not had work permits, I am also sure many of them have needed a police clearance since leaving.



If you are not a citizen of Indonesia:



 If you live outside of Indonesia:



You should contact your nearest Indonesian Embassy or Trade Office to help you get the police address in the city where you lived in Indonesia or you can ask a recommended Law Firm to help you with your request. You must bring:

Copy of your passport that has an Indonesia permit and a valid passport (if applicable)

Copy of KITAS (Work Permit)

Copy of SKLD (Yellow book/police report)

Letter from your employer and other documents related to your work in Indonesia

Three (3) colour photos (4 x 6 cm in size)

Full set of fingerprints, authorized by local police

Applicable fees



You must tell the police office that you need the police certificate for immigration purposes.
Hi

I am Hashmatullah national of Afghanistan studying master of International Relations at la Trobe university July 2016 intake. My visa subclass is 573 valid until 30 August 2018 for multiple entries. I would like to bring my wife who is a school teacher (Pashto Language) in Afghanistan and my 20 days old daughter to Australia as my dependent. I have gone through the information available on DIBP but could not understand from where to start their visa application process and what are the required documents. Could you please answer me the following points?



1- What are the required documents? And to which address I should send them?

2- Is it necessary to bring original of all documents to Australia? As I can bring it.

3- Do I need to show the fund in my Australian bank account or Afghanistans bank?

4- How much fund is required? Do I need to show fund for one-year tuition fee and living expenditure or two year?

5- From where to start the visa application process.

6- There are many visa subclasses to student dependant, which one is suitable for my wife and child?

7- How much will be their visa fee.



Apart from above points if there are anything ells please let me know.
You will have a problem doing this immediately. The argument would be that you have already had an opportunity to visit many parts of Australia. The policy with visitor visas is that they will grant for up to 12 months continuous stay. After that they are reluctant to grant again until you have been outside Australia for at least 6 months.
The leak sprung in Shelby County, Alabama , and is the largest spill the line in two decades. Approximately 250,000 gallons of gas were leaked, which is the rough equivalent of 6,000 barrels.Governor Robert Bentley of Alabama has declared a state of emergency on September 15, 2016. The company that operates the pipeline has published a release on its website, which said that it is making endeavors that will alleviate the impact of the event The leak was discovered on September 9, 2016, by a mining inspector. Only one of the two pipelines operated by the company were leaking, but both were shut down as a precautionary measure.Some refuel stations in the area might run out of certain grades of gasoline. When the service is restarted, fuel prices might rise by a couple of cents per gallon for a short while.The estimated 6,000-8,000 barrels of gas that were spilled have been contained in a nearby mine water retention pond. The Colonial Pipeline Company says that there is no threat to public health or safety, but some restrictions have been raised in the area.The federal government has restricted the airspace above the site of the leak, so that the responders, which add up to approximately 700 contractors and employees, could work safely.At the moment, the company is working to minimize and prevent the environmental impact of the leak. They will have to skim the gasoline from the mine water retention pond, so that it does not pose a hazard to a nearby dry creek bed.While the repair of Line 1 is in progress, the company is also exploring alternatives, which might even include the construction of a segment of pipeline around the leak, which would allow the line to return to operation as fast and safe as possible.
Ford will move a dozen researchers into the North Campus Research Complex at the University of Michigan by the end of this year. Photo courtesy of Ford.

As part of Ford Motor Co.s quest to accelerate autonomous vehicle development, the automaker will embed some of its researchers and engineers into a robotics laboratory thats expected to open on the University of Michigans Ann Arbor campus in 2020.

Additionally, Ford will move a dozen researchers into the universitys North Campus Research Complex by the end of this year.

Ford engineers and researchers will begin working shoulder-to-shoulder with U-M faculty and students to test and learn about autonomous vehicle technology and innovation, said Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO. We are aiming to show the world what we can achieve when leaders in business and academia work together to make peoples lives better.

This new collaboration is the latest in a series of actions intended to move Ford closer to having a fully autonomous vehicle available for high-volume commercial use in 2021.

Ten years into the Ford-University of Michigan Innovation Alliance, the two parties have agreed that Ford will lease the fourth floor of the new robotics laboratory. It is an approximately 140,000-square-foot building on Hayward Street, east of the universitys Space Research Building.

The planned robotics laboratory will have space where machines walk, fly, drive, and swim. The building will house labs, offices, and classrooms. The facility will continue a tradition of robotics leadership at U-M that includes the creation of MABEL, the worlds fastest-running robot with knees.

By locating a team of more than 100 employees on campus, Ford benefits from being close to technical leaders as well as facilities, such as Mcity  an urban simulation test environment in Ann Arbor, Ford said.

Ford has been testing autonomous vehicles for more than 10 years. Last fall, the company became the first automaker to begin testing at Mcity. Ford is also tripling its fleet of autonomous research vehicles this year.
Photo courtesy of LeasePlan.

The Netherlands-based LeasePlan Corporation N.V. has appointed Tex Gunning as its CEO and Marco van Kalleveen as its COO following the resignation of Vahid Daemi and Sven-Torsten Huster, the fleet management company announced.

Daemi is retiring after serving as the company's CEO for two decades. Huster will also step down after six years on LeasePlans managing board.

The changes are effective Sept. 20, with the exception of Huster, who will share the role of COO with Kalleveen until Dec. 31. The appointments have been approved by the Dutch Central Bank (DNB).

Daemi has agreed to continue to serve LeasePlan as an advisor to the managing board and as chair of the general meeting of shareholders until the end of 2017. Huster will continue as an advisor to his successor until the end of 2017.

Gunning has experience in supporting the development large global companies. He worked in global positions for consumer goods company Unilever for more than 25 years. His last role at Unilever was business group president in Asia. Kalleveen has management experience on a global level as a partner of McKinsey and in senior positions at Bain Capital and TNT Express.
17 September 2016 10:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), headed by Bruno Balvanera, director for the South Caucasus, Moldova and Belarus, arrived in Baku.

Balvanera introduced Ivana Duarte, new head of the banks Baku office, to the Azerbaijani government.

The EBRD delegation was received by Shahin Mustafayev, Azerbaijani economy minister, as part of the visit.

During the meeting, the minister informed the guests about the ongoing large-scale reforms in Azerbaijan with the aim of further improving the business and investment sphere, entrepreneurship development.

Mustafayev added that the support for the private sector remains one of the governments priorities.

Mustafayev said that Azerbaijan is interested in increasing the transit traffic through its territory.

For this purpose, the projects of developing the North-South and East-West transport corridors are being implemented, he added.

The minister emphasized the Southern Gas Corridor project, the creation of a free trade zone in Azerbaijani Alat settlement by attracting a consulting company from the UAE.

The minister also stressed the importance of the EBRDs support for business development and implementation of infrastructure projects.

Balvanera expressed appreciation and support for the reforms which are being carried out in Azerbaijan in the economic sphere, as well as in the area of developing entrepreneurship, customs, privatization and others.

Duarte said that the beginning of her activity in Azerbaijan coincided with the country's major reforms in the economy and the intention to continue the activity towards the development of EBRD-Azerbaijan cooperation.

EBRD has allocated 2.5 billion euros to Azerbaijan for implementation of around 159 projects since 1992.

One of the main tasks of EBRD is to ensure a stable development of Azerbaijan's non-oil sector by investing in the small and medium-sized private enterprises.

Azerbaijan is the largest recipient of EBRD funds in the South Caucasus, as well as one of the largest recipients of this organization's funds in the CIS and Eastern Europe.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
17 September 2016 15:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Euronews film crew visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in accordance with the countrys legislation and the visit was coordinated, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said September 17.

Hajiyev commented on the channels Insider episode about the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Euronews journalists visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

"Despite the errors and distortion in the episode, it reflects the condition of the civilian population living near the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops and the views of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh region on the conflict, he said.

Unfortunately, the episode did not reflect the condition of internally displaced people as a result of the Khojaly genocide, although the channel journalist met with them," Hajiyev added.

Hajiyev added that while creating the episode, Euronews journalist and cameraman appealed to the Azerbaijani foreign ministry with an official letter.

In this letter, Euronews film crew indicated that it respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, as well as laws and order, he said.

Euronews film crew has carried out its professional activity in Azerbaijan and in the occupied territories on the basis of an accreditation document, presented by the countrys foreign ministry for foreign media.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

--

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17 September 2016 10:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Azertac

"Failure to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a a threat to peace and stability," said Ogtay Asadov Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker, as he addressed the meeting of Speakers of Parliament of the Council of Europe member states on "Parliaments' joint action against hate and racism" in Strasbourg, France.

He noted that the attempts to associate Armenia`s hostile policy against Azerbaijan with religious reasons did not have any grounds. "20 per cent of Azerbaijani territories, Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions have been occupied by Armenia for about 25 years and ethnic cleansing was conducted on these lands. More than one million Azerbaijani civilians have been displaced from their native lands, from the occupied Azerbaijani territories," Asadov said.

The Parliament Speaker expressed his regret that international efforts to solve the conflict had not yielded any results so far because of non-constructive and destructive position of Armenia. "The international community must finally demonstrate its resolute stance on this issue, and all conflicts, including the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute must be resolved on the basis of universally recognized norms and principles of international law, in particular within the territorial integrity of our country."

Asadov hailed the world parliaments' cooperation both in bilateral format and within international organizations in addressing global problems facing humanity.

"Though promoting mutual understanding and tolerance of each individual country is extremely important, it is not enough yet. Today ensuring the mutual respect, trust and equality of rights among the societies and nations belonging to different civilizations is of crucial importance. In this regard different cultures in Azerbaijan have completed and enriched each other in a harmonious way throughout the history," he said.

"Representatives of various nations and religions have always enjoyed the opportunity to live in brotherhood and good neighborliness in our country. The traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism, which are the national wealth of the Azerbaijani people, have been raised to the level of state policy and became a way of life. Today Azerbaijan is one of the world-renowned centers of multiculturalism. The year 2016 has been declared a Year of Multiculturalism in the country by the Azerbaijani President," Asadov added.

Asadov also held separate meetings with speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Ismail Kahraman and chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament Jan Hamacek in Strasbourg.

They discussed prospects for development of relations and inter-parliamentary cooperation between their countries.

--

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17 September 2016 14:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

At the limited-format meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State, which was held in Bishkek on September 16, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan complained about Azerbaijan, referring to the events that took place on the front line this April. He alleged that Azerbaijan violated a truce regime during these events.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was next in alphabetical order after the Armenian President to take the floor. President Ilham Aliyev asked the Belarusian President for permission to speak. As Alexander Lukashenko did not object President Ilham Aliyev took the floor and gave a compelling and tough response to the Armenian President:

President Ilham Aliyev: I deemed it my duty to comment on the Armenian Presidents remarks. I did not consider it necessary to talk about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution here as this problem is addressed by other international organizations. But when I heard another complaint of the Armenian side, I deemed it my duty to comment on this.

Armenia has already bothered all the international organizations with those complaints. Situation is so paradoxical, as you can imagine: Armenia occupied territory of a sovereign state, violated its territorial integrity, expelled local Azerbaijani population from the Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, making more than one million people refugees and IDPs, destroyed everything in the occupied lands, including historical, religious, cultural monuments and all the infrastructure, which was evidenced by the reports of two OSCE missions. Then Armenia has just pretended to engage in the negotiations process for more than 20 years. Moreover Armenia periodically makes different provocations to make this process eternal. One of these provocations took place this April. Over 500 houses of Azerbaijani civilians were shelled from the Armenian artillery, more than 100 houses were destroyed, nearly 10 civilians, including children, were killed, died.

International organizations have a clear understanding of how this problem must be solved. There is a supreme international body  United Nations Security Council. It is the highest international organization. The Security Council adopted four resolutions in early 1990s. These documents demand unconditional and immediate withdrawal of the occupant Armenian forces from Azerbaijans territory. These resolutions remain unfulfilled. Armenia disregards them and tries to create a new reality by artificially changing the administrative borders of former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and illegally resettling in that area. It is absolutely illegal. It is a crime, and this crime has continued up to the present time.

We are committed to a peace process. We work constructively. We have a Minsk Group format, but the Armenian side misuses this format just to make the negotiations continue for ever. They do not want peace. They just want to keep our territories under control and to accuse Azerbaijan everywhere of violating something. We are the aggrieved party. We did not occupy anybodys territory. It is our territory, 20 per cent of Azerbaijans internationally-recognized territory that has been under occupation. This is the reality. Therefore with reference to the Armenian Presidents another inappropriate complaint, I deemed it my duty to bring this to the attention of our colleagues once again.

Serzh Sargsyan: It makes no sense to respond to a lie.

Ilham Aliyev: I have already responded to a lie.

--

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17 September 2016 10:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR plans to sign a new contract on the development of the Umid-Babek block of gas fields in the Caspian Sea by late 2016 to raise funds from international institutions and companies, Rovnag Abdullayev, SOCAR head, told reporters in Baku September 16.

In general, the work is underway at the Umid field, he said. Drilling of the 14th well is under completion.

"There is a long-term program of development of the Umid-Babek block, he said. We will be able to annually receive up to five billion cubic meters of gas only from the Umid field through this program.

The drilling operations are planned to be carried out at Babek field, he said. It is necessary to raise funds to develop these fields.

To do this, we will combine the two projects into one, bring it to the level of the PSA (Production Sharing Agreement), create a new structure that will handle its development, Abdullayev said.

He said that SOCAR is currently preparing a new contract on the project.

This contract will be ready before late 2016 and approved by the Parliament of Azerbaijan, Abdullayev said. This contract will be submitted to financial institutions and companies, which then will be able to join financing of the project. This type of contract will be signed for the first time in Azerbaijan.

It was earlier reported that SOCAR will sign a risk-service-contract on the Umid-Babek block of fields.

SOCAR reported the discovery of the Umid field in 2010. The field's reserves are more than 200 billion cubic meters of gas and 40 million tons of condensate, according to SOCAR's estimates.



Reserves of the perspective Babek field may be 400 billion cubic meters of gas and 80 million tons of condensate.

--

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WTF?

Via press release:

The unintended consequences of Charlotte City Ordinance #7056 and House Bill 2 have taken a considerable toll on our state as a whole. The hospitality industry has become collateral damage in a fight it did not start or ask for. Restaurant and lodging businesses and their employees are suffering the adverse impact of these policies though lost business and wages.

The North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA) urges policy makers on all sides of this issue to work together to find resolution quickly. NCRLA has received assurances this week from legislative leadership, that if the Charlotte City Council repeals Ordinance #7056 at their meeting on Monday, the General Assembly is prepared to meet in special session as early as next week to repeal House Bill 2, said Lynn Minges, NCRLA president and CEO. Furthermore, Governor Pat McCrory has assured NCRLA that he is willing to call legislators into a special session next week for this purpose if both the city and legislators have the votes for repeal, she said.

The North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association calls on Charlotte City Council to repeal ordinance #7056 immediately, on Governor McCrory to convene a special session of the NC General Assembly, and on the NC House and Senate to repeal House Bill 2 in its entirety.

We believe these actions are necessary as many complex issues have arisen since the passage of the Charlotte City Ordinance #7056 and House Bill 2; we also believe all elements of the debate should be carefully, thoroughly, and deliberately considered and evaluated through the immediate formation of a study commission.
Logan Scherer, 9, was killed in a multi-car pileup in Hernando County Thursday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.



Logan Schere, 9, died Thursday in a multi-vehicle crash on I-75

His parents and little sister were also injured, but survived

Concern from neighbors, condolences from classmates are pouring in for the family

Jake Goodman, 8, says he just misses his friend.

"We liked to ride bikes and we did a lot of games together," said Jake.

The boys were best friends, neighbors and went to Symmes Elementary together in Riverview.

The Goodmans who live a few doors down from the Scherers kept their son home Friday to help him deal with the death of his friend.

"He was just a really good kid, hes 9 years old," said Bill Goodman, Jake's father. "This just feels so senseless."

Troopers say traffic along the stretch of I-75 near mile marker 302 was traveling slowly, or maybe even stopped, on Thursday due to an accident a few miles down the road. A driver failed to slow down and slammed into the Scherer's car, causing a chain reaction. Six cars total were involved.

Troopers say Logans parents, Jordan and Brooke Scherer and his 5-year-old sister survived.

Brooke Scherer is an Associate Professor at the University of Tampa.

"We are concerned about them," said Goodman.

Concern from neighbors and condolences from classmates are pouring in for the family. A GoFundMe.com site is trending. Logans friends at Symmes Elementary School created cards for the family. The Hillsborough County School District says grief counselors have been available for the children.

The Florida Highway Patrol says charges are pending and the investigation could take months to complete.

This Gofundme.com site is not managed by Bay News 9/News 13. For more information on how the site works and the rules visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety
The third party president candidates for this year's election will have to sit out the first debate.

Johnson, Stein not invited to first presidential debate

Running mates not invited to vice presidential debate

CPD will take another look at polls before 2 other debates



FLORIDA DECIDES COVERAGE: Latest headlines | How to vote in Florida

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Friday that Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein will not be invited to the first official presidential debate on Sept. 26.

Their running mates will also not be invited to the vice presidential debate on Oct. 4.

The CPD says a presidential candidate must achieve 15 percent support in national polls in order to take part. The polling average is based off five polls, all tied to the major TV networks: ABC-Washington Post; CBS-New York Times; CNN-Opinion Research; Fox News; and NBC-Wall Street Journal.

The group says while Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump each received 43 percent and 40.4 percent in the polls, respectively, Johnson only got 8.4 percent and Stein got 3.2 percent.

Johnson said Friday in a statement that Americans were tired of rigged systems, and the CPD had created a monopoly on debates.

"The CPD may scoff at a ticket that enjoys only 9 or 10% in their hand-selected polls, but even 9% represents 13 million voters, more than the total population of Ohio and most other states. Yet, the Republicans and Democrats are choosing to silence the candidate preferred by those millions of Americans."



Stein tweeted the following:

Corporate political & media establishment is trying to manufacture consent for the least liked/trusted candidates ever. Stand up & say no!  Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) September 16, 2016

Last month the CPD did tell the networks to prepare for the chance a third candidate did reach the 15 percent threshhold, most likely Johnson.

The CPD says it will take another look at the polling before the second and third presidential debates, on Oct. 9 and Oct. 19.


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Charlie One: The True Story of an Irishman in the British Army and His Role in Covert Counter-Terrorism Operations in Northern Ireland by Sean Hartnett, Merrion Press (12.99). Extract edited by Kim Bielenberg

Unanswered questions: Mavis McFaul is comforted at the 2002 funeral of partner David Caldwell, whose family is still asking for a full inquiry into his death

As an Irish soldier in the UK forces, Sean Hartnett was part of a covert surveillance unit when civilian worker David Caldwell was mortally wounded by a dissident republican bomb. In this extract from his new memoir, Hartnett reveals how he had been tracking Mr Caldwell's killers just hours earlier.

Sean Tech to the briefing room! By July 2002, nine months into my job in surveillance for the British Army in Northern Ireland, I had come to hate those six words squawking from the speaker in my workplace. Without exception, they meant my workload was about to get even heavier.

There was something big going down. Our intelligence outpost near Derry, known as 'The North Det', had been a hive of activity since early morning. My radio monitoring the net was going non-stop.

Two of the operators, Baz and Damien, had been asking if I had any new covert cameras that I could fit for them. Something big was brewing.

Our job as technicians was to ensure all the operator and surveillance vehicles were fully operational. On that day, we checked in our mobile phones and pagers at the front desk of the operations building, and entered the briefing room to hear what was about to happen.

It was packed, the entire Det on a leave ban and in full op mode. (Clearly the intelligence on this one was very good. It must have come from electronic intelligence).

"Okay, lads, new operation. Everything focused on this until it finishes out," our operations officer Colin announced in his Manchester accent.

By now I knew every vehicle at North Det from a surveillance perspective, their contents and their operational status. I had also committed to memory the location of every camera that our unit had control of, and the targets they covered.

The operation to hand was around a Derry city and Strabane-based Real IRA cell. Its cell was led by a republican figure who had been on the fringes of the Provisional IRA, but had moved to the dissident movement where he could be a bigger fish in a much smaller pond.

He'd previously had a reputation for being nothing but a thug and, without doubting that, we now honoured him with 'Charlie One' status for the first time, as the primary target of this surveillance operation.

Central to the operation was a white Vauxhall Cavalier car, thought from electronic intelligence to be the proposed transport vehicle for a bomb that was to be planted somewhere in our area. Only the where and when were unknown.

Our first job was to get a tracking device on the vehicle, so we could follow its movements precisely. The planting was scheduled for the Sunday-night/early Monday morning period always favoured by operators for covert work, when the streets are at their quietest.

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To achieve the best surveillance results, the method we used involved temporarily stealing the target car, hopefully without anyone noticing, and then leaving an identical car with the same number plates in its place while the tracking device was embedded in the original car.

At about 3am, with the streets of Derry entirely dead, in one smooth, flowing movement, one white Vauxhall Cavalier parked on a driveway in Derry was unlocked, opened and rolled silently away while another was rolled into its place.

Next morning, a liaison officer was dispatched to help direct police patrols around our operations and so avoid any so-called 'blue-on-blue' incidents which had occurred in the past.

From then on, everyone was flat out with the usual tactics. The operation was following a typical pattern: surveillance was 24 hours a day, with intelligence operators working in shifts and resting up at their temporary base at Clooney near the city.

The Cavalier was moved a few times, the Real IRA cell doing their best to counteract what they knew of the state's surveillance tactics. Eventually they even moved it across the border into the Republic, believing it couldn't be tracked there. They were wrong.

Then, suddenly, on July 31, "Standby! Standby!" echoed around the compound. There was a buzz about the place as everyone got ready. It was late afternoon and most of us were busy on routine stuff in our own workshops. We dropped everything and went with the spooks and operators to the operations room. I was there in case something went wrong with any of the surveillance kit at the last minute.

The rest of the intelligence operators were dispatched, though not before checking their weapons. I loaded up the tech vehicle with equipment and at the armoury I got my own SIG Sauer pistol, three loaded magazines and a HK53 complete with two full magazines.

As I drove out of the compound, I inserted my covert earpiece and made my own radio checks: "Alpha, Tuner check on three", "Tuner" being my very apt call sign. "Lima Charlie, Tuner."

The Cavalier was on the move from the Republic across the border and into Derry. We tracked it moving around the city, stopping a few times, no doubt as counter-surveillance measures.

The operators, especially the ones who had served a long time at North Det, had a grudging respect for PIRA volunteers, their discipline and training. By comparison, the dissidents were a bunch of criminal thugs and there was not much respect for them. But they only needed to get lucky once, so there was no complacency in how we handled ourselves.

Soon the car stopped and pulled in off the road where it was joined by another vehicle. A number of men, including our Charlie One, emerged. The vehicles were boot to boot and the men crowded around in between as if trying to block something from view. They then split into two groups, one driving north towards Ballykelly with Charlie One now on board and the other, the Cavalier, heading south-east through Co Derry towards Armagh.

Decision time: should we stick with the Cavalier or flip to the other vehicle carrying Charlie One?

All the intelligence told us the white Cavalier would be carrying the explosives, so Colin made the call to stick with it. Now heading towards the border, with the intelligence operators following discreetly, it didn't stop at its previous hide but instead kept on heading south-east, all the way into Co Louth.

This was unexpected and Colin was worried. He directed all resources, including the PSNI, to track down the second vehicle and Charlie One.

We scoured the city and the surrounding areas down as far as Strabane, checking all the usual haunts, but it was the early hours of the next morning, Thursday, August 1, before Charlie One was found back home in Strabane. While everyone breathed a sigh of relief at this, it was a short one.

Later, we heard that a civilian worker and former UDR soldier, David Caldwell, picked up a lunchbox as he arrived for work at Caw Camp Territorial Army centre on the Limavady Road early in the morning. The box contained a booby-trapped improvised explosive device and exploded, mortally injuring Caldwell.

Intelligence later gathered by North Det would show that the lunch-box had been transferred from the white Vauxhall into the second vehicle. From there, it was taken some time in the early hours of the morning and planted in Caw camp. North Det had been wrong-footed.

The mood of the Det that morning was one of anger, not just at the death of David Caldwell, a father-of-four, but at ourselves for having failed the man. As we sat and chatted in small groups, we went over things and in a few cases tempers flared up in disagreement. That was normal, too: the tension finding a release.

It's been 14 years since the murder of David Caldwell and his family are still asking for a full inquiry. As for Charlie One on that operation, he remains committed to the republican movement.

Until now, no one had any knowledge of North Det's involvement in the incident. David Caldwell's daughter, Gillian McFaul, has been looking for answers ever since that day.

I hope this provides some.
Forensics officers at farmland in Killen, around a mile from Castlederg, where new searches for Arlene Arkinson failed to discover remains

A fresh search for the body of missing teenager Arlene Arkinson has failed to find her remains, police have confirmed.

Specialist forensic experts had been examining a piece of remote farmland at Killen, just outside Castlederg in Co Tyrone, since Tuesday.

In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "The police search operation at Killen in Co Tyrone has ended.

"Nothing suspicious has been found and the Arkinson family have been updated."

The latest search was triggered after farmer Noel Doherty discovered a piece of disturbed land, resembling a shallow grave, close to where the teenager was last seen alive in August 1994.

While the farmer did not want to draw premature conclusions, he said he felt compelled to report the discovery in the hope the missing schoolgirl could be found.

"I found this thing of stones about six foot long and three foot wide," he said at the scene on Friday.

"It is like a grave but I don't know if it's a grave. There is something peculiar. It would be nice for the Arkinson family if they could find her."

Arlene, 15, from Castlederg, Co Tyrone, vanished after a night-out across the Irish border in Co Donegal.

She was last seen being driven down a country road by convicted paedophile and child killer Robert Howard.

He was acquitted of her murder in 2005 by a jury not told of his lengthy criminal past which included the murder of South London teenager Hannah Williams several years earlier.

Members of the Arkinson family, who visited the site of the dig on Friday, said they would never give up hope of finding the schoolgirl's body.

A long-running inquest examining the circumstances of Arlene's disappearance is expected to resume in Belfast on Monday.
A new search has taken place for the missing Northern Ireland schoolgirl Arlene Arkinson (Family handout/PA)

Police and forensics officers at farmland in Killen where new searches for Arlene Arkinson are under way

Police searching for missing Northern Ireland schoolgirl Arlene Arkinson have said that nothing suspicious has been found at Killen in Co Tyrone.

The PSNI said the Arkinson family has been updated. A team of specialists from England had been looking at the site close to where the schoolgirl was last seen in the company of convicted child killer Robert Howard.

Their work has been focussed on an isolated patch of land at the foot of a small valley close to the village of Killen, Co Tyrone, several miles outside Castlederg.

Access to the scene had been sealed off since Tuesday. A police cordon had been erected at the top of the single narrow track which leads through fields to a secluded derelict stone farmhouse concealed behind a clump of mature trees.

Experts dressed in white forensic suits spent much of their time inspecting the isolated site, clearing debris such as branches and twigs and placing a number of items into exhibit bags.

Arlene, 15, disappeared in August 1994 after a night out across the Irish border in Co Donegal.

She was last seen being driven down Scraghy Road, close to where the new search is being conducted, late at night with paedophile Robert Howard.

Expand Close A new search has taken place for the missing Northern Ireland schoolgirl Arlene Arkinson (Family handout/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A new search has taken place for the missing Northern Ireland schoolgirl Arlene Arkinson (Family handout/PA)

Howard was acquitted of Arlene's murder in 2005 by a jury that was not made aware of his lengthy criminal history which included killing another teenager, Hannah Williams, in south London several years earlier.

However, he remained the prime suspect in the unsolved case until his death in an English prison last year.

There have been more th an 40 extensive searches conducted in forested areas, fire dams, reservoirs and remote farmland in Counties Tyrone, Fermanagh and Donegal but so far, Arlene's body has not been recovered.

Expand Close The scene of the search yesterday PA / Facebook

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Howard's flat at Main Street in Castlederg, the home of Donna Quinn - one of the last people to see Arlene alive - and, controversially, a house belonging to Kathleen Arkinson, a sister of the missing schoolgirl, have also been examined as part of the police investigation.

After receiving a tip-off that Arlene's body was buried under a bridge near a bog, a new team of experts and a victim recovery dog spent months scouring the rural hinterland between 2010 and 2012.

But again, searches at 13 sites proved fruitless.

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Meanwhile, a long-running inquest into the circumstances of Arlene's disappearance is expected to conclude hearing oral evidence when it resumes in Belfast on Monday.

Kathleen Arkinson said she will never give up hope of finding her sister's remains.

She said: "It has been very difficult few days. It has been so long and there have been so many let-downs."

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It's a holiday romance with a difference.

Belfast woman Audrey Lowndes (48) and her daughter Olivia (13) fell in love with a stray dog in Greece and gave her a home here in Northern Ireland.

They met the small, undernourished pooch while on a two-week holiday on the island of Corfu.

"On our second night we saw all these dogs chasing her and biting her because she was in heat," Audrey said. "She jumped up on Olivia's knee and hid behind her chair."

Even though they weren't allowed to keep her in the hotel, they took her in "because she was so thin, so thirsty, so sad and so tired", recalled Audrey, adding: "Our hearts just broke."

They named the one-year-old dog Melitsa after the village they were staying in, and an online search found a shelter for stray dogs called CARE. It couldn't pick her up that night, so they kept her in their room until the next day.

When someone did arrive to pick up Melitsa Audrey, a housekeeper, said it was hard to see the pup go: "It absolutely broke my heart to see her in the van."

CARE rescues strays from around the island, washing and feeding them, giving them full check-ups and necessary medical treatment. And to lower the number of unwanted puppies, it also spays or neuters them.

Because space is limited at the shelter, however, it can't keep all the dogs which come through. It tries to rehome them, but the ones it can't end up back on the streets.

Leaving Melitsa to be potentially homeless again was unbearable for Audrey, but she didn't think there was anything she could do about it.

She told the woman from CARE that if she was at home, she would adopt Melitsa in a heartbeat. She didn't think she would be able to adopt her because they were in Greece.

But the woman told her it was possible.

CARE has a programme that rehomes dogs to places all over Europe. Potential adopters have to pay for a 90 dog passport and 400 for injections, tests and transportation so that the dogs are safe to be brought out of Greece. "It's money well spent," said Audrey.

"There was no way we could leave her behind. She would melt your heart.

"She's the most lovable wee dog you've ever seen."

She added that while there were dogs here in need of homes, the conditions in Greece were too terrible to have left Melitsa there. "Believe it or not, here in Northern Ireland, compared to how they're living there (in Greece), this is paradise."

Once the paperwork and the payments are sorted, the charity transports the adopted animals to their new owners.

They have a series of stops across Europe and the UK where adopters pick up their dogs. The last stop on the route is Gretna Green. Three weeks after they had last seen her, Audrey and Olivia took the ferry and drove for three hours to pick up Melitsa on Thursday. "As soon as she saw us she remembered us," Audrey said. The man who delivered Melitsa told her: "I knew it was you because of the way she was getting on."

Audrey and Olivia already have a dog named Lola, who they "love like a child". Lola and Melitsa met on Thursday night and immediately clicked.

"The two of them instantly got on and started playing," said Audery. She attributed the happy outcome to CARE.

"Without them, this would never have happened."
Pressure is continuing to mount over the appointment of an award-winning journalist to an unadvertised 75,000 Stormont job as Executive Press Secretary.

Yesterday it was learned that Northern Ireland's Commissioner for Public Appointments, Judena Leslie, has written to the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service seeking clarification about the process used to give BBC Nolan editor David Gordon the plum post.

And former Commissioner for Public Appointments, Felicity Huston, also waded into the row last night, saying of the appointment that: "It appears that the normal processes of openness, transparency and principles of merit have been completely set aside."

Mr Gordon (51), a former political editor of the Belfast Telegraph, has for the last five years been widely thought to be the brains behind the BBC's successful Nolan Show.

Last night, Ms Huston said she was not at all clear about the process by which the appointment was made.

"I don't think anybody is," she told the BBC's Evening Extra programme.

"It looks like the Executive aren't too clear either, because two or three days ago they said that the appointment was made following something they described as 'the commissioner for Pubic Appointments Regulations'. But there are no such regulations.

"Now we are being told that the appointment was made following the Civil Service Commissioners processes - so nobody seems to know what's actually going on."

She described Mr Gordon's status on the Stormont payroll as "a mystery", saying it was "neither fish nor fowl, nor good red meat".

"It appears that the normal processes of openness, transparency and principles of merit have been completely set aside.

"I think people care about how individuals get appointed to highly paid and very powerful positions.

"We don't give somebody a job by anointing them. We expect it to be an open thing. This job is actually about communication with the media, who expect openness in this day and age, as we all do.

"We don't expect the old 'tap on the shoulder' stuff - that's long gone," she added.

When the appointment was announced, Mr Gordon said: "This is an opportunity I simply could not turn down.

"It's an exciting new challenge for me after some five and a half very rewarding years with the Nolan Show and BBC.

"Journalists have a duty to hold politicians to account and ask the tough questions that need to be asked.

"I have always tried to do that. But it's also important Government has space to make its case too."

Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has asked the staff of the Committee of the Executive Office, of which he is Chair, to put the appointment process for the Executive Office's new Press Secretary on the agenda for its next meeting this coming Wednesday.

Mr Nesbitt said: "This raises issues on three levels - the Committee of the Executive Office, party political and for the individual. I have asked Committee staff to ensure the appointment process is on the agenda for the next meeting of the Committee of the Executive Office on Wednesday.

"The Committee will form its own view of what has happened but in my opinion this was done without the courtesy of informing, never mind consulting the Committee, which is in stark contrast to the First Minister's words when she last appeared before the Committee on the 8th of June. At that time, she said: 'I look forward to a positive and ongoing relationship with you, Chair, and the Committee.' Three calendar months later, with North Korean disregard for democracy, the Committee has been disrespected.

"On a party political level, it is beyond belief that a self-styled proud Republican like Martin McGuinness can bestow upon himself the powers of a Royal Prerogative. Any Republican with an ounce of principle wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

"On a personal level, was David Gordon aware of the process the First Ministers were using, and if not, why not?

"I have been in contact with the Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland and it is absolutely clear that they were not informed of the appointment of the Executive's new Press Secretary or the appointment process used."
The British Lung Foundation found that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) affects more than 32,000 people in the UK, and some of the highest numbers are in Northern Ireland

The wife of a man who died from an incurable lung condition is speaking out about the disease that took her husband's life after research shows that more people in Northern Ireland die from the condition than on our roads.

The British Lung Foundation found that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) affects more than 32,000 people in the UK, and some of the highest numbers are in Northern Ireland.

Tom McClelland, who passed away in February 2014 aged 64, had some problems with breathing, but his wife Kate (62) said he assumed it was due to his age.

After he developed a cough she convinced him to go to his GP, who recommended he use an inhaler.

When that didn't work, Mr McClelland went to a consultant in Co Antrim and got some tests done. By May 2013 he was diagnosed with IPF and told he only had a short time to live.

"We spent that summer and we did all the things he wanted to do," Kate said.

At the time there weren't many treatments besides oxygen therapy, but now there are some treatments and medications people can take.

However, there is no known cause for the disease and there is still no cure.

After Mr McClelland was diagnosed, he told few people about his illness and continued to work as long as he could.

His wife said it didn't matter how much time there was left, people can still do the things they've always wanted to do.

"You don't have to give up everything," she said. "In many ways, Tom taught me to live like that."

She added that those who had been diagnosed shouldn't give up.

"Don't start dying when you get the diagnosis, learn to live with it," she said.

Even though few people have heard of the disease, 679 people from here have died of IPF between 2008 and 2012.

In the same period, 384 people have died as a result of road accidents. The foundation also found that IPF takes more lives every year than many cancers, including ovarian, skin and blood cancer.

Nessie Blair, the service development manager for the foundation here, said that people sometimes don't realise how bad an IPF diagnosis is. They sometimes say they are thankful that they haven't been diagnosed with cancer.

"It's a worse diagnosis than cancer," she said.

The disease causes scarring of the lungs, which makes it difficult to breathe.

And after diagnosis, average life expectancy is three years.

Ms Blair said there had been a lack of research and funding for IPF in the province, even though Northern Ireland has some of the highest number of cases.

"We have, really, the worst presence possibly in the world," she said.

But, to help with that, the foundation has announced it will put 300,000 towards IPF research.

It has also partnered with the Western Trust to set up the only IFP support group in Northern Ireland. As a result an IPF patient support group was created in the trust area.

Ms Blair said the best thing people can do if they are experiencing trouble breathing is to take the foundation's online breath test to see if they should see a doctor.
Images from footage found on a mobile phone by police in the 2014 case, including a cat being attacked by dogs

Images from footage found on a mobile phone by police in the 2014 case, including a cat being attacked by dogs

Images from footage found on a mobile phone by police in the 2014 case, including a cat being attacked by dogs

A man who was at the centre of one of Northern Ireland's most notorious animal cruelty cases is facing a new probe after dogs were discovered at his home, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

Jeremiah Kirkwood, who admitted what was described at the time as one of the "vilest examples of premeditated animal abuse", is the subject of the new welfare investigation.

In 2014 Kirkwood and his sons Chris and Wayne admitted allowing a cat to be torn to shreds by dogs trained to fight.

They also pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to four puppies and having equipment connected to animal fighting. A fourth man, Jamie Morrow, admitted similar charges.

At the time the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) branded their actions "wickedness at its worst".

There was a public outcry when the four avoided jail, being handed six-month suspended sentences.

They were also disqualified from keeping, owning or controlling animals for 10 years.

The PSNI at the time expressed its "disappointment" at the outcome of the case.

Now the Belfast Telegraph can reveal that Belfast City Council has launched a new animal welfare investigation into Kirkwood snr.

Police conducted searches of his Island Street home on Wednesday accompanied by council officials.

The Belfast Telegraph understands Kirkwood snr was cautioned over "animal welfare issues".

Two dogs were found in the house.

That would be a breach of the court-ordered ban.

It is not known if any animals were removed from the house.

A quantity of class C prescription drugs was also seized. A Belfast City Council spokeswoman said: "An animal welfare officer attended this scene at the request of the PSNI. An animal welfare investigation is ongoing into this matter."

The 2014 case was brought after months of investigation into the family by police.

Officers uncovered the cruelty after they seized a mobile phone belonging to Morrow for an unconnected reason.

Detectives found three video clips from 2011 that showed four dogs attacking and killing a cat.

A subsequent examination linked the dogs in the video to those seized from the four.

The USPCA has encouraged the public to be vigilant and report any animal welfare concerns they might have.

A spokesman said: "The suffering of animals abused for the sadistic pleasure of individuals addicted to the infliction of pain and injury is abhorrent to the USPCA.

"The veterinary staff members at our animal hospital are regularly left to pick up the pieces of lives destroyed by sickening abuse.

"This charity welcomes the scale of sentences at the disposal of the courts and the ongoing efforts of the agencies responsible for the enforcement of our animal welfare legislation.

"We would encourage the public to refer their animal welfare concerns to the relevant agency for investigation.

"If in doubt call the USPCA on 028 3025 1000.

"By acting collectively we can prevent further appalling suffering and ensure those responsible for the vilest of abuses are put before the courts."
A Co Tyrone man is to stand trial next year charged over his alleged involvement in the dissident republican murder of prisoner officer David Black.

At Belfast Crown Court yesterday, Damien Joseph McLaughlin (40), of Kilmascally Road, Dungannon, denied four charges he faces over the murder of Mr Black.

The slain father-of-two was driving from his home in Cookstown to the high security Maghaberry Prison when he was ambushed on the M1 motorway in Co Armagh by dissident republican gunmen on November 1, 2012.

A group calling itself the New IRA later claimed responsibility for the killing of the 52-year-old warder.

McLaughlin pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting Mr Black's murder; having a Toyota Camry for use in terrorism; preparing a terrorist act by starting and moving the vehicle which the killers used, and belonging to a proscribed organisation, namely the IRA.

McLaughlin's defence barrister Desmond Hutton said he was expecting to engage the services of an expert witness to deal with the "interview techniques adopted by An Garda Siochana" in the case.

Prosecuting counsel Terence Mooney QC said a number of witnesses from the Republic were "reluctant to travel to Northern Ireland" to give evidence at the trial.

He told Mr Justice Treacy that an application may be made to "take evidence from these witnesses by way of commission in the Republic of Ireland".

The court was told that there was a legal precedent for taking such evidence by commission from such witnesses.

The legal case related to publican Owen McCarron Smyth (29), who was on trial in Belfast in the early 1980s for procuring the killers of former Stormont Parliament Speaker Sir Norman Stronge and his son James.

The men were shot dead at their Tynan Abbey home near the Co Armagh border by a gang of up to 10 men on January 21, 1981.

McCarron Smyth's trial transferred to Dublin's Special Criminal Court for one day to allow some defence witnesses to give their evidence to Republic High Court judge Mr Justice Liam Hamilton.

Mr Mooney QC said the judge at McCarron Smyth's Belfast trial, Mr Justice Brian Hutton, travelled to Dublin for the hearing to take evidence from the witnesses.

He added that the exercise of travelling to Dublin to hear evidence from witnesses may add more time to the trial.

Mr Justice Treacy listed the trial to start on Monday, February 20, 2017.

The case will be reviewed again in four weeks' time.

McLaughlin was released on continuing bail ahead of the start of his trial, which is expected to last six weeks.
Renewing rivalries: A new battleground between Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein will open up after Micheal Martin (right) announced he intends to make his party a political force in Northern Ireland

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has confirmed that he has held discussions with Gerry Adams about the latter's plans to step aside as party leader.

Mr Adams this week revealed that he has an exit strategy in place - but refused to say when exactly he intends to make way for a successor.

Speaking during the second day of the party's think-in in Co Meath, Mr McGuinness said that the ultimate decision rests with Mr Adams himself.

"Gerry and I have had our own discussions about that. We are in a party in transition," Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister said, adding that the new leadership will be "well equipped" to bring the party forward.

"He and I have a plan about how this will be done. This has to be endorsed by the leadership. When that is decided, the party has to decide who will lead the party in the future.

"The only person who will decide in conjunction with an important group of people will be Gerry Adams."

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald reiterated the party's call for a united Ireland.

"The important thing is that Sinn Fein as a political party is, and remains, and increasingly grows and grows as a vehicle for progressive politics, for working people, working families, North and South," she told Pat Kenny on 'Newstalk'.
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Thousands of protesters holding banners and placards chant as they march to the Houses of Parliament during a demonstration, organised by Amnesty International, to show support for refugees on September 17, 2016 in London, England. Thousands of demonstartors, joined by refugees, actors and musicians took part in a march today calling on the British government to resettle more refugees in the United Kingdom and to protest the government's handling of the refugee crisis. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: A child holds up a placard which says 'Welcome refugees!' during a march to the Houses of Parliament during a demonstration, organised by Amnesty International, to show support for refugees on September 17, 2016 in London, England. Thousands of demonstartors, joined by refugees, actors and musicians took part in a march today calling on the British government to resettle more refugees in the United Kingdom and to protest the government's handling of the refugee crisis. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Thousands of protesters holding banners and placards chant as they march to the Houses of Parliament during a demonstration, organised by Amnesty International, to show support for refugees on September 17, 2016 in London, England. Thousands of demonstartors, joined by refugees, actors and musicians took part in a march today calling on the British government to resettle more refugees in the United Kingdom and to protest the government's handling of the refugee crisis. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators gather for a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators gather for a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators gather for a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

A demonstrators gather for a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Demonstrators marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

A demonstrator shouts during a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Demonstrators marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators gather for a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a march calling for the British parliament to welcome refugees in the UK in central London on September 17, 2016. Thousands marched in central London calling on the British government to do more to help refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of London chanting "refugees are welcome here" in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis.

Organised by Solidarity with Refugees, groups and charities including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Children, the Refugee Council and Stop the War Coalition joined forces for the Refugees Welcome demonstration.

The capital's Park Lane came alive with a sea of colourful placards carrying slogans such as "no-one is illegal", "stop the drowning", "choose love" and "be human", as an estimated 10,000 people joined the march.

Next week, world leaders will meet at the UN Summit for refugees and migrants in New York which Theresa May is set to attend.

Solidarity with Refugees director Ros Ereira said she hopes the Prime Minister "sets the tone" for what kind of country the UK can be at the summit.

She added: "Hopefully she will want to portray us as an open, tolerant, welcoming society that wants to play an important role on the global stage and lead an appropriate global humanitarian response."

According to the UN's refugee agency, more than 3,200 people have died or gone missing attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year.

Figures show almost 300,000 people have attempted the journey and thousands remain stranded in Greece and Italy in poor living conditions.

Last year's Refugees Welcome event, which came after a picture was published of refugee toddler Alan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach, drew 100,000 demonstrators calling for action.

Continuing that message, Ms Ereira told the throng of people who had marched through the streets to Parliament Square for a rally: "We need to send the message that we can do more to provide safe passage to people fleeing war and persecution from around the world.

"So that they don't die in the sea, or in the trucks, or in the roads or killing themselves for hopelessness."

Religious leaders, refugees, actors such as Vanessa Redgrave, Douglas Booth and Juliet Stevenson, as well as figures including MP Caroline Lucas, Labour's Lord Alf Dubs and Liberal Democrat campaigner Baroness Sheehan, also gave speeches to the crowd.

Campaigner Vanessa Redgrave said on stage: " The present Government and previous governments, both Labour, Coalition and Conservative, have been breaking international human rights law. We must hold them to account."

"Say it loud say it clear refugees are welcome here" chant the crowd ahead of setting off pic.twitter.com/Y7V8hsayaz  Georgina Stubbs (@georginafstubbs) September 17, 2016

Labour's Lord Alf Dubs arrived in the UK under the Kindertransport programme for Jewish children as a six-year-old fleeing Nazi persecution. During his speech, he said he thinks the Government has been "pretty hopeless" at dealing with the issue.

"There is only one thing that is shifting this Government and that is the force of public opinion, and that means you," he said.

Actor Douglas Booth said he went to Lesbos to visit refugees and was "completely moved", saying he was lucky enough to be born into a safe country and that was the only difference between him and them.

Truly, Madly, Deeply star Juliet Stevenson told the crowd a 14-year-old refugee boy, entitled to be in the UK as his brother is here, recently died while trying to get onto a lorry - the third youngster to be killed this year.

She added: "How many more children have to die before we stand up to our responsibilities and get them over here safely and legally?"

Syrian refugee Kais Aldahoul, 24, said he joined the march to "support the situation" which is "getting worse by the day".

He added: "It is about more support, not necessarily bringing in more refugees, but to help the camps around Europe - the situations in them (are) pretty horrendous."
Syrian rebels have violated the fragile ceasefire in the country 55 times over the past day

The US military said it halted an air raid against Islamic State (IS) in eastern Syria after being told by Russia that it might have struck Syrian government forces.

The US Central Command statement came after Syria and Russia said the US-led coalition had struck a Syrian military base in Deir el-Zour which is surrounded by IS militants, enabling the extremists to advance.

The statement said: "The air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military."

It added that "coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit".

The US is not known to have directly struck Syrian president Bashar Assad's forces at any point during the five-year civil war.

It is unclear why coalition air forces would be mounting attacks during a fragile ceasefire which the US has worked to put in place. However, the ceasefire does not apply to attacks on IS.

A Russian defence ministry official said Syria has informed them that 62 of its soldiers were killed in the air strike. Russia has been waging a year-old air campaign on behalf of Syrian president Bashar Assad's forces and closely coordinates with them.

Defence ministry spokesman Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov said the air strike near Deir el-Zour airport was conducted by two F-16s and two A-10s. He did not identify the planes' country affiliation, but said they were part of the international coalition.

Maj Gen Konashenkov said Syrian authorities reported another 100 wounded, and that the planes came from the direction of the Syrian border with Iraq.

He said IS militants surrounding the air base launched an attack on the Syrian army positions after the air strike. He added that if the coalition attack was launched by mistake, the reason for it was a "stubborn reluctance by the American side to coordinate its action against terrorist groups in Syria with Russia".

IS has repeatedly attacked the government-held air base, which is an isolated enclave deep in extremist-held territory.

The Syrian military said the air strikes enabled an IS advance on a hill overlooking the air base. It called the strike a "serious and blatant attack on Syria and its military", and "firm proof of the US support of Daesh (IS) and other terrorist groups".

Mr Assad's government views all those fighting against it as "terrorists," and has long accused the US and other rebel supporters of backing extremists.

The US-led coalition has carried out thousands of air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq over the past two years, allowing allied forces on the ground to liberate several towns and cities from the extremist group. Russia also carries out attacks against IS targets, in Deir el-Zour and other parts of Syria.

The ceasefire took effect on Monday, and despite reports of violations, it has largely held. However, aid convoys have been unable to enter rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo - a key component of the deal.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian president Vladimir Putin questioned the US commitment to the ceasefire, suggesting that Washington was not prepared to break with "terrorist elements" battling Assad's forces.

Russia has accused Washington of failing to rein in the rebels, and on Saturday Mr Putin asked why the United States has insisted on not releasing a written copy of the agreement.

Officials have provided details of the agreement in press conferences, but have not released an official document, fuelling suspicions on both sides.

Mr Putin said during a trip to Kyrgyzstan: "This comes from the problems the US is facing on the Syrian track - they still cannot separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from the half-criminal and terrorist elements.

"In my opinion, this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad. But this is a very dangerous route."

He appeared to be referring to the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group previously known as the Nusra Front, which is deeply embedded in rebel-held areas and fights alongside more moderate groups.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Putin's remarks during a phone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Mr Lavrov noted the "refusal by an array of illegal armed groups to join the ceasefire", and Washington's obligation to "separate units of the moderate opposition from terrorist groupings".

Under the ceasefire agreement, the US and Russia would work together to target the Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as IS, while Mr Assad's forces refrain from striking opposition-held areas.

But Washington has warned Russia that unless aid is delivered to Aleppo, it will not move ahead with the formation of the joint coordination centre.

AP
Michelle Obama speaks during a campaign rally at George Mason University in Fairfax (AP)

First Lady Michelle Obama has warned young voters against being "tired or turned off" in the 2016 US presidential election at a rally in Virginia.

She urged them to rally behind Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton, "particularly given the alternative".

Mrs Obama is emerging as one of Mrs Clinton's most effective advocates, especially with voters who backed President Barack Obama but are less enthusiastic about his potential Democratic successor.

The Clinton team's biggest challenge regarding Mrs Obama is getting the reluctant campaigner to commit to more events.

The rally on Friday was Mrs Obama's first solo campaign event for Mrs Clinton and comes nearly two months after her star turn at the Democratic convention.

Speaking to mostly students at George Mason University in Fairfax, she repeatedly jabbed Republican candidate Donald Trump without mentioning him by name, declaring that being president "isn't anything like reality TV".

Mrs Obama pointedly called out those who continue to question the president's citizenship "up to this very day".

Drawing on a frequently quoted line from her convention speech, Mrs Obama said her husband had responded to those questions by "going high when they go low".

Hours earlier, Mr Trump stated for the first time that the president was born in the US, though he did not apologise for devoting years to promoting false allegations that Mr Obama was not an American citizen.

Mrs Obama vouched repeatedly for Mrs Clinton's character, urging voters motivated by her husband's history-making campaigns to feel the same way about the first woman nominated for president by a major US party.

"When I hear folks saying that they don't feel inspired in this election, well let me tell you, I disagree - I am inspired," Mrs Obama said.

Jennifer Palmieri, Mrs Clinton's communications director and a former Obama adviser, called the first lady "an advocate without peer".

"There is no other surrogate with the reach, credibility and respect she has," Ms Palmieri said.

AP
Israeli police officers on horseback stand guard near the scene of an attack at the Damascus gate in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday (AP)

Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian who stabbed a soldier in the West Bank, the military said.

The incident comes a day after Palestinians carried out several assaults.

The assaults were the latest violence in a year of Palestinian attacks that at times have been near-daily occurrences but have recently been on the decline.

On Saturday, the military said a Palestinian pulled out a knife during a security check in the West Bank city of Hebron and stabbed a soldier, prompting forces to open fire and kill the attacker.

A day earlier Israeli authorities said there were several Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians, police and a soldier

In the first Friday attack, a man came out of Jerusalem's walled Old City brandishing a knife in each hand, police said.

He then waved the knives in the air and shouted "Allahu akbar" - or "God is great" in Arabic - as he rushed at the officers, who opened fire and killed him. The man had both a Jordanian and a Palestinian ID on him, police said.

Shortly afterwards, two Palestinians rammed their car into a bus stop, wounding three Israeli civilians near the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. Forces at the scene opened fire, killing one of the Palestinians and wounding the other.

A few hours later, at a junction near Hebron, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier who opened fire and killed him, the military said.

The year-long wave of Palestinian assaults on Israeli civilians and security forces has killed 34 Israelis and two Americans - mostly in stabbings, shootings and attacks involving vehicles.

About 214 Palestinians have been killed during that same time. Israel says the majority of them were attackers.

Israeli and Palestinian rights groups say the military has at times used excessive force to subdue attackers.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, condemned Israel for the "extrajudicial killings" of the attackers but did not condemn the attacks themselves.

"Israel is flagrantly employing a systematic and wilful policy of summary executions against the Palestinian people; such provocative acts are in direct violation of international law and conventions," Ashrawi said. "We call on the international community to engage rapidly and effectively before it is too late."

Israel blames the violence on a campaign of incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify attackers as heroes and encourage more attacks.

Following Saturday's incident the military said the attacks in recent days "are just another example of the danger of Palestinian incitement spread through social media".

Palestinians say the violence is rooted in decades of living under military rule and fading hopes for independence.

AP
MOSCOW -- Moscow will convene an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the US-led coalition airstrikers against the Syrian army, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Russia's permanent envoy to the UN has been charged to convene an emergency Security Council session on the issue," Zakharova told the Rossiya 24 TV channel, referring to the airstrikes on Syrian troops near Deir al-Zour.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier Saturday the US-led coalition killed 62 Syrian government troops and injured some 100 others in a round of airstrikes in eastern Syria's province of Deir al-Zour.

"We demand a full and detailed explanation from Washington. These explanations must be given at the UN Security Council," she added.
Some have called for UN troops to cover the road into Aleppo to make sure aid can get through

The United States and Russia have called for a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the fragile ceasefire in Syria.

The council will hold closed consultations later on Friday.

The development comes a day after Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he hoped the Security Council would adopt a resolution endorsing the ceasefire agreement at next week's high-level General Assembly meeting, which draws leaders from around the globe.

The move comes as clashes were reported between government forces and rebels, violating the ceasefire which came into effect on Monday.

The UN said it has not received the necessary guarantees from the US and Russia for aid convoys to cross the Turkish border into Syria - nor permission from the Syrian government for trucks to get through government checkpoints to deliver badly need supplies.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN needs US and Russian leadership "to have the necessary impact and influence over the various parties to ensure that the trucks can roll safely" - and the Syrian government to authorise the right administrative permissions for trucks to get through its checkpoints.

She said the UN is ready and that "it's for all the parties to see that the needs of the Syrian people are great. And every day that we're unable to move is just another day of suffering for the people of Syria, especially in the hard-to-reach areas".

The Russian military has accused the Syrian opposition of using the truce to regroup and strengthen its forces.

Head of the Russian Reconciliation Centre, Lt Gen Vladimir Savchenko, said opposition units have used the ceasefire to "restore their capability and regroup their forces in the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Homs".

Russia pledged to help ensure the ceasefire holds in Syria for another three days, but warned the US to press the rebels to end their violations to prevent the situation from "spinning out of control".

Lt Gen Viktor Poznikhir claimed the Syrian army has fully complied with the truce while the opposition units have violated it 144 times.

Earlier the Syrian army moved its heavy weapons back to a key road near the city of Aleppo after the opposition failed to withdraw theirs in sync.

The Russian military said the Syrian army withdrew its armour, artillery and other weapons north of the Castello Road early on Thursday then moved the weapons back on Friday as the opposition units had failed to pull back theirs as agreed.

Rebels are said to have fired on government positions overnight, wounding two soldiers and prompting the Syrian army to move their weapons back to the road to prevent the rebels from advancing.

Clashes were also reported between troops and insurgents as well as shelling in two areas of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Syrian state news agency SANA said insurgents shelled government-held areas in Qaboun, wounding three people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say the latest fighting was concentrated in the area of Jobar, next to Qaboun.

AP
David Gordon has been appointed as press secretary to the Executive by the First and Deputy First ministers under powers known as the Royal Prerogative.

The appointment of the editor of the BBC Nolan Show as Stormont Press Secretary has sparked an increasingly bitter row of words between the Executive and Opposition.

Leader of the Opposition Mike Nesbitt (UUP) has accused the First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of a "North Korean disregard for democracy".

In a statement issued on Sunday morning the Executive Office hit back saying, "using rhetoric about Stalin or North Korea is not just hysterical but an insult to victims of oppression".

It was announced last week that David Gordon  editor of The Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster for the past three years  is to become the most senior spokesman for First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

However, his appointment has drawn criticism after it emerged the post - which commands a 75,000-a-year salary - was not advertised and the First and Deputy First ministers used powers under what is known as the Royal Prerogative to create the role for former BBC journalist.

Mr Nesbitt said the matter will be discussed at the Committee of the Executive Office which he chairs next week.

"The Committee will form its own view of what has happened but in my opinion this was done without the courtesy of informing, never mind consulting the Committee, which is in stark contrast to the First Minister's words when she last appeared before the Committee on the 8th of June," he said.

"At that time, she said: 'I look forward to a positive and ongoing relationship with you, Chair, and the Committee'.

"Three calendar months later, with North Korean disregard for democracy, the Committee has been disrespected."

He added: "I have been in contact with the Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland and it is absolutely clear that they were not informed of the appointment of the Executive's new Press Secretary or the appointment process used."

On Sunday morning the Executive Office released a statement which claimed the matter is simply "Ministers use Ministerial powers to make Ministerial appointment".

"The Executive Office has supplied the relevant Order to any media outlet that requested it and has provided media with details of the legislation under which the appointment was made since it was announced," a spokesperson said.

"To suggest there was any 'secret' is stretching credibility to breaking point.

"It is normal practice in politics in London and Dublin as well as other devolved governments for Ministers to select a certain number of people who provide them specialist political and communications advice."

The spokesperson accused political parties who have expressed concern of "trying to muddy the waters".

They said talk of Assembly or outside scrutiny of the appointment is "nonsensical".

"The appointment of David Gordon is a political decision  thats what Ministers do," the spokesperson said.

"His job will involve politics  thats what Governments are about.

"While this manufactured storm runs its course, Executive Ministers are getting on with the job of Government, determined to pursue policies that make a real difference.

"In a few weeks, David Gordon will be at his new desk helping us in that task. It is extremely useful that he has been given an early insight into the vacuousness and double standards on Opposition benches."

On Saturday the Alliance Party and TUV also expressed concern about the appointment of Mr Gordon.

Alliance MLA Namoi Long said the way in which Mr Gordon was appointed to the role was "scandalous".

"The revelations that The First and Deputy First Ministers secretly changed the law, to avoid any scrutiny of the appointment of their new Executive Press Secretary, simply reinforces my call for all public and ministerial appointments to be brought within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments," she said.

"It is nothing short of scandalous the lengths to which they are willing to go to avoid scrutiny and transparency."

TUV leader Jim Allister last night accused the Executive of behaving like the Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin, after the department released a statement yesterday afternoon accusing critics of the way Mr Gordon, pictured, was appointed of trying to throw dirt.

The North Antrim MLA said: It is laughable they are criticising people who dare to say that due process should be followed.

Laws should be changed by the Assembly, not by Prerogative powers.

Its farcical for the Executive to act like that. Stalin would have been proud of them.

The Executive statement issued on Saturday said the decision to appoint Mr Gordon is not subject to scrutiny by the Assembly.

It continued: It is normal practice in politics in London and Dublin as well as other devolved governments for Ministers to select the people who provide them specialist communications advice.

Those trying to throw dirt know that very well. It is interesting to note the panic and hysteria of opposition MLAs following the appointment of the Executive Press Secretary.

Their reaction, though not surprising, was expected from parties who are struggling to cope with the new political framework at Stormont.
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone will bring a new light on the Christian faith and its ability to change anyones heart.

Gavin Stone, a washed-up former child star, is forced to do community service at a local megachurch after getting into some trouble with the law. He pretends to be Christian so he can land the part of Jesus in their annual Passion Play. Along the way, he reconnects with his past and builds upon his faith to discover that his most important role is far away from the shining lights of Hollywood

The faith-based feature film was shot in the Elgin area by a branch of Elgins Harvest Bible Chapel and will be brought to audiences by WWE Studios. The film was directed by the megachurchs media director, Dallas Jenkins, and stars Brett Dalton (from TVs Agents of Shield), Neil Flynn (from TVs The Middle), as well as Nicole Astra, D.B. Sweeney and Emily Eruraviel.

Watch the exclusive trailer below and make sure to catch The Resurrection of Gavin Stone January 20, 2017.
Thai authorities are making good on their promise to crack down on illegal immigrants by sending thousands of migrant workers back to Cambodia and Vietnam each day, Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews, has learned.

Sim Namm Yung, a provincial official in Cambodias Banteay Meanchey province, told RFA on Thursday that Thailand deported more than 4,000 Cambodian workers back to their homeland in August alone.

At least 300 Cambodians are being sent back home every day, Sim Namm Yung told RFA.

They are from different parts of Cambodia, she said. Some went to Thailand by themselves to look for a job, but some were illegally cheated by the brokers.

While Sim Namm Yung said that most of the Cambodians worked in construction and lived in Thailand from three months to a year, some of them were also recently released from jail.

The repatriated Cambodians were packed like pigs into vans with metal bars over the windows, Sum Chankea, an official with the Cambodian human rights organization ADHOC, told RFA.

After arriving at the Poipet International Checkpoint in Banteay Meanchey province, the Cambodian authorities educate them about the illegal immigration for about 15 to 20 minutes, before allowing them to return to their home villages.

Cambodian authorities in charge of workers along the border seem to pay no attention to the problem, Sum Chankea said. The authorities also are not making any attempts to arrest and punished the brokers who have taken workers to Thailand illegally.

Human traffickers charge Cambodians as much as U.S. $100 per person to illegally transport them across the border in the northwestern part of the country, human rights groups told RFA in April.

Workers, who do not have passports, pay 300,000 to 400,000 riel (U.S. $75 to U.S. $100) each to help them cross over the border in Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces, Sum Chankea told RFA at the time.

Workers have traveled to Thailand like ants, Sum Chankea said in April.

Vietnamese are also sent home

The Thai government is also sending people back to Vietnam.

Most of the Vietnamese appear to be street vendors who set up business in Thailand under a memorandum of understanding reached in 2015.

While the MOU allows Vietnamese to work in Thailand, it restricts their employment to serving as manual laborers or service providers.

A vendor in Rangsit district in Thailands Pathum Thani province told RFA that the governments crackdown had convinced him to go back to Vietnam.

I have been here for five or six or years, and I know that I could be jailed anytime, he said. So, I am thinking about going back home. I told my fellow vendors in Rangsit that we should not go out too much because we might get picked up.

Thailands immigration problem spans decades, if not centuries, because the country is an important destination for migrant workers and asylum seekers from across the Greater Mekong Delta region as well other parts of Asia.

Speaking via video conference on Sept. 9, Thai immigration chief Nathathorn Phrosunthorn announced a nationwide crackdown designed to flush out foreigners, Thaivisa.com reported.

The job debate

According to the report, he singled out immigrants who are taking Thai jobs in the restaurant business and selling wares on the move.

The country has been criticized for its treatment of migrant workers who are often at the mercy of unscrupulous employers and labor brokers.

Thailand is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking, the U.S. State Department wrote in its 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report.

While migrant workers are at risk, they are still drawn to the country because Thailand is a wealthy nation compared with its neighbors.

Thailands economy grew at an average annual rate of 7.5 percent in the late 1980s and early 1990s, creating millions of jobs that helped pull millions of people out of poverty, according to the World Bank.

That growth has slowed in recent years, with the World Bank reporting a modest 2.8 percent increase in 2015 after a sluggish 0.9 percent in 2014. The outlook for 2016 is for 2.5 percent growth.

According to the Office of the Social and Economic Development Board, workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China and ethnic minorities from Southeast Asian countries, have cut into businesses reserved for Thais.

Search and arrest

The way to solve these problems is search and arrest, Arak Prommanee, director-general of the Department of Employment, told BenarNews. Vendor and retail selling jobs are reserved for Thais.

The junta that took power in 2014 from a civilian government widely perceived as being corrupt, issued a pair of executive orders to clean up the illegal migrant workers in the capital and nationwide in 2015 and 2016, he said.

Arak described three types of offenders: illegal migrants, documented workers who have jobs for which they are not approved and immigrants who overstay their visas.

But employment issues arent the only reason the Thais are deporting immigrant workers, Arak said.

We started tackling the issue when we learnt from news reports that there are illegal workers selling products, which are fake or are contaminated, Arak told BenarNews.

In May, Police in Muak Lek district of Sara Buri that lies about 100 miles north of Bangkok arrested a Vietnamese couple for selling artificial orange juice mixed with dirty water after a photo and story about them was shared on social media and reported in the local newspapers.

This group of workers came here to sell all sorts of snacks like meat balls, fruit juices and pickled fruits, he said. That made us aware of how we need to ensure hygiene and food safety for consumers.
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Today ten thousands in Germany will protest against EU trade negotiations with the US (TTIP) and Canada (CETA).

BILD asked EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom (48): Despite all protests, why do you go on and on negotiating?

Malmstrom: The debate is very heated in Germany. Looking at the whole EU however a broad majority supports the negotiations. Besides, 28 member states have unanimously given and confirmed the mandate to negotiate TTIP. Of course, the negotiations can't be simply aborted!"

Why do the protests attract so many followers?

Malmstrom: "The anti-TTIP movement can also be explained by fears of globalization and the lack of trust in European institutions. Otherwise its success is not understandable, as Germany depends so much on international trade."

70 percent of Germans expect disadvantages from TTIP. Did you fail at communication?

Malmstrom: "I spoke with so many and also met hard core opponents here in my office. They would oppose any free trade agreement with the US, even if it said free beer for everybody. Many TTIP-opponents do not stick to the truth and facts."

Auch interessant

For instance?

Malmstrom: "The idea that environmental standards will be lowered by TTIP is simply not true. Neither is the idea that we will be invaded by GMOs. Also democracy will not be eradicated by TTIP, as some seem to think, or that TTIP is somehow the same thing as CETA, our trade deal with Canada. Let me be clear - there are many opponents with legitimate concerns, who push for things that are important to get exactly right in these types of trade deals. But there are also a lot of misunderstandings, urban legends and lies in the debate.

Some of the criticism has been about investment courts, enterprises could influence law making

Malmstrom: "The old, still existing system of investment tribunals is outdated, everybody agrees. Thats why we created with Canada a completely new system of investment protection which is modern and more transparent. We proposed a similar system to the US for TTIP and we are making good progress in the discussions."

How can anyone know as you keep all documents secret?

Malmstrom: "It is simply not in line with reality if people claim that negotiations are completely intransparent. These are the most transparent trade negotiations ever. Our proposals and summaries of every negotiation round are accessible on our Website.

Then you are just presenting TTIP too badly?

Malmstrom: "We as the Commission are doing a lot of convincing ourselves and face the debate. The ultimate responsibility however lies with the national governments who have to do their job in the debate. They asked us to negotiate with the United States, now they have to explain why it will be a good agreement."

Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) called TTIP negotiations failed. Austrian Chancellor Kern and French Prime Minister Valls oppose it. Now what?

Malmstrom: That's most likely a question of patience. They want to see results, but at this point there is simply not a done deal. TTIP is alive, but I will not negotiate via media.

How much longer will the negotiations take?

Malmstrom: I think it would be very hard to have an agreement finished by the end of the Obama administration on 19th of January. But it still makes sense to continue talking. Content is more important than deadlines.

TTIP will have 30 chapters. Is there an agreement on any single one of them?

Malmstrom: Some of the chapters are provisionally closed, but none of them is completely ready. A few difficult questions will remain until the very final negotiations. The way it works in trade negotiations is that nothing is done until everything is done.

Can you promise that TTIP will bring more jobs?

Malmstrom: I cannot promise a specific number, but trade agreements in the past have always created jobs, growth and investments. A rule of thumb: one billion Euros in exports support around 14.000 jobs.

Will the German economy win or lose?

Malmstrom: Germany will be without any doubt a big winner of a trade agreement, especially the small and medium sized companies. Not only by lowering tariffs but by taking away bureaucracy. Companies in the car sector could reduce double production lines or do tests once instead of twice and recognize. This would truly benefit Germany and lead to more jobs.

Will not only large international enterprises win?

Malmstrom: There is an uneasy feeling that TTIP is only good for the companies. In fact it is not only about multinationals, but SMEs. And it is the companies who create jobs. They have the most to win when exports get cheaper. The economy will not grow if we all work for NGOs.

Do you believe national parliaments will ratify TTIP in the end?

Malmstrom: I hope that nobody will vote against TTIP only because they do not like trade agreements in general. The same I hope for CETA, the present agreement with Canada. It is a very, very good agreement that scraps 99 percent of all customs duties and opens up a valuable market for Europe. Voting against it would send a terrible signal to the world: If we cannot make an agreement with such a close partner such as Canada, with whom can we?




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

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Mewing is a TikTok trend that has blown up in the last few months. It is claimed that it can help shape your jawline as well as cure other ailments by actively pressing your tongue to the roof
Security measures continue in Sahinbey where police got intelligence on plot against Cemevi

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In Anteps Sahinbey district, police has taken strict security measures around the Cemevi (Alevi house of ritual) and Alevi Culture Associations at Duztepe town after receiving intelligence about a bomb attack planned to be carried out against these institutions.

According to the reports of IHA, security precautions of Gaziantep Police Department continue in the area, where surrounding streets have been blocked by armored security vehicles; and, the shops nearby have not been allowed to be opened today as the police have been alarmed since the night before (September 16).

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Sahinbey is the district where ISIL carried out a suicide bomb attack at a street wedding in late August this year, causing over 40 people  most of whom were children  to lose their lives.

Furthermore, Antep, a border city to Syria, has the most population of Syrian refugees and has also been used by certain jihadists groups as both a hub and a passage point since the escalation of the conflict in Syria.

Source: http://www.birgun.net/haber- detay/bombali-saldiri-ihbari- geldi-polis-harekete-gecti- 128397.html
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni



One hundred million people around the world watched the viral video  Kony 2012 . Its evangelical Christian producers mission was to proselytize for the use of U.S. Special Forces to help Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni hunt down warlord Joseph Kony and his Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Despite huge support from the U.S. political establishment and various celebrities, the producers were finally guffawed off the world stage after the videos release. One of the best parodies was the Artist Taxi Drivers "You say get Kony I say get Tony #kony2012 #tonyblair2012."

Nevertheless, more U.S. troops went to Uganda in 2012, reportedly as advisors to the Ugandan army, a longstanding U.S. proxy force. More have gone since, and U.S. and Ugandan troops have set up outposts in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all in the name of fighting the infamous Kony, whom Kony 2012 likened to Osama bin Laden. Despite all that, Konys still free - if hes still alive. The idea that a modern army, with the most advanced weaponry, intelligence, and surveillance tech, has not been able to find him and his spent force of jungle fighters is preposterous. As Dr. Vincent Magombe said in Ebony Butlers new documentary film, A Brilliant Genocide: America is part of the problem of Africa right now. The Americans know very well that Kony is not the problem. Where the oil wells are, the American troops are there and the government in power. It doesnt matter whether that government is Museveni killing his own people. Its not democratic, but he is a friend.

A Brilliant Genocide  tells the story of the Acholi Genocide that President Yoweri Museveni and his army committed against the Acholi people during their 20 year war and occupation of the Acholi homeland in northern Uganda, from 1986 to 2006. Museveni waged that war in the name of fighting Kony and claimed to be protecting the Acholi, not destroying them. The U.S. turned a blind eye and continued to build up its Ugandan proxy force. Despite this appalling and shocking human rights abuse, Ugandan American publisher Milton Allimadi says in the film, the Ugandan military machine continued to be financed without any interruption from the United States.

Musevenis troops eventually drove nearly two million Acholi people, 90% of the population, into concentration camps to, he said, protect them from Kony and the LRA. The camp living quarters were traditional mud huts with thatched roofs, but they were tightly clustered together in a way that was not traditional at all. The Museveni government then failed to provide food, water, sanitation, or health care. In 2005, the World Health Organization reported that 1000 Acholi were dying every week of violence and disease - above all malaria and AIDS. That was, they reported, 1000 beyond normal mortality rates.

This huge and lengthy displacement caused more death and destruction than the war itself. All the elements of Acholi society - farming, education, gender relations, and family life - were broken. In the camps, the previously self-sufficient Acholi became completely dependent on the UN World Food Program.

Ugandan soldiers raped both men and women, spreading HIV in the camps, but President George Bush lauded President Yoweri Museveni for his success at HIV prevention. Anyone who has been concerned by all the Western press about Ugandas homophobia and its Anti-Homosexuality Act should see both A Brilliant Genocide and Gender Against Men to understand how much more complex the countrys attitudes towards same gender sexual relations - including rape - really are.

The camps were finally disbanded in 2012 and the surviving Acholi returned to their land, but now they are facing land grabs, including those by Museveni and his partner in mechanized agriculture

What did the U.S. gain by ignoring the Acholi Genocide as it built the Ugandan army into a proxy force?

In 1990, as the genocide continued in Northern Uganda, a battalion of the Ugandan army led by General Paul Kagame invaded Rwanda. After a four-year war and the assassination of the Rwandan and Burundian presidents, Kagames army overthrew the Rwandan government and established a de facto Tutsi dictatorship, which falsely claims to have ended competition between the Hutu and Tutsi populations. The last 100 days of that war included the massacres that came to be known as the Rwandan Genocide, which most of the world knows as the oversimplified, decontextualized story told in the movie "Hotel Rwanda."

This radically mis-told story of the Rwandan Genocide has since become a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. Were forever told that we have to start another war to stop genocide and mass atrocities or - in shorthand - to stop the next Rwanda," as in Libya, Syria, and more recently, Burundi, and whatever unlucky nation may be next. Few have heard of the Acholi Genocide because it exposes the shameless U.S. foreign policy of supporting and enabling dictator Yoweri Museveni ever since he came to power in 1986. Were never told that we have to stop the next Acholi Genocide or the next Uganda.

Beginning in 1996, Rwanda and Uganda invaded the hugely resource rich Democratic Republic of the Congo, enabled by U.S. weapons, logistics and intelligence. They expelled Congolese President Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997 and replaced him with Laurent Kabila. When Laurent Kabila raised an independent head and expelled Rwandan and Ugandan soldiers, Rwanda and Uganda invaded Congo again and replaced him with his more compliant adopted son Joseph Kabila. Today, after the death of millions in the First and Second Congo Wars, Rwanda and Uganda continue to commit atrocities and plunder eastern Congolese resources. Right now 60 people a month are being massacred in Beni Territory, but the world isnt much more likely to hear about that than about the Acholi Genocide.

Most Westerners are far more likely to have noticed the Western press - and Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International - shrieking that theres another Tutsi genocide pending in Burundi , even though the violence in Burundi is nowhere near as horrific as that in Beni, and many of those assassinated in Burundi have been top officials in the Hutu-led government. The U.S. and its allies want to take down the government of Burundi, so they keep sounding alarms that its plotting genocide, that we have to stop another genocide or the next Rwanda. Theyre not sounding the same alarms about Beni because the elimination of its population would facilitate their longstanding agenda of breaking up the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as they broke up Yugoslavia and South Sudan.

The U.S. has used Ugandan troops to serve its agenda not only in nations bordering Uganda but also in Somalia and elsewhere on the African continent, as coordinated by AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command. It has even used Ugandan troops in its assaults on Iraq and Afghanistan.

As Green Party vice presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka has said , When was the last time the U.S. has been on the side of the people, in reality? And the answer is: 'Never. When anyone, including Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International, says that we have to invade another sovereign nation to stop genocide and mass atrocities, they should be reminded of the horrendous Acholi Genocide that the U.S. enabled, or of the massacres going on in Beni Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, right now. These are only two examples of mass atrocities that the U.S. has committed or facilitated because they or their perpetrators, like Museveni, serve U.S. interests.



A Brilliant Genocide is now showing at international film festivals around the world. The next showing will be at the Raindance Film Festival in London on September 30 . It will air on Russia Today (RT) channels around the world and on RT websites between October 1 and February 28; precise dates are still to be determined.
Garrison Keillor, author and creator of A Prairie Home Companion will present a special benefit performance, An Evening for Africa, Friday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m., at the State Theatre in Eau Claire. The event is a fundraiser to help continue the charitable work begun by Keillors cousin and former Menomonie resident, Alec Johnson.

Alec was an astrophysicist who grew up in Menomonie, attending Menomonie High School. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later lived in Belgium. He pursued a lifestyle that was selfless and devoted to developing community and to education, especially of children.

Alec died in 2014 from an accidental drowning. His family and friends are carrying on his work, focusing on breaking the poverty cycle for the people of Uganda, through the nonprofit Transforming Individual Lives Today (https://cultivating-community.org/)

During his life, Alec was committed to building community wherever he lived, to providing support to the lonely and impoverished, and needy children, especially orphaned, said his father and Menomonie physician, Dr. Dan Johnson. Were honored to be able to continue Alecs commitment in Uganda.

Alec worked with Uganda-based charity St. Augustine Community Love Program, founded by Anywarach Joshua Carter, now a member of the Uganda parliament. He established scholarships for children, created a micro-banking system to provide hundreds of local women with seed money for cottage industries, and aligned with Farming Gods Way to teach farmers skills to enrich the soil, protect crops and increase yields.

Proceeds from Keillors An Evening for Africa will help provide education scholarships for students in northwestern Uganda, expand seed money for micro-banking projects for cottage businesses, and help train farmers and add wells.

One of Americas most beloved radio hosts and acclaimed humorists, Garrison Keillor was born in 1942 in Anoka, Minn. and began his radio career as a freshman at the University of Minnesota, from which he graduated in 1966.

He went to work for Minnesota Public Radio in 1969, and on July 6, 1974, he hosted the first broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion. Today, some 4 million listeners on more than 600 public radio stations coast to coast and beyond tune in to the show each week.

Keillor has been honored with Grammy, ACE, and George Foster Peabody awards, the National Humanities Medal, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His many books include Lake Wobegon Days, The Book of Guys, Pilgrims: A Wobegon Romance, and Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny (Viking).

Keillor is also the host of the daily program The Writers Almanac and the editor of several anthologies of poetry. In 2007, he opened an independent bookstore, Common Good Books, in St. Paul, where he lives with his wife and daughter.

Sponsors of the Garrison Keillor and An Evening for Africa include the Lismore Hotel and Informalist restaurant, Orgel Wealth management, author Neil Gaiman, law firm Weld Riley, S.C., Lasker Jewelers, and Northwestern Bank of Chippewa Falls.
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This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandons Brad Lawson surpassed his goal of raising $50,000 for STARS air ambulance, and as a result was able to be rescued from a remote island on Friday.

Lawson was one of eight participants in the fourth annual Rescue on the Island, a major STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service) fundraising event.

Im pleased  it was a high hill to climb at the start of it and I was a bit concerned that Id get there. But with the support of all my donors and fundraising efforts, its all come to fruition, so I feel really good about that, Lawson said in a telephone interview from Carter Island on Eleanor Lake in eastern Manitoba.

Submitted Brad Lawson (left) dons his STARS gear as he prepares for Rescue on the Island, along with flight paramedic Ray Rempel. Lawson, owner of Clarks Poultry, took on the Rescue on the Island challenge to not only raise funds, but to spread the word about what the rescue service does for rural Manitoba.

Lawson raised more than $60,000 for the cause, exceeding his initial goal by nearly $12,000.

In total, more than $330,000 was raised by all participants by Friday afternoon to support the non-profit organization.

This is our largest fundraising event in Manitoba, said Else Fenton, executive director of the STARS Foundation in Manitoba. As a not-for-profit organization, STARS relies on community support and donations.

Lawson, owner of Clarks Poultry, decided to accept the challenge in hopes of not only raising funds for the cause, but to help spread the word about what they do.

For me, the takeaway is just the professionalism and dedication of these people, how committed they are to providing this type of a service to rural Manitoba, Lawson said. Maybe weve shed some light on the work that the STARS people do, because its just an absolutely necessary lifesaving service to the people in the rural areas.

While on the island, the participants fundraised by cellphone, and were paired with STARS crew members for Amazing Race style survival and medical challenges. They dealt with a number of mock scenarios, including a drowning, a gunshot victim and an ATV rollover.

Other participants were Winnipeg community advocate Louis Trepel, La Broquerie fire Chief Alain Nadeau, Kevin Comte of Enns Bros., Justin Swandel of Winnipegs Terracon Development, CJOB talk radio host Richard Cloutier, John Oades of Winnipegs Beaver Trucking and Anupam Kothari, president of Kothari Group.

Last year, STARS responded to 34 calls in Brandon and a total of 568 calls across the province. The air ambulance responded to several calls in the Westman area this summer, including one in Brandon last month when a man fell about 100 feet from a tree he had been trimming. STARS was called to a near drowning of a three-year-old girl at Elkhorn Resort. Another young child was taken by air ambulance from Brandon to Winnipeg after falling into a fire pit.

Every flight has a critical care nurse on board, as well as a flight paramedic. Approximately 50 per cent of the calls are for rural hospitals, often dealing with traumatic injuries or medical emergencies.

STARS is a Canadian Prairie operation, with bases in Calgary, Edmonton, Grand Prairie, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
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This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new assisted-living complex swung its doors open for seniors in MacGregor on Friday.

Victoria Place, a 16-unit complex, will offer assisted living for low-to-moderate income seniors from the area who wish to remain closer to home, according to a joint release from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. and the Manitoba government.

This building is the first of its kind for MacGregor, and a shining example of what a community can achieve with a vision and dedication, said provincial Indigenous and Municipal Relations Minister Eileen Clarke.

Submitted Provincial Indigenous and Municipal Relations Minister Eileen Clarke speaks during the opening of Victoria Place, a 16-unit assisted-living complex for seniors in MacGregor, on Friday.

Clarke also represents the Agassiz constituency where MacGregor is located.

We know that seniors live healthier and more active lives when surrounded by family and friends in a familiar neighbourhood. We are proud to help welcome the first tenants of Victoria Place and to be part of this special milestone.

The $5.3-million project received $960,000 from a joint federal-provincial investment. The two-storey building includes 12 one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units. It is fully accessible for residents with mobility issues. Up to four units have rental agreements geared to income.

We are committed to investments that will make a real difference in our communities  investments that will give Canadians access to affordable housing that meets their needs, said federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos, who is also responsible for CMHC.

These investments in MacGregor will provide seniors with housing that is safe and affordable, close to the support services that their community has to offer. They will also help generate new jobs and lay a solid foundation for the sustainable economy of the future. Congratulations to everyone involved in Victoria Place and welcome home to the new residents.

Nor-Mac Community Assisted Living, which was incorporated in 2010 to build the first assisted-living project in the community, will manage the property.

This is another great milestone for the whole community to celebrate, Nor-Mac chair Dan Sawatsky said. Our donors, volunteers and all the stakeholders have worked very hard over the past five years to turn this project into a reality and its really gratifying to be operational and open. Were looking forward to having Victoria Place benefit our community for many years to come.

The project was initiated by the previous federal Conservative and provincial NDP governments.

 ctweed@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @CharlesTweed
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This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police have issued a warning as they believe four sexual assaults against women in downtown Brandon may be linked.

The four women were targeted while vulnerable  police say they were walking alone in isolated or dimly lit areas  and police advise citizens to take precautions when walking at night.

It doesnt matter if youre in the downtown area or any other area in Brandon, its always best to travel with somebody else, Brandon Police Service Const. Trevor Robins said. Stay on busy roads and well-lit roadways.

The assaults that police believe may be linked are:

 April 9  Around 9:30 p.m., a 27-year-old woman was approached by two males in an alley near 11th Street and Rosser Avenue and sexually assaulted her.

 July 3  Around 8:30 a.m., a 45-year-old woman was approached by a lone male in an alley near the same location as the above assault.

 Aug. 18  Around 2:30 a.m., a male approached a 30-year-old woman in an alley near Sixth Street and Princess Avenue and sexually assaulted her.

 Sept. 12  Around 7:30 a.m., a 34-year-old woman was sexually assaulted when she was approached by two males under the First Street bridge.

We believe that they could possibly be linked, Robins said. Its still kind of early in the investigation, and our investigators are putting the pieces to the puzzle together as we speak.

There are common features to each assault. In each case, the women didnt know their attackers. The victims had previously been drinking at homes or unspecified licensed premises downtown.

In addition, they had been walking alone in remote or dimly lit areas.

Robins said no weapons were involved in the attacks. The victims received minor injuries and were treated and released from hospital.

Sexual assault is a broad legal term that covers a variety of acts, and police didnt clarify the general nature of the assaults.

Finally, in each case, the suspects began the incident by asking the victim for a cigarette.

The random attacks  the women dont appear to be connected  seem to be becoming more frequent.

Mapping police data shows other sexual assaults in the same area within the same time frame, but its not known if they are connected.

Police issued the warning late Friday afternoon. They say that, initially, they couldnt determine if the incidents were related, but further evidence  which police didnt specify  indicates they may be linked.

This is a real priority for our department right now, and our detectives are working diligently on trying to solve this, Robins said.

He said police already increased patrols downtown during the summer, and may increase them again as resources allow.

Robins said that police believe they are looking for two suspects, and have a couple in mind.

The suspects are described as one Caucasian and one aboriginal man, about 25 to 30 years old.

Anyone with information is asked to call the BPS at 204-729-2345. They can also call Brandon Crime Stoppers at 204-727-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-222-TIPS. Tips may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers online.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @IanHitchen
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@03 Body Copy:Three people from Regina are facing a slew of charges following a police chase Wednesday afternoon that began at the Corral Centre, moved north to the Trans-Canada Highway and through

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The following editorial appeared in the Sept. 8 Des Moines Register.

Elections have consequences for children.

Children cannot vote. They do not contribute big bucks to political campaigns. They are not represented by high-profile lobbying organizations. There is no AARP for the under-18 crowd in this country.

Yet kids may have more at stake than adults in state and federal elections. They are not only among the future generations that will deal with everything from the national debt to the health of the environment. Their daily lives, right this minute, are affected by what elected officials do.

When lawmakers dont adequately fund education or human services, children suffer. When politicians starve or reform government safety net programs, children feel the impact.

Each year about 410,000 Iowans are lifted out of poverty by tax credits for low-income families and government programs to provide food, income and housing, according to a July report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Of those Iowans, 93,000 are children. Safety-net programs reduce the child poverty rate in this state from 18.1 percent to 5.2 percent.

When members of Congress complain about food stamps, they want Americans to envision a welfare queen mother who drives a Cadillac and sponges off the system. What should come to mind is an image of a child. Of the 390,000 Iowans each month who rely on food stamps, 180,000 of them are youth, according to CBPP.

Then theres Medicaid, the single largest health insurer of children in the country. About 300,000 Iowa youngsters rely on it and its companion, the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for coverage. Turning over management of the government program to for-profit insurers, as Gov. Terry Branstad recently did, is not only disruptive to poor, elderly constituents and health care providers who arent being paid. It is disruptive to kids.

In fact, Iowans should take note of a June report from Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families. It examined specifically how children have fared during the first two years of statewide Medicaid privatization in Florida, a move spearheaded by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Two-thirds of Florida pediatricians reported an increase in patients reassigned to new health plans without their knowledge. Some of our patients keep getting switched to plans where they have to go all the way across the state for primary care, said one doctor. More than 80 percent said patients experienced difficulty accessing medications.

Under private Medicaid management, only six in 10 infants are receiving the recommended number of well-child visits. The majority of adolescents are not receiving these visits at all. Only 27 percent of children covered by Floridas managed care programs received a preventative dental visit, compared with 48 percent of Medicaid- and CHIP-covered children nationwide.

The lesson: Elections have consequences for those too young to vote.

This countrys safety net programs separate impoverished children in the United States from impoverished children starving and dying from diseases in Third World countries. Those of us eligible to cast ballots must do so with an eye to protecting these government programs.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A renowned husband-and-wife piano duo will return to Brandon University on Tuesday to kick off the 18th season of the School of Musics Pro Series.

The Lu Piano Duo  Jie Lu and Ning Lu  are faculty artists and teachers at the University of Utah. They will give a recital of solo and duo piano works, including Piano Sonata in B flat major, D 960 and Fantasy for one piano four hands in f minor, D 940 by Franz Schubert, as well as The Dolly Suite by Gabriel Faure.

This performance is the pianists second Pro Series appearance, their first being in the spring of 2015.

Submitted The Lu Piano Duo will kick off the 18th season of the Brandon University School of Musics Pro Series with a performance in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall on Tuesday.

We are thrilled to be returning to Brandon, Ning Lu said in a recent message.

Both pianists are originally from China. After studies at the Conservatory of Music in Wuhan, Jie Lu obtained an artist diploma with top honours and appeared as a soloist with the Wuhan Orchestra.

A multi-award winner of both scholarships and piano competitions, she continued her studies in the United States, completing a doctor of musical arts at the University of Illinois. Along with her teaching duties, she is a recitalist who shares her knowledge as an adjudicator and gives masterclasses around the globe.

Ning Lus first professional appearance took place when he was nine years old. His music education was first undertaken in Beijings Conservatory of Music, followed by studies in the United States, where he earned a DMA from the University of Boulder.

Also a much-lauded competition winner, Ning has performed as a soloist with orchestras in both China and the U.S., and as a recitalist. Audiences in Europe, Israel and Japan have also had the chance to hear him perform. He has three solo recordings to his credit.

This concert will be a great start to this years Pro Series, music dean Greg Gatien said. I am looking forward to this incredibly talented duo performing a completely new programme and invite all fans of live music to share a fantastic and inspiring evening.

Of course, I hope we fill the hall for this performance as well as all concerts that make up this years edition of the Pro Series.

The recital starts at 8 p.m. in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall, in the Queen Elizabeth II Music Building. Tickets will be available at the door prior to the performance or in advance at the School of Music main office.

The next Pro Series presentation will feature the Toronto-based Nick Fraser Quartet featuring New York Citys Tony Malaby on saxophones. That concert will take place Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall.

 Submitted
Opinion

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This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Does the public have a right to see Donald Trumps tax returns? Or Hillary Clintons health records? If so, why? In Canada, we historically respect the privacy of politicians. In the United States, privacy is not honoured to the same degree.

Why should Trump release his tax returns? The theory, simple as it sounds, is that it provides voters with an insight into the candidates financial background and dealings. Why does this even matter?

President Harry Truman left office literally bankrupt. President Bill Clinton had to take a loan, and almost required a co-signer, to buy his New York home in 2001 after leaving office. Of course, Bill and Hillary are doing quite well these days as their tax returns reflect.

Trump has not released his tax returns. He has said that he would do so, after an audit was complete. Im not entirely sure what media pundits hope to achieve in obtaining his tax records. My suspicion, completely unfounded, is we may find he actually earned a lot less than the blowhard braggart would have us believe.

As a private citizen, Trumps personal approach to taxes may reflect that of most people  pay as little as legally possible. Whether this is through the use of multiple holding companies, or family trusts, or whatever tax dodge his lawyers and accountants devise, as long as he is obeying the law, is this germane? Perhaps if we could fully understand the sources of the candidates incomes, then we may have something. Short of knowing these details, we really dont know much.

In the case of the Clintons, their tax returns underscore the manner in which they have leveraged their fame to earn a massive income. We know Hillary received $675,000 from speaking to Goldman Sachs, but we dont know what she said. Was she selling access? Is there a quid pro quo involved? We know Trump had Goldman fund some of his properties. Again, does this buy access?

When it comes to health, should candidates be required to release their records? Again, there is no easy answer here. Why should voters, beyond strictly prurient interest, need to know the details of Hillary or Donalds health? Some may suggest it speaks to a candidates ability to serve. If this is accurate, then Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson or John F. Kennedy should not have been allowed to serve.

Johnson had already suffered through a heart attack while serving in Congress. Roosevelt, we know, was a victim of polio, anemia, and probably snored. JFKs ailments are now legion, including Addisons disease, ulcers, colitis and back issues. We now also know far too much about his licentious behaviour.

Are we setting the bar too high?

Why should financial and health records matter? While they are interesting, and fulfil our gossipy itch to know about celebrities, do they either qualify or disqualify people for public service? Should great health be a qualifying factor? If so, should I save my vote for Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochtes eventual presidential bid? Should personal tax returns be a qualifying factor? Were not talking about Al Capone being jailed for tax evasion.

One regular reader called me with an idea  what about candidates being required to have medical exams and have their tax returns examined prior to being allowed to run? If performed by recognized professionals in both fields, this would remove all the smoke and mirrors as well as ugly partisanship.

In my opinion, we make far too much of financial success as a determinant for political success. Bill Clinton was a pauper when elected president, and oversaw a tremendous growth in the U.S. economy during his term. George W. Bush was a multimillionaire and yet his administrations economic performance was subpar. Governing is about far more than personal wealth and health. In an election that is chockablock with important issues, are these the best we can focus upon?
Opinion

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This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Oil-industry employment has collapsed. Potash mining, like the rest of the extractive industries, has declined and may be smaller for a long time. Canadians need to find something else to offer the world in order to put butter on our bread.

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan and Agrium Inc. believe they can reduce their expenses by US$500 million a year by merging to form the worlds largest crop-nutrient company. There was no talk of closing potash mines as the two companies announced their plan, but it was hard to see how the intended savings could be achieved without production cuts.

When Potash Corp. announced its results July 28, it reported its average selling price for potash in the second quarter was $154 per tonne, down from $273 per tonne the preceding year. Gross margin on nitrogen products had declined 41 per cent from the preceding year and the company actually lost money producing and selling phosphate in the second quarter. The world market is glutted with crop nutrients. Prices are low and seem likely to remain so until some mines close.

Potash did close its high-cost Cassidy mine in New Brunswick this year, throwing 430 people out of work. By mid-year, however, the company thought potash markets had reached their low point so that demand might begin to strengthen.

Potash and Agrium together, however, explained this week their combined company, yet to be named, could cut its costs through synergies  shipping potash directly from the mines to Agriums retail outlets, optimizing selling and administrative functions and more efficient procurement. The two companies together reported US$20.6 billion of revenues in 2015. In that context, the goal of reducing expenses by $500 million without closing any mines seemed ambitious.

When mining giant BHP Billiton tried to buy Potash Corp. in 2010, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, who could see mine closings coming, persuaded the federal government to block the takeover. This time around, the companies gave no hint of closing more mines, and they won Walls approval. Weak demand may yet compel them to reduce production if the recovery of demand that they have been waiting for does not materialize.

The merged company is likely to reduce spending, which will reduce employment, either within the company or among its suppliers. Canada will still be a crop-nutrients mega-power, but fewer Canadians will make their living from the industry. The increased efficiency will keep the Canadian industry competitive and it will sharpen the need for the next generation of Canadians to find news ways to make their way in the world.

The Agrium-Potash merger and its employment effects may cast light on last weeks labour-market report from Statistics Canada. The statistical agency found employment in Canada increased by just 77,000 jobs in the course of the last 12 months. The unemployment rate in August ticked up one-tenth of a point to seven per cent  despite a small monthly increase in employment  because more people were seeking work. The U.S. job market was appreciably stronger, as it has been all year.

For the Westman region, this potential merger and the ongoing industry job market indications have some bearing. Just last year, the Manitoba government issued a call for companies interested in developing 69,249 hectares of undeveloped, mineable high-grade potash deposits, known as the Russell-McAuley potash deposit. Until now, as the Winnipeg Free Press reported last October, the deposit has not been developed for several reasons, including a patchwork of land ownership, the technical difficulty of accessing the mineral and the high cost of developing a mine.

Significantly-low prices and a worldwide oversupply could mean that development of such a mine near Russell could take several years. Last fall, however, there were four major bids in play for the right to develop that deposit. And if what sources tell us is true, the number of bids may have been whittled down to two  one a Saskatchewan potash firm, and the other a Chinese-Manitoban joint venture that has roots here in Westman.

A spokesman with the provincial government could not confirm that information, and instead told the Sun earlier this week that the Mineral Resources Division of Growth, Enterprise and Trade says the process to select a bid continues, and that no decision had been made as yet. There could be many reasons for any delay in making a final decision. But we wonder if these current industry problems are giving the bidding parties and this new Progressive Conservative government  cause for concern.

Agrium Inc. announced an investment in an agriculture-technology fund to support small innovative firms in the fields of plant nutrition, biologicals, seed technology, digital agriculture and novel farm systems. Those seeds will probably be slow to sprout, but they, rather than potash mining, may be the keys to turning around Canadas stagnant job market.

 Winnipeg Free Press/The Brandon Sun
Opinion

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This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City did a great job on flowers this year

I just want to say what a wonderful job the parks department has done with the flowers on the boulevards this year. A wonderful job and they should be congratulated. And to those people who write and phone in about the cost, etc., I say humbug!

I would welcome a casino in Brandon

There have been several letters about The Pas casino being relocated to Brandon. The people who are protesting dont need to participate. As for the Sand Hills Casino near Carberry, it is a great casino and the people are very helpful and friendly. I have gone on day tours and for those of us people who enjoy a day away from home, a casino in, or near Brandon would be great. It would really benefit the city with shopping and people enjoying a day of fun. Myself, I dont let gambling get ahead of me. I am successful and enjoy Sand Hills  best I have seen in my years of travelling to other casinos in Manitoba and the United States. I do hope a casino will come to Brandon to benefit the city.

Losing trust in people

Its so sad that people cant be trusted. I had a decorated cream can in our front yard with flowers. It had been there for six years and over the weekend it was stolen. Its not so much the cream can but that nowadays people cant be trusted.

Whats the big deal with horse-drawn carriage?

Isnt that something that people go up to Riding Mountain National Park to see the rock group Trooper for free and then they complain because they saw the horse-drawn princess wagon that is in the park all summer. My grandchildren went on it and thought they were princesses and they were waving and they had a wonderful time. We think it is just great! They clean up after the horses, there are no problems. The park is wonderful to let them in. However, I am surprised they let in Trooper and a bunch of boozed-up people sitting in a tent on the grounds there  but really, I dont mind that either. Let the park bring all these people up. It is fun and everybody has a good time. But as far as the horse-drawn carriage is concerned, I know a lot of people who love it.

Your good deed will be paid forward

Thank you to the lady who turned in my purse (everything intact) to the customer service desk at a local grocery store. Your honesty is greatly appreciated and the good deed will be paid forward!
Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor is being urged to outline the Government's plan to deal with the fallout from Brexit.

Fianna Fail is calling for the Minister to appear before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on the issue.
Three people arrested in connection with a drugs seizure in Cork have been released.

A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. One man remains in custody in Killarney, Co Kerry overnight.

The arrests happened after gardai from Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit searched a house at Rathpeacon, Co Cork last Thursday.

Gardai discovered 7kg of cannabis herb with an estimated street value of 150,000 and cocaine with a street value of 1,000.

Four people were arrested three at the scene and a fourth person was arrested in Killarney, Co. Kerry.

A woman, in her 20s, and two men (one in his 30s and one in his 20s) were arrested at the scene and were detained at Togher and Mayfield Garda stations.

All three have been released and a file is being prepared for the DPP.

A man in his 30s remains in custody at Killarney Garda Station where he is detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.
Deceased broadcaster Terry Wogan is among a list of Irish abroad to receive this years Presidential Distinguished Service Award.

The awards recognise leaders in a variety of areas including the arts, community support, business and peace and reconciliation.

It was set up in 2011 as part of the Global Economic Forum.

Other recipients include Nora Higgins, who works with the elderly Irish community in London and Brendan Fay and Kathleen Walsh d'Arcy, who have campaigned for the rights of the LGBT Irish community in the United States.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan says the awards recognise some of the finest members of the Irish Diaspora.
Donald Trump called for Hillary Clinton's Secret Service agents to be stripped of their firearms - and then said: "Let's see what happens to her."

The Republican presidential candidate has long incorrectly suggested his Democratic opponent wants to overturn the Second Amendment and take away Americans' right to own guns.

At a rally in Miami, he told the crowd: "I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right?

Donald Trump on Hillary Clinton bodyguards: "Take their guns away, see what happens to her" https://t.co/yjItn5pjnv https://t.co/QUQrNToHex  CNN (@CNN) September 16, 2016

"Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Take their - and let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK, it would be very dangerous."

Mr Trump later disputed that criticism, saying everyone in his audience knew he was referring to the power of voters and "there can be no other interpretation".

The tycoon, who has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, eventually used Twitter to say the Secret Service had not contacted him about the remarks.

The Clinton campaign reacted quickly, with spokesman Robby Mook saying Mr Trump "has a pattern of inciting people to violence. Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief.

"This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate."

A spokeswoman for the Secret Service declined to comment.

The seemingly ominous comment echoed a remark Mr Trump made last month that many Democrats condemned as a call for Mr Clinton's assassination.

Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, the tycoon erroneously said his opponent wants to "abolish, essentially, the Second Amendment".

He continued: "By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks.

"Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know."

Within minutes, the Clinton campaign condemned the remark. Mr Mook said then: "A person seeking to be the president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way."

Mr Trump's comments on Friday in Miami came hours after Mr Trump finally reversed his long-held position that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

Donald Trump: "President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period." https://t.co/1e54EY3AHL  NBC News (@NBCNews) September 16, 2016

Appearing in Washington, he said Mr Obama was born in the US but then incorrectly suggested that the Clinton campaign had started the conspiracy theory.

Mr Trump ignored questions from reporters about his switch and has yet to explain why he abandoned the "birther" stance that fuelled his political fame and was viewed by critics as an attempt to delegitimise the nation's first African-American president.

WATCH: Trump ignores press as they ask questions about Trump's sudden flip-flop on Obama birth conspiracy theories. https://t.co/M4uNevu7Rs  NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) September 16, 2016

While campaigning in South Florida, which has a large Cuban-American population, Mr Trump said if he is elected president, he will reverse Mr Obama's efforts to normalise relations with Cuba - unless the country abides by certain "demands".

Among those, he said, would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of all political prisoners.

Mr Trump says he will "stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression".

The comment marks yet another U-turn for the Republican candidate, who previously said he supported the idea of normal relations, but wished the US had negotiated a better deal.
Two police officers and four civilians have been injured - and a suspect shot dead - after a chase and shootout through the streets of west Philadelphia.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Sergeant Sylvia Young was ambushed late on Friday and shot a number of times in the arm and protective vest.

Mr Ross also said Ed Miller, a former police officer who is now a member of the police force at the University of Pennsylvania, was also wounded.

Both are in a stable condition at Penn Presbyterian Hospital.

Two of the four civilians who were injured are in a critical condition, Mr Ross said.

The suspect was cornered in an alley and fatally shot by police, the commissioner added.

Ms Young, a 19-year police veteran, was sitting in her vehicle at about 11.20 pm when she was ambushed by the suspect, who fired numerous shots, Mr Ross said.

She was struck up to eight times in her protective vest and left arm.

The suspect fled and shot into a nearby bar, striking a security guard in the leg. The man then grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg.

Moments later, as police gave chase, the suspect shot into a car, striking a man and a woman in the chest. Mr Ross said they are both in a critical condition.

Mr Ross said Mr Miller and two police officers chased the man into an alley, where he was shot and killed.

The identities of the suspect and the others who were injured were not immediately released.
COMMENTARY: What every Christian should consider in a national election 16 September, 2016 by Dr. Mac Brunson , |

EDITOR'S NOTE: Just months before America's presidential election, a number of pastors have expressed their opinion on voting. Christian Examiner will share their views through the publication of columns, news articles and feature stories.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Christian Examiner) -- September 11 has become a significant date in American history. That date did not become noteworthy just in 2001, because it actually has a deeper history for Americans.

As a nation, we stand at a crossroads. This election requires every citizen to be alert, informed, and prepared to vote. We have not seen an election this important in more than 100 years  perhaps not since the election of Abraham Lincoln.

On September 11, 1814, America was under attack. No one ever imagined that 17,000 British troops would be on the outskirts of the city of Baltimore. Off the coast were nearly 30 British ships of war. The British navy maneuvered 16 of those ships to within striking distance of Fort McHenry. Those naval vessels began a 24-hour barrage on the American forces stationed in Fort McHenry. The plan was to send the British navy up the western branch of the Patapsco River, bomb the city, and make it possible for British troops to take Baltimore.

Two weeks earlier, the British had taken Washington D.C. and burned a great portion of the city. President Madison and most of the populace of Washington had fled the city as the British put the capital to the torch. Dolly Madison was perhaps the last to leave Washington. She secured a number of national treasures, including Gilbert Stuart's full-length painting of George Washington, before she left the city. As she departed, the British were right on her heels.

When the British left Washington, they headed to Baltimore but were unable to take the city. The citizens, at their own personal expense and sacrifice, sunk their own boats in the mouth of the western branch of the river to make it impassable to the great British warships.

There were the founding fathers that gave up their life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to fight for future generations to have the very things that they sacrificed. There were those who gave their all at places like Antietam, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, Normandy, Utah Beach, Pork Chop Hill, Da Nang, Fallujah, Sadr City, Baghdad, and of course, Kabul.

As a nation, we stand at a crossroads. This election requires every citizen to be alert, informed, and prepared to vote. We have not seen an election this important in more than 100 years  perhaps not since the election of Abraham Lincoln. Beyond voting, though, there is something else we desperately need to do: Pray.

In the heart of Psalm 122, David calls on the nation to pray for the city of Jerusalem. This passage has some very clear millennial overtones, but David calls on a nation to pray for the capital city, which in a sense represents the nation itself.

The phrase "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" is well known and is basically all we know of this Psalm. But consider what God is asking the people to pray for:

Psalm 122:6 "May they prosper who love you"

Pray for the economy of the nation. Psalm 122:7 "Peace be within your walls"

Pray for the safety of the nation and for homeland security. Psalm 122:7b "Prosperity within your palaces"

Pray for the state of the nation's political life. Psalm 122:8 "For the sake of my brothers and my friends"

Pray for the populace (that is us).

It is interesting that in Jeremiah 29:7 God tells the Hebrews to pray for the city in which they are exiles:

"And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf ..."

God was telling them to pray for the city of Babylon.

As the people of God, we have an obligation to the nation in a time of crisis.

WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO REMEMBER ACCURATELY OUR HISTORY

Contained in this idea to pray for the peace of Jerusalem is a recollection of their history. The earliest account we have of Jerusalem is in Genesis 14:18 where we are told that Melchizedek, King of Salem, came to meet Abraham. Salem is an abbreviated form of the noun, Jerusalem, which essentially means peace. However, Jerusalem had known anything but peace. In fact, the city had been under siege more than three dozen times:

Shishak  King of Egypt

Rezin  King of Syria

Pekah  King of Israel

Sennacherib  King of Assyria

Pharaoh Necho  King of Egypt

Nebuchadnezzar  King of Babylon (3 times)

Ptolemy Soter  King of Egypt

Antiochus the Great

Antiochus Epiphanes

Pompey  The Roman General

Vespasian and Titus  Roman Generals

Muslims

Crusaders

Britain wrested it from the Turks

Israelis wrested it from the Jordanians

We are told in Ezekiel 38-39 that a confederation of nations will move down against Israel, and ultimately, the entire world will turn on the nation of Israel in a battle that we know as the battle of Armageddon. It has been anything but a city of peace and yet David says to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Most likely this Psalm was written by good King Hezekiah and was used when he restored the temple and called the divided nation to come together and worship the true God. Many from the northern tribes would have sung this song of ascent when they came to participate in worship in the temple for the first time in centuries. The people of God are called on repeatedly to remember their history.

Several years ago before the national election, I was interviewed by the BBC. They were interested in knowing about faith and country and what the two had to do with each other. I reminded them that when the Pilgrims, the Puritans, and the others who would not stay in a state-sponsored church left England, they came to the new country under a charter from James I. The charter that the Pilgrims had at Plymouth Rock stated:

We, according to our princely inclination, favoring much their worthy disposition, in hope thereby to advance the enlargement of Christian religion, to the Glory of God Almighty.1

King Charles signed the Carolinas Charter in 1622 and stated that the settlement was for the "propagation of the gospel."2 I shared with the BBC that it was far more than just religious freedom; it was for the purpose of propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is our history as a nation.

In my first church out of seminary, we lived fifty minutes from Colonial Williamsburg. My family would go there often. We would stand in the House of Burgess and think about those who sat, stood, and spoke in that very room. In May of 1765, Patrick Henry took the dreaded Stamp Act, turned it over, and wrote these words on that document:

This brought on the war which finally separated the two countries and gave independence to ours. Whether this will prove a blessing or a curse will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings, which a gracious God hath bestowed on us.

If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable.

Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation. Reader! Whoever thou art, remember this, and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself, and encourage it in others.3

That is our history. That is what we were founded upon and we must not forget. In fact, now more than ever, we desperately need a lesson in our own nation's history.

We will elect the 45th president of the United States, and I wonder... do we have a clue what we are doing? John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said this about elections:

Providence has given to our people the choice of rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.4

The Office of the President of the United States is established in Article 2 of the Constitution. According to that document, the President must be a natural born citizen, at least 35 years of age, and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years. He must win the majority of the Electoral College (which we saw in the 2000 election is pretty critical). He serves a four-year term and can serve no more than two terms plus two years of an unexpired term.

The President may be impeached, which simply means he can be brought to trial. Think about that statement in light of other world leaders and dictators. He is impeached by a majority of the House and tried by the Senate where a conviction must be by two-thirds majority. He serves as head of the Executive Branch. Under that leadership falls the following:

The Office of Management and Budget

Federal Procurement and Policy

Council on Economic Advisors

National Security Council (including the CIA)

Domestic Policy Staff

U.S. Trade Representative

Council on Environmental Quality

Council on Wage Price Stability

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Homeland Security

Beyond that the President has a Cabinet that includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments:

Department of State

Department of the Treasury

Department of Defense

Department of Justice

Department of the Interior

Department of Agriculture

Department of Labor

Department of Commerce

Department of Health and Human Services

Department of Education

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Department of Transportation

Department of Energy

Department of Veterans Affairs

Department of Homeland Security

There are seven categories that fall under the role of President:

Chief of State

Chief Executive (Appoint federal officials, Supreme Court Justices, members of the Cabinet, Federal District Judges, Heads of Agencies, and U.S. Attorneys)

Chief Diplomat (Appoints Ambassadors, makes treaties with 2/3 vote of Senate).

Commander in Chief (Act in emergencies without consent of Congress, use armed forces in combat, and enforce federal law, treaties, and federal court buildings

Legislative Leader (suggests to Congress legislation, signs bills, and retains veto power)

Chief of Party

Guardian of the Economy

It behooves us to stop and think, to pray, and to make a sober decision when it comes to electing the next President.

George Washington said:

It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.5

Solomon writes in Proverbs 14:34 and he says:

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Andrew Jackson said:

That book, Sir, (the Bible) is the rock upon which our republic rests.6

If we do not have knowledge of our past, we will stumble around looking for our future.

WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION OF RECOGNITION OF THE DEEPER ISSUES

For the Psalmist, the real issue was the worship of God and putting the things of God first. This has been called an envelope Psalm, because it begins and ends with a word about worship. The Psalmist listed several things about which his generation should be concerned.

There are four issues that should concern every one of us who is a believer and citizen of this country:

1. THE ATTACK ON THE FAMILY

There has been a real fight in this nation over the issue of homosexuality and marriage. For more than fifty years, gay activists have intentionally sought to make their lifestyle and behavior normal in the eyes of mainstream America. With the Obergefell v. Hodges case, the Supreme Court fundamentally changed 6000 years of human history. Their fundamentally flawed decision was announced to the nation on June 26, 2015, which also happened to coincide with the 9th day of Tammuz of the Jewish calendar. The 9th of Tammuz was the day of mourning for the ancient Jews because it was the day that the Babylonians destroyed the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The ramification for Americans will be the same as for the ancient Jews. It will become an unofficial day of mourning.

We have watched the gay agenda gain practically everything they set out to obtain. It began with sitcoms that made us laugh at the gay lifestyle. Hollywood made the gay lifestyle seem delightful, funny, and entertaining. They never showed the dark side, with the multiple partners, the immense hurt, shame, pain and dysfunction, along with the family devastation that accompanies homosexuality.

There has been a frantic search for the "gay gene." It has not been found, but that does not keep the press from discussing it as if it is fact. It is the same way they handle evolution. Thus, it is accepted without existing.

What no one in the mainstream media will tell you is that the genes that make up the body and those genes that influence behavior are different. Jones and Yarhouse write:

We are used to thinking of genes as causing us to have things like brown eyes or wavy hair and choice has little to do with such characteristics. But behavioral genetics has produced abundant evidence of genetic influences that clearly do not render human choice irrelevant.7

The future of the family and what is taught to your five-year-old is at stake. It is time for Christians to come out of their closet and take a stand.

2. ABORTION AND THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE

In a recent interview with KIRO Radio's Jason Rantz, Terry O'Neill, President of the National Organization for Women (NOW), made clear the state of pro-abortion rejection of modern science. O'Neill was asked whether she would still promote abortion, even if science conclusively proved that life begins at conception.

"I don't care. Of course, I would support abortion," replied O'Neill.

This is more than law and medicine. The issue goes to the very heart of who we are as a people.

No one argues when life begins anymore because advances in medical science tell us that life begins at conception. If that is so, every abortion in this country is murder, except for the rare, rare case that the life of the mother is in jeopardy. Certainly, taking a baby from a botched abortion and laying it on a table until it dies constitutes not just murder, but a monstrous act that makes the bizarre experiments of the Nazis look like an act of Christian charity. (See also Kermit Gosnell and his house of horrors.)

The other side of this issue is what abortion does to the mother, the woman who undergoes such a procedure. No one, especially Planned Parenthood, discusses the depression, guilt, or the sense of being broken and incomplete that many women experience. An estimated 43% of all women will have at least one abortion by the time they are 45 years old and no one discusses with them the psychological implications of an abortion. These women go through life angry and bitter and burdened with a sense of loss, a psychological numbing, depression, anxiety, and a host of other related issues. The very ones who push abortion are the ones who say you have no right to grieve. Sadly, though, we in the church have made it impossible for these hurting women to grieve and be ministered to.

3. STEM CELL RESEARCH AND THE SACREDNESS OF ALL LIFE

As advances in science have confirmed that stem cells can come from many sources other than embryos, this subject is not as hotly debated. However, getting the media to acknowledge that evangelicals were right on this is impossible.

Many have accused Christians of not wanting to find cures and solutions to many of the greatest medical issues of our day. The truth is that we want to be like Christ who went from village to village healing every disease and sickness. We are told that He went about doing good. That is our model. We simply believe we can honor life, hold it sacred, and still do good.

4. THE ASSAULT ON CHRISTIANITY

Perhaps the greatest crime of all in our society is intolerance. However, there is one exception: it is politically correct and socially acceptable to be anti-Christian in America today.

In Redlands, California you will see masking tape over part of the city seal on police cars and other city vehicles. The crosses on the badges of firemen have been drilled out and the cross in the city seal on official documents has been covered up with magic marker. That is where we are as a country. The ACLU, along with many other segments of society, have now determined that any vestige of Christianity has to go.

I want you to stop and think about these things as we prepare to vote in a national election. The family is under assault and the church is under attack in America. Does that give you a good perspective of where we are headed?

Watch carefully the language being used today by political candidates. We often hear about Freedom of Worship, but not about Freedom of Religion, which is guaranteed to us in the Bill of Rights. Freedom of Worship is a phrase that implies you are free to worship God inside your church building, but not to bring it out into the public square. We were guaranteed by the framers of the Constitution a Freedom of Religion, which means I am free to believe and practice my faith in the market place.

Personally, I do not think either party has the answer. In fact, I am convinced that nothing short of a miracle of God is going to turn this nation around. We are in a time of crisis that is beyond Democrats and Republicans.

You say, "But Preacher...a miracle, do those really happen?"

On August 24, 1814, the British under General Ross marched on Washington D.C., defeated the capital forces, and began to burn the city. At 10:30 pm, they entered the White House and began looting. General Ross himself stole the personal love letters that President Madison had sent to his wife, Dolly. They then put the White House to the torch. The city burned that night to the degree that the glow of the fire could be seen fifty miles away. Madison sat on a horse in Virginia and watched the glow of the fires burn the city of Washington. Many thought that America was on the brink of collapse.

The next day, August 25, the British were still burning the city, the Naval Yard, and the Library of Congress. But that afternoon the most unusual thing occurred. A hurricane hit Washington. It dumped so much rain that the fires were extinguished. The winds were so strong that the British army was routed. Then, a tornado ripped right through the center of the city killing more British soldiers than the American forces. One British account states that the winds literally picked up British cannons and threw them yards away.

The next day, the decimated British army retreated from Washington. It was as if the hand of God came down and spared the young nation.

He can do it again.

-------------------

Tim LaHaye, The Bible's Influence on American History (San Diego: Master Books, 1976), 7. Ibid., 9. William J. Federer, America's God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations (St. Louis: AmeriSearch, 2000), 289. Ibid., 318. Ibid., 660. Ibid., 311. Stanton L. Jones, and Mark A. Yarhouse, Homosexuality: The Use of Scientific Research in the Church's Moral Debate (Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 2000), 48.

------------------

This article was published at www.fbcjax.com and is used with permission
PERTH: Indias batting coach said on Saturday that his side is not fazed by fast bowling as it prepared to face...
home US Religion is a $1.2 trillion industry in the U.S., study finds

The findings of a new study investigating the socio-economic impact of faith in American society revealed that religion contributes $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy annually.

The study, led by Brian Grim from Georgetown University, revealed that religious institutions that are facilitating education, healthcare and philanthropic programs across the U.S. contribute $302.9 billion a year.

Faith-based businesses such as religious media and kosher/halal foods are worth $438.4 billion annually. Congregations spend about $413 billion dollars each year.

"In perspective, that would make religion the 15th largest national economy in the world, ahead of 180 other countries in terms of value," said Grim during the presentation of the study. "That would also make American religion larger than the global revenues of the top 10 tech companies, including Apple, Amazon and Google," he continued.

"It would also make it 50 percent larger than the six largest American oil companies' revenue on an annual basis," Grim added.

The summary noted that religious organizations have spent thrice the amount of money on social programs in the last 15 years despite the reported decline of religious affiliations in the U.S.

To conduct his research, Grim looked at the impact of soup kitchens, religiously affiliated schools and addiction recovery programs on local economies. During the course of his study, he learned that churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship mostly spend money locally.

Grim revealed that one of his motivations for conducting the study is to counter the negative perceptions of religion. He also wanted congregations and clergy to acknowledge the generosity of religious institutions involved in charitable works.

Ram Cnaan, director of Program for Religion and Social Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania, hopes that the findings will help religious leaders discover more confidence in their work.

"In my many interactions with clergy and religious leaders," Cnaan said, "they always seem to lack confidence, they always sound apologetic. I wish I could have gone to every [congregation] and tell them 'Be proud, you're part of something very big and very important.'"
NEAR KHERSON FRONTLINE: Russian forces are digging in for the heaviest of battles in the strategic southern region...
Let there be light. That's one of the key messages for ACT politicians from the city's older brigade, who are discouraged from venturing outside at night due to a lack of street lights and quality pavements.

Council on the Ageing ACT executive director Jenny Mobbs said providing enough affordable accommodation and convenient healthcare were also important issues the elderly in the so-called "age friendly city" wanted the next government to answer.

Margaret Simmonds says Canberra's unnecessarily dark streets discouraged senior citizens from walking or driving at night. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

Council representatives from all states had complained about the street light problems when walking from a Manuka hotel to a Barton hotel for a national meeting earlier this year.
It wasn't that long ago that the Western Bulldogs were considered a television turn-off, their stodgy efforts on the field meaning they were banished from the AFL's marquee Friday-night timeslot.

Well, that's undergone a dramatic change in the past year, culminating in Friday night's four-goal semi-final win over Hawthorn delivering host free-to-air broadcaster Channel Seven a season-high combined peak audience of 1.942 million, along with a five-city metro average of 1.009 million.

Bulldogs are becoming ratings winners. Credit:AFL Media

Last Friday night's qualifying final between Geelong and the Hawks had registered a combined peak audience across the country of 1.919 million and a five-city metro average audience of 1.023 million.

On a night when the Dogs advanced into a preliminary final for the first time since 2010, the clash also delivered the highest average audience in Melbourne of 644,000, besting the 594,000 viewers of the previous week. It also delivered a record peak audience of 878,000 in Melbourne.
In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
Last month, a notoriously obnoxious blogger  the type that rips people apart on a personal level, rather than focusing on politics  aimed fire at my volunteer team. I won't name the blogger in question because no-one deserves notoriety for abuse.

We fight for social change because we're often recipients of violence and vitriol  and if not us, then our partners, friends or kids. For the sake of my argument, I'll let you in on a bit of this vitriol.

I interact with the LGBT community a lot through my work with Archer Magazine . In many ways, we're similar to other communities: we discuss the world, and how to make it work better for us. We talk about Netflix, work, fashion, tax reform, and how to barbecue the best spuds. A lot of us also donate time and energy to argue for social change. For those of us that fight, our activism is usually unpaid, so we do it outside work hours, motivated by a belief that the world could be better.

The word "pride" has particular resonance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We have pride parades around the world. The rainbow flag was developed as a symbol of LGBT pride, by a mate of Harvey Milk's back in the '70s. But LGBT pride is more than a symbol, or a defence mechanism, or an ideal we're working towards. It's a real, genuine and current feeling that persists through prejudice.

I will say that he expertly avoided any direct liability by simply blogging the link to our team page, which includes the names and faces of the young volunteers that help publish Archer Magazine  and threw us to his hungry pack of abusive commenters. We're a diverse bunch, and that's kind of the point: we donate our time to make the world feel a little bit safer for folk who feel different. The trolls attacked our appearances, our clothes, our work and our identities, and roared about the hideousness of difference. It was drivel, of course, but it was violent, personal, sinister drivel.

I contacted my team and their responses were tougher and more resilient than I could ever be. One team member said "right-wing hate-speech always feels like a notch in the belt". Another said we must be doing good work, if people are taking notice. Over email, the team expressed care and concern for each other, offered jokes to re-establish the tone, and marvelled at what sort of people spend their time attacking the appearances of a bunch of unpaid young activists.

This small team of fighters is more robust than I will ever be. Reading their responses, I felt proud, but it's a bittersweet show of strength: in truth, these young adults have learned to take violent attacks gracefully because they've lived with them for so long.

I have a background in publishing, so I contacted an older journo to gauge his response. He told me to report the incident, and I had to educate him that this level of online abuse is directed at queer and female writers every day, sometimes relentlessly. If these incidents were all reported, we'd spend more time writing to the Australian Press Council than producing anything meaningful.

Other mates told me to ignore the comments, saying some men are scared because the world is changing. I thought about the blokes who feel they've lost their level of privilege, and the privilege that was promised for their children, and wondered how that might feel. That's the way it goes for oppressed people: we empathise with our attackers, to figure out why we're being targeted. But trying to understand perpetrators of abuse is like forgiving someone who hasn't even apologised.
A man has been taken to hospital after being stabbed outside a cafe during an altercation in Sydney's west on Saturday afternoon.

The man was sitting outside a cafe on McFarlane Street in Merrylands when another man, also believed to be in his 30s, approached him and an altercation occurred.

Police say the victim was stabbed in the chest and received multiple cuts to his arms and torso.

A business owner with a shop nearby, who asked not to be named, was on a cigarette break when he said he saw a man collapse outside the cafe.

"I heard screams. I saw the guy who had been stabbed was trying to chase this big guy and then he just collapsed to the floor. There was a girl with him screaming," he said.
A man has been charged with assault, after allegedly punching a 66-year-old driver following a near miss on a Deagon road on Saturday afternoon.

Police said a sedan was reversing out of a driveway on Adams Street about 2.15pm when it narrowly missed into a ute travelling along the road.

Police have charged a a 30-year-old North Booval man with assault, after a road rage incident in Deagon on Saturday afternoon.

The 30-year-old sedan driver allegedly followed the ute to the intersection of Board and Braun streets, where he got out of his car and began arguing with the other driver, a 66-year-old man.

Police said the alleged attacker then punched the victim multiple times in the face before fleeing.
It is going to be a "bleak and dreary" Sunday in south-east Queensland, with an upper surface trough moving east towards Brisbane and bringing rain with it.

Brisbane got light showers on Sunday morning but a Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) spokesman said a trough in the state's west near Charleville would move quickly across the state and reach Brisbane by the evening.

An upper surface trough will dump 10-20 millimetres on Brisbane, with most of the rain predicted to fall on Sunday evening. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Meteorologist Adam Blazak said the south-east would likely receive 10-20 millimetres of rain during the evening of a "bleak and dreary" Sunday.

However, Mr Blazak said there was still a chance of thunderstorms and heavier rain in some areas with the potential for gusty winds as well.
People pass the time in Bukit Duri. Credit:Tatan Syuflana Those facing eviction have been offered low-rent apartments known as rusunawa about 16 kilometres away in East Jakarta. But some have no desire to leave Bukit Duri, where they have lived for decades. It is the hub around which their social life and livelihoods revolve. "How can we slaughter chickens in an apartment?" Kasmo asks. The Jakarta government has plans to demolish the flood prone area of Bukit Duri. Credit:Tatan Syuflana Flooding is one of the problems that bedevils Jakarta, a low-lying city that is sinking slowly into the sea. Heavy rain will inevitably bring the capital, where traffic is a nightmare at the best of times, to a grinding halt.

Conservation group WWF has ranked Jakarta among the Asian coastal cities most vulnerable to climate change. Indonesian activist Sandyawan Sumardi works with the people of Bukit Duri. Credit:Tatan Syuflana "The wet season in Jakarta has become wetter and therefore the city experiences more flooding, which is compounded by clogged sewage pipes and waterways and the fact that much of the city is at or near sea level," its report, Mega-stress for mega-cities, says. In January 2013, more than 40 people were killed and 20,000 evacuated when Jakarta experienced its worst flood in years. Residents of Bukit Duri, on the banks of the Ciliwung river are fighting to be able to stay. Credit:Tatan Syuflana

Soon after Ahok was sworn in as the city's 16th governor in late 2014, he commenced plans to demolish houses and buildings along the banks of Ciliwung. This was part of a massive flood-mitigation project to widen and deepen Jakarta's largest river. "Now, you can see which parts of the capital get inundated?," Ahok was quoted saying in the Jakarta Post in June. "South and East Jakarta. This is because the Ciliwung River overflows from the many people still occupying its banks." In 2012, the residents of Bukit Duri invited Ahok and Joko Widodo, now the president of Indonesia, to their community house Sanggar Ciliwung. "Ahok sat there and Jokowi [the president's nickname] sat over there," says activist Sandyawan Sumardi, gesturing to low wooden platforms.

Sandyawan leads a foundation called Ciliwung Merdeka, which has been providing medical services and education to Bukit Duri slum dwellers since a major flood in 2000. With the assistance of architects and academics, Ciliwung Merdeka presented Ahok and Jokowi with an alternative solution to the city's resettlement plan. The proposal involved building an elevated village, known as Kampung Susun, on nearby land, which would mean the people were not displaced from their economic and cultural activities. The residents would fund 30 per cent of the cost of construction, the city 50 per cent and private investors 20 per cent. Jokowi and Ahok appeared to support the concept. "At the time the people were very happy," Sandyawan says. But later Jokowi and Ahok told them the Public Works Ministry had rejected the social housing plan because it was on the banks of the Ciliwung River.

The people of Bukit Duri are widely portrayed as illegal squatters, who are ungrateful for rejecting relatively luxurious apartments. Sandyawan resents that they have been vilified by the media and the middle class. "It's too much if they bully us as if we are only garbage of the development of this city," Sandyawan says. "Even the governor said we are reclaiming the river." In fact many residents do have some ownership documents, including letters issued by the Dutch government prior to Indonesian independence. But Ahok says these are not land deeds. "Yes, they have documentation, but what sort?" he was quoted saying on beritajakarta.com. "In fact they only have bills of sale for their homes, which were built on state land." The governor says a map made during the colonial era indicated the Ciliwung river was 60 metres wide. Today it has narrowed to five or 10 metres. "That means they reclaimed land without a permit."

Outside Kasmo's home is a painting of an ugly grey apartment block. Written in capitals below is: Beton bukan solusi!!! (Concrete is not the solution.) The apartment complex in East Jakarta where they will be relocated is two hours away by bus. The city has said the evictees will not receive compensation because they have been living illegally on state land. "If we move we have to pay rent for the rest of our lives, whereas here is free," Kasmo says. Living expenses are likely to jump from the equivalent of about $10 to $20 a month to $70 to $100. On top of this, many will lose their source of income in the move. "They are saying that the people here are irrational," Sandyawan says. "But it is very logical that they refuse." In May, Bukit Duri residents launched a class action in the Central Jakarta District Court against the city's plan to widen the Ciliwung river.

Lawyer Vera Soemarwi says the city has no more than three years to carry out infrastructure projects on land it does not own. She says the time frame for the flood mitigation project expired on October 5, 2015. "If we win, and as a consequence the Jakarta administration must pay compensation, we will use part of the money to purchase a plot of land still within the Bukit Duri area and the rest of the money to build an elevated village," Soemarwi says. But a class action could drag on for a year, and the city has vowed to push ahead with the evictions. "They can protest if they want, but give me another solution," Ahok was quoted saying in The Jakarta Post. Residents have already received two of three eviction warning letters. Sandyawan says they feel betrayed because the court case is still underway. But there are some, he says, who have already dismantled their houses because of the fear of demolition. On Wednesday, Kasmo and other residents met Hendrawan Supratikno, a senior legislator from Jokowi's PDIP political party.

He was sympathetic to their plight but pointed out they would be eligible for a government health insurance scheme, education subsidies for their children and other facilities in the new apartments. "This river normalisation program is a national program and it has to be carried out," Hendrawan says. "On the other hand we don't want to and must not kill people's source of income." He said he had asked the Jakarta administration to look for areas where the residents could continue to work, such as a space to slaughter chickens, near the new apartments in East Jakarta. "I think we must find a win-win solution." Meanwhile, the demolition of empty homes in Bukit Duri is expected to start next week. Loading
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Astros strike back to win Game 2 vs. Phillies, evening up World Series

The Houston Astros won Game 2 on Saturday night to send the World Series back to Philadelphia at 1-1.
Inc has received a patent related to a portable electronic device for photo management in India. The application filed in 2008 was published in 2009 and was taken up for hearing later. The Patent authority reexamined the application based on the hearing and written submissions and stated that the objections raised were clarified and met the requirements of the Patent Act and rules.

The Patent Office in Chennai issued an order stating that the application's status has now proceeded to grant of patent.

The order comes at a time when the company has announced prices for its new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which are expected to hit the Indian market from October 7, 2016.

According to the specifications the company filed with the Patent Office, the patent is for a portable electronic device with a touch screen, displaying an array of thumbnail images corresponding to a set of photographic images and which replaces the displayed array with a selected image upon the user touching a thumbnail image.

The selected image will be displayed at a larger scale than the corresponding thumbnail image and will later allow to scroll to the next image as the user moves the touch screen display.

According to reports, the company has been fighting alleged infringement of the patents for portable electronic device for photo management in various parts of the world.
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At a time when information technology (IT) services majors like Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and Infosys are distancing themselves from government contracts, mid-cap IT product and solutions firm Persistent Systems is gunning for government contracts.
As many as 322 dengue cases and 6,695 cases of malaria have been reported in this season, a senior official said on Saturday.

The Department is fully alert and prepared to check the spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya and malaria, Director (Malaria) Dr Vijay Garg said.

He said so far 322 cases of dengue have been reported in the state of which 26 patients have been admitted to hospitals and 201 have been discharged after treatment. Besides, 95 patients are undergoing treatment in OPDs.

Garg said 6,695 cases of malaria have also been reported in the state of which 4,409 have come from Mewat.

Nine cases of chikungunya have been reported so far, he added.

Meanwhile, Minister Anil Vij has directed the officers concerned to complete fogging drive in the state within next ten days to effectively check the spread of vector-borne diseases.

Vij, who was presiding over a meeting to review the measures being taken for checking the spread of dengue and malaria in the state, reprimanded the officers "for not carrying out the work in a time bound manner".

He urged the people to observe Sunday as 'drying day' by cleaning utensils and coolers to check breeding of mosquitoes.

Vij directed the officers to make available facilities and kits for detection of dengue in all districts.

He directed officials to maintain vigil on private hospitals so that they do not charge more than prescribed rates for conducting 'ELISA' test. Besides, he also asked them to ensure that dengue test results were confirmed by the laboratories of state-run district hospitals.
Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain is on the backfoot due the upsurge in vector-borne diseases in the capital. Over the past two days, he has been trying to explain that chikungunya alone can't cause deaths. Jain's source of information was apparently Google. But there are other sources for him to derive solace from.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) to probe allegations of the commission being paid to a middleman in the supply of three aircraft worth $208 million from Brazilian company Embraer to Defence Research and Development Organisation for airborne surveillance systems.

CBI sources said the agency started a PE against unknown officials of the defence ministry on a reference from the ministry that the company used services of a middleman.

A PE is registered by the agency when the complaint is short on enough material to substantiate a prima facie criminality in its allegations. After registering the PE, CBI examines various stakeholders, seeks material related to the matter to zero in on the criminality and then registers an FIR against the suspects.

During a PE, the agency cannot record statements or carry out searches. The allegations of commission being paid in the deal surfaced in a Brazilian paper which claimed that Embraer had taken the services of middlemen to get the deal of aircraft supply in Saudi Arabia and India.

According to defence procurement rules of India, middlemen are strictly barred in such deals.

Leading Brazilian news paper 'Folha de Sao Paulo' had reported last week that Embraer paid commissions to a UK-based defence agent to finalise the USD 208-million deal with India.

DRDO had purchased three aircraft from the company in 2008 and customised them for serving as air-borne radar system known as airborne early-warning and control systems or AEWCS for the Indian Air Force.

The newspaper had claimed that the US Justice department was scrutinising Embraer's deal with India.

The Brazil based company has been under investigation by the US Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised the Americans' suspicions, it said.

Since then, the investigation has widened to examine business dealings with eight more countries.

The allegations prompted Defence Ministry to hand over investigation to CBI.

DRDO has also sought an explanation from Embraer.
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda called on President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.

Welcoming Prime Minister Prachanda, the President congratulated him on his election as the Prime Minister of Nepal.

He appreciated his selecting India for his first visit abroad as Prime Minister. He also expressed his happiness that the Nepalese Prime Minister was staying at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The President said that Prime Minister Prachanda has assumed office at an important juncture in Nepal's history.

"India recognises the immense contribution made by him in bringing peace to Nepal. It is necessary to complete the peace process and establish a political system that accommodates the political and economic interests of all sections of Nepal's society," President Mukherjee added.

He wished Prime Minister Prachanda every success in his endeavours to promote cohesion and reconciliation.

The President said India deeply values its historical and traditionally close relations with Nepal.

"India hopes that the government under Prime Minister Prachanda will work to further strengthening the age old relations between the two countries," he added.

The President reiterated that India's interest in Nepal is peace, stability and prosperity and India has nothing but goodwill for Nepal.
government on Saturday accused Lt Governor Najeeb Jung of adopting a casual approach in dealing with the health crisis in the city, a day after he ordered Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to cut short his Finland visit and return immediately in the wake of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases.

Following Jung's directive on Friday, Health Minister Satyendra Jain and Water Minister Kapil Mishra went to meet the LG at his office on Saturday to discuss the health crisis but they could not meet him as he was not in his office.

"We have been told that the LG is on leave today. How can he be on leave when Delhi is facing a health crisis. We have come to meet him following his fax to Manish Sisodia asking him to return to Delhi from Finland immediately," Mishra said, triggering a fresh spat between the two sides.

Jain also referred to Jung's 10 day-long travel to the US earlier this month when the city was witnessing rising cases of dengue and chikungunya and wondered why he did not cut short his visit "even by one hour". Jung had returned to Delhi from the US earlier this week.

The LG's office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment. The LG's office accused the government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with the health crisis.

The ministers after waiting to meet the LG for around 20 minutes said no appointment was sought since Jung had sent an "urgent" fax to the Deputy Chief Minister on Friday and that they thought Jung must have something important to discuss.

"The LG has sent an urgent fax to Deputy CM Sisodia so we thought there may be some emergency and we both came to meet him but he is not in the office. We were told that it's off today and he does not sit in the office. We called him but he is also not at his home. It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra told reporters.

Mishra has also written a letter to Jung asking why Sisodia has been asked to cut short his trip to Finland saying the LG could have discussed the health issue with him and Jain.

Notwithstanding LG's order, Sisodia is coming back to Delhi on Sunday as scheduled. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is recovering at a Bengaluru hospital following a throat surgery.

The Health Minister tweeted, "Asked on phone if anything urgent as he faxed ydy to recall DyCm. Ans: nothing urgent to discuss, no time to meet today."



Hitting back, the LG office said that the Lt Governor came to know of their visit only through media.

"Secretary to the Lt Governor met the Ministers since the Lt Governor's office is operational on all days of the week. However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt Governor," the LG office said in a statement.
Early results from a crucial case-control study in Brazil have confirmed a direct causal link between virus infection in pregnant women and the brain damaging birth defect microcephaly in their babies, scientists said on Thursday.
A tripartite meeting involving the Central Water Resources Ministry and the Governments of Odisha and Chhattisgarh on Saturday failed to find a solution with both the sparring states refusing to budge from their avowed stand of sharing waters.
In a bid to promote domestic solar equipment manufacturing while complying with global trade norms, India is looking to revamp its domestic sourcing scheme under the National Solar Mission (NSM).
Nearly three months after being approved by the Cabinet, the textile package announced by the government awaits implementation on the ground.
John Kirby

The US has agreed to be a partner country in the 8th Global Summit to be held from January 10 to 13 next year in Gandhinagar.

"Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal hosted a meeting with the delegation from the Indian state of Gujarat led by (New Delhi-based) Resident Commissioner Bharat Lal and accompanied by the Indian Charge d'Affaires Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu on September 15," US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in his daily press briefing here on Friday.

"The Assistant Secretary praised the Resident Commissioner for his efforts to make the state of Gujarat a model of innovation and sustainable economic growth and reform for India," Kirby said.

"She also announced the United States' intent to participate as a partner country in the 2017 Global Summit, the government of Gujarat's biennial investors' summit that brings together global business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, and policy makers."

Among those who attended the meeting were Special Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for South Asia at the National Security Council Peter Lavoy; US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets Arun Kumar; Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin; and Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Ziad Haider.

The central focus of next year's summit is "Sustainable Economic and Social Development"

It will bring together heads of states and governments, ministers, leaders from the corporate world, senior policy makers, heads of international institutions and academia from around the world to further the cause of development and to promote cooperation, according to the summit's website.

"Far from the regional investment fair that characterised the first summit in 2003, the biennial summit has today become a unique forum for exchanging ideas, sharing knowledge, networking, exploring business opportunities and signing cooperation agreements and partnerships, while setting the policy agenda for meeting some of the current global challenges," the website states.

(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.)
Baloch Republican Party (BRP) founder Brahamdagh Bugti on Saturday said that the party has called for a central committee meeting on September 18 and 19, wherein they will move their agenda of filing cases against ex-chiefs of the Pakistani Army like General who have been involved in the killing of Baloch women and children in Balochistan.

Speaking to ANI, Bugti said, "We have called for a central committee meeting of the BRP on September 18 and 19 in which we will move forward on our agenda, wherein we will decide to file cases against ex-chief of Pakistani Army Staff like General Pervez Musharraf, Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and those DGs of ISI involved in the killing of Baloch women, children in Balochistan in the Court of Justice."

"We will also register cases against these leaders in the European countries. That is what our plan is. We will discuss this and then will move formally on it," he added.

The Baloch Republican Party founder had earlier clarified that he has not made a formal request to India for asylum, but added that if does get the opportunity in the future, he would certainly consider it.

"Our people in Balochistan and Afghanistan are in a very difficult situation. Very few of them are able to come to Europe, rest are living there only. So, we want that the Indian Government should open there doors for them and provide them access, including myself. Right now, I'm here (Switzerland), but I face problem regarding my travel. So, if I get an option to be in India, I will definitely go there," Bugti had said.

Responding to how he views the campaign that has started after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on Balochistan on August 15 during his Independence Day speech at the ramparts of Red Fort, Bugti said that it has helped to highlight the issue.

"It is very positive. We have always been trying to highlight the Balochistan issue nationally and internationally. But when Indian Prime Minister Modi Sahib talked about it, it got more highlighted and the public there knows about it now. Earlier nobody there (India) knew what is happening in Balochistan and people are talking about it now. Things are going in a good direction now," he said.
After a customer cancelled a large order at the last minute, shares in Aixtron, a German high-tech company, sank fast. Months later, with the stock still reeling, a Chinese investor agreed to buy the company.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has reignited another controversy by seeking to disarm the secret service body guards of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to "see what happens to her".

"I think her bodyguards should drop all weapons. Disarm immediately. Take their guns away, let's see what happens to her," Trump said at an election rally in Miami, Florida.

"Take their guns away, OK? It'll be very dangerous," Trump said, stocking another controversy. While this is not for the first time that Trump has said this, but it is for the first time he said that such a move would be dangerous for Clinton.

Trump's remarks came when he was criticising the gun policy of the Democratic presidential nominee.

Trump alleged that Clinton wants to destroy Second Amendment, referring to the US Constitution's clause that enshrines the rights of Americans to bear arms.

The Clinton Campaign slammed Trump for such a remark, saying the real estate tycoon has a pattern of inciting people to violence.

"Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President, has a pattern of inciting people to violence," said Robby Mook, campaign manager Hillary for America.

"Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief," he said.

"This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate, just like it should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate to peddle a conspiracy theory about the President of the United States for five years," Mook said.

"But we've seen again and again that no amount of failed resets can change who Donald Trump is. He is unfit to be President and it is time Republican leaders stand up to denounce this disturbing behavior in their nominee," said the Hillary Campaign manager.

Trump also alleged that Clinton's campaign relies on the tired tactic of smearing opponents who question her policies as racists.

"Clinton's campaign relies on the tired tactic of smearing opponents who question her policies as racists," Trump said at an election rally in Miami, Florida.

"It's the oldest play in the Democratic play book - and Americans have had enough. They want solutions, and they want better lives - not more petty attacks from failed and discredited politicians," he said.

Trump told his supporters that while his opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, he calls them hardworking American patriots who love their family and country.
A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier on Saturday in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron before he was shot dead, the army said, in the fourth attack on Israelis in less than 24 hours.

A military statement said the attacker drew a knife during a routine security check in Hebron's Tel Rumeida neighbourhood, wounding the soldier.

"In response to the immediate threat, forces at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death," the statement said.

On Friday, three alleged assailants were killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis, two in and around occupied Hebron and one in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Another man was killed on Thursday, also in Hebron, after allegedly trying to evade arrest by the Israeli military.

Since October, 228 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, one Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in ongoing violence, according to an AFP count.

Israeli forces say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks. were shot dead during protests and clashes.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since capturing it in the 1967 Six Day War.

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian medical official said on Friday that Israeli troops at the border fence east of Gaza City shot and slightly wounded three Palestinian youths.

An army spokeswoman said they had been rioting.

The uptick in violence was a reminder of persistent tensions that continue to alarm the community and came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the two-state solution was "further than ever" from becoming reality.

Previously there had not been an attack in three weeks.

powers have criticised Israel's continued settlement expansion in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, with more than 500,000 Israelis now living in communities the community considers illegal, as well as incitement to violence by Palestinian leaders.

"Despite warnings by the international community and the region, leaders on both sides have failed to take the difficult steps needed for peace," Ban said on Friday.

"Let me be absolutely clear: settlements are illegal under international law. The occupation, stifling and oppressive, must end," he added.

Ban also hailed former Israeli president Shimon Peres, the last of Israel's founding fathers who suffered a major stroke this week.
Protesters gathered in seven German cities on Saturday to oppose transatlantic trade pacts between the European Union and the US and Canada. Campaigners assembled in cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and Munich. In Munich, thousands met at noon on the central Odeonsplatz square and adjourning Ludwigsstrasse in heavy rain as the annual Oktoberfest opened just a few miles away. "There is no bad weather, there are only bad trade agreements," Karl Baer, of the Munich Environmental Institute, said in opening remarks at the gathering in front of people wielding signs ...
A young Iraqi woman, who survived trafficking at the hands of ISIS, has been appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.

Basee Taha, the 23-year-old Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is the Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The appointment marks the first time a survivor of atrocities is bestowed with this distinction.

"Nadia is a fierce and tireless advocate for the Yazidi people and victims of human trafficking everywhere," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday at her induction ceremony, which was held in connection with the UN's commemoration of the Day of Peace.

"She was subjected to unspeakable abuse and human rights violations at the hands of ISIL. Nadia has shown exceptional courage in speaking out. She gives a much-needed voice to trafficking victims who continue to suffer, and who demand justice," the UN chief added.

Murad had briefed the UN Security Council in its first-ever session on human trafficking in December last year.

She described being rounded up with fellow Yazidis in Iraq in 2014 and witnessing as ISIS fighters shot men and boys in cold blood. She was bought and sold various times.

ISIS or ISIL is an al-Qaeda splinter group and it has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria.

"It is two years since ISIL seized Sinjar. It is unconscionable that thousands of Yazidi, in particular women and children, continue to be held captive," Ban said, calling for their immediate release.

"And I repeat: the crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq against the Yazidi may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide."



A relentless advocate for victims, Murad was recently named one of Time Magazine's '100 Most Influential People of 2016.'



During her Ambassadorship, she will focus on advocacy initiatives and raise awareness around the plight of the countless victims of trafficking in persons, especially refugees, women and girls.

UNODC is the lead UN entity fighting all forms of human trafficking, including sexual slavery, forced labour, child soldiering and trafficking for the purpose of organ removal.

It is also the custodian of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and mandated to manage the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.

"Nadia's appointment as a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador, provides a unique opportunity to urge to join us in our fight against human trafficking. We know that Nadia's extraordinary commitment to the plight of trafficking victims will move people to take action against this scourge," UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov said in his message on her induction.
A church in Central was targeted by gunmen, who opened fire and were said to have been holding hostages.
Edward Albee, who wrote Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfand 30 other plays, won three Pulitzer Prizes and became the era's leading American playwright, has died at 88, Associated Press reports. Albee died Friday at his home on Long Island, AP cited his assistant as saying, without giving the cause of death. Albee mined a privileged but unhappy childhood for his dramatic art. Told at age five by his mother that he was adopted, Albee said he was "rather relieved" by the news. While others may worry they aren't their parents' children, he said, "I had the terrible ...
With Islamabad seeking to 'forcefully' raise the Kashmir issue at the UN, the US has maintained that India and Pakistan should resolve their issues bilaterally.

"What we have said  nothing is changed about our view that we want to see India and Pakistan work this out bilaterally," State Department spokesman John Kirby yesterday told reporters when asked about Pakistan's attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at forums.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said he would raise the Kashmir issue in his address to the UN General Assembly this year. He has appointed more than 20 special envoys on Kashmir who are travelling across the world, including the United States.

When asked how he viewed Pakistan's effort to raise the issue on forums, Kirby said, "That's for them to speak to.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said Moscow is holding to its part of the agreement, but accused the rebels of using it to "regroup" and called for more transparency from Washington.

"We see attempts to regroup among these terrorists, to switch one label for another, one name for another and keep their military capacity," he said in televised remarks while on a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

"This is what we are seeing and that is sad," he added, saying Washington is facing a "rather difficult problem... To separate the opposition (to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad) from terrorists."

He said Washington apparently "has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad," calling it a "very dangerous path."

"I would like us to be honest with one another and that is how we can move toward our mutual goals (to fight terrorism and achieve peace in Syria)," he said.

"I don't really understand why we have to hide any agreements, but we will of course refrain from revealing any details until our American partners agree to this," he said.

Russia accused the United States of refusing to share details of the closed-door agreement on with the UN Security Council yesterday, which had to cancel its urgent meeting that was supposed to endorse the deal.

"They don't want to make it public because the world community... Will understand who is really not abiding to what," Putin said of the deal, in reference to "regrouping" rebels.

Putin said he remained "positive rather than negative" on the deal, which has also been tested by air strikes and clashes amid accusations that Bashar al-Assad's forces are blocking aid from reaching the ravaged central city of Aleppo.

The Russian president insisted Moscow is adhering to its part of the agreement.

"As for Russia, it is fully honouring its obligations," he said, adding Moscow reached relevant agreements with regime forces.

"We have reached agreements with the president (of Syria), with the government of . As we see, Syrian forces are fully abiding by these agreements.
After luxury cars, come the endless swathes of land. On Saturday, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) concluded the first step in the largest organised sale of real estate in the country. The window for expression of interest (EOI) to bid for thousands of properties owned by banned realty/investment firm PACL (formerly Pearl Agrotech) closed at 10 am with hundreds of bidders logging in.
With almost same number of Emmy nominations this year, TV series 'Game of Thrones' and 'The People v O.J. Simpson

The American fantasy drama, 'GoT' has a combined 23 nominations, followed closely by the first season of the FX true crime anthology television series, 'The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story' with 22 total nominations.

The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards is finally arriving soon on September 18 and will see late-night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel as the host.

The ceremony, which was preceded by the 68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 10, will be held at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ongoing rift inside the Yadav family seemed to end as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday gave back the portfolios held by his uncle Shivpal Yadav, except the PWD department.

Shivpal will also continue as the Samajwadi Party state unit chief.

Akhilesh has kept the PWD department with himself and returned Shivpal his previous departments and a few others including medical, education and minor irrigation. In total, Shivpal would be looking after 13 departments, two more than what he used to look earlier.

The announcements can be seen as per the compromise formula worked out by party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who asserted that "There can be no division in the party, till I am alive."

In a move signalling to bring some calm in the recent turbulence in the Samajwadi Party, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had last night announced that his uncle would get back all his previous ministerial portfolios.

Gayatri Prajapat, who was sacked as mines minister, would also be re-inducted into the cabinet and would soon be taking the oath.

Shivpal had resigned on Friday night as a minister and as state party unit head.

"Netaji (Mulayam) has heard all of us. He will talk to some others if he wants and will take decision by tomorrow," Shivpal yesterday.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said at a function that he has rejected the resignation of Shivpal and he will comply with whatever his father directs.

"Netaji (Mulayam) will find a solution (to the current crisis) and everyone will accept it," he said.

Yesterday, Mulayam met Akhilesh and Shivpal at his Lucknow residence and reportedly brokered a peace deal between the two.

Akhilesh had earlier divested Shivpal of all important ministerial portfolios including PWD, irrigation, cooperative, flood control and revenue and handed him the social welfare department.

Prior to it, Shivpal had replaced him as its new chief in Uttar Pradesh on the instructions of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Disagreements between Akhilesh and his uncle have been reported on several occasions, including on the choice of official to be appointed as the state's chief secretary after Alok Ranjan's term ended and the postponement of Quami Ekta Dal's merger with the Samajwadi Party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi to introspect on why they are not able to deal with political crises such as what occurred in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday (defection of MLAs).

BJP leader Shrikant Sharma told ANI, "People have given up on Congress a long time ago, and now, their own people are deserting them because of their foul policies. By continuing to blame the BJP, they are only cementing their downfall."

Sharma also that the Congress needed to avoid training its guns on the BJP every time.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that his decision to resign from the Congress party with 42 of the 43 MLAs was unanimous, adding that the aspiration of the people of state is very regional in character and it was necessary to have a synergy between the two.

"It was a unanimous decision of all the Congress Legislators to merge with the regional political party, Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA)," Khandu said in a statement.

"We must face the fact that the aspirations of the people of Arunachal Pradesh are very high, and these aspirations are very regional in character. The politics of the state has, therefore, to be in tune with the aspirations of our people all of us, in the true spirit of Team Arunachal," he added.

This is the second time in seven months that the PPA has been gifted a government in the frontier state.

In the 60-member House with an effective strength of 58, the Congress had the support of 47 MLAs, including two Independents, while Opposition BJP has 11 members.

Khandu was sworn-in as the ninth Arunachal Chief Minister on July 17.

In a dramatic turnaround in this land-locked state on July 16, Congress replaced Nabam Tuki by choosing Khandu as the new Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, who staked claim to power on the basis of support of 45 party MLAs along with two Independents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Geneva [Switzerland], Sept. 17 (ANI): Baloch Republican Party (BRP) founder Brahamdagh Bugti on Saturday said that the party has called for a central committee meeting on September 18 and 19, wherein they will move their agenda of filing cases against ex-chiefs of the Pakistani Army like General Pervez Musharraf who have been involved in the killing of Baloch women and children in Balochistan.

Speaking to ANI, Bugti said, "We have called for a central committee meeting of the BRP on September 18 and 19 in which we will move forward on our agenda, wherein we will decide to file cases against ex-chief of Pakistani Army Staff like General Pervez Musharraf, Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and those DGs of ISI involved in the killing of Baloch women, children in Balochistan in the International Court of Justice."

"We will also register cases against these leaders in the European countries. That is what our plan is. We will discuss this and then will move formally on it," he added.

The Baloch Republican Party founder had earlier clarified that he has not made a formal request to India for asylum, but added that if does get the opportunity in the future, he would certainly consider it.

"Our people in Balochistan and Afghanistan are in a very difficult situation. Very few of them are able to come to Europe, rest are living there only. So, we want that the Indian Government should open there doors for them and provide them access, including myself. Right now, I'm here (Switzerland), but I face problem regarding my travel. So, if I get an option to be in India, I will definitely go there," Bugti had said.

Responding to how he views the campaign that has started after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on Balochistan on August 15 during his Independence Day speech at the ramparts of Red Fort, Bugti said that it has helped to highlight the issue.

"It is very positive. We have always been trying to highlight the Balochistan issue nationally and internationally.But when Indian Prime Minister Modi Sahib talked about it, it got more highlighted and the public there knows about it now. Earlier nobody there (India) knew what is happening in Balochistan and people are talking about it now. Things are going in a good direction now," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Calling on the Congress Party to introspect on its internal failures after the defection of 42 of its MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the grand old party cannot always blame the saffron party for every crisis that the former creates and suffers from.

BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh told ANI, "Seven months ago, 25 MLAs left them, but somehow the Congress blames us for that. Then ,thanks to the Supreme Court, their government was formed yet again and they celebrated, branding us as villains," he said.

"Now, 42 out of 43 MLAs including the chief minister have walked out on them. This indicates a lack of faith in Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi," he added.

"They never accept when they make a mistake, but it is always the BJP who is held responsible whenever the Congress is in a crisis," the BJP leader said.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the decision to resign from the Congress was unanimous, and added that the aspirations of the people of state is very regional in character and it was necessary to have a synergy between the two.

"It was a unanimous decision of all the Congress legislators to merge with the regional political party, Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA)," Khandu said in a statement.

"We must face the fact that the aspirations of the people of Arunachal Pradesh are very high and these aspirations are very regional in character. The politics of the state has, therefore, to be in tune with the aspirations of our people all of us, in the true spirit of Team Arunachal," he added.

This is the second time in seven months that the PPA has been gifted a government in the frontier state.

In the 60-member House with an effective strength of 58, the Congress had the support of 47 MLAs, including two Independents, while Opposition BJP has 11 members.

Khandu was sworn-in as the ninth Arunachal Chief Minister on July 17.

In a dramatic turnaround in this land-locked state on July 16, Congress replaced Nabam Tuki by choosing Khandu as the new Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, who staked claim to power on the basis of support of 45 party MLAs along with two Independents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday said that he had a very fruitful meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to address the security concerns and t they have decided to move forward collectively.

"Today I had a very fruitful meeting Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the security concerns of both the countries and committed to move forwards collectively," Dahal said at an interactive session.

On being asked about how he plans to maintain a balanced relationship with both India and China, Dahal said that he has already taken the initiative for the same by sending his special envoys to the two countries.

"I have already taken initiatives for a balanced relationship by sending special envoy to India and China," said Dahal.

He had earlier sent his Deputy Prime Ministers Bimalendra Nidhi and Krishna Bahadur Mahara as special envoys to India and China to maintain cordial relations with the neighbours.

On being asked about disputes with China and reports of Chinese leaders not visiting Nepal, Dahal said, "We don't have any dispute with China. Talks for high level visits with China are still ongoing and we hope a decision will be made soon."

Dahal, who today completed the final leg of his three day visit to India met with many Indian leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and many others.

In these meetings, he expressed willingness to explore newer areas of mutual cooperation and partnerships between both nations, while adding that his visit to India demonstrates the importance that the government of Nepal attaches to its relations with New Delhi.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dahal stated that his visit to India demonstrates the importance that the Government of Nepal attaches to relations with India as the two countries share an ancient, deep-rooted and vibrant friendship based on a shared cultural and civilizational ethos.

He also thanked the Indian Government for the prompt and extensive assistance provided to Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes of April 25 and May12, 2015.

According to the joint statement, both Dahal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted the progress in promoting sub-regional cooperation, and agreed that the two governments should explore ways to further enhance it, particularly in the areas of trade, transit, connectivity and power.

They also stressed the importance of enhancing regional cooperation within the framework of the SAARC and the BIMSTEC.

The two heads also noted that the first meeting of the Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations was held in Kathmandu in July 2016, and hoped that the Group would work intensively and look into the totality of India-Nepal relations from independent perspective and suggest measures to consolidate and further expand the close and multi-faceted ties between the two countries.

Sharing developments in Nepal with Prime Minister Modi, Dahal said that the promulgation of the Constitution last year is a historic event in institutionalizing federal democratic republic.

He also shared the efforts made by the present Government to take all sections of Nepali society on board for the effective implementation of the constitution.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Asserting that the United States is "very well aware of the connivances and the dirty games that the Pakistan agencies and the Pakistan military are playing in Balochistan", Mehran Marri, the Baloch representative to the European Union and the UNHCR, has urged Washington to follow in the footsteps of India and Afghanistan and rethink on its policies towards Islamabad.

Speaking to ANI in an exclusive interview, Marri said, "The US is very well aware of the connivances and the dirty games that the Pakistan agencies and the Pakistan military are playing in . I would really like to take this opportunity to thank the Afghan leadership for their support and I would request the American administration and American government to rethink their policy about Pakistan and take a step in the same direction as India and Afghanistan have taken."

Responding to reports of the Pakistan army intensifying its operation in Balochistan, Marri said, "The Pakistani military and the Pakistani Army are having chills running down their spine since Mr Modi spoke about the issue. They are panicking and are nervous, and understandably so, because they went through this in 1971, and they can see it coming again. So, I don't blame them for feeling nervous, but yes, they have intensified their operations in Baloch areas in the recent past."

The Baloch representative also accused the Pakistani Government of misinforming the world community about the issue and the Balochistan leadership by heavily lobbying and putting a lot of finance into the pockets of their lobbyists in Europe and the US.

He also took the opportunity to express his gratitude to India for raising the Balochistan issue at the platform, including the United Nations, saying, "Myself and the Baloch nation are very grateful to India for raising the issue of Balochistan, especially on the 15th August at the Red Fort, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that he will raise the issue at all levels. And recently, two days ago in the Human Rights Council, India raised the Balochistan issue at the United Nations for the first time."

He said that Balochistan sees that India is very serious about addressing the issues of Balochistan and the human rights violations that the Pakistan is committing there because almost for 70 years.

"We were left helpless and now we see that the community, particularly India, has a serious say and status in the community, and now, the people will finally take the issue of Balochistan seriously," he said.

India on Wednesday launched a scathing counter attack against Pakistan by raising human rights violations it perpetrates in Balochistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

India also took aim at human rights violations by Pakistan's politico-military establishment across the country, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Giving a befitting reply to Pakistan for alleging human rights violations in India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement said that Islamabad is characterised by authoritarianism, absence of democratic norms and widespread human rights violations across the country including Balochistan.

"Pakistan has alleged human rights violations in India. Our credentials as a peaceful, democratic, pluralistic society that is deeply committed to the welfare of its people are well established. On the contrary, Pakistan is characterised by authoritarianism, absence of democratic norms and widespread human rights violations across the country including Balochistan," the statement said.
In the Jisha murder case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kerala Police filed a chargesheet today against the accused Amirul Islam before Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court.

The charges against Islam have been filed under IPC sections are-- 376 (punishment for rape), 376A (punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim), 442 (house trespass), 449 (house-trespass in order to commit offence punishable with death), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offense, or giving false information to screen offender), 302 (punishment for murder) and charges on Dalit Atrocities Prevention Act.

The chargesheet of the case revealed that the accused Amirul Islam of Assam murdered victim Jisha following an attempt to rape her at latter's residence in Iringol near Perumbavoor.

Earlier, Amir Ul Islam, the accused in the brutal rape and murder of Dalit student Jisha, was sent to 10-day police custody.

The police had the Assam native's custody for detailed interrogation and evidence collection. Based on this, the court granted the police the permission to keep him in custody until June 30.

According to reports, the police has also taken Ameer ul-Islam's brother, Badar ul-Islam, into custody from Perumbavoor.

The accused in the brutal rape and murder of Dalit student Jisha was sent to judicial custody for 14 days by the Perumbavoor Court on Friday.

The Kerala High Court had last week rejected the plea for a CBI probe into the case, stating that the new SIT had been set up in the case

The 29-year-old law student was brutally raped and murdered on April 28, in which her body sustained at least 30 injuries, including on her private parts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On the occasion of sixth death anniversary of MQM slain leader Dr. Imran Farooq, detectives from the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) remain committed to finding those responsible for the heinous incident.

Since the murder of Dr Farooq outside his home in Green Lane, Edgware, London, shortly before 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, 16 September 2010, officers have spoken to 4,636 people, reviewed 7,801 documents, viewed 4,433 exhibits and followed up 2,443 lines of enquiry, reports the London-based The Nation.

Dr. Farooq, 50, was on his way home from work when he was stabbed multiple times and hit on the head with a blunt instrument. A five-and-a-half inch bladed kitchen knife and a house brick used in the attack were recovered at the scene.

Officers have been in regular contact with the Pakistani authorities to gather evidence that could assist in bringing to justice the killers of Dr Imran Farooq. It is thought Dr Farooq's murder would have required careful planning and help from other people, some of whom may have provided assistance or information unwittingly.

They have named two men as wanted in connection with the murder:

Moshin Ali Syed, 31, (15.5.85) a Pakistani national who was in the UK between February 2010 and 16 September 2010; and

Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran, 37, (6.7.79) a Pakistani national who was in the UK between early September 2010 and 16 September 2010.

Appealing for the information, police have said that anyone who can assist should call the police incident room on +44 (0)20 7230 2717 or contact the police by email at SO15Mailbox-.DrFarooqMurder@met.police.uk

Meanwhile, Pakistan Patriotic Front, UK and other anti-MQM organisations have arranged a demonstration against MQM leader Altaf Hussain and to condemn the murder of Dr. Imran Farooq.

The protest would be held outside the residence of Altaf Hussain at 12-Abbey Voew, London NW7 4PB.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that he cannot yet give a timeline over solving the issue of Constitution amendment as per the Madhesi demands, but has assured that the problem will be sorted soon.

"After the formation of the new government, we have started conversations with madhesi morcha, janjanati leaders and others in a very cordial and positive environment to bring consent among the parties. I think within some time the problem will be solved," Dhal told an interactive session on the third day of his three-day visit to New Delhi.

When asked that the Madhesi leaders have said otherwise, he asserted that before coming to India, a formal meeting was held for discussions on the same.

He said, "I cannot give you a time line yet, but it will be soon surely and after that, it will become a historical Constitution' for Nepal.

While talking about India's security concerns with Nepal, Dahal said that he had a very fruitful meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to address the security concerns and t they have decided to move forward collectively.

On being asked about how he plans to maintain a balanced relationship with both India and China, Dahal said that he has already taken the initiative for the same by sending his special envoys to the two countries.

"I have already taken initiatives for a balanced relationship by sending special envoy to India and China," he said.

He had earlier sent his Deputy Prime Ministers Bimalendra Nidhi and Krishna Bahadur Mahara as special envoys to India and China to maintain cordial relations with the neighbours.

On being asked about disputes with China and reports of Chinese leaders not visiting Nepal, Dahal said, "We don't have any dispute with China. Talks for high level visits with China are still ongoing and we hope a decision will be made soon."

Dahal, who today completed the final leg of his three day visit to India met with many Indian leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and many others.

In these meetings, he expressed willingness to explore newer areas of mutual cooperation and partnerships between both nations, while adding that his visit to India demonstrates the importance that the government of Nepal attaches to its relations with New Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Saturday laid stress on the need to form a board to resolve the inter-state water dispute with Odisha.

"They (Odisha) are concerned about the water for a power plant. The agreement which was made 60-75 years ago, in which a suggestion was made by Arjun ji and Lt. Patnaiak ji to form a board to resolve this interstate dispute has not been formed yet, nor the discussion took place about it. It is important to make the board so that there is no need to call ministers of both the states every time and things can be resolved," Singh said.

Singh said he was surprised to see the of the Mahanadi water being raised, when the amount of water being released from the Mahanadi river for the Hirakud dam (situated in Odisha) is so much that it could fill the entire dam five times.

The tripartite meeting between the Centre, Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi water issue was held in New Delhi today, which was chaired by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati.

After the meeting Uma Bharati informed that a committee will be made within one week to examine all aspects, including studying the river basin.

Odisha has accused Chhattisgarh of not consulting it while building seven to eight barrages on the Mahanadi, saying that it is affecting the flow of the river.

The Chhattisgarh Government has questioned Odisha's objection to the barrages, saying the barrages are not at all hampering flow.

There has been a demand from Odisha to set up a tribunal to look into the water-sharing issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister Raman Singh on Saturday said Mahanadi River is for both Chhattisgarh and Odisha and added that there is no controversy with regard to its water sharing.

"I don't consider it as a dispute. Mahanadi belongs to both Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The nature has given so much water to Mahanadi that there is no question of any dispute. At least seven percent catchment area belongs to Chhattisgarh and the amount of water that is being to Hirakund Dam...it can be filled thrice," Singh told the media here.

Singh said Mahanadi is a connecting river between Odisha and Chhattisgarh and if the water of the river is used scientifically, it would be beneficial for both the states.

"All the gates are open during rain. One million cubic metre of water got reduced in the last 70 years. If the shield is reduced, the capacity will increase. I don't think there is any issue of Mahanadi water between Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Mahanadi is a connecting river between Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Mahanadi has so much amount of water that if it used scientifically then it would benefit both Chhattisgarh and Odisha," he added.

The tripartite meeting between the Centre, Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi water issue will be held in New Delhi today.

The meeting will be chaired by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati.

Chief Ministers of both the states will also be present. Odisha and Chhattisgarh are at loggerheads over sharing waters of the Mahanadi River.

Odisha has accused Chhattisgarh of not consulting it while building seven to eight barrages on the Mahanadi, saying that it is affecting the flow of the river.

The Chhattisgarh Government has questioned Odisha's objection to the barrages, saying the barrages are not at all hampering the flow.

There has been a demand from Odisha to set up of a tribunal to look into the issue of water-sharing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The tripartite meeting between the Centre, Odisha and Chattisgarh over the Mahanadi water issue will be held in the capital today.

The meeting will be chaired by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati.

Chief Ministers of both the states will also be present.

Odisha and Chhattisgarh are at loggerheads over sharing waters of the Mahanadi River.

Odisha has accused Chhattisgarh of not consulting it while building seven to eight barrages on the Mahanadi saying that it is affecting the flow of the river.

The Chhattisgarh Government has questioned Odisha's objection to the barrages, saying the barrages are not at all hampering the flow.

There has been a demand from Odisha to set up of a tribunal to look into the issue of water-sharing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A new paper published by Reason Foundation, a US-based think tank, finds that the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been overly skeptical of technologies that many believe have the potential to reduce the harm done by tobacco use.

Underlying this skepticism is a lack of openness and transparency that puts the FCTC well outside the norms established by other UN bodies. The paper suggests that there is a need for the FCTC to reform its processes to enable greater participation and transparency - including by allowing journalists to observe all meetings.

The paper, authored by Julian Morris, vice president of research at Reason Foundation, notes that since the FCTC came into force in 2005, the number of smokers in the world has increased, mainly in China and other countries that were the FCTC's primary target. As Morris comments, "The FCTC has not been a stellar success on its own terms."

Morris argues that a key problem with the FCTC is that it is beholden to the idea that the only way to reduce smoking is for smokers to "quit or die." It is thus highly sceptical of the potential for new technologies, such as vape devices (also known as "electronic cigarettes"), to reduce smoking-related harms. Among other evidence, Morris cites a report released last week by the FCTC, commissioned in secret from unknown authors that refers to unpublished evidence from meetings held in secret, which advocates that vape products should be heavily regulated.

Yet, a recent report from the Royal College of Physicians concluded that vaping is "at least 95 percent safer" than smoking, that vape devices should be widely available and that doctors should encourage smokers to use them instead of smoking. Moreover, millions of people have already stopped smoking by using vape products. And where vape products are legally available, rates of smoking initiation have fallen faster than in locations where they are not available.

If governments follow the FCTC's advice, vape products would become less readily available and more people will smoke, with far worse health consequences. "The WHO's opposition to tobacco harm reduction is dishonest and threatens public health," Morris says.

Morris suggests that many of the problems with the FCTC stem from the fact that it violates all the precepts of good governance - especially transparency. He notes that at the two most recent Conferences of the Parties (COPs) of the FCTC, in Seoul in 2012, and in Moscow in 2014, all journalists were thrown out of the public gallery and the meetings were held in secret.

The FCTC also excludes many groups whose input would be highly relevant. Morris notes:

"The FCTC currently lists only 20 NGOs as Observers on its website. By contrast, the Framework Convention on Climate Change lists over 2,000 NGOs as Observers. Moreover, there is essentially no participation by representatives of many affected groups, including users of tobacco and vape products, vendors, and farmers. Participation by IGOs has also been restricted; even Interpol has been denied Observer status despite its expertise in combating illicit trade in tobacco, a key topic covered by the Convention."

The primary justification the FCTC Secretariat gives for restricting participation and operating in secret is the avoidance of conflicts of interest. But the real reason, Morris argues, is that the FCTC doesn't want to allow anyone into the tent who disagrees with its assumption that the only option for smokers is to "quit or die." As Morris observes:

"If the FCTC is genuinely committed to the 'right to health' then it must listen to those who are taking control of the things that determine their health - and to those who are helping them to do so. In other words, it should open itself up to participation by groups representing vapers, snus users, and companies producing these and other less harmful nicotine-containing products."

Meanwhile, to address genuine conflicts of interest, Morris suggests that the FCTC should "open itself up to scrutiny. That means, at the very least, permitting journalists to attend all sessions of COPs and technical committees. Better yet, the FCTC might live stream all its proceedings over the web.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has described the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a "Khaas Aadmi Party (KAP), as its leadership was nowhere to be found when the capital city is reeling from the impact of Chikungunya and Dengue.

The BJP also criticised Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for 'holidaying' in Helsinki, Finland, when he should be taking charge of the city administration in the absence of Chief Minsiter Arvind Kejriwal who is hospitalised in Bengaluru.

"It's a matter of deep shock and anguish that when Delhi is suffering and reeling under Chikungunya and Dengue, we see the insensitive remarks of the Aam Admi Party ministers. We saw Satyendra Jain (Health Minister) saying that no one dies of Chikungunya, and now, he has changed his mind," BJP leader Sambit Patra told ANI here.

Patra accused Sisodia of being 'lackadaisical' for 'holidaying' in Helsinki on taxpayers money.

Sisodia retorted, "I'm in Finland. We need to learn a lot from their education system, the best in the world. I have visited approx a dozen schools, colleges, skill centers and universities in the last 3 days. Have met senior officials of Education Ministry, Educators, Principals, Teachers, students and others. We have worked hard in Delhi on improving education and now we're here to see what more needs to be done," he said in a series of tweets.

Yesterday, Jain issued an order declaring Chikungunya as 'dangerous' and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to keep a record of all such cases and alert the city government.

Chikungunya and dengue have reportedly claimed 30 lives so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Geneva (Switzerland), Sept. 17 (ANI): Strongly condemning Jama'at-ud-Da'wah chief Hafiz Saeed's slogan 'Kashmir banega Pakistan' (Kashmir will become Pakistan), exiled United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) chief Shaukat Ali on Saturday said Islamabad is spreading communalism in the valley.

"Pakistan says whatever feels like. Pakistan is not comfortable with democracy. Pakistan's sitting Prime Minister is called an Indian agent. These are false slogans of Pakistan. These are slogans to divide Kashmir. Jammu province is a Hindu majority, Ladakh is a Buddhist majority. What attractions will a Buddhist or a Hindu have in Pakistan?" Ali told ANI.

Ali said Kashmir will become Pakistan is a useless slogan, which does not reflect reality.

"Pakistan is trying to spread communalism in Kashmir. The communal forces of Pakistan and those who are close to the establishment thinks they would get Kashmir by this slogan....which they won't get. Until Pakistan makes space for secular people, or changes its policies, it should be boycotted," he added.

Further escalating his attack on Pakistan, Ali said those who use religion and terrorism as weapons, use this slogan.

"The ambassador in PoK was made the president of Pakistan. He has never said a word about civil society. A nationalist, secular and democratic Kashmiri will never support this slogan. Those who are standing against time and uses religion have made this slogan. Pakistan at times uses religion and terrorism as weapons and tools. When its repercussions come, they say sorry and talk about good terrorist and bad terrorist," he added.

Ali said the United Nations which has declared Hafiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammad as terrorist and terrorist organisations are Pakistan's favourite.

"The civilian police are not even given relief in their camps. Pakistan's duplicity won't work now. If Pakistan handles its situation within the area then also I believe it would be great. So, Kashmir won't become Pakistan," he added.

India has said that Pakistan is a nation that practices terrorism on its own people and the sufferings of the people of Balochistan are a telling testimony in this regard.

Raising the Balochistan issue for the second time in three days at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Friday, New Delhi said Pakistan carries the reputation of being the global epicentre of terrorism.

It urged Islamabad to focus its energies on improving the human rights situation and dismantling the terrorism infrastructure in the country and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to bring peace and stability to the region and beyond.

India also said that Pakistan's unwarranted comments pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India, are factually incorrect.

It said Islamabad is trying to misuse the platform for political objectives.

New Delhi also said Pakistan keeps referring to UN Security Council Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir but it forgets its own obligation under these resolutions to first vacate the illegal occupation of PoK.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former military ruler of Pakistan General (retired) Pervez Musharraf arrived in London from Dubai for a week long stay. He was received at the Heathrow airport by his party workers and others.

He will stay at his Edgware flat in central London and will proceed to America after one week where he is scheduled to live for three weeks and afterward will come back to London.

Meanwhile, in an interview, he has said that the NRO with political parties was glaring mistake of his life. In an interview, he said that Pakistan could not oppose attacking Afghanistan after 9/11 and siding with US was the need of hour.

According to the London-based The Nation, he went on to say that situation in the had entirely changed after 9/11. India was ready to provide its airbases to US if Pakistan did not provide its airbases to US for attacking Afghanistan, he held. "I raised Kashmir issue with Indian former premiers Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh and this issue was heading towards its solution", he underlined.

He stated that Lal Masjid operation and removing Iftikhar Chaudhry as chief justice of Pakistan were correct steps. "I have no concern with May, 12 Karachi incidents and militant wings of political parties were involved in them, he observed.

He said that United States mounted too much pressure for bringing Benazir to Pakistan, adding Benazir Bhutto on the other hand returned to Pakistan by violating the agreement. Following the arrival of Benazir in Pakistan Saudi Arabia mounted sufficient pressure to allow Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan.

"I could decide about construction of Kalabagh dam in the first three years. I went up to Karachi, Sukkar and Hyderabad for developing a consensus on the construction of Kalabagh dam. But during the remaining five years, this problem could not be addressed due to the formation of a government, he pointed out.

He underlined that Altaf Hussain should now quit the MQM as he had no future in the politics of Pakistan.

"Situation in Karachi is alarming and needs a proper and effective leadership to control overall situation", he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met his mother Heeraben Modi at their residence in Gandhinagar and sought her blessings on his 66th birthday.

He also greeted people from houses around his mother's residence in the state capital.

The Prime Minister also met Chief Justice of India T.S Thakur at the Raj Bhawan.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a grand reception at the Ahmedabad Airport when he landed yesterday night. Gujarat governor OP Kohli, the entire Gujarat cabinet including Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP leaders and hundreds of party workers were present at the airport to greet him.

After his grand reception, the Prime Minister thanked the Gujarat BJP leaders and party workers and drove to the Raj Bhavan where he spent the night.

Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu today greeted Prime Minister Modi on his birthday. In a tweet, Naidu said that on the occasion they are re-dedicating themselves in the service of the nation and for the upliftment of weaker sections of society.

Greeting the Prime Minister, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore said Prime Minister Modi is dynamic and decisive Prime Minister of the masses.

He hoped that India will continue to prosper under Prime Minister Modi's leadership.

This is the Prime Minister's third visit in recent times to Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due next year.

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Launching a scathing attack on Akhilesh Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh Government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said the Samajwadi Party only cares about its own family and not about the people of the state.

"As far as the situation in Uttar Pradesh is concerned, the whole country has been seeing the family drama of the Samajwadi Party since the last one week. Samajwadi Party means 'power hungry family'. Uttar Pradesh is reeling under lawlessness and severe corruption. We are seeing the land grabbing cases and the Bulandshahr gang-rape. We are not seeing any case of governance. Akhilesh ji has completely failed," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told ANI.

Patra said the message is loud and clear that family for the Samajwadi Party is everything and it does not bother about the governance of Uttar Pradesh.

"The Samajwadi Party cares about its own family but not the family of Uttar Pradesh. We see how the ministers were removed saying they were corrupt, but now the very same people are being reinstated and the portfolios have been changed. What kind of message is being given to the people of the state? The message is clear... the family is all...we will fight only for our family and we do not care as far as the governance of Uttar Pradesh is concerned," he added.

The political crisis within the ruling Samajwadi Party escalated on Thursday evening when newly appointed party state unit chief Shivpal Yadav resigned from all party posts and ministerial berths.

His son Aditya Yadav also resigned as the chairman of Pradeshik Cooperative Federation.

On Friday, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav met Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav at his Lucknow residence and reportedly brokered a peace deal between the two.

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Looks like Shah Rukh Khan is enjoying his 'The Ring' shoot days in the West to the fullest and proofs to that are his social media updates.

SRK's recent Instagram update shows the actor spending time at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, adoring the famous painting 'The Night Watch'

"Surrounded by Masters keeping a Nightwatch. Rembrandt & others at the most stunning Rijks Museum," he captioned the snap, which showed the 50-year-old actor with the 'The Night Watch' in the background.

Earlier, the 'Dilwale' actor was also snapped at the Kafka museum in Prague along with director Imtiaz Ali.

'The Ring,' also starring Anushka, will have SRK playing a Punjabi tourist guide and actress portraying a Gujarati girl.

On a related note, this will mark SRK and the 'NH10' actress' third film together, post 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan.'

On the work front, the Badshah of Bollywood is awaiting the release of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,' where he will be seen in a cameo, 'Dear Zindagi' opposite Alia Bhatt and 'Raees.

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Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Saturday said the BJP-PDP-led government's priority is that schools should reopen in the Valley and they are working in that direction only.

"Both the central government and the state government will do whatever will be required. Our priority is that schools should reopen and we are doing whatever is required for it. I have talked to the Chief Minister about it," Singh told the media.

Normal life remained affected for over 69 consecutive days in violence-hit Kashmir.

More than 80 people have been killed and thousands have been left injured in the aftermath of the July 8 encounter in which Hijbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani was killed by the security forces.

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Asserting that prevention is more crucial than treatment, the Delhi Government on Saturday called on the capital to ensure that no stagnant water is around their house, which can serve as breeding ground to the mosquitoes that cause Dengue and Chikungunya.

Addressing the media here, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain made an appeal to Delhiites, asking them to take 30 minutes off this Sunday and check their house and its perimeters for any stagnant water.

"Want Delhiites to take 30 minutes out of their time and just ensure there is no stagnant water near their house like in coolers, flower pots, balconies and old tyres. Delhi has 42 lakh houses and if everyone just takes half an hour this Sunday and do the needful, it can make a great impact in preventive measures," he said.

Re-iterating that mosquitoes must not be allowed to breed, Jain asserted that the people can get a head-start on their annual Diwali cleaning and make an effort to be safe.

The Health Minister further assured that every Delhi Government hospital has enough number of beds to admit all infected, adding that he made an appeal to Union Health Minister JP Nadda regarding the issue of beds, which was accepted.

"I met Nadda ji yesterday and he heard my request, where all Centre-run hospitals like AIIMS and RML reserve at least 10 per cent beds for fever-related cases. He accepted my case and all arrangements have been made," Jain said.

Re-assuring that there is no need to panic in any way, he stated that every person infected with Chikungunya and Dengue will be treated by the Delhi Government without fail.

"All centre and state-run hospitals and MCD hospitals are being monitored," Jain added.

Yesterday, Jain issued an order declaring Chikungunya as 'dangerous' and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to keep a record of all such cases and alert the city government.

Chikungunya and dengue have reportedly claimed 30 lives so far.

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The Ministry of Shipping has prepared a draft Bill Major Port Authorities Act, 2016 to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. With a view to promote the port infrastructure and facilitate trade and commerce. The proposed bill aims at giving more autonomy and flexibility to the major Ports and to bring in professional approach in their governance. This will help to impart faster and transparent decision making which will benefit the stakeholders.

The proposed Bill was earlier uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Shipping for receiving comments from various stakeholders. Based on the suggestions/comments from the stakeholders, the draft Bill has been modified and uploaded in the Ministry of Shipping's website. The salient features of the new Bill are:

(a) Composition of board has been simplified. The board will consist of 10 members including 3 to 4 independent members instead of 17-19 under the present Port Trust Model.

Provisions has been made for inclusion of 3 functional heads of Major Ports as Members in the Board apart from a Government Nominee Member and a Labour Nominee Member.

(b) The regulation to tariff by TAMP has been removed. Future PPP operators will be free to fix tariff based on market conditions and notify the Port Authority. The Board of the Port Authority has been delegated the power to fix the scale of rates for other port services and assets like land.

(c) Port related and non -port related use of land has been defined. A distinction has been made between these two usages in terms of approval of leases. The Port Authorities are empowered to lease land for Port related use for upto 40 years and for non-port related use upto 20 years beyond which the approval of the Central Government is required. For PPP projects the tenure of the lease of land would be as per the PPP policy of the Government.

(d) The need for Government approvals for raising loans, appointment of consultants, execution of contracts and creation of service posts have been dispensed with. The Board of Port Authority have been delegated power to raise loans and issue security for the purpose of capital expenditure and working capital requirement.

(e) Concept of internal audit of the functions and activities of the Central Ports has been introduced on the lines of Companies Act, 2015.

(f) An independent Review Board has been proposed to be created to carry out the residual function of the erstwhile TAMP for Major Ports, to look into disputes between ports and PPP concessionaires, to review stressed PPP projects and suggest measures to review stressed PPP projects and suggest measures to revive such projects and to look into complaints regarding services rendered by the ports/private operators operating within the ports would be constituted. At present, there is no independent body to look into the above aspects and the Review Board will reduce the extent of litigation between PPP Operators and Ports.

(g) Provisions of CSR & development of infrastructure by Port Authority have been introduced.

(h) The status of Port Authority will be deemed as 'local authority' under the provisions of the General Clauses Act, 1887 & other applicable Statutes so that it could prepare appropriate regulations in respect of the area within the port limits to the exclusion of any Central, State of local laws.

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Another significant milestone in the annals of the Indigenous Warship design and construction programme of India was achieved with the launch of Guided Missile Destroyer, Mormugao, second ship of Project 15B, on 17 Sep 16, at Mazagaon Dock Ship Builders Limited (MDL), Mumbai. With a launch weight of 2844 tonnes, the vessel made its first contact with water at 11:58 AM with full fanfare during the launching ceremony graced by Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba as the Chief Guest. In keeping with maritime traditions, Smt Reena Lanba, President, Navy Wives Welfare Association (NWWA), broke a coconut on the ship's bow and launched the ship, as invocation from the Atharva Veda was being rendered.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest, Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff said that this event is yet another moment of truth for the Indian Navy and India's quest for self-reliance and indigenisation. The Indian Navy stands fully committed to the call of 'Make in India' and we are extremely proud of the fact that all of our warships and submarines on order today are being constructed within the country. He further added that this also is an affirmation of our resolve that the Indian Navy should attain a size and capability that is commensurate with India's growing stature in the world, our national maritime interests, and our commitment to cooperation and collaboration towards ensuring secure seas for shaping a favourable and positive maritime environment.

The Admiral also commended the synergic partnership of MDL, Indian Navy, DRDO, OFB, BEL, other public sector enterprises and the private industry in ensuring that force levels are made available to meet India's National strategic objectives. He also congratulated DGND and his team at Directorate of Naval Design for designing state of the art warships and contributing towards achieving Indian Navy's dream of transforming from a Buyers to a Builders Navy.

Project 15B ships feature cutting edge advanced technology and are comparable to the best ships of similar class anywhere in the world. These ships have been designed indigenously by the Directorate of Naval Design, New Delhi. Each ship spans 163 metres in length and 17.4 metres at beam and displaces 7300 tonnes. These ships will be propelled by four gas turbines to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots. The P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability. Enhanced stealth features have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar transparent deck fittings which make these ships difficult to detect. P 15B ships will be equipped to carry and operate two multiple role helicopters.

These ships are packed with an array of state of the art weapons and sensors, including vertically launched missile system for long distance engagement of shore, sea-based and air targets. With significant indigenous content, these ships are a true hall-mark of self reliance attained by our country in warship design and ship building.

BRIEF ON PROJECT 15B - SUPPLEMENTARY INFO

Four Guided missile Destroyers of Project 15B (P 15B) are under construction at M/s Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. The contract for construction of these four ships was signed on 28 Jan 11.

These ships are amongst the most technologically advanced Guided Missile Destroyers of the world, with state-of-the-art weapon/sensor package, advanced stealth features and a high degree of automation. The design of P15B ships has been developed in house by the Directorate of Naval Design.

With a displacement of 7300 tons, each ship will span 163 meters in length and 17.4 meters at the beam. These ships will be propelled by four gas turbines in Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) configuration and are capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots with a maximum endurance of 4000 nm.

The P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship maneuverability. These ships will be equipped to carry and operate two multi-role helicopters. State of art rail less helo traversing system is being introduced on these ships for efficient helicopter handling onboard.

These ships can truly be classified as possessing a Network of Networks, as they are equipped with Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), Ship Data Network (SDN), Automatic Power Management System (APMS) and Combat Management System (CMS). While control and monitoring of machinery and auxiliaries is achieved through the IPMS, power management is done using the APMS. The CMS performs threat evaluation and resource allocation based on the tactical picture compiled and ammunition available onboard. The SDN is the information highway on which data from all the sensors and weapons ride.

Stealth has been a major thrust area in P15B design. Enhanced stealth features have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar transparent deck fittings which make these ships difficult to detect. The ship embodies features such as Multiple Fire Zones, Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS) for Air Conditioning, Battle Damage Control Systems (BDCS), Distributional Power Systems and Emergency DA to enhance survivability and reliability in emergent scenarios.

These ships have been designed for a complement of 50 officers and 250 sailors. The accommodation and working spaces have been designed with special emphasis on ergonomics and habitability.

The ship's fire power consists of sophisticated weapons-sensor suite including vertically launched Surface to Air Missiles (SAM) and Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SSM) for long distance engagement of shore and sea based targets. It is also noteworthy that this ship has significantly high indigenous content, in the form of weapons, machinery and material. These ships therefore showcase the Nation's growing capability in developing and delivering complex warships, which serves as a true hall mark of self reliance attained by our country in warship design and construction. This high level of indigenization has been achieved through participation of both public and private sector.

The second ship of P15B Yard 12705, christened, Mormugao, is planned to be launched on 17 Sep 16 at MDL, Mumbai, and will be the fifth frontline warship, including the indigenous aircraft carrier, being launched in last six years, in addition to the delivery of three frigates, three destroyers and two corvettes during the same period.

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India will be hosting the next Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group at Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre, Ahmedabad from May 22 to May 26, 2017. This will be a mega international event to be attended by more than 5000 delegates from 80 member countries of the African Development Bank including the Governors, Alternate Governors, Executive Directors, policy makers and businesses.

A MoU was signed between GoI and AfDB today regarding the holding of the Annual Meetings. The MoU outlines the roles of Govt of India and AfDB. The signatories to the MoU were Ms.

Bandana Preyashi, Deputy Secretary (ADB-II/AfDB), Department of Economic Affairs(DEA), Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of of India and Mr Vincent O. Nmehielle, Secretary General of AfDB on behalf of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

The African Development Bank (AfDB) was established in 1963 with a view to promote the Economic Development and social progress of its regional members. India became member of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 1983. The Union Finance Minister and Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance are the Governor and Alternate Governor of the Bank respectively.

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Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution took a critical review of the supply side of pulses with representatives of pulses importers, senior official of relative ministries and enforcement agencies.

The prices of almost all pulses has been steadily falling continuously for over a month.

There was a silent acceptance by the representatives from various associations of pulses trade that the unprecedented price of pulses last year was due to speculation and hoarding.

The availability of pulses by September-end last year and this year is almost equal taking domestic production and imports.

Shri Paswan remarked that given the net deficit scenario in the demand-supply of pulses in the country, there is a need for the importers of pulses to be more transparent in their operations. There is a need for Government and the traders to work closely so that the traders get to know the realistic gap in the supplies of various pulses. This would enable the traders for planning imports in advance.

The representatives from IGPA assured the Government for providing the data regarding imports in advance. A decision was taken for meeting on a monthly basis between the Government and traders.

Shri Paswan told the traders that for augmenting the supplies, Government has also entered into G2G long term contracts with other countries. One such MoU has been recently executed between India and Mozambique.

He explained that the role of Government of India is that of a facilitator. In fact this move of Government has opened a window for the private traders to expand their operations to foreign lands with more surety and stability. The traders were requested to extend all support for successful execution of G2G contracts. African countries like South Africa, Tanzania have shown interest in entering into G2G contracts.

The traders pointed out that there is a need for exchanging the production estimates of Agriculture Ministry and that of the traders. The Government estimates and trade estimates need to be compared and more correct figures be arrived at.

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The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Water Resources, Water Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to promote organic farming on the banks of river Ganga. According to this agreement, villagers situated on the banks of river Ganga will be encouraged for organic farming.

As per agreement, under the Namami Gange project 1657 gram panchayats situated along the course of river Ganga starting from Uttarakhand to West Bengal, organic farming will be developed in 1657 clusters under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY). Under this project, Ministry of Agriculture along with cluster formation, will provide training on Integrated Nutrient Management and micro-irrigation techniques.

To promote organic farming on the banks of river Ganga, clusters of gram panchayats will be formed, awareness campaigns will be launched and self help groups will be formed by the Ministry.

Apart from this, related information will be provided through mobile applications and awareness will be created among the masses about the side-effects of using chemicals, fertilizers and insecticides in farming will be created. Initiatives will be taken to promote the improved ways of irrigation for water rejuvenation in Ganga valley. Also, organic farming and livestock based livelihood will be promoted on the banks of Ganga river. Ministry of Agriculture is promoting organic farming under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana throughout the country especially in north-eastern states.

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BJP national president Amit Shah on Saturday participated in the 'Swachh Bharat' programme here on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 66th birthday.

Soon after his arrival at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, he took part in the programme organised by the party at Shamshabad, on the city outskirts.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah said various programmes were being organised across the country to mark Modi's birthday.

The BJP chief said under Modi's leadership, the country is touching new heights.

"We pray for his good health and long life so that he continues to serve the country for a long time," said Shah while greeting Modi on behalf of the party.

Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, BJP's Telangana unit president K. Laxman and other leaders also participated in the programme.

Earlier, Shah was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival on a day-long visit. The BJP president later left for Warangal to address a public meeting on the occasion of Hyderabad 'Liberation Day'.

--IANS

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Be it their security or be it the pressure of society -- Amitabh Bachchan says he is concerned about the position of women in the country. He is also worried about the female members of his family.

The cine icon also added that he stays wide awake at night when any of the women from his house are of home at night.

When asked if he is worried about female members of his family, Big B said: "Yes I am worried.

"I ask them where are they going and when will they be back. I stay awake until they come back," Amitabh said.

The actor, who has been a part of the film industry for more than four decades, was in the national capital to talk about his latest release "Pink" along with co-star Taapsee Pannu and film's producer Shoojit Sircar at at India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit here on Saturday.

The film is about sexual crimes against women.

The "Paa" star is married to Jaya, has a daughter Shweta Nanda - who has a daughter Navya Naveli and a son named Agastya. Amitabh also has a son Abhishek who is married to Aishwarya Rai and together, they have a daughter named Aaradhya.

Earlier this month, the actor came into news for penning an open letter to his granddaughters and preparing them for the difficult world. He also faced flak for the same with many calling the letter an attempt to promote his film "Pink", and some calling it a misogynist move.

During the summit, the actor again repeated the message, saying that girls should not go by any rules and should not think about what others say.

Big B said two or three incidents stirred his conscience about the plight of women in India.

Narrating one incident, he said: "I had a young lady as a contestant when I was hosting 'Kaun banega Crorepati'. She came from a small village and after the seventh standard, her father stopped sending her to school saying that 'I don't want to waste money on you since you will get married'.

"She never listened to her parents, and so she was thrown out of her house and went to her grandmother. She was treated the same way there as well.

"But she continued to study on her own and she managed to get to the KBC hot seat. She won Rs 25 lakh and when I asked that what she will do with the cheque, she said she will give it to her father and tell him that even a daughter can do this."

--IANS

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has formally launched a probe into the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, a police officer said on Saturday.

According to the officer, they have handed over all the documents related to the case to an eight-member CBI team, which reached Bihar's Siwan district on Friday.

The premier investigation agency of the country took over the case from the Siwan police, which had registered a case on May 13 this year, based on a FIR filed by the deceased's wife, Asha Ranjan.

On the basis of preliminary investigations, the local police have already said that Ranjan's killing was the result of a premeditated conspiracy.

The CBI registered the case under sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (an act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 27 of the Arms Act against unknown assailants, on the request of the Bihar Government and a subsequent notification issued by the central government.

Ranjan was shot dead on May 13 in a busy market area near Station Road in Siwan district of Bihar. He was the Siwan bureau chief of Hindi news daily 'Hindustan'.

The state government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising two Deputy Superintendents of Police, three Inspectors and five Sub-Inspectors, to trace the killers.

Meanwhile, Asha Ranjan has expressed happiness over the CBI probe into the case. "At last, the CBI has started the probe," she said.

She had urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday to ensure justice to her following the release of former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin from jail.

Shahabuddin, who is alleged to be behind Ranjan's killing, was released on bail on September 10 by the Patna High Court.

--IANS

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Belgian DJ duo Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike are reportedly in talks with superstar Salman Khan and Indian ODI skipper Virat Kohli for their next dance music single.

The duo, who are brothers, will be back in India for Sunburn Arena Tour on October 8 in Hyderabad and October 9 in Mumbai that will helm the 10th year anniversary celebrations of the dance music festival -- Sunburn by Percept Live. Last year, they headlined the first day of the three-day Sunburn Goa festival.A

According to a source, Salman and Kohli -- who supported the DJ duo recently on social media for the 2016 DJ polls -- are gearing up for a secret collaboration on a dance music single.

Karan Singh, CEO, Sunburn, said that the DJ duo share a close bond with "Sultan" star Salman, but the collaborations are decided by their international management teams.

"Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike enjoy a long standing association with India. They enjoy a huge fan base in Bollywood with most of the A-listers being fans of their music. The collaborations are decided by their international management but yes Salman and Dimitri - Mike share a very close rapport," Singh said.

In an interview with IANS earlier, Dimitri had shared his eagerness to work in Bollywood. He had said: "We already did a couple of small Bollywood projects. But at this point we don't have anything on that front to perform for the people.

Salman had on several occasions expressed his fondness for the DJ duo on social media. Salman lauded the efforts of the duo for their world tour -- Bring The World The Madness -- through a tweet in 2013, and also supported them during the DJ Mag Top 100 polls.A

--IANS

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Unfurling of national flag at the offices of the political parties marked Hyderabad merger day on Saturday.

While the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the main opposition Congress and others celebrated merger day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrated it as "liberation day".

It was on this day in 1948 that erstwhile Hyderabad State merged with the Indian union following "police action", as the Indian military operation against the Nizam's army is popularly refered to.

The BJP celebrated the day on large scale with "tiranga yatras" in various parts of Telangana. Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir hoisted the national flag and participated in the "yatra" in Adilabad town.

BJP President Amit Shah is scheduled to address a public meeting in Warangal on Saturday evening.

BJP floor leader in Telangana state assembly, G. Kishan Reddy, tried to unfurl the national flag in the assembly premises but was stopped by the police.

Tension also prevailed at Medak district collector office in Sangareddy town as ABVP activists tried to unfurl the national flag. Police arrested them to foil their attempt.

Union Minister for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya hoisted the national flag at the BJP office. He alleged that after coming to power Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has gone back on his promise to officially celebrate the day.

He said Prime Minister Narendra has appealed to people to celebrate the "liberation day" in a grand manner.

Like the previous governments in undivided Andhra Pradesh, TRS government ignored the demands for officially celebrating the day. The ruling party made it clear that it will not accept September 17 as liberation day and accused BJP of indulging in "divisive politics".

Home Minister N. Narasimha Reddy, who unfurled the tricolour at TRS headquarters "Telangana Bhavana", denied that Chandrasekhar Rao ever promised to celebrate the day officially.

Congress state President Uttam Kumar Reddy hoisted the national flag at the party office. He wanted to know why TRS chief was not officially celebrating the day while he used to criticise Congress governments in the past for the same.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also celebrated the day with a ceremony at its office. TDP state Chief L. Ramna hoisted the tricolour and also called for official celebrations.

Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) Chairman M. Kodandaram hoisted the tricolour at the party office to mark the day. He also opposed BJP's demand for celebrating it as "liberation day" and said it should be called "merger day".

BJP and Hindu right-wing organisations had been calling for officially celebrating "liberation day". They claim that it is being officially celebrated in those districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra which were part of Hyderabad State.

Muslim groups have been opposing any celebrations as they claim that Muslims were massacred during the "police action".

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) always maintained that there is only one Independence Day for the entire country and hence there is no need for separate celebrations in Telangana.

--IANS

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A student of University of Hyderabad allegedly committed suicide by hanging in his hostel room on the campus on Saturday, police said.

N.Praveen, a student of first year Master of Fine Arts, was found hanging in his room L 204.

Other students in the hostel alerted Resident Medical Officer (RMO), who got Praveen shifted to a nearby private hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

The body was shifted to government-run Osmania General Hospital for autopsy.

Police said no suicide note was found in Praveen's room.

"The reasons behind Praveen's death are not yet known. We are investigating," a police officer at Gachibowli police station said.

Praveen hailed from Shadnagar town in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana. He had taken admission into the university two months ago.

In January, Rohith Vemula, a Dalit research scholar, had committed suicide by hanging in a hostel room, due to alleged caste discrimination by the university authorities.

The incident had triggered widespread protests in universities across the country.

--IANS

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Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi is on a mission to give homes to 500,000 people by the end of this year with his real estate project and says he was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Housing for All by 2022' vision.

"Well, I think the roots of the venture and vision is taken from two places. One, I think my personal experience during the (Indian Ocean) tsunami in 2004. I reached there in a few hours after the incident happened," Vivek told IANS in an interview.

"I was in Kurnool district of Devanampattinam village, where we started rehabilitation work. There, I realised that you can add so much quality to people's lives by just planning a little better and giving them good facilities. That project taught me a lot."

"With Prime Minister's 'Housing for All' vision, where he envisioned a house for every Indian by 2022... That inspired us in very big way. Also, the Maharashtra government has been extremely supportive with this vision, so we decided to plunge into it in a big way," Vivek added.

The "Saathiya" actor says his idea is to give facilities to low income people and thereby contribute to Modi's vision in the best way possible.

"Karrm Infrastructure has already created a big mark by developing more than 15,000 apartments. So, at a time when people generally feel that infrastructure, especially construction and real estate, is not doing well and companies are shutting down, we had an absolute reversal of fortune.

"We are launching Mission 360, under which 360 locations across Maharashtra will have our project. We want to change low income people's lives. Why shouldn't the child of a rickshaw driver have access to a swimming pool? That's the vision.

"We are doing it at a truly affordable price, which is Rs 790,000 only," said the son of veteran actor Suresh Oberoi.

Vivek, who is married to late Karnataka leader Jeevaraj Alva's daughter Priyanka, also shared that profit-earning is not the motive behind this project.

"Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, there is a prescribed norm of 30 sq metres, so we are providing them everything in this affordable project. This means we have to lower our margins and reduce our profits, but I think the volume makes it viable because of the kind of tight discipline that we keep," he said.

Is there any support from the government?

"Yes, of course. We have approached the National Skill Development Corporation as it is doing some great work under the stewardship of Rajiv Pratap Rudy. It is very positive in terms of helping us. The MSME ministry under Kalraj Mishra is also very proactive," Vivek said.

Is he planning to take the project to other states as well?

"The current aim is Maharashtra, but we are getting queries from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat... First we want to execute 500,000 homes in Maharashtra and we are not taking government land... Only support," he said.

(Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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With no reply to his letter or an appointment to meet, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday chided Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being indifferent to the state over the raging Cauvery river water sharing issue with Tamil Nadu.

"Though it's over a week since I wrote to him (Modi) seeking his intervention to resolve the Cauvery issue by convening a meeting of the chief ministers and sought an appointment to meet him personally in Delhi, no reply yet to the letter or response for time to meet him," lamented Siddaramaiah, who was here on a day's official trip.

Noting that the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal has made a provision for the riparian states to find a solution to any problem through understanding and consensus, he said in a federal set-up, it was the duty of the central government and the Prime Minister to convene a meeting of chief ministers to resolve inter-state issues, as some PMs did in the past.

In a letter to Modi on September 9, on a day when Karnataka was shut down in protest against releasing the river water to Tamil Nadu on a directive by the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister urged Modi to convene a meeting of the chief ministers at a short notice for resolving the Cauvery river water impasse with Tamil Nadu.

Citing a precedent over 20 years ago, when under similar circumstances of deficit flows, the Supreme Court had requested then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to resolve the issue, the Chief Minister had said the "unrest", if continued, would have a serious impact on the state's economy as also the IT economy, which brought enormous revenue and foreign exchange to the country.

On Saturday, Siddaramaiah said: "I also spoke to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) seeking time to meet the Prime Minister on this issue but there is response yet to my oral request."

Asked if the Prime Minister was uncooperative and not interested to intervene in the matter, he said: "You can draw your own inference."

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of changing its stance on the water dispute, he regretted that the opposition party in the state was trying to politicise the issue by advising the state government against releasing water in defiance of the apex court directive.

The Chief Minister, however, hoped the state government's decision to release water would work in its favour when the main case comes up for the final hearing on October 18 in the top court.

"We do not have enough water in the reservoirs to release to Tamil Nadu after October 20, as it would result in denying drinking water to Bengaluru and other cities and villages dependent on Cauvery till the onset of monsoon in June next," he said.

The state requires at least 27 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water to meet the drinking water needs after October 20 and the four reservoirs in the state would have 28 tmcft, while Tamil Nadu will have 42 tmcft in its reservoirs.

--IANS

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The Congress on Saturday demanded that an FIR be lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation against persons in the government responsible for siphoning off public funds for private purposes.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Congress Delhi Chief Ajay Maken said that the amount being used for advertising under the AAP government's tenure in Delhi has increased 14.5 times as compared to previous governments.

The Congress also accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of misusing public funds for political activities of the AAP.

Maken told reporters, "During 2014, when Delhi was under President's Rule, the total amount spent on advertising was Rs 14.5 crore. The very next year, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government, spent Rs 127 crore on advertisements and in the current financial year it's Rs 207.73 crore."

The Congress leader accused the Delhi Government of ignoring the Supreme Court guidelines on advertising, and said the Comptroller and Auditor General of India supports his allegations.
A section of Bihar's ruling Grand Alliance, comprising JD-U, RJD and Congress, has disapproved of the projection of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the likely prime ministerial candidate in the next parliamentary election.

Barely a month after the state presidents of the three constituents of the Grand Alliance publicly differed over the next prime ministerial candidate, this time RJD chief Lalu Prasad has backed the candidature of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the young scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Lalu said he is unaware if Rahul Gandhi is the prime ministerial candidate of the Congress for the 2019 general election. "Nitish Kumar is the PM material," he added.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo's contention was immediately supported by Janata Dal-United leaders. "Lalu understands the pulse of people. He is right to say that Nitish Kumar is PM material and the PM candidate for the next Lok Sabha polls," senior JD-U leader Shayam Rajak said.

Nitish Kumar has been emerging as the leader of non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parties to ensure a Sangh-free India, Rajak added.

In fact, there is strong speculation in political circles here that Kumar, also the JD-U's national president, is keen to be projected as the prime ministerial candidate of a united opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On the other hand, on expected lines, Congress differed with its two allies over the issue of prime ministerial candidate, saying Rahul Gandhi is the face for the top post in the next parliamentary polls.

Rejecting the talk of the other two allies in Bihar, senior Congress leader Sadanand Singh said, "Rahul Gandhi is our prime ministerial candidate. We hardly bother about comments made by any one... Rahul Gandhi is the PM candidate."

Another Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said there is no confusion over Rahul Gandhi as the party's prime ministerial candidate. "I think, leaders of the ruling alliance in Bihar should not be saying anything that sounds contrary to its goals."

--IANS

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Chinese internet and technology conglomerate LeEco has said it expects to sell nearly 2,000 supertelevisions and 70,000-75,000 superphones during its one-day "EPIC 919 Superfans Festival" scheduled for September 19.

The "EPIC 919" will offer super3 X55 television 139.7 cm (55), worth Rs 59,790, at interest-free six-month EMI along with a 2.1 Ch SoundBar with wireless subwoofer, worth Rs 19,999, for free on its e-commerce platform LeMall.com.

Users can also avail PREXO (Product Exchange Offer) up to Rs 25,000 on Flipkart.

"We have always strived to offer unparalleled innovative offering to our customers and bringing in the EPIC 919 SuperFans Festival is a step in the same direction," Atul Jain, COO, Smart Devices, LeEco India, said in a statement.

LeEco has also tied up with MakeMyTrip as a special gift partner for the festival and will be extending exciting offers worth a total of Rs 495 million, on purchase of Le 1s Eco, Le 2 and Le Max2 smartphones.

LeEco recently broke industry record when it garnered a sales order of 4,600 Super3 X55 TVs -- 20 times higher than the industry per-day average sales in the 55-inch and above segment -- in its second flash sale.

LeEco sold over 1,500 units of Super3 X55 TVs during its first flash sale last month.

--IANS

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Filmmaker Mani Ratnam, who is currently busy wrapping up upcoming Tamil romantic-drama "Kaatru Veliyidai", will shoot some important action sequences in Ladakh, where he's currently scouting for locations.

"Mani sir along with action director Sham Kaushal is finalising locations in Ladakh. They're planning to shoot an action sequence - not the regular kind - but one that'll be very realistic," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Kaushal had previously worked with Ratnam in "Raavan".

The next schedule of the film, which stars Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari in the lead, will commence in Kashmir later this month or in early October.

aceMajor portion in this schedule will be shot in Kashmir, while some key scenes will be filmed in Ladakh. It'll be the second time Mani sir will be shooting in Ladakh after aDil Se'," the source said.

Also starring RJ Balaji, Shraddha Srinath and Delhi Ganesh, the project features music by A.R Rahman and cinematography by Ravi Varma.

-IANS

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Fashion designer Marc Jacobs has defended himself for using dreadlocks in his show during a fashion week, after being widely criticised for "cultural appropriation".

The 53-year-old was criticised for cultural appropriation after celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Gigi Hadid wore fake rainbow-hued wigs during his show at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) show, but Jacobs has now hit back at the accusation, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"All who cry 'cultural appropriation' or whatever nonsense about any race or skin colour wearing their hair in any particular style or manner - funny how you don't criticize women of color for straightening their hair," Jacobs posted on his Instagram account.

"I respect and am inspired by people and how they look. I don't see colour or race - I see people. I'm sorry to read that so many people are so narrow minded... Love is the answer. Appreciation of all and inspiration from anywhere is a beautiful thing," he added.

Jacobs explained that the controversial designs were inspired by rave culture, London 1980s' fashion and Japanese Harajuku girls.

Jacob's NYFW show used as many as 12,500 hand-dyed woolen dreadlocks.

--IANS

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US First Lady Michelle Obama took sharp aim on Friday at those who questioned her husband's eligibility for office, arguing a potential commander in chief should set a better example for the country's children.

"There were those who questioned and continue to question for the past eight years up through this very day whether my husband was even born in this country," Michelle was quoted by CNN in Fairfax, Virginia, during her first solo campaign appearance for Hillary Clinton.

"Well, during his time in office, I think Barack has answered those questions with the example he set by going high when they go low."

The first lady was speaking hours after Donald Trump -- who for five years has etched a reputation as the highest-profile "birther", questioning if the President was born in the US -- admitted that Obama was born in America.

With virtually unmatched popularity at her back, Michelle Obama sought to cast the race as a make-or-break moment for the country's future.

"If a candidate is erratic and threatening; if a candidate traffics in prejudice, fears and lies on the trail; if a candidate has no clear plans to implement their goals; if they disrespect their fellow citizens, including folks who made extraordinary sacrifices for our country; let me tell you, that is who they are. That is the kind of president they will be, trust me," Michelle said.

The first lady was debuting on the stump on Friday in the hopes of galvanizing suburban voters behind a candidate she once fiercely opposed.

On Friday, Obama struck upon similar themes as her well-received speech at this summer's Democratic National Convention. Speaking on the event's first night, Obama's 10-minute address made an impassioned argument for keeping Trump away from the Oval Office.

--IANS

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The Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL)'s second Visakhapatnam Class-destroyer, with more than 60 per cent indigenization and increased stealth power, was launched ahead of its schedule here on Saturday, officials said.

The Guided Missile Destroyer ship of Project 15B was launched by chief guest Reena Lanba, wife of Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Chief of Naval Staff. The momentous event was attended by a large number of naval officers, sailors and MDL staff and workers.

Loud cheers and thunderous claps marked the launch as the warship smoothly slid into the Arabian Sea waters for the first time.

Named 'Mormugao', the hull of the 7,300-tonne, 163.2 metres long guided missile destroyer, which was constructed on dry area, floated on water for the first time - which is a milestone event for any vessel.

The Project 15B missile destroyers are modern warships equipped with the latest weapons package in continuation of the lineage of the highly successful Delhi and Kolkata Class ships.

Under the Project 15B, MDL will build a total of four destroyers, the first of which was Visakhapatnam, launched on April 20, 2015, followed by Mormugao. Other deliveries are scheduled between 2020-2024, said an official.

The warships can achieve a maximum speed of 31-32 knots and are equipped with surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine launchers, multi mission radar for surveillance along with medium range air/surface surveillance radar and other advanced electronic warfare and decoys.

Fitted also with the Barak-8 long-range missiles, Mormugao has been named after the picturesque port in Goa, the home state of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

After Visakhapatnam and Mormugao, the next in the queue is 'Paradip' followed by another warship expected to be named after a coastal city of Gujarat.

--IANS

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The Odisha government is mulling to approach the Supreme Court for setting up of a tribunal under the law on inter-state water disputes to resolve the Mahanadi dispute with Chhattisgarh, an official statement said on Saturday.

"We will explore all options. We will leave no stone unturned to protect the interests of Odisha. That would certainly include the legal option of approaching the apex court for setting up of Tribunal under Interstate Water Dispute Act 1956," said a state government release quoting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who was in New Delhi for a tripartite meeting convened by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti between the two Chief Ministers to resolve the dispute.

The meet remained inconclusive.

The serious environment threats posed by these projects will be decisively challenged in all suitable forums including National Green Tribunal (NGT), said the statement.

It quoted Patnaik as saying that he had called a meeting of the cabinet in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, where they "will decide steps to take. We will leave no stone unturned in the interest of people of Odisha".

He said that he wanted Chhattisgarh to immediately stop work on its barrages, but his demand was not accepted at the meeting.

"Government of Chhattisgarh, despite all persuasive efforts, remained adamant at not agreeing to the just and equitable demands of Odisha," said the release.

It said Uma Bharti could not prevail upon Chhattisgarh "to agree to the just concerns" of Odisha and stated that the Union Ministry can at best play an advisory role and not issue any binding directions.

"Hence, the tripartite meeting could not succeed, leaving Government of Odisha with no option than to explore other options for the livelihood and wellbeing of about two-third of Odisha's population dependent on agriculture and directly or indirectly impacted by Mahanadi," said the release.

"We made it very clear that the ongoing projects on the upstream of Hirakud are absolutely unacceptable to us. These projects pose serious threats to the fragile ecological hot spots of Odisha and to the livelihood in 16 districts and 65 per cent of our population.

"As these projects have inter-state ramifications, Odisha should have been consulted; and any clearances at any level should have taken the ecological and economic ramifications into account. But this has not taken place.

"Hence, we wanted immediate stopping of all ongoing works and revisiting of the whole issue in a transparent manner," it added.

--IANS

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Moscow has called an urgent UN Security Council meeting after US-led coalition airstrikes hit Syrian forces, killing 62 soldiers and wounding 100 more, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry has also demanded full and detailed explanation from Washington over the incident in Dier al-Zor, in which 62 Syrian troops were killed and over 100 injured.

Moscow stressed that it was concerned by the US airstrike targeting the Syrian army units which had been destroying the Islamic State.

The ministry added that the Russian side had never been notified of US plans to carry out bombings in the Dier al Zor area.

Earlier on Saturday Russia's Defence Ministry said that four strikes against Syrian positions had been delivered by US-led coalition aircraft - two F-16 jet fighters and two A-10 support aircraft.

The Syrian military called the bombing a "serious and blatant aggression" against Syrian forces, and said it was "conclusive evidence" that the US and its allies support IS militants.

US Central Command later issued a statement, saying that the US-led "coalition would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit." It promised to look into the incident.

--IANS

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The US-led coalition killed 62 Syrian government troops and injured some 100 others in a round of airstrikes in eastern Syria's province of Deir al-Zour, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

"Today, in areas close to the Deir ez-Zor Airport, the aircraft from the international anti-Islamic State coalition carried out four air-strikes against units of the Syrian government troops surrounded by terrorists," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The operation left 62 Syrian servicemen dead and about 100 injured, the spokesman said, adding that the warplanes entered the airspace of Syria from the Iraqi border.

Syria's national TV also confirmed the killing of Syrian servicemen by the US-led coalition.

A monitor group, however, reported that the airstrikes have killed over 30 Syrian soldiers,.

--IANS

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With Kashmir on top of the agenda, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for the US on Saturday to attend the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Meanwhile, Islamabad has strongly rebutted India's stance on Jammu and Kashmir at the UN Human Rights Council, calling it "a travesty of history".

Sharif, who will address the UN General Assembly on September 21, on Friday met Hurriyat leaders in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in Muzaffarabad to take inputs and take them into confidence, the Pakistani media reported.

On Friday, Sharif also met Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to discuss Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing's alleged interference in Pakistan. Sharif is likely to raise this issue during his address at the United Nations.

Sharif, in his address, will highlight issues such as "Kashmiri people's right to self-determination" and alleged "atrocities" being committed by Indian security forces. He is to also urge the international community and the UN to "live up to their promise" of the right to self determination of the Kashmiri people in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, Pakistan's Foreign Office said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has in a strong rebuttal to India at the UN Human Rights Council referred to a recent speech by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MP Tariq Hameed Karra who called life in Kashmir "worse than under Nazi rule".

Pakistan called for the Kashmiris to be allowed to "freely decide their future through the United Nations' mandated plebiscite".

The Pakistan delegation also termed India's focus on Balochistan at the UN as "open interference in Pakistan's internal affairs".

Earlier, India had slammed Pakistan, saying it was ironical that a nation "that has established a well earned reputation of being the global epicentre of terrorism" was holding forth on human rights.

The focus on Kashmir comes as nearly 90 people have died in clashes with security forces in the valley since July 9, a day after the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani by security forces.

--IANS

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Two persons, including a 27-year-old woman, have been arrested for illegal possession of arms from West Bengal's Maoist-affected Purulia district, police said on Saturday.

The accused, Kabita Ghorui and Panchanan Mahato, were apprehended on Friday with two small arms and ammunition near Hanumata Bridge on Tata-Purulia Main Road in Balarampur in Purulia district.

"On the basis of credible source information we arrested the two accused and a case has been initiated under section 25 (1)(a)/27 Arms Act 1959," police said.

Kabita Ghorui alias Kalpana alias Sarala was also involved in earlier cases in Balarampur in 2011 and 2012 under IPC and Arms Act, the police said.

--IANS

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The US has given a "donation" of $1.32 million to the family of Giovanni Lo Porto, the Italian aid worker killed in January 2015 by a US drone strike. Documents detailing the condolence payment also confirmed the attack took place in Pakistan.

In April 2015, US President Barack Obama admitted that Lo Porto and another aid worker, Warren Weinstein, were killed in a drone strike against a suspected Al Qaeda base in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Lo Porto and Weinstein had been held hostage by the terrorist group since 2011.

Documents quoted by the Italian daily La Repubblica this week show that the US government signed an agreement with the Lo Porto family on July 8, to pay a total of 1,185,000 euros ($1.32 million) as a "donation in the memory of Giovanni Lo Porto."

The admission was made shortly after Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's visit to Washington.

The US Embassy in Rome and Lo Porto's brother, Daniele, confirmed the payment made to Lo Porto's parents, Vito and Giusy.

"We did that knowing that no dollar figure would ever bring back their loved ones and, out of respect for the families, we are not sharing any details of those payments," a spokesman for the embassy told The Guardian.

On the anniversary of Lo Porto's death, his family complained that both Rome and Washington had forgotten about them. No Italian government officials showed up for Lo Porto's funeral, his brother Daniele told The Guardian.

Following the payment, Lo Porto's mother Giusy released a statement indicating that she did not believe justice had been served.

"I will not see my son at home with his smile. They took my precious son and they also killed me. Now all that remains for me is to wait until the last day of my life for divine, not earthly, justice," she said.

--IANS

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Actor Varun Dhawan wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday on Saturday and thanked him for ushering in digital age in the country.

The actor was a part of India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit here on Saturday, and took the opportunity to thank Modi as well as wish him.

"Today is Narendra Modi's birthday and I am not going to sing but I think we can do something special," said Varun.

The actor asked each and every attendee to take out their cell phones and switch on their flash light. With only flash lights and birthday song rhythm, Varun created a surreal moment.

The actor lauded Modi for giving a new definition to 'aangutha chaap' term.

The "ABCD 2" star said: "When I was in school, I used to hear this term 'aangutha chaap hai yeh' that means someone who uses thumb to sign. But I think we are in new India and in new India we don't use thumb to sign but to sign in... Our Prime Minister is someone who has ushered in the digital age in this country and I think we need to give respect to him."

"So let's take out our phones and put on your flash light and sing happy birthday song," he added.

The crowd was more than eager to be a part of this, and helped Varun wish Modi.

The actor later confessed to being bumped as he could not capture the moment on his phone.

--IANS

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The World Trade Organisation appellate body has upheld an earlier ruling against India's domestic content requirements for manufacturing solar cells and modules, the WTO said on Friday.

The solar dispute arose from a complaint lodged by the US against India in 2013 for violation of global trading rules. Earlier this year, a WTO dispute settlement panel had ruled that India's domestic content requirement (DCR) for the solar sector is inconsistent with its treaty obligations.

Summarising the key findings of the appellate body report that was circulated to members on Friday, WTO said: "The Panel sustained the United States' claims that India's DCR measures are inconsistent with WTO non-discrimination obligations under Article III:4 of the GATT 1994 and Article 2.1 of the TRIMs Agreement.

"The Panel also found that the measures are not covered by the government procurement exemption under Article III:8(a) of the GATT 1994, because the product being procured (electricity) was not in a 'competitive relationship' with the product discriminated against (solar cells and modules)."

The national treatment obligations required India to treat imported solar cells and modules on par with domestically produced products without any discrimination under Article III:4 of the GATT 1994.

The highest adjudicating body for global trade disputes agreed with the panel that India's domestic content requirements for solar cells and modules under the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission amounted to trade-related investment measures as they favour domestic products over imported products.

The domestic content requirement clause under India's national solar programme, launched in 2010, is aimed to protect and encourage local industry.

It mandates that a solar power producer compulsorily source a certain percentage of solar cells and modules from local manufacturers in order to be able to benefit from the government guarantee to purchase the energy produced.

America and the European Union themselves have taken anti-dumping measures against cheaper Chinese solar panels in order to protect their own industries.

Earlier this month, India lodged a complaint against the US at the WTO alleging that the latter's domestic content requirements and subsidies of eight American states - Washington, California, Montana, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware and Minnesota - for renewable energy violated core provisions of global trade rules.

India expects to add around 5.5 GW of solar capacity in 2016, making it the fourth-largest solar market globally.

--IANS

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October 18 is still a month away, but Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is eagerly awaiting its arrival. On that day, the Supreme Court will hear Karnataka's special leave petition against the Cauvery water dispute tribunal's 2007 decision to award Tamil Nadu 419 thousand million cubic feet (tmc feet) of the total 740 tmc of water from the Cauvery basin.
Around 20,000 pro-refugee demonstrators took to the streets on London today, according to police, to call on Prime Minister Theresa May to do more to tackle the migrant crisis.

Protesters marched down the affluent Park Lane and the central thoroughfare Piccadilly carrying an array of colourful placards and shouting slogans including "say it loud, say it clear: refugees are welcome here!"



At one point, a group at the front of the protest performed a song and dance routine to Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You", cheered on by fellow protesters.

Some carried signs reading "no-one is illegal", "stop the drowning", while others chanted "refugees - let them stay...Let's deport Theresa May!"



"I've come here today because my kids go to sleep in a safe house every night with full stomachs and I think every child should have that," mother-of-two Claire-Marie Goggin, 47, told AFP.

Volunteer worker Felicity Rose, 33, said the message was "to look after our brothers and sisters from round the world and let them come and to stop penalising them because of where they come from and the colour of their skin."



The event was organised by Solidarity with Refugees, and was supported by groups including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Refugee Council and Stop the War Coalition.

It comes ahead of Monday's UN Summit for refugees and migrants in New York, to be hosted by US President Barack Obama and attended by prime minister May.

Britain's then prime minister David Cameron announced last year the country would accept up to 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next five years.

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The Delhi government will challenge in the court the order of a Central government appointed panel that indicted the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation for "splurging" exchequer's money on advertisements, as it questioned the committee's neutrality.

The AAP alleged that it was a "ploy to defame" the Kejriwal government by the "beneficiaries" of Narendra Modi government and BJP.

"The Delhi government will challenge the very composition of the committee and its biased findings since the Centre is an interested party. It (the Centre) has done a number of flip-flops in the case," said a government spokesperson.

AAP leader Ashutosh said the Committee's remarks were an apt example of Congress and BJP coming together as the panel gave its report on the complaint filed by DPCC president Ajay Maken against the Delhi government.

The three-member committee, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon, had been constituted by the I&B ministry on the directions of the Supreme Court to address issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising. The panel also comprised adman Piyush Pandey and journalist Rajat Sharma.

"This is nothing but a ploy to target and defame the Delhi government. The committee required people of impeccable neutrality and those who could do their job without showing any bias or partiality. But two members of the panel are either linked to the BJP or are beneficiaries of Modi. So, how can one expect a fair report," Ashutosh alleged even as he refrained from attacking Tandon.

The AAP leader alleged that of the two panel members one is linked to BJP since his college days while the other chalked out a campaign for Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

He also said the Delhi government will explain its stand before the Supreme Court.

In its report, the committee came down heavily on the AAP government, saying it had splurged exchequer's money on advertisements projecting Kejriwal and his party in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines and asked the ruling party to reimburse.

The panel had been constituted by the I&B ministry on directions of Supreme Court to address issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising.

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers Satyendar Jain and Kapil Mishra on Saturday went to meet Lt Governor Najeeb Jung at his office following his fax to the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to return from Finland, but the meeting did not materialise as Jung was not in his office, triggering a fresh spat between the two sides.

"It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra said taking a jibe at Jung. But the LG office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment even as it accused the government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with a health crisis.

Jung on Friday asked Sisodia to return to Delhi immediately from Finland, where he was on a study tour, in view of sudden spurt in Dengue and Chikungunya cases in the national capital.

The ministers waited outside the LG office and said that no appointment was sought to meet the Lt Governor since he had sent an urgent fax to the Deputy Chief Minister and they thought that Jung must have something important to talk about.

"The LG has sent an urgent fax to Deputy CM Sisodia. So, we thought there may be some emergency and we both came to meet him but he is not in the office. We were told that it's off today and he does not sit in the office. We called him but he is also not at his home. It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra said.

Hitting back, the LG office said that the Lt Governor came to know of their visit only through media.

"Secretary to the Lt Governor met the Ministers since the Lt Governor's office is operational on all days of the week. However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt Governor," the LG office said in a statement.

Mishra, however, said that since Delhi is grappling with Dengue and Chikungunya they did not wait for an appointment to meet Jung.

"We thought perhaps Jung Saheb has found some very good idea to fight the diseases that he wanted to share with Sisodia. So we came running to meet him as we are working on Saturday and Sunday also," he added.

The Lt Governor's office said that it is "regrettable" that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to "politicize" the issue instead of providing succour to the public.

"The Lt Governor's office is keeping a close watch on the health situation in Delhi and is getting regular updates on the situation from the Chief Secretary and the Health Secretary," the LG office said.

Jain said that he talked to Jung over phone but he was not available for meeting.

"I called on his number but he is not available. When I asked him about his fax to Sisodia, he said he did not want to talk about it," Jain said.

"Went to LG office. Asked on phone if anything urgent as he faxed yty to recall deputy CM. Ans: nothing urgent to discuss, no time today," Jain tweeted.

Sisodia, who also hold the education portfolio, is in Finland along with his officers, is in Finland to study the education system of that country.

Refuting the allegation of the Opposition that he is holidaying in Finland, Sisodia on Friday said it was not a sin to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhi's education system.
A seven-year-old, son of a Delhi-based trader, who was kidnapped from New Delhi on September 14 was today rescued and his abductor arrested from Sheikhpura district of Bihar, police said.

Acting on a tip off provided by Delhi Police, the local police team today rescued Priyanshu Raj from Dewle village within the limits of Sheikhpura police station, SP R K Bhil said.

Raj is the son of trader Mukesh Kumar, a resident Mundka in the national capital.

The kidnapper identified as Pintu Kumar has been arrested, Bhil said.

After kidnapping the minor, the accused, known to the trader, had taken him to Dewle village where the boy was kept at the residence of Kumar's relative, the SP said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Abu Sayyaf extremists today freed a Norwegian man kidnapped a year ago in the southern Philippines along with two Canadians who were later beheaded and a Filipino woman who has been released by the ransom-seeking militants, officials said.

Kjartan Sekkingstad was freed in Patikul town in Sulu province and was eventually secured by rebels from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which has a signed a peace deal with the government and helped negotiate his release, officials said.

Sekkingstad, held in jungle captivity since being kidnapped last September, was to stay overnight at the house of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari in Sulu and then meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte tomorrow, said Jesus Dureza, who advises Duterte on peace talks with insurgent groups.

Dureza said that when he spoke on the phone with Sekkingstad, the Norwegian expressed his gratitude to Duterte. A plan to fly Sekkingstad out of Sulu, a jungle-clad Muslim region about 950 kilometers south of Manila, was canceled today because of bad weather, Dureza said.

It was not immediately clear whether Sekkingstad had been ransomed off. Duterte suggested in a conference last month that 50 million pesos (USD 1 million) had been paid to the militants, but that they continued to hold on to him.

The military said today that relentless assaults forced the extremists to release the hostage.

"Under the intense pressure of focused military operations, the terrorist kidnap-for-ransom Abu Sayyaf group was constrained to release Sekkingstad as holding him under custody slows down their continues movement," military spokesman Colonel Edgard Arevalo said.

Military chief General Ricardo Visaya warned the militants to release their other captives, including a Dutch birdwatcher and Indonesian and Malaysian tugboat crewmen, "or suffer annihilation."



Sekkingstad was kidnapped September 21, 2015, with Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall and Hall's Filipino girlfriend, Marites Flor, from a marina on southern Samal Island, sparking a massive land and sea search by Philippine forces.

The Abu Sayyaf demanded a huge ransom for the release of the foreigners and released videos in which they threatened the captives in a lush jungle clearing where they displayed Islamic State group-style black flags.

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The real challenge before the judiciary is to address chronic cases which remain festering in courts, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur said today even as he stressed that disposing of smaller cases was like cleaning the house of the garbage littered around.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Gujarat State Judicial Academy, Justice Thakur recalled that when he was the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana, he held Lok Adalats throughout the two states and disposed of 14 lakh cases.

"But then we thought that disposing of smaller cases is like holding a broom and cleaning the house of garbage lying around. The real challenge lies in addressing chronic cases which remain festering in the courts," he said.

The CJI said, in order to address the issue, he then asked judges in the two states to provide particulars of 200 oldest civil and criminal cases.

"Once the details came in, we told them...The target now is to dispose of these oldest of cases, because to dispose ordinary, inconsequential cases is not enough. We should dispose old, chronic cases," he said, adding that to dispose them, judges were given additional weightage, by bringing them under the unit system.

"The result was that within a period of six months or so, by the time I left for Supreme Court, judicial officers had disposed of 5,500 of the oldest civil and criminal cases," he said.

During his speech, Justice Thakur expressed optimism that with the judicial fraternity being conscious of the "ever-increasing number of cases," the challenges will be overcome.

"There is an ever-increasing number of cases in the courts. But then the fact that you are conscious of it, and you are sensitive to it, and you are gearing for it, is what is encouraging. So we will overcome all the challenges and difficulties that may otherwise exist," he said.

The CJI had made an emotional appeal for appointing more judges to resolve millions of pending cases across the country while addressing a joint conference of chief ministers and chief justices of high courts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance in April.

Thakur, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gandhinagar this morning, said, "(I) told the PM when I met him in the morning today for breakfast, that coming to Gujarat gave me such peace that once you land here, you feel you have landed in a very very peaceful place."



"And who can feel these vibrations and reverberations more than those who hold high offices? Because you know so many things get connected to the office you hold. Therefore, I would say that I am lucky to be here with you this morning, and to share my thoughts with you," he told the audience.

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Vice President Hamid Ansari today held talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a host of issues of mutual interest after arriving here to attend the 17th NAM Summit.

Ansari called on Maduro in his first official engagement in Venezuela after arriving here as the leader of the Indian delegation at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is only the second Indian Premier to give the Cold War-era bloc's summit a miss after Charan Singh in 1979.

In his call on with Maduro, Ansari was accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar and Secretary West Sujata Mehta.

The meeting between Ansari and Maduro came less than a month after Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez visited India to personally hand over an invitation for India's participation in the 17th NAM Summit.

She had held "substantive" talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to explore deepening of ties in a range of areas including in trade and investment and hydrocarbons sector.

The two countries had also agreed to finalise a number of key pacts including double tax avoidance agreement.

The two sides had agreed to move ahead for an early finalisation of a number of agreements in different areas, including Extradition Treaty, Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) on Criminal Matters and Air Services Agreement.

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Self-styled godman Asaram will be tomorrow flown to Delhi under police custody for medical examination at AIIMS.

Asaram would be taken to New Delhi by an Air India flight tomorrow afternoon in pursuance of the directions of the Supreme Court, Police Commissioner, Jodhpur, Ashok Kumar Rathore said.

"We have formed a team of police officials to accompany him to Delhi and back to Jodhpur safely. Another team of the city police is already in Delhi to receive him," he said.

Police attributed the delay in taking Asaram to Delhi to the festive season, during which heavy police force is deployed in the city to maintain law and order.

The Supreme Court had on August 29 allowed Asaram to be taken to AIIMS from Jodhpur jail for medical examination.

The order had come after a three-member panel of doctors from AIIMS informed the apex court that requisite equipment for evaluation of Asaram's medical condition were not there in Jodhpur jail and he needed to be brought to the institute for proper check up.

On August 11, the apex court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed AIIMS to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.

A teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl belonging to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh was a student living in the ashram.

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After years of failed negotiations, Bangladesh and Canada have finally agreed to hold talks to find a way to the thorny issue of extraditing fugitive Noor Chowdhury - the self-confessed killer of the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - who has been hiding in Canada.

The two countries reached a consensus during a meeting between Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in Montreal yesterday, the national agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.

After the talks, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Huq told reporters that the officials of two countries would find out a way for extradition of Chowdhury from Canada. "The aim of the discussion would be to bring Noor Chowdhury to justice and execute the verdict of the Bangabandhu murder case," he said.

Huq said the government has been trying to extradite Chowdhury, who is in his 70s, from Canada and this decision will open a new window to bring him to Bangladesh.

Chowdhury is a former Bangladeshi military officer who was convicted in absentia in the August 1975 for the assassination of Sheikh Mujib. He is leading a fugitive's life in Canada.

He is one of the five absconding killers of Sheikh Mujib. In 2009, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh sentenced Chowdhury and 11 others to death in the case. Five of those convicted were hanged in 2010; another five, including Chowdhury, have avoided returning to Bangladesh, and one has died.

Chowdhury was granted visitor status in Canada in 1996, and hasn't left the country since.

Choudhury's extradition is a thorny issue because Canada has been a fully abolitionist country since 1998 and in 2011 then Canadian envoy to Dhaka had said Canada can't extradite him as he could face the death penalty in his home country.

In their discussion yesterday, the Hasina and Trudeau also discussed militancy and described it as a "global problem".

The foreign secretary said the Canadian premier highly appreciated Bangladesh's anti-militancy stance. He said the two leaders also discussed trade issues, including investment and export of garment products.

This was the first visit of an elected Bangladeshi prime minister to Canada in 30 years, the repor said.

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Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today said the bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modihad been fruitful andstrengthened the relations between the two neighbouring countries.

"Dil se baat hui khul ke baat Hui"(we talked with open heart) and both the countries found new grounds to move forward, Dahal who is popularly known as Prachanda told reporters here.

He said Nepal would not allow its land to be used for activities against neighbouring countries.

Prachanda, who was at Jahakri in Shimla district, 145 km from here to inspect the 1500MW Nathpa-Jhakri Hydropower Project of SJVNL was responding a question regarding efforts of Pakistan to use Nepal for terrorist activities against India.

"Nepal would not allow its land to be misused for activities against the neighbouring countries", he said adding that India is friendly country and we have good relations with it.

Prachanda who felt at home in serene hills said that the "topography, geography, trees, jungles people and culture of India and Nepal is similar and I feel that I am not in India but in Nepal".

After visiting the Project, Prachanda also talked to a gathering ofpeople of Nepali origin working in various projects.

The SJVNL engineers took the Nepalese Prime minister around and informed him about various features of the project in detail.

The SJVNL CMD R N Mishra gave a power point presentation about the Nathpa-Jhakri and 412 MW Rampur projects executed by SJVNL and also exhibited the model of Arun-3 (900) MW being executed in Nepal.

He said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had already been signed with India in May, 2014 for commissioning of 900 MW Arun-3 hydro power project and expressed satisfaction over Nathpa-Jhakri project.

Union Minister for Power, Piyush Goyal said that Arun-3 hydro-electric project was a beginning of new chapter in strengthening bilateral relations between India and Nepal and the work on this project would be expedited.

He said that India and Nepal are working together on few more projects also and it was a matter of great satisfaction that the neighbouring nation had expressed faith in India to go ahead with these projects. PTI PCL.

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As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrated the " Liberation Day" on Saturday, the ruling Rashtra Samiti (TRS) accused it of selective amnesia and said this political strategy to expand its presence would not work in the state.

"BJP has the habit of raising communal issue whenever they feel that there is an opportune time. Even during the time of agitation (for separate statehood for Telangana), we had always said this is a merger day, not a liberation day," TRS Lok Sabha member Kalvakuntla Kavitha said.

BJP has been demanding that the Government should officially celebrate the occasion as the "liberation day" as Hyderabad State was "liberated" through "police action" on September 17, 1948, more than a year after India got independence.

BJP considers the Nizam's rule in the erstwhile Hyderabad State as tyrannical, oppressive and autocratic and claims that Telugu language was discouraged as the medium of instruction in educational institutions during their period.

Kavitha noted that when Goa merged into India, the Central government called it liberation, while the Telangana (erstwhile Hyderabad State) operation in 1948 was termed as police action, and they never said liberation of Telangana.

"So, that jargon (liberation) was never used. And if you look at national perspective, India itself is union of many, many princely states. Now you want to go back and celebrate, what exactly you are trying to achieve?" Kavitha asked.

"You only want to recall the 1948 incident, what about 1969 incidents of Telangana agitation, what about 1952, what about 2001 ?...Many, many kids were killed. In 1969, 369 kids (students) were killed in police firing, BJP does not want to talk about it," Kavitha said.

"BJP-TDP (Telugu Desam Party) government was in power. No body wanted to talk about liberation day, why speak about it now? You can't have selective amnesia. When you speak about historical incidents, certainly the BJP has a habit of selective amnesia, very comfortably, conveniently they pick and choose the facts. We only say it's a merger day. We always observed it as a merger day, we will continue to do so," she said.

"Politically it won't work, because the BJP has negligible presence in Telangana. Just to increase their political visibility in Telangana, they have started to rake up this issue. People do not have any sentiment towards this particular issue, Congress does not talk about it, TDP does not talk about it (liberation)", Kavitha added.
The Centre today attempted to resolve Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh at a trilateral meeting here but Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was not happy and said his government will decide tomorrow on steps to safeguard the state's interests.

At the meeting convened by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, it was decided that a committee would be formed to examine dam projects in the two states including those on Mahanadi, sharing of whose water has become a matter of dispute between them, to see if rules were flouted during their construction.

Patnaik said he wanted Chhattisgarh to immediately stop work on its barrages but his demand was not accepted at the meeting which was also attended by his counterpart Raman Singh.

"I have called a meeting of the Cabinet in Bhubaneswar tomorrow. We will decide steps to take. We will leave no stone unturned in the interest of people of Odisha," he said.

Earlier, Bharti said the decision to form the committee was taken "amicably".

"A committee will be formed under officer on special duty to examine all the projects of Chhattisagarh and Odisha which are eligible to be first studied by technical advisory committee (TAC), but are being built without TAC's go ahead



"The committee under OSD will study data from the two states within a week to see if rules were flouted while constructing the projects," Bharti told reporters.

The committee, which will also have officials from the two states as their members, will study the projects within a week. Two teams will be sent to the two states to gather data.

The Union Minister said another committee will be formed, as proposed by Odisha government, to study situation in Mahanadi basin/catchment area during monsoon and non-monsoon period.

"If the committee says, a board will be set up to settle disputes. The committee will be headed by Water Resources Ministry official and will have officials from both states, Water Resources Ministry officials and environmentalists as its members," she added.

Patnaik claimed that the barrages being constructed by Chhattisgarh government on Mahanadi will affect drinking water and irrigation facilities in Odisha, a concern which was downplayed by Singh.

Among other things, Bharti said Chhattisgarh proposed setting up of a gauge station by Central Water Commission at a point where Mahanadi enters Odisha to know amount of water flows to latter. "Odisha has backed the proposal," she added.

To resolve the dispute, the Union Water Resources



Minister proposed that both Odisha and Chhattisgarh stop work for a week on projects which have become a bone of contention between the two states.

Asked whether the states agreed to this, she said, "we can only propose" as water is a state subject.

Terming Mahanadi as "lifeline" for Odisha, Patnaik said Chhattisgarh's barrages on Mahanadi will "seriously" affect supply of drinking water and irrigation activities in Odisha besides creating environmental issues in its sanctuaries.

"I raised the point strongly and said the Chhattisgarh government must stop work on their barrages on Mahanadi river. At least, stop work for sometime, sit down and look into these matters. But they were not agreeable. I have called a meeting of the Cabinet in Bhubaneswar tomorrow. We will decide steps to take. We will leave no stone unturned in the interest of people of Odisha," he said.

Asked if the meeting did not yield any solution for Odisha, Patnaik said, "I said (it) quite clearly."



Singh downplayed concerns raised by Patnaik saying the quantum of water which flows from Chhattisgarh to Odisha's Hirakud Dam can fill the reservoir "five times" and said the neighbouring state's objection as "surprising".

When asked about Patnaik's decision to call state cabinet's meeting to decide further steps in the matter, Bharti said, "It is the state's right to take steps it wants. We have no right to advise any state on it."



She added that the Central Water Commission (CWC) has not received any master plan from Chhattisgarh for any project on Mahanadi.

Speaking about issues raised by Patnaik during the two-and-half hour meeting, Singh said the six barrages, construction of which is being questioned by Odisha, are complete to the extent of 99 percent and don't require permission of CWC. He sought to quiz timing of the neighbouring state's objection.

He also blamed Odisha for not being ready to form a board to settle inter-state disputes over use of Mahanadi.

"Chhattisgarh is using only 15 percent of the river water. 35 percent is used by Odisha. Rest is flowing into the sea. You use this downstream water going into sea," Singh advised Odisha government.
A special investigation team (SIT) of Kerala Police today filed the charge sheet in a court here in the sensational rape-and-murder case of a Dalit woman at nearby Perumbavoor in April, three months after the arrest of a migrant labourer.

The charge sheet, submitted in the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court,named Ameerul Islam, a native of Assam who was arrested in June, as the lone accused in the case and charged him with offences, including rape and murder.

Ernakulam Rural SP PN Unnirajan, a key member in the SIT headed by ADGP B Sandhya, said the charge sheet was submitted after conducting a "scientific and technical probe".

The accused has been charged under various sections of the IPC, including 449 (house-trespass), 376 (punishment for rape), 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), besides relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.

Unnirajan said the police, which collected 125 pieces of documentary evidence and around 75 exhibits, succeeded in building "a strong case" against the accused and filing the charge sheet within the 90-day mandatory period.

There are 195 witnesses in the case, he added.

"The SIT formed by the new (state) government probed the case very well," Unnirajan told reporters at Aluva.

Ameerul, a migrant labourer from Assam, was arrested on June 16, 50 days after the gruesome murder of the 30-year-old law student which became a major issue in the run-up to the Kerala Assembly election in May.

The woman, hailing from a poor family, was raped and brutally assaulted with sharp weapons, before being murdered at her residence on April 28.

The rape-and-murder case was in focus during the Assembly polls campaigning with the opponents attacking the then UDF regime for the "tardy" progress in the investigation and failure to nab the culprit.

The LDF government, after coming to power in the state on May 25, had changed the constitution of the investigating team and entrusted the probe with ADGP Sandhya at its first Cabinet meeting itself.

Police had said a blood-stained chappal (slipper), found from a canal near the victim's residence, was one of the key pieces of evidence in zeroing in on the accused.

A DNA test conducted on the saliva found from the bite mark on the victim's back, the blood found on the chappal and the lock of her room had confirmed the involvement of only one person in the crime, they had said.

Over 100 police personnel were involved in a "scientific" probe into the incident. They questioned over 1,500 people and went through over 20 lakh telephone call records before zeroing in on the accused.

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Former Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, was today admitted to a hospital here.

Dr T P Lahane, dean of the government-run J J Hospital where Bhujbal is admitted, told PTI that the NCP leader had fever, his blood platelet count was down, and complained of body pain.

When asked if he was showing symptoms of dengue, Dr Lahane said it was yet to be ascertained.

Bhujbal has been lodged in Arthur Road jail in the city since March this year after the ED arrested him in Maharashtra Sadan scam and other cases.

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The number of fatalities due to chikungunya complications has risen to 15 in the national capital as two more deaths were reported today from a hospital in the city which is battling the outbreak of the vector-borne disease.

"Two elderly persons, both aged above 70 and belonging to Delhi, died on September 15 of chikungunya complications at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH). One of them suffered from hypertension while the other had kidney problems," a hospital source said.

The number of deaths from chikungunya complications at SGRH has climbed to seven, the highest at any hospital in the city.

Out of the 15 deaths, Apollo Hospital has reported five, while AIIMS, Hindu Rao Hospital and PSRI recorded one death each.

Gulab Chand Gupta (70) from Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi, died on September 12, a family member yesterday said.

"He was admitted at Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute (PSRI) in south Delhi on September 7 and succumbed to chikungunya complications on September 12. His medical report says he died of acute febrile illness with septic shock and multi-organ failure," his son-in-law Santosh Mangal said.

Chikungunya and dengue have claimed at least 33 lives and affected nearly 3,000 people in Delhi. 18 people have died of dengue which has affected over 1,100 people in the city.

The Centre had yesterday sought a detailed report from the Delhi government on deaths due to it and dengue, including medical history of the deceased.

"We have asked for a detailed report on the deaths due to the vector-borne diseases in the city. Also, we have sought medical history of the deceased, whether they had any co-morbid conditions," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said on the sidelines of a symposium here on liver transplant.

"Many of the patients diagnosed in Delhi are coming from the NCR region and so fever clinics could also be set up there. We are resolving this matter with Haryana and other governments in the NCR," he said.

Nadda had yesterday met Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain to discuss the situation and assured all support to the city government, while asserting that no patient is being turned away without treatment and there is no shortage of doctors and drugs.

The Delhi government has also asked private hospitals not to release data on vector-borne disease cases "directly to the press", which may "create panic".

In the wake of chikungunya outbreak, the Delhi government has initiated the process for declaring chikungunya as a notifiable and dangerous disease.

Doctors say that chikungunya is not a life-threatening disease in general, but in rare cases leads to complications that prove fatal, especially in children and elderly persons.

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A man was arrested for allegedly abducting and selling his 13-month-old nephew from Tronica here, police said today.

Sunil was arrested yesterday for abducting Yash on September 10. The accused is also member of a trafficking racket, which sells babies to childless couples, said SP (Rural) Rakesh Pandey.

"The child was rescued on September 11, within 30 hours of abduction. The child was sold to a confectioner Paras Jain for Rs 7 lakhs," he said, adding the police have already arrested Jain.

The SP said, besides Sunil and Jain, on September 11 Anita Vij, who claimed to be a nurse, was arrested from Partapgunj here. She confessed to stealing and selling babies to childless couples.

We are questioning them to know the extent of the racket and their modus operandi, the SP said.

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The death toll has risen to 28 in the destruction caused by 'Meranti', the world's strongest typhoon this year in China, even as the country braces for yet another powerful typhoon for which an orange alert has been issued, officials said today.

Twenty-eight people were killed and 15 others are still missing when 'Meranti' struck eastern Chinese provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang province two days ago, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

'Meranti', the strongest typhoon this year, made landfall in Xiamen City, Fujian on Thursday, with a maximum 17-grade wind force bringing extraordinary rainstorms.

As many as 18 people died and 11 others were missing in the province, Fujian flood control authorities said today.

The typhoon paralysed several cities in the south of the province, including Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou.

Direct economic losses in Fujian were over 16.9 billion yuan (about USD 2.6 billion).

Ten people died and four remained unaccounted for in neighbouring Zhejiang after the typhoon brought heavy rainfall. More than 902 houses collapsed and over 1.5 million people were affected, Zhejiang provincial flood control headquarters said.

Meanwhile, forecasting authorities today issued an orange alert for waves and storms, as typhoon 'Malakas' moved to the east coast of China.

China has a four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

'Malakas', the 16th typhoon in 2016, has entered the southern part of the East China Sea this afternoon, China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said.

The typhoon is expected to whip up waves from seven to 12 meters-high off Taiwan's east coast, southern and central parts of the East China Sea, and the nearby Diaoyu Islands from today to tomorrow.

Waves up to 4.4 meters-high are also expected in the coastal regions of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, said the Center.

Coastal regions in Fujian and Zhejiang will see storms and rain starting this night, and residents and ships operating in related waters were told to stay clear of those areas, according to the center.

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Flag Officer Commanding- In-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC) Vice Admiral H C S Bisht today lauded the efforts of citizens for taking part in coastal clean up drive at Ramakrishna beach.

The drive was jointly launched by ENC, Coast Guard and various government organisations.

The Vice Admiral also praised Greater Visakhpatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) for initiatives taken to make the city clean and green city.

Themed 'Fighting for Trash Free Seas', the drive aims to educate and inculcate among people the necessity of keeping the beaches clean and of safeguarding environment.

District collector Praveen Kumar and GVMC Commissioner G Harinarayana were also present at the event.

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Secretary of a private residential college in Kendrapara town of Odisha was arrested today on charges of cheating and misappropriating money from students.

Around 60 students and their guardians filed an FIR with the Kendrapara Sadar police station yesterday and alleged the secretary of a local college refused to provide transfer certificates, other documents and money to them after the rented college building was locked by the house owner recently due to non-payment of rent, said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Kendrapara, Purnachandra Pradhan.

"They also alleged that college secretary Umesh Sahoo abused them when they demanded their money back. Acting on the FIR of the students and their parents, we have arrested Sahoo today under sections 420 (cheating), 294 (using obscene language) and 506 (criminal intimation). The case is being investigated," he said.

The arrested person was produced before the Court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) in Kendrapada on Saturday. The court rejected his bail application and remanded him in jail custody, added the police officer.

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Congress today demanded recovery of nearly Rs 854 crore from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi for publishing advertisements on self-promotion, a day after a Central government-appointed committee said the Kejriwal government splurged exchequer's money on the advertisements.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his administration should also be probed by CBI or any other agency for "criminality" in the matter, AICC senior spokesman and Delhi PCC chief Ajay Maken told reporters.

Maken insisted that Lt Governor Najeeb Jung should ensure recovery of the advertisement cost at commercial rate which are issued at thrice the cost of the DAVP (Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity) rate as they were issued for promotion of the ruling AAP and its leaders.

He said the AAP spent Rs 284.67 crore during its regime on advertisements which were published outside Delhi.

"Had the AAP issued these advertisements on non DAVP rates, three times more, the cost of the same would have been more than Rs 850 crore. As per the Order of the Committee, AAP is liable to reimburse the Delhi government a sum of more than Rs 854 crore," he said.

A Central government-appointed committee, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon, in its order yesterday came down heavily on the AAP government, saying it had splurged public funds on advertisements projecting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines and asked the ruling party to reimburse.

The three-member committee had been constituted by the I&B ministry on directions of the Supreme Court to address issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising.

In its order, the panel said that AAP should be made to reimburse the expenditure since the violation of the Supreme Court order of May 13, 2015, has taken place.

Maken, who had approached the Supreme Court and High Court on the issue of ads issued by AAP government in July this year, hailed the committee's order saying it was a "big relief" for the tax payers in Delhi.

"Not only did the AAP government spend money outside Delhi, they also lied about development works in the capital that were advertised in other states," Maken alleged.

Citing CAG report, he said, "No new dispensaries were created in 2015-16 by the government in Delhi. On the AAP government's claim of making dispensaries at lower costs, CAG said they couldn't find files that supported the claim made in the TV ad."



"AAP said it has saved Rs 350 crore in the construction of flyovers. But CAG in its report found that this couldn't be verified," he said.

Maken pointed that according to CAG report over 85 per cent of expenditure for advertisements incurred in one campaign was in areas outside the authority of Delhi.

The money recovered from AAP should be spent on opening dispensaries and hospitals in Delhi as it was the hard-earned money of the taxpayers of the state, he said.

The money if recovered from AAP could be used to open 4,000 new dispensaries and 16 hospitals in Delhi, he said.

"As claimed by AAP, if it costs Rs 20 lakh to make dispensaries, how many could have been made if this money was spent for that. Instead of spending on these advertisements, the Delhi government should spend more on schools and hospitals," he said.

Citing budget figures of Delhi government, Maken said that while Rs 14.5 crore was spent on advertisements during the President's rule in Delhi in 2014-15, it rose to Rs 127.18 crore in 2015-16 when AAP came to power.

Further it has been increased to Rs 207.63 crore in 2016-17, he said adding that Congress will exert "pressure" on the Delhi government for recovering the money from AAP.
The Congress today took a jibe at the ongoing tussle in the "Samajwadi pariwar", saying that despite giving full attention to the "law and order of the family, instead of the state", things (in the family) have gone out of hands.

"The law and order of the state has remained dismal over the last four-and-a-half years as no attention was given to it. How could they (SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan) have taken it seriously when all their concerns were towards their family. But, that too has not been managed well and eventually, the differences have come to the fore," Congress spokesman RPN Singh told a press conference in the presence of another party spokesman Meem Afzal and senior leader Rajiv Shukla.

"The chief minister has said that the tussle is not of the family, but of the government. But, what is the difference? It is the family which is in the government as well," he said.

Referring to the killing of three persons of a particular community at Badaun yesterday, Afzal accused the SP and the BJP of "being involved in vitiating the communal atmosphere" in the state ahead of the 2017 Assembly election.

"Both (SP, BJP) were responsible for the Muzaffarnagar riots before the last Lok Sabha election and they are again trying to pollute the atmosphere of the state ahead of the Assembly polls," he alleged, adding that the BJP wanted to come to power by "instigating riots", although "the people have already rejected it".

Shukla cited the example of Delhi when Sheila Dixit was the chief minister there and claimed that development had taken place wherever the Congress was in power.

Dixit is the Congress' chief ministerial candidate in the Uttar Pradesh polls.

"Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's yatra is gaining the confidence of the people who are supporting it in a big way," Shukla claimed.

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A court here today sentenced a woman and her paramour to five years rigorous imprisonment for abetting the suicide of her husband.

Additional Sessions Judge, Mandi, Pune Ram Paharia also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on Sarita Devi and her paramour Ramkrishan failing which the convicts have to undergo an additional imprisonment of one year.

The victim, identified as Gagnesh, was missing since October 21, 2009 following which his elder brother filed a complaint in Sundernagar police station on October 26.

The deceased' brother alleged that Gagnesh's wife Sarita and her paramour might have committed a crime as they were caught in a compromising situation in a hotel.

Gagnesh's body was later recovered from a reservoir and both them were arrested.

Police also seized objectionable photos and CD from their possessionand filed a charge sheet in the court.

The court said the prosecution had proved that the deceased committed suicide as he was upset due to his wife's extra-marital affair.

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Grappling with rising cases of dengue and chikungunya in the city, Delhi government today said that all hospitals and fever clinics will remain open on Sundays even as it appealed to people not to panic.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said a mass awareness campaign is being launched across the city tomorrow under which people have been asked to devote at least 30 minutes to check if there were stagnant water in their residential complexes and around it, to prevent mosquito-breeding.

"We appeal to people to devote at least half an hour time from their daily life and work towards this campaign. There are 42 lakh households in Delhi, and if all of you cooperate then we can together root out dengue and chikungunya from the city," he said.

At least 15 people have died due to chikungunya complication and 18 have succumbed to dengue this season. Over 1,700 cases of chikungunya have been reported in the national capital while dengue has affected more than 1,100 people.

Delhi government has been under attack from opposition parties for "failing" to check the spread of the two vector-borne diseases.

Jain said, in the meeting yesterday with Union Health Minister J P Nadda, "I had requested him to reserve at least 10 per cent of the beds in Central government-run hospitals like RML, Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge, and they have agreed to it. So, 1,000 additional beds would now be available in hospitals here."



"We appeal to people to not panic. All adequate arrangements are there in all hospitals, run under Delhi government or Centre or MCD," he added.

The minister said prevention is better than cure and if people can "check for stagnation water in flower pots, utensils, tyres and remove them, then sources of mosquito-breding would be removed."



On the issue of helpline for fogging not being answered promptly, "These are MCD helplines for fogging. We will look into the complaints and address the issue," he said.

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Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain today claimed the AAP government has "not violated" any guideline of the Supreme Court on advertisements while he accused the BJP-led MCDs of spending money meant for dengue and chikungunya awareness on "self-glorification".

A three-member panel, constituted by the Centre, yesterday indicted the city government for splurging on advertisements for promoting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP in violation of the apex court guidelines and asked the ruling party to reimburse it.

"The Delhi government has not given advertisements for glorifying its image. The government has not disobeyed any guideline of Supreme Court," Jain said.

The three-member committee, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon, had been constituted by the I&B ministry on directions of Supreme Court to address issues related to Content Regulation in government advertising.

Hitting out at the three municipal corporations on their advertisment spendings, the Minister alleged the civic bodies have put up hoardings having images of mayors and councillors at several places across Delhi but nobody objects to as these hoardings belong to BJP leaders.

"They (MCD)are spending public money for glorifying its image. The money meant for awareness on dengue and chikungunya has been spent on self-glorification," the city Home Minister said.

The Central-government committee had received a complaint from Congress leader Ajay Maken who had accused the AAP government of splurging public money on advertisements.

In its order issued yesterday, the Committee came to the conclusion that "the government of NCT of Delhi has violated guidelines issued by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in six of the nine areas listed by the complainant".

The violations include "outstation advertisements, false/ misleading advertisements, advertisements for self-glorification and to target political opponents, advertisements against media, advertisements mentioning the party in power by name and also advertisements issued on incidents occurring in other states.

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An Egyptian court has upheld a decision to freeze the assets of several prominent human rights campaigners.

Today's ruling by a Cairo court comes amid a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent launched after the 2013 military ouster of an elected Islamist president. Authorities have jailed thousands of people, mainly Islamists but also leading secular and liberal activists.

The five activists named in the court ruling include Gamal Eid and Bahey eldin Hassan, who head two well-known human rights organizations, as well as investigative reporter Hossam Bahgat, also the founder of a rights group.

They face charges of illegally receiving foreign funds and using them to harm national security. They are part of a wider case against rights groups in Egypt. If convicted, they could face up to 25 years in prison.

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Doctors willing to serve in remote parts of Jharkand for three years will get a 15 per cent encouragement allowance, Chief Minister Raghubar Das said today.

Such doctors would also get the choice of posting, he said in official release here.

Das made the announcement at a health programme attended by civil surgeons, other doctors and paramedics at Namkum on the outskirts of Ranchi where he also launched a free medical treatment scheme.

(REOP CES10)



Jharkhand government would also give encouragement



allowance to those auxiliary nurse midwife achieving 90 per cent of their target, the release said.

The chief minister said the health department would introduce 108 ambulances from November this year for better health services.

Directing the health department to implement biometric system for receiving salary by health officials and employees soon, he asked civil surgeons to review works in their respecive districts every month.

Das called for setting up targets for timely completion and said the poor should not face any problem and get all facilities in the hospitals.

Expressing dissatisfaction at the health situation at Godda, Pakur, Chatra, Dhanbad, Lohardaga and Chaibasa, Das called for reduction in the mother and child mortality rate in these districts, the release added.
Identity politics has no place in India where development and economic growth is occupying the centrestage, a senior official from Gujarat has said as he invited US firms to invest across various sectors in the state.

Resident Commissioner of Gujarat in Delhi Bharat Lal, leading a high-level Gujarat delegation to the US and Canada, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ushered in a culture of competitive federalism in the country where states are competing with each other to attract foreign investments and technological expertise.

"The Prime Minister has brought the culture in India that every state has to improve and compete. This is competitive federalism," Lal said during a luncheon here yesterday organised by the US-India Business Council.

Making a passing reference to the political situation in Uttar Pradesh, where tensions surfaced between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav, Lal said identity politics has no place in India where development and economic growth is occupying centrestage.

"It is the era of development politics in the country and the states. The era of identity politics is over and India is moving towards developmental politics," he said.

During the week-long trip, Lal and his delegation visited Chicago, Houston and Washington, inviting company executives, investors and policymakers to the next edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit to be held from January 11 to January 13.

"Vibrant Gujarat is not confined to Gujarat alone. It is now connecting India to the world," Lal said adding that the summit will be a "golden opportunity" for global investors to understand key recent policy reforms like the Goods and Services Tax and the measures being taken in the country to boost economic growth.

He said the summit will be attended by Heads of State and ministerial level delegations and will host platforms like the CEO conclave and Nobel laureates' summit.

Lal showcased Gujarat as an ideal investment destination, with sectors such as agriculture, pharma, defence, petroleum and technology offering tremendous opportunities.

He said the state government has been making consistent investments to improve infrastructure and the state has world-class roads, ports, airports and 24/7 power supply.

Apart from the administration and governance, Gujarat's strategic location makes it an ideal investment destination, he said adding that the state is also focussed on using green technologies across industries.

Later talking to PTI, Lal said companies have been investing in Gujarat and many more are showing keen interest to invest in the state.

"We have seen an overwhelming response among investors and that also puts certain responsibility on us. The expectations are very high and people want to come and invest in our state and in India," he said adding that so far the state has been fulfilling investor expectations, providing guidance and resolving issues.

"This shows that this is a two-way process," he said.

The delegation accompanying Lal comprises senior business executives from Indian companies including Reliance and Invest India.

Lal also made a detailed presentation on the competitive advantage of Gujarat vis-a-vis other states in India and detailed how Gujarat became the leading state in many areas including 'ease of doing business' in terms of - registration of the company, State policies and industry friendly eco-system.

He shared that more than 200 infrastructure projects have been identified by the State Government where there are investment opportunities for the companies.

The state is also keenly focusing on sectors like - Agro & Food Processing, Chemical & Petrochemicals, IT & ITeS, Healthcare and Renewable Energy.
With policy splits among countries putting their bloc under existential threat, national leaders have agreed on a six-month time table to come up with solutions for the multiple crises hobbling their union. But they delivered few concrete commitments on ways to bridge the deep differences.

While not on the agenda, Britain's decision to leave the EU hung over yesterday's meeting, reinforced by the absence of British Prime Minister Theresa May. But the 27 leaders attending talks in the Slovak capital had plenty of other divisive issues to discuss: Migration, a common European defence policy, worrying unemployment and the anaemic state of the economy

In the end, the leaders committed to have a clear roadmap of the way ahead and some practical results when they meet in late March to mark the 60th anniversary of the EU founding Treaty of Rome in the Italian capital.

"Europe can, must move forward, as long as it has clear priorities: protection, security, prosperity and the future of the youth," said French President Francois Hollande in a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel called the current situation in the EU "critical," not only because Britain voted in June to leave the EU, the first ever member to do so.

She noted the migration crisis and economic problems that have fed growing disenchantment with the EU among many member states. Still, she said there was a common willingness to bounce back beyond the many issues that divide and even anger individual EU nations.

EU Council President Donald Tusk agreed, saying the mood in the EU now was "sober but not defeatist."

Still, comments by some leaders as they left the meeting suggested hard work ahead.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the staunchest opponent of liberal EU migration policies, again blamed Germany for refusing to set limits on migrant arrivals under Merkel. Unless Berlin caps arrivals, he said, the flood will continue "because everyone sees ... That there is a place in Europe where the good life can be achieved, where they are welcomed and where their needs are taken care of."

Orban said Hungary should be praised instead of criticised for erecting a razor-wire barrier at its southern borders.

"Our job is to stop at the Hungarian border the negative consequences of the suction effect of German domestic politics," he said.

The refugee emergency has been particularly divisive and Orban has been one of the most abrasive voices as he makes common cause with other countries to the East Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland to oppose solutions coming out of EU headquarters in Brussels.
Amid talk of a Patel-like agitation in the offing in Maharashtra, the state politics is abuzz with the growing response to the protest marches by the Maratha community, prompting the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP chief Sharad Pawar to trade charges.

Fadnavis, in a veiled attack on Pawar, had told a Marathi TV channel that "Maratha leaders not in power any longer" were behind these morchas. He also attacked the NCP chief for a bid to gain "political mileage" from the protest.

"To claim that leaders who were not in power were behind the Maratha community's massive protest is baseless," Pawar said today.

"Maratha youth have taken to the street on their own, without any specific leader's intervention," he said.

"The morchas are indication of the growing dissent against the BJP-led government in Maharashtra," Pawar said, adding the government should take decision on the demand of reservations for the Maratha community soon.

BJP Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar said Fadnavis had "opened doors of talks" with the community leaders, and Pawar should not meddle in this issue.

Rajya Sabha member Sambhaji Raje, a descendant of King Shivaji, said the Chief Minister should resolve the Maratha morcha issue by keeping the political leaders away from talks.

Meanwhile, a Maratha morcha held at Hingoli in Marathwada region today evoked good response.

What started as a protest over the brutal gangrape and murder of a minor girl in Ahmednagar district's Kopardi village has metamorphosed into a platform to push for the long pending quota demand of the community.

The girl belonged to the Maratha community and the



accused were dalits.

Some leaders of Maratha community are also raising demand for amendments to the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

An interesting aspect of these morchas is that they are not led by any political leaders or a party.

Maratha community has been the dominant player in the Maharashtra politics since the state's formation, and controls education institutes, sugar factories and the cooperative sector.

Lakhs attended the community's 'silent march' in Ahmednagar and the numbers kept increasing in subsequent morchas in Aurangabad, Osmanabad, Jalgaon and Beed. A grand morcha has been planned in Mumbai.
Scientists have discovered a faulty gene linked to the to cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, which may provide a new target in the fight against depression.

A team led by the University of Adelaide in Australia has reviewed and attempted to replicate the findings of the growing body of research showing the types of genes expressed in the brain and surrounding tissues during depression.

The findings support multiple theories of the underlying genetic causes of depression, and have highlighted one gene that until now has gone under the radar in relation to mood disorders.

"Depression is much more complex than most people think, and it includes dysfunction at multiple biological levels, from genes to brain regions, and blood circulating through the body," said lead author Bernhard Baune, Professor from the University of Adelaide.

"The state of depression can also change over time, it goes through various phases and it may present with a large range of symptoms," added Baune.

"In those circumstances, it should not be surprising that while there's a growing body of research investigating the underlying genetics of depression, so far there have been inconsistent findings in various studies throughout the world," said Baune.

The team examined and re-analysed in a novel way research covering 16 brain regions and five cell types from the peripheral nervous system.

Across the body of work, they identified 57 differently expressed genes in the brain and 21 in the peripheral tissues.

"What we saw was overlap in genetic expression between the brain and peripheral tissues that strongly implicated a link between depression and cardiovascular disease," Baune said.

"Out of this, we identified the gene PXMP2 as a potential candidate for further investigation," said Baune.

PXMP2 plays a role in the permeability of microbodies called peroxisomes, which break down fatty acids in the body and convert them to energy.

"PXMP2 is robustly expressed during depression. However, to the best of our knowledge, neither this faulty gene in particular nor its related functions in metabolism have ever been investigated in relation to mood disorders of any kind," Professor Baune says.

"With the shared pathways between cardiovascular disorders and depression, we suggest that faulty regulation of the PXMP2 gene may play a role in depressive disorders via specific metabolic pathways."



Professor Baune says he doubts that one single gene has the biggest role to play.

"Our research on genetic networks also showed support for the wide range of theories that different genes may play a role in depression, including those involved in regulation of serotonin, melatonin and the immune system, among many others. Even so, PXMP2 represents a very strong, new target for future research programs," he says.

The findings appear in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Iraqi police and army had decked out the checkpoints with plastic flowers to welcome the first returning Fallujah residents following the city's recapture from jihadists in June.

"Today feels like a rebirth," said Fawaz al-Kobaisi, whose family was among today's first batch of Fallujah returnees.

His old white sedan was still parked outside the front door when he entered his compound for the first time in a year, its windows shattered and wheels almost disappearing in yellow uncut grass.

The 70-year-old's family left in the early days of jihadist rule over Fallujah, before the Islamic State group even launched its broad June 2014 offensive across Iraq.

"Daesh (IS) fighters stayed in that building just here," he said, with still a hint of dread in his eyes as he pointed to a tall house just across the street.

"I lived alone here for more than a year, it was scary... Eventually I had to leave last year. I just locked these two doors and left the house to God," he said.

Some household items were broken or missing but all the furniture was still there, the bed in the main bedroom was still made and the coffee service in the living room neatly stacked away.

The worst damage to the house was broken windows -- presumably shattered by the blast of nearby explosions -- and Umm Ahmed, Kobaisi's wife, was eager to start cleaning the minute she walked in.

"It's the best day of my life," she said with a broad toothless grin. "This is nothing, all objects can be repaired or replaced."



"Our Fallujah will not remain empty, you'll see, within a week life will be back to normal," the old woman said.

That may be an optimistic forecast however, since only a handful of neighbourhoods in the city, which lies 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, have been cleared for residents to return.

In a highly choreographed event where dozens of local officials jostled for position in front of the cameras, the first group who returned today only to northern neighbourhoods.

Those were relatively spared during the weeks-long operation that saw security forces retake the city in June but southern Fallujah saw far more destruction and still needs to be cleared of explosive devices.

"It's safe here, the children can play in the street," said an army colonel who would not give his name, as his men used spray paint on the wall of a returning family's house to mark it as safe.

"We have already searched every house and every street around here but we do it again in front of them to reassure them and encourage them," he said.

Only 14 families returned today, a number drastically short of the hundreds promised by the authorities.

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A first semester student of MFA course at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) here allegedly committed suicide in the wee hours today, police said.

Nelli Praveen Kumar, a student of Department of Fine Arts, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, was found hanging in his hostel room, Joint Commissioner of Police (Cyberabad West) M Stephen Ravindra told PTI.

"Reasons are not known...No suicide note was found," he said, adding, some students took him to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

According to UoH officials, at about 4.15 AM Praveen's roommate, also his classmate, returned from his painting studio and found the room latched from inside.

When Praveen did not open the door despite several knocks, his roommate alerted other students in the hostel. They managed to open the latch through the ventilator and found him hanging from the ceiling, they said.

Praveen was immediately shifted to the University Health Centre and after preliminary examination by the Medical Officer, he was rushed to a private hospital along with the Medical Officer.

Doctors at the hospital, after examining him, declared him dead. His brother reached the hospital and his body was later moved to Osmania General hospital by police, UoH officials said.

Police said Praveen hailed from Shadnagar town of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana and his parents have been informed about the incident.

UoH Pro Vice-Chancellor Vipin Srivastava said Praveen was admitted to MFA course around one and half month ago.

Police is investigating the matter. University officials and faculty members are in touch with his close friends and family, he said.

The University condoled the untimely death of Kumar and the Department of Fine Arts held a condolence meeting this morning.

PhD research scholar Rohit Vemula had allegedly committed suicide on January 17 in a hostel room on the campus. He was among five research scholars who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and one of the accused in the case of assault on an ABVP student leader. The suspension was revoked later.

His suicide had triggered a political storm with opposition parties launching an attack on the Union Government amid allegations that the action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students after Bandaru Dattatreya had written a letter to the then Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani seeking action against their "anti-national acts.

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A first-year student of MFA course at University of Hyderabad (UoH) here allegedly committed suicide today, police said.

Praveen Kumar allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his hostel room, Joint Commissioner of Police (Cyberabad West) M Stephen Ravindra told PTI.

"Reasons are not known...No suicide note was found," he said adding some students took him to hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Police said Praveen hailed from Shadnagar town of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana and his parents have been informed about the incident.

UoH Pro Vice-Chancellor Vipin Srivastava said Praveen had got admitted to Master of Fine Arts course around one and half months ago.

"The police is gathering more information... Body has been shifted to a hospital," he said. Further probe is on.

Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula was found hanging in the hostel room of the Central university on January 17 resulting in hunger strikes, demonstrations and unrest there for months together.

The 26-year-old was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on an ABVP student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. The suspension was revoked later.

The alleged suicide had triggered a huge political storm with Opposition parties launching a massive attack on the Union Government over the issue amid allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students after Bandaru Dattatreya had written a letter to the then Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani seeking action against their "anti-national acts".

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Two fishermen are still missing after a fishing boat sank off Mumbai coast early today, the Indian Coast Guard said here.

Fishing Boat 'Dutta Sai' from Mumbai with 16 crew members on board sank about 30 nautical miles West of Mumbai at around 4 AM due to bad weather and rough sea, it said.

Fourteen of the crew were rescued in the morning by the merchant ship MV Dependable, which was in the vicinity.

Coast Guard ship Samudra Prahari was sent to the area and a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft was launched from Daman to search for the remaining two fishermen who were yet to be found, according to the release.

ICGS Samudra Prahari took over all the rescued fishermen from MV Dependable, provided them first aid and food. Their condition was reported to be stable, it said.

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The Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) today opened its doors for common people to inform them about various aspects of filmmaking.

The premiere institute launched the two-day long open day aimed at letting people know the process of making films. On the first day, as many as 2,200 citizens paid visit to the premier institute.

"In conducted tours where the institute's staff and teachers volunteered to play tour guides, the visitors were taken to the landmarks such as Prabhat Studio, editing and sound departments, TV studios and production control room (PCR)," an official release said.

"Citizens, who came from all the sections of the society, were thrilled with the emotion of entering the hallowed precincts of Prabhat Studios and watching old lights, cranes, cameras (Mitchell camera, which were used during 1930s and are still functional, and ultramodern digital cameras) and other equipments," it added.

Common people were equally thrilled by the newly-discovered cavern used to record chorus in the early days of Prabhat Studios.

"One of the most rewarding experience was visit to Prabhat Museum where the costumes, jewellery, weapons and other artifacts used in the Prabhat films have been preserved carefully and displayed artistically," it said.

Bhupendra Kainthola, director at FTII said that the visitors also responded to the sale of LENSIGHT, the Institute's prestigious academic journal and old books on technical and non-technical subjects.

"Over 2,200 people, right from school children, retired, youngsters and from all walks of life, thronged to the institute and on its first day, FTII received overwhelming response and we expect more turnout on Sunday," he said.

He said this is for the first time, the institute has hosted a 'public day'.

The open day continues on Sunday as well and visitors will be accommodated in batches that will begin at 10 am, 10.30 am, 11 am, 11.30 am, 12 noon, 2 pm, 2.30 pm, 3 pm, 3.30 pm and 4 pm.

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Area school officials say there are positives and challenges that come with using the ACT as a new statewide assessment.

The Nebraska Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that requires all public school juniors to take a college admission test by 2017, and the State Board of Education decided earlier this month to use the ACT, which replaces the NeSA exam beginning this school year.

Many 11th-grade students in the state are already taking the ACT. Statewide, about 88 percent of Nebraskas 2016 high school graduates took the exam.

ACT scores are used for college admission and scholarships. Because of that, administrators said there could be more of an incentive for students to perform better on the test.

That is the test they are motivated to do well on. There is some importance to that in college admittance, said Steve Borer, principal at Lakeview High School.

Other state testing gauges a schools performance, but has no bearing on grades, which has some officials believing students may perform poorly on assessments because they see little value in the tests.

Borer thinks there will be more self-motivation when the ACT testing begins in the spring. He also knows there will be some hurdles to clear, such as providing accommodations for special education students and determining where the testing will occur and in what format.

Lakeview typically has 55-60 percent of its students take the ACT each year. That testing is completed at another site while NeSA exams are administered at the schools.

Steve Woodside, principal at Columbus High School, said he views the change in testing for juniors as a good move, but he also has some concerns.

He said the ACT, which tests students in math, reading, English, science and now writing, has traditionally been the only timed exam.

Thats different than what some students are used to, he said.

CHS has tested all of its juniors using the ACT exam since it joined a pilot program four years ago to help determine whether the NeSA tests should be replaced by the college entrance exam.

The ACT tests college readiness, but not all high school students plan on going to college and may never consider taking the test.

Woodside said the exam has benefits, even for those who arent going on to a post-secondary education, because it also tests skills that are necessary for entry-level employment.

At Schuyler Central High School, 40-50 percent of juniors typically take the ACT each year, according to Dave Gibbons, director of curriculum and assessment. He has some questions moving forward with testing all 11th-graders.

My concern is what kind of accommodations we will be able to give to students. We have a lot of students who are new to the English language. We used to be able to give them a test in Spanish. Can we still give assessments in native languages? he said.

Under the one-year, $1.034 million contract with ACT to provide the testing beginning this spring, schools can choose whether to administer the test online or with paper and pencil.

The state will pay for the cost of each exam. Students who choose to take the ACT again will have to pay the $47 fee.

A positive Gibbons sees is schools will be able to focus on helping students perform well on a single state test.

Its going to be a challenge, we know that, but the good thing about it is it gives us one target to aim for. Weve spent so much time the last few years at the high school level worrying about the ACT, state tests and other things, Gibbons said.

The Lincoln Journal Star contributed to this story.
The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a status report on the stipulation of guideline and market value as on January 1, 2016 for determining the compensation amount for lands acquired for a gas pipeline project of Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) as directed by the Supreme Court.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan, gave the direction yesterday on a PIL filed by one G Mutharasi, seeking implementation of the project, which had met with a stiff opposition from the farmers.

When the matter came up for hearing, GAIL's counsel submitted the February 2 Supreme Court order, allowing the state government to stipulate the circle rates or guideline value and the market value to determine the compensation amount for the land acquired.

The litigation over acquisition of land by GAIL for the project between Kochi-Kootanad-Mangaluru-Bengaluru went up to the apex court as farmers were against acquisition of their land.

The Supreme Court, while upholding the project, had confirmed that the land owners were entitled to an additional 30 per cent of the amount determined towards compensation.

GAIL submitted that the state government had not specified the rates even after the apex court's order.

The Government Pleader (GP) sought time to place the status report.

The petitioner submitted that natural gas was the cheapest fuel to produce electricity and the power supply position in Tamil Nadu would deteriorate if the project was not implemented.

He prayed for a direction to implement the project.

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Gearing up to participate in the next years Vibrant Gujarat Summit as a partner country, the US India Business Council has termed Gujarat as India's "growth engine".

"The state of Gujarat is one of the leading states in India for industries and is recognised as India's growth engine," USIBC president Mukesh Aghi yesterday said in an interaction with a delegation of senior official and business leaders from Gujarat.

"Vibrant Gujarat Summit is one of the most notable efforts in India's attempts to place itself as the topmost investment destination," he said, adding that USIBC is delighted to partner with the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

Aghi said the summit is also timely as it will be held during a critical phase of the GST roll-out.

Led by Bharat Lal, Resident Commissioner of Gujarat, the Gujarat delegation concluded its multi-city roadshow in the US.

The multi-city industry roundtables aim to provide an opportunity for the delegation to present Gujarat as the leading investment destination in India.

USIBC organised industry receptions and roundtables in Houston, Chicago, New York, Washington DC and Menlo Park, providing an opportunity for the delegation to meet over 100 top US companies across industries, including healthcare, food and agriculture, defence, logistics and infrastructure.

Some of the companies in attendance during the roadshow included MasterCard, UST Global, JP Morgan, Thompson Reuter, Abbott, Aemetis, Lockheed Martin, Cisco and Welspun.

As part of the roadshow, the Council also hosted a roundtable with Ajay Pandey, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT).

GIFT is being developed as a global financial and IT services hub, a first of its kind in India, designed to be at or above par with globally benchmarked financial centers.

Pandey discussed the International Financial Services Centre in GIFT and the benefits to the entities setting up operations in these cities that include the Minimum Alternative Tax, reduced from 18.5 per cent to nine per cent, the Security Transaction Tax (STT), Commodity Transaction Tax (CTT) and Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) waived off, a media release said.

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The Madras High Court has declined to grant advance bail to a woman who allegedly abducted his 29-year-old mentally challenged man and remarried him after her father-in-law bequeathed vast properties in his name.

Justice S Vaidyanathan who declined to grant bail to Priyadharshini, who re-married Manoj Rajan, and sister and father of Priyadarshini, in his order yesterday had also directed the Bar Council of India and Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to inquire about the legal studies of two advocates who were arrayed in the case.

Justice P N Prakash had earlier ordered to inquire into the entire episode of abduction of Manoj Rajan and his re-marriage with Priyadarshini and also transferred the Investigation from Gudalur Police to CB CID.

Apprehending arrest, the three had moved the Court seeking anticipatory bail.

The Judge after narrating the entire case details in his order said "the case of the prosecution is that the victim who is mentally retarded was made to suffer at the hands of the accused persons."



"Priyadarshiuni in order to grab the entire property of Manoj Rajan, along with other accused went to the Charity Home in Gudular and by stating that they will take Manoj Rajan for a walk, abducted him on May 4. On coming to know the abduction of Manoj Rajan, the caretaker N Ananthan as well as the Charity Home people lodged a complaint before the Gudalur police and the same was pending in the inquiry stage"



Thereafter, Ananthan filed a petition and the Court in its order of August 2, issued specific directions to the concerned authorities and transferred the investigation from the Gudalur police to CBCID.

In the meantime Priyadarshin had re-married Manoj Rajan before the Sub Registrar, Royapuram, Chennai for the purpose of swindling his properties.

After the alleged marriage, she had also transferred some of the properties of Manoj Rajan in the name of third parties and huge amount was said to have been received by her.

"The drama of second marriage and clandestine transfer of properties have taken place with the connivance of the two Advocates(A5 and A6.) In view of the above, this Court is of the opinion that custodial interrogation of the petitioners herein along with other accused is mandatory. Hence, this Criminal Original Petition seeking anticipatory bail is dismissed as devoid of merits", the judge said and posted the case for further case to another date.

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The Himachal Pradesh High Court today issued notice on a petition filed by students who have been allegedly denied admission by a medical college.

A division bench of the court comprising Justices Dharam Chand Chaudhary and Chander Bhusan Barowalia also directed the respondents-- the state government, Union Health Secretary, Maharshi Markendeshwar Medical College (MMMC), Kumarhatti (Solan) and Medical Council of India (MCI) to file their reply by September 20.

The students alleged that the college had not given admission to them as per the merit list prepared through centralised counselling on the basis of NEET merit and pleaded that the matter be resolved as classes in other medical colleges have already started.

The MMMC, which had requested the government to hike the fee for 50 per cent of the seats under government, allegedly had refusedadmission to the students who reached the college on September 8 after centralised counselling was over and merit list was sent to the college, but the MMMC authorities "shunned" the MBBS aspirants, leaving them in a lurch.

The government had already fixed a very high fee of Rs 5 lakh per annum for government quota seats, which is almost ten time more the fee in government medical colleges, it was stated.

The government turned down the request of the college for hike in fee on the ground that it was not possible after publication of the prospectus and asked the college to immediately start admissions or face action.

The MMMC is affiliated to Maharshi Markendeshwar University as a "consequent" college of the university.

The government, however, has made it clear in the essentiality certificate that the college would be affiliated to Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), but MMMC is yet to take action.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong today to protest a violent crackdown on protestors during tense clashes this week in the rebel Chinese village of Wukan.

The 13,000-strong fishing village in southern Guangdong province became a symbol of resistance against corruption in 2011 after a mass uprising over land grabs propelled it onto global front pages and led to landmark elections.

Wukan was back in the headlines after Lin Zulian, who played a key role in the 2011 protests, was detained in June and sentenced to three years in prison last week, triggering protests.

Chinese authorities on Tuesday said they had detained 13 residents for "disturbing public order", which set off a fresh round of protests.

Bloodied villagers threw bricks and stones at riot police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, according to local media reports.

Law enforcement officers were "hitting the villagers, even the old", wrote one resident, Zou Shaobing, on a micro-blog.

It is important for Hong Kong to show solidarity for Wukan, organisers said of the virgil, which was staged just outside China's representative office in the city.

"Today we have Wukan, tomorrow this sort of violence may occur in Hong Kong," lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki told the 100-strong crowd, who chanted "release Lin Zulian and all Wukan villagers".

Veteran pro-democracy protester Lee Cheuk-yan said the violence deployed in Wukan was not so different from the crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Hundreds - by some estimates more than a thousand - died after the Communist Party sent tanks to crush demonstrations in the square in the heart of the nation's capital, where student-led protesters had staged a peaceful seven-week sit-in to demand democratic reforms.

"This Wukan incident serves as a reminder to our youth that China's nature has not changed," Lee told the crowd, as people tied black ribbons to the metal fences surrounding the Chinese liaison office.

"We are coming out because we are worried," office clerk Jade Lee, 53, told AFP.

Hong Kong was returned from Britain to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal that guaranteed its freedoms for 50 years, but there are fears those liberties are being eroded.

The city saw mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014, which failed to win concessions on political reform, leading to the emergence of a slew of new parties and figures demanding greater autonomy from Beijing.

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A video clip of AAP MP Bhagwant Mann was posted on micro-blogging site Twitter in which he claimed that he was "on leave" for personal engagements and asked the supporters not to believe the rumour being spread by other political parties.

With opposition parties taking a swipe at AAP for the "missing" Sangrur MP, Mann, in the video clip said, "Rumours are being spread that I am upset with my party and I have gone missing.

"After the rally at Baghapuarana in Moga, I took leave for personal work. That is why there is no activity on my Facebook or in other part of Punjab for the last two days," he said.

"It is a complete lie that I am upset or I am seeking something or I may be thrown out (of the party). Do not believe these lies. I will soon be active and will disclose my programme about rallies," Mann said in the video.

Notably, questions are being raised after Mann remained absent from the political conference organised by AAP at Chhapaar Mela in Ludhiana yesterday.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal described AAP as a "bunch of unprincipled leaders" and said the party will "vanish" from the political arena of the state before the assembly polls next year in the wake of the ongoing "tug of war" within the outfit.

Taking a jibe at Mann, he said if the need rises, the government will trace the Lok Sabha MP as it is the duty of every government to trace "missing persons".

Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh on a question about Mann said he had no idea about his (Mann's) intentions and whereabouts.

"However, I must say that there is strong sense of introspection among the Punjabi AAP leaders, who are the sons of the soil, about they being ruled over and exploited by the others and they are duly standing up against it and may be Bhagwant Mann is also feeling the same way," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Making a strong anti-terror pitch at the NAM Summit here, India today asserted that "concrete action" was needed in the fight against terrorism and asked the 120-nation group to set up a mechanism to ensure effective cooperation in combating the menace.

Vice President Hamid Ansari, who is leading the Indian delegation at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said terrorism is one of the "most egregious sources of human right violations today" and its use as an instrument of state policy is to be unequivocally condemned.

The time has come "for our movement to recognise the need for concrete action in the fight against terrorism", Ansari said while addressing the plenary meeting of the bloc.

"We need to establish a mechanism within our movement that will ensure effective cooperation in combating terrorism, that is the main threat to security, sovereignty and development," he said.

Ansari's remarks came against the backdrop of India raising its concerns at various international fora over Pakistan's support to cross-border terrorism. Prime Minister Modi had made clear references to Pakistan's support to terrorism without naming it at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, at a BRICS meeting in Hangzhou and at the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Lao PDR.

Describing terrorism as the "biggest threat" to international peace and to the sovereignty of states, Ansari asserted that no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians as a means to achieve a political goal or change of policies.

He stated that terrorism has become a major impediment to development.

"It is therefore imperative for the Non-Aligned Movement to galvanise the international community to strengthen the international legal framework to address this menace, including by adopting the draft Comprehensive UN Convention on Terrorism, to ensure the closest cooperation amongst the international community to counter the scourge of terror," he said.

"We must also ensure that all existing structures that are the building blocks of UN's Global Counter Terrorism Strategy function in a non-partisan and professional manner," Ansari said.

Earlier, during NAM's Foreign Ministers' meeting, Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar had also called on NAM to set up a "working group on terrorism" to safeguard world peace, stability and prosperity.

"Governments which think they can pay lip service to sanity at a NAM summit, and continue to arm, shelter and exploit terrorists in a war by other means, when they return home will learn that you cannot sip on poison and hope to live," Akbar had said in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Ansari, in his address, also strongly flagged the issue of



UN reforms.

"Today we need to ask whether an organisation designed in 1945 with just 51 member states, is really appropriate to serve the needs of an international community that now comprises 193 independent sovereign states facing 21st century challenges to their citizens' well-being and security," he said.

World leaders at their Summit at the UN in 2005 had called for urgent reform of the Security Council as part of the effort to make the United Nations fit for the 21st century. The Inter-governmental Negotiations process currently underway in the UN General Assembly seeks to fulfil that mandate.

"We must use the forthcoming 71st UNGA to ensure that our discussions in the IGN move forward," Ansari said.

Noting that the global landscape has changed since 1961, when NAM was formed, Ansari stressed that the values and principles on which the foundations of the movement, namely "respect for sovereignty", "peaceful settlement of disputes" and "international cooperation" -- are as relevant today as they were at the time of the first summit.

"Our theme for the next three years -- Peace, Sovereignty and Solidarity for Development -- is in congruence with our founding principles," he said.

Sustainable Development Goals in the Agenda 2030 which, if implemented successfully, will transform the lives of all citizens, the Vice President said.

He said it would be a reaffirmation of the commitment as a movement to ensure the dignity and development of all humankind.

Noting that NAM has stood steadfastly in the forefront by highlighting global economic issues that affect the developing world, he said the member states must ensure wholehearted and holistic implementation of the SDGs and remain attentive to any effort to modify or distort Agenda 2030 by laying overemphasis on particular SDGs over others, or by trying to create a standard of measurement that could be intrusive and has no relationship to contexts.

Describing sustainable development as the bedrock and the highest aspiration of NAM countries' efforts, Ansari emphasised on the importance of solidarity that the movement attaches to achieving it.

Asserting that peace and sovereignty are a prerequisite for development, the Vice President said a peaceful global environment is essential for development and for development cooperation.

"Such cooperation must be undertaken in exercise of the sovereign will of each member of the community of nations. The interdependence of the three is thus evident and essential. The impediments to each must also be discerned clearly," he said.

Concluding his address, Ansari said as the largest peace movement of the world, NAM must be in the vanguard of the principal international debates on political, strategic and even economic and social issues.

He hoped that one of the priorities of NAM will be to modernise the manner in which it functions.

"We began a discussion on this at the Cartagena Summit in 1995; this discussion must continue and fructify so that NAM may achieve its full potential," Ansari said.

(REOPENS FGN2)



Earlier yesterday, crisis-hit Venezuela assumed NAM's presidency as leaders of the 120-nation group, including Ansari, began deliberations on contemporary issues like UN reform and terrorism with the bloc seeking relevance in the post-Cold War world.

Venezuela, an OPEC member and home to one of the world's largest oil reserves, assumed the movement's rotating presidency from Iran which had hosted the bloc's summit in 2012.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, while opening the 17th meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), said the member countries have the opportunity to discuss the concerns and the developments at the bilateral and international level.

During the past four years under Iran's presidency NAM was involved in many activities at the UN. There have been meetings on disarmament, maintaining peace and human rights and several rounds of negotiations were held with the north countries, Rouhani noted.

"This summit is convening at a time when peace is being threatened in all its aspects across the world and the sovereignty of developing states is being constantly violated in various forms and methods. Members of our movement, more than any other time, are in need of solidarity, unity and coordination," he asserted.

"What unfolds in the contemporary international order, is worrying if we adopt a realistic perspective. In today's global relations, hegemonic and domineering inclinations are incontrovertible reality. Alignment towards military polarisations and blocks is another dominant feature in the mentality and behaviours of some of the players," he said.

Arms race, warmongering, intensification of conflicts and violence and interfering in the domestic affairs of developing nations by the holders of power and wealth, overtly or covertly, are only examples of such behaviour which cannot be interpreted unless with the logic of hegemony-seeking and predominance, the Iranian President said.

Talking about the situation in Iraq and Syria, Rouhani said Iran was the first country which warned against the global danger of "Takfiri terrorism" in Syria.

"While a number of irresponsible groups in the Middle East and the West were busy equipping and training Takfiri terrorists, Iran stood against Iraq and Syria to confront alone with one of the most brutal terrorist organisations of history," he said.

NAM countries should not pin their hopes on big powers to achieve development and growth, he asserted.

The "zionest regime" is trying to exploit the situation in the Middle East, the Iranian President said, adding that Iran supports the cause of the Palestinians.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accepted the presidency and vowed to strengthen the bloc. He said Iran's presidency of the movement had given a "new dynamism" to the movement.

The summit in Venezuela comes amid anti-government protests in the South American country. A number of people were arrested there earlier this month after President Maduro was greeted by pot-banging demonstrators during a visit to the Margarita island.
An elusive Indian-origin man wanted in more than 30 cases of alleged car fraud and theft in South Africa has been arrested.

Muhammad Ismail Essack, 37, landed in the police net after his latest fraud when he hired a luxury car from a rental company at the OR Tambo International Airport here and sold the vehicle worth half a million rand (USD 35,245) to a man for just 45,000 rand (USD 3,172).

Police said Essack told the buyer that he was emigrating and needed to sell the vehicle urgently.

Already wanted in 32 cases of fraud and theft, he handed himself over to the police in the presence of his lawyer as detectives closed in on him.

Police spokesman Vuyisile Ngesi said the latest charge would be added to the 32 cases which have already been centralised into one investigation by the police.

Essack was remanded in custody till September 22.

Police would also probe allegations that Essack managed to evade the law for so long after colluding with officials, a source said.

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An unidentified person threw ink at Union Health Minister at All Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal, amid protest by students over poor facilities at the institute.

Ink was thrown at the Minister at the entrance of the when he was in his car leaving the institute, surrounded by protesting students amid and rains and chaos.

Few drops of ink fell on the Minister's kurta.

An official of Bhopal, on the condition of anonymity, said it is so far not known who threw the ink.

He said the police have started investigating the matter.

Students had gathered to lodge protest over poor facilities at the when Nadda was at the premier medical college to dedicate a number of facilities.

A third year student Rishi Prem claimed two of the protesting students, Ijya Pandey and Anjali Krishna, sustained injuries as the Minister's vehicle made a forced exit.

"No student of AIIMS college threw ink at Nadda. We protested silently against lack of infrastructure at AIIMS where no surgery has taken place yet," Prem, a student who hails from Kerala, claimed.

"We just wanted to talk to the Minister for improving AIIMS. We don't have even minimum facilities at the institute required for treating patients and learning. There is no permanent director at AIIMS," Prem added.

Director, AIIMS-Raipur, who is also acting in-charge of the facility, Dr Nitin Nagarkar, was not available for comments despite repeated calls.

The AIIMS source declined to comment on the condition of the two students who were injured.
The Navy has agreed to hand over INS Viraat to Andhra Pradesh government after its decommissioning and the aircraft carrier will berth on the coast here by mid-2017, Flag Officer Commanding-In-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Vice-Admiral H C S Bisht said today.

The AP government had shown a keen interest in getting INS Viraat, the oldest aircraft carrier operated by Indian Navy, to berth in Vizag for promotion of tourism after its decommissioning, he said.

He was speaking to reporters after taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup Day at R K Beach here today.

Viraat is likely to be decommissioned by end of 2016 after 55 years of service, including 27 years with the Royal Navy (British Navy), he said.

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LINCOLN  Without any fanfare or discussion Friday, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved a 6.3 percent salary increase for Hank Bounds, now in his second year leading the university system.

Bounds contract extends through 2020. He'll earn $510,400 this academic year, with an additional $20,000 coming through private funds. Regents set his salary at $480,000 when he was hired in early 2015.

A study by the Chronicle of Higher Education found the average salary of a public university president was $428,000 last year, while a look at the growth in base salary for senior leaders at public institutions by Inside Higher Ed shows they have outpaced those at private colleges in the past two years.

Attracting and retaining top talent is a goal of NU, said Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, and that can come with a price.

I dont look at it as an arms race necessarily, he said. We think the work Hank has done is exceptional, and hes provided tremendous leadership. We have to retain that top talent.

Studied against Bounds immediate predecessor, J.B. Milliken, the case could be made that NU is taking part in that arms race.

Milliken earned $431,276 annually in his last year leading NU, but when he left for City University of New York, his salary jumped 55 percent to a yearly $670,000, nearly $90,000 more than the previous CUNY chancellor.

In a similar vein, when Central Michigan University President George Ross dropped out of the NU presidents search in the final weeks to stay in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, he got a 15.9 percent salary bump from the universitys Board of Trustees.

Governing boards for colleges and universities around the country have demonstrated they are willing to pay for top leaders.

University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen, who started in May 2015, receives a base salary of $600,000 with a potential performance bonus of $100,000, while his predecessor Robert A. Easter received a total compensation of $478,892.

Among the seven university systems NU compares itself to -- a separate array from the individual campuses -- including the Illinois system, Bounds salary falls below the midpoint.

 Texas A&M University system Chancellor John Sharp recently got a pay increase that puts his base salary at a reported $900,000, with his total compensation package totaling $1.1 million.

 University of Oregon system President Michael Schill, a former University of Chicago law dean who started in July 2015, makes $660,000.

 University of Tennessee head Joe DiPietro in 2015 received a base pay increase to $488,899 with a contract extension that includes an annual 5 percent increase that will grow to $565,962 in 2018.

 University of Wisconsin President Ray Cross, whose salary was $227,250 when he led the universitys colleges and extension efforts, now makes $525,000 leading the system.

 University of Missouris Interim President Michael Middleton, who was appointed to lead the system after Timothy M. Wolfe resigned late last year, receives the same base salary as his predecessor of $477,544.

 University of Colorado President Bruce D. Benson, an oil magnate whose company made him a millionaire before he joined academia, has declined a pay raise every year since he was hired in 2008, leaving his salary at $359,000.

The array of comparable university systems is an important factor to consider, as are the accomplishments of other senior leaders across the country, said Regent Jim Pillen of Columbus.

I believe when you really assess presidents of great universities across the country, (Bounds) is in that market, Pillen said. You could look back and say gee whiz we brought Hank on board and paid him significantly less than what market would be.

So while the 6.3 percent pay hike regents gave the NU president on Friday sounds like a lot, Pillen said Bounds has demonstrated the data-driven, accountability style of leadership they sought to lead the university -- thats something they want to keep at NU.

Wed be foolish to sit here and think Hank didnt get calls, Pillen said.

Clare said as part of the strategic framework the Board of Regents operates under, keeping quality faculty, staff and administrators is a top priority.

So is keeping tuition low and ensuring access to NU, providing new research opportunities for faculty and students, and making sure what the university is doing is benefiting Nebraskas economy.

We work it all together and this is what weve determined is necessary, Clare said.
A young Iraqi woman who survived rape and abuse as a sex slave of Islamic State fighters has become a UN goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.

Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a 23-year-old Yazidi woman, yesterday called for justice for the victims of the jihadist group and argued that the 2014 attack on the Yazidis should be recognised as a genocide.

Murad was taken from her home village of Kocho near Iraq's northern town of Sinjar in August 2014 and brought to IS-controlled Mosul, where she was gang-raped, and bought and sold many times.

"I was used in the way that they wanted to use me. I was not alone," Murad said during a ceremony held at UN headquarters.

"Perhaps I was the lucky one. As time passed, I found a way to escape where thousands others could not. They are still captive."



Her voice trembling, Murad called for the release of some 3,200 Yazidi women and girls still being held as sex slaves by IS fighters and for the captors to face justice.

"My real fear is that once ISIS is defeated, ISIS militants, ISIS terrorists will just shave off their beards and walk the streets of the cities as if nothing as happened," she said.

"We cannot let this happen."



Murad said her hope was that one day, Yazidi victims will be able to look "our abusers in the eye before a court in The Hague and tell the world what they have done to us, so that our community can heal."



As a goodwill ambassador, Murad will focus on raising awareness of the plight of victims of trafficking of persons, especially refugees, women and girls.

She is represented by international lawyer Amal Clooney, who said the Islamic State group must be held accountable for grave crimes.

"We know that what we have before us is genocide, and we know that it is still ongoing," said Clooney.

"I am ashamed as a human being that we ignore their cries for help," said Clooney, drawing applause.

As world leaders converge on the United Nations next week for the annual General Assembly debate, Iraq and Britain will on Monday launch a campaign to push for accountability for crimes committed by IS.

Murad and Clooney are due to attend that event along with Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

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Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system destroyed a rocket fired from Syria at the Israeli-held zone of the Golan Heights today in an apparent uptick in tension between the uneasy neighbours.

"A projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence system. No injuries have been reported," a military statement said.

A spokeswoman could not immediately say if it was the first time Iron Dome had seen action on the Golan, but it was a departure from recent tit-for-tat artillery fire and occasional retaliatory air strikes.

Israeli public radio said the military believed that the Syrian fire was an unintentional spillover from the country's complex civil war which is now in its sixth year.

Israel has sought to avoid being drawn in, but has attacked Syrian military targets when fire fell on its side of the divide.

On Tuesday, Israeli aircraft targeted Syrian army positions after what the military said was probably stray fire hit the Israeli-occupied zone.

Syria said it had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone, a claim denied by Israel.

The increased tension comes after a new Syrian ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States came into force on Monday.

The truce does not apply to areas held by jihadists such as the Islamic State group.

The Israeli army holds the Syrian government accountable for any fire from its territory, regardless of the source.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres of the Golan from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

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Asking doctors to send reports of patients at the earliest under a health scheme, Jharkhand health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi today said private practice by government doctors will not be tolerated.

"The Civil Surgeon should take quick action under the Mukhya Mantri Asadhya Rog Yozana (scheme for critical disease) because late delivery of reports will be detrimental to patients," Chandravanshi said and warned doctors against private practice.

"Private practice (by doctors) will not be tolerated at all," an official release said quoting the minister said adding works of all doctors would be reviewed now.

Palamau, Dumka and Hazaribagh would soon have medical college facilities, he said adding, work would soon start in Chaibasa, Bokaro and Koderma.

Saying that work was seen during 20 years of governance, he called upon everyone to eliminate malnourishment and child mortality through publicity.

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today attacked ruling BJP in Gujarat over the detention of dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, saying the episode reflects the "party's fear" and its days in the state are "numbered".

Gujarat Police detained Mevani last night, who led a Dalit movement to protest against the Una flogging incident, in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his home state.

AAP leader Ashutosh claimed that several Patidar leaders and party volunteers were detained since yesterday.

Modi, who landed in Gujarat yesterday, spent his birthday with his mother Hiraba.

"Mevani was arrested immediately after he landed in Ahemdabad from Delhi. Many AAP volunteers have also been detained. This shows the BJP fear that its days in the state are numbered," Ashutosh said.

"This is the way a king (Modi) celebrates his birthday. Dahod, Ahemdabad, Navsari and Gandhinagar have been turned into fortresses. While being the Chief Minister of the state, Modi would refer people of the state as his 5 crore Gujaratis, but now he is afraid of the same citizens," Ashutosh said.

BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of next year's polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.

Mevani, who floated the Dalit Atyachar Ladhai Samiti following flogging of Dalits in Gujarat's Una over rumours of cow-slaughter, had quit AAP, but sources said he still maintains links with the party.

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Former JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is out on bail in a sedition case, was today booed at an event where the audience did not allow him to speak, prompting him to cut short his address.

Kanhaiya, who was arrested in February this year in a sedition case over an event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, had kick-started a debate on "nationalism" across the country.

He was to participate in the India Today Mind Rocks summit today and address the gathering on "Azaadi". However, the audience did not welcome him on stage and started hooting when he arrived.

"Those who are hooting here are also free to do so. Desh me azaadi hai (there is freedom in the county). You will not be charged for sedition," he said on a lighter note.

Narrating his experiences from the prison, Kanhaiya said, "What is wrong in having been to jail? Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh have also gone to jail?"



However, when asked if he considers going to jail as "fancy", the student leader said, "The world is a jail for many of us. When girls are not allowed to move out at night, they are in jail, when people are unemployed and live on footpaths they are in jail...So it is always a better deal to be in smaller jail (prison) than the bigger jail (world)."



Kanhaiya, who has been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, again took a dig at him, saying, "It is his birthday today but half the people are on streets and others in jails. What a reason to rejoice? If 65 per cent of the country comprises youths, how can a 65-year-old be their leader?"



His remarks about the PM irked the audience who started cheering for Modi and booed him.

Asked whether the slogans raised on February 9 in JNU campus amounted to sedition, Kanhaiya said, "No sloganeering amounts to sedition. Any activity that breaks the nation or attempts to do so is seditious, slogans can never break any country...And India is not that weak that it will be divided or broken by anybody's slogans".

Kanhaiya had to cut short his address as the audience continued to hoot, disrupting his speech.

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Journalist fraternity in Kashmir today sought the Press Council of India's intervention for lifting a "gag" imposed by authorities here by snapping internet facilities, saying it was a "serious infringement" of freedom of expression and right to information.

"An unprecedented situation has emerged since September 12, as the state decided to snap all internet services after suspending mobile telephony. This undeclared gag has left journalists completely grounded," said a joint letter from four working journalist organisations in Kashmir.

The letter, by the Kashmir Journalist Corps, Press Photographers Association, Kashmir Correspondents' Club and Kashmir Video Journalist Association, has been addressed to the PCI chairman Chandramauli Kumar Prasad.

They said that never before has the media fraternity been confronted with such a grave situation "wherein we are not even able to communicate with other parts of the state".

Journalists also staged a protest at the Press Enclave here against the communication gag by authorities to snap internet services in Kashmir in view of the Eid-ul-Adha festival and as part of efforts to curb the agitation in the valley, which has completed 10 weeks and has claimed 81 lives and left thousands injured.

"Visual journalists - photo journalists and videographers - were the worst hit, as they were unable to send pictures or videos," they said.

Journalists said the condition is so bad that some of them have been forced to dictate reports over telephone and in worst case scenarios sent it as SMS, which in this day and age mocks technological advancement including Digital India.

Terming the internet gag as serious infringement not only to freedom of expression but also to right to information, the journalists sought the intervention of the PCI chairman to restore services immediately.

"We seek your intervention as the custodian of press rights in India, to ensure restoration of internet facilities at the earliest. We are hopeful that your intervention will end the gag forced on the fourth estate in Jammu and Kashmir. The media fraternity in Kashmir is considering other options of protest but we are hopeful PCI's intervention will ensure that the situation will not come to that part," the letter said.

They also demanded a permanent solution to such frequent gags.

"The PCI may recommend measure to the state government/ Centre to ensure that any future internet gag does not affect working of reporters/ photo journalists/ media outlets," the journalist said in the letter to the PCI chairman.

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A 22-year-old labourer was killed when a wall collapsed on him while he was digging the foundation of a building in southwest Delhi's Jaffarpur Kalan area, police said today.

The incident happened yesterday when Amjad was digging the foundation when a wall collapsed and fell on him, said a senior police officer.

The wall was made 10-20 years back and was quite weak, added the officer.

The deceased succumbed at Safdarjung Hospital around 11pm last night, police said.

A case under sections 290 (punishment for public nuisance in cases not otherwise provided for), 304(A)(Causing death by negligence) IPC was registered and the owner of the plot Hawa Singh has been arrested, said the officer.

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Lt Gen Surinder Singh today took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command.

After arriving from New Delhi this morning, Gen Surinder laid a wreath and paid homage to the martyrs of Western Command. Later, the western army Commander reviewed a Guard of Honour, said an official release.

He also met the senior staff at the Headquarters and took stock of the situation.

Lt Gen Surinder Singh was commissioned in 1979 into the Second Battalion, The Brigade of the Guards, an elite Infantry regiment.

In his illustrious career, the General has held prestigious commands, staff and instructional posts. He is a graduate of the British Army Command Staff College, Army War College and the National Defence College.

He rose through the ranks to command his Battalion and an Armoured Brigade, an Infantry Division and a Mountain Corps.

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1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
Maharashtra government is committed to develop the Marathwada region and accordingly agriculture, industries and infrastructure projects are given a fillip, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today.

He was addressing a gathering here to mark the 'Marathwada Mukti Din', the liberation day of the Marathwada region from the erstwhile rule of Nizam.

"The region was facing a drought like situation and my government had disbursed Rs 4,000 crore to the farmers as an aid," the Chief Minister said.

"The Maharashtra government is committed to develop the Marathwada region," he said.

Fadnavis paid floral tributes to martyrs of the liberation movement and narrated their sacrifice for the cause.

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade, state Minister Ramdas Kadam and others were present on the occasion.

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Alarmed over rise in the incidents of the convicts on parole absconding, the Maharashtra government plans to put a band containing electronic chips on the legs of those serving time in the state jails.

This will help prison authorities get timely information on the location of these convicts whether they are in prison or are out on furlough and parole, a senior prison department official told PTI here today.

Authorities were left red-faced recently when Sajjad Mughal, convicted for the murder of city-based lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha, jumped parole and became untraceable.

Around 29,000 inmates in cases of serious offences are lodged in prisons across the state, including 9,000 convicts. As of now, 600 convicts are on parole or furlough, Additional Director General, Prisons, Bhushankumar Upadhyay said.

The plan is to put an electronic chip in the form of a band on convicts' legs, he said. The band will help trace the convict's location and will alert jail officials if it is removed, he added.

Officials have also started collecting iris scans of new inmates and will collect thumb impressions with the help of biometric fingerprint reader, he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has set up a committee to recommend comprehensive measures to prevent the convicts from jumping the parole or furlough.

The committee will be headed by Principal Secretary (appeals and security) Vijay Satbir Singh.

Its members will include top police officers and senior members of the state bar council.

The government has already amended the rules of parole and furlough in December last year, a statement from the Chief Minister's office said today.

Recently it was decided that rape convicts will not be given parole and furlough.

The rules were amended after it came to light that 250 convicts have gone absconding after release on parole in the state so far, an official said.

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: Eminent Malayalam critic and academician Dr M Leelavathi has been chosen for the prestigious N Mohanan Suvarna Mudra Award 2016, instituted in memory of well-known short story writer N Mohanan. The honour comprises a gold medal of one sovereign. An expert panel, comprising journalists M G Radhakrishnan and M Saritha Varma and Athmaraman, selected Leelavathi for the biennial award considering her contributions to Malayalam language and literature, a release said here today.

Jnanpith winning poet late O N V Kurup was the previous winner of the honour, the office-bearers of 'Sammohanam', a gathering of the friends and well-wishers of N Mohanan which instituted the award, said in the release. The award would be presented to Leelavathi in a function to be held at press club here on October 3, it added.

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A man was booked for allegedly ferrying pilgrims on his injured horse to cave shrine of Shiv Khori in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, police said today.

Zalim Singh was booked under Cruelty to Animals Act yesterday, a senior police officer said.

He was booked following a complaint by a pilgrim when he saw the horse limping and his leg badly injured, he said.

The man along with the horse were brought to the police station and he was asked to ensure treatment for the animal, the officer said.

A case has been registered against the man, he said.

Meanwhile, police authorities directed the Station House Officer of the area to conduct a survey of the injured and ailing horses being used for ferrying pilgrims to the cave shrine.

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A 49-year-old man, who had allegedly pushed his wife off the second floor of a building last month, has been arrested in east Delhi, police said today.

After the incident, Dilip was hiding at his village in Champaran of Bihar. When police reached there, he escaped and came back to Delhi to look for a lawyer to fight his case, a police officer said.

He was arrested on Thursday from Karkardooma Court where he had gone to look for a lawyer, the officer said.

Dilip was a drunkard and was living separately from his wife, Lalita, who was staying with her daughter, Puja, and son-in-law.

On August 21, the accused reached the house and sought to take rest there for half-an-hour to which she objected. They started fighting in presence of their grandchildren. The argument took a violent turn as Dilip pushed his wife off the second floor of the building. She died in a hospital later.

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A 25-year-old man was shot dead allegedly by his friend over some monetary dispute today, police said.

Superintendent of Police (Rural Area) Rakesh Pandey said that Ankit and his friend Sujit were riding on a motorcyle when they engaged in a heated argument over repayment of the latter's money.

Thereafter, Sujit fired at Ankit near Ruby enclave of Loni kotwali area following which locals rushed him to GTB hospital where doctors declared him as brought dead.

CCTV footage from the area has verified the incident and an FIR has been lodged against the accused by the deceased's uncle, Ranveer Singh, the SP said.

Sujit will be nabbed soon, he said.

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Three unidentified motorcycle borne miscreants today shot dead an employee of an agency, which is entrusted with replenishing the ATMs of a bank, and looted Rs five lakh from him near Ziradei More under Ziradei police station limits of Bihar's Siwan district.

Superintendent of Police Saurav Kumar Sah said the incident occurred when the deceased, identified as Abhishek Kumar, was going to replenish an ATM with cash when the armed miscreants fired at him killing him on the spot and fled with the bag containing Rs five lakh.

The deceased, Abhishek Kumar, was a resident of Pakwalia village of the district and was working with a private company, entrusted with the work of replenishing ATMs with cash.

Kumar was going to deposit the money in an ATM at Pachlakhi Bazar under Ziradei police station of the district, the SP said adding, the police were conducting raids to nab the miscreants who managed to fled from the scene.

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Face of the Dalit agitation in Gujarat, Jignesh Mevani, was detained by police at the city airport ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival here, police said today.

Mevani was detained at around 8 PM yesterday, after he landed at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here from Delhi. The Prime Minister arrived at the airport around an hour later as part of his Gujarat tour.

Meanwhile, Dahod Police also detained 20 Congress workers and three party MLAs and one AAP worker ahead of Modi's rally in the tribal district held this morning.

According to police, these detentions were aimed at ensuring that law and order is maintained.

While Mevani was released late last night, Congress workers and leaders were let off this afternoon, police said.

"Mevani was detained as part of the preventive measure. He was released later, " a police official seeking anonymity said.

After receiving information about his detention, a large number of dalit leaders, associated with Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti, reached the city crime branch headquarters and staged a demonstration as he was kept there during detention.

"We staged a demonstration as Mevani was held by police without any reason. He was released late last night at around 2 AM," Mevani's close aide, Subodh Parmar said.

Mevani has been leading the agitation against the state government following the Una dalit flogging incident that had taken place in July. He had recently organised several protests over the issues.

Modi, who arrived here at around 9.15 PM last night, was first felicitated by state BJP leaders at a ceremony at the airport upon his arrival.

Later today, he addressed a rally in Limkheda town of Dahod district in the morning and one at Navsari this evening.

Ahead of his arrival in Dahod, police detained at least 23 Congress MLAs and workers to prevent them from causing any "trouble".

Those detained include Congress MLAs from Dahod district - Chandikaben Bariya, Vajesang Panada and Mitesh Garasia. Former Congress MP from Dahod Prabha Taviad was also among the detainees.

"These Congress leaders were detained as they had planned to disrupt the PM's event. Apart from these 23 Congress leaders, we also detained one AAP worker ahead of the rally. All of them were released later," Police Sub Inspector of Limkhedal, P H Vasava said.

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Actress Michelle Yeoh, best known for her roles in hits like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies", is foraying into Bollywood with an untitled project



The 54-year-old Chinese-Malaysian star, who calls herself a great fan of the Hindi film industry and actor Aamir Khan, said the movie will be an action drama with some dance thrown in.

"I'm planning to work in Bollywood and it's going to be an action film with obviously some dance because it is Bollywood," she said on the sidelines of Naropa festival here.

"It will be about a Chinese and Indian family. In reality, we are such close neighbours but we are culturally so different and through this film we want to show how we can get along," Yeoh said.

The actress did not reveal much about the film but said she would be working with an Indian actor.

Talking about her favourite star in Bollywood, Yeoh said, "I really admire Aamir Khan and I would love to work with him."



Yeoh also revealed that the "3 Idiots" star was approached for the project.

The actress will next be seen in Jason Statham-starrer "Mechanic 2" the sequel to the recently released "Mechanic: Resurrection".

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his 66th birthday amidst tribals here today, stating that his government was committed to empower the "last man in the queue", besides inaugurating drinking water and irrigation projects in the parched region of his poll-bound home state of Gujarat.

On his third visit within two months to Gujarat, where Assembly polls are due next year, Modi recalled the contribution of tribals in the country's freedom struggle, and promised them adequate water for drinking and irrigation.

Modi inaugurated Rs 4,817 crore worth of irrigation and drinking water projects of the Gujarat government, seeking to cater to this parched region of Dahod district.

"Due to scarcity of water, my tribal brothers had to migrate and toil hard as construction labourers in extreme heat in the past. At that time, the Gujarat government (under his leadership before 2014), gave priority to water and allocated highest budget for water related projects," the Prime Minister said.

Before becoming the PM in 2014, Modi had served as the Gujarat Chief Minister for 13 years.

"Today, we are inaugurating several projects for providing drinking and irrigation water at a cost of thousands of crores of rupees. We took up this task of empowering the last man on the line, so that he can also uplift the lives of others," Modi said.

He thanked the tribals for "raising" him and promised to do everything possible to uplift their lives through various schemes.

"MPs of NDA selected a person, who is the son of this soil (Gujarat), as the Prime Minister. It was you who raised me. My government is committed to the welfare of the downtrodden citizens," Modi said.

The PM also recalled his earlier days when he used to roam in this district on his scooter.

The BJP leader also slammed past governments at the Centre on the issue of development



"At that time, there was nothing here. In the past, schemes used to remain on paper only, as nothing happened on ground. That is why my government took up the task of setting up a railway yard at Dahod. I firmly believe that it will bring lots of employment opportunities here and give a boost to the local economy," said Modi.

He also praised farmers of the district for showing "progressive" mindset.

"Farmers of Dahod have turned to flower cultivation. They are adopting innovative techniques. Farmers having just one of two 'bigha' land are also keen to learn new things by visiting other places. My government is also working to double the income of all the farmers by 2022," said Modi, who later left for Navsari to address another rally.

Praising the tribals for their role in the freedom



struggle, Modi said, "Whenever we talk about the 1857 mutiny, we have to start the discussion from this tribal district of Dahod. The history of India's freedom struggle is incomplete without the mention of tribals' contribution, who fought against Britishers for over 100 years."



"In 1857, tribals of this district posed great challenge to Britishers. How can we forget the contribution of our own freedom fighters from this land of Govind Guru? He fought bravely against the British. On this occasion, I want to pay my tributes to all the tribal freedom fighters of this country from this land," he said.

Modi said the Centre was keen to implement Gujarat's 'Van Bandhu' scheme, for upliftment of tribal population across the country.

'Van Bandhu' scheme is a special scheme of the Gujarat government for development activities of tribal region of the state.

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Meanwhile, the Prime Minister handed over a cheque of Rs 27 lakh, presented to him by local people, to the Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

He asked the CM to spend the amount on education of girls in the state, an official release said here.

Jaswantsinh Bhabhor, Union Minister of State for Tribal Welfare, presented the cheque to Modi on the occasion of the PM's birthday on behalf of local tribals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was



today greeted by President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and other prominent persons on his 66th birthday.

Modi, who is in Gujarat, received birthday greetings from President and Vice President over phone.

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is on a visit here, also wished him over phone.

Chief Justice of India T S Thakur personally met Modi at Raj Bhawan in Gandhinagar to greet him, official sources said.

"My warm greetings and good wishes to PM @narendramodi on his 67th birthday," tweeted Mukherjee.

"Let this day be the beginning of a year of greater achievements in life of PM @narendramodi and our nation," he said in another tweet.

"May the Almighty bless PM @narendramodi with good health, happiness & many more years of dedicated service to the nation," Mukherjee added.

In response, the PM tweeted "I thank Honourable Rashtrapati ji for his kind birthday greetings."



Vice President Ansari, who is visiting Venezuela, also wished Modi.

In his reply, the PM tweeted, "My gratitude to Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari for his wishes."



Modi also thanked CJI Thakur for his wishes.

"Met CJI Shri Thakur. I thank him for his kind wishes," he tweeted.

Modi visited his mother Hiraba in Gandhinagar and took her blessings. He reached the residence of his brother Pankaj Modi in Raysan area of state capital here, where his 97-year-old mother is staying and spent around 25 minutes with her.

(Reopens DEL 9)



Union Health Minister J P Nadda also wished Prime



Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday and said it was an occasion to dedicate ourselves for social causes with determination.

"Prime Minister's birthday is being observed as Sewa Diwas (Day of Service) by organising various social service works. It is an occasion to get inspiration and re-dedicate ourselves with determination towards social causes," he told reporters in Bhopal after inaugurating a blood donation camp at the Madhya Pradesh BJP headquarters.

Nadda is in the city to take part in various programmes, including a visit to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also wished the Prime Minister on behalf of the 7.5 crore population of the state.

The Chief Minister on the occasion visited Mahatma Gandhi Leprosy Ashram and appealed to citizens to serve the needy.
International donors have kicked off a drive to raise USD 13 billion for fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed the killer diseases can be "eradicated" by 2030.

Trudeau is hosting the fifth triennial Global Fund replenishment conference to fight against these diseases, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and a half dozen heads of states also in attendance.

"It's a pivotal moment for our global community and a challenge of this magnitude requires a united, sustained commitment from all of us," Trudeau yesterday told a press conference, urging nations to give generously.

Created as a public-private initiative, the Global Fund has so far spent USD 30 billion on programmes to fight the three deadly diseases around the world, with most of it going to Africa.

It has been credited with helping to save 22 million lives and preventing 300 million infections over the past decade as it pursues a UN target of eradicating AIDS by 2030 and the other diseases even sooner.

But it needs to raise another USD 13 billion to fund its operations over the next three years through 2019.

"These epidemics can be eradicated," Trudeau said. "By working together we can put an end to these devastating illnesses forever."



"Make no mistake," he added, "this is a defining moment for us all. Our generation of leaders will be judged by our action or our inaction on this issue."



Joining political leaders will be Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, whose foundation has contributed a total of USD 1.6 billion to the Fund since its inception, as well as U2 frontman Bono.

Bono is also co-founder of the non-profit ONE that works to reduce poverty and disease in Africa, and will be a guest speaker at the forum.

The Fund has brought enormous heft in the fight against disease, with encouraging results.

Since 2005, the number of deaths from AIDS has dropped by one third with nine million people receiving anti-viral treatments, according to Global Fund spokesman Seth Faison.

While more than 100 countries have received assistance from the Fund, more than 70 per cent of its spending has gone to African countries, he said.

Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda have received the most.

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Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today rebuked the supporters of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and state Cabinet minister Shivpal Yadav for taking to the streets over a dispute involving the two.

"I will not let this happen in the party. I have worked hard to bring it to this position. This 'tamasha' (circus) will not be allowed," he, according to sources, told the SP workers.

As soon as Mulayam arrived at the party office here, he was surrounded by party workers as well as the media. The SP supremo directly went to the auditorium where the supporters of his son Akhilesh were shouting slogans, demanding that he be reinstated as the party's state unit president.

Mulayam defended his decision of replacing Akhilesh with Shivpal as the Uttar Pradesh SP chief, saying the latter worked "shoulder-to-shoulder" with him to bring the party to its current position.

The SP supremo also lashed out at the chiefs of the party's front organisations --Lohia Vahani, Mulayam Singh Yadav Youth Brigade, Chhatra Sabha and Yuvjan Sabha -- and asked them not to indulge in such protests and instead, work "on the ground" to strengthen the party.

"We have been asked to work at the booth-level to strengthen the party. Netaji (Mulayam) told us that while the BJP was actively working in the state, we were involved in staging protests and asked us to shun such activities," a youth leader told PTI.

Earlier, before meeting the SP chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav Youth Brigade president Mohd Aibad said, "We have conveyed our feelings to Netaji that we (all the youth front organisations) will not be able to work with anyone except Akhilesh. We want him back as the party's state president. The youth is feeling dejected after his removal. They are depressed and even ready to immolate themselves for him (Akhilesh)."



MLCs Rajpal Kashyap, Anand Bhadauria and Sunil Singh Sajan, all of whom had, in the past, held posts in the SP's front organisations, were also seen raising slogans in Akhilesh's favour.

"Netaji, on many occasions, has said that the youth should lead. We want him to bring back Akhileshji, who is the undisputed leader of the youth and the poor and who has done a lot for the development of the state," Kashyap said.

During the protests, supporters of Akhilesh were also seen burning posters of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh.

Mulayam left the party office after meeting the party workers, without talking to the media.

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As announced yesterday, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today returned important portfolios, including Irrigation and Cooperative, to uncle Shivpal Yadav, along with additional portfolios of Minor Irrigation and Medical Education, a Raj Bhawan release said here.

He, however, kept the Public Works Department (PWD) portfolio, which was earlier with Shivpal, with him, it added.

Sacked minister Gayatri Prajapati will also be sworn in soon, the release confirmed.

SP sources indicated that as he has accepted Shivpal as the party's state unit chief, Akhilesh will now be made the head of the party's state parliamentary board which will take the final decision regarding allotment of poll tickets.

Even though there was no official word on this, those close to the chief minister said this would help him ensure tickets for "his men".

A meeting of Mulayam, Shivpal and Akhilesh again took place in the evening to discuss ways to strengthen the party and resolve the deadlock.
The Bombay High Court has directed the Mumbai Suburban District Collector to conduct inspection and submit a report regarding alleged illegal excavation of a hill, which has several hutments, and clearing of trees in suburban Vikhroli.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice M S Sonak yesterday expressed anguish at Maharashtra government's apathy towards adressing the issue raised in a public interest litigation raising concerns over the possibility of a landslide due to the illegal excavation.

The PIL filed by city-based NGO Janseva Vikas Samiti alleged that a private builder had illegally excavated a hill and cut trees in Vikhroli Parksite area. According to the petitioner, there are around five thousand huts in the vicinity of the hill. If the developer continues with the alleged illegal work, there are chances of landslides.

Advocate Geeta Shastri, appearing for the government, yesterday informed the court that excavation work has been stopped.

"It has been stopped after this petition was filed and after the court interfered ? If it was illegal or not safe why was permission given in the first place. What if some untoward incident occurs ?" Chief Justice Chellur said.

"The concerned Collector shall go personally and inspect the place and see how much excavation has been carried out and also look into the safety concerns raised in the petition. The collector shall submit a report before this court," the court directed and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks.

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Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday said he would participate in the meeting of the Goods and Services Council slated to be held in Delhi on September 22 and 23.

Talking to reporters here, he said he would place before the council the stand of the Puducherry government that the Centre compensate for any fiscal loss the Union Territory would suffer in the event of implementing the Act.

He said he had a letter for participation in the meeting from the Finance Ministry.

Puducherry Assembly had already ratified the Bill tabled by the Chief Minister on September 2 amid protest by opposition AIADMK. AINRC had also boycotted the proceedings.

He also sought Centre's assistance to meet expenditure arising out of the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commision recommendations for staff and pensioners here between January and August this year. "We have ordered the implementation of the report from out of our funds from this month," he said.

On attacks on Tamils and their properties in Karnataka over Cauvery water issue, the Chief Minister said it was the duty of that government to preserve law and order and to protect the properties of the Tamils.

He said the bandh called by various outfits and political parties on Cauvery issue went off peacefully on Friday in Puducherry.

He expressed grief over the death of a Naam Tamizhar Katchi activist, who set himself on fire over Cauvery issue in Chennai, adding, there should not be any such incidents.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has apologised for plagiarising President Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech and says he will punish those responsible.

The two leaders are set to meet next week in New York.

Adeola Akinremi in her Friday column for ThisDay newspaper denounced "the moral problem of plagiarism on a day Mr President launched a campaign to demand honesty and integrity."



Several sentences were almost identical to Obama's in a speech Buhari made September 8 launching his campaign "Change Begins With Me."



Buhari said, "We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long."



Obama said, "Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long."



Yesterday, the White House said Obama has scheduled a meeting with Buhari on Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session.

They are expected to talk about continued US support for security and economic changes in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy and most populous country, as well the government's efforts to counter the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

The White House also said that Obama, in his final appearance before the UN session, plans to promote trade between the US and Africa on Wednesday, attending a summit with some 200 US and African CEOs and African heads of state.

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President Barack Obama said he will not proceed any arrangement with Russia on Syria until he sees seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access to the war-torn country.

"The President emphasised that the United States will not proceed with the next steps in the arrangement with Russia until we see seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access," the White House said in a readout of the Situation room meeting Obama held with his national security team to review anti-Islamic State campaign.

During the meeting, which was attended by his top national security tam, Obama expressed deep concern that, despite decreased violence across the country, the Syrian regime continues to block the flow of critical humanitarian aid, the White House said.

"The President directed his team to continue close coordination with all of our partners in the Counter ISIL fight as we build on this momentum to plan operations to further pressure ISIL," said the readout.

According to the White House, Obama was briefed on multiple advances against ISIL that the Coalition has enabled across the battlefield in both Iraq and Syria.

The Iraqis have now reclaimed over 50 per cent of the territory once controlled by ISIL.

US partners across northern Syria have essentially closed off ISIL's access to the Syrian border with Turkey and the outside world.

Earlier in the day, the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said there aren't a lot of good options available to the US.

"But the option that has been made available at the President's direction, thanks largely to the tenacity of Secretary Kerry, is this effort to apply pressure to the Russians to see if they will use the influence that they have with the Assad regime to reduce the violence, allow for the free flow of humanitarian assistance, and facilitate negotiations around a political transition," he said.

"There are no other legitimate options that have been presented. And it's not as if there is an alternative that's been presented by somebody inside the administration or outside, for that matter, that anybody thinks is actually an alternative, long-term solution to this problem," he said.

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US President will address the UN General Assembly for the eighth and last time on Tuesday during which he will review some of the trends that have been shaping the order for many years, his close aide has said.

Obama leaves Washington DC for New York on Sunday morning for his last time attending the annual General Assembly Session as the US President.

"I think with respect to the speech, what he will want to do is step back and review some of the progress that's been made over the last eight years, but also review some of the trends that have been shaping our order for many years and that have led up to a really critical moment as the community responds to a range of different crises," Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters during a conference call.

Giving a preview of his speech, Rhodes said Obama would likely offer his thoughts in this final forum to address the entire world about the types of approaches that they need to take as a national community to deal with a myriad of challenges.

Obama will also talk about "how we can ensure that we're continuing to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth; how we are promoting the type of inclusive governance that both respects the rights of individuals around the world, but also facilitate to the many challenges that we face, governance obviously being a critical component of what is needed to deal with issues in the Middle East and North Africa, and then discuss the type of international cooperation we're seeking to build," Rhodes said.

"I think Paris is a good model for that in that it involves nearly every country in the world stepping forward and making commitments to work together to deal with the global challenge. I think the President will discuss how we can apply international cooperation to deal with the many issues that are shaping this period in time," Rhodes said.
A Pakistan court today ordered the confiscation of Pervez Musharraf's property after the former dictator "persistently failed" to appear in the case involving the killing of a cleric during the 2007 Lal Masjid operation.

A sessions court in Islamabad is trying 73-year-old Musharraf, who is currently in Dubai for purported medical treatment, over killing of Abdul Rasheed Ghazi when army stormed the Lal Masjid in the heart of the city.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (West) Pervaiz ul Qadir Memon ordered confiscation of Musharraf's properties under Section 88 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a lawyer said.

"The court ordered confiscation of property as the court said Musharraf persistently failed to appear in the case," according to lawyer Tariq Asad, who represented the cleric.

The court also rejected a plea by Musharraf's lawyer, Akhtar Shah, who had contended that since army was acting in aid of civilian administration during Lal Masjid operation, hence, no criminal case could be filed against any official of the armed forces.

Musharraf, who has been living in Dubai since March, has not appeared even a single time in the court despite warnings.

The former military ruler flew to Dubai for purported medical treatment after the Supreme Court lifted the ban on his foreign trips and it is believed that he may never return to face a slew of several high-profile cases against him.

The court declared him a proclaimed offender and confiscated surety bonds of Rs 200,000 this year.

A case was registered against Musharraf in 2013 for alleged role in killing of Ghazi.

Musharraf ruled from 1999 to 2008 when he stepped down after his supporters lost elections. He lived in Dubai and returned in 2013 to take part in elections but was embroiled in several criminal cases including high treason for abrogating the constitution in 2007.

In January this year, Musharraf was acquitted by court for alleged role in killing of Baloch rebel leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006.

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The death toll from a Taliban suicide bombing at a packed mosque in Pakistan's restive northwest tribal region has risen to 36 after several of those injured in the attack died in hospitals, officials said today.

The attack targeted the weekly Friday prayers in Mohmand agency, bordering Afghanistan. The bomber shouted 'Allahu Akbar' and blew himself up when the prayers were in progress.

At least five of those killed were children.

The death toll has now risen to 36 after more people succumbed to their injuries, said assistant political agent of the agency Haseebur Rehman.

A curfew has been imposed in the area serach operations were being conducted to arrest other planners of the attack.

Nearly 200 worshippers were inside the mosque when the bomber struck. The death toll yesterday was reported to be 28.

Jamat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 13 of its members in 2009.

Pakistani Taliban routinely targets courts, schools and mosques in the tribal region, where the military has launched a massive operation to flush out the terrorists since 2014.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a statement has expressed grief over the loss of lives and called it a "cowardly attack by terrorists (who) cannot shatter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country."



Yesterday's attack came on a day when Sharif vowed to continue the war against militancy till the elimination of the last terrorist.

The Pakistani Taliban was formed in 2007.

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Former Israeli president and Nobel laureate Shimon Peres remained stable today, four days after a major stroke, his doctor said.

The 93-year-old remained sedated and on a respirator after suffering a stroke and internal bleeding on Tuesday, Peres's personal physician and son-in-law Rafi Walden told AFP.

His condition has improved since, but is still described as serious but stable.

Israeli public radio said this morning that Peres "had a quiet night" but his life remained in danger.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is scheduled to visit him in his hospital near Tel Aviv, after the end of the Jewish sabbath, Rivlin's office said.

Peres has held nearly every major office in Israel, serving twice as prime minister. He was president, a mostly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014.

He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo Accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state.

The former hawk turned dove is widely respected both in Israel and abroad, regularly meeting world leaders and celebrities.

Pope Francis wrote to Peres Thursday saying he had "prayed for strength for the family and for a full recovery."



The letter said the Pope held a special prayer for Peres alongside Rabbi Abraham Skorka of Argentina.

Peres and the Pope last met two months ago when Peres visited the Vatican, while in 2014 they made a joint prayer for peace alongside Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump also wrote to wish Peres a "swift recovery."



"You are among the last of a generation of leaders who fought for the right of the Jewish people to shape their own destiny," Trump wrote.

Trump's Democrat rival Hillary Clinton, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin have also enquired about his condition.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council Thursday he was hoping for a "swift and full recovery," calling Peres "tireless in seeking peace between Israelis and Palestinians."



He said that unfortunately, 23 years after the first Oslo Accord, "we are further than ever from its goals.

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Rajasthan Assembly Deputy Speaker Rao Rajendra Singh today asked the youth to play a constructive role in the development of the nation.

He was speaking during a programme organised by Indian Youth Parliament here.

"Laws like Right to Information Act are the clear example of the role of civil society in the democracy. Youth should also be very active and constructive for their role in the society," Singh said.

RSS leader Indresh Kumar also held an interaction session with the youth.

"When I was in Jammu and Kashmir, terrorists tried to abduct me three-four times but were unsuccessful," he claimed.

Manan Chaturvedi, Chairperson of Rajasthan State Commission for Protection ofChild Rights, was also present on the occasion.

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Preliminary investigation in the Scorpene data leak case has found that the leak did not take place in India but at the office of defence company DCNS in France, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said here today.

He was speaking after the launch of the second ship of Project 15B, guided-missile destroyer Mormugao.

"There is a high-level committee which is inquiring into the Scorpene leak on our side," Admiral Lanba said.

"Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done, whether any mitigation measures are required or not," he said.

"Preliminary probe in the case has found that the leak did not take place in India but at DCNS office in France," he Navy chief said.

"In France, DCNS and the French government have launched an inquiry. Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done," he said.

Over 22,000 pages of secret data on the capabilities of six highly-advanced Scorpene submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with DCNS were leaked, raising alarm bells in the security establishment.

The combat capability of the Scorpene submarines, being built at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai at a cost of USD 3.5 billion, went public when an Australian newspaper, The Australian, put the details on the website.

Some of the leaked documents relate to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the submarines which are used to gather intelligence underwater.

Earlier, the indigenously built warship, Mormugao, equipped with a range of high-tech missiles was launched, with the Navy chief saying the stealth destroyer can be compared with the best vessels in the world.

The vessel has been built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.

The vessel will undergo certain testings required by Indian Navy and would be subsequently known as INS Mormugao.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin today offered what appeared to be his strongest support yet for US presidential candidate Donald Trump - without explicitly naming him.

"We are carefully watching what is happening in the United States and we, of course, view with sympathy those who publicly state that it is necessary to build a relationship with Russia, on basis of equality," he told journalists at a briefing shown on television.

His remarks were a clear allusion to Trump, the outspoken Republican nominee, who has emphatically professed his readiness to work with Putin, and at one point even said the Russian strongman was much more of a leader than US President Barack Obama.

Putin has so far refused to publicly endorse either candidate.

Trump's praise for Putin, who is reviled by many in the West over his stance on Ukraine and Syria, has raised eyebrows and drawn sharp criticism, particularly from his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

Putin and Trump are not known to have met but the Russian leader shared many tense moments with Clinton when she was secretary of state, even accusing her of meddling in his own election in 2012.

Putin's third term has been marked by rampant anti-Americanism in state media and efforts to stamp out US influence in Russia, which included the banning of several American NGOs and halting the adoption of Russian children by Americans.

The Russian leader also said Saturday that treating another country as an "evil empire" is a tactic to divert attention from other problems.

"Attempts to recreate the image of a so-called 'evil empire' and to scare laymen in this manner... (are) attempts to manipulate public opinion," he said.

"This is rather tragic, it's a crude and counterproductive attempt, and it has nothing to do with the essence of the problems... Faced by the United States, of which there are many.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Syrian rebels today of using a fragile ceasefire to regroup, as diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Washington simmered over a lack of humanitarian aid access.

Fresh shelling and clashes were reported overnight in some areas of the war-torn country, but the US-Russia brokered truce which took effect on Monday appeared to be largely holding.

In New York, the UN Security Council cancelled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss whether to endorse the ceasefire, billed as the "last chance" to end the five-year war that has killed 300,000 people.

The closed-door consultations were scrapped after Moscow and Washington failed to agree over disclosing details of the ceasefire to the council.

Putin, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said he remained "positive" about the truce but lashed out at rebels.

"We see attempts to regroup among these terrorists, to switch one label for another, one name for another and keep their military capacity," he said in televised remarks while on a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

Putin said Washington apparently "has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad," calling it a "very dangerous path."



Moscow said yeterday that it was ready to prolong the truce by 72 hours, but there has been no formal announcement of an extension.

The implementation of the truce has been complicated by the presence of jihadists - who are not covered by the ceasefire - and mainstream rebels on some of the same frontlines.

A challenge for Washington is to persuade opposition groups it backs to separate themselves from the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, previously called Al-Nusra Front.

US Secretary of State John Kerry meanwhile called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and condemned "repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid," spokesman John Kirby said.

Kerry told Lavrov that Washington "expects Russia to use its influence on the Assad regime to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach the battleground northern city of Aleppo and other areas in need," Kirby said.

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Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore today said the centre has taken initiatives to give "importance" to the regional media by holding informal interaction with them.

"Modi government has given importance to regional press and media ever since the elections. As compared to the UPA government in 2012-13, the number of press conferences held in 2014-15 in the present government rule is higher," he said while speaking at an award ceremony of Jawaharlal Darda Smruti Lokmat Patrakarita Puraskar here.

"This shows that there is ample interaction of the government with journalists," he said.

The minister said the regional media has been given importance by the government.

Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said "everyone, irrespective of his field of working, should work with honesty."



Veteran journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik said the journalist should not compromise with their principles and work impartially and in an unbiased manner.

"The journalists should be independent, they should not associate themselves with anyone.

"It was me and Baba Ramdev who first supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi two years back but everyone knows that I write honestly (irrespective of any influence)," he said.

Chairman of Lokmat Media pvt ltd and RS MP Vijay Darda expressed concern over commercialisation of papers and media as a whole.

He said that newspapers should compete in only.

"Competitions should be only of and nothing else," he said.

The guests on the occasion felicitated selected journalists with Freedom Fighter Jawaharlal Darda Smruti Lokmat Patrakarita Puraskar and Ashok Gehlot Lokmat Mitrata Puraskar.

Freedom Fighter Jawaharlal Darda Smruti Lokmat Patrakarita Puraskar was given to local journalists Vinod Bharadwaj, Chandra Mehta, Surendra Jain Parasa, Rakhi Jain and Amrita Maurya while Prakash Bhandari, Chiranjeev Joshi, Mahesh Sharma, Vijay Trivedi and Padam Mehta were felicitated with Ashok Gehlot-Lokmat Mitrata Puraskar award.

Vishvwanath Sachdeva, Editor of Navneet-Mumbai was also felicitated.

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An RJD MLA's son has been arrested for allegedly attacking a youth for not letting him overtake his motorcycle in Bihar's Aurangabad district but police claimed the alleged incident is not a case of road rage and the two had old enmity.

Kunal Pratap, the son of Birendra Sinha, Obra (Aurangabad) MLA of the ruling RJD, was arrested last midnight in connection with the stabbing case, Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Satya Prakash said.

The accused was today sent to jail, he said.

The victim, Pintu Yadav, was admitted to Daudnagar primary health centre from where the doctors referred him to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), the SP said, adding that he was out of danger.

In his complaint, Yadav, who was riding a motorcycle, said Pratap stabbed him for not letting his car overtake him near Neema petrol pump.

The SP, however, said both Pratap and Yadav are residents of village Bhagwan Bigaha and it seems that the incident is the fallout of their old enmity.

"It can not be said a road rage incident. They were very much knowing each other and had some old rivalry, probably, relating to elections," he said.

Meanwhile, Sinha rubbished the charges against his son saying, "no such incident of stabbing happened and hence there is no question of his son's involvement in it."



"Pintu has criminal antecedents. Let there be fair investigation and everything would be clear as my son is innocent. Had my son been involved in the case I would not have sent him to police station for making statement," Sinha told PTI.

Earlier this year, JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi was suspended from the party after her son Rocky Yadav was allegedly involved in an incident of roadrage wherein a Class XII student was killed when he apparently overtook the car of the leader's son.

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More than 60 Syrian government soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured today in US-led coalition air strikes on an air base in the east of the war-torn country, the Russian army said.

"Warplanes from the international anti-jihadist coalition carried out four air strikes today against Syrian forces surrounded by the Islamic State group in the Deir Ezzor air base," the army said in a statement.

"Sixty-two Syrian soldiers were killed and a hundred others were injured in these strikes."



The Russian military said two F-16 and two A-10 jets flew into Syrian air space from neighbouring Iraq to carry out the strikes.

"Straight after the coalition's strikes, IS militants launched an offensive," said the statement, adding that "fierce fighting against the terrorists" ensued nearby.

"If these strikes were due to an error in the target coordinates, that would be a direct consequence of the US' refusal to coordinate with Russia its fight against the terrorist groups in Syria," it said.

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Ukrainian radicals lobbed fireworks at the Russian embassy in Kiev early today, police said, a day before it was due to open as a polling station for Russia's parliamentary elections.

Video broadcast by Ukrainian media showed about 20 young men with a banner saying "Fireworks today, Grad (multiple rocket launchers) tomorrow."



Tomorrow, Russian citizens in Kiev will be able to cast parliamentary ballots at the embassy and other diplomatic premises in Ukraine.

Yesterday, the Kremlin said it was Kiev's responsibility to ensure the security of the election process.

"They (Ukraine) are obliged to do so in compliance with the Vienna Convention", President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

But Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said his country "will not guard the electoral process of the Russian Federation. The law enforcement system will perform its functions in a normal mode."



Speaking at the annual Yalta European Strategy ("YES") conference in Kiev, he described the protest as "hooliganism" and "a small incident that does not require any comment."



Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it would not recognize the Russian elections in the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in March 2014.

Yesterday, the US also said did not acknowledge the polls' legitimacy and reiterated its position that the peninsula "remains an integral part of Ukraine.

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A remote-operated vehicle that can scan inside water, up to a depth of 3.5 km, has joined the search for Air Force's AN-32 aircraft, which went missing with 29 on board on July 22, launching the third phase of operation to trace the plane.

"Now we are in the third phase of search operations, wherein, Sagar Nidhi is today sailing with the remote operated vehicle which will go down to the depth of 3,500 metres," Coast Guard Inspector General Rajan Bargotra said.

"After the first phase of search operations, in the second phase we have utilised two vessels -- the Sagar Nidhi from National Institute of Ocean Technology and the other one -- Samudra Ratnagar from Geological Survey of India."



These two vessels carried out extensive underwater search operations in the area, he told reporters.

The Coast Guard and Navy have identified about 15 locations in the Bay of Bengal, where the aircraft is suspected to have gone down.

Recently, the IAF had informed the families of those on board the missing aircraft that their relatives were "presumed dead".

So far two phases -- surface search and sub-surface -- have been undertaken, but no debris of the transport aircraft that went missing on its way to Port Blair from Tambaram airbase here has been found.

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An indigenously built warship equipped with a range of high-tech missiles was launched today with Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba saying the stealth destroyer can be compared with the best vessels in the world.

Christened 'Mormugao', the vessel has been built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.

Admiral Lanba's wife Reena launched the bedecked ship at a function at MDL here at 11.58 AM and it was released into the Arabian Sea for the first time. The vessel will undergo certain testings required by Indian Navy and would be subsequently known as INS Mormugao.

Four more such destroyers would be built and delivered by MDL during 2020-2024, the PSU said in a statement.

The first ship of the Visakhapatnam class was launched on April 20, 2015.

Mormugao has a displacement of 7,300 tonne with maximum speed of over 30 knots. The warship is equipped with surface- to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and anti- submarine rocket launchers. It is also capable of carrying two anti-submarine warfare helicopters.

Addressing the function before the launch, Admiral Lanba said, "This ship serves the Make in India drive of the country as it is indigenously built."



"It secures the sea in a better way. Contract for this ship was signed on January 2011. It can be compared with best ships in the world and has been developed by our own designers at DRDO as well as other government agencies and private companies," he said.

There is a pressing need to build more such ships and reduce the construction period of future vessels, the Navy chief said.

Admiral Lanba said since 1960 Indian Navy and MDL are building ships together.

MDL is the only dock in the country that has capability to build submarines.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today left for New York to participate in the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly, where he will raise the Kashmir issue.

"In his address to the UN on Wednesday, the Prime Minister will emphatically highlight the Kashmir dispute," Radio Pakistan reported.

Yesterday, Sharif had met Hurriyat leaders from Pakistan- occupied Kashmir (PoK) and assured them that he would "emphatically highlight" the Kashmir issue at the UN.

He will also speak on Pakistan's position, role and contribution on key international issues, the report said.

Sharif will also participate in the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly to address Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants and the Leaders' Summit on Refugees, it said.

The Prime Minister will also urge the international community to devote adequate political attention and support for the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and their sustainable reintegration in Afghanistan.

On the sidelines of the UNGA session, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders, including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

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The West Bengal unit of CPI(M) presented its report on Singur land acquisition issue before the party's central committee, which is in session, beginning today, and it is expected to be discussed over the next two days, sources said.

Apart from this, the party will discuss the issue of Kashmir unrest, alleged atrocities on Dalits and the September 2 general strike and implementation of party plenum decisions.

"The state unit presented the report which is expected to be discussed over the next two days," a source said.

The Supreme Court had on August 31 termed as "illegal and void" the acquisition of 1,053 acres of land by the CPI(M)-led Left Front government in West Bengal for Tata Motors' Nano project in Singur by ordering restoration of land to farmers who will retain the compensation received.

Reacting to the decision, the party Politburo had on September 2 blamed the Land Acquisition Act 1894, saying the land was acquired under the law which "did not protect farmers adequately".

The anti-land acquisition protests became one of the principal reasons behind the fall of the 34-year-old Left front government in West Bengal in 2011.

"The party Politburo has already stated its position on the issue in a statement," the source said.

Meanwhile, another source said the party will support the call given by Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh, a forum of Left-backed and Dalit bodies, for a nationwide protest against Centre over the issue of alleged atrocities against the community members.

"This, however, is not a party programme," the source added.

The central committee is also expected to review implementation of party plenum by state units during the meeting which will conclude on Monday.

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Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will return to the city from Finland tomorrow as scheduled, notwithstanding the Lt Governor's order to cut short his visit in the wake of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the national capital.

Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had yesterday asked Sisodia to cut short his trip to Finland and immediately return to Delhi in view of the outbreak of chikungunya and dengue which trigged further tussle between the Kejriwal government and the LG office.

On the directions of Jung, Chief Secretary K K Sharma had sent an urgent fax to the Deputy Chief Minister, saying "Your kind presence is required in the NCT of Delhi to deal with emergent administrative matters."



However, a senior government official said that "as per his schedule, the Deputy Chief Minister will return to Delhi tomorrow."



Sisodia, who also hold the education portfolio, had flown to Finland on September 12 along with his officers, to study the education system of that country.

Refuting the allegation of the Opposition that he is "holidaying" in Finland, Sisodia yesterday said it was not a "sin" to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhi's education system.

"I am not holidaying in Finland, I am on a tour to understand the education system here. Is coming to Finland a sin? Eating ice-cream a sin? Which book says that? I am working here for 26 lakh children for which Delhi Government is responsible. I am accountable to their parents," he told a TV channel from Helsinki.

Earlier in the day, AAP ministers Satyendar Jain and Kapil Mishra went to meet the Lt Governor at his office following his fax to Sisodia to return from Finland, but the meeting did not materialise as Jung was not in his office, triggering a fresh spat between the two sides.

"It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra said, taking a jibe at Jung.

But the LG office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment even as it accused the AAP government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with a health crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal 'Prachanda' today said a solution to the Madhesi problem was in sight soon as his government was holding sincere talks with the community, noting legitimate demands will be accommodated within the framework of the Constitution.

Calling his talks yesterday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi "very successful", Prachanda said Nepal's peace process has the goodwill and encouragement of India.

"We are holding talks with them (Madhesis). Before coming here, we had a meeting with them. Talks are going forward in a cordial environment. I am confident that a positive solution to the problem will be found soon," Prachanda told a select group of journalists.

He, however, refused to give a timeline in arriving at the solution.

He said after finding the solution to the demands of the Madhesi community, the Constitution will emerge as a historical achievement for all sections.

The Madhesi community, mostly Indian origin, have been strongly opposing certain provisions of the Constitution, saying they will politically marginalised the community. The Madhesis have been seeking India's intervention on the issue.

The Nepalese Prime Minister said his government will take on board all sections of the Nepalese society in implementing the Constitution, adding "we will accommodate legitimate demands within the framework of the Constitution."



He said he had come to India with a "definite purpose" and that the visit has been very successful, adding there is a convergence between India's neighbourhood first policy and his government's top priority in improving ties with the neighbours.

"Trust and understanding are fundamental elements of any bilateral ties," he said. There was chill in Nepal's ties with India during tenure of previous government headed by K P Sharma Oli.

Asked whether India was not supporting the peace process, he retorted "do not twist things" adding amendment to the Constitution is an internal process.

Prachanda said Nepal's Constitution has been promulgated after a painful transition and its implementation will provide for a solid foundation for democratic, inclusive and justice based polity in the country for which its people had tirelessly fought for.

"As we embark on the phase of implementation of the Constitution, there will be consolidation of peace, stability and inclusiveness democracy in Nepal," he said.

Asked about allegations that India had extended support to the Madhesi agitation, he said "I have never seen Madhesi agitation by linking it with anyone. I was also leader of Madhesi protest."



On Nepal's ties with China, he said Nepal wants a "balanced relationship" with both India and China.

Asked about reports that a planned visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Kathmandu has not materialised due to some issues, Prachanda said talks are on about the high-level visit. "There was no dispute. We hope the high-level visit will happen soon.

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Congress in Kerala today sharpened its attack against the LDF government on alleged lapses in conduct of the Soumya rape and murder case in the Supreme Court, saying the present debate by CPI(M) on the death penalty was an attempt to "cover up" their slip and divert public anger.

KPCC president V M Sudheeran, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy continued to attack the government over the case, in which the apex court had commuted the death sentence of the accused, Govindachamy.

Chandy, who visited Soumya's mother Sumathy at her home in Shornur today, said the government had committed "serious lapses" in dealing with the case.

The stand taken against the death sentence by various CPI(M) leaders, including veteran V S Achuthanandan, indirectly amounted to accepting the apex court's verdict, he said.

"CPI(M) is now trying to divert the public anger (through debate over death sentence)," Chandy said.

Stating that difference of opinion among CPI(M) leaders over the death sentence also contributed to the government's setback in the case, Sudheeran argued that ideological stand should not be a barrier to ensure maximum punishment to the accused.

The leader said that the recent setback in the case cannot be viewed as a coincidence.

Echoing similar sentiments, Chennithala said if the government failed to ensure maximum punishment to the accused, it would trigger a sense of insecurity among women in the state.

"The present debate by CPI(M) leaders over whether or not to award death sentence to the accused is an attempt to cover up the government's failure in handling the case properly," he said, adding the government should now atleast take some steps to ensure that the accused gets maximum punishment.

According to the prosecution, Govindachamy had raped Soumya, a 23-year old sales representative after pushing her out from a running train on February 1, 2011.

The Thrissur trial court had sentenced him to death, which was upheld by the Kerala High Court.

The Supreme Court, however, commuted his death sentence, while upholding the life imprisonment.

The verdict had come as a shock to the entire state with the victim's mother terming it as "heart breaking".

Political parties have attacked the government, accusing it of not properly presenting the case in the Supreme Court.

However, senior CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan and M A Baby came against awarding death sentence to the accused, triggering a debate.

Meanwhile, Kerala Law minister A K Balan is in New Delhi. He is scheduled to meet senior lawyers and holding consultations with regard to filing of a review petition in the case.

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Soyabean Processors Association of India (SOPA) today said Davish Jain has been re-elected as Chairman of the organisation for the 2016-18 period.

"The 36th Annual General Meeting of The Soybean Processors Association of India was held on September 17, 2016 in Indore, in which Davish Jain was unanimously re-elected as Chairman of SOPA for the term 2016-18," SOPA said in a statement.

Other office bearers of SOPA who were unanimously elected are Suresh Kalra as Deputy Chairman, Girish Matlani as secretary and Rahul Mutha as treasurer.

Jain said the association is vigorously pursuing with the central government to raise the custom duty on import of soyabean oil, as it is hurting domestic producers and processors.

"The absolute increase in soya oil imports into India during last four years has gone up by 10 lakh tonne every year and in the current year, the import has grown to 34.87 lakh tonnes from 22.5 lakh tonnes during 10 months of current oil year," Jain said.

He further said that "huge soya oil imports are, in fact, rendering its end product soybean meal expensive for competing in the export markets."



Jain said the industry faces many challenges and problems, including loss of export market, heavy tax burden, negative crushing parity and low productivity.

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A 15-year-old boy was murdered by unidentified miscreants in Kho-nagaurian area here, police said today.

Jafar was attacked by the assailants last night with sharp-edged weapons. He was rushed to SMS Hospital where he was declared brought by doctors, they said.

The body was handed over to his family members today after the postmortem and investigation is underway, police said.

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Three Turkish soldiers were killed today in clashes with militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a southeastern town close to the Iraqi border, state media reported.

Clashes erupted in the village of Agacdibi in Hakkari province when security forces responded to gunfire from "members of the separatist terror organisation," Anadolu agency reported, citing the local governor's office.

Four other soldiers were wounded, it said, adding that the operation to rout PKK militants from the region was continuing.

The PKK, listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, has resumed attacks in Turkey after the rupture last year of a fragile ceasefire.

On a visit to the eastern province of Agri, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the operations to eradicate the PKK would continue "without any pause," in televised comments.

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said that if elected he would reverse the concessions being given to Cuba unless it provides religious and political freedom to its people.

"We are also going to stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression. The President's one-sided deal for Cuba benefits only the Castro Regime," Trump told his supporters at an election rally in Miami, Florida, which has a significant population of Cuban-Americans.

"But all of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro Regime were done through executive order, which means the next President can reverse them - and that is what I will do, unless the Castro Regime meets our demands," he said.

Those demands will include religious and political freedom for the Cuban people, Trump said.

Trump also talked about Venezuela, saying if he is elected the President, he would to push to expand freedom for all people.

"Venezuela is a beautiful, vibrant, and resource-rich country, filled with amazing and hardworking people. But Venezuela has been run into the ground by socialists," he said.

"The next President of the United States must stand in solidarity with all people oppressed in our hemisphere, and I will stand with the oppressed people of Venezuela yearning to be free," Trump said.

"Here, in America, I will push to expand freedom for all of our people," he added.
A Board member of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which administers the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara here, today urged the management to send a proposal to the Union government for release of a postal stamp on the much sought after famous 'Tirupati Laddu'.

G Bhanu Prakash Reddy, also the official spokesman for the state BJP, told PTI that he has handed over a letter on the Laddu stamp concept to Dr D Sambasiva Rao, TTD Executive Officer.

He had requested Rao to send a proposal to the communication ministry, he said adding that on October 11 2002, the then Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Communications & Information Technology, Pramod Mahajan had released a Rs 15 commemorative postage stamp on 'Ananda Nilayam Vimanam (sacred Golden Dome over the sanctum) of the hill shrine at a function at Tirumala.

The function was attended by N Chandrababu Naidu, who was also Chief Minister then, he said.

Expressing confidence that the stamp on Tirupati Laddu would be released in the next two or three months, Reddy said he would meet union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu at the earliest over the matter.

Rao told PTI that TTD has not yet taken any decision on the issue and the letter submitted by Reddy is being examined.

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Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov today hailed his country's "solid transit potential" as he unveiled an international airport worth over USD 2 billion in the capital Ashgabat.

Berdymukhamedov said the new airport's two passenger terminals would have the capacity to serve 17 million passengers a year while the freight terminal could handle 200,000 tons of freight annually.

The five-floor airport is built in the shape of a giant bird - echoing the logo of the Central Asian state carrier Turkmenistan airlines - by Turkish construction company Polimeks who won a USD 2 billion contract in 2013.

A source at the carrier told AFP on condition of anonymity that the new airport cost USD 2.35 billion by the time it was completed.

Turkmenistan welcomed 105,000 tourists in 2015 according to the state tourism committee, but makes efforts to boost the sector despite a restrictive visa regime.

"With an advantageous geographical position at the crossroads of regional and international communications routes, our country has a solid transit potential we aspire to realise to the maximum," said Berdymukhamedov, 59, at the airport opening.

Turkmenistan has fallen on difficult economic times after the collapse in global prices for hydrocarbons, which make up nearly all the country's exports.

Despite Berdymukhamedov officially encouraging belt-tightening, the country has continued to spend heavily on infrastructure ahead of the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games it will host in Ashgabat.

The existing airport near the capital mainly caters to the state carrier and a short list of foreign airlines from Belarus, China, Russia and Turkey.

The country on Wednesday passed constitutional changes that will effectively allow Berdymukhamedov to rule for life, in the tradition of other strongmen in the ex-Soviet region.

Ashgabat, a white marble-clad city of one million people hosts golden statues of both Berdymukhamedov and erratic late predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov, whose own effigy rotated with the movements of the sun.

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Crisis-hit Venezuela today assumed NAM's presidency as leaders of the 120-nation group, including Vice President Hamid Ansari, began deliberations on contemporary issues like UN reform and terrorism with the bloc seeking relevance in the post-Cold War world.

Venezuela, an OPEC member and home to one of the world's largest oil reserves, assumed the movement's rotating presidency from Iran which had hosted the bloc's summit in 2012.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, while opening the 17th meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), said the member countries have the opportunity to discuss the concerns and the developments at the bilateral and international level.

During the past four years under Iran's presidency NAM was involved in many activities at the UN. There have been meetings on disarmament, maintaining peace and human rights and several rounds of negotiations were held with the north countries, Rouhani noted.

The summit is convening at a time when peace is being threatened all across the world, he said. "National sovereignty of developing states is being constantly violated".

Iran was the first to warn of "Takfirism" in Syria, he said.

NAM countries should not pin their hopes on big powers to achieve development and growth, he asserted.

The "Zionist regime" is trying to exploit the situation in the Middle East, the Iranian President said, adding that Iran supports the cause of the Palestinians.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accepted the presidency and vowed to strengthen the bloc. He said Iran's presidency of the movement had given a "new dynamism" to the movement.

The summit in Venezuela comes amid anti-government protests in the South American country. A number of people were arrested there earlier this month after President Maduro was greeted by pot-banging demonstrators during a visit to the Margarita island.

The government has deployed over 14,000 security personnel to the region in a bid to contain any unrest near the summit.

The roads bore a deserted look as the summit began with security personnel keeping sharp vigil on the routes from the hotels where delegations from various countries are staying to the venue.

Venezuela's political and economic crisis triggered by a



fall in oil prices has left it increasingly isolated, including in its own region.

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay on Wednesday had announced that they had stripped Venezuela of the rotating presidency of Mercosur, a South American regional trade bloc. Venezuela however had refused to recognise the decision.

The turnout of heads of states for the conference has been low this year with Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Iran's Rouhani and Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas among the few heads of states who have landed on this Caribbean island.

Ansari is leading the Indian delegation for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is only the second Indian premier not to go for the conference after Charan Singh in 1979.

The summit assumes significance as it comes just days before the crucial UN General Assembly session.

India is one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement and had hosted the 7th NAM Summit in 1983 in New Delhi.

The membership of NAM comprises 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan). There are 17 countries and 10 international organisations that are observers at NAM.

The Non-Aligned Movement came into being 55 years ago when leaders of 25 developing countries met at the 1961 Belgrade Conference.
West Bengal government will assess the performance of its employees and reward or penalise them accordingly.

Handing over awards to ten engineers of state Public Works Department for their outstanding performance at the new state secretariat 'Nabanna', senior minister Aroop Biswas said the award was being given from this year as per Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's.

Those who perform below par would be penalised, he said.

Incidentally, it was learnt that eight engineers of the PWD department have been show caused for their below average performance.

The ten engineers awarded today were given cash of Rs 20,000, a certificate and a memento.

The number of awardees was likely to be increased in the following years.

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Actor Will Ferrell has dropped out of upcoming independent comedy "Captain Dad", just days before its filming.

The film, which also stars Michael Cera and Catherine Keener, was scheduled to begin production September 26 in and around Cartegena, Colombia, said The Hollywood Reporter.

49-year-old Ferrell's last-second exit has left director Sebastian Silva and the producers scrambling. Several of the cast and crew already are in Colombia awaiting word on the project's future.

In a twist of life imitating art, "Captain Dad" chronicles a family vacation gone awry when the plans break down. Silva also wrote the screenplay.

It is unclear if producers Anne Carey, Bingo Gubelmann, Benji Kohn and Austin Stark can get the film back on track given the prominence of Ferrell's character (he plays the titular dad).

Sources fear the project could fall apart. But a representative for the film said producers are working quickly to fill the role and should be moving forward with production soon.

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Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Congress National President Shobha Oza today said women participation in politics and governance was a pre-requisite for curbing criminalisation and corruption even as she dubbed Modi government as "anti-women".

Saying that Congress and its women wing will continue their fight for 33 per cent quota for women in state legislatures and Parliament, she accused BJP-led Modi government at the Centre of "stalling" the Bill in this regard in Lok Sabha.

"We managed to get it through in Rajya Sabha where opposition had majority but Modi and BJP scuttled our move in Lok Sabha where we are in minority", Oza said while talking to media after addressing a mahila conference here.

She rued that Badals' have rendered "roboust" Punjab's youth into "drug addicts" and alleged that drug mafia was "flourishing under the patronage of Punjab government".

Referring to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal's power surplus claims, she retorted that in two hours of mahila meet, power failed thrice and she had to stop her address for some time.

"Is it a power surplus state", she asked Badals.

Calling upon women to vote for Congress for ridding state of drugs, suicides of farmers, unemployment of educated youths, insecurity of women, she urged people of Punjabi "to be aware of three bundles of lies ie Akalis, BJP and AAP".

She said maximum number of women would be given party ticket in Punjab, adding winnability will be foremost consideration.

Anita D'Souza, Mahila Congress national General Secretary cum its Punjab incharge, called upon women to give the "biggest birthday gift" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi today by "vowing to oust SAD-BJP government from Punjab".

Pooh-poohing celebration of Modi's birthday as 'seva divas', she asked BJP as to whose 'seva'(service) had Modi done- "BJP's or his own".

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Two youths allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train here, police said today.

Lakshya Verma (19) and Rohit Tiwari (20) committed suicide yesterday by jumping in front of the train under Sadar bazar police station area here, they said.

The reason why they took the extreme step is not known yet but going by the victim's relatives, they committed suicide over mounting study pressure, police said.

Police recovered the bodies from the Modipuram railway track after they were informed by the driver of Dehradun-Delhi Shatabdi express, they said.

Both are residents of Sadar bazar area, police said adding initial investigation suggest that both of them committed suicide due to study pressure.

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A cabin crew member of national carrier Air India has been arrested at international airport in New Delhi for allegedly trying to smuggle about 300 bottles of a banned drug to the US.

The crew member, who was intending to depart to New York, was intercepted by the customs officials on Friday. On his personal and baggage search, 300 bottles of 'Phensedyl new cough Linctus 50 ml' were allegedly recovered.

The cough syrup contains banned substance 'codeine phosphate', which is commonly used by drug addicts, a senior customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) said.

These bottles have been seized and the crew, who is in his early thirties, has been arrested, he said.

"We will also write to Air India about their crew's involvement in this incident," the official said.

The cough syrup is not expensive and is sold around Rs 60 per bottle in retail market. The codeine-based syrups are in great demands in some countries among drug addicts as they are psychotropic, he said.
Lenovoreleased a new video mocking the lack of innovation in recent flagship phones.They did not shy-away from targeting the popular favorites like the iPhone 7,iPhone 7 Plus and even the Galaxy Note 7. Their tagline, "skip thesevens" is a direct dig on all three phones.

The peopleselected for this experiment were dissatisfied by Apple's recent launch. In thevideo, a woman introduced a bunch of "Apple-loyalists" to an allegedprototype of the next iPhone. She demonstrated the use of mods. The audienceseemed impressed by the idea of mods that could provide long battery life,enhanced speakers and even doubles up as a projector.

ALSO READ: Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal: The big festive discounts are coming

Motorola'sMoto Z received a lot of critical appreciation from the tech-community butfailed to make a mark in sales. Apple on the other hand, has been pushingincremental updates and still maintains a massive user-base.

With the Note7 fiasco at play, Samsung is mostly out of the flagship-game right before thefestive season, which hardly leaves any substantial threat for the iPhone 7and iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhones went on sale yesterday but experienced a mildresponse in the Asian market.
Esther Hackleman/Caller-Times The POW-MIA Day Ceremony was hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 910 and the Corpus Christi Mayor's Committee for Veterans Affairs on Saturday morning at Sherrill Park.

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By Esther Hackleman, Esther.M.Hackleman@caller.com

A soldier's rifle, dog tags and combat boots formed the symbol known by veterans around the country: a battlefield cross.

The symbolic figure represented the sacrifice of servicemen and women who fought for their country, and were recognized at a memorial for prisoners of war and those missing in action.

The POW-MIA Day Ceremony was hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 910 and the Corpus Christi Mayor's Committee for Veterans Affairs on Saturday morning at Sherrill Park.

The ceremony began with a benediction by retired Navy Capt. Ernest Philips, who served as a chaplain for the events; a presentation of the story of "Taps" and remarks by Corpus Christi Mayor Nelda Martinez.

"We will never forget," Martinez said. "When I see those coming out here to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, my heart is not only heavy but it's also grateful at the same time."

The guest speaker of the event was Gilbert Garcia, the brother of Army Staff Sgt. Ricardo M. Garcia, who has been missing in action since the Vietnam War. The staff sergeant from Driscoll served two tours during the Vietnam War. He went missing more than 45 years ago when he stayed with a wounded pilot after their helicopter came under fire in Laos, but he has not been forgotten.

Garcia's name is etched on the POW/MIA memorial at Sherrill Park.

"Veterans and active member both men and women in our armed forced, our nation owes you a huge debt of gratitude," Garcia said after sharing his brother's story. "Thank you for your service."

Twitter: @Caller_Esther
Contributed photograph Senior Patrol Leader Anthony Matl (center), and Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders Drake Leeson (left) and Patrick Shea call the meeting/ceremony to order.

SHARE Contributed photograph During the ceremony, Senior Patrol Leader Anthony Matl (from left), new Scoutmaster Bill Carroll, and retiring Scoutmaster Joseph Cable hold the troop flag as Carroll pledges to uphold the position of Scoutmaster. Contributed photograph Senior Patrol Leader Anthony Matl exchanges the epaulets signifying the changing of the guard on new Scoutmaster Carroll. Contributed photograph All five Scoutmasters dating back to 1989 were present, including Scoutmaster Emeritus Rene Towns, who served from 1989 to 2003; Scoutmaster Emeritus Don Pesek, who served from 2003 to 2010; Scoutmaster Emeritus Matt Franey, who served from 2010 to 2014; Scoutmaster Emeritus Joseph Cable, who served from 2014 to 2016 and new Scoutmaster Bill Carroll.

Boy Scout Troop 162, sponsored by St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, hosted a scoutmaster change of command ceremony Sept. 1 at the scout hut to induct new Scoutmaster Bill Carroll. He took over for Scoutmaster Emeritus Joseph Cable, who has served since 2014.

The ceremony included a slide show of highlights from Cable's tenure as scoutmaster, which included the troop's trip to Philmont this summer. Philmont is a 12-day expedition in rural northeast New Mexico.

After the slideshow, the ceremony began with Carroll promising to lead the troop well, and then the entire troop recited the Boy Scout oath.

Then Senior Patrol Leader Anthony Matl exchanged Cable's epaulets with Carroll's.

The ceremony concluded with the five most recent scoutmaster, including Carroll, passing a burning torch in chronological order until Carroll was left holding the torch for the troop.

Troop 162, which wears green shamrock neckerchiefs in honor of their sponsoring organization, was started 67 years ago. Carroll is the fifteenth scoutmaster of the troop.
A $39,000 check was presented Sept. 6 to the Corpus Christi Food Bank as result of H-E-B's Help End Hunger Campaign. James Burnett (from left), operations manager for Food Bank of Corpus Christi; Kristina Leal, H-E-B Public Affairs; Gina Sanchez, H-E-B Public Affairs; Bea Hanson, executive director of Food Bank of Corpus Christi; Andrea Monreal-Christiansen, H-E-B Public Affairs; and Bobby Rodriguez, H-E-B Public Affairs.

SHARE Contributed photos Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation Officers named its new board officers Aug. 23: Mark Roach (from left), Barbara Canales, secretary; Dr. Barbara Hinojosa, vice chair; Cecilia Garcia Akers, chair and president; Jim Akers, treasurer, and Moses Estrada, board member. Not pictured is Larry Elizondo, a board member.

Help End Hunger campaign aids local agencies

H-E-B customers in Texas raised a record-breaking $746,500 to benefit 20 Texas Feeding America food banks including the Food Bank of Corpus Christi, officials said.

On Sept. 6, a $39,000 check was presented to the Corpus Christi Food Bank as result of H-E-B's tear-pad campaign that ran May 11-June 28. Tear-off coupons in the amounts of $1, $3 and $5 were located at checkout stands in area H-E-B grocery stores, where customers could add the desired donation amount to their final grocery bill to benefit their local food bank. As a result of the donation, 273,000 meals will be made available to area residents served by the food bank, officials said.

Help End Hunger is a component of H-E-B's nationally recognized Food Bank Assistance program, giving customers the opportunity to help their local food bank in the fight against hunger and malnutrition among thousands of children, elderly and needy families in communities throughout Texas and Mexico.

The H-E-B Food Bank Assistance Program works year-round to raise awareness and battle hunger in Texas and Mexico.

The program was founded in 1982 and is nationally recognized for the financial and food donations that it makes to food banks in Texas and Mexico. In 2015, H-E-B donated more than 29.4 million pounds of food to Texas and Mexico food banks, which represents over 23 million meals.

Volunteers seek donations for victims

Local residents Bonnie Pena Medina, Anna Cantu, Maggie P. Garza, and Javier Colmenero are collecting donations for the Louisiana Flood Victims, officials said.

This will be the group's second trip to Louisiana. To donate go to: gofund.me/2kykcjdq or drop off at 4541 Everhart Road or call 361-992-8032 and 361-850-3134.

Gasiorowski releases outdoor novel

Sticker Burr Outdoors released "First Deer,"a book that takes young readers on a deer hunting adventure in the New Jersey Pinelands, officials said.

Readers will follow Joe, a Sticker Burr Original boy, as he experiences hunting for his first deer near the piney woods of Tabernacle Township. Not only does Joes learn how to search for and find white-tailed deer, he learns valuable lessons about work, life, and family.

Gasiorowski, a public schoolteacher in Corpus Christi had the vision of Sticker Burr Outdoors while mentoring youth, officials said. Similar products gave him the idea to merchandise a clothing line that complements his books.

To purchase the book go to: http://www.stickerburroutdoors.com/

Compiled by Natalia Contreras
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By Matt Woolbright of the Caller-Times

Corpus Christi's development community, which had been inundating the city's permitting offices with new proposals since the summer began, slowed its pace as September began.

The city's weekly list of new proposed projects includes few never-before-proposed ideas. The largest project proposed was an addition to the Move-It Storage facility planned for 6752 Weber Road. That undertaking is expected to cost about $588,000.

On the permitting front, Corpus Christi's art scene is set to welcome a new member.

City officials approved a permit for "Painting with a Twist"  a Louisiana-based art studio that combines friends, wine, painting and instructors. The first location was started in 2007 in Mandeville, Louisiana, and now has 311 locations around the country, according to its website.

The Corpus Christi location is planned for 5425 S. Padre Island Drive. The company also hosts monthly fundraisers called "Painting with a Purpose" that raise money for local nonprofits.

The city also greenlighted the My Salon Suite for 4120 S. Staples St. that aims to help aspiring stylists to begin their own business without having to pay for a building. The company rents the stylists space, and the individuals then have access to the facility at all times.

The BKK Thai Restaurant was also approved to finish out a location at 3850 S. Alameda St. for about $207,000.

Twitter: @reportermatt

In the works

Here are the actions at the Corpus Christi Development Services Department for the past week, with a brief description, location and estimated project cost:

New Projects

River View at Calallen Apartments, new construction, $253,756, 11930 Leopard St.

Hicks Family Nissan, addendum, $4 million, 3202 I-69 N. Frontage Road

T-Mobile Tower, remodel, $15,000, 101 N. Upper Broadway

AT&T Tower, remodel, $15,000, 6634 S. Staples St.

Move-It Storage, addition, $587,720, 6752 Weber Road

Walmart, new construction, $212,288, 1250 Flour Bluff Drive

TT Electronics, addition, $48,000, 4222 S. Staples St.

Sufi Shish Kabob, tenant finishing out, $55,000, 7150 S. Padre Island Drive #104

Aman's Jewelry, tenant finishing out, $45,000, 7150 S. Padre Island Drive #102

Permits

Stripes, new construction, $900,000, 601 S. Padre Island Drive

Painting with a Twist, tenant finishing out, $9,000, 5425 S. Padre Island Drive

BKK Thai Restaurant, tenant finishing out, $206,796, 3850 S. Alameda St.

My Salon Suite, tenant finishing out, $750,000, 4120 S. Staples St.
Beatriz Alvarado/Caller-Times The seventh annual Diez y Seis de Septiembre panel luncheon, Mes de las Fiestas Patrias, or Month of the Homeland Celebrations, was hosted by the YWCA Racial Justice Committee in celebration of Hispanic Heritage month.

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By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times

It was a parade of countries.

Instead of only celebrating Mexico's independence day, an event Friday also spotlighted six other countries that throughout this month will mark their independence from Spain.

"We thought it would be a great collage of traditions," said Teresa Rodriguez Bartlett, chief public affairs and business development officer for the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau. "To show the pride of every country."

The seventh annual Diez y Seis de Septiembre panel luncheon, Mes de las Fiestas Patrias, or Month of the Homeland Celebrations, was hosted by the YWCA Racial Justice Committee in celebration of Hispanic Heritage month. The independence days of Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico were celebrated during the event.

A panel of women who were born in four Latin American countries  Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela  discussed how gaining independence from Spain is celebrated in their homelands.

Literacy Council Executive Director Mary Gleason was among the panelists.

"We are a part of a giant tapestry," said Gleason, who was born in Mexico. "You can still see each thread, but together we paint the big picture  the United States."

Teresa Gauntt Costley, the event's chairperson and the local YWCA's first vice president, said the event perpetuates the Racial Justice Committee's ideals of diversity and tolerance.

Twitter: @CallerBetty
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Port Aransas ISD volunteer Cynthia Christenson was one of 15 in the state chosen to be recognized for her service, a Texas Education Agency news release states.

By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times

Port Aransas ISD volunteer Cynthia Christenson was one of 15 in the state to be singled out for her service, a Texas Education Agency news release states.

The volunteers were recognized as Heroes for Children honorees Friday by the State Board of Education. They were elected by state board members and recognized for their support for public schools and their communities.

"For nine years, Christenson has been a faithful volunteer at more than one campus in the district," the release states. "She shows up, works hard, loves the students and staff and exemplifies the spirit of the dedicated volunteer. She is known throughout the district as a cheerleader for the schools, the staff and the students."

Each person received a certificate of honor, a copy of the resolution scheduled for board approval and photographs commemorating the ceremony. Each will also have his or her name engraved on a plaque that will be permanently displayed at TEA headquarters.

Twitter: @CallerBetty
From left, Traunser Hughes, Filamir Gomez Jr., Jeremiah Jenkins, Darien Marshall

SHARE Truanser Hughes Filamir Gomez Jr. Jeremiah Jenkins Darien Marshall

By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

In the morning hours of Sept. 1, four men met up to scope out Shooters Depot for a robbery, Corpus Christi police believe.

By 9 p.m. that night, police arrived to the shop and found the owner and employee with gunshot wounds and several guns missing. George Koumbis, the owner, was pronounced dead later that night. The employee, who was in critical condition, told police the gunman had dark and curly hair.

On Sept. 2, police arrested Truanser Hughes, 19, in connection to the robbery-homicide, and obtained arrest warrants for Filamir Gomez, 20, Jeremiah Jenkins, 28, and Darien Marshall, 22. The arrest affidavit released Friday to the Caller-Times detailed how police believe the incident played out that night.

Hughes told police he and the other men dropped Marshall off nearby Shooters Depot with intent to steal guns from the business, the affidavit says. According to the document, the four men scoped out the gun shop hours earlier.

That night, Marshall called Jenkins and told him he shot Koumbis and the employee and that both were dead. According to the affidavit, Jenkins dropped off Hughes and Gomez in his white Kia and parked on a street behind the gun shop.

Marshall turned off the circuit breakers because Hughes said he did not want to see the shooting victims lying on the floor, the affidavit states.

Gomez used a bolt cutter to break the locks to a gun case, and loaded a backpack with the weapons. Other guns were loaded into Koumbis' black Mercedes. Hughes told police he drove Koumbis' car from the shop. The car was later found abandoned with the stolen weapons in the 900 block of Corn Products Road.

Gomez was arrested Sept. 7 in a trailer in the 700 block of West Dix Street in San Diego. Jenkins turned himself in at his attorney's office Sept. 9. Marshall surrendered at Corpus Christi police headquarters Sept. 10.

Hughes was arrested Sept. 2 on an unrelated charge of aggravated robbery. He was later charged with capital murder in Koumbis' death.

Hughes remained in Nueces County Jail Friday. His bail was set at $1,050,000.

Gomez, Jenkins and Marshall also remained in custody Friday. Each has been charged with capital murder. Bail for each of them is $1 million.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Barbi Leo-Salgado (left) talks to her daughter, Bella Leo-Salgado, during the 16 De Septiembre Festival and Mercado on Friday.

SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES People applaud as they watch Los Mariachis perform during the 16 De Septiembre Festival and Mercado on Friday. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Julia Johns looks at clothing during the 16 De Septiembre Festival and Mercado. The event celebrates Mexico's independence. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Los Mariachis perform for the 16 De Septiembre Festival and Mercado. This year's event celebrates Mexico's independence from Spain, as well other Latin American nations' liberation.

By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

Gilda Ramirez looked on to the crowd watching folklorico dancing with pride. She was happy they were celebrating Diez y Seis just like she was.

"It's food for my soul," she said.

Local businesses and a few out-of-town vendors set up shop in the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center for the annual 16 de Septiembre Festival and Mercado Friday evening.

Traditional Mexican clothes and food were sold throughout the center, while local artists also sold their crafts.

"This is part of our livelihood," Ramirez said.

Some told stories of Mexican independence. Mariachi bands and folklorico groups were also prominent in the event.

"I wanted to highlight our youth," Ramirez said about the groups that performed.

This was also the first festival hosted by the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce.

"This was our recruiting tool," said Ramirez, the organization's vice president for small business and education. "I wanted to promote this for our local businesses."

Local attorney Joe Flores spoke to the crowd about how he felt seeing so many people come together for the event.

"It does my heart good," Flores said before belting out a grito.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH EVENTS Coming up

Here are some area events:

Saturday: Ballet Folklorico Viva Mexico's 18th annual show with guest performers Mixteco Ballet Folklorico and Mariachi Aguila will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Miller High School Auditorium. Silent auction opens at 5:30 p.m. Cost: Free. Information: 361-994-8274, www.balletfolkloricovivamexico.org.

Sept. 21: Hector P. Garcia State Holiday Celebration at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will host a discussion with guest speaker Dr. Ignacio Garcia from 2-3 p.m. in the University Center, Anchor Ballroom B.

Sept. 23: Del Mar College Viking Book Club will discuss "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez at 1:30 p.m. in room 402, White Library, Del Mar College East, Naples off Kosar at Staples Street. Free. Information: 361-698-2385 or benitaflores@delmar.edu.

Sept. 27: Hispanic Health Fair at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will be from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Dugan Gym.

Sept. 27: Del Mar College lecture by James Klein, associate professor of history and Renato Ramirez, chair of the Social Sciences Department and professor of political science, "Addressing the Forgotten Dead: New Research on Violence Against the Mexican and Mexican-American Populations of the United States" will be at 1 p.m. in room 514, White Library, Del Mar College East, Naples off Kosar at Staples Street. Free. Information: 361-698-1218 or eflores@delmar.edu.

Sept. 28: Latin Dance Night will be from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Hector P. Garcia Plaza at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Oct. 4: South Texas Colonia Initiative (STCI) Presentation by Lionel and Juanita Lopez will be from 6-7 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Mary and Jeff Bell Library Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Oct. 12: Del Mar College lecture "Making Tacos in Space: Jose Jimenez and the Evolutionary History of Hispanics in American Spaceflight, 1958-Present" will be at 1 p.m. in room 514, White Library, Del Mar College East, Naples at Kosar off Staples Street. Free. Information: 361-698-1218 or eflores@delmar.edu.
Under the Bridge

The new Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge cuts near the once bustling Hillcrest neighborhood. For those who didn't move away this is what life is like now.
Caller-Times file Texas high school students will be offered more math options. They need to be encouraged to take them, so they can succeed.

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When the Texas Legislature passed HB 5 in 2013, the business community was deeply concerned that the changes to high school graduation requirements would open the door for many more students entering institutions of higher education unprepared.

At the time there was limited data to back up that concern. That, however, isn't the case now. The data is in and it demonstrates that we have more challenges ahead of us.

HB-5 defined five endorsement "pathways" students could take through high school, and only one of those five, STEM, requires a student to take math up through Algebra II. For all other students, Algebra II and higher math courses are optional. One thing we all believe is that if challenging courses are optional, the chances are pretty high that they won't be taken.

The E3 Alliance recently released a study on math courses being taken by students across the state. The study examined the relationship between the highest level of math students took and passed in high school and their subsequent education outcomes across Texas.

The findings supported what the business community has been saying: Rigorous math courses in high school are critical for college readiness.

The study also shows that even taking and passing Algebra II, now optional for most students, is not nearly enough. Those students who pass Algebra II have only a one in five chance of getting any higher education credential within six years of graduating  that means everything from a four-year bachelor's degree to a two-year associate degree to even a postsecondary certification for a specific job.

Think about that for a minute. Because of current state law that doesn't require higher-level math courses, your kids only have a one in five chance of getting a postsecondary credential of any kind. That doesn't spell success for our children's future or the future of our workforce in Texas.

Compare, for instance, students who passed only a year of math beyond Algebra II, that would be Pre-Calculus. Those students had a one in two chance of getting a college credential, far better than the one in five chance without taking higher math courses. Students who took any AP math were three times as likely to complete college than those who took just Algebra II.

So the more rigorous math courses our students take, the better their chances. Here is the key  four years of math in four years of high school. That goal will be made even easier because soon there will be more math options.

There needs to be a greater awareness among students, families, counselors and our policymakers that it is critical for students to take advanced math classes to greatly increase their chances of graduating career and college ready, completing higher education and competing for high wage jobs.

Let's make it our state mantra: Math Matters! It matters for the success of our kids and the future prosperity of our state to continue to grow and develop our workforce.

There is a real cause for concern when we lower our expectations for what our students can achieve. In the past, every time we have raised the bar for our students and teachers, both have answered the bell and raised achievement levels.

This is not something we should be fearful of or fight against. Our students and our teachers can meet these challenges if we raise standards. We can't keep lowering academic requirements and expect students to be ready for college, careers and life.
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One of the most troubling concerns facing our community is domestic violence. In Texas, 1 in 3 adult women has been a victim of domestic violence. Over the past year and a half, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times has done an excellent job of putting domestic violence at the forefront by covering its effects and exploring solutions to reduce the deadly trend. These stories and statistics should motivate all of us to work to better protect victims.

Since the 1980s, the prevention of domestic violence in Texas has been a top priority and much of my legislation supports programs that aim to overcome domestic violence. When I was chairman of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, we held public hearings that discussed the serious problem of women serving prison time for defending themselves against a violent partner. As a result, several members carried legislation to change the laws to help protect victims of family violence.

In 2009, committee Chairman Abel Herrero and I authored Mary's Law, which allows for GPS monitoring of domestic violence offenders. And most recently, in 2015, I sponsored House Bill 2645, which allows juries to hear more information about family violence and increases accountability for offenders monitored by GPS as part of a protective order. This bill now allows law enforcement to arrest the violator in real time for a violation of a protective order, thereby increasing victim safety and offender accountability.

Funding to help prevent family violence is critical. As vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, I secured a $1 million increase in funding for the Battery Intervention Prevention Program, in which offenders are held accountable for past abusive behavior and taught the fundamentals of leading healthy, nonviolent relationships. The increase in funds allows services to expand and adds innovative approaches to current practice. Additionally, the 2016-2017 budget included $53.9 million for core services provided by family violence programs and $3 million to address unmet needs such as housing and childcare. We will continue to work with advocates to address funding shortfalls for organizations that provide assistance to victims and offenders.

While the Texas Legislature has strengthened laws against abusers to give district attorneys and our communities more tools to protect family violence victims and provide funds for family violence programs, much work remains to be done. In order to end the cycle of violence, our community needs to focus on prevention by raising public awareness while also effectively implementing and enforcing laws.

Implementation is key to protecting victims. It was alarming to learn that the family violence center in our community was closed on weekends. However, through the Coastal Bend Community Coordinated Response Coalition forums, victims and advocates called for change. As a result, Corpus Christi Police Chief Mike Markle implemented changes so that family violence detectives are rotated for weekends and after-hours duty. This is a step in the right direction so that victims of abuse do not live in fear simply because it is a weekend.

One solution to addressing domestic violence is to adopt components from the city of El Paso's 24-Hour Contact Domestic Violence Initiative. The program takes a proactive and aggressive approach by moving domestic violence cases through the criminal justice system more effectively and focuses on victim outreach. Victim advocates seek face-to-face contact with victims of a domestic violence crimes for which an offender has been arrested within the past 24 hours. We need to collaborate among relevant agencies and discuss how we can improve and adopt El Paso's model.

It will take more than one person, one agency, or one government entity to curb domestic violence. It will take work  from legislators, law enforcement, the probation department, our local family violence shelter, public officials, parents, students and residents throughout our community  to ensure we protect victims and hold their abusers accountable. Together, and only together, can we make our community a safer place.
| BY Lynchy |

Aussie expat creative Justine Armour, who left Publicis Mojo Sydney in 2011 for a plum gig at Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, arguably the worlds hottest agency, is leaving the agency for a new, yet-to-be revealed role.

Since joining W+K she was promoted to a creative director role, one of only two female CDs at the agency apart from legendary ECD Susan Hoffman. CB published a Q&A interview with Armour last month.
Mr Barr told the room of about 150 people, most dressed in red campaign shirts, that he had "lived and breathed" the city for 40 years, and did not want to see it "retreat into a conservative, inward-looking provincial town".
At the very least, provided one of the boxes is clearly marked with a "1" next to a candidate's name and the voter does not reveal their own name or identity on the ballot paper, the vote will be counted as formal regardless of accompanying scribbles.
Richard, who like James doesn't want his last name published, is getting married in a week, with relatives arriving from overseas to stay. He and his fiancee moved in on Thursday, and have plugged an extension cord into an outside power point, running it under their door to a multibox, to power a lamp and the television. They use a torch in the bathroom.
"If Australia had a population of just 100 people ...19 of us would have a disability, 20 would've had a mental health disorder in the last 12 months and 50 would have at least one chronic disease," he said.
Mistakes may be mere human frailty. But at least the British take a regular good hard look at themselves and let it all hang out. We don't. Their systems are big enough and robust enough that they can allow hindsight of errors of judgment, appreciation and execution. Even colleagues criticise each other or are reflective, even rueful. Even when mistakes are obvious most of our mainstream politicians, and not a few of their advisers, live in denial. In Australia, our national security establishment would demand that similar reviews be kept secret lest the public lose confidence in the efficiency, effectiveness or nobility of our guardians.
In the Senate in the states, the Electoral Commission says you must mark one to six above the line or one to 12 below the line. Given most parties field 12 candidates in a double-dissolution election, a one-to-six vote would typically embrace 36 candidates and increase the likelihood of that vote being live at the last stage of the count.
All of the water Carlisle residents drink is stored in two massive million-gallon tanks on what is referred to as Basin Hill by the boroughs water treatment plant employees. But before it gets to residents cups, or even the tanks, the water goes through an intricate filtration and decontamination process.

It all starts in the Conodoguinet Creek.

Several hundred yards from Carlisle Water Treatment Plant on Longs Gap Road, a man-made dam impounds water, allowing plant employees to take that water through the headrace, according to Pete Selan, the plants director, and an employee of the plant since 1985.

The headrace serves as director of part of the creek for water that we can use to send through the Water Treatment Plant to reduce the contaminants and the algae and turbidity, he said. Theres pipes going underneath the road and they go into the basement where our raw water pumps are that bring water to and through the plant.

Once the water is drawn from the creek and into the plant, its at that point chemicals are added to it.

Polyaluminum chloride acts like a coagulate to the solids in the water where it then settles in the plants sedimentation bases located outside of the plant. That way, the heavy materials in the water settle to the bottom and the cloudiness dissolves, since creek water is far from clear.

Back inside, the water is then transferred to eight filter basins inside of the plant where its filtered through an archaic, yet according to Selan, very effective and typical method.

The water is filtered through sand and then anthracite to remove whatever solids werent pulled from the outside basins. Carbon is added then for taste and odor control as well.

Clear, filtered and carbonated, the water then is transported through the underbelly of the facility. Once there, fluoride is added, as is chlorine to disinfect the water. At that stage, the water is constantly moving ... it never sits in the 50,000 gallon tank beneath the plant, because from there its moved to Basin Hill, the clearing just outside of the plant where the boroughs water is stored for residential use in one-million-gallon tanks.

Were producing clean water here, running it through an intense process, and that involves gravity, physically settling out the solids, then filtering it out anything thats left to get it pristine, Selan said.

Upkeep

To ensure the quality of the water and that the facility is running as it should, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection requires monthly and quarterly testing results from the plant, but will also send agents unannounced to perform surprise inspections, according to Selan.

We have to follow the DEPs regulations. They determine at what levels the chlorine should be and how clean the water is by measuring turbidity, he added.

Of all the costs associated with keeping the facility up and running, the chemicals are the least of the three major costs. Electricity at the facility and staff salaries are the two main expenses.

According to Borough Manager Matt Candland, chemicals used to treat the water at the plant have cost the borough about $136,000 so far this year. The electricity expense totals about $189,000, and staff salaries for six operators, one mechanic and Selan total approximately $516,000.

Buying in bulk is the cheapest and most efficient way to purchase the chemicals needed to treat the water, so once a year plant employees draw up a specification on whats been used and whats needed, then open bids in April for the chemical companies.

Recognition

One wall in the plant, which Selan seems to no longer pay much attention too, is laden with awards from top to bottom, most recently the 5-Year Excellence in Water Treatment Award by the 2016 Partnership for Safe Water.

Some of these things dont just happen overnight, these accomplishments occur over the long term due to careful attention to detail, regulatory compliance and long term strategic planning, Candland said.

The water residents drink may come from a source laden with trash and even fishwho are specifically screened for through a grated mesh cover over the dams headrace  however, Selan said thats typical of many water sources for any given municipality.

Still, along with the DEP-required testing, the plant once a year sends out an annual report to all residents and borough staff in an effort to stay transparent and ensure people drinking the water throughout Carlisle its been filtered and is safe to consume.
Prime minister Andrew Holness made the announcement in a statement to Jamaicas House of Representatives this week, following complaints that the identity of the people behind Caricel was a mystery.

Caricel plans to build a 4G-only network. It is believed to be planning to spend $50 million to build the network in the capital, Jamaica.

Caricel, owned by Symbiote Investments, calls itself Jamaicas first pure data service company. It adds: Caricel will this year launch an IP multi-service, multimedia communications network, providing products and services to residential, business and government entities.

The company says it is owned by a consortium of Jamaican businessmen with a passion for telecommunications and a genuine interest in empowering their fellow countrymen. But it does not name the people involved.

The award of the licence has met with some controversy in Jamaica, as Symbiote Investments has an existing carrier and service provider licence and was accused of using unauthorised spectrum. A government department, the Office of the Contractor General, had recommended that the mobile licence should not be issued and that the licences previously granted be revoked.

But Prime Minister Holness disagreed. He told the house: Non-issuance of the spectrum licence, in the circumstances, would be tantamount to a revocation of the grant of said licence and would be in violation of the principles of natural justice.

The previous government approved the 15-year mobile licence in February 2016, on payment of about $20 million.

The main work for my Cabinet was to determine whether the conditions set by the former Cabinet were met, but we did more than that. We carefully considered the matter and took into account the legal advice of the attorney general, Holness said.

However he added that the attorney general has recommended a number of areas for legislative and other actions. These, he said, include placing a duty on non-natural persons (that is, companies) applying for telecommunications licences should provide all required and relevant information about their shareholders, directors and other officers.

Caricel does not list its directors and senior staff on its website, simply listing that it has a board chairman, board of directors, chief executive officer, senior vice president marketing and commercial operations, company secretary, chief technical officer and chief financial officer, without giving names.

However, according to LinkedIn, the CEO of Symbiote Investments/Caricel is Lowell Lawrence. Three years ago he was director of a company called Newgen Technologies, which accused the incumbent fixed and mobile operator, Lime  the then trading name for what is now Flow, and then owned by Cable & Wireless Communications  of abusing its dominant position.

Lime and Newgen settled the $13 million lawsuit without disclosing details.

Based on the nature of the thing, I am not at liberty to get into any detail. The most I can say to you is that the matter was settled in a mutually beneficial way, Lawrence told the Caribbean Business Report at the time.

Newgen was offering wholesale international termination services, according to the Jamaica Observer. According to another Jamaica publication, the Gleaner, Newgen merged with Index Communications Network, trading as Gotel, to operate under the Symbiote Investments brand.
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.
In a recent issue of The Economist, Donald Trumps propensity for making wild, unsupported claims, were dubbed Post-Truth politicsa reliance on assertions that feel true but have no basis in fact. The same tactic has been used, albeit less effectively, by the Clinton campaign, which is to say she is simply not as good at it as Trump.

Last week Clinton said half of the Trump supporters are despicables, and within 24 hours she apologized for the comment, not for calling many Trump supporters despicables, but for overstating the percentage.

And that is why she is not as good at it. Rather than apologize, Trump would have doubled down, perhaps saying he had understated the real percentage because he was trying to be nice, you know, with her suffering from pneumonia and all.

The danger is that far too many voters are willing to let these kinds of wild claims go unchecked and unchallenged; unchecked perhaps because they are too lazy to do the most basic research and discover the truth for themselves, and unchallenged because the claims support their own prejudices.

Having just read The Economist piece, I boarded my plane in Chicago bound for Paducah, Kentucky, to see our newest granddaughter. The fellow across the aisle seemed eager to converse and began by introducing himself to me and the guy behind me. He is a very successful businessman from the Paducah area.

He assumed, since I live in Pennsylvania, I was a liberal Clinton supporter. I explained I was a John Kasich supporter who is struggling with the Trump/Clinton choice.

He was shocked to learn that my home county will likely be carried by Trump, and by a larger margin than his home county. He had always thought Pennsylvania was full of liberals and could hardly believe it when I told him that both houses of the Pennsylvania state legislature are controlled by the Republican Party, unlike Kentucky, which still has a Democrat-led lower house.

With his preconceived notions being nuked by me, he turned to the guy behind and said, Trump is going to win this thing because people are about to find out Clinton has a serious illness. Giving no details he went on to say that if Clinton does win, you better hide your guns because it is well known she will overrule the second amendment. (Wait! But what about Clintons serious illness, I thought.)

Almost without taking a breath, he then enlightened us that the real reason he supports Trump is because he pays a lot of taxes and he is tired of a person on welfare making over $60,000 a year. No one wants to work for me at $8 an hour when they get paid $28 an hour on welfare, he said.

There is an internal BS meter that requires a response at some point, and at that, mine went off. Politely, I asked him if by making $60,000, he was referring to the study a few years ago that showed the total cost of all welfare programs when divided by the number of families receiving government assistance averaged out to about $60,000.

He had no clue where it came from. He had heard it somewhere, he said. I explained to him that what that family actually received in benefits was less than $30,000 with the rest going to administration of the program. I told him that if he wanted something to be enraged about, it should be that only half the funding gets to its intended recipients.

Well still, he said, thats more than most businesses can pay. I told him I can appreciate and understand his point of view but that I mainly thought he should have the right information when making his case. He laughed and replied, I appreciate it, but I think my numbers make a more convincing story.

Hillary Clinton is not going to override the second amendment, people on government assistance arent making $60,000 a year, and not everyone in the Keystone state is a liberal.

His experiences and his influencers had combined to make him feel like all these things were true. And that, my friends, is what Post-Truth politics looks like in America.
The central government is planning to introduce caste-based reservation system in teaching positions of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The HRD ministry will be holding talks with the chiefs of these B-schools in this regard.

Chairmen and directors of IIMs will meet at IIM Shillong on September 20 to talk about introduction of quota in faculty positions of IIMs. HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said that he is reviewing the quota system applied to faculty posts in other premier institutes such as IITs and NITs.

He said, "I recently held meetings of Councils of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in Delhi to discuss this issue."

"I also plan to hold such meetings with National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and central universities. I am conducting a review of all institutes and existing system, and the government rules pertaining to reservations and related provisions under constitution."

Javadekar also said that a bill aiming to provide more autonomy to IIMs is in proposal. This bill will also allow IIMs to start degree courses.

"The IIM bill will provide more autonomy to IIMs, and allow them to offer degree courses, which they cannot do now because of their status as a society. We will amend existing laws like we did for IITs and NITs to allow them to offer degree courses," he added.

The minister said, "The new bill is at proposal stage. It will be taken up by different ministries which will offer their recommendations. It will then go to the Cabinet, and then to the Parliament."

The IIMs have no reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs in teaching positions as of now. All the IIMs are registered societies ruled by their board of governors.

IIMs asked to propose a plan to increase students intake
Shoppers in the Parkland will have a chance to visit the latest retailer when Menards opens to the public on Tuesday.

Farmington Menards General Manager Chris Matz said hes been a part of the Menards family since 2003.

This is his seventh store to take the helm of since becoming a general manager five years ago  and its one Matz says he hopes to stay with for a long time to come.

Taking what he called a racetrack tour around the store on Friday before Tuesdays opening, Matz acknowledged the opening of the store has been anticipated by shoppers in the area for a time and expects the opening days to be filled with customers.

The official grand opening celebration is scheduled from Sept. 24 through Oct. 1. Menards is located at 1280 Maple St.

Store hours are 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

The 207,851-square foot Farmington store is a new prototype for the company, called an extended mezz prototype-five store  with a mezzanine across the center of the store.

The store has everything from greeting cards and grocery items to roofing materials and racks of carpet. For example, across the aisle from the health and beauty products are the appliances.

The new store also features a 42,352 square foot lumber warehouse  offering an upstairs and downstairs of all types of lumber.

Most home improvement stores dont have the variety or quantity that a Menards has on-hand in their stores, he said. We have an extensive menards.com as well, so people can buy online and then come on into the store to pick up.

We have a massive, different variety of items. People can basically one-stop shop for everything from their home improvement needs and also groceries.

Its not just a guy-store anymore. Menards is the whole family.

Family is a word Matz used quite often during the tour of the store. Matz talked about how the employees at the new store are more than employees they are a part of the family-owned retailer as well. He noted that while the store is unique for what it offers, there is more to Menards as well.

This is a really special place because of our team members, he said. We are a privately owned, family-run business which means a lot.

When we go out and hire people  yes, were a huge store but we still have a family appeal to us. It feels like a tight-knit group.

Matz said he is extremely proud of the team put together for the store  noting there are a lot of hard workers and how the lines wrapped around the building during the hiring fair.

I think that is a testament to the spirit of this town, he said.

We appreciate all the hard work and dedication from everyone involved with building this huge new home improvement store in Farmington, Menards Spokesperson Jeff Abbott said in a press release announcing the opening. Homeowners, tenants, business owners and contractors will now have greater access to a full-line of building materials and supplies at the lowest prices in the area.

Matz said making sure guests leave the store with a smile on their face is the top priority for Menards.

We judged ourselves by how many guests leave the store with smiles on their faces, he said. I think thats why Menards has been successful. We are the number one home improvement company in the Midwest and fastest growing home improvement company in the whole United States and were going to continue to be that.

The company started in 1958. Menards currently operates 300 home improvement stores located throughout the Midwest, including 12 locations throughout Missouri.

Read more about the opening of Menards in the Sept. 22 edition of the Farmington Press.
Jeep has decided that having two compact SUVs was not such a wise choice, so it will replace the Compass and Patriot with a single model this fall  and these are the first images of the final product .



Nabbed in Brazil by Autoo, they show that the upcoming small Jeep is, as we expected, more or less a scaled-down version of the Grand Cherokee rather than something more radical like the Renegade subcompact.

It will debut in Brazil at the end of this month, make its US debut at the LA Auto Show in November and hit the market in early 2017.

The C-SUV, as it is internally known, will be based on a bigger version of the Small Wide 44 platform of the smaller Renegade and the Fiat 500X. Power should come from either a 2.0-liter turbo or a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated unit and it will be available with either front- or all-wheel drive.

The, as yet unnamed, SUV will be built in three different plants around the world, namely Brazil, Mexico and China and, as Manley said, In every plant, the status of the launch is very much on track.

FCA is hoping the Compatriot (we believe it will be named the Compass, but anyhow) will be more successful than its predecessors, which were lagging behind the competition in practically all respects, with the one redeeming trait being their low pricing. Well, the styling is certainly spot-on, the cabin seems much better and, seeing how good the Renegade/500X duo are, itd be a big surprise if they botched this up.

Photo Gallery
As of Labor Day weekend the Desloge Police Departments 10 officers are now outfitted with Wolfcom Vision Police Body Cameras through BodyCameraDonations.com.

They are now a mandatory part of the officers uniform.

Desloge Police Chief James Bullock said it all started in March when Desloge Officer Greg Northrup saw a news story on Fox2 News about a police department in Illinois who received the cameras through donation.

Northrup quickly got the department signed up and donations started coming for the cameras, said Bullock. We have gotten donations from approximately 10 donors and we are very thankful for their support.

Bullock said the program allows people to make donations for a particular department to cover the cost of the body cams, operating software and additional equipment. So far the department has received 10 Wolfcom Vison Plus 1080p body cameras with prerecord, rotatable camera head and 32GB of memory with pre-record and three port docking stations.

That means the camera is on and recording all the time, said Bullock. It can recover up to 30 minutes prior to the officer hitting record on the camera. The actual cost of the cameras were $399.99, but through the donation program we were able to get them for $299.99 each. The port docking stations were $199.99 each and the total cost for the 10 cameras and the three stations altogether was $3,684.87.

Bullock added they dont have the software yet, but they are still taking donations to reach the goal to purchase it. He said they just recently received another $1,000 donation from the Cantwell Baptist Church.

The software costs $2,850 and after that large donation we still need to raise $1,029.07 more to be able to purchase it, said Bullock. The chamber of commerce is supposed to be donating $209 to us, but we havent gotten it yet. After their donation we will be $820 away from being able to purchase the software.

Bullock said the software will give the department the ability to download the video footage onto the computer, store it and view it properly.

We havent had any questionable incidents so far that required us to use the video, but we have used them to capture evidence, said Bullock. These will be a great asset to the department because if an issue does came up, we will have video to determine what actually happened.

Bullock said the cameras do two separate things: first, they gather evidence and second, they give a picture of the officers contact with someone.

If there is a drunk driver, it will show what the officer sees, said Bullock. If there is a confrontation, it will show what happened there, if not all the video, at least all of the audio. So it can play a part in complaint resolution on complaints against the officer and it can either exonerate the officer or show they were doing something wrong.

Bullock gave an example of a recent situation that occurred where the cameras would have been helpful.

When one of my officers had a gun stuck in his side and they took his stun gun, they would have had a better picture of who the person was if he would have been wearing a body camera, said Bullock. It would have given us a photo or video of the suspect.

Bullock said he wanted to thank everyone who has donated so far and appreciates the community support.

For more information or to make a donation to help the department with obtaining the software, visit BodyCameraDonations.com and the police department is listed in the website.
Hyundai Motor Company has informed the NHTSA of a new safety recall that surrounds certain 2016 Tucson vehicles.



According to the manufacturer, the models produced between May 20, 2015, and May 31, 2016, and equipped with a 7-speed EcoShift dual-clutch transmission, will refuse to move if the accelerator pedal is pressed and released repeatedly.

In higher ambient temperatures and specific operating conditions, the transmission clutch application logic can result in a delayed engagement when accelerating from a stop. If the accelerator pedal is steadily depressed for approximately 1.5 to 2 seconds, the vehicle will begin to accelerate and normal driving is resumed. However, if the accelerator pedal is repeatedly cycled, the vehicle will not accelerate, as the Feds write in their description of the defect.

Hyundai will start mailing owners of the affected SUVs at the end of this month, informing them to set up an appointment with an authorized dealer, whose technicians will reprogram the Transmission Control Module free of charge. The automaker will also reimburse owners for repairs, according to a plan submitted in November, 2014.

The recall will commence on October 28 and, for additional details on the topic, customers can contact the automaker at 1-855-371-9460 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

PHOTO GALLERY
While Skoda have expanded their portfolio with the all-new Kodiaq, the brands first SUV, the Yeti, is enjoying an unexpected rise in popularity.



In order to keep up with the high demand for the Yeti models in Europe, Skoda is now utilizing the additional production capacities at the Nizhniy Novgorod plant, in Russia, where the compact SUV has been put together since 2012, alongside the Octavia.

We are delighted to be able to deliver as many Skoda Yeti to our customers in Europe as they wish. By using the production capacities of another European plan within our international production network, we can respond satisfactorily to the high demand, commented by the companys Board Member for Production and Logistics, Michael Oeljeklaus.

In addition to the Russian manufacturing facility, the Yeti is also assembled in Kvasiny, Czech Republic, at Solomonovo, in Ukraine, at Oskemen / Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, and in Anting, China.

Available since 2009 and with a successor in the pipeline, Skoda has delivered more than 580,000 units of the Yeti worldwide. The vehicle has been available in two versions since 2013, the Yeti and Yeti Outdoor, and in mid-2015, it has been enhanced with five new engines that meet the Euro 6 emission standards.

PHOTO GALLERY
Toyota has announced it will invest $150 million into its assembly plant in Tijuana, Mexico to boost production of the Tacoma pickup.



In a statement, the automaker said that the investment will help expand the plant to build about 160,000 vehicles annually by late 2017 or early 2018, a significant 60 per cent increase over existing production figures.

According to Toyota Motor North America chief executive Jim Lentz, Demand for trucks has grown exponentially. By leveraging our manufacturing facilities availability and expertise, we can be nimbler and better adjust to market needs in a just-in-time manner.

Toyotas decision to increase production of the Tacoma comes despite fact that its share in the midsize pickup truck market has fallen to 43 per cent this year, eight per cent less than 2015. This is largely because of the successful launches of the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Honda Ridgeline.

Currently, the Mexican facility runs 24 hours a day Monday to Friday and has two further production shifts on Saturday. Toyotas facility in San Antonio also builds the Tacoma, creating about 111,000 units last year.

PHOTO GALLERY
As Opel is getting ready to debut the new Ampera-e at the 2016 Paris Auto Show, sister company Vauxhall remains committed to having an EV in its future range and will start evaluating it in the UK.



However, that doesnt mean that the Brits will get a right-hand drive model anytime soon, because Vauxhall is considering such a car for a future generation.

The technology which underpins the new Ampera-e is of great interest to us, and we will be evaluating LHD cars from next spring and demonstrating them to clients. The fact that the Ampera-e is not an eco-luxury second car for customers broadens its appeal greatly, but its obviously vital that the car we sell in our market is right-hand drive, and that wont be available in the current generation, said Vauxhalls Chairman and Managing Director, Rory Harvey.

Based on the North American Chevrolet Bolt and coming with a few visual tweaks, the new Opel Ampera-e is said to have a pure electrical range that can exceed 250 miles (402 km), and the automaker states that in every day conditions, it can still achieve more than 185 miles (298 km). This places it against the BMW i3 equipped with the 33 kWh battery, which has a maximum NEDC range of 186 miles (299 km).

Setting it in motion is an electric motor that generates 204 PS (201 HP) and 360 Nm (266 lb-ft) of torque, fed by ten battery modules, consisting of 288 lithium-ion cells with a capacity of 60 kWh, developed in cooperation with LG Chem.

The Opel Ampera-e can accommodate five people inside its 4.17-meter long body and offers 381 liters of boot space. The car is also equipped with the latest-gen IntelliLink infotainment and OnStar and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

PHOTO GALLERY
Check out our new, weekly light-hearted feature with Castanet kid reporter Ariella Amato.

Eight-year-old Ariella will be checking in from events and places around the Central Okanagan every Friday.

We hope you find her as adorable as we do.
Photo: David Wylie

Bring a fistful of wet paper towels to City Park in Kelowna this weekend because it's gonna get messy.

The city's first ever Ribfest is taking place in the downtown park, with music, prizes, beer  and, of course, plenty of meat generously slathered in barbecue sauce.

"The food is really good," said Jane Fletcher, volunteer co-ordinator with Ribfest. "Being the first year, we know we're going to grow."

Crowds were modest Friday, but organizers expected things to pick up on the weekend, especially with Canadian Country Music Association award winners The Washboard Union performing Saturday night.

Matthew Pollard, with North Vancouver's Smokin' Bones, is no stranger to ribfests.

"They're big on the East Coast," he said, adding in Toronto, the latest event drew 30,000 people and about 15 rib stands.

"We want everyone to come down and enjoy the ribs," he said.

The meaty event goes all weekend, running from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission is free.

The Sunrise Rotary Club started the event because they were looking for a strong fundraiser that would also be a unique event to Kelowna
Photo: Contributed

A program for the down and out has now put 10 more people on the up and up.

The group of men and women, who had faced barriers to employment, are poised to enter the construction industry thanks to this years four-week Residential Energy Efficiency Works (REnEW) program.

The program, which is made possible by FortisBC, helps people who have endured issues like poverty and addiction get a second chance.

Training and skill development like this provides an essential link back to the community and for many of the participants, REnEW is an important step on a long journey to wellness, said Gaelene Askeland, executive director of the John Howard Society of the Central and South Okanagan, the organization that administers REnEW in Kelowna.

Each year, a new group of REnEW participants complete a project for a local non-profit to get hands-on trades training and learn about energy-efficient retrofits.

Its inspiring to see participants leave with a sense of accomplishment and the confidence needed to move forward with their lives, said Askeland.

During the four-week program, participants received instruction from UK Trades, a Kelowna construction company, and will leave the program with construction safety certifications such as WHMIS, First Aid and Fall Protection.

The Bridge Youth & Family Services, which provides addiction and family counselling services in Kelowna, was the recipient of this years hands-on project. The group built an accessibility ramp and deck for the Bridge's front entrance. They also replaced several windows, doors, faucets, and showerheads to improve air tightness and energy efficiency.

This program contributes to the community in many positive ways in addition to helping us meet our goal of advancing energy-efficient construction, said Danielle Wensink, director, conservation and energy management, FortisBC.

We appreciate the effort put in by the John Howard Society and the hard work and motivation of the participants  this is really at the core of the programs success.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The Liberal government's bid to rebuild bridges with Statistics Canada came crashing down Friday with the resignation of the chief statistician over concerns that federal information-technology arrangements are hobbling the agency.

Wayne Smith's resignation marked the second time in the last six years that the chief statistician has quit over a point of principle.

Although former chief statistician Munir Sheikh quit in 2010 over the government's decision to make the long-form census questionnaire voluntary, a member of the National Statistics Council described the two departures as parallels, because they dealt with the independence of the agency.

Smith had raised concerns about Shared Services Canada, the government's central IT department, having an effective veto over many of the statistical agency's operations. He also raised concerns about privacy, with workers outside Statistics Canada being able to access data the agency collects on Canadians.

In a letter to the council, Smith said he can't support federal initiatives to centralize IT services that effectively undermine the independence of Statistics Canada, which the government has committed to protect.

"All of you are aware of my view that this loss of independence and control is not only an apprehension, but an effective reality today, as Statistics Canada is increasingly hobbled in the delivery of its programs through disruptive, ineffective, slow and unaffordable supply of physical informatics services by Shared Services Canada," said an email copy of the letter which Smith sent to the media.

"I have made the best effort I can to have this situation remediated, but to no effect. I cannot lend my support to government initiatives that will purport to protect the independence of Statistics Canada when, in fact, that independence has never been more compromised."

Smith said he does not wish to preside over what he describes as the decline of a world-leading statistical office. "So I am resigning, in order to call public attention to this situation."

Smith declined to comment further when reached by phone Friday.

The chairman of the statistics council said Smith's resignation was a surprise and a "real shame" for the agency in the wake of a successful census. Ian McKinnon said it simply came down to a question of the agency's independence.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Communities affected by an oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River are being told it's OK to start using the water again.

Saskatchewan's Water Security Agency says the cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort can resume taking water from the river.

The cities had to shut off their intakes and find alternate water sources after the oil plume from a Husky Energy pipeline spill moved downstream.

Up to 250,000 litres of oil mixed with a lighter hydrocarbon leaked into the river near Maidstone, Sask., in July.

The water agency says about 88 per cent of the oil has been recovered and there is no significant health risk once the water is treated.

The City of Prince Albert, which had built a pipe to pump water from another source, said Friday that it will spend the next several days preparing its water treatment plant to return to full operations from the North Saskatchewan on Monday.

The city said the removal of the temporary pipe is expected to take several weeks.

The agency recommends municipalities collect samples of treated water to test for petroleum components before the water is distributed to users.
Anyone who may be looking for a home to rent in the Parkland area is advised to be cautious about potential scams. Real estate agent Donna ByFord, who works through Goodson Realty in Park Hills, was alerted to a swindle involving one of her sale listings Friday morning.

This morning I got a phone call from a young lady who said, Ive been in contact with a seller who said his house used to be listed with you and Im just trying to find out if its a scam or not, said ByFord.

The caller gave ByFord the address of the property and she immediately recognized it as being one of her active sale listings.

A lot of times a seller will rent out a vacant house if it doesnt sell, said ByFord, so that could have been legit. Except when she told me who it was, I knew it wasnt (legitimate) because we just dropped the price two days ago. So I immediately called the seller to confirm.

After thinking about the situation some more, ByFord said she remembered hearing a news report out of St. Louis about the same type of scam occurring recently in that area.

ByFord and Deb Goodson, owner of the realty office, believe scammers are simply locating properties online and essentially hijacking the listing. In this instance, a photo of the Park Hills house and its description were taken directly from ByFords Multiple Listing Service (MLS) listing online.

The scammer replaced the real estate agents contact information with his own and claimed to be the owner of the property. A free Craigslist ad was created by the scammer offering the property for rent. All communication between the seller and prospective renter was done through email and text messaging.

They tell you where to send the first months rent and the deposit, ByFord said, then they will FedEx you the key.

The caller sent ByFord copies of all the emails and text messages she exchanged so far with the scammer, who was adamant about needing to receive the money before he could send her the key to the house.

I took all my time to send this to you because I dont want a tenant that will waste my time, the email stated, and last time I leased my house and sent the Keys first but the tenant never send my payment and keys back to me delay it for months until I track them down with the police, once bitten twice shy. so i was advice never to send my house keys to anyone until a part payment is made first and also send you a ContractAgreement before any payment is made so the Applicant can know It is all legit.

ByFord said the scammer used the actual property owners name, although the first and last names were reversed. Listings in MLS, the nationwide listing service used by licensed agents and brokers, do not include the names of private sellers and property owners, so it is apparent the scammer obtained the owners name from other online sources.

The scammer claimed to be living in Texas so was unable to meet with any prospective renters at the property to show them around and instead invited the woman to go by the address yourself, Peep through the available open windows to have a view of the interior and exterior then get back to me at your leisure time We apologies for any inconvenience it may seem and we plead to please bear with us for i aint permitted out of work to come down there.

The scammer also claimed to be a medical doctor with two adopted kids.

Fortunately for the prospective renter, the legitimate owner of the property and the real estate agent, no money changed hands. The scammer was asking for the renter to wire him a total of $1,200.

Rent is $650 (which Covers Utilities Such as: (power, water, dishwasher, sewer and trash..) and a holding refundable security deposit of $550 which makes your total move in cost $1200.

Instead, the renter became suspicious after her communications with the scammer and called the number for the real estate agent listed on the for sale sign on the property.

Had the renter followed through with sending the scammer the money, the situation could have become quite complicated.

Being a real estate agent, said ByFord, what I know can happen is, you mail off the check to whoever youre supposed to mail it to, you dont want to wait for the key, you call a locksmith whos not likely to ask any questions. Theyre gonna open up that house, youre going to move in. Now the seller finds out someones living in his house. But he cant just call the police and kick you out. He now has to start eviction proceedings. So now youve got a huge problem. It can take four to six months (to resolve).

ByFord and Goodson have contacted the police and are hoping an investigation into the scam will be conducted.

In the meantime, the agents urge potential renters, and buyers as well, to be very cautious about responding to listings on Craigslist or other free advertising websites, especially if the owner is not available to show them the property or if there is no real estate agent involved in the transaction.

Dont be afraid to ask lots of questions, said Goodson, and never, ever send anyone money in exchange for a key. There should always be a local contact person to show the property and to handle the paperwork and ensure the renter is given keys to the house.
Photo: CTV

An Ontario veterinarian and his family have received death threats after several videos in which he is shown striking, choking and slamming animals in his care were published earlier this week, according to his lawyer.

Mahavir Singh Rekhi, a vet at the Skyway Animal Hospital in St. Catharines, Ont., pleaded guilty to professional misconduct at a College of Veterinarians of Ontario hearing in July.

The college launched an investigation after four former employees filed a complaint about Rekhi's mistreatment of animals. They submitted a dozen surveillance videos as evidence of the animal abuse.

Rekhi was suspended for 10 months, which can be reduced to six months if he attends a variety of training programs, and fined $10,000, but he got to keep his licence.

Public rage bubbled over in the city and social media after some news outlets published some of the videos this week.

"He fears for his safety with threats of vigilante justice," Rekhi's lawyer, Neil Adamson, told The Canadian Press on Friday.

He's been receiving "serious threats, very serious, physical threats, death threats and physical threats, also threats to his family," Adamson said, adding the family has reported the threats to police.

Since the videos surfaced on news reports, the Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has launched a criminal investigation, according to Insp. Kevin Strooband who works out of the local humane society.
Photo: CTV

A Saskatchewan man found guilty along with his lover of plotting to kill each other's spouse is challenging his conviction.

Curtis Vey's lawyer has filed an appeal that argues the judge failed to properly explain to jurors what was required to find Vey guilty of conspiracy.

The appeal also says the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Vey would have followed through with the plan.

Vey and Angela Nicholson were sentenced earlier this month to three years each in prison.

Nicholson is also appealing her conviction.

Nicholson and Vey were secretly recorded by Vey's wife in 2013 discussing how they planned to kill their spouses and forge at least one will in order to benefit financially.
Photo: Google Maps

A regulator's proposal to give more time to an energy company that wants to drill in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is provoking anger from opponents who say it's high time the federal government intervene to protect the area.

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said Friday it's proposing to grant Corridor Resources a new four-year exploration licence in an area known as Old Harry. Otherwise, the board said there wouldn't be enough time to complete consultations and an environmental assessment before its current licence expires Jan. 14.

"We're reeling, absolutely reeling," said Mary Gorman, co-founder of the Save Our Seas and Shores Coalition, which has been pushing against the Halifax-based company's drilling plans for the nine years it has had a licence for exploratory drilling in Old Harry.

"It's like 'Groundhog Day.' You're stuck in some kind of time warp that keeps repeating itself."

The Save Our Seas and Shores Coalition and other environmental and First Nation groups have been calling for a moratorium to prevent offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of St. Lawrence over concerns of the potential effects a spill would have on the area's sensitive ecology.

"I would say to the honourable prime minister, 'Where's the beef?'" Gorman said. "What are you actually doing to protect the East Coast.... You got every seat out of us. Where are you for us now?"

Natural Resources Canada spokeswoman Angela Kokkinos said the government would take into account feedback received through the Canada Gazette process in deciding whether to approve the new licence.

"Our government is committed to restoring public trust in Canada's environmental assessment process that protects Canada's rich natural environment, respects the rights of indigenous peoples, and supports a resilient and sustainable energy sector," Kokkinos said in an email.

"The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Canadians and we acknowledge that stakeholders have concerns regarding environmental sensitivities."

The petroleum board, which regulates Newfoundland's offshore oil industry, said its proposal would give it the time needed to conduct a review of drilling in Old Harry. The proposal requires the approval of the provincial and federal governments.

The federal government has estimated that the Gulf and surrounding areas potentially hold 39-trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 1.5-billion barrels of oil.
Photo: Contributed

There are two winning tickets for Friday night's $60-million Lotto max jackpot.

They were both purchased in Ontario and each is worth $30 million.

Five of the 22 MaxMillion prizes of a million dollars each were also won  two went to ticket holders in Ontario, one in Quebec, one in the Prairies and one in the Atlantic provinces.

The jackpot for the next Lotto Max draw on Sept. 23 will be approximately $27 million.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Canada is a leader when it comes to collaborating on global issues, rockstar Bono said Saturday during his keynote address at a Montreal conference to fundraise for AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

"It's just great to see Canada leading on this," he said. "You've always been ahead of the curve in realizing we can do more if the international community works together and subsuming your ego into the grand plan."

Bono was joined onstage by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates for the second and final day of an international donor conference that hopes to raise $13 billion to replenish the Global Fund for the fight against these three major infectious diseases.

Canada has already promised more than $800 million for the 2017-19 funding period.

The U2 frontman and humanitarian also saluted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's commitment to equality, especially to girls and women in poverty.

"The world hears you when you say 'poverty is sexist,'" he said. "I'm a fan of Canada," he continued in French to applause.

In his own keynote address, Gates said the funds raised during the conference would help get more people into treatment and keep the three deadly infectious diseases under control.

"The commitments we're making here in Montreal are an opportunity to show that even in challenging times, we still care and we're willing to invest in the things that will make a more equitable, prosperous and secure world for people everywhere," Gates said.

The $13-billion funding goal would support the fund's goals for the next three years. The United Nations has a goal of eliminating the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by the year 2030.

Mark Dybul, the fund's executive director, said the three diseases are preventable, deadly and disproportionately affect marginalized and vulnerable populations.

"We are the generation that can bring this epidemic under control," he said.
NBC's "Commander in Chief Forum," held Wednesday night aboard the USS Intrepid in New York, was the closest thing to a debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton until the real thing on Sept. 26. And it showed an advantage Trump might have when the two meet face-to-face: She has a record in government to defend, while he doesn't. On that score, Trump, at 70, a newcomer to politics, seems new, while Clinton, at 68, a veteran of decades in public life, seems, well, not new.

The format of the NBC forum, in which the two candidates were separated by only a commercial break, put that contrast into higher relief than ever before.

Clinton cited her experience right out of the blocks, when moderator Matt Lauer asked her, "What is the most important characteristic that a commander-in-chief can possess?"

"Steadiness," Clinton answered instantly. "An absolute rock steadiness, and mixed with strength to be able to make the hard decisions. Because I've had the unique experience of watching and working with several presidents..."

The problem for Clinton was that talk of her experience leads naturally to talk of what she has done -- and that, in today's campaign environment, means talk of her mishandling of classified information as secretary of state. "Why wasn't it disqualifying?" was Lauer's second question of the evening.

Then, when it came time for the military audience to ask questions of their own, the first for Clinton, from a retired naval officer, was brutal. "Secretary Clinton, how can you expect those such as myself who were and are entrusted with America's most sensitive information to have any confidence in your leadership as president when you clearly corrupted our national security?"

Ouch. Clinton argued that she did not send or receive emails with a header marked "TOP SECRET" or the like. Maybe voters will find that convincing, and maybe they won't. But it was a rocky start.

The next question, from Lauer, was about Clinton's vote in 2002 to authorize the Iraq War.

Another audience member stood to ask: "You have had an extensive record with military intervention. How do you respond to progressives like myself who worry and have concerns that your hawkish foreign policy will continue?"

And then Lauer asked about Clinton's role in the Iran nuclear negotiations.

One common theme of all the questions: They focused on things Clinton did in her years in office, in the Senate and as secretary of state. She started out by citing her experience, so Lauer and the audience answered, in effect, "OK, let's talk about your experience."

Trump has no such experience. There's no Trump record in public office, no government decisions that went awry, no votes to back away from, no nothing. When running for public office, even for the presidency, that can be an advantage.

In a number of presidential elections in recent decades, especially races between two non-incumbents, the candidate with less governmental experience, especially less national government experience, won.

Barack Obama had a lot less experience in government than John McCain when he defeated McCain in 2008.

George W. Bush, midway through his second term as governor of Texas, had less experience in government than Al Gore, who by 2000 had served 16 years in the House and Senate and eight as vice president.

And Bill Clinton, a long-time governor of Arkansas, had nowhere near the experience that President George H.W. Bush had when Clinton defeated Bush in 1992.

That's not to say Obama, Bush I, and Clinton had no experience at all in government, as is the case with Trump. But in 2008, 2000, and 1992, less was more when it came to national government experience.

Democrats who try to pin Trump down on his record have a harder time than Republicans going after Clinton. Look at what Clinton tried to do Wednesday evening with Trump on Iraq. "My opponent was for the war in Iraq," she said. "He says he wasn't. You can go back and look at the record. He supported it. He told Howard Stern he supported it."

On Sept. 11, 2002, Stern asked Trump, "Are you for invading Iraq?" Trump answered, haltingly, "Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly."

Compare that brief exchange -- on the Howard Stern show! -- with Clinton's extended and carefully reasoned speech on the Senate floor supporting military action against Saddam Hussein, plus her vote to authorize the war, and it's not clear voters will see the equivalence Clinton is trying to sell.

That's the challenger's advantage: The candidate who has done less on the national stage has less to answer for, and his hopeful promises and pronouncements are less weighted by an actual record.

Of course, Clinton has significant advantages of her own. But for Democrats hoping Clinton will land a knockout blow in the upcoming debate, Wednesday night was a cautionary moment. It showed that Trump has some serious strengths of his own, and that in what could be the most asymmetrical matchup ever, Clinton's experience might not be the advantage her supporters hope it will be.
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Eleni Peczkowski is one of the pharmacists able to dispense naloxone (sold under the brand name Narcan) from the pharmacy of the Mariano's supermarket in the 3000 block of North Broadway in Chicago, seen on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Illinois residents who worry about loved ones overdosing on opioids can now buy a potentially lifesaving drug at their local pharmacies  without a prescription.

Mariano's on Friday began selling naloxone at its 34 pharmacies in Illinois. It followed Meijer, which began the rollout of the medication to its 27 Illinois locations Thursday. Walgreens will begin offering it at more than 500 Illinois stores on Monday, while sales at CVS will begin in the fall and Jewel-Osco in late February.

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Pharmacy chains in many other states already offer naloxone without a prescription. A section of a law passed in 2015 paved the way for Illinois stores to sell it without requiring the customer to have a prescription for it.

Illinois and the rest of the country are battling an opioid epidemic.

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In Illinois, 1,700 people died of drug overdoses in 2014, up from 1,579 in 2013, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, though not all those were due to opioid drugs such as heroin and some types of painkillers.

Naloxone can help someone who has overdosed on an opioid start breathing again.

Naloxone (sold under the brand name Narcan), seen on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, can now be dispensed from the pharmacy of the Mariano's supermarket in the 3000 block of North Broadway in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Mariano's is carrying a version of the drug called Narcan that's sprayed up the nose. Customers of any age can buy it, though pharmacists have discretion, said Elizabeth Seybold, manager of clinical care for Roundy's, which, like Mariano's, is part of Kroger. The drug costs about $145, but most insurance plans cover it, even without an individual prescription, Seybold said.

Walgreens will offer a nasal spray for $78 before insurance as well as an injectable version.

Purchasing naloxone, however, is more complicated than buying aspirin.

At Mariano's, customers will be taken to a private counseling station where they will be asked whether the drug is for them or others, whether they've ever been treated for an opioid overdose before and other questions designed to help pharmacists decide whether the drug is safe and appropriate for them. Pharmacists will also explain how and when to use the drug. Individuals will have to give their names, addresses and birth dates, but they will not have to show an ID, Seybold said.

Walgreens will ask patients for the same personal information required for picking up prescriptions. Pharmacists will provide instruction on how and when to use the medication, said Phil Caruso, a Walgreens spokesman.

People buying naloxone will not be reported to the police, Roundy's Seybold said, though pharmacists will likely urge those with addictions to seek help. "(As a pharmacist) I am going to encourage you to seek help, seek medical attention, but at the same time if you're going to continue to use these drugs illicitly, I want to make sure you don't die on me," Seybold said.

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Pharmacists will also caution patients that they won't be able to use naloxone on themselves because they will likely be unconscious by the time they need it. People should also call 911 before administering the drug because the patient might need more than what comes in the package and will need follow-up medical care, Seybold said.

Before now, Illinois residents could obtain naloxone without individual prescriptions from some programs, said Garth Reynolds, executive director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association.

The 2015 law established a standardized procedure to allow pharmacists to dispense the drug without individual prescriptions. To dispense the drug, pharmacists go through training on addiction, naloxone and how to educate patients.

The section of the law pertaining to naloxone was named Lali's Law after Alex "Lali" Laliberte, a Western Illinois University student who grew up in Buffalo Grove and died in 2008 from an overdose of heroin and other drugs.

"Now people can actually go in just like they can get epinephrine or medication for another disorder and have somebody train them on how to save a life," said Chelsea Laliberte, Alex's sister and executive director of Live4Lali, which works to prevent and raise awareness of substance abuse. "Nobody deserves to die from this."

Kathie Kane-Willis, director of the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University, called pharmacies "an extremely important avenue by which to save more lives."

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"We think everyone should have naloxone in their medicine cabinet, that it should be part of the standard first-aid kit," Kane-Willis said.

Karen Ayala, executive director of the DuPage County Health Department, said the county has already seen how effective naloxone can be when carried by police. In 2014 and 2015, police in DuPage County were able to save about 100 lives using the antidote, she said.

Seybold said she hopes making naloxone more widely available will make a difference in families' lives.

"There's nothing more that breaks my heart than hearing about a 16-year-old that died at someone's house because someone was too afraid to call 911."

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
How can you go wrong with a roomful of geniuses? You can't. "An Evening of Dance With MacArthur Fellows," Friday night only at the Harris Theater, proved a program of extraordinary quality, four of whose five works were performed by the choreographer's own troupe. Curated by Michael Tiknis, departing Harris president and managing director, and underwritten by the MacArthur Foundation, it was one of several nationwide events this year celebrating the 35th anniversary of the fellows program. And it was packed, with both members of the public and invited guests.

Dance is the low man on the totem pole of the arts. So to have its geniuses showcased by an organization that acknowledges not only artists of all stripes but also scientists, activists entrepreneurs: That was an honor indeed. So was the audience's enthusiasm.

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That said, not all the works were groundbreaking, despite the foundation's aim to support innovation. But you lay down your bets and hope for the best.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performed Susan Marshall's emotionally complex "Kiss" (1987), a kind of Rorschach test on the nature of love. Eloquent Jessica Tong and Jason Hortin, suspended in slings, swung together and apart over and over in a breathing rhythm supported by Arvo Part's "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten." Guided by the physics of the pendulum and spiral, emphasizing the expressivity of the torso, the choreography brought the dancers into suffocating proximity or cast them achingly apart; they weren't still until the end.

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Mark Morris takes a paradoxical route to innovation in "Pacific" (1991): He dares to hold back. The simplicity and restraint of this work for nine, whose elements repeat or shift only slightly, astound. Yet it's not static: It evolves into peace, community. Set to Lou Harrison's uncharacteristically classic trio for violin, cello and piano, played live, it first separates the color-coded dancers into groups  a female quartet recalls Martha Graham's earliest work  then shatters and reunites them in new patterns. Cupped hands holding a space just in front of the heart repeat over and over in this utterly predictable, immensely satisfying piece.

Merce Cunningham's 1958 duet "Springweather and People," exquisitely performed by Erin Dowd and Forrest Hersey of the Merce Cunningham Trust, looked groundbreaking nearly 60 years later in a re-creation based on a recently discovered film. But breaking ground isn't the same as pleasing. Where Morris contents himself with just a few simple elements, Cunningham devises a vast array of clipped, inventively articulated shapes. Though pianist Winston Choi sensitively interpreted Earle Brown's pointillist "Indices," the effect of the dancing in this diagram of joy was of chilly fellowship.

If Cunningham's work is desiccated, Kyle Abraham has got the juice, manifested in rolling shoulders and hips and a sense of constant connection. Like Morris, Abraham makes the simple a source of complex satisfaction in this gestural, resolutely undramatic duet, excerpted from "Dearest Home," expected to debut in 2017. The kinetic impulses that propelled opponents and co-conspirators Tamisha Guy and Jeremy "Jae" Neal were riveting, hypnotic. Like "Kiss" an exercise in attraction and repulsion, this duet isn't floating but earthbound, monumental, stark, performed in silence, eschewing the engine of music.

Tap dancer Michelle Dorrance presented an excerpt from "ETM: Double Down" (2016), which will be shown in its entirety at the MCA in November. While "ETM" innovates through its use of electronically rigged floors, the quartet "Boards & Chains" is more subtly revolutionary, returning to the working-class roots of tap with an acoustic performance on a plain wooden floor, each dancer wielding a single heavy chain. Again, restraint and repetition deliver a deeply satisfying experience, while Warren Craft's exquisite looseness  he actually crumples to the floor  gives tap a vulnerability it doesn't usually possess.

Laura Molzahn is a freelance critic.

ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com







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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Ensemble member K. Todd Freeman and Debra Monk in rehearsal for Steppenwolf Theatre Companys world premiere production of "Visiting Edna" by David Rabe. (Michael Brosilow)

Little more than a week before the opening of its high-profile world premiere of David Rabe's "Visiting Edna," the Steppenwolf Theater Company has parted company with one of the show's actors, ensemble member K. Todd Freeman.

In an interview Friday, Steppenwolf artistic director Anna D. Shapiro said that Freeman had left the show by mutual agreement after it had been discovered, in essence, that he was not right for the role, and the role was not right for him.

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"Visiting Edna" is a new play dealing with cancer. Freeman's role, known as Actor Two, required playing a character that embodies the disease.

Freeman's role will be played this weekend by his understudy, Jeremy Sonkin. Freeman's permanent replacement, Tim Hopper, is expected to join the cast Wednesday.

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The official opening is slated for Sept. 25.

A Broadway prospect, "Visiting Edna" stars Debra Monk, Ian Barford, Sally Murphy and Michael Rabe, the playwright's son.

CJones5@Chicagotribune.com

@ChrisJonesTrib

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
In this image released by FX, Matthew Rhys, left, and Keri Russell appear in a scene from "The Americans." (Craig Blankenhorn / FX)

Are you seriously behind on television and don't have time to binge-watch everything before Sunday night's Emmy Awards? We've got you covered.

You don't need dozens of hours getting up to speed. You just need four. Here, we present episodes from likely and deserving winners in the best drama and comedy series categories, based loosely on our predicted winners.

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Catching up using this method will obviously mean some series-spoilers and not totally getting every plot detail. But you'll get a taste of what you've been missing out on, and maybe figure out which series to binge on later once you do have some time.

The Americans (best drama series nominee)

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Episode: "The Day After" (Season 4, episode 9)

Time commitment: 46 minutes

The basics: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys played a pair of killer Soviet spies who live in Northern Virginia with their two children. Watching any episode from the FX Cold War spy drama out of sequence will be jarring, so just be prepared.

Why this episode: This episode does a great job combining the character dynamics with a major cultural touchstone, the 1983 ABC TV movie "The Day After," about a potential nuclear holocaust, which still ranks as the highest-rated TV movie.

Also consider: "Persona Non Grata," nominated for an outstanding writing Emmy, and "The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears," which used a brilliant time-jump and has beencalled one of the best of the series.

In this image released by USA Network, Rami Malek appears in a scene from, "Mr. Robot." (Peter Kramer / USA Network)

Mr. Robot (best drama series nominee)

Episode: "eps1.9_zer0-day.avi" (Season 1, episode 10)

Time commitment: 54 minutes

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The basics: In this USA thriller, Rami Malek plays a troubled young cyber-security engineer turned hacker recruited by Christian Slater's character.

Why this episode: This show is a rarity among the Emmy nominees: Its first season has received nominations, but the second season is already available to watch. So why not start with the finale from season one, and if you like it, then just dive right in to the next season? This episode includes a lot of answers to big questions that built up over the series. "Watch 'Mr. Robot' simply for its beguiling oddness, personified in Malek's outstanding, trip-wired lead performance," Post critic Hank Stuever writes. "With his brilliantly buggy eyes and tortured grasp on reality, Elliot represents a modern sense of alienation."

Also consider: The pilot episode, "eps1.0_hellofriend.mov," which was nominated for an outstanding writing Emmy. This may be a better option for those of you who are wary of season two, which has struggled to follow-up on the success of the show's first season.

Scene from season 6 of "Game of Thrones." (HBO)

Game of Thrones (best drama series nominee)

Episode: "Battle of the Bastards" (Season 6, episode 9)

Time commitment: 60 minutes

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The basics: The HBO drama follows individuals jockeying for power in the fantasy world created by George R. R. Martin, where life is mostly miserable and for whatever reason most people speak with British accents. If you're just starting now, be at peace with not getting all the intricacies: There have been so many feuds, broken alliances and deaths already. Some of us have been watching the entire series and still get lost, especially with the names. Too many names!

Why this episode: The crazy-intense battle scenes, expertly directed, including one of the biggest action sequences of the series, with the kind of spectacle that's usually reserved for the big screen. The episode reportedly cost more than $10 million, required 660 crew members, involved 70 horses and was shot over 25 days.

Also consider: "The Door" (episode 5), if for nothing else than getting all the pop culture references to "hold the door."

Hugh Laurie, Gary Cole, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lennon Parham, Tony Hale and Matt Walsh in "Veep." (Patrick Harbron / HBO)

Veep (best comedy series nominee)

Episode: "Mother" (Season 5, episode 4)

Time Commitment: 28 minutes

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The basics: On the HBO series, Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Vice President/President Selina Meyer, who, along with her team, tries to amass relevancy and power while getting through the moronic and disastrous sorts of things that happen in political Washington.

Why this episode: Seeing how Louis-Dreyfus's character handles a death in her family is the perfect way to get to know Selina Meyer.

Also consider: "Congressional Ball" features a major confrontation, a gala and a nod to a weird Washington tradition, The Hill's "50 hottest" list.

In this image released by Netflix, Aziz Ansari appears in a scene from the Netflix original series Master of None. (K.C. Bailey / Netflix)

Master of None (best comedy series nominee)

Episode: "Parents" (Season 1, episode 2)

Time commitment: 30 minutes

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The basics: Aziz Ansari plays an actor in New York City whose biggest success so far is a yogurt commercial. And while Ansari's character is South Asian, that's not a central show premise any more than the fact he is a man, or young, or in New York City, or has friends.

Why this episode: Ansari's actual parents play his fictional parents in this episode, which is nominated for a best writing Emmy. As we wrote last year: "For many children of immigrants, this episode wasn't just entertaining. It was affirming. It was finally being able to see the bedrock narrative of your life told with nuance, not stereotypes. With characters, not caricatures."

Also consider: "Nashville," a delightful and unique take on a first date.

In this image released by ABC, Laurence Fishburne, from left, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner, Jennifer Lewis, standing center, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin and Anthony Anderson appear in an episode of "Black-ish." (Patrick Wymore / ABC)

Black-ish (best comedy series nominee)

Episode: "Hope" (Season 2, episode 16)

Time commitment: 22 minutes

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The basics: The ABC single-camera comedy centers around the Johnsons, a multi-generational, upper-middle class black family living in a mostly white neighborhood.

Why this episode: This is one of the most emotional episodes of the series, and perhaps its most important, showing how comedies can tackle some of society's most pressing issues. The plot focuses on the high-profile police shooting of a black teenager and how adults grapple with talking to their children about police brutality. Show creator Kenya Barris told The Post's Bethonie Butler, "I have never been as afraid about an episode of television that I've written in my life."

Also consider: Season 2 finale "Good-ish Times," which features a dream sequence that pays homage to the 1970s sitcom "Good Times," developed by Norman Leader. Barris has said Lear's approaches to sitcoms greatly influenced "Black-ish."

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Rock the Vote's Truth to Power campaign at the Democratic National Convention in July featured large-scale, pop-up art exhibits about pressing issues facing millennials in the U.S. (Rock the Vote)

Driven by angst and rock 'n' roll, the youth of the early '90s wanted two things: a voice and their MTV.

Statements came in the form of Madonna cloaked in an American flag, explicit rap lyrics and the existential crises of the disaffected young people in "Reality Bites."

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Their Doc Martens tightly laced, young voters made their way to the polls by way of the Rock the Vote movement, to stand at the foot of democracy, demanding an audience.

The voice of the millennial is no longer that of a call for attention, but rather, a call for action.

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Rock the Vote is still alive and well but with the powerhouse that is social media, the group is spreading its message through more ways than just Liquid Television.

"American voter mindset has changed," said Luis Calderin, Rock the Vote's vice president of marketing and creative, who also worked on Bernie Sanders' campaign. "We started as the voice of young people fighting for musicians that were being censored. Over the years, we realized that our call was bigger. To educate young Americans about the voting process and create tools to do so, but those tools have changed. We have to go to them and get them where they are."

Many Sanders' millennial supporters have gravitated toward Hillary Clinton, according to an August USA Today poll.

Clinton, however, has struggled to relate to millennial voters and is still received with mixed enthusiasm. Sean Anderson, vice president of Young Democrats of Illinois, agrees Clinton has some catching up to do.

"Clinton has struggled to connect with millennials, but she is working on finding her voice to speak to what she envisions for America," said Anderson. "Millennials might have a hard time understanding where Trump stands on issues. When we talk about the American people, we consider that people of all colors and backgrounds. A candidate that doesn't feel the same is not a candidate we should vote for. We are going to realize the country we want in this election."

A Rock the Vote exhibit at the Democratic National Convention. (Rock the Vote)

The Census Bureau defines millennials as those born between 1982 and 2000, and has identified them as the largest and most diverse group of voters in the country. The numbers are in their favor, but the last election showed theirs to be lowest turnout number at the polls. What will motivate them to punch the ticket this election?

"At the heart of this election is the overwhelming sense that we are fed up. We're over the headlines of police brutality, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion being the basis of injustices and attacks," Calderin said. "We're working to channel this frustration into the ballot box, because voting is the way to progress and change."

Knowing what you want and knowing how to get it are two different things. Some voters just don't know if either candidate is right for the job.

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"I feel I'm forced to choose between the lesser of two evils," said 23-year-old Caitlin Smith of North Barrington. "My biggest concern is our country's safety, and I feel I can't trust either candidate on this. One can't keep their mouth shut when challenged and the other has already failed at this. It comes down to trust, and I just don't think either fit the bill."

Smith was intimidated when she went to vote for the first time in 2012 and said had it not been for her friends, she may not have been inclined to go at all.

Rock the Vote offers tools for registration, voting locations and deadlines, but logistics aside, Smith struggles with whether or not her vote even matters.

Chicago transplant and current D.C. resident Kelly Zolnierczyk said she finds herself in the same boat as Smith. The 26-year-old admits living near Capitol Hill keeps her in tune with the political temperature but doesn't exactly ignite her urge to vote.

"I know who I won't vote for," said Zolnierczyk. "I think people my age are generally optimistic and tolerant, but we want some drastic changes. We want to stop being deceived and discredited, but I don't know that my vote is going to have an impact."

Calderin says participating in democracy and voting are the only ways to effect change.

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"This November isn't just about the high-level presidential race. It's about the congressmen and women up for re-election," Calderin said. "All those special-interest parties who sway those that are supposed to be serving us as their constituents. They're counting on us not showing up, not voting. If we don't vote, things stay the same."

History is being drafted, and with less than two months to Election Day, millennials have to decide whether they want to sit this one out, or vote and be counted.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 13 In 1987, Mayor Harold Washington ordered the design of a new central library. The breathtaking Winter Garden on the ninth floor is a quiet locale, perfect for logging some hours. (Stevegeer/iStock)
(Warning: Contains strong language) The Chicago Police Department conducts force-mitigation training for officers through mental health awareness lessons and scenario-based drills at the Chicago Police Academy. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

The lights dimmed as nearly 20 Chicago police officers turned their attention to the dashboard camera video playing in the training room where they had gathered for a new, mandatory course on the proper use of deadly force.

In the footage, an agitated man wielded a knife as he moved down a street with a quick step, ignoring the blinking lights of police vehicles that had surrounded him.

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The scene did not play out on South Pulaski Road, and the man was not Laquan McDonald  though the images looked strikingly similar to the infamous video that captured the teen's 2014 fatal shooting by a Chicago police officer as he walked away, refusing to drop a knife.

Instead, this footage came from a police dashcam in New Mexico, and the man ended up being stopped with a stun gun.

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Even though McDonald's name was never mentioned, the video still raised a haunting suggestion: There might have been a different outcome that night in Chicago.

The November court-ordered release of the troubling footage of Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times upended policing in Chicago, leading to sustained street protests and a U.S. Justice Department investigation into whether there's a pattern of excessive force by the Police Department against citizens.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 9 Chicago police Officer Marianne Horan Dawson talks with fellow officers in a group discussion about post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide during training at the Chicago Police Academy on Sept. 13, 2016. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

After years of paying out tens of millions of dollars in lawsuits over excessive force, the city is now bringing officers in for training that emphasizes "de-escalation" tactics to try to reduce the number of fatal confrontations.

The department has laid out an ambitious schedule to train its entire 12,500 sworn workforce in about a year's time, holding classes six days a week. A Tribune reporter and photographer were given exclusive access to the two days of training that each officer will undergo. The department launched the effort this month.

It represents a major shift for a Police Department that has lacked a strong mandate and the resources to carry out training that re-creates real-world stress for officers. And while the idea to pull back and take time was welcomed by officers, they also acknowledged how much pressure still exists to resolve calls quickly and move onto the next assignment.

The training comes at a time when not only are the actions and split-second decisions of officers under more scrutiny than ever but as tensions between law enforcement and the public have spiked with the targeted shootings of officers in Texas and Louisiana.

That leaves instructors at the Police Department's Near West Side training academy with a somewhat delicate balancing act: helping officers recognize times they should use slower, calmer approaches without losing their confidence to use deadly force when needed to protect themselves and others.

"When we can reduce the risk of taking a life even if it's a bad guy, we should. ... We should not use force simply because we can," Sgt. Larry Snelling, the lead instructor, told the group at the beginning of training last week. "But when you are faced with an immediate threat and your life or someone else's life is on the line  you should respond with deadly force. You have to."

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'Learning how to be nice?'

A slight tension filled the air as the 18 officers, most dressed in civilian clothes, gathered for the first day of training around small tables inside a second-floor classroom at the Education & Training Division at 1300 W. Jackson Blvd.

Officer Rob Casale, an instructor with 18 years on the job, spoke first, pointing to a slide with a technical title: "Force Mitigation: Mental Health Awareness." He asked if anyone knew what the class was about.

Silence followed until one officer, in a more joking than angry manner, asked, "What the f--- is it?"

The group cracked up.

Another officer quickly said "De-escalation, De-Escalante"  a joking reference to recently retired First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante, who announced the mandatory classes last winter while he was the department's interim superintendent.

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The Chicago Police Department is training its officers in Force Mitigation through mental health awareness and scenario-based drills at the academy. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

"Force Mitigation" is Chicago's term for de-escalation, the buzzword sweeping law enforcement nationwide in the wake of the high-profile in-custody police deaths  many of them unarmed African-Americans. Chicago follows police departments in Seattle, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in rolling out the training.

The jokes eased the tension in the room, but some remained skeptical. One officer later said he remembered thinking to himself at that point if the training was about "learning how to be nice to people?"

Snelling and his team repeated over and over that the training was not about slowing down or easing up in situations that required deadly force to protect officers or the public.

It's about remembering that rushing in and using physical force is not always the best first option.

When Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the training in December in the fallout over the Laquan McDonald shooting video, he promised a spring 2016 launch. But it took months to design the curriculum, co-written by Snelling and tested with local and national policing experts.

Snelling sought longtime cops from the department's 22 police districts to act as instructors. About 15 were chosen, and they bring more than just experience from working in some of the city's toughest, busiest neighborhoods. One is an expert on post-traumatic stress disorder. Another worked as a mental health caseworker before becoming a cop. Still another focuses on suicide in law enforcement. All who teach how to deal with the mentally ill hold degrees or have done advanced work in mental health.

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So far, more than 200 officers have gone through the two days of training, but just three supervisors have completed the class. No command staff has taken it yet either, but Snelling said their attendance is important so they understand what is being asked of their rank-and-file officers.

At one point, Snelling took a moment to shake the hand of a sergeant, the only supervisor who attended last week's training.

"We need more supervisors in the room," Snelling told him. "... I know one of the frustrations is that police officers are saying, 'I was trying to do the right thing  my supervisor didn't back me up, didn't know.'  It's a good thing we have supervisors showing up to this. Now we start moving up the chain (of command), it'll be a lot better."

'I was probably dead'

The first day of training was limited to the classroom and focused on how officers should assess and respond to confrontations.

The eight-hour discussion was lively. Officers talked at length how to detect signs of mental health problems, but they were also reminded of the stress that can affect average people every day.

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Officer Marianne Horan Dawson, assigned to the Shakespeare District, said she's essentially been using de-escalation techniques for years.

"The best way (to learn) is to be on that street and learn how to handle people," said the 18-year veteran, whose quick wit lightened the mood of the training a bit. "First of all, you have to quiet them. You let one speak, and you let the other speak. You won't fix peoples' broken lives, but we can try to fix it for that night."

Officers talked about assessing if someone posed a threat by studying a person's demeanor, hands, waistline and any objects within reach. They also spoke at length about how listening or expressing empathy can defuse tension.

Instructors warned them to be on the lookout for how an individual's emotions generally cycle through anxiety, anger and hostility before becoming violent. But they were cautioned to keep their own emotions in check.

As people's emotions rise, said Officer Marcus Dismukes, an instructor, "their ability to understand verbal commands goes down."

Dismukes, who worked as a mental health specialist before becoming a cop about 12 years ago, said just hearing out people can help immensely.

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"A lot of times we get to a call, we listen, and it ends up being a '19-Paul' just because we listened," Dismukes said, referring to police code for when nothing of significance happened on a call.

On the second day of training, the officers underwent a refresher course on the department's use-of-force model before going through drills, testing their reactions and judgments.

The drills relied heavily on officers confronted by those with mental health issues. But Snelling said the department is ready to roll out mock scenes that reflect the street violence police are battling every day  calls of a man with a gun, a robbery in progress or a foot chase. The Near West Side training center, though, doesn't have the physical space at this point to carry out those scenarios, he said.

In one exercise, Horan Dawson faced an agitated guy with lots of weapons at the ready  a crowbar, bat and knife.

He was screaming, swearing and picking up the weapons, waving each and vowing to harm her. Horan Dawson worked as quickly as she could to answer each move he made with her own  un-holstering her handgun, then her Taser as she talked him down.

"Sir, we don't need to go there today. I can help you. Calm down a little bit," she said with a style clearly honed over many years dealing with unruly people.

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In another mock scenario, another angry man approached an officer, lifted his shirt revealing a gun in his waistband. He quickly pulled out the weapon and opened fire.

"That sucked. I was probably dead," said Officer Dan Pruszewski, who had tried talking first.

Pruszewski later acknowledged he hesitated because he thought at that point that the training was about not using deadly force.

'That's the old way'

Snelling, an expert on use of force, said that drill is meant to remind them that it's OK to use their gun under the right circumstances.

The training allows them to practice when to use lethal and nonlethal approaches  and understanding the difference. But if they do use a deadly weapon, they should be able to defend the decision.

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Snelling urged the officers to strip emotions away and picture themselves in a courtroom faced with a prosecutor who wants to put them in prison for a civil rights violation.

But officers can't be expected to make these difficult choices fairly without the proper training, Snelling said.

"If the job is going to hold you accountable to rules, regulations and policies, it should give you the training on that," he said.

In other mock scenarios, knife-wielding people played by trainers confronted officers who were supposed to resolve the call with the least amount of force possible.

Trainers pointed out when officers got too far away from each other  or too close to the suspect. They emphasized the importance of getting into position to deploy a Taser or holstering their service gun when the subject had dropped a weapon and no longer posed a deadly threat.

Officers were teamed with partners and sometimes sent through the same drills twice.

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In one exercise, an unarmed trainer was able in a split second to advance on an officer and get close to his weapon. Up until then, the officer had spent several minutes negotiating with the man, trying to calm him.

But it was easy to envision the headline that would result: "Officer fatally shoots unarmed suspect with history of mental illness."

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Pruszewski was one of the skeptics coming in, not because he has a problem with training, but he wasn't sure what the message would be. The 12-year officer left a convert because of the balance.

"Every situation, you are not going to be able to talk your way out of," said the officer, who works the busy South Chicago District. "There is nothing wrong with a reminder and refresher. It would be great if they put us through these once a year at least.  It's amazing how much goes back to your training."

Over and over during the training, officers noted that defusing tense situations has long been standard police work.

But Sgt. Gene Klamerus, who has 25 years on the job, said the emphasis for officers seems to be changing from a "get it done fast" mentality.

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"You go in, you give them a chance to comply, and then you rush in. That's the old way," he said. "The old way was a quick way to get the job done and also a good way to get hurt.  Now we'll talk, negotiate a calmer way to get the situation resolved."

asweeney@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @annie1221
The EPA announced Friday that high levels of lead and arsenic around a portion of properties on the former U.S.S. Lead site in East Chicago will require cleanup.

The EPA said preliminary soil testing results found at least 20 properties  of the 136 tested  that will need cleanup in Zone 2, which is the portion of the U.S.S. Lead site with boundaries at East Chicago Avenue to the north, East 151stt Street to the south, East Huish Drive to the west and McCook Avenue to the east. The preliminary results included only 136 of the 590 properties in Zone 2.

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Once the EPA verifies the preliminary samples, affected residents will be notified of the results and what steps the federal agency will take.

Work to start cleaning up those 20 properties could start this fall, according to the EPA. Sampling for the remaining residences will continue this fall.

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The EPA began taking soil samples in Zone 2 during the summer to develop a plan for the cleanup of the site.

Zone 2 of the U.S.S. Lead site was not included in the 2014 consent decree, which the U.S. District Court for Northern Indiana approved, between the EPA, Department of Justice, State of Indiana, the Atlantic Richfield Co. and E.I. du Pont De Nemours regarding the cleanup of the U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery site.

Zone 1, which includes the West Calumet Housing Complex and Carrie Gosch Elementary, runs from McCook Avenue to the Indiana Harbor Canal, with 151st Street on the south and 148th Street on the north. Zone 3 includes the land between East Huish Drive and Parrish Avenue, with Chicago Avenue on the north and 149th Place to the south.

Based on the agreement, the two companies would cover roughly $26 million in cleanup costs, according to the EPA.

In August the EPA said that remediation work in Zone 3 will not require the relocation of any residents. The cleanup plan is still being finalized, according to the EPA, but work could begin in late September or early October.

The EPA has an open house set for 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Riley Park to talk with residents about cleanup plans for zones two and three.

clyons@post-trib.com

Twitter: @craigalyons
When Charles Hedinger arrived at the Hammond Police station to start an early shift about 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 14, 1980, he remembers thinking it was odd all the lights in the department were still on.

"When I came into the door, there was a cloud, literally a cloud, that hung over the patrol division," Hedinger said.

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The now-retired detective learned that Officer Larry Pucalik had been murdered in an attempted robbery while working a side security job at the Holiday Inn-Southeast in Hammond. Decades passed before three men were charged in the crime in 2012.

The case against one of the defendants, James Hill, 53, was dismissed in 2014. But this month, he was recharged in Lake County Superior Court and denied bail, bringing up deep-rooted emotions for those familiar with the case. Hill has pleaded not guilty.

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Hedinger doesn't want Pucalik's memory to be forgotten now that many of the people who worked with Hammond Police when the murder happened have retired or moved on. That's why Hedinger posts about Pucalik on Facebook on the anniversary of his death each year, he said.

Hedinger worked with Pucalik a bit in the patrol division. He remembers Pucalik as a jokester who brought a sense of humor to the job. Pucalik also was known as a sharp shooter in the department, and he was expected to win a top marksman award when he died.

Cecilia King, who was married to Pucalik, said he "was a good officer all the way around." She said she hopes the new charges "stick" and will finally provide answers.

The case "tears at everybody's heart," and police officers from across the country came for Pucalik's funeral, Hedinger said.

Police officers salute as the casket of slain Hammond police officer Lawrence Pucalik following his funeral in Hammond on Nov. 17, 1980. (William Yates / Chicago Tribune)

The murder has not just taken its toll on the Pucalik's family or the police, but also on the man sitting in the Lake County Jail. The case has been following Hill since he was 17, said Hill's sister-in-law, Moniqueka Hardaway.

In the years after the murder, Hill has been convicted and cleared of a rape case, spending more than a decade behind bars before his conviction was vacated. Since then, he's lived in Gary, Hardaway said. And while his court cases have made it difficult to find work, he's found some work as a barber and did some lawn work, she said.

"He's got a lot of gifts, a lot of ability to do different things, but with all this stuff over your head, your mind isn't going to be right," Hardaway said. "He probably could even be a better man if they could just let this go."

Hill thought it was over with when his murder case was dismissed in 2014 and he was cleared of the rape, she said, but as his new charges continue, Hardaway said she'll be there to support him.

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"It's time for them to leave this man alone so that he can move on with his life," Hardaway said.

Previous case

Explicit reasons for why exactly Hill's 2012 case was dismissed have not been made clear to the public, and neither have the reasons for why it took decades for murder charges to be filed in Pucalik's death.

Attorney Mitch Peters, who represented Hill in the original murder case but does not in the current one, isn't sure much has changed with the transition into this new case.

"I don't believe the evidence is any different today than it was in 1980," Peters said.

James Hill. (Lake County Sheriff's Department)

The cases of Hill's two co-defendants  Pierre Catlett, 66, and Larry Mayes, 67 -- haven't had much play, either. Catlett's case is still open; he's just awaiting extradition from an Illinois prison, where he's serving time on an unrelated case. Mayes' case was dismissed in December 2014 after he was found incompetent to stand trial after suffering a stroke, according to court records.

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After being charged in 2012, Hill was scheduled for a two-week trial. However, his case was dropped in March 2014 when prosecutor David Urbanski filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing the reason as "prosecutorial discretion." Investigators have since re-interviewed original witnesses and reviewed evidence, such as the car found at a nearby apartment complex that the hotel clerk, -- the only eyewitness to the shooting -- said the men fled in and the blue denim bag she said the men demanded money be put in.

Mayes' murder case attorney, Scott King, said he can't speak to specifics on why Hill's case was dismissed, but from his perspective from Mayes' case, he thinks the evidence from the original case didn't fully prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Hammond Police are not able to comment on the recent developments because of the ongoing case, according to Lt. Richard Hoyda, and neither could Hedinger. But Hedinger is confident that those currently involved are working diligently to make sure the case is handled properly, even more than 30 years and a dismissal later.

"There has always been information out there, but knowing and proving are two different things," Hedinger said.

Hedinger said he is proud of how law enforcement took up the cold case, which can be a hard thing to do when the murder occurred so long ago, he said.

"I'm just happy we got where we're going now because we sit down and let the system take its course," Hedinger said. "We don't want anybody falsely accused of something."

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Police officers assist Marilyn Pucalik, the widow of slain Hammond police officer Lawrence Pucalik, following his funeral in Hammond on Nov. 17, 1980. (William Yates / Chicago Tribune)

In custody

Hill was taken into custody on Nov. 18, 1980, charged in a rape that occurred more than a month before the murder. As detectives arrested Hill, "he made the spontaneous utterance, 'I know you guys think I shot that Hammond cop,'" according to the probable cause affidavit in Hill's new case.

On March 9, 1981, Hill gave a note to the staff at the Lake County Jail, asking to talk to a detective, the affidavit states. The same day, Hill "confessed to detectives that he drove the vehicle used in the attempted robbery and murder" of Pucalik, but while Catlett and Mayes went inside the hotel lobby, Hill waited out front in the car, according to the affidavit.

Hill made the same argument in his civil rights case against the City of Hammond and some Hammond officers after he was cleared in a 1980 rape case that sent him to prison for a decade. On Oct. 5, 1980, a cashier working at the Martin Oil Co. gas station in Hammond was robbed at gunpoint and "brutally raped," according to the affidavit in Hill's new murder case. During the robbery, a blue denim bag was also placed on the counter, according to the affidavit.

Hill and Mayes were convicted of the crime, and Hill was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Mayes was cleared of the case after DNA relieved his link to the crime. He later won $4.5 million in a case against Hammond.

After Hill's conviction for the rape was vacated by a judge in 2009, he filed the civil lawsuit, arguing that exculpatory evidence was not presented in the case. His "arrest, detention, prosecution, convictions, and imprisonment were the product of unconstitutional and unlawful efforts ... to use any means necessary to gain a conviction," according to the complaint in the lawsuit.

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Many of the defendants Hill is suing were dismissed over the years, but his case against the city and one detective continues. There was a settlement conference scheduled in the civil case on Sept. 7, five days after Hill was re-arrested in the murder case.

Hardaway and Hill's wife, Denise Hill, find the timing of the arrest peculiar, Hardaway said. With Hill back behind bars, his settlement conference has been pushed to Nov. 1, the same day as his next criminal court hearing.

rejacobs@post-trib.com

Twitter @ruthyjacobs
The Chicago Tribunes front page of June 7, 1942, was led by a report on the Battle of Midway that made evident the U.S. had cracked the Japanese naval code.

The Battle of Midway was still raging in the Pacific Ocean when a bombshell of a different sort exploded on the front page of the Chicago Tribune: The U.S. Navy, the newspaper reported, had obtained advance knowledge of what the Japanese fleet was going to do.

The story, published June 7, 1942, was awash in detail, naming the Japanese vessels involved in the battle and the strategy they were pursuing. Anyone reading the account could have gleaned an unstated but critical piece of information  America had cracked Japan's naval code.

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That set off a furious legal fight in which the federal government tried to prosecute Tribune journalists for violating espionage laws. A prosecutor even impaneled a grand jury to seek a criminal indictment.

The grand jury ultimately decided not to indict the journalists, but for 74 years, the testimony that led to that decision has remained under wraps. Now a Maryland historian is closer than ever to revealing those secrets, only to face the opposition of a familiar foe  the federal government.

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Lawyers for the Department of Justice contend that court rules do not permit the release of confidential grand jury records simply because they are of historical interest. Allowing that, they say, could undermine the foundation of grand jury secrecy itself.

So far, that argument has proved unpersuasive. A federal district judge in Chicago last year ruled in favor of the author, Elliot Carlson, and on Thursday, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision.

"Obviously, there's a gray area when an argument can be made of a threat to national security, but there's no gray area here," said Jim Grossman of the American Historical Association, which filed a petition in support of Carlson. "There's no reason not to provide access to these materials."

The Justice Department declined to comment, but its defeat might not be the end: It still can seek a hearing from the entire appellate court, or take the case to the Supreme Court.

Carlson, 80, a former newspaper journalist who is writing a book about the Tribune affair, said he's eager for an armistice after spending four years trying to corral the records.

"I have a manuscript that's complete but for the last chapter," he said. "I want it to be finished as soon as possible."

Many closely held secrets of World War II have long been available to historians, including details of code-breaking and the development of the atom bomb. Northwestern history professor Michael Sherry recalled federal archivists in the 1970s passing him still-classified papers with barely a shrug.

The bureaucracy has hardened since then, he said, but generally speaking, historians have been able to access the documents they need.

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"It's not regularly an obstacle," he said. "What makes this case distinctive is not the period but the fact that it involves grand jury records."

Those documents are placed under seal to ensure the confidentiality of the proceedings. The U.S. Supreme Court has said grand jury secrecy is vital to safeguard witnesses who could be in danger if their testimony became public, and to protect the privacy of those who are investigated but never charged.

Exceptions have been made in cases of historical importance, such as Watergate or the Alger Hiss prosecution, in which a former government official was accused of being a Soviet spy. But the Justice Department argues that because court rules do not explicitly cite that as a reason to disclose grand jury documents, it should not be allowed.

The government's pursuit of the Tribune began after war correspondent Stanley Johnston, aboard a Navy transport in the Pacific, came across a decoded message giving details about the Japanese fleet and its movements.

The ship landed in San Diego on June 2, 1942, and four days later, news of the Battle of Midway broke. The Tribune swiftly published a story about the Navy's prior knowledge.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a bitter political foe of Tribune publisher Col. Robert R. McCormick, was furious. The Justice Department assembled a criminal espionage case against Johnston and others, even though some of its own lawyers were skeptical.

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"I thoroughly agree  that the conduct of (Tribune Managing Editor J. Loy Maloney) and Johnston was despicable, but I think that the legal grounds for prosecution are too tenuous and the chances of public misunderstanding too great to undertake prosecution," Assistant Attorney General Wendell Berge wrote.

J. Loy "Pat" Maloney, managing editor at the Chicago Tribune, and Chicago Tribune reporter Stanley Johnston arrive at the Chicago Federal Building on Aug. 19, 1942. (Chicago Tribune)

Nonetheless, a few weeks later, a special prosecutor said he was impaneling a grand jury in Chicago to pursue the journalists. Numerous witnesses gave testimony, and in the end, the grand jury decided against an indictment.

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The Justice Department claims in court documents that the lack of an indictment lessens the episode's historical significance. Carlson's attorney, Katie Townsend of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, reached a different conclusion.

"We thought the issues that were presented were actually very timely," she said. "It's the first and only time the U.S. government has attempted to prosecute a member of the news media in a leaks case."

Ironically, though the government's main concern in the Tribune case was that the Japanese would learn their code had been broken, that apparently never happened: Carlson said its navy continued to use the same compromised code until the end of the war.

Even so, the Tribune's decision to publish the story, and the government's enraged reaction to it, make details of the grand jury testimony well worth learning, Carlson said.

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"(Johnston was) a journalist who you might say violated the code that journalists observe, and that made it a very interesting story," he said. "The story he ran could have had disastrous results. It was certainly worth pursuing how he happened to obtain that information."

jkeilman@tribpub.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman
Glen Brooks, area coordinator for the Chicago Police Department, speaks at the scene of a police-involved shooting near West Division Street and North Maplewood Avenue late on Sept. 9, 2016, in Humboldt Park. (Erin Hooley, Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

For nearly 10 years, Michael Arquero built a new life after leaving prison. He changed his name, found a job he loved, married a woman he loved even more, raised two sons and settled into a nice home in Avondale, away from the streets where he ran with gangs.

But a split-second decision last weekend threatens to tear all that apart.

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Arquero, 33, was at a food stand in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on Sept. 9 because his pregnant wife had a late-night craving for tacos, according to police and his family. Just before midnight, a Honda Civic circled the 2500 block of West Division Street two or three times before someone inside the car started shooting, hitting Arquero, according to police and court records.

Arquero fired back, killing the 18-year-old driver, police said. Two plainclothes officers heard the gunfire, pulled up and fired at Arquero, possibly hitting him, according to police.

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Arquero, an EMT who works for a private ambulance company, began treating himself at the scene and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he underwent surgery for four gunshot wounds. His wife said Arquero often works in the Englewood neighborhood, and although he can't carry it while on duty, he wanted the weapon for protection in a violent city.

When the shooting started, "His first instinct was, 'I have people here I have to protect,'" said Melissa Arquero, who is nearly six months pregnant with the couple's third child. "He's not a bad guy whatsoever. He doesn't take lives, he saves them. He puts others' needs before his."

Arquero's troubles only began with his being shot, however.

A woman talks to a member of the Chicago Police Department at the scene of a police-involved shooting near West Division Street and North Maplewood Avenue on Sept. 9, 2016, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Police sought to charge him with first-degree murder, but prosecutors declined, calling the shooting self-defense. But the state's attorney's office did agree to charge him with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

The charge, including the word felon, was a surprise to his wife, who had no idea the man she married used to go by the name Michael Travisano -- or that Travisano's arrest record includes a conviction for attempted murder and aggravated assault of a police officer that sent him to prison for five years, according to court records.

"That is not the person I know. Michael Arquero is the man I married. The family man. I don't know that other person," said Melissa Arquero, who changed her name from Betancourt and took her husband's last name when they married.

Melissa Arquero drove her husband to some of the classes he took to get his concealed-carry permit. Despite his arrest record, he was able to buy a gun and get the permit, a certificate for which hangs on the couple's refrigerator, she said.

Chicago police officers work at the scene of a police-involved shooting near West Division Street and North Maplewood Avenue on Sept. 9, 2016, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Michael Arquero dropped the surname associated with his criminal history when he got out of prison in 2008, taking his mother's maiden name, according to his family and records on file with the Cook County clerk's office.

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A year later he married Melissa Betancourt while living with his mother in New Jersey, records show. The couple eventually moved into a home in Avondale owned by his wife's parents. Arquero attended EMT training classes at Malcolm X College and got a job with ATI Ambulance, which said it became aware of his record after he was hired.

ATI coordinator Cindy Briere interviewed Arquero for his job at ATI. Back then, Arquero had a gang tattoo on his neck. They grew up in nearby neighborhoods, he in Humboldt Park, she in Logan Square. She knew what the tattoo was about.

"I know he had some significant gang involvement when he was younger. ... I told him if he even wanted to be considered for an EMT position it needed to be covered up," she said.

The next time she saw him, the gang tattoo on his neck was covered up, replaced with a tattoo of a panther. That's how serious he was about starting a new life, she said. He was on the right path, and meeting his wife a few years later and starting their family only reinforced that.

"When do you hear about a gangbanger who actually changed his outlook and his way of life? To now be in this situation, where he's worked so hard to avoid exactly this, but now here he is," Briere said. "In a way, I feel like this one night kind of negates all that, 10 years of his life."

Officially, Chicago police have not released many details from that night at Guerrero's Tacos and Pizza, and have not said why they sought murder charges even though court records indicate Arquero was shot first.

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Melissa Arquero said she and her husband had been at a wedding Friday night; Briere was there too. Michael Arquero almost never danced, his wife said, but that night he made an exception and danced with the bride, a close friend. The couple already had a babysitter, and Briere said she prodded Mike to take his wife out for a fancy late-night dinner, but with her pregnancy cravings, the pair had been talking about getting tacos all day, Melissa Arquero said. So Arquero dropped her off at home, then drove down California Avenue to the small restaurant at Division and Maplewood.

Arquero was standing with his sister and his sister's friend when the Civic rolled past around 11:30 p.m. and someone inside the car opened fire, according to police and court records. There had been some kind of commotion at the restaurant earlier, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.

Arquero was hit and fired back with a 9 mm handgun, "subsequently shooting and killing" the driver of the car, 18-year-old Louis A. Rodriguez, according to a police report and court records. Rodriguez died on the scene, and the passenger fled.

Two gang investigations officers heading away from the restaurant heard the shots and made a U-turn, the source said. They ordered Arquero to drop the gun, but he wouldn't stop firing, the source said. "In fear for their lives and that of the general public, the officers fired their duty weapons,'' the police report said. It was unclear if the officers hit him.

While Arquero was under guard at Stroger, police sought murder charges, but they were rejected, according to Cook County state's attorney spokeswoman Tandra Simonton, who said the office determined Arquero shot in self-defense.

"This was not murder," she said. Instead, Arquero was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon because of his record.

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Chicago and state police issued a statement Friday afternoon saying they were investigating how Arquero was able to get a concealed-carry permit under his new name when a fingerprint check should have uncovered his record under his previous name.

Arquero, in a wheelchair, appeared in court Friday morning on the charge. It was the first time he saw his wife since Saturday at the hospital. Arquero smiled a little and lifted his right hand and waved.

He wore a yellow jail jumpsuit and had bandages on his left calf and foot, his neck and on one of his arms. He said only, "Yes, ma'am," when Judge Ann O'Donnell asked him if he had asked for a different attorney.

Minutes later, Arquero again waved as a deputy slowly turned his wheelchair and pushed him back to the lockup.

This has been a double shock for Melissa Arquero, a health care supervisor. Concerns about his well-being overshadow any hint of concern about her husband's name change. Learning of his arrest history hasn't changed how she feels about him.

"Who doesn't have a past?" she asked the Tribune in an interview. "He became a man that's a law-abiding citizen. He's like a cuddly teddy bear. When you have his friendship, he's so loyal. He's loyal to his medic friends, to his cop friends. He's redeemed himself.

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"He's done great for his family," she continued. "He changed his whole life around, and not a lot of people can do that. He has a great job  not just doing anything  but saving lives. I'm in love with him. He's my best friend, and he's been with me in the good and bad times. There's nothing I could hear that would change that. The other person, that's not who I know. It honestly doesn't matter to me. "

After the hearing, Melissa Arquero questioned the actions of the police, saying bullets from the officers struck her husband in the back. "They shot a medic," she said.

Melissa Arquero said her younger son, 4, has autism and keeps asking about his father. She told her oldest son, who is 8, that his father was injured at work.

Arquero's 33rd birthday was Wednesday, and the oldest son asked if they could bring a birthday cake to him. They were not allowed, but Melissa Arquero said her husband called her and they spoke briefly before he broke down. He was so upset, he couldn't talk to his son, she said.

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Arquero had never requested his birthday off work before, but because Wednesday was also the day a doctor was going to reveal the sex of their baby, Melissa Arquero said he asked for the night off so the whole family could go out to celebrate news of the girl she hopes they'll have or the third boy he's sure they'll have.

The baby is due Feb. 14, so the couple has been calling the child "our little love baby," Melissa Arquero said. They've pushed back the ultrasound date until Arquero gets home.

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"It's been a rough week," she said. "Everything happened so quickly."

Chicago Tribune's Megan Crepeau contributed.

kdouglas@chicagotribune.com

rsobol@chicagotribune.com

jgorner@chicagotribune.com
Mayor Rahm Emanuel spent Friday showing London Mayor Sadiq Khan around Chicago, a day of photo ops, sightseeing and idea swapping that both major city politicians tried to use to burnish their public images.

For Emanuel, it was a chance to point to what he considers some of his top achievements during his five-plus years as mayor and a welcome respite from the recent narrative of raising taxes to pay for government worker pensions and attempting to figure out how to stem a surge in violent crime that has made national headlines.

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For Khan, the trip represented an opportunity for the new mayor to show Brits he's building relationships overseas while assuring American businesses and investors that London remains open for international business after Great Britain's recent vote to leave the European Union.

The two mayors, each wearing dark suits without a tie, began the day with a Chicago River water taxi ride, with tour guide Emanuel pointing at various skyscrapers as TV cameras rolled on the shore. The mayor then walked Khan down a stretch of the city's Riverwalk, an original vision of predecessor Richard M. Daley that Emanuel has significantly expanded.

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In a brief set of remarks, Emanuel said Chicago's Riverwalk served as an example for what Khan might be able to do along the Thames River in London. Khan lauded the concept of "democratizing the river" and opening up the space to people from all walks of life.

"It's great to see progressive politicians, Democrats here, being pro-business, pro-small business, thinking about the environment, thinking about future generations," said Khan, putting his arm around Emanuel. "For me as a new mayor for London, coming to another global city and working and learning from Rahm is beginning a friendship I hope will bear fruit for Chicago and bear fruit for London.

"I don't pretend that I've got all the ideas," Khan told Emanuel. "And what I've found so inspiring is that you have the humility to recognize that you can learn from London as well."

Emanuel is known for many things, but humility is not usually one of them. Still, at a time when Emanuel has faced sinking approval ratings and rising criticism at home, the moment demonstrated the political cache the former two-time top White House adviser still enjoys internationally.

The mayor returned the favor, reassuring British reporters traveling with Khan that the so-called Brexit vote to leave the European Union will not erode the trust major American cities have in the country's economy.

"London will always will be an outward-looking city. It is a global city that brings the world to London and London to the world," Emanuel said. "Regardless of the vote, London's past tells a story about its future."

After the Riverwalk appearance, the two mayors headed to the Merchandise Mart where they visited 1871, a tech business incubator that Emanuel frequently touts as a major reason for Chicago's gains in start-up companies and venture capital investment in such businesses.

At that event  complete with United States, Great Britain and Chicago flags at stage right  Khan and Emanuel took part in a brief session in which they fielded softball questions about the importance of tech and startup companies. Khan used the opportunity to emphasize that London remains open for business, despite the Brexit vote.

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He even sat in front of a sign with the hashtag #Londonisopen, a social media campaign the British capital has deployed to head off any global concerns about bringing business to the city amid the uncertain economic climate surrounding the country's decision to leave the European Union.

Later, Emanuel brought Khan to Englewood, a South Side neighborhood near the Dan Ryan Expressway known for sustained fits of shooting deaths and violent crime. But it's also is home to a major Emanuel effort  the construction of a Whole Foods, a high-end grocery store known more for expensive produce than for anchoring struggling neighborhoods.

Emanuel often holds up the Whole Foods as a symbol of his effort to bring economic investment to struggling neighborhoods, an issue he continues to have a mixed record on.

The two mayors met with employees who were at the store for job training before its opening later this month. And they toured a tent full of local vendors who will have their products sold at the store through an agreement with Whole Foods.

"London, like Chicago, is a world-class city, but we also have challenges in making sure all neighborhoods are participating in economic opportunities and growth," Emanuel said, before offering a quip. "I can say, with some confidence, that this is the first mayor of London to be in Englewood."

Khan and Emanuel also addressed a separate tent full of employees.

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"This is the first city I've visited in the US of A. You are the city of Oprah. You are the city of Barack Obama. You are the city of my big sister Chaka Khan," the London mayor said to a roar of laughter.

Khan told the crowd of African-American employees how he grew up in a housing project and his father drove a bus and his mother sewed clothes for a living. He noted how he worked manual labor jobs before becoming a lawyer.

"The story of London is if you work hard and you get a helping hand, you can achieve anything. The problem is there is no helping hand," Khan said. "The reason Rahm was keen on bringing me here is because I asked him, 'Where is the helping hand for working people today?' "

Khan noted that like Chicago, London has neighborhoods that are food deserts, where poor residents lack access to fresh meat and produce. The two mayors did not take questions from reporters in Englewood, but one TV reporter tried to ask Khan about what London does to tamp down the type of violence Englewood has experienced.

But with that question not fitting the narrative of the day, Emanuel quickly shielded his fellow mayor from the reporter as the two walked out of the store.

Later Friday, the two toured UI Labs' digital manufacturing institute on Goose Island. Emanuel also was scheduled to take Khan on a walk through Maggie Daley Park before a private dinner catered by celebrity chef Graham Elliott at the Art Institute of Chicago.

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On Saturday, Emanuel said he will take Khan to his synagogue to pray. Both noted on a few different occasions how Khan is the first Muslim mayor of London and Emanuel the first Jewish mayor of Chicago.

"Don't think it's not being noticed around the world now that you have a Jewish mayor and a Muslim mayor, two different global cities, cities that have embraced diversity," Emanuel said before cracking a joke. "My rabbi could not be happier, because it took a Muslim to get me to go to synagogue."

bruthhart@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @BillRuthhart
A Pakistani child who was injured in a suicide bombing is treated at a local hospital in Khar, Pakistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing dozens of worshippers and wounding many others, officials said. Several children were also among those killed or wounded in the deadly attack. (Anwarullah Khan / AP)

KHAR, Pakistan  A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 24 worshippers and wounding 28 others, officials said. Several children were also among those killed or wounded in the deadly attack.



A breakaway Taliban group later claimed responsibility for the bombing.



The attacker shouted "God is Great" as he entered the mosque in the village of Ambar in Pakistan's Mohmand tribal region, government administrator Naveed Akbar told The Associated Press. He said rescuers had transported the dead and wounded to nearby hospitals, where some of the wounded were listed in critical condition.



Akbar said about 200 worshippers were inside the mosque at the time of attack.



Pashin Gul, the head of local tribal police, confirmed that it was a suicide attack. He said the bombing took place during Friday prayers, adding that several of the wounded were in a critical condition.



Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for Jamaat-ul-Ahrar  the breakaway Taliban faction  claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement to media. He claimed the attacker targeted members of a pro-government militia.





The White House in a statement Friday condemned the attack, saying it is an "appalling reminder that terrorism threatens all countries in the region" and said the U.S. would continue to work with the Pakistani government to fight terrorism.



Saeed Khan, in charge of the hospital in the town of Khar, said an army helicopter was being used to transport the critically wounded to Peshawar, the main city in northwestern Pakistan.



One of the wounded, 41-year-old Ghulam Khan, 41, said he heard a deafening explosion during the prayers and then he fell down. "I cried for help, but no one came to me ... there were other bodies ... wounded worshippers, who were reciting verses from Quran and waiting for help," he told The Associated Press from his hospital bed.



Khan said local residents and tribal police helped ferry the wounded to hospital.



No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday's attack, which targeted a Sunni mosque. Previous such large-scale attacks have usually targeted Shiite mosques.





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The country has witnessed several large-scale militant attacks this year, claimed by an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State group. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan issued a statement, condemning the attack.



Pakistan's tribal regions, which border Afghanistan, were considered to be strongholds of Pakistani Taliban militants until 2014, when the military launched a major operation there, evicting and killing large numbers of insurgents. However, violence has continued in some of the tribal regions.



Friday's attack came hours after army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss security issues. According to a government statement, Sharif pledged to continue the war against terrorism.



The military says some 18,000 civilians and 5,000 soldiers have been killed in militant attacks in Pakistan since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, when Islamabad threw its support behind Washington in the war on terror.

Associated Press
A 35-year-old woman was standing outside a Valentino store in Manhattan on Sept. 10 when, as she later told police, she felt heat on her left side. Her blouse was on fire, and a man stood nearby with a lighter in his hand. The woman, whose name has not been released by the New York Police Department, escaped with a hole in her blouse and no injuries. The NYPD is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime  the woman is Muslim, and she was wearing a hijab.

Almost every woman has an unsettling story about the difficulties of being a woman in public  whether it's a stranger walking behind us too closely, verbal abuse, unwanted sexual advances or physical attacks. But for Muslim women, these isolated incidents of misogyny or violence have taken on an additional, ugly edge.

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Amid a global surge of anti-Muslim policy proposals, 2015 has been one of the worst in U.S. history for anti-Muslim hate crimes. And although the venom of anti-Muslim sentiment is directed against both men and women, it is a particularly gendered crisis. Women bear the brunt of Islamophobic prejudice.

Comprehensive data on the effect of discrimination and hate crimes targeting Muslim women are hard to find. (The FBI does not track hate crimes by gender.) But studies suggest that women, particularly those who wear hijab or niqab, shoulder a unique burden. Because women who wear hijab and niqab (a veil for the face that leaves an area for the eyes clear) are visible representations of Islam, they face a significant risk of exposure to discrimination, harassment and attacks.

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According to one researcher, 69 percent of Muslim women who wore hijab reported at least one incident of discrimination; for those who did not wear hijab, it was 29 percent. Non-governmental organizations that track anti-Muslim incidents in various parts of the world report record numbers of hate crimes and violent incidents targeting Muslim women. In the Netherlands, 90 percent of victims reporting incidents of violence to Meld Islamofobie (Report Islamophobia) in 2015 were Muslim women; in France, the Collective Against Islamophobia reported that 81 percent of violent incidents involved Muslim women, as did more than half of incidents reported to Tell MAMA, an NGO in Britain. In each study, women who wore visible symbols of Islam such as a hijab or niqab were more likely to be targeted.

To Muslim women, these numbers aren't abstract; they are real life.

A friend who wears hijab told me recently about being accosted in an airport bathroom and told to "go home where they wear those things" in front of her 7-year-old son.

Much of the latest focus has been on France, even though Muslim women in the United States have for decades endured prohibitions on hijab and niqab at work, in public spaces such as swimming pools or at school.

Muslim women have been fired or not hired, like Samantha Elauf, who took her case to the U.S. Supreme Court and won when Abercrombie & Fitch didn't hire her because of her hijab.

They've been arrested, like Itemid Al-Matar, who, while trying to catch a train, was tackled, detained and later subjected to a strip search by Chicago police.

And they have been pushed out of the judicial process altogether, as in Michigan, which passed a court rule allowing judges to decide whether women in niqab can appear as witnesses.

Muslim men and women may both suffer from a presumption of guilt, but women experience the additional presumption of victimhood. We're seen simultaneously as representatives of a religion to be "feared" and passive targets of male dominance. In turn, our absurd status as both villains and victims promotes cynical policy proposals designed to help us, which actually are rooted in stereotypes and anti-Muslim bias.

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Officials and news pundits have long used this tactic and the guise of "women's rights" to promote anti-Muslim ideology. This thinly concealed bias is central to the arguments of the 30 French coastal towns that banned the burkini. In a truly head-scratching moment, Laurence Rossignol, the French government's minister for women's rights, defended the bans by stating: "The burkini is not some new line of swimwear; it is the beach version of the burqa and it has the same logic: hide women's bodies in order to better control them."

Lost in this statement is the irony that these laws reinforce exactly what the minister purports to loathe.

Similarly, in the United States, when Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first American Olympian to compete and medal while wearing hijab earlier this month, Rush Limbaugh tried to diminish the historic moment by stating: "But why celebrate a woman wearing something that's been forced on her by a religion, a religion run by men? ... She may actively agree to do it, don't misunderstand, but it's a religion run by men that subjugates and subordinates women."

Under heightened scrutiny and calls for vigilance, Muslim women have flocked to self-defense classes, some have contemplated removing their hijab to protect their families and others are wearing hijab to feel closer to faith during these uncertain times.

We have a long road ahead to realize full and equal rights, but it's not Islam that holds us back. It's pervasive prejudice and discrimination in all facets of our lives. Just as it's intellectually dishonest to believe that four police officers forcing a Muslim woman to remove her burkini on a crowded beach is a sign of progress for women, it's immoral to continue to allow anti-Muslim bias to close the doors of opportunity to us.

Discrimination in the name of women's rights or religious tolerance is still discrimination  ask any Muslim woman, if only to finally include us in the conversation about us.

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Rana Elmir is the deputy director of the ACLU of Michigan and lectures on issues related to Islamophobia, free speech and the intersection of race, faith and gender.
The National Drug Agency has arrested 2 drug dealers, who are members of a cross-provincial syndicate with 18 kilograms (kg) of methamphetamine (meth) in their possession in Medan, capital of North Sumatra province.





The Deputy of the Eradication division at the agency, Arman Depari said in Medan, on Thursday, that the arrest of both dealers with the initials BB and RP was a result of cooperation between the North Sumatra Drug Agency, the North Sumatra Police, Customs, and the Medan Police.





Both dealers were arrested during a transaction, which then led to a search of one of the suspects residence in the Medan Helvetia sub-district.





The arrest is also a result of a deeper investigation into an earlier arrest of a meth dealer in Jakarta in March, from whom 35 kg of meth was seized.





The initial bust also led to the capture of 11 suspected dealers in Medan with 5 kg of meth taken into custody at the end of March.





The National Drug Agency predicted that the contraband was transported from Malaysia into Indonesia through the Aceh province.





The syndicate's network is considerably vast as they take their illegal goods through to North Sumatra to be sold in Medan and its surrounding areas.





Some of the drugs are also taken to Jakarta to be sold in the Jabodetabek area, as well as a number of major cities in the Java and Bali islands.





From their working pattern, the syndicate is estimated to have been operating for quite some time.





"Although when we arrested him, the suspect admitted that he had only sold drugs once," he added.





According to the agencys investigation, the suspect sold 6 kg of drugs to his network in Medan.





"He had already sold 6 kg of the contraband, we are trying to track it down," said the former Riau Islands Police Chief.





Based on the arrest chronology and the discovery of evidence, Arman thinks the suspect does not have any meth stored in his house, rather, it is placed in the residence of a family member, which is located a mere 4 houses away from his own.





However, 2 family members, whose house was used to store the drugs, escaped when they found out about the search at their relatives house.





The Agency then urged both family members to surrender as they have been identified by the authorities.





It would also help to solve the case sooner.





"We urge them to hand themselves in, especially given the fact that they left a 10 year-old child behind," he reiterated.





For the possession of 16 kg worth of methamphetamine, the suspect will be charged with Clause 112, 114 and 24 and the State Regulation number 35 of 2009 related to Narcotics and is looking at a death penalty.

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: Antara news, September 16, 2016
A 37-year-old Yorkville man convicted of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and unlawful possession of a controlled substance has been sentenced to prison.

Nicholas Allgood, of the 9300 block of Route 34, was sentenced by Kendall County Judge Timothy J. McCann to 8 1/2 years for the stolen car conviction and two years for the drug conviction, to run concurrently.

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The convictions stem from incidents that occurred Nov. 3, 2015 in Oswego and Yorkville, according to a news release from Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weis.

Allgood was charged after Yorkville police observed him using cocaine in a vehicle. Officers collected additional cocaine from Allgood's person and transported him to an area hospital, according to the release.

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After he was released from the hospital, Allgood went to the Circle K gas station in Oswego, according to the state's attorney's office. While at the Circle K, Allgood got in a vehicle left running in the parking lot and drove off, officials said.

The car was found abandoned in Sugar Grove.

Police later found and interviewed Allgood, at which time he admitted stealing the vehicle, according to the state's attorney's office.

Allgood pleaded guilty to the offenses July 12. He has been in custody since his arrest on the stolen motor vehicle charge.

Allgood's criminal history includes prior cases of stolen motor vehicle possession, making the current offense a Class X Felony, Weis said.

Kendall County records show Allgood has been involved in stealing cars in the past.

In 2005, he was charged with aiding or abetting in the possession or sale of a stolen vehicle. In 2006 he was convicted of the charge and sentenced to 140 days in county jail plus 36 months probation, records show.

"This type of sentence is necessary due to this defendant's repeated violations of the criminal statutes," Weis said in the release. "With Allgood's history of stealing cars, the judge was left with no other alternative but to sentence Allgood to a term of prison that will prevent him from further criminal activities for some time."

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In addition to his prison sentence, Allgood is also required to serve a term of mandatory supervised release.

hleone@tribpub.com

Twotter @hannahmleone
A 22-year-old Montgomery man said he was shot at Thursday evening as he drove through Aurora's East Side, according to Aurora police.

The man was driving westbound at about 6:45 p.m. Thursday when he noticed a brown-and-green SUV, possibly a Chevy Suburban, parked just west of Fourth Street and North Street with two men inside, police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said in an email.

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One of the men got out of the SUV, took out a handgun and fired several shots at the Montgomery man, Ferrelli said.

The man targeted was not hit, but bullets struck his car multiple times, causing about $1,200 in damage, Ferrelli said. The man then accelerated westbound from the area, according to police.

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The gunman is described as a male, between 20 and 25 years old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150 pounds and wearing black clothing.

Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call Aurora police investigators at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and qualify for a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to any arrests.

People also can submit tips through the Aurora Police Department's free My PD app available through iTunes, the Android Market or Amazon App Store.

hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
Michael Ochs, who took this photo recently of a traffic back-up at the intersection of Eola Road and Keating Drive, says frustrations with construction on Eola would diminish if crews were more mindful of the fixed schedules of the schools. (Michael Ochs / Handout)

As a long-time resident of this area, Michael Ochs understands Chicago area construction.

But he's become particularly annoyed by the work being done to widen Eola Road, where he recently timed how long it took to get through the intersection at Eola and Keating to drop off his daughter at Gombert Elementary School.

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"Eight minutes," he said, adding that he stepped out of the car, turned and took photos in both directions that "showed 30 plus cars backed up all the way to Ridge Road  at 9 a.m. on a school day."

After five minutes, Ochs said, "people were honking their horns like a New York City traffic jam."

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No one likes to deal with construction at any time of the day, of course. And Ochs says he's not an unreasonable guy. He realizes patience is a virtue when dealing with roadwork. But what has him so frustrated, he insists, is some of the problem could be resolved if construction crews would simply consider the fact "school hours are predictable and scheduled."

Everyone knows when classes start and end, he said, so crews could work around those short windows of time.

"Why shut the intersection down right at the time school opens?" Ochs asks. "When there is major work going on with certain roads in the Chicago area, the whole point is to work around traffic patterns to keep that traffic flowing."

Anybody who has taken on this area of Eola Road under construction since April knows how frustrating it can be, especially at certain times. That includes Eric Gallt, traffic engineer for the city of Aurora, who not only has driven it himself but hears about the concerns. Similar complaints had been logged, including from Eola Road rush hour drivers. And schools, unfortunately, are let out right in the middle of the construction day.

That area of Eola near Ridge Road, he noted, has always been a problem. The city even considered putting up a traffic signal there, but those peak hours were just too short for a light to be warranted.

Even if the work stopped during school starts and finishes, Gallt insisted, it can get "very difficult to close down work for 10 hours a week" and still meet the "tight schedule" this $10 million project is under.

If you put too many limits on contractors, they will struggle to get the job finished, he said. And if not completed on time, it can cost a small fortune in fines.

Speaking of costs, Gallt pointed out the Illinois Department of Transportation actually wanted Aurora to close Eola down from Keating Drive to Montgomery Road during this road project.

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While it would have been easier  and safer -- for the contractors to close it off entirely, he said the city "paid a premium to keep it open" because otherwise it would have been "too much of an impact on the community."

As difficult as it can be now, Gallt added, closing it "would have been an absolute nightmare."

Ochs admits the problem is worse on some days; and he's learned to adjust his own timeline. Still, he wonders, why on Tuesday morning, an excavator had to "block Ridge Road where most cars enter the neighborhood to get to the elementary school."

Gallt says the city has reached out to the project manager and asked that crews be more mindful of school schedules. But at this point, there is only so much that can be done.

"We are at the tail end" of the project, he said. "I know it is frustrating. But we are asking for patience."

Dcrosby@tribpub.com
Even in the homestretch of this presidential election, yard signs, like this pro-Clinton sign in Sugar Grove, are few and far between. (Denise Crosby / The Beacon-News)

Remember the good old days?

Well, OK, remember four years ago? That's the last time we saw campaign yard signs and bumper stickers blanketing our community in proud displays of support for either Obama/Biden or Romney/Ryan.

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So where are all those signs for Election 2016?

I don't know about you, but as tired as I got of those placards dotting our Fox Valley landscape, I'm a little disturbed by the lack of them this year.

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Is it apathy? Is it angst? Did a big wind  in this case, from New York  come in and blow away all our enthusiasm for a presidential election that most of us realize is critical to the future of our country.

Or is something more nefarious taking place?

Dan Wittry of Oswego and a proud Trump supporter is having a hard time keeping his candidate's name in his front yard. The first sign planted about a month ago was stolen; then a second was ripped from the ground. All of which led this corporate employee, father and husband to attach a security camera and alarm to the sign.

Sure enough, on Wednesday around 5:40 p.m. a group of four or five young men in a silver minivan drove past his house a couple times before one passenger jumped from the vehicle and grabbed the sign.

Or tried to.

The loud high-pitched blast that was set off caused the culprit to immediately drop what he was doing and high-tail it back to the van, where his buddies were recording the antics on their cell phones and having a good laugh.

All of which Wittry  who was not so amused  caught on video and has turned over to Oswego police.

One reason for the lack of Trump signs is they are indeed getting stolen or destroyed  one Trump supporter has had several of his burned, said Kendall County Republican Committee Chairman James Marter. Making matters worse, so far the GOP campaign has been pretty stingy, handing out only about 50 signs to each county; which in turn makes Marter reluctant to pass them along to Trump-friendly residents.

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"It's not a lack of people wanting them," he said. "It's just getting them in (to campaign headquarters); then trying to keep the signs from disappearing."

Turns out it's a problem on both sides of the political fence. Robert Boer of North Aurora told me his daughter's yard sign disappeared one night from their Geneva home; and the following night the neighbor's sign, supporting the other candidate, also went missing.

About two weeks later," he said, "the entire shenanigans repeated."

There are plenty of folks perfectly happy there are fewer signs. "That doesn't upset me because I think most candidates are a joke," noted former Holy Angels/Aurora Central educator Norb Rozanski,

Speaking of humorous I've actually seen more of those nonconventional signs floating around than ever before. Not that these cardboard messages are any less likely to be targeted.

"My neighbors used to have a 'Hillary for Prison 2016' yard sign," noted David Mattice of Sugar Grove. "But it's gone, too."

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Despite all the disappearing acts, both sides predict more bumper stickers and yard signs will be popping up in October as people start tuning in more closely to the November election. Clinton signs have only recently arrived for distribution at the Kane County Democratic headquarters, for example, as Illinois is hardly a priority campaign state for the Democrats.

Elgin resident Dennis Dilley, who is a volunteer at those headquarters in St. Charles, told me on Thursday there are about 200 signs now available at $3 apiece (or a dollar for a bumper sticker). And the number of signs going out the door, he added, "is about on par" with what he's seen in previous elections for this time of year.

Still, both sides agree the divisive rhetoric of this presidential campaign has created an atmosphere that makes people less inclined to publicly show their support for a candidate.

Carolyn Roesner of Aurora says she's seen the Trump rallies and admits there "could be a little fear involved" in putting up a Hillary sign.

"These days some people don't like those folks who disagree with them, whether in the yard, face to face or on Facebook," she added. "People seem to be so angry these days."

And, as we all know from reading polls and talking politics, lukewarm to the candidates.

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Aurora Township Democratic Central Committee Chairman Juan Thomas even saw that limited enthusiasm at the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Weekend he's now attending in Washington, D.C.

"I'm going to vote for Hilary Clinton," he said. "But that doesn't mean I want her sign in my yard."

Dcrosby@tribpub.com
Jeanette Jelinek, a member of the United Moravian Society since she was born, holds her son Jaden at the 2015 Moravian Day Festival. (Misa Polashek)

Traditional Czechoslovak music and food will be highlighted Sept. 24 and 25 during the 77th Annual Moravian Day Festival in Lemont.

The events will be held at the Lithuanian World Center at 14911 E. 127th St. in Lemont.

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The festival, which celebrates Czech culture, usually draws about 1,500 attendees, said Mike Dropka, director of the United Moravian Society, the organization that sponsors the festival.

The UMS is a non-profit organization that promotes Czech, Moravian, and Slovak folklore by demonstrating the ethnic customs of folk dancing, singing, storytelling, and crafting.

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Started in 1939, Dropka said the festival is billed as the largest one of its kind in the United States.

"We'll have around 200 people in traditional costumes. Each one is different, and many of them have been passed down through families," Dropka said. "We come together for this festival to preserve our culture and help it to live through the younger generations."

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"Our organization has succeeded in continuing the Czechoslovak traditions and heritage in the Chicago area for 77 years," said Roman Bobcik, president of United Moravian Societies. "We encourage anyone to come out and enjoy the talented dancers, hear the traditional music, and help us celebrate this magnificent milestone."

The event will begin with a welcoming dance and concert at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 in preparation for the main program at 2 p.m. Sept. 25.

A bazaar with traditional Czech items, food, and refreshments will be available throughout the day on Sept. 25, and a dance and concert will take place after the program featuring the eight-member Czech brass band, Vysocinka, visiting from the Czech Republic.

Both events will be held at the Lithuanian World Center at 14911 E. 127th St. in Lemont.

Donation is $20 for adults.

For more information, visit www.unitedmoraviansocieties.org or call 708-785-2294.

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Angela Denk is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Samia Shahid with her second husband Mukhtar Syed Kazam

Samia's ex-husband confessed to strangling her, but her father 'denies' any involvement.





The prosecutor in the murder of a British woman Samia Shahid will seek the death penalty for her father and ex-husband. Samia's father Chaudhry Muhammad Shahid and her first husband Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel are accused of killing the 28-year-old from Bradford while on a visit to Pakistan.





The pair appeared in court in Jhelum in Pakistan's northern Punjab province on Saturday (17 September), but it was a brief hearing after prosecutor Najful Hussain Shah applied for more time to gather evidence.





He said Samia's mother and sister tricked her into visiting Pakistan in July by saying her father was gravely ill and that the women fled to Britain after her murder, according to AP reports.





Shah added that the Pakistani government is trying to bring them back for questioning.





Speaking to reporters outside the court, he also confirmed he will seek the death penalty for both men.





When Samia died on 27 July, her family declared she died of a heart attack and buried her in eastern Pakistan.





However , when her second husband Syed Mukhtar Kazim suspected it was an "honour killing" following their marriage, he urged Pakistani authorities to investigate and publicly accused Samia's family of being responsible for her death.





A Pakistani police investigation concluded that Samia's father stood guard while Shakeel raped her, before the two men strangled her to death. A post-mortem examination confirmed she died from strangulation.





Police sources in Pakistan claim Shakeel admitted the murder in an interview saying, "I strangled Samia to death using a dupatta [a scarf]."





Both men are yet to enter pleas however, BBC Pakistan correspondent Shaimaa Khalil said Shahid "flatly denied" any involvement in his daughter's death as he entered court on Saturday (17 September).





"For the 1st time since his arrest, Muhammad Shahid responded to media questions about her death," Khalil said, according to the BBC. "He said, 'It was all lies' and that he loved his daughter very much."

UK woman's murder case delayed in Pakistan

A Pakistani court has adjourned the case of a British-Pakistani woman's murder until September 23 to give police more time to submit charges against her father and ex-husband, who are accused of slaying her in the name of honour, police and lawyers say.





Police brought both men before the court in Jhelum as they covered their faces and did not respond to questions from journalists.





After the brief hearing on Saturday, Najful Hussain Shah, the lawyer for the deceased woman's husband, told reporters that he will seek the death penalty for 28-year-old Samia Shahid's father, Mohammed Shahid, and ex-husband, Mohammed Shakeel.





He said Shahid's mother and sister tricked her into visiting Pakistan in July by saying her father was gravely ill and that the women fled to Britain after her murder. He said the Pakistani government is trying to bring them back for questioning.





Also on Saturday, defence lawyer Mohammed Arif dismissed the police allegations as baseless, saying his clients have been wrongly accused. He said he will appeal another court's recent rejection of bail for Mohammed Shahid.





Shahid's murder has shocked many Pakistanis since a government-ordered police probe concluded that she was strangled by her father and her ex-husband. Police allege that the father also stood guard while the ex-husband raped her.





The woman's father initially informed police that she died of natural causes. But Shahid's second husband, Mukhtar Kazim, publicly accused her family of killing her.





The case was reopened and a police probe quickly concluded that Shahid's death was a "premeditated, cold-blooded murder", according to a police statement.





Shahid married her 1st husband in February 2012 but stayed only briefly in Pakistan before returning to England where she obtained a divorce 2 years later. She later married Kazim and moved with him to Dubai.

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Source: ibtimes.co.uk, September 17, 2016Source: Associated Press, September 17, 2016
Southland area residents are invited to watch this year's presidential debates on a 12-by-24-foot auditorium screen at Saint Xavier University.

Those who arrive early can listen to local officials talk about various issues in the election. Officials also will be on hand to register voters.

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"We know people are frustrated with the candidate options at this point," said SXU spokeswoman Karla Thomas. "We want to give people the information to make their best informed decisions. It's going to be a difficult election, and people need to understand the issues."

She said the watch parties are meant to be as objective as possible, and SXU representatives in no way are encouraging people to vote a particular way.

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She said a presidential debate watch party was held in 2012 at SXU but only for students and staff. About 75 attended that party and Thomas said it went well so organizers decided to open it to the public.

The first watch party this year will be 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at McGuire Hall at the university at 3700 W. 103rd St.

Thomas said the hall holds 200 people, and organizers are hoping to fill it up to watch the debate between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

The doors open at 7:15 p.m. and Thomas said a local elected official will answer audience questions and address some concerns that could be factors this election from 7:30 until 7:45 p.m. Chicago Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th, will attend the first event.

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Brianna Lewis, a sophomore at SXU majoring in secondary education and history, said she'll attend the watch parties because she wants to learn what the candidates' policies are and how they'll lead the country.

"Not only am I a student, but I am also a future educator, so I am very eager to know how the candidates view education, but also how they want to improve the education system," she said.

Thomas said other students might be interested in how candidates will tackle issues such as college costs, sexual assault on campus and violence in cities.

She said older residents in the community might be interested in issues, such as funding for Social Security, the future of Obamacare and the next Supreme Court nominee.

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A vice presidential debate watch party will be Oct. 4 in the fourth floor board room and another presidential debate watch party will be held Oct. 19, also in the fourth floor board room.

Anyone wishing to attend should RSVP to newsroom@sxu.edu. Light refreshments will be available. The events are free.

Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southland.
Jamenda McCoy is featured in the Beverly Art Walk 2016 photo exhibit, "Women of Beverly." (Photo by Beverly photographer Diego Martirena) (Diego Martirena)

Though he and his family regularly participated, it wasn't until recently that photographer Diego Martirena realized he knew very little about the woman who made the annual Beverly Breast Cancer Walk a success.

Or about the women behind a lot of his community's success stories.

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So while the father of three girls was photographing artists for the 2015 Beverly Art Walk, he had a thought: Why not photograph and share the stories of a handful of influential women from the South Side community where he has lived for the past 10 years?

A wedding and portrait photographer by trade, Martirena posted his idea on a Beverly Facebook page, asking residents to tell him of notable women who've made a difference in the area.

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His handful of candidates soon snowballed into a project featuring 42 local women, including Beverly Breast Cancer Walk founder Lisa O'Brien.

"I am still getting emails from people suggesting more women I should feature, even though the project is done," said Martirena, who owns Maplewood Photography Studio.

Katrina Pavlik, a mom of two and founder of the non-profit Breastfeed Chicago, is featured in the Beverly Art Walk 2016 photo exhibit, "Women of Beverly." (Photo by Beverly photographer Diego Martirena) (Diego Martirena)

The result is a photo exhibit called "Women of Beverly," a collection of framed photographs printed on stretched canvas.

The display will premiere Sept. 25 with a free event featuring a meet and greet with Martirena and some of the women featured as well as live music and refreshments. The premiere, which is open to the public, will take place 2 to 4 p.m. at the Beverly Art Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago.

Works by several other guest photographers, including Erin Konrath, Rebecca Gaz Healy and Meg Fitzpatrick, also will be on display.

"Women of Beverly" also will be a highlight of the Oct. 1 Beverly Art Walk, a free daylong event that celebrates visual and performing arts. It runs from noon to 7 p.m. and includes music, home studio tours, pop up galleries, food truck refreshments and assorted children's activities. The photo exhibit will be on display to Oct. 30 at the Art Center.

"There are a lot of women in this neighborhood doing great things," Martirena said. "I don't know if a lot of people know about it. This is my way of introducing or reintroducing them to the neighborhood, of making sure people know them."

All of the women are iconic or influential in their own way, he said.

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Audrey Peeples, retired CEO of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, is featured in the Beverly Art Walk 2016 photo exhibit, "Women of Beverly." (Photo by Beverly photographer Diego Martirena) - Original Credit: Handout (Diego Martirena / HANDOUT)

In addition to O'Brien, who started the Beverly Breast Cancer Walk, which donates thousands each year to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, other women featured include Audrey Peeples, retired CEO of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago.

Peeples currently serves on the board of Little Company of Mary Hospital Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust. She also is the past chair of the Chicago Network, an organization of top corporate and not-for-profit women in Chicago.

"I am pleased and humbled to be included in the Beverly Women photo retrospective," said Peeples, a 40-year resident of Beverly. "Diego has done a wonderful job of showcasing the diversity of Beverly women and their accomplishments."

Katrina Pavlik is a mom of two and has been a resident of Beverly for 12 years. In 2011, she founded a non-profit called Breastfeed Chicago, an organization dedicated to providing community support for moms who want to breast-feed. Before that, she started Moms of Beverly and Cloth Diaper Chicago. She also works for Communities In Schools of Chicago, connecting Chicago Public Schools to health education and services.

"When Diego asked me to be a part of this project, I hesitated at first. It's hard for me to take credit for the work I've done, but I think that's the point of the project. So many women downplay their accomplishments, particularly when they feel like they're just doing the 'right thing' and don't feel like it's anything out of the ordinary," Pavlik said. "What this project does is show the extraordinary work that women in our community do every day. I'm absolutely honored to be a part of it and totally in awe of the other women featured, as well as my good friends and neighbors who do important work raising families, serving communities and generally kicking butt in Beverly and beyond."

Photographer Diego Martirena has put together a photo exhibit called "Women of Beverly," a collection of 42 photographs of iconic and influential women from the community of Beverly. (Handout / Diego Martirena))

Other subjects include past Ald. Ginger Rugai and State Rep. Fran Hurley, as well as Carol Macola, a retired English teacher from Morgan Park High School and a veteran of the U.S. Army, where she served as a second lieutenant and military police officer, leading a platoon of 42 males. A former Girl Scout, Macola has now completed 35 years as an adult volunteer with the Scouts and is a board member of the Ridge Historical Society.

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Martirena conducted mini video interviews with each subject, "just to know their story."

Parts of those videos will be featured during the premiere, with the women talking about their life in the South Side community and their participation in the project.

A handful of women were photographed in both their everyday clothes and their "work" uniforms so Martirena could present their entries side by side.

"It gives you more of an insight," he said. "People will see a woman in regular clothes and go, 'Oh, I know this mom, I didn't know she was also a Navy officer.'"

All of the portraits were shot at Martirena's home studio. His daughters -- Mia, 5, Lola, 4 and Luciana, 4 months -- were curious about their father's work.

"Afterward, my daughters would sit in the same chair and try to do the same interview," he said.

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"I started to realize, these women could have an influence on the younger generation. Thinking about the younger girls in the neighborhood, I realized it is good for them to see that they can be whatever they want. Here were a variety of women doing all different things. Some are in office, some are judges, some military, police, firefighters, all are doing great things," he said.

"So, basically, I did this whole project for my daughters," he said.

Among the challenges he faced were narrowing each participant down to a single portrait.

"It is really a struggle to tell the story with one photo," he said. "People would try to look their best but what I really wanted to document was who they really are. For instance, one woman has a foundation, her daughter has a serious congenital disease. I know it's a struggle, that everyday she struggles, her life is not happy-go-lucky. So, I really want to get that across in the image."

It wasn't easy, he said.

"But I think that's what portrait photography is all about, capturing who you really are and not how you see yourself," Martirena said.

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Another hurdle was cost.

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"It's very expensive to make prints and display them," he said.

But a friend set up a gofundme campaign and he was able to raise enough to make the project happen.

Martirena was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and came to the United States on a music scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he met his future wife, Lisa Martirena, who grew up in Beverly's Christ the King parish.

"We moved here after school and ended up staying," he said. "We both love the city and the area. We bought a house here and now with three daughters, this will be home for awhile."

For more information on the Beverly Art Walk 2016, go to www.beverlyarts.org/events/beverly-art-walk-2016/

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dvickroy@tribpub.com

Twitter @dvickroy
Parents need to be vigilant in talking with their children about the dangers of heroin use and pushing their local school boards to institute education programs to address the growing drug epidemic, according to local law enforcement experts.

"The most important thing is for parents to address the issue," said Sgt. Dan Albrecht of the Western Springs Police Department's Investigation Unit.

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He and other panelists at a Sept. 14 town hall meeting at the Lyons Township High School South Campus said that parents cannot rely on school districts to tackle heroin education. In fact, the chief executive officer of the Robert Crown Center for Health Education noted that neither of its two interactive software programs (one for seventh- and eight-graders, the other for high school freshmen and sophomores) is in any school districts east of County Line Road.

Panelists at the meeting, sponsored by state Rep. Patti Bellock, a Hinsdale Republican, said that parents need to urge their local school boards to add educational programs about the dangers of the drug.

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Brian Sexton, an assistant Cook County state's attorney, said that residents continue to downplay and decriminalize marijuana use, but that pot is a gateway drug to heroin.

"People think marijuana is no big deal. It doesn't mean your kid is going to be a heroin addict. I'm not saying that," Sexton said. "But every heroin addict started off with that."

He said the potency of pot has also increased, adding to the likelihood of transitioning to heroin.

"It's not your father's marijuana either. It's extremely potent," he said. "Then it goes to prescription drugs  hydrocodone, oxycontin, xanax. They start taking it from you. You may have some left over. Get rid of them."

He said Interstate 290 is known as the Heroin Highway because of there being an open air drug market along Independence Boulevard just south of the expressway. Sexton said as soon as law enforcement shuts down one operation along Independence, another pops up on an opposite corner. When Chicago put blue light cameras in the area, operations simply moved a block or two over to be out of view, he said.

"You can get all the heroin you want," Sexton said, "and every kid in the suburbs knows it."

Mark Piccoli, director of the DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group of which Western Springs is a member, said that there has yet to be a peak in heroin use.

Piccoli, who has spent 38 years in law enforcement, starting his career with the Darien Police Department, said years ago when you looked up heroin user in the encyclopedia there would be a picture of a straggly-looking, strung out individual.

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"We all know that is not the case anymore," Piccoli said. "It's 14-year-olds, it's 20-year-olds, it's 35- and 50-year-olds."

Piccoli said that in 2009 his drug enforcement group seized 120 grams of heroin. By 2015, that had increased more than 15-fold to 1,845 grams confiscated.

He added that DuMEG seized more heroin than marijuana and made more heroin arrests than marijuana arrests last year. That is partly because of DuMEG putting more emphasis on halting heroin sales, but also because of the drug's increased presence in the area.

"We're seeing a lot of it, Piccoli said. "Unfortunately, (with) all the education we all doing, all the programs, we are not seeing an ebb to this problem yet which I don't get, I don't understand. But for whatever the reason  the high, the thrill  the demand is not getting any less."

He said parents need to ensure that their prescription drugs, especially painkillers and other opiods, which are a gateway to heroin use, are secure. Piccoli said that prescription pills are the number one substance abuse with teens today.

The DuMEG director said that undercover officers have already doubled the amount of pills confiscated in undercover drug purchases this year from last year, going from less than 500 to 1,000.

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"Do your best to educate your children, your other family members, about the dangers of drug use," Piccoli said. "We are not seeing an ebb or an end to it yet."

Western Springs' Albrecht noted that there have been 111 saves by police from overdoses in DuPage County so far this year through the use of Narcan, a nasal spray that is an opiate antidote.

"We are not looking to go and arrest somebody whose using heroin. That's not really the goal of this," Albrecht said. "The goal is to save a life, to prevent someone from dying."

Kevin Beese is a freelance writer for Pioneer Press.
A St. Charles man, who had been reported missing, was found by a Kane County Sheriff's Deputy patrolling near the South Elgin Fire Station on McDonald Road, according to a news release from the Kane County Sheriff's office.

According to the release, the deputy saw a man standing near a dumpster who identified himself as the missing man and said that he knew the police were looking for him. South Elgin EMS took the man to Presence Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin. The man had several injuries but none of them appeared to be life threatening, the release said.

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The search began after the man was reported missing by his wife on Friday, the release said. About two hours after the initial report, a St Charles Park Service Officer found the man's vehicle at the Otter Creek Wetlands on Crane Road in unincorporated St Charles. A note found in the car led detectives to believe that the man may try to harm himself, the release said.

A Kane County Sheriff's Office K9 team led deputies to an outhouse at the Otter Creek Wetland. The track proceeded to lead deputies to the bank of the pond located on the wetland property. Deputies found what appeared to be two pools of human blood in the initial search area, the release said. This led to the coordinated search of the preserve and surrounding areas on Saturday.

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Detectives believe the man left the preserve and was hiding in a gazebo north west of the search area for the past several days, the release said.
The works of composer and conductor Bernard Herrmann (left) and filmmaker, actor and composer Charlie Chaplin will be featured in "A Celebration of Music from the Golden Age of Cinema & Radio.' (Elgin Symphony Orchestra / HANDOUT)

A celebration of music from the Golden Age

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music on the Fox and the Gail Borden Public Library present "A Celebration of Music from the Golden Age of Cinema & Radio," exploring the works of composer and conductor Bernard Herrmann and filmmaker, actor and composer Charlie Chaplin, at events scheduled from Sept. 26 to Oct. 9.

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 "The Trouble with Harry," directed by Alfred Hitchcock and scored by Bernard Herrmann, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin. The screening is presented by Chamber Music on the Fox.

 Chamber Music on the Fox presents Herrmann biographer Steven Smith in a lecture at 2 p.m. Oct. 2 at the library.

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 "Crime Classic," an old-time radio drama with Radio Players West and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra trombone section will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Kimball Street Theater of the Elgin Academy, 261 Dundee Ave., Elgin. It is presented by Chamber Music on the Fox. General admission is $20; student tickets $10. For information, go to www.ChamberMusicOnTheFox.org.

 Steven Smith will return to the library at 1 p.m. Oct. 5 to discuss the musical score to Charlie Chaplin's silent film "City Lights," which Chaplin composed. The film will be shown with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra performing the score live Oct. 7-9.

For information, go to gailborden.info/bernardherrmann. To buy tickets to "Crime Classic," go to Chambermusiconthefox.org and for "City Lights" tickets, go to ElginSymphony.org or call 847-888-4000.

Casino presents Rocktoberfest featuring Everclear

The Grand Victoria Casino hosts Everclear and Vertical Horizon at the beer and music festival, Rocktoberfest.

Rocktoberfest will be held from 5 to 11 p.m. Oct. 1, and features food, craft beer, live music, Oktoberfest contests and giveaways. The festival will be held in the south parking lot at National Street and S. Grove Avenue, adjacent to the casino, 250 S. Grove Ave.

General admission tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the fest. Tickets are on sale at GVCTickets.com. Beer, food and other beverages will be available for purchase.

The Grand Victoria will have Everclear and Vertical Horizon memorabilia for raffle and a Rhine River Cruise giveaway.

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CASA Kane County welcomes new advocates

CASA Kane County has a new class of advocates.

Sixteenth Circuit Judge William J. Parkhurst swore in 14 CASA/Guardian ad litem advocates on Sept. 6. The advocates, who will represent the best interest of abused and neglected children in family court, went through an application process that included interviews, background checks and a 40-hour comprehensive training class.

CASA Kane County had 281 active advocates, all volunteers, who served 610 children last year, according to a news release. For information, go to www.casakanecounty.org.

Celebrate fall at Harvest of the Acorn Moon

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is hosting Harvest of the Acorn Moon, 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 2 at Oakhurst Forest Preserve, 1680 Fifth Ave., Aurora.

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Harvest of the Acorn Moon will celebrate fall with nature crafts including pumpkin painting, outdoor games, folk music and guided hikes.

Admission is free. There is a fee for crafts and refreshments.

For information, go to www.kaneforest.com or call 630-444-3190.

YWCA Elgin Brunch & Bubbly Celebration

YWCA Elgin's Brunch & Bubbly is set for 10 a.m. Oct. 8 at the Elgin Country Club, 2575 Weld Road, Elgin. The event will feature a mimosa bar and a live auction. Auction items include themed gift baskets and gift certificates.

The registration fee is $25 for YWCA Members and $30 for non-members. The mimosa bar is not included in the registration fee. To register, go to www.ywcaelgin.org/AAC16 .

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For information, call the YWCA Elgin at 847-742-7930 or send an email to info@ywcaelgin.org. Proceeds from this event will support the operations of the YWCA Elgin's various programs including Family Literacy, English as a Second Language and School Age Child Care.

FamilySearch topic at Genealogical Society

"Understanding FamilySearch: Part I" will be the topic of the Kane County Genealogical Society meeting, 7:30 p.m. Thursday in first floor meeting room of the Geneva History Museum, 113 S. 3rd. St., Geneva. The second half of the presentation will be Oct. 27.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources and services each year to learn more about their family histories.

Jane Haldeman, a professional researcher, speaker, owner of "It's Relative," and author of "A Genealogist's Guide to Springfield, Illinois" will be the speaker. She lectures in the Chicago area, including parts of Wisconsin and Indiana, as well as at state and national conferences. Haldeman was president, Illinois State Genealogical Society; president, Fox Valley Genealogical Society; registrar, Fort Payne Chapter NSDAR; and registration chair, Federation of Genealogical Societies 2016 Conference in Springfield.

Visitors are welcome. There is a participation fee requested for non-members.

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For information, call 630-879-0672 or go to www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilkcgs.
Firefighter Tony Ferreiro (right) talks to resident Joseph Fedele (left) about the detectors that were checked during a recent visit, while Salvation Army Golden Diners Director Kenneth Madden looks on. (Erin Sauder / The Courier-News)

For Carpentersville firefighters, their roles in the community extend beyond just battling blazes.

The well being of area senior citizens is another top priority.

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To that end, the Carpentersville Fire Department recently partnered with coordinators of the Salvation Army Golden Diners Senior Nutrition program to test and install smoke and CO2 detectors in the homes of Carpentersville senior citizens served by the program.

"We love the partnership," said Salvation Army Golden Diners Director Kenneth Madden. "We wish other fire departments could do this. But for a lot of them we know it's not in their budget."

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Through the Golden Diners program, meals are delivered by volunteers to the homes of seniors in McHenry and Kane counties who are unable to shop or prepare meals on their own. The volunteers also conduct daily personal wellness checks on the seniors.

Madden said about 50 Carpentersville residents are clients.

He, along with several Carpentersville firefighters, recently visited the home of resident Joseph Fedele to check his detectors.

Fedele appreciated the help.

"I think it's a very good program," he said. "They're coming in and making sure everything is OK."

Partnering with the Salvation Army on the initiative was the brainchild of firefighter Art Carrillo.

"He's really involved in the community and he found out about the Golden Diner thing they do. So talking to them, they were brainstorming and came up with this idea as more of a community outreach for us," said fellow firefighter Tony Ferreiro.

He said often senior citizens do not have many people around that can help them.

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"While the (Salvation Army) delivers the dinners we go in at the same time and introduce ourselves," Ferreiro said. "They know beforehand we're coming to do a home inspection. We check the smoke detectors and what we've been finding out is they'll have one working and the rest don't. It's a good opportunity to get into these homes we normally don't get into and make sure they're safe."

Fire officials then install the smoke detectors, donated by the Red Cross, where they're needed.

"In every room, each floor, the hallway. Most get five smoke detectors," Ferreiro said.

The carbon monoxide detectors are supplied by the Carpentersville Fire Department.

"Some of these homes don't have working carbon monoxide detectors or any at all," Ferreiro said. "We're providing them because we know many seniors are on a budget."

The firefighters also check for trip hazards and any other safety hazards during their visits, as well as install night lights in poorly lit hallways or bedrooms, and provide refrigerator magnets where they can list emergency contact information.

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Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Jeremy Schaefer performed Whats a Wedding Got to do with it? at Elgin Public House Saturday during Elgin Fringe Fest. Described as a solo storytelling event, he explores the story of boy meets girl. He is performing at 6 p.m. Sunday. (The Courier-News / Gloria Casas)

John Goskowicz didn't know what Fringe Fest was when he arrived in downtown Elgin Saturday, but what he found was an event featuring a little bit of everything  art, theater, dance, music, spoken word, workshops and even a few risque performances.

"I love the arts," the Carpentersville man said. "I don't know much about (Fringe Fest), but I am going to discover it. I want to know what Fringe Fest is."

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Elgin Fringe Festival is in its third year and modeled after a tradition that began in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the late 1940s, according to the event's website. The idea is to create a unique gathering featuring all types of performances. This year, that means about 200 artists offering 120 performances over the course of four days.

Among the performers during the Thursday-through-Sunday fest were magician Cody Clark, bands like Big Ned and the Electra 225 and Koopa and Los Mysterios, comedienne Julia Brown, and a "Family Fringe" with lots of activities.

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One of the more unusual offerings is the Chicago Burlesque Showcase.

"The burlesque is always big; they did really well," Fringe Fest Executive Director Sean Hargadon said.

Preliminary figures show a 65 percent increase in attendance over last year, Hargadon said. This year's balmy weather helped attract more crowds, but much of the credit goes to the sponsors, artists, business owners and community members who worked to make the gathering successful, he said.

Every year, Fringe Fest adds new events and gets feedback from audience members and artists. New this year was Lunch with an Artist and Coffee with an Artist.

Dan Biemer, who performs as Captain Ambivalent, and Madeleine Hicks, whose "Paper Dreams" is a one-woman show featuring mixed media, were two of the artists sharing a lunch at Blue Box Cafe, 176 E. Chicago St.

Biemer, a superhero who creates funny songs on his accordion, is celebrating 10 years of performing. It is his second year participating in Fringe Fest.

What he likes about it is the variety of art offered, he said. "It's outstanding," he said.

Hicks traveled from Nashville to perform "Paper Dreams." She created the piece just after graduating college, when she decided to explore dreams, fears and the meaning of life, she said. The show begins with a nightmare she has had since age 5 of being stuck in an elevator, she said. It goes on to explore the transitions in life and the fears that go with them, she said.

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Part of her show includes audio clips of people she's interviewed about scares them, and she solicits more in person by holding a sign asking people to tell her what they're afraid of. A man who is a pilot talked about his fear of bears. A woman said she was afraid of escalators. A transgendered person shared how scary it is to transition without your family knowing it, Hicks said.

"I love her show. She makes it sound easy but she created some of the animation herself," friend Molly McGhee said.

The festival continues Sunday with more performances and a closing party at 6 p.m. at the Martini Room, 161 E. Chicago St., Elgin. A complete list of events is available at www.elginfringefestival.com.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Taylor Miller of Mundelein says she joined a campus club called "Food Truth" shortly after starting school at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. two years ago. After learning about the role food plays in society, Miller spent this summer using a grant to study the demands and struggles of incorporating sustainable food at colleges throughout the United States. Miller said she's now working on resource guide that will help student activists everywhere.

Q: What is sustainable food?

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A: Food that's locally sourced, produced fairly, produced humanely, and it's produced either organically or through ecologically sound means. It's important to our health, and the longevity of our food system.

Q: Why are some universities unable or unwilling to include sustainable food?

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A: Mostly because of contractual agreements with dining providers or dining management companies. When the contracts are first written the providers typically require the universities to buy 95 percent of the needed food from their preferred vendor lists, usually big corporations like Tyson Chicken or Dole. And if the schools do reach out to local businesses or farms, they could be charged a fine or charged a higher rate under those contracts.

Q: What are the barriers you found that prevent change?

A: As with a lot of topics, there are a lot of people who express their desire for change, but then it's difficult to get them to sign a petition or attend a school committee meeting. Then on that side of it, there's an information gap from the corporation that doesn't want to share its plans. That usually results in us looking really unprepared when something does happen because we don't get the prep time that our school administrators get.

Q: How did Mundelein High School prepared you for all of this?

A: MHS had a lot of resources and opportunities available for us. Neil McCarthy was my AP teacher and he was phenomenal at empowering students to learn above and beyond what was required. So the opportunities and great teachers probably played a big role in my decision to join these clubs.

Q: On your down time, what hobbies do you enjoy?

A: I work at a bike shop here on campus, so I fix bicycles and I lead group rides. I love being part of the bike culture.

Q: Do you have a favorite hangout in Mundelein?

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A: The seminary. It's so beautiful, both from the architectural side and the way they maintain their grounds.
School boards from districts 200, 203 and 204 met Friday at Wheaton-Warrenville High School to discuss issues facing public schools with their local legislators. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)

Public education in Illinois will be stuck in limbo until the state officials hammer out a real budget that addresses pension and school funding reforms.

While that message wasn't new, superintendents and board members who serve nearly 58,000 students in Naperville School District 203, Indian Prairie School District 204 and Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 shared their opinions with legislators at a Friday morning breakfast in hopes their representatives will understand the challenges that face the districts. In its third year, the legislative breakfast this year was hosted by District 200.

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District 203 Superintendent Dan Bridges said talk of shifting the cost of funding teacher pensions onto school districts has long been debated. He said schools need time to plan for such a move and asked about the likelihood that occurring in the next year.

"The uncertainty is a big theme for all of us," Bridges said.

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State Sen. Michael Connelly, R-Lisle, said he is confident the school districts he represents would be able to handle the shift over time. He said he worries about the impact on districts like Proviso Township District 209 or Thornton Township District 205.

State Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, said suburban leaders are very opposed to the cost shift.

When it comes to solving the state's overall pension problem, the divide between Republicans and Democrats was evident.

State Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, supports switching to new employees  whether it be teachers or municipal workers, such as police and firefighters  to self-managed plans, like a 401K.

"Your taxpayers want pension reform," Ives told the school boards.

Holmes said the problem with Ives' idea is no one would be funding the existing pension system.

She said she would prefer to sit down with the unions and try to negotiate with the people who already are in the system.

State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, said actual pensions are just part of the equation. The $2 billion for pensions pales compared to how much the state pays toward the pension borrowing debt of $5 billion, she said.

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The state needs to figure out how it will pay down the debt, she said.

When it comes to state funding of schools, state Rep. Grant Wehrli, R-Naperville, said taxpayers in other parts of the state need to pick up more of the tab.

He said taxpayers in his legislative district fund more than 80 percent of their schools' budgets, whereas taxpayers in some downstate communities only pick up 40 percent of their school districts' budget.

"I am will to help those who truly need it," but he said the issue must be addressed.

Connelly said the state cannot continue fund Chicago Public Schools without some changes. A half a billion dollars a year is diverted away because of tax increment financing districts, he said.

"TIF diversion has to be on the table," he said, as does cuts in the number of schools in CPS.

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Connelly said he was told by CPS chief Forrest Claypool that 50 schools could easily be closed because of low enrollment numbers. "I'd rather see funding that goes to the classrooms instead keeping schools open that are only a third filled," he said.

Bridges and District 204 Superintendent Karen Sullivan both urged legislators to work on legislation that removes the teacher retirement system penalties given to districts when they receive federal grants aimed at aiding the districts' most vulnerable students.

Sullivan said districts often must make hard choices: Hire a teacher or purchase materials.

She said schools would rather hire a high quality teacher, but a third of the grant money often goes toward the TRS penalty. "It's a lot of money," Sullivan said.

Sullivan also said all the three districts believe in equity and that every child has the right to a quality education.

"We're better together if we're all strong," she said.

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Wehrli urged school leaders to be vigilant regarding school-related issues come January with during the Legislature's lame-duck session. With legislation moving fast and furious, he said sometimes it's difficult to keep up with every bill.

"Feel free to give us a call; let us know," he said.

subaker@tribpub.com

Twitter @SBakerSun1
A severely mentally ill man faces hanging on Tuesday in Pakistan despite a medical report that diagnosed him as insane. Pakistan has signed international agreements banning the execution of mentally ill prisoners.





Former electrician Imdad Ali was sentence to death in 2002 over a shooting. Last year his sentence was upheld by Pakistans supreme court which claimed Mr Ali was mentally sound because he had fled the scene of the crime.





However, the judge did not consider a medical report, commissioned by the prison governor, which had diagnosed Mr Ali with paranoid schizophrenia.





The doctors report said that, This illness significantly impairs the persons rational thinking and decision making capabilities. Hence, in my opinion he is an insane person.





This crucial evidence was not submitted at Mr Alis appeal hearing, meaning the Supreme Court ruled that There is not one iota of evidence to suggest that the appellant was suffering from any type of lunacy.





Mr Ali comes from a poor family with a history of hereditary mental illnesses. At his original trial, Mr Alis wife stated that she had tried to get her husband sectioned in the years before the shooting. The judge refused to accept this evidence as the doctor who saw him at the hospital was not produced as a witness. During his 16 years on Pakistans death row, Mr Alis mental illness has worsened. He has spent the last three years in solitary confinement after fellow inmates complained of his manic episodes in which he would speak loudly and uncontrollably.





A black warrant was issued for Mr Alis execution earlier this year but his execution was stopped at the last minute.





Pakistani prison authorities have in the past advised against the execution of mentally ill prisoners, including a woman called Kanizan Ahktar, reportedly telling journalists that, The only obstacle to her hanging is her mental condition, otherwise, she would have been executed already.





Maya Foa, director of Reprieves death penalty team, said:





Imdad Ali is a severely mentally ill man who is set to be executed at dawn on Tuesday. There is an abundance of evidence that Imdad was mentally ill at the time of his arrest which should have saved him from death row years ago. Instead he was left to languish in appalling prison conditions for over 16 years. The Government has just days to consider the evidence and stop the execution - otherwise it will be a miscarriage of justice that can never be reversed.





Source: Reprieve, September 17, 2016. Reprieve is an international human rights organization. Reprieves London office can be contacted on: communications@reprieve.org.uk . Reprieve US, based in New York City, can be contacted on Katherine.oshea@reprieve.org

Rights group urges Pakistan not to hang mentally ill man

Pakistan must not hang a mentally ill man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, a rights group said today, after a court issued a warrant for his execution next week.





Death row prisoner, Imdad Ali, who is around 50 years old, was sentenced to death for the murder of a religious teacher in 2002.





"Imdad Ali is mentally ill and has suffered years without proper treatment," a report by local watchdog the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) said, adding he had been diagnosed as a "paranoid schizophrenic".





JPP said it had filed an appeal against a Lahore High Court decision last month which dismissed pleas that Ali could not be executed on the basis of his mental illness.





His medical condition should be looked into, as well as the extenuating circumstances that had aggravated his mental illness during his lengthy time on death row, the organisation argued.





Ali's execution has been scheduled for September 20, it said. Prison authorities have sent a letter -- seen by AFP -- to his relatives asking if they want a final meeting with him the day before his execution in the town of Vehari.





JPP executive director Sarah Belal said Pakistan would violate its international legal commitments if it executed a mentally ill person.





"Executing Imdad will exemplify Pakistan's failure to abide by its international legal commitments that forbid the death penalty for persons suffering from mental disabilities," Belal told AFP.





"Knowing what they do about his condition would make his hanging a most serious crime."





The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD), which Pakistan ratified in 2011, guarantees the "inherent dignity" of individuals with disabilities, she said.





Pakistan reinstated the death penalty and established military courts after suffering its deadliest-ever extremist attack, when gunmen stormed a school in the northwest in 2014 and killed more than 150 people -- mostly children.





Hangings were initially reinstated only for those convicted of terrorism, but later extended to all capital offences.





The country has executed over 400 people since resuming hangings in December 2014, according to new research by Reprieve, a British anti-death penalty campaign group.

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: Business Standard, September 17, 2016
Elaine Danchise, of Naperville, was honored for 50 years of service as a flight attendant for American Airlines. (Photo from Elaine Danchise / Handout)

Elaine Danchise reminisces about the early days of her career as a flight attendant, when air travel was filled with glitz and glamour and passengers dressed to the nines to board a plane.

"The service was more elegant," she said of the in-flight meals served on china with metal silverware and linen napkins.

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"We had what was called the captain's table. We served carved roast beef seat-side, Caesar salad and ice cream sundaes for dessert," she said.

Danchise is marking 50 years with American Airlines as a flight attendant this year.

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The airline recently honored Danchise and more than 200 employees celebrating at least 45 years of service or 35 or more years for pilots due to the mandatory retirement age. The airlines estimates the combined tenure of the employees totals nearly 10,000 years of experience.

Employee tenure of 50 years with a company doesn't occur often in America.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median number of years workers stay with their current employer was 4.6 years.

"With today's rapid organizational change and the typical employee tenure at about three years, the likelihood of an employee celebrating 50 years with an organization is unheard of," said Therese Yaeger, a professor in the master's program in management and organizational behavior and the doctorate program in organization development at Benedictine University in Lisle. "Truly, to have a dedicated employee for 50 years is a celebration for the company as well."

The trend could be changing, though.

"A number of factors are driving corporations toward contingent workers, which gives a number of people greater flexibility at work," said Peter Sorensen, professor and chairman/director of the Benedictine's graduate management and organization development programs.

"On the other hand, corporations are working toward retaining a core of committed loyal employees, and as the current U.S. workforce ages and turns over, we may very well see more 50-year employees in the future."

Danchise was 19 years old when she entered the six-week American Airlines' flight attendant school in Dallas, known as "the charm farm," in November 1966.

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Elaine Danchise, of Naperville, was honored for 50 years of service as a flight attendant for American Airlines. (Photo from Elaine Danchise / Handout)

She had been working at a dentist office in Youngstown, Ohio, when she got the notice she was accepted.

Danchise said her desire to fly started when she was a girl.

"Back then you could go up to the tower and watch the planes take off and land. It was amazing,"

"Then the stewardesses would walk by, and I knew then and there I wanted to be like them," she said.

She said only 1 in 2,000 girls made the cut back then, and it took two interviews for her to finally earn a spot.

Fifty years ago airlines had strict rules on height and weight, and young women could not be married or pregnant. They also had to quit at age 32.

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"We were not allowed to go to the airport unless we were dressed, even if it meant going to pick up our paycheck on our day off," she said.

On top of that, flight attendants constantly were having grooming and girdle checks.

"I'd get off a flight and immediately hop on the scale to make sure I made weight," Danchise said.

At the time it was 123 pounds for her height, a limit she said she's thankful has been relaxed over the years.

The regulations, Danchise said, were tempered with the perks of staying at "beautiful" hotels on layovers and travel vouchers for employees and their family. She also remembers the days before airport shuttles when flight crews were chauffeured by limousines to their hotel.

While her job has afforded her and relatives to travel the world, there are still a few places she'd like to visit. "Right now I'd like to go to Cuba, or even Abu Dhabi (in the United Arab Emirates)," she said.

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The best part of her job over the years was getting to know the passengers.

"I have met some very lovely people," she said.

When she was based in New York, Danchise often worked the flights between New York and California.

"There always were movie stars onboard," she said of Sophia Loren, John Wayne and Mitzi Gaynor.

She's also worked flights with politicians like Ted Kennedy and Barack Obama (before he was president) and more recently businessman and author Peter Lynch.

Her favorite passenger was Red Skelton, who always seemed to be on the New York to Palm Springs route.

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Before the days of in-flight movies or music, Skelton often entertained passengers and crew by drawing his famous clown faces on the airline's white, linen napkins, something he did for Danchise.

At the beginning of her career, Danchise was based in New York and Washington, D.C.

As she earned more seniority, she was able to pick her flights and change her base airport.

Danchise jumped at the chance to move to Chicago in the 1980s so she could concentrate on international travel instead of domestic flights.

"They're longer, but they're easier to fly. You just get used to the flow of the longer flights," she said.

Her favorite route, which she continues to fly today, is to China.

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Besides her duties as a flight attendant, over the years she worked in the jewelry and gold business and now she dabbles in the stock market.

It wasn't until American Airlines brought her to Dallas for the celebration that her tenure hit home.

"I thought, My god it's been a long time. Before I knew it, I blinked my eyes and it was 50 years," Danchise said.

Younger flight attendants frequently ask when she'll retire.

"I don't see any reason to quit now, even though the junior ones want you to retire to move up in seniority," she said.

"I don't know when I'm going to retire. It's very flexible for me now, but I realize I can't be doing this forever," Danchise said.

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Even though much has changed in 50 years, Danchise is still thankful she followed her dream.

"I feel very blessed. It has been such a wonderful career," Danchise said. "I still find it exciting.

"The caviar is gone, but he champagne is still flowing."

subaker@tribpub.com

Twitter @SBakerSun1
The city of Naperville is considering the use of Safety Town on Aurora Avenue for a DuPage County traffic court location, Mayor Steve Chirico says. (City of Naperville / HANDOUT)

As a world-class community, Naperville strives to balance our past, present and future. We are home to several long-standing programs that are part of the fabric of our community and that make our city such a desirable place to live. Yet, as the economy continues to change, we recognize all too well that the financial decisions we make today impact the city we will hand to our children  our future leaders  tomorrow.

The A. George and Patricia Pradel Safety Town of Naperville is one of those cherished institutions in our community. For 40 years, it has educated over 60,000 kids in Naperville by teaching them valuable life safety skills. I have great respect for Safety Town. My children all graduated from its popular summer program, my wife was part of the Naperville Junior Woman's Club and my business has donated to Safety Town. Preserving and protecting these types of programs is part of Naperville's legacy.

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However, I also have great respect for our taxpayers and implementing sound financial plans for public spaces. As a city, we have an obligation to look for efficiencies and make sure your tax dollars are being spent wisely. This is simply good financial management of your dollars. In 2015, when the city was developing its financial strategy for the long term, the City Council directed staff to evaluate all city assets, including buildings, to determine the best future use of these amenities.

The city of Naperville first became involved with Safety Town when it invested $600,000 in 1995 to build it on Aurora Avenue. At that time, a 20-year lease was drawn up with the Naperville Safety Town Commission allowing it free and full use of the property throughout the lease. Not knowing what the world would look like in 2015, the lease timeline was set so that in two decades all parties could evaluate the best use of the property moving forward.

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The Safety Town building is now more than two decades old, and the lease has expired. Based on the age of the building and what we know generally about buildings of that age, now is the right time to discuss the use of the property so we can be proactive about future maintenance issues that may arise. During our evaluation of city buildings, we found that the Safety Town building had limited usage outside of the summer months.

At the same time, DuPage County approached Naperville about leasing a building for traffic court within our city. We discussed several possible locations that could host traffic court, including some vacant private properties as well as the Safety Town building.

There are several benefits our community gains by welcoming the traffic court to Naperville. Moving the facility to Naperville provides a more convenient location for our residents, which in turn has a positive environmental impact through reduced traffic and vehicle pollution. It also has an economic impact through reduced fuel costs and increased visits to our city. Our city staff costs are reduced in both the wear and tear on city vehicles and the time spent having staff travel to Wheaton.

We also receive revenue from DuPage County for use of the building, which is critical as the building continues to age. Our goal is to find a way to continue having Safety Town use this building and property at no cost. Entering into a partnership with DuPage County makes that a possibility.

Naperville strives  and wants to  balance the unique programs that enhance our quality of life with necessary fiscal responsibility to our taxpayers. I and city staff look forward to sitting down with the Safety Town representatives to talk through our concerns and look for options and opportunities to move forward. Our goal is to find the path that ends in a win-win, financially sound solution where Safety Town continues to educate Naperville's children for generations to come.

This balance is delicate, but I believe it can be achieved through a shared sense of responsibility, level-headed dialogue and a mutual commitment to what is right for the long term. We all want what is best for our children and families, and this includes leaving them a legacy of financial stability.

Steve Chirico is the mayor of the city of Naperville.
U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon will moderate a panel meeting on the heroin crisis in DuPage County on Sept. 21. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

The heroin crisis in DuPage County will be addressed at two upcoming events that will feature elected officials, medical experts and others.

On Sept. 21, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon will moderate a panel meeting at the DuPage County administration building in Wheaton. U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, will host a discussion on the science of addiction on Sept. 26 at Edward Heart Hospital in Naperville.

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Heroin and opioid abuse has been significant in recent years in DuPage County, with 43 deaths attributed to the drug in 2015, according to county officials. In prior years, there were 33 deaths in 2014, 46 in 2013, 38 in 2012, 23 in 2011 and 29 in 2010.

Law enforcement officers have been using the opiate antidote Narcan to treat heroin overdoses, which otherwise might have resulted in an increased number of fatalities. According to the nonprofit Heroin DuPage, 183 national public health programs and 53,000 individuals have been trained to use Narcan since 2010 and more than 10,000 cases of successful overdose reversals have been documented.

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The group said more than 972 overdose reversals in Chicago have been verified between 2001-2008, and 100 lives have been saved with Narcan since 2014 in DuPage County.

The Sept. 21 panel discussion will also feature DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin, County Coroner Richard Jorgensen, Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Dennis Wichern and Federal Bureau of Investigation assistant special agent Larry Lapp.

"We are honored to welcome our U.S. Attorney for the Northern Illinois District and all of our federal and local partners engaged in the fight against heroin and opioid overdose," Jorgensen said in a statement. "I know we are looking forward to a meaningful discussion as together we work to save lives here in DuPage and throughout the Chicago region."

The panel will meet at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the JTK Administration Building, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton.

Organizers have titled the Sept. 26 discussion in Naperville "Heroin in Our Community: The Science of Addiction." It will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Edward Heart Hospital, 801 S. Washington St.

Officials said the meeting will explore brain function and the properties that make drugs addictive.

In addition to Foster, panel members will include Dr. David Lott, medical director of Addiction Services at Linden Oaks at Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare; Dr. Bobby Kasthuri, a neuroscience researcher at Argonne National Laboratory; Nina J. Henry, addiction specialist at the Jewish Center for Addiction, and, via video conference, Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

"Recent advances in the science behind drug addiction make it clear that we need to start thinking about addiction less as a moral failing and more as a treatable medical condition," Foster said in an email statement. "We've started to change that narrative in Congress. This is an epidemic that unfortunately is all too common in my district and nationwide. It's my hope that this event will help us examine what makes drugs so addictive and highlight new medically assisted treatment options that are becoming available to individuals and their families who need help."

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Organizers said the meeting also will explore the paradigm shift in intervention, from conformational to transformational, and discuss personal attitudes on current best practices for speaking to loved ones about addiction.

In a statement, Lott said: "In today's world, we're growing increasingly concerned over the toxic effects and properties which make drugs addictive. We're seeing an alarming increase in the availability and use of many different drugs, and making a shift in focus from punitive, negative interventions toward treatments that work to help people become fully functional members of the community."

Both the Sept. 21 and Sept. 26 events are free and open to the public.

Gary Gibula is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
Naper Settlement will be able to conserve a keystone artifact for its Agricultural Interpretive Center thanks to a $72,209 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The money, which will be combined with matching funds of $72,697, will be used to clean, stabilize, and conserve a threshing machine that was used by area farmers in the early 20th century. The machine, which is believed to have been manufactured by Wood Brothers in 1912, was operated by multiple families in the Naperville area, said Louise Howard, chief curator at Naper Settlement.

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The historical site acquired the threshing machine from the Wheatland Plowing Match Association when that organization disbanded, Howard said. In addition to the threshing machine, the settlement also acquired a tractor, a corn planter and other farm tools.

"This (threshing machine) was one of the most iconic pieces in that group," Howard said.

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The association, which had a mission of preserving information about farming history in the area, disbanded in 2014. The association had operated for 137 years.

When it was in operation, the threshing machine was used in Naperville by several families when the area was largely a farming community. It was owned by the family of Wilbert Hageman, who grew up on a farm on Plank Road. The Hageman family shared the threshing machine with other farming families in the area as part of a cooperative effort, Howard said. Now the threshing machine will serve as an educational tool at the Naper Settlement's agriculture center. Hageman, who helmed the Wheatland Plowing Match Association, told the Tribune in 2014 that the farming equipment donated for the agriculture center would make the farming forefathers of the area "proud."

The funds will allow the settlement to engage the services of professional conservators who will "stabilize the piece" and determine if any parts of it need to be prepared. Once that project is complete, the threshing machine will be showcased in the interpretive center and used to "tell the story of the area's agricultural past," Howard said. Part of that storytelling will include supplemental print and digital materials.

In addition to conservation efforts of the threshing machine, Howard said the funds will be used to finance an educational component concerning the Agricultural Interpretive Center. Naper Settlement will hold a two-day field-study workshop for emerging museum professionals in collections care and conservation of macro-artifacts, she said. The workshop will be held next year at a time to-be-determined. Howard said the workshop will partner with students from area colleges and universities looking at pursuing a career in cultural resources.

Alex Keown is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
The flute-like call of the wood thrush was heard during a recent virtual hike featured live on the Forest Preserve District of Will Countys Facebook page. The next live hike is scheduled for Sept. 22 at Facebook.com/WillCoForests. (Joel Craig/Will County Forest Preserve / HANDOUT)

Forest preserve virtual hikes

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is offering a new series of virtual hikes, which includes photos of preserve locations and videos on a variety of nature topics.

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The next virtual hike will be broadcast at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, on the district's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/WillCoForests.

Hike locations are not revealed until the trek begins. Past hike videos are available on the district's Facebook page.

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DuPage announces election information

The DuPage County Election Commission is offering assistance to elderly and disabled residents who want to register to vote.

The commission can arrange in-home registration appointments with deputy registrars.

Voters can register for the November election through Oct. 11.

The election commission will also begin early voting and grace period registration and voting starting Sept. 29 and at county early voting sites starting Oct. 24.

Voting by mail will begin Sept. 29 through Nov. 3. The processing of mailed ballots will begin Oct. 3 by bipartisan teams at the election commission office.

For more information, call the election commission office at 630-407-5600 or go to www.dupageco.org/election/voting.

The DuPage County Forest Preserve District is holding a session for people who would like to learn more about volunteer opportunities. (DuPage County Forest Preserve District / HANDOUT)

Volunteering info session set

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The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is hosting an information session for residents interested in becoming volunteers from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the district's headquarters, 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton.

The program will showcase more than 50 volunteer opportunities, including those that are weekly, monthly or one-time only.

Individuals can volunteer at a district education center along trails or with a ranger. They can help monitor plants and wildlife, help at a habitat-restoration workday or volunteer at the native plant nursery at Blackwell Forest Preserve.

Opportunities are also available for scouting troops, church groups, corporations and community organizations.

For more information, call 630-933-7233 or go to www.dupageforest.org/volunteer.aspx.

Naperville police essay contest

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The Naperville Police Department and Naperville Crime Stoppers are hosting an essay contest for students in the 3rd through 8th grades in honor of October's Crime Prevention Month.

Children are asked to write how they would prevent crime in an essay that should be no longer than 300 words. There will be one winner chosen in each category: 3rd and 4th grade, 5th and 6th grade and 7th and 8th grade.

The winners will be given a private tour of the Naperville Police Department, lunch with Police Chief Bob Marshall and have their work published in "Positively Naperville."

Entries must include the student's name, address, phone number, school and grade level and must be received by Oct. 14. Students can email their essays to Mary Browning at browningm@naperville.il.us or mail them to the police department.
Prancella Minor Anderson (left) and Mary Jo Jones pose at Five Below. (Mary Jo Jones / HANDOUT)

Ridgewood High School special education paraprofessional Mary Jo Jones said Aug. 22 seemed to be just like any other evening. Jones was out shopping at Five Below in Melrose Park with her husband, Jim.

"I was purchasing backpacks for my students," she said.

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Jones said she struck up a conversation with fellow shopper Prancella Minor Anderson while she was at the store. Anderson told Jones that she was purchasing book bags for students who attend her church, Greater Bethlehem Healing Temple in Chicago. After learning about each other while shopping, Jones said she and Anderson became instant friends.

Minor Anderson said she explained to Jones that the book bags were for the church's fifth annual back to school fair.

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"We give away the basic essentials for school," Minor Anderson said. "It's a community event, and everything is absolutely free."

Minor Anderson said she was a little down because in years past, she had received more in donations to purchase the items for the sale.

"When we went up to the cashier counter, I told the cashier that I would pay for half of Prancella's backpacks," Jones said. "Then I decided to pay for the whole bill with my own money."

Jones said she bought the 80 backpacks that Anderson had planned on purchasing, along with the six backpacks for her own students. The act of kindness struck a chord within the store, and Jones said customers and the cashier started to cry.

"I was really overwhelmed," Minor Anderson said. "It's so extraordinary that she did that for us."

"A gentleman decided to give a $20 donation to Prancella for her church," Jones said.

Jones said she decided to buy the backpacks for Anderson because she feels that the world needs more kindness.

"In this society, people are not treating each other with respect," Jones said. "I didn't do it for any other reason than to help her."

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Eileen Kelly, a speech pathologist who works with Jones at Ridgewood High School, said she was not surprised.

"She's one of the most selfless people I've ever met," Kelly said. "She's generous and kind. She's very compassionate."

At Ridgewood High School, Jones works with students that have disabilities. Previously, Jones was a paraprofessional at Lincoln Middle School in Schiller Park.

Minor Anderson said that when she told members of her church about what Jones did, they couldn't believe it.

"When I tell this story, it gives people hope," Minor Anderson said. "Never give up when you're trying to help someone else."

Minor Anderson noted that Jones is a "godsend," since her story has inspired more people to donate to the church. Although they didn't know each other, Minor Anderson is ecstatic that Jones was able to help their church.

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For the future, Jones plans on continuing working with Anderson to raise more money for the children at the church. Her goal is for Anderson to meet her quota for next year.

"Treat people with respect, and never judge a person," Jones said. "Help others out  that's an important thing."

Maryann Pisano is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
A Gary man facing 45 to 65 years in prison on a charge of murder in perpetration of kidnapping pleaded guilty Friday in Lake Superior Court to reduced charges.

Cory Jerome Hightower, 28, who also goes by Cory Jerome Bland, pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, punishable by one to six years, in the shooting death of Derrick D. Walker, 26, and carrying a handgun without a license, also punishable by one to six years. The plea agreement outlines a maximum two-year sentence for the handgun charge.

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Defense attorney Lemuel Stigler and deputy prosecutor Eric Randall will argue an appropriate sentence on each count, including whether the sentences will be served concurrently or consecutively.

In court, Hightower admitted that on April 15, he was in front of a residence in the 4300 block of West 23rd Avenue in Gary and Walker was present.

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The two men got into a physical struggle. Hightower admitted he struck Walker several times with a semi-automatic handgun. The last time Hightower struck Walker with the gun, the firearm discharged and a bullet struck Walker behind his left ear, he said.

Hightower's case had been scheduled for a jury trial starting Sept. 26. The plea agreement calls for dismissal of charges including felony murder, kidnapping and battery by means of a deadly weapon and a firearm sentencing enhancement.

Lake Superior Court Judge pro tem William Padula scheduled an Oct. 14 sentencing hearing before Judge Samuel Cappas.

Hightower's brother, Michael Hightower, 31, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in Lake County Community Corrections for battery resulting in moderate bodily injury.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
A Gary woman facing life without parole if convicted of murder in her baby's death will undergo a mental health evaluation to determine whether prosecutors can take the case to trial.

Selena Strong's attorney, Roseann Ivanovich, filed the request for the evaluation, which was approved Friday by Lake Superior Court Judge pro tem Timothy Bianco. The judge appointed two mental health professionals to evaluate Strong for competency to stand trial as well as whether she was sane at the time of the offense.

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Strong, 28, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and battery in the death of her 22-month-old son, Brandon Dillon, who died Sept. 30, 2014, of blunt force trauma.

The baby, who is survived by a twin sister and numerous siblings, had a ruptured stomach, broken cervical spine, broken clavicle, bruises to the liver, kidney and spleen; head trauma and other injuries in varying stages of healing. The forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy said the death was the result of the cumulative effects of the injuries inflicted over at least 30 days, court records state.

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In an interview with police, Strong told investigators she regularly "whooped" the toddler with a belt, four to five times a day over the last couple of months before his death. She described him to police as more annoying than his twin sister and said she likes his twin better than Brandon, the probable cause affidavit states. She said she would strike him with a belt frequently because he got into things and while being potty trained would occasionally urinate and defecate on the floor, records state.

The judge rescheduled the omnibus hearing for Nov. 10.

The baby's father, Bernard Dillon, 38, has pleaded not guilty to the same charges. He also told police he would strike the baby with a belt, records state. Dillon's omnibus hearing is Sept. 28.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
St. Jude House, a rescue center for victims of domestic violence, offers assistance and a place to stay for people and their children escaping violent situations, often with just the clothes they are wearing. To further its mission of helping, officials there are asking the community for some help.

St. Jude House needs to come up with $10,140 to qualify for a matching grant from the Lake County Community Fund of the Legacy Foundation. The money is needed for upgrades to the facility's technology, officials said. They need to replace and or refurbish the outdated equipment for both clients and staff. One element needed there is Wi-Fi service.

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According to Joy Heminger of St. Jude House, they find it very difficult to offer educational training to residents and almost impossible for staff to submit required records and accurate record keeping. Heminger said,

"Applying on line for job searches should be easy to do for these fragile adults who are trying to stand up and be proud of themselves and impart that to their children," she said.

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The cell phones that they have are not quite as old as the original bag phones that may have been able to get around the block and back, but they need to be able to work at the speed of the newer models. And nothing will work without that Wi-Fi service.

In the 20-years since St. Jude house has opened they have served more than 11,000 people with emergency assistance at the shelter. They offer men, women and children a safe place to stay during that very difficult time, according to Heminger.

The timing of the grant couldn't have been better, she said, as October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Because they were opened with a listed address at one time they were not given any financial assistance from the state of Indiana or from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary. The Franciscan sisters, who founded St. Jude House in Crown Point, wanted everyone to know about the problem of domestic violence and stand to it. St. Jude house is located at the North West corner of Burrell Drive and Court Street, across from the YMCA.

Linda Perez, Executive Director of St. Jude House can help you find out how you can help with funding this matching grant. She can be reached at 219-662-7066 ext. 12.

Vigil set for Sept. 26

The St. Jude House annual candle lit vigil will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 around the old court house on the square in Crown Point. All are invited. Parents are encouraged to attend the vigil and bring children. This is a means of raising awareness to all about the serious problem of domestic violence. It is not just in poor neighborhoods, it could be next door to you.

Victims and survivors of domestic violence will be honored at this year's vigil. A survivor will be the featured speaker. Mayor Dave Uran, Crown Point Police Chief Pete Land, Lake County Sheriff John Buncich and Lake County Prosecuting Attorney Bernard Carter, have also been invited to address everyone at the vigil. This should not be that problem that no one talks about and shoves the victims in a corner to hide in shame..

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kconley@post-trib.com
Well for one, I clearly stated I was NOT defending the Clintons. I'm a firm believer in that old adage "where there's smoke, there's fire". I have NEVER said I was voting for her. In fact, for the first time in nearly 40 years I may skip the presidential election. That way, no matter who wins, or how badly they **** up later on, I can say "don't look at me. I didn't vote for them".



On the other hand our entire legal system is based on "innocent until proven guilty" Lot's of allegations. Lots of rumors and innuendo. Lots of "tell all" books. But little real "proof" of anything.



My point is HOW can people support tRump ??? We KNOW NOTHING about him. Not only has he not been subjected to even a fraction of the scrutiny Hillary has been under for years, his supporters seem to actively fight against any real investigation of the man. Are you really willing to blindly vote for such an unknown simply because he's not Hillary ?? Does it really not bother you that he may owe hundreds of millions dollars to foreign investors, possibly foreign governments ?? What if his investors really are connected to the Russian mob ?? What if they really are close personal friends of Putin ?? What if it's the Chinese government ??
A Southwest jet aircraft arrives for a landing at Midway Airport, at 63rd St. and Cicero Ave. in Chicago Sept. 11. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Officials in La Grange Park and Western Springs are assuring residents that recent complaints of low-flying airplanes was only a temporary problem.

Julia Cedillo, village manager in La Grange Park, said the village received 17 complaints from residents about low-flying planes and loud noise from them during the weekend of Sept. 10 and 11.

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Ingrid Velkme, assistant village manager in Western Springs, said her community also had received several complaints and "it was all over social media."

Cedillo contacted the Chicago Department of Aviation and learned that runway maintenance occurring at Midway Airport required a temporary change to air traffic patterns which impacted the villages.

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"Planes were arriving from the northwest. This is usually the direction in which planes takeoff. The maintenance is now complete and air traffic patterns have returned to normal," Cedillo said in a notice on the village's website.

She said the aviation department also advised her "that shifts in wind patterns and construction/maintenance on certain Midway runways can contribute to the use of different runway configurations that are more impactful to our area."

She said the runway configurations are only used about 10 percent of the time and therefore were likely more noticeable to residents.

Cedillo said there have been no permanent changes to flight patterns.

"In the case of this weekend, one runway was under maintenance and, due to the existing wind conditions, Midway utilized the flight path which impacts our community," she said.

Officials from the Chicago Aviation Department did not return calls for comment from The Doings.

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Twitter @triblocalam
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China, Mongolia and Russia will cooperate in seven areas to build a trilateral economic corridor, according to guidelines released this week.

The three neighbors will improve transport facilities by expanding land, air and sea connections, said the guidelines issued by the National Development and Reform Commission.

They plan to renovate ports of entry and overhaul customs procedures for easier clearance.

The three countries vowed closer cooperation in energy and mineral resources, high tech, manufacturing, agriculture and forestry.

They agreed to expand trade at border regions and widen services trade, and eyed more cooperation in education, science and technology, culture, tourism, medical care and intellectual property.

In addition, they promised to strengthen cooperation in environmental protection and push partnerships of local governments and border regions.

The guidelines were signed in June in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, following a meeting of Chinese, Mongolian and Russian leaders.
When talking about China in this complex world, there are two questions that we should not ignore: Is the Western world on a decline? And: To what extent should China learn from the Western economic, political and cultural model?

The Western model has met particular endorsement after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Francis Fukuyama, author of "The End of History and the Last Man," asserted that history and free democracy had reached their culminations and called this the end of history.

History is not quite what people would have expected. Today, pessimism regarding the Western model and its outlook has quickly increased. In "The Great Degeneration" and "Political Order and Political Decay," Niall Ferguson and Francis Fukuyama have respectively expressed their deep concern for Western decline. It is, indeed, confronting its most serious challenge since the Second World War.

With regard to the economy, the Western world is still overshadowed by the 2008 global financial crisis, which quite a few leftists interpreted as a fundamental crisis for the capitalist economic system.

In politics, the Western democratic style has had trouble gaining ground in the developing world, and the global democratization initiated by U.S. neo-conservatism is not delivering its expected outcome.

Between 2000 and 2015, democracy broke down in 27 countries, according to a study by Larry Diamond, a Stanford University democracy expert. Moreover, popular democracy, which is an alternative to the traditional representative democracy, is gradually taking hold. Some call it the rise of populism.

U.S. and British policymakers have long deployed various institutions to keep "direct democracy at bay."

The liberalism and laissez-faire policies which have ruled Western society in the political and economic sectors since the 19th century have undergone two huge waves of rise and fall, not to mention the sporadic volatilities on smaller scales.

Looking at the troubles that are inflicted on today's Western society amid long historic spectrums, people should abandon the simplified judgment of whether or not the Western world will fall; instead, they should scrutinize the nature of the impasse that Western societies are at. In doing so, there are several points highlighted for observation:

First, has the vitality of the Western economic institutions with central values of individualism, private property and free market operation exhausted itself? The economic institution of Western capitalism has undertaken a great transformation as countries, especially European countries, have resolved to pursue social justice by means of social welfare.

Second, where will the democratic political system go?

The democracy in modern systems initiated by the United States is actually the evolution of a combined political system, which is liberalistic, congressional and constitutional, and different from the direct democracy prevailing in ancient Greece.

Third, how will the extremist Islamic State (IS) affect the liberalism and culture of the Western world? When being threatened by the IS extremists, will the completely secularized Western society be able to uphold and consolidate its institutions and cultures? To what extent will Western society abandon the liberalism, religious magnanimity and multiculturalism, the values they feel so proud of to answer the challenge of the IS?

Given these points of views, people can study the nature of the crisis Western society is facing in sensible ways. More importantly, through these questions we can establish some views over the reform of our own country. For example, we can analyze the consequences of the Western economic system led by different elements through sophisticated studies to better understand the Western world's high-profile ideology of democracy and its actual institutional setting. By learning from the abovementioned points, we may have a better view of China's reform and development.

Li Qiang is a professor with the School of Government, Peking University.

The article was translated by Guo Yiming and Wu Jin. Its original unabridged version was published in Chinese.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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Death toll of the suicide blast that hit a mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday afternoon has risen to 23, officials said.

Deputy Administrator of the region, Naveed Akbar, said that the death toll rose after seven of the injured succumbed to injuries during treatment at different hospitals, adding that at least 29 others were also injured in the blast that ripped through the mosque during Friday prayer.

"Death toll may further rises as six of the injured are still in critical condition," said the official.

According to Akbar, the incident took place when a suicide bomber entered the mosque and exploded his explosives laden vest amid people who were offering Friday prayer in Paye Khan village in Anbar area in Mohmand Agency, Pakistan's northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

According to local media reports, around 70 to 80 people were offering prayer in the mosque when the blast took place in the remote area of Paye Khan.

Security forces have launched a search operation in the region to arrest the suicide bomber's facilitators, especially those who provided him shelter and dropped him near the mosque before the attack.

Bomb disposal squad said that around 5-7 kilograms of explosives along with ball bearings was used in the blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast, saying "the cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country."

Earlier on Sept. 2, at least 14 people including six lawyers and two policemen were killed and 52 others injured in a suicide attack at district courts in Pakistan's northwest district of Mardan.

On Sept. 13, police foiled a terrorist attack at a mosque during Eid prayer when two suicide bombers attempted to enter a mosque in Shikarpur district in the country's southern province of Sindh.

At least 13 people were injured when one of the suicide bombers exploded his jacket after policemen shot him, while the second bomber was arrested by the policemen.
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The Islamic Hamas movement condemned on Friday the decision of the U.S. State Department to list one of its top and prominent leaders in the Gaza Strip, Fathi Hammad, as one of the world terrorists.

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that the American decision "is a crucial and dangerous development that shows the Obama Administration is biased to the Israeli occupation."

"The U.S. State Department decision provides a cover to the endless Israeli crimes against our people," said Abu Zuhri, who called on the U.S. "to regret the decision and stop decisions that are provocative to the emotions of peoples."

Hammad is considered as one of the most prominent leaders of Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, as the movement has been ruling since it had violently seized control of the territory in 2007.

According to media report, the U.S. State Department considered Hammad as one of the top world terrorists, who threaten the security of the American citizens and the national security, economy and foreign affairs of the U.S..

Besides being a top Hamas leader, Hammad is a militant and was the interior minister of Hamas government that ruled the Gaza Strip before the formation of the Palestinian consensus government in June 2014.

Hammad was also the founder of Hamas Satellite Channel called "Al-Aqsa Television". The channel educates and recruits teenagers to become militants and suicide bombers when they grow up, according to media report.
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A U.S. Congress report Thursday on Edward Snowden, the "whistle blower" about U.S. intelligence aggression against private phone calls, has further dimmed his hope of returning home without being punished.

The report by a Republican-led U.S. House Representative committee said Snowden, a former CIA employee and National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who has fled to Russia, is "a serial exaggerator and fabricator" instead of a whistle blower.

The Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence condemned Snowden for stealing and leaking 1.5 million classified documents from secure National Security Agency networks.

"The vast majority of the documents he stole have nothing to do with programs impacting individual interests," said the report whose purpose is apparently asking President Barack Obama not to pardon him.

This report just came one day ahead of the release of a film by Oliver Stone based on the true story of Snowden entitled after his name. A number of civil rights groups, artists and writers have also appealed to President Obama to pardon Snowden.

"After years of investigation, the committee still can't point to any remotely credible evidence that Snowden's disclosures caused harm," said Ben Wizner, Snowden's attorney, who said the report is aimed at "discrediting a genuine American hero".

Snowden's revelations about the NSA's collection of millions of Americans' phone records has set off a fierce debate in the United States about violation of private rights by the government in the name of fighting terrorism.

Now, with presidential elections set for Nov. 8, both presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, have expressed strong opposition of pardoning Snowden, saying he must be punished for harming the country's national security. Both are playing hardline cards on national security issue.

The Obama administration has not agreed to give Snowden a presidential pardon, and urged him to return to the United States and face trial immediately.

With his mandate running out in months, Obama would also face judicial obstacles if he intended to pardon Snowden, as according to U.S. law, the president can only pardon a person after he is convicted of a crime by a court.

If Snowden returns to the U.S. to face trial over accusations of treason and espionage, he could be sentenced to 30 years in jail.
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The Syrian government troops alone are observing a ceasefire agreement in the war-torn country brokered by Russia and the United States, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

"All attempts by our American partners to show the world at least some manageability of the opposition it supports in Syria have so far proved unsuccessful," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

Officers of the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria, based near the city of Aleppo and the Castello highway, confirmed the willingness of the Syrian forces to completely withdraw their units and equipment in synchrony with the opposition to agreed distances, it said.

Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir, first deputy head of the main directorate of the Russian General Staff, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that the Syrian government troops had effectively withdrawn tanks, combat infantry vehicles and artillery to the established distances to create a demilitarized zone.

But no response was observed from the opposition groups, which had breached the ceasefire agreement 144 times since it took effect, including 39 times in the past 24 hours, Poznikhir said.

However, Russia is ready to extend the Syrian ceasefire regime for 72 hours as part of Geneva accords despite numerous violations, he said.

The agency quoted another Russian official, Col. Sergei Kapitsyn, a senior operative of the Aleppo group, as saying during a video conference on Friday that the Syrian government troops had to be "redeployed to the initial positions to prevent the enemy from taking over the demilitarized zone."

In a separate development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov informed his U.S. counterpart John Kerry in a telephone conversation about the reluctance of the opposition to observe the truce.

Kerry promised to "push forward the solution of the problems involving the necessity to duly formalize humanitarian convoys under UN rules, as well as threats of illegal armed groups in the Aleppo area not to let humanitarian aid into the eastern part of the city," a ministry statement said.

The United States and Russia announced on Saturday a landmark agreement on a week-long nationwide ceasefire in Syria from Monday.
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Millions of Europeans don't feel safe at the moment, European Council President Donald Tusk said after the informal EU summit on Friday.

"People have concerns of what's going on and of insufficient control. They're afraid of migration, terrorism and of their own economic future. We must remove imperfections from the past. We won't continue as we have until now," said Tusk.

Tusk further stressed that the European Union can't tolerate an uncontrolled influx of migrants, and it should focus on full control of its borders, as well as cooperating with Turkey and countries of the Western Balkans and pursuing contacts with African countries.

The Union will support its member countries in guaranteeing their internal security, while the exchange of information between individual countries must be intensified, in addition to providing a boost to European cooperation in external security and defence, he said.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker highlighted that European leaders have agreed on contributing significantly to safeguarding the Bulgarian border with Turkey. This will include financial aid in total amount of 108 million euros (121 million U.S. dollars), personnel and equipment support, according to Juncker.

Bratislava Summit approved a road map, which brings the way how will EU tackle several challenges such as migration, terrorism, and economic and social insecurity. EU member states will further bring down the number of irregular migrants and ensure full control of the bloc's external borders.
Jaipur Literature Festival, Boulder, Colorado :

24th September, 2016

Pride and Prejudice

with Devdutt Pattanaik, Charles Rice-Gonzalez and Thrity Umrigar discusses queer pride and the prejudices it confronts.

Time: 1:30pm- 2:30pm (OPEN EVENT) 25th September, 2016

Olympus: Indian Retelling of Greekness

Introduced by poet Eleni Sikelianos.

Ancient Greece and India have both bequeathed a lasting body of myth to the world. Reversing the gaze, DevduttPattanaik explores the fascinating connections between these stories and sagas.

Time: 2:45pm-3:45pm (Open event)

Register here HTTPS://JAIPURLITERATUREFESTIVAL.ORG/BOULDER/REGISTRATION-2016/

The Stories of Hindu Gods: the Fruits of the Vedic Tree

Hindu mythology abounds with fascinating gods, goddesses and larger-than-life fantastical stories around them. However, very little is known about the deeper significance, symbology and life lessons that these stories offer. Devdutt throws light on the profound meaning of Hindu mythology and its relevance in modern times.

Time: 3pm-4:30pm (Open event)

Venue : Allen Auditorium , Allen North Library Ground floor

University of Washington, Seattle :29th September, 2016

Boston Public Library, Boston :

1st october, 2016

launch of south asian author series

Hindu mythology abounds with fascinating gods, goddesses and larger-than-life fantastical stories around them. However, very little is known about the deeper significance, symbology and life lessons that these stories offer. Devdutt throws light on the profound meaning of Hindu mythology and its relevance in modern times.

Time: 2pm-3:30pm (Open event)

Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto :

4th october, 2016

The Rama Epic with Alternate titles considered by Valmiki, a prelude to The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe

Ramayana is not a fairy tale or parable but a myth (cultural truth) that reveals complex timeless gender tensions. This explains its enduring appeal. Devdutt explores the beauty & timelessness of Ramayana as a prelude to The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe an upcoming exhibit at Asian Art Museum at a private gathering organised by Ink Talks & SACHI.

Time: 7pm-9pm (Ticketed Event)

Ticket link : HTTPS://WWW.EVENTBRITE.COM/E/DEVDUTT-PATTANAIK-IN-A-DISCUSSION-OF-THE-RAMAYANA-TICKETS-27694770805?AFF=ERELEXPMLT

Chrysalis Institute, Richmond at Grace Street Theater :

6th october, 2016

The myth we live in: OUr ideas of truth, the stories that unite and Divide

in our controversial political landscape, there may be anger and violence between peoples with different world views and divergent solutions to the conflicts confronting us. our own cultural story and the subjective truth we believe shapes our world view: bringing us together or tearing us apart. our stories, our subjective truth is the myth we live in.

Time: 7pm-9pm (TICKETED EVENT)

Venue: VCU Grace Street Theater

Ticket link: HTTP://WWW.CHRYSALISINSTITUTE.ORG/EVENT-2265667

Yale University, New Haven :

7th october, 2016

Understanding Mythology

Devdutt illustrates how every culture, Indian or Western, religious or secular, modern or tribal, uses stories, symbols and rituals over generations to convey its own truth that is indifferent to rationality. Without myth there is no meaning, and without meaning, there is no culture.

Time: 2pm-5pm (Open Event)

Indo American Arts Council Literature Festival, New York :

9th october, 2016

Understanding Mythology

Devdutt illustrates how every culture, Indian or Western, religious or secular, modern or tribal, uses stories, symbols and rituals over generations to convey its own truth that is indifferent to rationality. Without myth there is no meaning, and without meaning, there is no culture.

Time: 11am-12pm (TICKETED EVENT)

Venue: Kimmel Centre, NYU

Tickets: HTTPS://WWW.EVENTBRITE.COM/E/SESSION-1A-UNDERSTANDING-MYTHOLOGY-TICKETS-27379469731

JIVAMUKTI YOGA CENTRE , JERSEY CITY :

9TH OCTOBER, 2016

The Stories of Hindu Gods = the Fruits of the Vedic Tree

Hindu mythology abounds with fascinating gods, goddesses and larger-than-life fantastical stories around them. However, very little is known about the deeper significance, symbology and life lessons that these stories offer. Devdutt throws light on the profound meaning of Hindu mythology and its relevance in modern times

Time: 3:30pm-4:30pm (Open event)
LANZHOU - Six officials have been punished for failing in their responsibilities after a mother murdered her four children before committing suicide, in northwest China's Gansu Province last month, according to a local government statement.

Yang Gailan, 28, of Agushan village, Kangle county, axed her son and three daughters, aged between three and six, to death before drinking pesticides and killing herself on August 26. Her husband Li drank poison and killed himself eight days later.

The murders exposed grave problems in the work of local officials, the Kangle county government said in a statement. Several officials bear inescapable responsibilities, it said.

Chen Guangjian, deputy township head, and two village level officials Li Jinjun and Wei Gonghui, were suggested to be removed from office.

Ma Yongzhong, vice head of the Kangle county, was given a warning by the Party, with two township officials, Bai Zhongming and Lyu Qiang, given a more severe warning.

At this stage, there have been no criminal proceedings.

According to the statement, there had been significant familial disputes in Yang Gailan's family, and they had little social contact with their neighbors and other villagers. However, village officials failed to mediate the disputes and communicate with the family.

Yang's home was in poor condition, but her family could not agree on renovation plans. Township and village officials failed to provide them with viable solutions.

Yang's family received a low-income allowance before 2013, but villagers voted against this as their income exceeded the poverty benchmark. Grassroots officials failed to effectively implement poverty-relief policies and did not alleviate the conditions of poverty for the family, the statement said.

Officials also failed to offer comfort to Yang's husband after the murders. Her husband Li, 31, committed suicide eight days after the murders.

Local authorities have promised harsh punishment should further investigations expose any violations of law or discipline.

Kangle county government had offered to help Yang's family to renovate their home, which was dilapidated.

An overhaul is underway in the county, so that disputes among residents can be properly settled, and the county government has been urged to step up renovation of houses in rural areas. An inspection will also be launched to investigate the handling of low-income allowances, the statement said.
Visitors run away from tidal bores caused by Typhoon Malakas surging over the sea wall in San'ao village, Shitang town, Wenling city, east China's Zhejiang province, September 16, 2016. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - Chinese marine forecasting authorities on Friday upgraded the warning for storms to "orange" as Typhoon Malakas is approaching the east coast of Taiwan.

Malakas, the 16th typhoon in 2016, will hit the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces from Saturday night to Sunday noon, China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center (CNMEFC) said in a statement.

The typhoon, observed 530 kilometers off Taiwan's east coast at 8 a.m. Friday, was bringing winds of up to 180 km per hour as it moved northwest and is expected to enter the East China Sea soon, the National Meteorological Center said.

Moreover, CNMEFC maintained an orange warning for ocean waves caused by Malakas as it is expected to whip up waves from seven to 11 meters off Taiwan's east coast, southern East China Sea and nearby Diaoyu Islands from Friday to Saturday. Waves up to 2.5 to 3.8 meters are also expected in the coastal regions of southern Zhejiang and northern Fujian, it said.

Coastal regions in Fujian, Guangdong and Shanghai will see storms starting from Saturday and ships operating in related waters were told to stay clear of the area, according to the document.

China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has also activated a level III emergency response to cope with Malakas.

The headquarters urged local authorities in eastern China to take precautions and dispatched five work teams to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces as well as Shanghai to prepare for aid and relief.

Typhoon Malakas comes hot on the heels of Typhoon Meranti, which has left at least 14 people dead and another 14 missing in the southeastern regions of China since it landed in Fujian Province Thursday morning.

China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
(Photo : GettyImages/U.S.Navy) Japam's Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said that the Japanese air force would increase its presence in the South China Sea.

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Japan is looking to increase its presence in the South China Sea. The country has announced that it would be joining the US training patrol in the contested region. Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said that Japan would conduct similar exercises with regional navies as well.



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Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Inada said that Japan would extend military aid to countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines. She applauded the US' decision to allocate 60 percent of its Air Force and Navy assets to the Asia Pacific region by 2020. Inada said that Japan "strongly support[s] the US Navy's Freedom of Navigation operations."



According to Reuters, the Japanese Defense Minister carried out talks with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter. The US Navy replied to Inada's comment by stating that the US appreciates Japan's efforts to increase its maritime activities in the South China Sea.



Japan is currently engaged in a dispute with China over territories in the East China Sea. CNN reported that Inada also mentioned that China's activities in the region raise "serious concern in the Asia-Pacific and beyond."



In the recent months, there has been a significant increase in US activities in the region. The US Navy deployed a guided missile destroyer in May 2016. The destroyer sailed within 12 miles of a disputed island in the South China Sea under the control of China.



While Japan is planning a joint exercise with the US, China recently carried out a naval exercise with the Russian navy in the region.



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TagsJapan, china, US, US Navy, Tomomi Inada
(Photo : Getty Images) China's air force would soon venture into the Pacific thanks to its new and sophisticated aircraft, a People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) spokesman said

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In a show of military might, the Chinese Air Force would soon start flying regularly into the Western Pacific beyond Japan and Taiwan, according to People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) spokesman Shen Jinke.



Shen, on Friday, said that starting next month, the air force will fly beyond the so-called "First Island Chain,' an imaginary line stretching from Japan and Taiwan.



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The Chinese air force had found it difficult to fly the route in the past and had limited experience in venturing beyond given its obsolete military aircraft.



Regular flights



Military analysts said the regular flights are an important milestone for the Chinese military in Beijing's efforts to assert its presence in the region and push its claims over the disputed territories in the East China and South China Seas.



With a better-equipped and better-trained air force, China can now defend its territorial claims in the waters west of the First Island Chain.



Shen said that with China's new, sophisticated military equipment and trained pilots, the Pacific waters is now within reach of China.



He said Beijing now has bombers, long-range fighters, control aircraft, and aerial refueling tankers in its military arsenal to aid the country's air force in conducting the Pacific trips.



Military aerial exercises



The PLAAF recently conducted an aerial military exercise in the Bashi Strait near Taiwan involving Xian H-6K bombers, Su-30 fighters, and aerial refueling tankers.



China claims that the exercise was not aimed at any country and was conducted within international laws.



"This is common practice for the air forces of sea-adjacent states and a normal requirement for China's national defense and military building," the spokesman said.



Key island chains



Military observers say China's military buildup has now made it easier for Chinese air force to fly over key island chains in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.



Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines have competing claims with China in the Spratly and Paracel islands in the disputed South China Sea while Japan has rival claims with Beijing over the Senkaku Islands ( Diaoyu Islands in China) in the East China Sea.



Analysts have warned that China's flights over these island chains could escalate tensions with claimant countries and possibly trigger a military confrontation.



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TagsPeople's Liberation Army Air Force, First Island Chain, Western Pacific, East China Sea, South China Sea
(Photo : GettyImages/LintaoZheng) China recently released a Canadian citizen convicted of spying.

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China recently released a Canadian citizen convicted of spying. He had been detained for two years. Now, Canada's Foreign Minister Stephane Dion has clarified that the country did not make any concession to China to secure the release. There had been rumors that China was seeking a free trade deal, the extradition of corrupt officials from Canada, and lax investment rules in return for the release.



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Kevin Garratt, a Canadian, was charged in January with the counts of stealing state secrets and spying on the Chinese government. He was convicted this Tuesday but was promptly released on bail. On Thursday, he was deported back to Canada. China currently does not have any extradition treaty with Canada.



Reuters reported that Garratt's lawyer described the release as "a constant, unrelenting process of lobbying various players in both governments to keep the discussions alive." The lawyer claims that the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service visited Beijing to aid the process. Canadian Security Intelligence Service has not commented on the rumors about the agreement.



According to Yahoo, China also does not have any extradition treaty with the United States and Australia either. Chinese state media consider these countries to be the most popular destinations for corrupt ex-officials attempting to escape the prosecution of the Chinese government.



Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had raised Garratt case during his official trip to China this month. Both countries are looking to boost their ties. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang would pay a visit to Canada next week.



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Tagschina, Canada, Kevin Garratt, Le Keqiang, Stephane Dion
(Photo : GettyImages/VCG) Malakas has been given the Orange rating, which is the second most severe rating behind Red in China's color-coded weather warning system.

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China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center (CNMEFC) has upgraded it warning for Typhoon Malakas to Orange. After being ravaged by Typhoon Meranti, the east coast of Taiwan is set to be barraged by Typhoon Malakas on Saturday. Typhoon Malakas will be the 16th typhoon to slam the costs of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces this year.



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CNMEFC predicted that Malakas would batter the southern East China Sea, Diaoyu Islands and Taiwan's east coast. Northern Fujian and southern Zhejiang are likely to witness waves as high as 2.5 to 3.8 meters in their coastal regions.



According to Xinhua, the typhoon was observed 530 kilometers off Taiwan's east coast at 8 a.m. Friday. The typhoon was moving northwest, making its way to the East China Sea. It was packing winds of up to 180 Km per hour. However, meteorologists have stated that Malakas is likely to lose its strength through Saturday.



The typhoon caused wind gusts of up to 100mph in Yonagunijima. Ishigaki in the far Ryukyu Islands experienced winds of up to 60 mph strength. Taiwanese authorities shut down several establishments due to rough weather caused by Malakas. While this storm is less powerful than Meranti, it is expected to be accompanied by winds at up to 118 mph.



China has sent five teams to Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces for relief and aid work. Malakas has been given the Orange rating, which is the second most severe rating behind Red in China's color-coded weather warning system.



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Tagschina, Taiwan, Japan, Malakas, Meranti
(Photo : Getty Images) Japan has announced that it would join US military forces in patrolling the disputed South China Sea.

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Japan plans to step up its maritime presence in the disputed South China Sea by joining forces with the United States in conducting joint patrols as well as carrying out military war games with other navies in the region.



Japan's new defense minister Tomomi Inada, on her first official visit to the US on Friday, said Japan would increase its maritime activities in the strategic waterway as a response to China's increasing assertiveness in the contested region.



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"These Chinese actions constitute its deliberate attempt to unilaterally change the status quo, achieve a fait accompli, and undermine the prevailing norms," Inada said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C.



Military capacity



She said Japan's participation in joint patrols with the US in the international waterway would also include helping coastal nations such as the Philippines and Vietnam to build their military capacity through regular naval and military exercises.



China continues to rapidly construct military outposts on its artificial islands in the disputed sea despite a recent arbitration ruling rejecting Beijing's claims to territories in the South China Sea.



China's rejection of the July 12 ruling has reportedly escalated tensions among neighboring claimants countries, prompting them to seek military help from the US, Japan, and Australia.



Competing claims



The Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, and China have competing claims to the disputed waterway which is believed to have a large deposit of oil and gas. About $5 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes through the South China Sea each year.



Inada warned the international community against condoning China's behavior and its attempts to circumvent international law saying the consequences could be disastrous and could affect their interests later on.



"In this context, I strongly support the US Navy's freedom of navigation operations, which go a long way to upholding the rules-based international maritime order," she said.



Although Japan is not a party to the South China Sea dispute, Tokyo has been helping claimant countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam by providing them patrol boats.



Joint training cruises



"Japan, for its part, will increase its engagement in the South China Sea through, for example, Maritime Self-Defence Force joint training cruises with the US Navy and bilateral and multilateral exercises with regional navies," Japan's defense minister added.



Inada said Japan is scheduled to hand over five patrol boats to Vietnam this month to boost Hanoi's law enforcement capabilities in the region.



Tokyo has been militarily supporting small countries in the region, providing them with ships and patrol boats to be used to defend their territories against China.



Earlier, Japan handed over two large patrol ships and loaned five used surveillance aircraft to the Philippines to be used in upholding its sovereignty in the South China Sea.



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TagsUS-Japan joint patrols, South China Sea, US-Japan military exercises, Japanese Defense Minister Tomoni Inada, artificial islands, china
(Photo : Getty Images ) China has applauded the British government's decision to approve the Hinkley Point Nuclear Project.

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China has welcomed the British government's approval of the Chinese-funded controversial Hinkley Point nuclear project.



China's Foreign Ministry has noted that the Hinkley Point project is a win-win cooperation for the United Kingdom, France, and China.



"The Chinese side welcomes the British government's decision to approve the project, as it serves all parties' interests," China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday. "It is hoped that with the hard work of China, the UK and France, Hinkley Point and other subsequent nuclear cooperation projects can proceed smoothly and produce win-win results."



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China's state-owned nuclear power generation corporation, CGN, also welcomed the decision adding that the company looks forward to working with French emergy giant EDF on the project. China has a one-third stake in the $24 billion nuclear plant, which will be led by French electricity utility company EDF.



The new British government, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, on Thursday finally approved the nuclear project at Hinkley point in Southern England. Britain's business minister Greg Clark informed the parliament that the government has decided to proceed with the "first new nuclear power stations" for a generation.



"When it begins producing electricity in the middle of the next decade it will provide seven percent of the UK' electricity needs; giving secure energy to 6 million homes for 60 years," Clark said. He added that the ambitious project would create 26,000 jobs in the country and unleash a "long overdue new wave of investment in nuclear engineering in Britain."



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Tagschina, Britain, Hinkley Point Nuclear Project
(Photo : Getty Images) Duterte under fire for massive murders.

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Volatile Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte continues to remain uncharacteristically silent in the face of allegations he headed the so-called 'Davao Death Squad" that allegedly murdered over 1,000 persons when Duterte was Mayor of Davao City on the island of Mindanao.



The man who cursed U.S. President Barack Obama as a "son of a whore" on news the American planned to question him on human rights hasn't said a word or made a statement to refute explosive allegations by one of his former hitmen who essentially accused Duterte of mass murder before the world.



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He also called Pope Francis a "son of a whore" when Duterte's car was stalled in traffic in Manila during a visit of the pontiff to the Philippines in January 2015.



Edgar Matobato, 57, a self-confessed hired killer, said he murdered or kidnapped some 50 persons as part of this death squad that takes its orders from Duterte and Duterte's son, Paolo, who is currently vice-mayor of Davao City.



Speaking before a committee of the Philippine Senate set-up to investigate the astounding number of killings in Duterte's two month-old war on drugs, Matobato also said he saw Duterte personally shoot to death in 2007 an agent of the government's National Bureau of Investigation who ran afoul of the mayor.



"Our job was to kill criminals like drug pushers, rapists, snatchers. That's what we did. We killed people almost every day," said Matobato.



Matobato claimed he heard Duterte order some of the killings. He detailed at least a dozen attacks and murders involving Duterte and his son, Paolo, between 1993 and 2014.



Matobato recounted grisly details of some of the murders carried out by Duterte's death squad. One victim was fed alive to crocodiles while four other victims were strangled to death; their bodies cut up and dumped into the sea weighted down by hollow blocks.



Not all those killed were alleged drug peddlers or drug addicts, said Matobato. Others were political foes of Duterte.



One of these was Jun Pala, a radio announcer who was an outspoken critic of Duterte. A hitman shot Pala dead on orders of Duterte, claims Matobato.



Speaking under oath, Matobato also claimed the death squad mostly consisted of policemen, former communist rebels and militiamen like himself. This gang of killers mostly murdered criminal suspects and personal enemies of the Duterte family between 1993 when Duterte became Davao City and 2014 when Matobato left the group.



These men drew pay from the Davao City government that arranged for their fictitious employment as city employees and paid them from city funds. In the Philippines, these supposed government employees are called "ghost employees."



Matobato said he left because he grew sick and tired of the relentless spate of murders. He said he told the group of his intention to leave.



He was then kidnapped, tortured and would have been murdered had he not managed to escape. He has been in hiding since 2014 and only surfaced to testify before the Senate committee on justice and human rights.



This committee is headed by one of Duterte's most high profile and prominent critics, Senator Leila de Lima. De Lima was the former justice secretary in the administration of former Philippine president Benigno Simeon Aquino.



De Lima, however, is herself under investigation by Duterte's allies in the Philippine Congress for allegedly being a big time drug boss.



Matobato also said Duterte ordered the death squad to murder de Lima when she was in Davao in 2009 as head of the Commission on Human Rights investigating murders attributed to the death squad. He told the surprised de Lima she only escaped death because her group decided to visit a different place from the one where the ambush was set-up.



Duterte's chief legal counsel, Atty. Salvador Panelo, said he saw no reason for the President to respond to statements of a "perjured witness." He said Duterte has chosen not to respond to Matobato's allegations because "the lies are so obvious."



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TagsRodrigo Duterte, Davao Death Squad, Mindanao, Edgar Matobato, Paolo Duterte, Leila de Lima
A new Barna research found that while a majority of Christians in America identify as Christians, only a minority are "practicing Christians" who attend the church at least once a month.

As many as 73 percent of the Americans say they are Christians, 20 percent identify as atheists or agnostics, 6 percent adhere to other faiths such as Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and 1 percent are not sure.

The research found that those Americans who identify as Christians (73 percent) also say that faith was crucial in their lives.

However, when they are asked about how regularly they attended church, a much smaller proportion said they visited church often.

Only about 31 percent of the Americans said they attended church at least once a month, which is a criteria used by Barna group to classify people as "practicing Christians."

The study also put about 48 percent of the Americans under the category of "post-Christians." The post-Christians are those people who do not get engaged in activities such as Bible reading, prayer, and church attendance, and have disbelief in God or identify as atheists or agnostics. Individuals were termed as "post-Christian" when at least 60 percent of their responses were positive on the scale testing lack of involvement in church practices and feelings of disbelief.

Even though America has several big megachurches, the highest proportion of Christians (46 percent) attend churches with 100 or fewer members, about 37 percent go to a mid-sized church with 100-499 members, 9 percent attend churches with a member count ranging between 500 and 999, and only 8 percent went to large churches with over 1,000 attendees.

The study also found that Christians are more generous than secular Americans. As many as 96 percent of the practicing Christians donated to churches and nonprofits, but only 60 percent of the atheists and agnostics did so. An absolute majority (94 percent) of the practicing Christians donated to churches.

Overall, about 54 percent of the Americans donated to churches during the past year, and 22 percent gave money to nonprofits. The rest (24 percent) did not donate to any church or non-profit organization.

A majority of Americans (75 percent) said they prayed to God over the last week, and about 35 percent went to church in the last seven days. A significant minority of Americans (34 percent) claim to have read the Bible in their spare time at home over the last week.

Fewer American adults said that last week they volunteered at a non-profit (19 percent) or a church (18 percent). About the same proportion had attended Sunday school (17 percent) or a small group (16 percent).

The key faith groups identified by Barna are "born-again Christians," who have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and believe that they will go to heaven when they die; "Bible-minded Christians," who believe in the inerrancy of Bible; and "evangelical Christians" who are born-again as well as feel responsible to share their faith, believe that Satan exists, believe in Jesus Christ's sinless life on earth and salvation among other doctrinal views.

About 35 percent of the Americans were born-again Christians, 23 percent were Bible-minded, and some 7 percent professed evangelical faith.

The purpose of the study was to gauge the "state of the church" in America, the research group said, and was conducted during the first half of 2016. Over 5,000 adults were interviewed via internet and telephone across the US.
A Canadian man who was arrested and jailed two years ago in China on charges of spying and stealing intelligence was released on Tuesday.

According to a statement released by Garratts family, he was released and deported after a court hearing, the details of which are unclear. He arrived in Canada on Thursday.

The Garratt family thanks everyone for their thoughts and prayers, and also thanks the many individuals who worked to secure Kevins release, the family stated. Please respect the familys privacy in this time of transition. We will be releasing more information in the coming weeks.

Garratt and his wife, Julia, were known to be devout Christians and to have run a cafe in Dandong to send food to North Korea.

Were trying to reach North Korea with God, with Jesus, and with practical assistance, Kevin Garratt said in a sermon that was previously posted online but has since been taken down, according to the New York Times.

The couple, who had lived in China since 1984, was arrested in August of 2014, but Julia Garratt was released on bail in February of 2015.

The foreign minister of Canada, Stephane Dion, denied that Canada had made concessions to secure the release of Garratt, according to a Reuters report.
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.
Wesleyan Holiness Connection -- New Name and Logo Refresh Contact: JoAnna Dias, Operations Manager, Wesleyan Holiness Connection, 626-208-5502, JoAnnaDias@holinessandunity.org



GLENDORA, Calif., Sept. 16, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- With great excitement, the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium announces that it has changed its name to the Wesleyan Holiness Connection! While visiting some of the WHC networks in Brazil, founder and chair Dr. Kevin Mannoia began hearing the use of the word 'connection' among the leaders. It was intended to communicate the strong relational nature of the gatherings and avoid the more business-oriented term 'consortium.'



Realizing that this word would also allow for both languages to share the same word, and also that this was a deeply meaningful term in our own theological heritage, he was happy to bring the idea to the WHC Board and Steering Committee. Both groups strongly supported the change of name to be "Wesleyan Holiness Connection."



The new name and refreshed logo marks approximately ten years of ministry expansion of the WHC. Regarding the name change and logo refresh, Mannoia says, "I am happy to share this new logo, new name, and fresh resolve to follow the nudge of the Holy Spirit in bringing unity through the transformational message of holiness that brings clarity and power to our mission in the 21st Century!"



Hear about the name change directly from Kevin here!



About the Wesleyan Holiness Connection

The Wesleyan Holiness Connection is a network of leaders and churches centered not on an organizational alliance but upon our common message and interest in holiness which flows from our common heritage. It seeks to be: a visible presence which serves as a reference point keeping the holiness message alive and thriving in the minds and ministries of our pastors and leaders;



a source of resources and connections that will empower pastors, scholars, and leaders to find deeper understanding of our heritage and commitment to relevant holiness in the 21st Century;



a voice to the Church that allows the holiness tradition and message to be heard and to influence the diverse mix of theological streams on the landscape of Christianity. For additional information, visit www.holinessandunity.org.

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3 Christian converts charged with taking 'illegal' Communion wine, face flogging in Iran

For taking "illegal" Holy Communion wine, three Iranian Christian converts now face flogging as punishment.

The new believersidentified as Yasser Mossayebzadeh, Saheb Fadaie and Mohammad Reza Omidiwere arrested and charged last week with "acting against national security," according to World Watch Monitor.

The Christian organisationwhose mission is to share the stories of Christians around the world under pressure for their faithnotes that although non-Muslims are permitted to drink alcohol in Iran, leaving Islam or converting to Christianity or any other religion is forbidden.

If the three Christian converts are found guilty as charged, they would likely be meted with the punishment of flogging. One of them, Omidi, has already suffered such punishment after being convicted of the same charge in 2012. He received 80 lashes.

The three were arrested on May 13 together with Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was once sentenced to death for apostasy, and his wife, Tina. The couple were released later that day, but the three new believers were locked up in jail.

A verdict on their cases is expected next week.

Since last year, Iranian authorities have already put more than 200 Christians behind bars. At least 43 Christians were arrested in August alone, according to Middle East Concern's Rob Duncan.

"The Iranian regime is conducting a very active campaign against house churches at the moment and leaders of house churches are harassed and put under pressure," Duncan said.

Christians who are languishing in Iranian jails are reportedly being denied medical care, prompting Amnesty International to protest Iran's "cruel" treatment of Christian prisoners. The human rights group cited the case of Maryam Naghash Zargaran, an Iranian Christian who has undertaken two hunger strikes to protest Iranian authorities' denial of her plea for medical treatment for her long-standing but unspecified medical condition.

In October 2015 and in June 2016 Zargaran was briefly released for treatment but in both instances were forced to return to prison even though she was still undergoing treatment. Her health has since deteriorated, according to Middle East Concern.
Al Shabaab attacks Somali town near Kenyan border, kill seven troops

Somalia's Islamist militant group al Shabaab attacked a town in a region near Kenya's border, killing at least seven Somali soldiers, the group and Somali officials said.

Al Shabaab, which regularly attacks Somali forces in its campaign to oust Somalia's Western-backed government, pulled its fighters out of El Wak overnight, residents said on Saturday.

"We captured five military vehicles and killed several members of the government forces," al Shabaab's military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters after the assault was launched on Friday afternoon.

Somali Major Mohamed Jimcale told Reuters by telephone from the nearby Somali town of Baardheere that government forces had retreated to another town where there is a base for the African Union's AMISOM force.

"We lost at least 7 soldiers and two vehicles," he said.

Accounts and figures given by the officials and al Shabaab often vary.

Residents and government troops said al Shabaab had cut offer communications to El Wak before the attack. Al Shabaab fighters often stage raids and then withdraw before government forces have a chance to stage a counter attack.
Cancer-stricken Vietnam war vet gets dying wishes: to be baptised and go fishing one last time

"Baptise me and let me go fishing one last time."

These were the two final wishes of former U.S. Navy serviceman Connie Willhite, a 69-year-old veteran who served during the Vietnam war and who was stricken with cancer with only days to live.

The staff at the Carl Vinson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia were only too happy to grant his dying wishes, Breitbart reports.

Willhite told the staff that he wanted to be baptised so he could "cross over" to the next life.

The hospital's chaplain had no trouble in performing the baptism ceremony in Willhite's room.

However, the fishing trip, presented some challenge to the hospital's staff. Willhite was stuck on his bed because of his advanced colon cancer, and could not get up to fish.

But Greg Senters, a social worker at the hospital, found a way to fulfil Willhite's second dying wish. He arranged for a mobile motorised hospital bed for the veteran so he could fish from the lake located behind the hospice unit at the VA center, KTLA reported.

"There's nothing like fishing. Even when they're not biting, it's still a good day to be outside," Willhite told KSLA moments before the fishing trip. "I know I'm dying and the cancer is going to get me, but as long as I can go, I want to fish."

He said it would be alright even if he would not be able to catch any fish.

But to his delight, he did catch a few fish.

Senters assisted Willhite in casting his fishing rod.

"I'll never forget the look on his face... Seeing Mr. Willhite achieve success in his final days was more than gratifying, it's a memory that I'll always cherish," he said. "Moments like that make me proud to be in social work and to serve veterans."

Three days after his fishing trip, Willhite died peacefully in his bed.
Revelation 4: A warning to the compromising church

We shall overcome is the well known protest anthem associated with Pete Seeger and the Civil Rights movement. What most people don't know is that it was originally a hymn by the Rev Charles Albert Tindley, a minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. It is a great one-line summary of the message of Revelation, and a timely word for the Church in the West today.

Because we are in deep trouble. Just as he did with the church in Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17), Jesus does "have a few things against us". With the State replacing God as the source of our morality in our society, and with the materialistic and power idols of our culture being combined with an increasing sexual confusion and immorality, there is an enormous temptation for us to compromise on what the word of God says. The governing elites of our culture tell us what the new morality is and the church so often just meekly follows along  'discovering' that the Bible didn't really mean what it said, that there are a variety of interpretations and that we show 'the love of Christ' by going along with this new morality.

This is especially seen in the current troubles besetting the church about the issue of sexuality. Our society is now telling us that sexuality and gender are 'fluid'. Marriage is being 'redefined' and anyone who does not go along with this is regressive, 'on the wrong side of history', and cruel. Those in the church who buy into the new morality are warmly applauded. Those who don't are mocked, derided and abused.

Recently in a Scottish border town, the South African charismatic preacher Angus Buchan was invited to speak at an evangelical charismatic church. I don't think that Buchan is my sort of preacher and I disagree strongly with some of his views, but surely the mark of a mature democracy is that you allow the expression of views that you find distasteful? If freedom of expression means only those who agree with you (or the current zeitgeist) are able to express their views, then that hardly constitutes freedom at all. Once the social media mob got hold of Buchan's visit, media outrage followed, militant secularists called for blood and local politicians sought to ban him. Not only did the local council give in, sadly so did the church, apologising for any 'hurt' they had caused.

This is how intimidation works in today's culture. If a Christian teacher refuses to teach what is contrary to their faith, they are portrayed as a narrow-minded bigot and the dogs of war are unleashed. Christian leaders, especially those who are 'evangelical', are kept out of the media if they hold to a traditional view of marriage, but let them announce they have changed their minds and suddenly all manner of media doors are open for them. Those who were formerly 'narrow' and 'bigoted' have morphed into 'courageous' and 'brave' leaders. They are the acceptable face of Christianity for the modern world.

This is nothing new.

It was tough being a Christian in Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17). It was a major city which claimed to be the first city of Asia, vying with Ephesus and Smyrna in much the same way as Manchester, Liverpool and York might vie to be the premier Northern English city. It had a massive library of 200,000 volumes and was the centre of the religious life of the province. There was a huge hill that rose to 10,00 feet above sea level and had many temples. It had the temple of Asclepios, the God of healing closely associated with the snake; a temple of Zeus and most importantly the first temple in the area dedicated to Augustus and Rome. This made it the centre for Emperor worship in the province. The Romans were smart that way. They didn't need people to give up their local 'gods' (who didn't exist and therefore could not be a threat), all they needed to do was ensure that they included the Emperor (who did exist and was an ever present threat) as a 'god'. The titles of Lord, saviour and God were constantly applied to the Emperor. No Christian would ever give those titles to anyone other than Christ.

It is little wonder that Jesus describes Pergamum as the place where Satan has his throne  an especially bold statement given the identification of the throne with the Roman Emperor and (for the Greeks) with the throne of Zeus. Just being a Christian meant that the political, religious and cultural authorities were being challenged.

And that challenge was met with a vicious response. The Christian Antipas was killed. This is the first occasion of the Greek word for witness being used of one who laid down his life on account of witness to Christ.

So you would imagine the story would be... "Well done you faithful Christians. You have endured even unto death." But the realism of the Bible again shines through. Even in the most faithful churches there can be real problems. Jesus had a few things against them, and just as he spoke to Pergamum so he speaks to his Church in the West today.

The Church was able to resist the 14-year-old Emperor cult, but they seem to have given in to attacks from within. Satan not only persecutes, he seduces. The Church had some people who held to the teaching of the Nicolatians. They were followers of Nicolaus who taught, like Balaam in the Old Testament, that idolatry and sexual immorality were OK. These were the characteristic features of the Greco/Roman pagan society. Features which the Nicolatians went along with, doubtless thinking that they were showing 'the love of Christ'. But this was not showing the love of Christ, it was affirming the hatred of the world for God. It was a denial of Christ and complicity with the evil that destroys the world.

As Bauckham points out: "Clearly a church which listens to the Nicolatians or imitates Babylon cannot bear faithful witness to the truth and righteousness of God. The churches must be exposed to the divine truth in the Spirit's words of prophecy, if they are to be lampstands from which the seven Spirits can shine the light of truth into the world."

Today Christians who are compromising on the teaching of Christ, at just the point where the world is attacking it, are following the way of Balaam and the Nicolatians. Meanwhile those who don't compromise and don't give in to the pressure can feel increasingly under siege. But it is vital that we don't develop a siege mentality. We do this by remembering who it is we follow and who is ultimately the victor. The whole book of Revelation is focused on the conquering Christ. Ironically Nicolaus means 'conquer the world'. The devil was seeking to conquer the world not so much by persecution but by seducing the Church.

Jesus's word is not confused. If Christ has anything against the Church in the West today it must be the way that so much of it has usurped the role of the Holy Spirit and created a new religion, complete with our own personal, comfortable, harmless Jesus, and our own confused, inane 'word'.

He calls us, his Church, to repent of tolerating such confused and poisonous teaching, and to turn back. He says, stick to my way and I will give you the hidden manna and the white stone (Revelation 2:17). What are these? William Still suggests "the hidden manna is undoubtedly the secret bread of the word of God which sustains afflicted servants of God in their day of trouble until their enemies marvel at their steadfastness and strength."

The white stone was a ticket and a symbol of admission to the heavenly banquet. It's our party ticket! It's a new name, indicating a new identity and the name of Christ. And it's on stone which means it's durable and lasts forever.

Christ is telling us that those who go along with the zeitgeist, those who compromise his word in a culture which hates it, will have their 15 minutes of fame but, in the words of Newton's hymn, "solid joys and lasting treasure, none but Zion's children know". Maybe its time for the Church to wake up and strengthen what remains. Whoever has ears; let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

David Robertson is the moderator of the Free Church of Scotland and director of Solas CPC, Dundee. Follow him on Twitter @theweeflea.
Syria truce 'will not hold out' says senior rebel source

Syria's ceasefire "will not hold out", a senior rebel official in Aleppo warned on Saturday, as air strikes and shelling continued in some places and promised aid deliveries failed to come through.

The ceasefire is the result of an agreement between Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with air power, and the United States, which supports some rebel groups, and has cooled fighting since coming into effect last Monday.

On Friday, Washington and Moscow agreed to extend the ceasefire.

Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal, which they believe is skewed against them, because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control, including in eastern Aleppo.

"The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (US) State Department - will not hold out," the rebel official said, pointing to the continued presence of a UN aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to travel to Aleppo.

"It is not possible for the party (Russia) that wages war against a people to strive to achieve a truce, as it is also not possible for it to be a sponsor of this agreement while it bombs night and day, while on the other side, the other party - America - has the role of spectator," he said.

Moscow has itself accused rebels of breaking the truce and said Washington needs to do more to make them abide by its terms, including separating from the jihadist Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which only broke formal allegiance to al Qaeda in July.

Both sides have accused the other of being responsible for aid deliveries being stuck far from Aleppo, where army and rebel forces were supposed to retire from the Castello Road which leads into besieged, insurgent-held eastern districts.

Russia on Friday said the Syrian army had initially withdrawn but returned to its positions after being fired on by rebels, who in turn say they saw no sign of government forces ever leaving their positions.

The United Nations pointed the finger at the government for holding up aid by denying letters guaranteeing access.

Warplanes strafed or bombed rebel-held areas in Maarat al-Numan, Saraqeb and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, Teir Maalah, north of Homs, and Souha, east of Hama, overnight after other strikes earlier on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based war monitoring group also reported clashes between the army and rebels or shelling overnight in the capital's Eastern Ghouta suburbs, in Sanaisil and Jawalik, north of Homs, al-Eis and Ramousah, south of Aleppo and Ibta in Deraa.
What can we learn from Jesus' most baffling parable?

The Bible has a number of passages which need careful interpretation and wise exegesis.

What's going on with Balaam and the talking donkey? Were there really graves opened in Jerusalem after Jesus' resurrection? That's before we even get on to the whole swathes of the book of Revelation which seem pretty far out.

Usually, though, Jesus' own words have been carefully interpreted over the years so that we have a good, rounded understanding of what he was saying and doing. Yet there's one story in particular that you'll rarely hear in a sermon, and upon a first reading can appear pretty baffling.

It's the parable of the shrewd manager, also called the 'dishonest steward'.

In it, Jesus tells of an employee threatened with being fired because the boss heard rumours he was "squandering property". The employee's solution to the situation he finds himself in is fascinating.

He visits the people who owe goods to his employer. He then advises them to change the bills, thereby reducing the amount they owe. Jesus says, "his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes."

There are a number of different interpretations of this parable. Firstly, it's helpful to view the story through the lens of two of the much more famous phrases that Jesus uses afterwards. "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much," he says, "and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much." This gives us one interpretation of the story. It's about our use of resources and God's response to our stewardship of them.

Jesus then uses one of his most celebrated phrases: "No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." This is another lens through which to view the story. Even if it may not be immediately obvious, Jesus is using the tale to show how Christians should pledge their allegiance  not to money, but to God  because it's impossible to do both.

There are other interpretations which see Jesus as the shrewd manager, being accused of misusing God's property. Others see it as a simple call to be careful with money. Still others interpret the passage as a reminder to ensure we live with heaven on our minds.

Whatever interpretation we choose to follow (and of course, more than one of them might well be true), this parable teaches us something useful about the Bible. Namely that it is a living, breathing thing to be wrestled with. The Bible isn't a text book that is simply for learning by rote. It's far more profound than that. Yet neither is the Bible simply a book of good stories  if it was, wouldn't an editor have cut this one out?

As Mark Woods recently wrote for Christian Today: "Do I believe the Bible? Yes, absolutely. But I also want to ask, how exactly does God want me to believe it? And there are some things it asserts as absolute statements of fact  like the virgin birth or the resurrection  and some that are obviously meant to be understood in a different way. There are other stories and statements where we aren't sure, or where Christians can legitimately have different opinions."

It's in this uncertainly that we can have some of our most fruitful and productive discussions about the Bible. Led by the Spirit, a group of Christians wrestling with a text like this can be hugely rewarding. The fact that the parable doesn't present us with an obvious interpretation means that we have a rich topic for discussion. In conversation we will see aspects of the story and of Jesus' teaching that had been hidden from us but revealed by others.

This is the scenario in which the Bible would initially have been used  a primarily oral culture. It goes without saying that Jesus' audience themselves would have frantically discussed his teachings among themselves. In fact we know they did that, according to Mark 9 verse 10, "they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean."

We can follow their lead and discuss the meaning of tricky verses, and what they show us about God.
Woman reveals why she chose to get married to God: 'I fell in love with Jesus Christ'

Carmen Briceno, a 35-year-old woman, got married to God in Alexandria, Virginia seven years ago. She joined over 3,500 women all over the world who have chosen to become consecrated virgins, and she has never regretted her decision to do so.

"Growing up, I was what you might call a 'cradle Catholic'  my family went to Mass every Sunday, but we weren't incredibly religious, more culturally Catholic. I didn't have a deeply personal relationship with God in any sense. It wasn't until later, as a young adult, when my faith became my own and I allowed God to change my life," she writes in an article for Cosmopolitan.

Because of her passion for volleyball, Briceno befriended a Christian girl who also loved the same sport. This new friend showed Briceno what a true relationship with God could really be like, and after seeing Jesus come alive through her friend, Briceno made the decision that she wanted that, too.

"She brought to light some of the answers to questions I never knew I had. When she asked me about my relationship with God, I truly had no idea how to answer. When you're not questioned about your faith, you may not know the depth of what you're missing," she explains.

In 2005, Briceno's faith deepened after she went to Cologne, Germany and witnessed people in fellowship with the pope. Seeing people express their love for God without reservations fuelled Briceno's own faith. There, she felt God talk to her: "You've given time to other boyfriends, but have you ever thought about me? How about you give me a chance?"

Giving God a chance did not come easy for Briceno. She studied thoroughly what it meant to be a consecrated virgin, and even her family questioned why she wanted to become one. Still, the young girl persevered.

"I was attracted to becoming a consecrated virgin because of its beautiful, ancient roots  in the early church, women made private vows to belong fully to Christ and not marry," she shares. "They loved the Lord so much they wanted to give all of themselves to Him."

Briceno likes to tell people that she did not give up romantic relationships for an idea. She gave it up because she "fell in love with a person, Jesus Christ." She understood the lifelong commitment it would entail, and she felt confident she was fulfilling God's will for her.

"While the discernment process is key, the truth is that God picks you, makes you His, and then puts you back into the world. You don't just get to become a consecrated virgin. God chose me as much as I chose God. It was a courtship, in a sense," she reflects. "If I'd given other men in my life a chance, why not God? That may sound odd, but it was a logical rationale."
The Alley Theatre will remember famed playwright Edward Albee before performances Saturday night.

The theater plans to dim the lights in honor of Albee before Saturday night performances at 8 p.m. Edward Albee passed away on Friday at his home in Long Island. He was 88.

The playwright had strong ties to Houston. He taught classes at University of Houston and had a longtime relationship with the The Alley Theatre since 1967, where he directed many of his own plays at the theater including "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Marriage Play." Besides Shakespeare, Albee is the most produced playwright at the theater.

Gregory Boyd, artistic director for the Alley Theatre, said in a statement on Alley Theater's website that Albee was "a great, great friend of Houston," and "an inspiration to all of us here for the work he shared with us, and with Alley audiences." Boyd also described Albee as a "a teacher of genius and compassion, and a director of wonderful wit and sensitivity."
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed to end illegal immigration and to enforce laws he says will save a thousand future victims from crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

"The politicians ignore your cries for help, but I never will," Trump told a crowd gathered for a fundraiser for victims at a west Houston hotel. "Not one more American life should be given up in the name of open borders."

"Help is coming," he said to applause.

After his 20-minute speech, families shared stories of their slain loved ones.

"If we are all deplorables, we are doing something right," said Laura Wilkerson, whose teenage son was killed by an illegal alien in 2010.

Trump's talk is part of a three-day conference held by The Remembrance Project, a non-profit organization that aims to draw attention to people killed by illegal immigrants. Trump kicked off his campaign in 2015 with severe condemnation of illegal immigration and has vaguely promised to deport the estimated 11 million people not authorized to be in the country if elected president.

Remembrance Project national director Maria Espinoza introduced Trump at Saturday's event, the first of its type. She said Trump has reached out to victims' families across the nation during his 15-month campaign. "There is only one candidate who spoke the truth. There's only one candidate who reached out to our stolen-lives families," she said. "We are so honored for Mr. Trump to be here with our families."

Outside the hotel, about a dozen people gathered to protest Trump's appearance. Victor Ibarra, 47, arrived with a bullhorn and Trump pinata.

"We're here to tell Donald Trump that we don't want him in Houston," said Ibarra, who was draped in a Mexican flag.

Protesters included members of the Houston Communist Party, Houston Socialist Movement, Latinos Inmigrantes Triunfadores, Students for Democratic Society, Centro Recursos Centroamericanos and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Democratic Harris County Sheriff candidate Ed Gonzalez also denounced the visit.

"It is insulting to Hispanic Americans and all Americans for Donald Trump to come to Houston today  the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month  to raise money to build his ridiculous wall," said Gonzalez. "Houston is the most diverse major city in America. Like anyone, Mr. Trump is welcome here. But his hateful rhetoric and discriminatory policies are not."

Stratford high school student Marcel McClinton showed up to support Trump even though he's still too young to vote and did not learn about the event in time to secure a ticket.

Outside of the hotel, he was the first counter-protester in a group that eventually numbered about 10.

"When I get out of high school what I really want is job security, keeping the country safe and a good economy and Hillary Clinton isn't offering any of those things." the 15-year-old said. "Security in every aspect of the country."

On the other side of the barricade in front of the Omni Houston Hotel at Westside, Victor Ibarra cradled a bullhorn under his arm and leaned against a three-foot paper mache Trump head, complete with devil horns.

"We're here to tell Donald Trump that we don't want him in Houston," the 47-year-old said.

Next to him, Rocky Green, 59, held up a "Dump Trump" and said he came to protest Trump's rhetoric. "We want to show that the racism and fascism that's coming out of the Trump campaign is not okay," Green said. "As a Houstonian, I can say we are a very diverse culture and we have a gigantic Hispanic population and the chants of 'Build a Wall' are not okay."

The anti-Trump protest eventually grew to more than two dozen people who used megaphones to lead chants for justice.

Behind the hotel, Alex Thompson, a reporter for Vice, an HBO news program, was arrested for trespassing around 12:25 p.m. according to Houston police. Kathleen Caulderwood, a producer for the show, said little about the arrest as she left to arrange for Thompson's release.

According to Houston police, hotel management asked the man to leave the building and he complied. He then tried to enter the hotel a second time. When he was asked to leave by management, Thompson told management to arrest him because he was not leaving.

The 27-year-old journalist is being held in the Houston Jail on trespassing charges. A collegue at Vice tweeted that he was released overnight and urged the charges be dropped.

Thompson was the former editorial assistant to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, who has written critically about Trump during the presidential election.

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said the campaign had no knowledge of the arrest.

"The campaign was not involved in this incident or aware of the details surrounding it," he said.

"The event organizers were responsible for today's media presence and requested the campaign limit attendance to the traveling pool. The campaign had no staff presence at check-in for guests or media and therefore has no further knowledge of what occurred."
David Calvert/Getty Images

Police are trying to identify a body found burned and dismembered at a park in Grapevine.

WFAA reports police discovered the body in Acorn Woods Park at about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. The park was closed for most of the day while the FBI helped police search the area.
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.
cleveland police tape 2

Cleveland police are investigating after a man was found dead of gunshot wounds behind a vacant building.

(File photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 45-year-old man was shot to death Thursday behind a vacant home in the city's Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood.

Raymond Laster of Cleveland died of multiple gunshots to his back, police reports say. He was was also shot in the arm.

Officers found Laster in the backyard of a vacant house in the 12000 block of Parkview Avenue.

A person that lives in the neighborhood came home from work about 2:40 p.m. Thursday and saw Laster in the backyard. The neighbor called police.

Police said they have no information on the shooting, nor any suspects.

The slaying is the 82nd homicide in Cleveland this year, according to unofficial tallies, and was the second fatal shooting on Thursday.

Anyone with information about the shooting is being asked to call Cleveland detectives at 216-623-5464. Anonymous information can be given to Crime Stoppers by calling 216-252-7463 or via text message: text TIP657 plus your message to Crimes (274637).

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland murder suspect who once served nine years in prison for a violent Strongsville home invasion was taken into custody Friday.

Kyle Woods, 36, was booked into the Cleveland City Jail on Friday, according to records. A judge on Saturday determined there was enough probable cause to hold him in jail until an arraignment could be scheduled.

Woods is charged with murder in the early Thursday death of 42-year-old Kevin McQueen outside an apartment building on Division Avenue.

McQueen was in a group in front of the apartment building when an argument broke out between the group and Woods, court records say.

Woods fired one gunshot and McQueen fell to the ground, police said. A 43-year-old woman and two men loaded McQueen into a minivan and drove toward the hospital.

Police officers driving to the area where the shots were fired saw the van speeding on Fulton Road. The officers stopped the minivan and ordered the passengers out of the car at gunpoint.

The woman told the officers their friend was shot and they were taking him to the hospital, according to police reports. Officers found McQueen was shot in the left side of his chest, under his armpit. They also saw the bullet ripped through his chest and went out the right side of his body.

The officers patched up the wounds and an ambulance took him to MetroHealth Medical Center, where he died about an hour later.

Woods served nine years in prison after he and several masked people broke into a Strongsville home to steal drugs and money in 2000.

He was released in 2009. He has since pleaded guilty to drug and weapons charges.

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
State Trooper Velez.png

Funeral services for State Highway Patrol Trooper Kenneth Velez will begin with mass at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Chapel on Pearl Avenue in Lorain. Velez will be buried at Calvary Cemetery.

(State Highway Patrol)

LORAIN, Ohio -- The time and location of funeral services for the State Highway Patrol trooper killed when he was struck by a car in Cleveland have been released.

Services for Trooper Kenneth Velez will begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday with a Catholic mass at Sacred Heart Chapel, 4301 Pearl Ave. in Lorain. He will be buried at Calvary Cemetery in Lorain, according to the Richard J. Reidy Funeral Home.

Visiting hours for Velez, a 48-year-old father of three, will be from 3-8 p.m. Wednesday at Lorain High School.

Update 5:40 p.m. Velez's visiting hours and funeral have been moved to the Ewing Center Field House at Lorain County Community College due to logistical issues, the funeral home said.

All events are open to the public, according to the funeral home.

Velez was outside his patrol car and conducting traffic enforcement Thursday when Joshua Gaspar swerved his 2015 Hyundai to avoid a car and hit Velez, police and the patrol said.

Gaspar is being held on $500,000 bond on an aggravated vehicular homicide charge.

Law enforcement officers led a procession Friday afternoon from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office to Richard J. Reidy Funeral Home in Lorain.

Velez graduated from the State Highway Patrol Academy in 1989.

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
Cleveland police involved in downtown crash

Two Cleveland police officers and a woman were injured in a car crash Saturday afternoon on West 3rd Street.

(Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Two police officers and a woman suffered minor injuries in a Saturday afternoon collision about a block from Public Square.

The accident happened about 2 p.m. on West 3rd Street at Frankfort Avenue, police said.

Two officers from the city's Fifth District had just dropped off a person to the city jail and were driving south on West 3rd Street toward West Superior Avenue, police said.

The woman drove her Chevrolet Cavalier from Frankfort Avenue through the intersection in front of the officers, police said.

The front of the woman's Cavalier struck the left front side of the police car.

Cleveland paramedics took the woman and the officers to the hospital, but their injuries did not appear serious, police said.

Police closed West 3rd Street between St. Clair Avenue and West Superior Avenue as officers investigated the crash.

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Jeanine Tesori is in demand. And why shouldn't she be? She is the composer of "Fun Home," the musical masterpiece adapted from the celebrated graphic novel of the same name by cartoonist (and Oberlin College alumna) Alison Bechdel.

After flying into town on a rainy Wednesday in September, a little more than two weeks before "Fun Home" kicks off its first national tour in Playhouse Square, Tesori is shuttled from one interview to the next: WJW Channel 8, The Plain Dealer, WCPN FM/90.3. It must feel like speed dating.

She's handling the breakneck schedule with good humor (and a large Starbucks), happy to oblige because she never tires of talking about the work - winner of five 2015 Tony Awards, including best musical.

Tesori and Lisa Kron, who wrote the book and lyrics, also took home Tonys for best original score, the first all-female writing team to win that honor, a marvelous and "pathetic" thing all at once, Tesori says. As I wrote at the time: "Hey, it only took 69 years."

Her Wikipedia bio offers a backhanded compliment: Tesori "is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history . . ."

"I understand what Serena Williams said," explains Tesori. " 'I don't want to be called a great female athlete - I'm a great athlete.' "

I pull the original cast recording of "Fun Home" from my bag. The CD rarely leaves my car.

She smiles in surprise. It feels like forever since she's seen it, she says. Tesori compares the sensation to sending a kid off to some far-flung university, a source of both happiness and consternation, as in, "It's great that we've moved on - but I really wanna be with you all the time!"

It's a marvelous analogy, because Tesori is watching the show she nurtured and developed for years leave its Broadway home and go out into the world. ("Fun Home" closed Sept. 10 after 583 performances at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre.)

So consider this trip to Cleveland - and other visits she, Kron and director Sam Gold will make to Playhouse Square to help tweak and refine the road show - akin to a college visit.

Much as she misses her, she's glad her baby has wings.

"When a piece of work goes out to meet people where they live, I really love that," Tesori says. "That to me is the point of writing something."

Particularly something that packs the emotional wallop of "Fun Home," the story of an American family rocked by the suicide of its brilliant, closeted patriarch.

"Fun Home" is mostly told in an extended flashback, with events narrated by an adult Alison, a woman in her 40s wrangling with her thorny past. The great Beth Malone originated the role, one of three actresses cast to play Bechdel at different points in her life.

One of the story's most poignant aspects is that as Bruce Bechdel slides into despair, Alison is just discovering her own burgeoning sexuality, tentatively coming out at Oberlin, where she hooks up with her first girlfriend.

The encounter is described in "Changing My Major," a song Tesori wrote as a lilting, transporting waltz. ("I'm changing my major to Joan. I'm changing my major to sex with Joan. I'm changing my major to sex with Joan, with a minor in kissing Joan ...")

Although Bechdel's memoir topped many critics' "best-of" lists for 2006, it found a wider audience when it was translated to the stage. On tour, it will reach even more people - which is precisely what work "that shows us how we live now" should do, says Tesori.

Yes, golden age musicals and Shakespeare and opera still have things to say to us as a culture, but new classics such as "Fun Home" must also be cultivated - in the fertile soil of regional theater and college programs.

"It's not 'Mame,' and 'Mame' is really important, but 'Mame' is not everything," she says. "And we have to move forward."

Fans of Bechdel's essential graphic novel, appropriately subtitled "A Family Tragicomic," will not be disappointed by its musical incarnation.

One of the more striking things about "Fun Home" is how well it stands on it own, a work of art in its own right, never feeling derivative, as so many adaptations do. That's because in scoring "Fun Home," Tesori was following the time-honored advice, "Write what you know."

Much of the memoir takes place in the 1970s, set in and around the family business where Bechdel grew up, a funeral home operated by her father that she and her brothers cheekily dubbed the "Fun Home."

Born in 1961, Tesori is a contemporary of Bechdel's, and the sound and feel of the times are in her bones. She consumed Judy Blume books, and she and her sibs channeled groups like the Partridge Family, writing and performing jingles for those animated, crooning prunes, the California Raisins.

Her love of the singing families of the day inspired the crowd-pleaser "Come to the Fun Home," a number featuring a young Alison and her brothers rocking out to a '70s groove amongst satin-lined caskets in a mock commercial for "The Bechdel Fun Home."

"Tell 'em what we got, Tito," brother Christian sings.

"Smelling salts for if you're queasy," Alison responds.

"Folding chairs that open easy," sings brother John.

"I know it's not in the book," she told Kron when she was trying to sell her on the idea. "But it must, must, must be in the show. . . . You have to trust me on that." (Smartly, Kron did, the scene providing much-needed comic relief.)

But Tesori's knowledge of the decade goes deeper than its rainbow-colored surface.

"What makes it a period piece is not just the flare pants - although I love a flare pant!" she says.

"Everything wasn't up for grabs in the way it is now. Now, everything is on the table - I have discussed more things with my [19-year-old] daughter than my mother, in my 54 years of living, has ever discussed with me."

In "Telephone Wire," one of the most searing moments in the play, the adult Alison tries to have a meaningful conversation with her father as they drive through her hometown.

Say something

Talk to him

Say something

Anything . . .

She never finds the words, and soon, of course, it's too late to say anything at all.

Despite such heartbreak, audiences and critics were transported by its life-affirming rhythms - its "human beat," as Tesori calls it - even if there were those few who didn't quite get it.

"There was a man who came out at the end and said, 'I loved it. Who was the man at the center?' "

"That was Beth Malone," Tesori answered.

She explains. "He hadn't seen a butch woman - he had nothing to compare it to in his experience. This guy was lovely, but it wasn't in his consciousness. . . . I was like, 'OK, but she sings pretty high all night . . .' " Tesori says, laughing.

"But that's the point of the show," Tesori continues. "The point to me is to get those people in here like that guy and like my mom.

"She only came to this show because I wrote it. That was her way in. She's an 86-year-old Roman Catholic, and she had so many thoughts about it . . ."

She recalls what friend and journalist Mark Harris said: "Don't come to 'Fun Home' if you're not a parent or a child."

Live theater is a conversation with the audience, says Tesori, and if people don't like what they hear, if they come and they hate it . . . "they hate it," she finishes. "But they can't un-see it."

How did the guy respond to the news that he'd been watching a story about an American family with a lesbian at its center?

He bought another ticket, says Tesori, eager to continue the conversation.

Times, tickets and more

All shows will play in Playhouse Square's Connor Palace, except for "An American in Paris," which is slated for the State Theatre. Visit playhousesquare.org or call 216-241-6000 for dates, times and other details.

Season tickets and subscriptions are on sale now.

Packages range from $100 to $630 each, with monthly payment plans available at playhousesquare.org/broadway or by calling 216-640-8800. To purchase single tickets, go to the website or call 216-241-6000.

2016-17 KeyBank Broadway Series at Playhouse Square

Sunday, Oct. 2-Saturday, Oct. 22, Connor Palace: "Fun Home." Music and lyrics by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, book by Kron, directed by Sam Gold. Based on the 2006 graphic memoir "Fun Home," written by Alison Bechdel.

The fact that anyone thought that Bechdel's true-life tale set in her family's funeral home in rural Pennsylvania would make a good tuner even baffled the author. Like "Next to Normal," "Fun Home" traverses dark territory, but audiences and critics alike embraced "Fun Home" calling it "uplifting," "life-affirming" and "exquisite."

Tuesday. Nov. 1-Sunday, Nov. 20, Connor Palace: "Finding Neverland." Music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Elliot Kennedy, book by James Graham, directed by Diane Paulus. Based on the 2004 Miramax film "Finding Neverland."

Playwright J.M. Barrie struggles to find inspiration until he meets four young brothers and their beautiful widowed mother. Spellbound by the boys' enchanting make-believe adventures, he sets out to write a play that will astound London theatergoers and finds one of the world's most enduring characters - Peter Pan.

Tuesday, Jan. 10-Sunday, Jan. 29, Connor Palace: "Into the Woods." Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld. Based on the 1976 book "The Uses of Enchantment" by Bruno Bettelheim.

The acclaimed Fiasco Theater production that became New York's surprise hit of this season offers a lo-fi version of Sondheim and Lapine's classic mash-up of fairy tales featuring wolves, witches and a sky-high giant. With an instrument-toting ensemble cast of 10, this minimalistic reinvention strips this fantastical story down to its emotional core.

Tuesday, Feb. 7-Sunday, Feb. 26, Connor Palace: "Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King And I." Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Hammerstein, choreography by Christopher Gattelli, directed by Bartlett Sher. Based on the 1944 novel "Anna and the King of Siam" by Margaret Landon.

Set in 1860s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the king of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher hired to teach the many wives and children of the modernist monarch. The New York Times' Ben Brantley called this Lincoln Center Theater revival "something wonderful indeed . . . a five-handkerchief masterpiece."

Tuesday, March 21-Sunday, April 9, Connor Palace: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." Written by Simon Stephens, music by Adrian Sutton, choreography by Scott Graham, Stephen Hoggett and Frantic Assembly, directed by Marianne Elliott. Based on the 2003 novel by Mark Haddon.

At the center of this Tony Award-winner for best play is Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old with an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to navigate everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor's dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.

Tuesday, April 25-Sunday, May 14, Connor Palace: "Something Rotten!" Music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell, choreography by Casey Nicholaw, directed by Nicholaw.

Set in 1595, this Elizabethan sleeper tells the story of Nick and Nigel Bottom, two brothers who are desperate to write a hit play. When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theater involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to pen the world's very first musical.

" 'Something Rotten!' is 'The Producers' + 'The Book of Mormon' x 'The Drowsy Chaperone.' Squared!" raved New York magazine.

Tuesday, June 20-Sunday, July 9, State Theatre: "An American in Paris." Music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, book by Craig Lucas, choreography by Christopher Wheeldon, directed by Wheeldon. Based on the 1951 MGM film "An American in Paris."

An American soldier and a mysterious French girl search for a new beginning in the aftermath of war. Featuring haunting songs from George and Ira Gershwin, including "I've Got Rhythm," " 'S Wonderful" and "Embraceable You," the show earned more awards than any other musical in the 2014-15 season.
BRITTA PEDERSEN | AFP | Getty Images

BERLIN  Hundreds of thousands of Germans took to the streets Saturday, in protest of pending trade deals with the United States and Canada. The deals in question are the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the U.S. and the European Union and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) for the Canadian-EU relationship. Neither free trade agreement has been ratified yet, but popular outcry has been growing for the last few years.

The demonstrations took place in seven cities throughout Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart. Organizers told CNBC that the official estimate is 320,000 demonstrators across Germany. In Berlin, where discussions of trade policy are frequently overheard in cafes and most available surfaces are plastered in posters and stickers against the deals, the largest demonstration of the day took place with about 70,000 attendees, according to the organizers. Earlier, local reports had indicated there could be as many as 80,000 in the German capital, but a heavy downpour close to the start time may have depressed turnout. A broad coalition of organizations helped plan the event, but the stated rationale for opposing the agreements centers on the belief that such deals "primarily serve the interests of powerful economic interest groups, and thus only cement the imbalance between the common good and economic interests," according to one organization.

Yet while the organizers talk of seeking to maintain the sanctity of democracy and rule of law, critics of the movement charge that its ranks thrive at least as much on anti-Americanism as any coherent political or economic philosophy.

'I'm not okay with it'

You cannot just say all Americans are bad, but I can understand when people hate big companies Berlin protester

An anti-American, anti-Merkel and anti-capitalist display at the demonstration against TTIP and CETA in Berlin. CNBC's Everett Rosenfeld

Those elements were on display Saturday in Berlin as one sign accused U.S. President Barack Obama of being a murderer, and another suggested the American way of life was dominated by corporate interests. The demonstrator behind those signs even had a half-sized Obama effigy with the words "the lies of the Peace Prize winner Mr. President Barack Obama" stuck to its forward.

"I guess it's a bit anti-American," Tom Erdmann, a 33-year-old Berlin native working with a trade union, said as he looked at the Obama likeness and accompanying signs. "I'm not okay with it." He attended the demonstration because he is worried about private companies' intrusion into public services like education, he said. Erdmann added that he also understands why there may be a streak of antipathy to the U.S. for some at the march. "Some people here are anti-American because it's easy  they're an easy enemy, especially right now with the election," Erdmann said. Event leaders emphasized several times that the movement they hoped to inspire would not be against any country, or even against global trade itself. Instead, they said, the demonstration was calling for more "fair" trading deals that distributed benefits beyond large corporations. And it was that anti-corporate sentiment that pervaded the march. Homemade signs admonished those seeking "profits," and images of the U.S. dollar bill were stand-ins for greed and inequality. Nearly every demonstrator queried by CNBC pointed immediately to concerns about "big companies" garnering too much power and wealth if the trade deals were enacted.

"You cannot just say all Americans are bad, but I can understand when people hate big companies," Jonas, a 26-year-old Berlin student, said. Many like-minded demonstrators acknowledged they have friends and relatives who are employed by major multinational companies like Volkswagen, but they insisted that the benefits of a trade deal would go disproportionately to executives.

Europe's 'credibility at stake'

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Syrian refugee women carry their babies as they walk through Al Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria March 8, 2016.

U.S.-led coalition air strikes reportedly killed dozens of Syrian soldiers on Saturday, endangering a U.S.-Russian brokered ceasefire and prompting an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting as tensions between Moscow and Washington escalated.

The United States military said the coalition stopped the attacks against what it had believed to be Islamic State positions in northeast Syria after Russia informed it that Syrian military personnel and vehicles may have been it.

The United States relayed its "regret" through the Russian government for what it described as the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces in the strike, a senior Obama administration official said in an emailed statement.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in an emailed statement that Russian officials did not voice concerns earlier on Saturday when informed that coalition aircraft would be operating in the strike area.

The 15-member Security Council met on Saturday night after Russia demanded an emergency session to discuss the incident and accused the United States of jeopardizing the Syria deal.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, chastised Russia for the move.

"Russia really needs to stop the cheap point scoring and the grandstanding and the stunts and focus on what matters, which is implementation of something we negotiated in good faith with them," Power told reporters.

She said the United States was investigating the air strikes and "if we determine that we did indeed strike Syrian military personnel, that was not our intention and we of course regret the loss of life."

When asked if the incident spelled the end of the Syria deal between Moscow and Washington, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: "This is a very big question mark."

"I would be very interested to see how Washington is going to react. If what Ambassador Power has done today is any indication of their possible reaction then we are in serious trouble," Churkin told reporters.

Moscow cited the strikes, which allowed Islamic State fighters to briefly overrun a Syrian army position near Deir al-Zor airport, as evidence that the United States was helping the jihadist militants.

"We are reaching a really terrifying conclusion for the whole world: That the White House is defending Islamic State. Now there can be no doubts about that," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

Power said Zakharova should be embarassed by that claim. Churkin said Russia had no "specific evidence" of the United States colluding with Islamic State militants.

Zakharova said the strikes threatened to undermine the ceasefire in Syria brokered by Russia, which has been aiding Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war, and the United States, which has backed some rebel groups.

The Russian Defence Ministry said U.S. jets had killed more than 60 Syrian soldiers in four air strikes by two F-16s and two A-10s coming from the direction of Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group with contacts across Syria, cited a military source at Deir al-Zor airport as saying at least 90 Syrian soldiers had been killed.

Australia also participated in the strikes and the Australian Department of Defense offered its condolences to the families of Syrian soldiers killed or wounded in the incident.
Kenneth Kavajecz is the former dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN file photo)

SALINA, N.Y.  The former dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University has been arrested, according to a report on the website of Time Warner Cable News.

The report indicates the Onondaga County Sheriffs Department has arrested Kenneth Kavajecz on a charge of third degree patronizing a person for prostitution, amisdemeanor.

Hell appear in the Salina Town Court on Sept. 29, the Time Warner report says.

Syracuse released a statement on Wednesday indicating that Kavajecz was no longer dean of the Whitman School.

The school has also placed Kavajecz on administrative leave from his faculty position until further notice, Michele Wheatly, Syracuse University vice chancellor and provost, said in the short news release posted Wednesday on the universitys website.

In reaction to the arrest, Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs at Syracuse University, released the following statement on Friday.

Given University policy, we are not able to discuss specifics of personnel matters. We have, however, confirmed with law enforcement that the alleged behavior did not occur on the Syracuse University campus, did not involve members of the campus community, and is unrelated to the former deans University responsibilities, said Quinn.

In the Wednesday statement, Wheatly said that J. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor and a tenured faculty member in the Whitman School, will lead the school during this time of transition.

Haynie also serves as executive director of the schools Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
As Congress wrestles with keeping the federal government financially afloat beyond when the 2016 Fiscal Year closes Sept. 30, a number of President Obamas nominations, including that of Matthew Rhett Jeppson as U.S. Mint director, continue to languish.

The full Senate has taken no vote on Jeppson's nomination for a five-year-term as the bureaus 39th Mint director since the nomination was placed on the Senate Executive Calendar May 19, the same day the nomination was reported out of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs by its Republican chairman, Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.

President Obamas nomination of Jeppson, who joined the Mint Jan. 12, 2015, as principal deputy director, was received by Shelbys committee July 13, 2015. Hearings on the nomination of Jeppson and four other nominees, including two disputed appointments for the Securities and Exchange Commission, were held March 15, 2016. All five nominations were held up when a vote was taken on all five together instead of separately. Any points of contention, however, were apparently satisfied when the Senate committee voted out all five nominations on May 19 to the full Senate. A vote in the full Senate has yet to take place.

Connect with Coin World:

Should Jeppsons nomination be approved, regardless of the manner, his service under the title U.S. Mint Director could be short-lived. By custom presidential appointees usually submit their resignations to an incoming president following a presidential election, even if the new chief executive is of the same political party. Jeppson is a Democrat. It would be up to the incoming president to accept or reject any resignation submitted.

The 38th Mint director, Edmund C. Moy, a Republican, did not submit a resignation to President Obama, but remained in office for most of his full five-year appointment. With less than a year remaining in that tenure, Moy left the Mint for the private sector, in January 2011. The Mint directors post has been officially vacant since Moys departure.

The nomination of President Obamas first choice for Mint director, automobile executive Bibiana Boerio in 2012, was never acted upon by the Senate at the committee level.

Jeppsons nomination could still be approved through the seldom-used recess appointment method, should the full Senate not confirm Jeppson's appointment. The last time the recess appointment was used for a Mint director nomination was 1992.

David J. Ryder was nominated by President George Bush on July 25, 1991, to succeed Donna Pope as Mint director. Just under a year later, July 9, 1992, when the Senate had not seen fit to act upon Ryders nomination, Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady named him acting Mint director. Fifty-six days later, on Sept. 3, when the Congress was in recess, Bush named Ryder Mint director under the seldom-used recess appointment procedure.

By terms of a recess appointment, without Senate confirmation, the term of office ends at the conclusion of the next session of Congress, which in Ryders case was interpreted to be the end of the first session of the 103rd Congress.

Ryders term as Mint director ended at 3:07 p.m. Nov. 24 when the U.S. Senate adjourned its first session of the 103rd Congress without confirming his nomination.
Transcription

1 UNICEF Belize: Improving WASH in Primary Schools A Final Report Prepared for Mr. David Kim December 2013

2 UNICEF Belize: Improving WASH in Primary Schools A Final Report Prepared for Mr. David Kim, December 2013 Thank you for your generous support and commitment to improving the lives of the children of Belize. Your investment to repair the WASH facilities in three schools has and will continue to improve the learning conditions of these children and allow them to focus on their learning and education. This final report summarizes the status of the project and highlights the importance and impact of the assessments conducted during Phase I as well as the completion of Phase II of the project the remodeling and construction of the WASH facilities in New Horizon, San Pedro and Caye Caulker primary schools. Because of your leadership and generosity, UNICEF has leveraged over $1.4 million from the Government of Belize and other partners, for the development of WASH in Belizean primary schools thank you. Situation Overview The national education statistics in Belize illustrates that 90.3 percent of all children are enrolled in school. While this might seem like a major success, only 40.3 percent of children complete primary school within the prescribed period of eight years. Further analyses additionally indicate that there is inconsistent attendance by officially enrolled children. In Belize, children from poor households are disproportionately affected by the high cost of education, and unhealthy school facilities, hidden hunger, poor nutrition, poor school readiness, corporal punishment, micro-nutrient deficiency and weak parents and school partnership. Stann Creek together with the poorest district Toledo are the two southernmost and often labeled forgotten districts in Belize. These districts are home to the majority of Belize s two indigenous groups with Toledo being the traditional homeland of the Mayas and Stann Creek, the Garifuna. These two indigenous groups constitute 19 percent of the total population, however their socio-economic status depict stark inequalities when compared to other ethnic groups. The national social and economic statistics also continually portray the southern districts with indicators far behind the rest of the country. The Stann Creek District is also the heart of the banana and citrus industries that employ migrant workers who come to Belize with their families and children, constantly challenging the planning abilities of the Ministry of Education and denominational school managements to keep pace with ever expanding student populations in rural primary schools. Indigenous and migrant children constitute two of the most vulnerable and underserved populations in Belize having more than doubled the poverty, chronic malnutrition, child labor and other social indicators of other groups in the country.

3 2 The situation on the islands tells a different story since Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker are mainly tourist destinations. These northern islands are approximately an hour and a half away by boat from Belize City and have a combined population of 11,800. Although there is major infrastructural development on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, poor communities such as San Mateo, San Juan and San Pedrito are home to an immigrant population who face many challenges in terms of the changing ecology. There are many outside influences on this small population that affect children staying in school and transitioning to secondary schools. Children are more enticed by tourism, the possibility of migration and the varying outside influences of cultural values and lifestyle. UNICEF in Action During 2013, your lead gift and commitment to the initial assessment of the 11 schools inspired approximately 19 additional primary schools in Belize to assess their physical needs in terms of water and sanitation facilities. Teachers, students, and parents have benefitted from increased awareness of WASH in schools in over 19 communities. As a result of your gift, 1,884 students from the three primary schools on the islands (New Horizon S.D.A., San Pedro R.C. and Caye Caulker R.C.) have received new bathroom facilities which are now aligned with the national and international standards of WASH in schools a tremendous accomplishment. The results of these assessments motivated the development of various activities which focused on key component standard #5 of the national Quality Child Friendly Schools (QCFS) framework: safe, supportive and learning community. The water, sanitation and hygiene project is incorporated under key component #5; therefore, for schools to implement successful water, sanitation and hygiene projects, schools must go through the process of becoming a QCFS. The self-assessment process enabled capacity building of key stakeholders in the program, and garnered the commitment of general managers, technical engineers and the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) as never before. The schools self-assessment also evaluated the extent to which their delivery of the Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) curriculum is impacting health and hygiene practices of students and staff.

4 3 Catalyst for Change: Improving WASH Conditions in Schools for the Children of Belize The initial assessment of the eleven schools selected for this project, completed in 2013, stimulated an unexpected outcome for UNICEF Belize. After discussing with the Government of Belize the engineer s findings, The Ministry of Health, the Social Investment Fund and the National Emergency Organization (NEMO) all decided to partner with UNICEF to improve WASH facilities in 84 schools throughout the country, a development that costs around $4 million. UNICEF Belize has been able to obtain pledges for $1.4 million from the Government and other partners for this project. In addition, UNICEF Belize collaborated with the Government in developing and adopting new common standards for WASH in schools to ensure that the construction of WASH facilities meet acceptable international standards. A U.S. Fund for UNICEF donor in New England was also inspired by your dedication to this project and has recently pledged support in the amount of $43,402 to renovate WASH facilities in the Central Christian Primary School, Belize City. Your continued support serves as a catalyst for change in Belize the Government and other individual donors are now investing in the importance of this initiative and without your commitment to improving WASH facilities in schools for the children of Belize this sea change would not be occurring on such a large-scale. UNICEF Belize

5 4 Impact of Your Investment Phase I: Initial Assessments and Key Consultations Phase I of the project was completed by July The major challenge in the project was conducting initial assessments and key consultations for the three primary schools on the Islands. When the project initially began, UNICEF had conducted assessments and consultations for 11 schools in the Stann Creek District (Southern District). These schools were already designated UNICEF Child Friendly Schools. As UNICEF prepared to start work on the physical infrastructure of the schools in the Southern District, the project focus was shifted from these schools to three schools on the Islands to accommodate your request to help attract other potential donors. In order to make this shift, UNICEF needed to conduct initial assessments and consultations to prepare the community and three new schools for the project. This lengthy process to effectively and efficiently lay the foundation to collaborate with the government and community to improve the WASH facilities in these three schools took many months to complete. Several other factors added to the project s timeline. The first was only one of the three Island schools was designated a UNICEF Child Friendly School. UNICEF needed to conduct the process for the other two schools to gain CFS designation. Other factors were the increased travel time back and forth to the Island schools due their location, and inclement weather as this is the country s hurricane season (June November). We cannot express how important these initial consultations and assessments were not only for the benefit of the three selected schools but for the precedent they set for assessments and thus plans for addressing inadequacies within schools across the country. Phase II: Renovations and Remodeling We are happy to report that all WASH facility renovations have been completed in the New Horizon S.D.A., San Pedro R.C. and Caye Caulker R.C. primary schools. The completed renovations at the three selected schools have qualified the schools to be recognized as QCFS. The handing over ceremonies took place November The ceremonies were a tremendous success and the renovations have been very well received by school officials, teachers, parents and students.

6 San Pedro R.C. Primary School 5 The restroom facility at the San Pedro R.C. Primary School has been renovated to accommodate 9 toilet stalls for females with two hand wash basins; and 7 toilet stalls for males, three urinals and two hand wash basins. These renovations now adequately meet the needs for approximately 1,000 students. An addition restroom structure will be considered for another phase of this project to ensure the proportion of students to facility at this school meet national standard guidelines. Renovated Female Restrooms Renovated Male Restrooms San Pedro R.C Primary School Exterior View

7 New Horizon S.D.A. Primary School 6 New Horizon has a current student population of 484; 234 males and 250 females and 18 staff members including support staff. During Phase I of this project it was determined that all restrooms needed to be upgraded and expanded to meet the needs of students and staff. As a result of the renovations, all student and staff restrooms now include hand wash basins prior to renovations there were none. The renovations have since installed hand wash basins and students and staff no longer relies on the one standing pipe outside of the bathrooms. Bathroom stall doors have been elevated and each unit has been renovated. All of the remodeled bathrooms have now been upgraded to national standards that take into account hurricane safety standards and lighting and safety issues. Completed Female Stalls - Upper Division (Left) and Lower Division (Right) Completed Male Lavatories - Upper Division (Left) and Lower Division (Right) Completed Lavatories Exterior

8 Caye Caulker Primary School 7 Caye Caulker Primary School has a current population of 400 students: 203 males and 177 females. During Phase I, the existing restroom between the east and west classroom buildings was remodeled to create two bathroom units for lower division boys and girls. As you may recall, the bathroom facility in the upper school building was not accessible by students from the outside of the building. Renovations have addressed this issue by constructing stairs so students can access the facility without interrupting learning. This bathroom facility has been remodeled to national standards and there are now five working units available for use by students and staff, if necessary. Completed Female Lavatories Lower Division (Left) and Upper Division (Right) Completed Male Lavatories Lower Division (Left) and Upper Division (Right) Completed Lavatories Exterior Lower Division

9 A Message of Thanks 8 The impact of your support has provided access to quality education for the most disadvantaged children in Belize, which is vital to their personal and social development and wellbeing, in addition to their communities and future families. With this investment, more girls and other vulnerable children are now able to complete their education, more children have access to safe, healthy and conducive learning environments, and more children will survive. Our investment in children today will produce the leaders of tomorrow. With you and your friends transformational gift of $116,000, UNICEF has been able to mobilize, lead and generate significant collaborations between the government and the local community to improve the WASH environment of the schools so children can safely and effectively focus on their learning and education. By supporting Quality Child-Friendly Schools in Belize, you are helping to build an environment that is conducive to learning and a quality education to the most vulnerable children in Belize. On behalf of the children of Belize, thank you. Students at Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School, April 17, 2013 U.S. Fund for UNICEF Anne Kelly, Regional Managing Director, Southern California Regional Office U.S. Fund for UNICEF Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 402, Los Angeles, CA Tel: The United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and improve children s lives, providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF s work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when ZERO children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, please visit unicefusa.org.
Transcription

1 Caribbean Diagnostic Laboratory Network Quality Assurance aspects By Michael V. Slayter, D.V.M., M.P.V.M. Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathologists Chief, Bureau of Diagnostic Laboratories Florida Department Of Agriculture and Consumer Services Quality assurance is the summation of policies and procedures which create confidence that laboratory results will be accurate and reproducible. It provides for consistency from one operator to another and from one day to another. Quality assurance is more than simply a book of written procedures, although this is a great part of it. It starts at the time any party makes the conscious decision to submit material to a laboratory facility for evaluation. If ideal quality assurance is in place, the laboratory management will have educated the potential clientele regarding appropriate specimens, proper shipping, and the method of preservation of the specimen en route. Quality assurance extends to the point that the client is able to apply the information gained from any given laboratory report toward the resolution of a problem or question. Between this beginning and ending, there are myriad opportunities for erroneous information to surface, unless stringent controls are in place at key points. The presence of a well-composed quality assurance manual is clear evidence that the staff of a facility has put time and effort into the program. Since each laboratory is different, the staff of each facility must tailor the overall program to determine the desired depth of the final outcome. Science requires both large and small leaps of faith when we rely on machines and reagents. Nothing should be left to chance or assumptions. At the bench level, any crucial step within a procedure which requires a predictable outcome from a machine or a reagent should be accompanied by a subroutine to assure that the outcome is indeed predictable. For example, if a certain growth medium is designed to produce a predictable change in the presence of a particular organism, the medium should be tested periodically with a known culture of that organism. Machines which require calibration should be done so with an accepted standard and according to a written procedure which is adhered to by all operators and the results of that calibration should be documented. All equipment which generate heat or cold of a critical nature should be checked daily and the findings recorded. Required maintenance should also follow written procedures and be recorded at the time it is done. Quality extends to personnel as well. The credentials and continuing education of the staff should be of strong concern to the administration and should be documented and available for review to those who place their trust in the laboratory. At each of our brief visits to Caribbean diagnostic laboratories, a copy of our quality assurance manual was left with the administrator as well as examples of written procedures from two of our lab sections in Florida. These were to be used only as examples of the type of issues which merit consideration in a quality assurance program. A very condensed summary of the findings and impressions of each laboratory visit is contained herein with mention of strengths and potential contributions toward a laboratory network. Barbados Veterinary Services Laboratory

2 The staff of the Barbados Veterinary Services Laboratory gives the unmistakable impression of dedication and competence, in spite of tremendous obstacles. They have made a strong start toward an effective quality assurance program. To their credit, they are involved in two proficiency testing programs; one from Prince Edward Island, a program which several U.S. laboratories are involved; and another from Europe. I urge them to examine each and every procedure which impacts the quality of their work and look for areas to bring about improvement. The facility is understaffed. Clerical personnel are in very short supply. During our visit, highly trained laboratory personnel were forced to perform administrative duties which could be assigned to others with minimal training. Another veterinarian on the staff would make a tremendous difference in delivering quality work. The entire floor plan should be re-evaluated with the goal of creating traffic flow and work space which suits the needs of a modern laboratory. The necropsy room should be an integral part of the lab building and should be equipped with biohazard safety hoods, climate control, and insect control. Administration should make badly needed changes to hasten the process of ordering supplies, bearing in mind that some supplies have critically short shelf lives. One example cited was that of a certain routine order taking over five months. This is a critical failure toward quality work. In the context of contributing to a laboratory network, this facility could play an important part in poultry diseases and in antibiotic residue testing. I heartily suggest they seek funding to purchase gas chromatography equipment and employ an analytical chemist in order to add quantitative analysis to their ongoing antibiotic residue testing. The agricultural industry of Barbados certainly realizes the benefit to be gained by expanding their export capability. Prospective client countries could potentially pay visits to any laboratory which certifies the health of the product in question. The presence of neglected buildings, abandoned equipment, peeling paint, and poorly cleaned facilities will give the wrong impression of the quality of work being done. In the eyes of the client, first impressions last the longest, and the perception becomes reality. An abundance of documentation, written materials, and files of records will not change the initial visual impression. We commend the staff for their dedication, perseverance, and professionalism. Our impression is that the staff is aware of the principles of quality assurance, but are having great difficulty making solid progress because of infrastructural and administrative encumbrances. Guadeloupe

3 Guadeloupe has no diagnostic laboratory per se, except for Tick Borne Diseases (TBD) and especially cowdriosis infection where CIRAD belongs to a network of reference laboratories. On frequent occasions, however, the CIRAD research laboratory has been asked to perform diagnostic procedures, which points out the need that exists. If this need is recognized with the strength required to bring about creation and construction of such a facility, the issue of quality assurance should be the cornerstone of this effort. Funding and staffing of the two activities should be separately managed, but t the same time, having a research facility and a diagnostic laboratory in the same proximity has tremendous potential for interaction and synergism. CIRAD has been several times in the past and is still asked to conduct training sessions or technology transfer in his fields of expertise : TBD, cell biology and immunology and molecular biology. Dominican Republic In terms of quality control, written procedures are present in most sections of the laboratory. Temperature recordings are posted on most incubators and refrigeration units. Hood certification is up to date. Where appropriate, hoods are equipped with HEPA filters The staff should assure that written protocols are present for issues other than simply bench procedures. For example, protocols for sample tracking and necropsy procedures are needed, but missing. Electrical power fluctuations and outages in the city are a major problem which we witnessed ourselves, and could be a definite obstacle toward quality. We recommended they purchase UPS power sources for all equipment, and provide written outlines as to how these are to be used. The purchase of an emergency generator capable of supplying the entire laboratory and the funds to keep it running is justified. The laboratory has remarkable facilities. Currently, the facility and staff could contribute handsomely, without major changes, to a Caribbean network in the areas of virology, residue testing (heavy metals and pesticides), leptospirosis testing, and mycobacterium cultures. The staff of the diagnostic lab showed us they were open to suggestion for improvement. Jamaica The Kingston facility is physically sound and suitable for the work intended. Quality control/quality assurance in the various sections ranges from very good to virtually non-existent. The residue lab has an outstanding quality assurance manual and collection of written procedures. The procedures apply to such things as sampling techniques as well as analytical processes. Currently, residue testing is the strongest aspect of the laboratory. Establishment of a mouse colony for bioassay is planned and should parallel the guidelines of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine or an equivalent approach. Other sections of the laboratory, such as bacteriology and leptospirosis testing have great potential but lack quality control at the level to satisfy most international requirements. The biggest hurdle, as with any laboratory undergoing change, is to overcome the inertia of old habits in recognition of newer and better ways. Trinidad

4 The diagnostic facilities in Trinidad are composed of two separate infrastructures co-located at The University of The West Indies, School of Veterinary Medicine. They are: 1) Ministry of Agriculture Diagnostic Laboratory, and 2) the School of Veterinary Medicine. Neither entity has a documented quality assurance program. In stark contrast to this deficiency, the space they occupy within the University of The West Indies is a fine facility; and the staff is highly motivated and well trained. The rabies laboratory, which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, remained in Curepe at the request of the University, and has a good written operating procedure for the fluorescent antibody technique. Their equipment is very satisfactory. The room, however, is badly in need of upgrading. Suckling mice are derived from a few breeding age adults which are housed nearby in an enclosure which is not satisfactory and requires major upgrades. The breeding room is open to outside air, is in need of cleaning, and is not insect proof, all of which means the adults probably have parasites and other silent microorganisms. When depending on the response to mouse inoculation, especially where human lives are at stake, one should make use of the best of resources. The breeding colony should be free of adventitious agents and the sucklings should give a true response not masked by confounding factors. Should other British-derived countries choose to adopt the pet scheme of Great Britain, a scheme in which rabies vaccinated pets are allowed into a country after demonstrating sufficient rabies titer, the need for a lab capable of this must be established. The Trinidad laboratory could be such a lab for the southern most Caribbean countries, but only after significant upgrades. That the rabies lab has a detailed written procedure indicates the staff s awareness of the need for such things in a quality assurance program. They should expand that thought to include other disciplines. From a functional sense, the diagnostic service of the two circumscribed groups (Ministry of Agriculture and School of Veterinary Medicine) should be centered around the Ministry staff with augmentation by the faculty in selected areas. The Ministry staff has a strong orientation toward diagnostic service, which means realistic turnaround time, and none toward teaching. They have significant strength in pathology, microbiology, and poultry diseases. Those areas of benefit to the network in which the faculty could augment the Ministry staff are: Parasitology, immunology, toxicology, and molecular biology. Parasitology is directed by Dr. Alex Mutani, originally from Tanzania. In addition to commonly known parasites of animals, he is very involved in diagnostic techniques of many intracellular organisms such as Babesia and Ehrlichia of many host species. Immunology is directed by Dr. Zenora Asgarali., an immunologist who recently moved from the adjacent medical school. Her laboratory is in need of a certain critical items of equipment. She has a variety of professional strengths and is keenly experienced in various fluorescent antibody techniques. As her laboratory develops, her contributions to the Caribbean Network will come into clear focus. Dr. V. Simmons, an analytical chemist, oversees toxicology and has experience in forensic medicine. From this, he is familiar with written standard operating procedures and other documentation which are vital to quality assurance. His laboratory is in its infancy, however, but has tremendous potential. Dr. Ammons, originally from Houston, Texas, has a Ph.D. in Microbiology and experience in a variety of molecular biology techniques. Recommendations The need for quality assurance throughout the potential network need not be repeated ad infinitum in this report. It stands alone as a general statement. Aside from that, there are

5 network attributes worth mentioning which exist because of hard work and professionalism among the various groups. The following strengths are listed to indicate how strong the network members already are, despite other deficiencies. Network strengths: Poultry diseases - Barbabos, Trinidad-Tobago (Ministry of Agriculture) Antibiotic Residues - Barbados, Dominican Republic Pesticide Residues - Jamaica, Dominican Republic Rabies - Trinidad-Tobago (Ministry of Agriculture) Parasitology - Trinidad-Tobago (Univ of West Indies) General Microbiology - Barbados Food Microbiology - Barbados General Pathology - Domincan Republic, Trinidad-Tobago (University of West Indies) Leptospirosis - Dominican Republic General viral serology - Dominican Republic Acid Fast Microbiology - Dominican Republic Molecular biology - Trinidad-Tobago (University of West Indies), Guadeloupe Other aspects of potential network contribution should also be regarded as goals to strive for through specific needed improvements. Potential strengths / specific improvements needed: Leptospirosis - Jamaica / written procedures General microbiology - Jamaica / improved media prep QA Food microbiology - Jamaica / improved media prep QA Specialized Immunology - Guadeloupe, Trinidad-Tobago (University of West Indies) / equipment needs Toxicology - Trinidad-Tobago (University of West Indies) / equipment needs General pathology - Barbados / needs new necropsy room The opportunity to work in a collegial fashion with the staff members of each network member has been a rare and memorable opportunity. The one commodity found in each location was the deep desire to make this network successful. Respectfully submitted; Michael V. Slayter, DVM, MPVM Kissimmee, Florida, USA
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Family starts over after losing home, pets in Wooldridge fire

The McComb family called Wooldridge home before losing everything material to wildfire. What hurt the most was the loss of their pet dog Olaf.
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com
For the first time in 100 years, the very right-wing biggest newspaper in New Hampshire hasn't endorsed the Republican nominee for president. "Voters leaning toward Trump are understandably fed up with the status quo, of which Clinton is a prime example," wrote publisher Joseph McQuaid. "But they kid themselves if they think Trump isnt pretty much a part of that status quo as well, or that he is in any way qualified to competently lead this nation. The man is a liar, a bully, a buffoon. He denigrates any individual or group that displeases him. He has dishonored military veterans and their families, made fun of the physically frail, and changed political views almost as often as he has changed wives." The paper endorsed the Libertarian.





NY Times column yesterday, Nick Kristof tried dealing with the problems the mainstream media has in DWT regular readers whose ideas and opinions I most respect, e-mailed me about our own Trump coverage. He was pissed off at the way we have chosen to dehumanize Trump, particularly in the way we refer to him as "Trumpanzee," although I tried to dehumanize it by usually using phrases like "Senor Trumpanzee" or "Monsieur Trumpanzee." In hiscolumn yesterday, Nick Kristof tried dealing with the problems the mainstream media has in covering a crackpot like Trump . The night before, one of theregular readers whose ideas and opinions I most respect, e-mailed me about our own Trump coverage. He was pissed off at the way we have chosen to dehumanize Trump, particularly in the way we refer to him as "Trumpanzee," although I tried to dehumanize it by usually using phrases like "Senor Trumpanzee" or "Monsieur Trumpanzee."



As you probably know, I've been a long-time reader of DWT. I have, until recently, always appreciated its voice and especially yours.



But there's something going on right now that I find deeply, horribly, upsetting, and I thought I should tell you about it.



It's the use of the term "Trumpanzee" to refer to the GOP nominee.



I will grant you he is at least every bit as terrible as you say and think. But even so, he's still a person. A bad person. A very bad person. But a person. And to suggest he is in fact an animal, or half animal, is to use the very sort of dehumanizing rhetoric that we on the left (and DWT) have long opposed when deployed by the right. We objected when they did it to Blacks, to the LGBT community, to the left more generally. And we-- and you-- were right to do so.



Why then descend to that level? Why go down there with the Nazis and the right wing fanatics? We-- you-- need to be better than that.



Even Trump is human. He has human rights like the rest of us. Unfortunately he has chosen to use his humanity in service to terrible ends. But that doesn't make him sub-human or non-human, and we shouldn't suggest that it does.



It's just not funny.



Give it a rest? Please?

We've had far more complaints from animal rights activists and pet lovers who have asked us to stop defaming chimps by attaching them in any way to Mr. Trump. So, we've heard and we're retiring the phrase. Maybe we should go back to Herr Trumpf? Anyway, back to Herr Kristof's column in the Times. He seemed distraught that "by a margin of 15 percentage points, voters thought Donald Trump was 'more honest and trustworthy' than Hillary Clinton." Even someone like me, who has no love for Hillary agrees with him that "this public perception is completely at odds with all evidence... "Clearly," he wrote, "Clinton shades the truth-- yet theres no comparison with Trump." She may do worse than shade the truth, but if anythingis clear, she is certainly-- and has always been-- the lesser of two evils, even the far lesser. Kristof says he isn't sure journalism-- journalists-- bear responsibility "but this does raise the thorny issue of false equivalence, which has been hotly debated among journalists this campaign. Heres the question: Is it journalistic malpractice to quote each side and leave it to readers to reach their own conclusions, even if one side seems to fabricate facts or make ludicrous comments?"
September 10, 2016 -- Collin Stephenson, operations manager with Sprock n' Roll, sits on one of the two Sprock n' Roll vehicles during a stop at Local Gastropub on Main Street. "Overall the class was so beneficial for my knowledge of the city that I've come to love," Stephenson said who has lived in Memphis for the past two years. (Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)

SHARE September 10, 2016 -- Collin Stephenson, operations manager with Sprock n' Roll, talks with Peter Tamos who was visiting with friends from Chicago during a stop at Local Gastropub on Main Street."Overall the class was so beneficial for my knowledge of the city that I've come to love," Stephenson said who has lived in Memphis for the past two years. (Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal) September 10, 2016 -- A group pedals the Sprock n' Roll vehicle south along Main Street after a stop at Local Gastropub. (Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)

By Cindy Wolff, Special to The Commercial Appeal

"What brings you to Memphis?"

Tourism experts want local bartenders, hotel housekeepers  even the guy who bike pedals guests on a mobile bar  to use that question to start a friendly conversation with the 10 million visitors who pour billions into the city each year.

Welcome to Memphis, a nonprofit affiliate of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, hopes to bring the city's 35,000 hospitality industry workers into the fold to promote Memphis' history.

They want stakeholders who benefit in all levels of the tourism sector to ramp up their knowledge and enthusiasm for the Memphis area.

After tourists visit Graceland or walk around the Beale Street Historic District, they typically ask anyone they encounter, "What else is there to do?"

Plenty.

That's the quick answer the employees hear when they attend a training series called "Memphis Insider." Welcome to Memphis recently started offering courses to hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions  anyone with a stake in seeing the annual tourism spending rise from the current $3.2 billion.

"The course was built to equip guest-contact workers with a deep base of knowledge about the neighborhoods, sites, food, culture, tourism, and fun to be found here," said Mary Schmitz, executive director of Welcome to Memphis. "It's a crash course in everything that makes millions come to Memphis every year, and a means of making lasting positive impressions of Memphis."

Schmitz spends three days a week talking to hundreds of people who work in front and behind the scenes at places visitors frequent.

A week ago, she spoke at the Embassy Suites on Shady Grove in East Memphis. More than 60 staff members from the kitchen, housekeeping, sales, night audit and others departments filled the room. Each received a pass allowing them guest admission at 30 attractions in the city.

Schmitz hit the high points of Downtown Memphis with a 20-minute video that featured Tad Pierson who operates American Dream Safari. Along his tour, he picked up and dropped off experts who know something about every nook, cranny and cobblestone.

The cobblestones  the city began to place them in 1852 to accommodate the steamboat industry. Today, it's the largest original cobblestone wharf remaining in America with over one million cobbles.

A few blocks away, Pierson drove past the mansions in Victoria Village. President Teddy Roosevelt spent the night in one house before he went on a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi, Schmitz chimed in. There's a story behind the Teddy and the bear.

Those are details tourists can read about in magazines or listen to as part of a pitch for Memphis to host a convention, but it means more when a local person says it, she said.

"It doesn't feel like a sales pitch," Schmitz said. "It's someone who lives here, who is proud of their city and wants visitors to enjoy it too."

Embassy Suites general manager Ken Mendoza said there are so many more things to do here than he realized. He plans to take his family on expeditions soon.

"So much history, so many museums," Embassy Suites general manager Ken Mendoza said. "I want to go to Stax. I love that Music. That fire museum looks fun."

"There's so much bad press about crime and other things in Memphis," Mendoza said. "Gosh, we've got to fall in love with our city and everything it has to offer. People will see our enthusiasm, and it will spread. I'm excited about this."

The training session included emphasis on three foundation principles of the service culture: Smile. Welcome. Thank you.

Visitors hate indifference when they ask a question or voice a concern, Schmitz said.

"If you don't know, you can find out," Schmitz said. "It's something that make a big impression. You are going to any length that you can to help them. It makes them feel like you care And you should care."

An Embassy Suites room attendant received a $9 tip and praise from a guest who asked about things to do in the city. The recommendation: See the Fire Museum of Memphis and the Memphis Zoo.

Collin Stephenson, 23, moved to Memphis six months ago. He started working for Sprock n' Roll, a pedal tavern that makes it way using energy provided by patrons who sit at the bar atop a bike and pedal. Stephenson recently took the Memphis Insider course so he would have more to tell his visitors.

"I deal with oohs and ahhs and inquisitive faces all the time," Stephenson said. "WDIA! The first black radio station in the country. There's the (National) Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Gibson Guitar, Stax. There's just so much to talk about. I've lived a lot of places, but I've never felt more at home in a city anywhere in the U.S. I feel the soul of this city. The heart of this city is so transparent."
A Jewish man reads the Torah. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Imagine trying to read and recite a foreign language written with no spaces between words.

Alanguagethatlookslikethis

A language written right to left.

sihtekilskooltahtegaugnala

A language written without vowels or punctuation.

shtklsklthtggnl

"It's a challenge, but I like a challenge," said Lee Stehle, a retired Navy commander and pilot.

Stehle completed his latest challenge Saturday morning when he became bar mitzvah  a "son of the commandment."

The religious ceremony, which includes chanting portions of Hebrew Scriptures, was held at Beth Sholom Synagogue in East Memphis.

It's a coming-of-age ritual, traditionally celebrated when a Jewish boy turns 13 or a girl 12 and reaches the "age of responsibility."

Stehle just turned 82 and he's only been Jewish for six years.

"Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, 'coming of age.'" he said with a laugh. "But we're all still becoming, no matter how old we get."

According to tradition, Moses was only two years younger than Stehle when God gave him the Torah  the first five books of the Bible.

Of course, Moses already spoke the language.

Hebrew is a Semitic language that is written and read right to left. Biblical Hebrew was written without vowels, punctuation or spacing.

Learning to read or recite ancient Hebrew is difficult enough. Learning to chant it directly from a handwritten Torah scroll is a challenge of biblical proportions.

It requires learning an ancient notation system that shows vowels and accent marks and divides words and phrases.

The notations also indicate the melodic patterns for chanting the words.

"The notations make it a little easier, if I could remember the notations," Stehle said.

For his bar mitzvah, Stehle chanted the week's Torah portion  Deuteronomy 21:5-25:19. He also chanted Isaiah 54: 1-10 from the Haftorah, or Prophets.

"The mastering of Hebrew has been slow and often frustrating with portions of his Haftorah apparently learned one day and forgotten the next," said David Moinester, who tutors bar and bat mitzvah students. "But Lee has approached the task with dogged determination."

No one who knows Stehle is surprised.

"He loves to learn," said Pat Jensen, his fiancee. She hasn't converted, but attends services with him.

Stehle learned how to fly Navy jets. He patrolled the South Atlantic during the Cuban missile crisis. He served on the staff of the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon.

After he retired, he learned how to run a small farm and then a K-6 private school.

Over the years, he also learned how to speak Ukrainian and to play Russian folk instruments such as the domra.

In recent years, he's been learning how to become a Jew.

Stehle grew up in New Jersey. His ancestors were Protestant Germans and Scotch-Irish. As far as he knows, there isn't an ounce of Jewish blood in his body.

His soul is a different matter.

Stehle spent years as a member of the Episcopal Church, even serving on the vestry of his parish in Florida. A decade ago, he took a class on what he used to call the Old Testament.

The more he learned about Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish history, the more he wanted to know. Then he visited a synagogue.

"It felt like coming home," he said. "I can't explain it. I just belonged there."

Stehle converted to Judaism in 2010. He's Beth Sholom's first convert to become bar mitzvah.

"He just wanted to learn, and he's done it masterfully," said Rabbi Ilan Glazer of Beth Sholom. "We're all very proud of him."

Stehle is preparing for the Jewish New Year, which begins on Rosh Hashanah Oct. 2. Like other Jews around the world, he will ask God to "renew for us a good and sweet year."

The high holiday prayer book includes Psalm 90, which says, "the span of our life is threescore years and ten (70), or, given strength, fourscore years (80)."

That verse has inspired the development of a relatively new tradition of celebrating a second bar mitzvah 13 years after turning 70.

Stehle will turn 83 in the coming new Jewish year.

"I'm thinking about it," he said. "I've already done the hard part."

Contact columnist David Waters at waters@commercialappeal.com.
September 13, 2016  City of Memphis' new director of Office of Youth Services, Ike Griffith, will be tasked with curbing the city's youth violence. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

After the city passed the unfortunate milestone Thursday of 161 homicides this year  as many as in all of 2015  a somber Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland sat in a City Hall conference room, two notebooks with the names and information of the victims of the city's slayings in front of him.

"What I can say is, we've taken immediate action," he said, speaking of efforts to hire more police officers. "But the results will, unfortunately, take some time because it's not just a police problem ... it's a societal problem. We have way too violent a society. And when we talk about intervening in the lives of young people, and getting more programs, which we're doing, it's going to take time to get results."

Intervening in the lives of young people was a staple of Strickland's campaign for mayor last year, when memories of mob attacks by young people in Memphis were still fresh, and he often said he wanted to implement a Boys & Girls Club approach to city youth programs.

"I think studies show, I think other cities show, and common sense shows the true answer to crime is young people not going down the wrong path," Strickland said. "And that requires quality education, something productive to do when they're not in school, hope that there's a better future out there for them. The more children that we can get on the right path, the fewer are going to go over to the gangs and the wrong path."

Ike Griffith, the city's new director of the Office of Youth Services and a former Hamilton High School teacher who campaigned door-to-door for Strickland, said he's working to ramp up the city's youth services with crime reduction in mind.

Griffith, his eye on the 24,000 youth summer jobs Chicago offers, said he hopes to expand the city's youth summer jobs program beyond the 1,000 jobs offered the past couple of years. This summer, the city had 8,000 applicants for the jobs.

He also wants to have more empowerment conferences, college fairs and events that combine activities, learning and mentoring. At the Southern Heritage Classic recently, the city's college and career fair attracted thousands of seniors interested in applying to one of the 80 colleges represented.

The idea is to get more young people involved in activities that they care about  not just reading programs, like in years past, but reading programs coupled with sports, he said. The aim is to keep kids too busy to get caught up in criminal activity  especially kids from rougher neighborhoods.

"My mantra is, empower our youth for positive results," he said. "And we want to do that for every child. We don't want a ZIP code to decide a child's destiny."

But the city isn't just trying to occupy young people's time, Griffith added. He hopes the work the city is doing  through summer job experiences, through the office's Youth City Council program and more  will teach them how to be productive citizens and help them secure higher-paying jobs.

"I want Memphis to be known as a home-seeker's paradise  not a Mecca for cheap labor," he said.

Griffith, who ran unsuccessfully for City Council against Harold Collins in 2007, said engaging businesses and the community  especially local churches  to expand the city's programs is a priority for him and the administration. He specifically called out FedEx as a company he would like to see get more involved in the city's youth jobs programs.

"Awareness  I think that's one of the downfalls to what we've been doing," he said.

To bring more awareness to programs, Griffith says he's been knocking on doors and working on new and innovative ideas for reaching the city's young people and possibly keeping them out of Strickland's notebook.

"The work we do is going to make a statement, not an apology," Griffith said.
September 15, 2016- Several industries, including these located near Fite Road, are pumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water daily from the Memphis Sand to produce chemicals and other products. . (Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal)

By Tom Charlier of The Commercial Appeal

At the nearly 65-year-old Fite Road industrial complex formerly run by DuPont, six companies combine to consume about 500,000 gallons of water a day pumped from the Memphis Sand aquifer to make products ranging from acrylics to hydrogen peroxide to cyanide compounds for mining.

More than five miles to the southwest, KTG-USA draws 120,000-150,000 gallons of water daily from its wells to produce bathroom and facial tissue at a North Memphis plant, based on figures for 2014 reported to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. And far to the southeast, in a plant near Mendenhall and Raines, Solae LLC pumps similar amounts for its production of soy-based products used in food and beverages.

In fact, the eight largest industrial users of Memphis Sand water were drawing a total of more than 1 million gallons of water a day during several months of 2014, the most recent year for which TDEC figures are available. That water, all from private wells and not the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division, is used in making everything from beer to gasoline.

For decades, industrial use of the Memphis Sand  a drinking water source renowned for its purity  attracted little attention. But a recent proposal by the Tennessee Valley Authority to pump an average of 3.5 million gallons of aquifer water daily to cool a power plant is changing that.

Shelby County officials, including the mayor and some County Commissioners, say that at a minimum, more monitoring and communication is needed on major projects affecting the aquifer. They've said changes might be needed in the county's well ordinance and the functioning of a low-profile county entity known as the Groundwater Quality Control Board.

Scientists at the University of Memphis, meantime, have sent a letter to the groundwater board asking for a formal hearing on the five wells from which TVA plans to obtain cooling water for the $975 million Allen Combined Cycle Plant under construction in the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park.

The TVA project has underscored the fact that "there's really no regulations or control over that aquifer at all," County Mayor Mark Luttrell said Friday.

"I'm not suggesting that we restrict usage, but we've got to take steps to see what we've got and ensure that we always have high-quality water," he added.

After convening a meeting between county officials and TVA representatives earlier in the week, Luttrell said he was "a little bit alarmed" about the lack of monitoring and controls currently in place. He said he plans to have the issue placed before the County Commission as a discussion item to "see what direction" members want to take regarding regulation of the aquifer.

Currently, wells and aquifer water are the purview of the Health Department, which issues permits for wells, and the Groundwater Quality Control Board, which was established in 1990 to, among other things, "secure, protect and preserve the quality and quantity" of water lying beneath the county's boundaries.

But under current practices, the groundwater board generally reviews well permits only on appeal when applications have been rejected by the department.

Luttrell and other officials say the rules set by county's well ordinance are broad and don't require applicants to specify how much water they plan to pump.

Under those rules, the Health Department approved permits for three 650-foot-deep, 16-inch-diameter wells sought by TVA between May and July. Applications for two more wells remain under review.

Department officials say they have limited grounds on which to deny permits as long as the application meets the criteria set in the well ordinance. Those criteria specify, among other things, that wells must be at least 50 feet from property lines, 25 feet from roads and 100 feet from septic tanks and fuel lines.

"If they meet the criteria ... we cannot not approve the permit," said Tyler Zerwekh, administrator of environmental health for the department.

But Brian Waldron, director of the Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research at U of M, said the department should have asked the groundwater board to fully review the proposed wells before issuing the permit.

"They should've gone to the board  that's the purpose of it," Waldron said.

There also are few reporting requirements for users of well water. Well owners don't have to report pumping levels to the county at all. And they only have to report withdrawals to TDEC, the state agency, if they're pumping at least 10,000 gallons a day.

In addition, the current rules don't provide for public notification of well applications or approvals. "There's no opportunity for public participation or legislative oversight," said Scott Banbury, conservation programs coordinator for the Sierra Club's Tennessee chapter.

Nor is there much in the way of restrictions as to how the water is used.

"There's really nothing preventing an entrepreneur like me from buying an acre of land, putting in a couple of megawells, pumping it into water bottles and sending them to China," said Tom Volinchak, a local businessman in the water industry who has worked with filtration and treatment firms.

Heidi Shafer, a County Commissioner who attended the meeting with TVA officials, also wants better communication from the groundwater board on its activities. "To the best of my knowledge, we have never had an update from the board," she said.

The controversy over TVA's wells comes as local economic development officials promote Memphis water to food and beverage companies, metal-finishers, electronics firms and other industries that need high-quality water.

It's a resource that always has been a selling point for the area.

"That's why facilities like ours are located here, because of the high-quality water," said Greg Zweig, a site environmental official for The Chemours Co. FC, LLC, which operates at the former DuPont site on Fite Road. The six companies there employ at least 600 workers.

No water experts believe the TVA pumping will come close to exhausting the Memphis Sand. The aquifer, which is 400-900 feet thick in many areas, holds an estimated 57 trillion gallons of water beneath Shelby County  enough to last nearly 700 years at current usage levels, even without natural "recharge" or replenishment taken into consideration. A U.S. Geological Survey study estimated that after 30 years the pumping at the TVA plant would lower the water table in the aquifer by 7 feet beneath the facility.

But Waldron worries that the pumping could pull less-pure water from a shallower aquifer into the Memphis Sand. He also said the TVA project is different from past industrial uses of the aquifer.

"The usage of our water for cooling purposes starts to send us down a particular path that we may not want to go down in the long run," he said. "You're pulling it out and wasting it."
Ho Chi Minh City is chosen as the starting point for its expansion plan in Southeast Asia.

Japanese low-cost airline Vanilla Air marked its Vietnam entry on Thursday with a flight from Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City.

The daily return service between Narita and Tan Son Nhat airports has a stop in Taipei.

Mio Yamamuro, deputy general director of Vanilla Air, said at a press conference that the carrier has witnessed a travel boom between Ho Chi Minh City and destinations in Taiwan and Japan. It has decided to use the city as a hub before expanding further in Southeast Asia.

Vanilla Air, a unit of ANA Holdings, now operates four flights from Tokyo to Taipei every day. It plans to start flying to Cebu in the Philippines by the end of the year and also eyes Singapore and Thailand as new markets.

Originally a joint venture between ANA and Malaysias AirAsia, Vanilla Air became a whole subsidiary of the Japanese group in 2013.

It was estimated to end the fiscal year 2015 with a profit of 1.5 billion yen ($13.15 million), compared to a loss of 3.7 billion yen ($32.44 million) in 2014, the Nikkei Asian Review reported.

Related news:

> Vietnams fourth airline prepares for take-off

> Vietnam Airlines to sell $108 million stake to Japans largest airline
SHARE Sen. Reginald Tate, D-Memphis

By Dave Boucher And Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK  Tennessee

State and federal investigations into Jeremy Durham's finances reveal gaping holes in state campaign finance laws that allow lawmakers to receive overseas "education" trips from wealthy donors and use campaign money for investments not reported to the public.

Durham invested his campaign funds in the company of well-known Republican donor Andy Miller, who is the leader of an organization described as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Miller also paid for six lawmakers  one Democrat and five Republicans  to take a trip in fall 2011 to Europe to learn about "radical Islam."

The trips and the investments involved thousands of dollars, and raised concerns among ethics and open government advocates about the influence of money on the lawmakers. But none of these transactions or travel are required to be reported on any state campaign finance document, said Drew Rawlins, executive director of the state Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance.

Durham's ouster last week from the legislature came after an ongoing Tennessean investigation of the lawmaker, which sparked a Tennessee attorney general's probe. The attorney general then issued a scathing report of Durham's behavior toward women. Separate state and federal investigations into Durham's campaign finances are underway.

One state ethics official called the lack of transparency in Tennessee campaign reporting "frightening."

"The bigger concern this body should have is the awareness that what one reports on a campaign disclosure form doesn't necessarily bear any resemblance to reality, unless you are audited," said Patricia Heim, a member of the registry of election finance board, an entity within the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance that oversees candidate campaign reporting.

Trip to Europe

State campaign finance investigators recently revealed a $191,000 discrepancy between Durham's campaign finance reports and his bank accounts. That discrepancy involves, in part, Durham's investment in Miller's company.

Miller is a prominent tea party-aligned donor and leader of the Tennessee Freedom Coalition. The Southern Poverty Law Center says the group is opposed to Islam and those who practice it, landing the organization on the SPLC's list of hate groups for years, said Stephen Piggott, a senior research analyst at the SPLC.

"The Tennessee Freedom Coalition, along with a select few similar organizations, is responsible for cultivating a toxic climate of anti-Muslim bigotry in the state of Tennessee," Piggott said.

"Though its activities have slowed recently due to its leader's political work, the coalition has invited vile anti-Muslim speakers to its events, spearheaded the opposition to the development of an Islamic center in Murfreesboro, and warns against the 'Islamization' of American society."

The "gift" loophole in state law allowed Miller to pay for six lawmakers to go on a five-day "fact-finding" trip to Europe. Because Miller isn't a registered lobbyist, Rawlins said, there's no violation of law, and there is nothing Miller or the lawmakers on the trip would need to report to his agency.

"They can't accept a gift from a lobbyist or an employer of a lobbyist. So if it was paid for by a lobbyist or employer of a lobbyist, then it would be a prohibited gift. Otherwise, there's no prohibition on taking a  and I'll use the term gift, but a trip in this case  there's no prohibition on that," Rawlins said.

Miller's trip included stops in Dearborn, Michigan  a city with a large Arab-American population  London, Brussels, Antwerp and Amsterdam. Those on the trip include: Sens. Reginald Tate, D-Memphis; Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro; Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma; Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough; Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby; and then state Rep. Joe Carr, a Lascassas Republican who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and U.S. Rep. Diane Black in recent primaries.

"The purpose of the trip was to discuss immigration issues with their peers in parliaments there that I had met on previous encounters," Miller said in an email, also confirming paying for the trip.

"It may be hard for some to understand that I went to this expense simply out of love and concern for my country," he said. "But that is the fact."

Carr said Miller paid for flight and hotel costs. When asked is he was concerned about possible criticism of Miller financing an international trip for lawmakers, Carr said: "I don't give a rat's ass."

'Could transparency help?'

Deborah Fisher, head of the Tennessee Open Government Coalition, said the state's lax reporting requirements are a problem because the public has no way of knowing if Miller financed the trip or if lawmakers invested campaign funds into his business.

"If a lawmaker wants to accept expensive gifts and trips because people want to curry favor with him, he can do that without telling his constituents. All he has to do is avoid something that smells like public corruption," Fisher told The Tennessean.

"Could transparency help? Shining a light usually does. Nothing is stopping lawmakers from taking it upon themselves to pledge they won't accept expensive gifts and trips, and setting higher standards for ethical behavior."

Ketron described the Miller trip as "strictly business and extremely informative," providing lawmakers with an understanding of the impact of Islam on Europe. Carr said the trip was a way to learn about radical Islam and its effect on certain cities.

"We began the day early and were either in meetings with officials about public policy or viewing areas of concern all day and into the night. It was eye opening and definitely provided me with more knowledge about what certain cities in Europe were dealing with long before the terrorist attack on Paris, Brussels and Nice," Ketron said in an email.

"The experience by these cities provides a glimpse of what America will be facing  and what Tennessee could be facing in the future. And, I just wish that more legislators could have seen what we did on this very informative trip. I am very appreciative that we were provided this opportunity to better understand what we are facing with radical Islam."

Tate said any issues about Miller's funding of the trip were discussed with Rawlins. "We went through that before we went," he said. "What was ethical and what was not. There was no conflict. No conflict at all."

Tate added, however, "It should've been my own ... money."

Ketron said he wished more of his colleagues had been on the trip. "I wish that we would've had more room and opportunity for more lawmakers to see what we saw."

All six lawmakers on the trip have introduced or supported what some call anti-Islamic legislation.

While the undisclosed trip to Europe by six Tennessee lawmakers was allowed by state law, some still view it as wrong.

"For public officials at any level to go on an all-expenses-paid trip with a hate group is shameful and demonstrates how mainstream anti-Muslim sentiment is in America today," said Piggott, the SPLC analyst.
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By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal

Two men were arrested and charged with burglary from a vehicle in Germantown on Friday, the suburb's police department said.

About 3 a.m. Friday, police responded to a report of an auto burglary in progress in the 8100 block of Savannah Way and saw suspects burglarizing a work truck and leaving in a gold Chevrolet Suburban. Officers later caught the suspects and found stolen tools and construction equipment inside their vehicle, according to a police statement.

Terrance Kirk, 37, and William Canada, 33, are charged with burglary, evading arrest, possession of burglary tools, and theft of property over $1,000, according from a statement from police. More charges are pending.

Germantown police announced earlier this week similar arrests of people accused of stealing from vehicles  two on Tuesday, one on Wednesday.
SHARE Robert M. Fockler

By Robert M. Fockler, Special to Viewpoint

Over the last 10 years or so, education in our community has been transformed thanks to inspired local leadership and dedicated philanthropy.

The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis has been privileged play our role in serving our more than 800 donors as their contributions have led the way in the revitalization of our public schools.

This past year alone, almost half of the Community Foundation's $143 million in grants  directed by the individuals and families who rely on us to help them manage and grow their own charitable giving  funded a broad array of organizations working to improve public education in our community.

Not surprisingly, most of those grants funded projects that directly targeted our K-12 classrooms: building better schools, hiring and retaining better teachers, and developing stronger, more meaningful curricula.

But work outside the classroom is equally important. After-school programs help students digest and expand upon the lessons they received in class. Summer programs, especially summer reading programs, sustain and extend the learning gains made by students during the school year. Despite these clear and crucial benefits, funding for these programs has not been as abundant as that for in-class programs.

That is why our board of governors recently announced a new, multiyear initiative called "Beyond the Classroom," designed to build the quality and accountability of proven after-school and summer programs.

The first year's grant of $300,000 will allow Seeding Success, a local leader in tracking and analyzing educational data, to work with five key nonprofit agencies. Seeding Success will use these funds to help them better measure the effectiveness of each of their own programs.

This work, for instance, will help Knowledge Quest understand how its after-school tutoring programs sustain and extend the academic achievements of its students  mostly primary schoolchildren in South Memphis  by developing specific measures of the students' performance.

The other agencies included in this pilot program are Communities in Schools, Latino Memphis, Mid-South Literacy and Porter-Leath. Together, these agencies serve a diverse group of students across our community, ranging in age from preschool to senior high. Our funds will provide for the development and implementation of performance measures for each of their specific programs and unique student populations.

Future years' funding will build on the lessons learned from these first five, extending our reach to build the effectiveness of additional out-of-school programs in our community.

Beyond the Classroom is funded through the Community Foundation's Community Partnership Fund, a pool of grant dollars whose annual allocations are decided by volunteers.

The Community Partnership Fund is funded by contributions from our donors, the income from the Community Foundation's endowment and the surplus in our operating budget. For more than 20 years, the Community Partnership Fund has been making a positive impact in our community.

Beyond the Classroom represents a new direction for the Community Partnership Fund. As our volunteers approached this year's grant season, they were determined to find where our grant dollars could have the greatest impact. For much of the past year, they researched the community to see where they were working and to uncover significant gaps in funding for key services. Our volunteers could see that while literally tens of millions of dollars were funding local in-school services, painfully little was left over for out-of-school programs.

Beyond the Classroom is the result of these breakthrough realizations. We believe that, over time, our investment in these programs and in the agencies that provide them, will leverage the investments being made elsewhere in our classrooms and help ensure that our children will be best prepared for life in an increasingly competitive world.

Robert M. Fockler is president of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis
SHARE Kenneth Twigg Whalum

By Kenneth Twigg Whalum, Special to Viewpoint

Forgive me, but I need to get this out of my system: "Black, black, black, black, black."

I feel much better now. I'm not sure when it happened, but in American journalism (print and broadcast) it seems no one wants to use the word "black" in a sentence, unless, of course, we're describing someone suspected of armed robbery, rape or other criminal act.

This sad fact is nowhere more annoyingly prevalent than in recent news coverage of Memphis' progress, or lack thereof, in government contracting with "minority" businesses. To me, that word "minority" is the reason there's such a shortage of the word "black" these days. Let me explain.

In a city that is 62 to 65 percent black, isn't it a bit oxymoronic to refer to black-owned businesses as minority-owned? Shouldn't we be saying "majority-owned" if we're talking about businesses owned by blacks?

Therein lies the rub. In a democratic society, there should be no need for special programs to ensure that the will and welfare of the majority are the government's top priorities. Local government officials are struggling to implement set-asides (and that's what they are) for "minority-owned" businesses, which is a direct result of the failure of Memphis' black majority to pursue policies and practices that are in its own best interest.

If black-owned businesses in Memphis are not getting enough support from local government, it's not the government's fault. Memphis' chief contracting officer is its mayor. Willie Herenton became Memphis' first elected black mayor in 1991. He was succeeded by A C Wharton, who is also black. According to a recent study, there was "no progress during a recent five-year period on the disparity between city of Memphis contracts awarded to minority- and women-owned firms and white-owned firms." If a black mayor can't (or won't) see to it that the majority of his residents get government contracts, who can or will?

As founder of Bust-A-Move-Monday, I am keenly sensitive to the need for black folks to support each other in business, as business is the bedrock of a people's economic and moral prosperity.

I started this faith-based organization 16 years ago for the purpose of supporting black-owned businesses as a way of creating wealth and leaving wealth to our children's children, which is the vision of The New Olivet Baptist Church where I serve as pastor. I know, based on 16 years of empirical data, that black folks, by and large, do not spend dollars with each other in legitimate business.

On Nov. 21, 1926, in a newspaper he founded with several other black Memphis businessmen called "Negro Business Booster," my grandfather, H.D. Whalum, wrote an article titled 'Why Patronize Negro Business?' His premise was that being a part of government is not enough, and that if blacks (then referred to by the now-politically incorrect term Negro) were to make lasting contributions to American society, it would have to be by building their own businesses.

Not only have I adopted Granddaddy's premise, but I expand it to include whites. If Memphis is to thrive, whites must also regularly spend their money with black-owned businesses. The economic chain of Memphis is only as strong as its weakest link  blacks.

I have proof that my premise is valid.

As a student at Memphis Theological Seminary, I wrote a paper on Bust-A-Move-Monday for Dr. Steve Shapard, at the time pastor of Mullins United Methodist Church, a historic predominantly white Memphis congregation, and who is now senior minister at Bartlett United Methodist Church.

He was so impressed with the concept of black economic empowerment as a mission ministry that he brought a vanload of senior Mullins members to one of our BAMM events at a black-owned dollar store in the Fox Meadows area. Not only did that dollar store thrive that day, but most of the members getting back on their church van had tears in their eyes and testimonies on their lips as to the impact the experience had on their lives.

Finally, Memphians need to have a "come to Jesus" meeting and talk about who's the minority and who's the minority for contracting purposes. And while we're at it, let's discuss the following:

1) Why do we even need redundant references like "minority and women-owned businesses"?

2) If we're talking about black-owned businesses, why don't we just say so?

3) When will black churches and civic organizations get serious about holding black Memphians accountable for the economic condition of our communities?

4) What responsibility do white Memphians and suburbanites have for bolstering the economic condition of black Memphians?

Dr. Kenneth Twigg Whalum is pastor of The New Olivet Baptist Church.
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By Mauricio Calvo, Special to Viewpoint

There is a long-running debate as to whether nonprofits need to be effective or efficient. We believe we should strive for both.

Over the past several years, we as a community have made major strides in education. We recognize, however, that much work remains. In theory, we believe education is the great equalizer and that good leaders in the school district and great teachers in the classroom are key to the success of students.

However, students don't live in a shell or a school, and what happens before and after school is a much more complex set of challenges, perhaps some of the biggest we face as a society.

For this reason, at Latino Memphis, we approach education in a holistic way. Rather than focusing solely on the student, we strive to make education a family and community affair. Through Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors), our college access program, high school juniors and seniors meet weekly after school to learn about what it takes to go to college.

We use an evidence-based, national curriculum called Escalera (Ladder), which guides students along the path to postsecondary education while building valuable career and leadership skills. Padres Comprometidos (Committed Parents), another one of our programs, complements Abriendo Puertas by empowering parents with information and tools they need to help their children succeed beyond high school.

In addition to providing academic support, we recognize that there are other factors outside of the classroom that impact our students' ability to succeed. For this reason, students and their families also have access to other Latino Memphis programs.

Derechos (Rights), for instance, provides legal representation and advice regarding immigration cases. Through Tu Voz (Your Voice), our policy and advocacy program, students meet with legislators, government officials and key decision-makers to educate them about the policy challenges that impact them and their education opportunities.

People often are surprised to know that for many Hispanic students, college is simply not feasible. Our Abriendo Puertas students are an integral part of our efforts to pass a tuition equality bill that would make college accessible to thousands more Tennesseans each year.

Doing this work efficiently and effectively is easier said than done. Most nonprofits are very committed to their mission, but like the parents and students with whom we work, we often lack the capacity to succeed.

Capacity is the ability a nonprofit has to perform, and comes in many different forms beyond the financial: talent, technology, training and effective internal procedures are no less integral to the success of our programs, but are often much more difficult to resource.

This is why we are grateful that the Community Foundation has partnered with Seeding Success to support a cohort of organizations to increase our capacity to become more effective and more efficient.

This grant will allow Latino Memphis to create a more efficient way of connecting our internal programs, to better track our outcomes, and to train many on our staff on quality procedures that were reserved for the private sector.

If we want to move our community forward, we need to recognize that there is no more important investment than in education. Yes, we need to hold our schools accountable, but we also need to support them, as they cannot do this work alone.

Students need support to succeed academically, parents want to help, and nonprofits are in place to provide this help. With the philanthropic commitment of the Community Foundation, the expertise of Seeding Success and the programs of their partner nonprofits, we are all committed to the present and the future capacity of our city.

Mauricio Calvo is executive director of Latino Memphis.
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By Max Boot

Donald Trump has gotten a lot of well-justified criticism for his paeans to Vladimir Putin, Russia's anti-American dictator. Just last week Trump said that Putin has "very strong control over a country.  Certainly in that system he's been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader."

Imagine a Republican in the 1930s saying, "Hitler has been far more of a leader than Franklin Roosevelt." That is, in fact, the kind of thing that the original America Firsters, led by Charles Lindbergh, did say, which is why it is so appalling that Trump has borrowed their slogan for his campaign.

But Trump isn't backing down from these offensive claims, and neither are his supporters. In a Twitter exchange with me, for example, radio talk-show host Hugh Hewitt wrote: "Putin's an evil man. POTUS a good but incompetent man. Putin has served his country's national interest better."

I commend Hewitt for admitting that Putin is evil  something Trump has never done. Trump, in fact, has never uttered one word of criticism of the Russian strongman. But what of Hewitt's larger claim  that Putin has done a better job of serving Russian interests than President Obama has done of serving American interests?

I am no defender of Obama. I was a foreign policy adviser to John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012, and I have been very critical of Obama's weak foreign policy. I think the Iran nuclear deal, the withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 and the hands-off policy toward Syria, in particular, have been catastrophic mistakes. I am no fan, either, of Obama's tax-and-spend policies culminating in the passage of a costly health care mandate. But on both foreign and domestic policy, there is simply no comparison between the democratically elected president of America and the thug who has seized control of Russia.

Let's start with the domestic side.

Granted, the U.S. recovery from the Great Recession of 2008-2009 has been anemic under Obama  the growth rate of 2.1 percent is below the postwar average of 2.9 percent  but GDP still has grown in 25 of the last 27 quarters and the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.9 percent.

And how has Putin done by comparison? According to the World Bank, Russia's GDP fell 40 percent between 2013 and 2015  from $2.23 trillion to $1.33 trillion. "To put that in perspective," notes CNBC, "U.S. GDP shrank at the onset of the Great Recession from $14.719 trillion in 2008 to $14.419 trillion in 2009  a decline of 2 percent."

Moreover, Lauren Goodrich of the Stratfor geopolitical consultancy points out, "Over the past year, the average Russian's monthly wage fell 9.5 percent, slipping below $450  less than in China, Serbia and Romania. According to state statistics, 50 percent of that income goes toward food, a figure on par with many African countries."

In other words, the Putin presidency has been an economic disaster for the Russian people. To the extent that Russia has prospered at all since the dawn of the Putin era in 1999, it's due entirely to its oil wealth. Putin has done nothing to develop a viable economy. Russia (population 146 million, according to Wikipedia) has a smaller GDP than South Korea (population 50 million).

Putin defenders will reply that it's not all his fault, that Russia's economy has been badly hurt by sanctions imposed by the West. But why did the U.S. and Europe impose sanctions on Russia? Here's where foreign policy comes in: Because Putin brazenly violated international law by invading Ukraine and annexing Crimea. His proxies even shot down a Malaysian jetliner, killing all 293 people on board, using a Russian-supplied antiaircraft missile. These are war crimes that cannot in good conscience be compared with anything that Obama has done.

Putin's actions, and in particular the annexation of Crimea, have been widely applauded by Russians who have been given a one-sided view of the world by his propaganda apparatus. The Kremlin's media lackeys claim that the Russia intervention in Ukraine was a response to the rise of fascists and neo-Nazis, rather than to the rise of a democratically elected, pro-Western government.

This is what makes Trump's claim that Putin has an 82 percent approval rating  and therefore he must be a good leader  so ridiculous. Sure, he's popular, but no alternative is allowed. As Human Rights Watch notes, "The Kremlin's crackdown on civil society, media and the Internet took a more sinister turn in 2015 as the government further intensified harassment and persecution of independent critics. For the fourth year in a row, parliament adopted laws and authorities engaged in repressive practices that increasingly isolated the country." Anyone who dares to openly criticize Putin risks going in to jail, exile or an early grave.

Putin is pursuing the classic despot's strategy: He is invading neighbors and beating the drums of war to distract his own people from his ruinous and tyrannical rule. He is not serving Russia's interests, only his own and those of his crooked cronies. It is terrifying that Trump sees Putin as an admirable leader, and shameful that his supporters have fallen in line to defend his indefensible views.

Max Boot is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times' opinion section, where this first appeared.
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By Michael Lindenberger

The longer this campaign lasts, the more I'm ready to believe Donald Trump is the Slim Shady of modern political journalism. He's been sent here to destroy us. Either that, or he's glommed onto the fatal weakness at its heart  and is doing whatever he can to let it destroy itself.

Whatever the case, the voodoo he has worked has been astonishing to see play out.

Trump's genius has been his willingness to say, do and propose things so outlandish, so unsettling in tone and substance  so disqualifying under the old rules  that they've caused the system to malfunction. Trump looks at the mainstream press as a man holding a stack of thick cardboard sheets might look at an office copy machine. He knows if he sticks enough of them through the copier at once, the machine will jam.

Trump is a walking, talking, tweeting robot of bad ideas, cheap instincts and demonstrable falsehoods. For months, he has jammed one astounding example of perfidy after another down America's throat. He knew sooner or later the political press would malfunction as it tried to keep up. This might be the week he gets what he's been waiting for.

Coverage of Hillary Clinton's pneumonia and her talk about Trump's "basket of deplorables" has perfectly illustrated why even some of this nation's best journalists can sometimes be so very bad at writing about politics.

Dan Balz at the Washington Post is one of the best in the business, but he just couldn't help hammering Clinton for attacking Trump's people as "deplorable." Attack Trump, he wrote? No problem, he wrote. Attack his people? Major party foul.

What rubbish. Lots of Trump's supporters are deplorable. There's nothing wrong with Clinton saying so. Some are racist, some are sexist, some are homophobic, just as she said. Some of his supporters just want to hang Clinton in effigy, or beat up protesters.

But half? I sure hope not. But Clinton conceded right from the top that she was speaking in bald generalities. Besides, she was telling her liberal supporters that while, yes, some Trump voters aren't reachable because of their biases, millions of his likely voters are not that at all. She said they support him because they are desperate for new leadership, new politics and for prosperity.

She's right, and the NeverTrumpers who overlook that are making a huge mistake.

Still, by Monday night, NPR's Mara Liasson was reporting that nothing seemed to be going right for Clinton. And when she took ill on Sunday, and it was revealed that she had known for two whole days that she had walking pneumonia and hadn't alerted the Republic, it wasn't just a mistake. It was proof, in many writers' eyes, that Clinton had trust issues.

Sure, the thinking went, her critics make up miserable lies about her all the time, and often enough. But if only she weren't so secretive, it wouldn't be quite so easy.

Ah, the horror. But what the handwringers miss is that for all his bluster, Trump remains very much a losing candidate. Sure, Clinton's chances of winning aren't quite where they were month ago, when The Upshot put her chances at 89 percent to Trump's 11. But they have positively soared from where they were in early June and much higher than in late July.

Even over at Fivethirtyeight.com, which also keeps a running forecast, Clinton is doing well. On Tuesday, it reported her chances at 69 percent, to Trump's 31 percent. Not a lock, but a nail biter? Hardly.

I am less worried about Clinton's chances than I am about what this election says about the press's structural defects. Because for all the talk that the media are biased, I believe the bigger problem for the media is structural. And the biggest flaw is tucked right inside one of the media's virtues: Modern political journalism can't abide an unfair fight and it's set up to value, even demand, a good contest.

This is how it works. Reporters, by instinct and training, look for the middle position. If nature abhors a vacuum, the political press equally abhors an outlier. So if every candidate in modern history has provided tax returns, and Trump doesn't? Then Trump is in for a beating. He's not staying in the boundaries of fair play, and, therefore, he's fair game for a drubbing.

Gary Hart gets caught with a mistress. He's hounded straight out of the race. Joe Biden lifts some lines from a British pol in a speech; he's done. George McGovern picks a running mate with a history of depression and shock treatment? So long Thomas Eagleton and hello Sergeant Shriver.

That's how the media play. You step out of line, and you get hammered. You either step back within the acceptable boundaries, if you can, or you keep getting hammered until you're done.

But what happens when a candidate never steps back in line? And he doesn't quit? And no matter how bad you bash him, he keeps giving you more reason?

The press, ever eager for a spot in the middle, stretches the boundaries all the way up to where Trump is. Trump creates a new normal. And so he suddenly finds himself back in the sweet spot. Way back on the other side of the field? That's Clinton, and every time she takes even the slightest stumble, she's going to get hammered now, too.

It keeps the race closer, less boring, and it enables the reporters to be right in the middle where they like to be, bashing one side then the other. It feels fair.

Only, it's not. It's not fair. And it's not good journalism, either.

Michael Lindenberger is a columnist for the Dallas Morning News. Contact him at mlindenberger@dallasnews.com.
The five most valuable brands in Vietnam according to Brand Finance.

The top five alone has a combined brand value of $3.6 billion.

Dairy giant Vinamilk has come out on top in a new list of 50 most valuable brands in Vietnam, surpassing other big state-owned enterprises.

U.K.-based consultancy firm Brand Finance released the list this week, ranking Vinamilk above military-run telecom firm Viettel and oil group PetroVietnam. The dairy company has a brand value of more than $1 billion, according to Brand Finance.

Telecom firm MobiFone and property conglomerate Vinhomes rounded up the top five, which has a combined value of around $3.6 billion, almost equal to the rest of the list.

VinaPhone, the other major player in the telecom market, is also among the top 10, together with brewer Sabeco, food producer Masan, tech giant FPT and VietinBank.

Lai Tien Manh, representative of Brand Finance in Vietnam, said many businesses in the country are not investing enough in protecting and promoting their brands, which are crucial intangible assets.

Manh said Vietnamese businesses need to be better prepared when new free trade agreements, particularly the Trans-Pacific Partnership, come into effect and open up the market to more foreign brands.

The rankings are hardly surprising. Vinamilk is well-known for a diverse portfolio of products ranging from milk and formula to yogurt and ice-cream.

The government currently holds a 45.1 percent stake in Vinamilk, which has for years been one of the countrys most sought-after equities. Officials have recently confirmed their plan to sell shares in the company later this year.

Related news:

> Ten Vietnamese brands make it into Asias top 1,000

> Vietnam to divest from dairy giant Vinamilk in privatization push
The lesson of Gordon Brown is clear: dont even hint at an early election unless youre totally resolved on it, because backtracking makes you look frightened and weak.

So we shouldnt expect Downing Street to be thinking aloud on the topic. But Theresa Mays actions since getting the keys to Number 10 make it very difficult to see how she plans to govern until 2020 without one.

Yesterday, my colleague Mark Wallace highlighted the fact that The Times had opened fire on her new Government in an editorial.

Its criticisms were quite widespread, encompassing both grammar schools and the Prime Ministers lack of zeal for authoritarian public health policies, for which the paper is something of a cheerleader. But beyond individual policies one part stands out:

Political honeymoons are earned through party or national election victories. So far Mrs May has won neither, unlike her predecessor. She seems intent even so on jettisoning some of his better policies while sticking to his worstA fondness for decision-making that ignores the evidence instead of paying close attention to it is only making matters worse.

Nor is this the only time when Mays lack of an election win will be cited against her: it was pointed out to me recently that the House of Lords would not be exceeding its conventional constitutional authority by trying to hold up grammar schools as long as it could because the policy was not in the Governments election manifesto.

All of this is before we consider the looming prospect of a rearguard action by Cameroon maquisards, the leadership of whom George Osborne is openly auditioning for in the Sun. The Prime Ministers bold clear out of the Cabinet means that this group could negate the Governments majority without too much difficultly.

May clearly has no intention of simply providing continuity for somebody elses programme, and this may be no bad thing. After all, the Cameron/Osborne project was dreamed up in the mid-2000s, in political circumstances vastly different from todays.

With new research finding that more than 50 per cent of the electorate hold right-of-centre political views, theres a strong case to be made that Mayism represents a shift in Conservative thinking towards the new centre. In contrast, the liberal, mainstream majority talked up by the former Chancellor could well be that of 2005.

Given the state that Labour is in, the Conservatives may have to stay in power for a long time if the dire prospect of a Labour-led coalition of the defeated lurching into office, with the sole intention of introducing a chaotic new voting system, is to be averted.

Doing so will require the tricky feat of renewal, whilst in office, of both personnel and policy. Again, Mays decisions since winning the leadership could be seen as recognition of this fact.

But her opponents can and will latch on to her lack of a mandate for any bold new vision, not least because of the unsatisfactory manner (not of her making) by which she won the Conservative leadership. They will also exploit the Governments small majority in the Commons and its weakness in the Lords.

So its difficult to reconcile the Prime Ministers evident ambitions with the realities of her circumstances. Yet tellingly, its not obvious that shes actually trying to do so.

If Mays purge of the Cameroons were not a declaration of intent, the grammar schools decision has a stronger claim to be so. It brings her into conflict not just with the Tory left but, crucially, with a very vocal section of the broader liberal-left establishment.

Should these forces combine to stop her, as it seems they will, we can see how Number 10 might make the case to the voters that alas, the politicking others has forced her to go to the country.

The benefits to the Prime Minister are clear: an opportunity to exploit her honeymoon to secure an electoral smash; a direct mandate for her own policies; and, in all likelihood, a majority sufficient to pull the teeth from the die-hard Cameroon rearguard.

It even provides a plausible way to get around the challenges posed by the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act: can Labour and the Liberal Democrats justify wholesale opposition to the Government in the Lords if they shrink from an opportunity to contest a general election?

Of course, there are clear downsides too, not least of which is fighting an election on the current boundaries, which favour Labour. It also only extends the Governments lifespan by at most a couple of years, compared to an election in 2018 or later (although it would afford the opportunity to dismantle the FPTP before the next one).

But spending four years playing defensively on domestic policy between now and the scheduled election in 2020, and risking her premiership being entirely defined by Brexit, is clearly not on Mays agenda, and charting a bold new course in present circumstances may not be possible.
A ditch in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang has been parched for months due to the fierce drought. Photo by VnExpres/Cuu Long

Some scientists are calling the plan to create rain using chemicals "crazy".

A Vietnamese company has submitted a plan on rainfall management to the Prime Minister, asking for the government to pour $22.5 million into the project, Dan Tri News reported Thursday.

The man behind the plan, Phan Dinh Phuong, head of the An Sinh Green Science & Technology Company, said that he came up with the idea after seeing thousands of Vietnams rice fields ruined by the worst drought to hit the country in almost a century.

The plan will regulate rainfall to provide water to dry areas and prevent floods in large cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Phuong said that his company intends to spray silver iodide and locally-produced chemicals skywards to form heavy clouds and rain. They will also suck up seawater to create rain out at sea, preventing torrential rains from reaching the mainland.

Phuong has asked for the government to invest VND5 trillion ($22.5 million) to establish 1,000 control stations across the country.

My plan will work, for sure. However, its effects depend on the funding as one control will have a lot less impact than 100 stations. We have to install stations on a large scale to see the changes.

Despite his good intentions, many Vietnamese scientists think that Phuongs plan is unrealistic and wasteful.

Physicist Nguyen Van Khai said: We cant implement a crazy plan like this while the country is facing a serious budget deficit. We cant prevent drought so we should take advantage of what Mother Nature gives us to survive.

Dr. Chau Ngoc Diep from Vietnams Academy of Science and Technology shared the same opinion. I dont know where they will buy the equipment and facilities, or how these gadgets are created and operate. The scheme is too adventurous and risky.

The Vietnamese government has assigned seven ministries to work on the plan, but no official announcement has been made so far.

Related news:

> Drought and salinity rock Vietnam's economy in first half of 2016

> Heavy rains turn Saigon airport to seaport
French actress Catherine Deneuve will be in Vietnam this November for the 4th Hanoi International Film Festival. Photo by AFP

Indochine star Catherine Deneuve and director Regis Wargnier will attend as special guests in November.

The Hanoi International Film Festival aims to be bigger and better this year by featuring, for the first time, movies from outside the Asia-Pacific region in the main competition.

Around 300 features and 200 short films have been submitted to the festival's fourth edition, which will run between November 1 and 5.

Entries come from over 40 countries and territories including Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, the U.K. and U.S. Earlier editions of the festival only highlighted movies from Asia Pacific.

Organizers said around 100 submissions will be selected for awards.

French actress Catherine Deneuve, who won high acclaims for her performance in the Oscar-winning "Indochine" (1992), will be a special guest at the event, together with the film's director Regis Wargnier, the organizers have confirmed.

As a young and lesser-known event, the Hanoi festival may have difficulties attracting big-name filmmakers and actors. But organizers are also hoping to secure "Son of Saul", the Oscar foreign-language film winner last year, for at least a special screening.

The festival will give out awards for best picture, best short film, best directors in both categories, best actor and actress, audiences choice award for the most beloved picture, and an award from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC).

Screenings will be open for free at the National Screening Center, Kim Dong, Thang Tam, Ngoc Khanh and CGV cinemas, besides outdoor shows in front of Hanoi Opera House on the nights of November 2, 3 and 4.

Filmmakers at the festival can join conferences and events to seek partners and investors, or opportunities to be promoted at larger festivals in Berlin, Cannes and Hong Kong.

In 2014, the festival named Russias critically-acclaimed Two Women as the best picture while Iranian Allen Dizon won best director.

Related news:

> Vietnam movie 'Yellow Flowers' to vie for Oscar's Best Foreign Film

> 69th Cannes Film Festival kicks off
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Or to put it in more concrete terms, your $80 ticket is suddenly worth about thirty grand.

Staying in a swanky, secret room inside the iconic castle will already be the high point of your kid's life. Everything else has to be downhill from there: Bitter disappointment after bitter disappointment until they finally disappear down a bottle. And the room is just the beginning!



Which is a pretty bold statement to make about a room with literal chunks of gold in the floor.

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Dinner is at the Royal Table restaurant, where your special guest is none other than Cinderella herself, who is practically obligated to indulge your child's every fantastical question, and begrudgingly tolerate your thinly veiled innuendos. You also get access to a special viewing room inside the castle for the fireworks show -- literally looking down on the plebian masses below. After the park closes, and everyone has left, you're given free run of the entire Magic Kingdom. That's right: All to yourself.

It's Cartmanland come true.

Once you finally tire of being flung about by complicated devices with cartoon faces, the Disney Dream Team will escort you back to your room, complete with awaiting desserts. Or, if you aren't tired yet, you can use their color-changing bathtub and carry on Disney's long tradition of slipping dicks into seemingly wholesome properties.
In this issue: interview with Nicolas Veron, and the latest podcast  on recent EU measures to tackle the energy crisis.
The Advisory Board for the Wild Horse and Burro Program recently met in Elko. I became depressed listening to the program updates, which were basically descriptions of gloom and doom. Then I saw a chance at hope from an action taken by the advisory board.

First came the gloom and doom. The national WHBP is crippled by the cost of maintaining the 46,000 horses being held in long-term facilities. These horses require $49 million, about two-thirds of the programs annual budget. This leaves little money for management of free-living horses.

Over the next three years, the WHBP has budgeted only enough money to yearly gather 3,500 excess wild horses across the West. This at a time when 67,000 horses live on public lands and the nationwide Appropriate Management Level (AML) is no more than 27,000. The program will only gather 3,500 horses since that number would replace the estimated number of horses that might be adopted each year plus the number of horses in long-term holding facilities that might die. The program will not allow any additional horses into long-term facilities.

This national problem is affecting Nevada. Far too many wild horses live on Nevada rangelands, causing huge damage to our range. Of Nevadas 83 Herd Management Areas (HMA), 72 contain more horses than their AMLs say should be there. The state has 41,437 wild horses living on the range where the statewide AML states there should only be 12,811 horses.

During 2015, only 1,640 excess horses were removed from the states HMAs. None of these removals were designed to reduce horse populations, but to rescue horses lacking forage or water. During 2015, only 111 Nevada horses were adopted out.

Nevada wild horses are leaving their HMAs in search for food and water. They are entering private property where they create problems at springs and hayfields. They are creating safety concerns on highways. The WHBP understands that large-scale die-offs are bound to occur as range conditions deteriorate, but they have no emergency plan for such an event. A die-off involving thousands of horses could easily happen if they lose access to water. Alan Shepard, the Nevada lead for the program, said if we dont find a solution, we will have a catastrophe.

Worst of all is the knowledge that these excess wild horses are destroying range conditions. Most HMAs have not seen livestock for years so only wild horses are responsible for the present damage, exacerbated by the current drought. This damage is affecting area wildlife and will require decades for the land to recover, if it can recover at all.

Then came a faint glimmer of hope. Before the meeting, the advisory board toured areas of Elko County to see firsthand the damage from too many wild horses. They visited Dolly Varden Spring, which I described in an earlier column. The tour obviously impressed them and during the meeting, they repeatedly mentioned the damage they saw.

On the second day, the advisory board passed a significant recommendation to the WHBP. It states that some of the excess horses being held in long-term facilities, those deemed unadoptable, need to be either euthanized or sold without restrictions. The advisory board recognizes that only with these horses gone, along with their cost, can enough horses be removed from public lands to lessen the damage to the rangeland.

They know this recommendation has no chance of being acted upon, but they hope it will bring enough attention to the problem that the BLM and/or the U.S. Congress will be compelled to do something. This might entail removing excess horses from long-term facilities or it might mean an increase to the programs budget.

It has to mean something when the advisory board to the WHBP makes this type of recommendation, right? Lets hope so.
If you have driven from Las Vegas to Los Angeles lately you probably have noticed the huge Ivanpah solar energy plant located in the California Mojave Desert. Employing 173,500 heliostats that focus sunlight on a central boiler tower, the project feeds 400 megawatts into the electrical power grid. It is currently the worlds largest solar thermal power station.

The $ 2.2 billion project was mainly funded by the US government (73 percent), NRG Energy (14 percent) and Google (8 percent). While this may be a proud event for those who want to rid the earth of fossil fuels, the project at this point is in serious trouble because it is producing only about half of its expected annual output. The California Energy Commission promptly issued a statement blaming this on clouds, jet contrails and weather. Another obvious problem is that the plant cannot provide power to its customers at night.

If there were only some way of storing the excess thermal energy that solar power offers we could easily solve the growing energy needs of our world in a green way, with limited pollution. During the peak sunlight hours, the earth receives over one kilowatt per square meter of solar radiation.

Statistics show that the average American home uses a little more than one kilowatt of power when you average it out for the entire year. Homes in hot southern states double this number due to air conditioning, those in the northeast also double due to electric heat in the winter. This says that if you could somehow extract the sunlight energy falling on a typical driveway you would be able to power your house and cut your electric bill to zero.

New advances in electrical solar cells have dropped the prices to less than a dollar per watt for the raw silicon component, meaning an investment of a few thousand dollars could free you from the electric company but you would have to build it yourself. Still, what do you do for power in the evening  the time when most everyone is home?

One technique that has been available for 50 years is to place the excess thermal energy from a solar receiver into a material and heat it up. You would be surprised to find out how much energy can be stored in just heating up a tank of water. A typical 40 gallon hot water tank at 60 degrees Celsius stores over 20 million joules of thermal energy, enough to run a home for five hours if you could somehow convert that into electrical power.

A better method is to heat up materials that change phase such as certain low temperature melting chemical salts because you can store huge amounts of energy in a phase changing material. One that has been used for years is Glaubers salt, sodium sulfate, which melts at 32 Celsius, just above room temperature. You can store over 250 kilojoules per kilogram just by melting this material and you get it back later on when it freezes. If you mix in sodium chloride you can get the melting point down to 18 degrees and store even more energy per kilogram.

With this thought in mind, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energys Argonne National Laboratory have designed an inexpensive thermal energy storage system that will be significantly smaller and perform more than 20 times better than current thermal systems.

Their goal is a national collaborative effort to make unsubsidized solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity production by 2020. While this may seem like a tall order, the team is building a pilot-scale prototype of their high-efficiency latent heat thermal energy storage system for testing.

Just like the above mentioned Glaubers salt technique the Argonnes thermal energy storage system relies on a phase-change material to store the daytime solar energy. Their claim to fame involves an improvement in the existing thermal conductivity of the salts used. By integrating a high heat conductivity graphite foam into the mixture, the thermal energy transfer is significantly more efficient and still provides up to 8 to 12 hours of energy storage  a typical night of storage for a concentrating solar power plant. This combination reduces the overall amount of material needed to build the system and its cost.

According to Dr. Dileep Singh, leader of Argonnes Thermal-Mechanical Technologies group, the graphite particles trap the salts in pores and help speed up melting and freezing process.

Phase-change materials tend to have low conductivity but meet the heat energy storage requirements, said Singh, High-conductivity graphite foam meets the conductivity requirements, so we thought: why not combine the two?

Their pilot-scale modular system will be tested this fall and could expand on applications, such as providing back-up power or storing waste heat from another energy source.
ELKO  Volunteers are needed for beautification and restoration efforts on public lands at South Fork State Recreation Area/South Fork Canyon, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sept. 24.

Volunteers will plant trees, construct bird houses, place a new fence crossing passage and complete general beautification projects in the area.

Volunteer registration begins at 8 a.m. at the overlook parking lot at the end of the main road near the walking gate to the dam. Volunteers will receive free admission to South Fork State Park and lunch and water will be provided.

The event is rain or shine and volunteers are advised to dress appropriately and bring work gloves. Some walking will be involved to the work sites. Be prepared to get dirty.

Each fourth Saturday in September Americans set aside one day to celebrate and give back to the lands. This year across Nevada and the nation, volunteers will be celebrating the 23rd annual National Public Lands Day and the 40th anniversary of the Federal Land Policy Management Act.

Elkos National Public Lands Day event is a cooperative event with Nevada State Parks, Nevada Division of Forestry, Northeastern Nevada Stewardship Group, and the BLM Elko District.

For more information contact Mike Setlock at 753-0212 or msetlock@blm.gov; or Kevin Fromherz at the South Fork State Recreation Area, 775-744-4346, southforkranger2@gmail.com.
ELKO  Compassion and care are the underlying features that make the new High Desert Imaging center a vital addition to the community, according to administrator Steve Mims.

The business recently opened at 976 Mountain City Highway. Services offered include MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, mammography, bone density testing and CT scans.

We had heard there was some unrest in the community with the hospital, said Mims, who explained that physicians at the parent company had exposure to reading imagery here through Nevada Rural Hospital Partners.

In January the business plan came together and Tahoe Carson Radiology decided to expand into the Elko area with High Desert Imaging.

Physicians from the main office rotate here on a regular basis. The company also practices teleradiology, which allows radiologists to make a diagnosis from a distance.

People are coming in and telling us how happy they are to be able to have a choice, said Mims.

The business will start conducting mammograms on Sept. 19. They have all of the equipment in place but are waiting on the final state certification. They are currently accepting appointments for mammograms.

Half of the women in this community are not getting screened, said Mims.

Mims is working with city officials in an effort to make members of the community more aware of how important is it for women to have this testing.

October is breast cancer awareness month and Mims hopes to turn the town pink every evening with the help of local businesses. He hopes businesses will switch to pink outdoor lighting for the entire month.

The radiology clinic takes all types of insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and workers comp. They have a discount and payment plan for uninsured patients.

The staff at High Desert Imaging consists of trained professionals. Some technicians have even completed their studies at Great Basin College through its radiology program.

MRI technician and manager Jenn Cambra seems happy with her new position at High Desert Imaging.

I wanted to be a part of HDI because I knew it would be good for the community, she said.
ELKO  Where do you stand on the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution? A packed lecture hall and satellite classrooms furthered the conversation on the subject Wednesday.

Recently at the state level, Question 1 has brought gun rights to the forefront as the initiative focuses on background checks.

Constitution Day was celebrated by Great Basin College with a lecture delineating and discussing the meaning of the aforementioned amendment through a video lecture by Jeff Williams, Family Court Master Andrew Mierins and Elko Police Chief Ben Reed.

Constitution Day is to be observed around Sept. 17, when the final draft of the document was signed in 1787. It is also a requirement of the Department of Education, stated GBC.

The first speaker of the evening was Mierins, who was asked to present on the history of the Second Amendment.

This was started by speaking about how the amendment was originally proposed by James Madison.

I talked a little bit about the debate, the two sides, whether the Second Amendment confers a collective right as opposed to an individual right, and then I sort of went through what the United States Supreme Court has said about the Second Amendment, he said.

Mierins called the 2008 landmark case of District of Columbia v. Heller the first significant case  that dealt with the concept of whether or not the Second Amendment was an individual right.

Before that, most cases concerned federalism and focused on the amendments application to the states compared to the federal government.

The Second Amendment, as I started off by saying, is a hotly debated topic politically, but the courts have dealt with it very little, said Mierins, explaining this election cycle the electorate will have the chance to vote on issues involving it.

Williams is a local gun historian. The video was done by GBC Professor Wendy Charlebois and Dr. Scott Gavorsky.

Williams touched upon many subjects, including the shooting in San Bernardino last year, while providing answers to questions such as how to buy a gun and how to ensure safe gun practices.

I think, in the future, weve got to be less afraid of guns and more respectful of them, but we need to recognize that what we do as law abiding citizens, and the laws that we make ... can have very little effect on the bad guys, he said, explaining it should be ensured the former group has the ability to protect themselves because the latter group will always be there.

Between this presentation and Reeds speech the audience was shown two videos about current regulatory efforts with guns, especially in the wake firearm violence.

Both showcased speeches by President Barack Obama. The first was from January where he outlined proposals to reduce gun violence. The second was from a town hall meeting depicting a conversation between a gun owner and the president.

The overall comment Ill make is that, when it comes to legislating our actions  local, state or federal legislators  we have to be careful  that we dont broad brush and take huge swings at things, said Reed, stating public policy cannot be generalized.

The discussion stated there are a variety of legitimate uses for firearms  including antique collecting and recreation  and the idea of a redress of grievances. Additionally, he discussed federal regulation oversight of firearms as well as Nevada Revised Statutes and its section identifying and defining those prohibited to possess a firearm.

Following that, he brought up the ability to redress grievances against the government by petitioning the courts.

The chief also pointed out that, as recently as World War II, there was a possibility of invasion in the U.S., hence the need for the Second Amendment as a personal and militia-based right in more modern settings.

As far as concealed carry permits go, when discussing local enforcement of gun laws, out of several thousand holders in Elko County, authorities rarely encounter issues with them.

Reed further cautioned the audience when arguing about the type of tool. Arguments need to be formulated in a precise manner.

Mental health is a big issue in much of the violence seen in the country, he said, which, in his personal opinion, needs to be addressed in a better manner.

When it comes to the Constitution, its a brilliant document  because it stood the test of time, he said.

Public Reception

Mierins commented that it is beneficial to have a public forum discussing the principal document and be able to educate about it.

Its certainly the foundation of the system that we live in here in this country and even in our own state, he said.

Im always interested in Constitutional issues and in enlightening myself, said Elko County Republican Party Chairman Lee Hoffman. It was a very good, balanced discussion here tonight and I thought they did a great job with it.

The chairman found Mierins discussion concerning the history to be interesting and enlightening, stating he has not heard many of the judges arguments before. Hoffman was also able to learn from Williams discussion.

I personally am opposed to Question 1 and so is the Elko County Republican Party, he said. We dont believe that it will resolve any issues and, as the police chief pointed out, it will make additional felonies for things that really shouldnt be felonies.

Thomas Stafford remarked he was there out of general interest. It helped him reaffirm some of his beliefs in the Second Amendment, but also helped him learn other viewpoints.

One of his beliefs is that, The mentally ill and felons shouldnt have firearms, but at the same time who defines mental illness? It is the doctors? Is it society? said Stafford. Who defines which mental illnesses qualify to have your firearms taken away?

He was curious about if his last question would be up for debate or placed on a broad spectrum, making a comparison to the no-fly list.

Id say Im more on the liberal spectrum of guns, but, at the same time, I dont want to take an innocent persons rights away, he said.
back

better

"He's Black Council,", I said.

"Or maybe stupid," Ebenezar countered.

I thought about it. "Not sure which is scarier."

Ebenezar blinked at me, then snorted. "Stupid, Hoss. Every time. Only so many blackhearted villains in the world, and they only get uppity on occasion. Stupid's everywhere, every day." Ebenezar McCoy

This deprecation of individual freedom was objectionable to me. I am convinced now, as I was then, that man is an end because he is a child of God. Man is not made for the state; the state is made for man. To deprive man of freedom is to relegate him to the status of a thing, rather than elevate him to the status of a person. Man must never be treated as means to the end of the state; but always as an end within himself." Dr. M.L. King Jr.

Y'all got on this boat for different reasons, but y'all come to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you than I have before. Maybe all. Sure as I know anything, I know this - they will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, ten? They'll swingto the belief that they can make people.... And I do not hold to that. So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave. - Capt. MalGeek with a .45A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition
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Rising Star Park Place Buys 20-Person Data Center Maintenance Power

Michael Novinson

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Park Place Technologies has purchased a European enterprise storage support provider as it looks to ramp up mergers and acquisitions with new private equity backing.

The Mayfield Heights, Ohio-based company, No. 237 on the 2016 CRN Solution Provider 500, said acquiring 20-person Com-Com will make it easier to provide around-the-clock engineering support to U.S.-based multinational firms doing business in Europe, according to Park Place CEO Ed Kenty.

The Com-Com deal is the first in what's expected to be a series of acquisitions intended to strengthen Park Place's geographic reach and capabilities in high-demand areas such as enterprise-level backline storage, Kenty said. Park Place had only done one acquisition in its history prior to being acquired by private firm equity GTCR, he said, but now hopes to do two or three acquisitions per year going forward.

[Related: Private Equity Goliath GTCR Buys Fast-Growth Phenom Park Place]

"The bigger you get, the harder it is to sustain 25 percent growth per year," Kenty told CRN. "We had an acquisition strategy  we just didn't have the resources to go after it [before GTCR}."

The Com-Com acquisition will make it possible for Park Place to develop in-country capabilities and expand to support European companies locally rather than just following American companies such as Exxon Mobil abroad, Kenty said. Com-Com's engineers are mostly based in the United Kingdom, Kenty said, but the company also has a presence in Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium.

"We're dealing with expats, and we want to build out some bandwidth," Kenty said.

Com-Com works largely with midmarket customers, Kenty said, and is strong in verticals such as financial services and manufacturing. Com-Com's client base is pretty diversified, Kenty said, meaning the company doesn't derive a large share of its overall revenue from a single customer.

Park Place first established a European footprint in April 2015 when it opened an office in the United Kingdom, Kenty said, but the company wanted someone local to give it an additional jolt of capabilities. Com-Com's familiarity with vendors such as HP and Hitachi means that Park Place won't have to be as dependent on U.S. engineering teams providing off-hours support to European clients.

Prior to establishing a footprint overseas, Kenty said Park Place largely relied on subcontractors to serve business units operating in Europe. Former Com-Com Director Ian Shearer will become Park Place's general manager of U.K. operations, the company said, and all of its employees except for one co-founder will join Park Place.

Park Place has a list of acquisition targets -- Com-Com appeared on the international list - and Kenty said GTCR has helped qualify the company's leads. The company has a domestic acquisition in the pipeline that it expects to close by the end of the year, Kenty said, as well as two acquisitions that it expects to close next year.

Park Place plans to extend some of its professional services capabilities around assessments, networking and storage to existing Com-Com clients, Kenty said. The company prefers to focus on contract-level work and add on professional services as a convenience to customers, he said.

Park Place was one of just 26 Triple Crown Winners in 2014, meaning the company appeared in the SP 500, Fast Growth 150 and Tech Elite 250, which recognizes partners with the highest level of certifications from major vendors. Park Place appeared again this year on the SP 500  moving up 33 spots from No. 270 last year  as well as the Fast Growth 150.
After a resident complained that a lack of members had left the Shelton Board of Ethics defunct, the Board of Alderman this month refurbished the committee and appointed three new members.

I wish the three the best of luck, but its not the Board of Ethics I would like to see, said Alderman John Finn.

In July, Greg Tetro went to file a complaint with the board, but found out that the five member board had too many vacanies to hold a quorum and hadnt met since October 2013.

A Hearst Media Group analysis in August found that municipal Boards of Ethics throughout the Naugatuck Valley and Fairfield County had been inactive, disbanded or left toothless over the years.

The Shelton Board of Alderman appointed Thomas McGorty (R), William McCart (U), and Dr. Jeff A. Forte (D) to the committee on Sept. 8. They join the two existing members for a full five-member roster.

The vacancies happened over time. Jack Dyson resigned from the Board of Ethics commission to work in the office of Mayor December 2013 and Walter Drozack left the next month due to an illness in the family. Last year John Bashar also resigned from the Board of Ethics to become the administrative assistant to Mayor Mark Lauretti.

Finn, who is recovering from back surgery, did not attend the meeting in which the new officials were appointed. However, he put in a name of a former attorney as a recommendation to sit on the Board of Ethics and could not understand why she was not appointed by the other Aldereman.

Id like to know who made the final selection and why a person with an impeccable resume didnt get in? said Finn. Shes an attorney. She knows the law. Shes been quiet involved in activities throughout the state.

Finn said the number one thing to look when selecting the ideal candidate for capable of filling a position on the board of ethics is knowledge of the law.

Bashar was an attorney, Finn said. Now we go ahead and appoint two people who know nothing of the law as I see it. Im just flabbergasted.

Alderman Jim Capra said that it would be nice to have a female member of the currently all-male committee, but having an attorney was not a necessity.

We already have corporate council attorneys, Capra said. If we have a person with a legal issue than we bring it to the corporate council. Everyone thought it was kind of conflicting. I dont think shed be a bad candidate, but its a little conflicting.

Finding people who were interested was the biggest problem, John Anglace, the president of the Board of Alderman, said.

I wish more would want to, but many people dont have the time, Anglace said. And another problem is under the charter, you cant appoint more than two from one party.

Anglace said that the biggest thing to look for, perhaps this is true of boards across the state, is people who will protect the privacy of the people. He added that people often use ethics committees to create a negative image of another person which may or may not be true.

The commission finds out the probable cause of this and whether or not its true, said Anglace. You have to ask questions - evaluate. Those are the kind of people we look for.

Capra said that time will tell how well the new appointments will do and he will be keeping an eye on their performance.

We try to pick people that will represent the people and hope the people we appoint will do that, said Jim Capra. If we find theyre not working in the best interest of the city.
Bridgeport  A free workshop on how to get money for college will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20 at Housatonic Community College.

The workshop will feature Dave Weyner, a college funding expert. He will discuss how to get kids into the college of their dreams without going broke.
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DANBURY  Cara Battaglia has her 21 fourth-graders focused on a projection screen, pondering why an author repeated the word suitcase so often in his story, when two boys walk in who need directions to another classroom.

Does anybody know Portuguese? Battaglia says, looking to her class sitting cross-legged on the carpet with their pencils poised. When a student offers to translate, Battaglia leaves the group with her volunteer interpreter to direct the boys where they need to go.

The interruption was one of many  to field a question or ask a student to focus  as Battaglia multitasked her way through a reading class at the bustling South Street School in downtown Danbury.

Only 17 miles away in the Region 12 School District, at Roxburys Booth Free School, views of the bucolic New England landscape added to a serene classroom scene as 12 fourth-graders gathered around teacher Pam Lucchesis smartboard, playing an interactive math game.

Although the contrast in atmosphere of the two classes was hard to miss, important similarities were equally apparent between Region 12, where more money is spent per pupil than anywhere in the state, and Danbury, which has one of Connecticuts lowest per-pupil spending rates.

During informal classroom visits last week by The News-Times, students in both places clearly knew how to follow classroom rules. They knew the answers to questions their teachers expected them to have. And in both classes, students were consistently challenged to think critically and act collaboratively.

What is a compound subject? Lucchesi asked during a reading lesson. What is a compound?

Two words, said a girl with a long, brown ponytail.

Two words that make one meaning, Lucchesi said. Like schoolhouse.

Outside observations about a single class on a random day cannot represent the whole experience of school districts in Danbury and Region 12. But the similarities and contrasts of the fourth-grade classes help illustrate the stakes involved in the landmark ruling earlier this month in a long-running lawsuit over Connecticuts system of public education.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher upheld the states claim it was providing minimally adequate funding to Connecticuts neediest districts, including Danbury. But the judge also ruled elements of the public education system are irrational and unconstitutional, partly vindicating the claim of Danbury and other urban districts that sued the state for their fair share of education funding.

The judge gave the state six months to revise the way it distributes education aid, among other orders, so growing districts such as Danbury  with scores of students from poor homes where English is not the first language  are given extra resources.

The state has said it will appeal the part of the judges decision that calls for changes in public education policy. It is too soon to say what the result of an appeal will be, but it seems likely the funding disparity in neighboring school districts such as Danbury and Region 12 will continue while the case is fought in Supreme Court.

Danbury differs from Region 12, not only because its enrollment is growing by 2 percent a year while Region 12s is decreasing, but because many city students come from homes with fewer resources than homes in Roxbury.

More than half of Danburys 11,000 students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, and 23 percent of the citys student population speaks English as a second language, according to data collected by the nonprofit Connecticut School Finance Project. The city spends about $12,000 for each student in a state where the average per-pupil spending is $15,400.

In contrast, Region 12  which encompasses Washington, Bridgewater and Roxbury  expects its 730 students to drop to 540 in 2025. It has so few students who qualify for the federal lunch program that the state suppresses the number to protect the students identity, the Connecticut School Finance Project said. Just 2 percent of Region 12 students speak English as a second language. The district spends an average of $28,000 to educate one student for one year.

Contrasting classes

Externally, the contrast is easily seen between Lucchesis 12 fourth-graders in Roxbury and Battaglias 21 fourth-graders in Danbury.

In Roxbury, the well-stocked resources and well-organized supplies take up most of the space in Lucchesis bright and comfortable classroom. The educational posters are professionally printed, and everything from the technology to the furniture is either new or like-new.

Are we clear on all our primes and composites and squares and factors and multiples  all that new vocabulary we learned in the last four or five days? Lucchesi asks.

Yes, the kids assure her.

To be sure they retain what they have learned, she uses her smartboard  an electronic screen that allows her to manipulate computer images with markers. After she explains to the kids she wants them to copy only the essential part of a math terms definition, she circles the phrase she wants them to use and strikes out the rest in red.

So this is like a math dictionary, a student says.

This is how we should take notes, the teacher says.

There are just 85 students in the six-classroom Booth Free School building, which has been built around Roxburys original one-room schoolhouse. The only interruption during an informal visit Thursday morning was an early autumn breeze that was a bit too strong, which was fixed by closing one of the large white-paned windows.

In Danbury, Battaglias fourth-graders take up most of the space in the well-worn classroom. English is the only language spoken in class, although the diversity of the kids is clear by names on the board, such as Deysi, Reynel, Leighana and Shadazhya. The bustle of the building with its 19 classrooms and 400 students is not unlike the beat on Danburys Main Street, a half-block from the school.

Battaglia has a piano concerto playing as background music during writing time, while she takes groups of five aside personally and edits their reading journals. Her task is to keep multiple students engaged independently.

Why is this so important? How does the character act? Battaglia asks a boy with glasses in her small-group discussion while handing an edited journal back to another student. Hes a kid, but what does he have to act like?

An adult, the boy with glasses says.

Exactly, says Battaglia. Write about that.

Although Battaglia was up to each task and could always gain the childrens attention, she could have used another adult with her.

South Street School Principal Heather Pellicone agreed, saying she would give aides to multiple teachers in her building if her budget allowed it.

Cara is one of my rock stars, Pellicone said. Every day is like juggling 50 balls in the air.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
BRIDGEPORT  A Shelton lawyer accused by the state of raping a 12-year-old now faces federal charges that he produced child pornography later used to blackmail the victim as an adult.

Peter Kruzynski, 50, was released this week on a $250,000 bond, and will have his location and electronic devices monitored, according to a criminal complaint announced by Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Thats in addition to the $77,500 bond for pending sexual assault charges.

In addition to allegedly raping the 12-year-old victim between 2009 and 2016, the federal complaint contends Kruzynski also used his Apple iPhone to take photographs of the victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The victim was a minor at the time the photographs were taken.

Prosecutors say Kruzynski later used the images to blackmail the victim into having sex with him as an 18-year-old.

Kruzynski has not entered a plea, according to his lawyer, and is scheduled to appear in a Derby court on Monday.

I will continue the defense of my client in this matter and in the related state cases, said Eugene Riccio, Kruzynskis Bridgeport-based attorney.

The state cases include first-, second- and fourth-degree sexual assault charges and two counts of risk of injury and impairing the morals of minor.

At the time of his arrest on Aug. 20, Kruzynski operated out of a law office on Howe Avenue and Colonial Village Condominium Association, Inc., in Shelton. He claimed to specialize in banking, bankruptcy, commercial law and debt collections.

Now Kruzynski is wearing an ankle bracelet and facing decades behind bars if convicted. The charge of producing child pornography alone carries a 15-year minimum sentence and a maximum penalty of 30, and he is also charged with possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum term of 10 years.

This story includes information reported by The Associated Press.
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At Jettie S. Tisdale Elementary School in Bridgeport, a class of eighth graders dressed in a uniform of light polo shirts and pants sit in neat rows of desks facing the front of the room.

At the back of the room, a large window is covered with construction paper to mask a distracting view straight into the school cafeteria. Math teacher Elizabeth Capasso says she cant imagine what the architect was thinking, her students dont need any more distraction than life in a poor city provides 13- and 14-year-olds every day.

After using a white board for nearly an hour to teach students how to multiply integers, Capasso passes out worksheets. The 17 students work quietly, hands raised only if they need help. Then a midmorning snack of fresh cut pineapple is delivered to the second floor classroom - the perk of having an entire student body that qualifies for free lunch. The pineapple gets everyone excited.

Snack means we are still working, Capasso said to quiet the noise. Gentlemen, you should be working not talking.

Twelve miles away on the second floor of Madison Middle School in Trumbull, an equally engaged group of eight graders in Angela Carons class is devouring geometric sequencing before being introduced to fractals - or endlessly repeating patterns - all in the span of a 46-minute algebra lesson.

In Carons Trumbull class, there are no uniforms. Students wear an assortment of t-shirts, shorts and pants.

The multiplication of integers was something most of the Trumbull students learned in seventh grade - some at the tail end of sixth grade, Caron said.

Thats not eighth grade math, Capasso agreed of her lesson. But they need it. They dont have that foundational skills. The kids come to us with gaps.

Some of the deficit can be attributed to a change to a tougher Common Core curriculum four years ago. But Trumbull made the same switch.

The bigger issue for Bridgeport students, Capasso has concluded, is that growing up on the East End of a city where shootings are common and violence a given, means living with a stress that makes remembering what they learn difficult.

There were days (last year) I couldnt teach, they were in such a state, Capasso said of her students. And that state disrupted the class.

What they need, Capasso, said, is more time, additional support and extra resources to level the playing field.

A ray of hope

A Superior Courts decision to force the state to reorganize its spending and put teeth into what it expects Connecticut public school graduates to know, gave Capasso and others hope that changes may be on the horizon.

Judge Thomas Moukawsher did not take issue with the amount the state spends on education but said the way the money is doled out to districts is irrational and unconstitutional. He ordered the state to come up with a more rational funding scheme within six months.

The state is now appealing the case, but a number of educators, lawmakers, and even the attorney general who is defending the state, say Moukawsher has highlighted problems that need attention.

Nothing about this appeal prevents policymakers from immediately addressing those challenges and I urge them to do so without delay, Attorney General George Jepsen said this week.

For Capasso, who testified during the six-month trial known as Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding v. Rell, change cant come soon enough.

Discrepancy in test scores

Virtually all students in Bridgeport qualify for free or reduced price lunch, based on family income. In Trumbull, where the median family income is over $108,000, fewer than 10 percent of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

Two weeks into the school year, textbooks are little bit more than decoration in both Trumbull and Bridgeport eighth grade math classes.

Capasso called the texts a great starting off point but finds they leave out steps during problem solving that her students need. So most of the time, she creates worksheets of her own.

In Trumbull, math teachers call textbooks a tool, just like graphing calculators and protractors.

When they go home, they need something to guide their thinking other than me, Nancy Yarmosh, a sixth grade math teacher at Madison, said.

Eighth graders at both Tisdale and Madison Middle both are taught math from veteran teachers.

Caron, who has worked in Trumbull schools for a decade, once taught at Park City Magnet School in Bridgeport. Capasso has been teaching nine years, during which time she was recognized with a Beard Excellence in Teaching award and last week was among math teachers to receive national recognition at the White House.

Both have comfortable class sizes. Caron has about 24 students in each classes and Capasso has even fewer in some classes. She credits her principal, Charmaine Worthy, with marshaling what resources she has, allowing for smaller class sizes in the middle school.

As such, the pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school of 676 students, has three classes per grade in the lower grades and four at the middle school even though there are roughly the same number of students per grade.

Madison, one of two sixth through eighth grade middle schools in Trumbull, has about 830 students. There are two teams of about 115 students in each grade plus a mixed sixth and seventh grade team.

In the year that just passed, 16.3 percent of Tisdale eighth graders met or exceeded the academic standard set for them on the states Smarter Balanced test. At Madison Middle, 72.5 percent of eighth graders met or exceed the state standard.

Special needs

Help me out here, multiplication is a short cut for what, Capasso says during one of her four classes.

The first student she calls on knows multiplying is a way of adding something over and over again.

One student in the front row is getting the lesson delivered via sign language through an interpreter.

There are other students in the class with less obvious special needs. So far this year, Capasso said students in all four of her classes seem vested in their learning. Last year, there were a couple of students with uncontrollable emotional issues.

Their issues became the whole classes issue. Without the support to help, she cautioned, academics arent going to sink in.

On a recent day, while being taught that rules for multiplying positive and negative numbers are not only different but counterintuitive to the rules for adding and subtracting them, students were called up to the smart board to demonstrate that multiplying two negative numbers results in a positive. A word wall planned for the back of the class will help them remember such math rules.

There also will be extra work available for members of the class who are ready for problems more challenging.

Pencils vs. graphing calculators

For students who come without pencils or notebooks, there is a stack of recycled supplies from Capassos own children that she brought in from home.

Most students in her class have cellphones sticking out of their back pants pockets that must be surrendered in exchange for a pass to the restroom.

When the bell rings, Capasso escorts the entire class to their next period before returning to teach the same lesson to another class.

In Trumbull, Caron, her back to the class while she face the smart board, goes over previously assigned problems.

Oh, I like your graph. Can I show your paper, Caron tells one student, before she pops it onto the screen through a computerized overhead projector so the how class can see how he plotted out numerical illustration of how fast bacteria can multiply.

As students take out their graphing calculators, Caron reminds them to follow the same steps for each problem.

Look at you guys devouring this, she tells the class.

The meaning of buildings

A fan in the front of the room is idle this day. The first week of school it got quite a workout, Caron confesses. Built in the early 1960s Madison once housed Trumbull High.

By contrast, Tisdale, built just eight years ago, is fully air-conditioned.

In his lengthy ruling, Moukawsher made a point of saying no experts who testified during the trial put physical facilities high on their list of things that help students learn.

Yet, the school that Tisdale replaced, the since-demolished McKinley School, was more than 100 years old, a leaky and drafty brick structure that most agree was not a nice or healthy place to learn.

From an environmental and psychological standpoint, Capasso says she disagrees with that part of the judges decision  the bright and spacious Tisdale school building tells students they matter.
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TRUMBULL  For many children growing up, the extra spot at the dinner table was reserved for a favorite toy.

For Isha Dalal, of Trumbull, the extra spot belonged to her favorite books.

I would refuse to put down the book at the dinner table, she said recently, a smile spreading across her face.

Dalal, a 17-year-old senior at Trumbull High School, has been an avid reader her entire life. It is her unabashed love of reading that sparked the founding of Voice, a program that helps students turn community service and civic clubs into real-world actions.

I wanted to do something to make a difference, she said.

The motivation was simple: Give Connecticut students the chance to play a larger role in their communities.

In the nearly two years since its inception, Voice has grown to include 60 students from across the state. Dalal hopes it will be a vehicle to help pass a bill on literacy reform during the next legislative session in January.

The proposed reform will have a focus on equal opportunity for all students and their ability to achieve reading fluency.

Sometimes, Im like Wow! But its very exciting for me. Im really happy about it, Dalal said.

Details are still being worked out for a proposed bill Voice may submit to lawmakers for their consideration.

Dalal began this journey during her sophomore year while volunteering as a tutor for the New Haven Reads program.

After spending time in the city, it was clear to Dalal that students in the program were struggling readers with few avenues to improve their skills.

So she decided to do something about it.

Dalals plan was to make sure every child in the state received the same academic opportunity she had growing up in Trumbull.

But wanting to make a difference on a statewide level  and actually doing it, she learned  are two vastly different things.

Dalal needed to collaborate with the right people to launch her vision. Enter Stephen Armstrong, the social studies consultant for the state Department of Education.

She is an outstanding leader of this thing and I give her all the credit in the world, said Armstrong, whose role is similar to that of a high school club adviser.

Armstrong has helped Dalal guide her ambitious ideas, while shaping them into realistic goals.

After the November election, the clock starts ticking on Voice to work with state legislators to get a law passed. Dalal said until then, the program will conduct a statewide book drive for students who have limited access to books.

Armstrong said he is impressed with the dedication and passion that Dalal has shown.

This is 90 percent her and maybe 10 percent me, Armstrong said. This is the power of one kid.

It was through Armstrong that Dalal met Trumbull Superintendent of Schools Gary Cialfi, state Commissioner of Education Dianna Wentzell and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. Dalal said creating a program that will last for years to come became a major focus.

Cialfi said the ACE Foundation and the Trumbull Business Education Initiative have donated $500 each to Voice because of their belief in the program and their belief in Dalal.

Shes an extraordinary student, Cialfi said. Shes a perfect example of going beyond the classroom.

Cialfi, along with Dan Neumann, co-founded the ACE Foundation, a program that supports competitive academic teams and civic service clubs through financial grants.

Neumann, who serves as the secretary and treasurer for ACE, is also the executive director of the Trumbull Business Education Initiative.

As Dalal gets ready to apply to colleges across the nation, including several Ivy League schools, its clear she has made a difference  and built a legacy  with Voice.

Dalal said shed like to see the program pass a law each year for the community or reading literacy.

Its something I care about, Dalal said. Its very exciting to see (Voice) in the spot it is today.

AJohnson@hearstmediact.com
A 24-year-old convicted meth dealer from Bridgeport will be spending the next decade of his young life behind bars.

Mark Leigh-James was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport. When hes released, Leigh-James will be 34 and when hes 41 years old , hell be finished with five years of probabtion.

U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport handed down the sentenced after Leigh-James pleaded guilty of selling more nearly 200 grams of methamphetamine to undercover police.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in July and August 2015, the Fairfield Police Department orchestrated four controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Leigh-James. The DEAs Bridgeport Task Force then made two additional controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Leigh-James. On Aug. 12, 2015, Leigh-James sold an undercover officer approximately 82.9 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $3,600. On Sept. 18, 2015, Leigh-James sold a second undercover officer approximately 104 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $8,000.

The purity of the methamphetamine sold by Leigh-James ranged from 98.7 percent to 100 percent.

Leigh-James was arrested in Bridgeport on Oct. 5, 2015. A search of a backpack Leigh-James had been holding at revealed approximately 7.5 grams of heroin, and a search of a second backpack located in Leigh-James vehicle revealed a clear plastic bag containing approximately 120 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded Kel-Tec .380 semi-automatic handgun. Agents also found a loaded Charter Arms .44 magnum revolver, which was in a jacket in the vehicle.

The .380 handgun had been reported stolen in Stratford in 2009.

At the time of his arrest, Leigh-James was on bond for state charges involving the unlawful possession of a firearm and oxycodone pills.

Leigh-James has been detained since his arrest. On June 24, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This matter was investigated by the DEAs Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, with the assistance of the Fairfield Police Department. The Task Force includes members from the Bridgeport, Stamford, Stratford, Norwalk, Milford and Trumbull Police Departments, and the Connecticut State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy C. Brown.
MILFORD  A New Haven Avenue man was arrested late Thursday night after he allegedly threatened to shoot a family member during a verbal dispute.

Christian Fricker, 26, will be arraigned later today in Superior Court on charges of first-degree threatening and disorderly conduct.
CultNews101.com: news, links, resources. Cults101.org: resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics. CultMediation.com: offers resources designed to help thoughtful families and friends understand and respond to the complexity of a loved ones cult involvement. Intervention101.com: to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement. CultRecovery101.com: assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
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Theresa May profoundly understood this sentiment among the populace, and why it led to Brexit, says Peter Oborne

The result of the referendum was motivated by a great deal more than rejection of the European Union. It was above all a manifestation of popular revulsion against a political and business establishment which gave Britain the Iraq War, the banking crisis and the biggest national debt in British peacetime history.

This out of touch, arrogant ruling class had failed to control or manage immigration, while tinkering obsessively with British public services to little effect. It governed shamelessly in its own interest, using power not for the sake of the nation but as a means of acquiring wealth.

More than almost any other British politician, Theresa May profoundly understood this sentiment among the populace, and why it led to Brexit. That is why she was superbly prepared to seize the premiership after David Cameron.

That change was a more convulsive moment in our history than Gordon Browns election defeat in 2010. The replacement of New Labour by the Cameron/Clegg coalition was a mere change of personnel. We have a revolution on our hands.

Mrs May has smashed the smug, self-regarding political consensus that governed Britain since 1997. She is leading a revolt of ordinary people against the elite, of the provinces against the centre, of the voters against the political class, and the steady emergence of a common patriotism in place of greed and vested interests.

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Theresa May, pictured in China at the beginning of the month, has 'smashed the smug, self-regarding political consensus' says Peter Oborne

The sheer audacity of what she has done in just two months is stunning. She is the first politician in more than 50 years to seek to expand the number of grammar schools in any meaningful sense. She is forcing the BBC to open its books and make itself accountable to viewers.

I applaud her adamantine determination to hold the police accountable for their corruption and brutality during the miners strike at Orgreave in 1984 (though I am not for a moment suggesting that the miners were without blame). This is admirable because it sends out a signal that she means to govern in the interests of all Britons and not just the middle classes.

Mrs May has only just got started. Those significant sections of society who got a free pass since 1997  the tax exiles, bankers, selfish businessmen like Sir Philip Green who were celebrated during the Blair/Cameron era  now have it coming to them.

And she has a way of doing things all her own. Last week the formal photograph of her new Cabinet was published, and the social diversity of its members was impressive. Almost half were educated at comprehensive schools, while there were more products of grammar schools than private schools.

The Old Etonians from David Camerons Notting Hill set have been excised.

All revolutions, however, produce a backlash, and Mrs Mays is no exception. I have predicted from the beginning of her premiership that the new party leader will face a challenge from the once-powerful Tories supplanted so ruthlessly.

But former chancellor George Osborne could be threatening that, by speaking against some of her early moves as PM, like Grammar Schools

It started yesterday, sooner than expected, when George Osborne appeared on Radio 4s Today programme with the first draft of his anti-May manifesto.

A week after the Prime Minister pledged to open new grammars, the former Chancellor (educated at a top selective private school) said he did not support selection in education. He also said that in office he was advised that the security measures Mrs May insisted upon for the Chinese-backed Hinkley nuclear plant would make no difference.

Finally, he accused her government of having a wobble over his pet project, the so-called Northern Powerhouse.

Mr Osborne is backed by a very well-organised group of political conspirators led by former planning minister Nick Boles, a Cameron loyalist. Hugo Swire, who (accurately) declared in July the tumbrils are rolling when he departed his job as a Foreign Office minister, is another.

Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is part of this clique, as is ousted arts minister Ed Vaizey. Former Justice Secretary Michael Gove  at one point a leadership rival of Mrs May  is sympathetic to this rebellious gang. Their numbers are small, but that means little. The Governments majority is just 16, so the rebels have enough firepower to overturn it.

More damaging still, Osborne and his chums are compulsive plotters and utterly amoral in their methods, especially skilled at the politics of personal destruction.

Fifteen years ago they masterminded the ruination of Iain Duncan Smith as Tory leader, and his replacement by Michael Howard, followed by David Cameron. Crucially, they have superlative connections in the media and among the hedge fund managers and offshore donors who provide so much of the Tory funds.

The Times, which waged these modernisers unscrupulous war against IDS at the start of the century, is already turning its fire brutally against Mrs May.

This time round, there is a cross-party character to the plotting. George Osborne has learned at the feet of Machiavellian Blair strategist Peter Mandelson, with whom he has more in common than most Tory MPs, and I guess he takes advice from this amoral schemer. Like Mandelson, commander-in-chief of the British political class, Osborne operates slyly and behind the scenes.

An honorable politician would have come out and aired his critical remarks about Mrs May during the Tory leadership contest, when the future of the party was up for open discussion. Osborne shamefully stayed quiet, which makes it especially disreputable to attack Mrs May now.

His comment yesterday that Mrs May was the best person for the job of the candidates that put themselves forward was characteristically snide. He could have run for the Tory leadership but didnt because he knew he would lose.

Osborne told his BBC interviewer, an unusually deferential Nick Robinson, that he respected Theresa May. I am told by Tory insiders who watched events at first hand in Downing Street the then Chancellor would be shatteringly rude to her (as to many other senior colleagues). Mrs Mays final words to Osborne after sacking him were: Go away and learn some emotional intelligence.

Dont make the mistake of thinking theres anything unplanned or coincidental about the timing of Osbornes intervention. He waited for David Cameron to announce his retirement from politics (the former prime minister is sympathetic to Osbornes views, but needs to be able to insist his hands are clean in this matter).

He also knows that his explosive comments will still be making waves when Conservative conference comes around in a fortnight.

Expect more attacks on the premier. Grammar schools will be asubject of contention, so will the Northern Powerhouse, but in due course this disenfranchised wrecking crew intend Brexit to become the battleground.

So the first shots in the counter-revolution have been fired. At stake is not merely the future of the Tory Party, but Britain itself.

Ranged on one side are Mrs Mays politics of hope, decency and renewal conducted in the name of working people.

Ranged on the other are the politics of manipulation and deceit, backed by high finance and with lethal support from the London media (though not this newspaper).

These are skilled and experienced plotters who present a formidable challenge. Mrs May would be unwise to underestimate Mr Osborne who, having seen his own overweening ambition to be prime minister exploded, seems now to be doing his damnedest to sabotage the rival who seized the crown he regards as rightfully his.

If Tony Blair does not receive the Order of the Garter, than neither can Gordon Brown, or David Cameron, pictured above



There are two unfilled vacancies for the Order of the Garter, the most ancient and (with the exception of the Victoria and George Crosses which are both awarded for exceptional bravery) most prized honour to which any Briton can aspire.

The members of the Order, who wear the dark blue velvet garter on special occasions, and have an allocated seat at the Royal Chapel of St Georges, Windsor, are chosen by the Monarch. Normally the Garter is automatically awarded to former prime ministers, which is why there is mystery about Tony Blair not receiving one.

Nine years have passed since he stood down and he has not received so much as an OBE. Why not? (It is thought that Blair was offered a peerage but turned it down because it would mean declaring his massive earnings.) Mr Blairs role in the Iraq War remains intensely controversial. Others say the Queen wont allow it.
They are modern men and women living and working in New York, but when it comes to their style and hobbies they take their inspiration from another century.

In a unique insight into their old-fashioned world, vintage fans have shared the painstaking lengths they go to source their clothing, do their hair and make-up and how their passion has entered their social lives.

These photographs, published by Harper's Bazaar, showcase their vintage style in the contemporary setting of the streets of New York.

Pastime: Women, including fashion archivist Gretchen Feston, pictured, who dress in vintage clothing every day thave told how their hobbies started and how it became a lifestyle

Proud: In a magazine photo shoot, vintage-wearing New Yorkers, including make-up artist Michelle Coursey, left, and writer Zoe Beery, right, posed in striking old garments

Everyday wear: Photographer Vanessa Gualdron, pictured, said she started wearing all-vintage clothing by accident

Among the men and women featured in the pictures, by photographer Tyler Joe, are fashion archivist Gretchen Fenston, make-up artist Michelle Coursey, photographer Vanessa Gualdron and Voon Chew, who works for a law firm.

Gretchen, who has been dressing in clothes from the 1920s to the 1940s for decades, told the magazine that she often gets asked whether she is in 'costume'.

She said her love affair with the past started when she was a young child when she wanted to dress as an 'old-fashioned girl' at Halloween.

'I lived in the real world, but I wanted to live in this romantic world of an earlier time,' she added.

When, in 1980, she moved to New York she became part of a growing scene of like-minded people who also dressed in vintage clothing every day and attend events at old movie theaters, big-band concerts and lawn parties.

She said: 'It draws people together from this sincere love for things [other] people think are unimportant.'

So infectious is her style, that she inspired Voon to dress in vintage after he spotted her at a Jazz Age party in 2008 soon after he started learning Lindy Hop.

'They [Gretchen and her husband Roddy] embodied the persona so beautifully. I looked down at my outfit and was so ashamed. I felt so boring,' he said.

Michelle was first introduced to the scene six years ago at Jazz Age Lawn Party after meeting her husband.

Style: Voon Chew, pictured, who works for a law firm, likes outfits from the 1930s

Lifestyle: As well as painstakingly sourcing all their clothes from previous decades, many vintage fans, such as Michelle, pictured right, also like to socialize with like-minded people

Knowledge: Writer Zoe Beery, pictured, said technology has helped fans replicating hair styles of the past through tools such as video tutorials on YouTube

Time-consuming: Michelle, pictured on the beach in a 1920s bathing suit with a friend, said taking care of her vintage garments is like a 'part-time job'

She said: 'Vintage is what makes me the most comfortable, the most beautiful.

'It's hard to stand out, in New York especially, and in vintage I feel the best about myself  I take pride in having found a piece and wearing it.

Michelle goes on an annual vintage retreat in upstate New York, where activities include sitting around a fireplace in the mornings reading old copies of magazines from the 1930s.

She said: 'People in this scene are very smart and well-informed. We can share this love of the style but be on the same page that living back then was awful in a lot of ways.'

Vintage clothing has its limitations in size and practicality.

Collectors of 'true vintage' - clothes that were actually from the time of the style - struggle to find items above a size 14 and pre-1940s clothing can be restrictive to wear.

Although collectors might find vintage clothing cheaper, pieces are often less durable than contemporary clothing. Michelle said: 'Taking care of it is a part-time job.'

For those who like the style but are not bothered about its authenticity, there is 'repro' - clothing made today to look like old-fashioned garments.

Recent: Vanessa, pictured at an amusement park with friends, started wearing vintage clothing around three years ago

Learning process: Zoe, pictured left, said 'We teach ourselves to pin-curl our hair and sleep overnight in the clips'

Vintage passion: Michelle is pictured in a 1930s dressed in front of a replica of the Spirit of Saint Louis byplane

Organic: Vanessa, pictured left at an event last year, said she did not start dressing in all-vintage 'on purpose'

But among dedicated vintage collectors, many prefer to wear true vintage.

When it comes to replicating hair styles of the past, writer Zoe Beery said technology has helped to share knowledge and keep the techniques alive with video tutorials on YouTube.

'We teach ourselves to pin-curl our hair and sleep overnight in the clips, the next day brushing out perfect waves or sculpting them into complex structures,' she said.

Vanessa, who joined the scene about three years ago, said she started wearing all-vintage by accident.

'I don't really know how it happened, but one day I looked at my closet and realized, huh, I guess this is what I wear now,' she said.

'I didn't do it on purpose, but this is where I wound up.'

She said she often gets asked whether she was 'born in the wrong era' but insisted that her style is simply an 'outward facade' and that she would not want to live in the past.
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Rupert Everett thinks he looks like a big blob. He doesnt. Hes put on a few pounds but actually looks dishier than he has in years.

Hes also more together. Less flighty. Or, as he says, not so much of a terrible hysterical queen.

Were on the Eurostar to Brussels where Rupert, 57, is meeting his crew for a technical recce for the film hes written about Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince. Hell also direct it and star in it as Oscar.

Rupert as Wilde on stage in the play The Judas Kiss when he first played the writer

Filming on the movie, which co-stars Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson and Tom Wilkinson, begins this month.

Rupert is cock-a-hoop. Its taken him eight long years to get this film off the ground. Years of false starts, dashed hopes and sleepless nights. If cancer cells have replicated during this epic journey, so be it, he says.

Ive lived with panic, fear and anxiety and I just feel this kind of strain. There have been so many sleepless nights over the past eight years thinking, What can I do now?

'Ive been angry, overjoyed  all these various highs and lows of emotions. Theres been an electric voltage of anxiety in my life.

He sighs theatrically. Sometimes I just think Id love to be the boyfriend of someone rich. I could buy fantastic pictures and dress houses. Or maybe I could be the companion of some very rich old lady.

Rupert doesnt mean it. Hes happy with his partner of ten years, a Brazilian accountant called Henrique. When they fell in love, he says, my world kind of changed around to something else. Thats when I started concentrating on this film. Looking back, Id dedicated my whole life to having fun.

There have been so many sleepless nights over the past eight years thinking, What can I do now?

'I was always afraid I was going to be one of those 70-year-old club freaks in a tie-dyed T-shirt taking Ecstasy. I couldnt imagine myself ever wanting to stop.

The thing about clubs is you go into these black spaces and you cut yourself off from the world.

'On the other side of the velvet rope is a kind of Midsummer Nights Dream. Basically, youre in the funfair. Youve left yourself and your problems outside.

He uses the past tense because the Rupert sitting in front of me is not the impetuous, petulant party-going Rupert of a youth that lasted well into his late 40s, but a grown-up, measured Rupert who is not so, to borrow his word, cheap.

Indeed, after spending most of his adult life running hell-for-leather away from his sensible middle-class roots, hes now embracing them.

Rupert with his good friend Colin Firth in Another Country in 1984

So much so that when he finishes shooting The Happy Prince in December, hell settle down in the fabulous Queen Anne house in Wiltshire that was his childhood home.

You just get older, he says. I have a very middle-class mentality: keep everything going, keep everything tidy, keep it shipshape. I flirted with breakdown and addiction but I never, ever truly let myself go, thank God, otherwise I would have been like Marilyn Monroe without the boobs.

He laughs at his joke. Laughs at his younger self. I want to live in the country because I dont like being in town so much now. Its lovely my house. I love it. There are two parts, so my mums moving out of her bit to the next-door bit and Im moving in.

Ruperts mother Sara is a characterful, strong-willed woman. The last time I met them together at their picture-postcard home, they had something of a set-to over her intercepting his fan mail. Rupert chuckles. Well have to give ourselves boundaries, he says. Itll be lovely for me to be around her and her friends who I adore. I shall also have a Labrador and a parrot, Mr Polly, who will be best friends and that will be my life, waddling around there.

I doubt this very much. Rupert is too wedded to his career to slip into retirement. He was most recently seen as the supremely villainous Marquis de Feron in the explosive final series of BBC1s The Musketeers, but the next project well see him in is Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children, a new fantasy film directed by the brilliant Tim Burton and starring the likes of Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L Jackson, Dame Judi Dench and Terence Stamp.

Adapted from American author Ransom Riggss debut novel, the film tells the story of a boy who, trying to discover the truth about his childhood, follows clues from his grandfathers old photographs that lead him on an adventure to a Welsh island.

Rupert in one of his most recent roles as Governor Feron in the Muskateers

There he comes across Miss Peregrines orphanage for Peculiar children, Peculiars being people with special powers, and when he meets a mysterious girl hes transported back in time and his family history is unravelled.

Rupert appears for one minute, he says, as The Ornithologist, one of Samuel L. Jacksons evil character Mr Barrons many disguises, although he actually appears in four separate scenes and for more than a minute.

But he spent a month in Cornwall waiting to be called to set, such was the money spent on this fantastically spellbinding movie.

I am in one sense a very neurotic, whiny queen

Tim is an amazing director, he says. Because hes never had a failure he works in the most luxurious way. [He gets] every single amenity he wants. Its rather like being in a holiday camp working on one of his films.

'People come round with delicious vegetable dips all the time, or special smoothies. Tims like a mad kind of elf leaping around the set on tiptoe. His vision is so particular. He invented his genre and it has a truth to it. All the characters have him in them.

It was a fantastic film to work on. Tim is a very, very nice director to actors. It was a wealthy film and he was the king of it.

'Im only in it for one minute but I was there for a month staying in this lovely hotel on a beach which was rather like a grand rest home. Every day I wasnt working I walked four hours to a pub for lunch. It was just amazing...

For once Ruperts run out of words. Theres only so much you can say about a film in which you appear for a minute. Besides, the train is carrying us through the tunnel now and his mind is on the technical recce ahead.

Rupert with Julia Roberts in the smash hit movie My Best Friend's Wedding

'When he finished the script for The Happy Prince eight years ago he offered it to legendary producer Scott Rudin whose many successful films include the Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men.

He loved it and immediately fired me as the actor, says Rupert. He wanted Philip Seymour Hoffman to play Oscar which was a brilliant idea. Thats when I should have said to myself, Be a writer and get it done. But I was still at the end of my vain era so I said no.

'From then on it went downhill for a long time. The me I am now would have definitely handed it over, because Philip [who died in 2014] was a fantastic actor. Hed have won the Oscar.

'Scott would have spent 25 million on the film and Id have been the writer of an amazing Scott Rudin film about Oscar Wilde. Stupid! Again, he laughs at his younger self.

I wrote it too late really. If Id only started writing it five years earlier when I was still very successful. Hes referring to the days when he was a box-office star following his roles in My Best Friends Wedding and An Ideal Husband.

But I was verging on my sell-by date eight years ago. Its harder because successful peoples ideas are good ideas whereas unsuccessful peoples ideas are questionable ideas. You have to prove yourself.

And so The Happy Prince began to take over his life, as Rupert set about finding financial backers for his film. Its the most precarious business trying to get together an independent film these days, he says.

Its like being a sperm hitting an egg or a fish making it to the top of the river. There are so many pitfalls and so many crises. You veer from one disaster to another as it slowly puts itself together. Its taken so much out of my life.

Such as? It took over my professional life because I ended up doing much less work as I was always thinking, My film is happening this January or that October so Id cancel everything and then discover that it wasnt. It also made me ill at a certain point.

'It was going to happen in September two years ago but it didnt. Then it was going to go ahead in March last year, but the money wasnt there. I got a terrible kind of pneumonia. For months I was completely run down  depressed, dreadful.

He shakes his head, takes a mouthful of the sausage theyre serving for breakfast. Thinks. Brightens up.

On the other hand its tested my resilience. I am in one sense a very neurotic, whiny queen and this has had to be tested. I recognise that even if the film is a disaster, its been good for me as a 57-year-old fairy.

Rupert describes the film, which covers the last month of Oscar Wildes life, as a 19th-century road movie given that the action takes place in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy.

Set in a hotel room and told through flashback, Ruperts dying Oscar tries to make sense of the life hes lived and those hes loved.

Colin Firth appears as Oscars friend Reginald Turner, one of the few who cared for the playwright after his two-year imprisonment for gross indecency as a result of his affair with Alfred Douglas.

Rupert says that without Colin The Happy Prince would never have been made. He first worked with him in the film that launched them both to stardom, Another Country in 1984, and they went on to appear together in the big-screen St Trinians remakes.

Colin stood by the film from the beginning. Without him it probably would never have happened, he says.

I dont feel the need or desire to fit into anything  just my guild so to speak

Were good friends but were not in each others inner circle so its not as if he owed me anything. Without him Id have lost half the money but he stuck by me. Its amazing. Ill always be in his debt, and that of the other actors. Theyve all been great and Im so grateful to all of them because without them Id never have made it.

Crikey. The Rupert of old  or rather youth  rarely showed such humility. Were 20 minutes from Brussels now. His phone is jumping around on the table. He takes the call  briefly. Apologises. Continues.

The first four years of trying to find finance were completely barren, he says. I went round everywhere in England and never got a penny or any interest.

'Then, in Germany, I did get some interest but they said, Have you got English partners? because they couldnt imagine why I wouldnt. I said, Oh yes, but I didnt have any. I knew I had to do something.

That something turned out to be taking on the role of Oscar Wilde in David Hares play, The Judas Kiss. The first production in 1998 with Liam Neeson had been a flop, but Rupert was determined to make a success of it. He did.

In 2013 he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor. He was appearing in the play in New York in May when he received news the budget was in place.

When I did The Judas Kiss I proved I had a take on the part. After that the BBC and the production company Lionsgate got involved, he says. I wrote to Colin and Ive been very, very lucky. He was meant to be starting another film thats been put back to January, so hes been able to carve out the time.

Fields are replaced by concrete as the train reaches its destination. All my life I tried to fit into something, he tells me.

When youre young and you go to clubs, youre a little animal whose heart is beating fast and youre sniffing the wind looking for the latest fabulous opportunities  friends, relationships.

'Not any more. I dont feel the need or desire to fit into anything  just my guild so to speak. I feel quite connected to my work and connected by the shorthand I have with other actors. That sense of belonging I do like.

The train stops. Rupert stands to collect his bag. Who knows? It could be a disaster, he says. In all likelihood Ill be a terrible, hysterical queen throwing terrible tantrums. But, somehow, I think he wont.
She's a mother-of-three and a prominent mummy blogger.

But Mel Watts, better known as The Modern Mumma, doesn't only talk to women.

Taking to her website on Friday, Ms Watts discussed dating a single mother - a topic that's close to her heart.

A former single mum herself, Ms Watts said she understood the troubles of men faced in dating a woman with children, but urged them to not rule it out straight away, saying her new relationship was proof it could work.

'Dating a single mother is worth it,' Ms Watts began.

Mummy blogger Mel Watts, better known as The Modern Mumma, has discussed whether dating a single mum is a good option for men. Ms Watts was herself once a single mum

Taking to her website and also social media she urged men to keep an open mind when it comes to dating women with kids, saying it 'is worth it'

'We aren't damaged goods.'

Discussing the fact that dating a single mother can be a daunting task for many single men, she admitted it's far from easy.

She said 'Nerf guns hurt', sleep-ins are rare and there may be those who want to criticise your '#instantfamily'.

But, while some may fear being unable to love a child that isn't technically theirs or treading on the toes of the father, it's all OK according to Ms Watts.

'I don't think it's selfish if you're worried how you're going to cope sharing her,' she wrote.

'I think you're brave even thinking it.

'I don't think your paranoid if you're worried about the father of the child. I think that is totally normal.'

While on the face of it their may be many troubles that come with dating a single mum , Ms Watts urged men to not let them outweigh the positives.

Ms Watts (pictured) said the experiences that came with being a single mother forced women to become independent and caring, traits that should be seen by men as huge positives

'You see these few things may seem different to any other relationship and you're right they are. I understand, why would you want to go through all of this? Here is why,' she said.

'That woman you're thinking about is loving, she is kind hearted and caring. How do I know this? Because she is a mother.

'That woman didn't want to be a single mother. But she is and that means she is strong and adaptable.'

'That woman may not think she deserves to be with anyone. But she does. How do I know this? Because I didn't believe I deserved anything more.'

The mother of three said that despite the positives far outweighed the negatives when it comes to dating a single mum

Not avoiding the realtiy, Ms Watts said it takes 'a strong man' to date a single mother.

She said men have to understand that even though the children they will caring for don't have their DNA, you're still an important part of their life.

'My son looks like his father but thinks like his dad,' Ms Watts wrote.

'Two qualities from two men who I once loved and currently do love.'

Just as importantly, Ms Watts says men should embrace the traits such as being strong and adaptable that come with a woman who has raise children alone.

'Were worth it. I promise.'
Sarah Willingham is known as a Dragons' Den superwoman but is taking a year to travel the world with her family

Sarah Willingham breaks off mid-sentence and there is a pause on the phone line. Did you hear that? she says, it was a seal barking. She starts to laugh. Can you understand the attraction now? Im on a beach watching seals.

Her business calls are certainly going to get more interesting from here.

Sarah is our reigning Dragons Den Superwoman. When the serial entrepreneur was signed up for the TV series last year, she attracted attention not just for her investment portfolio as for the fact that she had built her fortune in the restaurant business while raising four children.

Indeed, she wore her mum credentials proudly, only too happy to chat about the challenges involved in not only having it all, but doing it all while turning yourself into a millionaire. We lesser working mums, trying to find time to weep between work and the school run, marvelled at how she managed to get such swishy hair to boot.

Has she gone one step further now, though? If you are the sort to feel wildly envious of other peoples lives you might want to stop reading, for this week it emerged that Sarah, 42, has embarked on a gap year with husband Michael and four children (all under 11) in tow.

Having decided that she hadnt spent enough time with her children  Minnie, ten, Monti, eight, Nelly, five, and Marly, four  when they were tiny, because the have-it-all lifestyle never actually has room for things like maternity leave, she decided to pack her familys life into five suitcases (we were strict about that, although my husband has an entire bag for tech stuff, including a printer) and close the door on their old life for 365 days.

I am far from perfect, Sarah says. Getting the balance right is the hardest thing but readdressing it is never too late, even if it does require difficult decisions.

There has already been much criticism of her plan, with some online commentators accusing her of selfishness in taking her children out of school to satisfy her own needs. She seems stung by this, pointing out that it isnt for her, but for the whole family.

Sarah, with her family before the big trip, said she did the 'biggest declutter ever' before renting out their home and telling the school the kids would not be there for a year

Obviously Im not taking risks with the children. There are places we wont visit because they arent safe, but how can it not be a good thing for them to see the world? This is going to be an adventure they will never forget.

So round-the-world tickets were bought, the family home in Oxfordshire was rented out, the childrens school was told they wouldnt be in for a year, their cars were sold and every possession was scrutinised to see whether it would go in storage, charity, or the bin.

We did the biggest declutter ever, she admits. We ended up with 120 bin bags. Half went out; half went to the charity shop.

What does a millionaire restaurateur pack for a round-the-world jaunt? Well, fewer designer heels than you might imagine. I dont have a single pair with me, she says. We set a rule that everyone could have one pair of flip-flops, one pair of trainers and one other pair of shoes. My youngest is already on his third pair of flipflops. I imagine well buy a lot of them as we go.

Their trip started in Canada, will move through the U.S., then take the family into South America (we will spend Christmas in Patagonia), then over to Australia and the Far East. When I catch up with her, she and the family are in San Diego, on Day 35 of what she calls her adventure of a lifetime.

Its not a holiday, she is at pains to point out (presumably in case her investees from Dragons Den hear that she is going to be on a beach for the next year). On holiday you dont get up to make work calls, which is what I was doing at 6am today.

Every day Michael and I are going to aim for about two or three hours work and the kids have discovered  and they arent entirely happy about this  that they arent having a holiday either. Yesterday we spent a few hours doing maths with them. By the end I was pulling my hair out.

Later, they are off to pick up a selection of postcards. Another rule is that postcards must be purchased in every port.

I didn't want their childhoods to by in a whoosh Sarah Willingham

It is legal to take your children out of school if you are going to another country and our childrens school has been so supportive of what we are doing that theyve put up a world map and the kids have to send postcards from every destination. They are going to track our progress.

And, it has to be said, tracking their progress will be fascinating. We all know students who breeze off for a gap year, and more and more retirees are doing it, too.

But 40-something parents taking the kids with them? Anyone who has children, and experience of taking them anywhere further than Dover, will surely baulk at the idea.

Its unusual, says Sarah, and it is terrifying, particularly when you see the number of malaria tablets we have with us, but every person we have told has said: Amazing  I wish I could do that rather than: Are you mad?

We almost didnt do it. Even though having a gap year was always our dream, making the decision to go was probably the most difficult one weve ever had to make.

We werent sure it could be done. Can people like us step out of our own lives? We wanted to find out.

But why? I have interviewed Sarah several times before and I always got the impression that she had designed herself a rather perfect life: working for herself, on her own terms, and shaping her working day to take into account the needs of her children.

When it looked as if her business successes were placing her on a treadmill she didnt want to be on, such as when she successfully expanded the Bombay Bicycle Club from a chain of six restaurants to 17, she simply sold her share (becoming a millionaire in the process) and negotiated herself a role as a board director, a role which she could do largely from home.

It turns out its never that simple.

Sarah Willingham with husband Michael and children Minnie 10, Monti 8, Nelly 6 and Marly 5. She made the decision to travel around the world with them and make the most of time while they are young

I loved my life but its all a balancing act. So many people have said to me: Enjoy your kids when they are this age. I cant even remember that stage  and I didnt want it all to go whoosh.

The last couple of years have been particularly busy. Its not so much stepping off the treadmill as stepping back from the hectic-ness and just pressing pause.

What does that feel like? Brilliant! she says. I am actually feeling like I am winning the battle against time. I went to bed the other night and lay there thinking about it, mentally bottling the day. In my normal life there was never room for that.

Before I was always running to try to catch up. Thats fine but I dont want to just run for 40 years. Its important to punctuate life so it does not all blur into one.

How fortunate to be rich enough that pressing pause is an option in life, the more cynical might think. Obviously we are extremely lucky to be able to afford this, but its certainly not a five-star trip. We have a budget and it has been funded by things like selling the cars.

She wont be drawn on the overall cost but admits that accommodation costs are 200 a night: Tops, she says.

Sometimes if we can get it for 80 a night, then great. Other times, like when we are going to be in the Galapagos Islands, we know it is going to be bigger, but thats a luxury, rather than an everyday thing.

So its not been five-star hotels all the way?

Are you kidding? she shrieks. With four kids?! Im not that rich!

We cant really do hotels at all because with four kids we need three rooms with interconnecting doors and that sends the price through the roof.

Also, because we havent brought many clothes, we need somewhere with a washing machine. A fridge is pretty essential, too.

Five-star hotels all the way? I'm not that rich! Sarah Willingham

So, as far as we can, its renting places. For a few sections of the trip, like when we go to Australia, we will take a longer-term rental.

The children, it seems, have been charged with charting the spending on the trip. It will help with the maths, she says.

Every night they have to chart what we have spent. They are even making a spread-sheet. I wanted to punch the air when we crossed from Canada into the States and stopped for petrol.

They sat in the back marvelling at how much cheaper petrol was over the border. None of them had ever noticed the price of petrol back home.

Long car journeys too will help with what she calls the maths lessons by stealth.

What we have been doing already is setting them tasks  if we travel for x miles at x speed, what time will we get there? 

If all this education while travelling sounds more exhausting than going to work, Sarah might agree.

It isnt going to be a picnic, she agrees.

One of the big things we talked about before we left was how we would all get on. Would we even like each other at the end of it? But Im pretty confident we will survive intact.

So far, it has been a complete blast. We went for a walk in the Redwood Forest the other day and were open-mouthed in wonder.

What I am appreciating is how little attention I paid to the natural world before.

Sarah and Michael started planning the trip two years ago, before she joined Dragons Den. In that time they have restructured their various businesses (they have a clutch of investment projects between them) to allow them to work remotely.

We hired several managing directors. We set things up so that we could do it all, from wherever we are in the world. Obviously we have to be careful about it. We need wi-fi.

I will fly home several times to make the really important meetings, as will Michael.

We have put a lot of effort into getting to this point. Its not as if we decided anything on a whim.

Sarah says that all her fellow Dragons were amazed, but super supportive.

She adds: Deborah Meaden has been telling me of the places I must see in South America.

What of the Dragon bosses? They cant have been as thrilled to hear that one of their leading ladies is out, so to speak.

We only work on a series-by-series contract, she says. They havent actually asked if I want to do the next one, so it may not be an issue.

And if they do? Will she fly home for filming?

I possibly could, depending on how many days it would mean, but I will have to make that decision then. What I know is that I couldnt use Dragons Den as an excuse not to go, because if you do that then there will always be an excuse.

In some ways this was our last chance. My eldest, Minnie, is now ten, so once she goes to secondary school, we knew the window would close.

Of course the question most people ponder is schooling. Sarah says she first discussed their trip with the childrens headmaster about nine months ago. And he was fine with the idea of them missing a whole year?

Absolutely. Legally, there was no need to tell them at all. If you are leaving the country then you are no longer under the UK jurisdiction.

Even in this country, the law only says that you must educate children, not send them to school. Lots of people home-school, which is effectively what we are doing.

But obviously we knew that we would be coming back and we wanted to discuss it.

The school have been fantastic. They appreciate that the kids will learn so much, even if its not always in a classroom.

For some sections of the trip, the children will go to school. For five weeks in Guatemala they will attend school, and again for 13 weeks in Australia.

It sounds a bit random but a good friend knew about a particular school in Guatemala, she says. In Australia if you are there for over a certain amount of time, you have the right to enrol in a school.

What of taking the kids away from their daily routines and friends?

The joy of this day and age is that they can Skype and email. I think their friends are as excited about it as they are.

We're fitting in lots of maths by stealth Sarah Willingham

Besides they are going to meet a whole lot of new friends and, without being too cheesy about it, if we want them to grow up as global citizens, what better way to teach them about other cultures?

One of the biggest worries, Sarah admits, was of how they would leave family behind for a full year. This, she reveals, was a needless concern.

My parents are divorced but the more we talked about our adventure the more excited they got  so much so that my mum and dad, with their new partners, have bought their own round-the-world tickets.
My mother no longer seems to recognise me. At 92, she is always smartly dressed when I visit, but spends much of her time dozing in her chair.

Occasionally, her brown eyes will flicker open and shell stare at me with a bewildered intensity. As if my identity were on the tip of her tongue. Almost.

I continue to chat away cheerily, hugging and kissing her, telling her how much I love her. But inside my heart is breaking: I miss her.

Lynne Franks' mother Angela, 92, has Alzheimer's and doesn't recognise her any more (pictured together at an honourary doctorate ceremony at the University of Middlesex in 2012)

I miss our chats, her advice on anything from my love life to professional decisions and where to live. The person who was my mother, mentor and friend is no longer here. And this comes just a few years after losing my father to the same wretched disease.

It is the fate of so many of my generation: forced to watch as our beloved parents linger on, succumbing to the cruellest degenerative mental illnesses.

For all the many bonuses we baby boomers are thought to have enjoyed  from free education to a more accessible housing market  there is one burden we are the first to face.

Due to the advances in medical care, our parents are living longer and with that comes the increased likelihood of them developing dementia.

Many face this relentless nightmare while bringing up adolescent children, who are also at a stage where they need so much of their parents time. To be sandwiched between those you love most is a modern agony. For instance, I certainly wasnt aware of my grandparents suffering from this insidious disease.

Even those who lived past 80 were more prone to physical illnesses than the slow shrinking of their brains and personalities.

Lynne was in her mid-50s when Angela was diagnosed with Alzheimers (pictured at Angela's 80th birthday celebrations in 2004)

There are now 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to more than one million by 2025. This will soar to two million by 2051. At the moment, two thirds of the cost of dementia is paid by people with the disease and their families.

Unpaid carers supporting someone with dementia save the economy 11 billion a year. That gives an idea of how many of my generation are dealing with this problem.

And, of course, there are those  many of my friends among them  who find themselves sandwiched between caring for their parents and continuing to look after children (albeit in their mid to late-20s in beyond) who have boomeranged back home for whatever reason, only intensifying the pressure.

As for me, I may well have excelled in my career in PR and promoting womens empowerment  captured hilariously in the TV sitcom Absolutely Fabulous  but with my parents dementia I have never felt less empowered in my life.

Like many of my generation, I choose to work full-time despite the fact Im nearing 70. Then theres the added role of being manager of Mums life. Its not just a case of finding time to sit down with her; its liaising with carers and planning ahead.

Theres nothing like facing up to something as horrendous as dementia to make you consider your own mortality and mental fragility. Theres no doubt my younger sister Sue and I are concerned that it might be hereditary.

I was in my mid-50s when my mum was diagnosed with Alzheimers. The fact that my father had suffered from vascular dementia, dying eight years before, made it all the harder. How unfair it feels to have to watch not one but both parents alter beyond all recognition like this.

These days my mother is confined to one room in her own home, where she is lovingly fed and cared for by a number of brilliant carers.

In many respects she is fortunate, but I suspect she would have said, were she able, that she wanted to leave her body long before reaching this point.

My sister lives in Canada, so the responsibility of my mothers situation falls to me. As with motherhood, there is no training on how to become parents to your own parents.

In many respects, my parents, Leslie and Angela, didnt have it easy when we were growing up. Dad had a history of mental illness, with many episodes of depression.

Her sister Susan (pictured left with the family) lives in Canada, so the responsibility of my mothers situation falls to me

When he was up, he was the best company in the world. When he was down, he would go to bed, draw the covers up and disappear from us for months on end. I became accustomed to his disappearances into the local mental health clinic for barbaric electric shock treatments.

My mother was amazingly strong, keeping the family butchers shop afloat. My grandmother lived with us and pitched in, too.

It wasnt until the Seventies, when I was in my 30s, that I did some research for Dad and discovered a new breakthrough treatment: the mood-balancing drug, Lithium.

It is the fate of so many of my generation: forced to watch as our beloved parents linger on, succumbing to the cruellest degenerative mental illnesses

It made all the difference, stabilising his mood. My parents briefly went through their halcyon days in their 60s, retiring from their demanding butchers shop, finally spending time with each other and their family.

But at the peak of their happiness, my father, then 70, had a series of mini-strokes, causing vascular dementia. He was never the same again, becoming immediately slower and vaguer.

Within weeks he had lost the power of speech. He seemed to lose his sense of self with his voice, becoming but a shadow of the loud, extrovert man we knew and loved.

No one discussed such things back then, so we were totally at a loss. My mother shouldered full responsibility through the terrible days of him running away and getting on a bus to nowhere or trying to escape the confines of his home not fully dressed  apparently quite common in dementia cases.

But Dad was a large man and it got too much for my petite mother to look after him at home. It was the early Nineties and we didnt know about carers or private care homes: we didnt think of any alternative than to get him a place in the local NHS care centre.

It was with great reluctance that Mum allowed him to leave their home. I was doing a lot of travelling with work at that point, but visited him as often as I could. Not that I think he ever really knew who I was.

Lynne's father Leslie (pictured together) had a series of mini-strokes at 70, causing vascular dementia and was 'never the same again'

There were the odd few special moments when we seemed to recover our deep connection. We had never been very physically affectionate, but now when I visited him, it seemed natural to give him lots of hugs and tell him I loved him.

Once I took my daughter, then 11, although I didnt think it was the best environment for a child.

After she greeted him with a shy, Hello, Grandpa, he looked at her so deeply and a tear dropped down his cheek. It was one of the most moving moments of my life.

The care home did its best and my mother went in every day with treats for Dad and a cheery hello to all the other sad inhabitants.

The staff did their best and were very kind, but cuts came and the home closed. Dad was sent much further afield, where there were too many patients and not enough carers.

From then on his decline was rapid: he went from being a very big man to a near skeleton.

Angela pictured at 18 signing up for the Womens Air Force at the start of World War Two

In 1997, I had gone to start a new life in California when I received the news Dad had died. The whole family felt relief on his behalf as well as sadness. At his funeral we remembered his outgoing, talkative, larger-than-life character  before dementia.

We never could have imagined that less than a decade later my indomitable mother would follow the same sorry journey.

It was when playing bridge with her friends that she first noticed she couldnt keep up. When she revealed this, a chill went through me: all I could think of was Dad.

Then, in her early 80s, she started to complain of losing her memory, too. In time she started to do uncharacteristic things like the repeating sad bus journeys Dad would take, suddenly not realising where she was.

On one of our frequent trips to hospital, I spoke to her consultant, who told me she had the beginning of Alzheimers.

Although by that point drugs were available that could possibly slow its progression, the doctor advised against Mum taking them on account of the likely side-effects (Mum had a history of ulcers and heart problems).

Making the decision to let the illness take its course was the first time I truly became the mother figure. Our roles were then reversed, a situation that no child expects or will ever be ready for.

By this point I had moved back to England  one of the main reasons being a desire to be closer to Mum. And as the daughter nearer to home  my sister still in Canada  it fell to me to ensure she had the quality of life she deserved. After my dads experiences, I ruled out a care home and decided to employ full-time carers.

Mum had always been careful with her money, saving it for our inheritance. My sister and I decided this money should be used to take care of her in the best way possible. We were aware we might have to sell her house at some point to pay for care, but we agreed that we would stretch our inheritance for as long as it took until it ran out and would ourselves help out whenever we could.

At the moment, the cost of keeping her home with full-time carers is approximately 4,000 a month (about the same as a care home) and I only have to contribute bits and pieces here and there.

Leslie died in 1997 (pictured Lynne with her father Leslie in the early Eighties)

I had promised my mother, while she was still able to understand, that I would keep her in her own home come hell or high water and somehow we would make it work.

I became my mothers legal guardian, responsible for handling her finances as well as her health. I had to ensure there was food in the fridge, her lawn was mowed and that her house didnt fall down around her ears.

I visit whenever I can, but with her in North London and me in Somerset thats not as often as Id like.

Sometimes I am flooded with guilt at not seeing her more regularly, but deep down I know Im doing the best job I can.

Recently, I decided there would be no more hospital visits for her.

On too many occasions shed been admitted for falls or angina, only for her to leave that bit weaker, on yet more drugs. From now on, I aim to keep her at home with palliative care when the time comes.

Making the decision to let the illness take its course was the first time I truly became the mother figure. Our roles were then reversed, a situation that no child expects or will ever be ready for

Meanwhile, her decline sadly continues. She now has to be hoisted out of bed by two carers to be washed and dressed.

I cant tell you how sad it is to see her like that. I spend a lot of time talking to my sister Sue on Skype about Mum, pouring out our emotions to one another.

And if my life does come to a similar ending I am thankful that huge strides are being made with Alzheimers research and potential cures.

In terms of care for the elderly, Holland leads the way, having initiated some inspiring projects, including one centre where young students live with the seniors as friends and housemates.

There is another scheme where a whole town is created for the inhabitants to live a normal life, albeit the hairdresser, supermarket staff and others are all trained carers.

Music, too, has been shown to bring back memories and other cultural and emotional keys can push switches. I certainly intend to be dancing around to James Brown well into my 80s.

It might be too late for my own parents, but I do my best to make my mums life as comfortable as possible.

The wonderful hairdresser who has looked after her for years still comes to the house once a week, she still gets her nails done and is dressed as elegantly as she would have always dressed herself.

Like many of my generation, I am learning as I go: there is no blueprint to follow.
At the age of 25, I had very little to recommend me. Id grown up on a council estate near Bexleyheath, South-East London, never passed an exam and  back in 1988  had no qualifications, no job and no money.

My sole talents were giving women facials and mixing up homemade skin-creams on my cooker. For this, I had my mother Eileen to thank.

Mum had started out as a manicurist before landing a job in 1971 with Londons grand dame of skincare, a beauty therapist in her 80s called Madame Lubatti. I would spend hours watching her at work and, together with my mum, she taught me how to make face creams.

Eventually, when I was 21, Mum and I launched our own skincare clinic.

Then, she had a devastating stroke that changed her personality. Suddenly everything I did was wrong; she became implacably hostile, criticised me in front of clients and ceased to regard me as a daughter.

Jo Malone, aged 4, with her mother, with whom she first ran a small cosmetics business before her mother had a personality altering stroke and the relationship broke down

I stood it for 18 months, the unhappiest of my life, until one day when she accused me of making up too much face-cream in a jug. After screaming and ranting incoherently, she grabbed the jug and hurled it at me. A huge dollop of cream went flying across my face.

I looked at her, and said calmly: Thats it. Its over. She said nothing. In my heart, I felt something snap, for ever broken.

I lay curled up in bed for two weeks solid, either sleeping or crying. Mum didnt call. Neither did my dad, Andy, an inveterate gambler who took the line of least resistance. Eventually, I made the painful decision to branch out on my own, taking just 12 clients with me.

And thats when one of them  a spirited redhead  decided it was time to give me a helping hand.

Sarah Ferguson had been coming to me for treatments for years. When I first met her, before she was engaged to Prince Andrew, she lived in Clapham, South London. She was down to earth and had a wicked sense of humour that often left me in stitches.

In 1986, she actually invited me and my husband Gary  whom Id married the year before  to her wedding. I was astonished; I was only the girl who did her face, but that gesture tells you a lot about her.

Anyway, I called Sarah to explain that, with some trepidation, I was now starting out as a travelling beauty therapist. I have an idea, she said. Why dont you come to the Palace  well have a cup of tea and work all this out.

We agreed that Id also give her a facial, so I piled my gear into Garys car and set out for Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, it was only my second time behind the wheel.

Inadvertently, I parked in the wrong place behind the iron gates  and a stern-looking policemen hurried over to tell me I had to move. But I couldnt: I hadnt properly learned how to reverse. He looked flabbergasted.

Do you do have a driving licence, madam? he asked ominously.

Thankfully, at that moment, a member of Sarahs staff came down.

Inside, there was a museum-like hush. We walked down a wide corridor carpeted in scarlet-red, then came into a room with a commanding view of the Victoria memorial.

The Duchess of York greeted me with her usual genuine warmth, and we sat down to talk.

Apart from Gary, I hadnt spoken to anyone about my breach with my mother. Sarah let me cry, and get it all out  the loneliness, the drudgery, the sheer misery of having to work in an emotionally charged environment.

Jo Malone with her husband Gary at the opening of her first shop in Walton Street. She was helped along the way by Sarah Ferguson who had been a client of hers for years

Later, as I laid out the treatment table, Sarah wrote down ten names. These are the people Im going to call, she said. You are going to build this business, Jo.

By the end of my first week, I had ten more people to treat. But my past was determined to hang on to my ankles.

When I started the legal process of severing my partnership with my mother, I discovered the business had debts of about 30,000. None of this was down to me  but I was the only one with means to pay. So I made an arrangement to pay 450 a month, then a small fortune.

Over the following months, however, something amazing started to happen. Thanks to word of mouth, my phone was ringing non-stop. Gary, who was a surveyor, would drop me off in Central London around 9am and Id bounce from house to house until around 6pm.

The business grew so fast it was soon clear that we needed a base. Gary found it in 1990: a one-bedroom rental near Sloane Square.

It didnt matter that it had grey walls, purple furniture and a kitchen the size of a black cab; we chucked out the furniture, painted everything white and used a piece of blue foam as our mattress.

Thats where we started building the Jo Malone London brand.

The front room was our living quarters and the back bedroom became the treatment room. The kitchen was my lab for making creams.

To improve the atmosphere, I bought a spiced lemon cologne to spray the furnishings, and I baked rosemary twigs in the oven on a low heat to infuse the air with their scent. It was all instinctive; the idea of creating my own fragrances hadnt yet crossed my mind.

From the moment the first client pressed the buzzer, the weeks started blurring into one. My days would start first thing making face-creams; then after back-to-back appointments and a hasty dinner, Id start assembling orders for customers.

Over the next few years, people from all walks of life trotted up and down our three flights of stairs: from actors, pop stars, super- models and members of royalty, to housewives who saved up for a facial every three months.

One week, a supermodel told me shed recommended me to some friends; in the following days, our stairwell looked like a catwalk.

Somehow I found time to keep developing new creams and masks  buying essential oils and fragrances from a man called Derek, who worked for the Paris-based Lautier Florasynth group. The company also happened to be a stable for some of the finest perfumers in the industry.

When I told Derek one day that I was intrigued with the idea of combining nutmeg and ginger, he supplied me with le jus of each ingredient  small bottles of fragrance concentrate. I experimented until I was happy, then started giving each client a little pot of lotion and bath-oil to take home  my small way of saying thank you.

Thats when things started going crazy. Clients began ordering five bottles at a time, then ten. One lady ordered 100 bottles of the bath oil, to be given to each guest at a huge dinner party. The following week, 86 of her guests returned to buy more.

Another day, an EMI record executive came round, glanced at my well-stocked shelves and said: I need to buy something for the staff. Ill take the lot.

I was operating on pure adrenaline at times. Gary and I would hold our board meetings in bed on Sunday mornings  the one time we had a proper chance to catch up with each other.

In 1993, I started thinking about what I should do next. And I had what I can only call a light-bulb moment: I knew that I wanted to make an eau de cologne.

But I had no idea where to start. Although Id always had a keen sense of smell, I was no perfumer.

Making fragrance is a real craft, where you have to break down scents to a molecular level and turn concepts into compositions, drop by drop. Could I find a perfumer willing to collaborate? Derek, who sold me the oils, was sceptical. No one would be interested in a one-woman band with no proper training, he warned.

Making fragrance is a real craft, where you have to break down scents to a molecular level and turn concepts into compositions, drop by drop, says Jo Malone

Yet I never doubted that I could make fragrances; all I needed was one door to open and one person to show me the way.

My great difficulty was that I didnt understand, let alone speak, the vernacular of the industry. So I set about learning. I flew to Paris for a meeting with Derek, and managed to convince him I was passionate about making fragrances.

The more I learned, the more I wanted to dive in. I went to Grasse  the perfume capital of France  where artisans showed me the meticulous process, from collecting petals to distillation, absorption, extraction, blending and finally capturing a fragrance in a crystal bottle.

Each evening, I couldnt wait to get back to my hotel room to experiment with some of the sample notes Derek had given me  pure fragrances I measured out a drop at a time and combined with others. It felt like I was being connected with my real purpose in life.

In the following weeks, Derek went to his superiors to argue my case, saying: Lets give her a chance. To my great relief, they agreed.

The inspiration for my first fragrance was a random memory of sucking on a lime-chocolate sweet as a child. So I started from there, playing with a whole host of different lime notes in my kitchen.

I knew I wanted the fragrance to smell clean and fresh, so I thought of the crunchy starch of newly washed sheets in my treatment room. Then more scent memories started crowding in.

I thought of the smell of basil with aniseed, which wafted from the pasta in pesto sauce at my favourite Italian restaurant. And basil made me think of summer, which led me to orange groves.

But oranges werent sweet enough. Mandarins. Go with mandarins.

Once I felt Id pinned down the general idea, I called Derek. I wanted to create a Lime, Basil & Mandarin fragrance, I told him, specifying which notes I wanted to emerge first, which should hover in the background and which should linger.

This was less impressive than it sounds. I had a scattered and unconventional approach  and I needed the help of an expert Parisian perfumer to construct an exact translation of what was in my head.

From the start, I knew precisely how my new fragrance should be marketed. I wasnt interested in campaigns built round images of sultry models. For me, it was the natural ingredients that mattered, not the false promise of how a fragrance might make you sexier, more powerful or more successful.

With me, what you see is what you get. Same with my fragrances. They stand on their own and speak for themselves, and Lime Basil & Mandarin certainly did that in 1994  selling 40 times more than any of my other products. And Id later go on to create 14 more fragrances.

Our flat soon started smelling like a perfume lab. It was Gary who insisted on the next move. Hed come home one day to find the bath filled with seashells that I was trying to scent with lavender  and he wasnt best pleased.

One Saturday night, in 1993, we were eating pizza on our bed when he suddenly gagged. Oh my God, this tastes like nutmeg and ginger! he cried. Everything tastes of bath oil. We cant keep living like this.

I was now 30. It was high time to try opening a shop. Our first was in Walton Street, within walking distance of the flat. We found two laboratories to take over making all the products, and managed to repaint the shop only just in time.

CHRISTMAS EVE I KNEW I'D MADE IT - JO MALONE Wed opened our first shop barely two years before  and now it was 1pm on Christmas Eve. The number of customers had finally slowed to a trickle. Time to call it a day. My husband Gary started adding up our takings on his calculator. Then he suddenly exclaimed: Wow  were 362 short of our first million! I said: Theres no way were closing now. We stay open until we make that. By 5pm, we were just 5 short of our goal. At that point, a businessman walked in and said he needed a cheap stocking-filler. After wrapping up a bottle of shower gel for him, I reached under the counter for a bottle of champagne. Happy Christmas, sir, I said. I didnt tell him hed just made us our first million, so he was a bit taken aback by my generosity. After studying the Dom Perignon label, he looked up and said, Happy Christmas to you, too  but may I issue a small piece of advice? Youll never make your business work if you give things away! Advertisement

Nearly an hour before opening-time on the first day, I was standing near the till when an over-eager customer started banging on the door. She wanted some bath oil.

Never one to turn away a customer, I grabbed a bottle from the shelves  but it wouldnt budge. I tugged harder and, with a gloopy, sucking sound, it came free . . . but not without leaving paint on the bottom.

I tried another  same thing. Then another, and my heart sank. The bottles, Gary! I screamed. Theyve all stuck to the paint!

There wasnt much we could do about it, so we opened anyway.

Five hours later, a man in a navy pinstriped suit walked in and told me he was acting for a client who wanted to buy the company.

My instructions today are to offer you one million dollars, he said. I wasnt sure Id heard him correctly, so I made him repeat it.

And then I politely but firmly declined. Afterwards, as Gary and I laughed about the ridiculousness of it all, he said: You know your value now!

Within a month, customers were having to queue outside. By Christmas, six months of product had sold out in six weeks.

Throughout the Nineties, sales rose day after day, month on month. We moved to a bigger shop on Sloane Street. We did a deal with the luxury store Bergdorf Goodman to sell our products in New York. I was even interviewed on TV by Oprah Winfrey.

And still the business kept galloping at such a rate that I began to wonder how much longer we could keep up.

Jo Malone, speaking here at a business event, sold the company to Estee Lauder in 1999 after years of talks with them

Thats when we made an announcement that nobody saw coming: we sold the company to the cosmetics giant Estee Lauder.

It wasnt something wed rushed into; it had taken three-and-a-half years to come to an agreement after their first approach.

Of course, I asked myself whether wed be swallowed whole and lose control of everything wed built. But I was eventually convinced by assurances from the chairman Leonard Lauder that everything would stay the same.

News of the takeover broke on October 25, 1999. How did I feel? To be honest, it was as if a weight had been lifted. The morning after wed signed the papers in New York, Id gone for a stroll in Central Park.

I thought of Mum and wished she could have been sharing this moment. I didnt want to call Mum and say: Look what Ive done . . . look at me. I wanted to call her and feel her pride in me.

And then I realised that Id spent my whole life longing to hear Mum say this. Who knows  maybe that was precisely why Id actually made it to this dizzy height.

The wind started to chill the back of my neck, which brought back another memory of me as a little girl, standing at my bedroom window in my freezing bedroom.

Back then, Id vowed that one day, Id never have to feel cold again; that Id escape a life of constant struggle, drudgery and parental rows.

Now here I was, in a position where Id never have to worry about money again. For the first time, I allowed myself to feel a huge swell of pride in the little girl whod never given up.
Dear Bel

I am in need of perspective. I don't understand why I attract liars. My first husband (we married at 20) lied for years; not about lovers, but about money. We lost everything.

It's hard to explain the effect it had on us as a family. I would have followed this man to the ends of the earth, but that was not enough. It was a long time ago, but still hurts.

My son, the apple of his father's eye, will not tolerate him at all, but my daughter sees nothing wrong in pressing him and his third wife into service as child minders.

Two years after my first marriage ended, I met the most wonderful man, going through a difficult time, as his wife was unfaithful.

We were in a similar situation; neither had chosen to end our marriages and both were hurting. We found comfort in each other and had a lot in common. We have now been married for 17 years and live in Spain.

However, he still hankers after his first wife, some 20 years after we met, and the things that have pushed me into emailing you are too numerous to mention.

His youngest son, who has some form of autism (parents in denial), lived with us for some years and caused all sorts of problems.

I unsuccessfully tried to get treatment for him, but his older siblings abdicated any responsibility. I spoiled my own children's lives trying to get him sorted out, which I regret and they resent.

It seems every decision I make, each life choice, is wrong. I have no friends where we live now (yes, I've tried clubs etc). I have a bad back and IBS, so dare not volunteer for anything here.

I tried to learn the language, but am too old and can't remember a thing. I go to bed each night hoping I won't wake up.

I have no one and have not had anybody truly mine since 1998, when my father died. How I need him to tell me what a silly cow I'm being.

I think I may need to divorce and try again (in my 60s, not a happy thought) because I need to get some confidence and self-respect back and sod everyone else. I need to leave here and get back to the UK.

What is it about me that is so unlovable? Please tell me how to get some loyalty from those I really adore. What do you think is wrong with me?

MAUREEN

Hold on, hold on. What is wrong with you is that you are drowning in self-pity and self-pity is always 'unlovable'. To me, your email is full of question marks.

For example, I can't understand why you brand your second husband a 'liar', because you don't give examples of his porkies. I'd have thought they would come tumbling out.

You then say he 'hankers after his first wife', but offer nothing to back this up. I'm not saying you are wrong on both counts, just that it is odd to level two charges, provide no evidence, then tell me about his unfortunate son  for which he surely can't be blamed?

In that account, you place yourself in a noble role as the one person who tried to help. Perhaps you were very good and tried hard, and all to your credit. Yet the story sits oddly in this narrative.

It sounds as if you resent all of your husband's children, as well as your own daughter for staying in contact with her father. You say your attention to the autistic (spectrum) son also caused problems with your children. Is this why you tell me (shockingly) that you 'have no one'?

This week, Bel Mooney asks one reader: 'How can you expect your extended family to show any 'loyalty' to you, when you display none to them?'

And yet you are a grandmother, a mother and a wife. Of course, those individuals cannot be your possessions ('I have nobody truly mine), but was your late, dear father truly yours? Of course not. We shouldn't view any relationships so possessively, because it speaks of self-absorption.

In any case, you imply that your father would be critical of you ('silly cow'). It could be that you are sentimentalising that past relationship in order to devalue the ones you have in the present. And it is those relationships you need to work on, urgently.

But your defeatism is horrific. First, you wish you could die in your sleep, then you want to high-tail it back to Britain on your own, to 'get some confidence and self-respect back'. Yes, giving up on everybody and everything will achieve that, won't it?

Just read your email through again and think of the impression you give. You can't/won't learn Spanish and have no friends, but have you once paused to ask yourself whether there is a connection between the two? Are you giving your attention to the life you have, rather than wishing for a different one?

You say (almost casually): 'I think I may need to divorce.' Really? Would it not be more useful to try to examine what is going wrong in your marriage (it could just be the passage of time, you know, meaning boredom) and work to put it right?

You need to haul your negative thoughts back to when you first fell for your second husband and consider what it was you loved.

Have you thought of having counselling (even from Spain, you can telephone Relate on 0044 300 100 1234)? Or would you rather start all alone again, back in Britain where you don't sound close to either of your children and (I bet) have let old friendships lapse?

Finally, you ask 'how to get some loyalty from those I really adore?' But tell me, who would they be?

You've just told me that you 'have no one' and that 'each night' you don't want to wake up. Do you see the contradiction? How can you expect your extended family to show any 'loyalty' to you, when you display none to them? Think on these things.

Dear Bel

I doubt you can help me  two years ago my 35-year-old daughter had tests and was told she had liver and womb cancer.

After ten weeks this proved to be an error. However, she was traumatised, developed a serious form of pneumonia and became critically ill in intensive care.

The stress was hard to bear and I am ashamed to tell you I began to drink heavily, mainly to sleep.

My two sisters were disgusted, and although in time I pulled myself together they have disowned me, calling me an alcoholic and a disgrace to the family.

My daughter is well now and although I stopped the drinking they still refuse to speak to me and have returned letters to my address unopened.

I am heartbroken. Normally I am the person in the family who helps out in any crisis and they know this, as I put myself out when both their husbands passed away.

So I cannot believe the cruelty.

Every morning my first thought is of the rift  especially as we have never ever fallen out before.

I know we will never speak again and although I dont forgive them, I am traumatised at the way they have discarded me, as if I was never important.

This hatred I feel is holding me back from getting on in life. I cannot cry and never have once in the two years they have disowned me. I am numb.

JULIE

My cruel sisters say I'm an alcoholic

These family rifts are always terribly sad, so to begin with I ask you to take my sympathy as read. But there's something about your letter which bothers me.

When you describe the stress of your daughter's frightening misdiagnosis and that self-medication with alcohol, I entirely understand. Indeed, I confess that at times of great anxiety (also over my children) I have behaved in the same way.

But because I know about this weakness I also realise that when drunk you can often say and do unacceptable things. Alcoholics can spew foul abuse, even at people they love.

To me, your story of being driven to drink, then being cut off by your cruel sisters  with no forgiveness possible  does not ring entirely true. There may be much more to this than you are admitting.

It's not to defend their behaviour to ask you whether, in your heart of hearts, you recall saying or doing anything to cause this extreme reaction.

Of course, I can't rule out the possibility that they may be mean, ungrateful and implacable women.

On the other hand, you might have yelled abuse at one or other at a time when you were an angry, upset drunkard  and that could be a reason for this hostility. You say you have written to them, your letters returned unopened. That's sad, and I disapprove of this response, no matter what you may have done.

But I wonder if those letters were sorry  or angry? I wish I knew, because this is what bothers me.

You are saying you 'don't forgive them' and feel 'hatred' at the way you have been treated. That is an enormous step backwards from being upset and hurt, and the anger in your words takes me back to the feeling that you may have said something to cause your sisters to reject you.

It does no good to feel 'hatred,' nor say so decisively that you 'know' you will never speak to your sisters again.

How do you 'know' unless this is what you subconsciously want? A reason to be so angry with them, paying them back for telling the truth about your drinking? Do they remind you of your shame at the way you were, responding to your daughter's crisis with weakness, not strength?

There are always two sides to every quarrel and the most aggrieved victims have often played a part in their own downfall. I ask you to reflect  and perhaps take your daughter into your confidence. She could help build a bridge between her mother and her aunts.
Smitten: Elizabeth Jane had doubts about her new lover - but dismissed them

For all the plaudits, novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard spent her life yearning for love. And, as we told last week, she conducted a prolific series of affairs with some of the best-known literary figures of the day, including future husband Kingsley Amis. Her need for affection brought passion, terrible sadness  and more. As the second and final extract from this acclaimed new biography reveals, an ill-judged romance late in life placed the novelist in mortal, and only narrowly-averted, danger

Jane had become something of a celebrity after the success of her family saga The Cazalet Chronicle, and her appearance on Desert Island Discs in October 1995 generated a lot of letters from listeners, including one from a man who said he had fallen in love with her voice.

A correspondence developed, followed by phone calls. Jane, as Elizabeth Jane was known to her friends, could not remember whether it was then or later that she told him she had cancer. The letters continued in the New Year as she was having radiotherapy. Then came a letter saying that he loved her.

Ill call him Malcolm Shane: not his real name, but there are good reasons for withholding it. He seemed to have had a sad life, was separated and lived in Orkney. When he kept telling Jane how beautiful she was, she wrote back to say that this was nonsense, since she was now fat with white hair.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed the literary flirtation and arranged to meet Malcolm in March after she had undergone an operation on her leg. By now she had told her friends about him, and how excited and fluttery she felt at the prospect of meeting him.

They urged her to be sensible and to meet him somewhere neutral, such as a London hotel. But Jane, now 72, felt daunted by the prospect of tea in London. Both of them would feel awkward and shy, it would be a disaster. Instead she decided to have him to stay at her house in Bungay, Suffolk, for the weekend of March 15 to 18, 1996, with other guests.

Janes friend, the writer Selina Hastings, came to visit early that month, and drove Jane on a shopping expedition for waterproof mascara, since she knew she would be moved to tears when she saw him; and a froth of silky lingerie, nightgowns and petticoats, which she referred to as her trousseau.

She was so excited, said Selina. Like a 17-year-old. She asked another friend: Supposing he wants to make love to me? What should I do? The friend replied: You never really forget what to do its like riding a bicycle.

There was no doubt in Janes mind that they would have sex. It was now 16 years since she had left Kingsley and there had been no sex for some years before that.

When Malcolm arrived, Jane wrote: We had a glass of wine together before the rest of us had dinner. She noticed that while Malcolm wasnt particularly good-looking, he possessed enormous charm. She could see that he was nervous, because his palms were sweaty. Over dinner he was quiet, but he was probably tired from the journey.

As soon as the other guests retired, Jane told Malcolm that there is something we have to get out of the way, and led him upstairs.

A passion for men: A young Elizabeth Jane poses for a snap during a holiday in Greece

As is my wont when afraid of something, I plunged in and invited him to share my bed. It was clear at once that this was his element. But, less like other people Id known, he made no sudden conquest, said we needed time  or rather, I needed time to get to know him. This remark enchanted me.

He left on the Monday morning and their letters resumed, with Jane waiting for the postman like a schoolgirl. Jane invited him to stay again for ten days, so they could get to know each other better.

Janes daughter Nicola collected Malcolm from Norwich airport. Hows Jessica? he said when they were in the car, meaning Jane  which was not a good start. He also showed Nicola the programme for a horse show in Somerset, where he and his second wife used to live (he had recently left his third).

She had died in a riding accident at the show that day, he said, and he had written her name on the cover. The programme was a few years old, but Nicola was instantly suspicious. She knew the West Country riding community and had no recollection of any fatal accidents. Nicola said nothing, but made a note of his wifes name.

During the visit, Malcolm suggested coming to live in Bungay and buying a cottage. Jane recalled: I felt what he really meant was that he wanted to live in my house with me, and something told me that this was a bad idea.

Yet she was not yet ready to listen to the warning bells. I enjoyed sex with him, and we talked together very companionably, she wrote. It felt extraordinary to be having a sex life.

Yet there were odd things about him. Although he was only 62, he seemed to have no job, not even a hobby. All he wanted to do was look after me. This sounded both nice and not quite right. Malcolm was living in a council house in Orkney, and admitted to some credit-card debt which Jane paid off for him. She also paid his air fares.

He burst into a rage, hit her and stormed from the house

During his second visit, Jane had a bad fall which left her bed-bound. Malcolm nursed her devotedly, and ended up staying a month. During this time, much to Janes discomfiture, he proposed. He seemed to accept Janes insistence that she didnt want to be married ever again, yet he continued paying court to her.

WHEN Malcolm left at the end of May, Jane felt a certain relief. But no, as soon as he was away I thought of when hed be back. You like me in bed, he said one day, and it was true. What he didnt know was how unusual this was for me.

She invited Malcolm to come again for ten days in July. But after she rebuffed a second proposal of marriage, Malcolm became very angry. Why wouldnt she marry him? Wasnt he good enough for her and her posh friends? He worked himself into such a rage that he hit her and then stormed out of the house.

Jane was terrified. She locked all the doors, stuck a chair under the handle of her bedroom door which had no lock, and barely slept. He was out all night. By then other disturbing information about Malcolm was starting to emerge, including the fact that no one had ever died in a fatal accident at the Chew Magna Horse Show. That was his big mistake, said Nicola.

Had he told us she had been killed in a motorbike accident, we might never have found out. Alerted by Nicola, Janes brother Robin had hired a private detective to look into Malcolms past. He had found out that Malcolms last wife had died not in a riding accident, but of a cerebral haemorrhage: and in people under 50, the most likely cause is injury to the head.

He had had three children, not one, as he claimed; and two of his wives had reported his violence to the police. Janes brother Colin, known since his schooldays as Monkey, was deputed to tell her. He sat her down, made some tea, and said: Ive got something rather awful to tell you.

She listened very, very quietly and I had the feeling that while she was obviously very shaken, it did not come as a complete shock.

After she had heard the truth from Monkey, Jane spent the night talking with Selina Hastings until she was exhausted with weeping. Half of her was aghast and horrified and humiliated, said Selina. The other, desperately mourning the loss of the man in her life.

She told Malcolm in a letter that she now knew certain things about him that made her never want to see or hear from him again, and she was lodging a copy of the letter with her solicitor.

MARTIN AMIS, THE UNRULY STEPSON SHE JEERED FROM DOPE TO HOPE Jane said she regretted she never had children with Kingsley Amis: instead she had to act as stepmother to two unruly teenage boys. Kingsleys ex-wife Hilly never controlled their sons, Philip and Martin, who at 16 and 15 were bunking school, smoking dope and picking up girls in the Picasso coffee bar on Chelseas Kings Road. Jane and Kingsley moved the boys into their Maida Vale home in the spring of 1965. Kingsley left Jane in the role of nagging scold. She enrolled the boys at a tutorial college and gave them access to alcohol and cigarettes, but not dope. Then, in March 1966, Jane found a stash in Philips room. It was no great feat of detection, wrote Martin. They were kept in a box with PHILS DRUGS written in multicoloured capitals. Summoned for a dressing-down, Philip  already beyond their authority  left in a fury. I dont think anyone could have coped with me at that time, he later admitted. I was just nuts. Family snap: Kingsley Amis with his children Sally, Martin and Philip in the early 1980s When Martin told Jane he wanted to be a writer, she scoffed: But you never read anything. She gave him Pride And Prejudice and left him to it. Over the coming months he devoured Dickens, Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, and read Middlemarch in three days. He sat A-levels, discovered poetry, and learned how to write and think about books. She salvaged my schooling, and I owe her an unknowable debt for that, he later said. He also began to feel something more. It is perhaps impossible for someone who loves his mother to love the woman your father left her for. However, I got very close to loving Jane. Advertisement

Jane poured her grief into a new novel, Falling, a thinly veiled memoir of the affair that was hailed as one of the most psychologically perceptive of all her books. A psychiatrist friend said it was one of the best portraits of a psychopath he had ever read.

She also received a visit from Malcolms last wife, Linda, who had read an interview with Jane and guessed the truth. The story she told Jane was chilling. Malcolms mother had told her on their first meeting: You should keep away from my son: hes a dangerous man.

Malcolm, she added, seldom left the house without a large carrier bag full of letters, which Linda secretly read one day in her car after he left them at home.

The letters were all from well-known women, actresses and writers with whom Malcolm was in correspondence; and he had annotated the margins with remarks such as too fat or married or not enough money.

Horrified and fascinated, she read on. When she looked up, Malcolm was running towards the car with a large stone in his hand.

Linda scrambled out and was saved by the fact that the letters were caught by the wind. Malcolm dropped the stone and started scrabbling for them, which gave Linda the chance to run.

Linda assured her that she was not the only one to be fooled. A few months later Jane had a postcard from New York, from Malcolm himself. He had evidently read Falling, as his message used the names of characters  and part of the plot  from the novel. Dear Daisy, it read.

Here for adventure with the lady on the train. Best wishes, Hal. She never heard from him again; but in 2002 she received a letter from a woman called Wendy Barr in Orkney, telling her that Malcolm was dead.

 Artemis Cooper, 2016
The news has been hailed as a breakthrough for would-be parents.

This week, scientists declared theyve discovered it is possible to conceive children using skin cells  rather than the age-old, trusted technique of a womans egg joining up with a mans sperm.

While the science is still in its infancy, it has been suggested that this may help gay men to have babies together, without the need of a woman to donate an egg.

But I cant see that this is a cause of celebration. In fact, the idea makes me feel incredibly uneasy.

I have no issue with gay people being parents or adopting. The evidence is clear: the most important thing for a child is stability  and gay parents are as capable of providing this as straight parents.

Having a baby is not a human right, it is a biological privilege

But given the number of children who are in foster care or childrens homes, abandoned and unloved, is it really right to be finding yet more ways of bringing babies into the world?

One of the arguments for this kind of technology is that people want children who are genetically theirs. They place importance on nature, rather than nurture, in determining how their child will turn out.

But if youre going to value genes in this way, then you also have to accept that Mother Nature has decided, for whatever reason, that these vital building blocks of life are not to be interfered with. You cannot argue for the importance of nature and then change the rules when they dont suit you.

That doesnt mean you cant be a good parent; just that biology has decreed your genes should not be passed on.

And if, like me, you value nurture  the environment in which a child grows up  over nature, then whether or not a parent is genetically related to their child is not crucially important, so theres no reason not to adopt.

Lots of people will read this and think Im being cruel and unfair to gay or infertile couples who want to be parents.

On the contrary, I think my views underscore the invaluable contribution infertile couples can make to society by adopting children.

We seem to have forgotten that only a generation ago there was no IVF (where an egg is fertilised in a laboratory), and the inability to have a child was something that people had to come to terms with.

Now, though, it is seen as a just another medical problem to be fixed. Yet the inability for two men to conceive is simple biology. But, in our selfish age, it seems that human biology is no longer considered an adequate barrier to getting what we want.

Advanced reproductive technologies are increasingly being seen as something to which everyone should have access, because everyone has the right to have a child  and a child that is genetically theirs  if they want one.

I dont buy this. Its not a right: its a biological privilege.

In all of this debate, the children that might be created increasingly risk being forgotten.

This week, a British woman aged 60 was allowed to export her dead daughters frozen eggs to the U.S. to be fertilised using sperm from a donor, so they can be implanted and she can give birth to her own grandchild. She wants to carry out the wishes of her daughter, who died of cancer in 2011 aged 28.

I cant help but wonder if her judgment is clouded by grief  and Im sure there are many who, like me, feel uncomfortable about this case. Is it fair to bring a baby into the world under such circumstances?

It seems that the welfare of any child that might be conceived in this way is being eclipsed by what adults want. The genie is already out of the bottle when it comes to reproductive technology. But just because we can do something doesnt mean that we should.

Texting: It's as bad as drink driving

In my first year at medical school, I would sometimes volunteer to take part in experiments run by the psychology department.

Paid 5 each time we took part, enterprising students could make a pretty packet spending the morning or afternoon helping in the laboratories.

One experiment in which I was involved, in 1998, looked at the effect of using a mobile phone on a persons attention-span and was one of the first studies done on the subject.

Careless driving: A female motorist sending a text message while at the wheel

I remember being shocked at the degree to which using a phone impaired my reaction times and how seriously it affected my ability to concentrate.

Today, the body of evidence is overwhelming and clearly shows that using a mobile phone while driving is incredibly dangerous. Research shows its on a par with being drunk or under the influence of drugs.

Yet despite this, as the Mail disclosed this week, many drivers still feel its perfectly all right to use their mobile while at the wheel, with half admitting to using one while in stationary traffic while a third confess to using one to make a call while driving.

Such recklessness infuriates me because it can ruin lives.

This is why I wholeheartedly support calls for tougher deterrents. All the evidence shows that using a mobile phone while behind the wheel of a car is dangerous and risks killing or badly injuring innocent pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists.

And all because someone wanted to make a quick call, send a text or unnecessarily check Facebook.

Don't be surprised that celebs get depressed

The wealthy and famous, like Lady Gaga (pictured), are not immune to depression

Pop star Lady Gagas disclosure this week that shes taking antidepressants was met with surprise by many.

Why, they reasoned, would a rich, successful celebrity like her (pictured) possibly be in need of anything like that?

Its an attitude that shows just how far we still have to come in the way we view depression.

Certainly, poverty can be a factor that triggers it.

But depression, as with any mental illness, can strike people regardless of how wealthy and successful they are.

How the blight of bedsores reveals a failing care system

I remember vividly the first time I saw a bedsore. I was a junior doctor on a geriatric ward when one of the nurses called me over. She wanted me to be a witness for the complaint she was making about the nursing home from which the patient had been admitted.

As she pulled back the bed-covers, I recoiled in horror. The stench. The raw flesh. A crater in the muscle, like someone had taken a scoop out of it, leaving the underlying bone just visible.

The term bedsore, or pressure sore, does not do the condition justice. Sore makes it sound slightly unpleasant or irritating; something to be rubbed better.

In reality, a bedsore  a breaking down of the skin due to pressure on a part of the body  is a revolting condition because it is the embodiment of neglect.

This week, we heard how 80-year-old Mabel Massey developed bedsores which became infected and caused her death.

She was under the care of Sheffield Social Services. Now, after a review found that Mrs Massey was a victim of institutional neglect, her daughter is taking legal action.

Tragically, this patient is far from alone. It is estimated that nearly 1,000 people a year die from bedsores. This is nearly as many as those who die from the superbug MRSA.

Patients can easily develop bedsores while in hospital and it can in some cases lead to death

Yet while MRSA attracts national campaigns and political intervention, the issue of bedsores is largely ignored.

NHS bosses and the Department of Health should adopt a zero-tolerance policy.

Given that with proper nursing and medical care they are entirely preventable, bedsores should be treated as cases of professional negligence.

The managers responsible for the ward or nursing home involved should face disciplinary procedures and, if someone dies, instant dismissal. If that happened, I suspect that very quickly this problem would start to improve.

Worryingly, though, there are no official figures for bedsores suffered by care-home residents. Yet every affected patient I have seen has developed them in such a place.

Perhaps severe financial penalties would be the incentive needed to persuade care-home owners to invest in ensuring that they never occur.

Back in the Sixties, to encourage blood circulation, bed-bound patients were given a massage several times a day on the areas most at risk of developing bedsores.

But what is perhaps just as important is the attitude that accompanied this. The development of a bedsore was considered deeply shameful for the nurse responsible and often led to disciplinary action. Why have things changed for the worse?

I am horrified that bedsores have not been made a priority by health chiefs. Instead, attention has shamefully focused on paperwork rather than patients, with nurses being given endless forms to complete and less time to nurse.

GPs and hospital doctors must be equally held to account for ensuring that their patients do not develop these sores.

Every GP who treats people in a nursing home must ensure procedures are in place to stop bedsores developing, and they should regularly examine patients for evidence of the skin breaking down.

The fact is that we need to challenge the lie that in some patients they are inevitable. Above all, we should express our disgust and disapproval to all healthcare professionals involved when we see patients in whom sores have been allowed to develop.
American Heiress

Rating:

Jeffrey Toobin

Doubleday, available on Amazon

The story of the kidnapping of the heiress Patty Hearst is so like a Coen Brothers movie that you have to keep reminding yourself it actually happened.

The kidnappers were a motley crew of small-time crooks and middle-class drop-outs. They were led by the comically named Donald DeFreeze  no relation of Donald DeDuck  who changed his name to the even sillier Cinque Mtume before declaring himself General Field Marshal in the United States Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army.

As titles go, this sounds ever so grand but, at its peak, the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) consisted of just nine members, most of whom would have had trouble fighting their way out of a paper bag. The author of this pacy jaw-dropper of a book characterises the key six, not inaccurately, as the radical black, the crazed Vietnam vet, the militant lesbian, the other-worldly poet, the empty-headed actress and the idealistic young boy.

Patty Hearst being led to her 1976 trial

On February 4, 1974, three of them burst into an apartment at the University of California in Berkeley and dragged Patty Hearst, a 19-year-old history of art student, kicking and screaming to a waiting car. Before they took her away, Pattys boyfriend, the appropriately named Steve Weed, had shouted Take anything you want! and ran off through the back door, leaving Patty to her fate.

The SLA had targeted Patty after seeing the announcement of her engagement to Steve Weed in the San Francisco Examiner, one of many newspapers owned by her family: Pattys grandfather was, of course, the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, immortalised by Orson Welles in Citizen Kane.

Patty was the middle and most rebellious of five daughters. Soon after her 17th birthday, she had begun an affair with her teacher, Steve Weed, and had then opted to go with him to study at the hippyish Berkeley rather than anywhere grander.

No one with a famous name had been kidnapped in the United States since Charles Lindbergh Jr was seized and murdered in 1932, writes Toobin. This is not strictly accurate  Frank Sinatra Jr was kidnapped in 1963  but news of the kidnapping of Patty Hearst certainly pushed all other stories off the front pages.

The FBI devoted all its efforts into tracing her. They even gave a psychic the shirt Steve Weed had worn that night, in the hope that it would lead to something. The psychic clutched the shirt and immediately went into a trance. I see them. They are driving north. They are in a great hurry! It turned out later that they had driven south, and very slowly.

Four days after her kidnap, the SLA released a tape-recording of Patty. These people arent just a bunch of nuts, she told her parents. Theyve been really honest with me, but theyre perfectly willing to die for what they are doing.

In return for Pattys safe release, her kidnappers were demanding that the Hearst family distribute $70 worth of food to every single person on any kind of welfare in the state of California. The total bill for this massive operation would have approached $400million.

Patty brandishing a weapon in front of the SLA insignia, 1974

The initial distribution of food was a disaster, resulting in fights and riots. On the home front, Pattys parents soon fell out with her fiance. No one would have carried my daughter off if thered been a real man there, said her mother. Her father put it even more bluntly, describing him as an egocentric pain in the ass.

In turn, Weed told a newspaper that Patty and I always thought her mother was so hypocritical. Nor was he generous in his praise of poor old Patty, who was at that moment blindfolded in a broom cupboard. Oh, shes pretty, you know, the prettiest of any of the Hearsts daughters. But then none of them are raving beauties. Shes a bright girl, too. Not brilliant, of course, but reasonably bright.

After a month or so in captivity, still blindfolded, Patty began to develop a kinship with her kidnappers, and was soon keen to switch sides and join them. In their turn, the SLA were only too keen to let her go, in the hope that the FBI would then scale down its hunt.

But she persisted in her arguments and, eight weeks after they had taken her hostage, the SLA voted to welcome her as a member. As General Field Marshal, I welcome you, declared Donald DeFreeze. You are now a guerrilla fighter and a soldier in the SLA. He then presented her with a sawn-off shotgun, in order to defend herself against the FBI.

Hearst at a Thierry Mugler fashion show in 199

What had happened to Patty, who was by now having sex with at least two of her kidnappers? Had she been brainwashed? Toobin makes it quite clear that the SLA were far too amateurish to carry out anything as sophisticated as a brainwashing.

Now aged 62, Patty insists that she was merely putting on an act in order to survive. But there is no evidence to support her, and plenty that points to her being the most willing of victims. Somehow, her innate sense of rebellion had found its natural habitat.

The SLA are not the ones who are harming me, she said in a bullish message to her parents, delivered just over a month after her kidnap. Its the FBI, along with your indifference to the poor Im starting to understand about fascism in America. She certainly didnt sound like someone who was being forced to say it.

On April 15, 1974, Patty participated in a bank robbery, posing with a machine gun in front of the security cameras for maximum publicity. First person puts up his head, Ill blow his motherf****** head off! she yelled. This was no shrinking violet.

The bank raid was, in a modest way, successful. Each of the raiders, including Patty, pocketed $1,000. In her next tape-recorded message, she rejected the idea that she had been brainwashed. The idea is ridiculous to the point of beyond belief, she said, adding:  Consciousness is terrifying to the ruling class. She also took a swipe at the man she now referred to as my ex-fiance. During the past few months, Steven has shown himself to be a sexist, ageist pig I dont care if I never see him again, she said. And, sure enough, she didnt!

Given the SLAs utter incompetence, they remained at large for a surprisingly long time. After three months on the run, three of them, including DeFreeze, were cornered in a house, giving rise to the largest police gun battle that had ever happened in America, with 53,000 rounds of ammunition fired by the police alone, along with 83 canisters of tear gas. Among those killed was Pattys new boyfriend.

Patty and the others remained on the run for another 18 months. When she was finally arrested by the police, she gave her occupation as Urban Guerilla and presented a clenched-fist salute to the cameras. But the prospect of life imprisonment has a funny way of concentrating the mind: by the time her case came to trial, she was adamant that she had been in a perpetual state of terror, that her lovers were in fact rapists, and that her complicity was nothing but a ploy.

Was Patty Hearst a victim or a criminal? Had she not been kidnapped, she would undoubtedly never have gone on the rampage with the SLA. But she took to terrorism like a duck to water. At what point does victimhood end and individual responsibility begin?

Patty Hearst welcome home button. Tania was the name she received from the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). In 1974 she became a member of the FBI's ten most wanted list

The court finally found her guilty, and sentenced her to the maximum of 35 years. But this was reduced to seven years, and she was in fact released in under two. Over the decades, public opinion seemed to swing her way, and President Clinton granted her a full pardon on his last day in office in 2001.

What became of the ragbag of SLA survivors? They, too, lost their taste for revolution. One became a business consultant, another a private investigator, and another ran a flooring company.
VW California Ocean

Rating:

The silly season is over. Long live the silly season. This appears to be the new problem where popular and current affairs are concerned: there is no longer a clear line in the sand separating the trivial summer madness from the serious business that kicks in again around now.

Take the US presidential contest, for example, which seems to become a more acute victim of its own ridiculousness with each day that passes.

I actually heard one respected pundit predicting this week that neither Trump nor Clinton will end up in The White House come January.

The California Ocean is the best camper VW has ever produced, plush and comfortable with superior finishes, robust and supportive upholstery and a real king-of-the-road feel

Then theres the continuing one-man soap opera that is Labours beleaguered Don Corbyeone, who may see his constituency vanish into thin air following an electoral boundary review.

Not to mention poor old David Cameron who, after captaining the Tories to their first clear election majority in 23 years just 16 months ago, cut and run entirely from the world of politics.

Clearly, he had an epiphany and realised that escape was the preferable option after Prime Minister May displayed more sincere beliefs and intentions in six weeks than he did in six years.

Stories such as these had to go head to headline with the launch of the new plastic fiver (indestructible but also unfoldable, and for how much longer relevant in any case) and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Roald Dahl, who, against all the odds of modern technology, is now more popular than ever  which is both brilliant and incredible.

Yet neither of these came even close to the real showstopper  the television network-shattering news that The Great British Bake Off is off to Channel 4.

From the moment I embarked upon my radio show early on Tuesday morning, the GBBO news having broken late Monday evening, it became blindingly evident from the reaction of listeners that I was talking to a nation in shock. No one saw this coming  a done deal, irreversible, out of nowhere.

The California Ocean has got a super-clean, super-smooth (for a diesel) engine and is lighter and airier inside than its predecessor

This is a thoughtfully put together incarnation of what is undeniably a legendary lineage of VW leisure craft

Desserted, Bake Off Is Poached, Crumbs! screamed the papers. And so what to do?

A wise man who employs thousands of people once told me that if any staff member, regardless of position, ever indicates to him they are even so much as thinking about leaving, he very respectfully suggests to them that is precisely what they should do, and sooner rather than later.

If its in their mind now it will be on their mind for ever. Better for both parties to call it a day then and there, is what I say. Lifes too short and all that.

Rock-solid advice that has ever since helped rather than hinder me in similar situations. And lets face it, someone will come up with another Bake Off in good time anyway  its bound to happen.

Britain has clearly fallen back in love with doing stuff and thats mostly what people want to see more of on our telly boxes.

Caravanner Of The Year, a programme that aired earlier this year on BBC2, had a half decent stab at it.

A bit too silly at times for its own good, but a show that did well enough to earn a second outing in 2017.

Remember, BBC2 is where Bake Off started, with a comparatively modest audience of 2.5 million viewers compared to the amazing peak of 15 million who tuned into last years final.

COTY also has something else going for it  it doesnt quite make sense, a trait we Brits tend to like. Its particular idiosyncrasy being that there were almost as many camper vans and motor homes in the final as actual caravans.

There are interior sun blinds, a fridge, a hob, four berths, even a shower  everything one could desire for a wild weekend frolicking by our stunning coastline

A caravanner did actually go on to win, thank goodness, but what would they have done had that not turned out to be the case? I pointed this out to a few of my mates, none of whom appeared even half as perplexed over this blatant format flaw as I clearly was.

In which case, if you cant beat them join them. Allow me to present a potential contender for next years Caravanner Of The Year crown  even though theyre driving an actual camper van!

Just as the Evans family were about to reluctantly lay the euphoria of summer fun 2016 to rest, our fairy godfather at Event sensed our woe and asked Volkswagen to lend us its new California Ocean T6 for a week, to cheer us all up. How could this possibly not be a good idea?

Wow, we cheered, as this marvel of modern engineering rolled through our gates. Its gorgeous, purred Natasha.

The California Ocean is the best camper VW has ever produced, plush and comfortable with superior finishes, robust and supportive upholstery and a real king-of-the-road feel.

TECH SPEC

Price 55,790 Engine 2.0-litre diesel Gearbox Seven-speed auto Power 204hp 0-60mph 11.1 secs Top speed 121mph Fuel economy 44.1mpg Annual road tax 230 Advertisement

Its got a super-clean, super-smooth (for a diesel) engine and is lighter and airier inside than its predecessor.

Its also better-equipped, with multi-adjustable sliding dining table, hugely versatile passenger seating, impressive storage space and  the eureka moment for all VW camper-vanners  an electrically operated, elevating roof.

There are also interior sun blinds, a fridge, a hob, four berths, even a shower  everything one could desire for a wild weekend frolicking by our stunning coastline.

Which is all well and good. But theres a problem: a camper van needs to be groovy and cool above all else.

Our initial plan had been to spend a bonus post-summer holiday weekend away somewhere, giving the Ocean a proper onceover, with photographs online, a video  the works. Alas though, once the kids clapped eyes on it, they lost all interest.

My seven-year- old Noah actually uttered the phrase, But Daddy, its so plain. Ouch.

In fact, we renamed it the VW Slough. The Slough is much more sensibly planned trip than devilmay- care campers on a caper.

That said, it is a thoughtfully put together incarnation of what is undeniably a legendary lineage of VW leisure craft.

Its also amazingly quiet. All other camper vans are basically mobile echo chambers, miniature Hollywood Bowls that amplify any shake, rattle or roll from the various cupboards, hinges and other mechanisms to 1,000dB.

(Our old T5, Buzz, which we only parted company with this year, used to sound like he was having a permanent knees-up back there.)

So is The Slough worth 55k? Absolutely. Its brilliant for what it is offering  so much more bang for your buck compared to cars of a similar price, especially now VW has sorted out the performance.

Just to be sure I put the vote to my expert panel of judges: Noah, Eli and my best mates kids, Oliver and Noah...

Long hauls in a hot, noisy, sweaty but underpowered box on wheels equals zero fun and some very disgruntled children.

This new T6 is the opposite of all those things, with the added chutzpah of a top speed nudging 120 mph  incredible for this type of vehicle.

But would The Evans family have one? Not on your nelly  wed rather hire an old T2 classic for the weekend and take our chances.

But Im sure there are millions of more sober, pragmatic (ie, mostly German) families that would jump at the chance.

Just to be sure I put the vote to my expert panel of judges: Noah, Eli and my best mates kids, Oliver and Noah (see above).
Criminal case on armed incident in Etchmiadzin: new details

In the Vagharshapat Investigation Department of Armavir region of RA, a criminal case has been initiated on the armed incident of Yerevan-Etchmiadzin highway that took place late in the evening of July 16. The resident of Armavir region, Arshaluys village, Aram Grigoryan, informed that on July 16, at around 23:00, on Yerevan-Etchmiadzin highway, in the district of Zvartnots, near the cemetery, shots were fired from VAZ 21-06 cars salon in the direction of Lexus car, in which there were Etchmiadzin Mayor Karen Karapetyan and his brother Arman Grigoryan, after that those, who opened fire, escaped. According to the report, candidate for Etchmiadzin Mayor Artur Tumanyan was in the Vaz 2106 car, from which shots were fired. Aram Grigoryan also stated, that the Vaz 21-06 car was pursued, which later was supported by A. Grigoryans Toyota Camry car, hit Vaz-2106 car, stopped it, after this a scuffle began, during which they took a pistol from which shots were fires at Lexus car. A criminal charge has been instituted based on the abovementioned reports. As a result of the investigation three cars damaged during the pursuit have been discovered. A 9 mm shotshell has been also discovered as a result of the examination of the scene. A number of people have been interrogated. A.Tumanyan and his friends have been hospitalized with different bodily injuries. According to the doctors, A. Tumanyan is still unable to give a testimony, while the interrogation of the other injured person continues, who has presented another version. Additional information will be provided on other details found as a result of the investigation.
You Say You Want A Revolution

Victoria & Albert Museum, London Until February 26

Rating:

Almost certainly, everyone will yield to the joy of the Victoria & Alberts You Say You Want A Revolution show. I resisted and resisted and then, in the Woodstock room, just had to give way. (No one was around to watch: I had a little dance.)

There are holes to pick and suggestions to make about how it could be better. But it is full of the joy of liberation, an innocent reinvention of society, and an untouched conviction life is surely getting better.

All the same, we might spare a moment for the unusual direction the V&A seems to be taking. Its a museum of applied art, and even ten years ago the approach it would have taken to the Sixties would have been different.

There are holes to pick and suggestions to make about how it could be better. But it is full of the joy of liberation and an untouched conviction life is surely getting better

The Sixties produced vividly characteristic furniture, jewellery, bookbnding  all sorts of things. Some is present here, but the core examples and exhibits are fashion, film, graphic design (including posters and record covers) and pop music, and you wander the exhibition with earphones on.

There are, too, touching relics of the period  notes left at festivals to try to arrange a rendezvous. The whole thing is more documentary than aesthetic.

The look of the period is compelling; it just seems to want to overflow, to put violently clashing colours next to each other, to break every rule. The illustrator Aubrey Beardsley was hugely rediscovered, and the borders between womens dress and mens were dissolved.

There was, for the moment, the sense that nothing was permanent, and that emerged in a new spirit of disposability  paper dresses and art consisting of a single happening

Mens clothes could be a riot of brilliant colour, transparent chiffons, dramatic cleavages or, in the case of one gentleman at least in a photograph of a music festival, entirely optional.

There was, for the moment, the sense that nothing was permanent, and that emerged in a new spirit of disposability  paper dresses and art consisting of a single happening.

This presents an issue to the curator in 2016, and though the V&A has access to some precious relics, never meant to survive this long, there are also some attempts to evoke long-gone events through film and recording.

There is a little space given to feminism and to the nascent gay rights movement, but proper explanation of these events and changes of mood seems impossible

The political significance of the time is too immense for an exhibition to encompass, and here we rush at a great clip through Maos Cultural Revolution, the Prague Spring and its aftermath, Paris and the civil rights protests in the US.

There is a little space given to feminism and to the nascent gay rights movement, but proper explanation of these events and changes of mood seems impossible.

The curious effect is to make it seem as if the revolutions of the late Sixties were a matter of most concern to heterosexual white people, and only at the margins were blacks and other non-traditional members of society allowed grudging admission.

The core exhibits are fashion, film, graphic design (including posters and record covers) and pop music, and you wander the exhibition with earphones on

It is startling to see how confrontational protest in the West used to be, and how little freedom we exercise, by contrast.
I feel as though Ive been excommunicated. I have a work event next Wednesday, so I emailed the PR for the London spa I (used to) frequent, asking her to book me a hair appointment.

I never phone reception, as a young woman on the other end will only end up saying, parrot fashion, When would you like to come in?

Me: Midday on the 30th.

YWPF: I dont have anything at that time.

Me: At 2pm? I have to be out by 7pm.

YWPF: I have nothing on that day.

Me: Oh-kaaay. Why dont you suggest a time and day to me instead? Well try it that way round or well be here till Christmas.

YWPF: Who do you normally see? Me: I dont even know the names of my nephews and nieces, do you really think I can remember who dyed my hair last time? I dont care. Anyone.

This conversation can go on for hours, doing the exact opposite of what a spa visit is meant to do  making me more stressed, not less  so thats why I always email the PR. She duly booked me in, and then a few days before the party, she emailed me.

As it has been more than six months since you last had an appointment, you will have to come in 24 hours before in order to have a patch test.

Me, aghast: But Ive been having my hair dyed there since 2003. If I was going to be killed by the dye, it would have happened by now.

It might have been an idea to have warned me, say, after five months. I cannot travel 500 miles for a patch test. Cant you post it to me?

PR: Im not allowed to post it, there have to be witnesses or our insurance is invalidated. Would you like me to cancel the appointment?

You see, whereas when I lived in London and had money life was easy and enjoyable, now it has become an assault course, even when I want to do the simplest thing. You might say, well, why doesnt the stupid woman dye her hair at home. This is precisely what I have been doing for the past six months, hence being excommunicated, but my hair is now becoming crispy and far too black.

Anyway, as I work 85 hours a week and have not had a day off since January 2014, and am frequently photographed and appear on TV, I wouldnt have thought a single visit to a spa (where I get 30 per cent off) before an important work do is too much to ask.

I didnt go camping in Wales with David: he had looked up the forecast and it was due to be torrential. So, instead of sipping a chilled glass of wine in the Black Mountains, chatting by a bonfire, I spent Saturday re-seeding the top of the horses field as they had poached the ground in the spring.

This sounds easy, but it involved digging up the rock-hard surface with a hoe, scattering a huge bag of seed finely, then sifting the top soil in the composter for stones and weeds (I found several new potatoes, which I took home to eat), then scattering the soil finely to cover the seed. I still have to fix rubber grass mats over the top.

The poached patch was at the top of the hill, and as I toiled, I could see a wedding taking place in Saint Agathas at the bottom, the exact same church I had booked for me and David.

There was a vintage Rolls-Royce, and guests milling in pastels and fascinators. The bride was statuesque, gorgeous and happy despite the rain, and as I dug and heaved, they all came up the hill in a crocodile of smart, festive cars, off to sip champagne and eat cake.

I could see guests peering at me from their cars, open-mouthed, exactly as if I were a street orphan making my living on a rubbish tip. A black Porsche stopped, and the window was wound down.

A beautiful young woman in head-to-toe lemon leaned over her handsome beau and said, My God, are you Liz Jones?

What on earth has happened to you? I felt like Hallo Dandy, the famous beribboned winner of the Grand National, found starved and abandoned in a muddy field.
Former journalist Pavan Amara

After years of struggling with the aftermath of her own rape, PAVAN AMARA quit her journalism job to open a pioneering clinic for survivors of sexual violence. She tells Louise Gannon why it was her way of taking control

Some weeks ago, Ella (not her real name), the daughter of a wealthy diplomat, contacted the very first maternity clinic in the UK to deal with survivors of sexual violence. What she said was truly shocking.

The well-educated, impeccably dressed 20-something had been brutally raped by her respected and influential father. She was now several weeks pregnant. She felt she could neither confide in her mother nor contact the police ('No one will believe me and I'm not strong enough').

She wanted someone she could talk to; someone she could trust. But more urgently, she needed a medical professional to guide her through the gynaecological examination and discussion of her pregnancy.

She still had to make the gut-wrenching, head-spinning decision about whether to keep the baby  and she could not even bear to be touched.

Pavan Amara, who set up the clinic at the Royal London Hospital, says: 'If you have been raped, the process of being examined brings everything back, even decades later.

You are sitting on your own in a doctor's surgery, and you feel you have no control of what is happening to you, and so the cycle [of fear] continues. 'The maternity clinic is part of the My Body Back Project, which Pavan established in 2015 to deal with sexual health and body image concerns of women who have been raped.

The clinic offers specialist cervical screening, STI testing and contraceptive care, as well as regular sessions for women to meet and discuss their relationships. Since its launch it has been inundated with women like Ella looking for someone who understands and can help.

If you have been raped, the process of being examined brings everything back, even decades later

Pavan is that person. The former journalist  now training to be a nurse  is responsible for revolutionising the way the Health Service treats women who have suffered sexual violence.

For the past three years, she has worked a seven-day week, 52 weeks a year, to get the clinic up and running. When she started, she had no medical experience or expertise, yet she managed to convince senior NHS executives to give her the necessary funding for the project.

In the case of the maternity clinic, this included the engagement of consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists with specific training as well as midwives and healthcare assistants.

Pavan, who is now training to be a nurse, consulted NHS maternity doctors about their experiences with women who had been raped

Fine-boned and slight, Pavan, who grew up in North London with four siblings, has the fragile beauty of Audrey Hepburn and the reserved manner of someone younger than her 28 years.

But she is a quiet storm. 'In my experience,' she says, 'you cannot imagine what anyone has been through  or what anyone is capable of  just by looking at them.' The reason Pavan knows this is because 11 years ago, she too was raped.

She was 17 and working part time in a pub. She reported the crime and had counselling, but remained bathed in shame. She didn't talk about it, lost confidence and admits she coped by drinking too much.

She says: 'You feel you have been thrown into a whole new dimension. Everything is the same, but nothing is the same. You see things, people and yourself in a very different way.

You can't get back to 'normal' because you have lost your normal  you are now this person who sits in a room with a counsellor and a box of tissues and you don't want to be that person.

So you try to bury it deep inside but it's hurting all the time.' The bleak statistics from the Ministry of Justice tell us that one in five women in the UK aged 16 to 59 has experienced some form of sexual violence.

It happens with horrifying frequency (the figures have risen by 29 per cent in the past three years, according to the British Crime Survey) to women from council estates and country houses, to schoolgirls, students, mothers, teachers, lawyers  even doctors.

Only about 15 per cent report the attack to the police, and although there is initial counselling, it is largely focused on the trauma rather than the lasting effects. By the age of 21, Pavan was moving forward with her life.

She was in a relationship and had a job working on a local newspaper in Camden. She had good friends and had won a national journalism award. Then in 2014, on her way to cover a story, everything changed.

'I was at Holloway Road tube station,' she says, 'and there were two guys on the platform making a joke about rape. This complete rage overtook me. I started screaming and yelling at them. They looked shocked and scared. I wasn't scared of them  I just kept shouting and raging.

'They went away and I got on the train, but it was like everything in my life had changed. I knew I had to do something with this fire inside me. For the first time since my attack I felt fearless and powerful.

Before that, I'd sat in pubs or watched movies where remarks about rape had been made but said nothing. Now there was no turning back.' Using her journalism training, she set up interviews with 30 women who had been raped.

'They were all ages, all backgrounds. I explained that I had been raped, too. I asked them questions about everything from their fears to their self-esteem, their sexuality and their health worries.

The things that kept coming up were health and sexuality. Many of them hadn't had a cervical smear  neither had I. The whole idea brought back that memory of sitting on a cold, plastic bed being tested for forensics.

There were women who wanted to use a contraceptive coil, but couldn't bear the thought of having it fitted  I was exactly the same. Another woman had lived for 18 years with the fear that she was HIV positive following her rape, but had never been able to face a police examination or any intimate testing.' (When she was finally screened at the My Body Back clinic, she was HIV free.)

Pavan knew she had to do something to help these women. A few months after that confrontation at Holloway Road tube station, she quit her job to focus full time (paid a minimal salary from the NHS) on setting up My Body Back.

'I told my colleagues at the newspaper what had happened to me all those years ago and why I needed to leave. Their response was so positive and incredible  I didn't feel in any way ashamed. I just felt a different life was beginning.'

But she quickly realised from talking to women attending the MBB clinic that pregnancy and childbirth were specific concerns. Many said they had decided not to have children because they couldn't deal with the tests, or even the idea of a baby being inside them.

One woman told how  while on gas and air during the delivery of her baby  she hallucinated that the doctor and medics were the rapists who had violated her a decade before. Traumatised and unable to bond with her child, she had spiralled into postnatal depression and had not been able to consider having a second baby.

Pavan consulted NHS maternity doctors about their experiences with women who had been raped, and was put in touch with Dr Jill Zelin, a consultant at St Bartholomew's Hospital specialising in sexual health, and Louise Cadman, a consultant nurse researcher in the same field.

'These were strong, professional women who wanted to help,' she says. 'They didn't wring their hands and say, 'How awful.' Their response was, 'What can we do?'

One woman lived for 18 years with the fear she was HIV positive

Within weeks, the idea for the MBB maternity clinic was born. The immediate success of the clinic speaks volumes about the need for its services. Within hours of the news of it opening, hundreds of women from Sunderland to Wales had either contacted or had been referred to the service by the police or by NHS practitioners.

You find yourself wondering why the beautiful, eloquent Pavan has chosen to keep such a relatively low profile. Her story has all the elements of a movie  a woman raped, fighting for the rights of other women and changing the way the NHS views rape survivors.

As a spokesperson there could be few better choices. But Pavan rarely reads the plaudits about her on social media where she is described as 'awesome', 'brave' and 'incredible'.

She does not go into the details of her own rape, refusing to be defined by her past. Rather than act as a full-time 'face' of her clinics at conferences and awards ceremonies, she has chosen to train as a nurse.

'My hours at the clinics count towards my training,' she explains. 'I want to be able to do things that help. 'Setting up this project hasn't been about going to dinners and making book deals; it's been about emailing hundreds of people every day, creating spreadsheets, dealing with contracts, hitting deadlines.

So much of it has been hard, boring and frustrating, but that's what you have to go through to make a clinic happen. You have to speak to people, do your research, check the stockroom, fill in endless forms, tell your friends you are too busy to see them.

'I'm not a saint,' she adds, laughing. 'I get bad tempered. I sometimes get drunk. I can say and do the wrong things,' and look  she points down to the plate in front of her  'I have cake, chips and hot chocolate for lunch. I'm a normal woman. You have to beware of developing an ego because once you do, the project comes second.'

Pavan pauses. 'My grandmother lives in a tiny village in Northern India. Life is pretty harsh there, and I used to go and stay every year when I was a child. She always told me, 'If you are going to do a good thing, don't speak about it. Just do it.' It's a motto I try to live by.'

The MBB maternity clinic offers advice for women who are considering conception, as well as appointments and antenatal classes for those already pregnant  plus counselling for women like Ella who have to make a decision about continuing or terminating a pregnancy resulting from rape.

'My grandmother always told me, "If you are going to do a good thing, don't speak about it. Just do it." It's a motto I try to live by,' says Pavan

'The fact that you can discuss all these issues, make your own decisions in a space where people understand, is all about taking back control,' says Pavan.

'And that helps diminish what has happened to you in the past and makes what is happening to you now more important and more yours.'

She has never once cried over the cases she comes across. 'It doesn't help. It turns the woman into a victim. This is about her reclaiming control and her life.' As she sips hot chocolate, she tells me two stories.

One is about a woman in her 50s who had never had any health screenings since being raped decades before and was so convinced she had contracted a disease that she had never had any sexual partners.

After being screened in the MBB clinic and found clear, the woman contacted Pavan a few months later to say she had embarked on her first love affair.

Then there was the woman too terrified to have a smear test. 'She turned up with her boyfriend who had been unbelievably supportive. We started doing the smear and the boyfriend collapsed. Suddenly, everyone was rushing around him. His girlfriend was laughing, we were laughing.

It was supposed to be traumatic for her, but it had turned into a comedy. In the horror of all this there are still moments of humour. And if you can laugh, you know it can be OK.'

Pavan herself has no plans at the moment to have children. 'My aim is to set up more clinics across the country,' she says. 'They feel like my babies. I've been involved in every detail, from the chairs to costs to staffing.

The fact that women are coming through our doors  able to talk, to have the right help  means we are doing something that has been needed for far too long.'

I ask her what she would say to her traumatised 17-year-old self and she answers: 'You don't know what strength you have  but something is inside you.' And to her attacker? She pauses.

Pavan would not rewrite her own history. She says: 'I would tell him: 'You have no idea who you are messing with and what you will unleash.' Nothing will stop me now.'
From Jacqueline Kennedy to Joan Collins, Acapulco to the Cote dAzur, photographer SLIM AARONS made his name snapping celebrities and socialites in the worlds most exclusive locations. His assistant Laura Hawk showcases his most iconic images

When Slims grandmother put a camera in his hands during his teenage years, it would prove serendipitous. He enlisted in the army and when the Second World War broke out he was hired as a military newspaper photographer.

Although the war left him disillusioned, Slim returned to the US with the determination to transform the way he looked at life. From now on Im going to walk on the sunny side of the street. Im going to have fun photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.

He was increasingly welcomed into majestic chateaux and mountain-top chalets, and was able to capture people and places few other photographers could get to; he often breezed into the most exclusive resorts where the press was restricted. His half-century of work would witness the birth of the jet set, feminism, colour photography and the invention of the internet.

As his assistant I embraced any job that arose on location, from stylist to researcher, writer to problem solver. By the end of the 80s, Slim and I had explored some of the most dazzling enclaves in the world and he would remain a great friend until his death in 2006.

Poolside Gossip was photographed at the modernist Kaufmann House, Palm Springs in 1970  owner Nelda Linsk is in yellow

Jacqueline Kennedy at the April in Paris Ball, Waldorf Astoria hotel, New York, 1959

Bikini-clad backgammon at Villa Nirvana, Acapulco, 1972

Marilyn Monroe in a Beverly Hills motel, 1950. The actress was reading fan mail sent to her by GIs after the release of her movie The Asphalt Jungle

Inge Morath, Acapulco, 1961. Inge famously photographed Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Misfits, where she met Monroes husband, playwright Arthur Miller. Inge later became his third wife

Gliding through the Mediterranean at Antibes on the Cote dAzur, 1969

Dame Joan Collins and pooch pretty in pink, 1955

50s-style water sports at Lake Tahoe

Film stars Tony Curtis and wife Janet Leigh at a party held by actor James Manson, Beverly Hills, 1954

Preparing for takeoff, Acapulco, 1968

First lady of the Philippines Imelda Romualdez Marcos in Manila, 1972

Socialite Louise Saunderson and her husband Alexander in the opulent bedroom of their home in Montecito, Santa Barbara, 1976

GET 25 PER CENT OFF SLIM AARONS: WOMEN
Guilty pleasure? Daytime TV property shows, such as Homes Under the Hammer.

Where is home? A semidetached house in Stockport, near Manchester.

Career plan B? English teacher.

Who would play you in a movie of your life? Ideally myself, otherwise some average-looking guy, such as Ryan Reynolds or George Clooney!

Biggest bugbear? Waiters and waitresses who dont use a notepad and try to remember your order.

As a child you wanted to be I always wanted to be a performer.

Earliest memory? When I was about four, I vividly remember hiding behind a couch in the living room when a bailiff came to the door because my dad had some sort of debt.

Your best quality? I guess Im friendly.

And your worst? Im messy.

Secret to a happy relationship? Let me know when you find out.

Last meal on earth? A huge Dominos Double Decadence pizza  Im a bit of a fast-food junkie, unfortunately.

Dream dinner-party guests? Billy Connolly, Sandi Toksvig, the late American comedian George Carlin, and Georgi Kinkladze, a former Manchester City player who was my childhood hero.

Advice to teenage self? You learn more from the bad times than the good.

Cat or dog? Dog, 100 per cent  I hate cats.

What do you see when you look in the mirror? I think I have the opposite of body dysmorphia  I look in the mirror and think I look all right!

Starstruck moment? Meeting Bette Midler at the 2009 Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool.

Favourite tipple? Im not a huge drinker, but Im susceptible to the occasional cocktail  as long as it doesnt taste of alcohol.

Hangover cure? A long lie-in and a full English breakfast.

What did you have for breakfast today? Shakshuka  poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce  cooked by Phill Jupitus, who is my housemate on the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tour.

Top of your bucket list? To take my five young children on a three-week exploring holiday somewhere like Africa, Thailand or even America.

Big break? Meeting the producers of 8 Out of 10 Cats at the Edinburgh Festival in 2005. I was one of the team captains for several years.

Career highlight? Getting the thumbs-up from Mel Brooks to appear in a stage production of The Producers last year. He was almost 90, but still very switched on.

Philosophy? Make far horizons your middle distance.

One thing that would make your life better? Loving vegetables as much as I love sugary foods.

Worst job youve ever done? I lasted a day and a half at a Burger King in Manchester.

Where would you time travel to? Back to the 60s and 70s, which sound brilliant according to some of the stories my dad tells.

First record you bought? Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.

Your most extravagant purchase? A black Jaguar XF, which I loved. When the children came, I changed it for a Seat Alhambra people carrier.

Biggest regret? Probably the Seat Alhambra.

Your celebrity crush? Melissa McCarthy  I really like funny women.

Happiness is A day off with the kids under a duvet watching Disney films.
The year so far has seen ladies on the Bollywood screen land karate chops on evil cops, valiantly fight the trauma of molestation, wear the pants in a marital relationship with aplomb, and land in Pakistan in search of love.

Akira, Pink, Ki & Ka and Happy Bhag Jayegi may not define flawless cinema, but these films focus on a pleasant trend: If the past few years saw the quiet rise of films that let the mainstream heroine take centre stage, this year shows Bollywood is trying to create uncharted spaces for female protagonists.

Many have hailed the flurry of heroine-dominated releases over the past weeks as a drastic sign that the industry, having emerged from its days of politically incorrect sexism, is finally learning to accord the right regard to women.

This week's release PINK is another offering in the heroine-dominated releases

Others are uncomfortable with the term heroine-oriented cinema, saying such demarcation slows down the movement meant to render roles of greater significance to women.

It is almost as if a quota is being created, they argue, to let heroines prove they can strike winners at the box-office without male support.

Kangana Ranaut starrer Queen won her National award

One would feel it is important to give cognisance to the term heroine-oriented cinema, rather than brush it under the carpet of political correctness.

It is essential for specific films to be identified as heroine-dominated rather than vaguely describe them as, say, a film where the female protagonist is the hero.

Happy Bhag Jayegi may not define flawless cinema but it was a story of strong woman

An industry that is still only learning to create female roles beyond the stock glamgirl quota first needs to understand the importance of bankrolling projects with substantial and unusual female characters.

The idea does not help our films normally continue to revel in one-dimensional characters for both sexes.

Vidya Balan starrer The Dirty Picture was the first of its kind female-oriented movie

The Hindi screen is still far from creating women protagonists that raise societal debate or spark off psychological brainstorming.

Despite talk of change, the best that Bollywood has managed in recent years are characters that would seem cliched prototypes in international cinema - the rebel showgirl (The Dirty Picture), the deceitful temptress (the Ishqiya flicks) or the wronged middle-class lover girl on a trip of self-discovery (Queen).

These roles give token nod to womens emancipation, for Bollywoods female protagonist still does not have the licence to wholly act out that emancipation.

Most roles we still see start off on an unconventional note before reeling under cliches (sample Akira or Happy Bhag Jayegi).

Rarity apart, we are still some way from watching women on screen who dare to defy societal or sexual norms, as it is happens in films all around the globe.

It will be a long time perhaps, for such trends to reach Hindi filmdom.

There are taboos to tackle and, right now, a bizarre censor board to fend against.

Still there is a happy start somewhere. The heroine on screen has started to breathe easy.

It will be a while before she gets to live free.

Crazy crazy ego trip

This must be among the most original Bollywood nakhras one has heard of in a while - especially coming from a male star.

Ranveer Singh, like an errant child, is bawling with a bizarre demand over Sanjay Leela Bhansalis upcoming ambitious biggie Padmavati.

The film will see him feature alongwith Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.

Ranveer Singh, like an errant child, is bawling with a bizarre demand over Sanjay Leela Bhansalis upcoming ambitious biggie Padmavati

Ranveer has demanded that Shahid should not share space with him in - hold your breath - the films posters!

One has heard of Bollywood cat fights over higher billing in a films credits.

One has also heard of stars bickering over whose face features in a bigger size on the posters, or who gets more runtime in a promo.

To get a co-star entirely removed from the poster is something as originally eccentric as Ranveer himself has mostly been (rumours has it he is peeved over Shahid reportedly getting a bigger paycheque).

For now, Bhansali plans to launch three separate posters for his three stars.
Barcode scanners will stand in the way of trespassers at Delhi airports entry gates from next week following security scare over frequent incidents of people sneaking in with bogus e-tickets.

Authorities are introducing the pilot project close on the heels of intelligence warnings that in the absence of a biometric system- the countrys most sensitive airport was under serious threat.

According to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), responsible for guarding all the commercial airports in India, 23 people managed to enter the facility with fake digital tickets in 2015, while the same number of incidents were reported in the first eight months, this year.

CISF can now track every passenger after entry into terminal building, during check-in and after crossing boarding gates

An Italian national managed to slip into the airport using a forged e-ticket to see-off his girlfriend, on the eve of Independence Day, when the area was on a high alert.

The man had a ticket to Moscow for August 16, but he changed the date to the 15th using a photo-editing software in a bid to gain entry. He was later caught in the check-in area.

The barcode readers will allow airlines and CISF to track the movements of every traveller who enters the terminal.

This step was taken after the security forces wrote to the Ministry of Civil Aviation regarding concerns raised on misuse of e-tickets.

This system will register information of a passenger when he or she enters the building, during check-in process, after security check and finally after crossing the boarding gate, a senior CISF official said.

Movements will be tracked at every level and details will be shared with CISF and airlines.

During the trial run, the scanners will be installed at two to three gates of the Terminal-1D building for domestic departure.

Barcode scanner has been introduced in Delhi Airport after the Intelligence Bureau and CISF flagged gaping holes in the system

The airports in Bengaluru and Hyderabad have already tested the technology.

The development comes against the backdrop of deadly terrorist attacks this year at airports in Turkey and Belgium, as well as in Punjabs Pathankot air force station.

The government announced a high-level security audit after the Intelligence Bureau and CISF flagged gaping holes in the system.

In July, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said the CISF had asked for uniform electronic tickets with barcodes as well as barcode readers at the departure gates.

Later, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security issued instructions to the airport operators to install 2D barcode scanners.

According to the CISF, last year one person was caught every 15 days for entering into the airport with a bogus e-ticket.

This year, the CISF nabbed one person every 10 days for sneaking with a fake e-ticket.

Currently, the CISF personnel deployed at the entry gate have no way to identify the genuineness of an e-ticket. They just verify the date, name and passengers credentials mentioned on the ticket, before allowing them to enter, a senior CISF official said.

All the travelers who were caught with fake e-tickets were identified while they were coming out of the terminal gate. But this is dangerous as anyone can enter the airport with fake tickets. CISF will soon be able to check the tickets automatically.

The scanners are likely to be installed at the departure gates from Monday. CISF personnel will continue checking printouts of tickets manually.
The bonhomie between BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and AAP minister Kapil Mishra at a joint fumigation drive in the Capital on Tuesday has not gone down well with some BJP leaders.

Sources said the BJP's Delhi unit is unhappy with Tiwari as he shared the stage with the a person who is known as PM basher.

According to sources, some party leaders have reported the matter to BJPs central leadership.

Kapil Mishra (right) and ManojTiwari (left) appeared at joint fumigation drive in Delhi

The sources said following the complain, a top BJP functionary called up the Lok Sabha MP and pulled up Tiwari for his photo-op with Mishra at a time when BJP-led MCDs and the AAP government are locked in a bitter battle over dengue and chikungunya.

Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay told Mail Today that he would seek a clarification from the parliamentarian.

This does not send a right message within the cadre and the party. I will speak to him (Tiwari) and seek clarifications. Party leaders in general must be sensitive to the political position of the BJP, Upadhyay said.

Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari left for Singapore soon after the fumigation campaign

Another office bearer pointed out that the BJP MP had the entire MCD machinery at his disposal to promote sanitation and fumigation, and but it was surprising that he chose to share the opportunity with the AAP minister.

Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari could not be reached despite repeated attempts.

Sources close to him said the MP had left for Singapore two days after his public appearance.

On Tuesday, Tiwari had gone for a fumigation drive with Kapil Mishra, who has viciously attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions in recent times.

In one of his tweets, Mishra had even termed Modi as an ISI agent.

Delhi BJP leaders said that Tiwari's action has not only embarrassed the party, but has also demoralised its MCD leaders.

The BJP, which controls all the three MCD zones in Delhi, has been facing severe criticism for the spread of dengue and chikungunya, which have so far claimed 20 lives in the city.

Sources said the joint fumigation drive was finalized by the two leaders at Tiwaris official residence in North Avenue.

According to a BJP insider, the two leaders had met over lunch on Tuesday, where Mishra is said to have convinced Tiwari to show a united front in the fight against dengue.

BJP controls all the three MCD zones, and has been facing severe criticism for the spread of dengue and chikungunya, which have so far claimed 20 lives

A senior BJP leader also questioned the timing of the photo-op.

The AAP ministers are globe-trotting when Delhi is reeling under the mortal threat of Chikungunya and dengue. Such an act unjustly offered a positive advertisement for the AAP government, he said.

This is not the first time when Tiwari has landed himself in trouble with the Party's top brass.

Earlier, he faced flak for his unsavoury comments against Kiran Bedi, who was BJPs chief ministerial face against Arvind Kejriwal in the 2015 assembly polls.
Amid Congress protest against the alleged absence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers from Delhi, when the city was reeling under a viral outbreak, pictures of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in Finland kicked up an outrage on social media.

Sisodia was quick to refute the allegations, but the damage was evidently done as the twitterati posted pictures of him in Finland.

In a post on the micro-blogging site Twitter, the AAP leader tweeted: Studying Finland's schools is not a sin while working day & night to fix the problems of our schools in Delhi.

Manish Sisodia's pictures from his official Finland trip splashed on social media

Anti-AAP people actively contributed to the hashtag #AAPHaiAbroad, which was trending full steam, with users posting angry tweets in reaction to the foreign jaunts.

The twitterati also praised the mainstream media for showing a mirror to Delhis ruling party.

Sisodia, angry at the outrage, retorted in a series of tweets: It's a sin to defame an educational tour as a 'holiday'. And I'm in Finland. We need to learn a lot from their education system, the best in the world.

Sisodia counter-attacked the trollers as he stated that his trip was to take lessons on Finland's advanced education system

Earlier in the day, Congress activists led by state unit president Ajay Maken, mocked at AAP leaders by organising Bhagoda Divas (absconders day) to attack the Kejriwal government.

It is extremely unfortunate that while Delhiites are facing an epidemic-like situation, the chief minister was campaigning in Punjab and later went to Bengaluru. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia is holidaying in Finland, Maken said.
It seems the first family of Uttar Pradesh has reached a truce or so was conveyed to the media and the people as Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo finally made a vehement announcement.

There are no differences in the party and the family. Akhilesh (chief minister and his son) will listen to me and he will not say no to any of my decisions, Mulayam said.

He also announced that one of the ministers sacked by Akhilesh, Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, would be reinstated and his brother Shivpal Yadav will remain the president of the state SP unit.

The turmoil started after CM Akhilesh Yadav removed his uncle and SP state unit chief Shivpal Yadav (centre) from all important roles

It is to be mentioned that the turmoil started in the party after CM Akhilesh Yadav removed chief secretary Deepak Singhal and mining minister Gayatri a couple of days ago.

He also took back all important portfolios from his uncle Shivpal and gave him the not-so-important cooperative ministry.

Following this, Mulayam removed Akhilesh from the state presidentship and gave the responsibility to Shivpal.

However, Shivpal resigned from all the posts late on Thursday night.

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav (right) addressing the media and party workers. Sacked minister Gayatri Prajapati (left) is also seen

After various rounds of meetings between Mulayam, Shivpal and Akhilesh somehow the problem was sorted to some extent.

On Friday, Shivpal first met Mulayam then Akhilesh. The trio then held a closed-door meeting at Mulayams residence later in the afternoon after which a solution was meted out.

UP CM Akhilesh Yadav said there was no feud in the family

Parivaar ki baat bahar aai, yeh parivaar ki galti hai (Family problems came out in public this is family's mistake). Differences take place in every family but they are short-lived. I becam the CM and then the defence minister of the country. However, due to one person (Lalu Prasad), I was not able to become the PM but now that person is my samdhi, Mulayam went ahead to explain.

Akhilesh explained: There is no feud in the family. I have a cordial relation with my uncle. Me, my father and my uncle will continue to work together. I will abide by the decision taken by my father regarding Gayatri Prajapati.

Akhilesh also said the interference of the third person will not be tolerated.

In an indirect reference to Amar singh, Akhilesh said Chor ki daadhi me tinka. No third person will be allowed to interfere in the matters of the party and the family. My uncle knows very well why I have removed Deepak singhal.
The wonderful place according to YSPS officials (video)

When an official as a former graduate attends Yerevan School for Political Studies (YSPS), it means that they have something to recall. Minister of Economy Artsvik Minasyan is among the first graduates of the YSPS. At the beginning of the 12th academic year of the school he recalls how he and the NA lawmaker Shirak Torosyan became classmates, and that time, in 2005, neither he, nor Torosyan were high ranking officials. It is a wonderful place, where you are able to present your viewpoints or master through debates without feeling underestimated, says Artsvik Minasyan. Here, he says, you can meet people, who have important role, but your viewpoint can be different and you can debate. The MFA Deputy Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan today departs from Yerevan, but he has found time to welcome the freshmen. He didnt graduate from this school, but he had his investment in its foundation. Shavarsh Kocharyan claims that the graduates of this school must be the elite, who must develop the country in different spheres. YSPS Director Armen Zakaryan highlights that during 12 years the mission of the school hasnt changed, and every year the graduates leave the school having acquired ideas and knowledge. Certificates have been handed over to other graduates of the school. Matjaz Gruden, Director of Policy Planning, Council of Europe, handed over the certificates, regretting to say that when he was very young, in the 90s, there were no such schools, which would promote establishment of political culture.
Companies are to be nudged to make a named non-executive director on their boards responsible for employees and diversity.

The plans, set to be announced as early as this week, follow a pledge by Prime Minister Theresa May to reform business.

But the proposals are likely to be seen as a climbdown from suggestions that companies would be forced to have worker representatives on their boards.

Climbdown? The plans are set to be announced following a pledge by Prime Minister Theresa May to reform business

It is understood that No 10 wants to issue a consultation document imminently and at least before the Tory party conference in a fortnight.

When May launched her leadership campaign in July, she said: If Im Prime Minister were going to have not just consumers represented on company boards, but workers as well.

The comments prompted fears among some businesses that boards might be legally forced to include workers representatives, but it is understood the Government would rather urge firms to take employees and diversity more seriously, rather than bring in changes to the Companies Act.

It is thought that firms could be encouraged to volunteer to appoint a non-executive to be in charge of corporate social responsibility issues.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy declined to comment.

Simon Walker, director-general of the Institute of Directors, said: Directors must fully engage in this debate.
One of the countrys largest housebuilders has warned that cutting off the supply of EU workers to Britains building sites could halve the number of homes being built.

The warning adds to fears that curbing migration as part of Brexit plans could worsen Britains already chronic housing crisis and blow a hole in the last Governments ambitions to build one million houses in the next five years.

Rob Perrins, chief executive of housebuilder Berkeley Group, said: Half the workers who build Britains homes are European nationals. So if we get migration wrong, costs will go up and well probably deliver half as many homes. The debate about work permits is one of the single most important issues during the negotiations to leave.

Warning: Cutting off the supply of EU workers to Britains building sites could halve the number of homes being built

The latest official figures show that 144,000 homes were started during the year to June. The number of homes being built has been declining for decades since a peak in 1968 when more than 400,000 houses were constructed in a year. House prices have been soaring  particularly in the capital.

The warning from Perrins came after construction industry groups wrote to Brexit Secretary David Davis last week to warn of the dire consequences of a loss of migrant labour.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Chartered Institute of Building and the Royal Town Planning Institute said: Britain could stop building.

RICS president Amanda Clack told The Mail on Sunday: We are in the grip of our worst construction skills crisis in almost 20 years.

'Before June we had a construction skills crisis. Post June it is even more important that we focus on the issue.

She said Britain needs an extra 220,000 workers to join the construction industry in the period between 2015 and 2019. Last year there were just 17,000 new apprenticeships in the sector.

The Department for Education said it was committed to developing the skilled workforce our construction industry needs and

was supporting construction employers through the new apprenticeship levy.

The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, it added.

Berkeley itself has committed to getting 1,500 people into apprenticeships and training by May 2018, 15 per cent of its workforce.

Earlier this year 52 per cent of contractors reported having difficulties hiring bricklayers, while 48 per cent struggled to take on carpenters and 44 per cent experienced problems signing up plasterers.

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation says bricklayers in London can earn almost 50,000 a year.
Britain's biggest freight port has been accused of profiteering from the recent multi-billion pound collapse of shipping giant Hanjin.

The Port of Felixstowe has raised the price of handling the Korean groups containers in a move that could add to importers bills  costs that may be passed on to shoppers.

Hanjin, one of the worlds biggest shipping groups, collapsed into bankruptcy two weeks ago. The news was described by some as shippings equivalent to the fall of Lehman Brothers bank in 2008.

All at sea: Many Hanjin ships are unable to dock

It has left 97 Hanjin ships in a legal limbo. While some have been able to dock, many are circling the open seas holding an estimated 11 billion of goods. The bankruptcy has also sparked a number of legal battles over ownership and fees.

The Port of Felixstowe, which receives nearly half of all containers arriving in the UK, has now imposed big fees on freight firms for each of the hundreds of Hanjin containers they have to deliver from the Suffolk port to their destination, sparking fury.

David Snell, head of Atlantic International Freight Services, said: The port is charging us 460 per container, whereas normally we pay the shipping company 130. I think it is profiteering from the situation.

The Port of Felixstowe has also levied a 2,000 fee for every Hanjin container leaving the docks, though this is refunded when the container is returned. This contrasts with London Gateway, Britains second largest container port, which is charging a release fee of 130 per container.

In a statement, London Gateway said: While protecting our interests, our focus is limiting disruption for customers to continue the smooth flow of goods across our network.

The British International Freight Association has sought advice over legal action against Felixstowe. It said: A number of members feel the 460 fee and 2,000 deposit is arbitrary and unfair. The trade body concluded any legal action would be uneconomic but a Dutch court ruled that the fees of 1,000 to 1,500 (850 to 1,300) charged by Rotterdam terminal ECT per Hanjin container were excessive and unlawful.
While banks are closing hundreds of branches, Newcastle Building Society is fighting back by opening a new one  inside a library.

The single counter has been put at the back of the library in Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees and is the 28th branch to be opened by the Newcastle. It will be officially open to customers next month.

The opening is part of a 10 million investment by the building society into its branch network to get more involved with local communities  and offers a stark contrast to major high street banks which are axing hundreds of branches to cut down on costs and force customers to use the internet.

ADVENTURE: Layla Tempest at the Alice-themed opening of the branch in Yarm

Sharon Roberts, 41, from Ingleby Barwick in Stockton-on-Tees, visited the library last week with daughter Layla, three. She has another daughter Isabella, six.

The medical secretary says: The building society was holding an Alices Adventures In Wonderland themed party to celebrate the branch opening in the library so we went for the fun.

She adds: Although the idea is unusual, it seems to work.

I am now going to open a couple of savings accounts for the children because it enables me to bank in a friendly environment where the family can also sit down and enjoy a good book.

The building society insists the move is not a gimmick but a bid to adapt to the changing demands of banking services in the 21st Century.

Andrew Haigh, chief executive at the Newcastle, says: It is all about people  and the relationship banks and building societies have with their community. The local council told us that a revamp of the library had opened up free space. We were all too happy to use it to open a new branch.

He adds: We are hoping the new arrangement will provide a win-win for everyone  encouraging more people to visit the library and also enabling us to better serve customers in a friendly environment.

The plan to open new branches is in contrast to the closures preferred by most high street banks  amid a 40 per cent fall in branch usage in the last five years as customers turn to internet banking.

HSBC is closing more than 200 branches this year  three-quarters of which have already been axed. Lloyds is culling at least 60 this year with a further 200 being shut in 2017.

Royal Bank of Scotland  which owns the NatWest brand  is shutting at least 50 this year and 100 closed in 2015. Barclays has cost-cutting plans that could see the axe wielded on 400 branches over the next five years.

1,000 BANKS SHUT IN JUST FIVE YEARS Over the past five years more than 1,000 bank branches have closed  400 being the last bank in town. During the past 25 years more than 8,000 have closed and fewer than 9,000 survive. HSBC holds the dubious honour of shutting down more branches than any other. It has closed 400 over the past decade but is believed to have earmarked up to 200 for the chop this year. Just 1,100 survive. RBS has axed more than 150 branches over the past couple of years  many of them NatWest branches it owns. 1,300 are still open. LLOYDS TSB as a single bank shut more than 300 branches over a decade before splitting up three years ago. Lloyds has about 1,100 branches and TSB 630. Lloyds is shutting at least 60 outlets this year but closing 200 more, including Bank of Scotland and Halifax branches, by the end of next year. BARCLAYS closed 171 branches in one day in 2000. It is to close as many as 400 more of its 1,500-strong network over five years.

Although not stopping the tide of closures, RBS claimed it has found its own innovative way to serve 600 communities using mobile branches. It has 38 bank vans  15 branded NatWest and 23 branded Royal Bank of Scotland. Meanwhile Bank of Scotland has seven travelling bank vans.

Newcastle is not the only player that believes customers value their high street branches. Nationwide Building Society is investing 500 million to revamp its 700-strong network while South East challenger bank Metro Bank has opened 42 outlets since launch in 2000 and is opening six more this year.
France has become the first country to pass a law banning plastic cups, cutlery and plates.

From 2020, producers will have to ensure all disposable crockery can be composted and is made from biologically-sourced materials.

The law aims to reduce the energy consumed and waste produced by the plastic processing industry, as well as the pollution caused by plastic litter.

France has become the first country to pass a law banning plastic cups, cutlery and plates. The law aims to reduce energy consumed and waste produced by the industry

The law, which was originally proposed by the Europe Ecologie-Greens Party, follows a ban on plastic bags in place since July.

Although environmental campaigners have lauded the ban, opponents argue it hurts consumers and violate European Union rules on free movement of goods.

Pack2Go Europe, a Brussels-based organization representing European packaging manufacturers, will fight the ban to stop it spreading to other countries.

Secretary general Eamonn Bates said: 'We are urging the European Commission to do the right thing and to take legal action against France for infringing European law.

The law, which was originally proposed by the Europe Ecologie-Greens Party, follows a ban on plastic bags in place since July

The measures will ban sales of single-use plastic cups, plates and glasses unless they are made of bio-sourced materials that can be composted in a home composter.

But Mr Bates claimed no products made from bio-sourced plastics will degrade in a domestic composting unit.

French Environment Minister Segolene Royal was initially opposition to the law

He also said the ban 'will be understood by consumers to mean that it is OK to leave this packaging behind in the countryside after use' because it would quickly decompose.

French Environment Minister Segolene Royal was initially opposition to the law.

She deemed it an 'anti-social' measure, arguing that families struggling financially make regular use of disposable tableware.

Campaigner wanted the ban to be introduced as soon as 2017 but it was postponed until 2020 because of

While several other countries and some U.S. states have also banned plastic bags, France appears to be the first country to introduce a blanket ban on plastic crockery.
Charge: Reporter Helen Croydon outside Bodyshop where she was charged 5p for a paper bag

The Body Shop is charging customers for paper bags even though the carriers are exempt from the government's 5p levy, MailOnline can reveal.

The charge on plastic bags was introduced last October in a bid to tackle litter and waste, while raising millions of pounds for good causes.

Ministers controversially decided that the new law should not apply to paper bags handed out in England - although this is different to the rest of the UK.

Yet The Body Shop has decided to apply the levy on a voluntary basis, claiming that the extra charge encourages customers to opt for reusable bags.

However some branches of the high street chain add the 5p without consulting the customer.

A reporter visited four Body Shop stores on Oxford Street and Regent Street in central London.

In half of the shops an extra 5p was automatically added to total cost at the till and the products were handed over in a paper bag. In the other two stores the reporter asked for a bag and was given one but not charged.

Hidden cost: The Body Shop has decided to apply the levy on a voluntary basis, claiming that the extra charge encourages customers to opt for reusable bags. Above, a store in Bristol

Controversy: Ministers decided that the new law should not apply to paper bags handed out in England - although this is different to the rest of the UK

HOW 5P CHARGE HELPS CUT PLASTIC BAG USE BY 85% More than seven billion single-use plastic bags were handed out by the main retailers in 2014. But in the six months that followed the introduction of the charge in England in October, that figure dropped to just half a billion. That means six billion fewer bags will be taken home by shoppers over the course of the first year. The figures show the charge has cut use of the environmentally-damaging bags by around 85 per cent. Advertisement

Nine other high street chains, including Primark, Bershka, Zara, Topshop and Starbucks, which all offer paper bags, did not add a charge, the reporter found.

The levy was introduced across England in October 2015.

Proof: The Body Shop receipt shows the charge for the 5p bag

The Government decided that retailers in England  unlike in the rest of the UK  do not need to charge for paper bags. Businesses employing fewer than 250 staff  such as corner shops  were also exempt from the plastic bag levy.

Yet many independent outlets have decided to apply the levy on a voluntary basis.

They also have no legal obligation to keep records of how much is raised or who gets the money.

A spokesman for The Body Shop said the 5p charge was designed 'to encourage customers to use reusable charge'.

The first official Government figures published in July show the charge has cut the use of plastic bags by around 85 per cent - or six billion bags.

The 5p charge has also resulted in donations of more than 29million from retailers towards good causes, including charities and community groups.

A spokesman for the Body Shop said: 'At The Body Shop we have always been committed to reducing our impact on the environment by reducing the energy we consume and generating less waste.

'Even though our retail paper bags are biodegradable and FSC certified we wanted to further reduce the environmental impact they cause, and so last October we introduced a 5p charge to encourage customers to use reusable bags.

'This is just one of our initiatives to protect and cherish our planet; through our close relationship with The Body Shop Foundation, which is an independent charity, we have also been able to help fund many global projects that work for both social and environmental change.'
The bodies of two young Americans who died fighting ISIS in Syria have finally returned home.

Sobbing families of Levi Shirley, 24, and Jordan MacTaggart, 22, were reunited with their sons early Friday, in Denver.

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter presented them with folded flags - a sign of respect for the men who never joined the U.S. military but felt a need to serve.

Their arrival home, in simple, gray caskets, is the end of a long battle for the families since the men were killed fighting in Syria several weeks ago.

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The bodies of two young Americans who died fighting ISIS in Syria have finally returned home to their distraught families (Katie Shirley, joins her father, Russ, back, in touching the casket of her brother Levi Shirley)

Shirley's mother, Susan, also broke down as she touches the casket of her son as it was unloaded from an Amtrak train at Union Station early Friday

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., right, presents a flag to Susan Shirley, left, after her son died in combat after joining the People's Protection Units

'We waited for this day for nine weeks,' Shirley's father, Russell Shirley, told reporters gathered on the station platform. 'But the last thing I wanted to see was my son carried off that train.'

The men died separately in combat after joining the People's Protection Units  the main Kurdish guerrilla group battling ISIS in Syria.

The body of William Savage, 27, another American fighter who was killed in Manbij on August 10, was returned to the U.S. and was being transported to Raleigh, North Carolina, where his father, Reginald Savage, lives.

The elder Savage said he expected his son's remains would be cremated in time for a Saturday memorial in St. Mary's City, Maryland, his hometown. He planned to drive there overnight.

Levi Shirley, 24, (left) and Jordan MacTaggart, 22, (right) were killed fighting ISIS in Syria

Levi Shirley, from Colorado, died after he stepped on a landmine in Manbij

The 24-year-old vigilante (pictured in the northwestern Syrian town of Tal Tamr in April 2015) left his family home in January to fight 'injustices' alongside the Kurdish troops

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said he was known for his discipline and sense of responsibility

Jordan MacTaggart (left) and Williams Savage were also killed after joining People's Protection Units

Shirley, of Arvada, Colorado, was killed by a land mine July 14. MacTaggart, of Castle Rock, Colorado, had died on August 3 while fighting in a squad that included two Americans and a Swede in Manbij, Syria.

The State Department said it worked to help return the remains of the men to their families. But Turkey's tense relationship with the Kurds and the U.S. since July's failed coup stalled the efforts.

The remains of Keith Broomfield of Massachusetts, believed to be the first American to die alongside Kurds fighting Islamic State, were returned to the U.S. through Turkey last year.

But officials determined it would be too dangerous to repatriate the bodies of Shirley, MacTaggart and Savage through Turkey and instead shipped them hundreds of miles east to Iraq. The bodies were then flown to Amman, Jordan, and on to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in a process that took weeks.

Susan Shirley said her friends had contacted Perlmutter to help navigate the bewildering terrain. He enlisted aid from people at the White House.

One of the caskets bearing the bodies of Jordan MacTaggartt or Levi Shirley, was unloaded after they arrived by Amtrak train at Union Station early Friday in Denver

Robert MacTaggart, left, chats with U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., as the caskets were unloaded

'These were good young men who for one reason or another didn't qualify for our military but felt the need to serve in another way,' Perlmutter said.

'Though they did not fight as members of our armed forces, they are Americans and as Americans we have a responsibility to bring these young men home and to give the families relief and closure,' he added.

As he handed MacTaggart's parents a folded flag, he told them quietly, 'He was trying to do something more for all of us in his fight against ISIS.'

Shirley had always wanted to join the Marines but was rejected because of his bad eyesight.

So he had reached out to Kurdish forces online and joined the fight in Iraq and Syria for about three months last year before returning to Arvada in suburban Denver.

'He saw ISIS as a terrible evil, and that just was not OK with him,' his mother said. 'That's the way his mind works. If you are defenseless, he will help you.'

She said her son was involved in about a dozen gunbattles during his first stint in the Middle East and 'that was enough to convince him that war is not as romantic as he thought.' But he had a hard time adjusting to life back in Colorado while working at fast-food restaurants.

He rejoined the Kurds in January.

Amanda MacTaggart, left, of Castle Rock, Colorado wipes away tears as she looks to her mother, Melissa, as they see the casket bearing the remains of Jordan MacTaggartt

Amanda MacTaggart, left, joins her mother, Melissa, center, and father Robert, in walking to a hearse to watch the casket of Jordan MacTaggart, being unloaded

'He had a very big heart,' Shirley said. 'He was so brave to go back the second time, knowing what he was in for. He just really cared about the underdog.'

Shirley died on July 14 after stepping on a landmine.

Like Shirley, Jordan MacTaggart's family said he went to join the fight after hearing about beheadings, stabbings and sexual assaults reportedly committed by ISIS forces. Also like Shirley, he fought in Syria, returned home and then headed back to the battlefield.

'He had a huge heart and he was always affected by any injustice,' Jordan MacTaggart's mother, Melissa MacTaggart, said from the family home in Castle Rock south of Denver. 'It would hurt him, probably more than other people, like he couldn't let it go.'

Savage also died in Manbij on August 10 while rescuing civilians from a building that was being bombed, his father said.

'Thinking of William and what he made himself into is an incredible source of joy for me,' Reginald Savage said. His son was 'torn into pieces' by the plight of the Kurds, which drew him overseas, he said.

Dozens of other Westerners are now fighting with the Kurds, spurred by social media campaigners and a sense of duty rooted in the U.S.-led military intervention in Iraq. The U.S. discourages but so far hasn't banned Americans from fighting with militias against terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State group.

On the train platform in Denver, workers loaded the plain, wooden boxes from a baggage cart into hearses. Russell Shirley, a Vietnam veteran, gave his son a final salute.

Russ Shirley of Rapid City, S.D., composes himself after looking as the casket bearing the body of his 24-year-old son

Susan Shirley, front, of Arvada, Colorado, breaks down in tears as she touches the casket of her son

Unlike fallen members of the armed forces, the young men had no military escorts to accompany their caskets and no 21-gun salute.

Still, the family members said they appreciated the quiet homecoming.

'He had no interest in ceremony,' Robert MacTaggart said of his son. 'Any of this would have been a shock to him.'

He said those fighting with his son had told him over the phone that his son had been shot in the chest while helping a soldier wounded by an improvised explosive device.

The father followed the battles of the Kurdish forces on the Internet and had contact with fighters in Syria to track his son's well-being.

Susan Shirley, said she worked with the State Department to bring her son's body home and her friends contacted Perlmutter to help navigate the frustrating terrain.

He enlisted aid from contacts at the White House.

'It took extraordinary measures by many people to get these men from Syria to the US, especially given the ever-changing and dangerous geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East,' Perlmutter said.
The Pentagon said on Friday that a U.S.-led coalition air strike on September 7 killed an Islamic State leader who oversaw the militant group's propaganda.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement that the air strike took place near Raqqa, Syria, and targeted and killed Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, also known as Dr. Wa'il.

Islamic State controls parts of Iraq and Syria and has broadcast its beheadings of journalists and aid workers over the past few years.

Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, also known as Dr. Wa'il has been reported killed in a drone strike. He was responsible for creating many of ISIS's videos

The group has sympathizers in several countries who have carried out bombings and shootings of civilians.

The Pentagon said Wa'il was minister of information and prominent member of Islamic State's Senior Shura Council, or leadership group.

A U.S. Defense Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Wa'il was targeted by the air strike while he was on a motorcycle outside his house.

'Wa'il oversaw ISIL's production of terrorist propaganda videos showing torture and executions,' Cook said in the statement, using an acronym for the group.

'He was a close associate of Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the ISIL spokesman and leader for plotting and inspiring external terror attacks.'

Abu Mohammed al-Adnani was reported killed on August 30th. Now coalition forces have killed another of ISIS's leaders

The strike took out one of the very limited number of ISIS leaders who had 'direct access' to Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, according to a US official.

Cook called Salman one of the 'most senior leaders' in ISIS.

'He operated as the minister of Information for the terror organization and was a prominent member of its Senior Shura Council -- ISIL's leadership group,' Cook added.

'The removal of ISIL's senior leaders degrades its ability to retain territory, and its ability to plan, finance and direct attacks inside and outside of the region,' Cook said.

'Baghdadi's inner circle was already small, and it's getting smaller,' an official told CNN.

Salman is assessed to have been one of the five most-senior officials in ISIS before he and Adnani were killed.

On August 30, Islamic State said Adnani was killed in a U.S. air strike in Syria, which was later confirmed by the Pentagon.
A 15-year-old boy accused of trying to burglarize a house in the Louisiana capital city of Baton Rouge has been arrested after he became stuck in a chimney, according to authorities.

The teenager was pulled from the chimney and arrested Friday morning, Baton Rouge Police Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said.

The teen is being held at a juvenile detention center on a charge of attempted burglary, he added.

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A 15-year-old boy accused of trying to burglarize a house in the Louisiana capital city of Baton Rouge has been arrested after he became stuck in a chimney, according to authorities

The teenager was pulled from the chimney and arrested Friday morning, Baton Rouge Police Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said

According to police, the homeowner wasn't at home when the boy entered the chimney, but arrived later, heard the boy's screams and called authorities.

McKneely said the teen apparently had been trapped in the chimney for about an hour before being pulled out.

Orkin employee Johnny Fontenot had been working at the home, WBRZ reported.

Fontenot recalled to the station: 'So I told the customer 'I hear noise' and she said that was the TV so I went on and started treating the house and I heard the noise again.'

The teen is being held at a juvenile detention center on a charge of attempted burglary, McKneely added

According to police, the homeowner wasn't at home when the boy entered the chimney, but arrived later, heard the boy's screams and called authorities

He told WBRZ that he replied: 'No, that's not the TV.'

Fontenot revealed: '[The homeowner and I] stood by the fireplace and I hollered "Is somebody here?"'

The teenager said he needed a rope, according to Fontenot.

The homeowner discovered the chimney cover had been removed and contacted 911, Fontenot told the news outlet.

The boy wasn't identified because of his age.
American troops have been arriving by the hundreds at an air base 40 miles south of Mosul to lend support to Iraqi soldiers' efforts to liberate the city from ISIS, which is has occupied for more than two years.

Qayyarah air base was recaptured from ISIS by Iraqi soldiers with the backing of US airstrikes in July. The latest indications are that an offensive could begin next month.

U.S. forced will be providing logistics, supplies and support, but it brings American personnel closer than ever to the frontline in the war against ISIS.

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Jihadists seized the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014 and it is now their last major stronghold in the war-stricken country (file photo)

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters on Thursday that 'the secretary of defense has made clear that our forces in Iraq are in harm's way. Everyone who is serving there is in a dangerous situation.'

Mosul is now the last bastion of ISIS in Iraq. The authorities in Baghdad say the liberation of the city will spell the end of IS on Iraqi soil.

The air base is expected to be rebuilt to allow US and coalition aircraft to operate there. The strip will provide a staging area and enable the striking of suspected IS chemical weapons facilities nearby.

The United States deployed an additional 400 troops to Iraq earlier this month.

Flyers have been dropped in the area in order to alert local residents that an onslaught by coalition forces is due to begin imminently (Above, Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr chant slogans against corruption as they wave national flags in Baghdad)

Allied forces have been carrying out 'shaping operations' around the northern city,

Jihadists seized the city in 2014 and it is now their last major stronghold in Iraq.

'When the Iraqi Security Force is ready to move on in their operations to get after Mosul, we'll be prepared to support that and the airfield will be ready,' Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian told reporters Tuesday at the Pentagon.

'This is a partnered effort. This is something we're working from both the land component perspective with the Iraqis and clearly ensuring that, as we begin to put some of our airplanes in there in the future, that it's got the capabilities that we need,' Harrigan added.

The assault could begin as early as October and Iraqi security forces are already alerting locals living in the area by dropping thousands of leaflets warning citizens of the oncoming offensive.

'Protect yourself, don't be human shields for the enemy, leave the town immediately,' a leaflet shown by the Iraqi military to CNN said.

There are 3,000 to 4,500 ISIS fighters in Mosul, according to Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. John Dorrian.

Hundreds of U.S. troops have been arriving at an air base 40 miles south of Mosul, Iraq's second city, in preparation for an offensive some time in October (file photo)

'There is still a tough fight ahead against an adaptive enemy that will try to challenge us as we hone in on Mosul,' Harrigian, the commander of US air forces in the Middle East, said.

US President Barack Obama will meet his Iraqi counterpart at the United Nations next week, US officials said Friday.

Top Obama aide Ben Rhodes said Obama would meet Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on the margins of the UN General Assembly on Monday.

'The two leaders will have a chance to check in on the counter-ISIL campaign,' said Rhodes, using another acronym for the Islamic State group. 'Also the campaign to liberate Mosul.'

The meeting between Obama and Abadi is also likely to offer support for the Iraqi leader, who faces growing internal challenges.
An HIV-positive circus acrobat who infected his girlfriend is being detained and faces deportation to his native Zimbabwe.

Gold Coast performer Godfrey Zaburoni has had his visa cancelled and is being held in immigration detention, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton confirmed.

Zaburoni was originally sentenced to nine-and-a-half years jail in 2013 after becoming only the second person in Queensland to be convicted of intentionally infecting someone with HIV.

Godfrey Zaburoni, 38, had unprotected sex with more than 12 Australian women while infected with HIV

He was found to have infected his girlfriend over a period of time in 2007 and 2008.

However, the High Court upheld Zaburoni's appeal against his conviction in April, finding even though he had frequent unprotected sex with her, there was "no evidence to support the inference" he intended to infect her.

The 38-year-old was then re-sentenced to five years imprisonment for the lesser charge of unlawfully doing grievous bodily harm.

But the sentence, delivered in June, was suspended immediately after he'd already served more than three years.

Zaburni won a High Court appeal which overturned his nine year sentence for intentionally infecting someone with HIV
Former 'Melrose Place' actress Amy Locane-Bovenizer faces another six months in jail after a judge admitted he'd let her off too lightly for a deadly 2010 drunken-driving crash.

The actress had been released on parole in June of 2015 after serving two-and-a-half years of her three-year sentence for vehicular manslaughter, assault by auto and other offenses.

The conviction was in relation to a 2010 drunk driving car crash which had resulted in the death of 60-year-old Helene Seeman from New Jersey.

Former 'Melrose Place' actress Amy Locane-Bovenizer faces another six months in jail after a judge admitted he'd let her off too lightly for a deadly 2010 drunken-driving crash (pictured entering the courtroom in 2013)

Locane-Bovenizer had been facing a jail term of anywhere between five and ten years.

But at her February 2013 sentencing, the judge sentenced her below the prescribed range, citing the hardship on her two young children, one of whom has a serious medical and mental disability.

'That was my error,' Somerset County Superior Court Judge Robert Reed said today, adding that she should have served the full three years.

Locane-Bovenizer is due back in court for re-sentencing on December 2.

TV star: The actress, who appeared on 13 episodes of Melrose Place, had been released in June of 2015 after serving two-and-a-half years of her three-year sentence

A state appeals court in July ruled that the judge must offer a more detailed justification for why he downgraded Locane-Bovenizer's sentence to three years.

The sentence outraged friends and relatives of the victim and the state appealed the sentence shortly after.

Appellate judges wrote: 'The trial judge did not identify compelling reasons to downgrade defendant's second degree offense, other than the harm defendant's children were likely to experience as a result of her incarceration.'

Somerset County Superior Court Judge Robert Reed said today he made an error when sentencing the actress

'He also found that defendant no longer posed a risk to the public, but neither the rationale for the conclusion nor the record support for it were fully stated.'

NJ.com reported that the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said that the ruling sent a 'bewildering message' about the penalties for drunk driving.

Assistant prosecutor Matthew Murphy said on Friday he recognized the judge's error at the time but decided to file an appeal rather than correct him on the spot.

Murphy said it was the initial light sentence, not the failure to add six months, that angered the prosecution and the family of the woman killed in the crash and caused the state's Appellate Division to ask the judge to explain his reasoning.

At her February 2013 sentencing, the judge sentenced her below the prescribed range, citing the hardship on her two young children, one of whom has a serious medical and mental disability.

The sentence outraged friends and relatives of the victim, 60-year-old Helen Seeman, and the state appealed the sentence shortly after.

Star-studded past: The 44-year-old had previously appeared alongside Johnny Depp in 1990 film Cry-Baby

Prosecutors said Amy's blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit when she smashed into a car driven by Fred Seeman, the victim's husband.

Witnesses testified Amy had been drinking at two parties on the afternoon and evening of June 27, 2010. That night, she rear-ended another woman's car in Princeton Township with her SUV and sped off with the woman in pursuit, according to testimony.

She collided with the Seemans' sedan as Fred Seeman turned into their driveway in Montgomery Township. Prosecutors said she had been driving erratically and well over the speed limit just before the crash.

In addition to appearing in 13 episodes of TV series Melrose Place, Amy starred in movies such as School Ties, Secretary, and Cry-Baby.
A maid of honor went above and beyond the call of duty when she carried her sister's dying Labrador retriever down the aisle at her wedding.

In photos that have since gone viral, Katie Lloyd can be seen carrying the rotund 15-year-old black Labrador Charlie Bear down the aisle.

Lloyd's sister Kelly O'Connell, of Denver, Colorado, got Charlie Bear in 2002 when she was 19 years old and living in New York.

Charlie had been by O'Connell's side for 15 years when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

When Katie Lloyd's (left) sister's dog Charlie Bear (dog, left) became too weak to walk down the aisle at her sibling's wedding, she took matters into her own hands

Lloyd's sister Kelly O'Connell, of Colorado, got Charlie Bear in 2002 when she was 19 years old. Charlie had been with O'Connell's for 15 years when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor

O'Connell and her now-husband James Garvin, both veterinarians, agreed that it was imperative Charlie be a part of the wedding.

When it became clear he was too weak to walk back up the aisle after the ceremony, Lloyd stepped in and the incredible photo was snapped.

'The aisle was really short and I am just not a chick to be messed with.

'People were telling me to just leave him because he obviously was like 'Aunt Katie, I can't.'

'That's when I yelled 'I'm not leaving him!' and picked him up and bolted. He is so big from all his steroid treatments.

'I think everyone backed off so sister could carry her nephew dog,' Lloyd wrote in a comment on Facebook.

Lloyd wrote that O'Connell found Charlie as an abandoned puppy in a shopping cart.

The maid of honor calls Charlie her sister's 'soul dog'.

O'Connell and her now-husband James Garvin, both veterinarians, agreed that it was imperative Charlie be a part of the wedding

'He was 15, so at her age she spent roughly half her life with him,' Lloyd said.

Some people have given the best man flack for not carrying the large dog down the aisle, but Lloyd said it was her job and she happily helped Charlie out.

'We all had a good laugh about this. I need to defend Aaron, the best man.

'To sum it up, when I'm not in a nice dress I'm usually giving Salmon fishing advice to dudes from the banks of my favorite rivers in Alaska,' she said.

O'Connell said the touching act made it clear her furry best friend was nearing the end of his life.

'Both of us just dropped to our knees and started crying. To see him be carried a few feet, it kind of solidified for me that it's not the Charlie he liked to be.

'He was aging, and it hit me knowing that he lost a lot,' O'Connell told ABC News.

'He was a very sweet dog. He loved everybody, but I was definitely his person.'

O'Connell said the touching act of her sister carrying Charlie made it clear her furry best friend was nearing the end of his life

Charlie Bear died on September 9, about one week after the wedding. Lloyd said the support from viewers of the pictures meant the world to her

Family friend and photographer Jen Dziuvenis shot the wedding and captured the touching moment.

'I was like, "I have to keep shooting even though I'm in a puddle of tears behind the camera". It was a story,' Dziuvenis said.

Charlie Bear died on September 9, about one week after the wedding.

Even though he was one of five rescue dogs owned by O'Connell and Garvin, Lloyd said the loss was devastating.

'Charlie is headed over the rainbow bridge ... It was such a blessing to have him at the wedding.
Donald Trump played to Cuban-American sentiments Friday night in Miami, saying he would reverse all of President Barack Obama's executive actions normalizing relations with the Castro regime  unless the oppressive government in Havana dramatically changes its approach to human rights and political freedom.

Trump, the Republican nominee for president, pledged that if he wins the White House he is 'going to stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression.'

'The president's one-sided deal for Cuba, and with Cuba, benefits only the Castro regime. People are very unhappy about it,' Trump said at the James L. Knight Center.

ULTIMATUM: Donald Trump has put Raul Castro on notice, saying Friday in Miami that diplomatic relations with the U.S. would be jeopardized in a Trump administration unless Havana makes significant changes to its human rights record

CUBA LIBRE: Trump's audience cheered when he said he would demand a release of political prisoners along with 'religious and political freedom' from Castro

'But all of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro regime were done through executive order, which means the next president can reverse them.'

'And that I will do,' Trump vowed, 'unless the Castro regime meets our demands. Not my demands. Our demands. You know what the demands are.

'Those demands will include religious and political freedom for the Cuban people. And the freeing of political prisoners.'

Trump had already asked for Cuban-Americans in his office to identify themselves, and the cheering was significant.

Tens of thousands of Cubans have settled in south Florida since Fidel Castro upended the power in a 1959 socialist revolution.

TREATED AS EQUALS: Obama held a joint press conference with Cuban President Raul Castro in March, in a trip that made him the first American president to visit the communist island in nearly 90 years

NEVER FORGET: Cuban-Americans in south Florida often protest against the Castro government, sometimes asking for the sort of greater U.S. pressure on Havana that Trump is proposing

They have become a powerful voting bloc, far more conservative than Latinos from Central America and Mexico.

Florida will be a key battleground state. Most Electoral College scenarios indicate that the real estate tycoon can't claim the presidency without winning there.
An undercover agent who posed as the brother of a Florida professor's alleged killer got much more than he bargained for when he confronted the victim's mother-in-law as part of a sting operation.

The unidentified law enforcement member was investigating the murder of Daniel Markel and looking to confirm a connection between alleged hit man Luis Rivera and Markel's former mother-in-law, Donna Adelson.

Markel was shot dead in July 2014 while in his garage. Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia were later charged with the murder, but some of Markel's in-laws are suspected by authorities of having played a role in arranging the killing in response to his recent contentious divorce from their daughter and sister Wendi.

To investigate the role the Adelsons may have played in Markel's death, the agent approached Donna on the street and said that his brother was in need of money, and asked her for $5,000 to help out the man.

Donna appears shocked and taken aback in video of the interaction which can be seen for the fist time ever on 20/20 Friday night, but not as shocked as police after what happened next.

According to police documents, authorities allege that soon after Donna met the agent claiming to be Rivera's brother, her son Charlie called his then-girlfriend Katherine Magbanua and said to her: 'You better kill him, because hes going to be a big problem... if you can't do it I'll have someone else do it.'

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Never-before-soon: New footage reveals shocking details about the murder of David Markel on 20/20 Friday night (Markel's mother-in-law Donna Adelson above with an undercover agent)

Suspect?: Police believed that some of Markel's in-laws were involved in his murder (Donna above)

Awful: Markel was shot dead in July 2014 outside his Florida home (above with his two sons)

Video of the encounter between Donna and the undercover agent shows the man approaching her on the street and saying: 'I wanted to let you know that my brother he helped your family with this problem your family had up north. Hes going through some rough times and I want to make sure that you take care of what hes going through.'

A stunned Donna responds to this by saying: 'Youre scaring me. I dont know what youre talking about.'

That is when the agent hands over the envelope with his request for money and Donna walks away.

In another phone call made shortly after the sting, police allege that Charlie told his mother she should just pay the money as 'a charity.'

Magbanua also reached out to Garcia after the sting according to police.

ABC News Corespondent Matt Gutman spoke to DailyMail.com about the case ahead of Friday night's episode of 20/20, and revealed how Rivera may come to play a big role in the case.

'State sources tell us that they are in negotiations with Rivera for a plea deal in exchange for his cooperation,' said Gutman.

That plea deal could have something to do with the ongoing investigation into some members of the Adelson family, and whether or not they paid Garcia and Rivera to carry out Markel's murder.

The Tallahassee Police Department released probable cause affidavits in the case earlier this month which they believe provided enough evidence to warrant the arrest of Donna and Charlie for the murder of Markel, along with Magbanua.

In addition to being Charlie's girlfriend at the time of Markel's murder, Magbanua is also the mother of Garcia's two children.

Happier times: Markel and his ex-wife Wendi Adelson (above) had just gone through a contentious divorce and were fighting over custody of their two sons before his death

Off the hook: State Attorney Willie Meggs said last week that he would not seek an arrest warrant for Charlie Adelson (left) or Katherine Magbanua (right)

Among the information revealed in the probable cause affidavits was that fact that Garcia called Magbanua an astonishing 2,700 times in the three months before Markel's murder.

The documents also showed that there were a number of phones calls placed on July 1, 2014, 17 days before Markel was killed, between Charlie, Magbanua, Garcia and a phone registered to Harvey Adelson, Markel's former father-in-law.

A number of phone calls also occurred between midnight and 1am between Charlie, his mother Donna, Magbanua and Garcia on July 18, the day Markel was murdered.

Authorities also paid close attention to the money being spent and received in the days and weeks after the murder.

Rivera purchased a motorcycle within 10 days of the murder according to the affidavit, and Garcia purchased both a motorcycle and a car soon after Markel's death.

Meanwhile, Magbanua began to receive checks from Chris and his father's dental practice, the Adelson Institute, from September 2014 through January of this year.

In the year prior to Markel's murder, Magbanua also deposited a totaled of $15,000 in cash according to the affidavit.

After the murder she was making deposits totaling $44,000 the affidavit stated.

The affidavit also revealed that one of Wendi Adelson's ex-boyfriends told police she had confessed that her brother was considering paying $15,000 for a hit man.

Gutman said though that he interviewed friends of Wendi, and they stated that there is no possible way she would have been involved or even known about this alleged plot devised by her family.

The Adelson family has also called claims that they had any involvement at all in Markel's death 'categorically false.'

State Attorney Willie Meggs seems to agree with the family as well, stating last week that he would not seek an arrest warrant for Charlie or Magbanua despite the release of the affidavits.

Hit men: Luis Rivera (left) and Sigfredo Garcia (right) were charged with his murder

Soon to begin: The murder trials of Garcia and Rivera are set to start in November (Markel above)

Tallahassee Police said in their probable cause affidavit that they believe Markel's death was the result of his contentious 2013 divorce from Wendi, a lawyer who now lives in Miami Beach and works for a federal judge.

Authorities say Garcia and Rivera traveled from South Florida to Tallahassee in a light green Toyota Prius to kill Markel.

Multiple surveillance videos captured the Prius following Markel as he dropped his sons off at daycare before going to the gym.

Markel then returned home and was sitting in his car and talking on the phone, the keys still in the ignition, when he was shot dead.

A neighbor called police after hearing a gunshot and seeing the Prius back out of the driveway.

The murder came one year after the couple's divorce.

Markel reportedly learned that his marriage was over when he returned home from a business trip to find his wife and children gone, the house empty, and divorce papers laying on his bed.

Wendi and Markel's custody battle turned ugly according to authorities when her parents became desperate to move the couple's children closer to them in South Florida.

Markel eventually asked a judge to stop Donna from having unsupervised contact with his sons, claiming she had been telling them disparaging remarks about their father.

The probable cause affidavit for Charles revealed a judge refused to allow Wendi to move her sons to South Florida in June 2013, shortly after the divorce.

It also stated that the family then discussed paying Markel $1million to allow the children to relocate.

Wendi has since changed her children's last names in the wake of her ex-husband's murder, telling investigators she did this in order to protect them.
Just after lunch (pints of IPA and lobster crisps), Nigel Farage strode across the stage to congratulate Diane James on her election as Ukip leader  and they promptly had one of those missed kisses.

It was the sort of embrace Charles and Di had towards the end of their marriage. Mwaw! Clunk!

Darkly slender Ms James, sinuous as a squash mistress, had won almost half the 17,970 votes cast in the leadership election.

Her score of 8,451 easily defeated Lisa Duffys 4,591.

Grin and bear it: Diane James flinches as her successor Nigel Farage puckers up

The Ukip conference hall in Bournemouth dutifully cheered the new leader, though without quite the visceral adoration activists had earlier heaped on Mr Farage.

There were about 1,000 of them present, several in three-piece suits, some holding Farage placards saying Statesman  Thank You and one ponytailed fellow in a shirt decorated with pictures of Donald Trump.

The conference was part Brexit victory rally, part goodbye (to Nige), part launch of the new leader.

A Referendum Victory Wall was being signed by anyone who wanted. Messages included fight for freedom!, stick it up your Juncker and true British grit.

Remind you of anyone? Princess Diana appears to turn away as Charles tries to kiss her in 1992. By then their marriage was well and truly on the rocks

Before lunch Mr Farage had given his latest farewell speech to his Peoples Army and it was a vintage affair, delivered without notes and full of ciggy-voiced ruderies and triumphalism.

After entering to the sound of bongo drums, he soon had them laughing, cheering, booing (George Osborne and Barack Obama in particular) and even wiping away the odd tear.

Ms James, we soon discovered, was less of an orator. Am I saying she is dull? Not yet.

But her public-speaking could do with more energy.

Mind you, there was no shortage of that the moment the result was announced.

She almost sprinted on stage, waving her right arm high in the air from side to side. She was so hyper, the gesture made her look like a woman cleaning the windscreen of a Ford Transit van. Taking the lectern, she was out of puff with adrenalin.

We did it, ladies and gentlemen! You did it! And I have just done it and I am SO pleased! Pant, gasp. My goodness, youve handed over a mantle. I am still pinching myself.

She attacked the Prime Minister as Magpie May for stealing Ukip policies (eg grammar schools).

There was also stuff about how I am not Nigel-like, not Nigel-lite, and will never pretend to be so. The members accepted this with disappointment. Another Farage is exactly what they want.

They showed greater enthusiasm when she described Ukip as the Opposition party in waiting  for there was a sense, despite some defections to the Tories and no little post-referendum uncertainty about their raison detre, that they can close in on Corbyns Labour.

On Brexit, Diane James told Theresa May: 'Stop the faff, stop the fudge and the farce and get on with it'

Ms James also had a decent riff when she told Theresa May to stop the faff, stop the fudge and the farce and get on with it as regards Brexit. Not bad lines but she needs to work on the volume, pace, swagger and general wallop factor.

General Wallop? You know old Spanker Wallop, surely. Fought at Omdurman.

What a singular bunch the Kippers are. It really is amazing, as Mr Farage said as he looked back at his big dipper ride to Brexit, that this ragtag brigade of individualists forced David Cameron to hold the EU referendum.

Mr Farage spoke with engaging openness, as did former chairman Steve Crowther, about Ukips internecine warfare, its grudges and factional fighting, and the gaffes which were seized on by the media but only made Mr Farage more popular.

Together we have changed the course of British history, shouted a hoarse Farage, becoming almost emotional.

He whipped out that passport of his yet again and said he would not consider Brexit to have been achieved until the red passport had been replaced by a British bluey.
Donald Trump has taken aim at Hillary Clinton by suggesting she should strip her bodyguards of their weapons and 'see what happens'.

Trump - who has long claimed his presidential rival wants to overturn the Second Amendment - appeared to suggest such a move would court 'danger'.

'I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right?' he asked his baying crowd of supporters at a rally in Miami.

Donald Trump (pictured) called on Clinton to strip her bodyguards of their weapons and 'see what happens'

He went on: 'Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. Okay, it would be very dangerous.'

A campaign spokeswoman refused to elaborate on what Trump meant, and whether he was suggesting Clinton would be attacked were it not for her armed entourage.

He came under fire for an equally ominous statement last month, in which he appeared to be call for Clinton to be assassinated.

Speaking in North Carolina, the Republican nominee erroneously said his opponent wants to 'abolish, essentially, the Second Amendment'.

He continued: 'By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know.'

Within minutes, the Clinton campaign condemned the remark with her campaign manager Robby Mook saying: 'A person seeking to be the president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way.'

Trump has long claimed his presidential rival Clinton (pictured, flanked by secret service) wants to overturn the Second Amendment

A campaign spokeswoman refused to comment on whether Trump was suggesting Clinton (pictured) would be attacked were it not for her armed entourage

Trump later disputed that criticism, saying everyone in his audience knew he was referring to the power of voters and 'there can be no other interpretation'.

Trump, who has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, eventually took to Twitter to say the Secret Service had not contacted him about the remarks.

His comments on Friday came hours after Trump finally reversed his long-held position that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

Appearing in Washington, he said Obama was born in the United States but then incorrectly suggested that the Clinton campaign had started the conspiracy theory.

Trump ignored questions about the U-turn and has yet to explain why he abandoned the 'birther' stance that fueled his political fame.

Trump went on in Miami (pictured): 'Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Let's see what happens to her'

'I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right?' Trump asked his supporters at a rally in Miami (pictured)

Speaking in North Carolina last month, Trump (pictured in Miami) erroneously said his opponent wants to 'abolish, essentially, the Second Amendment'

While campaigning in South Florida, which has a large Cuban-American population, Trump he would reverse Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba if he was elected president.

Among those would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of all political prisoners, he claimed

Trump says he will 'stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression'.

The comment marks yet another reversal for the GOP candidate, who previously said he supported the idea of normalized relations, but wished the U.S. had negotiated a better deal.

Trump also said the U.S. has a broader obligation to stand with oppressed people  a comment that seems at odds with his 'America first' mantra.

Trump finally admitted Obama (pictured) was born in the United States but then incorrectly suggested the Clinton campaign had started the conspiracy theory

'The next president of the United States must stand in solidarity with all people oppressed in our hemisphere, and we will stand with oppressed people, and there are many,' he said.

He added that the people of Venezuela 'are yearning to be free, they are yearning for help. The system is bad. But the people are great.'
Drug dealers 'picked the wrong April' in a tragic case of mistaken identity that led to the murder of brother and sister, April and Ian Bailey

The siblings were stabbed to death in their Deception Bay home before accelerant was used to set the house on fire on May 28, 2004. The dealers heard 'April' had received a large amount of amphetamines, the Courier Mail reports.

'April had come into possession of a large quantity of drugs. But it was not April Bailey  they've got the wrong April,' Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Damien Hansen confirmed.

Drug dealers 'picked the wrong April' in a tragic case of mistaken identity that led to the murder of brother and sister, April and Ian Bailey (pictured)

Danielle Lee Fels has been charged with murder following a recent breakthrough into the cold case, but police believe three others were involved.

One possible connection is a mysterious caller who contacted authorities last Saturday.

The mysterious caller provided vital information and it's believed they were associated with the group responsible for the murders.

Mysterious calls have been the centre of the tragic cold case, which left Violet, now 17, without a mother and uncle.

A series of three triple-zero calls made around the time of the fire have been examined over the years, including one believed to have captured the scream of Ian Bailey.

A second call to triple zero believed to have been made by a five-year-old Violet contains an argument which can be heard in the background, and a third triple zero call made by neighbours alerting authorities to the fire are being analysed.

A series of three triple-zero calls made around the time of the fire have been examined over the years, including one believed to have captured the scream of Ian Bailey (left)

The siblings were stabbed to death in their Deception Bay home (pictured) before accelerant was used to set the house on fire on May 28, 2004. The dealers heard 'April' had received a large amount of amphetamines

April's surviving daughter Violet (pictured) appealed for new information in recent weeks. A reward of $250,000 has been offered for information leading to a conviction

The other 'April' is still living on the north coast but had been a part of the drug scene in Peninsula.

Inspector Hansen said she was 'horrified' to hear she was the intended target.

'She has cleaned her act up now and is out of that scene. She confirmed that she did have possession of drugs at that time.'
Abuse allegations made against British troops in Iraq were frequently based on wrong or sketchy evidence roughly translated into English, an independent report has found.

Dates, times and names were often wrong, former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir David Calvert-Smith said.

Former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir David Calvert-Smith published a report stating that abuse allegations made against British troops in Iraq were often flimsy

He said statements were often found to be unsigned, and that often charges laid against soldiers had fallen apart when witnesses had been asked to provide full accounts.

The findings come a month after the closure of Public Interest Lawyers, the Birmingham-based firm run by left-wing solicitor Phil Shiner.

The firm, whose activities were extensively highlighted by the Daily Mail, shut after the Legal Aid Agency stopped paying it taxpayers cash and as it faced inquiries by the National Crime Agency.

Mr Shiner is also facing charges at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, but details of the case against him are unknown and Mr Shiner has so far succeeded in keeping the proceedings private.

Sir David said in his report into the operations of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team set up by the Army to investigate nearly 1,700 complaints of mistreatment and unlawful killing that the reality is the vast majority of the claims are generated by Public Interest Lawyers.

He added: The quality of the information supplied has often been very poor  sparse, often inaccurate as to identities, dates, times etc, and set out simply as a short unsigned narrative more or less accurately translated from the orginal Arabic.

The findings come a month after the closure of Public Interest Lawyers, the Birmingham-based firm run by left-wing solicitor Phil Shiner, pictured above

Investigating officers who interviewed witnesses often found serious inaccuracies which ended the inquiry.

The troubles of Public Interest Lawyers followed the 31 million Al-Sweady war crimes inquiry into allegations of murder and torture by British soldiers in Iraq, which found that claims made by its clients were deliberate and calculated lies.
Women might claim a man's personality is more important than his looks.

But in reality there is every chance that, like men, they are often more interested in the appearance of a member of the opposite sex than thoughtful remarks and witty one-liners, a study suggests.

Researchers showed 125 young women a three-minute video of a potential date  an average-looking man with brown hair and glasses sitting in an office.

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Women might claim a man's personality is more important than his looks. But in reality there is every chance that, like men, they are often more interested in the appearance of a member of the opposite sex than thoughtful remarks and witty one-liners, a study suggests. (Posed by models)

The camera zoomed in and out, providing close-ups of his face, shoulders, biceps and legs while he talked about his likes and dislikes, education, parents and how much exercise he did.

Before watching the film, half of the women were asked to think of him as a short-term partner, while the others were told to imagine him as marriage material.

Afterwards, they were given a surprise test asking 43 questions to establish how well they remembered everything from his facial hair and jawline to his mother's job and his favourite food.

Analysis showed those considering a long-term relationship remembered more about what the man said.

But those who were not thinking about settling down focused on his looks and struggled to remember what he had said.

Writing in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Dr Horgan said that when a woman is looking for a potential father for a future child, she will be listening for information about a man's personality, status and wealth. (Posed by models)

Terrence Horgan, a social psychology researcher at the University of Michigan in the US, said: 'When women were considering a short-term mate, they had better memory for his physical features and worse memory for what he had verbally reported about himself, relative to women who were thinking about the target as a long-term mate.

'Our results represent the first evidence that women's memory for a man's physical features is enhanced when they are considering him as a short-term versus long-term mate.'

Writing in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Dr Horgan said that when a woman is looking for a potential father for a future child, she will be listening for information about a man's personality, status and wealth.

However, when looking for a fling, these factors are of less importance.

The study's authors suggested men might do well to take the findings into consideration when approaching women.

In particular, charm and chat-up lines should be saved for those who are interested in a serious relationship, they said.
Samantha Cameron felt right at home at a party on Thursday night  she used to live there, after all.

Less than three months after the Camerons walked out of Downing Street, the former PMs wife waltzed back through No 10s black door for a London Fashion Week bash, wearing a flowing, midnight-blue striped dress from her trademark frock-maker, Roksanda.

Sam Cam, 45, is reportedly plotting to launch her own fashion line, so Im sure Sarah Burton, who designed the Duchess of Cambridges wedding dress, proffered some business tips.

Now that husband David is sans job, Sam Cams designer clothes debut could be a stitch in time.

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Samantha Cameron felt right at home at a party on Thursday night  she used to live there, after all

Question Time ends in furious four-letter row

Panellists on BBCs Question Time normally share a convivial dinner after the programme.

But that did not happen after Thursday nights fractious show, in which Tory MP Anna Soubry called Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell a nasty piece of work and McDonnell was also savaged by Tony Blairs former spin doctor Alastair Campbell.

The dinner was a washout and everyone just stomped off to their taxis and went home.

On Thursday nights fractious Question Time ,Tory MP Anna Soubry called Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell a nasty piece of work

The argument continued after the show, containing plenty of F-words, with Alastair calling John a Trot, a loser, someone who was going to kill the Labour party, Im told.

But from the look on Johns face, he looked more likely to kill Alastair first.

Pity about the abortive supper. Then again, they would probably have had to give them plastic knives.

You can quote me on that
Eco-warrior: Natalie Jeffers' company receives aid from taxpayers

Beer in hand, Natalie Jeffers poses for a photograph in a New York gallery. On the wall behind her, the following words are inscribed: Travel while youre young and able. Dont worry about money. JUST GO. Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be!.

Or better still, be like Jeffers  and combine both experience and money.

Take last weekend, for instance. She was relaxing in the 200-a-night Costa do Sauipe resort in Brazil. With one of the countrys best beaches, it has nine swimming pools, 12 restaurants and a spa.

No doubt she would argue that it wasnt all pleasure  the dreadlocked 36-year-old was there to speak at the black feminisms forum of the annual congress of the Association for Womens Rights in Development.

Similarly, in New York in March, as well as fitting in an art gallery or two, she attended the United Nations 60th annual Commission on the Status of Women as part of a project to educate Nigerian men on the gender imbalance within their country.

Nice work if you can get it. But then, Miss Jeffers seems to have that down to a fine art.

The Mail can reveal that her company, Matters of the Earth, of which shes the sole director and shareholder, has received grants and funding totalling more than 100,000  the majority of which is taxpayers money.

The money comes from a range of government departments  including, inevitably, the Department for International Development and its bloated foreign aid budget  allowing Miss Jeffers to establish herself as a globetrotting professional protester.

So it is that at the same time as filling her pockets with public money, she campaigns against everything from the ills of capitalism to the racist Tory Party.

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But perhaps even more hypocritical is her love of foreign travel.

For Miss Jeffers is the co-founder of the organisation called Black Lives Matter UK (BLMUK) whose activists were fined this week for shutting down City Airport in London  having previously blocked access roads to Heathrow and Birmingham airports, causing chaos.

Why, if they genuinely believe that airports are such a valid target, do these people have to fly all over the world themselves?

Miss Jeffers has made at least seven intercontinental flights this year and even contributes to a blog called Confessions Of A Jetsetter.

The Black Lives Matter movement originated in the U.S. as a grassroots response to a spate of shootings of unarmed black people by the police.

But deaths at the hands of police are far less common in the UK, whatever the colour of those killed.

At the same time as filling her pockets with public money, Miss Jeffers (left and right) campaigns against everything from the ills of capitalism to the racist Tory Party

So what of the groups leaders? Last week, neighbours of Natalie Jeffers at her last known address, a 250,000-rented flat in Brighton, said they believed she had moved to America 18 months ago.

If thats true, we have a curious case of a UK protest group being led by someone who doesnt even live in this country. One said: She jets all over the world to conferences and the like so people will accuse her of hypocrisy.

Her militancy began, it seems, when she attended university. Born in Birmingham, she has a white mother and black father who previously ran a company involved in the automotive industry.

Aged 18, she studied geography at the University of Brighton and then completed a course to become a teacher. In 2010, she took a further degree in Climate Change and Development at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University.

She then set up her own company, Matters of the Earth (MotE). From its website, it is hard to fathom exactly what it does (other than showcasing Miss Jeffers verbosity).

Miss Jeffers is the co-founder of the organisation called Black Lives Matter UK (BLMUK) whose activists were fined this week for shutting down City Airport in London (pictured)

Matters of the Earth is an organisation that specialises in knowledge dissemination, engagement and impact, it reads. We are bridging the gap between the academic and creative worlds by unarchiving, re-imagining and visualising knowledge for engagement and mobilisation.

As well as featuring a series of images showing Miss Jeffers at various protests, one photo on the site shows her putting the finishing touches to a mural that depicts blood dripping down the Twin Towers in New York.

Whatever its aims, her firm has secured lucrative work  particularly via Miss Jeffers alma mater.

This week, the Institute of Development Studies said it had contracted work to the value of 102,375 to MotE in the past four years. The institute is a charity whose largest funder is the Department for International Development (DfID), the Government department that oversees Britains 12 billion overseas aid budget.

So what sort of the work has Miss Jeffers carried out for the institute?

It is known that half of that money went towards her efforts to tackle gender inequality in Nigeria (including that trip to New York). Part of this involved creating courses with the aim of engaging men and boys in gender equity.

A source close to Priti Patel, the International Development Secretary, says the minister is said to want to know why the courses were ever commissioned.

Miss Jeffers has made at least seven intercontinental flights this year and even contributes to a blog called Confessions Of A Jetsetter. The protest is pictured above

Another project completed by MotE was for The Pathways of Womens Empowerment, an organisation established with DfID funding.

Another saw her produce a number of comics for a project called Striking Women, depicting the struggles of South Asian workers in the UK labour market.

The project was funded with 64,500 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, which is backed by the Governments science budget. It is unknown how much of that sum MotE received.

In other words, Miss Jeffers has had no qualms in accepting Government money and public funding  despite her apparent objection to such much of what the Government does. Fight racism with solidarity. Fight capitalism with socialism. We must organise  dedicate ourselves to revolutionary political power, read a tweet on her account in January.

At the same time, she launched a petition calling for the sacking of former Tory cabinet minister Oliver Letwin because he claimed in 1985 that inner-city riots had resulted from bad moral attitudes and he had warned against giving Government money to black entrepreneurs.

Others involved in organising actions for BLMUK include 29-year-old social workers son Adam Elliott-Cooper (pictured)

The Conservatives have a history of tolerating, promoting and supporting racist ideologies and politicians within their party, she wrote.

Miss Jeffers has also attacked the Department for Work and Pensions for cutting benefits, saying that a man called Luke Loy, whom she describes as her brother, was killed as a result of benefit sanctioned poverty created and brutally enforced by the UK Government.

Mr Loy, who suffered schizophrenia, was found dead at his home in Birmingham in May 2015. An open verdict was returned at an inquest.

Inquiries by the Mail have failed to establish exactly what relation Mr Loy, who was 42 when he died, is to Miss Jeffers. They do not share a mother and theres no fathers name on his birth certificate. He might not, of course, be a relative at all, as the reference to brother could be a term of endearment.

Miss Jeffers own father declined to talk to the Mail.

It was earlier this summer that Miss Jeffers was first linked to BLMUK, being described in an article in the Observer newspaper as the groups co-founder.

She claimed there was a war going on against black people in Britain and that black women such as herself face extreme levels of oppression from the State (the same State, of course, that has funded her so munificently).

While it appears there is no clear structure to BLMUK, a number of prominent figures have emerged.

Among them is Joshua Virasami, 26, who dropped out of Loughborough University. He, too, enjoys foreign travel  in 2014, he went from Turkey to India via Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan and Pakistan.

And on his visits to Mauritius, from where his family hails, finding somewhere to stay is never a problem. His father, who used to run an international shipping company, has a five-bedroom beachside villa there  currently available to rent for 300 a night.

Virasami described himself as an organiser of the earlier protest at Heathrow. The previous year he was involved in another protest at the same airport, objecting to its proposed expansion.

While his father declined to say whether he approved of what his son does  it is a difficult one, was all he would say  it is clear that he has turned his back on his upbringing.

He says he was politicised after watching debates and documentaries on YouTube about Palestine.

On his Twitter account, he states that his names pre-contact with white civilisation are Yeshua Veeraswamy, meaning gift from life, brave seeker of truth.

In another tweet, he stated Long Live Londonistan!!!  a reference to the growing Muslim population in the capital.

Others involved in organising actions for BLMUK include 29-year-old social workers son Adam Elliott-Cooper, who is studying for a doctorate at Oxford University and 18-year-old Capres Willow Turner (both of whom have been described as mixed race).

In the past six months, the model and actress, from Waltham Abbey, Essex, has blogged on visits to Turkey, Denmark, Germany and France.

Her blog is littered with photos of exotic beach scenes and yachts. She says: This year I hope to visit Italy, India, Switzerland, and anywhere else I can fit in.
A woman was stabbed twice when two men broke into her Western Sydney home on Saturday morning.

The 45-year-old was rushed to Campbelltown Hospital in a stable condition with two minor stab wounds to her right chest and a laceration to her left hand.

The men entered the house on Styles Crescent, Minto, through the back door armed with a hammer and a knife.

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A woman was stabbed twice when two men broke into her Western Sydney home on Saturday morning

They had their faces covered, one wearing a balaclava and the other with a shirt tied around his head.

When the woman confronted them she pulled the shirt from one of their faces, after which he allegedly stabbed her.

NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia it appeared to be a burglary gone wrong as it was believed the suspects thought there was no one home when they broke in.

Police said the two men stole a mobile phone after the 8.30am altercation and fled over the back fence. They were still on the run.

Investigators seized several items for further forensic examination, including the shirt grabbed by the woman.

The men were both described as being in their late teens or early 20s with a slim build. One wore a dark hoodie with a balaclava and had blue eyes.

The 45-year-old was rushed to Campbelltown Hospital in a stable condition with two minor stab wounds to her right chest and a laceration to her left hand

The home invasion came just a week after Muslim extremist Ihsas Khan allegedly stabbed Wayne Greenhalgh as he walked through a park in the same suburb.

The 22-year-old was attempting to 'influence the Australian government' during the 'IS inspired attack' where he cut several of the grandfather's fingers off.

The attack has left residents in the quiet suburban community living in fear, particularly those who witnessed it.

Natasha Brock told the Daily Telegraph the incident shocked her because it happened so close to her home.

'I used to walk to that reserve, to the bus stop, every day when I went to school,' she said.

'I never thought something like this would happen so close to home, its more something which happens on a global scale and overseas.'

Police are appealing for witnesses to Saturday's home invasion.
A Chicago police officer who was videotaped firing shots that injured two black teenagers inside a car was indicted on federal civil rights charges.

Marco Proano, 41, was indicted Thursday on two counts of deprivation of rights after he allegedly used unreasonable force while on duty on December 22, 2013, US Attorney Zachary Fardon said in a statement.

Each count of the indictment is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A Chicago police officer who was videotaped firing shots that injured two black teenagers inside a car was indicted on federal civil rights charges

Marco Proano (pictured), 41, was indicted Thursday on two counts of deprivation of rights after he allegedly used unreasonable force while on duty on December 22, 2013, US Attorney Zachary Fardon said in a statement

The video shows the officer firing his handgun multiple times  more than a dozen, according to an attorney for the families that filed a lawsuit  into a car occupied by the two teenagers, who posed no apparent threat

The release doesn't detail the allegations, but police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that the indictment stems from an incident captured on dashboard camera video that was released last year by a retired judge who had handled a criminal trial involving one of the teenagers.

The video shows the officer firing his handgun multiple times  more than a dozen, according to an attorney for the families that filed a lawsuit  into a car occupied by the two teenagers, who posed no apparent threat.

The car had been pulled over for speeding.

Police said at the time that the officer opened fire out of fear that the 'occupants who had been in the vehicle were in a position to sustain great bodily harm.'

Police also said that a weapon was recovered at the scene. But a family attorney said a pellet gun was recovered and it was never visible or brandished at the officers.

The shooting prompted a lawsuit filed by mothers of three teens in the car, and the city agreed to settle the case for $360,000.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that the indictment stems from an incident captured on dashboard camera video that was released last year by a retired judge who had handled a criminal trial involving one of the teenagers

The indictment marks the first time, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis of police records, that federal law enforcement has brought criminal civil rights charges against any Chicago police officer in a total of 702 shootings over the past 15 years

One of the three teens wasn't shot but was taken to the ground by an officer and his right eye was injured, according to the lawsuit.

The city and the Chicago Police Department secured from a judge a protective order to keep the video from being released by any of the parties in the civil case.

But that order did not prohibit former Cook County Judge Andrew Berman, who had presided over the trial of one of the teens, from releasing the video.

After the trial in which the teenager was acquitted of possession of a stolen vehicle and a misdemeanor criminal trespass to a vehicle, Berman released the video.

He turned the video over to the Chicago Reporter magazine in June 2015, saying at the time that he did so because the video 'just showed a reckless and callous disregard for human life by somebody who is sworn to serve and protect'.

The indictment marks the first time, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis of police records, that federal law enforcement has brought criminal civil rights charges against any Chicago police officer in a total of 702 shootings over the past 15 years.

One of the three teens wasn't shot but was taken to the ground by an officer and his right eye was injured, according to the lawsuit

The indictment is also the latest blow to a police force that has been under intense scrutiny since last November's release of a video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014

Each count of the indictment is punishable by up to 10 years in prison

Two of the teens are being led away by officers during the 2013 incident

The indictment is also the latest blow to a police force that has been under intense scrutiny since last November's release of a video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014.

Since then, Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder, the US Justice Department has launched an investigation into the practices of the department, and a county grand jury is considering whether officers at the scene lied in their reports as part of a cover up.

Proano is represented by Daniel Herbert, the attorney representing Van Dyke.

Through a publicist, he declined to comment.
Amazing fresh footage has emerged of what's believed to be a Tasmanian Tiger walking through a field, despite having been declared extinct in 1936.

There have been thousands of reported sightings of the Tasmanian Tiger, or scientifically known as Thylacine, but many of them are quickly dismissed.

Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia released the video shot in 2008 south west Victoria and founder Neil Waters says there is plenty of merit to it.

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The footage was shot at a farm by a woman in south west Victoria in 2008

Mr Waters said there is no doubt that it is a thylacine but it could well be a sub-species of the creature.

The woman in the video says she saw a number of the animals on about 12 separate occasions. The stripes on the hind quarters and its 'prehistoric' head stood out to her.

On one occasion she decided to take a camcorder and zoomed it in as close as she could to the animal.

Often peoples sightings of thylacine's are rubbished by others saying it was probably a fox, but on one instance the woman said she saw a thylacine while a fox was in the background so she could compare the two.

'This thylacine here was a lot bigger and broader than the fox.

The fox had the typical bushy tail and pointy nose and red colouring, but this guy here, yeah, he was a browny-grey, the long striaght tail and a different gait about him all together, where a fox would trot but this one sort of ambled,' the woman said.

Waters, who runs the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia, says there are a few reasons why he believes the creature in the video is definitely a Tasmanian Tiger.

'It does appear to have its rear hock go flat when it steps which would give the indication that it has that typical rear foot like a Thylacine.

Neil Waters believes this particular sighting cannot be confused with a fox or dog for many reasons

Tasmanian Tigers Tasmanian Tigers, also known as Thylacines, were the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. Their demise has been linked to competition with dingoes. The last known Tasmanian Tiger died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo. Advertisement

'It's got an incredibly thick neck and it's very stocky in its build. And it also has that very long, stiff tail that looks like an extensions of the back bone essentially, it doesn't really move, it certainly doesn't sway side to side like a dog.'

Another reason why he also says it's not been confused with a fox is the woman's recount of the animal urinating.

'I Googled how fox's urinate and they urinate like a normal dog. But this thing, backed up against one of those reeds there and just sprayed like a male cat would,' the woman said.

Waters says he has heard of thousands of sightings, the most recent being in South Australia last December. He believes it's a reflection of the society we live in that no one will believe it until it's scientifically proven.

The stiff tail, broad neck, stocky body and movements are all similar to the characteristics of a Tasmanian Tiger

'Science is demanding evidence but they've got to go looking for it. They sit on their bum waiting for us to find it and then deliver it to them. I accept they need proof but there's a lot of anecdotal evidence.'

Waters also said many people don't come forward because they think others won't believe them.

'People are worried they'll be mocked. And there is room for people to lie, but since I released that video about 20 people have some forward with sightings in South Australia.'

The last known Tasmanian Tiger died in Hobart Zoo in 1936 and the species then became declared extinct

With wild dog baiting across the country, it also poses a threat to any potential living Tasmanian Tigers.

'They're not going to bother trying to protect something that is already classified as extinct!' he said.
Actress and business mogul Jessica Alba may be selling her consumer packaged goods startup The Honest Company for more than $1 billion, according to a report

Actress and business mogul Jessica Alba may be selling her consumer packaged goods startup The Honest Company for $1 billion, according to a report.

The movie star co-founded the company about five years ago, which sells diapers, soap, lotion and cleaning products that it says are free of 'harsh chemicals.'

It has since grown rapidly, and late last year started selling lip gloss, blush and mascara under the brand Honest Beauty.

Now Unilever, which makes Axe body spray and Dove soap, is in talks to acquire the company for more than $1 billion but 'significantly less' than the $1.7 billion Honest Co was valued at in a funding round last year, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Talks of the deal are at an early stage, sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper.

The startup has also not ruled out going public, sources said.

Alba pictured at the launch of The Honest Company at Target in 2014. The movie star co-founded the company about five years ago, which sells diapers, soap, lotion and cleaning products that it says are free of 'harsh chemicals'

Now Unilever (headquarters pictured), which makes Axe body spray and Dove soap, is reportedly in talks to acquire the company for more than $1 billion but 'significantly less' than the $1.7 billion Honest Co was valued at in a funding round last year

Since the company got its start in 2011, it has reportedly raised more than $200 million from outside investors.

Should the acquisition move forward, Honest Co - which generates roughly $300 million in annual revenue - will pay some investors double their investment, according to Journal.

The startup's focus on 'natural' and 'green' cleaning products would expand Unilever's expanding presence in the fast-growing market as well as the diaper business, the newspaper reported.

Currently, Unilever does not carry any brands that compete with Honest Co.

Unilever recently acquired California start-up Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion, sharpening its rivalry with Procter & Gamble, which owns the Gillette brand.

Unilever's acquisition of the subscription razor company also showed how e-commerce is disrupting the market for consumer packaged goods.

The 35-year-old Alba co-founded Honest Co with Brian Lee, Sean Kane and Christopher Gavin.

The company, based in Los Angeles, sells its products online and at discount retailer Target, grocery chain Whole Foods and other major stores around the country.

Honest Co products are shown above. The company sells its products online and at major stores including Target and Whole Foods

The Honest Company has since grown rapidly, and late last year started selling lip gloss, blush and mascara under the brand Honest Beauty

Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported it had tested the Honest Co's detergent at two laboratories and found it had sodium lauryl sulfate.

On its website, Honest Co promises that it doesn't use SLS  a common ingredient in other brands  because it can cause skin irritation.

The company responded saying its detergent contains sodium coco sulfate instead, an ingredient it says is a 'gentler alternative.'

It also said it conducted 'rigorous testing' and said the Journal's article is wrong and 'reckless.'

The Journal said its report was 'accurate, fair and meets' its standards.

Privately held Honest Co is also facing a class action lawsuit from customers who said the company's sunscreen failed to protect them, causing sun burns, according to court documents.

That case is still pending and Honest Co has said its products are safe.

During an interview last month with Today, addressed the suits lodged against the natural products company, alleging they may be less than effective and contain toxic ingredients.

Unilever recently acquired California start-up Dollar Shave Club (products from the startup pictured) for $1 billion, sharpening its rivalry with Procter & Gamble, which owns the Gillette brand

Alba said on the show that she believes many of the allegations simply stem from her company being an 'easy target' due to the awareness her star power brings to the brand.

'Obviously, we want our customers to have the best experience with our brand,' the actress stated.

'If an organization wants to bring awareness to their cause, I'm an easy target and our brand is an easy target, obviously, because I get different kind of attention than other brands would. It's just sort of what happens.'

She went on to express her faith in how well informed her customers really are, explaining: 'Our customers are savvy enough to do research and understand the integrity of our products.'

'We stand by our ingredients, the effectiveness of the products, and we're pretty optimistic that we're going to win every case,' she continued.
Two police officers in Texas were shot and a suspect was killed after a shooting in the Fort Worth area.

Fort Worth police told FOX 4 they were responding to a suicide attempt just outside of when the incident happened.

A police log online indicated that Officer Ray Azucema, a training officer, and Officer Xavier Serrano, a probationary officer, responded to a report that a 'father has been shot in the head', according to the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

SWAT teams have surrounded a man who allegedly shot two police officers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth police told FOX 4 they were responding to a suicide attempt when the incident happened

When officers arrived on the scene they discovered an elderly man believed to be the suspect's father had been shot.

The elderly man was pronounced dead at the scene. It is unclear if he actually committed suicide.

Police had visited the residence multiple times in the past, according to WFAA.

There had been repeated domestic disputes between a father and son.

The most recent argument happened on New Year's Eve 2015 when the father was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Marc Povero, public information officer for the Fort Worth Police Department, said the officers responded and found the unresponsive man in the back room of the home.

'Two officers entered the house and found a dead elderly man in back bedroom,' Povero said.

When officers arrived on the scene they discovered an elderly man believed to be the suspect's father had been shot

Officials say officer Azucema is in critical condition and was shot in his 'upper extremities' and officer Serrano has only minor injuries

They were told a witness to the shooting was in a shed in the backyard, according to Povero.

When they entered the shed the shooter allegedly shot the two police officers, according to Povero.

Police exchanged fire with the shooter and around 1.30am on Saturday, authorities confirmed the suspect was dead, according to NBC DFW.

Neighbors reported hearing approximately four gunshots.

Both officers were transported to John Peter Smith hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

SWAT teams were throwing gas canisters into a shed where the suspect was later found dead

Povero said officer Azucema is in critical condition and was shot in his 'upper extremities'.

Officer Serrano has only minor injuries after being shot in the chest. The bullet did not penetrate that officer's ballistic vest.

'Wed like for you to pray for our officers. Our officers are injured. They're hurting, their families are hurting. Right now we are grieving for officers in time of pain,' Povero said.

Serrano, a probation officer, new to the force, and Azucema is a field training officer, with 'eight to nine years' on the force, according to FOX 4 and NBC DFW.

Azucema was undergoing surgery around 1am, according to FOX 4.

An NBC DFW helicopter showed a police perimeter stretching miles around the area with dozens of police lights lighting up streets just before 11pm.

The alleged shooting took place at this Wharton Drive location and SWAT teams have cordoned off the area

Roads were blocked off and the SWAT team was engaged in a standoff with the man, who was said to be in the shed.

SWAT teams were throwing gas canisters into the shed during the press conference held by Povero.

Neighbors within several blocks were told to leave their houses until the situation stabilized, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Authorities haven't said how any of the women died

The third body hasn't been identified, according to local police

county after Grate confessed to killing the woman in June

Authorities said a third body was then found Tuesday in a neighboring

Elizabeth Griffith (pictured), 29, has been identified as the second woman found dead in an Ohio home this week

A second woman, whose body was found in an Ohio home this week, has been identified, authorities revealed on Friday.

The Ashland County prosecutor has identified the second woman as 29-year-old Elizabeth Griffith.

Shawn Grate, 40, now faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Griffith and 43-year-old Stacey Stanley.

Their bodies were found Tuesday inside a supposedly unoccupied home in Ashland after a woman called 911 from inside a bedroom of the home and said Grate was holding her hostage.

Police found the bodies after freeing the woman and arresting Grate.

Griffith who had been missing in Ashland since August 16, was last seen in a Walmart in the town.

Stanley was last seen on September 8, with a flat tire at a gas station in Ashland.

The house where the women's bodies were found has been cordoned off with yellow police tape, and two bouquets of sunflowers were placed in front with a teddy bear and a cross with Stanley's name and the message: 'You are loved by many'.

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Stacey Stanley (left and right) was last seen on September 8, with a flat tire at a gas station in Ashland, Ohio. Her body was later found at a house a few blocks away

Shawn Grate (pictured), 40, now faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Griffith and 43-year-old Stacey Stanley. Police found the bodies after freeing the woman and arresting Grate. He's being held on $1 million bond

Grate is charged with kidnapping in the escaped woman's abduction. A court document accuses Grate of kidnapping her 'to engage in sexual activity'. Pictured is the home where police said the two bodies were found

Authorities said a third body was then found Tuesday in neighboring Richland County after Grate confessed to killing the woman in June.

The third woman hasn't been identified. Authorities haven't said how any of the women died.

The woman in the house said in the 911 call that she had been tied up but had partly freed herself in the same room where her captor was asleep.

She said the man had a stun gun, and she was afraid of waking him. She told the dispatcher she had known the man for about a month and a half.

Grate is charged with kidnapping in the woman's abduction. A court document accuses Grate of kidnapping her 'to engage in sexual activity'.

An Ashland County Common Pleas judge on Friday assigned Grate an attorney after Grate said he had no money, job or place to live.

County Prosecutor Christopher Tunnell said during the hearing that authorities believe Grate also abducted Griffith and Stanley.

Grate has another hearing scheduled for Monday morning.

He is being held on $1 million bond.

County Prosecutor Christopher Tunnell said during the hearing that authorities believe Grate also abducted Griffith and Stanley

Authorities said a third body was then found Tuesday in neighboring Richland County after Grate confessed to killing the woman in June. Pictured is the remains of a burned out home near where police found the third body
Britain's armed forces would not be able to protect the country from a full-scale attack by Russia, the recently retired commander of Joint Forces Command has warned.

General Sir Richard Barrons, who left his post in April, delivered a scathing assessment of the UK military in a 10 page private memo to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon.

He said Whitehall was focused on 'skinning' budgets and maintaining expensive but redundant high-profile military capability.

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General Sir Richard Barrons said armed forces capability had been withered by design

There are concerns Britain 'cannot afford to use fully' Britain's new aircraft carriers (HMS Queen Elizabeth pictured)

It comes despite the Government's decision to increase defence spending by almost 5 billion by 2020/21 and to meet Nato's target to spend two per cent of GDP on defence for the rest of the decade.

In his memo, Sir Richard, who was one of four service chiefs, said: 'Capability that is foundational to all major armed forces has been withered by design.'

He went on: 'There is a sense that modern conflict is ordained to be only as small and as short term as we want to afford - and that is absurd.

'The failure to come to terms with this will not matter at all if we are lucky in the way the world happens to turn out but it could matter a very great deal if even a few of the risks now at large conspire against the UK.'

The document, seen by the Financial Times, gives a withering judgment of the country's ability to defend itself against a full-scale military attack and singles out Russia, a country seen as more dangerous and unpredictable since its annexation of the Crimea and incursion in Ukraine.

Nato countries will be concerned as Britain is seen as the prevailing European military power within the alliance. The US has however had growing fears over its diminishing capacity since lengthy and expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sir Richard said: 'Counter-terrorism is the limit of up-to-date plans and preparations to secure our airspace, waters and territory ... there is no top-to-bottom command and control mechanism, preparation or training in place for the UK armed forces (to defend home territory) ... let alone to do so with Nato.'

On Britain's ability to defend itself from aerial attack from Russia, he said: 'UK air defence now consists of the (working) Type 45 (destroyers), enough ground-based air defence to protect roughly Whitehall only, and RAF fast jets.

'Neither the UK homeland nor a deployed force - let alone both concurrently - could be protected from a concerted Russian air effort.'

Sir Richard said the Army's recent experience does not include conducting full scale wars, which could be a disadvantage. The last time the Army conducted proper armoured warfare was in 2003 - three years before the birth of Twitter.

'The current Army has grown used to operating from safe bases in the middle of its operating area, against opponents who do not manoeuvre at scale, have no protected mobility, no air defence, no substantial artillery, no electronic warfare capability, nor - especially - an air force or recourse to conventional ballistic or cruise missiles,' he said.

Sir Richard also raised concerns that Britain's armed forces are dominated by small numbers of expensive equipment such as the new 2bn each aircraft carriers which 'we cannot afford to use fully, damage or lose' and bemoaned a lack of manpower across the military.

Military expert Ben Barry claimed the RAF would only be able to deploy six of its ordered 48 F35B Lightning fast jets

It was revealed yesterday the Navy's new Type 45 destroyers had notched up a staggering 1,515 days in UK harbours between April 2015 and April this year

He added that diminishing manpower meant Russia would not need to shoot down Britain's new Joint Strike Fighters - but 'murder' the 40 pilots who can fly them.

Major General Tim Cross, who served in the Army for nearly 40 years, rejected suggestions Sir Richard's comments were a case of 'sour grapes' because he was overlooked for promotion.

Maj Gen Cross said such assumptions were 'unfair and wrong', and that Sir Richard was an 'extremely capable operator'.

'Like all commanders, and I did this myself when I handed over command of my division, what Richard has done is produce what we call a haul down report,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'A haul down report is a state of the nation, it's a final shot to say to the system - in this case the Secretary of State because Richard was a four-star general - 'this is my command, this is what it looks like, these are my concerns', and he's laid those out.

'He's speaking truth into power and it's a normal thing to be doing.'

Maj Gen Cross said the UK would no longer be fighting 'conventional wars' and has been through a period of 'wars of choice' - deciding whether or not to get involved.

He added: 'The concern today, and it's not a new concern, it's been emerging over the last few years, is the re-emergence of Russia, of China, and the need to be capable of fighting a conventional war in the old style sense, as opposed to those in Iraq, Afghanistan and counter-terrorism.

'There's no doubt that we need to look at the issues Richard has highlighted, because the problem is the equipment for this sort of campaign is hugely expensive.'

Gen Cross told the BBC that Sir Richard was responsible for the 'hugely important' Joint Force Command, which 'looks pan-defence', examining cyber warfare, logistics and surveillance among other areas.

Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, backed Sir Richard's assessment.

On the fast F35B Lightnings, he claimed the RAF would only be able to fly six of the 48 fast jets Britain was committed to purchasing at any one time.
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Nicholas Glenn, 25, identified as the gunman who injured two Philadelphia police officers and killed woman, 25, during Friday ambush

A gunman was shot dead in Philadelphia after he ambushed and shot two cops and four civilians, killing one of the bystanders, in a 'targeted attack on police'.

Nicholas Glenn, 25, has been identified as the lone gunman, according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross.

One 25-year-old woman was killed in the attack and two officers were hospitalized.

Three civilians were also wounded, including one who remains in critical condition.

A note believed to be written Glenn that allegedly contained rambling anti-police rhetoric and named a specific parole officer as a target was recovered near the scene.

Ross said Glenn first ambushed Sgt Sylvia Young, 46, late Friday night just a few blocks from the University of Pennsylvania campus.

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Sgt. Sylvia Young, 46, with the Philadelphia police was injured along with officer Ed Miller

A picture from the scene on Friday night when two police officers were shot in Philadelphia

Bullet holes can be seen in Young's police vehicle following the rampage, where she was shot up to eight times directly in her protective vest

Young said Glenn didn't say a word when he began to fire into her marked police cruiser around 11.19pm.

The 19-year veteran was trapped in her vehicle when Glenn fired 18 times at close range with a 9mm Ruger, Ross said at a press conference on Saturday.

Young was struck multiple times in her left arm and protective vest as she leaned into the passenger side to shield herself.

Ross said Dunn also struck Young's service weapon twice, disabling the weapon.

'I don't even know if she would've been able to return fire if she had to,' he said.

She was shot up to eight times directly into her vest, according to sources.

Nearby officers saw that Young had been shot and began to chase Glenn, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

As he fled Glenn fired five rounds into a bar called the Maximum Level Lounge on 51st and Sansom, wounding a security guard.

He then grabbed a woman and 'used her as a shield' before shooting her in the leg, according to Ross.

Glenn ran two blocks before he fired 14 shots into a random white vehicle.

Young said Glenn didn't say a word when he began to fire into her marked police cruiser around 11.19pm on Friday night

Young, a 19-year veteran on the force (pictured left), was trapped in her vehicle and was struck in her left arm and protective vest

A 25-year-old woman was killed after she was shot seven times in the torso. Pictured the scene of the shooting

The 25-year-old woman inside was killed after she was shot seven times in the torso, according to CNN.

Ross said police are not yet releasing her name because it has not been confirmed that all her family has been notified.

A man who was also inside the car is currently in critical condition and is expected to survive, Ross said.

Glenn was then confronted by University of Pennsylvania police officer Ed Miller and two Philadelphia officers.

They opened fire and killed Glenn, Ross said.

Miller, a former sergeant who served for 33 years with the Philadelphia Police Department before retiring, was shot in the hand during the ambush.

Glenn has a number of drug-possession convictions in Philadelphia and was also charged in connection with a gang rape case in November 2009, court records show.

The rape case was withdrawn by prosecutors in December 2011 for reasons that are currently unknown.

'Right now we have a lot of questions,' Ross said on Saturday. 'This is completely a bizarre situation.'

Ross said that some of Dunn's letter found at the scene alluded to issues he had with a probation officer and 'not being particularly fond of the police department', but revealed most of it focused on himself.

'A lot of talk in the first person about himself and what he does and doesnt do, and issues he has with a whole bunch of other things,' Ross said.

The envelope was entitled 'Doomed'.

'I guess he was referring to anyone who was going to be in his path last night,' Ross said.

Glenn was shot dead after he was confronted by Miller and two Philadelphia police officers

Mayor Jim Kenney praised the officers and pleaded with police to follow Young's example and wear their protective vests

Ross added that there is no indication that Dunn had been radicalized or that he has 'ties to anything else'.

Other than the rantings in the letter, there has also been scarce indication of what Dunn was motivated by.

Ross said he believes it will be 'very difficult' to learn much from the rambling letter, as it was more about Dunn himself than anyone he wanted to harm.

'Clearly there were some issues going on there,' Ross said.

The commissioner also confirmed that Dunn had a 'significant criminal past' and was 'well-known to the police department'.

Authorities do not yet know how the convict was able to obtain a weapon, as the gun's serial number had been obliterated.

Ross said Young and the security guard, both of whom he visited at the hospital, are in 'good spirits'.

The commissioner also praised the Philadelphia officers who followed Dunn on foot.

'The restraint they used...is nothing short of miraculous,' he said.

'This guy is firing at everybody on the street that he sees but theres so many people out there that they probably elected not to discharge their weapons for fear of hitting innocent civilians

Ross added that Dunn had 'carried out one of the most violent acts' seen in Philadelphia for some time, and said he was 'absolutely astounded' by the fact Young had survived.

Philadelphia police officers are currently patrolling in pairs following the incident.

Mayor Jim Kenney praised the officers and pleaded with police to follow Young's example and wear their protective vests.

'Thank you for what you do for us every day, and please, please, please, every shift, please wear your vest,' he said. 'They will save your life, as we saw tonight.'
A 14-year-old boy accused of being in a six-person group of teens that allegedly set fire to six women's clothing has been arrested.

The three boys and three girls set fire to the women's clothing in Manhattan's Midtown area on Saturday evening, police told NBC New York.

They allegedly tried to set fire to a teen California tourist's shirt from behind on 42nd Street and fled after the girl's mother chased them off, the station reported.

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A 14-year-old boy accused of being in a six-person group of teens that allegedly set fire to six women's clothing has been arrested. He is pictured here

They allegedly tried to set fire to a teenage girl's shirt from behind on 42nd Street (pictured) and fled after her mother chased them off

The 14-year-old boy faces charges of hate crime attempted assault, hate crime aggravated harassment and hate crime harassment regarding the alleged attack, NBC New York reported.

A teen attempted to set a woman's clothing on fire on Fifth Avenue around Trump Tower in the next incident and fled, according to the station.

The clothing of a 35-year-old female Muslim Scottish tourist on East 54th Street was then set on fire in an attack, NBC New York's report said.

One suspect (pictured in a black tank top) is believed to have set fire to a Muslim woman's sleeve while she was shopping in New York

Pictured are suspects wanted for the fire incidents in Manhattan's Midtown area

Two of the female suspects in the incidents are seen in this image

Nemariq Al-Hinai, 35, from Glasgow, Scotland, was assaulted on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan at 8.58pm on Saturday night.

She was looking through the windows of designer clothes store Valentino after getting off a tourist bus when she 'felt something warm on her left arm and noticed her blouse was on fire'.

Nemariq patted out the fire and observed a male standing next to her with a lighter in his hand before he fled the scene.

She flagged down a police officer to report the crime but the suspect had already fled down 54th Street.

The suspect thought to have set fire to a Muslim woman's sleeve is seen here

Around East 54th Street and Fifth Avenue, a woman passed the group of teens and her skirt was on fire, according to NBC New York.

The group also allegedly attempted to set fire to two women's sleeves at the Bryant Park subway station, the report said.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the attack on Al-Hinai, describing it as, 'the latest in a series of attacks on Muslims in that state and nationwide in recent days and months,' NBC 4 reports.
Passenger called police at 6.20pm Friday to report a man armed with a gun who was acting

An Amtrak train has been evacuated after an armed passenger came aboard and barricaded himself inside a carriage.

Police were alerted at 6.20pm on Friday after a passenger saw the gunman acting erratically and holding a weapon aboard the Amtrak 790 traveling along the Pacific Surfliner route to San Diego.

Train operators stopped at a station in Chatsworth - in northwestern San Fernando Valley, LA, where hundreds of passengers were evacuated.

An Amtrak train has been evacuated after an armed passenger came aboard and barricaded himself inside a carriage

When police arrived they found the armed passenger had locked himself inside a carriage.

Crisis negotiators and SWAT Team officers were dispatched to talk the man, who has not yet been identified, down.

There were no reports of gunshots and police could not confirm the man had a weapon.

The incident caused delays to both the Amtrak and the regional Metrolink lines.

An Amtrak spokesman told ABC News: 'Amtrak Train 790  the Pacific Surfliner service, operating from San Luis Obispo to San Diego - is being delayed at the Chatsworth station for police activity. All 187 passengers and 5 crew have safely left the train and remain inside the Chatsworth station.'

Three hours after the situation was reported, the train still remained at the station and buses were brought in to shuttle passengers to their respective stops.
Al-Sharbi agreed to return to the US but never did for unknown reasons

That person then urged al-Sharbi to join plot against the US, prisoner said

Said religious figure from Saudi Arabia said 'your highness' on the phone

An accused Al-Qaeda bomb-maker believes a member of the Saudi royal family was part of an effort to recruit him for a plot against the United States shortly before 9/11.

Ghassan Abdallah al-Sharbi, who went to college in Arizona, told officials in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that he heard a religious figure in Saudi Arabia used the term 'your highness' during a telephone conversation with a man.

That religious figure then urged al-Sharbi to return to the US and take part in a plot against the country that would involve learning to fly a plane, al-Sharbi said.

It was early 2001, and al-Sharbi had only recently returned from the US, where he had taken some flight school courses in Phoenix with two men who would become hijackers in the 9/11 attacks.

The 9/11 commission found there was no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government or Saudi officials had supported the attacks. The kingdom's government has consistently denied having any role in the plot.

Ghassan Abdallah al-Sharbi, a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay (pictured) said he heard a religious figure in Saudi Arabia used the term 'your highness' during a telephone conversation

Al-Sharbi described the conversation in June to the Periodic Review Board, which assesses whether Guantanamo prisoners can be released.

The Pentagon on Thursday posted a transcript of his claims with parts blacked out.

The statement is convoluted and lacks important details, such as whether the 'religious figure' might be close to any Saudi officials.

It does not indicate who the Saudi royal might be. The term can be used for thousands of members of the Saudi royal family and al-Sharbi did not say he met that person.

Al-Sharbi also appeared to be struggling with illness, based on the transcript. He told the board he had just come from the detainee hospital, was 'really exhausted, and nauseous and lethargic,' and used what is described as a 'manual breathing device'.

His statement adds to a list of suggestive but not definitive clues about possible involvement by members of the Saudi establishment in the September 11 attacks, in which 17 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi.

Saudi Arabia's government has denied any role in the plot and the 9/11 commission found no evidence it had supported the attacks. Pictured is the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC

The Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC declined to comment on the al-Sharbi transcript. In the past, the Saudis have pointed to the 9/11 Commission, FBI investigations and other probes that found no Saudi government or royal family involvement in the attacks.

But those denials have not ended speculation about possible Saudi involvement. Congress recently approved legislation that would allow 9/11 families to sue the kingdom for any role in the plot.

Al-Sharbi said he listened as the 'religious figure' spoke to the man  whom al-Sharbi believes was a royal  as they discussed al-Sharbi's qualifications for returning to the US for jihad.

'I remember, "yes, your highness, yes your highness," and he was talking to him about me,' al-Sharbi said.

Saudi Arabia has battled with Al-Qaeda over the years. But there have been consistent allegations, including by Guantanamo prisoners, of support by officials and members of the royal family for Al-Qaeda-linked charities, said terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann, who reviewed the 28-page transcript at the request of The Associated Press.

'The Saudi royal family is quite large and diverse, and it is no secret that various members were once reputed for their patronage of Islamist causes and charities,' Kohlmann said.

'In that light, it is hardly ridiculous that al-Sharbi would have encountered a Saudi royal who sympathized with Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden.'

Bin Laden was a Saudi citizen.

The prisoner's candor about his health also may add to what is otherwise a plausible allegation, said Max Abrahms, an assistant political science professor at Northeastern University who studies terrorism. Abrahms also reviewed the transcript.

'He is very open that he is really struggling physically, that he's exhausted, that he has been under serious medication,' Abrahms said.

'But on the other hand it lends additional credibility to his statement because it's not very deliberate and not memorized.'

A Guantanamo spokesman, Navy Captain John Filostrat, said the military does not disclose details about detainees' health. 'Overall, the general health of detainees is good,' he said.

Al-Sharbi described the conversation to the Periodic Review Board, which assesses whether prisoners can be released (the Guantanamo Bay facility is pictured in a file photo)

Al-Sharbi attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, from 1999-2000, according to the review board website.

In the transcript, the prisoner described living with various Americans, including a Phoenix police officer, in Arizona and California before returning to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2000.

After telling the 'religious figure' that he had some practice on a flight simulator and could learn to fly more easily than others, al-Sharbi says he agreed to return to the US and they began to discuss details. But al-Sharbi never went, for reasons that are unclear in the transcript.

The review board profile says al-Sharbi went to Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, trained with Al-Qaeda and then went to Pakistan, where he learned how to make remote-controlled explosive devices and teach the skill to others.

He was captured there in a house with Abu Zubaydah, whom the US has called an Al-Qaeda 'facilitator.' He, too, is confined at Guantanamo.

When captured, the FBI found a buried a cache of documents nearby, including an envelope from the Saudi Embassy in Washington that contained al-Sharbi's flight certificate, according to a document known as File 17, which was declassified earlier this year.

That document names people the hijackers were in contact with in the US before the attacks, including diplomats of the kingdom.
Passengers on a long-haul flight from America had to cope with a 70-minute diversion when a coffee machine in the galley failed to turn off.

The crew of a Lufthansa Airbus travelling to Germany had to declare an emergency after they were alerted to the smell of burning.

The plane, which had taken off from Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, was heading for Munich.

The incident happened on September 8, but details have only just come to light.

The aviation information website Aerolnside said the Lufthansa Airbus A330-300, performing flight LH-415, was enroute about 70 miles southwest of Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada, when the crew shouted alerted ground control there was an emergency on board 'due to smoke from a coffee maker, that had overheated and could not be turned off'.

The plane was diverted to Boston, Massachusetts , where it landed 70 minutes after the U-turn.

The burning smell had been reported by a passenger.

'The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Boston for 16 hours, then continued the flight and reached Munich with a delay of 18 hours,' said the website.

The information was confirmed by the Aviation Herald which reproduced the tracking device from FlightAware.

Coffee machines on board planes can cause problems for planes because they run from the main electrical circuit rather than separate plug-in devices.

If they are not working, it can lead to flight delays whilst engineers are called in.

Cabin crew receive intensive training on safety procedures which include coffee makers.

A fact sheet from the Flight Safety Foundation says: 'Training should include diagnosing suspicious malfunctions.

'A defective switch in the offposition may continue to provide electrical power to a heating element.

'One report said that a coffee pot remained hot after being switched off and smoldering coffee sludge generated fumes that reached the flight deck, prompting declaration of an emergency and evacuation of the aircraft on landing.'

Shocking images show the body of a huge vulture embedded in the nose of an A320

The Lufthansa aircraft was struck with such force at 5,000ft that a large dent was left in the nose

Grim images show the vulture in a death pose, with its claws sticking out over the edge of the fuselage

It's been a busy week for the German airline, after another one of its planes was forced to make an emergency landing after a massive vulture smashed into its nose at 5,000ft.

Shocking images from the ground show the horrific aftermath of the bird strike and the vulture's dead body smeared across the front of the plane.
On our wedding night in Paris, Colin had a tantrum that left him exhausted, so that was a non-starter, and the consummation, when it happened, was awkward, painful and not particularly enjoyable or romantic. Apparently this was my fault. When he took me to a brothel a night or two later to watch a private sex show, I felt he was saying: 'You're hopeless at it, but you'll get some good tips from watching this.' It was so humiliating. He'd had numerous affairs before we met but that didn't mean he regarded it as his role to teach me how to explore this side of life with gentleness or generosity. As long as Colin and I were sleeping together, our sex life was marked by criticism and disappointment. He used to get very cross with me, which of course made things worse and I used to dread going to bed with him. I tried to be enthusiastic but it never worked between us. For a very long time, I felt I must be to blame. The one time he seemed pleased with me was years later in the Grenadines. I think he arranged for my drink to be spiked and, from what I know now, I suspect it was LSD. I had the most terrifying experience, with visions and hallucinations, but we ended up making passionate love despite my feeling so scared. It was extremely energetic and uninhibited. The next day, Colin said: 'That was amazing and that's the way I want you to behave all the time.' 'Well, I felt awful and I still do,' I replied. He didn't lace my drink again but how strange and somehow typical of Colin that, rather than being tender, he decided he could just drug me into doing what he liked.
A father and daughter have been badly burnt after a gas leak caused an explosion at a school.

Emergency services were called to Sunnybank Hills State School, south of Brisbane on Saturday at 9.30am after a loud explosion at a Taiwanese festival.

Five people were injured in the explosion. The most severely burnt, Kim Lang Chiang, 63, and his daughter Annie, 27, are in hospital, but are in a stable condition.

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The most severely burnt, Kim Lang Chiang, 63, and his daughter Annie, 27, (pictured) are in hospital, but are in a stable condition

Police guarding the truck involved in an gas explosion that injured five people at a Taiwanese festival at Sunnybank Hills State School

Mr Chiang is currently in an induced coma. He and his daughter will both require surgery, 7 News reported.

It is believed the blast was caused by two leaking gas cylinders in the back of the father and daughter catering team's truck, according to a report by Nine News.

It is understood they reversed the truck towards a lit barbecue and when they opened the doors, the flammable gas came into contact with the flames.

Witness Stanley Chu said the flames happened 'extremely quickly'.

'The naked flames just shot up,' he said.

Co-event organiser Paul Shih said quick thinking event volunteers rushed to the scene to pour water over the man, in a report by the Courier Mail.

'We continued to pour water over [him] until the ambulance arrived,' Mr Shih said.

Mr Chiang and his daughter were quickly rushed to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, they both have burns to their arms, chest and face.

The blast is believed to have been caused by leaking gas cylinders that were in the back of the victims' catering truck

Kim Lang Chiang and his daughter Annie were rushed to hospital both suffering burns to their arms, chest and face. Three other people were taken to hospital with minor burns

The blast also injured three other people.

They suffered minor burns were taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

The incident is being investigated by Work Place, Health and Safety.

Queensland Police Senior Sergeant Rohan Manning-Jones said it was a warning for people to always be vigilant with gas bottles.
A nine-month-old baby was left covered in blood and screaming when a stranger grabbed her buggy and threw it into the road in a terrifying attack.

Mum Amy Easton watched in horror as the man carried out the sudden attack on tiny Melody-Rose.

The buggy was left lying face down before the man ran away.

Amy Easton watched in horror as a complete stranger threw nine-month-old Melody-Rose's buggy into the road

Amy, 23, rushed to her daughter and found blood coming from her mouth.

It happened on Monday morning on the seafront in Hastings, Sussex.

She told the Hastings Observer that she was answering a phone call when the man flung her daughter into the road.

Amazingly Melody-Rose was not seriously hurt in the attack, but she is now terrified to go in her buggy, her mum Amy said

Amy said: 'I put the brake on the buggy, answered my phone, turned my head and then all of a sudden a man walked past and threw her buggy into the road.'

After the attack, which left her 'in pieces', she sped over to help Melody-Rose, and was horrified to see her daughter bleeding.

Amy stated: 'When I picked her up, she was screaming because it was a big shock for her. Blood was coming from her mouth.'

Police are investigating the attack, but say it was not reported directly to officers at the time

She added: 'I was in pieces. I was crying. I have got epilepsy so something like this is making me more ill.'

The horrified mother said her daughter wouldn't eat after the attack, and is now scared to go into her buggy.

Despite her obvious terror, she said nobody came to her aid after the attack, which happened at around 9.30am.

Mum Amy said she was left 'in pieces' after the sudden attack on her daughter by a complete stranger

Amy stated: 'No cars stopped, nothing. There was even a traffic warden and she did not even come over and see if we were OK.'

Incredibly, Melody-Rose was not seriously hurt, but when checked by a doctor straight after the incident, was found to have a grazed lip and a bump on her head.

The man who hurled the buggy into the road is described as white, around six feet tall, and in his late 40s or early 50s.

Mum Amy was stunned by the sudden attack on nine-month-old daughter Melody-Rose in Hastings. The baby's older sister, Lottie, three, is also pictured

He had 'substantial' facial hair and an Aztec or tribal pattern tattoo all the way up one of his arms.

The attacker was wearing a grey beanie-style hat.

A spokesman from Sussex Police told the Mail Online this morning that the crime was not reported, but officers are looking into it.

He said: 'We're investigating the circumstances, but no one has actually come forward to us and said it's happened.

'We've been made aware of it by seeing it in the media. We're currently looking into it.'
The father and ex-husband of a British woman who died in a suspected honour killing have appeared in court charged with raping and murdering her.

Samia Shahid, from Bradford, was killed in July when she was visiting family in Pakistan where Mohammed Shahid and Mohammed Shakeel face charges at Jhelum court.

Police allege that Shahid stood guard while his daughter's ex-husband, Shakeel, raped her, before both men strangled Ms Shahid to death.

They deny murdering the 28-year-old, but Ms Shahid's second husband Syed Mukhtar Kazam, claims she was killed by the family who disapproved of their marriage.

Pakistani police are attempting to extradite the victim's mother and sister, who are understood to be in Bradford, for questioning in connection with her murder.

Handcuffed father Muhammed Shahid, center left, and ex-husband Muhammed Shakeel, center right, of slain British-Pakistani woman Samia Shahid are escorted by Pakistani police officers following their court appearance in Jhelum in eastern Pakistan

Samia Shahid, from Bradford, was killed in July when she was visiting family in Pakistan where Mohammed Shahid and Mohammed Shakeel face charges

They deny murdering the 28-year-old, but Ms Shahid's second husband Syed Mukhtar Kazam, claims she was killed by the family who disapproved of their marriage

Father Muhammad Shahid, third from right, and ex-husband Muhammad Shakeel, second from right, of slain British-Pakistani woman Samia Shahid are chased by journalists as they arrive to appear in court in Jhelum, in eastern Pakistan

Police brought both men before the court in Jhelum as they covered their faces.

They avoided most questions from journalists.

However, when pressed, the woman's father, Mohammad Shahid, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, told reporters that the accusations are 'all lies.'

'The police arrested me, police charged me, you go to police station and check my report, check my statement,' Shahid said.

The murder has shocked the nation as the latest alleged case of so-called 'honor killings' in Pakistan.

Initially Ms Shahid's death was recorded to have been from natural causes.

But Mr Kazim, publicly accused her family of killing her.

The case was reopened and a police probe quickly concluded that Shahid's death was a 'premeditated, cold-blooded murder,' according to a police statement.

During the court hearing, the second husband requested his wife's body be exhumed in order to carry out medical tests.

In the days following her death, Syed Mukhtar Kazim lodged a complaint with the police, claiming his wife was killed by her family

In the days following her death, Syed Mukhtar Kazim lodged a complaint with the police, claiming his father-in-law Shahid, mother-in-law Imtiaz Bibi, sister-in-law Madeeha Shahid, the first husband of his wife Shakeel and her cousin Chaudhry Mubeen murdered Ms Shahid before burying her in a graveyard and telling the authorities she died of a heart attack.

The prosecution has asked the Pakistani government and interior ministry to work with British police to extradite the women - understood to be in Bradford - for questioning.

But a senior police official based at Jehlum who is part of investigation of Samia Shahid murder case said that police had not started process of asking relevant authorities to write UK authorities and Interpol to make her mother and sister part of the inquiry.

'The investigations of the case revealed that both of them had played important role in bringing her to Pakistan.

'The court has already issued their arrest warrants.

'According to procedure court will first declare them proclaimed offender and then will order police to produce them in-front of court.

'At court's order police will initiate the process,' he said.

It is hoped the court will allow police to start the process tomorrow.

A Punjab police spokeswoman said police would follow legal procedure to make mother and sister part of inquiry.

'Police will produce its investigations into the murder tomorrow.

'The investigation report clearly mentions both mother and sister's role in the murder,' she said that after court's approval police would write to home department to make mother and sister part of inquiry of her murder.

'According to process home department will write to foreign ministry which will take up issue with UK authorities.

'Pakistan do not have an extradition treaty with UK but we are still hopeful that mutual understanding of both countries will help us to make both mother and sister part of her murder hearings in Pakistan,' she said that police had taken up this issue with a strong commitment.

Mohammad Arif, lawyer of Shahid and Shakeel, said that it was not easy to get Samia's mother and sister extradited from UK.

'First, police needs to prove in the court that my clients are guilty,' he said that his clients would not be charged with Samia's murder tomorrow.

'In fact, police will present their investigations which will be cross examined. It will take a lot of time,' he said.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police told MailOnline the force had not been approached by Pakistani authorities.

When pressed, the woman's father, Mohammad Shahid, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, told reporters that the accusations are 'all lies.'

Pakistani police officers escort ex-husband Muhammad Shakeel, right with his face covered with cloth, of slain British-Pakistani woman Samia Shahid to present him in a court in Jhelum in eastern Pakistan

Najful Hussain Shah, center, the lawyer of slain British-Pakistani woman Samia Shahid's second husband, leaves after the court hearing of her murder case in Jhelum in eastern Pakistan

Samia Shahid married her first husband in February 2012 but stayed only briefly in Pakistan before returning to England where she obtained a divorce two years later

While the women continue to be hunted to be made part of the investigation, police are certain both men strangled her.

Defence lawyer Mohammed Arif dismissed the police allegations as a baseless, saying his clients have been wrongly accused.

He said he will appeal another court's recent rejection of bail for Mohammed Shahid.

Samia Shahid married her first husband in February 2012 but stayed only briefly in Pakistan before returning to England where she obtained a divorce two years later.

She later married Kazim and moved with him to Dubai.

Najful Hussain Shah, the lawyer for Kazim, told reporters that he will seek the death penalty.

He said Shahid's mother and sister tricked her into visiting Pakistan in July by saying her father was gravely ill and that the women fled to Britain after her murder.

Shahid's mother and sister tricked her into visiting Pakistan in July by saying her father was gravely ill and that the women fled to Britain after her murder, says prosecution

Mr Kazam sent a series of desperate final messages to his wife who he claims was poisoned by her family for marrying him

Mr Kazam sent a series of desperate final messages to his wife who he claims was poisoned by her family for marrying him.

He text his wife to say he was 'worried to hell' and urged her to 'find a way to contact me' but he believes she may already have been dead.

He has told police her death was a 'straightforward case of honour killing' and a week after they claimed her death was not suspicious they have opened a murder inquiry.

Days later, police performed a dramatic U-turn and a murder investigation was launched.

Mohammad Aqeel Abbas, police chief for the Jhelum distric investigating the case, said post-mortem examination found no injuries or signs of violence, and she was buried in a village graveyard.

But soon after it was revealed Ms Shahid's post-mortem showed a 19cm bruise on her neck.
The woman who raised 330,000 to help disabled mugging victim Alan Barnes is being threatened with legal action by a PR firm over an unpaid publicity bill.

Katie Cutler has been left almost 7,000 in debt after helping raise cash for 68-year-old Mr Barnes, who was mugged outside his home last year.

Now Claire Barber, who runs the PR firm hired by Ms Cutler for publicity, claims the 23-year-old beautician 'wanted to raise her own profile' and go on Big Brother.

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Katie Cutler (left) raised 330,000 for Alan Barnes (right). She is now being chased over a 7,000 PR bill

Claire Barber, who runs the firm hired by Ms Cutler for publicity, claims the 23-year-old beautician 'just wanted to raise her own profile'

Miss Cutler set up an internet appeal to help Mr Barnes, who is just 4ft 6in, and registered blind, after he suffered a broken collarbone when he was attacked

Miss Cutler set up an internet appeal to help Mr Barnes, who is just 4ft 6in, and registered blind, after he suffered a broken collarbone when he was pushed over while putting his bins out in Low Fell, Gateshead.

Claire Barber, CEO of Claire Barber PR, claims she was commissioned at 550-a-day after the fundraising efforts for Mr Barnes.

She said: 'At that point Katie had a very busy beauty salon to run and wanted to maximise her profile. There was no charity.'

However Miss Cutler denied the allegations and said the situation had 'become a mess', adding she never wanted to become famous and could not afford to pay PR fees out of her own pocket.

Miss Cutler, who received a British Empire Medal for her charity work in last year's Queen's Birthday Honours, said she has been given until September 20 to pay the disputed debt or face court.

Well-wishers have now set up another Go Fund Me page titled, 'Pay off Katie Cutlers PR Bill' so far raising some 1,000 towards her fees.

Ms Barber, CEO of Claire Barber PR, claims she commissioned after the fundraising efforts for Mr Barnes

The 23-year-old who has refuted the allegations, said the situation had 'become a mess', adding she could not afford to pay PR fees out of her own pocket

Ms Cutler told MailOnline: 'I'm just really upset about everything, it's a big mess.'

She said she had hopes of setting up her own charitable foundation - but 'never got that far'.

Alan Barnes (pictured) moved into a new home with the money raised for him by Katie Cutler after he was mugged

She is disputing the 7,700 bill, of which she has paid 1,500: 'The majority of things in the bill had nothing to do with me or were given for free.

'When Alan's attacker was sentenced, the PR arranged a press conference with tea and coffee and she has charged me for that.

'I was invited to go to This Morning in London and Claire charged me for her trip to London. Things like that - I could go on.

'My website and Facebook page were built up by a company free of charge. They got nothing out of it but she has charged me for it.

'That is what I am disputing. It's not a case of not wanting to pay, it's a lot of money and I don't have it. The agreement was she would get paid when a charitable foundation was set up.

'At no point did we agree that I would have to pay out of my own pocket. There was no way in a million years I would have that sort of money.

'I was put under pressure. 7,700 doesn't seem that much but it was over 14 days.'

Well wishers have now set up another Go Fund Me page titled, 'Pay off Katie Cutlers PR Bill' so far raising some 900 towards her fees

But Ms Barber told The Sun: 'She mentioned getting her on Celebrity Big Brother and making her a celebrity.'

She added she has since received threats from people calling her a 'greedy rat', and hoping she would 'break both legs'.

She said: 'Katie Cutler employed Claire Barber PR to handle her PR in March 2015.

'Katie made two payments in June 2015, then proceeded to write all over social media her shock at getting our bill (which was agreed prior to any work undertaken).

Claire Barber was commissioned at 550-a-day

'At this point we offered her a payment plan, but she wouldn't respond to anything.

'As a small family business with an impeccable reputation and after over a year and still no payment, we had no choice but to go to the small claims court.

'Katie didn't respond with any defence to the small claims court either other than acknowledgement of papers. We are a small, hard working company and we are simply not able to carry this debt.

'We are incredibly shocked with the way Katie has belittled our hard work and devotion to the four-month project that Katie commissioned us for.'

In the months after the mugging, Mr Barnes - who offered 10 towards Miss Cutler's fees - got a 'calling from God' to move to the Shetland Islands.

But he decided to stay put and is now looking for another home in the Gateshead area.
Daredevil hopes to break two-wheeled world land speed world record which currently stands at 376.36mph

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Adrenaline junkie and world-famous motorcycle racer Guy Martin is attempting to break the two-wheeled world land speed record - but things got off to a bad start after his bike toppled over ahead of its first run.

The Isle of Man TT star has already faced a setback after his first attempt at the Bonneville Salt Flats, in Utah, USA, was postponed on Thursday due to safety concerns.

The 34-year-old from Grimsby is attempting to break the record on his custom-built 1,000 brake horsepower, 25.5ft-long Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner - capable of reaching speeds of around 400mph.

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The motorcyclist was seen talking to engineers beside the clearly damaged vehicle after it toppled over

Off to a bad start: Isle of Man TT star Guy Martin is attempting to break the two-wheeled world land speed record

The Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner pictured being towed out of the pits at the Bonneville Speedway in Utah, USA - but it then toppled over

The 34-year-old from Grimsby, is attempting to break the record on his custom-built Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner

But witnesses said the vehicle toppled over as it was being towed up the 11-mile course by a pick-up truck, leaving a noticeable scratch along its side.

Martin could be seen standing next to the bike wearing his helmet and leathers before walking back towards the start of the track.

A Triumph spokesman said Martin did not suffer any injuries in the incident and was 'fine'.

He said: 'As he was being towed up behind the tow vehicle, they've gone over some rough ground, which has caused the bike to topple over.

'There's no major damage to the bike which is being brought back to the start. Guy is fine.'

One witness said Martin was still keen to undertake the world record attempt, and later in the day he completed a successful test run, reaching a top speed of 198mph over seven miles - with his team saying he took it steady to get used to the bike again.

Regulations require him to ride the motorcycle at 300mph before being allowed to attempt to break the world record - which currently stands at 376.36mph.

Martin could be seen standing next to the bike wearing his helmet and leathers before walking back towards the start of the track

The famous daredevil and adrenaline junkie is attempting to break the current motorcycle land speed world record was set by Rocky Robinson in 2010, riding the Top Oil-Ack Attack Streamliner at 376.36mph

The 1,000 brake horsepower, 25.5ft-long Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner - capable of reaching speeds of around 400mph

Mechanics pictured working on the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner as preparations continue for the land speed record attempt

Guy Martin later rode the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner down the track of the Bonneville speedway as he completed a successful test run, reaching a top speed of 198mph - with his team saying he took it steady to get used to the bike again

Thumbs up: The Isle of Man TT star was due to try to reach a speed of 300mph on his first run before being allowed to attempt to break the world record - which currently stands at 376.36mph

On Thursday, all runs were postponed due to the course being 'too wet to safely undertake any runs' but the team were hopeful the bike would be taken out on to the course on Friday.

Engineers had been working on the 400mph motorcycle during the day to prepare the machine for the attempt.

Earlier, Martin sat in the bike as members of the team made adjustments and watched as the turbo twin engines were tested.

During practice sessions over the summer, the bike became the fastest to be built by Triumph as the TT star achieved a speed of 274.2mph.

On Thursday, all runs were postponed due to the course being 'too wet to safely undertake any runs'

During practice sessions over the summer, the incredible machine became the fastest to be built by Triumph as the TT star achieved a speed of 274.2mph

The bike has two turbo-charged Triumph Rocket III engines producing a combined 1,000 brake horsepower at 9,000 revs per minute (rpm)

It features a carbon Kevlar monocoque construction - in which the chassis is integral with the body - with two turbo-charged Triumph Rocket III engines producing a combined 1,000 brake horsepower at 9,000 revs per minute (rpm).

The bike is 25.5ft long, 2ft wide and 3ft tall and is powered by methanol fuel.

Martin said: 'The Triumph engineers have built an amazing machine, giving us the very best chance to beat the two-wheeled land speed record.'

Martin has set speed records in a variety of human and engine-powered vehicles, including world records for fastest speed on a gravity-powered snow sled, fastest speed in a soap box and highest speed on a wall of death, which he set earlier this year.
High expectations for Amazon shows which have budget of 160million

Fans of Jeremy Clarkson will not be able to binge-watch his new show after it was announced it would be aired weekly.

After Clarkson jumped ship from the BBC to Amazon Prime, it was expected all episodes of The Grand Tour would be made available to stream.

But producers have decided to go with the Top Gear template, and will release one show a week in 12 instalments starting on Friday, November 18.

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Stars: The Grand Tour, featuring Clarkson, Hammond and May, will start on Amazon Prime Video on Friday November 18

Andy Wilman, the show's producer, said last month he lobbied US-based Amazon not to release the programme for binge-watching viewers accustomed to Netflix.

Speaking about he show that also features Clarkson's partners-in-crime Richard Hammond and James May, he said: 'That's their call. I would prefer weekly, I don't think there is a box set binge quality to it.

'It's those three do something retarded and next week they do something else retarded.'

He did however confess he would like to see it enjoy a secondary run on a traditional broadcaster.

He said: 'I have not thought about it but would like it to be seen by as many people as possible. I would be very happy that it can be seen anywhere.'

Referring to the Top Gear repeats on Dave, he said: 'I'm hoping this has got a shelf life too.'

The first show will come from California, and each episode will feature studio footage as well as the pre-recorded Top Gear-style features.

A new glossy trailer from the show - featuring the catchline 'What could possibly go wrong?' - has also been released.

Collection of cars: New episodes will go out every Friday for 12 weeks on Amazon Prime Video

Impressive:producers have decided to go with the Top Gear template, and will release one show a week in 12 instalments starting on Friday, November 18

It features the sound of a clock counting down the seconds and shows exotic locations and the trio driving around a race track just like in a classic Top Gear episode, exclaiming 'Oh man!', 'That is quick' and 'Oh my!'

Anyone who wants to watch the Amazon show, shot in super high-definition 4K, will have to pay a minimum of 5.99 a month.

Studio audience recordings are taking place in front of a live audience in a giant travelling tent and the first 70 minute episode will feature Clarkson, 56, Hammond, 46, and May, 53, in California.

The glittering line-up of A-listers to star in the show include Matt Damon, 45, and Charlize Theron, 41.

The troubled reboot of Top Gear, following Clarkson, Hammond and May's departure, was mocked for the calibre of names it featured.

C-list names such as musicians Seasick Steve and Tinie Tempah as well as comedian Greg Davies appeared.

Chris Evans, 50, who led the revamped BBC show, alongside Friends star Matt LeBlanc, swifty left following poor ratings.

Timescale: The Grand Tour team has been working on the programme for months but can't use certain trademark features from Top Gear like racing driver The Stig

Lucrative: Clarkson, 56, is expected to earn 10million a year from the new Amazon show

Ride: In an infamous 2006 Top Gear episode Richard Hammond crashed a jet-powered car at 288mph which left him in a coma

Blast: James May, who still presents engineering shows on BBC Two, agreed with Hammond to leave Top Gear and join Clarkson at Amazon following his sacking

Service as usual: The new show will once again feature cars, racing and lots of tyre smoke

Clarkson was sacked by the BBC for his 'unprovoked physical and verbal attack' on a Top Gear producer in March.

Amazon has commissioned 36 episodes of The Grand Tour over three years.

The shopping giant has also created a motoring community website, called Drive Tribe, which will feature the star presenters and be launched alongside the new show.

Troubled: The reboot of Top Gear, following Clarkson, Hammond and May's departure, was mocked for the calibre of guests it featured

Visual: Clarkson (6ft 5in) and Hammond (5ft 6in) look like they are making reference to their height and build difference which was a common subject for taunts during Top Gear

On tour: Clarkson, Hammond and May at their first studio recording on their world tour in Johannesburg
Nigel Farage denied skinny dipping in the sea off Bournemouth today in a bizarre footnote to the end of his Ukip leadership.

Millionaire Ukip donor Aaron Banks startled Radio 4 listeners when he claimed the former party leader had run into the sea naked on the eve of the annual conference in Bournemouth.

Mr Farage - who has risked overshadowing the election of his successor with a warning he could re-enter the political fray in 2020 - today insisted his underpants had remained in place throughout.

Nigel Farage has warned he could return to the front line of British politics and stand for Parliament again in 2020 if Brexit remains 'unresolved'

The late night swimming session happened in the early hours of Friday morning as a massive thunderstorm swept off the English channel and over Bournemouth to bring a loud end to the Indian summer enjoyed on the south coast.

Mr Farage claimed he headed into the sea off Bournemouth because it was 'warm and humid'.

Despite claims by Mr Banks that they got naked, Mr Farage said his modesty remained intact.

On his new regular LBC show, Mr Farage told listeners he 'kept my underpants on'

Mr Farage said it had seemed an 'amazingly good idea' to go for the midnight splash but insisted it 'wasn't skinny-dipping'.

'It was absolutely wonderful,' he said.

'I'm not saying we should recommend people chuck themselves into the sea all around the place but I can assure you it's not the first time I've done such a thing and I intend to do it again.'

Mr Farage, who bowed out of his post yesterday with a triumphant final speech to party conference, began the day warning an 'unresolved' Brexit could bring him back into the fray.

Ms James was elected Ukip leader by a landslide among party members but her appointment was already at risk of being overshadowed as Mr Farage returned to the airwaves with plans for a series of weekend appearances.

Ms James herself did not entirely rule out the prospect of standing aside for Mr Farage if he wanted a return in a press conference yesterday.

Mr Farage - who led Ukip on and off for a decade - was clearly demob happy at the party conference in Bournemouth and major donor Aaron Banks revealed he was so relaxed on the eve of the gathering the pair of them skinny dipped off the pier.

Mr Farage today insisted he kept his underpants on during the nocturnal adventure.

The intervention risks overshadowing the election of Diane James (right yesterday at the declaration) as his successor

The conference today is expected to be dominated by further infighting as different Ukip factions wrestle for control over the party.

Ms James' first act as leader was to cancel a speech today by controversial ex-Tory MP Neil Hamilton, who leads Ukip AMs in the Welsh Assembly.

Mr Hamilton is still expected to attend conference today - despite branding the new leader 'bizarre' on the first day - while Douglas Carswell, the Ukip MP, is also due to speak despite an angry falling out with Mr Farage.

The former Ukip leader told the Telegraph he would consider standing as an MP in 2020 if Brexit was 'unresolved'.

He said: 'I am not walking away from politics, I am walking away from party politics.'

He added that he was 'considering doing a bit of a tour around the country next spring, a great opportunity to talk about Brexit and keep the pressure on'.

Mr Farage also said he would 'this autumn travel around some other European capitals to try to help independence and democracy movements in those countries'.

In his valedictory address to conference, which received a rapturous welcome from activists, the former leader said he also planned another trip to the US as he would now be freer to pursue his politics as a commentator rather than as a contender.

Neil Hamilton, seen at conference yesterday, was purged from today's conference agenda by Ms James in her first act as party leader

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell, who has had a deep falling out with Mr Farage, is due to speak to the Ukip faithful later (file picture)

Ms James admitted yesterday her predecessor would continue to loom large in Ukip.

The new leader said she would consult Mr Farage and there would be 'help running between us'.

MEET THE NEW UKIP LEADER DIANE JAMES Ukip's new leader Diane James is the first woman to lead the eurosceptic party and a close ally of her predecessor Nigel Farage. Her first challenge will be to restore unity to a party which has been riven by what a defecting activist described as a 'Venn diagram' of factions. The married politician, who was the front-runner throughout the leadership campaign, was backed by supporters of Mr Farage and Ukip's millionaire funder Arron Banks, who predicted the party would be 'dead in the water' if she was defeated. But she must now work out how to bring together an array of prominent figures jostling for influence within the party, from Ukip's only MP Douglas Carswell to would-be leaders Steven Woolfe and Suzanne Evans - both barred from standing - runner-up Lisa Duffy and Welsh Assembly member Neil Hamilton. Her refusal to take part in hustings debates with rivals during the leadership contest was seen by some as a sign of lack of enthusiasm for the role, but she insisted she was better able to press her case talking to activists directly. After a career in the healthcare sector, Ms James first won election to Waverley Borough Council in Surrey as an independent in 2007 after becoming 'disillusioned' with the Conservatives. Her office stressed to MailOnline she has never been a member of the Tory party. She switched formal allegiance from Independent to Ukip in 2013 and shot to national prominence when she fought and almost won the parliamentary by-election in Eastleigh, Hampshire, resulting from the downfall of Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, who was jailed for lying about a speeding offence. Ms James, 56, was elected to the European Parliament as an MEP for South-East England in 2014, as part of the political 'earthquake' achieved as Ukip became the first non-mainstream party in modern times to win a national election in the UK. She was appointed Ukip's deputy chairwoman and home affairs spokeswoman, but stood aside from a planned bid to become an MP in the general election in 2015 for 'personal reasons', after being selected as candidate for North West Hampshire. Ms James raised some eyebrows in a 2015 interview by declaring her admiration for Russian president Vladimir Putin, describing him as 'a strong leader' who stands up for his country. Educated at Rochester Girls Grammar School and Thames Valley University, she is a keen dancer who also lists antiques among her interests and speaks French and German. She and her husband have two dogs but no children and the new Ukip leader is said to 'speed walk' to keep fit. Advertisement

Speaking at a press conference after her landslide victory, she said: 'I will be seeking his opinions - I'm going to be honest about that - why wouldn't I.

'The legacy he has bequeathed to this party, the knowledge he has got, I would be absolutely nuts not to.

'But I'm not going to have him as a back seat driver. I will consult him but I will make my own decisions.'

Asked if she would stand aside for a Farage revival, Ms James did not fully rule out the prospect.

She said: 'He made it abundantly clear today he doesn't intend to come back, he has left that door, that option open and I appreciate that.

'But he was very clear today on the leadership role he is handing that over to myself.'

Ukip donor Mr Banks said he was sure Mr Farage would not return to the front lines after the pair's venture into the sea.

He told Radio 4's Any Questions: ' I can tell you he's demob happy because we had a dinner last night.

'We had a few drinks, it was late at night and we went skinny dipping off the Bournemouth pier.

'So if ever a man was about to leave British politics - that's it.'

Mr Farage said it had seemed an 'amazingly good idea' to go for the midnight splash but insisted it 'wasn't skinny-dipping'.

'It was absolutely wonderful,' he said.

'I'm not saying we should recommend people chuck themselves into the sea all around the place but I can assure you it's not the first time I've done such a thing and I intend to do it again.'

In her victory speech yesterday Ms James, who rose to prominence as a Ukip by-election candidate three years ago, said there could be no form of acceptable 'associate membership' of the trading bloc as she demanded Mrs May 'stop the fudge' on what Brexit means.

Little known councillor Lisa Duffy was beaten into second place after securing 4,591 votes in the contest, which missed several of the party's biggest names.

In an effort to move Ukip on from its dominant previous leader and chronic civil war, Ms James said: 'I'm not Nigel-like, I'm not even Nigel-lite - and I will never, ever pretend to be so.'

Ms James's huge victory came after a bitter leadership contest which missed several of the party's biggest names. Ms James took part in no hustings alongside her rivals.

Today's announcement came after months of angry infighting between different factions divided by the tactics of the EU referendum.

Her first hours in the job were marred by a row about Ms James' decision to remove controversial ex-Tory from the conference agenda.

Ms James had been backed by Mr Farage but her appointment will infuriate many in Ukip - including the party's only MP Douglas Carswell.

After her victory, Ms James turned immediately to Brexit and said: 'We cannot take our eye off that important elephant in the room, can we? I'm not even going to talk about battles and wars, I'm going to talk about heats and races and getting over the winning line.

'We only just won a heat, a heat in a 28-member Olympic competition to leave the European Union.

'And I am very, very grateful and I appreciate all of the other countries that are now looking to Britain and hoping to emulate what we have done here in their own countries.

'But the UK signature ink is not yet dry on that document. And until it's dry on that document, to every single interviewer you talk to, to every single Remainiak that talks to you, just remind them that until we get a signature, until that ink is dry, we're still in, they still tell us what to do, they still boss us about.'

Diane James was elected Ukip leader by a landslide today, replacing Nigel Farage at the head of the Eurosceptic party after securing 8,451 votes - but the result did not stop her getting caught in an awkward clinch with her successor

Ms James waved to the Ukip faithful after the result was announced but the atmosphere in the room was muted at the conference in Bournemouth

UKIP RESULTS IN FULL Diane James won 47 per cent of the vote in the leadership contest - despite taking part in none of the party hustings. Ukip has around 40,0000 members - meaning less than half of them took part amid speculation many are eager for Mr Farage to reverse his resignation. The Ukip leadership result in full: Diane James - 8,451 Lisa Duffy - 4,591 Bill Etheridge - 2,052 Philip Broughton - 1,545 Elizabeth Jones - 1203 Advertisement

Ms James joined Ukip in 2011 and shot to national prominence in 2013 when she fought the parliamentary by-election in Eastleigh, Hampshire, resulting from the downfall of Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, who was jailed for lying about a speeding offence.

She came close to taking the seat from the Liberal Democrats, coming second with 27.8% - less than 2,000 votes behind the winning candidate.

Ms James, 56, was elected to the European Parliament as an MEP for South-East England in 2014, as part of the political 'earthquake' achieved as Ukip became the first non-mainstream party in modern times to win a national election in the UK.

She was appointed Ukip's deputy chairwoman and home affairs spokeswoman, but stood aside from a planned bid to become an MP in the general election in 2015 for 'personal reasons', after being selected as candidate for North West Hampshire.

Ms James raised some eyebrows in a 2015 interview by declaring her admiration for Russian president Vladimir Putin, describing him as 'a strong leader' who stands up for his country.

She claimed during her leadership challenge that she had 'no skeletons' in her closet.

But it emerged she in August she has previously had affairs with two married men - including how she spent three years as the secret lover of a senior Ministry of Defence official Ron Smith.

Their affair emerged in 1998 when his wife Susan, who was also an RAF wing commander, was investigated by the Military Police over a financial matter.

The Ukip faithful gathered in Bournemouth in jubilant mood after the EU referendum but the conference comes amid bitter infighting over the successor to Mr Farage

Diane James was elected Ukip leader by a landslide today, replacing Nigel Farage at the head of the Eurosceptic party after securing 8,451 votes.

The result was announced to a muted atmosphere in Bournemouth after Mr Farage warned the Ukip faithful they could 'lose the peace' after 'winning the war of Brexit, allowing Mrs May to impose a 'soft Brexit' if they cannot end their infighting.

Mr Farage - departed the stage yesterday to David Bowie's Heroes - said he would stay in 'political life' but would now be 'free' to pursue his ambitions without the work load of being a party leader.

In a triumphant speech to Ukip party conference, Mr Farage claimed: 'Together we changed the course of British history.'

But he warned: 'Half this Cabinet not only failed to support the winning side in this referendum.

'But it seems to me they now want to do their utmost to keep us part of the single market.

Mr Farage, who appeared on stage with Donald Trump in the US last month, will hand over to his successor as Ukip leader at the party's conference in Bournemouth today

'My concern now is with Labour in trouble and with the Conservatives perhaps heading toward 2020 in a very confident and easy position, the temptation will be for the Prime Minister to go for a soft Brexit as opposed to a hard Brexit.

'The only way to stop them is for Ukip to be health, for Ukip to be strong.'

Mr Farage railed against people who entered Ukip for non 'altruistic reasons' and to further their own careers in a plea for the party to halt bitter infighting.
The mother of a British teenager murdered in Goa fears she will never get justice after a key witness refused to give evidence at a trial.

Michael Mannion from Brighton previously claimed to have seen one of the two men accused of raping and murdering Scarlett Keeling, 15, on a beach at the scene of the crime on the night of her death back in 2008.

He failed to return to Goa this summer for the trial after a nervous breakdown and his statements were scrapped as inadmissible.

The British Government has also said it fears the case may collapse almost a decade after she was attacked on Anjuna Beach in Goa, India, during a family holiday.

The accused Placido Carvalho, 42, and Samson D'Souza, 30, appeared in a children's court in India last week.

But the pair deny the charges of culpable homicide and grievous sexual assault - claiming Scarlett from Brandiworthy in Devon drowned while on drugs.

Scarlett Keeling, a 15-year-old, from Bideford, Devon, was attacked on a beach in Goa in 2008

Witness Michael Mannion with Scarlett's mother Fiona Mackeown in India in March 2008

Mr Mannion, 44, was staying with D'Sousa in Goa on Valentine's Day eight years ago - the night Scarlett was killed.

In an interview with The Telegraph, her mother Fiona Mackeown, 52, said: 'I have seen Michael's statements.

'But they are not admissible because they were not taken in front of the court.

'He was going to go and all was set.

'He said he saw one of them taking a pill and giving a pill "to the girl".

'He saw him lining up lines of cocaine.'

But after discussing the case publicly over the years, Mannion had now suffered a nervous breakdown over the killing and had been given a medical exemption from testifying but would not comment about the case to The Sun.

'Eight years I've been involved in this,' Mannion told the paper.

'Who was there for me when I needed help?'

Mannion's involvement in the case has been troubled including facing a travel ban by India from returning to Britain in the weeks after the death as he attempted to care for his sick father.

'I'm not guilty of anything at all. If I was, I wouldn't be here,' he had said in April 2008.

'It's causing immense stress on my family and personally I'm becoming a bit depressed by the whole thing.'

His lawyer, Vikram Varma, had said: 'My client witnessed the events prior to the homicide of Scarlett Keeling.

'He was initially scared about going to the police with this information in case it got him into trouble. Now they have placed this circular on him, which effectively means he cannot leave.

'He is feeling devastated. He doesn't know what to do. All he wanted was to help the course of justice, he has lost all confidence in the police here.'

Mannion had claimed that he had seen Scarlett being sexually abused by one of the accused.

The schoolgirl, who had been left with a 25-year-old Indian boyfriend while her mother travelled with her other children, was buried four years after her death following claims of a communication blunder between British and Indian authorities.

The case had drawn significant attention in India at the time because of the amount of British tourists holidaying in Goa.

Ms MacKeown, added: 'The Foreign Office say a guilty verdict for D'Souza and Carvalho will be hard to get without Michael Mannion's evidence.

'We were close to putting it to bed once and for all but my heart has been broken again because Mannion cannot testify.'

A Foreign Office spokesman refused to comment on claims Mr Mannion had received a medical exemption when contacted by MailOnline.

'We have been providing assistance to Scarlett Keeling's family since her tragic death in February 2008,' the spokesman said.

'Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time and we will continue to support them as the case progresses.'

Placido Carvalho, left, and Samson D'Souza, right, appeared in court last week in Goa

The verdict will be delivered on September 23 in Goa Children's Court after the prosecution had spoken with 31 witnesses during the trial, The Indian Express reported.

The Indian newspaper said CBI Special Public Prosecutor Ejaz Khan had banked his case on a 'last-seen-theory'.

This was based on Scarlett being allegedly last seen with Samson three hours before her body was found semi nude on the beach.

'The accused (Samson) in his statement has not revealed what has happened during the three hours after he was last seen with the girl,' Khan had said, according to the paper.

Mourning: Scarlett's family, including her former stepfather Rob Clarke, days after her death

Fiona Mackeown, mother of Scarlet Keeling who was found dead on Goa's Anjuna beach, addresses a press confrence at her lawyers house in Panaji on March 18, 2008

Even if a guilty verdict is returned, Ms Mackeown said nothing could take away the guilt she feels for letting her go to the beach on her own on the fateful night.

'My last memory of Scarlett was her nagging me silly to go to the big party on the beach.

'I gave in at the last minute and my last memory was her squaling, jumping up and down, hugging me and saying "thanks, mum. I love you".

'I have got to live with that but I did not murder her. It's not my fault.'

The schoolgirl was at Anjuna beach alone on the night she died, as her mother took the rest of the family to a separate part of Goa.
John McDonnell and Alastair Campbell had a furious row after clashing on BBC Question Times and almost came to blows, it has been claimed.

The shadow chancellor and Tony Blair's veteran former spin chief were embroiled in angry exchanges on the BBC debate programme.

But eye witnesses have suggested the row escalated further after the cameras stopped rolling as Mr McDonnell is alleged to have branded his rival a 'f****** a*******'.

The row exploded the bitter civil war that is devastating the Labour Party as Jeremy Corbyn clings to his job as party leader with the backing of members but without the support of almost all his MPs.

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Mr McDonnell was also involved in bruising clashes with former Downing Street spin doctor Alastair Campbell, pictured right

Mr Campbell said he feared Mr McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn were leading the party to 'disaster' during the bitter exchanges

A source told The Sun that Mr Campbell asked why Mr McDonnell had got so personal as they rowed on air and raged: 'You and your lot are going to ruin the Labour Party' prompting the four-letter outburst.

Onlookers said Mr Campbell's daughter had to calm things down.

A source said: 'It was very heated. Nobody knew where to look.'

Mr McDonnell's spokesman denied he had sworn despite multiple witnesses saying he did.

The aide said: 'It didn't happen, John just ignored Alastair when he was shouting at him, which seemed to wind him up more.'

During the show, Mr McDonnell was also involved in an extraordinary spat with former minister Anna Soubry over claims female politicians are being 'terrorised' by left-wing activists.

The Tory branded the shadow chancellor a 'nasty piece of work' as she said that one Jewish Labour MP was living in a safe house due to abuse from left-wing activists.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, left, was branded a 'nasty piece of work' by Tory former minister Anna Soubry on Question Time

Some of the most ferocious exchanges came as Mrs Soubry took him to task for trying to deny that he was a Marxist.

The Broxtowe MP pointed out that there was a video on YouTube where he described himself as a Marxist.

And she went on: 'I tell you something else Mr McDonnell, you are a very nasty piece of work.

'There are colleagues of mine in House of Commons, Labour MPs, who are at the point of being terrorised by McDonnell and his cronies.

'There are women MPs who suffer day in, day out from misogynist, unpleasant, sexist abuse on Twitter, Facebook - from people who are apparently within their own party.

'There is a Jewish Labour MP - a woman - who is living in a safe house because of the level of anti-Semitism she has to bear.'

Mrs Soubry said one Jewish Labour MP was living in a safe house following abuse from left-wing activists

Ms Soubry said some MPs were 'so frightened, humiliated, almost terrorised by Mr McDonnell and his gang they will leave politics'.

Turning to McDonnell she told him: 'You sir can stop it.'

But Mr McDonnell dismissed Mrs Soubry's 'abuse' of him as 'outrageous'.

He said the Labour leadership had made clear it condemned any abuse of MPs.

'We are not accepting this smear campaign that is going on from the Tories and others as well,' Mr McDonnell said.

Tempers boiled over again when Mr Campbell - a key figure in Tony Blair's three general election victories - warned that veteran left-wingers Mr McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn were leading the party to 'disaster'.

Mr McDonnell interrupted to say: 'It's nauseating because you are the one, above all else, who actually created the environment where no one believed a word a politician said.

'You lost us five million votes in that process and set us up to fail. The reason Jeremy was elected is because people want some honesty back in politics again.'

Mr Campbell responded: 'Oh my God.'

Earlier Mr Campbell had conceded that there were 'issues' from the Blair years that had been damaging to Labour - including the Iraq War and tuition fees.

But the two Labour figures soon lost patience with each other.

Mr Campbell accused Mr McDonnell and his allies of 'destroying' the party.

'And what's more, I actually worry you don't even care,' he added.

At one point Mr Campbell lamented about being unable to keep the discussion civil.

'I came on here tonight to be as nice to you as I possibly can,' he said.

Mr McDonnell broke in: 'The feeling is mutual.'

Host David Dimbleby struggled to control the heated discussion on the show, which was filmed in Salisbury last night
Alex Salmond predicted there will be a second referendum on Scottish independence within two years

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has claimed there will be a second independence referendum within two years.

Mr Salmond said another vote will be needed if Scotland wants to remain in the European Union.

His comments put him at odds with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who has been insisting publicly that independence is only one of several options to keep the country in the single market.

And a survey released this week said more than half of Scots oppose a second referendum.

Mr Salmond, who failed in his bid to tear Scotland out of the UK in 2014, made his latest comments ahead of the second anniversary of the referendum tomorrow.

During the first independence campaign, he said the vote was a once in a generation opportunity for Scots.

But in an interview with the UK arm of Russia Today, Mr Salmond said there could be a second chance if Scotland is not properly represented in Brexit negotiations.

He said: I would expect Nicola Sturgeon to fulfil her mandate to keep Scotland within the single marketplace.

I would expect her to give Theresa May the opportunity to embed Scotland within the negotiations to enable that to happen.

I fully expect, my reading of the situation is, the UK will not be flexible or wise enough to do that  and therefore I expect there will be a Scottish referendum in roughly two years time.

Mr Salmond said he expects Nicola Sturgeon to keep Scotland in the single marketplace - although this will require another referendum

But a poll published earlier this week found there has been no surge in support for independence since the EU referendum  and that Scots do not want a rerun of 2014.

Pollster Ipsos Mori asked Scots how they would vote if a referendum were held immediately. Among those who would be very likely or certain to vote, 48 per cent backed independence, while 52 per cent supported remaining in the UK.

Support for a second ballot in the next two years stood at 41 per cent, while 54 per cent opposed such a move and the remainder did not know.

Mr Salmond also predicted that the government would not be 'flexible or wise enough' to embed Scotland in negotiations about the single marketplace

There were clear if unsurprising divisions on the issue, with 84 per cent of Yes voters supporting another vote and 92 per cent of No voters opposing.

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: In his attempt to claim some publicity, Alex Salmond seems willing to throw a pall of uncertainty over Scotlands future, just at the very moment when we need some stability.

Only this week, polls showed  again  that a clear majority of Scots do not want a second, divisive referendum.

The SNP needs to listen for once, put aside its obsession with independence and get back to sorting out the problems it has created in government over the last ten years.

Earlier this week, Miss Sturgeon told MSPs a hard Brexit  where Britain would lose its membership of the European single market  would be enough to cause her to hold another referendum. She also claimed there is a real risk that the UK will face a lost decade or more outside the EU  but that independence could help Scotland avoid that.

Mr Salmond said he expects Nicola Sturgeon to deliver on her promise of remaining in the single market

She added that the least worst option for the UK was to remain a full member of the single market or of the European Economic Area.

An SNP spokesman said: We have still had no clues from the UK Government on what their meaningless mantra  Brexit means Brexit  actually means in practice.
Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the U.S. commitment to cease-fire

The strike could damage a fragile U.S. and Russian-brokered cease-fire that has held for five days despite many alleged violations on both sides

If confirmed, the strike will mark the first known direct raid on Syrian president Bashar Assad's military forces

It also said more than 100 soldiers were wounded in the air strike

The Syrian army told the Russian military at least 62 soldiers are dead

halted its strike when Russian officials said the U.S. might have hit a part of the Syrian military

The U.S. military may have accidentally struck Syrian army soldiers while attempting to carry out an air strike on ISIS, it said on Saturday.

If confirmed, the strike would mark the first known direct American hit on President Bashar Assad's forces in the country's five-year civil war.

Russia's military said it was told by the Syrian army that at least 62 soldiers were killed in the air raid and more than 100 wounded.

U.S. Central Command said the strike was immediately halted 'when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military'.

The Syrian military said the airstrike hit a base in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour that is surrounded by ISIS, allowing the extremists to advance.

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The U.S. military said it may have unintentionally struck Syrian troops while carrying out a raid against the Islamic State group on Saturday (stock image of Syrian army)

The Syrian military said the airstrike hit a base in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour that is surrounded by ISIS, allowing the extremists to advance

The apparently errant strike could deal a crushing blow to a fragile U.S. and Russian-brokered cease-fire that has largely held for five days despite dozens of alleged violations on both sides.

The cease-fire, which does not apply to attacks on ISIS, has already been the subject of disputes between Moscow and Washington, with each accusing the other of failing to fully implement it.

'Coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit,' the military statement said.

The Syrian military said the airstrikes enabled an ISIS advance on a hill overlooking the air base.

It called the strike a 'serious and blatant attack on Syria and its military,' and 'firm proof of the U.S. support of Daesh and other terrorist groups,' using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

President Bashar Assad's government views all those fighting against it as 'terrorists' and has long accused the U.S. and other rebel supporters of backing extremists.

Russia's military said it was told by the Syrian army that at least 62 soldiers were killed in the air raid and more than 100 wounded (stock image of Aleppo, Syria)

The apparently errant strike could deal a crushing blow to a fragile U.S. and Russian-brokered cease-fire that has largely held for five days despite dozens of alleged violations on both sides (stock image of pro-regime forces in Hasakeh, Syria)

A Russian Defense Ministry official said Syria has informed them that 62 of its soldiers were killed in the airstrike.

Russia has been waging a year-old air campaign on behalf of Assad's forces and closely coordinates with them.

Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the airstrike near Deir el-Zour airport was conducted by two F-16s and two A-10s.

He did not identify the planes' country affiliation, but said they were part of the international coalition.

Konashenkov said Syrian authorities reported another 100 wounded. The planes came from the direction of the Iraqi border, he added.

He said IS militants surrounding the air base launched an attack on the Syrian army positions after the air strike.

He added that if the coalition attack was launched by mistake, the reason for it was a 'stubborn reluctance by the American side to coordinate its action against terrorist groups in Syria with Russia.'

The Syrian military said the airstrikes enabled an ISIS advance on a hill overlooking the air base (stock image of Aleppo, Syria)

ISIS has repeatedly attacked the government-held air base, which is an isolated enclave deep in extremist-held territory.

The U.S.-led coalition has carried out thousands of airstrikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq over the past two years, allowing allied forces on the ground to liberate several towns and cities from the extremist group.

Russia also carries out attacks against ISIS targets in Deir el-Zour and other parts of Syria.

'The coalition will review this strike and the circumstances surrounding it to see if any lessons can be learned,' the U.S. Central Command statement said.

'The coalition will review this strike and the circumstances surrounding it to see if any lessons can be learned,' the U.S. Central Command statement said.

However, aid convoys have been unable to enter rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo -- a key component of the deal.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the U.S. commitment to cease-fire, suggesting that Washington wasn't prepared to break with 'terrorist elements' battling Assad's forces.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the U.S. commitment to cease-fire (pictured Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov)

Russia has accused Washington of failing to rein in the rebels, and on Saturday Putin asked why the United States has insisted on not releasing a written copy of the agreement.

'This comes from the problems the U.S. is facing on the Syrian track  they still cannot separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from the half-criminal and terrorist elements,' Putin said during a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

'In my opinion, this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad. But this is a very dangerous route.'

He appeared to be referring to the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group previously known as the Nusra Front, which is deeply embedded in rebel-held areas and fights alongside more moderate groups.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the group, condemned the cease-fire agreement in an interview with Al-Jazeera TV aired Saturday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Putin's remarks during a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Lavrov noted the 'refusal by an array of illegal armed groups to join the cease-fire,' and Washington's obligation to 'separate units of the moderate opposition from terrorist groupings,' according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Saturday night at Russia's request to discuss a U.S. airstrike

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Moscow is demanding 'full and detailed explanations about whether this was deliberate support of the Islamic State or another mistake' (President Barack Obama, pictured on Friday)

Under the cease-fire agreement, the U.S. and Russia would work together to target the Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as IS, while Assad's forces refrain from striking opposition-held areas.

But Washington has warned Russia that unless aid is delivered to Aleppo, it will not move ahead with the formation of the joint coordination center.

The U.N. has accused Assad's government of obstructing aid access to the contested city.

The Russian military says insurgents have held up the delivery by firing on government positions along the main route leading into besieged, rebel-held districts, in violation of the cease-fire.

The Syrian government said it has done all that is necessary to facilitate the entry of aid convoys to Aleppo, but that armed groups have failed to withdraw from the supply routes and are committing 'dangerous, provocative acts.'

Russia's military said Syrian rebels violated the cease-fire dozens of times over the past day, including with strikes on military and civilian targets in Aleppo.

Syrian activists said government forces killed five civilians in separate attacks on Saturday.

The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Saturday night at Russia's request to discuss a U.S. airstrike.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Moscow is demanding 'full and detailed explanations about whether this was deliberate support of the Islamic State or another mistake'.

Zakharova was quoted by the state news agency Tass as saying that 'after today's attack on the Syrian army, we come to the terrible conclusion that the White House is defending the Islamic State'.
These tiny twins have defied the odds, after their parents were told they were unlikely to survive in the womb.

Millie-Ribbon and Mollie-Robbin Curtis are rare monoamniotic - or 'MoMo' - babies, meaning they develop in the same amniotic sac and share the same placenta.

The adorable twins were welcomed to their home in Marton, Lancashire, this week after a month in intensive care, to the delight of parents Selina Curtis, 28, and Scott Fleetwood, 28.

Millie-Ribbon (left) and Mollie-Robbin (right) are home at last after spending a month in intensive care

'MoMo' babies account for just one in 60,000 identical twin pregnancies.

Millie weighed just 3lbs 6oz at birth, while Mollie weighted just an ounce more, when they were born by C-section on August 10.

They were kept in intensive care at Blackpool Victoria Hospital for a month, and are now settling in with their parents, brother Cyprus and sister Lillie.

Happy family: Selina Curtis during her pregnancy with partner Scott, son Cyprus and daughter Lillie

Mum Selina, who was warned by doctors that her pregnancy was 'high risk', said: 'They did really well and flew through all the stages. All the staff were really impressed by how well they did.

WHAT ARE MO-MO TWINS? Mo-Mo (monoamniotic-monochorionic) develop in the same amniotic sac and share the same placenta. Though they share a placenta within their mother's uterus they have two separate umbilical cords for nourishment. They are always identical. MoMo twins are rare, occurring in approximately 1 in 35 to 1 in 60 pregnancies. Unfortunately, monoamniotic twins are at great risk for health complications due to the close proximity of the two umbilical cords in the amniotic sac. This makes it particularly easy for the twins to become entangled in each other's cords or to compress one another's cords, endangering their oxygen and food supply. The survival rate for MoMo twins is approximately 50 per cent. Source: Twins UK Advertisement

'The hospital has done an amazing job looking after them and I'm so glad to have them home.

'Millie is the feisty one and she doesn't like being changed and Mollie is more laid back.

'Looking at them you can't tell them apart. My mum has knitted them little bracelets each so they're colour-coded.

'My other children are absolutely smitten with them.

'The future's looking bright.'

Before the babies were born, Selina said: 'They told us at the beginning that there would probably be no chance of them surviving.

'They didn't think they'd make it to 14 weeks. It's been a huge battle but we're here at last.'

And she continued: 'All the way through I was thinking I would lose them. You can't enjoy your pregnancy, it was so scary.

'You're just glad to get through the day, and then you wake up and it all starts again.

'We're very lucky. We can't believe it. We've already got a big family anyway and this just makes it even bigger.

'My parents are going from 13 grandchildren to 15.'
A bus driver impaled by a three-foot bamboo pole has made a miracle recovery.

Lakshmi Kanta Bhunia, 50, had been in the driver's seat when his bus collided head-on with a truck carrying bamboo poles near Digha, in West Bengal, eastern India.

The impact was so severe that the three-foot pole pierced through the left side of his chest - and went straight out the other side.

He was rushed to hospital, where a team of medics battled to save him after the horrific injury.

Lakshmi Kanta Bhunia, 50, had been in the driver's seat when his bus collided head-on with a truck carrying bamboo poles near Digha, in West Bengal, eastern India

In a complex operation lasting for three hours, a team of 12 including surgeons, nurses and paramedics removed the pole - that had luckily missed his vital organs by millimetres.

Incredibly, the entire operation was performed while Mr Bhunia was under local anaesthetic - and he was awake the entire time, sitting on an adjustable chair as doctors carefully removed the pole.

Dr Prokash Sanki, associate professor of the cardio thoracic unit at the Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research hospital in Kolkata, said: 'More than the surgery, the bigger challenge was conducting such procedure with a patient seated and under local anaesthesia - because he could not lie down on his back.

'There was no way to administer general anaesthesia drugs because the surgery had to be done with the patient sitting.

The impact was so severe that the three-foot pole pierced through the left side of his chest - and went straight out the other side

'He was in severe pain and was bleeding profusely.

'After much discussion, an adjustable chair was arranged to make the patient seated through the surgery.

'We managed to create an opening through the neck into the patient's windpipe.

'Thankfully, the bamboo caused no harm to the patient's heart and lungs - but the entire procedure was very critical because there was a huge lacerated injury on his neck.'

Lakshmi is now undergoing post-operation treatment and is recovering in the hospital's intensive care unit on a ventilator.

Dr Sanki added: 'He is absolutely doing fine and recovering fast, and should be discharged soon.

'We are keeping him under observation for 48 hours.'
Turkey's state-run media said it was being used as a

The American flag was flown at a Syrian Kurdish base just days after the US urged allies not to use it.

In Tal Abyad, the stars and stripes - flown by the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia - could be seen from the Turkish border town of Akcakale in the southeastern Sanliurfa province in northern Syria.

Turkish media said that US flags had been flown by the Kurdish fighters on Thursday but Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said he was not aware of the reports

The American flag was flown at a Syrian Kurdish base just days after the US urged allies not to use it

In Tal Abyad, the stars and stripes - flown by the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia - could be seen from the Turkish border town of Akcakale in the southeastern Sanliurfa province in northern Syria

Tal Abyad in Raqa province was captured from ISIS by the YPG in June 2015.

Ankara regards the militia and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged a 32-year insurgency inside Turkey.

But the YPG has become a key partner of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) extremists as part of the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces, much to the chagrin of Washington's NATO ally Ankara.

Turkish media said that US flags had been flown by the Kurdish fighters on Thursday but Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said he was not aware of the reports.

Tal Abyad in Raqa province was captured from ISIS by the YPG in June 2015

He repeated the US' opposition during a press briefing on Thursday, quoted on the US defence department's website.

'We would call on our partner forces not to fly the American flag on their own.

'I would imagine that that would be communicated if indeed that's taken place in this instance.'

The flags' presence comes two weeks after Kurdish fighters displayed the US flag north of the city of Manbij liberated from ISIS in August, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said.
His actions were described in court as 'monstrous' and 'evil'

12,000 indecent images were found in his

Thomas Sloman, 43, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, actively solicited for indecent images online and arranged to view abuse in the Philippines over the internet

A 'devoted' father-of-two who live-streamed grotesque footage of children being sexually abused and tortured abroad has been jailed for 11 years.

Thomas Sloman, 43, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, actively solicited for indecent images online and arranged to view abuse in the Philippines over the internet.

Chat logs showed that he had specifically requested to see girls as young as four or five being sexually abused.

Sloman was described at Winchester Crown Court as a 'devoted' and 'loving' father who lived a double life.

Around 12,000 indecent images were found on his computer and electronic devices, including more than 2,000 classed as category A, indicating the worst forms of abuse.

Sloman tried to claim his computer had been hacked, but was convicted of 19 counts relating to making thousands of indecent images of children, and attempting to commission sexual offences against children.

The father-of-two, whose wife is Filipino, had visited the Philippines on a number of occasions, and chat room records showed he referred to repeatedly raping a young girl.

His actions were described as 'monstrous' and 'evil' in court.

Nick Tucker, mitigating, said: 'He does claim to have had young girls before in the Philippines and says he has had sex with them.

'One way which he's seeking gratification is to boast about what he may or may not have already done in the past.'

Describing the offences as 'monstrous', he added: 'I don't shy away from that.'

Sloman was described at Winchester Crown Court as a 'devoted' and 'loving' father who lived a double life. He has been jailed for 11 years

The court heard there was no suggestion Sloman was 'anything but a good and loving father' to his two young children.

Mr Tucker added: 'It's mystifying how someone can compartmentalise their life in such a way to be a devoted father and then commit offences to other people's children.'

Judge Nigel Lickley QC said the offences were 'evil'. Sloman will now stay on the sex offenders' register for life.

Afterwards, Jason Booth, from the NCA, said: 'Thomas Sloman is a dangerous child sex offender who arranged the abuse of vulnerable children.

'The fact he was thousands of miles away makes no difference to his guilt - it was all done for his personal gratification.
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Revellers from across the world have donned their finest lederhosen and dirndls as they make their way to the world's biggest beer pilgrimage.

Some six million visitors are expected at the annual 17-day Oktoberfest, which gets underway in the Bavarian capital today.

Undeterred by a rather damp and dreary start to the German folk festival, beer lovers are streaming into Munich's Theresienwiese for the event which will run until October 3.

Revellers from across the world have donned their finest lederhosen and dirndl's as they make their way to the world's biggest beer pilgrimage

Dieter Reiter, Mayor of Munich, kicked off the festival by tapping the first barrel of beer in the Schottenhamel tent

Which side to tie your dirndl apron? According to tradition, a bow tied on the left of the dirndl apron indicates the wearer is single; on the right indicates the lady is already taken or married; tied at the back - either the lady is a widow or a waitress

Cheers! Braided beauties in their dirndls - with men in matching outfits - toast as the beer celebration gets underway

The festival, which dates back to 1810, boasts 14 festival halls this year where visitors will be able to foist liter-sized steins of special Oktoberfest beer brewed by the six major Munich breweries.

At lunchtime Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter kicked off Oktoberfest by tapping the first barrel of beer in the Schottenhamel tent.

He drove the tap into the barrel with two strikes before proclaiming: 'O'zapft is!' - 'It's tapped!'

The first mug of beer was then handed to the Bavarian Prime Minister, Horst Seehofer.

On some days as many 600,000 visitors turn up to the event and beer this year will cost 10.40 euros (8.90) to 10.70 euros a litre (2.1 pints) - slightly more than last year.

And Munich authorities are ramping up security precautions for this year's festival after Bavaria suffered three attacks in a week this summer.

DLast year, police reported responding to a total of 2,017 incidents, including fistfights and stolen wallets and purses. Some 20 sexual crimes were reported, including one attempted rape

German pop singer Heino, Austrian DJ Gerry Friedle, aka DJ Oetzi, singer Vanessa Mai and singer and television presenter Florian Silbereisen

Despite rain lashing the event, scores of visitors have dressed up in readiness for the festival - with the official website even giving tips on how best to wear your hair and accessories

Some six million visitors are expected at the annual 17-day beer Oktoberfest, which gets underway in the Bavarian capital today

Undeterred by rather damp and dreary start to the German folk festival, beer lovers are streaming into Munich's Theresienwiese for the event which will run until October 3

The festival, which dates back to 1810, boasts 14 festival halls this year where visitors will be able to foist liter-sized steins of special Oktoberfest beer brewed by the six major Munich breweries

Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter (left) kicked off the 183rd Oktoberfest by tapping the first barrel of beer in the Schottenhamel tent, proclaiming: 'O'zapft is!', 'It's tapped!', watched by Muenchner Kindl Oktoberfest female patron Victoria Ostler (right)

Thirsty? A waitress dressed in traditional German garb and matching accessories carries mugs filled with beer

Thirsty visitors are dispersed among the 14 vast tents on Munich's Theresienwiese fairground

Drink to that: The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen

The Muenchner Kindl Oktoberfest female patron Victoria Ostler makes her grand entrance atop a horse

Deputy Police Chief Werner Feiler said the festival's 75-acre venue will be fenced to ensure all visitors go through stringent security controls, while the grounds will be monitored by multiple video cameras.

Backpacks and large bags will also be banned from the event.

Though there is a 'high abstract danger' of an attack at the 17-day festival, the deputy chief said authorities are unaware of any concrete security threats.

'Every visitor can feel secure at Oktoberfest,' he said, adding that authorities would make the security measures as unobtrusive as possible so as not to impinge upon participants' fun.

It is French braids, plaits and floral garlands galore, with twirled and beehive hairstyles matching the dresses at the festival

Revellers from across the globe make their way to the German folk festival every year to enjoy the variety of food and drink

Fun-seekers have donned their rain macs and braved the damp conditions in Munich on the opening day of the event

Some may be disappointed that the recent balmy weather in Germany has made way for rain, blighting the event

Visitors in traditional bavarian clothes wait in the underground station in Munich, Germany

Members of a Bavarian brass band arrive for the kick off of the 2016 Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest has become one of the highlights in the festival calendar - offering visitors a taste of German tradition

Munich authorities are ramping up security precautions for this year's Oktoberfest after Bavaria suffered three attacks in a week this summer

Bavaria was shaken this summer by three attacks in a week.

Two were carried out by asylum-seekers and claimed by ISIS. Several people were wounded, but only the attackers were killed.

In an unrelated incident, a teenager fatally shot nine people at a Munich mall before killing himself.

Bavaria's top security official, Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, said there remains today a 'fundamentally high risk of terror attacks in Germany overall.'

'We don't see any special risk for Oktoberfest, but it's clear such an internationally known festival would naturally be a possible attack target,' Herrmann said.

Women keep their dirndl's dry with waterproof macs on the opening day of the annual 17-day festival

The event is the perfect opportunity for revellers to wear fancy dress - such as this masked creation

While people are having fun, a security official said 'We don't see any special risk for Oktoberfest, but it's clear such an internationally known festival would naturally be a possible attack target'

Florian Silbereisen and Andrea Berg attend the opening of the 2016 Oktoberfest beer festival at Theresienwiese

Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times

Heavy rain and stricter security did little to dampen the spirits of beer lovers at the start of this year's Oktoberfest, which opened on Saturday in the Bavarian city of Munich

Responding to a series of attacks in recent months, authorities decided to erect a metal fence, ban large bags, install more surveillance cameras and make visitors go through security checks to enter the festival grounds

Mayor Dieter Reiter tapped the first keg at noon with a respectable two strikes to the approval of thousands of visitors gathered in one of 14 vast tents on Theresienwiese fairground

After weeks of fierce sunshine the skies opened and temperatures dropped across Germany on Friday

Beer this year will cost 10.40 euros (8.90) to 10.70 euros a litre (2.1 pints) - slightly more than last year

A waitress carries beer mugs through one of the 14 tents

During times of peak attendance, Munich police plan to have some 600 officers on hand, about 100 more than last year.

Another 450 security guards will be checking bags and performing other tasks.

The number of security cameras has been raised to 29 from 19.

In the only major attack, a far-right extremist set off a bomb killing 12 people and himself in 1980, wounding more than 200.

A vague al-Qaida threat of an attack on Oktoberfest in 2009 led to tightened security measures.

Last year, police reported responding to a total of 2,017 incidents, including fistfights and stolen wallets and purses.

Some 20 sexual crimes were reported, including one attempted rape.
Old coins, newspapers and a book about the town's history were also among the finds

A black cylinder full of sinister Nazi mementos has been discovered buried in concrete in a former training centre built for Hitler's followers.

The 'time capsule' was found in the Polish town of Zlocieniec - which was part of Germany until 1945.

Although it was long known to have been buried at the Ordensburg Krossinsee centre, currently used by the Polish Army, archaeologists were unable to access it for decades.

Newspapers, photographs and two volumes of Hitler's Mein Kampf were among the findings in the time capsule

The items were found buried at the Ordensburg Krossinsee center in the former German city of Falkenburg

The centre was used to train future Nazi leaders.

In order to reach the copper capsule, researchers had to cut through groundwater, pick their way through thick concrete and dodge German mines.

After cutting it open with a chainsaw, they found it contained an original Nazi badge and two volumes of Hitler's notorious book Mein Kampf, as well as envelopes filled with coins, photos and letters.

It is believed that the copper cylinder was buried in April 1934, when construction on the building in the former German town of Falkenburg, which is now part of Poland

Pictures of Adolf Hitler were among the 'perfectly preserved' artifacts discovered by researchers in the time capsule, which was buried in 1934

The 'perfectly preserved' documents and newspapers have been taken to Poland's National Museum in Szczecin

The findings from the capsule also included a book documenting 600 years of the town's history, and newspapers from 1934.

Dr Marcin Peterleitner told RMF24 that the artifacts were 'perfectly preserved' and looked like they had been deposited yesterday.

It is believed the memorabilia was deposited on April 22, 1934, when the training centre for members of the Nazi Party was being built.

The items are now in the National Museum in Szczecin, but have yet to be inventoried.

Newspapers from 1934 and two volumes of Hitler's Mein Kampft were among the items discovered in the capsule

The capsule was discovered by researchers in Poland, having been preserved in concrete for more than 80 years

The capsule had to be opened very carefully in order to preserve its contents

The black copper cylinder dates back to 1934, and contained numerous items linked to the Nazi regime

The findings have been welcomed by historians in Poland, where the time capsule was discovered in territory that used to be part of Germany

Researchers in Poland examine the contents of the capsule, which was discovered in concrete at the former Nazi training centre

Documents and other memorabilia will be translated and preserved and then made available to the citizens of Zlocieniec

A number of coins from the 1930s were stuffed into an envelope and put into the metal cylinder before it was buried

Newspapers, letters, coins, a Nazi badge and documents were left in the capsule, which was immersed in concrete in 1934

The artifacts were unearthed on the site of a former Nazi training centre, which is now used by the Polish Army
He was on his way to get fish and chips for dinner,

A man who tripped while in a rush to get fish and chips has been awarded a $360,000 payout.

Steven Graham Clarke, 61, was taking a short cut through a dark reserve at night in Greater Shepparton City, Victoria, when he fell over a raised storm water pit, The Herald Sun reported.

He suffered a broken pelvis, hip and fractured back in the accident at Sherbourne Reserve on September 14, 2008.

Steven Graham Clarke, 61, (pictured) was taking a short cut through a dark reserve at night in Greater Shepparton City, Victoria, when he fell over a raised storm water pit

A man who tripped while in a rush to get fish and chips has been awarded a $360,000 payout (stock image)

The Supreme Court heard he now needs a walking stick, lives with chronic pain and faces a hip replacement and possible knee surgery.

Mr Clarke, who lived in the area, told the court he had not been in the park before, nor noticed the pit, which was 12-13cm above ground level, because it was too dark.

A former council worked agreed the pit would be considered a tripping hazard at night.

When asked why he cut through the reserve to get his dinner instead of using the footpath Mr Clarke said: 'Well, if you're walking somewhere and you can take a shortcut, you take a shortcut.'

Justice Keogh concluded the council had breached its duties by not building up the earth around the pit, or paint the hazard and put up a warning sign.

Justice Keogh awarded Mr Clarke $422,710 for damages and medical costs, The Herald Sun reported.

$63,406 was discounted from that amount because Mr Clarke had in part contributed to his own downfall, the judge said.
A mother and her son, seven, were found dead in an apartment in upstate New York after her two-year-old was abandoned in a stroller about four miles away.

Shane Stevenson, 31, has been charged in the death his girlfriend Raina Voll, 30, and her son Leo Klinger, who were discovered in Depew, New York on Thursday night, police said.

Voll's younger son Stephen, who had been left behind a church 3.5miles away from the scene of the murders, is now in the custody of his biological father.

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Voll's younger son Stephen (right) was found behind a church on Thursday afternoon before police discovered his older brother Leo Klinger (left) and their mother had been murdered

Shane Stevenson, 31, was arrested in the apartment building in Depew, New York, where Raina Voll (right) was found dead with her older son

Stevenson (left with Voll) pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder on Friday

Stephen was found behind the Union Road Community Church in Cheektowaga around 2.45pm on Thursday.

George Rogowski said he was in his backyard when he saw a red car drive through the church parking lot, leaving the two-year-old behind,WGRZ reported.

Rogowski called 911 immediately, and told WKBW: He was really screaming...When the cops came, I was crying.

'I said: "How can anybody do something like that? Leave a little kid...just drop him off and go."'

Heather Serwon, Voll's friend and coworker at the Olive Tree Restaurant in Lancaster, called the 30-year-old when she didn't show up for her 4pm shift.

But Voll's phone was left with the two-year-old boy, and a policeman answered Serwon's call instead.

Police searching for the boy's family later found Voll and her older son Leo dead at the Kingswood Apartment Complex on French Road in Depew that night.

Police have not disclosed how the two died, but WIVB reported Voll and Leo (pictured) were strangled

Voll's friend Heather Serwon remembered her as a devoted mother who would 'do anything for her kids' (pictured, Voll and Leo)

Police have not disclosed how the two died, but WIVB reported they were strangled.

Cheektowaga Assistant Police Chief James Speyer told the Buffalo News: 'To see what another human being can do to another person, especially a 7-year-old, is traumatic.'

He added: 'This was obviously some sort of a domestic situation.'

Stevenson, who was arrested inside the apartment building, pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder on Friday in Cheektowaga County Court.

Both Stephen and Leo were brothers; Stevenson was not their biological father.

Video courtesy of WKBW

Serwon told the Buffalo News she knew something was wrong because Voll always showed up to work on time.

When the police appeared at the restaurant at 8.30pm to deliver the news that Voll was dead, Serwon said: 'We were all a wreck. Everybody was crying.'

She remembered Voll as a devoted mother who would 'do anything for her kids' and said Stevenson appeared 'fine' the one time she met him, but added: 'you never know somebody'.
A drug kingpin has been caught on tape allegedly asking a cabin crew member to help smuggle of cannabis by reporting lost baggage with the airline.

Terrence Thornbury has indicated he will plead guilty to smuggling 20kgs of cannabis into Brisbane in 2013.

In a tapped phone call from December 23, 2013, Thornbury can be heard talking to a friend, Craig Leetet, the partner of Virgin Airlines flight attended Andrea Eden to help about the details of a bag that was checked in, as reported by the Courier Mail.

Drug kingpin Terrence Thornbury is likely to plead guilty for his role in importing 20kgs of cannabis on Virgin Airlines flights from Melbourne to Brisbane (stock image)

'Andrea's had a look at the (paperwork given when the bag was checked in) you sent and it's normal for it not to have the ticket number on it,' Mr Leetet says in the recording.

The bag was being delivered by drug courier Shannon Joseph Darcy Ireland on a flight from Melbourne to Brisbane.

In the conversation, Thornbury asks Mr Leetet in Ms Eden can check if the bag was there, however, he says that she can't because she will be away from work for a few days and that he should contact the airlines lost baggage department.

Audio from the taped phone call reveals the alleged plans between Thornbury and his 'mate' Leetet whose partner was working as a flight stewardess for Virgin Airlines (stock image)

'No one will know (the bag contains drugs), it'll just be that they could have f***** it up,' he says to Thornbury.

However, he did not know that the Ireland's bag was seized by Queensland Police and the Australian Federal Police.

They confiscated the bag upon the plane's arrival at Brisbane airport at 7.15am on December 18, according to court documents filed in the Supreme Court.

The drugs were being delivered by drug courier, however, their bag was seized at Brisbane airport by Queensland Police and the Australian Federal Police (stock image)

Thornbury's syndicate allegedly smuggled a total of 2.4 tonnes of cannabis worth $24 million on flights from Melbourne to Brisbane.

They allegedly wrapped the drugs in vacuum-sealed sheets with strong air freshener or perfume conceal the smell.
The remains of a flight attendant have been found on Rikers Island, months after she went missing from her workplace.

Sierra Shields, 30, was last seen at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on January 14. She was supposed to take off on a Delta flight that day, but vanished before she made it to the plane.

A human skull and bones washed up on Rikers Island earlier this week. They belong to Shields, the city medical examiner's office said Friday.

The flight attendant, who was originally from Chicago but lived in Astoria, Queens, quit her job without an explanation before she went missing, according to her work supervisor who spoke to her earlier in the day.

Sierra Shields (pictured), 30, went missing on January 14 this year after abruptly quitting her job as a flight attendant at LaGuardia airport

Remains washed up on Rikers Island earlier this week. They belong to Shields (pictured in a Facebook shot), the city medical examiner said Friday

The medical examiner's office will determine Shields' cause of death. Officers feared she may have killed herself, police sources told the New York Daily News.

Her family had told investigators that Shields had reached out to a suicide hotline not long before she went missing.

Shields had once told her father she could see God across the East River and wanted to swim to the other side of it, CBS reported at the time.

She had left her cellphone and wallet at home, her father told People.

Friends and family said at the time of Shields' disappearance they had noticed something different about her in the days before she went missing

The medical examiner's office will determine Shields' cause of death. Officers feared she may have killed herself, according to police sources

Friends and family said at the time of Shields' disappearance they had noticed something different about her in recent days.

Her father told Pix 11 that Shields spoke to older sister on the phone earlier in that week and thought something was off about her.

She was so concerned that she flew to the city to see her. But by the time she arrived Shields had gone missing.

Her father added that she didn't have any enemies and didn't have a boyfriend.

'Her roommates noticed that about her,' he said. 'They noticed some things had just changed in the last week with her as far as her personality and what was going on with her.'

'There are a lot of people that love her. I want to experience what they call "Sweet Sierra" again.'

Loved ones had set up a Facebook page, Find Sierra Shields, in a bid to track her down.

They kept posting on it ever since Shields' disappearance, not losing up that they would see her again.

A post on May 1 read: 'Sierra is missed by so many each and every day. But some days, some days are far harder than others. Today is May 1 and it's a very hard day.

'Today marks three and a half months that Sierra has been missing. Three and a half months that she's been gone from our lives.

'Too many moments that Sierra has not been here, far too many moments to come that Sierra shouldn't miss.'

Friends and family said at the time of Shields' disappearance they had noticed something different about her in recent days. Shields is pictured with a friend in a Facebook shot
Imagine a home in a tranquil setting with no energy bills, just the muted sounds of water flowing below. For Stephen Young, 62, who converted a historic 18th Century watermill in North Yorkshire, it became a reality.

Situated in an idyllic spot on the River Ure, near the cathedral city of Ripon, Tanfield Mill not only produces enough energy to power Mr Youngs property but also supplies electricity to about 40 houses nearby and generates cash by feeding into the National Grid.

A retired electrical engineer, Mr Young was fascinated by renewable energy and had been looking for a watermill for years. He had moved to the US and came across Tanfield Mill while he was back in Britain on business.

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The derelict property consisted of the mill, a pig barn and a concrete silo. Stephen saw its potential and bought it for 350,000 without telling his wife

The derelict property consisted of the mill, a pig barn and a concrete silo. Stephen saw its potential and bought it for 350,000 without telling his wife.

He has spent the past 20 years and nearly 1 million restoring it, with the help of a stonemason, joiner and labourer. Im a big fan of industrial buildings and their relevance to the social fabric of the area, Stephen says. They were such important places.

After converting the pig barn into a comfortable home for his parents, he turned his attention to transforming the mill into a luxury five-bedroom home for him and his wife  and also created two eco-homes within the mill complex. The five-bedroom home is now for sale at 1.25 million with estate agents Buchanan Mitchell.

The home includes original stonework from 1790 and incorporates some of the mills old machinery. The propertys black steel staircase with 4in oak treads was built by a local ironmonger whose grandfather used to change the bearings on the mills old turbine.

The home includes original stonework from 1790 and incorporates some of the mills old machinery

After replacing the sluice gates and pulling down the 60ft concrete silo (which had to be hydraulically eaten by a hydraulic nibbler brought in by police escort), Mr Young started work on the mill races that carry the water into the mill, lining them with 5,000 tons of local limestone. The work, including the construction of two bridges, took two years to complete, by which time Mr Young was figuring out how to dig up the mills old turbine. It was 20ft underground and weighed five tons.

It was no small feat, he says. It was underneath the building and there were complicated lifts with a huge crane to get it up and get it out. It was one of the most challenging things of my life.

AT A GLANCE Price: 1.25 million Location: West Tanfield, near Ripon, N. Yorkshire Bedrooms: 5 Unique features: Restored 19th Century turbine that produces the propertys electricity; surplus electricity powers neighbouring homes and is sold to the National Grid; old machinery is incorporated into the old mills rooms. Advertisement

The turbine was sent back to its manufacturers, Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon in Kendal, who still had the original drawings from 1893 and spent two years restoring it. It came back bright and shiny, designed to last another 100 years, Stephen says. The turbine back in place, Mr Young started to power it up, but the vibration was so severe that the cobbles outside started shaking. He made design alterations and fitted a new gearbox to cure the problem before finally connecting it to the Grid.

The mill was raring to go, but when he applied for a licence from the Environment Agency, it was concerned that salmon would get caught in the turbine. He spent 25,000 monitoring the 500-yard mill race, proving the fish were fine, and even installed wire screens  but the project stalled for three years, eventually prompting him to put the mill on the market. He had started looking for a watermill in France when he was finally granted a licence in 2007.

He says: The first time I powered up a light bulb from the energy that I produced was the best job satisfaction I have ever had.

A retired electrical engineer, Mr Young was fascinated by renewable energy and had been looking for a watermill for years

As passionate about wildlife as he is about the mill, Mr Young also installed 40 nesting boxes, which attract starlings, swifts and swallows every year. He says: The wildlife is spectacular, whether its an otter slinking down the mill bypass or young dippers perfecting their swimming techniques.

Although hed planned to retire at Tanfield with his wife, Catherine, also 62, they recently became grandparents and want to be near their family in New York.

Mr Young points out that the mill requires plenty of attention  including a daily inspection of the control room, river and mill race. Every week, eight bearings need to be lubricated and the mill race drained.
The US Air Force is struggling to get the world's most expensive weapon off the ground.

Just a month after declaring the F-35 'combat ready,' officials have now grounded 10 of the fighter jets.

US Air Force officials have grounded a number of F-35 aircraft 'due to the discovery of peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside the fuel tanks'

The temporary pause in flight operations came 'due to the discovery of peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside the fuel tanks,' the Air Force said in a statement Friday.

The problem affects 57 of the 108 F-35s that manufacturer Lockheed Martin has delivered.

This number includes 15 aircraft that were already in the field  and 10 that had been declared combat ready.

'While nearing completion, the F-35 is still in development and challenges are to be expected,' the Air Force said in a statement.

The problem affects 57 of the 108 F-35s that manufacturer Lockheed Martin has delivered

HOW DOES IT COMPARE WITH ITS 1970S PREDECESSOR, THE F-16 JET? F-35 Role: Stealth multirole fighter First flight: December 15, 2006 Unit cost (not including engine): F-35A - $98million F-35B - $104million F-35C - $116million Number built: 115 (as of November 2014) Length: 15.67m Wingspan: 10.7m Height: 4.33m Max speed (F-35A): 1,930kph Armament: One of the most highly-anticipated features of the F-35 armament is the Small Diameter Bomb II (SBD II).The bomb is able to guide towards its target using laser, imaging infrared or radar homing. It can hit moving or stationary targets in any weather, or at night, with unprecedented reliability and accuracy. The 'super weapon' is predicted to be the most versatile air-to-ground munition in the Pentagon's air combat inventory. The cost per SDB II is said to be around $250,000 and the US military plans on buying as many as 17,000 of them. F-16 Role: Multirole fighter First flight: January 20, 1974 Unit cost: F-16A/B - $14.6million F-16C/D - $18.8million Number built: 4,540+ Length: 15.06m Wingspan: 9.96m Height: 4.88m Max speed (F-16C): 2,120kph Combat history: The F-16 has served in the Air Forces of 26 nations, including the U.S., Israel, Egypt, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. During Operation Desert Storm, the 1991 assault on Iraq, F-16s flew over 13,000 operations, more than any other Coalition aircraft. The U.S. has employed the F-16 in operations over the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya. At its production peak in 1987, the F-16 team in Fort Worth was also making history, by producing 30 F-16s in just 30 days. Thanks to frequent upgrades improving and incorporating new technologies into the cockpit, avionics, sensors and weapons, the aircraft has become more reliable over its 40 years. Advertisement

Officials say the F-35 will give the U.S. military the ability to detect enemy aircraft and other threats far beyond current ranges, allowing the jets to strike targets and disappear long before they are detected.

With a price tag of $400 billion, the aircraft is considered the most expensive weapons system in history.

The U.S. Air Force plans to buy a total of 1,763 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jets in coming years and will operate the largest F-35 fleet in the world.

Air Force General Herbert Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said work to upgrade the jet would continue in areas such as software, making the displays more intuitive and boosting the ability to share information between aircraft.

With a price tag of $400 billion, the aircraft is considered the most expensive weapons system in history

Lockheed is building three models of the F-35 Lightning II for the U.S. military and 10 countries that have already ordered the jets: Britain, Australia, Norway, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands, Israel, South Korea and Japan.

The Pentagon's F-35 program office said it remained in negotiations with Lockheed over long-delayed contracts for the next two batches of F-35 jets, deals worth about $15 billion.

The program, launched in 2001, has made strides in recent years after huge cost overruns and technical problems that sent the project's cost up nearly 70 percent.

Problems with the fighter jet included issues with the radar software and increased risk of neck injury to lower-weight pilots when they ejected from the aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force plans to buy a total of 1,763 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jets in coming years and will operate the largest F-35 fleet in the world

Industry and U.S. defense officials say they are working hard to continue driving down the cost of the new warplanes to $85 million per plane by 2019, as well as the cost of operating them.

Sen, John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he welcomed the announcement but made clear he intended to keep a close eye on the hugely expensive program.

'The Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to exercise rigorous oversight of the Joint Strike Fighter program's long-delayed System Development and Demonstration phase as well as the start of the operational test and evaluation phase,' McCain said in a statement.

The program, launched in 2001, has made strides in recent years after huge cost overruns and technical problems that sent the project's cost up nearly 70 percent

To become battle ready, at least a dozen individual F-35 must demonstrate their ability to drop bombs and shoot down other planes.

Each jet must be upgraded to a specific software package, and plugged into the complex logistics cloud that manages maintenance.

The F-35 project office had previously set an Aug. 1 target date  but the project has been plagued with delays.
The couple denies the allegations, saying officials are targeting them

Child welfare investigator said some of the 11 children didn't have beds

Have faced child welfare investigations in at least three states since 2001

William and Claire Rembis, 48 and 36, are investigated in Lubbock, Texas

A couple of Texas parents are accused of letting their 11 children live in subpar conditions - but insist they are being targeted for their alternative lifestyle.

William and Claire Rembis, 48 and 36, are under investigation for neglect in Lubbock, Texas. They have faced child welfare cases in at least three states since 2001.

Neighbors said filthy children regularly climbed into trash bins and scavenged for food behind the West Texas house where the 11 children lived with their parents.

Other residents heard screaming at night  one described 'shrieks of terror'  that were quickly followed by loud music to cover the sounds.

'It never stopped whenever they were living there,' neighbor Paige Figge told a judge during a court hearing last week, after the children were taken into state custody.

William and Claire Rembis (pictured), 48 and 36, are under investigation for neglect in Lubbock, Texas. They have faced child welfare cases in at least three states since 2001

Neighbors said filthy children regularly climbed into trash bins and scavenged for food behind the West Texas house where the 11 children lived with their parents. Ten of them are pictured

One investigator in Lubbock suggested the family may be moving to avoid such investigations, which are difficult to track across states.

The couple denies the allegations, saying they move for jobs and that Texas officials are targeting them because they choose to homeschool their family, oppose vaccinations and have so many children.

'They don't eat out of the trash,' Claire told The Associated Press outside the courtroom in Lubbock. Her husband called the allegations 'ridiculous'.

The couple hasn't been criminally charged but face several problems in Texas.

Their children, who range in age from 16 months to 17 years old, were taken into state custody in late August. Child welfare workers had discovered that 10 of them had been taken to Colorado amid the Lubbock investigation.

One investigator in Lubbock suggested the couple (pictured) may be moving to avoid such investigations, which are difficult to track across states

The family was evicted from their rental home on Tuesday, and the parents' custody hearing continues next week.

Two of the children also were briefly removed from the family's home in Plano, about 300 miles east, in 2013, and all were removed in a separate case there last year.

In Michigan, child welfare officials received five complaints between 2007 and 2012, including one about unsupervised children eating out of garbage cans.

In New Jersey, the couple was investigated after their oldest son, who was about 2 at the time, was found wandering alone in 2001, according testimony in the Lubbock case.

Child welfare investigator Kristin Stecklein said during last week's custody hearind that some of the children didn't have beds when she visited the home earlier this year. One of them was a 5-year-old girl who another child told her slept in a box in a closet, Stecklein said.

The couple homeschooled their children, but Stecklein said she didn't 'see any signs' of school material  a point William Rembis disputed on Friday.

Texas Tech University students who lived next door to the family testified that children were in the alley scavenging in trash bins six days a week.

One student, Madison Burnham, said she saw a child eating food from a box she'd recently thrown out.

'I don't think children should be allowed to do that,' Burnham told the judge.

Other neighbors testified that after screaming began inside the house, loud heavy-metal music was played to cover the sounds.

Claire denied the noise allegation. She also said her children wear hand-me-down clothing and doesn't mind them going barefoot.

'It's just being natural,' she said. 'To us, it's just normal.'

Stecklein said the family's home had a 'strong foul odor' and not enough food to feed 11 children and two adults when she visited. William also disputed that allegation in testimony, noting his family received about $1,100 a month in food stamps.

'We've never had a problem with having enough food,' he told the judge. 'My kids are well fed.'

A child investigator said the family's home had a 'strong foul odor' and not enough food to feed 11 children. Pictured is the Rembis' home in Lubbock

William said he wanted to move to Colorado for 'better jobs' after losing two jobs since April in Lubbock.

Lubbock County Child Protective Services attorney Kacee Harvey suggested another motivation, telling the judge that moving 'is a pattern with this family.'

The judge upheld an objection from William's attorney about keeping testimony focused on the Lubbock case.

William said he simply wants to get his children back, and will 'go to whatever lengths are necessary'.

No national database exists to track such cases across states. The Rembises disclosed their past addresses to Texas officials, but if families don't divulge that information, case workers have to find it, said Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Paul Zimmerman.

Even then, a lot of digging must be done.

'It's easier to track a stolen car,' said child welfare consultant Timothy Turner, who has worked for state welfare agencies in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

'It's very tedious and piecemeal,' Turner said, noting it can take a long time, letters and phone calls to find cases in another state. 'And by the time that all occurs, a lot of times they disappear.'

State agencies often can't release details in such cases, especially if no action was taken.

In New Jersey, where most family court records are confidential, state law bars the Department of Children and Families from even confirming whether the agency was involved with the Rembis family, spokesman Ernest Landante said.
The world's best-known exorcist, who said the Harry Potter series drove people to witchcraft and claimed to have performed 70,000 exorcisms, has died at the age of 91.

Renowned Catholic priest Father Gabriele Amorth maintained that it was his duty to free human beings from fear of the Devil, and believed that figures including Hitler and Stalin were possessed by Satan.

He stated at a conference last year that 'ISIS is Satan'.

Amorth was also critical of yoga, which he branded 'evil' because he said it led people to practice eastern religions.

Father Gabriele Amorth, pictured in 2012, was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church and became the world's best known exorcist

Just days before his death he was awarded the Medal of Liberation by the prefect of Rome in recognition of the 'important role' he played in the struggle against the Nazis.

For 10 years he was president of the International Association of Exorcists, which he founded in 1990, having five years earlier been appointed exorcist of the diocese of Rome.

The Santa Lucia Foundation, a Rome rehabilitation facility, said today that Amorth had died yesterday in hospital.

During the papacy of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican issued guidelines for driving out devils.

'Now he rests from his many battles with the devil': Amorth was president of the International Association of Exorcists

A prolific writer, Amorth published several books exploring the theme of good and evil, including The Last Exorcist  My Fight Against Satan.

And the Italian-born priest told newspaper La Repubblica that horror movie The Exorcist was 'substantially exact' in the way it portrayed being possessed by the Devil.

Spanish Theologian Father Jose Antonio Fortea told the Catholic News Agency: 'Now he rests from his many battles with the devil'.

And he continued: 'His strong, vigorous voice spoke to millions of people about the action of the devil.

'He alone, one person, managed to revitalize the ministry in one country and then his influence reached everywhere in the Church.
Two members of the notorious Nomads bikie gang have been charged with trafficking $750,000 worth of MDMA.

Based on a tip-off, police from the State Crime Commands Gangs Squad intercepted a freight package from Darwin to Sydney allegedly carrying three kilograms of MDMA.

A 58-year-old man was arrested at Darwin River in the Northern Territory, about 5pm on Thursday.

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Two members of the notorious Nomads bikie gang have been charged over the alleged freighting of $750,000 worth of MDMA

Based on a tip-off, police from the State Crime Commands Gangs Squad intercepted a freight package from Darwin to Sydney allegedly carrying three kilograms of MDMA

The man is a high ranking member of the Nomads OMCG from Newcastle. He was charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of drug and extradited to NSW.

He has been refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday.

A second man, also a member of Nomads OMCG, was arrested by Gangs Squad detectives at a storage facility at Villawood about 2.45pm on Friday.

The man, 23, was taken to Bankstown Police Station and charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of drug.

He was refused bail and appeared at Parramatta Bail Court today.

Investigations into the alleged drug trafficking are continuing.
A London church planning to host an exhibition featuring a life-sized replica Israeli checkpoint has been accused 'fanning the flames of antisemitism'.

Jewish religious leaders have hit out at the Hinde Street Methodist Church, close to Oxford Street, over an upcoming display inspired by an Israeli border control point between Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The exhibition, called 'You cannot pass today: Life through a diving wall', will offer an insight into daily life in the Holy Land when it opens on Monday, according to organisers.

The controversial exhibition is set to run at the Hinde Street Methodist Church in London this week

Publicity material for the display says it will give visitors the chance to experience what it is like to cross a checkpoint every day, and will 'explore how we can break down the walls that divide us'.

The church said the exhibition will not criticise the Jewish community or faith.

But Rabbi Barry Marcus, of the Central Synagogue, which is less than a mile from the church, said he feared it would 'demonise' Israel, telling The Times: 'Why the hell is a church wasting resources on fanning the flames of antisemitism? They should be ashamed.'

And campaign group Jewish Human Rights Watch has written to the church to express its dismay over Israeli security measures being replicated.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has also added its voice to the condemnation.

Organisers say it is not critical of Judaism, but the church has been accused of fanning the flames of antisemitism

Vice-president Marie van der Zyl told the Jewish Chronicle that the exhibition 'puts unwelcome and unnecessary strain on Christian-Jewish relations', and voiced fears about it being 'one sided'.

Chairman of the Zionist Federation, Paul Charney, added: 'The danger with discussions of the Middle East conflict is that it's reduced to a tale of ever villainous Israelis and perpetually victimised Palestinians.'

Hinde Street Methodist Church, where the exhibition will be held

In a statement to The Times, a church spokesman said: 'The exhibition has been carefully curated to reflect the issues of divided communities and to promote reflection and prayers for piece.

'There is no criticism of the Jewish community or faith.'

No one from the church was available for comment when contacted by the Mail Online.

Organiser Katherine Fox, who preaches at the church, said London commuters were shocked when she told them what she witnessed each day at the checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Following the criticism, a statement on the project's Facebook page said: 'The exhibition aims to help people explore this theme and consider how we can break down the walls that divide us so that no one has to live in fear.

'It has been put together on the basis of principled impartiality. This means putting concern for human rights above support of any particular group and using international humanitarian law as the principle for impartiality.

'We welcome everyone to attend the exhibition and engage with it thoughtfully.'

One poster on the exhibition's Facebook page wrote: ' Where is your exhibition of what it is like to be blown up by a suicide bomber?

'Because the security fence has saved thousands of lives.'
Choreographer Benjamin Millepied, who is married to actor Natalie Portman, has come under fire for allegedly claiming large expenses bills whilst at the Paris Opera Ballet

Choreographer Benjamin Millepied, who is married to actor Natalie Portman, has come under fire for allegedly claiming large expenses bills whilst at the Paris Opera Ballet.

Mr Millepied, 39, a French dancer and choreographer resigned as Director of Dance at the Paris Opera Ballet in 2016, after his plans to modernise the ballet repertoire were shunned. He is most widely known for his work in the movie Black Swan released in 2010 where he met his wife-to-be Natalie Portman.

The accusations came from France's audit body, the Cour des Comptes, which claims Paris Opera directors have misused public funds on taxis, restaurants, food and transport.

It says in 2013 and 2014, about 10 senior figures spent close to 85,000, around 100,000, per year just on taxis.

The report criticises staff including Mr Millepied for having a car and a chauffeur, an expense they deemed 'not justified'

The accusations came from France's audit body, the Cour des Comptes, which claims Paris Opera directors have misused public funds on taxis, restaurants, food and transport

In an interview with Le Parisien , Paris Opera's deputy director Jean-Philippe Thiellay, who arrived in August 2014, insisted the new management had 'drawn the right conclusions and turned the screw' on improper practices.

But when asked about a recent 50,000 office renovation Mr Thiellay added: 'We moved a partition wall and I don't think it's wrong to want to change the carpet'

But the criticism comes amid wider claims of abuse of expenses in the Paris art world. The audit report's revelations have been called 'tragic' and 'embarrassing' by the French press.

A spokesman from Mr Millepied said: 'This audit report was issued for 2013-14 Ben did not take over the Paris Opera until the end of the following year in Nov. 2014, the following season.'
A car used by German far right leader Frauke Petry has been set alight on the eve of an election that is expected to see her party make significant gains.

Ms Petry, leader of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, posted a photo of the burned-out vehicle on Twitter with the caption: 'An arson attack was committed on my car yesterday. Is this what we have come to.'

Elections on Sunday could see Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) ejected from Berlin's state government, as voters warm to the AfD's populist message.

Frauke Petry, leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), posted this photo on Twitter with the caption: 'An arson attack was committed on my car yesterday. Is this what we have come to'

Elections on Sunday could see Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) ejected from Berlin's state government, as voters warm to the AfD's anti-immigrant message

Tomorrow's vote comes two weeks after the CDU was beaten into third place by the AfD in Chancellor Merkel's home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The CDU has long been weak in Berlin but another feeble result, though not immediately dangerous to Mrs Merkel, would keep up political pressure on her.

The Chancellor's opening of Germany's borders to migrants last year featured prominently in Mecklenburg, although the influx has diminished drastically.

Ms Petry's car caught alight in the eastern city of Leipzig on Friday night, in what police are treating as an arson attack.

Last year unknown attackers set fire to the car of AfD deputy leader Beatrix von Storch in Berlin.

Mrs Merkel has defended her immigration policy against her critics, including the AfD.

She said at a rally on Wednesday: 'It is not enough ... to know who is to blame, it is not enough just to know what you're against.

'We need good solutions that hold our society together.'

Local issues are more prominent in Berlin, a city of 3.5 million.

Protesters wore masks of Ms Petry and Donald Trump at a protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in Berlin today

Disillusionment with the governing parties is high over the capital's notoriously inefficient bureaucracy and issues such as years of delays in opening its new airport.

Mayor Michael Mueller's centre-left Social Democrats lead the local government, with the CDU as junior partner in a bad-tempered alliance.

In Berlin, Mrs Merkel's conservatives have stressed law-and-order issues, with the current state interior minister leading calls for a ban on face-covering veils.

Polls suggest support for the Social Democrats will sink to at most 24 percent, while the CDU should poll around 19 percent.

The three-year-old AfD is confident, plastering Berlin with posters proclaiming 'First Schwerin, now Berlin!' Schwerin is Mecklenburg's state capital.

This banner contains the word 'Volkisch', a term that roughly means 'nationalist', and is associated with the Nazi party. Ms Petry recently called for the term to be 'revalued'

Still, Ms Petry cautions that Berlin 'is a significantly more difficult environment to campaign in.'

Polls show its support at up to 15 percent in Berlin. The capital is somewhat less promising territory than rural Mecklenburg, where it won 20.8 percent to finish second.

Polls show nationwide support for AfD of between 11 and 14 percent.
Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system was activated to intercept them

entered Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and were shot down

Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system on Saturday shot down two stray 'projectiles' fired during fighting in Syria's civil war.

There has been frequent spillover of fighting between the factions in Syria into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, but this was the first time Iron Dome was activated to intercept fire.

'An additional projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. No injuries reported,' the military said in a statement, shortly after the system had first activated.

Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system on Saturday shot down two stray 'projectiles' fired during fighting in Syria's civil war (stock image of the Dome system)

Israel usually retaliates with air strikes against battle stations in Syria.

The military has stationed Iron Dome batteries in areas that have been targeted by cross-border fire, which is most frequently from Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

The system usually only fires an interceptor if the enemy rocket is calculated to strike near a populated area.

Israel has largely stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war, keeping watch over the Golan frontier and occasionally carrying out air strikes or returning mortar fire if there is a specific threat.
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When movies were still silent and the Hollywood studio system reigned supreme, it was at Villa Bonita where many stars laid their heads to rest.

The historic ivy-covered building, tucked in the corner of a Los Angeles street, is now the subject of celebrity photographer Pamela Littky's newest collection.

Littky has photographed everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Jennifer Lawrence. But there are no Hollywood stars in her newest collection of photographs, at least not yet.

American photographer Pamela Littky's newest collection of pictures capture intimate moments of every single resident at the historic Villa Bonita complex tucked away on the corner of a street in Hollywood

Some of the residents are aspiring artists, just beginning their search for fame and fortune in Hollywood. But Barbara, pictured, is a retired teacher who has lived at the complex for the last 17 years

Littky has photographed everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Jennifer Lawrence. But The Villa Bonita collection offers intimate portraits of people like Judith, a model, who are searching for acclaim

Littky looked past the building's glamorous history to show how its residents fared in a modern-day Hollywood. Pictured is Sarah, a painter who has lived in Villa Bonita for 10 years, in her bare bedroom

Instead The Villa Bonita, a book which will be released in September, offers an intimate glimpse of the aspiring artists and long-term residents who reside in the seven-floor building.

The complex, built in 1929 to house the cast and crew in the movies of legendary director Cecil B. DeMile, the Villa Bonita is now home to models, writers and painters as well as a teacher and family therapist.

Littky has stripped the photos of the inherent glamour that comes with her portraits of rock stars and Academy Award-winning actresses, showing residents taking a bath, cuddling on the floor, or sitting in a bare bedroom.

'I wanted to show a glimpse behind closed doors, and present the residents in a super personal and intimate way,' Littky told Slate.

But that would require access, and Littky knew she wouldn't be satisfied unless she photographed every single resident in the building.

The photographer found it in Josh, a bartender and photographer who had lived in Villa Bonita for seven years and was popular among its residents.

Villa Bonita was built in 1929 to house the cast and crew in the movies of legendary director Cecil B. DeMile

Frances, a former dance instructor, moved into the building on the cusp of the New Hollywood era, 43 years ago

It was Josh, a bartender and photographer, who convinced many of the residents to partake in Littky's project

It was that trust among the residents that most surprised Littky, who said she expected to photograph a 'group of strangers'

And Littky, who talked to her subjects for hours after photographing them, was able to gain their trust as well. Pictured are Grant, a writer, and Brittany, a family therapist, who have lived in the complex for seven months

Josh was immediately excited about the project and was able to convince a number of his neighbors to let the photographer capture them in their most intimate and personal space.

It was that trust among the residents that most surprised Littky, who said she expected to photograph a 'group of strangers'.

'I was not expecting to see that the residents all seemed to care for one another, in a real neighborly way, and that some real friendships had developed over time,' she said.

It was a project that gave her incredible access and insight into the complex that she had been curious about for at least a decade.

'I wanted to show a glimpse behind closed doors, and present the residents in a super personal and intimate way,' Littsky said. Pictured is landscape designer Paul, who has lived in Villa Bonita for 26 years, in his kitchen

One resident let Littky peek into one of their most personal of spaces, showing medicine and marijuana tucked among emergency cash, lighters and a cassette tape

Littky said much of Villa Bonita looks just as it did when it was first built. Many of the vintage design elements have remained

'The building truly is magical,' she said. 'When you walk in, you feel it right away.'

Littky said much of Villa Bonita looks just as it did when DeMile's muses walked its halls almost a century ago.

'The lobby that was once grand, the original elevator that upon landing jolts you and then never quite lands exactly where it should, the views of the Hollywood sign...the history is incredible,' she said.

And while its residents may still be waiting for fame, or are remembering acclaim that has since faded away, Villa Bonita still feels the same.

'While it has deteriorated somewhat over the years,' Littky said, 'the magical feeling still pervades the hallway.'
Dominique Green, 24, was charged with drug possession after police say he filmed himself hiding a stash of cocaine during a traffic stop

A Texas man pulled over on traffic violations says he was unfairly target by police and took it to Facebook Live video to capture his interaction with cops.

But officers say he incriminated himself in footage of the incident, filming as he tried to hide drugs from police officers.

Dominique Desha Green, 24, faces 11 charges, including drug possession, related to the Friday traffic stop in Dallas, the Dallas News reported.

In the broadcast, Green says he was scrolling through his phone while at an AutoZone parking lot when an officer approached him.

He says police tried to arrest him 'for being black on a Friday.'

Dominique Green (pictured) filmed his own traffic stop, and said he was just scrolling through his phone while at an AutoZone parking lot in Dallas when an officer approached him

Cops said Green's car was stopped for failure to use a turn signal and failure to wear a seat belt

'They're just f***ing with me because I'm young, black  and on the wrong side of the neighborhood,' Green said.

A number of police officers can be seen in the video surrounding Green's car.

Near the video's 10-minute mark, Green is heard doing something with the driver's door, although the action is off-camera.

Police says that's when Green stashed cocaine in the driver's side door.

'I'm glad I didn't get out of the car. I got a pocket full of all kind of s**t,' he says in the video.

Cops say they used that clue from the video to find the drugs.

Green (left) says police tried to arrest him 'for being black on a Friday'  but cops later said the suspect stashed away cocaine in the driver's side door as he recorded his video

Dallas officers who pulled Green (right) over found during the stop that he had been convicted of marijuana possession and evading authorities by giving a false name

Green was also arrested on charges of failure to use a turn signal, failure to wear a seat belt and resisting arrest.

Police say Green was original stopped for turning into a parking lot without using the turn signal.

But officers found he had previously been convicted of marijuana possession and evading authorities by giving a false name, the Dallas News reported.

He is seen in the video arguing with the cop who pulled him over, Officer Kristopher Trotter  and later spat on his face while being arrested, police said.

Green also tried to kick out the window of the police car, and later continued at yell at the officer who arrested him.

In the broadcast, Green says he was scrolling through his phone while at an AutoZone parking lot when an officer approached him

'Trotter  however you pronounce it  that's a unique name,' he said, the Dallas News reported.

'What? It European? You Pilgrim ass cracker.'

Police say Green also threatened to kill Officer Trotter and his wife, and to sexually assault his daughter.

'When I get out I'm going to hunt you down,' he said, according to the Dallas News.

Green is being held at Dallas County Jail on $229,500 bail
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A deadly pipe bomb exploded along a route where thousands of runners were due to take part in a charity run in Jersey.

More than one thousand spectators, including war veterans and small children, had gathered just a few blocks from the blast in Jersey Shore town on Saturday afternoon.

Two unexploded pipe bombs were found in a garbage can near the event 5km run which sought to raise money for marines and sailors.

No injuries have been reported but bomb-sniffing dogs have continued to look for more bombs in the area, NJ.com reported.

Later on Saturday night, at least 29 people were injured when another explosive device hidden in a garbage can was 'deliberately' detonated in New York's affluent Chelsea neighborhood. Authorities have ruled out a connection between the two blasts despite their similarities.

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A pipe bomb set in a garbage can (pictured) exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, before thousands of runners were due to take part in a charity 5K race to benefit marines and sailors

More than one thousand spectators, including war veterans and small children, had gathered just a few blocks from the blast

At least 29 people were injured when another explosive device hidden in a garbage can exploded in New York's affluent Chelsea neighborhood

The start of the race was delayed after authorities were alerted to an unattended backpack.

The pipe bomb near D Street exploded about 9.30am - the exact time runners were due to pass that location.

'It was a big puff of smoke, fairly large,' said Adam Carswell, who was registered to run the race, to NBC 4 New York.

A rep for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office says the device was too sophisticated to have been a prank.

'We don't know what this individual's agenda is,' Al Della Fave told ABC News.

'We did find that within that same garbage can there were other devices wired to the one that did explode,' Della Fave told CBS.

Pieces from the explosion were blown out as far as 150ft.

Officials say runners (pictured in last year's event) had been scheduled to pass by the area around the time the blast occurred

A rep for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office says the device was too sophisticated to have been a prank (pictured, authorities on the scene)

The pipe bomb near D Street exploded about 9.30am - the exact time runners were due to pass that location (pictured, sniffer dogs hunting for more explosives)

Police patrolled the area in Jersey Shore town where the pipe bomb went off, close to a route where thousands of runners were due to run

Mother and daughter, Audrey King, 46, and Alina, 8, embrace near the scene of the pipe bomb explosion in Jersey

Event organizers canceled the race because of a suspicious backpack found at the site

'I thought it might have been an explosion of some sort or a sonic boom,' Lauren Rispoli, who heard the explosion from her bed, told NBC 4 New York.

Officials say runners had been scheduled to pass by the area around the time the blast occurred.

'Out of extreme precaution, this year's Seaside Sempre Five has been canceled due to an unidentified suspicious backpack found at the race site,' event organizers said Saturday morning.

'The safety and security of our participants, spectators, staff and volunteers is of utmost importance.

The race - the third annual Semper Five run - was canceled.

The area remained 'on lock down while bomb dogs search of additional devices' into the afternoon, the county prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The pipe bomb was in a garbage can near D Street when it exploded. Authorities immediately cleared the boardwalk and beach area

The 5K was organized by the MARSOC Foundation, which is a nonprofit that raises money to support active duty and medically retired Marines and Sailors, as well as their families

The blast occurred on N Ocean Ave near D and E Streets, where the runners would have been had the race not been delayed

Would-be runner Cathy Howath, 50, said it was a 'blessing in disguise' that there were delays at the start of the race.

One of them was for a blue backpack near a media tent.

'They kept making the announcement, "Theres an unclaimed, blue backpack by the News 12 tent and the radio station tent. If this is your backpack, please come and claim it"  it was repeatedly,' Howath told USA Today.

'It was a blessing in disguise, because the pipebomb would have gone off when the 5K was going,' Howath added.

'It was a blessing in disguise, because the pipebomb would have gone off when the 5K was going,' Howath added.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are investigating, alongside a number of other agencies.

'We've evacuated within a four-block perimeter,' Della Fave told NJ.com.

Last year's Semper Five Run drew thousands of runners (pictured). This year's race was due to attract a similar number of participants

'Traffic into Seaside Park is closed, but (drivers) are allowed to go to Seaside Heights.'

It wasn't clear when the boardwalk and beach will reopen.

The 5K was organized by the MARSOC Foundation, which is a nonprofit that raises money to support active duty and medically retired Marines and Sailors, as well as their families.

The second blast on 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Chelsea is also believed to have come from a dumpster and could have come from an explosive device.

The Fire Department reported that there were at least 29 people wounded when the deafening blast ripped through the busy area at 8.30pm.

The NYPD Special Ops tweeted that they are investigating a 'possible' second device that was found at 27th Street and Sixth Avenue, which is just four blocks away from where the blast occurred.

The second blast in the Chelsea neighborhood (pictured) in New York city ripped through the busy area at 8.30pm

The blast shattered the windows of a nearby apartment building and injured at least 29, at least one of whom is in a critical condition

The NYPD Special Ops tweeted that they are investigating a 'possible' second device

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press conference that injuries 'are significant but at this point we can confirm that none of those injured are likely to die'.

'There is no evidence at this point of a terror connection.' De Blasio also said it is 'too early to determine' if the incident in New York is connected to the explosion in New Jersey.

However, the mayor said: 'We believe that it was an intentional act.'

He added that investigators are tracing every lead but it's still too early to give any details of the investigation.
It's 100 years ago today that the German flying ace made first combat kills

Ancestor of the infamous Red Baron met family of Allied pilot and observer

Relatives of First World War pilots and crew brought together at exhibition

Manfred von Richthofen (pictured) met and killed English pilot Lionel Morris and Welsh airman Tom Rees on the battlefield in September 1916

It was 100 years ago today that the infamous Red Baron shot down his first Allied plane.

To mark the milestone in aviation history a school in Croydon brought together the families of the ancestors involved in that fatal dogfight for the first time.

Manfred von Richthofen, commonly known as Red Baron, is perhaps the best-known fighter pilot of all time.

He claimed the lives of 80 Allied pilots and crew for the Germans during the First World War - with the first on Sunday, September 17, 1916.

It was over northern France when he encountered the English pilot Lionel Morris and Welshman Tom Rees who were flying in a F.E.2 plane.

But they were shot to pieces by Richthofen in his superior Albatros D.II.

Rees, 21, was killed in the dogfight and Morris, 19, though mortally wounded, managed to land the plane - but Richthofen landed alongside him and later wrote that he 'honoured the fallen enemy by placing a stone on his beautiful grave'.

The descendants of the three men had never met until today.

Dr Meriel Jones, great niece of Rees; Jill Bush, first cousin of Morris and Baron Donat von Richthofen, Red Baron's nephew all attended the school's special exhibition.

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The Red Baron's nephew Baron Donat von Rickthofen (second left) attended an exhibition in Croydon with the descendants of Morris and Rees, Dr Meriel Jones, left, and Jill Bush, right

The Red Baron was famous for flying a red Fokker (pictured) that terrorised the skies during the First World War

Rees (left), 21, was killed in the dogfight and Morris (right), 19, though mortally wounded, managed to land the plane - but Richthofen landed alongside him and killed him

Dr Christopher Barnett, headmaster of Whitgift School and curator of Remembering 1916  Life on the Western Front told MailOnline: 'It was a very historic moment across the skies in northern France which is frozen in time but when you see the relatives together it brings it all back to life.

'Its very special of course because they were fighting 100 year ago and now the families are talking and are relaxed  its quite moving.

'At the time there was an amazing chivalry, it was like the pilots were almost medieval knights putting their lives at risk.

The current Baron von Richthofen, left, posed with Dr Jones, right, great niece of Rees, and Ms Bush, a cousin of Morris, holding a replica of a silver cup the Baron commissioned every time he vanquished an enemy

The Baron ordered a new cup, pictured, to be made for the first 60 of his eventual 80 victims

Also on show at the exhibition were a copy of the Baron's autobiography, left, and paintings depicting his dogfights in the skies

Despite their family histories, the descendants of the pilots met in friendlier circumstances

'There was a great deal of mutual respect and the pilots would honour each other if one was shot down.

'Pilots would go over the next day and and drop leaflets asking what had happened to them and if anyone saw anything.'

Von Richthofen, who would later became known as the Red Baron because of his aristocratic heritage and skill in the air, started commissioning a silver cup to be made for every one of his fallen enemies.

He stopped making them after 60 and today, few remain. But Whitgift School in - where Morris was once a pupil - has commissioned a replica of the first cup, dedicated to one of his first victims.

The exhibition is directed by Whitgift School headmaster Dr Christopher Barnett, right, and is not restricted to air warfare as seen by this sculpture of a British Lancer, left

A mannequin of Morris, pictured, once a pupil at Whitgift School, is also on show

The three families drank schnapps from the replica silver goblet, a toast to reconciliation between the two sides.

It is part of the exhibition looking at the war from the perspectives of each of the sides involved, displaying hundreds of private collectors' pieces that have never been brought together before.

Speaking about how the families were brought together, Dr Barnett said: 'It took a bit of detective work, the although the Richthofen family was easier to trace because of their aristocratic heritage.

The exhibition includes 600 artifacts, including giving personal testimony of those on both sides of war and uncover a fresh perspective on the battles of Verdun, Jutland and the Somme.

Highlights include two extremely rare first issues of the British trench newspaper, original British, French and German uniforms and equipment, and a Womens Royal Air Force uniform.

Pictured: The current Baron von Richthofen stood next to a mannequin of his famous ancestor

The Red Baron, famous for his red Fokker (pictured at an airshow) was later killed in 1918. It was first thought that he was killed in a dogfight but a post-mortem from another Whitgift pupil changed that view, as he would not been able to land his plane as he did

Other Baron memorabilia collected for the exhibition include coins and literature, pictured

Boots worn by British pilots during the First World War have also been sourced for the exhibit

Perhaps one of the most important items in the display is this piece of fabric from the Baron's plane, pictured

The Baron paid respect to Morris, pictured, after killing him by placing a memorial stone on his grave

Also on show is a train station sign from the French city of Verdun, site of one of the most horrific battles of the war, and fabric from the famous red triplane flown by the Red Baron.

Richthofen was so successful that the German military tried to ground him for fear of the propaganda disaster that his death could be - but he refused.

He was eventually killed in 1918 while pursuing a Canadian plane at low altitude, and another which dived steeply and fired upon him was initially credited with his death.

So far, 16,000 people have already visited the school to see the exhibition, which is so popular that the school now has a rating on TripAdvisor and the display has been extended until April 2017.

Dr Barnett added: 'We are very excited at being able to present such a comprehensive collection of original items, which will help to bring people closer to how three countries experienced and endured the war.

'We are also very confident that the exhibition will increase our understanding of the War and its effect across three countries.'

Richthofen later became one of the most infamous pilots of the First World War, with 80 kills in the all-red Fokker DR.I (pictured) he was famous for, as well as other fighter planes

Rees and Morris were flying in the inferior FE2 (pictured) when the bullets ripped through their engine, forcing them to land
Cats, dogs, kittens and puppies eagerly waited to try their new soft beds

Donated beds to the RSPCA have left more than 100 four-legged friends wagging their tails in happiness.

When people visited RSPCA stores across Victoria they were encouraged to donate beds in good condition in order to distribute them across adoption centres.

Adorable footage shows cats, dogs, kittens and puppies eagerly waiting to sleep in their donated beds as their carers get them ready.

Over 100 shelter animals at RSPCA Victoria were treated to a bed at their shelter centres

One dog is so eager to try his bed he is seen jumping on his carer while wagging his tail uncontrollably.

Another dog unable to wait leaps into his bed to circle it a few times before he settles down for a nap.

The cats did not appear to hold back either immediately snuggling into their new beds.

People were asked to donate their old pet's bed so they can be distributed to cats, dogs kittens and puppies

Users on social media praised the campaign launched by the RSPCA.

'I'm glad those cute animal will be sleeping like a baby tonight,' said one user.

'All of those animals are so beautiful. Look at those happy pups and content cats. Doesn't take much to make them happy, hope they're all adopted soon to loving homes,' commented another.

On cat immediately fell asleep with its head slightly hanging of the side
An hours-long standoff with an armed man who barricaded himself aboard an Amtrak train ended early Saturday after police used tear gas.

The man, identified as 46-year-old Darius Palmer of Oxnard, was taken into custody without incident and police recovered a handgun, Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds said.

Amtrak 790 carrying 187 passengers and five crew members was evacuated on Friday night after several reported seeing a man with a weapon acting erratically.

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Darius Palmer, 46, of California was arrested (pictured) after officers deployed tear gas to end an armed standoff that lasted eight hours. Police recovered a handgun

Amtrak 790 carrying 187 passengers and five crew members was evacuated (pictured) on Friday night after several reported seeing a man with a weapon acting erratically

When police arrived they found the armed passenger had locked himself inside a carriage

The train bound for San Diego was stopped in Chatsworth - in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles - as police conducted a search.

'Someone reported that he dropped a gun  likely was then reported to the train folks  and that's when things escalated,' passenger Allison Bird told KABC-TV.

When police arrived they found the armed passenger had locked himself inside a carriage.

Crisis negotiators and SWAT Team officers were dispatched to talk to Palmer.

The standoff eventually ended nearly eight hours later after tear gas was deployed, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The train bound for San Diego was stopped in Chatsworth - in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles - as police conducted a search

Police pictured at the scene. Crisis negotiators and SWAT Team officers were dispatched to talk to Palmer

'Barricaded armed suspect on #AMTRAK train in custody after tear gas deployed. Area safe,' the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Special Enforcement Bureau tweeted at 2.19am local time.

The department also tweeted a photo of the suspect in handcuffs wearing a cap, green shirt and shorts.

Palmer was charged in Los Angeles Superior Court with making terroristic threats and felony possession of a firearm, Leeds said.

It was not immediately known if he has a lawyer.

Firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags, according to Amtrak policy.

The standoff eventually ended nearly eight hours later after tear gas was deployed, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Buses shuttled the evacuated passengers to other train stations following the ordeal

Passengers can check rifles, shotguns and handguns if they meet certain requirements, including notifying the rail agency beforehand, unloading the weapons and storing them in locked containers.

The standoff forced temporary delays of commuter trains that share the same tracks.

Buses shuttled the evacuated passengers to other train stations.
Footage has emerged of thousands of passengers at Manchester Airport being made to wait in a queue for over an hour after a door malfunctioned at border control.

An annoyed passenger filmed the delay at the airport at around 9.30am this morning.

The traveller said: 'Doors to control the crowd broke down and this forced everyone - roughly about 3000 people - to squeeze through one door.'

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: 'Terminal Two arrivals was particularly busy this morning due to some flights arriving outside of their set time.

'A queue appeared to build up due to a door being out of use, which meant people had to file through one remaining door.

'As always we strive to give the best customer experience as possible and continue to work with UK Border Force to manage the immigration process.'

The spokesman added that at this time of year upwards of 70,000 people are flying through the airport every day.

He added that it was plausible that up to 3,000 people were passing through border patrol across all three terminals at the time.

The video shows crowds of frustrated passengers waiting around in the terminal as the queues build up.

Footage has emerged of thousands of passengers at Manchester Airport being made to wait in a queue for over an hour after a door malfunctioned at border control

An annoye passenger filmed the delay at the airport at around 9.30am this morning

Angry travelers took to social media to voice their concern.

Lizzie Farmery wrote on Twitter: 'Just home after a fantastic hol to absolute chaos @manairport Couldn't organise a booze up in a brewery!'

This latest delay comes just weeks after passengers faces further problems when the airport was delayed amid reports of a suspicious package.

Holidaymakers were cleared from the check-in area inside terminal 2 on August 18 after a package was found outside the building.

A spokesman for the airport confirmed the departures area was evacuated but would not comment on reports of a suspicious package.

A Manchester Airport spokesman said at the time: 'Due to an unattended bag being found outside terminal 2, the area has been cordoned off as a precaution, while an investigation takes place.

'This has resulted in some passengers being evacuated from part of the terminal. Any passengers checking into T2 should do so at the station.'

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: 'Terminal Two arrivals was particularly busy this morning due to some flights arriving outside of their set time'
The Obama administration will pay nearly $3million to the family of an Italian aid worker who was killed by a US drone strike in Pakistan last year, the Washington Post reported.

Giovanni Lo Porto was held hostage in an al-Qaeda compound along with 73-year-old American Warren Weinstein, and the two died in the US counter-terrorism mission after drone surveillance failed to detect the civilians inside.

Lo Porto's settlement was reached after 18 months of negotiation, but family members of Weinstein, who had been working in Pakistan on a US government contract, have yet to receive a payout.

Giovanni Lo Porto (left) was held hostage in an al-Qaeda compound along with 73-year-old American development worker Warren Weinstein (right)

The two died in the US counter-terrorism mission after drone surveillance failed to detect the civilians inside (pictured, Lo Porto's brothers appealing for information about the drone strike)

Lo Porto worked for the German aid group Welthungerhilfe in Pakistan's Multan region when he was kidnapped in January 2012. He died in January 2015 (pictured, his funeral)

While Italian newspaper La Repubblica cited a signed document agreeing to 1.18million ($1.32million USD), US officials confirmed the settlement was more than double that amount.

The US agreed to pay a 'donation in the memory of Giovanni Lo Porto' of about 2.6million ($2.9million USD), the Washington Post reported.

Weinstein's family are still locked in a standoff with the US government over his settlement, but widow Elaine Weinstein extended her best wishes to Lo Porto's family.

She told the Post: 'We hope that this brings them some measure of closure.

'As they and we know all too well, no settlement will ever replace the hurt we feel in our hearts for the unnecessary loss of our loved ones.'

It remains unclear how the government determined the figure offered for Lo Porto's death.

President Barack Obama defended the legality of the January 2015 drone strikes, but took responsibility for the inadvertent deaths of Lo Porto, Weinstein, and two Americans working with al-Qaeda.

President Barack Obama defended the legality of the January 2015 drone strikes, but took responsibility for the inadvertent deaths of Lo Porto and Weinstein

In an April 2015 press conference, Obama said there had been no evidence that the two men were present at what the U.S. had determined was an al-Qaida compound in Pakistan.

He added: 'I profoundly regret what happened. On behalf of the United States government, I offer our deepest apologies to the families.

'I realize there are no words that can ever equal their loss.'

Lo Porto was an Italian aid worker who worked for the German aid group Welthungerhilfe in Pakistan's Multan region when he was kidnapped in January 2012.

Weinstein, a development worker, was abducted in August 2011, four days before his seven-year stint with the U.S. Agency for International Development was to end.
from his village were chased by security forces

Nasir, nicknamed Momin, the youngest of three siblings, is said to have gone missing after

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Thousands of people have defied restrictions to mourn an 11-year-old boy who is said to have been killed by Indian Government forces in Kashmir.

Nasir Shafi went missing after protestors in his village were chased by security forces during a protest on Friday.

An elderly Kashmir Muslim woman looks at the body of Nasir as he is taken through the streets on Saturday

His pellet-ridden body was found on Friday evening and his funeral was held today in the New Theed village of Harwan.

More than 5,000 mourners lined the streets, defying a curfew imposed after the protests, to offer funeral prayers for Nasir, who is reported to have been 11-years-old.

His body was wrapped in an Islamic flag as he was carried high. A man close to him in these images is thought to be his father.

Thousands of Kashmiri Muslims lined the streets of the small village to mourn the 11-year-old and offer funeral prayers today

A woman cries out as many around her shout in protest of the Indian rule in Kashmir. They are protesting the 'killing of innocents in the valley'

According to villagers, his pellet-ridden body, right, was found late Friday after clashes between security forces and Kashmiri protesters. Left, a man believed to be his father mourns

Women wore bright colours as they mourned the 11-year-old's death. He was said to be the youngest of three siblings

Anti India protests continue in Kashmir against the Indian rule and against the killing of innocents in the valley.

So far, 85 civilians have been killed and over 12,000 Injured during the fierce protests after a popular young rebel commander, Burhan Wani, was killed in a gunfight with the army.

The violence in the area is the worse since 2010 and the protests have triggered a heavy crackdown by Indian government forces which include many strict curfews.

Nasir's body is carried high through the streets, wrapped in an Islamic flag, with thousands of mourners ignoring a curfew to join with his family

According to the BBC, the police fired teargas at the mourners.

The IB Times reported that mourners shouted slogans in favour of Islam and independence as they marched with his body.

According to sources, the mourners shouted slogans in favour of Islam and independence as they marched with Nasir's body

Violence has broken out since the death of Wani, who was popular on social media posting photos and videos against Indian rule.

Since his death, thousands have been injured in clashes and protests with security forces.
Dennis Parsons (pictured) told a party conference that schools could suggest prostitution as a career to pupils

A Liberal Democrat councillor has told a party conference that schools could suggest prostitution as a career to pupils.

Dennis Parsons, who is chairman of the Cheltenham Liberal Democrats, made the comment during a special session on sex work.

The retired civil servant said school career officers are currently not allowed to mention prostitution as a potential line of work, but added: 'Why shouldn't they?'

Mr Parsons also compared prostitution with accountancy when discussing how to combat the stigma attached to sex work.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron distanced himself from his remarks, but revealed he will not 'slap down' Mr Parsons for making the statement as people should be allowed to say 'shocking things'.

Mr Parsons, a married father-of-five, said: 'The fact that we are asking "should we seek to prevent people entering sex work?" is part of the problem.

'You wouldn't ask the question "should we prevent people becoming accountants?" You'd just take it for granted.

Dennis Parsons, who is chairman of the Cheltenham Liberal Democrats, compared prostitution to accountancy at a party conference (stock photo)

'There is a stronger case, probably, for that than there is for preventing sex work.

'We have had a chap suggest that one of the areas we need to be concerned about was families coercing people to go into the sex trade.

'Well, again, you wouldn't protest at families urging and coercing people into becoming accountants.

'And even in this room full of liberals we have got a huge cultural problem that we do see sex work as different.

'We see it as something a little bit tacky, and not quite nice, and not the sort of thing that we would want our sons and daughters to get involved in.

'We talk about schools - how many schools are going to have careers officers say to people, "have you thought about prostitution?"

'It's not going to happen. And that's a cultural thing. Why shouldn't they? Why shouldn't they?'

Mr Parsons claims to be an 'old-fashioned Liberal' and spent most of his career in London while also working as First Secretary in the British Embassy in Tokyo.

He also said that he 'enjoys campaigning' and is a supporter of Chelsea FC while also having a season ticket at his local club, Cheltenham Town FC.

And after his remarks at the conference in Brighton, Mr Farron said: 'It is a wonderful thing that we are in a party where those sort of views can be expressed and you can have that sort of exchange.

'They are certainly not my views. Drawing the equivalence between sex work and accountancy is not one that I share.

'I think we are in a position where we are a liberal party and it's not for me to go telling anyone that they can't have views and share them.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron (pictured) distanced himself from Mr Parsons remarks but added that people should be allowed to say 'shocking things'

'That's how you get to the bottom of these things.

'Actually, if you believe in education - we're talking about careers - then what you really want is for people to be able to explore ideas, and that means sometimes saying things that are quite shocking, really.

'So, no, I'm not going to go slapping people down. The whole point of having a debate is that you test different opinions and you come out with, on the basis of the evidence, the right solution.'
A Ukrainian prisoner who was left blind and armless by a tripwire mine blast has been released by Russian-backed separatists after a year in captivity.

Volodymyr Zhemchugov, a former UN mission representative, was arrested by the rebels who accused him of subversive activities in September 2015.

The 45-year-old was released on Saturday as part of a hostage exchange between separatists and the Ukrainian government in rebel-occupied Donbas.

Moving: A Ukrainian prisoner who was left blind and armless in a tripwire mine blast has been released by Russian-backed separatists after year in captivity

Touching pictures of the moment he was released show Zhemchugov overcome with joy as he greets his wife for the first time since being captured.

He was made almost totally blind in a mine blast last year and was held in a hospital ward for the first three months of his captivity.

His wife Elena was allowed to speak to him a 'couple of times' and said he wasn't receiving adequate care.

She appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, the EU delegation to Ukraine, to the heads of the Normandy Four, President Poroshenko, and even to the Pope and Queen of Great Britain to help get her husband released.

'Volodymyr hadn't abandoned his Ukrainian views even under the threat of not receiving treatment. And the saddest part is, he hasn't abandoned them, but Ukraine can't get him out of there,' she said in July.

Emotional: Touching pictures of the moment he was released show Volodymyr Zhemchugov overcome with joy as he greets his wife Elena for the first time since being captured

Volodymyr Zhemchugov, a former UN mission representative, was arrested by the rebels who accused him of subversive activities in September 2015

The rebels also handed over former Ukraine security services employee Yuriy Suprun, whom they captured in April.

In exchange four former pro-Russian rebels were released by Ukraine at the same time.

Presidential envoy for Donbas and lawmaker Iryna Geraschenko said that rehabilitation is essential for Zhemchugov.

The 45-year-old (pictured with wife Elena) was released on Saturday as part of a hostage exchange between separatists and the Ukrainian government in rebel-occupied Donbas

Former pro-Russian separatists stand on a road during the prisoner exchange near the town of Schastye, Lugansk region, Ukraine

A former pro-Russian separatist (left) shakes hand with a Red Cross representative

And President Petro Poroshenko said on his Facebook page after the release that the hostages 'will receive all required medical help.'

Ukranian security service negotiator Yuriy Tandit made a Facebook post after the release.

He said: 'We are doing everything possible for our heroes, who stay in captivity, to come back to their families, who fight for them every day.'

In exchange four former pro-Russian rebels were released by Ukraine at the same time. Pictured: Zhemchugov is helped after being handed over

Presidential envoy for Donbas and lawmaker Iryna Geraschenko said that rehabilitation is essential for Zhemchugov (left)

Earlier this week the Ukrainian government agreed to a new, rebel-proposed ceasefire following an abrupt escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine in recent weeks.

The conflict, which began two years ago when Ukraine ousted its pro-Russian president amid mass protests calling for closer ties with the West, centres around Ukraine's two easternmost regions, Donetsk and Luhansk.

More than 9,600 people have been killed in the fighting, according to estimates released this week by the United Nations.

Released: A former pro-Russian separatist (right) stands next to a bus with his bags
Dame Sarah Storey celebrates her victory with her daughter Louisa

Dame Sarah Storey barely broke a sweat as she won Great Britain's 60th gold medal of the Rio Paralympics.

Dame Storey won Britain's 131st medal with a commanding victory in the women's C4/C5 road race.

It keeps Team GB riding high in the medals table, second only to China.

Anna Harkowska of Poland was Storey's nearest rival, finishing three minutes 29 seconds behind, while Crystal Lane won the bunch sprint for bronze, six minutes 16 seconds adrift, taking Britain's 132nd medal.

Storey's third Rio gold and 14th Paralympic title of a career which began as 14-year-old swimmer in Barcelona 24 years ago was supreme, but only because her class told.

The 38-year-old, who was born with a deformed left hand, races in World Tour races alongside her Olympic counterparts and her training times this week on the Grumari ascent were better than many of them when racing last month.

The 75-kilometre road race course featured three 15km laps on the flat beach front at Pontal before heading for the hilly Grumari circuit where Storey made her move - prior to the steepest climbs.

Anna Harkowska of Poland, Sarah Storey of Britain and Crystal Lane of Britain after the race today in which Dame Storey, centre, took gold

The Rio 2016 table has Team GB riding high in second place with 60 golds and 134 medals overall

'I just had to keep being patient and wait, stay out of trouble in the bunch,' Storey said.

'I looked down at my power (meter) and felt like I'd warmed down from the warm up in a way, because it was kind of a nothing course down here.

'I think we averaged 32kpm an hour for that first 45km which is worse than a coffee ride.

'We couldn't even chain gang, because everyone would've been quite happy to sit behind me and I knew that.

'I had to be really, really patient and try not to worry about anything and just focus on that first rise up the Grumari.

'Once I hit that first rise I put in a bit of an attack to see what would happen and the elastic broke straight away.

Dame Storey in action in the 75 km road race that took competitors on three 15km laps on the flat beach front at Pontal before heading for the hilly Grumari circuit

Dame Storey crosses the finish line in first place, more than three minutes ahead of her closest rival

'I got the (two-rider) breakaway back pretty quick and I was time-trialling away, looking at the power, making sure I kept it higher than I knew the chase could manage.

'(I) kept pushing up that first steeper climb, took the descent pretty hard and then kept time-trialling.'

Storey's win followed her day one triumph in the 3km individual pursuit - a win which saw her overtake wheelchair racer Tanni Grey-Thompson as Britain's most decorated female Paralympian - and the road time-trial last Wednesday.

Storey, who won four gold medals from four events at London 2012, rode away from the field to win the road race four years ago at Brands Hatch.

She was pleased officials revised the initial course after fearing the Rio route would be just along the beach front.

Britain are now five gold medals short of their haul of 65 from the Seoul Paralympics 28 years ago.

Only the tally of 107 golds from the New York/Stoke Mandeville Games of 1984 seems beyond this team.

One caveat in the medal count is that the Russian team is absent, banned by the International Paralympic Committee for state-sponsored doping. Russia finished second in the London 2012 medal table, behind China and one place ahead of Britain.

Dame Storey with her medal, the third she's won in this Paralympics and the 14th of her career

China lead the medal standings, but Britain's advantage over a chasing pack led by Ukraine appears unassailable.

Storey, at her seventh Paralympics, is well-placed to appraise the British performance after four Games as a swimmer and now three on the bike.

'When you think back to Seoul, it's kind of thought to be the first Paralympics of the modern era, but you still had way more classifications out there,' she added.

'When you think we won 65 medals there like that, this makes this team incredible.

'And okay, people keep talking about the fact Russia aren't here, but we've been making world record performances, we've been going quicker and faster than we did previously.
Tammi got to see children for first time in month after pleading guilty

The parents of a seven-year-old boy who tried to sell his stuffed animal on the street in order to eat for the first time in days have pleaded guilty to child endangerment.

Michael and Tammi Bethel were arrested in August after a police officer found their son in front of a drug store in Franklin, Ohio.

When authorities arrived at the Bethel home, they found it was covered with garbage, cat urine and liquor bottles.

The couple each face up to six months in jail and will be sentenced in two weeks.

Tammi Bethel (pictured with her five children) and husband Michael have pleaded guilty to child endangerment after police found their youngest son begging for food

The seven-year-old boy was outside a drug store, trying to sell his stuffed animal (pictured) to obtain money he could use to purchase food because he hadn't eaten in several days

Tammi and Michael Bethel made headlines when police officer Steve Dunham found their son and took him to a nearby Subway to get him something to eat on August 7.

'It broke my heart,' Dunham told WLWT at the time.

Officer Steve Dunham found the boy and took him to Subway, where they had dinner together

'He told me he was trying to sell his stuffed animal to get money for food because he hadn't eaten in several days.'

Dunham said he and the boy 'said a little prayer and ate dinner together' at the Subway across the street before he brought the child back to the police department.

Meanwhile, officers Amanda Myers and Kyle O'Neal dropped by his home to find rotten food, 'a large amount of bugs' and squalid living conditions, according to an initial report cited by the Hamilton Journal News.

The couple later admitted to police they did not realize their son, the youngest of five, was missing.

In alarming photographs of the home, a casserole dish sits on top of the oven with leftover food still inside while every other surface of the kitchen appears to be littered with containers.

Pictures inside the fridge showed it was largely empty with puddles of brown liquid accumulating inside the door.

At the time Tammi insisted nothing was amiss, writing on Facebook that her children created a mess, but were well-clothed with 'fresh kicks'.

'They are not babies,' she wrote in a comment on the Franklin Police Department's Facebook post about the incident.

'The cops had to force them to take [the food] saying don't waste it. And my son has always had fresh kicks!'

'As a matter of fact I bought all of them Steph Currys at the beginning of summer,' she continued in the rant.

Two others officers then stopped by Michael (left) and Tammi's (right) home and found it was covered with garbage, cat urine and liquor bottles

In alarming photographs of the home, a casserole dish sits on top of the oven with leftover food still inside while every other surface of the kitchen appears to be littered with containers

Pictures inside the fridge showed it was largely empty with puddles of brown liquid accumulating inside the door

At the time Tammi insisted nothing was amiss, writing on Facebook that her children created a mess, but were well-clothed with 'fresh kicks'

'Wth is wrong with being barefoot in the summer time? I know tons of ppl that go barefoot and it hasn't killed them yet.'

Tammi also claimed that police had merely popped into her home on the 'wrong day' and that she hadn't had a chance to 'clean the mess that all them kids had made'.

'I can also post pictures that I randomly took from January to August and it shows my house clean,' she wrote.

'BTW my kids didn't even eat the food that the cops brought them because they had just ate.'

Tammi posted this picture after she was allowed to see her children for the first time in over a month after pleading guilty Friday

'Another BTW I could throw a rock from my house and hit CVS where my son was at. He goes down there all the time with his brothers.'

The couple's defense attorney has since said that Tammi has a 'few health concerns' that 'led to the condition of the house'.

'That also is the reason she pled guilty,' defense attorney David Chicarelli told WLWT.

'You can't explain away the phtoos and that's not what she was trying to do, but I think this is going to be a really big time in her life and that she's going to be able to move forward.'

'I think this was the catalyst that she needed.'

The couple's five children, aged seven, 11, 12, 15, and 17, were removed from the home by Warren County Children Services following the incident.

A judge initially barred Tammi and Michael from seeing the children, who were placed under the care of relatives.

But on Friday a judge lifted the protection order. The Bethels will now be allowed to see their children two hours a week during supervised visits.

Chicarelli said there is now more food in the house for the children and Tammi Bethel has purchased new clothes for them to wear.

'The goal,' he said, 'is obviously for her to have the children back.'
Cleared: Pauline Cafferkey, who had volunteered to help fight ebola in Sierra Leone, says she was 'hung out to dry' by her accusers

When nurse Pauline Cafferkey selflessly volunteered to help fight ebola in Sierra Leone, she nearly paid the ultimate price.

Struck down by the terrifying and deadly virus, she now faces a lifetime of health issues.

And to add insult to injury, she was callously accused of risking the lives of thousands by deliberately covering up her symptoms.

She was publicly accused of trying to conceal her temperature and acting in a reckless manner by leaving the Public Health England screening area at Heathrow without permission and bringing the nursing profession into disrepute.

Now, after being cleared of wrongdoing, Miss Cafferkey, 40, has hit back at her accusers, claiming that she was hung out to dry to cover up their failures.

In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, she reveals:

- Health watchdog Public Health England struggled to cope with large numbers of returning medics, and did not have enough screening kits;

- Doctors and nurses were told to take each others temperatures, in breach of PHEs own rules;

- When she alerted them to her elevated temperature, PHE staff couldnt contact experts  because they had the wrong phone number;

- She was cleared to fly before officials sought the opinion of an infectious diseases specialist;

- Despite nearly dying twice from a virus that kills half of its victims, she was ruthlessly scapegoated.

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Miss Cafferkey, 40, was publicly accused of trying to conceal her temperature and acting in a reckless manner by leaving the Public Health England screening area at Heathrow without permission and bringing the nursing profession into disrepute. (Above, she is loaded onto a plane at Glasgow airport)

Last week, after an 18-month investigation and a two-day hearing, Miss Cafferkey was finally cleared of all wrongdoing by her professional body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Now, free to speak of her ordeal for the first time, she told this newspaper: I went out there to help save lives but I came back to a system that failed. I was made a scapegoat for a catalogue of errors.

PHE were entirely responsible. They, not me, put public lives at risk by allowing me to fly before they had an opinion from an infectious diseases official.

She added: Its been awful being thought of as dishonest. Its like my reputation had been destroyed, even though I knew I had done nothing wrong.

I feel tremendous relief that I can finally talk about it and that Ive been believed. For a long time, I felt guilty about having walked out of the screening area. In my mind, I really thought I was to blame for something that could have put the public at risk.

In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Miss Cafferkey (pictured) reveals that health watchdog Public Health England struggled to cope with large numbers of returning medics, and did not have enough screening kits

But as the investigation went on, and I started reading other peoples statements, I realised that, no, it was a catalogue of errors by PHE that brought us all to this. They put the public at risk when their job was to protect the public.

Chaotic scenes greeted Miss Cafferkey at Heathrow  Europes busiest airport  when she arrived in December 2014 after six weeks nursing ebola sufferers in the West African country.

The NMC hearing heard that the Heathrow unit had not been prepared for a large influx of passengers from Sierra Leone and the screening area was busy, disorganised and even chaotic.

Each of the 50-strong group of NHS doctors and nurses was given a port-of-entry ebola health assessment form, on which their temperature and other information was to be recorded by medical staff.

Miss Cafferkey, who had been working at the Save The Children centre outside Sierra Leones capital, Freetown, said: I would like to say something positive about the screening unit but I cant. They were not prepared. There werent enough screening kits.

It was hot, busy and disorganised. Everyone was just walking past us while we waited. We were fanning ourselves with our forms.

Finally, one of the PHE screening staff took us to a small room and told us we could take each others temperatures.

Miss Cafferkey, who had been working at the Save The Children centre outside Sierra Leones capital, Freetown, said: I would like to say something positive about the screening unit but I cant. They were not prepared... It was hot, busy and disorganised'

I feel sorry for her now because that was against procedures, but thats what happened. We didnt just decide to do it ourselves without someone telling us to.

A doctor in the group took Miss Cafferkeys temperature twice and found it to be 38.2C, then 38.3C. Any temperature above 37.5C is considered to be elevated and should be reported to a consultant for further assessment.

Miss Cafferkey, who was feeling fine at that stage, was shocked when her colleague said: Youve got a fever.

Ive no idea if any of the Public Health England workers faced an internal investigation but I hope they did because they deserve to

She said: My jaw dropped in surprise. I just automatically reached for the paracetamol in my bag without thinking. I dont know why I didnt think it could be a sign of anything worse but I honestly didnt.

'Id slept on the plane, exhausted by the night shift Id just done. I thought I felt fine but I clearly wasnt. I thought if it was anything, it might be linked to malaria or typhoid infection, both rife out there, but ebola was way down my list.

She added: I didnt know another member of the group recorded my temperature on the form as 37.2C. I just heard someone say, Lets get out of here and well sort it out. I followed the others to security, thinking thats what we would do.

Miss Cafferkey, who faced being struck off if found guilty, was accused of allowing the incorrect temperature to be recorded in the screening unit on December 28, 2014. She was also charged with leaving the unit without reporting her true temperature, and with taking paracetamol, that would have lowered her temperature.

It was claimed her actions had potentially put the public at risk and jeopardised the reputation of her profession, rendering her unfit to practice.

She was cleared last Wednesday after an independent panel at the hearing in Edinburgh ruled she was in a diminished medical state and merely swept along with events. It found no attempt to mislead PHE doctors.

But the case prompted stinging criticism of PHE for raising the complaint against her, and of the NMC for treating it seriously.

It is understood that both colleagues who recorded Miss Cafferkeys details in the unit are facing separate disciplinary hearings  something that angers her.

She said: There were so many system errors. A complete catalogue of them from start to finish  nothing to do with any of us. Ive no idea if any of the PHE workers faced an internal investigation but I hope they did because they deserve to.

Health workers from Sierra Leone's Red Cross Society Burial Team 7 carry a corpse out of a house in Freetown

She recalled how after leaving the screening unit, her group passed through security and found themselves in international arrivals before reconvening to discuss Miss Cafferkeys temperature.

One medic urged her to call the Health Protection Agency, the response centre for infectious diseases. She did and they told her they would get in contact with the PHE and send someone through from the screening unit to take her back to it. She was then escorted back through to the unit by a PHE official.

Ive been very open with the investigating authorities from the start, she said. Im sorry I left the screening area and Im still not sure why I did. But I think I was already not thinking straight because of the ebola in my system.

Miss Cafferkey claims that after voluntarily returning to the unit, she told staff shed taken paracetamol, which lowered her temperature  but it fell on deaf ears.

She saw a PHE consultant who took her temperature and noted it was elevated. Miss Cafferkey recalls telling her of the higher reading recorded by her colleague, but was not asked by the doctor if she had taken any medication.

I dont know what I would do if I wasnt a nurse. Its all Ive ever wanted to be

Miss Cafferkey said: I told everyone when I returned to the unit that Id taken paracetamol which is why I was stunned to find later I was accused of trying to conceal the fact. I was also aware there were attempts to reach infectious disease specialists but it turns out the staff had the wrong number, so didnt get through.

Instead, I was told after a while: Its fine, you can make your flight. I feel let down that they knew I had a fever yet they failed to protect me. I think theyve been pretty irresponsible. They didnt do their jobs properly.

Imagine when they found out the next day that the nurse theyd allowed to leave, had actually been suffering from ebola?

I should have been sent to the infectious diseases unit from Heathrow  not allowed to get on a plane to Glasgow. The minute they let me fly, they (PHE) put the health of the public at risk. Not me. I feel very bitter that this has been turned around on me and Im the one theyve tried to make a scapegoat for their failings.

The following day, Miss Cafferkey was diagnosed with ebola, with one of the highest viral loads recorded.

A nationwide alert was triggered that would lead to her evacuation by military aircraft in an isolation tent to the specialist unit for highly infectious patients at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, North London, where she spent a month fighting for her life.

Miss Cafferkey made what was believed to be a full recovery and even appeared at the Pride Of Britain awards last September in relation to her work saving lives of patients in Sierra Leone.

But days later she became critically ill from meningitis triggered by the virus in her spinal fluid and was re-admitted to the Royal Free. She was admitted to the hospital for a third time in February following further complications.

At last weeks hearing, Miss Cafferkeys lawyer successfully argued that an isolated incident of poor judgment brought about by extreme exhaustion and the early stages of ebola infection should not be allowed to blight the nurses otherwise impeccable record. After the ruling, the PHE said it supported the judgment of the panel.

Miss Cafferkey has returned to her job as a public health nurse in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, but has to take drugs daily to keep epileptic seizures, spinal swelling, nerve pain and body aches at bay.

She said last night: I dont know what I would do if I wasnt a nurse. Its all Ive ever wanted to be. Its just everything to me. Its such a privileged job to be in.

A PHE spokesman said of Miss Cafferkeys comments last night: There is an agreed version of facts between the NMC and Pauline Cafferkey and her representatives and this description goes beyond these.
His groundbreaking theory of evolution transformed the way we view the natural world and prompted endless debate.

And Charles Darwin is still dividing opinion from beyond the grave - especially over whether the figure in this eye scan bears a resemblance to the great scientist.

Ophthalmic technician Christopher McCleary spotted the image when carrying out a scan at Liverpool's Aintree Hospital and believes it looks like the father of evolution.

An image of Charles Darwin (right) has been spotted in patient's eye scan (left) by ophthalmic technician Christopher McCleary

'This was a fantastic example of pareidolia, where our minds make us see a familiar shape when it doesn't actually exist,' he told Liverpool Echo.

'Given the number of religious figures who feature in media reports of pareidolia, we thought that it was very appropriate that our high-tech scanning equipment found one of history's most important scientists.'

With a prominent nose and a bushy beard, the ghostly silhouette is an uncanny likeness of Darwin.

The picture shows blood vessels in the back of the patients eye, taken with an OCT scanner that uses light at different wavelengths to produce multiple images.

With a prominent nose and a bushy beard, the ghostly silhouette is an uncanny likeness of Darwin

Mr McCleary said the patient was happy for the image to be shared because it is so rare.

Darwin's seminal 1859 text On The Origin Of Species rocked the sedate world of Victorian science by questioning long held beliefs about human evolution.

His book was the culmination of evidence he had collected on a five-year voyage around the world in the 1830s.

He then expanded on his fieldwork through continuing investigations and experiments on his return.

At the time of its publication most Europeans believed that the world was created by God in seven days as described in the Bible.

But On The Origin Of Species introduced the theory that populations evolved over the course of generations through a process of natural selection.

When Darwin's skeptics attack his theory of evolution, they often focus on the eye.
An inquest ruled that Zane Gbangbola, pictured, seven, died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty pump at his home in Surrey

It is hard to imagine that anything could deepen the agony of grieving parents after the sudden death of a young child.

But after losing their seven-year-old son Zane, Nicole and Kye Gbangbola learnt to their horror that they were being blamed for his death by the authorities for using a petrol pump emitting toxic carbon monoxide to clear water from their flooded home.

Yet the couple from Surrey insisted there was a very different explanation for the tragedy: the hydrogen cyanide firemen had detected inside the house.

For two years they battled to establish the truth  only to be left devastated when earlier this month a coroner found the pump was to blame.

But now the parents have been given new hope, after Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham launched an outspoken attack on the inquest  branding it seriously flawed.

Accusing the coroner of failing to call key witnesses, Mr Burnham said there had been an obvious attempt to discredit the grief-stricken couple, who deny using the pump.

He is now demanding an independent review of the case, similar to the one for which he long campaigned for for the Hillsborough families.

This was a flawed inquest, Mr Burnham told The Mail on Sunday. Justice has not been served in this case.

Floodwater rose around the outside of the familys riverside home in Chertsey, Surrey, during the storms that battered Britain in February 2014.

Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham, right, pictured with Zane's parents Kye Gbangbola and Nicole Lawler, has since attacked the 'seriously flawed inquest'

The inquest said a petrol pump used to clear floodwater leaked toxic fumes which led to Zane's parents being blamed for his death

Backed by compelling evidence, Nicole, 39, and 50-year-old Kye have always believed the floodwater in their home was contaminated by toxic hydrogen cyanide from a former unregulated landfill site.

They argue it was this, not carbon monoxide, that killed Zane.

Since his death the couple, both environmental experts, claim to have encountered bureaucratic secrecy and failings at every turn, with vital evidence and witnesses ignored.

And they described the verdict of senior Surrey coroner Richard Travers  who accused the Church-going couple of providing inaccurate information while under oath  as a devastating final insult.

Today, The Mail on Sunday can reveal the key points that cast serious doubt on the inquest ruling:

The coroner ruled that Zane had a carbon monoxide level of eight per cent in his blood when he died  but experts say death from poisoning normally occurs only at 30 per cent or above;

Neighbours living 20 yards away never heard the petrol pump that the coroner insists was used for six hours  even though it makes a noise equivalent in decibels to a speeding express train;

Firefighters detected a lethal level of cyanide in the house but found no carbon monoxide;

Blood samples were not taken until three days after Zanes death  by which time experts say cyanide gas would have left his body;

Vital evidence, including minutes of an emergency Cobra meeting, was withheld from the inquest.

From the outset, Zanes parents say they were repeatedly stymied by officialdom.

And shockingly, they were forced by the coroner to sign a gagging order threatening them with imprisonment if they shared or published recordings of the inquest hearings.

The move was blasted last night by former Crown Prosecution chief, Sir Keir Starmer, who said: Open justice is a key legal principle in our country.

The couple, pictured outside the inquest, believe their son died from traces of cyanide in the floodwater that were detected by firemen

'To prohibit Mr and Mrs Gbangbola from using a recording of proceedings which were open to the public is unjustifiable. They have already suffered enough.

The grieving couples concerns over the landfill site have been rejected for the past two-and-a-half years by the Environment Agency and the local authority, Spelthorne Borough Council. Both hired top barristers to represent them in court.

But Zanes parents were denied legal aid and were only able to fight their case because they raised 70,000 in donations from the public.

Back in February 2014, their Edwardian riverside home was one of many in the Chertsey area ravaged by floods.

The couple cleared water from their basement with five electric pumps and only hired a petrol pump as back-up because they feared the storm might cause a power cut.

Apart from testing it for a few minutes, they say they didnt need to use it.

However, the coroner ruled that it was in fact switched on for six hours between 12.30pm and 6.30pm  based on notes made by a doctor who held a consultation with the couple two weeks after Zane died.

Zanes parents insist the medic was mistaken and say they told him they had used their electric  not the petrol  pumps for six hours.

And they ask that if they had used it, why is it that a pet dog and hamster, who were downstairs all afternoon, were completely unharmed?

Zanes lifeless body was found in bed by his distraught mother at 3.17am on February 8, 2014.

His father Kye was found by paramedics in cardiac arrest in the next room. He survived but has been left paralysed in a wheelchair.

Hospital medics informed Kye within hours of the tragedy that firefighters had detected hydrogen cyanide gas in their home, at levels which can be fatal in 15 minutes.

ANDY BURNHAM: WHY WAS THE FAMILY DENIED LEGAL AID? Comment by Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary: I first met Zanes family at a meeting in Westminster following the historic inquest earlier this year which finally delivered justice after 27 years for the families of those who died at Hillsborough. I wanted MPs to confront a simple question: what changes to the law did we need to make inquests fairer for the bereaved? We heard how families had been denied legal aid and were forced to spend their life savings and even borrow large sums in the quest for the truth. In the questions at the end, a woman told Margaret Aspinall, the leading campaigner whose son James died at Hillsborough: The injustice you faced is still happening today. My sons inquest is due to start in a few weeks. 'Public bodies are involved and they have got QCs to represent. But we have been denied legal aid. Mr Burnham wants an end to families feeling like they are 'on trial' at inquests Straight away, I saw in Nicole Gbangbola the same dignified determination that was the hallmark of the Hillsborough families. A few days later, I met Nicole and Kye and heard about the tragic death of Zane. My alarm bells started ringing. Given that so many public bodies were involved, how could this family have been denied legal aid? But worse was to come at the inquest. Witnesses crucial to the familys case were simply not called. Evidence relating to the familys concerns about cyanide from a local landfill was ruled out. One of the QCs even admitted in open court that his aim was to discredit the family. I am not in a position to say what the truth about this case is. But once again an inquest leaves a bereaved family feeling like it was they who were on trial. The sad fact is that, in 2016, bereaved families are no better protected than the Hillsborough families in 1990. As a result, new injustices are being created all the time. Thats why I am campaigning for the proposed new Hillsborough Law. This would compel public officials, and their QCs, to be truthful and open at inquiries. And it would guarantee equal legal funding when bereaved families are up against the state. Later this year I will invite the Gbangbolas to Parliament to speak in support of this law. I want the British Establishment to hear the impassioned call of these decent, ordinary people: Stop putting us on trial. Advertisement

This was later confirmed at Zanes inquest by fire officers. But the coroner would rule that a single reading for hydrogen cyanide was insufficient and ruled carbon monoxide was to blame.

Zane did have carbon monoxide levels of eight per cent in his red blood cells.

Enough, according to the coroner, to kill him. But experts strongly disagree.

The level of carbon monoxide found in Zane Gbangbolas system is incredibly low compared with other deaths, said Stephanie Trotter, president of the Carbon Monoxide and Gas Safety Society.

She checked records of carbon monoxide deaths going back to 1995 and couldnt find a single case with a level that low.

Professor Jim Bridges, an internationally respected toxicologist, told the inquest that 30 per cent or above usually causes death.

But the coroner decided to rely on another medical expert hired by Spelthorne Borough Council, who claimed deaths can occur at just three per cent.

Experts told the inquest heavy flooding could have disturbed deadly gases from historic waste dumped at the landfill site decades ago.

An entry in Nicoles medical notes from February 8, 2014 says: [Health protection practitioner] called to advise we need to ensure patient does not return to her home.

Check hydrogen cyanide levels in blood as HPA [Health Protection Agency] identified small pockets of hydrogen cyanide at home.

Remarkably, the coroner did not call a single witness from the Health Protection Agency (now known as Public Health England) to give evidence at the inquest.

Zane's parents called the inquest a 'miscarriage of justice' while Mr Burnham has called for an independent review

The inquest heard cyanide gas was found in the house, pictured, but carbon monoxide wasn't

In his ruling, the coroner ultimately dismissed cyanide as a cause of Zanes death because laboratory tests of his blood and liver tissue came back normal.

But the inquest heard the samples were not taken from Zanes body until three days after his death  and were not tested until three months later.

A report by Dr Norman Parker, a consultant haematologist and medical director, said cyanide leaves the body within hours of death.

Zanes mother Nicole said: We are devastated with the coroners verdict. We were expecting a full and fearless investigation.

'But instead what we got was a miscarriage of justice where any evidence of hydrogen cyanide was marginalised and anything that supported the petrol pump theory was magnified.

'We have been made out to be liars and responsible for killing Zane. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Tim Farron accidentally blasted NWA's F*** the Police out at a constituency meeting after his kids set the track as his mobile ring tone, the Lib Dem leader revealed tonight.

In an effort to set a positive tone for the Liberal Democrat party faithful 18 months after devastating defeat and being on the losing side of the referendum, Mr Farron delivered a rally address heaving with jokes.

The party leader ribbed George Osborne for being like Darth Vadar, teased Emily Thornberry over not knowing who the French foreign minister was and claimed the appointment of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary shows the 'Britain has lost its marbles'.

Mr Farron used the speech to assure his party members he continued to believe in Britain being an EU member and insisted the party matters 'more than ever' despite being reduced to a rump of just eight MPs

Tim Farron made a light hearted start to the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton, packing a speech to an activist rally with jokes

And he claimed the civil war in the Labour Party left a gap in British politics for the Liberal Democrats to seize the mantle of being a pro-European opposition to Brexit politics.

Mr Farron's speech came at the traditional rally to mark the start of the Liberal Democrat autumn conference, which got underway in Brighton today.

The West Morland MP started his comic routine by telling activists about how he took part in a regular feature by music website the Ram album club to get public figures to review a classic album they had never heard before.

The challenge left Mr Farron with Straight Outta Compton by NWA, he said.

He continued: 'It is deservedly considered a classic, but it is a bit sweary! And much as I admire Dr Dre, Eazy E and Ice Cube, I should point out that the Liberal Democrats take a marginally different view to them on law and order.

'Anyhow, this album did cause an incident. You see, the album was downloaded to my phone fair enough but my kids had been mucking about with my phone one morning and had apparently linked my ring tone with my iTunes.

'And, so, later that day there I was in a meeting with the chief executive of the local NHS trust, when my phone went off and we were all treated to a quick burst of F*** tha police!

'Which was lovely. Almost a pity that I wasnt due to meet the chief constable until later that afternoon.'

The Liberal Democrat leader also used the speech to fire up the party faithful with a call to keep fighting to keep Britain inside the EU despite the Brexit vote

Mr Farron also took the opportunity to note he had been compared to Canada's liberal prime minister Justine Trudeau

He added: 'Although if you believe the Daily Telegraph, apparently it might be George Osborne.

'George says that in the Tory party he would stand up for the liberal mainstream majority? Ill tell you what, Theresa Mays Government must be pretty right wing if George Osborne is now the liberal wing!

'It is a bit like Darth Vader saying hes standing up for hard-working Jedis.'

Turning to Mrs May's Brexit ministers, Mr Farron slammed Liam Fox for remarks about how British business people are 'fat and lazy'.

He gagged: 'I wonder how likely youd be to give money to a party that publicly slagged you off for being fat and lazy?

'Actually, apparently there are some people who do pay good money for that sort of thing, but now that Im leader Im not allowed to make jokes about all that'

Liberal Democrat activists trooped to Brighton today for the autumn party conference after what officials believe to be the biggest surge in membership in the party's history since the referendum

Mr Farron ended his remarks to tell new members they had been right to join the Liberal Democrats in the weeks after the Brexit vote.

He said the vote of the British people in June 23 was 'the most catastrophic decision this country has ever taken'.

And he told delegates: 'Were here to make a difference, were here to win. This party stands stronger, larger, determined, relevant, in the right place in the right space at the right time.

'Just when Britain needed an opposition that will speak out for an open, tolerant united country just when Britain needed a movement that will challenge this Tory Brexit government, just when liberals in other parties are desperate for a home where they can make a difference, the Liberal Democrats are back and we matter more than ever.'
An influential group of Eastern European countries will veto any Brexit deal that diminishes the rights of their citizens who live and work in Britain.

The Visegrad Four (V4) - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - want a guarantee that their nationals 'are equal' before agreeing to any Brexit deal.

Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, said: 'Unless we feel a guarantee that these people are equal, we will veto any agreement between the EU and Britain.'

Roberto Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, (pictured left next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel) was speaking on behalf of the Visegrad Four, which also represents Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic

Theresa May has so far refused to guarantee the status of EU nationals in the UK.

But the Prime Minister insisted she wants them to stay after Brexit - if the rights of Britons overseas are respected.

Mr Fico added: 'V4 countries will be uncompromising.

'Unless we feel a guarantee that these people (living and working in Britain) are equal, we will veto any agreement between the EU and Britain.

'I think Britain knows this is an issue for us where there's no room for compromise.'

EU officials on Friday also underlined that there could be no granting Britain access to the EU's single market unless London accepts the freedom of movement of workers that lies at the heart of European Union accords.

Mr Fico reiterated that he was opposed to any 'cherry-picking' in negotiations, saying EU freedoms must remain.

Mr Fico added: 'V4 countries will be uncompromising'

His comments come after Downing Street poured cold water on claims that Mrs May told one of Brussels' most senior figures that she wants to trigger the formal process to pull Britain out of the EU early next year.

European Council president Donald Tusk said the Prime Minister told him during talks at Number 10 last week it was 'quite likely' she would be ready to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty 'maybe in January, maybe in February' 2017.

But a Downing Street source said Mrs May did not specifically mention January or February at the meeting and that Mr Tusk's comments were an 'interpretation' of their conversation.

The PM 'recognises the need to deliver on the public verdict without delay', the source added.

Formal negotiations between the UK and the EU cannot begin until she starts the two-year process, which Brexit Secretary David Davis has insisted will be triggered without a parliamentary vote.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon vowed to block any proposals for an EU army while Britain remains a member of the union, in a move likely to anger European leaders.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker raised the prospect of an 'EU army' in his state of the union address on Wednesday

In his state of the union address on Wednesday, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker called for EU countries 'to pool their defence capabilities in the form of a permanent structured co-operation', and proposed a European Defence Fund by the end of the year.

But Sir Michael said the UK would veto plans for any EU army that may rival Nato, as long as the country remained a member of the union.

'That is not going to happen,' he told The Times. 'We are full members of the EU and we will go on resisting any attempt to set up a rival to Nato.

Prime Minister Theresa May has so far refused to guarantee the status of EU nationals in the UK, but insisted she wants them to stay after Brexit

'We have always been concerned about unnecessarily duplicating what we already have in Nato.'

But former Liberal Democrat leader Lord (Menzies) Campbell said there was nothing the UK can do after Brexit to protect Nato from the potentially damaging effect of an EU army because it will not be able to veto its creation from outside the union.

The peer, who is a member of the UK parliamentary delegation to the Nato Assembly, said: 'Even as a fervent European, I regard the creation of a European army as a deeply damaging, long-term threat to Nato.

'The cornerstone of European defence is Nato, of which the United States is the most senior partner, contributing 75% of the budget of the alliance.

'The creation of a European army will only encourage isolationists in the United States to argue that Europe should be responsible for its own defence.
A pair of Syrian refugees who allegedly paid a crew member working on a cargo ship 3,845 to get them into Spain were kidnapped and locked on board for three days.

The vessel was transporting cows from Lebanon and the men, who said they were brothers-in-law, gave the cash to a 30-year-old man so he could hide them on the ship.

But as the boat was on its way to Spain, the captain of the cargo ship noticed the migrants but decided to keep them on board until it returned to Lebanon.

He refused to let the men, aged 29 and 30 - who were not carrying any luggage - to disembark illegally into the EU.

The ship was stopped by the Italian Guardia Costiera as it passed Portopalo, near Sicily

And instead of alerting the authorities, the captain locked them in a berth for three days.

The two refugees only had a toothbrush and a t-shirt, but it has now emerged that they were also carrying a secret mobile phone.

And after being held on board, they used the phone to send an SOS to the Italian authorities.

The ship was then stopped by the Italian Guardia Costiera as it passed Portopalo, near Sicily, and officers quickly rescued the refugees.

The crew member who allegedly received the payment from the men is now in custody and was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigration.

Gianluca D'Agostino, commander of the Guardia Costiera's boat Diciotti, led the operation and said the captain denied having any passengers on board.

He said: 'When we arrived close to the cargo ship, the captain denied having any passengers on board.

'But a crew member who was standing on the stern of the ship, gestured the act of making a telephone call, confirming that something wrong was taking place.

'Then we found the two refugees, hidden in with the cargo. The smell of the cows was very strong but they were both OK.'

The two men, who only spoke Arabic, said 'we are brothers-in-law' to interpreters after they were rescued.

Their plan was to avoid the risk of dangerously crossing the Mediterranean Sea so they opted to go on the cargo ship from Beirut in order to get to Tarragona, near Barcelona.

The crew member on board the vessel (left) who received the payment was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigration

They wanted to enter the EU and then to continue their journey to Scandinavia where their families were already living.

The Carabinieri in Portopalo arrested the crew member, who is now in the prison of Syracuse.

He allegedly said it was the first time he had been a trafficker but the Italian authorities are still investigating the claims.

The captain was reported but he was able to continue his route to Lebanon.

The migrants are now in Augusta, Sicily, in a dedicated location for refugees.
The Ohio serial killer discovered when a kidnapped woman dialed 911 has led police to a fourth body his mother has told DailyMail.com.

In an exclusive interview Theresa McFarland disclosed that law enforcement visited her at her Ashland home yesterday to inform her that her son, Shawn Grate, 40, had admitted to killing a woman in nearby Marion.

The revelation brings Grates body count to four women across three Ohio counties - Ashland, Richland and Marion  and according to Mrs McFarlane there may be more.

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Shawn Grate's mom Theresa McFarland is pictured above at her home in Ashland, Ohio, where she spoke exclusively with DailyMail.com

Shawn Grate, 40, had admitted to killing a fourth woman in nearby Marion. His mother said he led police to a fourth body

She said: They came over and talked to us yesterday to tell us there was another one in Marion. He said he did it because I was upset with her. They thought maybe I would remember her but I couldnt place her.

I dont think its anybody he knew. Its just like those girls in Ashland I know he didnt know them but he may know that one girl who he had captive.

None of it makes sense and there may be more. When people go on rages like thatyou look at people like Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer and you look at all the malfunctions of the brain and it doesnt make sense but it happens. The Devil reigns.

Dahmer, known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, killed 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

Bundy confessed to killing 30 people in seven states between 1974 and 1978 and was regarded as handsome and charismatic by many of his female victims.

Grate's mom compared her son to Ted Bundy, pictured left, and Jeffery Dahmer, seen right

Shawn Grate (pictured), 40, now faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Griffith and 43-year-old Stacey Stanley. He's being held on $1 million bond

Speaking of her son she said: Yes hes good looking but the Devils good looking too. He aint no red horns and all that stuff. You find out hes charming and of course that charm can charm the pants off anybody, not to be nasty, but you just know how it works.

Mrs McFarland, 63, described herself as heartbroken but said she couldnt doubt her sons guilt when he had led officers to the bodies himself.

Grate is scheduled to appear in court in Ashland on Monday for a competency hearing after being charged Friday with kidnap and murder.

Officers who rescued the alleged kidnap victim from an Ashland house found the bodies of two women in it and an adjoining property. Two of the bodies have been identified as Elizabeth Griffith, 29, and Stacey Stanley, 43.

Victims: Stacey Stanley (right) and Elizabeth Griffin (left) have both been named as two of Grate's victims

He has yet to be charged in connection with the body found in nearby Mansfield, some 40 minutes drive away in Richland County and police have yet to make any announcement regarding the Marion discovery.

Mrs McFarland said she had not spoken to her son or had any contact with him for more than three years.

She said: Hes been estranged from the family for more than three years. I wanted to go to the arraignment on Friday but I dont know if Im strong enough yet to handle it.

Led away: Shawn Grate in Ashland Police custody after he led officers to the bodies of three women in Ashland and in Mansfield. He has confessed to one murder already, prosecutors say

Clearly emotional she continued: I didnt know it went back so far. I guess I can say Im just glad that hes got a conscience and now hes stopped. Its too bad its too late for the victims. Its just so very sad and Im praying for them and their families. Im praying for him too.

Its shocking because I love him and I know he loves me too but his love is a twisted love.

She admitted that Grate had always been headstrong and had a need for control.

She said: You couldnt live with him. You try to help him and the next thing hes running your life. Hes not working and you think, Why dont you want to go to work? Youve got to go to work to make a living. Thats our society.

According to Mrs McFarland she and the rest of Grates family are reeling from the recent deluge of revelations and fearful of what may come next.

She said that none can begin to make sense of what has happened saying Shawn is the only one who has all the answers, but she said that drugs were to blame for some of her sons descent.

She said: I dont know what drugs he was doing but after he came out of prison he was changed. They took his mind.

Police execute a search warrant on a home in Ashland, Ohio, where they found the kidnapped woman and two bodies

We all love him and tried to help him but you can only do so much. It has to come both ways. And I know he knows, he was taught, right from wrong. It isnt as if he didnt know he just chose to do what he wanted to do in the moment.

Right now she said: It feels like a nightmare. I pray for the families. Its like a death to me too and I have to grieve.
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As armed police poured into his house in a suburb of Nairobi at 2am, Jack Marrian realised with mounting horror the danger he faced.

For years this scion of Scottish aristocracy had lived as a hard-working professional, his existence far removed from the scandal of Kenyas White Mischief set.

But suddenly the 31-year-old faced the prospect of being thrown into jail for life, accused of hiding cocaine worth millions of pounds in a shipment of sugar for the commodities trading company of which he is a director  a charge he vigorously denies in a world exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday.

Speaking out: Jack Marrian yesterday

Speaking in detail for the first time since his arrest in July, Mr Marrian has described the nightmare of being the fall guy for a global criminal network which hid the drugs in his firms shipping containers  an assertion backed up by police sources in Europe and the US.

It is a nightmare in which he was strong-armed by police and taken away in the middle of the night for what he believed was questioning, only to be arrested and charged.

His protestations of innocence have fallen on deaf ears. Instead the Kenyan authorities have kept him in the most brutal conditions, in crowded cells where he has feared for his life, and where he has met prisoners lost for months and years in the justice system awaiting trial.

Now, out on bail before his trial next month, his future is perilous but he is quietly adamant he must be cleared of all charges. Despite the prosecution taking swift action in charging me and taking me into custody, I know there is no question. I am innocent, he says. There is no possibility of proving me guilty.

Educated at Marlborough College and Bristol University, the sugar trader had experienced nothing to prepare him for a crowded concrete jail cell with no windows, where he dreaded the violence that might be dealt out by inmates.

His ordeal began at the end of July when Kenyan police and US Drug Enforcement Agency officers found 4.5 million worth of cocaine packaged in dozens of polythene-wrapped bricks hidden among bags of sugar destined for Mr Marrians company, Kenyan importer Mshale Commodities, a subsidiary of London-based ED&F Man for which he has worked for seven years.

The shipment to the port of Mombasa had originally come from Brazil and then docked in Valencia, where Spanish police provided the tip to their counterparts in Africa, which led to the high-profile bust on a Friday night in July.

At the time, Mr Marrian  whose ancestral home is Cawdor Castle in Scotland  was relaxing over dinner with friends when his phone began to ring repeatedly.

He said: I heard the news of the bust. It was obviously something quite serious. But he had no cause to suspect he was about to be drawn into the police investigation, especially given that his firm retained a government-supervised inspector to check their shipments.

I always had full peace of mind, he said. I had full confidence things would turn out all right.

The next morning he put in calls to the shipping company. He was perplexed because the shipment in which the drugs were hidden had arrived earlier than scheduled.

I called to seek some clarity, he said. It didnt make sense. I was expecting sugar from them, but not that day. I didnt expect those containers until the following week. Unknown to Mr Marrian, police believe the early delivery of the shipment is the reason the criminals had failed to unload their drugs in Valencia as they had planned to.

Mr Marrian had little enough concern that in the afternoon he went for a picnic an hour out of town at the edge of the breathtakingly beautiful Rift Valley.

But then just a few hours after hed gone to bed that night he was woken up by the police.

He came down still in his underwear and found officer banging on the windows. They were shouting, If you dont open the door well break in, he said. He asked that only one officer come in, but suddenly police filled the house.

Hidden: Nearly 220lb of cocaine (above) was discovered in one container on board MSC Positano (top)

He said: Everyone came in and milled around, not really searching. One guy grabbed my arm, twisted it and pushed me, running at a car.

We drove off with the other guys in hot pursuit.

He was taken to a police station while frantically calling colleagues, friends and his parents to tell them what had happened.

He said: When I was first taken to the police station, of course it was playing on my mind that I had no idea how things would progress. I worked out my best plan was to co-operate, despite the fact Id been ambushed in my home in the middle of the night.

So I was friendly and helpful and never imagined what would happen next.

Mr Marrians phone was taken away and events took a very different, darker turn.

He said: As my lawyer looked on, unable to do anything for me, I was arrested and marched to the cells, a horror Id never even considered. This is my first brush with the law in my whole life. I have never had so much as a speeding ticket, never been accused of anything, never seen a prison cell.

He was raised in an affluent part of Nairobi from the age of four, the son of David Marrian  an internationally renowned painter  and Lady Emma Campbell, also an artist and the daughter of the sixth Earl of Cawdor.

Spanish police stressed he wouldn't know about the drugs

Educated in Africa at a prep school with Tour de France winner Chris Froome before going to Marlborough, he was hardly prepared for the conditions he now faced.

He was put in a tiny, squalid police cell, so crowded with drunks that there was nowhere to lie down on the concrete floor to sleep.

He was then moved from cell to cell, each time in fear of whom he might find among his fellow inmates and whether they were going to be violent.

Many in fact proved to be friendly, and he jokes that the sense of community was like boarding school.

But still he suffered in his weeks in jail. He said: I felt the loss of autonomy, and the food was wholly inadequate for anyone to survive on. Its horrible.

He said waiting to be granted bail  he was in prison for weeks before he was allowed to leave last month on a surety of 70 million Kenyan shillings (530,000)  was terrifying and stressful.

He came across one Englishman from the Lake District who had come to Kenya to join a girlfriend who had subsequently died of diabetes. The man has been held for 18 months without trial on murder charges and was in a bad way.

Mr Marrian said: While the conditions are some of the worst, the people you are with, the sense of combined suffering and support, is incredible. Two hours every night prisoners would sing.

I was in a cell of 60. There were ten cells in my block.

The drugs were supposed to be retrieved by the gang in Valencia when the containers changed ships for the second leg of their journey, but for some reason this did not happen

Every night they sang, it would resonate through the whole building. At 4am they would sing again, prayer songs.

There were a few Muslims with us, and while they prayed there was complete silence out of respect.

Rather than counting the hours away, Mr Marrian used the time to help those around him with legal documents and preparations for their trial.

He said: Those who couldnt read I would help with their statements.

Now Mr Marrian must prepare for his own trial.

He has explained how an independent agent inspected and sealed the 22 containers on the ship before they left South America. He had no contact or control over four offloaded containers that were subsequently sent ahead to Oman  and in one of which the drugs were found.

The company has no doubt over Mr Marrian. A spokesman for Mr Marrian said: We are confident that Jack will be fully exonerated once the facts are presented.

His lawyers say Mr Marrian is a fall guy and the Kenyan authorities, under pressure to make an arrest, had failed to pursue those who would have had access to the containers during the sea journey.

Police believe the drugs were supposed to have been off-loaded by a gang in Spain that has no connection with Mr Marrian or the man accused alongside him, Roy Mwanthi, a Kenyan clearing agent.

British national Jack Marrian (R), flanked by a police officer, appears in court in Nairobi on August 8

According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, the drugs were loaded in Brazil without the mens knowledge, using a smuggling technique called blind hook or rip-on, rip-off, in which smugglers hide their drugs inside other peoples cargo.

DEA spokesman Melvin Patterson said: The Spanish stressed this was a rip-off load and the recipient of the container would have no knowledge it was being used to transport drugs.

The drugs were supposed to be retrieved by the gang in Valencia when the containers changed ships for the second leg of their journey, but for some reason this did not happen. Mr Marrian said: I had zero understanding of how drugs gangs operate and I still cannot perceive of an internationally organised gang being able to infiltrate and exploit legitimate trade like ours.

Spanish police tried to search the containers, but four, including the one containing the cocaine, had been loaded on to the next ship.

Spanish police sources said: When we received information that the containers could have drugs in them, the ship bound for Mombasa had already left Valencia Port.

We were able to inspect some we had suspicions about, which were still in Valencia Port, but not others. The information we were given was the traffickers had used the Gancho Ciego [blind hook] tactic.

This involves the use of someone elses container to transport an illegal cargo which the company transporting it, the firm or people sending it and those due to receive it dont have any idea of whats inside.

Its one of the most commonly-used techniques among drugs traffickers smuggling drugs by sea and a tactic that is used in South America as well as across Europe.

Traffickers could simulate the use of Gancho Ciego, but by its very definition its a practice the registered suppliers and receivers of goods are in the dark about.

Next month Mr Marrian will deny the charges against him in a court in Nairobi. You cant know anything as vehemently as you know your own innocence, he says.
Divorce papers alleging Donald Trump was 'cruel and inhuman' to his first wife Ivana Trump are now restricted from the public without a judge's order.

Court documents obtained by the New York Daily News claimed Trump 'verbally abused and demeaned' Ivana, the mother of his three children Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric.

Ivana claims the presidential candidate jilted her by low balling the worth of his estate, and the two squabbled over everything from child support to gifts including 'furs and cars', the Daily News reported.

But more than 100 pages of the documents were missing, and what was available has now been pulled by a clerk of the Manhattan Supreme Court, Milton Tingling.

Divorce papers alleging Donald Trump was 'cruel and inhuman' to his first wife Ivana Trump are now restricted from the public without a judge's order (pictured left, in 1988, right: 2014)

Court documents obtained by the New York Daily News claimed Trump 'verbally abused and demeaned' Ivana, the mother of his three children Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric

Ivana was married to Donald Trump from 1977 until their divorce was finalized in 1992, with court papers stating it was 'unsafe or improper for them to be married'.

Court documents also claim he was verbally abusive, but a key deposition in which Ivana alleged Donald raped her was missing.

According to the 1993 book 'Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump,' Trump forced himself on Ivana after her plastic surgeon botched his scalp-reduction surgery to remove a bald spot.

She later said: 'As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited toward me, was absent.

'I referred to this as a "rape," but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.'

This year, Ivana dismissed the allegations, stating: 'It was all the lawyers. I was never abused.'

Ivana ultimately received a $14 million cash settlement, the familys 45-room Greenwich, Connecticut, mansion, an apartment at Trump Plaza, and use of Donalds Palm Beach mansion, Mar-a-Lago, every March.

Ivana and Donald Trump's divorce was messy, with squabbles over money and an allegation of rape. They have since established an amicable relationship (pictured, Ivana with Rossano Ribicondi, her former husband, and Trump with current wife Melania in 2002)

But the divorce was a messy one, with Ivana claiming Trump's estate was worth nearly $5billion, not the $2.1billion stated in court papers.

She also said that unbeknownst to her, the Donald had included a clause in the prenuptial agreement forcing her to return any gifts she received during their marriage in the event of a divorce.

Donald blamed the clause on his lawyer, and agreed to pay up $100,000, according to the court documents.

Another one of his lawyers also asked Ivana, who was born in Czechoslovakia: 'Do you have a recollection of any book that youve read between 77 and today, that have been printed in the English language?'

When the Daily News requested an inventory of the missing papers in the case, Tinling responded saying it 'should have been sealed.

He pulled the files and said: 'How and why you and reportedly others have had access to it is now in question and has now been referred to the Inspector Generals office.'

It remains unclear whether part of the file was destroyed in a fire in January.
The mother of missing toddler William Tyrrell (pictured) has made a heartbreaking plea for the safe return of her son - even if he's dead

The mother of missing toddler William Tyrrell has made a heartbreaking appeal to help bring her little boy home - even if he is dead.

Her plea comes as authorities announced a record $1 million reward for anyone who could lead police to the recovery of the three-year-old boy suspected of being abducted from his grandmother's yard in Kendall on the Mid North Coast of NSW two years ago.

And his parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are desperately seeking for answers as they urge anyone involved in their son's disappearance to come forward so they could move on from the ordeal - and get the closure they have longed for.

'To the person, even if William is dead, even if somebody killed him - deliberately or if it was an accident - and you know where he is, he's got to come home,' his mother told The Sunday Telegraph.

'If William is dead then you can't just leave him in some random hole somewhere, it's not right.

'His remains need to be acknowledged and signposted that this is where he is.'

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Dressed in his favourite Spiderman suit, the three-year-old was last seen playing in his grandmother's yard of the Kendall property on September 12, 2014.

Her attempts in finding her son comes after the announcement of the highest reward ever offered in NSW for any information of his whereabouts.

Dressed in his favourite Spiderman suit, the three-year-old was last seen playing in his grandmother's yard on September 12, 2014.

Despite an extensive investigation, detectives found no traces of little William, who would have turned five this year.

The case has been referred to the NSW coroner but police say investigations continue with the hope the young boy is still alive.

Detectives found no traces of little William, who would have turned five this year

Deputy Premier and Police Minister Troy Grant told Daily Mail Australia in a statement last week the disappearance of William was 'unprecedented and unique' - and he remained hopeful that the boy was still alive.

'For two years this family has had to live every day not knowing what has happened to their little boy, not knowing if he is safe and loved and not knowing if they will see him again,' Mr Grant said.

'At the very least, they deserve answers and I am appealing to the person or perhaps people who know what happened to William, to find it in themselves to do the right thing and come forward with the information police need to bring him home.'
Utah's Unita-Wasatch-Cache National Forest has brought hundreds of visitors to a series of attractions known as 'Fairy Forest:' tiny figurines, painted rocks and ornamental fairy houses.

But at least one group of people are not happy about the sights: park rangers.

Jeff Schramm, of the US. Forest Service, says the displays can quickly turn into trash that harms the forest, FOX 13 reported.

Utah's Unita-Wasatch-Cache National Forest has brought hundreds of visitors to a series of attractions known as 'Fairy Forest

The displays include tiny figurines, painted rocks and ornamental fairy houses spread throughout the forest

But the forest's rangers say the displays is quick to gather trash and nobody comes by to clean it up

In the previouis year, local park rangers removed some 'five truckloads' of debrir from the Fairy Forest

In 2015, Schramm's staff removed 'five truckloads' of debris from the Fairy Forest.

The ranger expects even more trash this year.

'We're going to continue cleaning up items people are leaving out here,' Schramm said.

Nobody is quite sure who first started the Fairy Forest  only that it's been happening for a few years.

One local told FOX 13 that it was a tribute to a friend who died in a rock climbing accident.

Other people think it may have to do with Wicca practices.

Jeff Schramm, of the US. Forest Service, says he expects there to be even more trash

Nobody is quite sure who first started the Fairy Forest  only that it's been happening for a few years

One local said the 'Fairy Forest' was a tribute to a friend who died in a rock climbing accident. Other people think it may have to do with Wicca practices.

Local officials have tried to remove the items  which are considered vandalism  but they always come back.

'We have actually gone in and tried to take stuff out, but people are painting rocks and its about 3 acres of an area where people are just leaving stuff and painting rocks,' said Kathy Jo Pollock, a spokeswoman for the forest, to KSL.

'The more we take out, the more people come up.'

Police consider the Fairy Forest to be vandalism, but no charges have been filed.

Local officials have tried to remove the items  which are considered vandalism  but they always come back
Corbyn faces fresh criticism over move after hiring his own son on 45k

She has key role as aide to Grahame Morris, Labours town hall spokesman

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faced another nepotism row last night after the daughter of the right-hand man of union baron Len McCluskey was given a 40,000-a-year job in Corbyns Commons team.

Laura Murray, daughter of Andrew Murray, chief of staff of the Unite union, now works as a political adviser to the Shadow Cabinet.

Laura Murray, daughter of the chief of staff for Unite the union, now works as a political adviser to the shadow cabinet

Communist Mr Murray is one of Corbyns longest standing political allies. When Corbyn stood down as chairman of the Left-wing Stop The War Coalition, Murray took over.

Ms Murray, 27, will have a key role as an aide to Grahame Morris, Labours town hall spokesman who nominated Corbyn as leader.

Laura is active on social media and posted this shot with a portrait of Lenin and the caption 'that time when Lenin patted me on the head for being a v good socialist'

The glamorous 27-year-old will be paid 40,000 a year to work in Corbyn's inner circle

She is not the first family member of Corbyns inner circle to be given a plum Labour job. Mr Corbyns son, Seb, earns an estimated 45,000 a year as chief of staff to Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.

Ms Murray could not be contacted for comment but her father said the nepotism claim was a cowardly smear.

Some Labour MPs say her appointment could backfire. We wont be taken seriously attacking Tory hypocrisy over social mobility if we hand out jobs to the offspring of the party leader and his chums, said one.

Secret summit to wipe out Watson: Corbyn cabal plans political executions of deputy leader at 'Downton' mansion lorded over by TUC boss

Jeremy Corbyn held a secret summit at a Downton Abbey-style mansion to plot a savage new purge of all his top Labour enemies after this weeks leadership contest, it was revealed last night.

Corbyn and his inner circle met at Esher Place, a Grade II-listed country house in Surrey owned by the Unite union, where they reportedly plotted the downfall of his deputy Tom Watson and Labour General Secretary Iain McNicol for opposing the Labour leader.

The secret meeting is revealed six days before Corbyn is expected to see off a bid to oust him as Labour leader by Owen Smith.

Andrew Murray, the Communist, Diane Abbott, the Lover, and Len McCluskey, the Fixer, are said to be in the Corbyn cabal targeting the 'Traitor' Tom Watson

Confident of victory, Corbyn and his hard-Left coterie gathered at Esher Place three weeks ago to plan how to tighten their stranglehold on the party after his expected triumph is confirmed on Saturday, the day before the Labour Conference opens in Liverpool.

Esher Place, built in the French Renaissance style, is an unlikely location for a Left-wing plot: previous owners of the 800-year-old estate include Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey and Elizabeth I. Edward VII was once a guest there. Unite now uses it as a training centre.

The two-day event was hosted by Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey. Others understood to have been present include:

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell;

Labour frontbencher and ex- Corbyn lover Diane Abbott;

McCluskeys right-hand man and chief of staff Andrew Murray, a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and long-time defender of miners leader Arthur Scargill;

Corbyn spin doctor Seumas Milne;

Jon Lansman, head of the hard-Left Momentum entryist group behind moves to sack moderate MPs;

Karie Murphy, Corbyns office manager, who is close to McCluskey and was accused of breaking in to the office of a woman Labour MP who resigned from Corbyns front bench;

Paul Mason, the ex-BBC journalist and ally of McDonnell who claims spurious allegations of anti-Semitism and sexism in Labour are part of a Right-wing plot to topple the Corbyn leadership.

The summit was revealed as rebel Labour MP John Woodcock, said to be on a Corbyn hit list, accused his leaders team of fanning the flames of hate in the party.

The Mail on Sunday understands much of the discussion at the secret meeting focused on Watson and McNicol. They wanted to force a challenge to Tom as Deputy Leader but realised they cant because he was elected, so instead they talked about firing him as chairman which is easier, said a source.

They hate Tom because he revealed how Corbyn is propped up by Trotskyist entryists. They hate Iain because he wont let Corbyn turn Labour into a loony-Left Jezza fan club and hound out decent officials who have given their life to our party.

The meeting discussed giving Watsons party chairman role to outspoken Labour MP Angela Rayner, who denounced Tory plans to bring back grammar schools as segregation, segregation, segregation.

Ms Rayner, 36, who spoke in the Commons last year of how she was told she would amount to nothing after falling pregnant at 16, is a fervent supporter of Corbyn.

Reports of a Corbyn bid to give Rayner Watsons job as chairman were fuelled last night after a slick Labour film promoting her was posted on YouTube  prompting a sarcastic tweet by Watson about this inspiring rising star.

Those at the meeting also discussed sacking McNicol, who has fought a running battle with Corbyn over his attempt to seize control over the party machine.

Corbyn was furious when McNicol backed a successful move to stop thousands of Left-wingers rushing to join Labour earlier this year to vote to keep him as leader.

Labour last night declined to comment. A spokesman for Mr Corbyn also refused to comment, apart from saying: Jeremy regularly holds informal meetings with his teams and supporters.

Exposed: Hard-left plot to unseat 'soft Labour' MP

A leading supporter of Jeremy Corbyn has been caught by an undercover TV reporter vowing to sack a Labour MP who branded the party leader a loser.

The threat was made by Mark Sandell, the hard-Left leader of Brighton Labour Party, against one of the citys MPs, Peter Kyle, a prominent critic of Mr Corbyn.

At a meeting held by the Momentum group accused of trying to infiltrate Labour, Mr Sandell spelled out how he would unseat Mr Kyle for refusing to back a wealth tax and scrapping curbs on unions. And he mocked Neil Kinnocks horrible 1985 conference speech attacking Liverpool Councils Militant Tendency regime for sending out redundancy notices to staff in taxis.

Revealed: what Mark Sandell told a momentum meeting in Lewisham, south London

Labour should hand out redundancy notices to prominent Labour rebels trying to knife Mr Corbyn, Mr Sandell said.

The undercover film will be broadcast tomorrow in a Channel 4 Dispatches film, The Battle For The Labour Party. The film investigates claims that Trotsky entryists are taking over Labour.

Brighton Labour Party is on the frontline of the party feud. It was suspended by Labour chiefs when Mr Sandell was elected chairman amid claims that it involved threats and bullying and was part of a plot to sack Hove MP Mr Kyle.

Earlier this year, Mr Kyle, one of Corbyns most vocal Labour MP critics, said: I wont be bullied into uniting around a losing leader.

Dispatches secretly filmed a speech by Mr Sandell at a Momentum meeting in Lewisham, South London, on August 16. He said: So this guys not going to be hard to unseat, but the way well unseat him is not by saying, youre the enemy.Well say, no, sorry, mate, youre not fit to lead this battle.

After listing a string of Corbyn policies he claimed Mr Kyle had refused to support, Mr Sandell added: He wont even go on a picket line, so in which case, get out of the way. Thats the way well do it.

Mr Sandell last night denied any wrongdoing, saying his remarks were made at a public meeting. He added that Channel 4 had no right to use subterfuge against him. And he defended calls for anti Corbyn Labour MPs to be fired: If senior Labour representatives use their positions to attack the membership members are entitled to select alternative candidates.

A Labour selection contest in Brighton was inevitable owing to boundary changes, said Mr Sandell. Given that Mr Kyle will not even join a junior doctors picket line, I very much doubt I will be supporting him.

A friend of Mr Sandell said: Marks comments were in a public talk in a public library. He is not a member of any organisation other than the Labour Party. CCTV footage proves claims of spitting used as an excuse to suspend Brighton Labour Party are bogus.
Veteran BBC broadcaster John Simpson (pictured with his wife, Dee Kruger) nearly died after suffering a deadly allergic reaction

Veteran BBC broadcaster John Simpson nearly died after suffering a deadly allergic reaction, it can be revealed.

The foreign correspondent, who has reported from war zones across the world, was left battling for his life after a series of medical problems mounted up after he complained of feeling unwell.

A GP visited at home and immediately sent him to hospital where it was discovered that he was suffering from food poisoning and severe dehydration.

This combined with medication that Simpson routinely takes to cause an allergic reaction, which led to severe kidney problems.

The 72-year-old journalist then went into swift and dramatic decline in intensive care at Oxfords John Radcliffe Hospital on September 8.

Last night his wife, Dee Kruger, told The Mail on Sunday: It was like a perfect storm.

There was a whole chain of events that meant there was an overreaction on the kidney side which made him seriously ill.

From being mildly unwell the shocking thing was how, in the space of hours, his body went into a kind of acute shock. Suddenly these guys in the intensive care unit at the Radcliffe were fighting for his life.

At one point there were 20 people standing around his bed and one of the main guys saying they are reaching the limits of what they can do for him.

At first they were baffled, she said. They didnt know what it was. It wasnt immediately obvious.

The foreign correspondent, who has reported from war zones across the world, was left battling for his life after a series of medical problems mounted up after he complained of feeling unwell

At one point they asked me if he had been exposed to radiation from having been in the Middle East recently. I had to ring his news producer and ask for a list of places where he had been.

She added: As John says, everyone complains about the NHS but, by God, it works.

The broadcaster is expected to be discharged today.

The broadcaster is expected to be discharged today

He thanked staff at the hospital on Twitter with this post: Thank heavens for Stuart McKechnie & the ICU team at the Radcliffe.

Id not have survived, due to a rare & deadly allergic reaction.

Simpson also thanked a wellwisher on Twitter, saying he was almost back on track.

In 2003, while covering the Iraq invasion, Simpson  the BBC World Affairs Editor  suffered shrapnel wounds and a damaged eardrum in his left ear after a bomb exploded next to him. His translator was killed.

I was about 12 yards away from a 100 lb bomb, he recalled. It knocked me out and a friend pulled me away.

Eighteen people were killed. My translator had his legs blown off and died of blood loss almost immediately.
Some of Britain's most senior police officers want official complaints about their conduct and behaviour to be kept secret.

The Chief Constables Council recently discussed moves that could be made to stop the public finding out about investigations into alleged corruption and misconduct.

Documents seen by The Mail on Sunday reveal that at a top-level meeting with the chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, Dame Anne Owers, force leaders said it was damaging for such accusations to be made public.

Probe: Britain's top policeman, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe (left), let Maxine De Brunner (right) retire and claim her full pension even though she was being probed for organising a costly police fun day at her son's private school

At the moment, when investigations into the highest-ranking officers are launched by police forces or the IPCC, the identities of those facing disciplinary action can be revealed.

But chiefs want their names to be kept out of the public domain until what they regard as an "appropriate" time. It could mean details of the claims against them remain secret for several years  or even concealed for ever if the charges are not proven.

Last night critics said it was a worrying development that would risk confidence in the police.

David Burrowes, a lawyer and MP on the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: There are many people like doctors and politicians who are named when allegations are made against them, so I dont think police officers should have a special rule. Its very important that law enforcers arent treated differently.

The IPCC says it is currently investigating eight top-ranking officers, from six forces across England and Wales.

At least six more chief constables, assistant chief constables or deputy chief constables are having their conduct scrutinised by external police forces.

A record of the July meeting of the high-level Chief Constables Council reveals their concerns, stating: Press releases can be damaging as the media will run with big stories. It may then transpire that there is no case to answer.

'This is in contradiction to how the system protects the names of proposed criminals and the IPCC process seems out of kilter.

Dame Anne told the chiefs meeting that further consideration is currently being given to the issue of naming in media releases.

But sources say that the watchdog is unlikely to place a blanket ban on their identities being revealed.

A National Police Chiefs' Council spokesman said:

"At no point have police chiefs called for complaints against them to be kept secret or put forward any such request or proposal to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

"Chief constables discussed the police complaints system as part of a wider agenda item at their regular meeting in July. As part of this discussion, chiefs raised the impact of naming chief officers at the early stages of often lengthy investigations where there is found to be no case to answer. No demands or requests for changes of policy were made or recorded in the meeting minutes, which are publicly available on our website.
Hollywood actor and human rights campaigner George Clooney has unveiled a devastating report into the corrupt kleptocracy of South Sudan, where nearly 200 million of the UKs foreign aid is spent every year.

The investigation accuses the countrys leader, Stetson-wearing President Salva Kiir Mayardit, along with countless cronies, of raking in millions in backhanders from shady business deals, funding multi-million pound mansions and private jets.

South Sudans armed forces have been accused by the UN of war crimes as they conducted a scorched earth policy against civilians caught up in the countrys civil war, allowing its soldiers and allied militias to rape thousands of women and girls in lieu of wages, and torture and murder suspected opponents.

Hollywood actor and human rights campaigner George Clooney has unveiled a devastating report into the corrupt kleptocracy of South Sudan

But the country receives a large portion of British aid  a total of 188 million last year  some of it aimed at anti-corruption measures.

The new report comes as International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced a major shake-up in Britains foreign aid approach following The Mail on Sundays ground-breaking campaign to scrap the diktat of pledging 0.7 per cent of our national income to aid.

Ms Patel declared: It rightly infuriates taxpayers when money that is intended for the worlds poorest people is stolen or wasted on inappropriate projects. I am infuriated.

The Department For International Development (DFID) insists that not a penny of UK aid is given directly to the South Sudan government, but the UK does assist with personnel and expertise in key areas.

DFID stresses that the majority of British money goes to helping the massive humanitarian crisis in the area and is channelled through the UN and NGOs.

The investigation accuses the countrys leader, Stetson-wearing President Salva Kiir Mayardit, along with countless cronies, of raking in millions in backhanders from shady business deals

The new report entitled War Crimes Shouldnt Pay following a two-year investigation by The Sentry, an organisation co-founded by Clooney, makes shocking reading, but does not mention aid as being a factor in fuelling corruption.

But critics will cite the so-called fungibility factor  pointing out that even if aid is not misappropriated, by helping the South Sudan government with resources in the shape of staff or expertise frees up money which might have been spent on those services, so effectively increasing the spending power of a corrupt regime.

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said the fungibility argument was a very strong one and added: As long as we are locked into a ridiculous 0.7 per cent target, this kind of profligacy will continue.

The Sentry delved into the assets of key figures in Kiirs regime, including social media accounts controlled by his children.

As Clooney put it in the foreword: Members of their families often live in multi-million dollar mansions outside the country, stay in five-star hotels, reap the benefits of what appears to be a system of nepotism and shady corporate deals, and drive around in luxury cars  all while much of their countrys population suffers from the consequences of a brutal civil war.

Among the most prominent hangers-on is the stepson of the armys chief of staff, Gen Paul Malong, accused by the UN of presiding over mass killings, rapes, and recruiting child soldiers.

Last week, shortly after The Sentry report, Lawrence Lual Malong Yor Jnr, 28, posed in a purple suit in front of his aircraft with the caption: Young tycoon flying private jet.

Among the projects funded by UK aid is the South Sudan Health Pooled Fund, at a cost of 92 million, which the DFID website describes as providing a government-led effective health system.

Then theres Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) which spends 73 million across the region helping national governments respond to climate extremes.

A DFID spokesman said: South Sudan is one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises and the UK aid is supporting millions of people in urgent need  providing life-saving food, clean water and shelter for those who have lost their homes during ongoing conflict.

Island's 285m airport is used as go-kart track

What a waste: A go-karter next to the runway at St Helena's airport

When a lavish new airport on the tiny island of St Helena costing 285 million of taxpayers money was banned from opening over safety fears, sceptics branded it DFIDs biggest white elephant.

Thankfully, islanders in the tiny British Overseas Territory have found an alternative use for the runway  as a go-kart track and fun-run venue.

They gathered for a charity event recently for an inaugural Runway Dash and go-karting on the apron, with not a plane in sight. More than 300 people turned up for the Bank Holiday dash along the runway, which also raised 1,500 towards sending a St Helena team to the worldwide NatWest Island Games in Gotland, Sweden, next June.

How they will get there is another matter. The airport, due to open in May, was refused a safety certificate for commercial airliners because of high crosswinds at its cliff-top location.

The remote island, lying 1,150 miles off the west coast of Africa in the South Atlantic, is reachable only by sea, in a journey that takes five days from South Africa by Royal Mail Ship (RMS).

The RMS was due to go out of service, but has now been extended until next July  at a cost of at least 650,000.

DFID agreed to pay 285.5 million to design, build and operate the airport, in a bid to improve the islands accessibility and boost its tourism industry. That works out at around 68,000 per head for each of St Helenas 4,200 inhabitants.

But the disastrous delay has had a knock-on effect on the islands economy and one of the biggest hotels, the Consulate, is due to close at the end of this month.
A unique fossil discovery has baffled scientists as they dig through a California Island looking for clues about human migration and mammoth extinction.

Deep within centuries of dirt, the team uncovered a well-preserved complete mammoth skull on Santa Rosa Island that they say exhibits features unlike any of its kind.

The skull is not large enough to be identified as a Columbian mammoth, yet not small enough to qualify as a pygmy - experts hope the creature's fossilized teeth will reveal its true identity.

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A well-preserved complete mammoth skull has been uncovered on Santa Rosa Island that exhibits features unlike any of its kind. The skull is not large enough to be identified as a Columbian mammoth, yet not small to qualify as a pygmy mammoth

WHAT DID EXPERTS FIND? A well-preserved complete mammoth skull has been uncovered on Santa Rosa. The skull is not large enough to be identified as a Columbian mammoth, yet not small enough to qualify as a pygmy mammoth. The right tusk protrudes 1.4 meters in a coil characteristic of an older mammal, while the shorter, sloped left tusk is more typical of a juvenile. The team hopes to find answers in its fossilized teeth, which could determine the mammoth's age before death and clarify whether it is a pygmy, Columbian, or less likely, a transitional mammoth species. By analyzing nearby charcoal samples, geologists have date the remains to about 13,000 years ago. This new discover coincides with the Arlington Man, which is the oldest human skeleton found in North America - it was also discovered on Santa Rosa Island. Advertisement

'This mammoth find is extremely rare and of high scientific importance,' Just Wilkins, a paleontologist at The Mammoth Site in South Dakota, said in a statement.

'It appears to have been on the Channel Islands at the nearly same time as humans.'

'I have seen a lot of mammoth skulls and this is one of the best preserved I have ever seen.'

Mammoths roamed North America some two million years ago, with Columbian mammoths appearing a million years later.

It is believed that the Columbian mammoths migrated to the Channel Islands during the past two ice ages when sea levels were lower and the island land mass was closer to the mainland coast, reports the National Park Service.

Over time, descendants of the migrants downsized from approximately 14 feet to a six feet tall pygmy form, becoming an endemic species known as Mammuthus exilis.

The scientific team is particularly curious about the newly-discovered mammoth's tusks.

The right tusk protrudes 1.4 meters in a coil characteristic of an older mammal, while the shorter, sloped left tusk is more typical of a juvenile.

The skull was discovered in an eroding stream bank on the Island in the Channel Islands National Park by a team of National Park Service archaeologists.

Geologists at the US Geological Survey (USGS) have dated charcoal samples near the fossil to be about 13,000 years old, which is significant, as it coincides with the age of Arlington Man.

Geologists at the US Geological Survey (USGS) have dated charcoal samples near the fossil to be about 13,000 years old, which is significant, as it coincides with the age of Arlington Man. But questions about the species of the mammoth have arisen since the excavation

The man's remains were uncovered in 2006 and is the oldest human skeleton found in North America - it was also discovered on Santa Rosa Island.

But questions about the species of the mammoth have arisen since the excavation.

'It doesn't fit the profile for a pygmy mammoth or their relatives on the mainland,' Wilkins told the Ventura County Star, referring to the Columbian mammoth which roamed the continent of North America before migrating to the Channel Islands.

WHAT KILLED OFF THE MAMMOTHS? While large animals like mammoths became extinct on the continents about 12,000 years ago because of climate change and habitat restructuring, the process was different on the island. The island shrinking meant the mammoths were concentrated in a smaller area and had diminished supplies of water. The researchers studied sediments and the remains of aquatic animals from freshwater lakes, to work out what was happening to the lakes at the time. It showed the lakes were diminishing around the time of the extinction. Nitrogen isotope analyses of dated mammoth bones and teeth also showed progressively drier conditions leading up to the extinction event. Professor Matthew Wooller, director of the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a co-author of the study said these 'multiple lines of evidence' of decreasing lake levels provide a strong case for what led to the animals' extinction. Advertisement

Mammoths roamed North America some two million years ago, with Columbian mammoths (pictured) appearing a million years later

The scientists say the skull is not small enough to definitively qualify it as a pygmy mammoth, which stood at about 6 feet tall (1.8 meters), but also not large enough to identify it as a Columbian mammoth, which could measure up to 14 feet (4.3 meters).

Dan Muhs, a USGS geologists, suggests the change from a Columbian mammoth down to a pygmy most likely happened over just several thousands of year, which is a relatively short time span for such a drastic change.

In 2013, Muhs found a pygmy mammoth tusk in a sea stack on the Santa Rosa Island coastline that dated to approximately 80,000 years.

The well-preserved complete mammoth skull was discovered by scientists in an eroding stream bank on Santa Rosa Island within Channel Islands National Park by a team of National Park Service archaeologists

'The discovery of this mammoth skull increases the probability that there were at least two migrations of Columbian mammoths to the islandduring the most recent ice age 10-30,000 years ago, as well as the previous glacial period that occurred about 150,000 years ago, he said.

During his geologic investigations on the island's marine terraces, Muhs also detected and recorded mammoth footprints, another rare find.

National park officials say the team hopes to find answers in its fossilized teeth, which could determine the mammoth's age before death and clarify whether it is a pygmy, Columbian, or less likely, a transitional mammoth species.
picturesque and you won't have to deal with jet lag

The October half-term is the last-chance saloon for finding sunshine without having to fly to the ends of the world.

The good news is that while the UK will be digging out its thermal socks, plenty of Europe  and just beyond  is doing a fine impression of summer.

Heres our pick of the best still-warm holiday spots for the autumn school break . . .

Middle Eastern Heat

Sand dunes and sunshine: Treat your children to a camel ride across the beach in Dubai

If only proper, all-day sunshine will do, then a week in Dubai will see your vitamin D levels soar. Alternate lounging on sun-drenched beaches with taking a dip in the warm Gulf waters. And when you tire of the heat, visit the air-conditioned malls.

Sea temperature: Hot-tub warm at 31c.

Flying time: 7 hours.

Lets go: The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort costs 1,236pp for a weeks stay, based on a family of four sharing a room with breakfast included. Flights from Edinburgh on October 20 (hayesandjarvis.co.uk, 01293 762 415).

South African Sizzler

A city of visual style: Cape Town is spectacular - and, better still, is a jetlag-free zone

While Britain thrusts open its brolly, October in Camps Bay, a glamorous coastal suburb of Cape Town, is a precipitation-free zone with plenty of sunshine on offer. And dont forget to visit the penguins in Simons Town. Whats more, theres no jetlag.

Sea temperature: A brisk 16c.

Flying time: 11  hours.

Lets go: Stay for six nights at the Bay Hotel in Camps Bay for 1,162 pp, based on a family of four sharing a mountain room on a B&B basis. Price includes flights from Heathrow on October 23 (travelbag.co.uk, 0871 402 1624).

Lanzarote Lounging

For decent odds on autumnal sunshine, the Canary Islands are hard to beat

For decent odds on close-to-home autumnal sunshine, the subtropical charms of the Canaries are hard to beat. October in Lanzarote is a balmy affair, with swaying palms and the famous charcoal-black sands baking under a 27c sun.

Sea temperature: Perfect 24c.

Flying time: 4 hours.

Lets go: Seven nights at the Vitalclass Lanzarote resort cost 3,177, based on a family of four sharing a junior suite on a half-board basis. Fly from Gatwick on October 23, (02034 995 232).

Make For Mallorca

Magical Mallorca: Head for glitzy Puerto Pollensa and enjoy the warm, child-friendly shallows

The final weeks before Mallorcans flick the tourism button to off are among the most delightful for families seeking proper relaxation. Head for glitzy Puerto Pollensa in the north-west and enjoy the warm, child-friendly shallows close to the Paseo Vora Mar promenade.

Sea temperature: Great for family swims at 25c.

Flying time: 2 hours 15 minutes.

Lets go: Take the grandparents. too; a seven-night stay at Can Puput, near Pollensa, which sleeps six, costs 1,684 and includes a pool (020 7563 7999).

Crete Escape

Far from being a winter-ready ghost island, Cretes main tourist hubs  particularly around Elounda (pictured)  are very much still open for business

The late months on Crete are perfect for autumn hiking with temperatures reliably in the low to mid-20s. Far from being a winter-ready ghost island, Cretes main tourist hubs  particularly around Elounda  are very much still open for business.

Sea temperature: A rather refreshing, fine when youre in 23c.

Flying time: 4 hours.

Lets go: A family of four staying half-board for seven nights at the luxury Kalimera Kriti resort, on the outskirts of Sissi in north-east Crete, will pay 4,206, based on October 23 flights from Gatwick (01293 763400).

Maltese Magic

Amazed by Malta: Head to blue-flag Mellieha Bay (pictured), which stretches some half a mile and promises lazy days on golden sands

This tiny island off the North African coast basks in sunshine for 300 days of the year, so its a pretty safe bet for late October warmth. Head to blue-flag Mellieha Bay, which stretches some half a mile and promises lazy days on golden sands. The sea beyond it is shallow and stays warm throughout October.

Sea temperature: 24c and strong breezes make it ideal for watersports.

Flying time: 3 hours.

Lets go: Homeaway has seven nights in a two-bedroom villa in Mellieha for 645, based on four sharing from October 23. Fly to Malta with Ryanair from Luton for 272

Feast on Cyprus

Charmed by Cyprus: Restaurants in Limassol (pictured) tend to lay out the red carpet for families in the later months, too, with meze-based feasts surprisingly wallet-friendly

While the mountainous interior is a chillier affair come October, the larger Cypriot coastal resorts  think British-friendly Paphos and Limassol  are perfect for warming ones bones. Restaurants tend to lay out the red carpet for families in the later months, too, with meze-based feasts surprisingly wallet-friendly.

Sea temperature: An entirely clement 27c.

Flying time: 4  hours.

Lets go: The Villa Group has seven nights in a three-bedroom villa in Paphos for 700 per family, based on October 23 departures (0203 488 0028). Fly to Larnaca with Thomas Cook Airlines from 373 per person.

Tenerife Tan

The beast within: Tenerife is dominated by the colossal Mount Teide

The Canaries year-round sunshine is well documented, but Tenerifes accommodation makeover continues. Take your pick from a legion of swish new luxury hotels, many offering all-inclusive deals. A day trip to other-worldly Mount Teide, the islands volcano, offers a geology lesson for the kids.

Sea temperature: 23 to 25c.

Flying time: 4 hours.

Lets go: A week all-inclusive at the four-star Melia Jardines del Tiede in Costa Adeje costs 1,166 pp. October 23 departures from Birmingham ( 01733 224 808).

Moroccan Marvel

More from Morocco: Agadir (pictured) is arguably Moroccos most family-friendly option. There are plenty of big, roomy hotels with easy access to the sheltered, sandy hook of beach

Half-way down the countrys Atlantic coast, Agadir is a colourful resort town that was entirely re-built following the devastating 1960 earthquake. Arguably Moroccos most family-friendly option, there are plenty of big, roomy hotels with easy access to the sheltered, sandy hook of beach.

Sea temperature: Chilly at 21c.

Flying time: Nearly 4 hours.

Lets go: Seven nights all-inclusive at the ClubHotel Riu Tikida Dunas costs 823pp, based on a family sharing two rooms. Includes flights from Manchester on October 20 (0203 636 1931).

Turkey Roast

Dont miss Turkey's stunning Patara beach, (pictured) home to endangered loggerhead turtles

How does a dip in azure waters followed by an ocean-to-plate fish lunch sound? Hillside Kalkan lies at the foot of the Taurus mountains and its white pebble beach has the blue flag flying. Dont miss Patara beach, home to endangered loggerhead turtles.

Sea temperature: 24c  dont forget your snorkelling kit.

Flying time: 4 hours 15 minutes.
Ive just returned from Oslo, and what a lovely, underrated city the Norwegian capital is, packed with memorable museums and art galleries.

Highlights included the Viking Ship Museum with its extraordinarily well-preserved 9th Century vessels; the Kon-Tiki Museum with the famous raft; the Fram Museum (all about polar exploration) and Astrup Fearnley Collection with eye-popping works by Damien Hirst and other contemporary artists displayed in a snazzy, maritime-themed waterfront building.

The downside is that most things are eye-wateringly expensive.

Fred Mawer took his wife and children to Oslo and invested in 'Oslo Passes', which provide entrance to 30 popular museums and galleries, including the Viking Ship Museum (pictured)

The recent drop in sterling against the Norwegian krone means prices are now particularly steep  7 for a beer and as much as 10 for a sandwich.

So thank goodness we had Oslo Passes for our stay.

They covered admission to all the attractions above and many more besides (30 in total), plus unlimited use of the excellent transport system of trains, trams and ferries.

The initial outlay for the passes can seem steep: a 72-hour pass costs 620 kroner (57) per adult, a 48-hour is 490 kroner (45) and a 24-hour 335 kroner (30). Children are half price.

Highlight: He enjoyed a viewing of Munchs The Scream (pictured) at Oslos National Gallery

However, having the passes saved the Mawer family more than 80 compared with what we would have paid otherwise on entry fees and transport.

Having the passes also worked on a psychological level.

We didnt feel financially constricted in what we visited, and we popped in briefly to some places  such as Oslos National Gallery to see Edvard Munchs The Scream  without the burden of having to stay longer to get our moneys worth.
Its Saturday morning in Paris and top chef Raymond Blanc is giving me a personal tour around some of his favourite foodie spots in the City of Light.

We start in the 16th arrondissement, at a humble fresh food market called Marche President Wilson.

The food markets here are incredible, Blanc enthuses. And this is the best. Its very special: proud people selling fresh local produce, a wonderful snapshot of everyday life. Markets like this are more than just a place to buy food.

Chef Raymond Blanc (pictured) took writer Max Wooldridge on a private food tour of Paris

We saunter past colourful displays of fish, fresh that morning from the Breton and Norman coasts.

Vendors sell the freshest shrimps, lobsters, mussels, oysters and snails.

We follow heavenly aromas to stalls selling rotisserie roast chicken with potatoes cooked in dripping, freshly made paellas and beef bourguignon cooking in open pots.

There are also Middle Eastern dishes made with herbs and olive oil simmering on pans that look like metal drums.

On my first trip here as a young man I was bowled over by the scale and grandeur of everything in Paris, says Blanc. The huge avenues, the way they created light and space.

In the heart of the city, the top chef is soon talking about how much he loves Britain. Britain has taught me many things. The best is probably the ability to laugh at myself. This is a great hurdle for a French man!

But this is Paris, so its time for a sit-down lunch  at one of Raymond Blancs favourites, the triple-Michelin starred Pierre Gagnaire on rue Balzac.

The stand-out dish is an exquisite fillet of roasted veal.

Blanc took Max on a tour of a fresh food market called Marche President Wilson (pictured)

Ooh la la! Blanc exclaims mid-mouthful. He says this a lot in person, too, not just on TV. Its his own seal of quality, when something meets his approval.

Pierre is one of the best chefs in Europe, says Blanc. His is one of my all-time favourite Parisian restaurants. I love his approach and sensitivity to food.

Cheese is next, naturally. We head to Laurent Dubois, Blancs favourite cheesemonger in rue de Lourmel in Dupleix.

He sells 150 different cheeses, including a Normandy Camembert from the salty meadows of the Cotentin Peninsula, and a Tartuffe, a comte made with truffles. This is France, so sweet must follow savoury.

Laurent Dubois, Blancs favourite cheesemonger (pictured), which sells 150 different cheeses

Blanc takes me to his favourite neighbourhood patisserie  Laurent Duchene, in rue Wurtz, in the 13th arrondissement.

Another of the things I love is patisseries like this. I love the croissants here.

The corner shop sells brightly coloured eclairs and pastries, and macaroons of every flavour. We are too old to party all night but Blanc recommends going to Montmartre very early in the morning.

Montmartre is very busy with tourists during the day. The best time to go is at sunrise, maybe after youve been out all night. You can see Paris waking up, coming back to life. The lights and everything. Paris is not called the City of Light for nothing.
As hobbies go, this one is dangerously expensive and scarily all-consuming.

But Kevin Crumplin wouldnt have it any other way. And, make no mistake, his love for Tiger Moths is more than a mere flight of fancy.

'When I was about 12 years old, a Tiger Moth was one of the first models I built and Ive had a fascination with them ever since,' says Kevin, 77, as he approaches his rented hangar at Henstridge Airfield, near Sherborne in Somerset.

Flying high: Mark Palmer and Kevin Crumplin soar over Somerset in a Tiger Moth biplane

He slides open one of the huge doors and there, in pristine condition, rebuilt from scratch to strict specifications laid down by the Civil Aviation Authority, are four Tiger Moths, with a further one waiting to be restored once various nuts and bolts, struts, cables and rebuilt engines arrive from his suppliers.

Tantalisingly, he plans to take me up in one, promising that if I show a modicum of common sense, he will even let me take control of the stick - albeit briefly and on the understanding that he will be able to override any move I make from the primary rear seat. Thank goodness.

This is a chance to learn about these iconic bi-planes that trained virtually every British pilot during World War II.

Best of all, its a rare opportunity to experience open cockpit flying, which is the closest any of us will get to feeling like a bird.

'To put it simply, these were the aircraft that helped this country win the war,' says Kevin. 'It is remarkable that they are still flying today, some 70 to 80 years after they were built.'

True, but these four are only still flying because of Kevin, who puts in hours of his time and spends much of his precious resources on what he calls 'real flying'.

'I hate flying on commercial airlines when you have to sit breathing recycled air and when you try to forget that youre thousands of feet up in the air. When youre in a Tiger, its excitement all the way.'

All set: Mark in his Biggles goggles and flame-proof suit before the flight

Tiger Moths are the ultimate biplanes. Designed by Geoffrey de Havilland in the early Thirties, they were deployed primarily as training aircraft and remained in service until being replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952.

The RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the air forces of Portugal, Norway and Sweden all used them. In total, nearly 9,000 were built, of which some 400 around the world remain air worthy today. They were known as 'The Trainer of the Empire.'

Kevin takes 12 months on average to restore a Tiger. He bought the one I am about to fly in  G-ANFP  for around 10,000 and spent some 50,000 on it. If you were to factor in his time, that figure would rise to more than 150,000.

Every restored section of the plane has to be inspected and all replacement parts need a 'Certificate of Conformity'. Kevin is forever filling out extensive paper work to satisfy one authority or another. All this is necessary to obtain a full 'Certificate of Airworthiness.'

'Some years ago there was a problem in Australia with the tie rods on a plane and a whole wing fell off,' he says. 'The plane fell out of the sky with fatal results.'

The fabric covering the wings is hand-stitched and made of a synthetic fabric called Polyfibre Stits or Ceconite and a hot iron is used to make sure the material is as taut as possible. Kevin shops for old instruments on ebay and he attends aero jumble sales in the hope of finding rare spare parts.

Occasionally, he will sell one of his restored planes to another Tiger Moth enthusiast to replenish funds and in January 2013 he set up the Tiger Moth Training School at Henstridge with two experienced pilots, Annabelle Burroughes and Clive Davidson, who charge 200 for a 30-minute trial lesson.

Preparing for take-off: Kevin and Mark consult an aviation map on the airfield

For the spin I am about to take, you can expect to pay around 200, which also includes a detailed tour of Kevins hangar.

The Moths look and fly exactly as they did in the Thirties. They are painted yellow underneath, which was a way of letting people on the ground identify them as training aircraft, and their camouflage is just as it was during the war years. They never had brakes because that would have added weight  and they still dont.

For the same reason, they dont have internal starters. Instead, someone gives the propeller a few whirls and it roars into life like a giant lawnmower.

With a steel fuselage and wings made from spruce wood, Tiger Moths are remarkably light  a mere 130 stone (828 kg). You can lift them up from the tail and move them round single-handed.

Kevin and I wheel ours out on to the grass and consult an aviation map. Annabelle and a Daily Mail photographer manoeuvre a second one into place because we are to do some formation flying once we reach 1,200 ft. I shant be at the controls for that.

In winter, we would be wearing Irvin sheepskin flying jackets but the temperature is close to 28 degrees and so we pull on fire resistant all-in-one suits, plus a leather flying helmet with sewn in headphones and Biggles goggles.

Im in the front, Kevin in the back. After a friend of Kevins swings the propeller to start the engine, we wait four minutes to warm up the engine oil. Then its chocks away and we move forward gingerly.

Take off speed is only 65 mph, which means we only travel about 100 yards before lifting into the air like a feather. There might be a steel fuselage but it feels like balsa wood. Weightless.

Plane passion: Building model airplanes as a child gave Kevin his fascination for Tiger Moths

There doesnt seem to be much of a wind but we bob up and down like washing on the line. The slightest gust causes movement.

Annabelle, 44, whom Kevin taught to fly, had told me earlier that Tiger Moths are 'elegant old ladies who do their own thing and have a great sense of humour.' She said they exemplify the 'classic British spirit of make do and mend.'

Kevin has also stressed that if the engine should fail 'you can still land a Tiger anywhere'; others have said that these old war horses meet the fundamental requirement of training aircraft by being 'easy to fly but difficult to fly well.'

Kevin and Annabelle seem to be flying these exceptionally well in blowy conditions. Were cruising at 75-80mph, according to the recycled dial in front of me. At times, the two planes wings are not much more than 20 ft apart . When we go up, the other plane goes down and visa-versa. Then we bank together. Its almost aerobatic.

Down below, the lush Somerset countryside shimmers. We flutter over the villages of Sturminster Newton, Marnhull, Hinton St Mary.

Exhilaration whistles through the cockpit. Its tempting to stretch a hand back to Kevin like Robert Redford did with Meryl Streep in Out of Africa. Not sure what Kevin would make of that.

Then, suddenly, I hear his voice through my headphones.

'Can you hear me?' he says.

'You bet,' I tell him.

'Are you ready to fly this thing?'

'Of course, I am.'

'Then take hold of the stick gently in your right hand.'

'Got it.'

Iconic: This magnificent vintage plane cost 10,000 to buy and 50,000 to restore

'Now move it slowly to the left.'

With which the plane starts to move to the left, guided by the rudder at the tail, which operates exactly like the rudder on a boat. We do the same thing to the right but not for long because the wind gets up some more and I lose my nerve.

Then Kevin tells me to pull the stick back towards me and we rise gently upwards. He wants me to push it forward so that the nose will dip, taking us down.

'Great experience but I think you should take over now,' I tell him.

Hes pretty much been in control all the time, of course. Even so, I might just qualify for membership of the de Havilland Moth Club (founded 1975), of which there are some 1,000 members world-wide.

We do another huge circle. Occasionally I lean out for a blast of fresh, warm air. On the approach to the airfield we cut our speed and touch down doing a mere 50-60mph. Its a gracious landing befitting the grand dame of aviation. The grass brings us to a gentle halt.

'That was boisterous,' says Kevin, as we clamber out of our seats. Which is how he likes it, I suspect.

Dream team: Ground crew Chris Griffiths, instructor Annabelle Burroughs, and Kevin Crumpling, of Tiger Moth Training, at Henstridge Airfield

Kevin, who has been married to his wife Caroline for 52 years ('she has no interest whatsoever in planes'), grew up near Johannesburg but left South Africa aged 20 in the hope of attending the University of London.

Problems over gaining a grant meant he ended up washing dishes in Earls Court for three months before applying to join the Royal Navys Fleet Air Arm in 1960.

He was accepted as a cadet in Dartmouth where, fittingly, he did his initial pilot training on Tiger Moths. After six years, he left the navy to pursue a career in personnel, and ended up spending 17 years at Clarks Shoes at Street in Somerset, ending up as a member of the board.

'Kevin is probably the countrys leading authority when it comes to restoring and completely rebuilding Tiger Moths,' says Stuart McKay, who runs the de Havilland Moth Club. 'To fly with him over the green fields of Somerset and Devon when he knows every nut and bolt of the plane is one of lifes great thrills.' I can vouch for that.
South Africa's Cape Town has been revealed as the cheapest resort getaway this year.

According to Post Office Travel Money's annual Long Haul Holiday Report, the city has beaten Bali to top the rankings for the first time.

Tokyo remains the third cheapest but closes the gap on Cape Town and on Bali - which has seen steep price rises over the last 12 months.

South Africa's Cape Town has been revealed as the cheapest long-haul resort getaway this year

Of the 34 resorts and cities surveyed, Cape Town proved the clear winner in the ninth Post Office survey.

At 48.89 for a basket of ten tourist items, including meals and drinks, the South African city was significantly cheaper than runner-up Bali (62.56), where the cost of eating out has mushroomed by over 50 per cent in the past 12 months.

As a result, tourist prices are now 28 per cent higher than in Cape Town.

At 63.87, Tokyo remains third cheapest in the value chart but an eight per cent fall in local prices means the Japanese capital is now challenging Bali for second place.

The results are calculated based on the price of ten tourist items, including meals and drinks

Although tourist costs are up by an average of 25 per cent across all destinations once the sterling exchange rate has been factored in, Tokyo is among the 40 per cent of resorts and cities surveyed where local prices have fallen below 2015 levels to cushion the negative impact of the falling pound.

These include Orlando, where a marginal fall of one per cent in shops and restaurants means that prices are 12 per cent higher than a year ago after the exchange rate is applied.

At 79.76 for the ten items, Orlando has entered the best value top ten in ninth place, its highest ranking in three years. Washington DC (142.22) was most expensive of six US destinations surveyed  78 per cent higher than Orlando.

The runner-up was Bali, where the cost of eating out has mushroomed by over 50 per cent in the past 12 months

Cancun (74.26) is up to sixth place on the back of a relatively weak Mexican peso, just behind Kenyas Mombasa coastline (69.41, fourth) and Colombo, Sri Lanka (70.61, fifth), and ahead of Phuket, Thailand (75.72, seventh).

Mexicos most popular resort has led a Latin-American charge in which Lima, Peru (78.52), a new introduction to the 2016 survey, has entered the top ten in eighth place, while Tamarindo (87.03) in Costa Rica was 12th placed in the Post Office barometer of tourist costs.

All three Latin-American destinations eclipsed the six Caribbean resort areas surveyed for the report.

At 63.87, Tokyo remains third cheapest in the value chart but an eight per cent fall in local prices means the Japanese capital is now challenging Bali for second place

Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic was cheapest in 15th place with a cost of 91.24 for the ten tourist staples. St Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua were far more expensive. At 157.60, English Harbour in Antigua was 73 per cent pricier than Punta Cana.

Grand Baie, Mauritius (83.70), made the Post Office top 10 for the third consecutive year  proof that the islands claim to offer affordable luxury is well placed. Prices in Grand Baie are down 16 per cent on the costs that UK holidaymakers would have faced five years ago.

Echoing last years results, Jumeirah Beach, Dubai was the most expensive destination surveyed at 199.34  over four times the price for the same tourist items in Cape Town.
She's the statuesque blonde whose making waves in the US.

And model Megan Blake Irwin, 22, is sure to turn heads in her native of Australia this week, when she attends the George Main Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The Australian Turf Club spring racing ambassador, who is backing Winx in the Colgate Optic White Stakes, revealed her plans to stand out on the day in a chic ensemble, that was inspired by this year's dress code - 'a touch of red.'

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Arriving in style: Megan Blake Irwin, 22, arrived in Sydney this week ahead of the George Main Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday

'This year I'll have a pop of red on my lips and be minimal with everything else,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

She added: 'I might even have a red shoe or clutch; we'll see.'

The New York-based IMG model said she is looking forward to joining an estimated 12,000 punters at the racing event, which she described as a 'good excuse' to glam up.

Chic: Last month, the stunner looked elegant in a mauve Alex Perry grown at the Spring Racing Carnival Launch

'I used to go with my friends because I'm not from here originally, but it was always a good excuse to get dressed up,' she said.

Also expected at the event is fellow Carnival ambassador Miss Chinese International pageant star Jessica Song, Sam and Phoebe Burgess and Myer's Jennifer Hawkins.

Megan touched down in Sydney this week, while telling her Instagram followers that she was happy to be home.

Fashion-forward crowd: Megan was joined by fellow Carnival ambassadors Georgia Fowler and Jessica Song at the Spring Carnival launch last month

'Thrilled to be home for the Spring Carnival Races tomorrow!! Thank you @MaurieAndEve for having me covered... literally! @atc_races #theraces #sydneyspring #royalrandwick #MaurieAndEve #Sydney #Australia,' she wrote.

Sporting black skinny jeans and a matching backless shirt, the natural beauty struck a sultry pose, while flaunting her slender frame.

She completed the chic look with a neon pink Gucci Marmont shoulder bag and silver brogues, as she posed at Sydney's Walsh Bay.

Leggy lady: Megan was discovered by renowned fashion photographer Mario Testino when he was Down Under to guest edit Vogue Australia earlier this year and her career has since taken off

Last month, the stunner looked elegant in a mauve Alex Perry grown at the Spring Racing Carnival Launch.

Megan was discovered by renowned fashion photographer Mario Testino when he was Down Under to guest edit Vogue Australia earlier this year and her career has since taken off.

She has appeared in countless fashion campaigns for the likes of Vogue Japan, Harper's Bazaar and Kookai.

New flame: Last week, she stepped out with her new boyfriend at the Harper's Bazaar annual Icons party in New York

Earlier this year, Megan was romantically linked to single father-of-three Scott, after the pair were pictured enjoying a night out in New York.

She was also once linked to model Jordan Barrett, 19, following her split from her ex-fiance and Pedestrian TV co-founder, Oscar Martin, last year.

Last week, she stepped out with her new boyfriend at the Harper's Bazaar annual Icons party in New York.
He captured the hearts of females with his long, flowing blond hair as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings franchise, which ran between 2001 until 2014.

And two years since his latest stint in the role, Orlando Bloom has returned to his lighter locks.

On Friday, the 39-year-old actor took to his newly public Instagram account to share the news and show of fhis new look.

'back to blond': Orlando Bloom, 39, has returned to a lighter shade. The actor took to Instagram to share his good news

'Back to blond...rolling to set...,' wrote the handsome star.

In the snap, Orlando is seen on board a pink motor bike of sorts, staring into the distance.

The father-of-one is sharply dressed in a navy blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath.

Hair debut: He captured the hearts of females with his long, flowing blond hair as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings franchise, which ran between 2001 until 2014

Dark look: The actor is pictured with brown hair in an Instagram shot shared last week

Orlando's new look appears to be for his character in Smart Chase: Fire & Earth.

In the action flick, the handsome star will play a security agent who's job is to transport an antique out of China, but who's eventually ambushed during the process.

The actor has been spending time in Shanghai, China for the movie.

Tourist: Orlando has uploaded snaps of his time in the Asian country to Instagram

Orlando has uploaded snaps of his time in the Asian country to Instagram, which were then only visible to his nearest and dearest.

On Thursday, the UK-born star made his account public.

'I caved...,' he wrote.
She may be recovering from a break up, but Georgia May Foote is ensuring she's keeping busy.

The 25-year-old former Coronation Street star arrived at the Felder Felder 10th Anniversary celebration at Blake's hotel on Friday looking smart and sophisticated.

With her brunette locks tumbling around her face, the actress looked glamorous in a patterned green, black and grey number teamed with high heels.

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Dressed for success: Georgia May Foote steps out in a green and black flared dress at the Felder Felder 10th Anniversary of London Fashion Week on Friday

The skater frock nipped in at her slender waist before flowing out softly to just above her knee.

Cutting low into a V neckline, the star gave a saucy glimpse of her ample assets as she posed at the glamorous Fashion Week event.

Adding a slick of vampy lipstick and a statement brow, the star looked like a modern and glamorous pin up as she posed for the cameras.

Accessorise: Georgia teamed her ensemble with a grey clutch and dark red lipstick

Style star: The former soap star displayed her toned pins in the thigh-grazing mini

Party with the girls: Lucy Mecklenburgh, Georgia May Foote, Chloe Lloyd and Charlotte de Carle all posed together in their finery at the event

Heading inside, the actress was joined by a selection of equally as glam gal pals including Lucy Mecklenburgh, Chloe Lloyd and Charlotte de Carle.

The former TOWIE star amped up the glamour in her vibrant striped midi dress of red and pink.

Meanwhile British models Chloe and Charlotte showed off their natural and quirky flairs for fashion - in a black satin shirt dress and psychedelic jumper and skirt co-ord, respectively.

Mannequin: Lucy posed with an example from the collection

Chic: Lucy sizzled in the colour block midi as she arrived at the event

Retro: Former Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts went for an eighties water colour inspired look

You've got a friend: Georgia was later joined by close friend Ashley (middle) and dapper designer Patrick Grant

She was later joined by close friend and former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, who shielded her famously incredible figure in a loose-fitting blue mini dress.

Sipping on a Bellini as she chatted with her friends, Georgia appeared to enjoy a night far away from her romantic woe.

The actress, who is set to take over from Pixie Lott in Breakfast at Tiffany's later this month, is throwing herself into work and socialising after confirming her split from Giovanni via Twitter in August.

Thinking pink: Amber Le Bon and Daniela Felder catch up with Amber sporting an ornate black and pink embroidered jacket

Time to dine: Rosie Fortescue and Amber Le Bon chew the fat over drinks

Metallic muse: Rosie stunned in a chic metallic co-ords at the stylish event

Fashion forward: Sophie Hermann arrived at the event in a monochrome look

Work it: Charlotte de Carle and Doina Ciobanu attended the event in vibrant fashion

She sadly wrote to followers: 'It is with great sadness we have decided to split up. There is nobody else involved. Although it was not an easy decision to make, sometimes you realise that it is better to be friends and this is one of those times.

'We both have very busy work schedules for the rest of the year so we are both going to focus on our upcoming work projects and we wish each other well for the future.'

Georgia and Gio met when they were paired together for the BBC hit show's 2015 season last August, finishing in second place after The Wanted's Jay McGuinness.

Unusual catwalk: A model reveals Felder Felder 10th Anniversary at London Fashion Week with exclusive sustainable collection in partnership with BMW

They're in fashion: Three models strutted through the venue in an array of distinctive ensembles

However, the pint-sized actress has been easing her pain with excitement, as she gears up for her West End debut.

Looking almost unrecognisable on Instagram as she shared her full Holly Golightly costume with fans, the star gushed of her new project: 'So today in the dress run for @tiffanysonstage my Holly Golightly finally came to life! I cannot wait to start!'

Georgia makes her first apperance in the production at London's Theatre Haymarket on Monday.

Looking the part! Georgia gushed about the role to her fans on Instagram on Friday, writing beside a snap of her in costume 'I cannot wait to start!'




After having recently returned home following his stint in hospital, Beau Ryan's health seems to be looking up.

The 31-year-old former NRL star appeared to be in good spirits as he enjoyed a date with his wife Kara in Sydney on Friday.

The couple were seen going for lunch at the popular China Doll restaurant, however, while Kara was dressed to impress in a stylish outfit, Beau seemed to have just thrown on an unironed shirt for the occasion.

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Spotted: Beau Ryan and wife Kara were spotted enjoying some time together in Sydney on Friday

Beau was seen wearing a crinkled, blue shirt, and he teamed the buttoned top with a pair of blue jeans, which were folded at the ankles to reveal his brown shoes.

Meanwhile, Kara wasn't afraid to flash the flesh on this occasion.

The blonde beauty wore an off-shoulder white blouse which revealed her petite upper frame.

Mismatch: The couple were seen going for lunch at the popular China Doll restaurant, however while Kara was dressed to impress in a stylish outfit, Beau seemed to have just thrown on an unironed shirt for the occasion

Holding hands: The pair remained by each other's sides during the outing

She teamed the stylish top with a camel coloured skirt.

Finishing just above the knees and featuring a sultry slit, Kara's skirt allowed a glimpse of her toned legs to be on show for all to see.

She slipped her feet into a pair of strappy white heels, and completed her look with a yellow strapped handbag.

Last month Beau returned home following a short stint in hospital.

Back home: Last month Beau returned home following a short stint in hospital where he was suffering from a flu

The Footy Show personality spent two days being tested by doctors but a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia at the time that the popular presenter was well and resting.

'Beau was admitted to hospital because of the flu. He is now home and doing well.'

The couple, who were embroiled in a cheating scandal last year involving former Hi 5 star Lauren Brant, share three-year-old daughter Remi.

Controversy: Beau and Kara have been married since 2012 but last September their relationship was rocked with allegations the former NRL player had an affair with former Hi-5 star Lauren Brandt (pictured)

Family: The couple share three-year-old daughter, Remi




She is known for her incredibly glamorous sense of style, as seen on E4's Made in Chelsea.

But Georgia Toffolo, better known as 'Toff' was not afraid to push the fashion boundaries on Friday night, as she headed to the PPQ SS17 dinner after their London Fashion Week catwalk show.

The 21-year-old made a bold statement in a blue maxi dress completely emblazoned with guns, as she arrived at the upmarket Quaglino's restaurant for the event.

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Smoking gun! Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo, 21, made a bold statement in a blue dress completely emblazoned with guns as she arrived at the PPQ SS17 dinner on Friday night

The classy frock was of maxi length, cinching in at her small waist before falling softly to the floor.

However it was the unusual pattern that made the dress so striking - with the high-shine material completely covered with cartoon images of a silver handgun.

Adorning the dress in different angles and directions, the repeated weapon image formed a funky, geometric pattern that caught the attention of all at the bash.

Moderm: Adorning the dress in different angles and directions, the repeated weapon image formed a funky, geometric pattern

Keeping the focus on the eye-catching ensemble, Toff accessorised with just a simply chic pink and black shoulder bag.

Opting for natural, glowing make-up and styling her hair into angelic waves, the reality star looked gorgeous as she headed to the post-catwalk party.

Designer PPQ debuted their SS17 collection in a show-stopping manner at St Bartholomew the Great in West Smithfield earlier on Friday, as part of the prestigious London Fashion Week.

Glowing: Opting for natural make-up the reality star looked gorgeous as she headed to the post-catwalk party with socialite and friend Henry Conway

PPQ co-founder Amy Molyneaux hosted a dinner at iconic London restaurant Quaglinos after the fashion show.

Guests enjoyed delicious food at Quaglino's before moving on to Tramp Club to party later into the night.

The show and night out after will undoubtedly have seen Toff let her hair down, after a dramatic time on Made In Chelsea recently.

Life of luxury: Guests at the bash enjoyed delicious food at Quaglino's before moving on to party into the night at Tramp club

The blonde beauty found herself in the midst of a dramatic love triangle with long-stanidng show member Francis Boulle in recent episodes.

One installment of Made In Chelsea: South Of France last month saw Toff lash out at Olivia Bentley for kissing Francis when she knew that Toff liked him.

In a bitter confrontation, cute blonde Toff branded Liv a 'snake' and also Francis a 'd**k' for betraying her.

Georgia was joined by her Made in Chelsea co-star at the lavish after party, Ashley James.

Upmarket affair: Georgia was joined by her MIC co-star Ashley James in a pencil skirt and cropped coat combo

The blonde looked her usual chic self in a bright ensemble of clashing pink and green.

Bombshell Ashley flaunted her incredible slender figure in a mint green ruched pencil skirt, which she paired with a simple nude vest.

Evidently preparing for the approaching autumn weather in drizzly London, the beauty layered a pink and green woolen cropped coat on top, which featured stylish chunky lapels and vintage buttons.

Finishing her look with fuchsia platform heels and a slick of pink lippy by Secret Spa, the star appeared ready to party with her co-stars at the post-show celebrations.

Bombshell: Ashley flaunted her incredible slender figure in a mint green ruched pencil skirt, which she paired with a simple nude vest
He's the handsome star currently filming Thor: Ragnorak in Brisbane, Queensland.

And Idris Elba cut a casual figure as he took a stroll on Friday, stopping along the way to pose for a selfie with excited fans.

Showing off his muscly physique in a grey T-shirt, the 44-year-old actor smiled as two female fans snap a pic with the Hollywood hunk.

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Say cheese! Idris Elba looked upbeat as he posed for photos with fans while enjoying a day off from filming Thor: Ragnorak in Brisbane

Holding keys and documents, the English actor looked relaxed as he ran errands.

The Luther star completed his off-duty look with a pair of black chinos and red lace-up sneakers.

Idris and his co-stars Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth have been working on the third installment of the Marvel comics film in Brisbane.

Casual: The 44-year-old hunk cut a relaxed figure as he strolled through the sunny streets of Melbourne

Meanwhile, the Hackney-born star is set to star in a documentary about his own personal journey to becoming a professional kickboxer.

Titled Idris Elba: Fighter, the film 'will see Elba undertake the physically and mentally demanding task of training to become a professional kickboxer.'

He's set to take on his first fight in October, with the match featuring in the three-hour-long special.

Trendy; The Hackney-born hunk is in town to film the third installment of the Marvel comics blockbuster

Friends: Idris was recently spotted with co-stars Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth on set

'It has been a lifelong ambition of mine to fight professionally. Entering the ring to further test myself as a human being is a challenge I have been looking to take on for quite some time,' the star said previously.

Despite his fitness and physique being suitable to playing the role of James Bond, Idris has dismissed rumours he's set to become the next 007.

He admitted to GMA's Michael Strahan that he's 'too old' to play the world's most famous spy character.

Asked what he thought of reports that claim he's shortlisted along with 35-year-old Tom to take over from Daniel Craig, the actor laughed: 'If I'm really honest, man, I think I'm too old for that, I can't be running around in cars and ladies and martinis  who wants to do that? It sounds terrible!'
Season eight of Modern Family is about to premiere next week.

And it seems star Eric Stonestreet is celebrating by selling a modest starter home that he owns in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The 45-year-old actor, who now reportedly makes $10 million a year thanks to his hit ABC comedy, listed the small property for $1.099 million, according to Trulia.

For sale! It seems star Eric Stonestreet is selling a modest starter home that he owns in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles

He originally purchased it back in 2008, prior to his Modern Family fame, for $735,000, which means the star stands to make quite a tidy profit if it sells for asking price.

Totaling 1,635 square feet, the home includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms, but seems to have a rather dated kitchen.

On the outside, the home, built in 1948, boasts storybook window details and lush green landscaping, which is somewhat unexpected given current conditions in drought stricken Southern California.

Savvy investor: He originally purchased it back in 2008, prior to his Modern Family fame, for $735,000, which means the star stands to make quite a tidy profit if it sells for asking price

Basics: Totaling 1,635 square feet, the home includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms

Needs some work: The kitchen is small but fully equipped and has bright white cabinetry

Interesting interior details include a galley kitchen, exposed beams in the family room, and what looks to be an original, retro sink in one of the bathrooms.

A large patio out back is perfect for entertaining a sizable group of people.

Though it appears lived in, TMZ actually reports that the house has been rented out, which may explain the odd decor in some rooms.

Character: Interesting interior details include exposed beams in the family room

Traditional: An original, retro sink is featured in one of the bathrooms

Interesting decor: Though it appears lived in, TMZ reports that the house has been rented out

While he's obviously ready to part with the property, Eric still has more assets in his real estate portfolio.

He still reportedly owns a small suburban house in Valley Village, CA, which he bought in 2002 for $540,000.

Aside from his real estate ventures and Modern Family, Eric most recently starred in the animated hit The Secret Life of Pets.

Fun times: A large patio out back is perfect for entertaining a sizable group of people
He's the social media star who's been described by critics as 'self-obsessed' and 'narcissistic.'

And it seems the personality traits were deeply ingrained in Instagram sensation Kurt Coleman from a young age.

The 19-year-old Gold Coast personality shared a throwback photo of himself pouting for the camera as a fresh-faced ten-year-old.

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'Christ I was hot': Kurt Coleman has shared a throwback photo of himself pouting for the camera as a fresh-faced ten-year-old

And in typical fashion, Kurt was more than pleased with his appearance.

'Me taking a selfie when I was 10 years old,' the teenager wrote alongside the photo he shared with his 176,000 followers.

'Christ I was hot'.

'He is just actually really into himself': A Sydney-based teacher labelled Kurt a 'narcissist' in an online video

Earlier this year, a Sydney-based teacher labelled Kurt a 'narcissist' in an online video.

'He has so many pictures on his phone of himself. So this isn't even about enjoying someone else's body... he is just actually really into himself,' the unidentified teacher said.

Speaking with Daily Mail Australia, Kurt explained he found the comments funny because it would have been something he'd 'expect off a 13-year-old person...not someone of age and authority.'

'It's funny to see it come from someone of authority': Kurt Coleman hit back at a Sydney teacher who labelled him 'self-obsessed'

'We are all different': Kurt says his message is to teach people of every age and gender to 'love themselves'

Kurt said his message is to teach people of every age and gender to 'love themselves'.

'My message is always love yourself and that it isn't all about what you look like and not about what you have.

'It is just about the person you are and you should always love the person you are because we are all different,' he said.

Social media star: The 19-year-old Gold Coast personality boasts 176,000 Instagram followers
Robbie Coltrane (pictured filming in March in Hull) had not had a lead role in a television drama for seven years

Robbie Coltrane was in typically pugnacious form at a screening of his new TV drama earlier this month.

He complained with a grandiose wave: 'These are the smallest biscuits in London. I've blown bigger things out of my nose.'

Coltrane, now 66, held the room in his giant hand; there was hearty laughter at his joke.

His observations about serial rapist Jimmy Savile were likewise accorded respect. 'I always thought he was a creepy wee s***e,' he said.

For some time, Coltrane has dropped out of public view. He has not had a lead role in a TV drama for seven years. Aside from some voice-over work on film animations, he has barely worked since finishing filming Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows  Part 2 in 2010.

It's been a desperately tough period: his marriage to sculptor Rhona Gemmell has ended and he has been in daily agony with osteoarthritis. He won't talk about the end of his marriage but of his health he said recently: 'I'm in constant pain all day.

'I had an exploratory operation and they discovered I had no cartilage left in one of my knees. It's completely disintegrated.' He is waiting for surgery that will repair his joint by glueing a piece of plastic to the bone after it has been shaved flat.

Doctors told him  when he was thought to have been more than 20st  he must lose 7st or risk facing life as a 'cripple', and he is still attempting to reach the target weight in order to be given treatment. He has 2st to go and walks with a cane.

Home is a beautiful rural barn conversion outside Glasgow. There are barely any neighbours and this private man is able to cherish his peace and quiet. Neighbours at a Glasgow address where his two children and former wife live say they have never seen him there.

Coltrane with girlfriend Rhona Gemmell (right) at the Leicester Square premiere of the 1991 comedy 'True Identity'

His marriage broke down in 2003, with reports of a reconciliation in 2008. Now, though, the split is permanent and he has a girlfriend, about whom he declines to speak.

Aside from the osteoarthritis, there have been other concerns about his health.

In January last year, there was an alarming episode when he was rushed from a plane to hospital.

One fellow passenger on the flight from London to Orlando contended that Coltrane, who has made no secret of his fondness for booze in his youth, appeared to be drunk and was 'wheeled' onto the plane. His agent, however, said he was suffering from the sudden onset of flu-like symptoms and was recovering well in hospital in Florida.

He may, of course, have been wheeled onto the plane because of his stricken knees. For his part, he has said nothing about it  which is so typical of Robbie Coltrane. He detests most of the modern media.

Some salty comments have also been made about autograph hunters. He struggles with 'intrusive' fans who have 'no respect' for him.

'When you're out in public, it's fine, but not when you are in your more private moments, like sitting on the beach with your children,' he has said. 'People don't seem to realise this is always like this for me. I know this is the only time they are going to meet me but I have done this 20 times in the last hour.'

No wonder, then, his forthcoming role as a fictional veteran comedian in a major new Channel 4 series is drawing so much attention.

In the four-part drama, inspired by the police investigation into the sexual abuse perpetrated by Jimmy Savile and others, Coltrane's character is accused of historical rape offences. Julie Walters plays his loyal wife. The talk is that this is a performance as good as  maybe better than  his riveting criminal psychologist Fitz in Cracker.

He is seen half-naked, walking with a cane. In one scene, he is shown crying as a woman accuses him in court of raping her decades earlier  and he, in turn, contends that he has no memory of it.

We will have to wait for the TV drama to see whether Coltrane's character is found guilty, but it's clear the subject matter has affected him profoundly. His tears on screen, he said in an interview, were real: 'I didn't have to act at all. The evidence was so heartbreaking. I mean, if you're not moved by that, you might as well hand in your human-being cards.'

Given the sensitivities involved in a TV drama about sex abuse, he knows there may be a backlash. This very intelligent, privately educated son of a forensic surgeon and pianist insists that he is braced for criticism.

'I don't care,' he told the Guardian. 'I think it's important to do this on behalf of the women who were raped, on behalf of all the people who were abused.

'Drama has always illuminated what's actually going on in society, in a way that the news or the internet doesn't . . . the writing is absolutely beautiful. There's total respect for people who actually were attacked.

'That's the important thing for me. If you were raped, what is your life like thereafter, and what would it be like to stand up in court and talk about it?'

We may not be accustomed to Coltrane playing a monster, but he has long been adept at conjuring an edge of menace.

Interviewers routinely come away slightly intimidated by him. He will say 'don't write this down or I will kill you' and will deride any questions he feels are beneath him.

Doctors told Coltrane (pictured filming a special 'Yes, Prime Minister' episode in 2012) he must lost seven stone

Born Anthony McMillan, he has never been the sort to suffer fools. He attended Glenalmond College, one of Scotland's top public schools, and 'didn't accept the hierarchy'.

School rules were treated with scorn, and he has boasted of physical fights, saying that because he was a 'big strong boy' he 'didn't take any s*** from anybody'.

The shortage of girls was also a problem for the teenager: 'By the end of term, you used to find yourself fancying the cleaners, who were all about 48, with moustaches.'

He went to art school in Glasgow, where he dropped his posh accent, watched pretentious foreign movies, grew his hair long and experimented with drugs.

Then he moved into a squat in London and tried acting, becoming a leading light in alternative comedy, with roles in The Comic Strip Presents, The Young Ones and Blackadder.

At around this time, he was well-known for 'rampages' around Soho  boozy, promiscuous behaviour. One party trick was biting chunks out of a wineglass and chewing it around his mouth.

In Coltrane's words, his younger self was 'a bottle-of-whisky-a-day-or-nothing man.' He once admitted: 'I can drink a gallon of beer and not feel the least bit drunk.'

His then girlfriend, artist Robin Paine, complained that he was horribly unfaithful. That all changed when he met teenage student Rhona Gemmell in a pub on Christmas Eve in 1988. They went on to have a son, now 24, and a daughter, 19, and moved to the countryside.

There, he enjoyed his hobby of buying and restoring vintage cars, and enjoyed family life. As he put it: 'You are brought up to believe that if you are smart enough and read enough books you will find the meaning in things.

'But all the things that happen to you in life that make you happy or excited or fulfilled have nothing to do with finding the meaning in things at all; having children, for example, falling in love.'

Of course, the end of the marriage was a serious blow. He reportedly checked into the Priory clinic in Glasgow in 2003 and was said to be at 'rock bottom' and in 'a bit of a state'. Rhona began a romance with a TV executive.

In an interview in 2004 Coltrane said that he had suffered from a 'mid-life crisis' upon realising that he was no longer 'a bit of a dude'.

'It's the fear that you're past your best,' he explained. 'It's the fear that the stuff you've done in the past is your best work. It's like when someone dies and they say: 'He'll always be remembered for that show he did in 1972.' But he'd been working for 30 years after that.'

In taking on possibly the most ambitious role of his career with National Treasure, it rather sounds as if there is little danger of that.
She appears to be the woman to put a halt to Gaz Beadle's lothario ways.

And it wasn't hard to see why, when Emma McVey stepped out in a plunging bodycon LBD with her Geordie beau, 28, on Friday night.

The smitten pair arrived hand in hand at Neighbourhood, in Spinningfields, Manchester.

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Smitten: Emma McVey looked stunning in a plunging bodycon LBD when she stepped out with beau Gaz Beadle, 28, on Friday night

Emma looked sensational in the figure-hugging frock which showed off plenty of cleavage.

The leggy brunette's luscious tresses cascaded down her shoulders and she ran her hand through them as she walked.

She decorated her peepers with plenty of eyeliner and lashings of mascara, gave her cheeks a dusting of blusher and applied a glossy lip.

Date night: The smitten pair arrived hand in hand at Neighbourhood, in Spinningfields, Manchester

Hot to trot: Emma looked sensational in the figure-hugging frock which showed off plenty of cleavage

Gaz covered his muscular frame with a white woollen jumper which he wore with the sleeves rolled up.

He matched it with some trendy ripped jeans and a pair of white trainers. His new flower tattoo on his wrist was partially covered by a flashy timepiece.

The pair looked very much smitten as they gazed into each other's eyes while strolling through the night.

The look of love: The pair looked very much smitten as they gazed into each other's eyes while strolling through the night

Made-up: Emma decorated her peepers with plenty of eyeliner and lashings of mascara, gave her cheeks a dusting of blusher and applied a glossy lip

Gaz took the lead as they walked side by side, and he was unable to take the smile off his face.

The renowned womaniser, who claims to have bedded more than 1,000 women, famously slept with Charlotte Crosby on and off throughout their time on Geordie Shore, before he entered into a relationship with Lillie Lexie Gregg.

Their ill-fated relationship only lasted a year, and the pair came face to face once again while filming MTV's Ex On The Beach All-Stars earlier this year.

Stylish: Gaz covered his muscular frame with a white woollen jumper which he wore with the sleeves rolled up
The Bachelor Australia winner Alex Nation has shared her first social media post featuring beau Richie Strahan, since Thursday night's grand finale episode.

Taking to Instagram on Saturday morning, the 25-year-old mother-of-one shared a loved-up snap of the pair, in which Alex's arms are wrapped around her 32-year-old boyfriend.

'In a weird and wonderful world, I found you. I found love, friendship and happiness (sic),' the beauty from Melbourne began the caption.

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Loved up: The Bachelor Australia winner Alex Nation has shared her first social media post featuring beau Richie Strahan, since Thursday night's grand finale episode

'Rich, I wouldn't change a thing! Here is to many more adventures and experiencing life together. I'M SO BLOODY EXCITED!!! I love you.

To our family and friends and to all those who have supported us, we honestly can not thank you enough. It truly means the world to us.'

In the accompanying image, Alex was seen wearing a striped sweater, while Richie appeared to be sporting a grey T-shirt.

Following her lead: Richie later shared the same photo, along with a gushing message

'I followed my heart': The Bachelor Richie broke his silence about the controversial season finale on The Project on Friday, revealing he does not understand the fan backlash

Her post come after Richie has been called 'Australia's most hated man' by online trolls after choosing Alex over fan favourite Nikki Gogan on The Bachelor finale.

Richie finally broke his silence during an interview with The Project on Friday, revealing he does not understand why there is so much negative feedback.

'I'm unsure,' he said. 'I have gone down this pathway twice now into the hope of falling in love and meeting a remarkable woman.'

'I came to this experience not knowing what to expect': Alex Nation (right) was also quizzed about the negative online response to the final result

Runner-up: Richie ditched Nikki Gogan (pictured) and chose Alex instead in the finale

'And now I've done that and I've met Alex and followed my heart, people are a little bit upset and saying things like 'you've made the wrong decision', he added.

'I only had one decision to make, and that was Alex. Yeah it's hard to understand,' he added, beaming at his ladylove.

'You should have consulted Twitter as well as your heart', one panelist joked.

Indeed, Richie and Alex have received thousands of abusive messages on social media since Thursday night.

And many angry fans claimed Richie made the wrong decision by rejecting Nikki.

Alex was also quizzed about the negative online response to the final result.

'How does it feel being the most hated man in Australia?' After The Bachelor finale aired on Thursday, disgruntled fans 'trolled' Richie and Alex on social media

'For me, I came onto this experience not knowing what to expect. I met an incredible man,' she explained with a smile.

'At the end of the day this was Richie's journey and he had to follow his heart,' she added.

After The Bachelor finale aired on Thursday, disgruntled fans 'trolled' Richie and Alex on social media.

'How does it feel being the most hated man in Australia?' asked a disgusted fan in one Instagram comment.

Richie was even compared to series 'villain' Keira Maguire, with one comment stating: 'I hate you more than Keira.'
Filming has just begun on the first season of The Real Housewives Of Sydney.

But outspoken housewife Lisa Oldfield and her co-star Nicole O'Neil swapped the drama for glamour as they attended Trivett Bespoke's Wild Play party on Friday.

Nicole showed off her figure in a tight-fitting black jumpsuit while Lisa sported a more conservative look in a blue dress and cardigan with sheer black stockings.

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Drama queens: Stars of the upcoming Real Housewives Of Sydney stepped out for a glamourous event on Friday

Former Miss Australia winner Nicole dialed up the glamour with voluminous hair and a metallic clutch.

Lisa meanwhile, wore her short brunette bob in a straight and sleek style.

The controversial star wore dark lipstick and heavy blush to complete her look.

Glamour: Former Miss Australia Nicole O'Neil stunned in a black figure-hugging jumpsuit

The pair's outing comes after Lisa, who is married to former politician David Oldfield, took a swipe at the cast's Melbourne rivals.

'We haven't got any women who have married their money in it,' she wrote in The Daily Telegraph, referring to the Real Housewives Of Melbourne lineup.

In the lead up to RHOS's premiere, the two casts have been firing insults back and forth.

Back in July, Lisa took a another jibe at RHOM, saying: 'I wouldn't compare myself to any of those girls. The benchmark is so low.'

Stepping out: Lisa sported a conservative look with a blue dress and cardigan and sheer black stockings

'The best thing that came out of Melbourne is probably Underbelly so really we are starting very low,' she added.

RHOM star Gamble Breax responded to Lisa's comments and called her a 'stupid old cow'.

Meanwhile, Sydney housewife AthenaX Levendi slammed her rivals.

'The Melbourne Housewives to me look like retired casino waitresses. They lack decorum,' she said with a laugh.
It was a mother and daughter day for Hilaria Baldwin and her eldest little one.

The 32-year-old who just delivered her third child on Monday, headed to a New York City nail salon with her three-year-old daughter in tow on Friday.

The Spanish yoga instructor who is married to Alec Baldwin kept a tight hold of Carmen's hand as they walked together in Manhattan.

Doting mother: Hilaria Baldwin headed to a New York City nail salon with her three-year-old daughter Carmen on Friday

The stunning brunette and her actor husband, 58, welcomed son Leonardo Angel Charles Baldwin to their brood, a baby brother for Carmen and their son Rafael, who is one.

Hilaria kept it casual in a deep blue skirt that grazed her calves with a loose fitted chambray top.

She added a pair of fip flops and some sunglasses.

Gorgeous: The 32-year-old, who gave birth to her third child on Monday, doted on her toddler while sporting a navy skirt with a chambray top

Heading home: The stunning brunette and her husband Alec Baldwin welcomed son Leonardo Angel Charles Baldwin this week

Stunner: The devoted mom held her daughter's hand while hitting the pavement in embellished flip flops

Hilaria style her light brunette tresses loose, opting for a center part with her fringe pulled to one side.

She chose to go makeup free, revealing her flawless complexion and natural beauty.

Carmen looked sweet in a Tinkerbell shirt with grey cropped leggings, flip flops and a pink and silver tiara.

Keeping a close eye: Hilaria kept it casual in a deep blue skirt that grazed her calves with a loose fitted chambray top

Devoted mother: The yoga enthusiast shielded her eyes with large framed sunglasses

Choosing the right nail polish color: Hilaria style her light brunette tresses loose, opting for a center part with her fringe pulled to one side

What a cutie pie: Carmen looked sweet in a Tinkerbell shirt with grey cropped leggings, flip flops and a pink and silver tiara

Later in the day, Hilaria shared a snap of her two sons on Instagram; Rafael cradled his little brother in his arms.

She captioned it: 'My beauty boys.'

One day earlier, the beautiful starlet shared a video of herself at the park with Carmen and Rafael.

One day after giving birth, Hilaria bravely shared a photo of herself while sporting just a bra and underwear.

The flawless beauty took to her social media to show her followers what a woman's body looks like after giving birth.

So adorable: Later in the day, Hilaria shared a snap of her two sons on Instagram; Rafael cradled his little brother in his arms

Family first: One day earlier, the beautiful starlet shared a video of herself at the park with Carmen and Rafael

Catch me if you can! Hilaria had her hands full running around after her middle child int he playground
She was crowned Miss Universe Australia back in 2008.

And Laura Dundovic wasn't afraid to show off the stunning figure that earned her that pageant title while celebrating her 29th birthday on Friday.

Taking to Instagram, the blonde beauty shared a photo of herself in a stunning olive green cut-out dress.

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Birthday girl! Former Miss Universe Australia Laura Dundovic showed off the stunning figure that earned her that pageant title while celebrating her 29th birthday on Friday

The fitted ensemble showcased a glimpse of her taut torso, and a hint of cleavage.

It featured a choker detail to give a sophisticated touch, and was teamed with a sleek black handbag.

With her golden locks pulled back in a high ponytail, Laura completed her look with a slick of striking scarlet lipstick.

'Birthday girl,' she captioned the image.

Cute couple: Her boyfriend Quade Cooper also shared a photo on Instagram to mark the special day

Meanwhile her boyfriend Quade Cooper also shared a photo on Instagram to mark the special day.

The 28-year-old sportsman posted a snap of the pair sharing a kiss while in Croatia.

Laura was in a red stringed bikini, while Quade showing off his ripped physique in a pair of board shorts.

Winning look: She was crowned Miss Universe Australia back in 2008

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY... There's things in life that mean a lot & are special,' he wrote in the caption.

'There's times in your life that are memorable... There's people that you will never forget... Then there's you... You are all that and more.

'Thank you for always keeping me grounded and level... For always picking me up when I've been knocked down... All in all I'm better for having you by my side... Happy birthday darling.'
George Clooney's beautiful wife showed once again why she's the most fashionable international human rights lawyer in the world.

Amal, 38, cut a chic figure as she paid a visit to the united Nations in New York on Friday and then headlined a Women In The World reception.

The ever-stylish British-Lebanese barrister wore a white knee-length shift with a red and blue striped midsection which appeared to cinch in her tiny waist even more.

Chic: Amal Clooney attended the Women In The World reception honoring Nadia Murad as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime in NYC on Friday

Amal, who wed Hollywood's most famous bachelor in 2014, looked classically styled in the conservative outfit.

The feminine frock boasted a simple A-line silhouette showcasing the human rights advocate's lithe physique.

And it exuded a nautical vibe with quarter-length sleeves featuring three gold buttons and a navy stripe at the elbow.

Passionate: She was noticeably in good spirits during the reception as she held the microphone and addressed the crowd in the conservative frock

Stylish lady: The 38-year-old British-Lebanese barrister looked classically styled in a white knee-length shift with red and blue striped midsection which cinched in her tiny waist

Finishing touches: Mrs. Clooney, who married George in 2014, lightly accessorized and appeared to go without her wedding or engagement rings

The statuesque beauty accentuated her long, lean legs with a pair of black suede trendy block-heeled pumps.

The brunette bombshell wore her long tresses down in loose voluminous waves to cascade past her shoulders.

Amal, who married George in 2014, lightly accessorized and appeared to go without her wedding or engagement rings.

Compassionate: The brunette bombshell made the rounds speaking to guests in attendance

Poised: Amal oozed elegance in her demure ensemble

Beaming: The successful international human rights lawyer beamed as she participated at the New York ceremony

Activist: Amal, who represents Nadia Murad -a young Iraqi woman who is a human trafficking survivor - spoke at the United Nations earlier on Friday as Nadia was honored

All smiles: Mrs. Clooney appeared poised as she addressed the audience and offered a friendly smile to Nadia and a warm embrace

She was noticeably in good spirits during the reception as she held the microphone and addressed the crowd.

Before the reception, the human rights lawyer spoke at the United Nations as former ISIS sex slave Nadia Murad became a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Mrs. Clooney appeared poised as she addressed the audience and offered a friendly smile to Nadia and a warm embrace.

Style star: Amal displayed her slender pins in the stylish mini-dress as she carried her vintage inspired handbag to the event
Holly Hunter showcased her toned arms at the Toronto Film Festival premiere of her indie film Strange Weather on Friday.

There was not an inch to pinch on the Oscar winner, who easily defied her 58 years in a white sleeveless pussy-bowed blouse and $995 black silk St. John's 'Georgette Wide Leg' trousers.

The Batman v Superman actress - who's only 5ft2in tall - let her natural beauty shine through with just a hint of eye make-up and lip gloss.

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Gun show: Holly Hunter showcased her toned arms at the Toronto Film Festival premiere of her indie film Strange Weather on Friday

While on the Roy Thomson Hall red carpet, Holly styled her extension-free flaxen locks straight and wore it down around her freckled shoulders.

She then accessorized her ensemble with a Randall Scott Fine Jewelry bracelet and a Sylva & Cie ring and earrings.

In Strange Weather, Hunter returns to her Southern roots to play a grieving mother and a Mississippi college secretary called Darcy Baylor.

The revenge road trip drama - helmed by filmmaker Katherine Dieckmann - screens again Saturday and Sunday at the Canadian festival.

Fierce after 50! There was not an inch to pinch on the Oscar winner, who easily defied her 58 years in a white sleeveless pussy-bowed blouse and black silk St. John's 'Georgette' trousers

Petite: The Batman v Superman actress - who's only 5ft2in tall - let her natural beauty shine through with just a hint of eye make-up and lip gloss

Still a babe: While on the Roy Thomson Hall red carpet, Holly styled her extension-free flaxen locks straight and wore it down around her freckled shoulders

'It was a situation where I got offered a lead role, and I was like, "S***, really?"' the Carnegie Mellon grad exclaimed to Yahoo! Movies last week.

'Immediately that's exciting because there's not a lot of lead roles for 58-year-old actresses. It's like what brave soul put this one out there?'

The Golden Globe winner continued: 'Sometimes it's the script or an opportunity to work with an incredible director. Sometimes it's the lead, but there are not always leads out there.

Settling a score: In Strange Weather, Hunter returns to her Southern roots to play a grieving mother and a Mississippi college secretary called Darcy Baylor

All weekend: The revenge road trip drama - helmed by filmmaker Katherine Dieckmann - screens again Saturday and Sunday at the Canadian festival

The Carnegie Mellon grad exclaimed to Yahoo! Movies last week: 'It was a situation where I got offered a lead role, and I was like, "S***, really?" Immediately that's exciting because there's not a lot of lead roles for 58-year-old actresses'

'So then it's an interesting supporting character or there's a lot of dough, although that happens less and less. Let's have a good laugh about that one.'

Not seen Thursday was Holly's partner since 2001, former actor Gordon MacDonald, with whom she raises 10-year-old twin sons Press and Claude.
She has always maintained a youthful appearance.

And on Friday, Malin Akerman displayed glowing skin while at a benefit held at Cipriani 42 Street in New York City.

The World Childhood Foundation, which aims to protect abused and exploited children, held their annual Thank You Gala to raise money for the organization.

Youthful appearance: Malin Akerman, 38, displayed glowing skin while at a benefit held at Cipriani 42 Street in New York City

The Billions actress wore a black dress, which was decorated with sheer panel outwear.

Malin's frock was adorned with fabric flowers and a bunched neckline.

The beauty, 38, added a pair of platform heels and a matching clutch.

Evening attire: The actress wore a black dress, which was decorated with sheer panel outwear

Easy style: Malin curled her shoulder-length hair outward

Also present for the evening was Princess Madeleine of Sweden. Her mum, H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden founded the organization.

The royal looked ravishing in a light-coloured, one-shoulder gown.

The 34-year-old wore her long locks down in loose curls, while her make-up featured a dark eye and nude lip.

A royal welcome: Also present for the evening was Princess Madeleine of Sweden, 34

Top honours: Also present for the evening was vocalist Andrea Bocelli, 57, and actor Forest Whitaker, 55. The duo received awards for their work with children's rights

Also present for the evening was vocalist Andrea Bocelli, 57, and actor Forest Whitaker, 55.

Andrea and Forest, along with Paul Polman, were the night's big honourees. The trio received awards for their work with children's rights.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson, 46, also came out for the night with wife Maya Haile.
She and her castmates are nominated for another Emmy at this year's awards show.

And on Friday Modern Family star Ariel Winter attended another pre-show bash in West Hollywood ahead of Sunday's big night.

The 18-year-old actress showed off her legs in a little black dress as she joined stars at the party hosted by Variety and Women In Film.

Leggy display: Ariel Winter attended the Variety and Women in Film Pre-Emmy Celebration at Gracias Madre restaurant on Friday in West Hollywood, California

Ariel flaunted her physique in a curve-hugging mini-dress which showcased her ample cleavage and petite pins.

The sexy spaghetti-strap frock featured a simple yet flattering fit-in-flare silhouette.

She further accentuated her toned and tan gams with a pair of black strappy stilettos which added inches to her five-foot-one frame.

LBD: The 18-year-old Modern Family actress showed off her legs in a sexy mini-dress and strappy stilettos as she joined stars at the event sponsored by Mercedes-Benz

Ariel added a pop of color to her all-black ensemble with a matching burgundy manicure and pedicure.

She accessorized with a flashy diamond choker necklace which sparkled in the lights as the star posed for photos.

The beauty wore a smokey eye shadow and glossy pout, leaving her long raven locks down in loose waves to cascade past her shoulders.

Metallic madam: Lea Michele flaunted her fit figure in a curve-hugging and plunging sparkly silver number which she paired with coordinating open-toe heels

The annual star-studded bash, celebrating Emmy nominees, was held at a trendy vegan Mexican eatery on Melrose Avenue.

Another glamorous attendee at the Variety party was Lea Michele who hit the white carpet in a metallic gown.

The 30-year-old Scream Queens star flaunted her fit figure in a curve-hugging and plunging sparkly number which she paired with coordinating open-toe heels.

The brunette beauty wore her long tresses in beachy waves down to one side showing off her diamond encrusted ear lobes.

Blonde beauty: Julianne Hough looked incredible in a colorful long-sleeved mini dress which showcased her flawless dancer pins

Julianne Hough looked incredible in a colorful long-sleeved mini dress which showcased her flawless dancer pins.

The 28-year-old DWTS alum's toned legs were further accentuated by a pair of rose gold strappy stilettos.

The feminine frock also featured a cut-out showing off the blonde beauty's tanned backside.

She wore a pretty bronzed make-up look and wore her platinum locks down in a middle part.

All about the legs! Sarah Hyland also opted for a leggy display as she chose a sequin embellished long-sleeved navy and red mini-dress

Sarah Hyland also opted for a leggy display as she chose a sequin embellished long-sleeved mini-dress.

The 25-year-old Modern Family star sparkled in the red and navy design which featured a cutout neckline.

She added navy stilettos and wore her hair high on top of her head in a messy top knot, finishing off the look with a perfect cat eye.

Laverne Cox looked white hot in a curve-hugging one-shoulder gown which she paired with nude heels.

The 32-year-old Orange Is The New Black star wore her highlighted locks down in loose waves and accessorized with a choker and coordinating bracelet.

White hot! Laverne Cox donned a curve-hugging one-shoulder gown which she paired with nude heels

Stood out from the crowd: Emmy favorite Sarah Paulson wore head-to-toe red in a high-neck long-sleeved dress with black and red pumps and matching lip color

Flower power: Amanda Peet opted for a floral number with a peek-a-boo bodice and asymmetrical hem

Bold: Candace Cameron Bure added a pop of color to the attendees as she opted for a bright orange mini-dress

Candace Cameron Bure added a pop of color to the attendees as she opted for a bold orange mini-dress.

The 40-year-old Fuller House actress highlighted her legs in the feminine frock which featured belled out sleeves.

She wore her short tresses stick straight and teamed the tight dress with a pair of black, orange, and silver strappy stilettos.

Sweet moment: Jaime King flashed some flesh in a cut-out dress which she paired with black trousers. She brought her husband, Kyle Newman, along and the pair kissed on the carpet

All smiles! Julianne, Jaime, and Lea flashed their pearly whites as they mingled inside the star-studded event

Jaime King flashed some flesh in a sheer lace cut-out dress which she wore over a pair of black slim-fit trousers.

The 37-year-old Hart Of Dixie star topped the look off with black pumps and accessorized with her husband, Kyle Newman.

The loved up duo shared a sweet kiss as they posed for photographers on the white carpet.

Lake Bell looked pretty in a black mini-dress with a floral print, which she paired with black strappy stilettos.

The 68th prime-time Emmys will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, airing on ABC at 8 p.m. EST.
Kourtney Kardashian is one hot mama.

The 37-year-old looked incredible in a skintight black mini dress with lacy thigh-high boots as she headed to brother-in-law Kanye West's Friday night concert in Miami.

The reality star, who was seen leaving her hotel with the rapper and her sister Kim Kardashian, showed off her toned physique in the curve-hugging ensemble.

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Fancy: Kourtney Kardashian looked incredible in a skintight black dress with lacy thigh-high boots while on the way to Kanye West's Friday night concert in Miami

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star chose a fitted black number that put her cleavage and sculpted legs on full display.

The mother-of-three paired the low-cut dress with mesh see-through boots that grazed her thighs.

The E! starlet opted for cascading waves and a minimal makeup look.

Kourtney rocked brown eye shadow, defined brows and nude lip gloss.

Wow factor: The 37-year-old, who was seen leaving her hotel with Kanye and her sister Kim Kardashian, showed off her toned physique in the curve-hugging ensemble

Kourtney's younger sister Kim looked equally lovely in a silver chain-inspired dress that revealed her ample cleavage.

The gorgeous 35-year-old paired the shimmering ensemble with nude lace-up boots and waist-length tresses.

Kanye stayed close to his stunning wife as they headed to the American Airlines Arena for his concert.

The rapper, 39, wore a graphic jacket with white trousers.

Flawless: Kourtney's younger sister Kim looked equally lovely in a silver chain-inspired dress that revealed her ample cleavage

Devoted: Kanye stayed close to his stunning wife as they headed to the American Airlines Arena for his concert

Hours earlier, Kourtney was spotted enjoying the sunshine by the pool with her ex Scott Disick.

She showed off her toned physique in a classic white swim suit, adding purple tinted sunglasses.

The twosome, who parted ways in July 2015, are parents to three children: Mason, six, Penelope, four, and Reign, one.

On friendly terms: Hours earlier, Kourtney was spotted enjoying the sunshine by the pool with her ex Scott Disick
She's expecting twin boys in just a matter of weeks.

And Rebecca Judd has taken to Instagram to show off her incredible baby belly while wearing a tiny colourful bikini.

'Suns out, tums out. My boys are measuring 5 pounds each at 33 weeks. That's ten pounds of baby in there and I'm not done yet (sic),' the 33-year-old wrote as she bared her bump.

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Bumping along nicely! Rebecca Judd showed off her burgeoning baby bump as she posed in a bikini while 33-weeks pregnant

'Sh$t is getting cray,' the expectant star added.

Taking the snap on her phone, the brunette beauty turned to the side to show the sheer size of her bump, which still has about nine weeks to go if the pregnancy reaches full term.

The weather presenter's figure is on display in a pair of neon pink bikini bottoms and a boho-print bikini top.

Getting close: The 33-year-old shared a sonogram of her babies asking Instagram followers for tips on how to tell identical twins apart

Last week, the mother-of-two shared a photo of her sonogram, while asking her followers for tips on how to tell identical twins apart.

'Attention identical twin mums! Just curious,' she began her post.

'1. How many weeks gestation did you deliver at?

Glowing: The weather presenter is expecting her third and fourth children with former AFL star Chris Judd

'2. At what age could you tell them apart? Straight away, hours, days, weeks, months or still can't? Any tips? I've packed some nail polish for one of them,' she joked.

The WAG and her retired AFL-star husband Chris Judd announced that they're expecting their third and fourth children back in April.

The pair, who are already parents to five-year-old son Oscar and two-year-old daughter Billie, said they were 'giddy with excitement.'

'Giddy': Rebecca and her husband said they were 'giddy with excitement but at the same time we are really shocked' when announcing the pregnancy in April

'We are giddy with excitement but at the same time we are really shocked', the Postcards host told the Herald Sun.

'We can't quite believe it. We were weighing up whether to go for a third. We thought we would give it a try, and the first go we ended up having twins, which was so unexpected.'

An initial eight-week scan failed to detect the second baby.

It was only when she undertook a routine follow-up scan four weeks later that she discovered she was expecting twins.

Happy family: The couple also share five-year-old son Oscar and two-year-old daughter Billie




The Bachelorette Sam Frost recently denied rumours she is ready to settle down with boyfriend Sasha Mielczarek.

And on Saturday, Sasha was spotted flying solo at Stakes Day at Sydney's Royal Randwick Racecourse.

The 31-year-old construction manager looked dapper in a tailored black suit and red tie at the racing event.

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Where's Sam? The Bachelorette's Sasha Mielczarek was spotted flying solo at Stakes Day at Sydney's Royal Randwick Racecourse on Saturday

The reality TV hunk opted for a classic white shirt and completed his ensemble with shiny dress shoes.

He accessorised with a pair of sunglasses and added a dash of colour with a corsage pinned to his chest.

Sasha looked in relaxed and happy spirits as he posed for a photos trackside.

Dapper: Sasha looked in relaxed and happy spirits as he posed for a photos trackside

Meanwhile, reports emerged in August that Sam and Sasha were preparing to announce their engagement.

But Sam, 27, set the record straight by telling fans on Instagram she is 'no way near being ready' to settle down.

She replied to a comment asking the 2DayFM personality: 'Cmon girl when are you getting married?'

Wedding bells? Reports emerged in August that Sam and Sasha were preparing to announce their engagement

Hitting back: Sam's comments were posted in response to a prying fan on social media, who asked the 2DAY FM radio star: 'Cmon girl when are you getting married?'

Sam replied: 'Not for a very long time!!! I am no way near being ready.' The comment was later deleted.

It came after NW Magazine reported the couple were ready for 'marriage and babies'.

An unnamed source claimed they wanted a family 'badly' and Sam was already claiming Sasha will 'make the best dad'.
Despite lasting just one episode, she managed to become one of the breakout stars of last year's season of The Bachelor.

And on Saturday, Zilda Williams proved once again that her 15 minutes are far from over as she tagged along with a crew of fresh Bachelor babes from the 2016 series.

The 33-year-old joined Noni Janur, Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris, Marja Jacobsen, and Rachael Gouvignon at an event for dating app Bumble in Sydney.

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Still going strong! Last year's Bachelor star Zilda Williams tagged along with Noni Janur, Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris, Marja Jacobsen, and Rachael Gouvignon to an event on Saturday

As expected, the blonde bombshell put on a busty display in a plunging orange playsuit that highlighted her enviable E-cup breasts.

However, not to be outdone, the latest Bachelor rejects also put on some busty displays of their own in a bid to steal Zilda's spotlight.

Bikini designer Noni flaunted her voluptuous curves in a pair of skintight beige pants and a matching top with a revealing neckline.

Look at me! Kiki channeled Regina George as she took the center spot to lead her glamorous co-stars to a luncheon for dating app Bumble

Try to keep up! Zoo model Kiki seemed to trail behind, leaving Zilda free to take the lead

All smiles! The reality TV stars smiled for onlookers in their stylish ensembles

Bachelor 'villain' Rachael also flaunted her bombshell curves in a racy white jumpsuit that cold barely contain her bust.

Zoo model Kiki decided to cover up her chest for once, but was happy to show off plenty of leg in a pink wrap dress.

The fivesome resembled a scene from Mean Girls as they strutted their stuff down the street like Australia's answer to The Plastics.

Where to look? Zilda showed off her E cup assets while Rachael flaunted her bust in a plunging jumpsuit

Beige beauty: Bikini designer Noni showcased her enviable curves in a beige ensemble

The Plastics! The glamorous bombshells looked like they were starring in an Australian version of Mean Girls

Don't forget me! Marja put on a conservative display in an orange outfit that covered her assets

The glamorous gaggle were heading out to a private luncheon for dating app Bumble, hosted by Bachelor breakout star Keira Maguire.

Once inside, the reality stars dined on a gourmet menu which included cauliflower and almost salad, and seared loin of swordfish.

After the classy lunch, the women headed to Double Bay to continue the party -- which Zilda documented on Snapchat.

Here comes Keira! The Bumble app luncheon was hosted by Queen Bee Keira Maguire

'On our way to Double Bay, might be a little bit drunk!' laughed Zilda as she goofed around with Noni.

Meanwhile, as they lived the A-list lifestyle in Sydney, some of their less popular co-stars were in Melbourne celebrating the birthday of Aimee Psellos, the first contestant to be dumped from season four.

Georgia Tripos, Tolyna Baan, Laura Williams, and Sasha Zhuravlyova were spotted ringing in Aimee's 32nd birthday in a Melbourne bar on Friday night.
Padma Lakshmi showcased her substantial cleavage in a plunging nude pencil dress at three different pre-Emmy Awards parties in Los Angeles on Friday.

The 46-year-old presenter is hoping to finally take home a trophy at this Sunday's ceremony having been nominated for Top Chef five times since 2007.

The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs author kept her make-up minimal and paired her rosy frock with purple metallic stilettos and a grey clutch.

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Making the rounds: Padma Lakshmi showcased her substantial cleavage in a plunging nude pencil dress at three different pre-Emmy Awards parties in Los Angeles on Friday

It's been a week since Padma's six-year-old daughter Krishna (with venture capitalist Adam Dell) celebrated her first day of first grade.

'It felt like when my mom used to drop me off at the airport to send me back to India! It felt like that,' the New Dehli-born beauty explained to Us Weekly.

'I was like, "This is it! This is a really big day. This is the start of your academic career." It's a really big milestone.'

Will she win? The 46-year-old presenter is hoping to finally take home a trophy at this Sunday's ceremony having been nominated for Top Chef five times since 2007

EW and Variety's bashes: The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs author kept her make-up minimal and paired her rosy frock with purple metallic stilettos and a grey clutch

But her privileged princess - nicknamed 'Little Hands' - replied: 'Yeah, bye, Mom!'

Lakshmi - born Vaidynathan - will continue hosting the South Carolina-set 14th season of the cooking competition premiering this fall on Bravo.

Meanwhile, Sarah Paulson - rocking a scarlet creation with lippy pumps - will likely win Emmy gold for either her role in FX's American Crime Story and FX's American Horror Story.

'It's a really big milestone!' It's been a week since Padma's six-year-old daughter Krishna (with venture capitalist Adam Dell) celebrated her first day of first grade

Famous foodie: The New Dehli-born beauty will continue hosting the South Carolina-set 14th season of the cooking competition premiering this fall on Bravo

The 41-year-old frontrunner - who relies on stylist Karla Welch - reunited with her co-star from The WB sitcom Jack & Jill, Amanda Peet, looking pretty in floral.

And Modern Family's Ariel Winter wore a spaghetti-strapped LBD featuring a full skirt and matching stilettos.

Lady in red: Meanwhile, Sarah Paulson - rocking a scarlet creation with lippy pumps - will likely win Emmy gold for either her role in FX's American Crime Story and FX's American Horror Story

Throwback! The 41-year-old frontrunner - who relies on stylist Karla Welch - reunited with her co-star from The WB sitcom Jack & Jill, Amanda Peet, looking pretty in floral
She's the nation's sweetheart who has proved her presenting talents as the host of several shows.

And Katie Piper has reportedly set her sights on hosting The Great British Bake Off when it moves to Channel 4 next year.

The 32-year-old philanthropist has just signed a two-year deal with the broadcaster and also has a longstanding relationship with Love Productions - who produces the baking show.

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The proof is in the pudding: She's proved her presenting talents as the host of several shows. And Katie Piper has reportedly set her sights on hosting The Great British Bake Off next year

Speaking to The Mirror, she revealed: 'I would do it - and I can bake. Though I might end up with a soggy bottom.'

The mum-of-one has previously hosted Bodyshockers, Never Seen A Doctor and a series of on-off specialson the channel, as well as giving their Alternative Christmas Message in 2009 - a year after her ex-boyfriend left her with life long scarring by throwing acid in her face.

MailOnline have contacted a spokesperson for Channel 4 for comment.

There's no one batter! The 32-year-old philanthropist has just signed a two-year deal with the broadcaster and also has a longstanding relationship with Love Productions

It kneads new faces: Presenters Mel Giedroyc (2R) and Sue Perkins (2L) have quit GBBO after it moved to Channel 4. Judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry have not said if they will stay

Katie has joined the likes of Anna Richardson, Jimmy Carr and Jennifer Saunders in the pool of stars rumoured to be the next host of the popular show after current presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins quit.

They chose to step down after it was revealed Love Productions had sold the format of the show to Channel 4, after airing the first six seasons on BBC.

Judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry have yet to announce if they will leave the show.

Chic: Whilst the future of GBBO remains uncertain, one thing for sure was Katie's impeccable sense of style, which she highlighted at the Kolchagov Barba LFW show on Friday

Going hell for leather! The former model looked chic as ever in a khaki ribbed polo neck that she teamed with a belted leather skirt and patent black court heels

But whilst the future of The Great British Bake Off remains uncertain, one thing for sure was Katie's impeccable sense of style, which she highlighted at the Kolchagov Barba London Fashion Week show on Friday.

The former model looked chic as ever in a khaki ribbed polo neck that she teamed with a belted leather skirt.

Styling her honey coloured locks in a side parting, the star looked effortlessly glamorous as she made her way into the Melia White House.

Teetering along in her pointed black court shoes, the starlet finished off the look with a large grey handbag.

Red hot! It was the second stylish look of the day for Katie, who had earlier donned an all-red ensemble for the Ashley Williams London Fashion Week SS17 show

Red hot! Proving that less is more, the bubbly blonde opted for a plain crimson jumper that covered her lithe frame, which she teamed with a wine coloured midi skirt

Bubbly blonde: She styled her golden locks in a centre parting and teased her glossy tresses

It was the second stylish look of the day for Katie, who had earlier donned an all-red ensemble for the Ashley Williams show.

Proving that less is more, the bubbly blonde opted for a plain crimson jumper that covered her lithe frame.

She also flashed a hint of leg in a berry coloured skirt that featured a side split.

Still got it! Katie looked just as stylish the next day as she headed to the Jasper Conran show in a navy top and billowing black trousers with a white strip along the seam
The long-awaited tenth season of Australia's Next Top Model is just days away.

And it would appear there is more to the mystery contestants than meets the eye.

Daisy Davies, 19, told Daily Mail Australia at Stakes Day on Saturday: 'My smile tends to get me into trouble more than anything'.

Naughty! Australia's Next Top Model star Daisy Davies (second right) revealed her smile often gets her into trouble. Pictured with Jordan Simek (far right) Vitoria Triboni (second left) and Sabine Jamieson (far left)

Despite coming across as an innocent doe-eyed girl in a recent promotional photo for the FOX8 series, Daisy also has a playful side.

'Well my smile tends to get me into trouble more than anything else,' the aspiring model shared.

'I have a cheeky smile,' she chuckled.

Bronzed: Daisy, with her doe-eyed looks and honey blonde locks, flaunted her leggy figure in light wash denim overalls with a coordinating bandeau style top in a recent promo shoot

But while she confesses to a cheeky side, she can also feel intimidated, especially when surrounded by the Top Model judges and mentors.

'You never think you're going to meet them and then the next minute you're up there (with them) having a one-on-one'.

But when they look like they're ready to crumble under pressure, Cheyenne Tozzi brings them down to line.

'There's Cheyenne who says to us: "There are children starving in the world...what do you have to be crying about? Do your thing," Daisy shared.

Honest voice: Daisy revealed that mentor Cheyenne Tozzi (pictured) would often pull the girls in line when they felt they would crack under the pressure

Prepared to use their dazzling smiles to get the job of their dreams, fellow contestant Jordan Simek, 20, has also her goals set high.

'Every girl's dream job would have to be Victoria's Secret,' she said with a laugh.

'But I guess the end goal would be to travel internationally and work with incredible brands'.

Ambitious: Jordan Simek, 20, revealed that her dream job would be Victoria's Secret

Despite their different goals and the fierce competition prevalent in the fashion industry, the contestants insist they're supportive of one another.

'We're like a family,' Vitoria Triboni, 25, told DMA.

The highly-anticipated series is set to premiere on FOX8 on September 20.

Supportive: Vitoria Triboni revealed that despite the competition, the girls are 'like family'

Megan Gale was announced as the show's permanent judge, replacing her friend Charlotte Dawson two years after her death.

She will also join veteran judge Alex Perry and guest judges Cheyenne Tozzi and Zac and Jordan Stenmark on the series.

Confirming her position months earlier, Megan said: 'I've loved working on the show in a guest capacity over the years and to now join the series as a permanent judge is both an honour and a privilege.

'I look forward to working with the girls and sharing some of my own experiences about what it takes to be a successful working model,' she continued.

Enthusiastic: Megan said, 'I've loved working on the show in a guest capacity over the years and to now join the series as a permanent judge is both an honour and a privilege'

Familiar face: The highly-anticipated tenth season of Australia's Next Top Model, will be hosted by Jennifer Hawkins

The winner of Australias Next Top Model will receive a 12 month modelling contract with Priscillas Model Management, and will feature in an editorial spread for leading fashion magazine, Elle Australia.

They will also get a $20,000 trip to New York during Fashion Week, and drive away in a stylish Mazda.

The winner of the model quest will also be launched into the spotlight like so many of her predecessors including former David Jones ambassador Montana Cox, who won cycle seven in 2011.

The panel: Jennifer Hawkins (centre) hosts the show alongside judges Alex Perry (third left), Megan Gale (second left), Cheyenne Tozzi (second right) and twins Jordan and Zac Stenmark

New fixture: Megan Gale was announced as the show's permanent judge, replacing her good friend Charlotte Dawson two years after her death

Additions: Twins Jordan and Zac Stenmark will also lend their knowledge and expertise on the hit reality series

Montana has well and truly been the show's most successful winner, having walked for some of the world's most famous fashion houses.

Alice Burdeau, who won series three, has gone on to work for Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen.
He recently denied rumours his ex-girlfriend Alex Nation dumped him to appear on The Bachelor.

But student Tom Barbour has only kind things to say about Alex after she won the heart of Richie Strahan on Thursday night's finale.

'I'm proud of Alex. For what she has achieved,' Tom told Yahoo Be on Saturday.

'I'm proud of Alex: Tom Barbour has only kind things to say about ex-girlfriend Alex Nation after winning the heart of Richie Strahan on Thursday night's Bachelor finale

'I wish her nothing but happiness, both on her new adventure in life and with Richie,' he continued.

It comes after Tom slammed reports Alex ended their relationship so she could apply for the TV dating show.

According to New Idea, Tom was 'blindsided when Alex said she wanted it all to end' following a 15-month romance.

Staying classy: 'I wish her nothing but happiness, both on her new adventure in life and with Richie,' he continued

'These stories are not true at all': Tom has denied rumours Alex ended their relationship so she could apply for the TV dating show

The magazine's source also claimed Alex 'made a deal (with producers) that she would make the final five'.

'So even if she didn't win, it would help her profile and acting aspirations,' it was alleged.

Tom later clarified: 'These stories are not true at all... It was me that made that decision (to end the relationship).'

Close: Tom was friends with the single mother for 10 years before the pair began dating

He continued: 'It was a peaceful split. We were just on different paths, different stages in life.'

Alex also called the reports 'completely false' and 'misleading', telling Daily Mail Australia they are 'incredibly hurtful'.

'Our relationship ended amicably with us both agreeing it was best to part ways,' she added.

Tom was left disabled aged 18 after severing his spinal cord in a construction site accident.

He began dating Alex shortly after her divorce two years ago, and they broke up in 2015.

Alex previously told OK! Magazine Tom was 'probably the first person (she) ever loved'.
She's nearing the end of her first pregnancy.

And a glowing Laura Csortan has finally announced the sex of her unborn child as she enjoyed a lavish pink-themed baby shower aboard a Sydney yacht on Saturday.

The 39-year-old model looked simply beautiful in a pastel wrap dress and flashed a huge smile as she celebrated the arrival of her daughter.

It's a girl! A glowing Laura Csortan has finally announced the sex of her unborn child as she enjoyed a lavish pink-themed baby shower aboard a Sydney yacht on Saturday

Waiting to board the Ghost Elite Charter, Laura displayed her growing baby bump in an elegant frock featuring wrap-around tie detailing.

Not prepared to dress for comfort just yet, the travel presenter opted for a pair of neutral heels and a matching leather handbag.

The former Miss Universe Australia styled her hair sleek and straight, and showed off her striking natural features with a neutral make-up palette.

Maternity chic: Waiting to board the Ghost Elite Charter, Laura displayed her growing baby bump in an elegant frock featuring wrap-around tie detailing

Beauty: The former Miss Universe Australia styled her hair sleek and straight, and showed off her striking natural features with a neutral make-up palette

Fashion-forward: Not prepared to dress for comfort just yet, the travel presenter opted for a pair of neutral heels and a matching leather handbag

She's glowing! The 39-year-old former beauty pageant queen looked a picture of happiness

Guests including journalist Elle Halliwell boarded the pink-themed charter, decorated with balloons festive bunting.

Laura's family and friends were seen clutching glasses of champagne as they mingled and doted over the mother-to-be.

Later in the day, the Sydney-based celebrity took to Instagram to confirm the sex of her baby.

Offering their support: Guests were seen making their way to board the charter

So happy for her: Friends carried various gifts for the popular TV personality

Smart casual: Guests dressed in ensembles of differing shades and prints

Familiar faces: Journalist Elle Halliwell, who is also expecting, was seen making her way to the yacht in a black and white outfit

'It's a girl!!!,' she captioned a photo of herself holding onto a group of giant balloons in front of the Harbour Bridge.

An earlier snap featuring sweets and take-home treats confirmed that radio star Lizzy Lovette had contributed a batch of gourmet cupcakes.

As her due date nears, Laura has been relying on loved ones for emotional support.

Round of applause: Guests were seen cheering on Laura as she made her way onto the yacht

Getting in practice? The television personality was seen pulling a number of playful faces with a precious toddler

Good pals: Radio personality Lizzy Lovette (far right) was also in attendance, sporting a pastel pink smock dress

She told Woman's Day about the difficulty she has faced having to explain she is going to be a single mother.

'I didn't know how it would go down, I was terrified but it's certainly been received really well.

'I will be a single mum and there's a lot of single mums saying, "I went through it and these are the things you might find difficult or not," so that's really fabulous as well.'

Touching: One friend, also pregnant, was seen putting her hand on Laura's belly in a rather sweet moment

Party mode: The group were happy to pose for a series of beautiful snaps

Laura has not publicly revealed who the father of her unborn child is.

'When the baby's older I'm happy with her finding out who her father is. I'm going into this with an open mind,' she said.

Her former flames include ex-AFL player Chad Cornes and American model Joshua Slack, 28.

Great view: Guests were treated to a stunning view of Sydney Harbour

Engaged: Laura was seen happily chatting to Lizzy throughout the party

Speaking of her and Joshua's 11-year age gap, she previously told Daily Mail Australia that age is 'just a number'.

'I think it's great and there are a lot of really great girls in the industry that have younger boyfriends as well.

'It's just a number. Whatever makes you happy, whatever works,' she said.

Laura's due date is November 12, three days after her 40th birthday.

Radiant: Pregnancy looks to suit the beauty, seen sporting a glowing complexion
He is the breakout star of American dating show Finding Prince Charming.

And Robby LaRaiviere, 26, will no doubt be a familiar face to Australians as a host on the shopping network TVSN.

The celebrity make-up artist, whose clients include Britney Spears and Lana Del Rey, is one of 13 contestants to appear on the popular series.

Familiar face! Finding Prince Charming's Robby LaRaiviere will be a familiar face to Australian fans, having appeared as a host on the shopping network TVSN

The program, dubbed America's 'Gay Bachelor', sees male contestants trying to win the heart of interior designer Robert Sepulveda Jr.

Robby recently enjoyed a trip to Sydney, which saw him promote countless beauty and hair products for TVSN's viewers.

Erin Holland, Carissa Walford, Annalise Braakensiek and RHOM's Gina Liano have also worked as salespeople for TVSN in the past.

Selling superstar! Robby recently enjoyed a trip to Sydney, which saw him promote countless beauty and hair products for TVSN's viewers

In good company: Erin Holland, Carissa Walford, Annalise Braakensiek and RHOM's Gina Liano have also worked as salespeople for TVSN in the past

Robby made his debut on Finding Prince Charming last week.

This followed controversy that suitor Robert previously worked as an escort and starred in a pornographic film.

Several Finding Prince Charming contestants insisted there is 'no way' the network was not aware of his past.

The suitors had to go through weeks of 'rigorous background checks' before the show began filming, The Wrap reported.

Controversial: Robby made his debut on Finding Prince Charming last week, amid controversy surrounding the suitor Robert Sepulveda Jr., who previously was involved in the sex industry

Robert spoke out after reports surfaced alleging he worked as a male escort in Florida in 2006.

'The past is the past,' he told The Huffington Post, 'I was young and it helped through college.'

He added: 'The show allowed me...to close a lot of chapters in my life that I felt a lot of guilt around, a lot of shame and a lot of things I thought I couldn't share and express.'
It has been a year since Jon Stevens' ugly break-up from ex-fiancee Jodhi Meares.

But the 54-year-old rock star is now getting his life back on track after being cleared of all domestic assault charges.

Now dating philanthropist Heloise Pratt, Jon will embark on a new album with the help of Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and former Beatle Ringo Starr.

New beginnings: Australian rock musician Jon Stevens will embark on his new album with the help of Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and former Beatle Ringo Starr

Having performed at Ringo's 76th Birthday in Los Angeles in July, the trio have reportedly spent time together both socially and musically since.

'We've had dinner together, Ringo and his wife, David and his wife and my partner and I, and we got along really well,' Stevens told The Daily Telegraph.

In February last year, he made headlines over an alleged assault at the Point Piper home he shared with Jodhi. The charges were later dropped.

He was thrown into the spotlight again when he collided into a pedestrian on the same day he would have been in court for the domestic dispute.

'We got along really well': Having performed at Ringo's 76th Birthday in Los Angeles in July, the trio have reportedly spent time together both socially and musically since

According to 9News, Stevens had been turning left onto New South Head Road in Point Piper when his car hit the man on a pedestrian crossing.

In a statement released to the network, Stevens said: 'I hope the gentlemen is OK, police and paramedics have assured me he is but I'll be checking in to make sure.'

The 69-year-old man was taken to hospital where he suffered from injuries to his leg.

Friendly: Jon (R) revealed he has had dinner with Dave Stewart (L) and his wife, and Ringo and his wife on numerous occassions
She was left teary and shaken after eating the world's hottest chilli on Friday.

But Ferne McCann looked to have regained her composure during an upbeat appearance in London the following morning.

The TV personality, 26, caught the eye in a chic midnight blue dress adorned with a bold floral print design.

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Looking good: Ferne McCann caught the eye in a chic midnight blue dress adorned with a bold floral print design as she stepped out in London on Saturday morning

Drawing attention to her curvy frame, the striking outfit ensured she caught the eye as she ventured out.

The former TOWIE star accessorized tastefully, opting for strappy blue heels and a faux-snakeskin handbag.

Seemingly in high spirits, Ferne appeared to have recovered from an on-air calamity that saw her being treated by a paramedic after gamely attempting to eat the world's hottest chilli on This Morning.

Here she comes: Drawing attention to her curvy frame, the striking outfit ensured she caught the eye as she ventured out

Tasteful: The former TOWIE star accessorized tastefully, opting for strappy blue heels and a faux-snakeskin handbag

Taking on the Caroline Reaper live on daytime TV, the brunette maintained her composure at first before the heat kicked in, causing her to break down in tears on air.

Left visibly shaken by the challenge, the TV personality was tended to Gary the paramedic as she struggled to cope with the potentially dangerous task.

Facing off against chef Leon Ockendon in the chilli challenge, the beauty set out to successfully taste eight of the worlds hottest peppers.

Painful: Despite her feisty attitude, surprisingly one thing brought Ferne to tears on Friday's This Morning was the worlds hottest chilli

Ouch! Taking on the Caroline Reaper live on daytime TV, the former TOWIE star maintained her composure at first before the heat kicked in, causing her to break down in tears on air

Painful: Left visibly shaken by the challenge, the TV personality was tended to Gary the paramedic as she struggled to cope with the potentially dangerous task

Fiery: Attempting to keep her tears at bay, it soon became apparent the fiery pepper was causing her pain

Heat scale: Presenters Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes pointed to the scoville scale during the segment

Starting off slow, Ferne tried the padron pepper, ranked eighth on the list, before nibbling on the orange habanero and then the dorset naga  which proved nearly too much for the stunner as she began to cry.

Stuffing her mouth with bread, Ferne choked up as the pepper instantly hit the back of her throat with vengeance.

Attempting to keep her tears at bay, it soon became apparent the fiery pepper was causing her pain.

She shrieked: 'It's really hot'.

Taking a number of deep breaths while digesting the devilish vegetable, Ferne's plight was too much that she had to call on Gary the paramedic to give her a large glass of milk to alleviate the burn.

However when it came to trying the Caroline Reaper, the TV presenter tried her best to keep her poker face.

Watching on: This Morning's paramedic Gary was prepared if the challenge went awry

Calling on Gary! This Morning presenter Ruth called on paramedic Gary to help Ferne as the fiery temperatures of the chilli hit

Helping hand: Gary the paramedic handed a distressed Ferne a cold glass of milk

Feeling the burn! Fernes plight was too much that she had to call on Gary the paramedic to give her a large glass of milk to alleviate the burn

Getting over the initial burn, Ferne looked joyous as she triumphantly swallowed the pepper

Needing a moment? Ferne persevered through the challenge like a champ

Getting over the initial burn, Ferne looked joyous as she triumphantly swallowed the pepper.

Not for the faint-hearted, the Carolina holds the Guinness World Record as the hottest chilli in the world  ranking at 2.5 million Scoville units.

Fernes competitor Leon only managed to try the Dorsey Naga before he tapped out of the competition.

Going head to head with the TV chef, Ferne declared 'I need to win this', before she took on the Reaper and brought home the Golden Chilli trophy.

Too hot? Fernes competitor Leon only managed to try the Dorsey Naga before he tapped out of the competition

'I need to win this': Going head to head with the TV chef, Ferne declared 'I need to win this', before she took on the Reaper and brought home the Golden Chilli trophy

This is the latest in a line of challenges Ferne has had to tackle - having come face-to-face with spiders earlier this week.

Dressed a giant spiders, the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star initially put on a brave face.

However, it wasn't long until she started hyperventilating and screaming while holding a spider in her hands.

'It looks like an olive! I wouldn't eat this spider though', the former TOWIE star joked.
Shes one of the richest women in the world, but Tamara Ecclestone is at the centre of a social media storm

Shes one of the richest women in the world, but Tamara Ecclestone is at the centre of a social media storm after donating a mere 2,000 to a former school friend who is trying to fund life-saving cancer treatment.

Tamara, who lives in a 70 million house and is due 500 million from her father Bernies recent sale of F1, angered hundreds of people when she posted a photo of the friend, Rosalie Marshall, on her Instagram page.

Rosalie, a mother of two, is battling an aggressive form of breast cancer and trying to raise 50,000 for a course of anti-cancer injections not available on the NHS.

Alongside the photo, Tamara wrote: Please donate whatever you can to help her receive a treatment only available in Germany. She is not too far from her target and anything you donate would be so appreciated, and proceeded to donate 2,000.

But immediately Tamara faced a backlash from followers, who accused the multi-millionairess of being stingy.

The first comment said: Why dont you just give her the money? You have it. Another asked: Shes your friend? Surely 20k wouldnt go amiss? And one suggested: Just sell two of your bags and that would pay for it, a reference to Tamaras collection of 20,000-a-pop Hermes Birkin bags.

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Tamara often flaunts her lavish lifestyle online and she admitted in her Channel 5 documentary, Billion Dollar Girl, that her crystal bath tub alone is worth 1 million

The comments then got nastier, with one Instagram user saying: I would find it offensive if my billionaire friend shared my story but didnt offer to pay for the treatment. You have the power to save your friends life, why are you here posting it on Instagram when you should be on the phone paying for her treatment?

Tamara often flaunts her lavish lifestyle online and she admitted in her Channel 5 documentary, Billion Dollar Girl, that her crystal bath tub alone is worth 1 million.

Tamaras husband Jay Rutland waded in to defend his wife, writing: My wife, even with her wealth, cannot help them all since you appear to all have brains the size of a pea, let me just ask you a simple question. If you have ever put a pound into a charity box, then why didnt you put in more? You can all afford more. So why only a pound? And did anyone then abuse you for only putting in a pound? Ultimately we should all be able to donate what we feel comfortable about donating without fear of being berated for it.

Rosalie declined to comment but responded to the Instagram followers, saying she was very grateful and thrilled with the amount. Tamara herself declined to comment.

Its an interesting debate and I am undecided. But I wonder if Tamara will lend me a tenner?

You won't BELIEVE what they tell me!

When I was ten, at school, we all lay on the floor and took our knickers off to see who had the largest bottom and someone said, Definitely Jillys.

- Jilly Cooper tells me more than I really needed to know about the pranks of her schooldays.

I bought them because they gave me the opportunity to wiggle them about like Eric Morecambe. I always think my glasses look better than I do.

- Bill Nighy talking to me at the private view of Nicole Farhis The Human Hand exhibition about the black Cutler and Gross glasses that give him his look.

The kiss with Leo was very pepperminty. And of course he did not put his tongue in my mouth.

- Joanna Lumley lets me in on how Leonardo DiCaprio was the perfect gentleman when they shared a moment of passion while filming The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Joanna Lumley lets me in on how Leonardo DiCaprio was the perfect gentleman when they shared a moment of passion while filming The Wolf Of Wall Street.

I have this vision of the Queen eating my cake in slippers while watching Coronation Street.

- Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain reveals that the top tier of the cake she made for the Queens 90th birthday celebration was boxed up and sent to the Palace.

I met Salvador Dali in a lift and he had an umbrella with a propeller on it  on the blades were pictures of his mother and sister-in-law. He switched on a button and they spun round.

- David Bailey tells me about his surreal encounter with the great artist when we meet at the Royal Academy of Art.

How long is it till we get going? You know I have to keep moving because of my legs.
Alessandra Ambrosio is not shy when it comes to sharing bikini shots on her social media.

But on Saturday, the 35-year-old decided to pose with just two coconuts covering up her cleavage - instead of a swimsuit - while in the Maldives for a photo shoot for GQ Brazil.

The model, who wore only a low-slung skirt around her waist, shared the photo in honor of hitting seven million followers on Instagram.

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'Island style' : Alessandra Ambrosio covers her breasts with coconuts as she plays around on photo shoot

The mother of two captioned the cheeky shot in both her native Portuguese and English: 'Kisses to my 7M followers!!! Love u #islandstyle #crazyforcoconut #cocoloca #foreveronvacation.'

The Victoria's Secret Angel showed off her toned midriff and her chest in the risque photo.

Alessandra held the tropical fruit up to protect her modesty as she puckered up for the camera.

The runway star wore her brunette tresses loose with a natural waves while sporting red gloss and shimmery cheeks.

The shoot, which is for the November cover of GQ Brazil, took place at the Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa.

The photographer, Stewart Shining, provided a behind the scenes look for the swimsuit shoot.



On set today with @alessandraambrosio for @gqbrasil #novembercover shot at @shangrilamaldives - an AMAZING day- thanks @sylvainjustum #foreveronvacation #theaproject A photo posted by Stewart Shining (@stewartshining) on Sep 16, 2016 at 8:17am PDT

Alessandra showed off her other asset - her perky derriere - in another revealing Instagram picture she shared on Friday.

She sported barely-there patterned bikini bottoms with her sculpted behind in full view.

One day earlier, the cover girl shook her body to the beat of the music while rocking a strappy turquoise bathing suit.

What a life: On Friday, Alessandra Ambrosio shows off her perky derriere during a break; she is currently shooting the November cover story for GQ Brazil

Good times, tan lines: One day earlier, the 35-year-old cover girl shook her body to the beat of the music while rocking a strappy turquoise bathing suit

'Working my A** off!!,' she captioned the photo, adding: '#theAProject @Alesbyalessandra #foreveronvacation @mangaproducoes.'

Earlier in the week, the Brazilian-born beauty posed in an animal print bikini after taking a dip in the clear waters.

The genetically blessed star lounged in the sand to dry off drenched tresses following her swim; she captioned the Instagram picture: 'Life is a beach.'

Another photo saw her silhouette as arched her back in front of the waves.

The breathtaking sunset shot wrote: 'Paradise .... Let the journey begins,' in her caption.

Wow: Working my A** off!!,' the model captioned the photo, adding: '#theAProject @Alesbyalessandra #foreveronvacation @mangaproducoes'

'Life is a BEACH': Earlier in the week, the Brazilian-born beauty posed in an animal print bikini after taking a dip in the clear waters

'Paradise': Another photo saw her silhouette as arched her back in front of the waves

'so exciting': Alessandra arrived to The Maldive on Sunday for a weeklong shoot

Alessandra closed out her work trip with several Snapchats of the stunning waters.

Captioned 'last day in paradise', Alessandra showed off the view, before stepping in front of the camera while on the beach.

She closed out her Snapchat story at the airport, revealing that she missed her flight.

Breathtaking views: Alessandra closed out her work trip with several Snapchats of the stunning waters

What a week: The beauty spent time in beach hot spot for a bikini photo shoot

Good times: Captioned 'last day in paradise', Alessandra showed off the view, before stepping in front of the camera while on the beach
His colourful approach to cooking and presenting on daytime TV classics Ready Steady Cook and Can't Cook, Won't Cook made him a household name.

Now fans are calling for Ainsley Harriott, 59, to be installed as the new Great British Bake Off host when the the hit show transitions to Channel 4 from the BBC.

A petition launched by Aiden Matthews has received almost 5,000 signatures, with many supporters posting encouraging words about the campaign.

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Best man for the job? Fans are calling for Ainsley Harriott, 59, to be installed as the new Great British Bake Off host when the the hit show transitions to Channel 4 from the BBC

After current presenters Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc announced they would be stepping down due to show creator Love Productions' decision to transfer the show to Channel 4, Aiden wrote, '... it is crucial that the new presenter has the correct personality, charisma and culinary expertise to take it forward.

'We think that Ainsley Harriott is an ideal candidate, as he is known for his joyful demeanour which resonates throughout all the shows which he presents. Ready Steady Cook is a prime example of his suitability to host such influential reality television, as is Ainsley's Barbecue Bible.

'Please note, this is not a joke! We genuinely love Ainsley and think he is the best man for the job.

Stepping down: Current presenters Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc announced they would not be following the show when it moves to Channel 4

'Just think of the potential of Harriott and Berry. He may be the only way to make this whole caffuffle work out.'

Commenting on the petition, Ainsley said: 'Of course it's flattering, but I'm sure we're going to hear lots of names mentioned as possible presenters.

'It just shows what an amazingly popular programe it is.'

There's been no shortage of love for celebrity chef, with one signatory writing: 'Ainsley Harriott is Love, Ainsley Harriott is Life.'

Another gushed: 'I'm signing this petition because I feel that Ainsley is by far the best candidate for the show , he was always great on ready steady cook and me and my mate Dave enjoy laughing at the ridiculous faces he pulls! Top man did the job'

Popular: A petition launched by Aiden Matthews has received almost 5,000 signatures with many supporters posting encouraging words about the campaign

While a third proclaimed: 'He is our oily lord and savior'

And another claimed Ainsley would be the man to convert them into a GBBO fan, posting: 'The man is a born entertainer. He would actually make me want to watch bakeoff, and that's saying something.'

It is understood that Channel 4 - for whom the founders of Love Productions both previously worked - waded in with a 75million deal once talks between the BBC and the production company broke down.

In a candid statement about the move, Mel and Sue said they had made 'no secret' of their desire for the show to stay with the BBC where they said it had been 'nurtured'.

End of an era: It is understood that Channel 4 waded in with a 75million deal once talks between the BBC and the production company broke down

The friends added: 'The BBC nurtured the show from its infancy and helped give it its distinctive warmth and charm, growing it from an audience of two million to nearly 15 at its peak.

'We've had the most amazing time on Bake Off, and have loved seeing it rise and rise like a pair of yeasted Latvian baps.

'We're not going with the dough. We wish all the future bakers every success.'

Channel 4 confirmed that none of the stars had signed a contract but said they would be 'delighted' if the team wanted to join.
Has Victoria really fallen for Albert? Jenna Coleman is said to be dating on screen lover Tom Hughes

Their sizzling chemistry has helped ITVs epic costume drama Victoria beat BBC rival Poldark in the Sunday night ratings.

And now The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the on-screen romance between actors Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes is being played out in real life, too.

The couple have been secretly dating since last summer, before they began filming their roles as the young Queen Victoria and the love of her life, Prince Albert.

And in a suitably royal twist, Prince Harry played an unwitting matchmaker after making a move on Jenna at a polo match last summer that left Tom so jealous he pursued Jenna for himself.

Sources close to the couple, who are both 30, say they have deliberately kept their romance below the radar because they are deeply private people.

Theyve been together for months, on and off since last summer, said one friend. Tom dumped his long-term girlfriend to be with Jenna and she chose to be with him even though Prince Harry was very keen on her. What started as an affair became a very serious romance.

Last week the pair were seen at The Electric, the Notting Hill branch of exclusive club Soho House, where they cosied up together in the members area after attending a dinner hosted by Glamour magazine.

Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes are said to have been dating for a year after he became jealous when Prince Harry asked her out

The couple stayed until closing time and were seen wrapped up in each others arms as they left together in the same taxi.

A fellow guest said: They were giggling together and very affectionate. One friend was joking about how they are perfect for each other as they are both short.

Victoria has maintained an edge over Poldark in the ratings, with more than five million viewers tuning in to last weeks episode, in which the sexual tension between the pair grew during a passionate joint piano recital.

A source close to Jenna said: The reason the chemistry is so tangible is because they are dating in real life. Those scenes are very real. They are completely hooked on one another.

The actors fuelled rumours that their relationship was more than strictly professional when they were seen dining for two hours together in London a fortnight ago.

They wanted to keep it quiet because they didnt want their professionalism called into question, said the source. Also Tom was dating another actress when he met Jenna and it was all a bit messy.

The actors first met three years ago while filming BBC2 drama Dancing On The Edge.

At the time, Jenna was dating Game Of Thrones star Richard Madden and Tom was living with actress Ophelia Lovibond in Hampstead, North London.

Sources say Tom set his sights on Jenna last year during a polo match in Ascot, when she was photographed with Prince Harry.

Ironically Harry is largely responsible for them getting together, says the friend. Jenna caught Harrys eye at the polo. They flirted and spent the evening together and Harry took her number and they saw each other a couple of times.

The pair's chemistry has helped ITV's drama rival Poldark on the BBC, shown in the same Sunday evening slot

Tom was also on the scene and made it very clear that he wasnt happy about Harry making a move on Jenna. They got together shortly afterwards.

Jenna, who has starred in Emmerdale and Doctor Who, has spoken fondly of working with Tom, saying: It is wonderful because we are very old friends and immediately we have the same tone, the same ideas, and instantly that connection feels very strong.

She has also revealed how they became close while filming the drama last winter, and told how Tom taught her to play the piano ahead of that steamy scene. She said: Ive wanted to learn for ages so it was the perfect opportunity. He is an amazing musician.

The pair spent months in each others company filming Victoria, including learning to waltz and horse-ride together.

They first set tongues wagging in June when they were seen leaving a party in London in the same taxi.
With her smart coordinating white jacket and trousers, Ola Jordan could have been dressed for a day at the office, if it hadn't been for a rather cheeky wardrobe omission.

The 33-year-old former Strictly Come Dancing professional arrived at the SS17 Ashley Isham show in London wearing just a racy black lace bra under the coat.

The plunging balcony style underwear showed off a great deal of her dancer's lithe figure, complete with belly button ring.

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Keeping it brief: Ola Jordan sported a smart white jacket and trousers over a racy lace bra at a London Fashion Week event on Saturday

Ola, who is married to fellow dancer James Jordan, teamed her ensemble with a pair of strappy metallic heels.

She wore her long blonde hair loose around her shoulders and accessorised with a thin black choker and orange clutch.

She mingled with Olivia Buckland, Amy Childs and Caprice at the Singapore-born designer's show.

Racy in lace: Ola showed off her dancer's stunning figure in the ensemble

Heely good: Ola teamed her ensemble with a pair of strappy bronze heels

Ashley Isham has dressed the likes of Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga and set up his own label in 2000.

Meanwhile, Ola has hit the headlines recently with the publication of a tell-all book Strictly Ola: My Story by Ola Jordan in which she writes candidly about her experiences on the hit BBC1 show.

The new book sees her discuss a steamy encounter with her husband in the dressing room, reveal rows with judge Craig Revel Horwood, and address the infamous 'Strictly curse.'

Waiting for the action: Fashion fan Ola mingled with Amy Childs and Caprice at the show

Writer: Ola has hit the headlines recently with the publication of a tell-all book Strictly Ola: My Story by Ola Jordan

She writes: 'Other problems came with the supposed curse of Strictly, which struck when contestants ended up dating their dance partners, wrecking their relationships outside the show. James, like any man, was not immune to jealousy occasionally.'

'When the producer in my first series of Strictly suggested I kiss my partner, Radio 1s DJ Spoony, at the end of a routine to the Prince song Kiss, James said: Er, I dont think so. The only man who kisses Ola is me! she adds.

'He said it in a light-hearted way but the truth was that he found it very difficult to see me dancing intimately with another man.'

Step up for summer: Singapore-born designer Ashley Isham has dressed stars from Kylie Minogue to Lady Gaga

Mix of colours: Ashley Isham's show featured beachy looks from floral playsuits to bikini tops and sheer skirts with frill detail




He was one of Scientology's prized catches - pictured in promotional material alongside fellow stars such as John Travolta and Tom Cruise.

But Jason Lee has quietly revealed that he has quit Scientology.

The My Name Is Earl star confirmed in an interview that he and wife Ceren Alkac are no longer involved with the religion.

Moved on: My Name Is Earl star Jason Lee is seen in Los Angeles last year; he has quit Scientology and moved his family to Texas

One of their biggest stars: Jason, right, is seen seated next to actor Ethan Suplee and in front of John Travolta and Kelly Preston in an official Scientology photograph from 2007

Having relocated his family to Denton, Texas just over one year ago, the actor spoke to a local website to resolve rumours that he was there to start up a Scientology centre.

'If Ceren and I had an idea for a business, it certainly wouldn't happen at the cost of someone else's,' he told thedentonite.com.

'And being that we don't practise Scientology, and that we aren't particularly interested in opening religious centres in general, we have no plans to open a Scientology centre.

'Quite a few rumours about me/us floating around but none of it's true. We're not here to buy up or change or take over Denton, put some kind of personal stamp on it.

'We're just here like anyone else who wants to be a part of Denton's very cool creative community, and to be involved and perhaps help where we can.'

Left town: Jason, 46, and his second wife Ceren married in 2008; they are pictured with son Sonny, daughter Casper and a friend in 2012

Jason, 46, and his second wife Ceren married in 2008. They were rumoured to have split last year, with reports that his commitment to Scinetology had come between them.

However it appears the two are now back together, and living with their children in Texas.

Jason was previously wed to Carmen Llywelyn between 1995 and 2001.

Last year Carmen wrote a scathing article about her experiences with Scientology for Gawker.com - blaming it for their split.

She said: 'Jason had been a Scientologist for about five years when we met.

As he was: Jason, right, with Tom Cruise and Erika Christensen

'He was introduced through his ex-girlfriend, Marissa Ribisi, and her family. When I think back, I believe a part of me knew if I didn't accept Scientology the marriage would be over before it even started.

'Jason and I had spoken about Scientology many times. Our relationship was serious; we had just moved in together.

'Eventually, I started to feel like he was forcing Scientology on me, past the point where I didn't want to go any further.

'He would never stop talking about it.

'It became a source of contention and I realised that unless I accepted Scientology the way he did and the way he wanted me to, we would most likely cease to know each another.'
She is best known for playing cheerleader Quinn in hit TV series Glee.

But Dianna Agron looked miles away from her preppy high school character as she took to the FROW at London Fashion Week on Saturday.

Arriving to view the Emilia Wickstead SS17 collection, the 30-year-old looked simply gorgeous in an elegant black maxi dress.

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Vision in black: Dianna Agron, 30, looked simply gorgeous in a black maxi dress as she arrived at London Fashion Week to view Emilia Wickstead's SS17 collection

The actress kept things classic in the black gown, which featured a plunging V neckline and fitted waistband.

Cinching in at her middle, the dress then fell softly into gentle pleats at her ankle.

Mixing modern and traditional styles together, the Georgia native dressed her neck with a tribal choker and necklace, adding a youthful touch to the regal look.

Gorgeous: The actress kept things classic in the black gown, which featured a plunging V neckline and fitted waistband

While she kept the rest of her accessories minimal, the actress was of course not without her sparkling diamond engagement ring - given to her by musician fiance Winston Marshall earlier this year.

Co-ordinating from head-to-toe, black heeled sandals with a chunky buckle completed her ensemble.

Despite her sophisticated outfit however the blonde exuded sex appeal through her hair and makeup - with her locks tousled into glamorous 'bedhead' waves and a slick of dark black liner achieving a sultry smoky eye.

Trendy: Mixing modern and traditional styles together, the Georgia native dressed her neck with a tribal choker and necklace, adding a youthful touch to the regal look

First class fashion: Emilia Wickstead, as one of the preferred designers of the Duchess of Cambridge and Samantha Cameron, showcased an ultra-feminine collection

Her incredibly glamorous look mirrored the regal and delicate collection she headed to see.

Emilia Wickstead, as one of the preferred designers of the Duchess of Cambridge and Samantha Cameron, featured soft sleeves, flowing skirts, gentle florals and gorgeous pastel colours in her new Spring/Summer collection.

Known for offering a modern twist on old-world couture, the London-based Kiwi designer reportedly used 1970s 'love hotels' as inspiration for her latest installment.

Dianna was joined at the event by fellow American style icon Olivia Palermo.

All eyes on her: The blonde exuded sex appeal and glamour as she took her place on the FROW alongside fashion's elite

The fashionista, who never fails to put a foot wrong when it comes to clothes, made a usual chic appearance in a crisp blue striped shirt embroidered with dainty florals, layered underneath a suede tan cape.

Contrasting her boho top half, the star then gave her look more attitude with a pair of sleek leather trousers and chunky ankle boots, with a glittery heel.

The socialite carried her essentials in a nude clutch bag and kept her make-up highlighted and dewy, to show off her enviable glowing complexion.

Olivia is clearly a fan of the designer, having attended her show in London Fashion Week back in February.

Fashion icon: Olivia Palermo, 30, made a usual chic appearance in a crisp blue striped shirt embroidered with dainty florals, layered underneath a suede tan cape

That's how it's done: Contrasting her boho top half, the star then gave her look more attitude with a pair of sleek leather trousers and chunky ankle boots, with a glittery heel

Toned down: Make-up artist Jemma Kidd put on an effortlessly glamorous display in a black suit, while Laura Bailey wowed in a blue linen high-neck frock
She is set to make her debut as Australia's second Bachelorette in less than a week.

And Georgia Love is lucky to have some tips from this year's Bachelor Richie Strahan, who went public with his romance with Alex Nation on Thursday.

In an interview The Daily Telegraph, rope access technician Richie advised 27-year-old Georgia to choose a 'cool' name for her chosen man when saving his contact details in her phone.

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Advice: Georgia Love (R) is lucky to have some tips from this year's Bachelor Richie Strahan (L), who went public with his romance with Alex Nation on Thursday

For the past three months Richie has had to store 25-year-old mother-of-one Alex's details with a code name, with the pair using these personas when meeting up incognito.

'Change your name to something cool,' Richie advised Georgia.

'I think mine was going to be Doug and I was like, "Youre not calling me Doug babe".'

Meanwhile Georgia laughed: 'I feel like Im never going to be able to change his name back to what it actually is because I always get so excited when his other name pops up on my phone'.

Nerves getting the better of her: In the latest promo for The Bachelorette Australia, Georgia's entrance 'will be one of them you will never forget'

No doubt the brunette television presenter is grateful for all the advice she gets.

If the latest promotional clip for The Bachelorette is anything to go by, it seems the stunner's journey in the mansion won't be all smooth sailing.

In the short two minute clip, it has been portrayed that she tripped over as she walked into the first-ever cocktail party while her awaiting bachelors looked on with a stunned expression.

Tumble: In the short two minute clip, it has been portrayed that the 27-year-old slowly trips over as she walks into the first-ever cocktail party

The clip showed slow motion snippets of the broadcast journalist taking a tumble with a blur over the top of the frame.

She later confessed in her piece to camera, 'kill me now' while she dropped her face into her hands.

Earlier in the advertisement, Georgia turned red faced as she gushed over a number of the male contestants.

What to do? As she stumbles in slow motion, her awaiting bachelors look on with a stunned expression before some broke into a laugh

Embarrassed: She later confessed in her piece to camera, 'kill me now' while she dropped her face into her hands

'Gosh, there are some really, really good ones in there,' she giggled, adding, 'like some really good ones'.

Also in the promo, miner Ben discussed his odds of capturing Georgia's attention during the cocktail party, telling the camera: 'All the guys are good lookin' guys. Some absolute 10s there.'

'And I'm rollin' in, you know, five and a half on a good day,' laughed the blond hopeful.

Find someone already? Earlier, Georgia turned red faced as she gushed over a number of the male contestants: 'Gosh, there are some really, really good ones in there'

Honest: Also in the promo, Ben is seen discussing his odds of capturing Georgia's attention , telling the camera: 'All the guys are good lookin' guys. Some absolute 10s there. And I'm rollin' in, you know, five and a half on a good day'

In contrast, male model Sam Johnston appeared to have confidence in spades when he was asked by Carlos who he thinks is his biggest competition.

'Definitely at the moment I think it's myself,' grinned the hunky contestant.

Georgia was introduced to audiences as Australia's second Bachelorette in late June, telling fans that she is 'so excited to start on this adventure to find love'.

On the search: Georgia was introduced to audiences as Australia's second Bachelorette in late June, telling fans that she is 'so excited to start on this adventure to find love'

Looking forward: She has previously told: 'The thought that I might find the man of my dreams is what excites me more than anything'

'I'm looking for a man who can make me laugh and who I can laugh with who's driven and knows what they want out of life and has the passion to achieve that.

'The thought that I might find the man of my dreams is what excites me more than anything,' she added.

The Bachelorette Australia will launch next Wednesday on Network 10 at 7.30pm.
Last month it was reported that Kylie Minogue was set to marry fiance Joshua Sasse in a cathedral in her home city of Melbourne.

But now the 48-year-old has rubbished the rumours, insisting that she still hasn't set a date to walk down the aisle with her 28-year-old beau.

'Peoples enthusiasm is lovely, we appreciate that, but there are no wedding plans as yet,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

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'There are no wedding plans as yet:' Kylie Minogue shut down rumours that she's set a date to marry beau Joshua Sasse

The pop princess added: 'Im just enjoying feeling girly and being engaged.'

Last month, NW magazine reported that Kylie and Josh were looking at St. Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne for their big day, which would take place this summer.

The magazine added that the Fever hitmaker was considering British label Ralph & Russo Couture for her wedding gown.

Happily engaged: 'Im just enjoying feeling girly and being engaged,' added the 48-year-old pop princess

While Kylie and her younger beau are still very much engaged, the pair have opened up about their thoughts on same-sex marriage in Australia.

The gay icon recently told the Daily Telegraph that Australia was 'backward' when it came to legalising same-sex marriage, proclaiming other countries that had permitted the union did not have 'the earth cave in'.

She continued to add her English partner was also vocal on the topic and would push for same-sex legislation to pass in her native country.

'He just can't fathom that same-sex marriage hasn't been legalised': Kylie Minogue and her fiance Joshua Sasse have weighed in on the same-sex debate, declaring their support for marriage equality

'He's so adamant to fight for gay rights in Australia and it's coming from the most genuine place,' she told the publication.

'He just can't fathom that same-sex marriage hasn't been legalised and of course I back him up on that.'

Meanwhile, Kylie, 48, and her 28-year-old boyfriend made their engagement official with a notice in the marriages section of the UK's Daily Telegraph in February.

The small advert in the Saturday paper read: 'Mr J.S. von Sasse and Miss K.A. Minogue.

Helping out: She continued to add her English boyfriend was also vocal on the topic and would push for same-sex legislation to pass in Australia

'The engagement is announced between Joshua, so of the late Dominic Sasse and of Mary Heale (nee Macauley), of Herefordshire and Kylie, eldest daughter of Ronald and Carol Minogue, of Melbourne, Australia.'

It is thought the couple may have chosen to announce their engagement in the Telegraph because of Mr Sasse's family links to the newspaper.

His maternal great-grandfather William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose, bought the paper in 1927 and also owned The Sunday Times and other newspapers.
UN Security Council cancels meeting on Syria

The UN Security Council on Friday canceled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss a US-Russian deal on Syria, at the request of both the United States and Russia, diplomats said.

During the scheduled meeting, US and Russian envoys were to present details of the joint agreement that calls for a ceasefire, the delivery of aid and joint targeting of Islamist rebels in Syria.

Russia, Syria's key ally, is pushing for the Security Council to endorse the agreement, but France and other council members have said they must first learn more details about the deal.

A Syrian government soldier and unidentified people walk in the damaged Khan al-Wazir market in the government-held side of Aleppo's historic city centre on September 16, 2016 Youssef Karwashan (AFP)

Under the deal, all sides were due to allow deliveries of food and other basic supplies to the battleground city of Aleppo after a ceasefire went into effect on Monday.

But on Friday, aid convoys positioned at the border with Turkey had yet to receive the all-clear to begin their journey to Aleppo.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Thursday that the council could adopt a resolution backing the agreement during a high-level meeting on Syria to be held on Wednesday.
IS sex slavery survivor named UN goodwill ambassador

A young Iraqi woman who survived rape and abuse as a sex slave of Islamic State fighters on Friday became a UN goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.

Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a 23-year-old Yazidi woman, called for justice for the victims of the jihadist group and argued that the 2014 attack on the Yazidis should be recognized as a genocide.

Murad was taken from her home village of Kocho near Iraq's northern town of Sinjar in August 2014 and brought to IS-controlled Mosul, where she was gang-raped, and bought and sold many times.

Nadia Murad Basee Taha called for justice for the victims of the Islamic State group and argued that the 2014 attack on the Yazidis should be recognized as a genocide Mark Wilson (Getty/AFP/File)

"I was used in the way that they wanted to use me. I was not alone," Murad said during a ceremony held at UN headquarters.

"Perhaps I was the lucky one. As time passed, I found a way to escape where thousands others could not. They are still captive."

Her voice trembling, Murad called for the release of some 3,200 Yazidi women and girls still being held as sex slaves by IS fighters and for the captors to face justice.

"My real fear is that once ISIS is defeated, ISIS militants, ISIS terrorists will just shave off their beards and walk the streets of the cities as if nothing has happened," she said.

"We cannot let this happen."

Murad said her hope was that one day, Yazidi victims will be able to look "our abusers in the eye before a court in The Hague and tell the world what they have done to us, so that our community can heal."

As a goodwill ambassador, Murad will focus on raising awareness of the plight of victims of trafficking of persons, especially refugees, women and girls.

She is represented by international lawyer Amal Clooney, who said the Islamic State group must be held accountable for grave crimes.

"We know that what we have before us is genocide, and we know that it is still ongoing," said Clooney.

"I am ashamed as a human being that we ignore their cries for help," said Clooney, drawing applause.

As world leaders converge on the United Nations next week for the annual General Assembly debate, Iraq and Britain will on Monday launch a campaign to push for accountability for crimes committed by IS.
38 Boko Haram fighters killed in south Niger: army

Thirty-eight Boko Haram Islamist fighters have been killed during military search operations carried out by Niger and Chad troops in the Diffa region of southeast Niger this week, an official said Friday.

Two soldiers were lightly wounded in the action and "on the enemy side; 38 terrorists killed," Niger defence ministry spokesman Moustapha Ledru said on state television.

Substantial quantities of weapons and munitions were also seized, Colonel Ledru added.

Niger's army convoy arrives in the city of Bosso following attacks by Boko Haram fighters in the region Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

The joint army operations took place between Monday and Wednesday around the villages of Gueskerou and Toumour in southeastern Niger, he added.

According to villagers and NGO workers in Gueskerou, 30 kilometres from Diffa, Boko Haram elements attacked the town on Wednesday night, without killing anyone.

"The attack nonetheless caused a psychosis in the population" and "the assailants torched houses and stole food and medicines after pillaging shops and a pharmacy," an NGO official told AFP.

Boko Haram's seven-year insurgency has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and border areas of neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, and made more than 2.6 million homeless.

Attacks in Niger's Diffa region began in February 2015.
Zimbabwe police on alert for protests

Riot police were expected to be out in force in Zimbabwe on Saturday after protesters planned fresh demonstrations calling for electoral reform and the resignation of President Robert Mugabe.

Police this week issued an order barring protests in the capital Harare, but campaigners on Friday vowed to challenge the ban through the courts, which overturned a similar order earlier this month.

A coalition of opposition parties under the banner of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA) is demanding reform ahead of the 2018 election, when Mugabe, now aged 92, plans to stand again.

Demonstrators from the Zimbabwean pressure group Tajamuka protest next to a burning tyre in Makokoba Township, Bulawayo Zinyange Auntony (AFP/File)

Mugabe has vowed a crackdown on dissent and blasted judges for "reckless" rulings allowing previous demonstrations.

Promise Mkwananzi, spokesman for the protest group Tajamuka, said they would march on Saturday, despite the police order.

"The constitution and the high court allow for peaceful demonstrations," he told AFP.

"The police are promoting lawlessness in the country by banning peaceful demonstrations."

Two weeks ago, police detained scores of people including activists and bystanders following violent protests in the capital.

"Tensions have been visibly mounting and the momentum for more protest is growing," the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies said in a report this week.

"The state has a limited repertoire of options to respond with, so far falling back on its traditional modes of repressive policing."

Mugabe has vowed to end the wave of recent protests, last weekend warning marchers that they were "playing a dangerous game".
Fourth attack on Israelis in uptick in violence

A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier Saturday in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron before he was shot dead, the army said, in the fourth attack on Israelis in less than 24 hours.

A military statement said the attacker drew a knife during a routine security check in Hebron's Tel Rumeida neighbourhood, wounding the soldier.

"In response to the immediate threat, forces at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death," the statement said.

Israeli security forces gather at the scene where a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier before he was shot dead, in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron Hazem Bader (AFP)

The Palestinian health ministry named the man killed as Hatem al-Shaloudi, 25.

He was a resident of Tel Rumeida, as was 16-year-old Mohammed Rajabi, shot dead during an attack on Friday.

Rajabi was one of three alleged assailants killed Friday while carrying out attacks on Israelis, two in and around occupied Hebron and one in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Another man was killed on Thursday, also in Hebron, after allegedly trying to evade arrest by the Israeli military.

Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi condemned Israel's actions.

"Israel is flagrantly employing a systematic and wilful policy of summary executions against the Palestinian people; such provocative acts are in direct violation of international law and conventions," she wrote in a statement Saturday.

"We call on the international community to engage rapidly and effectively and to hold Israel accountable with punitive measures before it is too late."

An Israeli military spokeswoman told AFP that the latest attack was "another expression of the incitement (against Israel) on the Palestinian street and on social networks."

Since October, 228 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, one Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in ongoing violence, according to an AFP count.

Israeli forces say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since capturing it in the 1967 Six Day War.

In the Gaza Strip on Friday, a Palestinian medical official said that Israeli troops at the border fence east of Gaza City shot and slightly wounded three Palestinian youths.

An army spokeswoman said they had been rioting.

The uptick in violence was a reminder of persistent tensions alarming the international community and came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the two-state solution was "further than ever" from becoming reality.

Previously there had not been an attack in three weeks.

- 'Occupation must end' -

International powers have criticised Israel's continued settlement expansion in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, with more than 500,000 Israelis now living in outposts that the international community considers illegal, as well as incitement to violence by Palestinian leaders.

"Despite warnings by the international community and the region, leaders on both sides have failed to take the difficult steps needed for peace," Ban said on Friday.

"Let me be absolutely clear: settlements are illegal under international law. The occupation, stifling and oppressive, must end," he added.

Ban also hailed former Israeli president Shimon Peres, the last of Israel's founding fathers, who suffered a major stroke this week.

The veteran Israeli leader won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 along with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo peace accords.

The United Nations has been struggling to find a way to re-start the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has stalled since a US-led diplomatic effort collapsed in April 2014.

Earlier this week three alleged assailants were killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis, two in and around occupied Hebron and one in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem Hazem Bader (AFP/File)
Anti-Mugabe protests fizzle out amid high police presence

A heavy police presence in Zimbabwe's capital stopped a planned mass demonstration against veteran President Robert Mugabe from going forward Saturday, as activists claimed police used live ammunition to disperse small protests in the suburbs.

A coalition of opposition parties under the banner of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA) had planned country-wide demonstrations demanding reform ahead of the 2018 election, when 92-year-old Mugabe plans to stand again.

But a month-long protest ban and a massive police deployment in Harare saw the event fizzle out before it started.

A protester holds a placard as Zimbabwe opposition supporters under the National Electoral Reform (NERA) coalition march through the streets of Bulawayo, on September 17, 2016 Zinyange Auntony (AFP)

However, activists charged the police with intimidation,making arrests and firing against small groups demonstrating in the suburbs.

"The response of the government... has been very worrisome. They have used live ammunition in areas including Kuwadzana,Dzirasekwa, Mufakose and Kambuzuma," said Jacob Ngarivhume, whose political party Transform Zimbabwe is part of NERA, at a press conference.

"We have over 100 people who have been arrested so far."

The police declined to comment on the claims.

The activists also alleged that several people were abducted on the eve of the protest.

The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party said residents were told not to participate in the protest.

"The people were threatened by police and people in plain clothes. They were told, 'We will beat you up and you will disappear if you embark in the demonstrations'," said MDC spokesman Obert Gutu.

Police this week had issued an order barring protests in the capital.

Campaigners said they would challenge the ban through the courts, which had overturned a similar order earlier this month.

Mugabe has vowed a crackdown on dissent and blasted judges for "reckless" rulings allowing previous demonstrations.

But in the second city of Bulawayo, close to a thousand protesters staged a peaceful march on Saturday after a high court ruling gave them permission to take to the streets.

Police stood by with armoured vehicles and water cannons.

"All we are demanding is that we want a free, fair and credible election," MDC deputy president Thokozani Khupe told the crowd.

"We are drawing a line in the sand and we are saying never again will we allow an election to be held where elections will be rigged."

Mugabe's ZANU-PF party won the last general elections in 2013, which were marred by electoral fraud.

Opposition to the ageing leaders 36-year rule has grown in recent months with a surge of public demonstrations, triggered by an economic crisis that has left banks short of cash and the government struggling to pay its workers.

Mugabe has often used brutal force to silence his opponents and warned the protestors last week they were "playing a dangerous game".

Unemployment is about 90 percent in Zimbabwe, which has been in the grips of a cash shortage worsened by a severe regional drought.

NERA has promised more demonstrations in the coming weeks until the government gives in to their demands.

Zimbabwe opposition supporters demand electoral reforms during a protest rally in Bulawayo, on September 17, 2016 Zinyange Auntony (AFP)

Zimbabwe opposition supporters gather a National Electoral Reform (NERA) coalition march through Bulawayo, on September 17, 2016 Zinyange Auntony (AFP)
Sunni Islam riven anew by ancient dispute

An old rift at the heart of Sunni Islam that once saw clerics brawl outside a mosque in medieval Baghdad has emerged again, only this time they are fighting it out on social media.

Clerics from around the world met in August in Grozny to define Sunnism and oppose extremism at a conference hosted by Chechnya's eccentric strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.

The gathering excluded the Salafis, the official school of thought in Saudi Arabia, and was dominated by the Ashaaris -- the main school of Sunni theologians elsewhere in the Middle East.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar meets with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at Al-Azhar mosque in the Egyptian capital Cairo

The clerics provoked outrage in Saudi Arabia when they issued a concluding statement defining Sunni theology as Ashaari and Maturidi -- a similar school of thought -- while not mentioning the Salafis.

The attendance of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the prestigious centre of Islamic learning in Egypt currently being renovated with Saudi funds, only fuelled the row.

"When you hold a conference to discuss who are Sunnis, how do you intentionally ignore a cornerstone of Sunnis, the Salafi and Saudi scholars?" said Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

It prompted a sarcastic outburst from prominent Saudi cleric Aid al-Qarni on Twitter.

"Oh wonder. The country of the two Holy Sanctuaries (in Mecca and Medina), to which Gabriel descended to the Prophet and his companions, is not Sunni according to the Chechnya conference!" he wrote.

The dispute dates back to the early Muslim centuries between supporters of Ashaarism and Hanbalism -- the school of jurisprudence that gave rise to modern day Salafism.

In 11th Century Baghdad, the Hanbalis and Ashaaris clashed outside a mosque, throwing stones at each other. A passerby was killed.

When the vizier, the Caliph's first minister, summoned them to a reconciliation meeting, the chief of the Hanbali faction cut it short.

"These people say I'm an infidel. And we say those who don't share our belief are infidels," he said, according to a history of Hanbalis by medieval scholar Ibn Rajab.

- 'Political issue' -

While the argument is ancient, "in the last decade, this is the most prominent example of the most pre-eminent Sunni religious office, the Sheikh al-Azhar, declaring what Sunnism is theologically," said H.A. Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, referring to the Grand Imam.

Salafis -- also identified as Ahl al-Hadith -- subscribe to a literal interpretation of Koranic verses and prophetic sayings that describe God as having a hand or a foot. Ashaaris tend to interpret them metaphorically.

The Salafis accuse the Ashaaris of denying God's attributes and the Ashaaris in turn accuse the Salafis of likening God to his creation by insisting he has a hand.

The statement did mention Hanbalis, but merely as a school of Islamic law rather than the theology that has historically been associated with it.

As the controversy grew, Kuwaiti Salafi preacher Naif al-Ajami uploaded a video on YouTube denouncing the conference.

"The people who most deserve the title of Sunni are the Ahl Al-Hadith, known today as the Salafis," he said.

Another prominent Saudi cleric, Salman al-Oudah, took to Snapchat to criticise the conference.

After the backlash, the conference statement was amended to include mention of "Ahl al-Hadith" as Sunnis.

Habib Ali Jifri, a popular Yemeni cleric who helped organise the conference, denied that it meant to exclude Salafis.

"When the conference organisers saw the lies that it excluded Ahl al-Hadith from being Sunnis, it included them along with the Ashaaris and Maturidis," he told AFP in an email.

But debate over the conference also assumed a political tone.

"It's a political issue: it's a political conference to marginalise Islamist forces," Khashoggi told AFP.

The choice of venue exacerbated the controversy, said Hellyer.

Kadyrov is often criticised for human rights abuses. He is also viewed as a proxy of Russia, which is propping Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's regime against Saudi-backed rebels.

"The conference's conclusions were essentially theological -- however the location of the conference resulted in political reactions, owing to Kadyrov's political alignments," Hellyer told AFP.

Both Salafi and Ashaari scholars may support their rulers, or oppose them.

But in the Middle East, the preeminent Ashaari and Maturidi clerics of the past century have been seen as close to their governments.

Salafis -- such as Saudi Arabia's clergy -- can also be supportive of governments, but jihadists such as those of Al-Qaeda share their theology.

Jifri said he had no qualms about Kadyrov's sponsorship of the conference.
Intermittent shelling, clashes across Syria: monitor

Intermittent shelling and clashes resumed overnight in Syria, a monitor said on Saturday, testing a strained truce brokered by Russia and the United States.

An initial 48-hour ceasefire came into force on Monday evening, and was extended for another two days on Wednesday.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, "limited shelling and clashes have resumed on several fronts in Syria."

More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 Youssef Karwashan (AFP/File)

In particular, fighting erupted between rebels and pro-regime forces in the opposition-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, and air strikes hit several towns in the central province of Homs.

In the coastal province of Latakia, fresh regime air strikes hit rebel groups, including fighters from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, in the flashpoint region of Jabal Akrad.

"So far, Aleppo city is still the calmest of them all," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

Under the truce deal negotiated by Moscow and Washington, fighting is to halt across the country except in areas where jihadists are present.

Aid is then meant to reach battered Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people in the rebel-held half of the city are living under government siege.

But forty trucks carrying desperately-needed food aid were still stuck on the border with Turkey on Saturday.

"Still no progress, but the UN is ready to move once we get the go ahead," said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UN has said it cannot deliver aid until "all guarantees are in place for safe delivery."

AFP's correspondent in Aleppo's eastern districts said the city was calm on Saturday after a few rocket attacks overnight.

On Friday, Russia said that only Moscow and the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad were fulfilling their obligations under the deal.

"Although the ceasefire agreement is bilateral, only one side is truly implementing it," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

Russia said it was ready to extend the truce by 72 hours, but no formal extension announcement followed.
Philippine militants 'hungry' for caliphate, says Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants were hungry to establish a caliphate, as he toughens his stance on the kidnap-for-ransom group accused of a deadly bombing in his home city this month.

The fiery leader, who has threatened to eat the militants alive in a bloodthirsty vow of revenge for the attack in Davao that killed 15 people, said the group was no longer just after money from criminal activities.

Several units of the Abu Sayyaf in the strife-torn southern Philippines have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group but analysts have said they are more interested in funding than ideology.

Philippine soldiers prepare for an operation against the extremist Abu Sayyaf group on September 5, 2016 on the southern island of Mindanao Mark Navales (AFP/File)

"They are hungry for a fight to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia. Caliphate is a kingdom for the Muslims," Duterte said in a speech to soldiers.

"The problem is that they do not talk on the basis of what school you can give them," he said referring to previous local services the militants have asked for.

"It's either the caliphate or nothing."

The Abu Sayyaf is a radical offshoot of a Muslim separatist insurgency in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines that has claimed more than 120,000 lives since the 1970s.

The Philippine defence department has said there were no formal links between the group and the Islamic State which holds vast swathes of Iraq and Syria.

"They are ISIS inspired and not actually ISIS supported. They are just ISIS wannabes," defence department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told AFP, using another name for the Islamic State.

Duterte, who has restarted peace talks with the country's two major Muslim rebel groups since taking office on June 30, initially pleaded for peace with Abu Sayyaf but has since hardened his position and branded them as terrorists.

Last month, he launched an offensive against the militants, ordering the military to "destroy" them.

He sent thousands of troops to Abu Sayyaf strongholds in the southern islands of Jolo and Basilan in an assault that had killed 15 soldiers and 32 militants according to the military.

The Abu Sayyaf is blamed for the nation's worst terror attacks and has beheaded foreigners, including two Canadians in April and June after ransom deadlines lapsed.
Putin says Syria rebels using truce to regroup

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Syrian rebels Saturday of using a fragile ceasefire to regroup, as diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Washington simmered over a lack of humanitarian aid access.

Fresh shelling and clashes were reported overnight in some areas of the war-torn country, but the US-Russia brokered truce which took effect on Monday appeared to be largely holding.

In New York, the UN Security Council cancelled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss whether to endorse the ceasefire, billed as the "last chance" to end the five-year war that has killed 300,000 people.

A Syrian boy carries a toy gun past a destroyed building in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on September 13, 2016 after a truce was brokered by Russia and the US Delil Souleiman (AFP)

The closed-door consultations were scrapped after Moscow and Washington failed to agree over disclosing details of the ceasefire to the council.

Putin, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said he remained "positive" about the truce but lashed out at rebels.

"We see attempts to regroup among these terrorists, to switch one label for another, one name for another and keep their military capacity," he said in televised remarks while on a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

Putin said Washington apparently "has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad," calling it a "very dangerous path."

Moscow said Friday that it was ready to prolong the truce by 72 hours, but there has been no formal announcement of an extension.

The implementation of the truce has been complicated by the presence of jihadists -- who are not covered by the ceasefire -- and mainstream rebels on some of the same frontlines.

A challenge for Washington is to persuade opposition groups it backs to separate themselves from the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, previously called Al-Nusra Front.

- 'Unacceptable aid delays' -

US Secretary of State John Kerry meanwhile called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and condemned "repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid," spokesman John Kirby said.

Kerry told Lavrov that Washington "expects Russia to use its influence on the Assad regime to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach the battleground northern city of Aleppo and other areas in need," Kirby said.

He added that the United States would not set up a planned joint US-Russian military coordination cell in Syria until regime forces there allow aid into besieged cities.

President Barack Obama also voiced "deep concern" that the Syrian regime continued to block aid.

A key plank of the truce deal was the delivery of aid to areas including Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people in rebel-held areas of the city are living under government siege.

Under the deal, the main route into Aleppo, the Castello Road, would be demilitarised and aid convoys would enter from Turkey.

But 40 trucks carrying desperately needed food aid were still stuck on the border with Turkey on Saturday.

"Still no progress, but the UN is ready to move once we get the go ahead," said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UN has said it cannot deliver aid until "all guarantees are in place for safe delivery."

- Intermittent fighting -

AFP's correspondent in Aleppo's eastern districts said the city was calm on Saturday after a few rocket attacks overnight.

Fighting erupted overnight between rebels and pro-regime forces in the opposition-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Air strikes hit several towns in the central province of Homs and also targeted rebel groups, including fighters from the Fateh al-Sham Front, in the coastal province of Latakia, according to the British-based monitor.

On Friday air strikes killed three civilians, including two children, in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province, the Observatory said.

Under the US-Russia deal, if the truce lasts seven days and humanitarian access is granted, Moscow and Washington are to work together to target jihadists including the Islamic State group (IS).

The Pentagon said Friday that dozens of US Special Operations Forces had been deployed to Syria's border with Turkey to fight IS, at Ankara's request, in support of Turkey's army and "vetted" Syrian rebels.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that a coalition air strike in Syria had killed a senior operative IS operative considered the information minister of the group.

Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, also known as "Dr. Wa'il", was killed in a precision strike on September 7 near Raqa, the jihadists' de facto Syrian capital, Cook said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists Moscow is adhering to its part of the Syria ceasefire agreement Mikhail Klimentiev (Sputnik/AFP)

Syria's fragile ceasefire

The ruined Carlton Hotel in the government-held side of Aleppo's historic city centre Youssef Karwashan (AFP)

Under the truce deal, the main route into Aleppo, the Castello Road, would be demilitarised allowing aid convoys to enter from Turkey Karam Al-Masri (AFP/File)
India naval chief blames France for submarine data leak

A massive leak of secret technical data on Scorpene-class submarines did not originate in India but in France, Delhi's naval chief said Saturday, pointing to initial probe findings.

Some 22,400 pages of classified documents detailing the combat capabilities of the subs made by French defence contractor DCNS for the Indian navy were leaked to an Australian newspaper last month.

DCNS has implied that the leak may have come from India but the initial findings of a high-level probe set up by Delhi indicate otherwise.

India's Scorpene-class submarine 'Kalivari' takes part in its maiden sea trials off the coast of Mumbai

The "preliminary probe in the case has found that the leak did not take place in India but at DCNS office in France," India's naval chief Sunil Lanba said Saturday, according to the Press Trust of India.

"In France, DCNS and the French government have launched an inquiry. Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done," he added.

The leaked documents included thousands of pages on the submarine sensors and thousands more on its communication and navigation systems as well as nearly 500 pages on the torpedo launch system alone.

The Australian newspaper said in its earlier report that the sensitive data was thought to have been removed from France in 2011 by a former French naval officer who at the time was a subcontractor for DCNS.

It said the data was believed to have passed through firms in Southeast Asia before eventually being mailed to a company in Australia.

Variants of the submarine are used by Malaysia and Chile, with Brazil due to deploy the vessels from 2018.
Death toll in Pakistan suicide bombing rises to 30

The death toll from a Taliban suicide bomb attack on a mosque in northwest tribal Pakistan rose to 30 on Saturday, officials said.

The Friday attack targeted a mosque in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

"Two more injured people died of their wounds early today raising the death toll to 30," deputy chief of the Mohmand tribal district administration Naveed Akbar told AFP.

Pakistani mourners gather for the funeral prayers of victims of a sucide bombing near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, on September 17, 2016

The bomber came in as Friday prayers were in progress and blew himself up in the main hall. A curfew has been imposed in the area since the bombing.

Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 13 of its members and arrests of others by a local vigilante force in 2009.

Since 2007 the government has encouraged vigilante forces comprising tribesmen -- locally known as peace committees -- to defend their villages against the Taliban.

Pakistan's deadliest ever attack occurred in Peshawar in December 2014, when Taliban militants stormed a school killing more than 150 people, mostly children.

The army launched an operation in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004.
Putin offers tacit support for 'pro-Russia' US candidate

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday offered what appeared to be his strongest support yet for US presidential candidate Donald Trump -- without explicitly naming him.

"We are carefully watching what is happening in the United States and we, of course, view with sympathy those who publicly state that it is necessary to build a relationship with Russia, on basis of equality," he told journalists at a briefing shown on television.

His remarks were a clear allusion to Trump, the outspoken Republican nominee, who has emphatically professed his readiness to work with Putin, and at one point even said the Russian strongman was much more of a leader than US President Barack Obama.

President Vladimir Putin's third term has been marked by efforts to stamp out US influence in Russia Michael Klimentyev (SPUTNIK/AFP/File)

Putin has so far refused to publicly endorse either candidate.

Trump's praise for Putin, who is reviled by many in the West over his stance on Ukraine and Syria, has raised eyebrows and drawn sharp criticism, particularly from his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

Putin and Trump are not known to have met but the Russian leader shared many tense moments with Clinton when she was secretary of state, even accusing her of meddling in his own election in 2012.

Putin's third term has been marked by rampant anti-Americanism in state media and efforts to stamp out US influence in Russia, which included the banning of several American NGOs and halting the adoption of Russian children by Americans.

The Russian leader also said Saturday that treating another country as an "evil empire" is a tactic to divert attention from other problems.

"Attempts to recreate the image of a so-called 'evil empire' and to scare laymen in this manner... (are) attempts to manipulate public opinion," he said.
Philippine militants 'free Norwegian hostage'

A Norwegian held hostage by a notorious kidnapping-for-ransom gang in the strife-torn southern Philippines was released Saturday after a year in captivity and will soon be handed over to authorities, officials said.

Kjartan Sekkingstad was abducted by Abu Sayyaf from a high-end tourist resort in September 2015, alongside a Filipina woman, who has already been freed, and two Canadian men who were later beheaded by the Islamic militant group.

Sekkingstad was released by Abu Sayyaf Saturday and handed to another Muslim rebel group in Sulu, a remote archipelago known as a militant hideout, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's peace advisor told AFP.

The Abu Sayyaf is a radical offshoot of a Muslim separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 120,000 lives since the 1970s Therence Koh (AFP/File)

"He is now released by captors and (is) staying overnight with Nur Misuari's camp... due to heavy rain," Jesus Dureza said, referring to the founder of the Muslim rebel group Moro National Liberation Front.

The MNLF are currently in peace talks with the government and have been working with authorities to secure Sekkingstad's release.

"He is well," Dureza said, adding that Sekkingstad would be handed over to authorities on Sunday and then flown to the southern city of Davao.

The president's spokesman Martin Andanar told AFP Duterte was heading to Davao to receive Sekkingstad.

Norway said the release was a "positive development", adding that it was closely monitoring the situation and working with Philippine authorities to bring Sekkingstad to safety.

"According to Philippine authorities, Sekkingstad is now in a relatively safe place," Norway's Foreign minister Borge Brende said in a written comment to AFP.

"We refrain from celebrating until Sekkingstad has been safely handed over to Philippine authorities."

-- Canadians beheaded --

Resort manager Sekkingstad was among a group seized by Abu Sayyaf from aboard yachts at an exclusive tourist resort on Samal island, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) to the west of Sulu.

Two of the other captives, Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, were beheaded in April and June respectively after demands for ransoms of some 300 million pesos ($6.5 million) each were not met.

Hall's partner Filipina Marites Flor, also among the four, was freed in June.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of a militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

It is based in remote Muslim populated southern islands of the mainly Catholic Philippines, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

While its leaders have in recent years pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, analysts say the group is mainly focused on a lucrative kidnapping business rather than religious ideology.

The group, which is blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history and listed by the United States as a terrorist organisation, does not usually release hostages without ransom.

But regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said the release of the victim was the result of "an offshoot of ongoing military operations... and the assistance of the MNLF".

Duterte last month ordered a military offensive to "destroy" the Abu Sayyaf, deploying thousands of troops as part of a major assault which has met fierce resistance.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to greet released Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad in Davao Ted Aljibe (AFP/File)
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The brother of a volunteer killed in an attack on Syrian aid trucks has revealed how the convoy was pounded for hours with at least 20 missiles - after Russia denied it had launched an aerial bombardment.

Lorries packed with medicine and food were 'erased from the face of the earth' while 20 were killed when the convoy turned into a giant fireball in Aleppo province.

Russia has suggested the trucks caught fire amid military activity by 'militants' in the area and both the Kremlin and Syrian government has denied being involved in an attack.

But Ali Barakat, who works for the Red Crescent, said 20 missiles hammered the area on Monday night, killing his brother in the process.

Barakat said he threw himself on the floor when the first missile hit a car carrying his brother, Omar Barakat, also an aid worker.

The ceasefire in Syria is lying in tatters today after 12 were killed in an airstrike on an aid convoy - an outrage UN warned could amount to a war crime

Aid is seen strewn across the floor in the town of Orum al-Kubra on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo

UN officials said at least 18 trucks in the 31-vehicle convoy were destroyed late on Monday as it was trying to deliver humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of civilians in the town of Orum al-Kubra

A rescue worker who witnessed the strikes said bombs pounded the area for hours, even hitting his team as they searched the debris for survivors.

Hussein Badawi, who leads the Syrian Civil Defense - also known as the White Helmets - in Uram al-Kubra, said the strikes came from helicopters and land missiles.

He accuses Syrian and Russian aircraft of taking part in an attack that lasted more than two hours, covering a 100 yard-radius. Badawi's team arrived on the scene after the first land missiles hit.

Twelve people are believed to have been killed and 18 were injured when a humanitarian convoy organised by the Red Cross and Red Crescent was attacked at Orum al-Kubra, near Aleppo

But the UN, which initially blamed 'airstrikes' has rowed back and described them as 'attacks'.

Another witness, Mohammed Rasoul, says the convoy was 'erased from the face of the earth.'

UN humanitarian spokemsn Jens Laerke said: 'We are not in a position to determine whether these were in fact air strikes. We are in a position to say that the convoy was attacked.'

A statement which described 'air strikes' was swiftly amended to read 'attacks', after what Laerke said was probably a drafting error.

Badawi says the rescue effort was hampered by the dark and 11 strikes that came while the rescue team was searching for survivors.

Earlier, Russia tried to claim that the deadly attack was not an airstrike - and that the 18 lorries packed with medicine and food somehow caught fire.

The Kremlin's Defence Ministry says it has studied footage of the wreckage in Aleppo province and could not find 'signs that any munitions hit the convoy'.

Instead, Igor Konashenkov claimed 'everything shown on the video is the direct consequence of the cargo catching fire, and this began in a strange way simultaneously with militants carrying out a massive offensive in Aleppo.'

A member of the Syrian Civil Defence White Helmets describes the damage after the airstrike, in Aleppo, Syria

Damaged Red Cross and Arab Red Crescent medical supplies are seen in a warehouse in the town of Orum al-Kubra

It comes as both Russia and the Syrian military denied involvement in the attack on the trucks, which were on their way to deliver crucial humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of civilians in the town of Orum al-Kubra.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today described the attack as 'sickening' as the fragile ceasefire in Syria lay in tatters.

ICRC said in its statement on Tuesday that the dead include a member of the Syrian Red Crescent.

ICRC president Peter Maurer says the attack was a 'flagrant violation of international humanitarian law' and 'totally unacceptable.'

The statement says the civilians were killed as they were unloading trucks carrying vital humanitarian aid and that much of the aid was destroyed, depriving thousands of much-needed food and medical assistance.

UN officials said at least 18 trucks in the 31-vehicle convoy were destroyed late on Monday.

The airstrike destroyed a convoy which was heading to a besieged town with thousands of desperate citizens

The UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent humanitarian mission had sought to take advantage of the ceasefire, which collapsed on Monday night as shells and bombs rained down on Aleppo city and the surrounding province

This morning, a senior US official said: 'We don't know at this point whether it was the Russians or the regime. In either case, the Russians have the responsibility certainly to restrain  refrain from taking such action themselves, but they also have the responsibility to keep the regime from doing it.'

UN aid chief Stephen O'Brian said: 'Let me be clear: if this callous attack is found to be a deliberate targeting of humanitarians, it would amount to a war crime.'

The Observatory was unable to confirm if the planes responsible were Syrian or Russian.

The UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent humanitarian mission had sought to take advantage of the ceasefire, which collapsed on Monday night as shells and bombs rained down on Aleppo city and the surrounding province.

The Observatory said a total of 36 people had died in the violence across the battleground region. An AFP correspondent inside Aleppo city reported almost non-stop bombardment and constant sirens.

Syria's military announced the end to the truce earlier Monday, accusing rebels of more than 300 violations and failing to 'commit to a single element' of the US-Russia deal.

A convoy delivering aid to besieged civilians in Aleppo province was hit by an air strike, which killed 12 Red Crescent volunteers and drivers, and destroyed at least 18 trucks

US Secretary of State John Kerry had warned that the truce could be the 'last chance' to save the country

The ceasefire, which came into force on September 12, saw an initial drop in fighting but violence began to escalate late last week and the deal came under severe strain over the weekend.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had warned the truce could be the 'last chance' to save the country.

President Barack Obama said: 'There's no ultimate military victory to be won, we're going to have to pursue the hard work of the diplomacy that aims to stop the violence and deliver aid to those in need.'

Mr Kerry met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in New York today and said afterwards: 'The ceasefire is not dead.'

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said there was still hope of reviving the ceasefire but admitted the talks, chaired by Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov, were tense.

'The mood is that nobody wants to give this thing up,' said Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

'Quite frankly the Kerry-Lavrov process is the only show in town and we've got to get that show back on the road,' he added.

The UN has now rowed back after originally saying air strikes were to blame for the attack on the convoy

His French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said: 'It was a fairly dramatic meeting, the mood was gloomy. Is there hope? I can't answer that yet, but we should do everything we can.

'The US-Russian negotiation has reached its limit. There's a lot left unsaid. The Russians and the Americans can't do it alone.'

The five-year conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced millions.

'Our outrage at this attack is enormous,' the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, told reporters.

'The convoy was the outcome of a long process of permission and preparations to assist isolated civilians,' he added.

The US, Russia and other key players are set to gather there on Tuesday for talks aimed at ending the five-year conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced millions

A damaged UNHCR truck is pictured after an airstrike on the rebel held Urm al-Kubra town, western Aleppo city, Syria

The United States said it was outraged at the attack and stressed that the destination of the convoy was known to the Syrian regime and its ally, Russia.

Aid distribution to Syrian civilians caught up in the conflict had already faced severe difficulties.

The UN held back deliveries destined for Aleppo city because it was unable to obtain security guarantees.

Jan Egeland, head of the UN humanitarian task force for Syria, said the convoy was bombed despite aid agencies coordinating their movements with all sides on the ground.

A Syrian Arab Red Crescent warehouse was also hit, a UN spokesman said.

Inside Aleppo, residents in rebel-held areas hunkered down after the end of the ceasefire which had brought only temporary relief to the population of up to 275,000 people trapped there.

Sirens wailed as ambulances zipped through the eastern half of the divided city, an AFP correspondent reported.

The Observatory said that military planes had carried out more than 40 strikes since the Syrian army announced the end of the truce.

The Syrian army declared the ceasefire over after a fragile truce came to a bloody end with the bombing of an aid convoy

Syrians watch a Red Cross vehicle carrying aid drive past in the rebel-held town of Talbisseh on the northern outskirts of Homs

The ceasefire deal had three key components: fighting between government and rebel forces across Syria would halt, although strikes on Islamic State and other jihadists could continue

Chief US diplomat Kerry will try to speak to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York before Tuesday's meeting of the International Syria Support Group but statements from Syrian and Russian military officials on the ground appeared to bury the deal.

'Considering that the conditions of the ceasefire are not being respected by the rebels, we consider it pointless for the Syrian government forces to respect it unilaterally,' said Russian Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoy.

The ceasefire deal had three key components: fighting between government and rebel forces across Syria would halt, although strikes on Islamic State and other jihadists could continue.

'IT'S THE ONLY SHOW IN TOWN': TALKS CONTINUE TO SAVE FRAGILE CEASE FIRE The US, Russia and more than a dozen other countries have that Syria's cease-fire is not dead despite increasing violence on the ground. With few alternatives for trying to end its civil war, diplomats pressed on with a strategy that appeared to be impressing few and convincing no one. 'It's the only show in town,' British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said bluntly of the talks that are now set to continue later this week. Tuesday's gathering, led by Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, aimed to hold on to what might be salvageable from Syria's week-old truce on a day the pair once envisioned as the start of a new military partnership against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida. While Arab, European and other officials waited, Kerry and Lavrov met in a New York hotel to iron out some of their many differences, including a mistaken weekend air raid by the American-led coalition on Syrian soldiers and a deadly attack on an aid convoy that the U.S. blamed on Russia and Syria, despite denials from Moscow and Damascus. When the diplomats emerged from their meeting about an hour later, no one spoke of a breakthrough. 'The cease-fire is not dead,' Kerry insisted. 'We are going to continue to work. We are going to meet again Friday on some specific steps.' The US, Russia and more than a dozen other countries have that Syria's cease-fire is not dead despite increasing violence on the ground. Two of the trucks targeted in the aid convoy airstrikes are pictured above Rhetorically, at least, the diplomats expressed some hope. That was an improvement from Monday, when Syria's Russian-backed government declared the cease-fire over. But it also reflected Washington's desperation. Despite numerous violations by the government and Syrian rebels, the U.S. has few other options for ending the five-year-old conflict that has killed a half-million people, contributed to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II and allowed the Islamic State group to emerge as a global threat. President Barack Obama has made clear the U.S. will use military force only against IS and other extremist organizations, and not against Syrian President Bashar Assad's government. Kerry and Lavrov have spent months trying to forge a diplomatic path. Their deal earlier this month would have created a new, joint U.S.-Russian center to coordinate strikes on the Islamic State militants and al-Qaida-linked groups had the truce and unfettered aid deliveries in Syria been protected for seven straight days. Neither commitment was met. The International Syria Support Group the two convened includes countries with widely divergent interests, such as Iran - a Syrian ally - and Saudi Arabia, a provider of arms and cash to rebels. For the same reason, the assembly of nations has been unable to define any clear approach toward a Syrian future without Assad. Most of its pronouncements have been vague. Tuesday's meeting wasn't followed by any immediate statement. UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura said all participants reconfirmed support for the truce, even if Assad's military and the rebels weren't always respecting it. 'The cease-fire is in danger, is being seriously affected,' he said, but only the U.S. and Russia could declare it over. But in a sign of the increasing messiness of Syria's overlapping wars, Washington was still on the defensive itself today. The coalition's weekend attack killed 62 Syrian soldiers. Russia and Syria have called it proof of U.S. support for extremist groups. The American military said it may have unintentionally hit the group while carrying out operations against ISIS; the strike was halted when Russia informed the U.S. of the apparent mistake. 'The atmosphere was quite heavy,' French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said of Tuesday's meeting in the Palace Hotel. Ayrault, who has criticized Washington for not releasing the cease-fire agreement, said the U.S.-Russian negotiations 'have reached their limits.' 'What have we seen these last few hours?' he asked. 'Bombing is continuing. Aleppo is still threatened. The population is starving. And there is a humanitarian convoy that is attacked and there are dead. This is the reality. One must denounce this realty.' Advertisement

Humanitarian aid would reach desperate civilians, particularly in devastated eastern Aleppo.

And if the ceasefire held, the US was to have set up a joint military cell with Russia to target jihadists.

It came under massive strain on Saturday when a US-led coalition strike hit a Syrian army post near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, where government forces are battling the Islamic State jihadist group.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday blasted the air strikes, which he said showed world powers supported 'terrorist organisations' like ISIS.

His adviser Buthaina Shaaban went further, telling AFP that Damascus believed the raid which killed at least 62 Syrian soldiers had been intentional.

The bloodiest day for civilians was Sunday, when a barrel bomb attack killed 10 in a southern rebel-held town and one woman died in the first raids on Aleppo since the truce started.

A Syrian soldier lets an empty bus pass through a checkpoint on the frontier of the rebel-held al-Waer neighbourhood in the central Syrian city of Homs

pictures show destroyed buildings in the government-held Jouret al-Shiah neighbourhood of the central Syrian city of Homs

A man registers during a vaccination campaign carried out by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, on September 19

A vehicle drives past a poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and destroyed buildings in the government held Jouret al-Shiah neighbourhood of the central Syrian city of Homs
Israeli missiles down rockets fired from Syria: army

Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system destroyed two rockets fired from Syria at the Israeli-held zone of the Golan Heights Saturday in an apparent rise in tension between the uneasy neighbours.

"A projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence system. No injuries have been reported," a military statement said on Saturday afternoon.

"This is the first time that fire from Syria has been intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence system," a military spokesman told AFP in response to a query.

Israel introduced its Iron Dome defence system in 2011 Jack Guez (AFP/File)

Later in the day the army said Iron Dome took down a second projectile.

It was a marked departure from recent tit-for-tat artillery fire and occasional retaliatory air strikes.

Israel deployed batteries on its northern flank as a precautionary measure after a 2015 Israeli air strike against the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group's forces in Syria.

Israeli public radio said that the military believed the latest fire from Syria was an unintentional spillover from the country's complex civil war which is now in its sixth year.

Israel has sought to avoid being drawn in to the conflict, but has attacked Syrian military targets when fire fell on its side of the divide.

On Tuesday, Israeli aircraft targeted Syrian army positions after what the military said was probably stray fire hit the Israeli-occupied zone.

Syria said it had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone, a claim denied by Israel.

The increased tension comes after a fragile new Syrian ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States came into force on Monday.

The truce does not apply to areas held by jihadists such as the Islamic State group.

The Israeli army holds the Syrian government accountable for any fire from its territory, regardless of the source.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

During the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip enclave, Israel deployed its Iron Dome system on land to shoot down rockets fired into the Jewish state.

Funding for the missile system was part of an unprecedented $38 billion US military aid package signed in Washington on Wednesday.
Dozens dead in US-led coalition strike on Syrian army position

US-led coalition aircraft hit a Syrian army position in the country's east on Saturday, an armed forces statement said, while a monitor group reported dozens of soldiers dead.

"Warplanes from the American coalition hit one of the Syrian army's positions... near the Deir Ezzor airport," the statement carried by state media said.

It said the raid was carried out at 5:00pm local time (1400 GMT) and led to an unspecified number of "casualties".

Syrians run for cover during reported government air strikes in the rebel-held town of Douma, east of the capital Damascus Abd Doumany (AFP/File)

Regime ally Russia said 62 Syrian soldiers were killed and at least 100 more wounded in strikes by "warplanes from the international anti-jihadist coalition".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said at least 83 soldiers were killed in the raids on Jabal Therdeh, southwest of the Deir Ezzor airport, updating an earlier toll of 30 killed.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said he could not specify who carried out the strikes.

Syria's army has been fighting off a fierce offensive by the Islamic State jihadist group on the Deir Ezzor military airport since last year.

"This is a dangerous and bold attack against the Syrian state and army, and clear evidence that the United States and its allies support the terrorist group Daesh," the statement said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

It said the raids had allowed IS to advance on Syrian troops in the area.

The IS-linked Amaq news agency said coalition strikes hit IS positions on Saturday afternoon, but that the jihadist group was able to "seize full control of Jabal Therdeh, which overlooks the Deir Ezzor airport".

A Syrian military source inside the Deir Ezzor airport told AFP that US-led coalition strikes hit two hilltops near the airport.

"There were three raids on two army positions held by the Syrian army on Jabal Therdeh," the source said.

"Then, there was machine gun fire on the wounded soldiers and the paramedics" from the planes, he said.

"We were the most unsettled by the machine guns."

Under a fragile truce deal negotiated by the United States and Russia, fighting in Syria is to halt on all fronts across the country except those held by IS.

The deal came into force on Monday. If it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington are to begin unprecedented joint operations against jihadist groups in Syria.
First families return to homes in Iraq's Fallujah

The Iraqi police and army had decked out the checkpoints with plastic flowers to welcome the first returning Fallujah residents following the city's recapture from jihadists in June.

"Today feels like a rebirth," said Fawaz al-Kobaisi, whose family was among Saturday's first batch of Fallujah returnees.

His old white sedan was still parked outside the front door when he entered his compound for the first time in a year, its windows shattered and wheels almost disappearing in yellow uncut grass.

Iraqi families return to their homes in the city of Fallujah on September 17, 2016 after Iraqi security forces retook the city back from the Islamic State (IS) jihadists Sabah Arar (AFP)

The 70-year-old's family left in the early days of jihadist rule over Fallujah, before the Islamic State group even launched its broad June 2014 offensive across Iraq.

"Daesh (IS) fighters stayed in that building just here," he said, with still a hint of dread in his eyes as he pointed to a tall house just across the street.

"I lived alone here for more than a year, it was scary... Eventually I had to leave last year. I just locked these two doors and left the house to God," he said.

Some household items were broken or missing but all the furniture was still there, the bed in the main bedroom was still made and the coffee service in the living room neatly stacked away.

The worst damage to the house was broken windows -- presumably shattered by the blast of nearby explosions -- and Umm Ahmed, Kobaisi's wife, was eager to start cleaning the minute she walked in.

"It's the best day of my life," she said with a broad toothless grin. "This is nothing, all objects can be repaired or replaced."

"Our Fallujah will not remain empty, you'll see, within a week life will be back to normal," the old woman said.

- Only 14 families -

That may be an optimistic forecast however, since only a handful of neighbourhoods in the city, which lies 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, have been cleared for residents to return.

In a highly choreographed event where dozens of local officials jostled for position in front of the cameras, the first group who returned Saturday only to northern neighbourhoods.

Those were relatively spared during the weeks-long operation that saw security forces retake the city in June but southern Fallujah saw far more destruction and still needs to be cleared of explosive devices.

"It's safe here, the children can play in the street," said an army colonel who would not give his name, as his men used spray paint on the wall of a returning family's house to mark it as safe.

"We have already searched every house and every street around here but we do it again in front of them to reassure them and encourage them," he said.

Only 14 families returned Saturday, a number drastically short of the hundreds promised by the authorities.

Inscriptions praising the jihadists' self-proclaimed caliphate still adorn Fallujah's walls and despite their firm control on the city, the security forces remained on high alert.

Just as Kobaisi and the few other families picked for Saturday's inaugural homecomings stepped off the bus, soldiers opened fire on a municipality truck they mistook for a suicide truck bomb.

- Patchy services -

According to the United Nations, close to 900,000 people have returned to areas retaken from IS in Iraq over the past two years.

Smooth returns are often cited as key to securing support from the population in future operations against IS and fostering national reconciliation.

However Jeremy Courtney, president of the Preemptive Love Coalition humanitarian organisation that delivered basic goods to the lucky few returning to Fallujah, argued the government fell short.

"Today's homecoming ended up being far less of a tidal wave of returnees than we had hoped, than we were promised. We had prepared 'welcome home' food and supplies for 1,200 people," he said.

He argued that local officials had seemed mostly preoccupied with appearing on television and missed an opportunity to show their commitment to the people of Fallujah.

But hope was still the dominant feeling among the handful of returning families.

Their homes have yet to be fully reconnected to state electricity and water networks but in their reclaimed homes they dusted their TV sets and scrubbed their bathtubs regardless.

After local officials promised her father full assistance and drove off, Kobaisi's daughter walked out onto the street and sent her former neighbours a picture of their house from her phone to tell them they could come home.

Iraqi security forces escort families returing to their homes in the city of Fallujah after Iraqi forces retook the city back from the Islamic State jihadists Sabah Arar (AFP)

Iraqi families carry their belongings on the back of pick up trucks as they return to their homes in the city of Fallujah after Iraqi security forces retook the city back from the Islamic State (IS) jihadists Sabah Arar (AFP)
Thousands defy curfew for schoolboy's funeral in Indian Kashmir

Thousands of angry demonstrators defied a curfew Saturday in Indian Kashmir to attend the funeral of a schoolboy whose body was found riddled with pellets, sparking clashes with security forces across the restive region.

The 11-year-old boy's body was found late Friday in the outskirts of the main city of Srinagar, in Harwan, after security forces used pellet guns to break up protesting crowds despite the government vowing to replace the weapons.

Kashmir has been hit by months of violent protests over the killing of a young militant by Indian soldiers.

Kashmiri mourners shout slogans near the body of Nasir Shafi, 11, during his funeral in Srinagar on September 17, 2016 Tausef Mustafa (AFP)

Government forces fired tear gas shells Saturday to disperse stone-throwing protesters, triggering more clashes in at least half a dozen places across Srinagar and southern parts of the Himalayan valley.

"Forces responded when large crowds defied restrictions. Many were injured on both sides during the clashes that followed," a local police officer told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

Another police official said nearly 100, mostly protesters, had been injured in the latest protests.

The killing of the schoolboy took the death toll to 81 in the worst violence to hit the Muslim-majority territory since 2010.

The government has been coming under growing pressure over the level of casualties in Kashmir during the protests against Indian rule, which broke out after the death of a popular rebel leader on July 8 in a gunbattle with soldiers.

Most have died in clashes between protesters and government forces who have fired tear gas and pellet guns at demonstrators.

India's home minister police and troops would use chilli-based shells instead of ones filled with birdshot after hundreds of civilians sustained serious eye injuries in the clashes.

The metal pellets or birdshot fired from the pump-action shotguns rarely result in deaths, but can often blind victims if the fragments hit them in the eye.

Authorities have imposed a curfew across large parts of the region, with schools, shops and many banks closed.

Internet and mobile networks have also been cut off in a bid to prevent protests.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers -- currently numbering around 500,000 -- deployed in the territory, demanding independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan.
US campaign week: pneumonia, polls and a tousled Trump

With only about 50 days left before Americans elect their president, news from the campaign trail this week ranged from Hillary Clinton's pneumonia to Donald Trump's rising poll numbers.

Here is a summary of the top campaign happenings:

- Clinton's pneumonia -

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton appears to be feeling better when she spoke during the Black Women's Agenda's 29th Annual Symposium after being diagnosed with pneumonia Justin Sullivan (Getty/AFP/File)

The Democratic presidential candidate's campaign was put on hold for three days after a bout with pneumonia.

Clinton, 68, was diagnosed with the illness 48 hours ahead of a September 11 ceremony Sunday in New York, but chose to power through instead of resting. Few people knew of the diagnosis, and she was criticized for a lack of transparency when she had to leave the memorial event early to rest.

She didn't resume campaigning until Thursday. But with the health of both candidates suddenly at the forefront, and in an effort to be transparent, both Clinton and Trump made announcements about their health.

In a two-page summary Clinton's personal physician declared that she "continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as president of the United States."

Not to be outdone, the 70-year-old Trump - who would be the oldest president to take office if elected - released a one-page letter from his doctor declaring him to be "in excellent physical health."

Ever the showman, Trump went on "The Dr. Oz Show" on TV to discuss his health - and admit that perhaps he could stand to "lose a little weight."

- Trump pulls even with Clinton -

Democrats are growing anxious as opinion polls show that Clinton's once strong lead has evaporated. A survey average gives her only a 1.5 point lead over Trump (45.7 percent to 44.2 percent), a four-point drop in two weeks.

Poll also shows Trump - who has been a bit more disciplined since shuffling his top advisers in August - taking the lead in Ohio and Florida, two key battleground states, while gaining in others.

The Clinton campaign mobilized some top surrogates in an attempt to regain momentum. President Barack Obama campaigned for the former secretary of state on Tuesday, and his popular wife Michelle did the same on Friday.

Clinton also sent out two of the party's liberal stars, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, to drum up support among the young people whose votes she needs on election day.

- 'Obama was born' in the USA -

For years Trump has questioned Barack Obama's birthplace, suggesting that he was not born on US soil - a requirement to be elected president. This continued even after Obama released his birth certificate in 2011 showing he was born in Hawaii.

Trump effected a turnabout in typically spectacular style.

"President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period," he said at a widely covered news conference.

Unimpressed by the admission, Clinton said that Trump owed Obama "and the American people an apology." She accused him of questioning the legitimacy of the first black president.

- Trump withholding tax data -

For decades presidential candidates have released their tax returns to the public. Trump says that he can't because he's being audited - even though the Internal Revenue Service says that he's free to release the data.

Trump's son Donald Trump Junior offered a different explanation: he told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review it was "because he's got a 12,000-page tax return that would create... financial auditors out of every person in the country asking questions that would detract from (his) main message."

- It really is his hair -

Trump's unreal-looking yellow-blond hair is not a toupee, and yes, he'll occasionally let someone muss it up.

"Tonight Show" host comedian Jimmy Fallon gleefully tousled with Trump's carefully coiffed hair late Thursday in a scene that prompted a huge social media response.

Some Twitter commenters however said they would have preferred that Fallon had worked harder to find out what goes on inside - not on top - of Trump's head.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia 48 hours ahead of a September 11 ceremony in New York, but chose to power through instead of resting, not resume campaigning until September 15, 2016 Brendan Smialowski (AFP/File)

In the polls, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump takes the lead in Ohio and Florida, two key battleground states, while gaining in others Joe Raedle (Getty/AFP/File)
UN Security Council to meet Saturday on Syria: diplomats

The UN Security Council will hold urgent consultations on Saturday after US-led coalition air strikes hit Syrian military positions, diplomats said.

Russia requested the meeting, which is set to take place from 7:30 pm (2330 GMT).

"We demand Washington's full and detailed explanation, and that must be made before the UN Security Council," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Moscow.

A rebel fighter carrying a weapon rides his bike in 2014 in a street in the northeastern city of Deir Ezzor Ahmad Aboud (AFP/File)

Russia is "very concerned" by the strikes that "directly targeted the Syrian army, which has been consistently fighting the Islamic State group's forces", she added.

The bombing hit an army position in the east, near the IS-controlled town of Deir Ezzor, a Russian army statement said.

At least 62 soldiers were killed in the strike, according to Russian officials and a Syrian monitoring group.

"These strikes endanger everything that has been done so far by the international community" to reach peace in Syria, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
In a private email exchange last year leaked this week by hackers, former Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed Israel's nuclear weapons capability with a friend, saying the country has 200 warheads.

Though Israel is widely believed to have developed nukes decades ago, it has never declared itself to be a nuclear state. The existence of its weapons program is considered classified information by both the Israeli and U.S. governments.

Powell, a retired Army general who has served as White House national security adviser and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Associated Press on Friday through a spokeswoman he was referring to public estimates of Israel's nukes.

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Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was writing to a Democrat donor regarding the Israeli prime ministers speech to US Congress, warning against the nuclear deal with Iran

Powell may well have given away the size of Israels nuclear arsenal after writing in an email that they have hundreds pointed at Iran

'Gen. Powell has not been briefed or had any knowledge from U.S. sources on the existence and or size of an Israeli nuclear capability,' the statement said. 'He like many people believe that there may be a capability and the number 200 has been speculated upon in open sources.' It added: 'This email was written 10 years after he left government and has not received briefings on classified matters.'

Powell, 79, would not say whether he still retains a security clearance.

In the March 2015 exchange from his personal Gmail account, Powell was discussing a speech that day to a joint session of Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The conservative Israeli leader staunchly opposed the deal then proposed by President Barack Obama to curb Iran's nuclear weapons program.

'Iranians can't use one if they finally make one,' Powell wrote to Democratic donor Jeffrey Leeds, a hedge-fund founder who serves on the board of the Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York. 'The boys in Tehran know Israel has 200, all targeted on Tehran, and we have thousands.'

Itai Bardov, spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, declined to discuss Powell's email or his nation's policy of not commenting on whether it has nuclear weapons.

Asked about the issue at a briefing Friday, State Department spokesman John Kirby also declined to comment.

'I'm not going to discuss matters of intelligence,' Kirby said. 'We support the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.'

Israel is not a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity, refusing to speak about its rumored nuclear arsenal

Powell is not the first top-level U.S. government official to publicly discuss Israel's nukes. Former President Jimmy Carter has said in interviews and speeches that Israel has between 150 and 300 warheads.

But the issue is not supposed to be discussed openly by those who work for the U.S. government and hold active security clearances. Even members of Congress are routinely admonished not to even mention the existence of an Israeli nuclear arsenal, said Avner Cohen, a professor at the James Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

'It's noteworthy that someone like Colin Powell said that,' said Cohen, who has written extensively about Israel's nuclear program. 'Obviously, he was privy to all kinds of intelligence on this issue. It's kind of considered by everybody to be a public fact, but the United States government as a matter of policy has never said that.'

Cohen said U.S. intelligence on Israel's nuclear program carries 'top level' classification. As an indication of the subject's sensitivity, he pointed to the recent case James Doyle, a political scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico who lost his job after publishing an academic paper in 2013 that included Israel on a list of nations that either 'possess nuclear arms or are in alliance with nuclear powers.'

Powell's leaked email, which was among thousands of his messages posted earlier this week to the website DCLeaks.com, provides fodder for defenders of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she served as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. The Democratic presidential nominee has faced withering criticism from Republicans for exchanging emails with her aides that contained sensitive government information.

Powell also used a private America Online email account to communicate with senior U.S. officials and foreign dignitaries while serving as the nation's top diplomat under President George W. Bush. A Republican, Powell said he never discussed classified information over his private account.

DCLeaks.com has been alleged to be an outlet for hackers tied to Russian intelligence. The website, which says it intends to expose the misuse of political power, has released emails from other Washington political figures.

The release of Powell's emails is the latest in a string of leaks that appear intended to influence the 2016 presidential election. The FBI is investigating how thousands of Democratic National Committee emails were hacked and published, an embarrassing breach that Clinton's campaign maintains was committed by Russia to benefit Donald Trump.
' visit comes just ahead of the International Day of Peace

Amal Clooney was also present to talk about ISIS human

Leonardo DiCaprio joined Michael Douglas, Stevie Wonder along with Jane Goodall and Nobel Peace Prize winners at the UN in New York on Friday ahead of the International Day of Peace on September 21.

The gathering of Hollywood talent is designed to promote the survival of the planet, and DiCaprio seized the opportunity to show the General Assembly his upcoming climate change film 'Before The Flood', two days after he was spotted dining in the city with girlfriend Nina Agdal.

Amal Clooney, renown human rights lawyer and wife of actor George Clooney, spoke at the UN, too, as Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a victim of ISIS human trafficking, became a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

The celebrities also spoke to several hundred young people at the student observance of International Peace Day.

Leonardo DiCaprio spoke at the UN in New York City on Friday ahead of International Day of Peace

DiCaprio, who focuses on climate change, showed a short clip from his upcoming documentary on the environment, 'Before The Flood'

DiCaprio was joined by other famous faces in Manhattan, who pleaded for peace and the survival of the planet on Friday

The secretary-general enlisted five U.N. Messengers of Peace  DiCaprio, Stevie Wonder, Michael Douglas, Japanese violinist Midori, and primatologist Jane Goodall  as well as Nobel Peace Prize winners Shirin Ebadi, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman to urge an end to fighting and preservation of the planet.

DiCaprio, who focuses on climate change, showed a short clip from his upcoming documentary on the environment, 'Before The Flood'.

It also stars the secretary-general and he said it will be in theaters on October 21.

The Academy Award winning actor said he has witnessed 'unimaginable human-caused devastation across our planet'.

Amal Clooney, renown human rights lawyer, spoke at the United Nations about human trafficking

Clooney was with Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a victim of ISIS human trafficking, who became a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

UN messenger of Peace (left to right) Jane Goodall, Leymah Gbowee, Shirin Ebadi, DiCaprio and Tawakkol Karman attend the Peace Bell Ceremony were in attendance on Friday

The celebrities also spoke to several hundred young people at the student observance of International Peace Day

He said the potential of hundreds of millions of climate refugees would create 'a future that would be anything but peaceful'.

DiCaprio said it was terrifying, but he said 'the solutions are available ... today if we begin to make real progress right now'.

He urged the students to hold their leaders accountable for the promises they made in last December's Paris agreement to combat climate change  and to vote for leaders who focus on renewable energy and 'respond before it's too late'.

Wonder, who focuses on people with disabilities, spoke about his mother's anguish at his being blind and how he told her maybe God had something greater for him to do than to see, 'and I'm so thankful that I was blessed with the gift of song and music'.

'Go forward in the struggle for peace with passion and compassion,' he said.

'The future of this world is in your hands ... You can do well in this life if you do good. Love your family first. Take care of your body and mind. And use God's given talent to make a difference.'

Douglas, who focuses on disarmament and emceed the student event, spoke of the dangers of weapons of mass destruction to the planet's survival.

Goodall (center), who focuses on the environment, said her happiest days were studying chimpanzees in Tanzania

Douglas, who focuses on disarmament and emceed the student event, spoke of the dangers of weapons of mass destruction to the planet's survival

'An overarmed world is an unstable and insecure one,' he said. 'Disarmament is critical to creating a safer, more prosperous, more equitable and more peaceful world.'

Wonder, who focuses on people with disabilities, spoke about his mother's anguish at his being blind and how he told her maybe God had something greater for him (File photo)

Goodall, who focuses on the environment, said her happiest days were studying chimpanzees in Tanzania and she told the students she brought a greeting from them.

'Oah-oh-oh-oh-oh! AH!! AH!!! AH!!!! AH!!!!,' she howled to loud applause. 'That's hello everybody!'

Goodall noted that the DNA of chimpanzees is only one percent different from humans  but humans are 'so arrogant' that they think they're the only beings that matter when, in fact, they 'have been destroying the planet that we all call home.'

'We need to learn to live in peace and harmony with each other,' she said. 'And we need to learn to live in peace and harmony with mother nature.

At a ceremony to commemorate the International Day of Peace on Friday, Ban urged all combatants to lay down their arms for that day.

He also rang the Peace Bell presented to the United Nations by Japan to 'sound a call for peace and a day of non-violence.'
Pastor who won AR-15 rifle raffle won't be charged

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (AP)  A suburban Portland pastor who won an AR-15 rifle in a raffle and then said he gave it to a gun-owning friend for safekeeping will not be prosecuted for transferring the weapon without conducting a background check, authorities said.

Officials were investigating whether Rev. Jeremy Lucas may have violated a recent state law that makes transferring a gun without a background check illegal, even if the arrangement is between private parties and no money changes hands.

But investigators uncovered no evidence that Lucas, 45, actually transferred the gun and never determined the name of the gun-owning friend, Clackamas County District Attorney John S. Foote said in a letter to the Oregon State Police.

FILE--In this July 27, 2016, file photo, Rev. Jeremy Lucas of Christ Church Episcopal Parish holds the 150 tickets that he purchased in an all-star softball team's raffle to win an AR-15 assault rifle in Lake Oswego, Ore. Authorities have decided Lucas won't be charged for giving the assault rifle to a gun-owning friend for safekeeping without a background check, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. (Vern Uyetake/Lake Oswego Review via AP, File)

The letter was written on Sept. 9 and made public Thursday by state police.

Lucas didn't speak with investigators, state police said in a statement.

"Without the transferee in this case, I don't think we could ever have a prosecutable case," Foote wrote.

Lucas, a pastor at Christ Church Episcopal Parish in the affluent suburb of Lake Oswego about 10 miles south of Portland, said in interviews this summer that he spent about $3,000 in discretionary church funds to buy as many rifle raffle tickets as he could for a softball league fundraiser.

When he won, he passed a background check to take possession of the weapon.

He told The Washington Post in July that after he won the rifle, he gave it to a friend for temporary safe-keeping.

But a state law passed last year makes transferring a gun without a background check illegal, even if the arrangement is between private parties and no money changes hands.

The Oregon Firearms Federation, which lobbied against passage of the law, pointed out Lucas's potential law violation to the Oregon State Police, the Lake Oswego Police Department and 30 state lawmakers.

Kevin Starrett, the group's executive director, said Friday he was not surprised that authorities did not charge Lucas.

"Of course they would not prosecute, because it would illuminate the lunacy of this law," he said. "It's theater. It's farce."

Comments Lucas made to the newspaper about the transfer of the gun were "insufficient to prove that it happened," Foote wrote.

Lucas could not be reached to comment Friday at the parish offices, which were closed for the day.

There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment sent to a general parish account.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the letter's author was Clackamas County District Attorney John S. Foote, not Senior Deputy District Attorney Bryan Brock, and that the letter was written on Sept. 9, not Thursday.

___
Man charged threatening to kill Hawaii members of Congress

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  The FBI and U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a man in Tennessee on charges of threatening to kill members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

Keahiokahouna Stewart was taken into custody at his Murfreesboro home on Friday. According to the complaint, Stewart sent emails and videos beginning last month threatening to shoot people at the Princess Jonah Federal building in Honolulu.

Prosecutors allege that the specific targets of the threats were U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Both are Democrats.

The complaint says that beginning in 2013 Stewart began sending a series of "grievances" to federal officials claiming that his Social Security number had been issued to a fellow soldier while they were stationed in Korea.
4 police officers plead guilty in retaliation scheme

EDISON, N.J. (AP)  Four New Jersey police officers have pleaded guilty to scheming to retaliate against an officer from another department because he arrested one of their relatives for drunken driving.

Edison officers Michael Dotro, Victor Aravena, William Gesell and Brian Favretto face criminal probation after pleading guilty Friday as jury selection was underway in their trial. They had to forfeit their jobs and promptly resigned. They won't be allowed to hold public jobs in the state.

Prosecutors say the four improperly accessed information about a North Brunswick officer in 2012 and spied on him. But prosecutors say no retaliation occurred.
The Latest: Investigator says man confessed in nuns' deaths

DURANT, Miss. (AP)  The Latest on a court hearing for a man charged with killing two nuns in Mississippi (all times local):

5 p.m.

An investigator has testified that a Mississippi man confessed to stabbing two nuns to death in their home.

LeCarus Oliver, a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officer, testified Friday during a preliminary hearing for 46-year-old Rodney Earl Sanders of Kosciusko. Sanders is charged with capital murder in the slayings of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill.

Their bodies were found Aug. 25 and Sanders was arrested the next day. He remains jailed without bond, and a municipal judge ruled Friday that there's enough evidence against Sanders to send the case to a grand jury.

Oliver testified that Sanders' confession to law enforcement officers was recoded on audio the day Sanders was arrested.

____

5:50 a.m.

A man charged with killing two nuns in Mississippi is scheduled for a court hearing, where prosecutors will present evidence before the case goes to a grand jury.

Forty-six-year-old Rodney Earl Sanders of Kosciusko, Mississippi, is charged with capital murder in the deaths of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, who worked as nurse practitioners in one of the poorest counties in the nation.

Holmes County District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver said Thursday at least one investigator will testify during the hearing, and Sanders' attorneys will have a chance to respond.

Merrill and Held, both 68, were found stabbed to death Aug. 25 in their home in the small town of Durant after they failed to show up for work at a clinic in nearby Lexington. The hearing Friday is taking place in Durant municipal court.

Merrill was buried in Kentucky. Held was buried in Wisconsin.

___
Judge rules recorded phone call can be used in Cosby trial

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP)  A judge has ruled that a recorded phone call between Bill Cosby and the mother of his accuser can be used as evidence at his sexual assault trial next year.

Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill issued the decision Friday.

Cosby's lawyers asked the judge earlier this month to block prosecutors from using the 2005 telephone conversation because Andrea Constand's mother recorded it without his permission.

Cosby was in California when he called Constand's mother at her Canadian home. His lawyers argued Pennsylvania's two-party consent law should apply.

O'Neill says Canadian law prevails in this instance.

In the conversation, Cosby describes the sex act with Constand as "digital penetration." In his deposition, he said he feared sounding like "a dirty old man" on the call.

Cosby's lawyer declined to comment Friday evening.
A dead male humpback whale has washed up on the beach at the Jersey Shore.

The founder of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine tells The Philadelphia Inquirer the over 30-foot juvenile had no apparent injuries.

Bob Schoelkopf says it washed ashore around 2pm Friday in Sea Isle City.

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A dead male humpback whale washed up on the beach at the Jersey Shore in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, on Friday

The dead whale is pulled up the beach by a bulldozer after the mammal washed up on the beach

He told the Press of Atlantic City that the whale was possibly sick or its mother possibly died.

A necropsy will be performed on the beach Saturday morning to learn how it died.

Officials brought in heavy machinery to draw the carcass further up the beach and away from waves that could drag it out to sea.

Bystanders look on after the dead humpback whale washed up on the beach at the Jersey Shore

A necropsy will be performed on the beach Saturday morning to learn how it died

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center wrote on Facebook Friday: 'Director Schoelkopf and Technician Mike Kapp responded to the whale in Sea Isle today.

'Tomorrow our stranding staff will be on scene early in morning to collect data, samples and work on disposal.'

The male mammal weighs about 20 tons.

Adult male humpback whales weight 25 to 40 tons, the Press of Atlantic City reported.
Puerto Rico to install 200 slot machines at airport

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Puerto Rico's government says it plans to install 200 slot machines at the island's main international airport to boost revenues amid a dire economic crisis.

Tourism officials said Friday that the machines are expected to generate $1.8 million a year and create 23 jobs.

The first 120 machines have been installed in Terminals A and B. The remainder will be installed in October in Terminals A and C.

The $125,000 project comes amid an increase in the closure of casinos across the U.S. territory.
The Latest: Daredevil successfully jumps rocket over canyon

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP)  The latest on professional stuntman Eddie Braun's attempt to jump over the Snake River Canyon in southern Idaho in a custom rocket (all times local):

4:45 p.m.

Professional stuntman Eddie Braun successfully jumped over the Snake River Canyon Friday afternoon in an ode to his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel.

In a Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 photo, stuntman Eddie Braun gives feedback after getting into the cockpit of The Evel Spirit, a steam powered rocket, at the team's shop in Twin Falls, Idaho. Braun is preparing to attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. (Drew Nash/The Times-News via AP)

Braun soared over the southern Idaho canyon in a custom-built rocket dubbed Evel Spirit.

It launched off a steep ramp on the edge of the canyon rim at about 4 p.m.

The rocket reached an estimated 400 miles per hour (644 kilometers per hour) before its parachute deployed, allowing Braun and the ship to land safely in fields on the other side of the canyon.

Braun has said the rocket was identical to the model Knievel used for his failed canyon attempt on Sept. 8, 1974, when Knievel landed in the bottom of the canyon after his parachute prematurely deployed. Knievel walked away from that attempt with minor injuries.

Stuntman Eddie Braun answers questions during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, in Twin Falls, Idaho, about his upcoming attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. (Pat Sutphin/The Times-News via AP)

In this Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 photo, rocket designer Scott Truax, left, talks with professional stuntman Eddie Braun at the team's shop in Twin Falls, Idaho. Braun is preparing to attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. (Drew Nash/The Times-News via AP)

Stuntman Eddie Braun answers questions during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, in Twin Falls, Idaho, about his upcoming attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. (Pat Sutphin/The Times-News via AP)

Stuntman Eddie Braun, center right, answers questions during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, in Twin Falls, Idaho, about his upcoming attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. (Pat Sutphin/The Times-News via AP)

Stuntman Eddie Braun, right, adjusts the tie of KIVI reporter Michael Sevrena before a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, in Twin Falls, Idaho, about his upcoming attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. (Pat Sutphin/The Times-News via AP)

Stuntman Eddie Braun answers questions during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, in Twin Falls, Idaho, about his upcoming attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. (Pat Sutphin/The Times-News via AP)

Stunt Coordinator Gary Davis, right, smiles as stuntman Eddie Braun answers questions during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, in Twin Falls, Idaho, about his upcoming attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. (Pat Sutphin/The Times-News via AP)

This photo provided by Mike Hughes shows Mike Hughes in Fontana, Calif. Hughes is a self-taught rocket scientist in Apple Valley, Calif. Hughes will be watching closely when Eddie Braun tries to replicate Evel Knievel's launch over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho four decades ago, sometime between noon Mountain time Friday, Sept. 16 and 7p.m. Saturday, depending on wind conditions. On Oct. 18, Hughes will attempt to rocket over the ghost town of Amboy, Calif. (Mike Hughes via AP)

This April 12, 2016 photo provided by Mike Hughes shows his rocket and launch pad in Canyon, Texas. Hughes will be watching closely when Eddie Braun tries to replicate Evel Knievel's launch over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho four decades ago, sometime between noon Mountain time Friday, Sept. 16 and 7p.m. Saturday, depending on wind conditions. On Oct. 18, Hughes will attempt to rocket over the ghost town of Amboy, Calif.(Mike Hughes via AP)

FILE - In this Sept. 8, 1974, file photo, parachutes on Evel Knievel's Skycycle begin to open while his engine is still thrusting him skyward in his unsuccessful attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho. Fueled by the memory of the late daredevil Knievel, Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun plans to strap into a steam-powered rocket cycle, replicating the jump that could have cost his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel, his life four decades ago. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - This Sept. 6, 1974, file photo shows the ramp used when Evel Kneivel tried to jump the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho. Sometime between noon Mountain time Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, and 7 p.m. Saturday, Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun will launch in a steam-powered rocket cycle over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, replicating the jump that could have cost his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel, his life four decades ago. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 20, 1974, file photo, Evel Knievel poses at the Canadian national exhibition stadium in Toronto. Sometime between noon Mountain time Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, and 7 p.m. Saturday, Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun will launch in a steam-powered rocket cycle over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, replicating the jump that could have cost his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel, his life four decades ago. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 6, 1974, file photo, American daredevil Evel Knievel sits in the cockpit as steam pours from his Skycycle during a final static test of the systems that will try to propel him across the Snake River Canyon, near Twin Falls, Idaho. Sometime between noon Mountain time Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, and 7 p.m. Saturday, Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun will launch in a steam-powered rocket cycle over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, replicating the jump that could have cost his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel, his life four decades ago. (AP Photo, File)

In this July 2016 photo provided by Weiward, Eddie Braun poses for a photo at a storage facility in Chatsworth, Calif. Brauns putting things in place before he buckles into his steam-powered rocket cycle and flips the switch to launch him over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Given his particular line of work, professional stuntman Eddie Braun knows about danger _ and he plans for the worst. (Weiward via AP)
Jury can't decide sanity of German who set Los Angeles fires

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A judge declared a mistrial Friday over whether a German man was sane when he set dozens of fires across Los Angeles during three nights of terror nearly five years ago.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George Lomeli declared the mistrial after jurors deadlocked in the sanity phase of Harry Burkhart's trial.

The same jury previously found the former Frankfurt resident guilty of nearly 50 arson counts for fires he set around New Year's 2012.

Burkhart, 29, made good on threats to "roast America" to avenge his mother's extradition to Germany on fraud charges, a prosecutor said.

He placed fire-starting devices under cars in Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley and West Hollywood on three nights between Dec. 30, 2011, and Jan. 2, 2012, authorities said. Some vehicles were in carports and in 19 cases the fires spread to homes and apartments.

No one was seriously injured during the fires that caused an estimated $3 million in damage, but the blazes ignited widespread fear.
Investigator: Suspect confessed to killing 2 nuns

DURANT, Miss. (AP)  A man charged with killing two nuns confessed to investigators that he went into their home, struggled with them, stabbed them to death and stole their car, a state law enforcement agent testified Friday.

Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, is charged with capital murder in the slayings of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both 68. Their bodies were found Aug. 25 after they failed to show up at the health clinic where they worked as nurse practitioners in one of the poorest counties in the nation.

Sanders was arrested Aug. 26. Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, he sat quietly by his defense attorney Friday as Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agent LeCarus Oliver testified just a few feet away.

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2016 file photo, Rodney Earl Sanders leaves the Durant Municipal Building after an initial appearance in court in Durant, Miss. Sanders was charged with two counts of capital murder in the slayings of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both 68. Sanders is scheduled for a court hearing, Friday, Sept. 16, where prosecutors will present evidence before the case goes to a grand jury. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Oliver said Sanders had been staying in a shed across the street from the sisters' home for three days before the slayings. He testified that he was not in the room when Sanders confessed, but Sanders' questioning by other investigators was captured on an audio recording.

"He did acknowledge killing Paula Merrill and Margaret Held," Oliver testified.

Sanders told investigators that he went through the back door of the sisters' home, uninvited. Sanders said Merrill saw him first before a struggle took place with both women, Oliver testified.

Oliver also said Sanders told officers that after stabbing the women, "He washed himself up because his hands were sticky."

One of Sanders' defense attorneys, Richard Carter III of Kosciusko, asked Oliver if Sanders had revealed a motive for the alleged crime. Oliver said he had not.

Friday's hearing was to determine whether there is enough evidence against Sanders to send the case to a grand jury, which will consider indictment. Durant Municipal Judge Jim Arnold ruled there is, and he denied Carter's request that bond be set. Sanders has been jailed since his arrest on two counts of capital murder, one count of burglary and one count of grand larceny. Arnold also denied bond for Sanders on Aug. 29.

Oliver testified that a knife was recovered from the shed where Sanders had been staying, and it is among items being tested at the state Crime Lab. He also testified that the nuns' partially clothed bodies were found in the hallway of the home. He said the crime could have occurred late Aug. 24 or early Aug. 25.

Rape kits are pending at the Crime Lab, Oliver said. Sanders has not been charged with rape, however.

The nuns' relatives and colleagues have said they oppose the death penalty, including for Sanders. Holmes County District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver said outside court Friday that she had not decided whether to pursue it.

Under Mississippi law, capital murder is a killing that occurs with at least one other felony, and it is punishable by lethal injection or life in prison.

The nuns' funerals were Sept. 2. Merrill was buried in Kentucky, where she belonged to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Held was buried in Wisconsin, where she was a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee.

____

Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus

Rodney Earl Sanders, of Kosciusko, Miss., says nothing as police rush him out of the Durant Municipal Building after a probable cause hearing in municipal court, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Durant, Miss. Sanders is charged in the deaths of two 68-year-old nuns, Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, who were killed Aug. 25 in their Durant, home. The nuns, both nurse practitioners, worked in a Lexington medical clinic. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Rodney Earl Sanders, of Kosciusko, Miss., says nothing as leaves the Durant Municipal Building after a probable cause hearing in municipal court, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Durant, Miss. Sanders is charged in the deaths of two 68-year-old nuns, Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, who were killed Aug. 25 in their Durant, home. The nuns, both nurse practitioners, worked in a Lexington medical clinic. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Rodney Earl Sanders, of Kosciusko, Miss., says nothing as he enters the Durant Municipal Building for a probable cause hearing in municipal court, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Durant, Miss. Sanders is charged in the deaths of two 68-year-old nuns, Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, who were killed Aug. 25 in their Durant, home. The nuns, both nurse practitioners, worked in a Lexington medical clinic. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Rodney Earl Sanders, of Kosciusko, Miss., says nothing as police rush him out of the Durant Municipal Building after a probable cause hearing in municipal court, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Durant, Miss. Sanders is charged in the deaths of two 68-year-old nuns, Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, who were killed Aug. 25 in their Durant, home. The nuns, both nurse practitioners, worked in a Lexington medical clinic. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Rodney Earl Sanders, of Kosciusko, Miss., says nothing as he enters the Durant Municipal Building for a probable cause hearing in municipal court, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Durant, Miss. Sanders is charged in the deaths of two 68-year-old nuns, Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, who were killed Aug. 25 in their Durant, home. The nuns, both nurse practitioners, worked in a Lexington medical clinic. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Russia says UN meeting cancelled over US objections

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  A hastily scheduled Security Council meeting was canceled because the U.S. does not want to make public details of the Syrian cease-fire deal, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations said Friday.

Vitaly Churkin said there was no point in briefing the council if the U.S. did not want to say exactly what was in the documents outlining the deal hammered out last week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"This briefing is not going to happen and mostly likely we're not going to have a resolution of the Security Council because the United States does not want to share those documents with the members of the Security Council and we believe that we cannot ask them to support a document which they haven't seen," Churkin said.

Churkin said Thursday that Russia hoped the Security Council could pass a resolution endorsing the deal next week during the high-level meeting of the General Assembly. But he said that the U.S. was uncooperative, constantly trying to modify whatever text of a draft resolution the Russians presented them with.

"Clearly there is lack of unity in the U.S. administration but it was Secretary Kerry who was negotiating on the instructions of President Obama, clearly a deal was made and we expect it to be implemented," Churkin said.

In Washington, a U.S. official said the session was canceled because the Russians were trying to force the U.S. to make the cease-fire deal public.

"The United States will not compromise operational security," said the official, who wasn't authorized to be quoted by name and demanded anonymity.

Later on Friday, the U.S. Mission issued a statement saying they believed the Security Council could play an important role in resolving the Syrian crisis.

"However, right now we are focused on the implementation of the agreement ... particularly the urgent need for humanitarian aid to reach Syrians in need. Since we could not agree on an approach to briefing the Council that would not compromise the operational security of the arrangement, the meeting was canceled," the statement said.

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Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, who challenged theatrical convention in masterworks such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and A Delicate Balance, died Friday, his personal assistant said. He was 88.

He died at his home in Montauk, east of New York, assistant Jackob Holder said.

No cause of death was immediately given, although he had suffered from diabetes.

With the deaths of Arthur Miller and August Wilson in 2005, he was arguably America's greatest living playwright.

Several years ago, before undergoing extensive surgery, Albee penned a note to be issued at the time of his death: 'To all of you who have made my being alive so wonderful, so exciting and so full, my thanks and all my love.'

The three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee (pictured in 2008) has died in suburban New York City at age 88. Albee assistant Jackob Holder says the playwright died Friday at his home on Long Island. No cause of death has been given

Albee talks to reporters during a news conference at the Cherry Lane Theater in the Greenwich Village section of New York in this May 1967 photo

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? still widely considered Albee's finest, was made into an award-winning 1966 film

The movie starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, pictured above

Albee was proclaimed the playwright of his generation after his blistering Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened on Broadway in 1962.

The Tony-winning play, still widely considered Albee's finest, was made into an award-winning 1966 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

The play's sharp-tongued humor and dark themes were the hallmarks of Albee's style.

In more than 30 plays, Albee skewered such mainstays of American culture as marriage, child-rearing, religion and upper-class comforts.

'If you have no wounds, how can you know you're alive?' a character asks in Albee's 1996 The Play About the Baby.

'It's just a quirk of the brain that makes one a playwright,' Albee said in 2008. 'I have the same experiences that everybody else does, but... I feel the need to translate a lot of what happens to me, a lot of what I think, into a play.'

Albee challenged audiences to question their assumptions about society and about theater itself.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened on Broadway in 1962. Albee is pictured in a 1963 image

Pictured are Clare Higgins, Martha Plimpton, Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Lindsay Duncan and Bob Balaban during a curtain call for A Delicate Balance in 2014

He did it with humor and a sense of linguistic delight, using withering barbs and word play to hint at deeper meaning.

Praise for the playwright came from far and wide on Twitter after his death.

Mia Farrow, who was in a staged reading of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? called Albee 'one of the great' playwrights 'of our time'.

Michael McKean wrote: 'There was only one Edward Albee. #Irreplaceable.'

Playwright Lynn Nottage wrote: 'I will miss his wit, irreverence & wisdom. He enlivened the theatre landscape.'

Albee's unconventional style won him great acclaim but also led to a nearly 20-year drought of critical and commercial recognition before his 1994 play, Three Tall Women, garnered his third Pulitzer Prize.

His other Pulitzers were for A Delicate Balance (1967) and Seascape (1975).

Many of his productions in the years after Seascape were savaged by the press as inconsequential trickery, a shadow of his former works.

But after Three Tall Women, a play he called an 'exorcising of demons,' he had several major productions, including The Play About the Baby and The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? which won him his second Tony for best play in 2002.

Albee (pictured left in 1964 and right in 2008) was proclaimed the playwright of his generation after his blistering Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened on Broadway in 1962

Many of his works had similar things in common: domestic rancor inflamed by booze, a sense of unknown anxiety, a lost child who creates a marital friction and precise but flailing language that alternates between comic and profound.

In interviews, Albee recoiled at the idea of drawing parallels between his works or between his cynical outlook and his unhappy childhood.

'Each play of mine has a distinctive story to tell,' he told The Santa Fe New Mexican in 2001.

Albee was born in 1928 and was adopted by a wealthy suburban New York couple.

His father, Reed Albee, ran the Keith-Albee chain of vaudeville theaters; his mother, Frances Albee, was a socialite and a commanding presence who kept a hold on him for much of his life.

Estranged from his parents, Albee moved to New York and worked as a messenger for Western Union before gaining notice with The Zoo Story, a one-act play written in 1958 about two strangers meeting on a bench in Central Park.

With Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and 1964's Tiny Alice, Albee shook up a Broadway that had been dominated by Tennessee Williams, Miller and their intellectual disciples.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? presents an all-night drinking bout in which a middle-age professor and his wife verbally spar and unravel their illusions during a visit by a younger couple.

The film version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won five Oscars including best actress for Elizabeth Taylor

It won five Tonys including best play, actor (Arthur Hill) and actress (Uta Hagen), and the film version won five Oscars including best actress (Taylor) and supporting actress (Sandy Dennis).

Albee also directed the American premieres of many of his plays, starting with Seascape in 1975.

Seascape and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? were revived on Broadway in 2005, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was revived on Broadway again in 2013.

A Delicate Balance was revived a year later, starring Glenn Close.

Albee brought back The Zoo Story to startling effect in 2007 with Edward Albee's Peter and Jerry. T

he shattering encounter between two strangers in a park that is The Zoo Story became the second act of the new work. The first act was based on Albee's much later Homelife.

It was one of a number of fruitful productions around the time Albee turned 80 in 2008.

Albee, left, makes a point as director Paul Weidner, center, and actress Angela Lansbury look on during a news conference in Hartford, Connecticut (1977 photo)

That year saw the world premiere of his play about identical twins, Me, Myself and I, in Princeton, New Jersey; a New York revival of two of his early one-act classics, The American Dream and The Sandbox; and the premiere of Edward Albee's Occupant, about sculptor Louise Nevelson and the cult of celebrity.

Albee was honored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1996 for his lifetime contributions.

Then-President Bill Clinton praised Albee as a man who inspired a generation of American dramatists. Clinton also awarded Albee a National Medal of the Arts that year.

Into his 70s, Albee continued to write provocative and unconventional plays. In The Goat or Who is Sylvia? the main character falls in love with a goat.

Albee's longtime companion, sculptor Jonathan Thomas, died in 2005.
Paul Broadhurst leads PGA Tour Champions at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP)  Paul Broadhurst shot a 6-under 66 at Pebble Beach on Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the PGA Tour Champions' Nature Valley First Tee Open.

The 51-year-old Broadhurst won the Senior British Open at Carnoustie in July for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour. He won six times on the European Tour and played in the 1991 Ryder Cup.

With the seniors playing alongside boys and girls from The First Tee programs throughout the country, Broadhurst had 6-under 30 on the front nine in his first professional round at Pebble Beach.

"Actually, hit the flag on my second shot on the first," Broadhurst said. "Could have gone in, I guess, but rolled 6 feet."

He cooled off on the back nine, making two birdies and two bogeys.

"Front nine, I played really well, as good as I've played since winning the British to be honest. That's been, you know, been a bit of a struggle since winning, so it was nice to hit some good shots today and put a good score on the board."

U.S. Senior Open winner Gene Sauers , Craig Parry, Jay Don Blake, Kevin Sutherland and Tom Pernice Jr. were 4 under. Sauers, Parry and Blake shot 68 at Pebble Beach, and Sutherland and Pernice shot 67 at Poppy Hills.

"Sometimes playing late in the afternoon like this, that poa annua is tough to make those putts. ... It's scary, it's scaring me. But I played great, I hit the ball good. I hit my 3-wood good off the tee a few times and made some putts and I'm pleased to death where I am."

Sutherland is from Sacramento.

"This is my version of a home game," Sutherland said. "When I was a kid we played a lot of tournaments down here."

Bernhard Langer opened with a 70 at Poppy Hills. The 59-year-old German star leads the tour with four victories this season.

Tom Watson, the runner-up last year who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am twice and his only U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 1982, had a 75 at Poppy Hills. The 67-year-old Hall of Famer had two double bogeys, a bogey and one birdie.

Defending champion Esteban Toledo had a 73 at Pebble Beach.

John Daly had two triple bogeys in a 74 at Pebble Beach. Fellow major champion Vijay Singh had a 75 at Pebble Beach, making three bogeys in a birdie-less round.

Broadhurst played alongside the First Tee's Brandon Pozzie of Bradenton, Florida.
Professional stuntman Eddie Braun successfully jumped over the Snake River Canyon on Friday afternoon in an ode to his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel.

Braun soared over the southern Idaho canyon in a custom-built rocket dubbed Evel Spirit.

It launched off a steep ramp on the edge of the canyon rim just before 4pm as hundreds of onlookers watched.

The rocket reached an estimated 400mph before its parachute deployed, allowing Braun and the ship to land safely in fields on the other side of the 1,400 foot-wide canyon.

Scroll down for video

The 'Evel Spirit' rocket, with professional stuntman Eddie Braun, takes off from the ramp on Friday afternoon near the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho

The rocket reached an estimated 400mph before its parachute deployed on Friday

Braun and the rocket ship landed safely in fields on the other side of the 1,400 foot-wide canyon

Braun embraces Evel Knievel's daughter-in-law Shelli Knievel after completing his flight over the Snake River Canyon on Friday

'I feel like the no name third string quarterback of a junior varsity team that just won the Super Bowl,' Braun said in a statement after the jump.

'My team got me there. I ran it into the end zone. We scored and won.'

Scott Truax, the designer of the rocket, told the Idaho Statesman that after Braun got the OK to launch he did not hesitate.

'He was gone in a cloud of steam and I couldn't see anything until just before he pulled his chutes,' Traux said.

Braun has said the rocket was identical to the model Knievel used for his failed canyon attempt on September 8, 1974.

Braun (pictured in July) said after the jump: 'I feel like the no name third string quarterback of a junior varsity team that just won the Super Bowl'

Another view of Braun's rocket after taking off. Scott Truax, the designer of the rocket, said after Braun got the OK to launch he did not hesitate

A worker is shown doing a final check on the 'Evel Spirit' before Braun enters the cockpit

Stuntman Eddie Braun talks to Evel Knievel's family members of Evel Knievel on Friday before his jump

Bryan Richards displays his Evel Knievel tattoo on Friday at the launch pad of the 'Evel Spirit'

Knievel landed at the bottom of the canyon when his parachute prematurely deployed partway across the canyon, but walked away with only minor injuries.

The spot where Knievel jumped was 1,600 feet wide.

Braun hoped his effort would prove that Knievel could have made it across the canyon if his parachute had deployed at the correct time.

Before the jump, the 54-year-old Braun said he was optimistic he would make it across the canyon.

'I wouldn't be doing this if I thought it couldn't be done,' he said.

Still, he had prepared for the worst in the days before the stunt, asking his young son to one day walk his sisters down the aisle at their wedding if Braun died in his attempt.

Braun (pictured earlier this month) has said the rocket was identical to the model Knievel used for his failed canyon attempt on September 8, 1974

Evel Knievel poses at the Canadian national exhibition stadium in Toronto (left). During his Snake River Canyon attempt, his parachute deployed and halted the rocket's momentum, causing the attempt to fail (right)

In this September 8, 1974 photo, parachutes on Evel Knievel's Skycycle begin to open while his engine is still thrusting him skyward in his unsuccessful attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon

This September 6, 1974, photo shows the ramp used when Kneivel tried to jump the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho

Months of testing was performed on the rocket designed by Scott Truax, whose father constructed the original 'X2 Skycycle' for Knievel.

Truax followed his father's blueprints down to the last bolt and deviated only by updating the parachute system.

Braun had trouble finding corporate sponsors for the stunt, and said he spent about $1.5 million of his own money on the jump.

He looked at the stunt as a way to pay homage to Knievel, who inspired him to become a stuntman.

'I like to say I'm not doing something that Evel Knievel couldn't do,' he told the Statesman before making the jump.

'I'm simply finishing out his dream. How many people get to finish the dream of their hero?'

Braun pictured answering questions during a news conference on Wednesday. Braun had trouble finding corporate sponsors for the stunt, and said he spent about $1.5 million of his own money on the jump

Braun pictured with rocket designer Scott Truax. Braun looked at the stunt as a way to pay homage to Knievel, who inspired him to become a stuntman

Not all in the southern Idaho town of Twin Falls have such fond memories of Knievel.

Many residents remember Knievel's promise of a weeklong festival complete with celebrities and a golf tournament.

Knievel's attempt drew plenty of spectators, and the resultant partying, fighting and mischief upset locals.

The daredevil was later accused of leaving town without paying debts to area businesses.

But the mystique of Knievel's failed stunt has lived on, with would-be daredevils showing up every decade or so to propose similar jumps.

Knievel's son Robbie visited Twin Falls in the 1990s and in 2010 to float the idea of a possible jump, though it never came to fruition.

Braun appears to have been the first to actually try the stunt since Knievel's attempt.

Self-taught rocket scientist Michael Hughes (pictured), will attempt to rocket over the ghost town of Amboy, California, once a familiar spot along Route 66, on October 18
Trump adjusts call for Clinton bodyguards to lose their guns

MIAMI (AP)  Donald Trump made his usual sarcastic call Friday for Hillary Clinton's Secret Service agents to be stripped of their firearms  and then added, "let's see what happens to her."

Trump has long incorrectly suggested his Democratic opponent wants to overturn the Second Amendment and take away Americans' right to own guns. At a rally in Miami, he again riffed about confiscating the agents' guns and then went further.

"I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right?" Trump asked the crowd. "Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Take their  and let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK, it would be very dangerous."

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the James L. Knight Center, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Trump's meaning was not immediately clear and a campaign spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for an elaboration.

But the Clinton campaign had a quick reaction. Spokesman Robby Mook released a statement Friday night saying Trump "has a pattern of inciting people to violence. Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief.

"This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate," Mook wrote.

A spokeswoman for the Secret Service declined to comment.

The seemingly ominous comment evoked a remark Trump made last month that many Democrats condemned as a call for Clinton's assassination. Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, the Republican nominee erroneously said his opponent wants to "abolish, essentially, the Second Amendment."

He continued: "By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know."

Within minutes, the Clinton campaign condemned the remark. Mook said then, "A person seeking to be the president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way."

Trump later disputed that criticism, saying everyone in his audience knew he was referring to the power of voters and "there can be no other interpretation."

Trump, who has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, eventually took to Twitter to say the Secret Service had not contacted him about the remarks.

The comments Friday in Miami came hours after Trump finally reversed his long-held position that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Appearing in Washington, he said Obama was born in the United States but then incorrectly suggested that the Clinton campaign had started the conspiracy theory.

Trump ignored questions from reporters about his switch and has yet to explain why he abandoned the "birther" stance that fueled his political fame and was viewed by critics as an attempt to delegitimize the nation's first African-American president.

While campaigning in South Florida, which has a large Cuban-American population, Trump also said that if he's elected president, he will reverse Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba  unless the country abides by certain "demands." Among those, he said, would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of all political prisoners.

Trump says he'll "stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression."

The comment marks yet another reversal for the GOP candidate, who previously said he supported the idea of normalized relations, but wished the U.S. had negotiated a better deal.

Trump also said the U.S. has a broader obligation to stand with oppressed people  a comment that seems at odds with his "America first" mantra. "The next president of the United States must stand in solidarity with all people oppressed in our hemisphere, and we will stand with oppressed people, and there are many," he said.

He added that the people of Venezuela "are yearning to be free, they are yearning for help. The system is bad. But the people are great."

Trump has often cited the country as a model of a failed state, warning that if Clinton is elected, she'll turn the U.S. into Venezuela.

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Jill Colvin contributed reporting from Washington.

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Reach Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire
Police: Anti-cop note found at scene of deadly rampage

PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A "rambling" note expressing hatred for police was found after a man opened fire on a Philadelphia police officer then went on a shooting rampage, injuring a second officer, killing a woman and wounding three other people before he was shot and killed by police in an alley, authorities said Saturday.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross identified the gunman in the Friday overnight attack as 25-year-old Nicholas Glenn, who was "well-known" to police and has a criminal record.

Ross said Glenn had a 9mm Ruger and at least three magazines as well as a plastic bag with 13 to 15 live rounds. Investigators were trying to track the origins of the weapon, which had an obliterated serial number.

This undated photo provided by the Philadelphia Police Department on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 shows Nicholas Glenn. Authorities said Glenn opened fire on a Philadelphia police officer then went on a shooting rampage, injuring a second officer, killing a woman and wounding three other people before he was shot and killed by police overnight Friday. (Philadelphia Police Department via AP)

"Obviously, he was hell-bent on hurting a lot of people," the commissioner said at a news conference, adding that "we aren't absolutely clear as to why."

The note was addressed "Doomed People" and expressed hatred for law enforcement and a probation officer; it was found on the gunman, Ross said. Police believe Glenn acted on his own and not as part of a group.

Ross described the violent events as "completely bizarre" and said he "would have no difficulty" believing mental illness was involved in Glenn's actions.

"We know (Glenn) carried out one of the most violent acts that we've seen in Philadelphia in a long time," he said. "This rambling suggests that he clearly was trying to target a police officer, as he did ..."

The wild chase and shootout through the streets of Philadelphia began about 11:20 p.m. Friday when Sgt. Sylvia Young, a 19-year police veteran, was ambushed while sitting in her patrol car in west Philadelphia; she was shot a number of times in the arm and protective vest, Ross said.

"She didn't hear him say a word, just walked up on her and started firing," Ross said. "She did hear about 15 shots or so, and that's consistent with the scene, where we believe she was struck at least eight times."

Officers hearing the shots pursued the gunman, who then fired into a nearby bar, hitting a security guard in the leg, then grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg, Ross said. Moments later, the suspect shot into a car 14 times, hitting a man and a woman in the chest. The 25-year-old woman, who was hit seven times, was pronounced dead just before 2 a.m. Saturday, police said.

Ross said two police officers and University of Pennsylvania police officer Ed Miller chased the man into an alley, where the suspect was shot and killed. Miller was shot in the pelvis and right ankle.

Both Miller, 56, and Young, 46, were in stable condition Saturday at Penn Presbyterian Hospital, as were the three other people hit by gunfire. Police said both officers were in good spirits.

Ross said he was astounded the officers survived the close-range shooting, and recalled the Jan. 7 ambush shooting of Officer Jesse Hartnett. Hartnett was shot and wounded as he sat in his cruiser at an intersection by a man who investigators say told them he was "following Allah."

"(Young) had to do something very similar ... that Officer Hartnett did, and that is pretty much lean over in the passenger seat to try to shield herself from as many as those rounds as possible," Ross said.

Police didn't release the identities of others injured in the spree, pending notification of their families.

Mayor Jim Kenney praised officers and urged them to follow Young's example and wear their protective vests. Ross joined in commending his officers, saying they largely refrained from firing their weapons to preserve public safety.

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This story has been corrected to show the note was addressed to "Doomed People," not "Doomed."
Docs detail government damage of Trail of Tears

COKER CREEK, Tenn. (AP)  The U.S. Forest Service has ripped up a portion of the Trail of Tears in the Appalachian Mountains, reopening wounds for Native Americans who consider sacred the land where thousands of their ancestors died during their forced migration westward.

The man-made trenches and berms were discovered last summer but the details about how it happened and those responsible hadn't been publicly identified. In documents obtained recently by The Associated Press, the Forest Service acknowledged that an employee approved construction along a -mile section of the trail in eastern Tennessee without authorization, an embarrassing blunder for an agency that was supposed to be protecting the trail for future generations.

The $28,500 in contracting work done in 2014 involved using heavy equipment to dig three deep trenches called "tank traps" and a series of 35 berms. It was meant to keep out all-terrain vehicles and prevent erosion, but agency officials now say it was done in violation of federal laws.

In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, photo, Coker Creek, Tenn., resident and historical preservationist Marvin Harper observes damage to a section of the Trail of Tears in the Appalachian Mountains. The flag indicates a spot where the U.S. Forest Service used heavy equipment to make trenches and berms in what agency officials now say was in violation of federal laws, The U.S. Forest Service is apologizing after it ripped up a portion of the Trail of Tears in the Appalachian Mountains. The damage has reopened wounds for Native Americans who consider the land sacred. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

Sheila Bird of the Cherokee Nation said she cried when she was asked at a meeting with Forest Service officials to talk about the impact of the damage.

"The trail is part of our history, of why we are here in Oklahoma," said Bird, who is the special projects officer for the nation's Tribal Historic Preservation Office.

The portion of the damaged trail lies near Fort Armistead, one of the stops where Cherokees were held during their forced migration West in the 1830s. This part of the trail follows the first commercial road across the mountains in that region, the Unicoi Turnpike, which in turn followed the course of an ancient Native American trail.

The Forest Service has apologized to the tribes for the damage, both physical and emotional, and is consulting with them over how to repair it. No plan has been finalized, and Forest Service spokeswoman Stephanie Johnson said the agency does not yet know what the restoration work will cost.

When the Forest Service dug up portions of the trail on the edge of the Cherokee National Forest in March and June 2014, it didn't even own the land, although it was planning to purchase it, according to Forest Service documents obtained by The Associated Press. The documents were provided to AP by the environmental group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and authenticated by the Forest Service.

The documents outline the extensive process the Forest Service employees should have gone through before doing the work but didn't.

For instance, the ranger who approved the project told another employee they didn't' have to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act because they did not own the land.

"Despite the lack of compliance with our own policies for the National Environmental Policy Act and federal laws like the ESA (Endangered Species Act), NPHA (National Historic Preservation Act), and the purchase option's requirements, the project was orally approved," the documents state.

It's not clear what, if anything, happened to the employees who ignored the law. The local ranger who gave the approval for the construction had been with Forest Service for more than 35 years before she retired in February 2015. The Forest Service said it won't discuss personnel matters.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility executive director Jeff Ruch said that's not good enough.

"This is one the most blatant official desecrations of a sacred site in modern American history," Ruch said in a statement. "Jaw-dropping incompetence mixed with abject dereliction of duty coated in an impenetrable mantle of bureaucratic self-preservation spawned this debacle."

The group is asking the U.S. Agriculture Department for a thorough review by independent investigators and appropriate disciplinary action.

Months after the damage, Forest Service officials who were still unaware of the work extolled the pristine nature and historical significance of the parcel.

"Protecting the Trail of Tears and other significant sites in this area has been and will continue to be a priority for us," Cherokee National Forest Supervisor JaSal Morris said in an Oct. 2014 news release announcing its purchase.

Many Forest Service officials didn't realize the land had been disturbed until July 2015, when the agency hosted representatives of the Cherokee tribes and the National Parks Service to develop an interpretive plan for the trail and Fort Armistead.

Susan Abram, president of the North Carolina chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, was among a group that hiked out to the trail and discovered the damage.

"Everybody was just kind of shocked," said the Western Carolina University history professor. "This is a national historic trail ... part of our national heritage."

The trail stretches for thousands of miles through nine states. Aaron Mahr, the National Parks Service superintendent for the trail, said his agency works with private landowners and government agencies to protect the portions of the trail that cross their properties. Mahr said seeing photos of the damage done by the Forest Service left him shaking his head.

Jack Baker, National Trail of Tears Association president and a member of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, also learned of the destruction by seeing photos.

"I thought it was done deliberately and intentionally to destroy part of the trail. ... Other trail segments are identical and erosion is not really a concern," he said.

Marvin Harper, who lives near the trail and is president of the Coker Creek Heritage Group, took an AP reporter to see the damage Thursday. Clambering over one of the berms and dropping into a trench on the other side, only his head was visible.

"This is an embarrassment and a great loss to all of us who take pride in this part of East Tennessee," he said.

Since the destruction, Forest Service officials are halting all work within a half-mile of either side of the trail in four southern states.

Bird said she still has questions about how the damage came about, but she appreciates that the Forest Service is trying to make it right.

"They came to us with an enormous amount of humility," Bird said.

In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, photo, Coker Creek, Tenn., resident and historical preservationist Marvin Harper observes damage to a section of the Trail of Tears in the Appalachian Mountains. The U.S. Forest Service is apologizing after it ripped up a portion of the Trail of Tears in the Appalachian Mountains. The damage has reopened wounds for Native Americans who consider the land sacred. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, photo, Coker Creek, Tenn., resident and historical preservationist Marvin Harper observes damage to a section of the Trail of Tears in the Appalachian Mountains. The flag indicates a spot where the U.S. Forest Service used heavy equipment to make trenches and berms in what agency officials now say was in violation of federal laws. The U.S. Forest Service is apologizing after it ripped up a portion of the Trail of Tears in the Appalachian Mountains. The damage has reopened wounds for Native Americans who consider the land sacred. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)
Trump's birther flip meets with skepticism from many blacks

WASHINGTON (AP)  Black voters are reacting skeptically to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's admission that he now believes the nation's first black president was indeed born in the United States. Many say the fact that Trump spent years questioning President Barack Obama's national origin was disrespectful, and an insult to all black Americans.

Despite the fact that Obama himself said he viewed this renewed burst of commentary about his birth as "fairly typical" and not surprising, members of the Congressional Black Caucus were clearly angry. During a heated news conference Friday as the CBC gathered for its annual legislative conference in Washington, several lawmakers denigrated Trump for perpetrating birther falsehoods for so long.

"He owes an apology to President Barack Obama, he owes an apology to African-American community and he owes an apology to the United States of America," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., adding that he considers Trump to be "nothing but a two-bit racial arsonist."

FILE - In this July 8, 2016 file photo, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. G. K. Butterfield, D-N.C., center, accompanied by, from left, Rep. Joyce Beatty , D-Ohio, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Butterfield, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., and Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Black voters reacted skeptically on Friday to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps public admission that he now believes the nations first black president was indeed born in the United States. Many said the fact that Trump spent many years questioning President Barack Obamas national origin was disrespectful, and an insult to all black Americans. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, and G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., called Trump a "cheap racist" and a "disgusting fraud," respectively.

Many blacks gave Trump no credit for finally letting go of the long dispelled notion that Obama, born in Hawaii in 1961, actually hailed from outside the country he now leads. They said they believed it was some sort of political calculation by Trump in hopes of getting votes from blacks or moderate whites.

"In the black community, it's always been viewed as kind of offhanded racism," said Preston Thymes, a Scottsdale, Arizona, marketing manager.

Roosevelt Brown, 56, said he felt black voters, at least, weren't buying Trump's about-face. "I don't believe in his heart he's saying what he really believes," said Brown, a special investigator in California.

"He's a backtracker," said Bailey Billings, 25, of Madison, Wisconsin. "He says whatever he thinks he should say, what he's directed by his team to say, to make him seem like a better human that we should all vote for. ... I just don't care for anything that he says."

And Trump's attempt to pull Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton into the fray by claiming she endorsed birther tactics against Obama during their 2008 race didn't seem to sit well with some black voters either.

"He's a big liar and he's just trying to put people against Hillary," said Wilma Brown, a 66-year-old Detroit housewife.

Trump's political rise was fueled in part by his presence among birthers, and as recently as this week, he declined to say where he believed Obama was born. In reversing his stance Friday, Trump did not say why, or when, he changed his mind.

Questions about Obama's legitimacy strike a nerve with many black voters, said Corey Fields, a Stanford University sociology professor and author of "Black Elephants In The Room," a book about black Republicans.

"It's an effort to delegitimize a very powerful and compelling achievement by an African-American political leader," Fields said. "Often black voters can translate this to their own lived experience moving through the white professional (world) where the legitimacy of your achievements are often called into question. This is a very similar process on a large scale. This is something that can resonate at an individual level."

Several black Republicans have also expressed disgust at Trump's connections with the birther movement.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized Trump in leaked emails released earlier this week. "All his lies and nonsense just pile up," Powell wrote. "I just go back to the unforgivable one. Trying to destroy the President elected by the American people with his fictitious investigation into this source of birth. Absolutely disgraceful." Powell has not denied the leaked emails' authenticity.

Others questioned why Trump and his campaign would not squash the issue immediately, with the November election so close. Renee Amoore, who is leading black voter outreach efforts for Trump in Pennsylvania, said Trump has "gotten better" and "been on message" in recent weeks, and is not sure why Trump chose to respond to his role in the birther movement now.

"For whatever reason, somebody thought this was part of the message," said Amoore, referring to Trump's campaign, which released a statement late Thursday on the issue.

Daphne Goggins, 53, a longtime registered Republican who serves as a ward leader in Philadelphia, still blames Clinton's surrogates for propagating the issue, and is angry that Trump is being held responsible for the false claims that Obama was not an American.

"I'm not understanding how she can dump this on Trump now," Goggins said. "Who knows? They may have even been doing it together. But who cares? It shouldn't be an issue."

Rufus Bartell, a Detroit businessman and founder of a retail and consulting group, said there's been too much damage for Trump to make up with many black voters, who have been a powerful voting bloc during Obama's time in Washington.

In presidential election years, the percentage of black voters eclipsed the percentage of whites for the first time in 2012, when 66.2 percent of blacks voted, compared with 64.1 percent of non-Hispanic whites and about 48 percent of Hispanics and Asians.

"I think it's too late, regardless of what he does. But if he really wants a relationship with the African-American community, then it's certainly not too late to start a relationship. It just won't impact this election," Bartell said.

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Associated Press writers Errin Haines Whack in Philadelphia, Corey Williams in Detroit, Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, Dylan T. Lovan in Louisville, and Alina Hartounian in Phoenix contributed to this report.

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South Sudan challenges US watchdog's report on corruption

AWEIL, South Sudan (AP)  South Sudan's government is challenging a new report by a U.S.-based watchdog group that says the country's leaders have amassed wealth abroad amid a conflict in which tens of thousands have been killed.

A spokesman for President Salva Kiir says the allegations by The Sentry report "can only jeopardize the pursuit of peace and stability in my country where mutual distrust and lack of authority are key factors of violence."

Ateny Wek Ateny's statement questions whether the report's sources really exist, and he says the allegations will be challenged.

Actors George Clooney, left center, and Don Cheadle, right, during a press conference to discuss an investigation about corruption in South Sudan at the National Press Club in Washington, Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The report by The Sentry, which was co-founded by actor George Clooney, charged that the civil war is being fueled by competition among rivals over national resources such as oil.

The report said Kiir, former deputy Riek Machar and those close to both men have looted the country in accumulating wealth that includes mansions, luxury cars and stakes in a number of businesses abroad. It included images of what it described as the properties abroad.

On Wednesday, a South Sudan newspaper, The Nation Mirror, said the government had ordered its shutdown the day it published a front-page story on the watchdog report.

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, plunged into conflict soon after Kiir fired Machar from his post as vice president in 2013. A peace deal reached a year ago under international pressure has been violated repeatedly by fighting, and Machar fled the country in recent weeks.

The United Nations on Friday announced that South Sudan conflict has produced a million refugees, a "very sad milestone" reached only by Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia.

FILE - In this Friday, April 29, 2016 file photo, the then South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar, left, looks across at President Salva Kiir, right, as they sit to be photographerd following the first meeting of a new transitional coalition government, in the capital Juba, South Sudan. A new report Monday, Sept. 12, 2016 by a U.S.-based watchdog group accuses South Sudan's rival leaders of amassing wealth abroad amid a conflict in which tens of thousands have been killed. (AP Photo/Jason Patinkin, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, July 9, 2015 file photo, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, left, accompanied by army chief of staff Paul Malong, right, waves during the independence day ceremony in the capital Juba, South Sudan. A new report Monday, Sept. 12, 2016 by a U.S.-based watchdog group accuses South Sudan's rival leaders of amassing wealth abroad amid a conflict in which tens of thousands have been killed. (AP Photo/Jason Patinkin, File)
Morocco's elections pose test for law on vote observers

RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Morocco's elections next month will draw attention from around the region and beyond  but not all eyes will be welcome.

Election authorities approved 4,000 national and international observers for the Oct. 7 legislative elections, rejecting requests for about 1,000 others, as new regulations on vote monitors are being put to the test. Among those rejected were observers from the U.S.-based Carter Center.

More than 30 political parties are running in the elections, which will determine the makeup of the government and political direction of the kingdom, a U.S. ally and important regional economy.

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 25, 2011 file photo, the president of a polling station shows a ballot as officials and political party's representatives count the ballots as Tomas Jirsa, an observer from Czech Republic, center, looks on in the polling station in Rabat, Morocco. Moroccos elections next month will draw attention from around the region and beyond - but not all eyes will be welcome. Fewer foreign observers - 92 this time compared to 121 five years ago - have been granted permission to monitor the Oct. 7 legislative elections, as recent legislation on external monitors is being put to the test. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar, File)

It's only the second time Moroccans are voting for parliament since thousands took to the streets in 2011 demanding reform through the February 20th Movement. Since then, a coalition of several parties led by the Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD) has governed, coming to power alongside a new constitution and new laws intended to meet the demands for reform.

One law passed in 2011 dictated the terms and conditions for national and international election observation in Morocco. Civil society groups had wanted a law spelling out the rules, but some now fear it could be used to stifle criticism of the election process.

"Election observation in Morocco has been taking place since 1997, but it was only in 2011 that the Moroccan government instituted a clear, legal framework," said Nadir Elmoumni, director of studies at the National Council of Human Rights.

The council is charged with overseeing the observation process, including reviewing requests to observe from both international and national organizations. Requests must also be approved by a commission including representatives from the Interior Ministry, the Justice Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the Communication Ministry.

The council told The Associated Press that it has accredited 92 foreign observers affiliated with five international organizations. The council did not explain why the numbers are lower this year.

The council received requests to accredit some 5,000 Moroccan observers  from political parties and local non-governmental groups  but approved only 4,000, according to state news agency MAP.

The Moroccan government denied accreditation to at least one international organization, the Atlanta-based Carter Center.

"We're disappointed by that," said David Carroll, director of the Carter Center's Democracy Program. "The Carter Center has a long history of impartial election observation, having monitored 103 elections in 39 countries, and we hope our observers might be welcome in Morocco's future elections."

The National Council of Human Rights said the organization submitted its request directly to the Moroccan government, not to the council. "I suspect it had to do with the wording of their request," says Ahmed Taoufik Zainabi, the council's director of human rights promotion.

Moroccan government spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi did not respond to requests for comment.

A U.S. group, the National Democratic Institute, was accredited but says it won't send an observation mission due to funding constraints. NDI's report after observing the 2011 legislative elections describing the voting process then as "by and large, procedurally sound and transparent" but "not without flaws."

Eric Goldstein, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, says the rebuff to the Carter Center "could well be part of the trend since 2015 of expelling international NGOs that monitor freedoms in Morocco."

"It's a shame to see Morocco destroy its standing among countries in the Middle East and North Africa that are most transparent with respect to international NGOs," said Goldstein, whose group was long active in Morocco but came under pressure from the Moroccan government last year.

Many of these NGOs monitor human rights in the contested Western Sahara territory, which Morocco annexed in 1975. Within the past year, the Moroccan government has dealt harshly with those it perceives as undermining its claims on the territory, including the European Union and the United Nations.

Official campaigning for the elections begins Sept. 23, with the Islamist PJD and rival Party of Authenticity and Modernity among the top contenders. A law bans political polling in the weeks ahead of the elections, in an effort to avoid swaying voters.
Militants in southern Philippines free Norwegian hostage

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Abu Sayyaf extremists on Saturday freed a Norwegian man kidnapped a year ago in the southern Philippines with two Canadians who were later beheaded and a Filipino woman who has been released by the ransom-seeking militants, officials said.

Kjartan Sekkingstad was freed in Patikul town in Sulu province and was eventually secured by rebels from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which has signed a peace deal with the government and helped negotiate his release, Philippine government officials said.

Sekkingstad, held in jungle captivity since being kidnapped last September, was to stay overnight at the house of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari in Sulu and then be flown to the southern city of Davao on Sunday to meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, said Jesus Dureza, who advises Duterte on peace talks with insurgent groups.

FILE - In this Aug. 26, 2016 file photo, Jesus Dureza, left, representative of the Philippine government, and Luis Jalandoni, representative of the communist movement National Democratic Front of the Philippines, right, shake hands as Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende, center, applauds after the signing of a joint declaration in which both parties undertake unilateral ceasefires without time constraints. Ransom-seeking Abu Sayyaf extremists on Saturday, Sept. 17, freed a Norwegian man kidnapped a year ago in the southern Philippines along with two Canadians who were later beheaded and a Filipino woman who has been released, officials said. Dureza, who advises Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on peace talks with insurgent groups, said Kjartan Sekkingstad, held in jungle captivity since being kidnapped last September, was to stay overnight at the house of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari in Sulu and then meet with Duterte on Sunday. (Berit Roald/NTB via AP, File)

A plan to fly the freed hostage out of Sulu, a jungle-clad Muslim region about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of Manila, on Saturday was scrapped because of bad weather, Dureza said.

Dureza said that when he spoke on the phone with Sekkingstad, the Norwegian expressed his gratitude to Duterte.

It was not immediately clear whether Sekkingstad had been ransomed off. Duterte suggested in a news conference last month that 50 million pesos ($1 million) had been paid to the militants, but that they continued to hold on to him. The military said Saturday that relentless assaults forced the extremists to release the hostage.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende confirmed Sekkingstad's release and said he was in contact with Dureza. Borge said he was told that Sekkingstad would be likely handed over to the Philippine authorities on Sunday.

"We are following the situation closely and are now working together with the Philippine authorities to bring Sekkingstad to safety," Brende said in a statement. "We continue to work on it and we will not rejoice before Sekkingstad is safe and sound with the Philippine authorities."

Sekkingstad fell ill while in captivity, according to a Philippine army officer who helped monitor the kidnapping.

"Under the intense pressure of focused military operations, the terrorist kidnap-for-ransom Abu Sayyaf group was constrained to release Sekkingstad, as holding him under custody slows down their continued movement," said military spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo.

Military chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya warned the militants to release their other captives, including a Dutch birdwatcher and Indonesian and Malaysian tugboat crewmen, "or suffer annihilation."

While Duterte has pursued peace talks with Misuari's group and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, he has ordered the military to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, a smaller but more brutal band that the president says aims to establish an Islamic state or caliphate.

"They are no longer hungry for autonomy. They are hungry for a fight to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia," Duterte told troops on Saturday, although his predecessors have regarded the militants as a loose collective of bandits.

Sekkingstad was kidnapped from a marina on southern Samal Island on Sept. 21, 2015, with Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall and Hall's Filipino girlfriend, Marites Flor, sparking a massive land and sea search by Philippine forces.

The Abu Sayyaf demanded a huge ransom for the release of the foreigners, and released videos in which they threatened the captives in a lush jungle clearing where they displayed Islamic State group-style black flags.

Ridsdel was beheaded in April and Hall was decapitated in June after ransom deadlines lapsed. When Flor was freed in June, she recounted in horror how the militants rejoiced while watching the beheadings.

"It's so painful because I saw them moments before they got beheaded," Flor told reporters in June in Davao, where she was flown to meet then President-elect Duterte.

"They were watching it and they were happy," she said of the militants, adding that she did not witness the killings.

Government forces launched a major offensive against the Abu Sayyaf after the beheadings of the Canadians sparked condemnations from then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called on other nations not to pay ransoms if their citizens are abducted to discourage the brutal militants from carrying out more kidnappings.

The Abu Sayyaf has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the Philippines for deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. Without any known foreign funding, the extremists have relied on ransom kidnappings, extortion and other acts of banditry, and some commanders have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group partly in the hope of obtaining funds.

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Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
Nigeria's president apologizes for plagiarizing Obama speech

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari apologized Saturday for plagiarizing President Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech and said he will punish those responsible.

The announcement came as Obama is set to meet Buhari, the leader of Africa's largest economy and most populous country, next week in New York.

Adeola Akinremi in her Friday column for ThisDay newspaper denounced "the moral problem of plagiarism on a day Mr. President launched a campaign to demand honesty and integrity."

FILE - In this May 29, 2015 file photo, Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari salutes his supporters during his inauguration in Abuja, Nigeria. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has apologized for plagiarizing President Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech and says he will punish those responsible. Adeola Akinremi in her Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 column for ThisDay newspaper denounced "the moral problem of plagiarism on a day Mr. President launched a campaign to demand honesty and integrity." (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)

Several lines were almost identical to Obama's in a speech Buhari made Sept. 8 launching his campaign "Change Begins With Me." The campaign promotes a new way of thinking to rid Nigeria of widespread corruption.

Buhari said, "We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long. Let us summon a new spirit of responsibility, spirit of service, of patriotism and sacrifice. Let us all resolve to pitch in and work hard and look after, not only ourselves, but one another."

Obama said, "So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. ... Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. "

Obama will meet with Buhari on Tuesday during the U.N. General Assembly session, the White House said Friday. They are expected to discuss U.S. support for security and economic changes in Nigeria and efforts to curb the Boko Haram Islamic uprising.
Obama aims to define his global leadership in last UN speech

WASHINGTON (AP)  In one of his last major appearances on the world stage, President Barack Obama will try to define how his leadership has made the planet safer and more prosperous when he gives his farewell speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.

Obama's challenge at the annual gathering of world leaders is to cast the past eight years as ones of overall progress, without glossing over the profound problems that have eluded his diplomacy. His successes in galvanizing action on climate change and encouraging democratic changes in Cuba and Myanmar are tempered by crises across the Middle East and North Korea's nuclear threat, which has only strengthened.

Obama's U.N. ambassador, Samantha Power, said that when Obama came into office in early 2009, the U.S. was isolated. She said Obama had told fellow leaders he planned a "new era of engagement" that recognized countries must address common threats together.

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2015, file photo, President Barack Obama addresses the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In one of his last major appearances on the world stage, Obama will try to define how his leadership has made the planet safer and more prosperous when he gives his farewell speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

"I think it's hard to overstate the transformative effect that this approach has had," Power said.

After raising money for Democrats on Sunday in New York, Obama planned to open his week of diplomacy by meeting with Iraq's prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, on Monday. Obama is counting on the Baghdad government to bridge sectarian divides and help fight the Islamic State group.

On Tuesday, Obama will deliver his U.N. address, attend a lunch with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, meet with CEOs and host a summit on refugees. The U.S. has urged other nations to take in more migrants and help address the unprecedented refugee crisis stemming from Syria's civil war.

Obama is scheduled to meet on Tuesday with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, an African country struggling with a homegrown threat from the IS-linked extremist group Boko Haram. On Wednesday, Obama will participate in a U.S.-Africa forum and meet with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos before returning to Washington.

Not on Obama's schedule is a formal meeting with the new president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte. His antagonistic tone toward the U.S. was most clearly demonstrated this month when he called Obama a "son of a bitch," leading Obama to cancel a planned first meeting in Laos.

Back in 2009, when Obama first stood in the General Assembly Hall, he was the fresh-faced leader whose status as America's first black president had inspired hopes for a post-racial world. From the podium, Obama said he was fully aware "of the expectations that accompany my presidency" across the globe.

"These expectations are not about me," Obama said. "Rather, they are rooted, I believe, in a discontent with a status quo that has allowed us to be increasingly defined by our differences, and outpaced by our problems. But they are also rooted in hope: the hope that real change is possible, and the hope that America will be a leader in bringing about such change."

He spoke of winding down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting climate change, and pursuing his "goal of a world without nuclear weapons." Obama would return to that third theme just three months later while accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, an honor that the former Nobel chief would later acknowledge had been premature.

In the years since, Obama brokered a global emissions-cutting agreement, brought the vast majority of U.S. troops home from war zones, and secured an historic deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The list of foreign trouble spots is just as long.

In Syria, a civil war has killed roughly half a million people. Though the U.S. has pursued a diplomatic course, including most recently a deal with Russia, Obama has come under heavy criticism for refusing to consider sending in U.S. troops.

His refugee summit appeared partly designed to blunt criticism that Obama is insufficiently disturbed by the millions of displaced Syrians.

The U.S. has been largely unable to get Russia to stop menacing in Ukraine or give back Crimea. Fresh conflicts have broken out in Libya and Yemen, and Obama has acknowledged that defeating IS will be an incomplete project the next president will inherit.

Officials said the week could include a Security Council session endorsing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The need for forceful global action on that issue was thrust into public view in the weeks before the U.N. gathering when North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test.

Yet Obama's commitment to the nuclear issue has been called into question given the slow pace of progress in reducing nuclear stockpiles and his reluctance to enact a no-first-use policy for America's nuclear arsenal.

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Death toll from Pakistan mosque bombing rises to 36

KHAR, Pakistan (AP)  A Pakistani official says the death toll from a suicide bombing at a mosque has risen to 36 after several of those wounded in the attack died in hospitals.

Pashin Gul, the head of the tribal police in the northwestern Mohmand region, provided the updated toll on Saturday, a day after the bombing. Several children were among those killed and wounded in the attack, which targeted weekly Friday prayers.

The initial toll provided by officials was 24 dead and 28 wounded. Some 200 worshippers were inside the mosque when the bomber struck.

A Pakistani child who was injured in a suicide bombing is treated at a local hospital in Khar, Pakistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing dozens of worshippers and wounding many others, officials said. Several children were also among those killed or wounded in the deadly attack. (AP Photo/Anwarullah Khan)
Burkina Faso detains ex-prime minister over deadly protests

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  Burkina Faso's justice ministry says former prime minister Luc Adolphe Tiao has been arrested and accused of complicity with violence that killed protesters who forced the former president to step down.

The ministry said late Friday that Tiao has been charged with several counts. He was prime minister when a popular uprising forced longtime President Blaise Compaore to resign in late 2014.

The ministry says Tiao is accused of having signed a declaration allowing the army to intervene with the use of weapons to restore calm. About 30 people died and 600 others were wounded in the protests.
Historic 'Life Saving Station' saved, to become museum

KITTERY, Maine (AP)  A long-shuttered, century-old rescue station on the border of Maine and New Hampshire is being restored with plans to turn it into a maritime history museum.

The building is located on Wood Island near the entrance of the Piscataqua River, on the Maine side of the state divide. It was once an outpost of the long-gone United States Life-Saving Service before being decommissioned in 1948 and then falling into neglect for decades.

The first phase of a restoration overseen by a local group called the Wood Island Life Saving Station Association will be completed next month.

In this July 2016 photo provided by Sam Reid, historic preservation carpenter Arron (CQ) Sturgis works on the porch of a century-old rescue station undergoing restoration on Wood Island at the mouth of the Piscataqua River at Kittery Point, Maine. The long-shuttered building once an outpost of the defunct United States Life-Saving Service decommissioned in 1948, is destined to become a maritime museum. (Sam Reid/Wood Island Life Saving Station Association via AP)

The association, which is managing the project for the town of Kittery, anticipates the project will be completed by 2019 at a cost of $2.5 million; it is being funded by state and federal grants and private donors, said President Sam Reid. Work began in May.

The United States Life-Saving Service, for which the station was originally built, was created to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners. It merged with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915 when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Act to Create the Coast Guard.

The Wood Island Station was designed to launch boats to save imperiled mariners. In World War II, it was used to keep an eye out for German submarines.

It is the only station in the country that still has a marine railway  a launch that was used to send rescue boats into the water, Reid said.

The restoration plan represents a chance to save a unique piece of maritime history, and allow it to be opened to the public, Reid said.

"The building is now saved," Reid said. "Now, the issue is can you create enough value to fully restore it and open it to the public."

Gary Beers, the chairman of the Town Council in Kittery and a supporter of the restoration project, said it is a chance to save a historic site and celebrate the areas centuries-old maritime history.

"This is maintaining components of our history," Beers said. "Retaining that for prosperity is valuable."

In this July 2016 photo provided by Sam Reid, historic preservation carpenters, from left, Tim Sweeney, Tom Glynn and Jake Humphrey perform restoration work on a century-old rescue station on Wood Island at the mouth of the Piscataqua River at Kittery Point, Maine. The long-shuttered building once an outpost of the defunct United States Life-Saving Service decommissioned in 1948, is destined to become a maritime museum. (Sam Reid/Wood Island Life Saving Station Association via AP)

In this June 2016 photo provided by Sam Reid, a century-old rescue station sits on Wood Island at the mouth of the Piscataqua River at Kittery Point, Maine. The long-shuttered building, once an outpost of the defunct United States Life-Saving Service, was later decommissioned in 1948. The structure has been undergoing restoration beginning in summer of 2016, with plans to turn it into a maritime museum. (Sam Reid/Wood Island Life Saving Station Association via AP)

In this July 2016 photo provided by Sam Reid, a century-old rescue station undergoes restoration on Wood Island at the mouth of the Piscataqua River at Kittery Point, Maine. The long-shuttered building once an outpost of the defunct United States Life-Saving Service decommissioned in 1948, is destined to become a maritime museum. (Sam Reid/Wood Island Life Saving Station Association via AP)

In this June 2016 photo provided by Sam Reid, historic preservation carpenter Jake Humphrey stands of a scaffold at a century-old rescue station undergoing restoration on Wood Island at the mouth of the Piscataqua River at Kittery Point, Maine. The long-shuttered building once an outpost of the defunct United States Life-Saving Service decommissioned in 1948, is destined to become a maritime museum. (Sam Reid/Wood Island Life Saving Station Association via AP)
What is 'Bridgegate'? Things to know as the trial begins

NEWARK, N.J. (AP)  It's provided material for late-night talk show monologues and even made its way into a Jeopardy answer.

Now, three years after a series of epic traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge  spanning Fort Lee, New Jersey, and Manhattan  introduced "Bridgegate" into the lexicon, 12 jurors will decide whether it was a criminal conspiracy fueled by political revenge.

The federal fraud and civil rights trial against two former allies of Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie begins Monday.

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, file photo, Gov. Chris Christie listens to a question from the media in Trenton, N.J. Christie spent years cultivating a reputation as a law-and-order leader who could win in a Democratic state. Then the George Washington Bridge scandal hit, his presidential ambitions failed and his favorability at home sunk to record lows. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

Things to know about US v. Baroni:

WHAT HAPPENED?

According to a 2015 indictment, former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly and former bridge authority executive Bill Baroni schemed in September 2013 with another Port Authority official, David Wildstein, to reduce bridge access lanes in the town of Fort Lee to punish the town's mayor for not endorsing Christie. The cover story was that it was a traffic study aimed at freeing up more toll lanes for motorists using Interstate 95.

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THE PLAYERS

BRIDGET ANNE KELLY: Kelly was fired by the governor in January 2014 after a state legislative committee probing the closures released thousands of emails, including her infamous "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" email from a month before the closures. The email was sent to Wildstein, who later pleaded guilty and said the gridlock was orchestrated as revenge against Fort Lee's Democratic mayor for not endorsing Christie.

BILL BARONI: An attorney and former New Jersey state senator, he was Christie's top appointee as deputy executive director at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the powerful bistate agency that oversees New York City-area airports, ports, bridges and tunnels. Two months after the closures, Baroni told a legislative hearing the realignment was part of a traffic study. Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye later told the committee he had no knowledge of a study. Baroni resigned in late 2013.

DAVID WILDSTEIN: The former Port Authority employee is expected to be the government's star witness. Wildstein is a one-time political blogger who went by the moniker Wally Edge (named for a former New Jersey governor) and was hired, with Christie's approval, to the newly created job of director of interstate capital projects at the Port Authority.

Christie and Wildstein both attended Livingston High School, though Christie has said the two weren't close and went their separate ways after graduating. A photo surfaced of them together at a 9/11 memorial service in New York on one of the days the bridge access lanes were closed.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE: The failed presidential candidate and current surrogate for GOP nominee Donald Trump isn't on trial and may not testify, but his name will never be far from the minds of jurors and onlookers. The defense is likely to make sure of that as it seeks to spread blame into the upper reaches of Christie's administration.

A state legislative investigation and a much-criticized report by a taxpayer-funded law firm found Christie wasn't involved, but a Monmouth University poll in May 2015 found 69 percent of people in New Jersey felt he hadn't told the whole truth.

___

THE EVIDENCE

Though it had no power to bring criminal charges, the legislative committee threw back the curtain on the scandal when it released thousands of subpoenaed emails, text messages and other documents in early 2014.

The government is expected to home in on the communications between Baroni, Kelly and Wildstein in which they appear to alternate between joking about the havoc they created and cavalierly dismissing pleas for assistance from Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.

___

WHAT TO EXPECT

In addition to the email and text evidence, much of the government's case will hinge on Wildstein's testimony. He pleaded guilty to civil rights conspiracy and conspiracy to obtain by fraud or misapply property of an organization receiving federal funds, referring to the Port Authority. Baroni and Kelly face both counts as well as several others including wire fraud. The most serious carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors also will attempt to show the defendants' treatment of Sokolich wasn't unique and that similar tactics  minus the traffic jams  were used against Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, another Democrat who didn't support Christie.

Defense attorneys are expected to characterize the government's case as using legal sleight of hand to bend federal law to fit Baroni's and Kelly's actions  which, they argue, may have been ethically suspect but weren't criminal.

Baroni and Kelly contend in court filings they can't be charged with deprivation of civil rights because there's no clearly established constitutional right to be free from improperly created traffic. They also claim the counts charging they misapplied property are themselves misapplied since neither defendant realized an economic benefit from the scheme.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly leaves Federal Court after a hearing for jury selection Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, in Newark, N.J. Kelly and Bill Baroni, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former top appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, are facing charges of politically motivated lane closures of the George Washington Bridge in 2013. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly, second right, and her attorneys Michael Critchley, left, and Michael Critchley Jr., right, leave Federal Court after a hearing for jury selection Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, in Newark, N.J. Kelly and Bill Baroni, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former top appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, are facing charges of politically motivated lane closures of the George Washington Bridge in 2013. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Bill Baroni, center, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former top appointee at the Port Authority of New York leaves Federal Court after a hearing for jury selection Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, in Newark, N.J. Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie's former Deputy Chief of Staff, are facing charges of politically motivated lane closures of the George Washington Bridge in 2013. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Colombia's FARC kicks off last congress as guerrilla army

YARI PLAINS, Colombia (AP)  The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia kicked off its last conference as a rebel army Saturday as it looks to transition into a political movement following the signing of a peace accord to end more than a half-century of hostilities.

The FARC's top leader, Rodrigo Londono, addressed about 500 mostly unarmed and semi-uniformed guerrillas who had arrived from all parts of Colombia to attend the meeting in which top commanders will ratify a peace accord reached with the government last month and debate political strategy going forward.

Speaking from a giant concert stage dropped in the middle of southern Colombia's desolate plains, the bearded leader known by his alias Timochenko told the guerrillas, many of whom stood in formation with their hands behind their backs, that in pursuing peace there are neither victors nor vanquished.

Rebels wait of the start of the X Conference of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, in Yari Plains, southern Colombia, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Rebels leaders and delegates are gathering to debate and vote on the accord reached last month with the Colombian government to end five decades of war. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

"If our adversaries want to tout they won the war, that's up to them," Timochenko said in his inaugural address, surrounded by all seven members of the FARC's secretariat, its top decision-making body. "For the FARC, our greatest satisfaction will always be that peace has won."

Timochenko and President Juan Manuel Santos will sign the accord Sept. 26 in the city of Cartagena. A week later Colombians will be asked to ratify or reject the deal in a referendum. Polls show it is expected to overwhelmingly pass.

This the FARC's 10th conference as a rebel army and the first not held in secret. Instead of discussing battlefield strategy, the FARC must settle on a new name for their political movement and deliberate on who it wants to represent it in 10 specially reserved seats in congress created for the group in exchange for laying down its weapons.

For days this makeshift camp has been buzzing with activity as rebels hastily constructed structures to house their comrades arriving on the backs of pickup trucks, with pet dogs and parrots in tow, by way of a long, treacherous dirt road. Hundreds of journalists have also been invited to record the encounter, although access to the deliberations themselves is restricted.

For many rebels who've spent their lives in the jungle, the meeting is also an opportunity to be reunited with comrades and family members, some of whom they hadn't seen for years.

"This is a historic moment because the history of Colombia has always been one of war," said a 29-year-old rebel who goes by her nom de guerre Gina as she launched her baby into the air. "This moment is what every Colombian is waiting for."

Alias Mauricio Jaramillo, a commander of the FARC's eastern bloc, said he was optimistic about the road ahead.

"I think we're going to have some great news for the country," said Jaramillo, a member of the secretariat. "An opportunity for real peace is opening up for Colombia."

Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, attend the inauguration of their 10th conference in Yari Plains, southern Colombia, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Rebel leaders and delegates kicked off its last conference as a rebel army as it looks to transition into a political movement following the signing of a peace accord to end more than a half-century of hostilities. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Ivan Marquez, right, embraces the top leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, Rodrigo Londono, alias Timoleon Jimenez, after his speech to inaugurate the group's 10th conference in Yari Plains, southern Colombia, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. FARC leaders and guerrilla delegates kicked off their last conference as a rebel army as they look to transition into a political movement following the signing of a peace accord to end more than a half-century of hostilities. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) arrive to El Diamante in southern Colombia, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. FARC rebels are gathering for a congress to discuss and vote on a peace accord reached with the Colombian government to end five decades of war. Historically secretive, this congress is the first one open to civilians. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, arrive on top of a truck to El Diamante, in southern Colombia, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. FARC rebels are gathering for a congress to discuss and vote a peace accord reached with the Colombian government to end five decades of war. Historically secretive, this congress is the first one open to civilians. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, arrive to El Diamante, in southern Colombia, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. FARC rebels are gathering for a congress to discuss and vote a peace accord reached with the Colombian government to end five decades of war. Historically secretive, this congress is the first one open to civilians. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Gina, rebel from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), holds her son as she chats with a fellow rebel in El Diamante, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. FARC rebels are gathering for a congress were delegates will debate and vote on the accord reached last month with the Colombian government to end five decades of war. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) visit as they wait to have lunch in El Diamante, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. FARC rebels are gathering for a congress were delegates will debate and vote on the accord reached last month with the Colombian government to end five decades of war. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Rodrigo Londono, the top leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, also known as Timoleon Jimenez, second from left, is greeted by rebel leaders Carlos Antonio Lozada, and Mauricio Jaramillo, center, after his speech to inaugurate the group's 10th conference in Yari Plains, southern Colombia, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. FARC leaders and guerrilla delegates kicked off their last conference as a rebel army as they look to transition into a political movement following the signing of a peace accord to end more than a half-century of hostilities. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Yelp warns California lawsuit could scrub critical reviews

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Yelp.com is warning that a California lawsuit targeting critical posts about a law firm could lead to the removal of negative reviews and leave consumers with a skewed assessment of restaurants and other businesses.

Lawyer Dawn Hassell said the business review website is exaggerating the stakes of her legal effort, which aims only to remove from Yelp lies, not just negative statements, that damaged the reputation of her law firm.

Though its impact is in dispute, the case is getting attention from some of the biggest Internet companies in the world, which say a ruling against Yelp could stifle free speech online and effectively gut other websites whose main function is offering consumers reviews of services and businesses.

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2011 file photo, the logo of the online reviews website Yelp is shown in neon on a wall at the company's Manhattan offices in New York. Yelp.com is warning that a California lawsuit targeting a disgruntled former client's critical posts about a law firm could lead to the removal of negative reviews and leave consumers with a skewed assessment of restaurants and other businesses. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

A San Francisco judge determined the posts were defamatory and ordered the company to remove them two years ago, which a second judge and a state appeals court upheld.

Yelp is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn the order. The high court faces an Oct. 14 deadline to decide whether to hear the case or let the lower-court ruling stand. Experts expect Yelp to prevail.

"There were a lot of people who were unhappy about this opinion," said Eric Goldman, co-director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law.

Internet giants Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft said in a letter to the California Supreme Court last month that the ruling "radically departs from a large, unanimous and settled body of federal and state court precedent" and could be used to "silence a vast quantity of protected and important speech."

Yelp said it would give businesses unhappy about negative reviews a new legal pathway for getting them removed. They could sue the person who posted the content and then get a court order demanding the Internet company remove it.

But Hassell disputes the ruling would do anything that drastic.

Her 2013 lawsuit accused a client she briefly represented in a personal injury case of defaming her on Yelp by falsely claiming that her firm failed to communicate with the client, among other things.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Donald Sullivan ordered the client and Yelp to remove the statements. Hassell said the client failed to answer her lawsuit or remove the posts, so she had to seek a court order demanding that Yelp do it.

"We have an impeccable reputation," she said of her firm, Hassell Law Group. "We have a right to protect it."

Yelp says the judge's order violates a 1996 federal law that courts have widely interpreted as protecting Internet companies from liability for posts by third-party users.

A federal appeals court cited the law in a Monday ruling saying Yelp's star rating system did not make it responsible for a negative review of a Washington state locksmith business because the overall rating is based on user reviews.

In Hassell's case, a three-judge appeals panel has said the order requiring Yelp to remove the defamatory statements did not violate the 1996 Communications Decency Act because the company was not facing liability. That's because Hassell's lawsuit named her former client and not Yelp, the appellate court said.

The review site says the law is broader and prevents the courts from treating the company as the speaker or publisher of users' posts regardless of whether it's named in a lawsuit.

The ruling "would really inhibit a website's ability to provide a balanced spectrum of views online and make it more doubtful that people would get the information they need to make informed decisions," said Aaron Schur, Yelp's senior director of litigation.

Yelp uses an algorithm to weed out biased and malicious reviews and encourages users to contact the company if they receive a final determination from a court that a review is defamatory.

In Hassell's case, Yelp has questioned the court's finding that the posts were defamatory.

Hassell said her lawsuit will not affect negative reviews on Yelp. She said she was the victim of lies and spent a considerable amount of effort and money to get a court to rule that the former client's comments were defamatory.

"You can give critical reviews about people on the Internet," she said. "It doesn't mean it's going to be defamation. You can't write untruthful content to hurt somebody."

Goldman of the Santa Clara University School of Law didn't think the courts treated Hassell differently because her business is a law firm, as opposed to a restaurant or other business in the service industry.

Daphne Keller, an Internet law expert at Stanford Law School and former attorney at Google, said prior court decisions favor Yelp and she would be surprised if the California Supreme Court didn't reverse the ruling.

"It should be a no-brainer for Yelp to win," she said.
2 men arrested in killing of Jamaican soldier

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Jamaican police say they've arrested two of three suspects accused of killing a soldier.

Authorities say that 25-year-old Sheldon Brown and 36-year-old Dwayne Bedasse have been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and aggravated robbery. The Kingston residents were identified in a lineup on Friday. Police say a third suspect will face an identification lineup at a later date.
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi gets humanitarian award

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP)  Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi (ahng sahn soo chee) has been honored as the 2016 humanitarian of the year by students and faculty at the Harvard Foundation.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate gained international prominence as the General Secretary of the newly formed National League for Democracy in Myanmar in 1990. She became one of the world's most well-known political prisoners during her 15 years of house arrest for participating in anti-government protests. Her country later supported her, and she was appointed to the newly created position of state counselor, which is similar to prime minister.

The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Committee praised her for her "non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights."

FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2016 file photo, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is attends a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate will receive the Harvard Foundation's 2016 Harvard Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Native American candidates hope for pipeline protest boost

FORT PIERRE, S.D. (AP)  Henry Red Cloud's recent trip to the Dakota Access pipeline protest camp near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation filled him with conviction, compelling the South Dakota Democratic candidate to dance, sing  and campaign.

The 56-year-old Oglala Sioux green energy entrepreneur hopes the vigor focused on defeating the $3.8 billion, four-state Dakota Access pipeline will help win his longshot bid for election to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, which regulates oil pipelines.

Red Cloud, a direct descendent of famous Lakota warrior and leader Red Cloud, is applying a new approach among tribal members working to stop oil development: become a regulator instead of having to ask for their help. He is one of at least two Native Americans nationwide running for such a post.

In this Sept. 12, 2016, photo, Democratic Public Utilities Commission candidate Henry Red Cloud speaks at a gathering of Democrats in Fort Pierre, S.D. Red Cloud is campaigning on a green energy platform against Republican Chris Nelson, who has served on the commission since 2011. (AP Photo/James Nord)

"A whole lot of people are going to start voting here in the state of South Dakota," Red Cloud, who lives near Oglala, told The Associated Press. "I'm also bringing the awareness out on what the PUC regulates, and it's all about currently what's happening in Standing Rock camp."

Since April, there's been a tribal protest at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers in southern North Dakota, and it has grown considerably. Owned by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile project would carry nearly a half-million barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota's oil fields through South Dakota and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois,

The Republican-controlled Public Utilities Commission, which approved the Dakota Access pipeline project last year, is leading South Dakota in a "downward spiral" rather than toward its huge potential for leadership in renewable energy, said Red Cloud, who is running as a Democrat. He is running on a green energy platform for a six-year term against Chris Nelson, a Republican former secretary of state who has served on the three-member commission since 2011.

Nelson, 52, has been campaigning on keeping electricity rates low and expanding broadband internet access in rural areas. He said he has a record of making decisions absent a political agenda or personal whims.

"What I think of an oil pipeline is absolutely irrelevant in the job that I do as a Public Utilities commissioner," Nelson said, adding that he has to make judgments on each case based on the facts presented and the law that applies.

It will be hard for Red Cloud to get elected in the strongly Republican state. The first-time candidate recently told a group of about 20 aging Democrats in Fort Pierre that he's looking for strong turnout by Native American voters.

Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Minnesota-based Indigenous Environmental Network, said Red Cloud's bid is exciting because pipeline opponents have spent so much time and energy struggling from the outside against the commission in the permitting process.

It was the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, and the efforts to thwart them before state regulators, that helped illuminate for many people the power the Public Utilities Commission holds, he said.

"It's nice to see Native folks get the motivation to run for office like this, but it's the content of his character and the qualities that he brings that really send it over the top as far as my support for him," Goldtooth said.

Red Cloud owns a solar air heating system company and co-manages the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center, which offers green jobs training. He plans to return this month to deliver a mobile solar power plant to the North Dakota protest camp hundreds of miles from the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe member Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun said the protest south of her home in Bismarck, North Dakota, has propelled her Public Service Commission campaign "into insanity."

Hunte-Beaubrun, a Democrat, opposes the Dakota Access project, but she's taken a pragmatic position on pipelines in general, recognizing the role oil production plays in North Dakota's economy.

Still, Hunte-Beaubrun wants to make sure that tribes in North Dakota are represented on the commission, so she's challenging Republican Julie Fedorchak. So far, voters have seemed receptive about her work, said Fedorchak, who was appointed in 2012 and elected in 2014.

"It is 2016, and there is no reason why we shouldn't have a room of speckled people instead of a solid sheet of paper," Hunte-Beaubrun said.

___

Follow James Nord on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Jvnord
George Washington's adopted son was a bit of a ne'er-do-well by most accounts, including those of Washington himself, who wrote about his frustrations with the boy they called 'Wash.'

'From his infancy, I have discovered an almost unconquerable disposition to indolence in everything that did not tend to his amusements,' the founding father wrote.

At the time, George Washington Parke Custis was 16 and attending Princeton, one of several schools he bounced in and out of.

Before long, he was back home at Mount Vernon, where he would be accused of fathering children with slaves.

Two centuries later, the National Park Service and the nonprofit that runs Washington's Mount Vernon estate are concluding that the rumors were true: In separate exhibits, they show that the first family's family tree has been biracial from its earliest branches.

George Washington's adopted son, George Washington Parke Custis (right), was accused of fathering children with slaves (portrait of the first president, left). Two centuries later, historians are concluding those rumors were true

'There is no more pushing this history to the side,' said Matthew Penrod, a National Park Service ranger and programs manager at Arlington House, where the lives of the Washingtons, their slaves and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee all converged.

President George Washington had no direct descendants, and his wife Martha Custis was a widow when they married, but he adopted Martha's grandchildren  'Wash' and his sister 'Nellie'  and raised them on his Mount Vernon estate.

Parke Custis married Mary Fitzhugh in 1804, and they had one daughter who survived into adulthood, Mary Anna Randolph Custis.

In 1831, she married her third cousin  Lee, who then served as a U.S. Army lieutenant.

Outside the marriage, Parke Custis likely fathered children with two of his stepfather's slaves: Arianna Carter, and Caroline Branham, according to the exhibits at Arlington House and Mount Vernon.

The first official acknowledgment came in June when the Park Service re-enacted the 1821 wedding of Maria Carter to Charles Syphax at Arlington House, the hilltop mansion overlooking the capital that Custis built (and Lee later managed) as a shrine to his adoptive stepfather.

A new family tree, unveiled at the re-enactment, lists the bride's parents as Parke Custis and Arianna Carter.

Craig Syphax, of Arlington, Virginia, and Donna Kunkel of Los Angeles, portray their ancestors at a re-enactment of the 1821 wedding of slaves Charles Syphax and Maria Carter at Arlington House, the estate once owned by Parke Custis. The re-enactment included an acknowledgement by the National Park Service that Carter was the daughter of Custis and a Mount Vernon slave, Arianna Carter

ZSun-nee Miller-Matema pictured at Mount Vernon, the plantation home of former President George Washington, in Alexandria, Virginia. Miller-Matema is a descendant of Caroline Branham, one of Washington's slaves who served as former first lady Martha Washington's personal maid.

'We fully recognize that the first family of this country was much more than what it appeared on the surface,' Penrod said at the ceremony.

The privately run Mount Vernon estate explores this slave history in 'Lives Bound Together,' an exhibition opening this year that acknowledges that Parke Custis also likely fathered a girl named Lucy with slave Caroline Branham.

Tour guides were hardly this frank when Penrod started at Arlington House 26 years ago.

Staffers were told to describe slave dwellings as 'servants' quarters,' and 'the focus was on Lee, to honor him and show him in the most positive light,' Penrod said.

He said no new, definitive evidence has surfaced to prove Parke Custis fathered girls with slaves; rather, the recognition reflects a growing sense that African-American history cannot be disregarded and that Arlington House represents more than Lee's legacy, he said.

Scientific proof would require matching the DNA of Carter and Branham descendants to the progeny of his daughter and the Confederate general, because the Parke Custis line runs exclusively through the offspring of his daughter and Robert E. Lee.

Stephen Hammond of Reston, a Syphax descendant, has researched his family tree extensively.

He said the Park Service's recognition of the Custis' paternity is gratifying.

The Washington family is shown in portrait as they overlook the Potomac River in Washington, studying an architectural plan for the future grand construction of the capitol city

'It's become a passion of mine, figuring out where we fit in American history,' Hammond said.

Hammond said he and his cousins have yet to approach the Lee descendants to gauge their interest in genetic tests, and it's not clear how they feel about the official recognition  several didn't respond to Associated Press requests for comment.

Some family records are kept at Robert E. Lee's birthplace, Stratford Hall, but research director Judy Hynson said she knows of none that acknowledge Parke Custis fathered slaves.

'That's not something you would write down in your family Bible,' Hynson said.

The circumstantial evidence includes the Carter-Syphax wedding in Arlington House  an unusual honor for slaves  and the fact that Parke Custis not only freed Maria Syphax and her sons before the Civil War, but set aside 17 acres on the estate for her.

Indeed, after Mount Vernon was seized by Union forces, an act of Congress ensured that land was returned to Maria Syphax's family.

New York Sen. Ira Harris said then that Washington's adopted son had a special interest in her - 'something perhaps akin to a paternal instinct.'

Oral histories also argue for shared bloodlines.

Maria Carter's descendants know, for example, that her name was pronounced 'Ma-RYE-eh,' not 'Ma-REE-uh,' said Donna Kunkel of Los Angeles, who portrayed her ancestor at the re-enactment.

'As a kid I would always tell people I was related to George Washington, but no one would believe me,' she said.

Branham descendants include ZSun-nee Miller-Matema of Hagerstown, Md., who said 'my aunt old me that if the truth of our family was known, it would topple the first families of Virginia.'

She said she discovered her truth by happenstance in the 1990s, when she spotted a portrait with a family resemblance while researching at the Alexandria Black History Museum for a stage production.

A museum staffer soon sat her down with records.

Eventually, she traced her ancestry to Caroline Branham, who appears in documents written in the first president's own hand.

'I just couldn't believe it,' she said.

'Gen. Washington was taking notes on my Caroline?'

As slaves, the women could not consent to the sexual advances of the plantation owner's adopted son, but Kunkel said she tries not to think of the acts as rape.

'I try to focus on the outcome. He treated Maria with respect after the fact,' she said.

Incorporating these family histories into the nation's shared story is particularly important at a time of renewed racial tension, Miller-Matema said.

'We're all so much a part of each other,' she said.
Spain: 4 injured in Guadalajara running of the bulls

MADRID (AP)  Four people have been injured during the third running of the bulls in the Spanish town of Guadalajara, northeast of Madrid.

City officials said the injured included a 25-year-old man who was gored by a bull. They said the man was injured in his leg and had undergone surgery, but couldn't give any more details about his condition.

The other three people were injured whilst running.

Bull runs, or "encierros," are a traditional part of festivals across the country. The bulls run to the bullfighting arena before they face a matador later in the day.
Bond set at $500K for driver accused of killing Ohio trooper

CLEVELAND (AP)  Bond has been set at $500,000 for a motorist accused of fatally hitting a veteran Ohio trooper along a Cleveland interstate while driving under the influence of drugs.

The State Highway Patrol says 37-year-old Joshua Gaspar, of Columbia Station, was arrested Thursday at the scene and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide.

He's been held in a Cleveland jail. Court records listed no attorney for him Saturday.

Authorities allege Gaspar swerved to avoid another vehicle on Interstate 90 and struck Trooper Kenneth Velez while the 48-year-old officer was standing inside the berm conducting traffic enforcement.

Cleveland.com reports Gaspar previously pleaded guilty to drug possession in 2008 after being found with crack cocaine and was allowed to enter a drug treatment program.
Venezuela's crisis keeps non-aligned summit turnout low

PORLAMAR, Venezuela (AP)  Crisis-hit Venezuela's economic and political problems are keeping world leaders away from a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement that was supposed to hit its full stride on Saturday.

Only 12 heads of state have arrived for the two days of meetings taking place on the Caribbean island of Margarita, including the leaders of Iran, Cuba and Zimbabwe. More than 30 world leaders attended the last summit of the Cold War-era group, held in Iran in 2012.

President Nicolas Maduro had touted the Non-Aligned Movement's 17th summit as an opportunity to increase international solidarity for his socialist government as the oil-dependent economy reels from widespread food shortages and triple digit inflation.

Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, front row, from left to right, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Bolivia's President Evo Morales and North Korea's nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam, pose for the official group photo at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Porlamar, at Venezuela's Margarita Island, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

But the scarce attendance after months of shuttle diplomacy handing out invitations is likely to embolden Maduro's opponents, who are pushing for a referendum to remove him from office before his term ends in 2019. They say the low turnout is a sign of Maduro's increasing isolation.

Of those leaders present, more than half are Maduro's close ideological allies and recipients of oil subsidies in Latin America and Caribbean. The first leader to arrive was Zimbabwe's 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe, who was slow descending from his aircraft on Thursday but showed no hesitation addressing delegates Saturday with a stinging criticism of foreign military intervention in conflicts in the Middle East and northern Africa by a country or countries he did not name.

The low turnout was even more remarkable because leaders are making their way to and from New York, a five-hour flight away, for the annual United Nations General Assembly. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who attended the last summit of the largest political group comprised of U.N. member nations, sent a video message.

Maduro addressed the Non-Aligned gathering in a speech that laid out an 11-point agenda Venezuela will promote as the group's temporary president, including U.N. reform, support for Palestinians and a call for Puerto Rico's independence. He spoke defiantly about Venezuela's problems, blaming them on the country's foreign enemies.

"Venezuela is facing a global attack, which is against all of Latin America and Caribbean," he said. "An attack that aims to impose a political, economic and cultural reorganization of our countries with the old oligarchy."

Venezuela's Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino also said he's trying to build consensus around a fair price for oil to help economies like his own that have been battered by the collapse in crude in recent years.

Tensions have been running high on Margarita in the run-up to the summit, with the opposition trying to use the media attention focused on the gathering to embarrass Maduro. In one high-profile incident caught on cell phone videos two weeks ago, Maduro appeared to have been chased away by a group of angry, pot-banging protesters after his caravan stopped in a poor neighborhood.

The government has put a brave face on its problems, importing food and water so that shortages that have devastated the once-booming resort island aren't felt by visitors.

Officials also unveiled next to the summit venue a nearly 3-meter tall bronze statue of the late Hugo Chavez with his hand raised. The opposition has compared it to one of Saddam Hussein that was toppled in Baghdad following the U.S. invasion in 2003.

While international visitors have largely shunned Margarita, home to about 600,000 residents, the government is helping bring in throngs of die-hard supporters from all over Venezuela. Hundreds are camping in tents pitched on a beach near one of the island resort's toniest neighborhoods.

At night, loud reggaeton music blaring from a giant concert stage competes with the din of banging pots and pans in a war of noise between the two sides of Venezuela's deep political divide.

"It's very important to say no to capitalism, to imperialism," said 14-year-old Jose Luis Rodriguez, who traveled 12 hours in a state-provided bus from the central state of Carabobo. "What country in the world doesn't have a crisis?"

Youth jump on a trampoline set up on the beach at a pro-government camp in Porlamar on Margarita Island, Venezuela, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. Hundreds of teenage activists are sleeping in tents and enjoying free concerts on the beach as foreign delegates arrive to attend the non-aligned summit held by a Cold War-era group of 120 nations. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A statue of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez is unveiled during the 17th Non Aligned Summit, a meeting held by a Cold War-era group of 120 nations, in Porlamar on Margarita Island, Venezuela, Friday, Sept 16, 2016. The statue is made of bronze and measures just over three meters. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A couple sit in a tent at a camp set up by government supporters in Porlamar, Margarita Island, Venezuela, Friday, Sept 16, 2016. Hundreds of activists are sleeping in tents and enjoying free concerts on the beach as foreign delegates arrive to attend the non-aligned summit held by a Cold War-era group of 120 nations. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, front row, from left, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, gather for an official group photo at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Porlamar, on Venezuela's Margarita Island, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, left, smiles at Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, during the inauguration of the 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Porlamar,Margarita Island, Venezuela, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Bolivia's President Evo Morales, left, and Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, share a laugh, during the inauguration of the 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Porlamar, Venezuela, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
2 ex-officers charged in beating of Ohio defendant at park

CLEVELAND (AP)  Two former Ohio policemen accused of beating a defendant in their custody have been indicted on charges including felonious assault, kidnapping and dereliction of duty.

The Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County prosecutor's office says the East Cleveland Police Department fired the officers shortly after the July 24 altercation was reported to their supervisors.

Authorities say the officers followed up on a robbery report and were supposed to be taking two suspects to the police station but diverted to a park after verbal sparring with one of them. Prosecutors allege the officers pulled that man from the squad car and assaulted him, leaving him cut and bruised.

It's not clear if the officers have attorneys.
Congo's electoral commission formally requests vote delay

KINSHASA, Congo (AP)  Congo's electoral commission has filed an election postponement request to the constitutional court, formally confirming that the Nov. 27 date for the presidential vote will be missed.

Commission president Corneille Nangaa said the commission filed the request Saturday because voter lists will not be ready for the Sept. 20 start of the election period.

The commission did not propose a new election date.

Election officials have said lists will not be ready until July 2017. Many fear unrest over the uncertainty.

Opposition leaders have said a delay is meant to keep President Joseph Kabila in power after his mandate ends in December.
President Barack Obama delivered his final keynote address as commander-in-chief on Saturday night to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

But he started his speech with some not-so-subtle jabs at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Just a day earlier Trump admitted Obama was born in the U.S. ending his 'birther' movement.

President Barack Obama delivered his final keynote address as commander-in-chief on Saturday night to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

Both president Obama and Hillary Clinton quoted Michelle Obama (right) several times during their speeches

Obama began his speech saying: 'I've got an extra spring in my step tonight. I don't know about you guys, but I am so relieved the whole birther thing is over.

'I mean, ISIL, North Korea, poverty, climate change - none of those things weighed on my mind like the validity of my birth certificate.

'With just 120 days to go we got that thing resolved.

'In other breaking news the world is round and not flat.'

Obama's speech was also a call to arms against the pessimism of the Trump campaign.

After thanking the Caucus and talking about his accomplishments as president, he turned his attention to Donald Trump

Obama highlighted areas of progress during his two terms as president. After thanking the Caucus and talking about his accomplishments as president, he turned his attention back on Trump.

'You might have heard Hillarys opponent say theres never been a worse time to be a black person,' Obama said.

'I mean, I think he missed that whole civics lesson about slavery and Jim Crow but we got a museum for him to visit.

'We will educate him. He says we got nothing left to lose so we might as well vote for someone who fought against civil right and equality.'

'I am so relieved the whole birther thing is over': President Barack Obama addressed Donald Trump's 'birther' movement on Saturday night at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

Just a day earlier Trump admitted Obama was born in the U.S. ending his 'birther' movement

He called Trump a 'force of opposition' and said that while black Americans might have challenges, they're not stupid.

Obama then said Republicans are still making it harder to vote and care more about restricting minority voters than creating stricter gun laws.

He told the caucus if they wanted to protect his legacy and give him a good send off, they would vote this November.

'Theres one candidate who will advance those things and another whose central theme is opposition to all that weve done.

'Theres no such thing as a vote that doesnt matter. It all matters.

'I will consider it a personal insult to my legacy if this community fails to vote,' he said.

He told them although his name isn't on the ballot, his legacy is because Clinton's name is.

'Hope is on the ballot. And fear is on the ballot, too,' he said.

He told the caucus if they wanted to protect his legacy and give him a good send off, they would vote this November

Hillary Clinton was honored earlier in the evening for becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major party with the Trailblazer award

Clinton, who kept her remarks brief, did not address Trump directly during her acceptance speech but made subtle jabs at the Republican candidate

Clinton was honored earlier in the evening for becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major party with the Trailblazer award.

Clinton, who kept her remarks brief, did not address Trump directly during her acceptance speech but made subtle jabs at the Republican candidate.

After a video showing her work over the years, Clinton appeared on stage wearing a long white top and black pants.

Clinton thanked the caucus and representatives for the awards and then turned her attention to praising Obama.

'I, for one, dont think he gets the credit he deserves for doing what he's done on behalf of our country and the world.

'Even when hateful nonsense is throw their way Barack, Michelle and their two beautiful daughters represent our country with class, grace and integrity.

Clinton thanked the caucus and representatives for the awards and then turned her attention to praising Obama

'As Michelle says, when others go low, we go high,' Clinton said, referring the Trump's birther comments.

In a tight presidential race, Clinton is hoping that African-Americans turn out like they did for Obama's victories when they comprised 13 per cent of the electorate.

The awards dinner raises money for the foundation's efforts funding scholarships and research.

Before the dinner, several representatives told the media the believed Donald Trump is a 'two-bit racist' and a bigot.
The Latest: About a dozen gather in Zuccotti Park

NEW YORK (AP)  The Latest on the commemoration of the grassroots Occupy Wall Street movement, which started five years ago at New York City's Zuccotti Park (all times local):

Noon

About a dozen people have gathered in Zuccotti Park, the one-time encampment of the Occupy Wall Street grassroots movement known for its refrain "We are the 99 percent."

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2011 file photo, demonstrators in the Occupy Wall Street movement gather to call for the occupation of Wall Street in New York. Alumni of the Occupy Wall Street protest are gathering Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in the New York City park that they took over five years ago to mark the anniversary of the movement. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Three people are holding a large banner that reads "Occupy Wall Street." A few others have signs on the ground calling for an end to "revolving door politics."

An almost equal number of police are standing along the sidewalk outside the Lower Manhattan park.

Five years ago, Occupy Wall Street was everywhere, first in New York City, then globally. But its famous camp was cleared out in an overnight police raid two months after it started, and other Occupy locations fizzled soon thereafter.

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8:25

Five years after the Occupy Wall Street began and then seemingly fizzled, demonstrators are gathering once again in New York City's Zuccotti Park on Saturday to mark the movement and what they say has been its lasting impact.

They take credit for introducing income inequality into the broader political discourse, and for inspiring the fight for a $15 minimum wage and, most recently, the Democratic presidential campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Some political observers even draw a line between the movement and the rise of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who tapped into the vein of suspicion against the power of elites  the 1 percent  that Occupy made ubiquitous.
Gas prices up, stations running out after pipeline spill

ATLANTA (AP)  Lines formed at gas stations across the South on Saturday and drivers who were able to find fuel had to pay more for it in some cases, as prices edged up following a pipeline spill in Alabama.

Fuel supplies in at least five states  Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas  were threatened by the spill, and the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered the company responsible to take corrective action before the fuel starts flowing again.

Colonial Pipeline Co. must conduct testing and analysis on the failed section of the pipeline, according to the U.S. Transportation Department, which is investigating the spill in rural Alabama.

A sign on a gas station pump near Interstate 20 in Atlanta tells customers that fuel will be more expensive Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, since the store had to get it from Savannah, Georgia after a pipeline spilled, causing shortages across the region. (AP Photo/Jacob Jordan)

The company has acknowledged that between 252,000 gallons and 336,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from a pipeline near Helena, Alabama, since the spill was first detected Sept. 9. It's unclear when the spill actually started.

Drivers in Atlanta found some pumps completely dry or they had to pay 20 cents more because, according to a sign on the pump, the gas had to be pulled from Savannah.

"I just came in to town so this is shocking to me," said Gina Dorman, as she filled up her nearly empty tank. She said she tried to get gas at several pumps at the service station before finding one that had gas flowing.

At a Kroger gas station a couple of miles away, orange cones were set up where cars usually park to get fuel. The pumps were completely dry and attendants were not sure when they would get more gas. Many drivers said they didn't know about the spill.

Rob Gomes said his wife called him and told him to fill up after hearing about the shortage.

"We were out, so we said, let's gas up," he said.

Colonial Pipeline announced Saturday it is beginning construction of a temporary pipeline that will bypass a leaking section of its main gasoline pipeline in Shelby County, Alabama, according to AL.com (http://bit.ly/2cvk9ZU).

Colonial gave no timetable as to when that bypass line would be completed or what path it would take.

Tennessee Emergency Management Director Patrick Sheehan tried to reassure drivers.

"Tennessee's consumers need to maintain their normal driving and fuel buying habits. If consumers fill up unnecessarily, top off their tanks when they aren't close to empty, and fill multiple containers at the pumps, then our petroleum retailers will not be able to keep up with the demand of the fuel supply," he said.

Quik Trip spokesman Mike Thornbrugh said several stations in South Carolina were seeing outages.

"When you have a pipeline of that magnitude go down, it just shows everybody unfortunately how fragile the system is and it doesn't take much to cause some hiccups," he told WYFF (http://bit.ly/2cy6o1H).

In a statement Saturday, the Alpharetta, Georgia-based company said that repair work had begun in an effort to return the pipeline to service "as rapidly and safely as possible."

The company said it is shipping as much gasoline as possible on its distillate mainline, Line 2, in order to mitigate the impact of the pipeline that has been shut down. Colonial earlier said most of the leaked gasoline is contained in a retention pond near the city of Helena and there's no public safety concern.

Motorists could pay even more for gasoline in coming days, although experts say that any spike in service-station prices should only be temporary.

In response to the shutdown, the governors in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee announced they would lift restrictions on the number of hours that truck drivers delivering fuel can work, in hopes of preventing fuel shortages. Governors can suspend federal transportation regulations during emergencies.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waived requirements this week that metro areas with air quality issues in Georgia and Tennessee use a cleaner-burning type of gasoline during the summer months. That requirement of the Clean Air Act expired at midnight Thursday.

A bag covers a pump handle at a gas station that has no fuel to sell Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. Fuel supplies in at least five states are threatened by a gasoline pipeline spill in Alabama, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered the company responsible to take corrective action before the fuel starts flowing again. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Tanker trucks line up at a Colonial Pipeline Co. facility in Pelham, Ala., near the scene of a 250,000-gallon gasoline spill on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. The company says spilled gasoline is being taken to the storage facility for storage. Some motorists could pay a little more for gasoline in coming days because of delivery delays. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Residents begin returning to Iraq's Fallujah

BAGHDAD (AP)  Families have begun returning to Fallujah three months after the Iraqi city was declared fully liberated from the Islamic State group, an Iraqi official said Saturday.

Forty families were cleared to return after they passed background checks and their neighborhoods were deemed safe, Suhaib al-Rawi, governor of the western Anbar province, said.

In total 236 families returned Saturday to Fallujah and surrounding suburbs, his added. Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, had a pre-conflict population of more than 300,000 people.

Fallujah residents prepare to leave the displaced camp as they returning back to their City, outside Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. The governor of Anbar says 40 families returned to Fallujah Saturday, just under three months after it was declared fully liberated from the Islamic State group. (AP Photo)

Fallujah was declared "fully liberated" in late June after a monthlong operation by Iraqi forces aided by U.S.-led airstrikes. Fallujah had been the first Iraqi city to fall to IS, in January 2014.

The nearby city of Ramadi was also retaken from IS earlier this year, but remains largely uninhabitable due to destruction caused by the fighting and explosives left behind by IS.

More than a hundred civilians were killed by explosives planted by IS in Ramadi as they initially tried to return. Iraqi authorities then began turning many people away for safety reasons.

"Today's homecoming ended up being far less of a tidal wave of returnees than we had hoped," said Jeremy Courtney, the founder of an aid group active in Anbar called Preemptive Love.

"We had prepared welcome home food and supplies for 1,200 people," he added.

IS still controls the northern city of Mosul, Iraq's second largest. Iraqi leaders hope to take it back this year, but those plans could be delayed by preparations for a parallel humanitarian operation. The U.N. says up to a million civilians could flee Mosul once the push to retake the city begins.

Iraqi security forces wait to do the security check for returning Fallujah residents in Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. The governor of Anbar says 40 families returned to Fallujah Saturday, just under three months after it was declared fully liberated from the Islamic State group. (AP Photo)

Fallujah residents prepare to leave the displaced camp as they return back to their City, outside Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. The governor of Anbar says 40 families returned to Fallujah Saturday, just under three months after it was declared fully liberated from the Islamic State group. (AP Photo)

A man displaced from Fallujah prepares to leave the camp as he returns to his city, outside Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. The governor of Anbar says 40 families returned to Fallujah Saturday, just under three months after it was declared fully liberated from the Islamic State group. (AP Photo)
Trudeau, Gates raise billions for AIDS, TB and malaria fight

TORONTO (AP)  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that a record $12.9 billion has been raised for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over the next three years.

Trudeau made the announcement on the second and final day of an international donors' meeting as Microsoft founder Bill Gates, U2 frontman Bono, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and others gathered in Montreal to determine how to replenish the major global health fund that combats AIDS and two of the world's other leading killers in low-income countries.

Gates told The Associated Press he expects that figure to reach $13 billion by the end of the year. He calls it a significant accomplishment at a time of tight budgets and a growing refugee crisis.

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and Bono exchange laughs during a session at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Gates increased his individual commitment by 20 percent to $600 million. The U.S, the biggest donor, is contributing up to $4.3 billion.

The Global Fund raised $11.7 billion at its last conference in Washington in 2013.

"When we sat down earlier this year and looked at all the tight budgets and all the refugees and the challenge of keeping these things on the front of people's minds we didn't know where we would end up," Gates said in a telephone interview. "We're hitting record amounts here and we'll be able to save millions of lives."

Gates said most of the developed countries are quite generous but he said Russia is not engaged. He noted that China has gone from a recipient to a donor, and is expected to announce something at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. He said India is donating for the first time with a contribution of $10 million and he expects Spain will start donating again following economic difficulties.

Gates acknowledged being worried about what a potential Donald Trump presidency would mean for The Global Fund, but said the idea that the U.S. doesn't benefit from being engaged internationally is nothing new. He said when America is engaged abroad it is a win for both the world and the U.S. He pointed to the allied victory in World War II and polio eradication as examples.

"Whoever gets elected we hope to bring them around to that point of view. One group may be harder than the other," Gates said.

"Even though sometimes you worry, you need to work with whoever is elected and we're all humans and if we can get them out to Africa to see these things we tend to get the right generosity."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chats with Bono at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates addresses a session at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bono addresses a session at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Lofven exchange World Cup of Hockey jerseys during a meeting at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomes Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomes Bono at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bono arrives at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and Bono exchange laughs during a session at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets Bono prior to a meeting at the Global Fund conference Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Aristide returns to campaign trail after fainting at rally

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  Former Haitian leader Jean-Bertand Aristide has returned to the campaign trail a day after passing out while supporting his political faction's presidential candidate.

The former president was brought to a hospital in the northern city of Cap-Haitien after collapsing while preparing to speak on behalf of Fanmi Lavalas candidate Maryse Narcisse.

On Saturday, Aristide told reporters he was feeling better and would continue stumping for Narcisse.

The twice-ousted ex-president also insisted there's "a lot of dirty money" and numerous "professional liars" tainting Haiti's presidential campaign. A redo election is scheduled for Oct. 9.
Russia begins national parliament election

MOSCOW (AP)  Russia's governing party and its three largely cooperative opponents are expected to retain their positions in the national parliament, but new procedures for choosing the seats could affect their proportions.

Voting for the State Duma began Sunday morning in the Far East, nine hours ahead of Moscow and won't conclude until 22 hours later when polls close in the Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.

There are 450 seats at stake in the Duma, but unlike the last two sessions, only half the seats are chosen by national party-list; the other 225 are contested in specific districts.

Election officials place a Russian state flag at a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in the village of Gusino, outside Smolensk, western Russia, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Russia's weekend parliament elections take place under new rules that in principle could bring genuine opposition into the national legislature. But the Kremlin-backed United Russia and the parties that almost always follow its lead are set remain the overwhelming presence in the State Duma. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Nationwide polling in recent weeks have shown the pro-Kremlin United Russia with support of around 50 percent of likely voters, which would be enough to maintain its absolute majority.

Election officials prepare a voting booth adorned with the coat of arms of the Russian state ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in the village of Gusino, outside Smolensk, western Russia, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Russia's weekend parliament elections take place under new rules that in principle could bring genuine opposition into the national legislature. But the Kremlin-backed United Russia and the parties that almost always follow its lead are set remain the overwhelming presence in the State Duma. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Election officials place pre-election leaflets at a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in the village of Gusino, outside Smolensk, western Russia, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Russia's weekend parliament elections take place under new rules that in principle could bring genuine opposition into the national legislature. But the Kremlin-backed United Russia and the parties that almost always follow its lead are set remain the overwhelming presence in the State Duma. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

An election official prepares a voting booth adorned with the coat of arms of the Russian state ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in the village of Pechersk, outside Smolensk, western Russia, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Russia's weekend parliament elections take place under new rules that in principle could bring genuine opposition into the national legislature. But the Kremlin-backed United Russia and the parties that almost always follow its lead are set remain the overwhelming presence in the State Duma.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A Russian police officer guards a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Election officials prepare ballots at a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

An election official walks at a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Election officials prepare ballots at a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Election officials prepare ballots at a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

An election official is reflected in a mirror as she prepares ballots at a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Election officials speak as they prepare ballots at a polling station, ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

An election official prepares ballots at a polling station ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Name of street honoring Confederacy's president will change

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP)  The Alexandria City Council has voted to change the name of Jefferson Davis Highway, which honors the president of the Confederacy.

The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/2ceURy1 ) city council voted unanimously Saturday for the change. The council also voted to seek permission from the Virginia General Assembly to move a 7-foot, bronze statue of a Confederate soldier from its place in Old Town to a museum.

The statue of a pensive Confederate soldier is owned by the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Erected in 1889, it bears the names of local residents who died on behalf of the South during the Civil War.

The city council wants to move the statue to the city's Lyceum history museum. It can't be moved without approval by Virginia's General Assembly.

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Sanders urges turned-off voters to turn out for Clinton

KENT, Ohio (AP)  In a pair of university stops in battleground Ohio on Saturday, Bernie Sanders used his enduring popularity with young voters to urge support for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. It's just that his crowds aren't what they used to be.

The Vermont senator praised his former Democratic rival's agenda as the right choice for millennial and union voters and said those who are turned off by their choices in the election should still turn out, even if they think "everybody's horrible."

Sanders told gatherings at the University of Akron and Kent State that Republican Donald Trump's statements against Muslims, women, Mexicans and other groups threaten to unravel decades of work to improve equality.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a rally at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

"We can't in 2016 accept bigotry as the cornerstone of any campaign," he said.

Sanders also promoted Clinton's positions on climate change, a minimum wage increase and tuition-free public college.

"When you talk to your friends and they say, 'I'm not going to vote, everybody's horrible,' ask them how much they're going to leave school in debt," Sanders said. "Ask them about that."

About 200 attended his Akron rally; about 600 showed up at Kent State. It was a far cry from the throngs overflowing his events during his heated contest with Clinton in the primary season. Even so, Sanders struck home with some as he asked people to swing behind Clinton.

"Before today, I was not persuaded one bit, but I think Bernie made a pretty convincing case," said Dallas Tucholski, a 20-year-old University of Akron senior wearing a T-shirt plastered with Sanders faces. "I trust Bernie; I think he's the one good, honest politician that's left out there. For him to stay out on the trail  he doesn't need to do this  you can tell he cares about us and cares about the future. So I'm going to take his advice and vote for Hillary Clinton."

But many rally attendees remained undecided.

Sam Woofter, 18, a computer engineering major at Akron, said he's having a difficult time picking an alternative to Sanders.

"I voted for him in the primaries, and yelled at my friends for not voting for him in the primaries," he said. All he can tell his friends now, is that, "You should have voted in the primaries."

Shaheeda Haque, 17, said many friends at Akron plan to stay home. They dislike Trump and believe Hillary's "terrible, or a snake or whatever."

"I definitely think that Hillary needs Bernie to get up there and endorse her, because he just has so much millennial support behind him," she said. "So I think it's pretty important for us to feel secure, for us to hear from this man that we trust that we can trust Hillary Clinton."

Her friend, Lily Crissey, 18, a political science major, said she's leaning toward Clinton because a vote for a third party is impractical and "like giving your vote to Trump."

Jacob Berlin, 20, who drove to the Sanders rally in Kent from Pittsburgh, said he wants to follow Sanders' advice and vote for Clinton  but right now he can't.

"I trust his judgment and I value his opinion, but when it's just me and the ballot box, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to push her button," he said. For now he's supporting Libertarian Gary Johnson. "I think among my peers we're all in the same boat that it would be better to get him up in the polls than have to vote for the lesser of two evils," he said.

But Toni Brooks, 27, a sales professional in Fairlawn, said she believes seeing Sanders and Clinton team up will make a difference with young voters disenchanted by the tone of the 2016 campaign.
US says it may have struck Syrian troops while targeting IS

BEIRUT (AP)  The U.S. military said it may have unintentionally struck Syrian troops while carrying out a raid against the Islamic State group on Saturday, threatening an already fragile U.S. and Russian-brokered cease-fire that has largely held despite dozens of alleged violations on both sides.

If confirmed, it would mark the first known direct American strike on Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces. The United Nations Security Council held a closed emergency meeting Saturday night at Russia's request to discuss the airstrike.

U.S. Central Command said the strike was immediately halted "when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military."

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a journalist's question during a news conference after a CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States, former Soviet republics) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

The Syrian military said the deadly airstrike hit a base in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour that is surrounded by IS, allowing the extremists to advance and overrun Syrian army positions in the area. Russia's military said it was told by the Syrian army that at least 62 soldiers were killed in the air raid and more than 100 wounded.

The apparently errant strike could deal a crushing blow to the fragile cease-fire that has largely held for five days despite dozens of alleged violations on both sides. The cease-fire, which does not apply to attacks on IS, has already been the subject of disputes between Moscow and Washington, with each accusing the other of failing to fully implement it.

"Coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit," the U.S. military statement said.

The Syrian military said the airstrikes enabled an IS advance on a hill overlooking the air base. It called the strike a "serious and blatant attack on Syria and its military," and "firm proof of the U.S. support of Daesh," using the Arabic acronym for IS.

A Syrian military spokesman told a briefing early Sunday that the U.S. airstrike destroyed three tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, four mortars and an anti-aircraft gun, Russia's TASS news agency reported. The unnamed spokesman said the IS advance on the base was stopped after Russian warplanes were called in to hit IS positions.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said the U.S. is investigating the incident and expressed regret over the loss of life as she spoke to reporters outside the Security Council chamber while the Russian ambassador was addressing the meeting.

But she accused Russia of pulling "a stunt" that is "uniquely cynical and hypocritical" in calling for the emergency meeting, while never taking similar action to condemn Assad's regime "for some of the most systematic atrocities we have seen in a generation."

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin then walked out of the acrimonious meeting before Power spoke to the council. He said that in his decades as a diplomat he had "never seen such an extraordinary display of American heavy-handedness as we are witnessing today" and was "appalled" by Power's remarks.

Churkin said the U.S. airstrike put "a very big question mark" over the future of the cease-fire agreement and its timing is "frankly suspicious" because it comes just two days before the U.S. and Russia are supposed to implement an agreement on military coordination in Syria. But he held out hope that the U.S. will find a way to convince us that it's serious about finding a political solution in Syria and fighting terrorism.

In Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted by the state news agency TASS as saying that "after today's attack on the Syrian army, we come to the terrible conclusion that the White House is defending the Islamic State." Power said the Russian spokeswoman should be "embarrassed" for making such an insinuation.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it sent an urgent message asking the Security Council to "condemn the U.S. aggression," TASS reported, citing a statement released by Syria's SANA news. The statement claimed five U.S. aircraft took part in the airstrike.

A senior Obama administration official said the United States has "relayed our regret" for the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces fighting the IS.

The official says the notification was sent through Russia. The official also said the U.S. will continue to pursue compliance with the cessation of hostilities as it continues military action against IS and an al-Qaida-affiliated group. The official was not authorized to discuss the notification by name and requested anonymity.

A Russian Defense Ministry official said Syria has informed them that 62 of its soldiers were killed in the airstrike. Russia has been waging a year-old air campaign on behalf of Assad's forces and closely coordinates with them.

Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the airstrike near Deir el-Zour airport, held by the government, was conducted by two F-16s and two A-10s. He did not identify the planes' country affiliation, but said they were part of the international coalition. Konashenkov said the planes came from the direction of the Iraqi border, he added.

He added that if the coalition attack was launched by mistake, the reason for it was a "stubborn reluctance by the American side to coordinate its action against terrorist groups in Syria with Russia."

IS has repeatedly attacked the government-held air base, which is an isolated enclave deep in extremist-held territory. The government controls the air base and parts of Deir el-Zour city, while IS controls the entire province by the same name. An IS advance in Deir el-Zour would endanger the lives of tens of thousands of civilians living in government-held areas. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian army later recaptured most of the positions it lost to IS.

The U.S.-led coalition has carried out thousands of airstrikes against IS in Syria and Iraq over the past two years, allowing allied forces on the ground to liberate several towns and cities from the extremist group. Russia also carries out attacks against IS targets, in Deir el-Zour and other parts of Syria.

"The coalition will review this strike and the circumstances surrounding it to see if any lessons can be learned," the U.S Central Command statement said.

The cease-fire took effect on Monday, and despite reports of violations, it has largely held. However, aid convoys have been unable to enter rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo -- a key component of the deal.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the U.S. commitment to cease-fire, suggesting that Washington wasn't prepared to break with "terrorist elements" battling Assad's forces.

Russia has accused Washington of failing to rein in the rebels, and on Saturday Putin asked why the United States has insisted on not releasing a written copy of the agreement.

"This comes from the problems the U.S. is facing on the Syrian track  they still cannot separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from the half-criminal and terrorist elements," Putin said during a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

"In my opinion, this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad. But this is a very dangerous route."

He appeared to be referring to the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group previously known as the Nusra Front, which is deeply embedded in rebel-held areas and fights alongside more moderate groups. Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the group, condemned the cease-fire agreement in an interview with Al-Jazeera TV aired Saturday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Putin's remarks during a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Lavrov noted the "refusal by an array of illegal armed groups to join the cease-fire," and Washington's obligation to "separate units of the moderate opposition from terrorist groupings," according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Under the cease-fire agreement, the U.S. and Russia would work together to target the Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as IS, while Assad's forces refrain from striking opposition-held areas.

But Washington has warned Russia that unless aid is delivered to Aleppo, it will not move ahead with the formation of the joint coordination center.

The U.N. has accused Assad's government of obstructing aid access to the contested city. The Russian military says insurgents have held up the delivery by firing on government positions along the main route leading into besieged, rebel-held districts, in violation of the cease-fire.

The Syrian government said it has done all that is necessary to facilitate the entry of aid convoys to Aleppo, but that armed groups have failed to withdraw from the supply routes and are committing "dangerous, provocative acts."

Russia's military said Syrian rebels violated the cease-fire dozens of times over the past day, including with strikes on military and civilian targets in Aleppo. Syrian activists said government forces killed five civilians in separate attacks on Saturday.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced half the country's population since March 2011.

_____________

Associated Press writer Jim Heintz in Moscow, Joseph Krauss in Cairo, and Charles J. Gans in New York contributed to this report.
Police arrest robbery suspect who was with boy shot by cop

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Police on Saturday arrested a suspect who was with a 13-year-old Ohio boy shortly before the teen was fatally shot by a policeman investigating a reported armed robbery.

Demetrius Braxton, 19, had told The Columbus Dispatch he was with his friend Tyre King on Wednesday night and that Tyre had a BB gun that looked like a real firearm and wanted to rob someone for money.

Braxton was interviewed then and released without charges but was arrested on a robbery charge Saturday afternoon near the Ohio State University campus, Columbus police said.

It's not clear whether Braxton has an attorney.

Police said they're still looking for others who may have been with Braxton when the alleged robbery occurred.

Witnesses reported that a group of people  one witness suggested there were seven or eight  robbed a man of $10 at gunpoint Wednesday night east of downtown Columbus. Authorities say officers investigating the report spotted several males who matched the description of the suspects and tried to talk to them.

Braxton told the newspaper that he ran away with Tyre, and police told them to get down. He said they did, but then Tyre got up and ran and was shot.

Columbus police say Tyre pulled a weapon form his waistband that looked like a real handgun. They have refused to comment on how Braxton's recollection compares with police officers' accounts of the situation.

Both the police and the attorneys for Tyre's family have publicly pleaded for anyone with information about what happened to come forward.

Family attorney Sean Walton said some of the witness accounts so far contradict the police narratives. He's called for an independent investigation.

Authorities say the pending police investigation into the shooting will be presented for a grand jury to determine whether charges are merited.

The officer who fired, nine-year police veteran Bryan Mason, was put on administrative leave.
Thompson, Stallings share Web.com Tour Finals lead in Boise

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Michael Thomson shot a 7-under 64 on Saturday for a share of the third-round lead with Scott Stallings in the Web.com Tour Finals' Albertson Boise Open.

Stallings, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, had a 66 to match Thompson at 16-under 197 at Hillcrest in the second of four events that will determine 25 PGA Tour cards for next season.

"I was hitting my mid- and short irons really well, my wedges really well, and gave myself a lot of chances for birdie inside 15 feet," Thompson said. "Especially on the back nine, I made basically every putt inside 15 feet except for the last one. You can't complain when that happens, and I've been struggling with my putting, so this is really nice to see and it gives me some confidence going forward."

Stallings birdied six of the first 11 holes, but made a bogey at the par-4 12th and pars at the drivable 15th and reachable par-5 16th. He closed with a birdie on 18.

"I felt like a really, really good one that kind of got away from me," Stallings said. "I got off to a really good start, didn't play the par 5s particularly well, but I kind of managed my game as good as I could. I drove it in rough a few times on the scoring holes, and then kind of got some weird breaks. But it was nice to finish with a birdie."

Argentina's Miguel Angel Carballo was a stroke back after a 67. England's Andrew "Beef" Johnston, the second-round leader after a 63, was fourth at 14 under after a 70.

The series features the top 75 players from the Web.com money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings  Stallings was 128th, Thompson 145th, and Carballo 187th  and non-members such as Johnston with enough PGA Tour money to have placed in the top 200 in the FedEx Cup had they been eligible.
Eastern European quartet 'will veto any Brexit deal which hits citizens' rights'

A group of Eastern European countries will veto any Brexit deal that diminishes the rights of their citizens who live and work in Britain, Slovakia's prime minister has said.

Robert Fico said the Visegrad Four (V4) - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - want a guarantee that their nationals "are equal" before agreeing to any deal ahead of Britain leaving the European Union.

Prime Minister Theresa May has so far refused to guarantee the status of EU nationals in the UK, but insisted she wants them to stay after Brexit - if the rights of Britons overseas are respected.

Donald Tusk arrives for the EU summit at Bratislava Castle - he said that Theresa May hopes to trigger Article 50 next January or February (AP)

Mr Fico told Reuters: "V4 countries will be uncompromising.

"Unless we feel a guarantee that these people (living and working in Britain) are equal, we will veto any agreement between the EU and Britain.

"I think Britain knows this is an issue for us where there's no room for compromise."

It comes after Downing Street poured cold water on c laims that Mrs May told one of Brussels' most senior figures that she wants to trigger the formal process to pull Britain out of the EU early next year.

European Council president Donald Tusk said the Prime Minister told him during talks at Number 10 last week it was "quite likely" she would be ready to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty "maybe in January, maybe in February" 2017.

But a Downing Street source said Mrs May did not specifically mention January or February at the meeting and that Mr Tusk's comments were an "interpretation" of their conversation.

The PM "recognises the need to deliver on the public verdict without delay", the source added.

Formal negotiations between the UK and the EU cannot begin until she starts the two-year process, which Brexit Secretary David Davis has insisted will be triggered without a parliamentary vote.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon vowed to block any proposals for an EU army while Britain remains a member of the union, in a move likely to anger European leaders.

In his state of the union address on Wednesday, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker called for EU countries "to pool their defence capabilities in the form of a permanent structured co-operation", and proposed a European Defence Fund by the end of the year.

But Sir Michael said the UK would veto plans for any EU army that may rival Nato, as long as the country remained a member of the union.

"That is not going to happen," he told The Times. "We are full members of the EU and we will go on resisting any attempt to set up a rival to Nato.

"We have always been concerned about unnecessarily duplicating what we already have in Nato."

But former Liberal Democrat leader Lord (Menzies) Campbell said there was nothing the UK can do after Brexit to protect Nato from the potentially damaging effect of an EU army because it will not be able to veto its creation from outside the union.

The peer, who is a member of the UK parliamentary delegation to the Nato Assembly, said: "Even as a fervent European, I regard the creation of a European army as a deeply damaging, long-term threat to Nato.

"The cornerstone of European defence is Nato, of which the United States is the most senior partner, contributing 75% of the budget of the alliance.

"The creation of a European army will only encourage isolationists in the United States to argue that Europe should be responsible for its own defence.
Tim Farron: People should respect my beliefs as a Christian

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has insisted critics need to respect his views as a Christian.

Mr Farron said he did not understand why some people found his continued refusal to say whether he believes gay sex is sinful a concern.

Asked if he understood why critics are irked by his repeated reluctance to clarify his stance, Mr Farron told the Press Association: "I think it's a peculiar one.

Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron during a rally at the Party's Autumn conference in Brighton, Sussex.

"No, is the honest answer, because I think people look at my liberalism, my desire to support people's rights to make whatever choices they want, and I kind of also expect in the same way people - maybe it's a naive expectation - to respect my beliefs as a Christian.

"And obviously that means a whole range of things about how I then choose to live my life. It also means that I don't go around pointing the finger at anybody else.

"I don't go making pronouncements on theological matters. And I think as someone who is a liberal, everybody has the right to marry who they want to marry, love who they want to love, and that's the position we take."

After a Lib Dem conference consultative meeting overwhelmingly backed decriminalising sex work, Mr Farron said he would support such a move if the evidence endorsed it.

"You have got to be guided by the evidence, whatever it might be. And if the evidence points in that direction, then that's where we should go, but it's important we should have this consultative session," Mr Farron said.

The Lib Dem leader also warned about the rise of extremism in Labour and the Tories.

"They are both being wagged by an extremist tail," he said.

Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron at the party's Autumn conference in Brighton, Sussex
Guy Martin completes test run in motorcycle speed record quest

Motorcycle racer Guy Martin has completed his first run of the week in a purpose-built 400mph bike ahead of his world land speed record attempt.

Martin, 34, from Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, rode the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner at 198mph across seven miles of the course at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

It is hoped that he will attempt to break the two-wheeled world land speed record of 376.36mph later on Saturday.

Guy Martin completes a test run before challenging for the world land speed record

A Triumph spokesman said: "Guy just did a steady run just to get used to the bike again, which he has not ridden since August."

Martin and the Triumph team have been in Utah throughout the week in preparation for the attempt, which has faced a number of problems.

On Thursday, all runs were postponed due to safety concerns about the wet course but the team were hopeful the bike would be taken out on to the course on Friday.

But on Friday, the course was closed to motorcycles after Martin's vehicle passed over a rut in the track and tipped over as it was being towed to the start line.

However, Saturday saw the bike on the track for the first time this week.

Regulations require Martin to ride the motorcycle at 300mph before being allowed to attempt to break the world record.

During practice sessions over the summer, the bike became the fastest to be built by Triumph as the TT star achieved a speed of 274.2mph.

It features a carbon Kevlar monocoque construction - in which the chassis is integral with the body - with two turbo-charged Triumph Rocket III engines producing a combined 1,000 brake horsepower (bhp) at 9,000 revs per minute (rpm).

The bike is 25.5ft long, 2ft wide and 3ft tall and is powered by methanol fuel.

Martin said: "The Triumph engineers have built an amazing machine, giving us the very best chance to beat the two-wheeled land speed record."

Martin has set speed records in a variety of human and engine-powered vehicles, including world records for fastest speed on a gravity-powered snow sled, fastest speed in a soap box and highest speed on a wall of death, which he set earlier this year.

The current motorcycle land speed world record was set by Rocky Robinson in 2010, riding the Top Oil-Ack Attack Streamliner at 376.36mph.

Guy Martin, centre, after the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner he was riding tipped over

Guy Martin in the pits before heading out on a test run

The team readies the bike on the Utah salt flats

Bike designer Matt Markstaller and Guy Martin, right,

Triumph said the Infor Rocket Streamliner was "undamaged bar a number of minor scuffs
Murderer of imam deserved to get life sentence, family says

The family of an imam brutally murdered with a hammer because of his religious beliefs have said the life sentence for the man found guilty of his killing is deserved.

Mohammed Syeedy was consumed by hatred of Jalal Uddin, 71, because he practised a form of Islamic healing in Rochdale's Bangladeshi community which terror group Islamic State (IS) considers to be "black magic" and punishable by death.

The 21-year-old acted as getaway driver for another man, Mohammed Kadir, 24, who bludgeoned Mr Uddin to death in a children's play area in the early evening of February 18.

Kamrun Nissa (left) and Saleh Al Arif, the widow and son of murdered iman Jalal Uddin, who have said the life sentence for the man found guilty of his killing is deserved.

On Friday at Manchester Crown Court, Rochdale-born Syeedy was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 24 years after being convicted of murdering the imam.

Saleh Al Arif, the son of Mr Uddin, said Syeedy "deserved this punishment" and that he will be satisfied when Kadir, who fled the UK three days after the killing and is thought to be in Syria, is brought to justice.

After the ruling, in a video interview published by Greater Manchester Police in which he appeared with his mother Kamrun Nissa, he said: "He was the best dad, the best dad in this world, I think.

"As a person, I have to tell you he was a very religious person, very peaceful, very knowledgeable.

"He had no political views but he had strong religious views, and what he believed he tried to practise it ... he never had any misunderstandings."

Defenceless Mr Uddin was dealt at least five blows from behind with a hammer shortly after he entered the park in South Street, Rochdale.

The ferocious attack smashed his skull and drove a piece of bone into his brain.

Mr Uddin was targeted after it was discovered he was providing "taweez", in which he made amulets to bring good fortune to the wearer.

Syeedy was involved in months-long surveillance of Mr Uddin and, along with Kadir, stalked their prey after he left the Jalalia Mosque to go to a friend's house for an evening meal.

During Syeedy's trial, the court heard how among images found on phones and devices seized by police at his home was Jihadist material including him posing in pictures holding IS flags, wearing IS patches and raising index-finger salutes, commonly used by the terror group.

Mr Al Arif said his father was "a distinguished Islamic scholar" who had moved to the UK in 2002 to help provide for his family back home.

He began teaching the Koran to children in east London before moving to Birmingham and then to Rochdale, where he became an imam at the Jalalia Mosque.

Mr Al Arif said: "The way he was attacked and the way he died - he didn't deserve it, he was such a peaceful person."

He added: "It is really hard for us - she (his mother) lost her best friend, her husband.

"It was very painful for us, because when his body was sent back to Bangladesh, my mother, my brothers - no-one could see his face because of facial injuries he sustained."

The family also thanked Greater Manchester Police and their legal representatives for making justice possible.
UK could not be protected from Russia attack, retired general warns

Britain's armed forces would not be able to protect the country from a full-scale attack by Russia or another serious military power, the recently retired commander of Joint Forces Command has warned.

General Sir Richard Barrons, who left his post in April, delivered a scathing assessment of the UK military in a 10 page private memorandum to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon.

It comes despite the Government's decision to increase defence spending by nearly 5 billion by 2020/21 and to meet Nato's target to spend 2% of GDP on defence for the rest of the decade.

General Sir Richard Barrons said armed forces capability had been withered by design

In his memo, Sir Richard said: "Capability that is foundational to all major armed forces has been withered by design."

He went on: "There is a sense that modern conflict is ordained to be only as small and as short term as we want to afford - and that is absurd.

"The failure to come to terms with this will not matter at all if we are lucky in the way the world happens to turn out but it could matter a very great deal if even a few of the risks now at large conspire against the UK."

The document, seen by the Financial Times, gives a withering judgment of the country's ability to defend itself against a full-scale military attack and singles out Russia, a country seen as more dangerous and unpredictable since its annexation of the Crimea and incursion in Ukraine.

Sir Richard said: "Counter-terrorism is the limit of up-to-date plans and preparations to secure our airspace, waters and territory ... there is no top-to-bottom command and control mechanism, preparation or training in place for the UK armed forces (to defend home territory) ... let alone to do so with Nato."

On Britain's ability to defend itself from aerial attack, he said: "UK air defence now consists of the (working) Type 45 (destroyers), enough ground-based air defence to protect roughly Whitehall only, and RAF fast jets.

"Neither the UK homeland nor a deployed force - let alone both concurrently - could be protected from a concerted Russian air effort."

Sir Richard said the Army's recent experience does not include conducting full scale wars, which could be a disadvantage.

"The current Army has grown used to operating from safe bases in the middle of its operating area, against opponents who do not manoeuvre at scale, have no protected mobility, no air defence, no substantial artillery, no electronic warfare capability, nor - especially - an air force or recourse to conventional ballistic or cruise missiles," he said.

Sir Richard also raised concerns that Britain's armed forces are dominated by small numbers of expensive equipment such as new aircraft carriers which "we cannot afford to use fully, damage or lose" and bemoaned a lack of manpower across the military.

Major General Tim Cross, who served in the Army for nearly 40 years, rejected suggestions Sir Richard's comments were a case of "sour grapes" because he was overlooked for promotion.

Maj Gen Cross said such assumptions were "unfair and wrong", and that Sir Richard was an "extremely capable operator".

"Like all commanders, and I did this myself when I handed over command of my division, what Richard has done is produce what we call a haul down report," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"A haul down report is a state of the nation, it's a final shot to say to the system - in this case the Secretary of State because Richard was a four-star general - 'this is my command, this is what it looks like, these are my concerns', and he's laid those out.

"He's speaking truth into power and it's a normal thing to be doing."

The UK National Defence Association backed Sir Richard's comments and called on the Government to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP as 2% is "not sufficient".

Chief executive Andy Smith said: "General Sir Richard Barrons was right to warn Michael Fallon earlier this year about continuing military capability gaps, especially with our air defences, which have not yet been fixed.

"I'm afraid the fact is that the recent increase in the MoD budget, brought in after last year's Strategic Defence & Security Review, was too little too late.
Thousands demand Government action on migrant crisis

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of London chanting "refugees are welcome here" in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis.

Organised by Solidarity with Refugees, groups and charities including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Children, the Refugee Council and Stop the War Coalition joined forces for the Refugees Welcome demonstration.

The capital's Park Lane came alive with a sea of colourful placards carrying slogans such as "no-one is illegal", "stop the drowning", "choose love" and "be human", as an estimated 10,000 people joined the march.

People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis.

Next week, world leaders will meet at the UN Summit for refugees and migrants in New York which Theresa May is set to attend.

Solidarity with Refugees director Ros Ereira said she hopes the Prime Minister "sets the tone" for what kind of country the UK can be at the summit.

She added: "Hopefully she will want to portray us as an open, tolerant, welcoming society that wants to play an important role on the global stage and lead an appropriate global humanitarian response."

According to the UN's refugee agency, more than 3,200 people have died or gone missing attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year.

Figures show almost 300,000 people have attempted the journey and thousands remain stranded in Greece and Italy in poor living conditions.

Last year's Refugees Welcome event, which came after a picture was published of refugee toddler Alan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach, drew 100,000 demonstrators calling for action.

Continuing that message, Ms Ereira told the throng of people who had marched through the streets to Parliament Square for a rally: "We need to send the message that we can do more to provide safe passage to people fleeing war and persecution from around the world.

"So that they don't die in the sea, or in the trucks, or in the roads or killing themselves for hopelessness."

Religious leaders, refugees, actors such as Vanessa Redgrave, Douglas Booth and Juliet Stevenson, as well as figures including MP Caroline Lucas, Labour's Lord Alf Dubs and Liberal Democrat campaigner Baroness Sheehan, also gave speeches to the crowd.

Campaigner Vanessa Redgrave said on stage: " The present Government and previous governments, both Labour, Coalition and Conservative, have been breaking international human rights law. We must hold them to account."

Labour's Lord Alf Dubs arrived in the UK under the Kindertransport programme for Jewish children as a six-year-old fleeing Nazi persecution. During his speech, he said he thinks the Government has been "pretty hopeless" at dealing with the issue.

"There is only one thing that is shifting this Government and that is the force of public opinion, and that means you," he said.

Actor Douglas Booth said he went to Lesbos to visit refugees and was "completely moved", saying he was lucky enough to be born into a safe country and that was the only difference between him and them.

Truly, Madly, Deeply star Juliet Stevenson told the crowd a 14-year-old refugee boy, entitled to be in the UK as his brother is here, recently died while trying to get onto a lorry - the third youngster to be killed this year.

She added: "How many more children have to die before we stand up to our responsibilities and get them over here safely and legally?"

Syrian refugee Kais Aldahoul, 24, said he joined the march to "support the situation" which is "getting worse by the day".

He added: "It is about more support, not necessarily bringing in more refugees, but to help the camps around Europe - the situations in them (are) pretty horrendous."

People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis.

People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis.

People march through central London

On Monday, the UN Summit for refugees and migrants hosted by Barack Obama will be held in New York.

People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis.

People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis.
Bournemouth helpess to stop Pep Guardiola's perfect start at Manchester City

Pep Guardiola's stunning start at Manchester City continued as the Premier League leaders crushed Bournemouth 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Kelechi Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan secured City's eighth successive win - an unprecedented feat for the club at the start of a season - since Guardiola took charge.

The only downside for City was the sending-off of Nolito for aiming a headbutt at Adam Smith in the 86th minute, but the performance as a whole was highly impressive.

IIkay Gundogan celebrates scoring in Manchester City's 4-0 win over Bournemouth

Guardiola's men were commanding in possession and scintillating on the counter-attack. The Spaniard is threatening to mould a highly talented squad into something even greater than the sum of their parts.

From the back, where Aleksandar Kolarov again looked composed at centre-half, to a forward line formidable even without the suspended Sergio Aguero, City were magnificent and too strong for Bournemouth.

The hosts, and De Bruyne in particular, were in the mood from kick-off with the Belgian needing just eight seconds to register the first shot. Artur Boruc saved comfortably but the tone was set.

City spent most of the first 15 minutes encamped in the Bournemouth half and the seemingly inevitable breakthrough came after Jack Wilshere, making an ignominious first Cherries start, tripped Nolito. De Bruyne looked to be eyeing up the top corner at the resulting free-kick but instead cleverly rolled the ball under the wall to wrong-foot Boruc.

A quick break almost led to another straight away as De Bruyne fed Nolito but the Spaniard shot straight at Boruc.

Bournemouth could not stem the flow, however, and after De Bruyne led another raid and released Sterling, the England forward unselfishly teed up a second goal for Iheanacho.

Only rarely did Bournemouth break into the opposing half, let alone reach the final third. When Joshua King did get behind the defence and squeeze the ball past Claudio Bravo, Nicolas Otamendi tidied up with little alarm.

Were it not for Boruc, City could have won even more convincingly. The Pole saved a long-range effort from Kolarov and denied Sterling at close quarters following another slick move.

He was hurt as City scored their third goal, another superb counter-attacking effort. De Bruyne was again the instigator, sending Iheanacho free, and the Nigerian collided with the keeper in the process of setting up Sterling's simple finish.

Boruc required some treatment but opted to play on as Bournemouth tried to limit further damage.

He stood up well to block Sterling at point-blank range after the winger had beaten most of the defence on a mazy run through the area. Sterling also lashed another effort over and Gundogan shot wide.

Yet Gundogan was not to be denied on his Premier League debut. De Bruyne slipped the German in on goal with another sublime ball and he finished well with a deft clip over Boruc just after the hour.

At this point City's job was done and they eased off the pressure. Callum Wilson almost grabbed a consolation for Bournemouth with a shot that hit the crossbar, although he was in an offside position.
Poll shows mixed picture on Scottish independence referendum anniversary

The future of the United Kingdom remains on a knife edge on the second anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum, a poll suggests.

A Panelbase poll for The Sunday Times and LBC puts support for independence on 48%, down four points from 52% in June in the aftermath of the EU vote but up three points from the 2014 result.

Scots also remain split on support for a second referendum and there is no clear support for any of the constitutional options on the table.

Scottish Independence Convention supporters march through Glasgow city centre

Nearly half (46%) oppose a referendum in the next few years, 33% want IndyRef2 before Brexit negotiations have concluded and 21% want a re-run after the Brexit talks.

A third want independence in the EU, more than a quarter (28%) want both EU and UK membership, under a quarter (23%) back remaining in the UK after Brexit and a tenth (11%) want independence outside the EU.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the Brexit vote is "probably the most striking and significant instance ever" of the "democratic deficit that Scotland has continually faced".

Writing in the Sunday Herald, she said: "Such a lack of control over our own future should be of concern to everyone - no matter how they voted in June.

"It is a more fundamental challenge to the idea that Scotland's interests can always be best served by Westminster."

She added: "The fact is that every poll on the issue since June 23 has shown support for independence ahead of where it was in September 2014 - and around half have shown an outright majority for independence - and that is before the real impact of Brexit has been felt.

"But more fundamentally, what many observers fail to acknowledge, or even realise, is that what I would term baseline support for independence - now consistently polling in the high 40s and above - is far higher than it was when we began the 2014 referendum campaign."

Former first minister Alex Salmond predicted another independence referendum will be held in autumn 2018.

Also in the Sunday Herald, he wrote: "Our deadwood unionist media (have) wheezed that support for independence was 'only at 48 per cent'.

"Only 48 per cent? When I fired the starting gun on the 2014 referendum support for independence was at 28 per cent!"

He said IndyRef2 cannot simply be a re-run of the 2014 campaign and Scotland should be presented with a range of policy choices such as a choice of currency.

Former Labour first minister Henry McLeish warned Scotland "shouldn't be too eager to have an early second referendum".

He said: "Serious opinion polls have shown little change in the support for independence. There is no clear majority for leaving the Union and certainly not the overwhelming majority the First Minister says she needs before pushing for a new referendum."

He added: "There is no case for an early referendum on independence, so Labour should use the next few years to argue for a credible, sustainable and supportable alternative built around home rule and some form of federalism."

The SNP has launched a "new national conversation" on Scotland's future, with activists being tasked with speaking to two million people before the end of November.

SNP business convener Derek Mackay said: "Every poll conducted since June 23 has shown support for independence ahead of where it was in September 2014 - and that is before the impact of Brexit starts to hit home."

Scottish Conservative economic and finance spokesmen Dean Lockhart and Murdo Fraser have written to the First Minister over what they described as continuing uncertainty.

They wrote: "You as First Minister could provide no greater stimulus to the Scottish economy than to clarify that no referendum will take place."

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: "The in-tray for the SNP government in Edinburgh is overflowing - the attainment gap between the richest and the rest in our classrooms, an NHS in distress, unacceptable levels of child poverty, 150,000 trapped on housing waiting lists and a 15 billion difference between what Scotland raises in tax and what we spend on public services.

"With so many challenges facing Scotland's future, it makes no sense to return to the arguments of our past."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie blasted former prime minister David Cameron over his handling of the independence referendum aftermath.

Speaking to activists at the party's autumn conference in Brighton, he said: "David Cameron says he loved Scotland but everything he did after the referendum in 2014 undermined the Union."

The Scottish Greens used the second anniversary of the referendum to launch a new campaign called No2Yes to encourage No voters who have become independence supporters since 2014 to share their stories.

A spokesman said: "We continue to believe that independence offers the chance to create a more democratic, equal and green Scotland. By giving people the opportunity to share their journey from No to Yes, the Green Yes campaign is once again playing a critical role within the Yes movement."

Mr Rennie said later that the SNP " should never be underestimated".

He said: "They are a massive force. We should never assume that they will go away and give up on independence, which is why I think they should never have been put in charge, that's their sole purpose."

He added: "You don't add chaos on to chaos. You don't respond to the break-up of Europe with the break-up of Britain."
Key post of parliamentary speaker eludes Kazakh leader's daughter

ASTANA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The upper chamber of Kazakhstan's parliament picked President Nursultan Nazarbayev's daughter Dariga to chair its international affairs and security committee on Friday, stopping short of naming her to the more powerful post of speaker or deputy speaker.

The Senate speaker takes over as interim president if the incumbent leader dies or becomes unfit for the job and the potential promotion of Dariga Nazarbayeva, 53, to such a position would have identified her as a strong candidate to succeed her 76-year-old father in due course.

Before joining the Senate, Nazarbayeva served as deputy prime minister for a year, prompting speculation she could eventually replace Nazarbayev, in power since 1989. Friday's move by the Senate leaves the succession question wide open.

The Kazakh leader, who wields sweeping powers, has never officially designated a successor and foreign investors see the transition of power in the oil-rich former Soviet republic as a key source of political risk.

Nazarbayeva left the cabinet in a broad reshuffle this month, less than two weeks after the death of another Central Asian leader, Uzbek President Islam Karimov, from a stroke at the age of 78.
Obama enlists Republican Kasich to push for TPP trade deal

By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, took over the White House briefing lectern on Friday to praise the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, an unusual move that shows how hard President Barack Obama will push for the trade deal's approval.

Obama, a Democrat who is leaving office in four months, met with the governor, who fell short in his bid to be the Republican presidential candidate, in the White House Oval Office to discuss strategies for overcoming domestic political angst over the TPP.

The unlikely partnership comes as the White House makes a final full-court push to persuade Republican congressional leaders to approve the deal in a "lame duck" session after the Nov. 8 election. Both Republican and Democratic candidates have pilloried the TPP.

"We cannot get to the point in America that because a Democrat wants something, you can't agree with them," Kasich said in an impassioned plea to Republican lawmakers to back the deal, which is a key part of Obama's foreign policy legacy.

Kasich said the deal is vital for the U.S. economy and also to counter China and Russia, and said business leaders need to apply pressure on lawmakers to approve it.

"Right now, China is pushing hard to create their own trade agreement," Obama told reporters in the Oval Office ahead of the meeting, saying U.S. businesses were at risk of being "cut out" of Asia, the world's fastest-growing market.

"I promise you that China's not going to be setting up a bunch of rules that are going to be to the advantage of American companies and American businesses," Obama said.

Other business and political leaders also attended the meeting, including former Republican Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, International Business Machines Corp Chief Executive Officer Virginia Rometty and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Republicans traditionally have backed free trade deals, but the party's presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has blamed the agreements for U.S. job losses and threatened to tear them up should he win.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the TPP would not get a Senate vote this year, and House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan has said he does not see enough votes for it to pass.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has also opposed the deal, which is unpopular with labor unions and environmental groups.

Obama has said he hopes opposition cools after the election. The White House has pointed to opinion polls showing most Americans support trade as a sign that the TPP could still squeak through Congress.

"If you're frustrated about rules of trade that disadvantage America, if you're frustrated about jobs being shipped overseas ... then you want to get this thing passed," Obama told reporters.

On his final trip to Asia as president earlier this month, Obama spent time reassuring nervous partners that the United States would finalize the TPP. But on Friday, Vietnam's parliament indicated it would not ratify the deal quickly.
S.Africa's Zuma, Gordhan appear together to ease talk of power struggle

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 16 (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan sat side-by-side on Friday in a show of solidarity after weeks of speculation that the pair are locked in a bitter power struggle.

The pair appeared together at a news conference where they both stressed the need to work together to address South Africa's economic problems.

There was no mention of an ongoing police investigation into Gordhan. Local media have reported that the minister could be arrested for his part in a surveillance unit at the tax agency he once led, while Zuma's opponents have described the investigation as a politically driven witch-hunt.

Potentially easing the pressure on the minister, a book published on Friday by Johann van Loggerenberg, an apartheid-era policeman who ran the so-called "rogue unit" at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) before resigning in early 2015, said Gordhan played no part in its operations.

"Gordhan never had anything to do with the unit in any manner or form. He didn't meet officials, he didn't directly task the unit and he certainly never received any reports from them," van Loggerenberg said in the book, entitled 'Rogue, the inside story of SARS's elite crime-busting unit'.

Van Loggerenberg quit after a series of stories in South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper alleged that the unit was behind illegal spy operations targeting Zuma, while also running a brothel.

In April, nearly two years after its "rogue unit" expose, the Sunday Times published a full-page article retracting its claims against van Loggerenberg and other senior officials.

The investigative unit, which operated in SARS between 2007 and 2014, was created to bring high-level fraudsters and tax criminals to justice, although its work was blunted by mass resignations and political infighting, the book said.

The perceived rifts between Zuma and Gordhan have rattled markets in Africa's most industrialised economy, which faces the risk of ratings downgrades later this year.

At the news conference, Zuma urged politicians, business leaders, the public and the media to be more positive about South Africa, following shows of dissent by members of the ruling African National Congress in recent weeks.

Divisions within the ANC have widened since it suffered its worst-ever local election results last month.
Merkel declines comment on U.S. penalty for Deutsche Bank

BERLIN, Sept 16 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel declined to comment on Friday on the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to demand $14 billion from Deutsche Bank to settle claims the lender missold mortgage-backed securities.

"I think it's wise not to comment on this news from my side," Merkel said when asked by a Reuters correspondent what she thought of the penalty and whether Berlin might be willing to support Deutsche Bank.
Columbus mayor, police chief to speak on black teen's fatal shooting

By Laila Kearney

Sept 16 (Reuters) - Columbus, Ohio, officials on Friday evening will discuss the shooting death this week of a black 13-year-old boy by a white police officer responding to an armed robbery call, to try to maintain calm, city officials said.

Mayor Andrew Ginther and Police Chief Kim Jacobs will answer questions "to facilitate healthy dialogue during a painful community tragedy," said a statement from Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which is hosting the event. The officials will also march with members of the African-American church.

"It's a very difficult time for the city, and we want to make sure we're available to listen and answer questions," city spokeswoman Robin Davis said.

Officer Bryan Mason shot Tyre King multiple times in a Columbus alley on Wednesday evening after the teenager drew what appeared to be a handgun, police said. It was later determined to be a pellet-shooting BB gun.

Police were responding to reports of an armed robbery. The victim told officers a group of males had demanded money, threatening him with a gun.

Soon afterward, officers found three males, including King, matching the descriptions of the suspects, police said.

While trying to apprehend King, Mason shot the teenager after he pulled out the BB gun, police said.

King's family said in a statement released by a Columbus law firm it retained to investigate the shooting that witness accounts conflicted with the officer's version of the events.

An internal police probe of the shooting and a separate investigation of the reported robbery are under way. A grand jury will ultimately decide whether Mason will face criminal charges, police said.

King's death comes nearly two years after the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was black, by a white Cleveland police officer responding to reports of a suspect with a gun in a city park.

An investigation revealed Rice had a replica gun that shoots plastic pellets.

Rice's death became a rallying point for the Black Lives Matter movement and was one of a number of deaths that led to nationwide demonstrations against the use of excessive force against minorities, especially young black men, by police.

Columbus has remained calm since King's death. Family and friends held a prayer vigil on Thursday near where the boy was shot.
Russia, U.S. seek to prolong Syria truce but aid blocked, violence spreads

By Lisa Barrington and Osman Orsal

BEIRUT/CILVEGOZU, Turkey, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The United States and Russia said on Friday they wanted to extend the four-day-old ceasefire in Syria they have co-sponsored, although the agreement looked increasingly shaky, undermined by increasing violence and a failure to deliver aid.

The second attempt this year by the Cold War-era superpower foes to halt the conflict has succeeded so far in curbing the fighting, but it remains a risky gamble in a war that has made a mockery of all previous peace efforts.

Washington and Moscow, which support opposite sides in the war between President Bashar al-Assad and insurgents, have agreed to share targeting information against jihadist fighters that are their common enemies, if the truce holds.

Although the details of the pact remain secret, that could see them wage war on the same side for the first time since World War 2. But such unprecedented cooperation would come at a time of deep mistrust between the two countries, whose relations are at their worst for decades.

Russia said on Friday that U.N. Security Council endorsement of the ceasefire, which Moscow hoped would occur next week during an annual U.N. meeting of world leaders, appeared unlikely because the United States did not want to share documents detailing the agreement with the 15-member body.

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power had been due to give a closed-door briefing to the council on Friday but it was canceled at the last minute. Churkin, speaking to reporters, suggested there was lack of unity in the U.S. administration toward the agreement.

A Security Council endorsement would add political weight to the deal, but would have no implications on the ground.

The ceasefire has been reluctantly accepted by rebels who call it skewed in favour of Assad but say they have no choice because of the desperate humanitarian condition of civilians in besieged areas. Assad's government, which holds its strongest position on the battlefield since the early days of the war, is also in no hurry to compromise.

Moscow, which holds the key to delivering the cooperation of its ally Assad, said it was ready to extend the truce by 72 hours and called on Washington to press rebels to abide by it.

Washington said it agreed that an extension was important, but also voiced alarm over the failure of aid to arrive.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who personally hammered out the agreement despite scepticism among some U.S. administration colleagues, told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Washington would not start the agreed joint targeting of militants until aid arrives.

CLASHES SPREAD

The main dispute of the truce so far is over aid to Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, divided between rebel and government-held zones for years. Pro-government forces encircled the rebel zone this month, trapping an estimated 300,000 civilians there with no way to bring in food.

The United Nations pointed the finger at the government for holding up aid by denying letters guaranteeing access.

"In order to actually initiate the actual movement of these convoys we need the facilitation letters. They have not come," U.N. humanitarian affairs spokesman Jens Laerke said in Geneva. "It's highly frustrating."

After three days which saw a marked decrease in violence and no deaths, the first civilians since the start of the truce were killed on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body. Three more died and 13 were injured in air strikes in rebel-held Idlib province on Friday, the Observatory said.

Clashes hit areas east of Damascus on Friday. Residents in the city centre were woken up by a large explosion, a witness said, and shells fell near its eastern limits.

The Britain-based Observatory said the violence stemmed from clashes between rebels and government forces in the Jobar district on Damascus's eastern outskirts. Each side said the other had attacked first.

Both sides accuse each other of failing to withdraw from Aleppo's Castello Road, the main route into the rebel-held area, which would be used to bring aid.

Moscow said on Friday the Syrian army had withdrawn from the road but returned its troops there after they came under fire from rebels. Insurgent groups in Aleppo said they had seen no such withdrawal from the government side, and would not pull back from their own positions until it did so.

"The regime has not withdrawn from the area," Zakaria Malahifji of the Aleppo-based Fastaqim rebel group told Reuters.

Two aid convoys destined for Aleppo were still stuck on the Turkish border after several days while the sides argued over how the supplies were to be delivered. The trucks contain flour for more than 150,000 people and food rations for 35,000 people for a month, a U.N. spokesman said.

"OUT OF CONTROL"

Moscow is still talking up the agreement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call: "In general, we can still state that the process is moving forward, despite some setbacks."

But a Russian defence ministry official said the situation in Syria "could get out of control" unless Washington forced the rebels to comply with the ceasefire.

Outside the scope of the truce, the United States is leading an international bombing campaign against Islamic State fighters who control territory in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq. The Pentagon said on Friday that the coalition had killed a senior Islamic State leader, Wa'il Salman al-Fayad, in an air strike last week near the group's de facto Syrian capital, Raqqa.

Assad appears as uncompromising as ever. He vowed again this week to win back the entire country, which has been splintered into areas controlled by the state, a constellation of rebel factions, Islamic State jihadists and Kurdish militia fighters.

A Western diplomat told Reuters the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons would issue a report next week to the Security Council blaming Syrian army units for attacks using chlorine gas.

East of Aleppo, a small number of U.S. military personnel entered the rebel-held town of al-Rai near the Turkish border as part of operations to coordinate air strikes against Islamic State, a senior rebel source said. The Americans were forced to leave the area after Turkish-backed rebels protested against their presence, the source said.

One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial reports appeared to confirm the incident involving a small group of U.S. forces.
Sensing threat, UPS plans to expand its 3D printing operations

By Nick Carey

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept 16 (Reuters) - United Parcel Service plans to expand its 3D printing service to Asia and Europe, the U.S. shipping company has told Reuters, in a bid to fully embrace and get ahead of a trend that threatens to eat away a small but lucrative part of its business.

Aside from its main package delivery service, UPS gets an undisclosed portion of its revenue from storing and shipping parts for manufacturers. If those customers were to switch to 3D printing their own parts, that business would face a drastic reduction.

To counter that threat, UPS has chosen to get on board the 3D revolution, and is now looking to offer a service in which UPS will print out plastic parts - anything from nozzles to brackets to prototype soap dispensers or multi-faceted moving parts - around the world and deliver them.

"3D printing is a great opportunity for us, but it's also a threat," Alan Amling, UPS vice president for corporate strategy, told Reuters.

The dynamic - welcoming rather than fighting a threatening new technology - is not unlike automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp and Volkswagen AG teaming up with ride-hailing services Uber and Gett, respectively.

Amling said UPS is looking at either Singapore or Japan for an Asian 3D printing factory. He did not say where the company might open a European facility, though UPS's operational hub in Europe is in Cologne, Germany.

UPS has already got into the business in its home market. In May, it launched a U.S.-based 3D printing service with Fast Radius, a 3D printing company based outside Atlanta, where UPS is headquartered. UPS bought an unspecified stake in Fast Radius, which has a 3D printing factory at UPS's Louisville, Kentucky, hub.

There are also now 3D printers at 60 UPS stores in the United States that print parts using industrial grade thermoplastics. Customers can upload images for printing at the Fast Radius factory or at one of those UPS stores and have the printed products shipped to any location.

HOW IT WORKS

A 3D printer works by laying down successive levels of material, mostly plastics at this point, to create an object. Quality printers that make metal parts cost over $500,000, while printers that use thermoplastics can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Prices are expected to come down as the technology advances.

While 3D printing is still slow compared to high-speed production lines, the technology has progressed so it can be used effectively for prototypes or some components that are not needed in high volumes. Larger firms such as General Electric Co are incorporating 3D-printed parts into production.

That progress is a mixed blessing for UPS. As the cost of 3D printers drops and processes improve, that could undermine UPS's efforts to develop 3D printing as a service - because customers could buy just buy their own printers.

"Why wait a day for a part to arrive (from UPS) when you'll be able to innovate six times a day on your own?" said Richard D'Aveni, a professor of strategy at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

A QUIET CORNER

What Fast Radius calls its "digital manufacturing factory" is a quiet operation occupying space in a corner of the UPS building in Louisville, without any of the grime, noise or bustle associated with a standard factory.

Instead, a handful of machines work noiselessly, printing parts of varying sizes and shapes. During a recent visit to the operation by Reuters, Fast Radius CEO Rick Smith said that because of 3D printing, manufacturing is about to transform from "being about where it's made to where it's needed."

One of the printers was close to completing a black plastic prototype hydraulic pump for a manufacturing customer in Germany - a process that takes about 72 hours. Smith said the job illustrates the need for UPS to expand its service beyond the United States.

Another customer, action camera maker GoPro Inc, is making use of Fast Radius' printers, coupled with UPS's ability to deliver a prototype the next day.

Previously, if GoPro wanted to try out new designs, it would take weeks or even months to make a mock-up, senior GoPro product designer Ryan Harrison said. Now the company can innovate much quicker.

"3D printing allows you to fail quicker or to stumble on moments of genius," Harrison said.

BRACING FOR DISRUPTION

UPS does not break out how much it makes from its supply chain services, including warehouse storage. But in 2015 it reported about $6 billion in "forwarding and logistics" revenue, or about 10 percent of its total sales. An unknown portion of that came from its warehousing operations.

UPS's biggest rival, FedEx Corp, is less focused on supply-chain services and has not dipped into 3D printing. But if UPS succeeds, analysts said, FedEx could follow suit. The company declined to comment on 3D printing.

German competitor DHL, a unit of Deutsche Post AG , issued a report earlier this year warning the technology could upend traditional mass-production manufacturing, in which goods are shipped around the world.

UPS's foray into 3D printing is not its first experiment in other disruptive industries. In October 2015, it invested in drone maker CyPhy Works, and this February bought a stake in same-day delivery company Deliv - in both instances to understand and harness potentially industry-shaking technologies.
U.K. bonds still strong despite Brexit, Scottish secretary says

By Elisabeth O'Leary

EDINBURGH, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Britain's impending exit from the European Union does not weaken the case for the union of Scotland with the rest of the United Kingdom despite its difficulties, Britain's Secretary of State for Scotland says.

"The vital union for Scotland's interests remains the United Kingdom," David Mundell was due to say on Saturday on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum on September 18, according to the advance text of a speech.

Scotland, one of the UK's four member nations, voted to stick with the EU in June, clashing with a vote to leave in Britain as a whole and causing much disgruntlement as the process of renegotiating 40 years of trade and political agreements are hammered out.

Edinburgh's pro-independence devolved government has pledged to uphold Scotland's EU membership in whatever way it can, and is holding out the possibility of a new independence drive if Scotland's EU interests are not protected.

"The fact is that an independent Scotland's membership of the EU would be very different from the current arrangements," Mundell was due to tell an audience in Glasgow.

As a new member Scotland would be expected to join the euro, the EU's single currency, and leave the pound, the speech added.

"It is the UK's fundamental stability, even in the context of Brexit, which makes the case for the union so compelling," he will say, citing ties of trade, culture, language and history.

The Scottish administration argues the opposite, saying many people voted to stick with the UK by a 10 point margin in the 2014 independence referendum because they were told that it was the only way to guarantee EU membership. After the Brexit shock, the UK can no longer be considered a safe harbour, it says.

But several polls this month show an only slight increase in support for Scottish independence since 2014, not enough to win.

The ruling Scottish National Party is carrying out a huge door-to-door survey in the coming months to determine exactly where and how there is support for independence.

According to Mundell, Scotland would also face the prospect of a "hard border" with the rest of the UK if Britain is not an EU member and Scotland is.

Scottish trade with the rest of the UK is around four times the size of its 12 billion pounds ($15.61 billion) of exports to the rest of the European Union.

"As well as providing Scotland with this essential economic stability, the Union has also proven itself to be adaptable in the face of changing circumstances," the speech said.

Mundell said the Scottish government, which has talked of a "lost decade" for Britain, should stop "doom-mongering" about Brexit while a new relationship is being hammered out.

Alex Salmond, the former Scottish first minister, on Friday predicted his successor Nicola Sturgeon would call a referendum in about two years.

In an interview with RT, the English-language TV channel formerly known as Russia Today, he said he expected London would not be "wise enough" to be able to assure single market membership as part of its negotiations with the EU.

As that is a condition Sturgeon has talked about for Scotland, she would call another independence vote "in roughly two years' time."
Obama says concerned Syrian gov't blocking humanitarian aid - White House

WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama expressed deep concern that the Syrian government continues to block the flow of humanitarian aid despite decreased violence in the country following a truce arranged by the United States and Russia, the White House said on Friday.
Venezuela to use Non-Aligned summit to push oil consensus

CARACAS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Venezuela will use this weekend's Non-Aligned Movement summit to meet fellow oil producers and gather support for a global deal to strengthen oil prices at a gathering in Algeria this month, Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino said on Friday.

"Obviously we are going to use this meeting to build consensus," Del Pino told reporters, saying leaders from OPEC nations from the Gulf to Ecuador would be present at the 120-nation bloc's meeting on Margarita island.

"The focus for the consensus is Algeria, where we hope to reach important stabilization accords to obtain a fair price for hydrocarbons that all producer countries are seeking," he said in comments at a pro-government march carried on state television.

Algeria is hosting meetings of the International Energy Forum and OPEC on Sept. 26-28.

Price hawk Venezuela, which has the largest oil reserves in the world, has been one of the countries worst hit by the fall in crude prices, which has left its economy in crisis.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has flown into Margarita for the meeting on Saturday on Sunday, where Latin American leftist leaders from Bolivia and Ecuador are also expected. But overall turnout could be a record low for the Cold War-era group.

Before departing from Quito, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa ratified the planned oil producers' discussion, saying delegates from his country, Iran, Algeria, Nigeria and Venezuela would be talking.
Trump would undo Obama's Cuba moves unless religious freedom allowed

MIAMI, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Friday that if elected he would seek to reverse President Barack Obama's moves to open relations with Cuba unless the leaders there allowed religious freedoms and freed political prisoners.
U.S. designates Syria insurgent, Hamas official as terrorists

WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Friday it had designated the leader of a group of French foreign fighters in Syria and a senior Hamas official as specially designated global terrorists, a move that freezes their U.S. assets.

The State Department described the first man, Omar Diaby, as the leader of a group of about 50 foreign fighters in Syria that has taken part in terrorist operations with Nusra Front, an insurgent group that has renamed itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

The second man, identified as Fathi Ahmad Mohammad Hammad, is a former Hamas interior minister, a position he used to coordinate terrorist cells, the department said in a separate statement.

Hammad is a member of the political leadership of Hamas, an Islamist group that has controlled Gaza since 2007. Israel in 2005 withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza, which it had seized along with the West Bank in a 1967 war.

In a statement issued in Gaza, Hammad said the decision to list him as a terrorist came hours after Washington announced $38 billion in military aid to Israel over the next decade, a step that he said made the United States "the biggest supporter of Zionist terrorism."
DR Congo adviser on 'pleading mission' to U.S. not to impose sanctions

By Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A senior adviser to Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila said on Friday he was on a "pleading mission" to Washington to press U.S. officials to support talks between the government and opposition on setting up new elections and not to impose sanctions that could hurt the process.

In an interview with Reuters, Barnabe Kikaya said he had updated U.S. officials and lawmakers on talks under way to form an interim government in Congo and insisted that Kabila was not seeking to extend his term.

"I'm in a pleading mission because there are two resolutions that were pending in the House to impose sanctions on Congolese officials," Kikaya said. "My mission is to plead with American officials and to prove to them that sanctions are not a solution to help us resolve our problems."

Washington has threatened sanctions against political figures over delays in the vote that had been set for November. The mining-rich country has never had a peaceful transition of power and the delay has led to protests and arrests.

Most major opposition parties are boycotting the talks, saying they are part of a plan by Kabila to justify staying in power beyond the end of his mandate in December, when he is due to step down under the constitution.

The opposition has insisted that presidential elections should be held first, but the government has argued for local elections to take place before.

Under a compromise worked out between the sides, presidential and legislative elections would occur simultaneously provided there was funding for it, Kikaya said.

A senior State Department official said the United States supported talks that included the opposition and civil society, but there was still a lack of clarity over precisely what the agreement would include.

"We want to see what it would say," the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We want to make sure that the Congolese government includes political opposition, civil society in these discussions."

The United States insisted again on Friday it was ready to consider additional targeted sanctions against individuals who sought to undermine Congo's democratic institutions and the election process.

"We're ready to consider targeted sanctions under those circumstances," the official said, adding: "It is something we're exploring and looking at."

Kikaya denied that Kabila was seeking to stay in power and pushed back at accusations that the delay in the election was "purposefully engineered."

The constitution "means a lot to him and he will not violate it," said Kikaya, "And he has said it time and again."

Asked why Kabila had not publicly stated he was not seeking to extend his term, Kikaya said: "He has made it clear at every opportunity. It is written in the constitution that he can't and the constitution hasn't changed."

Kikaya added: "He cannot say it. We are in Africa ... where if Kabila had to say that ... from that time on he loses all authority."
Rolling Stones premiere Cuba concert documentary in Toronto

By Alastair Sharp

TORONTO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Keith Richards returned to the Toronto International Film Festival for a second straight year on Friday, joining band mate Ronnie Wood at the premiere of a documentary of their recent Latin America tour that culminated in an historic Cuban concert.

The film 'The Rolling Stones Ole Ole Ole! : A Trip Across Latin America' goes behind the scenes with the veteran rock band as they play across the region for the first time in 10 years, chronicling their engagement with impassioned fans in a range of countries where their music was once banned or stifled.

"It's strange, maybe that's some of the attraction," Richards said on the red carpet ahead of the screening. "I guess that's what happens when you try to suppress something, certain things become obviously stronger."

Directed by Paul Dugdale and shot throughout February and March, the film combines footage from concerts in Peru, Colombia, Brazil and elsewhere and interviews with band members, fans, and tour managers as they plan the free Cuba event.

At one point they are forced to reschedule the concert after U.S. President Barack Obama announced his own three-day visit after decades of hostility between the former Cold War foes.

The Stones formed in London in 1962, three years after Fidel Castro's bearded rebels toppled a pro-American government.

"That's a tough one," Richards said when asked where the Stones might go next in the service of rock and roll diplomacy.
Two U.S. police, four civilians wounded in Philadelphia shooting spree

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Two police officers and four civilians were wounded on Friday during a shooting spree in Philadelphia where the suspect was later killed by responding officers, police said.

Sergeant Sylvia Young, a 19-year veteran of the department, was shot at least eight times by an approaching gunman as she sat in her vehicle late at night, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said.

"He just walks up on her ... he just fired. He didn't say anything," Ross told a news conference, noting that the suspect fired about 15 rounds into Young's vehicle.

Nearby officers heard the gunshots and began pursuing the suspect on foot. During the chase, the suspect fired shots into a tavern, striking a security guard in the leg, Ross said.

He then used a woman from the bar as a shield before shooting her. He later fired into a car, seriously wounding a man and woman, he said.

The chase ended when the gunman exchanged gunfire with police in an alley, wounding a University of Pennsylvania police officer. The shooter was killed during the gun fight, Ross said.

"We have a lot of unanswered questions...this is a completely bizarre situation," he said.

The officer shot in the alley was expected to survive and the conditions of the wounded civilians was not immediately clear.
Niger, Chad armies kill 38 Boko Haram fighters - Niger army

NIAMEY, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Soldiers from Niger and Chad have killed 38 Boko Haram fighters during operations that followed attacks by the Nigerian Islamist group on two border towns in southeastern Niger earlier this week, Niger's army said on Saturday.

Two soldiers from the bilateral force were lightly wounded in the operation, launched after clashes in the village of Toumour, near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border, on Monday.

The Nigerien and Chadian forces also seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition, according to the army statement read on national radio. It said soldiers were continuing to pursue Boko Haram fighters in the area.
Russia's Putin says hopes U.S. sticks to its commitments on Syria

BISHKEK, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he hoped the United States would stick to its commitments on Syria, adding that he believed securing a truce in that country's conflict was the common goal of both Moscow and Washington.

The United States and Russia said on Friday they wanted to extend the four-day-old ceasefire in Syria they have co-sponsored, although the agreement looks increasingly shaky, undermined by increasing violence and a failure to deliver aid.

The two Cold War-era rivals also back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, making cooperation difficult. Moscow supports President Bashar al-Assad, while Washington backs some rebel groups fighting to oust the Syrian leader.

"Our partners (the United States) are calling for openness and transparency ... but they are deviating from this postulate," Putin told reporters during a visit to the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for a summit of former Soviet republics.

"This is because of the difficulties they (the Americans) are facing... that they still can't separate the healthy part of the (Syrian) opposition from the semi-criminal... But we are more positive than negative and expect that promises given (by the Americans)... will be fulfilled."

Nearly five million Syrians have fled the country and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the more than five-year conflict, contributing to the record 65.3 million people who were uprooted worldwide last year.

Putin also commented on Saturday on November's U.S. presidential election, saying Moscow would support any person in any country who "is friendly to us".

The U.S. Republican Party's presidential nominee Donald Trump has spoken admiringly of Putin, spurring speculation about a possible thaw in currently still-frosty relations between Moscow and Washington if Trump wins the White House.
Syria truce "will not hold out" says senior rebel source

BEIRUT, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Syria's ceasefire "will not hold out", a senior rebel official in Aleppo warned on Saturday, as air strikes and shelling continued in some places and promised aid deliveries failed to come through.

The ceasefire is the result of an agreement between Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with air power, and the United States, which supports some rebel groups, and has cooled fighting since coming into effect last Monday.

On Friday, Washington and Moscow agreed to extend the ceasefire.

Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal, which they believe is skewed against them, because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control, including in eastern Aleppo.

"The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (U.S.) State Department - will not hold out," the rebel official said, pointing to the continued presence of a U.N. aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to travel to Aleppo.

"It is not possible for the party (Russia) that wages war against a people to strive to achieve a truce, as it is also not possible for it to be a sponsor of this agreement while it bombs night and day, while on the other side, the other party - America - has the role of spectator," he said.

Moscow has itself accused rebels of breaking the truce and said Washington needs to do more to make them abide by its terms, including separating from the jihadist Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which only broke formal allegiance to al Qaeda in July.

Both sides have accused the other of being responsible for aid deliveries being stuck far from Aleppo, where army and rebel forces were supposed to retire from the Castello Road which leads into besieged, insurgent-held eastern districts.

Russia on Friday said the Syrian army had initially withdrawn but returned to its positions after being fired on by rebels, who in turn say they saw no sign of government forces ever leaving their positions.

The United Nations pointed the finger at the government for holding up aid by denying letters guaranteeing access.

Warplanes strafed or bombed rebel-held areas in Maarat al-Numan, Saraqeb and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, Teir Maalah, north of Homs, and Souha, east of Hama, overnight after other strikes earlier on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
South Sudan dismisses U.S. group corruption allegations, says threatens peace

JUBA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - South Sudan's government said it was deeply concerned by the release of a report by U.S. group Sentry alleging corruption among top officials, saying such allegations would damage peace efforts in a nation which has been riven by war.

Sentry, a group co-founded by actor George Clooney and activist John Prendergast, said South Sudan's leaders on both sides of the civil war and their families had profited from the conflict.

"This sort of allegation can only jeopardise the pursuit of peace and stability in my country where mutual distrust and lack of authority are key factors of violence," a government spokesman said in a statement, expressing "deep concern."

"We will make sure that each of those allegations are challenged with a counter forensic and legal analysis of the shortcomings of this report," Ateny Wek Ateny, spokesman for the president's office, said.

Sentry said the report followed a two-year undercover investigation to look into the financing of African conflicts. It was released as the United Nations is threatening to impose an arms embargo against South Sudan's government.

Sentry said it had identified a network of international facilitators stretching from arms dealers in Ukraine to construction firms in Turkey, mining companies in Kenya, and Chinese investors involved in gambling and private security in South Sudan.

Spokesmen for President Salva Kiir and his rival, former deputy president Riek Machar, both denied allegations levelled against the two leaders when the report was released on Monday. Other senior officials were also named in the Sentry report.

South Sudan, which won independence in 2011, plunged into civil conflict in December 2013 after a long running political feud between Kiir and Machar, who are from different ethnic groups. Much of the fighting ran along ethnic lines.
Al Shabaab attacks Somali town near Kenyan border, kill 7 troops

MOGADISHU, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Somalia's Islamist militant group al Shabaab attacked a town in a region near Kenya's border, killing at least seven Somali soldiers, the group and Somali officials said.

Al Shabaab, which regularly attacks Somali forces in its campaign to oust Somalia's Western-backed government, pulled its fighters out of El Wak overnight, residents said on Saturday.

"We captured five military vehicles and killed several members of the government forces," al Shabaab's military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters after the assault was launched on Friday afternoon.

Somali Major Mohamed Jimcale told Reuters by telephone from the nearby Somali town of Baardheere that government forces had retreated to another town where there is a base for the African Union's AMISOM force.

"We lost at least 7 soldiers and two vehicles," he said.

Accounts and figures given by the officials and al Shabaab often vary.

Residents and government troops said al Shabaab had cut offer communications to El Wak before the attack. Al Shabaab fighters often stage raids and then withdraw before government forces have a chance to stage a counter attack.
TNT traces on EgyptAir plane debris split investigators - Le Figaro

PARIS/CAIRO Sept 17 (Reuters) - French investigators who found trace levels of the explosive material TNT on debris of an EgyptAir plane that crashed in May were prevented from further examining it, Le Figaro reported on Friday, a charge Egyptian officials denied.

The origin of the traces remains unclear and Egyptian judicial authorities did not allow French investigators to examine the debris in detail, Le Figaro said, citing a source close to the investigation.

EgyptAir flight MS804, an Airbus A320, plunged into the eastern Mediterranean en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19. All 66 people on board were killed, including 15 French passengers. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

Egypt wishes to write a joint report with France to validate the presence of TNT on the debris. France has refused to do this because the investigators were not able to carry out an adequate inspection to determine how the traces could have got there, Le Figaro said.

Responding to Le Figaro's report, sources on the Egyptian-led investigation committee denied the French team's work had been obstructed.

"None of the investigators were prevented from participating in investigations, but rather the work is being done jointly according to the conduct of the investigative process," one of the committee sources said.

A spokesman for the French national police has declined to comment on Le Figaro's report.

Audio from the flight recorder of the crashed aircraft mentions a fire on board the plane in its final moments, the investigation committee said in July.

Earlier analysis of the plane's flight data recorder showed there had been smoke in the lavatory and avionics bay, while recovered wreckage from the jet's front section showed signs of high-temperature damage and soot.
Russia and rebels cast doubt over Syria ceasefire

By Angus McDowall and Katya Golubkova

BEIRUT/MOSCOW, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Russia and Syrian rebels cast doubt over the prospects for an increasingly shaky five-day-old ceasefire on Saturday, with Moscow saying the situation was worsening and a senior insurgent warning that the truce "will not hold out".

The ceasefire is the result of an agreement between Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with air power, and the United States, which supports some rebel groups. It has reduced the fighting since coming into effect on Monday.

However, some violence has persisted across Syria, and promised aid deliveries to besieged areas remain blocked, with both sides accusing the other of bad faith.

Russia's Defence Ministry said conditions in Syria were deteriorating, adding that it believed the ceasefire had been breached 199 times by rebels and saying the United States would be responsible if it were to collapse.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin cast doubt over Washington's commitment to the deal, but also said he believed that securing a ceasefire was a common goal for the two countries, which both agreed to extend it on Friday.

Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal, which they believe is skewed against them, because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control, and blamed Russia for undermining the truce.

"The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (U.S.) State Department - will not hold out," the rebel official said, pointing to the continued presence of a U.N. aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to travel to Aleppo.

"It is not possible for the party (Russia) that wages war against a people to strive to achieve a truce, as it is also not possible for it to be a sponsor of this agreement while it bombs night and day, while on the other side, the other party - America - has the role of spectator," he said.

Moscow has itself accused rebels of breaking the truce and said Washington needs to do more to make them abide by its terms, including separating from the jihadist Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which only broke formal allegiance to al Qaeda in July.

The five-year-old civil war has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country's population, drawing in global and regional powers, causing an international refugee crisis and inspiring jihadist attacks around the world.

OVERNIGHT SHELLING

Both sides have accused the other of being responsible for aid deliveries being stuck far from Aleppo, where army and rebel forces were supposed to pull back from the Castello Road which leads into besieged, insurgent-held eastern districts.

Russia on Friday said the Syrian army had initially withdrawn but returned to its positions after being fired on by rebels, who in turn say they saw no sign of government forces ever leaving their positions.

"There is no change," said Zakariya Malahifji, an official for a rebel group in Aleppo on Saturday, asked whether there had been any move by the army to withdraw from positions along the road.

Syria's government said it was doing all that was necessary for the arrival of aid to those in need it in all parts of the country, particularly to eastern Aleppo.

Two convoys of aid for Aleppo have been waiting at the Turkish border for days. The U.N. has said both sides in the war are to blame for the delay of aid to Aleppo, where neither has yet withdrawn from the Castello Road into the city.

But senior U.N. officials have accused the government of not providing letters to allow convoys to reach besieged areas in Syria. The government said the road was being fired on by rebels, which they deny, so it could not give convoys a guarantee of safety.

Warplanes strafed or bombed rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib, as well as positions north of the city of Homs and east of the city of Hama overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based war monitoring group also reported clashes between the army and rebels or shelling overnight in the capital's Eastern Ghouta suburbs, in Ramousah south of Aleppo and in the southern province of Deraa.

ISLAMIC STATE

Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army rebels are pushing south in northern Syria from the towns of al-Rai and Azaz towards the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, supported by tanks and jets, security sources said, clashing with the jihadist group.

Vehicles were mobilised in northern Syria across from the Turkish village of Arapakesmez from the early hours of the morning and Turkish artillery deployed at the border have fired at Islamic State targets.

CNN Turk footage showed white smoke rising from across the border in Syria as Turkish howitzers fired west of al-Rai, where the Syrian Observatory said Free Syrian Army rebel groups gained control of two villages.
Norwegian hostage freed by al Qaeda-linked group in Philippines

MANILA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A Norwegian man held hostage by the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist militant group in the southern Philippines since September last year was freed on Saturday, Philippine officials said.

The group seized Kjartan Sekkingstad from an upscale resort on Samal island in Davao del Norte along with a Filipina, who has already been freed, and two Canadians, whom the militants later executed.

Abu Sayyaf, based in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines, is known for kidnappings, beheadings and extortion. It had initially demanded one billion pesos ($21 million) each for the detainees, but it later lowered the ransom to 300 million pesos each.

The group released Sekkingstad in the town of Patikul in the Sulu Archipelago and he is now in the custody of Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), in the regional capital Jolo, said Jesus Dureza, a peace adviser to the Philippines' president.

Sekkingstad had been due to meet President Rodrigo Duterte later on Saturday but the meeting was cancelled due to bad weather.

"His first words when I spoke to him on the phone (were): "Thank you to President Duterte," Dureza said in a statement. "His release from captivity capped months of quiet, patient but determined efforts with the assistance of all sectors."

Major Filemon Tan, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said the release of Sekkingstad was the result of "intense" military operations against the Abu Sayyaf.

Tan also credited the MNLF for helping the government in seeking the release of the Norwegian.

Abu Sayyaf beheaded the two Canadians it seized last year with Sekkingstad, the first one in April and the other in June, after a deadline for the payment of ransom money lapsed. The Filipina victim was released in June.

It was unclear whether a ransom had been paid in exchange for Sekkingstad's freedom, but it is widely believed that no captives are released by the group without it.

Security experts say brokers, messengers and go-betweens are involved at multiple levels, some taking substantial cuts. Payments are euphemistically called "board and lodgings".
Egyptian court approves asset freezes in high-profile NGO trial

By Ahmed Aboulenein

CAIRO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - An Egyptian court on Saturday approved a freeze on the assets of five prominent human rights activists and three non-governmental organisations, the latest twist in a five-year-old case in which the NGOs are accused of receiving foreign funds to sow chaos.

An investigating magistrate ordered the asset freezes in February, but they were subject to court approval. Saturday's decision paves the way for criminal proceedings against the defendants that could lead to life sentences if they are found guilty.

Egyptian rights activists say they are facing the worst assault in their history amid a wider campaign to erase freedoms won in a 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

"We know from the start the case is political and the aim is revenge against NGOs that expose the state's abuses," said Gamal Eid, founder and director of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information whose assets were frozen.

Egypt has launched a renewed crackdown on human rights groups, questioning staff and ordering asset freezes on accusations they took foreign funding to destabilise the country. Some say they are working from home in anticipation of arrests.

"Today is a good sign that criminal indictments are probably imminent," said Hossam Bahgat, a prominent investigative journalist who is the founder and former director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and whose assets were also frozen.

Bahgat, Eid, and nine others are also banned from travel in connection to the case.

The court also approved asset freezes for three organisations and their directors; the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and its director Bahey el-din Hassan, the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and its director Mostafa al-Hassan, and the Egyptian Right to Education Center and its director Abdelhafiz Tayel.

CHILLING SIGNAL

NGOs have felt exposed since late 2011, when authorities raided 17 pro-democracy and rights groups, accusing them of joining a foreign conspiracy against Egypt.

In 2013, a court ordered the closure of several foreign pro-democracy groups, including U.S.-based Freedom House, and gave jail sentences to 43 NGO staff including 15 Americans who had fled the country.

A case against dozens of Egyptian NGOs and lawyers was never closed but remained largely dormant until this year.

None of the NGO staff summoned for questioning have been formally charged. Egyptian law allows prosecutors to freeze assets, ban travel and remand suspects in custody for extended periods without charge.

The crackdown comes at a sensitive time for Egypt, which has been battling an Islamic State insurgency in northern Sinai and a weak economy. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed concern in March over Egypt's decision to reopen its probe into the NGOs.
Car of Germany's anti-immigrant AfD party leader set ablaze

BERLIN, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Unidentified attackers set fire to the car of Frauke Petry, the leader of Germany's anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, police said on Saturday.

"We are currently assuming it was arson," a police spokeswoman in the eastern city of Leipzig said, adding that investigators were still collecting evidence at the scene.

The attack happened late on Friday and there has been no claim of responsibility so far, the police spokeswoman added.

Petry wrote on Twitter: "An arson attack was committed on my car yesterday. Is this what we have come to..."

Last year unknown attackers set fire to the car of AfD deputy leader Beatrix von Storch in Berlin.

The right-wing AfD has gained support as voters become uneasy with Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy towards refugees. Around one million migrants arrived in Germany last year, many fleeing conflicts in the Middle East.

The AfD won a shock 20.8 percent in an election in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern two weeks ago, knocking Merkel's conservatives into third place.
Tens of thousands protest in Europe against Atlantic free trade deals

By Michael Nienaber

BERLIN, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people protested in European cities on Saturday against planned free trade deals with the United States and Canada they say would undermine democracy and lower food safety, environmental and labour standards.

Organisers -- an alliance of environmental groups, labour unions and opposition parties -- said 320,000 people took part in rallies in seven German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt. Police put the figure at around 180,000.

Smaller protests were also planned in other European cities, including Vienna and Salzburg in Austria and Gothenburg and Stockholm in Sweden.

In Berlin, demonstrators waved banners reading "STOPP CETA - STOPP TTIP", another placard said "People over profits".

The demonstrations are against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States and the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada, currently being negotiated by the European Union's executive with the respective governments across the Atlantic.

Opposition in Europe to the trade deals has risen over the past year, with critics saying the pacts would hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers by establishing arbitration courts to settle disputes between companies and governments.

"HORROR STORIES"

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom defended the planned trade deals and accused the opponents of deliberately heating up the debate with "horror stories and lies".

"The idea that TTIP will lower environmental standards is simply not true," Malmstrom told German daily Bild.

"Also the assertion that we'll be flooded with genetically modified food is simply wrong. Our democracy of course won't be undermined as some seem to believe."

Malmstrom said German exporters would benefit highly from the deals because they would reduce non-tariff barriers to trade. "This helps Germany and creates jobs," she added.

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who faces crunch CETA vote on Monday by his Social Democrats (SPD), said that the trade agreements were Europe's best chance to shape globalisation so that it served people and not only the interests of a few businesses.

"If CETA fails, then we'll not have another chance to shape globalisation in this way for decades," Gabriel told Bild am Sonntag in an interview published on Saturday.

"Europe still is the biggest trading region in the world. We should use this power."

Gabriel's SPD, junior coalition partner of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative, will vote on Monday whether to back the trade deal between the EU and Canada.

Gabriel, who is also vice chancellor and SPD leader, has championed CETA as part of his remit as economy minister, and to demonstrate the centre-left party's business credentials.

But critics on the SPD's left wing are sceptical about the benefits of the deal and believe it would give multinationals greater access to European markets without creating jobs.
Norwegian hostage freed by al Qaeda-linked group in Philippines

MANILA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A Norwegian man held hostage by the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist militant group in the southern Philippines since September last year was freed on Saturday, Philippine officials said.

The group seized Kjartan Sekkingstad from an upscale resort on Samal island in Davao del Norte along with a Filipina, who has already been freed, and two Canadians, whom the militants later executed.

Abu Sayyaf, based in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines, is known for kidnappings, beheadings and extortion. It had initially demanded one billion pesos ($21 million) each for the detainees, but it later lowered the ransom to 300 million pesos each.

The group released Sekkingstad in the town of Patikul in the Sulu Archipelago and he is now in the custody of Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), in the regional capital Jolo, said Jesus Dureza, a peace adviser to the Philippines' president.

Sekkingstad had been due to meet President Rodrigo Duterte later on Saturday but the meeting was cancelled due to bad weather.

"His first words when I spoke to him on the phone (were): "Thank you to President Duterte," Dureza said in a statement. "His release from captivity capped months of quiet, patient but determined efforts with the assistance of all sectors."

Major Filemon Tan, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said the release of Sekkingstad was the result of "intense" military operations against the Abu Sayyaf.

Tan also credited the MNLF for helping the government in seeking the release of the Norwegian.

In Oslo, the government welcomed the development but remained cautious, noting that Sekkingstad was not yet in government custody.

"We are still working on this and we will not rejoice until Sekkingstad is safe and sound with Philippine authorities," Norwegian foreign minister Boerge Brende said in an emailed statement to Reuters, adding that "it would likely happen tomorrow".

"We are following the situation closely and are working together Philippine authorities to bring Sekkkingstad to safety," he said.

Abu Sayyaf beheaded the two Canadians it seized last year with Sekkingstad, the first one in April and the other in June, after a deadline for the payment of ransom money lapsed. The Filipina victim was released in June.

It was unclear whether a ransom had been paid in exchange for Sekkingstad's freedom, but it is widely believed that no captives are released by the group without it.

Security experts say brokers, messengers and go-betweens are involved at multiple levels, some taking substantial cuts. Payments are euphemistically called "board and lodgings".
Tan Hung primary school in Phu Giao district. (Photo: baobinhduong.vn)

From the start of the year, mobilized capital for the national target program on building new-style rural areas in Binh Duong was estimated to reach over VND986 billion, 62.27% of the years plan.

For essential infrastructure, over 99% of rural people had access to the national grid. The whole province had 100% of communes meeting health standards, 100% of hamlets in communes having access to mobile phone, home phone and the internet; and 98% of rural households having access to safe water.

As of August 31st, the locality saw 32 communes recognized as new-style rural areas, accounting for 65.3%. Currently, 17 communes have not yet fulfilled 19 new-style rural areas criteria.

In the rest of the year, Binh Duong continues to maintain and improve the quality of criteria at recognized new-style rural areas. It will focus on raising the awareness of people about policies related to agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

In his speech at the meeting, a member of the Standing Board of the Binh Duong provincial Party Committee, Deputy Head of the provincial Peoples Committee, Mai Hung Dung affirmed that the province always paid attention to building new-style rural areas in combination with agricultural restructuring.

In the near future, it would continue mobilizing diversified capital sources, and popularizing and mobilizing people classes to join hands to realize the program.

Earlier, the delegation inspected the reality of building new-style rural areas in Thanh An, Thanh Tuyen communes in Dau Tieng district, and Tru Van Tho commune in Bau Bang district./.
Israel's Iron Dome shoots down stray "projectile" fired from Syria

JERUSALEM, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system on Saturday shot down a stray "projectile" fired during fighting in Syria's civil war, Israel's military said.

There has been frequent spillover of fighting between the factions in Syria into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, but, according to Israeli media, this was the first time Iron Dome was activated to intercept the errant fire.

"A projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. No injuries were reported," the military said in a statement. A spokeswoman added it was most likely stray fire.

Israel usually retaliates with air strikes against battle stations in Syria.
Lavrov tells Kerry U.S. military officials should monitor Syria truce

MOSCOW, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that military officials from the United States should be fully involved in monitoring a ceasefire in Syria, Russia's foreign ministry said on Saturday.
Austria's chancellor changes stance on EU accession talks with Turkey -FAS

VIENNA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern has backed down from his call to end European Union accession talks with Turkey, German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) said, citing participants at the EU summit in Bratislava.

"Now is not the best time to ask for a termination of the accession negotiations," Kern said in Bratislava, according to a preliminary release of a FAS story to be published on Sunday.

Kern said in August that he would start a discussion among European heads of government to quit talks with Turkey about joining the EU because of what he said were the country's democratic and economic deficits.
Slovakia's Fico says Ukraine doing less than Russia to meet Minsk deal

By Tatiana Jancarikova and Jason Hovet

BRATISLAVA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine is doing less than Russia to meet its obligations under the Minsk peace plan, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday, stepping up calls for the European Union to end sanctions against Moscow.

Fico said sanctions have been ineffective while harming European Union and member Slovakia's economic interests. But added he would respect EU solidarity on the issue.

"When speaking about the implementation of the Minsk agreement, it needs to be said clearly that both parties are violating it. Actually, if we were to do an inventory of how Ukraine is meeting it, you would have to say Ukraine is meeting it even less than Russia," Fico told Reuters in an interview.

"With the Minsk agreement (to bring peace in Ukraine), it is necessary to take stock. It is not true that Ukraine is the good guy and Russia is the bad guy," he said.

The EU imposed energy, financial and defence sanctions on Moscow after it annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and agreed in June to extend them until the end of January.

Fico has repeatedly called for the end of the sanctions, most recently after meeting President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in August.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a phone call on Saturday to do his part in implementing the peace plan.

"The Chancellor expressed the opinion that the coming weeks must be used to take a decisive step forward," a German government spokeswoman said, adding Merkel told Poroshenko it was essential that both Russia and Ukraine demonstrated the political will to reach an agreement.

Merkel said last month there was no reason to lift sanctions as Russia has not fulfilled its commitments under the Minsk agreements aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine where Kiev and the West say Russia is arming and supporting separatist rebels.

Germany's Social Democrats, junior partner in Merkel's ruling coalition, have adopted a more conciliatory stance towards Moscow than her conservative bloc.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a senior SPD member, has said the EU should gradually phase out sanctions imposed against Russia over the Ukraine crisis if there is substantial progress in the peace process.

But Merkel insists the sanctions can only be lifted once the peace agreement is fully implemented, not partially.

Fico said on Saturday the sanctions had done nothing to change Russian policy. "Sanctions are harming the EU and Russia and they help the United States. I reject them but at the same time I won't break the unity of the EU on that," he said.

Slovakia holds the rotating EU presidency until the end of this year.

The central European country imports almost all its gas and oil from Russia, as well as nuclear fuel to generate two power plants. It exports cars to Russia, though these are just a fraction of its exports to the EU.
Austria denies chancellor backed down on EU talks with Turkey

VIENNA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern on Saturday denied a German newspaper report which said he had backed down from his call to end European Union accession talks with Turkey.

"The chancellor maintains his call for breaking off EU accession negotiations with Turkey," a spokeswoman for Kern said.

German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) earlier quoted Kern as saying that "now is not the best time to ask for a termination of the accession negotiations." The paper said it was citing participants at the EU summit in Bratislava.

Kern said in August that he would start a discussion among European heads of government to quit talks with Turkey about joining the EU because of what he said were the country's democratic and economic deficits.
Syrian army says U.S.-led coalition jets bombed it in support of Islamic State

BEIRUT, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Syria's army general command said warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition fighting against Islamic State bombed a Syrian army position at Jebel Tharda near Deir al-Zor airport at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Saturday, state media reported.
Bulgaria to pay Russia $446 mln for cancelled Belene nuclear project this year

SOFIA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Bulgaria will pay Russian state nuclear company Rosatom 400 million euros ($446 million), the bulk of the compensation for the cancelled Belene nuclear project, by the end of the year, Economy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said on Saturday.

A court ruled in June that Sofia must pay 620 million euros for the equipment produced by Rosatom for the project, which Bulgaria abandoned in 2012 due to financial constraints and U.S. and EU concerns over its energy dependence on Russia.

The EU member state contracted Rosatom in 2006 to build two 1,000 megawatt reactors at Belene on the Danube River.

Petkova, who discussed the issue with Russia's First Deputy Minister of Justice Sergei Gerasimov at a meeting of the Russia-Bulgaria intergovernmental cooperation commission, said that the rest of the compensation will be paid in two tranches.

Bulgaria agreed to pay the compensation in full and quickly to avoid paying interest of 167,000 euros a day.
Turkmenistan opens $2.3 bln bird-shaped international air terminal

ASHGABAT, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Turkmenistan opened a $2.3 billion air terminal at Ashgabat International Airport on Saturday as part of its bid to become an international transport hub and offset a plunge in traditional revenues from gas exports.

The Central Asian desert nation of five million has a strict visa policy and only attracts about 100,000 tourists a year, although it expects higher numbers to visit during the Asian Indoor Games in 2017.

Speaking at the white, falcon-shaped building President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said: "We have all the opportunities to become a transport bridge facilitating economic cooperation between Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and South Asia."

The former Soviet republic has traditionally relied on exports of natural gas as its main source of foreign currency and revenue.

But a decision by Russia, once the biggest buyer of Turkmen gas, to halt imports and the plunge in global energy prices have led to foreign currency shortages, according to local businessmen, and pushed the government's budget into deficit.

As part of its diversification drive, the Ashgabat government has taken part in a railroad project connecting Central Asia to Iran. It is also building a $2 billion port on the Caspian Sea and a railway through Afghanistan.

While infrastructure megaprojects are a relatively new trend, the construction of lavish and extravagant buildings such as the new terminal has long been a Turkmen trademark.
Haiti's Aristide says dehydration caused his collapse at rally

CAP HAITIEN, Haiti, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide said on Saturday that dehydration caused him to faint at an election rally for his party's presidential candidate on Friday night.

Aristide, 63, was giving an address in the northern port city of Cap Haitien in support of Maryse Narcisse, candidate for his Fanmi Lavalas party in the Oct. 9 presidential election, when he suddenly slumped into a chair behind the podium.

Narcisse and aides fanned Aristide for a few minutes after the incident before carrying him off the stage for medical attention.

"I did not drink enough water," Aristide told reporters in Cap Haitien as he resumed campaigning. "It's a bad habit I have."

Aristide won the presidency twice, in 1990 and 2000, and was ousted from power during both of his terms. He returned from exile in South Africa in 2011 and has largely remained out of the public eye since then. He ventured out to campaign for Narcisse in 2015 and this year.

Aristide said the current election race reminded him of the 1990 presidential campaign, and said "dirty money" and "professional bandits" were the two main challenges facing Haiti.
Central African Republic rebels kill 26 villagers -presidential spokesman

ABIDJAN, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Rebels have killed 26 villagers in Central African Republic, a spokesman for the presidency said on Saturday, the worst bloodshed in recent months in a country trying to draw a line under years of religious violence and political turmoil.

Albert Mokpeme said the killings took place in the village of Ndomete, not far from the town of Kaga-Bandoro, about 350 km (220 miles) north of the capital Bangui. He blamed fighters from the former Seleka rebel coalition.

"There were 26 victims. The Seleka (rebels) went door to door ... The village chief was among the victims," said Albert Mokpeme said. "It was a massacre."

Seleka representatives were not available for comment.

Violence pitting the mainly Muslim Seleka fighters against rival Christian anti-Balaka militia members started on Friday in Ndomete before spreading to Kaga-Bandoro.

Central African Republic's U.N. peacekeeping mission, MINUSCA, dispatched troops to the area and separated the two groups. It said in a statement that it was reinforcing its positions in and around Kaga-Bandoro and stepping up patrols in an effort to protect civilians and prevent further violence.

The mission declined to give a death toll.

"MINUSCA regrets the loss of human life and the wounded that were recorded and also denounces attacks against the humanitarian community and United Nations personnel," it said, without elaborating further.

Central African Republic, which holds reserves of uranium, gold and diamonds, suffered the biggest crisis in its half-century of independence in early 2013 when Seleka toppled then-President Francois Bozize.

Christian militias responded by attacking Muslims. A fifth of the population fled their homes to escape the violence, leaving the impoverished nation even more divided along ethnic and religious lines.
Mr. Nguyen Dang Truong, PPA Director General, and Ms. Andrea Lupo, USTDAs Director for Global Programs at the event. (Photo: baodautu.vn)

A grant agreement to cooperate on a feasibility study (valued at USD446,742) that will develop a database to track contractor past performance was inked in Hanoi on September 15th by USTDA and the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) under the Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The database represents a component of Vietnams e-Government Procurement (e-GP) project, which aims to modernize the countrys procurement processes.

The feasibility study will develop plans for a database to track and monitor the performance of the contractors who provide goods and services to the Government of Vietnam. Once operational, public tenders in Vietnam can be awarded transparently to contractors with high performance ratings, ensuring greater quality for the Vietnamese Government.

This feasibility study will support Vietnams 2016 - 2025 master plan and roadmap for its e-GP project that was approved by the Prime Minister. The database will help improve the transparency, ensure the accuracy of past performance reviews, and reduce the workload, as data entries will be shared among Ministries, shared Mr. Nguyen Dang Truong, PPA Director General.

The opportunity to conduct this USTDA-sponsored feasibility study will be competed through Federal Business Opportunities (FBO).

A link to the FBO announcement will be posted to USTDAs website at www.ustda.gov./.
Aid budgets under pressure as funds stretched to cope with refugees, say campaigners

LONDON, Sept 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Governments are failing to meet the world's massive humanitarian challenges because aid budgets in many countries are being stretched to cover the refugee crisis, a leading anti-poverty group said on Sunday.

Goals such as tackling disease and ending extreme poverty by 2030 may slip down the agenda as donor governments shift funds away from long-term development aid, The ONE Campaign said.

The group's analysis of international aid budgets comes ahead of a major U.N. summit on Monday on tackling the refugee and migrant crisis at a time of record displacement.

Of particular concern is the practice of counting 'in-donor' refugee costs whereby governments support refugees in their own countries with aid funds, the report said.

This means less money available to spend on deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, it said.

The ONE Campaign put the total amount of Official Development Assistance (ODA) spent within donor countries in 2015 at $13.9 billion. This is "changing the map of aid", it says, adding that last year more aid was spent in Germany than in Ethiopia.

"The world is experiencing record levels of crises, yet as our (report) highlights, some countries are spending money intended for those living in extreme poverty within their own borders," said Eloise Todd, policy director of The ONE Campaign.

"Refugees should absolutely get the support they need, but with domestic funds, not by cutting into lifesaving development funds."

The report said there was a limited window to tackle HIV/AIDS, for example.

"Tremendous progress has been made against this killer disease - but the world risks a resurgence of a more virulent form if investment if not stepped up soon," it said.
Mondays violence in Bangalore over the sharing of Cauvery water shook many. Our newsroom in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, was no different.

By evening, I was informed that my editors were keen I parachute into the state. Having made it in time for the last flight of the day, I landed in India's tech city early on Tuesday.

A drive from the airport to the city revealed some signs of normalcy  taxis were available, traffic moved normally, trucks and smaller vehicles could be seen ferrying goods at those hours.

Tuesday morning, the streets of Bangalore. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

Once in the hotel, I decided to take a quick nap as the day was going to be a long one.

Within two hours, it was time to hit the ground.

I was accompanied by Shivamurthy Gurumath, a humble and resourceful colleague, who is our channels cameraperson from the city. We decided to straight away venture into the heart of the trouble by traveling on the worst-affected Bangalore-Mysuru road.

As stated, Bangalore has already begun limping back to normalcy and what I had seen in the morning only confirmed it.

People, I could see, were walking out of their homes, purchasing milk, talking to neighbours, waiting at bus stops, these said much more about "normalcy" than sound bites of administrators. I saw a lot of it that morning, whether at Bapuji Nagar where people on their scooters were seeking fuel or at the Galianjaneya temple, where shopkeepers, seeing the temple open its doors to devotees, were opening their own shutters.

Temple in Bangalore opened up, seeing that many shopkeepers too went back to work. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

Unfortunately, the road bore testimony to the chaos that had followed, with sights of burnt and broken buses, trucks and vehicles. We ended our journey at the KPN Depot, which had become a symbol of the breakdown of Indias IT hub.

KPN Depot. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

Here, 35 buses were charred by a mob in a place which had residences all around.

How the mob walked in, set fire to so many vehicles and walked out without being questioned baffles me.

Another click of KPN Depot. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

My day was spent covering the cabinet meeting at the states beautiful assembly complex, the Vidhan Soudha. Once done, I did some spot reports before ending the day at a restaurant for a quiet meal. Given the damage Id seen in the past 24 hours, I had imagined this would not have been possible. But normalcy was restored much faster.

Vidhan Soudha. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

Next day, I decided to venture out to ground zero  the farms and the farmers where the lack of Cauvery water was generating unrest.

We entered the Tamil heartland and proceeded to make a pit stop at the picturesque Biligundulu, a small hamlet along the bank of the river. It is not too far from the touristy Hogenakkal. Why? To document a "high pressure" job that seven men were performing using a few instruments and a boat, a job that has been so intrinsic to this dispute.

Biligundulu. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

We crossed the mighty Mettur dam, which sadly also had little water.

Mettur Dam. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

Tamil Nadu is for now aggregating the 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery river water released every day by Karnataka as directed by the Supreme Court. In addition, the North East monsoon which caters to nearly 50 per cent of the water requirement of this region (Karnataka included) is expected to set in by next month.

Mettur Dam sadly had very little water. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

Our journey took us to Tamil Nadus Bhavani, where farmers rely heavily on the Cauvery.

A farmer in Tamil Nadu's Bhavani. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

The discourse in Karnataka would make you believe that they had ended up "losing" and Tamil Nadu had "won". But that was far from the reality. Farmers were equally distressed here, too. They claimed they had suffered losses of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh per acre, substandard crop yield and were forced into making alternate plans notwithstanding their "victory".

A farmer carrying sugarcane produce. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

Before I folded up my "parachute" to head home, I must confess to doing something I havent done before.

While trying to enter Tamil Nadu, we were prevented by the police from crossing the border. Your vehicle bears a Karnataka registration and we cannot guarantee your safety in Tamil Nadu, said a humble policeman at Hosur.

Hosur border between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

After some thinking, we came upon a way out. By changing mere two characters on the number plate (from "KA" to "TN"), we became a Tamil Nadu registered vehicle!

With the Karnataka number plate. (Photo credit: Jugal R Purohit)

A shopkeeper we found did it for us for a mere Rs 200. Much to our surprise, once we were done, a long queue had formed wanting the same.

With the duplicate number plate. (Photo credit: Jugal Purohit)

By the time we completed our task and started our return journey to Bangalore, a day before the Tamil Nadu bandh, a reality check awaited us.
Last week, North Korea conducted its fifth underground nuclear test  and second this year  shrugging off threats of deeper sanctions from the United States and the United Nations in the process. The test demonstrated a nuclear warhead that has been standardised to be able to be mounted on its ballistic missiles, the North Korean regime proclaimed in a statement.

The South Korean government also confirmed the test after recording an unnatural tremor originating from Punggye-ri, where the North has conducted four previous tests. The latest test was the countrys largest to date, sparking worries that Pyongyang is making real progress in its efforts to build a functional nuclear warhead. Estimates of the explosive yield of the latest blast have varied. South Koreas military said it was about 10 kilotonnes, enough to make it the Norths strongest nuclear test ever. Other experts say initial indications suggest 20 kilotonnes or more.

Assessment

The pace and tenor of North Korean ballistic missile and nuclear tests have undergone a significant shift this year. Since February, North Korea has fired off more than 30 ballistic missiles with a range of at least 200 km, more than the number fired previously by the country, ever. These more extensive tests should allow the North to convert its missile force from a strategic threat/showcase to an operational force that seriously jeopardises all of its neighbours, including China.

Assessment by South Korean and US intelligence is that the North is always ready for an additional nuclear test, South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun suggested earlier this week. Last weeks nuclear test have reinforced fears in Washington and across Asia that Pyongyangs military advances could soon outpace the missile defence systems the United States and its regional allies have built up over the last decade. There is a growing sense that Washington and its Asian allies could be in danger of falling behind as North Korea builds longerrange and increasingly reliable missiles that expand its potential reach and threaten to overwhelm expensive and untested missile-defence systems.

Following last weeks tests, US President Barack Obama pledged to unleash a new round of sanctions on Pyongyang, but decades of economic punishments have done nothing to stop the North so far, and it is highly unlikely that more sanctions will make much of a difference. Nuclear weapons today seem to be the sole survival strategy of the North Korean regime and so no amount of sanctions will likely dent that calculus.

The North has also been angered by a US and South Korean plan to install an anti-missile defence system in the South and by the allies massive annual joint military exercises, which are still taking place.The US has flown two supersonic B-1 Lancer strategic bombers over South Korea in a show of force, just days after North Korea carried out its fifth nuclear test.B-1 bombers are capable of carrying nuclear missiles and bombs that are able to destroy even underground bunkers.

As has happened in the past, the international community has reacted with predictable outrage. China said it was firmly opposed to the test, while Japan protested adamantly and the US president Barack Obama warned of serious consequences. South Korea has taken an unusually harsh tone. Seoul has a plan to annihilate the North Korean capital if it shows any signs of mounting a nuclear attack. There has been rising criticism within South Korea of the government as its attempts to isolate the North have failed to deter leader Kim Jong-uns nuclear ambitions.

Sanctions

Though the US says it is considering its own sanctions, in addition to any imposed by the UN Security Council, Japan and South Korea, Pyongyang response has been to laugh it all off. It seems to have learnt from its earlier shenanigans that nothing of significance will happen. After the fourth test in January, China agreed to impose tougher UN sanctions.

Further and even tougher sanctions are still possible, like blocking the export of fuel oil to North Korea. But Chinas bottom line is that it does not want the collapse of the regime in Pyongyang if that leads to a chaotic power vacuum, possibly filled by the US and its allies. Beijing also remains worried about the prospect of a unified Korean peninsula which will bring Washington right to its doorsteps.

Deterrent

As a result, the threat of further sanctions is hardly a deterrent to the regime of Kim Jong Un, as his military is thought to have a small standing stock of nuclear weapons, with some estimates placing the national inventory around 15-20 weapons. Sanctions will not affect this stockpile, or the Norths ability to test.

It has also been suggested that as Kim Jong-un continues to consolidate his power, South Korea and the United States should expect that provocations will continue to be a part of North Koreas strategy.

Asia is passing through a turbulent phase with multiple crises brewing in different parts of the region. At its foundation, these crises are about the changing global balance of power with Chinas rise and its strident assertion of its interests and concerns about Americas ability to manage this power transition.

Even in the case of North Korea, China has laid the blame at Americas doorsteps by suggesting that the cause and crux of the Korean nuclear issue rest with the US rather than China. The core of the issue is the conflict between the DPRK and the US.

The growing geopolitical rivalry between two the US and China is manifesting itself in any lack of effective action against Pyongyang. This will have grave implications for the future of global politics.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh

The Vietnamese official made the suggestion while addressing a foreign minister-level meeting of the movement, which took place in Margarita Island of Venezuela on September 15 to review preparations for 17th NAM Summit on September 17th-18th.

In his speech, Deputy Minister Ngoc highlighted significant contributions made by the movement to struggling for peace, independence and sovereignty of its member nations.

He affirmed ASEAN nations are making every effort to build the ASEAN Community and the Southeast Asian region of peace, stability and development, while stressing the blocs determination to solve East Sea-related disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodrigez stressed that NAM has greatly contributed to ensuring peace and stability in the world through its role at multilateral forums.

The movement should focus on reinforcing its strength as well as enhancing solidarity and diversity among all the member nations, thus facilitating development cooperation and realising sustainable development goals.

With 120 member states, NAM is the second largest international organisation after the United Nations. It has 53 members from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 17 observer countries and 10 observer organisations.

It has been dedicated since its creation in 1961 to defend the liberation struggles of the peoples of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other developing nations that have been described in the past as part of the "Third World."/.




Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said Vietnam has a developing husbandry industry which needs about 20 million tonnes of animal feed each year.

The sector is forecast to grow about 10 percent in the coming time, he said, noting that up to six million tonnes of corn, millions of tonnes of soybeans and other products are needed to meet its demand.

The minister suggested Brazil supply Vietnam with technologies and machines in animal feed production.

Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply Blairo Maggi said Brazil ranks second worldwide in corn and soybean export, even though it uses only 8 percent of its land for agricultural production and 19.7 percent for livestock farming.

Despite the shrinking land, Brazils husbandry sector still achieves growth thanks to technological applications, according to the minister.

Brazil wishes to cooperate with Vietnam in this sphere, he said, adding that the transfer of technology would help boost both countries animal breeding sectors.

The minister also said up to 17 percent of electricity in Brazil is produced from sugarcane, and the technology is useful for Vietnam.

He noted his hope that Vietnam and Brazil, as the worlds large coffee producers, will step up their affiliation in this field to get better coffee prices.

The two ministers also agreed to share experience in agricultural production and forge ties in agricultural machinery, organic agriculture and biological diversity./.
This information was released during a meeting held in Hanoi on September 16th to summarize the Devotion for Vietnam's future program after one year of operation, since July 2015.



Photos: ATP



According to the organizers, the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health under the Ministry of Health and Karofi Vietnam Company, this corporate social responsibility activity has directly brought better fresh water sources to about 15,000 pupils, 1,500 local people, and 25 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in Hanoi city, Ha Nam, Bac Ninh, Nam Dinh, and Nghe An provinces.

Local people also get free check-up services by healthcare experts from Vietnam-Cuba hospital.

On this occasion, 40 Karofi Nano Silver 7 stage standard water purifiers were presented to local people from Nhan Chinh ward, Ly Nhan district, Northern province of Ha Nam.

From now to 2020, Karofi Vietnam Company will continue to offer free maintenance services (Reverse Osmosis systems replacing and warranty) to these beneficiaries, as they are using water sources containing a lot of toxins such as Aluminum, cadmium, benzene, bentazone, phenol, arsenic, and manganese.

Water quality meets the National technical regulation QCVN 6-1:2010/BYT, dated June 2nd, 2010 of the Ministry of Health for bottled/packaged natural mineral waters and drinking water./.
At the press conference (Photo: VGP)

During a press conference on September 15th, Nguyen Hong Ly, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Farmers Association, said that the contest would check basic skills, including using the Internet, sending and receiving electronic mails, seeking the market, and applying information and technology in agricultural production and in breeding industry.

According to the organising committee, the contest will provide one first prize worth VND30 million, two second prizes worth VND20 million each, three third prizes worth VND10 million each, and 57 consolation prizes worth VND3 million.

Representatives from the Department of High Technology under the Ministry of Science and Technology said that they hoped to receive useful solutions for production from the candidates.

Through the contest, the organising committee wants to send a message to 15 million farmers families across the country that Vietnams agricultural products are facing fierce competitiveness with the others when the country joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), said Ms Ly.



If farmers do not gain access to information and technology and advanced methods of production to produce high quality agricultural products, their products may be defeated.

The contest is expected to help farmers, who account 70% of the population, have a chance to learn experience in applying information and technology into production, in order to increase productivity and product quality./.
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Volunteers introducing the Temple of Literature to foreign tourists. (Photo: CPV)

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi city Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Tran Anh Tuan said that the volunteers were selected carefully and strictly, and were trained basically to support tourism skills and promotion.

Nguyen Thi Mai Phuong, head of a team supporting tourists in Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (the Temple of Literature), said foreign tourists are often cautious when volunteers want to help them learn about landscapes of the capital. However, after operating for a short time, numerous tourists actively asked for help and information from them.

Since being established, the volunteers actively helped and introduced the capitals relics to foreign tourists such as the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Museum, Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, old streets, night market and Dong Xuan Market.

Vu Thanh Dong, the first-year student of Hanoi University of Culture shared his hesitation in his first days joining the volunteer group, but now he feels more confident and actively to inquire and help tourists.

Phan Thi Hieu from the University of Social Science and Humanities, Vietnam National University-Hanoi excitedly said meeting and talking with foreign tourists helped her improve her English speaking ability and becoming a volunteer for capital tourism also helped her understand more about this imperial land with a thousand-year-old culture.

Apart from introducing Hanois tourist attractions to foreigners, Nguyen Thi Hanh, a second-year student specializing in tourist guidance of Hanoi Open University, said she had chances to make friends with foreign youths to study more about the culture of their countries.

Volunteer tour guides in blue shirts contributed to building the tourism image of a civilized, modern, friendly and hospitable capital. John Studley, a tourist from Australia, was impressed with the enthusiasm, friendliness, and especially the English speaking ability of the volunteers as they introduced relics of the capital. He hoped that the model would be expanded around Vietnam./.
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Devon Energy Corporation is an independent oil and gas company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company was incorporated in 1971 by John Nichols and his son J. Larry Nichols and later went public in August 2000. The company has since grown to be included in the S&P 500 and is one of the first energy companies to introduce resolutions requiring the company to monitor its impact on global warming. One time a major player in the global oil market, Devon has since sold off its offshore holdings in an effort to focus on US production and its transition to a lower-carbon future.

Devon Energy merged with WPX in early 2021 in an all-stock merger of equals. The new company is primarily engaged in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the US midwest. The company operates more than 5,100 wells in Oklahomas Delaware Basis, Eagle Ford Group, and the two locations in the Rocky Mountains. As of late 2022, the company laid claim to 1.625 million barrels of reserves including 44% petroleum, 27% natural gas liquids, and 29% natural gas. Daily production was running in the range of 300,000 BPD in petroleum liquids, 125,000 BPD in natural gas liquids, and 920 million cubic feet of natural gas.

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Devon Energy Corporation has pledged to reduce its GHG impact to net zero by 2050. This will be done by a variety of methods that include improving efficiency and leakage, a reduction in flaring, and the electrification of its operations. Near-term goals include a 50% reduction in GHG by 2030 including a 65% reduction in methane release and a 100% reduction in flaring. The company is also focused on reducing its environmental impact by relying on recycled water wherever possible and plans to reduce freshwater usage by 90% in the most active areas. Total greenhouse gas emissions have been in decline since 2018 and fell 17% between 2018 and 2020 alone.
The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. Brown Investments Incorporated, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft mbH, Ambidexter GmbH i.L., Argent Incorporated, BHW - Gesellschaft fur Wohnungswirtschaft mbH, BHW Bausparkasse Aktiengesellschaft, BHW Holding GmbH, BT Globenet Nominees Limited, Bainpro Nominees Pty Ltd, Baldur Mortgages Limited, Bankers Trust Investments Limited, Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc., Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Betriebs-Center fur Banken AG, Better Financial Services GmbH, Better Payment Germany GmbH, Borfield Sociedad Anonima, Breaking Wave DB Limited, Cardales UK Limited, Cardea Real Estate S.r.l., Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Asset Management Company Limited, Cathay Capital Company (No 2) Limited, Cedar (Luxembourg) S.a. r.l., Chapel Funding, China Recovery Fund LLC, Consumo Srl in Liquidazione, D B Investments (GB) Limited, D&M Turnaround Partners Godo Kaisha, DB (Barbados) SRL, DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Asing) Sdn. Bhd., DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad, DB Alex. Brown Holdings Incorporated, DB Aotearoa Investments Limited, DB Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, DB Boracay LLC, DB Capital Markets (Deutschland) GmbH, DB Cartera de lnmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Chestnut Holdings Limited, DB Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., DB Delaware Holdings (Europe) Limited, DB Direkt GmbH, DB Elara LLC, DB Energy Trading LLC, DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equity Limited, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology SRL, DB Group Services (UK) Limited, DB HR Solutions GmbH, DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB IROC Leasing Corp., DB Impact Investment Fund I. LP., DB Industrial Holdings Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DB Industrial Holdings GmbH, DB Intermezzo LLC, DB International (Asia) Limited, DB International Investments Limited, DB International Trust (Singapore) Limited, DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Partners Limited, DB Investment Resources (US) Corporation, DB Investment Resources Holdings Corp., DB Investment Services GmbH, DB London (Investor Services) Nominees Limited, DB Management Support GmbH, DB Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB Nominees (Jersey) Limited, DB Nominees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, DB Omega BTV S.C.S., DB Omega Holdings LLC, DB Omega Ltd., DB Omega S.C.S., DB Operaciones y Servicios lnteractivos Agrupacicm de lnteres Econemico, DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Holdings Limited, DB Print GmbH, DB Private Clients Corp., DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., DB Re S.A., DB Service Centre Limited, DB Service Uruguay S.A., DB Services (Jersey) Limited, DB Services Americas. Inc., DB Servizi Amministrativi S.r.l., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Products Inc., DB Trustee Services Limited, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB UK Bank Limited, DB UK Holdings Limited, DB UK PCAM Holdings Limited, DB US Financial Markets Holding Corporation, DB USA Core Corporation, DB USA Corporation, DB Valoren S.a. r.l., DB Value S.a.r.l., DB VersicherungsManager GmbH, DB Vita SA., DB lmmobilienfonds 5 Wieland KG i.L., DB lo LP, DBAH Capital. LLC, DBCIBZ1, DBFIC Inc., DBNZ Overseas Investments (No.1) Limited, DBOI Global Services (UK) Limited, DBR Investments Co. Limited, DBRE Global Real Estate Management 18 Ltd., DBRMS4, DBRMSGP1, DBUK PCAM Limited, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ2 S.a. r.l., DBX Advisers LLC, DEBEKO lmmobilien GmbH & Co Grundbesitz OHG, DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, DEUKONA Versicherungs-Vermittlungs-GmbH, DEUTSCHE BANK AS., DI Deutsche lmmobilien Treuhandgesellschaft mbH, DISCA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DWS Alternatives France, DWS Alternatives Global Limited, DWS Alternatives GmbH, DWS Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, DWS Beteiligungs GmbH, DWS CH AG, DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, DWS Group Services UK Limited, DWS Grundbesitz GmbH, DWS International GmbH, DWS Investment GmbH, DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment S.A., DWS Investments Australia Limited, DWS Investments Hong Kong Limited, DWS Investments Japan Limited, DWS Investments Shanghai Limited, DWS Investments Singapore Limited, DWS Investments UK Limited, DWS Management GmbH, DWS Real Estate GmbH, DWS Service Company, DWS Shanghai Private Equity Fund Management Limited, DWS Trust Company, DWS USA Corporation, Deposit Solutions, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Capital Holdings New Zealand, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Foreign Investments New Zealand, Deutsche (New Munster) Holdings New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Access Investments Limited, Deutsche Aeolia Power Production Societe Anonyme, Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (UK) Limited, Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Deutsche Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Australia Limited, Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Limited, Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA, Deutsche Bank (Uruguay) Sociedad Anenima lnstitucien Financiera Externa, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., Deutsche Bank Europe GmbH, Deutsche Bank Financial Company, Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Deutsche Bank Mutui S.p.A., Deutsche Bank Mexico. S.A., Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank Polska Spelka Akcyjna, Deutsche Bank Representative Office Nigeria Limited, Deutsche Bank S.A, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Limited, Deutsche Bank Societe per Azioni, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Delaware, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation, Deutsche Bank. Sociedad Anenima Espanola, Deutsche CIB Centre Private Limited, Deutsche Capital Finance (2000) Limited, Deutsche Capital Hong Kong Limited, Deutsche Capital Markets Australia Limited, Deutsche Capital Partners China Limited, Deutsche Cayman Ltd., Deutsche Custody N.V., Deutsche Domus New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Equities India Private Limited, Deutsche Finance No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Foras New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur lmmobilien-Leasing mit beschrenkter Haftung, Deutsche Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Group Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Deutsche Group Services Pty Limited, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Deutsche Grundbesitz-Anlagegesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Holdings (BTI) Limited, Deutsche Holdings (Grand Duchy), Deutsche Holdings (Luxembourg) S.El r.l., Deutsche Holdings Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 3 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 4 Limited, Deutsche India Holdings Private Limited, Deutsche India Private Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services (Ireland) Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services Limited, Deutsche International Custodial Services Limited, Deutsche Investments (Netherlands) N.V., Deutsche Investments India Private Limited, Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., Deutsche Leasing New York Corp., Deutsche Mexico Holdings S.a. r.|., Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Limited, Deutsche Mortgage & Asset Receiving Corporation, Deutsche Nederland N.V., Deutsche New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Nominees Limited, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG, Deutsche Overseas Issuance New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Postbank Finance Center Objekt GmbH, Deutsche Private Asset Management Limited, Deutsche Securities (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Securities (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities Asia Limited, Deutsche Securities Australia Limited, Deutsche Securities Inc., Deutsche Securities Israel Ltd., Deutsche Securities Korea Co., Deutsche Securities Mauritius Limited, Deutsche Securities SA. de C.V.. Casla de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Services (Cl) Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. SA., Deutsche lmmobilien Leasing GmbH, Deutsches lnstitut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a. r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.l., Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, European Value Added I (Alternate GP.) LLP, Fiduciaria Sant Andrea S.r.l., Finanzberatungsgesellschaft mbH der Deutschen Bank, Funfte SAB Treuhand und Verwaltung GmbH & Co. Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., German American Capital Corporation, Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer LandstraBe GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Miesbaden LuisenstraBe/Kirchgasse GbR, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF l Manager S.a.r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul lnkasso GmbH, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo lll Initial GP Limited, MEF I Manager. S. a r.|., MIT Holdings Inc., Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgagelT Inc., MortgagelT Securities Corp., OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentIe", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, PADUS Grundstcks-VermietungsgeseIlschaft mbH, PB Factoring GmbH, PB Spezial-lnvestmentaktiengesellschatt mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Plantation Bay. Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank lmmobilien GmbH, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, RREEF, RREEF America LLC., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisers Private Limited, RREEF Management LLC., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables. LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermielungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sharps SP l LLC, Stelvio lmmobiliare S.r.l., Suddeutsche Vermeigensvewvaitung Gesellschaft mit beschrenkter Haftung, TELO Beleiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Umited, VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., lmmobilienfonds BuroCenter Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, lmmobilienfonds Wohn- und Gescheftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, and norisbank GmbH.

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Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has stated the draft national budget for 2017 includes $1.5 billion of confiscated funds of former high-ranking officials.

"Yes, we plan next year to get the funds that were stolen from Ukrainian citizens and are now seized, and plan to consolidate them in the budget of Ukraine for 2017," he told reporters.

According to him, there are two options in relation to these funds: the funds will be withdrawn or returned to the national budget, from which they were stolen.
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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The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

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The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine at its meeting on Friday has decided to apply sanctions against representatives of Russian law enforcement and judicial authorities responsible for the illegal prosecution of Ukrainian citizens Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko and others.

"Separately, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has adopted a decision to apply sanctions to the persons involved in illegal actions against Ukrainian citizens. We are talking about law enforcement and judicial authorities of Russia responsible for the illegal persecution of Ukrainian citizens Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko and others who have been wrongfully detained, convicted and are still being held illegally on the territory of Russia," the NSDC's press service reported.

According to the press service, a matter of extending personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) imposed by the NSDC of Ukraine in September 2015, as well as the application of additional sanctions against individuals and entities involved in the Russian aggression against Ukraine was considered at the meeting.
The following companies are subsidiares of Cummins: Anvl, Apollo FC Holdings Ltd., Atlantis Acquisitionco Canada Corporation, Atlantis Holdco UK Limited, Brammo, CIFC Worldwide Partner C.V., CMI Africa Holdings BV, CMI CGT Holdings LLC, CMI Canada Financing Ltd., CMI Canada LP, CMI Foreign Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings C.V., CMI Global Holdings B.V., CMI Global Partner 2 C.V., CMI Global Partners B.V., CMI Group Holdings B.V., CMI Group Holdings Cooperatief U.A., CMI International Finance Partner 1 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 2 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 3 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 4 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 5 LLC, CMI Mexico LLC, CMI Netherlands Holdings B.V., CMI PGI Holdings LLC, CMI PGI International Holdings LLC, CMI Turkish Holdings B.V., CMI UK Finance LP, CMI UK Financing LP, Cherry Island Renewable Energy LLC, Consolidated Diesel Company, Consolidated Diesel Inc., Consolidated Diesel of North Carolina Inc., Cummins (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Cummins (Xiangyang) Machining Co. Ltd., Cummins Africa Middle East (Pty) Ltd., Cummins Afrique de l'Ouest, Cummins Americas Inc., Cummins Angola Lda., Cummins Argentina-Servicios Mineros S.A., Cummins Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Cummins Aust Technologies Pty. Ltd., Cummins BLR LLC, Cummins Battery Systems North America LLC, Cummins Belgium N.V., Cummins Botswana (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins Brasil Ltda., Cummins Burkina Faso SARL, Cummins CDC Holding Inc., Cummins CV Member LLC, Cummins Canada ULC, Cummins Caribbean LLC, Cummins Center of Excellence Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Centroamerica Holding S.de R.L., Cummins Child Development Center Inc., Cummins Colombia S.A.S., Cummins Comercializadora S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Corporation, Cummins Cote d'Ivoire SARL, Cummins Czech Republic s.r.o., Cummins Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Diesel International Ltd., Cummins Distribution Holdco Inc., Cummins EMEA Holdings Limited, Cummins East Asia Research & Development Co. Ltd., Cummins Eastern Marine Inc., Cummins Electrified Power Europe Ltd., Cummins Electrified Power NA Inc., Cummins Emission Solutions (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Emission Solutions Inc., Cummins Empresas Filantropicas, Cummins Energetica Ltda., Cummins Engine (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Trading & Services Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine Holding Company Inc., Cummins Engine IP Inc., Cummins Engine Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Engine Venture Corporation, Cummins Enterprise LLC, Cummins Filtration (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtration GmbH, Cummins Filtration IP Inc., Cummins Filtration Inc., Cummins Filtration International Corp., Cummins Filtration Ltd., Cummins Filtration SARL, Cummins Filtration Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtros Ltda., Cummins Franchise Holdco LLC, Cummins Fuel Systems (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Americas Inc., Cummins Generator Technologies Germany GmbH, Cummins Generator Technologies India Private Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Italy SRL, Cummins Generator Technologies Limited, Cummins Generator Technologies Romania S.A., Cummins Generator Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd., Cummins Ghana Limited, Cummins Ghana Mining Limited, Cummins Global Financing LP, Cummins Global Technologies LLP, Cummins Grupo Comercial Y. de Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Grupo Industrial S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Holland B.V., Cummins Hong Kong Ltd., Cummins India Ltd., Cummins Intellectual Property Inc., Cummins International Finance LLC, Cummins International Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Cummins International Holdings LLC, Cummins Italia S.P.A., Cummins Japan Ltd., Cummins Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins LLC Member Inc., Cummins Ltd., Cummins Maroc SARL, Cummins Middle East FZE, Cummins Mining Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Mobility Services Inc., Cummins Mongolia Investment LLC, Cummins Mozambique Ltda., Cummins NV, Cummins Namibia Engine Sales and Service PTY LTD, Cummins Natural Gas Engines Inc., Cummins New Zealand Limited, Cummins Nigeria Ltd., Cummins Norte de Colombia S.A.S., Cummins North Africa Regional Office SARL, Cummins Norway AS, Cummins PGI Holdings Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (S) Pte. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (U.K.) Limited, Cummins Power Generation Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Power Generation Inc., Cummins Power Generation Limited, Cummins PowerGen IP Inc., Cummins Research and Technology India Private Ltd., Cummins Romania Srl, Cummins S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Sales and Service Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins Sales and Service Philippines Inc., Cummins Sales and Service Private Limited, Cummins Sales and Service Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Sales and Service Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Sinai ve Otomotiv Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cummins South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins South Pacific Pty. Limited, Cummins Southern Plains LLC, Cummins Spain S.L., Cummins Sweden AB, Cummins Technologies India, Cummins Trade Receivables LLC, Cummins Turbo Technologies Limited, Cummins Turkey Motor Guc Sistemleri Sats Servis Limited Sirketi, Cummins U.K. Holdings Ltd., Cummins U.K. Pension Plan Trustee Ltd., Cummins UK Global Holdings Ltd., Cummins UK Holdings LLC, Cummins Vendas e Servicos de Motores e Geradores Ltda., Cummins Venture Corporation, Cummins West Africa Limited, Cummins West Balkans d.o.o. Nova Pasova, Cummins XBorder Operations (Pty) Ltd, Cummins Zambia Ltd., Cummins Zimbabwe Pvt. Ltd., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Costa Rica S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica El Salvador S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Guatemala Ltda., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Honduras S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins S.A., Distribuidora Cummins Sucursal Paraguay SRL, Distribuidora Cummins de Panama S. de R.L., Dynamo Insurance Company Inc., Efficient Drivetrains, Efficient Drivetrains (Beijing) New Power Technology Co. Ltd., Efficient Drivetrains (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hilite International, Hydrogenics, Hydrogenics Corporation, Hydrogenics Europe N.V., Hydrogenics GmbH, Hydrogenics Holding GmbH, Hydrogenics USA Inc., Markon Engineering Company Ltd., Nelson Burgess Ltd., Nelson Industries, Newage Engineers GmbH, Newage Ltd. (U.K.), Newage Machine Tools Ltd., OOO Cummins, Petbow Limited, Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) B.V., Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) Ltd., Power Group International Ltd., Quickstart Energy Projects SpA, Shanghai Cummins Trade Co. Ltd., TOO Cummins, Taiwan Cummins Sales & Services Co. Ltd., Worldwide Partner CV Member LLC, Wuxi Cummins Turbo Technologies Co. Ltd., Wuxi New Energy Automotive Technologies Co. Ltd., and ZED Connect Inc..

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Ukraine not to accept results of population census in CIS countries, if Russia adds Crimean population to itself

Ukraine will not accept the results of the population census in the CIS member countries in 2020, if Russia will add the population in Crimea to the number of its population, Ukrainian Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Mykola Doroshenko said.

"Regarding the population census in 2020. Ukraine will participate in the population census of 2020, but if Russia takes the census of the population living in the Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia, we will consider the results of it void," he said at the CIS Heads of State Council meeting in an extended format in Bishkek on Friday.

Doroshenko participated in the summit on behalf of Ukraine.
The final part of a four-part series.

When Elizabeth Bisland stepped off the Bothnia steamship after it docked in New York Harbor on Jan. 30, 1890, there was a small crowd of people waiting to greet her.

In contrast, a few days earlier, there had been thousands on hand to cheer Nellie Bly when she completed her around-the-world trip. The Daily Messenger newspaper in St. Albans, Vermont, explained the small turnout by writing, It is the winner who wins.

Bislands countenance presented evidence of what she had gone through during her 76-day trek. She was so tan and weatherworn that one reporter wrote that she looked like a veteran yachtswoman.

Famous author Jules Verne, who had inspired the race around the world, had closely followed Blys travels. He had kept track of her daily progress with small flags he would stick into a large wall map.

Verne, like many others, might not have known that Bly had a competitor. This lack of notoriety certainly didnt distress Bisland, and she gladly went back to the reclusive life of a writer.

After co-writing a novel, A Widower Indeed, Bisland landed a job as an editor for Illustrated American. Soon after returning from her whirlwind trip around the globe, she met and fell in love with Charles Wetmore, a lawyer.

They married on Oct. 6, 1891. That same year, Harper & Brothers published, A Flying Trip Around the World, which was a compilation of stories that Bisland had written about her trip for The Cosmopolitan monthly magazine.

The couple soon moved to an estate in Oyster Bay, Long Island. They called the house they built Applegarth, and it was there that Bisland did some of her finest writing, including the autobiographical book A Candle of Understanding.

In 1909, Wetmore made the decision to stop practicing law in order to head up a utility firm called the North American Company. The new job brought them to Washington, D.C., and within months, Wetmore was stricken by a mysterious illness.

Bisland wrote that the unidentified disease affected the nerves and cruelly attacked mind as well as body. The seriousness of the disorder prompted them to pull up stakes and travel.

For a year, starting in the spring of 1911, the two visited many of the places Bisland had first seen during her rush around the world. Much of their time was spent in Japan, where they especially enjoyed walking through the countryside, flanked by farmers immaculately groomed fields.

After living in London for a time, the childless couple returned to Washington. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Bisland worked herself to exhaustion organizing drives to benefit the American Red Cross.

When Bisland was diagnosed with anemia, she completely disregarded medical advice to rest and recover. Instead of becoming what she called, a superfluous slug, she volunteered to help care for the sick and wounded at Walter Reed Hospital.

Along with the agony she witnessed at the hospital, Bisland was dealing with her own throes of despair brought on by the deteriorating health of her beloved husband. When his condition worsened, he was placed in a sanitarium, and she was told not to visit.

This mindless and unnecessary command was torturous for Bisland, and she never again saw her husband alive. When he died on June 1, 1919, she wrote to a friend that all the meaning and purpose have gone out of life.

Wetmore had suffered his affliction with patience and gallantry, and Bisland tried to do the same. She threw herself into her volunteer work as president of the Womens Evening Clinic, which provided affordable health care for working women.

In 1922, Bisland once again sought out the solitude of long-distance travel, and she returned to Japan and China for seven months. Although she admitted that she liked Asia the best, she returned to the U.S. to live out the remainder of her life.

In 1924, Bisland sold her home in D.C. and moved to a 25-acre spread just west of Charlottesville. The property was named Greenway Rise, and was located roughly where St. Annes-Belfield School is now.

Bisland was looking for a quieter life, and she found it in her new home. Although she was 63 years old, she enjoyed a renewal of energy that helped lift her from depression.

The new arrival busied herself with guiding the workmen she hired to renovate the house and groom the long-neglected grounds. She enjoyed sitting in on lectures at the University of Virginia, and occasionally she would accept invitations to talk to classes on the subjects of writing and travel.

Bislands first writing job had been with the New Orleans Times-Democrat newspaper. One of its reporters visited her during this period of her life and described her as a distinguished white-haired lady in regally old-fashioned black velvet and lace.

The new life in Virginia inspired Bisland to return to her writing desk. In 1927, a collection of her final essays was published under the title The Truth About Men and Other Matters.

Addressing the subject of growing old, Bisland wrote, One braces [oneself] to accept courageously the wrongs of time; to wear the lichens and mosses with silent gallantry.

As the world said goodbye to the year 1928, Bisland suddenly fell ill. Within days, she succumbed to pneumonia, dying on Jan. 6, 1929.

Funeral services for the 67-year-old writer were held in New York City. She was buried next to her husband in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Bislands five-paragraph obituary in the New York Times presented pertinent information, such as her place of birth, editorial positions and books she had written. Not a word was written about her around-the-world adventure.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has announced an extension of the sanctions list of Russian companies and individuals involved in one way or another in the violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, according to the head of state's official site.

"The restrictive measures will apply, in particular, to Russian defense companies, financial institutions providing support for the terrorist organizations, i.e. the LPR/DPR [Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics], sea and air transport companies working with the occupied part of Ukraine, in Crimea. The measures will also apply to operators, vessels and aircraft which brazenly violate the Ukrainian laws by visiting the ports despite the harsh ban issued by Ukraine," Poroshenko told the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) on Friday.

The issue has already been worked through by the Cabinet, the National Bank, the Ukrainian Security Service and other agencies, the president said.

The president also suggested adding to the sanctions names of the Crimeans taking part in Russia's State Duma elections. "We must agree that the people who will be proclaimed so-called winners in the illegal State Duma elections in Crimea, which will be held on September 18, should take a worthy place on the sanctions list," Poroshenko said, adding that, "it is an honorary ticket to the sanctions club."

The president instructed NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov to update the sanctions list by adding those who will get elected, as well as members of election commissions and participants in the voting process.
 Antioch Baptist Church (Scottsville) holds Tent Revival services with guest speakers and special music at 7 p.m. Sept. 22-25 on the Hardware River. (434) 286-6315.

 Divine Women of Destiny International Conference will be held Sept. 23-24 at Covenant Church of God, 1025 E. Rio Road. Details and registration available at divinewomenofdestiny.com. (434) 249-2280.

 Ebenezer Baptist Church celebrates Revival with the Rev. Harlie Wilson of Baltimore preaching at 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. 113 Sixth St. (434) 296-7032.

 Faith, Hope and Love Church holds a Spiritual Warriors Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at Best Western Cavalier Inn, 105 N. Emmet St. $20. The church will celebrate its pastors and founders anniversary with Apostle William Nowell of New Covenant Pentecostal Churches preaching at 3 p.m. Sunday. 1229 Teel Lane. (434) 296-1995.

 Islamic Society of Central Virginia holds an open house that includes tours of the mosque and presentations on the basics of Islam, noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 24. 708 Pine St. charlottesvillemasjid.com. (434) 260-1253.

 James River Brewery (Scottsville) hosts Hops & Hymns from 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday. 561 Valley St. (434) 286-7837.

 Journey Home (Mineral) holds a fundraising event to build transitional housing for individuals and families in need of a temporary place to live. The event will feature live music, family activities, food, a silent auction and more, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 24. Louisa Baptist Church, 305 E. Main St. journeyhomemineral.org. (540) 967-1364.

 Laurel Hill Baptist Church hosts a free live simulcast of the Revive Our Hearts Prayer Event, Cry Out Friday, 7 p.m. Friday. Airport Road. cryout16.com, visitlaurelhill.org. (434) 973-6125.

 Mt. Zion Baptist Church (Advance Mills) celebrates its 140th anniversary with the Rev. Steven Miller preaching at 11 a.m. and the Rev. Chauncey Brown of Evergreen Ministries preaching at 3 p.m. Sunday. 6045 Advance Mills Road. (434) 293-9887.

 Peace Lutheran Church holds a Welcome to Peace brunch from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and a Stewardship-When it Isnt Working workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday. 1510 Broad Crossing Drive. (434) 978-4357.

 Sand Road Baptist Church (Esmont) celebrates Homecoming with Pastor Benjamin Paige Jr. preaching at 11:30 a.m. and the Rev. Henry Truzy Jr. of Thessalonia Baptist Church of Mineral preaching at 3 p.m. Sunday. Revival services will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5393 Secretarys Sand Road. (434) 293-4213.

 Scottsville Presbyterian Church hosts performances by Ethan Hamburg, Ruth Dillon and Four Hits and a Miss as part of the Concerts Across America event, raising awareness of gun violence, 7 p.m. Sept. 25. 148 Bird St. (434) 286-4062.

 Southside Christian Church celebrates Homecoming with music by Wayne Gentry at 10:30 a.m., guest speaker Stan Martin at 11 a.m. and a fellowship meal at noon Sunday. 808 Blenheim Ave. (434) 973-1368.

 University Baptist Church continues a three-week series Reconnect, with Connect with Community at 11 a.m. Sunday and Connect with Confidence at 11 a.m. Sept. 25. A free playgroup for children younger than 6 and their parents is held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. each Thursday. 1223 W. Main St. (434) 293-5106.

 Wildon Grove Baptist Church (Gordonsville) celebrates Homecoming with Minister Penny Hawkins of St. John Baptist Church in Cobham preaching at 3 p.m. Sunday. Lunch will be served after the 11:30 a.m. service. 6820 Wildon Grove Road. (540) 406-2193.

This calendar, published every Saturday, lists special events of a religious nature. Because of space constraints, notices about regular worship services cannot be included. Items intended for publication should be faxed to (434) 978-7252; mailed to Worship Calendar, The Daily Progress, P.O. Box 9030, Charlottesville, VA 22906; or emailed to ewood@dailyprogress.com. Material must be received by 4 p.m. the Wednesday prior to publication.
Audiences at the Paramount Theater were howling with laughter Friday night when prolific British-Indian author Sir Salman Rushdie sat for a live interview, speaking on migration, ever-changing technology and, without surprise, Donald Trump.

The New York-based essayist-novelist-professor brought his unique perspective to Charlottesville as part of the National Endowment for the Humanities four-day Human/Ties event in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Sitting across from him on the stage was his friend Suketu Mehta, a fellow renowned author and journalism professor.

Dubbed Being Human in a Global Age, the dialogue featured Rushdies unique perspective and unrelenting comedic chops as the two strayed from Rushdies notorious past and instead focused on being a citizen of the global world.

In that vein of citizenship, Rushdie said that despite being a near-20-year resident of New York, he had just recently gained his American citizenship. It was a decision, he said, with unintended, emotional consequences.

During his citizenship test  the thing Donald Trump probably cant pass  Rushdie said that someone asked to see his green card, but failed to ever give it back. When he asked for it, the man responded that he simply wouldnt need it anymore. So once his citizenship was secure, he exited the building in lower Manhattan, grabbed a cab and made his way home.

And looking out of the window at New York, where Ive lived all this time, I felt completely different, Rushdie said. I found myself forming the phrase, my country.

The concept of migration is more prevalent now than ever, Rushdie said, especially in metropolitan areas like New York, where 60 percent of the population originated from outside the city. But that migrant mentality is informing modern writing: no narrative can be told within a microcosm, Rushdie said. Stories are told in a broader context now; the migrant mentality can inform that outsider perspective.

Thats the thing the migrant figure has access to, Rushdie said to Mehta, a migrant himself. Weve been part of more than one world, and we know how they join up, because they join up in us.

The two also discussed, quickly, the ever-changing landscape of technology as it informs modern perspectives; Mehta was quick to point out that before Rushdie went dormant on Twitter, hed logged thousands of tweets.

Theres a thing about Twitter that is profoundly silly, Rushdie said. I havent missed it for a millisecond.

Rushdie swiveled the conversation to new avenues of storytelling created by technology  ones that originated decades ago. He discussed the concept of the non-fiction novel, one told with techniques of the novel to tell true stories and impressions from the author within the story. He said the precursors of this style were Norman Mailers The Armies of the Night and Truman Capotes In Cold Blood.

Before taking questions, the two took a moment to address the phenomenon of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and the parallels that his rise to power may have with the authoritarian style of leadership that threatened Rushdies life for so long.

Rushdie noted, to his embarrassment, he said, that hed met Trump and had received praise from him. At an opera years ago, the two ran into one another backstage; as Trump approached, he said to Rushdie, youre the man.

I knew the answer, of course, Rushdie said. I said, no Donald, youre the man.

Deriding Trumps demagoguery, Rushdie pontificated on the fear that authoritarians seem to have on writers. He concluded that, the writer is the voice that nobody owns.

All these people  what they want to do is control the narrative, Rushdie said, adding fears that a Trump presidency may do exactly that with the press.

Rushdies 1988 novel The Satanic Verses led to major outcry from Muslims in several countries. He received death threats and Irans Ayatollah Khomeini called for his assassination. Rushdie was offered police protection by the British government.

In later migrating to the United States, Rushdie said at Fridays event, he learned quickly that freedom of the press is the most important tenet of American democracy  a concept he had to adjust to. In the past, hed encountered governments that banned racist speech. It was a law that made sense to him at the time, but his opinion morphed while living in the U.S., after coming to understand the detriments of censorship, be it from the right or the left.

Bad ideas dont disappear if you forbid them, Rushdie said. Sometimes they become more powerful, because they gain the power of taboo.

Instead, allowing free speech for all can help eliminate detrimental ideas.

I want to know where the assholes are, Rushdie said to laughter and cheers. So let them reveal themselves.

Rushdie took several questions from the packed crowd, including one woman who, as she quietly wept, asked Rushdie for tips on how to write something when they fear the repercussions.

I dont know what to say to you, because it depends on how great your need is to tell the story, Rushdie said.

Hearing her respond I have a great need, Rushdie replied, then that will answer your question.

I dont know any writer who wants to be in danger  its on the whole quite bad for your social life, he quipped. But the problem is sometimes there are stories that need to be told, that the writer has a need to tell those stories.
Sipping from Starbucks cups with their names hastily scribbled on the sides, Mac Callan and Jesse Case sit at a table in the middle of a shopping mall discussing the previous school year and upcoming events in their lives.

Its mid-April, and Mac has a lot going on. Hes graduating high school, turning 18 and leaving Albemarle County for Rowan University in New Jersey. He sounds exhausted just talking about it  perhaps a symptom of mild senioritis - but his grin reveals his excitement.

Jesse doesnt try to hide his jealousy. Hes a junior at Albemarle High School, still to face standardized tests and everything else his final year will bring, in addition to his numerous extracurricular activities like working for the high school paper, The Revolution.

Its a typical scene - teenagers talking with their friends over coffee after school. But Macs and Jesses high school experience has been anything but typical: Theyre both out transgender teenagers who identify as male, and go by he/him pronouns.

The issues surrounding transgender students have been thrust into the national spotlight in recent years. Conversations have ranged from bathroom access to amending local school board policies to provide equal education and protection from discrimination and harassment.

Mac and Jesse acknowledge the importance of school policies protecting transgender students like themselves, but they say theres more to be done, including sensitivity training for teachers and administrators to be more culturally aware of transgender students needs.

Still, Jesse says hes a student just like everyone else. He walks into school through the same front entrance, takes the same classes and hopes to walk across the same stage come graduation.

Its important to Jesse that he and other transgender students at his school are acknowledged, protected and feel safe in their learning environment, and that they can find the necessary resources outside of the school building to continue to feel this way.

But at the end of the day, he says, its about being treated equally.

***

Last year, Virginia became a focus of transgender issues as a lawsuit involving a Virginia teenager and Gloucester County public schools made its way through the courts. The lawsuit focused on the right for a transgender student to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, and not the gender they were born with.

In May 2016, the departments of Justice and Education sent out directions to school divisions across the nation that states gender identity is protected by Title IX  a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any educational programs or settings  which schools receiving federal funding are expected to uphold. This action from the federal government has led to a lawsuit from Texas, among several other states, challenging the departments interpretation of Title IX.

But in Albemarle County, the School Board opted to include gender identity in its school policy last year, making it one of a handful of public school divisions in the state to do so.

In November of last year, the county School Board voted to update its school policy to include the terms sexual orientation and gender identity to provide additional protections for its students, staff and faculty.

The update gives those groups of individuals access to equal education opportunities and protections from discrimination that they previously did not have, such as giving transgender students equal access to all facilities  which includes bathrooms  as well as procedures to file proper discrimination complaints.

Albemarle County is one of eight of 132 school divisions in Virginia that include the term gender identity in its nondiscrimination and equal education opportunity policies.

The other public school divisions are Arlington and Fairfax counties, as well as the cities of Alexandria, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Richmond and Virginia Beach.

Some school divisions policies do include language that protects students and teachers from harassment and bullying on the basis of gender identity, but dont go as far as the protections provided in Albemarle County schools and the seven others in the state.

And while eight school divisions seems like a small number, the policies cover more than a quarter of the states student, faculty and staff population. James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virginia, said 28 percent of Virginia public schools students and employees attend or work at a school where the policy includes protections from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.

The actual number of students protected is unknown since the demographic of transgender individuals is difficult to track.

According to a study from the Williams Institute dated June 2016, there are an estimated 1.4 million adults in the United States who openly identify as transgender, or roughly 0.6 percent of the total population. In Virginia, its estimated to be 34,500 adults, or 0.55 percent of the total population.

The study, which only includes figures for adults and in its findings, notes that many major national surveys do not ask participants for gender identity, but that information can be found through some state-level population-based surveys.

***

When the changes to the school policy were put before the Albemarle County School Board in November, the board approved it on a 5-2 vote.

School Board member Steve Koleszar, from the Scottsville District, is one of those who voted in favor of the update, saying it was ultimately about equal treatment to all students, as well as faculty and staff.

I voted in favor because I firmly believe in the concept that we want to treat all people with dignity and respect and that we want to make sure that all people, employees and students feel welcome and safe in our schools, he said during the November meeting.

Koleszar added that the update helps because there are certain people who historically have been excluded or looked down upon or rejected in our society, and what were saying is that, as a school division, were not going to do that and were going to treat those people based on who they are, as people.

Jonno Alcaro, the at-large member, was not on the School Board at the time the vote took place, but said he would have voted with the majority of the board.

I think that one of the primary responsibilities of the board is to have policies in place that keep all of the children, all of the kids safe, and I think that that was a good policy to have in place to that end, he said.

Matt Haas, assistant superintendent for the county schools, said the school divisions policy manual is looked at every five years for areas that need updating, whether its to clear up language that has become antiquated or, in the case of Novembers vote, to make changes that meet the needs of all students, faculty and staff.

Individual school divisions are allowed to make changes to their nondiscrimination policies because of an opinion issued by state Attorney General Mark Herring in 2015 allowing local school boards to amend their school policies to include protections for students and employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

A common talking point against the passage of such policies has been about safety and privacy in restrooms, since including gender identity in the equal education opportunity portion of the school policy means transgender students are free to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

Opponents to that access argue that anyone can enter any bathroom or locker room that they want to based on how they choose to identify that day, therefore abusing the law and creating an unsafe environment.

The safety issue has been argued many times, but according to Lambda Legal, a national legal group that focuses on the civil rights of the LGBT community, that side of the argument is based on myth.

Lambda Legal claims that transgender people are far more likely to be the victims, not perpetrators, of harassment in a public facility, and that forcing someone to use the bathroom that does not correspond with their gender identity is another safety issue for transgender people, as it can out them and invite harassment.

Haas, who has worked in schools as a teacher and administrator for more than 20 years, said anyone whos ever wanted to go into a public bathroom where they didnt belong have been doing it long before any kind of law or policy was in place that allowed restroom usage on the basis of gender identity.

This policy, I dont think opens the door all of a sudden to entitle people to misbehave, he said. And I dont really think that a change in this policy brings that about, like all of a sudden people were waiting for an opportunity to go into a restroom.

***

In Jesses and Macs eyes, their school is making progress. But they understand that any change in policy or attitude takes time, education and understanding.

One problem they had initially was getting some of their teachers to address them by their preferred names and pronouns.

Both point to instances where teachers were misgendering them, or referring to them by their birth name and pronouns rather than the ones they identify with.

Short of legally changing your name  which Mac did earlier this year  a transgender students preferred name or pronouns will not be displayed in their records. This comes up for attendance purposes, computer logins and so on.

Both Jesse and Mac said it can be humiliating and insulting to have to remind teachers not to refer to them by their incorrect names. It can also out them to their classmates.

Mac said hes had issues with a teacher persistently using the wrong pronouns in the past. Jesse said hes had a substitute teacher insist on calling him the wrong name  his birth name  in front of the classroom while challenging the validity of his preferred name.

I was outed in front of the class, which is ridiculous, Jesse said. It should never have to happen. Its incredibly dangerous and it is a huge threat to privacy for trans students.

During the week before school started back in mid-August, Jesse got the opportunity to speak to the full teaching and faculty staff at Albemarle High on how to best address their transgender students.

Jesse and a few other students, alongside principal Jay Thomas, stood before them and talked about subjects like the importance of proper name and pronoun use.

Jesse, who is the president of the schools Queer and Ally (Q&A) club, said repeatedly during the summer months that more education and conversations with teachers is a goal of his and the clubs for this school year.

At Albemarle High this year, Thomas said the theme is All means all, which applies to every single student in the school.

Thomas says one of his primary duties as an administrator is to make sure all the students in his school are comfortable in their learning environments, and that they feel safe and welcome.

No one said to us we have to do any of this, no one has asked us to do this, but its just something we know thats right to do, Thomas said.

Haas said that although policies can be changed with a single vote, changes in practices, attitudes and viewpoints can take time.

Changing a policy is important, he said. The actual change in the way we all work together just takes a little bit more time.

When it comes to fellow students, derogatory comments about his appearance or crude jokes that Jesse has heard dont really bother him, he said. But he worries about others like him, and acknowledges he doesnt know how to protect transgender students from harassment, or even the possibility of violence against them in school.

According to the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Networks 2013 National School Climate Survey, nearly 38 percent of LGBTQ students feel unsafe at school because of their gender expressions, and approximately one-third of those surveyed heard negative remarks specifically about transgender people in their school. Students in the same survey also reported being verbally and physically harassed, and even some said they were physically assaulted because of their gender expression.

Its hard because I dont have any...specific solution to the problem, and it is a problem, Jesse said. All I can hope is that, over time, people learn to be nicer.

***

When Jesse came out to his mother near the end of December 2012, Jennifer Case admitted that she absorbed the news with a mix of emotions.

There was concern for the safety of her son, the fear of bullying and harassment he might endure because of who he is. But she didnt try to dissuade her son from being himself, instead embracing him and and trying to better understand his transition.

Through the support of groups like ROSMY and P Flag, Case went to counseling, read books together with Jesse and talked regularly with him about his ongoing transition to better understand what he was experiencing.

If your child feels like you are shutting them out or afraid of them or weirded out, then theyll go somewhere else for advice and support, maybe just not get support at all, and then that can progress to depression and even worse, she said.

Youre the parent. You have to support your child.

Resources like ROSMY, which is based in Richmond but does hold meetings in the Charlottesville area, are there for LGBTQ youth who want a safe place to talk and be around others like them.

A lot of the youth we see are the only out transgender kids in their school or their faith community, and so creating a space where they can come meet other youth who are similar to them or may not have the same story, but may be going through similar experiences can be really empowering, Ted Lewis, executive director of ROSMY, said. Part of the danger for LGBTQ youth is the feeling of isolation and feeling alone. So providing safe affirming places where youth can connect with other young people who are going through similar situations is really invaluable.

Back at home, Jesses mother and two of his brothers, Mack and Jack Case, have fully embraced Jesse, who is just another brother to them.

Mack Case, a freshman at James Madison University, admitted that he was a little uncomfortable with the change initially, but later learned to accept it. Ultimately, Jesse asked only two thing of him: call me Jesse and use the he/him pronouns.

It was sort of like just changing a name, he said. Thats really all that means.

And Jack Case, an eighth grade student at Jack Jouett Middle School, adjusted to the name Jesse and he/him pronouns faster than anyone else, something he credits to his generation and what they see today as normal in society.

He said he doesnt necessarily think people his age need advice if their sibling comes out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or any other identification.

I guess its their sibling and theyre going to love them either way, and theyre not really going to have a negative opinion because theyre growing up in kind of like a different world now where its accepted and encouraged.

***

Its early August now, and summer vacation is nearly over. For Jesse, the summer months of sleeping in and fewer responsibilities are coming to a close.

Mac Callan is in New Jersey to start college and a new chapter of his life, and meeting a lot of new people who have only known him as Mac is pretty exciting, he said.

Still in Albemarle, Jesse looks forward to his journalism class and projects with Q&A  even if that means setting an alarm clock to be up at a reasonable hour.

Sitting in a Downtown Mall coffee shop to escape the heat and humidity, Jesse thinks back to recent events over the summer involving transgender persons and movements, at a time when a week doesnt seem to go by without something in the news about gender identity.

There was one instance in particular at the Democratic National Convention in July when he caught the speech by Sarah McBride, a transgender activist and former White House staffer who became the first transgender person to speak at a major political party national presidential convention.

Jesse said he never expected to see a transgender person speaking about the issues they face on a national stage.

It just made me feel like my problems were important, you know? And somebody was paying attention, he said. It was amazing to see.

Jesse hopes the speech is representative of a new normal, where issues and topics about transgender people are seen as significant and not taboo.

And as he works to make Albemarle High School and his community safer and more welcoming for transgender youth, its important to him that people see him and others like him as equals and members of the community  neighbors, students and people.

People need to realize that [transgender is] not all I am, you know? Im also a student. Im also a journalist, an artist. Im all these other things.
The first round of projects received funding from the University of Virginias Strategic Investment Fund on Friday.

UVas Board of Visitors approved 13 research projects and academic programs, each vetted by committees made up of faculty members and administrators, for a total of $26 million over the next three years.

The largest projects included about $4.8 million in increased financial support for doctoral students; about $4.8 million for a research center focusing on cyber-physical systems (also known as the Internet of things); and about $4.4 million for software and training designed to help faculty compete for grants.

The board also set aside about $1 million for new merit-based scholarships at the Darden School of Business. Another $1 million will go toward aid and loan forgiveness for School of Law graduates who take public service jobs.

The board debated waiting until it could address concerns about student affordability. Ultimately, it decided to vote on the research proposals and table affordability until December.

Lets get on with it, said member Wittington W. Clement. In December, well have a more complete package that will express and implement the policies we all share.

The Strategic Investment Fund  worth $2.3 billion with an annual payout of up to $100 million  has been a source of contention since July. The university set it aside to help advance research and academics, but critics  including members of the General Assembly  want UVa officials to use it to offset recent tuition increases.

Rector William H. Goodwin said the board will look for ways to use the fund to help with student affordability.

During the boards final session Friday afternoon, Goodwin suggested the board hold a meeting in November to brainstorm, before its scheduled meeting in December. The date for the November meeting is still to be determined.

The board has discussed a few ideas: decreasing loan caps; excluding money saved in the states college saving fund from calculations of need; and a matching philanthropy dollars set aside for AccessUVa, the financial aid program.

But these ideas are still in the development phase.

Tuition and aid are the issues that most concern students, said Phoebe A. Willis, the boards non-voting student member. Willis said many students wanted the opportunity to be involved in the grant request process.

Goodwin pledged to get feedback from students between now and then.

Just like the faculty, theyre going to have a process [to follow] but theyre not going to be excluded, Goodwin said.

UVas Student Council has been lobbying university officials for formal student involvement in the process. After meeting with administrators late last month, the council submitted a list of its suggestions, including student representatives on the committees that evaluate proposals and recommend them to the board.

Council members also want to evaluate proposals that are focused on improving that student experience, as well as a provision that would allow students to make grant requests of their own through a petition system.

Brett Curtis, who chairs the Representative Body (the legislature of the Student Council), said the council hasnt heard much response from officials since it released the suggestions on Aug. 31, but it is in talks with Willis.

After Fridays meeting, Curtis said the council had expected more response in light of the lack of direct student input and lack of transparency in the process.

The changes we requested honor the ideals of student self-governance and will ensure that the SIF is used in ways that students believe will best improve the student experience, Curtis said.

But the council remains optimistic about the prospect of student involvement, Curtis added.

We believe the board is open to creating a system that allows for student feedback, and are hopeful that there will be student representation soon, he said.

Willis, a third-year law student, has the difficult task of mediating between the two parties. She will continue talks with the council  including its president, Emily Lodge  this weekend.

Willis said shell be in an advisory role with the council  trying to help them craft a plan thats palatable to the board.

I dont have a plan for student involvement, but I know its going to happen, she said.

Students have begun to embrace the idea of a Strategic Investment Fund, but there is still some lingering distrust of the board, Willis said. Most of it, she said, boils down to a lack of communication.

Students do feel disconnected from the board, she said. Thats not surprising but I think it could be improved.
Asserting that many of the Confederate monuments nationwide are symbolic of the Lost Cause that has attempted to cover up racist ideology, a prominent Civil War expert from the University of Virginia has told the Charlottesville community he thinks the citys own Confederate memorials should remain in place.

At a meeting Thursday of the citys Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces, UVa history professor Gary Gallagher told the commission and the public that slavery was indeed the cause of the Civil War, but that personal motivations, collective memory and post-war revisionism have complicated the historical narrative in the 150 years since.

Gallagher is the John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War and director of the Nau Civil War Center at UVa.

If you take slavery out of the picture, he said, it is absolutely inconceivable that anything like this would have happened  And nobody at the time was confused about this!

Arriving prepared with various handouts that included brief snippets of historic speeches and letters made by politicians from before and during the war, Gallagher used those primary sources to reinforce his statements.

Two examples he provided were Abraham Lincolns famous A House Divided speech from 1858, when the 16th president of the United States told the Republican state convention that he believed this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.

It will become all of one or all the other, Lincoln said, alluding to the institution of slavery and whether it would be abolished nationwide or made lawful everywhere.

Although some vigorously argue that Lincoln made the decision to invade the South for reasons other than abolition, Gallagher said secession and the Confederacy were predicated on keeping slavery legal.

He noted that Alexander H. Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, said on March 21, 1861, that the negro is not equal to the white man and that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and moral condition.

This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great philosophical and moral truth, Stephens said.

After essentially attempting to summarize a semesters worth of content into a 30-minute presentation, Gallagher took questions from members of the panel.

Commissioner Frank Dukes asked whether theres any scholastic discourse against the facts Gallagher presented. Gallagher said hes confident that his assertions are true, and that anyone who refutes slavery as the cause of the war is likely citing sources from the post-war era.

I dont want to read one word written after the war to try and understand whats going on in 1860 and 1861, Gallagher said. What they said then is, of course its about slavery!

Commissioner John Mason, perhaps one of the most outspoken commissioners when it comes to his beliefs about the citys statues, asked why Gallagher doesnt support the removal of the citys Confederate monuments despite his thoughts on what they represent.

Gallagher said he thinks more context should be added to the statues to explain their history and the period in which they were erected. He added that he would like to see another Civil War monument to honor those who have been overlooked and to provide greater diversity to the local landscape.

My solution  I would put up other monuments and rename the park, he said. I would invite people to use this space to think about the difference between history and memory.

The commission is expected to provide a progress report on its tasks to the City Council on Sept. 19. It will then hold a community-wide forum at Buford Middle School on Sept. 22.
The energy ministers from Russia and Ukraine are planned to meet in Minsk on September 21 to discuss energy supply to Donbas, Second Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has said.

"We are discussing these issues every time, at every meeting. It is planned that our minister and the Russian minister will pay a visit on September 21 and will confer on bigger matters," Kuchma told the press in Kyiv on Saturday.

The Donbas situation is complicated, infrastructure is ruined, and its restoration will require investment, he said.

"They are due to have the discussion, but it's unknown whether they will be able to reach consent," Kuchma said.
The U.S. Department of Justice has assigned an attorney to review inmate deaths at Hampton Roads Regional Jail and decide whether to pursue an investigation, according to an email obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Steven H. Rosenbaum, chief of the DOJs special litigation section, responded last week to an urgent investigation request sent by seven mental health and civil rights advocates in June.

Its the first indication that the DOJ is considering conducting an investigation after the highly publicized deaths of Jamycheal Mitchell in August 2015 and Henry Stewart last month.

Thank you for the information you have provided regarding the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, Rosenbaum wrote Sept. 7 to Mira Signer, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Virginia. We are reviewing the information to determine what, if any, action by the Department of Justice would be appropriate.

Signer led efforts in June to ask Rosenbaum to investigate the jail. She and others from NAMI were joined by advocates from the Portsmouth NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Mental Health America of Virginia.

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Gov. Terry McAuliffe have joined advocates calls for a federal civil rights investigation, with Herring sending a written request for an investigation to the Department of Justice this month following the news of Stewarts death.

On Sept. 2, Signer wrote Rosenbaum a follow-up email, again urging him to look into Mitchells death.

More than one year later, Virginia has still not come clean with what happened and how this young man died while psychotic and in jail, she wrote.

In his reply, Rosenbaum said the special litigation section attorney assigned to the matter is Kristin Hucek, who could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

Hucek, a graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard Law, has worked for the DOJ since May 2015, according to her LinkedIn profile. Last month, she transferred to the special litigation section where she is charged with investigating claims of systemic violations of constitutional rights.

The Virginia State Police began investigating Mitchells death in June and presented their preliminary findings with Stephanie N. Morales, the Portsmouth Commonwealth Attorney, in August. Morales asked the agency to continue investigating.

Previously, Christina Pullen, a spokeswoman for the FBI, said the agency is prepared to investigate should Virginia State Police uncover evidence of a potential civil rights violation. The FBI operates under the DOJs jurisdiction.

A state medical examiner found that Mitchell, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, died of heart problems and wasting syndrome after losing 46 pounds over 101 days in custody. The 24-year-old had been jailed for allegedly stealing $5 in snacks from a 7-Eleven store.

Stewart, 60, died Aug. 6, two days after an emergency medical grievance he filed with corrections officers was denied. In the written request for emergency medical care he submitted Aug. 4, he told guards he blacked out twice in less than 24 hours and that he could not hold down food or water.

He also wrote that he had made similar requests before but had been told to wait for his scheduled medical appointments.
Russian diplomatic missions to Ukraine will enjoy regular protection on the State Duma elections day, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.

"Ukraine is a highly civilized country, and we will act consistent with the international law. We will not protect Russia's electoral process. In fact, Kyiv maintains the order irrespective of the day of the week. Hence, the law enforcement system will execute its functions in a regular regime," he told the press in Kyiv on Saturday.

The Russian Embassy in Ukraine said earlier on the day that a group of unknown persons hurled a smoke grenade into the embassy premises and used a salute launcher early in the morning.
Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates on Friday announced their own legislative package to reform the states policies on felon voting.

The proposal, introduced by Del. Greg Habeeb, R-Salem, is a more moderate version of the constitutional amendment that Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, proposed earlier this month.

Habeebs legislative package would automatically restore voting rights to nonviolent felons who have completed their sentences and supervised release and paid all fines, court fees and restitution.

Unlike Norments proposal, which would strip the governors power to restore rights to violent felons, Habeebs would allow the governor to restore rights to violent felons after two years and an individual review, provided the person meets the same criteria required of nonviolent offenders.

Im not saying any particular bill is the right bill, but I think a consensus is forming around a set of principles, Habeeb said in an interview. And we tried to draft this legislation to meet that growing consensus.

Habeeb also introduced legislation to automatically restore firearm rights to nonviolent felons who regain their political rights.

The constitutional right to own a firearm should be treated the same as the political rights for nonviolent offenders, Habeeb said in a written statement. If a nonviolent offender is ready to fully participate in society again, they should have all of their rights back, not just a select few.

Violent felons would still have to petition a court before regaining the right to own a gun, a process that allows prosecutors to weigh in on potential public safety risks.

Like Norments proposal, Habeebs would give the General Assembly the power to decide which felonies are considered violent and which are nonviolent. Habeeb said he expects that delineation to be a major point of discussion, particularly when it comes to drug offenses.

After months of heated debate over Gov. Terry McAuliffes ability to restore felons voting rights en masse, the discussion is beginning to turn toward long-term reforms that can be taken up when the General Assembly convenes in January.

McAuliffe issued an executive order in April that restored rights for more than 206,000 violent and nonviolent felons who had completed their sentences. After a lawsuit brought by Republican General Assembly leaders, the Supreme Court of Virginia struck down the order in July, saying McAuliffes sweeping order thwarted the Virginias constitutional ban on felon voting.

In August, the governor sent individual rights restoration orders to roughly 13,000 people who registered to vote under his original order. Early this month, he restored an additional 6,957 people who had asked for their rights back. Republicans questioned the legality of those actions too and asked the Supreme Court to hold the governor in contempt, but this week the justices unanimously rejected the attempt to keep the legal battle going.

Habeeb said his reform package will need more work, particularly when it comes to fine tuning the felony classifications and establishing the right administrative process.

Everyone deserves an opportunity at redemption, but the nature and severity of the crimes should be taken into consideration and a second chance should only come after they have completed their entire sentence, which includes paying their debts to the justice system and to victims, Habeeb said. We need a policy that treats redemption in accordance with the crime.

Habeebs legislative package is being co-patroned by two Richmond-area Republicans: Dels. John M. OBannon III, R-Henrico, and Peter F. Farrell, R-Henrico.

Del. Marcus B. Simon, D-Fairfax, who has introduced a constitutional amendment to remove the felon voting ban entirely, said he sees Habeebs bill as sincere effort at progress as opposed to Norments proposal, which Democrats condemned as a step back backward.

We disagree on some of the finer points, Simon said.

He specifically questioned the linkage between voting rights and gun rights, which he called an apples and oranges comparison, and requiring the full repayment of debts, which Democrats see as a major obstacle for ex-offenders with limited resources.

Habeeb called Simons approach bad policy and said nobody actually believes murderers should be able to vote from jail. If Simons amendment were to pass, an unlikely outcome in Simons own view, Virginia would join Maine and Vermont as a state with no restrictions on felon voting.

Im willing to risk that outcome because I dont think its an awful outcome, Simon said, adding that his primary purpose is to get the ban out of the constitution and let the General Assembly decide the issue.

Given the lengthy process required for constitutional changes, lawmakers will have plenty of time to debate felon voting reforms. The General Assembly would need to pass enabling legislation two years in a row, which would set up a voter referendum in November 2018.
AMISSVILLE  A group of Quail Ridge Subdivision homeowners are frustrated with the Virginia Department of Transportation after the state agency applied a gravel-like material on their asphalt roads in August, causing bumpier rides, uneven surfaces and dusty clouds as they drive on them.

On Thursday, homeowner Don Sandifer welcomed a couple of his neighbors onto his heavily-shaded porch to share their frustrations about the recent roadwork.

Sandifer said the roads leading to his home were perfectly paved last month.

That was until VDOT applied a preventative maintenance treatment on some of the roads in his subdivision located in the Jefferson District in the northern part of Culpeper County.

Don Sandifer says he wants VDOT to repave the roads like they were before the substance was applied.

All of a sudden one morning dust was everywhere and dust is still there now, said Sandifer. And thats not going to stop.

VDOTs Culpeper District Engineer and Administrator John Lynch explained the recently applied surface treatment is typically recommended for lower volume local roads with lower speeds and is used to extend the pavement life.

While some loose stone is present immediately after the treatment is placed, it typically dissipates over the course of several weeks, added Lynch.

During the process, Lynch said asphalt was sprayed directly onto the road, immediately followed by an application of small stones which are rolled and compressed into the road so they are 50 to 70 percent embedded in the pavement.

One of the final steps of the surface treatment process is a blot coat. During this step, sand is applied to prevent any liquid asphalt from being picked up by vehicle tires, which could spray the asphalt onto a vehicles body. This sand blot coat typically stays in place for one to three weeks. This allows the resurfacing materials to fully cure, Lynch continued. In some cases, when traffic and rain do not displace the residual sand during the curing time period, VDOT will schedule additional roadway sweeping.

Reached by phone last week, Lynch likened the road treatment to sealing your driveway with tar.

We are trying to extend the pavement life in an economical, efficient way, he explained.

Lynch admits that for the first few weeks, when the treatment is working itself in, its not the most desirable surface.

Lynch also said that VDOT conducted street sweeping/vacuuming of the roads in the Quail Ridge subdivision on Sept. 13.

With the completion of the sweeping, the excess gravel has been removed, and the surface treatment is curing properly, Lynch concluded. While some loose stone is present immediately after the treatment is placed, the pavement will continue to cure and become smooth as traffic runs over it.

"I visited the subdivision Wednesday (Sept. 14), and driving through, observed no dust from vehicles. The pavement is relatively smooth and will get smoother as times goes on.

Homeowners want action

A large sign greets motorists as they drive into the Quail Ridge Subdivision that reads, Unhappy with Quail Ridges new roads? Take Action.

Residents and visitors are then asked to pick up a flyer to help with the cause to get VDOT to repave the roads.

Quail Ridge resident Celia Faulk said VDOT downgraded the roads that were perfectly fine before.

They gave us garbage roads. They stole our pavement, she said.

Faulk likened this situation to eminent domain, where the government has the right to confiscate private property for public use, and pays the homeowner for it.

They took our paved roads and we had no say about it, said Faulk, And we didnt even get financially compensated like you would with eminent domain. We moved here for the quality of life that comes with a paved road.

Faulk, who moved to Quail Ridge in 2008, said she just taught her child to roller blade in the cul-de-sac to no avail.

Yeah, those dreams are gone now. We have to drive 16 miles now to get to the closest park to enjoy what we used to enjoy on our paved roads here, said Faulk, who lives on Labrador Court.

Faulk said potholes have already began to appear on her road.

Resident Gail Sandifer said the new surface is just crummy.

You really have to hold the wheel when youre driving on it or itll send you off the road, she warned. When you take off, you have to take off very slowly or you spin out.

Don Sandifer and his neighbors are also worried that the new gravel-like roads will ruin their property values.

Jeanette Beck, who has lived on Covey Circle since 1996, said shes not sure what the roads could do to the value of her home.

People pick this neighborhood because of the neighborhood. And now it looks like we live on these funky back roads, said Beck.

For Beck, the problem isnt the dust; its the bumpy surface of the road.

You can already see the divots and potholes. You can also see the grooves in the road, said Beck, kneeling down to pick up two handfuls of rocks and pointing to the uneven road surface.

Beck did acknowledge that the sweeper picked up some rocks, but the roads are still not up to par.

There are a lot of people who live on dirt roads, who would love to get paved roads but theyd be happy with this, said Beck. It would be an upgrade for them.

Gail Sandifer said she cant walk her dog anymore because of the roads.

I dont because its just too dusty, she said, adding that she now drives to the paved areas in her neighborhood to walk her dog. My concern is inhaling that dust. I dont want to do and I certainly dont want my dog to do it.

Beck said the paved roads were fine before VDOT added the new stony surface.

There were some cracks in the asphalt, but they could come in and fill that in, said Beck.

Don Sandifer, who moved to the subdivision in 1999, said if he drove off the main road onto this surface when he was looking for his home, he would have just turned around.

We wouldnt have even looked at the house, he said. Who would live on this?

Faulk says her work isnt over.

We are taking this to Richmond. We are going to hand out written letters to send them in to bombard Richmond because VDOT is regulated by the governors office, said Faulk. I grew up on a tar and chip road in Fauquier County and they [downgraded] us. You dont go from paved to tar and chip. I feel like I was demoted.

Gail Sandifer says the new road now breaks up into pieces of tar when vehicles drive on it.

I used to walk around and put them back like a puzzle, she added.

The group also acknowledges that they neither have, nor want, a homeowners association in their subdivision. They just want their paved roads the way they were.

Government officials respond

Asked if the Quail Ridge residents should have had their voices heard during a public meeting, Sam McLearen, director of planning and zoning for Culpeper County, said Thursday not in this situation.

VDOT controls the maintenance on all secondary roads and there wouldnt have been a public hearing required for that because it was a maintenance issue, said McLearen. The county doesnt own or maintain any streets. We didnt even know they were doing any work in Quail Ridge. I dont know why they went that route, there was no consultation with the county and it wasnt required.

Lynch reiterated the matter, stating that the roads in the Quail Ridge subdivision were resurfaced, which is a routine maintenance activity that does not require a public hearing.

Asked Thursday if Quail Ridge residents should have been notified about the new surface treatment before it was applied, VDOT spokeswoman Stacy Londrey said for the last couple of years VDOT hasn't provided any notifications except by message boards.

But now VDOT has a contract requirement for contractors to deliver door hangers notifying residents about upcoming construction in their neighborhoods at least 30 days in advance of the work.

But in this case, the contractor did not do that, said Londrey. They did not fulfill their obligation there, but they should have.

Several calls and an email to Culpeper County Board of Supervisor Brad Rosenberger, who represents the Jefferson District, were not returned.
BRUSSELS - Belgium - Jean Claude Juncker has threatened Britain once again, this time using the menacing spectre of a rogue EU army converging on our islands.

We will take Britain one way or another. You can Brexit all you want, but can you hold out against an EU Army so large that we could take the UK in two days? Britain will be our first port of call, then finish Russia once and for all, then anyone else who disagrees with our Imperialistic expansion policies, the EU president told an open session for the EU Commission on Friday.

The threat of a conscripted army made up of 27 nations converging on Britain is certainly something to think about.

Could our currently depleted underfunded armed forces cope with such an invasion from the EU?

Probably not is the answer from Major General Giles Viceroy.

Unfortunately, the MoD has been largely depleted under the tenure of Cameron. The Navy has been practically dismantled, and the Air Force is in dire straits. Budget cuts and mass redundancies has seen the British armed forces at their lowest ebb, all thanks to David Cameron.

Thankfully, there is still some time to prepare for such an eventuality as an EU army invasion on these shores. The current PM has to increase MoD funding by 190% and this way wed have a fighting chance.

The British spirit is one that never gives up. We saw off that Hitler chap, Napoleon and the Romans, so we can certainly see off the EU army. Sinking the Eurotunnel would be the first order of the day, but thats about as much as Im prepared to give away, the Major General added.

Once again, Britain has a menacing threat lurking across the Channel waiting for the day to attack us.

We will never surrender Juncker, Never, Never, Never Surrender.
PGO calls Poroshenko for Maidan case questioning, waiting for his return from New York

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko intends to give evidence in the case of the events during the Revolution of Dignity after he returns from the United States, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has stated.

"We've called the president for questioning. We've agreed to meet with the investigators immediately after his return from a trip to the UN," Lutsenko told reporters on the sidelines of the 13th annual meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian president will make a visit to the United States on September 18-21, where he will address the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel has discussed the situation in Donbas and agreed to coordinate efforts to implement the Minsk agreements.

"The parties discussed the security situation in Donbas. The Ukrainian president noted the need for a full ceasefire by Russian militants and a release all the hostages," the presidential press service said.

In addition, the sides agreed to continue coordinating efforts to make Moscow fulfill security conditions from the Minsk agreements and terminate Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Samsung to Release 400,000 Galaxy Note 7 Replacement Units in South Korea

Samsung will release over 400,000 replacement units of Galaxy Note 7 in local South Korean stores.

Approximately 100,000 new handsets will be available on Monday followed by 50,000 to 60,000 more units every day. By Sept. 25, the Seoul-based company is expected to deliver all replacements, Yonhap News reported.

"We plan to provide replacements to cover nearly all of the initial volume within the first week," Samsung official stated.

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The company, regulators and telecommunucation companies are already discussing on how to distinguish the old and new handsets. The new will have green indicators and the old ones will be white in South Korea.

According to Korea Herald, consumers may opt to having their handsets replaced instead of taking refunds.

Samsung official said "it appears that customers don't need to rush out and swap their Note7 smartphones for new ones because they have time for replacements."

The official also added that several owners have already contacted the company saying that their phones are safe but would prefer a replacement. Majority of owners get their handsets through preorder sales which may be an indication of customer loyalty.

"Typically, customers who have higher confidence and loyalty tend to buy smartphones via preorder sales," said Park Gang-ho of Daishin Securities.

Mobile carriers in the country started issuing complete refunds last Saturday. Replacement of handsets will start on Sept. 19. The said exchange program is believed to run until March 2017.

Sources said that the number of owners applying for refunds is small.

A mobile carrier official said "some customers worried about their batteries returned the devices for a full refund, but such customers were few and far between."

Samsung announced an international recall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 a few days after its release due to battery explosion and fire reports.

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North Korea Demands Recognition as Nuclear State

Pyongyang stresses that sanctions are "laughable" and that the United States should recognize the nation as a "legitimate nuclear weapon state."

A foreign ministry spokesman said "Obama is trying hard to deny North Korea's strategic position as a legitimate nuclear weapons state but it is as foolish an act as trying to eclipse the sun with a palm."

The North recently concluded its fifth and largest nuclear test. Pyongyang disclosed that it is the largest and most successful warhead launched so far.

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Sources added that the nation mastered mounting the weapon on a ballistic missile.

The country's spokesman in defense added that North Korea would continue working to boost its nuclear power "in quality and un quantity."

"As we've made clear, measures to strengthen the national nuclear power in quality and quantity will continue to protect our digipnit and right to live from augmented threats of nuclear from the United States," said the ministry representative.

The Guardian quoted Jong Won-sop's statement, professor at the University of National Economy, stating "the enemies can no longer deny the strategic positiom of our country as a nuclear weapon state."

The report added that the latest nuclear test delighted the citizens of the North.

ABC also quoted Choe Kwang-Ho, a scientist from North Korea saying "the test demonstrated the dignity of the country guided by the iron-willed commander as well as the strength of the Korean people."

The fifth nuke test received condemnation worldwide.

The United Nations Security Council showed disapproval on North Korea's action. The U.S., France and Britain already worked on creating a body to throw new sanctions at the North.

North Korea policy special representative of the U.S. said that "we will be working very closely in the security council and beyond to come up with the strongest possible measure against North Korea's latest actions."

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The 2018 SUV is likely to be powered by the Fiat sourced 2.0-litre MultiJet II diesel engine, which will be tuned to make 170 bhp and get mated to a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox as options.

Tata has been developing a product codenamed Tata Q501/Q502, which it deems could turn out to be its flagship product and easily the most expecting upcoming Car in 2018. It gets based on the Land Rover platform. Rendering of this product are available in various sites and its called as the next generation Tata Safari.

Rendered images floating in internet has taken the design traits of the Tata Hexa, Tata Safari and the Land Rover Discovery Sport. It fused the cues of these three models to render the 2018 model. However, it is also said that Tata wants to give the SUV its own identity as a complete Tata product.

The 2018 SUV is likely to be powered by the Fiat sourced 2.0-litre MultiJet II diesel engine, which will be tuned to make 170 bhp and get mated to a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox as options.

The American-born Jeep, owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, will also use the same engine to power its C-Segment SUV, which has been codenamed Jeep 551. It will likely be the first Jeep SUV to get a full Indian manufacture beginning from 2017.

Now as the Jeep is priced steep due to CBU (Completely Built Units) imports, the American carmaker will bring down the price significantly for the new model by manufacturing the SUV in India. Tata Motors will also likely go for an aggressive pricing of the 2018 SUV, despite it being a premium SUV.

Both the launch and the sale of the 2018 Land Rover-based SUV will take place beginning from 2018. While Tata Motors has so far been catering to the mid-range SUV space, Tatas steps towards developing a premium SUV is highly anticipated. When launched, it will compete with the Toyota Fortuner, Hyundai Santa Fe and the Ford Endeavour.
India's oil imports from Iran last month were nearly triple the 199,000 bpd taken in August a year ago, according to the tanker arrival data.

New Delhi: India's daily oil imports from Iran in August surged to their highest in at least 15 years as the OPEC producer boosted its shipments to recoup market share ceded to rivals Saudi Arabia and Iraq under pressure from economic sanctions.

India received about 576,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian oil in August, up about 10 per cent from July, according to trade sources and ship arrival data compiled by Thomson Reuters Supply Chain & Commodities Research.

The August imports from Iran are likely a record although reliable data is available only back to 2001.

Iran used to be India's second-biggest oil supplier - a position now held by Iraq - before sanctions aimed at Tehran's nuclear programme began undercutting its petroleum trade.

The sanctions were lifted in January, and in August, Iran's crude exports, excluding condensate, rose to near pre-sanctions levels at 2.11 million bpd, with loadings headed for India surpassing those for China, Tehran's top oil client.

India's oil imports from Iran last month were nearly triple the 199,000 bpd taken in August a year ago, according to the tanker arrival data.

In April-August, the first five months of India's current fiscal year, Iran's share in its overall imports surged to 10.7 per cent, its highest since 2010/11.

India's Iran oil purchases rose nearly 70 per cent to 451,000 bpd over those five months from about 266,000 bpd in the same period a year ago, the data showed.

India's oil imports from Iran are set to surge to a seven-year high in the year that began April 1, with the nation's state-owned and private refiners together buying at least 400,000 bpd on average.

In the first eight months of 2016, India's oil imports from Tehran rose 84 per cent to about 395,000 bpd, the data showed, in comparison with 214,000 bpd a year ago.

Private refiner, Essar Oil, was the top Indian client of Iran in August, followed by Indian Oil Corp and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd.
The actor is currently filming for Imtiaz Ali's 'The Ring' in Amsterdam.

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan, though hugely popular on social networking sites, was subjected to the dark side of it, on Friday. The actor got dragged into the on-going telecom war, post the grand entry of Reliance Jio.

A set of twitter users took to Twitter with the trend #JioRemoveSRK, asking for the actor to be pulled down as the brand ambassador of it.

Some even went to the extent of calling him an anti-nationalist, alluding to his infamous intolerance comment.

Shah Rukh and composer AR Rahman had been present when Reliance Jio conducted a free test drive to its 150,000 employees, an event that had been viewed in over a 1000 locations across the globe.

Nevertheless, fans also started trending #JioOnlyForSRK, coming out in support of the star.

Shah Rukh Khan, who's yet to react to the internet fracas, is currently filming for Imtiaz Ali's 'The Ring,' in Amsterdam, along with Anushka Sharma.
Bengaluru: In the world full of wannabe poets who believe that fancy is the new deep, Samantak Bhadra is a breath of fresh air. Dressed in a yellow kitschy cotton shirt, jeans and flip flops, the 28-year-old has no airs about him. A native of Kolkata, Bhadra is a poet and a musician, who performs as a part of The Sound of Poetry, a group that creates an interesting mix of poetry and music.

Sipping his filter coffee outside a Titan store in Koramangala, where he works as a manager, he talks about his mellow romance with post memory poetry. Im a nostalgic writer. My poems are based on memories that other people have of events, but its spoken of so often, it feels like its your own memory, kind of like a transgenic transmission. His poem These Tendons Dont Tear that was a part of Bengaluru Poetry Festivals collective publication, which vividly describes his Bangladeshi lineage and tells tales from his grandmothers memories, is one such example.

Talking about what drives him and The Sound of Poetry, Bhadra says that stage fright is an actual problem and it is important to make poetry readings into something that does not seem far removed from the audience, but instead something that connects. Lets face it, most poets are introverts. Its difficult for them to come out in the open and read and most of the time, its brilliant work that goes unheard. I think it needs something that does not make you feel like youre under a microscope and make you behave like a nervous wreck. When closet poets bloom, they make us all a little more rich.

Keeping that in mind, in June 2015, he started the poetry group The Sound of Poetry in Pune, where he went to college. It exploded into the poetry scene in the city, he says. Before The Sound of Poetry, there was nothing happening in Pune in terms of poetry and the first show was at a cafe called Pagdandi, but the crowds were so receptive when we started and it sparked off a lot of other groups and readings.

Using music with poetry was hard at first, as he couldnt find compatible artists but he believed in the concept and held on, he says. We had a hard time mixing it up because it was a new concept at the time, but I wanted to stick to it. Imagine a romantic poem recited with an acoustic guitar or a political poem with Hindustani music on flute. It has a lot more impact.

Unique in its approach, the group readings do not have themed readings, just a time constraint. We have a time limit of 5 minutes, but otherwise no theme. It is unfair to the last ones performing if people are impatient at the end. You can come up and read your own poetry, you friends poetry or just talk about a poem that moved you. No pressure at all, he says.

Their upcoming poetry reading in collaboration with Alipore Post Offline, a weekend gathering of relaxing to musical performances, poetry readings and art exhibitions at The Courtyard House, reflects this laid back vibe. You can come in; sit wherever you want, and just feel relaxed with no inhibitions while you enjoy the readings. he says. After a long and hard week, an easy breath does sound like a place to be!
The news about a doctor in Spain currently expecting her third child would not have been shocking at all but for the fact that she is already in her sixties. But 62-year-old Lina Alvarez is super-confident and insists that she feels like a woman half her age.

The sexagenarian says that although she started menopause 20 years ago, she was able to successfully conceive after undergoing fertility treatment. She is now expecting a baby girl. The yet-to-be born baby, who has already been named Lina, is said to be developing well. I feel like a woman in her 30s. To feel better than this is impossible, Alvarez told local media.

Alvarezs oldest child, now aged 27, was left disabled after suffering an injury resulting from a medical error during her pregnancy. She was left to be her son's primary carer after her marriage broke down. Alvarez also has a 10-year-old son who was born when she was 52.

She has chosen to ignore that her unusual pregnancy has sparked controversy in Spain. When she will be 30, I will be 90. I will be a grandmother as well as a mother and so what, the fact is that my daughter will have been brought up, she argues.
Addison Quinn from New South Wales wanted to gain some work experience and took help from his mother Lisa to write a cover letter and then shared it on her Facebook page. (Photo: Facebook)

A 16-year-old teenager with Downs syndrome has been overwhelmed with job offers after he shared an honest cover letter asking for employment. Addison Quinn from Erina, in New South Wales, wanted to gain some work experience and took help from his mother Lisa to write a cover letter and then shared it on her Facebook page.

He really wants to work. If any locals know of any special employers out there please send us a message, Lisa wrote before sharing her sons letter on social media. He soon began receiving plenty of offers from potential employers including McDonalds and Australian retailer Coles apart from small local businesses.

Many people also left words of encouragement for Addison and praised him for his sincerity.

(Credit: Facebook)

Fortunately, Addison soon accepted a job offer from a restaurant at the Erina Rugby League Club and is happily working over there.
Hyderabad: A 20-year-old student from the Hyderabad Central University committed suicide by hanging himself in his hostel room.

According to reports, Nalli Praveen, a student of first year Master of fine arts degree course, was found hanging by the ceiling on Saturday morning around 4 am by the other students in the hostel.

The medical officer of the university and the hostel authorities rushed the student to the hospital, but he was soon declared dead.

Informing that no suicide note was found, Cyberabad joint police Commissioner Stephen Ravindra said that the family of the student have been informed and they are on their way to the university.

The suicide comes after a similar incident in the HCU hostel this January, when Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula killed himself in a similar fashion.

UoH Pro Vice-Chancellor Vipin Srivastava said Praveen had got admitted to Master of Fine Arts course around one and half months ago.

"The police is gathering more information... body has been shifted to a hospital," he said.

Police sources added that an investigation is on.
Ahmedabad: Four days after he was allegedly assaulted by cow vigilantes in Ahmedabads Anandnagar for transporting two calves in his car, 29-year-old Mohammad Ayyub succumbed to his injuries on Friday.

According to Indian Express, Ayyub and his friend Samir Sheikh were transporting two calves, when they were allegedly chased by cow vigilantes.

They chased us and hit the car from behind near Honest circle at S G Highway, Sameer Sheikh reportedly told police, but the police doubt his story and claim that it is highly unreliable and he has cooked up a story, pointing out that the CCTV footages showed nothing suspicious.

Both Ayyub and Shaikh were also thrashed by the gau rakshaks after the accident.

Confirming the incident, Joint Commissioner of Police Rajiv Ranjan said, Some unidentified people had beaten Mohammed Ayyub (deceased) and Samir Shaikh before they were taken into police custody and admitted to the hospital.

The officer further revealed that the two calves were discovered stuffed in the car by passers-by, and added that officials from the fire department had to cut open the car from behind to take out the animals. One of the calves also died in the accident.

While Ayyubs brother Imran has claimed that his brother was indeed thrashed by cow vigilantes, VHP city president Rajubhai Patel alleges that the gau rakshaks were being falsely implicated.

Meanwhile, state DCP said, We have found that Ayyub and Shaikh were coming from Mehsana with two calves hidden in the back of their car. Shaikh told us that he had taken a lift from Ayyub from somewhere near Adalaj, but his call detail records showed that both were in touch over phone. In fact, phone data has confirmed Shaikhs presence right from Mehsana from where they were coming till the scene of the offence.

She also added that on analysis of CCTV footages made available from nine major traffic junctions, there was nothing suspicious.
The accused raped her repeatedly threatening her to make the video viral and defame her. (Photo: Representational Image)

Palghar: A 22-year-old youth from Nallasopara in Mumbai has been arrested for allegedly raping a teenage girl whom he had befriended, police said on Saturday.

API Sunil Jadhav of Tulinj police station under Vasai division said that the incident took place in March 2016 when the accused invited the college girl to his birthday party, where he mixed vodka with her cold drink.

After she fell drowsy, the youth raped her and video-graphed the episode following which he began blackmailing her, the police officer said.

The accused then raped her repeatedly threatening her to make the video viral and defame her.

According to the victim's complaint, the accused allegedly used broken glass pieces to inflict pain on her and tortured her all these months when she pleaded him to delete the video. The accused was arrested on Friday under section 376, 328, 324, 504, 506 of the IPC.
A case has been lodged by the victim's son. The accused is yet to be arrest, police said. (Photo: Representational Image)

Faridabad: An 80-year-old woman in Faridabad was allegedly raped by her son's friend when she was alone at home, police said on Saturday.

The woman, a widow, alleged Badal raped her after her son left for work on Friday. The victim managed to inform her neighbours who hospitalised her, police said.

A case has been lodged by the victim's son. The accused is yet to be arrest, they said.

Meanwhile, a government school teacher here has been booked on charges of harassing a 14-year-old girl, police said on Saturday.

The girl alleged that her teacher Inder Singh asked her about her personal life, police said.

She informed the incident to her guardians, who havelodged a case against the teacher. The matter is being investigated, police said.
New Delhi: Narrating their harrowing experience, the two teenage girls who were raped in Delhis Aman Vihar area, lamented that their two male friends sat as mute spectators when they were being raped.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the two women said that they were sitting in a secluded area near the Mundka station with their two male friends when a group of five men accosted them and started teasing them. It was around 7.30 in the evening and there were no streetlights in the vicinity.

The girls, aged 17 and 18, tried to leave but the miscreants forced them to stay back and sexually assaulted them.

The five youths allegedly began assaulting the two boys with sticks and then tied them up. They then dragged the two women to a secluded corner and raped them while their male friends sat as mute spectators, watching the whole incident unfold.

We expected them to intervene and save us. We kept shouting for help but they did nothing, the teenagers reportedly told the police. One of them even refused to record his statement with the police, the report added.

After raping the women, the men fled, and the duo made a distress call to the PCR. Four of the five accused have been arrested by the police, and fall in the age group of 16-19. The fifth youth is currently absconding, the police said, adding that all possible attempts were being made to trace his location.

One of them is pursuing BA via correspondence whereas the other four are school dropouts.

The girls live with their families in Kirari area and work in factories. They have told the police that after work they often meet their boyfriends, aged 19 and 20 respectively, in a secluded open field near Mundka Metro station.
Hemalatha, who started the PG accommodation in the building owned by Shivarama three months ago, had not paid the rent since the beginning.

Bengaluru: Two people sustained burns after a scuffle over a delay in payment of rent turned ugly at Raghvendra Block near Hanumanthanagar on Friday evening. A 45-year-old building owner allegedly threw hot sambar at his tenant and tenants 22-year-old son, causing burns, the police said.

On Friday evening, Shivarama, the owner of the building where Hemalatha was running a paying guest accommodation, confronted Hemalathas son, Shreyas, over the delayed rent. Hemalatha, who started the PG accommodation three months ago, had not paid the rent since the beginning. On Friday night, when the PG staff was preparing dinner for the occupants, Shivarama called Shreyas and asked him for the rent. They got into a heated argument that soon turned physical, the police said.

Hemalatha, who was on one of the top floors, came down after hearing the commotion. Shivaramas daughter too came down and got involved. An enraged Shivarama threw a vessel filled with hot sambar on Shreyas and Hemalatha, who sustained injuries. They were rushed to the hospital. Both the parties later approached the Hanumanthanagar police and filed cases against each other. Shivaramas daughter has filed a case against Shreyas under Section 354 (outraging modesty of woman), while Hemalatha has slapped cases against Shivarama under Sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 337 (causing hurt by endangering act), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), said a police officer.
Neighbours and some friends of the victims told the police that some relatives had visited the victims place.

Mumbai: In a possible case of honour killing, a nine months pregnant woman was killed in Thane near here. The assaulter did not even spare the womans husband and their unborn child.

Thane Police has sent a team to Uttar Pradesh to track down the family of the woman after she and her husband were brutally murdered in their house in Daighar area near Mumbra on Thursday. Neighbours and some friends of the victims told the police that some relatives had visited the victims place.

The police are currently in the process of prearing sketches of the accused.

The deceased have been identified as Vijay Shankar Yadav, 30 and his wife Sufiya Abrar Mansoori alias Priya Vijay Shankar Yadav, 22.

The couple was from Uttar Pradesh and were residing in room number 4, Sagar Building, near Gurukul school, Daighar village, Thane. According to the police, both were killed with a sharp knife. As per the post-mortem report, they were killed 48 hours before their bodies was found.

Police said, The doctor told us that the foetus was forced out of the womb because the accused punched her on the stomach first and then stabbed her two-three times. The babys legs came out with injuries. The baby died due to suffocation.

Giving more information, Abhishek Trimukhe said, DCP said, The neighbours called the control room when they encountered stinking smell from the victims house. After that a team of Shil-Daighar police went on the spot. They found three bodies lying in a pool of blood.

The Shil-Daighar police along with the Thane crime branch officials are jointly investigating the matter and a team is already headed to Uttar-Pradesh from where the couple hails.

In 2015, they eloped to get married and came to Daighar. We had spoken to boys family but they said that they did not have problem with their sons marriage. We are yet to confront with girls family, police said.

The police found that Yadavs throat was slit and Sufiya was stabbed three times on her stomach. Police said that the neighbours and a few friends said that a few people had come to meet the couple a day before Id. So it is suspected that its honor killing and the murder would be due to marriage. Sufiya was reportedly converted to Hindu relgion, which was not accepted by the family. Further probe is on, police said.
AAP govt said that all hospitals and fever clinics will remain open on Sundays even as it appealed to people not to panic. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Grappling with rising cases of dengue and chikungunya in the city, Delhi government on Saturday said that all hospitals and fever clinics will remain open on Sundays even as it appealed to people not to panic.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said a mass awareness campaign is being launched across the city on Sunday under which people have been asked to devote at least 30 minutes to check if there were stagnant water in their residential complexes and around it, to prevent mosquito-breeding.

"We appeal to people to devote at least half an hour time from their daily life and work towards this campaign. There are 42 lakh households in Delhi, and if all of you cooperate then we can together root out dengue and chikungunya from the city," he said.

At least 15 people have died due to chikungunya complication and 18 have succumbed to dengue this season. Over 1,700 cases of chikungunya have been reported in the national capital while dengue has affected more than 1,100 people.

Delhi government has been under attack from opposition parties for "failing" to check the spread of the two vector-borne diseases.

Jain said, in the meeting on Friday with Union Health Minister J P Nadda, "I had requested him to reserve at least 10 per cent of the beds in Central government-run hospitals like RML, Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge, and they have agreed to it. So, 1,000 additional beds would now be available in hospitals in Delhi."

"We appeal to people to not panic. All adequate arrangements are there in all hospitals, run under Delhi government or Centre or MCD," he added.

The minister said prevention is better than cure and if people can "check for stagnation water in flower pots, utensils, tyres and remove them, then sources of mosquito-breeding would be removed."

On the issue of helpline for fogging not being answered promptly, "These are MCD helplines for fogging. We will look into the complaints and address the issue," he said.
Lucknow: Seeking to end the rift between him and and Samajwadi Partys UP chief Shivpal Yadav, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday met his uncle Shivpal in Lucknow.

Speaking to reporters, Akhilesh said that there was no rift within the party.

Politics is not a game, it is serious business. I have congratulated him (Shivpal Yadav) on being made UP chief of Samajwadi Party.

Akhilesh said he would support Shivpal and called on all party workers to respect his father's decision to appoint his uncle as state party chief.

Akhilesh said that party chief Mulayam Singh Yadavs orders were final. He earlier returned all 3 portfolios to Shivpal.

His order is finalhe has the final say, Akhilesh Yadav said.

We all need to work together, so that the Opposition does not get a chance to defame us, Akhilesh said, appealing to his supporters.

The CMs supporters had earlier reached the party office demanding his reinstatement as the state president.

Donning red caps and carrying posters of the Chief Minister and his wife Dimple Yadav, the supporters started for the party office this morning, raising slogans like "Akhilesh ko adyaksh banao" (make Akhilesh the state president), saying only "Akhilesh bhaiya could lead the party".

Akhilesh had on Friday announced that his disgruntled uncle Shivpal will be given back his portfolios and Gayatri Prajapati will be reinducted as Cabinet minister, issues which had triggered an all-out war in the party.

The supporters of Shivpal also made it to the party office, but after Akhileshs conciliatory statements, the situation seems to have been defused.

The fight within the Samajwadi Party erupted when Akhilesh stripped Shivpal of all three portfolios, in response to being removed as state party chief by his father. Ram Gopal, another SP leader and Akhileshs uncle, had backed the CM in the controversy, while blaming Amar Singh for the rift. Shivpal for his part had defended Amar Singh and said he would speak to SP supremo Mulayam Singh on all issues.
Bengaluru: The Cauvery water dispute has taken a heavy toll on the economy of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, as trucks loaded with goods headed for both states and also other destinations have been stranded for the last few days. Merchants and manufacturers fear that losses have already run into several hundred crores.

With Monday violence still fresh in their minds, truckers are refusing to ferry goods in their TN-registered vehicles. Many industries in both states have shut operations temporarily for want of raw material as it is sourced from each other.

At the Yeshwanthpur APMC yard, over 70,000 bags of onion and 35,000 bags of potato are waiting for trucks. Brief spells of rain over Bengaluru over the last two to three days has worsened the situation. The consignment will rot if it is not transported immediately. We are planning to send trucks with the goods either Friday or Saturday night with full police protection till Tamil Nadu border, said Mr Kumar, an office-bearer at the Yeshwanthpru Merchants' Association.

Every day, around 20,000 bags of onion, 10,000 bags of potato and 5,000 bags of garlic go to Tamil Nadu in 250-300 trucks. But, since violence broke out in Bengaluru, there has been no movement of trucks. The situation might return to normal after Karnataka stops releasing water to TN, he said. Karnataka State Lorry Owners Association president Shanmukappa said that scores of trucks carrying cotton bales, garments, auto parts, steel, salt, Burma wood, agricultural products and chicken come to Karnataka from the Madras port, Tuticoron, Chennai, Tiruppur, Sivakasi, Coimbatore, Salem and other places of Tamil Nadu. But, the movement of trucks has completely stopped since Monday.

The loss could be around Rs 300 crore, including Rs 150 crore on diesel. Bengaluru is the economic hub of the entire country as over 40,000 trucks pass through the city to various destinations in the North, South, East and West. Besides, the city also regularly received around 400 containers from the Madras Harbor carrying consignment to many multi-national companies, he said.

Mr M.R. Kumaraswamy, president, State Lorry Owners Association of Tamil Nadu, said We will not come to Karnataka unless the Karnataka government gives security to our vehicles, drivers and goods. Over 60 TN registered trucks were burnt, the glass panes of over 3,000 vehicles were broken and 50 drivers were beaten up in Karnataka last week. How can we send our trucks when there is no security? It is true that we are incurring losses of around Rs 1,000 crore every day, but what to do? Life is more precious than business.

He said the drivers are scared to go to Karnataka. Thousands of trucks are stationed on the Karnataka-TN border waiting for the situation to return to normal. The economy of both states has gone for a toss. The Karnataka government should ensure security for TN vehicles, he said.
Normal life in the violence-hit Valley remained paralysed for the 71st consecutive day due to restrictions and separatist-sponsored strike. (Photo: AP)

Srinagar: Curfew was on Saturday imposed in Harwan area in Srinagar in the wake of death of a teenager in clashes last evening while the curbs continued in some other parts of the summer capital and two towns of Kashmir.

"Curfew has been imposed in Harwan area of Srinagar city this morning while it remains in force in five police station areas of downtown (interior areas) city and Batamaloo," a police official said.

A pellet-ridden body of a youth was found in Harwan area of the city late last night. He was allegedly injured in security forces action on protesters during the clashes in the area on Friday.

Normal life in the violence-hit Valley remained paralysed for the 71st consecutive day due to restrictions and separatist-sponsored strike.

The official said curfew was also enforced in the towns of Badgam in central Kashmir and Pulgam in south. Restrictions on assembly of people continued in the rest of the Valley to maintain law and order, he said.

The separatists have extended the protest programme till September 22. They have not announced any relaxation in the strike even in the evening hours.

Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps continued to remain shut while public transport was off the roads. Schools, colleges and other education institutions also remained closed due to the strike called by the separatist to protest the deaths of civilians.

Mobile telephone, except postpaid connections of BSNL, and internet including broadband service continued to remain snapped across the Valley since 4 pm on September 12.

As many as 81 people including two policemen have been killed in the unrest that broke out a day after Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8.
New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday claimed the AAP government has "not violated" any guideline of the Supreme Court on advertisements while he accused the BJP-led MCDs of spending money meant for dengue and chikungunya awareness on "self-glorification".

A three-member panel, constituted by the Centre, on Friday indicted the city government for splurging on advertisements for promoting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP in violation of the apex court guidelines and asked the ruling party to reimburse it.

"The Delhi government has not given advertisements for glorifying its image. The government has not disobeyed any guideline of Supreme Court," Jain said.

Read: Cong demands recovery of Rs 854 crore from AAP over advertisement spending

The three-member committee, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon, had been constituted by the I&B ministry on directions of Supreme Court to address issues related to Content Regulation in government advertising.

Hitting out at the three municipal corporations on their advertisment spendings, the Minister alleged the civic bodies have put up hoardings having images of mayors and councillors at several places across Delhi but nobody objects to as these hoardings belong to BJP leaders.

"They (MCD) are spending public money for glorifying its image. The money meant for awareness on dengue and chikungunya has been spent on self-glorification," the city Home Minister said.

The Central-government committee had received a complaint from Congress leader Ajay Maken who had accused the AAP government of splurging public money on advertisements.

In its order issued on Friday, the Committee came to the conclusion that "the government of NCT of Delhi has violated guidelines issued by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in six of the nine areas listed by the complainant".

The violations include "outstation advertisements, false/ misleading advertisements, advertisements for self-glorification and to target political opponents, advertisements against media, advertisements mentioning the party in power by name and also advertisements issued on incidents occurring in other states."
New Delhi: Former JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is out on bail in a sedition case, was on Saturday booed at an event where the audience did not allow him to speak, prompting him to cut short his address.

Kanhaiya, who was arrested in February this year in a sedition case over an event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, had kick-started a debate on

"nationalism" across the country.

He was to participate in the India Today Mind Rocks summit on Saturday and address the gathering on "Azaadi". However, the audience did not welcome him on stage and started hooting when he arrived.

"Those who are hooting here are also free to do so. Desh me azaadi hai (there is freedom in the county). You will not be charged for sedition," he said on a lighter note.

Narrating his experiences from the prison, Kanhaiya said, "What is wrong in having been to jail? Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh have also gone to jail?"

However, when asked if he considers going to jail as "fancy", the student leader said, "The world is a jail for many of us. When girls are not allowed to move out at night, they are in jail, when people are unemployed and live on footpaths they are in jail, so it is always a better deal to be in smaller jail (prison) than the bigger jail (world)."

Kanhaiya, who has been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, again took a dig at him, saying, "It is his birthday today but half the people are on streets and others in jails. What a reason to rejoice? If 65 per cent of thecountry comprises youths, how can a 65-year-old be their leader?"

His remarks about the PM irked the audience who started cheering for Modi and booed him.

Asked whether the slogans raised on February 9 in JNU campus amounted to sedition, Kanhaiya said, "No sloganeering amounts to sedition. Any activity that breaks the nation or attempts to do so is seditious, slogans can never break any country and India is not that weak that it will be divided or broken by anybody's slogans".

Kanhaiya had to cut short his address as the audience continued to hoot, disrupting his speech.
A female BMW driver in northwest Chinas Yingchuan city was captured on camera getting involved in a quarrel with a male Porsche driver after the two vehicles collided. The footage taken on September 10 shows the two drivers confronted with each other. The female driver was seen walking back to her car, while the male driver tried to stop her from leaving by pulling doors and smashing his hand on the engine hood.

The BMW was then seen backing up a little bit before it suddenly accelerated and hit the male driver who was standing in between the two vehicles. The man was pushed against his Porsche and fell. The woman was then seen leaving her car and went up to check the man's situation.

The male driver had comminuted fracture on one of his legs, according to local police. He called the police and said the woman dashed her vehicle on him on purpose, whereas the woman denied the accusation, claiming that she mistook the accelerator for the brake. The police later defined the case as a traffic accident and said further investigation is still underway.
Sisodia, who holds the education portfolio, is currently on a trip to Finland to study about the country's education system. (Photo: Twitter)

New Delhi: Even as Delhi is witnessing a spurt in chikungunya and dengue cases, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has asked Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia to return from Finland.

Sisodia has been asked to return to Delhi and take stock of the situation in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's absence, who is currently admitted at a Bengaluru hospital after undergoing a surgery for his chronic cough.

Sisodia, who holds the education portfolio, is currently on a trip to Finland to study about the country's education system.

"Learning from across the world is not a sin. It's a sin to defame an educational tour as a 'holiday'. I'm in Finland. We need to learn a lot from their education system, the best in the world (sic)," Sisodia said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, hitting out at Kejriwal-led government, Congress party workers claimed that Sisodia is holidaying in Finland at a time when the city is reeling under diseases like chikungunya and dengue.

Chikungunya is taking its toll in Delhi with death toll climbing to 30 and the number of cases increasing to over 1,700 this season and fever clinics getting swamped with patients. Delhi government has also launched a helpline to provide medical assistance to people and help them locate nearest fever clinics.

The Centre had also sought a detailed report from Delhi government on deaths due to dengue and chikungunya, including medical history of the deceased.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be on a four-day tour to the US with a delegation to ink a major MoU with IT giant Oracle from September 18.

The delegation is also expected to meet executives from leading IT companies during the visit.

An official at the Chief Minister's Office said the state was likely to benefit with huge investment by the IT major.

The agreement is seen as one of the largest investments Fadnavis government has attracted in its two-year stint.

"It is probably larger than the investment agreement with the electronic manufacturing giant Foxconn, which signed an MoU for the investment of 5 billion USD in August last year," the official said.

Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Vijay Kumar Gautam and Officer on Special Duty in the CMO, Kaustubh Dhawase will accompany Fadnavis on the tour.
Aurangabad: Maharashtra government is committed to develop the Marathwada region and accordingly agriculture, industries and infrastructure projects are given a fillip, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday.

He was addressing a gathering in Aurangabad to mark the 'Marathwada Mukti Din', the liberation day of the Marathwada region from the erstwhile rule of Nizam.

"The region was facing a drought like situation and my government had disbursed Rs 4,000 crore to the farmers as an aid," the Chief Minister said.

"The Maharashtra government is committed to develop the Marathwada region," he said.

Fadnavis paid floral tributes to martyrs of the liberation movement and narrated their sacrifice for the cause. Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade, state Minister Ramdas Kadam and others were present on the occasion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by villagers at Limkheda village in Gujarat on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his 66th birthday amidst tribals in Limkeda on Saturday, stating that his government was committed to empower the "last man in the queue", besides inaugurating drinking water and irrigation projects in the parched region of his poll-bound home state of Gujarat.

On his third visit within two months to Gujarat, where Assembly polls are due next year, Modi recalled the contribution of tribals in the country's freedom struggle, and promised them adequate water for drinking and irrigation.

Modi inaugurated Rs 4,817 crore worth of irrigation and drinking water projects of the Gujarat government, seeking to cater to this parched region of Dahod district.

"Due to scarcity of water, my tribal brothers had to migrate and toil hard as construction labourers in extreme heat in the past. At that time, the Gujarat government (under his leadership before 2014), gave priority to water and allocated highest budget for water related projects," the Prime Minister said.

Before becoming the PM in 2014, Modi had served as the Gujarat Chief Minister for 13 years.

"Today, we are inaugurating several projects for providing drinking and irrigation water at a cost of thousands of crores of rupees. We took up this task of empowering the last man on the line, so that he can also uplift the lives of others," Modi said.

He thanked the tribals for "raising" him and promised to do everything possible to uplift their lives through various schemes.

"MPs of NDA selected a person, who is the son of this soil (Gujarat), as the Prime Minister. It was you who raised me. My government is committed to the welfare of the downtrodden citizens," Modi said.

The PM also recalled his earlier days when he used to roam in this district on his scooter.

The BJP leader also slammed past governments at the Centre on the issue of development

"At that time, there was nothing here. In the past, schemes used to remain on paper only, as nothing happened on ground. That is why my government took up the task of setting up a railway yard at Dahod. I firmly believe that it will bring lots of employment opportunities here and give a boost to the local economy," said Modi.

He also praised farmers of the district for showing "progressive" mindset.

"Farmers of Dahod have turned to flower cultivation. They are adopting innovative techniques. Farmers having just one of two 'bigha' land are also keen to learn new things by visiting other places. My government is also working to double the income of all the farmers by 2022," said Modi, who later left for Navsari to address another rally.

Praising the tribals for their role in the freedom struggle, Modi said, "Whenever we talk about the 1857 mutiny, we have to start the discussion from this tribal district of

Dahod. The history of India's freedom struggle is incomplete without the mention of tribals' contribution, who fought against Britishers for over 100 years."

"In 1857, tribals of this district posed great challenge to Britishers. How can we forget the contribution of our own freedom fighters from this land of Govind Guru? He fought bravely against the British. On this occasion, I want to pay my tributes to all the tribal freedom fighters of this country from this land," he said.

Modi said the Centre was keen to implement Gujarat's 'Van Bandhu' scheme, for upliftment of tribal population across the country.

'Van Bandhu' scheme is a special scheme of the Gujarat government for development activities of tribal region of the state.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda greeted the Prime Minister on his birthday and said it was an occasion "to dedicate ourselves for social causes with determination".

"Prime Minister's birthday is being observed as Sewa Diwas (Day of Service) by organising various social service works. It is an occasion to get inspiration and re-dedicate ourselves with determination towards social causes," he told reporters in Bhopal after inaugurating a blood donation camp at the Madhya Pradesh BJP headquarters.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also wished the Prime Minister.

The Chief Minister on the occasion visited Mahatma Gandhi Leprosy Ashram and appealed to citizens to serve the needy.

Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje also greeted the Prime Minister on his birthday.

"May the country progress in your leadership," the Governor said in his message.

Chief Minister Raje congratulated the Prime Minister through 'Narendra Modi Mobile App'.

While greeting Modi, she appreciated 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' programme and said that the state government will ensure successful implementation of the programme in the state.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das greeted the Prime Minister, saying "the country will continue to march on the path of progress" under Modi's leadership.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also extended the greetings to Modi and celebrated the day with patients, orphans and destitutes in the state
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday rebuked the supporters of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and state Cabinet minister Shivpal Yadav for taking to the streets over a dispute involving the two.

"I will not let this happen in the party. I have worked hard to bring it to this position. This 'tamasha' (circus) will not be allowed," he, according to sources, told the SP workers.

As soon as Mulayam arrived at the party office in Lucknow, he was surrounded by party workers as well as the media. The SP supremo directly went to the auditorium where the supporters of his son Akhilesh were shouting slogans, demanding that he be reinstated as the party's state unit president.

Mulayam defended his decision of replacing Akhilesh with Shivpal as the Uttar Pradesh SP chief, saying the latter worked "shoulder-to-shoulder" with him to bring the party to its current position.

The SP supremo also lashed out at the chiefs of the party's front organisations --Lohia Vahani, Mulayam Singh Yadav Youth Brigade, Chhatra Sabha and Yuvjan Sabha  and asked them not to indulge in such protests and instead, work "on the ground" to strengthen the party.

"We have been asked to work at the booth-level to strengthen the party. Netaji (Mulayam) told us that while the BJP was actively working in the state, we were involved in staging protests and asked us to shun such activities," a youth leader told PTI.

Earlier, before meeting the SP chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav

Youth Brigade president Mohd Aibad said, "We have conveyed our feelings to Netaji that we (all the youth front organisations) will not be able to work with anyone except Akhilesh. We want him back as the party's state president. The youth is feeling dejected after his removal. They are depressed and even ready to immolate themselves for him (Akhilesh)."

MLCs Rajpal Kashyap, Anand Bhadauria and Sunil Singh Sajan, all of whom had, in the past, held posts in the SP's front organisations, were also seen raising slogans in Akhilesh's favour.

"Netaji, on many occasions, has said that the youth should lead. We want him to bring back Akhileshji, who is the undisputed leader of the youth and the poor and who has done a lot for the development of the state," Kashyap said.

During the protests, supporters of Akhilesh were also seenburning posters of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh.Mulayam left the party office after meeting the party workers, without talking to the media.
Ahmedabad: Face of the Dalit agitation in Gujarat, Jignesh Mevani, was detained by police at the city airport ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival here, police said on Saturday.

Mevani was detained at around 8 pm on Friday after he landed at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here from Delhi. The Prime Minister arrived at the airport around an hour later as part of his Gujarat tour.

Meanwhile, Dahod Police also detained 20 Congress workers and three party MLAs and one AAP worker ahead of Modi's rally in the tribal district held this morning.

According to police, these detentions were aimed at ensuring that law and order is maintained.

While Mevani was released late last night, Congress workers and leaders were let off this afternoon, police said.

"Mevani was detained as part of the preventive measure. He was released later, " a police official seeking anonymity said.

After receiving information about his detention, a large number of dalit leaders, associated with Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti, reached the city crime branch headquarters and staged a demonstration as he was kept there during detention.

"We staged a demonstration as Mevani was held by police without any reason. He was released late last night at around 2 AM," Mevani's close aide, Subodh Parmar said.

Mevani has been leading the agitation against the state government following the Una dalit flogging incident that had taken place in July. He had recently organised several protests over the issues.

Modi, who arrived here at around 9.15 pm on Friday night, was first felicitated by state BJP leaders at a ceremony at the airport upon his arrival.

Later on Saturday, he addressed a rally in Limkheda town of Dahod district in the morning and one at Navsari this evening.

Ahead of his arrival in Dahod, police detained at least 23 Congress MLAs and workers to prevent them from causing any "trouble".

Those detained include Congress MLAs from Dahod district - Chandikaben Bariya, Vajesang Panada and Mitesh Garasia. Former Congress MP from Dahod Prabha Taviad was also among the detainees.

"These Congress leaders were detained as they had planned to disrupt the PM's event. Apart from these 23 Congress leaders, we also detained one AAP worker ahead of the rally. All of them were released later," Police Sub Inspector of Limkhedal, P H Vasava said.
New Delhi: Primary investigations have found that the Scorpene data leak did not take place in India but at DCNS office in France, said Navy chief Sunil Lanba on Saturday.

The high-level committee probing Scorpene leak will check if any mitigation measures required based on probe report, said the Navy chief.

Earlier, it was reported that India is unlikely to give French naval contractor DCNS a proposed order for three new submarines, in addition to the six it is already building in the country, following the leak of secret data about its capabilities, Indian defence officials said.

Read: Scorpene data leak row won't affect work with foreign support: Navy chief

Details of the Scorpene submarine were published in the Australian newspaper last month, triggering concerns that it had become vulnerable even before it was ready to enter service.

DCNS had offered to build three more submarines to help India replace its ageing Soviet-era fleet, and had held talks over the past year, two Indian sources said.

That offer will not now be taken up, according to the officials. "We had an agreement for six, and six it will remain," a defence ministry official briefed on the navy's plans told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A navy officer said there had been a serious breach of data and the navy's efforts were focused on determining the damage done to the existing submarines. "No order will be signed, nothing is going to happen now," the officer, who is also been briefed on the submarine data leak, said when asked if the government planned to enlarge the order.

DCNS spokesman Emmanuel Gaudez said the company was "stunned" by the information. "The talks are ongoing with the government and our Indian partners. We have not been informed in anyway of such a decision," he said.

India's defence ministry had written to DCNS asking for details about the extent of the leak and how data relating to the Scorpene's intelligence gathering frequencies, diving depth, endurance and weapons specifications had ended up in the public domain, both officials said.

A naval group headed by a three-star admiral is looking at altering some features of the submarine, the first of which began sea trials in May for induction later this year, to minimise any damage.

The remaining five are in various stages of production at state-run Mazgaon Docks shipyard in Mumbai and they were all due to enter service by 2020.
Mumbai: NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal was on Saturday rushed to JJ Hospital in Mumbai after his health worsened due to low blood pressure and diabetes.

The former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra has also been diagnosed with dengue infection, said reports.

The jail superintendent was quoted as saying that Bhujbal was taken to JJ Hospital for further treatment at 8 pm on Saturday.

Bhujbal is facing charges in a money laundering case, and is currently in jail. He was earlier admitted to St George hospital in April this year for various health issues after his condition deteriorated in prison. Bhujbal is known to have a history of asthma, hypertension and blood pressure.
According to the prosecution, Govindachamy had raped Soumya, a 23-year old sales representative after pushing her out from a running train on February 1, 2011. (Photo: PTI)

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress in Kerala on Saturday sharpened its attack against the LDF government on alleged lapses in conduct of the Soumya rape and murder case in the Supreme Court, saying the present debate by CPI(M) on the death penalty was an attempt to "cover up" their slip and divert public anger.

KPCC president V M Sudheeran, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy continued to attack the government over the case, in which the apex court had commuted the death sentence of the accused, Govindachamy.

Chandy, who visited Soumya's mother Sumathy at her home in Shornur on Saturday, said the government had committed "serious lapses" in dealing with the case.

The stand taken against the death sentence by various CPI(M) leaders, including veteran V S Achuthanandan, indirectly amounted to accepting the apex court's verdict, he said.

"CPI(M) is now trying to divert the public anger (through debate over death sentence)," Chandy said.

Stating that difference of opinion among CPI(M) leaders over the death sentence also contributed to the government's setback in the case, Sudheeran argued that ideological stand should not be a barrier to ensure maximum punishment to the accused.

The leader said that the recent setback in the case cannot be viewed as a coincidence.

Echoing similar sentiments, Chennithala said if the government failed to ensure maximum punishment to the accused, it would trigger a sense of insecurity among women in the state.

"The present debate by CPI(M) leaders over whether or not to award death sentence to the accused is an attempt to cover up the government's failure in handling the case properly," he said, adding the government should now at least take some steps to ensure that the accused gets maximum punishment.

According to the prosecution, Govindachamy had raped Soumya, a 23-year old sales representative after pushing her out from a running train on February 1, 2011.

The Thrissur trial court had sentenced him to death, which was upheld by the Kerala High Court. The Supreme Court, however, commuted his death sentence, while upholding the life imprisonment. The verdict had come as a shock to the entire state with the victim's mother terming it as "heart breaking".

Political parties have attacked the government, accusing it of not properly presenting the case in the Supreme Court. However, senior CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan and M A Baby came against awarding death sentence to the accused, triggering a debate.

Meanwhile, Kerala Law minister A K Balan is in New Delhi. He is scheduled to meet senior lawyers and holding consultations with regard to filing of a review petition in the case.
Bhopal: Union Health Minister JP Nadda was attacked with ink on Saturday when he visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bhopal.

Around 50 medical students, who are not happy with the facilities at the campus, wanted to meet the Health Minister but were not allowed to by the administration, said a report.

The students claimed that the campus had not been developed properly in the last few years. When Nadda was walking towards his car to leave the campus, the protesting students tried to talk to him and one of them then threw ink on the minister's white kurta.

The students then starting shouting slogans, but Nadda left the campus.
Earlier this week, a 28-year-old bridesmaid in Wenchang, Hainan province, passed out from alcohol and subsequently died from choking on her own vomit. Her tragic death has since sparked public debate over the pressure to drink at Chinese social occasions.

Hinews.cn conducted a poll that found nearly 80% of Chinese people had experienced quanjiu, the word used to describe being forced to drink at social occasions. This includes dinners, birthdays, weddings, etc. The poll also found that most hated quanjiu culture and found it to be inhuman. However, others noted that the deceased woman was an adult responsible for making her own decisions.

Though nothing is completely black and white, I can say from experience that Chinas drinking culture needs an update. Drinking is enforced through the social concept of face, which can be seen through cheers-ing and playing drinking games. In fact, the rules of drinking games typically force the loser to consume shockingly large amounts of hard liquor.

The social consequence is Chinese people, especially outside of Shanghai or Beijing, lack a concept of casual drinking. Instead, their view of drinking doesnt fall too far from that seen in the video of the bridesmaid, as shes repeatedly pressured into gulping down booze.

Its like rushing a frat, except all the brothers are overly zealous Chinese guys that through seven glasses of baijiu, or rice wine, find the confidence to peeve you about western womens voluptuous figures. And instead of getting the chance to pledge, you are awarded face. Face is a gift given to those able to drink buckets of liquor, then hold their liquor, all while successfully navigating the obstacle course of Chinese social dos and donts. Face the heart pumping liquor into Chinese drinking culture.

Its very confusing. As an American whos spent several years studying and working in China, my dinners with colleagues were a harrowing test of both my drinking and social abilities. It requires knowing ones place. Any foreigner will immediately notice the clearly structured class system within a typical dinner.

Lower level employees will cheers their superiors from a standing position, usually with two hands on the glass. The superior doesnt necessarily have to finish, but the initiator absolutely must. Clinking glasses means both will dry their cup, proclaimed through the Chinese equivalent of cheers-ganbei. During the cheers, the lower ranking employee must ensure the top of his or her glass is slightly below that of the partners.

And everyone gets drunk. Drunker than youll ever get, or should ever get, at a company social event in the West. In fact, its expected, even appreciated.

But the issue remains in how important face is to a typical Chinese person. Letting your guard down via alcohol is a way of giving face to your employees. Its a step in the process of bringing everyone closer together.

As many Chinese netizens noted, the 28-year-old bridesmaid was simply acting in accordance to these social norms. She is giving into pressure because its a way of giving her dear friend, the bride, face. If she were to refuse, it would create a socially awkward environment. This obviously sounds silly in hindsight, but face is such a deeply entrenched part of Chinese social interaction that only the youth have begun to reject it.

Coming back to the fraternity metaphor, a concept like face creates an environment in which going against the tide is nearly impossible. The death of this woman is no different from the countless deaths that occur every year as a result of rigorous pledging. And just as that part of American culture is beginning to change, so too must the presence of face in Chinese drinking.
New Delhi: The AAP government on Saturday accused Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung of adopting a casual approach in dealing with the health crisis in the city, a day after he ordered deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to cut short his Finland visit and return immediately in the wake of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases.

Following Jungs directive on Friday, health minister Satyendar Jain and water minister Kapil Mishra went to meet the L-G at his office on Saturday to discuss the health crisis but they could not meet him as he was not in his office.

We have been told that the L-G is on leave. How can he be on leave when Delhi is facing a health crisis. We have come to meet him following his fax to Manish Sisodia asking him to return to Delhi from Finland immediately, Mishra said, triggering a fresh spat between the two sides.

Jain also referred to Jungs ten-day-long travel to the US earlier this month when the city was witnessing rising cases of dengue and chikungunya and wondered why he did not cut short his visit even by one hour. Jung had returned to Delhi from the US earlier this week.

The L-Gs office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment. The L-Gs office accused the AAP government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with the health crisis.

The ministers after waiting to meet the L-G for around 20 minutes said no appointment was sought since Jung had sent an urgent fax to the deputy chief minister on Friday and that they thought Jung must have something important to discuss.

The L-G has sent an urgent fax to deputy chief minister Sisodia so we thought there may be some emergency and we both came to meet him but he is not in the office.

We were told that its off on Saturday and he does not sit in the office. We called him but he is also not at his home. It appears he is not in a mood to work on Saturday, Mishra said.

Mishra has also written a letter to Jung asking why Sisodia has been asked to cut short his trip to Finland saying the L-G could have discussed the health issue with him and Jain. Notwithstanding L-Gs order, Sisodia is coming back to Delhi on Sunday as scheduled.
BENGALURU: Bangalore urban district administration has recovered over 43 acres of government land from encroachers, worth Rs 1,000 crore, from different parts of the city.

On Saturday, team headed by Bangalore (urban) DC V. Shankar carried out the encroachment drive against structures built on government land at Bangalore East and Bangalore South taluk falling under the Bangalore Urban District. Sources said over 50 houses were razed in the drive.

At Bangalore East Taluk, encroachments on government lands at Bidarahalli, Mandur, Anagalapura, Varthur, Kodati, Munnekolala and K Narayanapura were cleared. Government properties worth Rs 60 crore were recovered.

At Bangalore South Taluk, the anti-encroachment drive was carried out at Uttarahalli, Hosakerehalli, Tavarekere and areas at Kengeri. The worth of properties recovered in Bangalore South Taluk is around 940 crore.

A senior government official attached to Bangalore South Taluk told DC, Of the 59 acres and 26 guntas of land of Hoskerehalli lake, we found encroachments over 2 acres. It included 3 commercial shops, 40 factory sheds and two temples.

We have not demolished the temple. We have handed over it to the Endowment Department. He said that anti-encroachment drive will be completed in the coming week.
Kalaburagi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has received no response yet to his request for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Cauvery row.

Disclosing this to reporters here on Saturday, he said he had asked to meet Mr Modi to discuss the need for a national water policy to resolve inter-state water disputes, but had received no response from him still.

Seeing how difficult it is to comply with the court order (on release of water to Tamil Nadu), I have asked to meet the Prime Minister. But he not given me an appointment, he said

Asked if Mr Modi was deliberately avoiding meeting him, Mr Siddaramaiah responded, You can draw your own inference. As for the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state challenging the final award of the tribunal for release of 192 TMCFT of water to Tamil Nadu, he said its hearing on October 20 would give Karnataka an opportunity to state its case again before the Supreme Court.

We will tell the court that we are not in a position to release any more water to Tamil Nadu during the final hearing of the SLP on October 20. We will submit that we have complied with the directions of the court and are left with only 28 TMC of water in ours reservoirs, which is sufficient only to supply drinking water to Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and other towns and villages. We will try to impress on it how explosive the situation is in the state in the wake of release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu,  he explained.

Asked what the alternative was if the SLP too did not go in the states favour, the Chief Minister advised against making too many assumptions. In reply to a query, he ruled out the possibility of his quitting over the Cauvery row. Water has always been released in the past in response to a court order. Why am I being made the villain here? he demanded.

Modis intervention unlikely in Cauvery row

Many Congress leaders, including CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar, and senior advocate Prof Ravivarma Kumar have sought PM Modis intervention to resolve the ongoing Cauvery crisis, but the scope for the latter to step in and find a solution seems remote.

If there was room for the PM to legally intervene why has the legal team headed by Fali S. Nariman has not suggested this to the government? Sources in the government told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Modi has no role in implementation of the Tribunals final award or to find a solution.

There is no legal space for the PM in the Cauvery Management Committee and the Cauvery Supervisory Committee. So, he cannot interfere, sources said. On how late PM Indira Gandhi used to intervene and give directions on river water issues, sources said when Ms Gandhi was handling water disputes, state leaders were not so strong and independent.

It was the era before setting up of tribunal. Now, the situation is different that too when SC is handling the matter, sources said. On the possibility of mediation, they said, In legal sense, for mediation to happen, both parties have to agree to it. If State and Tamil Nadu agree, then we can persuade the PM to mediate.
New Delhi: The CBI has on Saturday registered a preliminary Inquiry to probe allegations of commission being paid to middleman in the supply of three aircraft worth USD 208 million from Brazilian company Embraer to Defence Research and Development Organisation for airborne surveillance systems.

CBI sources said the investigating agency started an inquiry against unknown officials of Defence Ministry on a reference from the ministry that the company used services of middleman.
State BJP leaders present a mace to party president Amit Shah during a public meeting at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Hanamkonda on Saturday to mark the Hyderabad Liberation Day. Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, party state chief K. Laxman and other leaders are also seen. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: September 17 was marked in different ways by the ruling and Opposition parties and other organisations across the state on Saturday. While some parties like the BJP and Telugu Desam celebrated it as Liberation Day, the TRS and others marked the occasion as Hyderabad merger day.

The BJP slammed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for failing to keep his promise of conducting official celebrations after achieving statehood.

KCR failed to keep his promise that he would celebrate the event in a grand manner after attaining statehood and coming to power, said Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, participating in Liberation Day celebrations at Ramanthapur organised by Uppal MLA N.V.S.S. Prabhakar. A statue of Sardar Patel was unveiled on the occasion.

Dattatreya asked the people, including students, to write letters to the TRS chief asking him to organise celebrations officially next year. The BJP organised celebrations on a grand scale since the day also happens to be Prime Minister Narendra Modis birthday.

Earlier, the BJP leaders accorded a grand welcome to National BJP president Amit Shah at Shamshabad airport where a Swachh Bharat programme was organised.

Brushing aside BJP criticism, home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy, who unfurled the National Flag as part of the Hyderabad Merger Day celebrations at Telangana Bhavan, said that the TRS demanded official celebrations but never promised to do it!

He said that since then Hyderabad functioned like any other India State and participated in all the elections. Since Telangana got a raw deal in undivided AP, we fought and achieved separate state. We will continue to fulfil the aspirations of the people and attend to their needs, the home minister said.

Elsewhere, TS TD leaders L. Ramana, Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy and others participated in the celebrations at the party office. CPI national secretary K. Narayana, state assistant secretary P. Venkat Reddy and others observed it as Telangana Armed Struggle anniversary at the partys state office.
New Delhi: Following the fiasco over the renewal of licence of controversial preacher Zakir Naiks NGO, Islamic Research Foundation, under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), the home ministry plans to put in place a stringent mechanism of security checks before licence of such NGOs are renewed.

According to the proposed move, a clearance will have to be taken from two key agencies, Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing, before licence of NGOs registered under FCRA is renewed again.

As of now, the clearance for renewal of these NGOs is done at the level of Foreigners Division of the home ministry which after checking the returns filed by the organisation and other relevant documents.

However, the ministry now plans to make it mandatory to get a security clearance done before the licence is renewed. The proposed procedure will be similar to the one the ministry is following in clearing proposals of Foreign Direct Investment where a security check is done both by the IB and RAW.

It is only after the security check is done that the home ministry clears or rejects the proposal and sends it back to the parent ministry which is handling the FDI project. The home ministry had suspended four officials including the joint secretary concerned who was heading the Foreigners Division.

While rectifying the error, the ministry had subsequently put Zakir Naiks NGO under the prior permission category which means the Reserve Bank will have to seek home ministrys clearance before releasing foreign donations to the organisation.

The NGOs that are registered with the ministry under the FCRA do not have to take prior permission before receiving foreign contribution but have to file their annual returns with the Division concerned giving details of their income and expenditure incurred.

Sources said ever since the error of renewing Zakir Naiks NGO came to light, the ministry has been deliberating as to how such mistakes can be avoided in future. The IRF is being investigated by multiple agencies both by the Centre and the Maharashtra Government.

The obvious thing we can do is that run a security check on the background of the NGO and seek a detailed report from the Intelligence agencies,a senior ministry official said.
Bhopal: An unidentified person on Saturday threw ink at Union health minister J.P. Nadda when his convoy was wading through agitating medicos at All India Institute of Medical Science Bhopal.

The incident occurred when Mr Nadda was emerging out of the premier medical college in his vehicle after inaugurating some facilities in the institute.

He was facing protests from the students of AIIMS, Bhopal, over poor facilities in the institute.

Later, the driver of the vehicle carrying Mr Nadda tried to speed up the car to escape the demonstrating students, injuring two in the process. Mr Naddas vehicle was passing through the slogan shouting students when someone from among them threw ink at him. The ink thrower is yet to be identified. Police was investigating into the matter, said a functionary of AIIMS.
State BJP leaders present a mace to party president Amit Shah during a public meeting at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Hanamkonda on Saturday to mark the Hyderabad Liberation Day. Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, party state chief K. Laxman and other leaders are also seen. (Photo: DC)

WARANGAL: BJP national president Amit Shah on Saturday said that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is afraid of MIMs Asaduddin Owaisi and that is why he is reluctant to celebrate the Hyderabad Liberation Day.

Addressing a massive public meeting on the occasion of the Hydera-bad Liberation Day at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Hanamkonda on Saturday, Mr Shah remin-ded Mr Rao that it was not Mr Owaisi that made him the Chief Minister but the people of Telangana.

He warned that if he does not act according to the aspirations of the people and, instead, gave priority to Mr Owaisi, the people would give him a fitting reply in 2019 elections.

He said that if the BJP comes to power in Telangana state, they would celebrate the Hyderabad Liberation Day without being afraid of anyone.He said it was shameful that Mr Rao is supporting a party that was founded by Kasim Razvi.

Centre gave Telangana Rs 90,000 crore: Amit Shah

The BJP chief paid floral tributes to the portrait of former deputy prime minister Sardar Patel and said that only because of his brave decisions, the Nizams bowed down to the Republic of India.

He hailed liberation struggle martyrs like Komuram Bheem, Ramanandha Theertha and Hanumantha Rao and felicitated six freedom-fighters on the occasion. He reminded the gathering the atrocities committed by the Nizams private army and how they tortured the people of Telangana.

The Centre has given over Rs 90,000 crore for the development of TS through various schemes but they are not reaching the people. We wonder where they are going but then we found out that instead of Central funds reaching the people, leaders from other parties are reaching the TRS, he said. He appealed to the people to bring the BJP to power in 2019 for a rule that is free of the MIM.
HYDERABAD: Although many students from the Telugu states spend years abroad studying medicine, many are finding it difficult to return home. Most of them are unable to clear the FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduates Examination)  a mandatory screening test conducted by the Medical Council for citizens returning with foreign medical degrees.

The lesser percentage is an indication of the education standards, particular in the former Soviet bloc, where English is not the main language. Also, a majority of students going there are the ones who did not get study opportunities in India. Hence, it is proving to be a huge task for them to be at par with the standard of medical education taught here, MCI member K. Ramesh Reddy said.

Some preferred countries include Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, China, Philippines, Nepal and Bangladesh etc.

T. Krishna Prasad, an overseas education consultant, said Telugu students mostly prefer the Philippines, China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. This year, over 2,000 students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will be heading for medicine study abroad, he said.

According to N.S. Murthy of the Telangana Medical Council, FMGE came into effect in 2002 and it is a must for students who graduate from countries other than the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Freedom fighters shout slogans after being felicitated by BJP national president Amit Shah, extreme left, at a public meeting in Warangal on Saturday. TS BJP president K. Laxman and other leaders are also seen. (Photo: DC)

Warangal: Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, BJP national president Amit Shah said AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi needs the vision to see the difference between Congress rule and BJP rule.

Referring to Rahul Gandhis jibe that even after BJP came to power, there was still firing in Kashmir, the BJP chief said at a public meeting in Warangal on Saturday, Rahul Baba needs to understand that during the Congress rule, Pakistan used to start firing on the Indian Army and only stopped when it wanted to. But in BJP rule, if Pakistan Army starts firing, the Indian Army ends it.

He said the Congress faces corruption allegations to the tune of Rs 12 lakh-crore. During the past 2.5 years, there is not even one corruption allegation against the Modi government, he said.

Referring to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azads comments that the PM is always on a foreign tour, Amit Shah said that former PM Manmohan Singh visited more countries that Modi.

Several cultural programmes on the Hyderabad liberation struggle were organised at the public meeting. Union ministers Bandaru Dattatreya and Hansraj Ahir, state BJP chief K. Laxman, MLC Ramachandra Rao and others were present.
Premier to demonstrate China's increased diplomatic clout at UN, speak with executives in New York, start a new chapter in relations with Canada, and make a first of its kind visit to Cuba

More details have emerged on Premier Li Keqiang's upcoming debut at the UN General Assembly, a trip that will include Li meeting his Canadian counterpart and becoming the first Chinese premier to visit Cuba in more than half a century.

The whirlwind of activities will take place in an 11-day journey that starts on Sunday.

The premier is expected to expound on Beijing's viewpoints regarding the international order, development and global governance at the annual general debate of the UN session, kick off a meeting between Chinese and Canadian premiers that is set to become a regular event, and most likely meet with legendary Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, according to diplomats and analysts.

While attending the 71st session of the UN General Assembly between Sunday and Wednesday, Li is expected to tell the world how China has delivered on the promises President Xi Jinping made at last year's session, Yang Xiyu, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said on Friday.

At the UN Sustainable Development Summit last September, Xi said China would establish an assistance fund for South-South cooperation, with an initial pledge of $2 billion to support developing countries. Xi also announced China's decision to establish a 10-year, $1 billion China-UN peace and development fund to support the UN's work at last year's UN session.

During the annual UN session this year, China will release a country report on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  the first country to release such a report. It follows the action plan formulated at the recent G20 meeting in Hangzhou for implementing the agenda, which is a blueprint for ending poverty and hunger, promoting equality and protecting environment for the years leading up to 2030, according to Yang.

"The presence of Chinese president and premier at the consecutive UN sessions indicate China attaches great importance to the UN and supports the organization in playing its role," Yang said.

During his stay in New York, the premier is expected to attend the general debate, and chair a symposium on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and China's ways of doing that.

He is expected to announce "pragmatic moves" in support of the work of the UN and in addressing global challenges such as terrorism, refugee crises and infectious diseases, Vice-Foreign Minister Li Baodong said this week.

Also on the agenda is a meeting to be hosted by the Economic Club of New York, a nonprofit membership organization with members drawn from the top executive levels of business, industry and finance.

"This public diplomacy arrangement indicates the premier wants to have close contact and direct conversations with people in business, finance and industry circles," Yang said.

The premier will then fly to Canada for a flurry of activities, including meeting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa, and attending an economic and trade forum in Montreal, according to sources with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In their meeting in Beijing around half a month ago, the two premiers announced the two countries would launch an annual dialogue between both heads of government to boost bilateral relations and exchanges of views on international affairs.

"Li's visit will mark the official start of the dialogue mechanism, which indicates the two countries are well on the way to a more mature and stable relationship," Yang said.

While Li's visit to Canada was the first by a Chinese premier in 13 years, he would be the first Chinese premier ever to visit Cuba since Beijing and Havana established formal relations in 1960.

Liu Xiuqin, Chinese ambassador to the Caribbean country between 2010 and 2012, said Chinese presidents have all visited Cuba since 1993, each at least once, but none of its premiers has visited the island nation.

Premier Li's historic visit would result in enhanced political relations, and ramped-up cooperation in trade, she said.

Asked if Fidel Castro would meet Li, Liu said she believed that the former Cuban leader would surely meet the Chinese premier as long as his health permits.

Xu Shicheng, a senior researcher of Latin American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also predicted the meeting would happen.

Xu said that building on the traditional relations of the two countries, Premier Li's visit would lend a strong boost to bilateral trade.

The two-way trade between the two countries has remained about $2 billion in recent years, which Xu said doesn't match the momentum of their good relations.
According to the victim Bunty, he was on his bike when Kunal and his men stopped and stabbed him. (Representational image)

Patna: The police on Friday arrested RJD MLA Virendra Singhs son Kunal for allegedly stabbing a person in Aurangabad district for not obeying his orders.

According to the reports coming from Aurangabad, the incident took place due to political enmity between Kunal and the victim who is also a small-time political worker.

According to the victim Bunty, he was on his bike when Kunal and his men stopped and stabbed him. I was stabbed by Kunal because I had refused to obey his orders. He always wanted me to work for him but I am a worker of Swaraj Party and had told him that earlier. I think he had stopped me with an intention to kill me, Bunty said on Saturday after he was referred to Patna for treatment.

The incident has once again raised questions on the functioning of the Grand Secular Alliance government which has been facing criticism from the

opposition over deteriorating law and order in Bihar.

RJD MLA Virendra Singh, however, alleged that his son was innocent and that Bunty, who is of criminal background, may have been trying to overtake Kunals car with an intention to murder him.

He said, I think he injured himself and is now shifting the blame on my son to malign my image. I am sure truth will come out soon. This is the second case within the span of four months in which son of ruling party MLA was arrested for defying law in Bihar. Earlier on May 7, a teenaged student Aditya was killed by JD (U) legislator Manorama Devis son Rocky Yadav for overtaking his car in Gaya.
Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited his mother Hiraben Modi here and took her blessings on his 66th birthday.

Modi reached the residence of his brother Pankaj Modi in Raysan area of state capital here, where his 97-year-old mother is staying.

The Prime Minister sought her blessings and spend around 25 minutes with her. He later drove off to Raj Bhavan where he is put up during his visit.

Born on September 17, 1950, Modi turned 66 today. He is here to spend his birthday between tribal and Divyangs (differently abled).

He will travel to Limkheda of Dahod and inaugurate many schemes for development of this tribal district later in the day.

He was accorded a grand reception in Ahmedabad on Friday night as he landed at in Gujarat for his 66th birthday on Saturday.

This is the PM's third visit in recent times to Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due next year.

Governor OP Kohli, the entire Gujarat cabinet including the Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP leaders including the newly-appointed president Jitu Vaghani and hundreds of party workers welcomed Modi at the airport.

After his grand reception, Modi thanked Gujarat BJP leaders and party workers and drove to the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar where he spent the night. Some of the party workers seemed disappointed as Modi did not address them.

Later, he would go to the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate various irrigation projects.

Dahod collector Lalit Padaliya said the inauguration ceremony will be held at Limkheda town, around 25 km from the city, and the PM will also address a rally there.

"The Prime Minister will inaugurate Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project," Mr Padaliya said.

Later in the afternoon he would go to Navsari where he is scheduled to take part in a function where aid would be distributed to the differently-abled persons.

"In Navsari, PM will distribute kits and aid to 'divyang' citizens. He will also address a large gathering near Navsari town," Pandya said.

BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of next year's polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.

Last month Modi visited his home state twice -- to condole the death of Sawminarayan sect's leader Pramukhswami Maharaj and later to inaugurate an irrigation scheme in Saurashtra region.
KOZHIKODE: The government guest house, located on a hillock at East Hill here, is being readied to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will reach here to attend the three-day BJP national council meeting on September 23. As per the official itinerary, Mr Modi would stay in the guest house on Saturday (September 24) and return on Sunday. It is for the first time in the recent past that a prime minister has opted to stay in the guest house. Former presidents APJ Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil and vice-president M. Hamid Ansari had stayed here, said an employee.

A team of security officials would visit the guest house and premises on Monday. The entire room reservation for the guest house has been blocked. Guest house manager C.P. Jayarajan told DC that though Mr Manmohan Singh had spent a few hours in the guest house, he didn't stay there. "We are yet to receive any official intimation about Modi's visit, but were told to take necessary arrangements," he added. "Some repair works are on and some aesthetic changes also are being carried out," he added. "A special meeting has been convened in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday on security, safety and stay where we will get a final picture about his programme," he said.

Mr Modi would land at Karipur airport in a special Air Force flight at 3. 45 p.m. on Saturday. He would participate in the public meeting organized in connection with the national council at Kozhikode beach in which BJP national president Amit Shah also would participate. After a brief rest at the guest house he would also attend Smruthi Sandhya, a gathering of elders who served the party and its earlier incarnation Jana Sangh, to be held at Zamorin's Higher Secondary School. On Sunday he would attend the national council meeting at Sarovaram from 9.30 a.m. to 5.45 p.m. from where he would go straight to airport.
New Delhi: A day after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung asked Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to cut short his Finland visit and attend to the affairs in the national capital, which is reeling under dengue and chikungya, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra called on Jung on Saturday.

The leaders reportedly discussed on the strategies to reign in the vector-borne diseases during the meeting.

The opposition had hit out at the Kejriwal led AAP government, alleging that Sisodia was holidaying in Finland at a time when the city was reeling under diseases like chikungunya and dengue.

Reports had gone rife on Friday claiming that Jung had asked Sisodia to return from Finland in view of the crisis situation in Delhi, especially as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was away in Bengaluru receiving treatment for his persistent cough.

But an official source confirmed that no such official communication was received by the Deputy Chief Minister or the Indian Embassy in Helsinki from Jungs office seeking Sisodias return.

In any case, he was scheduled to return on Sunday, September 18, the Indian Express reported, quoting the official source.

Sisodia also hit out at detractors on Friday, tweeting that he was in Helsinki to study the schooling system in the country and fix Delhis education woes, and not holidaying as was being portrayed.

Chikungunya is taking its toll in Delhi with death toll climbing to 30 and the number of cases increasing to over 1,700 this season and fever clinics getting swamped with patients.

Delhi government has also launched a helpline to provide medical assistance to people and help them locate nearest fever clinics. Meanwhile, the Centre has also sought a detailed report from Delhi government on deaths due to dengue and chikungunya, including medical history of the deceased.
New Delhi: India, on Friday, firmly denied reports which claimed that exiled Baloch activist Brahumdagh Bugti would soon be given Indian citizenship.

Earlier on Friday, Geo News had reported that that India would provide citizenship to Bugti and his trusted aides in Switzerland including Sher Muhammad Bugti and Azizullah Bugti. The official talks between Bugti and Indian authorities began earlier this year, the report added.

But speaking to ANI, Bugti clarified later on Friday that he had made no such formal appeal to the Indian government, but added that he might consider it in future.

He also said that the request would be made formally after discussing the issue within the party on September 19.

"Till now, we haven't sought any asylum officially. On 19th of September, we have a central committee meeting of the BRP where we will finally decide on this and then make the process formal," he said.

He added that India's intervention is important for the cause of Balochistan and that raising the issue in the United Nations will help get the attention of the Western countries.

Baloch activists and leaders have continuously maintained that Pakistan is involved in the genocide of the Baloch people and that human rights violations are rampant in the region there, and have welcomed Indias recent move in highlighting their plight, claiming that it would draw the attention of international community and western media in particular.
Bengaluru: BJP state unit President B.S. Yeddyurappa has poured cold water on the move by the JD(S) to hitch its wagon to the BJP and gain control over the municipal body, the BBMP, which would remove the Congress hold on the city. BSY may have another motive  he does not want the former deputy Chief Minister R. Ashok to gain prominence.

Either way, is the Congress facing a defeat when the mayoral elections are held at the end of September?

Congress pins hopes on Dr Parameshwar, Ashok faces dissent within

The alliance for power at the BBMP for next one-year mayoral term is getting murkier. While the JD(S) top leadership is divided over continuing with the Congress, the two national parties too are facing similar problems within.

The Congress, which is facing he threat of losing power, is pinning its hopes on Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwar to carry the negotiations forward, while former DyCM R. Ashok, who is bargaining hard to ensure an alliance with the JD(S), is facing dissent within his party.

Ever since JD(S) joined hands with Congress to capture power in BBMP, JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy has not been happy. But it had blessings of his father and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. His main grouse was that his detractors  N. Cheluvarayaswamy and Zameer Ahamed Khan  had clinched the deal. The situation deteriorated when his detractors voted against the JD(S) candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections. Also, JD(S) Corporators felt letdown by the Congress mayor.

As the one-year mayoral term is coming to an end, Mr Kumaraswamy has openly started talking against renewing the alliance. An alarmed Congress deputed Bengaluru in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy, who made several round to Mr Gowda's house in Padmanabhanagar.

When the deal was not clinched, PWD Minister Dr H.C. Mahadevappa approached former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, who suggested the name of Dr Parameshwar, who enjoys a good rapport with Mr Gowda and his children. Mr Krishna held a meeting with Dr Parameshwar and Dr Mahadevappa, and convinced the home minister to negotiate with Mr Kumaraswamy. Dr Parameshwar is likely to meet Mr Kumaraswamy soon.

Meanwhile, Mr Ashok too is negotiating with Mr Kumaraswamy. But bickering within the top leadership of his party is proving to be a hindrance. No one wants Mr Ashok to succeed, party sources said. With mayoral election due by the month-end, chances of an alliance still remain open for both the Congress and BJP.
Like many other Indians, I was hopeful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would bring in quick, discernible change, even though the massive problems facing India require Mr Modi to have at least a 10-year tenure. There is no doubt that Mr Modis numerous international trips have added to improving Indias image, but his domestic record is not as good in some critical areas impacting national security. Unfortunately, his first 28 months in office indicate that unless he pulls off a miracle (e.g. creating 13 million new jobs annually, bringing peace to Kashmir, resolving domestic river water disputes, getting palpable growth by attracting FDI), the chances of a clear win in the 2019 elections appear bleak. However, this article focuses on two other issues, which impact national security, one of which could further add to Mr Modis problems in trying to win the 2019 elections.

The first issue is demoralisation of the military, and the recent unprecedented request by the three Service Chiefs to the PMO, to reconsider and put on hold its order of implementing the Seventh Central Pay Commission award for the military. As a veteran who served four decades in the Navy, I am disappointed with the governments recent approval of the 7th CPC report with respect to the armed forces. The military is regularly called out to sort out the failures of civil administration during floods or recent riots in Haryana, and the present turmoil in Kashmir. Rumours indicate that Mr Modi, who started his tenure by having monthly meetings with the three Service Chiefs, has not met them for the last seven months. When this demoralisation of the military is considered along with the extremely slow pace of military modernisation (the $37 billion defence budget leaves very little for new inductions of military hardware, with the deal for 36 French Rafale jets for 7.8 billion euros slated to be signed on September 23), then we can see that despite

Mr Modis enormous successes on the diplomatic front, Indias security stands weakened, and he needs to urgently take a political decision to bring parity in pay and allowances to the military with civil services. On September 15, a section of the media reported a statement by defence minister Manohar Parrikar that he had met the PM on the night of September 14, after having earlier met the Service Chiefs. Mr Parrikar is reported to have stated that he expected a quick resolution of at least three major anomalies in the 7th CPC, i.e. entry-level pay suppression in middle ranks, non-functional upgrade, and enhancement of military service pay of junior commissioned officers. These three would cost Rs 600 crores as per Mr Parrikar. Hopefully, Mr Modi may give military good news during Diwali.

I am very familiar with Russia, its culture and its history of defeating all invaders. The Russians by nature make good reliable friends and also bad enemies. This brief preamble brings me to the second issue impacting our national security, i.e. the possible creeping chill in Indias relations with its long-time trusted and strategic partner Russia, which is the sole supplier of strategic military hardware, like nuclear submarines (SSN), stealth fifth generation jet fighters (called FGFA), ballistic missile defence system (BMDS), and also helping us in space exploration, civil nuclear power plants, etc. While there is no doubt that Russia and the US have different views on Crimea, the Baltic Sea where naval and air confrontations occur regularly, Syria, Nato expanding on the borders of Russia, etc., with the result that Russia and China are presently holding massive naval drills in the disputed South China Sea.

The more ominous signs are the 2015 Russian sale of Mi-35 helicopter gunships to Pakistan, along with the offer of advanced SU-35 fighter jets and recent announcement of the first ever Russian-Pakistani joint military exercises, involving special forces in mountain terrain. While Russias present confrontation with the US and the need for access to Afghanistans mineral wealth may have been contributory factors, there is little doubt that the Russians are unhappy with Mr Modis frequent overtures to Washington, and the recent signing of the US-India Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement pact. India has taken some damage control measures, like the recent visit to Moscow of our foreign minister followed shortly by the forthcoming visit by our home minister.

Clearly, a China-Russia-Pakistan alliance would not be in our national interest and Mr Modi needs to make public, before President Vladimir Putin arrives for the Brics meeting in Goa (October 12-13), the Lemoa pact to end speculation, while releasing additional funds for early contract signing of Russian military hardware like indigenous production of FGFA, and induction of SSN, BMDS. If Mr Modi tackles the two primary issues listed above, then he needs to focus on how to further improve ties with the US, Japan, Australia, South Korea, etc., without antagonising Russia, while managing our border problems with China and getting FDI from all, and meeting Mr Modis goal of India getting Nuclear Suppliers Group membership by the end of 2016. There is no doubt that all these are contradictory requirements, given present tensions between the US, China, Japan and Russia, not to mention border disputes between North and South Korea and, of course, the disputes between China-India and the insolvable dispute between India-Pakistan. Also while maintaining and enhancing ties with Russia (the mutual annual trade is a dismal $10 billion), its vital for India to improve its trade relations with the US (presently $107 billion) to meet a target of $500 billion by 2020.

Mr Modi has done extremely well on most diplomatic fronts, specially in Saarc (minus Pakistan), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Indo-Pacific Region and West Asia. He now needs to focus on the domestic front by creating 13 million jobs annually, attracting FDI, improving military morale and looking closely at national security with respect to three looming threats  China, Pakistan and terror. A look at Indias history would show that the rulers of Delhi have been mostly changed by foreign invaders, who defeated ill-equipped and possibly demoralised domestic armies, led by ill-informed rulers without strategic vision. The only possible exception to this Indian trait would be the overthrow of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan by his son Aurangzeb in 1658. Knowing that history repeats itself, Mr Modi should trust his military, focus on national security and remember there will always be soldiers on your land, and if they are not yours, they will be foreigners.
It is only with a sense of foreboding that we look at the statistics of terrorism tabulated annually. Much like the global terror index compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the latest data for 2015 analysed by an agency contracted with the US state department has a chilling tale to tell. The Maoists of India now count as the fourth deadliest terror group globally after the Taliban, IS and Boko Haram. While India ranked sixth in 2014 in the global terror index, it appears it might be headed to taking the fourth spot in 2015 behind the worst terror spots of the world like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, overtaking Syria and Nigeria.

While Indias campaign in international forums aimed at exposing Pakistans nefarious plans in state-sponsored terrorism exported across the border mostly to Jammu and Kashmir is getting shriller as it must, we must also stop and think of how much we are doing to contain the ideology based terror of hardened communist groups. Cadres of the CPI(M) were responsible for 343 terror attacks last year killing 176 people, mostly in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Besides dealing with Islamist terrorism of the Pakistani and homegrown kind and the tactics of the Maoists, India also grapples with separatist movements that have been taking a toll of lives in the North-East. The point is while dialogue and negotiations are possible with the separatists and Maoists, India can be seen doing more towards tending to the economic development issues that are more germane to the problems caused by revolutionaries.
In a federal system, most of the inter-state rivers lead to serious disputes when it comes to water sharing. In case of India particularly, there are many such inter-state rivers like Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and Mahanadi to mention a few. Unlike in cases of international (trans-boundary) rivers, the contending parties in an intranational river dispute cannot resort to armed conflict. Therefore, their options are restricted to available legal mechanisms within the national/democratic framework. In India, the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, (ISRWD Act) was enacted as per provisions of Article 262 of the Indian Constitution. This Act was later amended in 2002 as per the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission. This Act provides an important legal mechanism to resolve the inter-state water disputes. Indeed, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted on June 2, 1990, as per provisions of the ISRWD Act, 1956, to adjudicate the dispute among the contending states. Once the tribunal is constituted, this Act restricts the Supreme Court from intervening in the adjudication process.

In the case of the Cauvery dispute, after the declaration of the Final Award in 2007, the contending states had the liberty to go back to the tribunal with a review petition for a supplementary award. Instead, they had approached the apex court with Special Leave Petitions (SLPs). Given that the ISRWD Act bars the Supreme Court from intervening, the court should have directed the SLPs to the tribunal instead of admitting them. Eight years since then, resolution remains a distant dream. Meanwhile, in 2013, due to persistent pressure from the Tamil Nadu government, the Government of India had to print the Final Award in the Union Gazette. Indeed, it should have been followed by the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB). However, the CMB constitution faced various political and other hurdles. While the Karnataka government resists moves to constitute the CMB, the TN government had been applying pressure for the same. Whether the CMB would contribute to the resolution of the dispute, remains a trillion-dollar question!

Nothing significant has happened even after the protracted legal struggle. If anything, the situation has gotten worse. Tamil Nadu gets water from the upstream only when there is heavy rainfall in the upper catchment and when the dams in Karnataka overflow. Otherwise, the standard reply TN receives is that either there is no water to release or the dams are half-empty. On each such occasion, the TN government is compelled to approach the Supreme Court, which in turn orders restricted release of water from Karnataka reservoirs. And violence has erupted every time Karnataka had been forced to release water.

The violence being witnessed today is similar. But I would like to pinpoint a couple of important concerns in the present context:

When Karnataka pleaded with the Supreme Court citing that people in the state are in the mood to agitate and that this may lead to wide-spread violence, the court took strong exception to the plea and stated that the deteriorating law and order cannot be the reason for non-execution of its order. The states government should take serious note of it.

What is the message the Karnataka government and other political parties there are trying to convey by backing or resorting to violence, setting ablaze hundreds of vehicles and damaging properties? I wish to say here that there are 24 unresolved inter-state water disputes across India. The principle of federalism and the Indian Union would evaporate if all of them resort to violent expressions such as the ongoing one.

Nevertheless, a prudent analysis of the long-standing dispute would convey a few points:

Tremendous mistrust had been built up among the farmers of both states over time;

All successive governments and political parties used the Cauvery water dispute for their own short-term political gains, which contributed to regional and linguistic chauvinism;

Cauvery has an over-exploited basin (or deficit basin) where around 1,250 tmc feet of water is needed for the command areas already developed in both states. However, only 740 tmc feet is available at 50 per cent dependability;

There has been a remarkable and momentous cultural and emotional attachment to Cauvery water in both states.

Institutional and judicial interventions can help only up to a point, but cannot give a lasting solution and peace.

Keeping in mind these concerns, I initiated a farmer-to-farmer dialogue in 2003 involving prominent farmer leaders from both states. The initiative, Cauvery Family, has met 18 times. In its last meeting, in 2012, we arrived at a water sharing formula acceptable to farmers of both states. Though this initiative was widely appreciated by the media and civil society, it failed to grab politicians and governments attention. The initiative failed as it did not receive any political support. The violence we are witnessing in the two states could have been circumvented had the political parties or governments recognised initiatives by non-governmental/non-political organisations.
Let farmers of both states network for judicious management of water in the basin areas if netas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu cannot arrive at an agreement on sharing water of the Cauvery whenever the monsoon plays truant, says Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, Centre for Sustainable Development, Bengaluru in an interview to B.R. Srikanth. The former chief secretary also raised questions on why the state government did not remind the Supreme Court that it should not hear a petition and issue directions on the quantum of water to be released, as the Inter-State Water Disputes Act (ISWD), 1956, bars all courts from adjudicating a dispute referred to a Tribunal.

The jurisdiction of the court, including the Supreme Court, is barred once a Tribunal is set up (in this case the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal), Dr Ravindra said. Dr Ravindra is the author of A Bend in the Cauvery: An account of the Cauvery water dispute.

The Cauvery water dispute is turning out to be less about water and farmers' interests and more about linguistic chauvinism, given the recent violence witnessed in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Your comments?

What we have seen in the last few days mirrors the role of extraneous forces, and not much about water per se. I agree that linguistic chauvinism has overtaken the real issue, which is availability of water. In 1991, when a similar situation existed (the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal directed Karnataka to release 205 TMC feet a year to Tamil Nadu through an interim order), the state legislature passed an legislation that the interim order will not be implemented, and that took a linguistic turn. So people who take to the streets do not know anything about the dispute nor does it benefit anyone. This is a bad trend, and governments must do everything possible to see that people who speak a different language do not fall victims to mob violence.

And every time the dispute resurfaces, fringe organizations which have little to do with farmers and their interests resort to violence and arson, but governments of both states seem to turn a blind eye to such organizations?

It is very unfortunate that fringe elements are taking over. There have been such episodes in the past. The governments must deal with these organisations with a heavy hand so that the situation does not go out of hand.

In the latest instance, do you think the state government should have either prepared itself for a distress situation or released water to Tamil Nadu in such a manner that chauvinistic elements did not get an opportunity to inflame passions?

Yes, I agree that the state government should have prepared itself to tackle the issue in the right manner. We knew since a month about the likely shortage of water, and given past incidents, the government should have taken steps on how minimum quantum could be released, and sent a proper communication to farmers and others. A good message to all sections would have helped. Second, when Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court for release of water, the state government ought to have raised the question of jurisdiction of the court to hear the petition, and asked for setting up of a committee of experts to visit the reservoirs in the basin area and submit a report based on the ground situation. I know I am mentioning a controversial point because it is beyond the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as a Tribunal has been set up under the Inter-state Water Disputes Act. The court can intervene only on legal or constitutional matters, but tell the petitioner to go to the Tribunal or Cauvery Monitoring Committee for release of water. The question arises as to why the Supreme Court heard the petition, and even gave directions for release of a certain quantum of water.

But what is so unique about this inter-state dispute that successive governments have failed to resolve it for more than 125 years?

Yes, it has been dragged since the 19th century, and will keep recurring whenever the monsoon fails, resulting in shortage of water in the reservoirs. So, how do you deal with the situation when there is no water? One method is a distress- sharing formula which should be agreed upon by all riparian states, and farmers need to understand the distress situation and make optimum use of water. In fact, some years ago, perhaps in 2003, an attempt was made in the form of the Cauvery Family, to involve farmers of both states to share water during a distress year. Farmers on both sides grow sugarcane and paddy, and must realize the need to manage water or adopt water conservation techniques, and change the crop pattern. This could be one solution. Otherwise, the dispute will persist.

And the governments do not seem to be perturbed about losses to the economy every time a lockdown is resorted to as a mode of protest when the dispute recurs?

Yes. They are certainly sending out a wrong signal by allowing bandhs. The politicians of both states must realize that it is not just economic activity coming to a standstill or affecting the livelihood of daily wagers during bandh, but also that the respective government's revenue drops with a dip in business. It is rather unfortunate that leaders of these two states do not want to come together and decide on sharing water at times of distress. They must have the will to find a lasting solution. There were some efforts earlier but a negotiated settlement was not possible.

Perhaps, these states could have also pressurized the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal for the final ward rather than wait for 17 years for the final order?

Well, the functioning of the Tribunal was certainly not inspiring. The chairman (Justice Chittatosh Mookerjee) resigned, and there was no unanimity among the other members. So that's why it took so long to announce the final order. Now, even nine years after the order, the bodies suggested, including the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee , has not been constituted. I would say that all parties in this dispute have failed: the Union government, the state governments, the court and the Tribunal. The manner in which all of them approached the dispute shows lack of seriousness and also that they were waking up only when a crisis occurs. So, solutions must be found in calmer times, and not during a crisis. I think once the North-East monsoon sets in, the crisis will blow over. Then all parties concerned must take a stand that they will not allow such situation to recur so that suffering is minimized for people of both states. Unfortunately, after each crisis, leaders have relaxed rather than work on a plan to handle a distress situation, and avoid a water war. On one hand, we are trying to remove barriers through measures like GST, but on the other, we are creating artificial barriers through such water disputes.

Do you think technical experts can suggest a way out during distress situations and guide farmers on water conservation and management?

Technical opinions have been given on a number of occasions even on crop management, reduction fo the area under sugarcane and paddy, and water conservation. The real issue is how to manage water well. The first national water policy was formulated in 2002 but has remained a draft and even lacks an integrated water management programme. Experts have already warned that India will become a water deficit nation. So, these leaders must discuss the issue seriously and find ways of conserving water and methods to utilize water judiciously so that we do not face a water-deficit situation. With modern technology, it is possible to find solutions to this problem. I also think that people need to assert themselves through the social media and other avenues available and apply pressure on the government so that a sound water policy is evolved, and a water management board or other similar bodies are established.

Can the Prime Minister step in, just as Mrs Indira Gandhi did in 1972, when she chaired a meeting of Chief Ministers of four riparian states and constituted the Cauvery Fact Finding Committee?

Well, the Prime Minister and others could find it difficult to convene a meeting as the case is being heard by the Supreme Court now. When Mr Vajpayee was chairman of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) in 2002, Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said at one meeting that she does not agree with a solution walked out. The willingness to understand and find a solution should be exhibited by both sides. The most important steps now are establishment of the two entities (CMB and CWRC) along with best experts to suggest prudent water management in the basin region.

And how about the role of the 'Cauvery Family' to help find a long-term solution?

Yes, the Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, took the initiative to invite farmers of both states and commenced. The fact that farmers of both states came together without prejudices was a significant development. The initiative, however, fizzled out after a couple of meetings. The mention of a family gives rise to the notion of working together rather than a quarrel at times of distress. The governments must encourage such initiatives as farmers, more than anybody, know the problems better. They could support exchange programmes and workshops on issues relating to agriculture, increase of crop yield, and reduction of salinity. Such initiatives should take off when the states are not bickering so that they will be able to suggest methods to be adopted during a crisis.
(Xinhua) 11:44, September 17, 2016

CANBERRA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A controversial right-wing Australian senator has hired a former adviser to U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation Party which holds four seats in the Australian senate, is expected to announce the identity of the former Trump adviser on Saturday.

The appointment was confirmed by Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby at a community forum in northern Queensland on Friday evening.

"Just on the economic things, tomorrow there'll be a front-page announcement, from what I understand," Ashby said when asked about economic policies.

"We have just hired - and they've just landed in the country yesterday (Thursday) - one of the world's leading economists, who has worked for Donald Trump."

"We have just taken him from the Trump camp, so he's come on board with us."

"That's pretty exciting. We need to build credibility on the economic front, so that's why we've hired somebody with credibility."

Hanson's hardline anti-Islam and anti-immigration stance has drawn many comparisons to the policies of the controversial businessman-turn-politician.

Hanson made front-page news in September when she used her maiden Senate speech to warn that Australia is "at danger" of being inundated by Muslims.

"We are in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own," Hanson said on Wednesday.

Hanson used the Rockhampton forum to reiterate that she would not be backing down from her comments.

The One Nation Party received 4.3 percent of the national vote in July's Federal election, enough to guarantee two senate seats in Queensland and one each in New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA). Enditem
Boeing Co and SpaceX, owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, are building spaceships to fly NASA astronauts to the ISS.

SpaceX on September 15 said efforts to develop and certify a space taxi for NASA are not being slowed by an investigation into a launch pad fire that destroyed its rocket and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite.

Boeing Co and SpaceX, owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, are building spaceships to fly NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, a $100 billion laboratory that flies 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is looking to turn over crew transport to SpaceX and Boeing before the end of 2018, breaking a Russian monopoly. SpaceX is aiming for its first test flight to the station in 2017.

Were full-steam head for certification. Were still trying to remain on schedule, Abhishek Tripathi, director of certification for SpaceX, said during a webcast panel discussion at an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference in Long Beach, California.

I know what I need to do in the next day and in the next month, Tripathi said, adding that his work is not being affected by the accident investigation.

SpaceX, with oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration, is working to figure out why one of its Falcon 9 rockets burst into flames on Sept. 1 as it was being fueled for a routine prelaunch test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The blaze destroyed the communications satellite, owned by Israels Space Communication Ltd, which was scheduled to be carried into orbit two days later.

SpaceX has not yet disclosed how much damage was done at its primary launch site.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said on Wednesday the company was hoping to resume flights in November at a second, nearly complete launch pad at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, adjacent to the Air Force base.

The company, which has a backlog of 70 missions for NASA and commercial customers, worth more than $10 billion, also flies from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

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The FBI for weeks had maintained that only Apple could help it access the work-issued phone.

The Associated Press and two other news organizations sued the FBI on September 17 to learn who the government paid and how much it spent to hack into an iPhone in its investigation into last year's San Bernardino, California, massacre.

The lawsuit seeks records about the FBI's contract with an unidentified vendor who provided a tool to unlock the phone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, who with his wife killed 14 people at a holiday gathering of county workers in December 2015.

Gannett, the parent company of USA Today, and Vice Media LLC joined the complaint with the AP, seeking to learn more about the mysterious transaction that cut short a legal dispute in which the government sought to force Apple Inc. to unlock the phone.

"Understanding the amount that the FBI deemed appropriate to spend on the tool, as well as the identity and reputation of the vendor it did business with, is essential for the public to provide effective oversight of government functions and help guard against potential improprieties," said the suit, filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia under the US Freedom of Information Act.

In rejecting earlier requests to divulge the information, the government had said revealing the records could affect "enforcement proceedings," but did not elaborate. FBI spokesman Chris Allen declined to comment Friday.

The case stems from the FBI's announcement in March that it had purchased a tool to unlock the iPhone, aborting the court fight with Apple that had in turn triggered a debate about the proper balance between electronic privacy and national security.

The FBI for weeks had maintained that only Apple could help it access the work-issued phone, which was found in a car after the shooting and was protected by a passcode that included security protocols. At the Justice Department's request, a magistrate judge in February directed Apple to create software that would bypass security features on the phone so that the FBI could get into the device and scour it for potential evidence. Apple contested the order, saying the FBI's demand set a dangerous precedent and could undercut security protections for its customers.

The two sides were headed for a court showdown when Justice Department officials revealed that a party outside the US government brought it a potential solution to unlock the phone. The FBI said a week later it successfully entered the phone using the tool. The lawsuit cites media reports as saying investigators did not find any links to foreign extremist groups on the device.

Though FBI Director James Comey has released some details about the transaction, including saying that the FBI paid more than he'll earn for his remaining years in the position, the agency has refused to say how much the solution cost or reveal how it worked. It also refused to share the information with Apple, which had expressed concern that circumventing its security protections could compromise its products.

The suit by the media organizations argues that there was no legal basis to withhold the information and challenges the adequacy of the FBI's search for relevant records. It also said the public has a right to know whether the vendor has adequate security measures, is a proper recipient of government funds and will act only in the public interest.

It was the third suit the AP has filed against the Obama administration under the Freedom of Information Act.

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Samsung has received 92 reports of the batteries overheating in the US alone.

US safety regulators announced a formal recall of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after a spate of fires led to injuries and property damage - along with a global marketing headache for the South Korean tech giant.

"Because this product presents such a serious fire hazard, I am urging all consumers ... to take advantage of this recall right away," said Elliot Kaye, chairman of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Samsung had already initiated a voluntary recall, but the company has been criticized for not offering clear information about the problem or how it would be resolved. While speaking with reporters, Kaye appeared to blast Samsung for not coordinating with his agency.

"As a general matter it's not a recipe for a successful recall for a company to go out on its own," he said, adding that anyone who believes a unilateral effort would be sufficient "needs to have more than their phone checked."

Samsung has said the problem involves about 2.5 million smartphones worldwide; authorities say that includes about 1 million in the United States. While the company was previously offering to replace the phones, it will now offer consumers the choice of a replacement or a full refund.

The recall comes as Samsung is locked in a fierce battle with Apple for the attentions of high-end smartphone buyers. Apple just introduced the latest versions of its iPhone, which go on sale Friday.

Samsung had beaten Apple to market with the Note 7 by several weeks. It was drawing favorable reviews for the phone, which started at $850 in the US, before consumers began reporting problems with the battery overheating, sometimes causing fires or explosions.

One family in St. Petersburg, Florida, said a Galaxy Note 7 left charging in their Jeep had caught fire, destroying the vehicle.

Samsung has received 92 reports of the batteries overheating in the US, including 26 reports of burns and 55 of property damage, according to the US commission's website. It said property damage included fires in cars and a garage.

Meanwhile, US aviation safety officials have taken the unusual step of warning airline passengers not to turn on or charge the phone during flights, and not to put them in checked bags.

A top Samsung executive in the United States on Thursday apologized to customers and pledged to expedite the recall.

"We did not meet the standard of excellence that you expect and deserve," said Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America, in a video released by the company.

Critics say Samsung didn't follow commission rules that call for companies to coordinate the handling of recalls with the commission, including the use of joint public announcements, although Baxter said Thursday that his company notified the commission before it announced it would stop selling the Note 7 on Sept. 2.

Samsung announced then that it would replace any Note 7 phones it had sold, with replacements available within a week. But its press releases didn't tell consumers to stop using the device.

A week later, the company and the commission issued separate statements that urged consumers to stop using the Note 7. At that point, Samsung said it would offer replacement Note 7 devices once the commission had approved them.

Samsung's statements left many customers confused, said Tuong Nguyen, a tech industry analyst with Gartner, "and that might have an impact on overall consumer confidence, especially since we're talking about a high-end device, their flagship phone."

People who bought the phone did so to get the best possible quality and service, he said, adding that the handling of the recall "kind of seems like a strike on both counts."

Some purchasers of the Note 7 say they're willing to try another Samsung device.

"I think I would," said Robert Lerner, a 64-year-old financial consultant who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. "But I'm not going to go get it the first week," he added, because he wants to make sure there aren't more problems with the Note 7 replacements.

Brooklyn office worker Joe Franco said he was frustrated, especially after getting conflicting information from his cellphone carrier, Sprint, about how to get a replacement.

"I love the phone. It's an excellent phone. But I'm scared it's going to explode," said Franco. The 23-year-old said he's currently using an old phone borrowed from a friend, which he said was "really impractical."

Samsung said Note 7 owners who don't want a refund can choose to get a new Note 7 - which the company now says will be available in the US by Wednesday - or the smaller and cheaper Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge right away, with a refund of the price difference.

Speaking with reporters on Sept. 15, Kaye at the consumer safety commission said Note 7 purchasers should check the back of their device for an identifying number, and visit Samsung's recall website or call a hotline at 1-844-365-6197 to find out if the device needs to be turned in.

If so, consumers can take the device back to Samsung or to the phone carrier that sold it. About 97 per cent of phones sold in the US are being recalled.

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The tech giant announced earlier this week that the larger iPhone 7 Plus had sold out.

Apple employees enthusiastically counted down the last moments before stores from San Francisco to Shanghai opened on September 16 to launch the iPhone 7, but the ranks of shoppers were notably thinner than in previous years.

Apple fans assembled at stores around the world to be among the first to buy the iPhone 7, the retail phenomenon that accompanies the launch of the company's updated flagship product each year.

The tech giant announced earlier this week that the larger iPhone 7 Plus had sold out, prompting some who had set up camp outside Apple's marquee store in San Francisco to pack up their bags and head home.

To be sure, online pre-orders have made lines unnecessary for all but diehard fans, and in Chinese stores only those who had ordered in advance were queuing to collect.

Yet in markets like China, online interest in the new phone has also been muted, as cheaper local brands amp up their design and marketing.

Wu Ting, a 28-year-old from Nanjing, was surprised to find herself first in line at a downtown Apple store in Shanghai on September 16, a holiday in China.

"I found last year that there were crowds of people, but this year almost no one. I came an hour early thinking I'd have to wait a long time before getting seen," Wu said.

The stakes for the iPhone 7 are high after sales of the gadget dropped during two straight quarters this year, the first declines in its history. The iPhone is Apple's lifeblood, accounting for more than half of the company's revenue.

But some on Wall Street fear that the world's most valuable company is due for a disappointing year as the redesigned phone features largely incremental improvements, such as an enhanced camera and new headphone technology.

Sales in China will be a key harbinger for Apple's prospects: The success of the iPhone 6 in China propelled the company to record heights in 2014, while the 6S contributed to the company's first global revenue drop in over a decade earlier this year.

Apple will not release first-weekend sales of the phones this year, a break with previous policy. The figure has become a reflection of supply more than demand, the company said.

An index of searches on Baidu, China's most popular search engine, shows the new phone lagging both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5.

Apple's Greater China sales dropped by a third in April-June, albeit after more than doubling a year earlier, while its market share has fallen to around 7.8 per cent, placing it fifth behind local rivals Huawei, OPPO and Vivo.

"From Steve Jobs to Tim Cook, Apple has never had any marketing strategy tailor-made for China," said Zhou Zhanggui, a Beijing-based strategic consultant. "Apple risks losing out more if it does not better cater to local demands in its marketing as well as product design."

In Beijing's fashionable Sanlitun shopping district, several people who had already grabbed new iPhone 7s were hawking them for a markup just outside a flagship store.

Loyal Fans Line Up In Sydney

But Apple has not lost its shine for all customers.

Marcus Barsoum, a 16-year-old who described himself as a "diehard Apple fan," spent two nights camped outside the Sydney store. By morning, some 200 people were gathered in light rain to be the first customers globally to own iPhone 7s.

Weary but elated, Barsoum charged into the store at 8 a.m. to the cheers of Apple staff. He emerged with a matte black iPhone 7, although he had wanted a larger 7 plus in jet black.

"It feels great to be the first in the world to have the iPhone 7," he said. "It was 100 percent worth it."

Omar Nofal, a 26-year-old doctor in San Francisco, was all smiles as he emerged from the Apple Store with a silver iPhone 7, his first upgrade in four years. He said he was tempted to hold off until next year, when many predict Apple will redesign the iPhone to mark the gadget's 10th anniversary, but his phone has a cracked screen.

"I couldn't wait another year," he said.

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'We're monitoring those events very closely,' US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

Washington: The US is closely monitoring the current situation in Karachi, where political party MQM is facing a crackdown after its former self-exiled leader Altaf Hussain in London delivered an anti-Pakistan speech and asked his workers to launch attack on media, an official has said.

"We're monitoring those events very closely," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters yesterday when asked about the arrests of the leaders of Mutthaida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the biggest party in Karachi.

"We're aware that Pakistan security forces have arrested some MQM members allegedly involved in violent protests and that these operations have included the closure and the demolition of offices deemed to have been illegally constructed," Kirby said.

Responding to a question, he said the US routinely communicates with Pakistani about issues like this.
In the past, the Saudis have pointed to the 9/11 Commission, FBI investigations and other probes that found no Saudi government or royal family involvement in the attacks. (Photo: AP)

Miami: An accused al-Qaida bomb-maker who went to college in Arizona told military officials at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that he believed an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family was part of an effort to recruit him for violent extremist acts before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to a newly released transcript.

Ghassan Abdallah al-Sharbi said a religious figure in Saudi Arabia used the term "your highness" during a telephone conversation with a man, just before urging al-Sharbi to return to the US and take part in a plot against the US that would involve learning to fly a plane.

The Sept. 11 commission found there was no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government as an institution or Saudi senior officials individually had supported the attacks, and the kingdom's government has consistently denied it had any role in the plot.

It was early 2001, and al-Sharbi had only recently returned from the United States, where he had taken some flight school courses in Phoenix with two men who would become hijackers in the 9/11 attacks.

Al-Sharbi described the conversation in June to the Periodic Review Board, which assesses whether Guantanamo prisoners can be released. The Pentagon on Thursday posted a transcript, with parts blacked out, on the website of the board, which includes representatives from six US agencies and departments.

The statement is convoluted and lacks important details, such as whether the "religious figure" might be close to any Saudi officials. It does not indicate who the Saudi royal might be. The term can be used for thousands of members of the Saudi royal family; al-Sharbi did not say he met the man.

Al-Sharbi also appears to be struggling with illness. He tells the board he had just come from the detainee hospital, is "really exhausted, and nauseous and lethargic," and uses what is described as a "manual breathing device."

His statement adds to a list of suggestive but hardly definitive clues about possible involvement by members of the Saudi establishment in the Sept. 11 attacks, in which 17 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the al-Sharbi transcript. In the past, the Saudis have pointed to the 9/11 Commission, FBI investigations and other probes that found no Saudi government or royal family involvement in the attacks.

Those denials have not ended speculation about possible Saudi involvement. Congress recently approved legislation that would allow 9/11 families to sue the kingdom for any role in the plot.

Al-Sharbi says he listened as the "religious figure" spoke to the man - whom al-Sharbi believes was a royal - as they discussed al-Sharbi's qualifications for returning to the US for jihad. "I remember, 'yes, your highness, yes your highness,' and he was talking to him about me," al-Sharbi said.

Saudi Arabia has battled with al-Qaida over the years, but there have been consistent allegations, including by Guantanamo prisoners, of financial and other support by officials and members of the royal family for al-Qaida-linked charities, said terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann, who reviewed the 28-page transcript at the request of The Associated Press.

"The Saudi royal family is quite large and diverse, and it is no secret that various members were once reputed for their patronage of Islamist causes and charities," Kohlmann said. "In that light, it is hardly ridiculous that al-Sharbi would have encountered a Saudi royal who sympathized with al-Qaida and Osama Bin Laden." Bin Laden was a Saudi citizen.

The prisoner's candor about his health also may add to what is otherwise a plausible allegation, said Max Abrahms, an assistant political science professor at Northeastern University who studies terrorism. Abrahms also reviewed the transcript.

"He is very open that he is really struggling physically, that he's exhausted, that he has been under serious medication," Abrahms said. "But on the other hand it lends additional credibility to his statement because it's not very deliberate and not memorised."

A Guantanamo spokesman, Navy Capt. John Filostrat, said the military does not disclose details about detainees' health. "Overall, the general health of detainees is good," he said.

Al-Sharbi attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, from 1999-2000, according to the review board website.

In the transcript, the prisoner described living with various Americans, including a Phoenix police officer, in Arizona and California before returning to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2000.

After telling the "religious figure" that he had some practice on a flight simulator and could learn to fly more easily than others, al-Sharbi says he agreed to return to the U.S and they began to discuss details. But al-Sharbi never went, for reasons that are unclear in the transcript.

The review board profile says al-Sharbi went to Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, trained with al-Qaida and then went to Pakistan, where he learned how to make remote-controlled explosive devices and teach the skill to others. He was captured there in a house with Abu Zubaydah, whom the U.S. has called an al-Qaida "facilitator." He, too, is confined at Guantanamo.

When captured, the FBI found a buried a cache of documents nearby, including an envelope from the Saudi Embassy in Washington that contained al-Sharbi's flight certificate, according to a document known as File 17, which was declassified earlier this year and names people the hijackers were in contact with in the United States before the attacks, including diplomats of the kingdom.

In July, the review board declined to approve his release from Guantanamo, where he is among 61 prisoners still held.
Identified as Shawn Grate, the accused, faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Griffith and 43-year-old Stacey Stanley. (Representational Image)

Ashland, Ohio: An Ohio woman made a frantic 911 call to the authorities to inform them that she had been kidnapped by an unidentified man. She also told them that her abductor was a few inches away from her.

"Please hurry. I'm afraid he might hear me and catch me and he's strong," the scared woman told the police.

After arriving at the crime scene, cops searched the area and arrested the armed abductor. While searching for evidence, they were shocked to find two more dead bodies at the crime scene.

During interrogation, the kidnapper identified as Shawn Grate, confessed to murdering two women. He faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Griffith and 43-year-old Stacey Stanley.

Apart from the two bodies that were found, Grate also confessed to murdering a third woman in Richland County, where another body was found. He is yet to be charged for the third murder.

In her statement to the police, the kidnapped woman said that she had been tied up by Grate, but somehow managed to free herself after he fell asleep. She also added that the accused had a stun gun.

A court document accuses Grate of kidnapping her "to engage in sexual activity."

Grate has been charged with kidnapping and two counts of murder. He has another hearing scheduled for Monday morning and has been held on a bond of $1 million.
Though she has not yet been a frequent presence on the 2016 campaign trail, Mrs. Obama has proven to be an especially powerful advocate for Clinton, her husband's one-time rival.

Fairfax: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign deployed a popular surrogate on Friday to gin up enthusiasm amid young voters who could be critical to victory on November 8: Michelle Obama.

The US first lady and wife of President Barack Obama, who won the White House in 2008 and 2012 with high levels of support from young voters, told a crowd of students in Virginia that they could mean the difference between a Clinton win or a loss to Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"Let's be clear, elections aren't just about who votes, but who doesn't vote. And that is especially true for young people like all of you," she said, noting that voters under the age of 30 provided the margin of victory for Obama in the swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Virginia in 2012.

"Without those votes, Barack would have lost those states and he definitely would have lost that election. Period, end of story," she said.

A New York Times/CBS poll this week showed Clinton with more support from people under 30 than Trump but still well below the levels Obama achieved.

Though she has not yet been a frequent presence on the 2016 campaign trail, Mrs. Obama has proven to be an especially powerful advocate for Clinton, her husband's one-time rival. Her speech in support of Clinton at the Democratic convention in July was praised as one of the best of that event.

"I'm inspired," she said, listing Clinton's positions in public service and rejecting arguments that Clinton was not an inspiring figure. The current first lady praised the former first lady as one of the most qualified people for the office of president in history.

"So we cannot afford to squander this opportunity, particularly given the alternative. Because here is what we know: that being president isn't anything like reality TV," Mrs. Obama said, referring to Trump, a former reality television host.

A president could not just "pop off" when making life or death decisions about war and peace, she said without naming Trump.

Mrs. Obama noted that the country was in a time of transition, just like her family, which was about to move into a new house. She joked that they had to make sure the White House was cleaned up so they could get their security deposit back.

Then she referred to the transition in 2008 with a dig at Trump for questioning whether Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. On Friday he finally conceded that Obama was US born.

"There were those who questioned, and continued to question for the past eight years, up through this very day, whether my husband was even born in this country," she said to boos.

"I think Barack has answered those questions with the example he's set: by going high when they go low."
Bratislava, Slovakia: European Union President Donald Tusk is predicting that Britain will trigger the start of its exit negotiations from the bloc early next year.

Tusk said following an EU summit held without Britain that he had met recently with British Prime Minister Theresa May, who told him it was not going to happen as soon as many EU leaders had hoped after the June 23 referendum to leave the EU.

Tusk said Friday that "she declared that it is almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year," referring to the rule that covers exit negotiations. "But it is quite likely that they will ready maybe in January, maybe in February next year."

The 27 other EU leaders started talks on Friday on how to revamp the EU.
Geneva: Pakistan on Saturday criticised India over alleged human rights violation in Kashmir and threatened to expose the country in the world over the "abysmal rights situation" in other parts if it continued to talk about Balochistan.

Pakistan said the sudden Indian focus on Balochistan was consistent with their "playbook of seeking to distract attention from the repression unleashed in Kashmir".

Pakistan's delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council strongly rebutted India's "untenable stance" on Jammu and Kashmir and slammed its "persistent interference" in Balochistan.

"In strongly-worded right of replies, the Pakistan delegate termed India's attempts to deny its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir a 'travesty of history'," Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said.

The delegate said Pakistan was not surprised by the "intemperate" remarks of the Indian leadership and the Indian delegation, which constitute "open interference in Pakistan's internal affairs, especially in Balochistan".

"The increasing international attention being given to the plight of the Kashmiri people is being desperately countered by New Delhi by attempting to shift attention elsewhere," it said.

Given the "persistent, irresponsible flouting of international norms governing inter-state behaviour by India, we are constrained to point out the abysmal human rights record of the Indian government", FO said.

The delegate referred to a bill in Indian parliament seeking to penalise those who depict Jammu and Kashmir as disputed territory and said "this was yet another pathetic effort to alter facts to conform to their own deluded sense of reality".

The delegate drew the attention of the Council to the recent statement by a PDP MP, who has described the current Indian repression as "worse than the Nazi forces".

Stepping up its offensive against Pakistan on the Balochistan issue at the UN Human Rights Council, India yesterday said Pakistan is a nation that practices terrorism on its own people and the sufferings of the people of Balochistan are a telling testimony in this regard.

Exercising its right of reply and raising the Balochistan issue second time in three days at the UNHRC, India said the irony of a nation that has established a well-earned reputation of being the global epicentre of terrorism holding forth on human rights.
(Xinhua) 11:47, September 17, 2016

MOSCOW, Sept. 16 (Xinhua)-- The Syrian government troops alone are observing a ceasefire agreement in the war-torn country brokered by Russiaand the United States, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

"All attempts by our American partners to show the world at least some manageability of the opposition it supports in Syria have so far proved unsuccessful," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

Officers of the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria, based near the city of Aleppo and the Castello highway, confirmed the willingness of the Syrian forces to completely withdraw their units and equipment in synchrony with the opposition to agreed distances, it said.

Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir, first deputy head of the main directorate of the Russian General Staff, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that the Syrian government troops had effectively withdrawn tanks, combat infantry vehicles and artillery to the established distances to create a demilitarized zone.

But no response was observed from the opposition groups, which had breached the ceasefire agreement 144 times since it took effect, including 39 times in the past 24 hours, Poznikhir said.

However, Russia is ready to extend the Syrian ceasefire regime for 72 hours as part of Geneva accords despite numerous violations, he said.

The agency quoted another Russian official, Col. Sergei Kapitsyn, a senior operative of the Aleppo group, as saying during a video conference on Friday that the Syrian government troops had to be "redeployed to the initial positions to prevent the enemy from taking over the demilitarized zone."

In a separate development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov informed his U.S. counterpart John Kerry in a telephone conversation about the reluctance of the opposition to observe the truce.

Kerry promised to "push forward the solution of the problems involving the necessity to duly formalize humanitarian convoys under UN rules, as well as threats of illegal armed groups in the Aleppo area not to let humanitarian aid into the eastern part of the city," a ministry statement said.

The United States and Russia announced on Saturday a landmark agreement on a week-long nationwide ceasefire in Syria from Monday.
London: A 24-year-old transgender soldier has become the first woman to serve on the frontline with the British Army.

Chloe Allen joined the Scots Guards as a man in 2012 but began hormone therapy in the last month, and has officially changed her name. The 24-year-old told the Sun it was a relief to talk openly about it and said her family had been accepting of her decision. Allen, who joined the army four years ago as Ben, has now officially changed her name and started hormone therapy. Id love to inspire people to just come out and be themselves, she said.

As much as its a big bad world, its not as bad as people think and its easier when youve got your mates and your bosses behind you.

In July, the then-prime minister David Cameron had accepted a recommendation by the head of the Army, General Sir Nick Carter, that women should be able to serve in frontline combat roles. The application process for female recruits was due to open later this year.

Chloe, who had official documents changed by deed poll from her birth name of Ben to reflect her new name and status, was informed she will be able to stay in the infantry, as a woman.

Allen, a soldier from Cumbria, told the Sun she began dressing in her mothers clothes when she was eight. She said she felt frustrated and unhappy and had to learn to control it and crack on.

While still living as Ben Allen a fellow serviceman discovered her dressed in female gear. Chloe, who was deployed on ceremonial duties guarding royal residences in London, said she was overcome with worry, but after receiving support from the serviceman  and the rest of her battalion  she says she realised she no longer had to live a lie.
A Pakistani official says the death toll from a suicide bombing at a mosque has risen to 36. (Photo: AP)

Peshawar: A Pakistani official says the death toll from a suicide bombing at a mosque has risen to 36 after several of those wounded in the attack died in hospitals.

Pashin Gul, the head of the tribal police in the northwestern Mohmand region, provided the updated toll on Saturday, a day after the bombing. Several children were among those killed and wounded in the attack, which targeted weekly Friday prayers.

The initial toll provided by officials was 24 dead and 28 wounded. Some 200 worshippers were inside the mosque when the bomber struck.

A breakaway Taliban faction knows as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it targeted members of a pro-government militia.
Shahid's murder has shocked many Pakistanis since a government-ordered police probe concluded that she was strangled by her father and ex-husband. (Photo: AP)

Jhelum, Pakistan: A Pakistani court on Saturday adjourned the case of a British-Pakistani woman's murder until Sept. 23 to give police more time to submit charges against her father and ex-husband, who are accused of slaying her in the name of honour, police and lawyers said.

Police brought both men before the court in Jhelum as they covered their faces and did not respond to questions from journalists.

After the brief hearing, Najful Hussain Shah, the lawyer for the deceased woman's husband, told reporters that he will seek the death penalty for 28-year-old Samia Shahid's father, Mohammed Shahid, and ex-husband, Mohammed Shakeel.

He said Shahid's mother and sister tricked her into visiting Pakistan in July by saying her father was gravely ill and that the women fled to Britain after her murder. He said the Pakistani government is trying to bring them back for questioning.

Also Saturday, defense lawyer Mohammed Arif dismissed the police allegations as a baseless, saying his clients have been wrongly accused. He said he will appeal another court's recent rejection of bail for Mohammed Shahid.

Shahid's murder has shocked many Pakistanis since a government-ordered police probe concluded that she was strangled by her father and ex-husband. Police allege that the father also stood guard while the ex-husband raped her.

The woman's father initially informed police that she died of natural causes. But Shahid's second husband, Mukhtar Kazim, publicly accused her family of killing her.

The case was reopened and a police probe quickly concluded that Shahid's death was a "premeditated, cold-blooded murder," according to a police statement.

Shahid married her first husband in February 2012 but stayed only briefly in Pakistan before returning to England where she obtained a divorce two years later. She later married Kazim and moved with him to Dubai.
A young Iraqi woman, who survived trafficking at the hands of ISIS, has been appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.





Nadia Murad Basee Taha, the 23-year-old Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is the Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The appointment marks the first time a survivor of atrocities is bestowed with this distinction.



"Nadia is a fierce and tireless advocate for the Yazidi people and victims of human trafficking everywhere," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday at her induction ceremony, which was held in connection with the UNs commemoration of the International Day of Peace.



"She was subjected to unspeakable abuse and human rights violations at the hands of ISIL. Nadia has shown exceptional courage in speaking out. She gives a much-needed voice to trafficking victims who continue to suffer, and who demand justice," the UN chief added.



Murad had briefed the UN Security Council in its first-ever session on human trafficking in December last year. She described being rounded up with fellow Yazidis in Iraq in 2014 and witnessing as ISIS fighters shot men and boys in cold blood. She was bought and sold various times.



ISIS or ISIL is an al-Qaeda splinter group and it has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria. "It is two years since ISIL seized Sinjar. It is unconscionable that thousands of Yazidi, in particular women and children, continue to be held captive," Ban said, calling for their immediate release.



"And I repeat: the crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq against the Yazidi may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide."

A relentless advocate for victims, Murad was recently named one of Time Magazine's '100 Most Influential People of 2016.'



During her Ambassadorship, she will focus on advocacy initiatives and raise awareness around the plight of the countless victims of trafficking in persons, especially refugees, women and girls.



UNODC is the lead UN entity fighting all forms of human trafficking, including sexual slavery, forced labour, child soldiering and trafficking for the purpose of organ removal.



It is also the custodian of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and mandated to manage the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.



"Nadias appointment as a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador, provides a unique opportunity to urge others to join us in our fight against human trafficking. We know that Nadia's extraordinary commitment to the plight of trafficking victims will move people to take action against this scourge," UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov said in his message on her induction.
Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today asked Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is currently in Finland on a study tour, to return to Delhi immediately in the wake of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the national capital.





"The deputy CM has been asked to come back to Delhi immediately as the city is witnessing spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases," a top source said.



Sisodia, who also hold the education portfolio, along with his officers are in Finland to study the education system of that country.



Source said, besides Sisodia, all officers including Education Secretary have been directed to return to Delhi immediately.



Earlier in the day, Congress activists observed 'Bhagoda Divas' in Delhi to protest against the alleged absence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia and other ministers from the national capital which is at present reeling under chikungunya and dengue outbreak.



Refuting the allegation of the Opposition that he is "holidaying" in Finland, Sisodia said it was not a "sin" to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhi's education system.



He said he had worked hard to improve the education system in the national capital and he was in Finland to see what more needs to be done.



"Learning from across the world is not a sin. It's a sin to defame an educational tour as a 'holiday'. I'm in Finland. We need to learn a lot from their education system, the best in the world (sic)," he said in a series of tweets.
An indigenously built warship equipped with a range of high-tech missiles was launched today with Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba saying the stealth destroyer can be compared with the best vessels in the world.





Christened 'Mormugao', the vessel has been built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.



Admiral Lanba's wife Reena launched the bedecked ship at a function at MDL here at 11.58 AM and it was released into the Arabian Sea for the first time. The vessel will undergo certain testings required by Indian Navy and would be subsequently known as INS Mormugao.



Four more such destroyers would be built and delivered by MDL during 2020-2024, the PSU said in a statement. The first ship of the Visakhapatnam class was launched on April 20, 2015.



Mormugao has a displacement of 7,300 tonne with maximum speed of over 30 knots. The warship is equipped with surface- to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and anti- submarine rocket launchers. It is also capable of carrying two anti-submarine warfare helicopters.



Addressing the function before the launch, Admiral Lanba said, "This ship serves the Make in India drive of the country as it is indigenously built."



"It secures the sea in a better way. Contract for this ship was signed on January 2011. It can be compared with best ships in the world and has been developed by our own designers at DRDO as well as other government agencies and private companies," he said.



There is a pressing need to build more such ships and reduce the construction period of future vessels, the Navy chief said.



Admiral Lanba said since 1960 Indian Navy and MDL are building ships together.MDL is the only dock in the country that has capability to build submarines.
The memory of a heart attack can be stored in genes through chemical modifications of DNA, scientists have found, suggesting that both environmental and heredity factors influence risk of cardiovascular disease.



Researches at Uppsala University in Sweden suggest that both heredity and environmental factors influence our risk of cardiovascular disease. "We inherit our genes from our parents at birth. During our lifetime, chemical modifications of DNA that turn off or on our genes, so-called epigenetic changes, occur. These changes can lead to the development of various diseases," researchers said.



They examined epigenetic changes in people who have had a previous heart attack. "During a heart attack the body signals by activating certain genes," said lead author Asa Johansson, from Uppsala University.



"This mechanism protects the tissue during the acute phase of the disease, and restores the body after the heart attack. It is therefore likely that it also occurs epigenetic changes associated a heart attack," said Johansson.



The results of the study showed that there are many epigenetic changes in individuals who had experienced a heart attack. Several of these changes are in genes that are linked to cardiovascular disease.



However it was not possible to determine whether these differences had contributed to the development of the disease, or if they live on as a memory of gene activation associated with the heart attack.



"We hope that our new results should contribute to increasing the knowledge of the importance of epigenetic in the clinical picture of a heart attack, which in the long run could lead to better drugs and treatments," added Johansson. The results have been published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.


A man died and three were injured when he rammed his car into a stationary truck south Delhis Adchini late on Thursday night. Police suspect that the driver and the passengers were drunk. The truck driver fled, leaving his vehicle behind.





Harbhajan Singh, 25, who was driving, was declared dead on arrival to All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The other three are in serious condition.



Sunit Rana, 29, Aditya Rana, 25, Shubham Dua, 26 and Harbhajan had come on a short trip to Delhi. Aditya and Sunit are cousins and friends with Harbhajan and Shubham since college. Aditya, Sunit, and Shubam are from Himachal Pradesh and Harbhajan from Uttar Pradesh.



The truck had stopped at the Adchini red light and the car was coming from the Katwaria Sarai road around 10.30 pm when it hit into the truck, according to police.



The Swift car hit the back of the truck. The front of the car was completely smashed. The driver may have lost control and could not apply the breaks in time, said a friend of Adityas.



Police called the first number on Adityas phone which of his friend from Bangalore. The Bangalore friend notified his friends and family. The Delhi friends of the four boys reached the hospital before the family and helped with the admissions.



Shubham and Sunit were taken to Intensive Care Unit in Rockland hospital and Aditya was taken to Max hospital, Saket.



None of the patients were in a condition to speak throughout Friday. Mukesh Rana, Adityas cousin said that Aditya already had a hip displacement surgery on Thursday night.



Plastic surgeons were called to see his face because the right side of his skull is haemorrhaged. He was sitting on the front seat and during the accident his face hit the dashboard, said Mukesh.Adityas right leg is also fractured, he said.



Sunit and Shubham who were in Rockland were able to talk to their families and were in a better condition as they were in the backseat of the car, said Mukesh.
(Xinhua) 13:22, September 17, 2016

HOUSTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Two police officers were wounded in a shooting on Friday night after they were responding to a suicide call in Fort Worth, a city in the northern part of the U.S. state of Texas.

The shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. local time (14:30 GMT) in a private residence in far south Fort Worth while the police officers were responding to a 911 call about a suicide, according to the website of the English daily the Dallas Morning News.

One officer had serious injuries to his upper extremities, and the second officer was shot in the chest but was not pierced because of his bulletproof vest. Their injuries are not life-threatening, and they have been rushed to a local hospital.

Police officers were reportedly involved in an active standoff, and neighbors were asked to evacuate as dozens of officers converged in the area.

In March, police officer Matt Pearce of Fort Worth was shot seven times while in pursuit of 43-year-old fugitive who was shot and killed by other officers.

Friday's shooting comes just more than two months after five police officers were killed and several other officers injured on July 7 by a shooter during a peaceful demonstration in downtown Dallas, a city in northern Texas.
Union Health Ministry on Friday sought a detailed report from the Delhi government on chikungunya deaths with the medical history of each patients for further studies as the mosquito borne disease is generally not known as a killer.





Health ministry seeks reports of death history and full case history from Delhi government, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said after his meeting with his counterpart Satyendra Jain to review the vector-borne disease control scenario in the national capital.



Chikungunya and dengue have wreaked havoc in Delhi with the death toll from the two vector-borne diseases climbing to 30 even as the number of affected people has crossed 2,800. At least a dozen have perished from chikungunya, which is considered non-fatal.



The World Health Organisation, however, has noted that chikungunya can trigger death among the elderly individuals. There are previous examples of its killer nature.



When the disease first came to the limelight in 2005 because of a massive infection in the Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, chikungunya was mentioned on 203 death certificates out of 244,000 cases of infections.



An Indian study conducted by Indian Institute of Public Health, Ahmedabad found 3,000 excess deaths during the peak months of a chikungunya outbreak in 2006.



The Health Ministry, however, has come under criticism from WHO to bypass the private health care system in its surveillance programme though a large number of Indians go to the private doctors for their ailments.



It is important that information from private hospitals is captured and well-represented for better estimation.
The Delhi Congress on Friday refused to join the AAP governments all-party campaign to counter dengue and chikungunya and held protests across 70 Assembly constituencies, questioning the absence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the time of a crisis.





Calling the protest as Bhagoda Diwas (Deserters' Day), Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said: The campaign is a gimmick. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are yet to join it and we are being told to lend a helping hand.



We demand an all-party meeting to take joint efforts against dengue and chikungunya, he said.



The protest is also being seen as an attempt by the party to test the anti-incumbency mood in the city. According to sources, the Congress is preparing for the possible mini-elections in 21 Assembly constituencies if 21 legislators, serving as parliamentary secretaries, lose their House membership for allegedly holding an office of profit. The matter is pending before the EC.



While travelling through many constituencies, Maken hit out at Kejriwal and his teams recent tours and visits and also accused Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and Mayors of the BJP-ruled corporation of being away when the city needed them the most.



Delhi is fighting an epidemic. Kejriwal was campaigning in Punjab and later went to Bangalore. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is in Finland, he said.



The Congress also released a "chargesheet on the alleged failures of the Kejriwal government in Delhi and the BJP-ruled municipal corporations. Maken demanded that Kejriwal and Sisodia should return to Delhi and call an all-party meeting to fight the diseases.



He also urged the central government to immediately deploy doctors and paramedical staff of army and paramilitary forces at Delhi hospitals and dispensaries, and provide free check up and treatment facilities to people suffering from these diseases.



Kejriwal is recovering after a throat surgery in Bangalore and during the week there was a day when only Water Minister Kapil Mishra was in the city and the rest of the Cabinet members were either abroad or on visits to other states.



At present, just two Cabinet ministers  Mishra and Health Minister Satyendar Jain  are actively fighting dengue and chikungunya in the city. Sacked minister Sandeep Kumar is in jail. Labour Minister Gopal Rai is in Chhattisgarh and Environment Minister Imran Hussain is on a pilgrimage.
In the first five months of the current financial year, the Delhi government has managed to collect only 30 percent of its targeted annual revenue of Rs 36,000 crore.





The slow revenue collection threatens to jeopardise the implementation of the AAP governments ambitious Mohalla Clinic scheme, plan to build new schools, offer free Wi-Fi and launch the affordable meal scheme, said sources. Officials of the AAP government, however, refuse to press the panic button yet.



Traditionally, the last two months of the financial year yielded a bulk of the targeted revenue. We are confident of meeting the target this year also, said an aide Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the Finance and Revenue portfolios.



In the first five months, the Delhi government has only been able to collect Rs 12,376 crore revenue against a target of Rs 36,525 crore. The total collection is just a third of the target for the entire financial year.



Excise tax collections have been particularly failed to lift the spirits. With a target of Rs 5,200 crore in this fiscal, the government has only managed to collect Rs 1,591 crore till August-end.



Stamp duty and property registration collections also appear to be slow. Against a target of Rs 4,000 crore in 2016-17, the first five months have yielded Rs 1,434 crore.



Collections from registration of vehicles has an annual target of Rs 1,950 crore but only Rs 680 crore have been collected till August under this head. In 2015-16, the government failed to achieve the budgetary goal of revenue collection of Rs 24,000 crore and scaled it down to Rs 21,000 crore.



Due to shortage of funds, the finance department has kept on hold for three months the spending sought by the Health Department on the Aam Aadmi Canteen scheme for , said an official.



The proposal to raise the area development fund of MLAs from the current Rs 4 crore per annum to Rs 14 crore per annum is also likely to run into a wall due to poor revenue collections, said an official.



While the revenue collection has been lack-luster, the spending of the AAP government has been brisk.



In the last four months, the government has spent 16.78 percent of the planned funds. Out of the total plan funds, Rs 20,600 crore, the government has spend Rs 3,456 crore till July. Till July last year, the spending under the same head was 12.34 percent.



Sources in trade and taxes department admitted that the collection of VAT has not been increasing as per expectation despite the launch of public centric schemes like Bill Banwao, Inaam Pao (Win prizes for collecting bills from shops).



In the current financial year, VAT collection target is Rs 24,500 but till Augst only Rs 8,344 crore. Sources said last year the VAT department offered some sops to traders in the last financial year that may eat into its collections in this financial year.
An RJD MLA's son has been arrested for allegedly attacking a youth for not letting him overtake his motorcycle in Bihar's Aurangabad district but police claimed the alleged incident is not a case of road rage and the two had old enmity.



Kunal Pratap, the son of Birendra Sinha, Obra (Aurangabad) MLA of the ruling RJD, was arrested last midnight in connection with the stabbing case, Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Satya Prakash said. The accused was today sent to jail, he said.



The victim, Pintu Yadav, was admitted to Daudnagar primary health centre from where the doctors referred him to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), the SP said, adding that he was out of danger. In his complaint, Yadav, who was riding a motorcycle, said Pratap stabbed him for not letting his car overtake him near Neema petrol pump.



The SP, however, said both Pratap and Yadav are residents of village Bhagwan Bigaha and it seems that the incident is the fallout of their old enmity. "It can not be said a road rage incident. They were very much knowing each other and had some old rivalry, probably, relating to elections," he said.



Meanwhile, Sinha rubbished the charges against his son saying, "no such incident of stabbing happened and hence there is no question of his son's involvement in it." "Pintu has criminal antecedents. Let there be fair investigation and everything would be clear as my son is innocent. Had my son been involved in the case I would not have sent him to police station for making statement," Sinha told PTI.



Earlier this year, JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi was suspended from the party after her son Rocky Yadav was allegedly involved in an incident of roadrage wherein a Class XII student was killed when he apparently overtook the car of the leader's son.


Mid-air medical emergencies forced diversion of national carrier Air India's two international flights to airports in Norway and Finland. A flight from New Delhi to Chicago was yesterday diverted to the Bod International Airport in Bode, Norway, due to a medical emergency. Another coming into the city from San Francisco made an unscheduled landing at Finland's Helsinki Airport today, Air India said in a statement today.



"Air India, yet again, demonstrated its care and concern for passenger safety and wellbeing when the Chicago-bound flight AI 127 of September 16 landed midway at Norway, while flight AI 174 (SFO-Delhi) for today was diverted to the Helsinki airport in Finland to address medical emergencies of the (sick) passengers," it said.



The airline said a passenger on board AI 127 complained of giddiness and was provided all possible medical help. When the passenger's condition did not improve, the pilot decided to seek an emergency landing at the BOD airport in Norway. Upon landing, the passenger was rushed to a hospital.



In another case, AI 174 SFO-Delhi landed at the Helsinki airport when a two-and-a-half years old child accompanied by parents complained of health problem during the flight, it said.



"In close to 24 hours, Air India managed two medical emergencies effectively, giving top most priority to our passengers' wellbeing. I would like to appreciate our crew for managing these situations," airline's Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said.
Around 200 militants from across the border are trying to infiltrate into Kashmir, while some have already sneaked into the Valley and the number of encounters along the LoC has increased, a senior BSF officer said today.



"There has been an increase in the number of encounters along the LoC this year, and seeing that there is no denial that infiltration has taken place...Around 150-200 militants are waiting on the other side of LoC to infiltrate," Inspector General BSF, Kashmir Frontier, Vikash Chandra told reporters at a function here.



He also blamed Pakistan and militant organisations for the ongoing unrest in the Valley. "This whole unrest is Pakistan sponsored. The militant organisations there have a huge hand in all this and they are trying their best (to fuel the unrest)," Chandra said. He said some militants, who were waiting in launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, have managed to infiltrate into the Valley.



"Some have infiltrated and some have been killed in the encounters," he said. Lauding Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary CRPF for tackling the unrest in the Valley, Chandra said they were doing their job with "utmost bravery and alertness".



"The situation that has arisen is not force-specific. Every force is working as per the situation and in today's situation, the CRPF is doing the better job. I salute the jawans of CRPF for working in this situation. I feel the Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF are doing their job with utmost bravery and alertness. They are trying to control the prevailing situation," he said.



The BSF officer said replacing pellet guns with PAVA shells showed the "intent" of the government to minimise the human loss. "The government instead of firing bullets climbed down and came down to (using) pellets and now it has climbed from pellets to PAVA shells. See the intent in this," Chandra said.



Earlier, 251 recruits were inducted into the force at an attestation-cum-parade function at the subsidiary training centre at Humhama in the outskirts of the city here. The centre, established in June 1990 to impart basic training to recruits, has so far trained 15,219 recruits, 1,265 communication personnel and 4,307 group 'C' staff which includes 2,178 Kashmiri youth, including surrendered militants.
A series of shootings that began with an apparently unprovoked attack on a Philadelphia policewoman left two people dead and five injured, police said today.



The suspected gunman was among the dead. The attack came in a year marked by attacks on police in racially charged incidents that followed complaints of police abuse.

The shooter's motives were not entirely clear, and police have not mentioned the race of anyone involved. Media reports however said that the shooter left a note expressing hatred for police.





"I don't know what his ideology is or thinking," Police Commissioner Richard Ross told reporters. "It's just a hatred of police officers."



Police said that a man, not yet publicly identified, approached a marked police car late Friday and, without speaking, fired up to 15 shots at Sergeant Sylvia Young, a 19-year veteran of the Philadelphia force.



She was struck repeatedly but may have been saved by her bulletproof vest. The assailant then fled on foot as police gave chase. He fired into a bar, striking a security guard in the leg, then grabbed a woman to use as a human shield. She too was shot in the leg. The shooter then fired into a white car, striking its occupants, a man and a woman. She later died; he was in critical condition.



As police closed in on the assailant in an alley, a University of Pennsylvania officer who joined the chace was shot in the legs, but the suspect was killed.



The university officer, identified as Eddie Miller, 56, was hospitalised in stable condition. Officer Young was also listed in stable condition.



Lieutenant John Stanford, a Philadelphia police spokesman, tweeted that the shooting was "#senseless" and "driven by hatred." The neighborhood where the shootings occurred is diverse, but predominantly African-American.
Karnataka CID today gave clean chit to former minister K J George and two senior police officers in connection with the alleged suicide of DySP M K Ganapathy, which had kicked up a huge storm in the state, in its 'B' report filed to a court in Madikeri.





"Yes we have filed a B report to the court," a top CID official told PTI. He said there was "no clear evidence" against the three who were named in the case.



DySP Ganapathy (51) was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room at a lodge in Madikeri on July 7, prior to which he gave an interview to a local TV channel, saying the minister and A M Prasad (now Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety) and Pranab Mohanty (now on central deputation as Additional Deputy Director General of UIDAI) would be responsible "if anything happens to me."



Ahead of the CID filing its report in the Madikeri court, Ganapathy's father and brother had yesterday moved the High Court, seeking a CBI probe into his death for a free, fair and impartial investigation which they said "could not be expected from the CID".



Ganapathy's father M K Kushalappa and brother M K Machaiah, who suspected foul play in the death of the police officer, contended that CID was likely to close the probe with a "B" report by giving a "clean chit" to George and the two police officials.



In the face of mounting pressure, George had resigned on July 18 soon after a court directed police to register an FIR against him and the two police officers in connection with the matter.



A local court at Madikeri in Kodagu district had directed on a private criminal complaint by Ganapathy's son, Nehal, requesting it to direct police to take up investigation against the minister and the officers for allegedly abetting his father's suicide.



Government had come under attack from the Opposition, which had stalled the Assembly proceedings by staging a day-night agitation inside the House demanding a CBI enquiry, to which the government did not budge.

With his name being cleared by CID, George, who is considered to be the close confidant of Siddaramaiah, is likely to be inducted into the cabinet.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

Trend:

At the limited-format meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State, which was held in Bishkek on September 16, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan complained about Azerbaijan, referring to the events that took place on the front line this April. He alleged that Azerbaijan violated a truce regime during these events.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was next in alphabetical order after the Armenian President to take the floor. President Ilham Aliyev asked the Belarusian President for permission to speak. As Alexander Lukashenko did not object President Ilham Aliyev took the floor and gave a compelling and tough response to the Armenian President:

President Ilham Aliyev: I deemed it my duty to comment on the Armenian Presidents remarks. I did not consider it necessary to talk about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution here as this problem is addressed by other international organizations. But when I heard another complaint of the Armenian side, I deemed it my duty to comment on this.

Armenia has already bothered all the international organizations with those complaints. Situation is so paradoxical, as you can imagine: Armenia occupied territory of a sovereign state, violated its territorial integrity, expelled local Azerbaijani population from the Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, making more than one million people refugees and IDPs, destroyed everything in the occupied lands, including historical, religious, cultural monuments and all the infrastructure, which was evidenced by the reports of two OSCE missions. Then Armenia has just pretended to engage in the negotiations process for more than 20 years. Moreover Armenia periodically makes different provocations to make this process eternal. One of these provocations took place this April. Over 500 houses of Azerbaijani civilians were shelled from the Armenian artillery, more than 100 houses were destroyed, nearly 10 civilians, including children, were killed, died.

International organizations have a clear understanding of how this problem must be solved. There is a supreme international body  United Nations Security Council. It is the highest international organization. The Security Council adopted four resolutions in early 1990s. These documents demand unconditional and immediate withdrawal of the occupant Armenian forces from Azerbaijans territory. These resolutions remain unfulfilled. Armenia disregards them and tries to create a new reality by artificially changing the administrative borders of former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and illegally resettling in that area. It is absolutely illegal. It is a crime, and this crime has continued up to the present time.

We are committed to a peace process. We work constructively. We have a Minsk Group format, but the Armenian side misuses this format just to make the negotiations continue for ever. They do not want peace. They just want to keep our territories under control and to accuse Azerbaijan everywhere of violating something. We are the aggrieved party. We did not occupy anybodys territory. It is our territory, 20 per cent of Azerbaijans internationally-recognized territory that has been under occupation. This is the reality. Therefore with reference to the Armenian Presidents another inappropriate complaint, I deemed it my duty to bring this to the attention of our colleagues once again.

Serzh Sargsyan: It makes no sense to respond to a lie.

Ilham Aliyev: I have already responded to a lie.
The city which shared its title with a famous Hollywood film, was once the First City of the United States of America and is still one of its most important metropolises.





Obama has come and gone and we Indians still know little about American democratic history. It all began in Philadelphia, where the Founding Fathers met and signed the declaration of Independence from Britain in 1776, and also wrote the American Constitution in 1787. Philadelphia was one of the nations capitals during the American Revolution and later substituted for the new capital, Washington, which was under construction.



With the American penchant for personalising objects and places by giving them nicknames, Philadelphia came to be known as Philly, which trivialised its contribution to American history.



The best way to see the city is to take a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, which takes you to all the significant spots. And the best part is one can use the same ticket the next day too. The citys history plays out in every nook and corner. Its beauty lies in its mixed architecture  17th century buildings vie with modern, glass and chrome ones.



Past glory



The city was founded in 1682 by a British real estate entrepreneur called William Penn, through a royal charter granted by the British king, Charles II. It was made the capital of the British colony of Pennsylvania, also founded by Penn. As with most cities in the US and Canada, Philadelphia was acquired from Native Americans through a treaty. Benjamin Franklin, a famous polymath and a prominent citizen, also known as the First American, improved the citys services and founded new ones.



During the 19th century, Philadelphia became Americas major industrial hub, which attracted European and African refugees escaping persecution back home. The Africans were erstwhile slaves in the South, who moved from bonded labour to freedom. Today, 44% of Philadelphias population is African-American.



The city bristles with historical sites that relate to the founding of the US. But you have to start at the beginning, and so my first halt was at the Independence National Historical Park at City Centre, which houses the Georgian-style Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, that is considered a symbol of American independence.



The Independence Hall was carefully remodelled after the original one disintegrated. The copy is as good, with its court rooms, where American revolutionaries were tried for treason by the British and where, after Independence, traitors against the cause were sentenced by the revolutionaries who came to power. The damaged Liberty Bell is protected in a large glass case. The story goes that it rang at historical moments, including at the dawn of independence.



My next stop was the Old City, with its Christ Church and stunning Baroque-style City Hall, with the statue of William Penn in his trademark hat, at its crest. A few streets away were the homes of writer Edgar Allen Poe and the patriotic seamstress Betsy Ross, who designed the first American flag.



The tour took me through other streets with historical buildings like the first and second banks of the US, the US Mint, Fort Mifflin, an 18th century military base that is still in use and the fortress-like Eastern State Penitentiary, which imprisoned some of Americas most notorious criminals.



Museum musings



I also cruised past the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, both of which were closed as it was a Sunday. But I did pant up the Art Museums numerous front steps known as the Rocky steps where Sylvester Stallone, playing Rocky Balboa in the famous series, ran up for a scene. The area is now one of the most famous movie locations in the world.



The top step gave me a fabulous view of the aesthetically designed Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Philadelphia skyline. While coming down, I posed next to Stallones statue as Rocky Balboa, which was gifted by the star to the city, after the completion of the film. Philadelphia is also home to the USs first zoo and hospital, as well as Fairmount Park, one of Americas oldest and largest landscaped urban parks.



At dusk I visited its row houses, the first to be developed in the country. One of them, Elfreths Alley, is the oldest residential area, dating back to 1702, and one of the most expensive. The cobbled street is studded with quaint cellars, with trap-door like entrances. I opened one to peek inside, but the dark interior reminded me of Jack The Ripper skulking around for his next female victim, so I quickly shut it and hurried out of the alley!



Returning downtown, the bus took me past the PSFS Building, Americas first sky scraper, built in 1932; One Liberty Place, with its glass and granite buildings and the current landmark, the Comcast Centre, Philadelphias tallest building. The Centre is a 58-storied glass and chrome structure housing a cable company, with a 2,000 square-feet high-definition LED screen in its lobby, that is a tourist attraction.



Philly is also one of Americas most artistic cities and has a profusion of art galleries with cultural events occurring annually. It has a vibrant night life too. The Avenue of the Arts in Centre City is bursting with restaurants and theatres, including the Walnut Street Theatre, one of Americas oldest and largest.



Talking about culture, public art flourishes in Philadelphia. The city, which has funded almost 3,000 murals, has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city. The city has also played a major role in the growth of American soul, rock, rap and hip hop. Many internationally known musicians are its residents.



Fact file



The hop-on-hop-off bus tour has 27 stops and starts at Independence Visitor Centre, at the North East corner of 5th and market streets.



You can travel for more than a day on the same ticket, which costs $32 for two days and $53 for three days. Child rates are $10 and $25 respectively.



Must eat:



Dont forget to try Phillys famed cheesesteak and soft pretzels, a staple in the citys cuisine, shaped by its ethnic mix.






What is the one thing which truly defines a tourists takeaway from a destination? A tour operator would, typically, say that its all about the overall experience. Its a sum of many rather undefined components that translates to this experience.





Its a combination of experiences that eventually helps us compare the promised holiday from that Googled page with what we really got at the destination. And more often than not, the reality of bad roads, unsafe hotels or lack of information kiosks pale in comparison.





Tourism administrators in Kerala are getting back to the drawing board in an effort to rework the parts to improve the whole. Green Carpet is Kerala Tourisms new initiative to make destinations in the state tourist-ready before the big season opens in November.





The project, in many ways, sets a new planning process in motion  it tries to build a sustainable destination management system with greater participation of local stakeholders and more critically, with greater accountability.





U V Jose, Director  Department of Tourism (DoT), traces the idea of the campaign to a contention in the DoT that the state is, at times, falling short in offering a value-for-money experience for the tourist. We continue to do the marketing and all the promotional events with familiar efficiency but there is concern over the manner in which we share responsibilities as service providers. Local civic bodies and departments covering water, public works and other services are all stakeholders in tourism development but invariably, the DoT ends up as the sole custodian because there is no collective responsibility, says Jose.





The department proposes to bring a change in attitude among the stakeholders to ensure that there is a sense of local ownership among them. The two-month campaign will run till October 31; the DoT has identified 84 holiday hotspots across the states 14 districts for the campaign.





The multi-agency participatory campaign involves engagement of tourism and trade stakeholders, local self-government bodies, the National Service Scheme Technical Cell under the Directorate of Technical Education, Suchitwa Mission, Kudumbasree, educational institutions and NGOs, apart from other social organisations.





Minister for Tourism A C Moideen, while launching the Green Carpet campaign in Thiruvananthapuram on September 1, highlighted the need for continued maintenance of destinations, involving both the stakeholders and local communities. The DoT has gone for a two-month run-time for the campaign to ensure a sense of urgency; officials in the department say that even if work on the select destinations is not complete by the October 31 deadline, the initiative would double as a good start for potential development of the destinations later. Ponmudi, Varkala, Kovalam, Konni, Kumarakom, Wagamon, Thekkady, Fort Kochi, Athirapally, Nelliyampathy, Kappad Beach, Kuruva Island and Bekal are among the popular destinations set for upkeep initiatives as a part of the campaign.





Scientific solid waste management, well-maintained public toilets, improved accessibility, pathways and signage, safe food, environment-friendly measures, contingency response systems, feedback and complaint redress systems, trained staff and service providers, community participation and designated destination managers constitute the 10-point action plan devised to improve amenities and services at the 84 destinations.





With the idea of a destination manager, we are pushing for a new development model with greater accountability. Take a destination like Kovalam; if we are talking accountability, its a case of everyone and none being responsible  the city corporation, the DoT, the Coast Guard, we are all involved in the process but by placing an official with an overall lead role at the helm, we are making it more organised, says Jose. Task forces and monitoring cells are being created under the initiative. Service providers with distinguishable name badges are also being proposed as part of the Green Carpet campaign.





Destination managers are a step forward in addressing the issue of tourists safety, feels Ajay Gupta, a banker based in Mumbai holidaying in Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram. We do keep seeing reports of attacks on and fleecing of tourists in different parts of the country. I feel that destination managers or dedicated task forces have a great role to play in ensuring safety of tourists but they can make a difference only if the tourists are provided information about all these initiatives. They should have a single-point access to these managers or they should even be provided with a list of contacts they could reach if there is an issue, says Gupta.





Shortage of credible service providers, even in some of the popular destinations, is an issue the DoT has been facing for many years. Food safety, pricing of services and information counters will be among key aspects of complaint redress after the campaign. Often, we fail to notice the small things which contribute to the overall experience of the tourist. Making sure that the toilet lights are functioning, the taps are running or officials wear their names on their clothes  these are all minor interventions but they do play a key role in the tourists take on the destination, says Jose.

The initiative is to ensure overall development of destinations ahead of the tourism season
A mentally-challenged boy was gesturing at a young foreign woman. The woman who could understood his call, walked towards him, to enquire whether he required any help.





Romy Dahlke, a 22-year old student of a course in special education teacher in Frankfurt, Germany, was the cynosure of all the eyes at the Special Olympics Bharat (SOB)-Karnataka organised at Mangala Stadium here on Saturday.



She was the flag bearer for a team of athletes from Saanidhya Residential School and Training Centre for Mentally Challenged here, leading them during the march past and was also one among several volunteers, drawn from different colleges in managing the show.



Romy told DH, It was just three days ago, after landing at Saanidhya, did I come to know about special olympics. They choose me to be the flag bearer, an honour that would remain etched in my memory for long.



Romy, who has completed one year of her four-and-a-half-year course back home, is doing her four-week internship programme at Saanidhya. The course includes total six internship programmes.



Romy, who is now learning the art of teaching, said, I am focusing on the mindset of the specially abled children by interacting with them and also mingling with them.



She is also proud to say that she will also be the first generation teacher in her family that includes her working parents and brother who is studying a course in mechanical engineering.



Earlier too, for a period of eight months starting from August 2014, she worked at Prajna Counselling Centre as part of a bridge programme. The Karl Kubel Foundation in Germany, supported by the Government of Germany, has been sending students to several countries as part of the bridge programme, beginning from the year 2010. Romy and her friend Zoe were among 16 students who had opted for South India.



Vasanth Kumar Shetty, the administrator of Saanidhya, also the area director for SOB- Karnataka, was all praise for Romy, especially for her dedication.



Perfect platform



The olympics proved to be a perfect platform for specially-abled students to showcase their talent in sports.



The event also helped the budding teacher to hone her skills.




The Supreme Court has held that the state government enjoyed limited role in the decision by National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in granting recognition to colleges to run BEd courses.





A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan, however, said the NCTE should consider the views and recommendations by the state government. But the states say is not binding on it.



Under the regulations framed by the NCTE, the state has a say, may be a limited one. We are inclined to use the word limited because the states say is not binding on the NCTE. However, the NCTE is required to take the same into consideration for the state has a vital role to offer proper comments supported by due reasoning. It needs no special emphasis to say that the final authority rests with the NCTE. It is the clear legal position, the bench explained.



The court was dealing with the argument on whether the state government has any say in the matter of grant of recognition to organisations that applied for establishing institutions to get recognition from the NCTE under the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993.



Whenever an application is received under the regulations for grant of recognition, the NCTE shall be guided by its own regulations and the judgements of this court, and the state shall remain bound by the principles. Needless to say, the NCTE shall take into consideration the recommendations and views of the state despite the fact that it has the final say, the bench said.



The number of BEd colleges in the country has grown manifold with demands for trained teachers. The issue cropped up before the apex court after the Rajasthan government challenged a high court order, which allowed a number of institutions to admit students for the 2015-16 session, subject to the guidelines issued by the NCTE.


The Arts College at Mota Hathidara of Limkheda town in Dahod district of central Gujarat had all the trappings of an event to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



Being his 67th birthday, there was a massive 67-feet cutout of Modi (a novelty in these parts). There were school children and local artistes performing to songs in praise of Modi: (He is) son of Hira ba, ruler of Delhi. Hail Modi, Hail Modi and Duniya mein danka bajaay diyo re, Rahul ko paani pilaay diyo re (The one who has left his mark on a global stage and left Rahul (Gandhi) huffing.



Traditional theatre (bhavai) was used to inform the audience about steps the state and Central governments had initiated for their welfare. And finally there was a young tribal boy, who delivered a speech in English to highlight how he had benefitted from schemes launched during the Modi regime in Gujarat and after.



Did you ever imagine a tribal boy would deliver a speech in English, that too at a function to celebrate 67th birthday of our beloved prime minister? said BJP state president Jitu Vaghani.



But he could not elicit any response from the 80,000 strong crowd plus hordes outside the venue. The police had to block the Jhalod-Limkheda highway to control the surging crowd. However, the massive gathering seemed indifferent to the presence of a number of stalwarts on the dais and refused to join in raising patriotic slogans that generally resonate events of the BJP and its governments.



It was after repeated cajoling and requests that a section of the crowd joined the chorus. The BJP, through this event, was hoping to win over the tribal electorate in the region, especially at a time when the Patels and Dalits were up against the party. Speeches by former chief minister Anandiben Patel and her successor Vijay Rupani were also focused on highlighting the achievements of their governments and efforts the BJP was putting in for the upliftment of the tribals.



Nevertheless, they failed to set the tone. The crowd, it appeared, had come only for one man  Modi. Thousands had trekked or driven down from nearby villages of the five tribal districts to see their prime minister in flesh and blood, a first for them in over a generation.
The Union government on Saturday stepped in to resolve the dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the sharing of the Mahanadi river water.





In a meeting chaired by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti and attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik, it was decided to form a committee to examine the controversial dam projects in both the riparian states to check whether rules were violated during their construction.



The committee headed by an Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Water Resources will submit the report to the Centre in a weeks time.



It was also decided to set up a gauge station by the Central Water Commission at a point where the Mahanadi river enters Odisha.



Odisha, which has demanded that Chhattisgarh stop all types of construction in the Mahanadi basin immediately, expressed its unhappiness over the outcome of the meeting, as Chhattisgarh refused to halt the works.



Odisha accused the upper riparian state Chhattisgarh of illegally constructing a number of dams and barrages across the Mahanadi river without intimating it. The meeting of both the states was convened in the wake of the Cauvery row between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.



I have called a meeting of the Cabinet in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. We will decide what steps to take. We will leave no stone unturned in the interest of the people of Odisha, Patnaik told reporters after the meeting.



Building of barrages on the Mahanadi river by Chhattisgarh will affect the drinking water and irrigation facilities and sanctuaries in Odisha and the constructions should be stopped forthwith, he said.



Downplaying Odishas opposition, Raman Singh said the quantum of water, which flows from Chhattisgarh to Odishas Hirakud Dam, can fill the reservoir five times.




Pointing out that milestones and highway hoardings in Karnataka were largely in English or Hindi, Kannada and Culture Minister Umashree has asked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to include Kannada boards.





Umashree, who shot off a letter in this regard to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday, has also cited instances of friction between Kannadiga road users and non-Kannadiga, employees deputed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), at the tollgates.



Stating that milestones in most states were in the local languages, apart from Hindi and English, she has said, People from our own state, who travel on these roads, are continuously finding themselves in an alien atmosphere. It is a reason for worry, considering our resilient and emotional mindsets. Further, she has appealed to the NHAI to employ locals at the tollgates.



I earnestly urge you to consider and address these issues on priority so that the spirit of our Constitution is upheld, the letter adds.


Buoyed by the successful dislodging of the Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh by its ally Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA), the BJP brought its Congress-mukt Northeast campaign back on track.



With five Northeastern states going to the polls in the next two years, the BJPs anti-Congress platform in the region  North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA)  is now focusing on Manipur where it is rapidly building its support base.



Our priority in the Northeast is Manipur, NEDA convener Himanta Biswa Sarma told DH in Guwahati. We have a very strong organisational build-up in Manipur. There is strong anti-incumbency and dislike for the 15-year-old Congress regime. While a senior Congress leader has joined us, it is not like we will open the gates for everyone, Sarma, also Assam finance minister, said.



He said the BJP will contest the elections alone in Manipur, where the situation is similar to that of Assam prior to this years polls with the Congress government losing grip over the state.



Sarma made it clear that the BJP will not have any seat-sharing arrangements with ally Naga Peoples Front (NPF), whose four MLAs in Manipur resigned recently. NPF, a constituent of NEDA, is also a BJP ally in NDA.



NPF has a close relationship with us. But our alliance with NPF is restricted to Nagaland, Sarma said. NPF had contested last time in Manipur in the Naga-dominated areas where it did well. Sarma said they are free to contest this time, but the BJP would not have any alliance with them in Manipur since its own organisation is fast developing.



We will also not induct any NPF supporter or leader in our rank until our national leadership changes their position on this, he added.



Observers believe that the BJP wants to cash-in on issues concerning the dominant Meitei community in Manipur. NPF has backed the concept of greater Nagalim, which calls for integrating all Naga-dominated areas of the Northeast, an idea supported by the NSCN(IM), which signed a peace deal with the Centre in 2015. Meiteis are opposed to the Naga expansion and the BJP therefore had to distance itself from the Nagas to increase its support among the dominant community.


Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

Azerbaijan and the US closely and efficiently cooperate in the fight against human trafficking, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Baku William Gill said at an event dedicated to combating human trafficking.

Gill, noting the necessity to join efforts in the fight against human trafficking, said human trafficking is a big threat to all the countries.

Foreign Affairs Officer at the US Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Haley Wright said Azerbaijan has increased its efforts to combat human trafficking.

Head of the Main Directorate for Combating Human Trafficking of Azerbaijani Interior Ministry, Police Major General Sharif Asadullayev said Azerbaijan adheres to international legal standards in the fight against human trafficking.

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to cooperation with the US in this sphere, he said.
In an effort to check the rising suicides in colleges and universities, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched an initiative called Peer-Assisted Learning, or PAL, Union Minister of State for HRD, Mahendra Nath Pandey, said here on Saturday.





He was speaking on the sidelines of the Global Summit on Quality Higher Education organised by the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC).



A large number of suicides have been reported from across the country in the recent past.



On Saturday, a first-year MFA student committed suicide at the University of Hyderabad, exactly nine months after the suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula in the same university.



Pandey said, There is a lot of competition among students these days that leads to depression. Parents also mount pressure. One of the measures under this scheme is to promote interaction between students. There are students who are good in academics and those who are not. The former will assist the latter under PAL. We have conveyed to all universities and other institutions to implement the scheme.



Change in NAAC review



Meanwhile, the peer review teams of the NAAC that inspect colleges and universities will have to wrap up their assessments in fewer days and with fewer members.



The agency is also bringing in other measures to increase the credibility and quality of its assessments.



D P Singh, director, NAAC, told reporters that the peer team that visited colleges would have to complete their assessments within two days. Earlier, the team was given three days. With regard to universities, the number of days for the inspection will be three days instead of five. The size of the peer teams has also decreased. It will be three for colleges and 5-10 for universities.



The usual practice is for peer teams to have experts from each faculty. This would not be required under the new scheme, he said. The measure is aimed at accrediting more institutions in a short span of time.



Besides, the logistical responsibilities for peer teams will be given to a third party rather than leaving them to the institutions being assessed. The measure is aimed at increasing transparency during the assessments. Additionally, efforts are being made to try and bring in more experienced assessors from top institutions such as the IITs and IIMs to increase the quality of assessments, Singh said.



MoUs



The NAAC has signed MoUs with the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan and the Tertiary Education Commission, Mauritius, to strengthen ties and facilitate accreditation and assessment functions between the institutions.



Delegates from various countries attended the global summit.





Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of State for HRD : There is a lot of competition among students these days that leads to depression. Parents also mount pressure. One of the measures under this scheme is to promote interaction between students. There are students who are good in academics and those who are not. The former will assist the latter under PAL.
The fate of 22 students pursuing Masters in Veterinary Science at the Veterinary College, Bengaluru, is in limbo. Their thesis papers dispatched to the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University in Bidar appear to have gone missing.





The thesis papers have not reached the university even 55 days after they were dispatched from the Bengaluru college. The college had dispatched the papers on July 23 to the university in Bidar. The students are now keeping their fingers crossed over the missing papers.



The procedure being followed in the university is to send the students thesis papers to another university for evaluation. The evaluators recommend changes or corrections, if necessary. The university awards the degree only after the students submit the revised thesis after incorporating changes recommended by the evaluators, if any.



Sources in the college said all parcels to the university are normally sent through a private operator, Shakuntala Travels. The parcels from the college normally reach the university in Bidar in two to three days. The travel firm had initially forgotten to collect the parcel from the college. Hence, it was later sent to its godown. But the parcel, it is feared, has gone missing from the godown, the sources added.



The students are worried that the university will delay awarding them the degree because of the missing papers.



When contacted, dean of Veterinary College Prof S Yatiraju said he learnt about the papers going missing, from the students. Steps will be taken to ensure that students face no inconvenience, he added.


A day after serving notice to Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor over mosquito-breeding spots at his residential premises, the BMC will file a case against him for not abiding by the rules.





An insecticide team of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) found breeding spots of the aedes aegypti mosquito (which spreads dengue and chikungunya, among other illnesses) in the actors private swimming pool in Juhu Tara Road area.



BMC executive health officer Padmaja Keskar said, I have asked the legal department to file a court case against the actor for his negligence. The case would be filed in a day or two.



The civic body on Friday served a notice to Kapoor under Section 381-B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, seeking an explanation.
Fresh violence broke out in Kashmir on Saturday after the pellet-riddled body of a 13-year-old boy was found.



The body of Nasir Shafi of New Theed Harwan in Srinagar was found near a reservoir in the area on Friday night, locals said, adding that the Class VII student was chased by security forces during clashes. They claimed the boys body bore marks of torture.



After news of Shafis death spread, people took to the streets, staging protests, which continued through the day on Saturday.



A police official said they were ascertaining the cause of death. With this, the toll in the ongoing unrest in the Valley, which erupted after the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, reached 83.



More than 1,000 people have sustained injuries during this period, with over 800 being hit in the eyes by pellets.



With the latest incident, violence, restrictions and strike continued unabated for the 71st consecutive day. In central Kashmirs Ganderbal district, a man was critically injured after security forces reportedly opened fire at protesters, reports said. Scores of protesters were injured during the day-long clashes in several areas of Ganderbal.



A police officer was among the 10 injured as clashes erupted in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district. The victims include sub divisional police officer Bijbehara Tanveer Ahmad, who was hit on the face by a stone.





In Shopian district, at least 10 people were wounded after security forces resorted to pellet firing and tear-smoke shelling to break up the rally in Chakoora and Harmain villages of the district, reports said.



In south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam, which have remained the epicentre of the unrest, the army recently deployed an additional brigade comprising three artillery battalions.



Sources said more troops are on their way to help contain the violence. A police official said that curfew was imposed in the towns of Budgam and Pulwama in view of a march call issued by separatists.



Stone-pelters arrested



He said nearly 100 stone-pelters have been arrested from different areas over the past three days. Meanwhile, dozens of journalists held a silent protest outside the Press Enclave in Srinagar against the governments decision to suspend Internet services in Kashmir.




The authorities of the Krishnarajasagar dam in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district on Saturday, stopped release of water into the canals, following a direction from the state government.



However, water is flowing towards Tamil Nadu as per the order of the Supreme Court.



Farmers, who were protesting against the release of water to Tamil Nadu, had demanded the state government to release water into the canals. Water was being released since September 9 and the farmers were able to take up transplantation and sowing activities since then.



As per the rotation system adopted during crisis, water should be released for 20 days  from September 9. Since the water level in the dam has dipped to 84.70 feet, release of water to the canals has been stopped.
Union Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman has said that a malicious campaign was being conducted against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over attacks on Dalits in the country.





Speaking at the executive committee of the BJPs Scheduled Castes Morcha here on Saturday, the minister said it was deplorable that every attack on Dalits was being attributed to Modi.



She said that people with vested interests on issues pertaining to the Dalits were behind the propaganda against Modi. It should be countered with facts about ground reality  millions of Dalits, minorities and people from weaker section of society being benefitted by various schemes launched by the BJP government.



The objective of Mudra scheme, for instance, is to create millions of entrepreneurs throughout the country among Dalits, minorities and weaker sections. It has become hugely popular and this fact should be highlighted by the workers of the SC Morcha, Sitharaman said.



Earlier, the minister distributed fruits and snacks to the specially abled children at Aruna Chetana school, Malleswaram, to mark the 66th birthday of Modi.


Packed with children, the school van sped past the signal in great haste. Stumped, the traffic cop alerted his colleague two junctions away.





Eventually stopped by a barricade, the driver alighted in a drunken stupor. His blood alcohol had exceeded the limit by 10 times!



The driver had endangered the lives of all those children inside. The police were lucky to stop him just in time. But, a big question looms large: How do they check thousands of school vans and buses roaming the city streets, picking children from the remotest corners every day?



Unregulated, reckless and dangerous, a big proportion of the vehicles are outside anyones control. Beyond a point, the school managements  who mostly outsource the transport service --, say they cannot dictate terms. Is there a way out for the law-enforcers?



The chance discovery of a drunken van driver did trigger a drive against school vehicles. Over 10 drivers have been caught drunk behind the wheels in the last one month alone. Several vans and buses have been seized. But what could make a difference is the police directive to school managements.



Circular to schools



Early this month, city police commissioner N S Megharikh issued a circular to all schools to procure alcometers. The schools will have to mandatorily check alcohol levels of the drivers, before picking up children from their homes and also before dropping them off after classes.



Fixing accountability, the circular is also clear about private vans and other vehicles unattached to the schools. The managements should ascertain details of these vehicles and conduct regular checks.



They could take police help in doing so. A senior traffic official says the police have offered to train school staff in conducting the checks properly. The matter has gained a sense of urgency since many drivers have been found to consume liquor at night, making it risky to drive early in the morning.



But, the official admits that a total clean-up will be impossible to achieve unless parents too are taken on board. Most parents are aware of the risks involved. In many cases, they cannot afford the high cost of vans attached to schools. They then opt for unregulated private operators, he says, preferring anonymity.



Guidelines violated



The circular is a reiteration of the Supreme Courts school safety guidelines issued many months ago. But many of these have been violated with impunity. Autorickshaws are notorious for ferrying school children far beyond the permitted limit of six. Maxi-cabs too are guilty of this dangerous overloading.



Only well-to-do schools have adhered to the rule that a staffer should accompany children in the vehicles. Unattached private operators say the rule does not even apply to them.



Inevitably, when young children sense that their vehicle is being recklessly driven, they are on their own. There is no way even the senior schoolchildren could raise an alarm. The police admit that an alarm system has not been made mandatory.



Missing alarms



Shouldnt this be a natural follow-up to the Safe Route to School programme that the traffic police have been conducting for many years? Lined up during December-January every year, road safety weeks are arranged to educate students, teachers and parents on matters of safe commute. If the right equipment is available, students travelling in vans could themselves raise alarms and prevent accidents.



In 2012, the state government had come out with the Karnataka Motor Vehicles (conditions for vehicles engaged in transport of schoolchildren) guidelines.



Drafted on the directions of the Supreme Court, the guidelines mandated speed governors for all school buses and vans; highway yellow colour paint for such vehicles and LMV transport vehicle licence for drivers valid for at least four years.



A few schools have discontinued transport contracts after drivers were caught driving drunk. But the police want the school managements to do more.



One suggestion is to set up a foolproof system to check the antecedents of every driver and hold regular parent-teacher meetings related to student safety.



Child Rights Commission



Following up on the arrests, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has categorically fixed the responsibility of a childs safety during home-school-home commute on school managements.



Besides the driver and vehicle owner, the Commission wants the head of the institution and school management to be penalised in the event of any future violations.




Congress corporators and workers want the partys leadership to continue the alliance with the JD(S) in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and keep the BJP away from power in the interests of the city.





At a meeting called by KPCC president G Parameshwara on Saturday, they referred to the initiatives taken for the development of the city in the last one year. This was possible because the Congress is holding the reins of power in the BBMP with the JD(S) support, they said.



The state Congress had called the meeting to discuss the steps needed to maintain peace in Bengaluru following the protests over the Cauvery issue. The party leaders asked the corporators and workers to ensure that the incidents of arson and violence do not recur.



Speaking to reporters later, KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said that he and Parameshwara would soon meet JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy on continuing the alliance. The Congress will finalise the mayoral candidate once the JD(S) confirmed the alliance, he added.



A source in the JD(S) said Kumaraswamy was presently in Hyderabad for the audio release (Telugu version) of his sons debut film Jaguar. He is expected to return to Bengaluru on September 21. JD(S) rebel MLAs in Bengaluru, who claim to have the support of eight of the 14 corporators, insist that they be part of the meeting to finalise the alliance. But Kumaraswamy is not ready to entertain the rebels, the source added.



Elections to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor are scheduled for September 28.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.17

Trend:

Today, we witnessed another shameful, illegal rally of the National Council, Siyavush Novruzov, deputy executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, told Trend.

Novruzov noted that in fact the rally was illegal.

"The organizers of the rally violated the requirements of the Electoral Code and the law "On freedom of assembly".

The law says that you can not tolerate religious, national, racial discrimination and can not insult a person. But this happened during the rally and I believe that such cases should be prevented ", - he said.

He stressed that the rally brought together people without beliefs, positions in society.

"In one of the slogans there were written that "We have to sign an association agreement with the EU", on the other hand - the organizers and the crowd chanted "Allahu Akbar".

The MP said that all the speeches at the rally were built on lies and slander.
Conners Cause for Children will present Fall Into Laughter, the 5th Annual Conners Cause for Children benefit luncheon, boutique shopping and comedy performance.

Fall into Laughter will take place on Oct. 9 at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club in Solana Beach, from 11 a.m.  3 p.m. Stand-up comediennes Julie Kidd and Karen Rontowski of The Funniest Housewives of Orange County will host the festivities and perform a laugh-filled stand-up comedy show. Both comics have been doing comedy for over 20 years. Julie Kidd recently won the Hilarious Housewife contest on ABCS The View and Karen Rontowski has appeared on The David Letterman Show and both ladies perform at such clubs as the Comedy Store, The Improv and other clubs around Southern California. Proceeds from the event will benefit San Diego County families burdened with the staggering financial costs of caring for a child with a life-threatening illness or injury.

In addition to a sumptuous lunch, Fall into Laughter will also present a unique boutique shopping experience to give guests an opportunity to revive their wardrobes or start their holiday shopping early. The silent auction will feature items including, a condo stay in Kauai, gourmet dinner for two by a professional chef, movie theater tickets, winery excursions, fine dining gift certificates and lavish spa services.

Founded in 1995 as a desire to honor the memory of a loved one, Conner Champ, Conners Cuase for Children has grown into a one-of-a-kind organization. Conners Cause for Children is the only nonprofit organization in the San Diego region that offers direct family assistance for a variety of out-of-pocket costs related to any life-threatening illness of a child, explains Carol Del Signore, executive director of Conners Cause. For over 20 years, our small, locally-based organization has quickly responded to the urgent needs of area families so that they can focus on taking care of their sick children. Public support will dramatically increase the number of families we can reach and ensure that more children in our community have access to medical care and essential basic needs.

Registration is available at www.connerscause.org for $60 per attendee.
16 September 2016 (UN)  As instability and violence persist in the worlds newest country, the number of South Sudanese seeking safety and shelter in neighbouring countries has crossed the one million mark, the United Nations refugee agency said today. Most of those fleeing South Sudan are women and children, Leo Dobbs, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told the press at a regular briefing held at the UN Office at Geneva. They include survivors of violent attacks, sexual assault, children that have been separated from their parents or travelled alone, the disabled, the elderly and people in need of urgent medical care, he added, noting that more than 185,000 people fled the country since fresh violence erupted in the capital, Juba, in early July, just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the countrys independence. According to the agency, with this sombre milestone, South Sudan is now the fourth country in the world with more than one million refugees. The other three are Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia. In terms of numbers, Uganda (373,626) accounts for the largest share of South Sudanese refugees. More than a third of them arrived since the most recent violence broke out. Ethiopia (292,000) and Sudan (247,317) are the second and third largest hosts to people fleeing South Sudan. Smaller numbers have also fled to Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR), since July. About 300 people a week have been crossing into Kenya, which now has over 90,000 South Sudanese refugees. Some 40,000 refugees are estimated in DRC. The UNHCR spokesperson further reported that the new arrivals spoke of increased fighting and attacks by armed groups that kill civilians, loot villages, sexually assault women and girls, and recruit young boys. Many refugees arrive exhausted after days walking in the bush and going without food or water. Many children have lost one or both of their parents, some forced to become primary caregivers to younger siblings, he noted.

Challenges hampering humanitarian response

At the briefing today, Mr. Dobbs also said that the recent violence was a major setback to peace efforts in the country, including a short-lived peace deal between supporters of President Salva Kiir and former First Vice President Riek Machar. The long-standing political rivalry between the two initially erupted into full blown conflict in late 2013. The fighting has shattered hopes for a real breakthrough and triggered new waves of displacement and suffering, he added and said that humanitarian organizations are finding it very difficult to provide urgent protection and assistance to the hundreds of thousands in need, including 1.61 million internally displaced people, due to logistical, security and funding reasons. As for the situation on the ground, he reported that according to UNHCR field staff, new arrivals are camped in schools and churches, but many have to sleep in the open. Refugees also lack food and basic household items and earlier this month refuges near the city of Doruma, (in DRCs Haut-Uele province) were attacked by unknown assailants. They had their food rations stolen and health centre was also looted. He also reported that insecurity in South Sudans Central Equatoria province has significantly affected the UN agencys ability to access and assist thousands of refugees inside the country itself. Without further funding and support, we and our partners will struggle to assist the needy with even the most basic assistance, said the UNHCR spokesperson, calling on donors to provide $701 million for South Sudan refugee operations, of which 20 per cent has been funded.
US-based Arthur J. Finkelstein & Associates in partnership with the Citizens' Labor Rights Protection League held a survey on a referendum to make some amendments to the Constitution due to take place in Azerbaijan on September 26.

A total of 1000 respondents from across Azerbaijan were involved in the survey, with 73.7 per cent being from cities, 10.1 per cent from towns and the rest from villages and other rural areas. 49.6 per cent of the responders were women, while 50.4 per cent were men.

89.2 per cent of the respondents said they would cast their ballots in the referendum.

95 per cent answered yes when asked whether they were aware of the referendum. In total, 92.8 per cent of the respondents said they approved of the amendments to the Constitution.

The survey revealed that the reforms implemented in the country had had a positive impact on the living standard of the population.

77.4 per cent answered Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to the question What is the main problem of Azerbaijan today?. Only 5.8 per cent said the main problem was unemployment, while 5.3 per cent considered economic issues as the main task facing the government.

92.8 per cent of the respondents said they voted for the New Azerbaijan Party in the 2015 parliamentary elections. 98.4 per cent are sure that the government manages to protect the people from terror attacks. 95.9 per cent believe that Azerbaijan is the most stable country in the region against the background of instability in many countries.
5 things we learned from Ohio State-Penn State

Ohio State moved to 8-0 with a 44-31 win over Penn State. Here's what we learned about the Buckeyes from their performance Saturday in Happy Valley.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Iranian companies will be able to use the Pirallahi Industrial Park, which will specialize in pharmacy, Azerbaijans Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev said.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen, said the countrys Economy Ministry.

The meeting was held in connection with completion of Pak Ayeens diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan.

Mustafayev also pointed to the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and Iran, and spoke about the projects implemented by the two countries. He said the construction of the bridge over the Astara River, which is one of important parts of the International North-South Transport Corridor, will be completed before late 2016.

It was also noted that trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran grew by 70 percent during the first seven months of 2016.

In turn, Pak Ayeen said that during his diplomatic activity in Azerbaijan 50 documents were signed between the two countries in the sphere of economy, 20 of which were signed in 2016.

At the end of the meeting, Mustafayev noted Pak Ayeens contribution to development of relations between Azerbaijan and Iran, and wished him success in future activities.

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran amounted to $122.08 million in January-August 2016, $30.66 million of which fell on export of Azerbaijani goods to Iran, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.
California state regulators are pushing for more water for fish and wildlife in the heavily tapped tributaries of the San Joaquin River, which could lead to another water fight in the state. Officials with a stake in the waters of the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers, lost no time in making their opposition to the release of new proposed flow standards clear. ''Our community has never faced a threat of this proportion,'' a statement from the more than century-old Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts read. The statement added the draft standards offered an ''uncompromising, misguided plan'' that would steal the region's livelihood. The proposal by the State Water Resources Control Board is focused on the major Sierra Nevada-fed rivers that mostly lose 60 per cent or 70 per cent of their natural flow to dams and diversions. This water is supplied to San Francisco and farms on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley. But the diversion has a devastating impact on populations of salmon and other native fish. ''The cost to species has been enormous We can't ignore the flow needs anymore,'' water board chairwoman Felicia Marcus said. To protect endangered fish at critical parts of their life cycle, regulators plan to add hundreds of thousands of additional acre-feet of water in the San Joaquin River system. Currently only 20 per cent of the river now flowed unimpeded to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and regulators aim to increased the so-called ''natural'' flow at least 30 per cent and perhaps as high as 50 per cent. According to commentators, the proposal was yet another effort to improve the ecosystem of one of California's most overused river systems, where flows sometimes dropped to a comparative trickle. The five-person board would gather inputs from farmers, environmentalists and others before voting on a plan, likely early next year.










The chairperson of the Save Our Services campaign has called the Health Service Executives managerial recruitment baffling, when front-line services are struggling.

This announcement gives testimony for a bureaucratic system out of control, Father John Joe Duffy, chairperson of the SOS campaign, said.

Father John Joe was responding to the news that the HSE was hiring 21 general managers in Community Healthcare Organization (CHO) areas across the country. The positions are temporary, pending further determination.

Pearse Doherty, Sinn Fein TD, also slammed the decision, saying recruitment of health service staff must focus on improving key front-line services, not expanding HSE management.

The posts include two in CHO Area 1, which includes Donegal, Sligo/Leitrim and Cavan/Monaghan.

Father John Joe said the positions, put promotional managerial jobs at senior management level ahead of patient care.

It also shows a total disregard and lack of duty of care for their own front-line staff, who are already overworked and overstretched in community hospitals and acute hospitals, he said.

He said front-line staff, are already pinned to the collar. We can see it in our visits to the hospitals, that they are under huge pressure.

Father John Joe asked: If we dont care for the front-line staff, who are going to care for the patients?

He said community hospitals have beds unfilled because they do not have the necessary complement of staff. Those beds could free beds in Letterkenny University Hospital by providing step-down services, he said.

Deputy Doherty said, While these management posts are now to come on stream, patients and those already working within the health services have been waiting have been waiting months and even years for various nursing, medical and consultancy positions, both community and hospital based, to be filled.

He said he will raise the issue with the minister.

In a statement, the HSE said the managerial positions will be filled internally and result in no overall increase in employment.

The HSE said the campaign is critical to the significant reform of structures in the delivery of community health services with the establishment of nine CHOs across the country, and was sanctioned by the Department of Health.

The HSE continues to recruit and fill vacancies across services with a priority focus on front-line staff, subject to the overall pay bill ceiling as allocated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to the Department of Health, the HSE said.

They said employment across the health services by the end of July grew in this past year by 1,757 whole-time equivalents (WTEs). They said clinical staff, such as health care assistants/nurse aides, etc. have increased by 1,220 WTEs. They said nursing has risen by 359 WTEs and health and social care professionals by 425 WTEs in the same period.
Allie Corcoran, Barbour County Extension Coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, announced at the Tuesday, September 13, Barbour County Commission meeting that the county Extension Service Office will be moving to Eufaula. The TV McCoo School in Eufaula will be the new home to the Extension Office and to 4-Hers as well.

When the opportunity for us to have a facility that provides enough office space, a meeting space and kitchen was presented we couldnt pass it up, Corcoran said during a recent interview. Currently, we are located in a space, while it is nice office space, it doesnt allow us to provide our clientele with the resources we have to offer.

This new space is easily accessible and we wont have to depend on other facilities to host our meetings. Many of our meetings are held after 5:00 p.m. to allow everyone the opportunity to attend and being located in the Clayton Courthouse we could not have after hours meetings. This will no longer be an issue.

Our health and nutrition and food safety regional agents will be able to hold their cooking, preserving, and other classes at this space, Corcoran noted about the new space the Extension Office will occupy at the TV McCoo School. We are also excited about having a space for 4-H that can be used for community clubs. We are looking into grants that will enable us to have an interactive classroom with technology and other resources for us to provide 4-H and other community programming.

Once we are settled into the new space, we plan to have an Open House for everyone to see our new office and meet our Extension personnel, Corcoran said. We will continue to have a space in the Clayton Courthouse that our agents will use to meet with those who cant make it to Eufaula. Once we get settled in the new space, we will advertise the days and time well be in Clayton. Well continue to hold workshops across the county. Our agents are always just a phone call away.

We hope this move will increase awareness of the importance that the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service plays in our homes, schools, and communities. Our partnerships with the Barbour County Commission, City of Eufaula, and surrounding communities will help us meet our mission to deliver research-based educational programs that enable people to improve their quality of life and economic well-being, Corcoran concluded.

For more information about the Barbour County Extension Office please go to www.aces.edu/barbour. Anyone interested in finding out what is going on at the local extension office can sign up for the electronic newsletter and follow them on their Facebook page or on Twitter
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

The 13th session of the Kazakh-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation will be held in Astana on September 21-22, the Kazakh embassy in Baku said in a message.

The Azerbaijani delegation will be headed by Natig Aliyev, energy minister, co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission.

"The sides will discuss a wide range of bilateral issues relating to the expansion of trade-economic and investment relations in energy, transit and transport systems, agriculture, education and tourism," said the message.

According to the message, a protocol will be signed following the meeting.

The 14th meeting of the intergovernmental commission will be held in Baku in 2017, the message said.

The mineral resources (oil), raw chemical materials, grain, barley, electrical equipment are mainly exported from Kazakhstan.

Oil products, ethylene polymers, agricultural products are imported to Kazakhstan.

More than 700 operating companies with Azerbaijani capital have been registered in Kazakhstan.

Some 60 companies with Kazakh capital have been registered in Azerbaijan.
Fine Gael Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick, has welcomed the Garda recruitment campaign, which was launch by the Tanaiste and Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald.

I would encourage people in Louth to consider applying to join An Garda Siochana, Deputy Fitzpastrick said. This new recruitment campaign will continue the ongoing accelerated recruitment to fulfil the Governments commitment to increase the strength of An Garda Siochana to 15,000 members.

It reflects the Governments commitment to seamless ongoing recruitment to An Garda Siochana, to ensure that the force has the capacity to provide visible, responsive and effective policing to every community here in Louth and throughout the country.

Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 will require some 3,200 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next four years. That is in addition to the 1,200 that will have been recruited by the end of this year, since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014.

So far 534 recruits have been fully trained as members of An Garda Siochana and are on the ground in communities nationwide. Another 150 recruits are due to graduate later this year.

It is essential to ensure that An Garda Siochana has the capacity to train larger numbers without reducing the quality of its training programme. It is also essential to provide appropriate supervision and support to newly qualified Gardai to ensure that victims and the public are well served.

I welcome the detailed planning process that the Commissioner and her team have in place to ensure the delivery of increased numbers of Gardai without any compromise on the quality of those recruited or the training programme.

I encourage all those in Louth who are interested in joining An Garda Siochana to visit the website of the Public Appointments Service and submit their application at www.publicjobs.ie.

Fine Gael is committed to supporting communities across Ireland and I am committed to ensuring that the support is felt here in Louth. We are working to ensure that the economic recovery, which is now underway, reaches all parts of the country and the benefits are felt inside every doorstep and in every community.
Details added (first version posted at 11:12)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR will be a technical consultant for Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) project, Murad Heydarov, head of SOCAR Balkan company, told reporters in Baku.

He added that the initial report has been already delivered and at the first stage, the proposals for the specific project were given.

"The specific project is the first line, which will connect the Trans Adriatic Pipelines (TAP) orifice in the territory of Albania to one of the industrial facilities in the country, he added.

The first pipeline will be built between the TAPs orifice and the facility, he said. The feasibility study is being specifically prepared for this project, which will last less than a year."

Heydarov recalled that at the intergovernmental level Azerbaijan and Albania signed a memorandum on assisting Albania in the development of the gas market in the country.

"This process is part of the memorandum, he added. A special consultant is preparing a gas master-plan for the project, but SOCAR is a part of the committee for the master-plan implementation.

The issue of financing will be resolved later, he added. The master plan is being prepared through the EU grants but achieving the concrete results is another issue.

We will resolve this issue together with the European Commission and other donor organizations, he said. The issue must be resolved during the year.

He said that for further work Albania needs to have an operator of transport networks, and the country doesnt currently have it.

SOCAR will provide assistance to this operator, said the head of SOCAR Balkan. A company that will buy and sell gas is also needed, but there is no such a company for now. In addition, a general national plan of gas supply of the country must be prepared.

One should also consider how appropriate gas supply throughout Albania is, he said. In the mountain area, for example, water resources are used, and perhaps there is no point in laying gas pipeline network across the whole territory of Albania.

He added that the development of IAP and the development of the market of Montenegro and Albania are two related processes.

The first string of the gas pipeline within Albania may become a prototype of the future of the IAP, and further projects on its territory can also be integrated into the overall concept of the IAP, the same goes for Montenegro, Heydarov said.

Feasibility study stage in Montenegro has been already completed, he added. The conclusion is simple - the development of domestic gas transport system of Montenegro can only be a part of the IAP. It makes no sense to conduct the two processes in parallel. We believe IAP and the development of the gas market of Montenegro and Albania to be a part of the extended Southern Gas Corridor.

It is planned to connect IAP pipeline to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) intended for the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Europe in the Albanian city of Fier.

The IAP will provide deliveries of Azerbaijani gas to several countries of South-Eastern Europe.

The 516 kilometers-long pipeline will pass through Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and will end in Croatia.

The capacity of the pipeline will amount to five billion cubic meters of gas per year.

TAP has already signed memorandums of understanding and cooperation with the developers of this project, in particular with companies of Plinacro (Croatia), BH-Gas (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Geoplin Plinovodi (Slovenia), as well as with the governments of Montenegro and Albania.

There has been created a TAP-IAP joint working group that gathers regularly to synchronize the timing both pipeline projects and coordinate the technical issues of interconnection.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
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"We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose." - President Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sept. 17

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistan, together with Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia and the European Commission, is discussing the possibilities of supplying 10-30 billion cubic meters of gas a year to the EU, said a message of the Oil and Gas Complex of Turkmenistan.

Here the matter rests in options of Turkmen gas export, and, in particular, implementation of a project for laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline through the Caspian Sea to the coast of Azerbaijan. This is an optimal route for supplying the Turkmen gas to the European market.

From Azerbaijan, the Turkmen gas can be delivered to Turkey, which borders the EU.

Ashgabat believes that the consent of the sides covered by the project, that is, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, is sufficient for laying a pipeline through the bottom of the Caspian Sea, the legal status of which has not yet been defined.



Azerbaijan expressed its readiness to provide its territory, transit opportunities and infrastructure for implementing the project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

Construction of mini nuclear power plants is Irans priority, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said.

During his speech at the World Nuclear Association meeting in the UK, Salehi said Iran plans to bring the nuclear power generation capacity to 20,000 megawatts, IRNA reported.

Irans only nuclear power plant, Bushehr, has been active at 1,000 MW of generation capacity since 2011.

Iran and Russia started the construction of one more nuclear power plant on Sept. 10. The two countries also have another nuclear power plant construction project, expected to start in the coming years.

Salehi also said Iran is ready to cooperate with international nuclear companies to expand its power projects.

Mini power plants with less than 100 MW of generation capacity are Irans priority, he added.
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By Richard Branson, Virgin.com

In recent years, few species have faced a greater threat from poaching and the illegal wildlife trade than the magnificent rhino. After wild populations in Africa enjoyed a few years of relative safety, the number of animals brutally murdered for their horns has increased dramatically lately. In 2014, more than 1,200 rhinos were killed in South Africa alone. First estimates for 2015 dont look much better.

Most of this spike in wildlife crime is driven by increased consumer demand in China and Vietnam, where rhino horn is used primarily as a remedy for all sorts of ailments, even though it has long been shown that it doesnt have any medicinal properties whatsoever. Its a sad story of superstition and misinformation on one end of the chain that is responsible for mass slaughter and suffering on the other.

Ive long argued that the illegal wildlife trade must be addressed along the entire supply chain. Strengthening the capabilities of those brave rangers fighting what looks like a losing battle in many of Africas national parks is part of the solution, and it has to go hand in hand with better governance, greater accountability, and more effective law enforcement. Yet, supply reduction can only work when we tackle demand at the same time. In other words: only when the buying stops, the killing can, too.

Photo credit: WildAid

This is one of the reasons I went to visit Vietnam in September last year and met with local business leaders and other stakeholders. Our conversations about wildlife and the role of Vietnamese business in ending this madness were productive and fruitful. Over dinner, several dozen business leaders pledged to start a movement to end the use of rhino horn once and for all.

Its an uphill battle, for sure. But thankfully, people are beginning to understand that rhino horn is in essence nothing more than keratin, the same substance that human hair and nails are made from.

To illustrate the point, I joined forces with actress Maggie Q and a few others to support a new campaign by WildAid. Starting this week, you will see yours truly biting my finger nails on billboards all across East Asia. Its perhaps not the most flattering photo shoot Ive ever participated in, but it certainly drives home the message: In other words, if you think that rhino horn is a magical substance that can cure disease, you may as well be chewing your toe nails.

Head over to www.wildaid.org to learn more about rhino horn the campaign to end its use.

Update: Great news from Hong Kong as the government has signaled the end to the domestic ivory trade. Congratulations to Hong Kong for their example to the rest of the world.

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By Emily J. Gertz

Polar bears, the Obama administration and conservationists scored a major victory on Monday, when a federal appeals court affirmed the boundaries of a 187,000-square-mile area in the Arctic that wildlife scientists deem crucial to saving the bear from extinction.

A federal appeals court affirmed the boundaries of a 187,000-square-mile area in the Arctic that wildlife scientists deem crucial to saving the bear from extinction. Photo credit: Steven Kazlowski / WWF

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit struck down a lower courts ruling that sided with a coalition of petroleum industry groups, the state of Alaska and several far-northern Alaska Native corporations, which sued the Obama administration over its critical habitat designation for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act.

The court soundly rejected the oil and gas industrys attempt to shrink critical habitat for the polar bear and thats a great thing, said Rebecca Riley, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which was not involved in the lawsuit.

The area set aside for polar bears under the law is enormous, in part because it covers these huge areas of sea ice, said Holly Doremus, director of the environmental law program at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

But thats not whats being argued about hereits the denning habitat and the barrier islands, access to the sea, she said. The parts of their lives that the polar bears spend off the sea ice and how they get back and forth.

The court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used the best available science to set the land-based critical habitat boundaries, which include areas polar bears use now as well as places they will need as climate change continues to thaw the Arctic.

The plaintiffs wanted them to draw a little dot around every known den, Doremus said, and set critical habitat boundaries based on those locations. But that hasnt happened with past critical habitat designations, at least not the way the plaintiffs wanted here.

We all know thats not a practical way to think about this, Riley said. We have to look at what habitat is really valuable to polar bears and what they could use or might use and thats what the court upheld here.

Under the Endangered Species Act, any federally regulated activity within critical habitat boundaries, such as oil and gas development on federal lands or waters, needs to account for harm to endangered species in its planning.

The Alaska Oil and Gas Association and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, an Alaska Native company, did not respond to TakeParts requests for comment.

The American Petroleum Institute, which was among the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit, declined an interview request. We are reviewing the courts decision and considering all options, the group said in a statement.

The Alaska Department of Law called the decision disappointing in a statement, adding that it will be reviewing the options for further judicial review.

This article was reposted with permission from our media associate TakePart.

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(Photo: REUTERS / Siphiwe Sibeko)Children from the Rainbow-Hill Christian school wait to sing to wish former South African President Nelson Mandela well outside his house in Houghton June 11, 2013. Mandela remained in hospital for a fourth day on Tuesday with a lung infection and his condition was "serious but stable", unchanged from the weekend, the government said.

Some opposition political parties in South Africa are saying Christian values should remain in public schools because the country's constitution promotes freedom of religion.

African Christian Democratic Party President Rev. Kenneth Meshoe said the party was appalled by calls for Christian values to be removed in schools, the South African Press Association (SAPA) reports.

"The ACDP will oppose attempts to stop Christian values from being taught in schools as our Constitution promotes the freedom of religion and not freedom from religion," Meshoe said in a statement.

Freedom Front Plus spokesperson Anton Alberts said the party supported efforts to oppose a planned court case directed at prohibiting six schools from exercising Christian values.

Alberts said the reaction from church circles and social media was proof the court action by a group calling itself OGOD, with its chairperson Hans Pietersen, is seen as a "witch-hunt on Christians."

He said the Organisation for Religion Education and Democracy's (OGOD) court case was "incorrectly motivated" and aimed at replacing one philosophy with another.

"Freedom of religion is of cardinal importance in South Africa. It is part of any mature democracy," he said.

Alberts noted that a large number of public schools have the principle of parental input, management and democracy is in place."

"Therefore, learners who do not wish to be part of any religious actions should have the right to withdraw from it."

About 80 percent of South Africa's population of 55 million are Christians with Muslims accounting for 1.5 per cent and Hindus 1.3 per cent.

OGOD said it was taking six public schools and the ministers of basic education and correctional services to court for allowing "suppression of scientific and cultural knowledge", religious coercion and abuse of pupils' rights in public schools.

It wanted to "eradicate religious elitism" with its court action.

"The actions of the some public schools are in breach of the national policy on religion and education, and or unconstitutional, for such public schools," it said in a statement.

"OGOD defends the constitutional rights of learners to freedom of religion and conscience, and their right of access to knowledge. Many South African public schools abuse these rights."

The organization listed over 60 "abuses of rights". These include requiring pupils to subscribe to a specific religion, referring to a deity in their school badges, and rendering religious instruction.

Also listed were handing out religious booklets or textbooks, issuing prefects with T-shirts with religious symbols on them, opening school assemblies with sermons or prayer, and requiring pupils to pray.

"This will be South Africa's watershed case for religion in public schools," said OGOD's Pietersen.

The six schools are Hoerskool Linden in Johannesburg, Laerskool Randhart in Alberton, Laerskool Baanbreker in Boksburg, Laerskool Garsfontein in Pretoria and Hoerskool Oudtshoorn and Langenhoven Gimnasium both in Oudtshoorn.

Pietersen said the schools and departments had 20 business days to respond to its papers and that OGOD should know the way forward by the end of September.

"OGOD is not against a specific language, it just happens to be six Afrikaans [language] schools where parents have approached us," he said.

"The object is to get equality and freedom. We want the schools to adhere to the national policy of religion. There is nothing in the policy that I do not agree with."

He said the organization had similar complaints from parents in the past, but finally found enough parents with enough complaints to make a case.
(Photo: REUTERS / Olivia Harris)Czech priest Tomas Halik (L) acknowledges Jack Templeton, son of John Templeton, the founder of the Templeton Prize, during the 2014 Templeton Prize award in London March 13, 2014. Halik, a Catholic priest whose theology of paradox invites believers and atheists to dialogue has won the 2014 Templeton Prize, worth .83 million, for his work affirming the spiritual dimension of life.

When Pope Francis issued his June encyclical on climate change, some critics told him to stay out of the debate as religion and science don't mix.

A debate in turn ensued about the chemistry degree the Pope holds.

Now Pew Research has conducted a survey on: Are science and religion at odds with each other?

The report notes that from the heresy trial of Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei four centuries ago to the hubbub over Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, religion and science have often been seen as conflicting with each other.

The Pew report seeks to find if religious faith and the scientific business really are at odds with each other.

One of its key findings is that the least religiously observant Americans are most likely to perceive conflict between religion and science.

About 73 per cent of adults who seldom or never attend religious services say science and religion are often in conflict, while half of adults who attend religious services at least weekly say the same.

"People's religious differences do not play a central role in explaining their beliefs on a number of science-related topics  ranging from views about climate change to the safety of genetically modified foods," says Cary Funk, an associate director for research at Pew Research Center and one of the report's authors.

The report finds a majority of the U.S. public says science and religion often conflict, with nearly six-in-ten adults (59 per cent) expressing this view in newly released findings from a Pew Research Center survey.

THOSE SEEING SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN CONFLICT INCREASE

The share of the public saying science and religion are often in conflict is up a little from 55 per cent in 2009, when Pew Research conducted a similar survey on religion and science.

People's sense that there generally is a conflict between religion and science seems to have less to do with their own religious beliefs than it does with their perceptions of other people's beliefs.

Fewer than one-third of Americans polled in the Pew survey (30 per cent) say their personal religious beliefs conflict with science, while more than two-thirds (68 per cent) say there is no conflict between their own beliefs and science.

The least religiously observant are most likely to say science and religion are often in conflict.

Furthermore, the idea that science and religion are often in conflict is particularly common among Americans who are, themselves, not very religiously observant (as measured by frequency of attendance at worship services).

About 73 per cent of adults who seldom or never attend religious services say science and religion are often in conflict.

Against this, among more religiously observant Americans  those who report that they attend religious services on a weekly basis  half (5 per cent) share the view that science and religion frequently conflict.

Of the major U.S. religious groups, Hispanic Catholics and white evangelical Protestants are especially likely to say science and religion are mostly compatible.

(Pew Research Center)

At the same time about half of both groups take this position.

But white evangelical Protestants also are somewhat more likely than members of other large religious groups to see a conflict between science and their own religious beliefs; 40 per cent of white evangelicals say their personal beliefs sometimes conflict with science, while 57 per cent say they do not.

The public is closely divided on whether churches and other houses of worship should state their views about policy decisions on scientific issues; half of adults say churches should express their views on these issues, while 46 per cent say these organizations should stay out of policy decisions on scientific issues.

Most white Evangelicals and black Protestants say churches should express views on scientific policy Issues

White evangelicals (69 per cent) and black Protestants (66 per cent) are more likely than other religious groups to think churches and other places of worship should express their views about scientific policy issues.

For Catholics opinions on this are divided with 45 per cent saying churches should express their views and 49 per cent saying they should keep out.

At the same time some two-thirds (66 per cent) of religiously unaffiliated adults say churches should keep out of policy decisions on scientific issues, 31 per cent say otherwise.
(Photo: PRNewsFoto / Faith Counts)National faith leaders gather at a dinner in Washington, D.C. with Dr. Brian Grim of Georgetown University and author of study on the impact of religion in America.

Religion is big business in the United States.

And religion in the United States today contributes a combined $1.2 trillion to the economy and society, says Faith Counts, the group behind the research. That is well more than Apple and Microsoft combined.

This mid-range estimate puts the value of religion to U.S. society at over $1 trillion annually according to the findings published in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion.

The study was conducted by Georgetown University's Brian Grim and the Newseum's Melissa Grim and was sponsored by an organization called Faith Counts, which promotes the value of religion.

The 31-page breakdown shows how religion contributes to the U.S. economy and is titled, "The Socio-economic Contribution of Religion to American Society: An Empirical Analysis."

It provides the first documented quantitative analysis of the economic impact of 344,00 congregations along with the impact of religious institutions and businesses.

"For the first time, we have been able to quantify what religious institutions, faith-based charities, and even businesses inspired by faith contribute to our country," said Brian Grim, co-author of the study, who spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Sept.14.

Grim observed that "in an age where there's a growing belief that religion is not a positive for American society, adding up the numbers is a tangible reminder of the impact of religion."

The study's most conservative estimate, which takes into account only the revenues of faith-based organizations, is $378 billion annually  or more than a third of a trillion dollars.

MORE THAN APPLE AND MICROSOFT

That estimate is more than the global annual revenues of tech giants Apple and Microsoft combined.

While this first estimate has the most concrete data, "we believe that it is certainly an undervaluation because it focuses on annual revenues rather than on the fair market value of the goods and services religious organizations provide," the authors say.

The second mid-range estimate attempts to correct for this in two ways: by providing an estimate of the fair market value of goods and services provided by religious organizations, and by including the contribution of businesses with religious roots.

This mid-range estimate puts the value of religion to U.S. society at over $1 trillion annually.

"Our third, higher-end estimate recognizes that people of faith conduct their affairs to some extent (however imperfectly) inspired and guided by their faith ideals," say the authors.

This higher-end estimate is based on the household incomes of religiously affiliated Americans, and places the value of faith to U.S. society at $4.8 trillion annually, or the equivalent of nearly a third of America's gross domestic product (GDP).

The research all finds that despite declining religious affiliation in the U.S. population, religious organizations have tripled the amount of money spent on social programs in the last 15 years, to $9 billion.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

Irans Supreme National Security Council has passed a bill authorizing the government to join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Mehr news agency reported Sept. 17.

The council, however, has attached five conditions to the bill, an informed source told Mehr.

Although the report did not elaborate on the conditions set out by the national security council, it further added that the bill, before coming into force, needs to be approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The FATF is a global standard setting body for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).

It appears that Irans banking system needs to cooperate with the FATF in order to reintegrate into the global financial system following the January implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, aka nuclear deal).

Conservative opponents of moderate President Hassan Rouhanis government over the past several weeks have harshly criticized the administration for its cooperation with the FATF, suggesting that cooperation with the FATF would lead to imposing restrictions on the activity of several domestic entities and organizations.
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
Asuncion, Sep 17 (EFE).- Students at the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, or UNA, Paraguay's largest institute of higher education, have resolved to maintain their seizure of the university president's office and enforce a complete shutdown of classes.

In a meeting Friday night, the students made the decision to occupy the president's office continually with 500 people, medical student Alberto Acosta told EFE, and also have threatened to extend their measure to other buildings on campus.

They were angered when a university assembly that met Tuesday to determine the makeup of the institution's governing bodies gave professors a majority presence in those entities, a move they interpreted as limiting the decision-making power of students and alumni.

The students responded by surrounding the building and preventing members of the assembly to leave.

Police were called in and arrest warrants were issued for four student leaders, although those orders were later rescinded.

The students are demanding, among other things, that no segment of the university community have a majority on its own in decision-making bodies and that deans and president not be allowed to run for re-election indefinitely.

The protests began in September 2015 with several rallies and a more than month-long sit-in on campus to demand the dismissal of the university's then-president, Froilan Peralta, who was accused of leading a corruption ring.

Peralta was jailed but subsequently released in November of last year. He and 50 other people accused of corruption at the UNA are currently serving non-custodial sentences.

After the departure of Peralta and other top university officials, a process was launched to reform the statutes and regulations of the university, which students say is plagued by a corrupt system inherited from the 1954-1989 dictatorship of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner.
San Jose, Sep 17 (EFE).- President Luis Guillermo Solis has inaugurated the Reventazon Hydroelectric Plant in Costa Rica's Caribbean region, the second-biggest infrastructure work in Central America after the Panama Canal and the largest of its kind in the region.

Solis toured the hydro station - located on the Reventazon River near Siquirres, a community in the eastern province of Limon - prior to Friday's inauguration ceremony, which drew a crowd of more than 500 people.

A 305.5 MW dam that was Costa Rica's largest-ever infrastructure project, Reventazon will feed enough electricity into the nation's electrical grid to power 525,000 homes.

If necessary, the electricity it produces also could be exported to other Central American nations.

The $1.4 billion plant, which was completed three months ahead of schedule, was entirely built and designed by government-run electricity provider ICE and financed by local and international banks.

"It's a source of pride today to deliver to Costa Rica the largest hydroelectric dam in Central America, managed and created with Costa Rican talent, an impressive work that positions us as a leader in socio-environmental management (...) This is what we as a country are capable of building," ICE President Carlos Manuel Obregon said at the inauguration ceremony.

The dam is crucial to Costa Rica's objective of maintaining electricity independence at least until 2025 and reaching its goals in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to ICE.

In 2015, Costa Rica generated 99 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, mainly hydroelectric power, followed by geothermal, wind, biomass and solar energy.
Miami, Sep 17 (EFE).- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump vowed at a campaign event in Miami that he would end the thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations unless President Raul Castro's government allows "religious and political freedom" on the island.

During a speech Friday at the James L. Knight Center auditorium in downtown Miami, the real-estate mogul promised he would "stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression."

"All of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro regime were done with executive order, which means the next president can reverse them. And that is what I will do unless the Castro regime meets our demands," Trump said.

"Those demands will include religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of political prisoners," the candidate told the crowd in Miami, which is home to a large community of exiles from the communist-ruled island.

Earlier in his campaign, Trump had expressed support for the diplomatic thaw between the former Cold War enemies, which in December 2014 announced the start of the process of normalizing relations.

He has maintained, however, that the Obama administration should have made a better deal.

On July 20, 2015, the United States and Cuba culminated the initial stage of their bilateral thaw by reopening embassies in each other's capitals.

The thaw also has included steps by the White House to make it easier for American citizens to travel to and do business with Cuba and the removal of the island from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list.

But a ban on tourist visits to Cuba by American citizens and on most forms of trade is still in place under the 54-year-old U.S. economic embargo of the Caribbean island, which only Congress can lift.
Washington, Sep 17 (EFE).- The campaign manager of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused the former first lady's rival, Donald Trump, of "inciting people to violence," after the magnate suggested that her bodyguards be stripped of their arms in order to "see what happens to her."

"Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President, has a pattern of inciting people to violence. Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief," Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook said.

The Clinton campaign replied quickly in a statement to the real estate mogul's comments Friday night at a rally in Miami, where he said that the ex-secretary of state seeks to "destroy" the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which protects the right of Americans to possess and bear arms.

"I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. I think they should disarm. Immediately. She doesn't want guns...let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away, okay? It'll be very dangerous," Trump said to the thunderous applause of his followers.

Trump's comment has sparked a heated controversy, though the magnate had made similar remarks in the past and this one, in fact, was merely an extension of the long-time argument of the National Rifle Association, or NRA, that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

"Trump...is unfit to be President and it is time Republican leaders stand up to denounce this disturbing behavior in their nominee," Mook said in a statement.

In response to the magnate's remarks on Friday, Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy told Trump Saturday that if Clinton is assassinated, "the blood will be on your hands."

"Hey @realDonaldTrump, if you keep suggesting your supporters kill @HillaryClinton, someone will listen. The blood will be on your hands," Murphy said on his Twitter account.

Last August at a campaign event in North Carolina, Trump voiced what sounded like a veiled threat when he accused his Democratic rival of wanting to "abolish" the Second Amendment, but suggested that "maybe" those who defend the right to bear arms could do something about that.
Margarita, Venezuela, Sep 17 (EFE).- Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa warned Saturday about the existence of a new Operation Condor, as the repressive action of Latin America's military dictatorships in the 1970's and '80s was called, this time against the "progressive governments" of the region.

"This is a new Operation Condor...today its targets are the progressive governments of the region," Correa said during his speech to the heads of state and government at the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit on Venezuela's Margarita Island.

He said that this operation is aided by the "north," in other words by the U.S. government, which he accuses of interfering in the internal affairs of countries like Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela.

Correa spoke of conspiracies against leftist governments in Latin America that use, he said, "methods like media bombardment, legislative coups d'etat, economic harassment, and the defamation of democratically elected leaders."

For that reason, he pledged his solidarity with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who, he said, faces "every attempt at foreign interference and destabilization," for which he asked the NAM to give its total support to the host country's government.

Correa also sent a "hug of solidarity" to Dilma Rousseff, impeached from the Brazilian presidency, "the victim of a legislative coup d'etat by the most reactionary and corrupt sectors."

He also slammed the legal action taken in their countries against former Presidents Cristina Kirchner of Argentina and Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva of Brazil, measures that he called a form of "criminalizing" politics.

The Ecuadorian president noted before the representatives of Non-Aligned nations the importance of fighting against the tax havens and capital flight that he called "the extreme expression of faceless, irresponsible, non-transparent capitalism."

He said that since this fight cannot be won by individual countries in isolation, he urged "global action against this kind of savage capitalism" and announced that Ecuador will include this matter on the agenda of the next session of the U.N. General Assembly.

Relacionados Correa dice que hay un nuevo plan condor contra los progresistas en Latinoamerica
Tehran, Iran, September 17

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran-Khodro, Irans leading car manufacturing company, will be among the companies to attend an Iranian exhibition in Baku September 19-22.

While in Baku, the company will be exhibiting its most recent products such as Dena, Soren, Rana, and Arisun, Iran-Khodro told Trend September 17.

The company has started building a production line in Azerbaijan worth $14 million investment from an Azerbaijani partner.

Staged in Neftcala, the production unit will be operational by September 2017. Iran-Khodros investment will make 25 percent of the total investment and will come in the form of know-how and equipment. The unit is planned to start with 10,000 products a year and is going to act as Iran-Khodros export hub for the region.

Iran-Khodro products, distributed in Azerbaijan via Aziorocar, have already pleased many Azerbaijani customers.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared an amnesty on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice) and Eid al-Ghadeer -two religious holidays in the country.

Khamenei agreed to pardon or reduce the sentences of 582 inmates convicted by various Iranian courts on Sept. 17, the leader's official website reported.

The head of Iran's judiciary Sadiq Amoli Larijani appealed to the Supreme Leader with a letter in which he asked for pardon and reduced sentences of some convicts of military, civil and revolutionary courts.

The supreme leader signed a relevant decree. Iran's Constitution grants him the right to pardon or reduce the sentences of convicts upon the recommendation of the judiciary chief.

Amnesties and reduced prison terms are granted mainly on occasions of religious and national festivals in Iran.
According to a statement published by the US Department of Defense website, the US-led coalition on Saturday carried out an airstrike against Daesh terrorist group near the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, Sputnik International reported.

The US-led coalition on Saturday said it carried out an airstrike against Daesh terrorist group near the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor.

"Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike damaged five ISIL supply routes," Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said in a press statement published on the US Department of Defense website.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday that coalition planes carried out four attacks on the Syrian government forces near the city, killing 62 servicemen and injuring about 100.

The Operation Inherent Resolve press office declined to comment the issue, referring the question to the US Central Command.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia.

The US-led coalition has been carrying out anti-Daesh strikes since September 2014 without Syrian government consent.
It has been more than two decades since the Mandal Commission report was accepted but the view that reservation is an unfair privilege given to the backward classes has not changed. In fact it has grown even more fierce in its expression to the point that every now and then a violent demand is made to either end it or accommodate an agitating community, irrespective of its place in the social hierarchy. A similar mentality was reflected in the Jat agitation in Haryana earlier this year and that resulted in widespread violence and destruction of public property. It was astonishing to see the assurance with which this agitation was conducted and the manner in which the state tolerated it. Now compare this to the response of the state against the students who raised slogans in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), demanding azaadi from discrimination; the charge of sedition were slapped against them. The more immediate concern seems to be an attempt to create a sense of legitimacy for reservation on an economic basis.

The overall debate appears to be divided on two grounds. On the one hand there are those who not only totally reject the idea of taking a relook at the policy of reservation but also support further addition to the ever expanding list.1 On the other hand is the anti-reservation brigade, which clearly sees no use for reservation in digital India. Interestingly, this group does not hesitate to lean in favour of the demand for reservation on an economic basis. And in this, the demand for reservation is even couched in progressive terms, that is, pitching the debate on reservation as one of caste (historical discrimination) vs class (economic deprivation). However, no shame or anger is displayed about the atrocities against Dalits and other marginalised sections.
The United Nations Security Council will convene at 23:30 GMT to discuss the Saturday airstrikes on the Syrian army by the US-led coalition, the New Zealand mission announced, Sputnik International reported.

The consultations would be held behind closed doors, the diplomats added.

The coalition conducted four airstrikes against the Syrian forces encircled by Islamic State militants near the city of Deir ez-Zor, on Saturday. The attacks killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more.
Editors note: We are delighted to offer three excerpts from Bruce Buffs new novel, The Soul of the Matter, with the permission of Simon & Schuster/Howard Books. See David Klinghoffers review here. Find Chapter 3 here.

To work off frustration, Alex decided to walk down the ten flights of stairs to the service entrance instead of taking the elevator.

He had to find out what they were decoding. It didnt help that he doubted the source of their work and, by extension, Stephen. The encryption they were decoding was extraordinarily sophisticated. It was difficult for a materialist like Alex, who believed only in the natural world, to think that the coded information was based on DNA, despite what Stephen had said. And the apparent relationship of DNAs coding to the laws of physics was also hard to fathom, yet he seemed to see it himself. The implications were profound.

One of his biggest worries had always been misuse of science by big business and government. It was the reason he had joined a group of scientists and ethicists who met twice a month to discuss the use of science. Until a few months ago, it had seemed a safe thing to do. Then Elena began attending. She had said she was an independent European journalist investigating international networks that were determined to manipulate genetic research to their advantage, regardless of its impact on others.

Curious about what she knew, Alex had gone to coffee with her after a few meetings, often in the same cafe, to discuss the threat they agreed unconstrained science posed to humanity. He found her thoughtful, informed, and well-intentioned. She radiated eastern European mystery and sensuality, with short, frosted blond hair, dark green eyes, and soft features layered on top of what, at times, seemed like a hard foundation. Despite his strong marriage, he was drawn to her, and she seemed to encourage and welcome the interest. It disturbed and enthralled him, though he told himself nothing would ever come of it.

Two weeks ago, she had turned the cafe discussions to Bostonarea biotech firms, HBC in particular, saying their work was leading toward unprecedented genetic technology. She talked about Stephen, claiming that he had a myopic focus on research that others would exploit to genetically modify life in unimaginable ways.

To defend him, Alex told her that he knew a little about Stephens work and was confident that his intentions were good and broader than she thought.

She pressed him. He told her general things  nothing about encrypted information and his efforts to help Stephen decode it. Elena said that it was clear that Alex was aiding Stephen in important ways and insisted he find out more, lest he become an unwitting tool for the very things he said he opposed.

Alarmed by her interest and pressure, he cut off contact and stopped attending meetings.

It wasnt enough.

Just that morning, Elena had shown up outside his MIT office. I understand your confusion, she said. Youre in a tough position. Youre worried about Stephens work, yet you dont want to do anything disloyal. I can help you with that.

Without waiting for his response, she clasped his hands warmly in hers, looked deep into his eyes, and said, Wont the peace of mind be worth it?

With his guard momentarily down, Alex told her Stephen was about to move his work from HBCs computers to a more secure environment, leaving out his own role in the move.

The warmth in her eyes had been replaced at disconcerting speed by a steely glint. Her previously velvety voice took on an icy hardness. The world is on the precipice of a tremendous transformation. An enormous amount rests on your willingness to do the right thing.

Then her voice turned soft again, and she said, Dont we have the same interests? She paused, her eyes lingering on his. I have to go now. Find out what you can. As a warm smile crossed her face, she kissed his check, then turned and was gone.

Throughout the rest of the day, Alex struggled with his doubts. Thoughts of Elena elicited a mixture of caution, desire, fear, and excitement. She called several times in the afternoon, but he ignored the calls and the messages she left.

Reaching the service door now, Alex turned up his collar and put on his gloves. It would be a cold walk to his car, parked in a remote section of the lot, hidden from view. He had once thought Stephens precautions excessive. Now he hoped theyd be enough.

Stepping outside, he was struck hard by the bitter wind.
Unknown individuals have attacked the Russian Embassy in Kiev with firecrackers, one day ahead of the Russian parliamentary elections, Sputnik reported.

The incident occurred at around 01:00 local time on Saturday (22:00 GMT on Friday), when about 20 individuals set off firecrackers and fireworks near the embassy building and then fled the scene, a Strana correspondent reports.

On Sunday, polling stations are expected to open at the Russian embassy in Kiev, despite Ukrainian authorities having banned voting in the Russian parliamentary elections on the territory of Ukraine. On September 18, Russian nationals will elect the Russian parliament's lower chamber of 450 seats. Half of the lawmakers will be elected from the party lists, while another 225 seats are contested in a single-member constituency race.
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I don't think the Aussie FM is the only one questioning this. Others are probably still mulling it over and trying to figure out what to do under differing circumstances. With the amount of world shipping/trade for the different countries passing through this area, the philippines is not the only consideration.



Fred
Friday, September 16, 2016

At ICCFA University, Bob Yount, General Manager of Green Street Mortuary in San Franciscos Chinatown, presented an enormous amount of information on the Fundamentals of Chinese American Funeral Customs.

This blog post includes only a portion of his teachings about Chinese funeral traditions: Benevolent Family Associations, the importance of flower arrangements, packing for the trip to the Other World, and funeral timing. Other aspects will be covered in future blog posts.

Benevolent Family Associations

Benevolent Family Associations were established around 1850 during the California Gold Rush to help guide new immigrants through business matters and assistance arranging funerals. The President of the association comes to the funeral home with the family to help make arrangements. Some Christian or Buddhist churches have members who serve in the Benevolent Family Association role.

Flower Arrangements

Extravagant flower arrangements on easel stands are very common at Chinese funerals. You could see as many as 100 to 150 arrangements at a funeral. Its very important to send flowers if you have any relationship to the deceased.

A Chinese florist in San Franciscos Chinatown might charge $150 for an arrangement. A similar arrangement from a non-Chinese florist would cost about $600. There are about ten Chinese florists in San Franciscos Chinatown.

The florists are responsible for setting up the flowers. There is a hierarchy of the flowers, based on how much was spent or from whom the flowers were sent. The majority of flowers are transported from the funeral home to the cemetery, often in two or three vans. At the cemetery, the flowers are set up around the graveside in the appropriate order.

Chinese flower arrangements include two ribbons. The ribbon on the right side indicates who sent the flowers, and the ribbon on the left displays the name of the deceased. Just after the funeral, the ribbons from the right are collected before taking the flowers to the cemetery, and they are carefully rolled up. The ribbons are later presented to the family. This way, the family knows who sent flowers and can send thank you notes.

The ribbon takes the place of a flower card that other florists might include with an arrangement. At visitation, the family will walk up and down the rows of flower arrangements, to view the flowers and see who sent which floral display.

Packing for the Other World

When preparing the body, its important the mortician does not cut clothing to dress the deceased. The family may include as many as three changes of clothing, in addition to the clothing in which deceased is actually dressed. The additional clothes are placed underneath the deceased in the casket.

The deceased may be dressed in very traditional Chinese clothing. Sometimes they can be dressed in two sets of clothing. Its a way to express the familys desire to see their loved one off on their journey to the Other World in comfort, warmth and style.

Family may include personal items of significance to the deceased, and Pei, elaborate security blankets that are layered over the deceased in a blanketing ceremony within the visitation (more about that in the next blog post).

The addition of extra clothing, security blankets and personal items can add an additional 40 to 60 pounds of weight within the casket.

Funeral Timing

Saturdays and Sundays are considered the luckiest days to have a funeral, also known as covering. Green Street Mortuary is usually busy holding multiple funerals on those days. A bad burial or covering day is a specific date, not any day of the week.

Families will turn to the Benevolent Family Association to get the best burial advice, Often the family will be referred to a feng shui Master, to consult on optimal burial dates and times. Feng shui is a Chinese philosophical system designed to harmonize people and their environments. When the Master rules, theres no argument.

The establishment of an auspicious or negative day for a funeral is based on numerology that comes out of China. There are companies there that produce calendars 10 years in advance that indicate these good or bad days. If Green Street Mortuary staffers see a fully open Saturday on their schedules, its inevitably a bad covering day, numerically speaking.

There are also specific times for the casket to be lowered into the grave. Its very important for the burial to be on time, never late. So the scheduling of the funeral incorporates the timing of the procession to the cemetery, arranging the flowers, and assembling the attendees for the burial ceremony.

Green Street Mortuary had an important feng shui Master consult with them on decorating the funeral home. The smallest details can make all the difference.

Elements to come in Fundamentals of Chinese American Funeral Customs  Part Two: Visitation, Security Blankets, Burning Products, and Red & White Envelopes.

Author Gail Rubin attended the 2016 ICCFA University College of International Studies thanks to a scholarship from Regions Bank.
Saturday, September 17, 2016

Restaurant Owners should take note of the New York Attorney Generals written notice to several national retailers (J Crew, Victorias Secret, Bath & Body Works, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Williams & Sonoma, and Urban Outfitters) concerning on call requirements for employees. The Attorney General believes these practices may violate minimum wage laws. Additionally, these practices do not allow employees the ability to make child care arrangements, transportation arrangements, or budget for family finances. The state has a clear agenda to either eliminate this practice or compensate the employees for not being free to attend to personal activities because they could be called into work upon a moments notice.

Employers can meet needs for sick days or other paid time off by offering voluntary shifts to other employees. This is not without challenges, but offers one alternative to address the last minute staffing needs that often are present in the restaurant industry while avoiding possible penalties for wage law violations.

About Tracy Jong

Tracy Jong has been an attorney for more than 20 years, representing restaurants, bars, and craft beverage manufacturers in a wide array of legal matters. She is also a licensed patent attorney.

Her book Everything You Need To Know About Obtaining and Maintaining a New York Retail Liquor License: The Definitive Guide to Navigating the State Liquor Authority will be available next month on Amazon.com as a softcover and Kindle e-book.

Her legal column is available in The Equipped Brewer, a publication giving business advice, trends, and vendor reviews to help craft breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries build brands and succeed financially.

She also maintains a website and blog with practical information on legal and business issues affecting the industry. Follow her, sign up for her free firm app or monthly newsletter.

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The United States denounces the horrific attack against a mosque in Pakistan that killed some 25 people on Friday, White House National Security Council Spokesperson Ned Price said in a press release, Sputnik reported.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms todays terrorist attack in Mohmand Agency, Pakistan, which has killed as many as 25 and injured many more," Price stated.

This attack against civilians at a mosque during Friday prayers, Price continued, is an appalling reminder that terrorism threatens all countries in the region. The United States stands with the people of Pakistan against the scourge of terrorism, Price added, and will work with Islamabad against those who committed such outrageous attacks.
From: Jack Marshall -- ProEthics, Ltd. For Immediate Release: Dateline: Alexandria , VA Saturday, September 17, 2016

In Donald Trumps meaningless statement yesterday, which was covered by the news media as if it was the revelation of the millennium, he officially conceded that Barack Obama is a natural born U.S. citizen. He also used the silly media attention to drag out his announcement into a long campaign infomercial for which he didnt have to pay a cent. Nice, and it serves the broadcast media right for giving any significance to a five-year-long trolling exercise. Trump used the phony controversy over President Obamas birth certificate to get publicity five years ago, because he is shameless. Thats all. Did he really think Obama was born in Kenya? Oh, who knows? He is an idiot, after all. Then again, he is a skilled professional troll. Whether he believed it or not, Trump used the issue to get attention then, and now has used his 180 degree reversal to get attention now. Obviously nothing has changed that would justify this flip-flop if he believed what he insisted was true for five years. A more transparently cynical and insincere retraction I cannot conceive. Who cares what Trump says he believes at any point, about anything? But I digress. What really seemed to enrage the journalists who have embraced Rationalizations #28. The Revolutionarys Excuse: These are not ordinary times, and #31. The Troublesome Luxury: Ethics is a luxury we cant afford right now to anoint themselves as full-time volunteer members of the Hillary for President campaign, was that Trump said this: Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. Quoth the thoroughly partisan news media, ARRGH!!!!: How dare he! Trump Drops False Birther Theory, but Floats a New One: Clinton Started It, shouted the New York Times. Over at the Clinton Network, CNN, Jake Tapper, once the oasis of objectivity and integrity in that desert of shriveled ethics, proclaimed, his anger palpable: Hillary Clintons campaign did make an attempt to otherize Barack Obama during the 2007-2008 campaign, talking about his foreign roots, talking about the ways in which he might not necessarily be perceived as being rooted in this country. They never mentioned his birth certificate. That never happened by Hillary Clinton. That never happened by the Hillary Clinton campaign. I covered it at the timebut she and her campaign never, ever started the birther issue. Wow. Never ever! I feel badly for Jake. I do. He is a good journalist, but culture has been described as like water to a fish. The fish doesnt know how much it is affected by it. CNNs culture is thoroughly biased and rotted through, and I imagine that it is virtually impossible for any journalist to work there without starting to turn into Carol Costello, in other words, a left-biased hack. Get out, Jake. Get out while you can. By the end of the day, there was plenty of evidence that while Trump, as usual, over-stated the matter, calling what he said a lie is not justified (but it would sure hurt when a moderator did it in a debate!) Item: Patti Solis Doyle, Hillary Clintons campaign manager early in her 2008 campaign, admitted to Wolf Blitzer that a Clinton campaign staffer had circulated the Birther conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was born outside the U.S. and therefore potentially ineligible to serve in the presidency: Blitzer: Someone supporting Hillary Clinton was trying to promote this so-called Birther issue? What happened? Doyle: So we  absolutely, the campaign nor Hillary did not start the Birther movement, period, end of story there. There was a volunteer coordinator, I believe, in late 2007, I believe, in December, one of our volunteer coordinators in one of the counties in Iowa  I dont recall whether they were an actual paid staffer, but they did forward an email that promoted the conspiracy. Blitzer: The Birther conspiracy? Doyle: Yeah, Hillary made the decision immediately to let that person go. We let that person go. And it was so, beyond the pale, Wolf, and so not worthy of the kind of campaign that certainly Hillary wanted to run. This is the old rogue staffer routineyou know, like the IRS targeting of conservative groups was originally laid off on a rogue staffer. Heres the problem: a rogue staffer is still a staffer. A staffer who floats a rumor on behalf of a campaign is still part of the campaign. Sorry, Jake, but you are wrong. You were so desperate to come to Hillarys aid that you didnt check the facts. Fish, meet Water. But wait, theres more: Item: In a 20o7 strategy memo, Hillarys pollster Mark Penn suggested that Obamas lack of American roots was a core vulnerability to be exploited by the Clinton campaign: This sure sounds like hinting at birther problems to me. Trump, if this is what he is alluding to, has overstated his case, but so has Tapper, the Times, and many others. Reasonable people may disagree regarding how much Penns advice influenced staff, and whether the fact that setting up a contrast between Clinton and Obama by emphasizing where she was born and the fact that Hillary is American and Obama, well, was kinda, sorta not, laid the groundwork and plowed the way for the Birthers. It is still unfair and inaccurate to call Trumps conclusion a lie. There is plenty to support his position. Like this: Item: Former McClatchy Washington Bureau Chief James Asher tweeted Friday that [ former and current Clinton advisor and bag man Sid] Blumenthal had told me in person that Obama was born in Kenya. During the 2008 Democratic primary, Sid Blumenthal visited the Washington Bureau of McClatchy Co., Asher said in an email Friday to McClatchy, noting that he was at the time the investigative editor and in charge of Africa coverage. During that meeting, Mr. Blumenthal and I met together in my office and he strongly urged me to investigate the exact place of President Obamas birth, which he suggested was in Kenya. We assigned a reporter to go to Kenya, and that reporter determined that the allegation was false. At the time of Mr. Blumenthals conversation with me, there had been a few news articles published in various outlets reporting on rumors about Obamas birthplace. While Mr. Blumenthal offered no concrete proof of Obamas Kenyan birth, I felt that, as journalists, we had a responsibility to determine whether or not those rumors were true. They were not. Contacted by McClatchy, Blumenthal denied the episode, which he would have done whether it was true or not. Blumenthal has as checkered a relationship with the truth as Hillary.The point isnt that Trump was definitely fair or correct to state that Hillary started the Birther rumors. (I think its unfair, though she is, again, accountable for what her staff does, with or without her direct approval.) The point is that this issue, like many issues, is more complicated than the mainstream news media, being completely unable to apply objectivity due to its toxic Trump hate and open determination to place Democrats in powereven lying and corrupt onescannot be trusted to fact check statements by candidates they are determined to destroy. But let me return to that water that Jake Tapper is swimming in, CNN. CNNs Christiane Amanpour last week spectacularly outed herself as a full-fledged, rationalizating, spinning, member of the Clinton Corrupted, and a none-too-bright one at that. The catalyst was the media coverage of Hillarys collapse during the 9/11 ceremony and the criticism of her campaigns attempted cover-up. Heres the video: [embedded content] Cant a girl have a sick day or two? she asks. Oh, Hillarys a girl now! And When it comes to overqualified women having to try 100 times harder than under-qualified men to get a break or even a level playing field, well, we know that story. The fact that Amanpour is a sexist, anti-male bigot has been discussed on Ethics Alarms before, but this is so unprofessional that it would demand harsh redress in an ethical news organization. If Hillary is over-qualified to be President (nobody is over-qualified to be President), Im Marie of Rumania, and if Amanpour thinks that, then she is incapable of competent news analysis. Christiane Amanpour is incapable of competent news analysis. An individual of rudimentary reasoning abilities with an understanding that rationalizations arent ethical arguments would never stoop to What about Donald Trumps tax returns? as a rebuttal to the accusation that Clintons staff was misrepresenting the state of Hillarys health. Amanpour also plays the gender card, as if any candidate for President who has to be carried away from an appearance wouldnt spark equal media attention. Get used to this, especially on CNN, if Hillary becomes President. This method of demonizing critics and suppressing dissent has worked for Obama (race, genderits all the same), and Clintons defenders in her party and her partys mouthpiece, the mainstream media, can be counted upon to rely upon it too. They are already. This was the best part of Amanpours rant, however: Considering the media outrage over Hillary failing to tell them she had pneumonia on Friday, consider the media activity shielding some great American presidents, agreeing for instance not to show these photographs of Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose polio kept him confined to a wheelchair. But did that stop his New Deal for America or winning World War II? And then there is everyones favorite president, John F Kennedy. Now, he saved the world from possible nuclear Armageddon during the Cuban missile crisis, called for a new frontier in space, and generally inspired whole generations around the globe, while the press kept secret his painful struggle with Addisons disease. Leading the world in sickness and in healthif the boys can do it, why not the women? This is, I hope obviously to all, a deranged rationalization potpourri of breathtaking scope and depressing idiocy. The press lying to the nation about FDRs health was acceptable because it didnt stop the U.S. from winning World War II? This isnt just the ends justify the means, its any ends justify any means, a.k.a. Im a babbling moron. It is only by purest accident that the news medias covering up FDRs rapidly deteriorating health when he irresponsibly ran for a fourth term knowing he was likely to die in office didnt result in world catastrophe. The career political hack Roosevelt had chosen as Vice President turned out to be a strong leader with excellent common sense and great courage, but that was just moral luck. Harry Truman just as easily could have turned out to be Donald Trump. Amanpours fact-resistant assertions about Kennedy are only less outrageous because of their proximity to her rationalizations about FDR. Nobody who has studied the Kennedy administration thinks of him as their favorite President. JFK got the U.S. into the Cuban Missile Crisis with his botched Cuban invasion and inept diplomacy; the fable that he saved the world from possible nuclear Armageddon has been exposed as Kennedy propaganda machine spin. (Nikita Khrushchev was the hero of that confrontation.) But never mind that: how does any of this justify the press conspiring with leaders to hide information that the public has a right to know? Amanpour is a disgrace to journalism, as is the network that tolerates such proud and brainless bias. We cannot and should not trust these people, who are neither wise, nor fair, responsible or well-informed. They cant even fact check themselves. How dare they presume to fact check candidates? _______________________ Sources: McClatchy, NYT, Mediaite, Gateway Pundit, The Atlantic Share this:


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Democratic congressional candidate Pete Gallego on Friday gained the backing of a Gold Star wife whos been an outspoken critic of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Cheryl Lankford of San Antonio, who addressed the Democratic National Convention in July to condemn Trump and her experience at Trump University, said Gallego understands the needs of military families and veterans. Lankfords husband, Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan M. Lankford, died in combat in Baghdad in 2007.

Gallego is running against U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, trying to recapture the District 23 seat representing parts of 29 counties from San Antonio to El Paso.

Speaking to the news media at VFW Post No. 76, Lankford said she was disappointed by a Hurd-sponsored event that included military families.

This candidate (Hurd) was not here to listen to our needs as military, as survivors, as veterans, she said. When we got a chance to meet with Pete, he sat down, he listened, he considered the issues," Lankford said.

Gallego, who assailed several Hurd votes on military issues, chided Hurds campaign for including an image of Lankford at the town hall in a new TV ad.

There's a lot of work to do, but it takes a serious effort to work with the community to do that  a lot more than being in commercials, a lot more than using them (military families) as props," Gallego said.

Repeating a theme from his own commercials, Gallego blasted Hurds partys presidential hopeful.

Despite Mr. Hurd's efforts to build a giant wall between him and his presidential nominee, Donald Trump, there are some similarities in their policies, Gallego claimed.

The Democrat said hes campaigning vigorously across the expansive district, sometimes benefitting from outside support, as does Hurd.

On Saturday, Gov. Greg Abbott will be in San Antonio to rally Hurd supporters before blockwalking on Hurds behalf. Gallego contends the surrogates visit will further define his differences with Hurd.

The governor and Mr. Hurd and Mr. Trump make a great trio. That triumverate says a lot about the state of the race and the state of the campaign, Gallego said.

The Trump ideology may be in line with Mr. Hurd's and Mr. Abbotts, but it's certainly out of line with all of the veterans Ive met in San Antonio and across the district, he said.

jgonzalez@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnwgonzalez




Taking a break from fashion week posts for a moment, I wanted to share some snaps and good eats from our brief stay in southern California last week. Each time Nick and I visit, we have a long list of spots to try (mostly drool-worthy screenshots from Instagram saved on our phones!).

I got a few questions on this scarf from my packing photoits actually a poncho wrap from LOFT. I really wanted it to work as it has a beautiful color scheme, but had to return as its several inches too long on me and tough to alter (perfect for someone a few inches taller). Stores really need to start offering their ponchos / capes in shorter lengths too!





My favorite area to eat at in San Diego has to be Convoy Street ~ its an Asian food-lovers dream plus has all the novelty desserts one could desire! We popped into Square Bar Cafe for one of their signature cereal-studded ice cream cones and crepe cakes. The crepe cake doesnt compare to Lady M, but the red velvet ice cream was rather good. This spot seemed to be most known for their milk teas and other beverages which you can get to-go in these nice copper-top glass jars. We were all sugared out this time, but will have to go back for those.

Nick wanted to try a different taco spot from our usual TJ Oyster Bar or Tacos El Gordo (both soo good) so we ventured to the more modern Tacos Perla. They were out of almost everything so we didnt get to try many items. As a condiment-phile, one thing I did love though was their array of 6 house-made salsas & sauces ranging from mild to super hot, with some creative flavors like a creamy carrot habanero.

China Max dim sum is a tradition whenever we visit Nicks parents. The ambiance is nothing to write home about, but the little dishes are good, and I love the full picture menu for minimal confusion! One of my favorites there might be the wide rice noodles filled with roast pork (pictured below). This is also located on Convoy St, so dessert afterwards is just a hop & skip away!

I keep seeing the rolled ice cream trend all over Instagram but hadnt tried it myself. Bing Haus was right down the street from dim sum and was in their soft opening stages, so of course we had to try. Each individual order of ice cream starts out in liquidy form and is poured thinly onto a frozen pan, then gets scraped into rolled-up ribbons. Both the cookies & cream and matcha green tea bowls were delicious, although I didnt taste much of a difference between rolled vs. regular ice cream.

Alongside Pacific Beach in a strip mall of sorts, we came across this little acai bowl spot called Rum Jungle Cafe. The acai blend was a little icy and not the best Ive had, but it did fill me up and I loved the presentation inside a fresh pineapple (all the fruit gets scooped out and served off to the side).





Each time we drive from San Diego up to the LA area, an absolute must is to try a different poke bowl spot along the way. This time we picked Calipoke for their array of free toppings and it did not disappoint. I am still waiting ever so patiently for a good poke bowl spot to come to Boston  its astounding to me we dont have one, because any good sushi place should basically be able to offer it! I hear one might be opening up in Davis Square this fallits a ways outside the city, but Ill take it over nothing!

I also tried to take Nick to Brodards but of course we went on the one day theyre closed, and he was so bummed. I feel like every one of my Vietnamese friends from around the country know of their famous spring rolls with crunchies inside!




WASHINGTON, D.C.  The Environmental Protection Agency has violated the personal privacy of tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers, according to a unanimous ruling issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

The ruling in American Farm Bureau Federation and National Pork Producers Council vs. EPA concerned the federal agencys 2013 release to three environmental groups of a vast compilation of spreadsheets.

Released data

The spreadsheets contained personal information about farmers and ranchers who raise livestock and poultry in 29 states.

The case also related to similar personal information from farmers and ranchers in seven additional states that had yet to be released.

The information included the names of farmers, ranchers and sometimes other family members, home addresses, GPS coordinates, telephone numbers and emails.

EPA claimed that it was required to disclose the information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Privacy

This was an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy by a federal agency in violation of law, said AFBF General Counsel Ellen Steen. The courts decision is a vindication of the right of farm families to control their own personal information.

Farmers and ranchers have a strong privacy interest in their personal information, including their home address, even when they live and work on the farm.

Farm families usually live on the farm and the court took note that EPAs disclosures in this case could facilitate unwanted contact and harassment of farmers and ranchers by the FOIA requestors and others.

This case assures us that individuals still have a privacy interest in their personal information, Steen said. The fact that government agencies may have that information and even store it on the internet does not eliminate the individuals privacy interest.

According to the court, EPAs release of the complete set of data on a silver platter, so to speak, basically hands to the requesters a comprehensive database of their own, whatever their motives might be.

EPA now has to recall all of the personal information it unlawfully released, but unfortunately that information has now been in the hands of the FOIA requestors for three years, and many feel that the damage is done.

AFBF will continue to work to ensure that personal information about farmers and ranchers is not disclosed by EPA, Steen said.
The Cotswolds and the Gower Peninsula in Wales could be at risk if the government does not produce a world-leading policy for food and faming post-Brexit, the CLA has said.

Forty six Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) across England and Wales are being celebrated during Outstanding Week (17-25 September) to highlight their national importance.

The week is to ensure their character and qualities are protected for all to enjoy.

But the CLA, which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses, says any uncertainty over the future funding for food, farming and the environment after 2020 could lead to these areas at risk of becoming "economically and environmentally unviable."

AONB cover 18% of the UK countryside and responsibility of care is assumed by local authorities and the rural community (Photo: Cotswolds)

CLA President Ross Murray said: "It is right to celebrate these naturally breathtaking rural areas.

"We are always keen to welcome more visitors into the countryside, but it should not be forgotten that AONB are living, working landscapes.

"It is critical that the right government policies and funds are designed which will enable farmers and land managers to sustain these distinctive landscapes for future generations.

"Brexit has created a period of uncertainty. Although we are assured the current support for agriculture and rural development will continue at the same level until the end of 2020, after that is unknown.

"The government has a duty to ensure food, farming and the environment are not let down by a lack of funding challenge because communities, businesses, landscapes and wildlife are all dependent on the viability of the rural economy."
A dairy business thats increased profitability by nearly 300%, and has cornered an added value milk, butter and ice cream market in Asia, has won a prestigious new Innovation in Export award, sponsored by OMSCo.

Part of the annual Cream Awards, held at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham, on Thursday evening (15 September), this is the first time an export award has been presented.

The winner, Jersey Dairy, has demonstrated huge success in a tough marketplace, all the time maintaining an average farmer price of 46.4p/litre over the past 12 months, extending exports to Japan and Korea, and also exporting product into Taiwan for the first time.

The island of Jersey supports 21 dairy farms with a combined herd size of just under 3,000 cows, and all but one supplies the Jersey Dairy co-operative, with these producers all shareholders of the business.

Its success in the export market is significant, increasing from a value of 745,000in 2010 when a new processing facility was opened, to 3.7million in 2015.

Just six years ago, 93% of the total production was sold to the local market, with demand for Jersey Dairy products at best static.

The new processing facility  which was an investment worth 12 million  incorporated a modern UHT production line which would manufacture milk and ice cream ranges with extended shelf-life, allowing for ambient storage in the supply chain, both important attributes to compete in global export markets.

'Premium product'

"Were both honoured and delighted to have won this award," says Bob Jones, marketing director, Jersey Dairy.

"Were a relatively small business, the home of the world-famous Jersey cow, producing a premium product that is innovative, and returning great value to our shareholders."

The company had been supplying UK multiples with product, notably butter and cream, but was coming under pressure to reduce prices as the price war in the dairy category escalated.

As a matter of urgency, in 2013, they researched and set up meetings with potential buyers in the Far East.

The first success was to supply a retail chain in Hong Kong, resulting in sales in excess of 1 million litres in the first year.

This has been followed by sales of butter to Japan and Korea, and UHT ice cream mix to Myanmar.

And major project in the Far East has commenced with a Chinese food group based in Shanghai.

'Innovative export market'

Jersey Dairy ice cream was launched this summer and has gained distribution in up-market stores in a number of major cities in East China.

In 2017 there are plans to export a whole range of dairy products, including milk, cream and butter.

"The way in which Jersey Dairy has developed an innovative export market, for a whole range of added-value products, is something our industry should be extremely proud of," says OMSCo chairman, Nicholas Saphir.

"They have succeeded in securing a premium price for their milk, enabling farmers to confidently expand knowing they have a market for their increased production.

"They are a fantastic first winner of our award, and we wish them even more success as they develop further ranges of new products in the future."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in phone talks with US State Secretary John Kerry reiterated his call to make the Russia-US Syria peace deal public to avoid any ambiguities in perception of its implementation, according to a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday, Sputnik International reported .

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new plan on Syria, which stipulates a ceasefire that came into force on Monday.

"The Russian minister made another insistent offer to publish a Russian-US agreement on the Syrian settlement to avoid any ambiguity in the perception of the real status of its implementation by the international community," the statement read.

On Friday, planned UN Security Council's consultations on Syria were canceled at the request of the United States and Russia. The Security Council reportedly wanted to know details of the US-Russia agreement on Syria. According to Russias permanent representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin, the meeting has been canceled because the United States was not ready to share the documents with the members of the Security Council.

Later in the day, Lavrov told Kerry in a phone call that the entire package of the US-Russia agreements on Syria should be made public. However, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby stated in a briefing on Friday that the United States was still not prepared to publicly release the details of the US-Russia negotiated Syria ceasefire agreement.
Retailer Co-op has announced that from May 2017 all of its bacon and lamb will be sourced from British farms.

The news comes just days after Back British Farming day and at the start of British Food Fortnight, both part of an industry-wide push to celebrate Great British food.

Steve Murrells, retail chief executive at The Co-op, said the retailer is a "major supporter" of British farming.

"This move is a first for a major food retailer and will see us invest millions more into sourcing home produced goods," Mr Murrells said.

"Its an exciting time at the Co-op and our growing confidence is shown by our investment in UK farming as we do business a better way to meet consumer demand."

The Great British brand is "renowned across the globe for its quality, innovation and tradition," Defra Secretary said

The National Farmers Union has welcomed today's announcement, with NFU President Meurig Raymond saying it is a "bold move" by the Co-op to sell only British lamb and bacon.

"In a week that saw farmers and politicians unite at Westminster to back our industry, this decision shows a real commitment to quality British food and the farmers that produce it," Mr Raymond said.

"The public tells us time and again that they want to see more British food on supermarket shelves and its fantastic to see that the co-op has recognised this and realised that it makes strong business sense to support British farmers.

"In the face of market uncertainty post-Brexit, the Co-ops commitment to source British lamb all year round is particularly important in providing the support and stability to help British sheep farming thrive and sends a clear message that British lamb really is the best in the world," Mr Raymond concluded.

Welcoming the announcement, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said the Great British brand is "renowned across the globe for its quality, innovation and tradition."

"From our world-famous Welsh lamb to the classic bacon sandwich, British meat is not only delicious but also produced to the highest standards of quality, welfare and safety," Miss Leadsom said.

"We should rightly have pride in Britains reputation for producing quality meat and todays announcement is a real vote of confidence in our farmers and an industry that is the bedrock of our economy.

"Its great to see the Co-op taking the lead to celebrate the best of British and supporting our Great British Food campaign."
International contract caterer Compass Group PLC has announced a global commitment to go cage-free for all its shell and liquid egg supplies by 2025.

Nicki Crayfourd, Director of Health, Safety and Environment for Compass Group explained that improving the welfare of farm animals is a "key focus" for the company.

"We've supported the sourcing of cage free eggs since 2009," Miss Crayfour said.

"This commitment marks the next step in our responsible sourcing journey and we look forward to continuing to work with partners such as Compassion in World Farming, Humane Society International and The Humane League who provide invaluable support and guidance."

Philip Lymbery, CEO of Compassion in World Farming, said: "I am delighted that Compass has become one of the leading businesses in the cage-free movement.

"I hope that their commitment to go cage-free globally on all liquid and shell eggs by 2025 will be a catalyst for others to follow their example.

"I couldnt be more proud of the work of our Food Business team, who continually engage with leading food companies to create positive change for farm animals on a global scale.

"The phenomenal market shift towards cage-free production we are witnessing this year is exactly what this work aims to achieve."

'Summer of cage-free momentum'

Compass move follows a summer of cage-free momentum during which many of the UKs major retailers and a growing number of businesses within the foodservice sector have publicly turned their backs on the cage.

These commitments build on decades of work by Compassion in World Farming and other animal welfare NGOs including the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and the Humane League, advocating for better lives for farm animals.

Todays announcement follows a similar commitment made recently by Sodexo, the worlds second largest food service provider, also to switch to a 100 per cent cage-free egg supply chain for its global operations.

Compass Group joins a growing number of companies that have committed to cage-free egg policies worldwide including Alsea, Unilever, Grupo Bimbo, Nestle, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Lidl.
Woodgrove had an excellent showing of 34 rams, fetching a top price of $1200 for two rams to FJ Burton & Sons, Dongara and CJ & PJ Hasleby and an average overall price of $947 which was an improvement on last year's average of $916. FJ Burton was the largest multiple ram buyer of Woodgrove rams with five rams, followed by Newmarracarra Co, Geraldton, which matched last year's purchase of four rams and the Haslebys, EJ Culloton and Avalon Way Farming Trust purchasing three rams.
What was it like to be an Oath Keeper? John Zimmerman can tell you

John Zimmerman said he was active with the Oath Keepers from September to November 2020, then left after a falling out with founder Stewart Rhodes.
Russia has started electing the 7th State Duma (lower house of parliament), as the first polling stations opened in the easternmost Kamchatka and Chukchi peninsulas at 08:00 on Sunday, when it was still late Saturday evening in the countrys western areas, TASS reported.

A new State Duma, in contrast to the outgoing one that was formed entirely on party tickets, will be shaped under a mixed pattern: 225 of its members will be elected on the proportionate basis (on party tickets), and another 225 in single-member constituencies.

Eleven political parties will participate with their lists of candidates: alongside the four ones having a representation in the current State Duma (United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and A Just Russia) there are ten others - Yabloko, Party of Growth, Parnas, Rodina (Motherland), Patriots of Russia, Communists of Russia, Civic Platform, Civic Force, Russian Party of Pensioners for Justice, and the Greens. Alongside party candidates there are 23 self-nominees in single-member constituencies. A total of 6,500 candidates will be contesting seats in the State Duma (14+ contenders per one seat).

The right to vote belongs to 111.6 million Russians residing within the countrys territory or feature on the lists of Russian consular offices abroad. On the polling day more than 94,000 polling stations will open, including those in closed territories - military garrisons, prisons, hospitals, etc. The people of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which joined Russia in March 2014 after a referendum, will be voting in the Russian parliamentary election for the first time. A total of 371 polling stations have been formed outside Russia in 145 countries.
Ozzy and Jack Osbourne are back this weekend on HISTORY with a brand new series of their World Detour, kicking off their travels in the UK as they make a stop at the mythic structure of Druid Lore, Stonehenge.

Their visit turns out to be a memorable one, with Jack speculating that alien involvement could have been the reason for the monument's creation, whilst Ozzy is just worried his shoes could be a little too flamboyant for the UK.

Making a move to 'Superhenge', Ozzy is annoyed to discover that the newly found site is hidden underground, as all he wants to do is visit the secret World War II headquarters of British Intelligence at Bletchley Park. Jack encourages him to enjoy what else the country has to offer however, as they stop at the world's oldest pub - The Royal Standard of England in Beaconsfield.

Finally making a stop at Glastonbury, Jack has organized a surprise knighting ceremony for his father, with a King from the past giving the Prince of Darkness the special accolade.

Ozzy and Jack's World Detour returns for a new series, tomorrow (September 18) at 9pm on HISTORY.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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The final set of X Factor 2016 room auditions will be shown tonight, and there's no lack of drama when it comes to the last bunch of contestants hoping to make it big in the music industry.

The X Factor / Credit: ITV

Meet Kirsty Murphy. Hoping to audition in Manchester, she waited around all day, only to be told that she wouldn't be able to be seen by the judges due to time restrictions. Taking it upon herself to make her mark, she made it her mission to get in front of the judges one way or another

Host Dermot O'Leary commented: "She just appeared from nowhere! In her defence she got told she wasn't going to be able to be seen that day and there was a big sign on the door saying 'Judge's Room, Keep Out', so she didn't break the Da Vinci Code to get in!

"So she got in and for me it's really awkward because I'm with someone else's friends and family and they are going, 'Who's that girl?', so I had to usher them to one side and then this girl's family start cheering her on.

"All-in-all it was a rather eggy situation. Part of me thought, 'Good on you', but then I had to play politics with this other family. I was trying to be peacemaker but it was hard that day."

Judge Sharon Osbourne added: "When she first came in I was a bit frightened actually. She walked in and came right over to the desk and I was thinking, 'Oh my God, alert, alert!' But she was ballsy! It takes a lot to do that."

Explaining herself, contestant Kirsty said: "It was a long day of auditions and I had been there since the morning. It was nearly midnight and one of the team said that unfortunately there was no time to see me today and that they would try and reschedule my audition for one of the London dates. At first I thought that was fine but then I was with my Mum and we saw a door labelled 'Judge's Room' in front of us. Mum asked what I was going to do. I'd already seen the judges do a speech that day about what they wanted to see and I was excited to audition. I had been waiting for years to perform in front of Simon. I had seen him in the other room earlier in the day and I just wanted to do it, to sing and prove myself. I said to my Mum, 'I'm just going to go in there', and at first she was shocked and said, 'No you can't!', but then she switched and said, 'Yes you can, get in!' and she actually pushed me in.

"When Mum opened the door, I couldn't see the judges so thought I should just go for it, it was now or never. I could see they were on the other side of the room with Dermot who was speaking to contestants. Me and Mum were like ninjas and I thought while the security were distracted, this was my chance. I ran round the back of the audition space, through the curtain to where the producers were sat. I could see the judges but I can't remember properly what I said to them. I remember I just broke down crying and kept asking them, 'Please can I sing?' Then I just remember Simon telling me to get on the X. I sang a verse and a chorus but because my backing tracks obviously weren't prepared, I had to do it acapella and with no music to follow, and my nerves and after running, I was a bit pitchy on the chorus. I was also just so shocked with myself that I had done it, I couldn't believe that I'd run in - I was shocked, scared, nervous and excited all in one."

The X Factor / Credit: ITV

Watch the drama unfold in The X Factor, tonight, September 17, at 8pm on ITV.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Kriti Kharbanda, Gaurav Arora

Direction: Vikram Bhatt

Genre: Horror

Duration: 2 hours



Story: Happily married couple - Rihaan (Gaurav) and Shaina (Kriti) move into a heritage hotel like property in Romania and call it their home. Trouble beckons as the wife starts feeling the existence of an evil entity in their haunted house.



Review: Her deadpan banker hubby refuses to believe her, while her ex beau Aditya (Emraan Hashmi) acts supportive. He also hints that the demonic spirit seeks revenge from Rihaan and not her. What's the big Raaz that the husband's been hiding from his wife?



Since it's the fourth instalment of the Raaz franchise, it's obvious that the story is in the same vein as the first starring Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea. But this one has zero scares and newbies who make Bipasha and Dino look like 'actors'.



Of course, a brooding Emraan and the beautiful melancholic song that follows him, manage to entertain you for a while. The highlight of the film however, is the demon asking Rihaan to f*** off. His F bomb chant takes the cake. Given the awkward setting, it's strangely hilarious. You pretty much share the ghost's sentiments, when it comes to the hackneyed plot.



Doors keep slamming on their own, strange whispers keep echoing throughout and the girl sees horrific things but none of it disturbs you, let alone be worried. Also since it's a reboot, a twist in the tale is guaranteed. You can see it from a mile away, something our 'clever' heroine fails to gauge till the end.



The dialogues and overall sensibility are equally cheesy. The film implies that 'Pyaar hi Bhagwan hai' and that Mangal sutra can act as a suraksha kavach for a woman. There's also a blind man who knows 'psychometry' - the power of touching things, feeling them and understanding their energy. "Two mouths! She has been possessed by an evil spirit," he screams in disbelief as he studies Shaina's mug. Tsk tsk.



This overstretched drama is way too cliched and soppy to hold your interest but it does amuse you in its own unique ways.

Next Story : Not Your Average Gift: Our Handpicked Thoughtful Diwali Gifts
Actor David Oyelowo, who will be seen in his new movie Queen of Katwe feels extremely pleased about his part, as the film virtually upholds the dark continent and shows Africa in a pragmatic light.

"I've done a film in Uganda before called 'The Last King of Scotland' which I really enjoyed doing. I think it's a wonderful film, but that film along with a number of other films have highlighted the negative side of what goes down on the African continent,"

"And that's because that's a truism but what I haven't seen enough of is the positive side of what Africa is and represents," Oyelowo said.

The actor even calls the movie Queen of Katwe a "huge move forward" for portraying Africa in a positive light and praises director Mira Nair, who had stayed almost two decades in Uganda for understanding the life and people there completely.

"I do think that films have ingrained in them the perspective from which they are told and if that perspective is an outside perspective inevitably it comes with whatever bias is tied to that perspective," David explained.

David Oyelowo also added, "I think Mira Nair being someone who has lived in Uganda for 27 years, the level and authenticity and knowledge she is able to bring of course differs entirely to a guy from Burbank, California."
It is no news that the 'Naagin' actor Arjun Bijlani has been roped in for Ekta Kapoor's next titled 'Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil'. The meaty role which was initially offered to Shaleen Malhotra, has finally landed in Arjun's lap.

As we had reported earlier, Drashti Dhami will be playing the lead role in the show, which is loosely based on Bollywood movie 'Pardes'. Apparently, she will play the role of 'Naina' in the show. Arjun will reprise Shahrukh Khan's role from the original.

She will dislike the idea of getting married because of her ailing mother. But, the fate will have something else in store for her. Arjun and Drashti will be sharing screen space for the very first time and the fans are really excited about the same.

The show is in news for quite sometime now, all thanks to the fresh new pairing. Hope Arjun and Drashti create magic on-screen with their chemistry. Well, the good news is that the actor has already begun shooting for the show!

An excited Arjun confirmed the same through a tweet. He wrote, "Wish me luck new beginning today.first day of shoot.#PardesMeinHaiMeraDil."

His 'Naagin' co-star and good friend was very quick to respond to his tweet. She wished him good luck for his new venture. She wrote, "@Thearjunbijlani, allllll the very best ex costar."

Meanwhile, Arjun who recently got eliminated from Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa is expected to leave to Austria along with the other cast members soon for shooting some of the portions.

We just can't wait for the show to begin! What say, guys?
Turkey, a founder of the Council of Europe, is one of the key members in tackling the challenges the group faces, Turkish Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman said on Sept. 16, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

His remarks came in an address at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments in Strasbourg.



Kahraman highlighted the Council of Europes growing importance in challenges discussed during the meeting without making concessions to democracy, human rights or the rule of law.



Turkey, as one of the founding countries of the Council of Europe, has been among the largest contributors to its budget to boost its operational capacity to overcome challenges, he said.



About Turkeys contributions, he added, We continue to help protect and improve our common values, as we have done so far.

The parliament speaker also said Turkey will host the groups next conference in 2018.

The European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments is hosted by one of the member countries every two years and lasts for two days.
TRIPOLI, Libya, Sept. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --The Republic of Ivory Coast's Ministry of Digital Economy announced the selection of the Libyan Post & Telecommunications Holding Company (LPTIC) as the fourth operator by awarding it the new universal license.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160916/408902

LPTIC's management held a series of extended meetings with theIvorianGovernment from January to June of 2016, during which they presented a proposal for a comprehensive strategic plan to acquire the new universal license in the Ivory Coast. The technical and commercial aspects were taken into consideration, both in terms of assessing the targeted market's competitive environment and the size of the telecommunications sector in theIvorianeconomy.

This important step comes as part of the restructuring of Libya's investments in the telecommunications sector in Africa that were previously managed by LAPGreenN. LPTIC is undertaking a vital role in restructuring the ICT sector in Libya in order to enhance its efficiency and contribute to the diversification of the Libyan economy.

Dr. FaisalGergab, Chairman of LPTIC said, "We are pleased thatLPTIChas been awarded the fourth universal license in Ivory Coast, theIvorianmarket is one of the largest and fastest-growing in Africa. Furthermore, this license will allow LPTIC to broaden its horizons by entering fast-growing emerging markets. It will also provideLPTICwith a solid foundation to strengthen its presence and expertise in order to improve services and achieve commercial benefits. Consequently, LPTIC is well positioned to play an instrumental role in the socio-economic reform of Libya.

AboutLPTIC

LPTIC was established in accordance with the decision of the Prime Minister's number (63) for the year 2005 to a holding company to owner of major communications companies,Libyana,Madar, LibyaTelecomand Technology (LTT), Aljeelaljadeedfor Technology, International Communications Company, andHatefLibya where these companies play significant role in the development of mobile phones and telephone communicationsinternetconnection has raised the efficiency of communications in Libya and to enable the largest possible number of citizens to getonlineservice, whether by phone companies phones such asLibyanaandAlmadaror through the maininternetservices provider such as LibyaTelecom& Technology LTT orHatefLibya company that provides phone wired and wireless, as well asinternetservices.

Media Contact:

media@lptic.net

Connect with LPTIC onFacebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LPTIC

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com
New technology allows rapid boot of backup images directly on VMware ESXi hosts

DRAPER, Utah, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Global backup and disaster recovery leader, StorageCraft Technology Corp., announced the release of StorageCraft VirtualBoot' for vSphere, a new technology that makes the recovery of data and systems exponentially faster and more efficient. This unique technology gives StorageCraft ShadowProtect SPX users the ability to rapidly virtualize backup images as guest virtual machines (VMs) directly on VMware ESXi hosts without the use of an intermediary appliance or secondary conversion process.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130501/LA05735LOGO

VirtualBoot for vSphere is used in conjunction with StorageCraft ShadowProtect SPX backup and disaster recovery software and is included with every SPX license. VirtualBoot for vSphere was developed in joint collaboration and participation with VMware through their vSphere APIs for I/O Filtering (VAIO) Program and is now certified as VMware Ready.

VirtualBoot for vSphere uniquely enables users to:

Instantly virtualize SPX or ShadowProtect backup images as guest VMs directly on the ESXi hypervisor

Permanently migrate physical systems or VMs from a different hypervisor platform to ESXi with minimal downtime

Easily test changes to production systems offline

Leverage existing VMware investments to maximize ROI

"If a business is experiencing IT downtime, it is imperative that it get access to its valuable data and mission-critical systems as quickly as possible. StorageCraft VirtualBoot for vSphere is a great business continuity tool because it removes time-consuming steps and frees up resources during the all-important recovery process," said Scott Barnes, StorageCraft's Chief Technology Officer. "StorageCraft VirtualBoot for vSphere is another example of how StorageCraft is enabling its partners to reliably protect their clients' data and systems while being as efficient as possible."

More information about StorageCraft VirtualBoot for vSphere is available at www.storagecraft.com/products/virtualboot. Managed service providers (MSPs) and value-added resellers (VARs) can learn how to become members of the award-winning StorageCraft Partner Network at www.storagecraft.com/partnerships.

Throughout the years, StorageCraft Recovery Solution components have been recognized by analysts, leading IT publications, and most importantly, IT professionals for their speed and reliability. Among recent accolades, StorageCraft won the ASCII Cup Vendor of the Year award, the Redmond Channel Partner Editor's Choice Award for Best Storage Software and a fourth-consecutive PC Magazine's Editors' Choice award.

About StorageCraft Technology Corp.

The StorageCraft family of companies, founded in 2003, provides best-in-class backup, disaster recovery, system migration and data protection solutions for servers, desktops and laptops. StorageCraft delivers software products that reduce downtime, improve security and stability for systems and data, and lower the total cost of ownership. For more information, visitwww.storagecraft.com.

StorageCraft and ShadowProtect are trademarks of StorageCraft Technology Corp. Other company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact:

Brad Thomas

StorageCraft

801-871-2913

brad.thomas@storagecraft.com
WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pennsylvania, Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Today, ASTM International announced that it would hold its board meeting and dozens of events in the United Arab Emirates on 16-20 October 2016.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141021/153355LOGO

"Gulf leaders in business and government increasingly demand ASTM International standards to help them drive growth in industries such as petroleum, construction, and more," said Ralph Paroli, the organization's board chairman who directs research and development in measurement science and standards at the National Research Council of Canada. "Our board is excited to be hosting our meeting and related events in such a dynamic region."

Paroli will lead the board meeting on Monday and Wednesday in Dubai.

On Tuesday, board members will hold about 25 events and meetings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This includes:

meetings with companies and trade associations from many fields (eg., oil and gas, steel, concrete, corrosion, building facades, piping, 3D printing, nuclear energy, and more);

roundtables with representatives from leading laboratories;

meetings with government leaders, including the UAE's standards body (ESMA);

discussing metrology topics with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, Standardization Organization of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GSO), and ESMA

speaking engagements with students and others at top universities;

a workshop with amusement park industry leaders; and more.

In addition, on Thursday, ASTM International and the International Code Council will co-host a Sustainable Construction workshop in Dubai, supported in part by the U.S. International Trade Administration.

Board member H.E. Nabil Molla is helping organize the events. As Secretary General of the GSO, he helps coordinate standards and conformity assessment activities across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, and Bahrain. "ASTM International is building on its already strong commitment to serve as a partner to the Gulf," he said. "I welcome organizing this event in the UAE as a member of the GSO and I wish to have a very productive and positive discussion. I look forward to this opportunity to showcase how high-quality standards support businesses and people throughout our region."

This year, ASTM International and GSO are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their memorandum of understanding. ASTM International also has memoranda of understanding with the standards bodies in every Gulf nation. Hundreds of experts from the region serve on ASTM International's technical committees, and ASTM standards have been cited more than 4,000 times in the region's regulations and codes. "I believe that this meeting can identify further areas for cooperation and mutual information exchange under the MoU," according to Molla.

In recent years, ASTM International and GSO have held many joint workshops and virtual events, while also providing many experts, exchanging of information, and sponsoring events such as ARABLAB, the Dubai Fire Safety Forum, and other major conferences that relate to standardization.

Since 2000, ASTM International Board meetings have been held in Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Media Inquiries: Nathan Osburn, director, corporate communications, tel. +1.610.832.9603, nosburn@astm.org

Business Contact: Nick Ecart, director, business development, tel. +44.793.2103758, necart@astm.org
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Turkey Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Market - Forecast & Analysis, 2016 - 2022" report to their offering.

The overall demand for HVAC products in Turkey is mainly driven by factors such by rising population, revival of the housing market, an increase in consumer income levels, development of reliable energy resources, and growing commercial and industrial units.



Turkey's HVAC market is evolved as well as dynamic and the consumption of the HVAC products is set to grow due to a rise in the construction activities. The domestic HVAC market is driven by strong import, export and domestic sales. As per the market trends, it has been witnessed that international players preferred the route of mergers and acquisitions to expand their base in Turkey's domestic market.



With emerging demand for HVAC products in Turkey due to high urbanization rate and increase in construction and renovation of sites, Turkey's HVAC market is both, evolved and dynamic. The market is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 5.31% from 2016-2022, in terms of volume. The analyst states, Turkey has a robust HVAC industry base with strategic tie ups with the educational and research institutions which contributes to the development of energy efficient HVAC technologies. The market is foreseen to have high growth potential by the end of 2022 in order to meet the domestic consumption demand.



Companies Profiled:



Daikin Industries Ltd

Gree Electric Appliances

LG Corporation

Midea Group

Panasonic Corporation

Samsung Electronics

United Technologies Corporation (Carrier)

Zamil Air Conditioners



Report Structure:



1 REPORT SCOPE



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS



5 COMPETITIVE INSIGHTS



6 TURKEY WINDOWS AND PORTBALE AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



7 TURKEY MINI-SPLIT AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



8 TURKEY SINGLE PACKAGED AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



9 TURKEY CHILLER MARKET



10 TURKEY AIR HANDLING UNIT AND FAN COIL UNIT MARKET



11 TURKEY HVAC MARKET



12 KEY MARKET PLAYERS

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c82b4c/turkey_heating



Related Topics: HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
DUBLIN, September 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar Copper Pipes, Coils and Fittings Market - Forecast & Opportunities, 2011-2021" report to their offering.

The market for copper pipes, coils and fittings in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar is forecast to grow at a CAGR of over 8% through 2021, especially due to rising demand for copper pipes, coils and fittings from new building construction in these countries.

Rising infrastructure developments in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar are anticipated to boost demand for HVAC and plumbing systems, and thereby, drive the market for copper pipes, coils and fittings in these countries through 2021. Copper piping network is widely used in plumbing infrastructure, on account of its fitment application in water supply networks.



Copper pipes and coils are also widely applied in air conditioning and refrigeration systems, due to their high resilience to changes in temperatures and longevity. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar witness hot climatic conditions, which results in high usage of air conditioning and refrigeration systems.



Further, expanding population base and high disposable income in all of these countries is projected to fuel demand for air conditioners and refrigerators in the coming years, thereby driving demand for copper pipes and coils. Additionally, these countries are highly dependent on desalination of sea water to address their need for potable water.



Ongoing and future developments in strengthening and expanding water supply infrastructure is expected to positively influence the copper pipes, coils and fittings market in these countries during 2016-2021.



Companies Mentioned:



Asia Electro Mechanical Company Ltd.

Astic General Trading L.L.C.

Cannelle Holdings FZCO

OITC Group W.L.L.

Sanipex L.L.C.

Sawaed International Trading Est.

TPC FZE

Techno Cool Co.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Analyst View



4. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar Copper Pipes, Coils and Fittings Market Overview



5. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait & Qatar Copper Pipes, Coils & Fittings Market Outlook



6. Saudi Arabia Copper Pipes, Coils & Fittings Market Outlook



7. Qatar Copper Pipes, Coils & Fittings Market Outlook



8. UAE Copper Pipes, Coils & Fittings Market Outlook



9. Kuwait Copper Pipes, Coils & Fittings Market Outlook



10. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait & Qatar Copper Coils Market Outlook



11. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait & Qatar Copper Pipes Market Outlook



12. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait & Qatar Copper Fittings Market Outlook



13. Market Dynamics



14. Market Trends & Developments



15. Supply Chain Analysis



16. Channel Partner Analysis



17. Competitive Landscape



18. Strategic Recommendations

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ddfc59/saudi_arabia

Related Reports:



Global Copper Pipes & Tubes Market 2016-2020



Related Topics: Pipelines, Copper, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), Industrial Refrigeration

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
DUBLIN, September 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Mining Waste Management 2016-2020" report to their offering.

The global mining waste management to grow at a CAGR of 1.85% during the period 2016-2020.

The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global mining waste management for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the waste generation perspective and is calculated from the demand side. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

In plain terms, mining operations pertain to the set of activities that facilitate the exploration, production, and separation of certain desirable metals and minerals from their ores. With all the major day-to-day operations based on the availability of these minerals, the importance of the mining industry increases manifolds. Mining operations are dependent on several factors that pertain to the accurate estimation regarding the positioning and recovery of the reserves.

Among the different trends that have surfaced in the domain of sustainable mining, one trend marks the increase in innovations in design. In line with the global trend for greater focus on the creation of an environmentally sustainable framework, many changes in the mining domain also pertain to the same. One of the key highlights within this is the rise of biomining or utilization of biological microbes for the extraction of valuable metals and minerals from ores.

According to the report, one driver for the mining waste management market, shortly, is supposed to be the strength of public opinion in ensuring the commercial success of any company or any product. The importance of this factor has risen manifold in the mining domain as any untoward incident can cause public outcry with serious consequences. Though not a commercial thruster, the importance of public reaction to any action of the mining operator is expected to drive the mining waste management market in the forecast period.

Key vendors

AMEC Foster Wheeler

EnviroServ

Interwaste

Veolia

Other prominent vendors

Ausenco

Global Mining Solutions

Golder Associates

Knight Piesold

Metsana

Ramboll

Zeal Environmental

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive summary

Part 02: Scope of the report

Part 03: Market research methodology

Part 04: Introduction

Part 05: Market landscape

Part 06: Market segmentation by waste types

Part 07: Geographical segmentation

Part 08: Market drivers

Part 09: Impact of drivers

Part 10: Market challenges

Part 11: Impact of drivers and challenges

Part 12: Market trends

Part 13: Vendor landscape

Part 14: Key vendor analysis

Part 15: Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/f75s8k/global_mining

Related Topics: Mining

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716




ISTANBUL, Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Representing a market of 800,000-ton tissue production in the MENA region, Tissue World Istanbul is the only dedicated tissue industry trade show in the region. With less than a month to go, the strategically located Tissue World Istanbul is all set to welcome senior trade buyers from Central Europe, Russia, the CIS, the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa.

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The line-up of the exhibiting companies on Tissue World Istanbul show floor is impressive. Leading local manufacturers and suppliers such as Hayat Kimya (Gold sponsor),lpek Kagit (Silver sponsor), Aktul Kagit, Lila Kagit, Organik Kimya, Yontem Kagit, Amaco, Medtissue Mill, ICM Makina, Jetmaksan, Point Makina, STAX Technologies, and Yusufoglu Makine have all secured exhibit space at this first fully-fledged Istanbul trade show in September.

UBM Istanbul, Fairs Group Director, Orhan Caglayan, commented: "Tissue World Istanbul's exhibitors represent approximately 350,000 tons of the industry production, which is equivalent to 46% of the MENA tissue industry. In addition to the strong support by the local players, Tissue World Istanbul also features exhibiting companies from Serbia, India, Lebanon, Italy, China, Egypt, Germany and Switzerland. Taking place for the first time as a fully-fledged trade show, tissue industry players have the opportunity to raise their brand profile in this part of the world for the first time."

To underline that Tissue World Istanbul is the unique and ideal meeting point for anyone involved in the industry, Orhan Caglayan added: "In our fair, our visitors will have the opportunity meet with senior decision makers and key account representatives and buyers. There will be plenty of room to network with a conducive environment featuring lounges, conference areas, press booth and relaxing cafeteria areas."

Held alongside the 3-day trade show is a 2-day conference with the theme entitled "Turkey: How can it Maintain the Pace of Success?". The conference will consist of 2 main sessions: Senior Management Seminar and Applied Technology Seminar.

Led by authoritative industry experts, the Senior Management Seminar will provide a complete insight of this strategic and unique market, supply and demand outlook, fast-changing demographics and retailing landscape. Meanwhile, the technical sessions will cover topics on the latest technical and operational innovations, highlighted by various mill case studies.

Since 1993, Tissue World has been a leading and global series of events, servicing the worldwide tissue industry. With events held in Istanbul, Milan, Miami, Sao Paulo and Bangkok, it is an integrated and intertwined platform including trade shows, conferences and a trade magazine, and is providing a unique platform, online and offline, with the aim of creating business opportunities, sharing ideas and learn during the entire year.

About UBM

UBM is one of the biggest event organizers of the world, organizing annually 400 events in average with its more than 5,000 employees in more than 20 countries. UBM EMEA Istanbul, being involved within the body of UBM, organizes the international fairs of the Eurasia and Turkey with its fund of knowledge of more than 30 years and UBM's global experience. UBM EMEA Istanbul's market leading events are as follows: Alleather Istanbul Leather Exhibition, CBME Babies and ChildrenClothing and Accessories Fair, CPhI Istanbul Pharmaceutical Exhibition, Expomaritt Marine Industry Technology and Trade Exhibition, Fi Istanbul Food Ingredients Trade Fair, Growtech Eurasia Greenhouse, Agricultural Equipment and Technologies Fair, ISSA Interclean Istanbul Industrial HygieneFair, Intertraffic Istanbul Traffic Technologies and Equipment Fair, lstanbul Kids Fashion Babies and Children Fashion Fair, IstanbulLight LightingTechnologies Exhibition, Tissue World Istanbul Tissue Industry Fair.

For Detailed Information and Communication:

ADA PR Communication Services

Elif Sezginer Verun | elif@adapr.com.tr | GSM: +90-532-604-8582

Azize Aysu Durmaz | aysu@adapr.com.tr | GSM: +90-533-578-7449










HO CHI MINH, Vietnam, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- There are just two months to go until the doors open on Vietnam's leading renewable energy and energy efficiency exhibition -- RE & EE VIETNAM 2016. The exhibition, from 9 to 11 November 2016, is co-located with Vietnam's leading international water supply, sanitation, water resources and purification event, VIETWATER 2016, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160907/404861

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This is Vietnam's leading renewable energy and energy efficiency trade show and it is organised by UBM Asia and supported by the Vietnam Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Association, Vietnam Automation Association, Energy Conservation Center Ho Chi Minh City and the EU-Vietnam Business Network.

RE & EE Vietnam 2016 is a unique showcase welcoming leading exhibitors and international pavilions (the EU, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and many others) in different segments of the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. It covers a wide range of innovations and solutions using industrial boilers, waste heat recovery, drying process, heat exchange process in power plants and the private consumer as well as breakthrough technologies, including solar panels, electric machines, bioethanol technology and control systems, among others.

Mr. Yoshimasa Kitada, Sales Manager, Mitsubishi Electric Vietnam, one of the leading exhibitors at RE & EE Vietnam 2016, said, "As a leading corporation in the manufacture & provision of electronic equipment for home, commercial and industrial use, we at Mitsubishi Electric believe that VietWater and RE & EE Vietnam 2016 will be a good business platform for energy & water industry players to showcase the best solutions and we are expecting to meet up with the right partners and find more potential customers here."

Running alongside RE & EE Vietnam 2016 is the Conference. The Conference theme this year is "Vietnam Energy Forum: Towards Sustainable Energy Development in Vietnam". Presented by leading industry experts such as Dr. Do Huu Hao, Chairman, Vietnam Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Association, and Mr. Huynh Kim Tuoc, Director, Energy Conservation Center Ho Chi Minh, this forum is about sharing information on the Vietnam energy market and trends as well as some recent renewable projects in Vietnam. (To view the agenda and register for the conference, please visit http://www.renergyvietnam.com/en-us/highlights/seminars.)

In addition, there will be B2B Networking Meetups inside the hall of the RE & EE Vietnam 2016 Exhibition. With the support of the Energy Conservation Center Ho Chi Minh City and the EU-Vietnam Business Network, RE & EE Vietnam 2016 is a business bridge for professionals to meet and connect with their target partners who are interested in their own business.

In only two months, the doors of the RE & EE Vietnam 2016 Exhibition will open to welcome thousands of industry exhibitors and visitors. Admission to this must-attend exhibition is free. Online preregistration is now open, please visit: https://www.ubmonlinereg.com/Registration/Default.aspx?fid=641&lang=en

Notes to Editors:





About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com)

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest trade show organiser in Asia and the largest commercial organiser in China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has strong global network of 30 offices and 1,400 staff in 25 major cities. We operate in 21 market sectors with 235 exhibitions and conferences, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 vertical portals for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world.

The Representative Office of UBM ASIA in Ho Chi Minh City

6th Floor, KN Building, 74 Nguyen Khoai, Ward 2

District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

T: +84 8 5401 2718

F: +84 8 5401 2717




SHANGHAI, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 26, 2016, under the guidance of the National Leading Group against Intellectual Property Infringement and Producing & Selling Counterfeits (NLGO) and with the support of relevant state departments and the China Industry-University-Research Institute Cooperation Association, the "2016 China Anti-infringement and Anti-counterfeiting Experience Exchanging Meeting & the Membership Meeting of the Beijing Innovation Technique Alliance for Testing and Identifying Infringing and Counterfeiting Goods" was held in Beijing. Sinofaith was invited to attend the meeting and was delighted to receive a "2015 Top 10 Advanced Legal Services for Protecting IP Rights and Fighting Counterfeiting" award.

More than 200 attendees, including representatives of the government, academic circles, and business enterprises joined the meeting. They all shared their successful experiences in protecting intellectual property rights and fighting against fake, shoddy goods.

The meeting called for: "Using big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and other information technologies to enhance the protection of online creativity and R&D findings, and improve our early-warning and prevention capabilities." As one of China's largest IP protection agencies, Sinofaith independently developed IPRSEE, an online trademark monitoring and protection platform, using the SaaS model. The platform, through the analysis of big data from the Internet, provides comprehensive Internet IP protection solutions for famous domestic and foreign enterprises and government regulators. The platform, which covers monitoring, early warning, authorization, rapid response, legal remedies, effect assessment, and more, is aimed at integrating online and offline monitoring, strengthening the tracking of indicators for infringement and counterfeiting activity leading to the provision of long term eradication solutions.

The meeting also emphasized the role of social co-governance and regional cooperation in fighting against infringement and counterfeiting and advocated that

measures must be taken to give full play to the self-regulatory role of industry associations,

to clarify the corporate responsibilities of enterprises in affected industries,

social complaint channels should be transparent and open,

the sharing and analysis of network data should be strengthened,

and thata new pattern of social co-governance for fighting infringement and counterfeiting should be built.

As one of the leading IPR service agencies in China, Sinofaith offers the full spectrum of IP protection services, from acquisition to the application of IPR. The Top Ten Award recognizes Sinofaith's considerable contribution and commitment to the fight against infringement and counterfeiting.

Contact:

Cassie

Office Number: +86-755-8359-9993

Email: cassie@proexpo.cc







To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sinofaith-ip-group-honoured-again-at-the-2016-china-anti-infringement-and-anti-counterfeiting-experience-exchanging-meeting-beld-in-beijing-300325388.html
Turkish warplanes destroyed three targets belonging to Daesh terrorists in northern Syria, the military said on Saturday, Daily Sabah reported.

According to military sources, an air operation was conducted Saturday between 11.53 a.m. and 12.26 p.m., which resulted in the destruction of three Daesh targets in Tatimus and Kunah Tira regions.

The Turkish warplanes safely returned to their base at the end of the operation.

The moderate opposition's Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces also managed to take control of the Tatimus and Kunah Tira regions, which lies west of al Rai, a town heavily contested between the FSA and Daesh since March.

The operation in the region has been underway since 1.00 p.m.

Meanwhile, military sources noted that five opposition fighters have been killed and six were injured as a result of improvised explosives in Tatimus region on Friday.

Moreover, the Turkish military hit 67 Daesh targets by 59 t-122 CNRA rocket launchers and 260 howitzers, adding to the 652 targets and 2,728 shells in total since the start of the operation.

Also on Friday, coalition forces killed five Daesh terrorists in three airstrikes, which destroyed five buildings and mortar positions belonging to the terrorists.

The Turkish military launched Operation Euphrates Shield on Aug. 24 to improve security, support coalition forces and eliminate the terror threat along Turkey's border using Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.
HONG KONG, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Geoswift, a leading provider of cross-border payment solutions between China and the rest of the world, announced today that it has obtained TRUSTe Enterprise Privacy Seals in both English and Simplified Chinese for the Geoswift website and PayTuitionNow portal. The TRUSTe certification provides Geoswift's online platforms with a gold-class accreditation for data privacy standards and processes.

The onset of technology in recent times has propelled key advancements, paving the way for accessible payment transactions globally. However, this has raised concerns in instances of personal data intrusion. The TRUSTe certification demonstrates Geoswift's continued commitment to ensure customers' privacy and data are protected and benchmarked against industry's standards. As part of its existing compliance framework, Geoswift conducts stringent know-your-customer (KYC) on-boarding practices and anti-money laundering (AML) checks to ensure high standards in regulatory compliance.

"As a leading provider of cross-border payment solutions, we are committed in ensuring we raise the bar by providing our clients and partners with a gold standard when it comes to online data security and privacy. With expected higher levels of trade and growth of China's B2B commerce, we want to be known as a market leader in ensuring high compliance standards to facilitate this growth. Data protection is an issue we take seriously and our TRUSTe certification proves just that," said Raymond Qu, Geoswift's CEO and founder.

TRUSTe, the leading data privacy management company with close to 20 years of industry's expertise, rigorously audits a company's user privacy standards and regulations before it can qualify for the TRUSTe Enterprise Privacy Seal. TRUSTe's Privacy Certification Standards are based on a compilation of requirements and best practices defined by key regulatory bodies, industry groups and recognised frameworks such as the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) framework. Please click here to view TRUSTe's Certification Standards.

"TRUSTe Privacy Certification provides cutting-edge consumer protections and establish leading privacy standards. Our Certification Standards are the requirements against which we evaluate and certify a company's privacy practices and these requirements embody our mission to promote transparency, accountability and choice in the collection and use of personal information. By displaying our privacy seal, Geoswift is demonstrating compliance with our Certification Standards and their commitment to privacy protection, instilling confidence and trust in users of their products and services," said Chris Babel, TRUSTe CEO.

The need to safe-guard consumers' data becomes critical with the increasing complexity of the technological web and as evident in the frequency of security breaches around the world. Together with TRUSTe, Geoswift a leading provider of cross-border payment solutions between China and the rest of the world, aims to select processes that deliver both efficient and ethical solutions for customers globally.

About Geoswift

Geoswift is an innovative payment technology company connecting China and the rest of the world. The company comprises the world's leading payment technology experts that have a deep understanding of the industry, technology, and global and China monetary policy. Geoswift provides clients with customised one-stop cross-border payment solutions to and from China. Geoswift is relied upon by the world's leading e-commerce companies, most prestigious universities and the largest brands in the travel industry to grow their businesses.

Geoswift is an acquirer of UnionPay International in North America, a co-issuer of MasterCard prepaid cards, and a long-term partner of many other leading financial institutions. It also maintains 21 currency exchange outlets throughout China. Geoswift is headquartered in Hong Kong with operating offices in Shanghai, London, Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco for strategic and regulatory functions. For more information, visit: www.geoswift.com




SHANGHAI, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei announced its BES Cloud solution in HUAWEI CONNECT 2016. BES Cloud represents Huawei's ongoing commitment to the development of industry leading BSS solutions through provision of a SaaS based model for its new generation BSS, BES (Business Enabling System). Built on a digital native architecture, BES Cloud leverages global cloud infrastructure as well as flexible and scalable platform to offer a highly configurable suite of OOTB (out-of-the-box) software features.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160909/405936

To meet the needs of the digital economy Huawei's solution helps to accelerate digital transformation across a global footprint. The system can be deployed and go live in 3 months whilst reducing TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) by up to 45%. In addition to driving operational efficiencies, BES Cloud supports IT and business agility with seamless upgrade paths and an integrated feature set of best practices that shorten the time to market for launching new products and services whilst enabling innovative new business and engagement models.

Huawei BES Cloud includes the BSS Lite Cloud and Commerce Cloud. BSS Lite Cloud addresses traditional BSS systems' long release periods and high costs by providing an end-to-end solution that offers a full suite of BSS applications from CRM to billing for emerging brands as well as small and medium-sized mobile operators. Core benefits include shortening system deployment time by 60% in average and significantly reducing operating costs.

Commerce Cloud, which can be integrated to existing on premise systems, is an agile and light solution that addresses the challenges faced by operators as they transition to a digital operating model. With a customizable UI and web-front end, Commerce Cloud features a cloud based multi-tenant architecture that employs flexible meta-data driven modeling and auto-scaling. Building on an extensive set of embedded best practices, Huawei's absolute focus on customer centric design principles is a critical factor in its mission to deliver solutions that enable an optimized customer experience over digital channels. By supporting personalized customer interactions, Commerce Cloud helps to improve NPS at the same time as helping to increase order conversion rates in a fully orchestrated omni-channel environment.

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Our innovative ICT solutions, products and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world's population.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com.






SHANGHAI, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 38th China International Furniture Fair (CIFF) Shanghai officially opened on September 7 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Hongqiao, Shanghai, featuring a total of 2,000 exhibitors from all fields in the furniture.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160909/405937

The CIFF (Shanghai) is showcasing home furniture, office furniture, home decor & home textiles, outdoor & leisure as well as machinery and raw materials in the four-day exhibition, bringing special focus to customized furniture and smart furniture trends.

The precisely positioned trade partnership event presented by the CIFF (Shanghai) was proved very fruitful, aiding both the suppliers and global buyers to reach agreements and close deals more easily. Shenzhen-based furniture manufacturer Zuoyou just landed a large order from India buyer on the first day of the fair.

"The CIFF (Shanghai) provides us a high quality platform to reach more potential buyers. We've received over 70 domestic distributors in two days, the amount of which is better than expected," said Shuyuan Hu, Vice President of Brand Center, HTL China.

In addition to the comprehensive displays of the latest products, the CIFF (Shanghai) is also hosting more than 40 on-site events including EAST Design Show and Office Life Them Pavilion, featuring a series global forums joined by top industry leaders like China Furnishing Industrial CEO Forum, A Dialogue Between Modern Architecture and Public Art, China Wood Market Analysis and more.

The 38th CIFF (Shanghai) is also featuring internationally renowned designers and architects including American architect Campion Platt and Spanish artist Cristobal, who are joining the exhibitors and visitors to share their ideas and vision for the future of the furniture industry.

Meanwhile, the Pinnacle Awards, known as the American furniture Oscars, is launching its first tour in China with the debut exhibition at the 38th CIFF. The United States will also be hosting an official pavilion at the 2017 CIFF (Shanghai) next fall.

About CIFF

As the first and largest furniture fair in China, the 38th CIFF will be organized by China Foreign Trade Center (Group), Guangdong Furniture Association, China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industrial Products and Arts-Crafts and hosted by China Foreign Trade Guangzhou Exhibition General Corp.
















Frost & Sullivan's Fredrick Royan, Environment & Water Vice President, discusses the vast growth opportunities and key challenges that will result from the milestone Convention

LONDON, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --"Invasive aquatic species discharged through the ballast water of ships and their impact on the environment has been an issue for the marine industry for more than a century. After a couple of decades of intense campaigning and negotiations by a host of stakeholders, in February 2004 the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) was able to adopt the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments - also referred to as the Ballast Water Management - BWM Convention. A key requirement of the BWM Convention has been for ships that use the international waters to deploy a ballast water treatment system that is certified to the norms and standards of the IMO, issued for the verification and standardisation of ballast water treatment systems globally. Currently, there are close to 60 approved systems that can be considered by ship-owners for installation onboard their vessels."

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160909/405944

Frost & Sullivan has been analysing the Global Ballast Water Treatment Systems Market for close to 10 years. Related research by Frost & Sullivan includes strategic studies on the Global Ballast Water Treatment Market(http://frost.ly/rl )and theGlobal Ballast Water Treatment Systems Market(http://frost.ly/rm )

To request exclusive information about this research and to schedule your one-on-one strategy dialogue with our analysts now, please click here or send an email to Anna Zanchi, anna.zanchi@frost.com

"For the convention to enter into force and become legally binding, it needed ratification by 30 states that account for 35% of the world merchant shipping tonnage. Finland has been the latest country to ratify the convention, taking the total number of states to 52 and the combined tonnage of the signatory states to 35.1441%. With both the criteria being met, the BWM Convention will now enter into force on 8 September 2017.

In Frost & Sullivan's first analysis of the market prospects of March 2010, there were less than 10 type approved systems - this number has now multiplied to 60 systems. Our previous update of the market in 2013 estimated it to be worth about $0.5 billion with a base year growth of around 60% and a CAGR of 21% for the period 2013-2023. At the time, the market was largely driven by the new-build market and lacking the much needed driving force of the ratified IMO BWM Convention.

With the convention finally ratified, this now comes as a much needed relief for many companies that have invested in developing and securing certification of their treatment systems. However, there are still a few complications ahead given the US Coast Guard regulations for ballast water treatment and the need for an additional certification for ballast water treatment systems to USCG standard if the ships are entering US waters. The Alternate Manage Systems (AMS) is a temporary measure that system suppliers have secured for a period of 5 years. However, for ship owners the dilemma lies in the fact that they will need to replace the system at the end of the 5 year period if their system supplier has not secured certification with USCG standards.

In the overall context of the Global Ballast Water Treatment Market, it is certainly a milestone moment with the ratification of the IMO BWM Convention, providing a much needed boost and certainty in the market. There is a lot to do for the various stakeholders before the market can achieve a degree of normalcy. However, given that more than 60,000 ships need to be retrofitted with ballast water treatment systems with a relatively small number and capacity of suppliers, the next few years will witness about $50 billion in cumulative spending of ballast water treatment systems."

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

Contact

Anna Zanchi

Corporate Communications - Europe

P: +39.02.4851 6133

E: anna.zanchi@frost.com

http://www.frost.com








OtherLevels 2 utilises big data and statistical models to maximise audience reach and message delivery, making it the most sophisticated marketing automation platform available today

BRISBANE, Australia, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OtherLevels Holdings Limited (ASX: OLV, "OtherLevels" or the "Company"), a leader in cross-channel marketing and engagement, today announced the release of OtherLevels 2 - the next generation of the OtherLevels marketing automation platform. OtherLevels 2 completely redefines how marketers create messages and campaigns, enabling them to leverage 8 different messaging formats, and reach their audience across mobile, tablet and PC devices.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160908/405912LOGO

OtherLevels is already used by brands and publishers to deliver rich, relevant and personalised message experiences. OtherLevels 2 enables marketers to spend more time on their campaigns and content, and reduces the time spent on maximising audience reach. It leverages big data to greatly enhance its intelligent messaging capability, and optimise the delivery of content to end users' preferred channel, thus increasing the likelihood of engagement. With OtherLevels 2, marketers have the ability to automatically and precisely target their audience with the optimum message format including app push, web push and local push notifications, interstitials, in-app rich messaging, SMS and email.

"OtherLevels furthers its position as a leader in digital omni-channel marketing technology with the launch of OtherLevels 2," said Brendan O'Kane, CEO of OtherLevels. "Intelligent data driven marketing automation is the critical element in enabling marketers to focus on campaign content and maximise outcomes, rather than how to reach their audience. OtherLevels 2 delivers on this promise."

"OtherLevels 2 allows us to reach our customers wherever they are - across mobile or the web - and increase engagement through very targeted messaging, driving new levels of retention, engagement, and loyalty across our existing customer base," said James Shaw, Chief Marketing Officer.

About OtherLevels

OtherLevels is a leading second-generation digital marketing platform with offices in San Francisco, London, Brisbane and Melbourne. OtherLevels is at the forefront of the enterprise marketing transformation being driven by the massive shift to mobile.

The OtherLevels digital marketing platform enables marketers to engage and retain their audience across desktop, mobile web and apps. OtherLevels' capabilities in these areas were recognised via inclusion in the prominent industry report Vendor Landscape: Mobile Engagement Automation Solutions developed by Forrester, one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world. OtherLevels is used by leading global and Australian brands including InterContinental Hotels, Ladbrokes, Camelot (the UK National Lottery), Tatts and Yarra Trams. For further information, visit: www.otherlevels.com

Media Contact:

Brendan O'Kane

Managing Director and CEO

OtherLevels

brendan.okane@otherlevels.com

Peter Harding-Smith

CFO and Company Secretary

OtherLevels

peter.harding-smith@otherlevels.com

ThinkInk PR

Nikkia Griffin

1-305-749-5342 ext. 239




HOUSTON, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunter Oil Corp. (TSX-V: HOC; OTCQX: HOILD; CUSIP 44570P201 and ISIN CA44570P2017; 8,070,881 common shares outstanding) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of an independent updated evaluation of the Company's oil and gas reserves located in the Permian Basin San Andres formation of the Chaveroo and Milnesand Fields in New Mexico. Since the end of year 2015, the Company has added additional acreage and updated its business model based on other Permian Basin activity. This results in a development of all of the Company's larger acreage position rather than a partial development as foreseen in its annual reserve report for the year ended December 31, 2015.

The evaluation, prepared as of August 26, 2016 with an effective date of January 1, 2017, was conducted by the Company's independent reserve evaluator in accordance with the definitions, standards and procedures set out in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook ("COGE") and National Instrument 51-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities ("NI 51-101").

Mid-Year 2016 Gross Reserves Summary

Total Proved Reserves 14.2 million Barrels of oil (15.3 MMBOE)



- an increase of 102% over the December 31, 2015 reserves estimate

- an increase of 124% over the December 31, 2014 reserves estimate





- an increase of 102% over the reserves estimate - an increase of 124% over the reserves estimate Proved plus Probable Reserves 19.95 million Barrels of oil (21.4 MMBOE)



- an increase of 158% over the December 31, 2015 estimate

- no Probable reserves were reported in December 31, 2014





- an increase of 158% over the estimate - no Probable reserves were reported in Proved plus Probable plus Possible 36.2 million Barrels of oil (38.9 MMBOE)



-no Possible reserves were reported in December 31, 2015

Net Present Value of Reserves discounted at 10%

Total Proved Reserves before tax of U.S. $258.1 million

Proved plus Probable Reserves before tax of U.S. $424.5 million

Proved plus Probable plus Possible Reserves before tax of U.S. $918.3 million

The above total Proved reserves are attributed to the drilling of 87 horizontal wells over the next 6 years. The Probable reserves are attributed to incremental volumes of the 87 horizontal wells and the drilling of 8 additional wells. Possible reserves are attributed to incremental volumes of the 95 horizontal wells and the drilling of an additional 11 wells. The wells in the Company's report (the "Report") are planned at 160-acre spacing (4 wells per section) on approximately 22,000 acres.

The Report summarizing the results of the evaluation is available for viewing under the Company's profile at http://www.sedar.com, or by request to the Company.

The tables set forth below summarize the Company's oil and natural gas reserves, and the net present values before and after income tax of future net revenue for the Company's reserves using forecast prices and costs assumptions.



Summary of Oil and Gas Reserves As of January 1, 2017 Forecast Prices and Costs - U.S. Dollars Reserves



Light and Medium Oil Natural Gas (non-associated & associated)





Reserve Category Gross Net Gross Net (Mbbl) (Mbbl) (MMcf) (MMcf) PROVED











Developed Producing 61 49 0 0













Proved Undeveloped 14,169 11,351 6,284 5,050 TOTAL PROVED 14,230 11,400 6,284 5,050 PROBABLE 5,718 4,573 2,449 1,964 Total Proved Plus Probable 19,948 15,973 8,733 7,015 POSSIBLE 16,260 13,063 7,358 5,928 Total Proved plus Probable plus Possible 36,208 29,036 16,090 12,942

















SUMMARY OF NET PRESENT VALUE OF FUTURE NET REVENUE As of January 1, 2017 FORECAST PRICES AND COSTS - U.S. Dollars RESERVES

CATEGORY NET PRESENT VALUE OF FUTURE NET REVENUE BEFORE INCOME TAXES (BFIT) DISCOUNTED AT (%/year) AFTER INCOME TAXES (AFIT) DISCOUNTED AT (%/year) UNIT VALUE

BEFORE

INCOME

TAXES

DISCOUNTED

AT

10%/year (MM$) at 0% (MM$) at 5% (MM$) at 10% (MM$) at 15% (MM$) at 20% (MM$) at 0% (MM$) at 5% (MM$) at 10% (MM$) at 15% (MM$) at 20% ($/BOE) PROVED





















Developed Producing -0.4 - 0.1 0.2 0.2 -0.5 -0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 2.32 Undeveloped 444.6 336.7 258 199.6 155.7 291.2 224.6 174.9 137.5 108.8 21.16 TOTAL PROVED 444.3 336.7 258.1 199.8 155.9 290.7 224.5 175 137.6 109 21.08 PROBABLE 264.1 207.8 166.4 135.3 111.4 199.2 161.0 132.2 109.9 92.4 33.96 TOTAL PROVED

PLUS PROBABLE 708.4 544.5 424.5 335.1 267.4 489.8 385.5 307.2 247.5 201.4 24.76 POSSIBLE 798 621.4 493.8 398.9 326.6 599.4 479.8 390.9 322.9 269.8 35.15 TOTAL PROVED

PLUS PROBABLE

PLUS POSSIBLE 1,506.4 1,165.9 918.3 734.0 594 1,089.2 865.4 698.1 570.4 471.2 29.44

Note: All dollar values are expressed in U.S. dollars (MM$ = millions of U.S. Dollars).

The Company's reserves are derived from non-conventional tight-oil activities from which gas and natural gas liquids may be produced as by-products. "Tight-oil" means crude oil (a) contained in dense organic-rich rocks, including low-permeability shales, siltstones and carbonates, in which the crude oil is primarily contained in microscopic pore spaces that are poorly connected to one another, and (b) that typically requires the use of hydraulic fracturing to achieve economic production rates.

The Company is not required to pay income taxes for its most recently completed financial year. Subject to current assumptions of production levels, operating and capital expense, commodity prices and currently available operating loss carryforwards, the Company may have an income tax liability in the year 2020. The After Income Tax net present values reflect the tax burden on the Company's field interests. The financial statements and the management's discussion and analysis of the Company should be consulted for information at the level of the business entity.

Readers are referred to the Company's Statement of Reserves Data and Other Oil & Gas Information dated August 26, 2016 with an effective date of January 1, 2017, prepared in accordance with the definitions, standards and procedures set out in the COGE Handbook and NI 51-101, which can be accessed electronically from the SEDAR website at http://www.sedar.com.

BOEs/boes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 Bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Possible reserves are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than probable reserves. There is a 10% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of provided plus probable plus possible reserves. The present value of estimated future net revenues referred to herein does not represent fair market value and should not be construed as the current market value of estimated crude oil and natural gas reserves attributable to the Company's properties.

About Hunter Oil Corp.

Hunter Oil Corp. owns and operates two large historic Permian Basin oil fields in New Mexico, the Milnesand and Chaveroo oil fields. Recorded production of these two fields is approximately 37 million barrels, representing less than 10% recovery of the oil in place. The Company plans to unlock the value in these resource-rich fields by increasing the efficiency of its operations, and by applying new and proven unconventional production technologies.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Andrew Hromyk

President and CEO

+1 (832) 485-8500

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding estimates of reserves and future net revenue, expectations regarding additional reserves and statements regarding Chaveroo and Milnesand wells development, including plans, anticipated results and timing. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information.

Estimated reserves and future net revenue have been independently evaluated by the Company's independent reserves evaluator, with an effective date as of January 1, 2017. This evaluation is based on a limited number of wells with limited production history and includes a number of assumptions relating to factors such as availability of capital to fund required infrastructure, commodity prices, production performance of the wells drilled, successful drilling of infill wells, the assumed effects of regulation by government agencies and future capital and operating costs. All of these estimates will vary from actual results. Estimates of the recoverable oil and natural gas reserves attributable to any particular group of properties, classifications of such reserves based on risk of recovery and estimates of future net revenues expected therefrom, will vary. The Company's actual production, revenues, taxes, development and operating expenditures with respect to its reserves will vary from such estimates, and such variances could be material. Estimates of after-tax net present value are dependent on a number of factors including utilization of tax-loss carry forwards. In addition to the foregoing, other significant factors or uncertainties that may affect either the Company's reserves or the future net revenue associated with such reserves include material changes to existing taxation or royalty rates and/or regulations and changes to environmental laws and regulations.

Forward-looking information regarding Chaveroo and Milnesand well development and expectations regarding additional reserves are based on plans and estimates of management and interpretations of exploration information by the Company's exploration team at the date the information is provided and is subject to several factors and assumptions of management, including that required regulatory approvals will be available when required, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes or shortages are encountered, that the development plans of the Company will not change, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information, including that anticipated results and estimated costs will not be consistent with managements' expectations, the Company or its subsidiaries not being able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered and that equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes or shortages are encountered.

Information on other important economic factors or significant uncertainties that may affect components of the reserves data and the other forward looking statements in this release are contained in the Company's Statement of Reserves Data and Other Oil & Gas Information dated August 26, 2016 with an effective date of January 1, 2017, prepared in accordance with the definitions, standards and procedures set out in the COGE Handbook and NI 51-101, and the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis under "Risk Factors", which are available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.







Visit our website at www.hunteroil.com; Andrew Hromyk, President and CEO, +1 (832) 485-8500




EDENWOLD, SASKATCHEWAN -- (Marketwired) -- 09/17/16 -- Western Economic Diversification Canada

Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada, along with officials from the Village of Edenwold, opened the community's new playground, which received $20,000 in funding under the Government of Canada's Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program.

The Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program (CIP 150) is part of Canada 150 Celebrates, the Government of Canada's celebration of our country's 150th anniversary of Confederation. Budget 2016 provided an additional $150 million over two years to Canada's Regional Development Agencies to deliver further community funding across the country, starting in 2016-17, with Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) being responsible for administering the program in Western Canada.

Through investments in community infrastructure, the Government of Canada will contribute to projects that seek to renovate, expand and improve existing community infrastructure, with a focus on recreational facilities, projects that advance a clean growth economy, and projects with a positive impact on Indigenous communities.

Quick Facts

-- The project includes the installation of a gravel pad and six new pieces of playground equipment. An existing playground project by another committee was installed on the opposite side of the school and celebrated in 2005. -- Support for the playground project was announced in July 2015 under the first round of CIP 150 funding.

Quotes

"This playground project will provide a more modern recreation area for the school and community and serve as a visible means of celebration for the country's 150(th) birthday. Canada 150 Infrastructure Program projects such as this one help improve the quality of our community facilities, ensuring that they will be able to support our communities for years to come."

-- The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

"We are so pleased with the support provided to our community by the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Fund. Being able to install a new playground to commemorate Canada's 150(th) birthday means Edenwold can support our children by providing opportunities for physical activity to develop healthy active children."

-- Nancy Porter, Chairperson, Edenwold School Community Council

Additional Links

-- Government of Canada Announces Support for Community Infrastructure in Saskatchewan -- Village of Edenwold

Stay Connected

Twitter: @canada150th, @MinisterISED, @WD_Canada.

Hashtags: Canada150 / CBC2017 / RadioCanada2017

Website: Canada 150 Homepage, WD Homepage

Facebook: @canada150th

Instagram: @canada150

WD Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-WEST (9378)

TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388

IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.

Contacts:

Rhonda Laing

Director, Policy, Planning and External Relations

Western Economic Diversification Canada

306-975-5944

rhonda.laing@canada.ca



Nancy Porter

Chairperson, Edenwold School Community Council

Edenwold, Saskatchewan

306-539-9234

Nancy.porter1092@gmail.com




At a time when mosquito-related diseases are fast-spreading in the country, actress Vidya Balan has become the latest victim to contract dengue in Mumbai. The Parineeta actress had just returned to the city from the US after shooting for her upcoming film Kahaani 2.

A source close to the actress revealed that she was diagnosed with the disease on Thursday and has been advised bed rest for the next 10-15 days by her doctor.

According to a Hindustan Times report the actress has not been hospitalised yet. However her illness has put the shoot for Kahaani 2 on hold for at least a month.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials conducted a thorough inspection of her building to locate possible mosquito breeding grounds.

An inspection at Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor's house by the municipal body lead to the discovery of dengue breeding mosquitoes inside his swimming pool. Kapoor lives on the ground floor in the same apartment complex as Balan in Juhu.

Rajan Naringrekar, the insecticide officer of the civic body, said to The Indian Express, In a flat on the fourth floor, we found a Petri dish for plants and a tarpaulin on the terrace and an unused swimming pool in Kapoors flat were found to be mosquito breeding spots. We have served notices to both of them.

"Shahid is concerned about the findings of BMC in his building and the locality. Specially so with the presence of a new born baby in the house," spokesperson of Shahid Kapoor said.

The Times of India reports that the notice served under section 382 of the BMC Act can attract a fine of upto Rs. 10,000.

With a rise in the number of dengue cases in the city, the BMC is taking all possible steps to curb the spread of the disease.

Chikungunya and dengue have wreaked havoc in Delhi and few other parts of the country.

With inputs from IANS
The Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai family of the Star Plus show seems to have taken a break from their regular Udaipur life and are now having fun at Zurich.

The next sequence of the show is set to be shot in Switzerland.

An India.com report says that the international shoot was postponed by a few days as the show's lead actress Hina Khan, who plays the role of Akshara, was not keeping well. The actress was suffering from kidney stones and was on complete bed-rest.

The shows actors Mohsin Khan, Shivangi Joshi, Kanchi Singh and Anshul Pandey shared their fun pictures with their producer Rajan Shahi on Instagram.

With the producersaheb @rajan.shahi.543 the #intense #lovetriangle #drama A photo posted by Mohsin Khan (@khan_mohsinkhan) on Sep 14, 2016 at 11:45am PDT

#beingfree #switzerlanddairies A photo posted by Kanchi Singh (@kanchisingh09) on Sep 15, 2016 at 12:12pm PDT

Day2..Rhine Falls!! #shooting#shoot#switzerland#inlovewithswitzerland#zurich#zurich#beautiful#bliss A photo posted by Anshul pandey (@anshulpandey123) on Sep 16, 2016 at 3:18am PDT

#switzerland #zurich  #inlovewithswitzerland A photo posted by Shivangi (@shivangijoshi18) on Sep 15, 2016 at 1:31pm PDT

Even the Swiss National Museum shared a picture of all the action on Instagram with the caption, "Lots of drama going on in the episode of the popular Hindi soap opera Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, being shot right now at the Swiss National Museum."

Lots of drama going on in the episode of the popular Hindi soap opera Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, being shot right now at the Swiss National Museum, with @visitzurich. #yehrishtakyakehlatahai #hinakhan #yehrishtakyakehlatahai #yrkkh #swiss_national_museum #dailysoap #inlovewithswitzerland A photo posted by Swiss National Museum (@swiss_national_museum) on Sep 14, 2016 at 6:08am PDT

This is the fourth international sequence for the long-running show after they previously shot sequences in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Cape Town.

The show currently focuses on the love triangle between Kartik, Naira and Gayatri.
Lets get one thing straight. Vijay Mallya isnt winging into Mumbai or Delhi in the near future. Like Tracy Chapman sang: The police come late if they come at all, Mallya can make all those pleasant conciliatory sounds about wanting to respect the Indian judiciary but come on, its a Catch 22. If he applies for his passport to the Indian Embassy at London in person he is on Indian territory and can be apprehended. Much as an embassy or High Commission can give refuge it can also detain and hold. So dont hold your breath and expect Mallya to fall into that obvious trap.

As for respecting the judiciary, it makes a good sound bite but does not add up to a whistle in the wind.

The Indian diplomat who suggested Mallya trot down to the embassy and ask for an Emergency Certificate was obviously kidding. Can you see the liquor baron actually doing that? Not this week-end anyway with all the Premier league matches going on and Mallya probably holding awesome seat tickets.

"Any Indian citizen who is outside India and who does not have a valid travel document for any reason, only has to approach the nearest Indian embassy or high commission and apply for an emergency certificate," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in his weekly media briefing.

"Emergency Certificate is specifically meant to provide a travel document to an Indian citizen to return to India. This facility is available to Mallya should he wish to apply for it."

Take away the fun of these back and forth between governments and individuals and you realise neither is serious. If the government was serious they would not have let Mallya catch a Jet Airways flight as a commercial passenger. He could have been held on a dozen charges at departure even if they were cooked up. Indian labour faces such rejection in the dozens every day at every airport besides facing what can only be called an inquisition. So lets not kid ourselves.

Like with Lalit Modi and Win Chadha before him, the government lets you go then sets the chase to music.

They never even tried to get Win back. Except for one foray by a VP Singh emissary(allegedly) that all would be forgiven if Chadha would please involve Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors scandal which compelled Win to call security to throw the man out.

As for Modi, that is laughable. That is laughable in extremis. The pitch is dead, a million wickets have fallen but Modi bats on regardless.

How did this new chapter start in the Mallya innings? Mallya in an e-mail to his lawyer has expressed his willingness to return to India and respect the countrys judicial system. Probably this letter was also drafted by his lawyer.

Dispatched only an hour before the hearing on 9 September, Mallya sent the e-mail to his defence counsel Ajay Bhargava asking him to file a plea seeking exemption from personal appearance before a Mumbai court hearing a case of alleged violation of foreign exchange rules on his behalf.

"I request you to kindly appear before the learned judge on the said date on my behalf and file an exemption application requesting the judge to kindly dispense with my personal presence on the said date of hearing (September 9)," Mallya wrote in the mail.

"I request you (defence counsel) to also kindly convey to the learned judge that I have the utmost respect for his authority and towards the judicial systems of the country, in general," Mallya wrote.

Heartbreaking stuff.

But it's no big deal. All he is doing is keeping his nose clean on legal points of reference. None of which means he is coming home.
ASUS demonstrates their new Zenfone 3 Deluxe which has a 5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen (Photo : YouTube / ASUS)

China's telecommunication authority TENAA has officially certified two new Zenfone 3 variants which means customers in the country will be able to buy the new smartphones from ASUS.



The Zenfone 3 series has recently launched several weeks ago and all of the variants are being slowly rolled out across the globe. Some countries do not have most of the available models and customers are growing tired of waiting for the one that they want.



Advertisement

ASUS recently introduced the basic Zenfone 3, the Zenfone 3 Ultra and the expensive Zenfone 3 Deluxe option. For those who want the phablet option, they can choose the larger Zenfone 3 Deluxe and Zenfone 3 Ultra.



TENAA's certification made it possible to determine the new ASUS Zenfone 3 specs of the phones being shipped to China, GSM Arena has learned. One of the two variants will have at least 3GB RAM while the other one will have 4GB.



The 3GB model will also get 32GB in internal storage while the larger 4GB variant will also have a bigger 64GB for storing more files. Just like the other Zenfone 3 variants, the screens are expected to have just 1080p resolution which is disappointing for those who waited for a 1440p resolution instead.



ASUS's Zenfone 3 Ultra is said to be the one TENAA certified in China. No release date has been offered by the company but it is expected that the variant will be available soon in the country after the certification.



The Zenfone 3 Ultra phablet in China would most likely have the same 6.8-inch screen and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 64-bit octa-core processor, Android Headlines reported. All of the graphics and video games will be handled by the chipset's Adreno 510 GPU which has shown great improvement over its predecessors.



Just like the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, the Ultra variant will also be running the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow version out of the box. It also has the same USB Type-C port for faster charging and data transfers.



ASUS will have to announce the Zenfone 3 Ultra release date in China as the phone already got certified by TENAA. The other variant is also expected to be revealed in the following weeks.






Kochi: The Kerala Police on Saturday filed a charge sheet in a local court in the brutal rape-murder of a 27-year-old Dalit law student.

The name of an Assam native, Ameerul Islam, featured as the lone accused in the charge sheet.

Police filed the over 1,500-page charge sheet in the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, charging the accused with rape and murder of the woman.

The victim was found dead on 28 April this year in her home by her mother Rajeshwari, who works as a casual labourer.

The accused was arrested on 16 June and is currently lodged in a jail near here.
In Ber Sarai Market, located near the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) old campus and at a walking distance from IIT Delhi is Jawahar Book Centre. This decades-old book shop is a landmark of sorts as for years, students from JNU and IIT and civil service aspirants living in that area have been dependent on it to buy books and other study materials.

However, in 2000 the owner of the shop had to face legal action as a case was registered against him for violation of copyright act. He was allegedly selling the photocopied version of a very expensive textbook on java programming. The case was dismissed later due to lack of evidence. But, it nevertheless demotivated the proprietors Rana and Ravi Mazumdar to sell the photocopies of books, which costed much less than the original prints and saved the students a huge sum of money.

Rana welcoming the judgement of the Delhi High Court that dismissed the suit filed by five publishers against the sale of photocopied books and pages by a shop located in Delhi School of Economics (DSE), says, "We have faced the brunt of the copyright law. In the 90s software engineering was a new thing and lots of students were trying their luck in that field. Books for the certifications exams use to be so expensive that students simply could not afford it. To help students we started photocopying it and selling it. But then we had to face legal actions in 2000."

"Even today book of graduate and postgraduate medical courses are so expensive that students simply cannot afford it. The photocopy of the same is quite cheap. Today books of social sciences are so costly. Even NCERT books cost more than Rs 100. If a photocopy of it can help students whats wrong in it. It is like producing generic medicines," Rana said.

Five publishing companies that include Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom (UK), Cambridge University Press India Pvt. Ltd., Taylor & Francis Group, UK and Taylor & Francis Books India Pvt. Ltd in 2012 filed a suit in the Delhi High Court asking for permanent injunction, restraining the Rameshwari Photocopy Service (carrying on business from DSE, University of Delhi) and the University of Delhi from photocopying, reproduction and distribution of copies of the books published by the above mentioned publishers.

According to facts stated in the judgment, the publishers alleged that Rameshwari Photocopy Service and University of Delhi are engaged in "reproduction and distribution of copies of their publications on a large scale and circulating the same and by sale of unauthorised compilations of substantial extracts from the plaintiffs publications by compiling them into course packs / anthologies for sale."

However, the Delhi High Court on Friday while rejecting the plea taken by the publishers held, "Copyright, specially in literary works, is thus not an inevitable, divine, or natural right that confers on authors the absolute ownership of their creations. It is designed rather to stimulate activity and progress in the arts for the intellectual enrichment of the public. Copyright is intended to increase and not to impede the harvest of knowledge. It is intended to motivate the creative activity of authors and inventors in order to benefit the public."

It further said, "Copyright is intended to increase and not to impede the harvest of knowledge. It is intended to motivate the creative activity of authors and inventors in order to benefit the public."

Separately, dwelling on the question whether the action of the University of Delhi of supplying the master copy to the photocopiers shop, granting licence to install photocopiers in the campus and allowing it to supply photocopies to students for a charge would amount to violation of copyright law, the court held, What University is doing is not different from what is being done in the Bar Association library in the premises of this Court. With the advent of photocopying, the advocates of this Court, instead of carrying books from their residences / offices to this Court for citing judgments there from during the course of arguments and instead of giving in advance the list of such books to the Restorer of this Court and the Restorer of this Court also taking out the courts copies of the same books for the Judges to read, and all of which was cumbersome and time consuming, started having the photocopies of the relevant judgments made from the books in the Bar Association Library of this Court. Initially the said photocopying was got done by having the book issued from the library and carrying the same to the photocopier who had, for the convenience of the advocates, been granted a licence to operate from the premises of this Court."

While the judgement is seen as victory by various bookshop owners in the university campuses in Delhi they are all bit apprehensive too as they know the publishers will challenge the judgment in the apex court. Owner of the Kumar Book Store in North Delhi said, "While we are glad that the high court has given this judgment in the interest of the students, the final say will be of the Supreme Court. Hope there too the judgment comes in our favour."

The Association of Students for Equitable Access to Knowledge (ASEAK) who became party in the case in 2013, in a statement said, "Today is a moment where the struggle and conviction of students has asserted itself in a powerful way. We want to remind the publishers that their market ends at the gates of the university. The knowledge produced in public universities belongs to the public. When the world is moving towards open access to knowledge, trying to control it is simply redundant. It is in these universities where minds like Rohith Vemula come and read about Carl Sagan. And it is minds like his that continue to keep these spaces and possibilities in it alive!"
New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will return to the city from Finland on Sunday as scheduled, notwithstanding the lieutenant governor's order to cut short his visit in the wake of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the national capital.

Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had on Friday asked Sisodia to cut short his trip to Finland and immediately return to Delhi

in view of the outbreak of chikungunya and dengue which trigged further tussle between the Kejriwal government and the L-G office.

On the directions of Jung, Chief Secretary K K Sharma had sent an urgent fax to the deputy chief minister, saying "Your kind presence is required in the NCT of Delhi to deal with emergent administrative matters."

However, a senior government official said that "as per his schedule, the Deputy Chief Minister will return to Delhi tomorrow."

Sisodia, who also hold the education portfolio, had flown to Finland on September 12 along with his officers, to study the education system of that country.

Refuting the allegation of the Opposition that he is "holidaying" in Finland, Sisodia yesterday said it was not a "sin" to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhi's education system.

"I am not holidaying in Finland, I am on a tour to understand the education system here. Is coming to Finland a sin? Eating ice-cream a sin? Which book says that? I am working here for 26 lakh children for which Delhi Government is responsible. I am accountable to their parents," he told a TV channel from Helsinki.

Earlier in the day, AAP ministers Satyendar Jain and Kapil Mishra went to meet the Lt Governor at his office following his fax to Sisodia to return from Finland, but the meeting did not materialise as Jung was not in his office, triggering a fresh spat between the two sides.

"It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra said, taking a jibe at Jung.

But the L-G office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment even as it accused the AAP government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with a health crisis.
Margarita Island: Vice President Hamid Ansari held talks on Saturday with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a host of issues of mutual interest after arriving in Venezuela to attend the 17th NAM Summit.

Ansari called on Maduro in his first official engagement in Venezuela after arriving here as the leader of the Indian delegation at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is only the second Indian Premier to give the Cold War-era bloc's summit a miss after Charan Singh in 1979.

In his call on with Maduro, Ansari was accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar and Secretary West Sujata Mehta.

The meeting between Ansari and Maduro came less than a month after Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez visited India to personally hand over an invitation for India's participation in the 17th NAM Summit.

She had held "substantive" talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to explore deepening of ties in a range of areas including in trade and investment and hydrocarbons sector.

The two countries had also agreed to finalise a number of key pacts including double tax avoidance agreement.

The two sides had agreed to move ahead for an early finalisation of a number of agreements in different areas, including Extradition Treaty, Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) on Criminal Matters and Air Services Agreement.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted on Saturday by President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and other prominent persons on his 66th birthday.

Modi, who is in Gujarat, received birthday greetings from President and Vice President over phone.

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is on a visit here, also wished him over phone.

Chief Justice of India T S Thakur personally met Modi at Raj Bhawan in Gandhinagar to greet him, official sources said.

Met CJI Shri Thakur. I thank him for his kind wishes. pic.twitter.com/1ElNIgoP1m  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2016

"My warm greetings and good wishes to PM @narendramodi on his 67th birthday," tweeted President Pranab Mukherjee.

My warm greetings and good wishes to PM @narendramodi on his birthday #PresidentMukherjee  President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) September 17, 2016

"Let this day be the beginning of a year of greater achievements in life of PM @narendramodi and our nation," he said in another tweet.

Let this day be the beginning of a year of greater achievements in life of PM @narendramodi and our nation #PresidentMukherjee  President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) September 17, 2016

"May the Almighty bless PM @narendramodi with good health, happiness & many more years of dedicated service to the nation," Mukherjee added.

In response, the PM tweeted "I thank Honourable Rashtrapati ji for his kind birthday greetings."

I thank Honourable Rashtrapati ji for his kind birthday greetings. @RashtrapatiBhvn  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2016

Vice President Ansari, who is visiting Venezuela, also wished Modi.

In his reply, the PM tweeted, "My gratitude to Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari for his wishes."

Modi also thanked CJI Thakur for his wishes. "Met CJI Shri Thakur. I thank him for his kind wishes," he tweeted.

Modi visited his mother Hiraba in Gandhinagar and took her blessings. He reached the residence of his brother Pankaj Modi in Raysan area of state capital here, where his 97-year-old mother is staying and spent around 25 minutes with her.

#WATCH PM Narendra Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). pic.twitter.com/pl3IPgWLC6  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Many other personalities also joined in to wish Modi. Tributes were made across the nation to commemorate the occasion.

Received the blessings and birthday greetings of Advani ji during our telephone conversation. My gratitude to him.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2016

Surat: World's biggest cake weighing 3750 kg has been made for PM Modi's birthday, attempting to break world record. pic.twitter.com/WWe64MFiY6  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

This cake will be cut by girls coming from various tribal areas and distributed amongst them and others. pic.twitter.com/RdLLtazetK  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Nagpur: PM Narendra Modis look-alike celebrates PM Modis birthday, takes part in cleanliness drive. pic.twitter.com/iuYVufOPBK  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM @narendramodi to distribute 900 wheel chairs to Divyangs in Navsari, #Gujarat.#AIRPics: Yogesh Pandya pic.twitter.com/vSx1BZ8nQR  All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) September 17, 2016

Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda speaks to PM @narendramodi & extends birthday wishes to him.  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 17, 2016

Happy birthday @narendramodi! Warmest and heartfelt wishes from a proud friend and a grateful nation. - AG  Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) September 17, 2016

MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan celebrate PM Narendra Modis birthday with divyangs in Bhopal. pic.twitter.com/rAp841dQdf  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Wishing my dear friend & PM of India - @narendramodi Happy Birthday..Praying for his long & happy life. . pic.twitter.com/xadMlGqhFY  Sharad Pawar (@Pawar_Sharad) September 17, 2016

Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik's sand sculpture in Puri (Odisha) on the occasion of PM Modi's birthday. pic.twitter.com/GvwJsnrKGv  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Surat: Shop owner gifts clothes to 200 divyangs & 55 HIV+ children on eve of PM's b'day (16.09.16) pic.twitter.com/eIKwVaG1El  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Navsari (Guj): 989 lamps lit simultaneously on eve of PM Modi's birthday, makes Guinness World Record. pic.twitter.com/xH8uhBdPKe  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM Narendra Modi's birthday celebrated in Kanpur (UP) by locals. pic.twitter.com/GNQ0a64A5Q  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 17, 2016

Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh conveyed birthday greetings to PM @narendramodi during their telephone conversation today.  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 17, 2016

VIDEO: #HappyBdayPMModi : Distributed school bags, text books & tiffin boxes among the needy children #SevaDiwas pic.twitter.com/Z78Qe4tyGt  Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) September 17, 2016

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad spoke to PM @narendramodi and greeted him on his birthday.  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 17, 2016

Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav had a telephone conversation with PM @narendramodi & wished him on his birthday.  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 17, 2016

Wishing a very happy b'day to our beloved PM Sh. @narendramodi. I pray for your long & healthy life.#HappyBdayPMModi pic.twitter.com/DzVSJ225Qi  Birender Singh (@ChBirenderSingh) September 17, 2016

Celebrities like Varun Dhawan and Virender Sehwag also joined in to wish the Prime Minister in their special way.

Happy Birthday @narendramodi ji.

66 not out Mubarak.Please score a century in ur life&also make this India's century pic.twitter.com/2ZClCqeYWb  Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 16, 2016

You inspire us to do more for the country & have awakened the waning sense of pride in being #Indians  @narendramodi #HappyBdayPMModi  Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) September 17, 2016

A very happy birthday to @narendramodi. Vasudhaiva kutumbakam - the world is one family.  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 17, 2016

Amul shared a whole album dedicated to Modi.


Mumbai: Navy chief Sunil Lanba said on Saturday that preliminary investigation into the Scorpene data leak shows that it did not happen in India but in the DCNS office in France.

"There is a high level committee which is inquiring into the Scorpene leak on our side. Similarly in France, DCNS and the French government have launched an inquiry. Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done. Whether any mitigation measures are required or not," Lanba said at the launch of India's latest warship, Mormugao.

"In preliminary investigation, it has been found that the leak did not happen in India but in the DCNS office in France," he added.

Data leaked from French company DCNS, that runs over 22,400 pages including crucial details of the Scorpene submarine programme of India, was reported by Australian newspaper The Australian.

An order by the Supreme Court of New South Wales has asked The Australian to hand over the documents to DCNS.

The Indian government has maintained that the leak will not affect the submarine programme or the capability of the vessel.

The Scorpene Class submarines are being built in Mumbai in collaboration with French defence company DCNS.
Soumya's alleged rapist-murderer, Govindachamy, has escaped the fear of death, for now  a luxury she didnt have while lying on the railway track on that fateful evening of 1 February 2011 when she was raped and beaten. She battled for five days thereafter of her life at Thrissur government hospital.

However, there is no point in blaming the Supreme Court or lamenting the insensitiveness of the judiciary to the tears of Soumyas family. Lets admit the facts. The court has only done what it is supposed to do  weigh the case based only on evidence and pass the judgment. In this case, the investigators of Soumya's case and the prosecution have miserably failed to present a watertight case in the apex court to establish how the 23-year-old salesgirl was brutally murdered at the hands of the single-handed beggar on her way back home from work.

Heres the case in a nutshell: According to the prosecution, Govindachamy entered her compartment in the Ernakulam-Shornur passenger train, where Soumya was the lone traveller. Govindachamy then hit her head repeatedly against the walls, let her fall off the train, jumped after her, dragged her body to a nearby place to rape and ransacked her. Soumya succumbed to her injuries after five days. The prosecution had this entire narrative with them when it presented the case in the courts, but what it didnt have was scientific evidence to prove that it was Govindachamys act that led to Soumyas murder. It couldnt support the narrative. The court has acknowledged the fact that Soumya was raped, but the absence of evidence prompted the SC bench to avoid giving capital punishment to Govindachamy.

A section of the legal experts, including Justice Katju, has questioned the SC verdict on legal grounds. Keralas LDF-government too has decided to file a review petition with the SC and seek the death penalty for Govindachamy, even though this stance goes against Lefts very ideology that argues strongly against capital punishment as a primitive measure unfit for a modern society.

But, the SC certainly has its reasons to observe that the court wasnt a place for guess work, but an institution that works on the basis of hard evidence. Hence, the public uproar on the SC verdict and cries for justice are nothing but emotional exuberances.

But, the bigger question to ask here is how a beggar and an alleged habitual petty offender, managed to get the service of one of the top criminal lawyers, and an expensive one at that, to appear for him in the case. According to this The NewsMinute report, prominent lawyer BA Aloor who appeared for Govindachamy to defend him in the court, charges Rs 5 lakh per case. I charge Rs 5 lakh per criminal case and my duty is only to represent my client. Since I have represented him in three courts, the charges have exceeded Rs 15 lakhs, but that is not of anyone's concern, The News Minute quoted Aloor, post the SC judgment.

Also, more investigations need to be done to probe Govindachamys background and his actual identity. According to media reports, at the time of Soumya-murder in 2011, Govindachamys name was Charley Thomas in Tamil Nadu Police records. The Open magazine report quoted Aloor as saying that he was hired by a group in Panvel, which was itself accused in a robbery case. Aloor had appeared for this group before, the report says. The question is which is this group who wants to spend lakhs of rupees to defend an accused in a rape-murder case? Is there more to Govindachamys story than just the case of a one-handed beggar? Is he part of a bigger, powerful syndicate?

The Govindachamy case, beyond the obvious issue of justice to Soumya, appears to have hidden layers that point to a larger scheme. It needs to be investigated thoroughly. The very fact that Govindachamy has been enjoying support from a faceless, cash-rich group itself is reason enough to believe that the case isnt confined to the brutal act of a one-handed beggar on a helpless girl.
Does it even merit to be a topic of debate at a time when almost every second family in Delhi is hit by vector-borne ailments? In ordinary circumstances, those responsible for public health would make fighting diseases their priority. It does not seem to be the case with the Aam Aadmi Party government in the capital. Health Minister Satyendra Jain has taken upon himself to give chikungunya an innocent face by insisting that it does not kill. If his intention has been to allay fears over the disease and stop people from panicking, it has not come across well. That 15 people have already died  that is only the official number  from chikungunya makes his claim hollow.

If times of such crises call for a mature response aimed at soothing the citizenrys rattled nerves, the government has been found spectacularly wanting. Instead of accepting that theres a problem at hand, it started off blaming everyone else but itself for the outbreak of diseases. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lieutenant Governor should be held responsible for the situation and later his party blamed the media for painting a picture of calamity. The BJP-controlled municipal bodies were made a target for not doing their job properly. It escaped the good sense of the party that the occasion, serious as it is, didnt call for combativeness and finger-pointing. It only took the party several notches down in public perception.

The absence of several senior functionaries of the government at this juncture  Kejriwal is being treated in Bangalore, his deputy Manish Sisodia is in Finland, Health Minister Jain was in Goa before landing in Delhi four days ago to name a few  made for bad optics. The party managed to turn it into bad politics by launching attacks on rivals. The BJP and the Congress tore into it, asking it to quit if it felt so handicapped to manage governance. The media, a big section of it at least, already at loggerheads with the party had the chance to pounce on its supposed failures. Already in a desperate fight against several diseases, the general public was not amused at the antics.

That brings us to the bigger question  Whats gone wrong with the party? No, we are not talking about the party distancing itself from its original ideals; personality cult overwhelming AAP; it being no different from other political parties; and whatever the political pundits find wrong with it. These are matters of subjective interpretation and may have traction only among limited sets of people who are already prejudiced this way or the other. The intention here is to ask whether the AAP is behaving normally as a political entity.

By all indications, the answer is no. It appears to be gripped by the siege mentality so much that it has started getting indifferent to people. It was evident in its initial response to the diseases. Does anyone remember the images of AAP volunteers fanning out to clean the citys garbage? Three years ago, these images made the party stand out as different from others and defined its unique selling proposition. From lets do it together to lets blame others has been a big shift for the AAP. For a party that promised to make ordinary people relevant in politics by serving as their voice, the shift can be suicidal. It seems to be getting so blinded by its rage against perceived enemies that it has started losing sight of people who made it a political force.

While there is no denying that the new party has been subject to the harshest of scrutiny and the worst of hounding in the last couple of years, what should worry the AAP is not the action of political rivals but its own acts of indiscretion. Its response to the diseases in Delhi has fallen short of expectation. It should remember that it cannot take people for granted.
New Delhi: Swadeshi warriors yoga guru Baba Ramdev and the all-powerful Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are putting pressure on the finance and health ministries to impose a heavy tax on beverage companies selling products of high sugar content, according to highly placed sources. The move could prove detrimental to the Indian operations of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, two of the worlds beverage giants.

The sources said Ramdev and the RSS are lobbying hard to introduce the tax in the forthcoming budget to be presented in January 2017.

They have to their advantage recommendations of the GST panel headed by chief economic adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian which sought a sin tax of 40 percent on aerated drinks, tobacco and luxury cars. This rate is more than double the suggested standard GST rate of 17-18 percent.

Coca-Cola contains 10.6 gm of sugar per 100 ml. That's 26.5 gm (equivalent of five-and-half teaspoons) in a 250 ml can.

The representatives of Ramdev and RSS have argued for high taxes on carbonated drinks, a top health ministry official aware of the development said on conditions of anonymity.

Patanjali Ayurved spokesperson SK Tijarawala refused to comment on whether his group was keen to push a desi version of the colas to replicate products offered by Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Haridwar-based Patanjali currently offers herbal FMCG products and competes with top Indian and foreign multinational companies.

Tijarawala, however, said the group has constantly argued for healthy products. Our products have made a serious impact in India. We will launch more healthy products soon. According to him, the demand to curb sugar and fat-based products is global, not just local.

During their meetings with the two ministries, representatives of the RSS and Baba Ramdev are learnt to have cited warnings of health campaigners that adults and children in India continue to consume huge quantities of hidden sugar in processed food and drink, fueling obesity and poor health. (It is not clear whether both Ramdev and RSS held the meetings together or separately.)

Last year, a study by London-based Action on Sugar found the cola giants using double the quantity of sugar in their processed drinks as compared to those in Europe. To cite an example, AOS said Fanta in Ireland, Argentina or the UK had six teaspoons of sugar whereas the product in India contained almost double.

The World Health Organisation says consumption of sugar in India is likely to rise to reach 29.35 million tonnes (mt) by 2019-20, or over 15 percent of global consumption, thus making India - with a share of - the biggest consumer in the world.

This July, Kerala recently introduced a 14.5 percent fat tax on burgers, pizzas, doughnuts and tacos, a move aimed at spreading awareness about obesity and food preferences. Interestingly, levying taxes on high calorie food items and drinks is one way to rein in consumption.

Earlier, Denmark had introduced a fat tax in 2011 but repealed it by 2013 when it found consumers were shopping across the border for high fat goods. Hungary taxes foods high in sugar, salt and fat. Mexico taxes sugary drinks, breakfast cereals and sweets. Taxes on sugary drinks vary across the United States while there is a soda tax in Philadelphia.

This April, Ramdev said his Patanjali would soon upstage giants like Colgate, Unilever and Nestle. Colgate will be below Patanjali by this year, and in three years, we will overtake Unilever. Patanjali products would make shut the 'gate' in Colgate. The birds in Nestle's nest (logo) will also fly away, Ramdev told reporters.

Patanjali is aiming at a turnover of over Rs 10,000 crore in 2016-17, double that of last fiscal. The company, which has been grown exponentially in the last four years, plans to venture into the exports and e-commerce this year.

The cola giants are, obviously, feeling the heat already. The rivals, who fight bitter battles during summer in India through interesting advertising campaigns that pit one against the other, had recently petitioned the Chief Economic Advisor against what they felt was an unfair comparison.

They have argued that aerated beverages contribute 2.4 percent of total sugar consumption of Indians (daily) as compared to sweets (15 percent) and confectionaries (12 percent).

We made it clear that we are not to be blamed for the sugar intake that is on the rise in India, said a Coca-Cola spokesperson.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi officials also argued in the meeting with the CEA that contribution of their products to the daily caloric intake in India is minuscule. Aerated drinks, as per the data collated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is 0.2 percent compared with egg meat and fish (15 percent), oils and fats (11 percent). In terms of daily density, the cola officials argued that aerated beverages stand at 440 calories (per litre/ kilo) compared with cake and bakery products (5,000), ice creams (3,200), biscuits (4,530) and snacks like samosas (5,443).

Representatives of the two companies also argued how lakhs of retailers, thousands of distributors, transporters, cold drink equipment manufacturers, farmers and producers of raw materials for the industry and the whole forward and backward supply chain systems will suffer if taxes on them skyrocket.

The cola giants found, almost unexpectedly, former finance minister P Chidambaram on their side when he, during the GST debate on 3 August, told the Rajya Sabha that it was important to tax the rich and save the poor.

"Any indirect tax falls equally on the rich and the poor. If you buy a soft drink bottle, if a rich man buys it or a poor man buys it, he pays the same excise duty on that bottle. World over, indirect taxes being aggressive in nature, the trend is to keep them as low as possible, said Chidambaram.

Coca-Cola too had sent a strong message in December 2015. In a statement the company had said that it will have no other option but to shut down some of its factories if the GST regime indeed puts in place a sin tax of 40 percent.

An acceptance of the Arvind Subramanian committee recommendations with regard to GST rate of 40 percent on aerated beverages, will have a negative ripple effect on the entire beverage ecosystem," Coca-Cola India had said then.

The ball is now in the government's court. The cola giants will be able to counter the pressure from the Swadeshi brigade only if the government heeds Chidambaram and goes for a lower tax rate under GST.
After a recent failed attempt to woo the Patels by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah in Surat, it's the turn of none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Gujarat  his home state, but this time to woo the tribals.

He has chosen to celebrate his 66th birthday in his home state. So while he choses to begin the day by visiting and seeking the blessings of his 95-year-old mother, Hiraba, at Gandhinagar, he will later meet the newly-appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani and then visit the tribal-dominated area of Limkheda to inaugurate an irrigation project. The last time the PM visited the state was to inaugurate the SAUNI project in Saurashtra. While he did face a protest from pro-Hardik supporters, it was the BJP chief who faced the heat in Surat. Chairs were hurled during the function which was officially meant for honouring the newly-appointed CM Rupani. A projected show of strength turned out to be a poor show for the BJP in the state. Gearing up for elections, the BJP is now faced with the task of wooing back the powerful Patels, the Dalits and at the same time ensure it does not lose out on its urban vote bank.

With Modi, being the PM and former Gujarat CM, dominated the state politics for over a decade, the BJP realises that it needs to keep falling back to the Modi magic if it has to retain power in the state. Whether it's the Patels in the north or the tribals in the central Gujarat, state unit of BJP knows that the only face that still makes a difference is that of Modi's. The projects that Modi will be inaugurating in Navsari or in Limkheda could be done by any state leader or the newly-appointed CM, but BJP is now fighting a battle which it cant afford to lose. What could be a better occasion than the PM celebrating his birthday in his home state?

The tribals, including the Scheduled Tribe, that Modi is expected to address on Saturday in central and south Gujarat constitute about 14 percent of the state's population. In 2002, Congress voters did drift towards BJP but went back to the Congress in 2004 parliamentary elections.

Both Modi and the state unit of BJP are aware that every seat counts. During his last visit, the Prime Minister had announced that he will keep coming to Gujarat; and he was not wrong. So, while the official reason might be given as the celebration of his birthday, Gujarat BJP wants to ensure that the count of seats in the assembly elections does not see a dip. The state BJP at present has a strength of 117 seats. Congress might continue to be in a disarray, however, it might be a vote against the BJP rather than a vote for the Congress which the state unit of the BJP fears.
KickassTorrents (commonly abbreviated KAT) was a website that provided a directory for torrent files and magnet links to facilitate peer-to-peer file sharing using the BitTorrent protocol. (Photo : YouTube / Underground @News)

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This was a rare occasion when the politician son did not retreat in the face of bullying from his domineering father, the patriarch of the Samajwadi Party. Quite naturally, the rarity of the occasion turned the row between uncle Shivpal Yadav and nephew Akhilesh Yadav into a high talking point in political circles.

Unfortunately, however, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs show of assertion proved to be nothing more than a blip of a disruption in the enduring political equilibrium forged by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Things are now back to where they began two days ago.

After standing his ground against Shivpal  who earlier this week quit his party and government positions  Akhilesh, in less than 48 hours, yielded to his fathers pressure tactics. Shivpal withdrew his resignation and got his ministries back within the blink of an eye. The troublesome uncle is now also set to continue as head of Uttar Pradeshs Samajwadi Party unit. In a seeming concession, the Chief Minister has managed to retain the power to pick the party nominees to contest next years assembly elections. This is no doubt an improvement from the last electoral battle when Shivpal was given the power to decide the partys nominees.

All in all, the unexpected display of defiance by the Chief Minister ended in a whimper. Successfully cracking the whip, Mulayam has yet again established that his writ runs in the Uttar Pradesh government. Had Akhilesh broken free of his father and uncles strangleholds, there could have been a much-needed disruption in Samajwadi Partys tired politics of cynical manipulation. Clearly, Akhilesh wanted Shivpal out of key positions in his party and government. But, by failing to stick to his stand and sideline Shivpal, who time and again, has been at the centre of many unsavoury controversies, the Chief Minister once again has proven how powerless he is to stand up to his fathers diktat.

At the same time Akhilesh should know that his uncle is just one of the many factors contributing to his governments continuing infamy. How would the Chief Minister explain his utter failure to end the ever-increasing criminalisation of his party, and the proliferation of lumpen elements at all levels? That is just one of the many failures to be attributed to his government.

Following in his fathers footsteps, Akhilesh has continued to play the dangerous game of communal polarisation. The deadly Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013 occurred on his watch, as did the outbreak of cult violence in Mathura three months ago, leaving 24 people dead. Throughout his over four-year tenure, Akhilesh has shown himself to be incapable of governing Uttar Pradesh.

The challenges facing his government ahead of next years assembly elections are indeed formidable. The Chief Minister is skating on thin ice. The present mood is a far cry from the optimism that greeted Akhileshs ascendancy to power in Uttar Pradesh more than four years ago. Many then pinned their hopes on the new head of government to usher in a new culture in the party, to mark a clean break with the old coterie that ran the organisation. They expected the Chief Minister to primarily focus on developing Uttar Pradesh, putting an effective law and order machinery in place.

Things however have turned out to be quite different. Not only did Akhilesh allow the old guard to rule the party, under his tutelage, the states law and order has nosedived, and political criminality and violence against women have increased by the day.

That Akhilesh has wasted four long years is bad enough for not just his party, but for the people of Uttar Pradesh as well. The electorally significant state has become a battleground for political parties who invest much of their energy in trying to win the state, primarily because of the large chunk of seats that Uttar Pradesh has. Given the situation, it's hardly surprising that Akhileshs two primary adversaries  the Bahujan Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party  are pulling out all stops to cash in on the many failures of the present government.

At a time when the Samajwadi Party needs a strong shot in the arm to repair its badly dented image, Shivpals would surely have done the Chief Ministers own reputation some good. Now that the same old deals have been struck, and the deal-makers have found their grooves once again, the ruling party has little to cheer. And Akhilesh has much to repent.
The reason for the ongoing feud in the ruling family in Uttar Pradesh could, after all, be the authority to select party candidates for the 2017 Assembly election. This seemingly innocuous power is actually so strong that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is prepared to reinstate the two ministers dismissed a few days ago, restore departments to uncle and senior minister Shivpal Yadav and, if it comes to the crunch, even quit from the chief ministerial post.

Akhilesh Yadav admitted all this rather candidly while participating in a television programme in Lucknow on Friday  the fifth day of the stand-off between him and his uncle Shivpal Yadav. In response to a question whether Shivpal could be given back the departments taken away from him, Akhilesh replied that in this case he, too, would like to get back what he had lost. And he went on to add that he would like to retain the authority to give party tickets for the forthcoming election and was even ready to lay down his office to get this authority.

This explains to a large extent the circumstances that have emerged in the aftermath of the dismissal of two ministers Gayatri Prajapati and Raj Kishore Singh, transfer of former Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal and curtailing of Shivpals portfolios. Until Thursday (15 September) night, the events made sense as an elaborate script crafted to establish Akhilesh as a strong, no-nonsense chief minister. But instead of a happy ending where Akhilesh handled his responsibility as chief minister while keeping Shivpal out of his hair, the events have laid bare the facade that has been created in the name of development activities by the Samajwadi Party.

Rather than making development activities as the focus of his actions, Akhilesh has revealed that what matters more to him is the state party presidents post that comes with the authority to decide party candidates and strengthening his hold over the Samajwadi Party  unlike functioning as an undisturbed chief minister with a clear agenda for development.

The fact that Akhilesh agreed to reinstate Gayatri Prajapati, the former Mining Minister, also put paid to his claims as being a leader with zero-tolerance for corruption. It is now almost certain that Prajapati will be re-inducted into the Akhilesh Cabinet very soon.

Prajapati was spotted standing next to Shivpal when the latter came out of his official residence in Lucknow on Friday morning to address the slogan-shouting supporters. Prajapati is under a cloud facing serious charges of irregularities in mining across the state and an inquiry is also under way against him by the Lok Ayukta. The Allahabad High Court has already ordered a CBI inquiry into the whole gamut of mining in Uttar Pradesh. It is also likely that Shivpal might get back his departments like irrigation, PWD and cooperatives.

All warring members of the family have repeatedly said that any solution suggested by Mulayam Singh Yadav will be acceptable to them. A solution making the rounds suggests that Shivpal will continue being the state president while a new position of the executive president might be created for Akhilesh. This effectively rules out replacing Akhilesh as the Chief Minister, but the aura that had so carefully been created around him for being courageous, upright and visionary appears to be fast losing its sheen. Mulayam has also stated categorically that there would be no split in the Samajwadi Party as long as he is alive. This may hold the party  and Akhilesh and Shivpal  together, but the seeds of discontent have grown deeper.

Now, with the disclosure of the real reason for Akhileshs displeasure with Shivpal  control of the party rather than a principled stand on corruption or irregularities  the Yadav family dispute has started appearing as much ado about nothing. Does Akhilesh want to retain control over ticket distribution to ensure that in the case of majority for his party in 2017, his loyalists ensure his Chief Ministership? Does his insecurity emanate from a statement given by Shivpal that the new chief minister  in case of a majority  will be decided by the party legislators at that time?

If the answer is yes, then it falls in place why control over the party has been made out to be more consequential than running an efficient government.
New Delhi: Amid its Vice President Rahul Gandhi's aggressive pitch to woo voters in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Congress party on Saturday virtually ruled out any alliance in the Assembly polls.

"Our policy so far is to stand on our own feet. We have not given much thought to the issue," party General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said while talking to reporters along with UPCC Chief Raj Babbar.

He was asked whether the Congress, out of power in UP for 27 years now, would ally with any party in the Assembly polls scheduled early next year.

Replying to another question, Azad suggested he was not in favour of early declaration of candidates for UP polls. He said early declaration was a "double-edged sword" which at times helps, but at times proves counter-productive.

"When the entire party leadership is approaching people (through various yatras), the issue is not relevant," he said to the suggestion that early announcement of candidates give them time to reach out to people.

Asked about the turmoil in the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, he said he foresees a "war-like situation" in the party during distribution of tickets.

"What you are seeing is just the beginning, just see how things develop there," he said, quoting a urdu couplet, insisting there will be a "Panipat" (war) over distribution of tickets in that party.

Taking a dig at the family of Mulayam Singh Yadav holding all key posts in UP, he said the turmoil led to one "discovery" that the "chacha-bhatija share in between them 95 per cent of the important portfolios, leaving just five per cent for the rest."

His reference was to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle and senior state minister Shivpal Yadav being in charge

of all key ministries including Home, Finance, Cooperatives

and PWD.
Shimla: Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday said the bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi had been fruitful and strengthened the relations between the two neighbouring countries.

"Dil se baat hui khul ke baat Hui"(we talked with open heart) and both the countries found new grounds to move forward, Dahal who is popularly known as Prachanda told reporters.

He said Nepal would not allow its land to be used for activities against neighbouring countries.

Prachanda, who was at Jahakri in Shimla district, 145 km from here to inspect the 1500MW Nathpa-Jhakri Hydropower Project of SJVNL was responding a question regarding efforts of Pakistan to use Nepal for terrorist activities against India.

"Nepal would not allow its land to be misused for activities against the neighbouring countries", he said adding that India is friendly country and we have good relations with it.

Prachanda who felt at home in serene hills said that the "topography, geography, trees, jungles people and culture of India and Nepal is similar and I feel that I am not in India but in Nepal".

After visiting the Project, Prachanda also talked to a gathering of people of Nepali origin working in various projects.

The SJVNL engineers took the Nepalese Prime minister around and informed him about various features of the project in detail.

The SJVNL CMD R N Mishra gave a power point presentation about the Nathpa-Jhakri and 412 MW Rampur projects executed by SJVNL and also exhibited the model of Arun-3 (900) MW being executed in Nepal.

He said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had already been signed with India in May, 2014 for commissioning of 900 MW Arun-3 hydro power project and expressed satisfaction over Nathpa-Jhakri project.

Union Minister for Power, Piyush Goyal said that Arun-3 hydro-electric project was a beginning of new chapter in strengthening bilateral relations between India and Nepal and the work on this project would be expedited.

He said that India and Nepal are working together on few more projects also and it was a matter of great satisfaction

that the neighbouring nation had expressed faith in India to go ahead with these projects.
India and Pakistan clashed again at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) over accusations on Kashmir with the fight turning more acrimonious this time.

"Pakistan keeps referring to UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). However, it very conveniently forgets its own obligation under these resolutions to first vacate the illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Ajit Kumar, the Indian ambassador to the UN office at Geneva said on Friday responding to a comment made by Pakistan on human rights violations in Kashmir at the 33rd session of the UNHRC.

Exercising Indias first right of reply, Kumar said: It has also blatantly disregarded its other commitments, be it under the 1972 Simla Agreement, the 2004 Joint Declaration forswearing terrorism, and more recently, the understanding between our two prime ministers at Ufa.

UNSC in several resolutions declared that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir must be settled according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people through a free and fair plebiscite. The right to self-determination is enshrined in the UNs Charter and other UNSC resolutions, Tehmina Janjua, Pakistani ambassador to the UN office at Geneva had said before Kumar's response.

The people in J&K under Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) have been struggling over six decades to determine their own future, and for this, they have paid a terrible cost, Janjua said.

The presence of mass graves in the region, as highlighted by an NGO report, belongs to people from the IoK. This is proof that indigenous people were killed in the false pretext of infiltration, she further told the Council.

Calling Burhan Wani "a youth Kashmiri leader", Pakistan asked for a "fair and transparent" international investigation into the extra-judicial killings in the region.

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is administered by a deep state and has become an epicenter of terrorism. Pakistans human rights record in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Balochistan is deplorable, Kumar continued.

Parts of Jammu and Kashmir were indeed under foreign occupation, but the occupying force was Pakistan.

The foremost challenge to stability in Kashmir was the scourge of terrorism that received sustenance from Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled territories, India stated.

Pakistans attempt seeking to mask its activities as though an outcome of domestic discontent, carries no credibility with the world, Kumar said.

It invited Pakistan to do some deep introspection and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure that would bring stability to the region and beyond.

Pakistan, exercising its right to reply to Indias comments, said that India was openly interfering in Pakistans internal affairs, particularly in Balochistan. It reminded the Council of Indias support to one of the deadliest terrorist organisations in Asia  the Tamil Tigers. Over 600 million people in India lived on less than two dollars a day, noted Pakistan.

India used its last right to respond and said that it is the height of hypocrisy for a government that preaches, practises, encourages and nurtures terrorism to venture into the subject of human rights.

In the last two decades, the most-wanted terrorists of the world have found succor and sustenance in Pakistan, India said.

The current disturbances in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir have their origins in the death in police action of a self-proclaimed terrorist commander of Hizbul Mujahideen with links to the deep state across the border, India accused.

The country has seen a continuous flow of terrorists who have been trained and armed by its neighbor and, therefore, there cannot be a more cynical policy that targets the very people for whom such deep concern is professed.

Here, India raised the issue of Balochistan again and urged the UNHRC to take a clear-cut stance against state-sponsored terrorism.

Pakistan used its last chance to respond and stated that Indias effort to deny its occupation of J&K was a travesty and some had described the occupation there as worse than that of Nazi German forces. Kashmir would always be on the top of any agenda of talks between Pakistan and India, Pakistan said.
India-Nepal relationship has always been regarded as one of the most successful examples of bilateral relations worthy of emulation by states while relating to India in the neighborhood. India and Nepal have open border between them; Nepalese nationals work in India and even serve in Indian security forces to safeguard Indian borders; and in terms of cultural connectivity, historical linkages and volume of people-to-people contact both the countries have set a unique template in interstate relations.

However, Indian soft power has seldom helped in removing Nepalese prejudices about India  as an imposing big brother with scant respect for Nepals core economic and strategic interests. A cursory look at the relationship suggests that ever since 1950, there have been several phases of turbulence between the two countries. Therefore, not a single major project has been successfully implemented in Nepal during the last 70 years. Nepal has always been critical of Indias foreign policy approach towards it. Political parties  the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Maoists and Royalists  have been critical of Indias efforts to micromanage internal politics and interfere in internal matters of Nepal.

There was a slump in bilateral relationship in May 2016 when Nepal unilaterally cancelled its Presidents visit to India. In fact, Nepal went to the extent of recalling its Ambassador to India by accusing him of conspiring to dislodge the then Oli government. The present turbulent phase has started since the new constitution of Nepal was promulgated on 20 September, 2015 disregarding Indian concerns about recognition of the interests of the Madhesis and Janajatis.

While India expected that the constitution would bring long-term peace and stability to Nepal, the Oli government failed its people and acted in a high-handed manner creating a situation where country runs the risk of division along ethnic and regional lines. Despite Indias repeated suggestions to make the constitution an inclusive one, the then government and top leaders of major political parties failed to accommodate the interests of the marginalised groups  Dalits, tribal, Janajati, women and Madhesis. As these groups expressed their displeasure against the constitution by demonstrating on the streets, including in the Terai region, rather than welcoming the new constitution, India 'noted' its promulgation and simultaneously expressed its concerns about unmet aspiration of various ethnic communities. Rather than appreciating Indian position in favour of a united, well-integrated and inclusive Nepal, the ruling parties and Kathmandu elites have wrongly interpreted Indian sentiments in this regard as being interfering and overbearing. They have held that India did not want the constitution to come through and therefore, it chose to support anti-constitution movements in the Terai region. Such messages from the ruling elites have percolated to the grassroots level and generated massive anti-India sentiments in Nepal.

The ruling elites justified their take on Indias position on the constitution and linked it up with Madhesi protests along the India-Nepal borders. Instead of addressing the grievances of marginalised groups, major political parties in Kathmandu internationalised the issue by projecting it as an India-imposed blockade. At the same time, the CPN-UML and Maoist leaders wanted to take political mileage of the situation by fomenting anti-India sentiments among the common people to expand their political constituencies.

Most surprisingly, instead of initiating intra-Nepal dialogue with the agitating groups, Kathmandu perhaps wanted to resolve the issue of protests at the borders by having dialogue with India. The decisions of Oli government created an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and affected bilateral reactions. It did not encourage any bilateral mechanism with India and aimed at resuming dialogue, with the condition that India should ask the Terai protesters to withdraw border blockade.

Even Nepalese Army chief and prime ministers visits to India in February 2016 were finalised on the condition that India should first remove the border blockade and resumption of essential goods to Nepal. However, both the visits took place after border blockade was withdrawn while Nepal government brought out two amendments in the new constitution and assured to address remaining constitutional issues through dialogue.

Despite ex-PM Olis claim that all misunderstanding were removed between India and Nepal during his visit, people perceived that bilateral relations were not on the track as it used to be before. State-to-state relationships were there, but warmth was missing. This perception was created due to, first, the absence of a joint communique (JC) at the end of Olis India visit. The joint communique was a casualty, because India reportedly wanted to include a statement relating to addressing remaining constitutional issues in a time bound manner and promote political stability and economic growth. Nepal did not want to include any constitutional issues in the JC.

Second, immediately after his Delhi visit Oli signed 10 MoUs with China during his China visit. Nepalese media as well as leaders of some of the ruling parties made public statements that transit agreement with China could reduce dependence on India and it could be utilised as an alternative route for Nepal in case its borders were closed by protesters in future. Third, Nepal officially expressed its serious concerns over discussion about Nepal's problem in India-EU joint statement issued at the 13th European Union-India Summit in Brussels. The MoFA, Nepal, said in a statement recently that "the constitution making and its promulgation are essentially internal matters of a country."

The bilateral relationships reached its lowest ebb when the Nepalese media and ruling party leaders accused India of trying to overthrow the Oli government in May 2016. Prime minister Oli took a unilateral decision to cancel the Presidents visit to India and called back Nepal's Ambassador from Delhi. India was unfairly blamed by leaders of the ruling parties for interfering in internal affairs of Nepal and conspiring to topple the Oli government, which was linked to visits of senior opposition leaders from Nepal to New Delhi in April. Despite facilitating Nepals experiment with democracy and its continuing aid for humanitarian causes in post-earth quake period, India was projected as an overly interfering neighbour.

Despite these blames and counter blames  putting the onus on each other in the media, foreign ministers of both the countries were in constant touch. During Nepal Foreign Minister Kamal Thapas Delhi visit in June 2016, which was his fifth visit to India since October 2015, both the foreign ministers agreed to reactivate all bilateral mechanisms, including foreign ministerial level Joint Commission, while keeping differences aside.

After that decision, while the bilateral relationship was gradually improving by holding bilateral mechanisms and both the countries were discussing the date for Nepal Presidents visit to India, the CPN (Maoist Center), second largest coalition partner of Oli-led government, withdrew support from the CPN-UML. India was again dragged into sudden domestic political upheavals in Nepal. Oli and some ministers in his cabinet directly accused India of conspiring to topple the Oli government, which India rejected and observed that as an internal matter.

Amid this turbulent bilateral relationships and rising anti-India sentiments in Nepal, Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, arrived in Delhi on 15 September for a four-day official visit with an objective to reset the bilateral relations. This has been the second official visit of Nepals Prime Minister to India this year and Dahal's first overseas visit after assuming to power in August 2016. Analysts both in Kathmandu and New Delhi feel that the visit might help in re-setting India-Nepal bilateral relations.

The visit opened up a new chapter in India-Nepal relations. The outcome of the meeting between the two prime ministers was that bitterness and misunderstanding between two countries would be resolved soon. Both the countries vowed to cooperate with each other on economic and security issues. Taking the relationship to a new height, New Delhi and Kathmandu singed three agreements on 16 September. India recognised the new constitution with a hope that "Nepal will successfully implement the Constitution through inclusive dialogue accommodating the aspirations of all sections of your [Nepals] diverse society." India also signed a new Line of Credit (LoC) worth $750 million for post-earthquake reconstruction. By acknowledging Nepal as a potential development partner, India has agreed to extend an additional LoC for new projects such as Phase-II of Terai roads, power transmission lines, substations and a polytechnic in Kaski district. Both the countries have agreed to push for speedy and successful implementation of the ongoing hydro-power projects, and development and operationalisation of transmission lines with an objective to fulfill energy requirements and revenue generation for Nepal. Although, Prachanda has scored high by making the visit successful, the real challenges come from implementation of the constitution with a spirit of inclusiveness.

The author is a research fellow with Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. Views are personal.
In his article in The New York Times on 13 September, Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif appears to have almost given Saudi Arabia the Great Satan title that Tehran normally reserves for the United States.

The enemy of the Islamic Republic is no longer American imperialism but Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi ideology which is now portrayed as the bigger threat to regional stability and peace. This is substantiated by three main narratives he has been using for the last few years.

First, they claim that it's the ideology of Saudi Arabia and not the American invasion of Iraq which is the source of violence and terrorism in the region. The American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have bolstered the Iranian role in the region. In 2007, the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei had called for dialogue with the United States, which should focus on the responsibilities of the occupiers in Iraq. Now, as the narrative goes, Saudi Arabia is desperately trying to revive the regional status quo of the days of Saddam Husseins rule in Iraq which is not acceptable to his country.

Second, the propaganda continues: there is no moderate among the entire anti-Assad camp in Syria. Zarif can be seen using moderates and Nusra front almost interchangeably, very purposefully indeed, to advance the Iranian narrative on the Syrian quagmire. With this narrative, the Iranian leadership has successfully used a terror card to legitimise Bashar al-Assad and to denounce those who plot his ouster.

Third, as the argument goes: Saudi Arabias hostility towards Iran is based on the premise that plunging the Arab world into further chaos will somehow damage Iran and hence regional instability is only to contain Iran.

However, as several thousand Iranians and Shia fighters were reportedly recruited from Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries to defend Shia shrines in Iraq and Syria, it is inconvenient for Zarif to explain how his countrys role is not destabilising the region.

Nevertheless, Zarif avoids recognising the very nature of Saudi-Iranian rivalry and he has tried to reduce it to an ideological threat. If WikiLeaks documents are to be believed, Zarif is wrong that Riyadh has spent billions of dollars exporting Salafism in the last three decades. Saudi Arabia has indeed funded Salafism more aggressively in the 1990s but in the last three decades, as the WikiLeaks papers indicate, Saudi funding to Sunni institutions has covered non-Salafi groups and non-religious projects. In fact, in recent years, Saudi society has been allowed to become more open and liberal, and King Abduallah had played a vital role in transforming Saudi Arabia.

Zarif should have taken a look at his countrys ideology. The rise of Persian nationalism and its alliance with religious hardliners has played a role in redefining the Iranian politics in the region. Can Iran stop manipulating Shiaism for its nationalist-hegemonic aspirations? Is Iran ready to abandon the Vilayat-e-Faqih, which many Shia scholars, including Sistani of Iraq, do not welcome? Is Iran ready to withdraw its support from all non-state militant groups in the region like Hezbollah and Houthi militias, a long-standing Saudi demand towards normalising the relations between the two rivals?

Iranian politics today is deeply divided. Both reformist and revolutionary voices compete with each other, by using anti-Saudi, anti-West and anti-Israel rhetoric to strengthen their relation with the Supreme Leader  the ultimate authority in Iran. Moderates cannot afford to disengage with the United States. To sideline the hardliners and to normalise relations with the United States, they have found a new Great Satan  Saudi Arabia.

The author is a PhD and a Research Fellow at the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.
India lost an appeal on Friday against a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling that it has violated global trade rules by discriminating against foreign products in imposing a domestic content requirement (DCR) on Indian solar power developers.

The Appellate Body (AB) upheld an earlier ruling by a dispute settlement panel at the WTO that local content requirements imposed on solar power developers violated rules under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 and the WTOs Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs).

The US had lodged a complaint with the WTO in February 2013 asking for consultations after India had made it mandatory for its solar power developers selling electricity to the government under the National Solar Mission (NSM) to use certain types of solar cells and modules that were made in India. This, the US complained, was discriminatory towards American products.

A year after registering its complaint, Washington requested for supplementary consultations concerning certain measures relating to DCR under Phase II of the NSM.

The matter was taken to the dispute settlement body (DSB) in April 2014 on US request to look into its claims after consultations between the disputing parties failed. The DSB panel arrived at a ruling in November 2015 but the findings were circulated to WTO members on 24 February, 2016 after a request from the concerned parties that they were continuing discussions relating to the dispute.

The DSB ruling stated that Indias DCR measures are inconsistent with the national treatment obligations under Article III:4 of GATT 1994, Article 2.1 of the TRIMs agreement and certain requirements under the agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM).

National treatment obligations of Article III:4 of GATT requires that imported products cannot be discriminated against (accorded treatment no less favourable) vis-a-vis like local products in matters of all laws, regulations and requirements affecting their internal sale, offering for sale, purchase, transportation, distribution or use.

Article 2.1 of TRIMs stipulates that no WTO member state will undertake any investment measure related to trade that is inconsistent with provisions of Article III or Article XI of GATT 1994.

India had argued that it was "effectively procuring" solar cells and modules by purchasing electricity generated from such cells and modules and, therefore, claimed exemption under the government procurement derogation provision in Article III:8(a) of the GATT 1994. This provision allows countries to ignore national treatment obligations if government agencies procure products for government purposes and not commercial resale.

Additionally, India argued that it lacks the capacity for domestic manufacturing of solar cells and modules leading to a general and local situation of short supply of such products and, thus, DCR measures are essential for addressing this short supply.

India also took the ground that such measures were essential for combating climate change and ensuring sustainable development referring to article XX(d) of GATT -- that it had an obligation to take steps to achieve energy security, mitigate climate change, and achieve sustainable development, and that this includes steps to ensure the adequate supply of clean electricity, generated form solar power, at reasonable prices.

The US, among other arguments, had told the trade judges that the the product procured (electricity) is not in a competitive relationship with the product being discriminated against (solar cells and modules), and, therefore, New Delhi cannot claim exemption under the government procurement derogation provision of GATT."

Brazil, Canada, China; the EU, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, Russian, Turkey, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia and Taipei had requested third party rights to the dispute.

The WTO panelists dismissed Indias short-supply argument and the government-procurement-derogation claim. The DSB panel cited an earlier AB ruling in a case involving Canadian feed-in tariff program for renewable energy. In the Canada  Renewable Energy / Canada  Feed-in Tariff Program dispute, the AB concluded that derogation extends to products in a 'competitive relationship', and rejected India's claim on the ground that 'electricity' and 'generation equipment' are not in such a relationship. Thus, in this context DCR measures for solar cells and modules was discriminatory against imported solar cells.

It agreed with the US that such measures were inconsistent both with article III:8(a) of the GATT and article 2.1 of TRIMs.

Finally, the ruling said that India had failed to demonstrate that the challenged measures are justified under articles XX (j) and (d) of GATT 1994 because they were essential to the acquisition or distribution of products in general or local short supply.

New Delhi appealed to the highest international trade court against the panels ruling on 20 April stating that the DSB panel had erred in its conclusion that discrimination related to solar cells and modules through the Indian DCR measures was not covered by derogation measures under article III:8 (a) of GATT 1994. It also disagreed with the panels views that DCR measures are not justified under the general exception in articles XX (j) and (d) of GATT 1994.

The WTOs appeals judges agreed with the DSB ruling and rejected Indias arguments. The AB upheld the panel's finding that solar cells and modules are not "products in general or local short supply" in India. An assessment of whether products are in short supply or not should not focus exclusively on availability of supply from domestic sourcesthe assessment should take into account available supply from domestic as well as international sources and whether this meets the demand in the market.

The assessment should also consider other relevant factors, including the availability of imports, the level of domestic production, potential price fluctuations in the relevant market, and the purchasing power of foreign and domestic consumers, the AB stated.

The adjudicative body also dismissed Indias claims and upheld the panels ruling that the DCR measures were not necessary to ensure ecologically sustainable growth, and meeting Indias obligations relating to climate change, as set out in four international instruments and four domestic instruments.

It stated that the relevant texts of the domestic instruments do not specify a "rule" to ensure ecologically sustainable growth, as argued by India, nor could India demonstrate that the international instruments identified fall within the scope of "laws or regulations" under article XX(d) of GATT.

The report is a clear victory for American solar manufacturers and workers, and another step forward in the fight against climate change, said US Trade Representative Michael Froman in a statement.

Since India brought in the DCR rules American solar exports to India have fallen by more than 90 percent, Froman added.

The appeals ruling is final and India will now have to bring its laws in compliance with WTO rules.

The ruling will be formally adopted by WTO members within the next 30 days after which the disputing countries will decide the time frame within which New Delhi has to comply with the ruling. In case of a disagreement on the matter, the WTO director-general will step in to make a decision.

After India complies with the ruling it has to notify the WTO. The US has to be satisfied with Indias notification of compliance. In case, Washington does not believe that India has complied then it could initiate compliance proceedings to challenge Indias claim. In such a scenario, a panel would be set up again to review US claims. If the compliance panel rules that India has not complied then it could open the way for the US to request the WTO for authorization to retaliate, like it has done in the ongoing America-initiated poultry case against India.

India registered a similar complaint against the US on 9 September by requesting WTO for consultation regarding DCR and subsidies provided by the American government to the eight states of Washington, California, Montana, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware and Minnesota in the renewable energy sector.

India has argued that the American DCR measures are inconsistent with TRIMs and SCM agreement because they discriminate against domestic products, also because the subsidies are contingent on using domestic over imported products.

If consultations fail, India could request WTO to set up a DSB panel and the same process could start against America.

It is unclear, however, why New Delhi took three years to register a complaint against the US if the country had similar DCR measures in the renewable energy sector as India. It may have been a negotiating advantage for India to have done this earlier when the dispute was evolving.
MacBook Pro 2016 is the successor of the existing 14 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models and is expected later this year. (Photo : YouTube/HandyAndy Tech Tips)

The recent drop in MacBook sales shows that MacBook fans are putting off laptop purchases, which analysts believe might be tied to the upcoming 2016 MacBook Pro. Since MacBook pro laptops have not received an update recently, Apple customers might be waiting for the latest model to be unveiled.



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According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker report, Apple has suffered a noticeable drop in Mac shipments, something that is likely related to the delay of the MacBook Pro update. The company shipped 4.4 million PCs in Q2 2016, compared to 2015's 4.8 million.



This represents an 8.3 percent drop in Mac sales from the same period last year. Its shipments also dropped from 2.1 million to 1.9 million.



According to MacWorld, the conclusion regarding the lack of MacBook Pro update is not biased. This is because other companies in the top five positions for both the United States and worldwide PC shipments posted superior year-on-year comparisons.



In fact, Dell, HP, Acer, and Lenovo, all experienced double-digit growth in the U.S. shipments. Lenovo, however, saw a small decline in sales in its worldwide shipments.



Apart from the knowledge that Mac fans are now waiting eagerly for the MacBook pro release, it is also important to note that Apple will likely do something to reawaken its sales. And this, undoubtedly, is to perform the update on its Pro lineup as soon as possible.



As per now, the 2016 MacBook Pro release date is unclear although analysts suggest that the specific launch time will fall in Q4. It will either take place in a single event or as a quiet update in the course of the week, just like it happened in April 2016 with the latest MacBook.



For the features, the upcoming MacBook Pro is expected to harbor a few changes, among them, the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, an OLED touch bar, touch ID power button, 4G cellular connectivity, and an Apple Pencil-compatible trackpad. Not much is expected to change in regard to the design although a source recently suggested that there will be a new gold model with a new hinge layout.



Notably, the MacBook Pro is expected to embrace a new family of sixth generation Skylake processors. No MacBook offers a Skylake chip at the moment, and that is why reports suggest that the new chips may be introduced in Apple's PCs.



Many of the expected specs are a result of rumors, and so fans need to take them with a grain of salt. Meanwhile, enthusiasts should keep their ears open for any word about the upcoming MacBook Pro from its manufacturer.



Here is one reason why apple's MacBook sales are dropping:






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We know some visitors come to the website because a domain name leads them to here. If you are interested in buying 
Lockheed Martin's (LMT 2.74%) F-16 fighter is -- by a large margin -- the most popular fighter jet in the world. Across the country and around the world, Lockheed Martin has sold more than 4,500 F-16s over the past 40 years -- half of which are still flying today.

But now, at long last, the F-16 era may be approaching a close.

Lockheed is reportedly moving to shutter production of the F-16 at its facility in Fort Worth, Texas, next year, and production numbers are already dwindling. Lockheed Martin's quarterly filings with the SEC show that the company delivered just three F-16s last quarter, two the quarter before that, and two the quarter before that. At its current rate, the company is on course to build just 10 F-16s this year, fewer than the 11 F-16s built last year, and the 17 manufactured in 2014.

By all indications, the era of F-16-building is ending -- except for one thing...or maybe two.

To India, with love (for the F-16)

You've probably heard by now that India is in the midst of a multiyear plan to upgrade its armed forces. As part of that effort, India placed an order for 126 high-end Dassault Rafale fighters back in 2011 -- but it later backed out of that deal. Now, India is negotiating with the United States instead, and looking to have Lockheed Martin shift F-16 production to India once it closes down in Texas.

Such a shift could conceivably breathe new life into Lockheed's F-16 program. Here in the U.S., Lockheed Martin is currently focused on getting the F-16's successor, the F-35 stealth fighter, ready for prime time. At the same time, though, a shift in production to India could help Lockheed win new sales among customers who cannot afford the fifth-generation F-35 -- but who could conceivably afford the fourth-generation F-16.

Winning the Indian contract could generate billions in new revenue from the old warbird. What's more, assuming lower costs of production in India than in the U.S., Lockheed could find that by producing the F-16 abroad, it will open new markets for the F-16 elsewhere in the region.

The enemy of my friend is also my friend

Not everywhere in the region, though. As it turns out, one monkey wrench could trip up Lockheed's effort to dominate both the high and the low ends of the international market for fighter jets, and it lies right across the border from India. Earlier this year, you see, Pakistan made a bid to buy nearly a full year's worth of Lockheed's (now diminished) F-16 production, asking Congress for permission to buy eight new F-16s for its air force. Pakistan had hoped to obtain discounted rates on these aircraft ($270 million up front, versus the full sticker price of $700 million for the planes).

Now, Congress declined to green-light this particular deal. But Pakistan likes the F-16 so much that, undeterred, it approached Jordan instead, with an offer to buy 16 used F-16 fighter jets from the Jordanian military. The deal's not yet set in stone, but if Jordan approves, these fighters would join 14 used F-16s that Pakistan bought from Jordan two years ago.

What it means for Lockheed

Now, you might think that Lockheed Martin's move to begin producing F-16s in India would offer a neat solution to this problem, lowering the price of F-16 production, and making it easier for Pakistan to buy new F-16s instead of old ones. Thus the money Pakistan was preparing to hand over to Jordan could flow into Lockheed Martin's coffers instead.

But here's the problem: India and Pakistan, while both U.S. allies, don't like each other very much. In fact, just last week, the Indian government accused Pakistani troops of violating a ceasefire along the countries' mutual "Line of Control" in Kashmir. Pakistan's army, says India, began "unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on Indian army posts" in what the India Times calls the second ceasefire violation in less than a week.

One imagines that these and similar conflicts within the region would tend to hinder Lockheed's ability to export F-16s from India, even to other markets in the region that would very much like to buy the F-16.

Then again, with Pakistan wanting to buy eight F-16s, but India in the market for as many as 126, at least you can say this much: If Lockheed Martin does end up shifting F-16 production abroad to take advantage of continuing demand in the region, it has clearly picked the more lucrative side of the border to set up shop.
It was an event that generated relatively little fanfare outside of the investors affected, but it may enable one of the most significant acquisitions of the decade. In late August, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, announced that it had no objections to the pending acquisition of Syngenta (NYSE: SYT) by ChemChina, which sent the former's shares soaring over 10%. Now investors are only awaiting a decision by a similar (and perhaps stricter) panel in Europe for final approval.

Why does a regulatory body in the United States get to have a say in an acquisition between Chinese and Swiss companies? CFIUS weighs in on deals involving companies with significant domestic activity that may affect the long-term security of the nation, whether cyber security or food security. As Stephen McHale, a partner at Squire Patton Boggs, told The New York Times, "(CFIUS has) not yet reached the point where they have found an acquisition in the food and agriculture sector to threaten national security. It's a sign that the U.S. is very secure in its food supply."

That should hardly be surprising -- and the data back it up. The United States is home to 4% of the world's population and 7.5% of the world's arable land, which is also among the most productive on the planet. But the blessings of geography are not evenly distributed. While an abundance of food security made the panel's decision a ho-hum event in the United States, a lack of food supply makes the pending acquisition of Syngenta a significant event in the long-term trajectory of China, which is home to 19% of the global population but just 7% of the world's arable land.

If the deal goes through, one-fifth of the world's population will have access to yield-protecting and yield-boosting technologies that have not been available to the country's corn and soybean producers to date. It won't be enough to completely meet China's long-term food demand, but it marks a big step in the right direction. It also highlights why food security may be one of the best investments of the 21st century -- something America is uniquely positioned to capitalize on.

Demographic projections are incomplete

If you've followed any agricultural technology company or debate (hello, genetically modified organisms) in recent years, then you've probably heard some version of the following statistic: by the year 2050 (X) the global population will increase to 9 billion (Y). These numbers have become hot topics of debate, which isn't helped by the fact that they're usually held up to support the use of a particular technology at the center of yet another debate. Worst of all, demographic predictions have been among the least accurate predictions humans conjure up.

Arguing over the exact numbers of far-off projections may be fruitless, but focusing on the trajectory of current trends provides clearer insights to the importance of food security. Consider that:

The global population continues to grow, from an estimated 3.3 billion people in 1965 to an estimated 7.4 billion in 2016. An estimated 400 million individuals were added in the last five years alone.

The amount of arable land continues to shrink, from 0.88 acres per person in 1965 to 0.49 acres per person in 2013.

Daily global food consumption per capita has risen from an estimated 2,358 calories in 1965 to an estimated 2,940 calories in 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

In other words, in the last half-century the global population has increased by 122%, the amount of arable land per capita has decreased by 45%, and daily per capita food consumption has increased by 25%. That's quite the confluence of factors. The good news is that from 1961 to 2013 we've been able to produce the same amount of food from 68% less land and fewer inputs. Technology-driven agricultural intensification has been one of the most underappreciated stories of the last half-century. It needs to continue.

China as a case study

But even though the rate of each of these trends has slowed, their importance has not diminished, as perfectly illustrated by China. In recent years hundreds of millions of rural (agricultural) workers have migrated to cities, which have been built and expanded on cleared agricultural land. Exacerbating the land-use change problem, urban citizens consume more calories than their rural counterparts. In the next 15 years alone annual meat consumption per capita is expected to increase nearly 50%.

The country has made calculated moves to increase food security with investments overseas and within its own borders. Domestic companies have acquired Australia's largest dairy farm, acquired billions of dollars of soybean processing plants in Brazil, and invested tens of billions more in agricultural land from South America to Africa to Central Asia.

ChemChina's pending $43 billion acquisition for Syngenta could prove even more important. Only two genetically modified crops have been approved for planting by Chinese farmers: a cotton variety approved in 1996 and virus-resistant papaya approved in 2006. While differences in soil fertility and farming practices play a significant role, a lack of technology has resulted in significantly lower Chinese yields compared to biotech-protected American yields.

Corn (metric tons/acre) Soybean (metric tons/acre) United States 4.04 1.20 China 2.43 0.71 United States Yield Advantage 65.7% 68.3%

How can the United States capitalize?

China's needs alone offer plenty of ideas for food security investments, but America's mix of homegrown innovation and bountiful corn production provide it a unique advantage in helping other nations achieve food security. Here are examples of investment opportunities in food security:

Monsanto MON) digital agriculture portfolio that puts world-class data analysis and automation in the hands of farmers.

digital agriculture portfolio that puts world-class data analysis and automation in the hands of farmers. Enviroflight, a subsidiary of Intrexon PGEN 2.55% ) unique insect control technologies for yield-draining agricultural pests.

unique insect control technologies for yield-draining agricultural pests. TerraVia TVIA) find its stride in food ingredients production. The company feeds microalgae agricultural sugars to manufacture high quality protein, flour, and culinary oils. Its industrial biotechnology platform requires a fraction of the land of traditional agriculture to produce the same amount of products -- exactly what food insecure countries will value most in the 21st century.

What does it all mean for investors?

Current trends and recent events provide serious credence to the idea that food security will be among the best investments of the 21st century. What should you look for? Generally, investors should investigate opportunities that answer one simple question: What companies are developing technologies that boost output while reducing inputs? There are plenty of opportunities to investigate -- even if it isn't a major investing theme just yet.
Image source: Getty Images.

Few dispute that dividend growth investing is back en vogue, but not everyone seems to know exactly why dividend investing is one of the most well-documented ways to beat the market when deftly executed.

So, why does dividend growth investing garner so much respect among seasoned investors?

Perhaps it seems obvious, but dividend growth investing is beloved because it flat-out works -- especially when dividends are reinvested to buy additional shares. As just one of the many examples, a study from asset manager BlackRock found that a selected basket of dividend growth stocks outperformed an equally weighted basket of all stocks by roughly 30% from 1979 through 2004.

Especially when combined with a strategy to reinvest all dividend payments to buy more shares, the results can be truly astounding, while requiring little additional time. Here's a quick snapshot of a few of what I see as the best long-term dividend stocks on the market today.

Dividend Stock Ticker Symbol Market Cap # of Consecutive Dividend Increases Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG $229.1 billion 59 years Kimberly-Clark NYSE: KMB $43.4 billion 43 years Johnson & Johnson NYSE: JNJ $318.3 billion 53 years Abbott Labs NYSE: ABT $61.2 billion 43 years Medtronic NYSE: MDT $117.0 billion 38 years

Data sources: Google Finance and Dividend.com.

What makes these long-term dividend stocks so special?

For starters, each has an enviable track record of growing their dividend payments each year. If our strategy is to beat the market by buying great dividend growth stocks and reinvesting their proceeds, these seem like relatively safe bets based on the multidecade history of annual dividend increases alone. However, the sectors in which the above names operate -- consumer staples and healthcare -- also provide a stable foundation for continued success for many years to come.

Johnson & Johnson

The aging Baby Boomer population should serve as a long-term tailwind for the entire healthcare sector, and Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ) formidable competitive position within the industry makes it a fantastic option for long-term dividend investors.

All three of J&J's core business segments -- consumer, medical devices, and pharmaceutical -- are all relatively stable, producing consistent revenues and profits from which it can fund its dividend. The pharmaceutical segment continues to act as the straw that stirs J&J's financial drink, accounting for the greatest percentage of the company's sales and profits. It is also the fastest-growing segment in Johnson & Johnson's business, increasing nearly 9% in the company's most recent quarter versus a 0.8% increase in medical devices and a 1.8% decline in consumer sales.

Segment-specific vicissitudes aside, Johnson & Johnson remains a hugely profitable enterprise by virtually any metric. Its 56% dividend payout ratio seems sustainable for a business of its size, profitability, and capex requirements. Trading at around 22 times its past-12-months' earnings values, the company's stock is below that of the overall market, which also doesn't seem particularly out of line for a company of its quality and maturity. At the end of the day, Johnson & Johnson remains a fantastic option for investors looking to fund their retirements through long-term dividend investing.

Image source: Getty Images.

Abbott Labs

Much like Johnson & Johnson above, Abbott Labs' (NYSE: ABT) place as a diversified healthcare products company makes it a dividend dynamo capable of standing the test of time. After spinning out its biotech business into the publicly traded AbbVie in 2013, Abbott Labs appears focused and ready to seize the considerable opportunities provided by its market. In the company's most recently reported quarter, three of Abbot Labs' four reporting segments produced sales growth in the mid to high single digits, and its nutrition segment -- the long "disappointment" in the report -- still saw sales rise 4.3%.

Like many large U.S. multinationals, the outsized strength of the U.S. dollar has served as a moderate headwind to Abbott's results, though the company remains quite profitable all the same. Furthermore, analysts see Abbott Labs producing double-digit profit growth in each of the next two full fiscal years, making its valuation discount relative to its peers seem likely to disappear if the company continues to execute.

Also like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Labs' streak of 43 consecutive annual dividend increases make it a fairly safe bet that its continued dividend growth will proceed for years to come. With a 2.5% current dividend yieldand hugely favorable demographics to underpin its long-term growth, Abbott Labs also seems like a fantastic option for dividend investors today.

Image source: Getty Images.

Procter & Gamble

Though I could easily continue to sing the praises of the other healthcare name on the list above -- Medtronic -- I'll instead make the case for consumer staples powerhouse Procter & Gamble(NYSE: PG)as a slam-dunk long-term dividend growth play. To see what makes P&G such a fantastic business, it helps to understand what has led its stock price to slightly underperform the market over the last two years.

The company behind such well-known everyday brands including Tide, Bounty, Pampers, and many morehas been hammered by negative foreign exchange impacts in recent quarters. Procter & Gamble has also faced increased competition from a host in insurgent products that have adroitly leveraged the lower barriers to entry provided by technology; Dollar Shave Club's challenge to Gillette is perhaps the most obvious example, though others abound. For whatever reason, P&G's management had been slow to respond, though the company's more recent plan to reduce costs and reinvest in brand growthhas been warmly received by analysts, which brings me to my overarching point in this investing thesis: P&G's ability to endure.

As the largest consumer goods company in the world with leading market share across the bulk of its product segments, P&G's fortress-like competitive position should give it the ability to withstand and adapt to whatever changes will inevitably come its way. The company is an institution, one that consistently produces robust profits come rain, snow, sleet, or shine. Some years will be better than others, but its leading brands and distribution virtually guarantee consumers will continue to use Procter & Gamble's products for generations to come.

The same holds true with P&G's cash dividends. Case in point: Procter & Gamble's amazing history of dividend growth dates back to the Eisenhower administration. Especially given its current 3% dividend, Procter & Gamble remains arguably the best dividend stock on the market for long-term payout growth.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early, in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.

Andrew Tonner has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Johnson and Johnson. The Motley Fool owns shares of Medtronic. The Motley Fool recommends Kimberly-Clark and Procter and Gamble. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images.

Whether you're just starting to learn how to invest or have been reaping the rewards of the stock market for decades, there's a financial podcast out there for you. Podcasts are perfect for fine-tuning your investing skills. You can listen to them while commuting, doing household chores, or walking your dog.

And the best part? They're totally free.

The best investing podcasts range in topics from personal finance and investment planning to stock market updates and niche investment ideas. To find the best investing podcast for you, start by deciding what exactly you want to learn.

If you're interested in "investing" as a broad economic concept, then NPR's Planet Money may suit your fancy. Planet Money discusses the incentives and behaviors that drive many everyday transactions and interactions. Podcasts like these can help investors analyze global macroeconomic trends, and any NPR podcast will be both riveting and polished.

Or, if you're looking for more stock-specific content, The Motley Fool's MarketFoolery will update you daily on the biggest stock market news, with top-tier investors analyzing the big headlines and giving investment recommendations. Industry Focus, also from The Motley Fool, goes a bit deeper, diving into a different sector of the stock market every day. Listeners will get the sense that they're a fly on the wall, snooping on a conversation between smart, well-informed investors.

In the interest of transparency, I have to disclose that not only do I work for The Motley Fool, but I am also the host of the Wednesday healthcare edition of Industry Focus. So I'm naturally predisposed to think that it's the best investing podcast out there. However, biases aside, I stand by my claim thatIndustry Focus and the other Motley Fool podcast will help you beef up your investing chops -- whether you're just getting started or you're a master investor. And I'm not suggesting you stop there: Plenty of other outlets offer outstanding personal-finance and investing podcasts.

If you're looking to learn how to invest, dive deep into niche sectors of the stock market, or get financial planning advice, there's a podcast for you. Here's a chart of the best investment podcasts out there:

Name Frequency Length Premise Producer Why You Should Listen Planet Money Semi-weekly 20 minutes Economics of the real world NPR Satisfies your intellectual curiosity like none other Motley Fool Money Weekly 40 minutes Top business and investing stories TMF Your weekly financial digest, all in under an hour Market Foolery Daily 20 minutes Stock market news TMF Legendary host and premium analysts Money for the Rest of Us Weekly 30 minutes Personal finance with a hint of philosophy Independent Outside-the-box lessons on how stocks and the economy work together Industry Focus Daily 20 minutes Industry deep dives TMF Sector-specific expertise Motley Fool Answers Weekly 30 minutes Personal-finance questions answered TMF Hilarious banter amid top-notch advice for a healthier, wealthier life Rule Breaker Investing Weekly 25 minutes Learn to invest TMF One of the world's greatest investors teaches you his secret sauce Freakonomics Weekly 45 minutes The hidden side of everything WNYC Studios What you wish Econ 101 had been

Check out any of these great investing podcasts on iTunes or through podcast apps such as Overcast or Stitcher. You can also find any of The Motley Fool's podcasts at fool.com/podcasts.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: PotashCorp.

It's official: PotashCorp (NYSE: POT) will merge with Agrium (NYSE: AGU), subject to regulatory approvals, by mid-2017 to create the world's largest traded fertilizer company. Sounds like a good deal, except I'm unsure about the premise behind the merger. PotashCorp's biggest challenge -- weak potash prices -- could remain so even after the deal.

In fact, as much as the merger excites investors, they should be increasingly concerned about the conditions in the fertilizer industry and, more importantly, PotashCorp's efforts to tackle the headwinds as that'll hold the key to its turnaround. On that note, here are three important quotes from PotashCorp CEO Jochen Tilk from the company's recent earnings call that should provide you with some valuable insight.

Why is PotashCorp optimistic about 2017?

Falling demand from key international markets like China and India can be largely blamed for the recent plunge in potash prices. Both nations delayed potash import contracts this year by several months, sending jitters across the industry. Ironically, Tilk sees a silver lining in the delay:

PotashCorp expects late contracts to shift demand into next year, which should loosen up inventory and boost potash prices. Currently, North American potash producers, including PotashCorp, Agrium, and Mosaic (NYSE: MOS), hold high levels on inventory, as evidenced by the green bars in this chart:

Data source: TFI and PotashCorp. Image source: PotashCorp.

Inventory in the second quarter was almost 69% above the five-year average. Things could get tougher if new supply continues to hit the market, though PotashCorp isn't too worried about the supply side.

Is PotashCorp missing the long-term picture, here?

Tilk doesn't consider increased global potash capacity to be an immediate concern. In his words:

Near-term expansion delays might be true, but the longer-term story remains the same: Several potash projects are under way worldwide, posing a threat to the already skewed demand and supply situation in the industry. Investors may even recall how PotashCorp's (failed) $8.8 billion bid to acquire K+S was largely seen as an attempt to gain control over K+S's greenfield Legacy project, which is expected to pump more potash into the markets in the near future.

While acquiring K+S might've given PotashCorp greater bargaining power in the potash market, the same can't be said about its merger with Agrium. The key to PotashCorp's bottom-line growth will still depend largely on its ability to cut costs. There's some hope on that front.

How is PotashCorp handling the downturn?

PotashCorp has resorted to extreme measures to keep its head above water during these difficult times. As Tilk pointed out in the conference call:

From suspending operations to shifting production to low-cost plants, PotashCorp is working hard to cut costs.

Image source: PotashCorp's Annual Shareholder Meeting presentation, May 2016.

As the projections for 2017 above indicate, PotashCorp's production costs should head even lower as it ramps up its Rocanville mine to full capacity next year. Rocanville -- PotashCorp's largest mine -- is expected to churn out potash at a cost of $45-$50 per tonne at full capacity -- a number that looks unbelievably good when you realize that PotashCorp's cost of goods sold was a little over $100 per tonne of potash during the first half of this year. If PotashCorp can hit those cost targets, Rocanville could prove its trump card during these depressed times even as the company awaits a recovery in prices.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early, in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.

Neha Chamaria has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Today, for your investing pleasure, we offer up a Warren "buffet" of low P/E stocks. Image source: Getty Images.

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."-- Warren Buffett

And right now, some of America's biggest and best-known companies are also some of the lowest profits/earnings (P/E) stocks on the planet. But are they good values? That's the question.

In our latest exercise in dumpster diving, this month we've honed in on the top 10 -- er, bottom 10 -- deep value "bargains" on the NYSE stock exchange. Using the free stock screening software available on finviz.com, and focusing our search exclusively on blue chip, large-cap companies, we've uncovered a heaping helping of potential investments in the $10-billion-and-up-market range.

Here are three that might interest you.

Ford Motor Co.

Ford (NYSE: F): It's a brand you trust, and a name you know. But did you know that Ford stock is also cheap?

Priced at 5.4 times trailing earnings today, Ford is the most "expensive" of the three lowest P/E stocks we'll look at today. But even so, think about what that means: Buy a share of Ford today and you'll pay $12 and change.

But Ford stock earned $2.12 per share last year. This means that, if Ford merely earns the same amount of profit this year and next year and the year after that -- if it doesn't grow its profits at all -- then in 5.4 years, Ford will have earned back for you all the money you spent to buy the stock. (And you'll also have the stock).

And it gets better. Instead of just earning $2.12 per year, year in and year out, analysts surveyed by Finviz believe Ford will, in fact, grow its earnings by an average of 9% per year over the next five years. What that works out to, in valuation terms, is a PEG ratio (P/E divided by earnings growth rate) of just 0.6. That's 40% below the magic PEG ratio of 1.0 that many investors use as the benchmark for a value stock -- a wide margin of safety indeed.

General Motors

If Ford stock looks cheap, then General Motors (NYSE: GM) appears even cheaper -- and I'd argue it is cheaper.Selling for just four times trailing earnings, General Motors stock is pegged for better than 10% annual long-term earnings growth -- a prospect made all the more likely by the company's impending introduction of a new "Bolt" electric vehicle boasting better range than Tesla's ballyhooed Model 3.

That means that GM stock is selling for an even steeper discount than Ford, with a PEG ratio of just 0.4. Meanwhile, both companies pay dividend yields that are very similar -- and generous -- at roughly 4.9% per annum.

Korea Electric Power

Speaking of dividends, let's wrap up with a quick look at one of investors' favorite places to look for rich dividends: utilities stocks.

Here, our hunt for value today takes us all the way to South Korea, where electric utility Korea Electric Power (NYSE: KEP) is arguably the lowest P/E stock (of large size) on the planet today, and also pays a better dividend than you'll find at either Ford or GM. Priced at just 2.5 times trailing earnings, Korea Electric looks like a great stock to buy. It may even be a great stock to buy, but that depends largely on what you're looking for in an investment.

You see, Korea Electric owes its low P/E ratio primarily to the fact that it made a large -- and profitable -- asset sale late last year, which temporarily boosted its profits. Once that big splash of earnings ebbs away, however, the company is likely to become a bit less profitable. Analysts quoted on S&P Global Market Intelligence estimate that earnings will drop from more than $18 (last year) to less than $12 (this year), and then more or less hold steady thereafter.

Assuming the analysts are right, this will still leave Korea Electric stock selling for a very attractive cheap P/E ratio in the low 4s after its earnings decline. It won't grow its profits much going forward, and in fact, will see profits decline by quite a lot this year. But so long as you're prepared to stomach the earnings drop, Korea Electric's low valuation, combined with its very generous 5.4% dividend yield, makes Korea Electric stock well worth looking into.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.

Fool contributorRich Smithdoes not own shares of, nor is he short, any company named above. You can find him onMotley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handleTMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 280 out of more than 75,000 rated members.

The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ford and Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Henry Red Cloud's recent trip to the Dakota Access pipeline protest camp near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation filled him with conviction, compelling the South Dakota Democratic candidate to dance, sing  and campaign.

The 56-year-old Oglala Sioux green energy entrepreneur hopes the vigor focused on defeating the $3.8 billion, four-state Dakota Access pipeline will help win his longshot bid for election to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, which regulates oil pipelines.

Red Cloud, a direct descendent of famous Lakota warrior and leader Red Cloud, is applying a new approach among tribal members working to stop oil development: become a regulator instead of having to ask for their help. He is one of at least two Native Americans nationwide running for such a post.

"A whole lot of people are going to start voting here in the state of South Dakota," Red Cloud, who lives near Oglala, told The Associated Press. "I'm also bringing the awareness out on what the PUC regulates, and it's all about currently what's happening in Standing Rock camp."

Since April, there's been a tribal protest at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers in southern North Dakota, and it has grown considerably. Owned by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile project would carry nearly a half-million barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota's oil fields through South Dakota and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois,

The Republican-controlled Public Utilities Commission, which approved the Dakota Access pipeline project last year, is leading South Dakota in a "downward spiral" rather than toward its huge potential for leadership in renewable energy, said Red Cloud, who is running as a Democrat. He is running on a green energy platform for a six-year term against Chris Nelson, a Republican former secretary of state who has served on the three-member commission since 2011.

Nelson, 52, has been campaigning on keeping electricity rates low and expanding broadband internet access in rural areas. He said he has a record of making decisions absent a political agenda or personal whims.

"What I think of an oil pipeline is absolutely irrelevant in the job that I do as a Public Utilities commissioner," Nelson said, adding that he has to make judgments on each case based on the facts presented and the law that applies.

It will be hard for Red Cloud to get elected in the strongly Republican state. The first-time candidate recently told a group of about 20 aging Democrats in Fort Pierre that he's looking for strong turnout by Native American voters.

Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Minnesota-based Indigenous Environmental Network, said Red Cloud's bid is exciting because pipeline opponents have spent so much time and energy struggling from the outside against the commission in the permitting process.

It was the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, and the efforts to thwart them before state regulators, that helped illuminate for many people the power the Public Utilities Commission holds, he said.

"It's nice to see Native folks get the motivation to run for office like this, but it's the content of his character and the qualities that he brings that really send it over the top as far as my support for him," Goldtooth said.

Red Cloud owns a solar air heating system company and co-manages the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center, which offers green jobs training. He plans to return this month to deliver a mobile solar power plant to the North Dakota protest camp hundreds of miles from the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe member Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun said the protest south of her home in Bismarck, North Dakota, has propelled her Public Service Commission campaign "into insanity."

Hunte-Beaubrun, a Democrat, opposes the Dakota Access project, but she's taken a pragmatic position on pipelines in general, recognizing the role oil production plays in North Dakota's economy.

Still, Hunte-Beaubrun wants to make sure that tribes in North Dakota are represented on the commission, so she's challenging Republican Julie Fedorchak. So far, voters have seemed receptive about her work, said Fedorchak, who was appointed in 2012 and elected in 2014.

"It is 2016, and there is no reason why we shouldn't have a room of speckled people instead of a solid sheet of paper," Hunte-Beaubrun said.

___

Follow James Nord on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Jvnord
Saving for college is important in order to keep your children from facing huge amounts of debt as young adults, and setting up a 529 plan is a great way to take advantage of favorable tax provisions that can make your college savings grow quickly. However, in order to take advantage of 529s, you need to know the basics.

In this clip fromIndustry Focus: Financials, Motley Fool analyst Gaby Lapera and Director of Investment Planning Dan Caplinger discuss 529 plans in great detail, including the pros and cons and requirements for having a 529 plan. As Dan and Gaby describe, the right 529 plan can be a huge asset in your strategy to get your kids through college.

A full transcript follows the video.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.

This podcast was recorded on Aug. 29, 2016.

Gaby Lapera: Let's start with one of the most popular plans that there is out there, which is the 529 plan. These are calledqualified tuition plans legallyby the government. The reason they're called 529 plansby everyone else is because they are governed by section 529in the tax code. Do you wantto tell us a little bit about how those are structured, Dan?Dan Caplinger:Basically, 529 plansare generally offered byinstitutions authorized by each state. There's more than 50 different plans out there. Whatmany people don't realize is,just because your state offers a plan,that doesn't mean you have to stick with that plan. A lot of people go outside of their state to get a plan. Basically,what the 529 plan lets you do is,it lets you contribute to thiseducational account. As a result of that, theinvestment income inside of the 529 doesn't gettaxed along the way. It's tax-deferred, a lot like a 401(k) plan for retirement, except this is going for education. And then,at the end of the day, if you use that 529 plan forqualified educationalexpenses, you don't have to pay any taxes on any of theearnings. So, it's a really good deal for tax savingsin order to help you saveand invest long term for that 18, 19 years thatyou're accumulating money to put your kids through college.Lapera:Just to be clear,contributions are not deductible,but earnings are exempt from federal taxesand a lot of state taxes, that's going to vary from state to state.Caplinger:That'sexactly right. It's not like a 401(k)in the sense that contributions don'tget you an up-front tax break. But what they do get you is, when you make those withdrawalslater on, you're going to be eligible for tax-free treatmentfor those earnings. And you're absolutely right. Some states,if you're a resident of that state,you can get some state income tax benefits as well. Some statesactually do let you deduct yourcontributionor a certain amount of contributionagainst your state income tax,not against your federal tax, though.Lapera:Yeah. Andjust to be clear, this is something that someone was asking me the other day. If you are, say, a resident of Montana, but the Maryland 529 plan looks good to you,you can open one up in Maryland,and your kid can go to school in North Carolina and use it. Itdoesn't really matter where you are,you can still use these plans.Caplinger:Absolutelycorrect. The way that the 529 plan is,it'ssort of misleading and some ways, because those state namesmake it sound like you're going to have to decide when your kid is two years old, "Oh,they'll probably go to school in North Carolina,so I'll get the North Carolina plan." No. They don't want you having to pre-commit. So, the bulk of 529 plans now aretotally portable. They let you use the money forany educational institution, as long as it qualifies as a legitimate college or university, they let you use that in pretty much any way that you see fit,anywhere you want.Lapera:Question for you: Is therea contribution limit on the 529 plans?Caplinger:There arecontribution limits, but they're usually very high. They vary from state to state. In general, you can contribute as much as, generally between $200,000 and $300,000 over the course of all of your savings for one particular child in a given 529 plan. Forpractical purposes,it's virtually unlimitedfor most people,in terms of how much you contribute to a 529. Now, the timing of those contributions does make a difference. There are gift taximplications. So, it's something you should pay attention to in terms of puttingmaximum amounts in on a yearly basis. That can get complicatedin a hurry. But the general rule of thumb is, if you're putting $14,000 or less in a 529 plan in any given year toward any one child, then you're perfectly fine.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
As self-driving cars become less of a sci-fi future and more of an eventuality, many people are starting to consider whether or not they'd be comfortable letting their trusty Volvo take them to the grocery store.

In this segment from theIndustry Focuspodcast,Sean O'Reilly and John Rosevear talk about what it will take for the public at large to embrace autonomous cars, based on patterns we've seen in paradigm-shifting tech innovations from the last few decades.

A full transcript follows the video.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.

This podcast was recorded on Aug. 25, 2016.

Sean O'Reilly: I just returned from visiting my parents in the Midwest. They're actually relatively young, my dad is in his mid-50s. And we're all sitting there at the dinner table, and I said, "Guys, I think this driverless car thing is going to happen in five or ten years. This is going to happen." And my dad just kind of chuckled. He was born in the early '60s, and I don't know if he's just kind of jaded on technological advances or what. But it doesn't seem like the average person still quite knows what's going on with all this. This begs the question: How popular will this be? Because his next thing was, "I would not ride in these things with my family or children. I would be too nervous." And I was like, "Well..."John Rosevear:It's hard for most people to relate to this because they haven't seen it yet. We see these big consulting groups, academics, doing these studies, and they find 68% of people -- I'm making this number up, but it's in the vein of recent stuff that's come up -- said they won't try a self-driving car, or whatever. But this is what happens when really ground-breaking new technology is about to come out.O'Reilly:Ten years ago, people said they'd never...Rosevear:Yeah. And if you had asked in 2002, "Will you carry a computer in your pocket?" And now we all have iPhones or Android phones that are, effectively, computers in your pocket. Especially where safety isinvolved, it'sgoing to take some time. People are going to have to see it, they're going to have to experience it, they're going to have to hear from their friends. "I went to San Francisco and rode in an electric Chevrolet that was self-driving, a Lyft car, and it was totally cool, it stopped at all the lights, it was careful in traffic, all by itself! it was really amazing!" And more of these stories come out, and more stories come out, and then 10 years from now there's a button you can push in your Ford F-150 that will drive you home.O'Reilly:Or come pick me up from work.Rosevear:Yeah! But I think the way this starts in the consumer world is where it's something you can switch on in your car sometimes. And people start to tinker with it and play with it. And they go to a dinner party and maybe have three glasses of wine and probably shouldn't drive home, and say, "Let's let the car drive." And the car gets them home safe and sound, and it's fine. And they think, "Maybe it can drive me to work tomorrow." This is how it'll work. People will play with it. There'll bemuchtalk about it. And eventually, and maybe not all that long from now, it'll be a regular thing. Not every car will have it. But it'll be like an iPhone. It'll betechnologythat we all see and understand, and it's no big deal.

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When New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton leaves headquarters for the last time this month, the retiring 68-year-old lawman immediately takes a place besides Wyatt Earp and Elliott Ness among Americas legendary lawmen.

That sounds like a wild overstatement. But think about it.

Brattons innovative approach to policing has driven the nations crime rate to historic lows; changed the way Americans accept being constantly monitored, even videotaped in public. And it is also true that Brattons aggressive police tactics provoked the emergence of the biggest social justice movements of our time, the Black Lives Matter movement.

Even New York Citys famously liberal mayor, Bill de Blasio  often viewed as a critic of police - recently described Bratton as someone whose contributions to our city and to law enforcement not only here, but across the nation are literally inestimable and extraordinary.

Earlier this year while on a national tour for my new book about the political and cultural innovators who have created modern America, We The People, the most frequent I was asked was this:

Why did you include Bratton among the legends such as Thurgood Marshall, Teddy Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan?

Anyone doubting Brattons tremendous impact needs to take a look at recent history.

In 1994, when former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani installed Bratton as commissioner of the largest police force in the country, the city was losing population, business and tourists because of a rising crime rate.

Using cutting-edge computerized technology, increasing the number of police and using often invasive law enforcement tactics on the streets, Bratton solved the problem and created the model for the modern American policing.

His prime tool was a computerized statistical analysis program called Compstat  short for compare statistics. Bratton identified where crimes occurred, along with the arrests that were made. We mapped arrest and patrol activity and compared crime incidents with police response, Bratton and former assistant William Andrews wrote in a 1999 article for City Journal. If the two didnt match up, you knew you were doing something wrong.

It has worked so well that virtually all major America cities, many with police forces now led by Bratton proteges, have copied the New York model and succeeded in driving down crime rates.

As Compstat moved across America, so did Bratton: working in the private sector and serving for seven years as LAs Chief of Police before returning to New York in 2014 as Commissioner under de Blasio.

The big cultural change driven by Brattons approach is the public acceptance of police presence and constant police technology in a nation founded with a high value on privacy and liberty.

Bratton-style policing in the name of Security has won the battle between freedom and security that Benjamin Franklin and other Founding Fathers famously outlined in the run-up to the American Revolution. Security won out because it had Bill Bratton on its side.

His policing techniques would have probably shocked Franklin and Washington and Jefferson and Hamilton.

For example, in the Bratton mold, cities around the country today use a program called Shotspotter, a network of sound sensors that can locate gunfire even when there are no eyewitnesses.

Then there are the cameras. They are everywhere and accepted as tools to stop red light runners and protect high crime areas. There are 4,500 surveillance cameras in the New York City subway system. There are the 30,000 surveillance cameras set up throughout public schools where I live in the Washington, D.C. area, according to NBC.

Just this winter Brattons NYPD unveiled Compstat 2.0, a program that allows civilians to determine the frequency, date, time, and location of various types of crime in New York City. More departments also have access to facial recognition technology allowing them to search out suspects among citizens as they walk the street.

It is due to programs like these that, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, in 2013 the nations violent crime rate was the lowest it had been in forty-three years. In the 21 years from 1993 to 2014 there has been nearly a 50 percent drop in the rate of gun homicides in the U.S., according to Pew.

Bratton began his police career in Boston.

I always wanted to be a police officer, Bratton wrote in his 1998 autobiography.

After serving as a soldier in Vietnam, Bratton had no time for 1960s counter-culture: When it became fashionable to be anti, I never bought into that  I believed in order and conformity.

It was that hard-edged, no-nonsense approach to law enforcement that made Bratton such an attractive choice to fulfill Giulianis mandate to restore law and order.

Between 1965 and 1990, New Yorks violent crime and murder rates more than tripled. The police felt overwhelmed, reacting to one emergency or crisis after another. The NYPD gathered data on crime before the Bratton era. But it could be several months before the data was assembled and put to use.

People of good will can have honest disagreement about whether the ends justified the means in the Bratton-era of law enforcement. However, there is no disagreement that this kind of police power is a far cry from the world imagined by our Founding Fathers.

When it came to policing, early Americans were relatively lax. There were constables to punish criminals and serve warrants. There were night watches to patrol the streets. But police departments as we know them didnt appear until the mid-19th century.

Additionally, with memories of British officials arbitrarily searching their homes, the newly independent Americans were wary of any type of government surveillance. Thus they passed the 4th Amendment, securing the right of the people  against unreasonable searches and seizures. Benjamin Franklin once argued: Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.

But I would wager that the nations original Founders would be impressed to hear that, due to Brattons innovative techniques, between 1990 and 2000 New Yorks violent crime rate was more than cut in half.

There are current alarms over violent crime. In March national crime surveys found that twenty US cities exceeded the number of murders committed in the first three months of 2015.

In reality, most of the current violent crime is in specific neighborhoods, often poor, black and Hispanic and connected to gangs and drugs.

In fact, the nationwide violent crime rate has decreased during all but three years between 2002 and 2014. Violent crime dropped by 26 percent in those years, the murder rate fell by 20 percent, and the robbery rate dropped by 30 percent.

As Bratton leaves public office we can argue about his legacy but there is no argument that he already has a place in Americas history books.
The Hillary Clinton campaign moved Saturday to further distance itself from the re-ignited controversy about President Obamas birthplace and long-time Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal, saying neither Clinton nor the 2008 campaign ever questioned the presidents citizenship.

Donald Trump, Clintons Republican presidential rival, revived the so-called birther issue earlier this week when he declined to say definitively whether Obama is a U.S. citizen.

The controversy gained momentum Friday when former McClatchy D.C. bureau chief James Asher tweeted that Blumenthal told me in person that Obama was born in Kenya.

On Saturday, 2016 Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon told Fox News: "As multiple, independent fact checkers have affirmed in the years since, neither the 2008 campaign nor the candidate ever questioned the president's citizenship or birth certificate."

The Clinton campaign on Friday made a similar effort to deny accusations about spreading the birth issue in 2008 -- when Clinton was in a hard-fought race with Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Blumenthal of Saturday told Fox News that he didnt tell McClatchy that Obama was born in Kenya.

This is false. Never happened, he said. Period. Donald Trump cannot distract from the inescapable fact that he is the one who embraced and promoted the racist birther lie and bears the responsibility for it.

Trump, a leader in the call for Obama to finally make public a copy of his Hawaii birth certificate, said on Friday the issue is over and called for the campaigns to move on with substantive issues.

Still, he blamed Clinton for starting the controversy.

Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it, Trump said in Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period. Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again.

Blumenthal has been a Clinton supporter since Bill Clinton, Hillarys husband, was president from 1993 to 2001.

However, his apparent efforts to influence Clinton and perhaps earn a top post in her or Obamas administration has emerged as a liability for Clinton -- who is now in a neck-and-neck race with Trump.

Thousands of emails that the federal government released from Clintons private server while she was secretary of state show Blumenthal offered intelligence and guidance about Libya, where Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in 2012 at a U.S. outpost in Benghazi.

And Obama administration officials, in fact, kept Blumenthal from earning a State Department post when Clinton was secretary, as a result of Blumenthals efforts during the 2008 primary.

In 2011, Obama made public documents that state he was born at 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1961, at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu. It is signed by the delivery doctor, Obama's mother and the local registrar.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
With Hillary Clinton's lead in the polls over Donald Trump all but gone, her campaign is pushing prominent Democrats, including former primary rival Bernie Sanders, into the field in an effort to lock up the youth vote for the Democratic nominee.

The effort began in earnest Friday, when first lady Michelle Obama addressed a rally at George Mason University in northern Virginia. She warned young voters against being "tired or turned off," and urged them to rally around Clinton, "particularly given the alternative."

Despite the first lady's efforts, the Wall Street Journal reported some members of the crowd could be heard chanting "Four more years!"

Clinton led most national polls by double digits in the days following the Democratic convention, but most recent polls have the race in a statistical dead heat. Much of that can be attributed to a drop in her support among young people.

In a Fox News poll taken in early August, days after the convention, Clinton led Trump by 27 points among voters under 35. In the most recent Fox News poll, Clinton led Trump by just five points among likely voters under 35.

Many of the voters who once backed Clinton appear to have thrown their support to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. In the recent Fox News poll, Johnson only garnered the support of 8 percent of all likely voters. However, Johnson polled at 16 percent among under-35s.

Sanders, who mounted a surprisingly strong primary challenge to Clinton with the help of overwhelming youth support, was scheduled to speak on Clinton's behalf at two Ohio colleges Saturday. A recent CNN/ORC poll showed Trump with a five-point lead over Clinton in the Buckeye State.

"I can criticize Hillary Clinton for this, that, and the other thing," Sanders told CNN Friday. "Trump literally changes his views every other day."

The self-described democratic socialist went on to call the real estate mogul "a fraud and a phony" who was running a "campaign of bigotry."

Clinton pollster and adviser Joel Benenson admitted to the Journal Friday that the campaign "closed the deal" with young voters. Another Clinton campaign official said they planned to stress a message that a vote for a third-party candidate like Johnson or Jill Stein of the Green Party was in effect a vote for Trump.

But other Clinton supporters believe the best advocate may be Michelle Obama, whom they want in battleground states as much as possible between now and Election Day.

Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director and a former Obama adviser, called the first lady "an advocate without peer."

"There is no other surrogate with the reach, credibility and respect she has," Palmieri said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump revived another campaign controversy Friday night, sarcastically calling for Hillary Clinton's Secret Service agents to be stripped of their firearms before adding, "let's see what happens to her."

"I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right?" Trump asked the crowd at a Miami rally. "Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Take their  and let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK, it would be very dangerous."



There was no immediate comment or clarification from the Trump campaign about the remarks. However, the Clinton campaign had a quick reaction. Spokesman Robby Mook released a statement Friday night saying Trump "has a pattern of inciting people to violence. Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief.

"This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate," Mook wrote.

A spokeswoman for the Secret Service declined to comment.

The riff recalled a remark Trump made last month that many Democrats condemned as a call for Clinton's assassination. Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, the Republican nominee said his opponent wants to "abolish, essentially, the Second Amendment."

He continued: "By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know."

Mook said then, "A person seeking to be the president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way."

Trump later disputed that criticism, saying everyone in his audience knew he was referring to the power of voters and "there can be no other interpretation."

Trump, who has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, eventually took to Twitter to say the Secret Service had not contacted him about the remarks.

While campaigning in South Florida, which has a large Cuban-American population, Trump also said that if he's elected president, he will reverse Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba  unless the country abides by certain "demands." Among those, he said, would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of all political prisoners.

Trump says he'll "stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression."

The comment marks yet another reversal for the GOP candidate, who previously said he supported the idea of normalized relations, but wished the U.S. had negotiated a better deal.

Trump also said the U.S. has a broader obligation to stand with oppressed people  a comment that seems at odds with his "America first" mantra. "The next president of the United States must stand in solidarity with all people oppressed in our hemisphere, and we will stand with oppressed people, and there are many," he said.

He added that the people of Venezuela "are yearning to be free, they are yearning for help. The system is bad. But the people are great."

Trump has often cited the country as a model of a failed state, warning that if Clinton is elected, she'll turn the U.S. into Venezuela.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is playing the role of Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine in debate preps for Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence, Fox News confirmed Saturday.

A source for the Trump-Pence campaign said Walker has been and will be portraying Kaine, the senator from Virginia, in upcoming mock debates.

The source also said Pence, the governor of Indiana, has thus far participated in one mock debate.

The lone, vice-presidential debate of the 2016 campaign is scheduled for Oct. 4.

Walker and Pence are political allies. Walker has heaped praise on his fellow governor while being more reluctant to praise Trump.

Walker briefly ran for president but dropped out of the race last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two police officers have been shot and wounded while answering a reported suicide at a house in Fort Worth, Texas.

The shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. Friday. Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Marc Povero said officers arriving at the house found a man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head.

The officers were told a witness was in a backyard shed. Povero said the officers were shot after opening the shed door. Police returned fire.

EMS spokesman Mat Zavadsky says the officers' wounds didn't appear to be life-threatening. However, Povero says one officer is in critical condition after being shot in the "upper torso and extremities." The other officer was saved from serious injury by body armor.

Povero says the shooter's fate is still unknown.
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A man charged with killing two nuns confessed to investigators that he went into their home, struggled with them, stabbed them to death and stole their car, a state law enforcement agent testified Friday.

Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, is charged with capital murder in the slayings of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both 68. Their bodies were found Aug. 25 after they failed to show up at the health clinic where they worked as nurse practitioners in one of the poorest counties in the nation.

Sanders was arrested Aug. 26. Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, he sat quietly by his defense attorney Friday as Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agent LeCarus Oliver testified just a few feet away.

Oliver said Sanders had been staying in a shed across the street from the sisters' home for three days before the slayings. He testified that he was not in the room when Sanders confessed, but Sanders' questioning by other investigators was captured on an audio recording.

"He did acknowledge killing Paula Merrill and Margaret Held," Oliver testified.

Sanders told investigators that he went through the back door of the sisters' home, uninvited. Sanders said Merrill saw him first before a struggle took place with both women, Oliver testified.

Oliver also said Sanders told officers that after stabbing the women, "He washed himself up because his hands were sticky."

One of Sanders' defense attorneys, Richard Carter III of Kosciusko, asked Oliver if Sanders had revealed a motive for the alleged crime. Oliver said he had not.

Friday's hearing was to determine whether there is enough evidence against Sanders to send the case to a grand jury, which will consider indictment. Durant Municipal Judge Jim Arnold ruled there is, and he denied Carter's request that bond be set. Sanders has been jailed since his arrest on two counts of capital murder, one count of burglary and one count of grand larceny. Arnold also denied bond for Sanders on Aug. 29.

Oliver testified that a knife was recovered from the shed where Sanders had been staying, and it is among items being tested at the state Crime Lab. He also testified that the nuns' partially clothed bodies were found in the hallway of the home. He said the crime could have occurred late Aug. 24 or early Aug. 25.

Rape kits are pending at the Crime Lab, Oliver said. Sanders has not been charged with rape, however.

The nuns' relatives and colleagues have said they oppose the death penalty, including for Sanders. Holmes County District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver said outside court Friday that she had not decided whether to pursue it.

Under Mississippi law, capital murder is a killing that occurs with at least one other felony, and it is punishable by lethal injection or life in prison.

The nuns' funerals were Sept. 2. Merrill was buried in Kentucky, where she belonged to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Held was buried in Wisconsin, where she was a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee.

____

Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus
A judge has declared a mistrial over whether a German man was sane when he set dozens of fires across Los Angeles during three nights of terror nearly five years ago.

Jurors deadlocked Friday in the sanity phase of Harry Burkhart's trial.

The same jury previously found the former Frankfurt resident guilty of nearly 50 arson counts for fires he set around New Year's 2012.

Prosecutors say Burkhart burned cars and homes to avenge his mother's extradition to Germany on fraud charges. They say the 29-year-old threatened to "roast America" and would have continued if he hadn't been caught.

No one was seriously injured during the fires that caused an estimated $3 million in damage, but the blazes ignited widespread fear.

Burkhart's attorney argued his client was seriously mentally ill.
The man who went on a deadly shooting rampage in Philadelphia after he shot an officer in an ambush had 16 prior arrests and left at the scene a rambling note expressing hatred for cops, according to reports Saturday.

Philadelphia police said Nicholas Glenn, 25, was armed with a 9mm Ruger semi-automatic handgun when he killed one person and wounded five others, including two police officers, overnight Friday. He was shot and killed by cops in an alley shootout.

Obviously, he was hell-bent on hurting a lot of people, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Saturday afternoon.

Fox 29 Philadelphia said Glenn had been arrested 16 times in the past. Ross would only say that Glenn was well-known to police.

Ross said Glenns note was found at the scene in an envelope addressed Doomed People.

The commissioner said the note was barely lucid and ranted about a probation officer by name and the police department.

"This rambling suggests that he clearly was trying to target a police officer, as he did ... so it just kind of makes it very clear to us what he was out there to do," he said earlier Saturday.

Ross said police believe no one else was involved in the shooting which he described as completely bizarre. He said there was no indication Glenn had become radicalized.

The shooting happened at around 11:20 p.m. in West Philadelphia, a few blocks from the University of Pennsylvania campus.

Fox 29 reported that Glenn fired 18 times into a car assigned to Sgt. Sylvia Young, a 19-year veteran of the force.

Police said Glenn walked up to the officer and opened fire without saying a word. Young was hit eight times and some of the shots were deflected by her bulletproof vest. Two rounds hit her weapon, disabling it.



Ross said Glenn was trying to assassinate Young and that it was "absolutely miraculous" that she survived.

The commissioner said Glenn then fired five shots into a bar. He hit a security guard in the leg and then grabbed a woman and used her as a human shield before shooting her in the leg.

As police gave chase, Ross said Glenn then fired 14 times into a car, striking a man and woman in the chest. The woman, 25, was hit seven times and was pronounced dead just before 2 a.m. Saturday.

Two police officers and 56-year-old Eddie Miller, a retired cop who is part of the University of Pennsylvania police force chased Glenn into an alley, where he was shot and killed. Miller was wounded.

Miller and Young, 46, were in stable condition. Miller was shot in the pelvis and right ankle.

Shes in good spirits given what shes been through, he said of Officer Young.

Friday's shooting was the second ambush of a Philadelphia police officer this year. In January, 30-year-old Edward Archer shot Officer Jesse Hartnett multiple times as Hartnett sat in his squad car.

Archer told investigators he "acted in the name of Islam" and "pledges his allegiance to [ISIS]", authorities said at the time.

Ross said that like Officer Hartnett, Young had to pretty much lean over in the passenger seat to try to shield herself from as many rounds as possible.

"This is a dangerous job, it always has been," Ross said Saturday, "[but] this is a tough time in policing for a lot of reasons."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox29.com.
The U.S. Forest Service is apologizing after it ripped up a portion of the Trail of Tears in the Appalachian Mountains. The damage has reopened wounds for Native Americans who consider the land sacred.

The agency acknowledges that an employee approved construction along a -mile section of the trail without authorization.

The damaged trail lies on the edge of Tennessee's Cherokee National Forest near Fort Armistead. That's one of the stops where Cherokees were held during their forced migration West in the 1830s, a trip that killed thousands.

The Forest Service purchased the land in 2014 to protect it for future generations. The agency is now working with several tribes to determine how to repair the damage. It also is halting all projects near the trail in a four-state region.
A 24-year-old man burst into tears Friday when he met for the first time the Ohio police officer who saved him from drowning nearly 20 years ago.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Christopher Jones surprised Columbus officer James Poole when he tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he remembered him.

About 1997, you pulled a 5-year-old out of a swimming pool, saved his life, Jones said.

Wow, Poole said as they embraced.

I never thought that something I would do 19, 20 years later would come back, and somebody would thank me, the 43-year-old Poole told the paper.

Jones said he had been underwater for a longtime when Poole rescued him from the bottom of a Columbus swimming pool. Poole was a rookie cop in 1997.

The reunion took place after Jones saw a photo of Poole on Columbus Police Departments Facebook last month.

Jones left a comment that said, I think thats the Officer Poole who saved my life.

At the reunion, Poole met Jones young daughter.

Because of you, Im still here, Jones told him. Because of you this little five-year-old girl is still here.
Two Fort Worth, Texas police officers were shot Friday while responding to a reported suicide attempt.

Police were called to a home at around 8:30 p.m. local time. Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Marc Povero said officers arriving at the house found a man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head.



Officers were told a witness was in a backyard shed. Povero said officers were fired upon as they approached the shed. Officers returned fire.

After a standoff, police entered the shed and found the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said that one of the officers was shot multiple times in the upper torso and arm and was in recovering from surgery at a local hospital. The second officer, who was wearing a bulletproff vest, received minor injuries and was expected to be released from the hospital.

Friday's shooting occurred a little more than two months after five Dallas police officers were killed by a sniper's ambush during a downtown protest.

Police say there had been at least three previous domestic violence calls between a father and a son at the home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox4News.com.


Iran's atomic agency is denying that the European Union has demanded full details of its manufacture of centrifuge parts.

A Saturday report on the Iranian state TV website quotes agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying, "We have not received such a demand through official sources."

The Associated Press reported Friday that the EU is demanding that Iran share with the U.N. full details of its manufacture of parts for machines that could be used to make the core of nuclear weapons. The draft statement seen by the AP will be delivered next week at a board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Kamalvandi called the report baseless and said, "The Associated Press has resorted to such news fabrication about Iran's nuclear industry in the past too."
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The governor of Iraq's western Anbar province says families have begun returning to Fallujah three months after the city was declared fully liberated from the Islamic State group.

Suhaib al-Rawi says 40 families were cleared to return after they passed background checks and their neighborhoods were deemed safe.

Fallujah was declared "fully liberated" in late June after a monthlong operation by Iraqi forces aided with U.S.-led airstrikes. Fallujah had been the first Iraqi city to fall to IS, in January 2014.

The nearby city of Ramadi was also retaken from IS earlier this year, but is largely uninhabitable due to destruction caused by the fighting and explosives left by IS.

IS still controls the northern city of Mosul, Iraq's second largest. Iraqi leaders hope to take it back this year.
The Obama administration expressed its "regret" Saturday for an airstrike that mistakenly killed Syrian forces, a senior administration official told Fox News, as the U.S. awaited a response from the Assad regime.

The U.S. military halted its air raid against the Islamic State terror group in eastern Syria after learning it struck the Syrian military, a U.S. Central Command official confirmed. The CENTCOM official said the U.S. military was "certain" about the outcome of the strike. Officials had been watching these forces "for a few days" thinking they were ISIS.

"The United States has relayed our regret through the Russian Federation for the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces," the administration official said. It marked the first known direct American strike on President Bashar Assad's forces.

Still, Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, lashed out at Russia for requesting an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Saturday night, calling the request a "stunt." She said the Russians had blood on their hands after their own attacks in Syria, adding, "They're calling this emergency meeting? Really?"

The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Saturday night at Russia's request to discuss the strike.

Syria and Russia said the U.S.-led coalition had struck a Syrian military base in Deir el-Zour that was surrounded by ISIS fighters, enabling them to advance. There were "no objections" from the Russians ahead of the airstrike, according to a senior defense official.

The CENTCOM official described the target as "irregular forces," adding that multiple U.S. aircraft struck six military "troop carrier" vehicles and one tank which were "out in the open." The U.S. military informed Russian counterparts before the strike but "did not share specifics" of the target, just the airspace and general area.

A Russian Defense Ministry official said Syria has informed them that 62 of its soldiers were killed in the airstrike. Russia has been waging a year-old air campaign on behalf of Assad's forces and closely coordinates with them.

In June, the Russians bombed a U.S.-backed rebel camp in southern Syria used by CIA-trained fighters. After the Russians bombed the camp in al-Tanf, American officials called the Russians on a special hotline and told them to stop bombing. But instead of halting their attacks, the Russians sent in another group of attack aircraft to bomb again, ignoring the American request to stop.

The CENTCOM statement read, "the airstrike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military."

It added, "coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit."

Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the airstrike was conducted by two F-16s and two A-10s.

Konashenkov said Syrian authorities reported another 100 people wounded. The planes came from the direction of the border with Iraq, he added.

He said ISIS militants surrounding the air base launched an attack on the Syrian army positions after the strike. He added that if the coalition attack was launched by mistake, the reason for it was a "stubborn reluctance by the American side to coordinate its action against terrorist groups in Syria with Russia."

ISIS has repeatedly attacked the government-held air base, which is an isolated enclave deep in extremist-held territory. The Syrian military said the airstrikes enabled an ISIS advance on a hill overlooking the air base.

It called the strike a "serious and blatant attack on Syria and its military," and "firm proof of the U.S. support of Daesh and other terrorist groups," using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. President Bashar Assad's government views all those fighting against it as "terrorists," and has long accused the U.S. and other rebel supporters of backing extremists.

The U.S.-led coalition has carried out thousands of airstrikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq over the past two years, allowing allied forces on the ground to liberate several towns and cities from the extremist group. Russia also carries out attacks against ISIS targets, in Deir el-Zour and other parts of Syria.

The cease-fire took effect on Monday, and despite reports of violations, it has largely held. However, aid convoys have been unable to enter rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo -- a key component of the deal.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the U.S. commitment to the fragile cease-fire, suggesting that Washington wasn't prepared to break with "terrorist elements" battling Assad's forces.

Russia has accused Washington of failing to rein in the rebels, and on Saturday Putin asked why the United States has insisted on not releasing a written copy of the agreement. Officials have provided details of the agreement in press conferences, but have not released an official document, fueling suspicions on both sides.

"This comes from the problems the U.S. is facing on the Syrian track -- they still cannot separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from the half-criminal and terrorist elements," Putin said during a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

"In my opinion, this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad. But this is a very dangerous route."

He appeared to be referring to the Fatah al-Sham Front, an Al Qaeda-linked group previously known as the Nusra Front, which is deeply embedded in rebel-held areas and fights alongside more moderate groups.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Putin's remarks during a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Lavrov noted the "refusal by an array of illegal armed groups to join the cease-fire," and Washington's obligation to "separate units of the moderate opposition from terrorist groupings," according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Under the cease-fire agreement, the U.S. and Russia would work together to target the Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as the Islamic State group, while Assad's forces refrain from striking opposition-held areas.

But Washington has warned Russia that unless aid is delivered to Aleppo, it will not move ahead with the formation of the joint coordination center.

The U.N. has accused Assad's government of obstructing aid access to the contested city. The Russian military says insurgents have held up the delivery by firing on government positions along the main route leading into besieged, rebel-held districts, in violation of the cease-fire.

The Syrian government said it has done all that is necessary to facilitate the entry of aid convoys to Aleppo, but that armed groups have failed to withdraw from the supply routes and are committing "dangerous, provocative acts."

Russia's military said Syrian rebels violated the cease-fire dozens of times over the past day, including with strikes on military and civilian targets in Aleppo.

The Interfax news agency quoted Col. Sergei Kopytsin as saying Saturday that mortar fire and homemade rockets struck Aleppo 26 times. Russian news agencies cited another official, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Savchenko, as saying there had been 55 violations throughout the country. Syria's state news agency SANA said insurgents have violated the cease-fire 12 times in the last 12 hours. No casualties were reported.

Syrian activists said government forces have meanwhile killed five civilians. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a woman and child were killed Saturday in Talbiseh, in the central Homs province. It says two men were killed outside Damascus and a child was killed in Aleppo province.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced half the country's population since March 2011.

Fox News' Kelly Chernenkoff, Lucas Tomlinson, Jonathan Wachtel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
My Law Dictionary Expands Second Edition with over 60,000 Legal Terms

Site is perfect for law students, lawyers, bank employees and everyday people researching legal matters - says MyLawDictionary.org

--

The average cost of hiring a lawyer is difficult to compute, with pricing ranging from $50/hour upwards to thousands of dollars per hour. With this in mind, it's no surprise that experts state the primary reason most people never seek legal help in a number of situations is the high cost of hiring an an attorney. To combat this problem and assist the average person, https://mylawdictionary.org was launched, expanding its dictionary to include over 60,000 legal terms in its second edition.

Spokesperson Flynn Simons explains, "This resource features free content and definitions from Black's Law Dictionary, the trusted legal dictionary of law definitions and terms for over 110 years. My Law Dictionary (https://mylawdictionary.org) offers a comprehensive library of articles and legal terms to help those not educated in legal terminology make sense of contracts, insurance claims, or create a variance before a zoning board. These all are issues which could send you scrambling for an attorney's help, racking up a sizable bill, but with the help of our website, could be done on your own."

While the site makes no claim of being a substitute for the help of an attorney, it does offer plenty of assistance, even to law students themselves. Says Simons, "We offer legal definitions that are perfect for law students, practicing lawyers, bank employees, truly anyone dealing with legal matters. And, you just never know when you're going to come up with a situation that requires something like this. Perhaps you're starting a new business or merging your existing business with another one; our dictionary at http://mylawdictionary.org can help you review the contracts and make sure you're familiar with all the terminology."

The dictionary, found at https://mylawdictionary.org/legal-articles/, is free to the public to use, offers an easy to use format, as well as a number of links to legal resources. Explains Simons, "We want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get the help they need, short of actually going to an attorney. We don't claim to replace the advice of legal counsel, but, we do offer a number avenues for anyone to pursue prior to actually making an appointment with a lawyer. This way, if you do have to make an appointment with an attorney to have your child custody changed or to file for bankruptcy, you're prepared. You know what you're talking about, and more importantly, you know what they're talking about."

About My Law Dictionary:

MyLawDictionary.org features free content and definitions from Black's Law Dictionary, the trusted legal dictionary of law definitions and terms for over 110 years. The 2nd edition has over 60,000 legal terms.

For more information, please visit http://mylawdictionary.org

Contact Info:

Name: Flynn Simons

Organization: https://mylawdictionary.org/contact-us/



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Alo House Recovery Centers Introduces Innovative Approach To Addiction Treatment

The facility is choosing to be a leader in compassionate care rather than following the traditional path to recovery, reports www.alorecovery.com.

--

Alo House Recovery Centers, a premier Malibu-based drug and alcohol addiction recovery program, has recently announced the introduction of their innovative approach to treatment. While many facilities continue to follow the now-famous 12-Step recovery model, Alo House has chosen to instead adopt a more compassionate approach based on building trust and making meaningful connections. Those interested in Alo House's programs can find more information about this approach at their website.

Evan Haines, a representative of Alo House Recovery Centers, stated "While we recognize the efficacy of 12-step programs, it's important to note that even Bill Wilson, who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, believed that there are many paths to addiction recovery. It is with that idea in mind that Alo House has chosen a different approach. Rather than focus on abstinence and compulsion, we instead choose to use a process that is more individualized, compassionate, and holistic. We find that we get much better results by encouraging and empowering our clients rather than confronting or coercing them."

As part of the Alo House Manifesto, the program's staff members strive to allow every client to maintain their dignity as they progress through the recovery program. Recognizing that there is more than one path to recovery, the facility provides multiple levels of care to individuals and families struggling with addiction. Alo House runs inpatient, outpatient, and transitional living facilities under one umbrella, which ensures that their recovery treatment programs are affordable and accessible to those who need them most.

As Haines continued, "Every member of our team here at Alo House Recovery Centers is dedicated to providing addiction recovery programs that focus on treating real people and helping them build a successful future. While we employ a number of innovative therapeutic modalities, all are carried out with the mission of building trust and confidence with the client. We find that by zeroing in on compassion and getting to the root of the issue, we are able to better help clients gain greater mastery of their lives and find true and lasting success."

Those who are in need of addiction treatment or would like to read Alo House Recovery Centers' manifesto can log on to their website at alorecovery.com for more information.

About Alo House Recovery Centers:

As leaders in the compassionate care model, Alo House Recovery Centers provides innovative and effective treatment for addiction. Their team believes that trust, meaningful connections and kindness are the essentials to beginning a journey in recovery. With decades of combined experience and expertise working with those who suffer from addiction, they are dedicated to providing an honest, authentic, and genuine treatment environment that gives their clients a unique, highly personal opportunity for healing in Malibu, California.

For more information, please visit http://www.alorecovery.com

Contact Info:

Name: Evan Haines

Organization: Alo House Recovery Centers

Phone: (888) 595-0235

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/alo-house-recovery-centers-introduces-innovative-approach-to-addiction-treatment/133144

Release ID: 133144

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Law And Order': SVU Season 18 News & Update:Premiere Date In Trouble, Mariska Hargitay Is Proud To Have US Vice President Biden?

"Law and Order Special Victims Unit" Season 18 starring the veteran Mariska Hargitay is now ready for screening on September 21, 2016. Fans, eager to see their favourite casts, will be treated to a "jam packed" action premier with the guest appearance of US Vice President Joe Biden.

Despite the rumors that have surfaced regarding the air date being cancelled or move, there is no affirmative details for its genuenity. Moreover, "Law and Order Special Victims Unit" Season 18 promises to convey action packed scenes that will outpace its previouse seasons.



"Law and Order SVU" Season 18, the longest running hit series comes with a fresh start with Olivia Benson on the center of the show. According to Vinereport, the elite Special Victim Unit will experience "tough times", including the tough lieutenant herself.

"Law and Order SVU" Season 18, after the long wait opens with Lieutenant Benson battling over the loss of Mike Dodds (Andy Karl) in the last season. The opening of season 18 titled "Terrorized" will showcase the team coming into action to prevent "mass killings" Christiantoday reported.

When someone doesn't know that #SVU returns September 21. pic.twitter.com/TdmII9SZWk  Law and Order: SVU (@nbcsvu) September 16, 2016

The premier showing of "Law and Order SVU" Season 18 depicts the story of a young boy searching for his parents around New York's Central Park . The story leads to the underlying motives of the case that will be the core of the series.

No less than the US Vice President Joe Biden, Hargitay's friend will appear as a guest star on "Law and Order SVU" Season 18. The second episode, titled "Making a Rapist" will feature the Vice president himself, which caught Finn off guard. According to same report, Hargitay who is playing as Benson expressed her gratitude to her friend's support on her campaign against domestic violence.

For the million viewers, the long wait is over. It is time to celebrate the big day of the opening of the series of "Law and Order SVU" season 18. The longest hit drama on TV is set to return on September 21, 2016.
Kate Middleton Pregnancy Update: Queen Elizabeth Forced Pregnant Wife of Prince William to Work? Her Majesty Not Happy With Baby News?

Kate Middleton is said to be already carrying her third baby with Prince William. Now, new reports are claiming that Queen Elizabeth has demanded the mother of Prince George and Princess Charlotte to get back to work despite her pregnancy.

Kate Middleton Pregnancy Update: Queen Elizabeth Forced Pregnant Wife of Prince William to Work? Her Majesty Wants Couple To Be Next King and Queen?

Celeb Dirty Laundry reports that Queen Elizabeth has demanded Kate Middleton to get back to work as soon as possible. Sources have claimed that the wife of Prince William started to skip work amid pregnancy reports.

News about Kate Middleton and Prince William expecting their third baby hit headlines after countless fans have noticed the Duchess of Cambridge's growing baby bump. According to reports, the mother of Prince George and Prince Charlotte has also gained so much weight, which added fuel to the pregnancy rumors.

Several fans believe that Kate Middleton and Prince William are now ready to have another baby as they are really excited to grow their family. However, it seems lie Queen Elizabeth is not happy about it, at all.

Insiders have claimed that Queen Elizabeth does not like the idea that Kate Middleton and Prince William are using pregnancy as their excuse to skip from their Royal duties. Labeled as the laziest couple in the history of British monarchy, several personalities have already slammed that Duke and Duchess of Cambridge due to their laid back and very relaxed lifestyle.

Queen Elizabeth, reportedly, wants to change the public's perception towards Kate Middleton and Prince William as they are inheriting the throne one day. However, with all their "lazy way of living and commoner ways," it seems like the parents of Prince George and Princess Charlotte are not interested to please the public as of yet.

Kate Middleton Pregnancy Update: Prince William, Pippa Middleton's Sister Expecting Third Royal Baby in December?

Meanwhile, GamenGuide has previously reported that Kate Middleton and Prince William are expecting their third bundle of joy to arrive in December. Sources have claimed that the third Royal baby is underway and everyone but Queen Elizabeth is happy about it.

Both Kate Middleton and Prince William are yet to comment on these reports. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for the latest news and updates on the alleged Kate Middleton pregnancy!
Health officials said the local coronavirus outlook remained stable this week, though they continued to warn against a potential winter surge.
Final action on a plan for a cold weather mens shelter will be discussed at Mondays 6:30 p.m. Corvallis City Council meeting at the downtown fire station, 400 N.W. Harrison Blvd.

Councilors gave tentative approval to a plan by Corvallis Housing First at the Sept. 6 meeting, which lasted five-and-a-half hours, but the group was asked to come back to a second session to answer questions about its proposal.

The shelter at 530 S.W. Fourth St. is scheduled to open Nov. 1.

Councilors also are scheduled to deliberate on a comprehensive plan amendment that, if approved, would allow the Pastega family to change the zoning of land it owns off of Northeast Walnut Boulevard and open the way for residential uses.

Councilors also will hold an executive session at 5:30 p.m. at which the performance of the city attorneys office and Municipal Judge Chris Dunfield will be discussed.

The main council session will include a community comments segment in which the public can testify on any subject except the Pastega project (the record was closed on that application after a Sept. 6 public hearing). Residents also can submit testimony on any topic in advance at www.corvallisoregon.gov/publicinput.

In other public meetings:

Monday

 The Philomath Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 980 Applegate St. Commissioners are scheduled to act on an application to change the zoning of property at 1365 Houser Lane from industrial to high-density residential.

Tuesday

 The Corvallis City Council holds a work session at 3:30 p.m. at the Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave. Councilors are scheduled to discuss the Kings Boulevard extension, comp plan amendments required to address Oregon State University development and growth as well as the annual report of the Community Relations Advisory Group.

The council cannot make a decision at a work session, but public testimony will be taken at the end of the meeting on agenda items other than the comp plan amwendments. Residents can submit testimony in advance at www.corvallisoregon.gov/publicinput.

 A meeting to discuss plans to remodel and expand the Chintimini Senior and Community Center is at 5:30 p.m. at the center, 2601 N.W Tyler Ave.

Wednesday

 The Corvallis Housing and Community Development Advisory Board meets at 11:30 a.m. at the downtown fire station.

 The Corvallis Arts and Culture Advisory Board meets at 5:30 p.m. at the Parks and Recreation Department, 1310 S.W. Avery Park Drive.

 The Corvallis Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. at the downtown fire station and will hold a public hearing on incorporating the 2013 airport into the comprehensive plan as a supporting document.

 The League of Women Voters is hosting a forum on climate justice from 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. Speakers scheduled are Allison Davis-White Eyes, director of diversity and cultural engagement at Oregon State University and Robert Figueroa, associate professor of philosophy at OSU. The speakers will discuss the ethical and political issues associated with climate change.
If someone writes Islam kills, kill Islam on an Oregon State University sidewalk, what should be done? Is such a statement protected speech? How should the university react?

Those were among the questions asked and discussed Friday at a university forum on free speech and academic freedom. The event, scheduled to honor the 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution, drew a standing-room-only crowd of 50 people, mostly students, to a meeting room in the Memorial Union.

Sami Al-AbdRabbuh, an OSU doctoral student and Progressive Party candidate for the Oregon House in District 16, brought up the sidewalk question, and it proved to be a good model from which to build a discussion.

The fact that speech sometimes makes people unhappy  thats precisely the sort of thing that makes free speech rights necessary, said Andrew Valls, OSU associate professor of political science and one of four panelists at the event.

Kill all Muslims would be protected speech, said Joseph Orosco, OSU associate professor of philosophy, another of the panelists.

There has to be a specific, immediate threat, Orosco said. Vague threats about undefined action at an undefined time ... thats protected speech.

The university still would have to take action and investigate, said Susie Brubaker-Cole, vice provost for students affairs. Brubaker-Cole also used her forum speaking slot to unveil a new university policy on freedom of expression (see information box for link).

Brubaker-Cole and Rebecca Gose, OSUs general counsel and the fourth panel member, both mentioned the importance of counter speech as a response to offensive  but protected  speech.

Where universities get in trouble, Gose said, is by shutting down speech or putting their heads in the sand. Counter speech is our best tool.

The best response to hateful speech is more speech, but counter speech and not violence, Brubaker-Cole added, noting an item in the new policy that reads the university may exercise its own right to speak out against speech that runs counter to OSUs commitment to inclusive and equitable education opportunity.

Brubaker-Cole and Gose emphasized that free speech rights change when one is speaking on behalf of the university.

You cant talk as an employee the way you can on a street corner, Brubaker-Cole said.

Orosco, who is president of OSUs chapter of the American Association of University Professors, addressed the academic freedom side of free speech.

Orosco discussed trigger warnings and safe spaces for students, but stressed that they shouldnt be codified or mandated because the terms can be used arbitrarily and unreasonably by administrators and supervisors.

Students also have a key role to play in the discussion, Orosco said.

Student sometimes think free speech means they are immune to criticism, he said. Classrooms need to be protected spaces in which a wide variety of speech is allowed. And students should be encouraged to protest and push faculty and administrators. But students need to get creative.

Orosco spoke about a University of California-Davis incident in which students formed a silent gantlet for the chancellors walk to her car because she summoned police to an Occupy protest that ended with students being pepper-sprayed.

Free speech is hard, said Christopher McKnight Nichols, associate professor of history and moderator of the forum. Every generation takes its own path.

Nichols, in his introductory remarks, noted the Constitution Day began during the hyper-nationalistic World War II and anti-communist eras. Later, during the question-and-answer session, he added the context that professors were kicked out of universities for being against World War I, despite free speech protections in the Constitution.

After adding up the challenges and contradictions inherent in the free speech debate, Valls summed things up by saying: Maybe the best we can do is muddle through. Im not sure.
As Oregon State University starts up the fall term of 2016, some members of Congress are proposing to tax OSU's endowment, which is worth over $500 million, as a way to pay for President Obama's noble goal of free tuition at two-year community colleges.

Concurrently, Wall Street has been aggressively competing for a cut of the billions of dollars held in university endowments, including the one at OSU that in April selected the bid of a New York-based asset manager Weinberg Partners to run OSU's portfolio, according to a story by Michael McDonald in the Sept. 5-11, 2016 print edition of Bloomberg Businessweek magazine.

Wall Street "asset managers" promise a better return for an undisclosed, but estimated annual charge of roughly 1 percent of assets under management.

"Businessweek" quotes a University of Michigan business professor who cautions how this situation "is an old recipe for disaster and embarrassment."

I learned firsthand about the importance of endowments when I witnessed how the genesis of Silicon Valley was fueled by Stanford University's endowment, now worth $22.2 billion, while I was leading advanced research programs at Stanford for Hewlett-Packard, which is a company started by Stanford alumni Bill and Dave and whose offices were literally located on Stanford's land.

City of Corvallis leaders during the 1970s sought a similar synergy between OSU and HP, which at the time included the 1954 OSU electrical engineering alumnus and soon-to-be HP President John Young, but anti-growth Corvallis voters almost prohibited it from happening because they were still suffering from problems created by the rapid growth of Corvallis after World War II, which were problems much worse than those related to the more recent doubling of enrollment at OSU.

Four decades ago I was fortunate to personally benefit from a then-scarce OSU endowment, which allowed me to obtain a graduate degree debt-free, without having to also work as a "teaching assistant," because it paid me as a "0.5 FTE Research Assistant."

After personally benefiting from an OSU endowment and then experiencing the importance of Stanford's endowment, I decided to become the founding benefactor of the OSU Foundation's Magnus Hirschfeld Fund for multidisciplinary research at OSU in all academic disciplines, for example, research in subjects disparate as animal science and theoretical computer science.

I named this fund in honor of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, whose Berlin research library was infamously burned by Nazis in 1933  an atrocity that my grandfather vividly recalled from when he was a visiting research professor of chemistry at Berlin University.

I am not a billionaire and all of my ancestors died almost penniless, therefore my initial OSU endowment is relatively small; but I am hoping it will inspire a generous addition to it by a billionaire who also cares about research at OSU.

Although it is true that research paid for by Stanford's endowment has led to companies such as HP, Intel, Apple Computer and Alphabet Google paving over orchards previously used to grow oranges and McIntosh apple trees between San Jose and San Francisco, I sincerely believe that a larger OSU endowment would not necessarily cause a similar urban area being built between Corvallis and Portland.

In fact, I'm planning on Corvallis remaining as a nice, small college town because I plan on living here the rest of my life.

Finally, while it is also true that much of OSU's endowment is kept in separate funds that are legally bound by contracts for specific purposes, it still must be protected from acts of Congress and Wall Street profiteers.
In her Sept. 2 letter, Catherine Stearns stated that the tremendous need for Measure 97 is due in part to the fact that Oregon has the fourth-lowest high school graduation rate in the nation. Oregons low graduation rate was a big surprise to me, but a quick check on the internet verified her claim. In fact, Oregon has been consistently ranked near the bottom of the nation in high school graduation rate. Oregon even managed to obtain the second lowest rank in 2013. This is not acceptable.

The two states that have nearly the same population as Oregon are Kentucky and Oklahoma. Both put Oregon to shame in having much higher graduation rates: Kentuckys high school graduation rate is No. 12 at 86.1 percent and Oklahoma is No. 20, with 84.8 percent, in comparison with the lowly 49th ranking of Oregon at 68.7 percent. (This is 2012-13 data from www.governing.com.)

Whats the cause? Are we too stingy on education spending? It turns out that between those three states, Oregon has the highest education spending per student at $9,785, Kentucky at $9,683, Oklahoma at $7,698. Why is Oregon spending more money yet getting poorer results than Kentucky and Oklahoma? Oregon is either failing in educating high school students or in tallying graduation rates. Either way, funding may not be the critical factor.

I suggest that we ask Gov. Brown to pay a visit to Kentucky and Oklahoma. Simply throwing more money at the problem may not be the answer.

Ning "West" Zhang

Corvallis (Sept. 10)
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Robbery thwarted : Attempt to blow up ATM at Post Tower

Bonn Two men tried to blow up an ATM at the Post Tower early Friday morning. On duty security personnel called police and thwarted the attempt.

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Inthe early Friday morning hours, two men tried to blow up an ATMlocated at the Post Tower. They were not able to complete theirrobbery attempt because security personnel on duty noticed the menat 4:20 a.m. and informed police immediately.

Both masked men fledin a car and police tracked it down to Prager Strae in Auerberg.Police said the car had been stolen before the attempted robbery.Tools which are typically used for these types of detonations werefound at the scene. Explosives experts are examining them forfurther clues.

Investigators are searching for two suspects. One ofthem is thought to be between 1.70 - 1.80 meters and 80 - 85 kilos,wearing a dark jacket, blue jeans and a dark balaclava. The secondsuspect is described as 1.8 meters with a slight build. If anyoneobserved anything unusual at the Post Tower onKurt-Schumacher-Strae or on Prager Strae in Auerberg, police askthem to call (0228) 1 50.
Intelligence Committee Approves Snowden Report

HPSCI Members Also Send Letter to Obama Urging No Pardon

US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Washington, September 15, 2016

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence today unanimously voted to adopt an investigative report on Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who fled to China and then Russia after stealing 1.5 million classified documents. The result of a two-year inquiry, the report describes Snowden's background, likely motivations, and methods of theft, as well as the damage done to U.S. national security as a result of his actions.

Contrary to Snowden's self-portrayal as a principled whistleblower, the report reveals that he was a disgruntled employee who had frequent conflicts with his managers and was reprimanded just two weeks before he began illegally downloading classified documents. Although he claims to have been motivated by privacy concerns, the report finds that Snowden did not voice such concerns to any oversight officials, and his actions infringed on the privacy of thousands of government employees and contractors. Additionally, the vast majority of the documents he stole had no connection to privacy or civil liberties. Furthermore, Snowden's basic knowledge of NSA programs is thrown into doubt by his failure to pass NSA's basic annual training on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Snowden's actions did severe damage to U.S. national security, compromising the Intelligence Community's anti-terror efforts and endangering the security of the American people as well as active-duty U.S. troops.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said, "Edward Snowden is no hero  he's a traitor who willfully betrayed his colleagues and his country. He put our servicemembers and the American people at risk after perceived slights by his superiors. In light of his long list of exaggerations and outright fabrications detailed in this report, no one should take him at his word. I look forward to his eventual return to the United States, where he will face justice for his damaging crimes."

Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff said, "Snowden has long portrayed himself as a truth-seeking whistleblower whose actions were designed solely to defend privacy, and whose disclosures did no harm to the country's security. The Committee's Reviewa product of two years of extensive researchshows his claims to be self-serving and false, and the damage done to our national security to be profound. The Review also shows that the Intelligence Community still has much to do to institutionalize post-Snowden reforms to protect the nation's sources and methods."

NSA and Cybersecurity Subcommittee Chairman Lynn Westmoreland said, "Edward Snowden made a decision that did more damage to U.S. national security than any other individual in our nation's history. His actions harmed our relationships around the world, endangered American soldiers in warzones, and reduced our allies' collective ability to prevent terrorist attacks. Snowden must be prosecuted and he should receive the full punishment afforded by law for his actions. The resolve of those of us who fully understand the nature of the man and the damage he caused will not falter in our quest to bring him to justice."

NSA and Cybersecurity Subcommittee Ranking Member Jim Himes said, "I appreciate this report and regret only that more of its conclusions cannot be made public. Two things are clear: Snowden stole immense quantities of classified information irrelevant to the important debate on privacy and surveillance, much of which puts at risk our men and women in uniform. Furthermore, this, and Snowden's flight to our adversaries is inconsistent with the estimable tradition of civil disobedience."

Although the Intelligence Committee's 36-page report, which contains 230 footnotes, is classified, it is available to all members of the House of Representatives. An unclassified executive summary is available here.

Separately, all Intelligence Committee members sent a bipartisan letter to President Obama today urging him not to pardon Edward Snowden. The letter is available here.

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US congressional panel blasts former NSA contractor Snowden

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 16, 2016 3:41AM

A US congressional intelligence committee has released a report condemning intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden for leaking information that "caused tremendous damage" to US national security and urging President Barack Obama not to pardon him.

The House of Representatives intelligence committee issued the scathing report Thursday, saying that Snowden was "not a whistleblower" as he has claimed. The report was endorsed by both its Republican and Democratic leaders.

Most of the material Snowden stole from the National Security Agency (NSA) while he worked at the spying agency was not about invasions of privacy, but disclosed intelligence and military programs of great interest to US adversaries, it said.

The report contains previously unreported allegations about Snowden and his possible motives for taking government secrets.

Snowden leaked thousands of classified intelligence documents in June 2013, revealing the extent of the NSA's spying activities, including the massive collections of phone records of Americans and foreign nationals as well as political leaders around the world.

On Wednesday, several prominent human rights organizations urged Obama to pardon Snowden before leaving the White House in January.

However, the Obama administration has urged Snowden to return to the US and face trial, saying there is no doubt that he inflicted serious harm on the US national security.

His asylum in Moscow has been a source of tension between the US and Russia, with the US president canceling a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in 2013 after Russia agreed to let him in.

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Snowden Hits Out At Scathing U.S. House Report

September 16, 2016

Former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden has rejected a scathing report issued by a U.S. House committee.

The House Intelligence Committee report on September 15 accused Snowden of leaking secrets that "caused tremendous damage" to U.S. security.

The report also declared that Snowden was "not a whistle-blower" as he has claimed in interviews, and that most of the material he stole from the NSA was about intelligence and defense programs of great interest to U.S. foreign adversaries.

The report comes a day after two rights groups launched a campaign for U.S. President Barack Obama to pardon Snowden. The White House has rejected the pleas.

In a series of tweets, Snowden dismissed the findings of the report.

"Their report is so artlessly distorted that it would be amusing if it weren't such a serious act of bad faith," he wrote on Twitter.

The report coincides with the release of Snowden, a movie directed by Oliver Stone, which portrays Snowden as a whistle-blower and hero.

Based on reporting by BBC, AP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us-snowden-slams- house-report/27992639.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook September 15, 2016

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room

PETER COOK: Good afternoon, everybody.

I do not have anything off the top, other than just a reminder that the secretary is looking forward to welcoming the Japanese minister of defense here to the Pentagon in just a short amount of time, 2:30. She'll be arriving, and there will be an honor cordon, and of course, a meeting upstairs -- bilateral conversation where they'll be discussing a range of regional security issues, and of course, key defense issues with our -- with our ally, Japan.

So, with that scheduling matter out of the way, I'm happy to turn to your questions.

Bob?

Q: Peter, on the subject of the prospective joint implementation center that would be arranged, will Secretary Carter submit a waiver to Congress to get away from the legal ban on military discussions with the Russians in this context? And has he done that yet? Or does he need to do that?

MR. COOK: Bob, first of all, the joint implementation center has not been stood up, as you know, so there is no coordination at this time. But we fully anticipate the Department of Defense, as always, will adhere to the law. And if it's determined at some point that there needs to be some engagement with Congress, you can be sure that we're prepared to do that.

Q: Will it be necessary in order to discuss these issues with the Russians, to set up the center, and to execute -- implement the --

MR. COOK: If there's any reason to believe, from a legal standpoint, and these are questions that we're, of course, as part of our due diligence we're going through ourselves. If at any point it's determined that --

(CROSSTALK)

Q: -- yet that there is a legal requirement for a waiver?

MR. COOK: For the -- if the JIC is established, I think, Bob, we're putting the cart before the horse. We're not there yet, so --

(CROSSTALK)

Q: If it comes to pass in a few days, it's not like it's a month off or something. But --

MR. COOK: Yes, and as I said, if we -- we are still waiting, of course, for -- for compliance to the terms of this arrangement that lead potentially to the formation of the JIC, and so that's where we are right now. And before we talk about a legal move that might be required to establish a JIC, we want to make sure that the terms themselves are complied with , but we are absolutely prepared.

We understand the restrictions that are currently in place and are prepared to address those in close consultation with Congress as required.

Q: That has not happened yet, then.

MR. COOK: No, it has not happened yet.

Yes?

Q: A couple of quick questions.

Firstly, the Russian defense ministry put out this statement-- the United States was using a verbal smokescreen, and not really separating the moderate rebels from militant groups. Do you have a comment on that? And have you worked towards separating moderate rebels from Islamic State or other militant groups?

MR. COOK: (inaudible) -- this is more a question specifically for the -- for the State Department, the negotiators for the terms of this.

But, as I think you've heard Secretary Kerry indicate, there are -- one of the requirements here, one of the steps that will be taken will be to encourage opposition groups not to associate themselves with Nusra.

I'll leave this, again, to the State Department to discuss. That's more their lane.

And again, that's their -- the terms of this arrangement, there are terms that the United States needs to comply with. And again, I'll let it to the State Department to characterize where those conversations have -- stand at this point.

But my understanding is Secretary Kerry has talked about this publicly.

Q: Secondly, there's a bit of confusion about whether the Syrian army has started to withdraw from Castello Road. Some people say that they have; others don't.

From your understanding, have they started withdrawing from Castello Road? Because that's an important part of the agreement.

MR. COOK: I -- I do not have right here, sort of, intelligence and -- and facts right now that would say one way or the other whether or not they've -- they've done it.

We are certainly aware that not all the terms here, including most specifically the delivery of humanitarian assistance, have been met at this particular moment in time. And -- and we think there's obviously an obligation for the Syrian regime -- which as I understand from the U.N. envoy, Mr. de Mistura, has indicated that they are serving as an impediment to the delivery of that humanitarian assistance -- that they have an obligation to of course allow that assistance to flow.

And certainly we would look to the Russians, given their leverage over the regime and their communications with the regime, to as quickly as possible remove those impediments and allow that humanitarian assistance to flow.

Which is, of course, one of the key goals here is to reduce the suffering of the Syrian people and allow for this humanitarian aid to come to people who have been in a horrific situation for too long a period of time.

Q: Have -- have the deals of the agreement been shared with other members of the coalition?

MR. COOK: We will continue to notify members of the coalition as required.

Q: Because the French foreign minister has come outand said they haven't been notified, and it could cause problems with them striking militants because they don't know whether they're militants, or whether they're moderate opposition.

MR. COOK: We will do everything necessary, obviously, to keep our coalition operations not just updated, but we want to -- we will maintain the pace of our coalition operations against ISIL throughout this. And that includes keeping those members of the coalition appraised of what's happening with regard to this particular arrangement, and what, if any, impact it could have on our operations.

Q: Has any one of them been notified as of now?

MR. COOK: I -- I'm not going to get into our discussions with each and every coalition member.

Q: Any one of them -- has any one of them --

(CROSSTALK)

MR. COOK: Again, I'm not -- I haven't personally done that notification, so I cannot say who's been notified -- (inaudible).

But I think it is fair to say that we are in daily contact with our coalition partners. We are operating with them in our air operation center, for example. We have ample opportunities to engage with them. And you can be sure we are doing that.

At this time, as we do, every aspect of this campaign has been a coalition effort. And so they'll be apprised of everything that's happening along the way.

Lucas

Q: Peter, speaking of the terms of the deal, does the Pentagon want to see a cease-fire in Syria, or just a reduction of violence?

MR. COOK: Well, Lucas, what we want to see here specifically, and the goal that's been articulated by Secretary Kerry and supported by Secretary Carter, is an easing of the suffering of the Syrian people. And the -- finally, some delivery of humanitarian assistance to people who are suffering. And -- and this test to see if we can get that -- and ultimately, let me add, a path to a political resolution of the situation, the Syrian civil war.

And the test right now to be able to see if we're on that path is to see if we can get this reduction in violence and if we can get, as well, the delivery of this humanitarian assistance.

So I think nobody's expecting across the board a complete cessation of violence. What we're seeing right now, is that the cessation is largely holding.

But we have other questions about, again, the delivery of humanitarian assistance and whether or not all the aspects of this arrangement are being complied with. And we'll continue to -- to evaluate it very carefully.

Q: Doesn't that make it hard to come up with the terms of an agreement if -- you mentioned delivery of humanitarian aid. Is it one truck, 10 trucks, you know? How do you quantify all this if it's just an overall reduction when, you know, weeks, months ago, the goal was to get to a cease-fire, a cessation of hostilities.

Today, it seems like the goal posts are being moved, that it's just a reduction of violence or getting in some humanitarian aid. How do you measure that?

MR. COOK: Again, I'm gonna leave that -- the State Department's lead the negotiations here. The U.S. government will continue as a whole to be evaluating the situation on the ground. We will carry out our responsibilities as the Department of Defense in terms of our requirements as part of this arrangement.

And like every one else, we're watching very carefully. We're watching very carefully Russian compliance. We're watching very carefully regime compliance, as well.

Tara? Tara, sorry.

Q: That's okay.

Based on what DOD has observed, have U.S. and coalition forces kept to the terms of the cease-fire?

MR. COOK: Again, I will defer to the -- to the State Department that's negotiated this initially.

My understanding is that there have been -- there's been -- it has not been a complete cessation of hostilities; that there have been some activity. But it is certainly at a significantly reduced level. So I cannot tell you exactly where those violations came from.

And there also have been questions about, again, the delivery of the humanitarian assistance. And again, we would expect the regime and the Russians to comply with the terms of this arrangement. Likewise, the United States, we need to meet our requirements, as well. And that's what the Department of Defense will be doing.

Q: Just to follow-up on that, based on what you observed, have the Russians and the Syrian regime adhered to the terms of the cease-fire?

The first question was just about U.S. and coalition, just to clarify.

MR. COOK: I -- I'm not aware that every aspect of this arrangement has been honored so far certainly by the regime, with regard to delivery of the humanitarian assistance. We understand that they are the major impediment to these aid trucks rolling.

Again, I'll leave that to the State Department which has been point on those negotiations. And -- so that's a key part of this.

So from that standpoint, again, I defer to the -- to the State Department.

But we have not seen that happen yet and we certainly will be watching that closely.

And with regard to individual violations of the cease-fire itself, I'm not in a position to read out each and every one of those violations. The one thing I can say is that that we do agree that the cease-fire is largely holding and we think that's a good thing.

Yes, Gordon?

Q: Peter, the secretary's long since had concerns about any kind of a deal with the Russians, and even in the last couple of days the public statements indicated that there's maybe some slight distinction between where he stands and where others in the administration stand on this issue.

Can you -- A, has he articulated his concern? I assume he has. And just tell us where he stands today in terms of how he thinks this deal could even occur?

MR. COOK: I think the secretary spoke to this yesterday in Austin. He was asked about it. He absolutely supports Secretary Kerry's efforts to reduce the violence here, to try and bring some ease to the suffering of the Syrian people. That's what Secretary Kerry's been working on. You've heard the secretary say that multiple times.

And the secretary absolutely supports that. The Department of Defense is prepared to carry out its responsibilities as part of this arrangement. You've also heard the secretary voice his skepticism in the past about Russian activities in Syria -- not just skepticism, but criticism of Russian activities in Syria.

And now the open question is whether or not Russia will start doing the right thing in Syria. And the secretary would be the first person to welcome that. He has expressed that skepticism in the past, and now the test is up to the Russians and the regime as well, to start doing the right thing in Syria.

Q: Was he a hold-out on this deal? Did he suggest this should not be undertaken at this time?

MR. COOK: I'm not going to get into the secretary's private conversations with the president. The president has made a decision here. There is an opportunity to reduce the violence. We're seeing that right now with this cease-fire. There's an opportunity as well to get humanitarian assistance to Syrian people who desperately need it.

And the secretary and the Department of Defense will do everything they can to support that.

Yes, Christina?

Q: Hi, Peter. Thanks.

The talks on the JIC, would that begin after the seven days of cease-fire?

(CROSSTALK)

MR. COOK: We've said that there would need to be the sustained period with the reduction in violence, with the terms that would need to be complied with. And we haven't seen that yet. We're talking about some of the issues right now that we're seeing that continue to be a problem, specifically to humanitarian assistance.

So there will be no military coordination until those terms have been met. And so I can't predict exactly when or if that's going to happen, but we're not at the stage yet where coordination has begun.

Q: And is it your understanding that the seven days are not necessarily consecutive?

MR. COOK: I'm not going to get into clocks and discussions of that. We are evaluating the situation on the ground right now. And we are prepared to carry out our responsibilities if it's been determined that the terms have been complied with. And we're not at that point right now.

Q: Okay. And what are you calling the JIC -- the joint integration center?

MR. COOK: Joint implementation center. That's the last I heard it was referred to.

So, yes?

Q: The Russians are saying that the U.S. are not fulfilling their obligations in this agreement for a truce in Syria, because they are saying that the U.S.-led rebels keep attacking in Syria. So, do the U.S. have any leverage on the rebels in Syria?

MR. COOK: As I spoke to earlier, there are requirements for the United States as part of this arrangement. The Department of Defense will have certain responsibilities. We'll carry those out. I'll leave it to the State Department to characterize the engagement with the opposition. But certainly, we would expect to honor the terms of this agreement. But likewise, we expect the Russians and the regime to do the same.

And so, we're at a point now where we're evaluating where things stand on the ground, both in terms of the reduction in violence, the cessation of hostilities, whether or not that's being honored and respected by everyone. And also whether everyone is honoring the commitment to deliver this humanitarian assistance.

And that's what we're looking at right now. So I don't want to characterize what the people on the ground are doing because I don't know their specific activities. But I would defer to the State Department which has had the lead in terms of communication with those opposition groups.

Q: Is DOD involved into this engagement? I mean, does -- has the DOD the responsibility to do something inside this agreement? Or is it only diplomatic efforts or only the state or?

MR. COOK: Well, we obviously have requirements with regard to if there is a need to establish the joint implementation center, and we're fulfilling our responsibilities and everything, all the due diligence you would expect us to do to carry out that as the secretary said, with the accustomed excellence people expect in the Department of Defense were doing.

Q: So when the -- when the Russians say the U.S. are not fulfilling it's obligations to DOD does not feel --

MR. COOK: That's -- I'll leave it to the State Department to -- they've been negotiating with the Russians in terms of -- of the terms of this arrangement and I think it'd be most appropriate for them to respond to that.

Yes, (inaudible)?

Q: (off-mic.) North Korean (inaudible) has they created a -- the anti-nuclear attack to United States and South Korea. How -- the United States can expand on this?

MR. COOK: I'm not aware of the specific statement or the latest statement that you're referring to. But I would just make the point as the secretary has himself, as the president has, that we will continue to take the steps necessary to protect the United States from the threat posed by North Korea. And we will continue to take the steps necessary to make sure that our allies, as well, have the adequate defenses to deal with the threat opposed by North Korea.

And there continues to be an opportunity for North Korea to lower the tensions and to lower the -- or end the provocative actions and words that -- that they've been employing recently. And we think there's a good opportunity for that and we'll -- in the meantime, continue to do everything we need to, to maintain our current posture and be prepared for whatever threat the North Korea may oppose.

And I would just point specifically the secretary's conversations today, with his Japanese counterpart, I'm sure that North Korea will be one of the topics of conversation and we stand shoulder to shoulder, of course, with our Japanese allies as we do our South Korean allies.

Q: But United States continued to place three strategic weapons in Korea -- South Korea.

MR. COOK: I'm not gonna get into our strategic decision-making or disposition.

Q: They're head of the B-1B was there and but still had more coming, so.

MR. COOK: I'm not gonna get into our strategic and tactical position at this point. You saw flight of B-1 -- two B-1s the other day. And again, that's just one indication of the deterrence of posture that we have at this point. But it's certainly not the only thing that the United States is prepared to do to defend our South Korean ally and our allies and partners in the region.

Yes?

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the military's role in tracking violations of the cease-fire? I mean before, when there've been air strikes not in with the U.S. involvement, there's been a hesitancy to say who was responsible for it. So is there gonna be a shift in terms of resource of ISR and things like that to ensure -- to see who's making these violations?

Or who's responsible? Or is it gonna -- is it gonna maintain the current level of -- is the DOD the leader in terms of observing violations and things like that as far as the U.S. is concerned?

MR. COOK: Listen, I'm not gonna get into details of that.

The U.S. government will be in a position to assess what's happening on the ground; we're doing that right now. The Department of Defense will do our part, but we're not alone in that effort.

And again, we're evaluating the situation closely. It is a complicated picture in Syria, as you all know. And the one thing I can tell you that's not going to happen, is that it's going to be anything to slow the pace of our operations against ISIL.

Those continue and we continue to make -- again, to gather momentum in the fight against ISIL. And we're not going to take our eye off that ball in any way.

There are still operations under way in Iraq and in Syria. Preparations for, we believe ultimately, the collapse of ISIL's control over Mosul and ultimately Raqqah as well. And those continue a-pace.

And we continue to see gains on the ground by our local partner forces. And we continue to work closely as a coalition to achieve that goal, even as we deal with this current situation with regard with this arrangement with Russia.

Q: Peter, on the Philippines, has anyone from the department had any communication this week with the Filipino government on the Filipino military?

And does the secretary have any thoughts or concerns about the new Filipino president's remarks that he wants to have U.S. troops out of the southern Philippines, and joint patrols with the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea and start buying weapons from Russia and China?

MR. COOK: To my knowledge, Andrew, we have not had any official contact from the Philippine authorities. In recent days we've had informal -- I'm sure, we talk to them all the time. This is a long-time ally. But I'm not aware of any official contact with regard specifically to the things you just mentioned.

More broadly, you know the secretary's been to the Philippines recently. This is, as I said, a long-standing ally and the secretary believes that this is one of the most enduring relationships in the Asia-Pacific region and will be for some time to come.

And he's confident, given our mutual security interests in the region, that any concerns that the Filipinos might have -- that these are issues that can be resolved and worked out.

And certainly our defense ties have been strong for some time and he's certainly believes that there's no reason that they can't continue to be very strong.

Yes.

Q: Couple of questions.

For the Mosul, is there a potential that there could be an increase in the number of additional troops, troop cap, for Iraq, based on that pending operation, later this year, early next year?

MR. COOK: Secretary Carter and General Votel have both spoken to this, that if there's particular capabilities that might be required in the fight to liberate Mosul, that that would be considered at that time.

But it would be based specifically on needs and capabilities that might be required and it would be something that we'd be doing close consultation with the government of Iraq. So, I -- there've been no decisions made at this point.

You know that we had -- (inaudible) -- increase, and that accounted for what's been going on most recently in Qayyarah, and with the retrofitting and improvements being made to the air base there. So, at some point, there could be additional capability needs and at that point, of course this is something that we'd be closely consulting with the government of Iraq, and to see what would be necessary and specifically what capabilities would be required.

But there has been no decisions made.

Q: (inaudible) -- does that mean a recommendation has been made from in theater and for CENTCOM for additional (inaudible)?

MR. COOK: I'm not aware of anything at this point specific to the effort going forward.

These are consultations that the secretary will continue to have with commanders on the ground, with other coalition members, I should point out, who also may be in a position to provide capabilities that could be required for Mosul.

We've had several coalition members who, of course, have stepped up and made additional contributions which have been key to this campaign. And if they can deliver some of these capabilities that may or may not be required in the future, certainly we would be open to that as well.

Q: (inaudible) -- this week, the Marines -- or last week, the Marines released a report about abuse of some Marine recruits at Parris Island. There have been reports this week about in particular the targeting of one Muslim Marine recruit and how he was treated by his drill instructor, placed in a clothes dryer.

What -- has the secretary been made aware of this report? What are his concerns that he has about the overall Marine investigation's conclusions that things had to be fixed there at Parris Island?

MR. COOK: First of all, the secretary, of course, is aware of this report and has been made aware of it by the Marine Corps, and has been tracking the situation closely. There's only so much that I can say right now because it is an ongoing situation. There's follow up actions, adjudication that could be required. So the secretary is limited in what he can say at this point.

Let me just say more broadly about this, just without talking about any specific situation, any specific case, that the secretary, of course, expects that everyone within the Department of Defense would conduct themselves in -- with the highest standards of conduct, and that discrimination and physical abuse are things that, again, he would not expect people, particularly in positions of leadership, to engage in within the Department of Defense.

And so, with that broad, again, assessment of what his expectations are, we're -- the secretary is watching this closely and he has been notified by the Marine Corps. And I think the secretary certainly understands the Marine Corps leadership is taking this very, very seriously, and he believes that's appropriate.

Barbara?

Q: Just to go back over a couple of quick points. On the possibility of more troops, you're not at the top of the FML right now -- the top personnel ceiling for Iraq, so you could theoretically put additional troops in northern Iraq, in Mosul, without having to make an additional notification.

MR. COOK: I'm not sure exactly where we are at this particular moment in time. But if that's the case, then, yes, you're right. We may not need additional --

Q: You can just add more, move some around, or send more.

MR. COOK: It depends on the capabilities, Barbara. As you know, everything we've done with regard to specific numbers of Americans in Iraq has to do with capabilities and that those people are serving a particular purpose, whether it be training of Iraqis; whether it be with regard to engineering or logistical requirements that may be needed going forward.

And so we just have to look and see what the picture looks like going forward, not just at this current moment in time, but in the future.

Q: (inaudible) -- work as advisers for the Iraqi forces trying to retake Mosul? What is the department's assessment about the additional dangers or risks that they will face, because they will be further out in the field? Many officials are saying that. Do you have any assessment on that?

MR. COOK: I'm not sure who the "many officials" are that you're referring to. But first of all, the secretary has made clear that our forces in Iraq are in harm's way. Everyone who is serving there is in a dangerous situation. That is crystal clear.

And so we're doing -- part of these numbers, anything we do with regard to our current forces there, will always be force protection, to protect those Americans who are conducting training, for example.

But I -- I don't believe the Secretary thinks that the nature of what's to come will expose Americans to any greater risk than they're in right now. They're at risk at this moment, as we've painfully seen in recent months.

But with regard to training and things like that, that is conducted behind the forward line of -- of troops and in positions -- in locations, you know (inaudible), you know al-Asad, you know places like Makhmur. These are locations where we're confident the force protection can be established that those Americans who are conducting the training can do so in a -- in as safe as fashion as possible.

Q: Can I ask you very quickly on the agreement. You mentioned that you believe the cease-fire is largely holding, but then you also mentioned that you're waiting for compliance with the terms of the arrangement.

So, is the compliance you're waiting for -- (inaudible) -- the allowing of humanitarian assistance into this area? And can you tell us your- -- the assessment by the U.S. government of that compliance with allowing humanitarian aid in?

MR. COOK: I think it's been pretty clear. I think we heard from the U.N. today that -- that we have not seen trucks moving in. I'm not sure if that's changed in the last few hours.

But that was the last check I had, that the trucks had not moved. And I would defer again to the U.N. which is organizing those aid deliveries to characterize exactly where that stands.

But that's certainly the understanding we have at the Department of Defense that those aid trucks have not yet been put in position to deliver the assistance that we think is critically required.

Q: (inaudible) the assistance is not delivered, can there be compliance?

MR. COOK: It's -- it's in the terms of the -- it's -- it's in the terms of the arrangement right now. Defer to the State Department on -- that negotiated this.

But at this moment in time, we have not see the assistance (inaudible), and we've -- again, watch that very, very carefully, just as we are watching the activities of -- of the players on the ground with regard to honoring the cessation of hostilities, and the reduction of violence. We have seen that largely hold. We have not seen the assistance moving.

Yes -- (inaudible)?

Q: (inaudible) -- again today, there are a lot of reports circulating Turkish media that the YPG is flying the -- a U.S. flag in Tell Abyad. And pictures also --

(CROSSTALK)

MR. COOK: In where, I'm sorry?

Q: In Tell Abyad -- in Tell Abyad, northern Syria. Last time, you know, what happened I asked the question here, you said it -- it's not a coordinated effort -- coordinated action by the SDF.

Have you -- have you told SDF, as your special forces are in direct communication with these guys, that not to use American flag in this kind of controversial battlefield area?

MR. COOK: I -- I can't read out every single conversation we've had with our partners on the ground. I -- I can tell you that we -- I -- I'm not aware of this particular report.

But, I know in the past we've -- as we've said, we would call on our partner forces not to fly the American flag on their own, certainly. And so, I -- I would imagine that that would be communicated if indeed that's taken place in this instance.

I'm not aware of this particular report, so -- Tony?

Q: A couple things. One on Iraq. We haven't heard anything about the Expedition and Targeting Force in months.

How active is the force? Has it been assisting the U.S. Air Force in targeting ISIL individuals? And has it captured many ISIL -- any ISIL personnel?

MR. COOK: Tony, I'll just -- because we don't talk about special operations activities, as you know, I will just say broadly that the ETF has been conducting its work in Iraq. It has been helping the coalition effort, and will continue to provide a -- a key capability and continue to play a key role in Iraq as it has since it was first deployed.

Q: Is it helping target -- the Air Force target individuals?

MR. COOK: I'm -- again, I'm not going to get into specific details about the ETF and its operations. I don't think that would be appropriate.

Q: North Korea -- you've said a couple of times the threat posed by North Korea. The nuclear test last week again raised the issue of whether they are mounting -- miniaturizing it to put on a missile that could hit the United States. We know they have short range and we know they have medium range.

Does the U.S. currently assess that North Korea has the demonstrated capability to hit the continental U.S. or Hawaii and Alaska with an ICBM? Or is that capability yet to be demonstrated?

MR. COOK: Tony, our position has not changed. They have not demonstrated the capability to be able to pose that kind of threat to the United States at this time. But that does not prevent the United States and the Department of Defense from doing everything we can, given the pace with which they are trying to achieve those capabilities, that we do not do everything we need to do in order to protect the United States against that threat.

And that's what we're doing. That's what our commanders in the region are doing. That's what our umbrella defense is intended to do. The secretary spoke about this when we were in Norway, was asked about this. We need to stay a step ahead of the threat, and we're continuing to do that.

Q: So, they do not have -- they're not -- (inaudible) -- an ICBM at this point that could hit the United States with a nuclear weapon. That's the current --

MR. COOK: That's -- our view has not changed on that.

We'll go back -- round two -- we'll go to Lucas and then Gordon.

Q: Gitmo, Peter. There's a new report out today from the director of national intelligence that says in the first half of 2016, two Guantanamo detainees have returned to the battlefield. Does that bother the secretary? Is he very concerned about that?

MR. COOK: Of course, the secretary is concerned by reports of anyone who is posing a threat to the United States, and anyone who may be engaged in -- in terrorist activities. I -- we don't talk about individual cases specifically, but the secretary as secretary of defense is, of course, worried about anyone who may have -- have an intent of doing harm to the United States or to our allies and partners and our friends in the world.

Q: Is there any plan just to slow down with the brakes, or tap the brakes on these transfers? Maybe conduct some kind of safety stand-down to reevaluate, re-look? This is now nine detainees since 2009 that have returned to the battlefield -- maybe reassess this whole process to reassure the American public that when these terrorists, these detainees are transferred off Cuba, that they will be locked up and not return to the battlefield? Any plans to slow them down?

MR. COOK: Well, you know, Lucas, the process and the rigor with which these decisions are carried out by this secretary of defense. And of course, he's been reviewing these cases since he became secretary. And each and every case is reviewed rigorously by the secretary, only after it's been determined through an interagency process that these people have been deemed eligible for release, and the secretary takes that responsibility extremely, extremely carefully.

And he will continue to do so. So there is going to continue to be an effort here to evaluate those people who have been deemed eligible through that interagency process for release. And the secretary -- among the factors the secretary considers is, again, the likelihood that they may threaten the United States in the future, and also the steps that can be taken by host countries to minimize that risk.

Q: So given that these nine individuals have returned to the battlefield since 2009, is there any plans to go back, maybe a lessons learned, reevaluate, look at their files and say why did they go back? So that this doesn't happen again, or maybe slow down this detainee transfer program right now?

MR. COOK: You can be sure, Lucasthat again, I'm not able to talk about individual cases. But every aspect of a transfer -- including what happens to that person after their transferred -- we will remain in close discussion, the United States government will be with the steps that are being taken by those host countries to minimize the risk of exactly what you're talking about.

And in those cases, where additional steps could be taken, I'm sure that's -- that is in consultation, we'll continue that with those host countries as part of a -- our relationship with those countries.

Q: The secretary satisfied that the numbers five percent evaluated from ODNI that five percent or 5.6 percent of detainees that have been transferred during this administration have returned to the battlefields. Is he okay with that number?

MR. COOK: Lucas the secretary's not -- would prefer that nobody out there in the world is threatening arm against the United States or anybody else. He has his responsibilities here, he has carried those out, he has no reason to question the -- the work done by ODNI in terms of evaluating this information. And we will continue to ply here, the Department of Defense, the secretary will.

The very high tests that he sets, for determining whether somebody can be released and that will not change.

Q: (off-mic.) different subject. There's a number of air strikes going on throughout the world, the U.S. military's targeting terrorist groups in six different countries. Does the secretary think that terrorist threat overall has increased recently?

MR. COOK: I haven't asked him that question specifically, but I don't think it's a metric whether it's increased or decreased slightly. The secretary of defense has identified the challenges that we, as a department, need to confront. And one of those five challenges, is of course the threat of -- of terrorism in many parts the world, in many forms, coming from a host of different organizations.

And that remains, obviously, one of our top priorities here, something that he spends much of his time devoted to. We just need to look right out at the ISIL fight and he received updates today on aspects of that fight. This is incredibly important to the Department of Defense, protecting the American homeland and will continue to be.

And I don't think he measures in that way, he thinks it's a major threat that he's identified as one of the prime challenges -- one of the five challenges that we as a department need to confront in the short term and of course, over the medium-term and the long term, as well.

This is -- this is a fight that's gonna be going on for some time and he wants to make sure this department's prepared for it. Not only while he's secretary but while his successors have to continue that fight.

Gordon?

Q: Two quick ones, first North Korea real quick, is I know that the Pentagon wants to get the THAAD system to South Korea as soon as possible, that's what you guys have stated.

But I mean is there any specific things, efforts underway to accelerate the deployment of the THAAD to South Korea and B, can you just give us an update on the -- on the air strikes in Libya and has the Wasp been extended, where is that?

MR. COOK: First of all, the THAAD system, I can't give you an update other than we're trying to work as quickly and efficiently as we can with our South Korean allies to be able to deploy that system in the most appropriate way possible.

And so there's no real change in that, we're not -- there's nothing specifically being done to alter that. We're moving as quickly as we can and obviously, working very, very closely with the South Koreans to make that happen. This is an alliance decision we'll continue to be at every step of the way.

With regard to operations in Libya, again, the GNA forces, GNA-allied forces continue to make progress in Sirte. They're still fighting in basically a specific neighborhood in Sirte. They continue to make slow but steady progress, is my understanding, and there do continue be air strikes conducted by our forces there.

I think at last check the number was we -- over 150 air strikes have now been carried out and -- and we continue to conduct operations against -- again, conduct air strikes in support of GNA-allied forces. Okay?

Q: (inaudible) -- are they being -- (inaudible) -- clarify the answer?

MR. COOK: We're -- we're conducting air strikes ,as you know, from a ranges of platforms, but I can tell you that the Wasp is continuing operations.

Yes -- (inaudible).

Q: About the -- the agreement between Russia and the U.S. (inaudible) Syria, once the conditions are met on the ground, how long will it take to set up the -- (inaudible)? Will it be a matter of days or -- or a matter of weeks?

MR. COOK: So the Department of Defense, as I mentioned before, we will continue to do all our due diligence and carry out our responsibilities as required. We will be prepared if and when the determination has been made that the terms have been met and the -- (inaudible) -- is -- does -- will be established. We're not at that point yet, but certainly Department of Defense will be ready at that time.

I cannot tell you exactly what the timeline will be at this point, nor can I tell you the timeline for what will happen after that point. These are things that need to be worked at, not just within the Department of Defense, but something that -- this is something we haven't done before, so I would imagine that there are going to be questions and processes that need to be ironed out.

Q: Is there any indications on the location where this (inaudible) might be -- (inaudible)? I mean, might (inaudible)?

MR. COOK: There -- I don't have anything at this time to -- to announce as to where it might take place. We haven't established it yet. We still are waiting for the regime and the Russians to comply with the terms. We're evaluating compliance overall and so we're not at the point and until we are, I think it best just to -- to watch closely what's happening on the ground there and we'll continue to do that.

I have to get to the meeting with the Japanese minister of defense.

(inaudible), if it's really quick.

Q: Yes. Will the -- (inaudible) -- have any say on whether the Russians are complying or not in setting up the -- (inaudible) -- or is it just a decision from the president and State Department?

MR. COOK: I'm sure that the -- the department will, of course, have input into what's happening on the ground. We, along with others within the U.S. government, are evaluating things there and it'll be a -- a decision made, of course, with the president's national security team evaluating it.

So, thanks, everybody.

-END-

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/946293/

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Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia are set to sign the contracts with two foreign consultancy firms hired to study the impact of Ethiopias Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) on downriver countries on 19-20 Sept in Khartoum, Egypt's irrigation ministry spokesman announced Saturday.

In statements to the state-owned MENA news agency, ministry spokesman Waleed Haqiqi said that the irrigation ministers of the three countries would sign the contracts in Sudan during the 12th meeting of the trilateral committee.

The newly announced dates for signing the contracts comes following a series of delays.

The delays were partly caused by "outstanding issues between the consultancy firms [BRL and Artelia] which are conducting the technical studies and the legal firm wording the contracts, Egypts irrigation ministry has previously said.

The postponment also resulted from delays by Khartoum in granting entry visas to Sudan for firms' experts, according to the Egyptian ministry.

In March 2015, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed a trilateral declaration of principles that guarantees that all parties will take steps to ensure the Grand Ethiopian Dam would not harm the interests of any of the parties concerned.

Cairo previously expressed concerns that Ethiopias $4.2 billion dam could affect its historical share of Nile water, but has recently said it is sure the construction of the dam would not negatively impact Egypt.

Addis Ababa has maintained that the dam project, which Ethiopia needs to generate electicity, would not affect harm downstream countries.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Sept. 16, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, six strikes destroyed five ISIL supply routes, two oil well heads, six oil tanker trucks, a bulldozer and a bobcat.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

-- Near Dayz Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed eight ISIL oil tanker trucks and seven oil well heads.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery conducted seven strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Baghdadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a bunker.

-- Near Albu Hayat, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an artillery system, a vehicle, a tunnel entrance and damaged another vehicle.

-- Near Bashir, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Mosul, a strike engaged an ISIL logistics facility.

-- Near Qayyarah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Ramadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a building, a vehicle, a fuel truck and five rocket rails.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two mortar systems and a weapons cache.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

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DoD's Technological Superiority Depends on Out-Innovating Adversaries

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2016  Future Defense Department technological superiority hinges on the department's ability to out-innovate its adversaries, rethink how it sources technology and perhaps rethink its models for product delivery, the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering said here yesterday.

Stephen P. Welby addressed an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discussing research and development across the defense enterprise.

Such superiority also will require a DoD science and technology, or S&T, enterprise that is tuned to support sustained research in fundamental technologies and quickly leverage emerging technical opportunities to address warfighter needs, he added.

"We need to be open and agile, to leverage all potential sources of technical advantage, from our traditional industrial base, from nontraditional suppliers, and from academia to help to create competitive advantage," Welby said.

DoD laboratories must be prepared to perform a key role in translating technical capabilities into solutions and concepts, the assistant secretary said, that will help meet warfighter needs and grow their capability to overmatch any threat.

Technology Convergence

Welby believes the department's core technical engine is the DoD S&T community -- the uniformed and civilian men and women who every day explore new scientific frontiers, advance military capabilities and critical military technologies and envision new military concepts.

The major technologies the department will rely on in the future will remain defense unique, he added, and some of DoD's most cutting-edge capabilities will reflect a convergence of military and commercial technologies.

"No one in a garage in Palo Alto is developing the next armor system, the next defensive capability for a carrier, the next acoustic-quieting technology for our submarines," he said, " and I don't think we spend enough time focused on that core engine of technology and innovation that's made up of the service and defense laboratories and agencies."

The three principal service labs are the Army Research Lab in Adelphi, Maryland, the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., and the Air Force Research Lab in Dayton, Ohio. The department also operates 63 specialized research and engineering centers nationwide, Walker said.

Some of these are the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Lab at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake in California, the military medical research centers in Texas and Maryland, the Army Aviation and Missile Command in Alabama, and the Army Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts.

The Washington, D.C.,-based Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency also plays a unique role in the defense enterprise, he said, and for the last 58 years has remained at the forefront of disruptive revolution after revolution in military and civilian technology.

"DARPA is focused on high-risk, high-pay-off technologies with a project focus," Welby said. "They have achieved success over time by attracting the best and brightest who want to work on some of the most compelling and fascinating technical problems our country has to offer, and by operating with a very lean and agile operating model."

Chief Technology Officer

Welby said the president's 2017 budget request for DoD S&T was $12.5 billion, divided among basic research, applied research, and the advanced technology development that turns applied research into the next stage of maturation.

One of his duties as DoD chief technology officer, he explained, is to ensure that the S&T portfolio stays focused on areas that provide the best return on the department's investment.

"To do this efficiently we've identified 17 of what we call Reliance 21 Communities of Interest  the technical focus areas that the department organizes its S&T base around," the assistant secretary said.

Some of these include autonomy, cyber, sensors, electronic warfare, ground and sea platforms, space, human systems, air platforms, biomedical, counter weapons of mass destruction, counter improvised explosive devises, and others, according to the Research and Engineering website.

A technical expert from across the department leads each community, and the leadership roles rotate among the services. Leaders and their staffs come together to do reviews, Welby said, and then they go back to their day jobs.

"We use these communities to perform technical assessments, to develop our classified and unclassified roadmaps for where we are taking our technology investments, and to make recommendations about work that should be accelerated and work that should be wound down," he added.

"Today about 75 percent of the total DoD S&T budget is covered by the 17 focus areas, and at the applied research and advanced technology research piece -- the more applied portions of our science and technology portfolios -- about 90 percent of that investment is covered by these 17 communities," Welby said.

Prototyping, Experimentation

One strategy Welby's office is pursuing to accelerate the maturation of capabilities in a constrained budget environment is an increased focus on prototyping and experimentation, he told the audience.

"Our prototyping efforts are a hedge against an uncertain future," Welby said. "They allow us to avoid early commitment to procurement in fielding, serial production, demand, and they provide options to leadership to help shape future system portfolios."

A good example of prototyping, he added, is Sea Hunter -- a full-scale prototype of a new class of unmanned oceangoing vessel.

DARPA developed and built the technology-demonstration vessel through its anti-submarine warfare continuous-trail unmanned vessel program. The robot warship can travel thousands of kilometers over open seas for months at a time without crewmembers, but always with remote human supervision, according to a DARPA news release about the ship.

Today, Welby said, the ship has left Portland and is now with the fleet in San Diego. For the next two years the Navy is going to work with the vessel to help them understand how unmanned capabilities will intermix with manned capabilities and future systems.

"So many of these prototype programs are about taking that last step," he added. "They go from the capabilities we work on in the lab, in simulation, in wargaming, and actually put it into the field so folks can rap knuckles on the devices and understand what they can really do for them."

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Navy Tests 100-percent Advanced Biofuel

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160916-03

Release Date: 9/16/2016 9:25:00 AM

By Andrea Watters Editor, Naval Aviation News

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus' energy vision came to fruition in September when the EA-18G "Green Growler" completed flight testing of a 100-percent advanced biofuel at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The U.S. Navy is a leader in incorporating alternative fuel into operational supplies, in order to increase mission capability and flexibility.

"From takeoff to landing, you couldn't tell any difference," said Lt. Cmdr. Bradley Fairfax, project officer and test pilot with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, after the first test flight Sept. 1. "The information presented to us in the airplane is pretty simplified but, as far as I could tell, the aircraft flew completely the same as [petroleum-based] JP-5 for the whole flight."

Using the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's (NAWCAD) Real-time Telemetry Processing System (RTPS) at the Atlantic Test Ranges, flight test engineer Mary Picard monitored the ground and test flights and confirmed Fairfax's observations. "What we have seen is that the 100-percent bio-JP-5 appears to be basically transparent. It looks just like petroleum JP-5 in the airplane. So far, everything looks good and we haven't noticed a difference."

And that's the technical premise of the Navy's alternative fuels test and qualification program: the JP-5 produced from alternative sources must be invisible to the user, said Rick Kamin, energy and fuels lead for Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). Kamin also leads the alternative fuel test and qualification program for the Navy.

The catalytic hydrothermal conversion-to-jet (CHCJ) process 100-percent alternative fuel performed as expected during a ground test Aug. 30 at NAWCAD's Aircraft Test and Evaluation Facility (ATEF), followed by the first test flight Sept. 1, Kamin said.

"Today is a further example of how the Navy and Marine Corps continue to lead in energy innovation and, in doing so, remain the greatest expeditionary fighting force the world has ever known," said Mabus.

The fuels program supports SECNAV's operational energy goal to increase the use of alternative fuels afloat by 2020.

"As the owner of the JP-5 aviation jet fuel specification, our job at NAVAIR is to make sure that whatever source our JP-5 is made from, we know it will work in our aircraft," said Kamin.

"This is the first time we've looked at a process that can produce a fuel with all the properties and chemistry of JP-5 jet fuel without having to blend with petroleum based JP-5," said Kamin.

CHCJ, the 100-percent drop-in renewable jet fuel tested, is produced by Florida-based Applied Research Associates (ARA) and Chevron Lummus Global. ARA's process uses the same feedstocks as the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) 50-percent advanced biofuel blend previously approved by the Navy, but goes through a unique conversion process that provides a fully synthetic fuel that does not need to be blended, Kamin said.

"We are excited to work with the U.S. Navy as it takes this important step toward the use of 100-percent drop-in renewable jet and diesel fuels in its aircraft and ships," said Chuck Red, vice president of fuels development for ARA. "Our renewable fuels continue to prove their viability as 100-percent replacements for petroleum in diesel and jet fuel applications."

The fuels team has evaluated five alternative sources for JP-5 and four F-76 sources since SECNAV kicked-off the program in 2009. The team, however, was already researching advanced biofuels in response to interest from the U.S. Air Force and the commercial airline industry in 2008.

"We shot for this 100-percent drop-in fuel from the beginning," Kamin said. "We wanted to know if a fully synthetic JP-5 from a non-petroleum source could work in our systems and we proved that it could!"

Benefits of Alternative Fuels

"This is a continuation of a long Navy tradition," Mabus said. "In the middle of the 19th century, we went from sail to coal. In the early 20th century, we moved from coal to oil. In the middle of the 20th century, we pioneered nuclear as a propulsion method. Every single time we moved to a new form of power, as we are doing now with alternative fuel, people had doubts; and every single time they were wrong."

A 100-percent alternative helps with procurement and logistics, Kamin said. A blend requires the biofuel manufacturer to blend its biofuel with a petroleum-based JP-5 to produce an on-specification product, which requires more time and additional facilities, all with a higher cost.

"Having our platforms certified to operate on 100-percent alternative fuels gives us flexibility and, in the end, gives us both a strategic and combat advantage," Mabus said. "It gives us options; options which are important now and will remain important in the future," he added.

"And we're not alone," Mabus said. "The commercial sector is also working hard to incorporate alternative fuels into their supply chains, which will only increase our operational flexibility."

The Navy fuels team is collaborating with commercial activities such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the owner of commercial fuel specifications and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), which seeks to enhance energy security and environmental sustainability for aviation through jet fuel produced from alternatives to petroleum, Kamin said.

For example, General Electric, which makes the engines for the F/A-18, also makes engines for commercial aircraft. "It's a big community of military and commercial activities sharing information and working together to make sure that everyone has what they need to allow qualification to proceed," Kamin said. "We, the Navy, are a customer and our role is to qualify processes that we can use, regardless of where the fuel source originated."

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Pacific Partnership 2016 Returns to Hawaii

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160916-12

Release Date: 9/16/2016 12:26:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Kohlrus

PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Pacific Partnership 2016, embarked aboard hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility Sept. 15, en route to Hawaii for a brief stop as the mission nears conclusion.

Mercy departed Naval Base San Diego May 11 and served as the command platform for the Pacific Partnership 2016 mission. Pacific Partnership is the largest annual, multilateral disaster response preparedness mission in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

"The objective was to improve interoperability between countries to strengthen the relationships and partnerships," said Cmdr. Miguel Gutierrez, director of medical operations, Pacific Partnership 2016.

Pacific Partnership 2016 conducted mission stops in six countries -- Timor Leste, the Philippines, Vietnam, Palau, Malaysia and Indonesia. Throughout the mission, Pacific Partnership personnel shared and gained expertise from each partner nation through subject matter expert exchanges in medical, engineering, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, cooperative health engagements and Women, Peace and Security seminars. Key leader and community relations events provided for direct engagement and enhanced relationships with partner nation leadership and local citizens.

"The engagements from every line of effort built capability and interoperability, which helped strengthen and establish relationships with each partner nation," said Royal Australian navy Capt. Mike Spruce, deputy mission commander, Pacific Partnership 2016. "This mission is a lot about exchanging ideas, and the knowledge and skills shared throughout Pacific Partnership 2016 will last well after the mission is over."

Mercy and the Pacific Partnership 2016 team are scheduled to arrive at Naval Base San Diego at the end of the month.

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Relations with China always top priority in Vietnam's foreign policy: official

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:19, September 16, 2016

HANOI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- "The stable, healthy and sustainable development of relations with China is always a strategic choice of Vietnam and among top priorities in Vietnam's foreign policy," Le Hoai Trung, Vietnam's deputy foreign minister, said Friday.

Trung made the remark in an interview with local Nhan Dan (People) online newspaper on the outcomes of the visit by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to China.

From Sept. 10 to 15, Phuc paid an official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

During the visit, Phuc held talks and met with Chinese leaders, exchanging views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern. Phuc also attended the 13th China-ASEAN Expo in China's southern city of Nanning.

According to Trung, talks and meetings between Phuc and Chinese leaders were held in a friendly, sincere and frank atmosphere while numerous important outcomes have been yielded.

Such outcomes are shown in the main aspects, including enhanced political trust, boosted practical cooperation in all areas in a balanced and effective way and well management of differences and stabilized maritime situations, theVietnamese official told Nhan Dan.

While attending the 13th China-ASEAN Expo, Phuc sent a message of Vietnam's goodwill and role in further promoting practical and mutual beneficial cooperation between ASEAN and China, said the deputy foreign minister, adding that after the expo, Vietnamese firms have signed contracts worth over 100 million U.S. dollars.

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UN says number of South Sudan refugees exceeds one million

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 16, 2016 12:1PM

The United Nations refugee agency says fighting in South Sudan has forced more than one million people to flee the war-stricken country.

South Sudan is witnessing one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters as the "number of South Sudanese refugees sheltering in neighboring countries has this week passed the one million mark," the UN refugee agency said in a statement on Friday.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) added in its statement that another 1.61 million people were displaced inside the country.

Since fresh violence erupted in July, more than 185,000 people have fled the country, the UNHCR said, adding that most of those fleeing were women and children.

Some of these refugees are victims of "violent attacks, sexual assault, children (who) have been separated from their parents... and people in need of urgent medical care," the agency stated.

It said the refugees in neighboring countries "arrive exhausted after days [of] walking in the bush and going without food or water."

Most of those most recently uprooted have crossed into Uganda, bringing the total number of South Sudanese refugees in the country to nearly 375,000.

Other refugees have fled to western Ethiopia's Gambella region, while others have headed to Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.

"These countries have commendably kept their doors open to the new arrivals," the UNHCR said.

South Sudan, according to the UN, joins Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia as countries that have produced more than one million refugees.

The country gained independence in July 2011, but descended into war in December 2013, after President Salva Kiir accused the former vice president, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup to usurp power.

Numerous international attempts to reach a truce between the warring sides have failed.

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US supports Japan maritime activities in South China Sea

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:27AM

The US military has welcomed Japan's interest in boosting its maritime activities in the disputed South China Sea.

The US Navy said in a statement on Thursday it seeks to enhance cooperative efforts with Japan to contribute to the region's security.

"The United States welcomes Japan's interest in expanding its maritime activities in the South China Sea. We continue to explore ways to enhance US-Japan cooperative efforts to contribute to the security and stability of the region," the US Navy said.

This comes after Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said Thursday that Tokyo will step up its activity in the South China Sea through joint training patrols with the US and bilateral and multilateral exercises with regional navies.

Inada also said Japan, which has its own territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea, will help build the capacity of coastal states in the South China Sea.

Japan has already expressed readiness to provide Vietnam and the Philippines, which have claims over the South China Sea, with new patrol ships and surveillance aircraft.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, despite partial counterclaims by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. China is also locked in disputes with Japan and South Korea over the East China Sea.

Across Southeast Asia, concerns about China and its growing military have created an opportunity for the US to improve relationships.

China has repeatedly criticized US military presence in the region and suspects the military drills are part of efforts to contain Beijing.

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U.S. Senators Question Aid To Afghanistan Amid 'Rampant Corruption'

September 16, 2016

by RFE/RL

U.S. senators have warned the Obama administration that failure to address problems with corruption in Afghanistan could lead to a pullback in the embattled country's $5 billion in yearly aid.

"I don't know what the political will here in the United States will be to continue to support the Afghans in light of what is going on there," said Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez said he supported the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan in the past, but he could "have a totally different view" if the government in Kabul does not move more forcefully against corruption.

His comments came after a U.S. inspector-general report on September 14 strongly criticized Washington for pouring billions of dollars into Afghanistan with so little oversight that it fueled a culture of "rampant corruption" and undermined the U.S. mission.



The United States gives Afghanistan about $5 billion per year, including about $4 billion in military aid and another $1 billion in civilian assistance, administration officials said. Beyond that, it also spends many billions more supporting U.S. troops in the country.

The inspector-general found that in fiscal year 2012, the United States spent $19 billion on services for troops in Afghanistan such as transportation, base construction, and translation -- nearly as much as Afghanistan's entire gross domestic product of $20.5 billion that year.

It said the lure of such huge sums of money in impoverished Afghanistan had attracted "entrenched criminal patronage networks" that after 15 years of U.S. intervention have become very difficult to root out.

The report quotes former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker as saying: "The ultimate failure of our efforts...wasn't an insurgency. It was the weight of endemic corruption."

Beyond the problem with corruption, Senator Bob Corker, the committee's chairman, expressed concern that public support for spending in Afghanistan is eroding because the American people can see little evidence that it is bearing fruit.

Richard Olson, the State Department's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, agreed that corruption can undermine governance. But he called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani "a committed partner" in fighting corruption.

Ghani, Olson said, had taken steps including addressing the Kabul Bank scandal, canceling a fuel contract, and setting up a monitoring committee with experts on anticorruption.

"It is a dramatically different situation from what it was prior to 2014," Olson told the committee.

USAID administrator for Afghanistan Donald Sampler told the committee that "ungoverned spaces are the worst" security threats for the United States around the world.

"So supporting the government of Afghanistan and supporting their ability to govern their own space and doing that proactively to prevent insurgencies rather than having to counter them is in my opinion a good investment."

With reporting by Reuters, ABC, and Voice of America

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us- senators-question-aid-afghanistan-amid- rampant-corruption/27992148.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Number of South Sudan refugees passes one million - UN

16 September 2016  As instability and violence persist in the world's newest country, the number of South Sudanese seeking safety and shelter in neighbouring countries has crossed the one million mark, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

"Most of those fleeing South Sudan are women and children," Leo Dobbs, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told the press at a regular briefing held at the UN Office at Geneva.

"They include survivors of violent attacks, sexual assault, children that have been separated from their parents or travelled alone, the disabled, the elderly and people in need of urgent medical care," he added, noting that more than 185,000 people fled the country since fresh violence violence erupted in capital, Juba, in early July, just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the country's independence.

According to the agency, with this sombre milestone, South Sudan is now the fourth country in the world with more than one million refugees. The other three are Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia.

In terms of numbers, Uganda (373,626) accounts for the largest share of South Sudanese refugees. More than a third of them arrived since the most recent violence broke out. Ethiopia (292,000) and Sudan (247,317) are the second and third largest hosts to people fleeing South Sudan.

Smaller numbers have also fled to Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR), since July. About 300 people a week have been crossing into Kenya, which now has over 90,000 South Sudanese refugees. Some 40,000 refugees are estimated in DRC.

The UNHCR spokesperson further reported that the new arrivals spoke of increased fighting and attacks by armed groups that kill civilians, loot villages, sexually assault women and girls, and recruit young boys.

"Many refugees arrive exhausted after days walking in the bush and going without food or water. Many children have lost one or both of their parents, some forced to become primary caregivers to younger siblings," he noted.

Challenges hampering humanitarian response

At the briefing today, Mr. Dobbs also said that the recent violence was a major setback to peace efforts in the country, including a short-lived peace deal between supporters of President Salva Kiir and former First Vice President Riek Machar. The long-standing political rivalry between the two initially erupted into full blown conflict in late 2013.

"The fighting has shattered hopes for a real breakthrough and triggered new waves of displacement and suffering," he added and said that humanitarian organizations are finding it very difficult to provide urgent protection and assistance to the hundreds of thousands in need, including 1.61 million internally displaced people, due to logistical, security and funding reasons.

As for the situation on the ground, he reported that according to UNHCR field staff, new arrivals are camped in schools and churches, but many have to sleep in the open.

Refugees also lack food and basic household items and earlier this month refuges near the city of Doruma, (in DRC's Haut-Uele province) were attacked by unknown assailants. They had their food rations stolen and health centre was also looted.

He also reported that insecurity in South Sudan's Central Equatoria province has significantly affected the UN agency's ability to access and assist thousands of refugees inside the country itself.

"Without further funding and support, we and our partners will struggle to assist the needy with even the most basic assistance," said the UNHCR spokesperson, calling on donors to provide $701 million for South Sudan refugee operations, of which 20 per cent has been funded.

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Niger: After 4-day visit, senior UN aid official calls for greater global support for displaced

16 September 2016  Wrapping up a four-day mission in Niger, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Africa's Sahel region has called on the international community to show increased support for the people of Diffa and the rest of the Lake Chad Basin who have been displaced from their homes amid the violence of Boko Haram's insurgency.

"Despite difficult living conditions, lack of sustainable income and basic means of daily subsistence, thousands of families continue to care for those who have even less," said the Assistant-Secretary-General and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, Toby Lanzer, in a press release issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"People in the Lake Chad region provide us an example of humanity that should be an inspiration for us all," he added.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria has mutated into a vast regional humanitarian crisis involving its three Lake Chad Basin neighbours  Chad, Cameroon and Niger. Insecurity has driven more than 187,000 Nigerians across the border, but incursions by Boko Haram into the surrounding countries have also generated growing numbers of internally displaced people.

Mr. Lanzer visited the Diffa region of Niger, where violence at the hands of Boko Haram has pushed hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, disrupted trade and livelihoods and heightened malnutrition and food insecurity. He was accompanied by Niger's Minister in charge of humanitarian action, Laouan Magagi.

Over 280,000 people have been forced from their homes in Nigeria and within the Diffa region of Niger due to Boko Haram raids and attacks on villages, the press release said. Two of every three displaced people have had to move more than once, each time testing their resilience and further deepening their suffering.

Furthermore, the press release said, entire villages have been emptied of their residents; a large proportion of fields have not been tilled; and, access to basic social services such as water, health and education has been further restricted. Some 400,000 people need emergency food assistance. Malnutrition is at an extremely high level, with the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate, at 17 per cent, exceeding the emergency threshold.

Humanitarian organizations have scaled up their operations during the lean season which stretches from June to September. Food assistance reached more than 65 per cent of the 400,000 people targeted, up from 41 per cent in May.

OCHA said, however, that insecurity and lack of funding are limiting humanitarian teams' ability to reach the most in need. The humanitarian response in Diffa is only 38 per cent funded, with $28 million of $73 million secured. About 50 per cent of food needs for the rest of the year will not be covered if additional funding is not received.

"[Some] $44 million are needed to respond to an overwhelming situation and deep suffering," the Humanitarian Coordinator in Niger, Fode Ndiaye, said, citing an event to be held on 23 September in New York in the margins of the General Assembly.

He hoped that this event will mobilize the attention of the international community and pave the way to ending violence and misery across the region. "This requires creating youth and women's employment, creating socio-economic opportunities, and strengthening social cohesion," he said.

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A suicide bombing in a Pakistan mosque killed at least 25 during Friday prayers

Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns in the strongest terms the suicide bombing that killed at least 25 people during Friday prayers in a mosque in northwest Pakistan.

A ministry statement underlined that Egypt, both the government and the people, stands with the Pakistani government and people in the face of "vicious terrorism.

Early Friday, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a fully-packed mosque during Friday prayers i the village of Anbar Tehsil in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan, killing at least 25 people and injuring 30 others.

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Cameroon Clamps Down on Private Security Firms

By Moki Edwin Kindzeka September 16, 2016

Cameroon's government says it is clamping down on unlicensed private security firms in an effort to improve public safety and enforce regulations.

It plans to close all but nine of the country's nearly 50 private companies. The sector's numbers have risen sharply in the two years since the militant group Boko Haram began carrying out attacks in the country's northern region. Cameroon has an estimated 70,000 private security guards, compared with about 15,000 armed policemen.

The closings could leave tens of thousands of people jobless, authorities say, but they contend the sector has become rife with crime.

Criminal suspects are all too common among the ranks of private security guards, according to Senior Police Commissioner Ossomba Ansleme. He said two guards had been taken into custody as suspects in a rape case being investigated this week in the capital.

Police reportedly still are hunting for five people suspected of attacking Chinese gold miners last week in the town of Ngaoundere. Authorities killed one alleged assailant  and then realized the dead man, and possibly his five peers, had been hired as guards by the victims.

More regulation supported

Kuma Emmanuel, who owns a private security firm, doesn't dispute the need for more regulation.

"We have companies that  just get a truck, open up and then young guys come in," he said. Such firms merely "dress them up as security guards."

A poorly trained guard, he added, "does not know where his powers begin and where his powers end. Obviously, there is a problem. Most of these workers that you see you see putting on uniforms  let me say 80 percent of them have not been trained."

But government inefficiency also was faulted. Some owners said it could take authorities years to process applications for security businesses.

Promoting public safety

The man handling the shutdowns is Issanda Issanda Alain Solomon, the Ministry of Territorial Administration's director of political affairs. He said public safety is the top concern.

He said any well-trained guards losing their jobs because of the closings will find new opportunities with authorized private security companies. The law permits licensed firms to recruit up to 5,000 guards, yet most have 2,000 or fewer.

Issanda Issanda said guards for authorized security companies should wear yellow uniforms.

He dismissed local media criticism that the proliferation of private firms reflected the government's failure to provide adequate security.

In June, the government reported that at least 1,400 people have died in Boko Haram attacks and related fighting. The actual figure is likely higher, as many people die in the bush and are not accounted for.

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Nigeria Army Chief: Boko Haram Capabilities 'Virtually Eliminated'

By James Butty September 16, 2016

The Nigerian military has made tremendous progress against the Boko Haram terrorist group, the country's chief of army staff told VOA Daybreak Africa.

Visiting our Washington studio, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai praised the collaboration with troops from neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

"It is interesting to note that the ability of the Boko Haram terrorist group to move freely as they were doing before, the ability to hold ground, the ability to take on territories or ransack large communities and towns has been virtually eliminated," he said.

Boko Haram released a video this week that shows hundreds of supporters, suggesting the group is still potent.

Buratai dismissed the video as propaganda.

"Virtually they want to show that they are still around. To the best of our knowledge and all well-meaning Nigerians who know the happenings in the northeast, they know that those are just empty, boastful positions of the Boko Haram terrorists. They have nothing to show and indeed they are just trying to show their prowess in terms of propaganda," Buratai said.

Boko Haram, which pledged allegiance to Islamic State last year, has been embroiled in an apparent leadership struggle. The military claimed to have wounded the sect's longtime leader, Abubakar Shekau during an air raid in August.

Buratai said the army continues to receive leads on the whereabouts of people kidnapped by Boko Haram in the northeast, including the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls still missing more than two years after their abduction.

The terror group released a video in August that featured as many as 50 of the Chibok girls, prompting renewed pressure on the government to bring the girls home.

The army chief told VOA they are pursuing a "holistic approach" aimed at freeing all those abducted by Boko Haram.

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Al-Shabab Militants Capture Key Somali Town

By Harun Maruf September 16, 2016

Al-Shabab militants have captured a key Somali town near with the border with Kenya, according to witnesses.

Residents in El Wak told VOA's Somali service that heavily armed Shabab fighters attacked the town from two directions late Friday and now control it.

"The soldiers were attacked by al-Shabab; government forces were overpowered," said a resident who declined to give his name due to security concerns.

Witnesses say at least four people  among them two government soldiers and two civilians  were caught in crossfire near a military base and killed.

Immediately after entering El Wak, Shabab fighters attacked the government base on the southern side of the town. Witnesses say they saw Somali government soldiers fleeing across the border into Kenya.

Fighting subsided as night fell and civilians stayed indoors. Al-Shabab "battle wagons"  pickup trucks with large guns mounted on the back  were reportedly patrolling the town.

"No one can step outside; we don't know how long they will stay in the town," another resident said of the militants, speaking to VOA on condition of anonymity.

Witnesses say the Shabab force consists of about 200 fighters with a dozen battle wagons.

The town's telecommunication network was disconnected earlier Friday. Residents blame al-Shabab for taking down the phone network.

El Wak is a strategic town and a main supply route for Kenyan troops operating in southwestern Somalia. Al-Shabab lost the town in 2011 to Somali government forces.

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Colombian President Acknowledges Government's Role in 1980s Killings

By VOA News September 16, 2016

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has publicly acknowledged the government's role in the killings of leftist activists in the 1980s.

During a ceremony at the presidential palace Thursday, Santos apologized to surviving members of the Patriotic Union party (UP). Some wearing shirts with the saying "They can cut the flowers, but they can't stop the birth of spring."

"That tragedy should have never happened and we must recognize that the government didn't take sufficient measures to impede and prevent the assassinations, attacks, and other violations even though there was evidence the persecution was taking place," Santos said in front of 200 survivors and family members of UP.

Some 3,000 people were killed by paramilitary groups during peace talks between the government and UP members in the 1980s, which Colombians frequently refer to as political genocide.

"The persecution of the members of the Patriotic Union was a tragedy that led to its disappearance as an organization and caused untold damage to thousands of families and our democracy," Santos said.

The president's speech comes less than two weeks before he is scheduled to sign a peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - FARC. The agreement is the end of a civil war that has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions. Some 7,000 FARC fighters will be incorporated into society and permitted to form a political party.

On Monday, FARC rebels apologized for the "great pain" they caused by kidnapping thousands of people to fund half a century of conflict through ransoms.

FARC said in a video recording late Sunday that it had taken captives over the years but would not do so again.

Some 27,000 people were kidnapped between 1970 and 2010, according to official figures. As many as 90 percent of those were seized by the FARC.

The rebel group amassed a fortune from kidnappings, extortion and the drug trade.

The two sides are scheduled to sign the peace agreement on September 26. The deal will then be put to a vote on October 2, allowing Colombians to decide whether to accept the accord.

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India, Nepal Restore Friendlier Ties

By Anjana Pasricha September 16, 2016

India and Nepal have put diplomatic relations, that had frayed in the past year, back on track during a visit to New Delhi by Nepal's new prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda.

Prachanda's three-day trip to India less than a month after he assumed office is seen as an effort to re-balance ties after his predecessor had steered the tiny Himalayan country closer to its other giant neighbor, China.

Before landing in New Delhi, Prachanda said relations with India had become frosty for some time and he wanted to remove "the bitterness."

New Delhi, which has been concerned about Beijing's growing influence in the strategically located country, took the opportunity to woo Nepal back into its fold.

India's foreign ministry called it a "very warm visit" and said discussions focused on development projects in its landlocked neighbor that remains one of the world's poorest countries.

Agreements signed

Three agreements signed on Friday include a $750 million credit line in aid for reconstruction work relating to the deadly earthquake that devastated Nepal last year. Two others relate to road projects. Discussions were also held on a long rail link from east to west Nepal and power projects.

Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that "a lot of it was really about getting the Nepali economy back on track, getting the reconstruction program moving."

The Nepalese leader also emphasized the need for development in his country. "I am convinced that without economic property, political transformation cannot be sustainable. This has become all the more important for my country."

After meeting his Nepalese counterpart, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the friendship "time-tested and unique."

"As immediate neighbors and close, friendly nations, peace, stability and economic prosperity of Nepal is our shared objective," he said.

Relations between the two countries soured after the picketing of the Indo-Nepal border for five months last year by ethnic Nepalese created crippling shortages in Nepal.

Kathmandu said the blockade was mounted with the tacit support of India, which supports the demands of the ethnic community for more representation in the country's new constitution.

As anger with India flared in Nepal, former prime minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli signed a series of trade deals with China.

But as New Delhi and Kathmandu restore the bonhomie in their ties after the recent rocky phase, the Nepalese leader spoke of the need to build trust.

"Trust and confidence are the prerequisites of this strong and sustainable, friendly relation and to ensure this we should respect each other's sensitivities and concern in spirit of good neighborliness," said Prachanda.

Rebuilding ties

Political analysts say while rebuilding ties with India, Nepal will also continue to cultivate China, which has invested millions of dollars to help the country build roads, hospitals and other infrastructure. Beijing has made rapid inroads in Nepal in recent years as part of its broader strategy of gaining a foothold in South Asia.

However Nepali media say that Beijing has put off a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year due to lack of progress on Nepal's part on the projects agreed to between the two countries.

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US Eyeing Chinese Influence In Australian Politics

By Phil Mercer September 16, 2016

The United States has expressed concern about China's influence in Australia's domestic politics and wants reforms to eliminate Beijing's ability to use financial donations to influence Australian politicians.

In an exclusive interview with the daily newspaper The Australian, departing U.S. Ambassador John Berry said he is worried about China's influence in Australia's domestic politics. Berry said the United States objects to Beijing's ability to advance its interests by funding Australian politicians during an election campaign and said Washington was "surprised" at the extent of the involvement of the Chinese government in Australian politics.

He said the United States hopes Canberra will protect Australia's "core responsibilities against undue influence from governments that do not share our values."

The ambassador's comments follow the resignation of opposition Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who had asked a company connected to the Chinese government to pay part of a travel bill.

The affair has prompted a widespread discussion about the influence that foreign financial donors are having on Australian lawmakers.

Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says even if there is no direct evidence that Chinese funds have swayed political decisions, his concern is that Australian policy on China has been amended to suit Beijing.

"There is no doubt the Chinese government is interested in using its diaspora communities to lobby for Chinese interests. And I think we've seen that very recently over the South China Sea, where there was an intense campaign on the part of Beijing to try to get countries to moderate their reactions to the legal judgment that was brought down in the Hague a month or two ago," said Jennings.

Both major parties in Australia have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors with overseas interests. Members of the opposition Labor party and the Australian Greens believe now is the time to ban such practices.

But former Australian prime minister John Howard believes that would be a bad move.

"I certainly do not agree with the suggestion that we should further limit the amount people can contribute or companies contribute. Fundamentally it is an attack on freedom of political activity and expression," said Howard.

There have been attempts to regulate foreign donations. A Labor government introduced a bill to ban foreign donations to Parliament in 2010, but it never became law. Conservative government ministers have, so far, blocked a similar bill proposed by the Greens party, arguing there is no need for reform.

China is Australia's biggest trading partner, and its future prosperity depends, in large part, on a smooth relationship with Beijing. Australia, however, must balance its commercial ties with China with its longstanding military alliance with the United States.

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Counter-ISIL Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Sept. 17, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 18 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, five strikes damaged 10 ISIL supply routes and destroyed two oil well heads.

-- Near Shadaddi, four strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, two vehicles, a weapons cache and a front-end loader.

-- Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL training compound, an oil well head, an oil pump jack and two oil storage tanks.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike damaged five ISIL supply routes.

-- Near Mara, six strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units, three fighting positions, two tunnels, two command-and-control nodes and a mortar system.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted seven strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Hit, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a building.

-- Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions and damaged a tunnel entrance.

-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a weapons cache and 29 watercraft.

-- Near Ramadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and a staging area and destroyed a fighting position and a building.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike damaged an ISIL tunnel.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Joint Niger-Chad troops kill 38 Boko Haram terrorists

Iran Press TV

Sat Sep 17, 2016 2:57PM

At least 38 militants from the Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group have been killed in joint military operations by troops from Niger and Chad in southeast Niger over the past week, officials say.

Niger's Defense Ministry Spokesperson Moustapha Ledru announced the news on the country's national television on Friday, adding that the counter-terror operations were launched on September 12 in the vicinity of the villages of Gueskerou and Toumour in Niger's southeastern region of Diffa, near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border.

He further said two soldiers from the bilateral force sustained light wounds in the operations, adding that the joint forces also managed to seize large quantities of weapons and ammunition from fleeing terrorists.

Ledru went on to say that the militants were killed during the first three days of the week.

The terrorists, however, launched a counter-attack on Gueskerou, some 30 kilometers away from Diffa, late on Wednesday. No casualties were reported.

"The attack nonetheless caused a psychosis in the population" and "the assailants torched houses and stole food and medicines after pillaging shops and a pharmacy," an unnamed NGO official told AFP.

Niger has been one of the countries affected by more than seven years of Boko Haram militancy in Nigeria. The Takfiri terrorist group has routinely launched attacks across the border from Nigeria into Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Those countries have in return stepped up carrying out counter-offensives in the form of unilateral operations or contributing to a multi-national force against the militant group.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and some 2.6 million more displaced in northern Nigeria and neighboring countries since Boko Haram started its campaign in Nigeria in 2008 with the aim of toppling the central government. The group has pledged allegiance to Daesh, another Takfiri terrorist group mainly operating in Iraq and Syria.

Many blame corrupt officials in the Nigerian government and army for the continued militancy, as recent reports say Boko Haram is purportedly receiving some of its arms and ammunition from corrupt Nigerian officials.

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Belgium police arrest two in anti-terror raids

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 16, 2016 2:32PM

The Belgian federal prosecutor's office says authorities have detained two people for questioning following anti-terror raids in two districts of the capital Brussels and the city of Liege in the southeast.

Police searched two homes in Haren and Schaarbeek districts of Brussels and another in Liege in the French-speaking Wallonia region, the office said in a statement.

According the statement, the two detainees "will be interrogated by the investigators" and a judge will decide later whether expanded detention is needed.

A judge specializing in terrorism cases ordered the raids "in connection with an ongoing federal investigation into the activities of a terrorist group," the office said, without providing further details.

According to Belgium's RTBF television network, the two are a 28-year-old man and his female companion.

The television station added that the man, who was engaged in criminal but not terrorist activities, had been active in a chat group on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, where he "apparently indicated he was preparing to carry out an attack."

The RTBF did not name its sources but said authorities sought to determine whether the man was linked to the recently detained users of Telegram in France.

On September 14, French police arrested a 15-year-old boy in a dawn raid on his home in northeastern Paris during an investigation into the network of Rachid Kassim, a French member of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group. The boy had allegedly contacted Kassim on Telegram about a plot for a terrorist attack.

Belgium has been on high alert since a March 22 attack by Daesh on Brussels airport and a subway station killed over 30 people. The perpetrators in the attacks belonged to an extremist terrorist cell which had been involved in deadly attacks in Paris in November 2015.

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US House passes bill to block Guantanamo transfers

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 16, 2016 5:58AM

The US House of Representatives in Congress has passed a bill that would block the transfer of any detainees from the notorious Guantanamo Bay military prison during President Barack Obama's remaining tenure.

The measure was passed on Thursday largely along party lines with all but four Republicans backing it and all but 12 of Obama's fellow Democrats opposing it.

The measure must now pass from the Senate, where it faces tough odds. The White House has promised to veto the bill.

In a statement, Representative Ed Royce, a Democrat from California, said he was pleased the House voted to halt the Obama administration's "reckless and dangerous policy of releasing detainees from terrorist prison."

The bill would stop transfers only until Obama leaves the White House in January or signs a new National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill setting military policy which includes other provisions.

Obama had promised to close the Guantanamo prison during the 2008 presidential election campaign, but his efforts have been continually thwarted by Republican lawmakers in Congress.

The US presidential election in November will likely determine the future of Guantanamo, as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised to fill the notorious prison with "bad dudes" if he is elected president.

About 780 men have passed through the facility since it was opened following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks to hold terrorism suspects.

There are currently about 60 prisoners at the base.

In recent months, the Obama administration has accelerated the rate at which detainees who have been approved for transfer are released from the detention center.

The transfer of inmates has fueled concerns by prison supporters that he might use his executive powers to close it altogether before leaving office in January.

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Abdel Salam Al-Sayed was killed in the northern city of Piacenza when a truck belonging to the company he worked for ran him over

Egypt has said it's mission in the Italian city of Milano has held intensive talks with Italian security officials on developments in the probe into an Egyptian national who was run over by a truck last week.

Abdel Salam Al-Sayed was killed in the northern city of Piacenza when a truck belonging to the company he worked for ran over him, the foreign ministry had said Friday.

The ministry added that it was notified of the death Thursday.

On Saturday, the ministry said in a statement that a delegation from the Egyptian consulate in Milano met with top general security officials in Piacenza to follow up on the latest developments in investigations into the death.

"Italian prosecutors are going forward with investigations after hearing accounts of Egyptian and Italian eyewitnesses," the ministry said. Investigators are reviewing videotapes from surveillance cameras that captured the incident for clues, it added.

Egypt's Consul General Ahmed Shahin pledged that Cairo will provide full support to the victim's family through all litigation stages.

The truck driver had been arrested and is being questioned by Italian prosecutors.

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White House Said Mulling Legal Action Against Russian Hackers

September 16, 2016

by RFE/RL

The White House is trying to build a legal case against Russian hackers it believes are behind recent leaks aimed at disrupting the U.S. presidential election, while Congress is eyeing sanctions as a remedy, media reports says.

Reuters reported on September 15 that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is trying to put together enough evidence to indict some of the Russian hackers, but doing this has proved difficult as some of the best evidence the administration has is highly classified.

U.S. State Department officials think legal action is the best way to respond to what they believe are increasing Russian attempts to disrupt and discredit the November elections, without sparking an open confrontation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters said.

Reuters said the administration believes that two Russian intelligence agencies -- the military's GRU and the civilian intelligence agency -- are behind recent cyberattacks, which have become more frequent and brazen.

Though the Kremlin vehemently denies it, some officials believe the Russian government has set up a competition between its military and civilian intelligence agencies to see which can steal and distribute the most damaging material.

With hacking targets as diverse and the Democratic National Committee and former top Republican diplomats, U.S. officials have come to the conclusion that Russia's goal is not simply to promote one candidate over another but to discredit the elections and democracy as it is practiced in the United States, Reuters said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged the administration faces a difficult task formulating an appropriate response to Russian hacking.

"We're in unexplored territory here, and the president is quite interested in trying to establish international norms," he said.

The U.S. Justice Department has previously filed legal cases against Chinese hackers who compromised U.S. government and corporate systems, and would like to take the same approach to Russia.

"I'll let the FBI speak to what evidence they have amassed," Earnest said, "but I think they're also cognizant of the fact that as soon as they make a declaration like that, most people are going to understandably be interested in seeing that evidence. And some of that evidence may not be something we want to show."

While the White House pursues legal avenues, The Washington Post reports that members of Congress are eyeing additional sanctions as the best option for dealing with Russia.

The top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees are working on a response to Russia that might include sanctions, the newspaper reported.

Representative Adam Schiff said President Barack Obama needs to start "naming and shaming" Russia.

"There's now an executive order that allows the president to administer sanctions as a result of cyber intrusions," Schiff told reporters, noting that if Russia persisted in breaching U.S. political groups, Obama ought "to look at a series of escalating responses, which might begin with economic sanctions."

With reporting by Reuters, NBC, and The Washington Post

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ white-house-reported-mulling- legal-action-against-russian-hackers- congress-eyes-sanctions/27992251.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Mekong Nations Seek Closer Cooperation Against Growing Drug Scourge

By Ron Corben September 16, 2016

Facing an increase in drug trafficking, some Southeast Asian nations are planning on creating a centralized data source for law enforcement and carrying out joint patrols.

Thailand has been playing a central role in promoting the increased cooperation.

Thai Justice Minister Paibul Koomchaya recently told regional narcotics officials, Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, donor nations and agencies that there is a need to increase the number of cooperative projects to curb regional narcotics production.

Paibul also called on the region to focus on health care and jobs for drug addicts as part of ASEAN's 10-year anti-drug action plan.

ASEAN faces a conflicting debate over the policy steps needed to cope with rising production of illicit drugs, largely methamphetamine-type stimulants and heroin. In Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei, methamphetamine use is on the rise. Officials told VOA that heroin is a bigger problem in Indonesia.

Thailand, Laos and Vietnam are attempting to refocus policy towards drug user rehabilitation.

But the crackdown on drug pushers and users by the Philippine administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has left over 3,000 killed and has sparked international condemnation from human rights advocates.

Manop Kamato, an anthropologist in the Faculty of Medicine at Khon Kaen University, who attended the regional officials' conference, said the meeting promoted more cooperation and assistance given the region's drug trafficking and social concerns.

"We can go there and we train them to make their own report and try to start to standardize a data base and raise them up equal to other countries," Manop told VOA.

"Right now we have a problem, yes. Because like Laos, like Cambodia their infrastructure is not so good, so they may take more time  but if we can help, then how do we do it?" he said.

Growing challenge

According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) data, South East Asia faces a growing challenge from drug trafficking networks.

The UNODC says seizures of crystal methamphetamine in East and South East Asia have reached historic levels, reaching 30 tons in the past year.

The U.N. drugs body reported methamphetamine seizure levels in 2016 are forecast to rise. Also evident has been a rise in production and trafficking of new psychoactive substances (NPS)  synthetic drugs not yet covered by international controls.

In May, the Mekong Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on drug control, brought together officials from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam  the MoU's co-signatures  and India, a key source of precursor chemicals needed in drug production.

Chuanpit Choomwattana, a project coordinator on the ASEAN Drug Monitoring Network, says sharing information can play a major role in stemming the flow of drugs in the region.

"If we share information and we cooperate more closely, then we can stop drugs from coming into the region. Most ASEAN identify ourselves as transit countries not the producer and part of the drugs spill-out in the region  so we become the market," she said.

When seven of the 10 ASEAN countries carried out "self-analysis", they recognized they were "the transit country and market  they are the victims, not the producer," she said.

But Chuanpit said there remain substantial information gaps for several countries, undermining policy and drug prevention programs.

"They are very concerned they cannot provide information compared to other countries. And this is one point we can coordinate and support like training for countries that want to improve their capacity in providing this information," she added.

Joining forces

Thailand, Laos and China have been carrying out joint patrols under the "Safe Mekong Joint Operations", along the Mekong River bordering Thailand and Laos.

Thailand recently reported the joint operations destroyed a major drug smuggling group of 26 networks across the region.

Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Asia Pacific representative, in emailed comments to VOA said the 'Safe Mekong' program provided "operational law enforcement" to the Mekong regional agreement on drug control.

"The overarching drug strategy for the Mekong area supports threat assessments and analysis, development of procedures, and plans for joint or multilateral operations, training and capacity building, across a spectrum of law enforcement, justice and even drug use and health issues," Douglas said.

UNODC officials say Laos continues to struggle in dealing with drugs as a transit country as well as providing rehabilitation programs.

The Lao government has approved a new drug control master plan to guide policy efforts in the country until 2020.

But UNODC Lao Program Officer Erlend Audunson Falch said the challenge for Laos is that it is a vital transit country for illicit drugs into Vietnam, across land borders with China and Laos.

"Laos has severe challenges both when it comes to drug use, opium cultivation and drug trafficking," Falch said in emailed comments.

"While these issues are a high priority for the government, there is limited funding available to implement policies," he said.

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Tiangong-2 takes China one step closer to space station

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:59, September 16, 2016

JIUQUAN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Tiangong-2 space lab blasted off on Thursday, marking another milestone in its increasingly ambitious space program, which envisions a mission to Mars by the end of this decade and its own space station by around 2020.

In a cloud of smoke underneath a mid-autumn full moon, Tiangong-2 roared into the air at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi desert, on the back of a Long March-2F T2 rocket at 10:04 p.m. Beijing Time.

The Long March-2F T2 is a two-stage launch vehicle that uses four strap-on boosters during its first stage.

About 20 minutes later, the mission was declared a success.

Tiangong-2 separated from the rocket and entered the preset orbit 575 seconds after blast-off, a statement from the mission control read.

While in space, the 8.6-tonne Tiangong-2 will maneuver itself into an orbit about 380 kilometers above Earth for initial in-orbit tests. It will then transfer to a slightly higher orbit of about 393 kilometers above Earth's surface.

Later, the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will carry two astronauts into space to dock with the lab. The astronauts will work in the lab for 30 days before returning to Earth.

In April 2017, China's first space cargo ship Tianzhou-1, which literally means heavenly vessel, will be sent into orbit to dock with the space lab, providing fuel and other supplies.

Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, said on Wednesday that experts will verify and evaluate key technologies involved with in-orbit refueling and equipment repairs, as well as those related to astronauts' long-term stay in space during the mission.

They will also use the lab, which is designed to operate for at least two years, to conduct space science experiments on a relatively large scale compared to China's previous efforts.

China's manned space program has entered a "new phase of application and development," Wu said.

DREAM LAB

Measuring 10.4 meters in length and up to 3.35 meters in diameter, the tube-like Tiangong-2 is hardly the size of a palace. But its name means heavenly palace in Chinese, and it symbolizes the dream that the Chinese have long envisioned in the sky.

Originally built as a backup to Tiangong-1, Tiangong-2 looks much like its predecessor launched in 2011, but its interior living quarters and life support system have been improved to allow longer astronaut stays.

It is designed to enable two astronauts to live in space for up to 30 days and to receive manned and cargo spaceships.

Once inside Tiangong-2, two astronauts arriving from the Shenzhou-11 spaceship will carry out key experiments related to in-orbit equipment repairs, aerospace medicine, space physics and biology, such as quantum key distribution, atomic space clocks and solar storm research.

"The number of experiments carried out by Tiangong-2 will be the highest of any manned space mission so far," said Lyu Congmin with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

According to Zhu Zongpeng, chief designer of China's space lab system, Tiangong-2's workload includes POLAR, a collaboration between Swiss, Polish and Chinese institutions to study gamma ray bursts, the most energetic events in the universe.

A cold atomic space clock, which scientists say only loses one second in about 30 million years, is expected to make future navigation more accurate.

Scientists will also conduct a space-Earth quantum key distribution and laser communications experiment, to facilitate space-to-ground quantum communication.

Also, piggybacking on the Tiangong-2 launch will be a robotic arm that can be used for in-orbit repairs. There will also be a micro satellite that will orbit close to the space lab and snap on to Tiangong-2 and the visiting Shenzhou-11 spacecraft crew.

Earlier reports said Tiangong-2 will also carry out three experiments created by the winners of a Hong Kong middle school design contest.

"Tiangong-2 has a designed life of two years, but it is expected to work much longer than that in space," said Zhu.

Both Zhu and Wu referred to Tiangong-2 as China's first space lab "in the strict sense."

Its predecessor Tiangong-1, which docked with the Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spaceships and undertook a series of experiments, was mainly used to verify technology involved in space docking and serve as a simple platform for a number of scientific experiments, Wu said.

"In comparison, Tiangong-2 will boast many more experiments," said Zhu.

Tiangong-1 ended its data service earlier this year and will, reportedly, burn up as it falls into Earth's atmosphere in the latter half of 2017.

Tiangong-2 will drop into the Pacific Ocean at the end of its mission, according to the manned space engineering office.

TRAILBLAZER

The successful launch of the Tiangong-2, along with the maiden flight of China's new generation carrier rocket Long March-7 in June, bodes well for the final phase of China's three-step manned space program.

The first step, to send an astronaut into space and return safely, was fulfilled by Yang Liwei in the Shenzhou-5 mission in 2003.

The second step is developing advanced space flight techniques and technologies including extra-vehicular activity and orbital docking. This phase also includes the launch of two space laboratories - effectively mini space-stations that can be manned on a temporary basis.

Finally, the third step will be to assemble and operate a permanent manned space station.

It is expected that the space station will consist of three parts -- a core module attached to two space labs, each weighing about 20 tonnes.

According to Zhou Jianping, chief engineer of China's manned space program, one important target of Tiangong-2 is to verify technology involved in the construction of the space station.

"It has the basic technological capacity of a space station," Zhou said.

"Once the space lab mission comes to an end, China will start building our own space station," he said, adding this could start in as early as 2017.

Construction of the space station is planned for completion by around 2020.

It will enter into service around 2022, with an initial designed life of at least 10 years, Zhu Zongpeng told Xinhua. By then, astronauts could be stationed in orbit for missions that last more than one year, he added.

The Chinese space station will be much smaller than the current International Space Station (ISS), which weigh 420 tonnes, but it can be expanded for "scientific research and international cooperation," Zhou said.

With the ISS set to retire in 2024, the Chinese station will offer a promising alternative, and China will be the only country with a permanent space station.

According to Zhou, the Chinese space station will be more "economically efficient and informationized" than the ISS. It will be able to house a maximum of six astronauts at the same time and manned missions will become routine once the space station enters service.

Starting from scratch, China's ever-expanding multi-billion-dollar space program is increasingly becoming a source of national pride and a marker of technological expertise in the global community.

After launching its first manned mission in 2003, China staged a spacewalk in 2008, and sent Tiangong-1 into space in 2011.

It succeeded in a manned docking in space in 2012, becoming the third country to do so after the United States and Russia, and landed its Yutu rover on the moon a year later.

Now China is preparing Tianhe-1, a core space station module, which may be lifted by the powerful Chinese rocket Long March-5 in 2018. Additionally, Chinese scientists are making a Hubble-like telescope to orbit near the planned space station.

China also aims to send the Chang'e-5 probe to the moon and return with lunar samples in the second half of 2017, and to land a probe on Mars by 2021.

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Iran involved in highest level of nuclear development cooperation in post-JCPOA

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Sept 16, IRNA -- Iran's Ambassador to Britain Hamid Baeidinejad said that Iran is currently involved in the highest level of cooperation in nuclear energy development.

He made the remarks after the Head of Iran Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi's presence in the World Nuclear Association Symposium on Friday.

Baeidinejad wrote in his Telegram page in a material titled 'Iran Among World Biggest Nuclear Powers' that today a major development occurred in Iran's nuclear industry in post-JCPOA era.

Iran which could not attend the international gathering of the major companies involved in developing nuclear energy is now participating in World Nuclear Association Symposium 2016 at the highest level, he said.

The association has brought together all elites from various fields of nuclear energy from 35 countries, which make up 80 percent of the world's total population, the ambassador said.

Giant nuclear companies such as Rosatom from Russia and energy agencies of China, the US, Japan, Britain, France, Kazakhstan have convened to discuss various aspects of nuclear energy application ranging form extracting uranium ore to uranium enrichment.

Iran's presence in the event indicates that its scientists who have conquered the most complicated picks of nuclear technology are hailed by the countries, he said, noting that the association had invited Salehi to take part in the symposium.

World Nuclear Association with over 400 members is an international organization comprising senior directors of nuclear companies and plays a crucial role in the production and improvement of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Due to the sanctions imposed by the UNSC against Iran for its nuclear program in recent years, Iran's cooperation with the association has been suspended but Iran has participated in the ongoing meeting at the highest level after the implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Salehi held talks with Director General of the World Nuclear Association Agneta Rising and chancellor of the association's university Patricia Weiland on the sidelines of the annual meeting.

Chiefs and experts of nuclear industry from 35 countries are participating in the three-day specialized international symposium of the World Nuclear Association located in Britain.

Salehi arrived in London from Brussels on Thursday to attend the annual meeting of the World Nuclear Association.

8072**1420

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Salehi: Iran ready for cooperation with regional states on nuclear energy

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Sept 16, IRNA -- Head of Iran Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi said on Friday that Tehran is ready for collaboration with regional states for development of the nuclear energy.

Addressing the World Nuclear Association Symposium 2016 in London, Salehi referred to Persian Gulf littoral states' interest in developing nuclear energy, saying that Tehran is ready to share its experience in nuclear energy with regional countries.

Pointing to growing international cooperation with the countries and owners of nuclear industries in the post-sanctions era, he invited the interested firms to participate in his organization's projects.

Iran has set a target of producing 20,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity, he said, noting that to achieve the goal, Iran has recently concluded a new deal with Russia to build two power plants in Bushehr.

Underlining the significance of using clean nuclear energy in development of countries, Salehi explained Iran's cooperation with the world's industrial nuclear countries, especially in post-sanctions era.

World Nuclear Association with over 400 members is an international organization comprising senior directors of nuclear companies and plays a crucial role in the production and improvement of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Due to the sanctions imposed by the UNSC against Iran for its nuclear program in recent years, Iran's cooperation with the association has been suspended but Iran has participated in the ongoing meeting at the highest level after the implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Salehi held talks with Director General of the World Nuclear Association Agneta Rising and chancellor of the association's university Patricia Weiland on the sidelines of the annual meeting.

Chiefs and experts of nuclear industry from 35 countries are participating in the three-day specialized international symposium of the World Nuclear Association located in Britain.

Salehi arrived in London from Brussels on Thursday to attend the annual meeting of the World Nuclear Association.

8072**1420

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Iran urges all-out evaluation of JCPOA implementation by WNA

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Sept 16, IRNA -- Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali-Akbar Salehi proposed all-out evaluation of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by the World Nuclear Association (WNA).

After a meeting with Director General of the World Nuclear Association Agneta Rising on Friday, Salehi told IRNA that he had good talks with her.

He also said that he invited Rising to visit Tehran and proposed establishment of a technical committee for evaluating small power plants during the meeting.

Rising welcomed the proposals and accepted establishment of a technical group and making an all-out evaluation of small power plants, Salehi said.

Salehi also proposed introducing two good Iranian universities to the entity so that it will exchange nuclear experience with the association's virtual university and other universities worldwide, he said, noting that this proposal was also accepted by her.

The official also said that he proposed establishment of a working committee comprising technical and political experts to discuss contents of JCPOA off and then and discuss practical steps to that effect.

'We feel that the association is a suitable forum to monitor implementation of the JCPOA,' he said.

'I made four proposals which were accepted by Rising,' he said, hoping that all of them will be pursued seriously.

Asked when the proposals will be fulfilled, Salehi said, 'I think director general and her colleagues will visit Tehran at the earliest and next steps will be taken subsequently.'

8072**1420

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US Delivers New Fighter Jets After OKing Record Military Aid Package to Israel

Sputnik News

23:32 16.09.2016(updated 23:35 16.09.2016)

In the wake of a new military assistance agreement signed Wednesday between Jerusalem and Washington, Israel is welcoming 10 F-15D fighter jets, an unnamed number of Hercules transport aircraft, and GPS guided JDAM smart bombs into its arsenal.

The 10-year $38 billion agreement is the largest US military aid package in recorded history.

F-15 fighters have been used by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) for some 40 years, and the two-seater version is used both as a trainer and for air-to-air combat. The Israeli fleet will now include the F-35I Adir and F-15s. Several F-15s will be used in combat-ready squadrons and some will be used for spare parts.

The IAF stated "The new aircraft serve as a technical and maintenance opportunity. Their arrival will allow us to use them as spare parts, improving the operational availability of the Buzz fighter jets," according to Jerusalem Online.

The US will supply Israel with the record $38 billion military aid package over the next decade. The agreement takes effect October 2018.

At a Washington signing ceremony Israeli security official Jacob Nagel said that the aid package "strikes the right balance between the needs and capabilities of both countries" and "enables Israel to better defend itself, by itself" against threats.

 Sputnik

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Washington's Will: Japan to Increase 'Engagement' in South China Sea

Sputnik News

00:26 17.09.2016(updated 07:03 17.09.2016)

In the latest South China Sea escalation, Japan's new Defense Minister has announced plans to conduct provocative "freedom of navigation" exercises through the region.

Throughout the South China Sea conflict, the United States has pressured Pacific allies into playing a more prominent role against Beijing's growing regional influence. Perhaps none have answered that call so readily as Japan, which recently amended its constitution to allow for overseas troop deployments for the first time since World War II, and has engaged in a separate territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea.

On Thursday, Japan's recently-appointed Defense Minister Tomomi Inada indicated strong support for the US Navy's military operations in disputed waters.

"Japan, for its part, will increase its engagement in the South China Sea, for example, Maritime Self-Defense Force joint training cruises with the US Navy and bilateral and multilateral exercises with regional navies," she said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, according to Deutsche Welle.

Inada added that the patrols help uphold "the rules-based international maritime order."

In response, the US Navy issued a statement praising Inada's remarks.

"The United States welcomes Japan's interest in expanding its maritime activities in the South China Sea," the statement reads. "We continue to explore ways to enhance US-Japan cooperative efforts to contribute to the security and stability of the region."

At the heart of the conflict is Beijing's construction of a series of artificial islands in the South China Sea. While the US has accused China of attempting to establish an air defense zone, Beijing maintains it has every right to build within its own territory and that the islands will be used for primarily civilian purposes.

To protest these land reclamation projects, the Pentagon has conducted freedom of navigation patrols within the 12-mile territorial limit of the islands.

A highly-contested region through which roughly $5 trillion in international trade passes annually, most of the South China Sea is claimed by China, though there are overlapping claims by the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

The United States has no territorial claims in the region.

In the East China Sea, Toyko and Beijing are at odds over the Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyus. China says the contiguous islands have been part of its territory since ancient times. Japan argues the archipelago has been under its control since 1895.

The Senkakus were briefly held by the United States before being handed over to Japan in 1972.

 Sputnik

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Bomb attack kills 25 in northwest Pakistan mosque: Official

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 16, 2016 11:27AM

At least 25 people have been killed and 30 more wounded in a bomb attack in a Pakistani mosque near the Afghanistan border, a regional official says.

The blast occurred during Friday prayers in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, Naveed Akbar, the deputy administrator of Mohmand agency, said.

"The suicide bomber was in [a] crowded mosque," he added, saying, it was a "huge blast."

"A portion of the mosque and veranda collapsed in the blast and fell on worshipers. We are still retrieving bodies and the injured from rubble of the mosque building," he said.

A second regional official confirmed the bombing in the village of Payee Khan, in the troubled Mohmand region of the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

"Many people were gathered inside the mosque where a suicide bomber blew himself up," Shaukat Khan, another official in the northwestern FATA region, said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but pro-Taliban militants are usually blamed for such attacks.

Thousands of people have been killed over the past decade as a result of the surge in violence in Pakistan.

Pro-Taliban elements killed over 150 people, most of them children, in an armed assault on a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in December 2014.

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U.S. Senate Committee: Pakistan Is A 'Tremendously Duplicitous Partner'

September 16, 2016

by RFE/RL

Pakistan continues to be a "tremendously duplicitous partner," according to Bob Corker, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Corker, a Republican, said during a Senate hearing on U.S. policy in Afghanistan on September 15 that Pakistan was the "greatest threat to American soldiers [in Afghanistan] and certainly the greatest threat to the Afghan military and civilians."

Corker said Islamabad was "working against" U.S. interests by supporting the Haqqani Network, a Pakistani-based militant group that has been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

Richard Olson, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said Islamabad had not done enough to tackle the Haqqani Network and the Taliban.

"We continue to urge Pakistan to take robust action against the Haqqani and against the Taliban and I think there are indications that they have taken some action, but I don't think it will be fair to say those actions were definitive," Olson told the Senate hearing on September 15.

Afghan and U.S. officials have long blamed Pakistan for supporting the Afghan insurgency, a charge rejected by Islamabad.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan- tremendously-duplicitous-partner- u-s-afghanistan/27993057.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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French newspaper Le Figaro reported Friday that French investigators had been prevented from examining the wreckage of the plane that crashed last spring en route from Paris to Cairo after the find

Related More debris from crashed EgyptAir flight washes up on Israeli beach 'Fire' heard on cockpit recordings before EgyptAir crash Egypt's civil aviation ministry told Ahram Online on Saturday the Egyptian committee investigating the crash of EgyptAir plane in May over the Mediterranean did not receive any new evidence from French investigators, a day after a French newspaper reported that their side found traces of TNT in the plane's debris.



French newspaper Le Figaro reported Friday that investigators from France's Institute for Criminal Research found traces of TNT in the plane's debris while conducting investigations in Cairo.

On 19 May, EgyptAir flight MS804, en route from Paris to Cairo, crashed into the eastern Mediterranean, killing all 66 people on board . Fifteen French passengers were among those killed in the crash.

Le Figaro reported that Egyptian judicial authorities prevented investigators from conducting further examination of the wreckage, citing an unnamed source close to the probe.



"The investigation committee has not received any technical reports on investigation results from the [interior ministry's] criminal lab or the general prosecution on the matter," the ministry's media department head Bassem Samy told Ahram Online.

"The committee is still working to identify the technical causes of the crash," he added, stressing that any new results of the probe will be announced once verified.

Sources from the Egyptian-led investigation committee denied Saturday that the French team had been hindered from performing their work, as reported by the French paper.

In July, the investigation committee said the flight data recorder of the crashed aircraft showed a fire occurred on board the plane in its final moments.

Earlier analysis of the recorder indicated there was smoke in the lavatory and avionics bay, and recovered wreckage showed signs of damage because of high temperatures.

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Deadly Suicide Blast Rips Through Pakistan Mosque

By Ayaz Gul September 16, 2016

A suicide blast Friday tore through a crowded mosque in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 25 people and wounding at least 30 more, officials said.

The bombing happened in Mohmand Agency, one of the seven semi-autonomous Pakistani districts on the Afghan border.

A spokesman for a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban contacted VOA and took responsibility for the blast. The Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA) faction said the bomber targeted the mosque because members of a pro-government tribal militia, named the Peace Committee, were among the worshippers.

Last month, the United States designated JuA a global terrorist organization, saying the group has staged multiple attacks on civilians, religious minorities, military personnel and law enforcement, and was responsible for the killing of two Pakistani employees of the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar in early March.

Pakistani officials allege the terrorist group operates out of Afghan border areas and receives support from the intelligence agency of the neighboring country, charges Kabul denies.

Militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban and JuA have killed tens of thousands of people over the past decade in suicide and other terrorist attacks across Pakistan.

Pakistani military and paramilitary forces have conducted major operations against militant bases in the tribal belt along the Afghan border and claim to have eliminated the threat.

Officials say more than 3,500 terrorists have been killed since the army-led Zarb-e-Azb offensive was launched in the North Waziristan tribal districts and surrounding areas. About 540 soldiers also have died in the counter-militancy campaign.

Critics say recent rise in attacks, however, suggests the militants remain capable of inflicting major assaults, though most of them have targeted civilian installations, including hospitals and public parks.

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Analysis: Reading Between The Lines Of Russia's Duma Elections

September 16, 2016

by Robert Coalson

In a system of "managed" democracy such as Russia's, the importance of elections is not necessarily in their results but in how they are managed.

"We are talking about a test for the entire system that manages the elections," Moscow political analyst Tatyana Stanovaya tells RFE/RL.

That system, Stanovaya says, includes the department of the presidential administration that handles domestic politics, President Vladimir Putin's All-Russia Popular Front (ONF) project, the ruling United Russia party, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the so-called systemic opposition parties, and more.

"In a nutshell, we are talking about all the institutions that are activated to conduct elections," Stanovaya says. "In such a case, the result is secondary. What is important is how the entire system works, how effective it can be considering the declining incomes of the population, low global energy prices, and many other varied risks."

To understand Russia's September 18 national and local legislative elections, it is necessary to read between the lines.

The Kremlin clearly feels that the last round of Duma elections, in December 2011, and the presidential election in May 2012 were badly mismanaged, both producing credible claims of mass falsification and bringing thousands of protesters into the streets.

This time, the country is mired in an economic crisis stemming largely from low global energy prices and a sanctions standoff with the West over Moscow's forcible annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. While generally apathetic, would-be voters are also showing less tolerance for United Russia's alleged corruption, and the party's popularity rating has declined steadily in recent months.

As a result, the task of managing elections that outwardly appear as democratic as possible -- to weaken Western resolve on sanctions and to reduce social tensions at home -- is a challenging one.

"We know what instructions the presidential administration gave the governors across Russia: 'No scandals. Nothing that would render the elections unlawful, at least in the big cities," exiled opposition activist and former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who spent a decade in a Russian prison and whose Open Russia movement is backing a handful of candidates, wrote on his website.

"Putin has certainly not become a democrat. His new strategy of making these quasi-elections look like real ones is a deferred reaction to the 2011-12 protests, the result of a desire to avoid additional complications in relations with the West."

The Kremlin has taken a number of steps that seem designed to make this round of elections appear more democratic. Putin replaced former Central Election Commission head Vladimir Churov -- who was sullied by presiding over previous, compromised votes and endorsing flawed elections in other former Soviet countries -- with Ella Pamfilova, a former liberal Duma deputy and minister in the cabinet of President Boris Yeltsin.

In addition, one-half of the 450 deputies this time will be elected from single-mandate districts, with the other half elected from party candidate lists. Moreover, parties need to poll just 5 percent in order to win party-list mandates, down from 7 percent in the previous election. These are reforms that were proposed under then-President Medvedev following the protests of December 2011.

"I would like to say that I have listened to those who have been speaking about the need for changes and I understand them," Medvedev said at the time. "We need to give all active citizens the legal chance to participate in political life."

A total of 14 parties -- including a smattering of genuine opposition parties and Kremlin-manipulated spoiler parties ranging from the far right to the far left -- have been cleared to participate. The Communist Party, the A Just Russia party, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia -- all of which are represented in the current Duma -- are considered Kremlin-friendly parties that further the appearance of pluralism but regularly vote with the ruling United Russia party.

At the same time, other developments bolster the Kremlin's control over the process and the outcome. The charismatic leaders of the 2011-12 opposition are no longer a factor: Boris Nemtsov was gunned down near the Kremlin in February 2015, and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has fled the country after receiving death threats.

The respected independent election monitor Golos and the independent Levada Center polling agency have been officially labeled "foreign agents," seriously hampering their work, some of which pointed to a recent decline in the popularity of United Russia.

This weekend's vote was also brought forward from December, a move that opposition figures fear will suppress turnout as many voters may choose to spend one of the last weekends of the summer at their dachas. New election legislation significantly shortens the campaign season, too. Even the usually loyal Communist Party voted in the Duma against these changes.

The legally mandated televised debates were shown on state television at 5:50 p.m., which considerably reduced their audience.

"It is 100 percent certain that the authorities don't want many people to show up," political analyst and former Duma deputy Igor Yakovenko tells RFE/RL, "and it is clear why. Because if more people show up, it will be more difficult to produce the desired result."

Even many of the measures that might first appear to increase democracy actually play into the Kremlin's hands, critics say.

The large number of parties means that even if 20 percent of the vote or more goes to anti-Kremlin parties, it remains likely that none of them will pass the 5 percent hurdle.

The small parties will play the role of "a collective spoiler, gathering about 15 percent altogether but none of them getting more than 1.5 percent individually," political commentator Aleksandr Morozov tells RFE/RL. "Not one of those parties will get into the Duma, and all their mandates will be distributed among the four parties that do. This is an extremely likely scenario."

Although the restoration of the single-mandate districts offers the best hope for genuine opposition voices to appear in the new Duma, it also presents a powerful opportunity for Putin's former party.

The single-mandate districts "give United Russia a perfect chance to compensate for its falling party-list results," analyst Stanovaya says. Many of the ruling party's single-mandate candidates are local officials with close ties to their respective governors, raising the specter of some using administrative resources to secure victories. Stanovaya estimates that even if United Russia polled as low as 40 percent in the party-list voting, it would be able to secure an outright majority of seats by means of the single-mandate districts.

This mixed picture has prompted a sharp debate among Russia's liberal opposition about a perennial question: whether or not to participate in the process at all.

Oppositionist Khodorkovsky says his Open Russia foundation is participating because "the sensible way forward for the real opposition is to make use of all possible opportunities to demonstrate to society that there is an alternative."

But self-exiled opposition figure Kasparov argued earlier this month that any participation helps Putin's government boost its appearance of legitimacy and, by extension, helps legitimize the Kremlin's claim to the annexed Ukrainian region of Crimea.

Those "who go into the elections with the argument that 'we have to at least do something' are giving a priceless gift to the Kremlin and its agents in the West," Kasparov wrote.

"For these elections, I don't see any good strategy," analyst Morozov says. "If you go and vote, you won't get anything. If you don't vote, you won't get anything either and you won't lose anything. Everyone must simply choose for themselves."

With reporting by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondents Mikhail Solokov and Yaroslav Shimov

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-state- duma-elections-analysis-reading- between-the-lines/27993157.html

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Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Syrian army fighting to repel militant offensive

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:27AM

There are reports of fierce fighting and clashes after foreign-backed militants try to enter an eastern suburb of the Syrian capital in violation of a nationwide ceasefire.

Anti-government sources and state media are reporting clashes between troops and armed groups as well as shelling in two neighborhoods of Damascus.

Syrian state news agency SANA said Friday militants shelled government-held areas in the eastern neighborhood of Qaboun, wounding three people.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, said Friday's fighting is concentrated in the neighborhood of Jobar, next to Qaboun.

According to the French news agency AFP, the Syrian army is blocking an attack by armed groups that tried to enter the capital's east via Jobar.

A barrage of rocket fire and shelling could be heard coming from the Jobar district which is held by militants, it said.

The offensive comes after the Russian Defense Ministry said it had recorded dozens of violations of the ceasefire agreement. Moscow also said units of militants "controlled by the US" have intensified their shelling of civilian residential areas.

Truce violations by US and militants

On Thursday, Russia said the United States was using "a verbal smokescreen" to hide its reluctance to fulfill its part of the ceasefire agreement.

After the fourth day of the ceasefire, only Syria's government forces are observing the truce, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that "despite sporadic reports of violence, the arrangement is holding and violence is significantly lower."

The ceasefire was brokered to enable essential aid to get through to Syrians who are in desperate need of food stuffs and medical supplies.

On Friday, an anti-government "activist" said Russian troops have deployed along a main road leading into besieged militant-held neighborhoods of the northern city of Aleppo ahead of the possible arrival of aid convoys.

The arrangement came as 20 lorries, allegedly loaded with food and medical aid, waited at the Turkish border to be given the all clear to head to Aleppo.

The Russian Defense Ministry had said Thursday that the Syrian army was ready to bring back troops from the Castello Road, which leads into Aleppo, to ensure the safe movement of the convoys.

Russian troops deployed on road to Aleppo

Rami Abdurrahman of the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian government forces that were stationed there have been replaced by Russian troops. He said aid is expected to enter militant-held Aleppo later Friday.

Amid accusations of violations, Russia said on Thursday it wants the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution endorsing the ceasefire deal. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said there were discussions at the United Nations on the proposed resolution.

The truce requires the US to demand all of militant allies to totally cut ties with Nusra Front, re-branded as Fateh al-Sham Front, immediately. The Syrian military and the Russian, however, say that so far there is no sign of that happening.

Moscow said on Friday Russian and Syrian forces had stopped bombing areas held by militants but the US was complicating efforts to fight terrorists by not providing the exact locations of what Washington regards as "moderate" groups.

Those so-called moderate groups are fighting along with other Takfiri terrorists to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Truce agreement not to deal with Assad future

On Friday, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said the future of President Assad is an internal Syrian issue and the US-Russia agreement does not deal with it.

Assad's opponents inside and outside the country have insisted that his departure is a prerequisite for a peace settlement.

Bogdanov said in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency that Assad's future is "purely Syrian business" and that the ceasefire deal did not discuss Assad's future in any way.

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Kerry Says No Deal With Russia Until Aid Flows To Aleppo

September 16, 2016

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Washington will not agree to begin the joint targeting of Islamic militants in Syria until aid begins to flow to the besieged residents in the war-torn country.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry gave the message to Lavrov via telephone on September 16 and said the United States expects Moscow to use its influence on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach Aleppo and other areas in need."

The State Department said delays in the assistance had been "repeated" and were "unacceptable."

The truce went into effect on September 12 and has been mostly holding across the war-torn country despite minor violations.

Viktor Poznikhir, the first deputy chief of the Russian General Staff's operations directorate, said on September 16 that Syrian troops had returned their tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery to their original positions after previously withdrawing them as agreed to in the cease-fire.

He said Syrian troops were forced to return to those positions along Castello Road because they were being shelled by opposition groups.

In New York, the United States and Russia have called for a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Syria.

The council is expected to hold those closed talks later on September 16.

At least 250,000 people have been reportedly killed since the Syrian civil war began in early 2011, while millions of others have fled their homes.

Based on reporting by AP, TASS, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/kerry-syria-aleppo- aid-russia-deal/27994448.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US Warns Russia Cease-fire Depends on Aleppo Aid

By Jamie Dettmer September 16, 2016

The Obama administration is warning Russia that their military cooperation in Syria will not go forward unless humanitarian aid begins to reach Aleppo and other besieged areas.

In a statement released by the State Department, Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the U.S. has "concerns about the repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid, and emphasized that the United States expects Russia to use its influence on the Assad regime" to allow the deliveries to move forward.

Russian warplanes Friday launched airstrikes on a rebel base in Aleppo. Russian officials said they did so because of rebel refusal to pull back from a key road leading into eastern Aleppo.

Under the cease-fire deal both the rebels and Assad regime forces are meant to withdraw from the Castello Road, a key supply route for the rebels, handing security control to the Russians. Rebel leaders say this would be tantamount to just handing their hard fought positions to Assad.

United Nations aid trucks packed with supplies for civilians trapped in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo were still stuck at the Syrian border Friday, as officials wait for confirmation that Syrian troops and rebels are committed to upholding the shaky cease-fire agreed to last week.

A spokesman for the U.N. humanitarian affairs office said 40 trucks are waiting at the border between Turkey and Syria until officials receive word that it is safe to enter the country.

Syrian state television broadcast images appearing to show bulldozers clearing the main road into rebel held neighborhoods of Aleppo in preparation for the aid convoys.

Jens Laerke said the United Nations does not need authorization from Syria to deliver the supplies across the border, but the trucks are sitting in a "special customs zone" until it is safe.

"We know that there's at least a quarter of a million people in eastern Aleppo who are potentially all of them in need of some kind of aid," Laerke said. ""We are as ready to go as we can possibly be...it's highly frustrating  we know the world is watching."

The United Nations has described the cease-fire as a "critical window of opportunity" to deliver the supplies in the rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo, but rocket fire and shelling in the area on Friday hindered the trucks' movement.

Syrian state media claim clashes between troops and rebels had broken out in Aleppo, in violation of the cease-fire. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports the fighting also broke out in the Damascus neighborhood of Jobar, the home of several different rebel factions.

Rebels plan Sunday meeting

Meanwhile, Syria's armed rebel factions are planning to meet Sunday to discuss whether to continue to observe the now fragile four-day-old cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russia  a truce no one consulted them about and one they fear will be exploited by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to renew an offensive on insurgent strongholds in the besieged city of Aleppo.

The rebel observation of the cease-fire, which took effect Monday evening to coincide with the start of the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, has so far been a begrudging one and marked by distrust of American intentions toward a revolution that has left more than 400,000 people dead and half of the country's population displaced.

There is, however, no overall unity among rebel factions about how to move ahead, although most rebel leaders contacted by VOA say they sense the cease-fire is a trap and marks a further sign of U.S. reluctance to back the revolution.

Its breakdown is inevitable, they say.

U.S. officials see the cease-fire  the second negotiated this year by Washington and Moscow over the heads of rebel militias - as a possible trigger for subsequent serious negotiations about a political transition for the war-wracked country. Rebel leaders, however, don't believe President Assad  or his foreign backers Russia and Iran  have any wish to negotiate a political settlement and argue the weaker the insurgents become, the less likely that is to happen.

"The armed groups on the ground are still discussing what they should do about the cease-fire," Gen. Salim Idris, former chief of the staff of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, told VOA.

Lack of transparency

The lack of transparency in the superpower deal-making is adding, he said, to suspicion about the entire deal, making it appear murky, which is adding to rebel distrust of Western intentions toward the revolution. "I am sorry to say there isn't any trust," he said.

On Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in Washington that the full text of the deal worked out with Russia on the truce in Syria will not be made public. "It does deal with sensitive issues that we believe, if made public, could potentially be misused," he said.

Confusion about the deal, which among other things is meant to ground Assad's warplanes, even appeared to wrong-foot U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who said on Monday that the U.S. and Russia could permit President Assad to launch new airstrikes against jihadists fighting alongside more moderate rebel factions.

His remarks were quickly walked-back by a spokesman, who said later there were no provisions under the nationwide truce for U.S.-Russian authorization of bombing missions by Assad's forces.

A letter sent to rebel factions by Michael Ratney, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, explaining the cease-fire, has added to confusion and suspicion. He noted in the letter that militias will need to pull their fighters back from some strategic locations, including the Castello Road, a key route that swings around northern Aleppo and into the insurgent-held eastern part of the city.

The envoy, however, was vague about locations and what is expected of the armed groups, several of whom have responded by asking for clarification.

Even in his letter, Ratney noted his own suspicions of the Russians, saying he did not think they were being honest, according to Gen. Idris.

Russian firepower

Other rebels note Russia plans to move to the Mediterranean next month the aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, for its first combat deployment. The warplanes abroad will be equipped with some of Russia's latest targeting systems and air-to-surface missiles, adding to the firepower the Assad regime would have available for a renewed Aleppo offensive.

As the rebels continue their discussions about whether to continue to observe the shaky cease-fire, some commanders say U.S. leverage on the factions is weaker than earlier this year because of the increasing reluctance of the U.S. to resupply rebel factions with arms and ammunition.

In recent months, Zakaria Malahefji, an official with Fastaqim Kama Umirt, an Aleppo-based Free Syrian Army militia, said most U.S. and Western support has "mainly been just of logistical equipment" and not desperately-needed arms and ammunition. Some arms supplies have come from the Turks, he said, but he was reluctant to go into details.

So far, the cease-fire has seen a significant reduction in violence. But the pro-opposition monitoring group  the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground for its reporting  said Thursday witnessed a "dramatic escalation in violations" committed by both regime and rebel forces.

It reported regime warplanes renewed airstrikes in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo and in the northern countryside of Hama, wounding rebel fighters as well as civilians.

Russian military officials accused rebel armed groups of a total of 55 cease-fire violations on Thursday, 23 of which they said occurred in Aleppo.

Limited patience

As rebels debate whether to continue to observe the cease-fire deal, a Russian official Friday told Britain's BBC that Moscow could resume airstrikes on rebel groups in Syria unless the U.S. does more to get them to disassociate themselves from former al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra.

The cease-fire deal does not cover JFS, a key group in the defense of rebel-held districts of Aleppo and of insurgent strongholds in the neighboring province of Idlib.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told the BBC there were limits to Russian patience. "We're waiting, but there are limits," he added.

Tthree civilians were killed Friday when regime warplanes carried out airstrikes on rebel-held areas in Idlib province. They are the first since the cease-fire started Monday in an area covered by the truce.

US-Turkish cooperation

Meanwhile, American officials confirmed that U.S. forces have begun working with Turkish forces in northern Syria to take on Islamic State (IS).

A U.S. official told VOA the group of U.S. Special Forces is now accompanying some Turkish forces in the area of al-Rai, with the hopes of helping push south and east toward the IS-held town of Dabiq.

Dabiq is considered significant in part because it plays a key role in the terror group's apocalyptic beliefs.

But already, the U.S.-Turkish efforts may have hit a snag. Video posted Friday to social media appears to shows a handful of U.S. commandos forced to pull out of al-Rai and back toward the Turkish border.

In the video, rebel forces in al-Rai appear to be shouting and chanting anti-U.S. slogans.

VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.

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Syria and Refugee Crisis to Dominate World Leaders UN Meetings

By Margaret Besheer September 16, 2016

Next week, world leaders gather in New York for their annual U.N. meetings. The war in Syria and the refugee crisis it has created are expected to dominate the agenda.

Leaders want to limit the spillover from the Syrian war. Mainly, the human exodus to overwhelmed neighboring countries and Europe. They will discuss the issue at two summits focusing on refugees. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon will host the first meeting on Monday.

"More countries must re-settle more people who have been forced from their homes. More countries must recognize the benefits of migration. And everyone, everywhere, must stand up against the animosity that so many refugees, migrants and minority communities face," said Ban.

President Barack Obama will host a second summit on Tuesday. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Sheba Crocker expects action on humanitarian issues.

"We expect that the summit will result in significant new, sustained commitments to U.N. humanitarian appeals, expanded refugee resettlement programs or alternative legal pathways for admission," said Crocker.

But there is skepticism from some, such as Richard Gowan of Columbia University, that either summit will do much to improve the situation of the nearly 5 million Syrians who have fled their homeland.

"The only way you solve the Syrian crisis is through a political deal. I'm sure there will be some talk about that at the General Assembly, but Vladimir Putin is not coming to New York, and if Putin is not here, you cannot have serious talks about Syria," said Gowan.

The United States and Russia agreed to a deal earlier this month for a cease-fire and on getting aid into Syria. The two countries also plan to cooperate on targeting terrorists, including the so-called Islamic State. Whether that deal is working or failing will likely shape discussions in New York.

The U.N. Security Council will hold a high-level session Wednesday, intended to put the spotlight on Syria, but expectations for results are low.

"The reality is decisions about Syria are made in Washington, Moscow and Iran -- not in the Security Council chamber," said Gowan.

The rest of the week will be dominated by leaders' speeches in the General Assembly.

Some big names like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Angela Merkel will be absent. It will be President Obama's final time as U.S. president at the international gathering, and his speech will likely lay out his multilateralism legacy.

It will also be Ban Ki-moon's final General Assembly as U.N. chief. His decade-long tenure ends on December 31.

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Monitors: US-led Coalition Jets Kill Dozens of Syrian Troops

By VOA News September 17, 2016

Syrian war monitors and Russian officials say U.S.-led coalition warplanes bombed Syrian army positions in the east of the country Saturday, killing as many as 80 government fighters who were battling Islamic State extremists for control of the area.

A statement from the U.S. Central Command said U.S. coalition aircraft struck near Deir Ezzor, believing they were targeting IS fighters that aircraft had been tracking "for a significant amount of time" before the strike.

The U.S. statement did not provide casualty figures. But it said "the airstrike was halted immediately, when coalition officials were informed by Russian authorities that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military."

The statement identified Deir Ezzor, about 100 kilometers west of the Iraq border, as an area targeted by coalition aircraft in previous operations. It also said coalition commanders had earlier informed Russian authorities about the planned strike.

'Stubborn refusal'

For its part, Russia's Defense Ministry described the coalition strike as evidence of Washington's "stubborn refusal" to coordinate its actions with Russian forces fighting alongside government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

It remained unclear late Saturday how or whether the airstrikes would affect a cease-fire that took effect earlier this week.

The truce, aimed at halting military operations by Syrian forces, their Russian allies and U.S.-backed rebels seeking to oust the Assad government, was designed to clear the way for humanitarian aid to besieged areas of the war-torn country. Hundreds of thousands of civilians in those areas have been cut off from outside aid for months and are facing critical shortages of food and medicine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country was holding up its end of the cease-fire agreement, but he cast doubt on the U.S. commitment to the deal, saying Washington was deviating from its own call for openness.

"I don't really understand why we have to keep such an agreement closed," Putin said in a televised appearance on a trip to Kyrgyzstan. He also said Moscow would not unilaterally release the terms of the deal.

The Russian leader further criticized U.S. officials for their inability to separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from what he called "the half-criminal and terrorist elements."

"This is a very dangerous route," he said.

Under a cease-fire agreement announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Geneva a week ago, hostilities should have paused Monday (the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha).

U.S. and Russian military leaders were then set to coordinate airstrikes against Islamic State fighters and those of the extremist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as the al-Nusra Front), which are not parties to the truce.

Officials in Washington and Moscow on Friday expressed a desire to extend the cease-fire pact and confirmed that aid deliveries had not yet begun. But they agreed on little else concerning the tenuous situation in Syria.

The White House indicated Friday that the next phase of the deal would not move forward until the aid was moving freely.

Resumption of clashes

Ahead of the coalition airstrikes at Deir Ezzor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said intermittent shelling and clashes had resumed overnight on several fronts in Syria. In particular, fighting erupted between rebels and pro-government forces in the opposition-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, and airstrikes hit several towns in the central province of Homs.

Forty trucks carrying desperately needed relief for the divided city of Aleppo waited Friday at a checkpoint at the Turkish border, and the U.S. blamed the Syrian government for the holdup.

"Those trucks should be going in and that aid should be getting delivered with or without the arrangement that was arrived at in Geneva," State Department spokesman John Kirby said. "It is the [Syrian] regime that is blocking the movement."

U.N. relief officials said conditions were not yet safe for the vehicles to cross into Syria.

"We know that there's at least a quarter of a million people in eastern Aleppo who are ... in need of some kind of aid," said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. humanitarian office. "We are as ready to go as we can possibly be. ... It's highly frustrating. We know the whole world is watching."

A U.S. statement Friday said Kerry told Lavrov "about the repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid."

U.S. officials have voiced hope that the truce forged between the United States and Russia will clear the way for negotiations about a political transition in Syria.

But rebel leaders say they expect the cease-fire to collapse and do not believe Assad or his foreign backers, Russia and Iran, have any wish to negotiate a political settlement.

"The armed groups on the ground are still discussing what they should do about the cease-fire," General Salim Idris, former chief of the staff of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, told VOA.

Steve Herman contributed to this report from the State Department; Jamie Dettmer contributed from Gaziantep, Turkey.

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U.S. lawmakers propose allowing high-level visits from Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

2016/09/16 16:05:54

Washington, Sept. 15 (CNA) Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a Taiwan Travel Act on Thursday that seeks to lift restrictions and allow all high-level officials of Taiwan, including its president, to visit the United States.

The bill, introduced by representatives Steve Chabot, Brad Sherman and Ted Poe, states that "it should be the policy of the United States to encourage visits between the United States and Taiwan at all levels."

"Over the past decades, United States-Taiwan relations have suffered from a lack of communication due to the self-imposed restrictions that the United States maintains on high-level visits with Taiwan," according to the text of the bill.

The proposal advocates a policy of allowing all high-level officials of Taiwan to enter the United States or U.S. embassies and consulates under conditions that demonstrate respect for such leaders.

The U.S. should also allow high-level Taiwanese and U.S. officials to meet in executive departments in the U.S., including the Department of State and Department of Defense, according to the bill.

It should also allow Taiwan's representative offices to conduct official business activities, including those involving U.S. lawmakers and government representatives without obstruction from the U.S. government or any foreign power, according to the bill.

In a statement, Peter Chen (), president of the Washington D.C.-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs, called the introduction and timing of the act "significant."

"With the new administration in place in Taiwan the time is now for the U.S. to enable Taiwan's president (among others) to come to Washington D.C. without restrictions," said Chen, whose organization is active in promoting Taiwan's independence.

"Why do we let the unelected leaders of China come to D.C. and give them the red carpet treatment at the White House with a 21-gun salute, while we shun the democratically elected leaders of long-time ally Taiwan?" he asked.

Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and opposes any behavior that could suggest Taiwan is a sovereign country, including visits by senior officials to countries with which Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations.

Presidents of Taiwan have made unofficial "transit" stops in the U.S. on their way to allied countries in Central and South America, but even those have steered clear of Washington D.C.

The most recent visit by a senior Taiwanese official to Washington was that by Economic Affairs Minister John Deng in February 2015, the first such trip by an official in his position in 11 years. Trips by other Cabinet-level ministers are also extremely rare.

The bill has to be passed by both the Senate and the House, and signed by the U.S. president before it becomes law. The president can veto the bill.

In response to the bill, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was grateful and welcomed the bill proposed by the congressmen, adding that the two countries have close ties and good communications and will continue to deepen their relations.

(By Tony Liao and Christie Chen)

ENDITEM/ls

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Police forces kill five PKK militants in southeastern Turkey

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 16, 2016 2:4PM

At least five members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed after Turkish security forces carried out two separate counter-terrorism operations against the Kurdish militants in the country's southeastern province of Hakkari.

Military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said police units mounted an offensive in the Gol Tepe area of the province, located 1,026 kilometers east of the capital Ankara, on Friday, killing two PKK members in the process.

Separately, three PKK militants were killed during a raid in the Siyah Tepe area of the same province.

Late on Thursday, seven paramilitary policemen, a soldier and a sergeant lost their lives when PKK militants launched an assault in the eastern province of Agri. Three soldiers and two civilians were also injured.

The clashes broke out after the security forces' call for surrender was met with PKK gunfire near Gokcebulak village in Tendurek Mountain.

Turkish air force fighter jets later launched several airstrikes against PKK positions in the area.

A shaky ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government collapsed in July 2015, and attacks on Turkish security forces have soared ever since.

Ankara has been engaged in a large-scale campaign against the PKK in its southern border region in the past few months. The Turkish military has also been conducting offensives against PKK positions in northern Iraq and Syria.

The operations began in the wake of a deadly July 2015 bombing in the southern Turkish town of Suruc. More than 30 people died in the attack, which the Turkish government blamed on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

After the bombing, the PKK militants, who accuse Ankara of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of supposed reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces, prompting the Turkish military operations.

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The death toll of Egyptian pilgrims who died of natural causes during the hajj in Saudi Arabia rose to 43 cases Saturday, state news agency MENA reported on Saturday quoting Egypt's deputy health minister Ali Hegazy.

Hegazy, who is also the head of Egypts official medical delegation to the hajj, confirmed that all the deaths were due to natural causes.

He added that 67,169 Egyptian pilgrims received treatments from the delegation's medical, while 360 cases were admitted to Saudi hospitals.

Over 80,000 Egyptian pilgrims are performing the hajj this year.

The hajj and the lesser umrah pilgrimages bring millions of Muslims to Saudi Arabia from around the globe every year.

The death of pilgrims due to heat exhaustion, fatigue and other natural causes is a regular occurrence on the hajj.

One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj is a duty for all Muslims once in a lifetime who can afford the costly and difficult trip.

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MPs say they will open new channels with US congress and other international parliamentarians during UNGA meetings, which will be attended by President Sisi

Twenty Egyptian MPs will head to New York on Sunday to participate in the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA) meetings.

The Egyptian parliamentary delegation will join Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi who is expected to address UNGA this week and attend an international UN summit.

According to Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, President El-Sisi's speech before the UNGA will highlight the necessity of settling regional conflicts in the Middle East and make a panoramic review of the recent economic and political reforms in Egypt.

The UNGA's 71st session will begin on 19 September and run through 26 September, with leaders from around 195 countries are expected to address the Assembly on global and national issues.

Egypt's parliamentary delegation to New York will comprise a mix of pro-government and opposition MPs and from different political, economic and religious backgrounds.

Solaf Darwish, a female MP from the Nile Delta governorate of Qalioubiya, told Ahram Online Saturday that the delegation includes MPs representing different political parties and with diverse interests in politics, economics and religion.

"We have pro-government and opposition MPs and we have MPs affiliated with different committees such as the Arab Affairs Committee, the Foreign Relations Committees, the Economic Affairs Committee, the Media Committee, the Human Rights Committee, and the Religious Affairs Committee," said Darwish, who is a member of the opposition "Defendants of the Nation" party.

An informed source indicated that "the bill of the MPs' visit to New York will be footed by the Media Affairs Chamber- which is affiliated with the General Egyptian Union of Chambers of Commerce."

"The visit was proposed by the Media Affairs Chamber which also took charge of selecting MPs who will join Al-Sisi's visit to New York, with parliament or president Sisi having no role in this process," the source said.

The delegation will include high-profile MPs such as leftist opposition MP and film director Khaled Youssef, independent journalist Abdel-Rehim Ali, and Al-Ahram political analyst Emad Gad who is affiliated with the liberal Free Egyptians Party. Female MPs such as leftist journalist Nashwa Al-Deeb and chairwoman of the parliament's Tourism Committee Sahar Talaat Mostafa, and deputy chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Dahlia Youssef. Youssef is also the head of the newly-formed Egyptian-British Parliamentary Friendship Association.

Emad Gad, Al-Ahram's political analyst, told reporters that "although the delegation includes MPs opposing many of President Sisi's policies, its job in New York will be to rally support for President Sisi."

"In addition to attending President Sisi's speech to the General Assembly, the delegation will stand up to any Muslim Brotherhood attempts aimed at disrupting El-Sisi's visit," said Gad.

"We know that this group has lost much of its voice in America, especially after republican presidential candidates designated it as a radical terrorist group, but it still has some clout among the radical liberal American media like the New York Times and the Washington Post and we got information that they plan to stage anti-Sisi demonstrations," said Gad.

Prominent Coptic female MP Margaret Azer, who will not be part of the New York delegation, also told reporters that it is a good precedent that MPs be part of the president of the republic's foreign visits.

"I think the MPs' delegation in New York must focus on explaining Egypt's new economic and political reforms, review president Sisi's speech in the UNGA and forge contacts with international parliamentarians in this forum."

Azer said she is happy that a number of Christian MPs will be part of the delegation.

"This is also important because some of the US media outlets are trying their best to paint an image of Egypt that is persecuting Christians all the time."

Azer added "I think Christian MPs should hold meetings with Coptic Egyptians in the US to explain new positive developments in Egypt: the rebuilding of most of churches which faced arson attacks following the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in 2013, and the passing in parliament of a new law that makes it much easier for Egyptian Christians to construct and renovate churches."

Dahlia Youssef, deputy head of the Foreign Relations Committee, disclosed that "Egypt's parliamentary delegation is expected to hold a conference in New York to explain Egypt's new political and economic reforms and also alert attention to the celebration aimed at marking the 150th anniversary of Egypt's parliament next month."

Meanwhile, Darwish highlighted that the delegation's visit to New York will begin on Sunday and end on Thursday.

"The visit will continue for three days and its main job is to rally support for president Sisi's new vision for the Middle East and Egypt in the coming period," said Darwish.

"We will attend President Sisi's speech before the UNGA, hold a conference on Egypt's reforms, and hold contacts with US congress people and other world parliamentarians as a kind of an Egyptian active parliamentary diplomacy," she said.

Tarek Al-Khouli, a member of the delegation, told reporters "the visit is mainly aimed at rallying support for Egypt's economic and political reforms in the world's biggest international forum, rather than holding discussions with US congress people."

He said Egypt has received many US congress people since parliament was elected in January. "We also received Paul Ryan, speaker of the US House of Representatives, who was keen to learn about political and economic conditions in Egypt."

Mohamed El-Orabi, chairman of parliament's foreign relations committee, told reporters that President Al-Sisi is expected to meet with US presidential candidates: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

"I do not have fears that Donald Trump  the Republican presidential candidate  could be America's new president," said El-Orabi, adding that "Trump designated Muslim Brotherhood in his foreign policy speeches as a radical group, not to mention that he vowed that if he became the new US president, he would hold an international conference on terrorism, with President Sisi and King Abudallah of Jordan being on top of the list of the invitees."

Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukri told Al-Ahram newspaper Saturday that "it is not yet definite that President Sisi will hold meetings with US presidential candidates Clinton and Trump."

Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign announced last week that Clinton will meet with President Sisi on the sidelines of the UNGA meetings. El-Sisi and Clinton met and held talks in 2014 during the UNGA meetings in New York.

Most of Egypt's MPs agree that that US-Egyptian relations have suffered a setback at the hands of American president Barack Obama.

"Obama has the same view of the radical liberal camp and media which still considers what happened in Egypt in 2013 as a military coup and that El-Sisi is a new Mubarak-style dictator," said MP Mostafa Bakri.

"I think if we wanted to explain why Egyptian-American relations have no longer become strong, we can't help it blaming Obama in person for this deterioration," said Bakri.

Salah Hassaballah, head of the Freedom Party, also told reporters that Trump shows a good understanding of the dangers of Islamist terrorism.

"He described Obama's speech in Cairo in 2009 as a complete disaster and that the policies of his administration paved the way for the 'chaos' we see know in the Middle East," said Hassaballah.

Nader Mostafa, a member of the parliamentary delegation, told reporters Saturday that "many Egyptians living in the US sent messages to parliament that they will actively support its mission in New York."

"The delegation's main objective is not just to rally support to Egypt's reforms, but also to refute the lies and black propaganda which is the American media is disseminating about Egypt," said Mostafa, adding that "we are aware of what this malicious media is publishing about Egypt and we will be there to convey a different positive message about Egypt."

El-Orabi agrees that the dramatic political developments in Egypt in 2013 have negatively affected its relations with the US.

"But I think that the two US presidential candidates are well aware that Egypt has a leading role to play in fighting terrorism," said El-Orabi, adding that "President Sisi has the right to hold meetings with Clinton and Trump."

"President El-Sisi is conscious of the leading role the American media played in painting a bleak picture of Egypt and for this reason he is keen that he holds personal meetings with American politicians from all camps in a bid to change this view," said Al-Orabi.

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Veterans, their families and caregivers are being offered some new programs through the Danville-Pittsylvania County Out of the Darkness project that focuses on suicide awareness and prevention.

Veterans and their families are invited to meet Hearts of Gold Therapy Dogs of Virginia on Sunday during Stars, Stripes & Paws, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Coates Bark Park, 1725 Westover Drive.

LeAnne Hardy, chair of the project, said the goal is to give veterans a chance to talk with other veterans, have a relaxing social gathering and interact with the therapy dogs some of them have met before.

We took the dogs to a cookout at the Danville [Veterans Administration] in July and they had a great time, Hardy said. Hearts of Gold came and spent time with the vets and the VA has been calling to ask when they can see the dogs again. The handlers have a place in their hearts for veterans and they want to do this for them.

Hardy said the group hasnt raised enough money to pay for placing companion dogs with the veterans  but she hopes that soon changes.

In the meantime, Hardy said, they will arrange monthly meet-ups.

Its just an informal gathering for veterans and their families, Hardy said. We bring refreshments and relax in a safe setting.

Family members and caregivers  often the same person  of veterans will also receive some extra attention as the group starts monthly meetings of the I Love a Vet Caregivers Group.

Hardy said this is an opportunity for caregivers to get together, talk about what does and doesnt work in their situation and offer each other advice and support.

The need for caregiver support arose through research into the needs of suicide awareness and prevention for veterans, Hardy said.

Its very informal and will have light refreshments, Hardy said. Its a chance for them to learn how to better care for veterans without totally stressing out the caregivers. We hope they help each other out and build a foundation of support.

The first meeting will be held Sept. 22 at 440 Main St. from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

For more information, email Hardy at danville.outofthedarkness@yahoo.com or call or text her at (434) 688-1636.

Thibodeau reports for the Danville Register & Bee.
Edward Snowden, who cast himself as the hero of his own spy movie, gets the real thing in Oliver Stone's Hollywoodized biopic of the National Security Agency whistleblower.

Who but an avid John le Carre reader would bring a Rubik's Cube to the lobby of a Hong Kong hotel as a signal for his clandestine meeting with journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras? With preternatural self-awareness, Snowden knowingly stepped into a new life: a digital-era Deepthroat, a technocrat ready to don a trenchcoat.

As a protagonist, Snowden (as played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) doesn't have the brawn of Bourne or the style of Bond. But he carries with him a moral certainty that, it turns out, can do much more. Stone's "Snowden" seeks to frame its well-known subject as a patriot, charting his journey from unquestioning son of a proud military family to brave practitioner of civil disobedience for a greater American good.

It's the kind of combination  Stone and Snowden  that one might go into with apprehension: Just what paranoid conspiracy theories is he going to throw at me THIS time? There's something too on the nose about the pairing.

But the surprise of "Snowden" is that Stone, master of left-wing political thrillers, plays it fairly straight. "Snowden" isn't a liberal screed, or at least not an overt one. It's a sincere, straightforward biopic that, at its worst, verges on hagiography.

That "Snowden" is conventional needn't be such a bad thing. "Snowden," carried by Gordon-Levitt, captures the rise of surveillance by viewing it through Snowden's initially innocent eyes.

Some, of course, would argue against presenting Snowden this way, at all. The movie, perhaps ironically, isn't actually tailored for the choir, but is designed to inform  about Snowden, himself, and the intelligence community he was a part of.

Penned by Kieran Fitzgerald and Stone, the film is organized as flashbacks of Snowden's life, looking back from that Hong Kong hotel room in 2013. The scenes of the data leak meetings inevitably disappoint. Today's docudramas have it hard, given how extensively many events are captured and imprinted in our memories. But "Snowden" has it harder since Poitras' own camera took us literally into that room, resulting in the Oscar-winning documentary "Citizenfour."

"Snowden" has backstory on its side, though, beginning with Snowden's military training at Fort Bragg (cut short by injury) and leading into his ascent at the CIA. "What's your sin of choice?" he's asked. "Computers," he replies.

He's taken under the wing of a hardnosed, all-seeing boss (an excellent Rhys Ifans) and is inspired by the more cynical musings of a CIA teacher hidden away in a basement (Nic Cage, perfect). Snowden begins to notice that getting ahead at the CIA is not necessarily connected with abiding by the rules.

And as he jumps from job to job, Snowden also sees a wider war covertly gathering. Even while what's referred to as "a short-term war" in Iraq is raging, attention is fixed on a below-the-surface intelligence battle with China and Russia. As the size of the NSA dragnet, not just abroad but at home, comes into focus, Snowden's concern grows and becomes personal. Soon he's taping over the laptop camera of his girlfriend (Shailene Woodley). She says she can see his "inner liberal" growing.

There are exaggerations and composites here that may have diluted away from a more interesting reality, one populated less by stock spy-thriller caricatures. But most of our spy movies now trade heavily off of Snowden's revelations and the threat of governmental surveillance; the recent "Jason Bourne" was set specifically in a "post-Snowden" world.

It seems only fair Snowden should get his own close-up, too.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sep 16, 2016) - Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSX VENTURE:ML), ("Millennial" or the "Company") wishes to announce that it has closed (the "Closing") its acquisition of the Pastos Grandes Lithium Project (the "Project") in Argentina and has also closed its concurrent private placement financing (the "Financing"). The acquisition constituted a Fundamental Acquisition under the policies of the Exchange and was first announced in a news release on July 19, 2016.

Closing of the Acquisition of the Pastos Grandes Lithium Project:

Millennial has received Exchange approval for, and closed, its acquisition of the Project.

The Company entered into a definitive agreement (the "Definitive Agreement") with Jorge Enrique Moreno and Alba Silvia Salas (the "Vendors") dated September 16, 2016 to acquire a 100% interest in and to the Project. The Definitive Agreement replaced an earlier agreement (the "Initial Agreement") disclosed in the July 19, 2016 news release.

Under the terms of the Definitive Agreement, Millennial will complete its purchase of a 100% interest in the Project in consideration of the following payments and share issuances to the Vendor:

Paying to the Vendors a $200,000 (US) deposit (the "Deposit") on execution of the Initial Agreement (completed); Paying to the Vendors $500,000 (US) (the "First Installment") on closing (completed) and issuing 500,000 common shares (the "First Share Installment") to the Vendors (completed); Paying, on April 6, 2017, $500,000 (US) (the "Second Installment") to the Vendors and issuing to the Vendors $500,000 (US) (the "Second Share Installment") worth of the Company's common shares; Making exploration expenditures of $1,600,000 (US) (the "Required Exploration Expenditures") on or before September 16, 2017; and Paying to the Vendors $1,000,000 (US) (the "Final Payment") on or before October 6, 2017.

The initial shares issued to the Vendors under (i) above are subject to a hold period expiring on January 17, 2017. The shares issued to the Vendors in (iii) above will be subject to an Exchange hold period expiring four months from their date of issuance.

A finder's fee (the "Finder's Fee") on the Project of 5% of all cash payments paid and shares issued to the Vendors is payable, to Synergy Resource Capital Pty Ltd. (the "Finder"), as those cash payments are paid and as those shares are issued. Accordingly, the Finder's Fee is payable as follows:

Upon payment of the Deposit above, $10,000 (US)payable to the Finder (paid); Upon payment of the First Instalment, $25,000 (US) payable to the Finder (paid) and issuance to the Finder of 25,000 shares (the "Closing Finder's Shares") of the Company (issued); Upon payment of the Second Instalment, $25,000 (US) payable to the Finder and issuance to the Finder of 25,000 shares of the Company; and Upon payment of the Final Payment, $50,000 (US) payable to the Finder.

All shares issued to the Finder, including the Closing Finder's Shares are subject to an Exchange hold period expiring four months from their date of issuance. The hold period on the Closing Finder's Shares expires on January 17, 2017.

The Project is subject to a royalty (the "Royalty") equal to 1.5% of the gross annual sales of lithium from the Project net of value added taxes and other taxes applicable to the sale of lithium. The Royalty comes into effect on October 6, 2019. At any time until October 6, 2019, the Company can terminate the right of the Vendors to the Royalty in consideration of a payment in the amount of $3,000,000 (US) to the Vendors.

The Project is strategically located within the Argentine portion of the "Lithium Triangle", which is host to some of the world's largest lithium resources. The Project is approximately 1200 hectares in size and ideally situated in the center of the Pastos Grandes Salar in Salta, Argentina. The region exhibits significant lithium and potassium brines and historically the Project has been tested by surface geochemical sampling, Magnetolluric (MT) surveying, CSAMT, vertical electrical sounding (VES) geophysical surveying and by 4 pumping wells testing and measuring brine flows in aquifers with significant lithium and potassium assays. Millennial is planning to continue with exploration and development of the Project and expects to report on such exploration plans in the coming weeks.

Closing of the Concurrent Financing:

The Company has closed its private placement Financing of 7,500,000 units at $0.65 per unit for proceeds of $4,875,000. Each unit is comprised of one common share and one-half of one share purchase warrant (a "Unit"). Each whole share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") is exercisable for a period of two years from closing at an exercise price of $1.00.

The Units, and any common shares of the Company issued upon exercise of the Warrants, are subject to a four month hold period expiring on January 17, 2017.

Commissions of up to 6%, payable in cash or units at the finder's option, have been paid in connection with a portion of the Financing. This resulted in the payment of $106,938.20 in cash and the issuance of 164,137 Units.

All Units issued to the finders, and any common shares of the Company issued upon exercise of the Warrants in their units, are subject to a four month hold period expiring on January 17, 2017.

Proceeds of the Financing are to be used to meet the Company's obligations under the Definitive Agreement including funding Required Exploration Expenditures on the Project.

This news release has been reviewed by Brent Butler, director, qualified person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101.

Millennial Lithium Corp.

Graham Harris, Chairman

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 an applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, currency risks including the exchange rate of USD$ for Cdn$, fluctuations in the market for lithium, changes in exploration costs and government royalties or taxes in Argentina and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
The incident took place Friday night near 3828 Wharton Drive, off Woodway Drive south of Interstate 20 in Fort Worth, officials say. (Photo: Bradley Blackburn, WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth)

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By WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth

FORT WORTH  Two police officers were shot Friday night while answering a 911 call about a suicide in Fort Worth, authorities say.

Police were involved in an active standoff late Friday night, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The two officers were taken to John Peter Smith Hospital, officials said. One officer is in serious condition, while the other reportedly has minor injuries.

The shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. Friday. Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Marc Povero said officers arriving at the house found a man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head.

The officers were told a witness was in a backyard shed. Povero said the officers were shot after opening the shed door. Police returned fire.

A source told WFAA that at least one of the officers was shot multiple times. The other officer was saved from serious injury by body armor. Both are expected to survive. They have not been identified.

It's still unclear whether the suspect is alive or dead.

Officials said the incident took place Friday night near 3828 Wharton Drive, off Woodway Drive.

The Fort Worth Star reported that dozens of police units converged on the residential neighborhood in far south Fort Worth, including SWAT units. Neighbors within several blocks were told to leave their houses until the situation stabilized.

Contributing: The Associated Press
SHARE Terry Mikeska's Hope for Nepal mission is underway; travel is slow because of mud and rains.

By Staff Report

Terry Mikeska said travel is slow on his Hope for Nepal mission to the Himalayas.

"Today was definitely a challenge but everything worked out," he wrote in a dispatch late Friday, detailing a grueling day.

"First we drive to a very remote village to get school supplies to over 90 children and we get stuck in the mud  after pushing and digging we just gave up on the SUV  but I chose not to give up on this village  so we hitchhiked with a large commercial truck."

Mikeska said it started to rain again minutes after loading the supplies on the larger truck, and it soon sank to the axles, stranding them again.

"The volunteers pulled a huge tarp over our head and rode off to the school," he wrote. "After about 2 hours with the schoolchildren we walked 8 miles back to the truck where the driver finally got it out of the mud.

"I was beyond tired but determined nothing was going to stop this mission."

Mikeska landed in Kathmandu on Thursday where he visited an orphanage and presented the children with new clothes, food, educational supplies, toys and other items made and donated by people in the San Angelo area.

To learn more about Hope for Nepal, visit www.terrymikeskafoundation.org
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Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Joyce Walker

60th Anniversary

Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Joyce Walker will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary Sept. 24, 2016, with a reception.

Bobby Walker and Joyce King were married Sept. 15, 1956, in Robert Lee. They are the parents of Dave Walker, of Odessa, and Rex Walker, of Sherman, Texas. They also have three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The couple have lived in Odessa and Robert Lee.

He is retired from Amoco Production Company in Odessa. She is retired from Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Odessa.

They are members of Pecan Baptist Church in Robert Lee.

Hosts for the reception will be the couple's family.
Air strikes and clashes tested a fragile ceasefire in Syria into Saturday as civilians waited for aid and tensions mounted between the deal's brokers Russia and the United States.

In New York, the UN Security Council cancelled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss whether to endorse the truce, billed as the "last chance" to end the five-year war that has killed 300,000 people.

The closed-door consultations were scrapped after Moscow and Washington failed to agree over disclosing details of the ceasefire to the council.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had earlier called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and condemned "repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid," spokesman John Kirby said.

Kerry told Lavrov that Washington "expects Russia to use its influence on the (President Bashar al-) Assad regime to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach Aleppo and other areas in need.

"The secretary made clear that the United States will not establish the Joint Implementation Centre with Russia unless and until the agreed terms for humanitarian access are met," Kirby said.

President Barack Obama also voiced "deep concern" that the Syrian regime continued to block humanitarian aid.

The ceasefire has been marred by a lack of aid deliveries and sporadic violence, including three civilians killed Friday.

If the truce, which began Monday, lasts seven days and humanitarian access is granted, Russia and the US are to work together to target militants including the Islamic State group (IS) and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Under the truce deal, Moscow must put pressure on Assad and Washington must work with Syrian rebels to silence their guns.

Earlier Friday, Russia said that only Moscow and the Syrian regime were fulfilling the deal.

"Although the ceasefire agreement is bilateral, only one side is truly implementing it," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

However, Russia said it was still ready to extend the truce set to expire late Friday by 72 hours.

France and other council members have said they must first learn more details about the deal before considering whether to endorse it.

The Pentagon also said Friday that dozens of US Special Operations Forces have been deployed to Syria's border with Turkey to fight IS, at Ankara's request, in support of Turkey's army and "vetted" Syrian rebels.

Two children were among three civilians killed in air strikes Friday on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Khan Sheikhun, like most of the surrounding province, is controlled by an alliance of rebels, hardline Islamists and jihadists such as Fateh al-Sham.

Under the truce, fighting is to halt across the country except where militants are present.

But experts say the deal will be particularly difficult to implement in areas where Fateh al-Sham has formed strong alliances with local rebels.

Earlier in the day, a barrage of rocket fire and shelling could be heard coming from the rebel-held east Damascus district of Jobar, an AFP correspondent said.

Both the Islamist faction Faylaq al-Sham and Fateh al-Sham are thought to be present there.

The Observatory said three Islamist fighters and four members of the regime forces were killed.

The UN has called the truce a "critical window of opportunity" to deliver aid to rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo city, where around 250,000 civilians are under siege.

The UN had hoped that 40 trucks of food -- enough to feed 80,000 people for one month -- could be delivered there as soon as possible.

But on Friday, the trucks were still waiting at the border with Turkey, said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Under the truce deal, the main route into divided Aleppo, the Castello Road, would be demilitarised and aid convoys would enter from Turkey.

A military source said Syria's army "has carried out its pledge and handed over a number of points to the Russian monitoring teams", but that rebel groups had not withdrawn from their positions.

"As humanitarians this is immensely frustrating. We're here, we're on the ground and we're ready to move... The world is watching," Swanson said.

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Singapore 2016 could be a close, three-way battle for victory.

Mercedes has dominated this year, but last season the German team mysteriously struggled under the city-state's floodlights.

Red Bull, meanwhile, is very strong on the tighter street circuits, and it was Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel who won in Singapore a year ago.

But Dr Helmut Marko warned that Red Bull is not relying on a repeat of Mercedes' Singapore troubles of 2015.

"I think Mercedes solved its problems from the previous year long ago," he told Welt newspaper.

"But even without their problems we see a chance against them," added Marko.

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda told the Italian broadcaster Sky: "We are fast and do not have last year's problem.

"But Ferrari and especially Red Bull seem very fast here. This track is perfect for Red Bull, not for us, so we are going to have to sweat a lot."

(GMM)
Former FIA president Max Mosley has warned that the European Commission could put the brakes on the sale of F1 to Liberty Media.

Before current majority owners CVC can get the deal through, it needs to be approved not only by the governing FIA but also the European Commission (EC).

That is because, when Mosley was in charge, it was agreed with the EC that the FIA would never take a commercial interest in F1.

But the FIA currently owns a 1 per cent share in the commercial rights, which means that approving the Liberty sale could net the Paris federation a cool $90 million.

Asked if that is a conflict of interest, Mosley told Britain's Sky: "You could say that, I suppose.

"It's arguably contrary to the deal that we did with the Commission back in 2001.

"It may be that the Commission might come along and say 'You're not allowed to do that', but they might not. I've no idea," he added.

The fact that the FIA also needs to green light the Liberty deal is also a conflict, Forbes' F1 business journalist Christian Sylt told us.

"Obviously, the promise of a $44 million payment is a significant financial inducement for the FIA to approve the transaction," he said.

(GMM)
Israeli occupation forces shot dead a Palestinian who allegedly stabbed an Israeli soldier Saturday in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, the army claimed, in the fourth spate of violence in less than 24 hours.

A military statement claimed the attacker drew a knife during a routine security check in Hebron's Tel Rumeida neighbourhood, wounding the soldier.

"In response to the immediate threat, forces at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death," the statement said.

On Friday, three Palestinians were killed while allegedly carrying out attacks on Israelis, two in and around occupied Hebron and one in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Another man was killed on Thursday, also in Hebron, after allegedly trying to evade arrest by the Israeli military.

It was the latest incident in an almost one-year long surge of Israeli-on-Palestinian deadly repression met with violent responses by Palestinians against settlers and Israeli soldiers.

Since the start of October, Israeli occupation forces have killed at least 228 Palestinians. Meanwhile, almost daily stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks by frustrated and unarmed Palestinians have killed 34 Israelis and a US citizen.

Settlement-building, racial discrimination, confiscation of identity cards, long queues at checkpoints, as well as daily clashes and the desecration of Al-Aqsa mosque, describe Palestinians' daily suffering.

The anger of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem has increased in the last three years after the Israeli authorities allowed increasing numbers of Jewish settlers to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque.

The year-old surge in violence has been fuelled by Palestinians' frustration over Israel's 48-year occupation of land they seek for an independent state, and the expansion of settlements in those territories which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Palestinian leaders say a younger generation sees no hope for the future living under Israeli security restrictions and with a stifled economy. The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014.

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian medical official said Friday that Israeli troops at the border fence east of Gaza City shot and slightly wounded three Palestinian youths.

An army spokeswoman said they had been rioting.

The uptick in violence was a reminder of persistent tensions that continue to alarm the international community and came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the two-state solution was "further than ever" from becoming reality.

International powers have criticised Israel's continued settlement expansion in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, with more than 500,000 Israelis now living in communities the international community considers illegal, as well as incitement to violence by Palestinian leaders.

"Despite warnings by the international community and the region, leaders on both sides have failed to take the difficult steps needed for peace," Ban said on Friday.

"Let me be absolutely clear: settlements are illegal under international law. The occupation, stifling and oppressive, must end," he added.

Ban also hailed former Israeli president Shimon Peres, the last of Israel's founding fathers who suffered a major stroke this week.

The veteran Israeli leader won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 along with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo peace accords.

*The story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said Moscow is holding to its part of the Syria agreement, but accused the rebels of using it to "regroup" and called for more transparency from Washington.

"We see attempts to regroup among these terrorists, to switch one label for another, one name for another and keep their military capacity," he said in televised remarks while on a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

"This is what we are seeing and that is sad," he added, saying Washington is facing a "rather difficult problem... to separate the opposition (to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad) from terrorists."

He said Washington apparently "has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad," calling it a "very dangerous path."

"I would like us to be honest with one another and that is how we can move toward our mutual goals (to fight terrorism and achieve peace in Syria)," he said.

"I don't really understand why we have to hide any agreements, but we will of course refrain from revealing any details until our American partners agree to this," he said.

Russia accused the United States of refusing to share details of the closed-door agreement on Syria with the UN Security Council Friday, which had to cancel its urgent meeting that was supposed to endorse the deal.

"They don't want to make it public because the world community... will understand who is really not abiding to what," Putin said of the deal, in reference to "regrouping" rebels.

Putin said he remained "positive rather than negative" on the deal, which has also been tested by air strikes and clashes amid accusations that Bashar al-Assad's forces are blocking aid from reaching the ravaged central city of Aleppo.

The Russian president insisted Moscow is adhering to its part of the agreement.

"As for Russia, it is fully honouring its obligations," he said, adding Moscow reached relevant agreements with regime forces.

"We have reached agreements with the president (of Syria), with the government of Syria. As we see, Syrian forces are fully abiding by these agreements."

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A senior Hamas official designated by Washington as a "global terrorist" accused the United States on Saturday of "total bias" in favour of Israel.

The US on Friday added Hamas politburo member Fathi Hammad to its terror blacklist, meaning that US citizens and companies will be banned from doing business with him and any property he holds in areas under US jurisdiction will be frozen.

According to the US State Department, which issued the designation, during his time as Hamas interior minister in Gaza, Hammad used his position to "coordinate terrorist cells."

Washington already defines the Islamist Hamas organisation, which rules the Gaza Strip, as a "foreign terrorist organisation."

Hammad said in a statement that the latest US move, coming as Washington signed a new 10-year deal giving unprecedented military aid to the Jewish state, "represents an additional dark page... of the US administration."

He said it showed "total bias toward the killing machine and Zionist terrorism."

The State Department said that Hammad had founded Al-Aqsa TV, "with programs designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers upon reaching adulthood."

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Jordan on Saturday condemned the killing of one of its nationals by an Israeli policewoman he allegedly attacked in east Jerusalem, calling it a "barbaric act".

Israeli police claimed that the officer shot dead 28-year-old Saeed Amro on Friday after he tried to stab her at the Damascus Gate, the main entrance used by Palestinians to enter Jerusalem's Old City.

A spokeswoman for the Jordanian foreign ministry denounced "the barbaric act of the army of the Israeli occupation, whose premeditated shooting of the Jordanian Saeed Amro... killed him on the spot".

"Amro was part of a group of tourists who had entered the Palestinian territories on Thursday to visit Jerusalem," Sabah Refai said.

Many Palestinians hold Jordanian passports, and Israeli police said on Friday they were checking if Amro also had Palestinian papers.

But a Jordanian official source told AFP that he was not Palestinian.

Amro was one of three alleged assailants killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis on Friday, Israeli security forces said.

It was the latest incident in an almost one-year long surge of Israeli-on-Palestinian deadly repression met with violent responses by Palestinians against settlers and Israeli soldiers.

Since the start of October, Israeli occupation forces have killed at least 228 Palestinians. Meanwhile, almost daily stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks by frustrated and unarmed Palestinians have killed 34 Israelis and a US citizen.

Settlement-building, racial discrimination, confiscation of identity cards, long queues at checkpoints, as well as daily clashes and the desecration of Al-Aqsa mosque, describe Palestinians' daily suffering.

The anger of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem has increased in the last three years after the Israeli authorities allowed increasing numbers of Jewish settlers to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque.

The year-old surge in violence has been fuelled by Palestinians' frustration over Israel's 48-year occupation of land they seek for an independent state, and the expansion of settlements in those territories which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Palestinian leaders say a younger generation sees no hope for the future living under Israeli security restrictions and with a stifled economy. The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014.

Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994.

*The story edited by Ahram Onlie.

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The League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad will hold a candidate forum at its luncheon meeting Tuesday at Holy Trinity Church, Haywood Duke Room, 607 N. Greene St. in Greensboro.

Candidates for Guilford County Board of Commissioners, Guilford County Board of Education and District 18 judicial seats are expected.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet the candidates, hear what they have to say regarding the importance of the office they are seeking and pose questions to them.

Reservations are required with or without lunch, and lunch is $11.

To reserve a seat with lunch, visit http://lwvpt.org/Reservations_with_ lunch.html. For a seat without lunch, visit http://lwvpt.org/Reservations_without_lunch.html.

Doors open at 11:45 a.m. The buffet begins at noon, and the program follows.

For information, email Reservations@lwvpt.org.
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The states Congressional delegation has received more than $641,000 in campaign contributions from drugmakers and their allies  the same group many blame for the addiction epidemic thats sweeping Connecticut and the nation.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal received $71,500 in contributions from drugmakers and medical associations since 2010, and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy received $85,850 since 2007, according to a Hearst Connecticut Media analysis of data compiled by the Associated Press.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, received more than $135,000 since 2007, and U.S. Joe Courtney, D-2, received more than $140,000 since 2006.

The money poured in from the giants of the pain medication industry, such as the Stamford-based Purdue Pharma, the inventor of OxyContin, Pfizer, which operates a development laboratory in Groton, and Bristol-Meyer Squibb.

Other contributors include political action committees and groups allied with drugmakers, such as the National Community Pharmacists Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

The industry and its allies spent $880 million nationwide on lobbying and campaign contributions between 2006 through 2015.

That is more than 200 times the amount opponents spent to advance stricter prescription policies and eight times what the gun lobby spent during that same period, the AP found during an investigation into political contributions and U.S. prescription drug policy.

More Information Source: Associated Press Here's how much was donated by drug companies and their advocates to the state's Congressional delegation. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal: $71,500 U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy: $85,850 U.S Rep. Jim Himes, D-4: $135,505 U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5: $38,525 U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1: $134,447 U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2: $141,068 U.S Rep. Rosa DeLaura, D-3: $34,200 Contributions to incumbent Connecticut state lawmakers by drug companies between 2006 and 2015: Senate: $3,895 House of Representatives: $10,550 Drug companies employed an average of 48 lobbyists in Connecticut in each of the years between 2006 and 2015 Opioid overdose deaths: 4,028 opioid deaths in Connecticut between 2006 and 2014, a rate of 17.3 overdoses per 100,000 and a 53 percent increase from 2006 See More Collapse

As pain prescriptions rose, in part due to the development of OxyContin, there were 4,028 opioid deaths in Connecticut between 2006 and 2014, a rate of 17.3 overdoses per 100,000 residents. Those deaths represent a 53 percent increase since 2006, the second worst in New England. New Hampshire saw a 124 percent increase.

Gary Mendell, founder of the Norwalk-based Shatterproof, which advocates for limits on pain medication and works to battle addiction, said the political contributions and massive lobbying by companies such as Purdue Pharma and others is designed to protect opioid sales.

What is their interest? Mendell said. Its to sell pills. Its whats driving the opioid epidemic.

Purdue Pharma said it contributes to a range of candidates and advocacy groups, including some with differing views on opioid policy.

It is imperative that we have legitimate policy debates without trying to silence those with whom we disagree. That's the American political system at work, the company said in a statement.

Purdue earned an estimated $2.4 billion from opioids last year alone, according to estimates from the health care information company IMS Health.

Lots of money

The AP investigation uncovered a 50-state strategy under which the makers of pain medication and their allies employed hundreds of lobbyists and spent millions on campaign contributions to help kill or weaken measures aimed at stemming the tide of prescription opioids. The synthetic narcotics are the drugs at the heart of a crisis that has cost 165,000 Americans their lives and pushed countless more to crippling addiction.

The opioid lobby has been doing everything it can to preserve the status quo of aggressive prescribing, said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, founder of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing and an outspoken advocate for opioid reform. They are reaping enormous profits from aggressive prescribing.

Connecticuts delegation received a share of that money, but the states senators and congressmen denied the contributions influenced their decision making.

Some complained that APs definition of allies included makers of medical devices.

Blumenthal pointed out that as the states attorney general he, along with attorney generals across the nation, sued Purdue Pharma over its labeling of OxyContin. In 2007, the company pleaded guilty to misleading the public about the drugs addiction risk.

Purdue did not donate to Blumenthal, according to the AP data.

Pfizer, however, contributed $24,800 to his campaign and other donors included Bristol-Meyer Squibb, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and various other allies of drugmakers.

I have been aggressive and vigorous in pursuing abuses by manufacturers of pain killers, Blumenthal said. It goes both to my lawsuit against Purdue and urging stronger constraints on such products. Whatever the contributions were, they played no role or had no influence on my strong pursuit of action against opioid addiction and its problems.

Patrick Malone, a spokesman for Himes, also said the congressman was not influenced by contributions.

Congressman Himes always puts his constituents' interests first and foremost, Malone said. Occasionally, drug companies agree with his positions. Often they do not. He supports efforts to reduce drug costs for seniors and families, wants to make generics more readily available and pushed back against the industry in recent trade negotiations.

Himes received $31,045 from Pfizer and $12,750 from Purdue, along with contributions from the Boston Scientific Group and various medical associations.

Laura Maloney, Murphys spokeswoman, said the senator believes campaign finance reform is the only way to limit the influence of powerful corporations.

Chris thinks the drug companies have way too much power in Washington, Maloney said But he thinks they're not alone. There are lots of corporate interests and big industries that have way too much power in Washington.

Maloney said the senator doesn't accept donations from drug company political action committees, but added he believes that campaign finance reform is the only way to lessen the power of big corporations on the political process.

Murphy received $5,000 from Purdue, but Maloney said the money came from individuals, not the company or its PAC. The senator also received $3,800 from Pfizer, along with money from a variety of medical associations allied with drug makers and a company that makes medical devices.

State lawmakers didnt do nearly as well as their federal counterparts.

A Hearst review of contributions from drugmakers and their allies shows incumbent state senators received $3,895 between 2006 and 2015. Members of the current House of Representatives received $10,550.

Still, AP estimated drug companies and their allies employed an average of 48 lobbyists a year in Connecticut to work on behalf of their interests.

Restrictions

The federal government and state legislatures have begun to take steps to reduce addiction and limit the length of initial opioid prescriptions. The drugs are being manufactured with harder shells to prevent crushing so the opioids can not be snorted or injected.

A federal bill passed earlier this year expands access to anti-addiction medication, pledges billions of dollars to fight addiction, further expands access to naloxone, an opioid overdose-reversing drug, increases education efforts and adds to prescription monitoring programs. T

The bill, however, was not funded by the Republican-controlled Congress.

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island this year limited first time opioid prescriptions to seven days, but the states also allowed exceptions for patients with chronic pain. The federal Center for Disease Control recommends first time opioid prescriptions be limited to three days.

Mendell, who lost his son to addiction, said the seven-day limit is typical of the return the drug industry receives for its lobbying and the millions spent battling anti-opioid legislation.

Everything Im saying dovetails with their article, Mendell said of the AP investigation.

Mendell said pain medication is a $9 billion industry, and pointed out that in 1999 there were 65 million pain prescriptions issued in the U.S. The number has now grown to 260 million prescriptions, a four-fold increase, he said.

One issue driving the opioid epidemic is many patients insist the pills give them a better quality of life.

There's such a hysteria going on about those who have died from overdoses, said Barby Ingle, president of the International Pain Foundation, which receives pharmaceutical company funding. There are millions who are living a better life who are on the medications long term.

But studies have shown weak or no evidence that opioids are effective way to treat routine chronic pain. A 2015 study from a hospital system in Pennsylvania found about 40 percent of chronic non-cancer pain patients receiving opioids had some signs of addiction and 4 percent had serious problems.

Staff writer Bill Cummings contributed to this report.
With only about 50 days left before Americans elect their president, news from the campaign trail this week ranged from Hillary Clinton's pneumonia to Donald Trump's rising poll numbers.

Here is a summary of the top campaign happenings:

The Democratic presidential candidate's campaign was put on hold for three days after a bout with pneumonia.

Clinton, 68, was diagnosed with the illness 48 hours ahead of a September 11 ceremony Sunday in New York, but chose to power through instead of resting. Few people knew of the diagnosis, and she was criticized for a lack of transparency when she had to leave the memorial event early to rest.

She didn't resume campaigning until Thursday. But with the health of both candidates suddenly at the forefront, and in an effort to be transparent, both Clinton and Trump made announcements about their health.

In a two-page summary Clinton's personal physician declared that she "continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as president of the United States."

Not to be outdone, the 70-year-old Trump - who would be the oldest president to take office if elected - released a one-page letter from his doctor declaring him to be "in excellent physical health."

Ever the showman, Trump went on "The Dr. Oz Show" on TV to discuss his health - and admit that perhaps he could stand to "lose a little weight."

Democrats are growing anxious as opinion polls show that Clinton's once strong lead has evaporated. A survey average gives her only a 1.5 point lead over Trump (45.7 percent to 44.2 percent), a four-point drop in two weeks.

Poll also show Trump - who has been a bit more disciplined since shuffling his top advisers in August - taking the lead in Ohio and Florida, two key battleground states, while gaining in others.

The Clinton campaign mobilized some top surrogates in an attempt to regain momentum. President Barack Obama campaigned for the former secretary of state on Tuesday, and his popular wife Michelle did the same on Friday.

Clinton also sent out two of the party's liberal stars, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, to drum up support among the young people whose votes she needs on election day.

For years Trump has questioned Barack Obama's birthplace, suggesting that he was not born on US soil - a requirement to be elected president. This continued even after Obama released his birth certificate in 2011 showing he was born in Hawaii.

Trump effected a turnabout in typically spectacular style.

"President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period," he said at a widely covered news conference.

Unimpressed by the admission, Clinton said that Trump owed Obama "and the American people an apology." She accused him of questioning the legitimacy of the first black president.

For decades presidential candidates have released their tax returns to the public. Trump says that he can't because he's being audited - even though the Internal Revenue Service says that he's free to release the data.

Trump's son Donald Trump Junior offered a different explanation: he told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review it was "because he's got a 12,000-page tax return that would create... financial auditors out of every person in the country asking questions that would detract from (his) main message."

Trump's unreal-looking yellow-blond hair is not a toupee, and yes, he'll occasionally let someone muss it up.

"Tonight Show" host comedian Jimmy Fallon gleefully tousled with Trump's carefully coiffed hair late Thursday in a scene that prompted a huge social media response.

Some Twitter commenters however said they would have preferred that Fallon had worked harder to find out what goes on inside - not on top - of Trump's head.

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Russia's food safety watchdog has banned fruit and vegetables imports from Egypt over sanitary concerns, following an earlier decision by Egypt that hurt Russian wheat imports.

Rosselkhoznadzor, the state agricultural safety agency, said Friday that imports of Egyptian plant products will be banned starting next Thursday until Egypt's authorities take steps to ensure their safety.

The move comes after Egypt, the world's largest wheat importer, changed its import regulations to ban any ergot fungus in imported wheat. It had previously accepted 0.05 percent of it in imported wheat, a level considered harmless. The new policy hurt Russia, which is one of major supplier of wheat to Egypt, and others.

In the past, Russia often slapped bans on agricultural imports amid political or economic disputes with other nations, citing sanitary reasons.

Egypt's agriculture ministry spokesman Eid Hawwash was quoted in several media outlets as saying that Cairo has not rececived any official complaint from Moscow about the imports and has not been officially notified of such decison.

*This story has been edited by Ahram Online

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In what appears to be the first lawsuit related to exploding Galaxy Note7s in the US, Samsung has been dragged to court by a Note7 user who said the phone caught fire in his pocket causing him severe bodily injuries. The incident happened on September 9.

According to the user - Jonathan Strobel, who is from Florida - the explosion took place when the device was in the front pocket of his pants, something which resulting in severe burns on his right leg. His left thumb also suffered burns as he tried to remove the device from his pants.

Strobel is now seeking "damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other alleged injuries." When reached for comment, a Samsung spokesperson said, "We don't comment on pending litigation."

Meanwhile, the US FAA has officially banned the use of the phablet during flights. The move comes nearly a week after the agency "strongly advised" users against turning on or charging the device on board a plane.

Source 1 2
From a stroll down tree-lined boulevards to some of the city's best gelato, Maadi has a lot to offer

Cairo is known to be one of the most stressed-out cities, thanks in part to the constant traffic on notoriously congested roads.

But that's not quite the case in affluent Maadi, a suburb some 10-15 km south of central Cairo, where tranquil, tree-lined streets and a less-crowded feel offers a respite from the hectic capital and its often grimy streets.

The European-designed district on the east bank of the Nile has largely maintained its splendour and enduring appeal since its establishment in the 19th century by Khedive Ismail, being home to a large number of grand two-storey villas and foreign embassies.

While the compound-like neighbourhood is one of the most sought-after areas by foreign residents, it's mistakenly thought of among native Cairenes as being out of the way. But the truth is that it's only a 20-30 minute car ride from almost everywhere in Cairo.

Given that, its time to explore Maadi and track down some of its hidden gems.

Hit the famous Road 9

Running parallel to the metro line, the street, which continues the length of three metro stations, is one of Maadis most well-known landmarks.

Road 9 has seen a marked shift towards commercialisation over the years as the trappings of cosmopolitanism continue, yet still preserves an authentic and unique feel. With its line-up of smart cafes and trendy restaurants that have been multiplying in recent yeas, Road 9 has become a major spot to hang out and is usually bustling at the weekend.

Whether you opt for a nice dining place or choose to just have a coffee al fresco, Road 9 is surely a no-brainer.

Eat Italian-style pizza at La Rosa

If you are after some of the best home-made pizza in Cairo then cosy retro restaurant La Rosa is just the place to go.

The small, old-fashioned interior with framed pictures of Rome and Venice on the wall and classical music playing sets the perfect mood for an Italian experience.

Tables with chequered pink and white covers and Chianti bottles holding candles further complement the atmosphere.

You can enjoy their tasty thin-crust pizza for considerably low prices, at an average of EGP 45.

The rich menu also includes a variety of pastas, main courses, appetisers and desserts.

The staff are so friendly and will greet you with a free bruschetta when you step inside.

Located in Road 231, Degla, the restaurant is just a 5-minute drive from the Autostrad highway.

Wander around 'the square'

Who wouldn't like to stroll leisurely through wide, traffic-free streets where one will be struck by the surrounding greenness and tranquillity?

That's how a stroll through Maadi Sarayat (Maadi Palaces in Engish), the neighbourhood's classiest area, feels. That's also where a new gem lies: a recently renovated square full of palm trees and flowers.

With its flagstone paths, wooden park benches, and night-time lighting, Mostafa Kamel square has been a real hit for groups of young people morning, noon and night.

The area is a short stroll away from Road 9 and the Maadi/Sakanat Al-Maadi metro station.

Read, study or work at Al-Kotob Khan

Unlike any typical bookshop, Al-Kotob Khan is not a place where you merely buy a book and leave.

The two-storey bookstore has a nice, relaxing coffee corner, where visitors can pay EGP 10 and enjoy the soothing music while reading a book, studying or working on a laptop using the free Wi-Fi.

They offer other options of food and beverages including juices, paninis and fruit salad. Some tables lie right next to the wide, floor-length window, giving a view of the leafy street.

The bookstore doesnt only offer a wide array of books in different languages and genres but also hosts a variety of activities including book forums and signings, history and music lectures, graphics workshops, movie screenings and storytelling for kids. They also have an art section that offers jewellery, oriental wall frames and other home accessories.

The bookshop is located in Road 254, Degla. It's also a short ride from the Autostrad and a short stroll around La Rosa.

Walk your dog in the 'dog park'

Maadi is generally a very walk-friendly district, to your dog's delight. Just take him/her for a pleasant stroll around Degla or Al-Maadi Sarayat and they'll love you for it.

A real plus in Maadi is a place located a few steps from Al-Kotob Khan where your pet can make new friends, known as Shell Shop Maadi Dog Park. Well, technically, it's not a park but rather a median strip right in front of Shell Shop, where dog owners gather with their pets every night from 8 to 10pm.

On Fridays, a larger number of locals get together after noon prayers. The group has a Facebook page where members can post questions, pictures of their dogs or offer pets for sale.

Indulge in home-made Italian ice cream

There can be no better ice cream on the planet than Stavolta's creamy gelato, made with real fresh fruit.

The tiny shop is tucked away in a side street in Degla, yet often has queues of customers outside waiting for a refreshing treat on a summer day.

The ultra-friendly staff is always happy to let you try as many flavours as you want before making a selection from 26 flavours everyday.

Stavolta's creamy fruit flavours include guava, melon, banana and almost every seasonal fruit, and are just full of exquisite natural flavour, and there are some options for the chocoholics as well.

Other varieties include hibiscus, coffee, cheesecake, peanut butter, pistachio, physalis and many more.

One scoop is EGP 14, but the size is generous. You can add an extra 4 pounds for their homemade waffle cone.

Stavolta is located on Road 231, on the other side of La Rosa, a small walk down the street across the intersection.

You can eat your ice cream on a small bench indoors or sit/stand outside while watching the Italian-trained staff working their usual magic through the glass-walled kitchen.

Take a felucca ride on the Nile

Whenever you need a break from the cacophony of the city, make your favourite playlist, bring snacks and cruise the Nile waters under blinking disco lights.

The trip would be equally soothing around sunset or at night. Even in the height of summer, you can still enjoy the gentle, fresh breeze on the water.

One of the best spots to take the ride is off Maadi's corniche, at the so-called second Maadi entrance.

Price for an hour-long ride is about EGP 80, sometimes negotiable. A single boat can take a large group of more than 20 people. The more the merrier!

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Published on 2016/09/17

Big Date reveals how K-culture has spread from Asia to North America, All K-pop puts Korea's gay community in the spotlight, hear what it's like being a teenager in North Korea, and cultural leaders gather to discuss the spread of culture across national boundaries.

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"6 Things you didn't know about Korea's gay culture"

Curious about South Korea's gay community? Korea is still largely conservative, but even though being part of the LGBT community is still seen as taboo, "gay culture is expanding in Korea and becoming more recognised amongst millennials". In this post, All K-Pop reveals some surprising facts and characteristics of South Korea's growing gay community...

...READ ON ALLKPOP

"Big data show K-pop stretching from Asia to US"

A state-run media research institution, the Korea Press Foundation (KPF), has shown just how South Korea's popular culture has managed to spread from its Asian roots to the North America continent. The report notes that "fast-growing information technology, such as digitalized music, smart devices, video-sharing platforms and social media, has sped up the global spread of K-pop culture", with K-pop music, TV series, and films being the most common currency.

...READ ON THE KOREA TIMES

"What it's like to be a teenager in North Korea"

What is it like growing up in one of the most repressive countries in the world? The Independent explores what it's like growing up as a teenager in North Korea and speaks to a young defector, Jimmin Kang, about his upbringing: "Everyone aged between 15 and 30 has to be in the union. I taught people North Korean culture and encouraged them not to listen to American pop music or watch dramas from South Korea and China". Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll? More like absence, national duty and state-approved local music...

...READ ON THE INDEPENDENT

"CCF delegates point to Korea's modern adaptions of traditional culture"

The way in which South Korean culture has spread over the past decade or so is incredible, and any country looking to improve its cultural exports will want to take a close look at what South Korea has managed to achieve in such a short period of time. But the spread of K-culture is not a one-way street, and as the world becomes increasingly globalized, South Korean culture itself has been adapting and evolving with the tides. The Cultural Communication Forum recently took place where a number of cultural leaders from 18 countries came together to experience K-culture and discuss ways to help promote culture that traverses national boundaries. "There is a rediscovery and reframing of traditions here in Korea", said Benson Puah, CEO of Esplanade, "The important thing is that the young can connect with it".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD
Published on 2016/09/17

The 'horror' of dining alone in Korea is being exorcised, My Korean Kitchens wows us with a bulgogi-based dish, My Korean Husband explores convenience store lunch boxes, and is the "Gyeondyo bar" Korea's secret weapon against hangovers?

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"One's company for South Koreans dining out"

The stigma around the single lifestyle is relaxing in Korea, and one sector that's benefitting is restaurants and small businesses. "The phrase honbap, which literally means rice for one person in Korean, was even coined last year to describe the dining trend that has taken the Internet by storm as more people started sharing their solo dining experiences on social media". More and more people are venturing out and enjoying public safes, alone, and so don't be too surprised if you spy singles enjoying the extra elbow room, and all those side dishes.

...READ ON THE STRAITS TIMES

"South Korea Just Invented What Might Be the Best Hangover Cure Ever"

Is Korea's "Gyeondyo bar" the hangover cure you've been searching for? Apparently, the secret is the frozen snacks raisin tree fruit centre, the benefits of which date back to the 1600s. Maybe it's not the wonder food the world has been waiting for, but it sure does sound delicious, even if clearing your head and stomach isn't an immediate priority.

...READ ON NEXT SHARK

"Bulgogi Spring Rolls With Sweet Ssamjang Sauce"

Sue's skill set makes for some great content: she's not only an author and a cook, but she also has a great eye for photography and puts all those talents and passions to good use for her weekly recipes on My Korean Kitchen. In this post, Sue shows us how to make bulgogi spring rolls with sweet ssamjang sauce: "Bulgogi spring rolls with sweet ssamjang sauce is a delicious Korean and Southeast Asian fusion dish created with popular Korean BBQ beef bulgogi. It's light, fresh, and moreish!" The steps to get to taste this treat are simply layout, and Sue also provides us with a convenient recipe card you can print out to add to your collection if you're impressed.

...READ ON MY KOREAN KITCHEN

"NEW KOREAN CONVENIENCE STORE LUNCHBOXES"

My Korean Husband reviews some convenience store lunch boxes and reveals what Koreans enjoying lunching on. This vlogging duo are really cute, and it's interesting to see the different cultural and personal preferences at play. "For years there has been the triangle gimbap and instant ramen available in convenience stores but the option of having a proper meal for a cheap price is really appealing to a lot of people". Enjoy...

...WATCH ON MY KOREAN HUSBAND
Published on 2016/09/17

'Concept Korea' brings the Wave to New York Fashion Week, catch a peek of daily life in North Korea, Observer Culture gets political at the 11th Annual Gwangju Biennale, and see why North Korean defectors were asked to draw a picture of their homes for Ik-Joong Kang's "Floating Dream" project.

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"Concept Korea Takes the 'Korean Wave' to New York Fashion Week"

South Korean fashion is on the rise and the country's designers will be hoping to make a statement at one of the world's most prestigious fashion events: New York Fashion Week. "Globally, there are many countries, including the United States, that are fond of Korean culture. These different markets are interested in Korea's lifestyle, music, beauty, and fashion. Concept Korea celebrates this 'Korean Wave'", says Sung-gak Song, president of KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency).

...READ ON NBC NEWS

"Man Illegally Documents Trip to North Korea, Smuggles a Ton of Photos Home"

Get an inside look at North Korea in this gallery of smuggled photographs that made it out. The photographer in question is Michal Huniewicz who "somehow managed to take prohibited photos during his visit to the militarized state and make it out with them intact". The images he came back with "reveal the kind of day-to-day existence that North Koreans lead, but few know about". Fascinating, and the pictures themselves are fantastic.

...READ ON NEXT SHARK

"South Korea Needs Political Art...and the 11th Annual Gwangju Biennale Delivers It"

Guelda Voien says that South Korea needs more political are and that the Gwangju Biennale is where it's coming through. In this piece on Observer Culture, you can read more about some of the pieces of art (video art was central) as well as some interesting commentary on the event itself, the themes driving the creators, as well as the socio-political context to which many of the pieces spoke.

...READ ON OBSERVER CULTURE

"What we left behind: North Korean refugee drawings lit up on the Thames"

Over 500 North Korean refugees have contributed towards Ik-Joong Kang's massive sculpture currently floating on the River Thames in London, titled "Floating Dream". The illuminating piece forms part of the Totally Thames festival and all the North Korean participants submitted a small picture of the home they remember somewhere over the DMZ. The festival runs until the end of September.

...READ ON THE GUARDIAN
By William Schwartz | Published on 2016/09/17

The homeless and generally dispossessed population in South Korea doesn't get all that much attention. In all fairness they don't really get that much attention anywhere, since acknowledging the existence of a homeless population is detrimental to any country's self-image. Moreover, what spotlight there is rarely ever falls on the dispossessed people themselves, but rather the organizations which try to help them, and what they want potential donors to see.

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"Hide Behind the Sun" is not an expose of any sort, even if the picture it paints of the organizations that help the homeless is rather ambivalent. The documentary largely takes places from the point of view of Sang-hyeon, a man who, while dispossessed, is still physically and mentally capable of making a contribution to society. He sees other homeless people as friends, and so too does director Lee Chang-jun show them as being normal men and woman whose main shortcoming is that they don't have anything to do all day and are thus somewhat bored.

Charity organizations provide a decent amount of help, but the problem is they don't offer any lasting solutions. While they can give homeless people the bare necessities (like food) to get them through the day, the charities can't really do much about lifestyles. While teaching a man to fish is obviously preferable to simply giving him a fish, ultimately, it's just too difficult to achieve the former. The process it time-consuming and there are too many homeless people who need help.

But Sang-hyeon doesn't give up. He decides to just work within the system that's available, and so "Hide Behind the Sun" goes in travelogue, visiting various random cities all around South Korea helping people. That's the main interesting aspect to "Hide Behind the Sun", is simply the way it gives a good look at the homeless lifestyle on the terms of homeless people themselves. They're always just normal people down on their luck, not immaculate angels or vicious drug dealers.

Which in its own way is a bit of a compliment. While "Hide Behind the Sun" never broaches the topic directly, I found myself thinking about how the South Korean government has been very good at stifling the illicit drug trade, and that this probably has a lot to do with why so many of the homeless people seen in this documentary remain largely functional. This only punctuates the difficulty, though, in realizing they don't seem to have much of a place in modern society.

"Hide Behind the Sun" doesn't get into any kind of serious moral reckoning over these subjects because ultimately, to the man on Sang-hyeon's level, there just isn't that much to be gained from trying to critique the system or instituting widespread change. A person can be happy living just in the spirit of camraderie and fellowship, if that's all that's available, and even if the ending ultimately proves sad, it's nice to know that Sang-hyeon was able to find something other than doom and gloom in life. Hope, in whatever form, can suffice.

Review by William Schwartz

"Hide Behind the Sun" is directed by Lee Chang-jun
The Allure of Anti-Intellectualism

by Joni Kamiya, Hawaii Farmers Daughter, September 16, 2016

Tonight I decided to attend the Ethics of Eating sponsored by the Center for Food Safety and featuring Vani Hari, the Food Babe. It was a free event held at the University of Hawaii in the that a Dr. Robert Perkinson, an American Studies professor, helped to get this event a venue at the Architecture School Auditorium. I wanted to hear what this food activist had to say and see what kind of people attend these events.

I got there with my friend, Sarah, at 5 pm to check out the True Food Market held out in the courtyard. I decided to wear my March Against Myths I love GMO shirt to distinguish that I wasnt a true believer. I did get some odd looks but no one approached us which told me the anti-GMO emotional tones must be settling down a bit.

In order to get something to eat, you had to pay $5 to get a bunch of tickets for various vegan foods. I didnt think that there would be food, so I had gotten a plate lunch from L&L BBQ prior. Not realizing that the event was vegan, I still sat there and ate that piece of unethical, Monsanto grain raised, industrial piece of chicken and some GMO macaroni salad. It smelled delicious but I bet it raised some eyes in the crowd smelling it. I already started the evening showing how unethical I eat apparently.

As more people started to crowd in, it was fascinating to see so many people crowding into listen to a person who has no background in what shes talking about. There was an older woman with long scraggly hair and collagen pumped up lips, some Hawaiians, older adults, people of all walks of life there. There were even young kids with their parents joining in too. I estimated that at least 250 came to listen to her.

Lots of GMO cotton was being worn in the courtyard this evening. People were wearing t-shirts, jeans, sundresses, cargo shorts, and aloha shirts that were clearly made from biotech cotton. Not only was there a lot of cotton, Ashley Lukens, the director of CFS, pictured in the black and white jumpsuit was baring her tattoos and her freshly chemically treated hair too. She had a Community Propaganda Education table set up with all of her flyers touting that people were being poisoned by GMOs and pesticides. I had a feeling that shed use this event to inform people about GMO ground zero.

Eventually, we finally got to enter the auditorium and find a seat to actually hear the panelists and the Food Babe herself. It started off with Ashley Lukens talking about how f**king amazing some people are and more curse words in front of all the young children sitting the the audience. I was appalled of how classless it was to openly swear knowing that young kids were in the audience. I thought it was inconsiderate to those parents who were there. But then again, this is how the anti-GMO folks forget to be considerate of others much of the time.

They were passing out cards to fill out any questions also. It was quite funny how these question cards somehow was passed around us and that when the basket came back, it was empty. I guess it was symbolic that in this cult-like atmosphere, questioning the authority is never tolerated.

After Ashley gave her profanity laced introduction, Hanohano Naehu, from Molokai did a rap song about the evils of corporations and GMOs. The malama the aina bit came out and no pesticides got mingled in the lyrics too. The battle cry came out too that they had to protect people by fighting this perceived bad guy. He even decried that science was bad. I almost felt that I was in a church service where people start singing hymns to get the congregation going, especially when theyd get the crowd to throw in the ea chorus. He had some choice words put in his song too that were not appropriate for young children.

Then the panel started off with their stories about what brought them there. There was Kaui, from Mao Organics, a Doorae Shin, from the Kokua Foundation, and the Food Babe herself. I honesty think that the most reasonable person on the panel was Kaui who talked about the need to return to the land and learn how to grow food. The stuff that Doorae was saying about veganism and her encouragement to watch movies to learn about food was typical preaching with no promotion of critical thinking. The Food Babe was doing her typical story of unhealthy eating led her on this mission, and how biotech is after her personally, and even how a Southern Kauai baby has liver cancer from pesticides. (She even had to throw in the dramatic cries too when telling the story of the baby. Problem is, theres no GM farms in Southern Kauai, but the true believers dont even think to ask.) The funniest thing she said was that she was glad she didnt go to law school and became a food activist, likely knowing that its much more profitable.

I had to leave early from the event to get back to my kids but left the event really sad in many ways. How is it that a place of higher learning like the University of Hawaii bring in a charlatan who takes advantage of peoples ignorance and fears under the guise of of education? It was an American studies professor that helped get the facilities to have her preach her message too. Meanwhile, the people at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources are doing work to develop better plants and methodologies as part of its mission as a land grant college. The law school, Hawaiian studies program, and now an American studies professor is participating in touting the anti-GMO rhetoric that can impeded research and innovation. That is utterly disturbing to me at at time when Hawaii intellectuals were all talking about the need to do something about climate change.

The social justice warriors, backed with anti-corporate conspiracies and emotions, are all energized by how they feel and their need to feel like their saving the world with how they eat. The repeatedly say that they dont need science and that they arent against science, which is true. These folks are about how they feel and using simple ways, a heuristic, to make better decisions about what they eat and how they live. Food Babe is the preacher to the masses as we are seeing when she states things like dont eat things you cant pronounce or go organic. Youll never see her talk about the physiology of eating, human metabolism, exercise, or other evidence based ways to become healthier or live better. She will never talk to people about DNA, plant breeding, crop protection, or basic farming either to encourage learning. People love her because shes the simple way to better their lives without really having to think hard about it. She encourages others to just believe her and dont question because everyone is attacking her and not her information. Any contrary information is all a conspiracy and media manipulation despite her being very much involved with those actually manipulating the media. Wanting to learn about science is condemned by people like Ashley and Vani.

I get it that people want to be healthy and what the Food Babe touts is easy to follow and boosts self esteems. Who doesnt want to feel better about themselves? She really creates true believers that dont think or question information to make good decisions. Its just easier to go after things that they think are making them healthier with her Food Babe Army. She encourages people to go after companies and change them without even disclosing that she makes money each time she does that through affiliate links and other ways.

I feel like I lost brain cells tonight after listening to much of what was being said. Ive also realized that this isnt anti-science but more of anti-intellectualism. No one needs science is what activists always yell. From the TMT, to fishing, to GMOs, and any other issue, the science and facts are totally rejected. When we reject those objecting measures of what we are seeing, we can never find a common ground to work together from. Theres no critical thinking that will utilize a good rationale to help people think and problem solve together. They just want quick and easy solutions and a mob of believers is the way to do it.

Without an intellectual conversation about our world, we cant solve the real problems at hand. Obscuring facts and impeding progress with conspiracies are only blocking innovation and genuine ways to address saving our planet. Though the Food Babe may make people think shes making the planet better, she is actually contributing to problems by blocking progress and profiting from her efforts to misinform. Ashley Lukens and her Center for Food Safety followers are also impeding the worlds ability to do things better by attacking a technology that could make it cleaner. Its all about what they eat and how it makes them feel better and nothing about what anyone else has to eat, which is a selfish, pompous way of thinking.

People involved in an intellectual movement will know some basic tenets on how to do things. They will research the issue well and learn all side of the it by talking to all parties. When it comes to Hawaii, they must consider the culture, people, and history to create a collaborative way to address the problem at hand. People involved must have a willingness to learn and work together to come up with a good plan for the future. They will seek facts and go to the sources to develop a plan based on those facts. The Center for Food Safety and the Food Babe clearly show that that they arent about intellect and creating a real plan to address their perceived problem.

As much as they claim to want to help Hawaii, the know nothing about agriculture and local ways when they give Vani a closed lei while being 6 months pregnant. Its taboo to do that according to Hawaiian culture. Even the Hawaiian rapper didnt even notice it on Vani either. She wore that lei all night.

I heard a great quote that social justice warriors tend to protest the things they know nothing about. Need evidence of it? Just look at the characters involved.
Town dedicates mural honoring veterans

Cutline Artist Andrea Martin, with Terry Lee Varnadore Jr.'s widow, Casey Bolt, and their daughters Ava and Leila, listen to remarks during the mural dedication. PHOTO BY ASHLEY ELDER

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The Henderson County Fire Department hoisted a giant American flag above Andrea Martins mural honoring veterans on Sunday as townspeople and veterans dedicated the 90x20 foot salute.

Led by Hendersonville Police Department and Patriot Guard motorcycle riders, Gold Star families rode up King Street to Fourth Avenue, where some of them could see their family members depicted in the mural.

The wall depicts four military personnel who served in four branches of the armed services, including two who died in combat and one badly wounded.

Terry Lee Varnadore Jr., 29, of the U.S. Army, died in Afghanistan in 2011. Jessie Cassada, 19, U.S. Marine Corps, died in Afghanistan in 2009. Todd King, U.S. Air Force, survived a suicide bomb in the Green Zone in Iraq. Local veterans Jessica Bayne, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and Tony Koone, a Navy veteran who teaches at Hendersonville Elementary School, are also depicted.

We want to make sure veterans know their sacrifices were not in vain, said Martin, who worked on the mural in her free time during the past year.

Martin, who has a full time job, said it took her 43 days to complete.

At the dedication, the VFW presented Martin with a plaque for her service.

Vets are courageous, humble people of integrity, she said.

Martins father always taught her to honor veterans and now she has passed along that lesson to her son, who watched her paint the mural most days.

America sometimes has a short memory, she said. The best way to thank them is to honor their fallen and take care of their families.

In good weather and bad, Martin could be seen working on the mural throughout the past year.

Every family that Ive met, I just adore them, Martin said. I cant explain it. I feel a connection with them.

Tina Varnadore, mother of fallen Army veteran, Terry Varnadore, said, We want to thank Andrea for what she has done to help honor our fallen.

Josh Smartt, president of the veterans supporter group Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, said, I cant think of a more fitting day.

He asked the audience to think about Sept. 12.

The day we were all Americans, one America, he said. We must remain vigilant. We must never forget the price paid for our freedoms.

During his high school years Jessie Cassada worked with Smartt in the summertime.

I look up there and I see Americans  men and women who made sacrifices for their country, Smartt said. Jessie and Terry made the ultimate sacrifice.

A former Marine himself, Smartt did not want Cassada to follow in his footsteps.

Jessie wanted to be a Marine since he was 13 years old and he died doing what he wanted to do, said Chastity Bloomfield, a close friend of the Cassada family. He was like a little brother to me. I took him to church when he was little.

Most of the guys in our chapter are veterans, so its pretty emotional for us to be involved, Smartt said. At the end of the day, we are proud to have all of them on that wall and every branch of service represented.

Cameron Sproles, the best friend of fallen marine Jessie Cassada, attended the ceremony along with Cassadas mother.

The mural represents our community as far as Hendersonvilles strong ties to supporting our veterans and fallen heroes, Sproles said. And especially today, on Sept. 11. Its been a great day. And the work that has been put in to do this represents our community in a great fashion.

Henderson County Sheriff Charles McDonald served in the Navy toward the end of Vietnam.

Whatever branch, whatever role, those who have served should always be honored, McDonald said.




'Fast Cars, White Lightning' coming to BRCC

Dan Pierce will speak about his book, 'Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France,' on Sept. 22, at BRCC.

The Center for Cultural Preservation in partnership with Blue Ridge Community College will launch the third season of its Keeping the Fires Burning series with Fast Cars and White Lightning: Moonshining and NASCAR.



Dan Pierce, author and professor of history at UNC/Asheville, will discuss his book Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France with a book signing after a program at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at Bo Thomas Auditorium at BRCC.

If youre a Southerner, by birth or by inclination, and love Southern foodways, folkways, highways, and low-ways, youll lap up Daniel S. Pierces Real NASCAR . . . like grits and red-eye gravy, even if youve never been to a stock car race or watched one on television, Our State magazine said of Pierces book. The moonshining trade in Western North Carolina was dependent on drivers that could outrun the revenuers as they delivered their corn from a jar throughout the country. The program details NASCARs origins in bootlegging as well as the close ties between organized racing and the illegal liquor industry.

Tickets are $5 and can be bought at www.saveculture.org or by calling (828) 692-8062.
Adam Gear has not indicated how he will plea to 70k charge

A young man caught with an estimated 70,000 worth of heroin and cannabis has been sent forward for trial on the charges.

Adam Gear (25) was served with the book of evidence when he appeared on bail before Tallaght District Court.

He was arrested after detectives from the Tallaght Drugs Unit searched a house in the town last January.

The accused is charged with possession of cannabis and heroin.

He is also charged with having the drugs for the purpose of sale or supply.

The drug seizure allegedly took place at his home at Castle Lawns in Tallaght on January 30 last.

Gear is also facing two other charges because the alleged value of the drugs is greater than 13,000.

In this case, the estimated street value of the heroin is 70,000.

A State solicitor said the book of evidence was ready and had been served on the accused, who goes forward to the next sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Patricia McNamara gave Gear the alibi caution.

Bond

The judge assigned defence solicitor Michael Hennessy and one junior counsel on free legal aid.

Mr Hennessy made an application for a senior counsel, but Judge McNamara said he should make that request before the circuit court.

Judge McNamara remanded Gear on bail in his own bond of 300 to appear before the circuit court in October.

As part of his bail conditions, Gear must sign on twice a week at his local garda station.

He must also reside at an agreed address in the Tallaght area and notify gardai if he proposes to change his address.

Gear, with an address at Castle Lawns in Tallaght, has already surrendered his passport and given an undertaking that he will not apply for new travel documentation.

As part of his bail conditions, the accused has given gardai his mobile phone number.

He must be available to answer any calls if gardai wish to speak to him.

Judge McNamara further ordered a video copy of an interview which gardai conducted with Gear be furnished to his legal team.

Gear has not yet indicated a plea to the charges.
Armed gardai are on red alert in Dublin this weekend amid fears that a brutal hitman-for-hire will return home for the funeral of a close relative.

Senior sources revealed the volatile 36-year-old criminal will be arrested on sight by officers as there is two separate arrest warrants out for the key member of the Kinahan cartel.

His close relative died during the week after battling a long illness.

Gardai, fearful of further feud gun attacks, have drawn up a special plan if he returns to Dublin for next week's funeral.

The thug fled Ireland over two months ago because he was "sick and tired" of the in-your-face policing tactics used by gardai against him and his associates.

"If he does return, he will be arrested," a senior source told the Herald

"However, if this does happen, the expectation is that he will be freed on bail again by the courts because he can argue that he fled because he has an active threat against his life.

"What is not in doubt is that the feud situation in Dublin has been a lot calmer since the summer because this individual has not been around," the source added.

The criminal is under threat from the Hutch mob because of his suspected role in murders, but he was previously on "very friendly terms" with a young criminal who is considered one of the most dangerous of slain Gary Hutch's associates.

The north-Dublin criminal has had his home raided and he has been arrested and questioned about the murder of Eddie Hutch Snr in Dublin's north inner city last February 8.

Gardai have also investigated if the criminal was involved in the murder of Noel 'Kingsize' Duggan (55), a former business partner of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, who was shot dead outside his home in Ratoath, Co Meath, on March 23.

The thug verbally abused garda detectives in February when they warned him that there was a threat against his life because of his suspected role in the murders.

In May, the Herald revealed the gangster threatened to decapitate another criminal in a bizarre row over a horse belonging to a teenager in an incident in Dunsink, Finglas.

Weeks earlier, it emerged that he had terrified staff when he stormed into a northside gym and demanded subscription refunds for four of his pals who are on the run or locked up.

Last month, it emerged that gardai were investigating reports that the dangerous gangster travelled to Spain just days before the savage murder of innocent man Trevor O'Neill in Majorca.

Tragic Mr O'Neill (41) was a victim of mistaken identity.

Jonathan Hutch (37), an older brother of feud murder victim Gareth Hutch, was the intended target.

Just weeks later, the Kinahan cartel tried to murder the brothers' dad John Hutch Snr at his home in Drumalee in the north inner city, but failed.

The feud between the Kinahan cartel and the Hutch mob then spiralled out of control again.

Bloody

Meanwhile, another key cartel figure, James Quinn (34), remained locked up in a tough Spanish jail this weekend where he was remanded as detectives and a judge continued to investigate his alleged role in the murder of Gary Hutch last September.

That murder is the one that kicked off the bloody feud that has left 10 people dead so far.

It has emerged that police in Spain arrested Quinn, a nephew of Martin 'Viper' Foley, after tracking a mobile phone found in a getaway car.

Apart from DNA evidence found in the getaway car used in Hutch's murder, an undamaged mobile phone provided vital evidence of movements.

On Wednesday, gardai and Spanish police carried out a number of raids against the cartel in Dublin and Spain.
Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, joined Culture Night volunteers in Dublin Castle to kick off Culture Night 2016

Chrissie Ardill from Kilkenny with Ria Murphy from Dublin part of Aerial Cirque pictured in Meeting House Square. Pic: Kyran O'Brien

Thousands of curious culture seekers hit the capital for the annual Culture Night celebrations.

Arts Minister Heather Humphreys was among the first to hit the cultural trail, arriving early at Dublin Castle before a jam-packed programme between Dublin and Monaghan.

"This is a busy night, but it's a really, really good night," she said.

"There are loads of different things happening there, and it's the same in every county."

Caoilfhinn Groake from Killiney came with her two children Euan (8) and Romilly (11), and was one of the first in line to have her face painted in St Stephen's Green.

Struggled

"We just wanted to bring the children in while it's early," she told the Herald.

"We'll stick around the Trinity area tonight and bring them to see the Alliance Francaise, the Little Museum and the square," she added.

While some struggled with a lack of busses due to the strike, Caoilfhinn said she expected the festival to get busy.

"The Dart was perfect, but it was starting to fill up. I think there's going to be a big turnout," she said.

Temple Bar's Meeting House Square hosted spectacular scenes as Aerial Cirque performed a stunning horizontal dance.

Abseiling down buildings, the troupe bounced off a canvas while weaving designs in red wool.

Near St Stephen's Green, Boston College was the scene of a magic lantern show, a music for deaf audiences workshop and a Nigerian choir performance.

Raasay Jones, programme manager with the Irish Research Council, said it was the organisation's first event for the festival and hoped to encourage more people to seek funding.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International invited the curious to Fleet Street to hear the stories and poetry of migrants in Calais and Dunkirk.
Under-fire Transport minister Shane Ross again refused to intervene in the Dublin Bus dispute, saying that he wouldn't be seen as "having a soft touch" but said he is monitoring the strikes "every hour".

He has also made a U-turn on his stance regarding opening bus lanes during Dublin Bus strikes saying he "won't rule it out".

Fifteen strike days are looming this month and next, as crunch talks between Dublin Bus and its workers have failed to yield any positive outcome.

When previously asked about opening bus lanes to help ease the flow of the extra volume of traffic, the Transport minister stated that it would be illegal.

Advice

However, yesterday he rolled back saying that he wouldn't rule out opening bus lanes to commercial vehicles.

"We looked at his very carefully and we're still looking at this very carefully. I'm taking advice from both the gardai and from the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

"I'm not ruling it out, you realise I'd love to do it, but the advice I'm getting is that there are serious safety issues and I have to take that into account," he said.

The minister added that he was keen that the bus drivers' dispute end.

"I'm not indifferent at all, I'm eager to resolve this and I feel great empathy for all involved, especially the communities who have been inconvenienced but I am certainly not inactive," he said.

Mr Ross was speaking at the launch of the European Day Without a Road Death - named Project Edward - at Garda HQ.

The imitative has been organised by Tispol, the traffic police network in Europe, and its aim is to have no road fatalities across Europe on Wednesday, September 21.

Meanwhile, commuters expressed their frustration on the fourth day of the bus drivers' strike.

Orla Shatwell (23), from Raheny, gets the Dart to work.

"This week has been a nightmare. There's so many more people getting on, the trains are always jammed packed," she said. "It's been so stressful every morning because it feels like everyone has gone crazy. If the strikes go on, it is just going to get worse.

"I understand the drivers have to deal with a lot, and I do think they deserve equal pay with the Luas drivers, but everyone else has to get to work, too. It's not fair for all of us to be held hostage."

Laura Surman (18), from Galway, couldn't get on the Luas at Jervis St yesterday evening because it was so packed.

"I've been unable to get on three Luas so far in the last 20 minutes, it's crazy. I've never seen it so bad.

"It was even worse this morning. I almost missed my stop because there were so many people crammed into the tram.

"The bus drivers aren't winning any fans with these strikes. I know a bunch of students at UCD who didn't come in Thursday or Friday. It was just too hard for them to get in," she said.

Packed

Peter Robinson (23), from Raheny, acknowledged that it has been hard on all travelling to Dublin.

"Everything has been packed. I live on the Dart line and it wasn't half as bad last week as it is today.

"I got on the Luas and I swear, it was like we're sardines - you had to peel people off one another it was so crowded.

"I don't know what the drivers hope to achieve with the strikes, they must have seen how pissed off everyone got at the Luas drivers. The same is going to happen here. People will just get fed up," Peter said.

Siptu member Owen Reidy hit out at the losses which Dublin Bus claim to have suffered as a result of the strike action.

"I hear Dublin Bus say they have lost 4m in three days of action, when we had talks with them they told us it is 600,000 a day, because they save on fuel and labour costs.

"So, I think we need to look at the facts of this, we are prepared to negotiate, we are prepared to concentrate but we need the other side to do likewise," he said.
Brian ODonnell (p) was applauded leaving the hospital after being treated

Colleagues of an Irish New York Police Department (NYPD) detective gathered to give him a thunderous round of applause as he was released from hospital following an attack with an 11-inch meat claver.

Brian O'Donnell, originally from Co Offaly, suffered a six-inch gash from his temple to his jaw when he attempted to tackle Akram Joudeh at around 5pm on Wednesday.

He was taken to Bellevue Hospital following the incident and was released yesterday.

Det O'Donnell, who is in his 50s, was in a wheelchair as he left the facility - with the scar from the attack clearly visible on his face.

Attack

In a video of the touching moment, the officer thanked those who had gathered to show their gratitude for his bravery.

Det O'Donnell has been living in the US since the early '90s and was involved in the rescue and recovery operation after the September 11 attack on the Twin Towers.

Joudeh, from Queens, New York City, was shot several times after attacking the Irish officer.

The assailant, who has a long criminal history, was initially stopped by police near Penn Station in the middle of Manhattan as he tried to remove a wheel clamp from his illegally- parked car.

Jimmy O'Neill, NYPD police chief, said Joudeh ran through the streets around a Macy's department store in the middle of rush hour.

Officers joined in the pursuit, and one uniformed sergeant deployed a stun gun to no effect.

Joudeh then pulled out an 11-inch cleaver from his waistband and began running toward Sixth Avenue, officials said. Det O'Donnell then attempted to intervene but was struck across the face.

The dad, who lives in Long Island, was taken to hospital, where he was treated by staff for two days.

Former NYPD chief, Bill Bratton, and Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, were among those to have visited him while he was receiving treatment.

Speaking before his release, an NYPD spokesman said Det O'Donnell was "doing pretty good".

He has been a police officer for the past 16 years and he previously worked with the US Navy.

Bystander Jonathan Schneier said when he left work to get a coffee he saw a balding man holding a meat cleaver, surrounded by a small group of officers yelling at him to drop the knife. One officer had a Taser out, while others had handguns.

"I give credit to the police officers - they gave him many opportunities," Mr Schneier said. He added the man with the knife "did not look very stable".

The man turned and ran one city block, Mr Schneier said, and then jumped on top of a NYPD car.

After Det O'Donnell was struck, three uniformed officers fired a total of 18 times at Joudeh, striking him several times.

Two other officers were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries from the encounter, although it was unclear how they were injured.

Gridlock

Joudeh was described as being in a critical but stable condition. He has 15 prior arrests, including one on August 27, after he was found carrying knives near a synagogue. Police say he may have been living in his car.

The incident caused gridlock in central Manhattan, with streets shut and the FBI sending agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force to the scene as a precaution.

Detective O'Donnell has two sisters living in Dublin, a sister living in New York and a brother who runs a bar in Las Vegas.

He has a long and distinguished career with the NYPD and was the arresting officer when actor Christian Slater was charged with sexual harassment.
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How did two Mumbai-based filmmakers come to trace Arvind Kejriwals journey to becoming Delhis chief minister? We meet the duo, as the film premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival

The video begins with a blank screen. You can only hear people arguing in Hindi. As the visual fades in, we see six policemen caught in a scuffle. Theyre trying to contain what appears to be a stampede. TV news crews are in the mix, battling their way through the sea of humanity to get a clear shot. It is not yet certain who these people are desperate to meet.

As the ruckus intensifies  accusations and abuses are thrown around  a small, bespectacled figure, wearing a blue sweater, emerges. It takes a few seconds to register: its Arvind Kejriwal, founder of the Aam Aadmi Party and chief minister of Delhi. Immediately, the TV crews go berserk. Incoherent questions are flung in Kejriwals direction.

He, however, simply stands, centre frame, observing the chaos around him. His expression resembles that of Jon Snow, from Game of Thrones, when elected lord commander of the Nights Watch  a composed-yet-fierce resolve.

A still from An Insignificant Man.

The video is a trailer to An Insignificant Man (AIM)  a documentary by Mumbai-based film-makers Vinay Shukla and Khushboo Ranka . It premiered last weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, and chronicles the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party during the 2013 Delhi elections.

ALSO READ: The Outlier: National Award winner Gurvinder Singh would rather be farming than making films

Back to the beginning

How did two Mumbaikars end up documenting a political revolution in Delhi? We were curious about Kejriwal and the anti-corruption movement. When we heard the rumours about a political party, we wanted to know more. So we went to Delhi in 2012, says Shukla.

The early entry enabled the crew to establish a friendly equation with the party members, and document the arc of Kejriwals political career  from being a novice to emerging as the clear winner in the 2015 re-elections. When we began shooting, there was no media around, and nobody was really interested in what Kejriwal was up to. Over the years, AAP evolved into something much bigger, says Shukla.

ALSO READ: This Bengali short film made it to Cannes, and is now set to screen in Mumbai

Stills from an An Insignificant Man.

Shukla and Rankas approach to the film has been purely observational  they make no judgments on Kejriwals political agenda or methods. Most of the footage is from public rallies, and the grassroots reaction to AAPs growing popularity. How was it shooting amidst unregulated crowds? We couldnt shoot with more than two people at a point. We wanted to be inconspicuous - we were shooting in sensitive situations. The downside to this was that people would often block our cameras, says Shukla.

Did they run into trouble? Our associate director was once chased by a group of women raising anti-AAP slogans. We have the entire chase (recorded) on camera, recounts Ranka.

ALSO READ: All about horror movie Episode 13, shot in the found footage format

A still from An Insignificant Man.

Experience matters

By their own admission, shooting for AIM was like entering a battlefield every day. Yet, Shukla and Ranka were able to cope with it, courtesy their previous work on films. Shuklas Bureaucracy Sonata (2013), a film based on the 1975 National Emergency, won the HBO Best Short Film Award at the South Asian International Film Festival, New York. As for Ranka, she is a known name in the indie film circuit for co-writing Ship of Theseus (2013) with Anand Gandhi.

Yet, their ordinary citizen journalism-like images, looking to document a growing political awareness in the country, grabbed eyeballs. Their crowdfunding campaign to finance the film received 600 per cent of their target from 800 donors, worldwide (Rs 71,00,000). It was the biggest Indian crowdfunded project of 2014. Media channels couldnt address everything that needed attention. I think people realised the importance of having filmmakers and citizens come forth and shoulder that challenge, says Shukla.

Film makers Vinay Shukla and Khushboo Ranka.

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Protesting students at Bhopals All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) sprayed black ink on Union health minister JP Nadda on Saturday, underlining growing anger over poor infrastructure and dismal facilities 13 years after the campus was inaugurated.

Naddas white kurta was left with black blots after an unidentified protester sprayed ink when the minister was about to get into his vehicle after completing his visit.

The incident came months after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal faced a similar attack when a woman threw ink at him during an official function.

Nadda was immediately whisked out of the campus.

Protesting medical students of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal try to block Union health minister JP Naddas car. (Chandresh Mathur/ HT Photo)

Marker ink was thrown when the minister was leaving the AIIMS Bhopal campus in his car at around 1:30 pm. (Mujeeb Faruqui/ HT Photo)

Two third-year MBBS students -- identified as Anjali Krishna and Ijha Pandey -- sustained minor injuries when security personnel allegedly shoved them to stop protesters from moving towards the minister.

Police used force to stop a group of 50-odd medical students who tried to block the ministers cavalcade, eye-witnesses said.

Nadda, the fourth Union health minister to visit the institute in 13 years, inaugurated five facilities at the hospital, including two new wards, blood bank storage and a maternity ward.

But students said despite the high-profile visits, little had changed inside the campus.

One of the placards carried by the protesters read, Waiting for development. Waiting for next politician to arrive.

Protesting students said they were suffering due to governments failure to appoint a permanent director, administrative staff and faculties besides the lack of functional departments.

When were protesting for our rightful demands, our voice is being quelledthe dean had tried to send us back to ours hostel but who will hear us, a third-year student said.

Nadda, however, said any decision taken in hurry could prove costly to the institute, turning to poetry to drive home his point, Lamho ne khata ki, sadiyon ne saza payi.

AIIMS Bhopal has seen many ups and downs but nothing gets built in a day. Continuous efforts are being made. When we decided to replicate AIIMS, Delhi in other cities we were told it cannot be replicated and thats the reason we will not compromise on quality in any condition. It took Delhi AIIMS as many as 25 -26 years to be fully functional , how can Bhopal develop so soon? he said.

The dean of the institute, Balalkrishnan S, refused to comment on the students protest saying he was not authorised to talk about it.

State BJP spokesperson Deepak Vijayvargiya was critical of the students saying they have sent a very bad message.

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Alia Bhatt, who recently made headlines for apparently saying she is not a feminist, denied getting trolled on internet for the same.

When the 23-year-old actor was quizzed on this recent trolling, she told media here, There has been no troll, I have seen. But I clarified things through my tweets, so that theres no further miscommunication.

For the unversed, Alias interview with Cosmopolitan magazine for its September issue, where the cover proudly said Alia Bhatt - on Fashion, FOMO and why shes Not a feminist, made her the butt of the internet trolling sometimes back.

To clarify, I absolutely AM a feminist. To deny feminism would be to deny equality for my gender.  Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) September 13, 2016

What I *meant* to say was that I'm not an active part of a feminist campaign right now!! That's it :)  Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) September 13, 2016

On the work front, the actress has wrapped up the second schedule of her upcoming project with Varun Dhawan, titled Badrinath Ki Dulhania.

Speaking about the schedule, which was shot in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Alia said, The shooting for Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya was amazing.This was just the second schedule. We have two more schedules to go.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Writings on the bilateral relationships among the United States, China and India are common; ones triangulating the three are rare. Its a difficult combination, not least because India is still a geopolitical mystery to most. Anja Manuel makes a welcome attempt to enter where most analysts fear to tread.

Her case for looking at this trio is simple. Due to their size and economic might, India and China will have veto power over most international decisions, from climate change, to the openness of global trade, to nuclear policy, to human rights and business norms.

And she doesnt go into tortured discussions as to whether and why India, economically much smaller and poorer than the other two, will ever become a success. Some question whether Indias economy will grow enough for it to become a great power This misses the point. India is so large that it will impact us whether or not it lifts millions more out of poverty.

Manuel, a textbook liberal internationalist, sees the economic growth of all three as being a, well, win-win-win for everyone. Greater engagement, especially political and economic, is the answer to the growing geopolitical frictions between China and the other two nations. We all must find positive areas of collaboration. Most of these will not happen in the military sphere, which tends to be fraught with misunderstanding. Among the areas, she feels, they could work together: development assistance, heath care or the environment.

As is de rigueur in such books, there are outlines of the nature of todays China and India using both expert commentary and anecdotes. Much of this will sound familiar.

Read more: Anja Manuel on corruption in India

Chinas economic model is one of top-down control to build infrastructure and capable of quick policy changes. Indias economy is lower down the growth trajectory and its parliamentary and decentralized politics means it will not change as rapidly as its northern neighbour. But if India succeeds in combining an open society with high growth it will in the long term, create a more stable, resilient and happy society. Manuel talks migrant workers in China and slum children in India, draws from her years as a diplomat and a corporate consultant to describe the quirks of officialdom in both countries, and sketches the political and economic twists that led to the political ascent of Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi.

Author Anja Manuel (Courtesy @AnjaManuel1 on Twitter)

A mild preference for India is evident. Describing one of Anna Hazares rallies in the capital, she writes, I often visit public protests when in India. No matter how serious the issue, they always have an air of a street festival, and renew my faith in the power of citizens to improve their own government. She quietly cheers young Chinese telling how they use coded language and keep shifting to newer instant messenger apps to keep ahead of Beijings censors. Modis reformist vision is guardedly welcomed, even though she believes Make in India is almost certainly doomed to end with a whimper given the greater investment attractions of a Vietnam or Bangladesh.

Washingtons geopolitical interests will more likely align with Indias than with Chinas. If anything, Manuel argues, the USs problem will be mustering the patience to wait as India slowly asserts itself in the international system. We need Indias help to solve global problems and to shape Chinas rise, so we want it to succeed. But Indias poverty, which she charitably says keeps Indian politicians up at night, will be the most fundamental problem India faces on its way to becoming a world power.

Salt of the earth: A worker in the salt pans of the Rann of Kutch. Some question whether Indias economy will grow enough for it to become a great power This misses the point. India is so large that it will impact us whether or not it lifts millions more out of poverty, says Anja Manuel. (Soltan Frederic/Getty Images)

Asia has become a geopolitically dangerous environment in which the US and India increasingly jostle with China. The jostling is less important, she writes, than the fact China has no agreement in place, especially with the other Asian powers, to handle unforeseen circumstances. In her view Beijing is powerful but ultimately insecure, a country lacking natural allies in the world and ruled by a party facing increasing difficulty in keeping its millennials in line and handling the protests of its have-nots. Integrating China  and India  into the international governing system is another major challenge for the US. Neither country necessarily shares the Wests worldview and it will require real compromise and much effort by the rest of the world to nudge both China and India in the right direction.

Nanjing road, the main shopping street in Shanghai, China, is one of the worlds busiest commercial streets. (www.shutterstock.com)

Manuel does not believe the India-US relationship is necessarily destined to be positive. Right now our relationship with India is positive, but mostly because India is equally worried about China. As India expands its global role, we may have more disagreements.

Beijing is the real bull in the global china shop. [The West] can and must do better than simply balance the power of China by supporting India and others, trying to prevent both from becoming economically and politically powerful, or hoping that our generosity and the giants growth will magically lead them to uphold our values. Easy to say, but if so many of the drivers of Chinas aggression are derived from its political system, it is hard to see how cooperation in clean energy or vaccine drives will bring geopolitical stability to Asia.
Visiting Indonesias Komodo National Park is like walking into a Robinson Crusoe fantasy

I was smitten with the idea of visiting Indonesias Komodo National Park the minute I learned that it is patrolled by the worlds largest monitor lizard. These, up to three-metres-long dragons, can potentially swallow prey as big as a goat, and intimidate larger animals (including writers). But they defend themselves only when threatened or knocked on the head with a selfie-stick.

INTO THE WILD

Komodo National Park (a cluster of 29 islands) takes some getting to. I take a flight from Bali to Labuan Bajo, then wake the next morning at the crack of dawn for a five-hour journey by boat to Komodo Island. Theres much to love about the experience: the departure from a pier dotted with fishing boats, the sight of a fresh food market waking up, sunrise on the waters, schools of dolphins along the way.

An aerial view of the island 'Pulau Padar' at the Komodo National Park. (Getty Images)

The fact that Komodo National Park has been recently declared one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, and that the dragon is a protected beast, doesnt adequately prepare you for your first encounter with this Robinson Crusoe fantasy. So a guide must accompany every exploration. Armed with a forked staff, we walk slowly into dragon territory, along a carefully demarcated hiking trail. You can choose a trail depending on your fitness; the longer the trail, the more dragon behaviour you understand.

A Komodo Dragon, which can grow up to three metres tall, sits on its hind legs. (Shutterstock)

A flurry of camera shutters tells me a sighting has been made. Lying in a bush is the massive body, scaly back, and dagger-sharp claws of the Komodo (locally known as ora), who sticks out its forked tongue. A short walk away, a baby ora crosses our path. It looks warily around and creeps forward. Survival of the fittest, the guide mutters. Mature ora are cannibalistic; so the young live in the branches of trees, usually until they grow to at least one metre in length.

CORALED OFF

The guide tells that to tackle larger prey, the ora bites the animal and then lurks in the neighbourhood, waiting for the bacteria from their mouth to take effect. In two weeks or so, the creature dies and the ora gets its feast.

A visitor photographs nearly life-size Komodo dragon wood carvings. (AFP)

But he also wants you to see more than the Komodo. So dont neglect the wild boar and megapodes (chicken with small heads and large feet).

A trip to this place is far from being an urban unwind. Komodo is part of the coral triangle  the biological hotspot of marine biodiversity. That means the pink sand that fringes the beaches, born of the red coral offshore, sees no traveller in pursuit of a tan.

With the convergence of warm and cold currents, conditions are favourable for the rich plankton soup that attracts sharks, manta rays and blue whales.

A manta ray swimming through a current-swept channel. (Getty Images)

GIFT OF THE PRESENT

Snorkelling or taking a boat around the coral beaches, the friends you see are silently companionable. Here an eagle ray. There a pygmy seahorse. Everywhere a blue-ringed octopus or a clown frogfish.

On the journey back to Labuan Bajo, Ive stopped taking photos, giving myself over to experience rather than memories. A co-passenger lost his wedding ring while snorkelling, but his attention is only on the beauty of the present.

Now it dawns on me: our attitudes have been re-configured by Komodo National Park.

From HT Brunch, September 18, 2016

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In 1984, Victor Banerjee played Nikhilesh, a rich noble caught in the aftermath of partition of Bengal in the early 20th century, in Satyajit Rays Ghaire Baire. The film was based on Rabrindranath Tagores seminal novel by the same name and Banerjees character had strains of Tagores disposition.

Now, three decades later, the actor is set to slip into the Nobel Laureates shoes in Thinking of Him, an Indo-Argentinian production that explores Tagores relationship with late Argentinian writer and critic Victoria Ocampo, to be played by Eleonora Wexler. The film is being directed by Pablo Cesar and is being produced by Suraj Kumar in India.

Banerjee, who grew up in Kolkata absorbing Tagores rich legacy, was excited by the fact that the film was delving into the Argentinians fascination for the poet. Its interesting to enter their mind and see what they thought of his poetry and how they interpreted it. Ive been talking to the director, the cameraman and the other actors and I also plan to get to Argentina a week in advance to talk to other people and find out what they think of Tagore, he says.

The film travels between the past and the present, and is based around an Argentinian professor who visits Shantiniketan to discover more about Tagore and spirituality. Whats interesting is that the Argentinians discovered him through translation, including Ocampo, adds Banerjee. Ocampo, whose close friends included Albert Camus, Pablo Neruda and Jorge Luis Borges, first encountered Tagore when she read Gitanjali in French author Andre Gides translation. She was absolutely bowled over by the imagery, the spirituality and abstraction of Tagores poetry. Gitanjali is difficult to comprehend, but the French are literary masters and the translation made it phenomenally attractive to a curious mind like Ocampos, he states.

Argentinian actress Elonora Wexler plays Victoria Ocampo in the film

According to Banerjee, Ocampo fell in love with Tagores mind as a thinker. When she first met him, she quaked in his presence and couldnt speak. You dont see that kind of worship in India for Tagore. When Tagore fell sick, she offered him her villa in Buenos Aires to recuperate in. And thus began their connection. Despite the formidable age gap  Ocampo was in her 30s then, while Tagore was in his 60s  their relationship was one based on mutual admiration and support. She was the one who saw art in his doodles. Tagore, the artists, was born in her imagination, he says, adding that she then organized an exhibition of his paintings in Paris. Tagore wrote Puravi, a collection of poems for Ocampo, whom he lovingly addressed as Bijoya.

Banerjee feels that with the exception of Bengalis, the poet is not as revered by others in India, and perceived just as somebody who has a beard and wrote Jana Gana Mana. He adds that the Argentinians saw an aspect of him that no one here talks about  as a social reformer. The Argentinians saw him as a social reformer first, then as a great educationist and finally as a poet. In fact, I did a lecture programme on his social reforms in Kolkata a few years ago. I deeply admire the man. My association with him is by default, he says.

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Journalists are often asked why they focus on bad news. Why does human evil and folly capture their attention whilst goodness is overlooked? As Prince Charles once asked, why are a million people landing successfully not news but one plane crash dominates the headlines?

The story I want to share today is about the angelic side of human character, not the satanic. Its uplifting. If your faith in human goodness is flagging, it could re-affirm it.

Its about a 27-year-old barber at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi. Ive written about Rajesh Kumar Singh before but what I discovered last weekend merits fresh attention.

Read: Rajesh Kumar Singh is a real icon, he is a cut above the rest

Born in Jamui, in the bad lands of Bihar, his response to poverty was to start a school to teach dance to children from backgrounds of adversity and poverty. Rajesh believes the poor have a talent for dance. The children who perform acrobatics at traffic lights have naturally flexible bodies and their skill deserves to be nurtured. Ninety per cent of his salary goes to the school.

Last Sunday Rajesh told me the school had expanded three-fold. It now has almost 40 pupils. The majority attend dance lessons. There are two a day. However, a series of donations have helped Rajesh open new classes -- one for children interested in computer training and another for girls to learn sewing.

In addition, Rajesh helps his pupils find jobs. He spoke with pride of a young 14-year-old called Rohan, who works in a local dhaba. Rajesh believes in a few weeks Rohan will have learnt enough to get a job teaching dance or acrobatics. What a difference that will make to a boy who earlier had no meaningful future.

Read: What an aam aadmi can teach Arvind Kejriwal and his new party

Listening to Rajesh I discovered a second aspect of this good story. Its donations from readers of this column that have made possible the expansion of his school. They are the other good people this column is about.

Sitaram Gupta of Lupin Industries has donated substantially. Hes also taken Rajesh to Bharatpur to see and learn from the corporate social responsibility ventures they run there. Chirag Paswan, Rajeshs MP, has contributed a full months salary. In June I wrote about two others who had read about Rajeshs school and stepped in to help. Now we have two more.

In contrast consider this. Last August I wrote to Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, and suggested Rajeshs school deserved assistance from the Local Area Development Funds he has at his disposal. Mr Kejriwal met Rajesh and promised help. His officials held three or four more meetings. Each time they promised help. A year has lapsed but the help is still coming.

In June I highlighted the chief ministers disappointing response. That column brought forth donations from more readers -- the good citizens I now want to applaud -- but it got no response from Mr Kejriwal. I was hoping to cajole him but failed. Yet even now it would be wonderful if Mr Kejriwal would help a genuine aam aadmi.

Read: Where is the help that Rajesh was promised?

And now to my two conclusions. There are people who do good work but remain unknown and rarely seek publicity. They work silently but diligently and meaningfully. There are others who give from the depth of their generous hearts. They do so quietly and look for no recognition. Together they make our world a better place.

My aim today is to bring them to your attention. This is a good story and it deserves to be better known.

The views expressed are personal

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Indias health care sector is in a comatose state. I must have heard this a zillion times --- and now even the word --- comatose --- sounds terminal to me. I am sure you felt the same when you read the first line. I dont blame you: Truth is always bitter, they say. Sometimes it could be boring too.

The health sectors pitiable state hit home hard recently when my woman-Friday fell sick. I have typhoid, she said weakly one morning and went home. I wasnt expecting to see her for three weeks but she resurfaced after four days.

Surprised, I sent her blood test report to a doctor friend. There was no indication of typhoid; it was a bout of viral, she wrote back. A local doctor asked her to do the blood test and also gave injections and the bill came to Rs 1,000. The government hospital is forever crowded, so I went to the private clinic, my house help explained when I told her about the wrong (deliberate?) diagnosis. I wondered, is there is a cosy nexus there between the doctor and the lab.

Public health care in India is in a shambles. In the last one month, I have read at least four stories that show its skeletal existence. In Orissa, a man was found carrying his wifes body because there were no mortuary vans available; in Madhya Pradesh, a bus conductor offloaded man on a highway after his ailing wife died on the bus; in Uttar Pradesh (Kanpur), a 12-year-old boy died on his fathers shoulder because he was denied timely treatment; and in Bihar (Muzaffarpur), a man was made to crawl from one place to another to seek medical aid, with the hospital administration and the government health facility remaining insensitive to his plight.

Read: Odisha: Denied a mortuary van, man carries wifes body on shoulders

And, why talk about rural health care? Even well equipped Delhi hospitals are finding it difficult to tackle the outbreak of dengue and chikungunya. Instead of tackling the issue head on, the Delhi government is fighting the Lieutenant Governor over whose responsibility it is to tackle it. Despite 11 deaths due to chikungunya-related complications, you have the Union health minister JP Nadda and Delhi health minister saying that the disease does not cause deaths. As health ministers, the least they should have been aware of is that chikungunya outbreaks have caused deaths across the world, largely among those whose health has already been compromised. According to the World Health Organisation data, in 20052006, Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean reported around 2.6 lakh chikungunya cases and 254 deaths.

Read: Does chikungunya kill? Yes, minister, it does. And there is evidence

A report in IndiaSpend, a data journalism initiative, says that India is short of nearly 500,000 doctors, based on the World Health Organization norm of 1:1,000 population. To know the reasons for such a dismal scenario --- worse than even Vietnam, Algeria and Pakistan ---- read a parliamentary standing panel report on health and family welfare on the functioning of the Medical Council of India. The major source of professional health care for rural and also urban poor households is through the public sector, which is inefficient in infrastructure, human resources and equipment and drugs (especially at the primary level), the report said.

Read: Parliamentary Standing Committee Report on health care sector

The first point at which a doctor is available in rural health care system is at the primary health care centre. There are 25,308 PHCs (March 31, 2015) for a rural population of 83.3 crore plus. This is just a drop in the ocean, the report concludes. It goes on to add that there is an acute shortage of allopathic doctors and specialists.

Former Union health minister A Ramadoss created a uproar a few years ago when he said that this doctor shortage can be fixed by making it compulsory for young doctors to go to under-served areas. But just sending out a platoon of doctors to all these places and even in under-equipped urban State hospitals is unlikely to change the way things are now because doctors minus proper rural training and infrastructure would be ineffective.

In a recent interview to Hindustan Times, president of the Public Health Foundation of India Dr K Srinath Reddy made a very pertinent point. Young doctors are mostly trained in medically sophisticated, highly urban, tertiary care institutions. Both in terms of acquired skills and cultural affinity, they are alienated from the rural environment and feel ill-equipped to deal with the health challenges and resource constrained environment of basic health care facilities, he said. We need to develop our district hospitals as major training centres for medical and nursing students, with both downstream exposure to primary health systems and upstream exposure to tertiary care. The practical training has to be mostly location-based in district and sub-district health systems. Further, the government should provide free or heavily subsidised education to locally enrolled students from that state, with a conditionality of service of four years after graduation.

Read: Young doctors dont want to go to rural areas because they feel ill-equipped

Along with training doctors on rural health and equipping the public health centres better --- not an easy job with the pittance we invest in health care ---- India must leverage technology in a big way to provide the last-mile connectivity. According to a according to a 2012 report by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers most Indians travel about 20 kilometres to reach a hospital but 90% patients dont need surgery and telemedicine can help them easily.

Early detection can not only cure the patient but also brings down out-of-pocket expenses. In India, there are enough examples of this technology working well. For example, Devi Shettys Narayana Health, which pioneered the concept of telemedicine, has one of the largest telemedicine networks in the world.

With nearly 900 million mobile phone connections and over 200 million internet users, experts say wireless technology can be harnessed to decentralise Indias healthcare industry, which is expected to touch $250 billion by 2020.

There are 105 State-funded telemedicine centres in the country. Some states have also individually tied up with private players under the public-private-partnership model. States like Rajasthan are experimenting with the PPP model in health care where private parties will run the states PHCs.

Read: With 105 centres, govt spreads telemedicine network across country

In India, a mixed health system has evolved by default and it is loosely governed and inadequately regulated. Moreover, it is ill-equipped to tackle traditional diseases and the new ones effectively. Along with leveraging technology, training and equipping our doctors and frontline health staff such as ASHA workers, the State needs to beef it up to fight old and new challenges. More importantly, it needs to engage stakeholders --- public, private and voluntary sectors - to provide universally accessible, affordable and appropriate health services to all citizens through a well-coordinated Universal Health Coverage policy.

chanakya@hindustantimes.com
I interviewed an alleged office-bearer of the All-India Medieval Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to find out their views on triple talaq:

Me: Sir, almost everyone feels triple talaq is misogynist and outdated.

Official: You havent been asking the right people. Have you talked to an economist?

Me: But what can an economist have to say about it?

Official: Plenty. What do you think is the real objective of triple talaq?

Me: To make sure husbands have the upper hand?

Official: No, were merely trying to improve the ease of doing business, in this case the divorce business. Just think of all those huge divorce costs, the enormous waste of time. Triple talaq cuts through all that red tape.

Me: Never thought of it that way before.

Read: In short, world waits for the new RSS look to be unveiled

Official: Precisely. Its just a way of increasing productivity. Suppose theres this fellow who wants a divorce and has a deadline for submitting a column. Does he have to take a day off, run to the courts and plead for extending the deadline? No sir, he casually asks for a cuppa tea and when his wife is handing it to him, he utters the triple talaq and thats it. After finishing the column, he could even help his ex-wife pack her bags.

Me: Brilliant.

Official: Why do you think India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world?

Me: Because the statisticians fudged the figures?

Read: Will we have Socialism with Hindutva characteristics?

Official: Not at all. Because of our productivity. And a sizable part of our population is efficient and productive because of triple talaq. Ive always felt happiest between marriages, which is why I become even more productive after a divorce.

Me: But if divorce is such a good thing, shouldnt people have to work harder for it?

Official: No. Next, ask any historian and hell tell you preserving our heritage is very important. And if ancient monuments that are in danger of disappearing need to be protected, so must endangered social practices, like triple talaq.

Me: Oh?

Official: What would you do if you discover a living dinosaur?

Me: Eat it?

Official: No, we must preserve it. Similarly, we members of the Medieval Personal Law Board also need to be preserved.

Me: Oh. But you really dont expect me to buy the argument that men would murder and engage in adultery if triple talaq is banned. Pakistan, Egypt, Yemen, Bangladesh and Sudan have banned the practice, so why do we need it here?

Read: Shorts, Ashoka, cows and travel broke the BJPs back

Official: Well, they banned it in Pakistan and look at all the mayhem there, bombs going off practically every day. Look at Yemen, where theres a full-fledged war going on. Recall the terrorist bombs in Dhaka recently. Its all about frustrated men trying to escape from their wives and desperately running away and joining ISIS or other terrorist groups. Ask any psychologist. This is what happens when you ban triple talaq.

manas.c@livemint.com

Manas Chakravarty is Consulting Editor, Mint

The views expressed are personal

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LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Friday forged an uneasy truce between his chief minister-son Akhilesh and brother Shivpal to end a damaging power struggle in the party five months ahead of the state election.

The young chief minister, however, looks determined to come out of his powerful fathers shadow and have a say in the poll strategy, decided by Mulayam -- or Netaji as he is known -- and his brothers since the partys inception in 1992.

The party plunged into a crisis early this week after Akhilesh took away three portfolios from Shivpal hours after Mulayam removed the chief minister as the UP party president and named his brother to the position.

I am ready to return party posts and even portfolios but I must have the power to distribute tickets because the forthcoming poll is after all a test for me and my party, Akhilesh told India TV.

In the evening, he tweeted, Portfolios will be given back to Mr. Shivpal Singh Yadav.

That as well as taking back cabinet minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, a Shivpal loyalist sacked by Akhilesh, were part of a compromise worked out by Mulayam to end the feuding in the party, sources said.

The SP patriarch announced at the party office in Lucknow that there was no rift in the party and that it would not split till he was around.

We have a big family, differences may occur... There is no fight between Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh, he told party members.

Differences in the Yadav clan have been simmering for a while and can be attributed to a generational clash.

Akhilesh, who took over as the youngest chief minister of Uttar Pradesh at 38 in 2012, wants to break from the Samajwadi Partys identity politics of the past and fight the election on an agenda of development and clean governance.

Part of the crisis in the party has also been attributed to Akhileshs sour ties with Amar Singh, a close aide of his father who returned to Samajwadi Party recently and was made a Rajya Sabha member. Earlier in the day, Akhilesh took a dig at Singh. I will no longer refer to that outsider as uncle, he said in a veiled reference to Singh.

A bigger point of conflict, however, is the question of who gets to decide the party candidates for the 2017 polls.

Akhilesh is the CM face and he would like to have the final say. He is not keen on re-nominating at least 55 MLAs, sources said.

But, he is likely to face stiff resistance from Shivpal, who also told India TV that Mulayam wanted him to continue as the UP party chief.

Ticket distribution will be done by Netaji, said Shivpal, in comments that signaled he might not be ready to cede ground to his nephew.

Shivpal and Akhileshs statements came hours after Mulayam, who flew down to Lucknow on Thursday from Delhi, sat down his feuding son and brother to end the family war that is threatening to tear the party asunder.

Shivpal looked isolated on Friday. Most of the ministers stayed away from him and Ramgopal Yadav, Mulayams cousin, confidante and an influential figure in SP, chose to side with Akhilesh.
NEW DELHI: Civic agencies do not know where half the chikungunya cases are coming from as they say most hospitals record details of only those patients who get admitted and not of those who visit their out-patient departments (OPDs).

Of the 1,057 chikungunya cases reported till September 10, at least 400 dont have patients addresses. In 105 cases, addresses given by patients are wrong, shows official data.

It seriously hampers efforts to control the outbreak, say municipal officials. We have to intensify fumigation and spraying in areas from where cases are reported because the chances of the infection spreading in the vicinity are higher, said municipal health officer of South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Dr BK Hazarika.

After infecting a person, the same mosquito can spread the virus among four to five people We cant prevent it if we dont know the locations, Hazarika said.

Ideally, all hospitals should be instructed to record the addresses of all patients referred for blood test, another health official said.

Last week, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) shared the list of over 100 patients infected with chikungunya. But in all these cases, the addresses were missing. We wrote to them seeking complete information, said Dr Hazarika.

An AIIMS official said their records were complete as it was mandatory for government hospitals to record details of all patients, even those visiting the OPD. In fact, it is the municipal dispensaries where details are recorded in registers or temporary files. The problem can be sorted out if the government makes it mandatory for all medical institutions to record the details of patients, said AIIMS spokesperson, Amit Gupta.

Meanwhile, the Centres nodal agency, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, asked the state government and municipal corporations to ensure proper documenting of all cases. We had asked them to send their surveillance teams to hospitals (government as well as listed private ones) to get the actual data, said the programmes additional director, PK Sen.

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NEW DELHI: Financial consultants, including chartered accountants (CAs), will have to provide their names and registration numbers while filing their clients income tax declaration from next year, a move aimed at ensuring ethical practices and better compliance.

The government will make changes in the Income Tax Return (ITR) forms to include such information, Rani Singh Nair, chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, told HT on Friday. This will help crack down on fake consultants and save genuine taxpayers from trouble.

However, the onus of the ITR details will remain with the tax-payer. Fake tax professional will be called out and reported to the relevant regulatory body.

India has 7.4 crore-odd tax-payers. A large number of salaried individuals and businessmen take the help of tax lawyers or chartered accountants who charge anything between Rs 500 and Rs 5,000 for ITR filings.

Grievances have been received from taxpayers that some tax professionals are not carefully submitting the details in the ITR and sometimes neither respond to notices/ communications issued by the department nor bring it to the knowledge of the taxpayer, Nair said.

Taxpayers will be able to verify the credentials of those preparing tax returns from the departments website or from the relevant institute where the complete details of the professionals are available.

These changes are significant keeping in mind that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been asking the tax department to bring in policy changes to address concerns cited by the taxpayers, Nair said.

This is more for the aid of taxpayers so that they know the credentials of a professional and whether he is competent enough to file the return or not, she said.

The department will also be able to contact both to ensure that no communication is missed and a taxpayer can get back to the department in time.

K Raghu, former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, said the move will increase accountability of CAs and also weed out incompetent and fraud professionals from the system.

In specific cases like corporate tax or for a business where the turnover is more than Rs 1 crore, CAs are already required to furnish their names, membership numbers and address in the tax audit report.
GUWAHATI: The Congress is out of power in Arunachal Pradesh again after all but one of its MLAs joined a regional party on Friday, barely two months after the partys government was restored by the Supreme Court.

The fresh crisis for the Congress could potentially lead to another prolonged turmoil in one of the most politically fickle states in the country that has seen chief ministers play musical chairs and legislators hop from one party to another over the years.

Forty-three MLAs led by chief minister Pema Khandu joined the Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA), leaving the Congress with only former chief minister Nabam Tuki. The 43 includes assembly speaker TN Thongdok.

The Congress, which accused the BJP of engineering the defection, described the PPA as the illegitimate child of the saffron party.

Sadly the architects of extinguishing and murdering the very spirit of democracy and constitutionalism, are PM Modi and (BJP chief) Amit Shah who rode to power on the promise of cooperative federalism, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in Delhi.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh and allegedly behind the

power struggle there, countered the charge.

What can we do if MLAs do not want to stay with Congress? The Supreme Court had reinstated the Congress government but it is ultimately the decision of the MLAs, Rijiju said.

In December, more than 30 Congress rebels backed by the BJP had sided with the PPA, leading to formation of a government of the regional party led by Kalikho Pul.

It was subsequently struck down by the Supreme Court and the Congress had managed to wean back the rebel MLAs with Khandu at the helm.

Deputy chief minister Chowna Mein said the new government is likely to be installed within the next few days.

We joined PPA because we want friendly relationship with the Centre to ensure better flow of funds. We have a huge liability and it is important for us to be with the central government, Khandu said in Itanagar.

While the PPA has 43 MLAs in the 60-member assembly, the BJP is the second largest group with 11 legislators. Two independent MLAs also backed the new front and two Congress MLAs resigned last year under controversial circumstances.

One seat is vacant after Pul committed suicide on August 9.

The fresh developments also came a few days after the Centre sacked governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa, who had summoned a controversial assembly session that ultimately led to imposition of Presidents Rule on January 26. The Congress had then accused the central government of using Rajkhowa to topple the Tuki government.

This is a homecoming for our PPA leaders after a temporary self-exile, Kameng Ringu, chairman of PPA, told Hindustan Times, denying the BJP had a hand in driving the switch.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Congress observed bhagoda diwas on Friday to protest against the alleged absence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his

ministers from the Capital, which is reeling under a chikungunya outbreak.

State unit chief Ajay Maken led a series of protests in all 70 constituencies.

He issued a chargesheet on the AAP governments alleged failure to provide adequate health facilities to patients of the mosquito-borne diseases.

It is extremely unfortunate that while Delhiites are facing an epidemic-like situation, the CM was campaigning in Punjab and later went to Bangalore. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia is holidaying in Finland and even the L-G was in the United States. Another state minister had gone to Chattisgarh while the health minister was in Goa. One of the BJP mayors is also on a foreign jaunt, he said.

Maken demanded that Kejriwal and Sisodia return to the city and call an all-party meeting to resolve the crisis.

The Congress leader also urged the BJP-run Centre

to deploy doctors and the armys paramedical staff at Delhi hospitals and dispensaries, and provide free check up and treatment facilities immediately.
NOIDA: The Noida police claim to have foiled an abduction bid of an Amity University student, in which his cousin was allegedly involved.

On Thursday evening, a patrolling team of Phase 3 police station arrested Pappu Kumar Rai and Abhishek Kumar after a brief gunfight, police said. During interrogation, it was found that they were going to abduct the cousin of their friend and demand a ransom of `5 crore from the boys father.

A police checking team spotted a WagonR with a registration number of Jharkhand. When signalled to stop, the occupants left the car and tried to flee by firing in the air. The police team retaliated and nabbed both of them. We recovered one illegal revolver, a country-made pistol, sedatives and other tools that they were planning to use in the abduction, said Pankaj Pant, station house officer, Phase 3 police station.

The police said Pappu Rai, has a factory of garment manufacturing in Lucknow. About 10 days back, his friend Abhliash, who hails from Ballia, approached him and said he wanted to abduct his cousin (son of his paternal aunt) who is a student of law at Amity University. The students father is an advocate.

Pappu and Abhilash came to Noida and started staying in a rented accommodation. Pappu sought help from one of his friends Vicky, a resident of Sector 49 in the abduction. Vicky introduced them to his friends Abhishek and Iliyas and they started planning the abduction. They gathered weapons and other paraphernalia for the crime, said Pant.

Police said they did a recce of the area more than three times. Meanwhile, Abhilash met his cousin to gain his confidence.

On Thursday evening at about 8 pm, accused Pappu and Abhishek started from Sector 49 in a WagonR car to abduct the victim from his rented accommodation at Sector 126. They were, however, intercepted by a police team near Parthala village.

Accused Abhliash, Iliyas and Vicky are still on the run. An FIR has been registered against them and a manhunt launched to arrest them. Pappu and Abhishek were produced in the court and were sent to jail, said Pant.
NEW DELHI: Our male friends just sat as mute spectators, watching us being raped, the two teenage girls allegedly gang-raped by five youths in outer Delhis Kirari area on Wednesday told the police.

We expected them to intervene and save us. We kept shouting for help but they did nothing, the teenagers told police.

Sources told HT that the two male friends, who were with the girls aged 17 and 18 years near the Mundka Metro station when the five youths spotted them, did not try to stop the rape and saw the entire episode sitting in a corner. One of them even refused to record his statement, an investigating officer said.

Police on Thursday arrested two youths and caught two juveniles in connection with the case. One youth, however, managed to escape. Teams have been sent to arrest him. We have mounted technical surveillance on the fifth youth and are trying to trace his location. We have sought help from the local intelligence. Three teams have been sent to different directions to raid his possible hideouts.

The probe is on and arrest will soon be made, an investigator said. While one of the accused is pursuing graduation through distance learning, the others are unemployed, he added.

As per the police, Manish (19), Shivam (19) and three others, were passing by from the area when they spotted the two girls sitting with their male friends near the metro station at a secluded spot. The stretch was isolated and there were no streetlights around 7.30pm.

The five youths allegedly approached the girls and teased them. When the girls stood up to leave the area, the youth allegedly caught hold of them and molested them. The youth allegedly slapped the male friends of the girls and then dragged them further to a dark spot where they took turns to rape them, while the male friends silently witnessed the assault, a police source said.

After raping the girls, the men fled. It is only later that the girls made a PCR call and informed the police.

Locals told HT, that this was the third case of rape reported from the same area. Earlier this year, an 8-year- old girl was abducted and raped in the area and body of a woman was also found inside a sack at the same spot. People said that despite their demands for putting up sufficient lights and increased patrolling, nothing has happened.

Angry residents gathered at the police station and several intersections of the area to protest the gang rape.

Congress leader, Pratyush Kanth, said, Our area has become a safe haven for criminals. Lack of police presence due to the fact that Kirari is the only constituency which doesnt even have a police station of its own is the reason why criminals roam here freely. People living here have to walk at least 10 kilometers to Bawana, where the Aman Vihar police station for Kirari residents is located. There is no police patrolling and not even a single security camera has been installed till date, said Kanth.

Police said that the men were not known to girls. A case under protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act and India Penal Code has been registered.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court dismissed suits by three international publishers against the sale of photocopied books and pages in Delhi University, a landmark verdict likely to have a wide-reaching impact on copyright laws. Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also lifted a ban on the photocopier kiosk from issuing copies of chapters from textbooks of the three international publishers to students.

In 2012, the court banned the Rameshwari Photocopy Service near Delhi School of Economics on a petition moved by publishers including University Press, Cambridge University Press and Taylor & Francis. The international publishing giants had alleged that the kiosk was violating their copyright and at the instance of Delhi University was causing huge financial losses.

But Delhi University supported the photocopiers, saying the use of reproduced copyrighted books by students was a reasonable educational need and should not be treated as infringement.

The university argued that calling reproduction of copyrighted books for educational purpose as infringement was wrong.

Intellectual property experts hailed the verdict. Copyright laws are meant to balance public and private interests but in recent years, the public interest has been eroded due to lobbying. The HC has restored that balance, said Shamnad Basheer, intellectual property law expert.

The court has actually said that copyright is not divine and that education is an important social need. This is a huge moment, he added.
NEW DELHI: A Jet Airways flight from Delhi to Dhaka had to return to the capital midway, to offload a wrong baggage. The confusion happened when two passengers with similar surnames were scheduled to travel but one of them could not board the flight.

The first passenger arrived from London by 9W 121 at 12.50 pm and was to travel to Dhaka by 9W 272, which was scheduled to depart at 1.25 pm. But he could not reach at boarding gate on time. Due to non-reporting, he was not allowed to board the plane, said an airline official.

Due to some confusion, the registered baggage of another passenger with a similar surname was offloaded, while the baggage of the first passenger was loaded into the plane. When the mistake was spotted, the airline called back the plane and the process took about two hours.

There were 129 passengers and six crew members on board. The flight departed for Dhaka at 1.50 pm and returned at 3.10 pm. After offloading the baggage, the plane departed again at 3.55 pm.

Jet Airways flight 9W 272 from Delhi to Dhaka did an air turn back to Delhi to offload baggage of a guest who was not able to make the flight connection in time. As safety of our guests and crew is our utmost priority, we regret the inconvenience caused to our 135 guests onboard the Boeing 737 aircraft, said a Jet Airways spokesperson.
NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented move, lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung on Friday reportedly directed deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to return to the Capital from his official trip to Finland.

Sisodia left for Finland on September 13 on an educational trip with senior officials of Delhi governments education department, inviting criticism from opponents for choosing to travel abroad at a time when vector-borne diseases have gripped the city.

The L-G order came on a day when some TV channels aired pictures of Sisodia holidaying in Finland.

Refuting the allegation, Sisodia on Friday said it was not a sin to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhis education system.

The education minister, who also holds the education portfolio, said he has worked hard to improve the education system in the national capital and that he was in Finland to see what more needs to be done.

Learning from across the world is not a sin. Its a sin to defame an educational tour as a holiday. Im in Finland. We need to learn a lot from their education system, the best in the world (sic), the Aam Aadmi party leader said in a series of tweets.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Friday directed the municipal corporations to make chikungunya a notifiable disease immediately.

This will ensure that every hospital, nursing home and laboratory shares information about the cases of the viral disease it handles.

This is imperative for monitoring the situation and to take requisite remedial action, the government order read.

Till now the hospitals were just giving us the number of cases. Since the addresses were not given, the MCDs could not do fogging. Now, we have asked the hospitals to provide complete data, said Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain.

Municipal health officials said they were working on making the disease notifiable, a municipal health official said on condition of anonymity. Hospitals and laboratories that do not provide data will be served notices. Till now, chikungunya was not notifiable because of fewer cases, the official said.

As Delhi battles an outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease that has killed 15 and infected 1,057 people so far this year, Union health minister JP Nadda and Jain held a review meeting on Friday.

Nadda assured the Delhi government of reserving additional 1,000 beds in the Central government-run hospitals for dengue and chikungunya cases. Have assured all support to the Delhi government and the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in tackling the rising cases of dengue and chikungunya, he said.

Jain said he suggested fever clinics be set up in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana so that the rush in Delhi hospitals is reduced and the patients are not inconvenienced.

The number of fever patients visiting Delhi hospitals each day has tripled -- from 2,000 to 6,000. Nearly 80% of the patients them are coming from outside Delhi.

The government also directed mohalla clinics, polyclinics and dispensaries to remain open on all days, including Sundays and gazetted holidays.

Delhi government hospitals have already been directed not to refuse to admit any patients. Our hospitals have about 1,500 beds lying vacant, so theres no need to panic the Delhi minister said.

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NEW DELHI: With no vaccine available for dengue and chikungunya, consumers are rushing to grab the latest mosquito repellents in whatever form they can get -- creams, oils, gels, sprays, stickers and vapourisers.

The sale of repellents is 10 times more than what it was in summer, according to unofficial estimates by companies.

Anti-mosquito product makers, including Dabur, Reckitt Benckiser and Godrej, plan to introduce more products in keeping with this demand. Apart from aggressively launching products, companies are waging a price war by offering products as low as Re1.

Godrej, makers of brand Good Knight, is planning to enter the outdoor repellent space.

We plan to launch an entire range of outdoor mosquito repellents, which will include antimosquito stickers, said a company official. We are present in the indoor mosquito repellent category but the diseases are spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito in the morning, when people are out of their home and working, the official added.

Dabur, makers of the outdoor-mosquito repellent cream, Odomos, is also planning to expand its range.

We are working on two more innovations. We want to launch them soon but this will be decided only after checking their efficacy, said Praveen Jaipuriar, marketing head, personal care, Dabur India.

While Godrej has launched the GoodKnight card, a paper-based mosquito repellent for just Re1, Dabur has also launched its Odomos sachet for the same price.

Considering the changing patterns of mosquito-borne diseases, Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has also launched products under its popular brand, Mortein.

RB is witnessing an increase in demand for liquid electric diffusers, said a spokesperson.

German drug and chemical maker Bayer has launched a pack of tablets in India, which control the breeding of mosquitoes in water.

As 80% of a mosquitos life stage is spent in water, it is important to control the breeding of mosquitoes. In order to enhance the duration of control, we have launched an innovative larvicide called Barcelo Tab, to control the breeding of mosquitoes in water, said a Bayer spokesperson.

The product is used by local municipal corporations for community-based larva control in societies and homes. The company, globally, is investing in newer product development as well.

Indias insect repellent market clocks Rs 4,400 crore in retail sales a year, according to a report by Euromonitor. Coils are the top selling repellents with a 50% market share, although sprays are also gaining popularity.

The World Health Organisation said in a statement on Thursday, that till date, there is no vaccine available to prevent dengue and chikungunya, although research is ongoing. The only effective preventive measure is protection against mosquito bites and vector control, it said.

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NEW DELHI: A Class 10 student and a 40-year-old man were run over by a van at Mangolpuri Nala in northwest Delhi on Thursday, police said.

The student has been identified as Rohan, who lived in the area. The other victim has not been identified, an officer said.

The incident took place at 11.15pm when Ravi, 28, lost control over his Maruti Eeco van and hit Rohan, a bike and a cyclist. The bike driver was the second casualty. The pillion driver and the cyclist have been injured.

Rohan was returning from a house in the locality where he used to give tuition.

Police said Ravi, who was allegedly drunk at the time of the accident, fled the spot leaving behind the van.

The local residents rushed the four victims to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in S-block and informed the police.

Rohan and the 40-year-old man were declared brought dead by the doctors. The pillion rider, Ghanshyam, 45, who sustained serious injuries, was referred to AIIMS for treatment.

The cyclist, Madan Pal, is recovering at Sanjay Gandhi hospital.

The police arrested Ravi from Sultanpuri on Friday, tracing him with the help of the details of the vans registration.

Ravi, a resident of Suleman Nagar in Kirari, transported goods in the van.

Rohans mother Raanu said, He returned from school at 6.30pm and left for tuitions. He used to stitch clothes and give out tuitions to help us. He was a good student and dreamed of making it big.

The police have booked Ravi for drunk driving, rash driving and other offences.
Delhi ministers on Saturday questioned lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung for being on leave, a day after the L-G reportedly asked deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to return from his official visit to Finland in light of the recent dengue and chikungunya outbreak.

Health minister Satyendra Jain and tourism and water resources minister Kapil Mishra went to meet Jung at his office in the morning, but could not as the L-G was not available.

Speaking to reporters outside the secretariat, the ministers said they were informed by officials that LG was not available even at his residence.

Went to LG office. Asked on phone if anything urgent as he faxed ydy to recall DyCm. Ans: nothing urgent to discuss, no time to meet today (sic), Jain tweeted.

At least 15 people have died of chikungunya-related complications in Delhi hospitals. There are 1,724 reported cases in the national capital till September 11, the last day to which data is available with the Union ministry of health and family welfare.

The L-Gs office refuted their charges with officials saying the ministers arrived at the office without seeking a prior appointment or even intimating him of their visit.

Secretary to Lt Governor met the honble ministers since the Lt Governors office is operational on all days of the week. However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt Governor, the L-Gs office said in a statement.

It is regrettable that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to politicize the issue instead of providing succour to the public, it added.

The Lt. Governors office is keeping a close watch on the health situation in Delhi and is getting regular updates on the situation from the Chief Secretary and Secretary (H & FW), GNCTD.

Mishra, however, argued that a prior appointment at the time of crisis is not important.

The L-G summoned the deputy CM from Finland. We thought he must have some emergency reason. So we came here to discuss the issue. But came to know that he is not working today, Mishra said, adding he has appealed to the L-G to join him in his One Delhi campaign in Chandni Chowk later in the day.

Mishra has also written a letter to L-G attacking him on his recent holiday in the US and questioned the purpose of his order asking Sisodia to cut short his Finland visit.

I appeal to the L-G - please come to the office today as all the hospitals and mohalla clinics are working. Its no time to go on a holiday, he tweeted later.

Sisodia left for Finland on September 13 on an educational trip with senior officials of Delhi governments education department, inviting criticism from opponents for choosing to travel abroad at a time when vector-borne diseases have gripped the city.

The L-G order came on a day when some TV channels aired pictures of Sisodia holidaying in Finland.

Sisodia on Friday refuted all allegations and said it was not a sin to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhis education system.

The deputy chief minister, who also holds the education portfolio, said he has worked hard to improve the education system in the national capital and that he was in Finland to see what more needs to be done.

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As politicians, administrators and civic agencies pass the buck over chikungunya outbreak, the infection has put the lives of those affected in Delhi-NCR on hold.

My daughter is missing important exams

Mehak Agarwal (18), Class-12 student

She missed her half-yearly psychology examination because joint pain made it impossible for her to pick up a pen, let alone write a three-hour long test. The Class-12 student of Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj, has another exam on Monday, which her mother doubts she will be able to write.

Last Wednesday, when Mehak developed joint pain followed by high fever, her mother, a doctor, immediately recognised the symptoms as that of chikungunya.

On the second day of fever, we got a test done for dengue. Although she had all the classic chikungunya symptoms, I wanted to rule out dengue before giving her pain medicines that cause problems such as excessive bleeding in dengue cases, said Dr Shehla Agarwal, a dermatologist at Sarvodaya Enclave in south Delhi. The region is one of the worst-hit in Delhi-NCR.

The joint pain is the biggest problem. In dengue, if there are no complications, you recover in a week or so and can get on with your life. But in chikungunya, even though the fever subsided in four days, Mehak still has difficulty sitting up. She has problems sleeping even ten days later, said Dr Agarwal.

Several teachers and students at Mehaks school, also in south Delhi, are down with viral fever, dengue or chikungunya in the past month.

I cant show my yoga class what to do

Arun Kumar (43), yoga instructor

Arun Kumar was diagnosed with chikungunya two weeks ago in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad. (Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

Kumar hasnt been able to demonstrate postures to his class for three weeks now. It has been almost three weeks since I developed high fever along with severe body ache, says Kumar, a resident of Vasundhara in Ghaziabad, from where the first chikungunya-related death in the NCR was reported.

I missed classes for the first few days, but I still cant do yoga because of the body ache. I just tell my students what to do, I cant show them because of the pain, says Kumar.

He says he has immense pain in his shoulders, left hand and right foot. I have difficulty standing for over 30 minutes. Its made simple tasks such as bathing or dressing up difficult, he says.

Commuting between classes in Vaishali, Indirapuram, and Vasundhara was also difficult because he could not drive with his swollen feet. I have just started driving my car two days ago, he says.

I fear I will lose my job

Sameem Khan (25), chef

Sameen Khan. (Sushil Kumar / Hindustan Times)

Khan is worried he may lose his job as the unit chef at Pashcim Vihars Pind Baluchi because of his chikungunya bout. I have been on leave for the past 10 days. As a chef, I have to be on my feet for most of the day. But the severe joint pains make it impossible for me to stand or move around, he says.

His symptoms are so severe, he says, that opening his mouth to speak is also a difficult.

Like for most others, the infection started with high fever and then the pain set in. The doctor said I had chikungunya and gave me paracetamol and some other painkillers. My fever subsided yesterday, but I still have terrible joint pain, he says. It goes down when I have medicines, but comes back as soon as the effect wears off, he says.

I am supposed to be present for the opening of a new branch of the restaurant, but how can I work in this condition? I fear I will lose my job. In fact, this month I did not even get my salary on the 7th of the month, which is when Im usually paid, he says.

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Shuvankar Maitra, a painter, is happy he no longer has to be his own marketer and do the rounds of art galleries to sell his work. Four years ago, he created an account on an online art platform  bestcollegeart.com  where he regularly exhibits and sells his work.

Last month, he sold a painting worth Rs 40, 000. In March, he sold four paintings in a day through the online platform for Rs 2.75 lakh. The buyer was a collector from the UK who saw my work online. The biggest advantage of online galleries is that an artist can focus on art; he does not have to run from one gallery to another to show his work, he says.

There are many like Maitra who feel the internet may have undermined the publishing and music industry but it has given a new fillip to visual arts. In the past few years, over a dozen online art platforms selling paintings, photographs and sculptures have come up. Some call themselves galleries and others define themselves as marketplaces, where artist can create an account and sell their work directly to the buyer. A fixed commission goes to the gallery. And no one is happier than emerging artists.

After she graduated from College of Art, Delhi, in 2013, Anni Kumari wrote to many brick and mortar art galleries to exhibit and sell her work but their response was not encouraging. In April, she nominated her work for The Emerging Artist of the Year Award organised by Bestcollegeart in association with Glenfiddich and was one of the five finalists. A few days later, she sold her first work online for Rs1.3 lakh. Young artists are almost always turned away by established physical art galleries but online ventures have ensured emerging artists have alternative avenues to show and sell their work, says Kumari, who has sold four paintings online in the past four months.

But is it not more satisfying to associate with a prestigious brick and mortar gallery? It depends on what stage you are at in your career. An emerging artist should keep earning to keep going, it does matter how he or she sells his or her work, Kumari says.

Photographer Jashan Deep Singh, who recently sold his work for the first time through World Art Community, an online platform, agrees. Earlier you needed contacts to exhibit and sell your work, now the internet has ensured any talented artist can showcase his work to thousands of people online and if it is good, chances are that someone will buy it.

Shobhit Arora, an IITian, started World Art Community in 2014. Arora says he has no background in art but does have a basic sense of appreciating art. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Aditi Chakraborty, a painter, also swears by the power of internet and social media to advance the cause of artists. She says she sold about 30 works online in four years -- five of them in July through a red hot sale. These days, Aditi gets buyers through her Facebook page too and has sold about 25 paintings directly to collectors through the social media site.

A lot of people send me friend requests and many turn out to be collectors. I have realised that most collectors, given the opportunity, want to deal with artists directly, says Chakraborty. Many collectors, she says, follow artists on Instagram just to see how their work is evolving. On Instagram, the focus is only on the visual, not on words, which is good for an artist. But artists should be careful; too much exposure in the virtual world may create fatigue about their work, Chakraborty says.

Virtual art platforms  Fizdi, Artzolo, World Art Community, Eikowa, etc  have thousands of paintings priced between Rs 5, 000 and Rs2 lakh on sale, offer discount and hold online exhibitions. Many who set up these online art ventures have no background in art. Shobhit Arora, an IITian, worked as a banker and in 2014, he started World Art Community, which he calls a peer-to-peer art marketplace.

I have no art background but I do have basic art appreciation. There are about half a million freelance artists in the country, including painters, designers, photographers, craftsmen. I realised the art market is driven by intermediaries, where artist is the loser. There we saw an opportunity, and created a platform where artists could decide his own price and directly sell to buyers, says Arora. Our team advises the artists. At times we see a lot of traffic on a particular work but it does not sell. In such a case, we advise the artist to reduce the price, he says.

Read: Delhis new cowboys: Engineering a new milk revolution

World Art Community claims to have about 2,700 artists and craftsmen on board  80% of them painters and 10% photographers. Many sold their work for the first time on our platform, says Arora. His online platform adds 300 artists- aged between 25 to 40 years -- every month.

Most online galleries charge commission that ranges from 10 to 40% and vets a work before it goes on sale. We have a team of designers and artists who ensure the art work is above a certain quality threshold, says Arora. A lot of our customers are first-time buyers and their number is only growing. People are increasingly becoming conscious about their living spaces and want to buy original works.

Nikhil Girdhar, director, marketing, Bestcollegeart, says about 2,500 artists are registered on the website; a majority are at the early stages of their career. The online platform organises an annual The Emerging artist of the Year award and the winner gets a prize of R10 lakh and a three-month art residency in Scotland. About 1,000 students pass out of various art colleges but very few carry on because they find it hard to sell their work. We wanted to create an equal opportunity platform for artists to sell their work and for galleries and collectors to spot fresh talent. The work remains with the artist until it is sold, says Girdhar.

Well-known art critic Alka Raghubanshi says the internet has democratized art and has given recognition to young artists. Society women who have no understanding of art own most art galleries these days. They have never encouraged young artists, never experiment with new forms of art and have been working for years with same set of artists they have promoted themselves, she says. One needs to understand that art can flourish only when you encourage new artists.

Read: When manjha was just about kite-flying

Parul Vadehra, director, Vadehra Art Gallery, says every gallery has a right to decide its curatorial programme and how they should position themselves. A gallery has its own vision and ethos. Some galleries may have tighter curatorial programmes. We have been exhibiting the works of young artists for many years, says Vadehra.

What does she think of online art ventures? Indian art market is at a nascent stage, so any attention art or artists are getting is good, she says.

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Over seven years now, Aman has been to five different cities in India and worked in farmlands, a dhaba, tent house and even picked up empty bottles from trains. For a year during this time, he also stayed in three shelters in Delhi.

The 16-year-old had lost all hope of reuniting with his family and never told anyone that he is from Bangladesh, fearing arrest. Last month, child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi visited his shelter home, where Aman revealed he was trafficked to India seven years ago.

Aman was rescued along with 15 other children from the Old Delhi railway station on July 27 by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO run by Satyarthi, who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

The children were kept at Mukti Ashram, a shelter home in North Delhis Burari. Formalities of Amans repatriation are almost complete, and he hopes to reunite with his parents soon.

Satyarthi got in touch with the Bangladesh High Commission, after which Amans family was traced. A telephonic talk with the boy was facilitated. Aman is likely to return next week.

Satyarthi, 62, said the happy twist to the tale happened after an incident last month. I visit the ashram on weekends. Sometime in August, when I went there, I got to know two boys had escaped from the ashram, but were brought back, he recalls. While I was interacting with one of the boys, Aman was noticing me. I told him that if he wants to leave the home, I can make arrangements. He said he still wont be able to meet his parents.

Satyarthi checked Amans records, which showed him as a resident of Guwahati. The activist told the boy he could send him back to the Assam capital. He was a drug addict; so I thought he didnt want to face his parents, Satyarthi says. But as I started talking to him, he admitted he was from Bangladesh, but was scared to tell anyone.

But Aman was still not sure if he will ever be able to see his parents, as he doesnt have any document to show. Wherever I stayed or worked, I gave different name and address and I was scared of arrest. Only few close friends knew that I am a Bangladeshi. I miss my mother and always wanted to meet her, says Aman. But I had no hope as wherever I went, I was tortured and slaved.

A native of Khagrachari district in southeastern Bangladesh, Aman was first brought to Dhaka by a trafficker.

I was forced to work at a tea stall, but was not paid anything. After few months, I was taken to Silchar in Assam. We crossed the border at night, he recalls. There I worked at a dhaba for a year and was paid Rs 100 everyday. After that, one person took me to Kolkata and I cleaned dishes for few months at a hotel. Then, around five years ago, the same man brought me to Delhi. Since then, I am here.

In Delhi, Aman worked at a tent house where he would clean dishes at marriage parties, sometimes working 24 hours at stretch. The contractor sent him to Meerut to work in the fields. My job was to wake up at 4 am and wash buffalo, he says. Then, for some time, he was in Haridwar, where I made rotis at a hotel.

In between, he got addicted to drug and was sent to a de-addiction centre, where he stayed for six months. He used to sleep at the Hanuman temple near Old Delhi railway station. My contractor used to send us children in trucks to work at marriage parties.

Satyarthi notices Aman was thrilled after speaking to his mother. This is our Eids gift to him, he adds.

(The boys name has been changed to protect his identity)
She thought it was a perfect murder. First, she made her boyfriend befriend her husband. He got her husband drunk, took him away from Delhi and crushed the victim with his car, making it look like a hit-and-run incident.

To further strengthen her story, the next day, she went to a south Delhi police station and lodged a missing person complaint. For a week, she went to the police station every day, wailing and urging the police to find her husband. She even said her husband had been abducted and someone called her with a ransom demand.

Barkhas cover was, however, blown on Thursday. She was arrested along with her boyfriend Satbir, 48, for allegedly murdering her husband, Amit Kumar, 35, a driver in a private company in Bahadurgarh.

According to police, Barkha, in her early thirties, planned to eliminate Kumar because he had started suspecting her after reading some messages sent by Satbir on her phone. This had led to altercations between them.

Police said Kumar asked Barkha to sever ties with Satbir and even threatened her after which she decided to kill him. The plan was executed on September 9.

An investigator said after Kumars body was recovered in Bahadurgarh area of Haryana a day later, police had registered an accident case.

After lodging a police complaint on September 10, Barkha had even threatened suicide if her husband was not found.

Police unearthed the case after they found CCTV footage from Bahadurgarh which showed Satbirs Hyundai Xcent car running over Kumar. Police traced Satbir to Delhi through the registration number. Haryana police then contacted Delhi police and Satbir was arrested.

We also accessed Kumars call detail records that showed that he had been in touch with Satbir just an hour before he went missing. It became clear that it was not an accident but murder. When we questioned Satbir, he broke down and revealed that it was Barkha who had planned the murder, the investigator added.

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The Centre will make a slew of provisions for Divyang students in the upcoming education policy and has already asked schools to provide adequate facilities to them, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday.

We will make a lot of provisions for Divyang students across the country in our upcoming new education policy. We have asked the management of schools to provide ramps in buildings, make available separate toilets for them or modify/upgrade the existing toilets and facilitate their easy movement on the premises, he said.

Javadekar was talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event where he met and interacted with over 100 visually impaired girls at a Mumbai school.

He said interaction with Divyang students was part of BJPs decision to celebrate September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as Sewa Diwas.

Read more: HRD minister Javadekar will meet IIM management on faculty quotas

Our MPs, MLAs and other leaders decided to celebrate our Prime Ministers birthday as Sewa Diwas. Therefore, we decided to reach out to Dalits and those oppressed and underprivileged, he said. Javadekar was impressed with the training facilities available for students at the 116-year-old Kamla Mehta School for the Blind in Dadar.

Lauding the efforts and aspirations of the girls and their teachers, the minister said, What we all need is just commitment and zeal to move ahead in our life. These girls are a source of energy and inspiration.

Maharashtra Minister for Social Justice Rajkumar Badole, BJP MP from Beed Preetam Munde and officers from the office of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities were present on the occasion. Javadekar also briefly highlighted what the NDA government was doing for the uplift of Divyangs (persons with disabilities).

Our government has undertaken Sugamya Bharat initiative to achieve universal accessibility (of infrastructure) for Divyangs. The government is providing needful support by appointing teachers for Divyang students. And now the need of the hour is to go for mapping of such students, bring them to schools and impart them with necessary skill sets.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair and computer science grad Melinda Gates, 52, uses data to create a whole new world. Hers is not virtual world but a very real one that is home to growing millions from the fringes of progress who are finally being counted and heard.

Data, evaluation and course-correction that are key to efficiency are the cornerstones of Melindas equitable new world, where girls stay in school, women choose how many children they have, people get medicine when they need it, and have opportunities to earn enough and some to pull themselves and their families out of generations of poverty.

Gender equity

Data doesnt exist in many areas, and when it does, its sexist and misses women and girls entirely, said Melinda. To correct that, the Gates Foundation invested $80 million over the next three years to improve the way data is collected and used to close gaps in gender equality at home, in the workplace, in society and in governance.

We dont have good data on women and girls, we cannot close the gender gap without first closing the data gap. Gaps and biases reinforce the social stereotypes and cultural practices that dont value women and girls, said Melinda.

Her grand plan is to use data to equip communities, civil society and decision makers with clearer evidence about what works and what doesnt in addressing global health and development problems that disproportionately affect women and girls, including maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, agriculture and financial services.

Watch: Bill and Melinda discuss why they give away their money

Spotlight on women

Progress is there, but not fast enough for the impatient optimist. The world is now talking about it (gender equality), it didnt five years ago. We need to make it part of the conversation of country leaders. Prime Minister Modi talking of women and children, sanitation, investment in girls and changing peoples mindset about gender equality in his speeches is pretty awesome, she says.

To make gender equality primary, not secondary, to development conversations, women need to be valued for the unpaid and hidden work they do, such as cooking, cleaning, and caring. The time spent on unpaid work at home also has implications on education, getting jobs or starting a business. It is often goes unrecognized, but it underpins every society and strengthens every economy, says Melinda.

Violence against women

You (people in India) now hear more talk about it, you hear more about reality. Society is no longer closing the door to violence or speaking of it in a hush-hush way. India has free press, people are talking about violence, women are talking about violence. The only way ahead is to have conversations out in public to address gaps and push for a country to commit to change, says Melinda.

Watch: Melinda gives a TED talk on putting birth control back on the agenda

Having girls in quality secondary level school will make a huge difference, educated girls will change the world. Everything changes for girl once she gets an education, she gets a voice, she speaks against injustice. She lifts the whole family out of poverty, she says.

Staying in school prevents child marriage, early pregnancy, helps women choose the size of their families. An unplanned pregnancy often means that girls are forced to drop out of school and that women can no longer work outside the home, both of which contribute to keeping families and communities trapped in cycles of poverty, says Melinda. Unplanned pregnancies also carry significant health risks to both women and their children.

Why career matters

Computer science offers the best jobs in the economy. The technology sector is connected to all industry, it offers great pay and the best opportunities, and girls are losing points by not studying STEM subjects. I cant speak for India but girls in the US are not choosing science STEM at every level -- grade school, middle school, high school and grad school  because when they look at the industry, it doesnt look welcoming, says Melinda.

I am a computer science major myself, and when I was in grad school in the 80s, 37% computer science grads were women. Now its down to 18%. India, with its powerful tech industry, must work to make sure it doesnt go the US way, she says.

Progress, but not enough

More women in India are getting skilled healthcare and going to health facilities for delivery and family planning and it is showing results unplanned pregnancies are down, maternal deaths are down, neonatal deaths are down and now education levels will go up as more girls stay in school, says Melinda.

Why women dont use contraception is a cultural issue  in India it is mothers in law, in Africa its husbands You have to offer them a mix of products, different contraceptive choices that give them the option of choosing the one that suits them best, she says .

Over the last four years, making contraceptives available have helped millions of unintended pregnancies and saved them from unsafe abortions. A women whos just had her first child speaks to an Asha (governments accredited social health activist) about contraception, and then they can together get support from the husband, she says.All parents have hopes and dreams for their kids and realize that the fewer kids they have, the more likely are they to get a good education and jobs. Husbands do support their wives and want smaller families, she says.

Our work with governments in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar shows that women who would have had six kids are choosing two when they have an option, says Melinda.

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Funnywoman Amy Schumer was told by movie bosses she had to lose weight for her role in Trainwreck.

The comedienne and actress, who rose to fame with her outspoken feminist stand-up routines, has revealed she was pressured to lose weight for her role in the outrageous romantic comedy.

Well Irvine we couldn't love you more. Thank you. Very grateful. Photo cred my sis @nikkiglaser A photo posted by @amyschumer on Sep 16, 2016 at 10:53pm PDT

Amy says she was shocked when she was told to lose weight before starring in Trainwreck.

The 35-year-old actress was told to drop the pounds before appearing in the hit film to avoid hurting peoples eyes and whilst she initially went along with it, she soon realised it was wrong, reported Female First.

Thanks @andrea_tiller @kimmykuppkakes @leesaevansstyle A photo posted by @amyschumer on Sep 16, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT

The only change was that it was explained to me before I did that movie (Trainwreck) that if you weigh over 140 pounds as a woman in Hollywood, if youre on the screen it will hurt peoples eyes ... I didnt know that so I lost some weight to do that but never again, she told The Jonathan Ross Show.

Amy recently released a tell-all book about her life, titled The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, in which she recalls how she went from living in luxury as the daughter of a furniture magnate, to poverty when her father fell ill.

Speaking about her change in fortunes she jokes, I was a rich kid and then at 12 all of a sudden we were barely eating a goat around the fire.

Best known for her hit TV series Inside Amy Schumer, which airs in New Zealand on Comedy Central, the Golden Globe nominated funny girl is now taking her stand-up comedy routine around the world.

No red flags with this girl A photo posted by @amyschumer on Sep 12, 2016 at 5:49pm PDT

Amy announced her world tour in June and her tour includes one show scheduled for Aucklands Vector Arena on Saturday December 17, riding on the back of her Australian tour dates.
Samajwadi Party (SP) state president Shivpal Yadav said a chief minister should not be arrogant, after Akhilesh Yadav reinstated him to his portfolios.

I have seen many chief ministers in the state. Most turn arrogant and develop a massive ego, Shivpal said at an India TV conclave on Friday. I have learnt a lot from Netaji (Mulayam). Akhilesh too should learn from him and me as well. Akhilesh needs more experience.

Shivpal had resigned from all party posts, including as the state unit president and his ministerial position, intensifying the crisis  in the government and the party.

The responsibility given to me is huge. I need to work harder as elections are near, he said, announcing his return as the UP party chief.

When asked about Akhileshs demand for authority to take a call on ticket distribution, Shivpal said, How elections are fought are the prerogative of the party chief and Netaji (Mulayam) will decide on ticket distribution.

Regarding party leader Amar Singhs role in the ongoing family feud, Shivpal said, Amar Singh can never cause any harm to our family.

Outsiders are with Netaji and also with Akhilesh. There are some ministers in his cabinet who are outsiders and do no work, he said.

When the quizzed about the recent developments, Shivpal said there was some misunderstanding and all concerns had been conveyed to Mulayam, who will take a final call on Saturday.

I am with Netaji in politics since I was 14. I got a lot. I never imagined that I would get so much. All I wanted in life was an ordinary naukri (job). I got that. But then I left it and became an average farmer. I did a lot of manual farm work. Then I won an election and went on to become MLA four times and minister multiple times. I was never greedy for the chief ministers post, he said.

He also asserted that he would support Akhilesh for the CMs post if the party returned to power next year.

All eyes are now on party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is likely to spell out a few crucial decisions on Saturday.

Read | Akhilesh Yadav gives back ministries to Shivpal, keeps hold on UP poll tickets

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The crisis in the Samajwadi Party seems to have blown over with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday congratulating his uncle Shivpal on his appointment as the Samajwadi Partys state president.

Akhileshs acceptance of Shivpal as party boss in UP came a day after he declared that he would return portfolios to his uncle but should have a say in ticket distribution for the assembly elections next year.

Akhilesh went to Shivpals house for lunch and later asked his supporters who had gathered outside to end their agitation. This, after Shivpal met his brother Mulayam briefly at the latters residence in the morning.

I want to congratulate the new state president (Shivpal Singh Yadav). All of you have worked together and will have to continue working hand in hand, Akhilesh said while addressing supporters at his 5, Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow .

We are united, there is no rift in Samajwadi party, the chief minister told his supporters, adding that politics is not a game, it is a serious business.

Youths will decide the direction of the new government. The party having youths will form the next government, he said and asked his supporters not to resign from any party or government post.

Those who have been talking about resigning from their posts, I would urge them not to do so. Work in such a manner that our leaders feel proud of you, he said.

All of you want the SP to form the next government. Many parties are conspiring against us. So, there should be no more agitations. I have promised to abide by Netajis decision and have accepted it. All of you should also do so, Akhilesh said.

Read| A CM shouldnt be arrogant, Akhilesh needs more experience: Shivpal

As the workers continued to shout slogans in his favour, Akhilesh said: Those of you who do not understand would not be able to fight. It is necessary you understand my point as you fight.

Akhilesh also restored the portfolios of medical education and minor irrigation to Shivpal. But the chief minister has decided to keep the PWD portfolio with himself.

Early Saturday morning, Akhileshs supporters had converged at the partys headquarters in Lucknow demanding that partys state chiefs post be restored to him.

There was more drama near the partys headquarters when a young man slashed his throat. Initially it was thought that the man was a supporter of Akhilesh. But SP workers said he was not a member of the party.

The youth was rushed to the civil hospital by Gautampalli police. He was later referred to trauma centre of the King Georges Medical University where his condition was stated to be critical.

Read| Yadav pari-war: Can Mulayam contain Shivpal damage to SP?
A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislators son allegedly stabbed a man after failing to overtake him in Bihars Aurangabad late on Friday, ANI reported, triggering outrage and drawing attention to the states spiraling crime graph.

He wanted me to follow his orders as his father is an MLA, but I said no and then he stabbed me, the victim, Pintu Kumar, told ANI.

The incident comes roughly four months after a Janata Dal (United) MLAs son was accused of killing a 18-year-old student during a tiff about overtaking on in Gaya.

Read: Godfather: How Gaya road rage suspects dad muscled his way to top

Bihar is ruled by a Grand Alliance government, of which the RJD and JD(U) are principal constituents.

But the RJD MLA, Virendra Sinha, denied the charges, saying the other man was a criminal and was trying to abduct his son with the possible intention of murder.

There is no question of my son stabbing him, you can ask people present there, said Sinha.

The incident will likely embarrass the government and embolden opposition parties who accuse chief minister Nitish Kumar of losing his grip on law and order. The incident may also deepen the fault lines between the JD(U) and RJD  who have sparred recently over Bihars liquor prohibition and the release of strongman Shahabuddin from jail.

Kumar won a crushing victory in polls a year ago but has since grappled with mounting crime and allegations of rape and murder against members of his party or coalition partners.
As the BJP celebrated Telangana Liberation Day on Saturday, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) accused it of selective amnesia and said this political strategy to expand its presence would not work in the state.

BJP has the habit of raising communal issue whenever they feel that there is an opportune time. Even during the time of agitation (for separate statehood for Telangana), we had always said this is a merger day, not a liberation day, TRS Lok Sabha member, Kalvakuntla Kavitha said.

BJP has been demanding that the Telangana government officially celebrate the occasion as Liberation Day as Hyderabad State was liberated through police action on September 17, 1948, more than a year after India got independence.

BJP considers the Nizams rule in the erstwhile Hyderabad State as tyrannical, oppressive and autocratic and claims that Telugu language was discouraged as the medium of instruction in educational institutions during their period.

BJP-TDP government was in power. No body wanted to talk about liberation day, why speak about it now? You cant have selective amnesia. When you speak about historical incidents, certainly BJP has a habit of selective amnesia, very comfortably, conveniently they pick and choose the facts. We only say its a merger day. We always observed it as a merger day, we will continue to do so, the MP said.

Kavitha noted that when Goa merged into India, the Central government called it liberation, while the Telangana (erstwhile Hyderabad State) operation in 1948 was termed as police action, and they never said liberation of Telangana.

You only want to recall the 1948 incident, what about 1969 incidents of Telangana agitation, what about 1952, what about 2001 ?...Many, many kids were killed. In 1969, 369 students were killed in police firing, BJP does not want to talk about it.

Politically it wont work, because BJP has negligible presence in Telangana. Just to increase their political visibility in Telangana, they have started to rake up this issue. People do not have any sentiment towards this particular issue BJP is talking about, Congress does not talk about it, TDP does not talk about it (liberation), the MP said.
The chief ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh will meet in Delhi on Saturday to hammer out an agreement on sharing Mahanadi water after the Centre stepped in to defuse simmering tensions between the two states.

The meeting was convened by Union water resources minister Uma Bharti, is hoping to avoid the kind of violent protests that have erupted in southern India over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute.

We want to avoid the repeat of such a situation elsewhere, a government official said.

The dispute started after Chhattisgarh started building dams across the river that flows through the two states.

Odisha says the new projects disrupt the flow of water to the Hirakud Dam, a major sources of irrigation to both the states. Chhattisgarh says the barrages only collect rain water and dont affect the flow of the river.

The barrages under construction on Mahanadi have a total capacity which is much less than the lost storage in Hirakud due to siltation. Hence no additional storage is being created, the Chhattisgarh government has told the Centre.

Chhattisgarh has pointed out that the Mahanadi water flow is 96% during monsoon and 4% otherwise, so any barrage would essentially store rain water. Even after so called disputed projects, enough water remains in the Mahanadi to fill the Hirakud Dam several times over, it said.

Sources in the water resources ministry claim Odisha has also changed the scope of the dam by diverting water for industrial use, which was not envisaged at the time of the projects inception.

Chhattisgarh also blames Odisha for constructing major dams in the Indravati sub-basin that it says will further worsen water availability in the tribal state. He two states had decided in April 1983 to set up a joint control board to resolve issues relating to survey, investigation, execution or others. This board has not been constituted so far and the two states might be asked to expedite the matter.

The spat comes at a time large-scale violence has broken out across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing Cauvery water after a Supreme Court order. At least two people have died and property worth crores damaged in strikes and protests, especially in Indias IT capital of Bengaluru.

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Young men with dark glasses to cover their dead eyes lie on beds and stare blankly into the horizon. Their families are scattered nearby, some are anxious, but most are resigned to the injuries of their loved ones. The air is sombre but defiant.

This is the sight that welcomes visitors when they step into wards seven and eight of Srinagars SMHS hospital.

Pellet guns, a non-lethal weapon used for crowd control in Kashmir, has killed at least eight and maimed thousands in the ongoing unrest that was sparked by the killing of insurgent leader Burhan Wani in July.

Hospital records accessed by HT show most pellet victims with eye injuries are teenagers.

SMHS has seen the highest turnout of pellet victims and treated more than 750 patients hit in the eyes. Many of them have injuries in both eyes and others have blurred vision, at best.

Eid festivities across the Valley were a gloomy affair last week as many of the young victims celebrated the popular festival without eyesight, grappling in the dark.

Read: Kashmir to have a silent and sullen Eid after weeks of strife, violence

The mounting injuries have triggered international outrage but in SMHS, not everyone is angry. Bandipora resident Muzamil says he is happy he lost his left eye as he could make a qurbani (sacrifice) for the struggle.

Muzamils family says he is a student at a madarsa in Lucknow and had come home for Eid  only for the celebration to turn into a nightmare.

Hamari baat India ko sunni chahiye. Humein Azaadi chahiye. (India should listen to what Kashmir is saying. Kashmir wants freedom), he says, sitting on his bed in a white kurta pajama, a skull cap and black shades.

This Eid was also tragic for 18-year-old Shabir Ahmad, a carpenter and the main bread-winner of his family. A resident of Sopore town in north Kashmir, Ahmad now lies in Ward 8 after losing both his eyes to pellets.

It was around 11 am. We were returning home after Eid prayers at the local masjid when the forces shot tear gas and pellets at us, Shabir says, adding there was no stone-pelting at that time.

How does he feel about losing his eyes? The realisation has not sunk in, yet. But what has taken over him, is an overwhelming feeling of Azaadi(freedom). I hope to regain eyesight soon, but I dont know...But from what I suffer and whats going on in Kashmir, I feel the one word is Azaadi.

Despite strident criticism and an alternative announced by the government, forces still use pellet guns across Kashmir. Experts say the guns are less-lethal and can kill many.

Read: Protests in Srinagar after boy dies of pellet injuries, toll reaches 86

Pellet victims are no ordinary patients. Many of them are forced to register under false names as police spy and gather information on them even in the hospital, because the state sees them as part of stone-pelting mobs.

For this reason, 18-year-old Touseef Ahmad, whose left eye was damaged with two pellets, double checks this reporters identity before speaking.

A Class 12 student, Touseef was hit by pellets in his eyes and liver on August 12 in Kupwara district. This is his third trip to SMHS hospital following two rounds of surgeries. There is no vision in the left eye and there is little hope for a recovery. But Touseef can see with his right eye.

Since the injury, Touseef says he has faced problems in his daily activities. But he doesnt care. If the struggle for Azaadi demands my other eye, I am willing to give it too.

Read: Govt shoots down RTI query on pellet guns citing security reasons

Doctors at the SMHS hospital say although sight to some extent will be restored in a majority of patients but most victims will never attain normal vision. The injury will impact the mobility and psychology of patients, they add.

80% of the patients will recover eyesight to some extent. And once they recover even little, it will improve, says Dr Tariq Qureshi, head of the department of ophthalmology at the Government Medical College in Srinagar.

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A 20- year-old student of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Kangra, allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself late Friday.

The deceased, Nisha Mangal Rao, was a resident of Sector 7, Faridabad, Harayana and was a second-year student.

She was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room by her roommate, who informed NIFT authorities.

She was rushed to Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC), Tanda, where she was declared dead.

Kangra deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Surender Sharma said no suicide note was recovered from the spot.

A team of forensic experts from Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL), Dharamshala, also visited the crime scene to gather evidence.

The reason behind the extreme step is not known as no suicide note has been recovered. Deceaseds mobile phone and laptop has been sent for forensic examination, the DSP said.

Sharma further said that the police have informed the family and the body will be handed over to them after the autopsy.

A case has been registered and investigation is on, the DSP said, adding that police are exploring every angle and will interrogate friends of the deceased who were in touch with her.
Two fishermen are still missing after a fishing boat sank off Mumbai coast early on Saturday, the Indian Coast Guard said here.

Fishing Boat Dutta Sai from Mumbai with 16 crew members on board sank about 30 nautical miles West of Mumbai at around 4 am due to bad weather and rough sea, it said.

Fourteen of the crew were rescued in the morning by the merchant ship MV Dependable, which was in the vicinity.

Coast Guard ship Samudra Prahari was sent to the area and a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft was launched from Daman to search for the remaining two fishermen who were yet to be found, according to the release.

ICGS Samudra Prahari took over all the rescued fishermen from MV Dependable, provided them first aid and food. Their condition was reported to be stable, it said.
A 20-year-old student at the University of Hyderabad killed himself early on Saturday, police said, bringing back memories of Rohith Vemulas suicide on the same campus in January that sparked nationwide protests.

Police said Nelli Praveen Kumar, a first-year master of fine arts student, may have been severely depressed because of his educational background, according to a diary recovered from his room.

Madhapur deputy commissioner of police L Karthikeya said Praveen, who hailed from Shadnagar town of Mahbubnagar district, hadnt left a suicide note, but his diary revealed he was depressed . The diary is being sent for forensic analysis.

Going by the diary, Praveen was not feeling comfortable with studies. There were a couple of sentences in which he wondered why he was not able to lead a normal life like others and why he was not happy, Karthikeya said. Students said Praveen belonged to Kuruma (shepherd) caste, which comes under the other backward class (OBC) category.

The suicide comes months after Vemula killed himself on campus in a similar fashion after alleged caste discrimination. Since then, thousands of students and activists have hit the streets in protest across India amid a renewed debate on festering casteism in educational campuses.

According to an official release from University authorities, at around 4.15 am, Praveens roommate, who was also his classmate, returned from his painting studio and found the room latched from the inside. When Praveen did not open the door despite several knocks, he alerted his other hostel mates. Together, they managed to open the latch through the ventilator and found him hanging from the ceiling.

Praveen was immediately shifted to the University Health Centre. After preliminary examination by the Resident Medical Officer, he was rushed to Citizen Hospital along with the University Medical Officer. Doctors at the hospital declared him brought dead. His body was later moved to Osmania General Hospital by the police for post mortem.

His brother Naveen expressed shock at Praveens suicide. He said his brother never had any suicidal tendencies and was alright when he spoke to him a couple of days ago. We dont know what prompted him to take to the extreme step, he said.

According to University of Hyderabad Joint Action Committee leader Sannaki Munna, Praveen joined the course in July and nobody was aware of his family conditions. We are yet to ascertain as the reasons for his suicide, he said.
Scotch whisky exports to India jumped 41% in the first six months of 2016  making it the third largest export market  but the industry remains uneasy over the implications and uncertainties of Britains June 23 vote to exit the European Union.

Figures released on Friday by the Edinburgh-based Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) showed that the volume of 70 cl bottles exported to India between January and June 2016 jumped to 41 million from 29.1 million in the same period in 2015.

This was the highest percentage rise in Scotch whisky exports in the top 20 markets during the period, with Japan registering the second largest growth of 20%, the SWA said.

The growth of exports to India stood out, with value up 28% to 43 million. The SWA argued that the full potential of the Indian market would only be delivered through liberalisation of the exorbitant 150% basic customs duty, urging the UK government to prioritise discussions with India as it develops its post-Brexit trade priorities, it said.

The EU did not succeed in negotiating a deal with India, but hoped the UK government would do better in the Brexit situation, the SWA added.

Despite continued economic and political volatility in some markets, Scotch whiskys global export volume grew by 3.1% over the first half of the year, with the equivalent of 533 million 70cl bottles shipped overseas, up from 517 million bottles in the first half of 2015.

The new figures cover the first half of 2016 and only one week of the period after the EU referendum vote. The SWA pointed to long-term challenges of defining the UKs future trading relationship with both the EU single market and other countries.

SWA chief executive David Frost said: It is clear, however, that the uncertainties of the Brexit vote will create challenges for exporters and we continue to encourage early clarity on the likely shape of the UKs future trading relationship with the EU and other countries.

Given the continued international uncertainty, we also look to government to make every effort to put in place a competitive domestic tax and regulatory environment, supporting a key home-grown industry.

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Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday dubbed the controversy over beef found in biryani and the gang rape of two sisters in Mewat as a trivial issue.

These are trivial issues and I dont pay much attention to these small issues. Today we should be talking about Swarna Jayanti celebrations and achievements of Haryana government, Khattar told reporters.

The CM was talking to the media on the sidelines of an event to celebrate 50 years of Haryana.

On August 25, a couple was beaten to death and two of their relatives, including a woman and a minor, allegedly gang raped after being held hostage by five armed robbers in Dhingeri village of Tauroo in Mewat, 45 km from Gurgaon.

Read: Haryana: Couple killed; woman, minor allegedly gangraped in Mewat

Even as the murder and gang rape incident rocked Mewat, a new controversy erupted after beef was found in samples of biryani collected in the region. Haryana has banned beef consumption.

A state-run veterinary office that tested the samples stated that beef was used in the biryani being sold in the district.

Read: Anti-beef drive: Khattar government spoils this biryani

Earlier, on the direction of the Haryana government, Haryana Cow Protection Task Force in charge DIG Bharti Arora, and Gau Sewa Aayog Chairman Bhani Ram Mangla, ahead of Eid held a drive to check biryani for beef and collected seven samples from Mewat.

Later, Haryana Minister Anil Vij said all seven samples were found to contain beef during laboratory tests at the Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Hisar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his 66th birthday on Saturday by seeking the blessings of his mother, before attending a clutch of programmes organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party to mark the day.

The PM spent around 40 minutes at Saket in Raisan area of the state capital, meeting his family members. He then proceeded to Raj Bhawan to meet Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, who is in Gujarat to attend a state-level judicial conference.

After meeting the CJI, Modi went to Limkheda, in Dahod district, to inaugurate tribal welfare projects.

PM Modi launches schemes for tribal development in Limkheda, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/G6pIIIW4hu  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Recalling doubts over if Gujarat would be able develop when it was formed, Modi said, today we can see the state has developed.

He also announced an irrigation scheme to help farmers in the state, saying the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is resonating all over.

Water scarcity remained a key issue in Gujarat. At times we would get adequate rainfall but we weren't able to conserve water: PM  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

The programme was organised under the Gujarat Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojna for the districts lying in the states forest belt.The projects, worth nearly Rs 3,800 crore, include six water supply and four lift irrigation projects.

The water supply projects will provide drinking water to about 2.1 million people in 960 villages, including 23 settlements in the Dahod, Mahisagar, Narmada and Chhotaudepur districts.

The lift irrigation projects based on Kadana-Karjan and Kakrapar Reservoirs will provide irrigation in nearly 1 lakh hectares in Dahod, Narmada, Mahisagar and Surat districts.

I know that the farmer here is very skilled and I have also seen the farmer is innovative and willing to learn new things: PM  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Prime Minister Modi will also distribute aids and assistive devices to differently-abled persons at Samajik Adhikarita Shivir at Navsari in South Gujarat. More than 11,000 people will be provided free-of-cost assistive equipment worth Rs 10 crore.

The aim of the programme is to provide opportunities for the growth and development of differently-abled persons so that they can lead productive, safe and dignified lives.

Gujarat: PM Modi distributes assistive devices to Specially abled people during Samajik Adhikarita Shivir in Navsari pic.twitter.com/Sba75dECrK  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Besides the programmes, the Prime Minister will hold rallies in Limkheda and Navsari.

Read | Wanna wish PM on birthday directly? Heres how you can do it

With inputs from ANI
Police have arrested a man in Chargawan village of Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh for dumping the body of his 13-year-old daughter in the Narmada river after she committed suicide.

The accused, Ajay Singh Lodhi alias Ajju, stuffed his daughters body in a gunny bag and weighed it with stones before throwing it into the river September 13, police said.

On the day of incident the accused in a drunken condition beat up his wife and daughter over a trivial issue, Chargawan police station town inspector Rajendra Bagri said.

Hurt by her alcoholic fathers attitude the girl hanged herself, he said.

To cover his tracks, Lodhi lodged a missing person report for his daughter with the Chargawan police station on September 15.

But when the police started the investigation, the changing statements of the accused and other family members made them suspicious.

Under sustained grilling, the accused confessing to dumping the body in the river, the town inspector said.

The body was thrown from a bridge into the river at Malkachar-Bhadpura close to Chargawan, some 45 kilometers from Jabalpur.

The accused told the police that he had taken help of other family member to dump the body, Bagri said.

The search for the body by a team of divers is continuing.
The Maharashtra government on Saturday defended the new norms regulating dance bars saying that it did not wish to ban these establishments, but wanted to protect the dignity of women performing dance.

Responding to the Supreme Courts query on why the new legislation had been brought in, despite the court striking down an earlier law banning dance bars, the government clarified its stance on several issues, including operational timings and serving of alcohol.

To prevent cases of sexual assault and other offences against women who work at these places, dance bars will be operational from 6 to 11:30 pm, the Maharashtra government said.

In case the women who perform dance are required to stay back for long hours at night, there may be some untoward incidents which may result in increase in sexual and other offences related to women, the state government stated in its affidavit.

Read | SC to examine validity of new law on dance bars

The Maharashtra government had banned dance bars in the state in 2005, rendering an estimated 150,000 people  half of them dancers  jobless. The Bombay high court struck down the government order in 2006 but the state challenged it in the Supreme Court, which allowed a stay on grant of licence. The top court upheld the high court ruling in 2013 before finally lifting the ban in October last year.

The Dance Bar Regulation Bill was passed by the Maharashtra assembly on April 13, which included 26 conditions bar owners needed to comply with to get licences.

However, dance bar owners petitioned the Supreme Court, protesting some of the provisions in the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (working therein) Act, 2016.

Read | Dance bar owners move SC against Maharashtras obscenity law

One of the provisions being contested is the governments ban on serving alcohol in bar rooms where dances are staged. The state defended the decision saying once intoxicated, people could cause a disturbance to the performance or to other people in the room.

Instead, it mandated separate rooms, for which a permit is required, where liquor can be served from 6 to 1:30 am.

The government also sought to dismiss the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Associations contention against banning liquor and dance bars within a kilometre radius of educational institutions and religious places such as mosques, temples and churches.

Intention behind inserting the said rule is not to disturb religious harmony and not to inculcate unethical things in the minds of the students, the affidavit, filed through standing counsel Nishant R Katneshwarkar, said.

Read | Supreme Court: Dance bars can challenge impossible conditions

The state also clarified that it didnt want the live feed from the security cameras inside dance bars, as earlier stated.

Instead, it insisted that CCTV cameras be installed in all areas of the performing room, and footage be preserved for 30 days in case police needed to investigate an offence committed inside the bar.

The objective of these norms, the government said, is to prevent obscene dance in hotels, restaurants and bar rooms, and thereby protect the dignity and safety of women working there.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi got into poll mode on his 67th birthday and wooed the tribals of Gujarat while addressing two rallies in his home state on Saturday.

The Prime Minister began the day by seeking blessings of his mother Hiraba at the residence of his youngest brother Pankaj Modi in Gandhinagar.

Travelling in a small cavalcade of three vehicles, Modi, who arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday night, visited his mother at 7.15 am almost an hour earlier than his scheduled time. He spent around 40 minutes at Saket in Raisan area of the state capital and met his other family members too.

From there, the PM left for Raj Bhawan to meet Chief Justice of India TS Thakur who is in Gujarat to attend a state-level judicial conference. This is the PMs third visit to Gujarat in the past two months. The right-wing party is struggling to retain its key vote bank in the state due to the Patidar agitation and the protests held by Dalits following the Una flogging incident.

Read: On Modis birthday, BJP woos Dalits in poll-bound Uttarakhand

After meeting the CJI, Modi left for Limkheda village in Dahod tribal district to inaugurate irrigation and drinking water projects. The projects, worth nearly `3,800 crore, include six water supply and four lift irrigation projects.

Due to scarcity of water, my tribal brothers had to migrate and toil hard as construction labourers in extreme heat in the past. At that time, the Gujarat government (under his leadership before 2014), gave priority to water and allocated highest budget for water related projects, the PM said.

Before becoming the PM in 2014, Modi had served as the Gujarat chief minister for 13 years. Today, we are inaugurating several projects for providing drinking and irrigation water at a cost of thousands of crores of rupees. We took up this task of empowering the last man on the line, so that he can also uplift the lives of others, Modi said. He thanked the tribals for raising him and promised to do everything possible to uplift their lives through various schemes.

To avoid any untoward incident during the PMs rallies, the Gujarat police in a preventive measure had detained 200 Patidars and also the Dalit unrest leader Jignesh Mevani.

(With PTI inputs)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his 66th birthday on Saturday by seeking the blessings of his mother and will attend a clutch of programmes organised by his Bharatiya Janata Party to mark the day.

Travelling in a small cavalcade of three vehicles, Modi visited his mother Hiraba at 7.15amalmost an hour earlier than his scheduled timeat the residence of his youngest brother Pankaj Modi in Gandhinagar.

The PM spent around 40 minutes at Saket in Raisan area of the state capital and met other family members too. He reportedly ate sukhadi, a Gujarati sweet made with wheat flour and jaggery in ghee.

#WATCH PM Narendra Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). pic.twitter.com/pl3IPgWLC6  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

From there, the PM left for Raj Bhawan to meet Chief Justice of India TS Thakur who is in Gujarat to attend a state-level judicial conference.

After meeting the CJI, Modi will leave for Limkheda in the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate water supply irrigation projects. He will also address a public rally in the town.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project, which will provide water to several remote villages of this district, Dahod district collector Lalit Padaliya had said earlier this week.

Later in the day, he will travel to Navsari where he is scheduled to meet differently-abled people and distribute various kits and aids to them.

The BJP has lined up a series of events across the state to mark Modis birthday, which is being celebrated as Sewa Diwas. MPs and ministers have been asked to travel to different parts of the country and spend time with the poor and underprivileged. Leaders, however, have been advised against publicising the events.

The party has also planned to reach out to the general public, who can directly wish the PM using a special section of the Narendra Modi app. People can send their wishes in the form of a customised greeting card through the app.

They can use their own photos with the PM in making this card, sources said. Once the card is sent, a user will get a personalised video in return, they said, adding it can be easily shared and act as a unique souvenir.

Modi landed in Ahmedabad on Friday night and was accorded a grand reception by Gujarat governor OP Kohli, the entire Gujarat cabinet including chief minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP leaders and hundreds of party workers.

This is his third visit in recent months to Gujarat, where assembly elections are due next year with the BJP facing an upsurge of protests from the influential Patidar community and Dalits.

His first visit was on August 15 to condole the death of a saint of the Swaminarayan sect, Pramukhswami Maharaj. A fortnight later, he visited Saurashtra to inaugurate Saurashtra Narmada Avataran for Irrigation (SAUNI) scheme for the region.

Police detained Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani  the face of statewide Dalit protests against atrocities by alleged cow protectors  late on Friday night as a preventive measure ahead of Modis birthday celebrations.

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Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said on Saturday that a high level committee has been set up which is inquiring into the Scorpene Leak on the Indian side, adding that preliminary investigations show that the leak did not happen in India, but at the DCNS office in France.

Speaking at the launch of Indian Navys guided missile destroyer Mormugao, Admiral Lanba said, There is a high level committee which is inquiring into the Scorpene Leak on our side. Similarly in France, DCNS and the French government have launched an enquiry. Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done and whether any mitigation measures are required or not.

In preliminary investigation, it has been found that leak did not happen in India, but in the DCNS office in France, he added.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier played down the Scorpene leak, saying its not a big worry.

However, Admiral Lanba termed the Scorpene data leak as a matter of serious concern.

We have asked DCNS to launch an urgent investigation, he had said.

Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with French company DCNS have been leaked.

The secret data included details of the capabilities of SM39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the Scorpene and classified information about the number of targets the missile was capable of processing.

Some of the leaked documents relate to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the submarines which are used to gather intelligence underwater.

Read| Reconfigure subs or claim damages? Whats next after Scorpene data leak
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court here issued release warrants of Aseemanand, one of the alleged masterminds of Samjhauta Express blasts, after he furnished bail bonds on Saturday.

The blasts on Samjhauta Express had taken place on February 18, 2007, killing 68 people, mostly Pakistanis.

Aseemanand was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court on August 28, 2014, but he did not submit the bail bonds before the trial court at that time.

Aseemanand, who is also accused in the Ajmer blasts case, will now be moved to Jaipur jail as the court verdict in that case would be pronounced soon.

His counsel said they would also apply for his bail in the Mecca Masjid blasts at Hyderabad soon.

The CBI had arrested him on November 18, 2010, and since then he has been in jail.

ANOTHER WITNESSES TURNS HOSTILE

Meanwhile, witnesses in the Samjhauta blasts case continue to turn hostile during the trial proceedings in the case. On Saturday, one more witness resiled from his statement.

According to NIA, witness Jitendar Chaudhary was an uncle of Rajinder Chaudhary, who is an alleged bomb planter on the Samjhuata train. He was to state that Rajinder Chaudhary had stayed with them during the period in which he was absconding. But he completely denied his earlier statement. He said that he didnt know Rajinder nor did they have any relationship, said Rajan Malhotra, counsel for NIA.
Police arrested six people following three deaths in clashes over an incidence of eve teasing in Bijnor district on Friday.

The district administration blocked internet access in the district, except for two hours in the evening, to prevent the tense situation from escalating after three Muslims were killed in the violence that broke out in Peda village of Kotwali area, Bijnor.

We gave only two hours relaxation for using internet, said Jagat Ram Tripathi, district magistrate of Bijnor, adding the move was aimed at preventing provocative material being circulated on social media.

Seven companies of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary and two companies of the Rapid Action Force were also deployed around the village to maintain peace.

Tripathi confirmed the six arrests and said a licensed rifle and two country-made pistols were recovered during search operations.

An FIR has been filed against a Sansar Singh and 28 others in Kotwali for instigating the violence that also left 12 people injured. They had sustained bullet and stone injuries during clashes.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav sanctioned an ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh for each of the deceaseds families.

Meanwhile political and religious leaders made their way to the village to take stock of the situation.

BJP MP Yashwant Singh, MLA Lokendra Chauhan and district officials called for action against those who targeted Hindus. Maulana Arshad Madni, president of Jamiat-E-Ulema Hind, met families of victims, and said stern action needed to taken against the perpetrators. A social activist from Purkaji, Rehana Adeeb, alleged the incident was pre-planned and that the rioters were attempting to create another Muzaffarnagar-like situation. The 2013 Hindu-Muslim clashes in Muzaffarnagar saw more than 60 people die and required the army to be deployed to restore order.
A pilot project for geo-satellite monitoring of road construction has found nearly one-third (31%) of the village roads in ten districts across India to be shorter than the sanctioned length.

The four-month-long survey  taken up under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Assam  also found that nearly one of every five rural roads stopped short of the habitations they were meant to connect. The project had concluded late last month.

These findings alarmed the government, prompting the ministry of rural development to undertake monitoring of all such roads in India under the scheme by the end of this year. The pilot project was carried out by the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) in Hyderabad.

We will universalise the monitoring system now, an official declared, adding that the ministry has decided to enter into an agreement with the National Remote Sensing Agency  which manages Indias satellite data  in this regard. He said the NIRDPR uses a software that can study the images and calculate the exact length of a winding road, leaving little scope for manipulation.

The findings will help us not only in monitoring the ongoing (road building) projects but also planning the next ones, another top official said.

The project studied all the roads under the scheme for their length, optimal alignment and cross-drainage structures such as bridges.

An official said although there is a mismatch between the sanctioned road length and the actual construction in certain cases, the ministry was yet to ascertain the reasons behind it. The report has been shared with the states for their response, which is expected by next month.

The PMGSY, a flagship programme of the government launched in 2000, intends to lay 4.8 lakh km of roads by 2019. The pace of road construction has picked up from 73 km a day in 2011-2014 to 139 km in 2016. The Prime Minister wants all the villages in the country to be connected through these roads by March 2019, a top government functionary said.

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In Gaya, every lane, river, pond, tree and even stone has a story  often dating back to the mythological era. But the story that has been circulating in the streets of Gaya for the past year or two has been that of online pind daan. Perhaps it is because of the recent origin of this particular tale, that there is as yet little consensus on the narrative.

Legend has it that a demon named Gayasur  after whom the town of Gaya is named - received a boon from Vishnu that the souls of the ancestors of a person who performs pind daan (a ritualistic offering) here, will attain mukti. In the eras that followed, Rama is believed to have performed pind daan for his father emperor Dasharath in Gaya. Yudhishthir, the eldest Pandava brother from Mahabharata is also said to have performed Pind Daan here. The practice continues. And especially during pitrapaksha mela, an 18-day period before Navratri - an auspicious period to offer pind daan  Gaya draws lakhs of people eager to do their duty towards their ancestors. A few years back, with the growth in technology, some innovative priest must have thought of expanding his reach beyond those travelling to Gaya for pind daan and thus on social media and websites listing the importance of Gaya pind daan, appeared a small line in the list of services offered  that of online pind daan.

Mahesh Lal Gupt, a member of the Gayawal Panda community at his office in Gaya. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

Online pind daan is against our culture. According to the practice in Hindu culture, people remember their forefathers and pay respect to them through this system of offering pind daan. It helps nurture the bond between generations. Online pind daan is a blow to this bond, says Mahesh Lal Gupt, a member of the Gayawal Panda community, that claims sole right over helping people offer pind daan in Gaya. Members of the community maintain detailed ledgers where each is assigned clients of a certain region from the country. The system of online pind daan, may, they fear, take away this control over pind daan, giving access to any priest or company to solicit clients desirous of having pind daan performed in Gaya. It might affect our income too in the long run, concedes Gupt.

The Great Divide

Govind Lal Gupt a Gayawal Panda (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

The community is divided on the very nature of online pind daan. From what I understand, in online pind daan, a priest in Gaya connects with the client via Internet. The priest makes the arrangements for the pind daan here and says the mantras, which his client repeats after him and makes the offering sitting at home or at a place of his convenience. There is no benefit from such a pind daan, because you are negating the importance of the place. It does not have the sanction of the scriptures says Govind Lal Gupt, a Gayawal panda. But Hiranath Dariwale another member of the community who admits to offering the facility says, Technology has not made such huge advancement. When we talk of online pind daan, we mean a system where the client sends us details such as the name of the person, his gotra and time of death via email or social media message and makes payments through online cash transfer to our account. We then find a Brahmin to represent him and perform the procedure in Gaya. Photos and videos of the ritual are mailed to the client. The system described by Hiranath is similar to a traditional system described by Mahesh Lal Gupt as representative pind daan, in which a member of the family, a friend or a Brahmin is authorised to perform the pind daan, if the interested party is unable to come to Gaya. Hiranath himself concedes that the system is old and Internet has only made it easier to establish contact and thus made more people avail of the facility. Wherein lies the problem for some. Representative pind daan was done in extremely rare cases and we will not want it to become the norm, says Mahesh Lal Gupt. Most priests who agree to have performed online pind daan, however, say that it is not done during the pitrapaksha period when they are busy attending to the lakhs who visit the city to perform the procedure in person.

Watch: https://youtu.be/_u9fhoOX5d4

Protest by the Gayawal Pandas against online pind daan last year and again this year  the 2016 pitrapaksha period started from September 15 and will continue till September 30  has given the system of online pind daan the character of a guilty secret. A day before the start of the pitrapaksha period in Gaya, local media, tasked by their headquarters to find more about the system shuttled between priests and authorities, trying to find a panda who offers the service. Pandas blame the buzz around the practice on media, and the state tourism authorities, who they insist have been propagating online pind daan. But KK Yadav,senior deputy collector-cum-officer in-charge, tourism, denies the charge. We have not given anyone the authority or permission to practice online pind daan. The online service we offer is online booking of hotels etc. Some of the pandas themselves are doing it, says Yadav.

People performing pind daan at the Sri Vishupad temple in Gaya (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

On the Sly

At the Phalgu river on September 16, Dilip Pandey, a priest, surreptitiously hands out a card with his details for clients interested in online pind daan, after being assured that the information was being sought for personal use and not for publication. He is busy supervising the pind daan rituals being done by a client, a mother-son duo who have come all the way from Bhutan. As early as six in the morning, thousands are gathered at the river to take a dip before sitting in a row on the bank or the bed of the Phalgu to offer pind daan. Others are gathered inside the Sri Vishnupad temple, another revered spot to perform the pind daan puja. Inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is a foot imprint on a stone believed to be of Lord Vishnus. Just message me the name, gotra and date and time of death of the person for whom you want the pind daan to be done on Facebook, and I will do the pind daan during this pitrapaksha, says Pandey. Dont worry I do one or two such cases every month, he adds, in an attempt to reassure and clinch the deal.

Most pandits who offer the service of online pin daan need some cajoling before agreeing to talk about it. If I offer you lassi online, will it quench your thirst? Then how can one offer online pind daan to his forefathers, questions Hiranath Dariwale, with an amused smile, before conceding that he does offer the service. It is mostly availed of by Indians living abroad. They also want to offer pind daan, but are not always able to come to Gaya to do it, he says, adding that he gets about 50 such requests in a year. His brother-in-law Amarnath Gupt is attached with a company with offices in Delhi and Varanasi, that offers the facility of online pind daan. He agrees to show photos and videos of online pind daans done by him in the past few months, but later backs out saying he cant find them. Another Panda Munna Pathak says he has been doing online pind daan for several years and gets about 200-250 such requests in a year, but not during the pitrapaksha period.

Us and Them

People pray at the imprint of Lord Vishus feet at the Sri Vishnupad temple in Gaya. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

The divide over online pind daan and the reluctance of the major section of the Gayawal Panda community to allow it, may reflect a deep-rooted reluctance to accept change. At the entrance to the Sri Vishnupad temple is a notice denying admission to non-Hindus. Non-Hindus have not been allowed to enter this temple from the time that it was rebuilt by queen Ahilya Bai Holkar in the 1700s, says Gajadhar Lal Pathak, secretary of the Sri Vishnupad Temple Management Committee. At a time when the issue of entry to women and other marginalised groups to places of worship is being debated across the country, the management of the Vishnupad temple, however, seems to be unaware of the possible need to change their own policies. We dont bar entry to Dalits or women. All Hindus may enter the temple. But non-Hindus are not allowed because this is mainly a seat to offer pind daan and non-Hindus do not have that practice, Pathak reasons, adding, We, however, do not deny anyone the right to view the Vishnupad. There is place outside the temple from where they may view it and many foreigners do come to see it, he says. Behind him on a glass panel is a sticker that reads Gai bachegi, duniya bachegi!, or if the cow lives, so will the world.

Pathak, a member of the Gayawal Panda community, is unapologetically frank about his support to the cause of protecting the cow. The cow is our mother. It should not be killed, he says emphatically, adding, violence over cow slaughter happens only because people are not enlightened. The government needs to handle the situation properly. People need to be made aware of the importance of the cow. If banning cow slaughter affects anyones livelihood, the government can give them money to start something else, he says. Though a supporter of the RSSs and to an extent the BJPs stance in favour of protecting Hindu culture and the issue of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Pathak comes across as no fan of the BJP. They raise these issues only to get Hindu votes. What have they done on the Ram Mandir issue yet? In Gaya for 30 years the elected representatives have been BJP members. But they have done little to develop this place. There are many temples in Gaya where there is no one to even light a diya before the idols, he rues.

It was in this prevalent mood of mostly staunch Hinduism that a resident of Gaya, Chandan Kumar Singh, dared to perform a pind daan for Mohammad Ikhlaq during pitrapaksha last year. A Dadri resident, Ikhlaq had been lynched by people in his village over suspicion of having cow meat in his house. My father, Suresh Narayan, had started the practice of performing pind daan for unknown people in 2001, when many people had died in an earthquake in Gujarat. Since the scriptures allow one to offer pind daan for strangers, he started the practice, which I have been following since his death in 2014, says Singh, a social activist and member of Janta Dal Union. His decision to offer pind daan for Ikhlaq was inspired by his desire to send a message of religious tolerance and unity, he says, where if some Hindus had killed Ikhlaq, another was praying for his soul. While Singh feels many had appreciated his move, Gajadhar Lal Pathak says the Panda community had raised questions over which panda had agreed to perform this Pind Daan. Since my fathers time Swami Raghavendracharya Maharaj, head of the Ramanuj Math in Gaya, had been performing these pind daans for us. He also did the pind daan for Ikhlaq. This year, after his death, his successor has agreed to do it for me, says Singh, who is considering offering pind daan for the Pathankot terror attack victims and the victims of the Hindu Kush earthquake this year. The rituals will be performed on September 24.

Read: Gaya man performs pind daan for Delhi gang rape victim, Sarabjeet

Women perform pind daan on the bank of the Phalgu river in Gaya on the first day of Pitrapaksha. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

What men can, women can

If there is, however, one area in which the Gayawal Pandas have been unable to stem the tide of change, it is in the area of women performing pind daan. While the Pandas are quick to point out that in Gaya women are allowed to perform pind daan, ever since Dashrath asked Sita to perform his pind daan here, one feels a subtle, underlying reluctance among the priests in letting a woman do so. If a couple doesnt have any male children, then an unmarried daughter may perform pind daan. If the woman is married, her husband or her son can perform pind daan for her parents. If such a woman is performing pind daan herself, either for her parents or her in-laws, she needs permission from her husband to do so, says Govind Lal Gupt. In recent years though, many women have been claiming the right to offer pind daan for their ancestors, or husbands, even when there is a male relative to do it. Shankaro Devi, 66, has come all the way from Jammu to perform pind daan for husband who died in 1979. She has two sons, one in the CRPF and another working in the electricity department. Their jobs didnt allow them to come. So she decided to perform the task herself, says her sister-in-law Kamala, speaking on her behalf.

Santana Jana, 42, a resident of East Midnapore in West Bengal was in Gaya on September 16 to perform pind daan for her parents-in-law and her mother. The priest did try to convince me initially that it was my husbands right to do it, but when I told him that my husband has no time and has given me permission, he agreed, says the mother of two  a son and a daughter. Jana, who also have brothers, whose right it is according to the Pandas to perform pind dan for their mother, says, She was my mother too. How do I know whether they will perform her pind daan in Gaya. As daughter, I wanted to do it so that her soul may rest in peace.

By and large though, most of those who come to offer pind daan are still men, say the Pandas. On the bed and bank of the Phalgu, on the first day of pitrapaksha pind daan on September 16, the view is very traditional, very male. Sporting shaved heads and dhotis, the men pray for the souls of their ancestors. Most of the women present are accompanying their husbands or sons. As in most Indian households, their role here continues to be secondary, making the little balls of flour, that the men will then offer for the peace of their ancestors souls.

The ritualistic bath and shaving off of ones hair before performing pind daan in Gaya. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

According to Hindu belief, pind daan is a process through which one can give ultimate relief to the soul of his ancestors and help them attain lasting peace. Offerings are made with wheat and oat flour mixed with dried milk, or symbolically with mud balls. There are three rituals  a symbolic bath, pind daan and tarpan  or offering water to ancestors.

What is pitrapaksha?

Pind daan can be done through the year, but pitrapaksha or an 18-day period before Navratri is believed to be especially auspicious. An estimated 10 to 15 lakh pilgrims visit Gaya during pitrapaksha every year to perform pind daan. Some of the main places to perform pind daan in Gaya are the Phalgu river, the Vishnupad temple, Akshay Vat, Ramkund, Sitakund and Pretshila.

Why pind daan in Gaya?

Legend has it that a demon named Gayasur  after whom the town of Gaya is named - received a boon from Vishnu that the ancestors of a person who performs pind daan here, will attain lasting peace. In the eras that followed, Rama is believed to have performed pind daan for his father emperor Dasharath in Gaya. In Gaya women have traditionally been allowed to perform pind daan because Sita was asked by Dasharath to perform his pind daan here. Also, while elsewhere, one can perform pind daan for a particular person, in Gaya, one can do it for seven gotras, ones own, for ones in-laws, maternal grandparents and aunts and uncles.

Source: gayajipinddaan.com and pinddaangaya.in

Read: Winds of change: Pind daan priests of Gaya take tentative steps towards modernity

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Vishal Guptas ears ring with the sound of coins he cant touch. The 34-year-entrepreneur was gifted a single bitcoin, then worth a mere Rs 3,100, back in 2011 and it got him hooked on to the idea of virtual money. Today, one bitcoin is worth close to Rs 40,000 and Gupta is waiting for India to realise that the currency is valuable not just in itself, but also for what its starting to represent.

Its been around only since 2009. It circulates only as strings of code through a network of servers across the world. But Gupta believes bitcoin is the ideal monetary system for our connected, wired, post-recession world. Cash is unwieldy and unsafe. Cheques and credit cards need banks, he points out. But banks are incentivised to take risks, so they keep making a mess and get bailed out at the literal cost of the people.

Bitcoin is different. It is operated by the very people who use it, so it offers the accountability and trust that our banks cannot, he says. It also has no geographical boundaries. Unlike a dollar, a dirham or a rupee, a bitcoin has the same value the world over. The idea excited Gupta so much, he gave up his in-cab advertising business two years ago and set up SearchTrade, a company that collaborates with searches engines. He pays his contributers in bitcoin.

Vishal Gupta runs a business collaborating with search engines, and pays contributors in bitcoin. (Vidya Subramanian / HT Photo)

Over the last few years, bitcoins reputation has cleaned up like a shiny new penny. Headlines have gone from alarmist (the 2013 bust of drug-trade site Silk Road, which accepted the currency) to awestruck (hackers stealing $65 million worth of bitcoins in a single heist in August). Governments, lawmakers, bankers and investors have begun studying it closely. Enterprises as varied as MobiKwik, Dell, Expedia, Virgin Galactic and Wikileaks now accept it as payment. In India, Bitcoin enthusiasts now number 1 million. They include everyone from geeks to granddads, in big cities and little towns. They encompass brokers and businessmen, lawyers and homemakers, spenders and hoarders, hackers and the hacked. Here are some of them.

The Virtual Spender

Delhi homemaker Monisha Kalra got her whole kitty party group interested in bitcoin. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Monisha Kalra learnt about the currency from her son, Mohit, and turned her kitty party gang into bitcoin users.

Kalra knew that trading in bitcoin could be rewarding. What she hadnt anticipated was her gang of 40 kitty party friends becoming interested in it too. The difficult part was to explain how bitcoins were generated, because even I didnt understand it well, she said. But with help from her son, web videos, and multiple discussions, my friends got curious about investing a little money to start with.

Kalra has used her bitcoin earnings to shop on e-stores. I was excited to spend bitcoin for the first time and was amazed at how easy it is to use, she says. Its as simple as using payTM or Mobiquik. The unexpected bonus: My friends have started calling me the Bitcoin Mom.

The Miner

The Undertaker: Danny Pinto outside his office in Mumbai. (Kunal Patil / HT Photo)

Mumbai undertaker Danny Pinto is among those who can seemingly generate bitcoins from thin air.

Pinto, 59, had been a marine engineer and a transport entrepreneur before he set up a successful chain of funeral parlours. Im always on the lookout for something new, he says. So when he heard of bitcoin from a friend in November, he was intrigued by the idea of mining  being rewarded in bitcoins for running the currencys ledger or global accounting system.

Mining, he found out, is rewarding but competitive work. Miners jointly buy servers in countries with cheap electricity, uninterrupted internet and frigid temperatures to keep machines cool, and then they split the bitcoin reward. It takes a few days to figure out. But once people realise its the computers doing all the work, they stop being intimidated. He signed on in December with his first bitcoin, then worth Rs 22,000.

Since then, Ive put all my investments into mining, he says, claiming he gets 9% returns every month. Pinto is trying to convince his son to accept Bitcoin payments in their undertakers business. Its the money of the future. And it can be your last payment before you go!

The Simplifier

Sandeep Goenka is co-founder of an app that makes it easy to use bitcoin. (Vijayanand Gupta / HT Photo)

In Ahmedabad, Sandeep Goenkas start-up is helping make bitcoin as easy to use as cash.

Angel investor Goenka realised Bitcoins potential back in 2013. He also knew that its complicated functioning would put off most users. I didnt want to be a Chief Explaining Officer, he says. I wanted bitcoin to be as simple to use as WhatsApp. His solution: joining up with enthusiasts Saurabh Agrawal and Mahin Gupta to form ZebPay. The app lets smartphone users buy and sell bitcoins. It also lets them spend bitcoin to pay their cellphone and DTH cable TV bills, buy data and talktime top-ups and etailing and pizza vouchers, just like theyd spend regular money.

The 13-month-old companys trade turnover was 18,700 bitcoins or about Rs 75 crore last month. Their app crossed 1 lakh downloads across Android and iOS, last month. Goenkas own bitcoin wealth, made by incremental investments over the last year, now has , a 150% increase in value, he says. Ive never sold; I think the price will rise higher.

Read: Banks, tech companies move on from Bitcoin to blockchain

The Early Adopter

For Delhi entrepreneur Mohit Kalra, bitcoin is the curious gamble thats starting to pay off.

If, at 24, Kalra, is already the CEO of a bitcoin company, its only because he started early. Kalras interest in financial technologies as a student led him to mine bitcoin just for the experience in 2010, when a bitcoin was worth less than a dollar. By 2013, when it crossed $260, he was still among Indias largest miners. I had all these coins but no way to spend them, Kalra says.

This prompted him to set up Coinsecure, the first website that let Indians buy and sell bitcoins smoothly in rupees, with fellow enthusiast Benson Samuel. Today, users can start with as little as Rs 100 worth of bitcoin, practise on a mock platform before trading, and cash out through reputed banks.

We trade about 9,000 bitcoins a month, Kalra claims. About 15% of the users are women, many of them over 30, and a good number are students who need bitcoin because they cant use debit cards on foreign sites.

Bitcoin is finally getting India interested, Kalra says. Even a year ago, when I told people my job, theyd assume I was doing something shady, like selling drugs, or running a hawala scam, he says. These days, they want to know how and how quickly they can start using it.

The Unwilling Recruit

Delhi businessman Abhishek adopted bitcoin the hard way, when hackers demanded a ransom in the virtual currency.

In July, Abhishek (last name withheld on request) walked into his Delhi office to find all his computers jammed, his banking details compromised and a few key files encrypted. My screen just showed a a five-day deadline counting down, and a message to transfer something called satoshis to a specified account number. Hed been hacked, and the hackers had set a ransom of 17,000 satoshis (10 million satoshis make up 1 bitcoin), worth about Rs 8,000 at the time. Delhis Cyber Crime cell couldnt help. But, in two days, Abhishek set up a bitcoin account, bought the satoshis and transferred them to the hackers.

I cut my internet wire the second I recovered my data, he recalls. It taught me a few things  that I need to keep my data more secure. But that the bitcoin system itself is clean.

The Broker

In Jaipur, Shubham Nawariya sees bitcoins volatile price as the perfect opportunity for profit.

Nawariya, a 22-year-old computer science graduate, discovered Bitcoin a year ago, watching friends shop from international sites without paying bank fees. It was confusing  how do you count something that doesnt exist? he says. But by the time he took his final exams in April, hed learned enough to trade bitcoins online like stocks and help people transfer money between India and the world.

He now trades full-time, going through about 3 bitcoins (Rs 1.16 lakh) every day. I have to keep explaining to people that, in India, no one is interested in buying drugs with bitcoin, he says, laughing. Its for sending money anywhere, in a few minutes, with no leaks, instead of running around between banks the whole day. And, of course, to stash your wealth.

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Nayagi

Cast: Trisha Krishnan, Ganesh Venkatraman, Satyam Rajesh, Sushma Raj, Jayaprakash

Director: Govi

Rating: 1/5

Once upon a time, the ghost in Indian cinema was invariably a woman. She wore a white sari, had long hair and sang mournful songs -- seducing the hero into a dark jungle at the end of which lay an eerie mansion. But Nayagis ghost, Gayathri (played Trisha Krishnan), is always dressed in brilliant colours (often shades of red) and lives in a garishly painted bungalow with magical powers. In fact, one of the opening scenes shows her getting off her bed and commanding the toothpaste to travel to her. Along with the cream comes the brush, and mademoiselle ghost then goes about making herself attractive.

But when an unmarried couple -- Sanjay (essayed by a comic Satyam Rajesh) and Sandhya (Sushma Raj) -- walk into Gayathris abode, she is bent on teaching the man a lesson, for he is all set to cheat his girlfriend by getting her into bed with a false promise. If this is not boringly dated, director Govi has an equally stupid preamble to his plot.

A village on the outskirts of Chennai has seen so many mysterious deaths of men that the administration seals it off -- its inhabitants having already fled the place. And it is into this village -- where Gayathri lives with her father (another ghost portrayed by Jayaprakash) -- that Sanjay and Sandhya drive into. They do not notice the warning signs outside the village, and, what is more, they fail to find their destination, Chengleput, while driving from Chennai. Come on, even a six-year-old from the city can spot Chengleput -- which is a stones throw away!

Nayagi -- after a generous offering of apparitional antics, some of which are more comical than devilish -- lays on a platter a moral question. Do not cheat your partner, and Gayathri, who once dreamt of being a Nayagi or actress and was horribly cheated, plays Mother Angel trying to reform wayward men! If they do not fall in line, they are killed. All is fair in this kangaroo court run by the father and daughter.

Nayagi is an excruciating watch. (YouTube)

I often wonder why writers and helmers underestimate audience intelligence, thrusting on to them plots that are so low on plausibility that even without ones thinking cap, it is hard to digest. And must actors with promise -- like Krishnan and Ganesh Venkatraman (who plays a cinematographer) -- allow themselves to be part of such inanity?

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS

Direction: Derek Cianfrance

Actors: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander

Rating: 1.5 / 5

If you decide to venture into this handsomely mounted but dramatically stillborn melodrama, you are advised to walk in with patience (the film is nearly two-and-a-half hours long) and lowered expectations.

Set in post-World War I Australia, The Light Between Oceans is adapted from ML Steadmans debut 2012 bestseller of the same name.

A follow-up to writer-director Derek Cianfrances previous feature (The Place Beyond the Pines, 2012), the new tearjerker is disappointing on most levels, the most notable of these disappointments being the passionless performances by both Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.

The film is set in post-World War I Australia and revolves around a couple who live in happy isolation on an island. The only sorrow in their otherwise idyllic existence is that they yearn for a child but cant have one.

They portray a couple who live in happy isolation on a remote island where the husband is the lighthouse-keeper. Their otherwise idyllic existence is incomplete without children.

After two miscarriages, the wife has given up hope of ever becoming a mother. Then, as fate and Nicholas Sparks-style contrivance would have it, a rowboat washes ashore containing a dead man and an infant.

Read: Fassbender, Vikander discuss the making of the film

Torn between his responsibility to report the incident to the authorities and the pleading of his wife, who believes the baby is a gift from God, they decide to raise the little girl as their own. Four years and a chance encounter later, the couple is forced to face the consequences of their actions.

When a rowboat washes ashore containing a dead man and an infant, they decide to raise the little girl as their own. Four years and a chance encounter later, the couple must face the consequences of this.

A bittersweet coda fails to elicit the intended smiles and sniffles.

Of the supporting cast, only Rachel Weisz brings conviction to her role of the biological mother. While the oceanic vistas are undeniably photogenic, the background score by Alexandre Desplat is overly sentimental.

Ultimately, The Light Between Oceans is a hokey period romance masquerading as a morality tale.

Watch the trailer for The Light Between Oceans

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THE SHALLOWS

Direction: Jaume Collet-Serra

Actors: Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada

Rating: 3 / 5

Forty-one summers ago, Steven Spielbergs Jaws kept millions of vacationers away from the beaches.

No such qualms beset this films heroine, a seasoned surfer (Blake Lively) seeking solace from the recent death of her mother. Arriving at a secluded Mexican shoreline, she unpacks her board and sets off to ride the crystalline waves.

But the therapeutic trip turns into a nightmare when she finds that shes drifted into the feeding ground of ravenous sharks. After managing to swim to an outcrop of rock, the bedevilled surfer must call upon all her resourcefulness, and her training as a former med student, if she is to have any hope of surviving.

She is surprisingly convincing as an action star, although the plot is B-grade at best.

In a nod to Tom Hankss volleyball pal Wilson in Cast Away (2000), our heroine has an injured seagull she likes to talk to. This is less surprising than the fact that she manages to stitch up her own leg wound  with an earring.

For the most part, Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra  best known for his collaboration with Liam Neeson on the actioners Non-Stop, Unknown and Run All Night  keeps the viewer engrossed without resorting to gratuitous blood-letting.

More than a few of the horrific attacks  the great white feasts on three humans and the carcass of a humpback whale  occur off-screen. Unfortunately, the shark-versus-surfer saga spirals into a climax that is silly rather than scary.

In a nod to Tom Hankss volleyball pal Wilson in Cast Away, Lively has an injured seagull she likes to talk to. This is less surprising than the fact that she manages to stitch up her own leg wound  with an earring.

As the svelte bikini-clad braveheart, Lively is lovely, and surprisingly convincing as an action star.

Still, this is at best a guilty pleasure; B-movie fun while it lasts.

Watch the trailer for The Shallows

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Jailed NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal was admitted to JJ Hospital on Saturday evening after he was suspected to have contracted dengue .

Dr Tatyarao Lahane, dean of the JJ Hospital, said that Bhujbal had body pain, low platelet count and fever, hinting at possible dengue diagnosis.Sources in the Arthur Road Jail said that a team of doctors from JJ hospital visited Bhujbal after he showed symptoms of fever.

The team found that Bhujbal had viral fever and platelet count in his blood had dropped.Since the symptoms are very similar to dengue, we have sent the blood samples for testing at JJ Hospital. The report is awaited, said one of the doctors.

The NCP leader is lodged in the Arthur Road jail.

Slum dwellers outshine rich in preventing dengue

The slum dwellers of Mumbai are better informed about the ongoing dengue menace than their richer counterparts, data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) revealed. Inspection data collected from over 74 lakh homes, to locate mosquito breeding grounds, shows that while 1,828 mosquito breeding grounds were found in slum areas, the BMC issued notices to houses four times the number in non-slum areas.

There have been 1,513 confirmed cases of dengue this year, of which 122 cases were confirmed in September. The insecticide department of BMC has, since the onset of monsoon, been carrying out widespread inspections of homes to locate possible breeding grounds of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. It that breeds in fresh water is a known carrier for viruses like dengue, chikunguniya, zika and yellow fever.

The recent data released by BMC shows that the officers of insecticide department inspected 74, 78, 556 houses between January and September to check the spread of dengue and malaria. The officials also surveyed 80,20,000 containers during the same period.

Rajan Naringrekar, BMC inspecticide officer said that they have issued notices to about 13,593 houses for failing during the inspection and legal process is underway in over 927 of the cases. More than Rs 26 lakh was collected through penalties in the conviction cases, said Naringrekar.

Speaking about the recent rainfall which may lead to a rise of the mosquito numbers, the officer said, Residents should not store water for long. Water containers should be cleaned every week because the mosquito breeds in about eight days.

Bollywood celebrities go through check-up

A number of homes of Bollywood celebrities were scanned during the drive but certain actors have refused entry to BMC officials. These include Shahrukh Khan and Sushmita Sen, claimed sources. Meawhile, actor Shahid Kapoor was issued a notice by BMC officials on September 16 after a mosquito breeding ground was found inside his swimming pool at Praneta apartments in Juhu.

With inputs from Sadaguru Pandit
In a relief to gangster and 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Abu Salem, who was deported from Portugal in 2005, the legal cell of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has said that he cannot be prosecuted in any case other than those mentioned in the extradition treaty with the Portuguese government.

The MHA has said that a sessions court in Madhya Pradesh has erred by initiating prosecution against Salem in a murder case. The MHA observations came after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought a legal opinion from the ministry in the murder case after the gangster termed his detention illegal owing to the breach of the extradition arrangement.

Salem, who is facing trial in the 1993 bomb blasts case, had raised the objection before a designated TADA judge, GA Sanap.

Acting on Salems plea, the judge had asked the CBI to submit a report from the ministry of home affairs to clarify if the gangster can be prosecuted. The central agency then submitted a report, along with the MHA reply, to the TADA court.

In the letter dated August 2, the deputy legal adviser, MHA, said, The learned sessions judge appears to have erred while appreciating the facts of the case. Whereas the correct legal position is that the accused cannot be tried for the offences which were not there in the extradition proceedings without the consent of the country from where the extradition was sought.

Any violation of the said principle would adversely affect Indias credibility at the international forum, warned the adviser. In the second letter dated August 8, the officer clarified that as on date no extradition proceedings (are) pending with the ministry of home affairs for Abu Salem. On receipt of the affidavit from the CBI, the court has reserved the application for arguments from both the side.

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The Mumbai crime branchs investigation into the radicalisation case has revealed an exhaustive list of text messages Salafi preacher Mohammad Haneef had exchanged with several people within and outside India in the past one year.

Investigators said a series of text messages were sent and received from two of Haneefs mobile phones to numbers in India and Middle Eastern countries. These messages are in Malayalam, Arabic and Urdu. Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) officials are currently deciphering them.

Read: ISIS case: Haneef received several calls from Kuwait and Dubai

The discoveries were made by the state Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL), which revealed in its report the details of the text messages and phone calls made and received by Haneef.

Officials said messages were also exchanged between Haneef, Arshi Qureshi, who had been employed with Zakir Naiks non-profit Islamic Research Foundation and Rizwan Khan, a Kalyan-based maulavi. Both Qureshi and Khan have been arrested in connection with the case.

We seized the phones when Haneef was arrested from Peringathur in Kannur on August 12. He used the phones when he stayed in Kerala and travelled to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Many of the calls were made to Kuwait and Dubai, said a police officer.

Haneef has been remanded in judicial custody and crime branch officials want to seek his custody for a joint interrogation with Qureshi and Khan, who are currently in Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai.

The police will first get the text messages translated and after clarifying what has been written, they will seek custody of the trio to interrogate them.

Those arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act can be sent to police custody for a month, instead of the normal 14 days provision under the Indian Penal Code.

The radicalisation case was registered with the Nagpada police in Mumbai after the father of Ashfaq  one of the missing Kerala youth  Abdul Majeed Kadar Khan, 60, lodged a complaint with them.

Conversion documents recovered

1 The crime branch raided Rizwan Khans Kalyan home and recovered the conversion documents of three of the people  along with conversion documents of 60 others  who were feared to have joined ISIS.

2 The three people  Bestin Vincent (now Yayha), Merin Jacob (Marriyam) and Nimisha (Fatima)  were allegedly forcefully converted to Islam and later radicalised to join ISIS as a part of the group of 21 people from Kerala.

3Bestin, Merin and Nimisha travelled to Dubai and then to Tehran. They are believed to have entered ISIS-controlled territory via the Afghanistan border.

4 The recovery of the documents substantiated claims of an alliance between Khan and Qureshi with reference to the disappearance of the missing people from Kerala.

5 The case is now being probed by the National Investigation Agency.

6 The crime branch found several bail bonds, in which Khan stood surety for the accused to secure bail for them from prison. The verification of these people is underway.

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The Maharashtra government is considering to allow black and yellow taxis as well fleet taxi operators such as Meru and Tabcab to migrate to app-based taxi aggregators, but with certain conditions.

The fleet taxi operators, who have been issued licenses under Fleet Taxi Schemes 2007 and Phone Fleet Taxi Scheme 2010, would be given deemed permission to switch to app-based taxis, while black and yellow taxis will have to follow certain conditions while doing so.

The decision was taken in a recent meeting about City Taxi Scheme 2015, chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadanvis. As per the documents accessed by HT, the government is now going to revise the scheme, for which it would invite suggestions and objections from the public.

For regulating the app-based taxis of the aggregators like Ola and Uber and regulating their fare, the Maharashtra government is working on making new rules and regulations for them under the City Taxi Scheme 2015.

Taxi industry experts, however, feel that the decision would have an impact on the citys public transport if a large number of black and yellow taxi drivers move to app-based taxis, resulting in shortage of drivers for them. Not everybody in Mumbai hails taxis via smartphones for short distance. A majority of people still depend on the black and yellow taxis. If their number goes down, it will have an adverse impact on the citys public transport, said an expert, requesting anonymity.

At present, many black and yellow cabbies are working with the Ola and Uber, but commuters are reluctant to use non-AC taxis. Whereas, the number of app-based AC taxis has gone up significantly due reasons like ease of booking taxis, comfortable ride and well-mannered drivers, among others.

According to sources, after migrating to app-based taxis, the black and yellow taxis would have to stay with the same aggregator at least for a month. Currently, most of the drivers of app-based taxis work with multiple aggregators. Also, they will be given a different roof top indicator for easy identification. Use of air-conditioners will be optional even though most new vehicles plying as black and yellow cabs have air conditioners but they cannot be used under the current tariff structure.

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Former chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Friday said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar knew a probe was being initiated into the irrigation scam as well as the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) during his tenure as chief minister.He added that it was former home minister R R Patil, who had cleared the file into the probe.

Chavans remarks came just days after NCP leaders Praful Patel and Ajit Pawar slammed him for the downfall of the Democratic Front alliance in 2014. Both blamed Chavan for maligning the party.

Chavan said he was not behind the probe initiated against them.

Just ahead of the Assembly elections in 2014, the then home minister late RR Patil cleared the file for open inquiry by the anti corruption bureau against former water resources ministers Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare. I came to know about the inquiry only through media reports and I believe RR Patil would not have done this without taking his top leadership into confidence, he said.

Chavan added that Patel should first seek information from within the party and his leadership before levelling such allegations. He said his decision to appoint administrators on the MSCB by dissolving the board of directors was taken only after taking Sharad Pawar into confidence. Chavan said NCPs act of pulling out of the government ahead of the Assembly elections and announcing the support on the day of the counting of the votes of elections had helped the BJP politically.

The former CM said the silent marches of the Maratha community was the result of unrest among the people against the established political leadership, referring to the NCP seen as a dominantly Maratha party.
The historic mela at Chhapar village in Mandi Ahmadgarh turned into a political battleground with the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders trading charges against each other on Friday.

Addressing a gathering, Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh cautioned the people on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue in the backdrop of riots in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over Cauvery water dispute.

He said the Supreme Court should take into consideration the existing ground realities before pronouncing the judgment. The former chief minister said he would not allow a drop of water to flow out of Punjab as it could render at least 10 lakh acres in the Malwa region barren.

Amarinder blamed chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for the SYL mess, saying he wanted to please his friend and then Haryana chief minister in 1978.

Lashing out at the Badal and revenue minister Bikramjit Majithia, Amarinder said: The moment elections are announced and the code of conduct comes into force, the Badals will need to run for cover. People will not let them enter their villages, he said, adding that this was the reason Badal was seeking extra security from the centre.

Meanwhile, addressing the Akali rally, Badal praised the Narendra Modi-led Union government for supporting the state in releasing funds for development schemes. Be it road projects or funds for infrastructure development, the Union government has always helped Punjab, said Badal.

Attacking the Congress, Badal said it was the party that has always hurt the sentiments of the Sikh. Akali leader were put behind bars during Emergency imposed by then PM Indira Gandhi. Again, Congress leaders took charge to kill Sikhs during the 1984 riots. Addressing a rally, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Jarnail Singh said the Akalis anti-Punjab.

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Even as the Punjab and Haryana high court has asked the Punjab government and the Nurmahal-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS) to find out an amicable solution to the last rites of dera head Ashutosh, no consensus has been reached so far.

The Punjab government on Friday told the high court that eight meetings were held between DJJS members and administration, but minutes of meetings produced before the court show that followers were not ready to budge.

Must read | Faith in freezer: Doctors inspect mummified Ashutosh Maharaj at dera

Ashutosh Maharajji is solely dera followers property and they have the right, as per law, to dispose it of, possess it and exclude everyone else from interfering with it, the members, who participated in the meeting with authorities, said.

The DJJS also told the authorities that artificial refrigeration was the best option and the mortal remains were being examined by doctors at regular intervals.

The government told the court that a team of doctors was sent to examine the body to find out whether it could be preserved for such a long time. However, the expert committee report would be shared on the next date of hearing on November 9.

In December 2014, a high court bench had declared Ashutosh clinically dead and had directed the Punjab government to cremate his body within 15 days. The order was later stayed by a division bench following appeals from the government, DJJS and one Dalip Kumar Jha, who claims to be son of sect head.

He was declared clinically dead by doctors on January 29, 2016, and since then, his mortal remains are lying in a deep-freezer on the dera premises. The followers claim that the spiritual head had gone into samadhi (deep meditation) and would come out one day. HTC
Congress Punjab affairs in-charge Asha Kumari on Saturday said state party chief Captain Amarinder Singh is the obvious choice for the post of chief minister and the formal announcement will be made soon.

There should be no doubt regarding Capts candidature for the CMs post (if the Congress comes to power). Party chief Sonia Gandhi will make the announcement soon after she gets well, said Asha Kumari, in a press conference called by Capt. Congress state campaign committee chief Ambika Soni and Punjab affairs co-incharge Harish Chaudhary were also present.

Also read | AAP CM face will be from Punjab; dont believe rumours: Sanjay

Earlier, replying to the same question, Captain said: There is a publicity team headed by Prashant Kishor, and everywhere, Amarinder Singh, Amarinder Singh, Amarinder Singh can be seen. Sometimes, even I get fed up of seeing my posters everywhere. What more do you need to know?

Arrest Valtoha for caste slur against Soondh: Capt

Addressing the press conference, Amarinder sought immediate arrest of Akali legislator Virsa Singh Valtoha for his caste slur against partys senior Dalit leader and MLA Tarlochan Singh Soondh inside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Capt also announced the party will stage statewide protests at block level on Sunday to protest the incident and press for Valtohas immediate arrest.

Amarinder said speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, despite being a Dalit, and all other Dalit Akali and BJP MLAs ignored the incident not to risk their chances of getting party tickets for the assembly elections.

Claiming Valtoha was a serial offender and a psychopath who killed seven innocent people during terrorism, the PPCC president said he needs to be sent to a mental asylum for treatment.

If anyone else would have made such remarks, he would have been arrested immediately; then why not Valtoha? he asked.

The former chief minister questioned as to how the speaker dismissed Soondhs complaint summarily without ordering an inquiry. Not ruling out tampering of the Vidhan Sabha recording at the behest of Akalis, Capt said the speaker had already taken a blatantly biased stand in their favour.

While nobody can approve of hurling a shoe at anyone, what happened in the assembly was a reaction to a provocation and anguish and anger of a community against casteist and criminal intimidation resorted to by people like Valtoha, said the PPCC chief.

I want my other shoe back: Soondh

Banga MLA Tarlochan Singh Soondh, who hurled a shoe at treasury benches in the Punjab assembly a few days back, said he wants his other shoe back at any cost.

I have met the Vidhan Sabha secretary, requesting him to return my other shoe. They can keep the shoe that I hurled at Valtoha as a case property, but I want my other shoe back, said Soondh, who was accompanying Captain during a press conference here.

Claiming more than 15 radio and news channels operating overseas have asked him to give his other shoe to them, Soondh said: Perhaps they want to auction it.

Soond said he was receiving thousands of calls from non-resident Indians (NRIs), who are praising him for daring to hurl a shoe at power-drunken Akalis.

Must read | It was peoples shoe that I threw at Akalis: Cong MLA
A protest was staged outside the Gate Hakima police station and blocked the main road here on Friday after a 40-year-old man, Balwant Singh, died in the police custody.

The protesters, comprising victims family members, relatives and acquaintances, alleged Balwant died due to physical torture, but the cops claimed he died in the hospital of natural causes.

After being booked for bootlegging, Balwant was picked by the police on Wednesday and on Friday morning, his family was informed that he had died.

Family members alleged Balwant was picked when he was working in the fields and he had been wrongly booked on the charge of bootlegging.

The protesters raised slogans against the police and demanded action against the cops posted at the said police station.

Amritsar police commissioner Amar Singh Chahal said, Definitely the person was in police custody, but he died in a hospital. We sympathise with the family. We will seek a judicial probe to find out the reasons behind the death.

Chahal said Balwant had some health issues and he was taken to a government hospital by the cops, where he died.

On action against the cops, Chahal said it was a matter of investigation whether or not they were at fault. He denied that Balwant was tortured in custody.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leads all parties with its declared income in five years  2010-11 to 2014-15  at Rs 2,446 crore, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leads the 46 regional parties on this count.

The AAP, formed at the end of 2012, got Rs 110 crore in two fiscals (2013-15), while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the ruling party of Punjab locked in a bitter battle with the AAP, stood second with Rs 76 crore in the five financial years (2010-15). Among regional parties, the AAP led the fiscal 2014-15 alone too, with Rs 55 crore, while the SAD earned Rs 31 crore in that period, according to an analysis of the parties declarations by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO campaigning for transparency in politics.

There are six national parties and 46 recognised state parties in India having multiple sources of funding. They, as per law, only submit details of contribution received in excess of Rs 20,000 annually to the Election Commission.

As for Punjab and Chandigarh alone, the SAD received the highest donation at Rs 4.5 crore in the five years, followed by the BJP (Rs 59 lakh), and then the AAP (Rs 48 lakh), which is registered as regional party in Delhi as well. The Congress received Rs 20 lakh in five years from Punjab and Chandigarh.

National scene, and poll effect

Overall, the coffers of the Congress got Rs 2,280 crore in the five fiscals, that is, only Rs 166 crore less than the BJP. The BJPs share in total income among the six national parties was 41.5%, and the Congress had 38.7%. The list also includes the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the CPI (M), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

While BJPs income in 2010-11 fiscal was Rs 168 crore, the declared income of the Congress, then in power, was Rs 307 crore. The flow grew rapidly as Lok Sabha elections (May 2014) approached.

The BJPs income in 2013-14 was Rs 674 crore while the Congress got Rs 598 crore. In the 2014-15 fiscal, Congress funds dipped slightly (Rs 593 crore), while the BJP hit Rs 970 crore.

Also read | Have proof of Khalistanis funding AAP: Capt Amarinder

In contrast, the income in 2007-10 (three fiscals) of the then ruling Congress was the highest (Rs 1,185 crore) among all national parties. The BJP was second then with Rs 601 crore.

However, among regional parties, the SAD declared only Rs 3 crore in donation in 2011-12 (assembly election year in Punjab) and the party did not receive any donation in the year before that. The only sources of income of the SAD in the five years in question were party funds/membership fee and bank interest. It got Rs 7 crore from corporate or business houses and Rs 4.4 crore from individuals.

Also, the ADR report says, the CPI and AAP were the only two parties which received donations from undeclared donors.

Apart from collecting donations or voluntary contributions, it is seen from the income tax returns of parties that a few are collecting funds by issuing coupons in lieu of receipts to donors for cash contributions. It is possible that a lot of cash donations received remain unaccounted for, said Jagdeep Chhokar, founder-member of the ADR here on Friday.

Top donors from Punjab

1) BJP got Rs 5 lakh from Bharat Insecticides (Narinder Mittal, Jalandhar), Rs 3 lakh each from Shri Sukhmani Dental College and Hospital, Desh Bhagat Dental College, Gian Sagar Dental College and National Dental College (Dera Bassi)

2) Congress got Rs 10 lakh from Amritsar Swadeshi Textile, Rs 2.5 lakh each from Eastman Industries, Ludhiana, Avon Cycles and Avon Ispat.

3) SAD got Rs 15 lakh from Janta Land Promoters Limited and Rs 11 lakh from Deep Malhotra, while from outside Punjab it got Rs 3 crore from Satya Electoral Trust, New Delhi, Rs 1 crore from Trig Detectives

Apart from collecting donations or voluntary contributions, it is seen from the income tax returns of parties that a few are collecting funds by issuing coupons in lieu of receipts to donors for cash contributions. It is possible that a lot of cash donations received remain unaccounted for, Jagdeep Chhokar, founder-member of the ADR, said.

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The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday asked the Centre to list out steps it could take to bring back belongings of martyr Udham Singh from England.

The order came after the Punjab government told the high court that it would be appropriate if the Union government was asked to respond on the issue.

England had in 2004 declined the Government of Indias request for the belongings of the martyr.

The high court was hearing a petition filed by advocate HC Arora, wherein he had argued that in the past 12 years, there had been change in Indias relationship with England. Hence, fresh efforts were required to retrieve the martyrs belongings.

England has maintained that a pistol, knife, and diary of the martyr were case property, which could not be returned. The matter would be taken up on October 24.
Congress legislator Tarlochan Singh Soondh, who hurled his shoe at the treasury benches in the Vidhan Sabha two days ago, doesnt regret it.

He claimed on Friday here that even some MLAs from the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had called up to applaud him. Even the Punjab Vidhan Sabha secretariat has nothing to report officially on a follow-up action against him. The shoe was from the people of Punjab, the victims of the Akali rule especially, he said. It was from the families of the boys who died of drug addiction and those who were crushed under Akali buses.

Also read | Punjab assemblys image hits all-time low: Bir Devinder Singh writes for HT

I am getting calls from abroad as well, saying Teri jutti vich sarean da dard hai (your shoe carries the pain of all), Soondh said. He met the Vidhan Sabha secretary on Thursday to get his shoe back but failed. You all have seen Mittal (parliamentary affairs minister Madan Mohan Mittal) carrying my shoe, he said. Only he knows what he has done with it.

Cong legislator Tarlochan Singh Soondh still looking for his missing shoe, says even Akali MLAs applauded him on telephone for the fling. (HT File )

He claims to have received comments on Facebook that he did the right thing.

Visits Dera Ballan

Soondh went to Dera Sach Khand Ballan, shrine of Guru Ravidas near Jalandhar, on Friday. He spent four hours there and also met dera chief Sant Niranjan Dass. I took his blessings, he confirmed.

The shoe he hurled during the pandemonium in the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday missed revenue minister Bikranjit Singh Majithia narrowly. The Cinderella man, MLA from Banga (reserved) seat, removed his other shoe to avoid being caught when the marshals and agitated Akali legislators, like the Princes army in the fairytale, were hunting for the person whom it fits.

Dont miss | Caste slur, shoegate, and all the drama as curtains down on Punjab assembly

Silence of the speaker

No senior official at the Vidhan Sabha has any clue about a follow-up action.

The shoe went missing after Mittal exhibited it before the media on Wednesday. Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal was also in doubt if it was still in his office. It is, perhaps, kept there but I will have to check, he responded. Any action? I will see to it, as I have received applications from both sides (Soondh and the treasury benches), he said. No one heard any caste slur that Soondh claims was hurled at him during the melee in the House. Soondh belongs to a Scheduled Caste.

The entire Vidhan Sabha term is over now. Whats left to take action against? the speaker said. Soondh had claimed that caste-ist remarks from Akali legislator Virsa Singh Valtoha had provoked him to hurl his shoe at the treasury benches.

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Residents of Tower Enclave Phase II Wadala, who had been protesting against the move of municipal corporation (MC) for giving permission to the private company for the installation of mobile tower on the roof top of a residential building in the area, heaved a sigh of relief on Friday.

MC on September 14 took the matter into account and asked the company to look for some alternative site as it accepted that the area does not fall under its jurisdiction.

The area is out of Municipal Corporation and you are here by instructed to re consider the location of the tower and give some alternate site within the municipal corporation limit, stated an MC letter to the private company,

The residents were alleging that the MC was not authorised to give permission to the company since the area does not fall under municipal limits; instead it was a gram panchayats.

The dispute began on August 30, when residents got irked on knowing that the corporation had given the permission letter to the company despite the fact that the area doesnt fall under their jurisdiction.

The residents had also condemned the fact that police had also accompanied the representatives who had come to install the pole.

Amarjeet Lal, Sarpanch of the panchayat said they had earlier written letter to Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishor Yadav a month before when the company had come to install the same but to no avail. The residents had protested at that time too.

The sarpanch then met the corporation officials with the proof that the area was instead a gram panchayat and not under MC limits.
Over 400 Class 4 employees of Government Rajindra Hospital, Dental College, Government Medical College, Ayurvedic College and TB Hospital went on an indefinite strike on Friday, locking the Rajindra hospitals operation theatre (OT). Due to the strike, patients faced harassment and scheduled operations were postponed.

On the second day of their strike, they locked the OT and demanded regularisation of jobs. After the assurance of a meeting with director, medical education and research, Dr Manjit Kaur Mohi, agitators opened the locks around 1PM. According to information 15 operations of the orthopaedic department and 10 surgeries were scheduled for Friday but only one case was operated upon.

The condition of the operation theatre was filthy and we cleaned the OT, after that we started work but it look a lot of time and we did only one operation on Friday, said a doctor.

Many patients had to wait outside the OT but to no avail. My daughter has not eaten for the past three days because she had to come for her operation. But, now we were being told that the OT is locked. We have already purchased the required medicines and fulfilled all requirements of the operation, Sunita, who came here from Rama Mandi, Bathinda, said.

I had been waiting for operation for the past ten days, but today I was informed about the strike and it was very disappointing for me, said Pargat Singh, who came from Mansa district.

Ram Kishan, president of the Class 4 employees union, said, Hundreds of employees have been working on contractual basis for the past ten years. We have held several meetings with the state government, but to no avail. We demand regular jobs and have started an indefinite strike.

Meanwhile, principal, Government Medical College, Dr BL Bharadwaj, said, I organised their meeting with the DRME and they opened the locks. The services in OT, ICU, ICCU and emergency are running smoothly.
Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal made a strong case for furthering the economic and business relations between Punjab and the UAE to an all-time high, signing a memorandum of understanding with a company for investment in the state, a spokesman here said on Friday.

Presenting the case of Punjab at an investment outreach seminar in Dubai, Sukhbir signed the MoU on behalf of Punjab with the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) of Dubai, with the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (PBIP) and the Confederation Indian Industry as signatory parties.

The agreement is going to focus on trade, investment, education and lifestyle sector opportunities, besides co-operating with each other on sharing knowhow to strengthen the commercial ties.
In another incident of dire negligence on part of the municipal corporation, two sewermen were asphyxiated by poisonous gases after they went down a manhole to clean a sewer line at Nirankari Mohalla in Millar Gunj area on Friday. Both were working without safety gear. One of them died trying to rescue his colleague after he fainted inside the sewer line.

The two men were rushed to the civil hospital where the doctors declared them brought dead. The deceased are 27-year-old Sonu of Dhandari Kalan and 40-year-old Mehar Chand of Model Town.

While Sonu is survived by his wife and two sons, Chand is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. Employees said Sonu lived in a joint family and was the sole breadwinner of the house.

What happened?

Following a complaint by residents, Sonu, Chand and other sewermen were deputed to clear the choked sewer line at Nirankari Mohalla.

Sonu went down the manhole and passed out, following which Chand went inside to rescue the youngster and fainted as a result.

Though other employees were present, nobody except another sewerman Kuldeep Kala dared enter the manhole. Kala, however, is safe even after he inhaled the same gases inside the manhole.

Junior engineer pulls out victims

While no other employee, including a nambardar, was brave enough to enter the manhole, junior engineer Kamal deputed at Giaspura area reached the spot and entered the manhole after around 15-20 minutes of the incident. He pulled the two out and tried to revive them.

Karamcharis want FIRs against guilty

The municipal karamchari dal demanded FIRs against officers, including the JE and SDO of the zone, who were allegedly not present at the spot when the incident happened. Union members also staged a protest at the civil hospital.

Union president Laxman Dravid alleged that it was the negligence of the officials that the sewermen went into the manhole without safety kits. He further added that they wanted swift police action against the guilty and will take up the matter with the MCs higher authorities.

MC refutes allegations

Executive engineer Nachhatar Singh refuted allegations and said safety kits were provided to the sewermen and they will look into the matter to ascertain why this happened.

Assistant sub-inspector Onkar Singh said police will take appropriate action after recording the statement of the kin of the deceased.
Fungus and pest attack on arhar pulse crop have put both agriculture department and farmers on toes, as the attack of pod borer pest and phytophthora stem rot fungus have been recorded in the fields of the region.

Deputy director (pulses) of the agriculture department, Parmeshwar Singh, has warned the farmers, who have cultivated arhar (pigeon pea), to be careful about the attack of pod borer pest and the fungus on the crop after visiting the fields on Friday.

Parmeshwar Singh said, Presently, the attack has been found on leaves and stems of the crop, but it may further attack flowers and fruits of the crop, so we want to make aware the farmers. Irrigation water or rain could help in the fast spread of the attack of fungus. Singh said that the pest spreads with speed and first attacks leaves, but if is not controlled soon, it may affect the yield by eating flowers and fruits.

Singh said that more than 500 acres of land has been under arhar and about 40 to 50% of the crop has been found under the pest and fungus attack.

Parmeshwar Singh advised farmers not to irrigate the fields of arhar as the fungus may spread from infected plant to other healthy plants of crop after coming in contact with water.

He advised that farmers should spray 60 milliliter (ml) of Spinosad 45 SC or 200 ml of Indoxacarb 14.5 SC with 100-125 liters of water per acre to control the pest attack. Singh added that spray of 800 ml of Ekalux or 60 ml of Coragen per acre could also control the pest attack. To control the fungus attack, Singh advised to spray 2.5 grams of Ridomil gold fungicide per litre on arhar crop and not to irrigate the crop.

A farmer Jagjit Singh of Bandi vilalge, who cultivated arhar crop in 4 acres, said that his crop came under attack at the initial stage, as he found that leaves of many plants were rotten.

He asked officials to know about the methods to control the pest attack.
Police on Friday arrested the woman who had fled with a newborn baby boy from the civil hospital here.

Rupnagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Varinder Paul Singh said acting on the leads from the hospital surveillance camera footage, police arrested the woman, identified as Manjit Kaur of Pucca Bagh in Rupnagar.

Manjit had taken the baby to the house of her sister-in-law at Bhagwal (Barota) village falling under the Kiratpur Sahib police station.

A team led by Rupnagar deputy superintendent of police Manvir Singh Bajwa raided the house and recovered the baby, who was handed over to his parents. The SSP said during the interrogation Manjit revealed that she did not have any issue and had suffered miscarriage. She hatched a plan to take away a newborn baby from the hospital. She tried to befriend babys mother Malti at the civil hospital Rupnagar. The woman told the couple that they would get Rs 1,200 for institutional delivery in the hospital.

Thereafter, she took Malti, who was carrying the baby, towards the hospital canteen. The woman took the baby from Malti on the way and ran away.
Punjabs forest departments compensatory forestation claim along the Zirakpur-Bathinda highway (NH-64) has been challenged in the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Hearing a petition filed by Sangrur resident Amandeep Aggarwal on Friday, the NGT has sought Punjab governments reply and listed the case for September 28.

Over 99,000 trees have been axed for widening the 220-km Zirakpur-Bathinda stretch of NH-64 in three years. In his petition to the tribunal, Aggarwal challenged the forest departments claim that more than 50% of compensatory forestation had been done along the highway. He also submitted visuals arguing that no plantation had been done at Sahoke drain in Sangrur district though the forest departments affidavit to the tribunal in April claimed that it carried out plantation on over 20 hectares.

Demanding a spot inspection by the NGT, he said no plantation was carried out at Bhawanigarh and even the central verge of the road had been covered with interlocking tiles.

The petitioner said the figures of compensatory forestation in Sangrur and Patiala district were different in the records of the principal chief conservator of forests and conservator of forests, south circle, which covers this region. He added the Punjab Pollution Control Board was never kept in the loop at the time of planning the project and it was not satisfied with compensatory plantations for the project.

In its May 20 order, the tribunal had banned the axing of tress on along the 220-km Zirakpur-Bathinda stretch of NH-64. But the Punjab irrigation department and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) got a stay from the Punjab and Haryana High court.

When contacted, Punjabs principal conservator of forests Kuldeep Kumar said: Over half of the compensatory forestation has been completed and rest will be done in phased manner. The department will file a detailed reply before the NGT in the next hearing. The road widening project was sanctioned in November 2012 and since then more than 99,000 trees have been axed.

The state government was given environmental clearance for the project by the Union ministry of environment and forests on the condition that it will carry out compensatory forestation within a year.

The petitioner has also asked for original records, species of trees planted and their survival report, GPS location and video recording of forestation.

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Heres one more reason why you should look forward to marriage. A study by Japanese researchers suggest that married people are more likely to stay in shape than those who remain single.

The study also found that married men were less likely to suffer metabolic syndrome -- a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity which damages the blood vessels -- although the same did not apply to women, Daily Mail reported.

Our findings show that being married and living with ones spouse reduced the risk of being overweight by approximately 50% among patients with type two diabetes, lead study author Yoshinobu Kondo from Yokohama City University was quoted as saying.

Men who were married and lived with their spouse also exhibited a risk reduction of 58% for metabolic syndrome, Kondo said. The researchers believe that people in relationships are more likely to eat healthily and take their medication.

The study involved 270 people with Type-2 diabetes -- 180 married and 90 were single -- with an average age of 65. They calculated the body mass index of the participants and also measured the fat content of their body.

The married group were 50% less likely to be overweight when compared to the single group, the findings showed. The research was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Munich, Germany.
While Ram Kapoor played Varun Dhawans father in Karan Johars directorial venture Student of the Year (2012), the actor was seen as Katrina Kaifs father in the film-makers latest production. Ram says Karan is one of the easiest directors he has worked with so far.

He is confident, and knows exactly what he wants. Because of that, everything becomes incredibly easy on the sets. He is always prepared for everything, adds the actor.

Even though Ram was appreciated for his performances in films such as Udaan (2010) and Mere Dad Ki Maruti (2013), critics panned him for his roles in Humshakals (2014) and Kuch Kuch Locha Hai (2015). But the actor says criticism has never really affected him. Be it good or bad, I have always read things about myself, and disregarded them. Hence, when I do films like Humshakals, and get bad reviews, it doesnt bother me. Over the years, Ive realised that actors will always have more negative articles written about them than positive ones, he says.

My kids have decided that today is pampering daddy day, how sweet is this??? A photo posted by Ram Kapoor (@officialramkapoor) on Feb 8, 2016 at 6:31am PST

Helma the dolphin. A photo posted by Ram Kapoor (@officialramkapoor) on Aug 23, 2015 at 7:59am PDT

As far as his personal life is concerned, Ram says his kids  a 10-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son  are aware of his popularity. My kids are well aware of who I am. Whenever we go out, people come up to me for photographs. They are older now, so they are used to it. However, it bothered them when they were younger, he says.
A terminally ill minor has been helped to die in Belgium for the first time since the country did away with age restrictions on euthanasia two years ago, according to the senator who wrote the law.

Liberal Senator Jean-Jacques De Gucht confirmed the death of the sick juvenile to The Associated Press on Saturday.

He said the minor was from Belgiums Flemish region, but declined to provide any further details about the patient to protect the privacy of the grieving family.

Belgium is the only country that allows minors of any age assistance in dying, De Gucht said. In Holland, the lower age limit for euthanasia is 12 years.

Its terrible when a younger suffers, but it gives me some comfort to know that now there is a choice out there for children in the final terminal stages, De Gucht said. Its important that society doesnt neglect people in such pain.

The Belgian law has very strict rules for the euthanasia to be approved. It requires the minor to be in the final stages of a terminal illness, to understand the difference between life and death rationally and to have asked to end his or her life on repeated occasions. It also requires parental consent and finally the approval of two doctors, including a psychiatrist.

The law  one of the most far-reaching in the Western world  had wide public support when it was introduced in 2014, but was opposed by some paediatricians and the countrys Roman Catholic clergy.

Catholic teaching forbids euthanasia and the president of the Italian bishops conference on Saturday described the news of the euthanasia of a child as painful and worrisome.

It pains us as Christians but it also pains us as persons, Genoa Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco told Italian news agency ANSA.

As House of Representative members in Belgium cast their ballots in 2014 and an electronic tally board lit up with enough green lights to indicate the measure would carry, a lone protester in the chamber shouted assassins!

Socialist Hans Bonte at the time said no member of the House hoped the law would ever be used. But he said all Belgians, including minors, deserved the right to bid farewell to life in humane circumstances without having to fear they were breaking the law.

Some have questioned whether children should be allowed to make the choice between life and death. In 2014, a group of doctors  including paediatricians  signed a group letter to voice opposition to the measure.

A lot of people  in whatever profession  still have a problem coping with the idea that people can choose when they end their own life, De Gucht said.
A coalition air strike in Syria has killed a senior Islamic State operative considered the groups information minister, a week after another raid eliminated a top IS strategist, the Pentagon said Friday.

Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said that Wail Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, also known as Dr Wail, was killed in a precision strike on September 7 near Raqqa, the Syrian city that is the de facto capital of the Islamic State group.

Wail oversaw ISILs production of terrorist propaganda videos showing torture and executions, Cook said, describing him as one of ISILs most senior leaders and a close associate of Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, the IS group spokesperson killed on August 30.

US officials will continue to work with our coalition partners to build momentum in the campaign to deal the IS group a lasting defeat, he added.

The IS group is also referred to as ISIL and Daesh.

The announcement comes as air strikes and clashes are testing a fragile ceasefire in Syria.

Under the deal, Moscow must pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Washington must work with Syrian rebels to silence their guns.

If the truce, which began on Monday, lasts seven days and humanitarian access is granted, Russia and the United States are to work together to target extremists, including the IS group and former al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Russia said that although only Moscow and the Syrian regime were fulfilling the truce deal, it was ready to extend the agreement by 72 hours.

The Pentagon also said that it had deployed dozens of US Special Operations Forces to Syrias border with Turkey to fight the IS group at Ankaras request in support of the Turkish military and vetted Syrian rebels.
The daughter of an Indian-American head of an IT consulting firm, accused of underpaying her live-in domestic help from India and mistreating her, has said the allegations against her mother were false and baseless.

There is not a morsel or even a nugget of truth to Sheelas claims. Her story is complete fiction, Sabina Bhatia said in a statement.

Himanshu Bhatia, the founder of Rose International, which earned $357 million in 2011, has been charged by the United States labour department of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Bhatia was also accused of subjecting the help, Sheela Ningwal, to callous abuse and punishing her for pursuing her rights, according to a complaint filed in a federal court in California on August 22. According to court documents, summons were ordered to be issued to Bhatia the day after the complaint.

Sabina said her mother was shocked, saddened and betrayed by the allegations. My mom and dad  all of us, in fact  treated Sheela like family. She ate with us and socialised with us... My mom even cared and cooked for her when she was sick, Sabina said.

The truth is exactly the opposite of what Sheela claims. She is not a victim, she added. It is unfortunate that successful business leaders can so easily become the target of such baseless and false allegations.

Bhatia, who was born in Delhi and went to the School of Planning and Architecture, was named among the 25 top women business leaders in the US by Fast Company web magazine in 2012.

She and her family live in San Juan Capistrano, California, and own mansions, luxury penthouse condominiums in Las Vegas, Long Beach and Miami, according to the labour departments complaint.

Ningwal worked primarily at the family home but also at their other establishments. She was paid a fixed monthly salary of $400, with food and accommodation, regardless of the number of hours of work. The department of labour said this was grossly below the statutorily mandated minimum wage.

According to the complaint, Bhatia forced Ningwal to sleep in the garage on a piece of carpet alongside the familys dogs who slept on a mattress, because she did not want her or her family exposed to Ningwals illness.

It also said that the family would neglect to leave food for Ningwal, who was dependent on them, when travelling. Her passport was taken from her and given to her only at the time of travel. Ningwal was fired twice in 2014  once because she was researching labor laws online.

The complaint sought the payment of unpaid wages and damages.

This is not the first time an Indian or an Indian-origin American is in trouble over abuse of a domestic help.

In 2013, an Indian Foreign Service officer was arrested in New York for paying the help much lower wages than the amount shown in visa application papers, throwing India-US relations into a major crisis.

Read | Indian-American CEO forced maid to sleep near dogs, starved her for days
A probe ordered by Nepals anti-graft watchdog into the alleged embezzlement of more than Rs 6 billion from funds meant for rehabilitating former Maoist guerrillas has cast a shadow on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachandas visit to India.

In a surprise move, the powerful Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) decided on Friday to launch an investigation into the alleged financial irregularities and summoned top Maoist leaders held responsible for receiving money from the state.

CIAA spokesperson Ganesh Karki did not name the Maoist leaders who would have to appear before the watchdog, but indicated that leaders who received funds from the state and were in charge of cantonments where the guerrillas were housed would have to record their statements in 30 days.

Sources said top Maoist leaders, including party chairman Prachanda, former Peoples Liberation Army commander Nanda Bahadur Pun, now the vice president, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, now the deputy prime minister, former PLA deputy commander Janardan Sharma, and former PLA deputy commander Chakrapani Khanal, who is the premiers chief political advisor, could be questioned.

There was no formal response from the Maoists or Prachanda, who is set to return to Nepal on Sunday.

More than 19,000 former Maoist guerrillas were confined in cantonments as part of the peace process that began in 2006. Some guerrillas joined the army and those considered ineligible were given financial aid as part of a rehabilitation package.

Several complaints were registered with the CIAA about a mismatch in funds released by the state for distribution among the guerrillas and the number of former fighters who actually received the money.

There is a huge mismatch and differences between the numbers of former combatants and money spent by the state, said Karki. So, the constitutional body decided to summon responsible leaders of the Maoist party who received money from the state to take care of the combatants.

The government released more than Rs 15 billion to manage the cantonments and care for guerrillas who fought in the decade-long civil war, and more than Rs 6 billion was allegedly embezzled, officials said.

According to complaints filed with the CIAA, several thousands of former guerrillas left the cantonments but Maoist leaders continued to receive money form the state in their name.

Maoist leaders, however, had a different take on the probe. Hours before the CIAAs announcement, the Supreme Court decided to reopen the file on the appointment of Lokman Singh Karki, the head of the watchdog.

Karki, who served as chief secretary under the royal regime until 2006, is considered one of the most powerful bureaucrats in Nepal. Following the restoration of democracy in 2006, he was sacked as he was considered close to deposed King Gynendra Shah.

In 2013, he was appointed chief commissioner of the CIAA, which has sweeping powers to curb graft. His appointment was supported by all major political parties though there was criticism from different quarters because of his controversial background.

His appointment has been challenged in the apex court, which was informed by the government on Wednesday that the file and documents related to Karkis appointment were lost during last years massive earthquake. Describing the governments response as irresponsible, the court on Friday reopened Karkis case and said authorities would face action if they failed to produce the documents.

The Supreme Court also said Karki is considered a powerful man in Kathmandus elite circles and people often accuse him of running a parallel government. Hours later, the CIAA hurriedly called a news conference and announced it had launched a probe into the alleged embezzlement of funds.

This is a response to the Supreme Courts ruling, said Maoist vice president Narayan Kaji Shrestha, adding the CIAA was pressuring the government and the apex court.
Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari has apologized for plagiarizing President Barack Obamas 2008 victory speech and says he will punish those responsible.

The announcement comes as Obama is set to meet Buhari, the leader of Africas largest economy and most populous country, next week in New York.

Adeola Akinremi in her Friday column for ThisDay newspaper denounced the moral problem of plagiarism on a day Mr. President launched a campaign to demand honesty and integrity.

Several sentences were almost identical to Obamas in a speech Buhari made on September 8, launching his campaign Change Begins With Me.

Buhari said, We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long.

Obama said, Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

On Friday, the White House said Obama has scheduled a meeting with Buhari on Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session.

They are expected to talk about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in Nigeria, as well the governments efforts to counter the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

The White House also said that Obama, in his final appearance before the U.N. session, plans to promote trade between the U.S. and Africa on Wednesday, attending a summit with some 200 U.S. and African CEOs and African heads of state.
The death toll from a Taliban suicide bombing at a packed mosque in Pakistans restive northwest tribal region has risen to 36 after several of those injured in the attack died in hospitals, officials said on Saturday.

The attack targeted the weekly Friday prayers in Mohmand agency, bordering Afghanistan. The bomber shouted Allahu Akbar and blew himself up when the prayers were in progress.

At least five of those killed were children.

The death toll has now risen to 36 after more people succumbed to their injuries, said assistant political agent of the agency Haseebur Rehman.

A curfew has been imposed in the area serach operations were being conducted to arrest other planners of the attack.

Nearly 200 worshippers were inside the mosque when the bomber struck. The death toll yesterday was reported to be 28.

Jamat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 13 of its members in 2009.

Pakistani Taliban routinely targets courts, schools and mosques in the tribal region, where the military has launched a massive operation to flush out the terrorists since 2014.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a statement has expressed grief over the loss of lives and called it a cowardly attack by terrorists (who) cannot shatter the governments resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.

Yesterdays attack came on a day when Sharif vowed to continue the war against militancy till the elimination of the last terrorist.

The Pakistani Taliban was formed in 2007.
A chase and shootout through the streets of Philadelphia left two police officers and three civilians wounded and a woman and the suspect fatally shot.

Philadelphia Police commissioner Richard Ross said Sgt. Sylvia Young was ambushed late Friday night and shot a number of times in the arm and protective vest. He said Ed Miller, a former police officer who is now a member of the police force at the University of Pennsylvania, was also wounded. Both were in stable condition early Saturday at Penn Presbyterian Hospital.

One of the three wounded civilians was in critical condition, police said.

The suspect was cornered in an alley and fatally shot by police, the commissioner said.

Young, a 19-year police veteran, was sitting in her vehicle at about 11:20 p.m. when she was ambushed by the suspect, who fired numerous shots, Ross said. Young was struck up to eight times, multiple times in her protective vest and left arm.

The suspect fled, Ross said, and shot into a nearby bar, striking a security guard in the leg. The man then grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg.

Moments later, as police gave chase, the suspect shot into a car, striking a man and a woman in the chest. Police said the woman died and the man was in critical condition.

Ross said Miller and two police officers chased the man into an alley, where he was shot and killed.

The identities of the suspect and the others who were injured were not immediately released.

Mayor Jim Kenney praised officers and pleaded with them to follow Youngs example and wear their protective vests.

Thank you for what you do for us every day, and please, please, please, every shift, please wear your vest, he said. They will save your life, as we saw tonight.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday questioned US commitment to a shaky cease-fire in Syria, suggesting that Washington wasnt prepared to break with terrorist elements battling Syrian President Bashar Assads forces.

The truce has largely held since going into effect on Monday, but both sides have alleged dozens of violations, and aid convoys have been unable to enter rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo -- a key opposition demand.

Russia has in turn accused Washington of failing to rein in the rebels, and on Saturday Putin asked why the United States has insisted on not releasing a written copy of the agreement. Officials have provided details of the agreement in press conferences, but have not released an official document, fuelling suspicions on both sides.

This comes from the problems the US is facing on the Syrian track  they still cannot separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from the half-criminal and terrorist elements, Putin said during a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

In my opinion, this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad. But this is a very dangerous route.

He appeared to be referring to the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group previously known as the Nusra Front, which is deeply embedded in rebel-held areas and fights alongside more moderate groups.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Putins remarks during a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Lavrov noted the refusal by an array of illegal armed groups to join the cease-fire, and Washingtons obligation to separate units of the moderate opposition from terrorist groupings, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Under the cease-fire agreement, the U.S. and Russia would work together to target the Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as the Islamic State group, while Assads forces refrain from striking opposition-held areas.

But Washington has warned Russia that unless aid is delivered to Aleppo, it will not move ahead with the formation of the joint coordination center.

Syrias conflict has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced half the countrys population since March 2011.
The eldest daughter of late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein intends to launch a new tribal coalition to run in the countrys 2018 national elections, media outlets reported on Friday.

Raghad Saddam Hussein, 48, currently lives in Jordan but could return to Iraq under a controversial amnesty passed by Parliament last month.

The Jordanian royal family rejected a request from Iraqs foreign ministry in May to extradite Raghad and other figures from Saddams regime who are wanted by the countrys judiciary.

In April 2010, the international police organisation Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Raghad primarily at Baghdads request.

She is sought by the Iraqi government on suspicion of terrorism and has openly pledged her support for the Islamic State jihadist group.

Raghad is said to live a lavish lifestyle in Jordan, where she fled with her two younger sisters and mother after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 as guests of King Abdullah II.

She was charged in November 2006 with supporting the insurgency.

Iraqs Central Criminal Court of Iraq later issued a revised arrest warrant allegedly based on evidence that directly linked Raghad to terrorist bombings aimed at disrupting Iraqs 2010 national elections.
Syrias ceasefire will not hold out, a senior rebel official in Aleppo warned on Saturday, as air strikes and shelling continued in some places and promised aid deliveries failed to come through.

The ceasefire is the result of an agreement between Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with air power, and the United States, which supports some rebel groups, and has cooled fighting since coming into effect last Monday.

On Friday, Washington and Moscow agreed to extend the ceasefire.

Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal, which they believe is skewed against them, because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control, including in eastern Aleppo.

The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (US) state department  will not hold out, the rebel official said, pointing to the continued presence of a UN aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to travel to Aleppo.

It is not possible for the party (Russia) that wages war against a people to strive to achieve a truce, as it is also not possible for it to be a sponsor of this agreement while it bombs night and day, while on the other side, the other party  America  has the role of spectator, he said.

Moscow has itself accused rebels of breaking the truce and said Washington needs to do more to make them abide by its terms, including separating from the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which only broke formal allegiance to al Qaeda in July.

Both sides have accused the other of being responsible for aid deliveries being stuck far from Aleppo, where army and rebel forces were supposed to retire from the Castello Road which leads into besieged, insurgent-held eastern districts.

Russia on Friday said the Syrian army had initially withdrawn but returned to its positions after being fired on by rebels, who in turn say they saw no sign of government forces ever leaving their positions.

The UN pointed the finger at the government for holding up aid by denying letters guaranteeing access.

Warplanes strafed or bombed rebel-held areas in Maarat al-Numan, Saraqeb and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, Teir Maalah, north of Homs, and Souha, east of Hama, overnight after other strikes earlier on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based war monitoring group also reported clashes between the army and rebels or shelling overnight in the capitals Eastern Ghouta suburbs, in Sanaisil and Jawalik, north of Homs, al-Eis and Ramousah, south of Aleppo and Ibta in Deraa.
Around 20,000 pro-refugee demonstrators took to the streets on London on Saturday, according to police, to call on prime minister Theresa May to do more to tackle the migrant crisis.

Protesters marched down the affluent Park Lane and the central thoroughfare Piccadilly carrying an array of colourful placards and shouting slogans including say it loud, say it clear: refugees are welcome here!

At one point, a group at the front of the protest performed a song and dance routine to Carly Rae Jepsens I Really Like You, cheered on by fellow protesters.

A demonstrator marches to the Houses of Parliament. (REUTERS)

Some carried signs reading no-one is illegal, stop the drowning, while others chanted refugees - let them stay...Lets deport Theresa May!

Ive come here today because my kids go to sleep in a safe house every night with full stomachs and I think every child should have that, mother-of-two Claire-Marie Goggin, 47, told AFP.

Volunteer worker Felicity Rose, 33, said the message was to look after our brothers and sisters from round the world and let them come and to stop penalising them because of where they come from and the colour of their skin.

(REUTERS)

The event was organised by Solidarity with Refugees, and was supported by groups including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Refugee Council and Stop the War Coalition.

It comes ahead of Mondays UN Summit for refugees and migrants in New York, to be hosted by US President Barack Obama and attended by prime minister May.

Britains then prime minister David Cameron announced last year the country would accept up to 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next five years.
A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens more as they attended Friday prayers at a mosque in a northwestern Pakistani tribal area, officials said.

The bombing took place in the village of Butmaina in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

At least 28 people have been killed and 30 others wounded, deputy chief of the Mohmand tribal district administration Naveed Akbar told AFP.

The bomber came in as Friday prayers were in progress and blew himself up in the main hall, he said.

The victims include four children, aged 10 or younger, who were killed in the attack, he said, adding that a curfew has been imposed in the area.

Another local government official confirmed the information.

Shireen Zada, a resident who had prayed at another mosque nearby, said he heard the blast as he was walking home.

I rushed to the spot and when I went inside the hall there was blood and human remains everywhere and people crying out, he told AFP.

I brought my pick-up truck, loaded three wounded and drove them to the hospital in Khar, he said, referring to the nearest town.

Cowardly attack

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the bombing, saying the government would remain steadfast in their fight against extremists.

The cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the governments resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country, read a statement from Sharifs office.

Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 13 of its members and arrests of others by a local vigilante force in 2009.

Since 2007 the government has encouraged vigilante forces comprising tribesmen -- locally known as peace committees -- to defend their villages against the Taliban.

Today our suicide bomber has attacked the so-called peace lashkar (vigilante force) in Mohmand agencys Anbar district, the groups spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in an email to reporters.

We warn all the lashkar members of Anbar and supporters of military to quit opposition to Islam and Jihad and refrain from enmity with Mujahedin (holy warriors) otherwise our war is being extended, Ehsan said.

On September 2, at least 14 people were killed and more than 50 wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a court in the Pakistani city of Mardan in an assault targeting Pakistans legal community that was claimed by the JuA.

The group has also said it was behind an attack on lawyers in southwest Quetta, which killed 73 people on August 8, as well as the Lahore Easter bombing that killed 75 in Pakistans deadliest attack this year.

Pakistans deadliest ever attack occurred in Peshawar in December 2014, when Taliban militants stormed a school killing more than 150 people, mostly children.

The army launched an operation in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004.

As a result security in the country has since improved. Scattered attacks still take place, but they are fewer and of a lesser intensity than in previous years.

According to data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal, 457 civilians and 182 members of the security forces were killed in Pakistan from January 1 to September 11, putting 2016 on course for fewer casualties than 2015.

Last year, the country recorded its lowest number of killings since 2007, when the Pakistani Taliban was formed.
Turkish police have detained more than 20 Islamic State suspects, including a Syrian man believed to be organising an attack in Istanbul, a local newspaper reported on Saturday.

Police arrested the man, identified as Ali al-Aggal and codenamed Azzov, believed to be the IS groups organiser of Turkey attacks, in an operation in the capital Ankara, Haber-Turk newspaper reported.

In a separate raid, police held 24 other IS suspects from Iraq and Syria in Kucukcekmece district of Istanbul, the newspaper said.

It said nine of the suspects were suspected of having direct contacts with al-Aggal and were awaiting explosives and ammunition from him in order to carry out an attack in Istanbul.

The remaining 15 suspects were planning to cross the Turkish border into conflict zones, the newspaper said.

Police found out that suspected IS jihadists used the building in Kucukcekmece as a sleeper cell and seized many documents and digital materials allegedly belonging to the extremist group, according to the report.

Turkey has suffered a series of attacks blamed on IS jihadists, including a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding in a city close to the Syrian border in August.

The latest arrests come as several embassies, including Britains, closed Friday for security reasons.

A member of the anti-IS coalition led by the US, Turkey has started to take an active role in the fight against the group after it had long been criticised by its Western allies for not doing enough.

Turkey in recent months has cracked down on the groups sleeper cells and launched an ambitious operation inside Syria to oust jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia from its frontier.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated that Turkey and the US have discussed an operation to push IS jihadists out of their de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria but there have been no further details.
Police say a suspect is dead after shooting and wounding two officers who responded to a reported suicide at a Fort Worth, Texas, house.

The shooting happened about 8:30 pm on Friday. Fort Worth police say responding officers initially found a man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head.

The officers were later told a witness was in a backyard shed and were shot after opening the shed door. Police returned fire, a standoff ensued and police later confirmed the unidentified suspect was dead.

Police identified the injured officers as probationary officer Ray Azucena and field training officer Xavier Serrano.

Authorities say Azucena underwent surgery after being shot in the upper torso and extremities, and is expected to recover. Police say Serrano was saved from serious injury by body armour.
ISLAMABAD: At least 25 people were killed and another 50 injured when a suicide bomber targeted a mosque in the Mohmand tribal region of northwest Pakistan during Friday prayers.

The bomber entered the crowded mosque and shouted Allahu Akbar before detonating explosives attached to his body. Officials said they feared the death toll could rise as some of the injured, including children, were in a serious condition. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack at Payee Khan, a village in Mohmand Agency that is part of the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan.

Confirming the incident, the assistant political agent of the semi-autonomous region told the media that the mosque was in Anbar tehsil. It was a suicide blast, the official quoted a witness as saying. The attack occurred in an area believed to be controlled by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Naveed Akbar, the deputy administrator of Mohmand Agency, said some deaths were apparently caused when part of the mosque caved in from the force of the blast. A portion of the mosque and verandah collapsed in the blast and fell on worshippers. We are still retrieving bodies and the injured from the rubble of the mosque, he said. Tribal elder Haji Subhanullah Mohmand said the attack may have been carried out by militants seeking revenge after tribesmen raised a volunteer force and killed one insurgent .

It seems to have enraged the militants and they got their revenge by carrying out a suicide attack in a mosque today, Mohmand said.
BEIJING : Cosmetic surgery is making millions of people happy in China. Those going under the knife are happy for their sharper, younger looks, and companies for the money the surgeries are raking in  the industry is worth more than $77 billion.

The total value of cosmetic surgeries in 2015 was around 500 billion Yuan (around $77.16 billion), a state media report quoted an industry survey as saying on Friday.

With a solid 15% growth rate every year, the industry is expected to touch 1 trillion Yuan by 2019, making it the worlds largest market. Why is cosmetic surgery so popular in China?

The answer could be in what Sadie Zhang, a manager at a Beijing-based medical skincare company, told staterun China Daily newspaper: Good appearance helps relationships and workEven teenagers have come to us for a better look. It is no longer a treatment only for celebrities.

The newspaper report said: Corporate employees, government civil servants and businesswomen accounted for more than 70% of the number of people using medical beauty services in 2015, suggesting the advantages and benefits brought by good looks. But, the newcomers participating in such treatment are getting younger each year. It suggested that the age group of those opting for the surgeries is falling. Twenty to forty-year-olds demand entry level or skin enhancement, while those who are in their 40s choose more anti-ageing treatment, it said.

Wang Qianqian, the mother of a three-year-old, spent 50,000 Yuan (about Rs 5 lakh) to tighten the skin on her face and remove spots on her cheeks.

It is the most valuable investment Ive ever made, Wang, a senior executive of an internet and culture company in Beijing, told China Daily. I am more confident since my face skin looks tighter and brighter.

The internet too is fuelling the growth of the industry.

Internet platforms have emerged as a new way for cosmetic surgery institutes to attract customers as traditional advertisers are costing them too much, said Lou Jun from a venture capital firm.
LONDON: Britains parliamentary standards commissioner will open an investigation into the alleged breach of MPs Code of Conduct by senior Labour lawmaker Keith Vaz, who was allegedly linked to male prostitutes with references to drugs as revealed by tabloids recently.

Scotland Yard is currently assessing whether any criminal offences had been committed during Vazs encounter with the male escorts at his London flat in August. The Sunday Mirrors expose also included references to drugs. The standards commissioner said Vaz was among MPs who are currently the subject of its investigations, but added that the move had been suspended pending the outcome of the assessment by Scotland Yard.

The commissioner is specifically looking at the alleged breach by Vaz of two paragraphs in the Code of Conduct of the House of Commons applicable to MPs. Para 10 states: Members shall base their conduct on a consideration of the public interest, avoid conflict between personal interest and the public interest and resolve any conflict between the two, at once, and in favour of the public interest.

According to para 16 of the code, Members shall never undertake any action which would cause significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons as a whole, or of its Members generally. Vaz, the senior-most MP of Indian or Asian origin elected from Leicester East since 1987, resigned as chairman of the influential Home Affairs Committee of Parliament after the expose.

The Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards deals with the application of the Code of Conduct and related rules that apply to members of Parliament.

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NEW YORK: Police chased a man wielding a meat cleaver through midtown Manhattan on Thursday, then shot him on a crowded street after he hacked the face of an off-duty police detective who tried to tackle him, authorities said. The man with the knife was shot at least twice and was hospitalised in critical but stable condition, police said.

The detective, who had been heading home in street clothes when he intervened in the chase, was being treated at the hospital for a six-inch gash from his temple to his jaw. I want to commend them on their bravery, Police Commissioner William Bratton said of the officers involved. Police fired 18 shots at the man, but Bratton, who is retiring Friday, said he believed officers acted appropriately.
Police said the accused attacked the doctor after she asked him to get admitted after a diagnosis.
WASHINGTON: After years of seeding and stoking baseless rightwing conspiracy theories about Barack Obamas birth, Republican nominee Donald Trump has finally acknowledged the president was born in the US.

President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period, Trump said on Friday, adding that he just finished the birther movement, a name given to a group of people pushing the falsehood that Obama was not born on US soil  for the record, he was, in Hawaii  and was thus not qualified to be the president.

But as Trump sought to put that false conspiracy theory to rest, he stoked another, claiming that the birther movement was started by rival Hillary Clinton. There is no evidence that is true.

Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it, said Trump .

After avoiding the issue for most of his campaign, Trump brought it back into focus avoiding a direct answer to a question in an interview to The Washington Post published on Thursday. Ill answer that question at the right time. I just dont want to answer it yet. His campaign, however, said later that he did believe the president was born in the US. But it was still not from Trump directly. Not until Friday morning, when he finally abandoned his bizarre project at his newly inaugurated hotel in Washington DC, just a few miles from the White House.

A statement issued earlier by his campaign spokesman Jason Miller had sought to portray Trump as a closer who helped bring this ugly incident (about the presidents birth) to its conclusion by successfully compelling President Obama to release his birth certificate in 2011.

But Trump didnt give up even then, and continued to flog the lie, until Friday morning, shortly after Clinton attacked him for leading a movement for five years to delegitimize our first black president.

The president himself joined in also. I was pretty confident about where I was born, he told reporters at the White House. I think most people were as well. My hope would be that the presidential election reflects more serious issues than that.

I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO, SAYS OBAMA

A few hours before Trumps announcement, Obama said he had better things to do than comment on Republican presidential candidates announcement about the so-called birther question over Obamas citizenship.

Im shocked that a question like that would come up at a time when weve got so many other things to do - well, Im not that shocked actually, Obama told reporters.

I was pretty confident about where I was born. I think most people were as well, Obama told reporters in the Oval Office, where he was meeting about a trade deal with Asia.
NEW DELHI: For a change, presidential candidate Donald Trumps children were at the centre of controversies instead of their father, with son Donald Jr triggering a row with remarks that some said trivialised the Holocaust.

Trumps daughter Ivanka, who has been effectively used by his campaign to portray a softer side of the real estate magnate, was embroiled in a spat with Cosmopolitan reporter Prachi Gupta after she was questioned whether her fathers child care policy would benefit gay couples.

Donald Jr sought on Thursday to clarify his remark that the media would be warming up the gas chamber if the Republican party behaved the same way as the Democrats during the US presidential campaign, saying it was a reference to capital punishment and not the Nazi-led Holocaust. Nazis used gas chambers during World War 2 to kill millions of Jews in concentration camps. Trumps son sought to clear the air after the Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-Semitism, asked him to retract his statement. Trivialization of the Holocaust and gas chambers is NEVER okay, the League had tweeted.

Trump made the gas chamber remark in an interview with a radio station while complaining about what he saw as media favoritism toward Clinton.

Without the media, this wouldnt even be a contest, but the media has built her up, theyve let her slide on every discrepancy, on every lie, he said. If Republicans were doing that, theyd be warming up the gas chamber right now.

Ivanka drew attention after the interview with Cosmpolitan. Asked if her fathers child care policy meant for gay couples, she replied: So I think that you have a lot of negativity in these questions, and I think my father has put forth a very comprehensive and really revolutionary plan to deal with a lot of issues. So I dont know how useful it is to spend too much time with you on this if youre going to make a comment like that.

Asked how Trump would pay for his proposals, Ivanka cut short the interview and said: Im going to jump off, I have to run. I apologise.
Sony Xperia X is one of the two brand new smartphones that Sony has recently added to its Xperia lineup. Though not as powerful compared to its Xperia XZ sibling, it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chipset. Aside from that, it also comes with a number of features that makes it a preferred option among buyers.

In a Mobile & Apps report, it was disclosed that Sony Xperia X is relatively lighter and sleeker compared to one of its closest rivals in the class, which is the Samsung Galaxy C7. According to the Sony Xperia X official page, the device weighs about 152 grams and comes with dimensions of 143 x 69 x 7.7mm.

The report also shared that Sony Xperia X is equipped with a 5.0-inch screen with the IPS LCD display panel with a resolution similar to that of the Galaxy C7's 1080 x 1920 pixels. Furthermore, it features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chipset, 3 GB RAM and two internal storage options of 64 GB and 32 GB.

A Gadgets 360 article revealed that Sony Xperia X runs on an Android Marshmallow v6.0 along with a non-removable Li-Ion 3300 mAh battery. Sony claimed that the battery attached to the Xperia X was designed to provide a longer battery lifespan and can last up to two days.

In addition, the battery is also equipped with the ground-breaking Qnovo Adaptive Charging feature responsible for keeping the battery healthy while charging.

Based on the specs provided by Sony's official page, Xperia X is blessed with a 23 megapixel rear camera that can capture images in less than 0.6 seconds. It features the Hybrid Autofocus and a relatively faster image processing feature that allows it to capture even the spontaneous moments.

Finally, it is fitted with a 13 megapixel front camera with Sony's low-light sensors that enable it to provide sharper shots. Thus, this smartphone is expected to become a bestseller for buyers who are fond of taking selfies.

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Defense lawyer of Travis Vader, Brian Beresh, announced his plan to make an appeal after the conviction for second degree murder by Justice Denny Thomas in Alberta, Canada on Friday morning.

He further added that he wanted to bring the appeal as soon as possible in Alberta Courts of Appeal.

It can be recalled that Travis Vadir, a drug dealer and a meth user, was accused for slaying the McCann couple, Lyle and Marie on Aug. 31, 2010, though their bodies were still not found.

Travis was still in jail during the day he was formally charged of first degree murder for crimes not related with the slaying.

Evidences of Travis possible commission of the crime was found by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but it did not proved his guilt. On Oct. 8, 2014 Travis was released from prison for being acquitted with the charges not related with McCanns couple deaths.

But on Dec. 19, 2014, he was re-arrested for double first-degree murder of Lyle and Marie McCann. After almost two years of trial, he was convicted guilty by Justice Denny Thomas last Sept. 15 with second degree murder with an eligibility to parole within 10 -15 years.

Defense lawyer as well as legal experts expressed disagreement with the verdict.

"This is very, very surprising, I think even a shocking mistake, that it would happen in any case, let alone in a case of this kind of profile," said law professor Steven Penney.

Relying on Section 230 of Criminal Code 1:42 Justice Denny Thomas convicted Travis Vader. This conviction rose criticisms from legal community in Alberta as they were aware that the said Section was already declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court of Canada in 1990.

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Seems like the United Kingdom are coming hard on pirates. This as the new proposed piracy law would increase the penalty to violators from two to 10 years in prison.

"We are now proposing changes that include increasing the maximum sentence, but at the same time addressing concerns about the scope of the offence", a government spokesperson stated.

However, you're unlikely to spend about a decade in jail if you're streaming a movie. This however is in stringent implementation for people who are running major piracy sites and are directly financially profiting from infringed copyrighted contents.

"The Government believes that online offences should be treated no less seriously than their physical counterparts," the official response to the consultation says, noting further that, "Harmonising these will provide a deterrent effect to criminals and, where criminality continues, provide for tangible punitive action."

The Digital Economy bill, now on its second reading in Parliament and inching ever closer to becoming law, seeks to jail online pirates with sentences that would normally be reserved for hardened criminals.Pirates selling physical versions of copyrighted material (CDs and DVDs) can already be jailed up to 10 years under current legislation.The newest draft of the Digital Economy Bill was published in July, and if successful, would amend sections of the current bit of legislation - the Copyright, Designs and Patents act of 1988 - to better account for the prevalence of online piracy.

"We will help businesses from attacks on their intellectual property. Burglars can be sentenced to ten years in prison, but the criminal gangs that are making vast sums of money through exploiting the online creations of others only face a two-year sentence. We will increase this to ten", the official statement noted.

While this is certainly the best move any government would move forward and impose such a low, it's also likely that there has to be maximum imposition of stringent security checks inside the interwebs if the same has to commence in full force. Only such a move will prevent true piracy and also will result in more pirates getting caught without knowledge.

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Donald Trump blasted Hillary Clinton anew on the campaign trail, saying that the Democratic presidential candidate's security detail should disarm themselves in support of her apparently hostile stance against the second amendment, which refers to the constitutional right to bear arms in the US.

The real estate mogul's latest dig appeared to insinuate Clinton's assassination. This wasn't the first time he appeared to incite violence against his rival, as he has done so in a speech last August claiming that "second amendment people" could stop her from appointing Supreme Court justices once she's elected.

Trump's camp, however, downplayed the statement as nothing more than a call for supporters to rally for the Republican candidate. Senator Jefferson Sessions (R-Alabama) did acknowledge that the remark "may have been awkwardly phrased."

The Republican presidential candidate told his supporters that Clinton intends to "destroy your second amendment." He then quipped a sarcastic remark, saying "I think that [Clinton's] bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right?"

"Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Take their guns and let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK, it would be very dangerous," Trump added as he spoke before supporters in a Republican rally in Miami, Florida, the BBC reported.

Clinton's camp condemned Trump for "inciting people to violence." Robby Mook, campaign manager for the Clinton campaign, said in a statement: "Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief."

Clinton herself denied that she's rallying for the second amendment's abolition if she gets elected. The former Secretary of State is in favor of tighter gun controls, although she reassured supporters before the Democratic National Convention back in July that "I'm not here to take away your guns."

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A new discovery from the demised flight of MH370 has raised another theory that the pilot of the missing plane did some high speed 'death dive' into the vast ocean on purpose. Newly founded debris has been confirmed to be a part of the aircraft as well.

According to The Star, confirmed parts of the missing MH370 plane were found on Pemba island near the Tanzanian coast.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the MH370 Safety Investigation Team concluded that the discovered debris belongs to the airplane since the appearance, dimensions, constructions and the numbers printed on the debris matched the inboard section of Boeing 777 outboard flap.

Yahoo! 7 News reports that the analyzation of the jet wing's flap that has been found in the Tanzanian coast suggests that the plane plunged at a high speed into the southern Indian ocean on purpose. This is despite the fact that the aircraft carried 239 passengers and airline crew on board.

In line with this, pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was heartbroken while on the flight. Daily Mail has cited that the father of three broke up with his wife Faizah Hanun. This is after his wife found out that Shah is having an affair with Fatima Pardi, a married woman who was believed to broke up with the pilot the time of the plane's disappearance.

Pardi has been interrogated by the FBI Investigators and Malaysian police to confirm if she and the pilot have separated before the tragedy, by which the woman refused to answer.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 mysteriously disappeared after its March 8, 2014, departure, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China.

Until now, the airplane is yet to be found despite a massive research and investigation in the southern Indian ocean where it is believed to have met its demise.

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Blue Origin plans to build and launch a 30-story satellite booster from Florida by the end of the decade. In an email to the company's followers and the media, tech pioneer and entrepreneur Jeff Bezos says that the launcher is a very significant step towards realizing the company's vision of millions of people living and working in space.

Space Florida, a state-owned economic development agency which arranges commercial agreements to take over disused facilities on the space coast has leased Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The New Glenn rocket, which will have a two-stage and three-stage configurations, will blast off at the rented facility. The booster has been named in honor of Mercury astronaut John Glenn who was the first American to reach the earth's orbit.

Earlier this year, Blue Origin's rocket factory, which is just outside the security gate of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, has been undergoing large-scale development. Currently, workers are excavating the site to establish the foundation of the sprawling new facility.

At Complex 36, Bezos's company intends to build a launch pad on the spot which formerly served as a base for 145 Atlas launches from 1962 to 2005. Blue Origin also wants to construct at adjoining Complex 11 on Cape Canaveral's missile row which last hosted a space launch in 1964.

The New Glenn is lifted off with 3.85 million pounds of push from seven BE-4 motors which burn melted regular gas and liquid oxygen. This type of machine has been used for the United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan rocket. The two-stage rocket, which will be fueled by a single vacuum-advanced BE-4 motor, is 270 feet tall. The three-stage rocket, which is 313 feet tall, will be controlled by a single vacuum-upgraded BE-3 engine with smoldering fluid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

As a reference, today's most powerful rockets flying is the United Alliance's Delta IV Heavy which produces around 2 million pounds of thrust during launching.

Like Blue Origin's New Shepard, which is named for Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the New Glenn will also have a reusable first stage which will allow the company to launch multiple missions in the future.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google is about to evolve and innovate its lineup of gadgets as they are about to announce the end of Nexus and the start of the Pixel smartphones. Some of its boasting specs and features have been leaked on the internet plus, they are already available for pre-order when you contact straight from the multinational tech company.

Google Nexus 7 2016, which is being called as Google Pixel, will officially launch on October 4, 2016, and will be available for purchase from there. Techno Buffalo has learned that the Pixel smartphones could be available for pre-order if the person will purchase directly from Google.

Such speculations surfaced since Nexus hardware were available for pre-order shortly after they revealed and released the device.

According to The Asian Age, the Google Pixel smartphone will sport a 5-inch display while the Google Pixel XL will have an additional .5-inch display. Both the newest devices will run under the OS (operating system) of Android 7.0 Nougat.

The Pixel lineup could also possibly adopt the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset.

In line with this, the specs and features of Google Pixel (Sailfish) and Pixel XL (Marlin) has been leaked on the internet.

With that being said, University Herald has mentioned that both Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones will have a 4GB RAM, 13MP rear camera, 5100 mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0 support, USB Type C portal, cutting-edge features, and highly-advanced functions. The Pixel smartphone will have 2560x1440 pixels while the Pixel XL will sport a 2560x1600 pixel resolution.

Google introduced Nexus One, its very first smartphone in January 2010. The American multinational tech company has partnered with HTC to build the said device.

From there, Google continued to partner with numerous Android smartphone and tablet manufacturers through the years to build innovative smartphones evolving from time to time, thus the Google Pixel.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Steiner brings 26 years of experience within Hilton Worldwide to his new role in Addis Ababa. In his previous role, Steiner was responsible for Hiltons three resorts in the Republic of Seychelles: The Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa on Silhouette island, the Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa as well as the DoubleTree by Hilton Seychelles Allamanda Resort & Spa, both located on the main island, Mahe.Besides focusing on exceptional guest service, corporate responsibility is a core focus of his leadership. With an emphasis on Travel with Purpose, Hilton Worldwides corporate responsibility strategy, he has been the driving force behind numerous activities and events to support local communities. Steiner is also often seen in the media speaking about the hotel industry and due to his interest in leadership, diversity and human resources he has been also an active member of different Advisory Boards.
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Max B is coming home.

Max B was sentenced to 75 years in prison after being convicted of murder conspiracy and robbery charges in 2009. According to French Montana, Maxs sentenced has been shortened and he will be released in the next two to six years.

The original charges on his twelve-count indictment, which included first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and first-degree kidnapping, will all be dropped in Maxs plea deal.

Max shared the following statement:

I would like to take this time to humbly express my gratitude to the Bergen County Courts, The Honorable James J. Guida, and Mr. Grewal of the Bergen County Prosecutors Office for looking into my Post-Conviction Relief. This proceeding was not a question of my guilt or innocence, but about the bad advice, poor judgment, and overall ineffectiveness of my trial attorney. I would also like to thank my legal team at The Law Offices of Bruno & Ferraro; my wonderful attorneys John Bruno, John Bruno Jr., John Lotorocca, and Linda Peterson did an outstanding on my case and fighting for me. I wanna thank The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee. I wanna give a special thanks to my friend and partner Frank Babar and Phase One Network, William Cosgrove, Corey Whitaker, and The Playbook Agency. Without the support of the Phase One team, I wouldnt have made it this far. I want to thank my boy Masar, Alpac, and my brother from another mother, French Montana aka Mac with the CheeseI love you bro! Wave Gods till we die!!! To all my fans that been holding it down for me all these years, still banging my music and still keeping it wavy. I love you all and Stay Wavy. Last, but certainly not least, my lovely and wonderful mother Mamaveli, I love you!

Wiz joined the celebration on Twitter. Max B is coming home, he wrote. Sentence got shortened. Looks like the Gang will be working wit the Wave.

In a 2015 interview from jail, Max shared his plans in the event that he was released. I got a nice little catalogue lined up, he said.

Max B
(Thumbs down) Former Massachusetts governor William Weld, the Libertarian candidate for Vice President, cut an erudite swath through town Thursday. He met with mostly disaffected Republicans to beat an "Anybody but Trump" drum. "I think he's utterly unfit to be president of the United States," he said in an afternoon meeting with the editorial board. Despite impeccable credentials as a prosecutor and a decent record in the Commonwealth, Weld ultimately succumbs to the virus that infects most politicians: they believe their own bull manure. Weld was unable to articulate any clear path to victory ("We can win three intermountain states," he said). So if Hillary Clinton is the only way to stop Trump, why is the Johnson-Weld team siphoning off her votes?

(Thumbs twiddled) The city of Houston is behind a new app for cabs and limos that will make it easier for the consumer while providing an alternative to Uber. Anything that facilitates getting around our clogged town gets our thumbs up. But in the interest of full disclosure, the woman who is a fundraiser for the current mayor and his predecessor - Cindy Clifford - is the cab company's lobbyist. Which leads us to believe (1) another good app would be one revealing conflicts of interest and (2) if Houston taxis weren't filthy and rickety, you wouldn't need an app in the first place.

(Thumbs down) America was struck by back-to-back hacks this week. First, hometown heroine Simone Biles was splashed across the front page after Russian creeps ripped off medical records showing she takes medicine for ADHD. Next, hackers leaked private emails of Colin Powell, who appears to wield an equal-opportunity skewer. He'd "rather not vote" for Hillary Clinton and her "unbridled ambition." As for Donald Trump? He's a "national disgrace." The moral of this story is that in case you didn't know it, we live in a techno Dystopian future. If you don't want anyone to know it, toss your computer in Lake Livingston.

(Thumbs twiddled) Your Saturday morning poll: Fried chicken or a church? Don't worry, there's no lie detector in the Thumbs office. Two of Houston's most iconic institutions - the original Frenchy's Chicken and Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church - intersected this week in a story we read with mixed emotions. The chicken shack (the one that is truly finger-licking good) will be bulldozed for a church expansion. If your run-of-the-mill megachurch can have a Starbuck's in the lobby, why can't the church founded by Rev. Lawson sell a 10-piece meal?

(Thumbs up) Anthony Bourdain didn't visit Frenchy's during a recent trip here to film Parts Unknown. He did, however, visit a few of our favorite spots (Himalaya, La Grange) and had barbecue with hometown rapper Slim Thug at Burns. The show airs on Oct. 30.

(Thumbs twiddled) We thought "summits" were reserved for discussions of peace in the Middle East, nuclear disarmament or quashing international drug dealers. In Houston, however, we need a summit to fix the stray dog problem. And it is a problem out of control. You can't bicycle along Brays Bayou or in the eastern shadow of downtown skyscrapers without outpedalling packs of loose dogs. County Judge Ed Emmett is the convener. Mayor Turner's spokesman says he "looks forward to hearing from (the judge)." Question: Why can't the dog catchers just do their job? It's unsafe out there for kids riding bikes after school.

(Thumbs up) Another animal - this one a welcomed immigrant from Mexico - is the pollinating Monarch butterfly. Laura Bush this week used her position to advocate for recreating natural habitat in Texas for the pollinator as it migrates between its winter home in Mexico and northern breeding grounds. By the way, don't confuse the Monarch with the American Snout Nose butterfly which has similar coloration to the Monarch and is currently feeding on hackberry trees and messing up the grille of your ride.
A Houston Chronicle investigation reveals that thousands of special-needs children in Texas are being turned away by a quietly imposed state policy, and the presidential race gets uglier than ever -- with a Texas twist. House Speaker Joe Straus outlines priorities for the next legislative session that are different than the Senate's. And then there's a brewing fight over union-dues deductions from government paychecks, and Rick Perry's dancing prowess -- or lack thereof.

Texas politics are never boring, and the intriguing highlights and these and other topics that have dominated headlines in recent days are explored in this week's Texas Take: The Podcast -- the leading political podcast in the Lone Star State, with a Facebook Live post so you can see the show each week as it happens.
The Texas County Genealogical and Historical Society has a library open on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its Grand Avenue building. Its meetings are on the first []
The Missouri Department of Conservation encourages deer hunters around the state to assist others through the states Share the Harvest program.

Administered by MDC and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), Share the Harvest coordinates the efforts of thousands of deer hunters, about 100 participating meat processors, numerous local supporting organizations and a handful of statewide sponsors. The program works by deer hunters donating their extra venison  from several pounds to whole deer  to participating meat processors throughout the state who grind and package the deer meat. The packaged venison is then given to food banks and food pantries for distribution to Missourians in need of food assistance.

Processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous local sponsors, along with statewide sponsors that include: MDC, CFM, Shelter Insurance, Bass Pro Shops, Gateway Area Chapter of Safari Club International, Missouri Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Midway USA Inc., and the Missouri Food Banks Association.

Funds are available to help with processing costs when a whole deer is donated during all portions of the archery and firearms deer seasons. The Conservation Federation of Missouri reimburses processors a pre-determined amount for each whole deer donated. This allows processors to reduce processing fees to hunters. In addition, many processors have local funds available that allow deer to be processed for free or at a reduced cost. Hunters should contact individual processors to determine what funds are available. The cost of processing is the hunters responsibility when funds to help cover the full cost are not available.

More than 4,500 deer hunters donated more than a quarter-million pounds of venison from last seasons deer harvest. Since the program was started in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 3.5 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry Missourians.

Find participating processors in the MDC 2016 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet available where permits are sold, online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-share-harvest or by calling MDC at 573-751-4115
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In a frank and revealing discussion, we sit down with best-selling author, international speaker, business owner and entrepreneur, Ken Shelton. Ken shares critical components for sustainable leadership, encouraging leaders to take personal ownership of their development as a springboard to create more evolved organizational frameworks and cultures. Q: You are one of the early pioneers of professional leadership development. Could you share some of your background and how you founded Leadership Excellence magazine in 1984? Ken: We started on the tsunami wave with the arrival of In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters, which was published in 1982. This period set the stage for a new age in leadership development. The old age, so to speak, was characterized by Peter Drucker, Edwards Deming and others across industries. They were great as long as you had them present because they never really leveraged themselves. So the age of Tom Peters, Stephen R. Covey, Ken Blanchard, Warren Bennis, Gary Hamel, Rosabeth Kantor, Jim Collins, Jim Kouzes, Peter Block all those people started in the 80s with a new leadership model. It included consulting, teaching, speaking and authoring. It was also a new model of how to leverage oneself into a business where they employed many other people. It took those pioneers to really launch that model, and I was closely affiliated with Stephen R. Covey starting from the get-go in 1983 when we launched Leadership Excellence. It was me...
OTTAWA  The Liberal government hasnt ruled out holding a vote on any upcoming peacekeeping missions.

No decisions have been made yet, Government House leader Bardish Chagger told The Huffington Post Canada Friday.

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Bardish Chagger speaks to the media on Parliament Hill, Aug. 19. (Photo: Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

The government announced last month that it would spend $450 million over three years on United Nations peacekeeping operations and send up to 600 military personnel and 150 police officers to participate in unspecified United Nations peacekeeping missions. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told reporters Canada may contribute to more than one mission, and he noted the very likely possibility that Canadian men and women could be sent into harm's way.

Many of the possible missions the Canadian government is considering, such as the Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of the Congo, and especially, Mali  the most dangerous active UN peacekeeping mission  carry great risks. So far, this year alone, 32 peacekeepers have died, 25 in what the UN calls malicious acts. In May, when five Togolese peacekeepers were ambushed, the UN called it a heinous act of terrorism.

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Canada eyeing UN Security Council seat

Many observers believe Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government is bent on UN peacekeeping to show Canadas commitment to the multilateral organization as it bids for a seat on the Security Council in 2021.

Foreign Minister Stephane Dion told reporters in August that Canadas pledge would give the country a stronger voice on the world stage. Trudeau called it a first step and said this was Canadas demonstrating to the world that we are very much interested [in] and supportive of the work that the United Nations does to stabilize, to create security, to create opportunity in difficult places all around the world.

Canada  with 84 police offers, 19 troops and nine military experts assigned  currently ranks 67th on the list of countries contributing military and police personnel to UN operations.

Trudeau wont be announcing Canadas peacekeeping contributions when he addresses the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, sources told HuffPost.

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Candice Bergen talks with media in Ottawa, May 19. (Photo: Matthew Usherwood/The Canadian Press)

The government is still gathering information and examining where Canada can best contribute, Chagger said. When decisions are made, and we know the direction we are taking, we are definitely be communicating that with Canadians.

Conservatives hope Trudeau brings any peacekeeping mission to a vote in the House of Commons.

Its kind of come out of the blue, Conservative House leader Candice Bergen said of the governments late summer UN peacekeeping pledge.

"Why is he doing this? We dont know.

We are waiting to hear why does he believe that we should be putting Canadian men and women in harms way in Africa? Whats the purpose? What will be accomplished? What are the measurements? What will be the indicator of a successful mission? Why is he doing this? We dont know.

In response, Chagger said the Liberals campaigned to take on a peacekeeping mission.

But since the Grits put the extension of the mission against the so-called Islamic State up for a parliamentary vote in March, it seems difficult for them to argue against the need for one now.

Process not yet finalized: Sajjan

That is, however, what Sajjan tried to do last week. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, the defence minister said there would be no parliamentary vote.

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No. We will be deciding in cabinet and moving forward as quickly as possible on this, he is quoted telling the Globe. Afterwards, he said the process hadnt been finalized.

Chagger suggested the same Friday.

Lets return to the House of Commons and see what we want to do, she said.

Also on HuffPost
You can buy a Canadian home for less now than you could at any time between 2010 and 2014.

If you're American. Or Chinese.

That's according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research, which has begun focusing on the Great White North's mortgage finance system as its real estate makes global headlines.

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The bank's conclusion may be tough for Canucks to hear, especially after the national average sale price climbed 5.4 per cent in August from a year prior, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) reported this week.

But look at the issue through a foreign currency lens and it actually makes sense.

"Homes are cheaper on both a U.S. dollar adjusted and Chinese renminbi basis than in 2010-2014," the bank said in a note released on Tuesday.

"Despite the high rates of home price appreciation, the continued appeal of Canadian real estate is reflected when adjusting home prices for the substantially weaker Canadian dollar."

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Canadian home prices are largely being propped up by housing activity in Toronto and Vancouver, the bank added.

Without those cities, home prices actually declined.

Certain parts of the country are overheating, but the conditions "fall short of a bubble," it said. Canadian real estate also presents a "stark contrast" with conditions in the U.S. housing market prior to the 2008 crash.

"Sales volume, controlled for population size, is well under that of the U.S. peak," the report said.

Bank of America blamed home price gains in Canada on a number of factors, such as "low borrowing prices [that] have supported prices" and "higher appeal to foreigners with a weakening Canadian dollar."

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The latter trend has "distorted price gains," the bank said.

Their conclusion is consistent with a recent one by Bank of Montreal (BMO), which compared credit against home price gains and concluded that foreign buyers are indeed driving up home values.

But it's inconsistent with research by U.K.-based firm Capital Economics, which has concluded that the run-up in prices has more to do with debt than foreign investment.

"Homes are cheaper on both a U.S. dollar adjusted and Chinese renminbi basis than in 2010-2014."

Of course, affording a Canadian home is one thing. Going ahead and buying one is another one entirely.

It's a particularly tricky business in British Columbia, where the provincial government has slapped a 15 per cent property transfer tax on foreign buyers in response to feverish sales activity.

That may prove a stumbling block to anyone who wants to buy property in Vancouver. But the loonie could yet bring more happy news for international investors.

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The Canadian dollar has been slumping for four months, and analysts say it could worsen as the country's exports undermine expectations, Bloomberg reported.
Toby Melville / Reuters

So what happens next?

That was the question occupying the minds of many Ukip activists as they gathered in Bournemouth for their annual conference.

Having achieved their primary goal - indeed, for many years, the party's only goal - of getting the UK out of the EU, what happens now?

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There are contrasting views. Steven Woolfe - the man tipped by many to be successor to Nigel Farage as party leader until he failed to get his nomination papers on time - believes the answer is campaigning on social mobility.

That theme is echoed by outgoing deputy leader Paul Nuttall, who wants the party represent the "patriotic working-class".

Yet Farage's replacement is miles off that description. Diane James is as southern and middle-class as you can get, and comes across as throwback to the days when Ukip's main support base was deemed to come from retired Colonels living on the edge of Salisbury Plain.

Can she really push the party forward in traditional Labour supporting areas?

Her victory speech was solid, but hardly inspirational. Aside from some good lines about Theresa "Magpie" May (so-called as she has apparently nicked Ukip's policies on grammar schools and defence spending) it was rather flat. James talked about professionalising the party and making it an election-winning machine. It was a speech you would expect to come from a party chairman, not a party leader.

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There were no big, new ideas, no rhetorical flourishes, no promises to cause an earthquake in British politics.

Her main focus was Brexit - as you would expect - but there was very little else. If Ukip wants to be a serious party going forward, if it does indeed want to become the "official opposition", it needs to present a more varied set of policies than Brexit, grammar schools and spending two per cent of GDP on defence.

In a fringe event, Ukip MEP Tim Aker talked about the importance of pavement politics, and how only by earning people's trust at a local level will Ukip get the votes in General Elections.

He is, of course, correct - it was a model successfully pioneered by the Liberal Democrats for many years - but when he started talking about bigger issues, it became a muddle.

Does Ukip want free trade? If so, that means more exposure to globalisation and a decrease in certain UK industries - particularly manufacturing.

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Does it want protectionism? One way to help produce productivity at home is to whack huge tariffs on goods coming into the country. But this rather goes against the classical liberal views espoused by many of its members.

One woman in the audience of a fringe event shouted out: "We used to be the workshop of the world and make the best quality goods."

True, but the world is a very different place to when the UK experienced the industrial revolution. Products can be made a fraction of the cost in China and other countries.

The only way the UK could compete is by huge tariffs, or drastically cutting production costs in this country - reducing energy charges, lowering or even abolishing corporation tax and, inevitably, getting rid of workers rights such as the minimum wage. That is hardly a series of pledges likely to win support from the masses.

But these big existential questions the party needs to deal with - stay true to its libertarian roots or adopt a more protectionist model which appeals to its new working-class supporters?

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There was scant evidence that Diane James had answers to these questions. Indeed when she was pressed on which direction she would take the party, she asked for 100 days to come up with some ideas. Usually, leadership candidates comes up at least a broad vision before they stand for election.

Anyone looking for a vision of where the party should go, should catch up on Paul Nuttall's barnstorming farewell address. He told the party what they didn't want to hear - and was applauded for it.

The bitter battle for designation as the official Leave campaigns between Ukip-backed Leave.EU and Vote Leave in the EU referendum had created a "cancer in the heart of the party" Nuttall said.

He called for an end to infighting, an end to factionalism, an end to choosing between supporting Farage or Ukip MP Douglas Carswell.

Unite or die was the message. In its own way, it was reminiscent of Neil Kinnock's 1985 Conference speech to the Labour Party - also delivered in Bournemouth - in which he too pleaded with members to focus on "the people" outside of the hall.

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Despite winning a standing ovation, Nuttall's call fell on deaf ears. James first act as leader was to tear up the conference agenda and ban Welsh Assembly member Neil Hamilton - a political rival of Farage - from speaking from the stage.

Also cut was a section where the defeated leadership candidates were due to address activists.
Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

A year ago, 100,000 people marched in London to show solidarity with refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. It was a signal of the outpouring of grief and anger felt after Alan Kurdi's body was found washed up on a Turkish beach. And it proved that with the right pressure Government policy towards refugees could be changed.

That week David Cameron announced a programme for Britain to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees from camps in the region over the next 5 years.

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And 8 months later, after our campaign by the Refugee Taskforce and Lord Alf Dubs that united MPs from all parties, charities, faith leaders and survivors of the Kindertransport, the Government also agreed to give sanctuary to some of the thousands of lone child refugees sleeping rough and in makeshift camps across Europe.

And in February, Britain led countries from across the world in the London summit to pledge 8bn to provide food, schools, healthcare and jobs for refugees across the Middle East.

But as thousands gather to show solidarity again today, the reality is that progress has been far too slow. Political leaders here and abroad just aren't facing up to the scale of the international problem. Urgent action is needed. Faced with the biggest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, Governments and nations across the globe have done far too little to help.

Because one year on, a further 400 children have lost their lives in the Mediterranean. Millions more children have been forced from their homes. And at least 10,000 child refugees have simply disappeared in Europe, many into the hands of trafficking gangs because there simply isn't the accommodation to keep them safe.

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In Syria, the fragile ceasefire is holding for now, but over 4 million Syrians are already living as refugees, without access to education or work. The Turkey deal, for all its problems, has reduced the smuggler boats to Greece that have killed so many, but many more desperate families are attempting the dangerous route through Libya and across the Mediterranean to Italy. European leaders seem incapable of agreeing a strategy to protect our security and provide dignity and sanctuary to the thousands of refugees who have already arrived and are living in purgatory.

Little of the money pledged by international governments for refugee camps has yet materialised and millions of people still live in bleak and desperate conditions. In Greece and Italy, where the boats still come, too little support is in place from other European countries. Camps, reception centres and children's homes are full and the authorities struggle to keep up with asylum assessments and security checks. And despite hard-fought for commitments from our own Government just 3,000 Syrian refugees have so-far been brought to sanctuary here in the UK, despite many Local Authorities saying they have support and housing ready for the families expected. At this rate it will take us 7 years to meet our commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees - Canada managed 30,000 in just 3 months.

And to-date, not a single child has been brought to safety from Europe under the Dubs legislation. Every day the Government drags its feet, children are left at risk of exploitation and abuse, sleeping rough in makeshift camps in Northern France and on the streets of Greece and Italy because the children's homes are full.

Even where children have family here, layers of bureaucracy and Government foot-dragging are letting them down. Charities have identified hundreds of unaccompanied children and teenagers in the Calais 'jungle' who have relatives in the UK who could be looking after them. They have a legal right to be reunited with them, and yet, just a handful have been brought to the UK. The rest still risk their lives and safety in the squalid Calais camp.

On Monday Theresa May will travel to New York to the International conference on the refugee crisis. The UN are calling for more aid, support and safe routes to sanctuary. All countries should act -- and Britain should do its bit.

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There are some in Government that are doubtless hoping public anger has ebbed since last year, that as families continue to flee their homes, and thousands more remain stuck in squalid conditions across Europe, people will feel that it is too hard to make a difference.

But as long as so many families are suffering, as long as so many are fleeing and struggling along the way, as long as so many children's lives are at risk we will keep up the campaign. The lesson of the last year must be that with enough pressure, we can change Government plans. We must do so again.
Last week, we received news that President Assad's regime in Syria had used chemical weapons on its people. Volunteer emergency workers working in the Sukkari district of Aleppo reported that Syrian forces had flown helicopters over the suburb and dropped barrel bombs of chlorine on the men, women and children going about their business below.

This is just the latest in the Assad regime's catalogue of brutality. Last February, Assad's air force launched a series of missiles at a field hospital. Medics rushed to find any signs of life from the rubble and pull them into an ambulance. Assad's jets waited, returned, and then flew over the ambulance as they drove towards the hospital. They then dropped another bomb on the ambulance. 25 civilians were killed, among them eight medical workers. But the jets were not finished. They flew over another field hospital and dropped another bomb. The Economist reported that Ahmed Tarakji, the president of the Syrian American Medical Society, said "there's no way that ... they didn't know what they were doing."

This is barbarism worthy of the worst monsters of global history. It is a marked regression in the application of the norms of war. And yet for reasons which I will come to, there is no prospect that Assad - the man in whose name those bombs fell - will appear at the International Criminal Court.

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The first part of the blame must be laid at the door of the United States. At the very least the US could have enforced a no-fly zone. That, at least, would have prevented Assad's planes dropping chlorine on his people. But instead, President Obama refused. The US could have enforced a safe area for refugees. That, at least, would have allowed the many innocent victims of Assad's conflict to flee in safety. Instead, he dithered.

US inaction in the face of Assad's brutality has consequences. Last week, an umbrella group of Syrian opposition groups met in London to put together a proposal for a future for Syria without Assad. If Assad were to fall, it would be this grouping who would fill the vacuum. The less the US and its allies do to remove Assad, the less likely that future will come about.

One former member of Assad's government put it succinctly: "there was no pressure on the regime to accept this proposal." he said. "Why," he asked, "would [Assad] accept now when he did not in 2012; when the [navy] fleets of the US where in the Mediterranean and poised to strike him? [The Syrian opposition] have no pressure to bring against him because there have not been any developments in their favour."

But the geopolitical cover Assad receives is only half of the story. It is acceptable to electorates because of a climate of opinion. Those which uphold it are equally culpable. Assad is able to continue to commit his crimes in part because of the rhetorical cover provided by journalists like Seamus Milne, Patrick Cockburn, John Pilger and even political leaders like Jeremy Corbyn and religious leaders like Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali. All have all stepped up to the plate to sow confusion. By describing all opposition to Assad as "Al Qaeda" and painting Assad as the real victim of US aggression they have muddied the waters. Arguments for action against Assad receive less public hearing thanks to the work of their pens.

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John Pilger, for example, has argued that Assad's survival is necessary to oppose ISIS, writing "the only effective opponents of ISIS are accredited demons of the west - Syria, Iran, Hezbollah." Patrick Cockburn has written that "there has to be some relationship between those who are attacking ISIS and the real forces on the ground." As if the only forces capable of attacking ISIS were those of Assad, an assertion which would be received bitterly by the Kurdish fighters who have done the most to repel the group and who are fully aware that there has intentionally been little engagement between Assad's forces and ISIS. The leader of the UK Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, also weighed in to support Putin's and Iran's entry into the war on Assad's side. He even went as far as claiming Iran was fully justified in assisting Assad with it's Shia militias and Hezbollah fighters as 'they presumably feel under threat that they may be next on the western countries hit list'. The Rev'd Nazir-Ali, not to be outdone, flew all the way to Syria with an unsanctioned British delegation for a face to face with Assad himself subsequently claiming on Channel 4 News that Assad was being "unfairly demonized in the West".

In all these cases, these useful idiots have been blinded. They see the world through the lens only of a fight between two manichaean forces - those of the 'imperialist' United States and those who resist its advance. Any grouping allied with the former must be bad and any grouping allied with the latter must, in consequence, be beyond criticism. It is the logic of the playground.
A Turkish Air Force F-16C taking off from Konya, Turkey, during Exercise Anatolian Eagle 2014.

America collects allies like Americans collect Facebook friends. The more the better appears to be the view. As a result, Washington defends more than a score of prosperous European states, several leading Asian nations, and a gaggle of Middle Eastern regimes.

Yet most of the countries on the Pentagon dole appear to be perpetually unhappy, constantly complaining that America doesn't love them enough and demanding reassurance that Washington without hesitation will sacrifice ever more of its peoples' lives as well as money on their behalf. Their sense of entitlement exceeds that of the average trust fund baby: the U.S., not them, should be responsible for their defense.

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As a result, the U.S. is expected to protect virtually every prosperous, populous, industrialized nation. But that's just a start. Washington also must coddle, pamper, praise, uplift, pacify, encourage, and otherwise placate the same countries. Once great powers, they now believe it to be America's duty to handle their defense, what should be the most important duty of any government. Alas, U.S. officials are only too willing to enable this counterproductive behavior.

Except for Donald Trump. There is much to say about his candidacy, most of it bad. Even when he makes basic sense his view is, shall we say, rather unsophisticated. And that certainly applies to his view of U.S. alliance policy.

Nevertheless, he gets one big concept very right. He's not interested in reassuring allies. Or, as he might put it, he won't make nice to a bunch of wimpy leeches living off of America. If he's president, party-time at U.S. expense finally might be over.

Which has horrified the gaggle of well-to-do nations on America's defense dole. For instance, the New York Times reported "an undercurrent of quiet desperation" among European officials. They could instead have demonstrated "quiet determination" in choosing to rely on their collective economic strength and population--larger than America's--to ensure their defense. But no. They went to Hillary Clinton's campaign begging for, yes, reassurance!

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As for Washington's major Asian defense dependents, Bloomberg explained that they found Trump's views "baffling." The South Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily proclaimed itself to be "dumbfounded." After all, what could be more mysterious than an American politician suggesting that 66 years of defending the Republic of Korea was enough? That wealthy, sophisticated Tokyo should take over its security? Outrageous!

Self-serving foreign expectations are bad enough. The American people should feel betrayed by the rush of both Republicans and Democrats to promise well-heeled allies that they shouldn't lose any sleep over Trump's message, that nothing will ever change. Indeed, the Times reported European leaders visiting the Democratic convention, where they found the message "soothing." (Cynics might call it obsequious, embarrassing, and several other words best not repeated in polite company.)

It is not just well-subsidized foreigners who have responded with disbelief that a presidential candidate is more interested in the welfare of Americans than other nations. Worse, other supposedly responsible U.S. leaders also would put the interests of foreign governments before that of their own people.

Washington officials simply have lost sight of why any country, America included, should participate in an alliance. They really believe that their goal should be to collect as many allies as possible.

Never mind if a country is unable to do anything to advance America's security, such as Montenegro, which has 2080 men under arms. And don't worry if the state would risk dragging the U.S. into unnecessary conflict, such as Ukraine, at violent odds with Russia. Turn all of them into allies, so the current administration can bask in the glory of its immense following.

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Alliances should be a means to an end. Their purpose is to increase American security. They aren't particularly useful where there's no significant threat to the U.S., Washington can easily deter any significant adversary on its own, and/or America's friends are capable of protecting their own interests. Which is the case for most U.S. allies today.

Russia's Vladimir Putin is a nasty fellow, but has demonstrated no interest in challenging America. And while Moscow deploys a capable military, it would lose in a contest with the U.S. Russia doesn't even appear to be much interested in Europe: the Russian republic, like the old empire, is primarily interested in border security and respect, not conquering non-Russian peoples. Anyway, Europe has a larger economy and population than America, and far larger than Russia. Europe has chosen to remain seemingly helpless.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is an unpleasant actor, but is interested in America only because America, in the form of 28,500 military personnel, is next door in the South. Yet South Korea enjoys a vast economic and technological lead, overwhelming international and diplomatic advantage, and sizeable population edge over the North. Seoul long ago should have graduated from America's defense dole.

China, like Russia, is a regional power unlikely to seek war with America, which enjoys a large military lead. Japan, which long possessed the world's second largest economy, could have done much more to advance its and its region's defense for years. Even today Tokyo is well able to deter any Chinese threat to the former's existence.

No Middle Eastern state directly threatens the U.S. America's friends all are dominant: Israel is a regional superpower, Saudi Arabia vastly outspends Iran on the military, and Turkey's armed forces, despite the aftermath of the coup attempt, outranges those of all of its neighbors, aside from Russia, which has no cause for conflict.

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Yet why is the U.S. providing all of these nations security commitments, military equipment, and promises to go to war? What threat to America looms? Which allied states are vulnerable to attack? Which of them truly matters to U.S. security?

The honest answer: not many. Which makes it even more ridiculous for American officials to desperately attempt to reassure Asian and European governments afraid that they might have to do more for their own defense. Instead, Washington should insist that its friends take over responsibility for their own security and that of their region.
The next time you tell yourself that you'll sleep when you're dead, realize that you're making a decision that can make that day come much sooner. Pushing late into the night is a health and productivity killer.

The short-term productivity gains from skipping sleep to work are quickly washed away by the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on your mood, ability to focus, emotional intelligence, and access to higher-level brain functions for days to come. The negative effects of sleep deprivation are so great that people who are drunk outperform those lacking sleep.

Why You Need Adequate Sleep to Perform

We've always known that sleep is good for your brain, but new research from the University of Rochester provides the first direct evidence for why your brain cells need you to sleep (and sleep the right way--more on that later). The study found that when you sleep your brain removes toxic proteins from its neurons that are by-products of neural activity when you're awake. Unfortunately, your brain can remove them adequately only while you're asleep. So when you don't get enough sleep, the toxic proteins remain in your brain cells, wreaking havoc by impairing your ability to think--something no amount of caffeine can fix.

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Skipping sleep impairs your brain function across the board. It slows your ability to process information and problem solve, kills your creativity, and catapults your stress levels and emotional reactivity.

What Sleep Deprivation Does to Your Health

Sleep deprivation is linked to a variety of serious health problems, including heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. It stresses you out because your body overproduces the stress hormone cortisol when it's sleep deprived. While excess cortisol has a host of negative health effects that come from the havoc it wreaks on your immune system, it also makes you look older, because cortisol breaks down skin collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic. In men specifically, not sleeping enough reduces testosterone levels and lowers sperm count.

People who get enough sleep live longer, healthier lives, but I understand that sometimes this isn't motivation enough. So consider this--not sleeping enough makes you fat. Sleep deprivation compromises your body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates and control food intake. When you sleep less you eat more and have more difficulty burning the calories you consume. Sleep deprivation makes you hungrier by increasing the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin and makes it harder for you to get full by reducing levels of the satiety-inducing hormone leptin. People who sleep less than 6 hours a night are 30% more likely to become obese than those who sleep 7 to 9 hours a night.



How Much Sleep Is Enough?

Most people need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night to feel sufficiently rested. Few people are at their best with less than 7 hours, and few require more than 9 without an underlying health condition. And that's a major problem, since more than half of Americans get less than the necessary 7 hours of sleep each night, according to the National Sleep Foundation.



Doing Something about It

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Beyond the obvious sleep benefits of thinking clearly and staying healthy, the ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and we've found that 90% of top performers are high in emotional intelligence (EQ). These individuals are skilled at understanding and using emotions to their benefit, and good sleep hygiene is one of the greatest tools at their disposal.

High-EQ individuals know it's not just how much you sleep that matters, but also how you sleep. When life gets in the way of getting the amount of sleep you need, it's absolutely essential that you increase the quality of your sleep through good sleep hygiene. There are many hidden killers of quality sleep. The 10 strategies that follow will help you identify these killers and clean up your sleep hygiene. Follow them, and you'll reap the performance and health benefits that come with getting the right quantity and quality of sleep.

1. Stay Away from Sleeping Pills

When I say sleeping pills, I mean anything you take that sedates you so that you can sleep. Whether it's alcohol, Nyquil, Benadryl, Valium, Ambien, or what have you, these substances greatly disrupt your brain's natural sleep process. Have you ever noticed that sedatives can give you some really strange dreams? As you sleep and your brain removes harmful toxins, it cycles through an elaborate series of stages, at times shuffling through the day's memories and storing or discarding them (which causes dreams). Sedation interferes with these cycles, altering the brain's natural process.

Anything that interferes with the brain's natural sleep process has dire consequences for the quality of your sleep. Many of the strategies that follow eliminate factors that disrupt this recovery process. If getting off sleeping pills proves difficult, make certain you try some of the other strategies (such as cutting down on caffeine) that will make it easier for you to fall asleep naturally and reduce your dependence upon sedatives.

2. Stop Drinking Caffeine (at Least after Lunch)

You can sleep more and vastly improve the quality of the sleep you get by reducing your caffeine intake. Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that interferes with sleep by increasing adrenaline production and blocking sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain. Caffeine has a 6-hour half-life, which means it takes a full 24 hours to work its way out of your system. Have a cup of joe at 8 a.m., and you'll still have 25% of the caffeine in your body at 8 p.m. Anything you drink after noon will still be near 50% strength at bedtime. Any caffeine in your bloodstream--the negative effects increasing with the dose--makes it harder to fall and stay asleep.

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When you do finally fall asleep, the worst is yet to come. Caffeine disrupts the quality of your sleep by reducing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the deep sleep when your body recuperates most. When caffeine disrupts your sleep, you wake up the next day with a cognitive and emotional handicap. You'll be naturally inclined to grab a cup of coffee or an energy drink to try to make yourself feel more alert, which very quickly creates a vicious cycle.

3. Avoid Blue Light at Night

This is a big one--most people don't even realize it impacts their sleep. Short-wavelength blue light plays an important role in your mood, energy level, and sleep quality. In the morning, sunlight contains high concentrations of this "blue" light. When your eyes are exposed to it directly (not through a window or while wearing sunglasses), the blue light halts production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin and makes you feel more alert. This is great, and exposure to a.m. sunlight can improve your mood and energy levels. If the sun isn't an option for you, try a blue light device.

In the afternoon, the sun's rays lose their blue light, which allows your body to produce melatonin and start making you sleepy. By the evening, your brain does not expect any blue light exposure and is very sensitive to it. The problem this creates for sleep is that most of our favorite evening devices--laptops, tablets, televisions, and mobile phones--emit short-wavelength blue light. And in the case of your laptop, tablet, and phone, they do so brightly and right in your face. This exposure impairs melatonin production and interferes with your ability to fall asleep as well as with the quality of your sleep once you do nod off. Remember, the sleep cycle is a daylong process for your brain. When you confuse your brain by exposing it in the evening to what it thinks is a.m. sunlight, this derails the entire process with effects that linger long after you power down. The best thing you can do is avoid these devices after dinner (television is okay for most people as long as they sit far enough away from the set). If you must use one of these devices in the evening, you can limit your exposure with a filter or protective eye wear.

4. Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day

Consistency is key to a good night's sleep, especially when it comes to waking up. Waking up at the same time every day improves your mood and sleep quality by regulating your circadian rhythm. When you have a consistent wake-up time, your brain acclimates to this and moves through the sleep cycle in preparation for you to feel rested and alert at your wake-up time. Roughly an hour before you wake, hormone levels increase gradually (along with your body temperature and blood pressure), causing you to become more alert. This is why you'll often find yourself waking up right before your alarm goes off.

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When you don't wake up at the same time every day, your brain doesn't know when to complete the sleep process and when it should prepare you to be awake. Long ago, sunlight ensured a consistent wake-up time. These days, an alarm is the only way most people can pull this off, and doing this successfully requires resisting the temptation to sleep in when you're feeling tired because you know you'll actually feel better by keeping your wake-up time in tact.



5. No Binge Sleeping (In) on the Weekend

Sleeping in on the weekend is a counterproductive way to catch up on your sleep. It messes with your circadian rhythm by giving you an inconsistent wake-up time. When you wake up at the same time during the work week but sleep past this time on the weekend, you end up feeling groggy and tired because your brain hasn't prepared your body to be awake. This isn't a big deal on your day off, but it makes you less productive on Monday because it throws your cycle off and makes it hard to get going again on your regular schedule.



6. Learn How Much Sleep You Really Need

The amount of sleep you need is something that you can't control, and scientists are beginning to discover the genes that dictate it. The problem is, most people sleep much less than they really need and are under-performing because they think they're getting enough. Some discover this the hard way. Ariana Huffington was one of those frantic types who underslept and overworked, until she collapsed unexpectedly from exhaustion one afternoon. She credits her success and well-being since then to the changes she's made to her sleep habits. "I began getting 30 minutes more sleep a night, until gradually I got to 7 to 8 hours. The result has been transformational," Huffington says, adding that, "all the science now demonstrates unequivocally that when we get enough sleep, everything is better: our health; our mental capacity and clarity; our joy at life; and our ability to live life without reacting to every bad thing that happens."

Huffington isn't the only one. Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and Sheryl Sandberg have all touted the virtues of getting enough sleep. Even Bill Gates, an infamous night owl, has affirmed the benefits of figuring out how much sleep you really need: "I like to get 7 hours of sleep a night because that's what I need to stay sharp and creative and upbeat." It's time to bite the bullet and start going to bed earlier until you find the magic number that enables you to perform at your best.

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7. Stop Working

When you work in the evening, it puts you into a stimulated, alert state when you should be winding down and relaxing in preparation for sleep. Recent surveys show that roughly 60% of people monitor their smartphones for work emails until they go to sleep. Staying off blue light-emitting devices (discussed above) after a certain time each evening is also a great way to avoid working so you can relax and prepare for sleep, but any type of work before bed should be avoided if you want quality sleep.

8. Eliminate Interruptions

Unfortunately for those with small children, the quality of your sleep does suffer when it is interrupted. The key here is to eliminate all the interruptions that are under your control. If you have loud neighbors, wear earplugs to bed. If your mother likes to call at all hours of the night, make certain you silence your ringer before you go to bed. If you had to wake up extra early in the morning, make sure your alarm clock is back on its regular time when you go to bed. Don't drink too much water in the evening to avoid a bathroom trip in the middle of the night. If your partner snores . . . well, you get the idea. If you think hard enough, there are lots of little things you can do to eliminate unnecessary interruptions to your sleep.



9. Learn to Meditate

Many people who learn to meditate report that it improves the quality of their sleep and that they can get the rest they need even if they aren't able to significantly increase the number of hours they sleep. At the Stanford Medical Center, insomniacs participated in a 6-week mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral therapy course. At the end of the study, participants' average time to fall asleep was cut in half (from 40 to 20 minutes), and 60% of subjects no longer qualified as insomniacs. The subjects retained these gains upon follow-up a full year later. A similar study at the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that 91% of participants either reduced the amount of medication they needed to sleep or stopped taking medication entirely after a mindfulness and sleep therapy course. Give mindfulness a try. At minimum, you'll fall asleep faster, as it will teach you how to relax and quiet your mind once you hit the pillow.



10. When All Else Fails: Take Naps

One of the biggest peaks in melatonin production happens during the 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. time frame, which explains why most people feel sleepy in the afternoon. Companies like Google and Zappos are capitalizing on this need by giving employees the opportunity to take short afternoon naps. If you aren't getting enough sleep at night, you're likely going to feel an overwhelming desire to sleep in the afternoon. When this happens, you're better off taking a short nap (even as short as 15 minutes) than resorting to caffeine to keep you awake. A short nap will give you the rest you need to get through the rest of the afternoon, and you'll sleep much better in the evening than if you drink caffeine or take a long afternoon nap.

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Bringing It All Together

I know many of you reading this piece are thinking something along the lines of "but I know a guy (or gal) who is always up at all hours of the night working or socializing, and he's the number one performer at our branch." My answer for you is simple: this guy is underperforming. We all have innate abilities that we must maximize to reach our full potential. My job is to help people do that--to help the good become great by removing unseen performance barriers. Being number one in your branch is an accomplishment, but I guarantee that this guy has his sights set on bigger things that he isn't achieving because sleep deprivation has him performing at a fraction of his full potential. You should send him this article. It just might shake something loose.
In the space of less than two weeks, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump did something that few thought possible, let alone desirable. He went to not one, but two black churches in Detroit and Flint, Michigan. Now at first glance, this seems to fly in the face of everything that Trump says and stands for. He's spent virtually his entire campaign nakedly and hideously spouting every kind of racist, anti-black, anti-Obama slur, dig, taunt, and finger-point. He's got a vile history of race baiting--the Central Park Five, defying repeated government agency demands to rent to blacks, virtually blaming Obama for the Baltimore riots, and flatly refusing to address any black group.



The idea behind this is simple. A nod, hint, let alone an appearance before blacks would defeat his purpose. That is to comfort and reassure his core base of ultra conservatives, less educated blue-collar and rural whites, and unreconstructed bigots that he's got their backs against the hordes of alleged menacing, lawless, entitlement-seeking, job-competing, blacks and other minorities.

Yet that's the first glance. There's more to the black church story than Trump's cynical play of black churches to show that he's not a racist. We'll have to roll back the clock to the

2004 presidential election to see why black churches figure in the Trump game plan. The story that election was the role of black evangelicals. Though the majority still voted overwhelmingly for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, they gave GOP rival George Bush the cushion he needed to bag Ohio and win the White House. There were early warning signs that might happen. The same polls that showed black's prime concern was with bread and butter issues - and that Kerry was seen as the candidate who could deliver on those issues - also revealed that a sizeable number of blacks ranked abortion, gay marriage and school prayer as priority issues. Their concern for these issues didn't come anywhere close to that of white evangelicals, but it was still higher than that of the general voting public.

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In the right place and under the right circumstance, black evangelicals posed a stealth danger to Democrats. As it turned out, the right place for Bush was Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida. These were must-win swing states, and Bush won them with a considerably higher percent of the black vote than he got in 2000. In Ohio, the gay marriage ban helped bump up the black vote for Bush by seven percentage points, to 16 percent. In Florida and Wisconsin, Republicans aggressively courted and wooed key black religious leaders. They dumped big bucks from Bush's Faith-Based Initiative program into church-run education and youth programs. Black church leaders not only endorsed Bush, but in some cases they actively worked for his re-election, and encouraged members of their congregations to do the same.

The lesson of that campaign wasn't lost on Trump. He quickly grabbed a few hand-picked prominent black evangelicals for a much-touted meeting, and photo-op at Trump Tower earlier this year. Some of the preachers endorsed Trump, some said they just wanted to hear more from him, and some others quickly distanced themselves from him. But that was less important than the fact that Trump could show the world that not all blacks hated his guts and would do anything to make sure the closest he ever got to the White House was on a guest tour pass.

The black ministers that showed up at the gathering more than fit the image bill he wanted. In the weeks after, a few more black ministers here and there said they'd back Trump, and a few all of a sudden turned up on the networks singing his praises.

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This was all a prelude to the big camp meetings in Detroit and now Flint. In both places, a heckle or two notwithstanding, Trump got exactly what he wanted, a mostly attentive, respectful, audience that took his empty platitudes about civil rights and the disgraceful environmental racism that condemned Flint to poisonous water for months in stride.

Black evangelicals, and that includes even the most conservative of them, will not give Trump anywhere near the margin of votes they gave Bush in 2004 to help tip a couple of states to him.

But he doesn't need or want that. They gave him something just as precious. They gave him a ready-made platform to help dispel the relentless attack and fear that he's a Klansman in a suit, and to show that he actually is capable of relating to black voters in a venue that's about as safe, and tolerant as any he'd ever find anywhere else among blacks.

This won't be the last time that Trump will play the black evangelical card. They'll be the perfect foil to allow him to bypass and thumb his nose at black Democrats and civil rights leaders and show that he's really not the devil incarnate on race. It might not exactly be a case of God's will be done, but for some black ministers, it's Trump's will, and that's enough for them.
Jakarta, Java, INDONESIA: Hina Jilani, the special representative of the UN secretary general on human rights defenders, answers a question during a press conference in Jakarta, 12 June 2007. The special UN envoy called for the Indonesian government to give a lot more attention to the situation of human rights defenders particularly in West Papua, despite improvements in other regions in the country. AFP PHOTO/Bay ISMOYO (Photo credit should read BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

A global crisis demands a global response. Nowhere is this more apparent than when looking at how the world responds to refugees and mass migration - an issue that leaves virtually no corner of the globe untouched.

There are more people on the move today than ever before. A quarter of a billion have left their homes for new lives abroad. Sixty-five million have been displaced by war or persecution.

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The millions of people fleeing the devastating war in Syria have attracted considerable media attention over the past two years, but their plight mirrors that of countless others in less "visible" conflicts from Afghanistan to Congo or the vicious gang violence in Central America that has driven so many to seek safety in the United States.

In this context, the fact that the United Nations is convening a special summit on refugees and migration during the high-level week of its General Assembly in New York, and that President Barack Obama will chair a donor summit the following day is very welcome.

These are two moments for the world to come together and move beyond warm words to concrete actions that will help the most vulnerable people.

Because for all the summits and deliberations of recent years, it is clear that the world can - and must - do more to protect refugees and migrants, and ensure that their basic human rights are respected in the process.

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This is the key message of a new report The Elders have just issued. Entitled "In Challenge Lies Opportunity: How the world must respond to refugees and mass migration", it sets out four key principles that we believe must be at the heart of a coherent international response: better coordinated response mechanisms to large flows of people; enhanced assistance to major refugee-hosting countries; increased resettlement opportunities and additional pathways for refugees; and respect for human rights and protection.

The heads of state meeting in New York this week have a responsibility to prove that they take these matters seriously, and reject the politics of prejudice and populism that are proving all too resonant on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

As Kofi Annan, Chair of The Elders, said on his recent visit to Germany to discuss these issues with top government officials, the solution to increased numbers of refugees can never be walls, fences or militarised borders.

Prosperous countries of the world must show genuine compassion and shoulder their fair share of the burden of hosting refugees. How can it be fair that a tiny country like Lebanon, with a population of only 4 million people, hosts at least 1.5 million refugees, when some much wealthier European countries quibble about even receiving a few thousand?

But equally, states in the developing world need to assume their own responsibilities. Leaders need to be held to account for the dire social, economic and human rights situations that cause so many of their citizens to flee abroad, believing there is no prospect of peace or security in their homeland. Addressing the root causes of flight is the key, not treating the symptoms.

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Pakistan, my home country, has been host to over three million refugees from Afghanistan ever since the Soviet invasion nearly 40 years ago. Most of these poor people have been languishing in squalid urban camps for decades - as, I should add, have millions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza and of course Syria, where they now find themselves victims of yet another war.

This week in New York, leaders at the United Nations - in particular, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council who have the heaviest responsibility - must demonstrate their willingness to prioritise saving lives over political rivalries, whether in Syria, Ukraine or other conflicts too often seen through the prism of realpolitik than that of protecting civilians.

Only a concerted international approach guided by the principles of solidarity, human rights and respect can deliver a durable solution Failure to rise to the challenge will only exacerbate the plethora of refugee crises the world faces today which in turn will further worsen global stability.

The founder of The Elders, Nelson Mandela, saw this all too clearly when discussing refugee problems in Africa in 1997. His words still resonate today and will continue to inform The Elders' engagement on refugees and migration in the months and years ahead:

"Unresolved refugee problems become a source of instability, violence and further population displacements. Dealing with these problems is inextricably linked to achieving peace, upholding the rule of law and entrenching a human rights culture and democracy."

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Hina Jilani is a member of The Elders, the independent group of former leaders founded by Nelson Mandela who work for peace and human rights.


Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reacts as reporters yell questions to him after he stated that he believes U.S. President Barack Obama was born in the United States at a campaign event at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 16, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar

I am stymied. I've been writing this column each and every week for almost 24 years now. Since it appears in papers across the Arab World, I've attempted to explain American politics and policy to Arab readers.

Most weeks, the columns practically write themselves. This week is different with the news dominated by events that almost defy explanation. In the first place, there's Donald Trump leading or tied in a number of national polls. Added to this, Congress overwhelming passed legislation allowing the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for damages. The icing on cake is the agreement reached between the Obama Administration and Israel guaranteeing Israel $38 Billion in military assistance program over the next 10 years.



Individually, these stories are confounding, collectively they are appalling.



After Hillary Clinton fainted while leaving a 9/11 memorial event, it was revealed that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia a few days earlier and would, therefore, stay off the campaign trail for a few days until she regained her strength. Because Clinton hadn't made public her illness, until after the fainting spell, the press pounced on her denouncing penchant for privacy, secrecy, and whatever.



Now that charge has some merit and is reflected in polling which shows that Clinton is not seen as honest and trustworthy by a majority of American voters. This trust issue continues to plague Clinton and is, to some degree, responsible for her declining poll numbers. While that may be understandable, what is impossible to comprehend is how Trump becomes the beneficiary of her slide. The Republican nominee is, by far, the most dishonest, least transparent candidate to ever run for president. The health records he has revealed are a joke. He continues to withhold his tax returns. His business dealings are, at best, shady. And we now know that his much touted "charitable giving" is a scam--since many of the donations he claimed to have made were more often than not contributions that others funneled through him.

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Given Trump's record of dishonesty, his appeals to bigotry, the contradictory nature of the positions he has taken on critical issues, and his lack of experience in governance, how can one reasonably explain the fact that none of this seems to matter to the 42 or so percent of the electorate who say they would choose him as president over a person, who for all her flaws is without a doubt the most qualified candidate in the field.

I have written extensively about "Trumpism" and the anger, fear, and deep trauma of the group of voters who propelled Trump onto the national stage. But I assumed that the majority of the American electorate would ultimately reject him. I can still hope (and work) that they will. That this race is tied is both confusing and worrisome.

I shouldn't have been stunned when Congress passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). But I was. Congress frequently considers bills that are baseless, outrageous, and/or just plain dangerous. Because these efforts are often motivated by crass politics, they usually die as saner minds prevail.



In proposing this bill, Congress was preying on the deep residual pain resulting from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The legislation is premised on the notion that there was direct Arab governmental role in the attacks, despite the findings of the 9/11 Commission to the contrary. In fact, it is only because of the persistence of deep anti-Arab sentiment that some Members of Congress continued to advance the bill. By passing it and sending it to the President they are putting at risk US relations with important Arab allies and they are opening the door for other countries to pass similar legislation that could hold the US or Israel (with US support) accountable for their actions in the Middle East.

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While Congress often sees Arabs as soft targets that can be attacked with impunity, this legislation is clearly a step too far. Just as I assumed, that it would not pass, I am assuming that the Obama Administration will veto it and that his veto will not be overridden by Congress. Given the unpredictable climate, I am no longer sure of anything.

The icing on the cake was the conclusion of a monumental disaster of an agreement--the 10 year, commitment to a $38 Billion military assistance package for Israel. Even though I understand politics--who has clout and who does not--this aid package is inexplicable and even dangerous. It rewards Netanyahu's efforts to sabotage the President's Iran Deal and his blocking of any movement toward Israeli-Palestinian peace. And it takes away any leverage the US may have had to restrain Israel's unconscionable behavior in the occupied territories.

One would have thought that this President, after more than seven years of dealing with Netanyahu, has learned that by rewarding bad behavior he only enables it--allowing the Israeli leader to act with impunity.



If this were not troubling enough, the Administration's lame statement, accompanying the announcement of the deal, still advocating for two-states (which Netanyahu's policies have now buried) and decrying continued settlement expansion (which Israel routinely ignores), was embarrassing. And what I found deeply troubling was the statement that this massive demonstration of "unprecedented support for Israel's security" was being touted as part of this White House's proud legacy--a far cry, indeed, from the Middle East goals they had established seven years ago.

All of this, defies reasonable explanation. That it all happened in a week (together, I might add, with the US/Russian "Syrian peace deal", that provides neither "peace" nor a "deal") left me stymied.

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US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Ministeer Sergey Lavrov announcing a new Syrian cease fire, Geneva, September 9, 2016 Phote courtesy US Dept. of State

On September 9, 2016, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the United States and Russia had reached an agreement for a new 48-hour ceasefire in the Syrian Civil War.

Ostensibly, the purpose of the ceasefire is to enable aid convoys from Turkey to bring badly needed supplies to the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. Some 250,000 people in rebel held areas of Aleppo have been cut off since July 2016.

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The agreement is to be renewed every 48 hours, providing that it holds. After a week the U.S. and Russian air forces are supposed to expand their cooperation and stage joint air attacks against Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the al-Nusra Front. During this period the U.S. is responsible for identifying the locations of the U.S. backed "moderate rebel groups" and separating them from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants.

This was the second agreement brokered by the U.S. and Russia. An earlier agreement announced on February 22, 2016, proved short lived. It is unlikely that the second agreement will be any more successful. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has already announced that "the Syrian state is determined to recapture every area from the terrorists."

Since it broke out in 2011, the Syrian Civil War has claimed approximately 500,000 lives, though no one is completely sure what the actual number is. An additional five million people, roughly one-quarter of Syria's prewar population, has been displaced and are now refugees. An additional 6.6 million have been internally displaced within Syria. Roughly one million refugees have requested political asylum in Europe.

While efforts to end the violence and find a political solution to Syria's Civil War is laudatory; this ceasefire will do neither. Instead it represents yet another strategic defeat for the United States, one more in what has been a long line of diplomatic defeats in Syria. In the meantime, the Obama administration has allowed both Russia and Turkey to manipulate U.S. policy for their own ends.

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Syrian refugee camp in Zaatari Jordan

The U.S. intervention in the Syrian Civil War was prompted by the battlefield successes of the Islamic State (IS) and the rise of the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front, as well as the emergence of other radical jihadist groups. American military intervention was part of a broad coalition of about a dozen countries, including some NATO members, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, as well as Jordan and Turkey. Although the amount of air power unleashed was formidable, its effectiveness for the first two years of the campaign was constrained by rules of engagement so restrictive that only one out of four missions actually attacked its intended target.

While the White House declared on numerous occasions that Bashar al-Assad was an obstacle to a lasting peace on Syria, and even went so far as to declare that the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons would be a "red line" in Washington's relations with Damascus, the Obama administration made no serious effort to actually replace the Assad regime and conveniently forgot about its red line.

It was clear from the beginning of the American intervention, that while American and coalition air power could help to contain the further expansion of the Islamic State, it would ultimately take boots on the ground to actually roll back IS. Accordingly, the U.S. looked to recruit, train and arm so called "moderate rebel factions" as American proxies in the ground war. Washington spent billions of dollars in this effort only to eventually acknowledge that the program had largely failed.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies spent even more in the same type of effort. Although their definition of "moderate" was more expansive than that of the United States, it included virtually everyone except for the al-Nusra Front and other extremist jihadist organizations, that effort also failed to create an anti-Assad force whose political and social agenda would have been acceptable to Western nations.

The Saudi's and the Turks were successful, however, in creating broad coalitions of various jihadist rebel groups in order to better coordinate the military effort against the Assad government; give the anti-Assad forces critical mass on the battlefield and facilitate the provision of supplies and financing. There have been various coalitions that have been created and which subsequently disintegrated. The two largest groups currently are the Turkish and Qatari sponsored Ahrar-al-Sham (Islamic Movement of the Free People of the Levant) and the Saudi sponsored Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam). Ahrar al-Sham includes elements of the Free Syrian Army, the original group that launched the rebellion against the Assad government. It is the second largest rebel group in the Syrian war. Its strength is estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000 fighters. Various militant groups associated with Ahrar al-Sham participated in the Turkish led invasion of north Syria in August 2016.

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That invasion was designed to clear out ISIS militants along the Turkish-Syrian border and more importantly, for Turkey, prevent the linkup of Syrian Kurdish forces west of the Euphrates River with those in Afrin canton further west. That linkup would have united the predominantly Kurdish areas in northern Syria. When the Turkish invasion began, Ankara demanded, and the U.S. acquiesced, that the American backed, Kurdish led, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) immediately withdraw east of the Euphrates or they would be attacked.

Disposition of forces in northern Syria as of mid-September 2016. Green is Turkish/Syrian rebel controlled zone, tan is Kurdish zone, red is Syrian government zone and black is Islamic State zone.

Russia, Syria and Egypt have designated Ahrar al-Sham as a terrorist organization. Surprisingly, according to a report in the Gulf News, the United Arab Emirates, a close Saudi ally, have also designated Ahrar al-Sham as a terrorist organization. The group's stated intention is the overthrow of the Assad government and the creation of an Islamic State under Sharia law.

Jaish al-Islam is the largest rebel group fighting in Syria. Its strength is estimated at between 20,000 and 25,000 militants. Unlike Ahrar-al Sham, Jaish al-Islam specifically rejects the participation of the Free Syrian Army. The group consists of about 50 different jihadist factions. There are an additional 150 to 200 other rebel groups that collaborate with Jaish al-Islam or which have, at different times, been affiliated with it. The group is largely funded by Saudi Arabia.

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Training programs, under Pakistani Army officers, have also been underwritten by the Saudis. Russia, Syria and Egypt have designated Jaish al-Islam as a terrorist organization. Like Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Islam is committed to the overthrow of the Assad regime and to the establishment of an Islamic state under Sharia law.

Neither the United States nor its European allies have formally designated either group as a terrorist organization. Both groups are predominantly Sunni Muslim-based, and both groups have denounced any kind of secular democratic government as un-Islamic and vowed to expel Shiite Muslims, including Syria's Alawite minority, from Syria.

In at least one instance, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry verbally referred to both organizations as terrorist groups but a State Department spokesman later walked back his comments. Both the U.S. and various European governments have continued to try to engage both organizations and, in particular, to identify "moderate" elements within both organizations, which they could support.

The ceasefire agreement calls for the U.S. and Russia to establish "a joint integration center" in Geneva, possibly as early as September 19, where American and Russian military officials could decide on "shared targets" and "coordinated military strikes." The last time Americans and Russians had such discussions was when the Army Air Force based approximately 250 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-25 Liberator bombers and their escort fighters in three Soviet airfields in the Ukraine during World War II.

As part of this "military cooperation," the U.S. is tasked with separating "moderate" elements within both Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants and other radical jihadists. Given the fluidity of these organizations base of support, how readily militants switch from one organization to another, and how frequently "opportunistic" battlefield alliances of convenience are formed by the different jihadist organizations, the U.S. has no effective means to identify, much less verify, who are the "good jihadists" and who are the "bad" ones.

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Syrian Democratic Forces militia

Many of the so-called "moderate groups" that the U.S. is trying to support also cooperate with more radical jihadist organizations, including Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and are also part of either Ahrar al-Sham or Jaish al-Islam. The risk for the United States, is that they will be blamed for Russian attacks against American sponsored rebel groups. As one unnamed U.S. official, quoted in a Reuters news dispatch, put it, "the Russians aren't using precision guided munitions in Syria, which gives them a perfect excuse to say, sorry, we weren't aiming for your guys."

When the Kremlin intervened in the Syrian Civil War, its principal aim was to shore up the Assad regime and to transform the "political reality" in Syria by making the government of Bashar al-Assad the only realistic alternative that the U.S. and its European allies could support. It has largely accomplished this

Although the U.S. has stopped short of declaring its support for the continuation of the Assad government, by allowing its proxies on the ground, the Kurdish led SDF in north Syria and the so-called "moderate groups," to be attacked and marginalized, it has effectively accepted Bashar al-Assad as the best of the worst alternatives.

More significantly, the steady Islamization and radicalization of the rebel groups means that even if the U.S. succeeds in rolling back the Islamic State, the civil war in Syria will simply continue as a conflict between the un-democratic, but secular, Russian and Iranian supported, Assad government, and one or more rebel alliances, supported by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, committed to the establishment of a theocratic Islamic state under Sharia law.

Should the rebels prevail, it's possible that there will be an additional civil war between the various Sunni groups to determine who will dominate the new Islamic state, or its equally possible that the other groups will coalesce around one of the larger jihadist factions. If that group turns out to be al-Qaeda inspired, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, then the U.S. led effort in Syria will have accomplished little more than replacing the original Islamic State with a far larger, al-Qaeda linked version. The most likely scenario is a combination of the two possible outcomes: some fighting among the Sunni rebel groups while others coalesce around the strongest of those groups.

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Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra Front, fighters in Syria

This is a no-win situation for the United States. Either it accepts the continuation of a pro-Russian and pro-Iranian regime, one that will expand Moscow's and Tehran's influence in the region and further strengthen the Iranian led, "Shiite arc of influence" and pit Washington against its traditional Turkish and Saudi allies, or it will find that it has conducted its military effort to destroy the Islamic State just to pave the way for the creation of another, potentially equally dangerous, Sharia-based Islamic state.

It is not a foregone conclusion that such a state would be anti-Western in its orientation. It depends on which of the rebel groups ultimately ends up controlling the new government. It certainly won't be pro-Western. At best, it might prove to be neutral or ideologically anti-Western, but not violently so. The odds, however, make it more likely that it will be militantly anti-Western than not.

The legacy of five years of the Obama administration's Syrian policy is that it has severely damaged American credibility in the region. The willingness with which it has abandoned its proxies in the Syrian ground war will not be easily forgotten neither will the complete ineffectiveness of its foreign policy in Syria.

The United States remains the world's only superpower. In the Syrian Civil War, however, the White House has allowed Russia and Turkey to manipulate it for their own ends, and in the process financed a war whose ultimate outcomes are all likely to prove equally disagreeable for American interests. It has allowed the Kremlin to largely set the agenda for Russian-American engagement in the Syrian war, and it has consistently failed to set out a coherent strategy for how to deal with the violence in Syria.
Girls holding eachothers hands and going together on the road

It was one year ago that Germany began to feel the full impact of the refugee crisis, with the first trains of refugees arriving at the Munich train station. It was clear from the outset that Germany had to assume responsibility in the crisis, and so we did.

The refugee crisis is highly complex and there is no single lever we can pull, no magic wand we can wave in order to solve it. Instead, we have to work continuously on many different levels. There are the root causes, such as the civil war in Syria or the often desperate situation in some African countries; there are joint European efforts to address the crisis; and there is the situation on the ground in Germany itself. Overall, I think, the circumstances have much improved since last September, when the refugees began arriving in Germany.

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Addressing the root causes is probably by far the hardest part of solving the refugee crisis. In Syria, the fragile ceasefire, mainly brokered by the U.S., might provide a new opportunity for the Syrian people, although caution is advised. At a donor conference in London this year, the international community raised $11 billion in humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees residing in, among other places, Jordan and Lebanon. Germany pledged $2.5 billion at that conference.

On the European level, solidarity among the member states is still not as strong as we would like it to be, but Germany will continue to press for more cooperation within the EU. A central part of the EU effort has been the refugee agreement with Turkey, which has significantly brought down the numbers of refugees arriving in Europe. The EU has now particularly focused on the situation in Africa. It has established a close cooperation on migration issues with Niger, a country through which 90 percent of the refugees boarding boats in Libya pass. The European border protection agency, Frontex, has been completely reformed over the last year and can now help protect the EU's external borders much more effectively.

Germany took in 1.1 million refugees in 2015. This has been a great challenge, but Germany has lived up to it and the situation has improved on many levels compared with one year ago:

Asylum procedures have been expedited. This August, Germany adjudicated the applications of 57,000 people, more than three times the number as in August of last year. Hundreds of additional employees were hired to process applications more swiftly.

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Contrary to what some populists claim, the security situation in Germany remains stable as well. Crimes committed by migrants dropped by more than 36 percent between January and June of 2016. And many of the crimes were more of the petty sort, such as attempting to ride a train or bus without a ticket. The crime rate is especially low among refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the countries from which most new refugees in Germany come.

The main challenge, of course, remains integration - this is why Germany is now providing courses for refugees to help them integrate into society, learn the German language, and find employment. At the same time, refusal to join integration courses will lead to cuts in benefits for refugees.

Overall, we have achieved a lot in the last 12 months - internationally, on a European level, and in Germany itself. But the refugee crisis is far from over and still needs enormous efforts. Germany will continue to stand by its commitment and do its share, internationally, in Europe, and at home, because it is our humanitarian obligation to do so.
He is the chairman and founder of The Mount Vernon Company who successfully parlayed his career in marketing and advertising, working on brands like Parker Brothers, Converse, and Sunkist Orange Soda (said to be the most successful new soft drink launch in the history of the industry), into real estate, building an apartment portfolio to the tune of $500 million with more than 1400 apartments. His wife, who had moved to New York from the Netherlands, had built her own real estate portfolio while practicing international law at Ernst and Young in New York City. Not only are they smart, savvy, strategic business tycoons, they are about as down to earth as you can get, and they are more concerned with building a better world than building their own real estate empire, as they continue to make a mark in the world by committing themselves to massive charitable and civic projects, creating a wake of positive social impact along the way.

They are Bruce and Elisabeth Percelay, and beyond their business savvy, the two better define themselves as mom and dad to two little boys, William and Charlie, ambassadors for their favorite island, and their second home, Nantucket (ACK), and two people who simply want to make the world a better place. The two recently pledged a $10M dollar gift to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, where their two boys were born, in an effort to lead the charge in building a brand new 100,000 sq. ft. hospital as well as housing for hospital staff, in order to attract the best healthcare professionals from around the world.

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I recently visited the two at their home in Boston where they shared their vision, inspiration, and lessons on how anyone can make their own little dent in the world:

Impatience is a Virtue: Contrary to the 14th century quote, "patience is a virtue," Bruce says that when it comes to making a difference in the world, impatience is a virtue. He says that if you want to get stuff done, you need to set difficult goals and you have to push yourself and others to achieve them quickly. Not only did the Percelay's offer a $10M gift to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, they also volunteered to help find another $30M through an aggressive capital campaign. They say that not only does the hospital need updating, they also want to provide on campus housing to the medical staff who come to the island. They say it's expensive to live on the island and so when it comes to attracting top hospital staff, too often the talent chooses Boston. Bruce says that by providing housing it will incentivize those in the medical profession to give Nantucket Cottage Hospital a close consideration. Bruce and Elisabeth worked tirelessly throughout the summer months to begin the additional capital campaign for the hospital. They say that impatience is absolutely necessary in Nantucket because many of the potential donors are only there a few months out of the year. By the time Labor Day rolls around the island empties out, and then it's on to planning for next year. Although their goal is to spend time relaxing on the island, they admit that most nights involve social events, many hosted by them, in order to network and find others who are committed to making a difference on the island.

Work Hard - Lose the Ego: If there's one thing that Bruce and Elisabeth hope to instill upon their two boys as they grow up, it is the importance of working hard and losing their egos. Elisabeth joked that when she and Bruce began dating, she was in the middle of rehabbing a property she purchased in New York City. He showed up for their date and she asked if he would mind helping her work on the floors. Laughing, she explained that their third date was a trip to Home Depot. Bruce says that if you want to make an impact on the world, it requires that you roll up your sleeves and get dirty. He says that if there's anything that they both agree on, it's that when it comes to making an impact, it's not just who can open their wallet the widest, it is also about who is willing to put their nose to the grindstone to get the hard work done. Elisabeth says that they have a very similar work ethic and that they want their boys to see that life isn't just about sitting behind a desk, it is also about picking up a hammer or washing the floors when needed too. Bruce says that when ego gets in the way of the work you do, it slows things down, so if you want to make an impact on the world, get back to work and drop the ego.

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Passion: After building a notable career in marketing and advertising, Bruce began his new career in 1987 with the purchase of his first condominium. Since then he's grown his business to more than 1400 apartments. He then combined his marketing savvy with his real estate experience by authoring a book called Packaging Your Home for Profit, published by Little Brown and Company, which sparked media interest with the likes of CNN, Good Morning America, and more than 50 newspaper and magazines around the country. His love of Nantucket caused him to redevelop two of the top inns on the island, and he also became the publisher of Nantucket Magazine, the largest publication of its kind in Nantucket and one that boasts the highest household income demographic of any summer resort-based magazine in America. As chairman of Habitat for Humanity in Boston, he launched the largest urban project ever built in America during his tenure. He was also the driving force behind the building of the new Nantucket Whaling Museum. While it seems that everything Bruce Percelay touches turns to gold, he has another take on it. He says that success is inevitable when one is driven by passion. Bruce says that if he is successful at anything, it is in his ability to figure out a way to make a living and make a difference by spending every day doing what he loves. He says that in college, he ran the student newspaper for Boston University which was the third largest daily in Boston. It was there where he grew an affinity for writing and publishing, which he eventually rekindled with the writing of his book and through the launch of Nantucket Magazine. He says that his days in marketing and advertising gave him a fond appreciation for design and aesthetics, and that even while he was still working in advertising, he would stop and look at beautiful buildings and appreciate the design that went into them. He says it only made sense that evolving in his journey would include an emphasis on real estate, because it all tied into his passion for providing housing and sustainability for families, but also his passion for beauty and art. Bruce says that you cannot be the best possible version of yourself, you cannot be the best in your business, and you cannot make the most impact on the world, unless you are fueled by passion for what you are doing.

Incremental Value of Money: The Percelays' say that when it came to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, and offering a gift that could truly make a difference for the island, they closely considered the incremental value of money. Both Bruce and Elisabeth have carved out a very comfortable life for themselves, however, they believe at a certain point money produces less and less value to them personally and as Bruce pointed out, "You can only eat one meal at a time." Additionally, Bruce explained that while spending $10 million on a yacht or a jet is a lovely thought, the value of those assets will soon disappear while the value of smart philanthropy lasts indefinitely. Ever since news of the gift was reported in local papers, the two say that they have been overwhelmed by the number of people who stop them on the street or at the grocery store in Nantucket to say thank you. Bruce explained that he and Elisabeth love nice houses, jets, and yachts, especially when they are owned by other people, so they get the benefit of enjoyment without the hassle of ownership. He says collecting things of any kind, comes with a price, and so they do their best to keep their toys at a minimum. He says that if you want to make an impact on the world, when you do have extra money set aside, before buying something you don't need, ask yourself, "Where could this make the most impact?"
Early Saturday morning at Regatta Park and City Hall in Coconut Grove, the D. Wade CommUNITY Bike Ride took place, hosted of course by former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade.

Hundreds turned out for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)'s event, partnered with City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and Commissioner Ken Russell (I saw Ken, riding his bike, didn't see the mayor).

It was a beautiful morning for the event. Sunny and pretty right on the water. "It's great to get kids outdoors interacting with positive role models," said Commissioner Ken Russell. "I can't wait to ride through Coconut Grove with Dwyane Wade."

The ride started at about 8 am and went for about 6 to 7 miles around Center and South Grove. There were events at Regatta Park and outside City Hall before and after the ride.

Kids, adults, everyone enjoyed the fun day.

Here Dwyane addresses the riders before the ride.

There were a couple hundred who participated.

Dwyane was quite patient with the crowds, being enveloped in them from the second he showed up.

He took a lot of photos with the crowd and of course, got a selfie of himself.

Jorge Colina,

City of Miami Assistant Chief of Police and our own Grove Commander Manuel Morales tried a brand new electric bike being shown by sponsor Mack

Cycle. It was a high-tech mobility bicycle Cannondale, Mavaro performance with a Bosch motor with a price tag of $4500. Fitting that a Bosch motor would be part of D.Wade's bike ride today.
$25K in Gannett Foundation grants go to central Kansas organizations

Four local organizations are receiving a total of $25,000 as the Gannett Foundation invests in community-building initiatives in north-central Kansas.
Adams is considering privatizing the wastewater treatment plant to save on costs.

Adams Looking to Privatize Wastewater Treatment Plant

ADAMS, Mass.  The town is looking to enter into a public-private partnership agreement to operate the wastewater treatment plant.

Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco told the Selectmen at its Wednesday workshop meeting that by October he would like to send out an request for proposals soliciting bids from private companies interested in running the plant.

"We have met with some vendors, we have done some research and we have talked to the union and at this point, I would like to go out to bid to select a vendor," Mazzucco said. "Then we will know what the numbers will be and who the vendor will be before we move forward ... I want to make sure we know what we are doing so when we go to the public we have answers."

Mazzucco said the town really can't take any action until it has selected a vendor. Once one is chosen, officials can decide if it will be beneficial to the town and to build out a contract.

He said there are only a few vendors in the state that can handle a plant as big as the one in Adams.

"There are only a handful of vendors that do facilities our size in Massachusetts," he said. "There are a lot of smaller ones that do the fully automated operations like in neighborhood treatment plants but we are too big for that."

Mazzucco said the town has been in contact with Veolia North America, which runs a number of wastewater plants in the state, about what private contracting might look like.

He said once a vendor is chosen, the Selectmen can tour other plants the vendor runs.

Mazzucco said the town would not be selling any assets but paying a company to run the facility, much like how it pays a custodial service to clean town buildings. He said the town can negotiate a deal where the vendor would have to hire all current employees at the same pay grade.

He said there should be savings because they would agree to a longer-term contract, he said this would also add stability to the budget.

Mazzucco said if the lowest bid came in over what the town currently pays to run the plant, it would be turned down.

Any agreement would also include repair amounts. If something needs to be fixed or upgraded and it's under a determined price, the vendor would pay. If it was over this threshold, the vendor would come to the town.

Mazzucco said ultimately the town will be responsible for big capital upgrades but with the stability of a long-term manager, it can continue to pay off current debt and prepare for some future capital improvements.

The town could do this now but it would only add to the debt from the 2004 upgrade. Also, the town can look at upgrading the plant so more of its functions are automated, however, this would mean reducing staff.

Mazzucco said some of the biggest savings would be in the removal of legacy costs. If wastewater treatment workers are in the private sector, the town does not have to cover health care and other costs after their retirement.

"The legacy costs are going to be huge. We had an employee that recently retired at the age of 60 and between the ages of 60 and 65 that employee will cost us $90,000 in health care," Mazzucco said. "So when we look at removing those legacy costs over time the town is going to save money."

He added that the town can easily revert back at the end of its contract if it so chooses.

Assessor George Haddad said he was worried this would lead to the town adopting a sewer fee. Mazzucco said he has no plan to adopt a sewer fee in congruence to privatizing the wastewater treatment plant. He added a change like that would need town meeting approval.

Resident Jeffrey Lefebvre asked who would be responsible for state Department of Environmental Protection fines.

Mazzucco said the vendor would be responsible unless a violation came from an issue that arose because of negligence by the town.

Selectmen John Duval and Joseph Nowak said they were concerned that the vendor could not guarantee retaining the current staff.

Mazzucco said they have to meet the same staffing mandates the town does and it should not be a problem addressing it in a contract.

He said they could fire employees, just like the town, if they are not fulfilling their responsibilities.

"If they hire our employees and they don't show up to work what do you expect them to do?" Mazzucco said. "We don't guarantee that either. No one can guarantee a job forever."

Nowak said he was concerned that they could "stack the deck" and bring in their own employees.

The Selectmen agreed many of these issues can only be hashed out after the town chooses a vendor.

Ultimately, town meeting would make this decision.

The Selectmen also agreed to change Town Hall's hours to Monday through Thursday, 8 to 5.

Six months ago, the Selectmen decided to try a four-day work week with extended hours on Thursday but found no one used the extended hours.

"From a time-keeping perspective and staff perspective that hour difference is more difficult than it otherwise would seem," Mazzucco said. "But from a customer service standpoint we are serving more people in the morning and more people in the afternoon but we arent seeing anyone later on. Its a ghost town some days."

Town Clerk Haley Meczywor agreed and said she saw few people in her department during that extra hour. She added that she really heard no complaints about the switch.

"Honestly, when it first started people were coming in and thought it was great," she said. "I heard no complaints ... everyone that came in though it worked. Even the ones I thought would comment about it didnt."

Treasurer Kelly Rice said her hours will be extended during tax season hours.

Mazzucco said there wasn't any huge savings but Town Hall did use less energy.

"I looked at just our kilowatt usage and it has been down ... not that there is a budget change or the tax rate is going to go down but we are at least seeing that we are using less energy," Mazzucco said.

The Selectmen will officially vote on at their regular meeting on Wednesday.
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Imperial Valley News Center

Mexico's National Day

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Mexico as you celebrate the 206th anniversary of your nations independence.

"The United States and Mexico are not only neighbors, but close partners and friends. Our relationship is based on a host of shared interests, people-to-people ties, and a commitment to democratic values. After more than two centuries of living side-by-side, we have learned to work together to address hard problems  from building shared prosperity to preserving the environment to upholding the rule of law and safeguarding human rights  and to do so on the basis of mutual responsibility and respect.

"Over the years, we have built a firm foundation for further progress, and I look forward to a future of even greater accomplishment.

"On this special occasion, I raise a caballito de tequila to the people of Mexico, and wish you all a happy independence day and a safe and prosperous year to come.

"Viva Mexico!"
Governor Brown Signs Life-Saving EpiPen Legislation, Rebukes Bill Sponsor's "Rapacious Corporate Behavior"

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed potentially life-saving legislation  AB 1386  that allows California businesses and other public entities to have EpiPens available to help those who suffer severe allergic reactions.

Accompanying the legislation was a signing message blasting Mylan pharmaceutical company, the bills sponsor, for unconscionable price increases and rapacious corporate behavior and a letter to Congress ahead of next weeks bipartisan oversight hearing urging swift and strong action to rein in this kind of predatory pricing.


Governor Brown Issues Proclamation Declaring POW/MIA Recognition Day

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued a proclamation declaring September 16, 2016, as POW/MIA Recognition Day in the State of California.

PROCLAMATION

Of the men and women who served our country in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and later conflicts, there are currently 82,666 whose fates and whereabouts remain unknown. Some of these are prisoners of war (POWs) who were taken captive by enemy forces and never returned to us. Others are missing in action (MIA), a term defined under the Missing Persons Act (10 U.S.C.  1510) as applying to any member of the armed forces on active duty who becomes involuntarily absent as a result of a hostile action and whose status is undetermined or who is unaccounted for. The observance of POW/MIA Recognition Day began in 1979 to raise awareness of the large number of Americans who were still missing after the end of hostilities in Southeast Asia.



Today, we honor our missing warriors for their service and sacrifice, and rededicate ourselves to the cause of finding them. While we applaud the ongoing efforts of the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, which has closed 70 POW and MIA cases since the start of this year, the numbers of unaccounted-for personnel, including 1,618 from the Vietnam era, are still far too high. On this day, by displaying the POW/MIA flag at our homes, businesses and government buildings, we send to these men and women and their families a clear message embodied in the words on the flag: You Are Not Forgotten.



NOW THEREFORE I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim September 16th 2016, as POW/MIA Recognition Day.



IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 13th day of September 2016.







___________________________________

EDMUND G. BROWN JR.

Governor of California





ATTEST:







__________________________________

ALEX PADILLA

Secretary of State
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

Washington, DC - Yesterday, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Elizabeth A. Field  Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management

Tina S. Kaidanow  Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, Department of State

Markos Kounalakis  Member, United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy

Justin H. Siberell  Coordinator for Counterterrorism, with the rank of Ambassador at Large, Department of State

Claudia Slacik  Member, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States

Gail OConnor Mellow  Member, National Council on the Humanities

Dana A. Williams  Member, National Council on the Humanities

President Obama his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Adele Chatfield-Taylor  Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee, Department of State

W. Kent Fuchs  Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation

Renee M. Johnson  Member, National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations

Rami Nashashibi  Member, President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Shannon Keller O'Loughlin  Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee, Department of State

Julia M. Phillips  Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation

James K. Reap  Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee, Department of State

Jeremy Sabloff  Chairman and Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee, Department of State

President Obama said, These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles. I look forward to working with them.

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Elizabeth A. Field, Nominee for Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management

Elizabeth A. Field is a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the Department of State, a position she has held since 2014. From 2010 to 2014, Ms. Field served in multiple positions in the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, including as Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Inspections from 2013 to 2014, Chief of Staff from 2011 to 2013, and Senior Audit Manager from 2010 to 2011. Ms. Field was an Inspector in the Management Reviews Division at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in 2010. Additionally, she served at the Government Accountability Office as a Senior Analyst from 2004 to 2010 and as an Analyst from 2002 to 2004. Ms. Field received a B.A. from Davidson College and an M.P.P. from Duke University.

Tina S. Kaidanow, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, Department of State

Tina S. Kaidanow, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is Principal Deputy Secretary for Political-Military Affairs at the Department of State, a position she has held since 2016. Ms. Kaidanow previously served as Coordinator for Counterterrorism with the rank of Ambassador at Large from 2014 to 2016 and as Deputy Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. She worked in the Department of States Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs from 2009 to 2012, serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2011 to 2012 and Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2009 to 2011. From 2006 to 2009, Ms. Kaidanow was Chief of Mission and Principal Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo, becoming the first U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo in July 2008. She served in Bosnia-Herzegovina as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2003 to 2006. From 2000 to 2002, she was the Special Assistant for European Affairs to Deputy Secretaries of State Strobe Talbott and Richard Armitage, and from 1999 to 2000, she was Director for Southeast European Affairs on the National Security Council staff. From 1998 to 1999, she was Special Assistant to the Special Envoy for Kosovo at the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, Macedonia. She served as a Political Officer in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1997 to 1998 and Serbia from 1995 to 1997. She joined the Foreign Service in 1994. Ms. Kaidanow received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Phil. from Columbia University.

Markos Kounalakis, Nominee for Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy

Markos Kounalakis has worked as a freelance journalist and author since 1980. Since 2013, Mr. Kounalakis has served as a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Since 2010, he has been a Research Fellow at the Center for Media, Data and Society at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. Mr. Kounalakis was President and Publisher of Washington Monthly from 2002 to 2009 and Vice Chairman of the California State World Trade Commission from 2001 to 2003. He currently serves on the Board of Councilors at the University of Southern Californias Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Board of Advisors at the Universitys Center on Public Diplomacy. Mr. Kounalakis received a B.Sc. from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.Sc. from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.

Justin H. Siberell, Nominee for Coordinator for Counterterrorism, with the rank of Ambassador at Large, Department of State

Justin H. Siberell, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is Principal Deputy Coordinator in the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the Department of State, a position he has held since 2014. Since early 2016, Mr. Siberell has served concurrently as Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism. He previously worked at the Department of State as Deputy Coordinator for Regional Affairs in the Bureau of Counterterrorism from 2012 to 2014. Prior to that, he was Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 2009 to 2012, a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq from 2008 to 2009, and Consul at the American Presence Post in Alexandria, Egypt from 2005 to 2008. He also served as a Press and Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan from 2002 to 2005. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1993, he has served in positions on the National Security Council, the Department of States Iran Desk and Executive Secretariat, as well as in the United Arab Emirates and Panama. Mr. Siberell received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Claudia Slacik, Nominee for Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States

Claudia Slacik was the Senior Vice President of Export Finance for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im), a position she held from 2013 to May 2016. During that time, Ms. Slacik also performed the duties of Ex-Ims Chief Banking Officer. From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Slacik held various positions at JPMorgan Chase & Co. including Head of International Public Sector for J.P. Morgans Treasury Services business and CEO of its Treasury & Securities Services in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Before joining J.P. Morgan, from 1992 to 2009 Ms. Slacik served in several positions at Citigroup, most recently as Global Head of Trade Services and Finance for Citi's Global Transaction Services Group. Prior to joining Citigroup in 1992, Ms. Slacik was Vice President, Strategic Planning at World Color Press. She launched her career in banking at Bankers Trust Company. Ms. Slacik received an A.B. from Smith College and an M.B.A. from New York University.

Dr. Gail OConnor Mellow, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Humanities

Dr. Gail OConnor Mellow is President of LaGuardia Community College, a position she has held since 2000. Previously, Dr. Mellow was the President of Gloucester Community College from 1997 to 2000. She served as Senior Administrator at LaGuardia Community College from 1996 to 1997 and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rockland Community College from 1994 to 1996. From 1989 to 1994, Dr. Mellow held several positions at Quinebaug Valley Community College, including Acting President and Academic Dean. She served as both Director and Assistant Director of the University of Connecticut Womens Center from 1984 to 1989. Dr. Mellow serves on the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and previously served on the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Association of American Colleges and Universities. Dr. Mellow received an A.A. from Jamestown Community College, a B.A. from the State University of New York, Albany, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from George Washington University.

Dr. Dana A. Williams, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Humanities

Dr. Dana A. Williams is Chair of the Department of English at Howard University, a position she has held since 2009. Dr. Williams previously served as Associate Chair and Undergraduate Studies Director at Howard University from 2003 to 2009. She was a Faculty Fellow at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University from 2008 to 2009 and an Assistant Professor at Louisiana State University from 1999 to 2003. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Black American Literature and Culture Forum for the Modern Languages Association, and recently served as President of the College Language Association and the Association of the Departments of English Executive Committee. Dr. Williams won the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Scholar Award in 1999. Dr. Williams received a B.A. from Grambling State University and an M.A. and Ph.D from Howard University.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint following individuals to key Administration posts:

Adele Chatfield-Taylor, Appointee for Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee

Adele Chatfield-Taylor is President Emerita of the American Academy in Rome, a position she has held since 2014, which followed her 25 year tenure as the Academys President and CEO. Ms. Chatfield-Taylor was Director of the Design Arts Program for the National Endowment for the Arts from 1984 to 1988 and Executive Director of the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation from 1980 to 1984. Preservation Foundation from 1980 to 1984. She was Director for Policy and Programs and affiliated with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1973 to 1980. Ms. Chatfield-Taylor was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture at Columbia University from 1976 to 1984 and a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1978 to 1979. She served as a trustee for the National Building Museum from 1989 to 1995 and was a member of the Commission of Fine Arts from 1989 to 1994. Ms. Chatfield-Taylor received a B.A. from Manhattanville College and an M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

Dr. W. Kent Fuchs, Appointee for Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation

Dr. W. Kent Fuchs serves as the President of the University of Florida, a position he has held since 2015. Previously, he served as Provost of Cornell University from 2009 to 2014. Prior to that, Dr. Fuchs was the Joseph Silbert Dean of the Cornell University College of Engineering from 2002 to 2008. From 1996 to 2002, he served as the head of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and as the Michael J. and Katherine R. Birck Distinguished Professor at Purdue University. From 1985 to 1996, he served as a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Coordinated Science Laboratory at the University of Illinois. Dr. Fuchs is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Association for Computing Machinery. Dr. Fuchs holds a B.S.E. from Duke University, a M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

Renee M. Johnson, Appointee for Member, National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations

Renee M. Johnson is the National President of the Federal Managers Association (FMA), a position she has held since 2016. Ms. Johnson formerly served in FMA leadership as Vice President of the FMA from 2015 to 2016 and was previously an FMA Regional Director from 2011 to 2015, as well as an FMA Chapter President from 2010 to 2015. Ms. Johnson has been the Component Program Deputy Integrated Product Team Lead for the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRC East) of the United States Navy, a position she has held since 2014. Ms. Johnson has served with FRC East for more than two decades, serving as the Emerging Systems Branch Head from 2013 to 2014, Business Manager from 2009 to 2013, Project Manager from 1998 to 2009, Security Assistant from 1997 to 1998, Program Assistant from 1996 to 1997, and began her federal career in 1990 in the cooperative education program. Ms. Johnson received a B.A. from the University of Mount Olive and an M.B.A. from Boston University.

Dr. Rami Nashashibi, Appointee for Member, Presidents Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, which he co-founded in 1997. He has also been a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Chicago Theological Seminary since 2013. Dr. Nashashibi serves on the Advisory Board of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, the Executive Council of the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations, and the Planning Committee for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial project. He was named a White House Champion of Change in 2011. Dr. Nashashibi received a B.A. from DePaul University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Shannon Keller OLoughlin, Appointee for Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee

Shannon Keller OLoughlin is Chief of Staff at the National Indian Gaming Commission, a position she has held since 2015. Ms. OLoughlin was Partner and Chair of the Indian Nations Practice Group at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP from 2013 to 2015. She was a Solo Practitioner from 2005 to 2013, during which time she worked on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Civil Penalties program from 2011 to 2013. Ms. OLoughlin was an Associate Attorney for Dreyer Boyajian LLP from 2005 to 2006, Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP from 2004 to 2005, and Galbut & Hunter, P.C. from 2002 to 2004. She was a Law Clerk for the Arizona Court of Appeals from 2001 to 2002. Ms. OLoughlin is a member of the National Native American Bar Association and the Lawyers Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation. She was a member of the NAGPRA Review Committee from 2013 to 2015. Ms. OLoughlin received a B.A. from California State University, Long Beach and an M.A. and J.D. from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Julia M. Phillips, Appointee for Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation

Dr. Julia M. Phillips is Executive Emeritus at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Previously at Sandia, Dr. Phillips served as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer from 2013 to 2014, Director of Laboratory Research Strategy and Partnerships from 2011 to 2013, and Director of the Physical, Chemical & Nano Science Center from 2001 to 2010. Prior to joining Sandia, Dr. Phillips was a member of the technical staff and a manager at AT&T Bell Laboratories from 1981 to 1995. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Phillips received a B.S. from the College of William and Mary and a Ph.D. from Yale University.

James K. Reap, Appointee for Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee

James K. Reap is Professor and Graduate Coordinator of the Masters of Historic Preservation program at the University of Georgia (UGA), positions he has held since 2015 and 2014, respectively. Mr. Reap held various positions including Associate Professor, Instructor, and Public Service Associate from 2003 to 2014 at UGA. Mr. Reap was Assistant Commissioner with the Georgia Department of Administrative Services from 1997 to 2002, Program Manager for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games from 1993 to 1996, and Executive Assistant to the Director of State Parks with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources from 1992 to 1993. Mr. Reap is a member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the Lawyers Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation. He is a Founding Member of the Georgia Alliance of Preservation Commissions and the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. Mr. Reap received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina and a J.D. from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Jeremy Sabloff, Appointee for Member and Chairman, Cultural Property Advisory Committee

Dr. Jeremy Sabloff is an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute and the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, positions he has held since 2015 and 2010, respectively. Previously, Dr. Sabloff served as President of the Santa Fe Institute from 2009 to 2015, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania from 1994 to 2009, and Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology from 1994 to 2004. He served as a Professor at the University of Pittsburgh from 1986 to 1994, Professor at the University of New Mexico from 1978 to 1986, and Associate Professor at the University of Utah from 1976 to 1977. Dr. Sabloff was an Assistant and Associate Professor at Harvard University from 1969 to 1976. He is a member of the National Advisory Board of the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Sabloff received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.
State Department Terrorist Designation of Omar Diaby

Washington, DC - The Department of State has designated Omar Diaby as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons and groups determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. As a result of this designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which Diaby has any interest is blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Diaby.

Omar Diaby leads a group of French foreign terrorist fighters in Syria. The group of approximately 50 fighters has participated in terrorist operations alongside the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, al-Nusrah Front. Although assumed killed in August 2015, Diaby, re-emerged in May 2016, claiming his death was a ploy to allow him to travel to Turkey for an operation. Diaby came to the attention of French intelligence due to his involvement with a French extremist group and his online propaganda video series. Diabys videos have been credited as the chief reason behind why so many French nationals have joined militant groups in Syria and Iraq.

The imposition of sanctions by the United States against terrorists is a powerful tool. Todays action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Omar Diaby is actively engaged in terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and other governments.
U.S. Announces Contribution To Support Joint IOM-UNHCR Mechanism Supporting Emerging Refugee Resettlement Countries

Washington, DC - The United States is pleased to announce a contribution of $11 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support the Emerging Resettlement Countries Joint Support Mechanism (ERCM), a platform established to help countries create robust and sustainable refugee resettlement programs.

On September 20, 2016, leaders from Jordan, Mexico, Germany, Ethiopia, Sweden, and Canada, as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will join President Obama in hosting the Leaders Summit on Refugees on the margins of this years UN General Assembly high-level week. The Summit will bring together governments from around the world that have made new and significant pledges in 2016 to address the most urgent needs of refugees and facilitate long-term durable solutions. Among the goals of the Summit is to double the global number of refugees resettled or admitted legally to third countries. A significant number of countries have stepped forward to launch or expand refugee resettlement efforts. It is vital to the success of these efforts that their programs address the legal, administrative, and social challenges that refugees can face.

The U.S. contribution to the ERCM, managed by UNHCR and IOM, will provide both resources and expertise to assist countries in establishing the legal, institutional, and community framework necessary to create robust and sustainable resettlement programs. The ERCM will focus on providing support to newly established resettlement programs and may potentially support other pathways such as family reunification programs, study opportunities, and issuance of humanitarian visas. The United States strongly urges other donors to join in supporting this important mechanism. With full funding, the ERCM could help as many as 10 countries resettle nearly 30,000 refugees over the next three years.
President Obamas Call with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Washington, DC - President Obama spoke with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They discussed the developments in Syria and the importance of bolstering the fight against ISIL and al-Qaida in Syria. They also discussed the urgency of stabilizing areas of Iraq liberated from ISIL. With regard to Yemen, the President expressed concern about renewed fighting.

He and the Crown Prince agreed on the need to press the parties to implement an immediate ceasefire and to reach a political settlement. The President expressed appreciation for the United Arab Emirates commitment to join other countries at the Leaders Summit on Refugees and announce initiatives to address the global refugee crisis. The two leaders agreed as well on the importance of addressing climate change, including by supporting a measure to reduce carbon emissions from aviation. The President and Crown Prince reaffirmed their determination to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in pursuit of a shared interests.
Kohli's Photo With Tricolour During National Anthem Goes Viral, Twitter Calls Him 'Pride of India'
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The not-so-impossible has happened: Tom Cruise has agreed to a deal for M:I 6 following heated salary disputes.

Cruise was set to return as Ethan Hunt for the sixth instalment of the popular Mission: Impossible franchise when pre-production ground to a halt due to a dispute between the actor and Paramount.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, negotiations have ended and the film's preproduction is being resumed with filming expecting to take place next Spring, a few months later than planned.

Paramount declined to comment.

Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Show all 14 1 /14 Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Bill Murray With only one Oscar nomination to his name (2003's Lost in Translation), Bill Murray is one oversight that - in many people's eyes - could easily throw the Academy Awards into disrepute. AFP/Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Samuel L. Jackson Considering he's one of the most bankable film stars in the world, it's a surprise that - with over 160 credits to his name - Samuel L. Jackson has only received a mere one nomination (Pulp Fiction in 1994). 2016 Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Joaquin Phoenix With three previous nominations under his belt - for films including Gladiator and The Master - it was his performance as Johnny Cash in 2005 biopic Walk the Line that was expected to see him win an Oscar (he lost to the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's for Capote). 2015 Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Brad Pitt The ever-present fixture he remains in Hollywood today, you'd think Brad Pitt would have won an Oscar by now; while serving as producer of 2014 Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave, he currently has zero acting wins to his name despite three nominations (Twelve Monkeys, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Moneyball). 2015 Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Tom Cruise Still one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Tom Cruise seemed like a sure awards bet back in the Nineties with films Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia all earning him nominations - and yet, he never once emerged victorious. 2015 Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Richard Gere Would you believe us if we told you Richard Gere has never even been nominated? Well, it's true - and, quite honestly, shocks us quite a bit. Poor guy. Juan Naharro Gimenez Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Gary Oldman One of the film industry's finest character actors, Gary Oldman has been nominated just the once for playing George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. 2014 Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Johnny Depp Despite his recent dip in quality, Johnny Depp has delivered several Oscar-worthy performances in the past. With a total of three nominations to his name - all for post-2000 releases including Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Neverland - it's more a wonder he didn't receive more recognition for standout films such as Ed Wood and Donnie Brasco in the Nineties. 2015 Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Harrison Ford Harrison Ford may now be the world's highest-grossing actor (sorry, Samuel) but still doesn't have the Academy Award to back up such a feat. In fact, he's now into his third decade of not receiving recognition from the Academy with his sole nomination arriving back in 1985 for Witness. Getty Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Edward Norton Edward Norton is just the kind of actor you'd assume would've scooped a statuette at some stage or another, but no - Norton just has three nominations to speak of; his first in 1996 (Primal Fear), his second in 1999 (American History X) and his third just last year (Best Picture winner, Birdman). AFP/Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't John Malkovich American actor John Malkovich was nominated once in 1984 (Places in the Heart) and again in 1993 (In the Line of Fire) but hasn't posed much of a threat since. 2013 Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Annette Bening Poor Annette Bening, who has come close to victory four times (The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right) but is yet to clinch one. 2015 Getty Images Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Glenn Close ...well, it could be worse; she could be Glenn Close who has been on the shortlist six times for films including Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons and, most recently, Albert Nobbs. Actors you think have won Oscars but haven't Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter may have received a Best Actress nomination for Wings of a Dove (1997), but it was her Best Supporting Actress nomination for 2012's Best Picture winner The King's Speech that seemed a sure bet; Melissa Leo's role in The Fighter won that round. 2015 Getty Images

Christopher McQuarrie will return to write and direct following the success of fifth instalment Rogue Nation and will be the first to steer more than one M:I film; Brian De Palma directed the first of the franchise with cruise returning in the John Woo-directed sequel. A third arrived in 2003 under the guide of The Force Awakens' JJ Abrams while Ghost Protocol was steered by Brad Bird (The Incredibles).

Rogue Nation, released in 2015, co-starred Rebecca Ferguson who'll next be seen in The Girl on the Train alongside Emily Blunt and Justin Theroux.
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The Emmy Awards - TV's answer to the Oscars - arrives this weekend with shows such as Game of Thrones, Mr Robot, Transparent and The People v OJ Simpson all competing for trophies.

While some series have been unfairly cast to the wayside (ahem, The Walking Dead and The Leftovers), the ceremony is expected to be a vibrant one following last year's historic year which saw How to Get Away with Murder's Viola Davis name the first black winner of the Outstanding Actress gong while HBO series Thrones sweeped the board in a grander scale than ever.

Below is all the information you need to know about the wards ranging from when they'll take place to who's presenting.

In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Show all 34 1 /34 In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Ramsay Bolton Fed to the hounds by his ex-wife In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Tommen Baratheon Jumped out of a window In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Rickon Stark Shot by Ramsay with an arrow In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Grand Maester Pycelle Stabbed by little birds In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Loras Tyrell Wildfire In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Alliser Thorne Hung In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Olly Hung #F*ckOlly In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Walder Frey Ticked off the list In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Shaggydog Head cut off In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Summer Ripped apart by White Walkers In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 High Sparrow Wildfire In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 The Blackfish Killed off-screen In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Hodor Hold the door In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Trystane Martell Stabbed through the face by those damned Sand Snakes In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Leaf Blown up saving Bran In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Walda Frey and her little boy Fed to the hounds In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Balon Greyjoy Thrown off a bridge by his brother In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Lady Crane Fell off a chair In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Mace Tyrell Wildfire In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 The Waif Killed in the dark by Arya Stark In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Lothar Frey and Black Walder Rivers Fray pie In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Brother Lancel Lannister Stabbed once then blown up by Wildfire In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Lem Lemoncloak Hung by the Brotherhood Without Banners plus The Hound In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Brother Ray Hung by Leomoncloak and his gang In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Three-Eyed Raven Killed by the Nights King In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Margaery Tyrell Wildfire In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Khal Rhalko, Khal Brozho, Khal Qorro, Khal Forzho, Khal Moro Burnt by the Mother of Dragons In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Roose Bolton Stabbed in the chest by his own son In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Kevan Lannister Wildfire In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Smalljon Umber Beaten by Tormund In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun That Goddamn Ramsay again In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Osha Throat slit by Ramsay In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Doran Martell Stabbed in the hearth by Ellaria Sand In memoriam: Every major character who died in Game of Thrones season 6 Areo Hotah Stabbed in the spine by Tyene Sand

Where are they taking place?

This years Emmy Awards will be held on Sunday 18 September at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.

What time does it start?

It all kicks off at 8pm ET, or 1am on Monday morning.

How can I watch it?

Sadly those of us in the UK are unable to watch the Emmys as they happen but US TV fans can tune into ABC from 7pm ET when the red carpet pre-show begins. Highlights will be broadcast on UK channel Sky Living the following day (19 september) but stay with us through the night as we'll be bringing you all the live updates you need.

Who is hosting?

Jimmy Kimmel is hosting for the second time since 2012. He follows Andy Samberg (2015), Seth Meyers (2014) and Neil Patrick Harris (2013).

Who is presenting?

The list of this year's presenters is very extensive. Taking to the stage will be Kyle Chandler, Bryan Cranston, Claire Danes, Michelle Dockery, Minnie Driver, Terrence Howard, Allison Janney, Rami Malek, Abigail Spencer, Kiefer Sutherland, Hank Azaria, Margo Martindale, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and - for one of the night's most important awards - Tom Hiddleston.

Who is nominated?

This year's lead nominees are Game of Thrones and American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson who each earned a respective 23 and 22 nominations. The former will compete in the drama category alongside Mr Robot (which won the Golden Globe back in January), Better Call Saul, Downton Abbey, Homeland, House of Cards and The Americans which finally got some well-earned recognition. The People v OJ Simpson has been nominated in for Best Limited Series; its competitiors include Fargo, The Night Manager, American Crime and Roots.

Acting-wise, there's been recognition for Rami Malek (Mr Robot), Keri Russell (The Americans), Kirsten Dunst (Fargo), Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent), Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) while Cuba Gooding, Jr., Courtney B. Vance and Sarah Paulson are all nominated for The People v OJ Simpson.

You can read the full list here.

Where's Stranger Things?

You'll have to wait a year to see just how much Emmy-voters were affected by the Duffer Brothers' Netflix series; it wasn't applicable for inclusion this time around. The Emmy campaign for Dustin actor Gaten Matarazzo starts here.
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The Burlock Rum Room in Londons Mayfair has more than 200 of the worlds finest rums, its one of the UKs largest rum houses, and simply a must visit for any rum lover. Inside is a vintage Havana-style bar and lounge, with an old barber shop doubling up as the sipping salon.

Its name comes from the twine-and-hemp packaging that rum runners used during the prohibition era to transport packs of six bottles. Cocktails are made with seasonal juices and hand-pressed sugar, and one pound from the sale of the grasshopper deluxe cocktail will be donated to human rights organisations. Small plates are also on offer, from Brazilian cheese buns to seabass ceviche.

Fishermans friend

25ml Barsol Acholado Pisco

25ml Doorlys three-year-old rum

20ml Regal Rogue Wild Rose vermouth

10ml creme de peche

15ml lemon juice

75ml dandelion tea (cold brew)

10ml sugar syrup (1:1)

Loosely based on a fish-house punch recipe, this is an incredibly refreshing drink. Shake and strain over good cubed ice. Copper pineapple optional.

Burlocks mixologists make their own coconut rum for pina coladas

Almond butter salt colada

40ml good coconut rum (we make our own with eight-year-old Bacardi)

10ml overproof rum (Smith & Cross)

20ml coconut milk

20ml fresh pineapple juice

5ml lemon juice

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 pinch sea salt

This drink is moreish. The almond butter adds new dimensions in texture and flavour, and the salt puts an adult spin on this flashback from those wild years. Shake all ingredients and fine strain (although its also great blended). Garnish with nutmeg and a pineapple leaf.

The grasshopper deluxe is rich and creamy  and 1 per drink is donated to charity

Grasshopper deluxe

25ml Plantation Original Dark rum

25ml creme de menthe

25ml milk

25ml cream

1 drop chocolate essence

Marks & Spencer coconut chocolate, grated

Like the classic after-meal digestif but with more machismo. Shake and strain. Serve up and garnish with generous gratings of coconut chocolate from M&S.

Burlock, 31 Duke Street, London W1U 1LG; open Mon-Sat; burlocklondon.co.uk
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Amal Clooney sat before the United Nations on Friday and delivered a damning speech on its failure to tackle some of the gravest crimes committed by Isis against the Yazidi community.

The renowned human rights lawyer told delegates gathered that she was "ashamed" more steps had not been taken by the UN against the terror group, which brags about the mass murder and enslavement of Yazidi men, women and children in areas of the Middle East under its control.

Clooney was speaking to introduce Nadia Murad, a woman who was captured in northern Iraq in 2014 and trafficked as a sex slave by Isis before eventually escaping. She was one of 5,000 women abducted by fighters as the group swept through territories in Iraq. Many of these women were sold as 'sabia' - slaves, and those who escaped have described brutal gang-rapes and being passed among fighters.

Murad, 23, appeared before the UN in New York in 2015 and spoke of the horrific experiences inflicted upon her by Isis. She will act as an ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking for the UNs Drugs and Crime body.

Clooney, who is representing Murad and was sat by her side on Friday, is in New York with Murad to meet with representatives from the government in Iraq, the UN and members of the UN Security Council.

The unimaginable horrors committed against the minority Yazidis was detailed in an extensive report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the Syrian Arab Republic in June.

Murads mother and six brothers were among 600 murdered by Isis in one day after her capture. The barbarity she has recalled of her time in captivity was highlighted by Clooney, who delivered a powerful and direct speech that left no uncertainty in its message: the atrocities committed by Isis and detailed by Murad amount to genocide, and not enough has been done to tackle or even address it.

Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Show all 15 1 /15 Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle at a camp at Derike, Syria. In the camps here, Iraqi refugees have new heroes: Syrian Kurdish fighters who battled militants to carve an escape route to tens of thousands trapped on a mountaintop Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A pilot based at RAF Marham entering a Tornado GR4 prior to taking off for the reconnaissance mission over Iraq. Several RAF Tornado jets set off from RAF Marham in Norfolk this afternoon to travel to a "pre-position", from where they will fly to northern Iraq to provide improved surveillance of the situation on the ground. The jets, fitted with Litening III targeting and surveillance pods, will be able to fly over the crisis area to provide intelligence and help with the delivery of humanitarian aid Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A British Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR4 aircraft equipped with the Litening III pod from RAF Marham, eastern England, on their arrival at RAF Akrotiri Cyprus for their reconnaissance mission over Iraq Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Aid inside a Royal Air Force (RAF) Hercules C130 J aircraft before being airdropped to civilians in Iraq Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A Royal Air Force (RAF) Hercules C130 J military transport plane at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Britain made a third round of airdrops of supplies to aid refugees stranded on a mountain in northern Iraq, officials said, as Tornado fighters arrived at an RAF base in Cyprus preparing to provide surveillance support for the humanitarian effort Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR4 aircraft, flown in from Britain, stand on the tarmac at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A displaced man helps a woman, both from the minority Yazidi sect fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, as they make their way towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Iraqis including Turkmen, Shabaks, Kurds, Yezidis and Christians, fleeing from assaults of army groups led by Isis, take shelter at Bahirka Camp in Arbil Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community look for clothes to wear among items provided by a charity organization at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community gather for food at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community gather for food at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Syrian Kurdish Peshmerga fighters take a sick Iraqi Yazidi woman to the clinic at Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Sick displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community wait for treatment at a clinic at Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria

She told delegates: Make no mistake: what Nadia has told us about is genocide, and genocide doesnt happen by accident. You have to plan it."

Clooney highlighted the disturbing pamphlet distributed by Isis which decreed Yazidi girls could be raped as soon as they have hit puberty and sold in slave markets as they are considered merely property. She went on: This slave market is still running today - just a few hours away by plane.

Clooney was fiercely critical of the inaction by the UN in the face of the persecution of Yazidis, something she conveyed in her opening remarks.

 Young Yazidi girl gives powerful speech at UN

This is the first time I have spoken in this chamber. I wish I could say I'm proud to be here but I am not. I am ashamed as a supporter of the United Nations that states are failing to prevent or even punish genocide because they find that their own interests get in the way.

At the end of her eight-minute address, Clooney turned to Murad and apologised on behalf of world leaders for not doing more to help women like her. "I am sorry we have failed you," she said.

"And to those who thought that in their acts, they could destroy you, let them know this: Nadia Murads spirit is not broken and her voice will not be silenced, because as of today, Nadia is the United Nations ambassador who will speak for survivors all over the world.

Her speech is in full below:

Nadias mother was one of 80 older women who were executed and buried in an unmarked grave.

Nadia Murad (Getty Images ) (Getty Images)

Her brothers were part of a group of 600 murdered in a single day. Make no mistake: what Nadia has told us about is genocide, and genocide doesnt happen by accident. You have to plan it.

Before the genocide began two years ago, the Isis resurgence fatwa department studied the Yazidis, and concluded that as a Kurdish-speaking group that did not have a holy book, they were non-believers whose enslavement was a 'firmly established aspect of sharia'. This is why, according to Isis warped morality, only Yazidis, unlike other minority groups, can be systematically raped.

Isis even released a pamphlet entitled 'Questions and Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves' to provide more guidelines, [answering questions like]: is it permissible to have intercourse with a female slave who has not reached puberty." [The answer was yes.]

[]

Recommended Read more Escaped Isis sex slave calls on Britain to help Yazidis

This is the first time I have spoken in this chamber. I wish I could say I'm proud to be here but I am not. I am ashamed as a supporter of the United Nations that states are failing to prevent or even punish genocide because they find that their own interests get in the way.

I am ashamed as a lawyer that there is no justice being done and barely a complaint being made about it. I am ashamed as a woman that girls like Nadia could have their bodies sold and used as battlefields.

I am ashamed as a human being that we ignore their cries for help. We know that what we have before us is genocide, and we know that it is still ongoing. We know exactly who the perpetrators are. They brag. Isis brags about its crimes online.

There is no-one more blameless than the young Yazidi girl who has lost everything and who today comes before you and asks for your help. Yet two years on, two years after the genocide began, 3,200 Yazidi women and children are still held captive by Isis and not a single member of Isis has been prosecuted in a court anywhere in the world for crimes committed against the Yazidi. 

[...]

Nadia and others like her are not seeking revenge, they are seeking justice. The opportunity to face their abusers in an international court at the Hague.

Recommended Read more Isis burns 19 Yazidi women to death in Mosul

I am proud to sit beside this young woman whose strength and leadership astounds me. She has defied all the labels that life has given her: orphan, rape victim, slave, refugee. She has instead created new ones. Survivor, Yazidi leader, womens advocate. Nobel Peace Prize nominee. And now, as of today, Goodwill ambassador.

I am proud to know you Nadia, and I am sorry that we have failed you. I hope that your appointment today can be a turning point for all victims of sexual violence in human trafficking. And to those who thought that in their acts, they could destroy you, let them know this: Nadia Murads spirit is not broken and her voice will not be silenced, because as of today, Nadia is the United Nations ambassador who will speak for survivors all over the world.
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A blogger who wrote about living with a terminal brain tumour has died a day before her dream wedding.

Anna Swabey, 25, was initially given three months to live after being diagnosed with a grade three rare malignant tumour. It was shortly after her diagnosis she met her "wonderful" fiance Andy Bell, 26, on an online dating site. They moved in together and began planning a wedding and a family as Ms Swabey started gruelling courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Ms Swabey, from Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham and Mr Bell were due to marry today in the Yorkshire Dales. But after learning her tumour had progressed to grade four in July, her condition began to deteriorate two weeks ago and she died surrounded by her family in the early hours of Friday morning.

Her sister wrote her final blog post for her on 10 September.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. 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The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. 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Victoria wrote: Anna is peaceful in her bed, mostly sleeping. We have a few lucid moments with her every now and then and we are so thankful that she is comfortable and relatively pain-free. We can all take comfort in the fact that Anna is exactly where she wants to be, surrounded by her close family and friends.

After learning of her diagnosis, Ms Swabey launched a blog, Inside my Head. Her first post, Life with a Brain Tumour', set out her reasons for blogging about fighting Trev", the name she gave to the growth on her brain.

I was always very ambitious, I always wanted to be successful and I was determined I was going to have an amazing career," she wrote. "Throughout my life, I have been a perfectionist, never settled for being just average.

Im still Anna Louise Swabey, Im still 23 years old, and I still have exactly the same passions and ambition as detailed above. I am still exactly the same person, however, unfortunately, after receiving my biopsy results on 3 February 2015, I have been diagnosed with a Grade 3 Glioma, Anaplastic Astrocytoma brain tumour."

Under the heading, 'Who I want to be', she continued: I want to defy my prognosis, I WILL live till I am old, I WILL get married and I WILL have children and I WILL have the life I have always dreamt of!

Ms Swabey became an advocate for more funds being allocated to brain tumour research, travelling to Westminster to debate with MPs.

She also wrote candidly about her experiences of dating after learning her tumour was terminal for magazines including Marie Claire. Her story attracted national attention and her blog posts were shared thousands of times.

Before her death, she raised almost 65,000 for the charity Brain Tumour Research. Ms Swabey had hoped to reach 100,000 and donations are still building.

On her Just Giving page, Ms Swabey set out what she hoped her legacy would be after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. I am determined to leave a mark on the world, and I am desperate to make a difference.

Wendy Fulcher, a spokesperson for Brain Tumour Research, said Ms Swabey "never shied from reality" and "gave her time selflessly" to raise awareness of brain tumours.

Anna was just 23 when she was told she had a brain tumour. Understandably devastated and angry, she nevertheless held her head up high and decided she would live her life, however long it might be, to the full.

Bright, vivacious, kind, and beautiful, Anna was one of those to whom others are naturally drawn. She had a great sense of fun and a marvelous joie de vivre. After graduating with a first class degree in languages and European studies, she had plans to learn Mandarin and there is no doubt she had the brightest of futures ahead.

Another bright light has gone out. Another young person has been taken by a brain tumour, this most cruel and crippling of cancers which kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other.
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For those growing tired of one of the more acrimonious splits in recent months, which is steadily coming to look like the overwhelming majority, this may be welcome news.

After speculation his new song My Way could be (yet another) dig at ex-girlfriend of 15 months, Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris told Elvis Duran and the Z100 Morning Show she was not the inspiration behind lyrics such as I made my move and it was all about you/Now I feel so far removed.

Instead, he said the song touted by many as a "diss track" was one he began writing several years ago when he was plotting his escape from a minimum wage job and entrance into the lucrative but notoriously difficult to crack music industry.

Harris' story is more galvanising than most: he swapped a job at the bread counter of Safeway in the Scottish town of Dumfries (population: 50,000) to become the highest earning DJ in the world at the age of 32.

World's highest paid DJs Show all 10 1 /10 World's highest paid DJs World's highest paid DJs Calvin Harris $63 million Getty Images for Coachella World's highest paid DJs Tiesto $38 million Getty Images for MHUSA World's highest paid DJs David Guetta $28 million Getty Images World's highest paid DJs Zedd $24.5 million Getty Images for Coachella World's highest paid DJs Steve Aoki $23.5 million Getty Images for SiriusXM World's highest paid DJs Diplo $23 million Getty Images for New Era World's highest paid DJs Skrillex $20 million Getty Images World's highest paid DJs Kaskade $19 million Getty Images World's highest paid DJs Martin Garrix $16 million Getty Images World's highest paid DJs Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike $15.5 million Getty Images for SiriusXM

I thought of the concept years ago, when I left Safeway," he explained. "I was trying to move to London and I was working in the store in Scotland, I was trying to go on and make music for a living, but I couldnt because I didnt have any money. I was like, damn this grocery store! If I could break out of this I could have enough time to work on music and get good.

Harris described his struggle to reach London and get closer to a lucrative career in 2009 as his career was taking off.

Luckily, my parents weren't charging me any rent, so I could use my wages to buy equipment. The Safeway job funded a trip to London when I was 20. Then I got a job in a fish factory - that paid for a mixing desk.

He also revealed the reasoning behind his decision to pose for Armani underwear: Its just jokes, innit, insisting he was not embarrassed when a picture of the advert was thrust in front of his face.

The only reason I did that is because it was after a long run of very blessed success in music, and I was like what else am I going to do? And then that offer came in and I was like, well thats ridiculous - there is no chance I would ever do that. And then I thought about it and was like thats exactly why I should do it."
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A Conservative MP has called for the royal yacht Britannia to be recommissioned and used to help secure post-Brexit trade deals.

The ship, which acted as the Queens private yacht between 1954 and 1997, hosted trade talks in the early 1990s.

A debate will be held in Parliament next month to discuss the proposal.

In her latter years Britannia is estimated to have brought in 3bn of commercial trade deals between 1991 and 1995, said Jake Berry, Conservative MP for Rossendale and Darwen who is behind the plan told The Sun.

During those profitable years, she hosted business figures from across the globe for sea days  on-board trade talks.

A friend of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told the newspaper: Boris is certainly intrigued by the idea Jake has floated. Britannia is a great symbol of global Britain.

Under the proposed plans, the yachts relaunch would be funded by private donations with no cost to the taxpayer.

 Jean-Claude Juncker says Brexit talks must start 'as soon as possible'

Recommissioning Britannia will undoubtedly be denounced as a vanity project by naysayers, but it could bring in billions of pounds worth of trade deals for post Brexit Britain, Mr Berry told The Sun.

On one commercial sea day, held on board in the Bay of Naples in 1980, 500m of business was secured on behalf of the City of London. A royal invitation to conduct business aboard the most exclusive yacht in the world made it hard for even the most successful business people to resist, Mr Berry said.

In 2012, former prime minister David Cameron supported plans to build a new royal yacht that would have cost 60m. Donors were approached and a Canadian financier was reported to have offered 10m towards the vessels construction.

Yachts with champagne showers tempt the world's super-rich to Germany Show all 2 1 /2 Yachts with champagne showers tempt the world's super-rich to Germany Yachts with champagne showers tempt the world's super-rich to Germany 547382.bin EPA Yachts with champagne showers tempt the world's super-rich to Germany 547381.bin

Lord Jones of Birmingham, who was a trade minister during Gordon Browns government, told The Telegraph: "When I was trade minister I was amazed how many overseas contacts asked me why we ever got rid of Britannia.

The royal yacht Britannia is currently a popular tourist attraction moored in the Port of Leith, Scotland. Cared for by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, it is part of the National Historic Fleet. It attracts around 300,000 visitors each year.

The steam-powered vessel sailed more than one million nautical miles during its 43-year tenure as the royal yacht.

Parliament is set to debate Mr Berrys proposal on 11 October after a feasibility study has been carried out.
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An Iraqi man has described watching a teenage boy drown after being forced into a river by British troops.

Ayad Salim Hanoon was detained alongside 15-year-old Ahmed Jabbar Kareem Ali on the day he died in May 2003 but survived the ordeal in Basra.

A judicial investigation released this week found that British troops left the teenager alone to flounder and drown in a dirty canal after catching him with looters as chaos swept the Iraqi city.

Sir George Newman, a former High Court judge, found the teenager had been unlawfully treated after reviewing evidence from dozens of commanders, troops and civilian witnesses.

Among them was Ayad Salim Hanoon, a factory worker who was detained with Ahmed and two others near Basra General Hospital.

In a statement taken by investigators, he claimed he had gone to the city centre with the intention of looting amid widespread disorder following the defeat of Saddam Husseins troops.

British soldiers check Iraqis leaving Basra in 2003 (Getty)

Mr Hanoon claimed he fled from police before stealing anything but was seized and beaten, before being detained by British soldiers and put inside their Warrior.

The armoured vehicle set off and during the journey the two soldiers sitting opposite us continued to beat us and kick us with their shoes, he said.

The armoured vehicle stopped under Al -Zubair Bridge and the two soldiers who were with us in the armoured vehicle  untied us and started to yell at us to get into the river.

Mr Hanoon said two other suspected looters started swimming across the canal before he entered with Ahmed.

Since Ahmed did not know how to swim and I was not a good swimmer we begged the soldiers (by signing) so that we did not have to get into the river but they wouldn't listen and pushed us into the water at gun point, his statement added.

In an attempt to save myself, I struggled, kicking to lift myself up in the water. As for Ahmed, he was also trying to dive and get up.

Mr Hanoon said he saw one of the British troops remove his clothes and believed he wanted to save Ahmad but was ordered to leave.

The boy did not come out, he added. I said to myself Ahmed has drowned. The boy's father recovered his body downriver two days later.

The Iraq War: A timeline Show all 16 1 /16 The Iraq War: A timeline The Iraq War: A timeline 11 September 2001 Terrorists belonging to al-Qaeda use hijacked aeroplanes to kill 2,996 people in attacks on the east coast of the US. AP The Iraq War: A timeline 12 September 2001 Tony Blair promises George W Bush that the UK will support the US, whatever the President decides to do. AFP/Getty Images The Iraq War: A timeline 25 March 2002 Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary, warns Blair that invading Iraq would be legally dubious. Getty Images The Iraq War: A timeline June 2002 Tony Blair asks defence officials to outline options for UK participation in military action against Iraq. afp/getty images The Iraq War: A timeline 24 September 2002 The government publishes a dossier about the threat from Iraqs weapons of mass destruction. A foreword by Tony Blair states that Saddam Husseins military planning allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them. It is subsequently alleged that this dossier was sexed up for political reasons. Getty The Iraq War: A timeline 2 October 2002 Congress authorises President Bush to use military force against Iraq. Getty The Iraq War: A timeline 8 November 2002 UN Security Council passes resolution 1441, insisting that weapons inspectors be allowed back into Iraq and calling on the regime to give up its WMD or face the consequences. Simon Walker/AP The Iraq War: A timeline 18 July 2003 David Kelly, an expert in biological warfare, is found dead after being named as the source of quotations used by the BBCs Andrew Gilligan to suggest that the dossier of September 2002 had been sexed up. Lord Hutton is appointed to chair a judicial inquiry into his death. GETTY IMAGES The Iraq War: A timeline 13 December 2003 Saddam Hussein is captured near Tikrit, after nine months in hiding. REUTERS The Iraq War: A timeline 2 March 2004 Bombings in Baghdad and Karbala kill nearly 200 people: the worst attacks since the fall of Saddam. Getty Images The Iraq War: A timeline 14 September 2005 Bombs in Baghdad kill 160 people and injure more than 500. EPA The Iraq War: A timeline 30 December 2005 Saddam Hussein is executed. Getty Images The Iraq War: A timeline 28 May 2009 The last British combat troops leave Iraq. Getty Images The Iraq War: A timeline 24 November 2009 The Chilcot inquiry holds its first public hearing. Getty The Iraq War: A timeline 2 February 2011 The Chilcot inquiry holds its final public hearing. AFP/Getty Images The Iraq War: A timeline 21 January 2015 Sir John Chilcot confirms that his report will not be published before the general election in May 2015. Getty Images

When the four soldiers involved in Ahmads death were acquitted of manslaughter in a British court, the defence suggested Mr Hanoon was not a credible witness, citing differences in several witness statements taken across a period of several years.

But Sir George said his 2016 testimony was sufficiently reliable to be taken into account, adding that previous issues with an interpreters translation had been acknowledged.

All four soldiers involved gave conflicting evidence in their own statement, with only three admitting compulsion in making the looters get into the water and the sergeant denying knowledge of what was happening.

One of the troops present, codenamed SO16 remembered taking off his clothes in preparation to dive into the river to save Ahmed but said he was not ordered to go in.

Sir George, who is leading the Iraq Fatality Investigations (IFIs) into civilian deaths linked to Britains involvement in the conflict, concluded that the circumstances in which Ahmed died should never have occurred.

The soldiers, having detained him for looting, forced him to enter the canal and left him floundering, Sir Georges report said.

He should not have been detained and held in armed and confined custody in a Warrior [vehicle], he should not have been transported in the Warrior to the canal, he should not have been forced to enter the canal, let alone left there to flounder and drown.

The judges scathing findings said Ahmad was aggressively manhandled and assaulted by soldiers who then unlawfully forced him into the water.

Tony Blair with troops from The Royal Logistics Corps while he visited Shaiba Logistics Base in Basra, 2005 (Getty)

Like many Iraqis, he was unable to swim, and soldiers failed to rescue the teenager after watching him go under the surface  the plain and certain cause of the boy's death.

It was a clumsy, ill directed and bullying piece of conduct, engaged in without consideration of the risk of harm to which it could give rise and, in the event which occurred, there was a manifest failure to take action to save the life of Mr Ali, Sir George wrote.

British troops had recently taken Basra from Saddams army as part of the Iraq invasion but their victory was followed by a state of chaos and widespread looting.

The police force was ineffectual and in the absence of a court system, looters could not be properly arrested and tried, sparking attempts at ad hoc punishments and mass detentions at a local gymnasium.

In evidence given to Sir Georges inquiry, soldiers admitted wetting suspects by throwing them into rivers, driving them miles out of the city and leaving them to walk home, and driving armoured vehicles over carts to destroy them in attempts to deter disorder.

Niall Brennan, a soldier serving in Basra at the time, described his horror at seeing Iraqi civilians being sandbagged in the gymnasium.

I remember on one occasion going round a comer to see some of the guardsmen with some looters, maybe 10, in plasticuffs and with sandbags on their heads.

This was the first time I'd seen this in real life. The sight was horrific.

Iraq War report: UK releases findings after seven years

He also recounted looters being thrown by soldiers into rivers, adding: Everyone knew, even in our HQ, of that l have absolutely no doubt.

Mr Brennan said the idea was to force looters to go home and get changed and provoke shame but conceded it was dangerous for those unable to swim.

Generally at all times we were encouraging soldiers to operate in a gentlemanly fashion, and I saw great examples of that, he added. We thought that throwing looters into the canal was relatively appropriate.

The report said the soldiers' actions gave rise to grave concerns about their ability to cope with their orders and the adequacy of the resources available to them.

It also highlighted serious concerns over the soldiers' training and ability for troops in Basra to act as both policemen and combatants simultaneously.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said that they had established a team to review the Chilcot report, which would also take Sir Georges findings into account.

This was a grave incident for which we are extremely sorry, he added.

We are committed to investigating allegations of wrongdoing by UK forces and will use Sir Georges findings to learn lessons to help ensure nothing like this happens again."
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Thousands of protesters marched on Downing Street to demand the British Government takes in more refugees as thousands of men, women and children continue to drown in desperate attempts to reach Europe.

Demonstrators made their way from Park Lane to Parliament Square in London on Saturday afternoon, demanding action as a crucial United Nations summit on the crisis approaches.

Marchers chanted refugees are welcome here and waved banners reading no-one is illegal", lets help people and "stop the drowning".

Organisers said tens of thousands attended the march and rally, with actors Juliet Stevenson, Vanessa Redgrave and Dame Harriet Walter joining the demonstrators.

The crowd heard from refugees who have made the dangerous journey from their countries, and those who have lived in the camps  as well as performances from bands and poets.

Truly, Madly, Deeply star Ms Stevenson addressed the rally in Parliament Square and raised concerns about unaccompanied children living in refugee camps in Calais.

Lord Alf Dubs and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas also spoke at the event. "It is not a crisis of the numbers of people coming, it is a crisis about the way the Government is managing it," said Ms Lucas.

Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The Solidarity With Refugees group said Saturdays protest aimed to show our Government and the world that Britain is ready to welcome more refugees. Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The protest comes days before world leaders meet to discuss crisis at UN General Assembly Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Demonstrators made their way from Park Lane to Parliament Square in London on Saturday afternoon Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Marchers chanted refugees are welcome here and waved banners reading no-one is illegal and lets help people Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The march was supported by charities and groups including the Red Cross, Asylum Aid, Save the Children, Hope Not Hate, Oxfam and the UN Refugee Agency Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis In the wake of Alans death, David Cameron pledged to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the coming five years but there have been additional calls to re-home those who have already reached Europe, as well as asylum seekers coming from other conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan Rex Features

Ros Ereira, director of the Solidarity with Refugees group, who organised the event, told the Independent she was "blown away" by how many people had come to lend their support.

"As we turned off Piccadilly I looked behind me and I couldnt see the end of the march," she said.

"We want to send a message that Britain must do more to lead the way in a global response, to provide safe passage into Europe and the UK, to help people when they arrive so asylum seekers arent left on the streets or locked in detention centres."

Recommended Read more Record number of refugees would make 21st biggest country in the world

Brendan Cox, the husband of killed Labour MP Jo Cox, said she had planned to join the protest before her death in June.

Writing on Twitter, he said he and their children Cuillin and Lejla marched in her stead today imagining her by our side.

It comes a year after around 100,000 protesters took to Londons streets calling on the UK to resettle more asylum seekers amid the international outcry over the death of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned trying to reach Greece.

"I dont think any of the people who marched last year now want to see children washing up on beaches. Everyone still feels thats an awful thing and we need to respond better," said Ms Ereira.

She said some people had done "amazing things" to help the crisis, including travelling abroad to volunteer.

"People didnt just go home and sit on their sofas. Some have given up their lives to move to Calais or Greece. People are doing amazing things," she said.

Actor David Morrissey told the rally: This is undoubtedly the challenge of our age. How we respond to this challenge will define us as a generation and as a people.

The march was supported by charities and groups including the Red Cross, Asylum Aid, Save the Children, Hope Not Hate, Oxfam and the UN Refugee Agency.

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, described the Governments contribution to tackling the refugee crisis as shocking but praised local communities and volunteers for taking matters into their own hands to support migrants.

This march is to show that ordinary people in Britain actually care deeply about refugees, she said.

 Refugee crisis tops agenda at EU summit

Many of those seeking sanctuary have seen their families torn apart and homes destroyed. As one of the richest countries in the world, our government can and must do more to help.

Mr Rix, the Kaiser Chiefss bassist, described the refugee crisis as a global disaster while Ms Stevenson called on world leaders to share responsibility, adding: I hope Theresa May is listening.

The show of solidarity comes as world leaders prepare for the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.

A UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants on Monday will be followed by a separate summit on the issue hosted by Barack Obama the following day.

More than 3,200 refugees and asylum seekers have drowned attempting to reach Europe so far this year, with almost 300,000 completing the journey.

But thousands remain trapped in Greece after being automatically detained under the controversial EU-Turkey deal, under threat of deportation if their asylum applications fail.

Those granted protection face an increasingly difficult task reaching other parts of Europe as countries increase border controls and build fences to stop the flow of migrants.

Oxfam has warned that millions of refugees are being forced to flee from one warzone into another, while a report released this week found that attempted crackdowns in Europe were failing to significantly reduce refugee numbers and instead forcing migrants on hidden and dangerous routes.

In the wake of Alans death, David Cameron pledged to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the coming five years but there have been additional calls to re-home those who have already reached Europe, as well as asylum seekers coming from other conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thousands of migrants hoping to travel to Britain remain in the Jungle migrant camp in Calais, where the government is planning to fund a controversial barrier to stop attempts to board lorries.
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The United Kingdoms armed forces have withered and would not be able to defend the country against an invasion by Russia or another major military power, the former head of the Joint Forces Command has warned Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.

General Sir Richard Barrons described how Whitehalls preoccupation with skinning budgets has created profoundly difficult logistical challenges.

He claimed in a memo sent to the Defence Secretary Sir Richard said the UK no longer has the capability to fight conventional wars because it has been too reliant on its allies, such as the United States, in the past.

The warning comes despite the Government's decision to increase defence spending by nearly 5 billion by 2020/21 and to meet Nato's target to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence for the rest of the decade.

Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Show all 20 1 /20 Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category An air insertion operation mounted by British soldiers and Afghan police, re-establishing government control in an area of Helmand province, Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Best Overall Professional Army PR Image Former Garrison Sergeant Major, The Household Division and London District, WO1 William Mott OBE MVO inspecting Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards. The photo is titled 'How can you forget to shave?' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Portrait category Sergeant John S Kabia from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) at a camp in Kono, Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak Paul Shaw ABIPP Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Amateur Portrait category Cpl Dave Johns holding a photograph of his eldest son who in turn is holding a picture of his younger brother. The photo is titled 'Me and my boys' Pte Rebecca Brown Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Best Overall Professional Op Herrick Image Private John Mitchell resting after patrolling through the night in the Upper Sangin Valley, Afghanistan. The photo is titled 'Black Watch' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category Cpl Carl Hines of the Royal Artillery providing covering fire while members of 4 Brigade Reconnaissance Force cross open ground in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category Soldiers serving with 16 Air Assault Brigade seated on a Royal Air Force C17 for the final leg of their journey to Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category Members of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment resting in a secure compound while on patrol around Char Coucha village near Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category The US Army's 502nd Regiment supplying fire support for 5 Armoured Engineer Squadron, Royal Engineers during Operation HAMKARI in Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner Britain's soldiers at work. The photo is titled 'Mortar at Night' Cpl James McAllister Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Sport category The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery has left the noise and confines of London for equestrian and military training in the rural West Country. Enjoying the best of the Indian Summer in Cornwall, twelve horses and riders from Centre Section left their temporary stables in RAF St Mawgan just after dawn this morning to take to the surf on Watergate Bay Beach. The photo is titled 'Surf's Up' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner Soldiers at work. The photo is titled 'Sitrep' LCpl Paul-Rui Penu Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner in the Professional Portfolio category, 2nd Place One of the ceremonial horses involved in the parade and a Grenadier Guard in the stables before the Colonels Review. Photo is titled 'Ceremonial Selfie' Cpl Jamie Peters Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner Sergeant Richard McKinnon a Royal Logistic Corp Bomb disposal expert checks the fuse on the World War II era SC 250kg German Bomb. The photo is titled 'Bombs Away' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner This is taken on a Civilian Aircraft, taking Troops from Aldergrove Airfield in Northern Ireland on their first leg of the long trip to southern Afghanistan at the beginning of op Herrick 10. The photo is titled 'Here I go again' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Runner Up in Best Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category Ranger Pete Mawhinney returns fire, with his General Purpose Machine Gun, after Taliban attempt to ambush his patrol Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner in the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio, 2nd Place Corporal Calum Cooper Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland talks to local children while he carries out searches on compounds. Photo is titled 'Kids' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner in the Professional Soldiering category British Army Short Term Training Team (STTT) deliver training to the Ukrainian military Corporal Tom Evans Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Best Overall Professional Op Herrick Image, Highly Commended Boy soldier, Fusilier John Bryant. an 18 year old soldier from A Company, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. In the muddy compound where he lives the 18 year old soldiers patrol on the front line in Helmand Province Afghanistan. The photo is titled 'Boy Soldier' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner in the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category, 2nd Place The photo is titled 'Re Supply' Sgt Rupert Frere

In the memo - sent before retired in April as head of Joint Forces Command and obtained by the Financial Times - Sir Richard concludes: Neither the UK homeland nor a deployed force could be protected from a concerted Russian air effort.

There is a sense that modern conflict is ordained to be only as small and as short terms as we want to afford  and that is absurd, he remarked.

His comments will concern Britains Nato allies, with a US army general suggesting back in June that Russia has the military power to overwhelm eastern Europe

 Afghanistan army battles to push Taliban from Tarinkot

Among the weaknesses within the UKs armed forces, Sir Richard highlighted how RAF planes and Navy ships are frequently deployed with insufficient ammunition because they are overly dependent on US support.

Sir Richard, who retired as a four-star general, noted: Capability that is foundational to all major armed forces has been withered by design.

Counter-terrorism is the limit of up-to-date plans and preparations to secure our airspace, waters and territory There is no top-to-bottom command and control mechanism, preparation or training in place [to defend UK territory] let alone do so with Nato, he wrote.

Sir Richard suggested the lamentable state of Britains armed forces is a result of poor budgeting: We operate platforms that we cannot afford to use fully.

He highlighted the Navys use of new aircraft carriers that we cannot afford to use fully, damage or lose.

Britains Air Force is also an area of particular concern: It is not necessary to shoot down all the UKs Joint Strike Fighters, only to know how to murder in their best the 40 or so people who can fly them, Sir Richard wrote.

Major General Tim Cross, who served in the Army for nearly 40 years, rejected suggestions Sir Richard's comments were a case of sour grapes because he was overlooked for promotion.

Maj Gen Cross said such assumptions were unfair and wrong, and that Sir Richard was an extremely capable operator.

Like all commanders, and I did this myself when I handed over command of my division, what Richard has done is produce what we call a haul down report, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

A haul down report is a state of the nation, it's a final shot to say to the system - in this case the Secretary of State because Richard was a four-star general - 'this is my command, this is what it looks like, these are my concerns', and he's laid those out.

He's speaking truth into power and it's a normal thing to be doing.

Despite Sir Richard's comments, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said its most recent defence review was backed by all of the service chiefs.

Although the latest Strategic Defence and Security Review increased the armed forces budget, many believe it is still insufficient.

The UKs Air Force is due to introduce 48 F35 Joint Strike Fighters, the most expensive and advanced combat aircraft in operation. The small number of planes, however, means only six aircraft will be operated at a time.
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The UK would exercise its power of veto to block the creation of an EU army while it remains a member of the European Union, according to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has spoken of the possibility of a common military force at a meeting of EU leaders in Bratislava, to which Britain was not invited.

Sir Michael told The Times newspaper. "That is not going to happen. We are full members of the EU and we will go on resisting any attempt to set up a rival to Nato."

Recommended Read more European leaders push Angela Merkel for joint EU army

A document discussed at the Bratislava summit indicates the European Commission will put forward proposals in December for a common military force, for which agreement will be sought in the summer.

France and Germany are understood to be behind the proposals. Europes defence ministers are due to meet next week and are expected to discuss the issue.

"We have always been concerned about unnecessarily duplicating what we already have in Nato," Sir Michael said. The veto threat will further poison British relations with Brussels after the Brexit vote and harden attitudes in Germany and France against giving Theresa May concessions on access to Europe's single market.

Diplomatic relations between the UK and the EU are already fraught. The UK vetoing significant EU policy while it simultaneously negotiates its exit from the union could have significant consequences.

All previous steps toward creating a common EU military force have been vetoed by Britain.

The most recent proposals, drafted by President Juncker, call on the EU to "establish permanent, structured co-operation in defence, including the creation of common battle groups to carry out military intervention in crises".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the UKs input on the issue would be sought via talks between Theresa May and European Council President Donald Tusk. "We need more co-operation, particularly in the area of defence, and a lot more needs to be done on the Franco-German plan," she said. "The UK remains a member of the EU and all of these issues have to be discussed."

At a press conference with Mrs Merkel, President Hollande of France said: "The UK still has responsibilities."

The Baltic states, where Nato battalions are currently in operation, are uneasy about the possibilty of an EU army that could replace Nato. Sir Michael has pledged extra troops for Nato battalions in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and eastern Poland.

"We will go on being committed to the security of the European continent," he said. "We are not going to back out of our commitment to keeping Europe secure but we don't want to see unnecessary bureaucracy at the EU level when we have got it in Nato."
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Nigel Farage is said to have spent his last night as Ukip leader skinny dipping on Bournemouth beach with one of Ukips millionaire donors.

Arron Banks, who bankrolled Ukip and the Leave.EU campaign, told an audience on BBCs Any Questions that he and Mr Farage had had a few drinks the night before the partys conference in Bournemouth.

After dinner on Thursday the pair then stripped down and swam in the English Channel by moonlight, he said.

Recommended Read more Nigel Farage accuses Tory ministers of trying to keep Britain in EU

I can tell you he's not coming back, Mr Banks said in response to a question about whether Mr Farage would ever return as leader.

I can tell you he's demob happy because we had a dinner last night.

We had a few drinks, it was late at night and we went skinny dipping off the Bournemouth pier.

So if ever a man was about to leave British politics - that's it.

Sources close to Mr Farage told the Independent that they believed the story was true, but that the dipping may have been "not entirely skinny".

Labour MP Angela Eagle, who was appearing alongside Mr Farage on Any Questions, did not seem impressed.

Nigel Farage's most controversial moments Show all 12 1 /12 Nigel Farage's most controversial moments Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he unveiled that 'breaking point' poster during the referendum Mr Farage was accused of deploying Nazi-style propaganda when he unveiled a poster showing Syrian refugees travelling to Europe under the next Breaking point. Users on social media were quick to compare the advert to a Nazi propaganda film with similar visuals and featuring Jewish refugees. The poster was particularly controversial because it was unveiled the morning of the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox Rex Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said hed be concerned if his neighbours were Romanian In May 2014 Mr Farage was accused of a racial slur against Romanians after he suggested he would be concerned living next to a house of them. I was asked if a group of Romanian men moved in next to you, would you be concerned? And if you lived in London, I think you would be, he told LBC radio during an interview. Asked whether he would also object to living next to German children, he said: You know the difference Bongarts/Getty Images Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said the EU campaign was won 'without a bullet being fired' Nigel Farage has said the next Prime Minister has to be a Leave supporter AFP/Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he resigned as Ukip leader and came back days later After failing to win the seat of South Thanet at the general election, Nigel Farage stepped down as Ukip leader  as he had promised to do during the campaign. Days later on 11 May he un-resigned and said he would stay after being convinced by supporters within the party. Well see how long his resignation lasts this time AP/Matt Dunham Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he blamed immigrants for making him late Mr Farage turned up late to a 25-a-head meet the leader style event in Port Talbot, Wales in December 2014. Asked why he was late, he blamed immigrants. It took me six hours and 15 minutes to get here - it should have taken three-and-a-half to four, he said. That has nothing to do with professionalism, what it does have to do with is a country in which the population is going through the roof chiefly because of open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it used to be Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he wanted to ban immigrants with HIV from Britain Mr Farage has used his platform as Ukip leader call for people with HIV to be banned from coming to Britain. Asked in an interview with Newsweek Europe in October 2014 who he thought should be allowed to come to the UK, he said: People who do not have HIV, to be frank. Thats a good start. And people with a skill. He also repeated similar comments in the 2015 general election leadership debates Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he defended the use of a racial slur against Chinese people Defending one of Ukips candidates, who used the word ch**ky to describe a Chinese person, Mr Farage said: If you and your mates were going out for a Chinese, what do you say you're going for?" When he was told by the presented that he honestly would not use the slur, Mr Farage replied: A lot would Lintao Zhang/Getty Images Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said parts of Britain were like a foreign land The Ukip leader used his 2014 conference speech to declare parts of Britain as being like a foreign land. He told his audience in Torquay that parts of the country were unrecognisable because of the number of foreigners there. Mr Farage has also previously said he felt uncomfortable when people spoke other language on a train Screengrab Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said the British army should be deployed to France At the height of trouble at Britains Calais border Mr Farage proposed a novel solution. The Ukip leader called for the British army to be sent to France to put down a migrant rebellion. In all civil emergencies like this we have an army, we have a bit of a Territorial Army as well and we have a very, very overburdened police force and border agency, he said. If in a crisis to make sure weve actually got the manpower to check lorries coming in, to stop people illegally coming to Britain, if in those circumstances we can use the army or other forces then why not AFP/Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said breastfeeding women should sit in the corner Mr Farage sparked protests from mothers after he told women to sit on the corner if they wanted to breastfeed their children. I think that given that some people feel very embarrassed by it, it isnt too difficult to breastfeed a baby in a way that's not openly ostentatious, Mr Farage said. He added: "Or perhaps sit in the corner, or whatever it might be AFP/Getty Images Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said the gender pay gap exists because women are worth less At a Q&A on the European Union in January 2014 Mr Farage said there was no discrimination against women causing the gender pay gap. Instead, he said, women were paid less because they were simply worth far less than many of their male counterparts. A woman who has a client base, has a child and takes two or three years off - she is worth far less to her employer when she comes back than when she went away because that client base won't be stuck as rigidly to her portfolio, he said Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said he actually couldnt guarantee 350m to the NHS after Brexit During the EU referendum campaign the Leave side pledged to spend 350 million a week on the National Health Service  claiming that this is what the UK sends to Brussels. Nigel Farage didnt speak out against this figure and also pledged to spend EU cash on the health service and other public services himself. Then the day of the election result he suddenly changed his tone, saying he couldnt guarantee the cash for the NHS and that to pledge to do so was a mistake Getty

What a revolting image, she said.

Mr Farage was replaced as Ukip leader by Diane James on Friday. He pledged to help and support Ms James, thought she has said he will not be looked to as a back seat driver.

In valedictory speech to Ukip conference Mr Farage said he would continue to attend to the European Parliament as Ukips group leader.
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Theresa May faces a stand-off with MPs loyal to David Cameron who fear she is abandoning the politcal centre and moving the Conservatives to the right.

Despite being in office for just two months, the Prime Minister is being eyed with concern by some Tories who feel they won their seats only because of former leader David Camerons liberal agenda.

At the same time Ms May is under pressure from the right wing of the Conservatives to maintain a strong position on leaving the European Union.

She also faces potential revolts over her controversial grammar schools plan and the constituency boundary review, which could see Tory MPs losing their seats.

Mr Cameron surprised many in Westminster when he announced he would stand down as an MP this week, saying he did not want to be a distraction for the new Prime Minister  something that was already starting to happen.

Labour had gleefully passed round a string of Mr Camerons quotations on how he disliked grammar schools hours after Ms May announced she would let new ones open. But while Mr Cameron will be gone, his legacy on the Tory benches remains.

One Tory MP said: Some of the people from the 2015 intake feel they won their seats thanks to David Cameron, particularly those in Lib Dem marginals.

A lot of them are saying well hang on a second, we won because the party is in the centre ground, appealing to the mainstream. Are we beginning to see it being pulled back to the right, which is something that would see me damaged in my seat?"

 Theresa May says grammar schools are why she and Jeremy Corbyn are in leadership

The MP added: There is also a gang of people who have been here for a while longer saying they are going to make sure that doesnt happen.

For some, concerns about Ms May's direction were confirmed by the grammar schools policy, which some believe was brought in too quickly for such a sweeping change.

One backbencher told The Independent: Youve got Brexit and youve got the boundary review. It seems like the wrong time politically to bring grammars in too, and I'm not sure if it's the right policy in an educational sense either. Its just come out of the blue.

Some suggested there are at least 20 Tory MPs who are not yet prepared to give complete backing to the plans for a string of different reasons.

Theresa May in quotes Show all 10 1 /10 Theresa May in quotes Theresa May in quotes On being described by the former chancellor Ken Clarke as a bloody difficult woman: Politics could do with some Bloody Difficult Women actually Rex Features Theresa May in quotes On keeping secrets even from her husband: There are some things I am told that I am not able to confide in anybody Rex Features Theresa May in quotes On the relentless focus on her appearance during a speech at the Women in the World summit: "I like clothes and I like shoes. One of the challenges for women in the workplace is to be ourselves and I say you can be clever and like clothes. You can have a career and like clothes Getty Images Theresa May in quotes On comparisons to Margaret Thatcher: I think there can only ever be one Margaret Thatcher. Im not someone who naturally looks to role models. Ive always, whatever job it is Im doing at the time, given it my best shot. I put my all into it, and try to do the best job I can AFP/Getty Images Theresa May in quotes On her rebelliousness, or lack of, as a teenager: I probably was Goody Two Shoes at school Getty Images Theresa May in quotes On being replaced as chairman by Lord Saatchi and Liam Fox in 2003: Yes, it takes two men to step into the shoes of one woman AFP/Getty Images Theresa May in quotes What Theresa May said when she was asked about her political ambitions during an interview with Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, a lawyer married to Nick Clegg, in December: MD: "My very last question is: that little girl who is somewhere there, is she dreaming of becoming the next British Prime Minister?" TM: "Shes dreaming of carrying on doing a good job in the Home Office" Getty Images Theresa May in quotes On not being able to have children: I like to keep my personal life personal. We couldnt have children, we dealt with it and moved on. I hope nobody would think that mattered; I can still empathise, understand people and care about fairness and opportunity Getty Images Theresa May in quotes On whether she can deliver the mandate of the EU referendum: I think for party members and indeed for others, I would say look at my record. I think they can see that Im somebody who gets on with the job, but Im also somebody who says it as I see it and actually delivers on what I say Getty Images Theresa May in quotes On the equally relentless obsession with her shoes: As a woman I know you can be very serious about something and very soberly dressed add a little bit of interest with footwear. I always tell women you have to be yourself, dont assume you have to fit into a stereotype and if your personality is shown through your clothes or shoes, so be it Getty Images

After the statement by Education Secretary Justine Greening on the issue in the House of Commons, several MPs did raise muted concern. One MP said afterwards: We were all pretty well behaved in the statement because its not Justines fault that this has been brought forward.

But there were people speaking up and sounding a note of caution that you would not expect, that doesnt bode well.

Despite what [the ministers] think, the feeling is that they will have to water a lot of this down to get something through.

Another MP from a traditional Tory area said: There is a danger that people who back these policies are thinking that what works well in an urban setting also works well in a rural one. But that isnt the case. Free schools for example have had very little impact in rural areas.

Im not in principle against grammars. But there are real fears that if people dont get into the school near them, they will have to travel miles and miles to get to another comprehensive.

There is going to have to be a lot of explaining and a lot of extra measures brought in to address those problems.

Another experienced MP explained that the shape of the Tory benches in the Commons had drastically changed and would take getting used to for Ms May.

The MP said: In the past in terms of the story in the press, it has been the Conservative Government and then the awkward squad.

Now you have the Government and you have the hard Brexiteers who will be awkward on Europe, but then you have the people on the other side shut out from the Cameron days  two outside strands of opinion on the backbenches.

The boundary review, which Ms May has said she was still committed to taking forward, provides a further flash point.

Despite an operation underway to find compensation for MPs who may lose their seats, either with a new seat or potentially even a job outside politics, members are on tenterhooks.

One MP pointed out: Some people are just saying I wont vote for it. They are going to have a lot of work to do, it wouldn't surprise me if they just let it die.
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Five years after the Occupy Wall Street movement sprung up inside the perimeter of a pocket handkerchief-sized public park in lower Manhattan, a small band of protestors gathered at the same spot on Saturday to remind the world of what has - and has not - been achieved.

The small knot of about two dozen erstwhile Occupy supporters were a pale shadow of what the movement once was when it helped shine a spotlight on income inequality and highlight what it said was the extraordinary concentration of wealth in the one per cent and the struggles faced by the remaining ninety nine per cent in an unfairly skewed society.

With tourists gazing on curiously from the fringes of Zuccotti Park, the group waved banners, blew whistles and brandished cardboard cut-out figures of political figures that were once targets of the movements ire including the former US Attorney General Eric Holder.

Many spent the afternoon reminiscing about the brief period in late 2011 when Zuccotti Park was transformed into a makeshift village of protestors with scattered tents and cooking areas and even a medical station to help with any health emergencies.

The effort spawned similar Occupy protests around the world, including in London where its followers established two encampments, one near St Pauls and another in Finsbury Park. Like their New York counterparts, the London protestors saw themselves fighting for social justice and the return of real democracy where all the power would no longer reside with the one per cent and inside corporate boardrooms.

By early 2012 police had evicted protestors from most of the parks, including in Zuccotti, with those in London and Washington DC the last to survive. Thereafter the fervour and impact of the movement quickly dwindled.

But some of those in lower Manhattan on Saturday contended that the movement had had its successes which are still visible today.

Everyone knows we were right, said Caleb Maupin, who was working in the insurance industry when he first joined the movement, told the Associated Press. We had a major campaign for president with Bernie Sanders. The campaign was like a giant Occupy Wall Street rally, talking about the 99 percent and the one percent because millions of people know we were right.

And while the campaign of Mr Sanders most obviously carried echoes of the rallying cries of Occupy, it is arguable that it even helped lay a path for Donald Trump, whose special brand of economic populism took him all the way to the Republican nomination and may yet float him to the White House.

And by the same token if Hillary Clinton, as a Democrat, is somehow failing to tap into still lingering disgust with the economic divide in America it is partly because she is identified by many voters as precisely belonging to the financial establishment. Her record of giving speeches to Goldman Sachs for six-figure sums being precisely the kind of behaviour Occupy disdains.

We had sort of a deep-down effect on activists all around the world, said Kalle Lasn of the Vancouver, British Columbia-based Adbusters magazine, which helped with push for protests against Wall Street in 2011. We politicized a whole generation of young people who didn't quite know what to do with their activism and their feelings of anger."

Yet the landscape of Wall Street, just blocks from the park, and the financial sector generally has still not been forced to accept the radical changes that the protestors sought. Earlier this month Wells Fargo revealed it was firing more than 5,000 employees for creating false accounts without the knowledge of its customers while on Friday Deutsche Bank vowed to fight demands made last week by the US Department of Justice that it pay a fine of $14 billion for its part in triggering the mortgage-lending crisis and the 2008 global recession.
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Two police officers and four civilians were wounded during a shooting spree in Philadelphia that ended when the suspect was killed by officers.

Sergeant Sylvia Young, a 19-year veteran of the local police department, was shot at least eight times by an approaching gunman as she sat in her vehicle late on Friday night.

He just walks up on her...he just fired. He didnt say anything, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said, noting that the suspect fired about 15 rounds into Youngs vehicle.

She was taken to hospital for treatment for bullet wounds in her arm and protective vest.

Nearby officers heard the gunshots and began pursuing the suspect on foot. During the chase, the suspect fired shots into a bar, striking a security guard in the leg.

He then used a woman from the bar as a shield before shooting her. He later fired into a car, seriously wounding a man and woman in the chest, Mr Ross said.

The chase ended when the gunman exchanged gunfire with police in an alley, wounding a University of Pennsylvania police officer. The gunman was killed during the gun fight.

We have a lot of unanswered questions...this is a completely bizarre situation, Mr Ross said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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The officer shot in the alley was expected to survive but the condition of the wounded civilians was not immediately clear.

Some civilians are not in good shape at all, Mr Ross confirmed.

Reuters
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At least 980 million litres of contaminated water including radioactive substances has been leaked into one of Floridas largest sources of drinking water.

Officials said a huge sinkhole opened up beneath a fertiliser plant near Tampa, causing waste water to pass into an aquifer that supplies much of the state.

It contained phosphogypsum, a by-product from the production of fertiliser that contains naturally occurring uranium and radium.

Mosaic, who operates the plant, said the leak posed no risk to the public and was being recovered with pumps before it could contaminate private supplies.

A sinkhole that opened up underneath a gypsum stack at a Mosaic phosphate fertiliser plant, seen on 16 September (AP)

But Jacki Lopez, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity, was not reassured.

It's hard to trust them when they say 'Don't worry,' when they've been keeping it secret for three weeks, she told Reuters.

Environmental groups said the damage from the sinkhole could be severe, adding to decades of pollution from the phosphorous fertiliser industry.

Mosaic, the world's largest supplier of phosphate, said a hole 45 feet (13 metres) in diameter opened up beneath a pile of waste material called a gypsum stack.

Groundwater moves very slowly, said David Jellerson, senior director for environmental and phosphate projects. There's absolutely nobody at risk.

The sinkhole, discovered by a worker on 27 August, is believed to reach down to the Floridan aquifer, and underground system of porous rock that is a major source of drinking water in the state.

It underlies all of Florida and extends into southern Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, supplying groundwater to the cities of Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Tampa, and St Petersburg.

The aquifer also supplies water to thousands of domestic, industrial and irrigation wells throughout the state.

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

Mosaic began diverting the pond water into an alternate holding area to reduce the amount of drainage when the problem was first detected and has been recovering the water by pumping through onsite production wells.

Mr Jellerson said: We have an extensive monitoring system. It's already indicating that it's recovering the material, but it will take some time for that process to complete.

Dee Ann Miller, spokeswoman for the Florida department of environmental protection, said the company is updating state and federal agencies on the situation.

Along with reviewing daily reports, DEP is performing frequent site visits to make sure timely and appropriate response continues in order to safeguard public health and the environment, she added.

While monitoring to date indicates that the process water is being successfully contained, groundwater monitoring will continue to ensure there are no offsite or long-term effects.

Meanwhile, the Polk County phosphate plant where the leak originated is still running.

The incident comes less than a year after Mosaic settled a massive environmental lawsuit with the US environmental protection agency in which the company agreed to nearly $2 billion (1.5 billion) in improvements and clean-ups at its plants.



Additional reporting by AP
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A man has been reunited with the police officer who saved him from drowning when he was five-years-old.

Christopher Jones, now aged 24, walked into Columbus Police station, Ohio, where he tapped Officer James Poole on the shoulder.

The policeman didnt recognise him immediately but after Mr Jones refreshed his memory the two shared an emotional embrace.

About 1997, you pulled a 5-year-old out of a swimming pool, saved his life, Mr Jones said to Officer Poole, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Mr Jones was apparently underwater for 15 to 20 minutes and his heart had stopped.

He his daughter with him for the reunion, who is the same age he was when the incident occurred.

Because of you, Im still here, Mr Jones told Officer Poole. Because of you, this 5-year-old little girl right here is here.

Officer Poole couldnt believe it happened and never thought he would see the child he saved ever again.

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

I never thought that something I would do 19, 20 years later would come back, and somebody would thank me, he said.

The reunion came about after Mr Jones saw a picture of Officer Poole on Facebook and recognised him as the man who saved his life.
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After a wild shooting spree on the streets of Philadelphia on Friday night that left a gunman and one woman dead and three others wounded, the authorities said on Saturday that they had found a rambling note expressing hatred for the police.

The citys Police Commissioner, Richard Ross, said officers had found the note at the scene of the deadly rampage that police believe was written by the gunman, who has not been identified. The document expressed disgust for law enforcement generally and named one probation officer.

Commissioner Ross called the eruption of violence that began after 11pm on Friday completely bizarre and said he thought that the gunman, who was shot and killed by police officers after he fled into an alley, had acted alone.

We have a lot of unanswered questions ... This is a completely bizarre situation, Mr Ross said of the chaotic sequence of events in Philadelphia. The gunman was driven by hatred, police spokesman John Stanford said on Twitter.

The incident came after a summer of tension in several US cities as police forces have come under attack, both verbal and physical, in the wake of several killings of unarmed citizens by police officers. In Dallas, a lone sniper shot and killed five officers on a single night in July during protests against the deaths of black men at the hands of police.

Soon after the Dallas tragedy, three police officers were ambushed and killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Three others were wounded by the shooter who had associated himself with black separatist groups. He was killed later by officers of SWAT team in a shoot-out.

The chaos in Philadelphia first erupted after the gunman ambushed Sgt Sylvia Young while she was sitting in a patrol car on a city street, shooting her a number of times in the arm and also striking her protective vest with several bullets. The officer, who is 19-years-old, was in stable condition in hospital on Saturday.

He just walks up on her ... He just fired. He didn't say anything, Mr Ross told a news conference on Saturday, saying the suspect fired about 15 rounds into Sgt Youngs vehicle.

Afterwards, the gunman fled and later began shooting into a bar, hitting one security guard in the leg. He also grabbed a woman at the bar and used her as a human shield also shooting her in the leg, according to the Commissioner.

Before he was eventually chased into the alley and brought down, the gunman also fired into a passing car, killing a woman and critically wounding a man.

Mayor Jim Kenney praised officers and pleaded with them to follow Sgt Youngs example and wear protective vests. Thank you for what you do for us every day, and please, please, please, every shift, please wear your vest, he said. They will save your life, as we saw tonight.

The three wounded civilians and another wounded police officer were all in stable condition, police officials added.
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Bernie Sanders has scorned Donald Trump for only now declaring he believes President Obama is American-born.

While campaigning for Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator Mr Sanders described the Republican candidate statement regarding the birther argument as "pathetic" and goes to the "root of what Trump's campaign is about".

Mr Trump led a campaign in 2011 calling for Mr Obama to release his birth certificate to show whether he was born in Kenya or Hawaii as the President stated.

The controversial businessman now claims it was his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton who first raised concerns about Mr Obama's nationality in 2008.

Mr Sanders, a US Senator for Vermont, said on CNN: "Well, isn't that something. My word, after eight years of having President Obama as president, Donald Trump now thinks he's a legitimate president.

"Well, I'm just overwhelmed with emotion. Look, this is pathetic. This goes to the root of what Trump's campaign is about.

"Let's be clear. It's about bigotry. You remember, let's all remember that a few years ago Donald Trump was the leader of the so-called birther movement."

Bernie Sanders stated Trump tried to delegitimise President Obama with the birther argument, "not disagree with him".

 Donald Trump's most controversial campaign moments

He said: "This is a democracy. We can criticize Obama. It was delegitimising the first African American president in the history of our country. And the reason for that was clear.

"There are racists in this country who could never accept the fact that we had a black president. And that's what Trump was trying to do, delegitimise the president, not disagree with him.

"So I think this is part of his entire campaign of bigotry. It's against Muslims."

Donald Trump has made gains on Hillary Clinton's lead in the presidential polls after the former Secretary of State filmed stumbling following a September 11 memorial event in New York.
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Donald Trump has quietly doubled down on his anti-abortion stance appointing one of the pro-life movements most radical activists, Marjorie Dannenfelser, to lead what he calls his Pro-Life Coalition.

In a letter to anti-abortion groups Mr Trump vows to appoint Supreme Court justices who will support new curbs on abortion rights and to make permanent the so-called Hyde Amendment which forbids the use of tax-payers money to subsidise terminations.

He also pledges in the letter to ban federal funding of Planned Parenthood for as long as it offers abortions as part of its broader array of health services at womens clinics around the country.

The startling shift to the right on the issue this late in the race for the White House is an attempt by the Republican nominee finally to quell doubts among conservatives that he is a true believer in the cause they care the most about.

Aside from being on record before he began seeking the presidency offering support for a woman's right to chose, he separately appalled many conservatives - and liberals - earlier in the election when he said in a television interview that women who violate laws in seeking termiantions should be punished for it. He later rowed back on the comment.

Ms Dannefeiser is the leader the Susan B. Anthony List which has its ultimate mission the overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling of 1973 that made abortion legal in the United States within certain boundaries. She was for a long time foremost among sceptics who openly questioned Mr Trumps seriousness about embracing the cause.

The letter, first reported by The Hill, surfaced at a time when attention was focused elsewhere, namely on Mr Trumps reversal on birtherism, which had seen him questioning whether President Barack Obama was American-born, and comments that he made late on Friday saying hed like to see what would happen to Ms Clinton if her armed security was taken away.

He uses his letter also to attack Ms Clinton on her very clear pro-choice stance.

Hillary Clintons unwavering commitment to advancing taxpayer-funded abortion on-demand stands in stark contrast to the commitments Ive made, Mr Trump writes, to advance the rights of unborn children and their mothers when elected president.

The Susan B. Anthony List, which opposes abortion in all circumstances and has huge influence by giving - or withholding - endorsements for Republican candidates for Congress depending on how forcefully they espouse pro-life positions, much like the National Rifle Association, NRA, does on the subject of gun ownership, offered a strong welcome of Mr Trumps shift.

Ms Dannenfelser will seek to mobilise national and statewide anti-abortion leaders, with a particular emphasis on people in battleground states, to activate their spheres of influence in support of the Trump campaign, the groups spokeswoman, Mallory Quigley, said.

<em>Peter Marovich/Getty</em>

Originally passed in 1976, the Hyde Amendment is for now not permanent law but is routinely attached to other bills passed by Congress. Its principle effect is to prevent women using Medicaid, the health subsidy system for poorer Americans, to pay for terminations, except in cases where the health of the fetus or the mother is at risk.

It makes it much more difficult for under-privileged women in America - which often means women from minority communities - to exercise their right under Roe v. Wade to end a pregnancy in the early weeks if they choose to. The Susan B. Anthony List also prioritises passing a law to make all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy illegal, regardless of the circumstances, including in cases of rape or incest.

Lashing out at Ms Clinton, Mr Trump says that she supports abortion until an hour before birth, which has no basis in fact. She has stated that abortions contemplated after the point of a fetus viability should only be performed after consultation between the patient and her doctor where risks of harm to the unborn baby or the mother have been diagnosed.

I am writing to invite you to join my campaigns Pro-Life Coalition, which is being spearheaded by longtime leader Marjorie Dannenfelser, Mr Trump writes in the letter. As we head into the final stretch of the campaign, the help of leaders like you is essential to ensure that pro-life voters know where I stand, and also know where my opponent, Hillary Clinton, stands.

The nervousness among conservatives about Mr Trumps pro-life credentials were partly assuaged when he chose Governor Mike Pence of Indiana as his running mate. Mr Pence has a radical record of opposing abortion. Earlier this year he signed a new law for his state making it illegal to seek abortions in instances where fetal abnormalities have been detected.
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Once more embroiled in controversy, Donald Trump has been accused of inciting violence against Hillary Clinton for a second time under the guise of speaking up for gun owners rights.

The Republican nominee is meanwhile striking back at Robert Gates, who served as Defence Secretary under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, for dismissing him as beyond repair when it comes to national security.

In a withering article in Saturdays Wall Street Journal, Mr Gates said that the Republican presidential nominee is stubbornly uninformed about the world and how to lead our country and government, and temperamentally unsuited to lead our men and women in uniform. He concluded: He is unqualified and unfit to be commander-in-chief.

Still reverberating through the campaign are remarks made by Mr Trump in Miami on Friday evening, when he told supporters that Ms Clinton wants to destroy your Second Amendment right to bear arms and called on her security detail to disarm, so we can see what happens.

I think what we should do is she goes around with armed bodyguards, like you have never seen before. I think that her bodyguards should disarm, right? Right? Think they should disarm. Immediately, what do you think? Yes? Yes. Yeah. Take their guns away. She doesnt want guns. Lets see what happens to her.

Mr Trump had just completed a few days of relative discipline - he resisted the temptation, for instance, to denigrate Ms Clinton for taking days off the trail to recover from pneumonia - that many observers had put down to the influence of his new campaign chief, Kellyanne Conway.

But he seems suddenly now to be reverting to form, testing again whether his talent for creating controversy and stirring outrage rather than sticking to the script set by his advisers might still be the more effective way to scoring ultimate victory at the ballot box.

Before flying to Miami on Friday, Mr Trump used an event at his brand new hotel in Washington DC, just blocks from the White House, to abruptly back away from his birther past when he questioned whether President Obama had been born in the United States while saying in the same breath that it was Ms Clinton who had raised the whole issue first and not him.

Both that claim, for which there is no evidence, and his remarks about Ms Clinton losing her secret service protection have, inevitably, served to stir a new storm of Democratic indignation.

Where the conspiracy theories started were like the darkest corners of the Internet, which is where Donald Trump thrives, Hari Sevugan, an Obama spokesman in the 2008 primaries, told Politico with regard to who started the birther absurdities. They became the founders of the tea party and are now fueling Donald Trump.

Leading the condemnation of his Miami remarks was the Clinton campaign itself. At an event earlier this summer, Mr Trump similarly seemed to invite violence against the former first lady when he warned a crowd of supporters that unless the Second Amendment people stopped her she would chose anti-guns justices to sit on the US Supreme Court.

That comment was deemed so egregious that his campaign was later interviewed about it by the Secret Service.

Mr Trump has a pattern of inciting people to violence, the Clinton campaign spokesperson, Robbie Mook, said later on Friday.

Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief, he wrote in a statement. This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate, just like it should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate to peddle a conspiracy theory about the President of the United States for five years.

Her press secretary Brian Fallon later speculated on social media that either Ms Conway had suddenly determined jokes about assassination would help boost Trump with independents... or the dog is off his leash.

Mr Trump used Twitter to try to slap down the criticism from Mr Gates saying he knows nothing about me. Of Mr Gates own record as the chief of the Pentagon, he went on: Look at the results under his guidance - a total disaster!
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A woman has been arrested after her mothers body was found in a freezer  after it was purchased by an unsuspecting neighbour at a yard sale in the US.

Marcella Jean Lee was arrested on Thursday in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, on charges of concealing or failing to report a death.

Police in Goldsboro said the 56-year-old had been wanted for more than three months after the gruesome discovery was reported.

Lee allegedly sold her mothers freezer to a neighbour for $30 (23) in May but told the buyer not to open it because it was being used as a time capsule for a class project she was doing at church, according to WECT News.

She promised parishioners would collect the items but they never arrived, prompting the buyer to eventually open the freezer, which had been taped shut, and discover the body inside.

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

A post mortem found no signs of foul play in the death of 75-year-old Arma Roush, who lived with Lee and was last seen in August 2015.

Lee is currently being held in the New Hanover County Jail.


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A human rights group has urged Pakistan's government not to execute a mentally ill man, according to local reports.

Imdad Ali, who is around 50-years-old, was sentenced to death in 2002 for the murder of a religious teacher.

But not to let the execution take place because he has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.

'Death penalty for gays'  five accused over leaflet campaign Show all 2 1 /2 'Death penalty for gays'  five accused over leaflet campaign 'Death penalty for gays'  five accused over leaflet campaign pg-18-gay-hate-1-pa.jpg PA 'Death penalty for gays'  five accused over leaflet campaign pg-18-gay-hate-2-pa.jpg PA

Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), a legal action charity, has warned: Imdad Ali is mentally ill and has suffered years without proper treatment.

JPP launched a failed appeal against a decision made by Lahore High Court to dismiss pleas that Ali could not be executed on the grounds of mental illness.

The organisation maintains the judicial system should account for his mental illness, and the additional effect his time on death row has had on it.

Mr Alis execution is scheduled for 20 September.

Pakistan reinstated the death penalty in 2014 following a shooting at a school in Peshawar which killed 150 people; the majority of whom were children.

Executing Imdad will exemplify Pakistans failure to abide by its international legal commitments that forbid the death penalty for persons suffering from mental disabilities, JPP executive director Sarah Belal told AFP.

Knowing what they do about his condition would make his hanging a most serious crime.

Pakistans ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2011 upholds the rights of individuals with disabilities, Ms Belal added.

The judiciary has executed more than 400 people since it reintroduced hangings, according to rights group Reprieve.
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An employee of a state-funded charity in Belgium has accused Israels allies of inflating the countrys anti-Semitism problem to distract from its treatment of Palestinians.

Brigitte Herremans, who works for Catholic organisations Broederlijk Delen and Pax Christi, made the comments on Flemish Radio 1.

Earlier in the year, she was refused entry into Israel at Ben Gurion Airport while travelling with a group of activists to experience life in the West Bank.

In pictures: Influential Jew Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Influential Jew In pictures: Influential Jew 159893124.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Influential Jew 621419.bin AP In pictures: Influential Jew web-netanyahu-getty.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Influential Jew 30-Speilberg-CORBIS.jpg Corbis Images In pictures: Influential Jew Zuckerberg.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Influential Jew 305852.bin AP In pictures: Influential Jew michael-bloomberg.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Influential Jew Bar-Refaeli-getty.jpg Getty Images

Ms Herremans was refused entry after refusing to provide airport security with details of her contacts in the country, which are needed to obtain a visa.

Her suggestion that pro-Israeli activists exaggerate the state of anti-Semitism in Belgium arrives two years after four people were killed during a terrorist attack at Brusselss Jewish museum.

 Ten hours walking in Paris as a Jew - London Live

When you sometimes hear criticism from certain pro-Israel circles, also in Belgium, then I think that mostly they try to vastly inflate this business to distract from the heart of the matter: Israel tolerates no criticism and wants to do only as it pleases in the Palestinian territories, she said.

Ms Herremans claimed that, whereas her employers take into account Israels security needs, Israel feels it can afford to persecute human rights activists because no sanctions are applied against it, as they are in Russia.
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Father Gabriele Amorth, a prominent Roman Catholic exorcist, has died aged 91.

Father Amorth who was the chief exorcist for the diocese of Rome, passed away after suffering from a pulmonary illness.

The Catholic priest controversially claimed Harry Potter books encourage children to believe in black magic and yoga is evil because it promotes Hinduism.

Father Amorth believed people possessed by Satan tend to vomit pieces of iron and shards of glass. He maintained both Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the Devil, but that fact didnt excuse their abhorrent actions.

For example, I am convinced that the Nazis were all possessed by the devil. If you think about what types like Stalin, Hitler did ... certainly they were possessed by the devil, he said.

Born in Modena in northern Italy in 1925, Gabriel Amorth was ordained a priest in 1951. In 1985, he was appointed Exorcist of the Diocese of Rome.

During his lifetime, Father Amorth claimed to have performed 70,000 exorcisms and documented them in a number of books. The Italian news agency ANSA said Father Amorth had said he found himself faced with true demonic possession at most 100 times

He credited the 1973 film The Exorcist for giving a substantially exact representation of what it was like to be possessed by Satan. He did maintain the special effects were exaggerated, however.

During his exorcisms, his patients often had to be physically restrained. "From their mouths, anything can come out  pieces of iron as long as a finger, but also rose petals," he said.

His conviction in the power of exorcisms informed his approach to current affairs. In a Facebook post in 2015, he asserted: ISIS is Satan.

Spanish theologian Father Jose Antonio Fortea told the Catholic News Agency: Now he rests from his many battles with the devil.

While Father Amorths death is a blow for the diocese of Rome, exorcisms will still be carried out by its other nine resident exorcists.
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France has passed a new law to ensure all plastic cups, cutlery and plates can be composted and are made of biologically-sourced materials.

The law, which comes into effect in 2020, is part of the Energy Transition for Green Growth  an ambitious plan that aims to allow France to make a more effective contribution to tackling climate change.

Although some ecologists organisations are in favour of the ban, others argue that it has violated European Union rules on free movement of goods.

 Renewable energy is making waves in Europe

Pack2Go Europe, a Brussels-based organization representing European packaging manufacturers, says it will keep fighting the new law and hopes it doesn't spread to the rest of the continent.

"We are urging the European Commission to do the right thing and to take legal action against France for infringing European law," Pack2go Europe secretary general Eamonn Bates told The Associated Press. "If they don't, we will."

Mr Bates believes there is no proof the biologically-sourced materials are more environmentally beneficial and that the ban might make the situation worse as people may misunderstand the extent of degradability.

In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic trashes drifting on the sea surface in Marseille's islands In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution The Bishnumati river running through Kathmandu in Nepal. The river is full of litter and raw sewage which is emptied into the river. The local people see the river as a rubbish collection service In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Garbage in the harbour of Tripoli, Libya In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic and other undissolvable wastes float over the polluted Vrishabhavathi River, which a few years back use to supply drinking water to Bangalore 48 km to the north, in Kundanahalli village, Ramnagaram district, India In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Children collect plastic to be sold and recycled at a polluted river in suburban Manila In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic bags and other rubbish are collected from the waters of Manila Bay during a campaign by environmental activists earlier this year Getty Images In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution A man collects plastic bags and other rubbish from the waters of Manila Bay In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution A woman throws out a doll while she selects recyclable plastic bottles, along Tiete river where floating foam blocks emit harmful gasses, in Pirapora de Bom Jesus, 60 Km north of Sao Paulo, Brazil In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Baby sea otter pup chews on a plastic cookie wrapper In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Bin overflowing with plastic rubbish, central London

"[The ban will] be understood by consumers to mean that it is OK to leave this packaging behind in the countryside after use because it's easily bio-degradable in nature. That's nonsense! It may even make the litter problem worse," he said.
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Police shut down part of central Paris in a huge counter-terror operation after a "false alarm" on Saturday afternoon.

Part of the Les Halles and Chatelet areas were cordoned off by armed officers as security operations continued, with members of the public and tourists warned to stay away from the French capital's 1st Arrondissement.

Police said the operation was concluded by 4.50pm (3.50pm BST), saying there was "no danger to report", and officials later confirmed the incident was a false alert.

A hostage situation was initially feared to be underway after witnesses reported hearing gunshots near the Saint Leu Saint Gilles church, sparking panic before the arrival of "massive" numbers of security forces.

The French government's "SAIP" public warning system sent out an electronic notification reading "church attack alert" at 4.30pm local time (3.30pm BST) but gave no further information.

Bernard Cazeneuve, the interior minister, said a "false alarm" sparked the intervention at the church in Rue Saint Denis, under two months after Isis supporters murdered a Catholic priest in Normandy.

"The circumstances that led to this intervention have not yet been precisely detemined," a statement said.

"As a precaution, the SAIP alart system was immediately activated. The minister welcomed the quick response by security forces and their great professionalism in all circumstances serving the safety of the French people."

Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Show all 9 1 /9 Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Policemen outside Rouen's cathedral during the funeral of Jacques Hamel, the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy on 26 July during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked France as well as the Catholic Church Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Muslims place flowers and hold a minute of silence in front of the church if Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, western France, where French priest Jacques Hamel was killed on 26 July Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two people hold each other by the new makeshift memorial in Nice, in tribute to the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack at the Promenade des Anglais Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice on France's national holiday. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd of people in the Riviera city celebrating Bastille Day Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police work at a site where a Syrian migrant set off an explosive device in Ansbach, southern Germany, on 25 July, killing himself and wounding a dozen others Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis A Syrian migrant set off an explosion at a bar in southern Germany that killed himself and wounded a dozen others in the third attack to hit Bavaria in a week. The 27-year-old, who had spent a stint in a psychiatric facility, had intended to target a music festival in the city of Ansbach but was turned away because he did not have a ticket Friebe/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police officers walk along train tracks in Wuerzburg southern Germany on 19 July, a day after a man attacked train passengers with an axe. German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the man, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis German police killed a teenage assailant after he attacked passengers on a train in Wuerzburg, southerg Germany with an axe and a knife on 18 July, seriously wounding three people Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images

France remains on high alert following a series of stabbings and attacks that have killed more than 230 people since January 2015, with police powers intensified by a continuing state of emergency.

Three women were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of planning a terror attack directed by Isis commanders in Syria.

Authorities said the trio had been preparing to drive a car laden with gas cylinders into a major railway station.

The country has been rocked by a series of terror attacks starting with the massacres at Charlie Hebdos offices and a Kosher supermarket in January last year and the Paris attacks.

An Isis supporter driving a lorry killed 86 people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice and two teenage jihadists killed a Catholic priest after storming a church in Normandy weeks later.

The assaults have increased pressure on the French security services while reigniting national debates on immigration, integration and secularism.
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The Russian government is ploughing through its foreign exchange reserves at such a fast rate that it could use up its rainy day fund by 2017, government officials have claimed.

Despite being a major oil producing nation, pension pots may have to be raided to cover budget shortfalls, on which much of the reserve funds have already been spent.

Russias economy has been in recession for nearly two years as oil prices have slumped and Western sanctions  imposed in protest at the Russian intervention in Ukraine  have bitten hard.

Recommended Read more Russia may rise to super power status again following Syria deal

The Reserve Fund, as I remember, will be used up over the next year," deputy finance mnister Alexei Lavrov said.

International analysts agree. "At the current rate, the fund would be depleted in mid-2017, perhaps a few months later," said Ondrej Schneider, chief economist at the Institute of International Finance.

The Reserve Fund had to be used three times so far this year to cover holes in the federal budget, most recently in August, when billions in Russian reserves of euros, dollars and pounds sterling were sold to cover a gap of 390bn rubles (4.5 billion) in the budget.

The fund is intended to keep the countrys finances running smoothly when money is tight, but it has decreased in value dramatically in just two years, falling from 67bn in 2014 to just 23bn in September 2016. It will be even less by Christmas, with estimates placing its value at 11bn by the end of the year.

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

As well as international sanctions hurting Russias economy, a surplus of oil in the international market has caused a drop in revenue. In 2014, oil was worth over $100 a barrel but has tumbled and dipped between lows of $30 a barrel and $60 a barrel, stablising at around $45 in recent months.

However, many observers believe these issues have merely served to exacerbate prexisting problems in the Russian economic climate, such as over-reliance on petroleum and gas, lack of diversification and an authoritarian atmosphere which deters entrepreneurship and investment.

Government officials have said the seperate National Wealth Fund could be used to cover future budget deficits. But this money is intended to be used for pension provisions and large, planned investments, not plugging holes in the budget. It has also lost value recently but is still worth more than the Reserve Fund, at around 55bn.

Analysts have also said it may be easier said than done to use the National Wealth Fund, as the money has less liquidity  making it harder to quickly convert into cash  than the reserves. The government is also reportedly less than enthusiastic about using this money, particularly at a time when economic circumstances are so difficult for many people in Russia. The average wage has dropped to less than 346 every month, according to Stratfor Eurasia analyst Lauren Goodrich, cited in CNBC.
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The international conference in Yalta on the Crimean coast three years ago was infused with hope and optimism. Ukraine was starting on the journey to EU membership; as befits such an historic occasion, the talks were held at the Livadia Palace where Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met to carve up post-war Europe. There were celebrations, a concert and an art show.

The Yalta conference now takes place in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, Crimea having been annexed by the Kremlin following the uprising against the government of Viktor Yanukovych when it turned away from the EU. Instead of music and paintings the main exhibit at the central hall for the days opening was a cage in which Ukrainian soldiers demonstrated assembling assault rifles blindfolded.

But it is not just Russian-backed separatists who are now a matter of concern for the Ukrainian government. There is trepidation about Donald Trumps praise of Vladimir Putin, his disparagement of Nato and what may happen if the Republican nominee ends up in the White House after the forthcoming US elections.

Hillary and Bill Clinton have been present at the Yalta conference in the past and Mr Trump has made a speech via satellite in support of Ukraine. Since then, however, his repeated statements of support of Mr Putin, his condoning of the annexation of Crimea and suggestion that he may not defend Nato allies under attack has caused consternation. This was heightened when Mr Trump hired Paul Manafort, who had played a key part in getting Russias ally, Mr Yanukovych, to the Ukrainian presidency before his overthrow. Mr Manafort subsequently resigned after details emerged of his links with pro-Russian parties in Ukraine.

Ukraines president, Petro Poroshenko, who is due to address the UN General Assembly next week, spoke today at this years conference. He said: I requested a meeting with the two [US presidential] candidates. One of the candidates has already confirmed, Hillary Clinton. We are still waiting for confirmation from Trump. Asked what he hoped from the next American president, Mr Poroshenko responded:  The US should be a leader.

Mr Poroshenko did not address Mr Trumps remarks about possibly accepting Russian control of Crimea. But he raised the issue of Russian aggression in Crimea several times and claimed the territory has been turned into a concentration camp to the best Soviet standards.

Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference, February 1945 (Getty)

With the US election just 55 days away, it is not only Ukrainians who are concerned about what Mr Trump may do. Barney Frank, a veteran former member of the US Congress and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee said:  What Mr Trump has been saying about Putin is scary, it makes one think that if he gets elected, it will encourage Putin to be even more aggressive towards his neighbours.

David Axelrod, the former special advisor to President Obama, commented: Lets face it, of the two candidates who spoke to this conference in support of Ukraine last year, the only candidate who can still claim to do that now is Hilary Clinton.

However, Newt Gingrich, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, and former presidential candidate, maintained that Mr Trumps position was being misrepresented. He said: Trump is an American nationalist, he will think every morning what is what is best for America?.

His criticism of Nato is about something which has long been an issue, it is about Nato members paying their share of defence. I remember discussing this with Donald Rumsfeld and George W Bush. In fact what Trump is saying is that he will increase US military spending to deal with Russia and China. That is not isolationism.

Mr Poroshenko wanted to stress the need for continuing EU support. Kiev has expressed regret at the Brexit vote, but Ukraine, declared the President, was determined to pursue its dream of joining the organisation. This is the country where a million people went on the streets asking for one thing, joining the EU. The majority of the people here believe in Europe, he said.

The Ukrainian leader warned, however, that Euroscepticism, anti-Americanism, and isolationism is putting united Western action at risk and urged the need to fight back against populism and cynicism.

He continued: We are not part of Nato, we are defending ourselves with our own weapons. What we need most from you is not money, not weapons, not advisors. We need your unity and solidarity.

But sanctions are the only mechanism to keep Putin at the negotiation table. The European Union must consider moving from semi-annual to annual sanctions, as a frequent return to this issue leads to much debate in the European Union and gives Russia the chance to undermine its unity.
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A young woman was allegedly verbally and physically assaulted on a public bus in Turkey, with reports claiming it could be because she was wearing shorts.

The attack took place on the first day of the Eid al-Adha holiday in the Maslak neighbourhood of Istanbul.

It left Aysegul Terzi, a 23-year-old nurse, with severe facial bruising.

In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish tanks driving to the Syrian-Turkish border town of Jarabulus yesterday AFP/Getty In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish-backed gather on the outskirts of Jarabulus, Syria, ahead of an offensive on 24 August 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish army tanks make their way towards the Syrian border town of Jarabulus, Syria August 24, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish soldiers return from Syria to Turkey with tanks after a military operation at the Syrian border as part of their offensive against the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria, Karkamis district of Gaziantep, Turkey, 25 August 2016 EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish army tanks and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces move toward the Syrian border as pictured from Karkamis, Turkey, AP In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish tanks on their way to the Turkish-Syria border during an operation against Isis on 24 August 2016 EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Syrian opposition fighters being transported during preparations to enter Jarabulus in Karkamis, Turkey, on 24 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria An air strike hitting Isis-controlled territory near Jarabulus, near the Turkish border, on 24 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria A Turkish army tank and an armoured vehicle stationed near the border with Syria. Turkish media reports say Turkish artillery has launched new strikes at Isis targets across the border AP

The incident was captured on the bus CCTV camera which apparently shows an unidentified man standing at the back of the bus. According to Turkish media the man is apparently shouting: those who wear shorts must die!

Ms Terzi told ShowTV that she didnt hear him because she was listening to her headphones.

The man then allegedly started to attack the woman, kicking her in the face while apparently screaming you are a devil!

Mr Terzi described how three young men stepped in and stopped the perpetrator, but they failed to prevent him from escaping.

She later claimed the bus driver refused to take her to a police station or hospital. The driver denies this, but Ms Terzi still intends to file a complaint, according to Turkish Minute.

The police have told Turkish media that Ms Terzi did not highlight her clothing as the reason for the attack.

This didn't stop a number of Twitter users taking to social media with the hashtag "#AysegulTerzininSesiOlalim" to protest the attack on the grounds Ms Terzi has the right to dress how she pleases.
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Four Palestinians have been shot dead after attempting to attack Israeli civilians and security forces in a new spike in violence sweeping East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Four incidents were reported in 24 hours between Friday and Saturday, leaving three civilians and two soldiers wounded.

Surveillance footage showed a Palestinian man approaching a security checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday morning.

He could be seen walking up to a soldier holding documents but as the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) guard took the paper, with his gun lowered, the Palestinian man pulled a knife from his pocket and attempted to stab him.

Footage showed the attacker being surrounded and shot by soldiers after attempting to stab them at a checkpoint in Hebron on 17 September (YouTube)

The first soldier ducked out of the way of the blade before the attacker, named locally as Hatem Abdel-Hafiz al-Shaloudi, ran at other troops.

The footage showed him falling to the ground while attempting to stab a second soldier, who held him down as he was shot by at least two others.

A spokesperson for the IDF said al-Shaloudi died at the scene, while a soldier was evacuated for medical treatment.

The attack followed three separate incidents on Friday. In the first, man came out of Jerusalem's walled Old City brandishing a knife in each hand and shouting Allahu Akbar, meaning God is Great in Arabic.

Israeli officials said he rushed at border police officers at Damascus Gate, who opened fire and killed him.

Israeli Border Police surround the body of a man shot while attempting to attack officers with a knife at Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem on 16 September (EPA)

The man was carrying both a Jordanian and a Palestinian ID, police said.

Less than an hour later, a car carrying two Palestinians was rammed into a bus stop near the Kiryat Arba settlement outside Hebron.

Soldiers shot the male driver dead and injured a female passenger, while three Israeli settlers were wounded. Photos published by the IDF showed a knife on the front seat.

A few hours later, at a junction in Tel Rumeida near Hebron, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier who opened fire and killed him, the military said.

Hebron, which contains the Cave of the Patriarchs/Ibrahimi Mosque, is divided between Israeli and Palestinian Authority control.

A Palestinian woman argues with an Israeli soldier near the scene of an attack in Tel Rumeida in the West Bank city of Hebron on 16 September (Reuters)

About 850 Israeli settlers live in heavily-guarded enclaves among tens of thousands of Palestinians, making it a frequent flashpoint for clashes.

A spokesperson for the IDF sad attacks were just another example of the danger of Palestinian incitement spread through social media.

But Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, said a wave of renewed violence that ignited last year was bred from nearly five decades of Israeli occupation and the result of fear, humiliation, frustration and mistrust among Palestinians.

At least 34 Israelis and two Americans have been killed in Palestinian stabbings, shootings and car rammings since last September, while more than 200 Palestinians have been shot dead by security forces in the same period.

The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child

Israeli officials said the vast majority were carrying out or attempting attacks, but others have been killed during protests.

Several incidents have been contested and the United Nations has voiced concern over reported excessive use of force, calling for independent investigations into each death and injury caused by the security services.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, condemned Israel for the extra-judicial killings of this weekends attackers but did not condemn the assaults themselves.

Israel is flagrantly employing a systematic and wilful policy of summary executions against the Palestinian people; such provocative acts are in direct violation of international law and conventions, she said. We call on the international community to engage rapidly and effectively before it is too late.
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Israels former head of military intelligence has claimed the USs $38bn (30bn) military aid package is not the largest pledge of military assistance to any country in American history".

Major General Amos Yadlin said details of the controversial 10-year package suggest the funds offered are in fact substantially lower than previous arrangements between the two countries.

The aid package we received is slightly less than what we received in the previous agreement, its a decrease of $100m (77m), Yadlin told Israels Army Radio .

We could have received a better aid deal, [but] the Prime Minister gave an unnecessary speech to Congress, and were paying for it.

 US, Israel reach record $38bn military aid deal

He was referring to a speech made by Benjamin Netanyahu in March 2015, when the Israeli Prime Minister addressed Congress at the invitation of Republican members without going through the White House as normal protocol demands.

His attack on Iran's march of conquest, subjugation and terror during negotiations over the looming nuclear deal was taken as a slight to Barack Obamas administration.

Senior officials have provoked anger among some Israeli politicians by calling for an end to settlement building in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and for Israel to take meaningful steps towards a two-state solution.

But when the aid deal was signed on Wednesday, Israels National Security Council chief Jacob Nagel said Israel has no better friend, no more reliable, strategic ally, no more important partner than the United States.

National Security Advisor Susan Rice said the agreement reaffirmed the unbreakable bond between the two nations.

Since President Obama took office, the US has provided almost $24bn (18bn), including investment in Iron Dome and other missile defence systems, and given the Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jets.

This is the single largest pledge of military assistance to any country in US history, Ms Rice added.

The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child

But former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said a 20 per cent rise in the cost of arms since the last 10-year agreement came into effect and a clause barring Israel from seeking further funds from Congress meant Israel had no greater purchasing power than previously.

The damage produced by Netanyahus irresponsible management of the relations with the White House is now fully manifest, he wrote in the Washington Post.

Israel will receive $3.8bn (2.9bn) a year  an important contribution to our security but far less than what could have been obtained before the Prime Minister chose to blatantly interfere with US politics.

The agreement includes $33bn (25bn) in foreign military financing funds and $5bn (4bn) for missile defence.

The Memorandum of Understanding came amid tensions over the Iran deal, the construction of West Bank settlements and continuing Palestinian attacks and security crackdowns.

At least 34 Israelis and two Americans have been killed in Palestinian attacks over the past year, with more than 200 Palestinians shot dead by security forces, who say the majority were carrying out or attempting assaults.
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An accused al-Qaeda bomb-maker who went to college in Arizona has claimed to military officials at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that he believed an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family was part of an effort to recruit him for violent extremist acts before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to a newly released transcript.

Ghassan Abdallah al-Sharbi said a religious figure in Saudi Arabia used the term "your highness" during a telephone conversation with a man, just before urging al-Sharbi to return to the U.S. and take part in a plot against the US that would involve learning to fly a plane.

The Sept. 11 commission found there was no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government as an institution or Saudi senior officials individually had supported the attacks, and the kingdom's government has consistently denied it had any role in the plot.

It was early 2001, and al-Sharbi had only recently returned from the United States, where he had taken some flight school courses in Phoenix with two men who would become hijackers in the 9/11 attacks.

Al-Sharbi described the conversation in June to the Periodic Review Board, which assesses whether Guantanamo prisoners can be released. The Pentagon on Thursday posted a transcript, with parts blacked out, on the website of the board, which includes representatives from six U.S. agencies and departments.

The statement is convoluted and lacks important details, such as whether the "religious figure" might be close to any Saudi officials. It does not indicate who the Saudi royal might be. The term can be used for thousands of members of the Saudi royal family; al-Sharbi did not say he met the man.

Al-Sharbi also appears to be struggling with illness. He tells the board he had just come from the detainee hospital, is "really exhausted, and nauseous and lethargic," and uses what is described as a "manual breathing device."

The Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the al-Sharbi transcript. In the past, the Saudis have pointed to the 9/11 Commission, FBI investigations and other probes that found no Saudi government or royal family involvement in the attacks.

Al-Sharbi says he listened as the "religious figure" spoke to the man -- whom al-Sharbi believes was a royal -- as they discussed al-Sharbi's qualifications for returning to the U.S. for jihad. "I remember, 'yes, your highness, yes your highness,' and he was talking to him about me," al-Sharbi said.

The prisoner's candor about his health may add to the plausibility of the statement, claimed Max Abrahms, an assistant political science professor at Northeastern University who studies terrorism. Mr Abrahms reviewed the transcript.

"He is very open that he is really struggling physically, that he's exhausted, that he has been under serious medication," Mr Abrahms said. "But on the other hand it lends additional credibility to his statement because it's not very deliberate and not memorised."

A Guantanamo spokesman, Navy Capt. John Filostrat, said the military does not disclose details about detainees' health. "Overall, the general health of detainees is good," he said.

Al-Sharbi attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, from 1999-2000, according to the review board website.

In the transcript, the prisoner described living with various Americans, including a Phoenix police officer, in Arizona and California before returning to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2000.

After telling the "religious figure" that he had some practice on a flight simulator and could learn to fly more easily than others, al-Sharbi says he agreed to return to the U.S and they began to discuss details. But al-Sharbi never went, for reasons that are unclear in the transcript.

The review board profile says al-Sharbi went to Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, trained with al-Qaeda and then went to Pakistan, where he learned how to make remote-controlled explosive devices and teach the skill to others. He was captured there in a house with Abu Zubaydah, whom the U.S. has called an al-Qaeda "facilitator." He, too, is confined at Guantanamo.

When captured, the FBI found a buried a cache of documents nearby, including an envelope from the Saudi Embassy in Washington that contained al-Sharbi's flight certificate, according to a document known as File 17, which was declassified earlier this year and names people the hijackers were in contact with in the United States before the attacks, including diplomats of the kingdom.

In July, the review board declined to approve his release from Guantanamo, where he is among 61 prisoners still held.

AP
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The attack on the Russian embassy in Kiev in the early hours of Saturday morning took place as preparations were under way to open a polling station in the Ukrainian capital for Russias imminent parliamentary elections.

The Kremlin accused the government of Petro Poroshenko of deliberately neglecting to protect the building from the young men who threw fireworks while waving a banner threatening It will be Grad ( multiple rocket launchers) tomorrow. The Ukrainians dismissed the violence as a small incident which does not require comment.

Small or not, what happened illustrates the tension in Ukraine over the voting which takes place on Sunday. The real and highly contentious issue is not a polling station for Russian nationals in Kiev but the fact that Crimea, annexed by Vladimir Putin two years ago, will take part in the election and send deputies to the duma in Moscow.

In Ukraine this is regarded as a big step to absorb Crimea into the Russian Federation in flagrant violation of international law. President Poroshenko, who has charged that Crimea has been turned into a concentration camp of the best Soviet standards warned that Crimean residents who take part in the election will face sanctions.

We must agree that the people who will be proclaimed so-called winners in the illegal state duma elections should take a worthy place on the sanctions list, he said. It is an honorary ticket to the sanctions club.

US President Barack Obamas administration also stressed that extending the elections to Crimea was illegal. The United States does not recognise the legitimacy and will not recognise the outcome of the elections planned for Russian-occupied Crimea, said State Department spokesperson John Kirby. Our position on Crimea is clear: the peninsula remains an integral part of Ukraine. Crimea-related sanctions against Russia will remain until Russia returns control of Crimea to Ukraine.

 Russians apathetic ahead of parliamentary elections

The US was also concerned, he added, about the humanitarian situation in Crimea, including the status of the ethnic Tatar community and widespread reports of missing persons and human rights abuses.

Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to President Vladimir Putin stated that outside demands to halt the Crimea polls will be ignored. Russia has no intention to enter into any discussions with foreign nations concerning the election process on its own territory, he declared.

The Ukrainian government, he continued, should instead fulfill its obligations under international diplomatic protocols to protect embassies. They are obliged to do so in compliance with the Vienna Convention, he said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Maria Zakharova, foreign ministry spokesperson in Moscow said that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is monitoring the ceasefire in Ukraine has guaranteed that Russian citizens will be able to exercise their right to vote. The ballot stations on Ukrainian territory will be opened in the Russian embassy and in our consulate-generals. Kiev should not be allowed to stop them, she said.

But Ukraines Prime Minister, Voldoymyr Groysman, held it was not the job of his government to guard the electoral process of the Russian Federation. The embassy attack was just hooliganism. The law enforcement system will perform its functions in a normal mode.
A month ago, I never would have imagined I would be standing in front of the Potala Palace in Tibet, streaming a live video on Facebook and talking openly about economic and cultural discrimination and environmental pollution under Chinese rule.

And yet there I was, free to speak, unhindered by the Foreign Ministry minders who had brought us on a rare trip here. It was, as far as I know, the first-ever Facebook Live conducted in Tibet.

The Tibet Autonomous Region, as China calls central Tibet, is harder to visit as a journalist than North Korea: There have been only a handful of government tours organised in the past decade, all closely controlled.

In 2010, correspondents reported that security agents were lying down in the corridor outside their rooms to prevent them from sneaking out in the night to talk to ordinary Tibetans.

But this trip, my first, had a much more relaxed feel about it. Although most of the day and evening was taken up with organized activities, there was a little free time. To our surprise, we were actually allowed to leave the hotel on our own to explore Lhasa and talk to ordinary people, without any sign of being followed.

On Sunday, I told one of the Foreign Ministry officials accompanying us that I needed a few minutes to do a Facebook Live in Potala Square, and I was allowed to do so unhindered, and largely out of earshot of our minders. I can't imagine being allowed to do that in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, let alone in Lhasa.

Chinese troops invaded Tibet in 1951, two years after the Communist Party took power in Beijing. They claimed to be liberating its people from feudal serfdom, and that Tibet had historically been part of China. Many Tibetans, however, see themselves as a separate people and complain of repression under Chinese rule.

After an uprising in 1959 was brutally suppressed by Chinese troops, controls were tightened and the Dalai Lama, Tibet's religious and political leader, fled to India, where he still lives in exile. Today, more than 125,000 Tibetans live in the diaspora.

Now China says it wants to turn Tibet into a "world-class" tourism destination: We had been invited to Lhasa to attend the Third China Tibet Tourism and Culture Expo.

Officials told us that President Xi Jinping and Yu Zhengsheng, the top official in charge of Tibet, had told an internal party meeting last year that Tibet needed to be more open to foreigners and to foreign media in order to realize its potential as a tourism destination. China, the top leaders argued, should be more confident about Tibet and had "nothing to be ashamed of."

The Tibet Autonomous Region of China is home to about 3.1 million people, and is made up of 475,000 square miles of high-altitude plateau, grasslands, forest and mountains -- roughly the size of Texas and California.

Foreigners are allowed to travel to Tibet only on group tours, and obtaining permits can be complicated and time-consuming. In March, officials promised to simplify procedures and shorten waiting times for permits -- although they have been making similar promises since 2013, and no one we spoke to on our trip offered any firm assurances.

There was also an awkward moment when we asked our tour guide at the Potala Palace whether any tourists asked about the 14th Dalai Lama, whose home this magnificent building had once been before he fled to India. We have to go, our minders suddenly insisted, one after the other in quick succession. We are out of time, they said, hurrying us along.

Nevertheless, the freedom we were given did mark a shift in the way media tours are handled.

There was, perhaps, also a realization that using a North Korean style alienated journalists and fueled a negative perception about Chinese rule here.

Of course, our interactions with ordinary Tibetans were limited, and not just because we had little time. We had to be careful we were not being watched or followed, and wouldn't get people into trouble. Several people said they could not speak on political issues, and one said it was dangerous to do so. Others, though, did speak, on our assurance that we would not reveal their identities. Several people expressed unhappiness with the fact that young Tibetans are growing up learning Chinese in school, and studying and speaking Tibetan as though it were a foreign language. Others spoke of economic discrimination, or of cultural and political marginalization. I'll be writing more about this in future reports from Tibet.

A Human Rights Watch report in May argued that China's "stability maintenance" polices in Tibet involved greater controls over daily life, less tolerance for peaceful expression of grievances or assembly, and the criminalization of nonviolent protests in a "relentless" pattern of repression.

Nevertheless, the fact that we could talk to any ordinary Tibetans at all seemed like a hopeful sign. At least, until the trip went sour.

On Tuesday, we visited the town of Nyingchi, also known as Linzhi. There, we were given a tour the North Koreans would have been proud of. A visit to an ecological institute and animal husbandry station kicked off the day, where we looked at photographs of flowers and then ventured outside to look at plants and pig enclosures. In the afternoon, we visited a "folk village" -- an as-yet-unoccupied replica of a Tibetan village built by Chinese real estate companies for the benefit of Chinese tourists, complete with luxury hotels.

It was Disney meets Potemkin.

Then, we pulled into a "real" Tibetan village, where we would meet villagers who were renting out their homes for tourists. As we entered, a police car left. The streets were entirely deserted, and not by accident.

Two Tibetan people were supplied for us to talk to, both of whose homes were decorated with posters of Communist China's past and current leaders -- one was a party member and former soldier in the Chinese army, the other a woman whose real feelings we would never really know.

All day, we had been asking to visit a nearby monastery. There are two close to each other around 15 miles south of the hotel where we were staying, both built in the 7th century in the reign of Tibet's first king, Songtsen Gampo. Officials first said a visit would be arranged. But then the lies began.

The monastery was too far in the other direction, and we wouldn't have time, we were told. The road to Lamaling monastery was blocked by a landslide caused by heavy rain, another official claimed.

And then, the most ridiculous lie of all, when Xue Chengtao, director of Nyingchi's foreign affairs office, told us there were actually no monasteries in the area at all.

How far away is the nearest one, we asked. More than 100 kilometers away, he said, and not of any historical significance anyway. (That's about 60 miles.)

All day, officials dragged their feet, in what seemed like a deliberate attempt to ensure that we would return after nightfall. We eventually got into the hotel around 9 p.m., on a tour scheduled to end at 6:30 p.m.

Still, four of us tried to get away, jumping in a taxi close to the hotel. A taxi and a white SUV followed us.

We got out, went for a walk, switched cars, thought we had lost the tail. Then another taxi appeared behind us, overtaking us for a closer look, then pulling back again.

At the turnoff to the monastery, police were waiting for us, briefly questioned us and then sent us back to the hotel. At least six security officials were stationed in the lobby and at the hotel gate to make sure we didn't leave again.

Clearly, officials in Nyingchi were determined to prevent us from speaking to any monks.

Washington Post
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No one could have predicted things would come together like this  those many years ago when plans to realise an African-American dream finally took wing, and more recently in 2011, when a flashy Manhattan property tycoon put in a bid to turn a grand old building on Pennsylvania Avenue into the latest in his line of branded luxury hotels.

But historys lines move in mysterious ways. For the US capital, this September of 2016 is a tale of two openings, a few blocks and a few days apart. And somehow, the two unrelated and utterly contrasting events are a snapshot of the polarised state of the country, seven weeks before Americas nastiest and highest stakes election of modern times.

Act One took place a lot more quietly than you would have expected. The Trump International Hotel opened its doors to business last Monday without fanfare, in the Old Post Office Pavilion  right on the presidential inaugural parade route, just half a dozen blocks from the White House that its controversial proprietor could be moving into early next year.

Given all that, it was striking that only a couple of dozen protesters showed up, bearing motley banners proclaiming things like Trumps A Racist, and Love Trumps Fear. It was a hot sunny day, and the few police on hand sat on benches, checking their phones. The real story was inside: the razzle-dazzle Trump decor, the $600-a-night rooms ($1,000 for inauguration week), the champagne bottles opened by sabres, the super-fancy wines guests can purchase by the spoonful.

 Trump tells the world that President Barack Obama was born in the US

This isnt your usual high-end Washington hotel, all dark panelling and discretion, where you might spy an ex-director of the CIA at a quiet table in the bar, catching up on gossip with friends. This place makes a statement about a new Washington. Not so much about the new Washington that would undoubtedly be under a Trump administration  but of the New Washington that has been taking shape these past two decades: whiter and richer, a city of business almost as much as government. A more Trumpian city if you like  even if the man himself doesnt win in November.

And now to Act Two. The seed was sown back in 1915 when a group of black veterans who had fought on the Union side were in Washington for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Civil Wars end and were disgusted by how little had changed, despite emancipation. They decided to set up a coloured citizens committee, to press for an exhibit that would showcase how much blacks had contributed to America.

But nothing happened. Pilot schemes came and went. Racism was one reason, as old-guard southern politicians argued that to give African-Americans a national museum would mean everyone  Hispanics, Asian Americans, you name it  would want their own spot on the Mall, their own little tent on what has been described as Americas front lawn.

In the meantime a museum of the American Indian opened in 2004, not to mention the Holocaust Museum (not part of the Smithsonian stable, to be sure, but which has been in place since 1993), dedicated to an event that had taken place thousands of miles from US shores. But a memorial to set out the long, often tragic history of black Americans  among the very first Americans, whether they liked it or not  from slavery to the modern day? Still nothing.

The pressure however continued, and in 2003, President George W Bush finally signed a Congressional act setting up the National Museum of African American History and Culture (or NMAAHC if youre into clumping acronyms). Work at the site, the last available for a museum bordering the Mall, started in 2012. It opens on Saturday, 24 September, 12 days after Trumps hotel. And this time, by contrast, therell be a very great deal of fanfare indeed.

Leading the ceremony, fittingly, will be Barack Obama, the first African-American president. There will be days of festivities, while entry tickets to the museum (free like all the Smithsonian ones) are sold out until November.

The buildings been worth the wait, elegant and graceful, constructed in the shape of three crowns on top of each other, covered in a black lattice. When it was put up in 1899 to regenerate an area riddled with crime and prostitution, the Post Office Pavilion  at the time the second tallest building in DC behind the Washington Monument  was a ground- breaker. NMAAHC, a gorgeous addition to the Mall, will be another.

The letters signed by Donald Trump Show all 5 1 /5 The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump

The architectural concept is a climb out of darkness, beginning with the era of slavery and oppression, set deep underground, up through sections dealing with Jim Crow and the long struggle for civil rights, to the topmost floor and a celebration of black culture. The exhibits, collected from scratch, reflect the long historical march of black America: from an early 1800s slave cabin to the open coffin in which lay Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy savagely murdered in 1955 in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman. Photos of Tills disfigured body helped galvanise the embryonic civil rights movement.

But gradually the mood lightens. You move on to the great breakthroughs of the civil rights era, the increasing prominence of black people in national life, and their cultural achievements. Illustrating them are items like General Colin Powells military uniform, the head protector Muhammad Ali used while sparring, and Chuck Berrys red Cadillac, as well as an exhibit on Duke Ellington, the jazz great who may be Washington DCs greatest son.

You can say the museum tries to cram too much in. You might cynically argue the whole thing is little more than an exercise in feel-good politics, designed to project an America racially at peace with itself, despite the police killings of unarmed black men, the riots in cities like Baltimore, and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. But its a mirror of a real America nonetheless  as is, in its in-your-face fashion, that garish new hotel a few hundred yards down Pennsylvania Avenue. Whatever happens on 8 November, the twain shall never meet.
Independent News & Media's Karen Preston (left) and Mairead Kearns (right), at the NewsBrands Ireland town hall event in Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin. Photo: Damien Eagers

Print advertising drives 1 out of every 4 of sales delivered by media, business leaders have been told at the first ever town hall event hosted by NewsBrands, the group that represents Ireland's newspaper industry.

The NewsBrands Ireland event in Smock Alley in Dublin was held to showcase the power of print advertising as a medium to potential advertising buyers.

Publishers from across the country's biggest newspapers, including national newspapers, print and online publications, came together to showcase their full suite of products, including all print and digital offerings.

"NewsBrands Ireland's members are incredibly effective as individual businesses but when they come together they demonstrate the true power of press and press-branded digital news media," the chairman of NewsBrands Ireland, Vincent Crowley, said.

Print advertising drives 25pc of all sales delivered by media, NewsBrands told the media and advertising buyers at the event.

The director of NewsBrands Ireland, Dara McMahon, told the audience: "The newspaper market is constantly growing and evolving.

"That's one of the things that makes newspapers so exciting. Something else that we should all be excited about is that newspaper advertising works.

"Newspaper advertising works, but there's nothing new in that, it has always worked.

"Maybe that's why we don't talk about it enough," Ms McMahon said.
A SPECIAL needs assistant (SNA) who had a bag of cocaine and got into a fight with another man was out celebrating the end of his two-year college course.

Sean Goss (29) begged a judge to leave him without a conviction, as he needs garda clearance to work as an SNA.

Judge David McHugh fined Goss 150, saying he was found with cocaine and there wasnt a hope of leaving him without a conviction.

Goss admitted before Blanchardstown District Court to public drunkenness, threatening and abusive behaviour and possession of 60 worth of cocaine at The Full Shilling, Main Street, in Finglas, on May 9.

Sergeant Maria Callaghan said gardai were on mobile patrol when they came across Goss who was involved in an altercation with another man.

Sgt Callaghan said Goss was clearly intoxicated and was aggressive towards gardai. He also tried to resist arrest.

Officers searched Goss, of Carin Court in Poppintree, and found a small bag of cocaine.

Defence solicitor John ODoherty said Goss has had a somewhat chequered past and had difficulties during his late teens, following the death of his father.

He said the defendant was an out-of-control young man but the birth of his two children transformed his life.

Mr ODoherty said Goss was a stay-at-home father and cared for his two children while his partner completed her studies.

He said Goss returned to college two years ago and completed a healthcare course. He is now volunteering as an SNA.

The solicitor said Goss hasnt really been in trouble for six years, and he asked the judge to leave him without a conviction as he needs garda clearance in his work.

Mr ODoherty said Goss has been offered a job as an SNA and was awaiting garda vetting.
Activists take part in a Right2Water demonstration against water charges in central Dublin.

Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Dublin today for the eighth 'Right2Water' protest.

The campaign is calling for the "abolition rather than suspension" of water charges.

Here are five things you should know about today's protests.

1. Where to go

There will be three assembly points across the city - Sir John Rogerson's Quay at 1.30pm, Connolly Station at 2pm and Heuston Station at 2pm.

2. The march

The three strands of the demonstration will converge at Capel Street and then march along Dame Street, George Street and Kevin Street, winding up on St Stephens Green South.

3. Traffic delays

AA Roadwatch has warned travellers to "expect delays in the city centre during the period of 2pm to 4pm as a result".

4. Attendance

This is the eight national protest from the group and according to the event's Facebook Page, approximately 3,000 people will be in attendance.

5. Aim

Organisers have said that the event will object to "the EU Commission intervening in Irish democracy which they have done in recent weeks."
Four people were arrested, one of whom remains in custody, after a drug seizure in Cork on Thursday evening.

Gardai from the Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit discovered 7kg of cannabis herb and a quantity of cocaine during a search of a house at Rathpeacon, Co Cork.

The cannabis is estimated to have a street value of 150,000.

The cocaine discovered at the scene is estimated to have a street value of 1,000.

Three people were arrested at the scene; a woman in her twenties and two men, aged in their twenties and thirties.

They were detained at Togher and Mayfield Garda Stations.

All three have since been released and a file is being prepared for the DPP.

A man in his thirties was arrested in Killarney, Co Kerry and remains in custody at Killarney Garda Station.
The Luas dispute was driven by a small but powerful cohort of shop stewards among the drivers whose political motivation was questionable.

THE Luas dispute was driven by a small but powerful cohort of shop stewards among the drivers whose political motivation was questionable.

They belonged to an organisation of activists who wanted to "reclaim unions" from their current leaders.

As that dispute went on it became quickly apparent that Siptu had no control over the ringleaders.

It was not behind the eyebrow-raising claim for a pay rise of up to 54pc that was initially lodged with Transdev.

The drivers did not show up to union meetings, and they ended up making their own announcements and going on the airwaves to voice their grievances. The Anti Austerity Alliance was their trusty cheerleader. This dispute at Dublin Bus is different.

It is being led by the unions with shop stewards rallying behind.

Although there are a few very wealthy individuals among their ranks - thanks to a recent Euromillions win - the vast majority of the workers are frustrated.

This was amplified earlier this year when the Luas drivers won a pay rise worth 18pc up to 2020, or 3.8pc a year.

The publication of the wages and terms and conditions of the tram drivers that had been previously little known showed there was already an enormous gap between their wages, and that is about to balloon even further due to the recently won pay hike.

It hasn't helped that the tram drivers' employer suffered losses last year, while theirs - namely Dublin Bus - is back in profit.

As Ringsend driver and National Bus and Railworkers' Union (NBRU) activist, Sean Yeates, put it: "Members are sick to their teeth. When you equate what the Luas pay award was ...there is a difference of over 1pc between what the Labour Court recommended for them and us, and the money paid to Transdev is coming from the same National Transport Authority pot that they are telling us they don't have money for.

"Ringsend has had reps who are well able to speak up for themselves. You could call them militant."

Although the Harristown depot got a name as a breeding ground for the so-called 'Trots' about 10 years ago, that is no longer the case. Sources said there are still a few extreme left-wingers out there, but they are scattered throughout the seven depots, including Ringsend and Phibsboro.

The quietest garage is apparently Donnybrook, which fits in with its leafy suburban Dublin 4 image, while the maintenance division in Clontarf has a reputation for being "very vocal".

"There are some hotheads, but no garage is like an island doing its own stuff," said a union source.

But there are clear signs that left-wing groups are trying to get a grip on the powerful transport unions and cultivate a close connection with the strikers.

Earlier this week, the Anti Austerity Alliance put out a statement condemning Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary for recommending "organised strike breaking" and announced that deputies Mick Barry, Paul Murphy and Ruth Coppinger would be at the Conyngham Road depot on Thursday morning.

Union sources are highly critical of the party for jumping on the bandwagon. "They would slag off the unions at the same time, and will say it's a sell-out no matter how good a deal they might get," claimed one source. The same team at Siptu that represented the Luas drivers is now fronting this Dublin Bus claim for a 15pc pay rise over three years.

However, it has not placed the same emphasis as the NBRU on winning the Luas increase. Led by Owen Reidy, who is tipped as a contender for the Siptu top job when Jack O'Connor retires, it also includes old hands in the transport division, Willie Noone and John Murphy.

But probably the most recognisable face of the pay claim that is bringing Dublin traffic to a halt is the Cork-born leader of the NBRU, Dermot O'Leary.

An Irish Rail worker for 23 years, he is never shy of a colourful quote. He was first off the mark even before the Luas dispute ended and predicted there could be a series of strikes similar to Luas in this newspaper in an interview last month.

His union, which was founded in the early 60s by a splinter group of busmen from Clontarf garage, is seen as the most militant in the transport sphere and is not affiliated with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

It has more drivers among its members than Siptu, but Siptu has more members overall. Privately there is a long-running rivalry between the two unions, but publicly they are singing off the same hymn sheet. This will be tested in the coming days as we wait to see who gives in first.
Patients who are using catheters and ventilators or are taking antibiotics are the highest risk of becoming infected (Stock picture)

A major Dublin hospital has been hit with an outbreak of a potentially lethal superbug, forcing the closure of two wards since last month.

A number of adult patients in Tallaght Hospital were found to be have CRE infection, which is resistant to many antibiotics.

The outbreak was first confirmed in August, closing the Gogarty and Crampton wards, the Irish Independent has learned.

A third ward may now also have to be closed. It is undergoing contact screening as part of the urgent drive by the hospital to contain the spread. The closure of the wards has led to an escalation in overcrowding and left 27 patients on trolleys waiting for a bed yesterday.

CRE - which stands for carbapenem resistant enterobacteria - is generally not a risk to healthy people but poses a serious danger to patients whose immune systems are low.

Patients who are using catheters and ventilators or are taking antibiotics are the highest risk of becoming infected. It is passed on by touch. There are only a few antibiotics which can kill off the infection.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said it was taking all appropriate precautions.

The paediatric emergency department and adult emergency department are separate units and neither have been associated with this outbreak.

Patients should continue to use both emergency units as normal, she added.
Police investigate the scene where a man was shot by police in New York City Credit: Reuters

The scene of the attack in New York City Photo: AP

An Irish detective with the New York Police Department (NYPD) has been released from hospital after being attacked with an 11-inch meat cleaver while off-duty.

Father-of-three Brian O'Donnell, originally from Co Offaly, suffered a six-inch gash from his temple to his jaw when he attempted to tackle Akram Joudeh during the attack at 5pm on Wednesday.

He was hospitalised after the incident, but the NYPD confirmed that he was released yesterday. It is understood he has been left with a permanent scar as a result of the attack.

Det O'Donnell, in his 40s, has been living in the US since moving from Co Offaly in the early 1990s, and was involved in the rescue and recovery operation on September 11.

Joudeh from Queens, in New York City, was shot several times after attacking the Irish officer.

Joudeh, who has a long criminal history, was initially stopped by police near Penn Station, in the middle of Manhattan, as he tried to remove a wheel clamp from his illegally parked car.

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Jimmy O'Neill, NYPD police chief, said Joudeh ran through the streets around a Macy's department store in the middle of rush hour. Officers joined in the pursuit and one uniformed sergeant deployed a stun gun to no effect.

Joudeh pulled out an 11-inch cleaver from his waistband and began running toward Sixth Avenue, officials said. Det O'Donnell attempted to intervene but was struck across the face.

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The policeman, who lives in Long Island, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated for two days.

Recently retired police chief Bill Bratton and Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, were among those to visit him while he was receiving treatment. Speaking before his release, an NYPD spokesman said Det O'Donnell was "doing pretty good".

Det O'Donnell's colleagues gathered outside Bellevue Hospital yesterday and gave him a thunderous round of applause as he was released. He was in a wheelchair as he left the facility, with the scar visible on his face.

Det O'Donnell thanked those who has gathered to show their gratitude. He has worked for the police force for 16 years and previously worked with the US navy.

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A bystander, Jonathan Schneier, said when he left work to get coffee he saw a balding man holding a meat cleaver, surrounded by a small group of officers yelling at him to drop the knife. One officer had a Taser out. Others had handguns. "I give credit to the police officers. They gave him many opportunities," Mr Schneier said.

He said the man with the knife "did not look very stable".

The man turned and ran, Mr Schneier said. He ran one city block and then jumped on top of a NYPD car.

After Det O'Donnell was struck, three uniformed NYPD officers fired a total of 18 times at Joudeh, striking him several times. Two other officers were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries from the encounter, although it was unclear how they were injured.

Joudeh was described as being in a critical but stable condition. He has 15 prior arrests, including one on August 27, after he was found carrying knives near a synagogue.

His last known address was in Queens, though police say he may have been living in his car.

The incident caused gridlock in central Manhattan, with streets shut and the FBI sending agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force to the scene as a precaution.
Transport Minister Shane Ross has done a U-turn on his previous claim that he is not prepared to open bus lanes for motorists during the Dublin Bus strike.

Just days after saying such a move would be illegal, Mr Ross told reporters that he now "won't rule it out".

But the Independent Alliance TD again refused to intervene in the industrial dispute between management and unions, insisting that he is not prepared to be seen as "having a soft touch".

During the week, Siptu announced that a further 10 days of industrial action were planned for October, as crunch talks between Dublin Bus and its workers have failed to yield any positive outcome.

When he was previously asked about opening bus lanes to help ease the flow of the extra volume of traffic, Mr Ross stated that it would be illegal.

He has now backtracked on this statement, saying he wouldn't rule out opening bus lanes to commercial vehicles.

He said: "We looked at his very carefully and we're still looking at this very carefully.

"I'm taking advice from both the gardai and from the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

"I think the advice I'm getting, particularly from the RSA, is that it might have really serious safety issues, particularly for fire services and for cyclists.

"I'm not ruling it out. You realise I'd love to do it but the advice I'm getting is that there are serious safety issues and I have to take that into account."

Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan said that the opening of bus lanes was "not a matter for An Garda Siochana" while noting that other vehicles use bus lanes apart from Dublin Bus. "You have to remember bus lanes are also cycle lanes at times when there are strikes."

She said many private companies also used the cycle lanes during the strikes.

"It's an issue we keep under review and revise with the relevant departments," Ms O'Sullivan said.

"Both bus and cycle lanes are used by other service providers, not least by emergency services when they are needed."

The minister and the commissioner were speaking at the launch of the 'European Day Without a Road Death' event - named Project Edward - at Garda Headquarters in Dublin.

The initiative has been organised by TISPOL, the traffic police network in Europe, and is aimed at having no road fatalities across Europe on Wednesday, September 21.

RSA director Pearse White emphasised that road safety was a shared responsibility. He said Irish people had to improve how they used the roads.

"You might think it's OK to drive a little bit above the speed limit, or to just have a couple of drinks and drive home, or to not bother putting you seatbelt on in the car. But the tragic reality is that these actions could have serious and devastating consequences for others."
Ireland has been added to a "blacklist" of tax havens by the Department of Federal Revenue of Brazil just weeks after the European Commission ordered Apple to repay 13bn in back taxes to the State.

It is understood the decision to place Ireland on the list will have immediate implications for transactions between the two countries.

However, the effect of the listing remains unclear.

Ireland was included on the list under an article of Brazilian law that highlights countries that tax companies at less than 20pc or where domestic law does not permit access to information on the firm's structure or their ownership.

Grant Thornton tax partner Peter Vale said Ireland must strongly rebuff the decision by Brazil.

"We have, and it's acknowledged by the OECD, one of the most transparent tax systems in Europe, if not the world. If having a low tax rate means you're a haven, then perhaps.

"Most of the rationale and the basis for people calling it a tax haven is to do with structures that we have outlawed in response to the noise around it, while we would have strongly held the view that it wasn't an Irish issue," he said.

Ireland's addition brings the total number of countries and dependencies listed as havens by Brazil up to 67. Also included on the list are Panama, the Isle of Man and Monaco. The Irish State appeared on the list on Tuesday, September 13.

Whether or not its presence on the list is due to the Apple Tax ruling is unclear.
The fallout from the publication of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) report on the matter is set to continue into next week (Stock picture)

The statutory inquiry into Nama's sale of Project Eagle should be led by an expert in financial forensics, ministers believe.

There is concern that even a highly experienced judge or retired member of the judiciary may not be equipped to deal with the "complexities" involved in the property transactions that form part of Project Eagle.

While handing the inquiry to a judge has not been ruled out, it is expected that the investigation team will include several forensic accountants.

"We can't on this occasion just say, 'hand it over to a judge and let him off'," one senior Government source said.

The fallout from the publication of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) report on the matter is set to continue into next week.

The report found that the taxpayer suffered a potential loss of 190m (223.5m) as a result of the sale of the northern loan book to Cerberus.

Opposition leaders have been asked to submit their views by next Friday as to how a statutory inquiry should work.
Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has confirmed that he has held discussions with Gerry Adams about the latter's plans to step aside as party leader.

Mr Adams this week revealed that he has an exit strategy in place - but refused to say when exactly he intends to make way for a successor.

Speaking during the second day of the party's think-in in Co Meath, Mr McGuinness said that the ultimate decision rests with Mr Adams himself.

"Gerry and I have had our own discussions about that. We are in a party in transition," the North's Deputy First Minister said, adding that the new leadership will be "well equipped" to being the party forward.

"He and I have a plan about how this will be done. This has to be endorsed by the leadership. When that is decided, the party has to decide who will lead the party in the future.

"The only person who will decide in conjunction with an important group of people will be Gerry Adams."

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald reiterated the party's call for a united Ireland.

"The important thing is that Sinn Fein as a political party is, and remains, and increasingly grows and grows as a vehicle for progressive politics, for working people, working families, North and South," she told Pat Kenny on 'Newstalk'.
EU leaders emerged with little more than a pledge to further tighten border controls after an all-day think-in on the future of the bloc after Brexit.

While they have drawn up a six-month to-do list, they fell far short of rallying the sense of unity they were seeking ahead of the meeting.

After nine hours of talks, Taoiseach Enda Kenny told reporters: "Clearly, there are differences, and strong differences, but I think there genuinely was a fix from the leaders to say 'We have to work together to provide for that future' and I think that's the challenge of the meetings that are going to lie ahead."

Plagued by divisions over how to respond to the after-effects of the financial crisis, the migrant influx, a spate of terror attacks and the UK's vote to quit the bloc, leaders gathered in the Slovak capital yesterday to lay the ground for their future as a 27-member union.

The mood was light as they started their talks in balmy Bratislava, but soon soured after a lunchtime cruise on the Danube threw into sharp relief the extent of the challenges they face.

They are trying to forge a new identity ahead of the 60th anniversary of the EU's founding treaty next March, but in a six-page "roadmap" for the future they did little more than rehash former pledges to tighten border controls, combat terrorism and boost the economy.

"We committed in Bratislava to offer to our citizens in the upcoming months a vision of an attractive EU they can trust and support," the leaders said in the declaration. "We are confident that we have the will and the capacity to achieve it."

France and Germany made a show of solidarity following the meeting, with French president Francois Hollande saying the two needed to stand together "in order for Europe at 27 to succeed".

The two countries, backed by the European Commission, are looking to create a quasi-EU army with shared assets and a single military headquarters, and won an agreement from other leaders to look into "how to make better use of the options in the Treaties, especially as regards capabilities".

The EU treaty allows for a group of countries to share defence capabilities, but the Taoiseach insisted on the "red line issues we have in terms of neutrality".

He tried to weave a fine diplomatic line on Brexit, taking leaders aside individually to explain Ireland's "critical position here in being the closest country to the United Kingdom" and at the same time "being a very strong supporter and a committed member of the European Union".

But Ireland's place in the bloc has been compromised by the Government's decision to appeal the Commission's Apple tax ruling, which has elicited much bafflement around the summit table.

While Apple did not come up at the meeting, the Taoiseach told reporters that the Commission was out of line when it said Ireland had granted the US tech giant illegal tax breaks.

"We consider it to be an intrusion into tax competence, which is not a matter for the European Commission. They are fully entitled to do their assessments in terms of state aid, but we believe they've crossed the line here to use state aid regulations as a measure of getting Ireland to become a global tax collector," he added.
A group of backbenchers who are now discussing the prospect of tabling a motion of no confidence in Mr Kenny just before the Dail breaks for Christmas. Picture: Damien Eagers

Fine Gael backbenchers have been left incensed after being told by Taoiseach Enda Kenny that he will personally arrange a "shadowing programme" involving senior Government ministers.

At the Fine Gael think-in in Kildare - and during further conversations with backbenchers this week - Mr Kenny suggested they spend an arranged period of time with ministers in order to gain experience of what it is like serving in Cabinet.

The proposal has been the subject of ridicule among a group of backbenchers who are now discussing the prospect of tabling a motion of no confidence in Mr Kenny just before the Dail breaks for Christmas.

In a worrying development for Mr Kenny and his back-room team, ministers, TDs and senators have held further talks about his leadership -both in person and over the phone - since the think-in in Newbridge.

Members of the parliamentary party have labelled the proposal to shadow ministers "JobBridge for backbenchers", referring to the soon-to-be-scrapped work experience scheme, whereby workers get paid 50 on top of their dole.

They have also lashed out at Mr Kenny's claim to the media that he has got his "mojo" back.

Some sources within the party have defended Mr Kenny's offer to shadow a minister, pointing out that he is merely trying to assure TDs who did not secure a ministry that they can still influence Government policy.

But his proposal has been widely condemned as being "patronising".

The view among Government ministers and other senior Fine Gael figures is that Mr Kenny will only step aside in the short term if those outside of the group of so-called "rebels" speak out.

Within the party, those seen as being dissenters include TDs Brendan Griffin (Kerry), John Deasy (Waterford), Jim Daly (Cork South West), Pat Deering (Carlow/Kilkenny), Michael D'Arcy (Wexford) and Fergus O'Dowd (Louth).

But there is now a separate group of TDs who say they may be prepared to join the "rebels" unless Mr Kenny spells out his exit strategy. None of the TDs were willing to speak publicly when asked to do so by the Irish Independent this week.

For the first time since the formation of the new Government, middle-ground ministers - some of whom are seen as close supporters of Mr Kenny - are also expressing disquiet over his leadership.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael figures believe Independent Alliance minister John Halligan will remain in government for the time being at least.

Mr Halligan made a public appearance this week with the Taoiseach and Education Minister Richard Bruton during which he indicated that he has rowed back on his threat to quit over the issue of cardiac services at University Hospital Waterford.

This is despite senior doctors in the south-east categorically rejecting the findings of the clinical review conducted by Dr Niall Herity.

The review recommended against the introduction of a second cath lab. However, it did urge Health Minister Simon Harris to improve resources, facilities, staff and opening hours at the hospital.

Fine Gael figures have rallied behind Mr Harris's refusal to meet Mr Halligan or the doctors over the issue, saying the party won't be held to ransom by a junior minister.
Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital again today marching for the abolition of water charges.

Three separate marches began at Connolly Station, Heuston Station and Sir John Rodgerson Quay.

Organisers claimed 80,000 people took to the streets, while other estimates put the crowd at less than 20,000. The gardai estimated less than 10,000 attended.

At Stephens Green, the mass of people listened as TDs, MEPs, and members of the public spoke of how they believe the charges have failed.

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Socialist TD Ruth Coppinger said: It was never just about water charges.

The water charges were a lightning rod for austerity in general, and the last eight years of what working class people have had to put up with.

The Apple tax case was also talking point during the march - with many insisting that the government should take the 13bn.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett told Independent.ie that people are absolutely disgusted that a government can say no to 13bn in taxes owed by one of the wealthiest multinationals in the world.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Demonstrators march along Parliament Street during the Anti Water charges protest in Dublin. Photo: Tony Gavin Protestors gather on St Stephen's Green during the Anti Water charges protest in Dublin. Photo: Tony Gavin Protestors march along Burgh Quay during the Anti Water charges protest in Dublin. Photo: Tony Gavin Protestors march over the Matt Talbot Bridge during the Anti Water charges protest in Dublin. Photo: Tony Gavin Demonstrators march along Parliament Street during the Anti Water charges protest in Dublin. Photo: Tony Gavin Protesters gather at Connolly Station Protesters gather at Connolly Station / Facebook

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They [the government] dont want that, but they expect ordinary people to accept water charges, property taxes, and years of cuts and austerity that have been imposed on them.

The march was organised by Right2Water and is calling for for the full abolition of the charges, which currently stand suspending pending a review.

A large crowd gathered at Connolly Station at 2pm to begin the march towards St Stephens Green, meeting up with the other demonstrators along the way.

Workers Party councillor Eilis Ryan said:

People are choosing to put their energies into what the new struggles are.

We have a compromise that the government think theyve arranged in terms of suspending the charges. We all know theyre completely dead.

But I think people feel thats not enough. Its not suspension we are asking for; its abolition were asking for.

A group of demonstrators from the Artbank gallery in Bunclody, Co Wexford brought a large puppet fish and crow to the march to symbolise how they believe Irish people had been preyed upon by the charges.

One man from the group said the government had created a repression, not recession since the introduction of the charges.

The controversial charges have been suspended across the country since the start of July.
Coastal communities in Clare this week showed a touching unity as they struggled to comprehend the loss of Caitriona Lucas, who died as she searched for missing schoolteacher David McMahon. The double tragedy was unlike anything to hit the area previously, but ultimately it showed the communities at their best.

In Kilkee, where tourists ramble the cliff walks, even in mid-September, residents have become sadly accustomed to searches in the Atlantic for missing people; with the beauty of the coastline comes inevitable danger.

Time and again this week, locals observed the power of the sea.

Even before Coast Guard volunteer Caitriona died on Monday, the town had already been united in its search for missing David and to support his devastated family.

Hundreds of people turned out to help with the search on Saturday, the day after he was last seen.

They came from his hometown in Lisseycasey and further afield, mixing with locals who had helped in similar heartwrenching searches down through the years. Then on Tuesday, despite Caitriona's death, they found it in themselves to turn up again.

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As one man said, it was "tragedy heaped on top of tragedy".

Men and women who knew the dangers of the mighty Atlantic still seemed unprepared for how cruel it could be, as they stood on the famous cliffs in the days after.

One seasoned volunteer, who has worked on countless efforts, described the helpless feeling dozens of people felt as they looked down at the devastating scenes unfolding at the base of the cliff.

Equipped by all accounts to help but unable to intervene.

Not far from Kilkee in the Doolin Coast Guard station, where Caitriona's artistic stamp can be seen all over, a steady stream of well-wishers stopped by with cards and flowers for her colleagues.

It was a sombre scene as a handful of her friends sat in silence along a wall outside.

Some of them had been on the scene when rescue efforts to save the mum-of-two and the two coast guard members from Kilkee were mounted.

The station is state-of-the-art and overlooks a ramshackle stone shed where the old station was based. The new building now stands as a testament to just how busy Doolin's search and rescue team is. The 26 volunteers who man the station have attended to more than 55 calls this year so far.

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The unit, which began as a climbing team, was the first to be given a boat in the coast guard; the first to get a vehicle and to get a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB).

And last week, the pioneering unit became the first to lose a coast guard volunteer while on duty and the repercussions of that loss were felt in stations dotted around the coast of Ireland.

Coast guard volunteers from as far away as Cork remained poised on Monday to rush to the aid of their colleagues in Clare as the rescue operation stretched into the early evening.

Caitriona's enthusiasm for the job was paramount in everyone's mind. Her Officer In Charge (OIC), Mattie Shannon, scrolled through the hours she had logged in recent years on the internal system, pointing out the years where she clocked in more than 700 hours.

"That was only the hours that were logged," Mattie pointed out. Inside, surrounded by artwork Caitriona had commissioned from local school children, they met with surviving volunteer Jenny Carway, who was visibly shaken after her ordeal the previous day.

It was fitting that her friends and colleagues in the station were on hand to comfort her.

They too have undertaken dangerous rescue missions time and again, never believing that it would end in tragedy.

A picture of Caitriona quickly emerged as not only a brave volunteer who gave up endless hours of her time with Doolin Coast Guard but also as a hard worker, who always went the extra mile for people in her community.

In Liscannor, where she lived with her husband and children, one woman described how Caitriona would always order in library books for her daughter and was always very helpful with other readers.

Caitriona's colleagues in the library service have remembered her as someone who was always on hand with ideas and showed a keen interest in progressing professionally.

"She was dynamic and highly motivated. One imagines Caitriona coming to work in the library after possibly dangling off a cliff edge an hour earlier to sit down with a group of children to do story hour or an art and craft session.

"She would rarely if ever have mentioned the previous episode and had a modesty and humility that was remarkable," Helen Flynn, from the library service, said last night in a fitting tribute to the late volunteer, whose loss has been felt not only in Clare but all around the country.
Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has criticised Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary following his claim that Ireland should threaten to leave the European Union over the Apple tax ruling.

Mr Varadkar last night said such a move was akin to "threatening to pull the pin on a hand grenade in an ammunition factory" and warned that Ireland's interests could be damaged by "extreme" commentary.

Addressing a Fine Gael event at the Old Wesley club in south Dublin, Mr Varadkar said he admires Mr O'Leary for both his achievements and style. But he singled out the Ryanair chief executive following his claim last week that Ireland is being bullied by Europe and should threaten to leave the EU if the decision that Apple owes the State 13bn is not withdrawn.

"We need to be careful in the weeks and months ahead about the language we use.

"Unchecked, the commentary could become ever more extreme and more damaging to Ireland's long-term interests," Mr Varadkar said.

"The idea that we should threaten to leave the European Union as suggested this week by Michael O'Leary, a man whose achievements and even style I admire, seems to me to be akin to someone threatening to pull the pin on a hand grenade in an ammunition factory, seemingly unaware that the first person to be killed will be themselves."

Mr Varadkar told the meeting, organised by Senator Neale Richmond, that Europe had been "very good for Ireland".

He said that as a "small country on the edge of the continent", Ireland had gained access to the largest single trading market in the world.

"Since June and the Brexit vote, we have witnessed a renewed focus on our relationship with Europe. This has intensified since the European Commission's decision on the tax affairs of Apple," the Dublin West TD said.

"In the immediate aftermath of that decision, it was perhaps inevitable that harsh words would be spoken on both sides.

"I reject the use of terms like 'tax haven' for our country, but I also reject the characterisation of the European Union as a conspiracy of large states against small countries such as Ireland."

Mr Varadkar has been increasingly speaking at constituency events in what sources say is part of his leadership campaign.
The detective in charge of the Jill Meagher murder case has described the treatment of her husband Tom as 'pretty awful.'

Jill Meagher was murdered and raped while walking home from a pub in Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne, in September 2012.

Adrian Bayley was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Before this, police treated Jill Meagher as a missing person and, according to a new documentary which highlights the details of the case, they questioned Tom Meagher regarding her disappearance.

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In 'Conviction - Finding Jill', Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Butler, who led the investigation, indicated that Tom Meagher was harshly treated in the immediate aftermath of his wife's disappearance.

"It was necessary to do but when you think about it down the track, you're left thinking 'Jeez, we were pretty awful, for the way we've treated this poor guy. Not only has he lost his wife but now he's been treated pretty badly by us in some respects'," he said.

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Butler also discussed the importance of ruling out those closest to Jill as early as possible in the investigation.

He added: "We were able to eliminate Tom reasonably quickly in this case. And the important thing with that was, let's say we never solved the case, the important thing with that is we can say 'Listen, it's not him, we've proven beyond any doubt that it's not him'."

The documentary also gives details of Bayley's interrogation, which saw the murderer only admit his crimes after Jill's sim card was found in his property.

The detective believes this was essential to preventing further deaths at the hand of Bayley.

He said: "[When they found the sim card, I said] if there is a God, let it be Jill's," before adding "in my view had we not caught Adrian Bayley, he wouldn't have stopped and we would be dealing with a serial killer."
Thousands of young teachers in the ASTI will be 6,000 a year worse off if the union continues its war with Government.

They are already on 796 a year less and, by January, the gap will rise to almost 1,800, and continue widening over 15 months.

By January 2018, the pay differential between young teachers will have grown to 20pc - depending on the union they are in.

An agreement announced yesterday gives newly-qualified teachers an increase of up to 2,000 a year, on top of pay restoration measures in the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA), which are being rolled out from this month.

But, only members of teacher unions that have signed up to the LRA - currently, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) and the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) - will receive the increases.

The 18,0000-member Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) has rejected the LRA, and as a result is also excluded from the new deal, which eliminates a key contributor to two-tier pay scales.

A teacher recruited this month, who is a member of the ASTI, is on a starting salary of 31,009, which remains frozen while they are outside the LRA.

Meanwhile, INTO and TUI members are on 31,805 - including restoration this month of 796, half an allowance for supervision and substitution duties - which will rise to 37,059 by January 2018,

There are corresponding increases for all new teachers recruited since 2012 - who suffered the most severe pay cuts - who are members of unions that have signed up to the LRA.

There is still an outstanding issue on pay equality for teachers and other pubic servants recruited in recent years, which is the general 10pc cut in pay scales implemented in 2011.

INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan said yesterday's deal represented "significant progress" and that "for the first time, teachers who began since 2012 will have the same earnings path as all other teachers and will reach the same maximum point of salary scale."

TUI president Joanne Irwin said it was a very significant step in the right direction in addressing the pay inequality suffered by teachers.

But the ASTI remains determined to continue its campaign on a number of pay-related fronts, which could close more than half the country's second-level schools by end of October/early November.

The ASTI is conducting two ballots later this month, one seeking a mandate for strike action on the issue of pay for newly-qualified teachers.

The second ballot is seeking support for withdrawal from supervision and substitution duties, which would force schools to close because of lack of cover.

Powerful

The union's powerful Standing Committee met yesterday and, in a statement afterwards, the ASTI said it was "campaigning for the full restoration of new teachers' pay."

The ASTI said that it was not party to the LRA and had received no offer on the restoration of new teachers' pay.

"We will continue to pursue a resolution through talks. We want equal pay for equal work. ASTI members have rejected the LRA for a number of reasons, including its failure to deliver pay equalisation for new teachers," said ASTI president Ed Byrne.
Premium

What will it take to unite Ireland? Opinions are divided

There are those for whom Northern Ireland is a geographical fragment of the UK holding true to empire on its western flanks, and those for whom partition is a century-old wrong that must be overturned. Somewhere in the middle are the persuadables  people willing to accept either unity or union, so long as the justification is logical. One way or another, the unity conversation is in the air.
On Friday night I headed for the Lisdoo where the young ladies who sat their Leaving Certificate in 1987 in St. Louis School were having a reunion 29 years after they got their results and a huge crowd had turned up see their old classmates.

I was only in the door when I met up with Tia McParland from Kilkerley and Fiona Woods from Feede who told me they eventually recognised everyone and it was unbelievable to see them all there again.

Next I met up with Ruth Daly from Haggardstown and Juanita McArdle from Belfast who were having a great laugh together, but Juanita said had she had known the rest were looking so well after nearly 30 years, she'd have considered a face lift! They both assured me it was going to be anything but a quiet night.

I then headed over for a chat with Tara McDonnell from Newtownbalregan who said she didn't recognise everyone, the faces maybe but definitely not the names. She said she had been friendly with many of the girls in university, but after that no really.

Three ladies who were having a great chat together were Donna Nordone from Blackrock, Dympna Coleman from Phillipstown and Juanita McEntegart from Kilcurry. Dymphna said she hadn't seen many of the girls for the last 29 years because she moved abroad after her leaving cert. Juanita said she had been in primary and secondary school with Dymphna, because they had grown up together, but hadn't seen her in years too and here was so much catching up to be done.

After this I got a word with Briege McConnon from Faughart who was in the predicament of recognising all the faces, but the names weren't too forthcoming.

Next I had the pleasure of meeting up with main organiser Aileen Markey from Mount Avenue who told me she had moved away after her leaving cert and had only recently returned home from New York. She had been in contact with some through Facebook and when they decided to get together she initially thought it was going to be a few drinks in a pub, but once the ball got rolling, the Lisdoo was the ideal place for all to get together. She also wanted to thank Fran Williams and Briege McConnon for all their great work in making the night such a success.

I then headed over for a chat with Pamela Dowd originally from Blackrock but now living in Roscommon who was having the same faces and names dilemma. She was chatting to Suzanne Carroll from Ravensdale, Clodagh Curtis from Ravensdale, Sharon Rafferty from Kilcurry and Kelly Byrne from Ballybay who thought it was a great idea to get together and were having a major laugh, although there were a few old scores mentioned that may have needed to be investigated later on!

After this I headed over for a chat with Clodagh Smith from Bellewsbridge Road and Oonagh Greene from Kilcurry who were there with Aisling Hearty from Mill Road, Sandra McConville from Newtownbalregan and Donna Nordone who were busy renewing old friendships and having a right old laugh together.

I then ventured over for a word with Aishling O'Sullivan from Newry and Katriona Campbell rom Jenkinstown who said they recognised most of their class mates, but there were a few surprises.

Seated close by I then met up with Paula Kirk from Nicholas Avenue and Ann Kelly from Dublin Road who both agreed in was a nostalgic night and all the girls looked great and as they did all those years ago.

Finally, one girl that had really gone the extra mile was Fran Williams from Ard Easmuinn who had a booklet of photos and info from their Leaving Cert 6th Year lunch and it included a piece where they saw themselves in 20 years' time which everyone got a copy of and they were all having a great laugh when I departed.
All roads lead to Bellurgan Park this weekend when the beautiful woodland setting plays host to the inaugural Lunasa Festival.

Having previously staged successful festivals in Cork, the organisers are now bringing their success mix of eclectic music from folk to techno, and workshops and activities for all the family, to the north Louth venue.

'We were big fans of the Vantastival festival and love the site so when we saw it was available, we thought it would be the ideal venue for Lunasa,' says event manager Aoife Nyhan Kavanagh.

Among the acts taking to the seven Celtic-inspired stages are Kila, My Fellow Sponges, Strange Attraction, Aine Cahill and Span Turner, alternative acts Spudgun, Beeches and Grand as well as techno heavywights Jon Hussey, Fran Hartnett, Giles Armstrong, Nathan Jones, RSCH and John Daly.

There will be a host of family friendly activities and workshops, boutique camping and gourmet food stalls.

Tickets are on sale from www.lunasa.com
Baritone and PhD student at DkIT Paidi O Dubhain, who is originally from Rostrevor, is this year's recipient of the Carolyn Gianturco Research Scholarship.

Following her visit to DkIT in June 2012, the internationally renowned scholar Professor Gianturco set up a scholarship to support young music researchers at DkIT in their research development. This can include attendance at conferences, participation in workshops or masterclasses or travelling to undertake archival research.

This year's recipient, Paidi O Dubhain has benefited greatly from the scholarship, attending masterclasses with repetiteur and art song specialist, David Miller.

Paidi is currently completing a PhD researching the life of Tomas O Suilleabhain, a seminal figure in the development of Irish music in the twentieth century.

He previously completed a BA in Applied Music at DkIT and has also studied at the Guildhall School of Drama and Music, London. He is now based in Brussels and has performed extensively in Europe.

Through his research, Paidi will be creating a biography of his musical life while also demonstrating how song writing developed in Ireland.

As part of his research Paidi has also performed three public recitals of 20th Century Irish song, focussing on the repertoire of O Suilleabhain.
After his untimely death a couple of months ago, family and friends of the late Gene (Gino) Berrill from Oaklawns, one of the best drummers this town has ever known, all came together for a night in the Spirit Store to honour him, reform many of the bands he drove on from his kit and basically share memories and stories of a man, I had the pleasure to call a friend, whom was never far away from a smile and a bit of craic.

I was only in the door when I met up with Ellie-Rose Toner from St. Clements Park who was there her mum Sharon Watters and dad Derek Turner who were delighted with the turn out and assured me it was going to be a fantastic night for sure.

Next I caught up with Gino's wife Marie Berrill from Oaklawns who was with her daughter Roseanne, son Colin and daughter-in-law Rebekah, sister-in-law Sue Smith and Lily Smith from London. Marie said they were completely blown away by the wonderful response from everyone, wanted to thank everyone for coming along on the night and also to the musicians for taking part.

After this I met up with Jack McAuley from Bay Estate who had played with Gino for a number of years who said it was true testament of the man that so many bands wanted to play and everyone who wanted to be there and was looking forward to an exceptional night.

I then headed over for a chat with Peter Neary from Lower Point Road and Colm Keating from Dowdallshill who said he'd been to school with Gino ad he was a helluva nice guy.

Not too far away I then caught up with Vivienne and Paul McCullins from Lisdoo Road who were in the company of Joan and Peter Breen from Blackrock who had got to know Gino from his original Long Riders days and were delighted to be there on the night.

After this I got talking to my friend Irene Myles from Muirhevnamor whom I hadn't seen in ages and was looking really well as usual, she was with Kitty Duffy from Blackrock and Angie McNally from Meadow Grove who were also Long Riders fans too and were looking forward to a musically emotional night with everyone there.

Not too long later I caught up with Norman and Frances Halliday from Newry who told me that Norman is a drummer too and had become friends with Gino down the years and was looking forward to the music.

After this I caught up with Jamie McMahon from Farndreg who was there with his mum Una Nordon who is a friend of Marie's and was with sister-in-law Sue Smith from London and daughter Lily and Marie's brother Bill Johnston from Muirhevnamor and his daughter Patricia McCaffrey who were in great form and getting into the swing of things.

Not too long later I caught up with Malgoriata Czapska and Emil Jakubas from Carlingford who were up for making the best of the night and were enjoying it so far.

Next I got a word with Eamon and Mary Mathews from Avondale Park who have been friends of Gino's for years and 'just had to come' on the night.

After this I got talking to Mary Mullen from Castletowncross and Pauline McCrave from Riverside Crescent who were there to support the night and said that Gino's mate Paddy Mac was responsible for them being there.

I then ventured over for a chat with Hayley Corrway from Fatima Drive who was with her dad and ace guitarist Tubby Corrway and Daniel Connolly from Castleblaney. Hayley sad her dad had played with Gino for years and it was an honour for them all to be there participating in the night.

After this I met up with Anthony Mathews from Newry Road who also felt it wouldn't have been right unless he had been there.

I then got a word with Dundalk's number one music fan for the last 40 years and more, yes my old friend Mags Tuite from Ashbrook who was enjoying the company of Louigi Cioci from Chapel Street assured me it was going to be an epic night.

Making my way through the crowds I met up with Delores Waller from Sliabh Foy Park, Alice Stewart from Grange Drive, Marie Stewart from Bay Estate, Anna Stewart from Drive 1, Deborah Donnelly from Drive 2 who told me that Gene had been performing at plenty of gigs they had been at he was always a great laugh, so they wanted to be there specially to be part of the night.

Finally, before I departed I met up with guitar legend Bobby Robertson who told me that Gino was a great guy, an excellent drummer and is sadly missed, in fact he said that Gino would have really enjoyed the night.
Louth's female entrepreneurs are being encouraged to take part in the ACORNS project launching next month.

The Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups (ACORNS) programme is focused on unleashing the potential of female entrepreneurs who have recently started a business or who have taken concrete steps towards doing so. The programme is currently looking for 56 female entrepreneurs living in rural areas to take part.

There is no charge for successful participants, but to qualify applicants must have set up a new business very recently (no earlier than June 29th 2016) which they either own or part own, or be in the advanced stages of setting up a new business.

The initiative is based on interactive round table sessions that are facilitated by other female entrepreneurs, all of whom have direct experience of the challenges associated with starting and growing a business in rural Ireland.

Deadline for applications is September 22nd. Check out www.acorns.ie for more information.
Say what you like about us Nordies, we have a way with words that John B Keane would be jealous of. You can say what you like about us: and that usually includes racist generalisations such as having a penchant for violence, being short-tempered, being miserable with money, being amazingly cynical, being argumentative and never answering a question with 'I don't know' - we do have a way with the English language that is unique.

And while it may not have the lyrical flourishes of Keane's Kerry or the amusing additions of Ross O'Carroll Kelly's Dublin, the Northern accent has bent and shaped the English language into a style all of its own.

And that style is celebrated in a new book by the late Irish News journalist, Owen Kelly, who is fondly remembered by this humble scribe as the man who used to make me laugh every Saturday. The Irish News is a religion in the Ma and Da's house. The Da gets the Belfast publication every morning, six days a week. A lot of the time, especially 25 years ago, its news pages were full of punishment beatings and the peace process, and it was rarely was the source of any laughs.

But the stand-out column every week was from Owen Kelly who took it upon himself to reveal to the readership the idiosyncrasies of the language they spoke and heard all around them every day. The Da would read the column first, only to regale us childer afterwards with his new-found knowledge, chuckling away to himself at Kelly's ability not only to hear the words and phrases but to write them in a highly amusing way.

The best phrases from the column are now in a book called 'Essential Norn Irish - Yer Man's A to Z Guide to Everyday Banter' published recently by O'Brien Press. It arrived on my desk last week and there are plenty of funny phrases to tickle those with even a passing knowledge of Nordies. With Belfast man Gerry Adams now a TD in Louth, it could be classed as a must-read guide in Louth.

'Bait' is one of my favourites: 'as in: 'My Ma wudda bait me round the kitchen', meaning 'My mother would have administered corporal punishment had I done that'. Beg is another: 'as in 'Thee quid for a wee beg of spuds?', meaning 'I consider three pounds for a small sack of potatoes to be exorbitant'.

Mr Adams is, of course, a member of Doyle Ern 'the legislative assembly of the Arrish Republic'. Words also have double meanings such as 'far', defined by Kelly as 'male parent, or ancient device producing heat and a means of cooking; a far alarm is designed to alert people to the dangers of far'.

One I use pretty much every day, especially when the Bossman asks if I'm busy, is 'kilt'. It means bait down, or very tired from over-exertion and the book also suggests: 'Ye'll be kilt if yer mor or far ketches ye at that', meaning 'Dire retribution will follow if your mother or father should spot you doing that'.

And, at the end of a long day, there is nothing like a 'Norwegian'. That, of course, is 'I will have another small gin', though Kelly warns: 'The actual drink may be a large one, of course, as in Norn Iron speak 'wee is used very casually'.

There are references in the book to the posher parts of Norn Iron, as not everyone speaks like they live 'off the Falls'. 'Scythe' is 'the point of the compass', Kelly says, 'opposite to North', with the classic phrase being 'Scythe Dine', referring to the southern part of County Down. These ones, the majority of whom come from south Belfast and North Down, also use the term creche to describe the 'sound of breaking glaws (glass) or a collision between two or more vehicles'.

Kelly, who passed away in 2008, made me laugh 25 years ago. This little book opens his wonderful writing to a new generation. Get it. I'm just sane, like, you have no raisin not to.
The tradition of local students travelling to in Thailand to do voluntary work with the Marist Missions began nine years ago when Fr Jimmy McElroy S.M. spent three weeks there.

'It was in 2007 that I first came for three weeks to stay and work with Marists in Ranong, a town of about 100,000 situated in Thailand on the border with Burma, now called Myanmar.' he recalls. 'What an experience it was. It was my first time in Asia and it felt like a different planet.' Only one thing seemed familiar - the rain as Ranong is the wettest place in Asia, he believes.

He began teaching every morning in the lashings of rain in a learning centres for Burmese children and was won over by the courtesy of the students, who were very keen to learn, The learning centres at that time were supported by Jesuit Refugee Services. Marist Mission Ranong was helping staff them. 'They were little more than garages and reminded me of what I thought Irish Hedge Schools must have looked like,' he remembers. 'One year I had three teachers and three classes and no text-books all in the one room.'

The second year he took with him two young teachers, Aoife Curtis and Karla Doran from St. Mary's College, and six pioneering students who taught in pairs. 'They were courageous, braving mosquitoes and humidity and heat,' he says.

'We have been doing the same every year but now we take nine students and run English language camps for Burmese and Thai students. This style of camp is very popular in Asian countries as there is a desire and an economic need to learn English.'

In Ranong things have much improved. The Marist Fathers have a wonderful new school with about 200 students thanks to Misean Cara. We also are able to offer support to about 75 HIV-Aids sufferers.' Fr Jimmy says he is very grateful to the teachers and students who have volunteered over the years.
Good Morning Louth telephone service featured on last weeks 'Keeping Ireland Alive' documentary series on RTE 1 and showed one of the volunteers Mona making calls to older people throughout Louth.

The Good Morning Louth is a volunteer led service whereby older people who are living alone or spend a lot of time alone, receive a phone call for a chat anywhere from once a morning to once a week, depending on what they'd like.

The service runs from 9am - 1pm and is based in Seatown, Dundalk it is funded by the HSE and is co-ordinated by Netwell Casala at DkIT.

'It is a fantastic service that's been running for over 5 years and is going from strength to strength said Anne Murphy, Good Morning Louth Co-Ordinator, 'We are making on average 500 calls per week, that's chatting to over 260 people some of whom may not talk to anybody else that day. I believe it's a very progressive service funded by the HSE with amazing volunteers at the heart of it, and that's what makes it work. We were delighted that our service was showcased on the RTE1 documentary 'Keeping Ireland Alive' as it's a huge endorsement for the work we all do for older people in the community', she added.

If you know of an older person, who may like a call, or who would like to become a volunteer for Good Morning Louth, please contact Anne on 042 9330103.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams on Monday planted 'a tree of hope' at the Muirhevnamor Community Centre in 'remembrance of all of those who have died by suicide; those who have survived, including the bereaved families; and as evidence of our collective determination to encourage the allocation of more resources to tackle suicide'.

The event was organised by the Muirhevnamor Community Council. The Louth TD thanked them for organising the tree planting and all of those groups and individuals who provide services for those at risk of suicide and self-harm.

He also welcomed the announcement at the weekend by the Sinn Fein Health Minister in the North, Michelle O'Neill MLA, to launch a consultation on Protect Life 2 - a strategy for suicide prevention in that part of the island.

Mr Adams said: 'I believe that only through joined up mental health and suicide strategies on this island can we effectively tackle these difficult issues. A mark of Sinn Fein's commitment on this issue is that our deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald insisted on taking up this brief.

'The 2017 Budget is due for publication in early October. This will be the real test of the government's commitment to mental health services. There has to be greater investment in mental health programmes, including 24/7 access to services for people who need it.

'Later this month as a contribution, Sinn Fein will hold a conference in Dublin on dual diagnosis and will also be training our staff in suicide prevention practices.

'The sad reality is that there is not a single family on this island that has not been affected by the challenge of mental health issues. Linked to this is the issue of suicide.

']'It is believed the real figure for suicide in Ireland is as high as 1,000 people annually. Critically, an all-island suicide prevention strategy which coordinates mental health agencies and manages resources more effectively is essential'.
There is something infectious about the can-do and positive attitude of SoSAD's events chairman, Gerry Duffy. The retired Dundalk businessman speaks with such passion and enthusiasm about the organisation he is devoting his considerable skills to helping that it's hard for some of it not to rub off.

For organisations in the suicide prevention and awareness sphere in Ireland, the revelations about financial irregularities at one of the country's most high profile charities, Console, has been particularly hard to bear.

SoSAD, which is headed up by Peter Moroney and stands for Save our Sons and Daughters, thought long and hard about the possible implications for them of the Console scandal and they were concerned whether a sceptical public would be as generous to them as they had been in the past.

The Duck Race, a now annual feature in the Dundalk calendar, was cancelled this year such was the level of worry about the public's understandable perception of charities, particularly those involved in suicide awareness and prevention.

Gerry is keen to set the record straight: SoSAD is manned by volunteers, their annual accounts are audited and posted on their website every year so that people can see for themselves how transparent and well-run the organisation is.

He said: 'Cancelling the Duck Race was something that was not done lightly, but we were worried about going onto the streets and asking for donations without clarification about what the treatment was.

'But Peter Moroney spoke about this earlier in the summer and the accounts for SoSAD are available to anyone at the click of a button. I want to explain the work of SoSAD in Dundalk and there is a great team working diligently here in Dundalk.

'We are volunteers and we have SoSAD and the people we help at heart. Unfortunately, the demands are getting greater for SoSAD's services, and the recent tragedy in Cavan brings the starkness of the problem home'.

SoSAD relies entirely on contributions from the public in order to continue its work, not just in Louth, but also in Monaghan and Meath. Despite the cancellation of the Duck Race, Gerry and the team have come up with another duck-themed novel fundraiser - a Duck Dip - which will take place in October and which will be run in conjunction with Aura Leisure in Dundalk at the swimming pool.

Before the end of the conversation, Gerry is at pains to point out the contribution made to the Duck Race by Dundalk Sub Aqua Club, 'without whom it just wouldn't have happened'.

'They have been amazingly generous and supportive with their time and expertise and they have made the Duck Race possible for us over the last few years. It was the main fundraiser for us and people in Dundalk have been very good to us over the years and we are particularly grateful for the continued support of our patron, Dundalk FC manager Stephen Kenny, and we wish him and the team all the best ahead of the Europa League campaign'.

The Duck Dip is one of a number of novel and fun ideas generated by the SoSAD events team, headed by Gerry. He said: 'The events team is made up of ordinary people from Dundalk and as much as we plan and organise, it would all come to naught without the people without the generosity of the people of the town'.

In addition, a sponsor - Silvercrest Farms in Monaghan - has come on board and the charity continues to enjoy the support of a number of other businesses, including Martin's Food Equipment and the McLoughlin family. They also have the support of Dundalk Gardai, particularly Sgt. Brendan Keane.

Many people are not aware of the huge amount of work undertaken by SoSAD every day of the week. About a year ago, they moved to a new premises at Jocelyn Street, opposite the Red Cross Hall, having started in humble accommodation at Williamson's Place. Ciara Solan is the co-ordinator of the Dundalk SoSAD centre and organises the volunteers and counsellors so that 'no-one is turned away'.

Gerry said: 'We are talking to people aged from nine to 90. But it is young adult males who are particularly vulnerable. We would like to put a suicide awareness and prevention programme together for secondary schools in the area'.

Anyone can be affected by suicide of course. And it was a good friend of Gerry's who went through a short, but intense period of difficulty. Gerry said: 'I went looking for help for my friend, that bank holiday weekend. But the State agencies told me to come back on Tuesday.

'I had heard about SoSAD and contacted them and they were available straight away and I saw first hand the work that they do. My friend got the help he needed at that time and it made me want to become involved with this organisation'.

Ms Solan said the office in Dundalk, which costs 52,000 a year to run, has two qualified intervention officers who are qualified in psychology and applied suicide intervention skills and they deal with a wide variety of different situations.

She said: 'There are a wide variety of calls from people in various levels of distress. We can get distress calls at any time and anyone can be affected by suicide. We can help get people regular counselling to help them cope with what is going on in their lives. We are also developing bereavement groups within the organisation to help people deal with life after someone close to them dies by suicide and we can help with those emotions'.

SoSAD's events committee would like to hear from anyone who is interested in helping them with fundraising. Call into the SoSAD office at any time during office hours to speak to someone.

If you are distressed, or if you know someone who is need of assistance at a time of crisis, you can contact SoSAD at any time free of charge. The office, at 42 Jocelyn Street is open during business hours and people can call in. In addition, you can contact 042 9327311, 083 4244182 at any time or email: dundalk@sosadireland.ie.
A driver who led Gardai on an early morning high speed chase south of Dundalk was arrested after the chase ended on a dirt track behind a hotel.

Terry Fearon, Corrakit, Omeath, admitted a number of offences arising out of the incident which started at 12.35am on May 2 at Crowe Street when Gardai saw the Ford Focus drive at speed towards Francis Street as they approached.

Fearon drove on the outside lane of the one way system and broke a red light at Dublin Street. Near the Avenue Road junction at Hill Street, cars in front of him were stopped at a red light and he reversed, overtaking them through the lights.

Gardai activated the blue lights and siren and went after him, reaching 160kmph at times. At the Xerox junction, he hit 120kmph going towards Castlebellingham, and, Gardai said, 'never reduced speed'. He overtook a number of vehicles at 160kmph and oncoming cars had to take evasive action in order to avoid a collision.

He drove through the main gates at Bellingham Castle and sped towards the back of the hotel, going onto a dirt track which was a dead end. He couldn't get off the property again as the electronic gates had closed behind him.

Fearon got out of the car and ran into a wooded area and escaped. Less than 48 hours later, the defendant went to Dundalk Garda station and tried to report his vehicle stolen, but was recognised by officers.

He has one conviction, from the North, for drink driving. Fearon's barrister said his client 'accepts that his behaviour was unacceptable'.

He is an unemployed labourer and wants to do a FAS course in welding. Fearon lives with his grandparents, the barrister said, who are both aged in their eighties and his grandfather has been in hospital for the past six months. The barrister said his client 'is very contrite and apologetic for his unacceptable actions'.

Judge Brennan imposed a 100 fine for dangerous driving and a total of 300 for six careless driving charges. He initially banned him for two years, but rescinded that order after the barrister asked for a stay on the imposition of the disqualification until Fearon gets his affairs in order and it was revealed the legislation didn't provide for a stay on these charges.
It's a case of the good, the bad and the ugly as far as broadband speeds in the Cooley peninsula are concerned.

The villages of Carlingford and Omeath have recently benefited from the installation of high speed fibre optic cable.

'The Internet is an essential marketing and advertising tool for our business,' explains Cormac McCann of the tourism accommodation website VisitCarlingford. 'As we do not exist fully in bricks-and-mortar form, VisitCarlingford.com and our other websites represent the entire store front we offer to the buying public. High speed internet is a fundamental requirement which enables our business to interact and deliver professional services to our customers.'

He explains that: 'previously our internet speed and our provider were less than sufficient, this meant that we could not deliver services and customer experiences at a speed which we felt was acceptable.'

'The overdue addition of new high speed fibre broadband in Carlingford has meant that we now can streamline business activities more effectively, communicate more efficiently with customers and even generate new customers or clients-all while helping to reduce business expenses.'

However, he points out 'the surrounding rural broadband infrastructure is struggling to support the increasing number of Internet-capable devices in homes and businesses. We strongly believe that more investment is absolutely vital for the continued economic and social growth of the region.'

Neighbouring Greenore is one of the centres crying out for improved broadband.

'High speed broadband is a major issue,' confirms Frank McCann of Greenore Port. 'There is fibre optic cable coming out this way but it turns left to Carlingford and hasn't got this far.'

'We are being told that there is a countrywide roll out happening at the minute and that it should get to Greenore within the next twelve months. While that will be very welcome, we have heard it before.'

He explains that the port company, along with other businesses in the village, have had to sign up to a wireless service.

'It is reliable in that it doesn't fall down often but while we were promised 7mbps and did get that in the first few months, most days it is now down to 3mbps.'

He reckons that there are approximately 300 people employed in companies in the village, most of which require broadband speeds of at least 10mbps.

'That's the minimum speed we need for Greenore to be brought into the 21st century,' he states.

'How do you explain to someone in California that the internet is down?' asks Breffni Martin, who runs his own business Regintel from his home in Whitestown.

He often finds himself driving through the countryside with a laptop looking for a hotspot so he can send documents by email.

'The broadband service is terrible where I am,' he says. In his business, which involves managing registration for pharmaceutical companies wishing to carry out drug trials in the EU, he deals with clients in places like California and Australia, where high speed broadband is the norm.

'One of the problems I encounter is that I often need to transfer large documents through a secure portal and if that takes too long, the server will reject the email, causing delays.'

He says that internet speeds are getting slower as the population grows and more and more people go on line.

'We were promised a better service in 2015, 2016 and now they are talking about 2017.'
Dundalk town centre and outlying roads are set to get a 2 million water mains upgrade over the next year, the Municipal District Committee heard at their September meeting.

Irish Water presented the latest plans to members on the 'Dundalk Rehabilitation Works' project, revealing that 786 individual homes are set to benefit from the massive piping upgrade through the town.

Works have already begun on the multi million euro project, which will extend from Mount Avenue and the Dublin Road to Bridge Street and the Newry Road in the north of the town.

Crucial to the project is traffic management set to be put in place during some of the more extensive works, although no full road closures are planned.

The contractor has also been instructed not to carry out any works during pre Christmas trading in December.

Councillors heard that the works are designed to upgrade a 9.2 kilometres stretch of piping through the town, some of which has been in place for up to eighty years.

Areas listed for works over the next year include The Crescent/Ardee Road, Bridge Street, Clanbrassil Street, Legion Avenue and McSwiney Street, Marian Park, Mount Avenue, Malachy's Villas/Brook Lane, Newry Road, Brook Street and Ardee Terrace, Old Muirhevna, Dublin Road and the Barrack Street/ Peter Street/Point Road stretch.

Irish Water also advised that water supply to homes and businesses are likely to be impacted when works are being carried out in the area.

Cllr. Maria Doyle raised concerns about roads and footpaths not being properly reinstated after works are being carried out.

Her comments were backed up by Cllr. Conor Keelan who said 'The re-instatement of the road network by Irish Water in many cases left a lot to be desired.'

A spokesman for the company explained that reinstating any area that was excavated involved concrete with a temporary top coat of tar.

This is left for 'settling' for six months before the contractor then takes off the top coat and puts on a fresh layer of tar.

He said that some problems might emerge if there isn't a proper settling time for the materials.

Cllr. Edel Corrigan asked what savings this extensive work might represent.

But councillors were told that 'savings are not the main focus' of the work being carried out, although he said it was set to significantly improve the quality of the infrastructure, with no leakage expected from the new piping.

Chairman Mark Dearey appealed to the company to consider the impact of water outtages for shops and businesses.

'For a hairdressers or a butcher's shop, being without water even for a few hours can have a huge impact on trade that day,' said Cllr. Dearey in an appeal for the contractor to complete works in areas such as Clanbrassil Street and Bridge Street 'as quickly as possible.'

Meanwhile, calls for the water mains upgrade to be carried out in the area at the same time as the council's planned Clanbrassil Street works were 'not feasible' the members heard.

Director of Service Frank Pentony said that if the local authority would be 'in real danger of losing funding' for the town centre works if both were carried out together.

He added that the contractor for Irish Water was acting 'completely independently' from the council, and that it was hoped to get as much work underway as possibly on the piping before the winter months set in
Triggered by decreasing day length and perfected by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, the trees shed their dead leaves in the great autumn colourful happening that is 'the fall'

Autumn is a time of harvest, of tumbling temperatures and of falling leaves. Strong winds can and do, of course, tear leaves from trees at any time during the spring and summer but the annual leaf fall that is now beginning is controlled by the trees themselves.

Plants differ radically from animals in that most of them make their own food. In general, animals have to acquire their food ready-made.

Leaves are the plants' food-making factories. Via the process of photosynthesis, leaves use sunlight to power the conversion of carbon dioxide gas from the air and water from the soil into sugars, starches and other life-sustaining chemicals.

Photosynthesis works great during the long, calm, sunny days of summer. Things are now taking a turn for the worst; days are getting shorter so there are fewer hours of bright light for making food. Sunlight grows weaker, days shorten, temperatures drop and the likelihood of gales increases.

As a consequence of autumn closing in, many trees actively cease producing food. The green pigment that made all the leaves green during the summer is broken down and recycled. Anything of use is moved into the bark and rubbish is dumped in the leaf. As the green colour is broken down and as waste products are deposited in the leaves autumnal yellows and browns come to the fore.

Since the leaf is no longer of any use to the tree, the tree cuts off its food and water supply. Starved of nourishment, the leaf dies, killed by the tree. A layer of cork severs the link between tree and leaf so that when the leaf falls it will not leave an open wound that could be an entry point for infection.

Triggered by decreasing day length and perfected by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, the trees shed their dead leaves in the great autumn colourful happening that is 'the fall'.

There is evidence that some trees have evolved a pre-programmed life expectancy for their leaves. The downside of this is that these trees cannot capitalise on spells of unusually fine autumn weather. Furthermore, global warming is causing trees to bud earlier in spring and those with a set life expectancy are shedding their leaves unnaturally early in autumn.

Weather plays a part in the autumnal display. If the weather is settled, calm and bright, dead leaves hang limply on the trees displaying their colours. A change brings them tumbling down and draws a curtain on the display.
The iconic Bray Head Hotel is on the market after being owned by the same family for the past 55 years.

Owner Ena Regan Cummins confirmed yesterday that she has decided to sell up. The for sale sign will have gone up by the time of going to press. Her late husband Johnny passed away last year and she has been running the Bray Head establishment by herself since then.

When asked if she felt it was time for her to retire, Mrs Cummins said something like that.

The hotel is 140 years old and boasts a rich history in the film industry. Stepping into the hotel feels like stepping back in time, with many of its elegant features untouched and remarkably preserved over the years.

Films shot there include The Commitments, Breakfast on Pluto, My Left Foot and others, together with TV series such as Love Hate, Bachelors Walk and Ballykissangle. The stars who filmed there include Vanessa Redgrave, John Hurt, Pierce Brosnan, Neil Jordan, Colin Farrell and Daniel Day-Lewis.

The most striking of all of course is the regular visits to the property by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor while Burton was filming The Spy Who Came in From the Cold at Ardmore and again while filming Wagner in 1981.

Many will also have enjoyed some happy years of attending the weekly disco that took place in the Bray Head during the 1980s and part of the 1990s. At that time, a nightclub had to serve food to comply with licensing laws, so a plate of curry was the dish of choice for revellers on Bray seafront in those days.

More recently, crowds made their way into the ballroom once again for a trip down memory lane, when the closing night of the Bray Comedy Festival was held there.

Also known as the Crofton Bray Head Hotel, the 40,000 square foot premises was built in the 1880s and is on the Record of Protected Structures.

Acquired by the late Patrick and Nancy Regan in the late 1950s it retains most of its original ambience from that time and, when combined with the superb Victorian features, this make the property quite unique.

Between the years 1950 and 1975 Patrick and Nancy Regan acquired the Crofton House Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, the Salthill Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, the Crofton Airport Hotel (now the Regency Hotel), the Crofton Hotel Carlow, the Hollyrood Hotel in Bray as well as the Bray Head Hotel.

The Bray Head itself was run personally for many years by Nancy Regan with her daughter Ena and son-in-law Johnny Cummins.

The building originally had 80 guest bedrooms although today has 60 bedrooms of which 48 are en-suite. The accommodation includes the Bray Head Cocktail Lounge together with a large ballroom, further function room and many other features.
Bray's Nathan O'Sullivan has secured one of the top marks in the country in the Diploma for Accounting Technicians programme this year.

Accounting Technicians Ireland's qualification is recognised as the fastest pathway to a professional accounting career.

Nathan made the decision to pursue a career in accountancy on his return from Australia, where he worked in the construction industry.

The former sales and advertising employee chose the ATI course at his local college at Bray Institute of Further Education (BIFE) after a lot of deliberation.

'The Accountancy Technicians Ireland course in Bray seemed the most accessible entry point for me and I found it to be very professionally organised with highly-talented teachers,' he said.

'The range of subjects and progression over the two years has given me a good base understanding of accounting and business practices to take me further in my studies.'

The Accounting Technicians Ireland qualification is a passport to a rewarding career in accountancy or business. With flexible courses nationwide, you can obtain this professional qualification in as little as two years.

ATI's qualifications, offered full or part-time in over 70 colleges throughout the island, are open to school and college leavers, mature students and others involved in the industry.
While the Hollywood hills in America are often seen as the hub of all things glitz and glamour, a small village of the same name has also found its place in the film world.

The quaint village of Hollywood has provided the backdrop for some big name films in the past, 'Michael Collins' being one of the best known. During the filming in 1995, stars such as Liam Leeson and Julia Roberts became familiar faces in the village and often stopped in the local pubs Tutty's Bar and The Hollywood Inn for a break between shoots. The famous scene at Beal na mBlath when Collins was killed in an ambush was filmed in nearby Corrigans field.

While many locals have played their part in the various filming, nobody has been more involved than local family the Tuttys, who have lent their pub to some of the film crews and rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest stars in the movie world.

A particular photograph that stands out in local history is the one featuring the late local publican Jim with the actress Meryl Streep, who was in town for the filming of 'Dancing at Lughnasa'. Many people refer to it as the day that two Hollywood greats came together.

Local man Dick Burke also remembers Streep's visit to the town as she often passed by his Hollywood home.

'She used to pass by on her high nelly bike when she was being filmed,' he said. 'Everyone was delighted to have the film crew in town. We are the original Hollywood you know!'

Many local people also found themselves as extras in the films. Dick himself had his moment in the spotlight when he landed a role as an extra in 'Dancing at Lughnasa', an experience he said he found extremely interesting.

'I didn't get the role for my good looks,' he laughed. 'All you could see was the back of my head and that was enough!'

Other movies to have taken advantage of the unique character of the main street of the village include 'This is my Father' and 'Durango'. Hollywood has also served as the film set for several TV series and many ads in recent years, including some of the Jameson ads. According to Dick, locals love the attention while many tourists flock to the village to get an insider's look at the movie magic.
Miriam O'Regan is presented with EECERA 2016 Student Research Award by Dr Tony Bertram, editor of the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal

An Avoca academic working in Bray has received an award for her research into childminding in Ireland.

Miriam O'Regan was given the EECERA 2016 Student Research Award in front of an audience of nearly 1,000 early childhood educators and researchers for her submission entitled 'Mainstreaming Childminding in Ireland: Attitudes towards Professionalization'.

The presentation was made to Miriam at the European Early Childhood Research Association (EECERA) conference, hosted by Early Childhood Ireland in DCU.

Miriam was delighted with her win, which includes a free trip to the next EECERA conference in Bologna Italy next year, for her study on the progress towards professionalizing and regulating childminding in Ireland which included a 'World Cafe Forum' (conducted in conjunction with Childminding Ireland) to engage high numbers of parents and childminders to share their perspectives.

Miriam, who currently works as a Community Employment Programme Manager for Childcare with Bray Family Resource & Development Project, having previously worked with Wicklow County Childcare Committee, is a part-time student at Dublin Institute of Technology, doing an MPhil by research with Dr Ann Marie Halpenny as her supervisor and Dr. Noirin Hayes (visiting professor at TCD) is her advisory supervisor.

Her winning submission is a mixed method study on the attitudes of childminders and parents on the progress towards professionalizing and regulating childminding in Ireland.
There's still plenty of time to enter Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition before deadline day.

With a 2 million investment fund available, including a 50,000 investment fund for Wicklow winners, the enterprise initiative from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland attracted 1,400 applications across the country last year and supported over 450 young entrepreneurs through training, mentoring and direct financial assistance.

Entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 should visit www.ibye.ie, to submit their entry online before the October 14 closing date.
This place is a history lesson in the open air. This place speaks of generations long gone. This place would make a great setting for an old-style horror movie.

The old burial ground is a haven of peace in the rapidly growing village-turned-town of Delgany. It acts as a reminder of times gone to modern suburbanites. It offers a place to come for a few moments of calm reflection in a busy day.

There are clues for genealogists here. There are lessons for anyone who would study the past. And the cemetery is fortunate to have a guardian and guide in the form of Lailli de Buitlear encouraging all and sundry to share her interest in this fascinating place.

Of course, almost every parish in Co. Wicklow has its burial place, or maybe several burial places. The pity is that not every parish has its Lailli to foster understanding of the graves and of those who lie interred.

Her annual conducted tours of the old graveyard in Delgany have become a regular attraction of National Heritage Week. And she loves introducing schoolgoers to the plots and the crypts.

The church bell of the nearby convent tolled the hour in the background as she began one of her most recent walks around the stones, adding a suitable atmospheric touch. Lailli had an audience of a dozen followers as the sunshine lit up wherever the solemn yew trees did not cast their gloom.

Our venerable guide used her stick more as a teaching aid than to assist her along the path and over the rough ground, pointing out items of interest along the way. She led us first to the most ancient feature of this sacred centre, bringing us back to the days when Ireland was beginning to assume its role as the Island of Saints and Scholars.

The old cross is no longer a cross at all, just a hefty vertical stone. It dates from around the seventh century AD and the horizontal arms of the Celtic era cross are chronicled as having been securely in place as recently as 1834 before they were cracked off, probably by a lightning strike during some calamitous thunderstorm.

'We do not know whom the cross is dedicated to,' admitted Lailli, despite the clues offered by the old text marked on the rock. The monument may well be linked to the ministry of St Ghuarog, who officiated at the funeral of St Kevin of Glendalough fame. Delgany was for long a staging post for pilgrims on their way to Kevin's holy place up in the hills.

'Seven roads lead to Glendalough and this is one.' Such bygone times and such people are hinted to us by relics such as this cross or the references on vellum in the Annals of the Four Masters compiled by the monks who succeeded Kevin and Chuarog. Our guide pointed out that the Annals are now doubtless available on line but she prefers to come to the graveyard than trawl the world wide web.

The other point of major archaeological interest in the graveyard is the old church, dating back to the 13th century. Its outline remains visible despite the intrusion of trees, Lailli picking out where the door allowed the congregation to entre and where the window must have been, though all that remains is a few lines of the stones which were imported from Wales as ballast in boats which came to Ireland to fetch timber.

Most of the fabric of the building carted off to the other side of the village, providing handy materials in the construction of the Church of Ireland church. This occurred when the rector of 1785 decided that the old church was too small and the Earl of Meath generously offered the land for the new one which continues to serve the locality to this day.

It is likely that many parishioners over many, many generations were buried in ground around the original place of worship, or in the field across the road close to the river. However, it is only in more recent centuries that last resting places have been commonly marked with an inscribed stone and the old graveyard in Delgany is rich with such markers from the 18th century on.

Lailli took her audience through the practices of that time. The slab stones or table stones were laid flat on the ground. The cemetery also features may upright stones, many of them with the text still clearly readable after all the years of corroding frost and rain - 'Here lyeth the body of Joshua Bell deceased August 1733 aged 55 years'.

Fashions changed with the decades and with the ability of memorial masons to work the slate, limestone or granite. The best of the oldest stones were thick and heavy at the bottom to give greater stability once set in the ground.

Some are dome shaped at the top with an ivy design, while others carried a sunburst logo to greet the dawn of day and welcome eternal life no doubt. Look carefully and note that all the graves here and in cemeteries all around Ireland face the east and the sunrise. Some her have two rounded domes, referred to as the 'rabbit tear' design. Later the trend favoured the IHS logo, referring to Jesus, sometimes interpreted as being derived from a Latin phrase meaning Jesus, Saviour of Mankind.

At one time, the presiding rector took exception to any display of crosses in a fit of Low Church radicalism in the 19th century. The debate between him and the traditionalists was ferocious and it is thought that the rift may explain why at least one cross was discovered discarded in a hedge.

The writing at the oldest plots offers some features amusing to a modern reader. S's that looks like F's and U's that resemble V's. 'Ye' meaning 'The': 'Here lieth ye body of EllinR Pvrsell deceasd.' Ellinor Pursell is probably the most photographed tombstone in Co. Wicklow.

Her memorial is one of 217 marked stones, according to Lailli, who has examined practically all of them. The inscription is packed tight on some, with 13 lines of names on one stone erected over the dead of the Massey family, for instance.

The graveyard also harbours many less conspicuous markers, simple rocks placed over the graves of those whose families could not afford ostentation or of little children.

Granite, it turns out, is not as imperishable as it is cracked up to be. The winter ice has a way of gradually breaking up the stone into its component crystals, to the despair of those who would like to make sense of the words hewn into the rock. Lailli recommends coming when the sun is low in the sky as the best time to attempt to read blurred epitaphs.

Here are the mortal remains of a Hackmann, there of a Swan, over yonder a Ceegan (Keegan in modern spelling) and so on. Boyd, Eves, McDonald et cetera. The mainly Protestant graveyard was for long associated with the Latouche clan, the family of bankers who lived nearby at Bellevue.

They are represented among the permanent residents along with many who were in their employ. The last interment was back in 1938, of a man killed in an accident at a quarry in Glen of the Downs.

Lailli pointed out points of interest such the 17th century grave of Charles Bell, one of the oldest in the place, referred to as the Cromwellian soldier for his family associations with the Forbes Regiment of the Great Protector.

Aside from the graves, there is the old stone font and a saddling stone used by ladies who rode side-saddle to mount and dismount. She has recipes for the valerium and sorrel which grow here.

She hails from the west, a native of west Galway, and spent much of her adult life in Bray after marriage to the legendary natural history film maker Eamon de Buitlear. The couple later moved to Delgany when the building of the N11 disturbed the peace of their Dargle Valley home of 32 years.

It was around 1999 that she began to take a particular interest in the graveyard after taking pictures there on black and white film while a student on a photography course, and a passion was ignited.

'When you have lived in Connemara, you are always interested in stone or rock,' she muses. Her father was an artist and he designed the stone for Lailli's sister who died at the age of nine. More than 70 years on, the surviving sibling still remembers her sister and finds solace in the beauty of the graveyard at Delgany.

She used to pass the burial ground every day, though it was generally locked up, infested by laurels and totally neglected until an 11-strong committee decided to take a hand, calling in the county council and employing community scheme workers while taking expert advice from heritage professionals.

She is one of just three of the 11 who survive to welcome those who come to enjoy the peace and the past. The lock has been removed and the cemetery now provides a restful public attraction in the heart of Delgany.
Proving that you can send Cork people anywhere in the world and still expect great things is a forthcoming UTV documentary that follows a county natives in their adopted home of the Caribbean.

Not only are they getting plenty of tropical sun all year round, but these ex pats are also winning the respect and esteem of their Caribbean peers as they carve out successful new lives on the islands.

UTV Ireland's 'Emigration Nation' on Thursday, September 22 (at 7.30pm) explores the lives of the Cork natives who are, as the channel describes, 'blazing a trail' in the tropics.

Among the Corkonians going native are Anna Hosford, from Blackrock who is running an IVF clinic on the beautiful island of Barbados.

Following her training as a nurse in Dublin, Anna moved to San Francisco where she gained vital IVF experience through her work in the Pacific Fertility Clinic.

Her brother and his wife, who run their own businesses nearby, are meanwhile also featured in a programme sure to make for interesting viewing.
A former Senator has appeared in court charged with a series of motoring offences following his arrest after attending the Indiependence Festival in Mitchelstown over the August Bank Holiday Weekend.

James Heffernan, a former Labour Senator who ran unsuccessfully for the Social Democrats in Limerick County in the last general election, appeared at Fermoy District Court last Friday under the Irish form of his name.

Seamus O hEifearnain, (36) from Baile an Lina, Coill Fhionan, Co Limerick was charged with a total of five motoring offences arising out his driving in Mitchelstown on Monday, August 1 last when he was arrested by Gardai at 8.58 am on the day in question.

A qualified teacher, O hEifearnain was charged with one count of dangerous driving at Coolnanave, Mitchelstown on August 1st 2016 and with one count of dangerous driving at Limerick Road, Mitchelstown on the same date.

O hEifearnain, who currently does not hold any public office, was also charged with driving without insurance, driving without a driving licence and drink driving all at Limerick Road, Mitchelstown when he was arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

Garda Dave Delea of Fermoy Traffic Corps gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court that O hEifearnain made no reply to any of the five charges when they were put to him after caution.

O hEifearnain, who was casually dressed in jeans and a jumper, told Judge Brian Sheridan that he was representing himself but that he was attempting to obtain a solicitor.

"I am seeking all documents for disclosure," he said.

O hEifearnain agreed with advice from Judge Sheridan that he would do well to consult with a solicitor and obtain legal advice given the technical natures of some of the charges and he said he would look for a solicitor.

Insp Eoin Healy applied to have the matter adjourned to October 7th for either a plea in the case or to fix a date for hearing if the charges are contested.

Judge Sheridan adjourned the case until that date with O hEifearnain's consent.
Kanturk Credit Union is offering members the opportunity to win a share of 2,000 for their local GAA club.

This competition is open to the following GAA clubs within Kanturk Credit Union's common bond area: Banteer/Lyre GAA club, Castlemagner GAA club, Dromtarriffe GAA club, Freemount GAA club, Kanturk GAA club, Kilbrin GAA club, Lismire GAA club, Liscarroll GAA club and Tullylease GAA club.

Members can enter by following these three simple steps:

Step 1 - Fill out registration form available from your club secretary and return to Kanturk Credit Union. Forms are also available at Kanturk Credit Union.

Step 2 - Call into Kanturk Credit Union and build up points for your club by opening a new account (new members) or taking out a loan. Kanturk Credit Union's staff members will have a list of all registered players and clubs.

Step 3 - The club that has accumulated the greatest number of points before Wednesday, September 30 will receive the largest share of the prize money. Every club that builds up points will receive a share of the reward money.

If members opt-in for electronic marketing on the registration form, then they will receive a weekly update of the points table. Members can opt-out at any stage.

If you are part of a club or society within Kanturk Credit Union's common bond area and would like to register your club/society for this campaign then email l.mcloughlin@kanturkcu.ie or visit Kanturk Credit Union.

Opening Hours: Mon: 9:30am - 5pm; Tue: 9:30am - 5pm; Wed: 10am - 5pm; Thu: 9:30am - 5pm; Fri: 9:30am - 5pm; Sat: 9:30am - 12:30pm.
Commemorations to mark the centenary of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and the Civil War should be fully explored and debated but not in an overly partisan manner, historian and former Minister of State, Martin Mansergh told the annual Liam Lynch Commemoration in Fermoy this week.

Delivering the oration at Kilcrumper Cemetery in Fermoy where General Liam Lynch is buried, Mr Mansergh echoed comments made by President Michael D Higgins at Beal na Blath in August when he called for honesty in the commemorations to come.

"Inevitably as we approach the centenary of the Treaty split and the Civil War, the rights and wrongs on all sides will continue to be explored and debated but as the President has emphasised, it should not be done in an overly partisan manner or in a spirit of bitterness or recrimination," he said.

"No side had the monopoly of right in their actions and it must never be forgotten that there that was a third party, viz the departing British power," said Dr Mansergh who is Vice Chairman of the Government's Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations.

Paying tribute to General Lynch who was fatally wounded in a firefight with Free State troops in the Knockmealdown Mountains in April 1923 towards the end of the Civil War, Dr Mansergh noted how Lynch had been hugely influenced in his political thought by the events of Easter Rebellion.

"Liam Lynch grew up in the aftermath of the Land War. He had a similar background to the Kent brothers of Castlelyons who, were not only in the case of two of them, victims of the 1916 Rising but also the key influences on Liam Lynch becoming more prominently involved in the Volunteers."

"Lynch witnessed the brothers on across the bridge in Fermoy, now Kent Bridge (after their fight with the RIC at their home at Bawnard) and this was the decisive moment in his life when he resolved to dedicate himself wholly to the republican cause," said Dr Mansergh.

He noted that while most people gratefully acknowledge that the Rising was the catalyst for the process that led to Irish independence, there were still critics who query the necessity or morality of resorting to force on the Irish side while never expressing any views on the British use of force.

Recalling the cursory trials and summary executions of the 1916 leaders and how it was supported by organs of Irish Unionist opinion at the time Dr Mansergh was critical of the argument made by former Taoiseach, John Bruton that Home Rule would have led to Irish independence,

Dr Mansergh pointed out that David Lloyd George, as a minister of the British Cabinet, tried to fast track Home Rule through in June 1916 in the aftermath of the Easter Rising following initial agreement with Unionist leader, Edward Carson and Irish nationalist, John Redmond.

Lloyd George's idea was to proceed with the partition plan that had been suspended at the outbreak of World War I in 1914 but his plan was vetoed by the Irish Unionists and their Cabinet allies while a year later, an attempt to revive Home Rule on a 32-county basis was blocked by Ulster Unionists.

"So by the time, the Lloyd George-led Coalition manifesto was published for the December 1918 General Election, it stated that Home Rule could not be implemented because of what it called 'the present condition of Ireland'," he said.

Dr Mansergh said in case anyone thought it was because Irish nationalists were seeking a republic, Lloyd George said in the House of Commons that it was not about whether Ireland was to be a republic but rather its very demand for sovereign independence which could not be permitted.

And he pointed to comments made by British Conservative Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury as far back as 1889 that England would never concede Home Rule to Ireland except it had to change its mind, not by persuasion but only under the pressure of military force and the shedding of blood.

Dr Mansergh noted that the late Fine Gael Taoiseach, Dr Garret Fitzgerald did not share Mr Bruton's view that Home Rule would have led to independence, describing such a thesis as "alternative history gone mad".

"He (Dr Fitzgerald) argued that 'there is little reason to believe that Britain would have permitted Ireland to secure independence at least until many decades after the Second World War and by then the financial costs, because of the welfare state, would have been prohibitive'."

Dr Mansergh said that it would be helpful to the debate on Easter 1916 if some commentators, who view the Easter Rising as the harbinger of apocalypse, death, poverty and a divided people, would simply state if it was their opinion that Ireland would have been better off to remain part of the UK.

He told the crowd of around 100 that it would contribute greatly to the openness and clarity of debate if these commentators would state "that unlike practically every other nation on earth, Irish freedom in their view was never worth a single drop of blood".

Earlier, Cllr Frank O'Flynn of the Liam Lynch Commemoration Committee paid a warm tribute to his close friend the late Cllr Dan Joe Fitzgerald of Ballyclough and Mallow for his sterling work on the Liam Lynch Commemoration Committee for many years.

Among the public representatives in attendance at Sunday's ceremony were Cork East Fianna Fail TD, Kevin O'Keeffe and Cork North Central Fianna Fail TD, Billy Kelleher as well as Cllr Ian Doyle, Cllr Daniel Fitzgerald and Cllr Deirdre O'Brien from Cork County Council.
The family and friends of the late Margaret Murphy, Shanballymore have now concluded their fundraising campaign, which raised the fantastic sum of 18,483 in aid of the Oncology Ward at Cork University Hospital.

Margaret was the driving force behind this initiative as she was so appreciative to all involved in the care she received that she wanted to give something back, so her family and friends hopefully went some way towards realising her dream. Those involved have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people as this figure far exceeded their wildest expectations.

On Saturday, September 3 Margaret's first anniversary Mass was celebrated in Christ the King Church, Shanballymore and after Mass the group retired to the Corner House to present their proceeds to the hospital.

John Murphy spoke on behalf of the fund and thanked all who assisted or helped in any way, ensuring the great success of this campaign.

He gave a brief outline of all the activities, which included a walk held on a Christmas morning, organised by the Churchtown Walking Club; on February 20 a 'Trad Session' in Fitzgibbon's Bar, Glanworth; on March 26 a 'Trad Session' in the Corner House, Kildorrery while trad was the theme at the Sandpit House in Dromagh on April 29. This was followed by the '100 Rivers Challenge', organised by Dave O'Donovan and Peter Driver while on July 16 a fundraising night in the Corner House, Shanballymore followed by a run organised by the Function Village Club on July 31.

The cheque was presented to Dr Deirdre O'Mahony, consultant oncologist at CUH, by the Murphy family. Dr O'Mahony thanked the family and community for their commitment, and paid glowing tributes to Margaret for her goodwill towards the hospital.
A 72-year-old retired priest from North Cork has been remanded on bail after he was charged with indecently assaulting a 13-year-old boy at a boarding school in County Cork in the early 1980s.

Fr Tadhg O'Dalaigh was charged with indecently assaulting the boy while teaching at Colaiste Chroi Naofa in Carrignavar, on an unknown date between September 1980 and June 1981.

This week at Cork District Court, Det Garda Kevin McCarthy gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told how O'Dalaigh made no reply to the charge when it was put to him after caution.

Insp Mary King said the DPP had directed that O'Dalaigh, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, be tried on indictment before a judge and jury at Circuit Criminal Court level.

She said that gardai had no objection to bail for O'Dalaigh, a native of Boherbue in North Cork, whose address was given as Woodview, Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.

Judge Con O'Leary noted the State's position on bail and remanded O'Dalaigh on his own bond of 500 to appear again at Cork District Court on October, 11.
Now in its fifth season, the 2016/17 Drogheda International Classical Music Series continues to raise the artistic bar with a host of concerts guaranteed to thrill and excite audiences of all ages.

Building on the musical successes of previous years, they open with one of the greatest keyboard players of today. Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt (right) has been on the international scene for nearly two decades and today is regarded as one of the finest interpreters of the music of Bach. Ahead of a new recital Series at London's prestigious Wigmore Hall, Angela comes to Drogheda to perform a programme of divinely-inspired keyboard fantasies, inventions and sinfonias on the beautiful Steinway piano in St Peter's Church of Ireland on Thursday September 22.

Other concerts in the Series include Chamber Choir Ireland with the Chatham Saxophone Quartet, an opera gala featuring baritone Gavan Ring & tenor Owen Gilhooly, a two day mini-residency with Barry Douglas and Camerata Ireland, a chance to hear one of the final performances by the Vanbrugh Quartet and closing the Series will be British pianist Peter Donohoe.

They will continue to deliver the Learning programme in partnership with the Julianstown Youth Orchestra and Drogheda Orchestral Collective to allow these young players benefit from the experience of many of the visiting musicians. They will offer free pre-concert talks and keep concert tickets affordable at 18, 16 conc and 5 for children / students.

The Series is presented in partnership with Droichead Arts Centre and funded by the Arts Council and Create Louth. All concerts begin at 7:30pm and take place in St Peter's Church of Ireland. Tickets are 18 / 16 conc. / 5 children & students. A season ticket can be purchased for just 100. Booking through Droichead Arts Centre on 041 9833946 or www.droichead.com . Pre-concert talk with Angela Hewitt at 7pm in the church.
The No Name Club, one of the iconic venues of the late 80s and 90s, is to be revived in Drogheda.

It's hoped to have the first gathering in December for 15-18 years olds and will be based initially at the Boomerang Centre, although will operate independently from the centre.

Chairperson is Kelly Kierans, who was a member of the original No Name in the days when the Star and Crescent was home.

'It ran for 14 years up till about 14 years ago,' she states. 'It's run by young people for young people with hosts and hostesses. The aim is to steer young people away from drink and drugs and the interest so far has been great.'

They have visited a number of schools and ran out of forms!

It will run every Friday from 8-12pm in a safe environment where the young people take charge.

Members must have cards to prove their age and identity.

'People made friends for life with the No Name and it builds confidence and character.

We'll have a cross section of schools involved and they'll work with each other.'

A fundraiser has been lined up on October 30th at McHugh's for former No Name members - a 'past masters' No Name Halloween night.

'We need sponsors for the membership cards because the fee for membership will be small,' Kelly stated.

More details can be found on the No Name from droicheadathanoname@gmail.com.
FG Cllr Sharon Tolan, together with SF Cllr Eimear Ferguson, have joined forces again this year to co-ordinate the annual Big Beach Clean.

Last year nearly 800,000 volunteers in 94 countries removed 8,164 tonnes of marine litter from the world's beaches.

"We were delighted to do our bit last year, with a great group of volunteers who collected 380 kgs of rubbish, as well as some larger unsightly items that had washed up onto our beaches during high tides." Tolan said.

"Like last year, we shall be kicking off at 10am, meeting at the entrance to Bettystown beach. We hope to attract another big group to tackle areas from Laytown to Bettystown, and further on down as far as Mornington. Again, we will have refreshments for all the volunteers back at Reddan's in Bettystown when we finish up about noon." Tolan continued.

If you would like to get involved, drop an email to sharontolan132@gmail.com and come along on Saturday next.
Months of preparation, fundraising, strength and conditioning and it was all over come early afternoon.

Last Saturday, just after 10am, Derek Lynch, Liam Reilly and Brian Connolly, departed for a water ski journey all the way to the Isle of Man to raise much needed funds for SOSAD.

And they achieved their goal in triumphant fashion, beating the conditions, which were a lot better than they could have feared, and the pain barrier.

The group thank everyone who were part of the journey, the business community doing their bit, the Drogheda Coast Guard who helped out on Saturday for the big departure from Scotch Hall, to Odd Mollies for the recent fundraiser, the students from Greenhills school and the bucket collectors and the rest.

Thousands have been raised as a result.
The Pentony clan gathered for a mighty celebration recently when Sean and Lily from Drybridge, Slane Road, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

The happy couple marked the day by renewing their wedding vows.

Fr Carraher from Tullyallen parish helped with the special blessing at their home in front of family, friends and neighbours.

It was a busy 50 years for Lily and Sean, raising 10 children and it certainly keep them very busy - Elaine, Lucy, Annmarie and the eldest daughter Patricia (in Australia), sons John, Martin (RIP) Paul, Stephen, Kieran and Colm.

The couple are still very young at heart and proves that love can stand the test of time. They enjoyed a special surprise from their family in the lovely Brehon Hotel in Killarney - in the honeymoon suite no less.
Specsavers Drogheda recently celebrated 21 years in business having served the people of County Louth since the store opened in August 1995.

Store Directors David McCloskey, Fiona O'Donnell and Kerril Hickey along with a team of experienced optometrists, audiologists and highly trained staff were thrilled to mark the milestone birthday.

Speaking of this milestone, Store Director David McCloskey said: 'We are very proud as a team to be celebrating 21 successful years in business and I am delighted to say that I have been here since we opened in August 1995.

'In that time the store has grown significantly and we have undergone a number of improvements.'
A cleaner breached the trust of her employers by stealing nearly 6,000 worth of sentimental jewellery from them and admitted to selling the items on for cash.

Janine Johnson (34) was working as a house cleaner for a family in Termonfeckin, when last year, the family noticed a lot of jewellery had gone missing.

CCTV footage later showed Johnson taking money and a passport from a black bag which was inside the home.

She was arrested and admitted stealing 100 in cash, the passport and subsequently admitted stealing the jewellery, Drogheda District Court heard.

Johnson, of Orchard Villas, Termonfeckin pleaded guilty to the theft of 5,600 worth of jewellery from the house on dates unknown in 2015.

Sergeant Mick Geoghegan said when Johnson was arrested she admitted stealing the jewellery and maintained she sold it on for cash.

Sgt Geoghegan said it had been alleged a 'substantial' amount of jewellery was taken but Johnson admitted to taking 5,600 worth.

The 34-year-old has no previous convictions, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Dermot Monahan handed in a letter from the defendant's doctor to Judge Flann Brennan, who then sought a Probation Report before he considers what sentence to impose.

He remanded Johnson on continuing bail to appear before the court again at the beginning of December.
Irene McAuley, Clare Kelly, John Hutchinson and Helen Barron from the Alzheimers Day Care Centre Drogheda at the launch of the Dementia Roadshow

Families and people affected by dementia in Drogheda are urged not to miss The Dementia Roadshow - a one-day event aimed at removing stigmas in the community and elevating people's knowledge of the condition.

The free Roadshow takes place on Tuesday September 27 between 10am-2pm at The Marshes Shopping Centre Dundalk, and will feature information on training and awareness programmes, local resources and vital support initiatives for carers.

There will also be interactive workshops and highly-informative presentations by the Elevator Team and special guests.

The roadshow is hosted by Louth Age Friendly County and the Dementia Elevator Programme - an education and empowerment programme to help individuals, communities and health systems engage with and support people with dementia.

Dementia Elevator aims to provide skills to support ageing in place for people with dementia and challenge the way society thinks about the condition.

Mary Deery, Louth Age Friendly County Co-ordinator, feels that the Dementia Roadshow is an ideal opportunity for people with dementia, their families, carers and the wider community such as businesses to unite to increase their knowledge of the condition.

The Dementia Roadshow takes place at The Marshes Shopping Centre Dundalk on Tuesday September 27 (10-2). For more information contact Mary Deery on 042 932 4389.
A man who drove his van in an aggressive manner towards a manager of a Drogheda company after he was told to leave the yard claimed he meant to put the gear into reverse and not into fourth gear.

Michael McDonagh (24) went to Nature's Best LTD at Greenvale Park to collect pallets but when he was told there were none and was asked to leave the yard, he drove the van forward forcing a manager to jump out of the way.

McDonagh then jumped out of the van aggressively and the manager was forced to run inside the premises and lock a door. The manager then pressed a security alarm to alert gardai to the incident.

McDonagh, of St Laurence's Drive in Drogheda was initially charged with dangerous driving at Nature's Best Ltd on November 4th, 2015 but this was reduced to careless driving by Judge Flann Brennan on hearing an explanation as to why he did what he did.

Defence solicitor Dermot Monahan explained that McDonagh admits he wasn't happy there was no pallets available and he went to put the van into reverse but put it into fourth gear by mistake.

'He didn't mean to do that,' said Mr Monahan.

Mr Monahan said McDonagh then jumped out of the van to apologise to the manager.

'The defendant is a big man so the manager may have misinterpreted his reaction when he got out of the van.'

McDonagh, who has no previous convictions, wrote a letter of apology to the manager, the court heard.

Judge Brennan reduced the charge to careless driving and convicted and fined him 300.
The South Louth cumann of Fianna Fail is proposing to turn West Street back into a two-way system.

PRO Anthony Moore has called for a root and branch reform of traffic flows in Drogheda.

"The way West Street was redesigned some years back has proved to be a hammer-blow for business in the town. The amount of unsightly bollards and lack of space for cars has made some parts of the street, like Narrow West Street, akin to no-go areas, where businesses find it hard to thrive.

This has had a knock-on impact on footfall and spending all along the street. It is high time the Council went back to the drawing board and commissioned a new design which would eliminate this. This is something for which we in South Louth Fianna Fail are going to demand priority in the years ahead.

"What we need to do is to improve traffic flows in the town, starting off by making West Street accessible to two-way traffic again and reducing the number of one-way streets which currently force motorists into longer, more congested journeys. We also need to make it easier to park in the town. These, and other solutions, will help restore Drogheda to the thriving business town it used to be."

He says a 2010 survey said Drogheda had 'the worst congestion in the country' and the situation has not improved much since then.

He warned that unless the town got to grips with the problem, business in it would continue to be badly affected.

"West Street is Drogheda's main trading hub. It has great shops that deserve our business. But they are facing stiff competition from out-of-town shopping complexes which are easy to reach and offer free parking, and this has led many traders to close down over the last few years. The easier we make it for motorists to move around and park in Drogheda, the better it will be for traders and shoppers alike.'
It was just a few days after word broke from the Dominican Chapter meeting in Dublin that the decision to close St Magdalen's in Drogheda would go ahead.

The Drogheda community had been informed two years ago that the doors would close, but protests from the congregation saw things put on hold, as other churches and houses shut for good.

Fr Jim Donleavy did what he always does, celebrate mass and then spend 45 minutes in confession.

Afterwards, he pondered on the next move.

He has been to the forefront of the save the church campaign to date, spurred on by a dedication to those he serves.

'Does this change how I feel or what the people feel?, no. The invitation is still there for our leadership to come to Drogheda and see what a fine town it is and what a fine church St Magdalen's is.

'We have put forward proposals that would see four priests retire to the priory here.

'I can say that we have a health care service second to none in the country.'

He has come through two bouts of cancer and knows what the medical professionals in the town are like.

'This is no better place to retire to than Drogheda,' he states.

Celebrating his 80th next year, he admits disappointment at the decision to ratify the closure order.

'I looked around at the mass this morning and just said to myself that I could not let these people down.

'They have come here for generations, nearly 800 years.

'I can't just say we are closing and that's it. I can't do that to the people. I can't desert them, that would not be right.'

Plans for the yearly wheel of fortune in December will continue, other events are also penciled in.

Some priests have contacted him and told him to 'keep the head up' and do the right thing as far as the people are concerned.

'When all this started two years ago and in the months since, we have been told that discussions should take place. We are still waiting to have our say,' he remarks.

If a timeframe for closure comes, he'll meet that with the same attitude he has always had.

'800 years of a presence in a town like Drogheda is too much to throw away. Even Cromwell beheaded two of our brothers on the main street. There's too much history there.'

Even if he has to stay alone, he says he will continue to celebrate mass in the church of St Magdalen.

And that he intends to do until local undertaker Paddy Townley comes to visit - he hopes, in quite a few years.

'The only way they are going to get me out is for the gardai to drag me out. My preferred option is that Paddy Townley will ultimately carry me out.'

He says the door is always open for those who make the decisions to come and see for themselves what the community in Drogheda offers.

'We are here and ready to talk,' he stated. 'We have been for two years.'
Gardai are seeking the public's assistance after a car fire in Moneymore.

They were alerted to the incident at approx 3.20am on the night of September 8/9th last (Thursday into Friday).

A technical examination of the vehicle is taking place.

'We would be keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed anything,' a spokesman added.
Schoolgirl Romy McAvinia knows her spuds! The young Drogheda grower won top prize at the first ever Grow It Yourself 'Spud off' contest at the Cottage Market at St Peter's Church of Ireland hall.

She saw off all comers and will hold the title for the next year - when the vanquished will return, hoping to improve on their 2016 produce.

'It was a competition organised on a national level with tbe aim to start encouraging people to grow their own potatoes,' co-ordinator of the market Eimear Cullen states. Romy pipped Anthony McDonnell by one point for the crown.

She has been organising the GIY market for seven months now, held on the second Saturday of each month. It combines with arts and crafts to bring the ultimate showcase to the town.

'We vary the stalls each month so there's always something new,' she states.

There are upwards on 50 applications every month and she has found that people have learned from each other, ceramics to textiles and artists all part of one big community now.

'We put up signs at allotments asking for people to be part of it and they came on board,' she states.
Louth County Council spent a fortune doing up the road at Patrick Street - and will spend another one digging it up again!

Major repairs took three weeks to do but during the course of the development workers on the project said the water pipes were in a deplorable state.

In fact, one was burst as a result.

'One of the workers said 'we'll be digging this up again!' because they could see how bad the pipes were', Cllr Frank Godfrey told council colleagues.

He feels that when the road was being dug up, Irish Water should have been on site and be prepared to fix any of the old pipes, there and then.

'Now it's going to cost twice as much to open up the road again,' he stated.
Drogheda's public toilets have been closed because they were left in a 'deplorable' state, according to Louth County Council.

'It's a health and safety matter,' official Paddy Donnelly told a recent council meeting.

'There was anti social behaviour and no lights in the toilets. It was hard for the staff to deal with.'

Cllr Frank Godfrey said they needed to be reopened.

'The bus stop is right beside them and we need that facility in the town.

'I would ask that they be reopened, but I know there are people out there who have no regard for the property.'

Cllr Kenneth Flood said the Louth Drugs and Alcohol Forum needed to be part of the discussions as there was 'a lot of drug litter in the town.'

No date was given to when the toilets would be open again to the public.
An underpass at the Bridge of Peace, linking Donaghy's Mill with the Old Abbey is one of the aims of a new plan to transform the West End of Drogheda.

Planning expert Anthony Abbott King discussed the prospect as part of a presentation to local councillors.

He says the pass would act as a 'medieval gateway into Drogheda' from that part of the town.

In a wide ranging report, only undertaken in recent months, he outlined the immense possibilities surrounding the town.

He suggested a cluster of niche boutiques, cafes and tourist information, as well as a hotel.

'Drogheda's heritage is not well presented,' he stated.

He feels there is 'amazing potential' for people to live in the town centre and that Donaghy's Mill could form a tourist hub.

'Old Abbey Lane could be the vision to send internationally,' he explained.

Cllr Pio Smith said he feels the plan would 're-balance' the town.

He has already said that he will be working with Senator Ged Nash to secure funding on a national stage for such a project.

Cllr Frank Godfrey asked if Narrow West Street would be retained in the vision.

'This plan gives us a starting point. People feel we let them down and haven't acted before this,' he stated.

Mr Abbott King, who has been working with Frank Pentony on the matter, said the town needed to 'think outside the box'.

Cllr Tommy Byrne said the exit from Donaghy's Mill had to be via the Bridge of Peace and they needed to stay away from Trinity Street.

'There needs to be a strategic plan,' Mr Abbott King remarked and said that Donaghy's Mill should be a tourist centre.

He did confirm that the Narrow West Street buildings would have to be retained as part of the project.
The role of Fingal volunteers in the events of the 1916 Rising is now detailed for all to see in a new book compiled by a local writers' group that was launched at Newbridge House, last week.

The grand old house in Donabate was the venue for the launch of 'Easter 1916~Fingal Fights for Freedom', a book detailing the events that took place during Easter week in Fingal.

The book was compiled from a commemorative 1916 exhibition, earlier this year, presented by members of the Chinkwell Writers' Group in Donabate.

Chinkwell members Emer Weston, Valerie Henderson and Eilish McDermott, decided to combine their considerable efforts to bring the details of this fascinating story that were revealed in the exhibition, and compile them in book form so that these stories could be preserved for the future and inform generations present and to come, of the role Fingal had to play in that fateful Easter week, one hundred years ago.

Ann Brophy, the assistant manager at Newbridge House hosted the evening and Fionnan Sheehan editor of the Irish Independent launched the book and spoke about the history of the Rising in general as well as the particular role Fingal and Fingal volunteers had to play in that historic week.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) was also on hand at Newbridge House to meet the writers and help launch the new book as were two local councillors from the Donabate and Portrane peninsual, Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF) and Cllr Paul Mulville (NP).

The book is now available to purchase and you can pick up a copy by contacting Emer Weston on 086 3691871 or email emerrweston@gmail.com
Long-suffering residents in parts of Moylaragh estate in Balbriggan should finally see heavy traffic taken away from their doorsteps with news that the Castlemill Link Road is set to open by the end of this month.

Residents in Moylaragh have dealt with heavy traffic outside their doors for years on a road they believed would be a cul-de-sac, when they moved into the area.

Instead, the road became a rat-run but this new road will provide an alternative route for that part of Balbriggan and should see traffic ease in Moylaragh and make parts of the estate safer for residents and for children attending local schools.

The 1.5 million project involved the construction of a new link road connecting the Naul Road (R122) at St Georges National School to Moylaragh Road.
Big-hearted Fingallians are being urged to put on their walking shoes in aid of a very worthy cause.

The annual scenic Head2Head walk in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is taking place on Sunday, September 25 and local people are being urged to get involved.

The 24-mile walk, which starts at Howth Head and ends at Bray Head, is the perfect opportunity for people to see the coastline up close and personal, with dramatic panoramic views of Dublin Bay and lots of famous landmarks along the way, including the iconic Poolbeg chimneys.

In addition to the full route, organisers are offering two shorter 12-mile route options - Howth Head to Sandymount Strand, and Sandymount Strand to Bray Head.

For Fergal Smyth, Fundraising Manager with Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, the Head2Head Walk offers the chance to truly discover our shores and to take life at a different pace:

'The annual Cystic Fibrosis Ireland Head2Head Walk is the perfect antidote for the stresses and strains or our 21st century lives. We know from past walkers, that this is a great opportunity to take time out from all the hustle and bustle of life.

'Of course, not only do participants get to make lots of friends and to discover a part of Ireland that they rarely get to see, but they also get the feel good factor of raising funds for a very worthy cause.

'People may be surprised to know that, with around 1,200 people with cystic fibrosis in Ireland, we have the highest rate per head of population in the world. Plus, because of our specific genotype, we also have some of the most severe types of the disease.

'That's why the work that Cystic Fibrosis Ireland does is so important in supporting people with cystic fibrosis and their families. We rely almost entirely on public donations for our services which include patient support, funding of state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, and research.

'We would urge people to strongly think about coming out to support us. Even if you feel you wouldn't be able for 24 miles, you could perhaps join us for the shorter 12-mile options? Are you up for the challenge? Together, we can do this.'

The Head2Head Walk gets underway at 9am from Howth Dart Station Walkers are required to have a reasonable level of fitness and to be over 16 years of age.

T to register, simply call the fundraising team on 1890 311 211, email fundraising@cfireland.ie or visit www.cfireland.ie.
Fingal's 'Red Kite' project, that sought to introduce this great bird of prey into the area, is celebrating the fantastic news that the county has now seen the successful fledging of three red kite chicks.

The Golden Eagle Trust said it was 'overjoyed' to announce the confirmed successful fledging of young red kites in Fingal.

Two nests are now confirmed to have fledged a total of three chicks in 2016 in the county.

The Golden Eagle Trust (GET) along with project partners National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Welsh Kite Trust brought back red kites to Ireland between 2007 and 2011.

The Fingal Red Kite release programme was part of the final and fifth year of an ambitious project to re-establish Red Kites in Ireland.

The GET managed the Fingal Red Kite project, which was funded by Fingal LEADER Partnership through the Rural Development Programme 2007 - 2013 and NPWS. Fingal County Council and a private landowner hosted and facilitated the two separate release cages.

In 2011 the final batch of 53 red kites were released at strategic locations in Fingal. The Fingal sites were located half way between the initial red kite release locations in Co. Wicklow and Co. Down.

Dr Marc Ruddock, Red Kite Project Manager for GET said: 'We know this year that there are now Fingal kites known to be breeding in Co. Down and Co. Wicklow and both Northern Ireland and Wicklow kites are also recorded in Fingal so we are buoyant that the reintroduction can be considered a remarkable success in Ireland.'

Monitoring of the red kites has been undertaken since kites were released July 2011 but unfortunately the project was beset with unexpected losses in the first 12 months with 10 kites that confirmed dead during radio-tracking.

These deaths were not considered in vain as it allowed the project team to identify a previously unknown threat to kites in this area from second generation rodenticides and these deaths contributed to the formation of the national campaign for responsible rodenticide use.

Dr uddock, continued: 'It is hugely rewarding to see the first confirmed chicks, it felt to me like the final piece of the jigsaw in the red kite reintroduction and I would personally like to thank all the people and organisation who made this happen.'

Mr Hans Visser, Biodiversity Officer for Fingal County Council said: 'The last time we had red kites breeding in North County Dublin would have been more than a century ago, so this is a pretty amazing result.

'It has been interesting for us to see the red kites show up in some of our other nature conservation project sites too and hopefully red kites will become a common sight again as a result of more breeding successes in the future.'
The removal of a number of trees at the edge of the site of a new Aldi supermarket development in Swords has sparked anger locally and led to complaints from local councillors who have demanded to hear from council officials who wrote a report on the incident, insisting the removal of the trees did not breach planning conditions on the development.

Swords independent councillor, Cllr Joe Newman raised the issue at the latest meeting of the Swords/Balbriggan Area Committee where he demanded a 'comprehensive report' on the incident.

He called for 'tough sanctions' for what he called 'violations on planning conditions related to our natural environment'.

However, in a written report, council planners argued that the removal of these trees did not contravene the development's planning conditions, explaining: 'Recent inspections have taken place of the site following the receipt of complaints concerning the removal of trees. Condition No. 10 of the permission deals in particular with green infrastructure and, in this regard, compliance submissions and a tree bond have been lodged by the developer with the council. The inspections have revealed no evidence of trees being removed that were conditioned to be retained.'

The report added:'Five trees have been removed at the western boundary of the site bounding St. Colmcille's Drive. These trees were outside the boundary of the development site and were removed at the instigation of the individual property owners. The trees in question were not conditioned to be retained under any planning permission and were not the subject of a Tree Preservation Order. It should be noted that Section 37 of the Forestry Act 1946 permits the removal of a tree without the need for a Tree Felling Licence where that tree is within 100 feet of a dwelling. There are, accordingly, no grounds for enforcement action in this matter at this time.'

Cllr Newman said that the conditions were open to interpretation and he insisted that councillors hear from the planning officials who compiled the report and interpreted the conditions in the way the report sets out.

Cllr Newman said he was 'not convinced there was no breach of the conditions' and he said it was his duty as a councillor, to challenge county officials on this issue.

He had the backing of a number of Swords councillors, including the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Darragh Butler (FF), who said incidents like this were something that 'really annoys' him and he insisted that 'there must have been some rules broken here'.

Local councillors refused to let the matter lie and council officials agreed to bring the issue back to a future meeting of the committee for further discussion and explanation from planners on why the removal of the trees was allowed to go ahead.

He said: 'We really should have severe penalties for things like this.' The Fingal Mayor added: 'We have to nip this in the bud and stop it from happening again.'
Amid local fears of traffic chaos in Portmarnock and beyond later this month, the council has explained why it has decided to temporarily close Portmarnock Bridge while the bridge's deck is being replaced and the plans it has put in place in recent weeks to try to mitigate the impact of the work.

Amid fierce opposition to the move, locally, the council has attempted to put a suite of measures in place to lessen the impact of the works. The project which was initially supposed to last up to a month has had its time-scale cut by more than a half and is now expected to be delivered in less than two weeks with contractors working sixteen-hour shifts and weekend to complete the project as soon as possible.

Last Wednesday, council senior engineer, Liam Coughlan faced local councillors on the Malahide/Howth Area Committee who were seeking reassurances for the local community that the county council was doing all it could to lessen the impact of the works.

Mr Coughlan first explained why the works were deemed necessary, saying that a number of investigations by consultants had identified the bridge as being a high priority for repair. He said that there was corrosion evident in the steel deck and steel beams of the bridge and a vertical crack was visible on its western abutment.

Consultants were engaged to design a reconstruction project for the bridge and Mr Coughland said that it was only in August, that the council could say 'for sure' that the bridge would have to be completely closed for the duration of the works.

He acknowledged the inconvenience that would arise from the work but said the bridge closure would avoid a serious of closures in the future to necessitate ongoing repairs to the bridge if the deck is not replaced.

He said the council was 'focused' on making the bridge closure as short as possible.

Mr Coughlan said that the council had negotiated with its contractor to get the closure down to a period of two weeks and he believed the job would be completed in a shorter time-frame than that.

He said the contractor would work two crews on shifts covering 16 hour days and would work on Saturdays and Sundays, to complete the project to 'try to minimise the impact'.

The work is due to start on September 14th and be completed by September 26th but the engineer was confident that the work would be completed earlier than the September 26 deadline.

According to the council engineer, variable messaging sings will be in operation on both approaches to the bridge, advising traffic of diversions and in particular, signs will be aimed at HGV traffic to take them away from the affected areas and divert them on to the Malahide Road.

There will be signs warning HGV traffic of the diversions as far from the danger areas as Fairview and at the Hilton Hotel at Clare Hall. 'Our intention in a nutshell, is to take HGV traffic well away from the area,' Mr Coughlan said.

The council engineer said that key junctions in the area will be monitored and signalised and there will be 'extensive' diversion signage in affected areas. He confirmed there would be a temporary pedestrian bridge to allow access on foot to the closed route and that 'good progress' is being made on putting that structure in place in time for the project to begin.

The council engineer also revealed work is in train to have a shuttle bus operate during the period when the bridge is closed, operating north of the bridge.

There will also be a shuttle bus operating between Portmarnock and Sutton if the demand is there.

Mr Coughlan said that the council was doing everything it could to inform everyone who needs to know about all the measures being taken for the closure and he suggested people avoid making unnecessary journeys in the area at peak times, during the closure.
A young Swords man who told an armed garda he would 'bite your face off, I'll kill you' after he was searched for drugs has been ordered to come up with 2,000 in compensation.

Jordan Joyce (20) punched Garda James Carolan in the ribs and kicked his colleague on the leg. Gda Carolan was unable to work for two weeks following the assault, Swords District Court heard.

After Joyce was arrested he was brought to Swords Garda Station where he continued to be aggressive and abusive.

He threatened the gardai again saying if they search him again on the streets he will 'knife them.'

Joyce, of Jugback Green in Swords, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of 5 worth of cannabis, assaulting Garda David Smith and obstruction of Garda James Carolan on August 20th, 2015 at St Cronan's Close.

Gda Carolan said he came across a small gathering of youths and while speaking to Joyce he got a strong smell of cannabis.

Following a search, 5 worth of cannabis and a grinder were found in Joyce's pocket. Joyce then became aggressive and struck out at Gda Carolan punching him twice in the ribs. Garda David Smith came to his assistance and Joyce 'swung a kick' at Gda Smith's leg.

'He started shouting 'I will bite your face off and I'll kill you,' said Gda Carolan. He said Joyce had to be restrained in the patrol car.

On hearing the evidence, Judge Dermot Dempsey said it was 'an absolute disgrace' Joyce was not charged with assault causing harm to Gda Carolan.

'If it was Joe Bloggs off the street there'd be an assault charge, but apparently gardai are not entitled to the same level of protection,' said Judge Dempsey.

The court heard Joyce has no previous convictions.

Defence solicitor Fiona D'Arcy said the 20-year-old is 'very sorry' for the way he reacted. 'He panicked and lost his temper and he is ashamed of himself,' said Ms D'Arcy.

She said Joyce started dabbling in drugs after his uncle and grandfather passed away but he is drug-free now.

Judge Dempsey ordered Joyce come up with 1,500 in compensation for Gda Carolan and 500 compensation for Gda Smith.

He also ordered a Probation Report and community service assessment. 'If there is any default it's custody he is facing,' warned Judge Dempsey and remanded Joyce on continuing bail until November 28th.
A young father who was caught carrying a steak knife while he was in a Rush housing estate claimed he had it for his own protection as he felt he was in danger.

Wayne Higgins (25) fled from gardai when he and another male were observed acting in a suspicious manner in a Rush estate just after midnight. When he was caught, he had the six inch knife with him.

Three months later Higgins was caught trespassing outside an office at Flemington in Balbriggan. He fled when a security man saw him, Balbriggan District Court heard.

When gardai arrested him, he was in possession of a backpack and a torch and admitted the trespass charge.

Higgins, of Glasheen, Stamullen pleaded guilty to being in possession of the steak knife on April 17th at Woodland Court in Rush.

He further pleaded guilty to trespassing on July 2nd at Flemington.

Defence solicitor Fiona D'Arcy said the defendant, who has three previous convictions, had the knife as he 'felt in danger'.

However, she told Judge Dermot Dempsey it was a case of mistaken identity - that the person making the threat was actually looking for someone else.

She said Higgins was addicted to D10s for a short time which got him into trouble. 'He has detoxed now and has completed a drug and alcohol programme and is doing everything he can to get a job,' she said.

She said the young father of one is 'very apologetic to the court and to the gardai' and has learnt his lesson. 'He is staying away from all drugs now,' she said.

Judge Dempsey said he will consider handing Higgins 240 hours community service work in lieu of two months in prison if he is deemed suitable by the Probation Services and adjourned the case until October 7th for the report to be compiled.
The brother of a Balbriggan woman who was tragically killed when her bicycle was hit by a truck in Dublin City has told the Fingal Independent that Donna Fox was 'kindness personified'.

Speaking about his beloved sister, Neil Fox told the Fingal Independent: 'Donna lit up our lives with her kindness, humour, loyalty , fun and gentle spirit. I can never repay her for her enormous support to me in the last few weeks of her life.

'It breaks my heart to think that the beautiful day we had together just days before her accident, was not the beginning of many more ones, but our last time together in person. I still do not believe it is true that she is gone from this world to be honest. It is shock on a scale that I haven't words for.'

Describing his sister, Neil said: 'Donna was kindness personified. She never judged either - a deeply loyal friend. She loved animals, sports, so many things really, such varied interests and abilities. Nutrition and healthy living were huge to her. Donna loved a challenge. She would work very hard always conscientious and in a way goal orientated too, but yet quite laid back too. Donna was very grounded and balanced.'

Conscious of the loss others were feeling at the loss of Donna, Neil turned to his sister's partner, Anne Marie and said: 'Anne Marie brought Donna such personal happiness the last few years. She changed her life really in a wonderful way.

'I feel Daddy, Leanne (Donna's sister), Callum (her nephew) and I have a new family member now really and we will always be there for her. Anne Marie's loss is tremendous and I can not imagine it.'

Speaking about his surviving sister, Leanne, Neil said: 'Leanne and Donna were close in age, yet I always saw them a bit like twins, they did everything together. Myself and others in family find it hard not to say 'Donna and Leanne' now, they were always pooled together.'

Donna's mother, Catherine Casey Fox passed away from cancer at the age of just 51 and both Donna's parents were uppermost in Neil's thoughts, this week. He said: 'Donna had such a special bond and relationship with Daddy. They were very close. The apple of his eye. It is devastating to see him bury his daughter. The one grace in Mammy not been here, she was saved that pain.'

The grief-stricken brother said: 'I will treasure so many memories forever. I think of happy and sad times we shared so much. They are all unique and special to us. Things that only the three of us can understand.

'Donna was very happy in her life. She had a brilliant partner, the love of her life, a nice home and plans to build.

'She was always thinking ahead and trying to live well and positively. She did that in spades.

'Today Donna should be on holiday in Spain with Anne Marie, having enjoyed a few days in her new car, probably looking for presents for Callum, but last week on a normal day for Donna all that changed.

'But she is in heaven and at peace, its the rest of us that are suffering, thank God Donna didn't suffer and that awful accident happened in an instant really.'

He concluded his moving tribute to his sister, saying: 'We love Donna so much and always will. I think of how excited she does be at Christmas. Callum's first Christmas she was up hours before him, willing him to wake almost - a child at heart in a beautiful way. We are blessed to have had a partner, daughter, sister, cousin, niece, friend, colleague, neighbour like Donna.'

Donna was laid to rest at after a funeral Mass on Saturday at St Peter and Paul's church in Balbriggan.
The sudden passing of Martin O'Connor of Kilcavan Upper, Tara Hill, on Saturday, has been met with deep shock and sadness. He had celebrated his 60th birthday just four weeks ago.

He took ill in Gorey town on Saturday, and collapsed, and despite the valiant efforts of members of the public and emergency services, he could not be saved.

For the past thirty years, Martin was the beloved husband of Trish. They met while living in the US. They returned home and were married and eldest daughter Denise was born. Nine months later they returned to the US where their sons Mark and Kevin were born. They returned home in 2001 to care for Martin's father in Tara Hill where Martin grew up.

In his younger years, Martin worked in Fox Bros in Ballycanew, and he returned to work there in recent years. He was a skilled welder and could make anything he set his mind to. He was not a man to stand around, and he loved working.

He was deeply committed to his family and a loving husband and father. Though a quiet man of few words, he was the first to volunteer when work had to be done. He loved card games, and all sports. He was also a committed Wexford fan.

Martin was a member of the men's development group on Monday nights in Gorey Family Resource Centre which he really enjoyed. Trish was one of the founder members of the centre, and sits on its board. Martin helped prepare the centre for opening when it was established. Anita Carroll of Gorey FRC expressed the sympathies of the staff and board to Trish and family. 'He was an absolute gentleman,' she said. 'We will miss him terribly.'

Martin O'Connor is survived by his heartbroken wife Trish, children Denise, Mark and Kevin. He is deeply regretted by his loving wife, sons, daughter, sisters Mary and Una, mother-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives, friends and neighbours.

His removal takes place from Flood's Funeral Home, Gorey, on Tuesday morning at 11.15 a.m. to St. Kevin's Church, Tara Hill, for Funeral Mass at 12 noon. Burial will take place afterwards in St. Kevin's Cemetery, Tara Hill.

May he rest in peace.
Michael D'Arcy called for the introduction of a Special Drugs Task Force in Wexford to tackle the growing problem with drugs in the county.

Speaking at the Joint Policing Committee Meeting, the Wexford TD said 'we really need a dedicated taskforce for the county'.

'We really need it badly,' he said to Superintendent John Roche. 'I am asking you to bring it together.'

Supt John Roche said that in recent times burglaries have been their main priority. However, he said that now this is 'under control', they are reviewing their plans.

'We can't do it overnight and man power is an issue. But I can assure you that we will consider it,' he said.

Supt Roche said that there are six Gardai working full-time on tackling drugs in Wexford.

Supt Roche said the difficulty in the development of a drugs taskforce is 'building up experience and keeping it'.

'We need to find people who will dedicate a few months (for training) and stay for a few years,' he said, saying that there is a constant movement in the force.
More needs to be done in the Bridgetown area, according to Cllr Mick Roche

Councillor George Lawlor called for an increase in communication between the Gardai and local authorities in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour.

'Gardai don't always look to local authorities as the body we should report to so the council may never hear about any issues,' he said. 'Given that we have the JPC and a good relationship with the Gardai, is it possible that where there are incidents of anti-social behaviour, they inform us about them?'

Chief Superintendent John Roche said that if there was a pattern in anti-social behaviour, it would be beneficial for them to inform the local authorities. However, he said that data protection rules may determine the amount of information that they can provide. He told Cllr Lawlor that he will look into the possibility.

Cllr Lawlor went on to say that he had been informed of three consecutive nights of anti-social behaviour in an area the previous week.

'It's in everyone's interest to put something in place,' he said.

Cllr Ger Carthy said that he attended the scene on Friday night after the ambulance was called to assist a man having a seizure. He said that when they arrived they found people 'killing each other' on the street.

Councillor Mick Roche also spoke about anti-social behaviour, saying that more needs to be done to prevent it in the Bridgetown area.

'There are no amenities in the area. There is no community centre,' he said. 'There is nothing for young people to do but congregate in corners.'
Tom and Laura Sinnott celebrate Wexford Home Preserves' three Gold Stars in the Great Taste Awards, along with six single Gold Stars at the Dunbrody Hall of Fame cafe: the hard working team Claire Stamp, Peggy Kelly,Laura and Tom Sinnott, Erin Hanton, Aine Devereux and Aishling O'Niell. Photo by Mary Browne

The success of New Ross business Wexford Home Preserves in winning nine Great Taste awards, including one three star award in August for their Simply Better Handmade Irish Blackcurrant Preserve, was celebrated at a gathering at the Dunbrody Visitor Centre in New Ross.

CEO of the visitor centre Sean Connick welcomed the company's owners Laura and Tom Sinnott and everyone to the centre. Mr Connick said: 'I want to congratulate the team on the great job they have done and tell them how proud we are of them in the New Ross area.'

Paula Ronan from Wexford Food Family said the company is a great supporter of local suppliers. Ms Ronan said: 'There are so many companies who claim they shop local but when it comes to making a profit they source their goods elsewhere. We need to have a sustainable food economy here.'

Neil Murphy from Wexford Food Family said the Sinnott's joined Wexford Food Family as soon as they were invited.

Tom Banville from the Wexford Local Enterprise office congratulated the Sinnott's on their nine Great Taste awards. He said: 'It's no mean feat to achieve all of those stars. Only a handful of companies from Wexford have ever received three stars and only 13 in the island of Ireland have this year. The secret to your success is the taste and it's the best tasting jam and marmalade that is on the market by far. Although your brand would have been around for a few years you built it up and you created a lot of employment in the area.'

Mr Banville said the next challenge for Wexford Home Preserves is to continue to grow. 'You have hired a consultant and you have more potential to grow your business in the US, UK and Europe. There's no reason that your jam can't become as well known as Tayto.'

Wexford County Council CEO Tom Enright described the Sinnott's achievement in winning three stars for their blackcurrant jam as fantastic.

He described how Tom Sinnott's aunt started the business which was taken over by Tom and Laura Sinnott.

He said people who believe in their product and work hard and develop it, producing other, new products also, become successful.

He praised the work carried out by the Wexford Food Family which has 41 members. 'Today people are much more discerning about the food they eat. They want to know where it comes from and they don't mind paying a premium for that. In developing County Wexford as a tourist destination having good quality artisan food is vital.'

Mr Sinnott thanked his producers, saying the quality of the Wexford blackcurrants paved the way for the company's success at the awards.

He said: 'This is a major achievement for us. We feel it will bring our businesss on. We want to thank our staff as without our staff we wouldn't be in business. We are so proud to have our business in New Ross and we want to thank you.'
The rate of burglaries, theft and criminal damage in Wexford have gone down while possession, sale and cultivation of drugs are on the rise according to new crime figures for the county.

The figures, which were announced at the recent Joint Policing Committee Meeting, include all incidents recorded in Wexford from January 1 until September 5 of this year.

Possession of drugs for personal consumption saw a 60 per cent jump compared to the same period last year, rising from 118 in 2015 to 189. Possession for sale and supply also rose by 40 per cent, with 37 recorded incidents last year compared to 52 this year. Meanwhile, cultivation of drugs saw a 275 per cent increase, with 15 recorded cases this year compared to three in 2015.

Property crime reduced by 31 per cent compared to this time last year, dropping from 1874 to 1292. Burglaries dropped by 53 per cent, from 702 to 330.

Chief Superintendent John Roche welcomed the 22 per cent reduction in car theft, saying that this is a crime that usually spikes during the summer months. The figures show 147 cases this year, compared to 189 last year.

Meanwhile, shop theft dropped by one per cent, from 335 cases to 331. Other incidents of theft dropped by 31 per cent, from 507 to 356. Criminal damage saw a reduction of 20 per cent, with figures showing 445 incidents this year compared to 555 last year.

Public order offences have increased by 11 per cent, with 359 cases this year compared to 325 in the same period last year. Supt Roche said that this may be down to an improvement in the economy and subsequent increase in the number of people out socialising. Crimes against the person fell by 2 per cent, from 298 to 289 this year.

Figures for road traffic crimes showed incidents that have occurred between January and July. During this period, there were two fatalities on Wexford roads compared to three in the same period last year. Mobile phone usage while driving has increased by 2 per cent, from 631 to 652. The number of people caught not wearing a seatbelt has increased by 17 per cent, with 347 cases this year compared to 296 in the same period in 2015. Intercepted speeding incidents have risen by 42 per cent from 672 to 471, while non-intercepted speeding crimes dropped by 28 per cent from 3430 last year compared with 2421.

Supt Roche said that he was glad to report the overall fall in crime. He credited their anti-crime initiative for the reduction, saying that it incorporates four pillars to tackle crime.

'The divisional crime task force have done intensive work with ten hour shifts and analysed when burglaries were happening. We have rotated them every few months,' he explained, saying that the biggest reduction in these crimes has been seen in Gorey and Riverchapel.

Supt Roche said that the second pillar involved reducing the fear of crime in communities.

'There is a perception that crime is increasing but the figures tell a different story.'

Making roads difficult for criminals to use is another of the pillars, and Supt Roche said that the Gardai know every make, colour and reg of criminals in the county. He said that, with the majority of criminals not taxing and insuring their car, the Gardai are able to seize an average of 50 cars a month under the Road Traffic Act.

Drug enforcement is the fourth area that Supt Roche said they are working on.

Cllr Ger Carthy welcomed the reduction in crime but asked whether the reduction was due to the fact that some criminals here in prison or because of an increase in policing in the county. Supt Roche said that it is a combination of both.

'We work closely with the judicial system,' he added. 'We rely heavily on the curfew system with the help of judiciaries.'
Padraic Delaney on location in Dubrovnik where the Siege of Acre shots were filmed

Adamstown's Padraic Delaney has secured one of the leading roles in a major new American television series for the History Channel called Knightfall.

Knightfall chronicles the mysterious but true accounts of the Knights Templar, the elite warriors of the Crusades.

The series, which is being developed by an American Network A + E, tells the story of the Knights Templar movement and their eventual fall from grace and Delaney, 38, plays the role of Gawain, their expert swordsman.

Speaking from the film shoot in Prague, Delaney said he has never worked on anything on the scale of Knightfall.

He said: 'Landing the role reminds me of The Tudors and my role is much bigger in this. This series is on a bigger scale in terms of money and sets. I prefer to act in lower budget, indie type, character-driven projects, but I have a great character who has a lot of conflict of interests and loyalties.'

Delaney said the producers are looking to create the next big thing in television and Knightfall has already been picked up by Netflix.

'They are very much looking at Game of Thrones which is ending next year, as is the Vikings which is huge in America. The Americans love that vibe with ancient European history and swords and battles.'

Delaney landed the role having impressed at an audition in April. He said he usually puts thoughts of getting a part out of his mind as soon as he does an interview, but he wanted the role.

'This one stuck with me as it's about the Knights Templar and I don't think their story has been done before, only touched on in the Da Vinci Code and Indiana Jones.'

Delaney said the story opens with a spectacular scene, the Siege of Acre. The story jumps forward to the late 13th century when we meet his character Gawain, who is called after Sir Gawain of the knights of Arthurian legend.

'The main story begins about 200 years into the templars. It's after the fall of Jerusalem and Acre and our story is set in Paris and concerns the relationship the Templars had with King Philip The Fair.'

Delaney's character is one of the main Templar knights.

'He is the best sword fighter but he injures his leg during a sword fight protecting one of the knights who becomes the leader of the Knights Templar. He tells me I can no longer fight and that leads to conflict.'

Delaney has signed a five-year contract for numerous episodes and is expecting the series to be a success.

'Like with any new show it's down to the mercy of the audience. The producers have obviously put a lot of money into this. They do a lot of big shoots here in the at Barrandov Studios in Prague. Some of the crew members have worked on Bourne films and a Bond film and they said they've never worked on something of this scale. It's like Gladiator. I feel very lucky to be here working on this. The scripts and the crew are great.'

Delaney arrived in the Czech Republic in June and has been doing a lot of training at boot camps and with horse riding and swordfighting.

'We've also done a lot of circuit training for bonding with the other guys.'

He will continue on set until December when the first season is due to be completed.

Knightfall is due to air in early 2017 on American TV and is expected to be picked up by RTE.

The exterior sets were destroyed in a fire while Delaney was away with his girlfriend Eve Macklin in Vienna in late August. Around 4m in damage was caused but the producers arrived from America and said everything would be rebuilt and filming would continue.

Delaney said he is loving his time in Prague where the average temperature is 28 degrees.

'Since I've gotten here I haven't worn a pair of jeans, the weather has been so nice.'

The former Colaiste Abbain student said Knightfall has been one of the highlights of his career.

'I have been lucky in my career over the last few years as I've never really been worried about the next job.'

Delaney was home during the summer visiting his parents Sheelagh and Michael Delaney and grandmother. His career has taken off having attended the Beckett Centre in Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated with a BA in Drama & Theatre Studies in 2001. Having worked on Shakespearian roles in theatre and in the Irish television series Pure Mule and The Clinic, Delaney first appeared before international audiences as Irish revolutionary Teddy O'Donovan in Ken Loach's award winning film The Wind That Shakes the Barley, opposite Cillian Murphy.
The memory of influential Enniscorthy designer Eileen Gray will live on through a memorial plaque which was recently unveiled at her former home in Paris.

The marble plaque was unveiled by Ireland's Ambassador to France Geraldine Byrne Nason, Patrick Klugman from Paris town hall and Chantal Lambert-Burens from the local sixth arrondissement government last week. It marked almost 40 years since the death of the renowned furniture and interior designer.

A tribute to Gray's Irish roots was made when a green, white and orange floral display was placed in the courtyard of her former home at 21 rue Bonaparte. Berenice Abbott's 1920s photographic portrait of Gray stood on an easel during the ceremony.

Dozens of people gathered in the courtyard to remember Gray, who lived in the building from 1907 to 1976. Ms Byrne Nason read a letter from British author and filmmaker Peter Adam, who was a close friend of Grays. It gave a further insight into the celebrated designer and the life she lived.

'Perceived as severe and distant, those who knew her were struck by her charm, coquetry, laughter and tenderness," wrote Adam, who said that Gray told him of her attitude 'towards all these people who take the trouble to dig you up and preserve at least a part of your oeuvre, which, without their efforts, would disappear like everything else.'

The plaque, which is written in French, reads: Eileen Gray, Irish Architect and Designer 1878-1976 lived in this building from 1907 to 1976.

Born in Enniscorthy, Gray moved to Paris from her childhood home of London in 1902. In order to afford the 3,000 francs annual rent on her apartment, Gray asked her mother to raise her allowance. Three years later, the apartment became her own and she stayed there until her death at age 98.

The fourtieth anniversary of Eileen Gray's death is on October 31 and many events in her honour are expected to take place nationwide.
Fr William Howell, Rev Andrew J Dougherty, Rev Cheryl Patterson and Canon Mark Hayden at the service of welcome at Gorey Methodist Church for Rev Patterson

Gorey's new Methodist minister, Rev Cheryl Patterson, was formally welcomed to the town at a special service in the church in the Market Square recently.

The installation service was led by Rev Andrew J Dougherty, Dublin district superintendent for the Methodist Church.

Among those in the large congregation were representatives of other churches in the Gorey area including Fr William Howell and Canon Mark Hayden, as well as representatives of the congregations in St Michael's Church and Christ Church. Other churches in the diocese were also represented by congregation and clergy members.

Deputy Michael D'Arcy was also in attendance, while the chairman of the Gorey Municipal District, Cllr Pip Breen, was represented by Cllr Joe Sullivan.

'It was a lovely service,' said Rev Patterson. 'There were lots of people there from all over the county. It was really nice to see so much support. The intention of the service was to welcome me, and to commit my ministry here in Gorey before God and in the presence of God's people.'

The 35-year-old Belfast native said that since her arrival in Gorey during the summer, she has been getting on very well. 'People have been very welcoming,' she said. 'They have been helping me find my feet in a new town.'

'The congregation is spread out around the county so I'm getting to see so much of Wexford on my way to visit people,' she said. 'It's a lovely place, with lovely people, and for my first church, it's an incredible opportunity.'
Michelle Diggins (Ballygarry House Hotel & Spa), Tim Kelliher and Tom O'Connor (Kelliher's Toyota), Christine McAuliffe, Brendan O'Brien, Maureen O'Brien (Recovery Haven), Declan Dowling, Susan Boyle (Manor Filling Station), Maeve Collins (Ballyroe Heights Hotel), Noel Scanlon (Dairy Master) and Jane Boyle launching the Night at the Dogs in aid of Recovery Haven on Monday

People are being called on from far and wide to come along to the Night at the Dogs event on the 29th of October, in aid of the Recovery Haven Cancer Support House.

The event is headlined by the final of the Kellihers Toyota Sweepstake, generously sponsored by the Kelliher Family, as is the Inver sponsored race.

Maureen O'Brien, one of Recovery Haven's lead volunteer fundraisers for the event, promises that the event is "going to be a great night.

"Great racing will of course be on display. With competitions like the best dressed lady and gent, as well as the bouncy castle and kids' events to coincide with the Halloween weekend, it will generally be a great family day out," Maureen told The Kerryman.
A little bit of Westeros has arrived in the Kingdom. IT Tralee have managed to get their hands on the Iron Throne that has been the source of all the violent drama on smash hit HBO TV series Game of Thrones for a period of royal costumery at the college.

As part of the college's Freshers Week celebrations a HBO licensed Iron Throne replica prop from the fantasy series is being brought to ITT's North Campus.

Staff, students and the public are being invited to dress up as their favourite character from the show and to get their photo taken in the imposing, instantly recognisable throne.

ITT students and staff can see the Throne and have a photo taken from 10 to 6pm on Wednesday and Thursday September 14 and 15.

Members of the public - who will have to pay 10 for the privilege - can see it from 2pm to 6pm each day. The 10 ticket includes a professional photo.
North Carolina native fiddler, violinist and composer Andrew Finn Magill will be realising something of a dream when he takes to the St John's stage next week.

For it was in Listowel many years ago that his musical path became much clearer - attending Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2001 in what the American describes as a ''life-changing' experience.

So there could only be one venue he absolutely had to play for the very last date of his current Irish tour - Vicar Joe's hall in the Square. It was there, after all, he witnessed a band that came to play a huge role in his developing talent light up the crowd in 2011.

"This performance will be especially meaningful because Listowel was the first place in Ireland I visited, to compete in the 2001 Fleadh when I was 14, and it will be the last gig on this tour. It'd be great to see a nice crowd this night!" Andrew told The Kerryman.

Staying with local woman Mae Boardman, Andrew and his dad had a whale of a time. "I remember we stayed with Ms Mae Boardman who had rented a few of her rooms out to various musicians, including two American girls, an accordion player and a fiddle player. Since we were all teenage musicians we would go out into town every night looking for tunes. Every night I'd come home and my fiddle would be reeking of smoke, this was just before the smoking ban. I met so many Americans and future musician friends that week playing tunes." One group in particular really caught his imagination.

"Flook! was playing at St John's Theatre and I had never heard of them...Brian Finnegan is one of the most virtuosic whistle players that there ever was. We bought Flook!'s CD and it became the soundtrack to the rest of our trip. This concert was so inspiring that I have always thought of St John's theatre and knew I wanted to play there as soon as I had the idea to do this Ireland tour! The Fleadh itself was a life-changing experience." In fact one of the musicians he met at that Flook! gig, Lunasa's Colin Farrell, will accompany Andrew at next week's gig in St John's, on Wednesday September 21, playing tunes from his two 2016 albums.
Are you a caring person with time to spare? If so, you might consider helping a vital service in the area supporting families and patients living with Alzheimer's.

The North Kerry and Listowel Alzheimer's Daycare Respite facility at Listowel Family Resource Centre is currently seeking volunteers to help out on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Further details are available from Bridie Mulvihill on (068) 23584.
The Kerry Garda Division will hold a National Property Recovered Day at Castleisland Garda Station from 10am to 4pm on Thursday, September 22, 2016.

The event will provide an opportunity for members of the public and rightful owners of property to be reunited with items which may have been lost or stolen from them.

Every county in the country has had, or will have the opportunity to view such a cache of property at local Garda stations under this initiative.

Anything that can be stolen, by people who specialise in this field, usually is. Garda advice is that all items of importance on a property should be photographed in detail and serial numbers noted and logged.

A look through the Garda Siochana stolen property website is an eye opening experience and it provides an insight to the levels of this type of criminal activity throughout the country.

"Approximately 25 items of property, currently in our possession have been photographed, and catalogues of these photographs will be available to view on the day," according to a statement issued on the 'Castleisland exhibition' this week.

"The event will be attended by Community Policing Units and a Crime Prevention Officer. Members of the public are invited to attend to examine the catalogues in the hope of reuniting rightful owners with their property," the statement concluded.

To get an idea of the variety and volume of property, lost, stolen and recovered which members of An Garda Siochana throughout the country are currently dealing with you can log onto:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gardasiochana/sets/72157625289610016
The head of the Law Society in Kerry says the increased level of business in local solicitors' offices shows that a limited economic recovery is underway.

President of the Kerry Law Society John Galvin made the comments ahead of a Law Society seminar in Tralee's Ballygarry Hotel which saw over 100 solicitors from across the county gather for a major networking event.

Mr Galvin says that the health of the local economy can often be measured by taking a look at the business coming into solicitors' offices.

"Here in Kerry we are seeing some recovery in the form of 'trickle-down economics' - but we are still waiting for the trickle to become a stream," he said.

"There is a sense that the tourism industry overall is leading the recovery in the county. This provides a knock-on opportunity for local businesses to grow and expand," he said.

The Wild Atlantic Way has played a significant role in opening Kerry up to a wider, international visitor base, particularly the smaller areas that wouldn't be well-known," Mr Galvin said.

"Kerry solicitors are also seeing an increase in conveyancing business. Increased house-buying would tend to indicate an upturn in the overall economy of the area."

Mr Galvin noted that house-buying has become much more complex in recent years.

"It is important that anyone buying a house is aware that there may be a number of potential issues involved in the transaction, which could lead to delays," Mr Galvin said.

"I would advise everyone to speak to their solicitor early in the buying or selling process. He or she will be able to advise if there are any concerns around a particular property - as well as the many new charges that have come into force since the recession; there may be some legacy issues that require extra attention," Mr Galvin told the media.
The book of evidence in the case of a Kerry man accused of a number of sex assaults of three people will be served at a November sitting of a court in the county.

Judge James O'Connor heard last week that the Director of Public Prosecutions had consented to the accused man being sent forward for trial by indictment at the next sitting of Tralee Circuit Court.

The man is accused of a number of sex assaults contrary to section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act of 1990 - against two females and one male on dates between 1996 and 2004.

Solicitor for the accused Padraig O'Connell told the court that the charges would be contested in full. He described the accusations as 'a matter of an historical nature.'

The accused was released on bail on a bond of 1,000 subject to a number of conditions, including the need to abide by a curfew and to sign-on at a garda station on a regular basis. He was also required to give gardai his phone on the day of the court sitting.

The book of evidence in the case against the man will be served on a return date in early November.
As speculation mounts that the Government may fall triggering a snap General Election four potential candidates are weighing up their options.

Former Fine Gael Minister Jimmy Deenihan and Kerry County Council members Michael Gleeson, Michael O'Shea and Michael Cahill are all considering a Dail run if an election happens in the near future.

Amid increasing uncertainty about the Government's Stability - in the wake of the cabinet row over Independent Minister John Halligan's demand for a second Cath Lab at Waterford hospital - several candidates are preparing for a snap election.

Doubts over Enda Kenny's future - exacerbated by Kerry FG TD Brendan Griffin's latest call for the Taoiseach to step down - have added to the election speculation.

Mr Deenihan - who lost his seat at the last General Election - said he will make a decision on a bid to retain his seat by Christmas.

It is understood that the former Arts and Diaspora Minister is strongly considering another Dail run but that the timing of any election would be a key factor in his decision.

Most of the political activity is in south Kerry where it is thought Deputy Danny Healy-Rae's seat could be vulnerable to a challenge from a strong locally based candidate.

The Killarney and Iveragh areas are seen as a potentially rich and largely untapped source of votes for the major parties and the South Kerry Independent Alliance.

Fianna Fail Cllr Michael Cahill - who recently rejoined the party having quit with former TD Tom Fleming in 2011 - has said he will seek the party's nomination to contest the next election as a second candidate in Kerry,

Cllr Cahill organised a meeting on Saturday to gauge support for his bid and to begin putting a team together.

Kerry Independent Alliance Cllr Michael Gleeson said he would be unlikely to run if the Government lasts the next three years, but would consider running if an election is called in the coming 12 months.

Fianna Fail's Michael O'Shea said he will be seeking his party's nomination to contest the next general election.
Specialist garda and army search teams are combing an isolated south Kerry forest in a bid to finally solve a 25-year-old missing person's case.

Father-of-three Charles Brooke Pickard has been missing since April 1991 when, it is thought, he was kidnapped and murdered by a northern Irish crime gang led by a notorious former INLA terrorist.

On Tuesday morning - after receiving a new lead on the long running cold case - a search team moved onto a small forest site at Ballaghisheen Pass near Dromid.

The scene of the search is just a kilometre from where Mr Pickard's van was found burned out three weeks after his disappearance.

The 20-strong search team will spend the next week combing every inch of the 50 square metre site. While the area is relatively small, the dense undergrowth and rough ground is making the search team's task much more difficult.

Killarney Superintendent Flor Murphy - who is leading the investigation - said gardai remain determined to solve the case and provide some closure to the Pickard Family who have endured 25 years of torment.
Flowers near the spot at Bealkilla, Lixnaw, where Listowel man James Joy lost his life in a crash last week. Photo by Domnick Walsh

A number of witnesses have been interviewed in relation to last Wednesday's crash that claimed the life of Listowel man James 'Jimmy' Joy at Bealkilla, Lixnaw.

Mr Joy, aged in his early sixties, was struck by a truck while walking along the main road at 10.40pm on the night. He was rushed by ambulance to University Hospital Kerry where he passed away in the early hours of Thursday. The driver of the lorry, who is from the area, was not injured in the crash.

A native of Ballygologue Park in the town, Mr Joy was described as having been a very popular man, well known by many in Listowel and beyond.

He is survived by his partner Bernadette O'Neill, daughters Joanne and Jessica, sisters Helen, Lisa, Marion, Kathleen and Patricia and brothers Eddie and Timmy. Gardai carried out a forensic examination of the scene and have interviewed a number of people at or near the scene at the time of the tragedy.
This year's instalment of the ever popular and wonderful Ardfert Harvest Cycle took place early last Saturday morning amid a blaze of colour and sunshine as over 200 cyclists set off from Ardfert National School over one of two routes - a 40k and 75k.

All the funds from this year's third annual year of the cycle, which was officially started by Norrie and Brendan Horgan of Horgan's Centra, will be going towards the school, who are currently fundraising to build a new school hall.

"The sun shone and we were absolutely delighted to welcome over 200 people to our school yard on the morning and we'd fresh scones and everything.

"People arrived early and there was a great atmosphere and great banter amongst everyone there," said Betty Stack, Principal of Ardfert National School.

"There was great colour and atmosphere as they left and all of the local businesses were excellent, they gave us a lot of food on the day and there was a barbeque at the end as well, to cap off a fantastic day," she finished.
Parking charges may be about to rise

Motorists in Kerry could be facing higher parking charges as Kerry County Council attempts to fill a multi million Euro gap in its budget.

At Monday's meeting to set the new Local Property Tax rate for Kerry, KCC Head of Finance Angela McAllen told councillors that the local authority is facing a shortfall of 5.5 million in its budget for 2017.

The shortfall arises from a 3.6m increase in expenditure and a 1.9m reduction in the council's income.

KCC Chief Executive Moira Murrell said that if the authority is to meet the shortfall it will have to look at increasing its revenue streams across the county.

One potential source of income highlighted by Moira Murell was parking charges which she said was an area that the council "have to look at".

Exactly what this means is unclear but potential implications include increased parking charges in towns across the county and possibly the introduction of paid parking in areas where parking was previously free of charge. This could also require the appointment of new traffic wardens to monitor the system.

Fianna Fail Councillor John Joe Culloty warned that any attempt to increase parking charges could work against the council.

"I'd be very wary of trying to get any extra money from car parking, he said, before reiterating: "It could back-fire on us. I'd be very careful, it could be counterproductive".

His stance was backed by Independent Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae who said an increase in parking charges would hit ratepayers' businesses and hence have a knock on effect on the council itself.

"Any changes you bring in to parking will affect the ratepayers and that will hit the rates the council is taking in," said Cllr Healy-Rae.

Fianna Fail Councillor Niall Kelleher said he would welcome a review of parking charges to ensure that there is a level playing field across the county.

Cllr Kelleher said it is not fair on motorists and businesses that, at present, similar areas in different towns have widely varying parking rates.

Council management said that increasing income was vital if the authority is to avoid cutting important services.

In a briefing document for councillors Angela McAllen set out the areas where the council has encountered a fall in income and others where costs have risen significantly.

Major additional costs include the planned purchase of Kerry Technology Park; the Tralee smart travel plan and the redevelopment of the Denny site in the town; increased costs arising from the taking in charge of estates and development of Killorglin Town Centre and the Sara Lee site in Killarney.

Angela McAllen said the council is also facing a significant increase in pension costs particularly due to "anticipated retirements in the Fire Service."

Ms McAllen said that all council departments had seen "significant" cuts to their budgets in recent years.

She said that while these cuts have been offset, where possible, by efficiencies and savings any further cuts will hit council's discretionary and non discretionary expenditure and as a result "will impact on service delivery."
One lucky West Limerick man is still spinning after learning a Lotto ticket he bought in July in Listowel returned a whopping 131,795.

He only realised his good fortune on checking the ticket in the machine last week - it was among three Lotto tickets languishing unchecked in his wallet with a number of weeks.

The man, who wants to remain private, bought the Quick Pick ticket at the Apple Green in Caherdown on July 30 last. He collected the takings on Tuesday.

"I'd three tickets in my wallet and just got around to checking them on the ticket checker the other day. I was surprised when I got the message to contact National Lottery," he told Lottery officers at their HQ.
A Listowel man was warned by a judge that 'he had better' compensate a neighbour he spat at and threatened to kill by the time his case comes again before the district court in his home town on December 1 next.

Stephen Barry, 83 O'Connell's Avenue, Listowel, appeared before Judge James O'Connor at Listowel District Court on Thursday, September 1, last where he pleaded guilty to the assault of next-door neighbour Tony Stack as well as criminal damage on Mr Stack's car.

Gardai told the court that on October 28 of last year the injured party heard banging on his front door at around 3.40pm and went out to see Mr Barry in the front driveway of Mr Stack's house. When Mr Stack asked Mr Barry 'is this the way it's going to be?', Mr Barry threatened to 'kill him and everyone in his house', gardai said.

Mr Barry then spat at Mr Stack in an act witnessed by Mr Stack's wife.

On November 22, Mr Barry caused 363.20 in criminal damage when he threw a trophy at Mr Stack's parked car in an incident captured on CCTV. Solicitor Pat Enright said his client was a changed man after a two to three week period in jail earlier this year on a separate matter.

"He came to the realisation that the course of his life was leading only one way," Mr Enright said.

Mr Enright said the incidents were informed by a long-running dispute 'with this family and the family next door'.

Judge O'Connor warned the defendant that he had better have the injured party compensated for the criminal damage to his car by December 1, also remarking: "Spitting...that aul stuff is nasty".
Kerry County Council has announced Ciara Hyland as the new Filmmaker in Residence, while Maire Holmes will take up the new post as Writer in Residence. Details of the joint appointments were announced last week by KCC.

Ciara Hyland is a documentary director and some of her recent works include 'Diarmuid Lynch - The Forgotten Volunteer', a story for TG4 about the incredible life of the last man out of the GPO in 1916. Ciara also produces and directs documentary segments for Nationwide on RTE and for Duiche on TG4.

Among Ciara's plans is the development of the Kerry Storyscene - a digital storytelling project that opens up and gives access to the community to make their own short documentaries that explore the theme of Kerry 1916 - 2016.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be the new Filmmaker in Residence and I'm thrilled to have been given this opportunity and am so looking forward to working with the people of Kerry," said Ciara.

KCC's Writer in Residence, Maire Holmes, has a lifetime of experience in literature and she is the author of many poetry books and plays. In the past, Maire has been writer in residence in Mayo, Connemara and the Aran Islands.

Maire plans to make a new, one hour radio programme entitled, 'Kerry 1916 - 2016: From Wireless to Wi-Fi' which will be based on the writings produced by the people of Kerry. Maire will also work with people of all ages to cover a wide range of themes: historical, emotional, aesthetical, sporting, creative and spiritual.

"The purpose of creative writing is communication and,more so, fulfilment. A radio programme can share that which springs from the heart of the writer with the heart of the listener," said Maire.
Kerry County Council have voted to keep the local Property Tax Rate in the county unchanged next year.

Under state legislation local authorities are empowered to vary the rate of the tax, upwards or downwards, by 15 per cent.

On Monday councillors gathered at a special meeting to decide on the rate for next year.

KCC Chief Executive Moira Murrell and the council's Head of Finance briefed councillors on the authority's finances ahead of the vote.

They warned councillors that the council is facing a budget shortfall of 5.5 million.

Moira Murrell said that this was "a big gap that we have to bridge."

She warned that if the shortfall could not be addressed key council initiatives - such as road improvements, tourism promotion and job creation - would be impacted.

Angela McAllen said the Property Tax would be worth 13.77 million to the count next year.

Of this 750,000 will go into a dedicated Community Fund which will support small local projects in the Municipal Districts.

This fund was created by Kerry councillors following the introduction of Property Tax in 2013.

Figures provided to the council by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government ahead of the vote outlined the breakdown in Property Tax valuation bands in Kerry.

According to the figures 63.5 per cent of eligible properties in Kerry are valued at 150,000 or less.

Just 1.6 per cent of properties in the county - 1,059 houses - were valued at over 300,000.

Under the current 0.18 per cent rate owners of properties valued at 150,00 or less pay between 90 and 225 a year in tax.

Sinn Fein proposed lowering the local rate by the maximum 15 per cent which the party said would put 2.1 million back into the local economy.

Council Management said that a 15 per cent reduction coupled with the existing 5.5 million shortfall in the council's budget would leave the council with a 7.6 million hole in its budget that would have to be met from other sources.

Councillors voted by a margin of 24 votes to six - with three absentees - in favour of maintaining the tax at its current rate.

A Sinn Fein motion calling for a 15 per cent reduction to the tax was defeated by an identical margin.

Ahead of the vote Sinn Fein Cllr Pat Daly said there was little point having a debate as "The government parties and their lackeys had circled the wagons" and the matter was already decided.

SKIA Cllr Michael Gleeson called on Cllr Daly to withdraw the lackey remark but Cllr Daly refused.

Fianna Fail's Cllr Norma Foley accused Sinn Fein of "playing to the gallery" and "courting popularity."

"They're all talk and then they just sit on their hands," said Cllr Foley.
#Seoul mayor Seoul mayor cuts short visit to Europe after Itaewon stampede Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon arrived back home Sunday after cutting short his trip to Europe in the wake of the deadly crush in Seoul's Itaewon district that killed over 150 people. ...

#parties Ruling, opposition parties vow measures to handle aftermath of Itaewon stampede The ruling and opposition parties held emergency response meetings on Sunday to discuss ways to investigate the cause of a deadly stampede in Seoul's Itaewon district and handle th...
A pensioner ended up in A&E for six hours on Saturday with ankle injuries after being knocked to the ground while trying to avoid two women fighting each other on the street in Tralee.

The woman, who is in her seventies and doesn't wish to be named, described the experience as 'frightening' and a 'sign of the times'.

The incident occurred outside the old Dunnes Stores premises on Bridge Street, Tralee, at around 4.30pm on Saturday. "My daughter and grandchildren were down visiting and we were around town enjoying the busy atmosphere when these two women, aged 18 - 20, started shouting at each other.

"Next thing I knew fists were flying, then legs. I was trying to keep out of the way when one of them pushed the other into me and I went down on my ankle and fell between parked cars and the kerb. I was lucky I didn't hit my head," the woman said.

Passersby came to her aid immediately, helping her off the ground. "It's shocking to think you can't walk the streets in peace and just enjoy the nice atmosphere of our lovely town. It's a sign of the times...the violence that comes out, they just seem to react viciously to things these days."

One of the street fighters did come over and apologise to the pensioner for the trouble caused her, however.
One of the first major positive notes for the economy of west Limerick and north Kerry was sounded on Tuesday with the announcement that US firm Ortec Inc is to create 110 manufacturing jobs at a new plant in Newcastle West.

Hopes of halting the economic decline of the hard-hit rural region have never been higher in recent years, with the news widely welcomed.

The South Carolina-based firm is to establish its European headquarters in Newcastle West in a move set to create 110 highly-skilled engineering and science-based jobs in the region.

Ortech, which makes biomaterial and polymer-based materials for medical devices and pharmaceuticals, is leasing a complex in the town's business park. And it is set to double capacity there in the coming months.

IDA chief and Abbeydorney native Martin Shanahan, who helped deliver the investment, described it as a terrific win for the west Limerick town and the wider region. He said the company's plans to quickly double capacity demonstrated a firm commitment to the region, one that would benefit the local community.
The deadline for applications for the New Ross & District Chamber awards is extended to Thursday, September 15.

The gala awards night takes place on Friday, October 7, at the Brandon House Hotel. This year's awards, which the New Ross Standard are media partners for, will see some category changes and a couple of new categories. The general public will again be asked to vote for the 'New Ross District Person of the Year' category which honours an individual for their outstanding achievements and contributions in their community. Nominations from all voluntary, education and business sectors are welcome. Previous winners include Ann Somers, Sean Reidy, Bettie-Marie Burger-Smit and Brian MacMahon.

For the second year running the 'Employee of the Year Award', which was won by Peggy Kelly in 2015, is also open for nominations. This person can be nominated by both employers and work colleagues. This award is open to local employers and work colleagues to nominate their fellow employee and team member who has made a positive or unique difference to the business over the past 12 months.

Two new categories this year are 'Business Woman of the Year' and 'Sports Club of the Year'. The remaining business award categories are: Attractions and Activities, Community & Social Enterprise, Excellence in Hospitality, New Start-up Business, Professional Development, Small Business of the Year, Excellence in Customer Service and Overall Business of the Year. Entry to the awards is free and is by application form submission only with the exception of the 'Excellence in Customer Service' category. Entering the awards gives your business increased opportunities and the chance to build your profile, providing a morale boost for your business.

Chamber President Niall Bennett said: 'These annual awards highlight and showcase the great businesses, employers, community organisations and people in the area that have worked hard to deliver quality goods and services to us all and are part of making New Ross and district.'

Tickets are still available to purchase at the New Ross & District Chamber office for the gala night.

See the New Ross Chamber website for more details on submitting an application.
The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in Wexford County Council has unveiled its autumn suite of business courses and clinics.

The courses are open to everyone and include everything you need to develop and improve your business, including Facebook for Business, 'greening' your business to save money, and a range of book-keeping courses.

There are half-day courses and multi-part learning programmes on offer as well as one-to-one clinics where an expert will help you with a specific aspect of your business.

Courses are run at different locations around County Wexford ensuring that the LEO's reach stretches to every corner of the county. For example, the LEO's flagship course, their 10-week 'Start Your Own Business' programme runs at business and enterprise centres in each of County Wexford's four municipal districts.

Upskilling and improving the capacity of Wexford's community of entrepreneurs is a key goal for the Local Enterprise Office. Starting a business is a daunting challenge. The work of the Local Enterprise Office with the support of Wexford County Council aims to make that challenge a little easier for the people of Wexford by equipping them with the skills and confidence to run successful home-grown enterprises.

Head of Enterprise at Wexford County Council Tom Banville said: 'At Wexford Local Enterprise Office we offer a modern and diverse selection of courses that are relevant to running a business today.'

Visit www.localenterprise.ie/Wexford to see the full list of courses, workshops, and clinics.
The number of houses being sold in the New Ross district has almost trebled in a five-year period.

Residential Property Price Register documents reveal that property prices have fallen during the period and continue to be at a low base in the district and have not been rising significantly as in other counties.

Between January and July in 2011 59 properties were sold in the greater New Ross district stretching from Clonroche to Adamstown and from Wellingtonbridge to Hook Head, taking in New Ross, Ballycullane, Duncannon, Fethard on Sea, Ballinaboola, Saltmills, Campile, Clonroche, Rathnure and Ramsgrange, among other villages.

In 2015 139 properties were sold during the same period.

In 2011 the average amount paid for a house by a buyer was 143,881 and in 2015 the figure stood at 105,992.

The latest figures show that in the first seven months of 2016 the property boom has continued with 106 properties sold for an average of 125,858 per property. A total of 22 properties were sold in the month of June 2016 alone. The greatest concentration of house buying was in New Ross over the past five years with scores of properties also being bought in the seaside holiday home destinations of Fethard on Sea and Duncannon. Many houses were also bought in Adamstown, Saltmills, Ballycullane and Campile.

The figures show that in 2011 59 properties were bought in the first seven months of the year. In 2012 74 were bought, while in 2013 73 homes were purchased in this period.

The figures increase significantly in 2014 when 108 homes were bought. The number of purchases jumped to 139 in 2015 and in 2016 106 properties were bought.

A total of 206 properties were bought in the period in the years, 2011, 2012 and 2013, compared to 353 houses and apartments bought in the first seven months of 2014, 2015 and 2016. The average paid for houses in the first seven months of 2011 was 143,881. This fell to 104,108 in 2012, 123,510 in 2013, 91,666 in 2014, 105,992 in 2015 and now stands at 125,858. The highest amount paid in a property transaction in the district was 845,500 for ten holiday homes in Hookless village in July 2013. In April 2016 675,000 was spent on a residence in Arthurstown. The least amount paid for a property was 6,000 for a Ballymitty dwelling in early March 2013. Other properties to sell for small sums were 2 John Street, New Ross, which sold for 9,000 in June 2013 and a property at Windmill Lane, New Ross, which sold for 12,213 in April 2014.
Emergency personnel at the scene of the accident which occurred late on Saturday night

A veil of sorrow hangs over the close knit community of Campile today (Tuesday) as they say their final farewell to local man Kieran Whitty.

38-year-old Kieran from Killesk, Campile, died late on Saturday night after the motorcycle he was driving was involved in a collision with a car a short distance past Campile Garda Station.

The very popular father of three was due to celebrate his 39th birthday in a short number of weeks.

Married to Sonya for the past four years the couple were childhood sweethearts and have three children, Dylan (17), Emma (11) and Shane (5). Kieran was very much a Campile man and although he worked around Ireland with his brother John he was always glad to return home to his family.

A sociable man Kieran was very well liked in Campile and the neighbouring parishes and he was always quick to lend a hand to anyone in trouble.

A keen motorbike and rally car enthusiast he enjoyed nothing more than heading off on the open road for a couple of hours.

Kieran also enjoyed a game of darts at the weekend and his accurate aim made him a formidable opponent but a valued team member.

The oldest child of Philip and Mary Whitty Kieran was very close to all his siblings and in particular his brother John as there was only an eleven month age difference between them.

Kieran could always be relied out to help out in a crisis and he was often the first port of call for his siblings when they were faced with a problem.

He was educated first at Ballyhack National School and then at Ramsgrange Community School before working as a steel erector.

He is survived by his heartbroken wife Sonya, children Dylan, Emma and Shane, parents Philip and Mary, brothers John and Philip, sister Deirdre, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.

His remains were reposed at his home yesterday (Monday) and his funeral mass will take place today (Tuesday) at 12 noon in St. James' Church, Horeswood. Burial afterwards in Horeswood Cemetery. The house is private this morning.

Gardai are appealing for anyone with any information about the crash to contact them on 051 426030 or the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111. The road was closed for a number of hours to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision investigators.
An 18-year-old student from Dranagh, St Mullins is recovering after suffering a number of stab wounds in the stomach in Waterford on Wednesday night.

The teenager who was out socialising in Waterford when the incident occurred is a first year agricultural student at Kildalton Agricultural College.

The Dranagh teen was rushed to University Hospital Waterford where he underwent emergency surgery and he is currently recovering from his injuries.

It's understood the incident occurred after a row over queuing broke out on John Street in Waterford city at around 11pm on Wednesday night.

Another teenager, 18-year-old Gavin Walsh from Garryduff, Gowran, Co Kilkenny has been charged with assault causing harm in connection with the incident and the matter was adjourned until October 18.

Walsh was ordered to sign on three times a week at Thomastown Garda Station, to abide by a curfew of 10pm until 8am and directed not to interfere with any witness in the case, particularly the injured party.

He must also reside at his address and supply gardai with a phone number, with the phone to be charged at all times.

He was ordered to stay out of Waterford with the exception of attending legal or medical appointments.
The New Ross Standard hosted a community event in Ballinaboola on Friday morning aimed at strengthening the relationship between the local newspaper and the community it serves.

Community workers, businesspeople and tourism operators from the surrounding areas attended the gathering at the Horse & Hound hotel.

It was the second event of its kind organised by INM Regionals which publishes the New Ross Standard, along with the Wexford People, Enniscorthy and Gorey Guardian titles and papers across the country.

Staff from across the advertising, editorial and marketing departments were in attendance, while Michael Ryan, Managing Director of INM Regionals - East, spoke about the unique role a local newspaper plays in a community and how it is the key source for keeping people connected with and informed about what is happening in their area.

He said that local newspapers such as the New Ross Standard were the single point of reference for people every week as local newspapers are the only place people can get all their local information together in one package. No other medium can offer this.

Mr Ryan said: 'In this social media age when everything is available instantly, the local newspaper has a hugely important role to play in the community, whether it is for photographic coverage of important family events like confirmations and sporting events or in-depth reporting of local events.'

He also spoke about the enduring power of the printed product and that while instant information comes and goes, the printed product lasts, alluding to how people cut out snippets and photographs from their local newspaper from special family events and keep them for decades.

Since 1880 the New Ross Standard has been the key local source of information and through 136 years of publications has provided unrivalled coverage of the area. Those 136 years of newspapers now offer a priceless insight into the history of the area.

Mr Ryan thanked the people of the district for supporting the New Ross Standard, adding that the more support it receives the better able it is to cover events throughout the area. He said the New Ross Standard team were delighted to be in a position to host the event and meet people face-to-face which he was sure would cement the bonds between the community and the newspaper.

Everyone enjoyed refreshments afterwards and spoke with the New Ross Standard staff on local issues and about the role the newspaper plays within the community.

People perused copies of pages from the New Ross Standard from different eras stretching back to the 1800s, enjoying the window they provided into the world local people inhabited during those years.
Tad Devine, chief strategist for Bernie Sanders; US Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin O'Malley, former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Kevin Cullen, columnist, Boston Globe on the Dunbrody Famine Ship

There was a great reaction to this year's Kennedy Summer School which took place over the weekend.

The organisers said they were delighted with the level of interest, engagement and the visitor numbers to the school's events over the weekend.

Some 12 events took place with experts in politics, media, global academics, key political figures and dignitaries all taking part in panel discussions and keynote talks on a variety of topics under the theme 'Irish and American, History, Politics and Culture'.

The 2016 Kennedy Summer School was officially opened by Kevin F. O'Malley, the United States Ambassador to Ireland.

He said it was 'a privilege to be here in New Ross and officially open the Kennedy Summer School 2016, named in honour of our 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. It is quite remarkable to think that 53 years after President Kennedy stood on the Quay here in New Ross we are still coming together in his name. It is a testament to his legacy. There are few Presidents who could lay claim to leaving such an illustrious imprint on the world, but then there were few Presidents like Kennedy.'

He paid testament to the festival organiser's and Wexford County Council in creating another wonderful program of events for the Kennedy Summer School. The Ambassador also announced with delight that the first O'Malley to be born in Ireland in over 100 years was born to his son and daughter-in-law at The Rotunda Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day the Ambassador unveiled a plaque to the great actor James O'Neill and father of Nobel Prize winning playwright Eugene O'Neill on the Quayside of New Ross. James O'Neill departed Ireland from the New Ross Quayside aboard the ship 'India' bound for the 'New World' in 1851. The Ambassador also visited the Emigrant Flame on the New Ross Quayside where he lay a wreath remembering all of those who have departed these shores.

On Friday morning some 400 students gathered for a morning focusing on mental health with talks from Dr. Tony Bates CEO of Jigsaw, Sorcha O'Neill from See Change and journalist and author Charlie Bird at the same time the RTE Radio 1 Sean O'Rouke Show broadcast live from the Dunbrody Visitor Centre interviewing some of the key participants on the Kennedy Summer School Programme and also some well known Wexfordians.

In the afternoon celebrity chef Edward Hayden and Odlums baker Catherine Leyden hosted an entertaining tea party in Dunganstown.

On Friday evening Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan sat for an in-depth interview on stage with Noel Whelan and had the full house audience in the palm of her hand. She spoke of her journey through the force, joining at 21 years old and working her way up through the ranks and her coming to the role as acting Commissioner suddenly followed by her official application and the awarding of the position, she discuss the worst days on the job and the loss of Garda lives and the best days for her are Garda College graduation days. It was put to her that if she were to go back in time to the day of her 21-year-old self walking into Templemore, what would she advise her young self,to which she replied 'believe in yourself'.

Speaking on the changes within An Garda Siochanna Noirin O'Sullivan said times have changed in the gardai and she is fully supportive of a culture in which members can air any problems or issues they have without fear of reproach. She said that she is fully supportive of openness and has written to each member of the force reaffirming this.

The former Governor of Maryland and Democratic presidential contender, Martin O'Malley, delivered the keynote address at the Edward M Kennedy lecture.

He focused on the topic of John Devoy, the Irish rebel leader who was the owner and editor of the Gaelic American, a New York weekly newspaper.

Minister for Justice Francis Fitzgerald said: 'Devoy was the only leading Fenian who lived to see Irish independence become a reality.'

She also spoke of migration and a creeping anti globalisation sentiment which is gaining traction.

On Saturday morning Ronan King of DCU, David Woolner of Bard College and Dr. Robert Mauro of Boston College hosted the first session on American politics and later in the afternoon the first session on Irish politics took place with debates on budget, Brexit and better politics being chaired by RTE's Katie Hannon. There was also an address from Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe followed by a panel discussion with Sinn Fein TD Eoin O'Broin, Fianna Fail TD and Chair of the Dail Finance Committee John McGuinness and Independent Senator Lynn Ruane.

The second U.S. politics session took place on Saturday afternoon with insights on the current U.S. election offered by columnist with the Boston Globe, Kevin Cullen, Colin Crowell, Vice President Global Public Policy & Philanthropy at Twitter, Larry Donnelly, political commentator and law lecturer at NUI Galway, Stacy Hillard and Tad Devine, Chair of American Voices International and Chief Strategist with the Bernie Sanders 2016 Presidential campaign.

The Kennedy Summer School closed with a special screening of the Oscar's 2016 Best Picture 'Spotlight' telling riveting true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation into clerical sexual abuse in the Catholic dioceses.

The screening was followed by an intense and at times moving panel discussion with Colm O'Gorman, Executive Director at Amnesty International Ireland, Tom Mooney, editor of the Wexford Echo and Kevin Cullen, columnist with the Boston Globe.

Director of the Summer School Noel Whelan said they were thrilled with success of the weekend.

'We are delighted that the Summer School went so well and generated so much national, international and local attention profiling New Ross town. The summer school is going from strength to strength and we will soon begin plans to do it all again in an even bigger and better capacity next September.'
US Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O'Malley talking to Lake Region employee Matthew Pexa from Minnesota (right) along with Jim O'Neill of Lake Region

US Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O'Malley, William Kielthy, former chairman of the JFK Trust, Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland and former RTE news presenter Anne Doyle

US Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O'Malley at the civic reception in his honour at the Tholsel

Former Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley meeting relatives of his wife from The Rower, Mairead McDonald and Susan Carthy

The Kennedy Summer School was launched by US Ambassador Kevin O'Malley in front of a crowd of around 300 people at St Michael's Theatre on Thursday night.

Anne Doyle addressed the crowd, describing how she was named as an ambassador for County Wexford as part of a scheme initiated by Wexford County Council. She said another former ambassador Billy Walsh was sorely missed in the 'rumble in Rio'.

'America's gain has been Ireland's loss.'

She described the fantastic atmosphere in New Ross when the JFK50 event took place in 2013. Ms Doyle recalled seeing the late President John F Kennedy in Wexford in 1963 and the impact it had on her, coming from a rural background.

'You can imagine for a country youngster to realise that you are standing so very close to the most powerful and handsome man in the world!'

Mr O'Malley said it was a privilege to be in New Ross. He said: 'The purpose of the few days here is a noble one - to get people from across Irish and American society together to discuss the current state of politics, see what new and exciting ways our cultural institutions can engage in a more meaningful way and reflect on our shared history, especially in this year of 2016, the centenary of the 1916 Rising.'

He recalled how it is only three years since New Ross welcomed home President Kennedy's daughter Caroline Kennedy, her husband Edwin, her children Jack, Tatiana and Rose, and over 40 members of the extended Kennedy family, including a predecessor of his, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith.

'Their visit included the lighting of the Emigrant Flame, that came from the President's grave in Arlington Cemetery, which I saw earlier today. Their trip, the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's, sparked the idea for this summer school. I myself was given a wonderful New Ross welcome this afternoon as I visited the places President Kennedy did when he was here, and I thank the people of New Ross and Wexford County Council for that.'

He recalled President Kennedy's visit to New Ross in 1963, relaying a story of how paint had to be sourced from Dublin as so many shop fronts were painted for the visit.

'It is quite remarkable to think that 53 years after President Kennedy stood on the quay here in New Ross we are still coming together in his name.'

He praised the work of the festival organisers, Director Noel Whelan, Chief Executive Tom Enright and Director of Services Eamonn Hore, adding that they picked a perfect year for discussing American politics.

Festival Director Noel Whelan said the summer school has been organised over the past six months.

He thanked Wexford County Council, Eamonn Hore, Sinead Casey, Sean Connick and Willie Kielthy for their work on this year's festival.

'We took a break from the summer school last year. It's a lot of work putting it together.'

Dr Richard Hayes, Head of the School of Humanities at Waterford Institute of Technology, spoke about the strong connections Nobel Prize winning American playwright Eugene O'Neill has to the New Ross and South Kilkenny areas.

He outlined how O'Neill's father James left New Ross as a child and went on to become one of the greatest stars of the stage in America playing the part of the Count of Monte Cristo. He spoke of the impact being an Irish emigrant in America had on the writing of Eugene O'Neill.

Professor Robert M Dowling, Professor at Central Connecticut State University, gave a fascinating acount of O'Neill's life and work, outlining how from a stage in an old 'fish hut' building in Provincetown, Massachusetts, went on to become regarded as the Shakespeare of American theatre.

Actors from a theatre course at Waterford Institute of Technology performed an excerpt from O'Neill's play Fog.

A lengthy performance by comedian Paddy Cullivan followed in which he outlined 'The 10 Dark Secrets of 1916'.
The inaugural Tractor Run for Cancer Care West took part in Culfadda on Sunday. There was good support from the local community, with 78 tractors in total doing the run.

They ranged from a small Zetor, a couple of well restored David Browns and Massey Fergusons to the big Lamborginis, Fords and others. Events to keep the children entertained included a bouncy green dragon, face painting and a couple of owls from Eagles Flying in Ballymote. There was also a fun mini Digger Driver competition where the volunteers - both male and female had to show off their skills in a couple of tests.

These tests included lifting oil-cans and placing them in old tyres and knocking well- placed balls off traffic cones. Spectators were definitely enjoying this light-hearted contest. Members of the Wedges Motor Cycle club [named in honor of the late Noel Dwyers' nick-name] led the tractors off and acted as traffic control and marshals. The route was Culfadda - Keash - Ballymote - Gurteen and back. After they all returned there was an auction in Higgins Lounge.
The absence of Collooney and Ballisodare from a draft Flood Risk Management Plan for Sligo caused some concern at this month's Council meeting.

OPW Project Manager Clare Butler was given the feedback after her presentation to the Council on the draft plan so far. Sligo Town, Ballisodare, Collooney, Coolaney, Ballymote, Riverstown and Gurteen were studied but options were only proposed for Rathbraughan in Sligo Town and Coolaney.

The OPW is proposing to build a storage embankment at Rathbraughan and a flood embankment to prevent flooding in Coolaney.

"I'm concerned that there's no mention of Collooney and Ballisodare where the Owenmore River bursts its banks in this plan," said Cllr Thomas Healy. "It's years we've been asking for work to be done to address that. I was very disappointed at the last consulation that Collooney wasn't event mentioned. I requested that the Minister and MEPs would look for funding -if the Owenmore River is drained it would solve problems further up. Older people know the river better than any of us but they're not being listened to," he told Ms Butler.

Cllr Healy was supported by Cllrs Dara Mulvey. Keith Henry, Paul Taylor, Margaret Gormley and Marie Casserly.

In response Ms Butler said that Collooney and Ballisodare "have been studied" and that the OPW had built hydrolic models and produced flooding maps. "We now have the technical information to look into the matter further,"she said.

She said the Owenmore River was in a Drainage District, which fell under the remit of the Council. "The OPW is happy to continue to work with Sligo County Council to deal with it," she said. Members of the public can make submissions on the draft over the next ten weeks.

The Flood Risk plans can be viewed at www.opw.ie/floodplans.
Several large photos of sewage on Streedagh beach were held up by Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady to prove her point about environmental damage to our local beaches.

"In so far as Irish Water have a duty of care, I'm wondering what's our duty from an environmental impact point of view," she said.

"It's sinful that in 2016 we still have pictures of that on the beach," she said.

Tenders have been received for the contract to design and build upgrades to Grange, Strandhill, Tubbercurry and Ballinafad water treatment plants.

Councillors were told that Irish Water is now reviewing the tenders and will be in a position to sign a contractor in January 2017.

Councillors Marie Casserly and Rosaleen O'Grady had sought updates on their progress.

Irish Water told the Council that they carry out scheduled de-sludging of its wastewater facilities "on a periodic basis" and all sludge was taken to Sligo Main Drainage Sludge Treatment Centre. Cllr Tom MacSharry urged the Council to call on Irish Water to deal with the bad smell emanating from the Grange treatment plant.

Director of Services Tom Kilfeather said the plant had "noticeable odours over the recent dry spell." He said the plant was desludged twice a month, most recently on August 17th. Work on the new plant is expected to begin towards the end of March next year.

"It's fair to say there were strong differences of opinion between Irish Water and our staff. We have a responsibility towards public health. We had to report the smell to the Environmental Protection Agency," said Mr Kilfeather.

Cllr Seamus Kilgannon asked the Council to de-sludge Mullaghmore septic tank on a regular basis each summer to avoid future contamination. Irish Water agreed to do so.
IT Sligo has agreed to collaborate with Sligo County Council to reverse the trend of population decline highlighted in Census 2016.

The preliminary figures revealed no growth in Sligo since 2011. Councillor Seamus Kilgannon asked the Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes to assure the members that every effort would be made by the officials and councillors to reverse the trend.

Mr Hayes said that on its own the Census trend was serious but taken in conjunction with Brexit it was "even more stark".

He told the meeting he contacted his counterparts in Donegal, Mayo and Leitrim to see what they could do as a region and also got IT Sligo on board.

Mr Hayes said the ITs in Donegal, Sligo and Galway/Mayo are going to analyse the Census data and identify competencies, follow their graduates to see whether they were employed locally or emigrated and try to identify the strengths of the region.

"We have fibre optic coming to Mayo from Iceland and on to France, we have the Natural Gas at Corrib, and we have the Connacht/Ulster alliance of three ITs to form a technical University he said. The Chief Executive said it was also a goal to be able to travel from Sligo to Knock airport in 30 minutes.

"It must become an issue at national level so that the issues thrown up by Census 2016 are addressed," he said, adding once more that he didn't think the current Financial Plan agreed with the Department of the Environment was "fit for purpose."

Cllr Seamus Kilgannon said that it was the first time since the Famine that the Census had showed a decline in Sligo's population.

"I'm delighted to hear there's something being don about it. Vincent Cunnane said we were too quiet and put up with too much. All of us, all the political parties have to hang our heads in shame for not getting the jobs for Sligo. We're sending TDs to Dublin and I don't see any Private Members Bills on it," he told the meeting.

Cllr Keith Henry said the Census was a cause for concern. Cllr Tom MacSharry urged people to shop local in the run up to Christmas.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Hubert Keaney said it was up to the Council members to prevent further population decline by speaking with "one voice."
Cranmore, Sligo, where the local community is eager to press ahead with an ambitious regeneration project

Twelve years since it was initiated, a plan to address disadvantage and regenerate Cranmore has finally been adopted by the Council.

The 'Sligo East City Cranmore and Environs Regeneration Masterplan' evolved over the years through research, discussions and exhaustive consultations with agencies and the local community.

In presenting the plan to members at this months' meeting, Director of Services Bartley Gavin said "Some people say that more should be visible in that time. The plan will be much the better for all the time it's taken for its implementation," he said, adding that it took a period of time to "build up trust."

Councillor Sean MacManus paid tribute to former councillor Chris MacManus who first mooted it in 2001. "Sometimes people don't see the pace as fast enough bit it was a process of bringing the community on side. The vast majority of people are supportive of it," he said.

His proposal to include a clause ensuring the mandatory hiring of the long-term unemployed and apprentices from Cranmore was passed.

Acting Senior Executive Architect Marian O'Callaghan told members that their challenge lay in getting all the agencies involved to work together to a single set of objectives, as well as securing funding.

Their vision is to make Cranmore a more attractive place to live, learn and visit.

Ms O'Callaghan said Cranmore used to be hard to let to prospective tenants but now "there's big demand."

Council Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes said it was now up to the Council to "get on and work with the plan for the benefit of the community."

Cllr Declan Bree raised concerns about Joe McDonnell Drive, which Mr Hayes reassured him was 'not fait accompli'. Cathaoirleach Cllr Hubert Keaney thanked all involved and the plan was adopted.
Cllr Sinead Maguire told the meeting that she's hoping to roll out the popular Strandhill 'Bag and Bin' system across the county. Each bin unit costs 1,400: "It's fireproof and you can't add other rubbish to it. It's expensive but very effective," she said.

Cllr Paul Taylor welcomed the news. "There are plenty of groups in towns and villages that would work hard to get this working," he said.

The promenade in Rosses Point has become a "black spot" for dog fouling, according to Councillor Tom MacSharry.

He was seeking grant aid from Central Government for a 'Bag and Bin' dispenser system to be introduced in Rosses Point, similar to that recently introduced in Strandhill.

Council Director of Services Tom Kilfeather told Cllr MacSharry that while no grant aid was available from Central Government, any Voluntary/Community Group in Rosses Point could apply for funding from the 2017 Anti-Litter and Anti-Graffiti Grant Scheme.
A mother who had allowed her four children to swim at Strandhill is one of the latest people to claim they didn't see any prohibiting bathing signs on their way down to the beach.

That's according to Councillor Rosaleen O'Grady who told the meeting that she had never seen as many people in bathing there as she had this year.

"I saw a woman whose four children, aged 5-9 years were in the water. When I told her about it being prohibited, she said she didn't see signage," said Cllr O'Grady.

She added that the woman suggested that if the signs were at eye-level she might have seen them. "I suppose she might have had a point. Signage could be put at the slip-way. I have a huge concern, people don't seem to be heeding," she said.

Director of Services Tom Kilfeather told members that new signs had been installed at either end of the beach after consulting with the RNLI. He also said that Irish Water Safety were currently carrying out a risk assessment on Strandhill beach. "The appropriateness level of signage and their location will be considered in that review," he said.

Cllr O'Grady said that a risk assessment was "the way forward". "Whatever is wrong, people are using it for bathing more and more. As people enter the water via the slipway, if there was something there at eye-level it might help," she said.

Cathaoirleach of the County Council Cllr Hubert Keaney said it was The Sligo Champion's recent coverage of the issue that drew his attention to the matter.

"To see people swimming there the same week as five people drowned in the UK...I was horrified because there were young children in the photo," he said.

Cllr Sean MacManus said that he also spoke to people who didn't see the signs. "There's a school of thought out there that there were too many signs. What Cllr O'Grady says about signs at eye-level makes a lot of sense," he added.
A 32-year-old man charged with robbing a woman of her handbag will be tried in the Circut Court.

At Sligo District Court last Thursday, Inspector Paul Kilcoyne said the DPP had directed that Geoffrey McManus of Langan Drive, Cranmore be tried on indictment in the Circuit Court.

Judge Kevin Kilrane granted an adjournment of four weeks to allow for the preparation of a book of evidence.

McManus is charged with robbing the woman of her handbag containing a purse with 70 in cash at Market Street on March 11th last.

The court was told that while the defendant was in custody on other matters, he was on bail on this one.

Defending solicitor, Mr Gerard McGovern, said the defendant was originally charged with the offence since last March and he was anxious that the book of evidence be served as soon as possible.

Mr McGovern said that in the circumstances there was no point being on bail and he asked the court to revoke it.

Inspector Paul Kilcoyne said there should be no reason for any delay in the preparation of the book of evidence.

Bail was revoked and McManus was remanded to Harristown District Court on September 16th.
Gardai and firemen at the scene of the fire at Connaughton Road last week where Denis McGinleys caravan was destroyed in a blaze

A father of seven facing charges arising out of last week's blaze at a car park in the centre of Sligo which destroyed his caravan has been told by a Judge he cannot return there with his family over safety concerns.

It's a condition of Denis McGinley's bail that he live elsewhere other than at Connaughton Road Car Park where his caravan was burned last week.

McGinely (31) is charged with assaulting fire officer, Martin McCaffrey and with damaging the window of a fire engine and the panel of another on September 1st last.

He is also charged with being intoxicated and with engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour on the occasion.

McGinley told the court he could live with his mother in her caravan at the site where his two sister's also lived.

Inspector Paul Kilcoyne said this sound a bit overcrowded.

Judge Kevin Kilrane noted this would be 12 people but the defendant said they would only be eating in his mother's caravan. That's where the cooking was done.

In reply to the Judge, the defendant said his caravan was about 19 or 20 feet long.

There were about six caravans in the car park.

Inspector Kilcoyne said it would be alleged that the defendant damaged fire engines called to put out a fire at his caravan including breaking the window of one.

Judge Kilrane said it sounded grossly unsafe to have 12 people in a caravan.

Ms Laura Spellman, solicitor (defending) said some caravans were used for sleeping in and others for cooking.

McGinley said his wife and seven children would be living in a spare caravan at the car park.

Judge Kilrane said there had been a shocking tragedy in the recent past in Dublin and it would be grossly unsafe in his opinion to allow the defendant return to the car park with his family.

"I won't alter the bail at this time," said the Judge.

The defendant asked what if he got a bigger caravan. The Judge said the situation must be highly dangerous.

"You must live where you now live," he told the defendant, adjourning the case.
A 22-year-old man has been sent to jail for four months after he admitted stealing a trailer from a field.

In imposing the jail term, Judge Kevin Kilrane said such thefts were endemic in the country.

"Anyone who steals agricultural machinery deserves nothing but imprisonment," he told the defendant, Kyle Jinks, of The Woodlands, Ballytivnan at Sligo District Court.

Jinks had pleaded guilty to stealing the single axle car trailer valued at 120 from Cregg, Rosses Point on April 11th last.

He also admitted possessing a bolt cutters found in his car when he was stopped by Gardai at Union.

He was also charged with dangerous driving at Ballygawley and no insurance or a licence.

Inspector Paul Kilcoyne said that Gardai were on patrol on the Sligo to Collooney dual carriageway at 11pm when they saw a car towing a trailer which didn't have any lights.

The driver was signalled to stop but he didn't and took off at excessive speed in the direction of Collooney.

The driver went in the direction of Ballygawley and on several occasions crossed the centre white line. Road conditions were very wet at the time.

The pursuit lasted eight kilometres before the driver stopped at Union, said the Inspector.

The driver, Jinks was on his own. The car was subsequently seized as there was no insurance in place. A bolt cutters was found in the rear of the car.

The next day a man in Rosses Point reported to Gardai that a trailer had been stolen from his lands.

The defendant had previous convictions for no insurance or licence and with failing to remain at the scene of an accident.

Mr Mark Mullaney, solicitor (defending) acknowledged the defendant had a bad record with regard to driving.

"He panicked on the night and it was fairly self evident why he did what he did.

"He eventually saw sense however and pulled over for the Gardai," said Mr Mullaney.

He pleaded that the death of the defendant's grandmother some months previously had a profound affect on him and he went off the rails, falling in with "a bad crowd who led him astray."

Jinks had stated that this was all behind him now.

In reply to Judge Kilrane, Inspector Kilcoyne said the trailer had been stored on lands at Rosses Point with the field being secured with a gate which was padlocked.

It was this lock which was taken off with the bolt cutters.

Judge Kilrane asked Mr Mullaney why he shouldn't jail the defendant for 12 months.

He had gone out with maliceaforethought and when the Gardai tried to stop him through good police work he took off.

He didn't have insurance or a licence and he was towing a stolen trailer.

The Judge added that the incident showed the importance of Garda patrolling.

Mr Mullaney said he accepted it was a bad case and it was a very good Garda detection.

It showed the need for patrolling the countryside on a regular basis.

Mr Mullaney stressed that the defendant had pleaded guilty and did not have any previous convictions for theft.

Judge Kilrane said the defedant set out without insurance or a licence with a previous ban just up to steal something.

"I accept the trailer was not of great value but anyone who steals agricultural machinery deserves nothing but imprisonment," said Judge Kilrane.

He imposed a four month jail term and also banned the defendant from driving for four years.

Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal to the Circuit Court.
A 24-year-old man who admitted a charge of having cocaine for sale or supply after 800 worth of the drug was found in his wardrobe has been ordered to pay 500 to a charity and had his case adjourned for a year.

At Sligo District Court last Thursday, Dylan Codd, Farnaharpy, Skreen admitted having the drug at a house at Rusheen Ard, Caltragh on November 27th last.

Sergeant John Walsh said Gardai searched the house and found 800 worth of cocaine in deals in a wardrobe. Codd was subsequently arrested.

He had four previous convictions under the Road Traffic Act.

Mr Gerard McGovern, solicitor (defending), said the defendant had recently returned to Ireland having had to go to Australia during the Recession here.

In reply to Mr McGovern, Sgt Walsh said he believed this to be a once-off for the defendant who was a hard worker. He hadn't been in any trouble in Australia and hadn't come to Garda notice since his return.

Mr McGovern pleaded that the defendant had his own company but it suffered in the downturn. It was his intention to return to Australia where he had done quite well.

Mr McGovern said it had been a four bedroom house and the defendant was sharing it with others.

"Unfortunately, like a lot of young men he sampled drugs. I don't know why," said Mr McGovern.

Judge Kevin Kilrane adjourned the case to September 7th 2017 for payment of 500 to a charity and said the matter would be struck out then if there was nothing further.
The group of children who climbed the Sugarloaf, dressed as their favourite superheroes, in memory of the late Ben Farrell (5)

A Kilpedder boy and his friends took to the Sugarloaf recently, in memory of the late Ben Farrell, otherwise known as Batman Ben.

Sadly, Ben (5) passed away recently following a battle with cancer.

Ciaran McGann (12) and his friends had planned the super-hike prior to Ben's death, in order to help fundraising efforts for the Dublin youngster.

After the sad news, they decided to proceed with the walk in his honour and are asking people to text Cancer to 50300 to donate 4 to the Irish Cancer Society.

Ciaran's mother Sharon said that they don't know how much this particular endeavour will have raised for the cause as they don't handle the money themselves. The young people reached the summit of the Sugarloaf, dressed as their favourite superheroes and villains.

They tackled the climb magnificently, facing some unpleasant weather during their endeavour.

They were inspired by Ben's story and the bravery he showed in the face of cancer.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Andrew Doyle T.D, recently returned from a two day agri-food trade mission to Vietnam.

This followed a high-level Ireland-Vietnam conference on agri-food collaboration and the Minister undertook a number of high-profile local events in Hanoi this morning to publicise Ireland's agri-food and fisheries sectors.

Earlier in the day the Minister hosted a Bord Bia-organised event for Irish meat industry representatives who are participating on the trade mission which focussed on deepening Irish business understanding of the local Vietnamese market.

Minister Doyle also had an opportunity to visit a rural development project funded by the Irish Government.

While Vietnam has a fast-growing economy, there are also areas for improvement particularly in rural isolated areas and amongst ethnic minority communities.

Amongst the development agencies and donors in Vietnam, Ireland's strong reputation for influencing policy and designing programmes to address poverty, is well recognised.

During his visit Minister Doyle commented, 'Vietnam's development achievements over the last 25 years, particularly on food security, are remarkable. Over this period, the lives of the Vietnamese people have changed dramatically.

'We have seen economic growth averaging nearly seven per cent, which enabled Vietnam, one of the world's poorest countries in the 1980s, to leapfrog to lower middle-income status in a single generation.

'However, while solid progress is being made, Vietnam continues to need outside assistance especially to address issues of poverty and marginalisation. Ireland, through our bi-lateral aid programme, is part of the international effort that continues to support Vietnam on its journey to a modern, industrialised, and democratic country underpinned by inclusive and sustainable growth for all.'

Minister Doyle also visited Nuoc Duc Village, where a number of community based projects are funded by Irish Aid.
A German man who was fostered by a Baltinglass family in 1947 returned to his 'second home' this week, accompanied by the son of the couple who took him in.

Gottfried Block (77) decided to reconnect with his past and the town he was so fond of after more than 60 years.

Gottfried was accompanied by Baltinglass native Patrick Sheridan, whose parents Bernard and Maureen fostered him from Glencree at the age of eight.

'I had spent six months in Glencree and then I was fostered by the Sheridan family in Baltinglass and I went to school there for two years. I have very happy memories of the town and the people and I consider it my second home,' Gottfried said.
Minister Simon Harris getting his health checked in the Irish Heart Foundation mobile health unit on Friday

Minister for Health Simon Harris was present at The Hub Community Shop and Cafe in Kiltegan on Friday as part of the Irish Heart Foundation's Healthy Heart Day.

The Hub Community Shop and Cafe hosted the Irish Heart Foundation's Mobile Health Unit from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the day for blood pressure checks and was also part of the route of the Big Blue Box Volunteer Challenge sponsored cycle in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation, which passed through Kiltegan that afternoon on its way from Wicklow to the finish point in the Bank of Ireland in Baltinglass.

Minister Harris offered his support for The Hub's health initiative.

'I am happy to be here today to support the promotion of healthy heart awareness within the local community. Given the well-known link between cardiac disease and lifestyle choices, I welcome events like today's which are fun and creative ways of encouraging people to eat healthily and get more exercise.'

His visit also allowed The Hub Committee to showcase their inspiring community run cafe and shop.

Chairperson of the Hub Conor O'Leary thanked the Minister for taking the time to visit and spoke of the pride everyone associated with the project has at its continued success.

'We are particularly proud of what the Hub represents. The community has been reinvigorated since the Hub opened in March 2015 as it has met a real need in the community not only for the daily basics but also provided an amazing social outlet.'

The Hub is open six mornings a week from 9a.m. to 12.30p.m., with extended lunchtime opening on Thursday and Friday. It also offers a special Saturday breakfast menu.

The cafe places a special emphasis on local produce including organics eggs, local honey, and quality home baking whilst also providing an opportunity to order daily or weekly newspapers and magazines plus other groceries from Gillespie's SuperValu in Baltinglass.

It also provides a space for local activities including a weekly chess club and has hosted a Quilting class with support from the Community Education Service of KWETB.
Irish comedian Joanne McNally has opened up about her struggle with Anorexia and Bulimia which haunted her life for years in her twenties.

The Republic of Telly star has spoken about her battle with mental illness ahead of her play, Bite Me, which debuts at Tiger Fringe Festival later this month.

I was always weird with weight, Joanne told The Stars Chic magazine.

I thought being thin equalled success, that it was the be all and end all of life.

Bulima was my way of coping with the world. I dealt with things by purging, but it got to the point where I was being sick all day every day.

I was very underweight, I looked like death but I thought I looked great. I thought I had more weight to lose.

Joanne (32) revealed that after battling with her mental health for years, a night out with friends shone some clarity on just how ill she was.

The point I realised something must be wrong was when I went on a night out and one of the girls burst out crying when she saw me because I was so thin, I looked horrific. I thought, if shes taking this so seriously, why arent I?

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I had to move back home and it was terrible. I stole my mans credit cards to buy food and Id lie to anyone. I didnt come to work for three days straight and I told them my brother had an affair and his wife had left him and taken the kids. I didnt care if they believed me or not, and there was no one I wouldnt throw under the bus, she said.

After encouragement from her friends and family, Joanne began to seek the treatment she needed and began the long process of getting well.

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I left work and went into full-time treatment and that is how I actually came into comedy. I do think the change in career and being able to perform gave me a bigger impetus to recover, she said.

The comedian has written a play about her experiences, Bite Me, which will debut at Tiger Fringe Festival later this month.

I was worried that other people wouldnt find the show funny but I did a short 10 minute performance and it went really well.

For so long I was ashamed and embarrassed, I thought I was flawed, vain and insecure. Now I dont think about that anymore. I had a mental illness and I came out the other side, she said.

For information and support on Anorexia Nervosa or other eating disorders visit www.seechange.ie or www.bodywhys.ie or call the Irish Helpline on: 1890 200 444
Participants in fancy dress stop to take a selfie by City Hall, London, during The Great Gorilla Run.

Runners donned full black gorilla suits as they took to the streets of London to raise money for charity.

Around 500 fancy dress-clad participants took on The Great Gorilla Run, now in its thirteenth year, which sees entrants tackle a five-mile (eight-km) course around the capital.

Money raised from the event helps fund the Gorilla Organization's work in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It has so far generated 2.4 million for gorilla conservation projects.

Jillian Miller, Gorilla Organization executive director, said: "As always, it's a real joy to see so many people coming together for gorillas, putting their suits on, dressing up and having a great time running, walking and jumping through the streets of London.

"But we have to remember that there is a serious message beneath the fun."

She added: " Events like The Great Gorilla Run help provide valuable support for frontline ranger patrols within the gorilla habitat, while also funding projects aimed at addressing the long-term threats such as habitat loss and poaching."
Hes been one of the most polarizing politicians in Europe in recent years, and now Nigel Farage has stepped down (again) as leader of the UK Independence Party.

After holding his last speech as party leader in Bournemouth, let take a look at some of Farages most controversial moments over his career.

1. Paddy Power advert

For the 2014 Ryder Cup, Paddy Power pulled off one of its usual advertising stunts by having Farage star in an ad backing the European team. The ad opens with Farage declaring he loves Europe, followed by him defending himself with an honest No, I do!.

A different take for the EUs biggest critic.

2. Breaking Point

It was one of the Brexit campaigns most infamous moments, when Farage stood in front of a poster declaring Breaking Point. The poster showed queues of migrants, and you were lead to believe theyre entering the EU. Legal action was taken against the poster, with the official Leave campaign distancing themselves from it.

3. NHS claim was a 'mistake'

The morning after the Brexit vote, Farage appeared on ITVs Good Morning Britain and admitted that the claim of saving 350 million a week by leaving the EU and spending it on the NHS was a mistake.

It was one of the biggest issues of the campaign, and host Susanna Reid wasnt too happy with Farages admission.

4. Breastfeeding in public

After Claridges hotel in London asked a breastfeeding mother to cover up, Farage said maybe she shouldve sat in the corner, causing a spokesman for the Prime Minister to say it was total unacceptable for mothers to be made feel uncomfortable in public.

5. Wanting his life back

The fallout from the Brexit result saw huge political change in Britain, with many of the lead Leave campaigners quickly trying to get out of the spotlight.

Farage was one of those, but he did so a little more controversially by claiming that he wanted his life back in his speech where he resigned as UKIP leader. This led to a vicious backlash on social media, with many people upset over his role in taking the UK out of the EU and then shying away from the responsibilities.

6. Skinny dipping

Even when hes gone as UKIP leader, Farage still makes big news.

After a few drinks at last nights party conference in Bournemouth, Farage and some fellow conference attendees went skinny dipping in the sea, leaving one last hurrah in his wake.
A transgender soldier has become the first woman to serve on the frontline for the British army.

Twenty-four-year old Chloe Allen, who originally joined the army in 2012 as a man named Ben, was allowed remain in the Scots Guard after telling her commanding officers that she had begun hormone therapy.

Then Prime Minister David Cameron made rule changes in July that now lets women serve in combat roles and frontline positions.

Ms Allen said in an interview how she felt frustrated over her gender so decided to learn to control it.

She also admitted that she was caught by her colleagues cross-dressing, which prompted her to come clear about her wishes to change her gender.

British army commander Sir James Everard has supported Allen, saying Being the first of anything takes courage. I applaud Guardsman Chloe Allen for being a trendsetter and wish her every success."
French police conducted a security operation this afternoon in a busy shopping district in central Paris and said it had ended with no sign of danger.

During the operation, the official French government security alert application said that a police operation was underway in Saint Leu church in the Chatelet neighbourhood and advised people to stay away.
The mother of missing toddler Ben Needham has been told to "prepare for the worst" by detectives who suspect he may have died 25 years ago.

British investigators on the Greek island where the 21-month-old vanished believe he may have been crushed to death by a digger, Kerry Needham said.

Forensics teams are reportedly set to begin excavating at two sites close to where Ben was last seen as he played near his grandparents' home on Kos.

The potential breakthrough came after a friend of digger driver Konstantinos Barkas, also known as Dino, said he believes the workman may have been responsible, according to the 'Daily Mirror'.

The driver reportedly died of stomach cancer last year, just months before detectives from South Yorkshire Police arrived on the island for a renewed investigation.

It is understood the friend said the death was accidental.

Digger

A variety of theories and reported sightings have arisen since Ben's disappearance and Ms Needham had been holding out in hope that she would one day be reunited with him.

However her worst fears appeared to be confirmed during a recent visit by officers. She told the newspaper: "What they had to tell me was the last thing they would have ever wanted to. They think my Ben could be dead and buried.

"They are no longer looking for a missing person. How do I cope with that? My mother's instinct has always told me he was alive. What if I've been wrong all this time?"

Ben, from Sheffield, disappeared from outside Ms Needham's parents' home on the island on July 24, 1991.

Mr Barkas had reportedly been helping to clear land for a local builder, a friend of her father and brother, near the property.

Detectives are said to have carried out initial inquiries at the site, with experts testing soil and surveying the site with drones
Vehicles belonging to forces loyal to Gaddafi explode after an air strike by coalition forces near Benghazi, during the Nato-led military intervention in Libya, in March 2011. Pic: REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

Five years ago this week the popular uprising against Muammar Gaddafi was in its seventh month, the Nato-led aerial intervention that aided it in its sixth. It would be another month before everything would culminate in the capture and killing of Gaddafi at the hands of rebel forces in his hometown of Sirte, which would later - in early 2015 - become Isil's stronghold in Libya.

Almost immediately after Gaddafi's demise disagreements over Libya's transition from dictatorship to democracy set in among those who then comprised the various political and armed branches of the rebel camp. In many ways, these disputes - ranging from petty personal rivalries to conflicting visions for Libya's future - inform the multi-faceted power struggle that sparked a civil war in 2014 and continues today.

So caught up in their country's current travails - including a months-long battle to rout Isil militants from Sirte - are Libyans at present that the publication this week of a damning British parliamentary committee report into Britain's role in the 2011 intervention and aftermath was not a major talking point.

The committee said it had seen "no evidence" that the UK government carried out a proper analysis of the nature of the rebellion in Libya before deciding to intervene. "It may be that the UK government was unable to analyse the nature of the rebellion in Libya due to incomplete intelligence and insufficient institutional insight, and that it was caught up in events as they developed," the report said.

But among those Libyans who have read the findings, one element has proved controversial, as has the fact no Libyans were called to give evidence to the Westminster committee. Many have taken issue with the report's assertion that Gaddafi's "threat to civilians was overstated" and UK government "selectively took elements of Muammar Gaddafi's rhetoric at face value".

By the time the Nato-led intervention to "protect civilians", which was called for by the Arab League and authorised by a UN security council resolution, began in late March 2011, hundreds of Libyans had been killed as regime forces tried to snuff out anti-Gaddafi protests in several cities, particularly Benghazi, where the first demonstrations had taken place in mid-February.

The eastern city of Benghazi had a long history of opposition to Gaddafi's 42-year rule. Memories were strong there of a 1996 massacre in a Tripoli jail, in which 1,200 political prisoners, a large number of them from eastern Libya, were killed by the regime. When Gaddafi, pictured, made blood-curdling speeches in the early weeks of the uprising against him, threatening to cleanse Benghazi "street by street", few in the city were under any illusions about how he intended to punish the city.

I was in Benghazi at the time and recall how frightened and jittery people were before the UN resolution passed. The first air strikes targeted a long regime convoy of tanks and trucks mounted with multiple rocket launchers that had already reached the city's outskirts. While we will never know what might have happened if the Nato-led intervention had not taken place, many in Benghazi feared the worst from the famously mercurial Gadaffi

The fact the French, British and US-led intervention later evolved into an undeclared goal of regime change is a matter of debate among Libyans today. It has been interesting to observe the revisionism that has crept into the Libyan conversation about 2011, what happened that year and why. Some Libyans - including a number who played key roles in the post-Gaddafi period - have become conspiracy theorists, others have expressed regret given the instability that plagues Libya today.

The result of the intervention, the report states, "was political and economic collapse, inter-militia and inter-tribal warfare, humanitarian and migrant crises, widespread human rights violations, the spread of Gaddafi-regime weapons across the region and the growth of Isil in north Africa."

It refers to the blame game that has ensued since, with US President Barack Obama publicly accusing the UK and France earlier this year of not doing enough to support Libyans with post-Gaddafi stabilisation and reconstruction. Libya, he declared, had become a "shit-show".

While most Libyans believe those countries that participated in the 2011 intervention could have and should have done more in the aftermath, particularly in relation to tackling the challenge posed by the constellation of militias that emerged during and after the uprising, some are also willing to acknowledge that a great many of the high hopes of the early days were dashed on the rocks of greedy and exclusionary politics as various Libyan factions vied to control the country's hydrocarbon wealth. That struggle over Libya's oil reserves - the largest in Africa - continues to wrack the country today, driving civil war and allowing a space for Isil to expand until recently. There are few signs of it ending anytime soon.

@MaryFitzgerld www.mary-fitzgerald.com
Ransom-seeking Abu Sayyaf extremists have freed a Norwegian man kidnapped a year ago in the southern Philippines

Kjartan Sekkingstad was kidnapped along with two Canadians who were later beheaded and a Filipino woman who has been released.

He was freed in Patikul town in Sulu province on Saturday and was eventually secured by rebels from the larger Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which has signed a peace deal with the government and helped negotiate his release, officials said.

Mr Sekkingstad, held in jungle captivity since being kidnapped last September, was to stay overnight at the house of MNLF chairman Nur Misuari in Sulu and then meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, said Jesus Dureza, who advises Mr Duterte on peace talks with insurgent groups.

A plan to fly the newly-freed Norwegian out of Sulu, a jungle-clad Muslim region about 590 miles south of Manila, was cancelled on Saturday because of bad weather, Mr Dureza said.

It was not immediately clear whether Mr Sekkingstad was ransomed off.

Mr Duterte suggested in a news conference last month that a huge ransom had been paid to the militants but they continued to hold on to him anyway.

The military said that relentless assaults forced the extremists to release the hostage.

Canadian John Ridsdel was beheaded in April and his compatriot Robert Hall was decapitated in June after huge ransom demands were not met.

The Filipino woman was freed before Mr Duterte came to power on June 30.

Government forces launched a major offensive against the militants after the beheadings of the Canadians sparked condemnations from then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

AP
A pipe bomb has exploded in a New Jersey seaside town shortly before thousands of runners were due to take part in a 5K charity race for US marines and sailors.

No injuries were reported after the blast in Seaside Park, Ocean County, at around 9.30am local time on Saturday.

The Ocean County prosecutor's office added that no surrounding structures suffered any apparent damage.

The third annual Semper Five run was cancelled, and the immediate area was put on lockdown.

The pipe bomb was in a plastic rubbish bin when it exploded. Authorities immediately cleared the pier and beach area, and bomb-sniffing dogs were used to conduct further searches.

Authorities said there was a report of at least one other explosive device that a New Jersey State Police bomb team would make safe, but no further details were disclosed.

Officials said runners had been scheduled to pass the area around the time the blast occurred, but the start of the race had been delayed after an unattended backpack was found, and the area was mostly empty at the time of the explosion.

Some homes near the scene were evacuated as a precaution, and the public has been urged to avoid the area.

The group which organised the event thanked Seaside Park police and the other emergency responders "for their quick action" following the blast. It was not immediately clear if the charity race will be rescheduled.

Several racers and people who said they were at the event took to social media to praise the way race officials and law enforcement handled the situation.

They said officials had kept them informed about what was happening and helped keep people calm.

AP
Vladimir Putin has criticised the US over its unwillingness to publish details of the Syria ceasefire deal

Vladimir Putin has expressed frustration at Washington's refusal to publish the Syrian ceasefire deal reached with Russia, but says Moscow will not unilaterally release it.

"I don't really understand why we have to keep such an agreement closed," Russian president Mr Putin was quoted as saying on Saturday during a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

He suggested Washington's resistance stems from a hope to retain the combat potential of forces fighting the Syrian government.

Mr Putin said: "This comes from the problems the US is facing on the Syrian track - they still cannot separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from the half-criminal and terrorist elements.

"In my opinion, this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad. But this is a very dangerous route."

AP
This aerial photo shows a massive sinkhole in Mulberry that opened up underneath a gypsum stack at a Mosaic phosphate fertiliser plant (Tampa Bay Times/AP)

More than 200 million gallons of contaminated waste water from a fertiliser plant leaked into one of Florida's main underground sources of drinking water after a massive sinkhole opened up beneath a storage pond.

Mosaic, the world's largest supplier of phosphate, said the hole opened up beneath a pile of waste material called a "gypsum stack".

The 215-million gallon storage pond sat on top of the waste mineral pile. The company said the sinkhole is about 45 feet in diameter.

Mosaic says it is monitoring groundwater and has found no offsite impacts.

"Groundwater moves very slowly," said David Jellerson, Mosaic's senior director for environmental and phosphate projects. "There's absolutely nobody at risk."

The water had been used to transport the gypsum, which is a byproduct of fertiliser production, the company said.

The sinkhole, discovered by a worker on August 27, is believed to reach down to the Floridan aquifer.

Aquifers are vast, underground systems of porous rocks that hold water and allow water to move through the holes within the rock.

The Floridan aquifer is a major source of drinking water in the state. One of the highest producing aquifers in the world, it underlies all of Florida and extends into southern Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.

According to the University of Florida, it is the principal source of groundwater for much of the state, and the cities of Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Tampa, and St. Petersburg all rely on it.

The aquifer also supplies water to thousands of domestic, industrial and irrigation wells throughout the state.

Mosaic began diverting the pond water into an alternate holding area to reduce the amount of drainage when the problem was first detected. The company said it has been "recovering the water by pumping through onsite production wells".

Mr Jellerson said: "We have an extensive monitoring system. It's already indicating that it's recovering the material, but it will take some time for that process to complete."

Dee Ann Miller, spokeswoman for the state's department of environmental protection, said the company is updating state and federal agencies on the situation.

"Along with reviewing daily reports, DEP is performing frequent site visits to make sure timely and appropriate response continues in order to safeguard public health and the environment," she said.

"While monitoring to date indicates that the process water is being successfully contained, groundwater monitoring will continue to ensure there are no offsite or long-term effects."

The Polk County phosphate plant is still running.

The incident comes less than a year after Mosaic, one of the world's largest fertiliser makers, settled a massive environmental lawsuit with the US environmental protection agency in which the company agreed to nearly 2 billion dollars (1.5 billion) in improvements and clean-ups at its plants.

Environmental groups said the damage from the sinkhole could be severe, and adds to decades of pollution from the phosphorous fertiliser industry. Florida is a key centre of phosphate mining.

"I wish we could say that watching an environmental tragedy unfolding at a Florida phosphate mining site was a new occurrence, but sadly it's happened repeatedly," said Tania Galloni, a lawyer with the Florida office of Earthjustice.

AP
Donald Trump called for Hillary Clinton's Secret Service agents to be stripped of their firearms - and then said: "Let's see what happens to her."

The Republican presidential candidate has long incorrectly suggested his Democratic opponent wants to overturn the Second Amendment and take away Americans' right to own guns.

At a rally in Miami, he told the crowd: " I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right?

"Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Take their - and let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK, it would be very dangerous."

The Clinton campaign reacted quickly, with spokesman Robby Mook saying Mr Trump "has a pattern of inciting people to violence. Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief.

"This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate."

A spokeswoman for the Secret Service declined to comment.

The seemingly ominous comment echoed a remark Mr Trump made last month that many Democrats condemned as a call for Mr Clinton's assassination.

Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, the tycoon erroneously said his opponent wants to "abolish, essentially, the Second Amendment".

He continued: "By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know."

Within minutes, the Clinton campaign condemned the remark. Mr Mook said then: "A person seeking to be the president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way."

Mr Trump later disputed that criticism, saying everyone in his audience knew he was referring to the power of voters and "there can be no other interpretation".

The tycoon, who has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, eventually used Twitter to say the Secret Service had not contacted him about the remarks.

The comments on Friday in Miami came hours after Mr Trump finally reversed his long-held position that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

Appearing in Washington, he said Mr Obama was born in the US but then incorrectly suggested that the Clinton campaign had started the conspiracy theory.

Mr Trump ignored questions from reporters about his switch and has yet to explain why he abandoned the "birther" stance that fuelled his political fame and was viewed by critics as an attempt to delegitimise the nation's first African-American president.

While campaigning in South Florida, which has a large Cuban-American population, Mr Trump said if he is elected president, he will reverse Mr Obama's efforts to normalise relations with Cuba - unless the country abides by certain "demands".

Among those, he said, would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of all political prisoners.

Mr Trump says he will "stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression".

The comment marks yet another U-turn for the Republican candidate, who previously said he supported the idea of normal relations, but wished the US had negotiated a better deal.

AP
The first of the mischievous remarks was that the attacks of 9/11 had changed the world forever. Politicians said it, newspaper editorials echoed it and populations repeated this dumb expression by the million.

Sometimes, I suspect, the ability of human beings to fool themselves with their own words over the Middle East is greater than the folly of war. One leads to another. I was crossing the Atlantic when the international crimes against humanity took place on 11 September 2001; my plane turned round over the ocean, shedding tons of fuel, before heading back to the safety of Europe. Safety then, of course. Not now. Before I landed, the third-rate politicians who would lead hundreds of thousands of Arabs - and, comparatively, a few of us - to our deaths in the Middle East had conned us all with their cliches.

The first of these mischievous remarks was that the attacks of 9/11 "had changed the world forever". Politicians said it, newspaper editorials echoed it, populations repeated this dumb expression by the million. For if we really believed in the "democracy", "values" and "freedoms" of the West which we suddenly rediscovered, it was our duty to ensure that the murderers of 9/11 did not change our societies. Not now - nor ever.

But there was another expression, which I missed at the time. The US was going to launch, we were told, "a world war against terror". It's not the word terror that I failed to spot, a word whose generic, racist use became briefly pardonable after the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, and then more disgusting than ever when it was re-used by Bush, Putin and any tin-pot dictator from the Middle East to Far East Asia to further their policies of brutality across the globe.

No, it was the use of the phrase "world war" which I didn't notice.

There were plenty of 9/11 parallels with Pearl Harbour - numerically understandable for that day in 1941, but preposterous in comparison to the mass slaughter of souls which it added to the Armageddon Hitler had already unleashed. No, the real comparison should have been the Great War of 1914-18, which destroyed the European order in a bloodbath which no one predicted and which led, after 9/11 in our own age, to an international outcry against the West's propensity to bomb and bomb and bomb the Middle East.

The parallels, of course, are not exact. But 15 years after the event, I can see that our response to 9/11 had much more in common with August 1914 than September 1939 - or December 1941, if we are going to recall America's entry into the Second World War. In 1914, Europe had lived in a secure world, based upon a balance of power, its populations enriched by the industrialisation - and therefore modernisation - of transport, health, culture, science, even political understanding.

The pre-war "old world" still contained the seedlings of revolution.

But no one worked out two terrible explosive products within this mutual security pact. When one of these "modern" balances broke down - even over something so piffling as the killing of an archduke in Sarajevo - the rest would automatically collapse.

So certain were we of our European security arrangements, that we had no way of preventing a simple disaster when someone blew a fuse in the system.

This proved that, far from modernisation, we were still in the age of imperial war. The second development which we did not - or refused to - take account of, was that the one product of modernisation which would not fail us was war. The machine gun, the trench mortar, long-range artillery and air warfare would indeed "change the world forever".

We may still dispute Britain's need to stand with France - a Brexit from the Entente Cordiale might have changed all that if a referendum had been held just over a hundred years ago - but we can scarcely dispute the unique fury with which we responded to Germany's attack on Belgium and France.

Cries of "Hun barbarism" - or "Boch brutality" - as the Germans stormed into Flanders, supposedly bayoneting babies and crucifying nuns on farm doors, form an immediate parallel to "Islamist terror" and "whoever is not with us is against us".

Oddly, there is another parallel: the 1914 Germans did indeed commit atrocities in Flanders (though not to the extent our propaganda would claim), just as the Islamists of bin Laden had committed atrocities before 2001.

The larger historical mirror shows two populations a hundred years apart setting off to war, with declarations of unity and patriotism and a strong hint of national superiority, without the slightest suggestion that the future may be on the side of mass death rather than mass victory.

Self-righteousness, however justified, usually leads to the cemetery.

Here, perhaps, we should not look back to the First World War, but to the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

For while Europe knew the facts that preceded August 1914, certain truths were kept from ourselves 15 years ago. We could ask "who" had committed these crimes against humanity (19 men calling themselves Muslims) or "how" (box-cutters, airliners, tall buildings), but anyone who asked "why" (these included myself) were excoriated as "terror lovers", "friends of terrorists", etc.

Any abuse could be uttered to prevent us asking why all the killers were Arabs, whether there was therefore a problem in the Middle East, how had such rage been kindled in a part of the world which had been ruled by our armies and then our pet dictators for the past century - since the end of the First World War, in fact.

The identity of the 19 men - 15 of whom were Saudis, as was Osama bin Laden - was morphed into the expression "Arabs", as if the Sunni Muslim, Wahabi nature of the murderers had nothing to do with their country of nationality.

Thus, too, the final British government report on 9/11 crucially excluded the 28 pages - in fact, 29 pages - of evidence about Saudi Arabia's connections to the hijackers. The pages were jealously guarded, for "security" reasons, of course, until this year, when - blow me down - they were released with a few censored passages (or "redacted" as our pusillanimous journalists called them) and revealed only what we have known for a long time: that the Saudis had been funding groups who encouraged the killers.

The "security" label, however, was deadly serious. For if the Saudi identity of the whole operation had been acknowledged from the start, how could the US and the country led by a prime minister whose name I find it difficult to utter, have claimed so imperiously that Saddam Hussein's Iraq - not Saudi Arabia - was behind the destruction of the Twin Towers. The very proposal to go to war in Iraq would have been highly questionable if we had absorbed the information contained in the censored passage of the 9/11 report. That - and that alone - was why the report was so important. It was tampered with so that we would attack Iraq and leave our Saudi allies in peace.

No wonder the Muslim response on this fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 has been so indifferent. Iran and Lebanon were among the first nations to offer their condolences in 2001. But I am struck by the words of a Pakistani doctor a few days ago. "It's a non-event," she said, "when they see the damage the Americans have done in the Arab-Muslim countries, the September 11 is the last of their worries - and not because they support terrorism."

Exactly. And just as the Great War led to the Second, so the 'world war' against Al-Qa'ida led, via Iraq, to the 'war' against the 'apocalyptic' Isis - the extraordinary word of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. We did try to stop history. Brits marched against Blair's murderous attack on Iraq before it began. But off we went. Forget Afghanistan - a good war, hadn't we defeated the Taliban? - and let's head for Baghdad for part two of the 'Great War'.

It was folksy stuff. Secluded far from Washington after 9/11, George W Bush demanded to return to the White House. He asked after his wife and two daughters. Assured that they were safe, he asked: "And Barney?" Barney was the family dog. And from that moment, we all were. ( Independent News)
Two police officers were among those injured

A man who went on a shooting rampage through the streets of Philadelphia killed a woman and wounded two police officers and three civilians before police fatally shot him.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross says officers began chasing the man late on Friday after he ambushed Sergeant Sylvia Young, striking her several times in the arm and protective vest.

Mr Ross said Ed Miller, of the University of Pennsylvania police force, also was wounded. Both were in a stable condition early on Saturday.

The suspect also shot into a bar, striking a security guard in the leg, and used a woman as a shield before shooting her in the leg.

He later shot into a car, striking a man and a woman. Police say the woman died and the man is in critical condition.

AP
The many delays that faced Mad Max: Fury Road had some believing it would never happen.

After all, it had been so long since George Miller had directed something on the same scale (unless you count Babe: Pig In The City) and the production problems seemed to be mounting up. One of the major problems was heavy rainfall in Australia's desert, which ultimately forced Miller to up sticks and move production to Namibia.

Prior to this, the plan was to film in Broken Hill in New South Wales where Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was filmed back in 1981. Studios had been purpose-built to help with production, but due to the weather and the fact that the desert had turned green due to the rainfall, there was no choice but to leave. Sadly, Mad Max: Fury Road was considered something of a commercial failure, only earning $378.4 million, estimating a $20-40 million loss for Warner Bros and the chances of a sequel grew dimmer, despite the critical acclaim it received.

However, a source spoke to Australia's Herald Sun and reportedly confirmed that the sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road is now happening and, what's more, it will film in Australia. No official confirmation was given by Broken Hill Studios, Warner Bros. or George Miller, however a statement from Broken Hill Studios said that they "would certainly welcome Mad Max coming back to its spiritual home.

The sequel, which is working under the title of Mad Max: The Wasteland, is said to focus more heavily on Charlize Theron's character, Imperator Furiosa, and her back-story.

It's not yet known if Tom Hardy will be returning to the cast, as there were many on-set battles between Hardy and Theron during the arduous shoot. However, the report said pre-production is underway with filming expected to begin in the new year.

Here's hoping it all comes off because Fury Road was nothing short of incredible.

Via Herald Sun
As we all know the 'AK 57' crew lead by director Siva has returned to Chennai after completing a lengthy first schedule in European nations. Now we learn an interesting insider information that the first schedule has been wrapped up much ahead of the stipulated time.

It is learn that the first schedule was earlier planned for 60 days but due to extraordinary co-operation from the stars including Thala Ajith and Kajal Aggarwal and the perfect planning and execution by the director Siva, the team has completed the first schedule in just 32 days.

This phenomenal achievement of completing a schedule in almost 50% of the time allotted that too in a foreign location has amazed everyone. It is mainly attributed to the team's hard work and commitment.

Sources reveal that in Slovenia where the predominant portions were shot, Sun light will be available for around 20 hours per day and the team was ready to over stretch and complete the work.

Due to this extra effort, not only the time but also a lot of budget has been saved for the producer Sathya Jyothi Films banner.
Padmabushan Rajinikanth`s elder daughter Aishwarya R Dhanush was recently made the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and now his younger daughter Soundarya too has been honored as the brand Ambassador of Animal Welfare Board of India.

Soundarya Rajinikanth who is busy scripting her next directorial venture after the path breaking Kochadaiyaan` starring her illustrious father. She is known as an animal lover and assuming the new post will do a great deal for our four legged friends. Hearty Congrats to the multi talented Soundarya.
Nihar Info Global applies for trademark registration for 'ONVO' Nihar Info Global Limited informed to the exchanges that it has successfully applied for Trademark registration of its private label "ONVO" under the 'Trademark Classes 18 and 21. ... October 28, 2022 | 28-10-2022 2:37 pm

Rupee rises 4 paisa to 82.29/$ Early on Friday, the rupee strengthened against the US dollar by 4 paise to 82.29, helped by a weak US dollar in the international market and strong local equities. The influx of new fore... October 28, 2022 | 28-10-2022 2:30 pm

PNB Housing Finance's net profit increases by 12% PNB Housing Finance announced on Thursday that its September 20222023 quarter net profit increased by 11.7% to Rs 262.63 crore, thanks to a little increase in core income. In the same period... October 28, 2022 | 28-10-2022 2:25 pm

Dhanuka Agritech soars ~8% as board to consider buyback Dhanuka Agritechs stock surged as much as 8% in Fridays intraday session and touched a high of Rs742. The company stated in its filing with the exchanges that at its ensuing ge... October 28, 2022 | 28-10-2022 2:18 pm

Markets trade flat amid volatility; Nifty below 17,800 dragged by metals Domestic benchmark indices in a volatile session and trading flat after a gap-up opening on Friday. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks are in the green during the afternoon market session ami... October 28, 2022 | 28-10-2022 2:00 pm
There are plenty embarrassing photos of us on Facebook that we wish were never uploaded, but we never thought it would be possible to sue over them.

However, that's what one Austrian 18 year old is hoping to do when she takers her parents to court for posting embarrassing photos of her to their 700 friends on Facebook.

Her lawyer alleged that the parents shared over 500 images, despite the woman asking for them to be deleted, from all different stages of her childhood. They are arguing that this violated her right to privacy, and hope to prove that in court this November.

The woman gave a statement to Austrian paper The Local, saying "Every stage was photographed and then made public. I'm tired of not being taken seriously by my parents."

This could be a valuable lesson for any of your friends who overshare pictures of their children on Facebook.
In the marshy lands of Parana Delta, near the north-eastern edge of Argentina, lies a mysterious island that apparently rotates on its own axis. The mystic little piece of land, nicknamed "The Eye", is oddly shaped like a perfect circle. Such is the enigma of this land that it has become the subject of a documentary.

Oddity Central

The rotating piece of land was discovered six months ago by Argentine filmmaker Sergio Neuspillerm, who was doing a recce of the area for a film on paranormal occurrences. After spotting the round piece of land that surrounded by an equally round mass of water on Google Earth, Sergio and his team were apparently so intrigued by what they had stumbled upon, they decided to dump their original film project and unravel the mystery that shrouds this land instead.

Elojo Project

"When locating this reference in the map we discovered something unexpected that left the film project in the background, we call it The Eye, Sergio said in a video. The Eye is a circle of land surrounded by a thin channel of water with a diameter of 130 yards. Both circles [the water and land] are so perfect that it is hard to believe that this is a natural formation. Sergio then got in touch with Richard Petroni, a hydraulic and civil engineer from New York, and a tech expert Pablo Martinez. Together, they went to check out the marvel first hand.

To understand the logic behind the place, the trio recently started a Kickstarter campaign that will crowdfund a second expedition to The Eye to learn more about its origins. The campaign has raised $9,348 and is backed by 139 people. Their goal is to raise $50,000 with 23 days to go. People pledging to the cause will be invited to watch the documentary on The Eye online and get access to all the white papers from the analysis and test conducted during the investigation. But, if you are generous enough with your donations (think $10,000), you will get to go with the team on their expedition. A $5000 donation guarantees you a visit to the island.

Pablo Suarez, who does dynamic systems modelling at Boston University, apparently told Paranormal News that he had not witnessed something like this before. He also mentioned that this was an almost perfect circle which makes it unlikely to be a simple crater or a formation created by a natural phenomenon. On the other hand, the website also mentions having received a message from someone called Daniel Roy Finkley who claims that The Eye is not as big a deal as we are making it out to be. It is one of the dozens of formations with more or less irregular edges. They are apparently a characteristic natural environment of the coast. A YouTube video even shows similar formations around Argentina.

It's not a new thing either. The Eye has been visible on Google Maps ( 341507.8S 584947.4W) for the last decade but no one paid any attention to it. Now that a movie on it has been announced, people are losing the plot over it coming up with all sorts of explanations. Some have even called it an alien base, but we won't go that far, would we?

What do you feel about The Eye? Let us know in the comments section.





You can find the Kickstarter campaign here.

You can check out the place on Google Maps here.

H/t- Oddity Central
Abhishek Bachchan might be the most underrated actor of the industry, but we bet you didn't know that he's actually a Guinness World Record Holder. Yes! Abhishek holds the record for 'Most Public Appearances Made By A Film Star In 12 Hours.' In fact, he beat Hollywood actor Will Smith who had made three public appearances in 2 hours during the promotions of his film I, Robot in 2004.

Abhishek achieved this feat during the promotions of his film Delhi-6. He did various promotional activities in 7 cities including Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh and Mumbai on February 22, 2009, within a period of 12 hours. Not to mention, he travelled 1,800 km mostly by private jet and car to make it possible. Yeah, pretty cool, right!
Recently, Apple got into a very public fight with the FBI over the unlocking of an iPhone 5c that belonged to a suspected terrorist. FBI eventually had to pay a group of hackers $1.3 million to unlock the phone, which, in hindsight seems like a hilariously expensive prank pulled on them by the hackers because apparently, one can hack into any iPhone for as less as $100!

softpedia

It's called NAND Mirroring

The technique was proposed to the FBI earlier this year by a researcher. FBI Director James Comey claimed the method "does not work." However, a Cambridge University security researcher Sergei Skorobogatov insists they were wrong. Skorobogatov wrote that NAND Mirroring "does not require any expensive and sophisticated equipment. All needed parts are low cost and were obtained from local electronics distributors."

Skorobogatov used equipment that was easily available in the market. He opened up an iPhone 5C running iOS 9.3 and took out the NAND memory chip from the phone's circuit board and copied its data to a special test board a number of times.

boingboing.net

He then used an automated software to make the passcode until he found the correct passcode. Skorobogatov admits it would take about 20 hours to get the 4 digit code right. A few weeks for a six-digit code. Apart from iPhone 5C, the hack apparently works on iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 smartphones since they use the same type of NAND flash memory. However, one can try cracking other iPhones using different NANDs.

For detailed information on his technique, you can check out his research paper.
Sexual assault is a serious offence which has destroyed the reputation of many a public figure. Whether it's ex-TERI Chief Rakesh Pachauri here in India or comedian Bill Cosby in the United States, the offenders are swiftly isolated from the society, no matter how high they sit, and are brought to stand trial in the court of justice. However, it wasnt always this way. The case of Vishakha v. State of Rajasthan in 1992 was the landmark case where the Supreme Court dealt with the question of safety of women from any kind of sexual harassment at the workplace and laid down detailed guidelines for the same.

Bhanwari Devi was a Saathin working in the Womens Development Project of the Rajasthan Government. The state government had recently launched a campaign against child marriages and Bhanwari Devi took an active part in spreading the influence of this campaign in her area. She tried to stop the marriage of a one-year-old girl and was furiously resisted by the villagers. In 1992, she was raped by five villagers in front of her husband for her temerity to stop an evil practice from spreading further. The district court acquitted all the five accused.

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The matter came before the Supreme Court via a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a group of NGOs by the name of Vishakha in which the petitioners urged for judicial intervention to make workplaces safer for women due to the legislative inactivity in this regard. The Supreme Court observed that India was already a signatory to Convention on elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and held that international conventions are to be read into the fundamental rights to enlarge their scope and advance their objective. It thus read the provisions of CEDAW (signed by India in 1980) in Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution and laid down binding guidelines to be followed by every private and public sector employer to ensure the dignity and safety of women in the place of employment.

This was a landmark step by the apex court as it strayed into the territory of the executive by issuing guidelines which were binding, and hence, were law. The judiciary cannot make the laws, it can only interpret them, but in Vishakha vs State of Rajasthan, the Supreme Court resisted such orthodox theoretical interpretation of separation of powers and proved that it would not hesitate to occupy the space vacated by the legislature by its inaction, to meet the ends of justice. For this, the Supreme Court earned a fair share of criticism with some critics citing this judgment as an example of judicial overreach.

However, the passage of time has proved that the Supreme Court was correct in intervening in this regard. Today, due to the power and reach of social media and other information networks, sexual harassment has emerged as a very serious issue in our public discourse. However, back in 1992, it had not acquired the sense of seriousness that it commands today. Fundamental Rights were supposed to be enforceable vertically i.e. an individual could only enforce them against the state. But through this judgment, the apex court ruled that in some worthy instances, fundamental rights were also enforceable horizontally i.e. by one individual against another.

IndiaToday

While there have been numerous cases where women have secured justice and a safer work environment for themselves by pursuing litigation against employers indulging in sexual harassment, there have also been some cases where this shield accorded to women has been misused to file frivolous cases and to bargain for higher pay and promotions. Therefore these guidelines have come to be known as a double edged sword which can secure justice for worthy litigants and can also cause havoc for those abusing it to secure petty personal gains.

Meanwhile, the legislature has sought to shake off its decades-old attitude of treating such issues regarding the safety and dignity of women lightly. This is less because of a genuine awareness regarding such issues and more because of the fear of ceding their power to the judiciary. The 2012 Nirbhaya Gang Rape case has galvanised public support for enacting tough measures against the culprits indulging in this sort of sexually predatory behavior.

Vivan Mehra

It is to be noted that even though more than 20 years have passed since the judgment in the Vishakha case was passed, the parliament has still not passed a comprehensive legislation directed at combating sexual harassment against women at the workplace. It can only be hoped that our parliamentarians heed the developments in this regard and take urgent steps to ensure a welcoming environment for women in both public and private spaces of employment.
A Surat-based bakery called Atul Bakery, has prepared a birthday cake for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that is all set to aim for Guinness World Record as the tallest pyramid cake ever made.

ANI/Reuters

The bakery has collaborated with an NGO called Shakti Foundation for this feat. Shakti Foundation works for the economic empowerment of women in rural and urban areas.

The cake for Prime Minister Modi's birthday honours PM's efforts for women empowerment with campaigns like 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'.

Please Visit & be witness with your Kid's World's Tallest Pyramid Cake on celebration of @narendramodi Ji Birthday pic.twitter.com/RlYTGurwpb  Bipin Patel Gayatri (@bipingayatri) 14 September 2016

Until now, the tallest cake pyramid measured 1.74m (5' 8.5") and was achieved by MTR Rzeszow International Fair (Poland) in Rzeszow, Poland, on May 21, 2011. The cake weighed 720.8kg.

The giant pyramid cake will be cut in the presence of more than 5,000 girls and women at the Maliba Party plot at Vesu. The cake will be cut by the mentally challenged and underprivileged girls.

BCCL

A team of 20 chefs of Atul Bakery have worked together for the world's tallest pyramid cake with chocoberry flavour.

Also, a New Delhi based organization, Guitarmonk will present live music for PM Modi's birthday. Around 1,000 guitarists from across the nation will come together and play live guitar music and pray for the peace of the world. Around 100 guitars will be distributed free to the underprivileged and physically challenged girls.
Amid media reports doing the rounds that Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti is likely to get Indian citizenship, Bugti has made it sufficiently clear that he would very much like to move to India.

Twitter

"If I ever get a chance to move to India, I will definitely go there for my people," news agency ANI quoted Brahumdagh Bugti as saying.

"We haven't done anything on asylum issue yet, we have a meeting with Central Committee of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) on September 19 to take further decision," he added.

ANI

Bugti's comments come in close heels to Pakistani media reports that India will grant citizenship to him and his key lieutenants in Switzerland, including his trusted aides, Sher Mohammad Bugti and Azizullah Bugti.

Brahumdagh is the founder of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), that Pakistan has outlawed.

Twitter

Meanwhile India has clarified that there was no decision to give asylum to exiled and wanted Baloch activist Brahumdagh Bugti amid speculative reports in the Pakistani media that he had applied for an Indian passport. "We have no such intentions at present," a senior government source said.
In what will be seen as a case of 'goonda raj' returning to Bihar, the state's police has arrested an RJD lawmaker's son, who allegedly stabbed a young man in an incident of road rage in Aurangabad.

ANI

RJD MLA Birendra Sinha's son Kunal is allegedly the perpetrator of the crime. Sinha, though, denied his son was arrested, and said Kunal, in fact, went to the police station to report the incident.

ANI

The 26-year-old man who was attacked is in hospital and is critical.

The MLA however defended his son.

I did not stab him (Pintu), this is just a conspiracy against me: Kunal, Son of Virendra Sinha (RJD MLA) pic.twitter.com/XZEVta8CrA  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

The coalition RJD-JD(U) government in Bihar has lately been battling charges that lawlessness has returned to Bihar since the Nitish Kumar government came to power last year.
Rameshwari Photocopy Service, a modest photocopy shop in Delhi University's North Campus has won a four year-long legal battle against some international publishing giants who accused them of copyright infringement.

AFP

The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by publishers Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Taylor & Francis in November 2012.

Rejecting their plea, the HC on Friday observed that the act of students getting books copied from DU's library or its authorised photocopy shop enjoys protection under Section 52 of the Copyright Act, which exempts education from copyright infringement.

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"Copyright, specially in literary works, is thus not an inevitable, divine, or natural right that confers on authors the absolute ownership of their creations. It is designed rather to stimulate activity and progress in the arts for the intellectual enrichment of the public," the HC said in its 94-page-order.

IBTimes

The court also noted that students are made to take photocopies of some books as they might not be able to afford to buy the original book or in some cases the limited numbers of each book available in its library.
Delhi's deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has drawn a lot of flak in the past few days for "holidaying" in Finland while the city is grappling with a health hazard  chikungunya and dengue outbreak. And now, LG Najeeb Jung has issued a verbal order and summoned Manish Sisodia back to Delhi immediately.

AFP

Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday asked Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to return immediately from Finland to deal with the chikungunya outbreak in the national capital, news agency IANS reported. "Yes, the Lt Governor has asked Sisodia to immediately call off his tour and return to the city to deal with the outbreak," an official from LG's office old IANS.

Earlier on Friday evening, Sisodia had come out all guns blazing on all those who have been ridiculing his foreign visit and said that it is not a "sin" to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhi's education system. Taking a dig at all those who have accused him of enjoying a vacation abroad, Sisodia added, "It's a sin to defame an educational tour as a holiday".

AFP

Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, said he has worked hard to improve the education system in the national capital and that he was in Finland to see what more needs to be done.

"To fix the problems of Delhi's education system, I'll do whatever is needed. Whatever trolls may say," he tweeted.

Studying Finland's schools is not a sin while working day & night to fix the problems of our schools in Delhi 11/n pic.twitter.com/4r1vlSLE33  Education Minister (@Minister_Edu) 16 September 2016

Sisodia said he had visited some dozen schools, colleges, skill centres and universities in the last three days. He said he had met senior officials of the Education Ministry, educators, principals, teachers, students and others in Finland. "We have worked hard in Delhi on improving education and now we're here to see what more needs to be done," he said in a tweet.

AP

Earlier in the day, Congress activists observed 'Bhagoda Divas' in Delhi to protest against the alleged absence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy CM Sisodia and other ministers from the national capital while the city is reeling under the chikungunya and dengue outbreak.
A day after tribal development minister Vishnu Savara's alleged statement over malnutrition deaths in Palghar, pressure is mounting on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to sack him.

According to reports, when 66-year-old Savara was informed that hundreds of tribal children have died of malnutrition in the recent past, he said "let it be". Savara has denied the remarks.

indialive/Representative image

Savara reportedly made the statement during his visit to Kalambwadi village in Palghar district on Thursday where one-year-old Sagar Wagh had died of malnutrition a fortnight ago.

Shramjivi Sanghatana activists strongly protested his delayed visit while informing him that 600 malnutrition-related deaths of children had taken place in Palghar recently.

In the fortnight since Sagar's demise on August 30, three more deaths were reported in the region.

Jagdish Kashid/Facebook

Denying the remarks on Friday, Savara said, "I am a born tribal. I am aware of their grievances. I never said let them die, the statement has been put in my mouth," Savara said.

Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, state NCP president Sunil Tatkare and Shramjivi Sanghata founder Vivek Pandit have demanded Savara's immediate dismissal. "If the CM is sensitive, he must sack Savara," they said.

Vikhe Patil said, "Palghar belongs to Savara. He has been representing the assembly constituency since 1990. Despite that, no steps have been taken to tackle malnutrition. Since the Fadnavis government has failed to halt malnutrition, governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao has stepped in and has given stringent directives."
AAP ministers Satyendar Jain and Kapil Mishra on Saturday went to meet lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung at his office following his fax to deputy CM Manish Sisodia to return from Finland, but the meeting did not materialise as Jung was not in his office, triggering a fresh spat between the two sides.

BCCL

"It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra said taking a jibe at Jung.

But the LG office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment even as it accused the AAP government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with a health crisis.

Jung had on Friday asked Sisodia to return to Delhi immediately from Finland, where he was on a study tour, in view of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the national capital.

The ministers waited outside the LG office and said that no appointment was sought to meet Jung since he had sent an "urgent" fax to the deputy chief minister and they thought that Jung must have something important to talk about.

"The LG has sent an urgent fax to deputy CM Sisodia so we thought there may be some emergency and we both came to meet him but he is not in the office.

"We were told that it's off today and he does not sit in the office. We called him but he is also not at his home. It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra said.

AFP

Hitting back, the LG office said that the lieutenant governor came to know of their visit only through media.

"Secretary to the Lt governor met the ministers since the Lt governor's office is operational on all days of the week. However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt governor," the LG office said in a statement.

Mishra, however, said that since Delhi is grappling with dengue and chikungunya they did not wait for an appointment to meet Jung.

"We thought perhaps Jung Saheb has found some very good idea to fight the diseases that he wanted to share with Sisodia. So we came running to meet him as we are working on Saturday and Sunday also."

The Lt governor's office said that it is "regrettable" that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to "politicize" the issue instead of providing succour to the public.

AFP

Sisodia, who also hold the education portfolio, is in Finland along with his officers, to study the education system of that country.

Refuting the allegation of the opposition that he is "holidaying" in Finland, Sisodia on Friday said it was not a "sin" to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhi's education system.
AAP ministers Satyendar Jain and Kapil Mishra on Saturday went to meet lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung at his office following his fax to deputy CM Manish Sisodia to return from Finland, but the meeting did not materialise as Jung was not in his office, triggering a fresh spat between the two sides.

Jung had on Friday asked Sisodia to return to Delhi immediately from Finland, where he was on a study tour, in view of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the national capital. Read more

1. Baloch Activist Brahumdagh Bugti Says He Will Move To India If Possible, No Decision On Him Yet, Says India

Amid media reports doing the rounds that Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti is likely to get Indian citizenship, Bugti has made it sufficiently clear that he would very much like to move to India.

Bugti's comments come in close heels to Pakistani media reports that India will grant citizenship to him and his key lieutenants in Switzerland, including his trusted aides, Sher Mohammad Bugti and Azizullah Bugti. Read more

Pakistan is terrified since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken up the cause of the Baloch people who are being oppressed by the Pakistan government and military, said Mehran Marri, the Baloch Representative at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), to ANI today.

The Baloch leader is referring to PM Modi stepping up the pressure on Pakistan since Independence Day, when he began to highlight human rights abuses in the beleaguered Pakistani province of Balochistan and in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). Read more

3. Bakery Makes Record-Breaking Birthday Cake For PM Narendra Modi To Spread The Message Of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'

A Surat-based bakery called Atul Bakery, has prepared a birthday cake for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that is all set to aim for Guinness World Record as the tallest pyramid cake ever made.

The bakery has collaborated with an NGO called Shakti Foundation for this feat. Shakti Foundation works for the economic empowerment of women in rural and urban areas. Read more

4. Transgender Model From Manipur, Who Was To Represent India At Miss International Queen, Attacked By Minister's Guards

Bishesh Huirem, a transgender actress and model who will represent India at the Miss International Queen in Thailand, was attacked by a police team escorting state rural development and Panchayati Raj minister Moirangthem Okendro.

The incident happened earlier this week while she was in the state capital, Imphal, for a performance of Shumang Leela, a local folk theater art form. The altercation began with an argument over right of way in a narrow lane, following which she and her friend were allegedly beaten up. Read more

5. Rahul Gandhis SPG Guards Demand Seeing Licences Of Pilots, Test Fuel Sample From IndiGo Plane

Personnel in Rahul Gandhi's security detail recently demanded to check licences of the pilots of a commercial airliner that was scheduled to fly the Congress vice president from Delhi to Varanasi. They also sought a quality test of the jet's fuel, sources said.

A member of the crew said they were shocked when the special protection group (SPG) guards demanded to see the pilots' licences. The pilots reportedly asked them to check the licences from the airline as they felt the SPG men were not authorised to seek their papers. Read more
Eleven residents of a Vasai housing society with 16 flats have objected to the sale of one of the flats to a Muslim family. At a meeting on September 4, the residents also passed a resolution to keep Muslims out of the building inhabited mostly by Gujarati-speaking residents.

BCCL/Representative image

Two Muslim families who live in the society were away when the meeting was held.

The decision, supported by the majority of the members of Happy Jivan Co-operative Housing Society, was communicated through a letter to Kantaben Patel (55) and her son Jignesh Patel (32), who wished to sell their flat to Muslim glass merchant Vikarahmed Khan and his family.

Signed by 11 members, the letter stated, "It is learnt that you intend to sell your flat to some Muslim guy. We feel that you should not do so..." The Patels were also advised to sell their flat to "any other person, preferably within our community".

BCCL/Representative image

The Patels have now shot off letters to the sub-registrar of housing societies, as well as police with complaints about the society's "high-handedness".

The Patels had finalised the sale of their 710sqft first-floor flat to Khan (35), who has already paid a token sum of Rs 1 lakh. Khan had sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the society to apply for a loan. "We decided to sell our flat to Khan as he offered the price we quoted. Now the society is refusing to give an NOC," Jignesh said.

BCCL/Representative image

The society's secretary, Jeetendra Jain, told TOI that the decision to not allow Muslims was supported by the majority of the members. "The residents of the first floor, where the Patels stay, have an issue with non-Hindus. We will sort out the issue."

The first floor of the society has five flats, all owned by vegetarian Gujarati families. A few residents said the families did not want non-vegetarians around.

Khan, who owns a glass showroom in Vasai, said he had faced such rejections before as well.
Scotch whisky exports rose 3.1 percent in the first six months of 2016, driven by booming demand in India, a market that whisky's trade body says should be a top trade priority for Britain as it navigates its exit from the European Union.

BCCL/representational image

Demand in India, where the market grew 41 percent by volume and 28 percent by value, helped drive total global sales to 533 million bottles equivalent. That marked the first increase in global whisky sales volumes in three years, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said on Friday.

In value terms, total Scotch exports fell by 1 percent, still an improvement on the near 3 percent decline it recorded in the first half of 2015.

BCCL/representational image

Global demand for Scotch appears to be strengthening thanks to "an emphasis on craftsmanship and provenance, backed by investment", SWA head David Frost said in a statement.

Indian tariffs of 150 percent are a hurdle for exporters, but its spirits market is set to expand 3 percent in 2016, according to industry data specialist IWSR, and Scotch distillers are keen to capitalise.

The SWA is calling for a new trade agreement with India to be top of the list as Britain reshapes its global relationships.

BCCL/representational image

The industry says it will face no tariffs to the EU, which made up nearly a third of its 3.86 billion pounds ($5.10 billion) in exports last year. But it remains concerned about Brexit, because Scotch may no longer benefit from being under the wing of the EU for trade with countries outside the bloc.

BCCL/representational image

Scotch whisky accounts for nearly a quarter of all British food and drink exports on an annual basis, and around a third of Scotch exports are destined for the EU.
A year after taking an undisguised jab at the global giant Hindustan Unilever for dumping toxic mercury in its Kodaikanal plant in Tamil Nadu, through her epic rap battle titled 'Kodaikanal Won't', Tamil activist-rapper Sofia Ashraf is back once again hitting out at the consumer goods company for its response to mercury waste and its claims to address all the problems raised by Sofia.

YouTube/Jhatkaa

In the statement following Ashraf's rap video about Kodaikanal, the CEO of Unilever, Paul Polman had claimed that HUL did not dump mercury in Kodaikanal, and had removed any risk of contamination to the ecologically sensitive region.

YouTube/Jhatkaa

Unhappy with Unilever's claim, Sofia has come up with yet another protest video and this time she is explaining 'Why Kodaikanal Still Won't'. And, even this time while encountering HUL's every response, she makes many valid points. So, take a look at what she is trying to explain about Kodaikanal and how HUL is poisoning its workers and forests. The company hasn't taken a single step to clean the contamination in the past 14 years or compensate its workers and their families, despite talking big about corporate social responsibility.

Watch the latest video here:

Read Also: Chennai's Burqa Rapper, Sofia Ashraf Is Back, Singing To Get Attention For Bhopal Gas Tragedy
Akanksha Dureja, a software engineer, writing for The Huffington Post said she met an inspiring woman who drives an auto in the French lanes of Pondicherry. The driver, Jennifer, has been earning her livelihood through her beloved auto for many years now and her husband is in the same business. She speaks perfect English and "comes across as someone who is living life on her own terms", writes Akanksha.

Akanksha Dureja/The Huffington Post

Akanksha wrote: Meet Jennifer, who has been ferrying passengers on the streets of Pondicherry for the last eight years. She is not intimidated by her profession and says she actually started doing it because she loves this auto! Jennifer speaks perfect English, is proud of what she is doing and comes across as someone who is living life on her own terms. Her husband is also an auto driver and he supported her when she decided to do what is widely considered a man's job.

There are in all 20 women auto drivers in Pondicherry and I am sure they all are heroes in their own right, having chosen a profession not many women can even think of entering.

It was such a happy story that I couldn't even be sad that the trip was over. Jennifer's smile is one which I won't forget and her story is one which needs to be told -- breaking barriers, one bylane at a time! She loved the pictures and I promised to send them to her. She doesn't have an email ID, so I am going to get them printed and send them to her with a letter that I have written for her, telling her how proud I am of her and how she is inspiring women all around. Woman to woman, heart to heart.

You can read the original story on The Huffington Post here.
Bishesh Huirem, a transgender actress and model who will represent India at the Miss International Queen in Thailand, was attacked by a police team escorting state rural development and Panchayati Raj minister Moirangthem Okendro.

Facebook

The incident happened earlier this week while she was in the state capital, Imphal, for a performance of Shumang Leela, a local folk theater art form. The altercation began with an argument over right of way in a narrow lane, following which she and her friend were allegedly beaten up.

"Though the incident happened in front of the minister, he did not come out and stop his escort team from beating me," said Huirem.

Facebook

She also claimed that following the incident, she was unable to complete her performance on stage a couple of days later.

"I felt dizzy while performing but I somehow managed to act for a few minutes before losing consciousness. My doctor advised me to stop performing Shumang Leela for some days," she said.

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Huirem will take part in the beauty pageant Miss International Queen 2016 in Thailand representing India. She's among 30 transgenders selected from applicants from 155 countries.
If Amita Gupta from Mumbai has one person to thank for her business, it is the Indian prime minister.

That is because the businesswoman, who runs a toy manufacturing unit has a unique item on their list - a toy which resembles the Indian prime minister.

HuffPost India

Available on all major e-commerce sites, it has created quite a rage.

Named 'Tickles' the toy, according to the product description, is suited for the age group 2-8.

The doll is dressed in an orange kurta, white jawahar jacket and white pyjama, paired with black shoes. It's even got the beard right and Modis unmistakable spectacles that sit on the bridge of his nose.

According to Huffington Post, Amita came up with the idea after being struck by his charisma more than two years ago, when Narendra Modi was addressing rallies across the country during his prime ministerial campaign.

"All of a sudden I thought to develop it," she told HuffPost India.

Amita said she had started manufacturing the toys even before Modi had become the prime minister, and has sold around 300-400 such dolls in the past two years.

HuffPost India

Amita, who started the company back in 1993, said they are selling the toy at a nominal price to promote the PM's image.

She also said the toy, which is made of weaving cloth and pile cloth, and filled with poly-fibre stuffing takes two days to make.
A video has surfaced online purportedly showing eight Syrian rebels accidentally triggering a bomb while taking a selfie.

The men, reportedly members of the Free Syrian Army, are seen in the video, gathered around holding guns in their hands.

It appears like that they were planning to carry out some suicide bombing and were trying to record a propaganda video before it.

The man on the left tries to click a selfie and the entire thing goes up in smoke.

It seems like the phone was converted into some kind of trigger to make the blast happen and, the unsuspecting fighter blew himself up.
Voices From Yemen

"I Don't Want It To Be My Turn To Die!'' 3 Minute Video Its time for the US to reevaluate the toxic relationship with Saudi Arabia! Posted September 17, 2016 Senators Al Franken, Chris Lee, Chris Murphy and Rand Paul have just introduced a joint resolution calling on Congress to block the Obama administrations recently announced sale of $1.15 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia. This is terrific news! But to have any chance of passage, we need all hands on deck! Please contact your Senators and ask them to support the Murphy-Paul Senate Joint Resolution 39 to block weapon sales to Saudi Arabia! Please take a minute to call your Senators office too! You can use this toll-free number to reach the Capitol switchboard and be transferred to your Senators office!

Dial 1-855-68 NO WAR/1-855-686-6927. https://www.facebook.com/codepinkalert Yemen's Coast Faces Rising Malnutrition By AHMED AL-HAJ September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " AP " - SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Sitting by her son's hospital bed, Houdaid Masbah looks at her 5-year-old boy's skeletal body and sunken cheeks, helplessness engulfing her like a thick cloud  a desperation she shares with many other mothers in Hodeidah.



Even before the war, Hodeidah was one of the poorest cities in Yemen, the Arab world's most impoverished nation. Now, the destruction of the port city's fishing boats and infrastructure by the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes over the past 18 months of war has deprived the townspeople of their prime livelihood.



The U.N. estimates that about 100,000 children under the age of five in the city and the surrounding province, also called Hodeidah, are at risk of severe malnutrition.



Life became harder for the people in this Red Sea city after March 2015, when the coalition of nine Arab Sunni countries began bombing Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels to help the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi return to power. The Houthis had pushed Hadi into self-imposed exile in Saudi Arabia and captured large chunks of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The coalition suspected the Houthis were using Hodeidah fishermen to smuggle weapons across the sea from Iran. The airstrikes destroyed most of the wooden boats along with fish storage facilities, markets, roads and bridges  leaving the fishermen jobless and fearful after seeing some of their colleagues were killed in the strikes. As Yemen's conflict dragged on, food prices soared and gasoline ran out. At Hodeidah's central hospital, the 12-bed unit for children with severe malnutrition has been fully occupied for months. Children reduced to skin and bone cry tearlessly as their mothers watch by their bedsides, unable to help. Masbah, the mother of 5-year-old Salem Ali Salem, says her boy remembers only hunger. "From the day I gave birth to him ... till now, we are suffering," said the mother of eight. "He got better for a short period of time and then he relapsed." Salem's father is a fisherman and the family lives in Baqea, a village nearly an hour's drive from Hodeidah. That's where Ibrahim al-Kaali, a social worker, first saw him and helped bring him to the hospital in early September. "When I first carried him, I was afraid of crushing his bones under the weight of my hands," said al-Kaali. Salem's family is just one of about 600 impoverished and desperate families in villages along Hodeidah's western coastline, he added. Before the war, a fisherman could support his family on about 700 rials a day (about 2 dollars), feeding them fish, bread and rice. But with no fish and no money, the villagers' meals were mostly reduced to bread and tea for breakfast and a plate of rice for lunch, said al-Kaali. "We have 20 Salems, this (situation) is prevalent all over Hodeidah," Ossan al-Abbsi, a pediatrician at the hospital, told The Associated Press, speaking over the phone like others interviewed for this story. "There is an accelerating increase in the number of children suffering malnutrition," he said. "We used to have five cases while the rest of the beds were empty on any given day. Now, you can never find an empty bed in our unit." Al-Abbsi says that even after the children improved enough to be discharged from hospital, their condition often deteriorated rapidly as their family struggled once more to feed them. International agencies have classified Hodeidah among nine of Yemen's 22 provinces that are a step away from famine. A U.N. report in June said that in Yemen, "the highest malnutrition prevalence" is in Hodeidah. More than 10,000 people have been killed or wounded in Yemen's war so far, and 2.8 million have been displaced. The land-and-sea blockade imposed by the coalition and the Houthis' ground offensives have contributed to the deteriorating situation. U.N.-mediated peace talks in Kuwait were suspended last month, with no signs of progress. Over half of the country's population of 26 million is suffering from food insecurity, according to U.N. figures. UNICEF said that 2015 nutrition surveys in five of 10 highly affected governorates in Yemen, including Hodeidah, showed that 96,600 children under the age of five are at risk of severe acute malnutrition  compared to 23,000 before the conflict escalated in March that year. U.N. figures also show fishing declined by 75 per cent in Hodeidah and the western city of Taiz as the Saudi-led coalition restricted access to the sea and bombed boats. Food prices in Yemen have soared by 60 percent, according to a June-September report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which is being used by international organizations to measure food security. Hodeidah used to have public markets with fresh produce and food items three times a week, while now they are only held once weekly because of fuel shortages, al-Abbsi said. At least 12 villages along Hodeidah's coastline, including the one where Salem's family is from, have never seen any type of development projects, leaving them marginalized and underdeveloped, al-Kaali said. When the conflict erupted, they suffered the most. "Here you won't find a school, a medical center ... drinking water is from the wells. They are already deprived of everything," he said. Sheikh Dawoud Gunid, a village elder in Baqea, said high levels of illiteracy and a shortage of medical centers, coupled with high transport costs, means children often receive no medical treatment until they are severely ill. Ali Hassan Tanmina, a fisherman and a father of eight, said the airstrikes have made him fear the sea. "We can't go to work to get food for our children," he said. "We are besieged by hunger." See also- ' After an hour the plane came back': repeated airstrikes take toll on Yemeni civilians : The rubble fell on me; one of my legs was broken. I had to crawl to shout for help, Arfaj said. I realised that my whole family had become martyrs, the home had collapsed on their heads. I could do nothing for them. One in three Saudi air raids on Yemen hit civilian sites, data shows ; More than one-third of all Saudi-led air raids on Yemen have hit civilian sites, such as school buildings, hospitals, markets, mosques and economic infrastructure
Western Media Credibility In Free Fall Collapse By Paul Craig Roberts September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - The latest from the Gallup Poll is that only 32% of Amerians trust the print and TV media to tell the truth. Republicans, 18 to 49 year old Americans, and independents trust the media even less, with trust rates of 14%, 26%, and 30%. The only group that can produce a majority that still trusts the media are Democrats with a 51% trust rate in print and TV reporting. The next highest trust rate is Americans over 50 years of age with a trust rate of 38 percent. The conclusion is that old people who are Democrats are the only remaining group that barely trusts the media. This mistaken trust is due to their enculturation. For older Democrats belief in government takes the place of Republican belief in evangelical Christianity. Older Democrats are firm believers that it was government under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt that saved America from the Great Depression. As the print and TV media in the 21st century are firmly aligned with the government, the trust in government spills over into trust of the media that is serving the government. As the generation of Democrats enculturated with this mythology die off, Democratic trust rates will plummet toward Republican levels. It is not difficult to see why trust in the media has collapsed. The corrupt Clinton regime, which we might be on the verge of repeating, allowed a somewhat diverse and independent media to be 90% acquired by six mega-corporations. The result was the disappearance of independence in reporting and opinion. The constraints that corporate ownership and drive for profits put on journalistic freedom and resources reduced reporting to regurgitations of government and corporate press releases, always the cheapest and uncontroversial way to report. With journalistic families driven out of journalism by estate taxes, the few remaining newspapers become acquisitions like a trophy wife or a collector Ferrari. Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of amazon.com, handed over $250 million in cash for the Washington Post. Jeff might be a whiz in e-commerce, but when it comes to journalism he could just as well be named Jeff Bozo. On September 12, Washington Post reporter Cindy Boren dropped the Washington Post below the level of the supermarket tabloid, National Enquirer. One must wonder where her editor was. Drunk perhaps? The Washington Post actually reported that a Nigerian MD, Bennet Omalu, whose credentials and tenacity are well known, has concluded that Hillary Clintons obvious medical problems could be due to her being poisoned by a Putin-Trump conspiracy. One could possibly conclude that Cindy Boren and her Washington Post editor were having fun with Omalu, except that the article repeated the unfounded allegation that circumstantial evidence according to a UK inquiry associates Putin with the poisoning death of Litvinenko. In other words, first Litvinenko, now Hillary. If circumstantial evidence is to be the Washington Posts guide, then clearly that evidence suggests that the neoconservatives, well-ensconced in high government positions and desperate for a New Pearl Harbor in order to launch their wars of hegemony in the Middle East, are responsible for 9/11. Yet the Washington Post has a full-time reporter whose job is to disparage conspiracy theories while the Washington Post itself launches the conspiracy theory of the century: Putin And Trump Conspiracy Poisons US Democratic Candidate for President . If intelligence, or perhaps simply sufficient time in Americans lives to investigate the news, were not in such short supply, possibly Americans would reflect on what the benefit is of being driven by Washington into conflict with Russia and China. It most certainly will not be victory in war, as we all will be dead. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order .
Oliver Stone : 'The US Government Lies All The Time'



The Oscar-winning director talks about his Edward Snowden biopic as the film premieres to mixed reviews at the Toronto film festival



By Benjamin Lee



September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Guardian " - Oliver Stone has taken aim at the US government for deceiving people about the levels of surveillance The Oscar-winning director was speaking at the Toronto film festival as his new film Snowden, about the controversial NSA informant Edward Snowden, received its world premiere. The drama, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role, tells of the former CIA employees discovery that the agency had constructed a system to spy on the public. Americans dont know anything about it because the government lies about it all the time, Stone said at a press conference. Whats going on now is pretty shocking. This story not only deals with eavesdropping but mass eavesdropping, drones and cyberwarfare. As Snowden said himself the other day, Its out of control, the world is out of control. The film also features a cameo from Snowden himself, who still resides at an undisclosed location in Russia while he searches for asylum elsewhere. Stone hopes that he may return to US ground but is doubtful. Obama could pardon him and we hope so, he said. But he has vigorously prosecuted eight whistleblowers under the espionage act, which is an all-time record for an American president, and hes been one of the most efficient managers of this surveillance world. It is the most extensive and invasive surveillance state that has ever existed and hes built it up. The film-maker, known for the politically charged dramas Nixon and JFK, finds the current situation, which he likens to a George Orwell novel, to be at odds with the world that he grew up in. I grew up in a world where I never thought this could happen, he said. But from 2001 on, its very clear that something radical has changed. Theres more to it that meets the eye and whatever they tell you, youve got to look beyond. Gordon-Levitt met with the real Snowden in preparation for the film and believes that its his love of America that led him to leak classified information. I was interested in his patriotism, he said. He was doing what he did out of a sincere love for his country and the principles that the country is founded on. There are two different types of patriotism: theres the kind when youre allegiant to your country no matter what and you dont ask any questions, but theres another type which I really wanted to show in this character. The privilege of being from a free country like the US is that we are allowed to ask those questions and to hold the government accountable. When asked about Snowdens future, Gordon-Levitt said: I know he would love to come home and I hope for that. The film has premiered to mixed reviews at the festival, with Varietys Owen Gleiberman calling it the most important and galvanising political drama by an American film-maker in years yet the Hollywood Reporters Stephen Farber labelled it a lackluster opus.
U.S. Troops 'Forced To Run Away' From US-backed Syrian Rebels By Raf Sanchez September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Telegraph " - V ideo footage appears to show US commandos fleeing a Syrian town under a barrage of abuse and insults hurled at them by fighters from the American-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group. The video appears to be the first evidence of US special forces cooperating with Turkish troops in their battle against Islamic State (Isil). The incident illustrates the complex web of alliances and enmities in Syria, where many of Americas allies are fighting each other and some rebel groups that receive US support still harbour strong anti-American sentiments. The footage shows a crowd of rebel fighters in the town of al-Rai near the Turkish border, which was captured from Isil by Syrian rebel groups with the backing of Turkey. Turkey, which launched a military incursion into Syria in late August, has been backing the FSA. Full video of #FSA chasing #US #SOF of #AlRai #Aleppo

"We're going to slaughter u. Ur coming to invade #Syria" pic.twitter.com/qy7fIVeG8x  Riam Dalati (@Dalatrm) September 16, 2016 T he fighters scream anti-American chants as a column of pick-up trucks carrying US commandos drives away from them. Christians and Americans have no place among us, shouts one man in the video. They want to wage a crusader war to occupy Syria. Another man calls out: The collaborators of America are dogs and pigs. They wage a crusader war against Syria and Islam.  The US troops are not wearing traditional uniform but they carry American weapons and are wearing the distinctive round helmets favoured by US special forces. Another video shows the US troops looking nonchalant and waving at the camera even as some of the rebels tell them to leave. #ABD askerleri ve onlara bagl gruplar #Cobanbey'den boyle kovuldu (2) #Halep pic.twitter.com/8q70UZj9dW  Levent Kemal (@ValkryV) September 16, 2016 C harles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said the confrontation was sparked when FSA rebels accused the Americans of supporting the Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units (YPG). Heated tempers and YPG relations aside, this was a big mistake by FSA. But it does go to show the diplomacy now required to make it work, he said. Turkey is vehemently opposed to the YPG and its FSA proxies have fought with Kurdish fighters even though they are in theory both US allies committed to fighting together against Isil. It was not clear if the confrontation in al-Rai was spontaneous or ordered by senior FSA figures or even their Turkish allies. The US troops are believed to have been operating alongside Turkish forces in northern Syria. Video footage shows the American trucks sharing a road with Turkish tanks. A spokesman for US Central Command said they were aware of the video and looking into the incident.
Who Are the Crazies on Korea? By Jacob G. Hornberger September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " fff " - The U.S. military-industrial complex and the U.S. mainstream media often describe the leadership of North Korea, headed by President Kim Jong-un, as crazy and irrational. But what could be more crazy and irrational than doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? What better way to describe the actions of the U.S. national-security establishment and its loyal acolytes in the mainstream press whenever North Korea does something that they dont like, such as engaging in underground nuclear testing? In response to North Koreas latest round of underground nuclear testing, the national-security establishment responded with its standard, predictable response by flying two B-1 bombers, flanked by several U.S. fighter planes, right near the South Korea-North Korea border. Whats that supposed to accomplish? Does the Pentagon really think that thats going to stop North Korea from engaging in more nuclear testing? If so, one has to ask why Pentagon officials would believe that given that the last time they did the same thing, North Korea responded with another round of nuclear testing. Notice how the U.S. mainstream press uses North Koreas underground nuclear tests to show how crazy and irrational the regime is. Well, take a look at this photograph. It shows an above-ground nuclear explosion, with several troops looking on. Those troops are not North Korean troops. They are American troops. And the nuclear explosion too place right here in the United States during the 1950s as part of the U.S. national security establishments Exercise Desert Rock. Now, if youll go back and read accounts in the U.S. mainstream press during the 1950s, Ill guarantee you that not one single one of those articles will describe the officials who carried out those nuclear explosions as crazy and irrational. Thats because they bought the national-security states justification for the explosions, hook, line, and sinker. What was that justification? The Pentagon maintained that the nuclear testing was necessary to deter a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union as part of a supposed international communist conspiracy to take over America. That rationale seemed totally sane and rationale to the U.S. mainstream press, especially those who were serving as assets for the CIA under its infamous Operation Mockingbird, the secret CIA plan to influence and indoctrinate the media. Of course, that wasnt the only nuclear test carried out by the Pentagon in the 1950s and 1960s. There were many others, both above ground and below ground. And those tests werent carried out only here in the United States. Take a look at this photograph. It shows one of several nuclear explosions that the U.S. national-security establishment carried out in the Pacific Ocean. The Pentagon, the CIA, and the U.S. mainstream media considered those tests to be perfectly sane and rational. Thats because they were necessary, U.S. national security officials maintained, to protect America from the communist hordes that were supposedly coming to get us. In fact, lets not forget the national-security establishments initial fierce opposition to President John Kennedys proposal to enter into the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the Soviet Union as part of his plan to bring an end to the Cold War. The Pentagon finally dropped its opposition to the treaty, perhaps because it was limited to above ground testing and would still permit the Pentagon to carry out underground nuclear explosions, the same type of underground testing that North Korea has been carrying out. (See FFFs ebook JFKs War with the National Security Establishment: Why Kennedy Was Assassinated by Douglas Horne.) An obvious question arises: Once U.S. officials had dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese people in 1945, why was more testing necessary? The bombs had worked. They had killed more than 200,000 people. But if continuous testing was, in fact, necessary for the U.S. national-security to perfect its nuclear program, why doesnt the same principle apply to North Koreas nuclear program? Since the Pentagon considered it rational to continuously test its nuclear weapons, why is it considered crazy and irrational for North Korea to do the same? According to CNN, the U.S. commander in South Korea, Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, called North Koreas nuclear test a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable threat. Really? Does that mean that the U.S. testing in the 1950s and 1960s was a dangerous escalation of the Cold War and an unacceptable threat to the Soviet Union as well? Indeed, what does Brooks consider that B-1 flyover near the North Korean border to be  a peaceful and diplomatic outreach in friendship? On the contrary, its a childish but extremely dangerous act of provocation that is designed to remind the North Koreans of the mass devastation that B-52 bombers carried out against North Korean cities and villages during the Korean War, which involved a U.S. intervention into another nations civil war that was illegal under our form of constitutional government. Dont forget, after all, that the Pentagon was waging war on North Korea and killing multitudes of North Korean people without the congressional declaration of war that the U.S. Constitution requires. The CNN article also cited an unnamed U.S. intelligence official who said that North Korea is the only country in the world that threatens others with a nuclear attack. Not so! The United States does that all the time. Whenever U.S. officials declare that all options are on the table in disputes with other countries, what they mean by that is that they are reserving the right to employ nuclear weapons, including against countries that dont have nuclear weapons. Moreover, lets not forget that U.S. officials still express no regret or remorse for dropping nuclear bombs on two civilian targets during World War II, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and, in fact, are still proud of the fact they did it. Indeed, lets also not forget that in the early 1960s, the Pentagon was recommending to President Kennedy that the United States initiate a surprise attack on the Soviet Union using its massive arsenal of nuclear weapons. The rationale? Pentagon officials were convinced that a war with the Soviets was inevitable anyway and so it would be advantageous for the United States to strike first in a surprise nuclear attack. They told Kennedy that with a surprise attack, the United States could win the war because it would suffer only 40 million deaths while everyone in Russia and the rest of the Soviet Union would be wiped out. Kennedy concluded that those Pentagon officials were nuts. He privately exclaimed to an aide, And we call ourselves the human race. What the Pentagon, the CIA, and the U.S. mainstream press just dont get is that North Koreas nuclear program is based on the same purported rationale as the U.S. nuclear program  not to initiate war but to deter a war on North Korea by the United States. The North Koreans are not dumb. They know that regime change has been a core element of the U.S. national-security establishment since its inception in the 1940s. They saw the U.S. regime change operation in Iraq. Theyre familiar with the CIAs regime change operation in Iran in 1953. They see the current sanctions on Iran as another attempt at regime change. They know that U.S. officials believe that the North Korean regime was part of an axis of evil. They are fully aware of the fact that insofar as North Korea and Cuba (and Russia) are concerned, the Cold War has never ended for the U.S. national-security establishment. They know that U.S. national-security state officials have never given up their Cold War hope of achieving regime change in North Korea and Cuba (and Russia). So, whats the only thing that would keep the Pentagon and the CIA from attacking and invading North Korea? Nuclear weapons! The North Koreans are smart enough to know that they could never win a conventional war against the United States. They are also smart enough to know that the prospect of North Korea firing nuclear bombs at Seoul and even at Japan will likely deter the same type of regime-change attack and invasion that the U.S. national-security establishment carried out against Iraq. After all, dont forget the Cuban Missile Crisis. While U.S. officials have long maintained that the Soviets installed nuclear missiles in Cuba for offensive purposes, nothing could be further from the truth. They were installed there to deter another U.S. invasion of that Third World country, either by the CIA (as at the Bay of Pigs) or by the Pentagon (as the Joint Chiefs of Staff were recommending during the Missile Crisis). When President Kennedy agreed that the United States would abandon all plans to invade Cuba (over the fierce opposition of the Pentagon and the CIA), the Soviets withdrew their missiles. If nuclear missiles could deter another U.S. invasion of Cuba, why wouldnt it be logical for the North Koreans to believe that their nuclear weapons will deter a U.S. invasion of North Korea? What U.S. officials and the U.S. mainstream press just dont get is that the North Korean communist regime just wants to be left alone, just as many people in the Middle East want to be left alone and, indeed, just as many Americans want to be left alone. The problem is that the U.S. national security establishment wont leave people alone. Stuck with their Cold War mindsets (except with respect to Vietnams communist regime, which they now are embracing), U.S. national security officials have a vested interest in maintaining a crisis environment in Korea. The bigger the crisis, the better, so that they can demonstrate how necessary it is for them to keep us safe from the communists  or the terrorists  or the drug dealers  or the illegal immigrants  or the Muslims  or the Russians  or the Chinese  or the Syrians  or ISIS  or whoever the official enemy de jour happens to be. Meanwhile , here at home the mainstream press is calling for the same policy prescriptions they always call for in response to North Koreas latest nuclear test: by calling for more enforcement of sanctions against North Korea, by calling for U.S. officials to exercise leadership, and by calling on China to do something. In other words, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Ive got a different idea. Just leave North Korea alone. Yankee, come home! Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. http://www.fff.org/
It Can Happen Here By Uri Avnery September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Zionism was a revolutionary idea. It proposed that the "Jewish people" should create a new Jewish entity in the land of Palestine. The Zionist project was very successful indeed. By 1948 the embryo nation was strong enough to create a state. Israel was born. When one builds a house, one needs scaffolding. When the building is finished, the scaffolding is removed. But political ideas and structures dont die easily. The human mind is lazy and apprehensive, and clings to familiar ideas, long after they have become obsolete. Also, political and material interests become vested in the idea and resist change. Thus "Zionism" continued to exist after its aim had already been achieved. The scaffolding became superfluous, indeed obstructive. Why obstructive? Lets take Australia, for example. It was created by British settlers, as a colony of Britain. Australians were deeply committed to Britain. During World War II they came to us, on their way to fight for Britain in North Africa. (We liked them very much.) But Australia is not Britain. A different climate, a different geography, a different location, which dictates different political options. If we consider World Jewry as a kind of motherland, like Britain for Australia, Israel should have cut the umbilical cord at birth. A new nation. A new location. A different neighborhood. Different options. This never happened. Israel is a "Zionist" state, or so the vast majority of its citizens and leaders believe. Not being a Zionist means being an apostate, almost a traitor. But what do Israelis mean by "Zionism"? Patriotism? Nationalism? Solidarity with Jews around the world? Or something much more: the idea that Israel does not really belong to its citizens, but to all the Jews around the world? These basic conceptions, whether conscious or unconscious, have wide-ranging consequences. Israel is officially and judicially defined as "a Jewish and democratic state". Does that mean that non-Jewish citizens of Israel, such as the Arabs, do not really belong, but are only tolerated and their civil rights are questionable? Does it mean that Israel as such is in reality a Western nation transplanted to the Middle East? (In itself a Western name.) Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, suggested in his fundamental book "The Jewish State" that in Palestine we would volunteer to serve as an outpost for European civilization against barbarism. Which barbarians did he have in mind? Some 110 years later, the Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Barak, expressed the same idea in more colorful words, when he described Israel as a "villa in the Jungle". Again, it is easy to guess which wild beasts he had in mind. Since the mass immigration of Oriental Jewish communities to Israel (and other countries) in the early 1950s, very few Jewish communities have remained in the East, and those are tiny and pitiful. World Jewry is concentrated (or, rather, dispersed) in the West, especially in the US. The Jewish-Israeli connection is immensely important for Israel. The dominant position of the Jewish community in US politics guarantees the diplomatic immunity of the Israeli government, whatever the government does and whoever is the US president, and massive financial and military support, of course. (If tomorrow all US Jews were seized by messianic fervor and immigrated en masse to Israel, this would be a terrible catastrophe for the "Jewish State".) On the other hand, the Jewish-Israeli connection turns Israel indeed into a "Western outpost", as Herzl envisioned, and guarantees that the Jewish State will forever be at war with its geographical neighbors. "Peace with the Arabs" is a subject endlessly discussed in Israel. It is the dividing line between "Right" and "Left". The prevailing conviction is: "Peace would be nice. We all want peace. Unfortunately peace is impossible." Why impossible? "Because the Arabs dont want it. They will not accept a Jewish state in their midst. Not now, not ever." Based on this conviction, Binyamin Netanyahu has formulated his condition for peace: "The Arabs must recognize Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People". This is ludicrous. Sure, the "Arabs" must recognize the State of Israel. Indeed, Yasser Arafat did so officially on behalf of the Palestinian people on the eve of the Oslo agreement. But defining the character of the State of Israel or its regime is the sole responsibility of the citizens of Israel. We do not recognize China as a Communist country. We do not recognize the US as a capitalist country  not did we, in the past, recognize the US as a White Protestant country. We do not recognize Sweden as a Swedish country. The whole thing is ridiculous. But nobody, inside Israel or outside, dares to tell Netanyahu to sleep it off. But on one point Netanyahu touches something fundamental. Peace between Israel and Palestine  and, by extension, with the entire Arab and Muslim world  requires a basic mental change both in Israel and in Palestine. A piece of paper is not enough. On the eve of the 1948 war, in which the State of Israel was born, I published a brochure called "War or Peace in the Semitic Region". It started with the words: "When our fathers decided to set up a "safe haven in Palestine, they had to choose between two alternatives: "They could appear in West Asia as a European conqueror, who sees himself as a bridgehead of the white" race and a master of the natives, like the Spanish conquistadores and the Anglo-Saxon colonialists in America. So, in their time, did the Crusaders in Palestine. "The other way was to see themselves as an Asian people returning to its homeland A year later, near the end of the war, I was seriously wounded. Lying in hospital, without sleeping or eating for many days, I had ample time to think and draw conclusions from my recent experiences as a soldier in combat. I came to the conclusion that there exists an Arab Palestinian people, that this people needs a state of its own, and that there would never be peace between us and them unless a State of Palestine came into being next to our own new state. That was the start of the "Two-state" idea as it is now discussed. In the following years, it was rejected by everybody  by the Arabs, the US and the Soviet Union. And of course by all the successive Israeli governments. Golda Meir famously said: "There is no such thing as a Palestinian people!" Today, the Two-state Solution has become a world consensus. Most Israelis accept it, if only in theory. Even Netanyahu pretends, from time to time, to accept it. But on what grounds? Many of its new adherents adopt it as a good way to "separate". As Ehud Barak (the "villa-in-the-jungle" man) put it: "They will be there and we shall be here". This wont do. It is a negative attitude. Some of its adherents go for it because they are  quite rightly  afraid that otherwise Eretz Israel will become Eretz Ishmael, a bi-national state with an Arab majority. There already exists an Arab majority in the area between the Mediterranean sea and the Jordan river. Those who want a "Jewish State" are attracted by the Two-state Solution, but for the wrong reason. But the main argument against this kind of thinking is that after a historical conflict already lasting for almost 140 years, this is not enough for achieving peace. One cannot achieve a historic peace with a mentality of war and conflict. When, in hospital, I thought for the first time about this solution, with the war still in full swing, I did not think about "separation". I was thinking about reconciliation between two peoples after a long-long conflict, two peoples living side by side in two free and national states, each under its own flag, without a wall between them. Indeed, I envisioned an open border, with free movement of people and goods. This land  call it Palestine or Eretz Israel  is very small. Living in it in two mutually antagonistic states would be a nightmare. Therefore, some kind of free association, call it confederation or federation, is a sheer necessity. Setting it up and keeping it up needs a spirit of reconciliation. Not just a negative peace, the absence of war, a cold peace of recriminations and mutual animosity, but a positive peace, a real peace, with each side understanding the basic motives of the other side, its historical narrative, its hopes and fears. Is this possible? Well, it happened between Germany and France after many centuries of conflict, including two World Wars. Yes, I believe that it can happen here. Uri Avnery is an Israeli writer and founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement. A member of the Irgun as a teenager, Avnery sat in the Knesset from 1965 to 1974 and from 1979 to 1981.
Israeli Soldiers Murdered Dozens of Captives During Wars The IDF Fought



According to testimony obtained by Haaretz, captives were ordered to line up and turn around, before they were shot in the back. The officer who gave the order was released after serving seven months in prison, while his commander was promoted to a high-ranking post.



By Aluf Benn September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Haaretz " - Israeli soldiers murdered dozens of captives during one of the wars the IDF fought in the first decades of Israel's existence. The officer who gave the order to kill the prisoners was tried, but got off with a ridiculously light sentence. His commander was promoted to an extremely senior post and the entire affair was hushed up. The dozens of prisoners were soldiers in one of the enemy armies. They had surrendered after the battle and thrown down their weapons. Some of them were seriously wounded. * To get the latest updates from Israel and the Middle East subscribe to the digital edition of Haaretz. Just $1 / first month. Or register for free to our daily newsletter.* The Israeli soldiers who initially took control of the place where they surrendered gathered them into an interior courtyard surrounded by a wall, gave them food and talked with them about their lives and their military service. A few hours later, these soldiers were assigned a different mission, and another Israeli force was sent to replace them at the site where the captives were being held. This changing of the guard prompted questions among the officers at the site as to what to do with the captured enemy soldiers, because the new force refused to accept responsibility for them, while the departing force had no means of transporting the prisoners. The company commander who was the officer in charge at the site then ordered his soldiers to kill the captives. According to testimony obtained by Haaretz, the captives were ordered to stand in a line and turn around, then shot in the back. An enemy officer who had been serving as a translator fled, but was shot to death by soldiers from the new force, who were in a jeep. Following the murder, an army bulldozer piled the bodies into an improvised grave. Two eyewitness accounts of the prisoners murder were given to a Haaretz reporter many years ago. According to one account, by a man who said he refused to obey the order, the commander ordered him to go down and kill the wounded prisoners. He refused because earlier, the prisoners had asked him if they would be killed, and he had told them no. The commander threatened to court-martial him for disobeying an order, but he continued to refuse. Then another man  the second witness  jumped up and volunteered to carry out the order. The testimony of the second witness, who confessed to having participated in killing the prisoners together with three of his comrades, more or less agreed with that of the first witness, even though they hadnt been in contact with each other and neither of them knew the issue had been discussed with the other. One difference was that the second man claimed he, too, had originally refused to obey the order, but when his commander insisted, he agreed to carry it out. He added that after shooting the captives, he approached them and shot them again from a distance of only five meters to ensure that they were all dead. The Israel Defense Forces launched a Military Police investigation into the incident, and the investigation ended with the company commander standing trial for murder. He was sentenced to three years in prison and released after just seven months. The company commander claimed he was ordered to kill the prisoners by his superior, who later reached a very senior position in the IDF. Its not clear whether the superior officer was ever investigated, but he definitely never stood trial. The company commander worked as a tour guide after leaving the army, and when asked about the subject by a Haaretz reporter years later, he replied that the matter is classified and told him to direct his questions to the security services. This murder of dozens of prisoners was one of the most serious war crimes in the IDFs history, but the army whitewashed it and hushed it up. Making the details public remains important even today, in order to understand the history of the IDFs combat ethics and to learn leadership, educational and command lessons for the future.
$1.2 Trillion: The Hidden Costs of Mass Incarceration By Alice Salles September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " AntiMedia " - Though the U.S. population accounts for only 4.4 percent of the worlds population, its prisons held 22 percent of the worlds prisoners at the end of October 2013, making Americas incarceration rate the highest in the world. And while the cost of todays federal prisons has surpassed the Federal Bureau Of Prisons $6.85 billion budget, state prisons are not far behind. With [s]tate corrections budgets  nearly [quadrupling] in the past two decades, Vera Institute of Justice notes, each average inmate now costs taxpayers over $31,000 per year. In 2010 alone, states spent over $5.4 billion on maintaining their prisons. But while we know everything about governments prison budgets, few reports shed light on the hidden costs of high incarceration rates. In order to help the U.S. population understand what mass incarceration means to smaller communities, Washington University in St. Louis conducted a study entitled The Economic Burden of Incarceration in the U.S., led by doctoral student and certified public accountant Michael McLaughlin. According to the study, for every dollar in corrections spending, theres another 10 dollars of other types of costs to families, children and communities that nobody sees because it doesnt end up on a state budget. Researchers concluded the annual economic burden resulting from the high rate of incarceration in America is an estimated $1.2 trillion, or nearly 6 percent of the GDP. This burden is also eleven times higher than what governments take from taxpayers to support state and federal prisons. From the study: The $80 billion spent annually on corrections has been cited as the cost of incarceration. However, a growing body of research suggests the true cost of incarceration far exceeds the amount spent on corrections. This is because corrections spending ignores costs borne by incarcerated persons, families, children, and communities. According to researchers, the wages prisoners could have earned average $23,286 ($33,066 in 2014 dollars) in lost productivity each year, yielding $24.6 billion in lost wages nationwide. But other costs were also considered, such as the cost of nonfatal injuries prisoners sustain while incarcerated. At least 3.2 percent of jail inmates and 4 percent of both state and federal prison inmates were sexually abused in 2014, prompting local, state, and federal governments to provide victims with medical care. Throughout the year, the 86,288 incidents cost taxpayers $324,690. The study also suggests that, over time, mass incarceration leads to yet another unwanted effect thats adding to the prison systems high cost: high mortality rates. The mortality rate of formerly incarcerated persons is 3.5 times higher than that of people who have not been incarcerated, the study explains. Each year, the study suggests, about 7,230 premature deaths can be linked back to the high mortality rates among former prisoners, which leads to a $62.6 billion loss in lifelong wages. Other costs to family members are also hidden, such as travel and moving costs. According to the study, 700,000 families in America now have at least one incarcerated family member. Considering that at least one member visits their incarcerated loved one once a month, researchers found that, each year, $0.8 billion is spent on these trips. But as families lose wages due to incarceration, two other costs enter the picture: moving and eviction costs. On average, families spend $0.5 billion each year to change residencies after an arrest, while many others lose their homes due to the loss of income. According to the report, evictions may occur when families lose a loved one to the prison system or when a former convict is released. Because many former inmates have difficulties finding a job, they are more likely to lose their residences. Since the average cost of an eviction is $1,635, the total incarceration-related cost is $0.2 billion. Other factors that end up costing families and communities include the increased risk of divorce, which costs $17.7 billion, and the loss of income and education to children whose parents are incarcerated, leading to a total loss of $166.6 billion. According to McLaughlin, this study helps to prove that the marginal cost of incarcerating an additional individual exceeds the marginal benefit. Considering non-violent offenders who broke immigration or drug laws make up 60 percent of the U.S. prison population, its safe to say the true costs of the broken U.S. drug and immigration law codes are far too high.
US Media Ignores CIA Cover-up on Torture



A group of U.S. intelligence veterans chastises the mainstream U.S. media for virtually ignoring a British newspapers account of the gripping inside story on how the CIA tried to block the U.S. Senates torture investigation. September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - MEMORANDUM FOR: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Vice Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity SUBJECT: U.S. Media Mum On How Your Committee Faced Down Both CIA and Obama We write to thank you for your unwavering support for your extraordinarily courageous and tenacious staff in (1) investigating CIA torture under the Bush/Cheney administration and (2) resisting CIA/White House attempts under the Obama administration to cover up heinous torture crimes like waterboarding. We confess to having been shocked at the torture detailed in the version of the executive summary your Committee released on December 9, 2014. We found ourselves wondering what additional behavior could have been deemed so repugnant that the White House and CIA insisted it be redacted; and if the entire 6,700-page investigation  with whatever redaction might be truly necessary  would ever see the light of day. We think you could take steps now to make it less likely that the full report be deep-sixed, and we will make some suggestions below toward that end. With well over 400 years of intelligence experience under our collective belt, we wondered how you managed to get the investigation finished and the executive summary up and out (though redacted). We now know the backstory  thanks to the unstinting courage of the committees principal investigator Daniel Jones, who has been interviewed by Spencer Ackerman , an investigative reporter for The (UK) Guardian newspaper. The titanic struggle depicted by Ackerman reads like a crime novel; sadly, the four-part series is nonfiction: I.  Senate investigator breaks silence about CIAs failed coverup of torture report  II.  Inside the fight to reveal the CIAs torture secrets  III.  A constitutional crisis: the CIA turns on the Senate  IV.  No looking back: the CIA torture reports aftermath  Ackermans reporting on Joness tenacity in facing down the gorilla CIA makes abundantly clear how richly deserved was the encomium you gave Jones when he left the committee staff in December 2015. You noted, Without his indefatigable work on the Intelligence Committee staff, the Senate report on the CIAs Detention and Interrogation Program would not have been completed, nor would its 525-page executive summary have been released to the public. It seems equal praise might well be due to any Snowden-like patriot/whistleblower who inadvertently included the Panetta Review in the reams of material given your committee by the CIA. Remarkably, a full week after The Guardian carried Ackermans revelations, none has been picked up by U.S. mainstream newspapers. Not the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post  not even The Hill. (As for alternative media, Charles P. Pierces timely piece for Esquire whetted his readers appetite for the gripping detail of the Guardian series, explaining that it would be unfair both to Ackermans diligence and Joness courage to try to summarize even just the first installment. Read the whole damn thing, Pierce advises.) And so, the culprits who should be hanging their heads in shame are out and about, with some still collecting book royalties and some blithely working for this or that candidate for president. As if nothing happened. Sadly, given the soporific state of our mainstream media  particularly on sensitive issues like these  their silence is nothing new, although it does seem to have gotten even worse in recent years. The late William Colby, CIA director from 1973 to 1976, has been quoted as saying: The CIA owns everyone of any significance in the major media. Whether or not Colby was quoted correctly, the experience of the past several decades suggests it is largely true. Better sourced is a quote from William Casey, CIA director from 1981 to 1987: Well know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false. In these circumstances, we know from sad experience that there is no way any of us can get on any of the Sunday talk shows, for example  despite our enviable record for getting it right. Nor does it seem likely that any of the mainstream media will invite you to discuss the highly instructive revelations in The Guardian. We respectfully suggest that you take the initiative to obtain media exposure for this very important story. One additional request: As you and your investigators know better than anyone, it is essential to safeguard the integrity not only of the unredacted executive summary but also of the entire 6,700-page committee report on the CIAs Detention and Interrogation Program. And, again, you are aware that as soon as Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, took the gavel from you, he took steps seemingly aimed at ensuring that the full report never sees the light of day. Could you ask him why, as soon as he became chair, he asked the executive branch to transfer their copies to the Senate Intelligence Committee? Many interpreted that as an ill-disguised attempt to thwart holding accountable those responsible for the abuses. Moreover, if the report cannot be reviewed by those who might be asked to participate in activities like torture in the future, how is it even possible for anyone to learn from the prior unfortunate experience? The public is entitled to the entire story about the CIA torture program and its lies to Congress, the White House, and to us. Any attempt to bury the fullest investigation of the torture program  an investigation that provides an example of Congressional oversight at its best  would undermine the democratic accountability that is supposed to be provided by the separation of powers. Furthermore, as you were quoted in the Guardian series, the agency searches may have undermined the constitutional framework essential to effective congressional oversight of intelligence activities or any other government function . . . Senator Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, was exactly on point: You either have oversight and separation of powers with the checks and balances that come with that, or you dont. Its amazing that, once again, no one at the CIA was held accountable. Consequently, the issue now is not only the cover-up of torture by the CIA but  at least equally important  the unbridled agency that spied on Americans (including Senate Intelligence Committee staffers) as eagerly as they spied on foreign adversaries, as the Guardian described it in referring to the Church Committee investigation in the 1970s. Does American democracy deserve any less than an intense investigation of the CIAs obstruction of the democratic process in the 2000s? The Guardian revelations make it still more difficult for the kind of excuses made by those who can hardly pretend to be disinterested observers  former CIA directors George Tenet, Porter Goss, Michael Hayden, for example  who wrote Rebuttal: The CIA Responds to the Senate Intelligence Committees Study of Its Detention and Interrogation Program, published on September 9, 2015. We published our own (VIPS) critique of Rebuttal five days later. And before the final vote on John Brennans nomination to become CIA director, we tried to warn you not to trust him. We believe you will agree that more needs to be done to replant the moral moorings of honesty that must anchor the intelligence profession to which we have given so many years. And we think that one step in that direction would be for you to seize this new opportunity to give prominence to the edifying story of how your committee and its staffers stepped up so effectively to their responsibilities in investigating and exposing the very sad and delicate chapter of CIA torture. The play-by-play provided by the Guardian series, with its appropriate focus on the top investigator Daniel Jones, has created an opportunity we hope will not be squandered; a chance to tell a truly uplifting story sure to encourage others to behave in similarly exemplary manner. For the Steering Group, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) Jean Maria Arrigo, PhD, member of 2005 American Psychological Association task force evaluating the role of psychologists in U.S. intelligence and military interrogations of detainees (associate VIPS) Eugene DeFriest Betit, Ph. D., DIA, US Army (ret.) Thomas Drake, former Senior Executive, NSA Bogdan Dzakovic, Former Team Leader of Federal Air Marshals and Red Team, FAA Security, (ret.) (associate VIPS) Mike Gravel, former Adjutant, top secret control officer, Communications Intelligence Service; special agent of the Counter Intelligence Corps and former United States Senator Matthew Hoh, former Capt., USMC, Iraq & Foreign Service Officer, Afghanistan (associate VIPS) Larry C Johnson, CIA & State Department (ret.) Michael S. Kearns, Captain, USAF (Ret.); ex-Master SERE Instructor for Strategic Reconnaissance Operations (NSA/DIA) and Special Mission Units (JSOC) John Kiriakou, Former CIA Counterterrorism Officer and former senior investigator, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Edward Loomis, NSA, Cryptologic Computer Scientist (ret.) Linda Lewis, WMD preparedness policy analyst, USDA (ret.) (associate VIPS) David MacMichael, National Intelligence Council (ret.) Ray McGovern, former US Army infantry/intelligence officer & CIA analyst (ret.) Elizabeth Murray, Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Near East, CIA and National Intelligence Council (ret.) Todd E. Pierce, MAJ, US Army Judge Advocate (Ret.) Coleen Rowley, FBI Special Agent and former Minneapolis Division Legal Counsel (ret.) Scott Ritter, former MAJ., USMC, former UN Weapon Inspector, Iraq Peter Van Buren, U.S. Department of State, Foreign Service Officer (ret.) (associate VIPS) Kirk Wiebe, former Senior Analyst, SIGINT Automation Research Center, NSA Lawrence Wilkerson, Colonel (USA, ret.), Distinguished Visiting Professor, College of William and Mary (associate VIPS) Valerie Plame Wilson, former CIA Operations Officer Ann Wright, Col., US Army (ret.); Foreign Service Officer (resigned)
In Case You Missed It "We're Going To Become Extinct," Eminent Scientist Says By Cheryl Jones September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Australian " - - FRANK Fenner doesn't engage in the skirmishes of the climate wars. To him, the evidence of global warming is in. Our fate is sealed. "We're going to become extinct," the eminent scientist says. "Whatever we do now is too late." Fenner is an authority on extinction. The emeritus professor in microbiology at the Australian National University played a leading role in sending one species into oblivion: the variola virus that causes smallpox. And his work on the myxoma virus suppressed wild rabbit populations on farming land in southeastern Australia in the early 1950s. He made the comments in an interview at his home in a leafy Canberra suburb. Now 95, he rarely gives interviews. But until recently he went into work each day at the ANU's John Curtin School of Medical Research, of which he was director from 1967 to 1973. Decades after his official retirement from the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, which he set up in 1973, he continued a routine established when he was running world-class facilities while conducting research. He'd get to work at 6.30am to spend a couple of hours writing textbooks before the rest of the staff arrived. Fenner, a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and of the Royal Society, has received many awards and honours. He has published hundreds of scientific papers and written or co-written 22 books. He retrieves some of the books from his library. One of them, on smallpox, has physical as well as intellectual gravitas: it weighs 3.5kg. Another, on myxomatosis, was reprinted by Cambridge University Press last year, 44 years after the first edition came out. Fenner is chuffed, but disappointed that he could not update it with research confirming wild rabbits have developed resistance to the biological control agent. The study showed that myxo now had a much lower kill rate in the wild than in laboratory rabbits that had never been exposed to the virus. "The [wild] rabbits themselves had mutated," Fenner says. "It was an evolutionary change in the rabbits." His deep understanding of evolution has never diminished his fascination with observing it in the field. That understanding was shaped by studies of every scale, from the molecular level to the ecosystem and planetary levels. Fenner originally wanted to become a geologist but, on the advice of his father, studied medicine instead, graduating from the University of Adelaide in 1938. He spent his spare time studying skulls with prehistorian Norman Tindale. Soon after graduating, he joined the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, serving in Egypt and Papua New Guinea. He is credited in part with Australia's victory in New Guinea because of his work to control malaria among the troops. "That quite changed my interest from looking at skulls to microbiology and virology," he says. But his later research in virology, focusing on pox viruses, took him also into epidemiology and population dynamics, and he would soon zoom out to view species, including our own, in their ecological context. His biological perspective is also geological. He wrote his first papers on the environment in the early 1970s, when human impact was emerging as a big problem. He says the Earth has entered the Anthropocene. Although it is not an official epoch on the geological timescale, the Anthropocene is entering scientific terminology. It spans the time since industrialisation, when our species started to rival ice ages and comet impacts in driving the climate on a planetary scale. Fenner says the real trouble is the population explosion and "unbridled consumption". The number of Homo sapiens is projected to exceed 6.9 billion this year, according to the UN. With delays in firm action on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Fenner is pessimistic. "We'll undergo the same fate as the people on Easter Island," he says. "Climate change is just at the very beginning. But we're seeing remarkable changes in the weather already. "The Aborigines showed that without science and the production of carbon dioxide and global warming, they could survive for 40,000 or 50,000 years. But the world can't. The human species is likely to go the same way as many of the species that we've seen disappear. "Homo sapiens will become extinct, perhaps within 100 years," he says. "A lot of other animals will, too. It's an irreversible situation. I think it's too late. I try not to express that because people are trying to do something, but they keep putting it off. "Mitigation would slow things down a bit, but there are too many people here already." It's an opinion shared by some scientists but drowned out by the row between climate change sceptics and believers. Fenner's colleague and long-time friend Stephen Boyden, a retired professor at the ANU, says there is deep pessimism among some ecologists, but others are more optimistic. "Frank may be right, but some of us still harbour the hope that there will come about an awareness of the situation and, as a result, the revolutionary changes necessary to achieve ecological sustainability," says Boyden, an immunologist who turned to human ecology later in his career. "That's where Frank and I differ. We're both aware of the seriousness of the situation, but I don't accept that it's necessarily too late. While there's a glimmer of hope, it's worth working to solve the problem. We have the scientific knowledge to do it but we don't have the political will." Fenner will open the Healthy Climate, Planet and People symposium at the Australian Academy of Science next week, as part of the AAS Fenner conference series, which is designed to bridge the gap between environmental science and policy. In 1980, Fenner had the honour of announcing the global eradication of smallpox to the UN's World Health Assembly. The disease is the only one to have been eradicated. Thirty years after that occasion, his outlook is vastly different as he contemplates the chaos of a species on the brink of mass extinction. "As the population keeps growing to seven, eight or nine billion, there will be a lot more wars over food," he says. "The grandchildren of today's generations will face a much more difficult world."
62 Syrian Troops Killed in US-led Attack By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Al Arabiya " - More than 60 Syrian government soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured Saturday in US-led coalition air strikes on an air base in the east of the war-torn country, the Russian army said. Warplanes from the international anti-militant coalition carried out four air strikes today against Syrian forces surrounded by ISIS in the Deir Ezzor air base, the army said in a statement. Sixty-two Syrian soldiers were killed and a hundred others were injured in these strikes. Straight after the coalitions strikes, ISIS militants launched an offensive, said the statement, adding that fierce fighting against the terrorists ensued nearby. If these strikes were due to an error in the target coordinates, that would be a direct consequence of the US refusal to coordinate with Russia its fight against the terrorist groups in Syria, it said. The Russian defense ministry said fierce battle was being waged between the Syrian army and ISIS militants near Deir al-Zor airport. The ministry also said if the US-led coalition bombing of the Syrian Army a mistake, then it showed evidence of US stubbornness for Washingtons refusal to coordinate its actions in Syria with Moscow. The Observatorys death toll At least 80 Syrian soldiers were killed in the air strike, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group said, citing a source at the airport.



Russian jets had been bombing in the same area at the same time, the Observatory said. The source at the airport said the air strike had paved the way for ISIS fighters to overrun the position at Jebel Tharda, the Observatory said.



It said earlier that only 30 soldiers had been killed, citing the same source. Russia blames US if truce collapses Earlier, Russias defense ministry on Saturday said US would be blamed if truce in Syria collapses, describing Washington as not ready to force Syrian rebels under its control to implement the ceasefire. The United States and so-called moderate (rebel) groups under their control did not implement any of the obligations taken under the Geneva agreements, Russian news agencies quoted Lieutenant-General Viktor Poznikhir as saying.



If the United States does not take steps needed to fulfil its obligations under the Sept. 9 agreement, then all the responsibility for any collapse of the ceasefire in Syria would lie with the United States, he added. The defense ministry said there have been 199 times violations since ceasefire came into force on Monday, dubbing the situation in the conflict-torn country as worsening especially in Aleppo and Hama provinces. It also said that Syrian town of Muaddami near the capital Damascus was ready to receive humanitarian convoy on Sunday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also told US Secretary of State John Kerry that military officials from the United States should be fully involved in monitoring a ceasefire in Syria, Russias foreign ministry said on Saturday.



In a phone call with Kerry, Lavrov also proposed that documents related to the Syria ceasefire agreement should be published to avoid any double meaning over how the deal should be implemented, the ministry said in a statement.



Meanwhile, a senior rebel official in Aleppo warned on Saturday that the ceasefire will not hold out as air strikes and shelling continued in some places and promised aid deliveries failed to come through. The ceasefire is the result of an agreement between Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with air power, and the United States, which supports some rebel groups, and has cooled fighting since coming into effect last Monday. On Friday, Washington and Moscow agreed to extend the ceasefire. The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (US) State Department - will not hold out, the rebel official said, pointing to the continued presence of a UN aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to travel to Aleppo. It is not possible for the party (Russia) that wages war against a people to strive to achieve a truce, as it is also not possible for it to be a sponsor of this agreement while it bombs night and day, while on the other side, the other party - America - has the role of spectator, he said. Aid is then meant to reach battered Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people in the rebel-held half of the city are living under government siege. But forty trucks carrying desperately-needed food aid were still stuck on the border with Turkey on Saturday. Still no progress, but the UN is ready to move once we get the go ahead, said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The UN has said it cannot deliver aid until all guarantees are in place for safe delivery. AFPs correspondent in Aleppos eastern districts said the city was calm on Saturday after a few rocket attacks overnight. Intermittent shelling Intermittent shelling and clashes resumed overnight in Syria, a monitor said on Saturday, testing the strained truce. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, limited shelling and clashes have resumed on several fronts in Syria. In particular, fighting erupted between rebels and pro-regime forces in the opposition-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, and air strikes hit several towns in the central province of Homs. In the coastal province of Latakia, fresh regime air strikes hit rebel groups, including fighters from Syrias former Al-Qaeda affiliate, in the flashpoint region of Jabal Akrad. So far, Aleppo city is still the calmest of them all, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Under the truce deal negotiated by Moscow and Washington, fighting is to halt across the country except in areas where militants are present. (With AFP, Reuters) US Alliance Aircrafts Attacks Syrian Army Position in Deir Ezzor, Israeli enemy targets position in Quneitra

By SANA September 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " SANA " - Damascus/Quneitra, SANA  The General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said that US alliance aircrafts targeted at 5 PM on Saturday a Syrian Arab Army position in al-Tharda Mountain in the surroundings of Deir Ezzor Airport, causing losses in lives and equipment and clearly paved the way for ISIS terrorists to attack the position and take control of it. In a statement, the General Command said that this act is a serious and blatant aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic and its army, and constitutes conclusive evidence that the United States and its allies support ISIS and other terrorist organizations, stressing that this act reveals the falseness of their claims of fighting terrorism. Israeli enemy targets position in the surroundings of Khan Arnaba town in Quneitra countryside SANA reporter in Quneitra said that the Israeli enemy attacked a position in the surroundings of Khan Arnaba town in Quneitra countryside within the framework of its direct support to the Takfiri terrorist organizations that commit massacres and crimes against locals in Quneitra countryside. On September 13th, at 01:00 AM, the Syrian Air Defense Forces repelled the Israeli enemys air force that attacked a Syrian military position in Quneitra countryside, shooting down an Israeli warplane to the southwest of Quneitra and an Israeli drone to the west of Sasa town in the southwestern countryside of Damascus. Qabas / Hazem Sabbagh
A Nigerian billionaire, Chief Benjamin Aghalieku Arinze, has launched a cargo airline in Swaziland.

The airline, Aghalieaku Airways has its base at the Manzini King Mswati III International Airport, Swaziland.

Aghalieaku Airways is an aviation company that has a business strategy to set up base in the Beautiful Country of Swaziland.

Developing the cargo aviation sector with a powerful and dynamic vision to create a hub site that will become your channel partner to servicing the aviation sector, locally, nationally, globally.

Driven by passion for people, development, growth and positive changes coupled with a strong will and sheer determination, my dream is to capture the aviation market sector and develop the african continent.

My vision is to leave a legacy behind that will inspire and motivate the future generation to strive for greater heights, leaving no stones unturned in achieving their goals and vision, by beating all odds in turning their dreams into reality, said the Airline management via its website.

Source: BreakingTimes
President Barack Obama and Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari will meet on Tuesday in New York, on the sidelines of the US leaders final appearance at the UN General Assembly session.

The 71st UN General session opens on Monday.

It will be President Buharis second appearance since he came to power on 29 May last year.

The meeting confirmed by White House was not on the itinerary of the Nigerian leader released on Friday.

Obama is also scheduled to meet with presidents of Iraq and Colombia.

Obama will discuss with President Buhari about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the governments efforts to counter the terrorist group Boko Haram.

Nigeria and the US have pending agreement over the sale of US military equipment, especially attack helicopters to fight the insurgents.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, President Buhari would deliver Nigerias statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly on The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform Our World.

Adesina revealed that the president would also attend a high-level summit to be hosted by the UN, on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.

The summit, which is the first of its kind organised by the General Assembly at the Heads of State and Government level, is expected to come up with a blueprint for a better international response to enhance protection of migrants and refugees.

He also said that Buhari would deliver a keynote address on Taking Climate Action toward Sustainable Development in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin.

The presidents aide disclosed that leaders of member-countries of Lake Chad Basin would attend the summit, organised by Nigerian government, to highlight the urgent need to mobilise international response to the situation in the Chad Basin.

Over nine million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Lake Chad Basin.

He said that while in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders, the president would attend series of meetings as well as side events, which were of significant interest to Nigeria.

Adesina said that the president would equally participate in an event hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, on Ending Need in the Lake Chad.

On the margins of the 71st UNGA, President Buhari will sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and participate in activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development.

He said that the Nigerian leader would attend the Clinton Global Initiative as well as the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Business and Global Goals organised by the Secretary General.

According to Adesina, the president will lead discussions at the United States-Africa Business Forum devoted to investing in Nigeria.

He said that the president would hold bilateral meetings with some world leaders in furtherance of his administrations commitment in ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

He said that the discussions would also focus on the presidents longstanding commitment to returning peace and security in the North-East of Nigeria.

Adesina stated that the discussions would also focus on restoring calm to the Niger Delta, and attracting more investments to develop critical infrastructure and revamp the Nigerian economy.

Source: Dailypost
President Barack Obama and Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari will meet on Tuesday in New York, on the sidelines of the US leaders final appearance at the UN General Assembly session.

The 71st UN General session opens on Monday. It will be President Buharis second appearance since he came to power on 29 May last year.

The meeting confirmed by White House was not on the itinerary of the Nigerian leader released on Friday. Obama is also scheduled to meet with presidents of Iraq and Colombia.

Obama will discuss with President Buhari about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the governments efforts to counter the terrorist group Boko Haram.

Nigeria and the US have pending agreement over the sale of US military equipment, especially attack helicopters to fight the insurgents.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, President Buhari would deliver Nigerias statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly on The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform Our World.

Adesina revealed that the president would also attend a high-level summit to be hosted by the UN, on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.

The summit, which is the first of its kind organised by the General Assembly at the Heads of State and Government level, is expected to come up with a blueprint for a better international response to enhance protection of migrants and refugees.

He also said that Buhari would deliver a keynote address on Taking Climate Action toward Sustainable Development in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin.

The presidents aide disclosed that leaders of member-countries of Lake Chad Basin would attend the summit, organised by Nigerian government, to highlight the urgent need to mobilise international response to the situation in the Chad Basin.

Over nine million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Lake Chad Basin.

He said that while in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders, the president would attend series of meetings as well as side events, which were of significant interest to Nigeria.

Adesina said that the president would equally participate in an event hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, on Ending Need in the Lake Chad.

On the margins of the 71st UNGA, President Buhari will sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and participate in activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development.

He said that the Nigerian leader would attend the Clinton Global Initiative as well as the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Business and Global Goals organised by the Secretary General.

According to Adesina, the president will lead discussions at the United States-Africa Business Forum devoted to investing in Nigeria.

He said that the president would hold bilateral meetings with some world leaders in furtherance of his administrations commitment in ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

He said that the discussions would also focus on the presidents longstanding commitment to returning peace and security in the North-East of Nigeria.

Adesina stated that the discussions would also focus on restoring calm to the Niger Delta, and attracting more investments to develop critical infrastructure and revamp the Nigerian economy.

Source: NAN
Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode has urged contractors handling the 114 road projects in the state to speed up work or be sanctioned.

Governor Ambode was represented by his Deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, who made this known at the inauguration of one the roads in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area of the state.

Ambode said that the government planned to inaugurate all the 113 roads between September 19 and September 24, and commended the company, DC-Engineering Ltd., which handled the Jimoh St., project for completing the road within the stipulated six months.

He said, We have chosen to inaugurate the road here to appreciate the diligence and seriousness of the contractor for being the first to complete the project within the stipulated six months.

I congratulate the contractor for this exemplary feat while I urge others to emulate the good example or face sanction.

Ambode said that the ongoing road projects had added 56.1 km, and 112 km of walkways and covered drains to the states total road network.

At a time the national economy is facing challenges, our administration injected N19 billion to the economy of our state, stimulated employment and engaged the business sector.

As we hand over this roads to the communities, I urge residents to guard jealously the infrastructure provided by the government.

SEE ALSO: Gov Ambode Approves N740m Compensation For Lekki Free Zone Host Communities


A young Nigerian young man identified as Kosi almost lost his life today after he was caught with a Nokia torchlight phone he allegedly stole from a young lady.

This incident happened in one of the local streets in Warri, Nigeria. According to reports, Kosi forcefully collected the phone from the young lady and immediately ran away. The young lady who never hesitated started screaming Thief, Thief and this drew the attention of others nearby.

After few minutes of pursuit, Kosi was caught and he received the beating of his life. He was later handed over the the police. See more photos below.

Source: Jtown Connect
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has insisted that all admissions to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education should be concluded by 30th November.

JAMB Registrar Ishaq Oloyede reaffirmed the deadline on Friday in Abuja at the opening of an Extra-Ordinary Technical Committee Meeting on 2016 Admissions to First Choice Institutions held at the Baze University, Abuja.

Oloyede said that the meeting was an indication that the board was ready to attend to legitimate requests of its stakeholders and clients in the collective quest for efficiency.

The Registrar also said that JAMB would be flexible except in cases where flexibility would be unethical or inimical to national interest.

According to him, the meeting is in line with the boards pledge to be consultative and all-inclusive in the discharge of its functions.

He said: The First Technical Committee Meeting was held in Bayero University, Kano, from August 22 to August 26, where institutions were expected to make submissions for their first choice admissions to admissions panels at the technical sessions.

However, some institutions informed the meeting that they were not ready to make submissions as internal processes leading to the exercise had not been completed.

The affected institutions requested for an earlier special date than the date for the Second Technical Committee Meeting scheduled for November 14 in Owerri, Imo State.

Oloyede said that he expected the institutions represented at the meeting to be prepared to make presentations of their recommended candidates to the board. He said that the meeting was primarily for placement of suitably qualified candidates into tertiary institutions.

As such, I need to re-state my earlier submission that the senate and the academic boards of the institutions have the primary responsibility of recommending candidates to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board for admissions.

JAMB will not initiate or insert any candidates but will, as expected, ensure that no candidate is unjustly treated by any institution.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board is thus a referee for justice, equity and standards, he said.

The registrar said that the only difference in the 2016 admissions process was the policy that there should be no written post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination test.

He said that other admission processes remained. The registrar urged institutions yet to update their requirements for the 2017 brochure to urgently do so.

SEE ALSO: Basic Education: Commissioner Emphasises Periodic Training of Teachers
Some youths under the aegis of Voice of Progressive Youth in Kano State has called on the State House of Assembly to reverse the decision to pay pension benefits for former governors and their deputies.

In a letter presented by the chairman of the group, Hamisu Sharifai, to Clerk of the Assembly on Friday in Kano, the youth accused the state of paying more attention to the former state administrators to the detriment of the citizens.

Sharifai explained that considering the countrys current economic situation, the law to be paying such outrageous bills to ex-governors and their deputies need to be rescinded in the interest of justice, equity, fairness, public decency and morality.

The youths noted that the law depleted the lean treasury of the state as well as made the governors and their deputies the landlords, rather than the servants of the good people of Kano State.

Receiving the letter, the Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Lawan Badamasi, gave assurance to the youths that their message would duly be delivered to the leadership of the House as he also promised that the lawmakers would act in accordance with the law.

In 2007, a former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, signed the Pension Rights of Governor and Deputy Governor, a law that entitles former governors and their deputies to pension rights for life.

Section 3 (1) of the law provides the governors and deputy governors with pension at the rate equivalent to annual total emolument of the incumbent governor.

This includes two personal staff, two brand new vehicle, free medical treatment and 30 days annual vacation within or outside Nigeria.
NECO Headquaters, Minna, Niger State: NECO(National Examination Council) on Friday released the 2016 June/July Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results for Secondary School Leavers.

While unlike the WAEC, 88.51% (or 905,011) of the candidates got minimum five credits pass and above in English Language and Mathematics to scale the pass line.

English Language had 857,699 or 84.54% Credit and above while a little less than that  812,846 or 80.16% had Credit and above in Mathematics. Unlike the November/December in which 60.31% pass rate was recorded in Mathematics. And a huge departure from 2014 result in which pass rate was 52%.

This caps the performance for the two subjects in the examination in which all candidates are expected to record a pass mark to be considered to have scaled through.

While unlike the WAEC, 88.51% (or 905,011) of the candidates got minimum five credits pass and above in English Language and Mathematics to scale the pass line.

Ekiti State led all the 36 States and FCT in performance in the just released result. Ekiti was followed by Edo State, Abia and Kogi States filled the third spot in overall students performance.

A total of 1, 022, 474 candidates from Nigeria and other countries sat for the just NECO examination.

NECO detected malpractices in 194 centers, 14 schools were also deregistered for gross misconduct.

Generally, candidates in the June/July 2016 examination recorded an improved performance over previous examination, Prof. Charles Uwakwe, Registrar of NECO stated. NECO was unable to state emphatically what contributed to the recorded better performance of all candidates.

Prof. Charles Uwakwe also stated: I want to solicit for support from all our stakeholders. NECO should be seen as a Nigerian baby that requires the care and support of all to enable her attain that first class international status. We are working hard to ensure NECO makes her mark in the global assessment industry.

All candidates have been advised to check results only on NECO Official Examination Result website portal located on 

http://www.mynecoexams.com/results/

Candidates can also call Candidates Support Lines: 08069232760, 08052218069,

08052218070, 08126886938, 08126886939, 08189342653, 08189342754

Or Send emails to: [email protected], [email protected]

Source: NTA
some families in Kaduna have already been forced to eat leaves so as to survive because the rising cost of food stuff brought about by the current economic recession, could not allow them have the financial resources to visit the markets.

A youth leader, Malam Hassan Ahmed Rufai said that leaves such as tafasa, spinach, etc, had came to the rescue of these near-starving families, while lizards and cats might become endangered specie because some children were already seen hunting them to provide a cheap source of protein for their families.

Lamenting the increasing excruciating economic hardship, Rufai lashed at top political office holders, as well as the rich and affluent people in communities around Kawo, Unguwan Dosa, Hayin Banki and Unguwan Kanawa, saying they had the capability to assist the poor in their midst but were not living up the masses expectations.

Some of them have gone on Hajj for the umpteenth time, while the money they spend making such regular hajj visits could have been used to buy food and feed several mouths. Hajj is incumbent upon a Muslim, once in a life time, if the person can afford it, he emphasised.

He added that, rice and maize as well as other staple food items have turned into precious commodities which only the rich and privileged could afford. Many of our people now feed on leaves, some cannot even cook the normal pate, they are seriously feeling the pang of an excruciating poverty. We pray the government should come to peoples rescue by establishing free feeding centers.

The other time, I saw some children chasing a big agama lizard. When I asked them what they were doing, they said they want to kill it because its roasted meat was sweet. They added that even cats are longer spared because it is also a delicacy, he said.

The youth leader challenged people in authority to explain how the food items donated to the state by Hajiya Aisha Buhari, were disbursed, alleging that there was little of no adequately publicity, if any, on how the items were distributed.

People here are suffering; hunger is everywhere. If you go to the Masjid, you see people begging for money to buy food. Go to the hospitals, you see malnourished children everywhere needing medicare and the Doctors will say its either malaria or typhoid that is their ailment.

Government should please come to our aid. It is capable of taking the people out of this predicament, he insisted.

Source: BreakingTimes
Three-year-old Darasimi Ogunwunmi, a Kindergarten One pupil, who drank caustic soda left carelessly around his classroom by teachers of his private school, Fahsal Childrens School, Ilupeju Estate, Idiroko, Ogun State in November 2015, has died.

After nine months of agony, being unable to swallow either liquid or solid food and six different surgeries at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Darasimi succumbed to his injuries few days after his last surgical operation on Monday, September 12.

The last surgery was another attempt to open up the boys stomach and throat which had become damaged by the chemical, which he drank when he was thirsty in school.

For Darasimi, the last days of his short life were spent in a condition his mother, Toyin, described as a living hell.

Toyin told our correspondent, My son would have died long ago if not because of the money that kind Nigerians raised for his treatment. The money financed his surgeries and rehabilitation since that time.

If I knew he had no chance of survival, I would have prayed that God should give him rest long ago because my son suffered for every day he lived after that incident. Every day, I saw him lying in the hospital bed or sitting at home struggling to drink ordinary water with pain, I cried bitterly.

Saturday PUNCH had exclusively reported in January and February how the proprietor of Fahsal, Mrs. Fausat Abubakar, allegedly introduced soap making business on the school premises.

But rather than remove the production far from the reach of her pupils, the boys parents alleged that the soap was being produced right beside the classrooms.

On November 19, 2015, the worse happened when Darasimi became thirsty and his teachers turned a deaf ear to his incessant cry for water.

Part of the caustic soda already mixed and allegedly left around was what Darasimi drank from.

His teachers only realised what had happened when the boy was found outside his classroom crying and bleeding from the mouth, it was learnt.

The teachers applied palm oil to the boys mouth but rushed him to the hospital when they realised his case was critical.

Ogun government promised us justice, did nothing  Boys parents

After Saturday PUNCHs story, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Modupe Mujota, said that she had constituted a team to investigate the case.

But the family explained that nothing had been done about bringing the proprietor of their sons school to justice.

Our correspondent contacted the commissioner on Thursday to ask if anything was ever done about the boys case and what the outcome of the states investigation was.

There was a full investigation. But because there was no hard evidence, it became difficult to take the issue up legally. We combed the premises of the school and nothing was found, probably because time had elapsed and the school might have cleaned up, Mujota said.

When asked what step the ministry took after the completion of the investigation, she said an action was taken against the proprietor.

But the commissioner said she could not disclose details of what that action was when asked for details.

She said, There are larger factors to be considered when you want to close down a school like the population the school is serving.

When our correspondent finally told Mrs. Mujota that the boy was dead, she expressed surprise and said we were not informed.

She also said after our initial reports, the state government team had visited the family twice.

If they say we did not visit, between when and when are they talking about? We have pictures as evidence of our teams visit to the child and his mother. There were allegations from the school proprietor that the boys parents were trying to extort her. We went to verify the claim.

Source: Punch
For the fourteenth time in just six months, thousands of trade unionists poured into the streets to show their displeasure at new labour laws which give employers leeway to extend the working week and lay off staff. They were passed last summer with the aim of liberalising the employment market, making it easier for bosses to hire and fire. But opponents say they are an attack on hard-won worker rights, all of which are now in peril.

Protesters pelted the police with wood, stones and sticks while one officer was set alight when one Molotov cocktail hit him. At least five officers were treated for injuries, including burns and 62 arrests were made in Paris. Police had to use teargas to disperse the boisterous crowds.
The Ogun State Police Command have arrested four members of a syndicate that specializes in getting human parts for money rituals in the state.

According to the Police, two human hearts and breast of victims were found in the possession of the suspects.

Parading the suspects, the State Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, said the human part dealers and ritualists were arrested at Ijebu Igbo area of Ijebu North local government of the state, on Friday.

He gave the name of the criminals as: Nurudeen Adeniyi, Tunde Banjo, Temitope Alaba and Tobi Olukoya.

The leader of the gang, Nurudeen Adeniyi, 34, who claimed to own four exotic Jeeps said he is a cleric, while Tunde Banjo who said he is an herbalist, was contracted to source for human parts such as hearts, breast and women private parts for him.
Nigerias President, Muhammadu Buhari has tendered an apology for plagiarizing parts of President Barack Obamas 2008 victory speech.

President Buharis speech at the kick-off of the Change begins with me campaign contained several paragraphs from Obamas 2008 victory speech.

The Presidency has owned up to plagiarism and has now offered an apology.

The similarities btw a Paragraph in the 2008 Obama Speech & Paragraph 9 of the #CBWM Speech are too close to be passed off as coincidence(1)  Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) September 16, 2016

There was a mistake by an overzealous staff and we regret that this has happened. (2)  Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) September 16, 2016

Already, a Deputy Director in the Presidency has accepted responsibility for the insertion of the contentious paragraph. (3)  Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) September 16, 2016

This serious oversight will be investigated thoroughly and appropriate sanctions meted out (4)  Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) September 16, 2016
The reason why immediate past President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan visited former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida, and a former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, separately at their Hilltop residences in Minna, the Niger State capital on Tuesday has been revealed.

According to Punch, Jonathan arrived Babangidas residence at about 11am and spent about one hour with his host before he left for Abubakars house situated right opposite IBBs home.

It was reported that Babangida received Jonathan in his private living room as against the common visitors room located downstairs where he usually receives ordinary visitors.

All the details of the meeting have not been made known yet, but it was gathered that the meeting might not be unconnected with the President Muhammadu Buharis anti-corruption war and how it had been affecting Jonathans close relations, particularly his wife, Patience.

It was also gathered that Jonathan might have discussed the postponed Edo State governorship election, the 2019 general election as well as the state of affairs in the People Democratic Party.

Punch further reported that IBB and Abdulsalami in the separate meetings with Jonathan raised concern over the spate of bombings going on in the Niger Delta by the Niger Delta Avengers and the need to stop the trend.

A situation he promised to address if they could put in word for him with the current President.

Jonathan was accompanied by a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, and his former Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadome.
A 20-year-old man Usman Shehu, a son to late renowned politician in Sokoto State, Alhaji Shehu Bakauye, has been gruesomely murdered by unknown assailants.

His body was discovered in the early hours of Saturday, at the Kwanberu Area of Sokoto.

Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr El-Mustapha Sani, said that the remains of the victim popularly known as Manu had been taken to the Specialist Hospital,Sokoto, for an autopsy.

The remains of late Shehu would later be released to the family for burial according to Islamic rites, the Police Spokesman said.

The police will do everything humanly possible to unravel the mystery behind the murder of the orphan.

While expressing shock to the unfortunate incident, the guardian of the deceased, Alhaji Ahmad Shehu, sad the family was traumatized by his brutal killing, adding that all the family want is justice and the fleeing killers of our son should be apprehended and brought to book.

We will continue to pray fervently for the repose of his soul and for the Almighty Allah to expose the perpetrators, he said.
One Ifeanyi Mmezi has been left unconscious and battling for life after a stray bullet from an OP MESA van on Thursday, hit him at Ijegun, a Lagos suburb.

The victim was rushed to Igando General Hospital where doctors have been battling to resuscitate him.

It was learnt that soldiers of OP MESA  one of the security outfits funded by the Lagos Government  drafted to checkmate the activities of militants and kidnappers at Ijedodo community, started shooting sporadically around 1pm yesterday.

Mr. Mmezi, who was alighting from a commercial bus during the sporadic shooting, was said to have been hit by stray bullet on his left hand.

An eyewitness, who simply gave her name as Iya Modina, said: The soldiers were in their van driving through Ijegun Bus Stop, when they started shooting into the air. Before we knew it, a man who was alighting a commercial bus was hit by stray bullet. People scampered for safety and the soldiers just drove past.

Some people started making calls to alert the relevant agencies. A man picked the victims phone and called some contacts on it. But when his relatives arrived, he was already at the hospital.

Confirming the incident, the victims cousin, Wisdom Osimiri, said Mmezi was returning from work when he was hit by stray bullet.

According to him, doctors might amputate his cousins arm once hes resuscitated.

Osimiri said: My cousin boarded a bus from Ikotun to Ijegun, only to be hit by a stray bullet from soldiers. He is unconscious as I speak. The doctors said they would transfer him.
A truck loaded with 50,000 litres of stolen crude oil at Umuebulengwu community has been intercepted by Soldiers of the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, stationed at Owaza, Ukwa West Council area, Abia state.

According to reports, the criminals loaded the truck with Registration number, XD 531 KHE, at the river bank in Ohando community from where they abandoned it at Umuebulengwu area.

The Operations Officer, Forward Operation Base, FOB, in the area, Captain Ishaya Banki, who represented the Commanding Officer of the Brigade, Brigadier General Lawrence Fejokwu, displayed the items believed to have been used by the oil thieves to carry out their acts to newsmen.

The items were a storage tank, wooden boats and hosepipes which the vandals laid through the river bank to the sea where they are believed to have sourced the crude oil.

Capt. Banki praised the residents of the area for alerting the soldiers to the activities of the vandals at the river bank and also attributed the discovery to the success of the operation Crocodile Smile in the area.

The hoodlums laid a pipe from the source where they were siphoning the crude from the sea to the bank of Ohando water front, using a pumping machine to pump the crude into the waiting truck

When we got the information, we swung into action. But by the time we got to this waterfront they had already moved the truck and smartly covered their track.

But with the help of the villagers and our intelligence, we were able to trace the truck to this village (Umuebulungwu) and have been guiding it since yesterday, he said.

He added that The Army is grateful to some residents of this area who tried to inform about the activities of oil vandals. What happened was that their vehicles got bogged down along the road. It was a night operation.

We are however making arrangements to tow back the truck to safety and awaiting further directives. So far, from our investigation, we believe the crude in the truck is about 50,000 liters and efforts are ongoing to track the owner of the truck, he explained.

He warned the Army is determined to eliminate oil bunkering and pipe line vandalism which had caused much harm to the nations economy, stressing that anybody caught would face the full wrath of the law.
Limit up on Wheat? Banghart Properties - Sat Oct 29, 7:09PM CDT News broke over the weekend that could help wheat trade limit up when it reopens.

Rains in the Plains, Dow soars Sidwell Strategies - Sat Oct 29, 8:38AM CDT 1st winter wheat ratings Monday; consider carbon for cash flow during drought

Open Enrollment 101: Make the Most of Your Benefits Young & The Invested - Sat Oct 29, 6:00AM CDT The 2022 open enrollment season will be a difficult one as workers have to factor in persistently high inflation while they choose their coverage. These tips can help you maximize your benefits.

Hogs Rebound into Weekend Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Lean hog futures ended the Friday round with 32 to 97 cent gains to fade the triple digit losses from Thursday. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was $90.54 in the PM update, down by $1.15. The... HEZ22 : 86.100s (+1.15%) HEJ23 : 92.700s (+0.62%) KMZ22 : 96.125s (+0.37%)

Cotton Falls Triple Digits Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT December cotton ended the day locked limit lower on the 3c loss. The March contract worked back off the limit for the bell, but still went home down by 274 points. For the week, Dec cotton closed 702 points... CTZ22 : 72.11s (-3.99%) CTH23 : 72.07s (-3.66%) CTK23 : 72.30s (-2.99%)

Cattle Market Fades on Friday Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Live cattle futures ended the weeks last trade day down by 35 cents to $1.02 with soon to expire October down the most. Cash trade picked up later in the week with some Friday catch up sales mostly... LEV22 : 150.375s (-0.68%) LEZ22 : 153.000s (-0.28%) LEG23 : 156.325s (-0.33%) GFX22 : 177.875s (-0.14%) GFF23 : 180.375s (-0.04%)

Loss for Friday Wheat Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Wheat futures faded on Friday with the front month contracts going home 6 1/4 to 9 1/4 cents lower in SRW. For the December contract that completed the week with a 21 1/2 cent loss. KC futures closed down... ZWZ22 : 829-2s (-1.10%) ZWH23 : 849-0s (-1.05%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.6281 (-1.18%) KEZ22 : 925-0s (-0.78%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.8324 (-0.81%) MWZ22 : 945-0s (-0.58%)
The top 10 restaurant companies in the world are primarily chain operations with a major international presence. Despite the discretionary nature of restaurant spending, some companies have positioned themselves to weather economic cycles by maintaining consistent, profitable growth over the long term. In many cases, the world's top restaurant companies by market capitalization are holding companies that control a variety of subsidiary chains.

These are the 10 biggest restaurant companies by 12-month trailing revenue. This list is limited to companies which are publicly traded in the U.S. or Canada, either directly or through ADRs. Some foreign companies may report semiannually, and so may have longer lag times. Data is courtesy of YCharts.com. All figures as of August 4, 2020.

Some of the stocks below are only traded over-the-counter (OTC) in the U.S., not on exchanges. Trading OTC stocks often carries higher trading costs than trading stocks on exchanges. This can lower or even outweigh potential returns.

Revenue (TTM): $24.1 billion

Net Income (TTM): $1.3 billion

Market Cap: $88.3 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: -19.5%

Exchange: NASDAQ

Starbucks is the world's dominant coffee shop-themed chain with more than 30,000 stores globally. It has both company-owned and licensed stores globally, and sells specialty beverages such as coffees and teas along with fresh food items. Starbucks also sells branded items outside of its stores, such as roasted whole bean and ground coffees, including Seattle's Best Coffee; Starbucks and Teavana-branded single-serve products; and ready-to-drink beverages such as Frappuccino.

Revenue (TTM): $19.3 billion

Net Income (TTM): $4.8 billion

Market Cap: $144.6 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: -7.1%

Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

McDonald's is the world's largest fast-food restaurant chain and one of the best-known brand names. The company has more than 39,000 locations in about 100 countries. A pioneer in the fast food industry, the company has maintained consistent, moderate growth through affordable prices, speedy service, and by constantly expanding and refreshing its menu offerings.

Revenue (TTM): $8.0 billion

Net Income (TTM): $0.5 billion

Market Cap: $19.7 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: 16.6%

Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

Spun off by Yum! Brands in 2016, Yum China Holdings is a Fortune 500 company incorporated in the United States but headquartered in Shanghai. It operates thousands of restaurant locations across mainland China. Yum China also operates all-Chinese versions of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC, as well as local chains.

Revenue (TTM): $7.8 billion

Net Income (TTM): -$0.1 million

Market Cap: $9.7 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: -37.0%

Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

Darden Restaurants owns and operates a line of casual and fine dining restaurant chains including brands such as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Eddie Vs, and Yard House. The company was spun off from General Mills Inc. (GIS) in 1995.

Revenue (TTM): $6.0 billion

Net Income (TTM): $0.2 billion

Market Cap: $1.4 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: -43.2%

Exchange: OTC

Italy-based Autogrill operates in roughly 1,000 locations in 31 countries. Autogrill has a portfolio of about 300 brands, many of which operate in airports or along highways. Some of Autogrill's most popular brands include Spizzico, Grabandfly, and Ciao Ristorante.

Revenue (TTM): $5.6 billion

Net Income (TTM): $0.3 billion

Market Cap: $32.1 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: 44.8%

Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

Chipotle Mexican Grill is one of most successful chains selling simple, fast-casual Mexican food, specializing in burritos, tacos, bowls, and similar dishes. The company operated 2,580 domestic locations and 39 international locations at the end of 2019 and has locations in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, and Germany.

Revenue (TTM): $5.6 billion

Net Income (TTM): $0.7 billion

Market Cap: $16.9 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: -24.4%

Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

Restaurant Brands International is among the largest global quick-service restaurant chains in the world. It was established by the merger of Burger King and Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons in 2014, valued at $12.5 billion. It purchased Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 2017. Restaurant Brands operates more than 27,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and territories.

Revenue (TTM): $5.5 billion

Net Income (TTM): $1.0 billion

Market Cap: $27.4 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: -21.2%

Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

Yum! Brands is the largest quick-service restaurant company in the world, with more than 50,000 restaurants in 150 countries. The company is known for its franchise chains KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and WingStreet. The majority of the company's locations are franchised by 2,000 partners. Yum! Brands was spun off from PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) in 1997.

Revenue (TTM): $3.7 billion

Net Income (TTM): $0.4 billion

Market Cap: $15.2 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: 59.6%

Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

Domino's Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world, with more than 17,000 stores in 90 countries. Domino's offers a wide range of pizza products, such as traditional hand-tossed pizza, Brooklyn-style pizza, and pizza with crunchy, thick crusts. More than 94% of Domino's stores in the U.S. are franchise-owned.

Revenue (TTM): $3.6 billion

Net Income (TTM): -$0.1 billion

Market Cap: $1.0 billion

1-Year Trailing Total Return: -35.3%

Exchange: NASDAQ

Bloomin' Brands is a restaurant holding company that owns chains including Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Bloomin' Brands has nearly 1,500 restaurants worldwide.
Kenya Moore will no longer be competing on Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition, which premiered on Food Network this week.star was the first contestant to be eliminated. The show is hosted by Rachael Ray and Anne Burrell, and it seems one of those ladies left a bad taste in Kenya's mouth before her exit, and let's say is not Rachel Ray.Before she was eliminated, Moore had been competing against the likes of Barbara Eden, Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino, Mindy Cohn, Loni Love, Matt Dallas, Tommy Davidson, John Henson and Nicole Sullivan for a grand prize of $50,000 to donate to their charity of choice."Sorry #teamtwirl I didn't last long on @foodnetwork #worstcooksinamerica clearly I wasn't in the bottom but haters gonna hate, right? LOL But the best part is I got to meet @rachaelray and she was as lovely as she is on TV," Kenya wrote, before throwing some shade, "Unlike Anne pictured above with me."While Kenya didn't seem to click with Anne, she did enjoy competing alongside the other celebs. "Yeah, you know, theres some really cool people here. Everybody just is here to have fun and learn. Nobody has any big huge egos; nobody was being difficult or standoffish. Everybody was just super sweet," she told Food Network following her elimination. "I like Matt [Dallas] a lot. Matt is just the sweetest guy. He just seems like cookie dough, like, hes just so sweet and gooey, and I dont know, I just like him a lot.  I like underdogs as well. I like Loni because I think Loni is kind of an underdog, but I always root for an underdog too. I would have to say Matt and Loni [Love]."airs Wednesday nights at 9/8c on Food Network Source/Photo Credit: Bravo
A three-year-old girl has died after sustaining catastrophic injuries in a horrific crash on the M20 near Patrickswell, Co Limerick.

The girl's twin brother who was also traveling in the car, was taken by ambulance from the scene to University Hospital Limerick, where his condition is believed to be stable.

The scene on the M20 near Patrcikswell, Limerick. Photo: Press 22

The boy is said to have sustained "minor head and facial injuries".

The twins' mother who was driving the car is understood to have swerved to avoid another vehicle, travelling in the opposite direction of the motorway, after it had mounted the road's central reservation barriers.

This car ended up crashing into the steel pole barriers separating the northbound and southbound lanes of the motorway.

The car carrying the two children and their parents "went into a barrel role" according to sources at the scene before coming to a rest on its roof.

The young girl was "ejected" from the car and was crushed in the wreckage, sources added.

Emergency first responders performed CPR on the toddler in their best efforts to save her, however she was pronounced dead at UHL tonight.

The deceased girl's parents and brother are being treated in hospital for minor injuries and shock.

It is believed the car that crashed onto the central reservation steel pole barriers had swerved to avoid a third car.

Three people from the car on the central reservation were also removed to hospital, and their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

No one else was seriously injured in the incident.

The collision occurred around 5pm.

According to a sources the little girl suffered catastrophic head injuries in the crash after been ejected from her child seat as her family car rolled over a number of times before coming to a halt on its roof.

Sources also said the children's mother was driving the car and is believed to have swerved to avoid another car traveling in the opposite direction crashed through the central reservation barrier.

"The girl was in the back seat. When the car swerved it was put into a barrel role. The child was ejected from the car and there on from her child seat. The car came to a stop on top of the child."

"The girl suffered massive head trauma. The child's mother and father and her twin brother were not seriously injured. The boy has minor head injuries. They are all massively shocked, naturally."

"There were two or three people in the car that mounted the central reservation. They were not seriously injured."

Both the northbound and southbound lanes of the motorway are closed between the Adare and Patrickswell interchanges.

Diversions are in place which is causing severe traffic tailbacks.

Gardai have closed the section of the motorway where the crash occurred, for a technical examination of the scene by officers from the Garda collision Investigation unit.
Deutsche Bank has no intent to settle these potential civil claims anywhere near the number cited, the company said in a statement yesterday.

The negotiations are only just beginning. The bank expects that they will lead to an outcome similar to those of peer banks which have settled at materially lower amounts.

Chief executive John Cryan, has struggled to boost profits by selling risky assets and eliminating jobs as legal probes and claims add to concerns that the lender will be forced to raise capital.

Reaching a mortgage deal would clear a major hurdle for Deutsche Bank, which has paid more than $9bn in fines and settlements since the start of 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

While this number seems very large, its obviously a first negotiation point. Theres going to be an awful lot of management time spent on it to get to a sensible number, Chris Wheeler, an analyst at Atlantic Equities, told Francine Lacqua on Bloomberg Television.

Deutsche Bank fell up to 8.8%, the biggest intraday drop since June 27, and was down 8.7% at 11.96 yesterday afternoon in Frankfurt.

Other European lenders under investigation over residential mortgage-backed securities also declined, with UBS Group down 2.9% and Credit Suisse Group slipping 5.2%. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc slumped 4.5%, while Barclays Plc fell 2.8%.

The banks 1.75bn of 6% additional Tier 1 bonds, the first notes to take losses, fell 5c to 78c on the euro, the biggest drop since the UK voted to leave the EU in June. Deutsche Banks 650 million pounds (763m) of 7.125% notes fell 5p to 81p on the pound, also a record fall.

They are dropping like a stone. The fine, even if reduced, could surpass all provisions held by the bank, said Tomas Kinmonth, a credit strategist at ABN Amro Bank.

DOJ Negotiations Germanys government expects a fair outcome in the US probe, a spokeswoman for the Finance Ministry in Berlin said yesterday.

Germanys largest lender confirmed it had started negotiations with the Justice Department to settle civil claims over the banks issuing and underwriting of residential mortgage-backed securities from 2005 to 2007. The Wall Street Journal reported the $14bn claim on Thursday.

Bank of America Corporation paid $17bn to reach a settlement in a similar case in 2014.
European Union and International Monetary Fund mission chiefs began assessing on Monday Greeces progress on reforms pending for its first bailout review.

Athens initially hoped a deal would be reached this week on all pending issues.

Greece wants to conclude the assessment swiftly to get another 2.8bn in bailout loans and start a second progress review next month, which includes unpopular labour reforms.

It hopes that passing the second review will help it regain market confidence.

Appointing a five-member supervisory board to oversee a new, umbrella privatisation fund is a key term in its 86bn bailout but has become a thorny issue in recent talks.

Creditors have nominated two members of the board and Athens the remaining three. Both sides have veto rights and need to agree.

Earlier this month a French finance ministry official said Frances Jacques Le Pape would lead the supervisory board. However, Athens said no final decision had been made yet.

Incentives to reveal undeclared incomes, reforms to liberalise the energy sector, banks bad loans and the transfer of state entities shares to the new privatisation fund, were among the issues still under discussion with the lenders.

Athens took steps this week to speed up the talks. It has promised to fulfil all demanded actions by early October.
Samsung is recalling about 1m of the phones because a battery flaw can lead to overheating, posing a serious burn hazard, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

That represents about 97% of the Note 7 devices that hit the US market, CPSC chairman Elliot Kaye said at a press conference. Samsung told regulators that the phones battery was slightly too big for its compartment and the tight space pinched the battery, causing it to short-circuit, Kaye said.

Last week the public heard our message to power down the phone. This weeks message is go get a replacement or a refund, Kaye said. Because this product presents such a serious fire hazard, I am urging all consumers to take advantage of this recall right away.

There have been about 92 reports of batteries overheating in the US, with 26 cases involving burns and 55 involving property damage, according to the commission.

A comprehensive report hasnt yet been released on the battery issue. Samsung previously told a Korean government agency there was an error in production that pressured the plates within the battery cells and brought opposing poles into contact, which triggered the excessive heat.

#GalaxyNote7 Safety Recall: Exchange at your carrier for a new Note7, Galaxy S7, S7 edge or to get a refund. https://t.co/u1kASMlLuZ  Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) September 15, 2016

The company sent a separate report to Chinas inspection agency, asserting that the problem came from separators sitting between the electrodes that could thin and cause short-circuiting.

The dimensions of the materials they put into the pouch were a little bigger than the pouch itself, Kaye said. By putting that all together and squeezing it into the compartment, it caused some pinching.

That, in turn, led to short circuits within the batteries. In some cases, it prompted a phenomenon known as thermal runway, in which the battery creates so much heat that it ultimately burns or explodes, he said.

Customers who purchased the smartphone before September 15 should immediately stop using and turn off their phones, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Consumers were advised to contact wireless carriers or Samsung outlets to receive a new, free phone with different battery, a refund, or replacement device.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sept. 15, 2016) - Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX VENTURE:CXB) (the "Company" or "Calibre") is pleased to announce the third set of results from the 2016 drilling program on the Eastern Borosi Project, Nicaragua which is being funded by Calibre's partner IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD").

Highlights

Drilling to date in 2016 consists of 30 diamond drill holes for a total of 6,008 metres, with results for 8 new holes reported in this news release

A step out hole on the East Dome Structure has intersected 15.35 metres grading 1.21 g/t gold and 120.9 g/t silver, including 3.00 metres grading 3.61 g/t gold and 348.7 g/t silver, and a second step out hole intersected of 16.50 metres grading 2.27 g/t gold and 127.9 g/t silver, including 3.38 metres grading 9.64 g/t gold and 404.4 g/t silver

The first drilling on the Veta Loca gold target has intersected 6.31 metres grading 10.15 g/t gold and 6.9 g/t silver, including 0.79 metres grading 46.20 g/t gold and 10.5 g/t silver

Diamond drilling of the Blag Gold-Silver Vein System continues to extend the defined mineralization at the Main Blag Structure with an intercept of 6.23 metres grading 2.60 g/t gold and 10.5 g/t silver

Recent Drill Highlights from Eastern Borosi Gold-Silver Project

Hole ID Target From

m To

m Length

(m) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Pb

(ppm) Zn

(ppm) BL16-042 Main Blag 307.77 314.00 6.23 2.60 10.5 5,346 9,228 BL16-043 East Dome 97.65 113.00 15.35 1.21 120.9 53 74 including East Dome 110.00 113.00 3.00 3.61 348.7 93 78 BL16-044 East Dome 194.00 210.50 16.50 2.27 127.9 620 414 including East Dome 206.17 209.55 3.38 9.64 404.4 2,868 1,222 GP16-046 Veta Loca 88.00 94.31 6.31 10.15 6.9 17 53 including Veta Loca 88.00 88.79 0.79 46.20 10.5 77 57

Notes: - Intervals are core lengths / true width are estimated to be 70-80% of lengths - Length weighted averages from uncut assays.

IAMGOLD Option - Eastern Borosi Project

Exploration to date on the Eastern Borosi Project has outlined several tens of kilometres of highly prospective mineralized structures located in an historic gold-silver mining district. Targets have been defined by surface soil and rock sampling, trenching and drilling.

Story continues

Drill holes completed to date in 2016 include: 30 drill holes with 8 at East Dome; 7 testing the Main Blag vein system, 3 on the Santos Trend; 3 at the BVS gold target, 5 on the Vancouver vein system; 2 at the California Vein, and 2 on the Veta Loca gold target Total meterage to date: 6,008.02 metres (1,651.39m East Dome; 1,497.00m Main Blag; 466.64m Santos; 621.26 BVS, 1,111.71m Vancouver; 362.94 California, and 297.08 Veta Loca). Results were previously reported for 22 holes (see News Releases June 8, 2016 and July 26, 2016). Additional results have been received and are being reported in this news release for the further eight (8) holes including two holes completed at Main Blag, two holes testing the East Dome, two holes testing the Vancouver Structure, and two holes at the Veta Loca Structure. On-going drilling continues to test the Main Blag and East Dome Systems.

Diamond drilling of the Main Blag Gold-Silver Vein System continues to extend the defined mineralization, with hole BL16-042 intercepting 6.23 metres grading 2.60 g/t gold and 10.5 g/t silver - the deepest intercept to date intersecting the structure between 307.8 and 314.0 metres down hole (approximately 260 metres below surface). A second hole targeting the structure was lost. Additional drilling is on-going at the Main Blag Structure.

Two step out holes on the East Dome Structure have intersected 15.35 metres grading 1.21 g/t gold and 120.9 g/t silver, including 3.00 metres grading 3.61 g/t gold and 348.7 g/t silver (BL16-043) and a second intercept of 16.50 metres grading 2.27 g/t gold and 127.9 g/t silver, including 3.38 metres grading 9.64 g/t gold and 404.4 g/t silver (BL16-044). The two holes have further extended the East Dome mineralization to the south under the topographic high and tested a vertical extent to the mineralization of 125 metres. The intercepts extend the mineralization 75 metres to the south, stepping out from drill hole BL16-040 which intersected 2.78 metres grading 2.69 g/t gold and 431.6 g/t silver. Further step-out drilling is planned for 2016.

The first drilling on the Veta Loca gold target, located 500 metres south of the Guapinol-Vancouver Structures, has intersected 6.31 metres grading 10.15 g/t gold and 6.9 g/t silver including 0.79 metres grading 46.20 g/t gold and 10.5 g/t silver with a second hole 150 metres north returning no significant values.

Two step-out drill holes were targeted at extending the Vancouver Vein Structure; however, GP16-043 did not intersect any significant values and GP16-044 was lost before reaching the structure.

Calibre is committed to best practice standards for all exploration, sampling and drilling activities. Drilling was completed by independent firm Kluane Drilling Ltd. Analytical quality assurance and quality control procedures include the systematic insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates into the sample strings. Samples are placed in sealed bags and shipped directly to Acme Labs (a Bureau Veritas Group Company) in Managua, Nicaragua for sample preparation and then to Acme Labs in Vancouver, Canada for 50 gram gold fire assay and ICP-MS multi element analyses.

The technical content in this news release was read and approved by Gregory Smith, P.Geo, President and CEO of the Company who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Calibre / IAMGOLD Eastern Borosi Project

Calibre and IAMGOLD entered into an option agreement dated May 26, 2014 whereby IAMGOLD can earn a 51% interest in the Project consisting of 176 km2 within the Borosi Concessions, Northeast Nicaragua, by incurring US$5 million in exploration expenditures and making US$450,000 in payments to Calibre by May 26, 2017, the first and second anniversary US $150,000 payments having been made in May 2015 and May 2016 respectively. The total potential investment by IAMGOLD to earn a 70% interest in the Project is US$10.9 million. The Project hosts gold-silver resources in two deposits and a series of well-defined low sulphidation epithermal gold-silver targets.

About Calibre Mining Corp.

Calibre controls a 100% interest in over 340 km2 of mineral concessions in the Mining Triangle of Northeast Nicaragua. Additionally the Company has an option agreement with IAMGOLD covering 176 km2 of concessions, an option agreement with Centerra Gold on 253 km2, joint venture exploration programs underway with B2Gold Corp. on 66.1 km2 of concessions which includes the Primavera gold-copper porphyry discovery and the Monte Carmelo Gold Zone, and a joint venture on the 33.6 km2 Rosita gold-copper-silver project with Rosita Mining Corporation. Major shareholders of Calibre include gold producer B2Gold Corp, Pierre Lassonde and Management.

Calibre Mining Corp.

Greg Smith, P.Geo., President and CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or does not expect", "is expected", anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

Safe Harbor Statement under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements including but not limited to those with respect to the price of gold, potential mineralization, reserve and resource determination, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Atlas to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements
The Workplace Relations Commission found that the post-traumatic stress the woman developed as a result of the accident was a disability and that therefore she was discriminated against on the basis of that disability.

The Brazilian national, with limited English, had been employed by the unnamed company for two years. She alleged to the adjudication officer, Gerry Rooney, that, in June 2014, while trimming meat, a knife being used by a colleague fell on her and cut her nose and upper lip. She needed treatment including five stitches.

She returned to work a few weeks later but a doctor recommended she move to a different area and with alternative duties. She experienced a setback during 2015. She said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to the accident and as such she had a disability as defined in the Employment Equality Act.

Her doctor wrote a letter saying she was suffering flashbacks from the accident and conveyed her inability to work with knives. The condition was confirmed by her psychiatrist. She said that there was work she could do, such as making boxes, cleaning, or packaging and suggested this to the company but that no reasonable consideration was given to her suggestions.

The woman said that, in subsequent meetings with the company, it confirmed that she could come back to work when she was fully fit to work with knives.

She said she would therefore need to look for another job and she contended that the respondent instructed her to write a letter to this effect and that her P45 would be issued to her. The company said she left and her job remained open for her, but in light of the medical advice it was not possible to safely employ her until she was fit to return to work.

The adjudication officer found the employer discriminated against the woman on grounds of disability.
The availability of the drug was discontinued at the end of July but the supplier Roche Products (Ireland) Ltd said yesterday the withdrawal decision was not linked a number of legal cases pending before the High Court.

Lariam is at the centre of a number of legal actions against the State by current and former members of the Defence Forces. The the first case is due to start soon. The Health Products Regulatory Authority yesterday confirmed that the marketing authorisation for Lariam 250mg tablets (PA 50/73/1) in Ireland was withdrawn by Roche Products Ltd in July.
Barrister Rossa Fanning gave Ms Justice Marie Baker in the High Court an undertaking that any pre-paid bookings at the Dublin Citi Hotel and Trinity Bar and night club in Dame St will be honoured and business continue as usual.

Mr Fanning, who appeared with Galway solicitors McSweeney & Co for the landlord, said that, while the courts refusal to confirm the appointment of an examiner to JJ Red Holdings Limited means automatic liquidation of the hotel company, the landlord Henciti Ltd plan to take over and run the hotel.

Counsel said the jobs of the 50 employees would be protected, apart from those of the two directors and a child of one of them. A plan to extend the hotel by 15 rooms into an adjoining building would be progressed by the landlord.

Judge Baker said the landlords, Paul and Denis Hennebry, opposed the examinership because it was designed to frustrate and evade a 1m rent debt settlement between Henciti and JJ Red Holdings owned by hotelier brothers Emmet and Donie McDermott.

She said it is not disputed that the company is insolvent. The hotel company obtained an ex parte injunction restraining the landlord from taking possession on foot of a forfeiture notice and the landlord brought Commercial Court proceedings which settled in July last under a written agreement which had been made an order of court.

The settlement, which resulted in crystallising a 1m debt, included a provision that the landlord could immediately obtain an order for possession and a declaration that the lease was validly forfeited in the event of any payment default shortly afterwards.

Judge Baker said it is clear the hotel company could not meet its obligations under the settlement without a loan or cash injection, as well as an achievable arrangement to reschedule discharging the settlement.

Neil Hughes, of Baker Tilly Hughes Blake, believed a proposed examinership condition requiring funding of 1.7m could not be met and was far outside the capacity of the company.

Judge Baker said Mr Fanning had argued that the sole purpose for the appointment of an examiner was to protect the hotel company from being required to perform obligations freely and irresponsibly entered into.

If this was so then the motive for examinership could be seen as one by which the company sought to avoid those settlement obligations and was less focussed on the protection of the business.

If the appointment of an examiner is to set at naught a court order or compromise of court proceedings there is a real risk that the process would fail to further the administration of justice and amount to a collateral attack on previous judgments, Judge Baker said.

She found, in a reserved judgment, that funds to pay the first tranche of arrears were never in place and there was no facility from a bank or anyone else, as had been untruthfully claimed.

The judge granted the landlord judgment for 1m against JJ Red Holdings Ltd and a declaration that the lease of the hotel had been forfeited. The court was told the landlord would enter into a licencing agreement with the liquidator and negotiate payment for assets of the hotel.
Bus Eireann management and driver trade unions are due to meet at the Workplace Relations Commission with pay at the top of the agenda.

One of those unions, the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), has since February been demanding pay parity with Luas drivers. As the light rail drivers subsequently benefited from a significant pay rise, the union demands will be even higher. The pay issue is likely to go through a number of mediation processes before industrial action would emerge over it.

However, union sources say they believe there are changes in the pipeline to Bus Eireanns Expressway service and the NBRU already has a mandate for industrial action if the company moves to implement any changes without agreement. They fear the changes could emerge within a matter of days, meaning action could be activated soon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of commuters had to find alternative transport yet again yesterday as the Dublin Bus strike stopped services for a fourth day.

Management issued a statement yesterday morning claiming the disruption had so far cost it in excess of 4m and continues to impact the financial stability of the company.

Services will be hit again for four days this month and at least 11 days next month.

The drivers are striking over the companys refusal to raise its offer of an 8.2% pay increase over three years, as recommended by the Labour Court. The unions rejected that recommendation and indicated that they want 15% over the same period as well as the payment of a 6% increase, due from 2008.

Transport Minister Shane Ross has been urged on numerous occasions since the dispute began to intervene. However, he told reporters: I am very eager for it to be resolved. I feel great empathy for everyone involved, particularly the commuters who have been inconvenienced. I am certainly not inactive. I am monitoring it very closely on an hourly basis. It is very important to us that we are not seen to be a soft touch or that we are going to produce the states cheque book. It wouldnt be right to do that.

It is a matter for the management and the unions to settle this between them and maybe with the help of the apparatus of the State as well... They have got to do this on their own.

Mr Ross has been criticised by some TDs for his hands-off approach. Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty told RTE that Mr Ross should intervene and that State subvention to the company should increase as it is currently very low compared to European counterparts.

A number of TDs staged a protest outside the Department of Transport yesterday afternoon in protest at the position taken by Mr Ross. They criticised his astonishing silence and indifference over the impasse.

Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit said the Mr Rosss claim that he would not use the Governments chequebook to solve the dispute rang hollow in light of the Apple tax scandal as well as the fact that his department had consistently cut funding to Dublin Bus over recent years.

Whatever about taking the chequebook out, if he simply pledged to restore funding to its previous levels this dispute would be over, said Mr Boyd Barrett.
The charitys family team plays a leading role in supporting one family a day to move out of homeless but on the very same day, three more become homeless.

During August, Focus Ireland supported a record 33 families to move out of homelessness, while 72 new families became homeless in Dublin.

Focus Ireland works with the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and local authorities in helping families move out of homelessness.

During the first eight months of this year, 671 families with 1,257 children became homeless in Dublin an average of 84 per month, compared to just over 60 last year.

Focus Irelands pre-budget submission, just launched, calls for funds to be made available to fast-track delivery of housing to help tackle the deepening family homeless crisis.

The charitys director of advocacy, Mike Allen, said their submission outlined key measures that Finance Minister Michael Noonan could take to fast-track the delivery of housing.

He said the measures would ensure families and individuals made homeless in the cities were not trapped in emergency accommodation for years.

The measures include the adoption of the Housing Finance Agencys proposal that it becomes the primary source of lending to local authorities so they can more quickly secure funding to build houses.

For years now we have been stuck in the deeply frustrating maze in which the Government keep insisting that money is no problem yet the local authorities tell use the systems are too complex for them to access the money to deliver homes which are urgently needed, he said.

Focus Irelands submission also calls for an end to the system where many families who are recognised as homeless by local authorities must find their own emergency accommodation. It said the current system has led to a number of families being at risk of sleeping rough as they cannot find emergency accommodation.

Focus Ireland also wants Mr Noonan to make money available to help over 2,000 children and their families living in hotel rooms and B&Bs cope better with their situation.

Not having the money to get across town to school and not being able to find support for children upset by their experiences put further cruel burdens on the parents, said Mr Allen.
The 26-year-old model from South Africa, who has an address at Jamestown Rd, in Dublin 8, is accused of harassing Dylan McGrath, aged 39, at various locations from September 9 until November 21 last year. The charge is contrary to Section 10 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

She is contesting the case and her Dublin District Court trial had been scheduled to take place on September 30. The case was listed for mention yesterday to confirm availability of witnesses.

However, Judge Cormac Dunne heard the prosecution was seeking an adjournment because Mr McGrath recently had serious surgery on his back and was not in a fit way to come to court.

There was no definitive date yet as to when he would be fit to come to the trial, a state solicitor said as she applied for an adjournment.

Dressed in black hat and red dress, Ms Sanasie did not address the court. Defence counsel Rachel McGovern objected to the delay saying Ms Sanasie had completed her studies here and wished to return to Cape Town.

Judge Dunne asked what Ms Sanasie would expect if she was ill, adding it is a two-way street. He said the witness was ill and he was furnished with a report saying his mobility was impaired.

However, he also said the accused was entitled to a trial as early as possible.

Garda Colm Kelly told the court that he has seen the complainant and described him as mostly bedridden.

Gda Kelly said this was due to the pain he is suffering when he is mobile.

He said he would check on Mr McGraths progress ahead of the next hearing.

Judge Dunne adjourned the case until October 28 when it will be listed for mention and for a new trial date to be set.

The court also heard the prosecution will call 10 witnesses while two people will give evidence for the defence.

The defence also made a fresh application for disclosure of evidence. Ms McGovern said her clients phone had been forensically analysed by an expert but the defence wanted independent analysis to be carried out.

Ms Sanaises legal team had been provided with a Garda report on the analysis of phones. Ms McGovern said that the dispute is in the content, we would like to have the phones forensically examined.

The court deferred ruling on that issue.
Today Fms Ian Dempsey; RTE 2fms Dave Fanning; South East Radios Eamonn Buttle; and Downtown Radios Trevor Campbell were all honoured for their great contribution to radio.

Their induction into the Hall of Fame was marked with a plaque unveiling ceremony yesterday at the Broadcasting Authority of Irelands offices in Dublin.

Other radio legends previously inducted into the hall of fame include Gay Byrne, Gerry Ryan, Micheal O Muircheartaigh, and Larry Gogan.

Induction into the hall of fame is a major accolade in the radio industry, not only for those in front of the mic but for those working behind the scenes who place radio at the heart of everyday Ireland.

The Today FM chief executive, Keith McCormack, described Ian Dempsey as the ultimate broadcasting professional  every day he woke up the nation with the same energy and sense of fun that listeners had come to love.

Head of RTE 2fm, Dan Healy, described Dave Fanning as a pioneer  the great voice of music and popular culture in Ireland.

RTE 2fms Dave Fanning was one of the four new member s inducted into the PPI Radio Awards hall of fame. The head of 2fm, Dan Healy, described Fanning as a pioneer. Picture: Iain White

Eamonn Buttle is the owner and chief executive of South East Radio since 1989 and a founder of Independent Broadcasters of Ireland.

South East Radio general manager, Liam Dwyer, said it was fantastic to see Eamonns enthusiasm, passion, and ingenuity recognised and rewarded.

Trevor Campbells name is synonymous with country music in Northern Ireland  he has been presenting a daily show over the past 40 years. He is better know as Big T.

Downtown Radio managing director, Mark Mahaffy, said Big Ts evening programme continues to top the listening charts in Northern Ireland.

Hall of fame inductees: South East Radios Eamonn Buttle, Trevor Campbell of Downtown Radio, Ian Dempsey, and Dave Fanning.

The word legend can be used flippantly in radio, but when Big T is involved, it is a description that is bang on the money, he said.

BAI chief executive, Michael OKeeffe, said the 2016 inductees to the PPI Hall of Fame have all made an exceptional contribution to radio in Ireland.

The BAI would like to congratulate all the recipients on their dedication and commitment to radio in Ireland, said Mr OKeeffe.
Brian ODonnell , who has been living in the US since the 1990s, suffered a 15cm gash from his temple to his jaw after he tackled Akram Joudeh at around 5pm on Wednesday.

Joudeh, 32, who has numerous previous arrests, was shot in the region of 18 times by police officers after flying into a rage when he tried to remove a clamp from his car which had been illegally parked near Penn Station in Manhattan.

When officers tried to intervene, Joudeh pulled a cleaver from his waistband and began swinging it. He then ran off in the direction of Seventh Avenue.

I saw a mob of people running for their lives, screaming coming from the street and I let in as many as I could and locked the door and tried to keep as many people as safe as possible, a mall security guard told the New York Post.

Joudeh was pursued by officers and tasered but it had no effect. Near Seventh Avenue, he jumped onto an NYPD car.

At this point Mr ODonnell , who was off duty, attempted to tackle Joudeh but was struck in the face.

He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He was released yesterday.

Incoming NYPD commissioner Jim ONeill said officers shot the attacker until the threat was neutralised. He is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

As we are pursuing him and we have video of the incident, he has the cleaver in his hands and you can clearly see it and hes waving it around, said Mr ONeill.

Keep in mind he had just attacked an off-duty officer whos got a six-inch gash on his face. Hes got an 11-inch cleaver. They shot until the threat was stopped.
Jake Tapper

CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Friday used a popular internet meme to describe a stunt Donald Trump pulled on the press, saying the Republican nominee for president managed to "Rick-roll" journalists into giving free media coverage to the real-estate mogul's new hotel in Washington, DC.

Trump hinted early in the morning that he would make a "major" announcement about his thoughts on President Barack Obama's birthplace, sending the media into a frenzy and resulting in wall-to-wall cable news coverage before the event.

When the campaign event finally commenced, however, Trump instead trotted out a group of decorated military veterans who lauded the Republican presidential nominee for over 20 minutes. Trump then very quickly said he believed Obama was born in the US.

Tapper compared the move to "Rick-rolling," a late-2000s viral prank in which people would pretend to share real links that would instead send those who clicked on them to the music video for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up."

"While these American heroes are people who we should all show reverence and respect  they're much greater men than Rick Astley  it's hard to imagine this as anything other than a political Rick-roll," Tapper said.

Tapper argued that while it was a smart ploy to garner free attention on cable TV, it undermined trustworthiness in the campaign.

"It was very clever on one level. On another level, it speaks to the integrity of the Trump campaign," Tapper said. "They told us something was going to happen, and it's not happening."

Other CNN political analysts agreed.

CNN analyst John King said after Trump finished his speech that the Trump campaign fooled reporters who were curious whether Trump would apologize for his yearslong questioning of Obama's birthplace.

"We just got played. And voters can decide what to make of that," King said.

He added: "After four or five years of leading a fraudulent, reckless campaign against the legitimacy of the president of the United States, you get four or five words saying he's decided it's over. I guess he gets to decide that."

Story continues

Both King and Tapper acknowledged that some prominent Hillary Clinton supporters also fed fuel to the birther fire in 2008, but noted that no one from Clinton's campaign ever embraced the theory, which Trump espoused despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

After leading the birther crusade in 2011, Trump has largely attempted to avoid the subject, admitting as late as January that he still was unsure about Obama's birthplace.

NOW WATCH: Watch Trump finally admit that President Obama was born in the US





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Architect Oisin Creagh, from Cork, touched down in Morocco yesterday, after completing the last leg of his epic 3,000km flight, using his lawnmower engine-powered, back-mounted aircraft and parachute-style wing.

After days of waiting in southern Spain, he finally got a break in the weather and took off at dawn, yesterday, from a beach just north of the Rock of Gibraltar.

Thanks to a tail-wind, he made the 15km crossing over the Straits of Gibraltar and touched down safely in Ceuta, northeastern Morocco, about 45 minutes later, to become the first person to complete the remarkable journey using a paramotor.

It is one of the longest ever paramotor flights.

The last flight was calm and beautiful, Oisin said.

Irish paramotor adventurer, lawnmower man Oisin Creagh, from #Cork, has landed safely in Africa in the last hour pic.twitter.com/ZGJZxxKUMs  Eoin English (@EoinBearla) September 16, 2016

Its been an amazing trip. I always felt it was possible. I just didnt know how long it would take. But Im delighted with the achievement.

Oisin embarked on the Fly Africa paramotor challenge to raise funds and awareness for Irish-based international development organisation, Gorta-Self Help Africa  a charity that is working in drought-stricken Ethiopia, where crop failures have ravaged the food supplies of 20m people this year.

He set off from the North late last month and, over the last three weeks, has flown through Scotland, and along Englands eastern seaboard to Dover, from where he flew unsupported across the English Channel to Calais.

Oisin crossed the Pyrenees last week, and overcame soaring, 40C temperatures and bumpy thermals in Spain, which restricted his flying time to just a few hours after sunrise.

But I made good ground, despite the challenges, he said.

Crossing the Pyrenees at an altitude of about 2km was a big milestone, but, despite all my research, I didnt realise how many mountains Id have to cross in Spain.

I climbed the same height as I did over the Pyrenees about five more times during the trip down through Spain.

He caught a ferry back to Gibraltar, yesterday, and was recovering last night. He said he was keen to get back to work, before deciding on future adventures.

I have some very patient clients back home that are waiting for me to get back to work, he said.

Oisin said the adventure was to raise funds for Gortas work in Africa and he is encouraging people to donate through his website, www.flyafrica.ie.

https://t.co/44q4VY75Xm I have landed safety in Africa. Oisin (SPOT message)  Oisin Creagh (@ocreagh) September 16, 2016

Mr Creagh is one of a handful of paramotoring enthusiasts in Ireland and one of the countrys most experienced such pilots.
The Norths deputy first minister also refused to say when he would step down as speculation continues over when he and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams will hand over the running of the party. While public representatives present a united front on Mr Adamss leadership, there are suggestions TDs Pearse Doherty or Mary Lou McDonald are eager to take over.

Mr Doherty yesterday refused to say if he would enter the frame if the position was there and indicated he had no personal ambition to lead. Ms McDonald said she had no comment to make.
The land is close to where the teenager was last seen in the company of a convicted child killer.

A local farmer alerted police to disturbed ground in a field near the the village of Killen, in Co Tyrone.

Access to the scene, at the foot of a small valley in the rural hinterland, several miles outside Arlenes hometown of Castlederg, has been sealed off since Tuesday.

A police cordon has been erected at the top of the single, narrow track that leads through fields to a secluded, derelict stone farmhouse concealed behind a huddle of mature trees.

A rundown metal barn is also behind the police tape.

Arlene, 15, disappeared in August 1994, after a night out across the border in Co Donegal.

She was last seen being driven down Scraghy Rd, close to the site of the new search, late at night, with paedophile Robert Howard.

Experts dressed in white forensic suits have spent much of the day inspecting the isolated site, clearing debris, such as branches and twigs, and placing some items into exhibit bags.

Grazing cattle may have eaten away the undergrowth to reveal the suspicious plot, believed to include stones.

The farmer who owns the land visited the site, but declined to speak publicly until the outcome of the search is known.

The Arkinson family are aware of the new activities. Det Chief Supt Raymond Murray, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said: The family of Arlene Arkinson have been advised of this development, purely as a precautionary measure.

It would be premature to draw any inference from this initial report, or the police response to it, at this time.

Robert Howard was acquitted of the schoolgirls murder in 2005, by a jury that was not aware of his lengthy criminal history, which included killing another teenager, Hannah Williams, in south London, several years earlier.

Howard remained the prime suspect in the unsolved case until his death in an English prison last year.

More than 40 extensive searches have been conducted in forested areas, fire dams, reservoirs, and remote farmland in Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Donegal, but Arlenes body has not been recovered.

Kathleen Arkinson has said she will never give up hope of finding her sister.

A long-running inquest into the circumstances of Arlenes disappearance is expected to conclude hearing oral evidence, when it resumes in Belfast on Monday.

Ms Arkinson said the past few days had taken their toll.

She said: It has been very difficult. But I am trying not to raise my hopes up.

It has been so long and there have been so many let-downs. The difference this time is its so close to where Arlene was last seen. We just dont know what to think, to be honest.

The timing is also unbelievable, in the middle of the inquest. Well never get justice for Arlene. Justice has evaded her in every way, but I hope they can find her and we can get some closure.
The Fine Gael leader made the comment as he hit out at his Hungarian counterpart for calling migrants a a poison his country will not swallow and warned of Irelands red-line neutrality issue amid plans for increased security on Europes borders.

Mr Kenny was attending an informal meeting of the 27 EU heads of state in the Slovakian capital Bratislava, the first to take place without the involvement of Britains prime minister Theresa May.

However, while the summit was officially focused solely on the process of political reflection about the future of Europe  including increased border security, the ongoing Mediterranean migrant crisis and economic matters  the crisis caused by Brexit and growing concerns the EU is splitting on key issues were central to the discussions.

In recent days European Parliament officials have warned of an EU existential crisis; France and Germany have called for what some claim is the start of an EU army through increased security measures; and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has warned the Brexit vote is a wake-up call for the political bloc.

However, despite European Council president Donald Tusk saying yesterdays meeting was an opportunity for remaining EU members to be brutally honest about airing their differences amid fears different parts of Europe are pulling in different directions, Mr Kenny said any challenges can be overcome.

The 27 leaders who are all in there to manage this properly are like a massive government of co-operation. There are very different views from the different leaders, obviously, in respect of issues that arise.

But thats the challenge of politics, that you can reach agreement by compromise. Clearly there are differences and strong differences, but I think genuinely there was a fix from the leaders to say look, we have to work together to provide for the future, he said, adding that while the EU is facing serious challenges it is not going through an existential crisis.

However, while emphasising the need for co-operation the Taoiseach took time to specifically criticise his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban for controversial remarks on the migrant issue.

Asked about the Hungarian prime ministers approach to the migration issue, which was the subject yesterday of a bid by Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia to reduce the number of refugees coming to their countries and is a key rift in the EU, Mr Kenny said he disagreed entirely. He said Irelands red line neutrality will not be affected by any co-operation on increased border security, despite French president Francois Hollande and German chancellor Angela Merkel seeking beefed-up border security in the EU due to terrorism risks.

Mr Kenny also re-affirmed Irelands position that a special case needs to be made for the Irish border due to the Brexit vote.
Speaking at a conference in Cork, IPS director general Michael Donnellan said that, under the agreement, the cards would be automatically issued to all prisoners once they are released. He said the process had already begun at Cork Prison, where it would be tested for the next few weeks but he confirmed it is going nationwide.

So, just over the last few months weve been negotiating with the HSE, so now we have a system in place where we can notify that somebodys being released and that well use their address of where they are going to and a medical card will be sent to that address, so on the day they get home there should be a medical card there for them, he said.
Housing Minister Simon Coveney confirmed last night that he plans to bring a detailed suite of proposed new laws to address housing supply to Cabinet and to seek approval for the heads of the bill.

The proposals are linked to several initiatives within the Governments ambitious 5bn Rebuilding Ireland programme, which require legislative changes, he said.

And while the key measures should speed up the delivery of new homes, Mr Coveney insisted that it is not a charter for developers to build what and where they want.

We have worked long and hard to ensure that while we get planning decisions in a much more timely fashion, we will protect and maintain the integrity of the planning decision-making process, he said.

What Im saying to developers now is, if youve got plans to move ahead with projects, now is the time to get on with it. We will make good planning decisions, but we will make them quickly.

Simon Coveney

The proposals to fast-track the delivery of new homes include:

A streamlined planning decision-making process for all developments over 100 units  whether they be family homes, apartment complexes, student accommodation, or mixed tenure development  on lands already zoned for housing;

For the first time, a statutory pre-planning process of consultation with a local authority, to be concluded within a set period of eight to 10 weeks;

A new planning application process which will see developers applying directly to An Bord Pleanala for planning permission, with a decision due within 16 weeks.

Mr Coveney said extra resources will be provided to the planning appeals board to ensure it can meet the statutory time-frames.

It is hoped the measures will reduce the waiting time for planning decisions from between 18 months or two years down to just 24-weeks.

If approved, the proposed laws will last for three years, but future ministers will have the ability to renew the measures if needed.

This will create a much bigger onus on developers to have much higher quality applications because there wont be a facility for further information or public hearings, said Mr Coveney.

The details emerged after reports this week from Focus Ireland and Merchants Quay showed the rates of homelessness are continuing to rise, and a report from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) report showed rents are soaring.

Focus Ireland said that 72 families became homeless in Dublin in August  bringing to 671 families with 1,257 children the number to become homeless in the capital so far this year.

The proposed housing package to be brought before Cabinet the week after next also includes the so-called Tyrellstown Amendment  prompted by the plight of some 100 families in a Dublin development who faced eviction earlier this year after their homes were bought by a vulture fund.

Mr Coveney said that a proposed law will protect tenancies in the event of a change of ownership, as happened in Tyrellstown.

If more than 20 houses or apartments are being sold from one institutional investor to another, to a so-called vulture fund, we are going to legislate to ensure that the tenancy in place at time of sale remains, said Mr Coveney.

It is designed to prevent the sale allowing the new owner to either evict people or to put new tenancies in place and hike the rent.

The package being brought before Cabinet also contains proposals to give more powers to the RTB to fast-track the resolution of tenancy disputes.

There are also proposals to speed up the change of use of vacant retail or commercial properties which may be suitable for residential use.
Speaking to reporters in Bratislava last night, after attending a summit of EU heads of state, Mr Kenny revealed that his thoughts are turning to what awaits in Croke Park tomorrow.

Mayo  who hold the record for the most consecutive All-Ireland final defeats and are haunted by a claimed 65-year curse preventing them from winning Sam Maguire  take on defending champions Dublin.
He was asked by Catherine Shanahan if this would apply to all prisoners and he confirmed that this was the case.

Yesterday the HSE tweeted that the story as reported in the Irish Examiner was not wholly accurate. To show that our story was based on what we were told by the head of the Irish Prison Service, the transcript of the conversation between Catherine Shanahan and Michael Donnellan is printed below.

CS:

You were just mentioning [at the conference, organised by Cork Care Alliance] about finally having reached agreement with the HSE in relation to day-of-exit medical cards essentially for every prisoner in the country, but to start in Cork?

MD:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

CS:

So when was that agreement reached?

MD:

So just over the last few months weve been negotiating with the HSE, so now we have a system in place where we can notify that somebodys being released and that well use their address of where they are going to and a medical card will be sent to that address, so on the day they get home there should be a medical card there for them. Its a huge issue, especially for people on methadone or on medication, having the ability to access mediation on transition. So thats now in place.

CS:

So is it starting next week?

MD:

No no, its started already.

CS:

When did it start?

MD:

In the last few weeks.

CS:

And its applicable to all prisoners leaving Cork Prison is it?

MD:

Everybody, everybody, yeah.

CS:

When do you want to role it out nationally then?

MD:

Well we want to see how it goes here in terms of how the system works because we have a central medical card system as you know in Finglas in Dublin so weve been working with them. So that the group  well be announcing to them that this guys going out, this guys going out, heres his address so they are going to give them the medical card and then itll be reviewed after six months. Equally, when people come in to prison and they are going to be serving 10 years or life, we will tell the medical card system that that person is now in prison so they can actually stop their medical card.

CS:

How much is it going to cost the State?

MD:

Its a cost anyway because all people on social welfare and on a level of income are entitled to a medical card so theres no cost here other than giving people their entitlement.

CS:

Obviously a lot of prisoners are homeless  Id imagine even from the discussions that were held here today  what will you do in terms of those, in terms of an address to deliver a medical card to?

MD:

So therefore the address that they are going to, the homeless persons address. Now the reality is that in very exceptional cases  not in Cork but in Dublin  some people have to be released onto the street and thats a problem.

CS:

OK, theres been a bit of a debate in the media over the past few days on foot of the the story about half a million over the next three years on certain items of clothing for prisoners. Do you think that people will get annoyed that theyre going to get medical cards immediately on the day of exit or what do you think?

MD:

No, I dont think people would begrudge somebody their medication, hopefully they wouldnt.
IT WOULD take Prof Ronald Friend almost 70 years to identify the person who saved his life. Then, one morning in January 2011, an email popped into his inbox with a name. The woman who had extricated him from a detention camp during the Second World War was called Miss Elms.

He would later discover that her name was, in fact, Mary Elmes. Other details would follow. She was born in Cork City in 1908 and she had helped to save hundreds of Jewish children from the Nazi gas chambers.

He and his brother, then aged 18 months and five years old respectively, were two of those children. Although Prof Friend had spent years piecing together the details of his early childhood, this final piece of the jigsaw had always eluded him.

He had the end of the story, but not the beginning.

He had known, for instance, of his familys near-escape over the Swiss border in 1942. His father Hans and brother Mario had made it to safety over the border. They turned back, however, when they saw that police had stopped young Ronald and his mother, Eva. They would all be detained at Rivesaltes, a notorious holding camp near Perpignan in the south of France.

He had evidence, too, that he had been spirited away to a safe house in Toulouse. He even met the French priest, Fr Louis Bezard, who had hidden him and his brother in a suitcase as they passed through Toulouse train station under intense Gestapo surveillance.

In 1958, Fr Bezard went so far as to write an account of the escape, describing how the brothers arrived at the presbytery in Marssac in southern France upset, frightened and starving and spent a few days there to recover their strength.

The brothers  then known as Rene and Mario Freund  were fostered by separate families, baptised as Catholics, and mixed in with other children attending the local school. They stayed in that village until the end of the war.

At that point, Ronald Friend was five years old and has clear memories of what happened next: He and his brother crossed in a horrendous storm from Dieppe to England where they were met by an uncle.

I remember him coming to collect us because he had some cherries. He put me in the baggage rack and I was spitting cherry pits down on top of him. Thats the part I remember, the emeritus professor of psychology tells the Irish Examiner from his home in Portland, Oregon.

A 1943 school photo of Ronald Friend (middle row, 3rd from left) who was mixed in with local children at a school in the South of France. Mary Elmes extricated Ronald and his brother from the detention camp in 1942. Pic courtesy of Professor Ron Friend

However, he had never been able to establish who got him out of the camp until that long-awaited email in 2011. The archivist of OSE, a Jewish organisation, wrote to give him the name of his rescuer: Mary Elmes, head of the Quaker delegation at Perpignan.

We have letters that Mary Elmes and her co-workers wrote. On 25 September 1942, Mary Elmes writes to say that we are going to be liberated the next day and taken to a Quaker hostel, or colony, in Vernet-le-Bains, called the Hotel du Portugal. The hotel is still there. He and his brother were finally reunited with their mother Eva in 1947 but they found out their father Hans had been deported to Majdanek camp in 1943. He perished there.

Prof Friend started to research Mary Elmes and, with help from a British college lecturer Bernard Wilson, details of an extraordinary womans life started to emerge  her childhood in Cork City, her brilliant academic achievements, her work with refugees in the Spanish Civil War and Second World War, her six-month term in a Gestapo prison.

He would go on to nominate her for the Righteous Among Nations award at Yad Vashem, the official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. She is the first and only Irish person to receive the honour.

I am still upset that no one had nominated her earlier. Its an aberration. She was clearly a leader among those with whom she worked. She showed the way, he says.

One of the most well-known Righteous Among Nations is Oskar Schindler who, with his wife Emilie, was honoured in 1993 for saving an estimated 1,100 Jews from certain death during the war.

Its difficult to say exactly how many people Mary Elmes saved, but it is clear she played a pivotal role in saving the lives of at least hundreds of Jewish children.

Surviving documents describe how she risked her life to hide children in the boot of her car, driving them to safety in the French Pyrenees. She helped countless others to secure documents, allowing them to be evacuated through a well-established network operating undercover in Vichy France. Because she was an Irish citizen, and therefore neutral, she was able to stay on in the warzone when others were forced to leave. Letters to her colleagues discuss their plans to shelter Jewish children in the Quaker colonies (or homes) that had been established in France to help refugees.

Professor Ron Friend with some of Mary Elmess china bowls, a gift from her children. Picture courtesy of Professor Ron Friend

Others detail what needed to be done to rescue children in danger. In one letter, dated April 25, 1942, Mary Elmess friend and colleague Alice Resch writes: The permission for your 12 children from Rivesaltes to come to Larade [a Quaker home] has been obtained, so you can ship them off to us anytime you like.

She adds, however, not to bring them on a Thursday or a Sunday, if possible, as the home had prepared terrific washing and disinfection schemes.

She helped dozens more by getting parental permission to bring them to safer Quaker colonies, or to help them leave the country entirely. Many of those children would never see their parents again.

Mary Elmes also helped thousands of non-Jewish refugees, providing food, shelter and medical help to the hundreds of thousands of refugees who were displaced by the Spanish Civil War and put in makeshift camps near the Spanish border with France.

She had first-hand experience of the Spanish Civil War too, helping Spanish refugees until 1939. Now, that those people had fled over the border into France, she wanted to join them.

I cannot tell you how glad I am to have the prospect of doing something for my Spanish friends again, she wrote in July 1939.

Conditions in the refugee camps were horrific. The scenes I witnessed might have been from Dantes Inferno, Catalan cellist and refugee Pablo Casals wrote in Joys and Sorrows, a book of reflections on his life published in 1970.

He knew Mary Elmes and worked with her to help those who had been, to quote his description of one camp, herded together like animals, penned in by barbed wire, housed  if one can call it that  in tents and crumbling shacks.

Those camps would later reach breaking point when the Second

World War broke out and they started to fill with German refugees, who were now considered aliens in France.

The early days  a brilliant linguist and scholar

When Mary Elmes went to school in Rochelle School in Cork, it must have been evident that she was exceptionally bright.

She was born on May 5, 1908, and christened Marie Elizabeth Jean. The middle name was after her mother Elizabeth (nee Waters), who grew up in Cork. Her father Edward moved to Cork from Waterford after qualifying as a pharmacist and ran J Waters and Sons, dispensing chemists, on Winthrop St. His son, John  Marys only and younger brother  would eventually take it over.

Mary as a very small child on her mother Elizabeths lap

Its not clear what prompted Mary Elmes to study modern literature (French and Spanish) at Trinity College Dublin, but she was to excel in her field. She graduated with first-class honours and was awarded a gold medal, which her son still has at his home in the south of France.

More academic plaudits followed. She won a London School of Economics scholarship, earning a place at an international relations summer school in Geneva in 1936.

While she was there, the Spanish Civil War broke out. It must have had a profound effect on her because she quickly made enquiries about joining the relief effort.

The first indication of her wish to do so comes in a letter from a Mrs Small at the Geneva office of Save the Children. She mentions that a certain Miss Elmes wanted to work in Spain as a volunteer in early 1937.

When she arrived in Gibraltar, she had a permit to stay for just five days, but would go on to stay two years. Initially, the relief office didnt know what to do with her. An urgent call had been put out for doctors and nurses, but Mary Elmes had no medical training. They assigned her to the London University Ambulance Unit and later to a feeding station at Almeria.

The horror of the Spanish Civil War

Nothing could have prepared Mary, then 28 years old, for the suffering she would witness in Almeria, on the southeast coast of Spain. Some 80,000 people had taken refuge there after walking through machine-gun fire and daily bombardment on the 120-mile journey from Malaga. Some 5,000 died en route and thousands more had turned back.

She started work in a childrens hospital in Almeria and must have shown an aptitude because she was soon put in charge of a new and well-equipped hospital in Alicante. However, her spell there was short-lived.

As a young girl on the beach.

When continual destroyer bombardment put the children in her care in real danger, she fled with them to Polop, a village near Benidorm. A British nurse and friend Dorothy Litten describes how she made a refuge out of the summer residence of a rich man who had fled to a more suitable spot for rich men.

The nurse goes on say that she was marvellous in planning meals out of our very meagre resources.

Despite the chaos of war, word reached her from Cork to say that her father died. She wanted to go home but told her mother she wouldnt go unless she could find someone to replace her.

But there wasnt anyone to take her place and it would be another two years before she returned to her native city in 1939.

She stayed in Spain until the end of the war when she was rescued by Howard Kershner, head of the American Friends Service Committee. He drove her and some fellow workers across the border into France, bringing with them the records of their work in Spain.

Decades later, those records would be read by fellow Quaker, Englishman Bernard Wilson. He was fascinated to read that Quakers had been involved in Spain and later in the internment camps of the South of France. He began to unravel that story and, in doing so, he also brought Mary Elmess considerable contribution to light.

Saving Jewish children

Phew, what a lot of writing back and forth about my kids Alice Resch wrote in a letter to Mary Elmes on 22 May, 1942.

Alice, a nurse from Norway, was based at the Toulouse office of the Quaker American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and she wrote regularly to her friend and colleague, Mary, who ran the committees office in Perpignan.

As Alice put it so chirpily, writing back and forth was how they managed to secure identity papers, food, clothing and medical supplies for the refugees in the camps  or colonies as they were known  that had been set up by the Quakers in France.

References to Mary often say she was a Quaker but she was not. Her family are listed as Church of Ireland in the 1911 census. In fact, many of the people who worked with the American Friends Service Committee at that point in the war were neither Quaker nor American.

In the Toulouse office, a sign read American Quakers, but Alice Resch would later recall that there was only one American who was not a Quaker and one Quaker who was not American.

However, those were unimportant details to Mary and her colleagues who were focused on helping in every way they could. Their letters talk of getting books and writing material so that they could continue to school the refugees. They mention individuals and their particular needs; a doctor who needed support after a stroke; a man who needed clothes after being released from hospital; the need for extra food to feed an arriving refugee train.

Bernard Wilson, who has written a childrens book based on her life, takes up the story: She was now in charge of the AFSC office in Perpignan. Her work included the various camps for Spanish refugees on the coast and canteens in schools throughout a region about the size of Munster. There was scarcely a town or village in the whole of that huge area that did not receive help in some form or another from the AFSC office in Perpignan. The volume of work was overwhelming. The world is chaos here on account of all the happenings, Alice Resch wrote in August 1942. We are swimming in work here but you are too, certainly, with all these sad events, she said in a letter to Mary a week later.

A painting of Mary made in 1941 by a well-known Spanish artist who was a refugee in France, it was a personal gift to her.

Though, the friends still managed to talk of everyday things and the possibility of, one day, getting some time off to climb the Canigou, a mountain in Pyrenees.

It is evident, too, that the women were firm friends. In one letter, Alice writes to thank Mary for being so nice to her during her two-day visit to Perpignan: You really are a peach, and you dont know how I enjoyed staying with you. She was obviously popular. In 1942, a visitor from the AFSC office in Philadelphia remarked: Everywhere Mary went she was greeted with great warmth and affection and we could not walk very far without being stopped by someone who wished to talk with her. One could see very plainly that Miss Mary as they all call her, brought joy to many people on her regular frequent visits to the camp.

The camp in question was Rivesaltes, an army camp near Perpignan that was never used because it was said to be unsuitable even for horses. It was too cold in winter and too hot in summer.

Yet thousands of people were sent there when it first opened as a refugee camp in 1941.

By the end of its first year, there were more than 4,000 people in the camp, a third of them children.

An American Friends Service Committee report highlighted their plight: The internees are cold during the night, they are cold during the day and their food is served to them cold. They crouch in unheated barracks and have no extra blankets or clothes to protect them against the searching wind. From 1942 on, the letters fill with a new sense of urgency as it is now very clear what is happening to the Jews who are being rounded up.

Mennonite aid worker Lois Gunden was in charge of Canet-Plage, a centre on the Mediterranean established by Mary Elmes. On August 9, 1942, she wrote in her diary: Mary [Elmes] informed me about return of Polish and German Jews to Poland where death by starvation awaits them. The next day she writes: Miss Elmes had brought us three Jewish boys in an attempt to save them when their parents leave; had quite some time quieting the poor little fellow; but finally his sobs died down. Lois Gunden goes on to describe the steady stream of children brought by Miss Elmes to the relative safety of the Villa St-Christophe colony.

On August 11, 1942, she writes: While we were eating supper Miss Elmes brought seven Jewish children  some of whom cant speak French; [Isidore] Mussoles cooked some extra macaroni; quelle comedie pour les laver en lavabo! [what a comedy to wash them in the washbasin] Les garcons ne voulaient pas enlever leurs culottes [The boys didnt want to take off their pants].

It was far from comedy, however, but a chilling reminder of how parents had warned their circumcised sons to keep their pants on to hide the fact that they were Jewish.

The worst was yet to come, says author Bernard Wilson.

In 1942, Rivesaltes became the holding centre for all the Jews in non-occupied France. They were brought there from wherever they could be found.

In a two-month period in autumn 1942, nine convoys left Rivesaltes for the transit camp, Drancy outside Paris. A total of 2,141 Jewish adults and 110 children were on board.

The number of children would have been considerably greater had it not been for the intervention of Mary and her colleagues in the other organisations, says Bernard Wilson.

But now the children in the colonies were in danger too. Children had been exempt from deportation, but in September 1942, the Vichy authorities withdrew that exemption.

When Mary heard the news that children could now be deported, she immediately put a group of children into her own car and drove them to safety, relief worker Andree Salomon wrote in her memoir Rescuing the Children.

She came back the next day to rescue others, she adds.

Meanwhile, Marys colleague Alice Resch was smuggling children away from a French orphanage called Aspet in the Pyrenees: We claimed that the colony was too far away and gave Coste (the Director of the Office for Aliens) a fictional list of people who were willing to take the children into their homes. The youngest came to Larade where we erased the Juif [Jew] mark from their papers, she writes in her memoir, Over the Highest Mountains.

Jailed by the Gestapo

Theres no record of how Mary Elmes felt when German police arrested and imprisoned her on February 5, 1943. However, her mother Elizabeth Elmes would say it came as a dreadful shock when the news filtered through, a month later.

Mary Elmes was to be charged with espionage, Bernard Wilson tells the Examiner.

She was suspected of a series of hostile acts against Germany, secret border crossings, information of all kinds, and propaganda against the Reich, he says, quoting the contents of a letter from the French Interior Ministry dated 1943, which is now in Marys daughters collection.

At first, her colleagues at the Geneva office were under the impression that it was something she had written in a letter. Apparently, one of them wrote, it was a question of having too freely spoken of certain matters in censored letters. Whatever the charges  though none were ever pressed  her employers, the American Friends Service Committee, were deeply distressed by news of her arrest. They immediately sent a telegram to the Irish authorities looking for help.

The telegram read: Request intervention international Red Cross and Irish Minister Lisbon on behalf of Mary Elmes, trusted Quaker relief worker since 1938. Stop.

Mary Elmes and Friedel taken just a few months before her death at the age of 94. She is on the left, and is being presented a painting of the Rivesaltes camp by her fellow worker Friedel Bohny-Reiter of the Swiss Red Cross

At first, she was held in Toulouse prison. Her colleagues were nearby and were allowed to visit and bring food parcels. But they lost all contact when she was moved to the Gestapo-held Fresnes prison, outside Paris.

Mary must have been aware that many of the people held in Fresnes never got out again. Members of the French Resistance and captured British special operations executives were held there.

An unnamed British officer wrote of the prisons atmosphere at that time: The threat of violence was almost as bad as the reality. They left you on your own a lot to stew and to worry  and it worked.

In June 1943, Mary Elmess employers become concerned for her welfare. They wrote to the honourable Robert Brennan, minister from Ireland in Washington, and appealed to him to make representations to the Irish government to have her released.

She is now held incommunicado in Fresnes prison in Paris, the committees foreign service secretary James G Veil told Mr Brennan. She is said to be in very poor health, although under ordinary circumstances she is a vigorous person.

He goes on to say: Miss Elmes is a person of good will, exceptionally effective in dealing with the problems of distressed people. She speaks Spanish and French without accent and we are convinced that there is no valid reason for her detention.

Several letters went back and forth between France, Ireland, and America.

Meanwhile, at home in Ballintemple in Cork City, her mother Elizabeth Elmes made sure to include nothing more than family chit chat in her letter of March 13, 1943. She wasnt hopeful that it would ever reach her daughter, but she left the envelope open anyway in case wartime censors checked its contents.

Mrs Elmes was far more forthright in her letters to Margaret Frawley of the American Friends Service Committee, which reveal her deep worry. She was sure, too, that her daughter had done no wrong. She had planned to visit her in Paris but her doctor advised her against it, saying it would put too much strain on her heart.

Eventually, the International Red Cross succeeded in getting messages through to Mary. They delivered food parcels too. Messages were relayed out to say that her health had improved.

Her brother visited Paris iniste and obtained permission to visit Mary iniste and finally in July 1943, after many representations, she was released.

In a Red Cross message to her aunt, Mary wrote: Well, 52 kilos. Wrote mummie today, also week ago. Glad to be back in nice flat with all belongings. Her mother had asked her for her weight in a previous despatch and was glad to report that Mary was no lighter now than she had been when she went to France in 1939.

She also appeared to be in good form.

Her friend Alice Resch wrote: Mary managed to talk her way out after only a few months. She arrived in our office [in Toulouse] as attractive and well-groomed as always, as if she had just made a journey like any other. Mary would later say when asked about her time in prison: Oh, we all had to suffer some inconveniences in those days! Her mother had hoped that Mary would leave France for Switzerland or Portugal, but she had no intention of abandoning the people who needed her. She went straight back to work.

While she was in prison, six months salary had accrued but she wrote to her employees saying she didnt want it. She returned the money, asking head office to spend it on whatever was needed.

She would stay on at her office in Perpignan until the end of the war.

Legacy

In 1947, the British and American Quakers were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their relief work during the war. Mary Elmes children say the French government offered her its highest honour, the Legion dHonneur. She turned it down, preferring instead to try to put the war behind her.

She married Roger Danjou and the couple had two children, Caroline and Patrick. Both of them tell the Examiner that their mother preferred not to talk about the war and they knew little of her work with refugees growing up.

Mary Elmes and her children returned to Ireland several times and her children would visit her old house at Ballintemple.

My mother never had the courage to return to her former home, but we were welcomed there with opened arms, Madame Danjou recalls.

The gold medal presentation made to Mary Elmes posthumously by the Israeli Ambassador. At the back are Caroline and Patrick Danjou, her two children. In front of them are three of her great grandchildren. Pictures courtesy of Caroline and Patrick Danjou

When Prof Ronald Friend contacted the family in 2012 to ask their permission to nominate her as a Righteous Among Nations, they were initially reluctant as their mother had been so discreet. However, they were keen to see her work recognised. In 2014, friends, relatives and Prof Friend commemorated Mary Elmes at an award ceremony at Canet-en-Rousillon in the south of France.

A remarkable thing happened during Prof Friends visit. He and his son Sean went to see his old school at Marsaac. He asked directions from a man who immediately recognised him as a former classmate  from 1943! Guy Brunet invited father and son to his house for a drink and later presented him with a photo of their time in school together.

Others, though, seem to have forgotten the past. It bothers Caroline Danjou that her mother is so little known in her own country.

Her brother Patrick wrote to her old alma mater Trinity College in 2014 to invite them to commemorate an exceptional past pupil, but received no response. The London School of Economics didnt reply either, he says.

Next week, the man who has done so much to highlight her work, Bernard Wilson, will talk about her at the national conference of Network Ireland in Cork.

Earlier this week, Mary Elmes was one of five women remembered in an international symposium on women in wartime organised by Smashing Times Theatre Company.

The companys artistic director Mary Moynihan said: Mary Elmes was an extraordinary woman; very brave, courageous and selfless in her efforts to help others. It is not known how many childrens lives she saved, however, there is a ripple effect in terms of three generations of people who would not be alive today if it wasnt for her work.

Also, her story has many parallels today. Mary was actively involved in helping refugees who were fleeing from war and persecution. Today, we are witnessing the flight of ordinary men, women and children from the war in Syria and there is an onus on all of us to help in whatever way we can. The boy she saved, Professor Ronald Friend, thinks she should be honoured in her own country. Perhaps a statue or plaque in Cork, he says. She should be written up in history books and recognised by the Irish government. Whatever honours come now are too late for Mary Elmes. She died in 2002, aged 94.

Thank you for trying to take my mother out of the shadows of history, said Caroline Danjou.
IF a foodie holiday is your thing, then add Normandy to your list of places to go.

This French province knows good food, so its an ideal place to spend some time tantalising the tastebuds.

Famous for gastronomy, Normandy is celebrated for its dairy products  butter, cream, milk and cheese  as well as its apples, cider and Calvados, the apple brandy called after the French region of the same name.

If its more than food youre after, Normandy has that too  the region is steeped in history, having been a battleground in wartimes; its a province proud of its culture and boasts a coastline of beautiful beaches.

On a recent gastronomic tour around Normandy I was treated to the best of local produce and saw first-hand the enormous pride the Normans have for their food and the way its produced.

Liz enjoys the fabulous food of France from a cookery school.

Our first stop was to a food market in Neufchatel-en- Bray, a town famous for its cheese; its the oldest cheese to be produced in the region, and its origins date back to 1035.

Here we met Patrick Chevallier, president of the Confrerie du fromage de Neufchatel, a brotherhood dedicated to promoting Neufchatel.

The cheese is one of four AOC (controlled designation of origin) cheeses made in Normandy. Locally 1,600 tonnes are produced by about 30 producers each year.

One of those producers, Madame Malaval, has been making Neufchatel for about 10 years at her farm, just 3km outside the town.

Its a soft cheese distinctly creamy in texture  largely thanks to milk produced by Norman cows  and it comes in different shapes; the more notable being the heart  legend has it that during the Hundred-Year War, when France was invaded by the British, French maidens would offer the cheese to English soldiers as a sign of their love.

Fine Neufchatel cheese.

On we went to the medieval city of Rouen, for the Fete de Ventre  an annual festival dating back to 1935.

Rouen itself is home to many Michelin-star restaurants and its annual food festival is not to be missed.

Set in the heart of the city, its 100-plus stalls sell the finest local foods  from rotisserie chickens, cheese, dried and cured meats and seafood to pates, breads, baked goods, nougat, paella, ice-cream, and beer made with chestnut.

A cooking demonstration showcased the art of preparing a traditional duck-sauce using an old method dating back to 1930.

The master of the duck (chef) partially cooks the duck, carves its meat from the bone and places the innards and carcass in a silver-plated bronze dish.

The innards and carcass are then compressed to extract the juices which are then cooked with cream and white wine to make the sauce, which is served alongside the duck meat.

Some of Paris best restaurants serve the dish and its a particular favourite among the Japanese.

It is said that the sauce originated in 1930; a Rouen woman crossing the river to sell her ducklings, noticed they had suffocated on the journey. She believed they were of no use but a local chef took them to create a sauce. And so the tradition began.

The skill is taken very seriously, and again a similar brotherhood exists to teach people about the art involved in making such a sauce and the importance of keeping the tradition alive.

The Gros Horloge (or great clock) is the 16th-century timepiece in the heart of gorgeous Rouen, France.

Rouen is worth visiting, its a beautiful city rich in heritage, great for shopping, and its architectural styles range from Romanesque to Modern and Renaissance to 19th century manor houses.

The city is where French heroine, Saint Joan of Arc, was tried and burnt at the stake in 1431.

That night we dined by candlelight at the oldest inn in France, La Couronne. The owners (a husband and wife) clearly know the value of keeping customers happy  nothing was too much trouble.

Cheese was served everywhere we went, fois gras and venison featured on many menus and, by the sea, fresh fish was a must-try.

While in Rouen we stayed at the Best Western hotel  it was clean, comfortable, with modern decor and couldnt have been in a better location, just a stones-throw from all of the action.

Trouville-sur-Mer was next on our itinerary. A traditional fishing town and seaside resort on the Cote Fleurie, its a popular holiday destination for Parisians. Its a famous fishing port, with 28 trawlers fishing scallops, sea bass, sole, plaice and turbot; about 1,300 tons of mackerel are caught each year.

Trouville has an excellent weekly market where fishermens wives sell their husbands catch almost as soon as it comes to shore and a permanent covered fish market  first built in 1840  sees 10 fishmongers sell fresh fish year-round.

The most popular of these is Saiter Fishmongers  its been in business since 1887 and is now run by a sixth-generation fisherman who sells his grandmothers award-winning Jeanettes Fish Soup.

Its hugely popular and is even served in top restaurants.

The town is incredibly pretty  its narrow streets are lined with tall houses and Belle Epoque architectural buildings  and it has a great sea-side vibe, making Trouville one of my favourite stop-overs.

I also loved the French countryside; we stayed in Benoitville, south-west of Cherbourg with Sinead Allart, Irish expat and owner of Wilde Kitchen  a cookery school that offers gourmet holidays, perfect for foodies.

Packages here can include outings to local markets, restaurants and cooking classes in Sineads beautifully-renovated 18th century country-house kitchen.

We spent a morning at the nearby Bricquebec market, where there was so much to see.

A local farmer sold live rabbits and chickens; across from him two French women sold plants, there was fresh cream as thick as ice-cream, every cheese you could dream of, baked goods and fresh vegetables  which at 3.50 a sack was far cheaper than what youd pay at an Irish market. We stocked up on local produce for an afternoon cooking class with Sinead.

We were each assigned a dish to cook and serve  autumnal pumpkin soup; a chicken, cream and apple main meal; pumpkin and goats cheese lentils and apple tart. Afterwards, we sat with Sineads family to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

My stay here was a highlight and its inspired me to be more creative in the kitchen. Id highly recommend anyone with an interest in cooking to visit Sineads cookery school.

From Benoitville, we went on to five-star- hotel La Cheneviere, near Port en Bessin. A scallop cooking class with one of the hotels top chefs was followed by a delicious meal in the company of hotel manager Francoise Fauquet.

La Cheneviere wasnt far from Longues Sur-Mer, a D-Day landing beach; so on the last day of our amazing trip we visited the remains of the coastal defence battery  equipped with a firing command post and four casemates, each housing a 150mm gun  overlooking the English Channel.

The site played a strategic role during the allied landings on June 6, 1944 and is its one Im glad I had the chance to see, before leaving the beautiful French province of Normandy.

For more information visit Normandy Tourist Boards website: www.normandy-tourism.org.

For direct Ryanair flights between Dublin and Beauvais, Paris see: www.ryanair.com
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - The European Union decided to give Bulgaria 108 million euros in emergency funding to help it protect its borders against an increasing flow of illegal migrants and refugees into the country, the president of the EU Commission said on Friday. Over a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa arrived in Europe last year, mostly coming via Turkey to Greece. Bulgaria says migrant flows through its territory have been on the rise since June. "Bulgaria is facing a very serious problem. This has to be seen not as a major problem for Bulgaria, this has to be seen as a problem of the EU. Bulgaria is not left alone." Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters in Bratislava on the sidelines of a summit of EU leaders. Juncker said that in the coming weeks, the financial support from the EU may be raised to 160 million euros, as requested Bulgaria. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald and Francesco Guarascio)
SOMEONE shouts bears! and we lurch to the front of the cable car to catch a glimpse of two black bears trundling through the snow-tinged undergrowth, hundreds of metres below at the foot of Whistler Mountain in British Columbia, Canada.

As we go higher into the pristine alpine vastness, you can see why it was chosen to host the Winter Olympics in 2010.

With more than 8,000 acres of skiable terrain, it is the largest  and the most popular ski resort  in North America.

You dont have to be an Olympian, or even a ski enthusiast, to enjoy it.

In fact, you dont even have to be fit. Whistler is open all year round and it offers any number of activities to adrenaline-seekers, from zip-lining and mountain biking to balloon trips and off-road buggy adventures.

But this majestic place with its bounty of waterfalls and creeks, lakes, and rivers can be a holiday destination for just about anyone.

The trend of the moment is the adrenaline/zen holiday  nerve-jangling adventure (take your pick from the list above) followed by downtime and relaxation in the spa.

But theres nothing stopping you going straight to zen, as this correspondent did, climbing into a hammock at the Scandinave Spa ( www.scandinave.com ) and staring up at the bluest sky through spruce and cedar trees.

The outdoor spa has a rule of silence, which I break only once with a loud, involuntary yelp after plunging into a glacial pool, post-sauna.

Hydrotherapy (cycles of hot, cold, then relaxation) is said to increase wellness and lead to intense relaxation. It does that  and then some.

Before you go completely horizontal, though, its worth taking a cable ride on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, a singular feat of engineering that links the summits of Whistler (7,160ft) and Blackcomb (7,500ft) in the Coast mountain range.

The Gondola (to the uninitiated, a cable car with bells on) has the longest unsupported lift span in the world.

In plain English, that means youll find yourself sailing through the air for an impressive 1.88 miles with apparently nothing tethering you to the earth. The views of the mountains, lakes, glaciers and forests are breath-stopping.

On the way down, the mist sweeps in. Guide Chelsea describes it perfectly when she says it feels as if were inside a ping pong ball.

Back on terra firma, theres lots to do in Whistler village. The calendar is dotted with year-round festivals showcasing the regions food, culture, and music.

If youre not booked into the magnificent Fairmount Chateau ( www.fairmont.com/whistler/ ), at least try to eat in its restaurant, the Grill Room, which prides itself on using the best of local produce. Order the tomato gin soup, made with local Schramm potato gin.

Whistler, apparently named after the sound a marmot makes, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, though its history goes back several thousand years to a time when the Squamish and Lilwat peoples came together to trade here.

The language of those first nations is still spoken and their traditions are still very much alive as youll see at the award-winning Squamish Lilwat Cultural Centre ( www.slcc.ca ). The only rules are to touch everything and sing along.

ITS HARD to leave Whistlers scenic paradise behind but the stunning views on the Sea-to-Sky Highway that runs all the way to Vancouver allow you to adjust gently to urban life.

If youre feeling civic-minded, you can even adopt a piece of that highway in a scheme designed to clean up the area. Only in Canada.

But then Vancouver, the capital of British Columbia, is pretty easy on the eye too.

The city of glass has many nicknames, No Fun City and Raincouver among them.

The latter has the ring of truth about it, unfortunately: Vancouverites will talk about their soft and unpredictable weather in much the same way an Irish person does. Our climates are remarkably similar: no Canadian extremes here.

No Fun City, however, is an absolute travesty. Vancouver is hopping with activity.

Its location near mountains and the Pacific Ocean make it a fantastic outdoor location, but it is also a city buzzing with great shops, restaurants and bars.

We decide to get our bearings and our sea legs in one fell swoop by taking a kayak trip down False Creek, a busy waterway in the heart of the city.

Once you figure out your right from your other right  always a challenge for amateur paddlers  its fascinating to glide (ok, splish-splash) by the sights.

Youll see old mills (remnants of the citys gravel and logging industrial past), the 2010 Olympic Village (the greenest building complex on the planet), public art installations, and pass by the spot where locals enjoy the grass, as it were.

(Another city nickname Van groovy tells its own story of the relatively lax attitude to the recreational use of cannabis.)

The highlight of the paddle? It was definitely being able to get right up beside Sea Village, a colourful collection of beautiful floating houses that cost up to CAN$1m (682,000) per property.

Residents go back and forth over the stretch of water on stand-up paddleboards in full office attire.

The cost of housing has spiralled in Vancouver, too, though youll still find a deal on a hotel to suit your budget.

Were staying at the Sheraton Wall Centre in downtown Vancouver, the citys third tallest building, so the views are spectacular ( www.sheratonvancouver.com/ )

The demand for property has an unexpected upside: the city and all it has to offer is pushing out into new areas.

In up-and-coming neighbourhood Kingsway, for instance, Savio Volpe (the savvy fox) opened its door just eight months ago. When we eat there, there isnt a seat free in the house. Its easy to see why.

The restaurant is styled on an Italian country tavern and its motto is long live friendship, affection and hospitality.

The food is served tapas-style so everyone eats from the same dishes. And what food. The chef believes in simple but flavourful and who would have thought that pasta with basil and tomato could taste so good.

The wood-fired grill turns out the most amazing meat dishes and the over-the-coals steak was the best Ive ever tasted. Go easy on the wine, though. Because of import taxes, the cheapest bottle of Italian wine was CAN$45 (31).

WE TAKE to bicycles the following morning to work off the feast. Greg of City Cycle Tours is a wonderful guide, telling the story of diverse and ecological Vancouver as we wend our way past some of the citys famous landmarks.

Two stand out: the Lions Gate Bridge and the Marine Building, a world-famous Art Deco gem on Burrard Street.

The Vancouver Sun described the latter as a great marine rock rising from the sea, flashed with gold, when it first opened in 1930.

The odd coincidence about those two structures is that both of them were once owned by the Guinness family. Yes, that Guinness family.

Our bicycle tour goes off-road into Stanley Park, one of the biggest and most visited parks in the world. Yet, it feels unspoilt as we wheel by its beaches, its colourful totem poles, through forest trails to the freshwater Beaver Lake.

We freewheel back along the seafront. Mental note to self: return to Bella Gelateria on Cordova Street. People are queueing for their ice cream for a reason.

Though the fig and ricotta ice cream we got at the market on Granville Island ( www.granvilleisland.com ) was also a revelation. Add Granville Island to your list of places to see.

No wonder Vancouver was chosen as the best place to live in North America in Mercers 2016 Quality of Living survey.

Though, with hand on heart, we can say that its a pretty amazing place to visit too.

GETTING THERE

Getting there: Air Transat offers return flights from Dublin to Toronto from 455pp and return flights from Dublin to Vancouver from 475pp.

It operates three flights a week from Dublin until the end of October. See www.airtransat.ie or call 00 800 872 672 83.

Travel documents: Visitors to Canada need electronic travel authorisation (eTA), see www.cic.gc.ca/english/

Where to stay

Whistler: The Examiner stayed at the five-star Fairmount Chateau in Whistler. From CAN$270 (185) per night for two. See www.fairmont.com/whistler

Vancouver: In Vancouver, the Sheraton Wall Centre is an excellent base. Double rooms from 188 per night. See www.sheratonvancouver.com/

For tips on travelling in British Columbia, see www.hellobc.com

For water activities in Vancouver, see www.ecomarine.com

For cycling tours, www.cyclecitytours.com
Given recent developments, it was a fair question to ask, as EU leaders took a relaxed boat cruise along the Danube, surrounded by at least 12 military defence boats, two helicopters, and dozens of balaclava-wearing police snipers.

The event  indeed, all of the public events yesterday, from the choreographed family photo to the joint press conferences, to carefully chosen words such as challenges to describe escalating crises  was meant to show it is full steam ahead for the good ship EU.

As an exercise in honesty, it struggled to convince.

The post-Brexit EU is facing a series of internal rifts that, if not dealt with by anything stronger than PR whitewashing, threaten to destabilise the entire political bloc.

The issue was at the heart of yesterdays informal heads-of-state summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, and it is difficult to ignore.

The ongoing refugee crisis has split southern and eastern European nations from the north and west, with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban calling refugees a poison, causing his Luxembourg counterpart to suggest his country should be thrown out.

Persistent French and German calls for terrorism defence co-operation have led some to fear the creeping creation of an EU army and Taoiseach Enda Kenny to remind his colleagues of Irelands red line stance on neutrality.

Speaking after yesterdays summit, Mr Kenny was keen to stress that some progress has been made on tackling the challenges Europe faces.

Dismissing recent claims of an EU existential crisis, he said the bloc is like a massive government of co-operation similar to Irelands, inadvertently leading more than a few to wonder who Europes John Halligan might eventually be.

During a joint press conference the same tone was struck by French president Francois Hollande and German chancellor Angela Merkel, who said they hope everyone will work together to make the post-Brexit EU a success.

Francois Hollande

How that success can be achieved with a diverse bloc of competing and at times polar opposite interests remains unclear.

The European Council president Donald Tusk said yesterday he wants EU leaders to be brutally honest about their difficulties, adding they must not let this crisis [Brexit] go to waste. He said: We cant start our discussion with this kind of blissful conviction that nothing is wrong, that everything was and is ok. We have to assure our citizens that we have learned the lesson.

It was like something a captain says to calm passengers as the boat is bounced around by waves. We have it under control. Oh, and that Brexit thing where someone plummeted overboard, never to be seen again? Just a once-off. Honestly.

The good ship EU still sails serenely along on the surface but its hull is nowhere near as sturdy as it was.
IT TURNS out that all the Danish we picked up watching our favourite Scandi shows  The Killing, Borgen  is of no use whatsoever when it comes to figuring out how to pronounce hygge, the Danish-inspired wellness trend thats going to be huge this autumn.

The word roughly translates as all kinds of cosy but just how you say it is a moot point. Is it hig-ge as in Higgs boson, or hug-ge as in great big bear hug, or should we try it with a fancy U as in Hugenot?

Apparently, the fancy U wins out. According to all those helpful guides, its pronounced {hue-gah} but expect to hear some ingenious corruptions as the dark evenings draw in.

And you will be hearing lots about this little five-lettered word and how the feeling it embodies  of warmth, comfort and belonging  has helped make Denmark one of the worlds happiest nations.

Denmark took the top spot in the UNs World Happiness Report in 2013, 2014, and this year. (Ireland was 19th in 2016).

All those ominous skies and drizzly grey rain in The Killing and The Bridge is clearly a fiction, then. But lets not get cynical or distracted because, as trends go, hygge hype is pretty neat. Anything that has contentment and communion at the core of its philosophy has to be welcomed. Yes, lets bring on the rush to embrace the spirit of comfort, shelter, and togetherness.

The pity, however, is the naked commercialism that will go with it.

Brace yourself for a thick blanket of publicity that will be unleashed on a public desperate for a little autumnal pick-up. There will be richly produced shots of blazing fires, flickering candles, warm woollen blankets, and cups of steaming cocoa.

The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well has already hit the shelves. In fairness to author Louisa Thomsen Brits, her book is a thing of beauty. Its pages are populated with images so inviting theyd make you want to whip out your cuddle blanket on the spot.

The book also explains that the phenomenon is not only a noun but a verb.

To hygge, explains Thomsen Brits, means to create an emotionally warm atmosphere, to enjoy the good things in life with good people.

She even provides a helpful list of what people who hygge do  they sit around a table to share a meal, they curl up with a good book beside a fire on a wet night, they snuggle up like spoons in bed on a windy evening.

As loan words go, its a good addition to the English language, though I wonder if its a necessary one. Is there any real difference between, say, ordering tea and hygge and tea and TLC?

On balance, though, the more words we have to describe the good things, the better. Weve taken enough of the bad ones.

For instance, what does it say about us as a society that weve imported the German word schadenfreude to describe taking pleasure in anothers misfortune, but not the Yiddish word fargin, which means to glow with pride at the success of another?

And what ever happened to our fascination with the Swedish word (and philosophy) lagom, which translates as just the right amount.

Apparently, the origin of that word goes back to a Viking phrase laget om, which means around the team. It personified a code of conduct that meant a communal horn of mead (or its Swedish equivalent) could be passed around and everyone would sip their share and not a single drop more.

For a while it was a thing, particularly in the business world where it espoused moderation and balance in all things. What a spectacular failure that was because the blockbusting hit of last year was Japanese author Marie Kondos decluttering bible, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She didnt have a particular Japanese word to describe our collective need to fill black bin bags and bring them to the charity shop, but she didnt need one. Her book was a runaway success.

That books enduring popularity highlights a very uncomfortable truth. In the same way that the modern world has had to cope with the twin  though diametrically opposed  issues of malnutrition and obesity, there is also an ever-increasing divide between the haves and the have-nots.

It is almost obscene to think what preoccupies us in the autumn season when you turn on the TV and see the chasm between the trendy homemakers and the refugees who have little more than the shirt on their backs.

On an aside, its worth mentioning that once-liberal Denmark has responded to the migrant crisis by tightening its border controls. There clearly isnt enough hygge to go around.

Not that we can throw any stones. Right now, were gearing up to adopt a philosophy that has the potential to incite us to stock up on stuff all over again.

But stop right there because, in theory at least, the recent linguistic import from Denmark wont cost us a thing because its about being, not having. That means you dont have to spend so much as the price of a firelighter to be a fully paid-up member of the trend that is going to be pedalled at every home furnishings store this side of Christmas  and beyond.

You dont need to stock up on fancy candles, either, or warm woolly blankets, or those beautiful designer cocoa mugs that come with a fancy price tag.

As Louisa Thomsen Brits advises, all you have to do is appreciate the sacred in the secular and take the time to celebrate it.

Looking ahead. Next year, Im going to suggest we adopt the Icelandic concept of solarfri, which means sun vacation. That fantastic word describes what happens when theres an unexpected sunny day in Iceland  workers are given a spontaneous day or afternoon off.

Bring it on.
Burma Kachin Reps Speaking Time Cut from State Counselor Meet-and-Greet

Women and children pictured in an internally displaced persons camp in Kachin State in early June 2016. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

Members of the US-based Kachin community were disappointed by the removal of their representative from a set of speakers at a New York meet-and-greet on Saturday with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Gum San Nsang, president of the Kachin Alliance advocacy group in Washington, was invited by Burmas Permanent Mission to the United Nations to the event as an ethnic Kachin representative. The invitation indicated that representatives from different designated groups would be allotted a time slot for a speech to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who will be in attendance.

We were told that we would have two minutes to talk, Gum San Nsang told The Irrawaddy on Friday. But on Wednesday, staff from Burmas Permanent Mission to the UN called him to let him know that he would not be given time to speak at the event, due to limited space.

At the time of publication, The Irrawaddy was unable to confirm which speakers retained speaking privileges.

Ja Mai, also of the Kachin Alliance, told The Irrawaddy that the move was symbolic, leading her to question the level that ethnic minorities like us are allowed to truly participate in the process of rebuilding the country.

Gum San Nsang explained that, had he been given the opportunity to speak to the State Counselor, he would have highlighted the crisis created by ongoing conflict with the Burma Army in Kachin and northern Shan states.

I wanted to request that she visit Kachin IDP camps and demand an opening of aid relief to border camps, he told The Irrawaddy, referring to 120,000 civilians uprooted by war and spread across more than 100 displaced peoples camps in northern Burma. The Irrawaddy reported in June that Kachin IDPs must survive on assistance of just US$0.25 per day.

Gum San Nsang was told by UN mission staff that it was Burmas permanent representative to the UN in New Yorkand not the State Counselorwho had made the decisions regarding event speakers.

The Irrawaddy made contact with staff from Burmas UN mission in New York, but they would not comment on the situation or provide additional information regarding Saturdays event.

Tu Aung Myitung, general secretary of the Kachin Alliance, regretted that the group had lost a great opportunity to speak on behalf of their community, and he remains puzzled by the permanent representatives decision. It does not make any sense that they dont want to give us any chance to speak with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during the meeting, he added.

The change to Gum San Nsangs invitation came only one day after the White House pledged to lift remaining economic sanctions on Burma after meeting with the State Counselor in Washington.

On Mondayonly two days before the announcement to eliminate most sanctionsthe Kachin Alliance had penned an open letter to US President Obama calling any move to abandon economic restrictions extremely premature given ongoing military abuses in Burma, including the systematic use of rape and torture against civilians.

The letter was highly critical of the Tatmadawthe Burma Armyand their lack of progress toward adherence to international human rights standards and democratic norms.

While Gum San Nsang was told the reason given for the cancellation of his speaking time was limited space, others speculated whether the decision was connected to the publicity that the Kachin Alliances letter received.

One could question [whether] this is because of our statement, said Ja Mai. We feel our voice is being silenced and that the concerns and input of the Kachin community in America are being disregarded.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticized for her failure to condemn Burma Army abuses in Kachin State since a ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Army and the Burmese military broke down in 2011.

The army which she repeatedly claims is [her] fathers army is the army which her countrys villagers flee from, Gum San Nsang said, referring to the late Aung SanBurmese independence icon and the founder of the countrys militarywho was also the State Counselors father.

On a weekend in September 2012almost four years ago to the dayDaw Aung San Suu Kyi, then a member of Parliament, first spoke to members of the US-based Burmese community at Queens College in New York. When asked about fighting in Kachin State, she had said that she did not want to add fire to the conflict by criticizing any of the players involved.

To protest what they described as her silence on the humanitarian crisis in Kachin State, members of the Kachin Alliance did not attend Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in Washington in 2012.

Taking a stand of impartiality in aggression by an elephant against a mouse is not taking the side of justice, Gum San Nsang said of her position on the conflict.

The Kachin activistswho have opted out of attending the event on Saturdaysaid it is unlikely that the war and displacement in northern Burma will be a topic of discussion.
Burma This Week in Parliament (September 12-16)

Lower House Speaker Win Myint seen pacing through Parliament on Feb. 4. / The Irrawaddy

Monday, September 12

In the Lower House, Nang Kham Aye of Shan States Namtu Township asked what measures authorities were taking to address the safety concerns of innocent civilians regarding the widespread use of powerful munitions. Deputy Minister for Defense Maj-Gen Myint Naing said that Chapter 3, Article 5(e) of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) states that joint mine clearing will be carried out by the military and ethnic armed groups according to peace process developments, and that the military was working to ensure the safety of people in places where clashes have ceased but mines may still be located.

The Upper House voted down a proposal by lawmaker U Khin Aung Myint to expand ethnic minority language education on Monday, citing a need to first prioritize nationwide peace.

It also debated and passed the Science, Technology and Innovation draft law.

Tuesday, September 13

No parliamentary session was held, due to the observance of Eid.

Wednesday, September 14

In the Lower House, U Aung Kyaw Kyaw Oo of Hlaing Township asked if the Union government planned to ban private logging companies and take a tough stance on illegal logging. Minister for Resources and Environmental Conservation U Ohn Win replied that exporting raw logs has been banned since April 1, 2014, and that his ministryin cooperation with concerned departments, administrative and security authorities and the militarywould take action against and prevent illegal logging and the smuggling of logs.

In the Upper House, lawmakers debated the draft law that annuls the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act and Parliament decided that the Bill Committee should review the draft law.

Thursday, September 15

In the Lower House, lawmakers debated a proposal by U Nay Pu Ba Swe calling for more effective implementation of an e-government system that would allow for easier accessibility to information about government services.

The Upper House debated the draft law to amend the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law. Due to differing views between the two houses, the draft law will be put to a vote in the Union Parliament.

Friday, September 16

The Lower House recorded U Nay Pu Ba Swes proposal, after 24 lawmakers debated it.

In the Upper House, U Htay Oo of Rangoon Constituency 2 asked about the fundamental rights of disabled people and Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye replied that a national level committee to help disabled people cannot be formed for the time being because the process calls for greater cooperation between disabled persons associations. The ministry plans to adopt bylaws regarding the rights of people with disabilities before next March.
Business The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Sept 17)

Prospectors search for jade stones at a mine dump at Hpakant jade mine in Kachin state, November 2015. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

Lifting of US Sanctions Welcomed

The announcement that most US sanctions against Burma will be lifted was the hottest topic among the business community this week.

The move, which includes the reinstatement of Burma under the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) tariff system, is expected to provide a boost to exporters and increase foreign direct investment.

A representative from a leading foreign law firm in Rangoon said that closer cooperation between Burma and the US has the potential to fuel a boom in infrastructure development and consumer spending in this country. To date, American investment in Burma has lagged behind many other countries.

As sanctions have eased over the past two years, we have seen a range of multinationals looking to set up Myanmar-specific investment vehicles, or to include Myanmar as part of their wider emerging markets investment strategy. US multinationals have not featured as prominently in these discussions as other economic powers such as China, Thailand and Japan have, in part due to the complex sanctions regime, Jo Daniels, Myanmar Managing Partner of Baker & McKenzie, added in a statement.

The company was hopeful that easing sanctions would mean that more US investors would begin to see opportunities emerging in Burma.

UMFCCI to Hold New Members Election this Weekend

Fresh faces are expected to emerge in elections for key leadership positions in Burmas most influential business federation.

Voting for membership of the new central executive committee of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers and Commerce Industry (UMFCCI) will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The organizations current chair, U Win Aung of Dagon International Group, told media that he would not be seeking reelection.

The non-profit federation was created in its current form in 1999 with objectives including the promotion of economic activity and economic development.

Singapore Business Group Visits Burma

A delegation of business representatives from the second-largest investor in Burma after China visited the country this week.

A total of 45 representatives from Singapore joined a six-day mission to Rangoon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw in the first such trip from the island state since President U Htin Kyaw took office in March, according to a report in Today online.

Delegates from the property, accounting, publishing, shipping and logistics, legal, civil engineering, and construction sectors, among others, were led by SS Teo, chairman of the Singapore Business Federation.

The group took part in networking activities with local businesses in Rangoon and Mandalay. In Naypyidaw, they were briefed by key ministries, the Myanmar Investment Commission and economic development agencies.

Mr. Teo told Today, The high participation rate of Singaporean companies in Myanmar-related events such as this business mission reflects a growing interest in the country. Indeed, our SBF National Business Survey 2015-16 showed that Myanmar is the most popular country for Singaporean companies venturing overseas.

Singapore accounted for US$13 billion worth of approved foreign direct investment as of April this year, according to data from the Myanmar Directorate of Investment and Company Administration. Bilateral trade increased 9.6 percent from 2014 to US$2.6 billion last year.

Jade Prospectors in Conflict with Mine Operators

A rise in the numbers of hand pickers scavenging for raw jadestones has resulted in tensions around the Nam Shi Pon jade mine in Kachin States Kani Township, it was reported this week.

Eight companies operate at the jade mine, and conflicts have emerged between company officials and hand pickers. The number of scavengers in the area had reached 800 as of May this year and continues to rise, according to a report in the Global New Light of Myanmar.

Bamboo fences erected by jade companies to keep out further arrivals have not stemmed the influx.

A company official said that some workers had thrown stones at the vehicles of mine operators.

We have informed the regional authorities, who responded that since the site is not a fixed living space it is difficult to take action against them, the official said.

Jade hunting is a highly dangerous occupation in which workers sort through piles of mining refuse seeking overlooked stones, which are then sold back to the companies.

The often extremely hazardous conditions of the work made headlines in November last year when mining rubble collapsed on miners makeshift homes in Hpakant, Kachin State, resulting in the deaths of 116 workers and their families.

Yoma Gets Exclusive Construction Distribution Rights

Yoma Strategic Holdings has signed an exclusive deal with J C Bamford Excavators (JCB), the worlds third largest manufacturer of construction equipment, to distribute its machinery in Burma.

Yomas subsidiary, Convenience Prosperity Company Limited (CPCL), will be the sole distributor of JCB equipment in Burma, according to a report in the Singapore Business Review.

The agreement with JCB will complement Yomas offerings in the groups automotive and equipment division, the group said.

CPCL has 11 branches in Burma and also distributes Case New Holland, an agricultural equipment brand.
Dateline Dateline Irrawaddy: Our Economy Will Not Pick Up Unless and Until Economic Sanctions are Lifted

As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visits the US, U Khine Win and Daw Yamin Myat Aye join Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni to discuss sanctions on Burma.

Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy. This week, well discuss State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis trip to the United States. U Khine Win, director of the Sandhi Governance Institute and freelance business journalist Daw Yamin Myat Aye will join me for the discussion. Im editor of The Irrawaddys Burmese edition Ye Ni.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is traveling to the US via London. This visit to the US is different from her previous visit, when she was welcomed as a champion of democracy. This time, she goes as the state counselor and foreign minister. She is going to the US amid the peace process and a transformation in Burma. Ko Khine Win, what do you think will happen to US economic sanctions against Burma?

Khine Win: Like many people, I expect that the US government will lift some sanctions such as the SDN [specially designated persons] list during the visit. I think this because national reconciliation is one of the economic policy priorities of the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government. Our economy has been failing to the extent that it will not pick up unless and until economic sanctions are lifted and international investments come in. I think that she will try for this.

YN: Some argue that she used sanctions as a bargaining chip throughout the struggle for democracy and might do it again in building democracy and rebuilding the nation. Ma Yamin, what do you think?

Yamin Myat Aye: I would like to note two things regarding sanctions. One concerns the economy. Burma cannot do bank-to-bank transactions, which impedes trade and foreign investment. This will only be possible when there are no sanctions. Financial sector reformsincluding banking reformscannot be carried out while there are sanctions. It is necessary to reduce sanctions over time.

Officials from the Central Bank of Burma are accompanying Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her trip to the US and, as Ko Khine Win mentioned, because the national economic policy seeks national reconciliation, I think she will push for the removal of many of the sanctions. Only then can the country receive foreign investment. Currently, US companies invest in the country, but they do so indirectly through Singapore.

Regarding the Burmese military and cronies, an arms embargo is imposed against the military. To what extent sanctions will be reduced in that regard will depend on the level of trust between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the military chief. She has visited the Royal Defense Academy in the United Kingdom, and it is likely that there will be training for military officers and visits between the two armed forces.

As for cronies, I am sure that those who are involved in arms and drug dealings will not be removed from the SDN list. Sanctions may be relaxed to an extent that allows for foreign investment but excludes cronies. But, some cronies may possibly be removed from the list. I have interviewed businessmen following this speculation.

While there are opportunists who accumulated wealth by working hand in glove with the authoritarian regime, there are also businessmen who got rich because of their industrious hard work. Opportunists have crossed the finish line early because they had an early start in the race. Those who did not work hand in glove with the regimes got a late start and therefore struggled.

If all cronies are removed from the list, people will think they can do whatever they like as long as they have money and power. Nobody will want to conduct business fairly and moral values will be undermined. If I were in the shoes of the US government, I would take this into account when deciding to what extent sanctions should be lifted. And I believe the US government will do so.

YN: You have made an interesting point. The Kachin community living in Washington, DC recently released a statement calling on the US to continue its embargo on arms deals and avoid military-to-military engagement until peace is established in Burma. But Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has become closer with military leaders and it is because the military has cooperated that we are seeing changes today. Ko Khine Win, do you think Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will speak for military leaders and ask the US to remove sanctions?

KW: The US government has to take internal politics and geopolitics into account. An Indian commentator wrote that China would perceive it as a threat if Burmas armed forces and the US get too close. The military-to-military relationship could include things other than military exercisessuch as human rights trainings, which the US provides to Burmas military now. They should provide training about the role of the military under a civilian administration.

Regarding the relationship between the US and China, everyone knows that America is counteracting China. Commentators argue that the US is trying to contain China by cooperating with its adversaries and that it only wants to allow Chinas rise within an international liberal order. Our leaders need to find a balance and engage with China since it plays a role in the countrys peace process and national reconciliation. On the other hand, it is also important for them to engage with the international community, including the US, to have economic sanctions and embargoes removed over time. The government has to strike a balance, which is not an easy task.

YN: Ma Yamin, it seems certain now that the US will grant the GSP [generalized system of preferences] to Burmese exports, and that US companies will invest and smooth financial transactions will be facilitated. How can Burmese businessmen make the best use of the GSP?

YMA: If the GSP is granted, duties do not need to be paid when importing things from Burma to the US. So, Burmese products would be more competitive. We can expect lively trade if financial transactions are realized between the US and Burma, but it will also depend on other factors such as the quality of the products and accessibility to the market.

Vietnam has gained considerable market share in the export to the US of agricultural and marine products. Burma could export similar items to the US. But it is necessary to connect the producers to the market and it is important that the products are of good quality. The government must think about how it can subsidize producers.

I would like to highlight the e-government system here. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi recently visited China and I heard that the company Huawei proposed helping Burma introduce an e-government system. The US voiced opposition to the plan. During her trip, she could ask the US to help Burmas transition to an e-government systemwith the help of companies like Google, for instance. Then, online payments could be realized in Burma. This would also create more job opportunities for young people. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi could use her power to get sanctions eased and find a market for agricultural produce.

YN: Ko Khine Win, Ma Yamin, thank you for your contributions!
CBC News - Hydrofuel Ammonia (NH3) Car - Back to the future NH3 (ammonia) powered 1981 Chevrolet Impala. SThe Car was driven across Canada in 1981. CBC News story broadcast in November 2006 and CNN International re-broadcast it worldwide in December 2006.Click here for high-resolution version

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - September 16, 2016) - New research findings on renewable ammonia as one of the greenest fuel sources are to be presented publicly for the first time at a Los Angeles conference next week. The 13th Annual Ammonia Fuel Conference at UCLA will bring together experts from around the world on anhydrous ammonia (NH 3 ), the leading-edge liquid fuel of the expanding green energy sector.

Greg Vezina, chairman of Mississauga, Ontario-based Hydrofuel Inc., will be releasing two comprehensive studies of the "Key Life-Cycle Numbers for NH 3 and other fuels" conducted jointly by his company and Professor Ibrahim Dincer's clean energy research group at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in Oshawa, Ontario. Fuel life-cycle numbers are valuable because they help predict fuel performance, particularly with regard to emissions.

Ammonia is an extremely promising fuel source because it contains absolutely no carbon. Ammonia is considered environmentally friendly because its use can help reduce global (carbon) GHG emissions.

Ammonia gas (molecules which are basically one part nitrogen and three parts hydrogen) occurs in nature in only limited quantities. 'Green ammonia' gas (NH 3 ) is manufactured from air and water using clean renewable energy sources. Hydrogen is 'captured' from breaking down water (H 2 O) in a sustainable process, while nitrogen comes from air (air is about 78 per cent nitrogen).

Professor Dincer's research findings indicate green ammonia is the best alternative to fossil fuels in an extensive range of applications, and even better than most other renewables on several parameters. His group's findings show:

NH3 helps reduce life-cycle costs and emissions in numerous transportation applications by more than 50 per cent.

As a carbon-free fuel, fertilizer, refrigerant, working fluid and hydrogen storage media, NH3 is a uniquely broad green solution to global energy and environmental challenges.

NH3 is the most environmentally benign transportation fuel compared with gasoline, gaseous or liquid hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas, diesel, compressed natural gas, electric (where electricity is created from fossil-fuel driven plants*) and hybrid electric vehicles.

Story continues

*Electricity production in a diesel co-generation plant emits more than twice the amount of greenhouse gas when compared to an equal energy quantity of NH 3 .

Green ammonia can be produced using fossil fuels or from any renewable energy source using heat and/or electricity. NH 3 and hydrogen applications have been developed for sectors including but not limited to: transportation, industrial, commercial, utility, agricultural, and the chemical industries.

Modern high-efficiency ammonia/urea plants using natural gas and other hydrocarbon feed stocks can be built alongside natural gas power plants and oil sand extraction sites. Utilizing the waste, process or low-grade heat can further provide a significant reduction of costs and emissions.

Over several years, Hydrofuel Inc. and UOIT studies have covered many aspects of the production and applications of use for ammonia. Hydrofuel Inc. and the university hold several international patents and patents pending including existing engine retrofit conversion and new engine designs, technologies for the production of hydrogen as a by-product, and the creation of high-efficiency heat production.

About Hydrofuel Inc.:

Hydrofuel Inc. and its affiliate, C.A.E.C.-Canadian Alternative Energy Corp. (C.A.E.C.), of Mississauga, Ontario, have more than 35 years experience in NH3 (Ammonia) fuel conversion systems and related technologies for automotive and power generation applications. Hydrofuel is a registered Trade-Mark. nh3fuel.com

About UOIT:

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, is a centre of innovation and expertise in clean and green energy research linking engineering, science, management and public policy. UOIT Prof. Ibrahim Dincer, PhD, has world leading expertise in technologies to use ammonia as an energy source, hydrogen and fuel cell systems, and solar energy. uoit.ca

About the Ammonia Fuel Conference:

The Thirteenth Annual Ammonia Fuel Conference, September 18-21, 2016, at UCLA's Luskin Conference Center, in Los Angeles, California, is co-hosted by the NH3 Fuel Association and the UCLA Sustainable Technology & Policy Program (UCLA-STPP). Corporate attendees include Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Toyota, Nissan and Delphi and Universities and Academic organizations, inventors and individuals from Canada, the USA, Australia, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, UK, Greece, Netherlands, Turkey and other countries. nh3fuelassociation.org

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/9/16/11G114516/Images/CBC_Back_to_the_Future_(lg)_image-18807b8b910dabbe9ba56fd34e356e65.jpg

Embedded Video Available: https://youtu.be/8vwmzkn0paM


8 Uses of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality for the Enterprise

Telemedicine continues to get rave reviews in the press. What could be better than providing good care to folks who are either too sick or too far away to make it to the doctors office?

A story by a couple of doctors suggests that telemedicine is not being used much at all, however. Most telemedicine companies, the writers say, are struggling to hit about a 3 percent usage rate.

There appear to be three reasons. Interactions, despite the claims of great technological advances, are mostly plain old telephone. Often, there is one doctor on call who can only handle a single call at a time. Finally, according to the writers, there is poor continuity between telemedicine companies and the doctors.

The story suggests a downward spiral:

Although nearly 85 percent of those insured in the U.S. currently have some remote access service provided through their job, utilization among employed Americans remains dismal. The ability to state, we offer telemedicine seems to have given payer-side executives a sense of relief that a requirement has been met, yet few are impressed with the ROI performance of national telemedicine platforms.

Extreme Buying Zebra

Extreme Networks this week said that it will acquire the wireless local-area network (WLAN) business of Zebra Technologies for $55 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. The core of Zebras wireless products were part of its $3.45 billion acquisition of Motorola Solutions two years ago, the story said.

Extreme said that Zebras products will increase its participation in the retail, transportation and hospitality markets and become part of the ExtremeWireless line. Products moving to Extreme include the WiNG wireless operating system, NSight for advanced network troubleshooting and AirDefense security.

Mobileye Breaks with Tesla

This week, IT Business Edge posted on progress being made in the autonomous vehicle sector. This technology relies heavily on many IT and telecommunications tools. There is a problem in the highly competitive field, however. The Wall Street Journal reports that Mobileye has broken ties with Tesla Motors because it wasnt comfortable with the design of the automakers Autopilot driver assistance system.

The Autopilot feature is designed to help drivers stay in their lane and steer on highways. Mobileyes chief technology officer said that the system isnt designed for driverless uses, though it is used in that manner by some drivers. Instead, its proper use is to assist the human in control. The issue is an important one: The story reports a fatality in China involving Tesla Model S using the system.

T-Mobile Makes Play for AT&T 2G IoT Subscribers

Bandwidth is a precious commodity. Carriers, for that reason, generally transition older networks to newer. AT&T, for instance, is shutting down its 2G network at the end of the year.

The challenge is that AT&T has Internet of Things (IoT) subscribers on the 2G network. This week, T-Mobile sought to take advantage of the situation by offering free service to those subscribers who may be displaced by the move. It is letting them switch to T-Mobiles 2G network free through the end of the year. The press release says that T-Mobile is offering 50 megabytes of data and a SIM card for free.

The Rise of the Machines Is Near

A study by Forrester gives no solace to those worried about robots taking over human jobs. The report, written by Brian Hopkins, says that by 2021, robots will do 6 percent of the jobs currently done by humans. He terms this a disruptive tidal wave.

The most obvious signs to date of the rise of the machines are autonomous vehicles and robotic customer service representatives. The story on the report at The Guardian points out that Alexa, Cortana, Siri and Google now interface regularly with humans. This trend will accelerate and grow more sophisticated:

For now, they are quite simple, but over the next five years they will become much better at making decisions on our behalf in more complex scenarios, which will enable mass adoption of break-throughs like self-driving cars.

The follow-on issues that no doubt will grow in parallel with the rise of robotics are finding jobs for the displaced and workforce retraining.

Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at [email protected] and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.

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Samsung has always been one of the leading brands in Technology. To inspire the world and create the future has always been the company's mission statement. With that, it is admired by billions for its product specifications and affordability. It is indeed appealing for all techie consumers around the globe. But with the company facing a great issue today, how could they make a great comeback in the market?

According to The Guardian, Samsung has postponed the sales of its newly-released Galaxy Note 7S. It is after confirmed explosions of the products happened in South Korea. Koh Dong Jin, president of Samsung mobile venture, reiterated that the safety of their users is of utmost importance. Thus, cancellation of sales is deemed the appropriate option.

With its launching's cessation, the company came back with a strategy that would help regain the customer's confidence in the product. The strategy is to offer replacements for people who already acquired the Smartphone. The company expects to give out the said replacements in two weeks' time. Not just that, they have already put on hold all the supposed launching in countries like United Kingdom with the issue arising.

Around 400,000 replacements will be supplied by the company to local stores, in lieu of the problem. 100,000 units will be existing in the stores first then an additional 50,000-60,000 phablets will be send out on the succeeding days, counting it all as completed by September 25. The company already conversed with controllers on how to distinguish the replacements from the old ones.

It is of great importance to know that Samsung is customer-oriented and lives out its mission statement. They proved that in any downfall, a comeback should be well-planned and well-established to regain few falls.
Countless number of apps in Google Play Store and in the Apple store have inundated users with games, productivity apps and health apps all promising to improve life quality. Industry observers have been calling the rise of apps and the smartphone as the fourth revolution, but analysts are seeing a newer wave of technology that may surpass the impact of apps. Here comes the bots!

What are Bots?

Investors.com described bots as sophisticated software programs that are coded to either simulate human conversation about different topics or automate preprogrammed tasks.

Bots are early types of artificial intelligence which Google has used in its "Google Now" and Amazon which employed it in "Alexa," the voice assistant in its wireless speaker device Echo.

Despite being in its early stages, several consumer applications are already available using bots like buying movie tickets online or making hotel reservations. Some businesses are already using bots to do former human tasks like handling customer service and scheduling meetings.

A Changing Landscape: App to Bot

Wall Street bank Citigroup Inc. opines in its latest research that the development of bots powered by artificial intelligence is proliferating faster than smartphone apps.

Citibank analyst Mark May said, as quoted by Bloomberg, that the decision of Facebook to transform its ubiquitous Messenger app into platform not only for text messaging but also for commercial transactions using automatic responding chat bots seems to signal a possible shift of software development in the mobile landscape from smartphone apps to the creation of bots.

Facebook's move runs parallel with Apple's latest announcement that it will create an app/bot store specifically for its iMessenger with the launch of iOS10. Microsoft has followed suit with the launch of its "Bot Framework" software tools for software developers,

The Citibank analyst explained that in comparison to app development, the rise of bots in smartphones and websites has been dramatic lately.

He compares the rate of growth Apple Inc.'s App Store and Facebook's bot creation platform for its Messenger app.

Both groups have had significant increases, but bots outpaced apps in growth rate. According to May, bots currently has three times more active developers than smartphone apps.

Speculations say that the rise of bots will further integrate people and machines in daily life bringing to reality what tech savvy people have called as the "Internet of Things. "
Giant companies are expected to provide the best working environment to its employees. Apple, a California-based tech giant, is now under scrutiny after leaked emails expose its "toxic" and "sexist" work environment.

The employees are said to have leaked emails over the company's unpleasant work environment. About a dozen unidentified female Apple employees claim to have been exposed to various forms of sexist remarks ranging from rape jokes to gender stereotyping from male co-workers.

Despite Apple's efforts to improve employee diversity, more men are still working for the company. In fact, only 32 percent of the total workforce are women. One particular woman complained about the company's male worker's insensitive jokes about rape or violent sexual assault. It came from a joke by a male worker saying that an office intruder will come into the office and "rape everybody."

This isn't the only time this happened. Though the female employee reported the incident to her manager, nothing happened. She even escalated her complaint in a formal letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has not responded to her.

"Rape jokes in work chat is basically where I completely draw the limit," the woman wrote to Tim Cook, as reported by Mic.

"I do not feel safe at a company that tolerates individuals who make rape jokes," she added.

In a recent email thread, other employees have shared their experiences and stories about workplace harassment and discrimination in Apple. Another woman said she was never given the chance to apply for two jobs since these were never posted. Eventually, the jobs were given to male workers by her male boss.

Apple, meanwhile, released a statement.

"Apple is committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect," Apple said in a statement to USA Today.

"When we receive complaints or hear that employees are concerned about their work environment, we take it very seriously and we investigate claims thoroughly. If we find behavior to be at odds with our values, we take action," it added.
The Arctic's ice cover shrank to its minimum level on Sept. 10, making it the second lowest level in recorded history.

In a report released by the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the Artic ice extent hit 1.60 million square miles, which is statistically tied at second lowest with the one the agency recorded in 2007.

"It was a stormy, cloudy, and fairly cool summer," said Mark Serreze, NSIDC director.

"Historically, such weather conditions slow down the summer ice loss, but we still got down to essentially a tie for second lowest in the satellite record," he shared. He added that the data suggests that in the next few years and with increasing temperatures that are expected to happen, there will be "very dramatic further losses."

Despite this, the recorded lowest minimum is still far larger than the data recorded on Sept. 10. In fact, it was in 2012 when the ice extent has hit 1.31 million square miles. However, scientists said that though the recorded ice cover extent this year is better than in 2012, it does not change the fact that the ice sheets are rapidly retreating.

Ice sheets in the Arctic sea are very crucial in maintaining the Earth's temperature, CNN reports. These also contribute to the circulation of the atmosphere and the ocean.

Arctic sea ice keeps the polar regions cool and at the same time, help control and moderate global climate. Over the past thirty years, scientists have seen the dramatic decline of the Arctic sea ice. This predicament may accelerate the rate at which global temperatures increase and may influence climate change patterns.

"Sea ice has a great ability to reflect a lot of solar radiation back into space... we still have some sea ice (but) to say that it is where it used to be is saying you can serve a cup of tea in a broken cup," said Dr. Jan Lieser, a marine glaciologist at the Australia Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Center. He added that if there is less sea ice, oceans will become warmer.
Logitech is about to expand its market with the acquisition of Saitek, Mad Catz.

It was exactly 9 years ago when Mad Catz bought Saitek, a game hardware maker for an amount of $30 million. Unfortunately, they have to sell it to Logitech due to its recent loss.

Mad Catz reported to have at least $11 million loss during its most recent fiscal year. The massive drop led to terminate third of its staff early this year. Its fortunes started to crumble when Darren Richardson, Thomas Brown and Whitney Peterson resigned from their positions as CEO and president, chairman, and senior VP of business affairs respectively.

The change was part of the restructuring plan to cut at most 37% of company's total workforce. Their goal was to lower operating costs while increasing its efficiency.

"Our Board and management team are highly focused on enhancing shareholder value and we believe this transaction is consistent with our ongoing efforts, enabling us to improve our financial position and working capital," said Mad Catz chief Karen McGinnis in a press release confirming Logitech's acquisition with Saitek. "We are confident that the sale of the Saitek brand and product line, along with the other previously-disclosed Company-wide initiatives, will result in improved financial performance and shareholder value."

McGinnis was named the new CEO and president of Mad Catz. Today, McGinnis aims to continue selling its product under its own name.

On the flipside, the acquisition of Saitek will catapult Logitech's name in the gaming controller industry. Logitech has already a set of gaming controls on hand. With the current addition of Saitek's controllers such as a wheel driving simulation, joystick, as well as pedals and panels - it opens up a new era and market to the company.

This will ultimately help the company deal with the boom of virtual reality gaming.
Accusations continue that Xiaomi can allegedly install apps without the user's knowledge. A student from the Netherlands has said that an app running in the background could potentially be used as spyware.

Broenink is a Computer Science student from the Netherlands, and he has found that an app running in the background of some Xiaomi smartphones, such as the Xiomi Mi4, could be harmful. The app is AnalyticsCore.apk and it runs in the background of some Xiaomi phones, according to Android Headlines. The app doesn't seem to go away and would reappear even if deleted.

The app is said to check for updates every 24 hours and sends information to Xiaomi's servers. It also automatically installs updates to phones even if the user isn't aware of it. Xiaomi has responded by saying that the app in question is part of the MIUI system component. Its purpose is for data analysis aimed at improving customer experience.

Xiaomi also says that before an app or update is installed the MIUI system would check for the app's signature if it is an official install. If it is not, then the app would not install it on the device. Xiaomi has said that the AnalyticsCore.apk has a self-upgrade feature.

However, some are worried that the app could be used by those with malicious intent to gain entry by using it. WCCFTech says that an attacker could replace the app with its own version and with the same name and even function.

Broenink says that no validation system has been implemented by Xiaomi to check apps being installed in Xiaomi smartphones. Using the app is key to this as it can act as a Trojan horse by an attacker. Broenink also says that even Xiaomi itself can install apps into user phones without them knowing.

For those who might have worries about such intrusions on their Xiaomi smartphones, it has been suggested to download a firewall app to minimize any chance of attacks.
Tesla has announced that it plans to build its largest lithium-ion battery storage plant connected to the power grid in southern California. The battery facility will be able to provide a total supply capacity of 20 MW.

Tesla's Upcoming Southern California Battery Storage Plant

Computerworld reports that, after the worst methane gas leak in U.S. history left companies supplying California utilities desperate for new energy backup resources, Tesla has just been awarded its largest contract to date. The company has made a deal with Southern California Edison (SCE) to build a 20 megawatt (MW) lithium-ion battery storage facility.

Tesla's upcoming battery storage facility is expected to be up and running by the end of this year. According to the high-tech company, its system will be upon completion "the largest lithium ion battery storage project in the world." The system will hold enough energy when fully charged to charge 1,000 Tesla vehicles or power more than 2,500 households, according to a blog post published by Tesla on Thursday, Sept. 15.

According to the same publication, Amit Ronen, director of Solar Institute at George Washington University, said that it is remarkable that this Tesla's battery storage plant is going to be built in just a few months. Fossil fuel-based infrastructure could never be developed so fast. But now batteries are becoming fast the preferable and economical solution to meeting the demands of the electricity grid.

At this point, Tesla did not disclose the price of the contract. However, a similar battery storage facility with a capacity of 20 MW that is being built for SCE by AltaGas Ltd. has been valued in the range between $40 million and $45 million.

According to Utility Dive, the contract awarded to Tesla addresses a specific request from California regulators to deploy storage projects by the end of the year to alleviate reliability concerns. When in use, Tesla's lithium-ion storage batteries will deliver power to the grid during times of peak demand and will charge during off-peak hours. This will allow reducing the demand in the region for natural gas-generated power.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will have closed beta play on October 8. However, Bandai Namco said that only a select group of players will be allowed in.

DB Xenoverse 2 Beta Play - PS4 Exclusive

It seems that Bandai has limited the Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 beta play to PS4 players only, according to PlayStation Lifestyle. The developer has yet to announce if there is still a chance that Xbox One and Windows PC players can participate in the closed beta plays.

DB Xenoverse 2 PS4 Exclusive Beta Schedules

The closed beta period will start on October 8 and ends on October 10. The open beta period will start on October 14 until October 17. PS4 players interested in participating in the closed beta plays can get access through several methods.

One way is to pre-order the Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 in digital format via the PlayStation Store. Lucky PS4 players can also gained access through codes that Bandai will be handing out. The Xenoverse 2 developer has yet divulged how it will distribute the codes. This means that even not all PS 4 players are guaranteed access to this exclusive event. The closed beta client can be downloaded starting October 7.

Meanwhile, the open beta client can be downloaded starting October 13. Xbox One and Windows PC users can join in the download and play of the DB Xenoverse 2 open beta version. Open beta players can participate in the Bandai sponsored tournament and also received a special gift that can be used in full game.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Release Date

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is expected to be release on October 25 in North America and October 28 in Europe. The upcoming Bandai Namco RPG fighting game will be available in PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One and Windows PC.
The second season of "Narcos" has been released on Netflix and fans get to revisit the life and tragic end of cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar.

The series was welcomed by fans and even managed to get positive feedbacks. However, Pablo Escobar's real-life son, Sebastian Marroquin or Juan Pablo Escobar, thinks otherwise.

"Narcos" Season 2's Inaccuracies Based On Pablo Esobar's Son

The 39 year old Escobar has been watching the series intently and has noted 28 inaccuracies and claims it "insults the history of an entire nation as well as many victims and families," as reported by Chron.

According to reports, Marroquin noted one of the grave errors on the show is the way it portrayed his uncle Carlos Henao. He claimed that his uncle "wasn't ever a drug dealer or lived in Miami."

He also added, "He was kidnapped and tortured with Francisco Toro, another innocent man and decent. How sad that Netflix has shown so many corpses with the posters of los pepes hung up, and they forgot to publish the images of the body of my uncle Carlos tortured in that respect they were identical and also public."

Marroquin also defended his mother and revealed that she never held a gun, much more shot one.

He also claimed that the show producers never shown respect to his father in depicting his story.

"The world is definitely upside-down, and history, it's clear, is told by anyone in any manner that pleases them. And on top of that, they prove to be popular without mattering how poorly told."

Since Marrouin was already a teenager when his father was tracked down and shot in 1993, many believed that his claims have some credibility to it.

Why Wagner Moura Is Happy To End His Character As Pablo Escobar?

Meanwhile, on-screen Pablo Escobar, Wagner Moura, expressed his sentiment about his character's demise. According to the actor, it was a triumphant goodbye to his character

"Pablo stops the car and looks at Medellin from up above, he's looking at the city and talking to [wife] Tata on the radio. It was a beautiful thing to finish my journey."

He also expressed his relief to finally let go of the controversial character. Moura shared that he had to gain 40 pounds to portray the role. Pablo Escobar's character has been attached to the actor for the past two years and he was really looking forward to shed it from himself.

"I need some time to really get rid of the whole thing, it's great to move on. But I look at these past two years and I look at the series with a lot of love and pride. I'm really happy and proud of what we did."

While fans await the return of "Narcos" Season 3, they can relive Pablo Escobar's journey in "Narcos" Season 2 on Netflix.
The biggest raises in 2017 will go to data scientists, who can expect a 6.4% boost in pay next year. Thats well above the average 3.8% increase thats predicted for tech workers, according to new data from Robert Half Technology.

The recruiting and staffing specialist recently released its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries, which finds IT workers will be getting slightly bigger pay bumps than many other professionals. Across all fields, U.S. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase 3.6% in 2017. The largest gains will occur in tech  where starting salaries for newly hired IT workers are forecast to climb 3.8%.

BE SURE NOT TO MISS:

14 hot network jobs/skills for 2017



Robert Half Technology analyzed salary ranges for more than 75 tech positions based on input from its North American recruiting and staffing specialists. Here are the 14 jobs expected to make the biggest gains. Note: The projected salaries for each position reflect base pay only; bonuses, incentives and other forms of compensation are not included.

Tech titles getting the largest raises Title 2016 range 2017 range Raise Data scientist $109,000 - $153,750 $116,000 - $163,500 6.4% Front-end web developer $79,750 - $111,250 $83,250 - $119,500 6.2% Big data engineer $129,500 - $183,500 $135,000 - $196,000 5.8% Network security engineer $110,250 - $152,750 $115,500 - $162,500 5.7% Chief security officer $140,250 - $222,500 $145,250 - $236,750 5.3% Web designer $67,000 - $112,250 $70,500 - $118,000 5.2% Software engineer $103,000 - $156,250 $108,250 - $164,500 5.2% Database developer $103,250 - $153,250 $108,000 - $161,500 5.1% Information systems security manager $129,750 - $182,000 $136,000 - $191,750 5.1% Senior IT auditor $116,000 - $164,250 $121,000 - $173,500 5.1% Systems security administrator $105,500 - $149,500 $110,500 - $157,500 5.1% Network security administrator $103,250 - $147,000 $107,750 - $155,250 5.1% Data security analyst $113,500 - $160,000 $118,250 - $169,000 5.0% Software developer $91,000 - $145,250 $93,000 - $155,000 5.0%

Robert Half Technology also singled out specific skills that can boost a tech pros salary expectations.

The three most lucrative skills are SharePoint, Microsoft SQL Server database, and Java EE/J2EE development. Job candidates with these skills can expect to see an additional 8% bump in salary.

Skills that will deliver a 7% salary increase are: C# development, Cisco network administration, Hadoop, LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and Perl/PHP/Python), LINUX/UNIX administration, .NET development, PHP development, virtualization, and Web services development.

Skills that will boost starting salaries by 6% include: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Check Point Firewall administration, Oracle database, Python, and Ruby on Rails.

The full report is available for download here.
Police conduct investigations on a speedboat in Karang Asem, Bali, on September 15, 2016 following an explosion on the vessel (AFP Photo/) (AFP/File)

A Spanish woman on her honeymoon was killed in an explosion on a Bali tourist boat that left another foreigner dead and about 20 injured, officials said Friday.

The blast hit the speedboat carrying about 35 mostly European tourists shortly after it departed the Indonesian holiday island Thursday, smashing the rear window and sending debris flying through the vessel.

Officials say it was an accident likely caused by a problem with the fuel tank, and ruled out foul play on the island that has been hit by bloody Islamist militant bombings in the past.

An Austrian woman died soon after the explosion. A second tourist died later from her injuries in hospital and authorities confirmed Friday the victim was a 29-year-old Spanish woman, whose husband was also hurt in the blast.

Vanesa Pascual and her 31-year-old husband, who lived near Madrid, had been on honeymoon in Bali following their wedding at the start of September, according to local authorities in Spain.

"I can confirm that a Spanish woman died," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told Spanish television. "Her husband is being operated on."

A total of 23 foreign tourists were injured in the blast on the boat, which was also carrying nationals from countries including Britain, France, Italy, Portugal and Ireland.

The speedboat, which was carrying four crew, had just left Padang Bai port in Bali on Thursday morning en route to the holiday island of Gili Trawangan when the blast occurred.

On Friday Bali police were examining the scene of the accident and questioning the boat crew and some of the foreign passengers.

Police spokesman Anak Agung Ngurah Sedana said they were trying to determine the cause of the accident and assess whether negligence was to blame.

The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on ferry services but the industry has a poor safety record and fatal accidents are common.

Last year, dozens of tourists were injured when small explosions hit a ferry crossing between Bali and the neighbouring holiday island of Lombok.

A pocket of Hinduism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, Bali attracts millions of foreign visitors every year due to its palm-fringed, tropical beaches and picture-postcard temples.
(This story corrects origin of report as source, not negotiator) DUBAI/SANAA (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat has presented a proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen to the country's dominant Houthis at a meeting in Oman, a source close to the Houthi negotiating team said on Thursday. Negotiators will return to Houthi-controled Sanaa on Friday carrying the plan offered by U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon in talks in Muscat, the source said. Shannon met the Houthi team, officials of the allied General People's Congress (GPC) party and an Omani mediator in Muscat on Sept. 8 and 9 to discuss how to end a war that has killed over 10,000 people and displaced more than 3 million. In Washington, U.S. officials said the plan was an "extension of the efforts Secretary (of State John) Kerry initiated in Jeddah." The source did not disclose details of the proposal. Kerry said in Saudi Arabia on Aug. 25 he had agreed in talks with Gulf Arab states and the United Nations on a plan to restart peace talks on Yemen with a goal of forming a unity government. Yemen's crisis began in September 2014 when the Iran-allied Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led Arab alliance intervened in support of the country's internationally recognized government led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. U.N.-sponsored negotiations to end the fighting collapsed last month. Peace talks foundered after the Houthis and the GPC announced the formation of a 10-member governing council on Aug 6., ignoring a U.N. warning that such a move would violate Security Council resolutions on how to solve the conflict. The Houthi negotiating team has been in Oman since the collapse of the peace talks, after Saudi authorities in control of Yemen's airspace refused to grant the Houthi team access to Sanaa, the source added. Saudi authorities have now agreed to allow the negotiating team to return to Yemen in a U.N. airplane, the source said. In a statement on the Kerry proposal on Thursday, the governing council reiterated that its willingness to restart peace talks depended on implementation of a full ceasefire, including the lifting of the no-fly zone and siege imposed by the Saudi-led coalition. Forces allied to the Houthis attacked across the border into Saudi Arabia's southern Jizan province on Thursday, with both sides claiming victory and giving conflicting casualty tolls. Sources in the Saudi-led coalition said Saudi forces at the Jabal Dukhan mountain repelled the attack by Yemeni Republican Guard troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, killing about 25 and wounding 30. In the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, a Houthi official said the clash resulted in the Houthi capture of the mountain as well as a place called Al Romaih. The commander of a Saudi rapid intervention force was killed in the fighting, he added. (Reporting by William Maclean in Dubai, Mohammed Ghobari in Sanaa and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by Katie Paul; Editing by Andrew Roche and Peter Cooney)
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TeleSur |  

Two parliamentary committees said it was likely Saudi Arabia used U.K. weapons to target civilians, but Tory lawmakers blocked a vote on suspending sales.

Sales of British weapons to Saudi Arabia must be suspended until an international investigation takes place into the kingdoms crimes against the Yemeni people, two British parliamentary committees said in a joint report released Thursday.

Given that the U.K. has a long history of defense exports to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, and considering the evidence we have heard, it seems inevitable that any violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by the coalition have involved arms supplied from the U.K., the report said.

The document was prepared by the Business, Innovation and Skills and International Development committees. It added that the United Kingdom has obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty, as well as European and domestic law, to ensure there is no risk that arms it has licensed might be used in contravention of international humanitarian law.

The committee said that Saudi Arabia has in fact obstructed efforts to investigate alleged attacks on civilians reported by several human rights and aid organizations, including the United Nations.

The committee warned that British support, mainly through arms sales, was having the effect of conferring legitimacy on Saudi Arabias actions in Yemen, where more than 3,000 civilians have been killed since the beginning of the Saudi-led air campaign in March 2015.

The report also slammed the government for only relying on Saudi assurances and not conducting its own inquiry concerning the targeting of Yemeni civilians with U.K. arms.

We therefore recommend that HM government suspend sales of arms which could be used in Yemen to Saudi Arabia until the independent, U.N.-led investigation has come to its conclusions and then review the situation again, the report concluded.

But in an unusual and rare move, according to local media, the reports recommendation to suspend arms sales was blocked Crispin Blunt, the Conservative chairman of the foreign affairs select committee.

Blunts committee produced its own report defending the arms sales to Saudi Arabia and saying that no violations have occurred using U.K. weapons. The report also said the legality of arm deals should be left to a court to decide and not members of parliament.

The British parliament has a joint committee on arms controls exports, known as the CAEC, which consists of members of four different committees: defense, business, international development and foreign affairs.

Last week, Blunt and his allies in the foreign affairs committee walked out of a private meeting of CAEC in order to block the approval of the suspension of the arms sales.

Britain has sold almost US$5 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia since the airstrikes in Yemen began.

Via TeleSur



Related video added by Juan Cole:

BBC Newsnight: Crispin Blunt on UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia  BBC Newsnight
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

As Raf Sanchez of The Telegraph writes, fundamentalist militiamen of the US-backed Free Syrian Army chased US commandos out of al-Ray in Syria near the Turkish border, cursing them as pigs and crusaders and asserting that the US is attempting a military occupation of Syria.

Some 250 US troops are embedded with the leftist Kurdish militia, the YPG, and these fundamentalist Arab Syrian fighters have tangled with the Kurds over the latters hope of establishing a contiguous Kurdish mini-state in norther Syria.

Turkey has intervened in northern Syria, ostensibly against Daesh (ISIS, ISIL), but in reality to stop the Syrian Kurds from achieving their hoped-for mini-state or Rojava.

At one point US spec ops troops embedded with the Kurds were caught on camera wearing YPG insignia, which includes a hammer and sickle.

The pro-Kurdish press is puzzled as to why the US would risk such a two-faced policy in Syria.

It is urging Washington to ally directly with Kurdish Syrian rebels.

The contradictory US policies in Syria, of backing leftist Kurds when convenient and of supporting local fundamentalists on the other hand. Both are theoretically opposed to Daesh, but neither has exhibited either fear or loathing of Daesh sufficient to make them fight the hard line organization systematically in al-Raqqa province, its base.

The Kurdish YPG did fight Daesh and take the city of Manbij away from the terrorist organization. But this fighting was in furtherance of the Rojava project.

Related video:

RT America: American troops flee Syrian town after threats from US-backed rebels
BERLIN  Hundreds of thousands of Germans took to the streets Saturday, in protest of pending trade deals with the United States and Canada.

The deals in question are the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the U.S. and the European Union and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) for the Canadian-EU relationship. Neither free trade agreement has been ratified yet, but popular outcry has been growing for the last few years.



The demonstrations took place in seven cities throughout Germany : Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart. Organizers told CNBC that the official estimate is 320,000 demonstrators across Germany.

In Berlin, where discussions of trade policy are frequently overheard in cafes and most available surfaces are plastered in posters and stickers against the deals, the largest demonstration of the day took place with about 70,000 attendees, according to the organizers.

Earlier, local reports had indicated there could be as many as 80,000 in the German capital, but a heavy downpour close to the start time may have depressed turnout.

A broad coalition of organizations helped plan the event, but the stated rationale for opposing the agreements centers on the belief that such deals "primarily serve the interests of powerful economic interest groups, and thus only cement the imbalance between the common good and economic interests," according to one organization.



Yet while the organizers talk of seeking to maintain the sanctity of democracy and rule of law, critics of the movement charge that its ranks thrive at least as much on anti-Americanism as any coherent political or economic philosophy.

Those elements were on display Saturday in Berlin as one sign accused U.S. President Barack Obama of being a murderer, and another suggested the American way of life was dominated by corporate interests.

The demonstrator behind those signs even had a half-sized Obama effigy with the words "the lies of the Peace Prize winner Mr. President Barack Obama" stuck to its forward.



Story continues

"I guess it's a bit anti-American," Tom Erdmann, a 33-year-old Berlin native working with a trade union, said as he looked at the Obama likeness and accompanying signs. "I'm not okay with it."

He attended the demonstration because he is worried about private companies' intrusion into public services like education, he said. Erdmann added that he also understands why there may be a streak of antipathy to the U.S. for some at the march.

"Some people here are anti-American because it's easy  they're an easy enemy, especially right now with the election," Erdmann said.

Event leaders emphasized several times that the movement they hoped to inspire would not be against any country, or even against global trade itself. Instead, they said, the demonstration was calling for more "fair" trading deals that distributed benefits beyond large corporations.

And it was that anti-corporate sentiment that pervaded the march. Homemade signs admonished those seeking "profits," and images of the U.S. dollar bill were stand-ins for greed and inequality. Nearly every demonstrator queried by CNBC pointed immediately to concerns about "big companies" garnering too much power and wealth if the trade deals were enacted.



"You cannot just say all Americans are bad, but I can understand when people hate big companies," Jonas, a 26-year-old Berlin student, said. Many like-minded demonstrators acknowledged they have friends and relatives who are employed by major multinational companies like Volkswagen, but they insisted that the benefits of a trade deal would go disproportionately to executives.

Saturday's marches came during a key period for both potential trade deals.

Obama has said he hopes to conclude the TTIP negotiations by the end of the year, but that goal suffered a series of blows last month when French and German politicians openly questioned whether any deal was on the horizon. But the White House has indicated it won't back down, and so it will be making a concerted push to solidify the terms of the TTIP before Obama is out of office.

In fact, there is "no legitimate plan B" for eventually crafting an agreement between the U.S. and the EU if the deal doesn't happen this year, former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Stefan Selig said in June.

As for CETA, the terms of the agreement were agreed to in 2014, and officials on both sides of the Atlantic are pushing to finally sign in October.

"The trade agreement between the EU and Canada is our best and most progressive trade agreement and I want it to enter into force as soon as possible," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a July statement. "It provides new opportunities for European companies, while promoting our high standards for the benefit of our citizens."

"I have looked at the legal arguments and I have listened to heads of state or government and to national parliaments. Now it is time to deliver. The credibility of Europe's trade policy is at stake," he added.

For more about the arguments against TTIP and CETA, click here.

And see this analysis for the larger debate about free trade agreements.





More From CNBC


VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sept. 16, 2016) - Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSX VENTURE:ML), ("Millennial" or the "Company") wishes to announce that it has closed (the "Closing") its acquisition of the Pastos Grandes Lithium Project (the "Project") in Argentina and has also closed its concurrent private placement financing (the "Financing"). The acquisition constituted a Fundamental Acquisition under the policies of the Exchange and was first announced in a news release on July 19, 2016.

Closing of the Acquisition of the Pastos Grandes Lithium Project:

Millennial has received Exchange approval for, and closed, its acquisition of the Project.

The Company entered into a definitive agreement (the "Definitive Agreement") with Jorge Enrique Moreno and Alba Silvia Salas (the "Vendors") dated September 16, 2016 to acquire a 100% interest in and to the Project. The Definitive Agreement replaced an earlier agreement (the "Initial Agreement") disclosed in the July 19, 2016 news release.

Under the terms of the Definitive Agreement, Millennial will complete its purchase of a 100% interest in the Project in consideration of the following payments and share issuances to the Vendor:

Paying to the Vendors a $200,000 (US) deposit (the "Deposit") on execution of the Initial Agreement (completed); Paying to the Vendors $500,000 (US) (the "First Installment") on closing (completed) and issuing 500,000 common shares (the "First Share Installment") to the Vendors (completed); Paying, on April 6, 2017, $500,000 (US) (the "Second Installment") to the Vendors and issuing to the Vendors $500,000 (US) (the "Second Share Installment") worth of the Company's common shares; Making exploration expenditures of $1,600,000 (US) (the "Required Exploration Expenditures") on or before September 16, 2017; and Paying to the Vendors $1,000,000 (US) (the "Final Payment") on or before October 6, 2017.

The initial shares issued to the Vendors under (i) above are subject to a hold period expiring on January 17, 2017. The shares issued to the Vendors in (iii) above will be subject to an Exchange hold period expiring four months from their date of issuance.

A finder's fee (the "Finder's Fee") on the Project of 5% of all cash payments paid and shares issued to the Vendors is payable, to Synergy Resource Capital Pty Ltd. (the "Finder"), as those cash payments are paid and as those shares are issued. Accordingly, the Finder's Fee is payable as follows:

Upon payment of the Deposit above, $10,000 (US)payable to the Finder (paid); Upon payment of the First Instalment, $25,000 (US) payable to the Finder (paid) and issuance to the Finder of 25,000 shares (the "Closing Finder's Shares") of the Company (issued); Upon payment of the Second Instalment, $25,000 (US) payable to the Finder and issuance to the Finder of 25,000 shares of the Company; and Upon payment of the Final Payment, $50,000 (US) payable to the Finder.

All shares issued to the Finder, including the Closing Finder's Shares are subject to an Exchange hold period expiring four months from their date of issuance. The hold period on the Closing Finder's Shares expires on January 17, 2017.

The Project is subject to a royalty (the "Royalty") equal to 1.5% of the gross annual sales of lithium from the Project net of value added taxes and other taxes applicable to the sale of lithium. The Royalty comes into effect on October 6, 2019. At any time until October 6, 2019, the Company can terminate the right of the Vendors to the Royalty in consideration of a payment in the amount of $3,000,000 (US) to the Vendors.

The Project is strategically located within the Argentine portion of the "Lithium Triangle", which is host to some of the world's largest lithium resources. The Project is approximately 1200 hectares in size and ideally situated in the center of the Pastos Grandes Salar in Salta, Argentina. The region exhibits significant lithium and potassium brines and historically the Project has been tested by surface geochemical sampling, Magnetolluric (MT) surveying, CSAMT, vertical electrical sounding (VES) geophysical surveying and by 4 pumping wells testing and measuring brine flows in aquifers with significant lithium and potassium assays. Millennial is planning to continue with exploration and development of the Project and expects to report on such exploration plans in the coming weeks.

Closing of the Concurrent Financing:

The Company has closed its private placement Financing of 7,500,000 units at $0.65 per unit for proceeds of $4,875,000. Each unit is comprised of one common share and one-half of one share purchase warrant (a "Unit"). Each whole share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") is exercisable for a period of two years from closing at an exercise price of $1.00.

The Units, and any common shares of the Company issued upon exercise of the Warrants, are subject to a four month hold period expiring on January 17, 2017.

Commissions of up to 6%, payable in cash or units at the finder's option, have been paid in connection with a portion of the Financing. This resulted in the payment of $106,938.20 in cash and the issuance of 164,137 Units.

All Units issued to the finders, and any common shares of the Company issued upon exercise of the Warrants in their units, are subject to a four month hold period expiring on January 17, 2017.

Proceeds of the Financing are to be used to meet the Company's obligations under the Definitive Agreement including funding Required Exploration Expenditures on the Project.

This news release has been reviewed by Brent Butler, director, qualified person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101.

MILLENNIAL LITHIUM CORP.

Graham Harris, Chairman

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 an applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, currency risks including the exchange rate of USD$ for Cdn$, fluctuations in the market for lithium, changes in exploration costs and government royalties or taxes in Argentina and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Thursday that a decades-old federal prohibition against gun ownership by people committed to mental health institutions could violate the Second Amendment, reviving a challenge to the law. The case was brought [WSJ report] by 74-year-old Clifford Tyler, who was committed to a mental health institution 25 years ago but has since been discharged on a clean bill of health. Writing for the majority, Judge Julia Gibbons applied an intermediate scrutiny test to the government prohibition on gun ownership by a specific class of personsthose previously committed to mental health institutions. While acknowledging that the government presented compelling evidence of the need to bar firearms from those currently suffering from mental illness and those just recently removed from an involuntary commitment, the court stated that the evidence does not establish why Congress is justified in permanently barring anyone who has been previously committed, particularly in cases like Tylers, where a number of healthy, peaceable years separate the individual from their troubled history. Thus, the court noted that the government failed to establish a reasonable fit between its important objectives of public safety and suicide prevention and its permanent ban on the possession of firearms by persons adjudicated to be mentally unstable years ago but since recovered. Judge Karen Nelson dissented, stating that precedent supported the prohibitions on the ownership of firearms by the mentally ill as presumptively lawful and that [t]he legislature as opposed to the judiciary is far better equipped  to make sensitive public policy judgments (within constitutional limits) concerning the dangers in carrying firearms and the manner to combat those risks. The case has been remanded to the trial court for a determination on the constitutionality of the continued prohibition on gun ownership by Tyler.

This decision comes in the wake of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit [official website] ruling last week that restored [JURIST report] gun ownership rights of individuals convicted of minor crimes. Gun control and the Second Amendment continue to be controversial topics across the US. Earlier this month the New Jersey Second Amendment Society filed [JURIST report] a lawsuit against the states Attorney General in New Jerseys district court alleging the states stun gun ban is unconstitutional. In June the US Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that a state law conviction on reckless domestic assault is sufficient to bar possession of a firearm under federal law. Earlier in June Hawaii Governor David Ige signed a bill [JURIST report] requiring gun owners to be listed on an FBI database, notifying police if a Hawaii citizen is arrested in another state and providing a continuous criminal record check on those individuals seeking to possess a firearm. Also in June the US Supreme Court denied certiorari [JURIST report] in two separate cases challenging bans on assault-style weapons. The court denied the appeals without comment, letting stand lower court rulings that had upheld the bans [JURIST report] as constitutional. In response to the mass killing in Orlando in June, the UNs top human rights official urged [JURIST report] the US to increase its gun control measures. The Ninth Circuit [official website] held [JURIST report] in June that the right to carry a concealed gun is not within Second Amendment right to bear arms.
[JURIST] The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan [official website] concluded [press release] its first visit to South Sudan on Thursday and expressed concern regarding the ongoing pattern of human rights violations in South Sudan. The Commission was established [Reuters report] in March to monitor human rights issues in the city amidst an ongoing war between warring factions. Though the government has stated that it properly addressed rights abuses, Commission leader Yasmin Sooka has pointed to the governments consistent oppression of civil society. Sooka stated that the country intimidates the public and more specifically endangers the freedom of press by cracking down on journalists. Sooka further accused the government of not promoting accountability for serious abuses such as the sexual assault of females and possible war crimes. The Commission, with the support of the US and Britain, called for the establishment of a hybrid court that would allow countries to choose lawyers and jurists and address human rights abuses in South Sudan.

This year alone, human rights concerns have been widespread concerning South Sudan. On Wednesday South Sudan officials stated [JURIST report] they would take legal action against US advocacy group The Sentry after the group accused the nations leaders of profiting from the countrys three-year conflict. Earlier this month the government consented [JURIST report] to the addition of another 4,000 UN peacekeeping troops to the existing force of 14,000 soldiers, under intense pressure from the UN, US and the rest of the international community. Last month UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said that South Sudan government security forces have killed and raped citizens [JURIST report] and looted and destroyed public and private property. In July Chaloka Beyani, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), condemned recent attacks on IDPs and civilians [JURIST report] in South Sudan. In June UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed shock [JURIST report] at the increasing number of children recruited and killed in armed conflicts in several countries, including South Sudan. In May Amnesty International reported [JURIST report] that dozens of detainees in South Sudan are being held in inhumane conditions.
Debt bondage remains the worlds leading form of slavery [press release] despite being outlawed in many regions, according to a report [text, PDF] presented Thursday by a UN human rights expert. UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery Urmila Bhoola explained that many people do not understand the complexities of debt bondage. She also reported that the experts at the International Labor Organization [official website] estimate some 21 million people are currently in forced labor because of the practice, which tends to target those in impoverished communities.

Since 2014, it has been estimated that approximately 36 million people in the world live in a form of modern slavery, which has been condemned by the UN for years [JURIST reports]. Global Slavery Index has defined slavery as: one person possessing or controlling another person in such as a way as to significantly deprive that person of their individual liberty, with the intention of exploiting that person through their use, management, profit, transfer or disposal. Modern slavery also includes [JURIST report] the increase in human trafficking of migrants and the refugee population. With a vote of 14 in favor, the UN Security Council introduced a resolution last October to allow the EU to inspect and seize vehicles suspected of smuggling migrants. Authorized under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the resolution permits certain nations to board ships in order to prevent human trafficking [JURIST report]. The previous month, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch had announced that the Department of Justice will fund [JURIST report] a $44 million grant to fight human trafficking.
John Kasich

President Barack Obama turned to an unlikely source of support in his latest efforts to promote the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a landmark free-trade agreement that has been shredded along the campaign trail and has tepid support in Congress.

On Friday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich  once a 2016 Republican presidential hopeful  was in Washington to meet with Obama and other leaders, such as former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, to discuss the free-trade agreement between the US and 11 other Pacific Rim nations.

Standing alongside Reed and White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest in a surreal White House press briefing at noon, Kasich laid out why he believes there is "a unique opportunity" to "put country ahead of politics" regarding TPP, which has been lambasted by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and disavowed by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

"We now have a unique opportunity to again put country ahead of politics," he said. "I think many people who are in the Congress of the United States understand what this is all about. They understand the implications of trade."

Kasich outlined why the TPP is not only something that makes sense economically, but something that is necessary for the US geopolitical position in Asia, where both China and Russia are looking to delegitimize its influence.

"Could you imagine if the United States of America, as I told one congressman this morning, if we turned our back on those nations in Asia that are looking to us in a great sense of partnership to give them the courage and strength to stand against a rising China?" Kasich asked.

He continued: "So both from an economic point of view and from a geopolitical point of view, where will we be if we turn this down? And this is what gives us a unique opportunity in this city that I've come to not understand. That these kinds of issues is where politics goes out the window and where the good of America has to be represented and has to be respected."

Story continues

The Ohio Republican thanked the president for inviting him along with the rest of the group to discuss the passing of the agreement, adding that Obama is "very passionate about the need to do this" and is "willing to work with those who are both for and against it."

"And he's willing to really put his shoulder to the wheel," Kasich said, later adding, "America can't lock the doors and lower the blinds and ignore the rest of the world. We're a force for good. And this TPP will help us not only on the economic side but will also allow us to continue to be a strong world leader for good."

Kasich Obama

Calling on his former colleagues in the House and Senate, Kasich said members of Congress must take the next few weeks to think about what it would mean to vote against the agreement, and what it would mean for the country if they vote yes  a vote he said will strengthen the country and its alliances around the world.

"To me, that's what's at stake," he said. "And frankly, that's why I'm here today."

Obama recently returned from a second trip to Asia since May. Both times, TPP was a central item. But back at home, Obama's major push for TPP has been blasted along the campaign trail, where it remains a centerpiece issue.

Trump, who has championed a fiercely protectionist platform during his presidential run, said the passing of TPP would lead to "A continuing rape of our country" during a July rally.

"That's what it is, too," he said. "It's a harsh word. It's a rape of our country."

Clinton, who supported the deal while she served as secretary of state, reversed her position on it during the primary season, saying there still needs to be work done on it after both Trump and her top challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, roiled the agreement. During the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last month, pro-Sanders supporters waved "No TPP" signs and chanted down various speakers by shouting "No TPP."

The agreement still needs to be ratified by Congress, which some say could happen during the lame-duck session of Congress following the November election.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, who's been a staunch supporter of the agreement in the past, recently said it had to be renegotiated while meeting with Wisconsin manufacturing workers in early August.

"I don't think there's a high likelihood (of the TPP's passage) right now because ... we don't have the votes to pass it because people like me have problems with some significant provisions of it that we believe need to get fixed," Ryan said. "But here's the point: We do need trade agreements. I know a lot of people say just get rid of trade agreements; don't do trade agreements, and that's terrible. That's a problem for us."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has also expressed support for the deal in the past, but he's recently said the deal might not come up for a vote until the next president takes office.

Although it would be hard to believe based on the campaign rhetoric, a recent poll from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that 60% of Americans stand in favor of the deal, including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans.

Kasim Reed and John Kasich

On Friday, Kasich also ran an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal outlining his support, which led him to express his deeper concerns about the state of politics in the country during the press briefing. He said the reaction to the op-ed was less than warm.

"I get reactions like, 'Well, you're a Republican. Why are you supporting something that the president wants?'" he said. "I mean, we cannot get to the point in America that because a Democrat wants something that you happen to agree with, you can't agree with him."

"There's plenty of things I disagree with President Obama on," he continued. "But the idea that I'm a Republican and therefore I can't work with Democrats or you're a Democrat and you can't work with Republicans. How does anybody think that the issues of debt, social security, medicare, healthcare, any of these issues, are going to be resolved when we spend all of our time fighting with one another."

Kasich, a former nine-term congressman from Ohio, said he doesn't "recognize" Washington DC "much anymore."

"Because now it's become so much about politics," he said. "And when politics is the order of the day, and partisanship trumps country, we drift. We drift as a nation. And I'm extremely concerned about what I see. This is a moment for people to reverse that."

He also insisted that Congress ignore the rhetoric of the presidential campaign when it comes to ratifying the trade agreement.

"In a presidential campaign, and we've seen a lot of them and every one is defined as the most important one we've had in our history, but the fact of the matter is that goes on," he said. "But this vote, by the current Congress of the United States, is decided by the current makeup of the United States Senate and the United States House."

"I happen to believe  I don't want to try and project anyone else's thinking  but this is a very serious matter," he continued. "And when I see the presidential campaign going on, it's almost a surreal 21st-century presidential election where if you and I drafted a movie script about everything that was happening on both sides with both candidates or even the whole process, they would've thrown us out of their offices out in Hollywood because they would've said this is a fiction that goes beyond any fiction that would be acceptable."

Making note that he's "never been" a strict ideological supporter of free trade, Kasich said the agreement is "a lot different than NAFTA" because it involves China and Russia in a geopolitical sense.

"And we want to pivot to Asia," he said, alluding to the Obama administration's longtime foreign-policy agenda. "And we have to do this."

Kasich said that, if the trade agreement is not passed during the lame-duck session, he's "not convinced" it will happen afterward.

"There are people both in the House and the Senate that will play pure politics with our future to take care of themselves," he said. "And let me also suggest to you: When that's what you do, when you leave Washington you didn't accomplish anything other than what? Obstruct? ... At the end of the day you have to accomplish something."

John Kasich

John Weaver, the chief strategist for Kasich's presidential campaign, told Business Insider that Friday was "just the beginning" of the governor's involvement in helping get the deal passed.

"I think we'll work hard to try and pass it," he said. "The strategy and the tactics, I don't know if they've been developed yet. And, let's be honest, the subject is hard to punch through in the next six weeks."

"It's going to be hard," he said of getting the agreement passed. "But I don't think it's going to be impossible by any stretch."

Weaver said it will be absolutely necessary for Obama to use a large amount of his political capital to get the deal through. If not, "it's not going to pass."

"We have a carnival barker as a nominee on our side, and Secretary Clinton has been pushed, unfortunately, she allowed herself to be pushed by Bernie Sanders on the other," Weaver said. "If the president will actually commit to working hard for this, because it's not going to pass if he's not willing to use political capital, and he now has a pretty high favorable rating as he's getting ready to end his term, if he's willing to use some of that political capital, we're willing to work with him to get this done."

NOW WATCH: Watch Obama mock Trumps birtherism during the 2011 White House Correspondents' dinner





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MILLER (AP) -- Authorities say two people have been killed in the rollover crash of a pickup in south-central Nebraska.

The Buffalo County Sheriff's Office says the crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday about 2 1/2 miles south of Miller on U.S. Highway 183.

Investigators say the 28-year-old driver lost control of the truck as it headed south. The truck crossed the highway and rolled after entering the east ditch.

Deputies say an 11-year-old girl and 24-year-old woman who were passengers in the truck died at the scene. The driver and an 8-year-old girl were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.

Deputies say the four people lived in neighboring Custer County. Their names haven't been released.

Emergency crews respond to crash south of Miller

(Posted 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 22) MILLER -- Buffalo County emergency crews responded to a one vehicle rollover three miles south of Miller on Highway 183.

Crews were called to the scene at around 12:30 p.m. today (Wednesday). A representative from the Buffalo County Attorney's office has been called to the accident.

For more on this story check back at KearneyHub.com or see the Thur., Aug. 23 Hub print edition.
A unique spot in the community suffered significant damage after an early morning fire Sunday, but will recover and participate in this year's Sugar Valley Rally festivities.

Cozads Ford Garage in Gering suffered significant damage from fire, smoke and water.

It is enough damage that it is significant, but it could have been way, way worse, Gering Fire Chief Jay Templar said. It is a pretty unique place.

Two young men noticed smoke bellowing out from under the garages doors and reported the fire. The Cozads told the Gering Courier that the men had been getting dog food when they saw flames and called 911.

Gering and Scottsbluff Fire Departments responded, awakening the Cozads. Tom Cozad tried to go downstairs to let the firefighters into the building, but the smoke was too thick.

Firefighters rescued the Cozads and broke a window out on the ground floor to get into the historic Gering building so they could put out the fire.

It was scary, Donna said.

Tom and Donna Cozad were rescued from the balcony on the second floor of the building by the Scottsbluff Fire Department.

I cannot say enough good things about our fire department, Donna Cozad said.

Templar said that the fire marshal estimated that there is some structure damage, but that most of the damage was contained to a display area where Cozad stores his antique cars in the southwest area of the warehouse. Templar said antique cars were removed from the building during the fire, but did suffer some smoke damage and damage from falling objects.

KNEB News is reporting that Nebraska State Fire Marshal Mike Turner has determined the cause to be electrical in nature. Tom Cozad said the fire is believed to have been started by an electrical short. An overall assessment of damage is still being completed.

Many in the community are likely familiar with Cozads Ford Garage in Gering. Tom and Donna Cozad have opened up the garage, where they have displayed antique cars and other memorabilia, for local functions, including Scottsbluff-Gering Chamber of Commerce activities and Sugar Valley Rally events.

The garage will be the final stop for this years Sugar Valley Rally. The Cozads had planned on offering tours of the historic building.

We will still hold the final stop here, Tom said, but we wont be giving any tours.

The Scottsbluff Rural and Scottsbluff Fire Departments assisted the Gering Fire Department in fighting the fire, which occurred after midnight.
FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2014 file photo, Belgian doctor Marc Van Hoey, a general practitioner who is president of the Right to Die Association in the region of Flanders, speaks with the Associated Press at his practice in Antwerp, Belgium. A terminally-ill minor has become the first juvenile who has been helped to die in Belgium since it removed age restrictions on euthanasia two years ago. Senator Jean-Jacques De Gucht confirmed Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 that the minor who died was from Belgium's Flemish region and was in the "final stages" of an illness. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe, file)
Travis Vader arrives at court in Edmonton on Tuesday, March 8, 2016. The lawyer for a man found guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of an Alberta couple says he's appealing the conviction in the hope of getting an acquittal or a new trial. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken
From left, Lisa Peng, holding a photo of her father Peng Ming, Grace Ge Geng, holding photo of her father Gao Zhisheng, Ti-Anna Wang, holding photo of her father Wang Bingzhang, Bridgette Chen holding photo of her father Liu Xianbing, and Danielle Wang, holding photo of her father Wang Zhiwen, are introduced prior to testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled, "Their Daughters Appeal to Beijing: 'Let Our Fathers Go,! on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Susan Walsh
By Olivia Oran and David Henry

(Reuters) - For Citigroup Inc <C.N> executives, being asked why they won't sell their Mexican bank subsidiary Banamex is as annoying as the yapping of a Chihuahua. But the question keeps coming up.

In some of the first signs of how some investors in Corporate America are bracing for a President Donald Trump, several large investors have expressed concern to Citi management in recent private meetings about the impact a victory for the Republican might have on the Mexican unit, according to people who attended or were briefed on the meetings.

Even if Trump did not follow through on his pledge to build a massive border wall, some investors voiced concern that his presidency would undermine cross-border trade and travel, and in turn hurt the Mexican economy and Banamex profits, the sources added, asking not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak with the media.

Trump is not the main reason investors are asking about divesting Banamex, nor is the idea a new one. But his talk of building a wall has renewed questions at a time when Citigroup stock continues to trade at a 25 percent discount to its tangible net worth. The stock is so low because investors doubt Citigroup's ability to boost its returns on equity any time soon.

Trump, who has reduced the lead held by Democrat Hillary Clinton in recent polls ahead of the Nov. 8 vote, has vowed to make Mexico fund the construction of a giant border wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. He has also pledged to change North American trade agreements and impose higher tariffs on Mexican goods to bring jobs back.

At an investor conference on Wednesday, Citigroup Chief Financial Officer John Gerspach was asked why he was so positive on Banamex. The question was similar to one asked in July by CLSA analyst Mike Mayo, who has been urging Citigroup to sell Banamex for years.

Mayo told Reuters his rationale is "to unleash trapped value." He wants Citigroup to use Banamex sale proceeds to buy back its cheap stock, which would make the remaining shares more valuable, and attract more interest from investors.

Story continues

"It would make crystal clear the absurdity of Citigroup stock trading at three-fourths of tangible book," Mayo said. He said Citi could see a gain of $5 billion to $10 billion through a sale.

Regardless of Trump, Citi CEO Mike Corbat has more reasons now than even two years ago to keep Banamex, people familiar with his thinking say.

For one, Banamex earns about 15 percent return on shareholder equity - significantly better than Corbat's goal of at least 10 percent.

In addition, Banamex contributes about 15 percent of Citigroup's global consumer revenue, which makes Mexico second only to the United States in importance. It has the most branches, with about 1,500 compared with 700 locations in the U.S., where much of Citigroup consumer business is in cards.

Corbat has overseen the disposal of half of Citigroup's country-based consumer franchises, bringing the total down to 19. Banamex was deemed the only one in Latin America strong enough to keep.

Banamex is the second-biggest bank in Mexico, which Corbat expects will grow with the U.S. economy. He expects trade with Mexico to continue to be robust regardless of whether Trump wins.

IMPROVEMENTS SEEN

Citigroup is starting to see improvements at Banamex following management changes in 2014 and Corbat's commitment then to invest $1.5 billion in its operations. Corbat announced the investment on a podium with the president of Mexico.

The management changes followed discovery of more than $500 million of fraudulent loans that Banamex made to a Mexican oilfield services company, as well as U.S. government investigations of money laundering at Banamex offices in the U.S. Citigroup paid $140 million to settle federal regulators' probes into the money laundering matter, but a criminal investigation has yet to be publicly resolved.

Corbat has since won approval from U.S. regulators for two capital plans and an endorsement of its so-called "living will," showing how the company could be wound down without taking other banks with it. The approvals imply that regulators have found Citigroup's risk management of Banamex acceptable.

"It's accretive to our shareholders, the returns are solid," Corbat said in July. "So right now I really don't see it's an area where we would contemplate selling."

Corbat doubts that Citigroup could quickly gather proceeds from selling Banamex and then win permission from the U.S. Federal Reserve to use the money to buy back stock, said a person familiar with his thinking.

Even without a Banamex sale, Citigroup has been building up excess capital that it expects the Fed will allow it to use for additional buybacks.

In a March report, KBW analyst Brian Kleinhanzl argued that Citi should divest Banamex's consumer and small business franchise. It does not fit into Citi's consumer strategy in other emerging markets where it focuses on customers in high-growth metropolitan areas, he said.

An outright sale, Kleinhanzl wrote, could be difficult because the pool of potential buyers is small. But Citigroup could sell that portion of Banamex to investors through an IPO, commanding an $11.8 billion price tag, resulting in a $5.9 billion pre-tax gain for Citi, he estimated.

The Fed, in Mayo's view, set a precedent for Corbat to distribute Banamex proceeds, when it approved buybacks by KeyCorp <KEY.N> following the sale of an asset management business.

(Reporting by Olivia Oran and David Henry in New York. Additional reporting by Emily Flitter.; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Stuart Grudgings)
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By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun

PORT ORCHARD  A former Bremerton School District volunteer convicted in July of sexually assaulting five girls he had baby-sat was sentenced Friday to more than 41 years in prison.

Stephen R. Jabs, 53, maintained his innocence before Kitsap Superior Court Judge Kevin Hull handed down the sentence.

"I have done nothing but love these children as my own children," Jabs told Hull. "I would never ever harm them."

Hull agreed to the prosecutor's sentence recommendation.

"These aren't just, in my mind, serious violations of the law. That's obvious. This cuts deeper than that," Hull told Jabs, noting that the parents of the children were also victims. "A sentence ought to reflect, primarily, the severity of the conduct."

A family member of one of the girls, Jane Ulrigg, asked Hull to sentence Jabs to the longest sentence allowed, but said it would not undo the damage for which Jabs is responsible.

"The time in prison won't come close to taking away any of the pain the girls have endured through this," she said.

Jabs volunteered at Crownhill Elementary School and West Hills STEM Academy, according to a statement from the Bremerton School District, which dismissed him after his arrest. No sexual assaults were alleged to have occurred at the schools.

Jabs' family, including two daughters, spoke to Hull, describing a hardworking, compassionate, sensitive and God-loving man. A man who spoke, but declined to give his name after the proceedings, said Jabs had treated him like a son and was a dutiful, loving father and he treated his children the way Jabs treated his children.

"To say he is a bad person, to me, is like saying I'm a bad person," the man said.

Jabs' attorney, John M. Cyr, asked Hull for a sentence at the bottom of the range, 20 years, saying a longer sentence was "symbolic" as 20 years would effectively be a life sentence for Jabs, who suffers from multiple sclerosis.

"It's more than just 20 years," Cyr told Hull. "It's 20 years in the latter part of his life, living in constant pain."

Jabs will appeal the verdict.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cami Lewis had asked Hull to impose the sentence, noting that although it was well above the standard range maximum of 26 years, jurors had found Jabs guilty of five counts of first-degree rape of a child and five counts of first-degree child molestation along with aggravators.

"That's not enough," Lewis said of a 26-year sentence. "That's not commiserate with his behavior."

Lewis said Jabs had manipulated the girls, the family and employees of the Bremerton School District, which she said had recommended a woman and her daughter stay with Jabs at his Seabeck house.

One of the girls, Lewis said, felt guilty because she had not reported the abuse.

"We are talking about an 11-year-old on the stand feeling responsible for being abused by a man in his 50s," Lewis said.

The 41-year sentence amounts to a midrange sentence for each victim, served consecutively.

The girls Jabs was convicted of assaulting testified at trial, telling details about the assaults, and the testimony weighed heavily on jurors.

Deliberations took a half-day, and three jurors were in court Friday to hear the sentence.

"We needed to see this through," said juror Kent Salisbury.
Stuff reports:

The head of Britains newly formed cybersecurity agency says authorities are exploring the creation of a national internet filter to block malicious software and rogue websites.

Ciaran Martin, the chief executive of Britains new National Cyber Security Centre, told a conference in Washington that his agency was working on a flagship project which would block Britons from coming into contact with known malware and bad addresses.

According to a text of his speech published on Thursday, Martin said the system would allow consumers to opt-out  meaning that privacy and choice were hard-wired into our programme.

Those assurances didnt sit well with some activists.

Martin said rogue websites would be blocked using DNS filtering, a venerable if clumsy censorship technique which prevents internet users from reaching a targeted server when they click a link or type out a web address.

But the technique is imprecise, occasionally blocking an entire website over a single rogue link.

The London-based Open Rights Group worried that the Cyber Security Centres mother body, intelligence agency GCHQ, risked tampering with the integrity of the internet.

The Financial Times newspaper described the project as a Great British Firewall  a reference to Chinas vast internet censorship system.
The number of refugees and migrants fleeing Turkey to Greece has risen slightly in recent weeks, but humanitarian groups familiar with the situation say it is premature to call it a return to the days of last summer, when thousands made the crossing every day.

According to data from UNHCR, the first week of September saw 1,052 refugees and migrants crossing into Greece, nearly double the number the week before. The month of August saw a total of 3,437 arrivals in Greece, the highest number since April, when 3,650 arrived.

Reports suggest the bump in figures might signal the revival of the Eastern Mediterranean route, which saw close to a million land in Greece in 2015, and the imminent collapse of a deal between Turkey and the E.U. to stem the flow of the displaced.

But Lucy Carrigan, a regional officer for Greece with the International Refugee Council, told TIME it is hard to know if the increase is part of a larger trend, as the movement of people has been difficult to predict since the closure of borders on the Balkan route and the E.U.-Turkey deal. While yes, there has been an increase  the numbers are relatively speaking quite small, says Carrigan, who works on the Greek island of Lesbos. This time last year, 5,000 people were making the crossing every day.

The bigger immediate issue, she and others say, is that accommodation centers on Greek islands, such as Lesbos and Kos, are filled to overcapacity as the arrivals are not being relocated to Europe or returned to Turkey fast enough.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the maximum capacity on the Aegean islands reception centers is at 6,850 but as of Sept. 6 the total presence of migrants on the islands is at 12,515. A source from an aid agency working in Greece told TIME that asylum processing centers run by the E.U. are woefully understaffed. After claimants preregister for asylum which could take up to five months migrants find themselves waiting a further six months for their initial asylum appointments.

The EU-Turkey deal is certainly facing hurdles following the failed coup in Turkey. It has successfully slowed the flow; since the deal formally came into effect in March, the numbers of migrants leaving Turkeys shores for Greece dropped from around 27,000 arrivals in March, to a monthly average of around 2,000 between April and July. But sources in Greece say authorities there have struggled to return recent migrant arrivals to Turkeyunder the terms of the deal as Turkish officials in charge of returns were recalled following the coup attempt.

Many of the some 60,000 migrants and refugees are now left in limbo in Greece, where even finding work in a country struggling with an unemployment rate of around 35% is a challenge. With very few able to leave and more arrivals trickling in, Carrigan says the situation will only become more and more and more of an issue.
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By Peter Kuryla, Chapter16.org

In "Modern Manhood and the Boy Scouts of America: Citizenship, Race, and the Environment, 1910-1930," Knoxville native Benjamin Rene Jordan recounts a moment in American history when the modern corporation became the dominant model for civic life, shaping mainstream ideas of manhood. In Jordan's persuasive reading, the Boy Scouts of America "articulated and widely promulgated a new male norm," one which combined Victorian moral virtues like modesty and diligence with modern corporate values of efficiency and loyalty. In other words, the Boy Scouts of American inculcated the traits "that white males needed to maintain control of an increasingly urban and corporate-industrial society." Jordan's thorough, well-researched history of the BSA has insights for the contemporary reader.

The organization had all of the hallmarks of a modern corporation from the start: a rigid, top-down system of management, with a massive bureaucratic paper trail as a result  "Modern Manhood" is so thorough partly because the BSA kept such detailed records and survey data. Jordan gives a solid picture of the goings-on from the top down and the bottom up.

The Boy Scouts of America, its founders believed, could ease the transition into this corporate new world by making boys into responsible corporate citizens, the embodiment of "full-orbed manhood."

This goal meant doing away with older notions of nature as a source for spiritual insights. Boys went to nature to learn how to compete in a corporate, cooperative setting.

The second part of the book concerns those who fit uneasily into this corporate vision. The BSA had a much easier time integrating Southern and Eastern-European immigrant boys into its ranks than it did African Americans, for example. That they tried at all is remarkable for the time. Still, their printed materials sometimes indulged in Jim Crow stereotypes of laziness and segregated African-American troops with second-class membership.

The BSA also failed spectacularly to bring rural scouts into its ranks, and Jordan's account of this failure reveals some critical tensions at the heart of his story. Because the BSA demanded conformity to its essential goals and structure, a more flexible parallel group called the Lone Scouts popped up to cater to the needs of rural boys.

Though the BSA eventually absorbed the group, it refused to compromise, turning a deaf ear to the voices of its country constituents. It lost countless members, though their loss doesn't appear to have mattered much.

Executive leaders also refused to make any provision for working-class scouts who couldn't afford the cost of uniforms or dues. Doing so, they argued, would create separate classes of boys, which the "classless" vision of the BSA wouldn't allow. (To be fair, the BSA did back off on the uniform requirement during the Great Depression.)

On the whole, "Modern Manhood and the Boy Scouts of America" is an accomplished account of the complicated ideas of training for civic virtue in a modern, corporate setting. It should be essential reading for those who want to understand how the world of a century ago continues to influence our own.

For more local book coverage, please visit http://chapter16.org/, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.
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By Sean Kinch, Chapter16.org

In preparation for his bar mitzvah  a ceremony he doesn't want, imposed on him by parents who aren't religious  Sam Bloch proposes an idiosyncratic interpretation of God's test of Abraham. The key moment is not when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, but earlier, at the moment when God calls to Abraham, and Abraham responds, "Here I am." "Whatever God needs or wants," Sam points out, "Abraham is wholly present for Him, without conditions or reservations or need for explanation." Why can't Sam's father Jacob muster the same attitude?

But Jacob, the central character in Jonathan Safran Foer's new novel, wanders in existential uncertainty, a mystery to his family and unreal even to himself. At the core of "Here I Am," an ambitious and sprawling work of fiction, is the story of Jacob's attempt to deserve, in his words, "the privilege of being alive."

Foer's objective extends far beyond his portrayal of Jacob's identity crisis. The gambit of "Here I Am" is to overlap public and private realms so that the fate of a single Jewish family, living in Washington, D.C., in the recognizable present, represents dilemmas facing the entire Jewish people. The novel's first line ("When the destruction of Israel commenced") signals a coming emergency, and Foer foreshadows it periodically. Jacob's Israeli cousin Tamir, in the U.S. for Sam's bar mitzvah, fought to protect the borders of their homeland and speaks proudly of his son stationed in the West Bank. Israel forms the foundation of Tamir's self-conception, but to Jacob Israel has only a ghostly presence, the remnant of a history that may soon be erased.

The Bloch family is fighting battles on multiple fronts. The patriarch, Holocaust survivor Isaac, doesn't know whether to die or move into a retirement home. Sam gets suspended from his Hebrew school for inscribing racial epithets on a piece of paper. The family dog, whose incontinence causes rifts in the Bloch family, appears to be on his last legs. Jacob and his wife Julia find themselves in the swamp of marital malaise, a state of diminished intimacy and concealed emotions. Sam foresees that they "were going to get divorced and ultimately hate each other and spread destruction like that Japanese reactor."

Despite its troubling subject matter, "Here I Am" remains humorous and at times frolicsome. Foer's depiction of modern marriage may draw comparisons to Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom," but the tone is notably more comedic. His characters never lose the capacity to laugh at themselves, so their complaints seem self-deprecating, not maudlin. Long paragraphs describe the Blochs' descent into bourgeois complacency and detail the way parenthood replaces romance ("Julia could clip newborn fingernails with her teeth, and breast-feed while making a lasagna  but she had forgotten how to touch her husband").

The imminence of endings haunts this novel. Characters fear death, divorce, and global collapse but wind up missing the unheralded last things that, in retrospect, give family life its sentimental value. "No child knows when he last calls his mother 'Mama,'" Jacob observes. "No father knows when the book has closed on the last bedtime story he will ever read." Sam seems especially attuned to the fleeting nature of happiness. He regularly Skypes with Isaac but is "bothered by the knowledge that one such conversation would be their last." On another level, Foer offers this novel as an act of remembrance for Isaac's generation of Eastern European Jews who survived the shoah but whose numbers decrease daily. "We know them," a young rabbi points out, "but our time of knowing them is nearly complete. And then they will be gone forever."

Foer has endured his share of criticism  for his use of 9/11 as background to a story of love and community in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (2005), for unearthing comedy and romance from a rubble of genocide in "Everything is Illuminated" (2002). Readers offended by fiction that finds humor in tragedy are encouraged to look elsewhere. For the rest of us, "Here I Am" offers the full spectrum of human drama, including the disquieting episodes when absurdity and agony coexist.

For more local book coverage, visit http://chapter16.org/, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.
SHARE Top row: David Lynn Wright Sr., 38, arrested on multiple drug charges, Emanuel Howard, 20, arrested on drug charges Bottom row: Tyrone Eugene Jackson, 29, served with outstanding theft charge during drug raid at a Washington Avenue home, Kimberly Wallace, 42, arrested after raid on Washington Avenue home David Lynn Wright Sr., 38, arrested on multiple drug charges. Emanuel Howard, 20, arrested on drug charges. Tyrone Eugene Jackson, 29, served with outstanding theft charge during drug raid at a Washington Avenue home.

By Don Jacobs of the Knoxville News Sentinel

KNOXVILLE  A police raid on a Washington Avenue home investigated for "ongoing criminal activity" yielded drugs, cash, guns and the arrests of four people, authorities said.

The raid about 6:10 p.m. Thursday at 2739 Washington Ave. was conducted by various units of the Knoxville Police Department armed with a search warrant, according to a KPD news release. Officers with the Organized Crime Unit, the Special Operations Squad and the East District patrol division converged on the residence.

"This residence had been under investigation due to ongoing criminal activity including the sale of drugs," states the release from Darrell DeBusk, spokesman for the Police Department.

Three suspects identified in the search warrant were found in the home when officers arrived.

DeBusk identified those three as Kimberly Wallace, 42; David Lynn Wright Sr., 38; and Emanuel Darnell Howard, 20.

Records state Wallace "was in the process of completing a sale of marijuana to a customer on the couch" when officers arrived.

Officers seized $279 and 55 grams of marijuana from Howard, DeBusk said. A search of Wallace produced $175, he said.

Other items confiscated by officers in the home included an additional 47 grams of pot, four digital scales, plastic sandwich bags associated with packaging marijuana for sale, two loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistols, a security camera and monitor and several cellphones, DeBusk said.

One of the seized guns had been reported as stolen, he said.

Court records state officers found "two marijuana plants growing on the back porch" of the home. No charges were placed in that discovery, but records state Wright told officers he had cultivated the illicit plants.

Wallace, Wright and Howard each face charges of violation of a drug-free school zone and possession of drug paraphernalia. The drug-free school zone charge stems from a child care agency on nearby Woodbine Avenue, records show.

Officers also charged Wallace and Wright with possession of a gun during the commission of a felony and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of drug distribution.

Wallace was being held Friday in the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility in lieu of 15,500 bond, according to jail records.

Officers filed an additional charge of being a prohibited person possessing agun against Wright, DeBusk said. He also was held at the Detention Facility in lieu of $46,000 bond, according to jail records.

Records show Wright pleaded guilty in 2002 in Knox County to facilitation of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to four years in prison on the charge.

Howard had been released by Friday from the jail. His release bond was not available.

Officers found five other people in the residence at the time of the raid, but all but one were released. Tyrone Eugene Jackson, 29, who gave a Bertie Rand Street address, was served with an outstanding theft charge, DeBusk said. He had been freed by Friday from custody.
SHARE Blacksmith Kevin Collins produces metal work at the John Sevier Days Living Historic Weekend at the Marble Springs State Historic Site on Saturday. Militiamen drill on Saturday during the John Sevier Days Living Historic Weekend at the Marble Springs State Historic Site. Militiamen drill on Saturday during the John Sevier Days Living Historic Weekend at the Marble Springs State Historic Site.

By Noreen Premji of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Imagine the scent of fresh soaps, baked bread and gunpowder mixed with the sights of John Sevier's cabin, weapon demonstrations and a blacksmith at work, combined to create the setting of a typical day in the 17th and 18th centuries in East Tennessee.

The John Sevier Days Living Historic Weekend at the Marble Springs State Historic Site brought all of that and more Saturday with the celebration of the 271st birthday of Tennessee's first governor. The event, hosted by the Gov. John Sevier Memorial Association, drew more than 200 visitors and 30 volunteers and re-enactors.

The event continues Sunday noon-5 p.m.

Anna Chappelle, executive director of the Marble Springs State Historic Site, said the annual event is held close to Gov. Sevier's birthday of Sept. 23 and has continued for more than 20 years.

"It's a way to commemorate Gov. Sevier's involvement in the American Revolutionary War and his six-year term as a Tennessee governor," she said.

Specific to this year's event was a flag retiring ceremony performed by members of the Great Smoky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America troops 119 and 582. The ceremony involved the taking down, cutting and burning of the U.S. and Tennessee flags that marked the Marble Springs State Historic Site, and the hoisting of new ones.

"The Tennessee Sons of the American Revolution donated a set of new flags around the same time of the event, so we decided to hold a ceremony to replace the old, worn-out flags and to put new ones up," said Samantha Burleson, coordinator of the Gov. John Sevier Memorial Association Board.

Other events on Saturday included period demonstrations of weaving, open-hearth cooking and militia drills.

Gabriella Smith, owner of a home business, The Speckled Duckling, showcased her herbs, natural remedies and period clothing at the event.

"It's extremely helpful for the community to see how difficult life is, and to appreciate what our forefathers did to make and build a life of ease for us," Smith said. "This event allows people to come out and retain the culture that was built in John Sevier's time."

Kevin Collins, a blacksmith for more than 20 years, said the event gives him a chance to celebrate his familial roots in the trade.

"Blacksmiths were needed for woodwork and metalwork in the early centuries, and this is my fourth or fifth year at the event," Collins said. "Celebrating John Sevier is also celebrating my family and their heritage in East Tennessee."

Eddie Satterfield and his wife, Kathy, both in their mid-60s, are Knoxville residents who returned to Saturday's event 20 years from their first visit.

"We were upset when we saw the flags being deteriorated at first, but then as we saw them being replaced, it ignited a sense of patriotism," Satterfield said. "We just think it's important to see how people lived in the 17th and 18th century and to take a step back in time to see what Tennessee was like for John Sevier and others."
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As the United States observes Hispanic Heritage Month for the next several weeks, we at Maryville College are celebrating the ways that this venerable institution partners with others year-round to improve the lives of Latino students.

At Maryville College, we believe in the power of education to transform lives. We believe in the power of service and leadership. Throughout the college's 200-year history, we have worked for access to education for all people who were hungry for it.

The 21st century presents an opportunity to ensure that the dream of a college education is one that is attainable by all people. As one example, we are proud to say that Alan Miramontes Flores, a Bearden High School graduate and now a sophomore at Maryville College majoring in biochemistry, is fulfilling his dream of a college education through scholarships from Maryville College and Centro Hispano.

About four years ago, we developed an initiative called Villamaria that grew out of a grant opportunity through the Appalachian College Association in cooperation with the Kresge Foundation and Excelencia in Education. Through this initiative, we have worked to improve our strategies for understanding and working with Latino young people and their families and have increased campus support and resources for Latino students. We have hosted food and culture festivals, as well as conferences focused on higher education opportunities for Latino students and families. Our connections with Centro Hispano, with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of East Tennessee, with HoLa Hora Latina, and with the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville have been instrumental in helping us to join with and learn more about Latino students and families in East Tennessee.

In addition, we have benefited from the wisdom of friends and major leaders in the Knoxville Hispanic community like Patricia Robledo, Loida Velazquez, Carlos Pinilla, the late Luis Velazquez and the late Lourdes Garza.

Now with the help of a grant from Conexion Americas in Nashville, Maryville College is taking on a new role that positions us to bring concrete resources and programs to Latino students, K-12 and college and university staff, and partner organizations.

Our aim is to bring hope and inspiration to Latino students and families in the form of access, opportunity, information and advocacy, empowering young people toward higher education opportunities. Currently we have in place a college preparation and mentoring program called "Puertas" (which means "doors" in Spanish) for Latino students at Lenoir City High School. Recently we hosted more than 100 school counselors, teachers, administrators and community leaders from all over East Tennessee for a one-day conference to help school systems better understand how to bring the best resources for college preparation to Latino students and families in their schools. And in the spring, we will host an Education Equity and Advocacy Leadership Summit that will engage Latino community leaders and allies and inspire them toward advocacy work related to education equity at the local and state level.

Finally, through the Conexion Americas grant, we facilitate a competition that awards scholarships to two Latino high school students who compose thought-provoking essays about education equity and advocacy.

We at Maryville College are proud of the school's long history of working together to make education available to all who can benefit. We are excited to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month and look forward to building on the foundation that is in place so that even more progress will be visible at this time next year.

William T. Bogart is president of Maryville College.
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"Mind your own business," sings the voice of Hank Williams rising up from the jukebox in the corner. Everyone in the honky-tonk joins in, "'Cause if you mind your own business, you won't be minding mine."

Sadly no members of the Tennessee legislature are there to take the hint.

Fifty-three state legislators are taking sides in a Knoxville divorce. They have filed a motion to intervene on the side of the wife against the other wife. The couple who were legally married in Washington, D.C., are now seeking a divorce and caught in an ugly custody battle.

Enter our state legislators.

As a minister, I counsel divorcing couples to put the interests of the child first, to set aside animosity, hurt and disagreements and move forward in ways that will allow the child to flourish. My own parents divorced when I was a teenager; however, I always knew they both loved me fiercely. Their shared love for me helped me get through the upheaval of a painful but inevitable transition.

Sadly, the child in this case is caught not only between two parents but also between our state legislators and the federal government.

I have sympathy for the couple. Marriage is hard. When it falls apart it is difficult and heartbreaking. We all have a right to our feelings. When things end up in court, it takes a lot of caring and concern to help two vulnerable people negotiate a new and different future with mutual respect for each other and the well-being of the child first and foremost.

In this case, the welfare of the child must take a back seat so that our elected leaders can have a showdown with the federal government. Their argument is that state laws can be applied only to a man and a woman who are married as husband and wife. If they win their case, a child will be separated from a custodial parent just so politicians can make a point of law.

Unhappy with the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, they have decided to make their last stand in the middle of someone else's divorce. If a child gets hurt in the process, it's just the latest collateral damage from our culture wars.

The relationship between two people in marriage is challenging. Add a child or two and it can get real difficult. Throw 53 legislators in the mix and you have a problem no amount of marriage counseling can solve or any divorce court sort out.

The legislators are working in partnership with the Family Action Council, a religious organization dedicated to upholding marriage and family. It is hard to see how you can protect the sacredness of marriage by taking sides in a divorce. It reminds me of the unintentional humor of the church marquee sign that said, "Don't let worry kill you  let the church help."

The prayer of Saint Francis tells us to become instruments of peace. Where there is hatred we can bring love.

There are other options. Where there is a wound, we can rub in salt. Where there is conflict, we can egg it on. Where there is animosity, we can take sides, file a lawsuit and call it politics as usual.

So to break the endless cycle of tit-for-tat, let me offer an olive branch to those 53 legislators. Anytime you want, we can meet at a honky-tonk. I will put my own money in the jukebox. We can join everyone else in singing along with ol' Hank, "Mind your own business, mind your own business, if you mind your own business, you'll stay busy all the time."

Chris Buice is pastor of Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville.
By Choi Sung-jin



The market capitalization of Korea's 10 largest conglomerates has increased nearly 3 percent this year with Hyundai Heavy Industries Group receiving the best report card, market watchers said Saturday.



According to FnGuide, a financial information provider, the aggregate market value of 88 stocks affiliated with the 10 largest business groups totaled 663.92 trillion won ($590.15 billion) on closing prices Tuesday, up 2.96 percent, or 19.7 trillion won, from Dec. 30, the final trading day of last year.



The Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, which has the world's largest shipbuilder, marked the steepest rise in market cap of 49.04 percent, from 7.71 trillion won to 11.49 trillion won.



It was thanks mainly to Hyundai Heavy Industries' recording of gains in the two consecutive quarters through swift restructuring, which in turn pushed up its share price from 87,800 won to 132,500 won over the cited period, the financial guide said. Hyundai Heavy's share price shot to 145,000 won during midday trading on Sept. 6, marking a new high for 52 consecutive weeks.



The POSCO Group was the runner-up with a 31.46 percent increase in its market cap. The stock price of POSCO shares, the market leader among the nation's steelmakers, jumped almost 35 percent, from 166,500 won to 224,000 won, leading the rise in the entire group's aggregate market value from 18.16 trillion won to 23.88 trillion won.



POSCO's share prices have recently shown strength, reflecting the expectations about rises in international steel prices as a result of the long-awaited restructuring by Chinese steelmakers, which had long dampened the market with their overcapacities and oversupplies.



The SK Group and the Samsung Group ranked third and fourth, with market cap growth rates of 6.43 percent and 6.16 percent, respectively.



Among SK subsidiaries, semiconductor maker SK Hynix and energy company SK Innovation were leading contributors recording increase rates of 22.93 percent and 16.54 percent, respectively. Samsung Electronics (16.56 percent) and Samsung Card (72.77 percent) have also led the market cap increase of the nation's largest family-controlled conglomerate, called chaebol.



On the other hand, the LG Group and the Lotte Group saw their market caps fall by double-digit rates of 10.41 percent and 10.25 percent.



LG Group's market capitalization dropped from 79.24 trillion won to 70.99 trillion won, as share prices of its major affiliates performed poorly. The market caps of LG Innotec, LG Chemical and LG Electronics shrank by 20.81 percent, 27.70 percent and 7.06 percent, respectively.



Lotte Group, which has been under a protracted investigation by the prosecution, also saw its market cap slide from 25.77 trillion won to 23.13 trillion won. Lotte's food and beverage subsidiaries _ Lotte Chilsung, Lotte Confectionary and Lotte Food _ saw their market value plunge 31.84 percent, 28.97 percent and 31.40 percent, respectively, during the period.




By Choi Sung-jin



"If you throw a stone from a hill in Seoul, chances are fifty-fifty that it would hit a Kim, Lee or Park." So goes a Korean joke showing how common the three surnames are.



A recent census has reaffirmed this _ one in every five Koreans living within the country has the family name of Kim, according to a recent population and housing survey by Statistics Korea.



The number of people with Kim as their surname totaled 10.69 million or 21.5 percent of the total population of 51.07 million.



Coming in second and third on the list of most common surnames are Lee or Yi (14.7 percent) and Park (8.4 percent).



Following the big-three were Choe or Choi (4.7 percent), Chung (4.3 percent), Kang (2.4 percent), Cho (2.1 percent), Yun or Yoon (2.1 percent), Chang (2.0 percent) and Lim or Im (1.7 percent).



The 10 most common surnames accounted for 63.9 percent of the total population, down slightly from the comparable ratio of 64.1 percent in 2000.



It was the national statistical agency's first survey of family names and clans in 15 years. Some Chinese characters were turned into more than one Korean surname through their pronunciation, as were the names of Yu (or Yoo) and Ryu.



Among the total of 5,582 family names in Korea as of last November, 1,507 had Chinese characters with the 4,075 being written in Korean letters only. Those surnames without Chinese characters were mostly used by former foreigners who become nationalized Korean citizens later.



There were 36,744 family clans, and 858 of them had 1,000 people or more. The so-called large clans totaled 48.6 million people, accounting for 97.8 percent of population.



By clan, the Kims originating from Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, had the largest number of people with 4.45 million (9 percent of the population), followed by the Parks from Miryang, also South Gyeongsang, with 6.2 percent, the Lees from Jeonju, North Jeolla, with 5.3 percent, the Kims from Gyeongju (3.6 percent), the Lees from Gyeongju (2.8 percent), the Kangs from Jinju (1.9 percent), the Choes from Gyeongju (1.9 percent), the Kims from Gwangsan (1.9 percent), the Yuns from Papyeong (1.6 percent) and the Hans from Cheongju (1.5 percent).



Kim, Lee and Park accounted for 44.6 percent of family names and this share has remained almost unchanged from the medieval Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-A.D. 935) indicating why many large clans originated from the southeastern city.



"In Korea, the Confucian tradition still runs deep with people, an example of which is the practice of not allowing their children to use different surnames from those of their fathers," said Professor Kim Beom-jun of Sungkyunkwan University. "I don't think there will be many changes in the portions of family names in the future, either."



In the aftermath of the release of the census earlier the month, however, Statistics Korea has faced inquiries and protests from some people, especially the associations of some uncommon surnames and clans.



"Other clans have seen the number of their family members increase sharply, but why have ours decreased?" some protesting associations complained.



"The government's survey of family names and clans conducted every 15 years has increased and decreased their numbers at will, so we cannot believe it," other associations said.



Their protests do not seem to be totally without grounds. The family name of Hur originating from Gyeongju, for instance, numbered 271 people in 59 households in the 1985 census, and increased a whopping 24 times to 6,744 people in 2,199 families in 2000. This time around, its total number is not known as it was classified as a minor clan with 1,000 people or fewer.



Explaining the reasons for some disparities, a government official said that until the 2000 survey, the respondents had written their names in Chinese characters that did not reflect their names accurately or they selected the wrong clans, but the statistical agency resorted to administrative data, including family relation certificates for a more correct census this time around.



"To avoid controversy, we did not release some rare surnames and clans but lumped them together as others,'" he said, adding they wanted to avoid data errors and possible infringement on private information.



Critics, however, said it is undesirable for the government to rough-hew official statistics for fear of causing controversies, especially in the matter of families and clans to which most Koreans give great importance.




North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a farm run by the military, the North's state media said Tuesday, marking his first field inspection since last week's nuclear test.

The North's leader reviewed the farm under the Korean People's Army, expressing satisfaction over high-yielding strains of new maize and dry-field rice, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim encouraged officials and employees at the farm to become the vanguard in implementing policies outlined by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of "bringing about a radical turn in seed improvement," it added.

Kim's on-site inspection followed just days after North Korea conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear test to date on Friday, eight months after its fourth nuke test.

The North claimed that it successfully conducted a nuclear warhead explosion test, vowing to bolster its nuclear force.

Right after Pyongyang carried out the nuclear test in January, the North's leader visited the Ministry of Armed Forces, the North's defense ministry. (Yonhap)
The management company, Prain TPC, of actor Ji Soo has provided more details following the actors acute osteomyelitis (inflammation of the bone or bone marrow).

President of Prain TPC, Yeo Jun Yeong, posts a photo of the actor on SNS and writes:

Weeks ago, Ji Soos leg was hurting, and so, he went to the hospital to be able to get treatment and examinations. The doctor said that it might be bone cancer. We went into a larger hospital to get a diagnostic workup. The results would be available after the Chuseok holiday. However, his condition had worsened to the point that he needed painkillers and a wheelchair.

His fever almost rose to 40 degrees Celsius and was admitted to a hospital before the sun rose. The people from the hospital immediately did a body scan and confirmed that it was acute osteomyelitis and not cancer after checking the MRI.

Osteomyelitis is also a painful and terrifying disease. However, it was less bad news since we were praying for it not to be cancer. He had a long surgery that ended around 9 pm yesterday, and I was then able to meet him.

We will observe his progress. We are grateful that this is a hardship which he can overcome. I am deeply grateful to the medical team who did their best. We are in discussion with regards to the current projects that he is filming to find a solution that causes the least inconvenience. But, we will focus on doing our best to console Ji Soos family and take care of him so that he could recover. We apologize to those who were shocked after seeing the news and causing them to worry before the holiday.

Stay tuned for more updates!
2NE1's Sandara Park has teamed up with Thai actor Mario Maurer for the newest campaign of clothing brand, Penshoppe.

Through the official social media channels, Penshoppe released its first ever campaign of Dara and Mario Maurer together on September 14, with the theme 'Penshoppe Rules the City'.

Fans have been eagerly waiting for the team to happen since Dara became one of the brand ambassadors for the clothing brand in 2015. The Thai actor, who gained waves in the Philippines through his movie Crazy Little Called Love, has been an endorser of the brand since 2011.

Despite the long wait and the endless teasers, fans were not disappointed, and expressed their joy as the undeniable chemistry of the two stars radiated through the video and photos.

Dara and Mario invade the city with their chemistry.

Dara has openly expressed her desire to work with the Thai actor in an interview last July in Thailand. The Thai actor has also responded positively to Dara's statement, and considers working with her in a drama or movie in the future.

Source:HelloKpop
Performing her American debut single 'Lifted' CL made this debut more official on September 15th. Performing her English single on The Late Late Show with James Corden, CL captivated the American audience for the first time. Her performance was fresh and fun, showing everyone what a true talent she really is.

The performance was unlike many performances on late night television. Taking advantage of the vast studio, CL made her live performance mimic her music video. She even incorporated the audience into her performance, one member included James Corden himself.

CL was true to herself, showing off her unique fashion sense and mad dance skills. While the reviews of the performance vary by K-Pop fans, there is still hope the song caught the attention of regular Americans, who have not been introduced to the artist before.

It has been nearly four years since label mate and K-Pop sensation Psy dominated the American market. Psy had the staying power when he made multiple appearances on American television. He was even a massive cultural icon, making everyone everywhere do his famous 'Gangnam Style' dance.

Will CL live up to her label mate senior? Or will she surpass expectations and bring a new love of K-Pop to America? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
A former Manchester United steward has been found guilty of murdering an elderly imam for practising black magic in an an Islamic State-inspired killing.

Former Manchester United steward Mohammed Syeedy, 21, was found to have played a key role in helping another man bludgeon to death Jalal Uddin in Rochdale on February 18 this year, a court heard.

The pair developed a hatred of Mr Uddin because he used a form of healing involving amulets, known as taweez, which are said to bring good fortune.



Manchester Crown Court heard that ISIS disapproves of the practice and believes those who engage in it should be killed.

The prosecution said Syeedy intentionally assisted and encouraged Mohammed Kadir, 24, to attack Mr Uddin in a childrens play area in South Street.

They alleged he may have provided the murder weapon on the night and also acted as getaway driver.

Mr Uddin suffered multiple injuries to his head and face in the attack, thought to have involved a hammer, after he visited the nearby Jalalia Mosque for evening prayers and a friends house for a meal.

Kadir, of Chamber Road, Oldham, boarded a flight three days later from Manchester to Copenhagen in Denmark, followed by a connecting flight to Istanbul.

Syeedy said he did not suspect Kadir of planning or being involved in the murder of Mr Uddin.

The defendant told the court he did not agree with taweez and admitted he was involved in a plan to deport illegal overstayer Mr Uddin, a former imam at the Jalalia Mosque.

When that failed, he said, he turned his attentions to exposing Mr Uddins practices and said Kadir entered the park in a bid to dupe him into giving a taweez, which could then be presented to the mosque committee.

Syeedy picked him up from the other side of the park and then, he said, later drove to Oldham to persuade Kadir to go to the police after he told him he left empty-handed when he saw two men nearby Mr Uddin.

Syeedy, of Ramsay Street, Rochdale, denied murder and an alternative count of manslaughter but was found guilty by a jury this afternoon.

Syeedy held his hands to his face in shock after the foreman delivered the verdict after about four hours of jury deliberations.

He later shook his head several times with his face covered as he sat down.

High Court judge Sir David Maddison will sentence him later.

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Nigeria is to protest the seizure of electronic wristbands taken to Saudi Arabia for use by its pilgrims.

The Consulate-General, Nigeria Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Muhammad Yunusa, said this at the post Arafat meeting organised by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) yesterday in Makkah.

The wristbands were introduced by NAHCON to monitor each pilgrims movement and facilitate easy identification where the need arises.

However, thousands of the items were seized at the airport in Madinah by security officials and all entreaties by Nigerian officials for release fell on deaf ears.



Following this, NAHCON suspended the use of the wristbands by the pilgrims rendering the project useless.

Mr. Yunusa said the action of Saudi authorities ran counter to the understanding reached by the two governments before the introduction of the wristbands.

He said the embassy had in February informed the Saudi government of Nigerias plan to introduce the wristbands and this was followed up in July.

This action is unfriendly, undiplomatic and we are going to protest against it, he said.

The diplomat urged state officials of pilgrims welfare agencies to caution their drivers against reckless driving, saying it was giving Nigeria a bad image.

Earlier, the Charge dAffairs of Nigeria to Saudi Arabia, Salisu Umar, commended NAHCON for a hitch free pilgrimage.

He appealed to officials to start preparing early for next years pilgrimage to make it better.

NAN

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The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

Read more
PRESS RELEASE

Russians Offer 72-Hour Cease Fire Extension in Syria, Despite Lack of Cooperation From U.S.

Sept. 16, 2016 (EIRNS)In numerous statements issued today, Russian military officials repeatedly exposed the failure of the U.S. Administration to cooperate in implementing the ceasefire in Syria that began on Sept. 12. Despite this reality, those same Russian officials also expressed their willingness to extend the cease fire yet another 72 hours.

The major sticking point between the US and Russia remains the samethe separation of the so-called moderate opposition groups from the group formerly known as the Al Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al Nusra, which now calls itself Jabhat Fateh Al Sham. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in another phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, stressed this very point again today.

"Lavrov drew attention to the violation of the regime of cessation of hostilities by illegal armed groups and called on Washington to waste no time to implement its promise to separate units of the moderate opposition from Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups not covered by the ceasefire,"

the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"He noted that the list of groups signing agreements on ceasefire observance that was received from the U.S. side has a number of openly terrorist groups having close contacts with Jabhat al-Nusra."

The statement further reported that Kerrys problematic efforts to speed up resolution of the problems stemming from armed groups, threatens not to let humanitarian cargoes to Aleppo.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier in the day that the United States had finally supplied data on U.S.-backed groups in Aleppo but that the data, as supplied, was hardly sufficient, in that it proved that no separation of "moderate opposition" from the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group had been done. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Savchenko, the chief of the Russian reconciliation center in Latakia, charged today, that Syrias "moderate opposition" was using the regime of cessation of activities to regroup its forces.

He reported that there were a total of 39 ceasefire violations over the previous 24 hours. This compares to 45 on Wednesday, 37 on Tuesday and 23 on Monday, the first day of the ceasefire. About half of the violations each day are in Aleppo, including targeting of the Castello road, the main route by which humanitarian relief supplies are to be brought into the city. Savchenko further reported that the rebel groups have not pulled back from the Castello Road, even though Syrian government forces have, while at the same time, the US military is not responding to Russian notifications of the cease fire violations.

The Russians are nonetheless pushing forward with the cease fire effort, to include reconciliation among armed groups and the government on the ground, and the effort to set the political conditions for the resumption of the peace talks in Geneva. The Russian reconciliation center in Latakia, Syria reported today, that four more settlements had signed reconciliation agreements, today, bringing the total to 623. In New York, Russias UN Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said yesterday, that he believes that the UN Security Council should adopt a resolution confirming the cease fire agreement on Sept. 21.
PRESS RELEASE

House of Commons Report on Libya War: Damning Evidence on Obama Behind Regime Change

Sept. 16, 2016 (EIRNS)The same "scathing" report on the Libyan war by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee that forced former Prime Minister David Cameron to resign from his Parliament seat under charges of enabling ISIS to come into being and carrying out a regime change war based on faked intelligence, nails Barack Obama as the one actually responsible for the policy of regime change. Cameron quit the House of Commons on Sept. 12, one day before release of the report that found him responsible for the unnecessary war in Libya, which was aimed at regime change, which handed the country over to the jihadists, and set the world on the course of war with Russia and China.

The evidence on Obama is damning, and the US media has been completely silent about it.

In an April 14, 2011 OpEd in The New York Times, referenced by MP Crispin Blunt, Chairman of the House of Commons Committee, co-authors Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron demanded regime change:

"[S]o long as Qaddafi is in power, NATO must maintain its operations so that civilians remain protected and the pressure on the regime builds. Then a genuine transition from dictatorship to an inclusive constitutional process can really begin.... In order for that transition to succeed, Qaddafi must go and go for good," Obama and the others wrote. However, the Parliamentary report found: "If the primary object of the coalition intervention was the urgent need to protect civilians in Benghazi, then this objective was achieved in March 2011 in less than 24 hours. This meant that a limited intervention to protect civilians drifted into an opportunist policy of regime change by military means."

In the section titled, UNITED STATES, the report says that Obama believed a "no fly zone" was insufficient and wanted the policy of bombing the Libyan governments ground forces and winning the war using "all necessary means."

"Former US Ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder, pointed out:

" Cameron was pushing for a no-fly zone, but in the U.S. there was great scepticism. A no-fly zone wasnt effective in Bosnia, it wasnt effective in Iraq, and probably wasnt going to be effective in Libya. When President Obama was confronted with the argument for a no-fly zone, he asked how this was going to be effective. Gaddafi was attacking people. A no-fly zone wasnt going to stop him. Instead, to stop him we would need to bomb his forces attacking people.

"The United States was instrumental in extending the terms of Resolution 1973 beyond the imposition of a no-fly zone to include the authorisation of all necessary measures to protect civilians. In practice, this led to the imposition of a no-drive zone and the assumed authority to attack the entire Libyan Government command and communications network."

Lord (William) Hague of Richmond, who was British Foreign Secretary in 2011, said in his testimony that it was the Obama Administration that changed the UN resolution backed by Cameron and the British from "no-fly zone" to "all necessary measures." Hague said:
PRESS RELEASE

Zepp-LaRouche Issues Appeal to the United Nations General Assembly

Sept. 17 (EIRNS)In a statement issued Sept. 16, Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche appealed to the upcoming United Nations General Assembly to act now to implement "A New Paradigm for the Common Aims of Mankind!" Her full statement appears below:

It is crucial that the General Assembly of the United Nations now convening in New York, build on the progress that the G20 Summit has achieved under Chinas leadership. The course has been set toward a new financial architecture, and the opportunity is greater than ever that all nations can participate in the building of the New Silk Road on the basis of win-win cooperation, and that the productivity of the world economy will rise on the basis of innovation, while poverty and the consequences of war are overcome. The main problem, however, is that the West continues to cling to the status quo of a unipolar world and the neo-liberal financial system, although both of those objectives have long been unachievable. The rise of Asia signifies that one nation cannot set the rules, but that solutions must be found through dialogue and negotiation. The neo-liberal system is in the throes of an existential crisis.

The first twin of globalizationthe policy of regime-change and alleged humanitarian interventionshas cost the lives of millions of people, brought untold suffering to millions more, destroyed entire regions, created the breeding grounds for the spread of terrorism, and set off huge waves of refugees. The wars against Iraq and Afghanistan alone, according to the study of Professor Neta Crawford of Brown University, have cost five trillion dollars, and for what result?

The second twin of globalizationthe system of maximum profit for the TBTF banks which are supposedly too big to be allowed to fail,has led to an unbearable gap between rich and poor. And if certain banks have to pay the full sum of their fines for criminal methods, they must declare bankruptcy because their capital base is insufficient. Hence, a new meltdown threatens, with even more catastrophic consequences than the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, now that central bank instruments are exhausted and no longer effective.

In that context, two reports released in Great Britain offer an extraordinary opportunity to re-assess and correct the current policy. After the Chilcot Report, which laid the blame on Tony Blair for the illegal Iraq war which was built on lies, a commission of the British Parliament has levelled no less scathing charges against former Prime Minister David Cameron for the war in Libya. That war was carried out on erroneous assumptions, and led to political and economic collapse, inter-militia and inter-tribal warfare, humanitarian and migrant crises, widespread human rights violations, the spread of Qaddafi regime weapons across the region, and the growth of ISIL in North Africa.

On the role of the United States, the report states that the United States was instrumental in extending the terms of Resolution 1973 beyond the imposition of a no-fly zone to include the authorization of all necessary measures to protect civilians. In practice, this led to the imposition of a no-drive zone and the assumed authority to attack the entire Libyan Government command and communications network.

That same overall review of the current policy should, of course, include the implications of the 28 pages of the official Joint Congressional Inquiry Report, which deal with the circumstances of the attacks of September 11, 2001, as well as the JASTA bill, both of which necessitate a completely new investigation.

In light of the horrendous suffering this failed policy has causedthe millions of dead and injured, the traumatized children and soldiers (including in the nations waging war), the destruction of cities, villages, infrastructure and irreplaceable cultural wealthit is not only appropriate, but a moral obligation for the countries that took part in these wars in the different coalitions of the willing, to examine the political process in their parliaments, and to fully participate in the reconstruction of the regions that have been devastated. This will not bring the dead back to life, but the admission of guilt and a genuine change of policy towards development would give the people living there today hope for a future.

The status quo cannot be maintained. As a result of both twins of globalization, there has been an enormous loss of trust among the population in the trans-Atlantic world. Right-wing populist and right-extremist parties are massively gaining strength. The conditions of the 1930s threaten to reappear in a new form; the European Union is crumbling; and the refugee crisis will not be solved by securing the external EU borders, but only relocated and removed from the news. The U.S. economy is collapsing, while the society is more than ever torn and overtaken by violence. Either this process will lead to an escalation of the confrontation with Russia and China and the extermination of mankind in a great war, or the leading politicians in the West will have the moral integrity to correct the errors of the past.

The Solution

To come back to the positive proposition in the beginning of this appeal, the course has been set toward a way out of this crisis of civilization since the G20 summit. Not only has China presented a new level of cooperation based not on geopolitics, but rather on a policy in the mutual interest of all, it has also pledged to industrialize Africa and other low-income countries, an approach that could both solve the refugee crisis and eliminate the terrorist environment. Clearly, the extension of the New Silk Road to the Middle East and Africa both requires and will bring about growth rates of 7 to 10% a year.

And just as promptly, the Club of Rome stepped in with a new report under the cynical title in the German translation of One Percent Is Enough. Following its recommendations would result in population reduction, a fascist policy for which the Club of Rome is infamous. The UN recently stressed that Africa needs a growth rate of at least 7-8%. When one of the authors of the Club of Rome report, the Norwegian Jorgen Randers, comes out with the absurd statement, My daughter is the most dangerous animal in the world, because she consumes 30 times more energy than a girl in a developing country, it serves to show on what image of man the Club of Rome bases its argument, i.e. man as a beast.

But man, in contrast to all other creatures, is able to use his creative potential to continually discover new insights into the laws of the universe; this is called scientific progress. The unlimited process of perfecting the human mind has a correspondence in the laws of the physical universe, which develops to ever higher energy-flux densities. We are not in a closed system on the Earth, as the Club of Rome and similar organizations claim; rather, our planet is an integral part of the Solar System, the Galaxy, and the Universe, about which space research is discovering more and more. This research yields many advantages for Earth itself, and it is therefore fantastic that China announced at the G20 summit that it would share with developing countries the most advanced research results of their space and lunar exploration projects.

Mankind has arrived at a crossroads. If we continue to walk the well-trodden paths with a policy of more of the same, the world threatens to come apart. If, on the contrary, we can agree on the common aims of mankindan economic and financial order that serves the well-being of all mankind, and makes possible a decent life for every person on this Earth through the securing of raw materials and energy through higher technologies such as thermonuclear fusion, the exploration of space to safeguard our planet, and a renaissance of Classical cultures,then we will be able to usher in a new, better era in the history of our species.

The General Assembly of the United Nations is the fitting place for the new paradigm of our one mankind, based on that which comes before all the differences among nations, to be established and celebrated.
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The Getty Villa, that reproduction Roman estate in the Pacific Palisades where the J. Paul Getty Museum keeps an antiquities collection, has presented a Greek or Roman play in its outdoor amphitheater every September since the remodel and reopening of the villa in 2006. On opening night, museum director Timothy Potts introduces the performance with a brief scholarly lecture.

Potts is tall, slim and dashing, with a crisp Australian accent and an aura of erudition. On his way onstage to introduce this falls production, Haunted House Party: A Roman Comedy, adapted and performed by L.A.'s Troubadour Theater Company, he elegantly navigated a freewheeling circus.

Cast members were juggling pins and catching rings with their heads. Others meandered among the aisles, noodling on mandolins and chatting up audience members.

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When they saw Potts coming, they scattered like rabbits and took cover behind the set. People in the audience sat up straighter, as if bracing themselves for education.

Potts smiled apologetically and began to discuss drama in ancient Rome and the works of playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. The audience reacted with howls of laughter. Potts, looking startled, glanced behind him. Of course. The irrepressible Troubies, as members of the 20-year-old company are fondly known, were clowning around, peeking impatiently through the windows and doors of the set.

Thats what happens when you invite the Troubies to your house: You become part of their show. Latecomers  hit with spotlights and taunted by the performers  are part of the show. Flubbed lines and prop fails are part of the show. And even though the script was written 2,000 years ago, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Ryan Lochte, the hit musical Hamilton and other modern phenomena are part of the show too.

Troubie fans could have warned the Getty Villa. The troupe performs all over the city but most regularly in Burbank at the Falcon Theatre, owned by the late Hollywood director Garry Marshall, who adopted the company in 1998. There members honed their campy and oddly addictive specialty: setting the works of Shakespeare to the tunes of Three Dog Night (Twelfth Dog Night), Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood MacBeth), Prince (Hamlet, the Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark), Barry Manilow (Frosty the Snow Manilow) and a long list of other pop acts.

Because the Getty Villa sits in a residential neighborhood, use of the outdoor theater is subject to restrictions. The sound cant exceed 65 decibels. Thats about as loud as a shower, said Matt Walker, the companys founder. No amplification, no microphones, no drums, no electric instruments, no wailing pop vocals. The audience is even asked to applaud respectfully.

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Fans know theyll be serenaded with Youre So Late (Carly Simon-style) if they try to sneak in after the curtain. They hope a performer will mess up and Walker, the companys director, adapter, star and occasional referee, will throw his foul flag.

But of course the Getty Villa knew what to expect too, because it has worked with the Troubies before. Back in 2008, Ralph Flores, the project specialist for the theater program, invited the Troubies to develop a play in the Getty Lab, which provides a budget, access to its collections and scholars, two weeks of rehearsal time and a weekend of performances in its auditorium.

The Troubies pitched some titles: Electra Light Orchestra, Duran DurAntony and Cleopatra and the winner, Oedipus the King, Mama, a Sophocles-Elvis mashup that ran in 2009. That was followed by For the Birds, based on Aristophanes Birds, in 2011, and ABBAmemmnon in 2014. A partnership that initially seemed a mismatch in brow heights had turned into a fertile and mutually enthusiastic collaboration.

With Haunted House Party, the Troubies move outdoors to the 450-seat Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater, which initially had seemed out of reach.

I actually thought we would never have a chance to program the outdoor classic theater because of the noise restrictions, Walker recalled during a conversation with Flores and fellow Troubies.

So when Ralph approached us two years ago and said, We think we can make it work out there, our eyes got real big.

The challenge of adapting the Troubies energetic pop sound to this environment fell to Eric Heinly, who has been the groups musical director since 1998. He initially hoped to score the show using only instruments that were available in ancient Rome.

We had a vision of some guy sitting there playing the lyre, he said. And maybe some flutes and trumpets. But those antiquated instruments, theyre really just mood pieces, whole-tone instruments that have five, six, seven notes. We had to use something that could play more notes.

Finally he added a harpsichord, an anachronism but at least a quaint and acoustic one, along with a cello, an accordion, some mandolins, lutes, whistles and a melodica. With only these instruments, Heinly had to select and orchestrate a pop score that would humorously illuminate the characters and plot of Plautus Mostellaria (The Haunted House).

The Troubies tend to start with a title  the more ridiculous the better  and then develop the show that fits it. (They have plenty of possibilities in the pipeline, including The Merry Wives of Earth, Windsor and Fire.) In this case, they had the play before they had the score. The Getty staff, after a run of tragedies (The Persians in 2014, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles in 2015), was in the mood for a comedy.

Security guards were approaching me and saying, Please, we need a comedy. Were tired of people slicing their wrists, Flores said. I was, like, OK, Im on it.

The team chose Mostellaria for its accessibility. I call it a Threes Company episode, Walker said. The master goes away, and the scheming servants are, Oh, gosh, weve got to pull the wool over his eyes.

In his fathers absence, a young man throws a house party that lasts for three years. When his father suddenly turns up, the young man has to stop him from going inside. His clever slave comes up with the idea of pretending the house is haunted.

Were excited for audiences to go, Is that Air Supply? Are they really doing Air Supply on a harpsichord?  Troubador Theater Company founder Matt Walker

We started riffing on the title, Walker said. Mostell-REO Speedwagon was one of the ones we came up with. But then it was decided that you cant really spoof a title that nobody knows. So we worked with the Getty scholar and our dramaturge, Amy Richlin, to see what we could get away with, and she thought Haunted House Party was a great fit.

They spent months choosing party songs from the pop canon.

Were excited for audiences to go, Is that Air Supply? Are they really doing Air Supply on a harpsichord? Walker said.

To provide historical context, Getty education specialist Shelby Brown provided tours of the antiquities.

Shelbys so passionate when she explains a vase and whats happening on it, said Beth Kennedy, a Troubie since 1998 and one of the producers of Haunted House Party. Shes so knowledgeable but really just digs it, and shes able to explain it to me in a way where I would have just walked by it in the past, but now people come and Im like, This is what this guys doing, and see how he has a flute "

The more the Troubies learned about Plautus and his era, the more uncanny their emerging adaptation came to seem. Because there were no established theaters in ancient Rome, plays were performed by traveling troupes. The actors, Brown writes in the plays program, talked directly to the audiences, ad-libbing in the moment, and using slapstick and bawdy jokes.

This has been sort of a goose-bumpy experience, Walker said. In 1995 we formed as a troupe. We called ourselves Troubadour because we had no home or permanent space. We were disparate actors, clowns, musicians  all different disciplines. To learn about Plautus troupes, how they were itinerant and collected performers as they went, how they were topical, political, how they included improvisations in their performances, they had musical interludes  it was, sort of, are we those people, 2,000 years in the future?

------------

Haunted House Party: A Roman Comedy

Where: Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Outdoor Classical Theater at the Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; ends Oct. 1

Tickets: $40-$45

Information: (310) 440-7300 or www.getty.edu

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Follow The Times arts team @culturemonster.

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Ivo van Hove brings his stripped-down View From the Bridge to Los Angeles
Larry Clark makes art out of real life. Its not always pretty, but it aims to ring true.

This is evident in Clarks new solo show, which opens Saturday as the inaugural exhibit inside a new 4,500-square-foot complex created by United Talent Agency called UTA Artist Space. The filmmaker and photographer, 74, said that even though he has staged many shows in more than 50 years, this one has him more excited and nervous than hes been in a long time.

This is personal work  work that people havent seen, Clark said recently by phone of the 50 works exhibited in the new venue in downtown Los Angeles.

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The new space is the work of Joshua Roth, who came to the agency in 2015 to start its first fine arts division. Roth, a fan of Clarks and an art collector, asked Clark to create the first exhibit. Clark is not a UTA client, and Roth intends to feature artists of various genres regardless of affiliation with UTA.

Clark is best known for his edgy documentary-style photographs of youths getting high as well as for his film Kids, a portrait of teen aimlessness, debauchery and sexuality that shocked and disturbed audiences in 1995. This solo show contains eight paintings that Clark created while shooting his latest feature film in Paris and while recovering from spinal surgery in New York.

No one has seen them up close but me, Clark said, adding that painting served as a form of escapism for him after shooting all day. Id be so stressed out that I couldnt sleep or eat, so I started painting every night after wed wrap.

Never-before-seen photographs include ones Clark made in the early 1960s, when he was shooting the gritty black-and-white images of friends hanging out and doing drugs  pictures that formed his groundbreaking first book, Tulsa. These are complimented by a looped screening of a film he shot on 16-millimeter film using a Bolex camera in 1968 featuring the same kids and subject matter, and bearing the same title.

All my early work was autobiographical, Clark said. In the 50s and early 60s there was a secret world  Eisenhower was president and there wasnt supposed to be drugs and alcoholic parents and child abuse and  incest, but I shot it, it was all around me. If I had seen these images anywhere else I wouldnt have to take them.

The two pieces that Clark is the most animated about  that he feels the need to discuss in detail thanks to the emotional resonance they hold for him and the loaded nature of the subject matter  are two large collages featuring the actor Brad Renfro, who starred in Clarks 2001 film Bully.

The photos in the collages are gripping and tragic, given that Renfro died of a drug overdose in 2008. Renfro is shown shirtless, glassy-eyed and manic, shooting up cocaine in his underwear in a messy bedroom in his grandmothers house in Knoxville, Tenn. Clark found Renfro like that after his 18th birthday, when the director drove from New York to pick up the young actor and take him to Florida where filming for Bully was to take place.

He walked out the door, and he doesnt have his shirt on, and his palms are out and theres blood running down both arms, Clark said. And he had been shooting coke. He was all bloated and [messed] up and I said,  There goes Bully, there goes my movie. So I stayed with Brad for three or four days and I just photographed him constantly  just shooting cocaine and shooting more cocaine.

If I had seen these images anywhere else, I wouldnt have to take them.  Larry Clark

Eventually Clark drove Renfro to Florida while the actor detoxed, having seizures along the way. The director hired two people to watch Renfro 24/7 during the making of the film, but Clark said the actor slipped them one night, found a dealer, took a yacht for a joyride and landed in jail. It was front-page news. In 2005 Renfro would again make the news pages, this time in Los Angeles after getting swept up in a drug bust on skid row.

Clark loved Renfro and laments the path his life took. The actor told Clark that he had cleaned up his act, but Clark  no stranger to drugs himself  knew better.

So this is a very special show for me, Clark said. Im really excited and nervous and scared and happy.

------------

Larry Clark

Where: UTA Artist Space, 670 S. Anderson St., Los Angeles

When: Opens noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Then open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Ends Oct. 29.

Admission: Free.

Information: (323) 604-9589

jessica.gelt@latimes.com

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Ever wondered what its like to go behind-the-scenes at a movie premiere? We trailed British star Bel Powley, best known for her captivating turn in 2015s Diary of a Teenage Girl, at last weeks unveiling of her new movie, Carrie Pilby, to find out what really happens after the credits start rolling.

I need a glass of wine, Bel Powley said, walking out of the theater where her new movie had just premiered. I asked for water and they were like, Its a green university, so theres no plastic. She followed a well-heeled crowd out of the auditorium, on the campus of a local school, and clustered backstage with her fellow cast members, exchanging cheek kisses. She thought her new film, the romantic comedy Carrie Pilby, had gone over well with the film festival crowd. People laughed, anyway, she reasoned.

The skirt on her dress, however, created by British designer Mary Katrantzou, was a bit too long, so she had to keep hiking it up. She did this once more before exiting the building, where a clutch of fans were waiting behind metal barricades to meet her. They greeted her with a smattering of applause.

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Can we do a quick selfie and tweet it out? a middle-aged woman asked. I have about four followers.

Powley obliged and then continued down the red carpet to a waiting SUV. She asked the driver to fold down the seats so she could climb into the last row of the vehicle.

Im going to get in the back, like a loser! she exclaimed. No one else is going to get back here.

Her manager and a slew of publicists promoting the film  in which Powley plays a precocious teenager who graduates from Harvard University at 18 only to find trouble adapting to the so-called real world  hopped in the car, too.

At the beginning, I was just getting sent parts where theres loads of nudity.  Powley

Theres chewing gum back here, Powley said, taking a piece from an already-opened package. She smoothed out her dress and took a moment to admire it.

Isnt it sick? she asked. Its influenced by cowboys and princesses. Thats kind of how I consider myself. Half cowboy and half princess.

Even though she traveled to umpteen film festivals on the Diary of a Teenage Girl press tour, this marked her first visit to the one in Toronto, which traditionally kicks off the awards circuit. I think it suits Toronto, whatever that means, she said of Carrie Pilby, which is still seeking theatrical distribution. Thats just something people say.

After Diary, she had trouble settling on a film she wanted to do next. Most of the scripts she was offered required her to play someone especially young, or get naked, like she did in the Marielle Heller film.

At the beginning, I was just getting sent parts where theres loads of nudity, she recalled. It was like, Oh, she does that. Shell get her [breasts] out!

She liked Carrie Pilby, which is based on Caren Lissners bestselling 2003 coming-of-age novel, because the character is supposed to be a genius. She liked the idea of saying lines in which she recites the formulas for alcohol compounds. Powley herself, who grew up in London, never attended college.

I was meant to, she said. I was going to go study history and politics. I wanted to be prime minister. And then it just failed.

She was never a bad student, though. She said she didnt have a lot of friends in high school because she was so geeky.

I was really small, she explained. I was one of those really small people with a really big rucksack that kind of bobbed along and ate lunch in the library.

Though she didnt head off to the ivy-covered grounds of an elite university like Carrie, Powley could relate to the characters loneliness. At 18, she moved to New York for eight months to do a show on Broadway, and she spent most of it completely on her own, reading and going to museums to fill the time.

She looked out the window of the car, which was idling in traffic.

Where are we going, though, actually? she asked one of her representatives, who replied with the name of the place that was hosting the afterparty. She seemed resigned to follow her teams instructions on where she needed to be. Earlier that day, when shed started to have her makeup done for the event, she said she just closed her eyes and said, Literally, do whatever.

She asked a publicist for her purse and pulled her cellphone out, flipping to Instagram, where she has 18,000 followers.

I Instagram about womens stuff, she said with a smile. You know, like, womens stuff? Like power to the women? Feminism?

She said she would not use her iPhone to Google early reviews of Carrie Pilby later that day.

Damaging stuff, she insisted. I just dont see the point. Sometimes, if someone is really nice, it can be damaging as well. If someones like, Oh, shes really amazing doing this one thing, guarantee youll never be able to do it again. Nothings organic anymore if you start reading what people are saying.

A minute later, the car pulled up to the party venue. She posed for some pictures on a step-and-repeat, hiked up her skirt again and went inside, where she promptly sidled up to the bar and ordered something clear with three slices of lime.

The room resembled a hip loft and was scarcely decorated, with empty Ciroc vodka bottles lining the windows. She sat on a gray couch next to one of her costars, Saturday Night Live cast member Vanessa Bayer, and her boyfriend, Douglas Booth. He had a movie premiering at the festival the following day, The Limehouse Golem. The pair met while working on a film about Frankenstein author Mary Shelley a few months ago.

The screenwriter of Carrie Pilby and her husband joined the couple and told Powley how good they thought her performance was in the movie. They said they liked how she made a character who could have been so bitter and unlikeable somehow endearing.

I know! Done by a bad actress, Powley joked, she could have been really annoying.

amy.kaufman@latimes.com

Twitter: @AmyKinLA
Sifting through this months Toronto International Film Festival lineup, there were plenty of titles that caught my eye. The Ryan Gosling musical La La Land. Lion, about an Indian orphan searching for his roots. Did I mention the movie where Gosling sings and dances?

And then there was Rats, the latest film from documentary veteran Morgan Spurlock. Oooh! I thought. This sounds cool! I bet Im going to learn that rats arent nearly as creepy or revolting as Ive always imagined! Kind of like Shark Week, or something.

Yeah, so I was wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong. Rats carry diseases that can make us seriously ill, their population rates are exploding and they evolve 10 times faster than humans, so we dont even know how to kill them properly. Its all very encouraging!

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I started to learn all of these terrible things at a dinner in honor of Spurlocks film, which to be quite honest, I had reservations about going to in the first place. A dinner in honor of a film about Rats? How does that sound like a good idea? I was fully expecting some sort of rat delicacy to be served, or for rats to be displayed in cages around the restaurant.

Alas, there was only kale salad and smoked rainbow trout on the menu. No rats were harmed in the making of this dinner, Spurlock assured the table as the event got underway.

I should note here how bizarre it is to eat dinner next to Spurlock, who at 45 is still best known for his 2004 film Super Size Me, in which he ate nothing but McDonalds for one month. Particularly because he seems to be extremely health-conscious these days. He stuck mostly to chicken, and when a bowl of fried potatoes were placed in front of him, he promptly pushed them away. Well, that just looks like carb-city, he said.

But back to Rats. Why make a movie about them? Does anyone honestly want to think about these parasite carriers walking among us every day? (Clearly, the Discovery Channel thinks so, since it acquired the film and will broadcast it on Oct. 22. Itll play at midnight in a couple of Landmark Theatres next weekend, too.)

Its not like every documentary has to save the world, said Spurlock, who did, to be fair, make a concert film about the boy band One Direction. We made a fantastic horror documentary that will scare you and enlighten you, but entertain you the way a movie should. The idea that docs should only be mission-driven is a misnomer.

That being said, Rats does actually raise some interesting questions about all of the garbage humans produce  which rats, of course, thrive on  and how the poison rats ingest is affecting the food chain. The creatures, which originated in Mongolia and, after migrating to the New World, have been living in cities like Manhattan for upwards of 250 years, are quickly becoming immune to the rodenticides we use to try to kill them. But the other animals that eat rats, such as foxes and eagles, arent immune to such poisons. So when they eat rats, they die.

Meanwhile, the list of diseases rats carry  5 million viruses on one foot!  is ever-expanding. The plague may sounds like an illness from the dark ages, but what about E-coli, salmonella or leptospira? Public health officials are constantly studying rats to monitor these changes, and what theyre finding is, frankly, horrifying. In one scene in the film, a researcher in New Orleans cuts into a dead rat to find a squiggling fly larvae that hatched from an egg laid under the rodents skin. I will never sleep again.

No one knows these horrors better than Ed Sheehan, a New York City exterminator who has spent 48 years in the pest control industry. He was also seated next to me at the Rats dinner, and so I asked him: Ed, WHY?

Money, pretty much.

If youre gonna pay me to go in there and do it, I got no problem, said Sheehan, who speaks with the thickest New York accent ever. Well come to an agreement and Ill go in there and kill em. Very simple.

There are, of course, some who feel like Sheehan  that rats arent that bad. In the doc, we encounter some of them: Exterminators in Mumbai who walk through garbage piles in sandals killing rats with their bare hands. Restaurant patrons in Vietnam who feast on an entire meal comprised of different rat entrees. Spurlock even travels to a temple in Rajasthan where locals believe that rats are just the incarnated spirits of loved ones they have lost. Accordingly, theyre willing to drink from the same milk pan that hundreds of the rodents are lapping from.

After making the film, even Spurlock says hes pretty desensitized to rats now. I mean, the guy went into the sewers of Paris and had dozens of the things running over his feet, so what do you expect? (New York City, by the way, wouldnt let the director into its sewers, which is kind of terrifying in itself.)

The thing Spurlock still finds most troublesome about rats is the diseases they carry; Sheehan, meanwhile, fears how smart they are. The worst infestation the longtime exterminator ever saw, he said, was in a Brooklyn building owned by a local hospital. He tried everything: Cement, sheet metal, even shooting the rats with pellets, which is illegal. He went to the site five times a week for six months and all told, caught almost 500 rats. And there were still some he left behind.

Rats are extremely intelligent, so its like a chess game, said Sheehan. Theyve always been portrayed as these terrible creatures. But Ive seen rats take better care of their kids than some people. Theres just too many of them.

amy.kaufman@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @AmyKinLA
You got a bad back, you go see a chiropractor.

You got a toothache, you go see a dentist.

You got the election year blues, you go see Stu Spencer.

So I drove to Palm Desert, pulled up to Keedys Fountain Grill, and had lunch with the man.

Spencer ran four of Ronald Reagans campaigns  two for governor, two for president. He is admired by people on the right and the left and misses the days when common ground between the major political parties was something you worked for rather than against.

Last time we met at Keedys I thought Spencer was choking on his food. Turned out he was gagging at the mention of Fox News and MSNBC.

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Spencer had no patience back then for gas-bag punditry on the non-issues of the day. He wanted reason and not rants, substance and not smirks. Id throw out the name of a radio or TV personality and hed lean in and say, Hes an ass.

Im happy to report that Spencer, now 89, is as salty as ever, and held nothing back in talking about how weve ended up with two of the most unpopular presidential candidates in history. Spencer, by the way, doesnt care for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

At all.

Hes on medication because of it.

Five milligrams, he said, giving me the name of the pill he pops. My wife said, Youre depressed. I said, No, Im pissed. I go to the doctor, he asks me a bunch of questions. He says, Youre depressed.

Last year, he and another Reagan man, Ken Khachigian, penned a blistering response to Trumps claim that Reagan was somebody I that I actually knew and liked. And he liked me. And I worked with him and helped him.

We knew Ronald Reagan. We served alongside President Reagan. Ronald Reagan was our friend. And, Mr. Trump, youre no Ronald Reagan.  Ken Khachigian

That was news to Spencer and Khachigian, whose op-ed closed with this:

We knew Ronald Reagan. We served alongside President Reagan. Ronald Reagan was our friend. And, Mr. Trump, youre no Ronald Reagan.

One thing that makes Spencer want to spit is that for years, hes been telling GOP leaders they need to recruit rather than repulse Latino and other minority voters or the party is as doomed nationally as it has become in California. But Trumps candidacy has done just the opposite.

Spencer, who noted that Reagan signed a bill that amnestied millions of illegal immigrants, said he gets hate mail every time he talks about Latinos. Spencer grew up with Latinos in San Gabriel, and as he tells it, he learned to say Kiss my in Spanish at an early age. Those words have been on the tip of his tongue throughout this election cycle.

At Keedys, Spencer ordered a cheeseburger, then pulled out a list of liabilities and missteps by each candidate.

Trump, he wrote, has flip-flopped more than any candidate in his lifetime, and Spencer scrawled 15 examples, from mass deportation and abortion to whether he supported the Iraq war.

Clinton, he wrote, is an ethical disaster who equals Trump in lies.

But his Clinton list didnt have as many examples as his Trump list. Despite her negatives, I think Clinton will get strong support from women who respect her focus on women and families and didnt appreciate Trumps uncouth comments about Carly Fiorina and Megyn Kelly.

Spencer was aghast during the primary, when Trump launched personal attacks on Fiorina and other GOP opponents. Reagan, said Spencer, would have been dumbfounded at the lack of class Trumps got. Hed attack you on your policies but hed never attack the person.

When I asked Spencer to elaborate on his issues with Clinton, he said shes got a ton of baggage and has a tin ear for politics.

How so the tin ear?

When you get pneumonia, as Hillary did, you dont try to cover it up. Every family has had someone with pneumonia. You take antibiotics and youre back on your feetthats how you handle it.

In the old days, Spencer said, candidates as flawed as Trump and Clinton wouldnt have gotten this far because party leaders held great power and wouldnt have allowed it. But now theres a new king maker.

Its about whos got the dough, Spencer said, either to self-finance a campaign or capitalize on independent expenditures by outsiders.

Parties have splintered and lost their core purposes, Spencer went on. Democrats are in a fix, he said, with the rise of young voters attracted to Bernie Sanders brand of socialism. And his beloved GOP has moved too far from its small government/lower taxes mantra and taken on too many social issues.

Every year, he said, he and President Reagan would drive out to see the Rev. Jerry Falwell, and every year, Falwell would implore Reagan  who was an abortion foe but had signed an abortion bill as governor  to take up abortion and repeal Roe vs. Wade. Reagan would listen politely but commit to nothing.

On one trip back to the White house, Spencer turned to Reagan and said:

Mr. President, are you giving serious thought to trying to repeal Roe v. Wade? He turned to me and said, Stu, do I look insane to you? I said, No sir, you look wonderful.

Another negative force in American politics, as Spencer sees it, was the advent of political news coverage as a 24-hour ratings game, with too little focus on what really matters. And social media, despite its benefits, gives a platform to every idiot who can get on there and blah, blah, blah.

Its easier to demagogue now as a candidate, Spencer said, and get by on simple answers to complicated problems regardless of whether those answers are logical or correct or ethical.

In this climate, he said, whoever becomes the next president will have a terrible job for the next four or eight years, a period in which gargantuan foreign and domestic issues will persist.

I asked Spencer what advice hed give to the two camps in the remaining seven weeks of the campaign.

He didnt want the job, but I managed to drag a few thoughts out of him.

Hed advise Trump to soften a bit and be nice and kind to the woman. To be tough on issues but treat her as a person.

Hed advise Clinton to focus on his weaknesses and how they impact her base supporters, including minorities.

Each candidate has the advantage, Spencer said, of running against the other.

Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez.

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A wild chase and shootout through the streets of Philadelphia left two police officers and three civilians wounded and a woman and the suspect fatally shot.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Sgt. Sylvia Young was ambushed late Friday night and shot a number of times in the arm and protective vest. He said Ed Miller, a former police officer who is now a member of the police force at the University of Pennsylvania, was also wounded. Both were in stable condition early Saturday at Penn Presbyterian Hospital.

One of the three civilians who were wounded was in critical condition, police said.

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The suspect was cornered in an alley and fatally shot by police, the commissioner said.

Young, a 19-year police veteran, was sitting in her vehicle at about 11:20 p.m. when she was ambushed by the suspect, who fired numerous shots, Ross said. Young was struck up to eight times, multiple times in her protective vest and left arm.

The suspect fled, Ross said, and shot into a nearby bar, striking a security guard in the leg. The man then grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg.

Moments later, as police gave chase, the suspect shot into a car, striking a man and a woman in the chest. Police said the woman died and the man was in critical condition.

Ross said Miller and two police officers chased the man into an alley, where he was shot and killed.

The identities of the suspect and the others who were injured were not immediately released.

Mayor Jim Kenney praised officers and pleaded with them to follow Youngs example and wear their protective vests.

Thank you for what you do for us every day, and please, please, please, every shift, please wear your vest, he said. They will save your life, as we saw tonight.

Last night's West Philly shooting left 2 cops wounded, 1 victim dead, 1 in critical condition, suspect killed https://t.co/TlQQYFrshv  Billy Penn (@billy_penn) September 17, 2016

Update: Suspect shot, killed after 2 officers, 4 civilians are wounded in shooting https://t.co/qaqu7s5SH5 pic.twitter.com/cVlgm5430X  FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) September 17, 2016

Police now say at least 1 suspect in custody following shooting of 2 officers in W Philly. https://t.co/6yZpVTnu8T pic.twitter.com/lSIW1f0ZHy  NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) September 17, 2016

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UPDATES:

5:45 a.m.: Updated with a quote from the mayor.

5:30 a.m. Sept. 17: Updated with a new casualty total.

11:50 p.m.: Updated with four more wounded, suspect dead.

This article was first posted at 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 16.
Four weeks into the new school year, Jose Lara, the dean of a South Los Angeles high school, approached a sagging white bungalow and shook the gate, summoning the households guard dog, a Chihuahua.

Do you know where Stefani is? he asked the woman who opened the door. She didnt  in fact, no one knew where the 10th-grader was. The year before, Stefani had attended Laras school, the institutional-sounding Santee Education Complex. But over the summer she had disappeared with her 25-year-old Salvadoran boyfriend.

She was 16, her mother was dead, and her father was absent. The only people looking for her were an LAPD detective and Lara.

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Lara climbed into his car, consulted his spreadsheet of missing students, and made a note by Stefanis name.

Jose Lara, Dean of Santee Education Complex, as he walks the South Los Angeles neighborhoods. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

On my list of kids Im going to visit today, one is incarcerated and one has been kidnapped, he said dryly. Lets find out where the other ones are.

On that day in September, Santees enrollment stood at 1,779 students in the general education program. (Students with special needs are counted separately.) Although this was a significant improvement over past years, it still was shy of principal Martin Gomezs goal of 1,782, and time was running out. Like most L.A. district schools, Santee had until Sept. 16, norm day in education jargon, to increase its enrollment. For the district to pay for more teaching positions, all the school needed was three more students.

A one-time head count taken on Friday would decide which schools got more teachers and funding, according to a predetermined ratio, and which had to face the unpleasant reality of losing staff and redistributing children. Until then, a ritualistic scramble would take place, largely invisible to the public, but with real consequences.

Its going to be very close.  Martin Gomez

Principal Martin Gomez walks through Santee Education Complex in South L.A. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )

For a school opened in 2005 to relieve overcrowding, the fact that Santee was under capacity might seem like a sign of progress, but Gomez didnt see it that way.

The schools disastrous early years, marked by more than a dozen rival gangs fighting for control of the building  open warfare, as Lara put it  had taken a toll. As competition from charter schools and magnet programs grew increasingly fierce, Santees enrollment dropped, teachers were reassigned to other schools, and the campus became synonymous with chaos. Even the schools original name, South L.A. Area High School No. 1, suggested no one wanted to embrace it.

Gomez, 39, and his predecessor had worked hard to make Santee safe and to improve its reputation and morale. Students became Falcon Scholars, named for the school mascot. Whereas Lara, 35, once kept extensive dossiers on every gang member, he hasnt dug them out in years. Santee was becoming known as a school where teenagers from tough neighborhoods could take an array of Advanced Placement classes, play on the water polo team and join the schools largest club, the Gay-Straight Alliance.

And while the Los Angeles Unified School District has been losing students  the districts enrollment has fallen by about 200,000 students since 2003, due to declining birth rates and a charter school boom  Santee was defying the citywide trend. By 2014, its enrollment was ticking up.

The principals wish list included more security cameras and an outdoor LED sign that would flash news of the schools triumphs. But those came second to his desire for two classrooms worth of laptops for every department, a need that grew out of the realization that some of his students answered California math exam questions incorrectly last year because they werent comfortable taking a test on a computer. The schools test scores in math and English remained stubbornly low, a source of frustration for much of the staff.

Two students dance in the quad area at Santee Education Complex. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )

All Gomez needed was three more students. But in South L.A., where competition for students has led him to set aside $50,000 annually for marketing and recruitment, meeting that goal by the districts deadline would not be easy. Even if a hundred more students enrolled after that date, it wouldnt make a significant difference. L.A. Unifieds head count was final.

Lara called this the districts fickle rule.

Its going to be very close, Gomez said.

Inside classrooms, his students were settling in, learning their schedules and teachers names. But in the surrounding neighborhoods, the hustle to increase enrollment was continuing. Gomez mobilized his staff, dispatching counselors, social workers and even teachers to dozens of students homes in hopes of finding truants and convincing them to give his school a second chance. To make the teachers participation possible, he hired five substitutes at a rate of $300 a day. The schools list of no-shows had 114 students on it; if he could persuade just three of them to return, his investment would pay off, he reasoned.

Middle and high schools with truancy problems often try to track down no-show students. Typically, this effort is limited to one day, known as recovery day, which is ostensibly about finding dropouts, rousting them out of bed, and marching them back to school. And this does happen. Over the last eight years, the district says, it has re-enrolled nearly 4,900 teenagers. But at Santee the sense of urgency is particularly acute, and the recovery efforts especially aggressive.

It was because of this that Lara was crisscrossing South L.A. when he was scheduled to teach an ethnic studies class.

Lara talks with Fidelina Portillo, looking for her grandson. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

Right now its urgent because we want to get our head count up and because its the beginning of the school year, he said. He paused, then added, but forget about the head counts, the numbers, the money, theres a moral issue as well. And morally, weve got to do the right thing and get the kids into schools.

More than anything, these house calls are a reminder of the incredible transience of L.A.s students. Children change schools, neighborhoods and countries with such frequency that the contact information on the no-show lists often is out of date.

At one two-story house that had been divided into a seemingly infinite number of apartments, Lara was told the boy he was looking for had returned to Mexico when his mother was unable to find work in L.A. At another, a woman said her granddaughter had moved to Minnesota, following her mother, who was following a boyfriend.

Its a jewel when you find a kid at home, Lara said. Its like, Ah, this is one we can get back into school. 

But as he neared the end of his list, the odds of such a success looked increasingly grim.

Jose Lara, left, dean of Santee Education Complex, goes door-to-door in an effort to find students who havent reported to school. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

Asked for the whereabouts of his daughter Katherine, Walter Arevalo, 40, stopped sweeping his driveway and looked up, surprised. Shes at school, he told Lara. The teenagers stepmother had enrolled her in a charter school that advertised smaller class sizes and more personal attention from teachers, but neither the girls parents nor the charter school had told Santee, where she was considered missing.

According to district officials, parents are supposed to formally withdraw their children when they transfer out, and charter schools are supposed to enter their students names into a state database, alerting district schools to the change. But over the several days that Santee staff made house calls and phone calls, they repeatedly encountered this sort of communication breakdown.

With a week remaining before the districts deadline, Santees staff had managed to enroll five more students, one of whom was found sitting at home by himself, skipping school while his unknowing parents worked.

This should have been cause for celebration but was quickly tempered by news that a handful of students had transferred out of Santee. Further complicating matters, according to district rules, any student absent more than 13 days in a row could not be included in the head count. One boy had already missed 15 of 18 days of class.

Gomez had 1,780 students, and, with another week between him and the official count, he knew the unpredictable ebb and flow would continue. Santee could survive without its laptops and security cameras, but the principal felt it shouldnt have to. He had raised the graduation rate every year of his tenure, reaching a school record  above the district average  of 83% last year. He and Lara had brought in a new program for gifted students. For the first time, four of the valedictorians from the areas five middle schools had chosen to attend Santee. Why was it still such a fight?

Need 3 more falcons by tomorrow afternoon!! he texted on Sept. 15, with one day to go.

Assuming that his schools enrollment would increase, Gomez had already hired five new teachers with money he had saved. If Santee hit his goal, he would be able to pay those teachers with district funding, freeing hundreds of thousands of dollars to be spent on other needs. But if he fell short, his laptop money would be consumed by the schools payroll.

On the day of the count, shortly after the noon deadline passed, Gomez sent a text message to his staff.

It couldnt be chalked up to dumb luck  the staff had worked too hard for that  but the events of the previous 24 hours were proof of how thoroughly public schools are at the mercy of forces outside their control.

The previous afternoon, a family that had just moved into the district walked into Santees main office and enrolled their three children in the high school. Then two more students transferred in, apparently unsatisfied with the local schools in which they had started the school year. The final tally: 1,784 students, two higher than Gomezs goal.

It was miraculous. It was what we were hoping for, the principal said on Friday. All of a sudden, they showed up.

anna.phillips@latimes.com

Twitter: @annamphillips

To read the article in Spanish, click here

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UPDATES:

2:36 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.
Ryan Hunter-Reay said this week has brought a full range of emotions, with the birth of his third son coming only hours before he learned that his father-in-law was dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

The former Indianapolis 500 winner is married to Beccy Gordon, and the couple welcomed son Rhodes Maverick Hunter-Reay on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Not long afterward, they were informed that her father, former racer Baja Bob Gordon, had been found dead alongside his wife in their Orange home.

Police said Bob Gordon died of a gunshot wound and Sharon Gordon was strangled.

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Hunter-Reay said the Gordon family wanted him to proceed to Sonoma Raceway in Northern California, where IndyCar concludes its season Sunday. His brother, NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, meanwhile, went ahead with his stadium super trucks event in Costa Mesa this weekend.

This is all around a family of racers. This is what makes our blood flow.  Ryan Hunter-Reay

Said Hunter-Reay: This is all around a family of racers. This is what makes our blood flow.

Gordon, 68, and his wife, Sharon Gordon, 57, were discovered at 5 p.m. in the 1400 block of North Kennymead Street, according to the Orange County Sheriffs Department.

Sharon Gordon had been strangled to death and Robert Gordon died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Orange Police Department.

Outside the home Thursday, Robby Gordon fought back tears as he told reporters that he would explain what happened once the coroner says he can.

The truth will come out what went down there, he said.

Few details about the couples death have been released, but Orange Police Lt. Fred Lopez said family members asked a neighbor to check on the couple Wednesday because they couldnt reach them. The neighbor entered the home and discovered the bodies.

Times staff writer Veronica Rocha contributed to this report.

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Alameda County prosecutors on Friday charged two officers embroiled in a widening sexual misconduct scandal that involves a 19-year-old woman and multiple Bay Area law enforcement agencies.

Former Oakland police Officer Leroy Johnson is accused of failing to report child abuse, and former Livermore police Officer Daniel Black is charged with multiple counts of lewd conduct and engaging in prostitution as well as providing a minor with alcohol, according to court filings.

The woman at the center of the scandal, Jasmine Abuslin of Richmond, told authorities that Black picked her up in his motor home and took her to dinner on two occasions in April that both ended in sex.

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Black, 49, brought up sex during the first dinner in Berkeley, the woman told authorities. She said Black leaned in and told her just to be clear, Im not paying you, but I will buy you dinner, according to a court declaration filed Friday.

After dinner, Black and the teen returned to his motor home, where he offered her alcohol. They performed oral sex on each other, then had intercourse the following morning, she alleged.

After the second dinner, in Albany, she and Black returned to his parked motor home and performed oral sex on each other, according to the court declaration.

The court records dont name Abuslin, but her attorney has repeatedly released her name and the teen appeared at a news conference in Florida this week after she was released from jail.

Johnson, 50, is accused of failing to fulfill his legal duty as a mandated reporter of child abuse.

Abuslin told authorities that she had messaged Johnson on Facebook to tell him that she had sex with some Oakland police officers and that some of the encounters were prior to her 18th birthday, according to a court declaration by Jim Taranto of the Alameda County district attorneys office.

Tell me you were [an] adult, Johnson wrote back, according to the court filing.

The teen responded, [Id be] lying.

She asked Johnson not to report the incidents, and he agreed, according to the declaration. Taranto wrote that he examined screenshots of the messages.

Last week, Dist. Atty. Nancy E. OMalley announced her intention to charge at least seven of the police officers involved in the scandal. The charges were delayed because Abuslin was in Florida at a rehabilitation center.

Abuslin, whose lawyers describe her as a sex trafficking victim, made national headlines in June with a televised interview during which she described multiple sexual encounters with at least a dozen police officers  some while she was underage. She also accused several officers of providing information about planned prostitution raids in exchange for sex acts.

Abuslins Florida rehabilitation was arranged by a victims advocate in the Contra Costa County district attorneys office, according to Contra Costa County Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Doug McMaster. OMalley, Abuslins attorneys and Oaklands mayor have criticized the move.

At the rehabilitation center, Abuslin was charged with battery after biting a security guard. She pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of simple battery and was released from jail, clearing the way for her to return to California to testify.

Black and Johnson are scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 4. Attorneys for the men could not be reached for comment.

Several other officers are expected to face charges.

Giovani LoVerde of the Oakland Police Department and Ricardo Perez, a former Contra Costa County sheriffs deputy, will be charged with felony oral copulation with a minor, OMalley said.

Three other current or former Oakland police officers also will be prosecuted: Brian Bunton, on charges of felony obstruction of justice and engaging in prostitution; Warit Utappa and Tyrell Smith, who prosecutors allege searched a criminal justice computer database without authorization.

Perez and Smith have already resigned from their positions. Black and Johnson have retired from their respective agencies.

frank.shyong@latimes.com

Twitter: @frankshyong

james.queally@latimes.com

Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT

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Two people were fatally shot and two others were critically wounded Friday evening in East Hollywood, police said.

The shooting was reported about 7:50 p.m. in the 500 block of North Heliotrope Drive, said Mike Lopez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police arrived to find four people with gunshot wounds. Two were pronounced dead at the scene. Two others were taken to a hospital in critical condition, Lopez said.

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Witnesses told police that the suspect walked up and shot into a crowd. He yelled a gang name before opening fire, according to a law enforcement source. But police were still trying to determine whether the shooting was gang-related, Lopez said.

The shooter was described as a Latino weighing about 180 pounds and in his 20s. He was wearing all black clothes, Lopez said.

Anyone with information about the shooter is asked to call the LAPDs Rampart Division at (213) 484-3400.

frank.shyong@latimes.com

Twitter: @frankshyong

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @LAcrimes

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UPDATES:

9:40 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect new information about the shooting.

This article was originally published at 8:55 p.m.
A judge Friday declared a mistrial in the sanity phase of the trial of a German man convicted of being a serial arsonist responsible for setting at least 50 fires across Hollywood and neighboring areas five years ago.

After two days of deliberations, a jury of six men and six women said they were deadlocked and unable to resolve whether Harry Burkhart, 29, was sane or insane at the time he set ablaze carports, garages and driveways from Christmas 2011 through New Years 2012.

On Sept. 1, the same jury convicted Burkhart of 47 arson-related felony counts and two counts of possession of an incendiary device.

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After the first day of deliberations in the sanity phase, the jury informed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli they might deadlocked. They then requested that testimony of a psychologist for the defense be read back to them. By Friday afternoon, the panel declared they could not agree on a finding.

Lomeli ordered a new hearing Oct. 13 to determine how the case should proceed.

Burkharts attorney Steve Schoenfield had the burden of proving his client was insane during the arson spree.

This week, jurors heard that Burkhart had a long history of mental illness and that when US authorities took his mother into custody on a warrant for a crime in Germany, the separation caused psychological trauma.

Burkhart, a German national who was born in Chechnya, was arrested at 3 a.m. pm Jan. 2, 2012, after a reserve sheriffs deputy stopped a minivan near the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The driver appeared to match a grainy video of the suspect. Officials found fire-starter sticks in the vehicle, police said.

At the time of the arson attacks, Burkhart was already suspected of burning down his family home in Germanys Schwalm-Eder district, north of Frankfurt. His mother, Dorothee, had escaped from handcuffs while in German custody on fraud allegations and fled with her son to Canada before entering the United States. Authorities captured her in Los Angeles.

Schoenfield told jurors that Burkhart is profoundly mentally impaired, and has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

He argued that medical records showed a lengthy history of serious mental disease.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Sean Carney has insisted that Burkhart ignited the fires  mostly under cars in carports  as revenge against authorities for detaining his mother.

Harry Burkhart came like a thief in the night; He came 51 times, Carney said. He wanted the effect of terrorizing the city.

Carney argued that Burkhart carefully avoided capture after the arson attacks and knew that what he was doing was legally and morally wrong.

Carney noted that Burkhart was able to start and stop at times of his choosing.

Burkharts mental state has been at issue since his arrest and indictment in the case. He faces up to 89 years in prison.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Follow @lacrimes on Twitter
The Crystal Cathedral was for decades a powerful symbol of a certain kind of church.

The landmark church was built by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, the famed pastor who brought the drive-in church to Orange County during the beginning of the postwar suburban boom and preached an upbeat, modern vision of Christianity.

The Philip Johnson-designed structure made of steel and more than 12,000 panes of glass became world famous and was a forerunner to other so-called mega churches.

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But more than a year after Schullers death, the Crystal Cathedral is undergoing a major transformation in both design and ownership.

The makeover will transform the building into Christ Cathedral as the Catholic Church takes it over.

Officials from the Diocese of Orange, the nations 12th largest, gathered earlier this week to preview the changes, which they plan to unveil for the public at Sundays celebration of the dioceses 40th anniversary, an event expected to draw nearly 10,000 of the Catholic faithful. The diocese bought the famed building in 2011.

During the preview, people can take a virtual tour and see a sanctuary splashed in white, highlighting an altar, the bishops chair and baptismal font. With nearly 3,000 seats, the new space will allow for more people, with pews arranged in a radial pattern and featuring a circular shaped Blessed Sacrament Chapel, bearing a portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The great cathedrals of Europe took generations to complete, said Bishop Kevin Vann, who promised the creation of a beautiful and functional Catholic interior design.

We do not have the time luxury of former cathedral builders. Our goal is to dedicate Christ Cathedral by 2019, added Vann, who started his job after the purchase of the church and its 34-acre campus. A driving force behind the design, he has sought ideas from priests, lay people and experts.

Invited guests and media watch a virtual reality tour of the multimillion-dollar renovation of the Christ Cathedral on Wednesday in Garden Grove. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times )

Estimated costs for the cathedral are about $72 million, according to the Rev. Christopher Smith, rector and episcopal vicar of Christ Cathedral who is leading the design project.

Four years ago, officials launched the For Christ Forever campaign to help raise funds for refurbishing. They collected about $39 million with an additional $21 million expected to come in during the next two to five years, according to Cindy Bobruk, who heads the Orange Catholic Foundation.

She counts 24,000 families among contributors who gave $25 to $20 million, with the latter amount coming from an anonymous, non-Catholic donor. Priests from the diocese with 57 parishes and more than 1.3 million registered Catholics donated an average of $8,000 each, Bobruk said.

You begin with your dreams, said Smith. Our goal was to fashion a cathedral that is beautiful, maintains the architectural integrity of the original Philip Johnson building and can serve the communitys needs.

Scott Johnson of Johnson/Fain Associates, principal architect, has crafted an interior layout intended to merge liturgical requirements with transcendent beauty. Virtual reality tours will be available to the public at this weekends celebration. The iconic building, lauded for its exterior shell, will stay, officials said, but it is experiencing major repair and reconditioning. They hope the space will inspire contemplative and solemn prayer.

This is the commission of a lifetime. This is a cathedral for the new millennium, Johnson added. Were talking about a building that could last forever.

Many fans of Schullers vision, and followers of great religious architecture, will be following the transformation.

The Crystal Cathedral is not an attempt to be an architectural ego statement, Schuller said in a 1997 interview with the American Academy of Achievement. Its probably the ultimate spiritual and psychological statement that could be made in architectural terms.

anh.do@latimes.com

Twitter: @newsterrier

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7:55 a.m.: Updated with additional details and background information.

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An Oceanside woman was sentenced to 21 years to life in prison for intentionally drowning her toddler son after learning shed have to split custody of the boy with his father.

Veronica Rivas, 30, pleaded guilty in Vista Superior Court last month  three weeks before trial  to second-degree murder and willful cruelty to a child.

In September 2014, Rivas placed 21-month-old Elijah in the bathtub of her familys Oceanside condo and held his head underwater until he stopped fighting, authorities said. When the boy regained consciousness, she called her estranged boyfriend  the childs father  to ask him to give up his custody rights. When he said no, Rivas held the child underwater again until he died, prosecutors said.

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In court Friday, the boys father, Marine Sgt. Juan Concha, addressed Rivas as he clutched a blue stuffed elephant  the toy his son had slept with.

Remember this? the 30-year-old asked, holding a long stare at Rivas.How do you kill a 2-year-old? How do you hold Elijahs head underwater?

He told Rivas that young, innocent Elijah didnt do anything to you. He wished her a long life, adding I hope you think about it every night and every morning.

Rivas remained mostly expressionless while he spoke. Concha said he should have been getting ready to celebrate his sons birthday  Elijah would have been 4 this November  not speaking at the sentencing for his murder.

How do you kill a kid? Concha asked. How do you hold Elijahs head underwater not once, but twice? Do you even care?

After a tense and quiet moment, Concha wiped his eyes, picked up the toy and walked away.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Claudia Grasso told Judge Richard Monroy that Rivas actions were all committed out of revenge and spite.

From the beginning, this baby was a pawn to her that she used to get back at Mr. Concha, Grasso said. The minute he moved on  she would not allow him to see the baby.

Five days after Concha formally asked for custody, Rivas told police she suspected he was abusing the boy, the prosecutor said. The ensuing investigation by three agencies, including Oceanside police and child social workers, found no merit to the allegation.

The day after she learned she would have to share custody of Elijah, Rivas drowned him.

She was about to pick up her son from his baby-sitters home around noon on Sept. 10 when she decided to kill him, Grasso said. Rivas told police: I had to put him down for his own protection.

At her familys home, Rivas poured herself a drink and filled the tub in an upstairs bathroom as the toddler ran around in his diaper, Grasso said. She then put him in the tub and held his face down. But he was a sturdy little guy, who fought, who struggled, Grasso said.

Rivas thought Elijah was dead, but he regained consciousness.

And instead of feeling that remorse  she called Mr. Concha to continue the fight, Grasso said.

After they hung up, out of anger, out of spite, out of revenge, she got the baby a second time and immersed him in the tub until she killed him, the prosecutor said. Revenge, spite, thats all it was.

Veronica Rivas was sentenced to 21 years to life in the murder of her 21-month old son. (John Gibbins/San Diego Union-Tribune)

Rivas did not make a statement during the hearing. Last month, public defense attorney Daniel Segura said his client was tremendously remorseful. When she was arrested two years ago, her arraignment was delayed as she was on suicide watch.

Her family attended Fridays hearing, but did not comment.

Rivas must serve 21 years  she has already served two as she waiting for trial  before she is eligible for parole.

Concha said the stuffed toy is the only item of his sons that he has. The sergeant, who is from New York, said he hopes to permanently remain in California for one reason: My son is buried here.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

Figueroa writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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A Southern California police officer gave a man less than a second to raise his hands before opening fire and killing him, a federal appeals court noted Friday in rejecting the officers request to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit against him.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Tustin Police Officer Osvaldo Villarreal couldnt reasonably have feared for his safety when he shot 31-year-old Benny Herrera after responding to a domestic dispute call in December 2011.

That determination ran counter to the Orange County district attorneys office, which said in 2013 that the shooting was reasonable and justified because Villarreal fired after Herrera ignored orders to show his hands.

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A video captured by a police dashboard camera shows otherwise, according to the 9th Circuit judges who cited the footage.

Less than a second elapsed between Villarreal commanding Herrera to take his hand from his pocket and Villarreal shooting him, the court wrote. Just as Herreras hand came out of his pocket, Villarreal fired two shots in rapid succession ... The command and the shots were almost simultaneous.

The video has not been made public and is under a court seal.

The seven-page review of the case by Orange County prosecutors does not mention the existence of a video and appears to rely heavily on Villarreals own statements.

Sonia Balleste, the senior deputy district attorney who wrote the review, said Friday that she didnt immediately recall the case or why the review didnt mention the video but that she was sure she looked at all the evidence that was available.

As a general practice it wasnt my custom and habit to write down everything I looked at, she said, adding that her office has since changed how such reviews are written to include more information.

The whole process is flawed. It really is a joke.  Dale Galipo

Attorneys for Herreras parents and four children, all under 7 years old, filed a civil lawsuit against Villarreal and Tustin in 2012. Fridays ruling allows that lawsuit to move forward to trial and upholds a lower courts order declining to toss it out.

Tustin City Atty. David Kendig, speaking on behalf of Villarreal and the city, noted that the 9th Circuit was looking at the case in the light most favorable to Herreras family.

He said the city provided the district attorneys office with video of the shooting but didnt know why it didnt make it into their review of the case.

Dale Galipo, who represents Herreras family, criticized the district attorneys review as a farce.

Are they not getting all the information from the agency? Did they not get the video, or are they just ignoring facts that support that the shooting was excessive? Galipo said. The whole process is flawed. It really is a joke.

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Donald Trump invoked the possibility of a violent assault on Hillary Clinton once again on Saturday, a day after he suggested that her Secret Service bodyguards disarm and lets see what happens.

In a post Saturday morning on Twitter, Trump falsely accused Clinton of trying to take away Americans 2nd Amendment rights, just as he did Friday night at a Miami rally where he said her Secret Service agents should drop all weapons.

Will guns be taken from her heavily armed Secret Service detail? Maybe not! Trump tweeted.

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Trump said Friday night that Clintons Secret Service detail should disarm because she supports gun control. What do you think, yes? he asked the crowd. Take their guns away. She doesnt want guns. Lets see what happens to her. Take their guns away, OK? It would be very dangerous.

Trumps repeated joking about disarming the Secret Service agents who protect his opponent from violent attacks is unique in modern presidential politics. The Republican nominee also has condoned violence by his supporters against hecklers who disrupt his rallies, which are periodically marred by fist fights and racially charged shouting matches.

Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Trumps comments in Miami fit a disturbing pattern of encouraging violence.

Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of commander in chief, he said in a statement.

At the rally in downtown Miami, Trump told several thousand supporters that Clinton goes around with armed bodyguards like you have never seen before.

I think they should disarm immediately, Trump, who also travels with a large armed Secret Service detail, told his cheering supporters.

Trumps previous jokes about forcing Clintons bodyguards to give up their firearms hadnt invoked a possible attack so overtly. At a Trump rally in March, Secret Service agents leaped on stage and surrounded him as colleagues tackled a man who jumped a barricade and ran toward the candidate.

Trump had previously joked about forcing Clintons bodyguards to give up their firearms, but hadnt invoked a possible attack so overtly.

Last month, critics called Trump reckless and dangerous for telling a North Carolina crowd there was nothing they could do about Clinton naming judges if shes elected, although the 2nd Amendment people, maybe there is, I dont know.

This kind of talk, Mook said in the Clinton statement, should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate, just like it should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate to peddle a conspiracy theory about the president of the United States for five years.

Trumps Miami rally came just hours after he conceded for the first time that President Obama was born in the United States, and the racial politics in his remarks were raw.

Trump, whose years of spreading conspiracy theories about Obamas birth helped make him deeply unpopular among African Americans, made no reference to the birther matter in Miami.

But he faulted Clinton and other Democrats for questioning his devotion to helping black residents of urban areas with no jobs, the worst education and streets so dangerous you get shot or your child gets shot.

They talk all the time about racist, racist  the only word they know, he said.

Trump told the crowd he employed many people at his resorts in the Miami area  a lot of African American employees, a lot of Hispanic employees.

And theyre very happy, he added. They like Donald Trump.

Trumps derogatory remarks about Mexicans, Muslims, women and other groups have led critics in both parties to call him a racist and misogynist. Over the last month, he has tried to remake his image by casting himself as a champion of poor blacks and Latinos, whom he says Democrats have neglected.

I just left Little Haiti, Trump told the Miami crowd, alluding to a quick meeting with supporters who, without citing any evidence, accused President Bill Clinton of plundering Haitian earthquake relief programs.

The love is unbelievable. Its unbelievable. Theres no racist  theres no nothing. Its love, he said.

Many in Trumps audience were Cuban Americans, a cornerstone of Republican support in Florida. They cheered enthusiastically as Trump faulted Obama for the thaw in U.S. relations with Cuba.

Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter 

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Twitter: @finneganLAT

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Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun successfully jumped over the Snake River Canyon on Friday afternoon in an tribute to his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel.

Braun soared over the southern Idaho canyon in a custom-built rocket called Evel Spirit.

It launched off a steep ramp on the edge of the canyon rim just before 4 p.m. as hundreds of onlookers watched.

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The rocket reached an estimated 400 mph before its parachute deployed, allowing Braun and the ship to land safely in fields on the other side of the canyon.

Braun has said the rocket was identical to the model Knievel used for his failed canyon attempt on Sept. 8, 1974. Knievel landed at the bottom of the canyon when his parachute prematurely deployed, but walked away with only minor injuries.

Braun hoped his effort would prove that Knievel could have made it across the canyon if his parachute had deployed at the correct time.

Before the jump, the 54-year-old Braun said he was optimistic he would make it across the canyon.

I wouldnt be doing this if I thought it couldnt be done, he said.

Months of testing was performed on the rocket designed by Scott Truax, whose father constructed the original X2 Skycycle for Knievel.

Truax followed his fathers blueprints down to the last bolt and deviated only by updating the parachute system.

Other daredevils have proposed similar jumps across the canyon in recent decades  including Knievels son, Robbie. But Braun appears to have been the first to actually try since Knievels attempt.

Braun said he spent about $1.5 million of his own money on the effort.

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A Florida man who fired a gun at George Zimmermans truck during a road-rage confrontation has been convicted of attempted second-degree murder.

Local news outlets report jurors also found 37-year-old Matthew Apperson guilty Friday of shooting into a vehicle and aggravated assault with a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 17.

Apperson testified that he acted in self-defense last year. He said he fired at Zimmerman because Zimmerman flashed a gun.

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But prosecutor Stewart Stone told jurors that Zimmermans vehicle had tinted windows, which were rolled up during the confrontation.

Appersons attorney, Michael LaFay, attacked Zimmermans credibility, calling him a liar.

Zimmerman was acquitted three years ago in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old. That case sparked protests and a national debate about race relations.

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The bodies of two young Americans who died fighting the Islamic State group in Syria were returned to their sobbing families on Friday in simple, gray caskets that were pulled from an Amtrak train in Denver as throngs of sleepy passengers watched.

Relatives of Levi Shirley, 24, and Jordan MacTaggart, 22, huddled together against the morning chill as U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter presented them with folded flags  a sign of respect for the men who never joined the U.S. military but felt a need to serve.

The unceremonious homecoming at Union Station marked the end of a long and complicated journey for the men, who died separately in combat this summer after joining the Peoples Protection Units, the main Kurdish guerrilla group battling Islamic State in Syria.

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We waited for this day for nine weeks, Shirleys father, Russell Shirley, told reporters gathered on the station platform. But the last thing I wanted to see was my son carried off that train.

The body of another fighter, William Savage, 27, was also returned to the U.S. and was being taken to North Carolina, where his father lives.

The State Department said it worked to help return the remains of the men to their families. But Turkeys tense relationship with the Kurds and the U.S. since Julys failed coup stalled the efforts.

The remains of Keith Broomfield of Massachusetts, believed to be the first American to die alongside Kurds fighting Islamic State, were returned to the U.S. through Turkey last year.

But officials determined it would be too dangerous to repatriate the bodies of Shirley, MacTaggart and Savage through Turkey and instead shipped them hundreds of miles east to Iraq. The bodies were then flown to Amman, Jordan, and on to Chicagos OHare International Airport in a process that took weeks.

Susan Shirley said her friends had contacted Perlmutter to help navigate the bewildering terrain. He enlisted aid from people at the White House.

These were good young men who for one reason or another didnt qualify for our military but felt the need to serve in another way, Perlmutter said.

As he handed MacTaggarts parents a folded flag, he told them quietly, He was trying to do something more for all of us in his fight against ISIS.

Shirley, of Arvada, Colo., was killed by a land mine July 14. MacTaggart, of Castle Rock, Colo., died Aug. 3 while fighting in a squad that included two Americans and a Swede in Manbij, Syria.

Savage, of St. Marys County, Md., also died in Manbij on Aug. 10.

Dozens of other Westerners are now fighting with the Kurds, spurred by social media campaigns and a sense of duty rooted in the U.S.-led military intervention in Iraq.

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To the editor: Your article describes efforts to investigate Wells Fargo for predatory practices. This latest fine against Wells Fargo highlights industry-wide practices that have resulted in billions of dollars in fines in recent years.

But, as a banker focusing on low-income communities, I dont believe these fines are eliminating unwanted behaviors.

( Wells Fargo to bar sales goals, Sept. 13 and U.S. probing Wells Fargo sales tactics, Sept. 15)

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Real penalties  suspension of business line licenses and holding top executives to equivalent consequences for aggressive sales cultures as front line staff and supervisors bear for the logical outcomes  are essential for real reform.

Kat Taylor, Oakland

The writer is CoFounder and CoCEO of Beneficial State Bank

::

To the editor: It was interesting to see Wells Fargos top management blaming the lower echelons in the company for the unsolicited accounts. They are supposed to be managing the company, not complaining. I hope the government steps on them (the top management of Wells Fargo) hard over this.

Virginia Prcic, Westlake Village

::

To the editor: So 5,300 employees are fired for improperly setting up as many as 2 million accounts over a multi-year period and no one in management at Wells Fargo knew this was going on? And I have a bridge in Brooklyn Id like to sell you.

Bob Harbicht, Arcadia

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Donald Trump suggested Friday that Hillary Clintons Secret Service bodyguards should disarm immediately because of her support for gun control, saying: Lets see what happens to her, OK? It would be very dangerous.

Trumps comment, which the Clinton campaign called an invitation to commit violence against the Democratic presidential nominee, came at a Miami rally thick with racial politics on the day he finally conceded that President Obama was born in the United States.

After falsely accusing Clinton of opposing the 2nd Amendment (she supports the right to own firearms, but supports tighter gun controls), the Republican nominee said his rival goes around with armed bodyguards like you have never seen before. He suggested that that her Secret Service agents drop all weapons.

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I think they should disarm immediately, Trump, who also travels with a large Secret Service detail, told a crowd of several thousand at an arena in downtown Miami.

What do you think, yes? Take their guns away. She doesnt want guns. Lets see what happens to her, he said. Take their guns away, OK? It would be very dangerous.

Critics called Trump reckless and dangerous last month for telling a North Carolina crowd there was nothing they could do about Clinton naming judges if shes elected, although the 2nd Amendment people, maybe there is, I dont know.

Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Trumps Friday night comments, in view of past remarks, fit a pattern of inciting people to violence.

This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate, just like it should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate to peddle a conspiracy theory about the president of the United States for five years, Mook said in a written statement.

Trump, whose conspiracy theories about Obamas birth helped make him deeply unpopular among African Americans, made no reference to the matter at his Miami rally.

But he faulted Clinton and other Democrats for questioning his devotion to the cause of improving the lives of black residents of urban areas with no jobs, the worst education and streets so dangerous its impossible to walk around without getting shot.

They talk all the time about racist, racist  the only word they know, he said.

Trump told the crowd he employed many people at his resorts in the Miami area  a lot of African American employees, a lot of Hispanic employees.

He added, And theyre very happy. They like Donald Trump.

Trumps derogatory remarks about Mexicans, Muslims, women and other groups have led critics in both parties to call him a racist and misogynist. Over the last month, he has tried to remake his image by casting himself as a champion of poor blacks and Latinos, whom he says Democrats have neglected.

I just left Little Haiti, Trump said at the Miami rally, alluding to a quick meeting with supporters who, with no evidence, accused President Bill Clinton of plundering Haitian earthquake relief programs.

The love is unbelievable. Its unbelievable. Theres no racist  theres no nothing. Its love, he said.

But Trump pressed forward Friday with his portrayal of Obama as a president who is treated with less respect than his predecessors, saying leaders of Cuba, Saudi Arabia and China had failed to greet him properly on trips abroad.

Air Force One has never been treated so badly in its long and incredible history, Trump said. Air Force One used to land, and people would respect the people inside, and theyd come out and there would be all sorts of hoopla. Not anymore.

Many in Trumps audience were Cuban Americans, a cornerstone of Republican support in Florida. They cheered enthusiastically as Trump faulted Obama for the thaw in U.S. relations with Cuba.

All of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro regime were done through executive order, which means the next president can reverse them, he said. And that I will do, unless the Castro regime meets our demands.

Among them, he told the cheering crowd, would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of political prisoners.

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Twitter: @finneganLAT

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Burbank school officials on Thursday voted to support a federal investigation into the steep price increase of a life-saving drug they keep at each of Burbank Unifieds roughly 20 schools.

The Burbank School Board voted 5-0 to send a letter to Congress backing an investigation into the price hike of EpiPens, which Burbank Supt. Matt Hill described as an outrage.

The fight is not done, so I really appreciate the board continuing that fight and arming our legislators to make a legislative change so we wont have corporations take advantage of our students and families, Hill said.

Mylan, the pharmaceutical company that has come under fire, acquired EpiPen in 2007. Since then, the drugs price has steadily increased to about $600 per two-pack, according to school officials.

Schools are required to maintain emergency epinephrine under state education code, and in Burbank, officials keep two EpiPens in each school at all times.

The auto-injector delivers epinephrine through the thigh to those suffering from emergency cases of potentially fatal anaphylaxis with symptoms that include shock, hives or throat swelling due to ones allergy to food, an insect sting or drug.

Board member Steve Ferguson summarized the price increase of EpiPens as just absolute abuse, adding that in addition to schools maintaining the drug, many families must keep them in their homes.

I think its important that we equip our federal leaders with letters of action from local leadership so that they can lead the charge, Ferguson said.

Local parent Amy Kamm, president of the Burbank Council PTA, applauded board members for backing an investigation.

Some may know that my daughter has a life-threatening allergy to milk, she told school board members following their vote. And so, this is a very personal thing for me, but your public support to urge the government to take a stand on this is incredibly important.

One day after the local school board meeting, Gov. Jerry Brown penned his own letter to senate and congressional leaders in which he commended a hearing the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is scheduled to hold with Mylan executives next week.

It is difficult to imagine how they can justify the 500% increase in the price of EpiPens, the 600% increase in executive pay and the tax move of their corporate offices to the Netherlands, he wrote about the pharmaceutical company.

As important as this hearing is, hearings alone will not transform this powerful company and the industry of which it is a part. What is needed is swift and strong Congressional action because states have no jurisdiction to curb these wanton price increases, Brown added.

--

Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
A Providence High School senior is using his animation skills to share his thoughts about this years current events and issues as well as what people should do to make the world a better place.

Isaiah Ferguson, 17, was recently selected to have his three-minute animated film, A Vision, screened during the third annual White House Student Film Festival at the White House next month.

Though it is Fergusons first time having his film screened at the White House, he has had two of his animated works earn honorable mentions at the film festival in 2015 and 2014.

The film talks about almost everything that went wrong this year and everything we can do to try and prevent them from happening again, he said. It goes into detail about how we can prevent these atrocities.

To coincide with this years theme, The World I Want to Live In, Ferguson addresses in his animated short many topics including gun control, the mass murders that have occurred stateside and overseas, racism in the United States and the Black Lives Matter movement, discrimination toward the LGBT community, the statute of limitations on sexual assaults, immigration reform and global warming.

All of these atrocities and more can be prevented if the young of today become the conscientious leaders and innovators of tomorrow, Ferguson said in his film. Im hopeful that my generation can achieve our collective dream of creating and sustaining a world in which we want to live, so that we may leave this world a better place for future generations.

Ferguson, who has been dabbling in animation since he was 10 years old, said that he wanted to focus on these topics because he believes they are the most important issues that everyone should be paying attention to and working to solve.

A lot of events, like the Orlando attack and other stuff, have created a split in the country, and we need to fix that, he said. Its really important that we address these issues, especially now.

Franklin Ferguson, Isaiah Fergusons father, said he is proud of his sons accomplishment, which he believes is a testament to the support hes received at [Providence High School] and at home.

He added: When youre around him, you see that hes very committed to his art, his class and his talent. Its very gratifying that the White House would have the time to put on the [film festival] and recognizing Isaiah. We feel very fortunate and blessed.

--

Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
Kennedy Haynes has added a skill to her acting resume: pantomime. And she has added quite a credit too.

The 11-year-old Costa Mesa resident has been cast in South Coast Repertorys 36th annual production of A Christmas Carol, which begins performances Friday.

The theatrical newcomer presents quite a contrast with fellow actor Hal Landon Jr., who has played Ebenezer Scrooge for 35 years in the perennial favorite at the Costa Mesa theater.

Each season, 16 young people in South Coast Repertorys Theatre Conservatorys acting program are cast in the classic winter tale, but competition for selection is stiff.

This year, as many as 75 students in the program, which is open to children and teens, tried out for A Christmas Carol. The 16 selected actors will alternate in eight roles.

The auditions are open to all students in their third year of training. However, second-year students may be considered if they are recommended by an instructor.

Kennedy, a third-year student in the conservatorys acting program, said her goal for years has been to land a role on the coveted Segerstrom Stage.

Ive been waiting for this since I started acting when I was 8, said Kennedy, who attends Huntington Christian School. It still hasnt sunk in.

She said her after-school acting classes consisted of learning character work, movement and vocalization under the guiding hands of instructor Donald Amerson and Theatre Conservatory director Hisa Takakuwa.

The first step of the audition process was for young actors to participate in an improvisational pantomime during a street scene in 19th century London.

Then the group of actors read scenes from A Christmas Carol. They were called in groups according to the ages of the characters they would portray.

A week later, the audition process was repeated, but this time in front of the productions director, John-David Keller, casting director Joanne DeNaut and casting assistant Stephanie Marick.

After a few days, Takakuwa sent personal letters to those who didnt make it.

But the phone rang for Kennedy.

I didnt think I was going to get it, she said. It worked out and I got it. I must have done something right.

Shell play Girl About Town and join other first-timers to the stage as well as more experienced young actors, including J.T. Casey and Nick Trafton, who will share the role of Ebenezer Scrooge as a boy. The two have also been in a summer production of Mary Poppins at the Rep.

Kennedy, who has lines to memorize, said rehearsing alongside Landon has been exciting.

Hal is so funny and he doesnt even try to be, she said. Hes a really good actor and he can still do a flip off a bed. Its pretty cool.

Kennedy fits in rehearsals from Monday through Sunday. Her dream is to become a professional actress.

Before she takes the stage for the first time on Friday, Kennedy  sounding like she is practicing for her Oscar acceptance  said shed like to thank those who helped her along the way.

I want to thank people for giving me this opportunity, especially to Julianne Argyros and to all the donors because I cant imagine my life without [South Coast Repertory], she said. I love it and I dont want to give it up.
If you think youre seeing double, you are.

At least when it comes to Marilyn Broughton and Evalie DuMars, who are fondly referred to as the twins around the Newport Beach Community Emergency Response Team.

The 71-year-old identical twins have made becoming CERT volunteers their calling.

It all started with a postcard that came in the mail, Broughton said. My husband died and I was sort of floating about wondering what I was going to do. I felt it was something important and worthy of my time, also rewarding and a fun way to meet people.

Broughton proposed the idea to her sister DuMars, who also is widowed and lives in the upstairs portion of their duplex in Corona del Mar. They both signed up in 2011.

Both sisters had a medical background as techs at Hoag Hospital  DuMars in echocardiology and Broughton in the pacemaker center. So becoming an emergency preparedness volunteer trained in automated external defibrillators, CPR and first aid seemed natural.

The Newport Beach Fire Department provides a series of annual CERT classes for community members in topics such as disaster psychology, team organization and medical operations, fire suppression, terrorism awareness and light search and rescue.

The twins are responsible for many community outreach events, and they set up CERT classes for volunteers and city employees. They also keep supply sheds throughout the community stocked and teach CPR, first aid and wilderness training on an advanced level beyond the basic CERT classes.

The twins are the epitome of everything thats right with the CERT program. They average between 1,500 and 2,000 hours volunteer time each year, which is equivalent to a full-time employee. I need about 50 more like them, Newport Beach CERT coordinator Matt Brisbois said.

Fellow CERT volunteer Sharon Seal said she believes the twins work ethic sets an example for all volunteers.

Marilyn and Evalie are the two most hard-working volunteers  they are both humbly dedicated to the CERT program, with countless days of their time spent helping participants and Newport Beach citizens, Seal said.

The twins direct much of the credit for the program to Brisbois.

CERT is vital to people, and Matts enthusiasm is contagious, Broughton said. If not for his dedication and love for CERT and that of the Newport Beach Fire Department and staff who teach our classes, we wouldnt have a program.

We dont do it for the publicity or notoriety, she added. We do it because we believe in it.

We like being part of a green army  separate yet we all follow the same ideals, DuMars said, referring to CERTs green vests.

The sisters were born Jan. 31, 1945, in Denver as part of quadruplets. However, one of the four didnt make it.

The other sister among the remaining triplets, Ardith Chaffee, lives in Tustin and plans to join a CERT program this year.

Broughton and DuMars enjoy spending time outdoors, kayaking and hiking. DuMars, who is interested in birds, insects, plants and geology, also volunteers for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy as a docent in outdoor education.

Being outdoors is like medicine, DuMars said. And hiking is better than therapy.

The twins say volunteerism is a way to give back to the community and stay active after retirement.

Having survival skills provides self-confidence and removes the fear of not knowing what to do during an emergency, they say.

Dont just stand there and scream, DuMars said. When you see something, do something. Act and follow the three steps that CERT teaches: check, call, care.

For more information about the Newport Beach CERT program, visit bit.ly/2cFJ9gR.
A Vietnam veteran and former captain of the Costa Mesa Fire Department who died of job-related cancer will be memorialized Saturday in Colorado for his more than three decades of service, the department said.

Capt. Ron McMinimy will be remembered with other new honorees at the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs during a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

The memorial was created in 1918 by the International Association of Fire Fighters to honor those who died in the line of duty, said Rob Gagne, president of the Costa Mesa Firefighters Assn.

When McMinimys name was etched into the memorials granite columns, it joined the names of more than 7,400 other men and women who died from injuries and illnesses suffered while on the job.

McMinimy is the second Costa Mesa firefighter honored on the memorial, Gagne said. John Kirkpatrick was added in 1975.

McMinimy joined the Costa Mesa department on May 14, 1968, and was assigned to Station 4 on the White Knuckler, a white fire engine, McMinimys son Ryan wrote in an article that will be printed in the program for the memorial service.

Nine years later, McMinimy was promoted to captain, Ryan wrote.

Gagne plans to be at the ceremony Saturday to present Ryan McMinimy with an American flag in honor of his father.

When I hand that flag to Ryan, I want to show him how great a man his dad was, Gagne said.

After 36 years of service, McMinimy, referred to as Mac by friends and family, retired in 2004 because of health issues. He died in 2012 from prostate cancer.

McMinimys illness probably was the result of his firefighting, Gagne said. He served during a 1987 fire at the Hixson Metal plant in Newport Beach, considered one of the worst hazardous-materials fires in the regions history. Firefighters were exposed to toxic fumes, including traces of cyanide, the Los Angeles Times reported.

At least two other firefighters and a policeman who responded to the fire died of cancer, The Times reported.

There are many words that can be used to describe my dad: opinionated, rebellious and gruff were heard often, Ryan McMinimy wrote in his article. The saying Its my way or the highway was a favorite saying of his.

But these words were also followed largely with caring and helping out fellow workers, friends, strangers, for whatever they needed. The fire department was his life. He would be humbled to be honored at this memorial. I can remember hearing my dad say, Im only doing my job.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
The identical twins grew up sharing the same room, surfing the same waves and playing on the same teams.

But one favored Polo, the other sweats.

Today, brothers Alex and Mike Faherty, who are 33, operate the New York-based Faherty clothing brand, which reflects both of their aesthetics.

The beach-inspired, ready-to-wear line for men and women opened a retail shop in late August at Lido Marina Village, marking its fourth brick-and-mortar store in the U.S. and second in California.

I was the kid who loved back-to-school shopping, Mike said on a recent morning in the shops waterfront location in the newly renovated Newport Beach shopping center. I always had to dress Alex.

Its a dual role for twins who wanted to pursue a lifelong dream in creating a clothing line inspired by their love of the ocean.

They wanted a line of shorts, shirts and sweaters that could be worn every day, whether around a bonfire, at an outdoor party or running errands.

Clothing should feel easy, comfortable and luxurious, said Mike, who has always appreciated that vintage, weathered look.

The Fahertys grew up an hour from New York City in a New Jersey beach town, Spring Lake. They surfed Montauk, N.Y., and flew to California for sessions in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.

After high school, Mike majored in fashion design and graduated from Washington State University in St. Louis. He worked at Ralph Lauren for eight years, designing for the Double RL line, which was inspired by the rugged outdoors on a ranch in Colorado.

Alex, who graduated from Yale University, pursued a career in private equity on Wall Street.

Though they were in different fields, they wanted a business of their own. At age 30, in 2013, they quit their jobs and started their line.

Its really fun to run a business together because youre making decisions with your best friend, Mike said. We love our job.

Faherty is about a relaxed style for ease and wearability  clothing for a casual weekend.

The fall collection for men is about zip pullovers that can be layered over collared shirts, rugged plaid flannels, knit ponchos and tailored shorts.

Women can find reversible bomber style jackets, shirt dresses, Bohemian-inspired jackets, striped pants and tops, and fedoras.

With locations in Malibu, Nantucket, SoHo and now Newport Beach, the Fahertys said having family contribute to all aspects of the growing business builds its history, lifestyle and creation.

Their mother, an interior designer, left her job to work with the Faherty brand. The shop is designed with indigo-colored floors, blond wood tables and scrimshaw paintings.

Alexs wife, Kerry, a lawyer, also quit her job to help further the company. They often bring in their youngest member of the family, daughter Ava, where she toddles around the shops.

We want people to feel like theyre coming into a family beach house, Mike said. Were so happy to be working right near the water.

Faherty is at Lido Marina Village, 3416 Via Oporto, Newport Beach. Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call (949) 612-7146 or visit fahertybrand.com

kathleen.luppi@latimes.com

Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
As sixth-grade teacher Hilary Fenn stood in front of her students and the rest of the pupils at Sonora Elementary School during morning announcements Friday, she asked all of them one question.

Where are we going after high school? she spoke into a microphone at the schools central courtyard.

College! they all yelled.

For many students at the Costa Mesa school who are aiming to go to college, they would be the first in their family to do so, Fenn said.

On Friday morning, Fenns 27 students donned green and gold shirts with the name of Concordia University printed on the front. But the children soon were surprised with matching scarves handed out by retired Concordia professor Martin Schramm.

For the past nine years, Sonora has participated in the nationwide No Excuses University program promoting college readiness to students in elementary, middle and high schools.

Each class at Sonora adopts a college, posting memorabilia of the chosen school around the classroom. Flags with the logos of schools such as Stanford and USC hang outside classroom doors.

As part of the program, students are taught how to research and find the right college for them and how to attain scholarships, Fenn said.

When choosing a college for her class to adopt, Fenn had no doubt she would select her alma mater, Concordia.

She received her degree in liberal studies in 2009 from the private Christian university in Irvine. Afterward, she earned her multiple-subject teaching credential and her masters in elementary education from the school.

She learned from a Daily Pilot article last month that Concordia had begun welcoming incoming freshmen and transfer students with green and gold Concordia scarves.

At many British and Irish colleges and universities, wearing collegiate scarves is a traditional way for students to show their school pride on game days and at other events, according to a Concordia news release.

Fenn emailed Concordia staff members to see if her students could get the Concordia scarves. She got a response from Schramm, one of the founding professors of Concordia in 1966. He retired this summer.

Whats neat about the whole thing is how forward-thinking it is, Schramm said Friday at Sonora. When youre in elementary school, you might not be thinking that far ahead. If one student in this group ends up in Concordia, its a success. But they will go somewhere because what theyre doing [at Sonora] is promoting college and getting a degree.

As Schramm handed the scarves  for which he and Fenn split the cost  to a line of Fenns students on the courtyard Friday, the children immediately wrapped the garments around their necks.

Fenn said her class next plans to make its own Concordia flag to hang outside the door.
Costa Mesa City Council members are expected to decide Tuesday whether to allow a youth arts program to move into a business park near John Wayne Airport.

They could uphold the Planning Commissions approval of the plan or opt to side with area business owners who object to the proposal and have sued over a recent council decision to allow an Islamic group to open a gathering center in the same park, at 3184 Airway Ave.

The Arts & Learning Conservatory, an educational nonprofit organization that offers performing arts and musical theater classes, is looking to move into Suite A in the park.

The conservatory plans to use the space for administrative purposes and after-school programs, as well as to host a summer day camp and up to six theatrical productions on weekends throughout the year.

The property the conservatory is looking to buy is currently used by Berean Community Church, which is planning to move.

The Planning Commission unanimously approved the conservatorys proposal June 13.

Four days later, members of the Koll-Irvine Community Assn., which encompasses the business park located south of the 405 Freeway next to the airport, appealed the decision to the City Council.

Michael Leifer, a lawyer representing the association, wrote in the appeal that the commissions decision was improper and an abuse of discretion.

Particularly at issue is the business parks shared parking, which the conservatory is looking to access.

Koll-Irvines lawyers say the association owns and manages the shared parking area, so the city doesnt have the right to allow the conservatory to use it without the associations approval.

The conservatorys supporters praise its programs and offerings, such as its partnership with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

The Arts & Learning Conservatory is widely known throughout our communities for making arts accessible to students throughout our district and beyond, school board member Martha Fluor wrote in a letter to the council in July.

She praised the conservatorys teaching staff for caring deeply about our students, inspiring them to engage, perform and create in thoughtfully crafted productions which meet the needs of our diverse communities.

Council members were originally scheduled to vote on the conservatorys proposed move on Aug. 2 but decided to delay their decision so city staff members and attorneys could wade through the legal issues surrounding the appeal.

Those concerns stem from a lawsuit Koll-Irvine filed seeking to overturn a council vote in March to allow the Ismailis, a branch of Shia Islam, to open a 6,000-square-foot center in Suite J at the business park.

The lawsuit contains allegations similar to the associations appeal against the conservatorys proposal.

Peter Kim, senior pastor of the Berean church, previously told the Daily Pilot that he thinks the associations issue isnt with his church selling its space to the conservatory but rather lingering resentment over the councils decision to allow the Ismailis to open their center.

The Berean property could be sold to another church or business that would need more parking than the conservatory, Kim said.

If theyre so concerned about parking and that was the real issue, they would actually be thankful, you would think, he said.

The City Council will consider the appeal of the conservatory approval at its meeting starting at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter: @LukeMMoney
Newport Beach residents concerned about cases of West Nile virus stemming from mosquitoes buzzing around Orange County will have a chance to ask questions during a community meeting Wednesday.

The meeting, co-hosted by the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District and Newport Beach Councilman Scott Peotter, will focus on ways to prevent mosquito breeding and infection as concerns about West Nile virus continue to climb countywide.

Last year, West Nile was considered an epidemic after it infected 97 people in Orange County and was blamed for eight deaths. This year, mosquitoes trapped in 27 O.C. cities, including Newport Beach, have tested positive for the virus, according to data from Sept. 7.

However, none of the nine individuals who have been infected with the virus are from Newport Beach, data show. Anaheim, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Orange and Tustin have also reported human infections.

Peotter, who represents Newport for the vector control district, said several residents have approached him with concerns about mosquito activity in the San Diego Creek near Jamboree Road and University Drive.

The good news is theyve been effective in treating that area, he said. From a countywide standpoint, there have been nine cases and no deaths, which is better than a few years ago.

However, officials say, its important for residents to eliminate possible breeding sites for the insects by dumping and draining standing water, and wearing mosquito repellent when the insects are most active, which is typically between dusk and dawn.

In Costa Mesa, three mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus this year. In response, the city has been working with the county vector control district to deal with the insects breeding in the Fairview Park wetlands, which filter urban runoff.

The plan has seen some success in recent weeks and includes cutting excess vegetation, clearing dead plants from the ponds and cleaning area storm drains and catch basins.

Peotter said there has not been talk of aerial spraying to combat the spread of the mosquito-borne virus. Aerial pesticide spraying, sometimes considered controversial, is considered a last resort.

Its still one of those things you dont want to do unless you have to, Peotter said.

Wednesdays meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Back Bay Science Center, 600 Shellmaker Road, Newport Beach.
A former Glendale city manager, along with his two sons, filed a $1-million claim against the city last week, claiming his wife died in a wheelchair accident caused by an uneven city sidewalk, records show.

On the afternoon of March 16, James Starbird was pushing his wife, Carolyn, in a wheelchair on the 1200 block of Ethel Street when the chair hit an uplifted sidewalk, thrusting his wife forward. She struck her head on the concrete, which caused a severe concussion, and she died shortly thereafter. She was 66.

Therere meter maids, meter readers  a lot of people who work for the city who had to have seen this elevation change in time to protect against this sort of accident, said the Starbird familys attorney Steven Glickman. You cant have city personnel ignoring these dangerous conditions, especially with disabled people in wheelchairs.

City Atty. Mike Garcia Thursday declined to comment on the claim, other than to say its under review. He did not know whether the city had received any complaints about that particular sidewalk prior to the incident.

After the incident, city officials spray-painted the roughly one-and-a-quarter inch sidewalk elevation bright orange, Glickman said, adding that if something that simple had been done earlier, this tragic accident never wouldve happened.

When someone reports a broken, damaged or uplifted sidewalk in Glendale, depending on the severity, crews go out within a day to ramp the tripping hazard with asphalt, according to Roubik Golanian, the citys public works director.

We make it safe immediately, he said, adding that in a rare occasion a temporary fix wont work, the city will wait until its maintenance crews can replace the sidewalk.

He added that the City Council sets aside funding annually as part of a comprehensive sidewalk repair program.

Depending on that amount, we do an inspection of a given district, and we hire a private contractor, and they go to work, Golanian said.

The city has 45 days to respond to the familys claim. If the city doesnt respond in that time frame, the claim is deemed rejected and the Starbirds can file a lawsuit.

In my mind, this is a very obvious dangerous condition that the city should step up to the plate and take responsibility for, Glickman said.

James Starbird helmed Glendale City Hall for nearly 14 years until 2011, after working in the California cities of Eureka, Monrovia and West Covina.
The mid-morning coffee shop chatter was dominated by whether some residents of the leafy Greek suburb of Oraiokastro are bigots, concerned parents or both for saying they would physically block refugee children from attending local schools.

Ilias Karagounidis, an associate of Mayor Asterios Gavotsis, said a statement from some parent associations indicating that they would take over and occupy the schools to prevent refugee children from using them because of health concerns was unfortunate.

You must say you oppose this for specific reasons: theyre not vaccinated, whatever, he said at the Gold coffee shop. Were talking about children, and as a parent you represent children.

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Outside the 5th Elementary School, Panayiotis Soupiadis, 38, whose 7-year-old son attends the school, bristled at the thought of being called racist.

This label is unfair, said Soupiadis, who added that parents donated clothing, food and medicine to refugees. The main issue is the protection of the health of our children.

The controversy, which has resulted in some students encountering a gauntlet of television cameras set up outside school grounds, stemmed from Greeces Ministry of Educations plan to enroll at least 20,000 migrant and refugee children in schools nationwide.

Members of three parents associations in Oraiokastro issued their statement this week.

Overnight, graffiti appeared on the walls of the 1st Elementary School: Kick the fascists; Migrants are the cursed of the earth; Migrants, my brothers. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras scolded them in a tweet. Some residents of the well-heeled suburb were bewildered.

The issue has been blown out of all proportion, Karagounidis said.

The outcry over Oraiokastros schools is the latest sign of tension in Greece, where stranded refugees and migrants number more than 60,000. There is no torrent of Syrians, Iraqis, Afghanis coming through Greeces islands as there was last year but a steady stream of new arrivals is adding to those stuck in the country since northern European countries sealed their borders.

A UN High Commission for Refugees planning report for 2016 estimates that as many as 100,000 people in Greece may need assistance and protection by the end of the year, with 38% of that population being children.

The initial Greek welcome, stemming from a common empathy over lost homelands and the refugee experience, is wearing thin in Oraiokastro despite the fact the town was founded early last century by ethnic Greek refugees who fled persecution in Asia Minor. Reports of tuberculosis and hepatitis in the camps in the neighborhood have been cited by some parents as their primary concern.

They said they were upset about not getting enough information about the planned integration of new students.

No one has told us anything, not how many children will come, how they will be distributed, how long this will go on, Soupiadis said. We were faced with two decisions because no one had the ability to tell us about the program  to take our children from school or to act. We chose to act.

In the UNHCR report, the agency said the Greek health ministry was working on a mass immunization campaign but also noted shortages in the vaccine supply system are delaying the process and increasing the risks for children and the host population. Routine immunization is not integrated in the comprehensive primary health care services.

On Friday, the Greek Center for Disease Control and Prevention said it met with representatives of non-governmental organizations to discuss the immunization program for refugees with emphasis on children entering the school system.

With the motto every refugee child at school, all agencies are banding together to ensure the health of refugee children, it said in a statement on its website.

There are 16,000 refugee and migrants housed in temporary accommodation in the northern Greek area, of which Thessaloniki is the main city, according to government figures. One of the biggest accommodation centers is Oraiokastro, where 1,300 mainly Syrian refugees live in tents set up around a huge warehouse in an industrial area.

A few miles away from the Oraiokastro camp, there is another bustling camp at a military base. Children mill around the entrance at this camp where tents are interspersed with former military buildings. The shiny new sign for the bus stop outside the camp reads Refugee Center.

Fayrouz Ajeeda, 26, from Dara in Syria, has been in the camp for six months with her four children, ages 1 to 10. She wants to join her husband in Austria.

When asked if she wants her children to go to school, she shakes her head. Drawing her bright pink scarf more closely around her, she shows her priorities by gesturing to her wedding ring finger:

I dont want them to go to school, but to Austria, she said. To be with their father, in Vienna.

More than 20,000 refugee children in Greece are without school with many having missed out on months or years of education, the UN says. The issue of education for 3.7 million refugee children worldwide is one the UN is prioritizing to world leaders gathering next week at the UN General Assemblys Summit for Refugees and Migrants and at U.S. President Obamas Leaders Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis.

Solutions can be found, Karagounidis said. Were talking about children and they have a right to education, all of them. With screams and shouting, nothing can be resolved.

Petrakis is a special correspondent.
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian who stabbed a soldier in the West Bank, the military said Saturday, a day after Palestinians carried out several assaults.

The weekend assaults were the latest violence in a year of Palestinian attacks that at times have been near-daily occurrences but have recently been on the decline.

On Saturday, the military said a Palestinian pulled out a knife during a security check in the West Bank city of Hebron and stabbed a soldier, prompting forces to open fire and kill the attacker.

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The incident came a day after what Israeli authorities said were several Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians, police and a soldier.

In the first Friday attack, a man came out of Jerusalems walled Old City brandishing a knife in each hand, police said. He then waved the knives in the air and shouted Allahu akbar  or God is great in Arabic  as he rushed at the officers, who opened fire and killed him. The man had both a Jordanian and a Palestinian ID on him, police said.

Shortly afterward, two Palestinians rammed their car into a bus stop, wounding three Israeli civilians near the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. Forces at the scene opened fire, killing one of the Palestinians and wounding the other.

A few hours later, at a junction near Hebron, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier who opened fire and killed him, the military said.

The yearlong wave of Palestinian assaults on Israeli civilians and security forces has killed 34 Israelis and two Americans  mostly in stabbings, shootings and vehicular attacks. About 214 Palestinians have been killed during that same time; Israel says the majority of them were attackers. Israeli and Palestinian rights groups say the military has at times used excessive force to subdue attackers.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, condemned Israel for the extra-judicial killings of the attackers but did not condemn the attacks themselves.

Israel is flagrantly employing a systematic and willful policy of summary executions against the Palestinian people; such provocative acts are in direct violation of international law and conventions, Ashrawi said. We call on the international community to engage rapidly and effectively before it is too late.

Israel blames the violence on a campaign of incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify attackers as heroes and encourage more attacks.

Following Saturdays incident the military said, The attacks in recent days are just another example of the danger of Palestinian incitement spread through social media.

Palestinians say the violence is rooted in decades of living under military rule and fading hopes for independence.

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The U.S. military acknowledged Saturday that it carried out a bombing run in eastern Syria that may have inadvertently killed 60 Syrian soldiers, prompting bitter denunciations from Damascus and its Russian allies, who accused the U.S. of siding with Islamic State.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack, which took place after 5 p.m. Saturday, was carried out by two F-16 and two A-10 aircraft near the airport of Dair Alzour, a government base besieged by the extremists.

Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh fighting position that they had been tracking for a significant amount of time before the strike, U.S. Central Command said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

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The coalition airstrike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military.

Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, quoted Syrian authorities as saying that 62 of their soldiers were killed and more than 100 injured.

Islamic State militants launched an offensive immediately after the airstrike, he said. Now, fierce armed clashes with terrorists are raging in the area of the airport.

At Russias request, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors Saturday night to discuss the incident.

The bombing adds further strain to a tenuous U.S.- and Russian-brokered cease-fire that took effect Monday. There have already been reports of violations on both sides, with Moscow and Washington accusing each other of not living up to the commitments they made at a meeting in Geneva.

In a sign of the enduring distrust between the countries, which back opposite sides in Syrias 5-year-old war, Russia suggested Saturday that the U.S. was acting in defense of Islamic State.

If we had suspicions earlier that this is in defense of [Al Nusra Front], then now, after todays airstrikes on the Syrian army, we come to a scary conclusion  the White House defends Islamic State, said Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

Al Nusra Front, which renamed itself the Front for the Conquest of Syria, was until recently the official Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

We demand explanations from Washington  whether this is a deliberate policy to support IS or a mistake, Zakharova said, referring to Islamic State.

Her statement was in the same vein as comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who earlier Saturday expressed doubts about U.S. commitment to the cease-fire and claimed that Washington wasnt willing to split with what he called terrorist forces.

The Syrian military said the airstrike on an army position on Tharda Mountain clearly paved the way for ISIS terrorists to attack the position and take control of it.

This serious and blatant aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic and its army  constitutes conclusive evidence that the United States and its allies support ISIS and other terrorist organizations, it said in a statement carried by state-run media, using another acronym for Islamic State.

The U.S. military, however, said it had coordinated the strike with Russia.

The Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. military activities throughout the Middle East, said Syria is a complex environment with various military forces and militias in close proximity. But it said members of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit.

The coalition will review this strike and the circumstances surrounding it to see if any lessons can be learned, Central Command said.

There have been fears that the U.S. military might accidentally strike Syrian or Russian forces since the U.S.-led air campaign began more than two years ago. The U.S. has no contact with Syrian President Bashar Assads government and limited military-to-military communications with Moscow.

The Pentagon and Russian military established an emergency communications line in October to ensure that the two countries pilots do not mistakenly run into  or fire upon  each other as they conduct daily bombing runs over Syria.

The Pentagon used the line twice this summer: to warn the Russians after they hit U.S.-backed rebels with an airstrike in the southern town of Tanf, and again after Syrian fighter jets nearly hit U.S. special operations forces in the northeastern city of Hasakah.

If the latest cease-fire holds, and relief supplies start flowing to regions besieged by Syrian government forces, the U.S. has agreed to set up a center with Russia to exchange intelligence and coordinate operations against the Front for the Conquest of Syria and Islamic State.

The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Saturdays incident showed the necessity of activating the center.

If this airstrike was caused by a target location error, it is a direct consequence of the U.S.s stubborn unwillingness to coordinate with Russia its efforts against terrorist groups throughout Syria, Konashenkov said.

Central Command said the airstrike took place in an area that had been hit by the coalition in the past, and coalition officers at the air operations command hub in Qatar had informed Russian counterparts of the upcoming strike.

If so, it is hard to see how the setting up of a coordination center would have averted what was by all appearances a major targeting error.

Another question left unanswered Saturday night was why the U.S., apparently with Russian concurrence, was targeting Islamic State at the edge of a Syrian military base  one where Russian officers are reported to have been present  and why the combined forces of Russia and Syria were seemingly unable to conduct their own defense.

Special correspondent Gutman reported from Istanbul and Times staff writer Hennigan from Split, Croatia.

william.hennigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @wjhenn

ALSO

The Syria cease-fire, the rebels and the government of President Bashar Assad

U.N. hopes to build momentum for humanitarian aid in Syria if cease-fire holds

U.S.-Russia deal on Syria will test influence of big powers, convictions of those on the ground

UPDATES:

7:20 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details and comments.

It was originally published at 1:15 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia  President Obama arrived here Thursday for a summit of world leaders that will be dominated by discussion of U.S. preparations to attack Syria and the presidents attempts to find some measure of support from the G-20 nations.

But Obamas Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was not there to greet him at the airport and didnt send a high-ranking delegate. Instead, Putin met Obama as 33 world leaders checked in to begin two days of official meetings of the Group of 20 major economies, both smiling as they shook hands and chatted for just a few seconds.

Putin, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has expressed skepticism that his government would have launched a reported Aug. 21 chemical attack on the Damascus suburbs.

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White House officials said the two leaders had no plans for a meeting, underscoring the dashed hope that Putins role as host would bring about a warming in relations and a possible break in the U.S.-Russia impasse over the Syrian civil war.

Putin has been put out with Obama for canceling a one-on-one meeting in Moscow after Putin refused to extradite Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contract employee who leaked details of U.S. surveillance programs.

Obama was making telephone calls to foreign leaders and will use the summit, ostensibly about economic issues, to press his case for a strike against Syria.

We would not anticipate every member of the G20 agreeing about the way forward in Syria, particularly given the Russian position, said Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, who talked to reporters on Air Force One during the flight to Russia from Sweden.

Obama will, however, explain our current thinking to allies and partners and explore what type of political and diplomatic support they may express for our efforts to hold the Syrian regime accountable, Rhodes said.

Obamas first meeting at the summit was with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who thanked Obama for reaching out to him by telephone to discuss the situation in Syria.

ALSO:

Egypts interior minister survives bomb attack

India dowry deaths still rising despite modernization

China says military strike against Syria would hurt global economy

Twitter: @khennessey

kathleen.hennessey@latimes.com
National Cheeseburger Day is Sunday Sept. 18 and Americans cannot wait to grab a FREE cheeseburger from select restaurants that decided to participate in the national day of fun and good fast food.

Go to select locations around the U.S. for a FREE cheeseburger. Some places will have cheeseburgers at discounted prices or will not participate at all, so make sure to ask before placing your order on Sunday.

BurgerFi fans can get a double cheeseburger with BurgerFi sauce for just $5.

Restaurants in Past National Cheeseburger Day

Last year, Black Tap: Craft Burgers & Beer, combined National Cheeseburger Day with National Milkshake Day in a 19-dollar-offer of the All-American Burger and Peanut Butter Chocolate Milkshake.

Other joints that participated in National Cheeseburger Day included The Bonnie, Boulton & Watt, The Grayson, Uncle Sams and more.

5 Things You Need to Know

5  The Stats

A Technomics Burger Consumer Trend Report found that about 57 percent of Americans ate burgers more than once a week in 2015, slightly down from the 68 percent of consumers in the U.S. who ate the same amount of burgers in 2013.

4  Some Places Participate, But not for FREE

While there will be a few places where you can grab a FREE cheeseburger on National Cheeseburger Day, there will be other locations who participate in a different way rather than not participating at all. Ruby Tuesday will give customers a FREE cheeseburger coupon when they purchase an adult meal on Sunday Sept. 18. They can only redeem the coupon if they sign up for Ruby Tuesdays SoConnected email club.

3  You Can Get More Than a Cheeseburger

At Angus Steakhouse, customers have the option to get a coupon for the Steakhouse Bacon Cheeseburger until Sept. 19. They can also get a Guacamole Burger or ditch the beefy sandwich all together, for a FREE lunch entree with a value of $8.99. That could be good news for vegans or vegetarians.

2  You Can Get Your Burger in the Air

Unlike green eggs and ham that you can eat anywhere, free burgers will only be available at select locations, and in the air. Delta Airlines will serve Shake Shack burgers on select flights leaving from JFK to LAX on National Cheeseburger Day.

1  There is Hope for Vegetarians

Hurricane Grill & Wings will offer discounted veggie burgers for just $5.99. You can also get a beef or turkey burger for the same price topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles.
The six-year legal battle over Arizona Senate Bill 1070 ended Thursday as a coalition of immigration rights groups and the state attorney general's office reached a deal restricting the bill's two remaining controversial elements.

Plaintiffs in the case - led by the National Immigration Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund - agreed to drop their appeal of a 2015 ruling that found nothing illegal with police officers verifying an individual's immigration status.

At the time, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton said the law was racially neutral because there are ways of enforcing it without singling out minorities.

In return, Arizona Atty. Gen. Mark Brnovich said law enforcement will be discouraged from demanding proof of residency from people suspected of being in the country illegally. The agreement also bills the state $1.4 million in attorneys' fees for the plaintiffs.

"Officers shall not prolong a stop, detention or arrest solely for the purpose of verifying immigration status," Brnovich wrote in his informal opinion. "Officers shall not contact, stop, detain or arrest an individual based on race, color, or national origin, except when it is part of a suspect descriptions."

Brnovich issued a statement late Thursday assuring residents that the state "succeeded by keeping the key provisions of SB 1070 in place."

Changes in SB 1070 Enforcement Explained for Dummies**

Simply speaking what this seems to mean is that law enforcement will not be able to stop and demand proof of immigration status on the grounds of suspicion, race, color or national origin. Meaning they should not be able to stop anyone simply to check on their immigration papers. They will, however, be able to stop someone based on "reasonable suspicion" but they may not "prolong a stop, detention or arrest solely for the purpose of verifying immigration status". Based on the Arizona's Atty. General's informal opinion-document, "reasonsable suspicion" is defined as:

Specific facts which taken together with rational inferencesfrom those facts support an objective belief that an individual has committed or is about to commit an offense; based upon the factsthat exist, there isreason to investigate further. An officer may stop or briefly detain an individual for further investigation based on reasonable suspicion (a Terry stop), but may not arrest on that basis alone.

Officers are not required to ask for papers, but may do so if they don't have backup, are understaffed, or if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is unavailable. It also means they will not be allowed to detain subjects longer than necessary. Officers cannot wait for ICE's response, just like suspects cannot be held without probable cause.

Every criminal provision of SB 1070 challenged since 2010 has been blocked.

"The last step in the SB 1070 litigation makes it clear that what the legislature intended - and much of the immigration enforcement that police in Arizona previously engaged in - is unlawful," Omar Jadwat, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, said in a press release. "The Attorney General's legal opinion makes it clear that no one can be detained based on suspected immigration status, and no one can be targeted because of their race.

Jadwat added, "Officers who do not pay scrupulous attention to the limits of their authority will be held accountable, just as Sheriff (Joe) Arpaio has been held accountable."

A Timeline of Arizona's Controversial Law

April 2010 - A revised version of SB 1070 passes both the House and state Senate. Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, who replaced Democrat Janet Napolitano after she joined the Obama administration, signed the bill into legislation April 23.

Going forward, it would be a crime if an undocumented individual did not carry registration papers. Police would be allowed to arrest someone without a warrant if they believed, not necessarily with proof, that the person committed a crime, among other restrictive measures.

The law is met with praise and contempt. President Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were among its opponents who saw it misguided and infringed upon civil rights. Sheriff Arpaio - self-described as the "toughest sheriff in America" - was among SB 1070 most ardent supporters and made catching undocumented immigrants a priority.

May 1, 2010 - Protesters celebrate International Workers' Day by launching protests nationwide. Demonstrations from Milwaukee to Los Angeles draw tens of thousands of people, many which waved Mexican flags and changed "Si se puede."

Cancelled conventions and rumored boycotts from business owners, athletes, and musicians over the next few months curtailed the state's economy. A November 2010 report from the left-leaning Center for American Progress found Arizona lost $141 million in tourism revenue, including $45 million in lodging.

May 17, 2010 - A joint class action lawsuit, Friendly House et al v. Whiting, charges that SB 1070 violates multiple civil rights, including the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment and freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment.

The ACLU and MALDEF are named as plaintiffs.

June 28, 2010 - Judge Bolton blocks SB 1070's more incendiary measures, like law enforcement's right to check one's immigration status. She did not rule on six other challenges issued by the U.S. Justice Department and various immigration groups.

Arizona promptly appeals, setting up a meeting with the U.S. Supreme Court.

July 6, 2010 - The U.S. Department of Justice files its own lawsuit, arguing that SB 1070 interferes with federal government regulations.

Bolton overhead this case as well and issued a preliminary injunction prevention four parts of the law from taking effect. This too, would be challenged by the state.

March 3, 2011 - North Carolina becomes the 16th state to introduce Arizona-like anti-immigration laws. Like Arizona, the "willful failure to complete or carry an alien registration document" would be a crime.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed it into law on May 13, as did Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on June 9. Alabama's "show me your papers" law made it a crime to be in the state without documentation. Schools were required to investigate the citizenship status of students, and all state business were required to enroll in E-verify.

By the time South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signed similar legislations on June 27, copycat bills in other states had either been defeated or faced litigation. Virginia and Kansas considered joining, but after watching the widespread backlash chose to distance themselves.

Almost every enacted law has been overturned.

June 25, 2012 - Presiding over the DOJ case, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down three key provisions.

In a 5-3 ruling, the court rejected the following provisions: making it a criminal offense for undocumented immigrants to hold a job, requiring all immigrants to carry registration papers, and allowing police to arrest suspected immigrants without warrants. They allow one requiring police to check a person's legal status.

Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Stephen Breyer agreed. Justice Antoni Scalia, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas dissented.

"What I do fear - and what Arizona and the States that support it fear - is that 'federal policies' of nonenforcement will leave the States helpless before those evil effects of illegal immigration," Scalia wrote. "Arizona bears the brunt of the country's illegal immigration problem."

The Obama administration and Brewer each claim victory.

May 30, 2014 - The DOJ drops its fight to void the "papers, please" provision. Arizona agrees to stop enforcing a provision that allows police to arrest someone for transporting or harboring undocumented individuals.

Arizona lawmakers still have not publically discussed challenging other defunct provisions, like those making it a crime for motorists to hire day laborers.

Sept. 16, 2016 - The Friendly House et al v. Whiting suit comes to an end as two remaining clauses are nullified.

**We used the term "Dummies" for the sole purpose of categorizing people who may not be well acquainted or familiar with legal or technical verbiage.
Google Chrome maintains its dominance in the U.S. desktop browser market share battle between several companies including Microsoft (Edge and Internet Explorer), Apple (Safari), Mozilla (Firefox) and others according to one report. In August of 2016, the number of U.S. desktops using Chrome to browse the internet was 54.9%, while IE had 23.27%, Safari 8.85%, Firefox 5.87%, Edge 6.48% and others 0.62%.

U.S. Desktop Browser Marketshare Trend

In October of 2015, Microsoft's IE was still the supreme king in the U.S. desktop browser market share battle but in January 2016 when Microsoft announced it would discontinue its technical support to the Internet Explorer, its market share began to unsurprisingly fall as shown in the graph below, courtesy of NetMarketShare. Based on the same graph, the most logical explanation is that people started switching over to Chrome which explains its sudden increase in market share around the same time IE started to decline. In January 2016, IE had 44.38% of the total U.S. market share while Chrome sat at a distant second with 28.72% but by May 2016, IE's share shrunk to 29.17% while Chrome jumped to 45.55%.

For Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft Edge and other companies, the market share remained relatively the same between October 2016 and August 2016. Their numbers in August 2016 were:

Safari - 8.85%

Firefox - 5.87%

Microsoft Edge - 6.48%

Others - 0.62%

Chrome - 54.90%

IE - 23.27%

U.S. Mobile/Tablet Browser Marketshare Trend

In the mobile browsing world, however, the market share battle has been fought between Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome. In October of 2015, Safari boasted a sweet 53.80% of the total mobile browsing market share in the U.S. Chrome trailed with 37.74%, Android Browser had 6.36%, IE 1.26%, Firefox 0.50% and others at 0.34%.

Starting in February 2016, Chrome's market share started to climb quickly as it's popularity among iOS users started to grow aggressively. In May 2016, Chrome sat at its peak with 61.2% of the market share while Safari trailed with 35.46%. By August 2016, however, things were looking more even between the two with Chrome leading with 49.92% and Safari just three points behind with 46.68%.

Conclusion

During the past 12 months, Microsoft may have envisioned users flocking to its Edge option. Instead, many users decided to turn to other browsers, Chrome chief among them.

The Google browser has also benefited from a dwindling market share for the likes of Mozilla Firefox (1.1 percent) and a stagnant period at Apple Safari and Opera Software.

Even at it most popular, Internet Explorer was not considered one of the most advanced browsers on the market. Instead, it greatly benefited from being the pre-installed browser on millions of PCs, particularly those used in the workplace.

Microsoft Trying to stem Tide

Microsoft appeared to have finally addressed the issue with the introduction of Edge as part of the new Windows 10 operating system.
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Sep 17, 2016, 2:09pm ET

Tesla building world's largest battery farm to supply Los Angeles with electricity

The plan will help alleviate the damage caused by the Aliso Canyon methane leak.

Tesla is about to build the largest lithium ion battery farm in the world, to help supply power to the city of of Los Angeles.

Tesla won the bid to solve LA's recent energy problems, caused by a months-long methane gas leak in nearby Aliso Canyon. The natural gas reservoir leak has, according to Tesla, surpassed BP's 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in terms of greenhouse gas damage. Though the comparison is not directly apples to apples  since the latter's damage was primarily due to the 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled directly into the ocean  nevertheless Aliso Canyon has spewed 1.6 million pounds of methane into the atmosphere and displaced 8,000 Californians.

Following the disaster, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency and solicited bids to solve the energy deficit. Tesla is the only company to have been awarded a project.

The result will be a bank of batteries  a 20 MW/80 MWh Powerpack, to be specific  at Southern California Edison's Mira Loma, capable of suppling 2,500 households with electricity and all manufactured at Tesla's Gigafactory. The system will store energy produced during off-peak hours to feed the overdraw during peak hours. Tesla was quick to note that it can also charge 1,000 Tesla cars, in case anyone was asking.

Amazingly, Tesla says it can have the system manufactured, delivered, and set up in three months, which is about one month faster than it took to plug the methane leak.
Protesters gathered Saturday in Allentown in opposition to immigration policies proposed by Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey.

The demonstration outside the Lehigh County Republican Committee offices on Hamilton Street included some 60 people, including children, singing songs and waving signs with messages including "Stop politics of hate" and "No hate, no racism, no Trump."

Trump has said he will build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and opposes amnesty. Toomey this year proposed legislation that would stop some federal funds for sanctuary cities and counties.

"Pat Toomey appears to be trying to out-do Trump in a contest to see who can be the most hateful to Latinos and the immigrant community," said Adanjesus Marin, state director of Make the Road Action in PA, in a news release ahead of the protest. The group organized Saturday's event and a similar one this week in Reading.

Sister organization Make the Road Pennsylvania has organized volunteers to canvas 5,000 Allentown voters and talk about immigration reform ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

Members protested outside of the Berks County Republican Headquarters to make it clear Trump and Toomey's politics of... Posted by Make the Road Action in Pa on Friday, September 16, 2016

Freelance photographer Chris Post contributed to this report.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The Easton Main Street Initiative is responsible for flowers, window displays and paper snowflakes sprucing up the Downtown in recent years.

So what's the latest beautification plan?

The initiative will post poems on the doors of select local businesses.

They're looking for poets to submit entries by Oct. 3.

"There is something magical about this form of publication -- not inside the covers of a book, but in public, where all have access to the poem," said design committee volunteer and poet Beth Seetch.

For those interested in entering the contest, here are the ground rules:

Poems have to be 32 words or less, no more than eight lines

Free verse or formal verse is acceptable.

They don't have to be in English.

The initiative must be able to contact the author.

Winners will receive a $100 honorarium.

Submit entries to eastonmurals@eastonpartnership.org. You can go to the initiative's website for more information.

The nonprofit Main Street Initiative was named the best performing Main Street program in 2015 by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.

The initiative promotes, encourages and enhances the economic strength of Easton's central business district through volunteer and community driven efforts.

It's overseen by the Greater Easton Development Partnership, which runs the Easton Farmers Market, the year-round Easton Public Market and the Easton ambassadors, a red-shirted crew of individuals who pick up litter, greet tourists and answer their questions.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
It became a landmark in Warren County in the years after 9/11.

Pieces of plywood fastened to two silos and painted in the colors of the American flag paid tribute along rural Route 519 in Harmony Township to the nation and the thousands who perished that day.

Kent Sweigert took this photograph in 2011. It shows a tribute to 9/11 and America along Route 519 in Harmony Township, across from the township municipal building. (Photo courtesy of Kent Sweigert)

Sandi Zikas, whose family owns the farm property, said in all the years she never had a keepsake photo of the tribute, which over time became weathered and worn and eventually fell apart.

That is, until now.

Kent Sweigert, a photography enthusiast and the retired Belvidere police chief, captured a photo of the scene in 2011. He recently contacted Zikas and offered a framed photo that he delivered Friday.

Zikas, who runs the Crossroads Diner on Route 46 in White Township with her husband Tom, said she was touched by Sweigert's thoughtfulness.

Her son, Jack Burdge, made the flag and used a crane to attach it to the silos in the weeks after the terrorist attacks. Burdge, 52, lives on the property and worked for a telecommunications company that built temporary cell towers in New York in the wake of the attacks.

Burdge is currently in a rehabilitation facility in southern New Jersey after having a stroke and brain tumor operation, Zikas said.

That made Sweigert's offer that much more special, she said.

The flag was made out of six or more sheets of plywood, she said.

"He painted each individual one to form the flag," she said.

It wasn't unusual for folks to stop along Route 519 and take pictures, although Zikas said she never really took the time to do so herself.

"I might actually have a photo of it somewhere," she said. "I probably do, but I never had it blown up or anything."

Sweigert had his photo matted and framed and he presented it to Burdge's family members Friday, including Sandi Zikas, Burdge's wife Wendy and their 6-year-old son Jack.

Pieces of the display broke off over the years. A single piece of faded plywood is all that's left.

A photo of the partial tribute called "Fading Glory" was awarded a prize at the Warren County Farmers' Fair in 2013, Zikas said. The photographer, Karen Huff Kilts of the Belvidere area, was kind enough to give her a copy.

Kent Sweigert, right, presents the photograph he took in 2011 to Jack Burdge's family members on Sept. 16, 2016. With Sweigert are, from left, Burdge's wife Wendy, 6-year-old son Jack and mother Sandi Zikas. (Courtesy photo)

Sweigert's is the best photo she now has of the complete tribute, taken in the fall of 2011.

"The time was just right," he said. "The lighting was good and it was a nice scene with the lighting and the color."

He said he got a lot of good feedback when he posted the photo on his Facebook page leading up to this year's 15-year anniversary. In the wake of the attention, he said, it was easy to reach out to the people responsible for giving passers-by a reason to cheer.

Their gratitude made it all worth it, he said.

"I've sold a lot of photographs over the years. I do it for fun," said Sweigert, a lifelong Belvidere resident who retired from the police force in 2011 and now works for the security department at Centenary University in Hackettstown.

"I'm happy to be able to give this to the family. It's something I get excited about. I thought it would be a really nice gesture for the family. I wanted the family to have a visual memory of Jack's patriotism."

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
Thieves left bloodstained scenes behind them after smashing their way into two Mountrath primary schools last week, with a local business also burgled..

St Fintans Boys NS was the hardest hit, as it was the second robbery in a week.

The first robbery was discovered on Tuesday August 30. Staff returned to work to find smashed windows and a broken alarm, and thirteen laptops stolen.

It was the day before pupils returned to their lessons, so the staff had to clean up as well as prepare for lessons.

It was upsetting for both the children and the staff. We were mindful of the children returning the next day so we had to work hard to make sure it was a safe environment, said acting principal Gina Reddy

One of the laptops was for a child with visual impairment, with braille software that the school must reorder.

Its hard enough to get everything ready for the first day back, it means now that the children wont get ICT lessons until we get them replaced, she said.

The second robbery in St Fintans happened around 2.30am last Wednesday morning September 7.

This time the thieves again smashed windows and the alarm box, and thrashed the school office, breaking open a safe and a filing cabinet.

We had fixed our windows and our alarm and were getting back to normal, then we were back to square one. To face another break-in, with everything turned upside down, its not a nice feeling for the staff or the children, that somebody came in and did that, Ms Reddy said.

Blood was spilled on the window blinds, requiring contract cleaners, adding to the school's costs.

We have to replace four windows, two alarms, a safe, a filing cabinet, some of our appliances, and the 13 laptops and software. The cost will be huge but we will do our best to get back on track now, said the acting principal.

The 74 pupil school has to fundraise again to replace the equipment she said.

She appeals for people not to buy suspect secondhand laptops.

Please be vigilant and notify the guards, she said.

Scoil Bhride Girls NS was broken into the same day, confirmed Cllr James Kelly.

There was a great amount of damage carried out and both schools were covered in blood as one of the hooligans cut himself in the first break in, he said.

It is hard enough for these schools to do their day to day business of educating the children of the town but for to be attacked in such an outrageous manner has really had an effect on the staff, caretakers and pupils. It shows a total lack of respect for the people who are doing their best in playing a vital role in the formative years of our children, Cllr Kelly said.

Two people were apprehended at the scene of the second break-in, with one understood to be a juvenile.

A break-in had taken place initially on August 26 at CJ Sheerans pallet plant in Mountrath. Three trucks were broken into, with their consoles damaged and radios stolen.

Gardai have been given CCTV footage of the two burglars on site.

We have had break-ins in the past, and we spend money on our security but the three Gardai stationed in Mountrath need to be here continually, not seconded to other areas, said owner Mark Sheeran.
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That great Liberal, William Beveridge, first proposed the NHS. But the needs of today are so different. It is time for a new Beveridge for the 21st century. A new long term settlement for the NHS and care. We need a national conversation about what sort of service we are prepared to pay for. For my part, I am clear. I dont want a hollowed out, bargain basement service with people with mental ill health still suffering outrageous discrimination in terms of access to treatment.

We should surely aspire to have a modern, efficient, dynamic NHS and care system which treats mental and physical health equally; which ensures that elderly people and those with disability get kind, generous support which helps to prevent ill health and prevents a deterioration of condition; a health system which delivers the best outcomes for patients.

Lets look at the case for a dedicated health and care tax, shown on your pay packet. Lets look at whether we could use National Insurance as a basis for such a tax. We need to consider how we could make it more progressive. We need to think about fairness between generations.

Be in no doubt: the funding crisis is real and overwhelming.

We must be honest with the British people. If we conclude that we all need to pay perhaps an extra penny in the pound then we must be prepared to say it.

Today, I am announcing that we will establish an independent expert panel to advise the party on the case for this reform.

It speaks volumes that such a high powered group of people have agreed to help us in this way. They all understand just how high the stakes are. They understand the urgency of the situation.
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. 741 party members responded  thank you  and were publishing the full results.

This lunchtime, two consultation sessions will take place on two policy areas. Full debates on these subjects will take place at Spring Conference in York.

I remember way back in 1992, around Black Wednesday, we were the first national party to debate sex work. We are now in the process of updating our policy to take account of recent evidence and international practice.

Two controversial aspects of this are whether sex workers or their clients should be criminalised. There have been several attempts to change the law in Scotland to criminalise sex workers clients but these have so far been defeated.

We asked what our members thought. They were pretty clear.

Do you support the decriminalisation of sex work?

Yes: 92.04%

No: 7.96%

A selection of comments:

I support the decriminalisation of the individual sex workers. But the organised trade in sex, and exploitation of indivuals, should be criminalised further.

There must be protection from trafficking and abuse and coercion. But there are people, I suspect, who would find offering sex as an acceptable economic activity. I deplore the whole business and would hate any of my family to be involved but personal freedom is essential.

I would like to see laws to protect sex workers against exploitation and abusive clients. It is difficult to do that while sex work itself is a criminal offence.

Should clients of sex workers be criminalised?

Yes: 15.79%

No: 84.21%

Except where they commit acts of violence/rape obviously. Sex workers should have complete control over their own bodies, and freedom of choice in selling their services in a regulated and safe industry. Clients should be free to engage those services.

The desire to pay for sex should not be illegal as long as the sex itself is legal (over the age of consent and with no coercion)

Would ensure that the sex work industry remained demonised, regular clients are replaced by less favourable ones and would make it harder for sex workers to make a living.

2,200+ Lib Dem paid-up party members are registered with LibDemVoice.org. 741 completed the latest survey, which was conducted between 13-15 September 2016

Please note: we make no claims that the survey is fully representative of the Lib Dem membership as a whole. The surveys are, though, the largest independent samples of the views of Lib Dem members across the country.

We have been able to test the LibDemVoice surveys against actual results on a handful of occasions. It correctly forecast the special Lib Dem conference would overwhelmingly approve the Coalition Agreement in May 2010. In the 2008 and 2010 elections for Lib Dem party president, it correctly predicted the winner. However, in the 2014 election it didnt; see here for my thoughts on this.

Polling expert Anthony Wells has written about the reliability/validity of LibDemVoice surveys here.

The full archive of our members surveys can be viewed at www.libdemvoice.org/category/ldv-members-poll

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
FORMER Shannon Development chief executive Dr Vincent Cunnane says he is sceptical whether the long-delayed Shannon LNG project will ever happen.

And he has taken aim at the energy regulator for the long delays to the multi-million euro project, claiming Ireland could now be left exposed following Britains decision to leave the European Union.

The project at Tarbert-Ballylongford, if it were to proceed, could lead to an investment of up to 600m, create hundreds of construction jobs and up to 50 permanent roles.

But according to reports, Shannon LNG has been sold off by its parent firm, Hess Corporation, with the new owners identifies as yet unrevealed. The scheme would see liquefied natural gas pumped.

The fact it did not get off the ground ranks as Dr Cunnanes biggest disappointment during his seven-year spell at Shannon Development.

Although planning permission was secured through a fast-track process, securing a foreshore licence for the project proved to be more difficult, he said.

Ireland showed its best face, and some of its worst face in this project, he told the Limerick Leader, Even though this had been an [infrastructural] priority, it was not a priority for the function in the licensing. We were 434th in some list which had to be addressed.

He added: If you wanted to build a pier for your boat, it was treated in the same manner as at that stage, a $1bn project.

Dr Cunnane added he had to defend Irelands procedures in Hesss offices in Manhattan, New York City, although he agreed with its stance wholeheartedly.

And he questioned if the same level of controversy had existed around the project as Corribs gas field in Co Mayo.

We had absolute buy-in with only one or two dissenting voices, and it didnt happen. Corrib is now pumping. Would we have been better having massive dissent which would have raised the profile of the development, and we could then have worked with the various state functions to drive it through? Were we too good at our job, he asked.

Asked directly if he thought the project would happen, he said: I would be very sceptical.

This could have far-reaching consequences for Irelands energy needs in a post-Brexit world, he said.

Look at what is happening here to Ireland. The irony is we are importing liquiefied natural gas from Milford Haven in Wales. It comes up through the west coast of England, and the west coast of Scotland, and comes across the interconnectors in Northern Ireland to the national grid. After Brexit, where are we going to get our natural gas from, he asked.

He warned the Corrib field only has a short life-time, and Ireland can forget about energy from Russia, given the distance.

I think we are very exposed from an energy point of view, and the Shannon LNG project would have solved all those things, Dr Cunnane, who is the new president at LIT concluded.

See interview page 11
ROBERT Deane, the current Lord Muskerry of Springfield Castle, is living out his dream and is certainly living up to the family motto.

Nothing is difficult for those who are loyal and strong, the motto reads. And Robert Deane, though living for decades in South Africa, has remained loyal to his ancestral home and to his dream of restoring it.

As a youngster growing up here, I had a dream to see the Tower and the rest of the place reasonably restored, he told the Limerick Leader at the weekend when he was once more back in Springfield Castle. And he recalled a photograph and article which appeared in the Limerick Leader about 1976 in which he spoke, even then, about his restoration dream.

I had this dream to do it. Then, a few years ago, I was in a position to do it, to start doing it, he explained. Hopefully it will allow this place to still be here whoever may be occupying it.

The restoration has involved developing the main house and the east wing of Springfield Castle into high-end rental properties, attracting groups and families gathering for holidays or special occasions. More recently, explained Robert Deanes sister, Betty Sykes who runs the operation with her husband Jonathan and daughter Karen,the castle has attracted a lot of small, intimate and bespoke weddings and already next May and June are booked out.

But it has been the restoration of the Tower, probably the oldest part of the castle, which has really fired Roberts imagination.

The building, dating from the 1500s, has had its cruciform roof replaced and new oak floors and stairways, fashioned from timber on the estate, have been installed.

Now, in order to make it user-friendly and safe, an adjoining tower with a fire escape and disability access has to be constructed. Planning permission for this is currently being sought.

And the hope is that will be ready to be used as a characterful venue for all sorts of events some time next year.

Meanwhile, Springfield Castle has also been used as the backdrop for a fashion shoot for Catherine Deanes 2017 bridal collection.

Catherine, who is Roberts daughter, began her designing career with ready-to-wear collections and luxurious evening wear for celebrities such as Beyonce. But now she just loves being part of peoples special day and adores the romance of it all. There is, she added, a lovely synchronicity between her journey as a designer and that of Springfield Castle which more and more, is becoming established as a special wedding venue.

The spirit behind my designs is Bohemian goddess and traveller, she explained. I wanted to start getting into more exotic locations and this (Springfield) was my first choice.

Hong Kong is home at the moment but I have an office in the UK and we have just opened an office in New York, she continued. Ireland is special. I was born here. I have childhood memories of Springfield Castle and of playing with my cousins here. It is such a beautiful place.

The history of the castle since it was a Fitzgerald stronghold in 1280, reflects the many twists and turns of Irish history. The great Gaelic bard of Springfield, Daithi OBruadair, described it as a noble, lightsome place, a home of choirs and music, a home of grandeur and gorgeous colours.

Some of that spirit has now once again been restored.
THE announcement that US company Ortec Inc is to site its European headquarters in Newcastle West with the creation of more than 100 jobs has sparked a new optimism and given a huge positive fillip to the town and the wider West Limerick area this week.

The good news has been widely and warmly welcomed by public representatives and local organisations.

The investment is a significant boost for the economy of Limerick, as a whole, and Newcastle West in particular,  the Mayor of Limerick, City and County, Kieran OHanlon said.

I welcome the jobs announcement today with open arms. Its been a long time in the making, Cllr John Sheahan, chairman of Newcastle West Municipal District said.  My hope is that Ortec will become an anchor in Newcastle West and a magnet for other industries to look at locating in the town. I hope the 110 jobs announced by Ortec will have a knock-on effect for other businesses, such as the service sector, in Newcastle West and West Limerick in general.

It is great news, brilliant news, Seamus Hunt, the outgoing chairman of the Newcastle West Business Association said.

Local Fine Gael TD and Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Patrick ODonovan was among the first to welcome the good news. Over the last number of years I have been working closely with the IDA, Limerick City and County Council, the Shannon Group and the local promoters of the project, Stephen ODonovan, Derry McMahon and Peter Byrne to secure this major investment for the town of Newcastle West, he said, early on Tuesday morning, adding his hope that Limerick would see more foreign direct investment projects in the future.

This is fantastic news for Limerick and shows that Limerick can be a leading choice for companies looking for a high-quality workforce, Fianna Fail TD for Limerick Niall Collins said.

When the IDA and the Department of Jobs focus on attracting new employers to rural counties such as Limerick, they succeed.

I hope that they will continue to focus on Limerick and the wider Mid-West region for site visits. A jobs announcement like this should become the norm for the people of Limerick. That should become the priority, he added.

Ortec Inc. was founded in 1980 and its headquarters are in Easley, South Carolina. The privately owned company offers custom material which are then used in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and other health industries.

Announcing their investment, Ortec Inc.s senior vice president Christopher Brotherton said: This is our first investment outside of the US, and we are pleased to be doing it in Ireland. It is a strategic part of our global expansion. Bringing the project to this stage has required a great deal of collaboration.

He acknowledged the tremendous support from IDA Ireland, Limerick City and County Council, Shannon Properties, and a multitude of local professional advisors.

The developers Peter Byrne, Derry McMahon, and Stephen ODonovan have been tireless in promoting our project, the town, and the entire area. We are excited to be part of the community in Newcastle West, Mr Brotherton said

The company plans to create up to 110 skilled engineering and science jobs over the next number of years once the plant is operational.

It will locate its new European headquarters in a 13,000 square foot industrial unit in the Newcastle West Industrial Park but plans to double the area in the coming months. and the move to Newcastle West is its first overseas
A LIMERICKMAN is among those helping to rescue thousands of migrants making the perilous journey across the seas to Europe  but he has also had the heartbreaking job of recovering the bodies of 16 deceased migrants in one day alone.

Brendan Barrett, 28, a native of Ballybrown, Clarina, joined the Irish Navy in 2008, and has served on the L.E. Ciara, L.E. Niamh, L.E. Eithne and L.E. Aoife.

He is currently serving on board the L.E. James Joyce, which has been on a humanitarian mission, Operation Pontus, since July 8 last.

The LE James Joyce has now rescued more than 3,000 people in the Mediterranean in recent months, and that figure continues to rise on nearly a daily basis.

On Sunday morning last they successfully located and rescued 108 people during a search and rescue operation conducted with the Italian Coastguard 35 miles north-west of Tripoli.

Overall last weekend they rescued 531 people, and on board they received food, water and medical treatment. Those rescued later disembark in Cagliari in Sardinia.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader, Brendan, the first in his family to join the defence forces, said the crew of 60 on board the vessel deal with many stressful situations.

Migrants usually leave the shores of Tripoli [the capital of Libya] via wooden barges and rubber crafts. Once the migrants are rescued they can be on board our ship for periods up to three days while transiting to the nearest port of safety. We give medical attention where required, as we had many pregnant women and very young infants and children who were ill and were looked after by our crew. Unfortunately we recovered 16 deceased migrants in one day alone from one wooden barge, he said.

On that same day, they saved 608 from the sea, he added. While recovering the remains on the deceased is particularly tough, he said its a very fulfilling job, knowing that thousands of people have been brought to safe shores.

Brendans duties as a leading seaman include working on deck launching, recovering MST fast sea boats, as well as the security and maintaining the welfare of the men, women and children they rescue.

If we do not have any rescues, a general day consists of routine maintenance of the ship below decks and upper decks. This is very important as we need to have the ship ready for the next rescue operation.

Also we conduct many exerciseS which include Gunnery drill, firefighting, damage control and abandon ship. There will be further emotional scenes in Cork in September as Brendan returns home from this mission and is reunited with his fiancee Wendy Canty,

He and the crew of the L.E James Joyce are due to return to the naval base in Haulbowline, county Cork at the end of September. After a few days break, he will return to sea on board the L.E Ciara on a routine fishing patrol around the coast of Ireland.
DONOUGHMORE National School was turned into the Savoy cinema on Tuesday night for the premiere of a new short film  Easter Raid.

Guests of honour were the 24 stars and makers of the movie  the schools fifth class. It was shot when they were in fourth class under the expert direction of teacher, Aoife Quigley, who was inspired by the Charlie Chaplin festival held in her home town of Waterville.

The boys and girls jumped at the idea and came up with a story-line. They even had a perfect shoot location in an old school building.

It is about a teacher showing children how to count chocolate eggs in Irish. A visitor comes to the school so she puts the eggs away and some bold boys take them. After the children go on their Easter holidays she has a cup of tea and plans on having a chocolate egg but they are gone. The guards are called and there is an investigation, said Ms Quigley.

Through parent George Lee, she got in touch with filmmaker Steve Hall who came to Donoughmore and shot the movie.

If it wasnt for George we wouldnt have a film. He was brilliant, said Ms Quigley.

As well as the new experience it covered English, Irish, drama and art.

It was a fantastic project and it is something they will remember. Maybe they will give us a mention when they win an Oscar!
May 3, 2021, 6 AM

Almost a century old, the White covered bridge in Greene County, Pa., is featured on a Sept. 17-18 pictorial postmark commemorating a festival.

By Michael Baadke

The annual Covered Bridge Festival takes place in southwestern Pennsylvania during the third weekend in September, extending across Greene and Washington counties.

Garards Fort, Pa., in Greene County, is commemorating its role in this years festival with a pictorial postmark that shows the White covered bridge spanning Whiteley Creek. Its one of seven covered bridges in the county.

Although one source has claimed the bridge was built in 1900, its generally believed that the correct date is closer to 1919. On the Greene County website, the bridge is described as an exceptionally high queenpost structure, with a clearance of 17 feet and 6 inches.

During the Sept. 17-18 festival, activities at the White covered bridge include historical re-enactments, childrens activities, wagon rides, gospel music and more.

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To obtain this covered bridge postmark, which is dated Sept. 17-18, address your requests to:

WHITE BRIDGE Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Garards Fort, PA 15334-9998, Sept. 17-18.

The following cancels are also available:

JACKSON COUNTY STOP #16 Station, Postmaster, 201 S. Sugar St., Brownstown, IN 47220-9998, Sept. 15. (Hand holding torch with flame, outline of Jackson County with star marking location of Brownstown, Indiana Bicentennial.)

INSTALLATION Station, Postmaster, 25 Dorchester Ave., Boston, MA 02205-9998, Sept. 16. (Postal Service eagle logo in double-ring circle, U.S. Postal Service, 53rd Postmaster Boston, Nicolas R. Francescucci.)

MILCOPEX Station, Postmaster, Box 5066, Milwaukee, WI 53201-5066, Sept. 16. (Artists palette with brushes.)

The following postmarks have been granted 30-day extensions:

USS HOUSTON SSN-713 INACTIVATION Station, Postmaster, 602 Pacific Ave., Bremerton, WA 98337-9998, Aug. 26. (Texas state outline, submarine, star to indicate location of Houston.)

NATIONAL POSTMASTERS CONVENTION Station, Postmaster, Box 58980, New Orleans, LA 70158-8980, Aug. 29-31. (Circular seal of National League of Postmasters of the United States, eagle, NAPUS, Postmasters  Proudly Serving America.)

STAR TREK: MISSION NEW YORK Station, Stamp Fulfillment Services, Cancellation Services, 8300 NE Underground Dr., Pillar 210, Kansas City, MO 64144-9998, Sept. 2-4. (Star Trek 50 logo with Federation symbol, starship.)

NEW YORK AIR SHOW Station, Postmaster, 217 Liberty St., Newburgh, NY 12550-9998, Sept. 3. (All text with four horizontal lines, Stewart International Airport.)

EDUCATION EXCELLENCE Station, Postmaster, 4600 Mark IV Parkway, Room 224, Fort Worth, TX 76161-9998, Sept. 8. (Square balanced on corner, Educator, Mentor, Advisor, Advocate, symbolic rose sign, Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center for the Arts.)

USS TEXAS (SSN-775) 10TH ANNIVERSARY Station, Postmaster, Box 719, Norfolk, VA 23501-9998, Sept. 9. (Submarine, submarine warfare insignia including heraldic dolphins.)

BATTLE OF PLATTSBURGH Station, Postmaster, 10 Miller St., Plattsburgh, NY 12901-9998, Sept. 10. (Six-pointed star.)

OYSTER FESTIVAL-HERITAGE Station, Postmaster, Box 267, Norwalk, CT 06856-0267, Sept. 10-11. (Oyster in open shell.)

20th ANNIVERSARY Station USS CHEYENNE (SSN-773), Postmaster, Box 719, Norfolk, VA 23501-9998, Sept. 13. (Submarine.)
Sep 16, 2016, 1 PM

An acrylic painting by James Hautman of three Canada geese in flight was chosen as the winner of the 2016 federal duck stamp contest, and will serve as the design for the federal duck stamp that will be issued in the summer of 2017.

By Michael Baadke

The winning artwork in the 2016 United States Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest shows three Canada geese in flight against a golden sky, painted by James Hautman of Chaska, Minn.

The acrylic painting represents the fifth federal contest winner for Hautman, tying him with two other artists whose artwork has been chosen five times for the honor of appearing on the annual federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp: Maynard Reece (on the 1948, 1951, 1959, 1969 and 1971 stamps) and Hautmans older brother Joseph (on the 1992, 2002, 2008, 2012 and 2016 stamps).

A third Hautman brother, Robert, is also a past winner of the competition, with his paintings appearing on the 1997 and 2001 stamps.

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James Hautmans paintings have previously illustrated the federal duck stamps issued in 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2011. The newly chosen winner will be the featured illustration on the federal stamp that will be issued in late June 2017.

With his 1990 win, Hautman became the youngest artist ever to win the federal duck stamp contest. In 2011, he was named the Ducks Unlimited artist of the year.

Rebekah Knight took second place in this years contest with her acrylic painting of a single brant. Her painting of a redhead duck was chosen for the junior duck stamp issued in 2006.

Robert Hautman placed third this year, also with an acrylic painting of Canada geese.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that of 152 entries in this years contest, eight made it to the final round of judging.

The eligible species for this years competition were the Canada goose, brant, northern shoveler, red-breasted merganser, and Stellers eider.

The annual contest, which is open to all artists age 18 and older who are U.S. Citizens, nationals or resident aliens, was held this year at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Pa. The winner was announced Sept. 10.

I congratulate James Hautman on his win, said Steve Guertin, deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which administers the contest. And this is not just any piece of art, but one whose impact will be felt for generations to come. Duck stamps have helped to protect more than six and a half million acres of waterfowl habitat in our National Wildlife Refuge System  now that is a lasting legacy.

The judges for this years federal duck stamp contest were wildlife artist Jan Martin McGuire; Keith Russell, program manager for urban conservation with Audubon Pennsylvania; Nathan H. Rice, ornithology collection manager at the Academy of Natural Sciences; John P. Booth, executive director of the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art; and artist Sue deLearie Adair, a birder and avid naturalist.

The contest winner receives no prize other than a pane of the stamps bearing the design, signed by the U.S. secretary of the Interior.

However, the prestige of winning the contest helps to sell prints of the paintings, which benefits the artist financially.

Federal duck stamps are not valid for postage, but they are popular with collectors and are illustrated and valued in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers.

Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are required to purchase the $25 stamp and carry it when they hunt.

The funds collected from the sale of the stamps raise about $25 million each year to conserve and protect wetland habitats in the National Wildlife Refuge System, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
May 1, 2021, 5 PM

A photographic portrait of Agatha Christie is pictured on a stamp from the Isle of Man.

Royal Mails tribute to Agatha Christie includes six stamps in three se-tenant pairs depicting scenes from the following novels: Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None (nondenominated first-class stamps), The Mysterious Affair at Styles

By Denise McCarty

Great Britains new stamps honoring Agatha Christie depict key scenes and characters from six of her famous murder mysteries and also contain hidden secrets in the form of microtext, UV ink and thermochromic ink, according to Royal Mail.

The six stamps were issued on Christies birthday, Sept. 15, in three se-tenant (side-by-side) pairs.

Royal Mail reported that the stamps mark the 100th anniversary of the writing of her first crime novel, the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the fictional detective Hercule Poirot, and the 40th anniversary of Christies death. Born Mary Clarissa Agatha Miller in Torquay, in Devon, England, in 1890, she died Jan. 12, 1976.

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Known as the Queen of Crime and the bestselling novelist of all time, Christie introduced Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in her first crime novel, The Mysterious Affair At Styles, written in 1916 and published in 1920.

RELATED: Great Britain to honor writers Shakespeare, Potter and Christie in 2016

This novel is featured on a 1.33 stamp. Like all of the designs in this Agatha Christie set, it shows a stark, art deco style illustration by Neil Webb with one color prominent amidst black, white and shades of gray.

On this stamp, green is the prominent color, used for the inscriptions of the book title and the authors name on the left and the denomination and the profile of Queen Elizabeth II on the right. Also pictured in green is the bottle of poison on the table.

If you look closely at the bottle of poison, you can see that it pictures the same scene of two men around a small table, as shown on the stamp.

The Agatha Christie website provides this synopsis of The Mysterious Affair at Styles: The story begins when Hastings is sent back to England from the First World War due to injury and is invited to spend his sick leave at the beautiful Styles Court by his old friend John Cavendish. Here, Hastings meets Johns step-mother, Mrs. Inglethorpe, and her new husband, Alfred. Despite the tranquil surroundings Hastings begins to realise that all is not right. When Mrs. Inglethorpe is found poisoned, suspicion falls on the family, and another old friend, Hercule Poirot, is invited to investigate.

Two other Hercule Poirot novels are represented in the stamp set: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd on the other 1.33 stamp, and Murder on the Orient Express on a nondenominated first-class stamp.

Published in 1926, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was the first of Christies novels to be made into a stage play. Named Alibi, the play opened in London in 1928.

Murder on the Orient Express, published in 1934, was made into a movie in 1974 with Albert Finney starring as Poirot. Kenneth Branagh will direct and star in a new film version due to be released in theaters in late 2017.

What looks like a white line at the bottom of this design is microtext naming all the suspects in this murder mystery.

Keep reading about authors on stamps:

Stamp for Henry James added to U.S. Literary Arts series

Author Flannery O'Connor on new stamp June 5

Maya Angelou commemorative honors acclaimed poet, author

The other first-class stamp depicts the island setting of And Then There Were None, published in 1939. Since then, more than 100 million copies have been sold, making it the best-selling mystery novel of all time.

This stamp also features microtext. Frank Greens version of the nursery rhyme on which this novel is based is shown upside-down in the lower right of the design

The se-tenant pair of 1.52 stamps showcases novels featuring Miss Marple: The Body in the Library and A Murder is Announced.

The Body in the Library, the second Miss Marple novel, was published in 1942. The Agatha Christie website said: One of Miss Marples finest cases, here we see her at the height of her female intuition, an inconspicuous elderly lady who can investigate undetected. Several other detectives get involved in the case  almost as many as there are suspects. Of course, it is Miss Marple who will unveil the ultimate clue.

Published in 1950, A Murder is Announced was promoted at the time as her 50th novel.

In a list of top 10 Agatha Christie novels compiled by John Curran and published by the Guardian in September 2009, A Murder is Announced ranked eighth with this description: In the village of Chipping Cleghorn, a murder is announced in the local papers small ads. As Miss Blacklocks friends gather for what they fondly imagine will be a parlour game, an elaborate murder plot is set in motion.

Studio Sutherl& (Sutherland) designed the stamps using the illustrations by Webb. International Security Printers printed them by offset in sheets of 48 (sold in panes of 24 at most postal outlets). The stamps measure 60 millimeters by 30mm, and are perforated gauge 14.5 by 14.5.

As for the hidden designs, the Agatha Christie website said, In true Christie style each stamp, designed by Jim Sutherland, contains hidden elements relating to key scenes and principal characters from Christies mystery novels. Clues and features include a figure, half-hidden and wielding a knife, letters, the names of the suspects and Poirot himself. Use a mix of body heat, UV light and a magnifying glass to reveal all of the hidden elements  will you be able to discover them all?

The current first-class rate is 64 pence. The stamps denominated 1.33 pay the rate for international mail up to 20 grams, and the 1.52 stamps pay the rate for mail to Europe weighing up to 100 grams.

Royal Mails other products for the new Agatha Christie set include first-day covers; six postcards reproducing the designs of the stamps, and a presentation pack.

In addition to a mint set of stamps, the pack includes text written by Christies grandson Mathew Prichard documenting her personal and literary life.

Ordering information is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland. Ordering can be done online, as well.

Royal Mails two agencies in the United States are Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557; and the British Stamp Service in North America, 1 Unicover Center, Cheyenne, WY 82008.

Although these are the first stamps from Great Britain featuring Christies novels, this is not the first time that Royal Mail has honored her.

In 1991, it issued an Agatha Christie prestige booklet (Scott BK155) containing panes of Machin definitive stamps along with panes with images and information about some of the novels and her play Mousetrap, which opened in 1952 in Londons West End and is still running.

A handful of other postal administrations have issued stamps picturing Christie or commemorating her works.

For example, the Isle of Man shows John Gays photographic portrait of the author on the 31-penny stamp (Scott 1164) in its 2006 set marking the 150th anniversary of the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Earlier, the Isle of Man had included her serialized story Manx Gold on a stamp (Scott 994) in a 2003 set honoring literature with Manx connections.

Her fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (as portrayed by Margaret Rutherford) can be found on stamps issued by Nicaragua (Scott C311) and Guernsey (579), and Christie is pictured on a souvenir sheet in Sierra Leones 2001 Orient Express issue (2383).

Further information about these and other stamps related to Christie can be found on Trussel.coms page devoted to detective fiction on stamps.
Officials in Ohio said more tests are needed to determine whether a heart found on the ground, in a zip-close bag, is actually a human organ, or if it comes from another animal. But exactly what tests are needed to prove that a heart is human?

The heart was discovered about three weeks ago on a patch of grass near a gas station in Norwalk, Ohio, according to The New York Times. Police are still investigating where the organ might have come from, and if foul play was involved. A local coroner who saw the heart said it looked like it was from a human, but that more tests would be needed to confirm this, the Times said.

Experts can't always tell whether a heart is from a human or another animal just by looking at it, said Dr. Gregory G. Davis, a professor of pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, and chief coroner for Jefferson County, Alabama, who is not involved in the investigation. That's because there are other animals, including pigs, who have hearts that are a similar size to human hearts, Davis said.

"I don't think I could look and just simply say, 'That's not human,'" given the similarities between human hearts and those of some other animals, Davis said. [Top 10 Amazing Facts About Your Heart]

One test that a forensic pathologist might use to determine whether the heart is human would be to analyze any small amount of blood left on or in the heart. It's possible that the organ in Ohio would still have some blood inside it that could be used for testing, Davis said.

This test would look at proteins, called antigens, on the surface of red blood cells, Davis said. Humans have certain antigens on the surface of their red blood cells, and these antigens are what determine people's blood types (type A, B, AB or O.)

Animals also have different antigens on the surface of their red blood cells, which would prevent people from ever using animal blood for transfusions, Davis noted. "There are antigenic differences that would cause humans to reject nonhuman blood," Davis said.

But looking at the antigens could reveal what type of animal the heart came from, he said.

Another possible test would extract genetic material from the heart's cells and perform a DNA test, Davis said. Although humans and mammals share many of the same genes, there are enough genetic differences that experts could determine whether the cells are from a human or another animal, he said.

The heart is currently being tested by a forensic pathologist in Toledo, Ohio, and it's not clear when the results will be released, the Times said.

Original article on Live Science.
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In this section of the Lockheed Martin Newsroom, you'll find our news releases. The releases are listed in chronological order and are archived by year.
Longford County Councillor Gerry Warnock has this week lifted the lid on his decision to resign from the Social Democrats in a week which also saw one of the party's co-founders also step down.

Cllr Warnock cited the party's predominantly urban-centred focus as one of the main reasons for his departure alongside differences over the nomination of prospective Seanad candidates.

The now Independent Councillor said he made his feelings known to one of the party's founders, Stephen Donnelly, in the lead up to last April's elections.

Mr Donnelly, a TD for Wicklow, followed suit last week by saying he too was leaving over differences within the party's leadership.

It was just before the Seanad election, said Cllr Warnock in reference to his own decision to quit.

I contacted Stephen and gave my reasons and he was very respectful to them.

The local authority staff member said had the party been more decisive in its approach to reach out to rural Ireland, he may well have reconsidered his position.

The tipping point however, came when the party began formalising its approach to this year's Seanad elections.

I remember at the time the leadership seemed to have a pact in its support of different senators and senatorial candidates as long as that (support) was reciprocated for a Social Democrat candidate, he added.

I wasn't consulted over it and as one of the only elected members of the party at the time and having committed my vote to other candidates I just said 'I wasn't going to have the decision made for me' after giving people my word.

Now back as a fully-fledged, non-party politician, Cllr Warnock conceded he wasn't taken aback by the suddenness of Mr Donnelly's departure either.

And he admitted he wouldn't be amazed to see the former management consultant join the ranks of the present Fine Gael minority government.

I am not all that shocked with Stephens resignation, added Cllr Warnock.

He is a very talented politician who I have a lot of respect for, but following the General Election there seemed to have been a disconnect between him and the party.

I believe that this was in no small part due to the Social Democrats ruling themselves out of negotiations at a very early stage before the formation of the government.

I personally do not think that would have been Stephens preference, as being an ambitious politician with genuine talent he would have been astute enough to know that he, and indeed the party, would be better placed by aspiring to be part of a government where they can have influence on policy.
Calls for changes to tax incentives under the Environmental Pillar have been slammed by farming representatives.

ICSA rural development chairman, Seamus Sherlock expressed total shock at the proposal to change the tax treatment of green (agriculture) diesel which will see the cost of a litre of agricultural diesel doubling.

It is accepted globally that agricultural diesel should be heavily discounted because agricultural machinery uses large quantities of diesel to harvest silage and cereals, as well as cultivating land, added Mr Sherlock.

This lunatic proposal essentially suggests that we should all go back to the scythe and pitchfork and advocates an Amish lifestyle on a global level in order to feed the world.

Mr Sherlock went on to point out that while the proposal was unacceptable, there was a real risk of auto diesel prices going up in the budget arising from taxation changes.

ICSA is totally opposed to any changes which would make diesel as expensive as petrol because diesel is the fuel which transports all inputs and outputs in our agri-food export sector, he explained.

All proposals to increase diesel taxes on a unilateral basis in Ireland represent a spectacular own-goal in terms of competitiveness.

For Ireland, as an exporting nation, these dangerous flights of fancy must be opposed by all sensible politicians.
Two men were ordered to pay 500 apiece or go to jail at last weeks sitting of Longford District Court.

William Nevin, 55 Gleann Riada and Thomas McDonagh, 94 Gleann Riada, appeared before Judge Seamus Hughes charged with public intoxication, the use of threatening, abusive insulting words or behaviour and failure to comply with the directions of An Garda Siochana.

It was revealed that on December 31, 2015 at approximately 11pm, gardai received a call about a fight on Main Street, Lanesboro. A group of people were there, but when the Gardai arrived just two, the defendants, were fighting. They were acting in a very aggressive manner and had consumed a lot of alcohol.

The two refused to stop fighting after being asked by an attending Garda, who was then forced to call for back-up. They continued to fight while assistance arrived from Longford and Roscommon Garda Stations.

This deserves a prison sentence, Judge Hughes fumed.

Representing both defendants, Ms Fiona Baxter explained; They are aware that what they did was wrong. They were anxious to plead guilty at an early opportunity.

It was New Years Eve, there was a lot of alcohol consumed.

Im taking this very seriously, Judge Hughes replied. Theyre going to go to prison unless I get 500 each from them immediately.

He then remanded the defendants in custody until the afternoon sitting to see if they could come up with the money.

When they returned Ms Baxter explained that Mr Nevin was able to come up with 100, but that both men were on social welfare and would need more time.

If they have money for drink, theyll have money for court, Judge Hughes pointed out, while Inspector Brendan Carroll said; These men had the chance to pay a fixed penalty notice.

Mr Nevin handed in 100 to the court and Judge Hughes allowed him until November 1 to pay the full amount.

If you commit any further public order offences, you will be going to jail, he warned.

Meanwhile, Ms Baxter revealed that Mr McDonagh had recently had surgery on his ear and had a number of follow-up appointments to attend, meaning it would be more difficult for him to gather the money.

Judge Hughes then ordered Mr McDonagh to return before the court on January 3, 2017 to pay 500. Failure to do so will result in a three month prison sentence, as he was already handed down a suspended sentence for a similar offence.
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This past season, I took some cards for 50/50s from CJ from Instagram, but I never sent him anything for him to get done for me. I think I ...
But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something

over there only because I am here . But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past

as past
The State Department has added Omar Diaby, who leads a group of French foreign terrorist fighters in Syria, to the US governments list of specially designated global terrorists.

In an announcement on Sept. 16, State said that Diabys fighting group, known as Firqatul Ghuraba (Brigade of Strangers), has approximately 50 members and participates in operations alongside Al Nusrah Front, al Qaedas branch in Syria. Al Nusrah Front was rebranded as Jabhat Fatah al Sham (Conquest of the Levant Front) in late July.

Although assumed killed in August 2015, the State Department reported, Diaby re-emerged in May 2016, claiming his death was a ploy to allow him to travel to Turkey for an operation.

In June, Diaby, also known as Omar Omsen, announced his staged resurrection during an interview broadcast on France 2 television. The picture on the right of Diaby was first posted on France 2s website. France 24 accurately described the move as a PR stunt that was intended to attract attention.

According to State, Diaby first came to the attention of French intelligence due to his involvement with a French extremist group and his online propaganda video series.

Although the extremist group in question isnt named in States announcement, it is likely Forsane Alizza, which was disbanded by French authorities. Forsane Alizza claimed that it was formed to fight Islamophobia in France, but quickly turned to advocating on behalf of jihadist causes. French officials found ties between Mohammed Merah, who killed seven people during a series of shootings in 2012, and Forsane Alizza. Merah was reportedly trained in an al Qaeda camp during a visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Diabys videos have been credited as the chief reason behind why so many French nationals have joined militant groups in Syria and Iraq, State said. The video series Diaby created is titled 19HH  a reference to the 19 hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attacks. The videos combine apocalyptic themes, conspiracy theories and other anti-Western messages to advocate for jihad. Some of them include clips of Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 attacks.

Many of the 19HH videos remain online and can be easily found on YouTube. Several of the productions have been viewed tens of thousands of times.

French authorities concluded that the videos helped recruit young, impressionable men and women for jihad. One video praised the January 2015 massacre at Charlie Hebdos offices in Paris. That attack was carried out by a pair of brothers acting under the orders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Diaby himself has praised the military-style assault on Charlie Hebdo, saying: I wish Id been chosen to do that.

Diaby is from Dakar, the capital of the West African nation Senegal. He previously spent time in Frances prisons on criminal charges. According to an account in LOpinion, a Paris-based publication, Diaby was on authorities radar as early as 2011. He was suspected of attempting to lead a cadre of recruits from Nice, France to Afghanistan. Diaby was released from prison in 2013 and deported to Senegal. From there, he made his way to Syria.

The Long War Journal has reported on multiple occasions that al Qaeda wants to implement a version of sharia law that is very similar to the Islamic States, if not identical, but has a very different strategy for doing so. Diaby has described the differences between the two rival jihadist groups in similar terms.

When we come to a country that is not our own, we cannot impose laws that the people dont understand, Diaby has explained, according to France 24. We have to first educate the people, make them understand and love religion. Sharia law is not about cutting hands or stoning the adulterous.

This is al Qaedas view. Al Qaedas leaders believe that the people must be indoctrinated in the jihadist ideology so that they do not resist the implementation of draconian sharia laws.

By contrast, the Islamic State explicitly markets its brutal implementation of sharia on the populace. The differences between al Qaeda and the Islamic State have been addressed in some of the 19HH videos, as can be seen in the screen shot on the right.

The 19HH videos have advertised Diabys loyalty to al Qaeda. Scenes of men and women fighting in Syria and elsewhere have also been included. Screen shots from the videos can be seen below.

As the competition between the Islamic State and al Qaeda heated up, however, Diabys Firqatul Ghuraba reportedly suffered defections to Abu Bakr al Baghdadis organization. It is not clear how many fighters it lost to the Islamic State.

Screen shots from the 19HH video series highlighting Diabys allegiance to al Qaeda:

A video uploaded in 2015 contained pictures of several al Qaeda leaders, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (the chief architect of the 9/11 hijackings), who is held at Guantanamo:

Abu Yahya al Libi served as al Qaedas general manager until his death in a US drone strike in 2012:

Anwar al Awlaki, an al Qaeda ideologue, was killed in a drone strike in Yemen in 2011:

The next two screen shots show Abu Khalid al Suri, a senior al Qaeda operative who was embedded in Ahrar al Sham. Suri was killed by the Islamic State in early 2014:

Screen shots of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri from the 19HH videos are below. Zawahiri is referred to as the sheikh in the productions:

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that its nationwide Home Front Drill will be held next week. The drill, dubbed Standing Firm, is intended to prepare Israels civilian home front for emergency situations, and will include extensive training for Israels future war with Hezbollah. The IDFs estimates in preparation for the exercise reveal that the next war will be relatively more destructive than previous confrontations between the two sides, but not the apocalyptic scenario envisioned by many.

In the decade that has passed since the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah has undeniably become a stronger force, even though it is still no match for the IDF. Its arsenal has grown to include 150,000 rockets, expanded and improved its tunnel network in south Lebanon, and is attempting to open the Golan Heights as a second front against Israel.

The Home Front Commands exercise takes into account this growth in Hezbollahs strength. As a result, it will aim to prepare Israels civilians for the worst-case scenario of a future war with Hezbollah. It envisions that such a war will be fought on multiple fronts  placing most of Israel under fire  and will also involve Iran, Syria and Hamas. It will include a simulation of massive rocket fire on different civilian population centers, damage to critical infrastructure, cyber-attacks and failure of electrical and communication services.

According to the IDFs estimates, these actors now possess a total of 230,000 rockets and missiles of various ranges, more than half of which are in Hezbollahs arsenal. In a future war, they will be able to jointly fire an average 1,500 rockets daily at Israel. By comparison, during the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah succeeded in striking Israel with a maximum of 160 rockets daily.

While the new numbers seem overwhelming, the IDFs estimates present a more sobering and reassuring picture. According to the Home Front Command, fully 95 percent of those rockets will be of the short-range variety, with a maximum range of 28 miles and carrying just over 22 lbs of explosive material. In other words, they are inaccurate and relatively ineffective Katyusha and Grad rockets, and mortars. While the army estimates that at least 10,000 buildings will be struck, most of the damage will be concentrated in Israels north, with only dozens of strikes from Gaza landing in the Gush Dan region.

The army expects most of these inherently inaccurate rockets will miss their targets. But Israel is not leaving the safety of its civilians up to chance. In the past decade, Israel has developed and deployed the Iron Dome, its missile defense system designed to deal with short-range rockets like the Katyusha. As a result, the IDF estimates that only 1 percent of rockets fired at Israel will strike urban areas, but even they are expected to cause little damage due to their small explosive payload.

Israel has also upgraded its early-warning system in the face of Hezbollahs rocket threat. Under the new system, the Home Front Command has deployed systems that can approximate a rockets strike zone to within one square kilometer. The new system also divides the country into 250 alert zones (compared to 25 during the 2006 war) and large cities into smaller sections. In the event of an incoming rocket attack, warning sirens will only sound in the targeted area. This would eliminate the need for massive evacuations of civilians into shelters during every rocket strike.

Between these improvements and the ineffective nature of Hezbollahs weapons, the IDF is estimating a relatively low Israeli civilian casualty rate. In the past, Hezbollahs leader Hassan Nasrallah has threatened to kill tens of thousands Israelis with rocket attacks in a future war, but the Home Front is estimating a casualty rate of only 250 to 500 individuals.

The expected harm to the Israels home front and the civilian death toll, while not catastrophic, will still be the highest suffered by the Jewish state since its War of Independence in 1948. Such a steep price will only be bearable if the IDF succeeds in dealing Hezbollah a critical blow during their next confrontation.

David Daoud is an Arabic-Language Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here.
Washington : The US has strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Mohmand agency of Pakistan, which has killed as many as 28 people and injured many more. "This attack against civilians at a mosque during Friday prayers is an appalling reminder that terrorism threatens all countries in the region, and we send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed as well as our thoughts and prayers to those injured," said Ned Price, spokesman of the national security council, White House.

The United States, he said, stands with the people of Pakistan against the scourge of terrorism and will continue to work with the government of Pakistan against those "who commit such outrageous attacks". At least 28 people, including five children, were killed and 30 others injured when a Taliban suicide bomber shouting 'Allahu Akbar' blew himself up inside a mosque packed with worshippers for Friday prayers in Mohmand Agency in Pakistan's restive northwest tribal region.

PTI
The federal commission evaluating the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline issued Friday a draft environmental impact statement for the deeply controversial project  a major milestone in the review process.

The 781-page statement from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was accompanied by appendices that totaled 2,671 pages.

An executive summary of the statement reports, under a section titled Major Conclusions, that FERC determined the construction and operation of the pipeline would result in limited adverse environmental impacts, with the exceptions of impacts on forest.

Pipeline opponents reported Friday that their review of the commission documents was just beginning. But there were strong expressions of dismay, alarm and skepticism about FERCs analysis.

FERCs conclusion that adverse environmental effects of the MVP would be limited and will be satisfactorily mitigated by the applicant is ludicrous, said Rick Shingles, a member of Preserve Giles County.

Bill Wolf of Preserve Craig County provided a statement from that group.

It is inconceivable that our government would issue a draft EIS for public comment when it has been thoroughly documented that there are massive errors, gaps and possible falsehoods in the information provided by the private corporation that filed this application, Wolf said.

This document seems to accept everything submitted by the company as fact, while ignoring thousands of pages of comments submitted by concerned citizens and knowledgeable professionals, he added.

And there was stiff criticism too about the commissions planned format for regional public meetings in November, when comments about the draft environmental impact statement will be collected in one-on-one conversations with a stenographer instead of in an open, public forum.

Roberta Bondurant, a resident of Bent Mountain in Roanoke County and one organizer there of stiff pipeline opposition, blasted the one-on-one format.

Its a farce to call the individual delivery of scientific, environmental, historic and cultural information [to stenographers] a public hearing, she said.

Richard Caywood, assistant county administrator for Roanoke County, has led the countys efforts to monitor the pipeline project.

The meeting format planned by FERC appears to be designed to limit, rather than facilitate, meaningful public dialogue regarding this project, Caywood said.

In turn, Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman for Mountain Valley Pipeline, said the draft environmental impact statement follows more than two years of project planning and development and collection of data from surveying activities.

It also reflects, Cox said, the comments, considerations and concerns of landowners, community members, government agencies and local elected officials along the proposed route.

She noted that Mountain Valley has made hundreds of route adjustments in response to landowner requests, efforts to avoid sensitive resources or engineering requirements.

As proposed, the 301-mile, 42-inch diameter Mountain Valley Pipeline would transport natural gas at high pressure from Wetzel County, West Virginia, to another natural gas transmission pipeline in Pittsylvania County.

The buried pipeline would travel from West Virginia through the Virginia counties of Giles, Montgomery, Craig, Roanoke and Franklin en route to terminating at the pipeline near Chatham. As an interstate pipeline, the project needs FERCs approval to proceed.

Rugged terrain

FERC acknowledged that the Mountain Valley Pipeline would travel through sections of steep, rugged terrain.

For example, FERC said, about 67 percent of the project would cross areas susceptible to landslides. In addition, the pipeline would traverse nearly 73 miles where slope grades would be greater than 30 percent and also cross about 51 miles of karst terrain, the commission said.

Pipeline opponents contend that karst terrain  characterized by sinkholes, caves, sinking streams and springs  cannot safely support a 42-inch diameter, buried pipeline transporting natural gas at high pressure.

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation also has cited concerns about the pipelines impact on sensitive karst features and water quality in Giles and Montgomery counties.

Pipeline foes warn that construction and operation of the pipeline on steep slopes will lead to erosion and the deposit of sediment in sensitive streams and drinking water sources.

The commission reported that it considered an impact to be significant if it would result in a substantial adverse change in the physical environment. Examples would be impacts to critical habitat for endangered species or direct construction impacts on historic properties, FERC said.

The commission suggests that the pipeline would not affect property values, an observation contradicted this year by at least two landowners in the region whose property values have been affected by the prospect of hosting the pipeline.

Fatally flawed

Mountain Valley applied to FERC in October for the certificate the joint venture needs to begin construction. Since then, FERC has peppered Mountain Valley with requests for more information, clarifications and corrections as the commission staff and a consultant prepared the draft environmental impact statement.

Throughout the draft statement issued Friday, FERC acknowledges that additional information is required from Mountain Valley before the commission can complete a final environmental impact statement  which FERC has said should be available in March.

Laurie Ardison, co-chair of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights pipeline opposition group, described the draft environmental impact statement as fatally flawed for a variety of process and substance matters, not the least of which is MVPs insufficient, unsubstantiated foundational material.

Carolyn Reilly, a member of Preserve Franklin County, offered similar observations. Her family has resisted efforts by Mountain Valley crews to survey their farm for a possible pipeline route.

Considering that our family farm has not even been surveyed by MVP, we are aghast at how FERC has issued a draft environmental impact statement which doesnt include our property, as well as others that have not been surveyed by MVP, Reilly said.

Our familys land includes woods inhabited by many species, pristine pasture, wetlands and two creeks. How can they state that there is not a significant impact to land and property values when the survey data doesnt exist?

Opponents contend FERC has relied too heavily on Mountain Valleys data to assess whether the project meets a public need. Two studies commissioned by pipeline foes have concluded that the project isnt necessary to meet current and anticipated demand for natural gas from the Appalachian Basin.

FERC notes, however, that the pipeline, designed to transport about 2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, has shippers lined up to use the gas. Roanoke Gas is one of five shippers and has confirmed it might site a tap in Franklin County to take natural gas off the pipeline.

FERC is also considering a separate application from Dominion, Duke Energy and other partners for the similarly controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline project. It would also transport natural gas from West Virginia into Virginia through a 42-inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline.

Opponents to both pipelines have long held that FERC staff should have completed a programmatic environmental impact statement that considered the two projects together, examining whether they are necessary and weighing their cumulative impacts.

Joe Lovett, executive director of Appalachian Mountain Advocates, reacted to the release of the impact statement for the Mountain Valley project by slamming FERC for failing to do a more overarching, comprehensive analysis.

He said FERCs unwillingness to complete a programmatic study was shameful and lazy and set the stage for private companies to take peoples private property for corporate gain.

If the commission ultimately approves the project, Mountain Valley will be able to use eminent domain to acquire easements across private property if negotiations fail to yield a price acceptable to the landowner.

Proponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline emphasize a belief that the project will enhance economic development, help move away from coal as a fuel for power generation and support the nations energy independence.

Pipeline foes suggest the project will do significant and lasting environmental harm, impact property rights and values, create a safety hazard and continue the nations dependence on fossil fuels.

Forest impacts

The commission reported that the Mountain Valley Pipeline would cross about 245 miles of forest, noting that the projects 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way would be kept clear of trees, which would represent a permanent impact and lead to habitat fragmentation.

FERC said the 125-foot construction right-of-way would remove trees that would take years to grow back.

As currently routed, the pipeline would cross a total of about 3.4 miles of the Jefferson National Forest. The Forest Service has expressed concerns about Mountain Valleys current plans for crossing the Appalachian Trail and has criticized the companys proposed crossing of Craig Creek.

FERC confirmed it will double the comment period that follows the release of the draft statement to 90 days to accommodate the needs of the Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, another federal agency involved in preparation of the draft environmental impact statement.

FERC also will host public meetings to solicit comment on the draft. FERC has scheduled two meetings in the region: Nov. 2 at Franklin County High School, and Nov. 3 in Roanoke, at the Sheraton Hotel on Hershberger Road.

Each will begin at 5 p.m. FERC said individual comments will be collected in one-on-one conversations with a stenographer. Pipeline opponents and regional politicians had asked FERC to also include a town hall-type meeting.

FERC also will accept comments electronically and through the mail through Dec. 22.
The first volume of Winston Churchills swashbuckling history of his war, World War II, bore the title, The Gathering Storm.

The storm set to hit Americas vulnerable democracy on Election Day has gathered. But unlike with a typhoon, in this case human intervention can prevent landfall and the inevitable devastation. (Courtesy note: If you do not believe Donald Trump profoundly threatens our democracy, national dignity, security and welfare, save yourself some irritation and find something more congenial to read than this column.)

Churchills second volume covers Great Britain during the German blitz in 1940, the most splendid, as it was the most deadly, year in our long English and British history. He called the book, The Finest Hour.

Will Americans muster a fine hour of our own and defeat the gathered storm that Trump is riding and stoking?

I pose this question to two men in particular: George Herbert Walker Bush and George Walker Bush, Americas only living former presidents from the Republican Party.

The two ex-presidents silence at this historic juncture, to my thinking, is a weak, unpatriotic abdication of their moral duty. I hope against hope that I am dead wrong and they are waiting for the perfect moment to step forward and take a bold, unequivocal stand and join the battle to the end.

Would it make a difference in the vote if the 41st and 43rd presidents opposed Trump full throttle? If they went all the way and endorsed Hillary Clinton? I certainly think so, but I wouldnt bet huge big money on it in this year of unreason.

But I do know this. No voice, no preacher, no leader and no coalition so far have been able to geld Trump and make America sane again.

Bush the elder and his heir are about the only big league figures left who might  might  be able to cut through to undecided independents, alienated Republicans and wobbly Trumpkins.

The Republican primary candidates failed embarrassingly, especially Jeb Bush. The Republican leadership in Congress and the party disgraced themselves, a perfect, living profile in cowardice. The fifth estate doesnt have the kryptonite.

The person nominated for the mission is Clinton, but she hasnt been able to lead a charge, though not for lack of effort. She simply doesnt have the public goodwill, trust and rhetorical skill to cut through the fog and thunder. That is not to say she cant win the election; she obviously can, but it will be largely in spite of her performance as a candidate.

President Barack Obama has waged the finest fight of this hour. Im sure there is more to come. But many voters susceptible to Trumps spell wrote Obama off long ago.

I also know this: If the former presidents Bush stay in their Texas bunkers, they will have failed the country, disgraced themselves in the eyes of many, many Americans and doomed their legacies, already bleak for the younger Bush. They have a clear obligation to at least try to help lead a country at risk to a fine hour of resistance.

I cannot fathom why 41 and 43 havent stepped up already, or signaled their intent. I find it impossible to believe that the first President Bush doesnt clearly see the crisis and need for his service, unless he is in worse health then we know. This could be his final and finest mission.

One possibility: The Bushes truly prefer Trump to Clinton. I choose not to believe that. If they do, this column is monumentally stupid, as is my deep, well-informed respect for Poppy and my polite appreciation of his sons public service.

There have been reports that the Bushes will not be disloyal to the Republican Party. I can understand how they might feel that way  for about one minute. But this ethical conflict is really no conflict at all: In a choice between duty to country and duty to party, duty to country should prevail.

Perhaps the Bushes think going public would backfire and help Trump. Thats remotely possible, I suppose. The mere possibility of a bad outcome, however, does not void the obligation to pursue the good.

Does the Bush family have some self-interested reason to play possum? I cant believe that, but it would be the lowest of motives for abdication.

Time to man the ramparts is running out.

Dont kid yourself that risks have been overblown.

The argument that Trump cannot win is wobbly, speculative and dangerous. Ignore it.

Complacent, worldly wise assurances that our mighty republic will survive a Trump regime are lame; sure, the country will survive, but the likely harms to the worst-off Americans  and immigrants, race relations, civil rights, economic equality, national security, our national standing and our basic dignity  are unthinkable.

Many Americans are paralyzed and confused by how surreal it all is. The Trump threat just doesnt seem plausible. But it is. And our standard political artillery and our common sense havent worked so far.

No Americans are in a better position to attempt a serious contribution to the war effort than George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. The obligation is clear so lets make sure our call for their help is, too.

The final volume in Churchills World War II book is Triumph and Tragedy. Thats something for all prominent and influential public figures to think about before November, especially our two former Republican presidents.
NEWTON MBTA transit police said a teenaged male was killed Friday evening when he was struck by an inbound commuter train on MBTA tracks in Newtonville.

Police said the teen was walking on the tracks when he was struck and killed by a train traveling into the city from Worcester at about 8:45 p.m. The train has just crossed the line between West Newton and Newtonville when the subject was struck.

MBTA authorities said passengers were bused from Wellesley to the Newtonville station as investigators worked at the scene of the incident.

Newtonville is a village within the City of Newton.
big e 12.jpg

91214 - West Springfield - The 98th annual BIG E starts today. View from the Brooks Building looking down Hampden Ave. ( JOHN SUCHOCKI / THE REPUBLICAN )

(Staff-Shot)

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Although day two of the Big E has just begun, travelers headed to the Eastern States Exposition grounds are already facing heavy traffic.

As of 10 a.m. -- the opening of most fair attractions -- traffic outside the grounds was slowed from the Memorial Bridge Rotary and Route 5 to Main Street in Agawam.

Despite the backup outside the Big E, traffic along Interstate 91 and Route 5 ahead of the rotary remained largely clear.

More than 1 million people are expected to visit the 17-day-long fair, which features music, rides, livestock, exhibits and food.

Saturday marks Maine Day and 4-H/FFA Day at the 100-year-old fair.

Friday saw a record-breaking crowd at the Big E's opening day, with more than 86,200 people in attendance.
Veteran venture capital firm Venrock http://www.venrock.com , an investing arm of the Rockefeller family, has backed several successful tech companies since its inception in 1969: Intel, Apple, DoubleClick, to name a few. A recent win is the sale of Dollar Shave Club to Unilever for $1 billion; it also was one of the backers of Nest Labs, which was bought by Google for $3.2 billion in 2014. Venrock partner David Pakman said his firm looks for digital business models that can disrupt slower-moving incumbents.

Podcast: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-the-rockefeller-familys-vc-firm-picks-tech-startups/
The tech talent gap is larger than any one role. Its an overall shortage of people who know how to code, whether theyre doing back-end on mobile apps or developing cloud-computing platforms. That means that tech job seekers are uniquely in demand both within the tech industry and without. In fact, the company that posted the most tech job listings on Monster this month wasnt a tech company at all, but health care giant UnitedHealth Group

by Mack Gelber , Monster

Full Story: http://fortune.com/2016/09/16/tech-talent-jobs-shortage/

Big Sky Code Academy  New Skills. New Job. New Career. New Life!
Les membres du Cabinet ont pris note des conclusions de la Commission dEnquete sur lex Presidente de la Republique, de lecriture dun npouvel Occupational Safety and Health Bill, du prochain voyage du Premier Ministre, que les drapeaux seront en bernes le 19 septembre 2022 entre autres.

1. Cabinet has taken note of the conclusions and recommendations contained in the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Dr (Mrs) B.A.F. Gurib-Fakim, GCSK, former President of the Republic, and has agreed, inter alia, to the Report being made public. A copy of the Report is available on the website of the Prime Ministers Office (https://pmo.govmu.org).

2. Cabinet has agreed to drafting instructions being conveyed to the Attorney Generals Office for amendments to be brought to the Occupational Safety and Health Act with a view to further improving occupational safety and health standards at the workplace.

3. Cabinet has taken note that the Prime Minister would lead a delegation to New York to participate in the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which will be held from 20 to 26 September 2022.

Prior to the UNGA Session, the Prime Minister would attend the State Funeral Service of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London on Monday 19 September 2022.|

During his absence, the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management would act as Prime Minister until the return of the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education and Science and Technology and the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism.

4. Cabinet has taken note that on Monday 19 September 2022, the day of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, a national mourning would be observed from sunrise to sunset. The Mauritian flag would be flown at half-mast on all public buildings on that day and an appeal has been made to the private sector to follow suit.

5. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mauritius Institute of Biotechnology Ltd and the Department for International Trade of the United Kingdom on cooperation in the fields of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The Memorandum of Understanding would, inter alia, cover the following areas of cooperation:

(a) promotion, development and acceleration of manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, including vaccines and other drugs;

(b) facilitation of business opportunities for bilateral investment including joint commercial ventures and partnerships;

(c) negotiations for securing licensing agreements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; and

(d) training and human resource development, as well as technology transfer and innovative practices.

6. Cabinet has agreed to the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation signing a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technology with the National Informatics Centre and National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated of India, both operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Republic of India. The Memorandum of Cooperation would aim at fostering collaboration in, inter alia, the following potential areas:

(a) setting up of communication channels for exchange of information;

(b) collaborating on best practices in the use of IT in Government;

(c) identifying applications to lead the e-Government agenda in both countries; and

(d) accelerating exchange in the area of e-Governance applications.

7. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a General Framework Agreement between the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Rwanda. Its main objective would be to promote cooperation in political, economic, social, cultural, security and technical fields as well as encourage the exchange of information, knowledge and experience in areas of common interest. The Agreement would also provide for the establishment of a Mauritius-Rwanda Joint Commission at Ministerial level whose purpose would be to monitor the implementation of the Agreement and identify further areas of cooperation.

8. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement establishing a framework of cooperation for the implementation of activities under the Observatoire de Recherche en Environnement (ORE), between the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change and the University of Mauritius. The ORE would be responsible for the following, amongst others:

(i) conducting research that would address data gaps and improve data collection of the different environmental media;

(ii) developing effective and appropriate responses towards improving the countrys performance in respect of its international rankings such as Environment Performance Index, Earth Overshoot Day, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sustainable Development Goals Index, World Risk Index and Ecological Footprint; and

(iii) supporting research towards a systematic and long term observation, monitoring and reporting on environmental ecosystems in Mauritius.

9. Cabinet has agreed to the implementation of drain projects under the National Flood Management Programme on a fast track basis. The Fast Track Committee, chaired by the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, has considered the challenges in the implementation of drain projects in high risk flood prone areas for 53 projects in priority with land acquisition issues.

The Committee took note that one of the major bottlenecks faced by the National Development Unit as well as other stakeholders involved in the implementation of drain projects related to acquisition of private land and obtaining wayleaves from private land owners.

10. Cabinet has taken note of the launching of the 15th edition of the Public Service Excellence Award for year 2022. The theme chosen for the 2022 edition is A citizen-centric Public Service to accelerate socio-economic development. The theme purports to promote a public service that responds promptly to citizens needs and problems.

Public Organisations would be grouped under three categories, namely Ministries/Departments (other than Disciplined Forces), Disciplined Forces and Local Authorities. In each category, there would be a Gold, Silver and Bronze winner. There would also be Special Awards for the introduction of good practices in the areas of Human Resource, and Occupational Safety and Health. Participating organisations would be assessed on the basis of leadership and team spirit, problem solving strategies and enhancement of safety at workplaces, responsiveness to citizens needs and application of innovative technologies in delivery of public services, and optimal use of public resources.

11. Cabinet has taken note that to mark World Clean-Up Day 2022 on Saturday 17 September 2022, the National Environment Cleaning Authority would organise in collaboration with other stakeholders, anti-littering eco-trek events in five different regions of Mauritius from 1000 hours to 1200 hours to sensitise the population on the issue of littering. The five sites concerned are Petrin (two sites), Mon Desert Mon Tresor, Le Morne and Flacq.

12. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation would organise walking activities to mark World Walking Day on 02 October 2022, in collaboration with the Mauritius Sports Council, the National Youth Council, and the Mauritius Recreation Council. The population in general will be invited to take part therein in all 20 constituencies of Mauritius, as well as in Rodrigues.

The Mauritius Sports Council would also organise the World Walking Week in all pre-primary, primary, secondary, private, and Special Education Needs schools, as well as in tertiary education institutions, during school hours within school compound.

13. Cabinet has taken note of the activities being organised by the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change in the context of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, which is celebrated annually on 16 September, as follows:

(a) a one-day Workshop for the youth, to be organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, on Tuesday 20 September 2022. The objective of this Workshop would be to sensitise the younger generation on ozone layer depletion and to encourage their active participation towards its preservation and protection.

On the same occasion, the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change would hand over an environmentally friendly Air Conditioning Unit using natural refrigerant R290 to the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD). The said equipment has been acquired under grant funding from the Institutional Strengthening Fund of the Montreal Protocol for the purpose of dispensing training to technicians;

(b) awareness raising on the depletion of the ozone layer and its preservation on radios as well as at Community Centres, Women Centres, and Social Welfare Centres to reach out to a maximum number of persons from various social groups and encourage collective action towards the protection of the ozone layer; and

(c) a three-day training programme for Trainers of the MITD on domestic air conditioning systems which use environment-friendly refrigerants as well as on the safe handling of natural refrigerants.

14. Cabinet has taken note of the activities that would be organised by the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity, in collaboration with the National Empowerment Foundation and the National Social Inclusion Foundation, to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2022, commemorated every year on 17 October.

15. Cabinet has taken note that India, which will assume Presidency of the G20 for one year from 01 December 2022 to 30 November 2023, has announced that it will invite Mauritius as guest country for the G20 Summit during its presidency. Under Indias presidency, the G20 Leaders Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on 09 and 10 September 2023 in New Delhi.

16. Cabinet has taken note of the elaboration of the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy 2022 and the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Implementation Plan 20222027 by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The objectives of the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy are to, inter alia, empower people to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and ensure that their sexual and reproductive health rights are respected and protected as well as improve access to comprehensive and integrated sexual and reproductive healthcare and treatment services across all life stages.

The National Sexual and Reproductive Health Implementation Plan 20222027 has been formulated in order to ensure universal access to quality sexual and reproductive health, in line with the Health Sector Strategic Plan 2020-2024 as well as to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health, namely ensuring health and well-being for all, at every stage of life for the island of Mauritius.

17. Cabinet has taken note of the publication of the Annual Health Statistics Report for the year 2021 (HSR 2021) for the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The HSR 2021, which is at its 47th edition, since 1975, provides evidence-based information and health indicators for the monitoring of the health of the population as well as for decision making, policy formulation, development of strategies and evaluation of health programmes.

In addition to information on population and vital statistics, health infrastructure, health personnel, maternal and child health, notifiable diseases, private health institutions, morbidity, infant and child mortality, mortality (all ages), and other services, the HSR 2021 also contains data on the COVID-19 national vaccination campaign which was launched in January 2021.

Cabinet also noted that the HSR 2021 would be made available on the website of the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

18. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing across the world. Some 615.6 million cases have been reported globally, of which 594.8 million persons have been successfully treated. With regard to Mauritius, as at 14 September 2022, there were 58 active cases of COVID-19, out of which 15 were admitted at the New ENT Hospital.

19. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives to India where he, inter alia, participated in the Third Meeting of the Joint Committee between India and Mauritius on Cooperation in the field of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise sector. Three Memoranda of Understanding were also signed during the mission, as follows:

(a) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Cooperative College and VAMNICOM, to assist in drafting course content for award and non-award courses;

(b) MoU between SME Mauritius Ltd and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India to develop the capacity of SME Mauritius Ltd and its personnel to provide quality in service delivery to SMEs as well as to facilitate exchange programmes of officials and resource persons between the two institutions; and

(c) MoU between SME Mauritius Ltd and the National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises for cooperation in matters of policies, research and training for improving competitiveness of Indian and Mauritian micro, small and medium enterprises in the global markets.

20. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Council of the Mauritius Institute of Education, with Dr (Mrs) Jayantee Naugah as part-time Chairperson.

21. Cabinet has taken note that following the demise of Mr Vidianand Bhantoo, former Chairperson of the Outer Islands Development Corporation (OIDC), Mrs Asha Dabeesingh, Acting Permanent Secretary, Prime Ministers Office (Cabinet Office) has been appointed as part-time Chairperson of the Board of that organisation.

22. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Board of Trustees of the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre Trust Fund, with Mrs Ellora Dhunnoo as part-time Chairperson.

23. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Board of the Mauritius Society of Authors, with Mr Gerard Daniel Louis as part-time Chairperson.

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Three McDowell High students shared stories at the monthly Board of Education meeting about how a new program has changed their lives.

Last week, the father of the first slain student at Columbine High School in 1999 came to MHS and East Middle and spoke to over 3,000 students, parents and the community. He challenged the schools and citizens to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.

Blayze Dion was inspired to write a poem after learning about Rachel Scott and her story:

Rachel, Rachel, she is my title. How I fix my problems, shes the title. The book of life, mine is hard, but I found peace reaching out to cure harm. Thank you for your help, thank you for your heart. Thank you for the things you taught. What you have been given in this world is a gift of God just like you wanted. So for that Im changing. Im going to respect, help and reach out to those around me. Youre more than friend, youre my family. Pain and passion, your sense of fashion. I will help start the chain reaction.

Dion said he was sorry for disrespecting people in the past.

Rachel has made me see there is a better way to walk. Everybody can change. Change comes from within, it all starts with you, lets start a chain reaction. You choose. This world can be good, but we have to prove it, he said.

Sophomore Jazlyn Cash became emotional during her presentation to the board after talking about ways she has suffered from bullying and racist comments.

I can relate to Rachels brothers friend Isaiah. Before Isaiah died, the two boys that killed him made racial comments. Ever since I have been a kid, I have been made fun because of the color of my skin and how much I weigh, said Cash. Even to this day I still get bullied.

She attended the Friends of Rachel training after the Scotts presentation and she said it has changed the school for the better.

I felt love and support from the students there. Rachels Challenge has brought a really positive change to our school, she said.

Friends of Rachel is a new club started at the school in an effort to change the culture of bullying and discrimination among students. Director of Student Services Natalie Gouge said students are the only ones who can change the culture of a school.

Student Matthew Smith said after hearing Rachels Challenge he made it a personal goal to meet 10 new people every day.

I met this one kid named Tristan, he was sitting by himself at the lunch table. And if you never got to know him, you would never know how funny he was, Smith said. He put a smile on my face just listening to him talk. I plan to keep that smile on my face and change how people look at going to school.

MHS Counselor Glenda Glenn said they had more than 125 students that wanted to be a part of the Friends of Rachel club.

This is a student-led club and they will come up with activities throughout the year that will keep this message and the powerful story going, she said to the board.

Superintendant Mark Garrett thanked the students for the courage to share their story.

I cannot wait to see the difference that is being made at the high school, and how that is going to filter throughout the county this year, he said.

In other business, Director of Elementary Education Crystal Hamby updated the board on the success of the Literacy Cafe and acknowledged the teachers who kept it going over the summer.

We had 22 community sites and approximately 980 visits to the bus. We check out 1,960 books and thats an increase by 500 this year, said Hamby.

This year, the bus handed out approximately 100 lunches to children. She presented certificates of appreciation to Penny Jackson, Jennifer Franklin, Anna Fretwell and Michelle Stamey.

Thanks to all these wonderful ladies for making this such a success as we continue to feed bodies and minds throughout the summers, Hamby said.

Literacy Cafe Totals

22 community sites

980 bus visits

1,960 books checked out

100 lunches served

Poem by Blayze Dion, inspired by Rachels Challenge

Rachel, Rachel, she is my title.

How I fix my problems, shes the title.

The book of life, mine is hard, but I found peace reaching out to cure harm.

Thank you for your help, thank you for your heart.

Thank you for the things you taught.

What you have been given in this world is a gift of God just like you wanted.

So for that Im changing.

Im going to respect, help and reach out to those around me.

Youre more than friend, youre my family.

Pain and passion, your sense of fashion.

I will help start the chain reaction.
by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, September 16, 2016

Google warned advertisers in August that a new ranking signal will begin downgrading mobile Web pages next year when "intrusive interstitials" are used. Interstitials interrupt the user experience and force them to take action such as submit an email, watch an ad, or download something.

Typically people just close them, according to Keith Sibson, VP product and marketing at email marketing company PostUp. He referred to boxes and interstitials. The term "lightbox" comes from the fact that most interstitials appear in the center of screen and fade the background of the Web page to dark, analogous to the physical lightboxes used for photographic X-rays.

SearchBlog (SB) asked Sibson how he thinks Google's change will affect search marketers. Here's what he had to say.

Search Blog: Now that Google has new rules on how to use interstitials, how should marketers approach the change?

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Keith Sibson: Google's rules are intended to encourage publishers to provide a better experience. Google views search results similar to a referral. They care about quality of experience. If the experience is poor, Google will penalize it in search results. If marketers are not using interstitials on mobile devices, then they have nothing to worry about.

The real issue is the ad, not how the email captures the consumer. Marketers at publishers don't always have a say in how ads are presented on their properties. It's often a function of the chief revenue officer, the product manager, and the ad sales team. Auto-play video and full-screen ads are not uncommon, so marketers should get with their product and sales team to make sure that they are aware of the upcoming changes, and adjust the inventory available to advertisers accordingly.

Another option -- and this factors into Google's strategy -- is to switch the mobile user experience to Google AMP [Accelerated Mobile Pages project]. Email capture and ads then are constrained by what Google thinks is acceptable for user experience.

SB: How does this affect search marketers?

KS: This will primarily affect publishers that rely on search traffic and with large mobile audiences. Publishers that rely mainly on social traffic, which is more common, will be less affected, but social -- and especially Facebook -- presents its own set of problems.

They should also explore tools other than lightboxes like sticky footers, teasers, and other techniques that are potentially better for mobile environments, especially in light of these recent changes.

Sticky footers and teasers are low-profile banners that scroll from the top or bottom of the screen and "stick" to the bottom of the screen even while scrolling. While very noticeable, they do not interrupt and prevent users from consuming the content.

SB: How do Lightboxes or interstitials convert audiences into email subscribers?

KS: They proactively ask the person viewing the ad for an invitation to their inbox -- something that users would not necessarily offer or seek out of their own. If the user has a good relationship with the brand, they will be receptive to it. Most publishers already have "Subscribe" links or forms on their Web pages, but users tune them out like banner ads, because they are focused on consuming the content.

SB: Can marketers gain the same or better outcome from the change? What can they expect?

KS: Only marketers that use aggressive techniques on mobile will lose, and today this is primary lead-generation businesses and unenlightened publishers and retailers. It's one of those situations where users and publishers overall will benefit in the long term, but some marketers will be penalized heavily unless they change course.
In this free webinar, learn about the rapidly growing cell and gene therapy and vaccine markets. Attendees will get an overview of the manufacturing process for adeno-associated virus (AAV) and how Akron Bio's new facility is designed to address ...
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Aug. 31, 2016

/PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Clarity Benefit Solutions simplifies online benefit administration for brokers, employers, and consumers. The company's technology and services are designed to save time and lower the costs of managing benefits while also promoting employee self-service and automated ACA compliance.Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402467Private exchanges are online health insurance marketplaces that are available to a company's employee base. The company can give their employees a defined contribution to purchase benefit plans or a traditional funding method. The employees can choose coverage from oneor severalparticipating insurance companies. Private exchange plans often include medical, vision, dental, life, and disability insurance.Clarity Benefit Solutions discusses three benefits of private exchanges. Studies show that many employees do not understand exactly what a private exchange is, how it works, and how it can benefit them, so it is important to have a thorough working knowledge of how these exchanges operate.. Private exchanges allow employees to shop for a customized health plan that best suits his or her needs. Rather than one-size-fits-all health plans, employees can choose between a range of broader insurance options with lots of coverage or more targeted insurance. An employee who chooses not to "over-insure" not only saves his or her own money, but also the employer!. As mentioned above, private exchanges offer a wide variety of plans and coverage options. An employee can take their time to shop online and select specific, custom plans that are unique to his or her needs. Some private exchanges extend beyond insurance to general wellness programs!. It isn't easy to navigate the tricky waters of healthcare reform compliance, employee needs, and relationships with health insurance providers. Choosing private exchanges take away much of this burden by providing specialized services that include online enrollment, plan administration and customer support.Clarity Benefit Solutions provides technology that makes the health insurance plan selection process fast, easy, and straightforward. For over two decades, we have provided clients with industry-leading technology, compliance, and exceptional customer service. Our offering is designed to save time and lower the costs of managing benefits while also promoting employee self-service and automated ACA compliance.

Calvin Clark

, Clarity Benefit Solutions, 7324288272, cclark@claritybenefitsolutions.comNews distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.comSOURCE Clarity Benefit Solutions
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"They (police) did not want to take chances in allowing our ambulance with a serious patient to cross the border and drive about 200km to Salem for the transplant in view of the prevailing tension over the Cauvery row between the two states and due to shutdown in Tamil Nadu on Friday," Manipal's 44-year-old Consultant Hepatologist Arikichenin Olithselvan said.When the family of the donor, of the same age as the patient, agreed for the liver transplant, the hospital rushed the latter to its Salem branch in the night in an ambulance with Tamil Nadu registration number, as it was safer and quieter. The donor was admitted to Manipal's Salem hospital on Wednesday night after he suffered head injuries in a road accident near Erode, 70km away, and was declared brain-dead."We learnt about the availability of a liver for transplant through the Tamil Nadu health department, which has a cadaver transplant programme. "As the patient had registered with us for a liver transplant, we decided to take him to our branch hospital at Salem in the wee hours for the surgery at a short notice," noted Olithselvan.A 10-member team of doctors and nurses accompanied the ailing patient to Salem for the transplant in the odd hours with medical equipment and support systems. "Though the patient hails from Nagpur in central Maharashtra, he was admitted in our Bengaluru hospital two months ago, waiting for a donor as his liver was damaged and could not be treated," recalled Olithselvan.Expressing relief over the transplant under trying circumstances, Olithselvan said the Hippocratic oath of the doctors and their professional commitment made their ordeal worth the risk to save a patient's life. "After a 12-hour operation, the recipient is responding well at our Salem hospital," added Olithselvan.Source: IANS
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Health officials were only able to determine the individual helped provide care to an elderly male family contact, reportedly the person's father, who contracted the Zika virus abroad.This other patient, who subsequently passed away, was infected with an unusually high amount of virus, approximately 100,000 times higher than an average infection.As part of the investigation, US health officials tested more than 200 people for the Zika virus, including family contacts of both cases, health care workers who cared for the deceased patient and members of the general public who lived near both of the cases, and they have not revealed any additional cases.The officials also trapped and tested mosquitoes around the homes of both cases, and no mosquitoes known to carry the virus were found during the investigation.It "remains unclear" how the "unique" case was infected, according to a report released on Tuesday by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).But the report noted that the person reported hugging and kissing the deceased patient, suggesting the possibility that the infection might be caused by contact with body fluids."Although it is not certain that these types of close contact were the source of transmission, family contacts should be aware that blood and body fluids of severely ill patients might be infectious," the officials said in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report."This investigation will remain active, and we will continue working to learn more about Zika virus and how it may be spread," Dagmar Vitek, medical director from the Salt Lake county Health Department, said."People should continue to take the appropriate steps to prevent Zika virus infection -- especially pregnant women, and health care workers who are caring for severely ill patients with the disease," Vitek said. More than 2,900 cases of Zika have been identified in the US and Hawaii and the Utah patient is the only case that has an unknown mode of transmission.Source: IANS
The inflammation in tonsillitis can also include the adenoids (pharyngeal tonsils) and the lingual tonsils.(1  Trusted Source Tonsillitis - Overview Go to source )

The tonsils (mostly referring to the palatine tonsils) are two small lymphoid organs that lie on either side of the back of the throat that one can see when the mouth is opened.

The adenoids are situated behind the nose and quite high up the throat. Adenoids unlike tonsils require special instruments to be viewed. Lingual tonsils are also situated at the back of the throat.

Tonsillitis occurs primarily in children and sometimes in adults. It can be classified as acute, recurrent and chronic tonsillitis.

Both the tonsils and adenoids act as the bodys first line of defense (by producing antibodies) to protect the throat against disease germs that enter via the nose and mouth. Incidentally, this also makes these lymph nodes particularly vulnerable to infection and inflammation.

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Acute Tonsillitis or acute sore throat is caused either by a virus or bacteria.

or acute sore throat is caused either by a virus or bacteria. Recurring Tonsillitis : Occurs when there are up to seven culture-proven episodes of tonsillitis or throat infections in one year, five in two consecutive years or three each in three consecutive years. In such cases, the cessation of the antibiotic leads to another bout of the bacterial infection within a few weeks, thus causing it to recur again.

: Occurs when there are up to seven culture-proven episodes of tonsillitis or throat infections in one year, five in two consecutive years or three each in three consecutive years. In such cases, the cessation of the antibiotic leads to another bout of the bacterial infection within a few weeks, thus causing it to recur again. Chronic Tonsillitis: Occurs when recurring tonsillitis infections cause chronic sore throat, Bad breath and persistent tender cervical nodes.

Occurs when recurring tonsillitis infections cause chronic sore throat, Bad breath and persistent tender cervical nodes. Peritonsillar Abscess (PTA) or Quinsy: Peritonsillar Abscess is a bacterial infection that develops lateral to the tonsillar region when an acute tonsillitis infection has been left untreated. An abscess or a swollen area with pus forms in this peritonsillar region. The pathogens are typically Staphylococci, Streptococci, Haemophilus and Fusobacterium necrophorum. No virus is involved. Severe throat pain, fever, drooling, foul breath, difficulty opening the mouth, and altered voice quality are the symptoms.

Peritonsillar Abscess is a bacterial infection that develops lateral to the tonsillar region when an acute tonsillitis infection has been left untreated. An abscess or a swollen area with pus forms in this peritonsillar region. The pathogens are typically Staphylococci, Streptococci, Haemophilus and Fusobacterium necrophorum. No virus is involved. Severe throat pain, fever, drooling, foul breath, difficulty opening the mouth, and altered voice quality are the symptoms. Tonsil or Tonsillar Hyperplasia or Tonsillar Hypertrophy: Abnormal enlargement of the palatal tonsils with cardinal symptoms including snoring, difficulty in swallowing and (rarely) difficulty in speaking.(   Trusted Source

Tonsillitis and Sore Throat In Children



Go to source Trusted Source

The most common cause of tonsillitis is either a bacterial or a viral infection.

It can spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing.

Adults who have some form of immunodeficiency (for e.g. HIV-infected patients) are also susceptible to tonsillitis.

Taking antibiotics which destroys the normal flora of organisms in the mouth and uncontrolled diabetes are other causes of tonsillitis.

Viruses that cause most of the acute tonsillitis are the adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza, coronavirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. Less common viruses are the herpes simplex virus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus, and HIV.

Most bacterial tonsillitis (strep throat) is caused by Group A -hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS).(   Trusted Source

About Tonsillitis



Go to source Trusted Source

Age - Children above the age of 2 are more likely to get tonsillitis. Bacterial tonsillitis is more common in children between 5 and 15 years of age. Tonsillitis is rare in adults.

Exposure - Daycare and school going children are more exposed to tonsillitis due to close contact with other children and exposure to viral and bacterial infections.

Common symptoms of an acute tonsillitis are:

Sore throat - Pain in the throat

Tender, red, swollen tonsils or lymph glands in the neck or jaw with white spots or pus

Difficulty in swallowing and hence difficulty in ingesting

High to moderate rise in body temperature / fever >38.3C measured rectally

In case of sepsis on the tonsils, there may be fever with chills.

Blisters or painful ulcerated areas on the throat

Cough

Headache

Lethargy and malaise (discomfort)

Infected tonsils and adenoids block the normal breathing of a person and the drainage of the sinuses. This obstructed air passage can cause:

Sleep disorders like apnea

Snoring in children

Pain in the ear and neck

Bad breath(   Trusted Source

What is Tonsillitis?



Go to source Trusted Source

Recurring Tonsillitis leads to inflammed or swollen tonsils. In the long run it could cause -

Obstructive sleep apnea (disrupted breathing)

Tonsillar cellulitis or infection of the surrounding tissues

Peritonsillar abscess

Difficulty in breathing

Tonsillitis caused by group A streptococcus or another strain of streptococcal bacteria when left untreated poses risk of rare disorders such as:

Rheumatic fever, an inflammatory disorder that affects the heart, joints, skin and brain. It affects children between the age of 5 and 15 and usually develops 2 weeks after untreated or partially treated strep throat or scarlet fever.

Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, develops 1 or 2 weeks after an untreated throat infection. It causes inflammation of the tiny blood vessels of the glomeruli or the filtering units of the kidneys. This results in impaired filtration and inadequate removal of waste and excess fluids from blood.(5 Trusted Source

Tonsillitis and Sore Throat in Children



Go to source)

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Diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical symptoms.

Initial diagnosis is done by a physical inspection of the mouth, throat, ears and nose using a lighted instrument.

In case of infection, the tonsils will be enlarged, usually red with white spots on them. Some cases of strep throat might reveal a rash. Gentle examination of the neck and jaw will reveal swollen, tender glands.

A throat swab or a culture of the tonsils is taken to identify bacterial infection. In particular, the diagnosis of GABHS tonsillitis is confirmed by obtaining cultures from both tonsillar surfaces and the posterior pharyngeal wall.

A Complete Blood Cell count (CBC) can also be taken to check whether the infection is caused by a bacteria or a virus.(6 Trusted Source

Tonsil Inflammation



Go to source)
MASON CITY  Peterbilt of Des Moines, along with the Midwest Peterbilt Group have expanded delivery service of truck parts in North Iowa to five days a week Monday through Friday. Previously, delivery was only one day a week.

The delivery area is from Des Moines to the Iowa/Minnesota border. Customers no longer have to drive to Des Moines or pay shipping. Parts for all makes of trucks are delivered to the door at no extra charge.

Mark Everhart, outside parts sales for Peterbuilt, travels all over North Iowa meeting with customers with a wide range of needs, from trucks to school buses to trailer parts.

Peterbilt has more than 24,000 part numbers in a $1 million inventory for all makes of trucks, including brakes, drivelines, transmissions, rear ends and engine parts. Most trucks use a lot of the same parts.

Everhart delivers in a van with Peterbilt logos and can look up parts and place orders from the vans laptop.

Customers really appreciate the delivery service at no extra costs, he said.

The outside parts sales work is Everharts dream job. He enjoys North Iowa, his customers and fellow employees, and appreciates the quality of Peterbilt trucks and the 24,000 parts in stock in Des Moines.

We can almost guarantee we have the parts on hand, he says.

He has been in the heavy truck parts industry for over 25 years, 10 years with Peterbilt. He praises both the people in the company and Peterbilt trucks.

In my eyes, Peterbilt is the best truck built, he said. If you meet a truck pulling an oversize load, I would say nine out of 10 times it is a Peterbilt.

Manufacturer and customer support of Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF trucks comes from PACCAR, a global technology leader, Everhart said. He spent a week at PACCAR headquarters, one day in the research center. He believes the experience helps him provide the best service for his customers.

A career in selling and distributing parts was a natural for Everhart, who has been in customer service in every job. He grew up with a father who could fix just about anything, and decided on sales and service rather than being a mechanic.

Peterbilt of Des Moines carries a full line of engine parts for Cummins, Caterpillar, PACCAR and Detroit engine manufacturers. Parts range from small parts like o-rings on up to full in-frame overhaul kits. There is also a full service department for all repair needs.

Most Peterbilt truck have diesel engines, although natural gas fuel (compressed natural gas, or CNG fuel) started being used in trucks around 2010. However, he believes diesel is more practical.

Fuel stations supplying CNG fuel are still scarce. The other problem is that a CNG-fueled truck can only be worked on in a building equipped with sniffers to sense fuel vapors in the air and disconnect electricity so fumes wont be ignited, Everhart said.

The Midwest Peterbilt Group consists of stores in Des Moines, Sioux City and Council Bluffs, and Norfolk and Lincoln, Nebraska. Website is www.pbtruck.com. Phone is 800-447-PETE (7383). Everhart can be reached at 641-420-5516. His email is meverhart@pbtruck.com.
Deputy Minister Dimitris Mardas met today with a delegation of Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) from Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



The Hibakusha are taking part in the Peace Boat Hibakusha Project, the Peace Boat organization having invited them to take part in the Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World, in the framework of which the Peace Boat, the namesake vessel, today tied up at the port of Piraeus.



The delegation of atomic bomb survivors was accompanied by Peace Boat representatives as well as a team of Observatory for International Organisations & Globalisation (P.A.D.O.P.) B.o.D members headed by P.A.D.O.P. President P. Trigazis. Let it be noted that the Observatory is in charge of organizing the Peace Boat visit to Greece.
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP)  The annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, required of able-bodied Muslims once in their life, brings the Islamic world together across its many languages, ethnicities and individual beliefs  something seen across the many faces of its female faithful.

Arabs, Africans, Asians, Europeans and those from the Americas all followed what tradition holds is the path of the Prophet Muhammad up Jabal al-Rahma, or the Mountain of Mercy. There, the Quran says the prophet delivered his final sermon calling for equality, unity and women's rights.

Women also walked along the path believed to be followed by Abraham's wife, Hagar, when she found the Zamzam water spring to save her son.

Wanting to follow those examples, a 25-year-old Ghanaian woman, pictured above, who gave her name only as Fatma over concerns about her personal safety carried her infant son Hisou slung over her back, walking long distances in a show of piety.

"I walked from Medina to Mecca to Arafat and I will continue to Muzdalifa then to Mina, carrying my son on my back because this is my faith to do it the right way," she said.

During the hajj, women wear the hijab, a scarf to cover their hair in deference to God. Some decide to return home and continue covering their hair in respect. But for others, their faith isn't tied to the scarf.

"I am not convinced that hijab is a must and sign of faith," said 36-year-old Lebanese woman Dalia, who gave only her first name out of concern of her views affecting her career. "I have been treating people in a way I believe is ethical and human. I will continue to do so after the hajj."

Although gender inequality persists today in parts of the Muslim world, women played a prominent part in the founding of Islam, with the Prophet Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, becoming its first convert. And today, the women who took part in this year's hajj say they found a peace and fulfillment for taking part in the pilgrimage.

"The hajj to me is a combination of childhood dreams coming true and it has taught me unity and diversity," said 29-year-old South African Fathima Akoo.

Here is a selection of images by Associated Press photographer Nariman El-Mofty showing the diversity among the women who took part in this year's hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

___

Follow Nariman El-Mofty on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NMofty and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/narimanelmofty .

___

Follow AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo
DES MOINES  A leader for Iowas renewable fuels producers said Friday he is not concerned with the haggling between the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton this week over Trumps support for the federal ethanol mandate.

A policy piece published Thursday by the Trump campaign said he would repeal a piece of the ethanol mandate that is popular in Iowa because of the mandates reliance on corn.

An updated version of the policy piece does not list the ethanol mandate as a program Trump would cut in any way. The Trump campaign said the original piece was published in error.

Democrats pounced, claiming it showed the Republican candidate is wavering in his support for the ethanol mandate and said Clinton is an ardent supporter.

Donald Trump showed Iowans his true colors with his secret plan to destroy the Renewable Fuel Standard, Pam Johnson, a past president of the National Corn Growers Association and a corn grower from Floy, said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign. Iowans are proud of our states renewable fuel economy, and Donald Trumps dangerous policy proposal would damage Iowas economic security and our rural communities.

Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller said in a statement the campaigns commitment to the Renewable Fuel Standard is unshakeable and unchanging.

Eric Branstad, the son of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, led an advocacy organization that pressed candidates to support the mandate during the Iowa caucuses and now serves as Trumps state director in Iowa.

Mr. Trumps position has not changed; the fact sheet on the website accurately reflects his positions, Branstad said in a statement.

Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and a former Republican candidate for Congress, said he is not concerned Trump may not be supportive of the ethanol mandate. Shaw said the policy publication incident is typical of campaigns.

Somebody apparently inadvertently put up an unapproved fact sheet, they took it down and said, Hey, that wasnt right. That stuff happens in campaigns, Shaw said. I think Iowans always pay more attention to what comes out of the lips of the candidates themselves.

To that point, Shaw noted Trump has repeatedly expressed his support for the ethanol mandate in public speeches.

To be honest with you, Im not any more worked up over this than I was when some Clinton staffer went out to California and floated the (idea) of replacing the RFS with their low-carbon fuel standard, Shaw said.

The Clinton campaign in August confirmed a campaign aide discussed Californias low-carbon fuel standard and the ethanol mandate with a state official but said Clinton does not wish to replace the ethanol mandate with Californias fuel standard.

I guess Im not too excited about it, Shaw said of the campaigns disagreements over the ethanol mandate.
HURON COUNTY  There are 473 wind turbines in Huron County that are standing or have been scheduled for construction.

A cap of 550, recently proposed by County Commissioner Clark Elftman, would not leave room for the two current proposed wind overlay zones.

DTE Energy would like to build another 50-70 turbines in Lincoln, Dwight, Bloomfield and Sigel townships.

DTE Energy believes this newly proposed cap is unnecessary, said Jennifer Wilt, communication specialist for DTE.  The County effectively implemented a cap by approving a revised wind energy ordinance that reduces buildable area for wind projects by approximately 50 percent. Further, until DTEs overlay request is passed, DTE lacks the certainty to know what impact such a cap might have on a potential project.

DTEs proposed overlay district, which was first submitted in February, has been hitting a lot of snags recently at both the township and county levels.

The torturous route of this approval process has unfortunately increased our normal project development costs as well as legal fees not normally incurred, Wilt said.

NextEra Energy Resources has proposed an overlay district in portions of Sigel and Sherman townships that would include two-thirds of the 65 turbines in the entire wind park, according to NextEra project developer Ryan Pumford.

Both Sigel and Sherman townships are county-zoned. The project has additional turbines in Sand Beach Township and Delaware Township, Sanilac County.

Both DTE and NextEra have invested time, money and resources into the proposed zones.

Environmental and wildlife studies, signing fees and nominal fees to landowners have been among costs, Pumford said.

DTEs standard wind energy easement agreements include a variety of payments based on project phase and the nature of use of land owner property. Prior to construction, payment types include an annual payment per acre, Wilt said.

During construction, payments such as crop damage and restoration are made, as well as a payment for turbine placement. During operation, annual royalty payments are made.

The development includes 220 DTE Energy wind energy easement agreements, and DTE is negotiating with additional landowners for the project, Wilt said.

Operating turbines in Huron County total 328, said Jeff Smith, county building and zoning director. Additional turbines that are in construction, or have been scheduled, include:

 72 turbines under construction for the Deerfield Wind Project in Huron, Bloomfield, Dwight and Lincoln townships.

 Big Turtle (Phase II) wind farm, being built by Heritage Wind Energy will have 14 additional turbines in Rubicon Township.

 DTE Energys Pinnebog Wind Park will have 30 turbines in Oliver, Chandler and Colfax Townships.

 Apple Blossom wind farm, recently purchased by Sempra U.S. Gas & Power from Geronimo Energy, is scheduled to build 29 turbines in Winsor Township, and will likely start construction soon.

If the DTE project yields 50 turbines and NextEra constructs 43 in Sigel and Sherman townships, the total would be 566. This would not count turbines built by NextEra in self-zone Sand Beach Township under the proposed overlay zone.

Elftman said at this weeks Huron County Board of Commissioners meeting that his initial suggestion was to cap the number of turbines at 500.

I even had one of the gentlemen that works for a wind turbine company (who) said he thought that was a reasonable number, Elftman told the board.

He added that county corporate counsel Steve Allen suggested 600.

Smith was out of the office the day the board met, so Elftman was unable to consult with him on exact numbers.

The board voted 6-1 to table the matter, pending receipt of the information from Smith regarding how many turbines are standing, and how many are pending.

A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 19 before the Huron County Planning Commission for the NextEra project in Sigel and Sherman townships.

The next step would be for the planning commission to review the application and make a recommendation to the board of commissioners.

If the plan were approved by the board, it could then go to referendum if a valid petition is filed by residents within the county-zoned jurisdiction.

All residents in county-zoned municipalities could then vote on the overlay district.

The DTE proposal was sent back to the planning commission from the board of commissioners in August, when the board learned prior to its vote to approve the district that Lincoln Township is taking steps to become self-zoned.

At its meeting last week, the planning commission postponed action on the district, per Allens advice.
FOREST CITY  It didnt take long for him to feel like a part of the congregation.

They made me feel right at home, Zech Anderson said of the Immanuel Lutheran Church members.

Anderson joined the church as the associate pastor at the end of June. This is his first pastoral position.

She liked the town and I liked the congregation. They both felt good right away, he said of his wife, Mindy. They have a 1-year-old daughter, Zoey.

Anderson is originally from Spring Grove, Minnesota. He recently finished school at Luther Seminary in St. Paul.

He said seminary school wasnt the original plan. Anderson first graduated from Wartburg College with a communications degree.

I wanted to be a DJ, Anderson said.

Faith was always a part of his life, as his father is also a pastor. But, Anderson said, that wasnt his first choice.

He started helping his father with confirmation after college. And friends encouraged him to think about the ministry.

Slowly the call got more solidified. The church was the right place to be, Anderson said.

He soon applied to Luther Seminary after discussing it with his wife.

She was very encouraging. She said Im ready if you are. So I applied and we jumped in, he said.

And now Anderson is enjoying getting to know the congregation in his first assignment as a pastor.

I really enjoy worship on Sundays. Its the greatest opportunity to let people know who I am and for me to get to know them, he said. He is also learning from Pastor Rod Hopp.

Thats the beauty of ministry, youre never done growing. You grow yourself and you get to be a part of others growth, Anderson said.

One thing he hopes to bring to Immanuel is the idea of bringing the church into the home.

You can bring the church with you wherever you go, Anderson said.

As part of that idea, he started a Faith 5 program this fall.

I encourage them to do five simple steps each day, he said of the congregation, whether that be reading Scripture or just catching up as a family.

The program has allowed Anderson to get to know more in the congregation. He plans to help Hopp with confirmation this fall and would like to offer a youth retreat.

Im very glad to have been called here, Anderson said.
MasTec, Inc., an infrastructure construction company, provides engineering, building, installation, maintenance, and upgrade services for communications, energy, utility, and other infrastructure primarily in the United States and Canada. It operates through Communications, Clean Energy and Infrastructure, Oil and Gas, Power Delivery, and Other segments. The company builds underground and overhead distribution systems, including trenches, conduits, cell towers, cable, and power lines, which provide wireless and wireline/fiber communications; clean energy infrastructure comprising renewable energy; natural gas, product transport; electrical and gas transmission, and distribution systems; heavy industrial plants; compressor and pump stations, and treatment plants; water and sewer infrastructure, including water pipelines; and other civil construction infrastructure. It also installs electrical and other gas distribution and transmission systems, power generation facilities, buried and aerial fiber optic and other cables, as well as home automation and energy management solutions. In addition, the company offers maintenance and upgrade support services comprising maintenance of customers' distribution facilities, networks, and infrastructure, including communications, power generation, pipeline, electrical distribution and transmission, and heavy civil infrastructure; service restoration for natural disasters and accidents; and routine replacements and upgrades to overhauls. Its customers include public and private energy providers, pipeline operators, wireless and wireline/fiber service providers, broadband operators, install-to-the-home service providers, and government entities. MasTec, Inc. was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.
Cardinal Health, Inc. operates as an integrated healthcare services and products company in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients in the home. The company operates in two segments, Pharmaceutical and Medical. The Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, and over-the-counter healthcare and consumer products. The segment also provides services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers for specialty pharmaceutical products; operates nuclear pharmacies and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities; repackages generic pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter healthcare products; and offers medication therapy management and patient outcomes services to hospitals, other healthcare providers, and payers, as well as provides pharmacy management services to hospitals. The Medical segment manufactures, sources, and distributes Cardinal Health branded medical, surgical, and laboratory products and devices that include exam and surgical gloves; needles, syringe, and sharps disposals; compressions; incontinences; nutritional delivery products; wound care products; single-use surgical drapes, gowns, and apparels; fluid suction and collection systems; urology products; operating room supply products; and electrode product lines. The segment also distributes a range of national brand products, including medical, surgical, and laboratory products; provides supply chain services and solutions to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, and other healthcare providers; and assembles and sells sterile, and non-sterile procedure kits. The company was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.
Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
MASON CITY  The City Council will consider another forgivable loan Tuesday night in its popular Corridor Revitalization Loan (CoRL) program.

Jeff Bergo, owner of Bergo Environmental, 1223 N. Federal Ave. is seeking $16,264 to do exterior repairs and upgrades.

The repairs and upgrades include:

Replacing the existing asphalt parking lot with concrete.

Replacing sidewalk along North Federal Avenue and 13th Street Northeast.

Replacing fence and pouring gravel in a rear storage area.

The total cost of the project is $32,528. Bergos loan application is for half the cost. He has provided evidence of assets at Wells Fargo Bank that show he has adequate cash to meet the 100 percent match requirement.

The CoRL program was approved by the City Council in 2015 with the goal of improving and enhancing the citys older commercial corridors, primarily North and South Federal avenues.

Steven Van Steenhuyse, director of development services, said the program provides a forgivable loan of up to $30,000 for improvements that improve the aesthetic appearance of the area and raise property values. The loan must have a 100 percent match. If the owner maintains ownership and maintains the improvements for seven years, the loan is forgiven.

Other recipients this year:

Dan and Tami Young, doing business as YK Commercial Properties, refurbishing the old Marias Kitchen, 1625 N. Federal Ave.

Donny Cooper for repairs and upgrades at his car repair business, 1414 N. Federal Ave.

Kelly Motel Corp. for improvements to the Ashley Inn, 3451 S. Federal Ave.

The council meets at 7 p.m. in the Mason City Room of the public library.
A Navy program rolling out in the coming year aims to keep care providers in closer contact with sailors who have expressed suicidal ideations in an effort to prevent suicide in the ranks.

Called Sailor Assistance and Intercept for Life, or SAIL, the program is modeled after a Marine Corps initiative launched in late 2013.

Both SAIL and the Marine Intercept Program allow counselors to make contact with consenting troops at six different intervals -- 3, 7, 14, 30, 60 and 90 days -- after a service member expresses a suicidal ideation.

"We need to develop a culture where people are just not afraid to ask for help when facing a challenge that is just a little overwhelming," Capt. Mike Fisher, director of the Navy's Suicide Prevention Branch, told Military.com in an interview. "This is just one more small act that can save one more life."

The SAIL program, which will be in addition to, not replacing, existing prevention programs, launched in the Navy's Pacific Northwest region in late August in what will be a phased rollout ending in the third quarter of Fiscal 2017.

Fisher said the program will require little additional work and staffing; only discreet communication between the Navy's Fleet and Family Support Program and regional caseworkers who will stay in contact with the at-risk sailor. The phone check-ins will be simple and informal, Fisher said, and caseworkers will not provide therapy during the calls.

The Navy is launching SAIL as the Marine Intercept Program marks early successes.

In March, Lt. Gen. Mark Brilakis, deputy commandant for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told a congressional panel that 77 percent of Marines who reported suicidal ideations or attempts accepted the program's services in 2015. A preliminary review of 2014 data showed that Marines in the program accessed care 2.5 times sooner, engaged with specialty care more frequently, and missed fewer appointments, he said.

In a Navy administrative message released Thursday announcing the program, officials at Naval Personnel Command noted it was important to have a system in place to reach out to at-risk sailors because they often struggled to seek help on their own.

"Suicide prevention requires ongoing efforts to promote health and a sense of community. It is a shared responsibility," the message states. "Despite the fact that 85 percent of Sailors say they will seek help if overwhelmed by stress, 2 out of 3 believe there are barriers to seeking help, and 1 in 3 believe their shipmates will see them as weak."

Fisher said officials would periodically evaluate the success of the program and determine if more resources are needed to execute it.

"Can we handle it? The perception is yes," he said.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.
FOREST CITY  The proposed Hanson Family Fine Arts Center is nearing construction in Forest City.

Superintendent Darwin Lehmann informed the board earlier this week construction permits had been filed with the city for the $9.3 million building, which will be located near the Hanson Fieldhouse.

Bids should begin in January, according to Business Manager Sara Meinders.

The fine arts center will be about 26,000 square feet, with the auditorium seating 600 to 650 people. A large stage, space for storage, set construction and a meeting area is also included in plans, which allow the building to be expanded in the future.

The Hanson Foundation said earlier this year it would commit $4.4 million over four years to the proposed $9.3 million fine arts facility.

The school district will contribute $2 million, the city $2 million and the university $500,000. Waldorf also has committed $1.5 million in operations costs over 15 years.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs also announced this summer it will award $157,000 to Forest City. Of that, $150,000 is scheduled to go toward the new fine arts center.
FINAL

GRAND VALLEY STATE 50, NORTHERN MICHIGAN 24

ALLENDALE - Grand Valley State played its starters until late in a game for the first time this season and churned out some big numbers, led by a single-game rushing record by Marty Carter.

The redshirt sophomore rushed for 298 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns, including dashes of 63 and 68 yards, as the Lakers rolled for the third consecutive week.

MORE: Scoring summary

Carter's numbers were part of a team record 741 total yards, breaking the mark of 731 set in 1989.

Carter's total surpassed the 261-yard effort on 33 carries by Chris Robinson in 2014.

As for one more record, the accomplishments were seen by 16, 236 at Lubbers Stadium, the second largest ever.

The No. 2-ranked Lakers, who routed Tiffin (45-7) and Lake Erie (55-7) this season, kept their starters into the fourth quarter for the first time this season, and the results were telling.

Besides Carter, quarterback Bart Williams was 15 of 25 for 292 yards and three touchdowns with six catches (19.7) for Matt Williams and five(20.2) for Brandon Bean.

The Wildcats had the most success of any opponent this season with three second-half touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Shaye Brown completed 21 of 35 for 225 yards and three touchdown for the Wildcats.

The Lakers take to the road for the first time next Saturday at Walsh.

Below is how the game unfolded in our live blog:

Fourth quarter (3:45)

Grand Valley State 50, Northern Michigan 24)

The Wildcats showed they weren't going away quietly. With the Lakers finally inserting some subs, the Wildcats marched 45 yards on seven plays with quarterback Shaye Brown throwing a six-yard touchdown to Ryan Knight.

Brown has thrown all three touchdown for the Wildcats.

Fourth quarter (6:55)

Grand Valley State 50, Northern Michigan 17

The Lakers continued to play its starters and continued to roll up big numbers as Bart Williams threw his third touchdown, this one 10 yards to Brandon Bean.

The Lakers have amassed 686 total yards.



Fourth quarter (12:24)

Grand Valley State 44, Northern Michigan 17

Marty Carter busted up the middle and outran the defenders for a 68-yard touchdown that also gave him the school single-game rushing record.

Carter, who also had a 63-yard touchdown in the game, had 20 carries for 298 yards. That broke the single-game record of 261 set by Chris Robinson in 2014 against Findlay..

Fourth quarter (13:09)

Grand Valley State 37, Northern Michigan 17

The Wildcats scored on consecutive possessions converting on third and goal as quarterback Shaye Brown lofted a two-yard touchdown into the far left corner of the end zone.

The 17 points more than the Lakers allowed in the first two games combined (seven each game.)

THIRD QUARTER (completed)

GRAND VALLEY STATE 37, NORTHERN MICHIGAN 10

The Lakers' starters played the entire quarter with mixed results as the Wildcats picked up their first touchdown on the game and were driving as the quarter ended.

The offense also committed their first turnover all season as Terrell Dorsey fumbled inside the red zone with four minutes left in the quarter.

The Lakers did picked up another score as Matt Williams caught a 23-yard pass from Bart Williams on their first possession.

Marty Carter, in pursuit of the single-game rushing record of 268 by Chris Robinson, had 31 yards in the quarter to put him at 230 on 19 carries.

Third quarter (4:57)

Grand Valley State 37, Northern Michigan 10

The Wildcats secured their first touchdown on the night, and did it in impressive fashion with a 97-yard drive that took seven plays. Quarterback Shaye Brown hooked up with Paris Woods for the final 34 yards, the second longest play on the night for the Wildcats.



Third quarter (10:16)

Grand Valley State 37, Northern Michigan 3

Bart Williams hooked up a second time for a touchdown with Matt Williams, this one from 23-yards out on the Lakers' first series of the second half.

Williams has four catches for 92 yards.

SECOND QUARTER (completed)

GRAND VALLEY STATE 30, NORTHERN MICHIGAN 3

The Lakers tacked on two more touchdowns and continue to control both sides of the ball in the quarter.

Touchdowns in the second quarter came from Matt Williams on a 37-yard pass from Bart Williams with 11:41 left and a three-yard plunge by Terrell Dorsey on a 10-play drive at the 3:37 mark.

The Wildcats got a 47-yard field goal from Tyler Blackburn with eight minutes left to get on the scoreboard.

Late in the half, the Wildcats completed their longest play of the game - a 34-yard pass from Shaye Brown to Paris Woods over defender Jacob Studdard, But the Lakers then held on fourth and five at the 26 with just under a minute remaining in the half.

The Lakers had 437 yards of offense to 153 for the Wildcats, who were held to three first downs.

Running back Marty Carter had 199 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns. Quarterback Bart Williams completed 8 of 14 for 196 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Bean caught three passes for 72 yards.

Second quarter (3:37)

Grand Valley State 30, Northern Michigan 3

The Lakers went with their first sustained drive to build on their lead. They marched 75 yards on 10 plays, capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Terrell Dorsey.

The Lakers also went over 400 total yards on the drive. They were at 429 to 74 for the Wildcats.

Second quarter (8:04)

Grand Valley State 23, Northern Michigan 3

The Wildcats penetrated to the Lakers 22, but a sack contributed as the drive stalled and Tyler Blackburn delivered a 47-yard field field goal for their first points.

Second quarter (11:41)

Grand Valley State 23, Northern Michigan 0

The Lakers covered 96 yards on five plays with Matt Williams catching a 37-yard touchdown pass. Williams dragged the defender the final five yards.

In the drive, Williams also completed an 18-yard pass to Brandon Bean and Terrell Dorsey had a 14-yard run.

FIRST QUARTER (completed)

GRAND VALLEY STATE 16, NORTHERN MICHIGAN 0

The Lakers, with another spectacular performance by running back Marty Carter, dominated the opening quarter of play.

Carter had runs of 63 for a touchdown and another for 53 to set up a second score and finished the quarter with 133 yards on six carries.

Northern Michigan had more punts (three) than first downs (one) and was held to 30 total yards.

First quarter (:13)

Grand Valley State 16, Northern Michigan 0

Bart Williams spread the wealth around, hitting 16-yard passes to Brandon Bean and Matt Williams and 39 yards to Urston Smith before Marry Carter ran over the final nine yards.

First quarter (5:51)

Grand Valley State 9, Northern Michigan 0

Joel Schipper chipped in a 22-yard field goal after a 66-yard drive stalled. The bulk of it - 53 yards - came on another electrifying run by Marty Carter. He has 121 yards on four carries.

First quarter (10:56)

Grand Valley State 6, Northern Michigan 0

Marty Carter, who had a 79-yard run the first time he touched the ball last week, went 63 yards on his third carry for a score this time. The PAT hit the crossbar.

PREGAME INFORMATION

Northern Michigan (1-1) at No. 3 Grand Valley State (2-0)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale

Radio: WMAX-FM 96.1-FM

TV: ESPN3/Xfinity 900

Northern Michigan:

Roster | Schedule | Stats

Grand Valley State:

Roster | Schedule | Stats

MORE:

Coach Matt Mitchell not taking it easy on 2-0 Lakers

Lakers knocking on top spot in Division II
GARNER | Officials in Hancock County on Monday will hold public hearings to close four stretches of roads in rural areas of the county.

The Hancock County Board of Supervisors is considering vacating stretches of 280th Street in Orthel and Bingham townships, 300th Street in Bingham Township, Welch Avenue in Avery Township and Road No. 7, which is off 120th Street in the vicinity of Goodell Wildlife and Eldred Sherwood Recreation areas.

Bingham and Orthel townships are in northwest Hancock County. Avery Township is in the southeast corner.

Supervisors say the roads should be taken off the books because they're rarely traveled, no one lives on them and, in the case of Road No. 7, it is no longer a recognizable road.

"If they're not going to be there, let's take 'em off (the county's list of roads)," said Supervisor Sis Greiman.

The hearings are slated to start at 10 a.m. Monday during the regular Board of Supervisors meeting in the lower level of the Hancock County Courthouse.

 Molly Montag
BAY CITY, MI -- Following weeks of arguments for and against building a new low-income senior apartment complex near downtown, the Bay City Commission votes on a tax break this week that's needed to see the project move forward.

Westbrook Housing Development, which is made up of partners from Saginaw-based Wolgast Corp., is proposing a housing development of 47 one- and two-bedroom apartments called Madison Place Senior Apartments for low- to moderate-income residents 55 years and older. The facility would be constructed on an unused parking lot at Fourth Street and Madison Avenue.

John Dupont, a partner with Westbrook, has continued to say there's a need for low-income senior housing in Bay City, pointing to a March 2016 Michigan State Housing Development Authority market study, and that city support would be an "important investment in the social equity of the community."

Rick Finn

Bay City Manager Rick Finn and his staff say the project goes against recommendations in a recently published citywide housing study and believes it is not beneficial for the long term success of the city.

The City Commission meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at Bay City Hall, 301 N. Washington Ave., to vote on a PILOT -- payment in lieu of taxes -- agreement that the developer needs to secure $7 million to $10 million federal tax credits from MSHDA.

The recommendation from Finn on Monday's agenda is to "receive" the proposal and take no further action, meaning the PILOT wouldn't be approved.

Andrew Niedzinski

Commission President Andrew Niedzinski, 3rd Ward, said he doesn't anticipate the commission to be in favor of giving the tax break.

"My main concern is that in 50 years, there's not going to be a need for these senior housing facilities," he said. "The next-generation isn't large enough to fill them."

He added that the property is also prime for a market-rate development.

If approved, the developer would make a one-time $200,000 payment -- up from an initial $100,000 offer -- to the city as an incentive. The PILOT would then generate about $15,000 per year in taxes for the city for the next 50 years.

Today, the property, owned by Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health, a nonprofit organization, doesn't generate any taxes.

Finn said he'd rather see a developer build a market-rate apartment complex on the lot that pays full taxes. An analysis included in the commission's agenda for Monday says a building of similar size would have a taxable value of $1.75 million and would increase 1.5 percent annually. Total property taxes that are paid out to all taxing jurisdictions in the first year would be about $117,000, according to the analysis, and then increase to $242,000 each year for the next 50 years.

Over that time period, Finn said, the city would receive $1.6 million in tax revenue.

Of course, that all hinges on a developer coming in and constructing a building, and doing so without any local tax breaks.

Dupont said Finn's position that a new market rate development can be expected to purchase the property in the future and pay full property taxes is "speculative at best and cannot be relied upon as a certainty."

"Our development has presented hard guarantees to deliver new revenues to the city in the next year," he said in a letter to the commission this week.

Lynn Stamiris

Commissioner Lynn Stamiris, 1st Ward, won't be approving the PILOT agreement on Monday. Two years ago, he approved a similar type of agreement for a massive renovation project to Maplewood Manor, a low-income senior apartment building operated by the Bay City Housing Commission located down the street from the proposed project.

"At that time, I said that was the last PILOT I would ever approve," he said.

On social media, Commissioner David Terrasi, 2nd Ward, said, "It seems like all commissioners were very skeptical to the legitimacy of (the developer's) proposal and intentions."

David Terrasi

"I am not supportive of his proposal or project," he said, adding the development "would probably bring in 47 people from outside the community here to our city and providing them tax breaks on the backs of our citizens."

Dupont has been adamant that the city's new housing study that was released last month, which calls on city leaders to deal with an oversupply of old, rundown homes, and to "build above the market," is too broad and can't be taken seriously.

"The city staff's position not to support new senior housing because they contend it is contrary to the finding of the recently published report should be scrutinized to verify that the housing report is the correct route to follow and not to blindly accept broad recommendations that cannot be realistically achieved," he said.
HAMTRAMCK -- Birmingham businessman Henry Velleman has fired back at Hamtramck business owners and city leaders after they voiced concerns over his long-empty storefronts and blighted vacant lots.

A strongly-worded letter addressed to Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski and others lambasts city leadership and indicates that he's considering carrying "a concealed weapon" while in Hamtramck.

The letter, written on Velleman company letterhead and signed in his name, came after business leaders in August criticized his tendency to leave storefronts empty for years, snubbing small business potential while awaiting offers from major retail chains.

It mocks and disparages Hamtramck's burgeoning business community, the appearance of the city's Bangladeshi business community, and the mayor.

The letter also claims the mayor misrepresented Velleman's contributions to Hamtramck, and has an "empty bubble of a head."

"But alas, in the time-honored tradition of bizarrely self-injurious Hamtramck leadership, you endorse the ludicrous notion that I am engaging in some sort of economic murder-suicide plan with the city," the letter reads.

When reached by phone by a reporter seeking comment, Velleman shouted several expletives before hanging up.

The letter only offers praise for city manager Katrina Powell, who makes decisions about whether to ticket Velleman for code violations.

Records show the city has mostly only written Velleman warnings for code violations involving his often littered and overgrown vacant lots, and a handful of court cases against him were thrown out on technicalities.

Powell declined to comment.

But in an email to community stakeholders obtained by MLive, Powell explained her hesitance to take strong action against Velleman.

She wrote that he is "the largest [property owner] and provides the biggest capture of revenue for the DDA."

"Clearly, if someone has ever met Henry and/or had a conversation with him, you know threatening him or pushing him against the wall, to get your way, Will. Not. Work," she wrote.

"Trying to shame him publicly just gives him the fight he so desires, and no one wins."

Velleman's critics contend that his long-empty storefronts are detrimental to other businesses, and are a drag on downtown Hamtramck's redevelopment.

Of 35 Velleman-owned downtown district commercial properties identified in public records, 26 are empty storefronts or vacant lots.

City officials have said Velleman doesn't appear interested in renting to mom and pop businesses, but is instead waiting for offers from regional or national chains.

Several business owners said they've tried to lease storefronts from Velleman, but were either ignored or quoted at least $1,000 per month for a 1,000-square-foot storefront - rent more in line with Ferndale.

Many of downtown's merchants have said no one expects Hamtramck -- a two-square-mile Detroit enclave populated by Polish, Bangladeshi and Yemeni communities -- to develop into the next Royal Oak, but Velleman's properties are an obstacle to any sort of progress.

Mayor Karen Majewski echoed that, noting that "Hamtramck was built on mom-and-pop businesses" and Velleman's aversion to working with them "overlooks what our real strengths are as a community."

"It also ignores a real opportunity for revitalization by independent businesses," she said. "I think he uses an old 1980s model to look for those national chains, but not only is that now unnecessary in Hamtramck, it's harmful to Hamtramck."

Those comments in an Aug. 27 MLive article may have triggered the Velleman letter that took aim at the mayor.

"Your unfounded arrogance precludes you from even considering that my business model has been successful for me and the city for many years, and may prove to be so again," the letter reads.

'Even Highland Park is more attractive'

The letter not only targets Majewski, but others in the business community.

It refers to the Hamtramck Music Festival, a growing event that includes dozens of bands and draws thousands of visitors over a four-day period, as a "pub crawl."

The city's large Bangladeshi population, which has carved out its own downtown district on Conant Street around a half-mile east of Joseph Campau, is also disparaged.

While it's generally regarded as an asset to a city known for multiculturalism, and Downtown Development Authority board members note the street's restaurants draw thousands of visitors annually, the letter labels it the "monstrosity ... on Conant Avenue" and "completely unappealing" for any future development.

"At best, this area will be stagnant for generations," the letter reads, although that district's occupancy rate is near 100 percent.

The letter also takes a swipe at young business owners who are opening shop in Hamtramck.

"You have hitched the city's economic wagon to bars, pop-up restaurants, over-priced chocolates, and glorified garage sales peddling used clothing, used furniture, and used records," it reads.

"Even Highland Park is more attractive to established businesses than you have managed to make Hamtramck."

The comments appear to reference businesses like Bon Bon Bon, a popular chocolate company recently featured in Forbes.

Many of the vintage and record shops, like Detroit Threads and Lo and Behold, apparent targets of the label "glorified garage sales" in the letter, have been open and successful for years, and the latter is a popular community gathering spot.

Revolver is among the region's top pop-up restaurants, and bars like Bumbo's and The Painted Lady are popular with the type of young people city officials are trying to draw to Hamtramck.

The letter also defends Velleman's strategy.

It highlights his renovation of the Dettloff Center, a mostly vacant business center on the city's south end.

It further argues that the city can't survive without large chains and diversity in the business community, but, in a response letter to Velleman, Majewski said no one wants to "ban" chains from Hamtramck.

"There has never been talk about disallowing successful chains in Hamtramck. That is a distortion of my point about the importance of small, independent businesses (not just in Hamtramck, incidentally, but nationwide)," Majewski wrote.

The letter to Majewski points out that Velleman turned second-story spaces in many of his buildings into high-end lofts, offered for as much as $2,000 per month.

It ultimately suggests that Majewski "avoid the Tom Perkins of this world."

"Better to read Donald Trump's books on development or go to see the play 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying,'" the letter reads.

The city's response

Velleman's vacant lots are regularly overgrown, littered with trash, or holding debris, and it's often up to neighboring businesses to mow the grass and clean the garbage.

That's partly because the city isn't aggressively pursuing him.

In her letter, Powell explains the rationale.

She highlights that Velleman owns more property and pays more taxes than other downtown business owners.

Velleman "is not the only property owner [downtown], however he is the largest and provides the biggest capture of revenue for the DDA," Powell wrote.

"Just curious, what is the end game in attacking the largest contributor to the [downtown] district and its revenue?"

It was previously reported that the city had not ticketed Velleman because city officials said they did not have proof that citations existed.

A court records search under Velleman's name and the names of businesses revealed no citations issued to his properties since 2013.

But after the Aug. 27 MLive article, Powell provided a list of dozens of warnings and citations issued in recent years, along with some court cases that were dismissed.

A building department official explained that Velleman hasn't registered at least one of his businesses in Hamtramck, so the city can't ticket that business. It attempted to, but the cases were thrown out by the 31st District Court judge.

Records also show that weeks or months often pass between the issuance of Velleman's warnings and their dates of resolution, and there's no indication he's ever paid a dime for the violations.

In one case, Velleman received a warning ticket for failing to clear litter in November 2015, but the city didn't close the ticket until February 2016.

It's unclear when the litter was cleaned.

Still, Powell wrote in her letter that she isn't interested in confronting Velleman.

"In the south, we believe you get more flies with honey than vinegar. Since the vinegar route hasn't worked for this town in 25+ years, isn't it time to try another route?" she wrote.
FLINT, MI -- Hundreds of thousands of federal dollars are coming to Flint's Mass Transportation Authority to help transport patients to non-emergency medical appointments.

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters announced the funding on Friday, Sept. 16. The MTA will receive $310,040 to benefit Flint's Ride to Wellness Initiative. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration.

Stabenow, D-Mich., said the funds will greatly help Flint families who depend on the service.

"Whether you are a patient in need of dialysis, primary care, or a wellness visit, this investment will help you get to and from the doctor's office," Stabenow said in a statement. "As Flint continues to recover, this investment will help the city improve public transportation for the many families who depend on it each day."

Peters, D-Mich., said access to medical care is important for families affected by Flint's water crisis.

"Access to quality health care is paramount for the families in Flint that are recovering from the devastating water crisis in their community," Peters said in a statement. "I am pleased that these funds will aid critical transportation efforts that connect residents with timely medical care, improving health and wellness during this challenging time."

Edgar H. Benning, General Manager of the Flint Mass Transportation Authority, said the grant will help to meet the needs of the Flint community.

"Public transportation can play a significant role in meeting the urgent need for medical transportation services," Benning said in a statement. "This grant will allow us to address this urgent and growing need including providing same day services."

On Sept. 8, the Flint MTA was awarded $15 million. Those funds will be used to purchase approximately 20, 40-foot long compressed natural gas buses with the launch of a workforce development training program in conjunction with Baker College to train mechanics and bus drivers with $12.8 million from the Federal Transit Administration's Bus and Bus Facilities Project.

The Federal Transit Administration launched the Rides to Wellness Initiative recognizing the rise in health costs for low income populations and the lack of transportation for treatment and screening. The program hopes to improve partnerships between health and transportation providers to increase access to care and improve health outcomes.
LAPEER COUNTY, MI -- A 29-year-old man is alive after a Metamore Township police officer performed CPR and a state trooper administered Naloxone following an overdose.

On Thursday, Sept. 15 around 7:30 p.m. Metamora Township Police Officer Cameron Plowman and Trooper Steve Cavner from the Michigan State Police Lapeer Post responded to a 911 call for an unconscious man. It was believed the man possibly overdosed, according to a news release from the Michigan State Police.

Plowman arrived on the scene first and began administering CPR to the victim, who had no pulse and was not breathing. Plowman was able to get a pulse, but the victim was still not breathing, according to the release.

Cavner arrived at the scene and administered Naloxone (Narcan) -- an emergency medication that reverses the effects of an opioid/heroin overdose. The victim then began breathing and was conscious, according to the release.

The victim was transported by Medstar EMS to McLaren Lapeer Regional Medical Center for evaluation.

Troopers at the Michigan State Police Lapeer Post received training in the use of Naloxone and began carrying the medication in August.

The Lapeer County Medical Control provided the training and the Naloxone kits to several police departments in Lapeer County this past year.
FLINT, MI -- An online report by a conservative website claims 100 refugees from Syria and Iraq are heading to Flint, but the head of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners says he has not heard anything about such a plan.

Breitbart posted the story titled "Flint, Michigan: 'City leaders not informed' by feds of plan to send 100 Syrian, Iraqi refugees" on Thursday, Sept. 15.

The report states the refugees would be in Flint beginning in the fiscal year on October 1.

Genesee County Commissioner Jamie Curtis said he has not received any information regarding any refugees coming to Flint. Curtis said had he received the information he would have to look it over and then and a discussion with the Genesee County Board of Commissioners.

"I have no knowledge of that," Curtis said. "By law I am supposed to be informed."

Emails seeking comment were sent to the Flint mayor's office and Gov. Rick Snyder.

A White House spokesperson said they are looking into the claims.

To read the Breitbart report in its whole, click here.
Editors note: The Globe Gazette asked the eight candidates in the Sept. 20 Mason City Council special election why they decided to run for the open at-large seat. Today we feature the response of Paul Adams.

Lately, we have all been told that experience, not an experiment, at the council table is what this city needs right now.

I dont believe that having experience on the council is what makes a candidate the best person for the job. The candidate that is chosen, by you the voters, needs to be able to work together with other elected officials and city leaders to positively shape the future of our city.

As a city, we cannot afford to allow ourselves to revert back to the drama, theatrics and division that we were accustomed to a few short years ago that often times put the city of Mason City in an embarrassing light and hindered our citys progress.

New leaders provide fresh ideas and are not weighed down by baggage or personal vendettas that may have been established over the years.

A fresh face can provide a different perspective on city issues and show a willingness to work collectively with the community towards progress instead of being entrenched in a culture of constant opposition and the need to oppose every idea proposed by our leaders.

I am the candidate that has the ability to represent the people of Mason City as a whole and the temperament to work with other local officials towards the greater good of all of Mason City.

As many of you have seen during this election season, I am the candidate that is going to the voters doors to answer their questions and to listen to the issues they feel are important to our city. I can promise you that once I am elected to the council I will continue to work just as hard for all the citizens of Mason City.

I, Paul Adams, would be honored to earn your vote on Sept. 20.
[September 16, 2016] Libyan, Post & Telecoms Holding Company (LPTIC) Has Been Awarded the Fourth Universal License in the Republic of Ivory Coast

TRIPOLI, Libya, Sept. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Republic of Ivory Coast's Ministry of Digital Economy announced the selection of the Libyan Post & Telecommunications Holding Company (LPTIC) as the fourth operator by awarding it the new universal license. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160916/408902 LPTIC's management held a series of extended meetings with the Ivorian Government from January to June of 2016, during which they presented a proposal for a comprehensive strategic plan to acquire the new universal license in the Ivory Coast. The technical and commercial aspects were taken into consideration, both in terms of assessing the targeted market's competitive environment and the size of the telecommunications sector in the Ivorian economy. This important step comes as part of the restructuring of Libya's investments in the telecommunications sector in Africa that were previously managed by LAP GreenN. LPTIC is undertaking a vital rolein restructuring the ICT sector in Libya in order to enhance its efficiency and contribute to the diversification of the Libyan economy.



Dr. Faisal Gergab, Chairman of LPTIC said, "We are pleased that LPTIC has been awarded the fourth universal license in Ivory Coast, the Ivorian market is one of the largest and fastest-growing in Africa. Furthermore, this license will allow LPTIC to broaden its horizons by entering fast-growing emerging markets. It will also provide LPTIC with a solid foundation to strengthen its presence and expertise in order to improve services and achieve commercial benefits. Consequently, LPTIC is well positioned to play an instrumental role in the socio-economic reform of Libya. About LPTIC

LPTIC was established in accordance with the decision of the Prime Minister's number (63) for the year 2005 to a holding company to owner of major communications companies, Libyana, Madar, Libya Telecom and Technology (LTT), Aljeel aljadeed for Technology, International Communications Company, and Hatef Libya where these companies play significant role in the development of mobile phones and telephone communications internet connection has raised the efficiency of communications in Libya and to enable the largest possible number of citizens to get online service, whether by phone companies phones such as Libyana and Almadar or through the main internet services provider such as Libya Telecom & Technology LTT or Hatef Libya company that provides phone wired and wireless, as well as internet services. Media Contact:

[email protected] Connect with LPTIC on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LPTIC This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

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[September 17, 2016] AT&T Transforms Learning In Pickens County School District With $5 Million In Wireless Services

PICKENS, S.C., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Students in the School District of Pickens County (SDPC) are preparing to take learning beyond the classroom walls with free mobile internet from AT&T, as part of AT&T Aspire, its signature philanthropic initiative, and with free tablets from Samsung. AT&T is providing free 4G internet to 6th and 7th grade students and teachers in the district's five middle schools: Dacusville Middle School, R.C. Edwards Middle School, R.H. Gettys Middle School, Liberty Middle School, and Pickens Middle School. These students and teachers will receive 2,500 Galaxy tablets, donated by Samsung. Valued at more than $5 million over 3 years, the contribution is part of AT&T's national commitment to the White House ConnectED initiative. "I can't wait to see how our teachers are going to use these tools to help our kids learn and achieve," said Dr. Danny Merck, SDPC Superintendent. "Giving a student a device is great, but if the student's family doesn't have internet access, that device becomes less useful when the student goes home from school. Providing both a device and access will open up so many doors for learning and put all of our 6th and 7th graders on a more level playing field when it comes to technology." "This project will help students set goals and pursue dreams which may be far beyond any they previously imagined," said U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. "It is truly an investment in our students and in South Carolina's future." In addition to the tablets and high-speed internet access, AT&T is providing SDPC with device management capabilities to ensure a highly secure environment on ConnectED devices, professional development training for teachers, and with training from its Digital You curriculum that teaches students how to use technology responsibly. The tablets are equipped with filtering software which will allow students to access only age-appropriate cntent.



"Technology is fundamentally altering education, both in terms of how it is delivered and what is needed to succeed in today's global economy and culture," said Pamela Lackey, president of AT&T South Carolina. "At AT&T, we believe there is no better investment for the future than an investment in the education of children. So not only are we building the networks which deliver advanced, high-speed service, but we are also working to drive the changes needed to help teachers teach and students learn anywhere, anytime." "Samsung and AT&T share a commitment to delivering technology solutions that help improve student outcomes," said Ted Brodheim, vice president of Vertical Business at Samsung Electronics America. "By combining our classroom-ready Galaxy tablets with the reach of AT&T's 4G internet connection, we look forward to helping Pickens County teachers and students unlock the power of technology in their classrooms."

A recent study by the Pew Institute found that people are more eager to harness the power of the internet when they understand its relevance to their lives, when they feel confident in their knowledge of using it and when their budgets can comfortably accommodate it. AT&T is working hard every day to help everyone harness the power of the internet and to ensure South Carolina is connected  from every corner and at every age. More than 150 school districts nationwide, representing nearly 450 schools, applied to participate in AT&T's ConnectEd initiative. Connected Nation, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to increasing broadband internet access to families in underserved areas, administered the school application and selection process on behalf of AT&T. Applicants were reviewed for economic need and their readiness to implement innovative teaching practices in the classroom using the devices. Connected Nation is also providing on-site support for the device rollout to students and teachers. About Philanthropy and Social Innovation at AT&T AT&T Inc. is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T's signature philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring. Through Aspire, we've passed the $250 million mark on our plan to invest $350 million in education from 2008-2017. About the School District of Pickens County The School District of Pickens County is a county-wide school system, serving all of Pickens County with 14 elementary schools, five middle schools, four high schools, and a state-of-the-art Career and Technology Center. With an annual enrollment of about 16,600 students, SDPC is the 12th largest school district in South Carolina, and our students consistently rank near the top of the state in academic achievement. Our vision is to provide a quality 21st century education that prepares all students for success beyond the classroom. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120612/DA23287LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-transforms-learning-in-pickens-county-school-district-with-5-million-in-wireless-services-300320569.html SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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[September 17, 2016] Actility ThingPark and Digita will take IoT to new heights with a national LoRa network for Finland

PARIS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Actility, the industry leader in Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN), and Digita, the Finnish broadcast network operator, are teaming up to take the next step towards a fully-connected Finland by rolling out a LoRa network. Following the completion of a successful trial period of several months, the companies have seen that the market is ready for a full-scale commercial deployment. The service is available for local implementation everywhere in Finland from October 2016. Rollout for full area coverage starts from major cities. This is the first commercial LoRa network for IoT to be deployed in Finland. The deployment also emphasizes the opportunity that LoRa brings for companies like Digita, which is not a traditional cellular operator, to leverage the tall radio and television masts of their broadcast network to become key players in the internet of Things. The LoRa network will enable services across a wide variety of domains, including smart cities, smart agriculture and logistics. Exploring the benefits for smart homes, during the trial period, Digita and partner VVO Group evaluated a solution using Actility's platform, which monitored temperature and humidity in 200 of VVO Group's properties in the city of Espoo. "Maintaining healthy living conditions is easy when the factors that affect residents' comfort can be recognised in real time," explains Kimmo Rintala, head of VVO Group's property development unit. "Continuous measuring also enables us to detect obvious apartment-specific faults even before the residents themselves have time to react. Digita's solution eliminates the need for property-specific installations, as it is based on sensors within apartments that are able to communicate directly with Digita's system." The LoRa core network service is delivered through Actility's ThingPark Wieless solution, a fully integrated platform for the Internet of Things. Making use of Digita's broadcast masts means that the technology can be deployed at very high points overlooking the city and be exploited to its full range. 15 of Digita's 38 main masts are over 300 meters high.



"Finland is an innovative country, with a real hunger for new technologies. The IoT provides fantastic new opportunities to create compelling services for citizens and government. The increased area that can be reached quickly by implementing LoRa technology on broadcast masts, ensures even better coverage and reduces the required number of gateways. With our partners at Digita, we expect to be able to beat the current LoRa range record of 15km," declares Olivier Hersent, CTO of Actility. "We believe that IoT technology will revolutionise our daily lives. It can be used, for example, to monitor building conditions, save energy, prevent water damage, prevent theft, locate objects, locate pets, optimize farming and monitor health. In theory, there is no limit to the kinds of applications that are possible," explains Digita's COO Markus Ala-Hautala.

About LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN is designed to connect low-cost, battery-operated sensors over long distances in harsh environments that were previously too challenging or cost prohibitive to connect. A LoRaWAN gateway deployed on a building or tower can connect to sensors more than 10km away or to water meters deployed underground or in basements. The LoRaWAN protocol offers unique and unequaled benefits in terms of bi-directionality, security, mobility and accurate localization that are not addressed by other LPWAN technologies. These benefits will enable the diverse use cases and business models that will enable deployments of large scale LPWAN IoT networks globally. (https://www.lora-alliance.org/) About Digita

Digita broadcasts radio and TV programmes reliably to all of Finland, every day of the year. Applying cutting-edge digital technology, Digita develops and supplies versatile Internet TV and radio services along with services based on comprehensive network infrastructure. Digita's main clients are media houses and mobile and broadband operators that provide the very best content. About Actility & ThingPark

Actility is the industry leader in LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) large-scale infrastructure and the innovator behind the ThingPark IoT Solution platform. ThingPark is a carrier-grade IoT platform which enables service providers to accelerate their IoT strategy and go-to-market. ThingPark Wireless delivers long-range networks for low-power sensors and devices. ThingPark Mash-up provides IoT protocol and data mediation services, enabling web applications to connect seamlessly with data from a vast range of different sensors. ThingPark Marketplace is at the heart of of an ecosystem of certified IoT devices, connectivity, and application partners. Actility is a founding member of the LoRa Alliance.. (http://www.thingpark.com/en) To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/actility-thingpark-and-digita-will-take-iot-to-new-heights-with-a-national-lora-network-for-finland-300320956.html SOURCE Actility

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[September 17, 2016] New Tektronix Oscilloscope in Stock at RS Components Delivers High-end Test and Measurement Capabilities

SINGAPORE, Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, has added a new digital storage oscilloscope from Tektronix to its test and measurement portfolio. The TBS2000 targets a wide range of uses including troubleshooting, and as a general-purpose oscilloscope for prototyping, debugging and design validation of new products. The new scope can also be used in educational environments to provide students with hands-on experience in electronics engineering. The Tektronix TBS2000 is a next-generation basic oscilloscope that features the longest record length and largest display in its class, which provides for faster signal evaluation and troubleshooting. The TBS2000 builds on the success of the TDS200 series -- one of the most widely used oscilloscopes on the market -- to provide enhanced design capabilities that were not previously available in this class of instrument. It also delivers high usability, including features such as a large display for easy signal visualisation and a comprehensive set of automatic waveform measurements that are coupled with graphical explanations to help engineers better understand their measurements.



The TBS2000 oscilloscope is available in a variety of models offering 70 or 100MHz bandwidth or with two or four channels. The scope also offers a 9-inch WVGA display, which can display 15 horizontal (time) divisions that allow users to view 50 per cent more signal than any other scope in its category. A 20-Mpoint record length with single-knob pan and zoom allows users to capture long-time-duration signals and provides easy navigation to help users locate important details. Other key features include support for the Tektronix VPI probe interface, the first time this has been available for a low-cost Tektronix oscilloscope, which allows users to use a wide range of Tektronix active probes at an affordable price. Additionally, the new 'Help Everywhere' context-sensitive configurable help utility provides on-screen tips for important settings. Finally, the unit's Wi-Fi dongle support provides wireless connectivity and allows educators to quickly and easily set up electronics engineering labs for students, as well as enabling engineers to take advantage of the instrument's LXI-compliant interface to conveniently control the oscilloscope remotely.

About RS Components RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the global distributor for engineers. With operations in 32 countries, we offer more than 500,000 products through the internet, catalogues and at trade counters to over one million customers, shipping more than 44,000 parcels a day. Our products, sourced from 2,500 leading suppliers, include electronic components, electrical, automation and control, and test and measurement equipment, and engineering tools and consumables. Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2016 had revenues of GBP1.29bn. For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-online.com. Further information is available via these links : Twitter:

@RSComponents

@alliedelec

@designsparkRS



RS Components on Linkedin:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components



Other Relevant Links : Electrocomponents plc:

www.electrocomponents.com RS Components:

www.rs-online.com DesignSpark:

www.designspark.com Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160906/8521605622

Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150818/8521505364LOGO

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17.09.2016 LISTEN

With only 3 weeks left until the longest running award ceremony for Reggae & World music takes place, 'Martins International' has finally announced this year's performers for the 2016 IRAWMA Awards.

On October 2, inside the Coral Springs Center for the Arts attendees can expect a diverse mix of artists that will grace the stage.

Performers include Tarrus Riley- Dean Fraser & The Black Soil Band, Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage, Nesbeth, The Cables, Don Andre, X-Tassy (Haiti), Lt. Stitchie, Daniel Musgrove, Kay Morris (Gospel Act), Mylo Nandez(Latin Artist), Jamaican/African Dance Troops, with more to be added.

Africa wasn't left out as Ghana's Shattawale and Stonebwoy will also be gracing the alongside the above mentioned artistes.

The 2016 IRAWMA Award will also recognize IRIE FM(Jamaica), and VP Records for their contributions to the music industry with the 'Special Legacy Award.

In honor of hosting the IRAWMA Awards in one of the biggest diasporas for the Caribbean community, South Florida, 3 Jamaican/Floridians will be awarded for their 'Outstanding Contribution to the Music Industry.' Recipients are songwriterDanny Breakenridge, drummer Desmond Gaynor-Code Red Band and Radio DJ, Mikey Brown, of Mikey B. Promotions and WAVS FM.

The celebration ceremony will be hosted by Comedian and DanceMaster G.T. Taylor of IRIE Fm Radio in Jamaica, Tanto Irie of Hot 105 FM and Yvette Marshall of Wiz Communication and WAVS Radio. The VIP Reception will be hosted by Comedian Gary Gunter with music by DJ P.E.A.C.E.


The leader and founder of Glorious Wave Ministry, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi, has donated an amount of $10,000 to veteran actor Abeiku Nyame, aka Jagar Pee, for his surgery.

The actor is said to be suffering from an enlargement of the heart or cardiomegaly.

The cash was given to doctors at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) last Wednesday, September 13 to commence the surgery.

Television presenter Amanda Jissih who presented the money on behalf of Prophet Badu Kobi disclosed that the pastor raised the cash during church service to help the actor. She thanked all who contributed during the fundraising and the media for helping to raise the money.

The wife of the actor, speaking during the presentation, thanked Prophet Badu Kobi and members of Glorious Wave Ministry for coming to their aid.

She also thanked Ghanaians for their continuous support towards her husband's condition. Doctors at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital promised to start the surgery as soon as possible to save Jagar Pee.

Zionfelix.net reported weeks ago that the actor needed to raise $20,000 for his operation, but the Ghana Heart Foundation has promised to pay half of it. The wife of the actor during an interview with Zionfelix.net pleaded with the general public to come to the aid of her husband.
MASON CITY  The Iowa State Patrols Mason City post commander has retired to become a police chief in northwest Iowa.

Lt. Dan Schaffer starts Monday as the chief of the Denison Police Department. His last day in Mason City was Friday.

The move is a return to the Crawford County town for Schaffer, who was based out of the Iowa State Patrols Denison post for 10 years before moving to Mason City in 2010.

About 90 miles southwest of Fort Dodge, Denison has approximately 8,500 residents. Its also only about 45 miles from Schaffers hometown of Lake City.

Other than my hometown, which is fairly close to Denison, Ive lived there longer than anywhere else, Schaffer said Friday afternoon. So it actually puts us back around family. Schaffer, 56, began his career in law enforcement in 1977 in Lohrville.

He moved to the Lake City Police Department, becoming chief at age 20, and joined the Carroll Police Department in 1982.

Schaffer was hired by the Iowa State Patrol in 1988.

Its been a great experience up here, Schaffer said of Mason City. I loved the area. Liked the people. Ive had a great career.

He said the Denison job offered the chance to craft policy and have a direct hand in the future of the 12-officer department.

Its an opportunity to have a positive impact not only on a community I really care about, but to play a big part in guiding a law enforcement agency as the chief of the agency, Schaffer said.

One of 30 applicants for the job, Schaffer was chosen after interviews with a panel of retired police chiefs, city officials and meeting with residents and local community leaders.

He received consistent positive feedbacks from local residents, many whom remembered him from his time at the Patrols Denison post, said Denison City Clerk Lisa Koch.

He just seemed like the kind of person that can step in and bring our department back together as a team and work on things and move forward and help the city progress, she said.

Schaffer fills a position vacated in June by the resignation of former Denison Police Chief John Emswiler.

Emswiler was previously disciplined for having lascivious pictures on the Police Departments computer system. The department personnel also were required to attend sexual harassment training this spring.

Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Dana Knutson will serve as acting lieutenant at the Mason City post until Schaffers replacement is named.

 Sioux City Journal reporter Alex Boisjolie contributed to this report.
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Ghana Police Service will for the time use drones to monitor political activities beginning with the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) manifesto launch at the Sunyani Coronation Park in the Brong Ahafo Region on Saturday.

This is as part of its new strategy to engage in an effective and efficient political activity monitoring to quell electoral violence in the coming general elections.

As preparation at the venue reached its peak stage Friday evening some police personnel were busily seen testing the drone which will be used for monitoring.

Although Joy News interviewed the new Brong Ahafo Police Public Affairs Director, Sergeant Samson Gbende, he never gave further details but only confirmed that the drones will be used for tomorrow's program .

It would be recalled that Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO) in Agust this year donated state of the art drones to support the Ghana Police Service in its operations.

The drone, worth between $10,000 - $20,000, is expected to improve police monitoring operations from the sky.

Drones have currently been adopted by security agencies, research and rescue, surveillance, traffic monitoring, weather monitoring, firefighting and other purposes.

Story by Ghana | myjoyonline.com |David Andoh | [email protected]
Niamey (AFP) - Thirty-eight Boko Haram Islamist fighters have been killed during military search operations carried out by Niger and Chad troops in the Diffa region of southeast Niger this week, an official said Friday.

Two soldiers were lightly wounded in the action and "on the enemy side; 38 terrorists killed," Niger defence ministry spokesman Moustapha Ledru said on state television.

Substantial quantities of weapons and munitions were also seized, Colonel Ledru added.

The joint army operations took place between Monday and Wednesday around the villages of Gueskerou and Toumour in southeastern Niger, he added.

According to villagers and NGO workers in Gueskerou, 30 kilometres from Diffa, Boko Haram elements attacked the town on Wednesday night, without killing anyone.

"The attack nonetheless caused a psychosis in the population" and "the assailants torched houses and stole food and medicines after pillaging shops and a pharmacy," an NGO official told AFP.

Boko Haram's seven-year insurgency has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and border areas of neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, and made more than 2.6 million homeless.

Attacks in Niger's Diffa region began in February 2015.

In late July this year a multinational force, drawn from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, was formed to tackle the Islamic insurgents and clear them out of towns and villages.
A marketing firm, Exposure Consultancy is organizing a one-day free entrepreneurial and marketing training for interested Ghanaians.

The support program which is targeted at young entrepreneurs, sales executives and persons interested in starting and marketing their own businesses, will provide insight into succeeding as a young entrepreneur in Ghana and branding businesses to attract clients.

It will also lead participants through strategies of effective client management.

Slated for Friday, September 30 at the Christ the King Hall in Accra, the event will feature some of Ghanas finest business brains who will take participants through various sessions to start and grow their businesses.

Event Details

Date: Friday, 30th September, 2016

Time: 9am  3pm

Venue: Christ the King Hall, Cantonments  Accra (Opposite Flagstaff House)

Contacts: 0268-516-178, 0265-155-806, 0265-155-807, 0268-762-960
Development as a process requires participation of citizens in the production and delivery of goods and services, for an individual to participate in an action or project the individual should be well informed and aware of such a project or an action. It is on this note that the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) in partnership with Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD  Ghana) have designed a sensitization exercise with the caption I am Aware Project. CDD  Ghana secured a grant from the William Flora Hewlett Foundation in November, 2013 to implement a 4 year project to support a program towards improving quality public service delivery in Ghana through an informed citizenry advocacy.

The project seeks to align citizen interest (desire for quality public goods and service delivery) with public official/duty bearer accountability and responsiveness. This is done through the I am Aware project data center at CDD  Ghana offices.

On the 7th of September, 2016 at exactly 10:15 am, LANET in the Techiman Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region hosted a delegation from GACC at the Head Office of Centre of Posterity Interest Organization (COPIO) a Civil Society Organization in Ghana which doubles as Coordinating Organization. This was a Non State Actors meeting organized by GACC as part of informing stakeholders on the I am Aware project, the meeting was attended by a 20 member delegation from various CSOs, Unions, Associations and groups within the municipality as wells as a 3 member delegation from GACC. The meeting was commenced with an opening prayer by Rev. Matthew Dapaah.

A welcome remark was delivered by Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh the Ag. Executive Secretary of GACC, she stated that one of the hindrance they do face is donors demanding for sustainability since they have effected projects which would empower LANET and stakeholders to take up the challenge in educating and training individual as well as groups on the production and delivery of quality goods and services by state institutions and agencies in Ghana. She also hinted on previous projects that GACC have partnered with LANET to execute, she also stressed on the veracity and credibility of projects since funding agency requires cogent result from every projects they do fund. She therefore pleaded with the participants to continue with their dedicated and hardworking nature so to ensure sustainability of all projects and actions.

Mrs. Beauty Narteh passionately appealed to the participants that they should be highly committed once more and select projects that are not capital intensive and economically demanding from the list of projects that would be presented to the participants by Mr. Abdul Kudus who would be facilitating a presentation as part of the meeting. She further emphasized the I am Aware project is data based related and that LANET is required to study and design an action plan for two projects which would be selected by the participants.

Mr. Abdul Kudus was called upon to facilitate a presentation on the seven targeted areas of GACC as part of the I am Aware project, he clearly stated that participants are required to select two from these focused areas of concern: security, health, education as well as water and sanitation. He continued by given facts and figures (baseline data) on the research conducted in 2014 to ascertain the potential and challenges in the aforementioned sectors in the Techiman Municipality. Moreover he commended Techiman Municipality for been among the highly rated areas as far as GACC projects are concerned.

On education, the presenter stated that there is a higher discrepancies in the teacher to pupil ratio, most of the pupil who do write BECE do not get the required grades for them to qualify and be enrolled in Senior High Schools due to inadequate logistics and facilities. As part of his presentation Mr. Kudus talked on the health potentials and challenges as well as the major disease and issues bedeviling the Municipality such as maternal and infant mortality, anemia, diarrhea, pneumonia and the number of patients been admitted at various health centers as well as beds available.

However, water was also among the areas captured in the presentation, he made known to the participants the number of hand dug wells, mechanized boreholes and water resources which are available in Techiman. It was brought to light that the total percentage of accessible water resources was 36. Again, sanitation which has been a major concern in the Municipality was also inclusive in his delivery. On security issues, it was stated that the number of police personnel who present as at 2014 was 137 and the ratio of the police to the citizens was 1 police personnel to 1,211 people.

After Mr. Abduls presentation, an opportunity was given to the participants to question, comment, suggest, recommend as well as brainstorm to select two projects out of the aforementioned areas. Mr. Mustapha Yeboah was the first to submit on the issues on board, he stated that LANET during 2014 LANET was operating in Municipality without any partitioning (North and South) but currently the Municipality have been partitioned so he want to know how the project would be. Mrs. Beauty came in with a submission that the data they presented on was for Techiman Municipality.

Mr. John of COPIO also expressed great concern on the rate at which burglary and theft have become rampantly abnormal in the municipality of which he has been a victim. Mrs. Beauty raised an eminent suggestion that members should brainstorm and select projects which would have a felt impact both in the short and long term without demanding highly financially. In addition, Mr. Sarkodie the Chairman of LANET sided with Mr. John on his concern raised on security in the Techiman Municipality.

A rejoinder was furthermore made by Mr. Mustapha which was on the efforts made by LANET to get on board Television and Radio Stations to broadcast its projects to the general public. Mrs. Narteh came in and said that LANET has not dealt with GACC well because they are not aware of that opportunity and she pleaded that LANET should make them aware so they could also tell the donors of that.

As the meeting proceeded, sanitation was mentioned among the proposed projects to be selected and executed by LANET with support from GACC and CDD. Mr. Addai Kusi one of the participants did second the sanitation project, he urged that the project should be prioritized and all inclusive, thus including market women who are among the principal generators of waste in the municipality.

Another participant also added to the voices on security issues in the municipality. He said LANET could lobby with the Assembly and the security agencies to strategize on the plans such as instituting community volunteers and other watchdog groups to combat crime in the municipality. More so, the chairman commented that the community volunteerism might require other logistics which LANET might not be able to fund. Additionally he stated that criminals these days mostly use sophisticated gadgets in their operations and therefore combatting them requires a very high level of intelligence and logistics.

The participants were made aware that the projects are mainly of advocacy in nature and LANET is just to serve as a facilitating organization. Mr. John highlighted again that the citizens should be made aware of the I am Aware project and added that every security related institution would be very glad when the platform is created for them to educate the populace on security issues. Moreover, Rev. Matthew Dapaah added his opinion to those who share the concern on security issues in the Municipality, he indicated that security is critical in our lives today since this is an election year and we require active protection and security eminently.

As the section was still in progress, Mr. Ernest the Chairman for persons with disabilities in the municipality submitted that persons with disabilities find it very difficult when using the major linking roads in the municipality since almost all the roads were constructed without considering persons with disabilities in the planning and execution processes. He therefore pleaded with all the participants as well as GACC to advocate for the needs and concerns of the physically challenged persons at all levels. He again urged that politicians in the municipality should be adequately educated on the projects, that is, they should be made aware that I am Aware project is nonpartisan but a tool for citizen empowerment and holistic development at all levels.

Notwithstanding, a participant wanted to know the budget and allocations for the projects but Mrs. Beauty stated that the earlier decision made by CDD Ghana did not include Techiman among the selected areas for their projects which are six districts from Central, Western and other Region. It was through negotiation that GACC did convince CDD Ghana to include LANET Techiman in the I am Aware project.She therefore pleaded with the participants to design a budget which would by feasible and easily funded for the proposed projects. She also proposed for the signing of an MOU between LANET and the media houses in Techiman.

Upon deliberations, the participants unanimously endorsed sanitation and security as the key prioritized and pressing areas. Mr. Kooson moved for the closure of the meeting if there were no other issues of concern, he was seconded by a participant and therefore the house accepted that the meeting should be closed. The meeting ended at exactly 11:37 am and was preceded by a short prayer by Rev. Matthew Daapah the Financial Secretary of LANET. Group photography and interview of participants were done by the officials of GACC afterward.
MTN Ghana Foundation has commemorated this years World Literacy Day with activities to promote literacy in basic schools for over 150 school children at the Adabraka Community Library in Accra.

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of World Literacy Day under the theme Reading the Past, Writing the Future, MTN Ghana Foundation organized reading, spelling and painting competitions among school children from selected schools and reading clubs in Labadi and Adabraka. In addition, the Foundation donated reading books and stationery to the Adabraka Community Library as part of efforts to promote reading and writing among children in Ghana.

The Foundations support for World Literacy Day celebrations is an initiative to support efforts being made by UNESCO to create awareness about the value of literacy and education.

Speaking during a ceremony at the Adabraka Community Library, the Acting Senior Manager for MTN Ghana Foundation, Mrs. Rhoderlyn E. Mensah, said, We are committing our resources to support the eradication of illiteracy because research has shown that the skill of knowing how to read and write alone can break the cycle of poverty.

Being literate empowers the individual and also contributes towards the social economic development of the country. It will also help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals on Education, she added.

Mr. Theophilus Ocquaye, Assistant Librarian of the Adabraka Community Library, expressed his gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for the support and the opportunity created for school pupils to learn and build their confidence.

World Literacy Day falls on 8th September every year. Celebrated since 1966, the objective of World Literacy Day is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On World Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. This years event marked the 50th anniversary of the World Congress of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy.

The celebration also falls under Education, which is one of the focus areas of the MTN Ghana Foundation.

Mr. Ebenezer Terkpeh Of Mtn Ghana Foundation Presenting Prize To One Of The Winners Of The Reading And Spelling Competitions

Mrs. Rhoderlyn E. Mensa, Acting Senior Manager Of The Mtn Ghana Foundation Presenting The Story Books And Stationary To Assistant Librarian, Mr. Theophilus Ocquaye
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo Hosi, has said it is possible for Ghana to be supplied with 'safe' fuel but the process will come at extra cost to country.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Senyo Hosi said you don't just change standards in a country, it can have implicationsthere is a logistical constraint. If Ghana wants to go the spec that we are looking for, the product is accessible but it also comes at a premium.

He noted that, Ghana, which currently shares oil vessel with Nigeria, will no longer have that advantage since the country would have to incur extra cost for a dedicated vessel to reduce the part per million (ppm) sulphur in its fuel.

He explained that, Because we share the same spec of diesel with Nigeria, a huge vessel could just move out of Europe and the cost per metric ton of a liter to business and the consumer will become minimal when Ghana alone moves, you will just have a dedicated [vessel] coming just for Ghana and other compartments separately; so the cost for Ghana goes up a little more. If we are willing to bear that cost that is not a problem

According to a report published by Public Eye , a Swiss-based NGO, which is partner to Ghanas ACEP, some European companies have been shipping toxic diesel to many African countries including Ghana.

The report revealed that, the diesel samples contained up to 378 times more sulphur than is permitted in Europe.

But according to Mr. Hosi, the report must not cause fear and panic since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has not advised on whether or not the reported diesel quality was extremely dangerous.

He said although it was necessary Ghana complies with the best practices, the countrys progress from 1,000-ppm to 2,000-ppm must be appreciated.

According to him, the process will require standardization from stakeholders including Ghanas standardization bodies, policy makers as well as other bodies operating within continent.

About Public Eye

For around 50 years, the Swiss NGO Public Eye (formerly Berne Declaration), has offered a critical analysis of the impact that Switzerland, and its companies, has on poorer countries.

Through its research and campaigning, and with the support of its more than 25,000 members, Public Eye fights against injustices with a significant link to Switzerland and demands the respect of human rights throughout the world.

In May 2014, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) discovered that a US Jetta and a US Passat released four times as much nitrogen oxide on the street as they did in the laboratory.

The non-profit organization informed the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Californian Air Resources Board about this manipulation  and thereby caught the world's attention with what became known as the VW scandal.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
17.09.2016 LISTEN

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has dismissed reports that it is to blame for the dumping of dirty diesel on the Ghanaian market.

A report released by the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and its partner, Public Eye, has revealed that Swiss commodity trading firms are exploiting lax regulatory standards to sell to African consumers.

But the CEO of the NPA, Moses Asaga says the comments are borne out of ignorance on the authority's responsibilities.

I think that all the comments are from a point of ignorance. I'd rather that the agencies particularly ACEP consulted the Authority to know the details on how the market entails before coming out with the conclusion, Moses Asaga remarked in an interview with Citi Business News.

The report which surveyed eight African countries including Ghana, indicated that the sulphur content of diesel samples in such countries was more than 300 times compared to that of Europe, US and Kenya in Africa which has 50 parts per million (ppm).

But Moses Asaga explains Ghana's standard of 3000 ppm falls within the regional margin quoted by countries like Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

He however added, a significant reduction in the sulphur content will cost Ghana about 300 million dollars.

Our refinery in Ghana has been producing 1000 parts per million; as such if we want to decrease to 50 parts per million, that will imply the whole refinery will have to be re-configurated which may need a capital cost of between 200 to 300 million dollars,

The report also cited the alarming health implications from air pollution. For instance, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates that by 2030, Africa will have three times as many deaths from traffic-related particle dust than Europe, Japan, and the US combined.

But Moses Asaga insists similar implications are associated with diesel with lower sulphur content.

It is a blatant exaggeration to say that millions of people are being affected by that. We have sought permission from the EPA and that the emission test of Ghanaian vehicles which use diesel has so far been considered to be in the acceptable range, the NPA boss added.

Meanwhile, the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers' Union (GTPCWU), has expressed similar concern by ACEP that the NPA and the Ghana Standards Authority must step up to protect the lives of Ghanaians.

Commenting on the matter, the National Chairman of General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers' Union, Bernard Owusu explained,

I believe the NPA as a regulator should intensify its work because I might say it is being weak in its mandate because most fuel offered for sale at the various filling stations is substandard.

Even though Ghana last reviewed its refinery systems in 2014, Moses Asaga is confident a possible review to reduce the sulphur content in diesel, could be carried out in a months' time only of Ghanaians are willing to pay higher prices for 'quality' fuel.



By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established under a multilateral treaty called the  Rome Statute which was adopted on 17 July 1998 and entered into force on1 July 2002. It is based in the Hague, Holland, and has 124 members.

Unfortunately, the ICC does not enjoy much support in enlightened circles in Africa. This is because an overwhelming number of the people it has sought to try for crimes against humanity and/or genocide, have tended to be Africans. Yet some of the worst crimes against humanity have been committed by non-African political leaders, especially George W Bush of the USA and Tony Blair of the UK (who used their powerful air forces and ground troops to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq because the two leaders believed  falsely  that Saddam Hussein's government possessed weapons of mass destruction).

While these two walk free (in fact, because it knows its own sins only too well, the US voted AGAINST the very establishment of the ICC!) the ICC's Prosecutors have, so far, opened investigations into ten situations: the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Uganda; Central African Republic; Darfur, Sudan; Kenya; Libya; Cote d'Ivoire; Mali; and Georgia. As can be seen, nine of the ten countries on which ICC Prosecutors have fully engaged themselves, are in Africa. The trial processes are at various stages and in the case of Kenya, the charges  against President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Vice-President  have collapsed altogether. The perception of racial discrimination that the ICC has attracted to itself has in fact led to some African countries advocating the disengagement of the continent from the ICC treaty.

Yet the idea for an ICC had been floated at the UN for quite some time  with African support  before it was eventually actualised. Even as work was proceeding on the drafting of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, two temporary bodies with similar objectives were set up by the United Nations Security Council  to deal specifically with the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 (the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda) and the atrocities that occurred in the former Yugoslavia during the sanguine civil war there, following the collapse of communism and the subsequent atrocity-marked dismemberment of the country (the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia created in 1993). There has also been, outside the direct ambit of the ICC, a Special Court on Sierra Leone, which jailed the former Liberian dictator, Charles Taylor, for his part in the atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during its terrible civil war of the 1990s.

Well, the ICC has now taken a step that could redeem it from its past flawed image and endear it to progressive people not only in Africa but in all developing countries. It announced on 15 September 2016 that henceforth, it will be investigating, with a view to prosecuting, crimes assessed in the light of... the increased vulnerability of victims, the terror subsequently instilled, or the social, economic and environmental damage inflicted on the affected communities.

With this in view, the ICC Prosecutor's Office will give particular consideration to prosecuting Rome Statute crimes that are committed by means of, or that result in the destruction of the

environment, the illegal exploitation of natural resources, or the illegal

dispossession of land.

The new ICC position has been widely interpreted as a change of focus which will

enable the Court to expand its remit and prosecute governments and individuals for environmental crimes such as land-grabs. (A case had already been lodged with the ICC on behalf of 10 Cambodians alleging mass human rights violations by the Cambodian authorities, related to land-grabbing.)

The London Guardian reported that The UN-backed court..., has mostly ruled on cases of genocide and war crimes since it was set up in 2002. It has been criticised for its reluctance to investigate major environmental and cultural crimes, which often happen in peacetime. [But] in a change of focus, the ICC said it would now also prioritise crimes that result in the destruction of the environment, exploitation of natural resources and the illegal dispossession of land. It also included an explicit reference to land-grabbing.

The Guardian added that the ICC, which is funded by governments and is regarded as the court of last resort [in the world], , said it would also now take many crimes that had been traditionally under-prosecuted into consideration. So while the Court is not, (as the paper points out) formally extending its jurisdiction, it will henceforth assess existing offences, such as crimes against humanity, in a broader context.

The courageous anti-corruption campaign group, Global Witness, has commented that land-grabbing had led to many forced evictions, the cultural genocide of indigenous peoples, malnutrition and environmental destruction.

Land-grabbing is no less harmful than war, in terms of negative impacts on civilians, said Alice Harrison, an adviser at Global Witness. Todays announcement should send a warning shot to company executives and investors that the environment is no longer their playground.

The ICC announcement should sound like music in the ears of the Ghana social activists known as OccupyGhana. They have announced plans to take legal action against the Government of Ghana over its inability and/or unwillingness to eliminate the galamsey menace in Ghana that has already destroyed many of our biggest water-bodies, such as the Birem, Ankobra, Prah, Offin, Densu and many smaller rivers like Supong (in my birth-place, Asiakwa in the Eastern region, which used to flood and frighten us when we were children but which has now become a trickle of water covered in green algae.)

The Government of Ghana initially showed at outrage at the destruction wrought by galamsey and in a praise-worthy effort, set up a Task Force to evict the Chinese master-minds behind the galamsey operations and their Ghanaian collaborators. But the work of the Task Force was fatally undermined when the President himself, Mr John Mahama, did an incomprehensible U-turn and publicly criticised the Task Force for what he called the brutal manner I which the Task Force was going about the work of trying to stop galamsey! Mr Mahama claimed  in a statement that would have give great comfort to the criminals killing our water bodies  that galamsey operators were just trying to earn a living.

So the Task Force retracted its claws; our water bodies continue to be destroyed; and some scientists are forecasting that many areas in Ghana will run out of drinking water in the next five years at most. On my visit to Ghana in June 2016, it was intimated to me that the Institute of Aquatic Biology of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has carried out studies that clearly establish the perilous nature of our potable water situation. OccupyGhana should tap into the scientific community for evidence to use to prosecute the Government of Ghana and its somnolent agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Water Resources Commission and the Land Commission.

The University of Cape Coast also has faculty members who, to my knowledge, are well apprised of the facts regarding the destruction of our water-bodies. And one lecturer in the History Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, has devoted months to studying the modus operandi of the galamsey operators, and can furnish OccupyGhana with an enormous amount of empirical data, if asked.

OccupyGhana can also find a lot of material in Hansard. On one singe day in Parliament, (26 February 2016) an amazing amount of information emerged on the water situation in Ghana, including a detailed statement by the Minister in charge Water Resources. See: http://www.parliament.gh/publications/30/1294

On that day, there were exchanges between one MP, Mr Alexander K. Afenyo-Markin (NPP  Effutu],and other MPs that were extremely interesting. Mr Afenyo-Markin told the House that the Minister had called on all Members of Parliament to help ensure that pragmatic steps are taken in stopping environmental degradation. The Minister had cited illegal mining as one example. But this call fell short of explicitly telling the people of Ghana, the new policy direction aimed at ending galamsey. illegal mining. If after all the efforts made to procure loans to improve on water supply networks, we still allow people from this country and foreigners to pollute our water bodies in search of gold, would there be any water at all to be supplied?

In his consistency, Effutu, he had had an interaction with the District Manager of Ghana Water Company Limited, and the Manager's position was that there was no water coming from upstream

from upstream into the River Ayensu. As a result, they were unable to even get the minimum two metres to enable them pump!

He went on: We are aware that River Oti is polluted, Densu is polluted, Pra is polluted and Offin is polluted. It is not a one- day affair. Mr Speaker, even when His Excellency the President visited Dunkwa-on-Offin on 28th of February, 2014, he ... made an observation [that]

'It is the responsibility of the Government to protect our people, our land and our resources but

Government cannot do it alone. ...

I agree with Mr President. The President [went[] further [and said]:

All of us must be seriously involved so that we can win this fight against galamsey. Mr Speaker, on the same day, the President is quoted as having said that he noted that the River Offin, which used to provide fish and drinking water ,could no longer provide these benefits to the people. He further warned that if galamsey was allowed to continue, the effect of it, which is the release of toxic chemicals, could be [to poison] the land and water-bodies and water tables; and even boreholes would get infected by toxic materials in the areas concerned. So, Mr Speaker, clearly, the issues are known  ... even if the Hon Minister is able to drill thousands of boreholes, and [the boreholes] got infected, the people would not get clean water.

Mr Afenyo-Marki asked: So, what are we doing to

end galamsey? Mr Speaker, when I started talking about galamsey, some good friends said that I am lucky I do not come from a mining community. Another friend told me that he would not dare talk about galamsey because he may lose votes. But for how long can we overlook the effect of galamsey on our water-bodies and in our water-bodies? Mr Speaker, I expected the Hon Minister to come out with a very bold step. With the greatest respect, I am disappointed and it is not personal to him. But ... we [must] come out with a bold decision as a country, to tell the galamsey operators that enough is enough;! The time is now! Let us save Ghana.

This is because if we expand, take loans and cannot supply because somebody is mining in that same water-body,or because somebody is using that source of water and because of that,a farmer cannot use that water to farm, then there would be food security challenges. Mr Speaker, at least, I know a beautiful article has been written by a journalist by name Asumin Gyamfi on August 13, 2015. This journalist has spelt out the effects of galamsey and the threats of galamsey on our livelihood as a people in this country. Mr Speaker, are we saying that the drought[we have ee experiencing] is so natural? Are we saying that the degradation of our environment is natural? And are we saying that the human activities cannot be controlled? I disagree on the score that human activities cannot be controlled?

 Human activities can be controlled. We have our security agencies; political leaderships and state institutions who have the mandate. What are they doing? Mr Speaker, we cannot leave it and pretend that it is not a problem. This is because throughout the over 35 minutes Statement made by the Hon Minister, he did not deal comprehensively with the issue of galamsey; of course, I know that it is not the core mandate of his Ministry. It is a collaborative effort but, at least 

Mr First Deputy Speaker [interrupting]: I am glad you recognise that. It is collaborative and we are currently dealing with some  I do not know if they have completed it from the Ministry. Not the Water Resources, Works and Housing but the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources trying to find solutions to some of these problems.

Mr Afenyo-Markin: Mr Speaker, the reason I am drumming this point in is because it is an interlocked matter, this issue of galamsey and the efforts that are to be made by the Ministry in supplying water and efforts by the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, are such that if the two do not work together  That is why I submitted that I was expecting a Statement from the Hon Minister to the effect that they have acknowledged and recognised that it is a major challenge and that efforts were being made 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Hon Member, we have very limited time. Could you furnish us with the article you referred to for the benefit of the Ministry?

Mr Afenyo-Markin: Mr Speaker, I would graciously hand [it] over. Everything is here.

Mr First Deputy Speaker: Very well. That will help them.

Mr Afenyo-Markin: Mr Speaker, we are equally aware and this is very important that people are selling their cocoa farms. These are all captured in this article. People are felling off trees for the

purposes of galamsey. The effect of the use of the cocoa farms for galamsey is that we are even unable to produce the expected tonnage. It is not only affecting water. So Mr Speaker, I am urging the Hon Minister and for that matter, the Government, to do everything humanly possible to save our water-bodies so that all the loans that they have procured would not become a debt that they would not be able to pay, and that there would not be any health hazard which would affect the people of Ghana.

[For] ... with all the effects of galamsey on our water-bodies, I do not see how as a country we can produce potable water in five years. I do not see how in five years, we can produce enough water even to support agriculture. Mr Speaker, on that note, I rest my case and as you directed, I take this

opportunity to accordingly tender ... the article by Mr Asumin Gyamfi [August 13, 2015]

http://www.gbcghana.com/1.5988261

and [another] article, Galamsey  The good, the bad and the ugly... published by Ghana Business (16th February, 2014).

http://citifmonline.com/2014/02/16/galamsey-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

So, over to you, OccupyGhana! May your efforts succeed. Generations of Ghanaians yet unborn will have you to thank, if you stop this inexorable march by Ghana towards national, 'self-inflicted-genocide', in its tracks.
17.09.2016 LISTEN

On Friday 19th August, 2016, the Ghana Institute of Governance and Security locked horns with the Africa Centre for Energy Policy represented by Dr. Adam Amin, Natural Resource Governance Institute represented by Mr. Samuel Bekoe and the Select Committee on Mines and Energy represented by Mr. Mutawakilu, Deputy Chairman, on the programme Ghana Connect on Joy TV and Joy FM Radio to debate whether the new Petroleum Exploration and Production Bill guarantees Ghana a fair share of the oil revenue and protects the interest of Ghana.

Due to time constraint, GIGS was unable to articulate our observations and comments on the Bill fully but only dealt partially with the Fiscal Regime which mostly is our focus.

GIGS and its partners in this campaign to adopt PSA now represent our full observations on the Petroleum Exploration and Production Bill in two parts.

PART 1: GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The law in the making is in all respect the Royalty Tax System under the concessionary system - a system progressive and forward looking leaders would not adopt to regulate Oil and Gas discoveries in this 21st Century - cunningly and subtly clothed in some provisions of Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) to conform and fall in line with the exploitative agreements so far entered into by both NPP and NDC governments and approved by our Parliament; now metamorphosed into Modern Concession, the Ghana Hybrid System. It is an attempt now, therefore, to give legal backing to these bad and illegal agreements and contracts tinted with corruption, as stated categorically by Dr. Adam Amin in a presentation made to the House Sub-Committee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organisations on 18th July, 2013. I quote:

In conclusion I have already mentioned the issue of bad deals in the oil and mining industries. Some of these bad deals have already been producing resources and the United States like other importing countries is consuming oil from some of these bad contracts. This places an important responsibility on the United States to lead by example in ensuring that oil and minerals from countries that promote questionable contracts tinted with corruption are not patronized.

The question one may ask is, if Dr. Adam Amin knew about these things, why is he supporting an obnoxious and exploitative law to legitimise these contracts tinted with corruption that would go a long way to impoverish his country? What are his motives and incentives? And that of others charged with overseeing our oil boon?

GIGS and its partners and supporters are opposed to the Modern Concession because it is equally exploitative as the Traditional Concession despite its modification to include Carried and Participation Interests and Additional Oil Entitlement (AOE).

We were and still are irrevocably and unabashedly in support of consolidating the PSA which the previous PNDC Laws 64 and 84 support, which even Tullow on one of its website links acknowledged but dishonestly and mischievously claimed Ghana had adopted to regulate its Upstream Oil Industry in order to derive optimum benefit, a claim since then edited out from that link.

http://www.tullowoil.com/sustainability/shared-prosperity/transparency/ghana-psa

The passed Bill enables the foreign oil companies to swindle Ghana through taking advantage of certain incentives that go with adoption of PSA, such as waiver of import and export duties.

The Bill takes away all the sole rights and controls granted the National Oil Company, GNPC, under the PNDC Laws 64 and 84, thus placing ownership and control of the oil and gas resources of Ghana into private hands contrary to Article 257 Section 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

The semantic interpretation given by Mr. Mutawakilu, Deputy Chairman, during the debate was very absurd to me and Dr. Adam Amin remarked if I wasnt satisfied I could go to the Supreme Court for proper interpretation. According to Mr. Mutawakilu, natural resources only belong to Ghana underground. They become the property and asset of any investor who gets access to it and brings them out to the surface.

The Bill also reduces GNPC to an independent commercial operator and therefore has to compete with the foreign oil companies for oil blocks declared open by the Minister of Petroleum even if it has the resources to do so, otherwise the Minister would have to exercise the numerous discretionary powers conferred on him to allocate a block to it.

The Bill also contravenes the following:



UN Resolution on Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources GAR 1803 of 1963 reprinted in GAR 3171 of 1963 The Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of State GAR 3181 of 1974.

Ghana surprisingly is a signatory to all these UN Conventions and Resolutions. Ghanaians would eventually lose ownership rights and permanent sovereignty over their oil and gas riches to foreigners as happened to gold and other minerals.

The above observations and implications are not written in black and white in the Bill for one to see, but are inherent in it. One needs to understand the principles underlying the various fiscal arrangement or regime to be able to understand and decipher these effects.

Unfortunately, the Petroleum Minister and other panel members do not seem to realise these ills inherent in the Bill that do not protect the interest of the people of Ghana. They are rather focused on how the foreigners interests are well protected.

PART TWO: FISCAL REGIME AND SPECIFIC COMMENTS

The fiscal Regime or Arrangement determines the type of contract the government enters into with the foreign oil companies (FOC) on behalf of the citizens to exploit their oil and gas resources.

The fiscal provisions therefore become the heart of any Petroleum Exploration and Production Law because they determine the type of contract signed and how the oil revenue is shared between the resource owners, that is, the citizen and the FOC.

In this Part we shall refer to specific clauses in the Bill and how they directly impact on Ghana, whether fairly and adequately.

Clauses 3-4

These clauses are awkward. Ghana, a novice in the Upstream Oil Industry, is inventing a new wheel by vesting management and control of oil and gas resources in the State, i.e., the Minister of Petroleum, contrary to established global standard and practice. Oil and Gas resources being strategic national assets, management and control are vested in the National Oil Companies (NOC) of host countries. In PNDC Laws 64 and 84, GNPC was fully vested with the management and control. The Bill now seeks to take away these powers and vest them in the Minister of Petroleum.

Clause 5

No progressive country in the 21st Century in the developing world is conducting petroleum activities under licence with the implication of transferring ownership of petroleum resources to private individuals and foreigners in the name of attracting investments into the sector, contrary to global standards and practice. Ghana, the 35th country into oil and gas in Africa, is moving in the opposite direction  the Black Star of Africa indeed!

Clause 10 sub-14 (a)

This sub-clause contravenes the UN Resolution on Permanent sovereignty over Natural Resources. The sub-clause also places a cap to limit our 100% ownership of our property under the Constitution.

Clause 10 Sub 14 (b) (i) (ii)

The financial obligations that these sub-clauses would place on Ghana are so huge that the burden on the limited resources available to meet our infrastructural deficits cannot be under-estimated if we have to adopt this Hybrid System. Due to limited resources available to the State, the State cannot take up large shares in the projects which will result into loss of huge oil revenues to the foreign oil companies. Ghana under the Jubilee Agreement would have to pay the lead operator Tullow over US$2 Billion for participating in the project within the next 10 years. Understandably, PETRONAS, the Malaysian Oil Company in 1974 shied away from this system and chose PSA.

Clause 20

This clause waters down clause 13 of PNDC law 84 and is contrary to current international practice which makes review in Petroleum Agreements mandatory every five or seven years. The wording of the clause does not make review mandatory.

Clauses 85-89

The fiscal provisions in essence are skewed towards collection of taxes which in practice are difficult to collect from multinationals. The foreign oil companies earned US$13.329 Billion gross revenue in five years of operations at the Jubilee Fields which should attract US$3.553 billion in taxes but ended up paying under US$500 million for both taxes and surface rentals. They did not pay any tax over the last 2 years because they claimed they were making losses. As pointed out in the Auditor Generals Report, the required oversights had so not even been activated. A PSA avoids much of those hassles.

To say the Ghana Hybrid System can achieve the same or better results than the time tested PSA which the existing Laws support is a deceit and preposterous.

To back our position that the PSA is by far rather superior to the Ghana Hybrid System, GIGS used the meticulous analysis of the official Quarterly Petroleum Receipts and Distribution Reports released by the Ministry of Finance from 2011-2015, under the so-called Ghana Hybrid System which is without any legal framework backing it, Ghana the Sovereign owner of the oil resources received 28,117,764 barrels valued at US$2,650,352,317, representing 16.59% of total production revenue.

With taxes and surface rentals paid by the FOC added, Ghana earned a total of US$3,111,613,783 representing 19.40% of total production revenue of US$15,980,235,948 as  Government Take.

During the same period, the FOC received 144,417,622 barrels, worth gross value of US$13,329,883,363 representing 83.41% of total production revenue.

After payment of taxes and surface rentals, they had a net gross of US$12,868,622,165 representing 80.60% of total production revenue.

If Ghana had adopted the world standard PSA which existing Laws PNDC 64 & PNDC 84 support, adopted by even South Sudan, the newest country in the world, Niger, Chad, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Nigeria, Angola, Malaysia, Cameroun, Indonesia and more than 80 other countries, Ghanaians as sovereign owners of the oil should have received 101,941,628 barrels valued US$9,608,909,293 representing 60.10% of total production revenue as Government Take.

Even if Ghana had adopted PSA and opted for  Profit Oil only, without Royalties, Surface Rentals and Corporate Taxes and Participating Interests, Ghana would have lifted 81,207,449 barrels valued US$7.662 billion in the first five years representing 47.70% of total production revenue as Government Take.

The argument by Mr. Mutawakilu that we did not know the cost of exploration, development and production of Jubilee Fields is laughable. What Ghanaians did not know but we know from Day (1), when the Jubilee partners entered the field, to the last day in 30 years when the field is supposed to be exhausted, about US$10 billion will be spent on the entire project. Approximately about US$6 billion for exploration and development of Phase-1 and Phase-2 and about US$4 billion as operating and technical costs would have been spent. However, from our analysis and computation a net gross of US$12.868 billion was earned representing 80.60% of total production revenue in 5 years while Ghanaians, sovereign owners of the oil, earned US$3,111,613,783, i.e., 19.40%, as Government Take representing Royalties, Carried and Participating Interests, Corporate Taxes and Surface rentals.

The unsupported claim by Dr. Amin that Ghana is currently earning 54% as Government Take from the Jubilee Fields and the new agreements signed under NDC would generate 75% as Government Take under the Ghana Hybrid System is a public intellectual deceit to the highest order. Our analyses do not support his claim; both Jubilee and TEN are likely to yield between 20%-30% as Total Production Revenue each as Government Take.

This is the system the Ministry of Petroleum, Petroleum Commission, Energy Commission, GNPC and our Representatives in Parliament say is good for Ghana even though they are aware the Ghana Hybrid System would make Ghana earn less than 25% of Total production Revenue as Government Take. And this is supported strongly by ACEP, NRGI, CSO PLATFORM on Oil and Gas, IEA, IMANI, PIAC and others who are heavily funded by the World Bank, Oxfam America, Star Ghana, DFID and the Oil Companies through their so-called Corporate Social Responsibility Fund to deceive and brainwash all sectors of the Ghanaian public, including the seat of Government and Parliament, to believe that what Ghana is doing is the best and modern system. From the analysis above, the two (2) systems cannot produce same results.

In conclusion, the Ghana Institute of Governance and Security (GIGS) joined by the Fair-Trade Oil Share-GH PSA Campaign Team are opposed to the fiscal provisions and other related provisions contained in the Bill/Law which we have considered very inimical to the interest of the people of Ghana, both the present generation and future ones yet unborn. The statement and claim by the Minister of Petroleum that the Bill or the Law will be robust to protect the interest of Ghana is false and a public deceit to the highest order. The whole Petroleum Ministry and others who were in charge of handling this issue from the NPP administration to the current NDC administration should be charged with the offence of causing financial loss to the State, representing Ghanaians.

Solomon Kwawukume

Senior Research Officer (Oil & Gas) GIGS

National Coordinator - FTOS-GH PSA Campaign
MASON CITY | The North Iowa Chapter of the American Guild of Organists plans to honor church musicians who are or have been organists, pianists, vocal choir or bell choir directors who have served 25 years or more in any of those positions.

A concert will be held at 3 p.m. on All Saints Sunday  Nov. 6  at First United Methodist Church to honor these musicians.

The Guild is asking churches in North Iowa to submit names of persons they would like to see honored, sending names to Sub-Dean Christoper Arp by email to northiowaago@gmail.com or by calling 507-564-2460 by Sept. 25.

Invitations will be sent to musicians whose names have been submitted.
Harare (AFP) - Lying uncomfortably in his hospital bed, Zimbabwean anti-government activist Silvanos Mudzvova details the long list of injuries he suffered this week when abducted, beaten up and left for dead.

He has whip-marks, bruises and blisters on his back and feet, burns on his thigh, and wounds left by electric shocks applied to his toes and genitals. He was also injected with an unknown substance.

An activist with the Tajamuka protest group, Mudzvova winced in pain as he vowed to keep protesting against President Robert Mugabe and told of how he was dragged from his home on Tuesday night.

Mudzvova, 38, who is also an actor and playwright, is part of a growing opposition movement pushing for Mugabe and the ruling ZANU-PF party to be ousted after 36 years in power.

Zimbabwean anti-government activist Sylvanos Mudzvova vowed to keep protesting against President Robert Mugabe after he was abducted, beaten up and left for dead

"At this moment we cannot put the brakes on. We actually need to make sure ZANU-PF and Mugabe go," said Mudzvova, who is married with three children.

"As the Tajamuka movement, we believe we have a bright future. This is the only way we can determine our future and the future of the kids we have."

Tajamuka ("We are rising up") has emerged as one of the leading protest groups in a wave of anti-Mugabe protests that have often been violently suppressed by police.

Mudzvova said six unidentified armed men barged into his home by breaking down the door, covered him with a sack and bundled him into a truck.

"The children were woken up by the violent knocking on the door They were terrified," he said.

His abductors drove him into the bush outside the capital and began a brutal session of torture.

Further protests

Demonstrators from the Zimbabwean pressure group Tajamuka protest next to a burning tyre in Makokoba Township, Bulawayo

"They started asking me questions like where funding for Tajamuka was coming from, who was providing military training and where I was trained," he said.

"Whenever they asked me questions and I gave them answers they thought were not satisfactory, that's when they would beat me up.

"Before they left, they injected me with a substance that has not been identified."

Mudzvova, who was found by local villagers the next day and taken to hospital, was also beaten up by assailants in 2013 in an attack that left him with a limp.

Before that assault, he had written and staged a play about Zimbabweans planning their own Arab Spring uprising.

Early this year, he was detained by police after staging a one-man play outside parliament about state corruption and shady goings-on in diamond mining.

Now, to avoid arrest, Mudzvova performs what he calls "hit-and-run" shows in public places without any warning.

Zimbabwe soldiers and civil servants have regularly been paid late this year, heightening pressure on 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe

"It is not the body that has the ideas," he said, describing why the beatings are futile.

"We have got university degrees but we cannot find jobs. We have to push a little extra to achieve what we are (actually) calling for."

Police have banned protests in Harare for a month but further protests are planned, raising fears of violent clashes between demonstrators, pro-Mugabe youths and security forces.

Soldiers and civil servants have regularly been paid late this year, heightening pressure on the 92-year-old president, who is increasingly frail.

Mudzvova said he would report the attack to police when he gets out of hospital.

"I will leave it to them whether to investigate or sit on the report, but there will come a time when the truth of the people who are behind all this will come out."
17.09.2016 LISTEN

Until we met that fateful Friday on the serene campus of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, I held the perception that he was one of the guys who never saw the value of schooling and by tether, education. Though our elders say an inquisitive monkey always has a bullet on his face, I decided to be inquisitive.

What are you doing here? I asked

I am here to pray and go back to class. He responded confidently.

Which class? I added more inquisitively.

Remedial class at Ideal College. He responded again.

After that interlocution, I found out that he had moved from Nima to Madina estate so that he could escape the enticements from friends in order to fully concentrate on his academic studies. I then revised my notes on him since then. And he has moved on steadily.

Mubarak Iddrisu is the subject matter of discussion today. He completed Mrs. Adu Sams New Nation School in Nima in 2007 and moved to O Reilly Senior High School that same year to study General Science. After a year of rigorous studies, he did not fare well in the science course and decided to move to Business. He therefore joined the new entrants thus repeating a year. Like many Nima guys presently, he lost his soul to worldly pursuits and started as Mr.Kwabla Kuwornu will say showing himself randomly in school. In his own words, he had this to say Maazi, there is no club in Accra that I have not frequented. Roxbury, Vienna, Glens, Aponkye, Container etc. and other clubs that are not discoverable to my puritan mind.Maazi, if even I went to school those days, it was due to the unwavering cajolements from my parents. My dad who is shy of me usually begs me to go to school. My weekends begin on Thursdays when together with friends, I go for rendezvous in one of the boiling points in Accra. I sometimes go to school red-eyed and full of sleep and wish a teacher will just query me on anything. That query alone gives me a carte blanche to move away from school usually with friends to endless parties in my house, restaurants etc. In the end, Mubarak failed terribly and miserably in his WASSSCE examinations. HE PERFORMED DISMALLY AND ABYSMALLY.That did not raise any hackle on his skin because after all he was rich and could afford anything he wanted. He therefore continued his Parisian life with untold impunity.

There is a particular stamping ground in Nima called Los Angeles. That is where we usually sit together into the wee hours of the night analyzing topics ranging from archaeology to zoology. These analyses usually end up in noisy, charged arguments with each party screaming his lungs out to have his point stated. However, we had sane and most often intellectually-stimulating discussions. The discussions sometimes required thorough research before we came to a conclusion. Through these numerous discussions, Mubarak popularly called Shushu, who is one of the strong discussants realized he has a natural predilection for learning that he dropped. He decided to go pick it up.That was the beginning of the volte face!

Mubarak enrolled at the Ideal College, hid his face from friends and in his own words married his books profoundly. Days before the results came out; he told me he will never go back to school again if he fails this time around again. Never! He was never to fail again! Allah stated emphatically in the Holy book of Islam, specifically in Chapter 18:30  Indeed, We will not allow to be lost, the reward of any who did well in deeds. Mubarak stamped his authority in the examinations by coming out with straight As with two Bs. As I put pen to paper, Mubarak is a student of the University of Cape Coast studying BSc. Mathematics with Business.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu painted this picture well for us There is no situation that is not transformable. There is no person who is hopeless. There is no set of circumstances that cannot be turned about by human beings and their natural capacity for the love of the deepest sort.

To all Nima boys and girls, no one owes us a living. We make our own destinies. You make your own life. You can choose to waste it and you can choose to make the most out of it. I see great potentialities in us that we waste on frivolities, banalities and unproductive ventures. We must persevere. We must persist in the face of turbulences and pestilences. We must persist to put our heads above the troubling waters. Persistence indeed conquers.

Calvin Coolidge should perhaps advise us:

Nothing in this world will take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

NB: The writer is a student of Tafsiliyya School for Training and Education.

Mubarak celebrated his birthday on 16th September, 2014. A birthday is just the beginning of another 365-days journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip!
A year ago, the foundation of our fledgling democracy was shaken.

A large number of Ghanaians, under the aegis of the Let My Vote Count (LMVC) Alliance on a peaceful demonstration against the bloated voters' register, were attacked by policemen who were obviously carrying out an order from above to deal a bloody blow to the protesters.

Their mission was not destruction-inclined but to seek a better electoral system: their apprehension being what has befallen many an African country where polls were mismanaged and skewed in favour of the incumbent political administration.

Ironically, the demonstrators did not breach the public order act, having informed the law enforcement agents earlier as the law required. They were expected to be protected by the same cops who turned their truncheons and tear gas on them with a clear intent to draw blood which they did eventually and even plucking an eye.

It is regrettable to note that for carrying out the orders to the letter, some top police officers have been promoted. Today they are satisfied with their feat but let them remember that nature has a way of dealing with those who abuse the authority bestowed upon them.

They forget that everything on the face of the earth is ephemeral and as the Romans of yore said tempora mutantur.

When time changes, they would recall their action and begin to reap what they sowed.

Being elevated for drawing blood and plucking another person's eye is something the sane can never understand no matter how much explanation is proffered.

The young man, a breadwinner of a family lost his eye needlessly after a rubber bullet from one of the angry policemen hit his eyeball. Like others who joined the demonstration, he thought they were in a country governed by law and not power-drunk politicians who have forgotten that in the not-too-distant future they would be replaced by another set of Ghanaians. Not so however, as they were soon to discover: men in police uniform chased them with visible intention to cause harm. The ugly spectacle was captured on video. Those who saw the images wondered how a country like Ghana could degenerate to such an all-time low.

Ghanaians on that day came face to face with the reality of a law enforcement agency ready to do the bidding of government even if it meant breaching the code of ethics of policing in a decent society.

It was yet another display of impunity by a government which is so inebriated with power that for it nothing is too much when it is about protecting their interest.

For those who went on the demonstration on that day, we pay tribute to them. Let them know that their names have been inscribed on marble never to be forgotten for their role in the fight against electoral criminality with the connivance of those at the helm of managing polls in the country.

One day this subject would be revisited as Hitler's atrocities continue to be dealt with. Nonagenarians involved made court appearances when they are identified. Those responsible for plucking the eye of the young man, and above all, assaulting peaceful demonstrators would have queries to answer.
Sunyani, the capital of the Brong-Ahafo Region, is bursting with activities, as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) launches its manifesto today at the Coronation Park.

It would be recalled that highlights of the manifesto were presented by President John Dramani Mahama last Tuesday at the State House in Accra.

He again made a lot of promises, including the provision of one tablet, one school child; 10 tractors for each district; use of oil money to finance the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and completion of 200 community day Senior High Schools (SHSs).

NDC miniature flags were fixed on streetlight poles along the principal streets of the Sun City.

There was congestion at the main business district in front of the Ghana Cocoa Board building.

Food vendors, sachet water sellers, among other traders, took advantage of the occasion to do brisk business, whilst Tundra pick-ups branded in NDC colours with the picture of President Mahama  who is seeking a re-election  packed with loud speakers, were spotted rendering campaign songs.

Party faithful were seen busily working on the dais to be used by the president and other bigwigs of the party whilst the lighting system at the stadium was also being fixed.

The entrance of the Coronation Park was awash with party paraphernalia.

Acting B/A Regional police spokesman, Sergeant Sampson Gbanda, told the media that security was very tight, adding that the police would not leave anything to chance.

Although he did not disclose the exact number of police personnel on the ground due to security reasons, he warned that those who intend to cause trouble in the course of the event would be harshly dealt with by the law enforcement agents.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that all hotels in the municipality had been booked and those who did not get accommodation in the city were advised to seek accommodation outside.

Regional Communication Officer of the NDC, Elias Sfeir, told the media that all was set for the launch of the manifesto.

He said party stalwarts like General Secretary Aseidu Nketia; National Chairman Kofi Portuphy; National Organizer Kofi Adams; President John Dramani Mahama himself and probably, the founder, Jerry John Rawlings, would be present.

He said between 60,000 and 70,000 party sympathizers from various parts of the country are expected to attend the event.

FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani

[email protected]
Some members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), want their party's manifesto to have a blueprint for tackling the unemployment rate in the country.

The NDC will today [ Saturday], launch its manifesto ahead of the 2016 election in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Some of the supporters told Citi News' Kojo Agyeman at the coronation park, that they expect the manifesto to touch on improving the lives and welfare of Ghanaians in all sectors including health.

As a party, we can see that job creation is one of the strongest demands of the citizenry of Ghana, number two is healthcare and standard of living. So with the manifesto, I'm expecting that the policies and programmes in the manifesto would create huge avenues for a lot of jobs to be created for the youth, Enyo an NDC supporter said.

Sunyani Coronation Park

Another member, Alhassan Ubatu, also said she expects to have more floating voters as well as members from opposition parties join the NDC after it unveils its good policies in the manifesto.

By the end of this manifesto launch, we expect to win more souls for this party to vote for John Mahama. We are winning this December election, she added.

Flagbearer of the NDC, President John Dramani Mahama, earlier this week presented highlights of the manifesto which he said hinges on four thematic areas.

The party says it expects around 50, 000 people to attend the manifesto launch.

President Mahama is seeking a second term and is facing stiff competition from flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, who is trying the presidency for the third time.

NDC copied our policies

Akufo-Addo and the NPP have accused President Mahama of copying some of their policies.

But President Mahama has rejected that claim saying their manifesto ideas are original.

They [NPP] say the will produce it on October 8, that gives them enough time to copy as many things in our manifesto as possible. And so they are free, the ideas are there we have the ideas, we've been governing this country, we are running the programmes, we know where we've come from, we know where we are going. And so we have the ideas to make this country better and we will continue to do the work to move this country to a new pedestal and I'm certain we will win this election and that by 2021 when I leave office, we would have made Ghana one of the model countries in West Africa and Ghana will be the envy of our sub-region, Mahama added.

Follow the hashtag #GhElections on Social Media for election related stories



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
Abubakar Saddique in police custody

17.09.2016 LISTEN

A 19-YEAR-OLD boy who allegedly stabbed his friend to death in Kumasi and absconded has been nabbed.

Abubakar Saddique, the suspect, went into hiding after he had purportedly stabbed Mustapha Osman, 19, several times, leading to his death.

The incident occurred at Aboabo, a densely Muslim populated area in Kumasi, on September 10, 2016. The deceased person reportedly inflicted cutlass wounds on Saddique during a fight in August, this year.

Saddique said he paid the medical bills and asked Osman to refund the money but he refused.

The suspect, who felt defeated, reportedly ambushed Osman on September 10 at Goro, an area at Aboabo.

ASP Mohammed Yussif Tanko, Ashanti Regional Police PRO, said Saddique chased Osman and in the course of the hot chase, the latter stumbled and fell and so Saddique stabbed him several times.

ASP Tanko said Osman was rushed to the Manhyia Government Hospital for treatment but he was pronounced dead.

He noted that Saddique went into hiding to escape arrest but the police managed to arrest him to face the law.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
17.09.2016 LISTEN

State prosecutors have preferred fresh charges against six persons, including two policemen attached to the Accra Regional Police SWAT Unit, arrested for robbery.

The cops are General Corporal Bismark Ntim aka Striker, 32 and General Lance Corporal Francis Opoku Gyau, 29.

Their alleged civilian accomplices are Michael Adjei Donkor aka Abrefie, 36, driver; Nana Ntim Gyakari aka Nana Okyere, 29, social worker; George Eshun aka Kofi, 29 and Urey Harris Koufi, 32, both businessmen.

The police are also on the heels of the seventh and eighth suspects  Erasmus Adama Nketia aka Alhaji, National Security officer and one Agyekum Ntim Gyakari.

Charges

According to the prosecutor, Superintendent of Police K. Bempah Striker, Gyau, Alhaji and Abrafi on July 15, 2016 at Kaneshie, a suburb of Accra, conspired to rob and robbed one Benjamin Abonyin of his KIA Picanto taxi with registration number GW 7087-15.

Nana Okyere, Kofi and Koufi are each facing additional charge of dishonestly receiving the said KIA Picanto vehicle and other vehicles, knowing that they had been obtained by means of robbery in Accra and Cape Coast.

The court, presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, earlier struck out the previous charge sheet as the prosecution indicated that they intended to substitute the previous one with a fresh one.

Responding to the new charges, the accused persons variously denied them and were remanded into police custody until September 22, 2016.

Dr. Kwaku Nsiah and Andrew K. Vortia, lawyers for the accused persons, prayed for bail.

Dr. Nsiah said his clients had denied the offence and per the 1992 Constitution, they were presumed innocent until proven guilty.

He said there was no difference between the old charges and the new one.



Innocent Buyers

Mr. Vortia, who represented Nana Okyere, Kofi and Koufi, said his clients were innocent purchasers of the said vehicles.

He said the accused persons are vehicle dealers known by everybody, including police officers at Cape Coast and that the charges preferred against them were bailable.

The court has therefore adjourned ruling on the bail application until the said date.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]


TWO PEOPLE have been apprehended by the police in Kumasi for posing as military men.

Simon Dwomfuor, 28, was arrested dressed in military uniform and escorting a truck laden with timber logs.

The police anti-robbery team, who spotted the truck on the Kumasi to Sunyani road, became suspicious.

Dwomfuor told the policemen that he was a military man and so the police should let the truck move but they (police) refused.

Upon interrogation, it was revealed that Dwomfuor was an imposter so he was nabbed.

A photograph of Dwomfuor with Stephen Akplehe, 35, all dressed in military uniforms, was later found on his (Dwomfuors) mobile phone.

The two men were reportedly holding pump action gun and M16 assault rifles as they sandwiched a Chinese national in the picture.

ASP Mohammed Yussif Tanko, the Ashanti Regional Police PRO, said Akplehe was later arrested.

The two admitted the offence and said the guns belonged to some Chinese who were at a galamsey site at Wassa Akropong.

The PRO stated that personnel were holding Dwomfuor for impersonation and escorting the logs.

ASP Tanko added that Akplehe is also in custody for unlawful possession of military accoutrements.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
Members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Abirem Constituency of the Eastern region have accused the Regional Minister, Mavis Frimpong of intimidating them.

This follows the arrest of Frank Ayim Owusu, the NPP Youth Organizer for Abirem, on Wednesday, September 14, over frivolous allegations of insulting the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Abirem and Ms Frimpong.

A statement signed by the Eastern Regional Youth Organizer of the NPP, Jerry Osei-Poku said the NDC in the Eastern Region, led by the Regional Minister and their executives, have chosen the path of intimidation and abuse of power in their quest to usurp victory in the coming elections.

It said we are at a loss at the level of desperation exhibited by the Eastern Regional Minister and NDC parliamentary candidate for Abirem.

According to the NPP Youth, We find it incomprehensible that Madam Mavis who has been a DCE for three years, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister for two years and is currently the Eastern Regional Minister for over a year, and therefore with all the resources under her control, has failed to bring development to the people of Abirem, yet she believes that she can bring development to Abirem with meagre resources as a Member of Parliament.

The statement indicated that it is very unfortunate that political actors within the ruling government tend to use the state coercive force at their disposal to intimidate and maltreat their political opponents instead of using them for the good of the people.

The tactics of intimidation is a strategy of the NDC implemented by most NDC parliamentary candidates who are also government appointees across the country, particularly in the Eastern region, it added.

Meanwhile, the regional youth wing of the NPP, has urged the police administration to remain neutral in the discharge of their duties in this year's elections.

We wish to urge the Ghana Police Service to remain neutral and professional in carrying out their duties this political season to avoid being used as pawns by government appointees, the statement said.

They also called on the National Peace Council and other opinion leaders to call the regional minister and the NDC to order.

By Melvin Tarlue
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber for Bulk Oil Distribution Companies Senyo Horsi has rejected revelations that government may not abide by the agreed payment plan to clear debts owed banks by Bulk Oil Distribution Companies.

Government is currently indebted to about 17 Bulk Distribution Companies in excess of 500 million dollars.

In governments bid to clear debts owed BDC's, Citi Business News understands a payment plan was agreed by the BDCSs, the Ghana Association of Bankers and the Finance Ministry in which payment of the debt will be made through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be known as the legacy bond limited and shared fairly among the debt holding banks.

However new documents cited by Citi Business News reveal that the agreement may be ditched by government authorities.

Speaking to Citi Business News Senyo Horsi said he is confident government will go by the contract agreed by all parties.

For me am confident the Ministry of finance would want to execute and respect the structure laid down and has agreed to for the debt to be paid within the period set. I have very limited reason to want to doubt their commitment to the structures and so I would encourage industry not to be afraid. I think this will be properly resolved.

Though Senyo Horsi stated that he will be quite surprised if government decides not to to abide by the agreement reached with all parties he insisted that government was committed to ensure that the parties received what was due them.

I think that would bother on the ministry and its commitment that it made to the banking industry and us the BDC's as well. But I don't see that happening. You know when debts like this are being paid you hear all kinds of rumours but I trust the minister and his deputies and their work, He stated.

Meanwhile documents sighted by Citi Business News reveal that the parties involved have begun raising concerns following moves by the Finance Ministry to rather pay the BDCs through their own private accounts and ditch the agreed plan.

Letters sighted by Citi Business News to authorities cautioned that any move by government not to go by the agreement will have dire consequences on the transparency and equitable allocation of funds to the banks and also derail the restructuring objectives and the significant efforts made so far by all parties involved.

Citi Business News has learnt the Finance Ministry is expected to disburse 400 million cedis this month [September] to clear a large chunk of the debt, but sources familiar with the development say the cash may not go through the SPV as agreed by stakeholders.

According to sources within the Ministry of Finance, Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson, the deputy minister in charge of the ministry has been given the charge to ensure the agreed process between the parties and government is carried through.



By: Norvan Acquah  Hayford/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
A.C. Tony Accurso

BANCROFT  A.C. Tony Accurso, 96, of Bancroft died Friday at Kossuth Regional Health Center, Algona.

A funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at St. Johns Catholic Church in Bancroft.

Burial will be in St. Johns Catholic Cemetery with military honors conducted by the Bancroft American Legion.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday at Oakcrest Funeral Services of Bancroft.

There will be a Scripture Prayer Service beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by a 4th Degree Knights of Columbus Rosary.

Oakcrest Funeral Services of Bancroft in charge of arrangements.
Heavy downpour in the Brong Ahafo regional capital has stalled activities and preparations ahead of the NDC manifesto launch.

The media and supporters present at the Sunyani Coronation Park had to run for cover as strong winds whisk away erected canopies and stands.

Program and activities are expected to begin after the rains.

refresh page for update.
He made political history in the Yagaba/Kubori Constituency of the Northern Region which has traditionally been voting for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) by winning the seat for the first time on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) since 1992 when the Fourth Republic was installed.

Thirty-seven-year-old business executive, Mustapha Ussif, was completely written off in the 2012 even to the extent that his own party people did not believe he could win the seat for the party

His weapons to achieve this feat were his humility, service to the people and also marketing the party through regular interaction with the people. It did not come that easy for the young MP to win the seat.

His history-making feat was also made possible by the non-performance of the incumbent NDC MP, Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko Ibrahim, who also made history in parliament by being the first MP to land a provocative deafening slap on the cheek of a colleague MP from his own party on the Floor of Parliament after some misunderstanding between the two.

The then incumbent MP is alleged to have completely neglected the interests of his people, having been the MP for 12 good years. No wonder the development of the area is nothing to write home about,

Yagaba/Kubori which is the sole constituency in the Mamprugu/Moadori District of the Northern Region with Yagaba as the district capital is a very deprived constituency, popularly referred to as the 'overseas' of the Northern Region, because the place is totally cut off from the national grid, while there is no single kilometer of tarred road in the district. There is no potable water, no hospital or an ambulance service, no police station and the people there are generally poor. The only occupation for the people is farming. The place is, indeed, an 'overseas' with little or no development at all.

Hon Mustapha Ussif tells the DAILY GUIDE that he studied the flaws of the then incumbent MP and as a keen student of American and British politics, he used the knowledge gained coupled with his affability to endear himself to the people in his constituency and to exploit the weaknesses of his opponent.

It was not easy at all. I had to work very hard visiting almost every community and doing all sorts of souvenirs with NPP colours to distribute to the people just to sell the party to the people who have been used to voting for only NDC, he reveals.

He said he was motivated to come and help his people after his studies in the United Kingdom, having also been trained as a teacher at the Bagabaga College of Education in Tamale because as an indigene of the area from Tantaala in the constituency, even though the place has a huge potential as far as agriculture is concerned, the people are exceptionally poor and would have to contribute his quota in bringing development to his people.

The young MP had his degree in Business Management at the Anglia Ruskin University at Chemlsford in UK, after which he obtained his masters in Financial Investment from the University of Gloucestershire, also in the UK.

He was a student activist while at the Bagbaga College of Education and a member of the communication team of the UK branch of the NPP.

We have the largest rice valley at Yagaba/Kubori called the Kubir rice valley which could feed the whole the country if properly harnessed and farmers in the area supported to go into rice farming, he said.

The young Yagaba/Kubori MP who is very passionate about the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and has been criticising the NDC government for mismanaging SADA any time the issue comes up on the Floor of the House or when he is given the opportunity to make his contribution on the Budget Statement and Financial Policy of the government every year.

He believes that when NPP comes to power, SADA will be used to spearhead the development of the north to help people in the Northern Region.

It is ironical for this government to give GH250 million to SADA and they cannot show anything for it. The people in the north are even poorer with SADA in place, he says.

He was also a strong advocate for the people of the Western Region to be allocated 10 percent of the oil revenue for specific development in the region and that during the recently passed Oil Exploration and Production Bill, he strongly advocated such a clause to be inserted in the Bill, but majority of the MPs, especially those from the Majority side, disagreed with him.

In his less than four years in parliament, he has been able to achieve a lot for his people.

According to him, being a member of the Mines and Energy Committee in parliament, he has used his influence to lobby for extension of electricity to the district and towns like Kubori, Kunkwa, Yizeisi, Tantala, Kubugu, Kpatorigu, Nangruma and Jadama, now enjoying electricity since creation.

He said the extension of the electricity is continuing to other towns and villages and now with the extension of electricity to the district, small scale businesses will spring up and thrive in the area and provide employment to the people in the area.

He said under his tenure, 30 boreholes have been drilled and eight dug-out wells constructed to provide water for the people in the constituency as well as to support farming in the dry season.

He mentioned that he has also personally given scholarships to over 1,000 students, some in the secondary and tertiary institutions worth over GH200,000, while over 100,000 exercise books had been distributed free-of-charge to pupils in the constituency.

He said he has also personally registered over 8,000 vulnerable people to benefit from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and has also provided an ambulance for the services of the people even though there is no hospital in the district.

The young MP who is a staunch Muslim has also built a mosque for his people, with support from the vice presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

He said in line with his vision to fight for the interest of his people in parliament, he filed a number of questions in parliament during his four years in parliament concerning the numerous developmental problems facing his people which were admitted and debated in parliament

I have asked constituency-based questions on when a district assembly complex would be built for the district as a new district, when a new hospital would be provided, when electricity would be connected to the district, when potable water would be provided for my people, when our bad roads would be fixed especially the major ones connecting the district and when a new bus would be provided for the only senior high school in the district, Mustapha Ussif states.

The ministers associated with these nagging problems in his constituency were invited by the Speaker to come and answer those questions he filed in parliament.

According to him, from his checks in parliament and from the officials hansard, the former MP never asked a single question on behalf of the people in the Yagaba/Kubori Constituency when he was the MP for the area.

He said his main concern is about the bad roads in his constituency and even though the government has given several assurances that the roads would be tackled, there is little evidence that the government is serious in providing good roads for the people in the Yagaba/Kubori Constituency.

Mustapha Ussif said it is also important for the government to come to the aid of his people by supporting the farmers in the area with combine harvesters, irrigation facilities, loans and rice mills.

He is very optimistic that with what he has been able to achieve for his people in just three and half years, the people of Yagaba/Kubori will vote massively for him again and also for Nana Akufo-Addo for an NPP government to come to power.

It is definitely not going to be easy because the same MP that I defeated with a little over 900 votes is coming back to stand this time with a lot of money with the aim of inducing the people to vote for him, the MP adds.

He said he has told the people to take the money and 'chop' and reject him again because he has nothing good to offer them as they had experienced in his 12 years as MP for the area.

Knowing the challenge I am facing, I am going to work harder to retain this seat for the NPP and eventually make Yagaba/Kubori a safe seat for the NPP, he reiterates.

The young MP has, therefore, called on friends in the party and outside the party to come and support him in kind and in cash to be able to retain the seat for the party. He would be launching his campaign very soon for another NPP victory in the Yagaba/Kubori Constituency, Insha Allah.

He believes that with hard work from all NPP parliamentary candidates in the Northern Region, the region could for the first time fall to the NPP, with majority of seats being won by the NPP.

By Thomas Fosu Jnr
Aggrieved customers of micro-finance companies who lost thousands of cedis in an investment scam in the Brong Ahafo Region, have cancelled a demonstration scheduled for Saturday at the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) manifesto launch following a court injunction.

With President John Mahama set to grace the manifesto launch at the Sunyani Coronation Park, the customers had viewed the day as an opportune time to convey their displeasure with the handling of the situation that has seen their funds locked up with the Bank of Ghana (BoG).

But an injunction from the High Court of Justice, Sunyani, has ordered the the customers to refrain from any protest on the day of the launch.

We wish to bring to the attention of all affected customers, the media and the general public that, we received an Order of Injunction/motion on notice from the High Court of Justice, Sunyani on Thursday, September 15, 2016 at around 4:00pm in which the Inspector-General of police (IGP) is the applicant restraining us from embarking on our lawful demonstration today, Saturday, September 17, a statement from the group of aggrieved customers said.

The Sunyani Police Command had sought the court order to stop the planned demonstration during the manifesto launch.

The Police argued that it did not have enough officers and logistics to provide security for the protesters and the manifesto launch simultaneously.

Find below the full statement from the aggrieved customers

CONCERNED CUSTOMERS OF DMK, JASTA MOTORS, PERFECT EDGE AND TWELVE OTHER FUN CLUBS.

ATTENTION: MEDIA, AFFECTED CUSTOMERS & THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

RE: AN ORDER OF INJUNCTION (MOTION ON NOTICE)

We wish to bring to the attention of all affected customers, the media and the general public that, we received an Order of Injunction/motion on notice from the High Court of Justice, Sunyani on Thursday, September 15, 2016 at around 4:00pm in which the Inspector-General of police (IGP) is the applicant restraining us from embarking on our lawful demonstration today, Saturday, September 17, 2016.

Paragraph 4,5,6 of the AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT,

(4) that the date coincides with the date the NDC is launching its Manifesto in SUNYANI

(5) that the police have already prepared the grounds to provide security for the NDC Manifesto launching.

(7) that there is the likelihood for the breach of peace to occur if the said demonstration is embarked upon on Saturday 17/09/16.

We totally disagree with the Ghana Police Service and further add that the Ghana Police Service minds are tainted with malice and prejudices. The police are very unfair to we the affected customers and they have repeated their biasedness in the second time to we the demonstrators.

Meanwhile, our lawyers have advised us to be law abiding citizens and respect the Restraining Order of the Court due to the limited time .

We have also listened to Johnson Asiedu Nketiah,a Son from the Brong Ahafo Region and the General Secretary of the NDC, making some unfounded allegations that the affected customers are motivated by a political party to cause disaffection for the ruling party and even added that Government cannot use taxpayers money to settle affected customers. We will give him a befitting answer at the appropriate time.

We, therefore, cancel our demonstration today, Saturday, September 17, 2016.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Registrar Generals Department has told Citi Business News they have acquired all relevant data and documents from DKM microfinance to start liquidating assets of the company for the settlement of owed customers.

The Registrar Generals Department, which is the official liquidator previously had challenges accessing assets and documents of DKM which intricated moves to round up their search for information.

Over 63,000 DKM customers will receive their funds from the Registrar General Department.

Acting Registrar General at the Registrar Generals Department Jemima Oware tells Citi Business News the liquidation process is set to commence soon.

We have been able to get some hard drive so we are now finalizing the list of who are the real creditors. So we look at the asset, we liquidate the asset then we pay.

She further states that customers will be directed to the exact bank to receive their monies in October when it is ready.

After that we will indicate to them sometime in October which banks they will be asked to go collect their monies.

Registrar General to meet customers of DKM

The Registrar General earlier called for a first creditors meeting with customers to process payment of customers locked up funds.

In a statement copied to Citi Business News the department urged all affected customers to be at the said meeting.

According to the statement, the move is in accordance with section 23 and 42 of the bodies corporate (official liquidator), Act 1963 (Act 180).

The statement further clarified that the Brong Ahafo meeting will be held on September 20, 2016, 10am at the Sunyani Coronation Park.

The Upper East region creditors meeting is expected to take place on September 22, 2016 at the Bolgatanga Jubilee Park, while the last creditors meeting will be held in the Upper West region at the Wa Jubilee Park on September 24 2016.



By: Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
17.09.2016 LISTEN

By Dennis Peprah, GNA

Sunyani, Sept. 17, GNA - Thousands of supporters and sympathisers of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Saturday defied torrential rains to exhibit their loyalty and commitment, as the Party launches its Election 2016 manifesto at the Sunyani Coronation Park.

Although President John Dramani Mahama is expected to launch the manifesto around 1400 hours, as at 0630 hours the venue has been filled to capacity.

Clad in various Party paraphernalia, the ecstatic supporters had turned the place into a street carnival, drumming and dancing amidst, heavy security presence.

Some of the supporters told the GNA in an interview that the downpour was a sign of victory for the NDC in the December 7 polls.

Meanwhile, Sunyani had turned into a commercial hub, as traders and market women occupied the shoulders of principal streets of the town selling various kinds of food.

"Sales are very good this morning and we are very optimistic that it will continue throughout the day," Madam Amina Shetu, a local porridge seller stated.

Mobile telephone credit cards and sachet water sellers are also enjoying a field day as according to them business is brisk.

GNA
17.09.2016 LISTEN

By Comfort Sena Fetrie, GNA

Tamale, Sept. 17, GNA - Care International has launched the Northern Ghana Governance Activity (NGGA) project, aimed at enhancing agriculture in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

The five-year initiative project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ghana, is to ensure more responsive governance to improve agricultural development in the country.

It is also to ensure and enhance women's active participation in local governance a well as increasing community dialogue and consensus building to prevent conflict in the three northern regions.

Mr Michael Alandu, Chief of Party of Northern Ghana Governance Project, speaking at the launch in Tamale said the NGGA project is being implemented by a consortium led by Care International Ghana including Action Aid Ghana, SEND-Ghana and the West Africa Network for peace-building.

He said the project is being implemented in 26 districts in the three northern regions.

He noted that the project was designed to close the gap towards improve agricultural production by focusing on governance deficits that have been identified as hindering investments in agriculture in the country.

According to Mr Alandu, the project would strengthen institutional capacity for effective co-ordination and integration of key actors in decentralised agricultural development.

He added that the project would create the enabling environment for community organisations, civil society organisations (CSOs) and the private sector to participate as equal partners in decentralisation and agricultural development.

He stated that the activity of the project is to enable the government and civil society to effectively mitigate conflicts related to agriculture and natural resource management.

Mr Alandu said the target beneficiaries of the project are approximately 1.5 million people including 59 Government bodies, 130 CSOs, 500 women associations and three traditional councils.

Mr Abdallah Abubakari, the Northern Regional Minister noted that, "Women in most cases lack the capacity and are disorganised to advocate their issues'.

He said the NGGA project would increase agricultural exports, improvement in farm incomes and production of raw materials for value addition through processing, generation of employment and alleviation of poverty.

He advised the organisers of the project to be closely co-ordinated with on-going donor and government led development interventions, institutions, especially USAID funded initiatives to increase collaboration to eliminate duplication in the development process.

Mr Abubakari recommended that the project should be collaborated with Savannah Accelerated Development Authority for effective implementation.

He commended the USAID for its intervention towards working to improve agriculture in the country.

He gave the assurance that the Regional Coordinating Council would lend its support to ensure that the project succeeds.

Mr Andy Karas, Mission Director of USAID said last year, the organisation assisted to increase the income of more than 100,000 farmers in northern Ghana as part of the US global hunger and food security initiative through Feed the Future Programme.

He said the USAID facilitated more than $ 35 million in financing more than 500 businesses in the north.

GNA
By Iddi Yire, GNA

Accra, Sept.17, GNA - The Ghana Military Academy (GMA) has held its 2016 graduation; during which cadres of the Regular Career Course (RCC) 56 and Short Service Commission/Special Duties Course 54 graduated into fully fledged officers.

The graduating officers for the RCC were 62; which consist of 29 officers from the Ghana Army, three from Benin and two from Guinea.

The rest are 17 Navy and 11 Air Force Officers from the Ghana Armed Forces.

The officers for the Short Service Commission/Special Duties Course 54 were 38, who were all from Ghana Armed Forces.

Their distribution were Army 21, Navy eight and Air force nine.

The Reviewing Officer at the graduating ceremony was President John Dramani Mahama, Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.

In attendance were service chiefs, senior government officials and members of the diplomatic community.

Major General W. A. Ayamdo, the Commandant of the Military Academy Training Schools (MATS) in his report said the success chalked out by the graduating students was achieved through hard work, perseverance, strength of character and will power.

"The qualities that have been imbibed in you are the basics of what you require as you assume responsibilities as officers," he stated.

He said discipline is the bedrock without which the military would have nowhere to rest.

Major General Ayamdo said the Ghana Armed Forces had carved an enviable niche for itself both locally and in the international arena.

He said the new officers therefore, have a huge responsibility to zealously guard this hard-earned reputation by being professional, disciplined and also exhibiting exemplary conduct both within and outside the barracks.

"By this, you will not only be carving a good professional image for yourselves, but you will be good ambassadors of the military," he added.

He said Ghana is a democratic nation, and that it is the duty of the military to support civil authorities to conserve the democracy.

In view of the 2016 general election, Major General urged the officers to be firm and guard against being influenced by family members, friends, individuals and groups for gains that is not in the interest of the nation.

He urged them to be truthful to the oath of loyalty they had sworn on commission.

He hailed the GMA Commander Brigadier General Mike Akpatsu, the officers, men, women and civilian staff of the GMA and all who through hard work and dedication, have contributed towards the training of the cadets.

The Chief of Defence Staff's Award, awarded to the Officer Cadet who placed first in order of merit of Short Service Commission/Special Duties Course 54, went to S/CDT D. R. Oppong.

The GMA was established on April 1, 1960 after years of reliance on foreign Military Academies to commission potential Ghanaian Officers for the Ghana Armed Forces.

The mission of GMA is to produce leaders of character for the defence of Ghana.

GNA
Kenyasi (B/A), Sept. 17, GNA - Mr Elijah Osei-Kwame, the Asutifi North Acting District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has commended the European Union (EU) for the immense financial support to the educational programmes of the Commission.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Kenyasi Number Two in the Asutifi North District, Mr Osei-Kwame said the NCCE had enjoyed continued assistance for its Voter Education programmes since the beginning of the nation's democratic dispensation in 1992.

He urged the EU to continue to assist the Commission to enable it to execute its constitutional mandate to the satisfaction of Ghanaians.

Mr Osei-Kwame appealed to the EU to provide the Commission with motorbikes to enable its officials to reach out to majority of Ghanaians in the rural areas with its Voter Education programme to ensure peaceful elections come December 7, 2016.

GNA
By GNA Reporter

Accra, Sept. 17, GNA - Ethiopian Airlines has signed Cooperative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Guangdong Airport Authorities in areas of increasing passenger flight frequency.

The Airline also launched new routes and joint promotion of Ethiopia cargo for additional frequency in Guangzhou.

A Statement issued in Accra by Mrs Hanna Atnafu, Manager Corporate Communications of Ethiopian Airlines said the MoU followed the completion of the G20 Summit held in Hangzhou, the 2nd Investing in Africa Forum took place in Guangzhou from September 7 - September 8.

It said Ethiopian Airlines was invited as the most successful African organization for the event.

Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, said: 'We are glad to collaborate with Guangdong Airport, which will further increase our presence in China, one of the most vibrant global economies.'

He said its services to and from China have proved an ever growing and multifaceted economic merits both for Africa and China by ensuring swifter connectivity to traders and investor from both points.

He commended individual, who worked hard towards the successful completion of this agreement and look forward to a fruitful partnership with Guangdong Airport.

The Forum was attended by high level officials both from China and Africa including: South African President Jacob Zuma, Guangdong Province Governor, World Bank President, China Development Bank President and Dr Arkebe Oqubay, Special Advisor to the Ethiopian Prime Minister.

Ethiopian is currently operating more than 30 weekly flights to and from China.

GNA
17.09.2016 LISTEN

By Regina Benneh, GNA

Sunyani, Sept.17 GNA - The Sunyani Coronation Park, venue for the Saturday, national launch of the National Democratic Congress' (NDC's) manifesto is ready as the place has been prepared to host the programme.

As at 1200 hours when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the Park lights and other electrical installations had been installed whilst painters were also seen busily white-washing the walls of the place.

Seats were also being fixed whilst spoilt facilities such as water-closet toilet were being repaired.

The event has changed the usual calm and serene nature of Sunyani as the influx of NDC supporters and sympathisers from all over the country in Party colours had led to heavy traffic congestions on some of the principal streets.

A number of Toyota Tundra and Mahindra pick-up vehicles painted in NDC colours with pictures of President John Dramani Mahama and other parliamentary candidates on them were moving round the city with loudspeakers and horns playing Party songs.

The situation has created a field day for businesses as all hotels, guest houses and hostels in the Sunyani Municipality and other nearby towns have been fully booked.

Traders, especially those retailing Party souvenirs and paraphernalia like headgears, wrist-bands had also displayed their items around the Park as supporters were seen highly patronising them.

Police Superintendent Alhaji Maama Arhin, the Regional Crime Officer told the GNA that the Police are prepared to provide effective security for the peaceful and successful organisation of the event.

Supt Arhin appealed to the public to comport themselves and cooperate with the Police in exercising their duties to maintain peace in the Region.

GNA
William (Bill) Raymond Ingersoll

MASON CITY  William (Bill) Raymond Ingersoll, 93, formerly of Plymouth, Iowa, died Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, at Southridge Nursing Home in Marshalltown, Iowa.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at Bethel United Methodist Church, Manly, with the Rev. Don Preston officiating.

Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Plymouth following the lunch. Military honors will be conducted by the Mason City Veterans.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at Bride Colonial Chapel, Manly.

Bride Colonial Chapel, Manly, is in charge of arrangements.
17.09.2016 LISTEN

By Patience A. Gbeze, GNA

Accra, Sept. 17, GNA - The Ghana-Russia Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC), has welcomed the agreement on cooperation in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes signed on June 2, 2015, in Moscow.

The PJCC also established the Joint Coordination Committee of Experts, Dr Emmanuel Bombande, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, announced this at a news conference in Accra.

He noted the significance of nuclear energy to Ghana's development, and said it was recommended that the Joint Coordination Committee intensifies its work and speed up the process of concluding the Project Development Agreement.

This would result in the construction of a Nuclear Power Plant and the Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology in Ghana.

'Ghana and Russia have agreed on the necessity to prepare and conclude an agreement between our governments on a visa-free regime for holders of service and diplomatic passport,' he added.

He said the two sides also confirmed mutual interest in the expansion of cooperation in education and science.

Russia has indicated its willingness to create a favourable condition for the study of the Russian language in Ghana using modern telecommunication technologies.

The Russian delegation is in the country for the second session of the PJCC to explore investment and partnership opportunities of both countries.

Dr Bombande said at the end of the three-day session, having noted the significant potential existing for the development of long-term and mutually beneficial business cooperation between the two countries, they have seen the need to revitalise and strengthen cooperation in the industrial arena.

Some of the specific areas of interest shown by the Russian companies are aviation, construction of infrastructure, energy, geological exploration and mineral resources, and healthcare.

The Deputy Minister stated that Ghana and Russia have deemed it prudent to increase support to the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of their countries to facilitate information exchanges and dissemination organisation of business missions and participation in trade fairs and exhibitions in each other's country.

'I am confident that following through with the implementation of the conclusions reached at this session will propel the existing bilateral cooperationto heights closer to the much desired levels of stronger economic ties.

'Hence, I entreat us all to get work and make it happen for the mutual benefit of our peoples,' he said.

Mr Evgeny A. Kiselev, Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation and Head of the Federal Agency on Exploration of Mineral Resources, pledged the commitment of Russia to intensify efforts to realize the protocol in future.

He also commended the technocrats from both sides who made the signing of the protocol a success.

The session focused on various field of cooperation including agriculture and agro-processing, healthcare, oil and gas, energy, security, industry and manufacturing, mining exploration, science and technology, housing, construction and infrastructural projects, energy generation, transportation, ICT, Immigration and education.

GNA
By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA

Accra, Sept. 17, GNA - A lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has called on stakeholders to invent effective drainage systems that would help control flooding problems in the country.

Mr Frank Ohene Annor, who is also a researcher at the TU-DELFT in The Netherlands, made the call on Friday in Accra.

He said Government being proactive towards the integration and implementation of plans that would help deal with flood and spillage problems in the country would go a long way to prevent previous disasters that had befallen the country over the years.

Mr Annor who was addressing participants at a validation workshop on needs of assessment report on Integrated Flood Management (IMF) in the Volta Basin in Ghana organised by the Country Water Partnership Ghana (CWP-Ghana), said floods are increasingly happening in the country and there is the need for critical attention to be accorded the subject towards development.

'That is why the Flood and Drought Management Tools Project, which started in 2014 and expected to end in 2018 with support by the Global Environment Facility has been implemented.

'So with these findings from the Volta Basin in Ghana to assess needs related to IFM of the Volta Basin in Ghana is timely,' he said.

Mr Annor therefore mentioned baseline survey, promotion of technology development and transfer, promotion of gender in IFM, review of policies and institutional mandates related flood management in Ghana and promotion of data collection and sharing mechanisms among key institutions as some of the roadmaps for the implementation of IFM in Ghana.

Mr Maxwell Boateng-Gyimah, the Executive Secretary of the CWP-Ghana and Project Manager for Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP), said in response to the climate change commitments, African Ministers Council on Water in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership developed the WACDEP for Africa.

He said WACDEP, which seeks to improve resilience to the increasing threat of climate change and variability to water resources is being implemented in Ghana by Country Water partnership.

According to the Executive Secretary of CWP-Ghana, as part of project implementation, a needs assessment study on IMF in the Volta Basin was carried out with the active support of the relevant institutions.

He said following that it was necessary for a validation workshop that would help authenticate findings of the study to guide the capacity development of key institutions in applying the concepts of IFM to prepare projects that would affect funding for implementation.

'More specifically, the workshop aims to inform stakeholders of the concept of integrated flood management, make inputs to the integrated floods management needs assessment report and validate the needs assessment report,' he said.

Mr Boateng-Gyimah noted that it was expected of the workshop to inform stakeholders of IFM concepts as well as validate needed assessment report for the Volta Basin in Ghana.

Mr Bright Tsriku, the Principal Disaster Control Officer of the National Disaster Management Organisation, said going forward there would be draft and demonstration projects to be carried in dealing with flood and spillage problems in the country.

He said identification of hotspots in various regions especially flood prone areas would help make the IFM a success in Ghana.

'Through short codes and ideological projects to be integrated in to the IFM will help citizens to receive early alerts on forecast and how to programme their schedules,' he said.

Participants comprise representatives of government institutions drawn from ministries, departments and agencies, civil society and other stakeholders who are involved directly or indirectly in water resources management and related fields.

Certificates were presented to some participants who had been trained for one and half year in the sector with eight countries being a part of the training. GNA
By Belinda Ayamgha, GNA

Tamale, Sept. 17, GNA - Journalists in the Northern, Upper East and Upper East Regions, says a major contributory factor to the pervasive under-performance of journalists in the country is the lack of well-structured newsrooms.

They said some newsrooms in other countries had laid out structures, especially for covering stories that involve both editors and journalists working together to produce quality reports.

They said in Ghana most newsrooms lack this qualities, leaving decisions like what angles to take to a story and how to get the information for the story up to only journalists.

Speaking at the first day of a two-media training workshop for Journalists from the north in Tamale, participants said this gap poses a great challenge to their work as they thus had to play all roles.

According to them, most media houses with the exception of a few, do not even hold editorial conferences or meetings with reporter at the start and end of the day to decide, which stories to cover and what angles to take and to evaluate how this is done.

Mr Emmanuel Dogbevi, Executive Director of NewsBridge Africa and Managing Editor at Ghana Business News, who organised the workshop and facilitated a session on Press Releases and How to Pitch Stories, said there is no strait jacket rule for how newsrooms should look like, owing to the different types and agenda of media houses.

He said however the basic principles that guide newsrooms should not be compromised.

He said it is important for every newsroom to have leadership; at least two senior reporter who had gone through the mill from being cub reporters, working as editors and who could guide and groom younger reporters in their work of gathering information.

'Newsrooms or organisations in Ghana do not lack the requisite skills or people to do the work, but there is no leadership; there is not the kind of leadership that grooms reporters.

'Some newsrooms do have but I don't think most have,' he said.

He said there should be a hierarchy and proper division of labour in the newsroom.

Mr Dogbevi said there is a critical nature of journalism and the journalist's role to the development of the nation.

Journalists, he noted, are not avenues for persons or groups to throw out information but are under obligation by their training and principles of the profession to process and package the information for public consumption.

'This could be done by cross-checking facts, verifying and making sure you have multiple sources to a story.'

He stated that journalists on one hand have to show initiative by doing background checks on assignments and determining the possible angles, and the editor should also do checks and discuss with the journalists what angle to take and the possible questions to ask at the event.

This, he said, would also help reporters to pitch stories to their editors.

He called for more focused training for journalists to make trainings relevant as well as redesigning the models and training strategies to equip journalists with the practical skills that would address their essential needs, especially storytelling skills.

Mr Raymond Bayor, Journalist and Communications Professional and facilitator of the broadcast (radio) Journalism session at the training, said proper staffing is a fundamental difference between newsroom in Ghana and some in countries like the United States, where there is a resultant smooth work flow, with clarity on who plays what role.

He said a well-structured and properly-functioning newsroom has 'incredible influence on the quality of the reporting, as the right leadership leads to mentoring'.

He urged journalists to learn from their colleagues in other jurisdictions as the principles and ethics of journalism are the same everywhere although there may be some socio-cultural differences.

GNA
By Comfort Sena Fetrie, GNA

Nanton-Kurugu (N/R), Sept. 17, GNA - The Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS) in partnership with Hope for Children, both non-governmental organisations have presented 152 bicycles to Nanton-Kurugu Community to improve the quality education.

The bicycles worth GHa54,983.00 were presented to the Bike Bank in the Nanton-Kurugu communities in Savelugu-Nanton Municipality in the Northern Region.

Thomas Cook, UK-based organisation funded RAINS/Hope for Children to procure the bicycles, with the aim of assisting children who trek long distances to reach school very early to improve their academic work.

It is also to help improve attendance and to reduce rates of school drop out in the communities.

Mr Tijani Hardi, the Executive Director of RAINS speaking at the handing over ceremony said some school children trek for about 50 to 90 minutes before getting to school, which was not helping in their academic performance.

He said the presentation of the bicycles would therefore reduce the distance to school for children in 'hard to reach' schools.

He thanked the parents of the beneficiary school children for agreeing to pay minimal charges each term ranging from 0.5 pesewas to GHa1.00 to maintain the bicycles.

Madam Murielle Maupoint, the Executive Director of Hope for Children urged traditional authorities, parents and teachers to take the responsibility to ensure that the bicycles are used only for the purposes of schooling and not farming.

Mr Goshiman Mahadu, Traditional Leader of Nanton-Kurugu Community who received the bicycles on behalf of the chief expressed gratitude to the two NGOs for the presentation.

RAINS was established in 1993 to promote the rights of marginalised people and particularly women and children living in deprived communities while Hope for Children Ghana aims to combat exploitative child labour to help children stay in school by giving them a chance for a better future.

GNA
By Comfort Sena Fetrie, GNA

Nanton-Kurugu (NR), Sept. 17, GNA - Hope for Children, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has donated assorted educational materials worth GHa26,769.00 to the Nanton-Kurugu community to improve teaching and learning.

Comic Relief funded the NGO for the procurement of the educational materials for distribution to improve quality basic education in the Savelugu-Nanton Municipality.

Madam Murielle Maupoint, the Executive Director of the NGO said called Childhood Regained to support 2,500 children at risk of dropping out of school to continue to receive quality formal education in the communities.

She said the project would also stop 1,200 children being engaged in exploitative labour and to enrol them in formal education to receive training skills.

Madam Maupoint advised teachers to make good use of the items to promote quality education in the community.

Mr Mohammed Awal, the Head Master of Nemton-Kurugu E/A Primary School, thanked the donors for the support.

Hope for Children is to combat exploitative child labour to help children stay in school by giving them a chance for a better future.

GNA
By Dennis Peprah, GNA

Abesim, (B/A), Sept. 17, GNA - A Regional Election Early Warning Response Group, has been inaugurated in the Brong-Ahafo Region, with a call on members to ensure political neutrality in the discharge of their duties.

Professor Seth Opuni Asiama, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), who made the call told the group that they are called for a national duty and must endeavour not be influenced by their political affiliations in the course of their duties.

The 18-member group is made up of representatives from the Electoral Commission, National Commission for Civic Education, NPC, Police, clergy, Muslim leaders, Information Services Department, traditional authorities and defence intelligence.

Set up by the NPC through the UNDP and USAID, the group is mandated to detect early warning, and help address security issues that threaten peace in Election 2016.

Prof Asiama said every Ghanaian has a responsibility to play in ensuring a peaceful election and indicated that an opportunity has been created for them, hence they must contribute their quota in a more proactive manner for an incident free election on December 7 and beyond.

Mr Kwasi Oppong-Ababio, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, asked the members not to trivialise any issue bordering security and entreated them to work closely with the security agencies to achieve its mandate.

He pointed out that enormous task have been bestowed on the group and they cannot do it alone.

He urged them to get informants at especially election hotspot communities in the Region to be able to get reliable information.

The Reverend Canon Martin Amaknwaa, an Anglican Priest and Chairman of the Group, gave the assurance that they would work assiduously to ensure that security threats would be easily identified and addressed for a peaceful election.

GNA
By Emmanuel Asante Attakora, GNA

Accra, Sept. 17, GNA - As part of efforts to get closer to its cherished clients, telecommunication giant, Vodafone Ghana, has taken the reloaded edition of its flagship promo 'Yee Twi KE reloaded' to the people of Ashaiman.

The promo, which is Vodafone's way of showing gratitude to its devoted customers for their continuous support and patronage would have customers winning by building points to win the monthly cash prize of GH30,000.00 and ultimate cash prize of GH150,000.00 at the end of the 90 day period.

At the consumer launch and outdooring of the Yee Twi KE reloaded promo at the Ashaiman market, customers were engaged to dance tunes from one of Ghana's great dancehall musician Stonebwoy, a native of Ashaiman.

Yolanda Cuba, CEO, Vodafone Ghana, said Vodafone is committed to getting closer to its cherished customers and to serve them better.

'We want you to have the best network.call who you want to call and at any time.

'Today we are here with Yee Twi KE reloaded, which is much biggerwant you to enjoy itis for you.'

Marketing Director, Vodafone Ghana, Agnes Emefa Essah, said: 'These are interesting times for our customers and we are happy to be sharing it with them.

'Going forward, our determination to provide a unique experience for our customers and to ensure that they are empowered will remain unchanged.'

Head, Mass Marketing, Vodafone Ghana Richmond Asante, emphasised that Vodafone Ghana's Yee Twi KE promo last year went so well that customers were asking for more, thus, the reloaded.

'We came up last year with a concept which had not been done before, the scratch and win promotion, which was called the Yee Twi KE promo, which was to commemorate Vodafone's sixth anniversary in Ghana and also thank our loyal customers.

'This is a more improved version called the Yee Twi KE reloadedtoday is the consumer launch.

'It has been an interesting session engaging our loyal consumers and having Stonebwoy thrill his people'

According to Vodafone Ghana, with a current presence in all the regions, there is more than GH 2.5million worth of prizes up for grabs by 730,000 customers over the 90 days campaign.

The promo, which brought consumers from Ashaiman and its environs saw most customers walking away with airtimes and Vodafone Yee Twi KE branded t-shirts.

GNA
Majority leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin, is predicting a 57% victory for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming elections.

According to Mr. Bagbin, the partys achievements over the years under the leadership of President John Mahama, are enviable and will earn him a second term in the December polls.

Speaking to thousands of party supporters at the official launch of the partys manifesto at the Sunyani coronation park in the Brong Ahafo Region, Alban Bagbin said the target is achievable if supporters work hard and are not complacent.

With a galaxy of such messengers, our parliamentary candidates, led by an accomplished Presidential candidate, John Mahama; I am more than confident that NDC will win with a large margin. The 57% target I want to assure all of you is achievable, yet we need to work hard, no complacency and we have to be vigilant on the election day.

The Member of Parliament for Nadoli Kaleo also said he was confident the party will win at least two-thirds of the seats in parliament.

He said the party will retain its majority by winning 184 seats after the December 7 elections, as against its current 148.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has 121 seats in the House, the People's National Convention (PNC) and the Convention People's Party (CPP) have one each and four independent lawmakers totaling 275 constituencies.

President John Mahama on Tuesday, September 13, presented highlights of the partys manifesto which he says will focus broadly on putting people first, accountable governance and expanding infrastructure for job creation.

The President revealed that, the manifesto is structured in four thematic areas that capture many social intervention policies aimed at improving the lives of Ghanaians.

Follow the hashtag #GhElections on Social Media for election related stories.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The next government of the National Democratic Congress, (NDC), under John Dramani Mahama, will rely heavily on civil society organisations and the media, by resourcing them to fight the canker of corruption, according to Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Haruna Iddrisu.

Speaking at the NDC's manifesto launch at the Sunyani Coronation Park in the Brong Ahafo Region on Saturday, the Tamale South MP disagreed with critics who say President Mahama lacked the courage to address issues of corruption when he presented highlights of the manifesto.

Mr. Iddrisu, who spoke on transparency and accountability, said it is an erroneous impression for critics to say the government had failed to tackle corruption effectively, explaining that President Mahama had shown ample commitment in that regard.

In his view, the President in several instances only sought to respect the constitution by following the rule of law.

When the President shared his vision and vision on the highlights of the manifesto, there were many who jumped onto a conclusion that the NDC manifesto was silent on corruption. That cannot be the case and that will not be the case. There is a dedicated commitment and charter on combating corruption, white-collar criminality, illegal trafficking and money-laundering. And President Mahama pledges to the people of Ghana that the NDC will continue to make corruption a high-risk activity punishable in accordance with the rule of law. And therefore investigative bodies, prosecution bodies, will be strengthened as they are being strengthened today to support President Mahama's quest to fight corruption.

He added that, President Mahama and the NDC recognises that corruption has a debilitating effect on governance and can weigh public confidence in the political system. President Mahama pledges that every district assembly, Municipal and metropolitan, will now have a dedicated representative of the Attorney General to help with the prosecution of cases.

The President has submitted to Parliament what we call the sunshine law, to expose corruption through the freedom of information act and public officers' accountability act and others in order to deepen transparency and accountability in government. President Mahama is collaborating with the judiciary to fight judiciary corruption, and President Mahama recognises the role of a critical of independent media and civil society to fight corruption, and will continue to support the media to be able to combat corruption and to expose it. Therefore, it is the pledge of President Mahama that all anti-corruption institutions and agencies will be supported and strengthened financially by way of capacity to be able to do that.

The administration of President Mahama has seen several cases of alleged corruption, such as the SADA scandal, Gyeeda, bus branding, the payment of judgement debt to Woyome, a car gift involving the President among others.



By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AfanyiDadzie

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The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Portuphy has said Ghanaians will not give power to their divisive opponents, the National Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr Portuphy thanked party faithful for all the support they have been giving to the national executives of the party.

Extolling the values of a united front in the face of the party achievements in power, he thanked the teeming supporters at the Sunyani Coronation Park in the Brong Ahafo for their discipline.

Speaking at the NDC manifesto launch, he said it is the discipline in the party which has made the party an envy of their political opponents.

He implored the supporters to go out in their numbers and vote on December 7 although they have already won the election.

Mr Portuphy said the party has to finish off the race with massive votes at the polls to bring success home.

"Let us help with all going out to vote and help all other people to go out and also vote for the party," he said.

He called on all supporters to volunteer by encouraging and helping the physically challenged, elderly and all other incapacitated people to go out and vote for the NDC.

Ending with "There is a victory for us...' party song, the National Chairman said the party expects a one touch victory so all should endeavour to vote on election day.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim | Email: [email protected]
The National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Portuphy, is convinced the incumbent has won the elections already, but says members of the party would have to avoid complacency, and work hard to seal the victory.

He also stated that there was the need for all members of the NDC to turn up in their numbers and vote massively to keep the party in power for another four years.

It is important for us that, now that we have the message very clear, on voting day, let us be courageous enough to come out in our numbers and vote. Nobody should think that we have won the elections. Yes; we have won the election already, but all of us need to come out and vote on election day.

Speaking at the launch of the party's manifesto, Mr. Portuphy also emphasized the need for the party to help the sick, weak and needy to vote on election day to increase the partys chances of winning the election.

Let us help the sick people, let us help the weak people, let us help the needy people. Let us volunteer on voting day, we are bringing everybody out to vote. If we don't bring them, we may not get all the votes so let us maintain the discipline,he emphasized.

Mr. Portuphy also extended his gratitude to all party members who had contributed to promoting discipline and unity in the party.

Put a value on the support you have given me as your National Chairman, National Executives and the President. It is outstanding. Let us keep the unity going and volunteer more of our time to ensure that we win this victory one touch.

Follow the hashtag #GhElections on Social Media for election related stories.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @EfeAnsah
Aden (AFP) - Yemeni pro-government forces battled Shiite Huthi rebels on two fronts Saturday, including east of Taez where they are struggling to break a siege of the southwestern city, military sources said.

"Five rebels and one of our soldiers were killed in the fighting" near Taez, a local pro-government commander, Fadl Hassan, told AFP.

He said loyalist forces drove rebels and their allies from five hills in the Sharija region on the borders of Taez and Lahj provinces.

"We are trying to break the siege (imposed by rebels) of Taez," Hassan said, adding that pro-government forces launched the operation from the eastern side of the city.

Forces loyal to the embattled government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi have struggled since the end of August to break the siege of Taez which the rebels have surrounded for more than a year.

Pro-government forces also clashed with rebels east of the Yemeni capital, with fighting concentrated in the strategic Sarwah region leading to Sanaa, military sources said.

The Huthis, who seized Sanaa two years ago, were putting up fierce resistance despite also coming under attack from Saudi-led coalition air strikes, the sources added.

Witnesses also reported air strikes targeting rebel positions in Nahm northeast of Sanaa, and in the coastal city of Hodeida to the west.

The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to help shore up Hadi's government.

The conflict has since killed more than 6,600 people, most of them civilians, and displaced at least three million, the United Nations says.

Fighting intensified after the collapse in early August of UN-mediated peace talks held in Kuwait.
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has elected Sulemana Ibn Saeed as their Parliamentary candidate for the Karaga constituency in the Northern Region.

Through a Parliamentary primary re-run on Saturday September 17 at the Karaga local authority primary school, he secured 208 out of the total votes cast.

His other contenders, a former District Chief Executive for the area, Baba Wahab, polled 168, whiles Imam Basha Firdaus polled 28 votes.

The re-run was necessitated when the former candidate, Ibrahim Basha Shaharawi, stepped down on health grounds.

The voting, supervised and conducted by the Electoral Commission, and witnessed by the NPPs first Vice Chairman F. F Anto and the partys Nasara Coordinator, Kamaldeen Abdullah, was generally peaceful.

Sulemana Ibn Saeed thanked the delegates for the confidence reposed in him and promised to wrestle the seat from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) on December 7.

He called for party unity and urged his other contenders to rally behind him to boost his chances of winning the seat.

The Parliamentary re-run which was to be relocated to the Savelugu constituency for security reasons was finally held in Karaga.

Sulemana Ibn Saeed is in race with the NDCs incumbent Member of Parliament, Alhassan Sualihu Dandawa.



By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifminline.com/Ghana
The Minister of Transport, Fifi Kwetey, has said the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), unlike the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is a party that only spends time talking, whiles the NDC delivers on its promises.

They [NPP] do the talking, we [NDC] do the doing. They are empty barrels that make a lot of noise, we are full barrels we do not make a lot of noise. That is the difference between them and usFifi Kwetey said this at the launch of the party's manifesto at Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo region.

He further indicated that, the NPP's assertion that the governing NDC has had the highest revenue in the history of the country, and so it behooves them to carry out more developmental projects is a lie.

Our friends in the NPP recently said that, NDC government has done a lot from 2013 to now, and the only reason why we have done a lot is because we have had more money than any other government. I want to tell you today that it is a lie.

Between 1993 to the year 2000, when NDC was in power for the first time, the total revenue that we had was 2 billion cedis and the total debt that we had at the time was 13 billion. When NPP came to power between 2001 and 2008, their total revenue went to 22 billion and the total debt went to 57 billion. Even though they had so much revenue than us between 1993 and 2000, they had almost five times the debt that NDC had between 1993 and 2000, NDC was able to build 3 regional hospitals

NDC was able to build three universities, NPP got zero, NDC between 1993 and 2000 built 7 polytechnics, NPP built zero. NDC built houses,but how many houses did the NDC build? Zero.Not even one chamber and hall, not even one single room was completed so when they tell you we had more money than they had that's a lie. We had less money than they had; but because we were committed to transforming the lives of our people, we performed better than them. So today when you hear us talking about the mighty works that JM is going to do between 2017 and 2020, believe it because we come from a tradition that does not talk

He believes the NDC has set a clean track record by delivering on its promises and therefore deserves another term in government.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @EfeAnsah
Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur has indicated that he was talked out of replying to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia after his state of Ghana's economy lecture.

He has vowed to expose Dr. Bawumia's lies one after the other wherever he goes in the country instead of addressing them at a public lecture.

The Vice-Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held a lecture at the National Theatre on the theme The State of the Ghana Economy  A Foundation of Concrete or Straw" where he alleged that government despite having more resources than any government ever in the history of Ghana has been wasteful.

The former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) questioned governments 63 percent debt to GDP figure quoted as at the end of May this year.

Related: Ghana spends more on servicing debts than on infrastructure  Bawumia

Also, he provided data to indicate that Ghana is spending more to service interest payments than it spends on infrastructural/capital projects annually.

A public lecture under the theme  Ghanas Economy  Separating Truth from Fiction to be delivered by Mr. Amissah-Arthur was scheduled for exactly one week after Dr. Bawumia's lecture.

The lecture was rained off on the morning of the scheduled date. The general public was assured that a new date would be communicated in the coming weeks.

To the surprise of many, the Vice President indicated that their silence does not mean they cannot respond to Dr. Bawumi's lies.

While addressing party faithful at the manifesto launch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Sunyani, Vice President Amissah-Arthur said:

"When I said I was going to respond, one of my former colleagues in Legon called me and said the man is doing politics, he is not doing economics so do not answer him with economics. Go on a political platform and tell him."

Mr Amissah-Arthur who is also a former Governor of the Central Bank said he had a copy of Dr Bawumia's speech and identified lies in every sentence of the document and will address all of them one after the other to expose Dr Bawumia.

He debunked Dr Bawumia's claim about the GDP and accused the NPP of using figures to confuse their opponents and for that matter, Ghanaians believe the 'lies' Dr. Bawumia told at the lecture.

Related: Minimum Wage, Per Capita Income decline under Mahama administration  Bawumia reveals

"We have all seen the roads and the hospitals and the schools that have been built in this country. As an Economist, if you see something and the data does not show it you have to go behind the data and see what has happened," the NDC's Vice Presidential Candidate noted.

He indicated that the fact that some infrastructure projects were not captured in the budget does not mean they do not exist.

"The roads are there we have seen them, we drive on them...the schools are there the President is commissioning them...the hospitals are there we visits them," he pointed out.

Mr Amissah-Artur urged party faithful who had gathered at the grounds not to believe what Dr. Bawumia says.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com | Akosua Asiedua Akuffo | [email protected]
HON FREDRICK Opare Ansah, the Incumbent Member of Parliament for Suhum Constituency in the Eastern Region have outdoor community base outreach campaign in his constituency to preach the NPPs message of change.

The Suhum Mugabe as affectionately called currently fighting to retain the seat fourth time and to secure victory for the NPP in the forthcoming the 2016 polls, on his communities visits campaign dubbed '' Retail Campaign talks about how the NDC government led by President Mahama has been mismanaging Ghanas economy and stealing tax payers money through SADA, Woyome, Gyeeda among others.

He also speaks of Nana Akuffo Addos dream of having One Factory in One District, One Dam in One Village and NPPs free SHS program.

Hon Opare Ansah, who is been challenged by, the NDC Parliamentary candidate, Magrette Ansei, Aka Magoo since last week storms communities such as New life, Owusu Contractor, Yokonor, Jehovah Rafa, Ayekotse among other to have door to door interactions with the electorates, by asking them to votes out the NDC and to pave way for Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo Addo to win the December polls.

He further talks about his various achievements in the constituency such as; construction of a borehole with submersible pump at Akorabo, building an ICT centre at Nankese, using his common fund for social interventions, buying instruments and beds for Suhum Government Hospital among numerous projects currently undertaken.

The ascute MP also urge the electorates to elect a government that, will turn the fortunes of the the country and choose competent leaders who will manage the assemblies resources judiciously and properly to ensure the rapid development of Suhum.

FROM Daniel Bampoe, Suhum
17.09.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Sept. 17, GNA - Ghana - Puma Energy, international partners in development has handed over two newly constructed pedestrian crossings to the St Joseph Anglican School in Accra.

The Puma Energy Foundation in collaboration with AMEND, an international road safety non-governmental organisation (NGO), and the Vision for Alternative Livelihood Development, a Ghanaian road safety NGO last year launched a programme to be committed to implementing Child Road Safety in the country.

Mr Myles Bouvier-Baird, the Managing Director of Puma Energy in Ghana noted that majority of school children face road traffic danger because of lack of pedestrian crossings around schools.

He said: 'We believe that every child has the right to a safe journey to school, and in conjunction with the educative aspect of the Child Road Safety programme, putting in place infrastructure like pedestrian crossings forms part of our commitment to do what we can to help to improve road safety for children.'

Madam May Obiri Yeboah, the Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission expressed gratitude to Puma Energy for its tremendous efforts in promoting child road safety.

She acknowledged that the intervention would go a long way to protect the lives of school children in the St Joseph Anglican School and other surrounding schools and encouraged Puma Energy, to continue with its efforts.

Puma Energy Foundation partner local NGOs that run development programmes that achieve lasting change in the areas of education and training, health and safety, and the environment.

GNA
Accra, Sept. 17, GNA - The Print Innovation, a Christian print and publishing company in Accra, has held its annual conference with a call on individuals to write their life experiences and publish them into books.

The conference on the theme: 'Becoming a Best Selling Author,' was to inform and educate the public on the processes of publishing, address misconceptions, empower people to start the business of writing and to highlight the new trend in the publishing industry.

Mr Daniel Annan, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Print Innovation, the lead publishing consultant with 10 years working experience in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said there is the need for people to share their life experiences by writing and publishing them into books.

He said such acts would help the present and future generations to appreciate the experiences and learn from them, adding: 'Everyone should write to pass on their ideas to posterity.'

Mr Annan said there are people who have a lot of experiences to write about but do not know how to go about it,' saying: 'This conference will empower such people to initiate the act of writing and if for one reason one cannot write, there are always professionals to write on our behalf based on our ideas.'

He said though it has been an annual conference, there were plans afoot to hold intermittent regional conferences and workshops to educate the people to take initiative in writing life experiences.

'We have also plans to take the event to schools where the company will partner with reading clubs and interest groups to help them develop the culture and passion for writing,' he said.

The CEO advised the youth of today to use the social media to their advantage, avoid cutting corners in life and be ready to learn in attempt to achieve their God-given talents.

Mr Annan said the doors of the company are opened to anybody with the intention of writing or publishing any book of their choice.

Other speakers on the day were editorial consultants; Mr Duke Mensah, a Founding Partner of Mahogany Consults; Mrs Baaba Cofie, CEO of Virtue Impact Nations; Mr Michael Quansah and Pastor Kwaku Osei Twumasi.

Some of the topics treated included Developing Effective Writing Skills, The Publishing Process, Book Funding, Book Selling, Organizing An Effective Book Launch and Digital Publishing.

A book on publishing, authored by Mr Daniel Annan entitled: 'Innovative Secrets To Publishing Your Dream Book' was launched.

GNA
business Look at Reliance Industries: Porinju Veliyath Porinju Veliyath, MD & Portfolio Manager, Equity Intelligence India expects Reliance Industries giving at least 25 percent compounded annual growth rate for the next five years time.
Musk-Twitter deal done, CEO Parag Agrawal fired | What's next for the social media platform?
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Polaris Industries, Inc. (Polaris or the Company) (NYSE:PII) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, District of Minnesota, and docketed under 16-cv-03108, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Polaris securities between January 26, 2016 and September 11, 2016 both dates inclusive (the Class Period). This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act).



If you are a shareholder who purchased Polaris securities during the Class Period, you have until November 15, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

Polaris, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and on-road vehicles in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and Mexico.

On July 23, 2015, Polaris issued a recall for the Companys model-year 2016 Youth RZR off-highway vehicle, citing fire hazards. Three other recalls of the Companys RZR vehicles followedin October 2015, December 2015, and April 2016affecting more than 160,000 RZR vehicles of various model years.

Nevertheless, Polaris consistently advised investors that the Company expected full year 2016 net income to be at least $6.00 per diluted share. On January 26, 2016, Polaris issued a press release reporting full-year guidance in the range of $6.20 to $6.80 per diluted share; on April 21, 2016, Polaris issued a press release maintaining the same guidance estimate; and on July 20, 2016, Polaris issued a press release only slightly lowering and narrowing its guidance range to $6.00 to $6.30 per diluted share.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company was unable to sufficiently validate the initially identified repair for certain of its recalled RZR vehicles; (ii) as a result, the Company would ultimately need to implement a more complex and expensive repair solution; (iii) the financial impact of RZR vehicle recalls was therefore greater than the Company had disclosed to investors; (iv) consequently, the Company had overstated its full-year 2016 guidance; and (v) as a result of the foregoing, Polariss public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On September 12, 2016, pre-market, Polaris issued a press release announcing that the Company was lowering its full-year 2016 earnings guidance to the range of $3.30 to $3.80 per diluted share. The Company attributed the lowered guidance to the impact of RZR thermal-related problems, citing, in part, the Companys inability to sufficiently validate the initially identified RZR Turbo recall repair, necessitating a more complex and expensive repair solution.

On this news, Polaris stock fell $4.05, or 5.01%, to close at $76.79 on September 12, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com
you are here:
Have you ever seen those Russian matryoshka dolls? You might even own a set. I remember, as a kid, my mum and dad had a set. Dont know if they were authentic ones or not. But I do remember they were fun.

Theyre the doll in a doll in a doll wooden ornaments that are popular the world over. You know the ones  when you open the big one to reveal a small one inside. Then you open the smaller one to find an even smaller one inside. Then you openwell, you get the point.

Matryoshka dolls are often a good metaphor for how something can have multiple layers and added value inside.

But when it comes to stocks, and in particular small-cap stocks, I like to think of the reverse matryoshka. Now, that might sound like a difficult figure-skating manoeuvre, but its not.

Its the idea that something small can become something bigger and bigger and bigger, without drastically changing appearance or purpose.

Think about it like this

The reverse matryoshka in operation

Youre a small company, maybe only worth $80$100 million. To most people, thats a big company. But on a stock exchange, thats a small-cap. When you compare it to the likes of Commonwealth Bank [ASX:CBA] or Telstra [ASX:TLS] ($122 billion and $61 billion respectively), $100 million is small.

At $100 million, you sign a big deal with an overseas company. This deal gives your company, and your products, access to 1.3 billion people in China. A few months later, off the back of good news and growing revenues, your company is now worth $220 million.

Thats over 100% growth in size.

But then you go even further and realise that growth in China is far better than anticipated. In fact, your revenues and margins are growing at a rate you didnt even expect. You inform the market. A week later, your company is worth $330 million.

Thats a 50% jump from $220 million. But its an incredible 230% higher than the initial $100 million.

This continues. And, incrementally, the company grows. Maybe not as much as the initial 100% growth, but 10% here, 20% there Before you know it the company is worth $1 billion.

Once worth $100 million, its now valued at $1 billion.

This isnt just some made up fictional story. This happens to real companies. Real small-cap companies that go from being worth tens of millions, to billions.

Resolute Mining [ASX:RSG] is now worth $1.38 billion, with a stock price of $2.10. A year ago they were trading at 27.5 cents.

Then theres Audio Pixels Holdings [ASX:AKP]. In February this year, you could have bought AKP stock at $7.00 per share. By late July, each share was worth $33. Just an easy 371% gain.

I might point out that now, even with their share price at $24.78, Audio Pixels is still worth around $666 million.

Investors that get into these stocks early, before the big gains come off the table, can make the kinds of profits that you simply cant get with other, larger kinds of stocks.

Can you see a company like Telstra growing quickly from $61 billion to $122 billion? That would make them the biggest company in Australia. And could you see them going from $122 billion to $183 billion?

That would make them almost as big as International Business Machines [NYSE:IBM].

Its just clearly not going to happen. Not in your lifetime, anyway.

Where to invest in The Age of Extreme

Large-cap companies, or blue chip stocks, simply dont have the potential to provide investors with monumental gains on the market. I believe that the only place you can invest in great companies with immense opportunities is in the small-cap section of the ASX.

Now, I will also say that these stocks do come with a high degree of risk, too. So if your sole purpose in investing is to protect your capital for retirement, then small-caps probably arent for you.

But if youve got some punt money, or are prepared to take on risk, youre in for a treat.

Todays the day I launch a new report thats all about the best kind of small-cap stocks on the ASX. These stocks I have a special name for, but youll have to read my report to find out what that is.

They also have the potential to perform in the absolute extremes of the market. In fact, right now, markets all over the world operate at extremes. One day, things are looking great. Markets setting new highs make for happy investors. The next day, a crisis is imminent, markets are crashing, and the world is over.

The special kind of stocks I look for aim to perform during both extremes. They can do well in great markets; and they can do well in a crisis. Now, Im not saying these stocks always go up. That just doesnt happen to any stock, ever.

These stocks see fluctuations like any other. But its when things are really bad, or really great, that they have the potential to do extraordinary things. The ability to operate in market extremes  in The Age of Extreme  is a feature I look for in small-cap stocks.

In todays report, which you can read about here, I even identify four small-cap stocks I think will be the ones to own in 2017. They display the extreme abilities I look for.

This report has been a long time coming. Its been a work in progress for over a year now. But its time to let it loose. With markets so uncertain, at such extremes, now is the time to figure out how you can make money.

Regards,

Sam Volkering,

Editor, Money Morning
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Signet Jewelers Ltd. (Signet or the Company) (NYSE:SIG) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of New York, and docketed under 16-cv-06861, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Signet securities between January 7, 2016 and June 3, 2016 both dates inclusive (the Class Period). This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act).



If you are a shareholder who purchased Signet securities during the Class Period, you have until October 24, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

Signet purports to be the worlds largest retailer of diamond jewelry. The Company claims to operate thousands of stores in North America, and some in the United Kingdom, through well-known brand names such as Kay, Jared, Zales, and Peoples Jewelers.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company was experiencing difficulty ensuring the safety of customers jewelry while in the custody of Signets brands; (ii) employees at stores under at least one of Signets brands (Kay) were swapping customers stones for less valuable stones; (iii) the Company was experiencing a drop-off in customer confidence; (iv) the Company was facing increasing competitive pressures; (v) as result of the foregoing, the Companys financial performance was being negatively impacted; and (vi) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants positive statements about Signets business, operations, and prospects, were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On May 25, 2016, BuzzFeed News reported on the seemingly wide-spread occurrences of diamond swapping in connection with the Companys Kay stores. The news report recounted the stories of multiple Kay customers whose diamonds were swapped out for considerably less expensive stones while the customers jewelry was in the custody of Kay, typically for repair.

On May 26, 2016, the Company issued a press release announcing its first quarter fiscal year 2017 financial results. Therein, the Company disclosed that its same store sales for the period increased by only 2.4%, falling below the Companys previously issued first quarter 2017 guidance of 3% to 4%. The Company also disclosed that it was lowering its fiscal year 2017 same store sales growth guidance from 3.0%  4.5% down to 2.0%  3.5%.

On this news, Signets stock price fell $11.37 per share, or 10.5%, to close at $97.00 per share on May 26, 2016, on unusually heavy trading volume.

On June 3, 2016, the Company issued a press release entitled Signet Jewelers Issues Statement Regarding Its Longstanding Commitment to Superior Customer Service and Rigorous Product Quality Procedures. Therein, the Company appeared to confirm the occurrence of instances of diamond swapping at the Companys stores, though it denied that this was systematic.

On this news, Signets stock price fell $4.04 per share, or 4.3%, to close at $88.19 per share on June 3, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com
On the heels of hiring a new president, Gavilan Community College in Gilroy will soon have a new trustee.

Two candidates, Danielle Davenport and Rachel Perez, will vie for the only contested seat in the Nov. 8 election for the Gavilan Joint Community College District. Two other seats are uncontested so voters can choose only the incumbent in each.

It will mark the first time trustees are seated under the colleges new district election format. Previously, they were elected at-large from the attendance area, which encompasses 2,700 square miles in San Benito County, and Gilroy, Morgan Hill, San Martin and parts of south San Jose in Santa Clara County.

Also under the old system, the board had to be made up of two trustees each from the Gilroy and Morgan Hill unified school districts and three from San Benito High School District.

In the new election format, representation from Santa Clara County will be slightly stronger than from San Benito County.

Four trustees must live in Santa Clara County, two in San Benito County and the seventh can live in either county.

Under the new format approved by trustees last year, the attendance area was subdivided into seven Trustee Areas (TAs), each roughly balanced in numbers (24,000 based on the 2010 U.S. Census) and demographic characteristics, including ethnicity.

The change was made following pressure from Latino groups that claimed Latinos were at a disadvantage under the old system, a violation of the Federal Voting Right Act.

Now, candidates can run only from the area in which they live. Voters cast ballots only for candidates who live in their area.

Elections under the new system, like the old, are staggered so that all seats are not open at the same time. This year, seats in TAs 2, 4 and 6 will be filled.

Davenport, of San Martin, and Perez, of Gilroy, are vying for the T6 seat. That trustee area is the only one that includes parts of Santa Clara and San Benito counties.

Incumbent Jonathan Brusco of Morgan Hill is running unopposed in TA2, while board colleague Mark Dover of Gilroy is unchallenged in TA4.

The San Benito and Santa Clara County election offices consolidate the trustees election with the November general election under contract with Gavilan College.

On June 14, the college board voted unanimously to hire Kathleen Rose as the schools superintendent/president.

Previously she was Gavilans executive vice president and head of instruction. Rose held that post for seven years before succeeding the retiring president, Steve Kinsella.

Gavilan College has a 2016-17 operating budget of $43.5 million, with another $33 million in Measure E capital project expenditures, federal financial aid monies and the Associated Students fund, according to Jan Bernstein Chargin, director of public information.

The college enrolled 8,572 students for the 2016 spring semester. Of those, 71 percent were part-time, 19 percent were full-time and 9 percent were non-credit students, she said.

It has a full-time faculty of 207 and 270 part-time teachers and other staff.

In addition to its main campus in Gilroy, Gavilan operates learning centers in Morgan Hill and Hollister and will open another in the Coyote Valley in South San Jose.

The college started nearly a century ago as San Benito Junior College in Hollister, became a joint community college in 1963 with the addition of south Santa Clara County to its service area and built its main Gilroy campus on Santa Teresa Boulevard in the late 1960s. In 2019 the school will celebrate its centennial anniversary.
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc. (American Renal or the Company) (NYSE:ARA) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of New York, and docketed under 16-cv-06841, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired American Renal securities: (1) pursuant and/or traceable to American Renals false and misleading Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in connection with the Companys initial public offering on or about April 21, 2016 (the IPO or the Offering); and/or (2) on the open market between April 21, 2016 and August 18, 2016, both dates inclusive (the Class Period). This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) Securities Act of 1933 (the Securities Act).



If you are a shareholder who purchased American Renal securities during the Class Period, you have until October 31, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

American Renal operates as a dialysis services provider in the United States focused exclusively on joint venture partnerships with physicians. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates kidney dialysis facilities for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure or end stage renal disease (ESRD). As of March 31, 2016, it owned and operated 194 dialysis clinics in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

On or about April 21, 2016, American Renal completed its IPO, issuing 8.625 million shares of common stock and raising net proceeds of approximately $189.75 million.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) American Renal was engaged in a fraudulent scheme to steer patients away from qualified-for Medicare and Medicaid plans into more expensive Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans to obtain greater reimbursement for the Companys dialysis services; (ii) the foregoing scheme was in violation of federal and state laws; and (iii) as a result of the foregoing, American Renals public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On July 1, 2016, three insurance companies filed a lawsuit against American Renal and an affiliated entity in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleging that American Renal was engaged in a fraudulent and illegal scheme that involved persuading patients who qualified for Medicare or Medicaid coverage to enroll in commercial healthcare plans and then putting those patients in touch with an American Renal-patronized charity that would pay the patients insurance premiums in full or in part. As Medicaid and Medicare provide for only predetermined reimbursement rates for dialysis services, the suit alleges that American Renal would thus receive much larger reimbursements from the ACA insurer as a commercial payor than it would have from Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

On news of the lawsuit, American Renals stock price fell $2.82 per share, or 9.88%, to close at $25.71 on July 5, 2016, the next trading day.

On August 18, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (the Agency), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced that it had sent warning letters to all dialysis centers that participate in the federal Medicare program. The Agency also stated that it is weighing financial penalties on providers found to have directed people eligible for Medicare into ACA plans insteadas American Renal is alleged to have done.

On this news, American Renals share price fell $2.31, or 10.44%, to close at $19.81 on August 19, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com
The worlds major oil exporters -- including Nigeria, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and others -- routinely suffer when oil prices drop. These countries have struggled to diversify their economies enough to easily weather a down cycle and have been digging deep into financial reserves and cutting spending to make up the difference.

But the United States has its own petro-states and petro-towns, places whose fortunes can wax and wane with the health of the oil market.

On Wednesday, Moodys Investor Service issued a report on the blow suffered by many places that once enjoyed a boom in shale oil and shale gas. Low oil and gas prices have directly lowered tax revenues in many states, and have also led to a drop in drilling activity and related services that has indirectly hurt state and local finances.

In Alaska, revenues from energy taxes made up almost 90 percent of general fund revenues when prices were high, Moodys said. This year, they are projected to make up just 60 percent and the government has a $3.6 billion hole in its budget. And Alaska has had to deal with more than falling oil prices; output is falling too. Annual deficits of $3 billion or more are projected at least through 2019. The state government expects to drain its $10 billion reserve fund in fiscal 2018 and the governor, Bill Walker, has proposed to use investment income from the states $54 billion permanent fund, money that currently gets distributed to citizens in the form of dividends.

Louisiana, North Dakota and Oklahoma all have negative credit outlooks, the ratings agency added. These states are experiencing large budget gaps, and governing constraints create challenges for developing sustainable solutions, Moodys said. Louisianas severance taxes and royalties from oil and gas have dropped to half of the $1.3 billion level in fiscal 2014.

In Wyoming, Gov. Matt Mead has proposed $248 million in budget cuts, or about 9 percent of the fiscal 2017-18 biennial budget. And while unemployment rates have eased nationally, Wyomings has climbed to 5.6 percent from 4.2 percent since May 2015.

A drop in oil and gas activity has dealt a severe blow to local governments too, especially Williston, N.D. (heart of the Bakken shale oil boom), Gillette, Wyo., and Midland and Odessa.

North Dakota distributes a share of oil and gas production taxes to local governments based on industry employment and production volume, Moodys said. Oil and gas workers made up 66 percent of Willistons labor force in 2016, 40 percent of Dickinsons and 14 percent of Minots. Almost 80 percent of Willistons general fund revenue comes from the production tax, which Moodys said declined 10.5 percent in fiscal 2015 and would decline further in 2016.

Willistons public school district received 27 percent of its revenues from its share of oil and gas production taxes in fiscal year 2014. That share has plunged and now the school board is projecting a deficit for the current year. But if the families of oil and gas field workers start moving elsewhere, the strain on local schools and other services such as roads and emergency services might ease.

Moodys said many cities have built up rainy day funds. It said Minot and Mandan, N.D. have reserve funds equal to a year of operating revenue. Williston had stashed away $11.4 million at the end of fiscal year 2015, equal to about three months revenues. But even those funds will be challenged as oil prices languish.

Some states are doing bettter, notably Texas and California, the countrys first- and third-biggest crude oil producers. In the 1980s, when oil prices fell, the Texas economy crumbled. Hundreds of banks went out of business, real estate prices collapsed, and it took years before the economy turned around.

Today, the Texas economy is much more diverse. Strong growth in other parts of the economy, including professional services, information technology and financial services, is helping to propel growth, albeit at a more subdued pace, Moodys said.

Moreover, the ratings agency said, the Texas constitution requires deposits to the states rainy day fund based on oil prices, which accumulated to $9.6 billion, or a healthy 9.1 percent of biennial forecasted revenue. Those reserves are still in place and provide a healthy cushion against economic and revenue under-performance.
The European Unions biggest natural gas producer is running out of reserves.

The Netherlands, also the regions largest trading hub for the fuel, has used up almost 80 percent of its natural gas reserves, Dutch statistics office CBS said on Friday. Production fell 38 percent over the previous two years and is set to fall further as the government limits extraction because of earthquakes in Groningen, the province that houses the EUs largest gas deposit, it said.

The nation of about 17 million people is struggling to contain tremors linked to gas production by a joint venture of Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell that has damaged thousands of homes. The government budget has been hit by the caps on extraction and declining wholesale prices, with gas accounting for just 3 percent of state income in 2015, down from 9 percent two years earlier, the CBS said.

Groningens decline also has broader implications for the European gas market, which will be more reliant on outside countries to meet its energy needs. European and Eurasian countries consumed 1 trillion cubic meters of gas in 2015, according to the BP Statistical Review.

In the last 10 years Europe managed to keep its imports flat with lower consumption, Thierry Bros, a visiting professor at Sciences Po in Paris who has studied energy for more than 20 years, said by e-mail. Now much lower Dutch production cannot be mitigated by much lower consumption  most of the drop has occurred already. That means we will need higher imports from Russia or liquefied natural gas.

The Netherlands produced 3.85 trillion cubic meters (136 trillion cubic feet) of gas since the discovery of the Groningen deposit in 1959, more than total global production last year, and has 940 billion cubic meters of reserves, CBS said. Output fell to 52 billion cubic meters last year, the lowest level since the early 1970s, from 84 billion in 2013.

Groningen gas production was capped at 27 billion cubic meters in the gas year that started Oct. 1, 2015. Parliament on Thursday approved a government proposal to lower the cap to 24 billion cubic meters a year for five years.

State income from gas fell to 5.3 billion euros ($6 billion) in 2015, down from 15.4 billion euros in 2013, the CBS said. Month-ahead gas on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility, Europes biggest hub for the fuel, has lost 13 percent this year after a 31 percent drop in 2015, according to broker data compiled by Bloomberg.

The production ceiling put in place for Groningen has had a definite impact on gas production during the last years, CBS said. Considering the Groningen field accounts for almost three-quarters of the remaining reserves, Dutch natural gas production will likely fall further, despite a small increase in production from the remaining fields, most of which are in the North Sea.
LAREDO, Texas (AP)  Prosecutors say a South Texas man must serve 45 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of his father during an apparent fight over being locked out of a home.

Victor Almanza-Alvarado Jr. of Laredo was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to murder in a plea deal. The 37-year-old son was charged in the 2014 death of Victor Almanza-Medrano.
Re: The average score in an examination of 10 students of a class is 60 [ #permalink

GMATantidote wrote:

The average score in an examination of 10 students of a class is 60. If the scores of the top five students are not considered, the average score of the remaining students falls by 5. The pass mark was 40 and the maximum mark was 100. It is also known that none of the students failed. If each of the top five scorers had distinct integral scores, the maximum possible score of the topper is



A) 87



B) 95



C) 99



D) 100



E) 103

The average score in an examination of 10 students of a class is 60 --> the total score = 10*60 = 600;The 5 smallest scores have an average of 55 --> the total score of the 5 smallest scores = 275.From above, the total score of the 5 largest scores = 600 - 275 = 325.Say the 5 largest scores are a, b, c, d, and e (where a
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 []
We have been cursed with leaders ...
government owned land polls View Photos

Two informal three day polls on MyMotherLode that each received over 650 votes, reveal differing opinions about Federally owned land in California. The most recent poll asked Does The Federal Government Own Too Much Land In California? Over half, 58 percent voted Yes while 32 percent voted No.

Local Congressman Tom McClintock stated here the federal government owns 48 percent of the land in California. In Tuolumne and in the Mother Lode there are examples of each of the four ways land is managed by four different federal groups.

The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture are two of 15 departments that make up the Presidents Cabinet, representing the executive branch of government which carries out and enforces federal laws. Three federal bureaus within the Department of the Interior manage land in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties in addition to the Department of Agriculture which is in charge of the National Forest Service.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages Red Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern near Chinese Camp which is 7,100 acres. The Bureaus Mother Lode Field Office, in El Dorado Hills, is directly responsible for approximately 230,000 acres of Public Land scattered throughout fourteen Central California counties. The BLM was established in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.

The Bureau of Reclamation manages New Melones and various water resources including 53 hydroelectric powerplants in the United States, 48 of them in California. It was established in 1902 to promote the economic development of the West by constructing dams, powerplants and canals.

The National Parks Service (NPS) has managed Yosemite since it was created in 1916 but some land in the Yosemite was set aside for preservation as early as 1964. According the the NPS website its system includes 413 areas covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These areas include national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. President Obamas recent designation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument marks the 27th time, according to the Associated Press, that Obama has used the NPSs Antiquities Act of 1906 which allows Presidents to create or expand national monuments.

The National Forest Service (NFS), under the Department of Agriculture manages the Stanislaus National Forest. According to their website in 1876 Congress called on the Department of Agriculture to assess the quality and conditions of forests in the United States and expanded the job into the Division of Forestry in 1881. In 1891 the President was given authority to designate public lands in the West as forest reserves which the Department of the Interior managed until 1905 when President Theodore Roosevelt transferred their care to the Department of Agricultures new U.S. Forest Service which now manages 93 million acres of land, roughly the size of Texas.

The other poll question posted before the one about Federal land ownership was Do you support Yosemite acquiring the 400 acre Ackerson Meadow? The results were over half, 55 percent, Yes and 35 percent No.
Stanislaus National Forest, CA  As hunters head into the woods for the opening of Californias 2016 general deer season Saturday, forest officials are highlighting fire concerns.

Specifically, fire restrictions and outdoor safety are in the sights of Stanislaus National Forest officials. Spokesperson Clare Long explains, With it being the open weekend for rifle season, we just want to make sure that people are aware of what their actions may do with it being so dry. Just a small spark could actually start a fire.

There are fire restrictions on the high and moderate hazard areas of the forest. A valid California Campfire Permit only allows for the use of gas stoves or lanterns in those areas. Additionally, visitors are banned from shooting any firearm, air rifle or gas gun, includes BB guns, from a vehicle within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or other occupied areas.

The forest service provided these safety tips for visitors:

All visitors should consider wearing bright colors to make their presence clear;

All individuals in a hunting party must wear daylight, fluorescent orange at all times;

Beware of broken limbs and damaged trees that may fall at any time.

Look up while in the forest, especially when its windy and be aware of your surroundings.

Follow fire restrictions orders and make sure your campfire is completely out.

Leave your itinerary with a friend or family member and check in with them upon your return.

Individuals can get Fire Hazard Area maps at any Forest Service office or click here. For more deer hunting season information along with firearm restrictions click here. Regulations, license, tags and lotteries details are available by contacting the Department of Fish and Wildlife at 209-234-3420.
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Three months after the deadliest mass shooting in American history occurred in Orlando, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is preparing to create new counterterrorism squads charged with foiling future plots.

Plans for 8 FDLE counterterrorism squads

Cost: $6.2 million

Meant to handle hyper-local communication related to terror plots

#ONEORLANDO: Complete Coverage

An FDLE official on Friday confirmed the agency's intention to ask the legislature to fund 46 new positions devoted to counterterrorism.

Sources close to the agency say the proposal is expected to cost $6.2 million and that eight regional squads would be created.

The counterterrorism squads would mirror surveillance efforts by federal authorities. Critics, including Gov. Rick Scott, have questioned why the FBI ceased its investigation of Omar Mateen, the gunman responsible for killing 49 people and wounding 53 others at the Pulse nightclub on June 12.

While Mateen's links to the Islamic State terrorist organization were tenable, Scott has also pressed the Obama administration to take a stronger stand against homegrown terrorism.

"How many more times does the evil of radical Islamic terrorism have to occur before the president of the United States will muster the courage to face the truth?" Scott asked at the Republican National Convention in July.

Through the squads, FDLE officials would play a bigger role in monitoring hyper-local communication that could yield leads in relation to planned terror plots. Much of the communication, security experts say, could easily be missed by federal agencies juggling larger portfolios.

"(Gov. Scott) criticizes the feds all the time, but there's also a lot that he can do on the ground level," said Florida policy consultant Trimmel Gomes. "The feds are saying, you know, oftentimes you have the option to pursue initiatives that they have recommended that the state has not followed."

The FDLE's counterterrorism squad funding request will be considered by lawmakers during the 2017 legislative session, which begins in March.
Plainview Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors hosted a ribbon cutting Friday for Hello Baby infant and childrens apparel boutique at 107 E. Seventh, next to Its A Girl Thing. The new business offers infant and childrens clothing, accessories, gift registry and in-house monogramming. Joining Chamber members, customers and friends on Friday are Hello Baby manager Merideth Hill, owners Terra James and Tyler James, Tracy Long and Kerri Falkenberg of Its A Girl Thing and, helping hold the ribbon, Sawyer and Bowen Snyder.
MERIDEN  Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Friday urged lawmakers to respond to a ruling that deemed the states education funding system unconstitutional, and again voiced his agreement with the judges main finding.



He also raised concerns that the state could become the subject of binding court orders if the legislature decides to wait for the outcome of an appeal in this case, which Attorney General George Jepsen filed Thursday.



Im not an ostrich, Im not going to stick my head in a hole and hope that the problem goes away, Malloy said. Ill continue the process of leading on education, as I have throughout my time as governor.



Legislative leaders from both parties objected to aspects of the Sept. 7 ruling from Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher, who said the states Education Cost Sharing system is too influenced by politics.



Moukawsher wrote in his ruling that the state is defaulting on its constitutional duty to provide adequate public school opportunities because it has no rational, substantial and verifiable plan to distribute money for education aid and school construction.



A group of plaintiffs known as Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding lodged a similar complaint when it filed the lawsuit 11 years ago, naming then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell as the defendant.



Malloy said Friday that he agrees with Moukawsher finding on ECS. If were talking about the thrust of what the judge had to say on the issue of the distribution of school funds, Im largely in agreement with him, and Ive said that and explained it, and explained it, and explained it.



Jepsen said Thursday that he filed the appeal on the basis that lawmakers and the governor, not an unelected judge, should be the ones who decide whether to change the states education funding system.



Malloy said he understands the legal concerns that led to the appeal, but also urged lawmakers to begin working on a solution as soon as possible.



I think that its incumbent on the state to find a solution, he said, expressing concern that a judge could impose a new funding system on the state through a court order if the legislature drags its feet.



Malloy has already expressed similar agreement with Moukawsher ruling, and his Education Department has funneled additional aid to 30 underperforming school districts, including Meriden, through the Alliance District Program.



The program was a compromise to a proposal that would have made it easier for troubled districts to get rid of some staff.



Moukawshers ruling found flaws with the way funding is distributed, and not with the amount of money the state gives toward local education.



msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino






Somehow it is Friday once more, because time is moving quickly and each moment we quietly die. [Editor's note: Rebecca's birthday was yesterday!] Ponder this while you peruse this weekend's subway changes, which are sure to transform any quick train trip into a beleaguered odyssey. Here's what's on tap this week:

2 trains will not run in either direction between 96 St and 241 St from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

3 trains will not run at all from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

4 trains will run to and from New Lots Avenue from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Sunday. Trains will make local stops in Brooklyn during this time.

5 trains will not run at all between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Sunday.

All A trains will reroute along the F line from W 4 St-Wash Sq to Jay St-MetroTech from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Uptown trains will run express from 59 St-Columbus Circle to 125 St from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, and again from 11:45 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. All trains will make local stops from W 4 St-Wash Sq to 59 St-Columbus Circle from 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday.

All C trains will reroute along the F line from W 4 St-Wash Sq to Jay St-MetroTech from 6;30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Also during that period, uptown trains will run express from 59 St-Columbus Circle to 125 St.

D trains will not run in either direction between 59 St-Columbus Circle and Coney Island-Stillwell Av from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

All E trains will run along the F line from 21 St-Queensbridge to W 4 St-Wash Sq from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Manhattan-bound trains will run express from 71 Av to 21 St-Queensbridge, with that change in effect from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Sunday. Also on that track, trains will skip Briarwood and 75 Av from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

Manhattan-bound F trains will skip Sutphin Blvd, Briarwood, and 75 Av starting at 11:45 p.m. Friday and ending at 5 a.m. Monday.

J trains will not run in either direction between Broad St and Chambers St, starting at 5:45 a.m. Saturday and ending at 10 p.m. Sunday. Manhattan-bound trains will run express from Myrtle Av to Marcy Av from 3:45 a.m. Saturday to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Manhattan-bound M trains will run express from Myrtle Av to Marcy Av from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and again from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. Trains will run every 20 minutes during that period.

All N trains will reroute along the D line from Coney Island-Stillwell Av to 36 St from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

Manhattan-bound Q trains will run express from Kings Hwy to Prospect Park from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

Manhattan-bound R trains will run express from 71 Av to Queens Plaza from 6:30 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday. 36 St-bound trains will stop at 53 St and 45 St; that change is in effect from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, and from 11:45 Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.

The 42 St S Shuttle will operate overnight from 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday.
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Owners of the popular Bay Area restaurant chain Burma Superstar fired back against charges made in a lawsuit that they didnt fairly pay their employees, calling the allegations frivolous and false.

In the Alameda County Superior Court lawsuit seeking class-action status, current and former kitchen workers slammed the Burmese food eatery for allegedly paying workers less than minimum wage, stiffing them on overtime pay and denying breaks and sick leave.

But a spokesman for Burma Superstar predicted the chains owners will be totally exonerated and will prevail in court.

The owners value their team as an extension of their family, and strive to treat everyone with the utmost respect, providing good wages and excellent benefits - well beyond what is required by federal, state and city laws, said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for the chains owners.

He said that for the last six years the owners have provided health care to employees, and that many of their workers have been with the company since the restaurants opened in 1992.

This frivolous lawsuit is based on false allegations, Ballard said.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three employees and around 100 similarly situated workers by attorneys for the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center, Asian Law Caucus and Centro Legal de la Raza. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified back wages, attorneys fees, and other penalties.

The allegations lodged by the workers involve all of the Burma Superstar locations, including Alameda, Oakland and San Francisco.

We are disappointed that the company is taking the position that their employees very real claims are frivolous, said Mana Barari, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center. We hope that Burma Superstar will reflect more seriously on their practices and move toward becoming the model employer they claim to be.

More for you Burma Superstar kitchen workers sue popular Bay Area chain

Many employees of the restaurant are immigrants who speak Spanish, Chinese, or Burmese and little or no English, Barari said, which could have led to them being taken advantage of by their bosses.

Theres several reasons employers get away with it, and one is that workers dont complain about these kind of conditions, Barari said. Its the fear of losing their jobs, and often for these workers that means immediately losing their source of livelihood and food on the table ... Some employers maximize these challenges and vulnerabilities to maximize their profits, and I think thats what youll see in this case.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley
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An unusual show about an unusual profession opens Saturday at the Harvey Milk Photo Center in Duboce Park. Its called The Art of Fire, and it features 63 photographs of huge blazes in San Francisco, along with the men and women who fought them.

Fire has a strange attraction for people  it destroys lives and property. Yet, it has a compelling power.

It has a terrible beauty, said Dwayne Newton, who spent 26 years with the San Francisco Fire Department and retired as a lieutenant. A fire is always very dramatic. And that is why a big fire always draws people who stand and stare at the fire. Its an age-old attraction.

But do they ever think of what firefighters do and their lives?

Newton is the curator of the Art of Fire show, which includes the work of 22 photographers, including 10 Chronicle staff photographers.

The oldest photograph, taken by Fred Lyon in 1948, is of a blaze aboard a Swedish freighter at the old Islais Creek dock. The most recent is of the huge fire at 29th and Mission streets this summer that destroyed a hardware store and a restaurant and displaced 58 residents and a total of nine businesses.

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The pictures are dramatic, some more than others. There is one Newton took of firefighters battling a blaze in the Marina District just after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The flames leap up, of course, but it is unusual in that the hoses are manned by young people from the neighborhood, civilians who volunteered to help.

Newton took that picture just before he joined the Fire Department. He was a photographer living in the city and was interested in the fire service. When he heard of the Marina fire, he grabbed his camera and jumped on his bicycle. So the two interests joined.

Ive worked at several of the fires here, he said.

One picture, taken by Mike Kepka, a Chronicle photographer at the time, was of Newton. I looked at that, and said, Who is that guy? He was amazed to discover himself in the photos.

Close to half of the images in the show are by news photographers, assigned to cover breaking events. But some are totally unplanned.

Michael Mustacchi, a well-known commercial photographer, was driving back from another job one Saturday night when he saw a big cloud of black smoke. It was St. Paulus Lutheran Church, an old example of a wooden carpenters Gothic style. Mustacchi caught the steeple, burning like a torch, a firefighter on a long ladder, silhouetted against the flames.

One of Newtons favorites is of firefighters outlined against flames on top of a roof on Folsom Street five years ago.

A man named Jesse Smith took it. Smith said he was on his way somewhere else  to a photo show, he thinks  when he saw the fire.

He was interested in the fire service at the time, so he took the shot. My career has taken another direction, he said. Now hes a farmer. But the photo speaks for itself.

What it shows is a fire just bursting loose, Newton said. Those firefighters have to get off that roof immediately. You see how the fire is in front of them.

It is a scene that firefighters both dread and look forward to, he said. The fire is alive, and it is moving.

The term for firefighters is that it is rolling. The fire is rolling, he said. You think, Wow, look at that. Its fantastic. The shapes, and color. Its fantastic and Im going in there. You have to go in there and destroy it. Thats your job.

But there is a price, too. The untold story is what is happening in our profession, said retired fire Capt. Tony Stefani. There has been a big jump in cancer rates among firefighters.

He cited a survey of San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia firefighters. Its a shocking eye-opener. he said.

The show is co-sponsored by the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation and will be featured at a gala next spring to draw attention to firefighters and cancer.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf

The Art of Fire

When: Opens with a reception from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday night and continues until Oct. 17.

Where: Harvey Milk Photo Center in Duboce Park, 50 Scott St., S.F. www.harveymilkphotocenter.org/
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San Francisco, the city that has made even McDonalds compost its leftover Big Macs, still has a problem with trash dirtying its beaches.

Thousands of volunteers showed up at beaches around the Bay Area on Saturday morning, sifting through sand and impaling stray wrappers with sticks as part of the annual Coastal Cleanup Day that spans about 2,000 miles of the states shoreline at 920 different sites, led by the California Coastal Commission.

When we come out here in the morning, you can see San Francisco, one of the largest markets in the world, looks like a garbage dump, said Corey Mason, a DJ bumping tunes for volunteers along a stretch of Ocean Beach along the Great Highway, at Golden Gate Park.

This year, 1,325 volunteers recovered 4,100 pounds of trash from the beaches lining the west side of San Francisco, said Denise McKinney, an organizer of the Ocean Beach cleanup with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

In a decade of cleanups, McKinney has come across anything and everything  spare tires, luggage, a sofa and a fake Christmas tree  all coated in sand. On Saturday alone, volunteers unearthed a burnt outhouse, a corset bone and a large metal pipe.

One woman came back and said her daughter learned what a condom was today, McKinney said with a laugh. Sex ed on the beach.

Much of the mess tends to be blamed on homeless people on the beach or young partygoers not cleaning up after their bonfires, but thats only part of the problem. More often than not, its litter in San Franciscos neighborhoods, from the Richmond District to Ocean View, that swirls down storm drains and winds up in the bay, to be washed up on the beach.

The cleanup itself is only part of what were doing here, McKinney said. Were trying to get people to understand where this trash is actually coming from. ... Its coming from our neighborhoods, not people going out on the beach.

Most of the litter is pretty commonplace: countless cigarette butts and plenty of beer bottles. Lots and lots of cigarette butts.

Discarded butts are far and away the most popular pieces of litter on all of Californias beaches, said Eben Schwartz, manager for the Coastal Commissions Marine Debris program. Organizers this year placed an emphasis on the dangers of ashing cigarettes in the sand.

These things need to be properly disposed of because theyre poisoning our waters and our marine wildlife, Schwartz said, adding that cigarettes make up about 40 percent of the recovered trash.

Two friends and high school seniors walked Ocean Beach, stopping to snag gum wrappers and other little litter caught in the sand.

Youd be surprised at what people forget to throw away, said Keesha Patron, 17, to her friend Tanya Fisher, 18.

Why did the two college-bound teenagers give up a Saturday of sleeping in?

This is our environment, Fisher said. This is our Earth. Its our responsibility to take care of it. Theres no way to reverse the damage, but I wish there was.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Friday night in an apartment complex parking lot in Richmonds Hilltop area, police said.

Residents of the Bella Vista apartments, 3400 Richmond Parkway, began calling police about 10:30 p.m. after hearing multiple gunshots. When officers got to the area, they found the teenager suffering from multiple bullet wounds, said Lt. Felix Tan, a police spokesman.

The teenager, later identified as Chrisean Nealy of Richmond, was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital, Tan said.

Homicide detectives were interviewing witnesses, checking for surveillance footage and following up on other leads Saturday morning.

Tan said the shooting appeared to be targeted, but police have not yet identified a motive. No arrests have been made.

The slaying came just 12 hours after a 16-month-old boy was hit in the leg by an errant bullet in the city. The baby was expected to make a full recovery and be released from a hospital Saturday afternoon, Tan said.

Police asked anyone with information on the shootings to call (510) 620-6860.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
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Edward Albee, one of America's most celebrated playwrights who also had a long relationship with the University of Houston, died Friday at his home on Long Island, N.Y. He was 88.

The cause of death was not immediately released, but he had suffered from diabetes.

Albee was perhaps best known for his Tony Award-winning play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" It slashed at the convention of domestic life in America and later became an award-winning 1966 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Considered the foremost playwright of his generation, Albee was a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winner for 1967's "A Delicate Balance," "Seascape" in 1975 and 1994's "Three Tall Women."

Before undergoing extensive surgery several years ago, Albee left a message to be released at the time of his death, the Associated Press reported: "To all of you who have made my being alive so wonderful, so exciting and so full, my thanks and all my love."

Albee's tie to Houston traces to 1989 when he began teaching every spring semester at the University of Houston. He stopped in 2003 after his partner, sculptor Jonathan Thomas, became ill. Thomas died in 2005.

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Steve Wallace, a former director of the University of Houston's School of Theater and Dance, said Albee considered Houston a haven away from the crowds and critics back East.

"He saw Houston as a very special place, where he could get away from New York and interact with students. He was a fabulous teacher," Wallace said.

He remembered seeing Albee eating a sandwich by himself at a Subway fast-food restaurant near the campus.

"He could just walk down the street and people wouldn't say, 'Edward Albee,' " Wallace said. "It allowed him the space he needed."

Long-lasting impact

Kim Tobin-Lehl, artistic director of the 4th Wall Theatre Company, had been one of his students at UH.

"Edward Albee broke theater wide open. Along with Eugene O'Neill, he changed how the American family was presented to the public," Tobin-Lehl said Friday after learning of Albee's death.

He said Albee once took her aside and encouraged her to move to New York and follow her dreams.

"He got my whole career started on its path," Tobin-Lehl recalled.

Robert Shimko, the current director of UH's theater school, called Albee, "the kind of giant in the American theater that other giants look up to."

"His impact will be felt not for decades but for centuries. People will be doing "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "A Delicate Balance," for 500 years," Shimko said

He said Albee was a towering presence but also a kind and considerate teacher for young playwrights.

"They sometimes say you shouldn't meet your heroes because they'll let you down. The opposite could not be more true in the case of Edward," Shimko said.

He was lured to UH by the late Sidney Berger, the university's longtime theater director. In a Houston Chronicle interview, Albee said he had one demand: that he be allowed to pick the students for his class.

"I want to choose the ones I think have the most innate talent. Not necessarily the ones who copy other playwrights best, but burgeoning talents with potential and individuality," Albee said. "Some won't know how to write a play yet. But they can be encouraged and pushed to hone their skill."

Although Albee was a legend whose name is usually mentioned among greats like Tennessee Williams, he was also accessible to other dramatists, said Tom Stell is the executive director of the Obsidian Theater.

"He had a great impact in Houston. Pretty much everyone who worked in theater in the last 30 years was somehow influenced by him," Stell said.

In a statement released Friday, UH President Renu Khator said the university was grateful for the years Albee spent there.

"Through classes and workshops, he shared his creative insights with young writers eager to transfer their stories from the page to the stage. We are proud to say that, through his leadership, we've been able to leverage the arts as an engine to drive innovation and excellence. He will be missed," Khator said.

Preferred 'real' actors

Although the film version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" won two Academy Awards - for Elizabeth Taylor and co-star Sandy Dennis - Albee had issues with the production. He thought Taylor's public personality overwhelmed the part of Martha, the wife of an associate professor at a small New England college.

"He was much more interested in 'real' actors. Working actors that didn't come with a persona," Wallace said.

The play's sharp-tongued humor and dark themes were the hallmarks of Albee's style.

The 1966 film adaptation, directed by Mike Nichols turned the play into Albee's most famous work; it had, he wrote three decades later, "hung about my neck like a shining medal of some sort - really nice but a trifle onerous."

Albee was born in 1928 and was adopted by an affluent family in suburban New York. His father ran a chain of vaudeville theaters while his mother was an at-times domineering socialite. He became estranged from his family and moved to Greenwich Village and, at times, was forced to sleep on park benches.

"He said, 'I couldn't carry around a typewriter so I started writing (plays) in my head," Wallace said.

Although his personal politics were progressive, Albee wasn't interested in shoehorning obvious partisan views into his works.

"He didn't want to write political message plays - however strongly he felt. He was about the human condition," said Everett Evans, a former Houston Chronicle drama critic.

He said some people believed the "George" and "Martha" characters from "Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" were actually based on a bickering gay couple.

'I wrote what I wrote'

"He always said, 'I wrote what I wrote. If I wanted to write a play about a gay couple, I would have done that,'" Evans said. "He was his own man."

Albee lived for several decades in a Manhattan loft filled with African sculptures and contemporary paintings by the likes of Vuillard, Milton Avery and Kandinsky. Albee leaves no immediate survivors.

It was "Three Tall Women" in the early 1990s that returned Albee to prominence, and for the next 20 years he continued to be productive, turning out provocative work, including "The Goat" and "The Play About the Baby," and witnessing (or directing himself) revivals of earlier plays on Broadway and in regional theaters, the New York Times reported.

He was riding this sunset success - and continuing to write - when he spoke to an audience at the Arena Stage in Washington, which was then presenting a festival of his work. According to the New York Times, he recalled the feeling he had at the beginning of his career, after he had finished writing "The Zoo Story."

"For the first time in my life when I wrote that play, I realized I had written something that wasn't bad," he said. "'You know, Edward, this is pretty good. This is talented. Maybe you're a playwright.' So I thought, 'Let's find out what happens.' "

Wei-Huan Chen contributed to this report.
SAN ANTONIO  Every Monday, best friends and business partners John Allison and Douglas Galloway work together at Nest Modern, the modern furniture stores they co-own here and in Austin. One Monday, they work at the original Nest Modern in Austin, and the next they meet up at the local store in the Quarry Village.

In between, each stays in one city to oversee the store there, and every week they switch homes. In Austin, they split an industrial condo. Here, they share a house that is a beautifully restored example of midcentury modern style.
COLONIE  A family of three in Colonie was displaced from their home after a small fire in one of the bedrooms Friday, according to the West Albany Fire Department.

The Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross is providing financial assistance for shelter, food and clothing for a couple and their two year old child.
BRIDGEPORT  They say persistence is a virtue.

To his mother, Mark Leigh-James persistence showed in his hard work. From laboring on his fathers construction site to working his way through community college as a real estate agent in Stratford, the 24-year-old Bridgeport resident exuded a work ethic.

But what if that persistence was also a vice?

Leigh-James, was sentenced Friday to 10 years behind bars and five years of supervised release, according to a statement released by United States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly.

According to the prosecutor and police, Leigh-James work ethic went into cultivating connections to sell some of the purest methamphetamine in Connecticut.

Leigh-James had stared down the barrel of a possible life sentence, but took a plea deal in June.

While excessive, the 120-month sentence was sadly the mandatory minimum sentence that Judge (Steafan) Underhill had no legal authority to reduce, said Frank Riccio, Leigh-James attorney.

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Without specifying whether Leigh-James was a chemist producing the meth or just a middleman connected to a real-world Heisenberg of Breaking Bad proportions, police said, he told an undercover cop that he could get as much meth as the agent wanted.

Leigh-James wholesaled about $11,600 worth of methamphetamine in two separate deals, according to the Department of Justice.

He was arrested in October of last year on multiple charges of drug dealing and possession of stolen and/or unregistered firearms, according to the U.S. Attorney.

Police said that when they found him, he was exiting the Housatonic Community College with a loaded gun in his waistband and drugs in his school bag. Agents said they found a loaded .44 magnum revolver, and a loaded .380 handgun that had been reported stolen in Stratford.

When all this happened, I was in shock, his mother said in a defense-attorneys interview. Hes a humble person. He goes to church, she said, describing him as quiet, mild, and respectful, according to a pre-sentencing document.

In the case prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy C. Brown, Leigh-James pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute and sales of meth, as well as one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The prosecutor complained in her sentencing memo that he had never fully expressed regret.

Its Leigh-James first criminal conviction, but he is also facing drug and gun charges from a previous arrest in a case that hasnt gone to trial.

When Leigh-James got taken down in front of Housatonic, he was on bond for separate drug and weapons charges. He had been arrested, allegedly with oxycodone he planned to sell, and another loaded gun.

His lawyer said Leigh-James plans to clean up his act.

My client, college educated with his real estate license, intends on improving his own life through continued vocational training, Riccio said. Though disappointed with the result, he continues to have the full support of his family.
Police believe that a man who set a Muslim woman's blouse on fire on Saturday may have attacked at least three other women that night, and that he isn't acting alone.

After a 35-year-old Muslim woman's blouse was set ablaze on Saturday night, the NYPD launched a Hate Crimes Task Force investigation. According to cops, Nemariq Alhinai was approached by five peoplethree men and two womenoutside of the Valentino boutique at 693 Fifth Avenue around 8:58 p.m. Alhinai claims she "felt something warm on her left arm" and realized the left sleeve of her blouse was on fire. As she patted down the fire, she noticed a man standing next to her holding a lighter in his hand.

Police released surveillance footage of the suspect, who was seen wearing a black shirt and black pants at the time of the attack outside Tiffany & Co. Near the end of the video, another man in a white T-shirt can be seen.

On Wednesday, an NYPD spokesperson told Gothamist that the Hate Crimes Task Force was "still looking into it, but it looks like it may not be bias-related." According to cops, there were four additional incidents on the same night.

Earlier at, 8;45 p.m., the group approached a woman outside 727 Fifth Avenue, and a male in a white t-shirt held a lighter near her leg. The group then continued south on Ffith Avenue.



(via NYPD)

At approximately 8:00 p.m., a teenage girl and her mother were walking together when a "male with a group of others" approached the pair and attempted to set the girl's shirt on fire before being chased away by her mother. The alleged attack occurred in front of 127 West 42nd Street.

Then, at approximately 8:59 p.m., a female victim claims her skirt was set on fire by a group that passed by at the intersection of 5th Avenue and East 54th Street.

Around 10:00 p.m., two women said they were approached by a man on the D/F platform at Bryant Park. Both women allegedly "had a flame placed near their respective arms," but neither was injured. The assailant, who was described by victims as approximately 6'0" tall and wearing a white t-shirt and headphones, fit the description of the attacker in the other incidents. According to the victims, he and a group of others fled as the women boarded a Queens-bound F train.

Photos released by the NYPD show one man and three other women, one of whom seems to be carrying a black duffel bag, with the attackers. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information in regards to the above incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.
MALTA  A member of the State Police faces two charges after a domestic incident while he was off duty, State Police said Friday.

Edward Dandaraw, 47, of Ballston Spa is charged with third-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal mischief, police said. Police said Dandaraw forcefully removed a phone from the victim's hand, causing bruising in late August. Dandaraw then reportedly damaged the phone.
ALBANY  New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, in a letter sent Friday, asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to postpone the completion of General Electric's $1.6 billion cleanup of the upper Hudson River until further tests can confirm that dredging has sufficiently removed hazardous PCBs from the riverbed.

The letter from Schneiderman's office to Judith Enck, regional administrator of the EPA, said the agency has not proved whether dredging is working. Therefore, a "certificate of completion" to GE, which Scheiderman's office said EPA is considering issuing now, must be postponed until the EPA determines how much pollution remains in the river and when or if people can safely eat the river's fish from the Hudson again.

Additionally, the letter also asked the EPA to undertake fish consumption surveys in humans to determine the present and future exposure from eating Hudson River fish. The survey should span the river from Hudson Falls to the southern tip of New York City. Finally, Scheiderman's office asked for EPA to define in writing the scope and objective of the EPA's five-year review and clarify the role of the members of the review team. The letter stressed the importance of the review because once the "certificate of completion" is issued, the EPA will "have limited recourse against GE" in the future.

Letter from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office to EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck

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EPA confirmed receipt of the letter Saturday. Mary Mears, an agency spokesperson, said that EPA will consider Scheiderman's points as part of the agency's review assessment of the project, which is set to be completed in April 2017. However, she said that the EPA would not be ready to send a "certificate of completion" until the habitat restoration work (being conducted this year) and decommissioning of the treatment facility are done. She said the EPA would also wait to receive a final report from GE, which will not arrive to the EPA before the final review is complete in April.

In a statement, GE said that the EPA has already declared the project a success and that no additional dredging would be necessary.

"Since the completion of dredging in October, the PCB levels in the Upper Hudson have already shown significant declines ... and we're confident that the assessment will show the dredging project achieved the agency's goals of protecting public health and the environment."

Last fall, GE announced the end of its six-year Hudson River PCB dredging project, saying the company has met the state's "every obligation."

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, which pose a threat to human health and the environment, seeped into the Hudson River from GE's Washington County capacitor plants for decades. Dredging to remove sediment contaminated by PCBs began in 2009 in Fort Edward and continued south to Troy, and was wrapped up in October 2015.

Though dredging is completed, Schneiderman said that these additional tests are necessary to take in order to ensure that PCB removal project "is fully protective of human health and the environment."

Read an in-depth Times Union report about GE's PCB pollution by Brendan Lyons here
A presidential tribute paying homage to the storied careers of Barry Baker and Neville Britto highlighted the September Delta College Board of Trustees meeting.

After observing a moment of silence, Delta College President Jean Goodnow read tributes of Baker and Britto, two longtime Delta employees who passed away just as the colleges 2016-2017 academic year was getting underway.

Baker, who served as general manager of public broadcasting and executive director of communication technology, from 1997 until his retirement last year, was buried on Sept. 1. It would have marked his 68th birthday. Goodnow told trustees that early in Bakers career, he worked at Southern Illinois University, where he met his future wife, Sherri. By 1974, Baker was directing production and operations at New Hampshire Public Television.

For those of you who knew Barry, you knew the great passion he carried for public broadcasting, which he made his lifes career, Goodnow said. Many of us are at a huge loss after learning of the tragic passing of two longtime employees and close friends, Barry Baker and Neville Britto.

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Prior to coming to Delta in 1997, Baker helped launch KSMQ, a public television station in Austin, Minnesota. At Delta, he led the school into the digital age, meeting a 2003 federal mandate to convert WDCQ-TV from analog to digital.

The $8 million effort included an aggressive capital campaign for the equipment necessary to accomplish that goal, Goodnow said. Delta was one of the first television stations in the state to broadcast a digital signal and it remains the only PBS station in Michigan to carry four different program services.

Under Bakers leadership, Q-TV received more than 40 state and national awards for broadcasting excellence, many for the production of local documentaries, Goodnow noted.

Barry felt programming was more than simply purchasing national programs from PBS, which is why he had a strong belief in offering local productions that involved and engaged the community, she said.

Goodnow went on to tell trustees that she was honored that both Baker (song) and Britto (inspirational comments) participated in her presidential inauguration, back in 2005.

Britto, a native of Pallavaram, India, immigrated to the United States in 1964 and became a citizen in 1967. He then obtained a Master of Arts degree in education from the University of Michigan in 1971. In 1974, Britto married Leatha Theresa Herd, a widowed, passionate community activist and educator. The newlyweds began a family that included seven children from her previous marriage, Goodnow said.

His wonderful life was marked by an intense love for his wife and dedication to his family, students and community, she said. He was also a tireless champion of diversity and social justice. Personally, I will never forget his beautiful smile, his genuine concern, and his calm and collected manner.

Brittos career in education spanned more than 50 years. He began at Delta as professor of English in 1980 and went on to win numerous awards and honors. He twice won Deltas highest teaching honor, the Bergstein Award for Teaching Excellence. He also captured the League for Innovations Innovator of the Year award and Deltas Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award, among other honors.

Neville was a very caring and thoughtful teacher and author, and he truly loved Delta College, his students and the work that he was called to do, Goodnow said. He was currently serving on several boards of nonprofit organizations throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region. His commitment to service, to those in need and the general well-being of the community will always be remembered.

Brittos beloved wife, Leatha, passed away on Aug. 3. Britto, Goodnow said, spent much of his spare time caring for his ailing wife as she battled various health issues.

Goodnow alluded to Brittos book, Building Rainbows in My Life  The Best of E Pluribus Unum. It celebrates diversity and was often used in secondary and post-secondary settings.

The differences we have are priceless, and we need to continue to respect all those who have other differences, he wrote.

Baker and Brittos resolutions have been signed by each of Deltas Board members and will be sent by Goodnow to the respective families of the deceased.
HURON COUNTY  Gemini Group has received a $700,000 grant that will help create 85 jobs over three years.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) awarded the grant, which will contribute to a $48 million expansion to construct a new logistics center in Bingham Township.

The Bad Axe-based company plans to add more production lines in Huron County, as the new 200-square-foot warehouse facility will allow for more space at its manufacturing centers located in the Bad Axe and Ubly areas.

With its investment and operational expansion, Gemini is strategically positioned to efficiently manufacture and distribute its engineered plastic and metal products throughout the U.S. and Mexico, said Tyler Rossmaessler of the MEDC.

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-Harrison Township) said in a press release that she applauded the grant, calling it a welcome economic boon for Huron County and the state of Michigan.

Gemini Groups investment demonstrates its commitment to the Thumb region, Rossmaessler said, and underscores the advantage of locating in Michigan, the center of the global automotive industry where more than three-quarters of all auto-related research is conducted, and 63 of the top auto suppliers call home.

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Attracting and retaining a high-caliber manufacturing business such as Gemini requires successful collaboration among governmental units and a strong focus on creating a business-friendly environment that fosters job creation and private investment, Rossmaessler said.

Bingham Township recently awarded a tax abatement for the new building.

This grant is not related to a request for grant funding by the Huron County Economic Development Corp. for a new road to connect the warehouse to M-19, which the Ubly Village Council recently refused to back.

Village Trustee Susan Schrader told the Tribune that to her knowledge, the road grant application was not submitted.
NEW CANAAN  From the dining room window of Patty Kekedjians Lukes Wood Road home, the main parking lot of Grace Church is just visible in the daylight through a cluster of trees. But at night, Kekedjian said, headlights from cars exiting the facility shine toward her home and into the windows of her teenage childrens bedrooms.

She and many other homeowners whose properties surround the 80-acre parcel of land that is Grace Farms have made similar complaints in regard to light and sound pollution, traffic and, most notably, the range of uses at the facility since it opened to the public last October.

After the Planning and Zoning Commission asked in May that Town Planner Steve Kleppin investigate the concerns of neighbors, Kleppin

recommended the com mission revisit the terms of Grace Farms 2013 special permit, which, to Kleppins understanding, allowed for a church with ancillary uses.

Among the issues represented by Kleppin in a letter to Sharon Prince, president of the Grace Farms Foundation, were for-profit activities, such as tai-chi and cooking classes, the hosting of community events, like a Memorial Day Barbeque and Winter Outing that, Kleppin wrote, while not expressly prohibited, are not indicated as permissible either, and use as a multi-organizational conference center.

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In the lead-up to an October Planning and Zoning meeting that will address Grace Farms permitting, the debate around Grace Farms continues to swirl, with many rushing to defend what they see as a major asset to the town, and others hoping to scale back ancillary uses deemed inappropriate for a religious institution.

Grace Farms issued this statement: Grace Farms Foundation is confident that we are operating within the scope of the special permit and we look forward to addressing questions at the Planning and Zoning hearing in October.

Despite the issue of lighting and early problems during construction with builders, in which trucks were parked in and around her driveway, Kekedjian is not overly critical of Grace Farms, which is home to the nonprofit Grace Farms Foundation and accommodates the nondenominational Grace Church, which holds services on site every Sunday.

She has been encouraged of late by the reconciliatory efforts of Sharon Prince, president of the Grace Farms Foundation.

Sharon agreed to meet with my husband recently to discuss some of our issues. Theyve definitely worked with us on some of our complaints, Kekedjian said.

For example, more trees are in the process of being planted, according to a representative of the foundation, to better obstruct neighbors from light and sound coming from Grace.

Other neighbors, too, noted a willingness on the part of Grace Farms to cooperate. A Lewisboro man, who wished to remain anonymous, said when he reached out to Grace Farms about an eerie chiming sculpture audible from his property, they agreed without hassle to lower the volume.

Still, detractors remain ardent in their opposition.

At the end of July, Pound Ridge, N.Y., Town Supervisor Richard Lyman authored a letter to the Planning and Zoning Commission decrying the lack of input sought from neighboring New York during the ongoing Grace Farm debate. He stated a continued concern about Grace Farms impact on traffic, though he acknowledged only having received one such complaint in the time since it opened to the public.

Kleppin, too, commended Grace Farms negligible impact on traffic in a June letter addressed to Prince. Interestingly, we have not heard to date about complaints related to traffic since the site has opened, Kleppin wrote.

Lyman, however, especially took issue with the performances hosted in the 700-seat amphitheater, known as the Sanctuary, and the function of the cafeteria.

A recurring recommendation I hear is that you must really go to Grace Farms for lunch, it is terrific which seems a rather upscale if not perverted twist on the proverbial church basement soup kitchen. Thank you, Ill pass, Lyman wrote.

Similarly, a Pound Ridge neighbor who wished not to be named, said she worried about Grace Farms exploded mission creep, and called it a blight on the community.

Some New York neighbors also wondered whether their tax dollars were being used to pay a New York state cop that patrols Lukes Wood Road every Sunday, though Grace Farms said it covers expenses for New York and New Canaan police officers on Sunday mornings.

Donald Bissonnette, who, along with his wife and eight Smith Ridge Road neighbors, sent two letters to Planning and Zoning in June listing their grievances, said his primary problem with Grace Farms is damage to wetlands on the property of his daughter  who lives next door  allegedly done during construction.

My daughter lives next door and shes the one thats impacted quite a bit, Bissonnette said during a phone call. I dont like to look at my backyard and see the way her pond looks.

Accusations have also been made, most notably by Lyman in his letter to Planning and Zoning, that Grace Farms deceived the commission when originally applying for the special permit by downplaying the wide-ranging programs that would ultimately take center stage. Kleppin, to that point, wrote in his letter that he believed the commission in 2013 thought they were approving a Church but with a more defined and perhaps more robust outreach program through the Foundation.

He referenced a chart of programming presented by Grace Farms at that time that proposed church activities outnumbering foundational activities three-to- one. Based on his investigation this summer, Kleppin said that ratio is closer to one-to-one.

Town Councilman and local real estate agent John Engel, however, said that in terms of continuing to draw people to New Canaan, programming like that offered at a one-of-a-kind facility like Grace Farms is hugely important to the town.

I do not believe they misled Planning and Zoning. I do think theyve evolved from what they thought they were going to be, so I think its fair to review the permit. But Grace Farms is an incredible asset, and I think weve just barely scratched the surface on what its going to do for this town, Engel said.

For Kekedjian, as for others, a more clearly defined description as to what exactly Grace Farms is going to do for the town would go a long way to ease tensions.

I think people are just wondering whats next, Kekedjian said.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1
In case somehow you hadn't heard, actor, comedian and karaoke enthusiast Bill Murray was bartending in Greenpoint last night at his son's forthcoming bar 21 Greenpoint.

Usually one to materialize out of the mist, Murray's planned appearance drew a crowd of hundreds of hopefuls who circled the dead end block at the end of Greenpoint Avenue on the off chance they'd be let in to the private event. Hamilton was an easy score by comparison.

Viviane Massari and Brandon C came decked out in t-shirts emblazoned with Murray's face, hoping they might stand out from the crowd. "I figure if Bill sees our shirts he'll tell us to come in," Brandon mused.

News vans, the NYPD and even a party bus rolled up before the event was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Murray himself didn't make an appearance 'til after 8 p.m. but immediately jumped behind the bar and got to work. A new playlist seemed to accompany him, chock full of the Rolling Stones, The Faces and Pink Floyd. Offered a glass of tequila from a pink plastic cup, Murray demurred. "I've already done four shots," he said apologetically. He'd been in the room less than five minutes.

Murray gamely posed for photoshe had little choice with dozens of phones and cameras in his faceand a quartet of dudes in FDNY gear ended up behind the bar at one point, to the cheers of the crowd. Shots were by far the most popular order amongst the intimate group of under 100 people; only one douche could be heard loudly ordering a Japanese whiskey.

The space itself hasn't changed all that much from its previous incarnation as River Styx, but obviously the food and drink are completely new. Bar Director Sean McClure shared the bar space with Murray last night, shaking and stirring up his signature cocktails like the mezcal twist in the Oaxacan Old Fashioned and the tropical 6'7'8' Bunch served in a hurricane glass.

Sean Telo, previously at Extra Fancy, was also behind the line turning out bite-sized versions of his new dinner menu. Of note, the uni butter-slathered house-made rye bread; ugly vegetables also with a whipped butter; and salmon pastrami around creamy sauce gribiche topped with orbs of salmon roe.

The full restaurant will rollout on Wednesday, most likely with a lot less fanfare than these well-publicized, if private, press events. Murray should be back behind the pine this evening for round two, but don't expect any better results should you not be on the list. Publicists for the event told us that of the hundreds who showed up, only four plebs were permitted entry. "They'd been here since 3 p.m.," they said with a shrug. Sometimes, persistence pays off.
In an effort to become a Tier One institution, University of Texas at San Antonio is repositioning its programs to strengthen its role as a research institution, officials said.

As such, the center formerly known as La Plaza de Lectura will be launched today as the Center for the Inquiry of Transformative Literacies. While it will continue its work improving child literacy through tutoring and instructional training, the center will also focus on data collection and revamping its research team.

As a research center we can funnel our resources not only into serving children, which we will continue to do, but disseminating our research that is helpful to parents and children, said Misty Sailors, director of the center.

She said the center at the downtown campus Buena Vista building will continue to offer after-school tutoring, summer reading and writing camps as well as camps at local libraries, as it has done in previous years.

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The centers launch at 1 p.m. will be attended by UTSA President Ricardo Romo, UTSA faculty and members of the United States Agency for International Development.

USAID, a government agency dedicated to foreign aid, has partnered with UTSA since 2005, when it collaborated with the universitys work to publish books for teachers and children in South Africa and Malawi, Sailors said. On Saturday, USAID representatives will be demonstrating BLOOM, a software that helps users create their own childrens books.

Sailors said she hopes the software will spark conversation about childrens literacy from a global and local perspective.

We have to be aware of cultural and linguistic issues when we handle kids, she said. A book from San Antonio cannot be imported into a country like Nigeria. If theyre an English-speaking country doesnt mean books transfer that easily. And when kids get books that dont map onto their world, its harder for the m to comprehend what theyre reading.

Margo DelliCarpini, the dean of the College of Education and Human Development, said their tutoring practices will help further their research, and vice versa.

She said shes looking forward to having more faculty and more undergraduates and graduate research students engage in really looking at and examining practices and policies, and seeing how those things combine to create an environment for literacy development.

As the institution is growing and changing, all of the unites within it have to grow and change to achieve its goal, said Sailors. We are an emerging research institution, and our goal is to become Tier One. So if thats going to happen, everything and everyone has to be committed to that goal and that vision.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net
EDINBURG  Border Patrol agents found 52 immigrants crammed into a stash house in deplorabe conditions, U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley said Wednesday.

Border agents, joined by Edinburg police among other law enforcement, first observed suspicious activity at a home in Edinburg.

Once at the residence, authorities searched the home and found 57 people in the house, including 52 immigrants from several countries, and five others identified as caretakers and smugglers, according to the agency. The five suspected smugglers were arrested Wednesday.

The immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua were taken to a Border Patrol station in Weslaco to be processed, and the five Mexican smugglers were referred to the Rio Grande Valley Sector Prosecutions Office where they will face smuggling charges.

In a separate incident a week ago, border agents in Falfurrias rescued a lost immigrant suffering from dehydration. The Salvadoran man contacted his sister using WhatsApp.

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The woman contacted a Human Rights Coalition representative who then contacted the South Texas Human Rights Center. Using the information sent by the Salvadoran man, border agents were able to locate him.

Since October, the start of the fiscal year, border agents in the Rio Grande Valley have witnessed an 88 percent increase in immigrant rescues to almost 1,300 compared to the same period a year ago.

The Missing Migrant Initiative is a proactive program currently being developed throughout the South Texas Corridor. The main goal of this initiative is to adopt and establish preventative procedures in order to preserve human life.

anelsen@express-news.net

Twitter: @amnelsen
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An energetic crowd packed Pearl Stable on Friday night to wish hometown political stars Joaquin and Julian Castro a happy 42nd birthday.

Just 15 minutes into the nights festivities, most spots at the 20 tables, both standing cocktail and sit-down, were taken. People streamed in to the banquet hall, clutching red, white and blue poster-sized Happy Birthday cards complete with a cartoon illustration of the twins. In the bottom right-hand corner written in red, Paid for by Castro for Congress.

The eight-member band, the SanAntunes, kept the crowd swaying in their spots, alternating between Spanish and English hits. On the menu: elote en capa and a mini crispy taco station.

About an hour later, Pete Gallego, candidate for U.S. representative in District 23, took the stage to introduce the brothers and their families.

You know what, theyre not done yet, Gallego said to cheers after he listed their career highlights. They are still very young and we will see great things.

The brothers, coincidentally dressed alike in dark suits and ties with black shoes (unplanned, Julian later insisted), thanked their families, friends and the city for support.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D- San Antonio, joked that his brother Julian, the housing secretary, wouldnt have a job come January. He also credited his work as former mayor of the city for raising San Antonios national profile.

Elected officials milled around with longtime friends and supporters of the Castros and their mother Rosie. State Rep. Diego Bernal has known the twins since he was a 10-year-old sixth grader at Tafolla Middle School, when Joaquin and Julian were in eighth grade. He said even back then, the two were partners.

They were the same: quiet, thoughtful, very focused, he said. Bernal was on City Council when Julian served as mayor of the city.

After their joint speech, which included a reminder to vote not only for Gallego but for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, a mariachi band came in to serenade them with a rousing Happy Birthday rendition. A four-tier white birthday cake with an American flag design was then wheeled out on stage. After blowing out the candles, the twins took to the photo booth with a Texas flag background to take photos with the lengthy line of partygoers.

frahman@express-news.net
An official from the Mexican state of Tamaulipas said Friday only five people were kidnapped this week from a bus outside of Nuevo Laredo, a city on the border with Texas.

The comments to reporters by Tamaulipas Secretary of State Herminio Garza contradicted earlier statements by officials in the state of Coahuila,which also borders Texas, and continued to raise questions about where the kidnapping took place and whose responsibility it is to investigate.
The Valero Energy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Valero Energy Corp., distributed $2.9 million in grants to more than 100 San Antonio-area childrens charities on Friday morning . The companys PGA Tour event in April raised a record $10.5 million, funding that is being distributed across the nation in cities where Valero has business operations.

mstoeltje@express-news.net
Starting Monday, smoking in public places will be prohibited in Universal City.

Universal City becomes the 50th city in Texas  and the first in the Metrocom  to become 100 percent smoke-free in all public places. The city council originally approved the measure in mid-April, and the measure takes effect on Monday, Sept. 19. The city of San Antonio is already established as a smoke-free city.

Kim Turner, Universal City assistant city manager, said the ordinance culminates months of planning and discussion.

We did a random smoking survey. We took a business list, divided it up among eight or nine people  and ended up contacting 41 offices, bars, cocktail lounges, restaurants and offices, Turner said. Only five of them still allowed for indoor smoking, and two of those were bars.

Of the 41 businesses contacted, 12 were restaurants and none of them allowed for smoking indoors, she added.

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The ordinance allows business owners to provide a designated outdoor smoking area for employees or customers to light up. She said the city has asked businesses to provide no smoking signs, and to refrain from putting out common smoking items such as ash trays, matches, lighters and other smoking-affiliated products.

Enforcement, first and foremost, falls on the businesses and their management.

City council wanted to make everyone responsible  but first and foremost, responsibility (for enforcement) falls on the business manager and owner, its up to them to inform (customers), Turner said. If it continues to be a problem  could end up seeing people notifying health officials, code compliance officers, or police. It doesnt matter who, though, because we will follow up on it.

The ordinance instructs owners/managers to advise a person who violates (the ordinance) that smoking is not allowed, and request a person remove themselves from the establishment after that person has been advised that smoking is not allowed, (but) willfully continues to smoke.

The no-smoking regulation does not apply to personal vehicles or any private residence, unless it is also used as a child day care, adult day care or household care facility.

Many business owners or managers contacted in the survey told us there is absolutely no smoking on their property, anywhere, already, she said, adding, For the most part, I believe our businesses are ready for this.

The city has put the word to the public through social media and its own civic outreach. The public smoking ban has been published in several issues of the citys newsletter, Gateway, as well as on several Facebook sites and on the citys website. As the city performs inspections at bars and restaurants, city officials make sure the business owners and managers are aware of the ban.

The bars have done an exceptional job of coming into compliance. Many of the already had an outdoor smoking area, Turner said. Those that (dont) are in the process of creating or constructing an outdoor area. We have found them to be very accommodating.

City Council was very very clear, any smoking area had to be at least 15 feet from the main entrance, Turner said. Areas to the rear or off to a side, far far from the main entrance, are fine. And thats what we found  places that have smoking areas, they are generally behind the building, not even close to the entrances.

Turner did not have information on how many business owners expressed concerns that the ban might chase away customers.

Whether it is going to have an impact on people who go elsewhere, because they want to smoke inside, that has yet to be seen, she said. While someone might not want to go to a place that does not allow them to smoke inside, they may find that they may receive a new clientele that never came before, because of the indoor smoking.

jflinn@express-news.net
A 19-year-old Iowa man who filmed himself molesting a baby girl two years ago plead guilty to engaging in a lascivious act with a child Monday and was given a sentence that could keep the teen out of prison, according to media reports.

Kraigen Grooms, 19, received a 10-year suspended sentence and five years of supervised release after federal agents said he filmed himself raping a 12-month to 18-month-old girl in 2014 and put the footage on an underground pornography website, KTVO reported Tuesday. But an Iowa prosecutor told the Associated Press that Grooms did not actually rape or cause any physical harm to the child.
A diagnosis of pneumonia really should prompt you to take at least one sick day.

One, at the very least, especially if youre dehydrated.

One day to gird yourself with old sweats and a blanket so as to easily drift in and out of consciousness while Netflix and the antibiotics do their jobs.

One day for a loved one to call and insist you tell them what they can bring you, one who knows when its best to just hang up when it becomes clear all you really want is for the pounding in your head to stop.

One day for your co-workers to enthusiastically cover for you the way you would enthusiastically cover for them so that you can let the world just go on revolving without you because, when you are mentally foggy, sniffling, off-balance and generally a lesser version of yourself, things can slip through the cracks.

But what if taking a sick day is something you just cant afford?

There are those who dont eat when they dont get paid because they didnt show up to work. A very tight budget doesnt leave wiggle room for pneumonia. Or perhaps it makes more sense to save that sick day to care for a feverish kid sent home from school. This isnt limited to monetary compensation, either: A candidate who cancels might not get the vote.

There are those who dont have a support system to help out when pneumonia strikes; they still have to care for loved ones who are too young or too old to care for themselves. Pneumonia or not, there are those who have to show up by 6 a.m.  or 6 p.m.  or else.

Or else the bus zooms past. Or the day care imposes a fine. Or someone else gets the assignment. Or else the entire day is complicated and delayed for a lot of people who also happen to have pneumonia.

Or someone else becomes the newsmaker of the day.

Then there are those who cant slow down because calling in sick makes them look weak.

It can make them appear to be not strong enough to deal with the challenges their contemporaries  or rivals  can handle. In some work environments  such as those in which one has spent a lifetime laying groundwork for position  thats some serious risk.

And getting sick puts a focus on ones age or general health, and that can sting. Most millennials can bounce back from pneumonia fairly quickly, but it takes a minute more when youre, say, 68.

Yet, there are those who dont call in sick because they are so driven, so addicted to whatever it is that they do that they dont care if they feel terrible as long as theyre still working toward the goal, beating the other guy, getting the kudos, winning the battles. The high they get when they are doing their thing and doing it well makes them forget how crummy they feel.

Until they get dehydrated and lose their balance.

Its not surprising that Hillary Clinton pushed through  especially at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony two days after being diagnosed with pneumonia  until a bunch of guys in suits had to hold her up, put her in a van, and take her to Chelseas so she could take a power nap.

She pushed it, something a lot of Americans do, every day. And at the end of the day, they slam some NyQuil, elevate their swimmy heads and make a mental note of tomorrows to-do list  because they have to keep going.

Love her or hate her, shes committed.

Frailty, thy name is not Hillary.

mariaanglin@yahoo.com
If Julian Assange plays this right, he just might score an invitation to CPAC next year.

The notorious WikiLeaks founder would have to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference remotely because he is still holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, avoiding a rape investigation in Sweden and fearing extradition to the United States for his malicious exposure of state secrets. But, surely, the details could be worked out.

Assange is now treated as a respectable figure by some elements of the right because he detests Hillary Clinton and promises to torpedo her campaign with new email exposures. Never mind that he has done everything within his power to damage the interests of the United States, in league with his quasi-ally, Vladimir Putins Russia. Rarely has strange new respect been stranger.

Its like conservatives embracing Kim Philby, the infamous British double agent who defected to the Soviet Union in the 1960s, if he promised to produce damaging information about Lyndon Johnson before the 1964 election. Or welcoming Philip Agee, the anti-CIA activist from the 1970s who was allied with Russian and Cuban intelligence, if he demonstrated enough hostility to Jimmy Carter.

The enemy of my enemy can still be a reprehensible creep, and thats what Assange is.

But Sean Hannity of Fox News has a newfound soft spot for the accused rapist and scourge of America. A couple of years ago, Hannity tore into the Obama administration for not doing more to capture Assange, and sympathized with the contention that Assange was the equivalent of a terrorist. Now, the host says he was conflicted about Assange, and he had qualms about his work only because I believe in privacy.

This makes it sound as though WikiLeaks published a Hulk Hogan sex tape. Instead, Assange dumped what the Defense Department called the largest leak of classified documents in its history.

Hannity was once outraged that the leaks potentially endangered U.S. allies in Afghanistan, but today hails Assange for exposing how corrupt, dishonest and phony our government is. The fugitive himself puts his agenda in more starkly anti-American terms. He has a poisonous, Chomskyite view of the United States as a dastardly empire, bending the world to its will and persecuting brave dissidents like none other than Julian Assange.

When he started out, Assange was committed to exposing the worlds genuinely pernicious states. He said he was going to criticize highly oppressive regimes in China, Russia and Central Eurasia, and warned a newspaper in Moscow of the damaging information he had acquired about Russia.

Assange is no longer in that line of work. He has fallen into the arms of Vladimir Putin as the activist pursues his vendetta against the United States and its former secretary of state, whom Putin despises for condemning the conduct of Russias 2011 parliamentary elections. Assange told the Times he doesnt go out of his way to castigate a Russian government that kills journalists because to do so is boring.

Interfering in a U.S. election is more interesting. U.S. officials believe Russia was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee that WikiLeaks used to such effect around the time of the Democratic convention. The promised additional WikiLeaks exposures may well be the Russians handiwork, too.

It is Hillarys own fault that she is vulnerable to the likes of Assange. Her secrecy, corrupt practices and dishonesty make her a target. Yet there is a world of difference between Judicial Watch head Tom Fitton, who has done much through litigation in U.S. courts to expose Clinton, and Assange, an America-hater whose work is likely enabled by Russian intelligence.

There was a time when everyone saw the distinction, but that was before this year of strange, loathsome bedfellows.
One of the lasting and harmful consequences of the era of mass incarceration is the large number of our neighbors returning from jails and prisons with a permanent felony record  an estimated 7,000 per year in Bexar County alone.

Many observers have rightly questioned the morality and the efficacy of the War on Drugs and other tough-on-crime policies primarily waged in poor communities of color, but not enough attention is given to the challenge of reintegrating our returning neighbors who have already paid their debt to society.

Tough-on-crime policies extend well beyond harsh sentencing. There is a series of invisible sanctions we impose after the official sentence is met. People with felony records, especially drug-related cases, are legally discriminated against when seeking jobs, public housing, food assistance and student loans, not to mention voting and jury duty. One of the most harmful of these sanctions may be the discrimination of employment because a stable job with a living wage is a critical factor in keeping former convicts from relapsing into the criminal justice system.

The Nehemiah Reentry Project hosted its 3rd annual community forum on July 30, at the Barbara Jordan Community Center on the East Side. Leaders from congregations and community organizations met with dozens of returning neighbors and their family members in an effort to ease their reentry after serving a sentence. I met a former nurse who talked about his obstacles to getting a job. I am in a Catch-22 situation, he said; On one hand there are so-called felon-friendly employers who wont hire me because my previous nursing career makes me overqualified, and on the other hand, I dont get past the background check for a professional job.

Imagine filling out a job application that asks you to check the box if you are married or have children. Or check the box that best describes your sexual orientation. Or even check the box if you have physical disabilities of any kind. No, we cannot imagine it because we have made that illegal. Our policies reflect our conviction that it is wrong to determine a candidates ability to do a job based on those criteria.

The Nehemiah Reentry Project leaders believe that it is also wrong to severely and permanently curtail opportunities for someone who has been convicted of a felony, without regard for the type of crime, how long ago it happened, or any extenuating circumstances.

In a recent study, researchers tracked 88,000 people arrested in 1980 for the following 25 years. They compared the results with citizens of the same age who had never been previously arrested and found that there is a period of time after which an ex-offender should be considered redeemed. The probability that someone would re-offend based on offense type and age is known as the hazard rate. The hazard rate for 18-year-olds arrested for burglary declined to that of the general population in 3.8 years; for aggravated assault in 4.3 years; and for robbery 7.7 years.

After a relatively short time, some ex-offenders are no more likely to commit a crime than any of us, but they are labeled for the rest of their lives.

That is why civil rights groups and advocates for formerly incarcerated individuals promote fair-chance hiring through a Ban the Box campaign. This national effort encourages employers to remove from their job applications the box that applicants must check if they have ever been convicted of a crime. Checking the box essentially ends the chance of being considered for the job.

The federal government has banned the box from its job applications and so has Bexar County. In fact, the county has done much more; it opened the Bexar County Reentry Center in May and made numerous changes to the Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) with its East- and West-side field offices to accommodate the needs of returning citizens. The county is also coordinating numerous faith-based reentry initiatives.

Unfortunately, the city of San Antonio and the state of Texas continue to ask the question of all applicants for all their jobs. All private sector employers in this state are legally allowed to ask the question and most do.

Texas State Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, introduced a Ban the Box bill during the last legislative session. HB 548, which passed the House but died in the Senate, would have prevented state agencies from asking about ones criminal background until the interview stage, giving the applicant an opportunity to prove they are ready for the job.

An estimated 12 million Texans are directly affected by the criminal record question, which severely limits the pool of applicants.

In 2008, the city of Austin passed a resolution amending its employment applications to no longer require the disclosure of past criminal history during the initial job application process. And more recently, the Austin City Councils Economic Opportunity Committee introduced the fair chance hiring ordinance. If it passes, Austin will join seven states and 12 cities that have extended the Ban the Box requirement to private employers.

Cities and states that have banned the box stand on firm legal ground. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has policies that prohibit employers from discriminating solely on the basis of a criminal record. In January 2012, the EEOC announced that Pepsi Beverages agreed to pay $3.13 million based on a finding of reasonable cause that their criminal background check policy discriminated against African-American applicants. Pepsis former policy disproportionately excluded black applicants from employment based on arrests for certain minor offenses, even if they had never been convicted.

It is time for the San Antonio community to have a real conversation about the many obstacles we have placed in front of our neighbors returning from jails and prisons. It is in our best interest to promote their rehabilitation and reintegration as full members of the community. That means exploring real solutions such as affordable housing, public transportation, living wages and fair chance hiring policies. The city of San Antonio has begun raising its entry-level wages to $13 an hour, on its way to $15 an hour; promoting fair chance hiring policies should also be considered.

Through our community forums we have heard how people in our neighborhoods struggle with the consequences of a permanent criminal record. This stigma, which is borne disproportionately by poor people of color, dehumanizes them and leaves them and their families vulnerable.

We invite the community to join us in grappling with all these issues and to help us create an effective, broad-based institutional response to this crisis. We believe in redemption and forgiveness; it is time our policies reflect our beliefs.

Dr. Doshie Piper is a minister at True Vine Church, coordinator of the Nehemiah Reentry Project and a leader in the San Antonio Sponsoring Committee, a group implementing broad-based organizing strategy.
Last month the Department of Justice (DOJ) came to its senses and announced it would phase out its use of private prisons, citing inadequate services, safety, and savings. One week later, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it, too, would review its relationship with the private prison industry, and produce that review by November.

November cant come soon enough.

DHS contracts with private prison companies to operate three family detention centers that house women and children asylum seekers. Earlier this year, I visited the facility in Dilley owned and administered by Corrections Corporation of America. I was there to interview detainees in a case that exposes the grim conditions of these prisons and challenges the notion that innocent children should be incarcerated there  or anywhere  in the first place.

Their stories were harrowing. One woman  Ill call her Maria  was walking with a friend in their Honduran village when a gang member ordered them both to dye their hair in gang colors. Maria relented, but her friend refused, and days later she was scalped and bled to death. When the gang members returned to demand Marias 13 year-old son get a mohawk  the style worn by the gang itself  she packed their bags and headed north under cover of night.

Another woman  Ill call her Sofia  was asleep when a dozen armed, masked men broke into her home in the middle of the night to rob her. Throughout her ordeal, the attackers ordered Sofia and her two daughtersages 10 and 14into the corner of the living room. Sofia spent the entire time covering up the elder of the two for fear she would be raped. As they left, one of the attackers leaned in and whispered, flies dont go into a closed mouth  a threat of death should she report the robbery to the authorities. With nowhere else to turn, she and her daughters fled the only village theyd ever known.

Yet another woman  Alejandra  was interviewed by Telemundo about her detention. The footage reached her village in El Salvador, after which she received threats telling her that if she ever returned, she and her children would be murdered.

Such threats are not idle. Many asylum seekers deported to Central America are swiftly and summarily executed upon their return, some just outside the airport  hence the reason Im using pseudonyms.

The women with whom I spoke faced impossible choices: to hand themselves and their daughters over to be used by gang members; to allow their sons to be recruited as killers into gangs, or be killed by gangs themselves; or to leave home and risk the perilous journey north to avoid persecution. Their memories were fraught with fear and trembling, and they could not hold back their tears.

But as I listened to them, I was struck by the stoicism of their children, who had no tears to shed. It then occurred to me that anything that happens often enough, or for long enough, becomes ordinary, and all these children have ever known is violence, trauma, and tragedy. They do not yet know the difference between what is and what ought to be.

But we know the difference, and what we put them through on their arrival here is inexcusable.

The fact that the immigrant detention industry is a thing that exists is an abomination. The fact that companies and investors can profit from, encourage and expand it is worse. Government contracts with for-profit prisons establish an arrangement that creates perverse incentives to detain as many people as possible, for as long as possible, ostensibly all in the name of taxpayer savings that never came, and we know now never will come.

The women and children locked up in our private prisons are not serving criminal sentences and pose no violent threat. They are detained only because DHS wants a deterrent to dissuade others from seeking refuge in the U.S. But how can you deter a flight from certain death?

As a nation, we should be better than this. And hopefully, come November, we will be.

Edgar Saldivar is a senior staff attorney at ACLU of Texas.
Re: Paid sick leave will benefit all, Russell Wyatt III, Other Views, Sept. 2:

Russell Wyatt thinks government-mandated paid sick leave is good. He does, however, offer the caveat that government must be very cautious when telling businesses how to run their companies, and it is imperative that consequences to employer and employee be thoroughly examined to prevent harm. If mandated, it is likely that employers will adjust other compensation to cover the new benefit, whether lower salaries, reduced vacation time, or something else.

He states, Research shows that paid sick leave has not been a burden on the economy. In fact, it has motivated workers. If this is so valuable, why arent all businesses offering it voluntarily? Mr. Wyatt could prove his point by opening his own business to compete with those not offering paid sick leave. His employees would be motivated and he should be a success.

Mr. Wyatt does not address the fact that some people are more susceptible to illness and would need more sick leave while others would not use sick leave. Is it fair to the healthy people to have a benefit that does not fit their needs?

The last sentence in this commentary states, History has taught us that working together as a team always results in success. Government forcing businesses to comply with paid sick leave does not strike me as working together. Working together would mean employees and employers agreeing with each other on a plan that suits both sides.

Thomas Nichta lives in San Antonio.
Imagine a day when Uncle Sam takes nothing from your paycheck: no withholding for income taxes, none for Social Security taxes, none for Medicare taxes  nothing!

April 15 would be just another day on the calendar, rather than a deadline to file your income taxes. There wouldnt be an income tax.

That could happen if Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson and almost a hundred congressional co-sponsors have their way and a national consumption/sales tax is enacted.

The so-called fair tax has bounced around Congress for almost 20 years, gathering presidential-level support when Mike Huckabee ran on it in the 2008 campaign. Then, as now, it suffers from a couple of misconceptions.

The first is that consumer prices would rise by the amount of the tax. On the contrary, a $100 pair of shoes becoming a $128 pair of shoes (after the application of the 28 percent rate) is not how it would work.

After a period of adjustment, prices on average wouldnt rise at all. That $100 pair of shoes would still cost you $100. Of all the costs the average company incurs to produce a final good, 28 percent is estimated to be the cost of paying taxes. That gets passed along to us, the consumer. Its embedded in that $100 price tag. With the fair tax, income taxes, payroll taxes, estate taxes, the costs of compliance, etc., would be gone, replaced by one simple 28 percent rate paid at the register.

The second knock is that its regressive. Our current income tax code is progressive; the more you make, the higher marginal rate you pay. A sales tax applies to a product no matter who buys it. If a person making $10,000 a year buys a $100 television with a 28 percent tax applied (remember, $72 good plus $28 tax), the amount of tax he pays would be a higher percentage of his income than it would be for a person making $100,000 a year who buys the same good.

The mitigating factor here is that, by and large, its a voluntary tax; you dont buy anything, you dont pay taxes.

Another qualifying feature comes in the form of a prebate. This would be a disbursement by the Social Security Administration to family members who are lawful U.S. residents  based upon criteria related to family size and poverty guidelines.

For anyone concerned about losing the progressivity of the income tax, it is made up by the progressive nature of the prebate: almost $12,000 per year for adults and $4,000 for children. This is similar to another idea lately making the rounds on multiple ends of the political spectrum; a universal basic income. Based on current census figures for the U.S. population, expenditures from both would be in the trillions of dollars.

But would such prebates even be necessary?

For one, most Americans subject to state and local sales tax dont pay it on the food they buy to eat at home. Why not make single-ingredient, non-processed food exempt from a national sales tax? Additionally, here in Texas we have a sales tax holiday one weekend every August that applies to most clothes and school supplies. How about having one of those nationally every year for clothes, or maybe two to accommodate shopping for seasonal wardrobes? Thats something I imagine I would have taken advantage of when I was in college, living solely on less than $1,000 a month from two jobs.

Some prices would arguably settle lower than they were before. Food producers costs would go down due to the elimination of the taxes they pay. Plus, the rate Gov. Johnson is proposing is arguably too high. The same might even be said of the 23 percent rate in the congressional bill.

He claims it would be revenue-neutral. In a static sense, hes probably in the ballpark when you factor in the portion of our $18 trillion GDP that is consumer expenditures and that, Johnson says, his first budget will be 20 percent smaller than the previous budget.

However, when you consider all that now will not be taxed, and the fact that we live in a dynamic society and economy, its hard to see how the economy doesnt surge, which increases potential GDP. No more taxes on income. No more payroll taxes. No more taxes on investments. No more taxes at death.

All that money will not merely be stuffed under the proverbial mattress. It will be spent. It will be invested. It will be converted from a deadweight loss to productive endeavors.

The only real obstacles would be rent seekers and the Constitution.

A rent seeker is someone who seeks to convert what is referred to as consumer surplus into their own economic profit (the resources expended to do and pay taxes). This includes tax preparers, home builders, alternative energy, banks, auto companies  any sector that benefits from a feature in our current tax code, including these folks lobbyists.

These industries are populated by good and decent people. The tax professionals I know all realize that tax simplification could very well put them out of a job. But most of them also know the pros far outweigh the cons of doing so. One of them was quick to mention that hed just redirect his attention to state and local tax issues.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle is the need for constitutional action. Unless we want both our purchases and income taxed, the 16th Amendment would have to be repealed.

After previous efforts to tax income were rejected by the Supreme Court, a sufficient majority in Congress and in state legislatures enshrined this ability in the Constitution in 1913. This is probably one reason we hear more politicians propose a one-rate, no-deductions flat tax on income when talking of reform. That, and the fact that its more consistent with Adam Smiths recommendation that citizens ought to contribute  in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state.

Either route of simplification would be far superior to the system we have today. Regardless, its imperative that all options are seen clearly, without the fog of misinformation, demagoguery or envy.

Most people understand the need for some level of taxation. After all, wholl build the roads?

Christopher E. Baecker manages fixed assets for Pioneer Energy Services and is an adjunct lecturer at Northwest Vista College.
She didnt want to say she was sick.

Hillary Clinton, that is, who recently has suffered coughing fits followed Sunday by a near collapse during New Yorks 9/11 memorial ceremony. She left the ceremony early, claiming over-heatedness, and appeared to weave, lose her footing and pitch forward as she approached her car, as captured on a mobile phone video.

Later in the day, Clintons campaign announced that the Democratic candidate has pneumonia.

Most by now are familiar with the fallout  speculation about her health, concerns about her transparency in not reporting her illness sooner  all amid the furor over Clintons weird comment about half of Donald Trumps followers belonging in a basket of deplorables.

Say what?

Other than being one of the strangest combination of words ever uttered, where did Clinton come up with such verbiage? Heres the partial quote in question: You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trumps supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic  you name it.

Since when does she like to use such words, which dont sound at all like Clinton? Shes too studied and cautious to randomly toss out a phrase that, in addition to being offensive and inevitably problematic, has a somewhat poetic edge.

Perhaps, the phrase, certain to become a campaign metaphor for Uh-oh, evolved during a brainstorming session with folks who wouldnt dare censor their boss: Basket of deplorables, hilarious! OMG, you should use that! Clintons basket may as well have been delivered to Trump with a bottle of champagne and a bow.

Rather than harp on the popular trope that Clinton isnt physically strong enough to be president, Trump said he hopes she recovers soon so that they can meet in debate. About this, Trump didnt have to feign sincerity, figuring hell have a better shot at defeating Clinton than he would Joe Biden, Tim Kaine, or some other substitute. But mainly, he calculates  or has been instructed  that attacking a woman when shes literally down would get him nowhere.

Then again, its hardly necessary to point out Clintons physical frailties, temporary though they are, when the woman is so plainly suffering. Replay after replay shows the coughing fit and then the weave-and-bob of her 9/11 episode. Anchors and commentators hit auto-pundit to produce the question du jour: Can this woman handle the presidency? Please. This woman has a bad cold. She needs a rest. Shell be fine.

Another question arose, at least in many womens minds: Would anyone ask the same question about a man under similar circumstances? Heres the more pertinent question: Why do women feel they cant admit to being sick? You know the answer. Its because women fear showing any sign of weakness lest others presume the worst  that shes not as good as a man.

As the weaker sex, which is only true as concerns upper body muscle mass (about 40 percent less) and significantly less testosterone (hence less invading, marauding and pillaging), women tend to hide anything that might suggest weaker sex. This is absurd on its face, but it also happens to be true.

Thus, Clinton soldiered on, trying to keep to schedule despite feeling awful, and paid a high price for denial. Her silence about the pneumonia wasnt so much a lack of transparency, as news gazers have extrapolated, as it was a valiant attempt to stay the course and preclude exactly what happened. People began to wonder about her health. Critics found it easy to conclude: Shes weak; shes frail; shes a woman, after all.

When did it become a liability to be sick, which all of us are from time to time? For women, it began when they entered the male-dominated workplace en masse a generation ago and worked twice as hard to be as good as a man. This likely is why Clinton would rather suffer in silence than endure further scrutiny about her ability to serve  a deplorable reality deserving of its own basket.

kathleenparker@washpost.com
It would be the first veto override in President Obamas tenure, but it is whats needed for a measure that allows relatives of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia.

The president is expected to veto the legislation, citing disruption of a key alliance. Another fear is that this will open the door for lawsuits in other nations against the United States. There is, however, ample evidence that Saudi Arabia has not been the friend this and previous administrations have said it is. And this is a relationship that carries a price.
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is wrong about many things when it comes to the military. His recent comments on sexual assaults in the branches reveal that he is egregiously wrong about this as well.

This should be a matter of some note in Military City, USA.

In a recent televised forum designed to test the fitness for each of the candidates to be commander in chief, Trump fielded a question from a veteran whose daughter chose not to join the military because of sexual assaults in the ranks.

Trump, acknowledging a problem, suggested that he would set up a court system within the military.

Right now, the court system practically doesnt exist, he said.

But that military court system does indeed exist, administered under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The judges are military officers, as are the lawyers.

Later, he seemed to suggest that he would make the military justice system stronger and speed up prosecutions, which indicates that he belatedly got that there was indeed a military court system. However, one real solution for sexual assaults in the military lies not in reinventing this system, but in taking away commanders ability to subvert it.

Because of congressional inaction, commanders can decide whether cases will be prosecuted. The result, congressional testimony and this newspapers own 2013 series Twice Betrayed revealed, are victims unwilling to come forward for fear of retribution from commanders and others in the chain of command. Some victims were forced from the service after reporting the assault.

Trump gave no inkling that he understood this or that U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has been stymied from enacting legislation that would remove commanders from the process. Under her bill, trained military prosecutors would make these decisions. In a sense then, the solution lies in making the military court system more like the civilian system, not less.

But, this may not be Trumps biggest misunderstanding about the issue. Moderator Matt Lauer challenged Trump on a 2013 tweet on the issue.

Heres what Trump said in that tweet, 26,000 unreported sexual assaults in the military  only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?

Three years later, called out on the tweet, Trump committed revisionism in the extreme. While insisting he was correct in 2013, he said the solution isnt, however, to remove women from the military, though this mixing is what the tweet directly blames for the problem.

However, Janell Ross of the Washington Post discovered another item Trump tweeted on the same day in 2013. It reads: The generals and top military brass never wanted a mixer but were forced to do it by very dumb politicians who wanted to be politically C!

This is yet another example of the candidate trying to have it both ways.

Heres some news for Trump: women walk alongside men, not just in the military (and have for a very long time), but on virtually every civilian career path. Mostly, when women and men get together, rape isnt the result, and, yet, the military still has much to work out on this score.

We are reminded of a photo of a demonstration in which a woman holds a placard. Paraphrased, it cites a college class for women to learn how to avoid being raped. She suggests, however, another class for men: Dont rape.

The fact is that the military is the better for having women service members, including, increasingly, in combat roles. And suggesting that women dont belong has the whiff of anachronistic thinking, not just blaming the victim for daring to want to be a soldier, airman, sailor or Marine.

But theres also this. Of the estimated 20,300 sexual assaults in 2014, half of the victims were men  assaulted mostly by other men. Because there are fewer women in the military, they suffer assault disproportionately, but men are victims, too.

In this and in other comments during the forum, Trump again displays a fundamental misunderstanding of the military  and modern times. His revisionism is also becoming old hat.

Congress needs to remove commanders from decisions on prosecuting sexual assaults. Hillary Clinton backs Gillibrands legislation that would accomplish this. Trump seems basically unaware.

But everyone  including Trump  should stop blaming the victims of sexual assaults.
Re: A good-natured Perry ranks last in Dancing with the Stars debut, Page 2, Tuesday:

The poor guy came in last place, a place he seems to always end up. Don Quixote tilted windmills, old Rick shoots poor coyotes. Maybe it is time he should think about General Douglas McArthurs closing remark: Old soldiers never die; they just fade away. Perry can substitute politician for soldier and do the best thing he can do. Fade away.

Herbert Vordenbaum, Seguin

Color of money

Re: Another Paxton climate change salvo, front page, Sept. 10:

Our Gen. Patton, the cool Ken Paxton, is waging war on climate change, waxing poetic under the wobbly, weather-worn umbrella of Exxon Mobil. Ironically, he accuses other top attorneys general of tipping the scales of justice.

I wonder why lawyers are not well suited to be political philosophers. Well, contribute enough money, and they will shade the truth for you. I reckon you will know that everyone is entitled to an umbrella defense under 50 shades of green.

A blazing hot truth that receives no political payola will slowly, and eventually, give you a political sunburn when an objective jury prevails, telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Reflect on that Ken Paxton and Lamar Smith.

Jesse Lewis Howell

Biased history

Re: Mexican-American textbook a study in prejudice, Rick Casey, Other Views, Sept. 10:

Is it any wonder why most Hispanics vote Democratic? This column on the textbook being considered by the Texas State School Board as part of the public school curriculum is probably one of the major reasons they do. Not only are many Republicans happy with passing on their hateful but misguided rhetoric, some of them now want it taught in the schools.

Perhaps the author, Cynthia Dunbar, has never seen how hard Mexicans work in the hot fields for a miserable salary; nor has she probably ever considered the fact that whites would not do that job even for higher pay. For those who wonder what the Democratic Party has done for Hispanics, it would not be that hard to Google it, unless they prefer to remain uninformed so they can continue believing the worst.

For starters, the Democratic Party does not support a candidate who insults Hispanics and their ancestors. The party also passed the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Rights Amendment, etc. The Civil Rights Act, passed in 1964 by Lyndon Johnson, helped end some of the discrimination against Hispanics even though its main intent was to help blacks. Many readers are too young to remember signs by white business owners in Texas that read dogs and Mexicans not allowed.

Yes, Ms. Dunbar and so many Trump supporters claim they want to make America great again, but what they really want is to go back to where whites were in control and made Hispanics feel inferior. Now that is an attitude for those Trump supporters who claim to be Christian to consider.

Alice C. Chapel, Spring Branch

Protecting unborn

Re: Sanctity of life, Your Turn, August 31:

Once again, a progressive liberal Democrat is trying to seize the moral high ground by giving equivalence where none exists. The loss of an innocent life on death row is indeed regrettable; however, there is much effort in place to protect against such tragedies. If you could but look through your sanctimonious haze, you would see that there are no such protections for the unborn, and that every life taken in an abortion clinic is a truly innocent life.

Leo Dye, Bulverde
When George W. Bush was president, Democratic anger was palpable and the criticism withering.

Much of this was owing to how he won  losing the popular vote and then that hot mess happened in Florida. Solidarity following 9/11 gave way to anger after he launched an Iraqi invasion without justification.

And then came Barack Obama. Palpable anger and withering criticism? Yes, but doubled down upon. Youre not necessarily a racist if youve been critical of the nations first black president, but thats the company youve been keeping. And, by the way, not noticeably objecting to these fellow travelers, as if any enemy of Obama is a friend of yours.

There were, for starters, the racist overtones of the birther movement, Donald Trump leading the charge. An outcry in the GOP over this? Then why is Trump the GOP nominee? One would have to be in deep denial  and living under a rock  not to acknowledge the racial underpinnings of the Obama criticism and how these fed Trumps ascendancy.

The criticism of Hillary Clinton has had a similar personal quality. In a way, worse. Epithets for women are simply more tolerated than racial ones in these not-quite-enlightened times. No? Consider how more accepted is the b word compared to the n word. But even if not overtly sexist, the criticism of Clinton has been over the top, unexplained by scandals that, upon scrutiny, are not all that scandalous.

Theres an explanation. A friend recently directed me to an article in The Atlantic  Fear of a Female President. It cites studies and reports that have measured how men react to women who step out of traditional roles. Fear, disapproval and threatened masculinity are among the results.

It doesnt take a social scientist to discern that misogyny is at work among Clinton haters. Whether you are male or female, you need only look at the examples in your own lives of mens reactions to strong, successful women. The word that rhymes with witch often comes into play, though men are tough and assertive when they act the same way.

Consider some of the merchandize associated with Trumps campaign  highlighted in the Atlantic article. Dont be a p***y, vote for Trump in 2016. The b word is ubiquitous, as in Lifes a b***h, dont vote for one.

Imagine if John McCain or Mitt Romney had allowed t-shirts and pins with the n word or insisting that Obama is a Kenyan-born Muslim, though neither would surprise anyone at a Trump rally.

Trump said Clinton doesnt look presidential, does she, fellas? Hmm, asked of fellas by the guy who questioned Clintons stamina and strength even before her pneumonia episode (a malady that has kicked my butt more than once). He has also criticized GOP primary foe Carly Fiorinas looks.

Clinton is being held to a higher standard. Why? On truth telling she is, compared to Trump, George Washington at the apple tree and, on secrecy about health and taxes, as transparent as a clear window.

Clintons record on war and peace is problematic. But compared to what? Trump says he isnt into overseas nation-building, but was for it before he was against it. His isolationism, ignorance of global issues and recklessness make a Trump presidency just plain scary.

Yes, for some its simply that Clinton is a Democrat and, gasp!, center-left, that left an epithet no matter the candidates gender among those most concerned about Supreme Court nominations. But it isnt the only issue and the other person running as a major party candidate is Trump. That makes this election quite unlike any other.

You dont have to be a misogynist to be anti-Clinton. But, be very clear, this is the company you keep  Trump among those in that crowd. And if youre a man and the best you can do for explaining your objections to her is that her name is Clinton or that she is a liar and corrupt because of emails and Benghazi, Id invite some honest introspection.

You might not like what you find. Or, my fear, you might be unsurprised and still hate her. The latter should distress us more. It will persist even after the election.

o.ricardo.pimentel@express-news.net

Twitter: @oricardopimente
1 North Korea floods: North Korean soldiers and relief teams rushed to clear roads and railway tracks, build shelters, and provide food and sanitation Friday to tens of thousands of residents in a remote part of the country near the Chinese border that was devastated by heavy downpours and flash floods when a typhoon pounded their villages last week. Strong winds and flash floods caused by Typhoon Lionrock have killed more than 130 people, destroyed tens of thousands of homes and crippled infrastructure in North Koreas northern tip, according to officials and international aid organizations.

2 Cyberbullying suicide: Italian prosecutors in Naples have opened a criminal investigation of the suicide of a 31-year-old woman who had fought unsuccessfully to have a video showing her having sex expunged from the Internet. Chief prosecutor Francesco Greco said Friday that the investigation into possible charges of instigating suicide was being coordinated with another probe based on a defamation complaint the woman brought against four individuals last year. The woman, identified as Tiziana Cantone, killed herself on Tuesday.
By Louis Proyect, who has written for Sozialismus (Germany), Science and Society, New Politics, Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Organization and Environment, Cultural Logic, Dark Night Field Notes, Revolutionary History (Great Britain), New Interventions (Great Britain), Canadian Dimension, Revolution Magazine (New Zealand), Swans and Green Left Weekly (Australia). Originally published at Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant Marxist

Like Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and John Ford, Oliver Stone is a true auteura director who puts his unique stamp on a body of work defined by a particular theme and aesthetic. In Stones case, it is the story of lost innocence as the protagonist discovers essential truths about himself and the debased American system he mistakenly believed in. In Born on the Fourth of July and Platoon, the hero is a young man who joins the military to defend freedom in Vietnam only realizing in the end that he was a hired gun for Wall Street as Smedley Butler once put it. Landing a blue-chip job in that Wall Street, a young stockbroker decides that jail and a loss of a lucrative career is preferable to robbing ordinary working people with a fountain pen as Woody Guthrie put it in Pretty Boy Floyd. Even if JFK trafficked in wildly improbable conspiracy mongering, it shared their basic message, namely that the military-industrial complex and the big banks are enemies of peace and freedom.

After a long drought, Stone has made the kind of film he became famous for. Like Ron Kovic, the real-life hero of Born on the Fourth of July, Edward Snowden came from a family that embraced rightwing patriotic values. His father was a Coast Guard officer as was his maternal grandfather who became a senior FBI official after leaving the military and who was at the Pentagon on September 11th 2001.

Snowden enlisted in the Army to train for the Special Forces, an elite commando unit, but had to leave basic training after breaking both legs in exercises. He told the Guardian not long after he became a whistle-blower why he wanted to become a killer for Uncle Sam: I wanted to fight in the Iraq war because I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression, the same kind of beliefs that motivated Ron Kovic to join the Marines in September 1964.

In Stones classic films, there is an adrenaline rush of sensationalism that propels the films forward: gun battles in Vietnam, eye-popping decadence on Wall Street or the skullduggery of assassins determined (rather improbably) to get rid of a president who had decided to end American intervention in Vietnam.

I was wary about how Stone would treat Edward Snowdens odyssey from gung-ho patriot to principled opponent of unlawful surveillance. Since sensationalism was part of the Oliver Stone brand name, I half-expected Snowden to have scenes of the hero ducking under gunfire like Matt Damon in the Jason Bourne movies, especially when we are told as the film begins that it was inspired by the Edward Snowden story.

The big surprise is that Stone has made his classic redemption film but without the sensationalism we have grown to expect, a sign that even a seventy-year-old director is capable of growth. (Is there hope for me?) Snowden is not a spy thriller. It is instead a story of the moral and political awakening of a hero wrestling with the yawning gulf between the patriotic beliefs he had held since boyhood and American assaults on both people in far-off lands and those living inside the Shining City upon a Hill. Like Ron Kovic, Edward Snowden became a radicalnot so much in the sense of embracing Marxist ideology but in sacrificing everything he had treasured up to the point when he became a whistle-blower: his livelihood, his prestige as a high-powered security engineer, andmost of allhis citizenship. Risking the charge of espionage, he stood up for the right to privacy, a basic right we are supposed to enjoy in a democracy. If Orwells classic novel was forever linked with the words Big Brother is Watching You, Snowden risked becoming an unperson in 2013 because he would not accept Big Brother reading your email, listening in on your phone calls or any other forms of electronic surveillance.

The film is structured as a series of encounters with people in authority who violate his sense of elementary rights to privacy. When he is in a training class for the CIA, the instructor tells the class that President Bush has a green light to snoop on Americans without a warrant because the 2008 amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 gives him that right. As Edward Snowden, Joseph Gordon-Levitts face takes on the look of someone being told that it is okay to use the Constitution as toilet paper, which is essentially what the amendment did.

Gordon-Levitt is not only a fine actor who conveys Snowdens combination of nerdiness and boy scout like idealism but someone ideally suited to bring such a character to life. His father was the news director of the Pacifica station in Los Angeles and his mother was a Peace and Freedom candidate in the 1970s.

In addition to showing how Snowden was pushed to the limit by a Deep State that violated constitutional rights while using verbiage defending them, Snowden is a love story about his long-term relationship with Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley), a woman he met through an online dating service geared to computer geeks. As you can imagine, the stresses he dealt with working for agencies he rapidly began losing faith in put the relationship through the mill. Ironically, it was her liberal politics that first got Snowden doubting the patriotic ideology he lived by and finally led to his putting his life on the line. In the Trotskyist movement we used to call that horizontal recruitment.

The screenplay was co-written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald, a young screenwriter who has a BA in English from Harvard University. If he was responsible in some way for keeping Snowden close to the facts, he is to be commended.

If youve been watching Mr. Robot on the USA network, youll be familiar with the way a tale about hacking or whistle-blowing can become a peg to hang all sorts of paranoia and geek arcana upon. Snowden eschews any such temptations and instead focuses on the broader questions of privacy and accountability, matters that remain on the front burner given the governments battles with Apple over bypassing the iPhones encryption features. It is very likely that if Snowden had not blown the whistle, Tim Cook would have given the FBI the green light.

Even if Snowden had been a lesser film, it was of major significance in putting the status of Edward Snowden on the front pages of newspapers and in the evening news. A campaign to pardon him has been launched by the ACLU to coincide with the films opening in major theaters everywhere. An op-ed in todays NY Times co-authored by Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch and Salil Shetty, the secretary general of Amnesty International, makes the case for pardoning Snowden:

Since the United States canceled his passport, stranding him in the Moscow airport, Mr. Snowden has continued to demonstrate the principles that led him to disclose profoundly disturbing facts about surveillance overreach. He is the head of a human rights group, the Freedom of the Press Foundation; hes developing technology to protect journalists in dangerous zones around the world from life-threatening surveillance; and he has frequently criticized the human rights and technology policies of Russia, the only country that stands between him and a high-security prison in the United States.

As should come as no surprise, the traditional rightwing views Snowden as a traitor. In a WSJ editorial, Hoover Institute fellow Josef Joffe regards Snowden as the greatest counterintelligence disaster since the Rosenbergs and Klaus Fuchs, who betrayed Americas most precious nuclear secrets to Moscow. What about Donald Trump, who has the reputation of being a friend of the Kremlin that is supposedly using Snowden as an asset? He told Fox News: I think Snowden is a terrible threat, I think hes a terrible traitor, and you know what we used to do in the good old days when we were a strong country  you know what we used to do to traitors, right?

In an October 13, 2015 debate, Clinton was asked whether Snowden was a hero or a traitor. She said:

He broke the laws of the United States. He could have been a whistleblower. He could have gotten all of the protections of being a whistleblower. He could have raised all the issues that he has raised. And I think there would have been a positive response to that.

Meanwhile, Jill Stein, a candidate who will be excluded from the debates, was clear about what Snowden deserved:

If elected president I will immediately pardon Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and John Kiriakou for their important work in exposing the massive, systematic violation of our constitutional rights. I would invite them to the White House to publicly acknowledge their heroism, and create a role for them in the Stein-Baraka Green party administration to help us create a modern framework that protects personal privacy while still conducting effective investigations where warranted.

For some of my comrades, the name Jill Stein is associated with subservience to the Kremlin. Would her advocacy for Snowden be linked in some fashion with a conspiracy to advance Putins agenda and sap the strength of the USA, so necessary according to some leftists as a counterforce to Russia?

Maybe Edward Snowden is not the person such a conspiracy can rely upon:

#Putin has signed a repressive new law that violates not only human rights, but common sense. Dark day for #Russia. https://t.co/J4I2SQ9VCe  Edward Snowden (@Snowden) July 7, 2016

Signing the #BigBrother law must be condemned. Beyond political and constitution consequences, it is also a $33b+ tax on Russia's internet.  Edward Snowden (@Snowden) July 7, 2016

Snowden is a man of integrity and principle. Oliver Stone has made a spellbinding film about one of our heroes. My choice for one of the best films of 2016.
For first time, researchers see individual atoms keep away from each other or bunch up as pairs (Nanowerk News) If you bottle up a gas and try to image its atoms using todays most powerful microscopes, you will see little more than a shadowy blur. Atoms zip around at lightning speeds and are difficult to pin down at ambient temperatures.

If, however, these atoms are plunged to ultracold temperatures, they slow to a crawl, and scientists can start to study how they can form exotic states of matter, such as superfluids, superconductors, and quantum magnets.

Physicists at MIT have now cooled a gas of potassium atoms to several nanokelvins  just a hair above absolute zero  and trapped the atoms within a two-dimensional sheet of an optical lattice created by crisscrossing lasers. Using a high-resolution microscope, the researchers took images of the cooled atoms residing in the lattice.

By looking at correlations between the atoms positions in hundreds of such images, the team observed individual atoms interacting in some rather peculiar ways, based on their position in the lattice. Some atoms exhibited antisocial behavior and kept away from each other, while some bunched together with alternating magnetic orientations. Others appeared to piggyback on each other, creating pairs of atoms next to empty spaces, or holes.

Learning from this model, we can understand whats really going on in these superconductors, and what one should do to make higher-temperature superconductors, approaching hopefully room temperature, says Martin Zwierlein, professor of physics and principal investigator in MITs Research Laboratory of Electronics. (Illustration: Sampson Wilcox)

The team believes that these spatial correlations may shed light on the origins of superconducting behavior. Superconductors are remarkable materials in which electrons pair up and travel without friction, meaning that no energy is lost in the journey. If superconductors can be designed to exist at room temperature, they could initiate an entirely new, incredibly efficient era for anything that relies on electrical power.

Martin Zwierlein, professor of physics and principal investigator at MITs NSF Center for Ultracold Atoms and at its Research Laboratory of Electronics, says his teams results and experimental setup can help scientists identify ideal conditions for inducing superconductivity.

Learning from this atomic model, we can understand whats really going on in these superconductors, and what one should do to make higher-temperature superconductors, approaching hopefully room temperature, Zwierlein says.

Zwierlein and his colleagues results appear in the Sept. 16 issue of the journal Science ("Observation of spatial charge and spin correlations in the 2D Fermi-Hubbard model"). Co-authors include experimentalists from the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms, MITs Research Laboratory of Electronics, and two theory groups from San Jose State University, Ohio State University, the University of Rio de Janeiro, and Penn State University.

Atoms as stand-ins for electrons

Today, it is impossible to model the behavior of high-temperature superconductors, even using the most powerful computers in the world, as the interactions between electrons are very strong. Zwierlein and his team sought instead to design a quantum simulator, using atoms in a gas as stand-ins for electrons in a superconducting solid.

The group based its rationale on several historical lines of reasoning: First, in 1925 Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli formulated what is now called the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that no two electrons may occupy the same quantum state  such as spin, or position  at the same time. Pauli also postulated that electrons maintain a certain sphere of personal space, known as the Pauli hole.

His theory turned out to explain the periodic table of elements: Different configurations of electrons give rise to specific elements, making carbon atoms, for instance, distinct from hydrogen atoms.

The Italian physicist Enrico Fermi soon realized that this same principle could be applied not just to electrons, but also to atoms in a gas: The extent to which atoms like to keep to themselves can define the properties, such as compressibility, of a gas.

He also realized these gases at low temperatures would behave in peculiar ways, Zwierlein says.

British physicist John Hubbard then incorporated Paulis principle in a theory that is now known as the Fermi-Hubbard model, which is the simplest model of interacting atoms, hopping across a lattice. Today, the model is thought to explain the basis for superconductivity. And while theorists have been able to use the model to calculate the behavior of superconducting electrons, they have only been able to do so in situations where the electrons interact weakly with each other.

Thats a big reason why we dont understand high-temperature superconductors, where the electrons are very strongly interacting, Zwierlein says. Theres no classical computer in the world that can calculate what will happen at very low temperatures to interacting [electrons]. Their spatial correlations have also never been observed in situ, because no one has a microscope to look at every single electron.

Carving out personal space

Zwierleins team sought to design an experiment to realize the Fermi-Hubbard model with atoms, in hopes of seeing behavior of ultracold atoms analogous to that of electrons in high-temperature superconductors.

The group had previously designed an experimental protocol to first cool a gas of atoms to near absolute zero, then trap them in a two-dimensional plane of a laser-generated lattice. At such ultracold temperatures, the atoms slowed down enough for researchers to capture them in images for the first time, as they interacted across the lattice.

At the edges of the lattice, where the gas was more dilute, the researchers observed atoms forming Pauli holes, maintaining a certain amount of personal space within the lattice.

They carve out a little space for themselves where its very unlikely to find a second guy inside that space, Zwierlein says.

Where the gas was more compressed, the team observed something unexpected: Atoms were more amenable to having close neighbors, and were in fact very tightly bunched. These atoms exhibited alternating magnetic orientations.

These are beautiful, antiferromagnetic correlations, with a checkerboard pattern  up, down, up, down, Zwierlein describes.

At the same time, these atoms were found to often hop on top of one another, creating a pair of atoms next to an empty lattice square. This, Zwierlein says, is reminiscent of a mechanism proposed for high-temperature superconductivity, in which electron pairs resonating between adjacent lattice sites can zip through the material without friction if there is just the right amount of empty space to let them through.

Ultimately, he says the teams experiments in gases can help scientists identify ideal conditions for superconductivity to arise in solids.

Zwierlein explains: For us, these effects occur at nanokelvin because we are working with dilute atomic gases. If you have a dense piece of matter, these same effects may well happen at room temperature.

Currently, the team has been able to achieve ultracold temperatures in gases that are equivalent to hundreds of kelvins in solids. To induce superconductivity, Zwierlein says the group will have to cool their gases by another factor of five or so.
ANDREW HARRER

The first offering of commercial mortgage bonds to hit the market post-Labor Day comes from JPMorgan Chase, which is securitizing a $900 million portion of a $1.2 billion loan on an iconic Manhattan office building at 9 West 57th St.

The building's owner, controlled by real estate developer Sheldon H. Solow, is using the loan to refinance the building, cashing out $485 million of equity in the process.

Large office buildings, such as this 50-story skyscraper with views of Central Park, are typically financing in the securitization market because the loans are too large for a single insurance company, or even a consortium of insurance companies, to hold on their books. Loans this large are also difficult to securitize in a single-asset transaction, which is why JPMorgan plans to use the portion not used in this transaction as collateral in additional offerings of mortgage bonds.

The deal, JPMCC 2016-NINE, is being rated by KBRA and Fitch Ratings.

Solow developed the property in 1972; it consists of 1.5 million square feet of office space and approximately 72,000 square feet of retail space. As of June 2016, the property was 63.5% leased to 26 tenants. The five largest tenants are Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Chanel Inc., Apollo Management Holdings, Och-Ziff Management and Providence Equity. Together, these five tenants account for 38% of total square footage and 62.4% of base rent. The subject serves as the headquarters for the four largest tenants.

The prior debt was securitized in a 2012 transaction, meaning it was necessary to defease the old loan.

Among the ratings considerations cited by KBRA in its presale report is the relatively low leverage, the ratings agency calculates the loan-to-value at 62.1%. This is the second lowest among the 13 transactions backed by a single New York office building that KBRA has rated to date; these had in-trust LTVs ranging from 48.6% to 91.8%, with an average of 76.3%.

The loan has a 10-year term and requires monthly interest-only payments, calculated using an annualized coupon rate of 2.8595%. The borrower ground leases the property from an affiliate of the sponsor; however, both the fee simple and leasehold interests are pledged as security for the mortgage, and in the event of a foreclosure, the lender would acquire both the fee and leasehold estates in the property.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia on Saturday (17 September 2016) signed a Letter of Intent concerning The Creation of a Multinational Special Aviation Training Solution. This multinational arrangement will provide the signatories with a complete training capability to generate and sustain their Special Operations Aviation units. Special Operations Aviation units are primarily responsible for inserting and extracting elite combat units from operational areas.

In June 2015 the Bulgarian, Croatian, Hungarian, and Slovenian Defence Ministers launched a broader cooperation initiative in the area of Special Operations Aviation. The participants expressed, through this overarching framework, their commitment to investigate opportunities for cooperation in support of creating new Special Operations Aviation units. Todays agreement, signed by the four Chiefs of Defence, constitutes the first major milestone in this context with Allies adopting a multinational approach for satisfying the full range of the training requirements for their specialized aviation units.

The signatories expect substantial cost savings and increases in interoperability as a result of addressing their training needs together as a group. The effort is supported by the NATO Special Operations Headquarters and the mentor nation, the United States. Moving forward, the four Allies will continue to explore the feasibility of similar arrangements in other areas essential for the provision of fully functional Special Operations Aviation units, such as acquisition, logistical support, or infrastructure.

This agreement also further validates NATOs approach of triggering high impact multinational cooperation efforts by facilitating the creation of overarching cooperation frameworks.
ACT ignores environmental violations by KWP; fails to enforce legal requirements

KWP officials deny having any knowledge about groundwater testing requirements

(NaturalNews) The site of a now-shuttered timber treatment plant in Hume, Australia, a suburb of Canberra, is the subject of a new investigation concerning polluted groundwater and the government's failure to act in the public interest.reports that Koppers Wood Products (KWP), a multinational corporation that has since vacated the site, allowed hexavalent chromium to leech into protected groundwater at levels up to 2,430 times the safe limit, while environmental officials at the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) did nothing to stop it.When KWP first settled the roughly 50-acre plot of land back in the 1980s, which sits near a small tributary that passes through an ecologically protected wetlands area, local residents, environmental protection groups and even some politicians expressed concerns about the plant polluting the area. Both Jerrabomberra Creek and Lake Burley Griffin, two nearby water sources that contain rich ecological diversity, help recharge local aquifers that provide drinking water for nearby residents.ACT ended up ignoring these concerns and allowing KWP to set up shop at the site anyway, a move that would later prove to be disastrous for the safety of local groundwater. Not only would the KWP plant end up spewing untold amounts of toxic arsenic waste left over from processing, but it would also dump much higher levels of hexavalent chromium, the infamous carcinogen exposed globally by environmental activist Erin Brockovich.As it turns out, KWP had been legally bound to submit annual reports to the state government about groundwater test results, a requirement that the company apparently shirked for many years without consequence. For nearly 10 years, KWP reportedly failed to submit these reports, resulting in chrome, arsenic and other toxins leeching into waterways.When ACT's Environment Protection Authority (EPA) finally noticed this in 2005, the same year that KWP conveniently shut down its operations and fled the site, the agency still chose not to take any sort of legal action against the company, sparking a wave of outrage. Now, a coalition of environmental activists and concerned citizens has decided to take matters into their own hands and pursue justice."I just can't believe it has actually happened," stated ACT environment protection chief Bob Dunn to, noting that he believes with "absolute certainty" that KWP broke the law and deserves criminal penalties. "Something has gone wrong somewhere, I believe it's clear. How can you say anything else?"The EPA has reportedly since admitted that KWP was, indeed, responsible for polluting, at the very least, a small pocket of groundwater known as a perched aquifer uphill from Jerrabomberra Creek. The agency insists that the pollution is isolated to this one spot and is not at risk of spreading, but because it has refused to conduct any assessment or test to verify this, the local community is not convinced."They really should be doing periodic monitoring because there's no telling what might cause that to move off, to start moving around," added Dunn about the situation. "Monitoring is not that expensive, and I think what they're talking about is just an excuse."When questioned about what took place while KWP still occupied the site, several former senior employees at the company claimed that they had "no knowledge" of any groundwater monitoring requirements, indicating that these tests were likely never performed, let alone submitted, for government review. To this day, there is no evidence that KWP ever tested either soil or groundwater in the area as required by law, which means chemicals are likely embedded all over the place unseen.
(NaturalNews) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) bosses fired an employee for reporting a hospital lost 30 of its 88 vehicles and official credit cards intended for the fleet had been misused.(Article by Luke Rosiak, republished from Dailycaller.com Robert Benkeser, manager at the Greater Los Angeles VA, fired whistle-blower Anthony Salazar after Salazar tried to bring the theft to light. The department convened an "administrative investigation board" (AIB) that resulted in "a letter of counseling" to Benkeser for mismanaging the motor pool. Benkeser then fired Salazar several months later.The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a government-wide agency that protects whistle-blowers, said earlier this month that VA blocked Salazar from showing that he was being retaliated against. The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) imposed "an overly rigorous" standard of proof to show prohibited retaliation.Rep. Mike Coffman, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, demanded Aug. 18 to know what happened to the missing vehicles, how the AIB worked, and the position top VA management took before the MSPB in the matter of Salazar's job.The VA's attempts to conduct internal self-investigations and impose discipline routinely appear to be kangaroo courts. For example, Deborah Amdur was put in charge of disciplining the head of the Tomah, Wisc., hospital for serious misconduct, while the VA already had reason to believe that Amdur herself was engaged in similarly dangerous dishonesty.When a new VA hospital in Aurora, Colo., went $1 billion over budget and officials couldn't explain why, the department appointed an AIB to get to the bottom of it. But the AIB's members didn't include a single person with construction knowledge, making it all but impossible to come up with meaningful results.Benseker is an engineering manager who is paid more than $141,000 a year, while Salazar made half that as a driver."On Oct. 24, 2013, Mr. Salazar sent another email to Mr. Benkeser and his second-level supervisor, the Assistant Director for Administration and Facilities, about the continued problems with agency vehicle and fleet card usage."Mr. Salazar described how 30 of the 88 agency vehicles were unaccounted for, explained how ten fleet cards were suspected of fraudulent purchases, and pressed the urgent need for the VA to get the situation under control," OSC wrote.Salazar was fired Feb. 4, 2015. The ease with which Salazar was fired  he was put on a "performance improvement plan," told he didn't meet the goals, then let go  stands in contrast to the many employees who unambiguously committed egregious misconduct and are still on the job.For example, two felons work in management at the San Juan VA hospital , and a worker in the security office came to work each day with a GPS monitor because she had taken part in an armed robbery, which a spokesman said was irrelevant since it occurred off-duty. At another VA hospital, a nurse's aide remains on the payroll as he awaits a manslaughter trial in the beating death of a patient.Federal managers claim they can't fire such employees because of civil service employee union rules, but critics claim government bosses' pursuit of dismissals too often are halfhearted.Punishing people who call attention to problems, instead of those who cause problems, has become such a pronounced pattern at the VA that leaders have made a concerted effort to show that they are turning the ship around.But since they've been projecting that message, the drumbeat of incidents has continued, and it has even paid six-figure awards to managers that it knew to have engaged in whistle-blower retaliation.Read more at Dailycaller.com
The past doesn't stay buried

Who is cleaning up the mess?

(NaturalNews) For decades, the abandoned nuclear-powered U.S. military base , Camp Century, has been buried below the ice sheet that covers most of Greenland. A U.S. army corps of engineers built the subterranean city that had trucks, tunnels and even a nuclear reactor.While it was advertised as a polar research station, deep down those icy tunnels hundreds of nuclear missiles were stored and ready to be launched. Almost 50 years ago, when the project was canceled, the camp, along with its hazardous waste  including radioactive material  was abandoned.The scientists anticipated that the ice would continue to thicken and forever entomb what they had left behind.According to a new study published in the journal, toxic waste from the Cold War era camp has never been properly decommissioned, and may pose a threat to human and environmental health in the future.Study lead author, William Colgan, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering at York University in Toronto, said that if we don't take action and Greenland's ice keeps melting at the same pace, Camp Century, and its pollutants, could be uncovered by the end of this century.Among the chemicals that threaten to be exposed are 53,000 gallons of diesel fuel, 63,000 gallons of sewage and waste water, toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and an unknown amount of radioactive waste water.While nuclear waste sounds scary, Colgan and his team noted that this isn't as concerning as some of the other toxic materials hidden under the ice pack. According to them, we should worry about the PCBs. These chemicals were once widely used in electrical structures and equipment.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PCBs are known to damage the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems. Furthermore, PCBs can increase the likelihood of various health issues, including cancer.According to the authors, the Arctic is already suffering the ill effects of PCBs due to what is known as the "grasshopper phenomenon." This happens when chemicals are evaporated in warm areas and then carried with the wind to cooler areas where they settle back on the ground.The authors of the study warned that if we continue on the present course the site could be uncovered in about 75 years. They added that it would, of course, take much longer before the base itself would become visible.However, long before we see the structures of the base emerging above the snow level, meltwater could move underneath the ice and carry toxic waste with it as it flows to the coast.While the area around the camp is desolate, some people that hunt for their food in Greenland and nearby areas of the Arctic could be exposed to these leaking chemicals.Whether or not this mess will be cleaned up remains unresolved, because it is unclear who owns the waste that is left behind.The Army built the camp under a treaty between the U.S. and Denmark. Colgan and colleagues point out that it is unclear whether Denmark was sufficiently consulted regarding the decommissioning of Camp Century, and thus whether the abandoned toxic waste remains U.S. property."All property provided by the Government of the United States of America and located in Greenland shall remain the property of the Government of the United States of America ... [it] may be removed from Greenland free of any restriction, or disposed of in Greenland by the Government of the United States of America after consultation with the Danish authorities," the treaty reads.Let's hope that at least one of the parties will admit their involvement and start to clean up the mess they made so we can protect our future generations.
'There was nothing offensive'

Arbitrary and politically motivated?

(NaturalNews) Without much fanfare, it appears that Google-owned YouTube has begun censoring and demonetizing video content that is critical of the Obama administration, certain politicians and the federal government generally.In early September, the UK's reported on the issue after users of the site began to notice that advertising was being stripped from videos they posted that were critical of government, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and federal agencies like the FBI.(For the record, as noted by Open Secrets , Clinton is the top recipient of contributions from Alphabet, the company that owns Google.)With regard to the censoring or demonetizing of videos , YouTube says it is because they violate "advertiser-friendly content guidelines." But users of the site see another reason: political bias.One such user is Philip DeFranco, who video blogs (vlogs) about current affairs. In an interview with the, he said that suddenly a dozen of his videos were demonetized, and the decision baffled him because it seemed arbitrary and capricious."I appealed a bunch of videos, a lot of them got reinstated but one was denied. I went through the tags there was nothing offensive," he said.Luke Rudkowski, creator of the popularchannel, is also complaining that his videos are getting penalized financially."For years," he told The Anti-Media , "I have monetized and still get f*cked from it." Especially, he added, "[when I launch a video about] Hillary, or war and foreign policy."He added that if his videoshave Hillary in them they are fine, but if he adds something about the FBI or another government agency, they are targeted.journalist and senior editor, Carey Wedler, has had similar dealings with YouTube . She said that she first realized what YouTube was doing after site editors singled out her videos for "a couple of weeks" after she uploaded a video critical of America's alleged "culture of militarism" as being a contributing factor to "domestic mass shootings."She told her publication that the video was uploaded shortly after the Orlando "shooting"  which was actually an act of terrorism which took place in June. By July 6, she said, she had received an email from YouTube claiming that her video was not "advertiser-friendly." A couple of days later, she said she got another email concerning a video she had uploaded in early June, before the video pertaining to the Orlando attack."This video, which pointed out inconsistencies in [former Democratic presidential contender and U.S. Sen.] Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt) record and questioned his 'revolutionary' status, was also stripped of monetization," she toldWedler said she only received the two emails citing the two videos, but when she dug further, she noted that monetization forof her videos had been turned off.Other videos affected by YouTube's 'policy' included one critical of American involvement in Iraq and Syria, and an extremely mocking video of Clinton. went on to report that monetization for Wedler's Orlando video has been restored, but her video regarding Sanders remains ineligible.Wedler and others acknowledge that YouTube, as a private company, has every right to set its own policies. But asnotes, the company's owner, Google, has shown its favoritism via a massive lobbying effort directed at Congress and the Obama White House, and by skewering search results to favor its own business model.In this way, Google is much like Facebook, which has actually censored content its editors found politically inconvenient , censorship that is often followed by the blocking or banning of users.The path forward is clear, and it is this: Independent, non-corporate-owned search engines , social media and news media sites that don't filter, omit, ban or block freedom of the press and expression.
Animal sacrifice has always been an observed practice of Muslims during their celebration of Eid al-Adha. However, the sacred tradition of the festival has turned into something like one of Quentin Tarantino's film when combined with continuous rain and not so good drainage system.

During the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims in Bangladesh slaughtered animals to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, but the celebration turned into a gruesome sight when the streets in Bangladesh turned into a river of blood.



According to the report from CNN, the grotesque sight in Bangladesh was due to the heavy rains, which started in the morning of the celebration and continued until the evening. The problematic drainage system in Dhaka was also one of the main factors in the blood bath that covered the city.

New York Daily News reported that authorities in Dhaka have assigned 1,000 areas where residents could perform animal sacrifices. However, the heavy rains made it harder for residents to go to the designated places. As a result, many of the locals butchered the animals in front of their homes, in the streets and other nearby places.



The emergence of the river of blood in the city streets showed Dhaka's poor drainage system, which, as it turns out, has been a longstanding problem in the city that has caused excessive flooding. Additionally, the residents also blame the authorities for their lack of campaign to inform the people of the designated animal sacrifice areas.

"Last year the city corporations launched a mass campaign to encourage people to use the designated spots and that caught our eyes," Tareq Ahmed, a resident of Shyamoli, told Dhaka Tribune. "I went to a spot in Mohammadpur last year, but this year, I don't even know where the spots actually are,"

Eid al-Adha is considered to be the holier of the two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide every year, next to the conclusion of Ramadan. During the celebration, Muslims sacrifice a goat, cow or sheep and share the meat to their families, relatives and the poor.
Are foxes man's new best friend? In Russia, there's now a choice after geneticist Dmitry Belyaev began a breeding program 50 years ago.

There are plenty of people who would want to take the adorable looking fox home. However, a regular fox from the wild isn't domesticated and will often wreak havoc in the home.

A report from BBC revealed that the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals even officially cautions people from attempting to get a fox as a pet saying, "Because foxes are wild animals and do not fare well as domestic pets, they should not be kept as such. Even the most experienced fox experts have had difficulty in keeping adult foxes successfully in captivity as they have very specific needs."

In the late 1950s, Belyaev didn't just attempt to bring home a fox and tame it - the scientist actually began to create a tame fox population. The ambitious project of guided evolution through selected breeding proved to be successful, and is still an ongoing project even past the geneticist's death in 1985.

Belyaev's goal was to track the evolutionary pathway of domesticated animals through his subjects, the silver-black foxes. He did it with a breeding program at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics at Novosibirsk in Russia, but operated under the guise of breeding to improve fur coats because of the ban in genetic study in Russia under Joseph Stalin's rule.

He traveled with his intern Lyudmila Trut throughout Russia to select foxes to bring to their Novosibirsk farm. Their selections were based on the animals' initial response to humans; from the original pool, they chose 100 vixens and 30 males as the first generation.

The cubs were hand-fed and exposed to significant human contact, then "discarded" after still displaying aggressive or evasive behavior. Less than 10% of each selection were chosen as parents of the next generation.

"As a result of such rigorous selection, the offspring exhibiting the aggressive and fear avoidance responses were eliminated from the experimental population in just two to three generations of selection," Trut, who took over operations after Belyaev's death, wrote in a report in BioEssays in 2009.

By the fourth generation, the foxes were beginning to act more like dogs. Actions included wagging their tails, seeking contact from humans, whining and licking researchers. Their bodies changed as well with floppier ears, curlier tails, shortened limbs and wider skulls, among others.

The fox farm still exists and now has 270 tame vixens and 70 tame males. Due to financial problems, the foxes are now being sold as house pets.
A little Chihuahua pup found herself in a ruff situation nearly 6-feet-below on Thursday.

Another dog first found the pup, who was trapped at the bottom of a six-foot-deep drain pipe off Euclid Avenue near San Diego's Valencia Park neighborhood.

A Good Samaritan noticed another dog looking down the eight-inch diameter pipe Thursday morning. When they peeped down, they noticed a puppy looking up at them.

County Animal Services officials responded to the Imperial Fish Market back parking lot, where they found the pooch waiting at the bottom.

Animal Control Officer Angela Jones used her rescue equipment to pull the Chihuahua out safely. The dog was found with a red child's jacket.

The dog was scared, but appeared to be okay.

Officials don't know how the small dog got into the pipe, but they are now searching for the dog's owner.

We dont know how this little dog got into her predicament, but had she been microchipped, shed probably be back home with her family now, said County Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson in a statement.

County Animal Services

The 4-year-old female dog was not wearing a license or any identification and was not microchipped.

The dog will be held at the Gaines Street shelter for three working days in hopes the owner will pick her up.

If the owner does not turn up, the Chihuahua will be available for adoption on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The adoption would cost $69; the price includes vaccinations, spaying if necessary, a microchip and a dog license.
The city of Oakland was slapped with a $66 million suit on behalf of the woman at the center of a massive sex abuse scandal on Friday, hours after two former police officers were formally charged.

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office filed criminal charges Friday in the ongoing sexual misconduct case involving Jasmine, formerly referred to as Celeste Guap, who the daughter of a police dispatcher.

The multi-million dollar lawsuit claims that both the city and its police department were negligent and exploitative in its handling of the case, according to court documents.

Criminal defense attorney Christian Picone said Friday's move was "step one before bringing a lawsuit."

The lawsuit alleged that members of the Oakland Police Department, "either directly engaged in, stood by with a blind eye, or acted to cover up this modern-day slavery of (Jasmine)."

The lawsuit continued: "These acts constitute unlawful forced labor, trafficking into servitude and sex trafficking of a child by force, fraud and coercion and have caused (Jasmine) to suffer unimaginable abuse, paid, and suffering that she and her family will endure for the rest of her life."

Although the lawsuit is a blow to Oakland, some city leaders admitted that they knew a claim was coming.

"If it is what is presented today, we have to come up and pay for it," councilman Noel Galleo said. "[It] will have an impact on our budget to do public services on the streets."

Daniel Black, formerly of the Livermore police force has been charged with five counts, including engaging in prostitution, lewd public behavior and giving alcohol to a minor, according to court records.

Court documents reveal that Black picked up the young woman in a motorhome last April and took Jasmine out to dinner, telling her, "Just to be clear, I'm not paying you, but I will buy you dinner." Later, the pair engaged in oral copulation and sex.

Meanwhile, Leroy Johnson, a retired Oakland Police Department sergeant, faces a charge for failing to report child abuse after having knowledge that Jasmine was having sex with his colleagues, according to court documents.

Picone says if the case goes to trial, social media will play a big role in the case and so will Jasmines age.

Shes a minor  she cant consent, he said.

Jasmine has accused dozen of law enforcement members from across the East Bay, including Richmond, of engaging in sexual relationships with her over the years, at times when she was a minor.

"All I can think about is there will be other women that are going to come forth with similar stories or actions claiming lawsuits," Noel said.

NBC Bay Area reached out to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, but a spokesperson for her office said only that she cannot comment on pending litigation. Richmond Mayor Tim Butt, meanwhile, said he is unaware of any claim having been filed against the city.
Nearly 48 hours after a lone gunman went on a shooting spree through a Philadelphia neighborhood that left a woman dead and 5 others injured, investigators are digging into the shooter's past to determine a motive.

NBC10s Aundrea Cline-Thomas spoke to community members as well as the Philly FOP about Fridays deadly shooting rampage in West Philadelphia.

Police say Nicholas Glenn took a handgun with obliterated serial number and a cache of extra magazines and began his rampage after 11 p.m. Friday on Sansom Street near 52nd in West Philadelphia. In the span of a few minutes, Glenn shot two police officers and four civilians, leaving one young woman with injuries that would later kill her.

Two days after a rampaging gunman opened fire in West Philadelphia, wounding two police officers, killing a young woman and leaving three other people injured, police are still trying to determine what sparked the shooting. Nicholas Glenn, whom police identified as the shooter, died in a conrfontation with police just after the mass shooting. NBC10s Lauren Mayk is outside Police...

Officers eventually shot Glenn to death after his four-block shooting spree, and found a raving, barely coherent note that was addressed to "doomed people." The note, written in the first person, has been described by officials as "a bunch of ramblings."

WATCH: Chaos during shooting rampage captured by surveillance cameras:

NBC10s Aundrea Cline-Thomas obtained surveillance video showing part of the rampage shooting in West Philadelphia Friday night.

The note, written in the first person, has been described by officials as "a bunch of ramblings "which apparently was meant for anyone he came across," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Saturday afternoon. "Other than the rantings he had in that letter, we don't know what he was motivated by. Unfortunately, we may never know."

Police were interviewing Glenn's relatives and friends in hopes of determining what led him to go on his rampage, shooting random people whom he didn't even know. Investigators also want to know where Glenn got the 9mm handgun he used, but tracing it will be a more daunting task without the weapon's serial number.

NBC10s George Spencer has the detailed timline of the rampage shooting in West Philadelphia that left a woman dead and five others, including two police officers, injured.

Glenn, 25, allegedly mentioned his parole officer in the letter that police found after shooting him dead in an alley near 48th and Sansom streets. Ross said he has no apparent ties to any larger organization.

Philadelphia Police

The rampage started about 11:20 p.m. Friday when Glenn walked up to Sgt. Sylvia Young's marked police cruiser on 52nd and Sansom streets. Young, who is assigned to the 22nd District, was working a patrol detail in the 18th District. As Young sat inside her vehicle, Glenn opened fire at the driver's side, police said.

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Young, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was struck eight times in the left shoulder, arm and torso.

"Help me, please!" Young yelled on police radio moments after the shooting.

Philadelphia Police Sgt. Sylvia Young can be heard yelling for help over police radio. Later, another officer declares, He is down and in custody.

Ross said it's a miracle the 19-year veteran wasn't killed, considering Glenn fired 18 rounds before he started his seemingly random shooting spree east on Sansom Street. Following the shooting, Young was taken to Penn-Presbyterian Hospital where she was in stable condition.

NBC10 obtained surveillance video that sources say shows Glenn walking away shortly after shooting Young.

WATCH: Surveillance video of suspect in rampage shooting: https://t.co/hBnMaWEDQ3 pic.twitter.com/Lt7TNm6RNl  NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) September 17, 2016

As Glenn continued walking, he passed the Maximum Level Lounge on 5118 Sansom Street, where a 42-year-old manager and a 41-year-old bartender were in the open doorway attending to a wheelchair-bound patron, police said. Glenn then fired about five rounds into the doorway, striking the manager in both legs and the woman in the right ankle. The two victims were taken to Penn-Presbyterian Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.

Glenn then continued running eastbound on Sansom Street and approached a 2011 Nissan Altima with a 36-year-old man and 27-year-old Sara Salih inside. Police say Glenn opened fire, striking the man in his arm and chest and Salih several times in her chest. Both victims were taken to Penn-Presbyterian Hospital, where Salih succumbed to her injuries. The man was in critical condition.

Were learning more about the slain suspect in a rampage shooting that left a woman dead and five people, including two police officers in West Philadelphia. NBC10s Deanna Durante has the details.

Glenn then continued eastbound on Sansom Street and was pursued by two 16th District officers in a marked police Ford Explorer, officials said. Glenn opened fire on the officers, striking their vehicle on the hood and driver's side door, according to police. The officers were not injured during the shooting.

Glenn continued running from police and was confronted in the 100 block of South 48th Street by University of Pennsylvania Police officer Edward Miller, police said. Glenn opened fire and struck Miller in the hip and leg area.

NBC10 obtained surveillance video of an officer who falls to the ground and then limps to safety during the shooting. The video then shows other responding officers rush to the scene.

Miller was taken to Penn Presbyterian, where he was in stable condition.

Glenn then continued exchanging gunfire with the responding officers. Glenn was struck several times during the shootout and finally died from his wounds at 11:45 p.m., officials said.

Police say Glenn was in possession of a note with the headline, "Doomed People." They also said the note included rambling, unclear statements that indicated Glenn's hatred toward his probation/parole officers as well as police.

"It is rambling," Ross said. "It would be very difficult to glean anything from that. It's more about himself than it is about who he wanted to harm."

Police recovered Glenn's weapon, a Ruger Model SR9, 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Officials say the gun was loaded with 14 live 9mm rounds. There were also three empty magazines throughout the scene that Glenn had discarded as he emptied the magazines and reloaded, police said. In all, Glenn discharged his gun at least 51 times during the incident, according to investigators.

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Young and Miller were awake and talking with relatives after being hospitalized, Mayor Jim Kenney said.

"[Miller] actually was cracking jokes with his kids and wife. The other officer [Young] was talking with her family," Kenney said. "Were very blessed that thats the way it turned out. But we have to keep in our prayers the civilians."

Penn Safety Director Maureen Rush said Miller served 33 years on the Philadelphia police department, retiring as a sergeant, before joining the Penn PD.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, Mayor Jim Kenney and other officials provide update on the violent details of a shooting spree that injured two officers and 4 others in West Philadelphia later Friday. The suspect was shot and killed.

Ross, who termed the shooter's note a "bunch of rantings," said officers would patrol in pairs following the incident.

Kenney asked that everyone pray for the injured officers and civilians.

"All in all it was a really terrible, scary night," he said.

The Fraternal Order of Police announced that proceeds from their 4th annual Monday Night Football tailgate party would go to Sergeant Young and Officer Miller.

Police sources told NBC10 Glenn had a lengthy criminal record and was arrested more than a dozen times. Glenn's attorney Anthony Petrone also told NBC10 that he spent much of his prison time in solitary due to fighting.

I did notice with him a serious change in his attitude and overall demeanor during the period of time that he was incarcerated up in the county prison, Petrone said. I remember visiting him frequently and he had to be pulled out of solitary and I remember he was having a very difficult time in dealing with the solitary confinement.




Nydia Hohf vividly remembers the night 50 years ago, when a blaring siren began blowing on the roof of her neighbor.

Charles Percy.

The Percy house was straight across that way, the 96-year-old Hohf said, standing in her back yard and motioning to an adjoining lot off Sheridan road in the leafy North Shore suburb of Kenilworth. The siren was blaring, I looked over, it was perfectly clear to see it.

That alarm was coming from the home of the millionaire senate candidate that morning in September of 1966 because according to Percys wife Lorraine, she had just surprised an intruder as he was brutally stabbing and beating Percys 21-year-old daughter Valerie as she slept in a second floor bedroom. The young woman died from her wounds, and the killer was never caught.

This hung very much over our lives as time went on, Hohf remembers. Not being solved at all.

It hit especially close to home. Not only was Hohf the first neighbor to survey what would become a brutal crime scene in the predawn hours on September 18, 1966. Her husband Robert, a renowned North Shore surgeon, was summoned to the house just 5 minutes later by Percy himself.

A slow deliberate voice said, Bob, this is Chuck Percy---will you please come right over? Valeries been injured, Robert Hohf recalled in a handwritten account of that evening, describing how a police officer arrived at the door minutes later to escort him to the Percy house.

I saw immediately the figure of a badly battered girl, Hohf wrote. Oh no, shes dead!

Nydia Hohf said her late husband wrote that account three days after the crime, and locked it in a filing cabinet where she found it just a few years ago.

He told me she had been killed, and he called it a crime of passion, she recalled. She was stabbed many times, I think.

In the written statement, Dr. Hohf recalled Loraine Percys chilling account of the crime---which she said she discovered when she heard moaning coming from Valeries bedroom.

She stepped to the right into this room, and saw a figure leaning over Valerie, he wrote. A flash-light beam immediately was thrown into her eyes, blinding her so that she was conscious of only a vague form and movement. She ran back into her own room and screamed at Chuck that there was an intruder in Vals room.

Lon thought she heard the person bounding down the stairs, Hohf recalled. When she returned to Vals room, Val was still moaning and looked very white. Lon wiped her face with a pillow, and felt a pulse which disappeared in a few seconds.

Despite the fact that he was the first to examine Valerie Percy, and the first to pronounce her dead, Hohf said he was never questioned by police.

Shall I say I think it is very strange, and should be looked at, Mrs. Hohf said. Why not?

Despite the pursuit of over a thousand leads, the Percy investigation went cold. There were a few clues: broken glass on a French door; a few scattered fingerprints; a military bayonet which may or may not have been the murder weapon, recovered from Lake Michigan near the Percy home. But no definite suspects. And no arrests.

Percy, the president of the audiovisual giant Bell & Howell, would go on to win that campaign for the U.S. Senate, serving three terms from 1966 to 1985. He died in 2011.

In the written account Dr. Hohf stated, I had a feeling that much had happened before I arrived. His wife recalled that her husband told her certain things appeared odd.

He felt as though time had elapsed when he was escorted into the home, she said. Everything was calm, which is good---but I suppose you call it--- the crime scene had been cleaned up.

But she quickly added that Dr. Hohf never had any theories about the crime.

I dont think he had a clue, she said.

The anniversary of the crime arrives in the midst of a contentious lawsuit, where Kenilworth authorities are fighting requests to release their case files from 50 years ago. New York attorney John Kelly took the village to court, demanding release of the files, which the police chief insists must remain secret to avoid compromising an ongoing investigation.

Various pieces of information and evidence may seem unconnected but later take on unanticipated significance, chief David Miller wrote in a memorandum to the court. This is one of the reasons standard police investigations try to keep as much information confidential as possible.

But Kellys Chicago attorney Matt Topic has expressed doubt that any real investigation exists. Taken to its logical conclusion, Topic said, Kenilworths argument would apply in every unsolved case.

Kenilworth police said in their statement that over the decades multiple individuals have attempted to confess to the killing, but each of those claims has been debunked.

If she had lived, Valerie Percy would be 71 years old today.
Residents and their pets, including a cat that required an oxygen mask, were safely removed from a burning townhouse in a Chicago suburb Thursday morning.

The Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company responded to the fire about 8:22 a.m. in the 400 block of Ramblewood Drive. A news release from the fire department said heavy smoke could be seen from the burning townhouse. There were no injuries to residents or first responders, the release said. Three cats were rescued, including the one that was administered an oxygen mask, and they all survived.

The fire is now being investigated by the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force.
A federal appellate court in Chicago says it can't get involved in a case surrounding a dog named Shaggy.

Shaggy is a service dog Gloria Jean Sykes relies on to keep her calm. An Illinois probate judge in a 2014 guardianship dispute involving Sykes barred her from bringing Shaggy into court.

Sykes sued in federal court alleging that banning Shaggy violated her disability rights. The lower federal court tossed the lawsuit. And in a ruling this week, the 7th U.S. District Court of Appeals declined to revive it, saying a state court should have first crack at the case.

The Chicago Law Bulletin cited the lower court judge as saying Shaggy isn't a bad dog. His written ruling says "Shaggy comported himself well" in probate court before being ordered out.
A southern Illinois man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his fiancee's son on the boy's fifth birthday.

It took a Madison County jury nearly six hours of deliberation before finding 27-year-old Tavon Ludy of unincorporated Glen Carbon guilty in the September 2013 death of Torian Whitaker. The Belleville News-Democrat reports Lundy was also found guilty of aggravated battery for beating Torian's older brother, Zajamin.

According to prosecutors, Ludy admitted to punching Torian in the chest because the boy disobeyed him. Ludy allegedly picked up the boy after hitting him and took him to the home's basement, where he laid for at least 10 minutes before someone called emergency personnel.

Prosecutors say the boy's mother, Toria Coleman, was out shopping for a birthday present for her son at the time of the incident.
A judge has ruled that a 41-year-old Wisconsin man accused of decapitating his mother with a sword will stay indefinitely in a mental health institution.

Matthew Skalitzy was committed in June after a judge found him not guilty by reason of mental disorder or defect in the September 2015 killing of 68-year-old Jane Skalitzky.

On Friday, Dane County Judge Joann Reynolds ordered him confined indefinitely. Reynolds noted he remains a significant risk to himself or others without his medication and ruled he can be forced to take it.

Skalitzy's attorney has said he has a long history of mental health issues, is currently taking his medication and realizes the gravity of what happened.

Assistant District Attorney Corey Stephan says Skalitzy's family has shown remarkable compassion and forgiveness.
A man originally charged with a felony after authorities discovered the body of a missing woman in Standard, Illinois, now faces upgraded charges, Illinois State Police announced Friday.

Clifford Andersen, 66, was originally charged with concealment of a death and is being held at the Bureau County Jail on $750,000 bond.Police said he now faces concealment of a homicidal death.

The body of a 62-year-old woman who mysteriously disappeared one week before her vehicle was found abandoned at an Illinois truck stop has been found, police said Wednesday.

Deborah Dewey had last been seen Aug. 22 in Spring Valley, Illinois, according to police.

One week later, authorities found her 2007 Buick LaCrosse unlocked at the TA Truck Stop on Illinois Route 47, just north of I-80.

On Monday, investigators searched a home at 5th Street and Illinois Route 71 in Standard, where they found a body buried in a shallow grave in the yard, state police said. The body was transported to the medical examiner's office where dental records confirmed it was Dewey.

Investigators gathered evidence at the scene and three people at the home were interviewed.

Earlier this week, a man by the name of Chris Dewey set up a GoFundMe page for contributions to the search efforts and described himself to be the womans son. The family has yet to make a public statement.

Please help if you can, the GoFundMe page writes. I just want to bring my mom home.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing but further information wasn't immediately known.

Anyone with information on Deweys death is urged to contact ISP District 17 Headquarters at (815) 224-1171.
A person was found dead in a fire on Chicago's West Side early Saturday, according to police.

Around 1:25 a.m., officers responded to a call of a refuse fire in the 5500 block of West Cortez Street in the city's Austin neighborhood, police said.

While on the scene, they discovered human remains and were unable to determine the age and gender, according to police.

The Cook County medical examiners office could not immediately confirm the death.

The investigation is ongoing, police said, though they did not believe that the incident was connected to a string of suspicious garage fires that left one man dead and 32 others displaced on Friday.
A suspect has been charged with the robbery and shooting of an elderly man who was watering his lawn on Chicago's South Side earlier this month, according to police.

Antoine Davis, 30, of the 6800 block of S. Washtenaw Avenue was charged with one count of robbery with a firearm and one county of aggravated battery - both felonies, according to a release from the Chicago Police Department.

Federico Laguardia, 71, was watering the lawn at his home in the 7000 block of South California Avenue in the city's Marquette Park neighborhood on Tuesday, Sept. 6 around 12:10 p.m. when the incident occurred, according to police.

Two men on bikes approached, demanding his wallet. When Laguardia refused, they shot him in the stomach, police said, in a robbery attempt caught on a neighbor's surveillance camera.

"After this trauma, my once open-hearted father told me that he will now have to be suspicious of everyone who passes by," his son Fred Laguardia said, choking back tears on Thursday as he talked about his father's ordeal.

Officers with the CPD Fugitive Apprehension Unit, as well as the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Task Force, arrested Davis outside his home just blocks from Laguardia's on Friday afternoon, police said. Authorities did not release any further information on a second suspect.

Laguardia said his father is a decent man, who has lived in their neighborhood for nearly 30 years, and that he's determined to show his father that there are still good people in the city.

"There are as-of-yet the nameless park district workers who rushed my dad to hospital. There is the Mount Sinai surgical ICU team that helped saved his life," he said.

Neighbor Loisteen Walker is among the many community members standing with the Laguardia family as they try to stem the rising tide in violence across their neighborhood.

"I believe today Dr. King would be ashamed about violence on one another," she said. "We have shamed God," she added.
Donald Trump says he is "shining a national spotlight" on Americans killed by immigrants living in the United States illegally and vowed to deliver justice to the families of the victims.

"What is the acceptable number of lives to be lost in the name of illegal immigration? Let me tell you what that number is: zero," Trump said Saturday at anti-illegal immigration group's conference in Houston, Texas.

Trump spoke at the Remembrance Project first annual luncheon, an organization founded to advocate for tougher immigration laws in honor of those killed by people in the country illegally.

The Republican nominee touted a strong message against crime by undocumented immigrants, painting a picture of an America with porous borders and rampant crime done by those who flow into the country illegally.

"Every day our border remains open, innocent Americans are needlessly victimized and killed. Every day sanctuary cities are left in place and innocent Americans are put in harms away. Everyday we fail to enforce our laws," Trump said.

But the reality and the numbers don't match Trump's narrative. According to the Wall Street Journal, a report from the Immigration Policy Center found that illegal immigrants are less likely than the native population to commit violent crimes or be incarcerated.

Trump told the group most "politicians ignore your cries, but I never will," vowing to "deliver justice to every American family and victim" if he wins the presidential election."

Trump also falsely claimed that Democratic rival Hillary Clinton wants to abolish Americas borders and misrepresented her immigration policy as effective amnesty for all.

"She didnt want to get involved, Trump said, stating that Clinton, as secretary of state, refused to take forceful action and get countries to take back their citizens who committed crimes in the U.S. and needed to be deported. The crowd responded chants of "lock her up."

Members of the Remembrance Project have repeatedly appeared on stage with Trump at rallies across the country and he has made its cause part of his platform.

According to the group's website, The Remembrance Project brings national attention to "under-reported killings, and is 'connecting-the-dots' through its initiative, the 'Stolen Lives Quilt' a visual memorial dedicated to slain Americans, who would otherwise still be alive and with their families, if only current laws were enforced.
Two officers who were shot while responding to a suicide call at a home in North Texas Friday evening are expected to recover, the Fort Worth Police Department says.[[393792971,R]]

Police spokesman Officer Marc Povero said at about 8:30 p.m. officers Xavier Serrano and Ray Azucena responded to a home on the 3800 block of Wharton Drive and found a person in a back bedroom unresponsive from a gunshot wound.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office identified that man as Carl Fleece. The ME's office listed his manner of death as homicide, and said he had "gunshot wounds" to the head.

Neighbors told the officers that a witness to the shooting was in a shed in the backyard.

When the officers approached the shed, someone inside began shooting at them, and they opened fire, Povero said.

Two Fort Worth police officers were shot while responding to a shooting call at a home Friday evening, the department says.

Serrano was shot several times in his upper body and was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Azucena was struck once in the chest, but the bullet hit his protective vest and he only sustained minor injuries, Povero said.

SWAT officers later surrounded the shed and fired tear gas canisters inside. Just before midnight, Fort Worth police confirmed that a person was found dead inside the shed.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office identified that man as Fleece's son Martin Fleece. Fleece was shot in the head, according to the ME's office and the manner of death was ruled to be suicide.

Two injured Fort Worth police officers were rushed to John Peter Smith Hospital after they were shot at a home in south Fort Worth.

Serrano is an eight-year veteran and Field Training Officer with FWPD. Azucena is a rookie officer who graduated from the Fort Worth Police Academy in July.

Serrano underwent surgery at John Peter Smith Hospital Saturday and remained there Monday morning. Azucena was released from the hospital overnight.

Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald and Mayor Betsy Price spoke to reporters at JPS Hospital and asked for prayers for the injured officers.
East Haven police have arrested a man in connection with a fatal crash on Frontage Road Wednesday.

Police said Johnassis Melendez, 23, is believed to be the driver of a vehicle that crashed into a pole near Home Depot on Frontage Road Wednesday. One person was killed in that crash and another seriously injured.

Melendez is accused of fleeing the scene of that accident. He is being held on criminal and motor vehicle charges. Police said they expect additional charges as the investigation continues.
More than 200 animals have been found in deplorable conditions at a home on Newtown Turnpike, Weston officials said.

According to Mark Harper with Weston Animal Control, snakes, birds, turtles and tortoises were all discovered. He said many were already dead by the time they arrived.

"Ive never seen anything like this before in his life. It's indescribable," said Harper.

Officials said reports of a foul smell is what brought them to the two story shed. Police said the homes owner is cooperating with their investigation. They believe the animals came from his former business, a pet store in New York that is now closed.

Rescue groups are assisting the animals that are still alive, but it is a difficult task. Harper said the animals are now evidence, so the organizations they go to will need to keep them.

"Who knows how things got out of control like this," Harper said. "Its very sad."
A device exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, Saturday morning as about 5,000 runners were set to participate in a 5K Marine charity race, authorities said.

The explosive device went off in a garbage can on D Street and Ocean Avenue about 9:30 a.m. along the race route, police said.

No one was injured in the blast, according to the Ocean County prosecutor's office.

The third annual Marine Semper Fi 5K race to benefit the MARSOC Foundation was expected to start at about 9 a.m., but was delayed because of late sign-ins, authorities said.

The race was canceled after the explosion.

The device was composed of three pipe bombs, only one of which went off, leaving plenty of physical evidence for investigators to examine, federal officials said.

It appears the device was set off by a timer, officials said, but it is not known what explosive material was in the pipes.

Runner Adam Carswell of Toms River, New Jersey, told NBC 4 New York he saw the smoke rising from the garbage can after the explosion.

"It was a big puff of smoke, fairly large," he said.

Photos: Pipe Bomb scene in Seaside Park

"It makes me very angry that this could happen in a sleepy little town like Seaside Park after Labor Day," he added.

Lauren Rispoli, a Seaside Park resident, said she was in bed when she heard the blast.

I thought it might have been an explosion of some sort or a sonic boom, she said.

Rispoli said the explosion will not rattle the spirit of people in Seaside Park.

"We will support this run again next year here or wherever they choose to do it," she said. "Even if its next year, were not afraid, were not going to let this stop us."

A number of law enforcement agencies responded to the scene Saturday, but the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office will be the lead investigators in an effort to better coordinate the probe across units, an FBI spokesperson said.

The MARSOC Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises money to support "active duty and medically retired MARSOC personnel and their families as well as to the families of Marines and Sailors who have lost their lives in service to our Nation," according to the groups website.
Pressure is growing to reopen an abandoned jail building as a facility for homeless people, with 80 homeless camps now counted around Dallas.

The Dawson State Jail on Commerce Street closed three years ago and the state of Texas wants to sell the 1997 structure. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice allowed NBC 5 to visit the building Friday.

It once housed more than 2,000 people. Most of the beds were in dormitory-style day rooms. It still has big freezers and ovens in a kitchen that once prepared hundreds of meals a day. There is space for a large laundry operation. The second floor includes office space and a former medical clinic that could be renovated to provide services for homeless people.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings acknowledged the possibility Friday.

"It's a valuable piece of property, and over the short term I think it's an option that we need to look at. Over the long term, we need to have better ideas than that. But I'm looking at everything," Rawlings said.

Several members of the Dallas Homeless Commission are strongly pushing the Dawson option, including Michael Przekwas. He represents the Cedars neighborhood south of downtown.

"Here's a facility to handle a lot of people and on a temporary basis. As we start closing the 80 encampments around the city, this is a place that the police and crisis intervention can direct people," Przekwas said.

The Cedars is near The Bridge, the city's existing homeless service center on St. Paul Street at Interstate 30, which can't meet demand.

"People go there. They can't get in, so they're dispersed around the neighborhood," Przekwas said.

The Homeless Commission was appointed earlier this year after a large tent city under Interstate 45 was closed.

Przekwas said neighbors are getting impatient because solutions offered from the commission so far have been expensive long range plans that don't solve immediate problems.

"The Homeless Commission is full of people who are protecting their own agenda," Przekwas said. "The community is getting very bitter and very angry with this."

Przekwas and several other members believe the Dawson building could be a faster solution.

"It's there. It's already government owned," Przekwas said.

Officials with The Bridge recently toured the Dawson building. They estimate between $15 million and $20 million would be needed for improvements to re-open it for people who are not being held as prisoners. The Bridge Chief Operating Officer Sam Merten said the lack of windows would make it uncomfortable for some people, and single-room occupancy type housing is preferred for transitional housing over the dormitory-style in most of the building.

Mayor Rawlings was the volunteer Dallas Homeless Czar before running for elected office. He has been seeking solutions to the Dallas homeless problem for a decade. Friday, Rawlings defended the Homeless Commission and the work of social service agencies.

"We need to come together on this. Nobody's making money off homelessness. These folks are trying to do the best thing they can," Rawlings said.

The mayor supports the "housing first" approach that would move homeless people rapidly into permanent housing instead of relying on temporary shelters.

"We have run out of shelter space. There's no question of that. But shelter space is not the long term answer. The long term answer is homes or apartments where people can live. 'Housing First' is the best model. But we do have that short term need of shelter space and that's why we need to keep all the options on the table," Rawlings said.

Impatient neighbors pushing the Dawson building are suggesting the Homeless Commission should be abandoned.

"The community feels, why are the people who caused the problem to get into a crisis now in charge of solving the problem?" Przekwas said.

Before the Dawson debate is settled, Rawlings said city officials are working to close homeless camps, especially one along Haskell Street under an Interstate 30 bridge. That one is near Fair Park, where the State Fair of Texas opens Sept. 30.

"This is not a safe way for people to live. It may seem for some like they're free, but this is unhealthy. People die there. We can't allow that," Rawlings said.
Dianey Santos never got the chance to say goodbye to her two young daughters.

"For me, it's hard to believe," Emily Santos said. "It's hard to believe that from one day to the other, she's gone."

Emily, 15, and her 9-year-old sister Melizabeth got an LAPD escort to the hospital the same night their mother was shot in the head by an alleged South LA gang member.

"I didn't know it would be something that horrible," Emily recalls.

For LAPD South Bureau Criminal Gang Homicide Detective Shawn Svoboda, this case has taken on a more personal connection. He was with the girls when they saw their mother connected to hospital equipment to keep her breathing. And he was with them as the girls cried and hugged their mother, before doctors pulled the plug.

"This was an innocent person waiting for the bus," Det. Svoboda said of the 39-year-old mother. "And I believe there are people in this neighborhood who know what happened."

It happened June 20, 2016 at the corner of West 83rd Street and South Broadway. Dianey Santos was waiting for the bus around 9:30 p.m. when at least two surveillance cameras caught what happened.

Svoboda said it appears the shooter had chased after an intended target  a rival gang member  but when that target turned the corner, the shooter reached around and seemed to fire aimlessly. One bullet struck Santos in the head and killed her.

Today, there is a roadside memorial to Santos at that same bus stop, a picture of her and her daughters is posted there as well as a picture of Santos in her hospital bed, with a plea to public to come forward with answers.

"She was an innocent person," Emily says, with the forced maturity of a young adult, "she never did harm to anyone."

Detective Svoboda released a sketch of the shooter to NBC4  the face of the man witnesses say killed Santos and left her daughters orphaned, living with family friends as they navigate county social services.

"She was a single mother for both of us," Emily said through tears. "She was a hard-working mother. She only worked for us. We got along very well, both of us with her. She was more than our mother, she had always been there."

Detectives say the area of 83rd and Broadway is notorious for gang crime and that what happened to Santos should be a wake-up call to all of Los Angeles: If you think you're unaffected by gang violence because you don't have any ties, think again. Santos was only waiting for the bus.

Det. Svoboda said the intended target in the shooting did speak with investigators, but has not been forthcoming with information they believe he may have on the shooter. That's why police are hoping neighbors will step up and be the heroes two young girls need.

"We're not gonna bring any heat on you," Det. Svoboda said. "We want to solve this crime so this person doesn't kill another person."

Anyone with information is asked to contact LAPD South Bureau Detectives at 323-786-5100. Callers can remain anonymous.
Funeral services for a Caltrans electrician killed earlier this month when he was struck by a big rig on the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in the Acton area will be held today in Sylmar.

Services for 57-year-old Jorge Lopez begin at 11 a.m. and motorists are advised to expect 15- to 30-minute delays on local streets for the procession of Caltrans vehicles, said Karina Vargas of Caltrans. Vargas said motorists may experience delays beginning at 9:30 a.m. on the following streets: Polk Street, Glenoaks Boulevard and San Fernando and Laurel Canyon roads.

Lopez, a 16-year employee of Caltrans and resident of Sylmar, was killed the morning of Sept. 1 on the Antelope Freeway at Red Rover Mine Road. He was standing behind his vehicle on the side of the road when a big rig veered into him.

The truck driver stopped at the scene and was questioned by California Highway Patrol investigators. Gov. Jerry Brown said he and his wife, Anne, said they "were saddened to learn of the death of Jorge Lopez, who worked each day to make our California roads safer. We extend out deepest sympathies to his family, friends and many colleagues who are mourning this tragedy."

Lopez is survived by his wife, Leticia and three adult children, according to Caltrans. He was the first employee of Caltrans District 7, which includes Los Angeles and Ventura counties, to be killed while at work since 2005 and the 185th Caltrans employee to be killed while on the job.

Following the accident, District 7 called a "safety stand-down to emphasize safety procedures." Routine and regularly scheduled highway maintenance will be temporarily halted "to revisit and reinforce all aspects of field safety," according to Caltrans.
Two people were killed and two others wounded in a shooting Friday night outside a home in East Hollywood.

The two surviving victims were taken to a hospital, Lopez said. Their conditions were not immediately known, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Mike Lopez said.

At about 7:50 p.m. a man in his 20s walked up and opened fire on a group of people that were congregating at 555 N. Heliotrope Drive, near the Hollywood (101) Freeway, according to Lopez. The motive was not immediately known.
Authorities are searching for a mother missing since Friday when she was expected to pick up her child from school.

Alexandra Palacios, 44, was last seen leaving her home Friday located at 9000 block of southwest 32nd Street in Miami, police say.

According to Miami-Dade Police Department, Palacios was expected to pick her child from school, but never made it there. She was last seen wearing long-sleeved blue shirt, gray leggings, and gray and white sneakers.

Palacios was last seen driving a dark grey four-door Ford Focus with a Florida tag 868-KKS.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Miami-Dade Police Department or Crime Stoppers at (305) 471- 8477.
A New York City man captured on video smashing a wooden chair over the heads of two men inside a Dallas BBQ restaurant last year has been sentenced to nine years in prison in the high-profile attack.

The sentenced handed down to Bayna-Lekheim El-Amin by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arlene Goldberg Thursday follows his convictions of assault and attempted assault in May by a state Supreme Court jury.

The Daily News reports El-Amin, 32, had about two dozen supporters in the courtroom during sentencing and did not apologize to the victims.

Video of the May 2015 attack inside Dallas BBQ in Chelsea shows El-Amin flinging a chair over his head, then smashing it on the skulls of two men he had gotten into an argument with. Horrified bystanders scream as he walks calmly out the door.

The attack was so brutal that bystanders said they were afraid to confront the assailant.

Prosecutors said the 25-year-old victim was knocked unconscious and the 32-year-old victim collapsed onto a nearby chair. Both men suffered head, back and neck pain.

El-Amin turned himself in to police about a month after the attack.

The victims, who are gay, told media outlets at the time that El-Amin, who has also identified himself as gay, hurled racist and homophobic slurs at them. El-Amin's lawyer previously said his client was attacked first.

El-Amin may have been slapped by one of the victims with a canvas bag but wasn't justified in reacting so viciously, Goldberg said Thursday, according to The Daily News.
What to Know A 38-year-old professional surveillance camera installer has been charged with sex crimes in New Jersey

Prosecutors say he secretly watched a customer through the surveillance system he installed

During the investigation into Thomas Canales, prosecutors linked him to two other sex crimes

A man who installs surveillance cameras in New Jersey is facing sex crime charges after authorities investigated allegations that he secretly monitored a customer through one of his surveillance camera systems and connected him to other allegations of sex assault and lewdness.

Thomas Canales, 38, was initially arrested at his Franklin Township home on Sept. 1, accused of illegally watching a customer on a surveillance system he'd set up in the customer's home.

Canales owns a computer company called Scope It Out in Somerset, prosecutors say.

While investigating Canales, Middlesex prosecutors linked him to an incident of lewdness on July 3 in which he allegedly exposed himself to a 7-year-old girl in New Brunswick.

They also allege he improperly touched a 32-year-old woman at an apartment complex playground in Edison on Aug. 25.

Canales is facing charges of computer theft in the secret surveillance case; sex assault, child endangerment and lewdness in the New Brunswick case; and criminal sex contact in the Edison incident.

Canales attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.
The NBC10 Investigators discovered that both candidates for Pennsylvanias U.S. Senate seat have raised more money from out-of-state donors than from donors in the state theyre campaigning to represent.

Poll averages show incumbent Republican Pat Toomey and Democratic nominee Katie McGinty separated by less than half a point.

Robin Kolodny, chair of Temple Universitys political science department, says the out-of-state donors in this competitive race are mostly interested in larger, national issues. [[393457831, C]]

Both McGinty and Toomey received the most out-of-state money from the so-called ATM state of New York  where the campaigns collected more than half-a-million dollars each, as of the last filing deadline at the end of June. New York is followed by California  where McGinty received nearly 800 donations and Toomey received nearly 900.

But thats where the candidates donation hot spots diverge.

McGinty received significant funding from Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. That includes maximum donations from Barbara Lee, an expert on women in politics, and from Elizabeth Bagley, a senior advisor in the State Department and a former ambassador. [[393458921, C]]

Toomey pulled in significant amounts from Florida, Texas, and Illinois  including maximum donations from Miamis Norman Brayman, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, and from billionaire Chicago investor Sam Zell.

All told, more than 11,000 individual donors outside of Pennsylvania have poured more than $7M into this race.

None of the individual donors mentioned in our story replied to our request for comment about their contribution.[[393472671, C]]
Give. Love. Respect.

It's those words on a wristband that an area business hopes will encourage residents to work together with police.

American Eagle Screen Print and Embroidery, in Cover Hill, has given the Johnstown Police Department with 500 blue wristbands to be distributed to children and adults while the officers are patrolling.

"The goal is to create community togetherness," said Jody Altemus, assistant to the owner of American Eagle Screen Print and Embroidery.

"A bond with the children is what we are looking for."

She said she got the idea to produce the wristbands after seeing on Facebook Johnstown police officers giving "tickets" for self-serve drinks from Sheetz to residents who they saw doing good deeds within the community.

"I went to my boss to see if we could get on board with this and donate something," Altemus said.

"I came up with the idea and wording. I contacted (Johnstown Police Officer) Chad Miller and met with him The hope is that children will realize that police officers aren't scary, but here to help.

"We want them to create a bond with police officers and not be afraid to talk to them," Altemus said.

"If they follow the message on the bracelet and use it in everyday life, it will have a positive effect."

Johnstown Police Sgt. Joseph Eckenrod said the bands will make officers more available for community-oriented policing.

"`We're able to sit and talk to people and it breaks the barrier down of the badge and the cruiser, where they may be afraid to come up to us," he said.

"If we can talk to people, there's a better understanding of what our job is and what they expect of us."

He said the wristbands are a great continuation of the Sheetz ticket program.

"There are a lot of people afraid of the police, but we want to take that barrier down where they understand we are here to protect them and serve them," Eckenrod said.

"We also rely on them for information to help us out because after all, this is our city totally."
Nearly 48 hours after a lone gunman went on a shooting spree through a Philadelphia neighborhood that left a woman dead and 5 others injured, investigators are digging into the shooter's past to determine a motive.

NBC10s Aundrea Cline-Thomas spoke to community members as well as the Philly FOP about Fridays deadly shooting rampage in West Philadelphia.

Police say Nicholas Glenn took a handgun with obliterated serial number and a cache of extra magazines and began his rampage after 11 p.m. Friday on Sansom Street near 52nd in West Philadelphia. In the span of a few minutes, Glenn shot two police officers and four civilians, leaving one young woman with injuries that would later kill her.

Two days after a rampaging gunman opened fire in West Philadelphia, wounding two police officers, killing a young woman and leaving three other people injured, police are still trying to determine what sparked the shooting. Nicholas Glenn, whom police identified as the shooter, died in a conrfontation with police just after the mass shooting. NBC10s Lauren Mayk is outside Police...

Officers eventually shot Glenn to death after his four-block shooting spree, and found a raving, barely coherent note that was addressed to "doomed people." The note, written in the first person, has been described by officials as "a bunch of ramblings."

WATCH: Chaos during shooting rampage captured by surveillance cameras:

NBC10s Aundrea Cline-Thomas obtained surveillance video showing part of the rampage shooting in West Philadelphia Friday night.

Caught on Cam: Surveillance video of West Philly rampage shooting: https://t.co/Y8fuVSicvw pic.twitter.com/VN1TZSUuqp  NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) September 18, 2016

The note, written in the first person, has been described by officials as "a bunch of ramblings "which apparently was meant for anyone he came across," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Saturday afternoon. "Other than the rantings he had in that letter, we don't know what he was motivated by. Unfortunately, we may never know."

Police were interviewing Glenn's relatives and friends in hopes of determining what led him to go on his rampage, shooting random people whom he didn't even know. Investigators also want to know where Glenn got the 9mm handgun he used, but tracing it will be a more daunting task without the weapon's serial number.

NBC10s George Spencer has the detailed timline of the rampage shooting in West Philadelphia that left a woman dead and five others, including two police officers, injured.

Glenn, 25, allegedly mentioned his parole officer in the letter that police found after shooting him dead in an alley near 48th and Sansom streets. Ross said he has no apparent ties to any larger organization.

Philadelphia Police

The rampage started about 11:20 p.m. Friday when Glenn walked up to Sgt. Sylvia Young's marked police cruiser on 52nd and Sansom streets. Young, who is assigned to the 22nd District, was working a patrol detail in the 18th District. As Young sat inside her vehicle, Glenn opened fire at the driver's side, police said.

Facebook

Young, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was struck eight times in the left shoulder, arm and torso.

"Help me, please!" Young yelled on police radio moments after the shooting.

Philadelphia Police Sgt. Sylvia Young can be heard yelling for help over police radio. Later, another officer declares, He is down and in custody.

Ross said it's a miracle the 19-year veteran wasn't killed, considering Glenn fired 18 rounds before he started his seemingly random shooting spree east on Sansom Street. Following the shooting, Young was taken to Penn-Presbyterian Hospital where she was in stable condition.

NBC10 obtained surveillance video that sources say shows Glenn walking away shortly after shooting Young.

WATCH: Surveillance video of suspect in rampage shooting: https://t.co/hBnMaWEDQ3 pic.twitter.com/Lt7TNm6RNl  NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) September 17, 2016

As Glenn continued walking, he passed the Maximum Level Lounge on 5118 Sansom Street, where a 42-year-old manager and a 41-year-old bartender were in the open doorway attending to a wheelchair-bound patron, police said. Glenn then fired about five rounds into the doorway, striking the manager in both legs and the woman in the right ankle. The two victims were taken to Penn-Presbyterian Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.

Glenn then continued running eastbound on Sansom Street and approached a 2011 Nissan Altima with a 36-year-old man and 27-year-old Sara Salih inside. Police say Glenn opened fire, striking the man in his arm and chest and Salih several times in her chest. Both victims were taken to Penn-Presbyterian Hospital, where Salih succumbed to her injuries. The man was in critical condition.

Were learning more about the slain suspect in a rampage shooting that left a woman dead and five people, including two police officers in West Philadelphia. NBC10s Deanna Durante has the details.

Glenn then continued eastbound on Sansom Street and was pursued by two 16th District officers in a marked police Ford Explorer, officials said. Glenn opened fire on the officers, striking their vehicle on the hood and driver's side door, according to police. The officers were not injured during the shooting.

Glenn continued running from police and was confronted in the 100 block of South 48th Street by University of Pennsylvania Police officer Edward Miller, police said. Glenn opened fire and struck Miller in the hip and leg area.

NBC10 obtained surveillance video of an officer who falls to the ground and then limps to safety during the shooting. The video then shows other responding officers rush to the scene.

Miller was taken to Penn Presbyterian, where he was in stable condition.

Glenn then continued exchanging gunfire with the responding officers. Glenn was struck several times during the shootout and finally died from his wounds at 11:45 p.m., officials said.

Police say Glenn was in possession of a note with the headline, "Doomed People." They also said the note included rambling, unclear statements that indicated Glenn's hatred toward his probation/parole officers as well as police.

"It is rambling," Ross said. "It would be very difficult to glean anything from that. It's more about himself than it is about who he wanted to harm."

Police recovered Glenn's weapon, a Ruger Model SR9, 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Officials say the gun was loaded with 14 live 9mm rounds. There were also three empty magazines throughout the scene that Glenn had discarded as he emptied the magazines and reloaded, police said. In all, Glenn discharged his gun at least 51 times during the incident, according to investigators.

[[39382511, C]]

Young and Miller were awake and talking with relatives after being hospitalized, Mayor Jim Kenney said.

"[Miller] actually was cracking jokes with his kids and wife. The other officer [Young] was talking with her family," Kenney said. "Were very blessed that thats the way it turned out. But we have to keep in our prayers the civilians."

Penn Safety Director Maureen Rush said Miller served 33 years on the Philadelphia police department, retiring as a sergeant, before joining the Penn PD.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, Mayor Jim Kenney and other officials provide update on the violent details of a shooting spree that injured two officers and 4 others in West Philadelphia later Friday. The suspect was shot and killed.

Ross, who termed the shooter's note a "bunch of rantings," said officers would patrol in pairs following the incident.

Kenney asked that everyone pray for the injured officers and civilians.

"All in all it was a really terrible, scary night," he said.

The Fraternal Order of Police announced that proceeds from their 4th annual Monday Night Football tailgate party would go to Sergeant Young and Officer Miller.

Police sources told NBC10 Glenn had a lengthy criminal record and was arrested more than a dozen times. Glenn's attorney Anthony Petrone also told NBC10 that he spent much of his prison time in solitary due to fighting.

I did notice with him a serious change in his attitude and overall demeanor during the period of time that he was incarcerated up in the county prison, Petrone said. I remember visiting him frequently and he had to be pulled out of solitary and I remember he was having a very difficult time in dealing with the solitary confinement.




Folks trying to see Bruce Springsteen at the Free Library of Philadelphia may be out of luck after tickets sold out in under 10 minutes.

Library of Philadelphias Central Branch spokeswoman, Sandy Horrocks, confirmed to NBC10 that tickets to the September 29th meet-and-greet with Springsteen for the release of his new memoir, Born to Run, sold out in 9 minutes.

Philly.com reported many people had problems trying to get the tickets as they went on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Some were met with a message reading Service Temporarily Unavailable! when trying to purchase the tickets.

Springsteen is coming back to Philadelphia for the meet-and-greet just a few weeks after two concerts at Citizens Bank Park where he broke the record for his longest show ever in the United States.

Tickets to the meet-and-greet were $33 and included a signed copy of the book.
Police say a Pennsylvania drug suspect was all wet when he urinated in his pants in the hope that it would dissolve the heroin and cocaine in his pocket.

The (Scranton) Times-Tribune says 42-year-old Wesley Autrey sold heroin Tuesday during an undercover sting in Scranton.

When police tried to arrest him afterward, they say he struggled and had to be subdued with a stun gun.

Police say Autrey then began urinating in his pants in an attempt to dissolve the drugs. Police say he was unsuccessful, and they found five small bags of heroin, four small bags of cocaine and $3,000 in cash.

Online court records don't list an attorney for Autrey. He remained in the Lackawanna County jail on Thursday unable to post bond.
Above average temperatures and a dry spell have led us to a drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor recently updated their drought level analysis, categorizing the Philadelphia area and much of New Jersey under the moderate drought level. That is the first level of drought (D1), categorized from D0 (abnormally dry) to D4 (exceptional drought).

Philadelphia has not seen measurable rain at the airport since Sept. 1, and before that, Aug. 21. The forecast calls for a primarily dry week ahead outside of some possible showers and thunderstorms Sunday into Monday.

The counties under moderate drought include part of Philadelphia County, as well as lower Montgomery and Lower Bucks counties. Also included are parts of Gloucester, Atlantic and Mercer counties as well as all of Camden, Burlington and Ocean counties.

This year, most areas have seen less than average rainfall. In fact, Trenton, New Jersey's annual precipitation is 7.66 inches below average. Philadelphia is 4.5 inches below. And, Allentown is 5.19 inches below. Reading currently has a 6.17 inches annual precipitation deficit. And, Mount Pocono comes in just over 3.5 inches below. Delaware has fared slightly better, with Wilmington only 1.24 inches below average. Atlantic City has seen just enough rain to put the official reporting station at 2.91 inches above average for annual precipitation.

At this point, one strong and steady storm could help alleviate the deficits.

Only a year ago, Philadelphia saw around 10 inches more rain than in 2016. As a result, some people may start to notice lawns and plants suffering compared to 2015. [[287977901, C]]

Louis Holod, Owner of Holods True Value Hardware, said its not time to panic, yet.

"Most of the grass here is blue grass, and it goes dormant above 90 degrees," Holod said. "Sixty to 90 percent of it will come back automatically. Then you can do your repairs, and spend a lot less money."

If youre particularly concerned about your lawn, Holod said you can water the area.

"If its small enough, water now. If its larger, then Id hold off until we get just one good rain and you can overseed it, but probably the most bang for your dollar would be lime."

Holod also suggests that if you do water your lawn, do so before 10 a.m. because watering at night can lead to fungus problems. He also said not to aerate your lawn until weve seen rain, as the soil may be too dry for aeration to currently work.
In the last four weeks, eight people have died in suspected DUI crashes in San Diego.

On Wednesday, a man suspected of driving under the influence crashed into a female driver in Fallbrook, resulting in her death. A four-year old and a two-year old were inside the suspects car at the time of the crash.

On Friday morning, two California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers were injured after a suspected drunk driver collided into their patrol car in Lakeside.

According to the San Diego County District Attorneys office, there were five defendants charged with DUI murder or manslaughter from January to May 2016. In 2014 and 2015, there were 18 defendants also facing DUI murder or manslaughter charges.

CHP says its frustrating, that after all the education and awareness, drinking and driving still ruins lives.

We do put out a lot of education; we put out a lot of presentations on DUI, safety. We go to a lot of social events where we speak of and educate people on the dangers of DUI, said CHP Officer Josh Nelson. And yes, we do continue to see it happening, so its frustrating.

Nelson said organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) do a great job of educating people and have made a difference. But some people still make the decision to get behind a wheel while incapacitated.

We want people to plan ahead, to be prepared, Nelson said. If youre going to out and celebrate, if youre going to go out and, you know, go to a party, go to a bar or something like that, have fun but plan ahead.

In an effort to curb DUIs, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has proposed lowering the blood alcohol level from .08 to .05.

But DUI Attorney G. Cole Casey says this proposed legislation will not solve the problem.

That does really address the problem. We have a legal limit right now. Weve had a legal limit for 40 years people still violate it, he said.

According to Casey, solutions like interlock devices, breathalyzers that wont let you start your car if you have been drinking dont solve the problem.

There are too many financial interests right now that benefit tremendously from drunk driving, says Casey.

Casey claims that DUIs create money for lawyers, the court system, police officers, jails and probation departments.

And you wonder why we're seeing legislation that really doesn't make much of an impact, he said.

NBC 7 reached out to the District Attorneys office for a response. Cally Bright, the DUI Homicide Team Leader told us everyone is working toward a common goalto reduce the number of DUI-related deaths.

But she described Caseys argument as somewhat callous.
The San Diego Sheriffs Department is joining forces with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) through a county wide grant to help fight underage drinking and other crimes that may occur at ABC-licensed establishments.

In July, the SDPD received an ABC grant of $100,000 to be spent in communities to help battle alcohol-related crimes and educate ABC-licensed businesses. The goal of the ABC Grant Assistance Program is to partner with local law enforcement agencies to help make communities safer.

San Diego deputies and agents from Alcohol Beverage Control along with five minor decoys organized a Minor Decoy and Shoulder Tap operation at various locations in the communities of Santee and Lakeside.

The Minor Decoy operation involved minors who tested off-sale and on-sale establishments. Minors tried to purchase alcohol at 11 different locations and successfully, all licensed business turned the minors away.

In the Shoulder Tap operation teenagers asked adults to buy them alcohol outside of local retail liquor stores. 31 adults were contacted and one was arrested for selling alcohol to a minor (a misdemeanor offense).

ABC-related operations such as Minor Decoy and Shoulder Tap help reduce alcohol abuse and youth access to alcohol. Operations like the ones above will continue through June 2017.

Anyone with information on licensed liquor establishments providing alcohol to minors can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (858)580-8477, or call the Sheriff's Department non-emergency line at (858)565-5200.
Parents in San Ysidro told NBC 7 that they are taking extra precautions for their children after a San Diego teen was found dead in Tijuanashot seven times in the head.

Desteny Memory Hernandez, 18, was found dead last week, according to the Baja California Attorney Generals office. The Imperial Beach teenager had gone partying with her friends at a nightclub at a nightclub in Tijuana.

The legal drinking age in Mexico is 18-years oldan attraction point for many local teens who can easily get across the border.

NBC 7 spoke with some parents who say after this incident, they are worried about their kids safety.

I think between the ages of 18 and 22, they really don't know about the dangers in Mexicoin a different country, said parent Lorraine Bumbasi.

A mother of four, Bumbassi said her 22-year old daughter has traveled to Tijuana with friends but younger kids need to be informed of any possible dangers.

According to the La Frontera newspaper in Tijuana, Hernandez sent her friends text messages, saying she had met some guys and was heading to one of their houses in the El Florida neighborhood. Her body was found on Sept. 7.

"Just to let them know, warn them that it's just a different country, it's not safe, Bumbassi said. They don't have as good of a system to police people over there compared to the U.S. I think it's safer here in the U.S."

Bumbassi says she wants to see more regulations for teens that are going to Mexico, such as notifying parents when their kids cross the border during certain hours.

But another parent, who was born and raised in Tijuana, disagreed.

Miguel Garcia says its important to educate his daughters about safety but killing is not the norm for his hometown.

"It's a tragedy obviously but there's always good stuff happening there. Not only if you want to go down and have some fun, but there are also a lot of positive things going on down there as well, he said.

Garcia says he would be concerned if his daughters went to Tijuana under the age of 18 years old. But he would educate them on taking necessary safety precautions before they cross the border.

"I think it's an isolated thing. I don't think it's a general thing, Garcia said. I go there all the time and you can have fun as long as you don't hang out with the wrong people and the wrong crowds."

Meanwhile, local young women told NBC 7 that they are also taking precautions, like dressing down to avoid attracting a lot of attention.

Hernandes'z cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the thorax, abdomen and head. Officials from the Tijuana medical examiners office said there were no signs of sexual assault.

Her brother, Francisco Hernandez told NBC 7, that she was a kind and loving girl.

Mexican homicide investigators are investigating the shooting. So far, no arrests have been made.
Chula Vista residents took to the streets Friday afternoon to protest illegal medicinal marijuana dispensaries around the city.

Nearly two dozen protesters marched a strip of Third Avenue between Orange Avenue and Naple Street where four dispensaries currently stand. Protesters called for the city to act on its land-use authority and remove the unlawful shops.

The protest echoed concerns voiced by residents at a city council meeting on Tuesday.

In addition to concerns over the legality of the dispensaries, Chula Vista residents are worried about the proximity of the stores to local school and youth-sensitive areas.

The MCAAC Community Charter School on Third Avenue and Quintard Street is walking distance from all four dispensaries on Third Avenue, and Castle Park Middle School on Second Street is merely a block away.

"I've heard from local principals that they're finding marijuana that is coming from these illegal pot shops," Chula Vista resident Rudy Ramirez said. "These are supposedly medicinal shops to help folks with their medical needs, but it's ending up in the hands of children in our community."

According to a Chula Vista municipal code, the city can fine illegal marijuana dispensaries up to $100,000 for code violations. Residents claim that the city is not being tough enough on the shops, and cite the opening of more shops around town, despite potential fines, as evidence.

Tuesdays City Council meeting resulted in a unanimous approval of two amendments to city code: the first removes the fine cap of $100,000; the second change is prosecuting violations as criminal misdemeanors instead of filing civil lawsuits.

"If medical marijuana is going to be legal, let it be legal," Gerardo Gutierrez, a manager at Car Audio Heaven on Third Avenue said. "But make sure the illegal pot shops get the appropriate permits, pay their taxes and do it right, just like all the other businesses here. Make sure everything is moderated properly. These stores are not following the law."
San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman joined in on the fun during an event last weekend.

In a video posted on Twitter by Bobby Cressey, Zimmerman grabs a cowbell and joins the band performing on stage.

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Zimmerman was attending the Gold Shield Gala hosted by the San Diego Police Foundation at the US Grant in Downtown San Diego on Sept. 10. The event was held to highlight the K9 Crimefighter Campaign, which funds the K9 unit for the department.
The San Diego Zoo has two new families of rare reptiles on its hands.

The eggs of two rare reptile species, the black tree monitor and the mossy leaf-tailed gecko, have hatched at the Zoo for the first time.

Black tree monitors are native to the humid forests and swamps of the Aru Islands off the coast of Papa New Guinea, but their livelihood has been threatened by continued loss of tree cover that they depend on for survival. The pet trade, and non-native predators, has also played a role in their diminishing population, but four new hatchlings at the Zoo could be the start of a rejuvenating breeding program.

Were thrilled to have black tree monitor hatchlings this year, as this is the first time they've successfully reproduced at the San Diego Zoo, said Dave Grubaugh, a reptile keeper at the San Diego Zoo. The parents have been with us for three years now, and we've just been patiently waiting for them to reach maturity and bond with each other. They are one part of a larger, fragile ecosystem where every piece is important.

The monitor hatchlings weigh about 11 grams.

Thanks to their unique scale adaptations, leaf-tailed geckos are very popular in the pet trade. They resemble leaves, making it hard for predators to identify them among the leafy forests of Madagascar, their native region.

The geckos have had their futures threatened by logging, agricultural growth, housing development and other human activity. According to San Diego Zoo Global, 80 percent of their natural habitat has been decimated.

In 2010, the Zoo received a confiscated batch of the geckos and has since helped the reptiles produce eight different hatchlings. The Zoo now has several generations thriving on site.

In the cases of both reptile species, keeping a healthy population remote from their native lands can be of extreme help in the defense against extinction.
Helena United Methodist present 'Cranium Cafe'

Helena United Methodist Ministries inaugurates a new free community outreach program Cranium Cafe," on Wednesday, Sept. 21, from noon to 1 p.m. at Covenant United Methodist Church. Bring a brown bag lunch and learn about exercises for the brain to increase memory.

Cranium Cafe is a program of Bridges -- pathways to abundant living offered to the community by the Helena United Methodist Ministries in collaboration with AARP Montana to ensure happiness and fulfillment in second chapter of life.

The program is a monthly informal participatory workshop held every third Wednesday and led by Nanette Holmes, Life Enrichment Director of Touchmark. Sessions will consist of learning new brain-healthy exercises and general brain health education. There is no registration requirement. We will provide beverages, you bring your lunch. For information call 442-6501. Covenant United Methodist Church is a fully accessible facility located at 2330 E. Broadway.

Wheelchair Angels entourage back in action

Roger Sandiland, of Helena, announced that members of Wheelchair Angels, Inc., will be traveling to the Mideast on Oct. 4.

This is the 10th year that Sandiland has made the trip, and several others have joined him over the past six years. The group is growing, and this years mission includes nine members, made up mostly of people from Grace Community Fellowship and Hannaford Bible Church, both in Helena, Highwood Community Fellowship, and a married couple from Illinois.

The group flies into Tel Aviv, then to Amman, Jordan, where they will begin their first work, then travel to Bethlehem, where they will help fit and furbish wheelchairs for children and adults in Israel, Jordan and Palestine.

Richard Stepan, one of the original six, gave up his job, sold his home in Helena and moved to the West Bank to volunteer therapeutic services full time. A fundraiser this summer allowed Richard to purchase a wheelchair-equipped van that he uses to provide clinical visits to remote villages.

As word of Wheelchair Angels' work spreads within these remote villages, requests for his help has forced Stepan to spend increasingly more time transporting patients, and serving these Littlest Angels. Wheelchair Angels has served more than 1,400 children and adults.

The traveling members pay all of their own expenses for the 11-day stay, but donations to the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, for purchasing and refurbishing used wheelchairs, can be made by going to the website: wheelchairangels.com.
A New York company offering a variety of services like painting, home cleaning and moving is facing a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., after local customers complained of theft and deceptive sales practices.

Handy Technologies calls itself a sharing economy  connecting customers with independent professionals  but it is facing allegations of taking advantage of and stealing from its customers.

D.C.'s Attorney General's Office accuses the company of untrue or misleading representations regarding safety and security of its cleaners, enrolling consumers without knowledge or consent into a cleaning plan for recurring house cleanings, and misleading statements to consumers about their ability to cancel their plans and receive refunds.

We have serious questions about how this company is vetting its employees, Attorney General Karl Racine said. We have serious questions about how this company is selling its product.

Mark Schroeder hired the cleaning service.

We did it a couple times, he said. They come every couple weeks or so.

He trusted the company, which advertises "background and identity checked professionals."

Schroeder became concerned when a gift card he got for his birthday disappeared.

It was worth several hundred dollars, and I noticed that it was missing from my desk, and Im pretty meticulous about that kind of thing, he said.

About the same time, he noticed unauthorized activity on three of his credit cards, though the cards hadnt been stolen.

Police arrested a suspect, Schroeder said.

They end up finding this guy with a phone full of pictures with credit cards, he said.

Stefan Bradham hired Handy cleaning for a one-time cleaning using Groupon. It was fine, he said, but they came back two weeks later.

I didnt know I was in the reoccurring service fee  It was not detailed in the Groupon whatsoever, he said.

He tried to cancel the $70 cleaning over the phone and found it to be very difficult to cancel.

I couldnt cancel through the phone, he said. They sent me back to the website, and canceling on the website, you have to do a two-part cancellation.

Racine said his office has at least 24 consumer complaints of theft while using a Handy service, including the arrest of a cleaning professional who had a lengthy prior criminal record.

Handy responded with a statement saying, ".... From the very start its mission has always been to build a safe and secure platform that continues to improve over time and provides a great experience for both customers and professionals."

The Attorney General's Office suggests if you are hiring a service that requires access into your home, your best bet is asking friends and neighbors for recommendations.
What to Know D.C. is starting its Homeless Youth Census Friday night. The census runs through Sept. 24.

City officials say the census helps D.C. obtain funding and understand what needs to be done to end youth homelessness.

Friday is the start of the D.C. Homeless Youth Census in which teams will take to the streets across the city to find out how many people under the age of 24 are experiencing homelessness.

Last August, the District conducted its first-ever homeless youth count and found about 350 young people had no place to call home and hundreds more had "unstable housing."

"In many cases they are invisible. You dont see them, so people unfortunately dont even understand the magnitude of the issue," said Dr. Madye Henson, the CEO of Covenant House Washington. Covenant House Washington is a nonprofit organizationt that helps young people who suffer from homelessness, abuse and neglect.

Many people might picture homeless encampments under the Whitehurst Freeway or the DC General Family Shelter when they think of the city's homeless community.

However, Henson said those are not the places young homeless people typically go and the majority of them are considered "housing insecure," meaning they rely on non-permanent housing situations.

"Theyre invisible because they are resourceful. They will be with friends. They will do a couch surfing," Henson said.

Others are homeless because they are out of the foster care system with no place to go.

"Sleeping on floors, I didnt have no bed, Im sleeping on just the floor. No covers no pillows," said 23-year-old Abdul Adams, who became homeless two years ago after being in foster care.

Now, Adams works for Covenant House Washington doing homeless outreach.

"You got to know the streets, pretty much. You got to know who youre interacting withLet them know Ive been through the same thing, what youre going through," Adams said.

Adams will be one of many people out Friday night helping to count homeless young people.

According to the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates, DCAYA, "the results of the census show us that at any given time there are hundreds of youth moving from couch to couch, and when their options run short, shelter to shelter."

DCAYA says on its website that the $2.3 million Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council allocated for homelessness services in the District's 2017 budget can largely be attributed to the use of census data.

Funds will go to prevention services, more crisis beds and transitional and independent living spaces for young homeless people, DCAYA said.

The census also allows the city to track data and trends over time to shed light on what is needed to stem youth homelessness.

If you or someone you know is homeless and 24 years old or younger in D.C., you can participate in the census by visiting this website.
President Barack Obama has made federal funds available for efforts to help Ellicott City, Maryland, recover from devastating floods that killed two people this summer.

The White House announced Friday that Obama has approved Gov. Larry Hogan's request for a presidential disaster declaration.

The governor said Friday that Maryland and Howard County will be eligible for federal assistance to help pay costs for the response and recovery from the July 30 flooding that damaged much of Main Street in Ellicott City as well as surrounding areas.

"I am amazed by the resilience of Ellicott City and the surrounding communities and look forward to Main Street again being the focal point of local activity," Hogan said in a statement.

Federal assistance will be made available for expenses related to infrastructure repair and replacement. Help also will be available for hazard mitigation projects, debris removal and other costs associated with the storm.

Federal, state and local officials conducted damage assessments last month.

The flooding damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings and more than 200 vehicles.
They didn't speak the same language, but it was love at first sight for a Maryland doctor and his future adopted son.

"It was sort of a gut feeling... and I like to think that he knew it too," said Dr. Rob Freishtat, emergency room chief at Children's National Medical Center. "That little boy and I really hit it off from the first day."

Freishtat met his son Luke while on a medical trip to Haiti in 2013.

Luke was 3 years old at the time and had been abandoned at a hospital and was starving.

"I called my wife Jamie and said 'I think I found the little boy were gonna adopt,'" Freishtat said.

That phone call was the start of a years-long journey, but Rob and Jamie stayed determined through it all.

"There was just no way in the world he wasnt going to be part of the family," Jamie Freishtat said.

Nicknamed "Ti prezidant," or "little president," Luke began to heal and grow.

After several months, Luke finally met his future mom and brothers, Nate and Max.

"When I met him, it was almost similar to the day I gave birth to my other children," Jamie said.

For three years, Rob traveled to Haiti to see Luke every few months.

"He wasnt crying when other people left the pediatric ward. He would only cry when I left," Freishtat said.

Finally, after mountains of paperwork and waiting, Luke came home to America earlier this year.

This summer, Jamie enlisted the help of her local congressman to nominate Rob for the Congressional Coalition of Adoption Institute's Angels in Adoption award to honor his passion for the children of Haiti.

"He didnt just go and then come back and then never look back. Almost on a daily basis he's in contact with the hospital down there, helping kids, helping doctors," Jamie said.

While the award is a wonderful honor, Rob said the true prize is, of course, Luke.

"It was totally worth it. Worth all the pain, all the tears, all the money to bring this guy home," Freishtat said.
Ralph Nader says he has no plans to run for president again, but the man who some blame for Al Gore's loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 election insists that third-party candidates are still not "spoilers."

The political activist and former candidate dismissed the idea that there are no choices in what is shaping up to be a tight race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

Nader pointed to the Green and Libertarian parties as viable options for the presidency, and even advocated people writing in a protest vote, or "your own name in if you have to."

Activists among Democrats and Republicans are fighting against write-in votes, hoping to win as many as possible from outside their parties. But Nader, who recently wrote a book called "Breaking Through Power" for people discouraged by the electoral and political systems, denied that writing in names would count as spoiling the election.

The system is spoiled, Nader told NBC Washingtons Barbara Harrison, and anybody who wants to run to clean it up should never be called a spoiler.

The charge is a familiar one to Nader, who some claim would have given Gore a victory in the critical toss-up state of Florida in 2000 if he'd told his supporters to vote for the Democrat. Gore lost the state by a slim margin, though Nader's defenders note there are many factors for Gore's loss, including losing his home state of Tennessee.

Nader told NBC Washington that in this election, both the leading candidates are highly flawed, agreeing with a statement former Secretary of State Colin Powell made in leaked emails that Clinton has a lot of hubris that gets her into trouble.

Shes not transformational, as he said, Nader added.

But Nader called the prospect of a Trump presidency dangerous because of a tendency to lash out when his "ego's been ruffled."

If you take his personal lack of impulse control, everything is his ego, Nader said. You have a foreign leader that criticized him, hell go nuts.
A Chicago police officer has been indicted on federal civil rights charges after dashcam video captured him firing in to a car packed with teenagers, wounding two, as it backed away from him.

Marco Proano, 41, was charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Zach Fardon.

Proano is accused of using unreasonable force with a dangerous weapon while on duty in Chicago on Dec. 22, 2013.

The incident was captured on the officer's dashcam video and the footage first released to the Chicago Reporter last year by a retired Cook County judge who called it disturbing on a whole different level.

In the nearly three minute video, Proano arrives at 95th and South LaSalle streets where a vehicle had been stopped by two other officers and is seen approaching the vehicle with his gun pointed sideways. When the driver of the vehicle backs away from the officers, Proano raises his gun and opens fire.

Six black teens were inside the vehicle, and two of the teens were wounded in the shooting.

"When a police officer uses unreasonable force, it has a harmful effect on not only the victims, but also the public, who lose faith and confidence in law enforcement, Fardon said in a statement. Our office will continue to independently and vigorously pursue civil rights prosecutions to hold officers accountable and strengthen trust in the police.

At the time of the videos release, Chicago police said the officer involved in the shooting was moved off the street and assigned to desk duty. The investigation was then referred to state and federal authorities.

"The charges announced today are serious and the Chicago Police Department will have zero tolerance for proven misconduct," CPD said in a statement Friday. "Mr. Proano was relieved of his police powers last year during the course of IPRA's investigation and CPD is fully cooperating with the US Attorney's Office."

A lawsuit filed by the mothers of three teens injured in the incident, including the two who were shot, alleges Proano fired more than a dozen rounds into the vehicle, striking one teen in the shoulder and another in the hip and heel.

The suit claims the teens did not show a weapon or pose any apparent threat, and alleges police removed the injured teens from hospitals without authorization to take them to a police station for questioning.

In a separate court filing, Proano reportedly admitted to the shooting, but denies claims that the teens did not show a weapon.

The Independent Police Review Authority said last year it referred the case to prosecutors shortly after the shooting took place.

At the time of the incident, Officer Proano was removed from his District of assignment and placed on desk duty at Public Safety Headquarters, the organization said in a statement. The incident remains under investigation by federal authorities and IPRA.

Chicago police also said that early last year, former police Supt. Garry McCarthy changed the departments policy to clarify that officers are prevented from firing at or into a moving vehicle when the vehicle is the only force used against the sworn member or another person.

Each count of the indictment carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The commission that oversees presidential debates has invited only Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to the first presidential debate. It excluded two third-party candidates who had hoped the event could help them talk directly to an electorate unhappy with the two front-runners.

The Commission on Presidential Debates said in a statement Friday that Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein were polling too low to qualify for the Sept. 26 event. Since 2000, the commission has invited only candidates polling at 15 percent or above in an average of five polls. Johnson was at 8.4 percent and Stein at 3.2 percent.

Johnson, a former New Mexico governor and ex-Republican who is running with former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, has been pushing aggressively to get into the debate. He and Stein could still qualify for the two remaining ones in October if their poll numbers hit 15 percent, but that will be challenging without the national exposure of the debate.

In a statement, Johnson slammed the commission as a tool of the Democratic and Republican parties and vowed to make the October contests.

"The CPD may scoff at a ticket that enjoys 'only' 9 or 10% in their hand-selected polls, but even 9% represents 13 million voters, more than the total population of Ohio and most other states," Johnson said.

In addition, only the major party candidates, Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Tim Kaine, have qualified for the vice-presidential debate to take place on Oct. 4 at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.
First lady Michelle Obama said Friday there is only one candidate for president who is ready to face "the hottest, harshest light there is," and that's Hillary Clinton.

Speaking before a crowd at George Mason University, she urged Americans to go out and vote for Clinton, a candidate who inspires her and is "truly ready for this job," and held Clinton in contrast with Donald Trump, though she didn't mention Trump by name.

"Hillary has the resilience that it takes to do this job, because when she gets knocked down, she doesnt complain or cry foul."

"Who in this election is truly ready for this job? Who do we pick? Well for me, Im just saying, it is excruciatingly clear," Obama said, adding that Clinton "has the resilience that it takes to do this job."

It was Obama's first campaign event for the Democratic nominee since she appeared at the Democratic National Convention. When Clinton returned to the campaign trail this week after a brief illness, she promised a more aspirational finish to her White House bid. And she used Michelle Obama as a guidepost.

"As Michelle Obama said in her fabulous speech at the Democratic Convention, when we go to the polls this November, the real choice isn't between Democrat or Republican. It's about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four years of their lives," Clinton said Thursday during a campaign stop in Greensboro, North Carolina.

It's a message Clinton aides wanted Mrs. Obama herself delivering in battleground states as much as possible between now and Election Day. So far, the first lady has publicly committed only to Friday's event  a rally Friday afternoon in northern Virginia, less than an hour drive from the White House  though the campaign expects her to make additional appearances.

Mrs. Obama's rally Friday was aimed in part at encouraging Virginia voters to register ahead of the state's Oct. 17 deadline. But her broader mission is to rally the groups who were so crucial to her husband's two White House wins: young people, many of whom are skeptical of Clinton, and black voters, who overwhelmingly back Clinton over Republican Donald Trump, but need to show up to vote in big numbers.

"On November 8, you will decide whether we have a president who believes in science and will fight climate change or not," Obama said.

Mrs. Obama's speech at the Democratic convention this summer was widely praised. Her primetime address ran just about 10 minutes, yet it was perhaps the most powerful of the four-day gathering.

She delivered a searing indictment of Trump, also without ever mentioning his name, yet wrapped her critique in the hopeful optimism of a mother trying to protect her daughters' futures. She spoke of telling her daughters that "the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country" and said the Obama family motto is "when they go low, we go high."

In the midst of a heated campaign, with two candidates who are viewed negatively by so many Americans, the first lady provided a striking contrast.

"Part of what makes her so appealing and effective as a surrogate is that she's relentlessly positive, even when things on the campaign trail get negative," said Olivia Alair Dalton, Mrs. Obama's former spokeswoman. "It was a breath of fresh air."

Mrs. Obama has carefully cultivated her image as a devoted mother who prefers to stay out of the political fray. She sets limits on how often she's willing to campaign, even for her husband's White House races, and largely steers clear of controversial topics. And she's embraced her role as a pop culture fixture far more willingly than her role as one of the most popular figures in Democratic politics.

Unlike her husband, who forged a strong bond with Clinton during her four years as his secretary of state, Mrs. Obama does not have a particularly close relationship with the Democratic nominee, though the two are said to be friendly.

Yet the first lady is fiercely protective of her husband's legacy and has been a major player in discussions about his presidential library and other post-White House projects. And there's perhaps nothing more crucial to preserving Obama's legacy than a Clinton victory.
A police officer shot and killed a man in Winooski, Vermont, late Friday afternoon.

Vermont State Police confirmed they are investigating an officer-involved shooting, but have not released many details.

The shooting happened just before 5 p.m. near the city's O'Brien Community Center on Malletts Bay Avenue.

A source close to the case tells necn the gunfire followed a foot pursuit and that the body of the man shot was still behind the community center as crime scene investigators began their work.

Nearby residents said they heard several gunshots, and soon after, saw police officers from Colchester, Burlington, and Vermont State Police pour into the area.

"It was like a bee hive," resident Joshua Kirtley said. "They all swarmed, blocking off roads. Any time there was more than five people gathered, they would come, break up the crowd and tell everyone to go home."

Portions of a three-block area including Union Street and Hickok Street remained blocked off to foot and vehicle traffic as of 9 p.m. Friday.

Investigators expected to work late into the night and continue processing the scene Saturday morning.

The man was identified on Saturday as 29-year-old Jesse Beshaw. State Police said an autopsy would be conducted.

Authorities have not yet identified the officer involved in the shooting.
Police are searching for the driver of a pickup truck who they say dragged a woman early Saturday morning in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Officers responded to an area of High Street at 6:30 a.m. where they found a 31-year-old woman laying in middle of the roadway.

The victim was taken to a local hospital to be treated for a broken ankle, collapsed lung, and minor brain bleeding. Police said she is currently in stable condition.

Authorities said an initial investigation revealed that the victim was speaking with the driver of a black pickup truck in the parking lot of the BP gas station on Chandler Street. At some point, the truck took off at a high rate of speed with the woman holding onto the drivers side window. As the truck continued up High Street, the woman allegedly fell off of the truck and into the middle of the street.

Police are now trying to identify the driver of the truck. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Worcester Police at 508-799-8600 or send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message.
The Medway Police Department seeks the public's help in identifying anyone involved in the suspected arson of a barn in Medway, Massachusetts.

According to police, a suspicious fire ignited near the barn located behind the residence at 28 Clark Street in the early morning of Sept. 10. The fire caused the barn to burn to the ground.

Police consider the fire to be suspicious at this time.

A similar fire in Holliston, Mass. happened a short time prior to the fire in Medway.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered to anyone that helps detect or prevent an arson fire.

Contact the Medway Police Department at (508) 533-3212 or the State Fire Marshall's Office at 1 (800) 682-9229 with any information relating to the fires.
Supporters of a ballot initiative to legalize small amounts of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts rallied Saturday on the Boston Common while city officials tried to stop them. In the eleventh hour, a court stepped in ruling the Freedom Rally could take place.

Organizers of the rally said they have been fighting with the city over the freedom festival for 27 years. This year is particularly important to the group because in November, voters will determine whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the issue was over food vendors.

"Unfortunately the judge ruled that the vendors that have been there all summer long and will be there all fall, have to go on the outside and this group can bring their own vendors in and it really shouldn't have gone to court," Walsh said. "It really shouldn't have gone to court."

Bill Downing, with the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, said the issue was about much more.

"They've done whatever they possibly could to stop our organization from freely assembling and speaking on Boston Common we have had to sue them 6 times and we have won six times and the city keeps doing this time and time again," Downing said. "We are sure it's because they don't like our message."

If question 4 passes this November, marijuana would be taxed and regulated similar to alcohol. Anyone over 21 could grow it, use it and possess it legally.

Mayor Walsh remains a vocal opponent.

"It's the wrong message to send," he said. "There's too many concerns around the edibles and selling over the counter brownies and candies with marijuana. They package them  the target is children not adults."
Vermont State Police have identified the man shot and killed by a deputy in Winooski on Friday afternoon.

Authorities said police were trying to arrest 29-year-old Jesse Beshaw on a warrant for several charges when he ran away.

Officers had reason to believe Beshaw was carrying a gun and when they caught up with him, he allegedly approached police with his hand behind his back.

Investigators said Deputy Nicolas Palmier, 31, of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, opened fire, hitting Beshaw 6 times and grazing him a seventh time in the torso and head area.

The Chittenden County State's attorney and attorney general will review body camera footage to help determine if Palmier's actions were legally justified.
Memorial services were held Friday for Wanda Rosa, who police say was strangled by her ex-boyfriend while their 4-year-old son watched in Methuen, Massachusetts.

Hundreds gathered at the Diaz Healy funeral home in Lawrence to say their goodbyes to Rosa, while police continue to search for the man who killed her.

According to court papers, Rosa was in bed with her son by her side. The little boy told police "Daddy went crazy and choked mommy."

Police have issued a murder warrant for the arrest of Emilio Delarosa. He allegedly covered Rosa with a quilt and took his son to his grandmother's house.

Delarosa is still at large. Police are asking for help finding him. Anyone with information is asked to call the Methuen police.
Whats the DMV? you might understandably ask.

This could be one of those blog posts where the writer (yours truly), traveling to exotic and interesting places, visits an elaborately named museum affectionately known by its initials, where she discovers some worthwhile textile and embroidery-related acquisitions to share with you.

It could be

But its not.

The DMV really is the Department of Motor Vehicles. Thats the place we Americans go to register our cars, pay our car taxes, and get our licenses, tags and stuff like that.

Rather unjustly immortalized in Disneys Zootopia, the DMV might not be the Most Thrilling Place in the world to go  and you certainly wouldnt choose it as a vacation destination  but its one of those Necessary Places. In fact, I never mind going.

In my rural county in Kansas, our DMV is located in the very rural county seat, which is one of those geographical oddities (being 40 minutes from everywhere), and known primarily these days for two things: the DMV and the county courthouse and jail.

While there is an Oregon Trail crossing close by, I have to say, theres not much else to recommend the place. But its a pleasant drive  hilly (yes, even in Kansas), green, with beautiful vistas. Once arrived, the lines are never long (if there are any), and the folks who work there are friendly and efficient. Im always in and out in minutes.

And on my way in and on my way out, I always pause to look at this:

Strangely enough, when you walk into the old 1800s limestone building that houses this particular DMV office, the first thing youre met with is a display case (the kind you might find in a school hallway) featuring this delicate whitework wedding gown.

Really. At the DMV!

The gown is fairly old (early 1900s) and its adorned with a variety of whitework, needle lace, and other lace techniques. The fabric looks like a fine linen cambric, although it could be cotton.

The design of the dress is fairly simple, but the decoration of it is pretty elaborate, the whole front made up of embroidered panels and lace inserts.

Some of the panels look like strips of bobbin lace.

And some of the panels are strips of needle lace squares intermingled with satin stitched flowers.

Im not sure about those flowers  they could be hand stitched, but they could also be machine stitched. From a distance, I couldnt really tell.

I dont know if the embroidery and needlework on the dress were hand done by the bride, whether they were bought pieces assembled into a dress, or whether the whole dress was bought complete. All I know is that it was the wedding gown of a prominent person in the town. There isnt much of an explanation on the display.

But, what can you expect? Its the DMV, after all  not a textile museum.

Along with the dress, there are a couple hankies pinned up on display. The one above features a very pretty embroidered tulle edge. Its quite delicate and light and lovely. Its my favorite piece in the whole display case.

The second handkerchief is adorned with an elaborate drawn thread area and a tatted edge.

I cant help wondering if that edge is an afterthought. This handkerchief seems a little out of place, somehow, with the other handkerchief and the dress.

Tucked down in the bottom of the display case are the wedding shoes, satin and beaded. They would have been quite lovely new. Now, they are faded and discolored and the fabric is rotting.

Eyes Open

No matter where I go, my eyes are always seeking stitchy, thready things.

Im forever pleasantly surprised when I find them even in the most mundane places  like the DMV. I love the fact that I can go register my car and get a needlework fix all at the same time!

The moral of the story: keep your eyes open! Even when youre in the most ordinary places, you never know when youll see something extraordinary.

Have you ever run into an extraordinary textile in a place you least expected to? Feel free to tell us about it!

Enjoy your weekend!


Bethel leaders encourage atmosphere shift in Norfolk Bethel leaders encourage atmosphere shift in Norfolk

On Friday senior leaders from Bethel Church in California kicked off a two day conference in Norwich called 'Shifting Atmospheres' with an inspiring morning of teaching designed to equip and empower delegates to change the spiritual atmosphere of the city and the county, reports Jenny Seal.

A two day conference called Shifting Atmospheres is taking place on Friday, September 16 to Saturday, September 17 organised by Global Legacy East Anglia, held at Norwich Central Baptist Church with teaching from a team of senior leaders from Bethel Church in California.



On Friday morning the conference began with powerful worship from a 7 piece band before Dave and Holly Elverson of Global Legacy East Anglia and Kingdom Life Church, Norwich welcomed delegates, declaring the meeting hungry for a greater revelation of who God is and who we are.



Around half the 150 attendees of the morning session had come from within Norwich and Norfolk with the rest travelling from further afield.



Dawna De Silva, the Founder and Co-Leader of Sozo Ministry, the international healing and deliverance ministry birthed at Bethel Church, led the first teaching session setting the scene on the conferences theme.



Dawna (main photo) talked about finding the right balance of spiritual discernment, avoiding the two extremes that are often adopted of being overly fearful or simply blind to spiritual warfare. She encouraged and prayed for delegates to have a greater understanding of what was going on spiritually and how to take authority over it.



She said: We should be shifting the atmospheres all around us, because we are the light and we are salt. And if you are not shifting the atmospheres to bring His Kingdom you are really not doing your job.



Dawna described and gave examples of various ways to discern spiritual atmospheres such as through dreams, smells, headaches and physical sensations, and then talked about how to positively shift that atmosphere through worship, prayer, speaking in tongues and speaking the truth opposite to what is seen.



She said: You will start to see things shift because you are in the room. You have authority



Faith Blatchford, a Bethel minister and Regional Director of Sozo Ministry (pictured right with Dave Elverson), then led a session in Shifting Atmospheres through Prophetic Revelation. With a gift for comic delivery and a passion for revival, Faith highlighted the power that our words and our thoughts have in the role of shifting atmospheres.



Faith pointed to the power of the words that Jesus spoke when he calmed the sea, when he raised Lazarus to life and when he blessed the five loaves and two fishes.



She then testified to her awe inspiring experience of putting this model of prophetic declaration into practice. She told of how, before moving to Redding, California she had lived on an island in the Atlantic Ocean which acted as a barrier protecting mainland America from hurricanes. One day during a tornado warning she decided that she had nothing to lose but to speak to the storm. She commanded the storm to lift up and leave the area. Almost immediately it did just that.



Faith said: It wasnt that there werent other people praying but that was Gods exclamation point to me that that your words have authority. So after that I began to use that same principle with hurricanes. Now its been over 13 years and there has never been a hurricane that has touched that island.



Speaking about storms more figuratively she said: We have a lot of storms in the world  not just tornadoes and hurricanes. And we, as believers, have a responsibility, an opportunity and the equipment to stop storms. And as more of us join together in doing this in faith the world is going to change.



Faith encouraged the delegates to search their hearts for any self-harboured condemnation that could be making words powerless and causing a dilution of faith.



She said: All that we are teaching you in Shifting Atmospheres is not just for you. It is for you, but then to flow through you for the sake of the world. We are not just shifting it so we can breathe better and not have demons around us. We want all of Norwich, all of Norfolk, all of the UK to experience Gods healing.



Speaking to the conference along with Dawna De Silva and Faith Blatchford is Steve De Silva the retired Chief Financial Officer of Bethel Church.



The three conference speakers are also staying in Norwich on Sunday, September 18 and will be speaking at three local churches: Gateway Vineyard Norwich, Fakenham Baptist Church and Kingdom Life.
We hear the brakes and cringe, expecting to hear a thud at any second.

A HIGH Street zebra crossing branded a potential death trap is back in the news.

The crossing, outside Martins newsagents in Hungerford High Street, was the subject of renewed discussion at a recent meeting of Hungerford Town Council.

And there were fresh calls to move a red telephone kiosk which, some fear, makes the crossing even more hazardous.

The controversy was first reported by this newspaper in June following a series of incidents.

Traders say barely a day goes by without a near miss and one said: We hear the brakes and cringe, expecting to hear a thud at any second.

The issue was highlighted by Chrissie O'Farrell, who works at PBA Accountants and Business Advisers Ltd in Hungerford High Street.

She wrote to this newspaper warning: The zebra crossing outside Martins newsagents in Hungerford is lethal.

I can no longer count on one hand the amount of times I have witnessed someone nearly getting mowed down by speeding cars that do not stop for the zebra crossing.

I have witnessed children and their mother nearly get knocked down.

I have been in the middle of the crossing when a car coming the other way has failed to stop on more than one occasion.

She added that she had recently seen a man struck by a car as he used the crossing.

Other traders told similar stories and several residents wrote to the editor expressing their concern.

Several weeks ago the lines marking the crossing were repainted and a spokesman for West Berkshire Council, Martin Dunscombe, said: We are having several sites in Hungerford re-marked, including the mini-roundabouts, and this is part of our maintenance programme.

Hungerford Town Councils highways and transport committee has suggested having crossing lights installed and town mayor Martin Crane said a telephone box contributed to the problem as it blocked motorists view of pedestrians about to cross.

He suggested moving it might improve safety.

At the recent council meeting the chairman of the highways and transport committee, deputy mayor Rob Brookman, said: Following the article in the Newbury Weekly News it seems there is still dangerous driving associated with that crossing.

PCSO Kelsey Johnstone of Thames Valley Polices Hungerford and Lambourn Valley neighbourhood team told the meeting: Were aware of the issue, but incidents need to be reported to us there and then, otherwise theres not much we can do.

If possible, get the cars registration number plus the make and model, then contact us via the 101 number. We will then be able to look for the vehicle.

She suggested CCTV might also provide useful data.

Meanwhile, Mr Brookman said that, while he acknowledged removing or moving the telephone kiosk might prove controversial, he would be writing to the highways authority, West Berkshire Council, to ask them to look at the safety issues surrounding the current positioning of the telephone box."
Saturdays Fallen Soldier memorial was an event four years in the making for Mary Dugan.

Beneath a gray September sky in Memorial Park, Dugan told her story, one that had brought several dozen people together for a run, walk or roll to honor those who died in service and then for a memorial to pay tribute to these families.

The event, she said was to honor those that have fallen regardless of how they fell.

Dugan wanted to have a run with an event on behalf of Gold Star families after learning of a similar event in Arkansas where her son, Kyle Truitt, was honored.

Kyle died Jan. 26, 2012, in Arkansas in an automobile accident after returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was 23.

He was into everything, full of life, loved to laugh, a beautiful smile. Liz Taylor eyes, she said of her son.

Two Air Force officers arrived on her doorstep early morning on the day after his death.

I just looked out there and realized, she said and paused. I pretty much fell to the ground.

She talked as people arrived for the run, walk or roll and told of the death of another of her children. The memorial service wouldnt start until noon.

The days events were organized by Gold Star Families, Montana Joining Community Forces, Uniform in Christ, the Montana Army National Guard Family Program and Army Survivor Outreach Services.

Capt. Dan Bushnell, who has 29 years with the Army National Guard, was among those who would run, and spoke of the importance of supporting Gold Star families.

Families who lose someone in service should give everyone pause to show respect, he said adding how do you recognize folks enough for their sacrifice?

Doing these kinds of events is extremely important to remember our fallen, said Zachary Bavender, whose service in the Army took him to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Too many people dont understand what it means to be a Gold Star family, Dugan said.

It means weve made the ultimate sacrifice.

We did not ask for this title, she said. It was bestowed upon us because of their bravery.

Dugan was to join speakers at the memorial service that included the Army National Guard and the Naval Operational Support Center.

This is the first run, walk and roll held in conjunction with an event on behalf of Gold Star families, said Joe Warren, who is the Army Survivors Outreach Services coordinator for Montana.

Events for Gold Star families have been held in Bozeman and Ronan, he noted.

Saturdays events, Warren said, are to get people together to honor those that the nation has lost.

And to let the Gold Star families know we have not forgotten them, he added.

Gold star families are those who had a family member die while deployed in support of military operations against an enemy, during a terrorist attack or as part of an international peacekeeping mission, according to information provided for the memorial service.

A next-of-kin label pin is presented to the immediate family of service members who die outside of a combat theater of operations.

Dugan said she wants this to become an annual event in Helena occurring on the third Saturday of September.

Dugan spoke with Annie Burnside who came from Great Falls with her grandson, Tony, to participate in the event.

Tony, 13, held the honor card with the photo and name of Dugans son and would carry it as he and his grandmother walked the course around Memorial Park.

Those who participated in the run, walk and roll carried one of the 185 honor cards of Montanans who died in service. As participants completed one lap around the park, many returned to collect another honor card for another lap.

But Tony also carried a card in addition to that for Truitt. He also had one for his father, Antonio, who died April 6, 2012, in Afghanistan.

Just remembering him, Tony said of why he wanted to attend the event.

Jazlyn Redd came from Bozeman because her father, Steven, died in military service during a helicopter training accident in Georgia.

Im here to honor him, she said as she waited for the run to start.

The event, she said, is bittersweet.

Nobody wants to be in the Gold Star community but once you are, its nice to know there are others sharing that path.

Sam Hunt, who retired last summer after 27 years with the Army, was there to run with Redd.

This is a way, she explained, to honor the memories of family members. And to keep the memories alive.
MISSOULA -- Four families of Congolese have arrived in Missoula in the past month, but resettlement here will soon take on a more international flavor.

Refugees are a global crisis, Molly Short Carr told a gathering in Missoula this week, and future families or individuals could hail from many places on the map.

Carr, executive director of the Missoula International Rescue Committee (IRC) office, said some of the millions who have fled civil war in Syria will land in Missoula after going through an international screening process and orientation.

There will maybe be Iraqi refugees who will come. There may be refugees who come from Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, Burma, Bhutan, Latin America, she told about 30 people Tuesday night at a meeting of the Missoula County Democratic Central Committee in City Council chambers.

The third and fourth Congolese families arrived in Missoula this week from camps in East Africa, even as Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress the outgoing Obama administration plans to accept 110,000 refugees into the U.S. in the next fiscal year. Thats up from 85,000 in fiscal year 2016 and from 70,000 in each of the three previous years.

Carr said ticketing problems have held up the arrival of a fifth family that was due to reach Missoula later this week.

I dont know the specifics yet of wholl be coming when, Carr told the Missoulian on Thursday. I do know we wont always have Congolese. The refugees that we resettle here will reflect the overall proportion of refugees who arrive in the United States.

Of the 85,000 refugees the Obama administration proposed for the current fiscal year, which ends this month, 34,000 were to come from the Near East and South Asia and another 25,000 from Africa.

According to a U.S. State Department report, the Near East and South Asia remain host to more than 12 million refugees, primarily Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians, Bhutanese, Palestinians and Sri Lankans. The U.S. expedited efforts and reached President Barack Obama's goal of accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees earlier this month.

While a target for Syrian resettlements in fiscal year 2017 hasnt been announced, Obamas refugee plan is expected to welcome even more.

Thats been a topic of debate among presidential candidates and in Montana, where Missoula opened the lone resettlement office in the state just two months ago.

Carr said the abstract proposal for Missoula now calls for 150 refugees in the next year. Thats up from approximately 100 per year that Missoula County Commissioners said they would welcome in a January letter to Anne Richard, assistant secretary of the U.S. State Departments Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration.

The bureau cited the support of the commissioners, Mayor John Engen and most of the Missoula City Council in agreeing to reopen an IRC resettlement office in Missoula. Soft Landing Missoula, which formed a year ago in response to the refugee crisis in Syria, has marshaled local support and continues to provide resources and manpower as the Congolese arrive.

Mary Poole of Soft Landing told Tuesdays gathering that Missoula is the first in the IRCs decades-old history to request a resettlement office be opened in its city. Third-country resettlement is "absolutely the least desirable" option for refugees, she said, after repatriation in their home country and integration into the country where they've fled. Those two solutions apply to more than 99 percent of the world's displaced population.

Poole pointed to a stark statistic: The world now counts more than 65 million refugees whove been forced to flee their home countries. Based on the latest estimated world population of nearly 7.5 billion, that equates to one in every 113 people on the face of the Earth.

The Congolese families who have come to Missoula from refugee camps in Tanzania, Rwanda or Uganda are here in part because Missoula has a large population of Peace Corps volunteers whove returned from Africa and speak Swahili.

Carr pointed out that Arabic is taught in the Missoula County Public Schools district and at the University of Montana, so theres a ready-made pool of instructors and students of the language common to most countries in the war-torn Middle East, including Syria and Iraq.
MISSOULA -- A 47-year-old Missoula man is facing a host of felony charges for allegedly drugging underage girls as young as 12 with meth, alcohol and ecstasy and violently raping them.

Erik Lee Nugent appeared in Missoula County Justice Court on Thursday. He is charged with 12 felonies, including sexual abuse of children, sexual intercourse without consent, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual assault. The incidents are alleged to have occurred with multiple girls dating back to 2008.

Nugent was reported to Missoula police detectives by coworkers who were concerned about his sexualized comments about children. A witness told detectives that Nugent told her that he had videotaped a 17-year-old performing oral sex on him, and that he also had a thing with a 14-year-old.

In an interview at First Step Resource Center, the 17-year-old told investigators that Nugent got her high, fed her drugs, called guys over to (expletive) her, choked her, cut her up, tied her down and bruised her. She said this occurred in his basement, and he would also use objects such as a hammer to have sex with her and make her call him daddy.

The girl said she used meth and alcohol with Nugent while he took pictures, and she said he told her hes done this type of thing with a bunch of other girls. She said that while she did not protest to engaging in sexual intercourse at the time, she was high on meth. She often communicated to him on Facebook.

Another witness told detectives that Nugent was bringing girls aged 14 and 15 into the woods and having sex with them. On March 3, detectives spoke with an alleged 14-year-old victim. She said she met Nugent when she was 13 and he got her hooked on meth. She recalled watching porn with him on a laptop computer, and he had asked if she wanted Adderall via the social media app Snapchat.

In one conversation, Nugent allegedly told the girl not to tell anyone that he had smoked up with her because he was afraid they would call the popo on him.

Another alleged victim who is now 15 told police that she explicitly told Nugent that she was 14 when they first met. She said she was living with Nugent and he provided drugs such as acid, mushrooms, Ritalin, ecstacy, marijuana and meth. She disclosed that when she once did molly with Nugent while several other people were present, he put his mouth and hands on her private parts. She said Nugent also took a photo of her topless with his work cellphone.

Detectives executed a search warrant of Nugents Facebook page on March 23, and found that most messages were deleted. They did discover that he had sent another victim a photo of a glass pipe with the words I love meth written on it.

In December of last year, detectives interviewed alleged victims who were 12 and 13 during an incident the previous July. They stated that an unidentified male about 40 years old picked them up at the skatepark and then they took some white pills and smoked marijuana. The girl said she was messed up but at some point the man touched her genitals and tried kissing her.

She reported in the following days after being assaulted, the male found her on Facebook and sent her messages. She later identified Nugent as the assailant from a police lineup.

Nugent is being held on $150,000 bond at the Missoula County Detention Center.
MISSOULA -- A single-engine airplane was forced to make an emergency landing in a field west of Missoula on Friday. Both occupants walked away unscathed.

Pilot Roy "Skip" Owings and his wife Judy, both local residents, had just left the Missoula Airport in the Cessna and were about 10 miles north of Evaro when Roy noticed a little vibration in the engine and saw that he had lost all his oil pressure.

"When he uttered the word Mayday to the control tower, that put more than an alert in my thinking and I commenced to pray ardently," Judy Owings said. "Probably my first thought was hes an amazing pilot and so thorough in all his preflight (inspections). I knew that if something was awry, it was not his negligence at all."

Roy decided the plane wasn't going to make it back to the airport, so he picked a field near the Wye that didn't have any trees. Other than the engine damage, the plane was fine.

"It was no rougher than a rocky landing strip in Idaho," Owings said. "I'm thankful I have an incredibly calm wife and Im very thankful that God was watching out for us.''

He said he has "been very diligent about rehearsing this kind of stuff in my mind for years and years and years. Its almost like clockwork." And on Friday, it paid off.

Judy said that when she realized that they were going to have to land in a field, she was confident in her husbands ability.

I knew he could do it, she said. Hes very calm. He was concerned about bushes or something and he asked me if I was OK. I knew that whatever happened it would be OK.

She said the landing was very bumpy.

When we were first in touch with the control tower, he thought probably we could make it in and they cleared us to land, Judy recalled. But the plane was dropping sooner than we expected. And they suggested Highway 93 and there was way too much traffic.''

Her husband had been scouting for options. "He said, 'Theres a field we could land in, theres another one. And then he said, 'This is the one, and so he picked it.

Owings first got his pilots license in Seattle in 1974 and has more than 700 hours of flying experience. They owned an equipment company in Missoula, but Owings now works for Halliburton.

They were headed to Kalispell to visit his mother. Owings said he flew the plane from Utah the day before for work, and everything was fine.

Firefighters from the Frenchtown Rural Fire Department were on the scene shortly after the landing at about 11:30 a.m., and the Missoula County Sheriffs Department responded as well. The plane did not start a grass fire.

Judy said shes never heard her husband say the word Mayday before.

He was very resolute and looking for what he should do next, and very calm, she said. Since he started flying, and I love flying with him, he has always learned to be looking for a place to land if we might need to. Hes probably the most conscientious pilot I know. Theres a lot of people I wouldnt fly with.

Roy Owings said the FAA will have to conduct an investigation and the plane is going to have to get towed out.

We wont be flying it, he said. Not for a while.

He said hes never had to declare an emergency before.

I knew I could set it down, he said. It was a good landing.
William Riccio

The month-long feast of San Gennaro in New York City's Little Italy is an iconic representation of the cultures Catholic immigrants brought from their native lands to the New World. Unfortunately, this very "Catholic" celebration has seen its religious roots eroded over the last several decades to the point most people know it only as a secular celebration of Neopolitan origin.

Saturday, September 24, a solemn Votive Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be celebrated at 10 a.m. in honor of the saint at the Church of the Most Precious Blood, 113 Baxter Street at Mulberry Street in New York City.

Sponsored by the St. Hugh of Cluny Society, the Rev. Richard Gennaro Cipolla, pastor of St. Mary's Church Norwalk, will be the celebrant, and David Hughes, Director of Music at St. Mary's will direct the choir.

Mozart's Missa Brevis in F, will provide the Mass Ordinary, while motets by Palestrina (Justorum Animae) and Mozart (Venite populi) will be sung at the Offertory and Communion, respectively.

Two of Mozart's church sonata's will serve as prelude and postlude.

Known as St. Januarius in English, his feast day is celebrated on September 19. Bishop of Benevento, San Gennaro was executed in the persecution under Diocletian for visiting Christians in prison. He was tortured and beheaded. His head and body were wrapped, and his blood was collected by faithful servants, enough to fill two glass phials

Four decades later, when his remains were transferred to the catacombs in Naples in solemn procession, the first liquification of the blood occurred. Three times a year the blood liquifies: the first Sunday in May, his feast day on September 19, and December 16, when his intercession was asked against a threatened eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
What if one blood test could screen for more than 50 types of cancer?
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Showers this morning becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High 58F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

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Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
News18  Blogs  Movies

Demolishing Pink Stereotypes: When Cinema Brings About Change

A still from the movie Pink. (Image: YouTube)

Cinema is a powerful medium. It reaches the masses and has the power to influence them. When filmmakers use this medium responsibly for a larger social good, they deserve to be lauded.

Shoojit Sircar and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury deserve praise for highlighting the stereotypes that women are boxed into in India, and for using their craft in an attempt to correct a feudal mindset which still exists in large parts of our country.



Wearing a short skirt is seen as inviting trouble. If a lady consumes alcohol, she is easy game. Such a thinking is not confined to rural belts or members of khap panchayats only. There is a sizeable literate section in India's towns and cities which, in the 21st century, still believes so. And these believers exist in every school, college, locality, club and office.





Good cinema through a compelling story can make a difference in the way people think. Of course, it cannot change everyone, and it is naive to expect so. Films which shun violence or condemn rape may not lead to a society devoid of both these crimes. But even if it can inspire some perpetrators to abjure the path of crime, it is a big change for the better.



Our society consists of both strongly opinionated people and those who don't have much of an opinion. But there is also a section which forms an opinion by hearing what is being reported or misreported. For instance there is a sizeable segment in our towns and cities which prejudged that Rajesh and Nupur Talwar killed their daughter Aarushi. This segment had no evidence and went by hearsay. In the absence of factual information, rumour thrives. And a rumour can be as dangerous as mob violence. If a dozen people indulge in it, more will join without reasoning.



If higher courts reject their appeal and find Talwars guilty, no harm is done. If they don't, gross injustice has been done to them. Many people across the country had gone by tales of scandalous liasons and presupposed that the parents killed their only daughter. If Meghna Gulzar's Talvar made them decide to wait for the final outcome of the judicial process, then it is a very positive outcome. And we have cinema to thank for it.



The purpose of cinema is not only to entertain, it is also to educate and empower. And it is here that some filmmakers will always be mentioned for attempting to foster positive social change. God bless Meghna Gulzar and Shoojit Sircar, may their tribe grow!



Post Script: Pink is the first Hindi film where this author found that the judge did not spell out the quantum of sentence at the time of pronouncing the accused guilty. In reality, that's how most courts rule. Thank you Pink for presenting the true picture, which those who are unaccustomed to courts and law may not know.






New Delhi: Grappling with rising cases of dengue and chikungunya in the city, Delhi government on Saturday said that all hospitals and fever clinics will remain open on Sundays even as it appealed to people not to panic.



Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said a mass awareness campaign is being launched across the city on Sunday under which people have been asked to devote at least 30 minutes to check if there were stagnant water in their residential complexes and around it, to prevent mosquito-breeding.



"We appeal to people to devote at least half an hour time from their daily life and work towards this campaign. There are 42 lakh households in Delhi, and if all of you cooperate then we can together root out dengue and chikungunya from the city," he said.



At least 15 people have died due to chikungunya complication and 18 have succumbed to dengue this season. Over 1,700 cases of chikungunya have been reported in the national capital while dengue has affected more than 1,100 people.



Delhi government has been under attack from opposition parties for "failing" to check the spread of the two vector-borne diseases.



Jain said, in the meeting with Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday, "I had requested him to reserve at least 10 per cent of the beds in Central government-run hospitals like RML, Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge, and they have agreed to it. So, 1,000 additional beds would now be available in hospitals here."



"We appeal to people to not panic. All adequate arrangements are there in all hospitals, run under Delhi government or Centre or MCD," he added.



The minister said prevention is better than cure and if people can "check for stagnation water in flower pots, utensils, tyres and remove them, then sources of mosquito-breding would be removed."



On the issue of helpline for fogging not being answered promptly, "These are MCD helplines for fogging. We will look into the complaints and address the issue," he said.
Patna: In a shocking incident of road rage in Bihar, Kunal Pratap son of a senior RJD MLA Birendra Sinha reportedly stabbed a youth for 'refusing' to let him overtake his car at Obra in Aurangabad district on Friday.



The victim identified as Pintu was rushed to a government hospital in Patna with multiple stab injuries. His condition is stated be critical.



Speaking to CNN-News18, RJD MLA Birendra Sinha rubbished all the charges against his son. He said, "My son was not involved in any stabbing incident. The youth slashed himself with a blade and now blaming my son Kunal for the injuries."



He said, "This is a political conspiracy to malign my image. I am confident that my son is innocent and let the police investigate the matter properly. Things will be clear soon."



Meanwhile, the incident sent ripples across the political fraternity in Bihar as opposition leaders termed the incident as return of 'Jungle Raj'. They also demanded stern action against Kunal.







Police sources said, the alleged accused was detained on Friday night for further examination. On Saturday morning a large number of the RJD supporters gathered at a police station in Obra reportedly to build a pressure to release RJD MLA's son Kunal.



The incident took place months after JDU legislator Manorama Devi's son Rocky Yadav shot dead a youth Aditya in Gaya for overtaking his care on May 7. Rocky intercepted his car killed him with his Italy-made Baretta pistol for his "audacity" to overtake his vehicle. He was later arrested from his hideout by the Bihar Police.






New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung on Saturday asked Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is currently in Finland on a study tour, to return to Delhi immediately in the wake of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the national capital.



"The Deputy CM has been asked to come back to Delhi immediately as the city is witnessing spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases," a top source said.



Sisodia, who also hold the education portfolio,along with his officers are in Finland to study the education system of that country.



Source said, besides Sisodia, all officers including Education Secretary have been directed to return to Delhi immediately.



Earlier in the day, Congress activists observed 'Bhagoda Divas' in Delhi to protest against the alleged absence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia and other ministers from the national capital which is at present reeling under chikungunya and dengue outbreak.



Refuting the allegation of the Opposition that he is "holidaying" in Finland, Sisodia said it was not a "sin" to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhi's education system.



He said he had worked hard to improve the education system in the national capital and he was in Finland to see what more needs to be done.



"Learning from across the world is not a sin. It's a sin to defame an educational tour as a 'holiday'. I'm in Finland. We need to learn a lot from their education system, the best in the world (sic)," he said in a series of tweets.
Bengaluru: Former Minister for Bengaluru Development and Town Planning, KJ George on Saturday was given a clean chit by Karnataka CID in Deputy SP Ganapathy suicide case. Along with KJ George, two other top police officials, AM Prasad and Pranab Mohanty were also cleared of charges.



The CID submitted its B report on Saturday morning - two days ahead of the deadline - to Madikeri court giving a respite to the three accused in the case.



Director General of Police CID, Kishore Chandra told CNN- News 18 that "There is no clear evidence against any of the three accused in the Ganapathy suicide case and the report was submitted this morning."







Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yeddyurappa, however, lambasted CID's clean chit to KJ George. "Ganapathy clearly mentioned KJ George's name and the FIR was filed only after court's intervention. This shows that Congress Party was interfering in the matter and trying to save former Home Minister of Karnataka," he told CNN-News18.



"This clean chit is an insult to Ganapathy and his family. We will launch a statewide agitation and raise the issue in the Parliament," he further added.



Meanwhile, Ganapathy's family has moved Karnataka High court and asked for a CBI probe. The case is likely to be heard next week.



Mangaluru Dy SP Ganapathy had committed suicide on July 7, 2016 and in a video message named KJ George, AM Prasad and Pranab Mohanty responsible for his extreme step. The opposition, both BJP and JDS, held massive protests against KJ George and made sure he resigned from the ministerial post.



KJ George, a close aide of CM Siddaramaiah, is likely to be re-inducted into the state cabinet in the coming days.




Washington: A 44-year-old Indian-American former CEO has been charged with two separate fraud schemes totalling more than USD 30 million and faces a maximum statutory sentence of twenty years in prison for each count.



Navin Shankar Subramaniam Xavier, who has been charged by Indictment with 15 counts of wire fraud. He was CEO of Essex Holdings Inc.



According to the Indictment, from September 2010 through May 2014, Xavier operated Essex Holdings, raised more than USD 29 million from nearly 100 investors for supposed investments in sugar transportation and shipping, as well as iron ore mining in Chile.



Xavier used a false financial statement, forged documents, and false promises of fixed rates of return, to induce investors to invest with Essex Holdings, federal prosecutors alleged.



"Most of the money was used for purposes other than what was promised, including to support lavish spending by Xavier and his wife for expensive jewelry, luxury vehicles, wedding expenses, and cosmetic surgery," the Justice Department said.



Eventually, Xavier used new investor money to pay old investors in a Ponzi-like fashion before the scheme collapsed, it added.



The second scheme involved Xavier using Essex Holdings to obtain USD 1.2 million in payments and approximately USD 1.5 million worth of commercial real estate from the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development (SCCCED), a division of the South Carolina state government, that was supposed to be used to develop a dilapidated industrial property into a diaper plant and rice packaging facility.



According to the indictment, Xavier provided false financial documentation to SCCCED in order to obtain the contract, and later provided fake contractor invoices and fake bank statements in order to get paid under the contract.



As with the investment fraud scheme, Xavier spent the development money for his personal living expenses, and wired some of it to the same overseas accounts used in the investment fraud, federal prosecutors said.



He faces a maximum statutory sentence of twenty years in prison for each count and a fine up to USD250,000.






Went to LG office. Asked on phone if anything urgent as he faxed ydy to recall DyCm. Ans: nothing urgent to discuss, no time to meet today.  Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) September 17, 2016

Delhi: Delhi Govt Ministers Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra reach LG Najeeb Jung's residence to meet him pic.twitter.com/XvZqrI2zL7  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

The war between the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi over the handling of Chikungunya and Dengue outbreak has got uglier with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung refusing to meet two ministers.Two senior Delhi ministers, Kapil Mishra and Satyendra Jain, were not allowed inside the residence of Najeeb Jung when they went to meet him on Saturday morning. The LGs office informed CNN-News18 that they had not taken an appointment, and that he could not meet them as it is a weekend.An angry Kapil Mishra retorted saying there was no need of an appointment to discuss urgent matters like the outbreak of diseases.Speaking to the media he said, "I would appeal to the Lieutenant Governor to skip his Saturday and Sunday offs and come to work. Our mohalla clinics also work on weekends this time. There is no weekend for us, we are all working".Health Minister Satyendra Jain said he had spoken to LG Jung and had even sent a fax as well. "But he said that he would not want to talk about it," he said."Went to LG office. Asked on phone if anything urgent as he faxed ydy to recall DyCm. Ans: nothing urgent to discuss, no time to meet today," he added.In a statement to the media, Jung's office strongly denied AAP's allegations. "Lt. Governor's office strongly rebuts charges levelled by Ministers Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra. Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra came to the Lt. Governor's office at 11.45 AM on 17th September without either seeking prior appointment from the Lt. Governor or intimating him of their visit," the statement said.It further said, "The Lt. Governor's office came to know of their visit only through the media gathered outside, who had prior intimation that they were going to visit the Lt. Governor's office. Secretary to Lt. Governor met the Hon'ble Ministers since the Lt. Governor's office is operational on all days of the week. However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt. Governor. It is regrettable that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to politicize the issue instead of providing succor to the public. The Lt. Governor's office is keeping a close watch on the health situation in Delhi and is getting regular updates on the situation from the Chief Secretary and Secretary (H & FW), GNCTD."The furious exchange took place a day after the LG ordered deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to return to Delhi from his Europe tour to handle the collapsing health system in the national capital. The LG himself had reached back from a tour of the USA two days ago.The AAP government is questioning the rationale and the motive behind the LG summoning Sisodia back from Europe if he has no time to meet ministers who were waiting at the gates of Raj Niwas.Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is recovering at a hospital in Bengaluru after undergoing a surgery for recurring cough and doctors have advised him complete rest for two weeks.Former Delhi health minister and senior Congress leader Kiran Walia said that the tussle was leading to a constitutional breakdown. "The AAP ministers have not done anything. It is so sad that they have brought shame to Delhi," she said.Figures from the Health department show that 30 people have died in the latest outbreak of Chikungunya and Dengue and more than 3000 have been affected.
Mumbai: Maharashtra government will launch a cleanliness drive at 100 forts in the state from Saturday as a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Cultural Affairs Minister Vinod Tawde on Friday.



The drive would be carried out in forts situated in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Aurangabad, Nanded, Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule and Ahmednagar districts.



"There are about 350 forts in the state that have a rich cultural legacy. These forts are currently being preserved by the state and Central Archaeological departments, along with fort restoration committees. All of them will also take part in the cleanliness drive," Tawde said.



The drive, which will go on till October 15, will be kickstarted from Sewri, St George and Worli forts in Mumbai from Saturday.



"Preserving the forts, looking after their upkeep and ensuring they remain clean, are the duties of citizens which we hope they understand," the minister said.



The district guardian ministers, MPs, MLAs, municipal corporations and local bodies, under the jurisdiction of which these forts are located, would be asked to take part in the government's cleanliness drive, he added.


New Delhi Filmmaker Prakash Jha, who although has mostly shot his films in parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, says that it less expensive to shoot films abroad as compared to India.



Present at the conference 'Film Tourism - India: The Focal Hub' organised by PHD Chamber here on Friday, Jha said that even the hotels and flight costs and packages turn out to be way cheaper on foreign lands than in India, and is something which should be worked upon.



"It is less expensive to shoot abroad than India. Example an air ticket from Mumbai to Delhi and back is more expensive for us than a ticket from here to any European country and back. The hotel costs... we get much better packages in European countries today. They give you all facilities and most importantly nobody disturbs you when you are shooting there," he said.



"India has amazing possibilities if we make India a filming destination and have all seasons... what we need is the passion with which the people there market their place, we lack that passion. The processes in our country for filmmakers for abroad are difficult, we need film friendly ambience at every level. We need good infrastructure," he added.



The helmer of films like Mrityudand, Gangaajal and Apaharan also revealed that he records the music for his films in the Czech Republic and not India as it is cheaper for him in the central European country.



"I record my music in Prague. They have amazing string orchestras and infact it is amazingly cheaper to record music there than India! My music composer who lives in Prague who mails the score in Prague and then it happens. The music recording costs me more here than there and the quality too there is better," the 64-year-old said.



About the problems that Indian and foreign filmmakers face, Jha and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who too was present at the conference, jointly urged the government to drastically reduce the list of permissions for film shooting currently numbering close to 35 from various governmental agencies as the current regime is highly bureaucratic and de-incentivize the film makers, who chose to go overseas for the purpose as destinations there are shot with little interactions with authorities.



The filmakers were present for sessions themed "Film induced tourism destination-Branding Indian States" and "Contribution of Indian cinema in promoting global film locations and adopting global best practices".



Also present was Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as the chief guest amongst other panelists including Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, PHD Chamber President Mahesh Gupta and Ambassadors of Turkey, Poland, Czech Republic and Vietnam.




New Delhi: Amid its Vice President Rahul Gandhi's aggressive pitch to woo voters in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Congress party on Saturday virtually ruled out any alliance in the Assembly polls.



"Our policy so far is to stand on our own feet. We have not given much thought to the issue," party General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said while talking to reporters along with UPCC Chief Raj Babbar.



He was asked whether the Congress, out of power in UP for 27 years now, would ally with any party in the Assembly polls scheduled in early 2017.



Replying to another question, Azad suggested he was not in favour of early declaration of candidates for UP polls. He said early declaration was a "double-edged sword" which at times helps, but at times proves counter-productive.



"When the entire party leadership is approaching people (through various yatras), the issue is not relevant," he said to the suggestion that early announcement of candidates give them time to reach out to people.



Asked about the turmoil in the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, he said he foresees a "war-like situation" in the party during distribution of tickets.



"What you are seeing is just the beginning, just see how things develop there," he said, quoting a urdu couplet, insisting there will be a "Panipat" (war) over distribution of tickets in that party.



Taking a dig at the family of Mulayam Singh Yadav holding all key posts in UP, he said the turmoil led to one "discovery" that the "chacha-bhatija share in between them 95 per cent of the important portfolios, leaving just five per cent for the rest."



His reference was to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle and senior state minister Shivpal Yadav being in charge of all key ministries including Home, Finance, Cooperatives and PWD.
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will celebrate his 66th birthday in Gujarat.



Modi will first go to Gandhinagar to seek the blessings of his mother Hiraba and meet other family members, Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.



Modi's mother lives with his younger brother Pankaj Modi in Gandhinagar.



Later, he would go to the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate various irrigations projects.



Dahod collector Lalit Padaliya said the inauguration ceremony will be held at Limkheda town, around 25 km from the city, and the PM will also address a rally there.



"The Prime Minister will inaugurate Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project," Padaliya said.



Later in the afternoon he would go to Navsari where he is scheduled to take part in a function where aid would be distributed to the differently-abled persons.



"In Navsari, PM will distribute kits and aid to 'divyang' citizens. He will also address a large gathering near Navsari town," Pandya said.



Modi was accorded a grand reception on Saturday night as he landed at the airport. This is the PM's third visit in recent times to Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due in 2017.



Governor OP Kohli, the entire Gujarat cabinet including the Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP leaders including the newly-appointed president Jitu Vaghani and hundreds of party workers welcomed Modi at the airport.



After his grand reception, Modi thanked Gujarat BJP leaders and party workers and drove to the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar where he spent the night. Some of the party workers seemed disappointed as Modi did not address them.



BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of 2017 polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.



In August, Modi visited his home state twice -- to condole the death of Sawminarayan sect's leader Pramukhswami Maharaj and later to inaugurate an irrigation scheme in Saruashtra region.


New Delhi: The Mehbooba Mufti government in Jammu and Kashmir should be "dismissed" and President's rule be imposed in the state, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said on Saturday.



Speaking on the continuing unrest in the Valley, Swamy alleged that the PDP-BJP coalition experiment has "failed" while adding that military might was necessary to quell the protests.



"Initially we, the BJP government thought that since we won Jammu and Ladakh and the PDP won Kashmir, we should experiment. But many people, including I, believe that the experiment has failed... (The Mehbooba Mufti govenment should) not just resign, this government should be dismissed," Swamy said.



He was speaking at a TV Channel's Summit during the session 'The Patriot Act'. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi was the other panelist.



During the noisy debate, Swamy branded Owaisi an "anti-national", triggering loud cheers from the crowd, overwhelmingly consisting of youth waving mini tricolours.



The organisers distributed the flags among the students just before the beginning of the session at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.



"If we go by modern science, the ancestors of Indian Muslims were Hindus. If a Muslim is not ready to admit it, then he may be a patriot, but he will be an anti-national... Owaisi is rashtra-birodhi (anti-national)," Swamy said.



Owaisi, who had courted controversy by refusing to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', said the Indian Constitution imposes no such obligation on a citizen.



"There is an attempt to impose Hindu nationalism in India instead of Indian nationalism, which is more inclusive. One should not be forced to chant a particular slogan," Owaisi said.



Swamy's remarks on why "they" were not ready to shift Babri Masjid, was also cheered by the crowd.



During the sparring, Owaisi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questioned the lack of "continuity" in the Centre's policy towards Kashmir and Pakistan.



"Force cannot solve the Kashmir dispute. We need to adopt a consistent policy. Harping on Balochistan won't help. We have no geographical contiguity with Balochistan," Owaisi said.


Apple's iPhone 7 launch generated trademark queues and brisk sales Friday that defied gloomy expectations, with some enthusiasts left empty-handed after lining up for hours as the company announced some models had sold out.The new phone comes with an improved camera, no headphone jack, and a water resistant body as the US tech giant seeks to reverse declines in sales amid increased competition. There has been much chatter among Apple fans since the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were unveiled about the groundbreaking decision to eliminate headphone jacks and embrace a wireless future. But on Friday most talk focused on supply issues.Also Read: Robbers Throw Chilli Powder at Truck Driver, Flee With 950 iPhone 7s Apple shares finished up 3.4 percent at $115.56 on Thursday as the firm said the iPhone 7 Plus and jet black version of the iPhone 7 had already sold out in pre-orders ahead of its debut in stores. Analysts were divided over the cause of the shortages, with some saying the handset was more popular than expected, while others suggested the tech titan may be deliberately limiting supply or could be experiencing supply-side problems. "The fact that all iPhone 7 Plus models are constrained is a sign of the supply chain," Ben Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg News."Apple clearly controls supply tightly," added Matthew Kanterman, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence."They're possibly keeping supply artificially low, or at least lower than demand, so as to avoid having the oversupply of previous years."Also Read: iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Can Now Be Pre-Registered With Apple Partners in India As Asia woke up, consumers in Sydney who had camped out in the rain were among the first in the world to get their hands on the new phones - though others were left bitterly disappointed. Bishoy Behman, 17, had been sitting outside the Apple store since Wednesday morning but said he and others in the queue found out on Thursday that some models were already sold out. "I really wouldn't have lined up if I had known that," he told AFP. "For them to have not allocated some stock is ridiculous."Ahead of Friday's launch, Apple released a statement saying the two sold-out models would "not be available for walk-in customers"."We sincerely appreciate our customers' patience as we work hard to get the new iPhone into the hands of everyone who wants one as quickly as possible," it said.Several local mobile phone operators in Singapore said the shortages were "due to high demand".In Tokyo, student Rei Yokoyama, who queued in front of a store since 4 am, was unable to get an iPhone 7 Plus."I'd like to try the dual camera on the iPhone 7 Plus, though today it was sold out so I got the iPhone 7," he told AFP.The scene at the Apple Store on Tokyo's upmarket Omotesando high street was festive despite the shortages and occasional light rain, with smiling clerks greeting customers one by one with high fives.Robert W. Baird senior research analyst Will Power told CNBC Thursday that it appeared the iPhone 7 would be more popular than anticipated."There does seem to be an element of under-promising and over-delivering, at least with respect to initial expectations," he said.Also Read: Apple iPhone 7 Review: The Newest Flagship Is Just Fine, Even If It Doesn't Wow Apple has said it will not provide figures for launch weekend sales as it has in the past.In mainland China, a key market for Apple, where queues were more subdued than for previous launches since new models are only available on pre-order, scenes were nevertheless energetic as crowds of customers tested out the new handsets.Apple faces a complicated picture in China, where it ranked only fourth in the Asian giant's smartphone market in the first half of this year, facing strong competition from low-cost local firms.In Hong Kong, some customers were seen near the Apple store in the Causeway Bay shopping district, reselling new phones at a profit."The demand is not as strong as it was with the last model," a reseller who declined to give his name told AFP, adding however that there were people looking to buy the rare jet black models.Candy Leung, 26, who bought a 7 Plus model, seemed unimpressed by the new wireless earphones: "My first impression is that they could be lost really easily."The new phones are to hit stores later Friday in markets including France, Germany, Britain and the United States.
United Nations: A young Iraqi woman who survived rape and abuse as a sex slave of Islamic State fighters on Friday became a UN goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.



Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a 23-year-old Yazidi woman, called for justice for the victims of the jihadist group and argued that the 2014 attack on the Yazidis should be recognized as a genocide.



Murad was taken from her home village of Kocho near Iraq's northern town of Sinjar in August 2014 and brought to IS-controlled Mosul, where she was gangraped, and bought and sold many times.



"I was used in the way that they wanted to use me. I was not alone," Murad said during a ceremony held at UN headquarters.



"Perhaps I was the lucky one. As time passed, I found a way to escape where thousands others could not. They are still captive."



Her voice trembling, Murad called for the release of some 3,200 Yazidi women and girls still being held as sex slaves by IS fighters and for the captors to face justice.



"My real fear is that once ISIS is defeated, ISIS militants, ISIS terrorists will just shave off their beards and walk the streets of the cities as if nothing as happened," she said.



"We cannot let this happen."



Murad said her hope was that one day, Yazidi victims will be able to look "our abusers in the eye before a court in The Hague and tell the world what they have done to us, so that our community can heal."



As a goodwill ambassador, Murad will focus on raising awareness of the plight of victims of trafficking of persons, especially refugees, women and girls.



She is represented by international lawyer Amal Clooney, who said the Islamic State group must be held accountable for grave crimes.



"We know that what we have before us is genocide, and we know that it is still ongoing," said Clooney.



"I am ashamed as a human being that we ignore their cries for help," said Clooney, drawing applause.



As world leaders converge on the United Nations next week for the annual General Assembly debate, Iraq and Britain will on Monday launch a campaign to push for accountability for crimes committed by IS.



Murad and Clooney are due to attend that event along with Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
Islamabad: With Kashmir on top of the agenda, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for the US on Saturday to attend the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly.



Meanwhile, Islamabad has strongly rebutted India's stance on Jammu and Kashmir at the UN Human Rights Council, calling it "a travesty of history".



Sharif, who will address the UN General Assembly on September 21, on Friday met Hurriyat leaders in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in Muzaffarabad to take inputs and take them into confidence, the Pakistani media reported.



On Friday, Sharif also met Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to discuss Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing's alleged interference in Pakistan. Sharif is likely to raise this issue during his address at the United Nations.



Sharif, in his address, will highlight issues such as "Kashmiri people's right to self-determination" and alleged "atrocities" being committed by Indian security forces. He is to also urge the international community and the UN to "live up to their promise" of the right to self determination of the Kashmiri people in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, Pakistan's Foreign Office said.



Meanwhile, Pakistan has in a strong rebuttal to India at the UN Human Rights Council referred to a recent speech by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MP Tariq Hameed Karra who called life in Kashmir "worse than under Nazi rule".



Pakistan called for the Kashmiris to be allowed to "freely decide their future through the United Nations' mandated plebiscite".



The Pakistan delegation also termed India's focus on Balochistan at the UN as "open interference in Pakistan's internal affairs".



Earlier, India had slammed Pakistan, saying it was ironical that a nation "that has established a well earned reputation of being the global epicentre of terrorism" was holding forth on human rights.



The focus on Kashmir comes as nearly 90 people have died in clashes with security forces in the valley since July 9, a day after the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani by security forces.
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said Moscow is holding to its part of the Syria agreement, but accused the rebels of using it to "regroup" and called for more transparency from Washington.



"We see attempts to regroup among these terrorists, to switch one label for another, one name for another and keep their military capacity," he said in televised remarks while on a trip to Kyrgyzstan.



"This is what we are seeing and that is sad," he added, saying Washington is facing a "rather difficult problem... to separate the opposition (to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad) from terrorists."



He said Washington apparently "has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad," calling it a "very dangerous path."



"I would like us to be honest with one another and that is how we can move toward our mutual goals (to fight terrorism and achieve peace in Syria)," he said.



"I don't really understand why we have to hide any agreements, but we will of course refrain from revealing any details until our American partners agree to this," he said.



Russia accused the United States of refusing to share details of the closed-door agreement on Syria with the UN Security Council on Friday, which had to cancel its urgent meeting that was supposed to endorse the deal.



"They don't want to make it public because the world community... will understand who is really not abiding to what," Putin said of the deal, in reference to "regrouping" rebels.



Putin said he remained "positive rather than negative" on the deal, which has also been tested by air strikes and clashes amid accusations that Bashar al-Assad's forces are blocking aid from reaching the ravaged central city of Aleppo.



The Russian president insisted Moscow is adhering to its part of the agreement.



"As for Russia, it is fully honouring its obligations," he said, adding Moscow reached relevant agreements with regime forces.



"We have reached agreements with the president (of Syria), with the government of Syria. As we see, Syrian forces are fully abiding by these agreements."
SAN DIEGO  Climbing to the remote Peruvian citadel of Machu Picchu would be a challenge for most hiking groups, but when a third of them have Parkinsons disease, its an even more impressive feat.

In mid-October, 30 people from all over the country  nine with Parkinsons  will spend five days trekking to the ruins of the 15th century Incan city in the Andes Mountains. The San Diego-based group is climbing to raise money and awareness for promising stem cell research that might one day dramatically reduce the symptoms of the progressive neurological disease.

Among the climbers are Poway, Calif., resident Elena Andrews, 58, and Scripps Ranch, Calif., residents Ron Phillips, 57, and Doug Burcomb, 63. All three have been diagnosed with Parkinsons in the past five years. They say training for the climb with weekly group hikes has reduced their symptoms and theyre excited to help with the cutting-edge stem cell research underway at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.

Its inspiring, said Burcomb, who will be climbing in October with his wife of 30 years, Margie. As Im preparing for this it seems like Im getting younger, not older.

The Machu Picchu ascent is the third mountain climb since 2011 organized by Sherrie Gould, volunteer executive director of the nonprofit Summit for Stem Cell. A nurse practitioner at Scripps Clinics Movement Disorder Center, Gould works closely with Parkinsons patients. Back in 2010, she was asked by Scripps neurologist Dr. Melissa Houser to come up with a creative way to get patients more involved in stem cell research.

Gould went and talked to Scripps Research Institute director Dr. Jeanne Loring, who said that Parkinsons is one of the diseases most likely to respond to stem cell treatment. If Gould could come up with six Parkinsons patients and $300,000 for research, Loring said the Institute could jump-start its work on the disease.

I went for a run at Torrey Pines and tried to figure out how to do this. The weirdest thing is it never crossed my mind that I couldnt raise the money. It just seemed like the right thing to do, Gould said.

But first she needed a signature event. She chose her own bucket-list dream of climbing Tanzanias 19,341-foot Mount Kilimanjaro. On Sept. 17, 2011, she and 15 other people (3 with Parkinsons) topped Africas tallest peak, and in the process they raised $350,000 in donations.

The analogy we used was if we can summit the highest ceiling point in all of Africa, then we can raise the money and make this research happen, Gould said.

The money from the climb was used to hire Dr. Andres Bratt-Leal as the new program director for Parkinsons research at Scripps Researchs Center for Regenerative Medicine. It was also used to find and biopsy the needed patients for the study.

In 2006, Japanese doctor Shinya Yamanaka made a scientific breakthrough by converting ordinary human skin cells into pluripotent stem cells (cells that can be converted into any type of human cell). The manufactured skin cells were not ethically compromised (like fetal stem cells) and were DNA-matched to the patient. Dr. Bratt-Leal hopes to use this technology to turn patients skin cells into dopamine neurons that can be transplanted in their own brains to replace those neurons lost to Parkinsons.

Patient Doug Burcomb said hes eager to be on the ground floor of the stem cell research. He was forced to retire from his job as a corporate lawyer three years ago because of the progression of the disease. At the time he was struggling with anxiety, hand tremors, problems with typing on a keyboard and cognitive processing issues.

Id lose whole packets of words and I couldnt find them when I needed to, he said.

The Kilimanjaro quest funded only the first phase of the project, so in 2012 Gould went looking for another mountain to climb. For inspiration, she asked Carolynne Arens of Vista. Carolynne and her husband, Brad, were among the first to sign up for Kilimanjaro and she couldnt wait for another adventure.

Brad Arens, 62, was diagnosed with Parkinsons 14 years ago. An avid outdoorsman, hiker and traveler, he was working as a chiropractor when he began suffering symptoms of the disease. Carolynne said the diagnosis came as quite a shock.

Before the Kilimanjaro climb, which he did with Carolynne and their daughter Heidi, Brad could only walk backward without stiffness and mobility problems. But after a few months of hiking training, he was walking forward again, and ended up as the strongest hiker on the Kilimanjaro team.

At Carolynnes suggestion, Gould organized the next Summit for Stem Cell climb to the Khumbu Valley base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal, at 17,300 feet. The arduous, two-week trek was longer, harder and more expensive to organize, but nine people (three with Parkinsons) finished the climb in 2013.

As word of the foundation grew, donations began to pour in from around the country. To date, Summit for Stem Cell has raised nearly $5 million, including a $2 million state grant. Gould said that with FDA approval, Dr. Bratt-Leal hopes to transplant 10 patients with the pluripotent stem cells in early 2018.
Hawk Claus spreads Christmas cheer in DC's Grifter Got Run Over By a Reindeer first look

Take a look at two stories from the DC holiday special including the titular chapter and a Hawkwoman and Hawkman tale
BLOOMINGTON  William Wells walked out of a McLean County courtroom on Aug. 12 a free man, acquitted by a jury of rape charges that could have sent him to prison for 65 years.

Now, he wants to know where he goes to reclaim the education, business and reputation he lost during 187 days he spent in jail waiting for his trial on charges that, while unproven, have left a stain on his record that he must try to erase.

"It was pretty hard to swallow and go through," Wells said in a recent interview.

"The damage to my character, my education, and my business is something that will be very hard to come back from," said Wells, who returned to his home in Chicago after the trial.

A jury ruled that prosecutors did not meet their burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Wells, a 24-year-old senior at Illinois State University, had sexually assaulted a woman he'd been dating for several months before the Feb. 7 incident.

In her testimony, the 18-year-old accuser admitted that Wells had irritated her several times that weekend, starting with his failure to pick her up at the Normal bus station when she arrived from the college she attends in northern Illinois.

She was further insulted, she said, when Wells criticized the cologne she gave him for a gift. And when Wells changed his plans the next evening and went to Champaign for a fraternity event, forcing her to stay with a friend on campus, she sent a text message to a friend complaining that Wells had disrespected her, according to evidence at the trial.

The woman became so upset with Wells during a car ride to her friend's dorm that she took a pink taser from her purse and pulled the trigger, striking Wells as he drove the car. Wells left her and her belongings on the curb.

Wells and the woman offered conflicting accounts to police of the sexual activity they engaged in before leaving the apartment. He claims it was consensual; she said it was rape. The woman told her friend she had been sexually assaulted by Wells, an accusation she repeated to Normal police who went to Wells off-campus apartment looking for him, and evidence of a sex crime.

Wells has denied an NPD statement that an officer told him during a phone conversation that he should stay away from his apartment. Officers forced their way into the apartment after they saw Wells enter, and when he did not immediately come to the door.

Wells was taken to the Normal police station and questioned by a detective about his interaction with police at the apartment. Later in the interview, he was asked about a possible sexual assault, which he denied.

Last week, ISU officials told Wells the university would not reconsider its decision denying him to return to finish his final semester.

ISU Chief of Staff Jay Groves said he could not discuss specific student records, adding "the university's Student Code of Conduct process is much different from the court process and is confidential."

Dismissal from one university does not preclude a student from transferring to another school, said Groves. While another school may seek information about a transfer student as part of the admissions process, ISU does not include disciplinary information on a student's transcript, said Groves.

The jury convicted Wells of misdemeanor resisting arrest. A judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail, which he more than satisfied during his pre-trial stay. He also has an unrelated reckless driving and driving under the influence case pending.

Wells said he was unable to participate in an appeal of the ISU decision because he was incarcerated and was unaware of any provision of the code that allowed another person to appear on his behalf at a hearing. He plans to enroll in another college next semester.

False claims

The number of false rape claims filed each year in the U.S. is hard to come by because police use different methods to record such reports. Researchers have concluded that between 2 percent and 10 percent of sex assault claims are unfounded because the allegations were false.

Wells' defense lawyer, Stephanie Wong, told jurors that Normal police lacked solid proof that a sex crime had occurred and took the woman's word without considering all the factors in the couple's relationship.

Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner said the initial obstruction of justice charge against Wells related to his arrest. The sex assault charges were filed after the alleged victim, who was 17 at the time, was interviewed two days at the Children's Advocacy Center, said Bleichner.

When an acquittal is returned, "we come back and do a debrief" to review how the case was handled, Bleichner said.

McLean County State's Attorney Jason Chambers declined to talk specifically about the Wells verdict, but he noted that prosecutors talk with alleged victims about the issues a jury may have with certain facts of a case, including a prior relationship.

Of larger consequence for victims is the knowledge that some convicted sex offenders may receive short sentences, Chambers said.

"We had one victim tell us they were reluctant to proceed because they perceived that even after a guilty verdict, they were just going to be free to continue the conduct anyway," Chambers said.

Guilty verdicts are a challenge in cases where the victim and accused assailant are acquainted, said Hilary Pacha, senior director of prevention and empowerment services at the YWCA.

"It's very easy to get up in arms over a stranger rape or a violent rape, but when it doesn't meet their vision or standard for what a rape looks like, such as an acquaintance rape, jurors have a hard time rendering a guilty verdict," said Pacha.

For Wells, school and mending the financial damage done when he was forced to close a shoe store he owned in Normal are his priorities.

"I'm blessed and happy to be out. I have to dust my hands off, keep my head up and move forward," he said.

Six months in jail gave Wells a chance to reflect on what led to the claims that jurors rejected.

"It makes sense. I didn't give her what she wanted emotionally. She was so mad she wanted to hurt me, put her hands on me. She was livid and wanted revenge. She really wanted to damage my life. I understand that, but at the end of the day, there was no rape," he said.
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FORSYTH  Shauna Bohlmann was looking for some inspiration about writing for a class of fifth-grade students at Maroa-Forsyth Grade School.

The class read the book Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary and came up with the idea to replicate the experience of having an author meet with some of the students.

We decided we should do that, student Lynsey Woodard said.

After some asking around, Bohlmann connected with Elena Rahrig, who started her own company, Otter Publishing New York.

Rahrig not only agreed to come have lunch Thursday with seven of the students, she spent part of the day talking with each of the four fifth-grade classes about the writing process. Rahrig, who lives in Delphos, Ohio, talked about ways to come up with ideas for stories and what it takes to publish a book.

Rahrig was inspired to write as a teenager after her dad paid her to read books. Writing became something Rahrig discovered she could continue to get paid to do.

That's where it all started, Rahrig said. After so long, it has become a way of life.

Rahrig has published nine books, with themes related to self-esteem and personal development.

The connection with the class in Forsyth won't stop with just a one-day visit. Rahrig plans to work with the class and publish a book of their stories that can be sold and raise money for the class to use.

This can be a lifelong memory for them, said Bohlmann, who has been subbing to teach Shelly Upperman's class at the beginning of this school year. This has all been amazing.

The students are excited to share what they've written and illustrated. Matthew Fischel wants to share what he calls the awesome, epic story about the adventure of a french fry. Matthew is already planning a sequel to the story he has written.

Charlotte Carriere not only wrote a story that will be the lead of the class project but illustrated it like a comic book.

Writing is something the students have come to appreciate, with the enjoyment really starting to come for Hayden Freytag last year, which helped him be even more interested to hear from an accomplished author.

Our teacher inspired us as we always had something short to write in the morning, Hayden said. It was fun. I liked it.

Bohlmann expects the class to complete their stories for the book and send it to Rahrig for publishing this year.
(Newser)  Consider it the No. 1 way to take a No. 2. New York's Guggenheim Museum on Friday swapped out a plain old porcelain toilet for a solid gold one in a private unisex washroom on its fourth floor and is allowing any paying visitor to use it, reports PIX 11. The 18-karat gold throneflushable and everythingis the "bold, irreverent work" of Italian artist and sculptor Maurizio Cattelan, who has named it, simply, "America." Why? Cattelan suggests it's a nod to economic inequality, reports the BBC. "Whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise," he tells Calvin Tomkins at the New Yorker.

In "making available to the public an extravagant luxury product seemingly intended for the 1%," the toilet "evokes the American dream of opportunity for allits utility ultimately reminding us of the inescapable physical realities of our shared humanity," the museum explains. It's also a break from the "don't touch" nature of the museum world, providing "an extraordinary opportunity to spend time completely alone with a work of art by a leading contemporary artist." The work, being compared to Marcel Duchamp's 1917 work "Fountain," certainly allows for an intimate experience, though a guard will be stationed outside as you do your business. The toilet will also be cleaned every 15 minutes with special wipes. A warning from Tomkins: "The toilet seat is really heavy to lift." (This man got trapped in a pretty full toilet after trying to retrieve a phone.)
SHELBYVILLE  The Shelbyville Board of Education heard a proposal Thursday night that could lead to more businesses in the town and more students in the school district's buildings.

Shelbyville Mayor Jeff Johnson spoke to the board about the citys plan to apply for an Illinois Department of Commerce enterprise zone before the end of the year.

The zones, allotted by the state, allow communities to waive sales tax for purchases made in the state for new development and also waive property taxes on the improved properties for a time. Other taxing bodies in the zone area, including school districts, must pass a resolution of support for the application.

If this is approved, we would ask for a seven-year waiver for industrial development and three years each for commercial and residential development, Johnson told the board.

Taxes on property in the zone would remain the same as they currently are during the waiver period. A home built on a vacant lot would have property taxes the same as the property before improvements for three years before being reassessed. If approved, the enterprise zone would not be in effect until January 2018.

Johnson asked the board to approve a resolution of support at their October meeting.

Board member Ellen Trainor questioned whether existing businesses could take advantage of the enterprise zone.

I understand its a tool for growth, but there are businesses here that could probably use it, she said. Businesses who have stuck it out should get something.

Johnson said the zone guidelines could be applied to businesses planning expansions. He said attracting new development would lead to new residents and new students in Shelbyville schools.

We have a lot of good things going on in the community right now, he said. This is one more tool that we can use to attract more people and businesses. We think its a good option for everyone.
(Newser)  A farm in Albany, Oregon, is offering yoga classes with goats. Portland is probably mad it didn't think of it first. The Oregonian reports it all started when a yoga instructor asked if she could host a class on Lainey Morse's No Regrets Farm. Morse's six goats invited themselves to the class, and Goat Yoga was born. And if that sounds weird, consider that the Goat Yoga wait list is 500 people deep, according to the CBC. Morse says people are "just absolutely losing their minds" for it. She thinks her goats "add a level of happy and fun" to what is "supposed to be very strict meditation."

Morse, a former photographer, was diagnosed with a chronic disease and got divorced last year. Her goats helped her through it. "Do you know how hard it is to be sad and depressed when there are baby goats jumping around?" she asks. She thinks her goats provide therapy to Goat Yoga attendees in the same way. She tells KATU they're a "great distraction" from what's going on in the world. The only downside to doing yoga with goats? The animals tend not to hold their poop until after class and will occasionally try to eat the yoga mats. Morse eventually wants to use her goats to help people who have been abused, suffered a loss, or have disabilities. ("Rage yoga" is also now a thing.)
(Newser)  Schools across an Hale County in Alabama were on lock down Friday due to "recent threats from clowns on social media," WBRC reports. And they don't mean clowns in the pejorative sense, either. Clownspancake makeup, colorful hair, generally terrifyinghave been causing concern and increased patrols in the Carolinas in recent weeks. While it's unclear where Friday's threat came from, schools in Flomaton, Alabama, were locked down Thursday after a threat made on the Flomo Klown Facebook page, according to WALA. In that incident, a 22-year-old was arrested for allegedly making terroristic threats and three juveniles are being investigated. If it's OK with Barbara Streisand, I think we can send out the clowns now. (Read more clown stories.)
(Newser)  A wild chase and shootout through the streets of West Philadelphia left a civilian dead, two police officers and three civilians wounded, and a suspect fatally shot. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross says Sgt. Sylvia Young was ambushed late Friday night and shot a number of times in the arm and protective vest, the AP reports. He says University of Pennsylvania police officer Ed Miller was also wounded. Both were in stable condition early Saturday at Penn Presbyterian Hospital. The suspect was cornered in an alley and fatally shot by police, the commissioner says. Police say the suspect left a "rambling" letter detailing his hatred of police and a parole officer, NBC Philadelphia reports.

Young, a 19-year police veteran, was sitting in her vehicle at about 11:20pm when she was ambushed by the suspect, Ross says. Young was struck up to eight times, multiple times in her protective vest and left arm. The suspect fled, Ross says, and shot into a nearby bar, striking a security guard in the leg. The man then grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg. Moments later, as police gave chase, the suspect shot into a car, striking a man and a woman in the chest. The woman died early Saturday and the man is in critical condition in the hospital. Ross says Miller and two other police officers chased the man into an alley, where he was shot and killed. (Read more Philadelphia stories.)
(Newser)  US special forces soldiers got a chilly reception from Syrian rebel troops when they showed up to help them fight ISIS in the town of al-Rai on Thursday, UPI reports. According to the Telegraph, a video posted to social media shows US troops fleeing the town "under a barrage of abuse and insults." The special forces soldiers were in Syria to assist Turkish troops working with the Free Syrian Army rebel group, themselves financed and supported by the Pentagon, in their efforts against ISIS. But it seems technically being an American ally doesn't necessarily mean you want to work alongside actual Americans.

In the video, members of the Free Syrian Army could be heard chanting "down with America" and calling the US soldiers "crusaders, RT reports. They also called Americans "dogs and pigs." "We won't accept any American herewe're Muslims, not infidels," one rebel says. "Christians and Americans have no place among us," says another. In the face of this protest, the US soldiers left town in trucks and headed back for the Turkish border. A spokesperson for the US State Department calls the response of the Free Syrian Army "not appropriate." And US Central Command says it's looking into the incident. (Read more Syria stories.)
(Newser)  An Amtrak train had to be evacuated outside Los Angeles Friday night due to a passenger with a gun, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to KABC, fellow passengers saw the armed man and alerted Amtrak personnel, who notified police. The man appeared to be intoxicated, on drugs, or having a mental health issue. The 187 passengers on board were evacuated at the station in Chatsworth, and the train was surrounded by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Amtrak. The armed man barricaded himself in one of the train's cars, Good Morning America reports. He surrendered following an eight-hour standoff only after officers fired tear gas at him. (Read more Amtrak stories.)
(Newser)  The US military said it may have unintentionally struck Syrian troops while carrying out a raid against ISIS on Saturday, which if confirmed would mark the first known direct American strike on President Bashar Assad's forces, the AP reports. US Central Command said the strike was immediately halted "when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military." The Syrian military said the airstrike hit a base in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour that is surrounded by ISIS, allowing the extremists to advance. Russia's military said it was told by the Syrian army that at least 62 soldiers were killed in the air raid and more than 100 wounded.

"Coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit," according to a statement from the US military. The Syrian military called the strike a "serious and blatant attack on Syria and its military" and "firm proof of the US support of [ISIS] and other terrorist groups." "The coalition will review this strike and the circumstances surrounding it to see if any lessons can be learned," the US Central Command statement said. The apparently errant strike could deal a crushing blow to a fragile US and Russian-brokered cease-fire that has largely held for five days despite dozens of alleged violations on both sides. (Read more Syria stories.)
Beware the phrase "common sense."

Those two words lurk as a land mine for rational discussion. Common sense portrays itself as so innocent: Who could object to the concept? What's more natural? It's just common sense to believe in common sense.

"Common sense" also is handy in bringing order to the bewildering swirl of ideas that buffet us all the time.

However, the phrase often said to finish an argument. People whose ideas are questioned sometimes resort to, "Oh, that's just common sense" and assume that's the end of it. "If you just thought about it, you'd see" is the implication.

A few of our letter writers to the newspaper will assert that "common sense" is what's needed. I am convinced that these people believe in what they believe in. The sentiment behind the phrase seems to be "Everyone should be able to see this."

Only, they can't: "Common sense" is about as unique to a person as his fingerprint.

Pick your subject to test this theory. Immigration, for example. You could easily say it's common sense to allow immigrants into America. After all, we've always been a nation of immigrants and many are escaping from hopeless or dangerous situations. Let them in, for pity sakes.

But what if your common sense tells you that that's dead wrong: They could be competing for my job and putting a strain on the social service system for which I and other taxpayers are responsible.

Neither position is completely right or wrong. So neither should be justified solely on the basis of "common sense."

Oh, but guns; now there's a topic for which common sense should prevail. Americans just need to keep firearms around. You want to be able to hunt and to protect yourself. Plus, you have the Constitutional right. End of story. Common sense: Why can't the other guy see that?

Now, the "other guy's" common sense is working from another direction. America is awash in guns, that person will argue. It stands to reason that the more guns that are out there, the greater the chance something bad will happen.

So, what's the "common sense" gun policy?

If your views on abortion are shaped by your religion and mine are not, then who has the common sense?

Line up any number of social issues, and you can apply a similar set of circumstances that would lead different people to different "common sense' conclusions.

Treating common sense as "common coin" is dangerous because we accumulate our store of it from necessarily dissimilar sources. As a white male, raised by two loving parents in the relatively poor suburbs of Chicago in the 1950s and 1960s and now enjoying a stable home life while dreaming about retirement, my common sense is forged in the vastly different fires that that of someone from a distinctly different background. Where I and this other person are in our lives at this point cannot easily be called "common" to each other.

Whatever you do, don't fall for politicians who tout their "common-sense policies." You'll get a heaping platter of platitudes, with a side dish of assumptions. "It's time the U.S. had a common sense tax system," they'll bloviate. "Right on," might be your instant reaction. "Here's somebody who gets it." You also may presume that this candidate has such a system in mind. If so, you'll presume it's a system along the lines of what you'd like to see. You'll also presume you'll make out OK in such as system. But none of us are tax experts, and we'll not likely press the candidate for details.

But if you stop there, with the "common sense" assertion as the deal-maker, you may well be in for trouble.

Your idea of "common sense tax policy" and the candidates's might well be two different animals. Say that it makes perfect sense to you to have everybody taxed at the same rate. The "next guy's" common sense would have people of greater means providing a greater share, and those without the ability to pay being taxed very little.

Exactly which "common sense" stance was that candidate taking? Or was it some other? Just make it easy on yourself: Don't settle for the "common sense" way out.
The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.
BLUE ISLAND (AP)  The mother of a suburban Chicago high school student who has been sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance says she is withdrawing her son from the school because of threats and harassment.

Kelley Porter Turner says she is pulling her 15-year-old son, Shemar, out of Eisenhower High School in Blue Island and plans to enroll him in an online charter school. Turner says her son is being called names as he walks the halls of the school.

The 15-year-old Shemar says he began sitting out the Pledge on Aug. 26, to protest police killings of blacks.

A Community High School District 218 spokesman declined to confirm or comment on Porter Turner's claims her son had been bullied. Superintendent Ty Harting says students aren't required to stand for, or recite, the Pledge of Allegiance.
Ahmedabad:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was accorded a grand reception in Ahmedabad on Friday night at the airport, arrived in Gandhinagar on Saturday morning, met his mother Hirabai on his birthday and sought her blessings. Modis mother lives with his younger brother Pankaj Modi in Gandhinagar. This is the PMs third visit in recent times to Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due next year. Here are the live updates:

# No Divyang needs anyone's sympathy.Our Divyang sisters & brothers want to lead a life of pride & want to do well:PM

# Our Accessible India initiative is aimed at focusing on areas where we may not have devoted much attention before: PM

# Time for phrases like 'Chalta Hai' is history. The world has expectations from India and we can't let this opportunity go: PM Modi

#Navsari has set 3 records and has made a mark for itself on the map of the world. Congratulations: PM Modi

#WATCH A Specially abled girl reads a snippet from Ramayana in PM Modi's presence in Navsari, Gujarat pic.twitter.com/YtlWZurIlh  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

# A Specially abled girl reads a snippet from Ramayana in PM Modi's presence in Navsari, Gujarat

#Gujarat: PM Modi distributes assistive devices to Specially abled people during Samajik Adhikarita Shivir in Navsari

#On the occasion of PM Modis Birthday, 67 feet long garland weighing 67 kg presented to him in Navsari.

# Am glad I got the opportunity to be with my tribal sisters & brothers. I always hope Gujarat continues to scale new heights of progress: PM

# I know that the farmer is very skilled and I have also seen the farmer is innovative and willing to learn new things: PM

# Mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is resonating all over: PM Modi

# Water scarcity remained a key issue in Gujarat. At times we would get adequate rainfall but we weren't able to conserve water: PM

# When Gujarat was formed, people raised questions on whether it will development but today we can see the state has developed: PM

# PM Modi launches schemes for tribal development in Limkheda, Gujarat

PM Modi being felicitated, will unveil schemes for tribal development in Limkheda, Gujarat shortly. pic.twitter.com/Kd1UO12YvQ  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM went to his mother's residence in Gandhinagar in a single car, without accompanying carcade or any officials. pic.twitter.com/AbKi7mP5CZ  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM Narendra Modi greets people from houses around his mother's residence, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). pic.twitter.com/qQxlFkcT5I  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

#WATCH PM Narendra Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). pic.twitter.com/pl3IPgWLC6  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat); seeks her blessings. pic.twitter.com/GKaVsQJlTo  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM Narendra Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). pic.twitter.com/s0N3kUULEW  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM Narendra Modi reaches to meet his mother in Gandhinagar (Gujarat), on the occasion of his birthday today. pic.twitter.com/E0eDUKCcpn  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik's sand sculpture in Puri (Odisha) on the occasion of PM Modi's birthday. pic.twitter.com/GvwJsnrKGv  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Surat: Shop owner gifts clothes to 200 divyangs & 55 HIV+ children on eve of PM's b'day (16.09.16) pic.twitter.com/eIKwVaG1El  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM Narendra Modi's birthday celebrated in Kanpur (UP) by locals. pic.twitter.com/GNQ0a64A5Q  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 17, 2016

Governor O P Kohli, the entire Gujarat cabinet including the Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP leaders including the newly-appointed president Jitu Vaghani and hundreds of party workers welcomed Modi at the airport.

Nagpur: PM Narendra Modis look-alike celebrates PM Modis birthday, takes part in cleanliness drive. pic.twitter.com/iuYVufOPBK  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Surat: World's biggest cake weighing 3750 kg has been made for PM Modi's birthday, attempting to break world record. pic.twitter.com/WWe64MFiY6  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

ALSO READ: Twitter abuzz with birthday wishes for PM Narendra Modi



After his grand reception, Modi thanked Gujarat BJP leaders and party workers and drove to the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar where he will spend the night. Some of the party workers seemed disappointed as Modi did not address them.



Later, he would go to the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate various irrigations projects.



Dahod collector Lalit Padaliya said the inauguration ceremony will be held at Limkheda town, around 25 km from the city, and the PM will also address a rally there.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project, Padaliya said.



Later in the afternoon he would go to Navsari where he is scheduled to take part in a function where aid would be distributed to the differently-abled persons.



In Navsari, PM will distribute kits and aid to divyang citizens. He will also address a large gathering near Navsari town, Pandya said.



BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of next years polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.



Last month Modi visited his home state twiceto condole the death of Sawminarayan sects leader Pramukhswami Maharaj and later to inaugurate an irrigation scheme in Saruashtra region.

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New Delhi:

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis birthday, Jignesh Mevani, the face of the Gujarati dalit agitation, was on Friday detained by state police, after he arrived in Ahmedabad.

Mevani, who has been spearheading the agitation triggered by the Una flogging incident, was reportedly arrested as a preventive measure.

Fearing that he might create some problem at felicitation event organized for Modi near airport he was detained.

Hours before, in Delhi, Mevani had announced that a rail-roko agitation would be launched from October 1 in Gujarat, if the government did not comply with their demand for a 5-acre land to be alloted to every dalit family in the state.

Dalits had made this demand at the flag-hoisting ceremony in Una on August 15 at the end of a 10-day march against the alleged atrocities against the group.

Around 400 Patidars were also detained on Friday to prevent any type of problems.

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New Delhi:

Sharp reactions are coming from AAP ministers after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung asked Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to return to Delhi immediately in the wake of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the national capital. Sisodia is currently in Finland on a study tour.

After Somnath Bharti, who took it to Twitter to attack Jung, saying Manish Sisodia is not Delhi LG's 'health secretary', now AAP minister Kapil Mishra has written an open letter to LG. Taking a swipe at Jung, Mishra asked LG about his tour to America at a time when the city was fighting dengue and chikungunya.

ALSO READ: Manish Sisodia is not Delhi LG's 'health secretary', says Somnath Bharti



He said that instead of calling back Sisodia, LG should have called him or Satyendra Jain to discuss his concerns. He also asked him to visit hospitals with them and get involved in some fogging in order to fight chikungunya and dengue together.

Letter to LG Saab, Note - first read the lines, then read between the lines. pic.twitter.com/sPBXaJgqXl  Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP) September 17, 2016

Sisodia, who also hold the education portfolio, along with his officers are in Finland to study the education system of that country. Source said, besides Sisodia, all officers including Education Secretary have been directed to return to Delhi immediately.



Earlier on Friday, Congress activists observed Bhagoda Divas in Delhi to protest against the alleged absence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia and other ministers from the national capital which is at present reeling under chikungunya and dengue outbreak.



Refuting the allegation of the Opposition that he is holidaying in Finland, Sisodia said it was not a sin to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhis education system.



He said he had worked hard to improve the education system in the national capital and he was in Finland to see what more needs to be done.Learning from across the world is not a sin. Its a sin to defame an educational tour as a holiday. Im in Finland. We need to learn a lot from their education system, the best in the world (sic), he said in a series of tweets.

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Bhubaneswar:

A doctor couple and a proprietor of a pharmaceutical company were on Friday arrested by vigilance sleuths on charges of fraud, police said.

The arrested doctor couple was identified as Surendranath Senapati, head of radiation oncology department and Diptirani Samanta, assistant professor of medical oncology. Both of them work at Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre, Cuttack.

The arrested businessman was identified as Sudhansu Das, proprietor of M/s JBSL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals in Cuttack, an official release issued by the vigilance department said.

The department had registered a case against the three following allegations that the doctor couple prescribed JBSL brand anti-cancer drugs to patients covered under Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF) and Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY) schemes of Odisha government in which drugs were supplied to patients free of cost.

The JBSL drugs prescribed by doctor couple from May, 2013 to December, 2015 were less known but cost more compared to same drugs of companies like Ranbaxy, Pfizer, Lupin, Neon, Emcure, Sunpharma, Dabur, Intas and Dr Reddys found in the open market.

The anti-cancer drugs marketed by the M/s JBSL had false addresses, the vigilance officials said, adding, the sanctioned funds meant for each patient were exhausted before complete treatment of the patients.

Both the doctors prescribed JBSL brand of anti-cancer drugs only to favour Das, they said.

The vigilance department has also registered a case against the couple for possession of assets of Rs 2,95,02,699 disproportionate to their known sources of income.

Vigilance department had carried out raids at six places including at the workplaces of both the doctors to unearth details of their assets.

The couple was sent to jail after their bail petitions were turned down by the special vigilance court in Cuttack.

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New Delhi:

With the party losing its government in Arunachal Pradesh, Congress on Friday dubbed the new dispensation as an illegitimate child of BJP and blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah for the diabolical design to decimate democracy.

Gross and rampant misuse of money power finally delivered an immoral government of opportunists and turncoats. The mandate of the people of Arunachal Pradesh, who voted Congress party to power, has been robbed in broad daylight, Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters.

The party lost its government when 43 of its MLAs led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu defected wholesale and merged with the Peoples Party of Arunachal today, just two months after it had regained power following the Supreme Courts judgement.

Addressing a press conference, along with AICC General Secretary C P Joshi, Surjewala alleged that the Peoples Party of Arunachal Pradesh is the illegitimate child of BJPs diabolical design to decimate democracy.

He said the architects of extinguishing and murdering the very spirit of democracy and constitutionalism are Modi and Shah who rode to power on the promise of cooperative federalism.

The prodigal sons of Congress who have jumped ship have made massive ideological and political blunder and compromise, he said, hitting hard at the 43 of its 44 MLAs who defected.

He alleged that the Congress MLAs have also destroyed trust of people of Arunachal Pradesh, who voted for them as candidates of Congress.

Despite the Supreme Court judgement, the fraud that was committed today is very ominous for democracy in India, Joshi said expressing concern over its impact in the Northeast.

We have seen what has happened in Jammu and Kashmir. We are concerned that similar situation will be seen in NE India, he said.

Accusing the BJP of using money and muscle power, he said having been thwarted twice, BJP began by engineering defections, inducements and threats to subvert the peoples mandate.

Asked why the Congress failed to stop the wholesale defection, Joshi said that the message sent by the BJP was that if any state wanted development, it has to be in tune with the ruling party at the Centre.

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New Delhi:

In a decision which would help students, Delhi High Court on Friday rejected a plea of some foreign publishing houses against the sale of photocopies of their textbooks, saying copyright in literary works does not confer absolute ownership to the authors.

Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also lifted a ban on a photocopy shop located at the Delhi University campus from selling photocopies of chapters from textbooks of some international publishers to the students.

Copyright, specially in literary works, is thus not an inevitable, divine, or natural right that confers on authors the absolute ownership of their creations. It is designed rather to stimulate activity and progress in the arts for the intellectual enrichment of the public.

Copyright is intended to increase and not to impede the harvest of knowledge. It is intended to motivate the creative activity of authors and inventors in order to benefit the public, the court said.

The court said the action of making a master photocopy of relevant portions of the books of these publishers does not constitute infringement of copyright under the Copyright Act.

If the facility of photocopying were not to be available, they would instead of sitting in the comforts of their respective homes and reading from the photocopies would be spending long hours in the library and making notes thereof.

When modern technology is available for comfort, it would be unfair to say that the students should not avail thereof and continue to study as in ancient era. No law can be interpreted so as to result in any regression of evolvement of the human being for the better, it observed.

In 2012, a group of publishers, including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press (UK), Cambridge University Press India Pvt Ltd, Taylor and Francis Group (UK) and Taylor and Francis Books India Pvt Ltd, had moved court alleging that Rameshwari Photocopy Service in DU was infringing their copyright over the text books.

Reacting to the judgement, the publishers in a joint statement said, it is unfortunate that the courts decision today could undermine the availability of original content for the benefit of students and teachers.

We brought this case to protect authors, publishers and students from the potential effects on the Indian academic and educational book market caused by the widespread creation and distribution of unlicensed course packs by a copy shop operating from within the premises of the University, where a legitimate and affordable licensing scheme is already in place, the statement said.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Saturday greeted by President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and other prominent persons on his 67th birthday. Modi, who is in Gujarat, received birthday greetings from President and Vice President over phone. Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is on a visit here, also wished him over phone. Chief Justice of India T S Thakur personally met Modi at Raj Bhawan in Gandhinagar to greet him, official sources said.

aMy warm greetings and good wishes to PM @narendramodi on his 67th birthday,a tweeted Mukherjee. aLet this day be the beginning of a year of greater achievements in life of PM @narendramodi and our nation,a he said in another tweet.

aMay the Almighty bless PM @narendramodi with good health, happiness & many more years of dedicated service to the nation,a Mukherjee added.

In response, the PM tweeted aI thank Honourable Rashtrapati ji for his kind birthday greetings.a Vice President Ansari, who is visiting Venezuela, also wished Modi.

In his reply, the PM tweeted, aMy gratitude to Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari for his wishes.a

Modi also thanked CJI Thakur for his wishes. aMet CJI Shri Thakur. I thank him for his kind wishes,a he tweeted.

India hopes that the government under PM Prachanda will work to further strengthen the age old relations #PresidentMukherjee a President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) September 17, 2016

A

Warm wishes to Shri @narendramodi ji on his birthday today. May God bless him with good health and long life. aaaaaaaa aa aaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa a Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 17, 2016

A

Warm b'day greetings to Hon PM @narendramodi ji, India's true son who has brought smile & pride to 1.25 bnA Indians





Prime Minister Narendra Modi was today greeted by President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and other prominent persons on his 67th birthday. Modi, who is in Gujarat, received birthday greetings from President and Vice President over phone. Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is on a visit here, also wished him over phone. A Chief Justice of India T S Thakur personally met Modi at Raj Bhawan in Gandhinagar to greet him, official sources said.

Heartiest greetings to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on his birthday. I wish him a long life and many years in service of the country. a Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) September 17, 2016

Happy Birthday to our dear PM @narendramodi ji. Wishing him success in his grand endeavours towards #TransformingIndia #HappyBdayPMModi a Shahnawaz Hussain (@ShahnawazBJP) September 17, 2016

Chief Justice of India, Shri Justice T.S.Thakur meeting PM, Shri @narendramodi to wish him on his birthday pic.twitter.com/Azr6BqLlRC a MIB India (@MIB_India) September 17, 2016

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New Delhi:

In a shocking incident of road rage in Bihar, Kunal Pratap son of a senior RJD MLA Birendra Sinha on Friday reportedly stabbed a youth for 'refusing' to let him overtake his car. The incident happened at Obra in Aurangabad district.

The victim was rushed to a government hospital in Patna where his condition is stated be critical. However, RJD MLA Birendra Sinha rubbished all the charges against his son. The lawmaker claimed this is a political conspiracy and things will be clear soon.

Meanwhile, the incident sent ripples across the state and the opposition demanded stern action against the accused. The opposition termed such incidents as Jungle Raaj returns.

The accused was detained on Friday for questioning and sent to jail for further investigation. On Saturday morning a large number of RJD supporters gathered at Police Station demanding to release Kunal.

The victim said Pintu Kumar said Kunal wanted him to follow his orders as his father is an MLA.

Earlier, JDU legislator Manorama Devi's son Rocky Yadav shot dead a youth Aditya in Gaya for overtaking his care on May 7. Rocky intercepted his car killed him with his Italy-made Baretta pistol for his "audacity" to overtake his vehicle. He was later arrested from his hideout by the Bihar Police.

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New York:

Incorporating laughter into a physical activity programme may improve older adult's mental health, aerobic endurance and confidence in their ability to exercise, according to a new study. In the study, led by researchers from Georgia State University in the US, older adults residing in four assisted-living facilities participated in a moderate-intensity group exercise programme called LaughActive.

LaughActive incorporates playful simulated laughter into a strength, balance and flexibility workout. In simulated laughter exercises, participants initially choose to laugh and go through the motions of laughing. The exercises facilitate eye contact and playful behaviours with other participants, which generally transition the laughter from simulated to genuine.

Simulated laughter techniques are based on knowledge that the body cannot distinguish between genuine laughter that might result from humour and laughter that is self-initiated as bodily exercise. Both forms of laughter elicit health benefits, researchers said. For six weeks, study participants attended two 45-minute physical activity sessions per week that included eight to 10 laughter exercises lasting 30 to 60 seconds each.

A laughter exercise was typically incorporated into the workout routine after every two to four strength, balance and flexibility exercises. Because laughter is scientifically demonstrated to strengthen and relax muscles, the laughter exercises often involved physicality in the muscles being worked in strength, balance and flexibility exercises to prepare the body for exercise and help it recover.

The study found significant improvements among participants in mental health, aerobic endurance and outcome expectations for exercise (for example, perceived benefit of exercise participation), based on assessments completed by the participants. When surveyed about their satisfaction with the programme, 96.2 per cent found laughter to be an enjoyable addition to a traditional exercise programme, 88.9 per cent said laughter helped make exercise more accessible and 88.9 per cent reported the programme enhanced their motivation to participate in other exercise classes or activities.

"The combination of laughter and exercise may influence older adults to begin exercising and to stick with the programme," said lead author Celeste Greene from Georgia State's Gerontology Institute. "We want to help older adults have a positive experience with exercise, so we developed a physical activity programme that specifically targets exercise enjoyment through laughter," added Greene. The study appeared in The Gerontologist journal.
New Delhi:

In yet another twist to the Manish Sisodia and LG Najeeb Jung letter episode, two ministers of the Kejriwal govt  Water Resources Minister Kapil Mishra and Health Minister Satyedra Jain  landed up at Najeeb Jungs office on Saturday. The office of the LG refused to open gate for the two ministers. They were told they did not have a prior appointment with Mr Jung.

ALSO READ: AAP minister shoots a letter to Delhi LG - Sisodia is on official tour but how did your US vacations go, Sir?

The act of the two ministers seems to be in reaction to LG shooting off a fax to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is in Finland to study the education system there, last night asking him to return following the outbreak of dengue and chikungunya in Delhi, which has claimed more than 32 lives so far. However, the LG refused to meet the two leaders.

ALSO READ: Manish Sisodia is not Delhi LG's 'health secretary', says Somnath Bharti

Earlier, Kapil Mishra had shot of a letter to LG raising questions about Mr Jungs recent US vacations.

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New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High 78F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 53F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
New Delhi:

In yet another twist to the Manish Sisodia and LG Najeeb Jung letter episode, two ministers of the Kejriwal govt  Water Resources Minister Kapil Mishra and Health Minister Satyedra Jain  landed up at Najeeb Jungs office on Saturday. The office of the LG refused to open gate for the two ministers. They were told they did not have a prior appointment with Mr Jung.

1) Sisodia-LG war hots up: AAP ministers Kapil Mishra and Satyendra Jain knock at LG's door but Jung refuses to meet

In yet another twist to the Manish Sisodia and LG Najeeb Jung letter episode, two ministers of the Kejriwal govt  Water Resources Minister Kapil Mishra and Health Minister Satyedra Jain  landed up at Najeeb Jungs office on Saturday.

2) Live Yadav family feud: Shivpal and Akhilesh's supporters come face to face, raise slogans against each other

The feud in the Samajwadi Party refuses to die down. A day after agitated supporters of Shivpal Yadav gathered outside his residence to demand an apology from his nephew Akhilesh Yadav, the members of Yuvjan Sabha came out in support of the UP CM in Lucknow.

3) Watch: PM Narendra Modi meets mother in Gandhinagar on his birthday, seeks her blessings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was accorded a grand reception in Ahmedabad Friday night at the airport, arrived in Gandhinagar on Saturday morning to meet his mother on his birthday.

4) Watch video: India launches Navy's most advanced destroyer Mormugao

The second ship of the Project 15B, a guided missile destroyer christened Mormugao for Indian Navy, was on Saturday launched in Mumbai



5) 29-year-old assaulted by suspected gau rakshaks dies in Gujarat hospital

According to police, a group of suspected cow vigilantes allegedly attacked Mohammad Ayyub four days ago when he and another man Sameer Sheikh were transporting a cow and a calf.

















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Washington:

Stepping deeper into the political fray, Michelle Obama on Saturday warned young voters against being "tired or turned off" in the 2016 election. She urged them to rally behind Hillary Clinton, "particularly given the alternative." Mrs. Obama is emerging as one of Clinton's most effective advocates, especially with voters who backed President Barack Obama but are less enthusiastic about his potential Democratic successor.

The Clinton team's biggest challenge regarding Mrs. Obama is getting the reluctant campaigner to commit to more events. Today's rally in Virginia was Mrs. Obama's first solo campaign event for Clinton and comes nearly two months after her star turn at the Democratic convention. Speaking to mostly students at George Mason University, she repeatedly jabbed Trump without mentioning him by name, declaring that being president "isn't anything like reality TV."

The first lady pointedly called out those who continue to question the president's citizenship "up to this very day." Drawing on a frequently quoted line from her convention speech, Mrs. Obama said her husband had responded to those questions by "''going high when they go low."

Hours earlier, Trump stated for the first time that the president was born in the United States, though he did not apologize for devoting years to promoting false allegations that Obama was not an American citizen. Beyond her ability to take on Trump with a smile, Mrs. Obama's real value to Clinton is her wild popularity with Democratic voters, particularly young people and blacks.

She vouched repeatedly for Clinton's resume and character, urging voters motivated by her husband's history-making campaigns to feel the same way about the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. party. "When I hear folks saying that they don't feel inspired in this election, well let me tell you, I disagree I am inspired," Mrs. Obama said. Clinton aides want Mrs. Obama in battleground states as much as possible between now and Election Day.

Today's rally in northern Virginia, less than an hour drive from the White House, is the only event she's publicly committed to, though the Clinton campaign expects her to make additional appearances. Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director and a former Obama adviser, called the first lady "an advocate without peer." "There is no other surrogate with the reach, credibility and respect she has," Palmieri said. (AP)

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New Delhi:

Lt Governor Najeeb Jungs office has strongly rebutted the charges made by Arvind Kejriwals two ministers Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra that he refused to meet them. A statement issued by the Dellhi LGs office said Jung came to know about their visit only through the media.

Minister Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra came to the LGs office at 11:45 AM without either seeking prior appointment from the LG or intimating him of their visit, the statement said.

ALSO READ: AAP ministers Kapil Mishra and Satyendra Jain knock at LG's door but Jung refuses to meet



However, LGs secretary met the two ministers since the LGs office is operational on all days of the week, the statement added.

The LG office said that the elected AAP government was trying to politicise the issue when Delhi is facing serious public health crisis.

The LG office said that it was keeping a close watch on Delhis health situation and getting regular updates from the chief secretary and secretary.

ALSO READ: Manish Sisodia is not Delhi LG's 'health secretary', says Somnath Bharti

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Vijayawada:

Andhra Pradesh has emerged on the top among all other states in attracting industrial investments in 2015-16, pushing the previous years topper Maharashtra to the third spot.

Andhra Pradesh attracted an investment of Rs 21,914 crore out of the Rs 1,38,700 crore gross investments across India, the state government said in an official release today, quoting a report by the Reserve Bank of India.

This was 15.8 per cent of the total investments of over Rs 10 crore each unit. In 2014-15, APs share in the countrys investments was 8.1 per cent.

Gujarat retained the second place attracting 14.5 per cent of investments, up from 9.5 per cent in 2014-15 while Maharashtra was pushed to the third spot with 10.9 per cent in 2015-16, a decline from 14.8 per cent.

Tamil Nadu also made quantum gains in investment, attracting 9 per cent of the gross and jumping to the fourth spot.

In 2014-15, investment flow into Tamil Nadu was a mere 2.9 per cent.

Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh were tied at the fifth spot garnering 7.2 per cent share each in industrial investments, according to the RBI report.

According to the Industries Department of AP, industrial growth rate in the state shot up from 5.25 per cent in 2014-15 to 11.1 per cent in 2015-16.

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New Delhi:

Pakistan is scared since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took up the cause of the people of Baloch, Mehran Marri, the Baloch Representative at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), told ANI on Saturday.

"Pakistan's military and establishment is having chills running down their spine since PM Modi spoke about Balochistan+ . They have intensified military operations in many Baloch areas in recent weeks," Marri said.

On Independence Day, PM Modi had highlighted human rights abuses in the Pakistan province of Balochistan and in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

Here is what Mehran Marri said:

#Myself and Baloch nation is very grateful to India for raising issue of Balochistan

#specially on 15th August then again as recent as two days ago in UNHRC, so we are very optimistic: Mehran Marri, Baloch Rep to UNHRC

#We see India is very serious about addressing the issue of Balochistan & human rights violations that Pak is committing there

#US is well aware of connivance & dirty games that Pak agencies & military play in Balochistan. Mehran Marri, Baloch Rep to UNHRC

#Pak military & establishment is having chills running down their spine since PM Modi spoke about Balochistan: Mehran Marri, Baloch Rep to UNHRC

#They have intensified military ops in many Baloch areas in recent weeks: Mehran Marri, Baloch Rep to UNHRC

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New Delhi:

AAP ministers Satyendar Jain and Kapil Mishra on Saturday went to meet Lt Governor Najeeb Jung at his office following his fax to Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to return from Finland. However, the meeting did not materialise and this triggered a fresh spat between the two sides.

Here are the 5 big developments:



1. It appears he is not in a mood to work today, Mishra said taking a jibe at Jung. But the LG office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment even as it accused the AAP government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with a health crisis.

ALSO READ: Najeeb Jung rebuts charges of AAP ministers, says Delhi govt politicising issue of public concern



2. Jung had on Friday asked Sisodia to return to Delhi immediately from Finland, where he was on a study tour, in view of sudden spurt in Dengue and Chikungunya cases in the national capital.



3. The ministers waited outside the LG office and said that no appointment was sought to meet the Lt Governor since he had sent an urgent fax to the Deputy Chief Minister and they thought that Jung must have something important to talk about.

ALSO READ: AAP ministers Kapil Mishra and Satyendra Jain knock at LG's door but Jung refuses to meet



4. The LG has sent an urgent fax to Deputy CM Sisodia so we thought there may be some emergency and we both came to meet him but he is not in the office. We were told that its off today and he does not sit in the office. We called him but he is also not at his home. It appears he is not in a mood to work today, Mishra said.

ALSO READ: AAP minister shoots a letter to Delhi LG: Sisodia is on official tour but how did your US vacations go, Sir?

5. Hitting back, the LG office said that the Lt Governor came to know of their visit only through media. Secretary to the Lt Governor met the Ministers since the Lt Governors office is operational on all days of the week. However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt Governor, the LG office said in a statement. The Lt Governors office said that it is regrettable that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to politicize the issue instead of providing succour to the public.

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New Delhi:

In a shocking incident, an AIIMS doctor allegedly committed suicide by injecting herself with some poisonous substance at her flat in IP Extension in east Delhi. As per DCP (East) Rishi Pal, the Delhi Police arrested her husband Brijesh, who is a pilot with Air India.

The victim, 30-year-old Dr Ritu Bangoti, worked at the Anesthesia department of AIIMS. Bangoti, who used to stay with her in-laws in Kurmanchal Apartment took the extreme step on the evening of 16th. As the victim didnt open her rooms door for a long time, her family members were forced to break it open, said Rishi Pal.The doctors family members meanwhile alleged that her in-laws troubled her for dowry.

The cops have claimed that they were informed of Ritus death through her brother. Neighbours have also told the police that the couple had strained relations and had regular fights. Meanwhile, the girls family was adamant that the constant demand for dowry always worried Ritu and there were frequent brawls, said the officer. "Based on the woman's family statement, recorded in front of the SDM, and basis the facts that came out, we have arrested her husband. A case under sections 498(A) (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 304(B)(dowry death), 306 (Abetment of suicide) has been registered against him, " said Singh.

However, no suicide note was left behind by Ritu and the police is currently investigating the matter by questioning her family members and neighbours. The reason behind her death and the nature of substance she allegedly injected to herself was under investigation, he said. Ritu was married three years ago and the couple also had a two-year-old daughter. The deceaseds husband was questioned for several hours and arrested late evening. The police is still awaiting the post mortem report of the deceased.

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Bhopal:

An unidentified person threw ink at Union Health Minister J P Nadda at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal, amid protest by students over poor facilities at the institute.

Ink was thrown at the Minister at the entrance of the AIIMS when he was in his car leaving the institute, surrounded by protesting students amid and rains and chaos.

Few drops of ink fell on the Minister's kurta. An official of AIIMS Bhopal, on the condition of anonymity, said it is so far not known who threw the ink. He said the police have started investigating the matter. Students had gathered to lodge protest over poor facilities at AIIMS when Nadda was at the premier medical college to dedicate a number of facilities.

A third year MBBS student Rishi Prem claimed two of the protesting students, Ijya Pandey and Anjali Krishna, sustained injuries as the Minister  s vehicle made a forced exit.

No student of AIIMS college threw ink at Nadda. We protested silently against lack of infrastructure at AIIMS where no surgery has taken place yet, Prem, a student who hails from Kerala, claimed.

 We just wanted to talk to the Minister for improving AIIMS. We don  t have even minimum facilities at the institute (required) for treating patients and learning. There is no permanent director at AIIMS, Prem added.

Director, AIIMS-Raipur, who is also acting in-charge of the Bhopal facility, Dr Nitin Nagarkar, was not available for comments despite repeated calls.

The AIIMS source declined to comment on the condition of the two students who were injured.

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Muzaffarnagar:

Deteriorating law and order in UP led to a 14-year-old girl allegedly committing suicide by setting herself on fire after she was sexually harassed by two youths of the same village. The shameful incident occurred at Lacheda village on 16th September.

As per SHO Amresh Singh, the two youths, Mohan Kumar and Sonu Singh, have been arrested. He further added that a case of abetting suicide under POCSO Act has been registered against them.

According to a complaint lodged with the police, the two youths allegedly molested the victim when she had gone to the fields. Upon hearing her cries for help, the villagers rushed to the spot and caught both the youths. Later on the culprits were handed over to the police. The victim however was unable to bear the shame and committed self immolation in her house. Fearing violence, the police have tightened security in the village.

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Brussels:

A terminally ill child has become the first minor to be euthanised in Belgium since age restrictions on such mercy killings in the country were lifted in 2014, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Since its euthanasia legislation was amended in 2014, Belgium has been the only country in the world that allows children of any age, as long as they are able to make rational decisions and are in the last stages of an incurable disease, to choose to end their suffering.

The head of the federal euthanasia commission gave no details of the minor beyond saying it was an exceptional case of a child with a terminal illness, the Het Nieuwsblad reported.

 Fortunately there are very few children who are considered (for euthanasia) but that does not mean we should refuse them the right to a dignified death,  Wim Distelmans told the newspaper.

The Netherlands also allows mercy killings for children, but only for those aged over 12.

The Belgian amendment, which was passed after heated debate - notably over the meaning of a required  capacity of discernment  - offers the possibility of euthanasia to children  in a hopeless medical situation of constant and unbearable suffering that cannot be eased and which will cause death in the short term  .

Any request for euthanasia must be made by the minor, be studied by a team of doctors and an independent psychiatrist or psychologist and have parental consent.

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Gandhinagar:

Chief Justice of India T S Thakur on saturday had breakfast with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a meeting that comes in the midst of tensions between government and the judiciary over judicial appointments.

Justice Thakur, who was here to the state judicial academy, drove to the Raj Bhavan and greeted Modi on his 66th birth day. The meeting between the two lasted about half an hour, the Raj Bhavan sources said.

 CJI Shri Thakur met Narendra Modi and extended birthday greetings to the Prime Minister,  PMO India said on Twitter. Modi on his personal Twitter handle said,  met CJI Shri Thakur. I thank him for his kind wishes. 

Later in the day at a function, recalling his meeting Modi, Justice Thakur said  (I) told the PM when I met him in the morning today for breakfast, that coming to Gujarat gave me such peace that once you land here, you feel you have landed in a very very peaceful place". "And who can feel these vibrations and reverberations more than those who hold high offices? Because you know so many things get connected to the office you hold. Therefore, I would say that I am lucky to be here with you this morning, and to share my thoughts with you,  he told the audience.

In the recent past, Justice Thakur had expressed deep concern over the pendency of cases and delay in transfer and appointment of judges in high courts.

Observing that justice delivery system is  collapsing  , the Supreme Court had on August 12 sent out a message to the Centre over non-execution of collegium  s decision to transfer and appoint Chief Justices and judges in High Courts, saying it will not tolerate the  logjam  and would intervene to make it accountable.

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Shimla:

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday said the bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi had been fruitful and strengthened the relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Dil se baat hui khul ke baat Hui(we talked with open heart) and both the countries found new grounds to move forward, Dahal who is popularly known as Prachanda told reporters here.

He said Nepal would not allow its land to be used for activities against neighbouring countries.

Prachanda, who was at Jahakri in Shimla district, 145 km from here to inspect the 1500MW Nathpa-Jhakri Hydropower Project of SJVNL was responding a question regarding efforts of Pakistan to use Nepal for terrorist activities against India.

Nepal would not allow its land to be misused for activities against the neighbouring countries, he said adding that India is friendly country and we have good relations with it.

Prachanda who felt at home in serene hills said that the topography, geography, trees, jungles people and culture of India and Nepal is similar and I feel that I am not in India but in Nepal.

After visiting the Project, Prachanda also talked to a gathering of people of Nepali origin working in various projects.

The SJVNL engineers took the Nepalese Prime minister around and informed him about various features of the project in detail.

The SJVNL CMD R N Mishra gave a power point presentation about the Nathpa-Jhakri and 412 MW Rampur projects executed by SJVNL and also exhibited the model of Arun-3 (900) MW being executed in Nepal.

He said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had already been signed with India in May, 2014 for commissioning of 900 MW Arun-3 hydro power project and expressed satisfaction over Nathpa-Jhakri project.

Union Minister for Power, Piyush Goyal said that Arun-3 hydro-electric project was a beginning of new chapter in strengthening bilateral relations between India and Nepal and the work on this project would be expedited.

He said that India and Nepal are working together on few more projects also and it was a matter of great satisfaction that the neighbouring nation had expressed faith in India to go ahead with these projects.

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New Delhi:

A seven-year-old, son of a Delhi-based trader, who was kidnapped from New Delhi on September 14 was on Saturday rescued and his abductor arrested from Sheikhpura district of Bihar, police said.

Acting on a tip off provided by Delhi Police, the local police team today rescued Priyanshu Raj from Dewle village within the limits of Sheikhpura police station, SP R K Bhil said.

Raj is the son of trader Mukesh Kumar, a resident Mundka in the national capital.

The kidnapper identified as Pintu Kumar has been arrested, Bhil said.

After kidnapping the minor, the accused, known to the trader, had taken him to Dewle village where the boy was kept at the residence of Kumars relative, the SP said.

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New Delhi:

Due to Mid-air medical emergencies Air India's two international flights were diverted to airports in Norway and Finland respectively.

Chicago bound flight AI 127 on 16th September and AI 174 SFO- Delhi flight on 17th September landed in midway at Norway and Helsinki to address medical emergencies of the passengers.

After taking off from Delhi, a passenger on board AI 127 complained of giddiness however when after providing possible medical help on board situation not improved, aircraft was landed at BOD airport in Norway and the passenger was immediately rushed to hospital on arrival.

In an another medical emergency AI 174 SFO- Delhi landed at Helsinki airport, when a 2.5 year old child accompanied by parents complained of health problem during the flight.

Mr. Ashwani Lohani, CMD Air India said In close to 24 hours Air India managed 2 medical emergencies effectively, giving top most priority to our passengers wellbeing. I would like to appreciate our crew for managing these situation who time again have demonstrated their expertise

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New Delhi:

Writer Chetan Bhagat bashed AAP government on micro-blogging site twitter. He has targeted Delhias deputy CM Manish Sisodiaas Finland tour.

aHow to improve delhi schools: Better teachers, electricity, water and toilets. You need to fly First class to Finland to figure this out?a tweeted Bhagat.

Chetan replied to Sisodiaas tweet in which Sisodia had called Arnab Goswami and Bhagat as liers, who blame AAP. Bhagat said that he is not a politician.

Prolific writer also taunted Aam Aadmi Party by saying that instead of making new political parties that turn out to be like rest if not worse, much better to focus on keeping existing ones accountable.

Earlier Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has asked Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to return to Delhi as soon as possible to handle the ongoing health crisis in the national capital region. Sisodia is in Finland on an educational tour.

How to improve delhi schools: Better teachers, electricity, water and toilets. You need to fly First class to Finland to figure this out? a Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) September 17, 2016

Instead of making new political parties that turn out to be like rest if not worse,much better to focus on keeping existing ones accountable a Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) September 17, 2016

I am not a politician sir. I don't need to lie :) https://t.co/hQIeVvmOok a Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) September 17, 2016

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Porlamer:

Crisis-hit Venezuela today assumed NAMs presidency as leaders of the 120-nation group, including Vice President Hamid Ansari, began deliberations on contemporary issues like UN reform and terrorism with the bloc seeking relevance in the post-Cold War world.

Venezuela, an OPEC member and home to one of the worlds largest oil reserves, assumed the movements rotating presidency from Iran which had hosted the blocs summit in 2012.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, while opening the 17th meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), said the member countries have the opportunity to discuss the concerns and the developments at the bilateral and international level.

During the past four years under Irans presidency NAM was involved in many activities at the UN. There have been meetings on disarmament, maintaining peace and human rights and several rounds of negotiations were held with the north countries, Rouhani noted.

The summit is convening at a time when peace is being threatened all across the world, he said. National sovereignty of developing states is being constantly violated.

Iran was the first to warn of Takfirism in Syria, he said.

NAM countries should not pin their hopes on big powers to achieve development and growth, he asserted.

The Zionist regime is trying to exploit the situation in the Middle East, the Iranian President said, adding that Iran supports the cause of the Palestinians.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accepted the presidency and vowed to strengthen the bloc. He said Irans presidency of the movement had given a new dynamism to the movement.

The summit in Venezuela comes amid anti-government protests in the South American country. A number of people were arrested there earlier this month after President Maduro was greeted by pot-banging demonstrators during a visit to the Margarita Island.

The government has deployed over 14,000 security personnel to the region in a bid to contain any unrest near the summit.

The roads bore a deserted look as the summit began with security personnel keeping sharp vigil on the routes from the hotels where delegations from various countries are staying to the venue.

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Armenias Founding Parliament political opposition organization says that rallies and marches will take place in 16 cities in ten countries calling for a democratic and self-governing Armenia, and in solidarity with the Sasna Dzrer armed group that seized a police building in Yerevan this July, holding it for two weeks before surrendering to police.

Another demand at the marches will be the release of all political porisoners.

In Yerevan, the rally will commence at 7 p.m. at Liberty Square.
I am a

Canna



What Flower

Are You?



table width="145">"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."
Below is a portion of the email that was sent to Chris Samples concerning the Spearman Police Department:City Manager Statement below:The Spearman City Council is not considering any plans to abolish our police department and frankly there has been no discussion of this topic in any form or fashion by the current administration. The City of Spearman supports our city police force 100% and we are proud of the officers who serve our community. Samples spoke with Hansford County Judge Benny Wilson who says he has not heard a thing about any such meetings or proposals. To listen to that statement click the link below.
After 30 minutes of digging, they found it: The last da Vinci award. It was covered in dust, tucked in a blue felt box, and packed away in a dark closet  far from where it should be, New Milford officials said.

When they found the little gold medal, ornamented with the towns signature gazebo flag, the mayor and town council members knew just what to do with it: Theyd give it to Peter Orenski, who created it in 2001 to honor New Milford residents.

Theyd give it him posthumously, of course. Orenski died Aug. 13 of prostate cancer. He was 76.

He would have said, My purpose was to honor others, not to honor myself,  said Katy Francis, a town council member and a friend of Orenski. He was incredibly humble.

The medal was awarded to outstanding New Milford residents from 2001 to 2009, but it existed only because of Orenski. He thought the town needed to reward residents who loved and were committed to the town, Francis said, so he designed a medal, bought a bunch of them and delivered them to Town Hall free of charge.

Although the medal, which Orenski created six years after he helped spur adoption of the town flag, hasnt been awarded in seven years, now is a good time to bring it back, said Mayor David Gronbach. And since Orenski got the last medal the town had  it now hangs next to a mayoral proclamation in his name in Town Hall  new ones will be made, Gronbach said.

The town will give them to deserving New Milford residents at least once a year from now on, the mayor said.

The medal was Orenskis pet project, said Bob Coppola, who was the first town resident to receive the award in 2001.

Now was the time to get the award back on the towns page, Coppola said.

Orenski was known as the Flag Man for his love of vexillology  the study of flags  and he really was an American patriot, Coppola said at a Town Council meeting in late August.

During his time in New Milford, Orenski gave the town countless American flags; spent many hours helping veterans; and worked to leave his stamp on the town in a way only he could, Coppola told the council

When Orenski died, New Milford residents werent the only ones to pay their respects to the man.

The worlds flag lovers knew him, too. When word first spread of his death in August, they called out on Facebook in English, French and German. Orenski had sent them flags, and been their friend, for decades, they said.

Several of them had only met the man once, they said, but his kindness had endeared and motivated them.

Edward Mooney Jr. of Redding, Calif., cant count the times he has seen New Milford in his mailbox, he said. But he remembers the package he got soon after his daughter was born on July 14.

He got a little French flag from Orenski, a baby-sized one for a child born on Bastille Day, Frances national holiday. Mooney also remembers the late-night call he got when his family had a health scare. It was Orenski, who had stayed up until 3 a.m. just to check in.

In Arkansas, Zachary Harden, 30, said he has considered Orenski a mentor for the past 15 years. He, too, cant count the flags he has received.

blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
CHAPLEAU, ON, Sept. 17, 2016 /CNW/ - The governments of Canada and Ontario and the Chapleau Cree First Nation marked a key step towards renewed relationships today, by celebrating the settlement of one of the first Treaty Land Entitlement Claims in Ontario. The negotiated settlement agreement addresses an outstanding specific land claim that dates back over 100 years.

The settlement, which is the result of an unfulfilled Treaty 9 entitlement, includes approximately $21.5 million in financial compensation from Canada and about 4,000 square hectares of provincial Crown land from Ontario. Ontario is also contributing more than $350,000 in financial compensation.

Under the settlement, the Chapleau Cree First Nation can apply to the Government of Canada to have the lands added to its reserve in northern Ontario. The land and financial compensation will be used to meet current and future social and economic needs of the community.

Settling claims is one of many steps on the journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and helps create a better future for everyone.

Quotes

"Settling this claim is another step along the path of reconciliation. Achieved in a spirit of collaboration and renewal, this negotiated agreement honours a treaty obligation and opens the door to new opportunities for the Chapleau Cree to invest in a more prosperous future for the benefit of its members and all Canadians."

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, M.D., P.C., M.P.

Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs

"I congratulate the parties on reaching a successful settlement of the Chapleau Cree claim. This will significantly increase the land base of Chapleau Cree First Nation and help meet the current and future needs of the community, creating new opportunities for its residents."

David Zimmer,

Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation for Ontario

"After 8 long years of negotiation, Chapleau Cree has settled this historic 110-year land claim with the Federal and Provincial governments. Although we consider it a success, it could never compensate what was lost. The circle and its values of Truth, Honour and Endurance is what our people are made of."

Chief Keith Corston

Chapleau Cree First Nation

Quick Facts

The Chapleau Cree First Nation is a signatory to Treaty 9 and has a current land base of 10.36 square kilometres. It is located near the town of Chapleau in northern Ontario .

in northern . The Chapleau Cree First Nation's specific claim was negotiated on the basis that the First Nation did not receive the quantity of land it was entitled to under Treaty 9.

During the negotiations, extensive consultations on the provincial Crown land component of the settlement were undertaken with other Indigenous groups and local stakeholders.

First Nation members voted to approve the settlement on January 16, 2016 . Ontario approved the settlement on March 21, 2016 . Canada gave its final approval on May 20, 2016 .

Associated Links

Treaty Land Entitlement

Land Claims in Ontario

Chapleau Cree First Nation

The Journey Together: Ontario's Commitment to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Flickr.

You can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds or e-mail. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.aandc.gc.ca/subscriptions.

SOURCE Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada

For further information: For more information, media may contact: Sabrina Williams, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, 819-997-0002; Media Relations, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-953-1160; Polina Osmerkina, Office of the Honourable David Zimmer, 416-314-2529; Flavia Mussio, Communications, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, 416-314-9455; Edith Larocque, Band Administrator, Chapleau Cree First Nation, 705-864-0784
The discovery of HMS Terror would be important for Inuit communities and Canada, reflecting the valuable role of Inuit knowledge.

OTTAWA, Sept. 14, 2016 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is enthusiastic over the potential discovery of HMS Terror. This extraordinary find underscores the importance of Inuit knowledge and would make a significant contribution to completing the fascinating story of the lost Franklin Expedition.

Mission Erebus and Terror 2016 built on the success of previous missions and the collaboration with the Government of Nunavut, local communities and other public, private and non-profit partners.

Parks Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard, will validate the find at the earliest operational window. Once confirmed, the Government of Canada will discuss the protection of the site with the Government of Nunavut and its Inuit partners.

Locating the HMS Terror is only the initial step of the research that will need to be conducted. Parks Canada's Underwater Archeology team, along with the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Royal Canadian Navy, and other partners, will investigate this new wreck site on future missions to reveal more details and develop a better understanding of this important story for Canada and the world.

Parks Canada and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association will continue to negotiate the Impact and Benefits Agreements to ensure that benefits for Inuit are realized as a result of the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site, which would include HMS Terror. Through the Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement, Parks Canada and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association will work together on the development and co-operative management of the National Historic Site.

The Government of Canada will continue to engage Nunavut communities in the Franklin project and related initiatives, in both the short and long term.

Quotes

"The multi-year contribution from Parks Canada and its partners in the Arctic has led to the discovery of two of the most famous and mysterious ships in Canada's history. HMS Erebus was found through a unique combination of Inuit traditional knowledge and cutting-edge science, and Inuit knowledge was again central to this amazing discovery. This latest discovery will offer another unique and incredible opportunity for archeological exploration and the sharing Inuit history and culture with the world."

The Honourable Catherine McKenna,

Minister of the Environment and Climate Chance and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"I share the pride of all Canadians in the role of the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Canadian Coast Guard and the important collaboration and contribution of local Inuit communities in the search for the lost Franklin ships. We congratulate all the partners on the work completed and are excited to offer our continued expertise to this project. "

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc,

Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"The discovery of HMS Terror showcases the excellent cooperation between governmental departments in Canada's North. The Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Rangers were instrumental in the search and I am very proud of the expertise they contributed. As the Royal Canadian Navy continues to expand its ability to conduct northern operations, this discovery is an important link with our country's naval heritage and reminds us of the sacrifices of brave sailors who ventured into uncharted waters."

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan,

Minister of National Defence

Quick Facts

Since 2008, there have been eight major Parks Canada-led searches for the lost Franklin Expedition ships, pain-stakingly covering many hundreds of square kilometres of the Arctic seabed.

The ongoing work to find and study the ships of the Franklin expedition bring together the Government of Canada and public, private and non-profit organizations. They are made possible through the use of both state-of-the-art technology and Inuit oral history.

and public, private and non-profit organizations. They are made possible through the use of both state-of-the-art technology and Inuit oral history. Throughout the various expeditions and searches for HMS Erebus and Terror, considerable data on the northern seafloor was gathered. This knowledge will assist in northern naval operations with the pending introduction of the Royal Canadian Navy's Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships.

National historic sites tell the stories of who we are, including the history, cultures and contributions of Indigenous Peoples. The Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site will be the first cooperatively-managed national historic site in Nunavut .

Associated Links

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/culture/franklin/index.aspx

http://www.twitter.com/parkscanada

SOURCE Parks Canada

For further information: Caitlin Workman, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-938-9436; Media Relations, Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [email protected]
President Barack Obama and Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari will meet on Tuesday in New York, on the sidelines of the US leaders fina...

President Barack Obama and Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari will meet on Tuesday in New York, on the sidelines of the US leaders final appearance at the UN General Assembly session.The 71st UN General session opens on Monday. It will be President Buharis second appearance since he came to power on 29 May last year.The meeting confirmed by White House was not on the itinerary of the Nigerian leader released on Friday. Obama is also scheduled to meet with presidents of Iraq and Colombia.Obama will discuss with President Buhari about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the governments efforts to counter the terrorist group Boko Haram.Nigeria and the US have pending agreement over the sale of US military equipment, especially attack helicopters to fight the insurgents.In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, President Buhari would deliver Nigerias statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly on The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform Our World.Adesina revealed that the president would also attend a high-level summit to be hosted by the UN, on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.The summit, which is the first of its kind organised by the General Assembly at the Heads of State and Government level, is expected to come up with a blueprint for a better international response to enhance protection of migrants and refugees.He also said that Buhari would deliver a keynote address on Taking Climate Action toward Sustainable Development in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin.The presidents aide disclosed that leaders of member-countries of Lake Chad Basin would attend the summit, organised by Nigerian government, to highlight the urgent need to mobilise international response to the situation in the Chad Basin.Over nine million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Lake Chad Basin. He said that while in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders, the president would attend series of meetings as well as side events, which were of significant interest to Nigeria.Adesina said that the president would equally participate in an event hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, on Ending Need in the Lake Chad. On the margins of the 71st UNGA, President Buhari will sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and participate in activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development.He said that the Nigerian leader would attend the Clinton Global Initiative as well as the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Business and Global Goals organised by the Secretary General.According to Adesina, the president will lead discussions at the United States-Africa Business Forum devoted to investing in Nigeria.He said that the president would hold bilateral meetings with some world leaders in furtherance of his administrations commitment in ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.He said that the discussions would also focus on the presidents longstanding commitment to returning peace and security in the North-East of Nigeria.Adesina stated that the discussions would also focus on restoring calm to the Niger Delta, and attracting more investments to develop critical infrastructure and revamp the Nigerian economy.According to a statement from the White House, Obama has also scheduled meetings with leaders of Iraq and Columbia .
Nearly 30 years after it stopped producing power, Dairyland Power Cooperatives nuclear energy plant in Genoa is entering the final stretch of decommissioning.

Earlier this year, Dairyland turned over the license for the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor to a private company under contract to remove the facility adjacent to Dairylands Genoa coal-fired plant.

The project is expected to cost about $85 million. As of last year, Dairyland had about $94.7 million in its nuclear decommissioning trust fund.

Brian Rude, Dairylands vice president for external and member relations, said the project, while expensive, will eliminate a major liability for the La Crosse-based cooperative.

As long as the buildings still exist there are always regulatory threats, especially, which result in higher costs. And of course we get no revenue, Rude said. So getting rid of the building will simplify our life, streamline it, and hopefully hold down future costs for our members.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting Tuesday on plans for the final decommissioning, which is expected to take about two years. The agency is also considering a request to redraw the site boundaries, which now include Dairylands neighboring coal plant and large swaths of nearby land.

The contractor, LaCrosseSolutions, is a subsidiary of EnergySolutions LLC, a nuclear waste-disposal company based in Salt Lake City.

According to plans filed with the NRC, LaCrosseSolutions will dismantle the compound of buildings on the site and ship contaminated materials to the companys disposal site in Clive, Utah. An estimated 95 percent of the waste will be concrete rubble and other components that will be put in containers and trucked to a rail loading facility in Winona, Minn.

Company spokesman Mark Walker said most of what remains at LACBWR should be class A waste, the lowest level of contamination. Any material found with higher levels of radiation will be sent to a hazardous-waste site in Texas.

Under the agreement, Solutions will remove everything down to three feet below ground and return the clean site to the La Crosse-based utility. Exposure to radiation at the cleaned site must be below the NRCs acceptable level of 25 millirem per year from a single source.

For comparison, the exposure from a chest X-ray or a round-trip flight to Europe is about 10 millirem.

This is really pretty minor, said Professor Jeff Bryan, who teaches nuclear chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Its about a thousand times lower than what is known to cause any kind of damage.

Marlayna Vaaler, who is overseeing the project for the NRC, said most decommissioned plant sites have levels closer to 10 millirem.

Most sites weve successfully decommissioned dont even come close, she said.

As the license holder, LaCrosseSolutions will answer directly to federal regulators rather than to Dairyland, said Cheryl Olson, who manages the plant and the dry cask fuel storage site for Dairyland.

It just makes more sense to get the middle man out of the picture, she said. Theyre the experts.

Most of Dairylands licensed nuclear operators took retirement incentives once the spent fuel was removed four years ago, leaving only Olson and one other nuclear engineer on staff.

Vaaler said the license transfer also provides better assurance that the work will be completed.

Its not just Dairyland thats going to come down on them, she said.

This is only the second such license transfer authorized by the NRC. EnergySolutions has used the same arrangement to decommission the Zion nuclear station in Zion, Ill.

Vaaler said she expects it will become a more common model as the nations aging fleet of nuclear plants are retired.

The tractor reactor

Built for the federal government by Allis Chalmers, the 50-megawatt plant was dubbed the tractor reactor and intended to serve as a demonstration facility. It was turned over to Dairyland for $1 and began operation in 1967.

The plant was shut down in 1987 when it became too expensive to operate a tiny but still heavily-regulated plant. (During its lifetime, LACBWR generated just more than 4 gigawatt hours of electricity. Thats about 0.05 percent of what Xcel Energys Prairie Island nuclear plant generated last year alone.)

Believing the federal government would honor its obligation to take possession of the spent fuel by 1998, Dairyland chose to keep the 333 uranium rods under water inside the plant.

Why would you move the fuel twice if you didnt have to? Rude said.

Dairyland finally sued the federal government for breach of contract in 2004, receiving $37.6 million in damages. Meanwhile it was costing the utility upwards of $6 million to maintain the shuttered facility.

The nuclear reactor vessel was removed in 2007 and taken to a burial site in South Carolina. In 2012, after six years of planning, the spent fuel rods were encased in dry storage casks that will remain in Genoa until the government opens a long-term storage facility.

Dairyland retains responsibility for the fuel, at a cost of about $2 million a year, and has filed a second suit against the government for breach of contract.

As long as the fuel is on site, were never done, Rude said.
President Muhammadu Buhari would, during his participation in the 71st UN General Assembly, sign the Paris Treaty on Climate, Foreign Af...

President Muhammadu Buhari would, during his participation in the 71st UN General Assembly, sign the Paris Treaty on Climate, Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said at a news conference in New York.This is contained in a statement signed by the Spokesman for the Nigerian Mission to the UN, Mr Akinremi Bolaji, and released in Abuja on Saturday. 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally-binding global climate deal at the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December, 2015.The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2C. The agreement is due to enter into force in 2020. The statement quoted the minister as saying that some of the world leaders, including President Barrack Obama of America and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, had already signed the Treaty. Onyeama said that top on Nigerian UN agenda during the General Assembly was to engage African Union and other countries to work towards the reform of the United Nations. He said that the leaders would also be engaged to be more democratic and responsive to the needs of the world.  In addition to the wave of change, Nigeria will like to propose to the UN body to create an agency dedicated for the youth, Onyeama said.The minister assured the international community that Nigeria would support a new UN Secretary-General that would be development and Africa-friendly as well as sympathetic to the course of Nigeria. On investment, power and insecurity in Nigeria, he said that the Federal Government had established various security mechanisms to create attractive investment environment for would-be investors. With the fall in oil price, Nigeria is looking into diversification of its economy towards agriculture and solid minerals. It is expected that there will be a lot of investment opportunity for foreign investors during the US-Africa Business Forum, scheduled to take place next week in New York.Nigeria has been invited as one of the focal countries whose economies search light is beamed on, he said. He also said that Nigeria would host a high level side event on Climate Change, to showcase its efforts in the Ogoni clean-up. This event, according to him, will come up after the president has signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The minister also addressed issues of poverty, migration, human rights, terrorism and security and on challenges in retrieving Abachas loot and other Nigerias assets stashed abroad.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is back in hospital, just days after being discharged following three weeks of treatment for a recurrin...

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is back in hospital, just days after being discharged following three weeks of treatment for a recurring infection.Tutu, who has been a moral beacon for the entire continent for many years, is 84 and has been suffering from prostate cancer for several years.The Nobel Laureate had also been admitted to hospital in Cape Town on several occasions in recent months due to an unidentified recurring infection.Tutus family said the Nobel Laureate was being treated for a surgical wound which is showing signs of infection.Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986 and the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987.He also got the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999, the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007 and South Africa Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.Report said that Tutu was widely regarded as South Africas moral conscience and was described by the late President Nelson Mandela as the voice of the voiceless.NAN
The Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, has called on the Federal Government to urgently national emergency on the current Nigerias economic re...

The Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, has called on the Federal Government to urgently national emergency on the current Nigerias economic recession.The governors gave this charge in a three-point communique read by the Chairman of the Forum and Zamfara Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, in Abuja on Friday.The governors also resolved to support the Federal Government to continue to reflate the nations economy out of the present crisis.According to the communique, the governors agreed to set up state task forces on polio eradication, with their deputy governors as Heads.The chairman said that the governors also discussed the recurring incident of Lassa fever and resolved to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Health to address the challenge.
The Federal Government has released concrete proof of its efforts to secure the release of the Chibok girls, who were abducted from thei...

The Federal Government has released concrete proof of its efforts to secure the release of the Chibok girls, who were abducted from their school in April 2014 by Boko Haram, confirming President Muhammadu Buharis commitment to the safe return of the girls. Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the efforts included swap arrangements dating back to July 2015 which, however, failed for various reasons, including last-minute issuance of a new set of demands by Boko Haram elements.He said that in spite of the failure of the past swap agreements, the government and the security agencies have not relented in the bid to ensure that the Chibok girls are released safely, in line with the mandate given by the President who, upon the assumption of office, directed security agencies to urgently fashion out strategies to trace, locate and ensure the safe and successful release of the Chibok girls.Giving details of the first swap agreement, which was the most promising, Alhaji Mohammed said it failed in the last minute because Boko Haram decided to make a new set of demands, even after all arrangements had been made to exchange some Boko Haram fighters for the girls.Precisely on 17th July, 2015, the DSS opened negotiations process with the group holding the Chibok girls. However, in return for the release of some of these girls, the group also made some demands. These included the release of some of their fighters arrested including some involved in major terrorist actions, resulting in several fatalities, and others who were experts in manufacture of locally assembled explosives.This was difficult to accept, but appropriate security agencies had to again inform Mr. President of these demands, and its viewed implications. Again Mr. President gave his assent believing that the overall release of these girls remains paramount and sacrosanct.Meanwhile, following the above development, Government and the security agencies had sufficient leverage to work out the modalities of the swap. These included creating the safe haven, or necessary place of swap and working out the logistic details.Based on this, the DSS availed other critical sister agencies of this new situation. Immediately, the Nigerian Army and the Air Force sent some specialists to commence a detailed arrangement for the swap. This was during the last week of July 2015 and 1st week of August 2015. The officers representing the various agencies worked out the logistic details, such as the number of persons to be swapped i.e. number of girls and detainees to be exchanged, the vehicles and aircraft, as well as safeguards, i.e. safety of the persons, including the location of the swap. When it was finally agreed by all parties, Mr. President was again informed that the preparations were concluded, and the first step for the swap would commence on 1st August, 2015. Mr. President robustly gave his approval. On 4th August, 2015, the persons who were to be part of the swap arrangements and all others involved in the operation were transported to Maiduguri, Borno State.This team, with the lead facilitator, continued the contact with the group holding the Chibok girls. The Service was able to further prove to the group its sincerity, as it established communication contact between it and its detained members. All things were in place for the swap which was mutually agreed. Expectations were high. Unfortunately, after more than two (2) weeks of negotiation and bargains, the group, just at the dying moments, issued new set of demands, never bargained for or discussed by the group before the movement to Maiduguri. All this while, the security agencies waited patiently. This development stalled what would have been the first release process of the Chibok girls, he said. The Minister also gave the details of two more swap attempts that were made following the failure of the first agreement. By the month of November, precisely 13th November, 2015, another fresh negotiation process with the group was initiated.This time, there was the need to discuss a fresh component in other to avoid issues that had stalled the former arrangement. There were however some problems that many may not discern, but should be expected in this kind of situation. Some critical persons within the group who played such vital role in August, 2015 were discovered to be dead during combat action or as a result of the emerging rift amongst members of the group then. These two factors delayed the process. By 30th November, 2015 it was becoming glaring that the division amongst the group was more profound. This affected the swap process. By 10th December, 2015, another negotiation process was in place, but this failed to achieve results because of the varying demands by the group, he said, assuring that in spite of the failures, negotiation continued on new modalities to secure the release of the girls.The Minister said since the beginning of 2016, the security agencies have not only remained committed but have also taken the lead to resolve the Chibok girls issue, in spite of the current division among members of the terrorist group, which has seriously affected the efforts He commended the security agencies whom, he said, have sacrificed their time and energy, with some even paying the supreme price while fighting for the safe release of the girls, disclosing that many friendly countries and organizations have equally been very forthcoming in providing their human and technological resources to assist in the process. Addressing the parents and relatives of the Chibok girls, Alhaji Mohammed said: We are with you; we feel your pains and shall not relent until we succeed in bringing home our girls and every other citizen abducted by the group. He also appealed to all those who have shown concern in resolving this matter to continue to trust the efforts of Government to deal with the situation.
Business mogul Aliko Dangote believes a wave of asset selling by the government could be the saving grace for Nigeria in the face of the...

I think the real challenge for us is now for us to have the political will in terms of selling some assets, he told the Consumer News and Business Channels (CNBC) Africa yesterday.I think its an easier route than the IMF (International Monetary Fund) or the World Bank to borrow money, because what you need to do is actually to beef up the reserves.Dangote spoke before Nigerias credit rating was downgraded to B from B+ by S&P Global Ratings yesterday.He urged the government to sell assets in some of its joint ventures with the private sector in an open tender process.He said that Africa Finance Corporation  a development finance institution established in 2007  would fetch close to $800 million while government s should also look to sell 100 percent of the countrys stake in Nigeria LNG Limited.If I had challenges in my company, I would not hesitate to sell assets, to remain afloat, to get to the better times, because it doesnt make any sense for me to keep any assets and then suffocate the whole organization, Dangote said.S & P branded the economy weakened more than we expected owing to a marked contraction in oil production, a restrictive foreign exchange regime and delayed fiscal stimulus.The economy is set to contract on an annual basis in 2016 for the first time in 21 years, with its all-important oil industry suffering under weak global prices.The gross domestic product (GDP) dropped by 2.06 percent in the second quarter of 2016, after falling 0.36 percent in the previous three months.Dangote said the economy should have been diversified a long time ago, lamenting the overreliance on oil.But he was optimistic that Nigeria would exit recession by the last quarter of the year and said the country has all the answers to bounce back to health.
President Muhammadu Buhari will participate in the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from September 19-23, 2016 i...





President Muhammadu Buhari will participate in the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from September 19-23, 2016 in New York, United States.The President will deliver Nigerias statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly, on the theme: The Sustainable Development Goals: a Universal Push to Transform our World.President Buhari will on Tuesday meet with the United States Counterpart, President Barack Obama, to talk about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the government's efforts to counter the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.Here are four pressing issues President Buhari will be discussing at the United nations General Assembly:- Ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.- President Buhari will also discuss his longstanding commitment to returning peace and security in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria,- restoring calm to the Niger Delta- attracting more investments to develop critical infrastructure and revamp the Nigerian economy.
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered prompt and appropriate disciplinary action be taken against those responsible for a wrongful ...

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said that it was observed that the similarities between a paragraph in President Obamas 2008 Victory Speech and what President Buhari read in paragraph nine of the sixteen-paragraph address while inaugurating the Campaign on Thursday, September 8, 2016 are too close to be passed as coincidence.It reads: There was a mistake by an overzealous staff and we regret that this has happened.Already, a Deputy Director in the Presidency has accepted responsibility for the insertion of the contentious paragraph.This serious oversight will be investigated thoroughly and appropriate sanction meted.The Presidency wishes to state in the clearest possible terms that it regrets this unfortunate incident and will ensure that this does not happen again, It addedPresident Buhari also urged Nigerians to look beyond the incident and focus on the message of change which the country needed to restore her cherished value systems.
Kogi State Police Command has banned public jubilation, demonstration as the state awaits Supreme Court judgment on the governorship elect...

Kogi State Police Command has banned public jubilation, demonstration as the state awaits Supreme Court judgment on the governorship election petition appeals.The apex court has fixed next Tuesday for ruling in two appeal cases against the election of Governor Yahaya Bello.The Commissioner of Police, Malam Abdullahi Chafe, announced the ban at a news conference in Lokoja on Friday.Chafe said that intelligence reports reaching the command revealed that some miscreants were planning to foment trouble if the Supreme Court judgment should go contrary to their expectations.The police commissioner warned that individuals or group of persons who cause breakdown of law and order would face full wrath of the law.He urged various political parties to call their members and supporters to order so that peace would reign after the delivery of judgment.Kogi State is greater than anybody. Police will not waste time in dealing with lawbreakers within the constitutional requirement, he said.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of allegedly having more interest in the welfare of his catt...





The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of allegedly having more interest in the welfare of his cattle in his country home in Daura, Katsina State than Biafrans or other Nigerians.IPOB said that apart from overseas countries which Buhari had visited for about 30 times since he became president over a year ago and Daura or other northern states, he had not stepped into any part of Igbo land or Biafra, adding that he usually travelled to see his animals rather than his fellow citizens.This was contained in a statement issued by IPOB Spokespersons, Mr Emma Nmezu and Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya yesterday.They spoke against the backdrop of the comments credited to Buhari to the effect that south east youth corps members serving in Daura should educate their people on the need to ensure Nigerian unity when they get home after completing their compulsory one year national service.The first question is, why cant Buhari come to Biafra land to lecture Biafrans on unity rather than mouthing it every time he visits his cow ranch in Daura or someplace in Northern Nigeria?Is Northern Nigeria the only place that a president travels to? Can anyone point to a single visit that Buhari has made to Biafraland from May 29, 2015 till date?Buhari has more regards and affection for his cows than the average Biafran because he finds time to visit animals rather than those he claim to be his fellow citizensBuhari has made 30 foreign trips as at the end of May 2016 as well as countless trips to the Northern part of Nigeria including Boko Haram controlled regions but he has not set his feet on Biafran soil since he was sworn in on May 29, 2015.Buhari must understand that a nation develops organically and is predicated on the commonality of shared value systems.A nation is markedly different from a country even our colonial masters know this. That is why Scotland which is a nation can seek independence from Britain which is a country. The same way that Biafra a nation is seeking her independence from Nigeria.Buhari must know that Nigeria may claim to be a country but definitely not a nation.Muhammadu Buhari should also understand that unity cannot be force-fitted or enforced by one region on other regions within a geographical expression. This is why David Cameron, immediate past British Prime Minister, did not deploy troops to Glasgow or Edinburgh with Rules of Engagement, ROE, to kill innocent Scottish people in the quest to preserve one Britain.If Britain our colonial masters and the creator of Nigeria can allow the Scots to determine their fate, how much more their product Nigeria refusing the nation of Biafra the same right.Therefore the assertion by Buhari that Biafrans must stay together with the rest of Nigeria is not enforceable under any known law on this planet earth.The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, UNDRIP, makes it clear that Biafrans have the inalienable right to be on their own as a sovereign nation.The right to self-determination is not synonymous with war or violence. Buhari should therefore, not juxtapose self-determination with war because the two are not interchangeable.The least he can do is to use the instrument of referendum to test the resolve of Biafrans in their quest for the restoration of the nation of Biafra. We will also like to remind Buhari that the sovereignty of a nation is not premised on size.The excuse that Nigeria is big enough and therefore Biafrans are bound by the sheer size of Nigeria to be part of it, is not logical. The Soviet Union was big and a super power but they broke up. Yugoslavia went their separate ways with the active support of Britain.Those familiar with the history of British politics will know that it was Paddy Ashdown, MP the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party that sought and gained the backing of the British government of the day to support the independence of the Muslim enclave of Bosnia Herzegovina from Yugoslavia.There are nations that are significantly smaller than Biafra both in size and in population. For Buharis information, Biafra has a population of over 70 million.The total area of Biafra is over 29,400 square miles. Thus Biafra is almost as big as Gambia and Sierra Leone put together, and is bigger than Togo or Rwanda and Burundi combined, and is four times the size of Israel. Additionally, we do not need Buhari to lecture us on the resources in Biafraland because we are already aware of them.For us in Biafra, we cherish and give the greatest priority to human resource unlike Buharis Nigeria which operates a rentier economy with heavy dependence on Biafran oil and gas resources. Buhari should understand that one of the requirements of a soldier is endurance trekking.Therefore, that he may have trekked from one location to the other should not be used to scare Biafrans from exerting their rights to self-determination. After all General Ratko Mladic walked all the way from Serbia to Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina to commit war crimes in the name of preserving Yugoslav unity yet in the end he lost.Buhari intentionally refused to inform the graduates that during his trekking experience from Degem to Biafras boundary with Ambazonia (Southern Cameroon), he committed genocide along the way and this includes the two million Biafrans he killed at Owerri in 1968.Because Buhari was a junior officer in the Nigerian Army, it is understandable that he was not privy to the motive behind the war of genocide on Biafra which had the backing of our colonial masters.It may interest Buhari to know that in August 1967, the British Commonwealth Minister George Thomas informed the British Parliament that: The sole immediate British interest in Nigeria is that the Nigerian economy should be brought back to a condition in which our substantial trade and investment in the country can be further developed, and particularly so we can regain access to important oil installations.It should now understand that oil is the main reason why they got the support of Britain. It was because of the control of oil in Biafraland that Britain in 1968 alone supplied hundreds of armoured personnel carriers, APCs; 10,000 machine guns, 20 million rounds of ammunition, 3,000 bayonets, 10,000 rifles with grenade launchers, 15,000 pounds of explosives, 21,000 mortar bombs, 42,500 Howtizer rounds, 5,000 submachine guns and other weapons of mass destruction deployed, in one year alone, leading to the killing fields in Biafraland under the supervision of Muhammadu Buhari and his co-travellers.Without this one-sided military support from the British to Nigeria while at the same time denying Biafra access to weapons, even Buhari himself knows that there is no way in a billion years Nigeria could have defeated Biafra in a war.Buhari must know that 1967 to 1970 is in the past and similar conditions are no longer obtainable in todays world. Self-determination by an indigenous people is not equivalent to declaration of war especially as is being peacefully pursued by Biafrans. However, should Buhari tow the path of war then he must know that Nigeria cannot win it.We are peaceful campaigners for the self determination of the peoples of Biafra. We have not come to war with anybody but if in the end Buhari chooses war then we can assure him that it will be the greatest mistake of the Caliphate.History is on the side of Biafra because the youths of Niger Delta have woken up to their responsibility in the organised resistance of Biafrans of all persuasions to oppression from those that think they cannot live without oil. He should stop living in the past and face the realities of the 21st Century.War-mongering and regurgitation of the stories of Biafra genocide will not shake the resolve and determination of Biafrans on the restoration of their God-given nation of Biafra.The earlier Buhari understands that nothing on this earth can stop the restoration of the nation of Biafra, the better for him and his blood-thirsty Hausa-Fulani parasites and oligarchs. We reiterate that the restoration of the nation of Biafra is divine and beyond the whims and caprices of Muhammadu Buhari and his co-travelers. Biafra or death!!!
grad camden.jpg

Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden graduates walk into the Athletic Center for their commencement, Thursday, May 21, 2015. (Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com)

(Lori M. Nichols)

GLOUCESTER TWP. -- Massive student loans now seem to many an unavoidable part of getting a four-year degree, but a new program in Camden County promises to help some students graduate with little or no debt.

The partnership between Rutgers University's Camden campus and Camden County College guarantees grants to cover all or half of tuition for income-eligible students who earn their associate's degree at the county college and then transfer to the four-year university.

Phoebe Haddon, Chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden speaks at a press conference April 12, 2016. (Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media)

Rutgers University-Camden began offering the same deal to in-state freshmen who met income requirements last fall as part of a new Bridging the Gap program. The arrangement with Camden County College now opens it up to those transfer students.

"Our program offers a pathway to achieve a Rutgers degree regardless of socioeconomic status," Rutgers-Camden Chancellor Phoebe A. Haddon said in a press release. "This is the historical promise of the American higher education system, and it is our commitment here at Rutgers University-Camden to make certain that we prepare New Jerseyans for success and without serious debt."

Now, like last fall's incoming freshmen class, eligible transfer students whose families have an adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less will receive a grant to cover tuition and the general campus fee. The grant will cover half of a student's tuition and fee if his or her family has an adjusted gross income between $60,001 and $100,000.

Tuition and fees cost at Rutgers-Camden was around $14,000 in the last school year, according to school officials.

Freeholder Deputy Director Ed McDonnell said the program makes attending Camden County College "one of the smartest and fiscally prudent decisions you can make to achieve a degree."

The two campuses are already working together to make it easier for students to transfer and continue their education at Rutgers.

A year ago, Camden County College started the Rutgers at CCC program that enables those with their associate's degrees to transfer "seamlessly" to over 40 programs at Rutgers-Camden and choose whether to complete their coursework at Rutgers-Camden at the county college campus, according to the statement.

The Rutgers at CCC program currently has 160 students.

The new Bridging the Gap partnership is the first of its kind in the state, the release states, although other colleges and universities are piloting other programs to help students graduate with less debt.

Rowan University, Rowan College at Gloucester County and Rowan College at Burlington County created the 3-plus-1 program earlier this year, allowing students in certain majors to attend three years at either college campus and complete their degree with a fourth year at the university.

By paying Rowan College fees for three years and paying only one year at the university, the degree will end up costing around $25,000, the university said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Most wanted Sept 16.jpg

Luis Baez and Shabera Bailey (submitted photos)

BRIDGETON -- The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office would like your help in finding two of their most-wanted fugitives.

Luis Baez, 37, is being sought on two Superior Court of New Jersey Family Court warrants for failing to pay $84,964.60 in child support payments. Baez is described as a white male of Hispanic origin, 5-foot-6-inches tall, 180 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He has a tattoo on his right shoulder of a bumblebee and a tattoo on his right arm that reads "Tito." His last known address was Atlantic Street, Bridgeton.

Shabera Q. Bailey, 32, is being sought on one Superior Court of New Jersey Criminal Court warrant for failure to appear. Bailey is described as a black female, 5-foot-5-inches tall, 130 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. She has a tatto on her right arm that reads "Davia" and a tattoo on right wrist that reads "Dave 9-14-08." Her last known address was Bwoman Way, Snellville, Georgia.

Sheriff Robert A. Austino asks anyone who comes in contact with these individuals to call the police immediately. You should contact state or local police, or the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department TIP-LINE at 856-451-0625.

If you know the whereabouts of this individual, share this information anonymously by downloading the CCPOTIP App at the Android or iPhone Store and choosing Cumberland County Sheriff's Department, submitting an anonymous tip via text to 847411 with CCSONJ and your tip in the message line or going to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Facebook page and clicking "submit a tip" and submitting a tip to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department.

Citizens are reminded not to approach, confront, or detain these fugitives.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A second child has died after being thrown from a vehicle in a crash early Wednesday on Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania.

Two-year-old Brielle Robinson, of Newark, was pronounced dead late Friday morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, according to a news release from the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

The accident occurred about 12:56 a.m. Wednesday on I-78 East in Lower Saucon Township between the exits for Hellertown and Route 33, less than 10 miles from the New Jersey border. Open containers of alcohol were found inside the car, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Everyone in the car was from Newark, police said. Brielle was the sister of the 5-year-old boy who died, Ravon Robinson.

The driver, identified as 54-year-old Nadine Walton, drove off the side of the road and in trying to correct it swerved across the highway and hit a guardrail, state police said. Two other vehicles hit the crashed car.

Also thrown from the Versa were 5-year-old Ravon and Stefany Stephens, 31. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene. Stephens, who is the mother of the two children, and Walton suffered serious injuries, authorities said.

The adults were wearing seat belts and the children were in safety seats, authorities said.

The highway was closed for 11 hours after the crash.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Laura Riggs, BS, DVM, PhD, from LSU SVM rescues a horse in Livingston Parish.jpg

Laura Riggs, BS, DVM, Ph.D., from LSU SVM rescues a horse from flood waters. (Photo provided by LSU SVM)

Historic rainfall and flooding put the equine community near Baton Rouge, La., in a state of distress. Declared a major disaster, hundreds of horses have been affected, requiring emergency rescues, temporary equine shelters, and extensive veterinary care.

Supporting the efforts of emergency response groups and organizations that are helping horses impacted by the flooding, the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) is providing financial assistance through the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund.

Developed in 2005 during the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund was formed to help ensure the safety and well-being of horses during trying times. Since its inception, over $350,000 has been given out to assist horses across all breeds. All money donated to the fund is strictly used to benefit horses and horse owners.

Helping lead efforts in providing equine rescue and care are the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine (LSU SVM), the Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART), Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association, and countless other organizations. Since flooding began, over 370 horses have been housed at shelters managed by the LSU SVM and LSART with staff, students, and volunteers providing 24-hour assistance.

For hundreds of horses, the journey to recovery is long from over. In a recent interview, Rebecca McConnico, DVM, Ph.D, professor of equine medicine at LSU and leader of the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, explained, "We see aspirational pneumonia from the flood waters, there is laminitis from standing in water, and colic because (the horses) don't have dry hay. You can spend $10,000 and still have a horse die."

Encouraging the equine community to come together and help fellow horse owners and their horses, USEF CEO Bill Moroney said, "The USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund was created to provide assistance to our fellow equestrians when circumstances call for immediate relief. The generous support of our community has made it possible for us to support the ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and welfare of horses affected by the devastating flooding in Louisiana."

For more information on the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund, contact Colby Connell, cconnell@usef.org.
A six-story, 138-unit apartment building named "19 East" is expected to break ground in Bayonne before the end of this year, according to Collingswood-based developer Ingerman.

The roughly $35 million project between East 19th and 21st streets on Broadway, near the 22nd Street Light Rail station, would offer 24 studios, 74 one-bedrooms and 40 two-bedrooms, along with 212 parking spaces on its bottom two floors.

Ingerman Director of Development Geoffrey Long said construction on the project would likely take around 16 months, meaning a completion date at the end of 2017 or early 2018.

Starting rents haven't been set yet, but the building would offer amenities such as a full-service gym, community space on every residential floor, two roof decks, an office center, a yoga room and a juice bar.

Long said Ingerman chose to develop in Bayonne because it believes in "the revitalization of a city that has an incredible location."

"It's a great, great city and we think that it's going to be a fantastic opportunity," he said. "We think that there's going to be some serious long-term growth in Bayonne that we want to be a part of."

Ingerman, which received site plan approval from the city earlier this year, is transforming three properties -- a vacant lot, a parking lot behind that lot, and a nearby Housing Authority building that has been vacant for over a decade -- into its new development.

Once completed, the building would be set back from Broadway, with a public walkway connecting the street to a public park in front of the development. Vehicle entrances would be on 19th and 21st streets.

City officials have said the park, which Ingerman is developing as part of the project, would be used for events such as tree-lighting ceremonies, Halloween festivities and a farmers market.

Early in the development process, city Business Administrator Joe DeMarco described the project as a four-story, 150-unit residential building with an attached parking garage.

In an update on the project today, Long said the building would consist of four stories of residential on top of two stories of parking, and that it will contain only 138 units, not 150 units.

The development received a 30-year tax abatement in December 2015.

Tax abatements, which are designed to incentivize development that wouldn't occur otherwise, benefit developers by allowing them to pay less than they would under conventional taxes for a certain period of time.

Instead of paying property tax -- which would be divvied up among the local school district, the municipality and the county -- the developer makes payments in lieu of taxes, of which 95 percent go to the municipality and 5 percent go to the county.

By sidelining schools and the county, an abatement allows a developer to pay less money and a municipality to get more money.

Jonathan Lin may be reached at jlin@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @jlin_jj. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing to return home to find so much gone. Grief can run the gamut from frequent tears to utter despair. The Lee County medical examiner says two men in their 70s even took their own lives a day apart after viewing their losses. Experts say suicides climb after disasters and more funding for mental health should be provided as climate change makes storms and fires more frequent and devastating.
Take 'Em Down NOLA says Andrew Jackson's statue must go
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Virent  the Madison company with a process to turn sugars from corn stalks into the makings for jet fuel, polyester t-shirts and recyclable plastic bottles  will become part of a consortium of high-level, international companies that will work together to bring Virents biofuels and chemicals to market.

Tesoro, the Texas oil refiner that plans to buy Virent, will be part of the consortium along with Toray, a Japanese chemical company; Johnson Matthey, a U.K. specialty chemicals and sustainable materials company; and The Coca-Cola Co.

Together, they will decide how to finalize development of Virents BioForming technology to produce biofuels and chemicals on a commercial basis.

This is a critical and innovative approach to address scale-up challenges, Virent CEO Lee Edwards said.

We are delighted to share a common vision with a global group of respected industry leaders, recognized for their innovation and commitment to meet the changing needs of their customers who seek more sustainable products and services, Edwards said, in a written statement.

Virents technology converts plant materials into auto and jet fuels as well as chemicals for use in plastics and fibers, identical to comparable products made from petroleum.

The consortium plans to use traditional corn sugars for the first commercial plant, said Virent chief operating officer Jeff Moore.

These are widely available in the U.S. and provide the best balance of commercially available product, economics, and carbon reduction benefits, Moore said, in an email interview.

For the long term, corn stalks and cobs might be the fuel source, he said.

Moore said the consortium is working on supply options but no agreements are in place yet.

Tesoro announced last week it will buy Virent for an undisclosed amount.

The acquisition is expected to be finalized by the end of September.

The consortium is the key to getting Virents technology commercialized, said Tesoros executive vice president of operations, CJ Warner, hinting at how it will be accomplished.

We are focused on fostering the development of high-quality, lower-carbon, renewable feedstocks and blendstocks that can either be co-processed in existing refineries or blended seamlessly with traditional fuels, she said, in a news release.

Virent has been working with Coca-Cola since 2011 when the two companies signed a multiyear, multimillion-dollar agreement for an undisclosed sum so that Virents chemical, BioFormPX, commonly known as paraxylene, can be turned into a resin and shaped into recyclable, plastic bottles for the soda pop and water company.

Earlier this year, Virent showed off what it called the worlds first 100 percent plant-based polyester shirts, made from paraxylene derived from Minnesota sugar beets.

The company, at 3571 Anderson St., was founded in 2002 based on UW-Madison research and has 36 employees.

UW, Cellectar team up in cancer study

Cellectar Biosciences, Madison, and UW-Madison will work together in a study to see if one of Cellectars drug compounds, CLR 131, is an effective treatment for certain head and neck cancers when it is used along with radiation therapy.

The study will be conducted as part of a $12 million SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) grant the UW received from the National Cancer Institute.

We are excited to apply this promising new approach, which will allow us to simultaneously treat tumors from within using CLR 131 and from outside using external beam radiation, said Dr. Paul Harari, chairman of the UW School of Medicine and Public Healths department of human oncology.

The research is aimed at squamous cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer, on the head and neck.

CLR 131 also is in its first round of patient testing for use against multiple myeloma, a blood plasma cancer.
Rural communities came together in August 2015 in four locations in Wisconsin to discuss issues of importance to them. This gathering is at Heeg Brothers Dairy in Marathon County.
Canberra winger Jordan Rapana and Penrith opponent Josh Mansour go head-to-head in an NRL Telstra Premiership semi-final at GIO Stadium.

The Raiders scored the most points of any team during the regular season with 688 - over 100 points more than their nearest rival. The Panthers scored 563 points in the regular season.

The Raiders make an average of 1,535 metres per game, just short of the Panthers' average of 1,566 metres per game.

Both teams have an average completion rate of 77 per cent.

Draw Widget - Finals Week 2 - Raiders vs Panthers

[2016] Telstra Premiership: Jordan Rapana Josh Mansour

Game on. Data off.

Stream every NRL game, including finals, live and data free with a 2016 Footy Pass, exclusive to Telstra mobile.

Watch all the NRL action live on your compatible tablet or mobile device with data-free streaming on your Telstra mobile plan.

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For use in Australia only.
GARY  Four generations of Joe Hojnackis family have gone to St. Hedwig Catholic Church in Gary. John Trafnys grandfather helped build the church. Both Hojnacki and Trafny volunteer time with other parishioners to maintain the church.

Established in 1908 at 1737 Connecticutt Ave., the church had more than 1,400 members at one time. But changing times, a shrinking congregation and rising costs are forcing the diocese to consider closing it. The diocese says no decision has been made, but everyone knows closing is a possibility.

Theyve been trying to shut it down for quite a while  at least three bishops ago, Hojnacki said. The latest bishop (Donald Hying) said he wants to close it because of the insurance and maintenance costs. The congregation is only about 40 now. There used to be a school, but that closed in the 1980s, I think.

Debbie Bosak, communications director for the Gary Diocese, said the diocese is looking at all the parishes. She said at the time St. Hedwig was established, that was the area where people from the steel mills were concentrated and the diocese could feed and maintain a parish on almost every block. That is no longer the case, and the bishop is meeting with the parishes to discuss the viability of each one.

We will not make a decision on closing any of them without careful thought and input from the community, Bosak said.

Hojnacki said Hying met with the parishioners Aug. 28 and said the church needs a new roof, and with the upkeep on that and on the rectory, it might be best to close it. Hojnacki said the bishop told them someone had made an offer to buy the property and it would be in the dioceses best interest to listen to the offer. Church members said they wanted to preserve the churchs handcrafted stained glass windows showing St. Hedwig, Jesus and other biblical figures as well as the organ, statues and other artifacts.

Since then, Hojnacki said the diocese brought a man interested in buying the property to the church. The man reportedly has another church and wanted to use St. Hedwig as a nondenominational church and the rectory and convent as a halfway house. Hojnacki said the convent is up for tax sale. It was sold about 15 years ago to someone who wanted to turn it into an assisted living and rehabilitation facility. After being plagued by vandalism and scrappers, the owner abandoned it, he said.

Everybody donates their time and money to keep up the church, he said. Its self-sustaining except for the repairs on the roof. If we could put the roof on, wed be good to go.

The roof repair is estimated to cost $120,000, which Hojnacki said the diocese is reluctant to pay.

Trafny, who, like many in the parish, attended the church as a child with his family before leaving the area for a while. Now living in Highland, he has attended for more than 30 years and has written four books about Gary, including The Polish Community in Gary, which includes a history of the church. He said the school, originally built in 1917, had as many as 600 students in the 1920s. Construction of the present church started in 1940 and wasnt completed until after World War II. Hojnacki said the huge bells had to be put in place and the church built around them.

The area had an influx of new people after World War II, including refugees, who boosted church membership again. As late as 1958, the church had 1,430 members and the school had 300 students. The convent was for the nuns who taught at the school, and Trafny said all of them were Polish in the order of the Sisters of the Blessed Kunigunda.

Its not just a Polish parish anymore, he said.

Bosak said St. Mark and St. Joseph the Worker churches in Glen Park are merging, and the bishop met with them many times to talk about how they can best benefit the community. The new church will have a new name.

We are nowhere near that with St. Hedwig, Bosak said. The parishes are very near and dear to the peoples hearts, but Ive heard the bishop say often the parish is not brick and mortar; it is the people. If its not used as a church, and if there were a buyer, we would listen, but weve made no decision at this point to close.

Its all kind of up in the air, Hojnacki said.
One sip of this soup is like getting wrapped in your warmest, coziest sweater. Between the thick chunks of vegetables, tender cubes of potato, juicy shreds of chicken (take your pick of boneless breasts or thighs), and thick, creamy broth, it truly doesnt get more comforting than chicken potato soup.

As the temps begin to dip, this is a family-friendly soup to keep on repeat all through fall and winter.
Attorneys for Promega Corp. founder and CEO Bill Linton and for the Fitchburg biotechnology company itself are asking a judge to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit against them, saying the suit is a greenmail attempt to obtain an unwarranted financial windfall.

Greenmail is the practice of buying enough shares in a corporation to threaten a takeover, forcing the corporation or other shareholders to pay an inflated price in order to retain the status quo, a brief supporting the dismissal motion states.

The document strikes back at unhappy Promega shareholders who filed suit in July, saying that Linton has bullied, lied, threatened, and manipulated his way into getting majority control of the company, and now intends to give them no chance for a fair return on their investment until at least 2078.

Linton's lawyers filed the dismissal motion in Dane County Circuit Court on Thursday, and in a 36-page brief filed in support of the motion, also on Thursday, Promegas attorneys say the disgruntled shareholders are inappropriately claiming to be oppressed and are alleging a parade of future horribles that are no more than speculation.

It is the first time Lintons and the company's perspective have been spelled out since shareholders Nathan Brand and Ted Kellner began their organized effort to buy up shares and take over the company, a year and a half ago.

It also provides some details on how Promega shares have been priced over the years, and it discloses at least one attempt to buy Promega  by an unnamed outside company  in 1989.

Promega is a global leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to life scientists, according to the brief.

The privately owned company, founded in 1978, has 3,600 products, including DNA fingerprinting kits, and nearly 1,400 employees worldwide, with more than 800 of them in the Madison area.

Its revenue for the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2016, was $370 million, according to the annual report to stockholders, obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal.

Gross revenue has jumped nearly $120 million since 2011, the Promega brief says.

As Promega has shown remarkable growth, so has the value of its stock seen a steep increase, says the filing.

In 1984, the average purchase price was 36 cents per share. By 2005, Promega stock cost $31.48 a share. Last fall, the company offered to buy back stock at $383 a share.

That represented a 10-year shareholder return of 1,117 percent. By contrast, in the same time period, the S&P 500 returned 113 percent, the Promega filing says.

Brand, a Madison native and Miami businessman, and Kellner, a well-known Milwaukee businessman, are among the Promega shareholders who filed the lawsuit against the company nearly two months ago.

The two had offered to buy the companys stock last year at $625 a share  a total of around $1.2 billion  saying the companys buyback offer was priced too low in comparison to Promegas success.

The pair appealed to Promegas board of directors and to other stockholders, claiming Linton had used scare tactics to get some owners to sell their shares to him.

They said they feared Linton would use Promegas stock to support Usona Institute, a nonprofit Linton co-founded in 2014 to research the possible therapeutic effect of psilocybin, or psychedelic mushrooms, on depression and anxiety.

After Promegas elected board of directors resigned, a new board  appointed by Linton and made up solely of Promega managers  spurned the offer. With Linton now holding a majority of the stock, the buyout effort failed. Another request by Brand and Kellner earlier this year, for a buyback at $575 a share and appointment of an outside director, also was rejected, their lawsuit said.

The response filed Thursday by Promega's attorneys says the shareholder lawsuit ignores the fundamental reality of investing in a private corporation like Promega.

Private corporations, no matter how successful, are not required to pay dividends or pay a certain price for their stock, the document says. Repeatedly calling the Brand-Kellner buyout proposal a hostile takeover offer, the brief says the plaintiffs harassed the board with demands for records to which they were not entitled under Wisconsin law.

It says the board rejected the buyout proposal, in part, because it would have included $630 million in debt, and the board was concerned about the impact of that debt on operations as well as the potential impact of new management on employees, customers and vendors.

When the takeover failed, the plaintiffs tried greenmail with their $575 per share proposal, Promega's brief says.

It says there was no oppression of shareholders, not even an inference of willful misconduct, an improper personal profit, violation of criminal law, or a willful failure to deal fairly with stock owners.

As for concerns about Usona obtaining a controlling interest in Promega, even if that did happen, it is pure speculation and foolish to boot to think Usona would not want Promega to continue its success, the filing says.

The plaintiffs allege a parade of future horribles, the Promega brief says. Yet the parade, if there is one, has not started.

The case is before Dane County Circuit Court Judge John Markson.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been corrected to show that the dismissal motion was made by CEO Bill Linton's attorneys and the brief in support of the motion was submitted by Promega's attorneys.
VALPARAISO  Porter County prosecutors were prepared to try their third murder trial of the year this coming week, but it was derailed late Friday with a surprise guilty plea from the accused, Julius Garza.

Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel said this years busy murder docket has more to do with the timing of the cases than a rise in local slayings.

The number of chargeable murders has fluctuated over each of the past 10 years, but there has not been a trend upwards, he said.

Only one murder charge has been filed so far this year, Gensel said. Frederick Fegely, 67, is accused of murdering his mother in April 2015 by burning the house they shared in Ogden Dunes.

County prosecutors are 3-0 with murder cases this year as a result Garzas plea.

They won a murder conviction in March against 36-year-old Steven Lindsey, who shot and killed his wife, Melinda Lindsey, 23, on Jan. 16, 2015, as she lay in bed at the couples Center Township home.

A jury also returned with a guilty verdict last month against Thomas Reichler, 19, who shot and killed Portage resident Alexius Tapia Dec. 12, 2014, while attempting to steal from Tapias vehicles parked outside his home.

Garza, 23, pleaded guilty to the April 7, 2012, shooting deaths of Jeffery Trinka, 40, of Valparaiso, and Jennifer Guinn, 31, of Hammond, at a house in the 1500 block of Lincolnway.

He told the court he shot the pair while he and others were attempting to relieve them of marijuana.

Garza faces a 45-year sentence if the proposed plea agreement is accepted by Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper during a sentencing hearing Nov. 9.

He is eligible to complete the sentence in half the time or less with good behavior and participation in various prison programs.

The county has four other murder cases pending, Gensel said, including Portage resident Sheaurice Major, who is accused of hiring a man to shoot and kill 72-year-old Carl Griffith Sr. outside his Portage home Nov. 1, 2012.

The shooter in the case, Dontaye Singletary, of Gary, was found guilty in February 2015 and later sentenced to the maximum 65 years behind bars.

A murder charge is also pending against former police officer Kevin Campbell, who is charged with the Nov. 18, 2015 shooting death in Portage of Tiara Thomas, 30, the mother of his children.

Portage resident Matthew Richardson is charged in the Dec. 18, 2015 shooting death of Joshua Smith, 28, of Lake Station, following a road rage incident in Portage.

The arson and murder charges are also still pending against Fegely.
GARY  A 33-year-old man had to be subdued by police with a stun gun Wednesday after he attempted to elude police on an all-terrain vehicle.

Londray Robinson, of Gary, has been charged with two counts of resisting arrest, and one count each of reckless driving, operating with a license never issued, and drug possession. Marijuana was discovered during a pat down of Robinson, according to Lake County sheriffs police.

According to the police report, Robinson was riding his ATV without headlights or taillights west on 47th Street when police attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Robinson fled on the ATV, then dismounted and continued to flee on foot, according to police.

When the officer caught up with him, the officer deployed his Taser to bring Robinson to the ground, according to police.
SCHERERVILLE  One officer was taken to the hospital Friday after a pickup truck rear-ended his police vehicle on eastbound U.S. 30 near Cline Avenue.

The crash occurred about 4 p.m. Friday sometime after an officer rejoined traffic along eastbound U.S. 30 upon completing a traffic stop, Schererville Police Patrol Cmdr. Brian Neyhart said. The collision caused the officer's police car to crash into two other vehicles ahead of him, he added.

The officer suffered injuries that were not life threatening. He was released from the hospital later Friday night.

The crash remains under investigation.
VALPARAISO  Faced with overwhelming opposition, the South Shore Classical Academy has abruptly withdrawn its application for a proposed charter school originally targeted for Valparaiso but had aimed to serve students across the Region.

In a statement issued Friday, the SSCAs board announced its decision to withdraw, stating it was never the boards intention to work against or subvert the public will.

The boards announcement comes on the heels of Wednesdays public hearing in Chesterton where many opposed the charter school plans. Some argued the school would have stripped resources from public school districts.

In the statement, the SSCAs board stated members initiated this effort because we believe in the model of classical education and hoped to bring a classical school to Northwest Indiana.

After public debate, it is clear that a significant part of the community does not support this project and that there are concerns about the process that accompanied it, the statement continued.

Valparaiso Community Schools Superintendent E. Ric Frataccia said Friday he was neither shocked nor expectant of the boards decision, but had hoped for this outcome.

Id have to think the board listened to what some of the folks at the hearing communicated, and the basic message was we have a very good set of school corporations in Porter County with very deep, intensive curriculum, Frataccia said. The board saw the charter school as an alternative but I didnt see it as one.

According to its charter school application to Grace College, SSCA stated it had identified property at County Roads 700 North and 50 West, owned by St. Iakovos Greek Orthodox Church, with a plan to lease the land from the church to use for its modular classroom buildings. But church officials said only a preliminary conversation was held before the application was submitted. The church had not agreed to the proposal.

Valparaiso resident Chris Pupillo, who spoke at Wednedays hearing, said Friday he was thrilled about the withdrawal of the application.

I think this is the best decision for teachers, students and the community, he said. I appreciate the charter school organizers have graciously pulled the application.

Frataccia said the community voted last year to pass a $150 million referendum to upgrade each of the school buildings and also an additional $4.5 million to broaden curriculum and support services for students.

To have had those dollars, in part, suddenly divert elsewhere is a dramatic shift, and misleading, he said.

(The charter school) could not have existed without taking resources (from public school corporations) that were determined to go in one direction, he said. ...I had to be an advocate for the kids, and for my community.
HAMMOND  A federal magistrate judge has dismissed an age discrimination suit by former Lake County government employees.

Judge Paul R. Cherry ruled this week in favor of Lake County officials who said they had to terminate the workers over economic necessity not because the employees were over the age of 65.

An attorney for the employees couldnt be reached Thursday for comment on whether they will appeal the decision.

The plaintiffs are identified as Aaron Carson, Charles Collins, John Curtis, Marty Dobrijevich, Donnie Jones, Catherine Koby, Gwen Lane, Matthew Lubarski, John J. McBride Sr., Janet Nickovich, Charles J. Podgorney, Pattie G. Podgorney, John D. Pruzin, Danny Sebben, Helen G. Sutton, Dennis Tobin, Camila A. Trevino, Marian Vukas and Susan Wyatt.

Their ages ranged from 65 to 81 years old at the time of their termination from county employment on Sept. 30, 2013, according to their complaint. They argued the were targeted because of the their age, which is illegal under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and were seeking reinstatement to their former positions and compensatory damages as well as attorneys fees. The plaintiffs are demanding a trial by jury.

Crown Point attorney Nicholas Snow, who was part of the countys defense team, said county officials won the decision because the evidence showed the officials had been forced by changing federal benefits regulations to terminate them or face a large increase in the cost of employee benefits.

Tax revenue shortfalls at that time forced county officials to trim their payroll by hundreds of jobs.

Nearly 200 employees older than 65 and with several years of seniority were offered early retirement incentives in 2008, 2009 and 2010 to avoid involuntary firings and to reduce the countys health insurance costs. Thirty employees older than 65 were reportedly sent termination notices in September 2013. Only 20 sued.

Tobin, 78, who had worked as a payroll administrator in the county clerks office for almost a decade, said Thursday he and other employees mistakenly believed management assurances that if they quit their full-time jobs and went on the federal Medicare health insurance program, they could return to their old jobs as part-time employees. Tobin said he felt pressured to change to part time and was told his new position was secure.

We were being team players and we got screwed, Tobin said. He said he has no pension and needed his part-time job to make ends meet.

Lake County Attorney John Dull said in 2013 that none of the employees who lost their job was promised a part-time position. He explained that county officials were being forced into the terminations by a change in federal health care rules that could jeopardize retirement and health insurance benefits for hundreds of current and retired employees.

Tobin, who said he once worked in the insurance business, said the county erroneously purchased a health insurance policy for retirees that refused to pay benefits for retirees who were rehired part time. He said a different policy might have permitted the those terminated to remain.
INDIANAPOLIS  For the second year in a row, Northwest Indiana leaders have been honored for their commitment to government efficiency, transparency and openness.

The Hoosier State Press Association presented its Frank OBannon Sunshine Award to Porter County Commissioners Jeff Good and Laura Shurr Blaney on Friday in recognition of their many efforts to change the insular culture of county government.

These arent the stereotypical politicians that you love to hate, said Doug Ross, politics editor at The Times Media Co., which nominated the duo for the award. Porter County government has been getting things done after years of dysfunction.

Ross cited the recent groundbreaking of a new animal shelter following more than a decade of indecision, the creation of a county human resources department to effectively manage some 600 employees and the deployment of new accounting software that better tracks how county funds are spent.

If you believe, as we in the media do, that the publics business should be done in public and done well  which doesnt always happen  this new culture in the Porter County Government Center is really exciting stuff, Ross said.

Jon OBannon, publisher of the Corydon Democrat newspaper, presented Good and Blaney with etched glass awards named in commemoration of his late fathers commitment to government transparency, first as a newspaperman and later as governor of Indiana from 1997-2003.

Both recipients said they were overwhelmed by the recognition for doing what each believes simply are the right things to do as a public servant.

What were able to accomplish, I think, is directly related to how much people trust us, both our colleagues and the citizens, Blaney said. So its appreciated that its being noticed that were trying to move the ball forward.

Good added, To me its really about working together ... We talk every day, many times, thats what it takes. You have to communicate.Blaney, a Democrat, and Good, a Republican, said their partisan differences dont matter much at the local level because neither political party has a monopoly on the best way to pave a road or provide essential county services.

Were hitting the ground running and trying to move the county forward, Good said.

Last year, Griffith Police Chief Greg Mance won the OBannon Sunshine Award for his role in helping establish the Regional Crime Report, a free online database of criminal activity that now includes 16 counties, cities and towns throughout Northwest Indiana.

Franklin, Indiana, Mayor Joe McGuinness also was honored Friday for his determination to make city records more available to the public and his openness concerning local construction and development projects.
GARY  A two-thirds scale replica Tuskegee Airmen fighter plane will permanently soar over Gary.

A replica of the P-51 fighter planes the pioneering African-American fighter group flew during World War II was elevated this weekend on a steel pole 35 feet into the air at Marquette Park. The plane was installed at the Gary Aquatorium, a National Historic Landmark that's often rented out for weddings because of its sweeping view of Lake Michigan.

The nonprofit Chanute Aquatorium Society, which saved the former Gary Bathhouse from demolition in the early 1990s, raised the funds for the tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen at the historic special events venue in the Miller section of Gary, which complements a bronze statue of a Tuskegee Airman there.

More than 150 people contributed to the project, Chanute Aquatorium Society President George Rogge said. A dedication will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday.

"It's kind of spectacular," he said. "It has a 24-foot-long fuselage with a 24-foot-wide wingspan and it looks like it's taking off to the east."

The plane is supported by a 7,000-pound steel pole and 6-foot-by-6-foot steel rods that go more than 20 feet deep into the ground.

"There's more money in the ground than on the plane," Rogge said. "When it's attached to the ground, the plane can't lift or dive, so we have to make sure a 100-mile wind can't rip it apart. It's rated for up to a 182-mile wind."

The new plane is one of two bookends at the Gary Aquatorium  on the other side, there's a life-size replica of the biplane hang glider that local aviation pioneer Octave Chanute flew over the sand dunes in 1896, inspiring Wilbur and Orville Wright.

The replica Tuskegee plane was made in Ohio and painted at Republic Frame & Axle in Gary, which war hero Robert Martin  a Tuskegee airman who won the Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart  visited earlier this week.
LAPORTE  After opening a Culvers in Chesterton, Terry Smith had his eye on LaPorte, where his fifth restaurant in the chain will be opening next week.

Smith said marketing studies revealed LaPorte was underserved for the type of product offered by Culvers and the potential of New Porte Landing close by for generating more traffic helped seal his decision.

We like to go where were welcomed and we feel exceedingly welcomed to the community, said Smith, whose three other restaurants are in the Chicago area.

The one in Bourbonnais, for example, was named the national champion for restaurants in the Culvers chain several years ago.

Fifty-five employees have been in training for the past week as the finishing touches on the new building on Pine Lake Avenue were completed. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 10 a.m. today then all of the guests will be served a meal.

Smith said he hopes to be open to the public Monday or at the very latest Tuesday.

Bert Cook, executive director of the Greater LaPorte Economic Development Corporation, said the Culvers will add to what some people believe is a lack of variety in restaurant chains here.

It adds to the offering in LaPorte and were extremely happy the Smiths have decided to invest their money into our community and believe in LaPorte, Cook said.

Culvers is just north of New Porte Landing, the former Allis Chalmers property near completion in the first phase of its redevelopment.

Dunkin Donuts was the first to open there in the spring and another food related chain establishment whose name is not being disclosed right now has committed to building there next year, Cook said.

He also said Culvers should be a destination helping to keep some of the money in LaPorte now going elsewhere.

I think theyll be a nice choice for people when they think about where theyre are going to spend their money for dinner, lunch and everything else in between, Cook said.

Smith said customers should notice it is food thats fresh and made to order served by employees trained in hospitality.

We dont pre-make anything, Smith said.

The goal is to serve drive-thru customers within four minutes and five minutes for dining room guests.

Smith opened his first Culvers eight years ago after retiring from a long career in the construction contracting business.

Its been a whole lot of fun and very enjoyable, said Smith, who lives in Dyer.
VALPARAISO  Nancy Whisler admits the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, is one of her favorites.

The movie, which centers around the lives of a Greek-American family, was a definite influence when it came to Whislers attendance on Friday at the start of the 36th annual Greek Fest sponsored by St. Iakovos Greek Orthodox Church.

Whisler, who came from Michigan City to the event with her grandson, Chris Gorski, wasnt disappointed with what she termed generous portions of food and the warm hospitality.

I loved the food, Whisler said.

Whisler chose the combo plate, gyro meat on a pita, rice, sausage and Greek salad, while her grandson picked the Greek salad.

I couldnt eat it all and will have food for tomorrow, Whisler said.

The festival, held at the Porter County Expo Center, 215 Division Road, continues from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. today and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Food includes lamb, fresh and homemade pork shish kabob, Greek chicken, loukaniko and more.

There are also a variety of Greek pastries and loukamades made by St. Katherines Philoptochos Society.

The annual Greek Fest raffle will feature a grand prize of $12,500 and 10 other cash prizes.

Steve Bohn, Greek Fest chairman, said the gala originally was held in downtown Valparaiso then later at the Valparaiso National Guard Armory.

The event has been held at the Porter County Expo Center for the past 10 years.

Parishioners moved the event, initially held in summer, to September and outdoors to indoors due to getting rained out by big thunderstorms more than once.

We try and time it so that we always hold the event the first week after the Popcorn Festival, Bohn said.

Loucas Eleftheria, vice president of the church council, said the various meats served, such as lamb and chicken, are all cooked fresh at the event.

Our festival is smaller than some of the others in the area so we can do it all by scratch, Eleftheria said.

Attendance in previous years has been 2,000 to 3,000 with proceeds going to the church operating and building fund. Money also goes to various charitable events such as the church assisting area youngsters and their families during the holidays.

Bands begin playing at 6 p.m. on Saturday and at 1 p.m. today.

A variety of coffees, including a hot and cold Greek coffee, are offered.

And there is a cash bar which serves the festivals signature drink using the Greek liqueur ouzo, described as a mix between ouzo and a margarita.

We call it Ouzoita, Elefheria said.

Debbie Elliott and her husband, Gene Elliott of Michigan City, attended the festival for the first time but said it wouldnt be their last.

The lamb in my lamb dinner was tender and lean and really good. I would eat it again, Elliott said.

Their friends, Evelyn and David Jadernak, of Lakes of the Four Seasons, sampled the pastries including the galaktoboureko.

I like the sweets, Evelyn Jadernak said.
EAST CHICAGO  The EPA said Friday it will begin removing soil at a minimum of 20 properties in an area of the Calumet neighborhood where funding for a Superfund cleanup of lead and arsenic contamination had not previously been identified.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement Friday it began testing properties in the area known as zone 2 this summer and has now taken soil samples from 136 of the 590 properties in that area. The federal agency said it will complete soil sampling this year and that 384 property owners had signed access agreements as of Friday. The EPA said it plans to continue cleaning up any remaining properties in 2017.

Many residents in zone 2 felt left out because a 2014 consent decree covered only zones 1 and 3. DuPont and Atlantic Richfield, successors to companies responsible for contamination in those areas, reached a $26 million settlement with the federal government and state of Indiana. Department of Justice and Indiana attorney general's officials previously said it has not yet been determined who will ultimately pay for a cleanup in zone 2. The EPA said Friday that negotiations with potentially responsible parties have not yet started, and it would be premature to predict when such negotiations might begin.

Debbie Chizewer, Montgomery Foundation environmental law fellow at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Laws Environmental Law Clinic, said zone 2 residents were left out of the consent decree "without explanation or justification."

"The Superfund law allows EPA to clean up now and seek reimbursement later, particularly in cases like this when public health concerns demand a cleanup," she said.

The EPA said Friday it can begin cleanup work in zone 2 and recoup costs later.

Zone 2 is bounded by East Chicago Avenue to the north, 151st Street to the south, McCook Avenue to the west, and the Elgin & Joliet and Eastern Railway to the east and includes a segment just north of Carrie Gosch Elementary School and west of McCook. Zone 3 is bounded by East Chicago Avenue to the north, East 149th Place to the south, the E&J and Eastern Railway to the west and Parrish Avenue to the east.

Excavation, demolition planned

The EPA previously has said it plans to move forward with excavation work this fall at 19 properties in East Calumet, which is known as zone 3. The EPA targeted those properties for cleanup because they had the highest levels of lead among the 411 properties sampled in that zone. The EPA plans to excavate additional properties in the zone this year and next. There are a total of 463 properties in zone 3, according to the EPA.

The EPA has shelved plans for excavation this year in zone 1, which includes the West Calumet Housing Complex and Carrie Gosch Elementary School, since the city moved to demolish the 346-unit public housing complex. More than 1,000 people in the complex, including about 680 children, have been told they must move. The complex was constructed in the footprint of a long-ago-demolished lead factory built in 1912 by International Smelting & Refining Co., a subsidiary of the Anaconda Copper Co. Lead levels as high as 91,100 parts per million, or 227 times the 400 ppm standard set by the EPA for cleanup of residential areas at the site, were found in the soil at the south end of the complex.

Arsenic is a carcinogen. Children and pregnant women are particularly at risk when exposed to lead. Lead exposure, even at low levels, can cause irreversible behavioral and intelligence problems, abdominal pain, weakness, and kidney and brain damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Pregnant women and other adults can experience stillbirth, miscarriage and infertility.

The EPA selected a remediation plan in 2012 for all three zones that calls for removal of up to 2 feet, placement of a protective barrier atop any remaining contaminated soils and replacement with clean soil. The agency previously removed soil at a limited number of properties across all three zones that tested above its standards during a remedial investigation conducted from 2008 to 2011.

Residents in zones 2 and 3 will be allowed to remain in their homes during excavation this year, the EPA said.

Test results soon

Residents at properties where the EPA took samples in August 2016 will begin to learn about sampling results in early October, the agency said. The EPA began soil sampling at the south end of zone 2, because the area is "closest to the former USS Lead factory."

The former USS Lead facility was first proposed for the Superfund list in 1992, and its owner began a cleanup in 1993 under the EPA's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act program in 1993. Health studies in the 1990s raised concerns about the residential areas to the north of USS Lead, and the former USS Lead factory and the Calumet neighborhood were added to the Superfund's National Priorities List in April 2009.

Chizewer said Friday it's not surprising that the EPA has now found 20 more highly contaminated properties in zone 2.

"You cannot find contamination if you do not look for it," she said. "Between 2008-2011, EPA relied on its removal authority to clean 13 highly contaminated properties in the southern portion of zone 2. Yet, in the 2008-2011 time period, EPA did not use those findings to justify expanded testing in the southern portion of zone 2."
The Greenbush neighborhood has different boundaries than it did 55 years ago, but its history remains an integral part of the communitys story.

The area formerly known as the Greenbush Triangle, which no longer fits into the parameters of the Greenbush neighborhood of today, was home to primarily immigrant families of at least 14 established backgrounds  though a large percentage of those families were Italian.

The Bush was razed in the 1960s as part of the urban revitalization movement, and those living there at the time think nostalgically of their bygone community.

Theres no comparison, Tony Bruno said. That was a real neighborhood. Neighbors knew each other and sat on the front porch  no one does that anymore.

Once the buildings were torn down, little was done with the space that remained, Greenbush Neighborhood Association President John Perkins said.

It wasnt until 1973 or 74 when things finally showed up again, he said. Before that they just left it vacant land after they disrupted families who had been there for 40 or 50 years.

While the project was generally frowned upon, Park Street Shoe Repair owner and former Triangle resident George Fabian said it was a positive change overall.

In many respects, it turned out to be good, but I didnt like how they handled the people, that was just wrong, he said.

Fabian said the families were initially told that low-cost housing was to be built and displaced families could move back, but that didnt happen, and the families scattered to different parts of the city.

Just seven buildings still stand from the old neighborhood, said Frank Alfano, former president of the Italian Workmens Club. The clubs building at 914 Regent St. is one of those original structures, and club members are some of the few who still embrace the ways of the Bush.

Were the only ones who are still maintaining the history of the original Bush, Alfano said.

But tucked away inside the current neighborhood is an institution of the bygone Triangle that still offers a taste of the areas diversity.

Neighborhood House, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, proudly stands as Madisons first community center  although it has moved a few times since its inception in 1916.

We were started to help new immigrants adjust to life in America, so we were a settlement house, executive director Andy Millman said. We held English classes, we helped a lot of people get their citizenship papers, we had programs for kids, we had homemaking classes, we also had some health care that we provided to the community.

A major role of Neighborhood House is to offer meeting space for community groups  many of which have international roots.

Cultures represented include groups from Africa, Mexico, the Caribbean, Japan and Bolivia, Millman said.

Today, Neighborhood House tries to do right by its founders and the community it served in the old neighborhood.

I think back about how we started and I think back about what theyd want us to be doing now and I let that guide me, Millman said.

In addition to being a meeting space for local groups, the house also offers free tutoring services from university students to young students in the community, a summer camp for children, programs for adults with disabilities and various donation drives throughout the year.
INDIANAPOLIS  A national study ranks Indiana among the lowest states for teacher recruitment and retention, with many Indiana teachers worried about the impact of standardized testing.

The report from the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute says Indiana teachers earn starting salaries lower than the national average but face among the largest class sizes.

The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/2d5qTBP ) reports that Indiana scored a 2.17 out of a possible 5 points of educator data, including work conditions and teacher compensation. Only Arizona, Texas, Colorado and Washington, D.C., received lower scores.

The fact remains we across the state are struggling to recruit teachers into the profession and make sure spots are filled when the school year begins, said Jeff Butts, superintendent of Wayne Township Schools. We made teaching not very attractive to go into as a profession.

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz created a 49-member commission last year to develop strategies to attract more teachers into Indiana classrooms. The groups proposals, which included reducing the influence of test scores on the yearly teacher evaluations, died this past legislative session.

Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, the Republican candidate for this years gubernatorial race, said Indiana should offer high-performing teachers incentives to stay in the classroom.

First and foremost, we must treat teachers as professionals and as role models, as they were for me, then equip them with the resources they need to succeed, Holcomb said in a statement. We also need to ensure teachers are a part of the conversation and have a seat at the table. Educators know what is best for their schools.

Holcombs Democratic opponent, John Gregg, also has spoken of a recruitment strategy, with an emphasis of giving teachers a voice in policy making, according to his campaign website.

The report recommends that states adopt policies leading to more competitive pay or create other incentives, such as child care support or mortgage guarantees.

The teacher shortage provides an opportunity for the United States to take a long-term approach to a comprehensive and systematic set of solutions to build a strong teaching profession, the report said. Although these proposals have a price tag, they could ultimately save far more than they would cost.

Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com
If a new bar in Brooklyn wants to keep business up, they may have hope for a "Groundhog Day" scenario.

Legendary comedian Bill Murray worked behind the bar at his son Homer's new restaurant in Greenpoint Friday night.

The space once housed Homer Murray's restaurant River Styx, but was transformed into a venue dubbed "Greenpoint 21."

Hundreds of people lined around the block, after word got out that the former Ghostbuster was going to shake and stir drinks.

Murray's son said he was encouraged by the huge turnout, even if some people did not get in the door.

"Hopefully it just encourages people to come down and have a good time, as we want everyone to, every day of the week," Homer Murray said. "It doesn't have to be a special occasion necessarily, except for these psychopaths who showed up!"

Those who were waiting wished the bar well, but made no secret of why they turned out.

"Hopefully meeting Bill Murray," one man said. "I'm actually from the Bronx, so I'm traveling, a little bit out here and stuff. I had a free night, so said why not come out here. But hopefully the bar does good."

Murray's son says he plans to serve drinks again later tonight.
89-year-old Rosemarie Solle has been coming to the Steuben Parade for as long as she can remember.

For her it's like being back home.

"To feel like my own country," Solle said. "Once again, I hear my language."

She's not the only one. Many lining Fifth Avenue to watch the annual display of German pride and culture are German-Americans who can recall fond memories of being at the event throughout the years.

"We used to come down here many, many times," said another paradegoer. "My dad used to march in it, in the parade."

"We would come down as kids and we would go down to 86th Street," said another. "I remember getting the German food."

"I was actually in the first parade in Ridgewood in a baby carriage," said a third.

Over 59 years the Steuben parade that started in Queens and moved to the city as it grew larger, has gained quite the reputation. Even German nationals make the trip to New York for it.

"It's known in Germany," said one tourist. "The Steuben Parade. We know about that."

And they delight in the sights and sounds of this event that has its origins in a very important moment in American history.

"General Von Steuben fought alongside of General George Washington at Valley Forge," said John Wellenreuther, with the parade committee.

But what would a celebration of German culture be without beer and traditional German food?

So after the parade ended the fun continued with Oktoberfest in Central Park.

"Oktoberfest is getting together with family and friends and celebrating, drinking beer and having a great time and dancing," said one reveler.

"There's brattwurst, nottwurst, vienersnitzel, sauerkraut," said another.

"I had a brattwurst, sauerkraut, and German potato salad," said a third. "It was delicious."

A full day of all things German.
Inspired here by the powerful and unsettling work of Primo Levi, I would say that before we reach a stage of domination polarized between victims and perpetrators, there is a gray area of strategies of power, domination, co-option and resistance. This calls on us to address many challenging ethical and moral complexities that defy absolutist positions.

For example, Foucaults now widely cited reflections of biopolitics (the politics of life), and its ever possible slippage into thanatopolitics (a politics of death), reveal that the evil of domination comes not only from a will to destruction and death, as the classics imply, but also from a will to maximize life.

To understand this, consider that killing often takes place so that certain ways of life can thrive, not just out of some nihilistic urge. It was, in this sense, quite enlightening for me to read some key Nazi texts  texts of so-called philosophical anthropology  and to note how, despite how comforting it is to think of the perpetrators of genocide as absolute nihilists, such actors often think of themselves as maximizing some conception of life. They see themselves as the true humanists who fight against a culture of death (the Jewish one, in this case) in the name of the value of life.

All of this further puts into question the Dostoyevsky paradigm. Now, the characters are more than two (malevolent demons on one side and absolute victims on the other) precisely because the plot of political evil does not center only on death and the will to power, but also on the unquestioned priority of life, and the dangerous ways it can be pursued and conceived of. Out of the shadow emerge mediocre demons, and their desire for normality and positivity.

B.E.: Your mention of mediocrity and evil inevitably recalls the work of Hannah Arendt. How does all this relate to her now infamous dictum on the banality of evil?

SF: My debt to Hannah Arendt here is obvious. She was the first to grasp the complexity of a system of evil, to understand that it does not live only of evil intentions. With Eichmann in Jerusalem she no longer speaks of radical evil, but of the banality of evil, that matter of fact way that the officer Eichmann and other Nazis pursued the day-to-day operations of genocide. Thanks to this theoretical shift, Arendt makes available for us a constellation of concepts, even though she did not have the time to arrange into a fully developed philosophical reflection. My goal is to pick up where she left off, while addressing the limitations of her important and empirically grounded work. Talk of banality, in my opinion, runs the risk of turning merely into a linguistic provocation. If we talk about normality instead, a whole new field of insights comes to the fore, including that of compliance with a norm.
A federal judge on Friday rejected a recent Justice Department ruling on music licensing in a move that was immediately hailed by the music industry as a major victory.

In his decision, Judge Louis L. Stanton of the United States District Court in Manhattan said the Justice Department erred last month when it issued a detailed interpretation of a regulatory document known as a consent decree. The document has long governed Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), a licensing agency that collects money whenever songs are publicly performed, including on the radio, on streaming services and in public places like restaurants and retail stores.

After a two-year investigation, the antitrust division of the Justice Department decided that BMI and its rival performing-rights society, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (Ascap), were required to issue so-called 100 percent licenses for the millions of songs in their catalogs. That means that even if BMI or Ascap represented only one of multiple writers of a song, the organization must be able to offer performance licenses for the whole song.

The case concerns the side of the music business that deals with songwriters and publishers  not record companies and performers, whose work is covered by separate copyright laws.
The man stood at the podium in the cramped Masjid Un-Noor mosque on Staten Island as hundreds of Muslims sat barefoot on the carpet before him, facing east, just before the start of Friday prayers. In his outstretched right hand, he held up a tiny American flag and a pocket-size copy of the Constitution.

This unites us, said the man, Suhail Muzaffar, a leader at the mosque. It is not Christian, it is not Buddhist, it is not Muslim.

Please, he added. Find time to look at this document.

The scene, charged with symbolism, had a familiarity for many in the crowd. After the services, one man in the congregation approached Mr. Muzaffar and told him, You looked just like Khizr Khan.

He was referring, of course, to the Pakistani immigrant whose tribute to his son, an Army captain killed in combat, electrified the Democratic National Convention in what became a memorable moment in the presidential campaign, caused sales of pocket-size copies of the Constitution to skyrocket and galvanized American Muslims eager to answer the anti-Muslim rhetoric of Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.
Judges in San Franciscos courts long used a fixed schedule based on the criminal charge as a starting point for setting bail. Too often, this system left defendants who posed little risk to the community sitting in jail because they couldnt afford bail.

That could change now that San Francisco has introduced a new scoring system to help judges determine bail based on a defendants risk of committing another crime or failing to appear in court. Judges can still make their own bail decisions if they dont agree with the systems results.

The group Equal Justice Under Law sued the city last year, arguing that the old approach to bail violated equal protection under the Constitution by keeping poor defendants in jail while letting wealthier ones accused of the same crime pay their way out.

The new scoring system, developed by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, uses nine factors to estimate risk, including a defendants age, whether the charge is a violent offense, prior convictions and previous failures to appear in court. It does not take into account race or gender, and judges still have the final say in setting bail.
Even before the ink was dry on the new 10-year, $38 billion defense agreement between Israel and the United States, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina threw down the gauntlet and promised to fight the Obama administration over key elements of the deal, including its size. Mr. Graham wants Congress to approve billions more.

As the powerful chairman of a subcommittee that oversees foreign aid, Mr. Graham is in a position to throw his weight around. His reaction is a measure of how politics complicates policy toward Americas closest Middle East ally and how difficult it is to have a straightforward debate about aid levels. In March, Donald Trump raised the fanciful notion that he would require Israel to repay the United States for the aid it received. He quickly backtracked, and the idea, which would have infuriated many American voters, seems to have died.

For decades, Israel has been the leading recipient of American aid, far surpassing other countries. Under the current agreement, which expires 2018, Israel was promised $30 billion to buy advanced weaponry between 2007 and 2017, and millions more were tacked on annually at Congresss discretion for the Iron Dome missile defense system that helped prevent Israeli casualties during the 2014 conflict in Gaza. The new deal, signed on Wednesday, provides $3.3 billion annually for weapons, including F-35 fighter jets, with a guarantee of $500 million more every year for missile defense.

President Obama promised additional aid and called the deal the largest single pledge of military assistance in U.S. history, in part to assuage Israeli concerns over the Iran nuclear deal. But some Israelis have complained that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have won even more assistance if he had not alienated Mr. Obama by siding with Republicans in the losing effort to kill the nuclear agreement. Mr. Netanyahu had initially sought $45 billion.
WEEKEND

Because of an editing error, an art review on Sept. 9 about Zao Wou-Ki: No Limits, at Asia Society in Manhattan, using information from a 2013 New York Times obituary, misstated the year Zao was born. It was 1920, not 1921. (The obituary also misstated his birth date. It was Feb. 1, not Feb. 13.) In addition, the review misidentified the city in which he was born. While he spent his early years in Nantong, China, he was born in Beijing, not Nantong. The review also misstated the year of the earliest work in the exhibition. It is from 1943, not 1945. And it omitted a co-organizer of a show of Zaos work at the Colby College Museum of Art. In addition to Ankeney Weitz, it was organized by Melissa Walt.

MAGAZINE

An article on Page 52 this weekend about efforts in the House of Representatives to reach a compromise on immigration reform misidentifies the birthplace of Representative Luis Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois, who helped draft legislation. He was born in Chicago, not Puerto Rico.

OBITUARIES

An obituary on Friday about the director Jack Hofsiss misstated the name of a play he directed at the Public Theater in New York, and the surname of the playwright. It is Rebel Women by Thomas Babe, not Rebel Woman by Thomas Rabe. The obituary also misstated part of the name of a theater in Washington where Mr. Hofsiss acted early in his career. It is Arena Stage, not the Arena Theater.

OPINION

An Op-Ed article on Thursday about pardoning Edward Snowden misstated when Eric H. Holder Jr. left office as attorney general. It wasin April 2015, not in May 2016.



An editorial on Friday about Missouris gun law misstated the defenses legal strategy in the George Zimmerman case. It did not rely on the stand your ground claim, but language from that law was contained in the jury instructions.
For almost two years, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University has been working to send seven chimpanzees to a zoo in England, prompting the outrage of several animal welfare and conservation groups because the zoo is unaccredited and there are American sanctuaries ready to accept the chimps.

On Wednesday a federal judge cleared the way for the chimps to go. But in her decision, she harshly criticized the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which has approved the move, saying the agencys interpretation of the Endangered Species Act appears to thwart the dynamic of environmental protection that Congress plainly intended.

In 2015 the Fish and Wildlife Service classified all chimpanzees, captive and wild, as endangered. The decision meant that experiments, exports and other actions were prohibited under the act unless they could be shown to benefit the species as a whole. The wildlife services announcement was part of a sea change in the treatment of laboratory chimps that started when the National Institutes of Health said in 2013 that it would retire most of its chimps. All are now being retired.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the New England Anti-Vivisection Society and others who sued the Fish and Wildlife Service lacked the legal standing to do so, because they were not suffering harm.
The work of the Boston-born photographer Jackie Nickerson, whose powerful portraits document agricultural workers across southern Africa, was the cerebral starting point for the look both front and backstage at Simone Rocha for spring 2017. Its really important to Simone to have a complete look where everything works together, explained the hairstylist (and longtime friend of the designer) James Pecis, backstage. This hair has a practical and utilitarian feel. Its a little more pulled back than what weve done in the past  because theres so much going on in the collection. To create a look that would work out-of-doors, Pecis pulled the models hair back into two plaited ponytails, using Maximista Thickening Spray to give it the sweaty feel that Rocha requested.

Rather than sitting at the nape of the neck, the plaits were elevated towards the crown of the head to lend a feeling of instant youth. For realness, Pecis ran a ball bristle brush along the hairline, gathering the shorter, stray hairs that he calls man catchers, spraying them with Oribe Maximista thickening spray so that they set onto the face in a web-like fashion. All those little short bits of hair make you feel like shes careless, Pecis said. To finish, the MAC make-up artist Sam Bryant added a red, red, red layered lip in Retro Matte Liquid Lip Color in Feels So Grand to a handful of the girls, finally slicking on lip gloss to match the super shiny Wellington-style boots that Rocha marched down the runway.
A Chicago police officer is facing federal criminal charges for shooting two black teenagers in 2013, when he fired into a stolen car that was moving away from him in an incident that was recorded on video.

An indictment filed on Thursday and made public on Friday charges Officer Marco Proano with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, each one carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Both of the teenagers who were shot survived. Video of the encounter, captured by a dashboard camera in the officers squad car, became public last year as part of a criminal case against another teenager in the car, after the city had declined to release it.

The Fraternal Order of Police, which has defended Officer Proanos conduct, declined to comment. In a statement, the Chicago Police Department asserted that it would have zero tolerance for proven misconduct, and noted that the officer was relieved of his police powers last year.

The Supreme Court has held that the police may not use deadly force to stop a fleeing suspect unless the person poses an imminent threat.
I fundamentally dont believe that the Northeast will solve our young people shortage until we become a more welcoming place for people who are newcomers to America, said Gov. Peter Shumlin, Democrat of Vermont, a state that is almost as old and white as Maine and is caught up in its own controversies over refugee resettlement.

Many immigrants have found welcoming communities and do not plan to leave, despite Mr. LePages antipathy toward some foreign-born newcomers. Still, the states demographic challenges have set off alarm bells.

A new report from the Maine Department of Labor says the work force is shrinking just as demand for certain jobs, particularly in health care, is increasing and leading to shortages that will ripple across the state.

That translates ultimately into a health care crisis, a work force crisis, it will affect the whole notion of what small-town life is like, said State Representative Erik C. Jorgensen, a Democrat who represents Portland, one of the few cities in Maine that has generally welcomed immigrants.

Like many states in the Northeast, Maine has had difficulty retaining young people and attracting those from other states. Its relatively low wages, high cost of energy, remoteness and long, harsh winters may account for some of the resistance.

A lot of the challenge is making Maine a place where people want to be and are able to make a living and trying to compete with places like New Hampshire, which is very similar to Maine but doesnt have an income tax, said Ms. Rector, the state economist. (Mr. LePage has sought, unsuccessfully, to eliminate Maines income tax.)

Whatever the cause, many businesses and local governments are struggling to find qualified workers. Maine is projecting a drop to 2.1 people of working age per retiree by 2032, down from 3.2 per retiree in 2017, according to the Maine Development Foundation, a private organization devoted to improving the states economy.
On a day dominated by news that Mr. Trump had finally dropped his long adherence to the false notion that President Obama was not born in the United States  and therefore is not a legitimate president  Mrs. Obama said her husband had faced a long list of doubts since his election in 2008 as the first black president.

Back then, people had all kinds of questions about what kind of president Barack would be, she said. Things like, does he understand us, will he protect us, and then, of course, there were those who questioned  and continue to question for the past eight years, up through this very day  whether my husband was even born in this country.

Boos echoed through the hall as Mrs. Obama pursed her lips in disdain.

Mrs. Obama cast Mrs. Clinton  herself a former first lady and Mr. Obamas onetime rival  as the only candidate capable of fulfilling what she called the highest-stakes, most 24/7 job that you could imagine.

With every word that they utter, they can start wars, crash markets, change the course of this planet, so who in this election is truly ready for this job? Mrs. Obama said. It is excruciatingly clear that there is only one person in this election we can trust with those responsibilities, only one person with the qualifications and the temperament for that job, and that is our friend Hillary Clinton.
WASHINGTON  President Obama will use his final appearance at the United Nations General Assembly next week to extol the benefits of his brand of multilateral diplomacy, even as the gathering will lay bare places where that diplomacy has fallen short.

While Mr. Obama is saying his farewells, his preferred successor, Hillary Clinton, will return to the diplomatic stage, meeting with a handful of leaders, including the presidents of Egypt and Ukraine. She was a fixture at the General Assembly as secretary of state, and her presence this year will underscore the sense of political transition in the United States.

Mr. Obama, his advisers said, plans to recount the negotiations that led to the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal, and to present them as templates for dealing with future crises.

Yet the General Assembly will be shadowed by the recent nuclear test in North Korea, which demonstrated the continuing inability of the United States and other countries to force the North to abide by nonproliferation standards.
Its been my experiences here and having the ability actually to work for a period of time under a womans leadership where I was able to get promotions and get equal pay to my male counterparts. It wasnt just policy; I definitely did some advocating for myself. And there were some other women here who were in leadership roles who advocated as well.

Pat Pendleton, 63, a retired teacher living in St. Louis, Mo., said she was able to provide a loving household for her children even though she never married.

Theres no guarantee that having a spouse is going to work out. But when you have a child, youre molding the future; you have an investment in it. As an educator, children have always been an important part of my life. I have one biological son and one I adopted. There are moments when I regret not having a spouse, primarily for my biological son because he didnt have contact with his father, but he was blessed to have the strong support of a lot of family members who loved him. I didnt start out with the attitude that Im going to have children without a husband, but it just happened that way, and so you move on and do what you have do to. When I realized I was to be the sole provider, I had to beef up my education and work hard because my priority was my children. I feel I made the right decision, and now I am looking forward to being a grandmother.

Carla Lytle, 52, a manager of election officials in Shelby County, Tenn., suggested that women with children often bring a unique set of skills to leadership roles.

When youre a parent and youre molding lives, and you walk through issues with your children, its a 24/7 job; its not just a nine-to-five job. That prepares you. A lot of people say, You have so much patience and understanding, but yet you still get the job done. And I think you can take that from the home to the workplace.
DAKAR, Senegal  Two and a half years after more than 200 girls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Nigeria, the government on Friday described for the first time the failed efforts to negotiate for their release.

Nigerian officials revealed that talks had been underway since July 2015 between the government and Boko Haram terrorists to gain the release of the girls taken from a school in Chibok. The talks began shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari took office.

Three times the negotiations were derailed, in one instance at the last minute even after the president agreed to free imprisoned Boko Haram fighters, according to a government statement. Another time, talks failed because key members of Boko Harams negotiating team were killed.

Mr. Buhari has been criticized by family members of the girls and by others who support them for failing to free the captives despite an offensive against Boko Haram that has killed numerous militants and forced others into hiding. The governments decision to describe the attempts to free the girls appeared to be intended to quell criticism of its efforts on their behalf.
The government of South Sudan on Friday denounced what it called a groundless report that accuses the president and other figures engaged in the countrys civil war of fomenting violence in order to amass illegal wealth.

The report, released on Monday by the Sentry, a Washington-based advocacy group that seeks to expose corruption in Africa, said that relatives and associates of President Salva Kiir, as well as his political rival, Riek Machar, a former vice president, had enriched themselves with impunity.

It asserted that the leaders of both sides had stoked ethnic hatred and carried out atrocities, including systematic rape and killing, as a pretext for seizing more wealth in South Sudan, the worlds youngest country.

The authors of the report said the investigation took two years and was based on public information and documents provided by sources that required anonymity for safety reasons.
Not long after the videos reached the internet, Ms. Cantone was being recognized on the street. T-shirts began to appear emblazoned with something she was heard to say in one of the clips: Are you shooting a video? Bravo!

Distraught at her unwanted notoriety, she quit her job, moved to another part of Italy and filed a lawsuit demanding that the videos be taken down. Italian news outlets reported on her efforts to disappear from public view, physically and virtually.

A judge in Naples ruled in her favor this month, ordering websites to remove the videos and never repost them. But the judge also ruled that Ms. Cantone had to pay the legal costs of some of the companies she sued because of errors in her court filings.

Elisabetta Garzo, president of the Naples court where the case was heard, told the daily La Repubblica on Friday that there were so many websites involved in the litigation that it took months to hear from them all. She added that once that was done, the procedure was very fast.

Judge Garzos decision was published on Sept. 5, about a year after Ms. Cantone filed her lawsuit.

That was a relatively quick result by Italian standards, legal experts said, but still an eternity on the internet, where the enforcement authorities are inevitably a step behind.
JERUSALEM  A wave of violence that had subsided in recent months flared up again on Friday as four attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank within 24 hours underscored the edgy mood between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Israeli authorities said four Arabs who had tried to attack security officers and civilians with knives and a car were shot and killed in separate assaults, shattering the late-summer calm. A Palestinian woman who was in the car used to ram Israelis was shot and in critical condition, while two Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians were treated for light wounds.

The outbreak of hostility renewed fears of a potentially wider conflict, but there was no public indication that the attacks had been planned together or that they necessarily signaled a sustained escalation. In general, the series of attacks that started nearly a year ago have appeared to be individually motivated rather than the work of a coordinated campaign.

The first assault took place at the iconic Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City in Jerusalem. Around 1 p.m., according to the authorities, a knife-wielding man rushed border police officers, calling out, Allahu akbar! Arabic for God is great! The police shot him to death and later reported discovering another knife on his body.
Don Buchla, a pioneer and maverick of electronic music who had a lifelong fascination with the ways that humans, technology and sounds interact, died on Wednesday at his home in Berkeley, Calif. He was 79.

His death was confirmed by his son, Ezra, who said the cause was complications of cancer.

Mr. Buchla was an instrument builder, musician and composer. He conceived his instruments, including a voltage-controlled modular synthesizer, as tools for creating previously unheard sounds and gave them names like the Music Easel, Thunder or simply the Buchla Box.

His inventions were prized for the flexibility and richness of the sounds they produced and the possibilities they suggested. Mr. Buchla disliked the term synthesizer, which suggested to him a synthetic imitation of existing sounds.

He was best known for the many devices he designed for his own company, Buchla & Associates. But in a far-ranging career, he also helped build (and sometimes ran) the Grateful Deads sound system in the 1960s, worked on NASA projects and devised early transistorized hearing aids and navigation devices for the blind.
Ethanol is the great American success story, said Emily Skor, chief executive of Growth Energy, a group that represents ethanol suppliers and producers, including Dow Chemical and DuPont, two big agricultural companies working on a complex merger. The R.F.S. is the policy that has allowed Americans to access cleaner, cheaper fuel at the pump.

To back up these claims, Ms. Skor and her allies proffer reams of data that portray ethanol as a solution for many of the countrys problems. They say ethanol has made America less reliant on Middle Eastern oil, saved consumers up to $1 a gallon at the pump and spared the air from vast clouds of harmful carbon emissions.

Of course, Ms. Skor has a vested interest in advancing this narrative. Were the Renewable Fuel Standard to be repealed, many of the companies that support Growth Energy would lose millions of dollars.

Critics of the ethanol mandate are just as adamant that it has been a colossal failure. They point out that domestic oil and natural gas production has surged in recent years as a result of hydraulic fracturing. They argue that because ethanol refineries are consuming so much corn, the cost of food is going up. And many say that when ethanol production and carbon dioxide absorption by crops like corn are factored in, ethanol is no better for the environment than gasoline.

As with supporters of the ethanol mandate, many ardent critics are beholden to their own special interests. Among the most vocal antagonists of the law is the American Petroleum Institute, with members including Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell. Big Oil has been opposed to the Renewable Fuel Standard from the beginning  after all, as more ethanol is blended into gasoline, the less oil it sells.

The debate has become binary. Depending on which army of lobbyists you believe, the Renewable Fuel Standard is either an unqualified success or an unmitigated disaster. But of course, the truth is rarely quite so simple.

Theres no doubt that thanks largely to the enormous increase in domestic oil and gas production, Americas energy security is not the concern it was a decade ago. Yet it is also true that the strong rise in ethanol production has helped.
Howard E. Butt Jr., a billionaire heir apparent to his familys Texas supermarket empire, who gave up the business to spread a Christian message about the dignity of work and its nexus with faith and built a nationwide following, died on Sept. 11 at his home in San Antonio. He was 89.

The cause was complications of Parkinsons disease, his wife, Barbara Dan Butt, said.

Mr. Butt advocated a role for the laity in improving the world through personal renewal within the professions, the family and the local church.

Christianity that does not change us in our homes will never change the world, he said. Church work is done wherever we have excellence in our work that exhibits love for the people we are working with.

As the eldest son of the founder, Mr. Butt inherited the leadership of the supermarket chain H-E-B, which, with close to 380 stores, 96,000 employees and more than $23 billion in annual sales, is the largest private employer and family-owned company in Texas. It began as a mom-and-pop grocery owned by his paternal grandmother.
SAN FRANCISCO  ITT Educational Services, one of the nations largest for-profit educational companies, filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday to liquidate its business after the federal government restricted financial aid to new students.

The filing follows ITTs decision this month to close more than 130 technical college campuses across the country, a move that affected about 35,000 students and 8,000 employees.

In August, the Department of Education barred the chain of colleges from enrolling new students who receive federal aid, a critical source of revenue for the company.

The company, based in Carmel, Ind., has faced increased scrutiny by the Education Department since 2014 and has been accused by both federal and state regulators of misleading students about the quality of its programs and their employment potential after graduation. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit against ITT two years ago, accusing the company of predatory student lending.
The way Donald J. Trump tells it, his first solo project as a real estate developer, the conversion of a faded railroad hotel on 42nd Street into the sleek, 30-story Grand Hyatt, was a triumph from the very beginning.

The hotel, Mr. Trump bragged in Trump: The Art of the Deal, his 1987 best seller, was a hit from the first day. Gross operating profits now exceed $30 million a year.

But that book, and numerous interviews over the years, make little mention of a crucial factor in getting the hotel built: an extraordinary 40-year tax break that has cost New York City $360 million to date in forgiven, or uncollected, taxes, with four years still to run, on a property that cost only $120 million to build in 1980.

The project set the pattern for Mr. Trumps New York career: He used his fathers, and, later, his own, extensive political connections, and relied on a huge amount of assistance from the government and taxpayers in the form of tax breaks, grants and incentives to benefit the 15 buildings at the core of his Manhattan real estate empire.
An improvised device exploded in a garbage receptacle near the course of a charity race that was about to begin in a small town on the Jersey Shore on Saturday, law enforcement officials said.

The device went off around 9:30 a.m. near the boardwalk in Seaside Park, N.J., according to the Ocean County sheriff, Mike Mastronardy.

There were no injuries, and officials do not believe that anyone was near the explosion when it happened. It did not damage any buildings either, officials said.

The race, the Seaside Semper Five, a five-kilometer run and charity event along the waterfront that raises money for members of the United States Marine Corps and their families, was canceled.
Conservative critics of health care reform are opposing Californias plan, the first of its kind in the country, but it is not clear why they would fight it. The people who obtain coverage through the wavier would pay the full cost of the insurance. Allowing them to spend their own money in this way would, in fact, benefit the state and local governments by reducing demand for charity care at emergency rooms and public hospitals, which are typically the last resort for people who lack insurance.

The decision to seek a waiver passed by a large bipartisan majority in the California Legislature. In the last year, California extended state subsidized care to undocumented children under its Medi-Cal program. More than 135,000 children have been enrolled, and officials say this has encouraged parents to get children vaccinated and to use other preventive services, which benefits public health by limiting the spread of infections. A handful of other states, including Illinois, Massachusetts and New York, also provide coverage to undocumented children.

Helping immigrants gain access to health care is not just sound fiscal and health policy. It is also a matter of fairness. Economists say immigrants typically contribute more in income, payroll and other taxes to support public programs like Medicare and Social Security than they receive in government benefits. For example, between 2002 and 2009, immigrants contributed $115 billion more to Medicare than they received from the program, according to a 2013 study published in the journal Health Affairs. Thats to say nothing of the many nonfinancial contributions they make to their cities and states.
Working mothers, take note: You have won the culture war. Now you are making advances in the policy battle. This presidential race has become, at least in part, a debate over how best to help you balance work and home, not whether you should be working at all.

On Tuesday, Donald J. Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to put forward a proposal that, he says, would give all mothers paid leave for the birth of a new child. He would guarantee six weeks, run through the existing unemployment insurance program, and he would pay for it by eliminating fraud in that system. The plan is deeply flawed  and, because it focuses only on mothers and offers nothing to fathers, could end up hurting working women. But it is significant that he decided to offer it at all.

Any discussion of paid leave in a presidential campaign is a recent phenomenon. The first time the issue was raised prominently by a candidate was when Hillary Clinton made her initial run at the White House, in the 2008 election, and proposed a goal of paid family leave for all Americans by 2016. It wasnt a winning issue then and certainly hadnt come close to being a winning issue before.

The 1980s and 1990s were full of working-mom fearmongering. The media jumped on scare studies and stories about day care centers harming children  including claims of satanic rituals and sexual abuse  and blamed mothers for disrupting childrens development. TV and radio hosts urged women to stay home with the kids. Movies like Mrs. Doubtfire made working women out to be cold. In a speech to the 1992 Republican National Convention, Marilyn Quayle argued, women do not wish to be liberated from their essential natures as women.
Readers discuss a Connecticut judges sweeping indictment of the inequities in education.

To the Editor: Your fine report about two Connecticut high schools located close to each other but sharply divided by a socioeconomic gap is close to being poetic in revealing a serious problem in our country as we pass from the post-World War II era into a new, challenging world (In Connecticut, a Wealth Gulf Divides Schools, front page, Sept. 12).

The fact that a fifth grader in an inner-city public school can read only at the kindergarten level is no doubt repeated throughout the country. The human capital gulf is a manifestation of our societys coming apart. Only a third of eighth-graders nationwide can read and do math at grade level. And of the many millions of 2016 high school graduates taking the ACT test for college readiness, 34 percent did not pass in all four groups  English, reading, science and math  up from last years 31 percent. The benchmark for college readiness is a 75 percent probability of attaining a C or higher grade in college.

Most likely the vast majority of the failing group graduated from schools like the one in your article, Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport. Forget about college tuition subsidies and spend the money on restructuring the K-12 system.

BERTRAND HORWITZ

Asheville, N.C.

To the Editor: Your article focuses on the inequities in how schools are funded, linking this to the success or failure of students in wealthy versus poor districts. What generally gets left out of these discussions is the luxury that affluent school districts have to establish their own private foundations. Donors get to make generous tax-deductible contributions (on top of their property taxes) to fund special programs that would otherwise inflate the school budget. If they were included in that budget, it is likely that voters would not approve a bloated tax increase. In New York, foundations also keep school districts from exceeding the states tax cap, while at the same time satisfying an unending wish list of enriching programs and equipment. Who will fund these programs for poor districts? Probably nobody.
I thought Wildlife Services might have a different perspective on the Treves study, and this is where things turned weird. Gail Keirn, a legislative and public affairs aide for Wildlife Services, declined to arrange an interview. The agency would accept written questions, she said, to be answered in writing, a useful formula for public relations, not journalism. Ive had better luck getting access at the C.I.A.

Soon after, Dr. Treves held an online session to introduce his study. Two journalists joined the conversation. But so did four other people  Wildlife Services employees, who refused to identify themselves by name despite repeated requests by Dr. Treves. The conversation stumbled to an awkward close.

It was a creepy moment, but it was also wonderfully inept. Even if Ms. Keirn wouldnt identify herself, her phone number, from which she had dialed into the session, was prominently displayed in a screen shot Dr. Treves sent me afterward. When I emailed to question Ms. Keirn about it, she protested, I thought this was an open forum and a good opportunity for Wildlife Services to learn more. Later, she sent me a written statement from a Wildlife Services official who ignored the Treves study while citing some of the same studies found to be flawed in that 2004 critique.

It was perfect as slapstick, but also a pity, because taxpayers who spent $127 million in 2014 for the agencys wildlife damage management operations deserve transparency. Instead, the agency reveals little more than its annual body count, listing only the species, the number of dead and the method of killing. Last year, for instance, it killed 68,905 coyotes using calling devices, snares and traps, M 44 cyanide capsule and other poisoning devices, and guns, sometimes fired with the help of night vision/infrared equipment, and sometimes from helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft.
That position, more or less, seems to be that second marriages may be technically adulterous, but its unreasonable to expect modern people to realize that, and even more unreasonable to expect them to leave those marriages or practice celibacy within them. So the sin involved in a second marriage is often venial not mortal, and not serious enough to justify excluding people of good intentions from the sacraments.

Which brings us back to Tim Kaines vision, because it is very easy to apply this modified position on remarriage to same-sex unions. If relationships the church once condemned as adultery are no longer a major, soul-threatening sin, then why should a committed same-sex relationship be any different? If the church makes post-sexual revolution allowances for straight couples, shouldnt it make the same ones for people who arent even attracted to the opposite sex?

An allowance is not the same thing as a blessing. Under the Francis approach, the church would not celebrate second marriages, and were its logic extended to gay couples there wouldnt be the kind of active celebration Kaine envisions either.

Instead, the church would keep the traditional teaching on its books, and only marry couples who fit the traditional criteria. But it would also signal approval to any stable relationship (gay or straight, married or cohabiting), treating the letter of the law like the pirates code in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies: More what youd call guidelines than actual rules.

The cleverness of this compromise, in theory, is that it leaves conservative Catholics with that letter to cling to, and with it the belief that the churchs teaching is supernaturally guaranteed. Thus there is no crisis point, and less risk of imitating Anglicanisms recent schisms.

In the short run this may indeed be clever. (Clearly, conservative bishops have no idea how to handle Francis maneuvers.) But how long will liberal Catholics be content with a settlement that still leaves same-sex relationships in a merely-tolerated limbo, and that leaves open the possibility that a new pope  an African conservative, lets say  might reassert the letter of the law and undo Francis work?

How long can conservative Catholics persist in waiting for such a pope, and in telling one another  as theyve been doing, rather miserably, of late  to obey the church of 2,000 years rather than the current pontiff?
London  Britain is divided as never before. The country has turned its back on Europe, and its female ruler has her sights set on trade with the East. As much as this sounds like Britain today, it also describes the country in the 16th century, during the golden age of its most famous monarch, Queen Elizabeth I.

One of the more surprising aspects of Elizabethan England is that its foreign and economic policy was driven by a close alliance with the Islamic world, a fact conveniently ignored today by those pushing the populist rhetoric of national sovereignty.

From the moment of her accession to the throne in 1558, Elizabeth began seeking diplomatic, commercial and military ties with Muslim rulers in Iran, Turkey and Morocco  and with good reasons. In 1570, when it became clear that Protestant England would not return to the Catholic faith, the pope excommunicated Elizabeth and called for her to be stripped of her crown. Soon, the might of Catholic Spain was against her, an invasion imminent. English merchants were prohibited from trading with the rich markets of the Spanish Netherlands. Economic and political isolation threatened to destroy the newly Protestant country.

Elizabeth responded by reaching out to the Islamic world. Spains only rival was the Ottoman Empire, ruled by Sultan Murad III, which stretched from North Africa through Eastern Europe to the Indian Ocean. The Ottomans had been fighting the Hapsburgs for decades, conquering parts of Hungary. Elizabeth hoped that an alliance with the sultan would provide much needed relief from Spanish military aggression, and enable her merchants to tap into the lucrative markets of the East. For good measure she also reached out to the Ottomans rivals, the shah of Persia and the ruler of Morocco.
The new model of globalization stood priorities on their head, effectively putting democracy to work for the global economy, instead of the other way around. The elimination of barriers to trade and finance became an end in itself, rather than a means toward more fundamental economic and social goals. Societies were asked to subject domestic economies to the whims of global financial markets; sign investment treaties that created special rights for foreign companies; and reduce corporate and top income taxes to attract footloose corporations.

Some simple principles would reorient us in the right direction. First, there is no single way to prosperity. Countries make their own choices about the institutions that suit them best. Some, like Britain, may tolerate, say, greater inequality and financial instability in return for higher growth and more financial innovation. They will opt for lower taxes on capital and more freewheeling financial systems. Others, like Continental European nations, will go for greater equity and financial conservatism. International firms will complain that differences in rules and regulations raise the costs of doing business across borders, but their claims must be traded off against the benefits of diversity.

Second, countries have the right to protect their institutional arrangements and safeguard the integrity of their regulations. Financial regulations or labor protections can be circumvented and undermined by moving operations to foreign countries with considerably lower standards. Countries should be able to prevent such regulatory arbitrage by placing restrictions on cross-border transactions  just as they can keep out toys or agricultural products that do not meet domestic health standards.

For example, imports from countries that are gross violators of labor rights, such as Pakistan or Vietnam, may face restrictions when those imports demonstrably threaten to damage labor standards at home. Otherwise, national institutional diversity would be meaningless. Emphasizing the primacy of norms and social bargains embedded in our domestic regulations would ensure that global commerce was not used to override them. It would also shield us from misguided protectionism in the great majority of cases where trade poses no danger.

Third, the purpose of international economic negotiations should be to increase domestic policy autonomy, while being mindful of the possible harm to trade partners. The worlds trade regime is driven by a mercantilist logic: You lower your barriers in return for my lowering mine. But lack of openness is no longer the binding constraint on the world economy; lack of democratic legitimacy is.

It is time to embrace a different logic, emphasizing the value of policy autonomy. Poor and rich countries alike need greater space for pursuing their objectives. The former need to restructure their economies and promote new industries, and the latter must address domestic concerns over inequality and distributive justice. Both objectives require placing some sand in the cogs of globalization. For example, developing nations may be allowed to subsidize some industries in return for rich nations being allowed to use tariffs against countries dumping goods produced under substandard labor or environmental standards.

Fourth, global governance should focus on enhancing democracy, not globalization. Global governance cannot overcome major problems like inequality, social exclusion or low growth, but it can help by devising norms that improve domestic policy making, like requirements on transparency, public deliberation, broad representation, accountability and use of scientific or economic evidence in domestic proceedings. To some extent, the World Trade Organization already advocates these disciplines. They deserve greater priority over trade liberalization and regulatory harmonization.
Third parties dont fit cleanly into the simple political narrative most of us have in our heads of red versus blue, and two parties battling it out, Super Bowl-style. Yet for much of our history, outsiders have pushed their way onto the playing field, disrupting the narrative of the Big Game.

In the closing weeks of the 2016 campaign, Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party are holding steady with 9 percent and 3 percent, according to a recent CNN poll of polls. It is never an exact science to assess the impact of third-party votes  there are libertarians at both the right and left ends of the spectrum  and third-party types are notoriously fickle. But there is a rising possibility that these votes will affect the outcome in close states.

A survey of our chaotic past suggests that third parties have done considerable damage to the major parties. Certainly that is the feeling among Democrats, whose memories of Ralph Naders turn in 2000 remain raw. But third-party runs have also opened windows that might have remained shut. A proliferation of parties in 1860 helped elect Abraham Lincoln, and in 1912 Woodrow Wilson was another beneficiary of a four-party contest.

It would be tempting to cite stern warnings from the founders against this potential threat to the political establishment. But they were so hostile to the idea of parties writ large that they do not provide much help. In The Federalist No. 10, James Madison warned against the spirit of faction, and George Washington amplified these fears in his farewell address of 1796. Four years later, the barn door was wide open, and the horses were running free. It was as if no one had heard him at all.
WHEN representatives from the United States and other countries gathered in Evian, France, in 1938 to discuss the Jewish refugee crisis caused by the Nazis, they exuded sympathy for Jews  and excuses about why they couldnt admit them. Unto the breach stepped a 33-year-old woman from Massachusetts named Martha Sharp.

With steely nerve, she led one anti-Nazi journalist through police checkpoints in Nazi-occupied Prague to safety by pretending that he was her husband.

Another time, she smuggled prominent Jewish opponents of Naziism, including a leading surgeon and two journalists, by train through Germany, by pretending that they were her household workers.

If the Gestapo should charge us with assisting the refugees to escape, prison would be a light sentence, she later wrote in an unpublished memoir. Torture and death were the usual punishments.
I am lured only by what precedes me, he writes, by the numberless moments when I was not: the non-born. From that perspective, he looks at the world with new eyes, and gains a deeper understanding of himself: I have never taken myself for a being. A noncitizen, a marginal type, a nothing who exists only by the excess, by the superabundance of his nothingness.

Cioran was a man of unusual tastes. He took a liking to the Thracians because they wept over the newborn, and to the Gnostic sect of Bogomils, who, in order to justify God, held Satan responsible for the infamy of Creation.

All of this raises an obvious question: Why do anything? Why multiply the cosmic failure, the infamy of creation?

Idleness, as we know, has a bad rap in Western culture, but it can be a philosophical experience in its own right. Bertrand Russell wrote a long essay in praise of it, and Oscar Wilde thought that to do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world as well as the most intellectual. The great, consummate idlers of literature (Ivan Goncharovs Oblomov or Melvilles Bartleby) are figures of metaphysical quest: They exemplify ways of being human with unusual complexity.

Idleness, then, reveals an experience of nothingness. While nothingness tends to occupy a central position in Eastern traditions like Buddhism and Taoism, we in the West typically shun it; after all, one of the most characteristic branches of Western philosophy is ontology, the study of that which exists.

Yet, even if we do not choose to embrace nothingness, nothingness itself may choose to embrace us. It may not be that we dont have anything to do, or that were bored, or that we would rather do it later, but just that we dont see the point of it all. In our idleness we intuit a cosmic meaninglessness, which comes along with the realization that, with every action, we get only more entangled in the universal farce.

Perhaps the most intriguing form of idleness is one nearly all of us are intimately familiar with: procrastination. Idleness is difficult to find in a pure state. Indeed, in a certain sense, it eludes us because, at its most radical, idleness tends to devour its devotees (again, Oblomov and Bartleby). But procrastination is a different business altogether: It is not only more available, but also more dynamic, just as the procrastinator is a more dramatic figure than the idler, who is as ascetic and immobile as a pillar saint.
Paul: Its good to know theres now a safe way to have Mike behind the wheel. The first thing to realize is driving conditions in China are very different from America. In China, most traffic laws are taken as suggestions (cars blithely reverse down highways when they miss exits and occasionally use sidewalks as an extra lane) and on highways, slow moving, big vehicles like that street sweeper are not uncommon.

All of that means we will probably see more tech failures as autonomous driving technology starts to be used more frequently on both sides of the Pacific. In China, Baidu and LeEco are both working on driverless technology. The companies will probably be helped by the fact that the Chinese government wants to see them succeed and has proved quite proactive in giving them a lift. Baidu already has regulatory buy-in to try out its technology on bus routes.

I do also think we could see some political issues crop up as the technology is more widely used. The Chinese government will want to give its local companies a leg up and it has also been uncomfortable letting foreign companies collect data within China and beam it elsewhere, so it could be we see some roadblocks go up to foreign autonomous driving technology down the line.

Farhad: Finally, one of the biggest tech stories this week is about the Korean tech giant Samsung, whose Galaxy Note 7 smartphone descended further into infamy when the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a formal recall on Thursday.

The commission said Samsung has received 92 reports of batteries overheating in the United States, among them 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage, including fires in cars and a garage.

The formal recall comes a couple weeks after Samsung issued its own recall. But the company has been criticized for the way it has bungled the process. The whole incident seems like a terrible blow to its reputation, which had recently been on the upswing after the company released a slate of well-reviewed phones.

So, what do you think? How bad is this for Samsung?

Paul: It cant be good when planes across the world are reminding passengers that Samsungs phones can spontaneously detonate. Its a major blow, and one that probably hit some of the companys most loyal customers who would be the first to buy the new phones.
Its more about himself than it is about who he wanted to harm or anything like that, he said.

The violence began around 11:20 p.m., the police said, when Mr. Glenn approached Sgt. Sylvia Young, 46, who was seated in her parked vehicle in West Philadelphia. Without saying anything, the man began firing into her window, Commissioner Ross told reporters at an earlier news conference on Saturday.

Sergeant Young, a 19-year police veteran, survived after leaning into the passenger seat to shield herself, the commissioner said. Mr. Glenn fired 18 shots, the police said, and some of them hit Ms. Youngs left arm and a protective vest she was wearing. Two rounds struck and disabled her weapon, the police said.

Commissioner Ross compared the shooting to a similar ambush in January that wounded another officer.

Im absolutely astounded by the fact that they both survived, he said Saturday.

Mr. Glenn fled after shooting at Sergeant Young, the police said, and along the way he fired five times into the open door of a bar, where he struck a security guard in the left leg. He then grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg, the police said.

Mr. Glenn continued running, firing 14 times into a car occupied by a man and a 25-year-old woman, the police said. The woman, who was shot seven times in the torso, died at a hospital around 2 a.m. on Saturday.
No one wants to be the last man on the ground whenever the Kurds, Iraqis or Americans arrive, said Peter Neumann, the director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence at Kings College London.

With the fighters aware that the Islamic State is no longer winning, my prediction is that a majority will first return to Turkey, adding to instability there, Mr. Neumann added. Many will then try to return to their home countries. Others will move on to other conflicts.

European countries are not the only ones that face this peril. This month, Frances defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, warned that Islamic State fighters could flee to Egypt or Tunisia after being driven from their Libyan stronghold, Surt.

They dont disappear, Mr. Le Drian said. Theres a new risk that appears.

The number of foreign terrorist fighters flowing into Iraq and Syria  once as high as 2,000 a month  has dropped to a small fraction of that figure in recent months, Western intelligence officials say, as countries crack down on potential fighters and as a shrinking Islamic State territory loses much of its appeal.

But there is another important reason the numbers are down: The Islamic State anticipated its battlefield setbacks and has adjusted accordingly. It has urged many prospective recruits in Europe and North Africa to stay put and carry out jihad at home, arguing that they are more useful as attackers and suicide bombers in their native countries.

In an audio message released on May 21, the Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani made clear that the organization would revert to its roots as a guerrilla insurgency. It was an implicit acknowledgment that the Islamic State would eventually lose its strongholds in Syria and Iraq and the very caliphate that has distinguished it from Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

Mr. Adnani, who until his death in a Pentagon drone strike in Syria last month also oversaw the Islamic States external operations, repeated his call for supporters to stay put and attack the groups enemies wherever and however possible.
In the killing last year of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, N.C., for instance, the authorities did not bring hate crime charges against a neighbor who is charged with murdering them, despite calls from Muslims who said there were religious overtones to the violence. The police said that a parking dispute, not bigotry, may have led to the killings.

Sometimes, the evidence is more clear-cut.

I hate ISLAM! a former Marine named Ted Hakey Jr. wrote to a friend on Facebook after last Novembers terrorist attacks in Paris. Hours later, in a drunken rampage, he fired a high-powered rifle four times into the mosque next door to his Connecticut home.

Last month, an apologetic Mr. Hakey began a six-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to a hate crime charge.

In Brooklyn, two women out walking their children in strollers were attacked this month, the police said, by a woman who screamed anti-Muslim obscenities and tried to rip off their traditional veils. And in Queens, a man was beaten in April by three strangers who shouted ISIS, ISIS.

In Minneapolis, a man shouting obscenities about Islam shot two Muslim men in traditional religious garb in June, the authorities said.

In St. Louis, a man was arrested in February after the police said he pointed a gun at a Muslim family shopping on his block and told them they all should die.

Last month, an imam in Queens and his assistant were shot and killed execution-style on the sidewalk. The authorities have charged a 35-year-old man in the attack but have not determined a motive or whether it should be treated as a hate crime.
TAMPA, Fla.  Hillary Clinton has vastly outspent Donald J. Trump on TV ads in Florida. Her 57 campaign offices dwarf Mr. Trumps afterthought of a ground game. And Mr. Trump is deeply unpopular among Hispanics, who account for nearly one in five Florida voters.

Despite these advantages, Mrs. Clinton is struggling in the Sunshine State, unable to assemble the coalition that gave Barack Obama two victories here, and offering Mr. Trump a broad opening in a road to the White House that not long ago seemed closed to him. Mr. Trump is pressing down hard to win the state, campaigning in Miami on Friday and in Fort Myers on Monday, after a rally in Pensacola recently.

Recent polls show Mrs. Clinton is not earning the same support among Hispanics, young people or white voters that Mr. Obama captured when he eked out a Florida victory four years ago in the countrys most hard-fought swing state.

Mrs. Clinton could afford to lose here and still find other routes to victory. Mr. Trumps electoral map is narrower; he must have Florida in his column. But as the most populous and one of the most racially diverse battleground states, Florida is also a bellwether for the nation: a candidates struggles here often are mirrored elsewhere.
What is extremely upsetting and discouraging is the lack of progress made Ive witnessed in my lifetime. I immigrated to American when I was 7 years old. I, along with my parents did not speak any English at the time and were not aware of the many cultural nuances of being an American (i.e. clothing, food, etc.) So I can see how I stood out and was victim to racially motivated bias or bullying in school. However, my children are fully American as any other child in this town having the benefit of our education, wealth, cultural and English fluency. And yet, my boys are asked by their peers about their race when no other white kid is asked the same question. One white mother shared with me that her son was concerned about being invited to dinner by my child because he assumed we would serve something that was foreign to him. I made chicken Parmesan and pasta. This may be a benign symptom of his ignorance but it manifests itself in other ways in the classroom and on the playground.

Bob Kim / 45 / Korean-American / Chatham, N.J.



We have an administration at my school that really wants more diversity in A.P. and honors classes. What theyve said the problem is when Ive talked some teachers and administrators is that there are many outside social factors that affects students of color in school. My school doesnt really openly talk about race. We are seen as being a diverse school because we have a large population of African-American students, but the problem is we have a lot of self-segregation. I think we still see race as a taboo topic. We have really great newspaper at my school and. occasionally, they will do really good articles on the topic of race in the classroom, but those articles dont cause much change and there are very few people of color on the newspaper staff. My school is sometimes seen as having two schools within it: one for white students and one for black students. I think if my school talked about race, we could have a better environment in our classes.

Ali Bouterse / 17 / white / Atlanta



Growing up in Los Angeles, the community is much more diverse than other parts of the country. Ive lived in a Hispanic- and Asian-majority community for my entire life. Kids are exposed to virtually all races and cultures as a child. At the elementary school I went to, the school would regularly celebrate Chinese New Year and Cinco de Mayo. I remember who we would learn about different cultures around the world in kindergarten. However, kids can also be very vicious when it comes to race without even knowing it. After 9/11, I recall the Middle Eastern children in the school being treated much more harshly. They would be teased as being terrorists, and I dont recall a lot of intervention from adults in these issues. Elementary schools are definitely more vicious when it comes to racial matters, as kids reciprocate what they see on TV, throwing racially charged comments even without realizing the true meaning behind them.

High school life was much better. My high school was inclusive of a lot of cultures, and many students were very forward thinking. Imagine someone like me, who essentially grew up as a weaker Asian kid in elementary school, suddenly being talked to by people that the mainstream world would consider as school bullies. I got along with senior students that were part of the cholo culture, who would look out for me for essentially nothing in return but my friendship. Whats better was that I didnt need to change who I was. I continued hanging with my friends from elementary school who were part of my nerd clique. People were allowed to be open about who they were, and nobody was made fun of for their race. I didnt encounter my first case of racism until I traveled out of the country.

Looking back, I felt that kids in elementary school need to be actively taught about racial tolerance. The biggest influence in childrens lives is TV, and there is a lot of racially biased content. Its up to schools to encourage to be open-minded and tolerant.

Vincent Teong / 25 / Asian-American / Los Angeles



I have been really pleased with how Denali Montessori Elementary, a public school in Anchorage, Alaska, celebrates and acknowledges the incredible diversity in the student body. From the principals introduction in talking about the strengths of the school, to the lessons taught in the classroom, to special events on campus, the celebration of diversity is front and center. My first-grade daughter is learning stories from around the world with kids from many cultural backgrounds. Geography is a cornerstone of the curriculum. I think this makes the world feel smaller and more known. Regular school events celebrate and teach about cultures from around the world. I think my daughter will have a very positive and sophisticated understanding of what culture means and the value of diversity before she even goes to middle school.

Megan Richotte / 40 / white / Anchorage, Ala.



We have a week at school to teach about racism terms, and concepts. These things are talked about in their academic classes, but we do this to bring the school together. Its not nearly enough. I serve on our schools equity team, which meets monthly. Our district has varying degrees of support from year to year to address how we work with racism in our institutions and our individual/cultural biases (either conscious or unconscious bias).
MANILA  The Abu Sayyaf militant group freed a Norwegian hostage in the southern Philippines on Saturday, the police said, almost a year after he was seized along with two Canadians who were later beheaded.

The Norwegian man, Kjartan Sekkingstad, was released after the Islamist militant group received a ransom of about 30 million pesos, or roughly $630,000, the national police said in a statement.

Mr. Sekkingstad was freed near the town of Indanan in the province of Sulu, and escorted to the home of the provincial governor. There was no immediate word on the state of his health.

His release was facilitated by members of the Moro National Liberation Front, a former rebel group that signed a peace agreement with the government in the 1990s, the police said.
In Somalia, the attacks have gone down, said Noel Choong, the head of the maritime bureaus piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. In Nigeria, the numbers are still there, but not as much as in Asia.

In 2015, there were 178 attacks in Southeast Asia and none in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea region near Somalia, according to the maritime bureau, after a multinational security crackdown there. The bureau also reported that in the first half of this year, Southeast Asia was the scene of more than one-third of the 98 attacks and attempted attacks globally.

The men who attacked the tugboat, an Indonesian-flagged vessel that had been hauling a coal barge, were later identified as members of Abu Sayyaf, an extremist group based in the southern Philippines that has acted as a hostage-for-ransom gang for more than two decades. It has also pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State.

Abu Sayyaf is responsible for most of the kidnappings at sea in Southeast Asia, but several other criminal gangs also operate in those waters.

Between March and August, Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 25 Indonesian and six Malaysian seamen in attacks along vital trade routes for coal barges in the Sulu Archipelago. The extremist group continues to hold nine Indonesian sailors from the recent attacks.
But Mr. Yus sister later testified in court that officials had beaten and coerced her into making false confessions against her brother while they held her without legal representation in solitary confinement at the agencys interrogation center for 179 days. The agency denied using coercion at the center, south of Seoul, where it screens fresh arrivals from the North for up to six months to ferret out spies.

Photos that the agency presented as evidence in court, saying they had been taken while Mr. Yu was secretly visiting North Korea in 2012, turned out to have been taken in China. The Chinese immigration documents that the agency said had recorded Mr. Yus border crossings into North Korea were found to have been faked. A Korean-Chinese man stabbed himself in a Seoul hotel room after leaving a suicide note saying the agency had promised to pay him to fabricate the documents. The officer who hired him also tried to kill himself by inhaling carbon monoxide in his car. (Neither man died.)

The court threw out the espionage charge against Mr. Yu.

While all this was unfolding in 2014, the agency announced the arrest of another suspected spy, also a defector from the North. But the man, Hong Kang-cheol, walked free after a court declared his confessions invalid because he had not been informed of his right to remain silent and consult a lawyer.

Mr. Hong said he had been held in solitary confinement for 84 days and forced to write draft after draft of a confession until a fictional version emerged that satisfied his interrogators.

I had no freedom to meet visitors, no freedom to move, completely isolated from the outside, Mr. Hong said after an appeals court upheld his acquittal in February.

Over the years, the intelligence agency has repeatedly pledged not to abuse its power or act as a political tool of presidents. But scandals at the secretive agency have frequently rocked the country, with several of its directors ending up in jail.

The agency declined to comment on Spy Nation, which won the top documentary award at the Jeonju International Film Festival in South Korea in May.
BERLIN  Hundreds of thousands of people rallied across Germany and Austria on Saturday to urge their governments not to sign new agreements being negotiated for European Union trade deals with the United States and Canada.

The proposed deals have been bitterly contested since the European Union and Washington agreed in 2013 to try to form a new free-trade area with a market of more than 800 million people.

Beyond eliminating the remaining trade barriers and tariffs, one declared aim is ensuring that American and European consumer regulations  rather than the perceived lower standards in rising markets like China and India  become the standards worldwide.

Although Germanys economy is heavily dependent on exports, opposition to the proposed pacts with the United States and Canada has swelled from the start, uniting a coalition of churches, trade unions, intellectuals and left-wing parties. That coalition called for Saturdays protests in seven German cities.
But Saturdays court order may spell the end for many groups.

These organizations wont be able to pay rent or salaries, Mr. Bahgat said. He called the move a clever way of forcing them to shut down without having to order their closure and deal with a scandal.

Mr. Eid, one of those whose assets were frozen Saturday, said he did not know what would happen to his organization, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, or Anhri.

If they decide to consider Anhri as my personal property, for example, then they can freeze its accounts, Mr. Eid said. The same would apply to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, or EIPR, which Mr. Bahgat founded.

They didnt say anything yet, Mr. Eid said. We will just have to wait and see what they will decide.

Judges, not prosecutors, are carrying out the investigation into these organizations, which highlights the importance of the case to the Egyptian authorities. The asset freeze was ordered by judges in March, but needed court approval before taking effect. The procedures slow pace is typical for high-profile political cases in Egypt.

The investigative judges have not presented the defendants with evidence, and some defendants had not yet been summoned for questioning.

We have not been shown anything to argue against yet, Mr. Eid said. All we heard was just the thoughts of this one national security officer, who has not even attended any of these sessions.
BEIRUT, Lebanon  On the day after his 51st birthday, Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, took a victory lap through the dusty streets of a destroyed and empty rebel town that his forces had starved into submission.

Smiling, with his shirt open at the collar, he led officials in dark suits past deserted shops and bombed-out buildings before telling a reporter that  despite a cease-fire announced by the United States and Russia  he was committed to taking back all areas from the terrorists. When he says terrorists, he means all who oppose him.

More than five years into the conflict that has shattered his country, displaced half its population and killed hundreds of thousands of people, Mr. Assad denies any responsibility for the destruction.

Instead, he presents himself as a reasonable head of state and the sole unifier who can end the war and reconcile Syrias people.
The strike began in the early evening, when planes attacked a group of vehicles that American surveillance aircraft had been watching for several days, according to a Centcom official who requested anonymity because the episode was still being investigated. Military intelligence had identified the cluster of vehicles, which the official said included at least one tank, as belonging to the Islamic State, the official said.

The attack went on for about 20 minutes, with the planes destroying the vehicles and gunning down dozens of people in the open desert, the official said. Shortly after this, an urgent call came into the American military command center in Qatar, the outpost in the Persian Gulf that coordinates the aerial campaign in Syria and Iraq.

The call was from a Russian official who said that the American planes were bombing Syrian troops and that the strike should immediately be called off. The Centcom official said the attack was halted within minutes, but not until dozens had been killed.

Russian planes would most likely have been providing air support to government forces in the province during the fighting there. Russian warplanes had also been targeting the area where the governments clashes with the Islamic State occurred, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in Britain.

Aaron David Miller, a Middle East analyst at the Wilson Center, said the episode was certain to make an already complex situation more byzantine.

He said the strikes would feed conspiracy theories that Washington is in league with ISIS, as well as create a pretext for Mr. Assad to avoid his commitments under the cease-fire deal. Mr. Miller added that the episode would create opportunities for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to blast the U.S. on the eve of the U.N. General Assembly, the global meeting in New York starting this week.

Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, accused Russia of pulling a stunt by calling for an emergency Security Council meeting over the episode.
Trump claimed in a 2011 interview with Sean Hannity that President Obama was born Barry Soetoro, somewhere along the line, he changed his name. Soetoro is the surname of Obamas mothers second husband, who she married when Obama was a young boy.

But Trump didnt stop there. He strung together more conspiracy theories, including coming back to his obvious envy of the success and quality of Obamas first book:

I heard he had terrible marks and he ends up in Harvard. He wrote a book that was better than Ernest Hemingway, but his second book was written by an average person. He shouldnt have written the second book.

Speaking of college, Trump has insinuated that Obama never attended Columbia University. In 2011, Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference that our current president came out of nowhere and In fact, Ill go a step further: The people that went to school with him, they never saw him, they dont know who he is. Its crazy.

The fact-checking site PolitiFact rated this lie Pants on Fire.

He once suggested to Fox Newss Bill OReilly that maybe Obama hadnt produced a birth certificate because it could reveal that hes a secret Muslim. He said:

People have birth certificates. He doesnt have a birth certificate. He may have one but theres something on that, maybe religion, maybe it says he is a Muslim. I dont know. Maybe he doesnt want that.

Indeed, the list of conspiracy theories Trump has floated about President Obama is long, but Obama has not been the only target. Trump has also entertained the suspicion that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was murdered, just as he suggests Vince Foster was. He has also intimated that Ted Cruzs father was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

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This is what Trump does: He exalts gossip and innuendo, which has the direct and opposite effect of degrading truth and honesty. He finds a lie in which the depraved have faith and he lifts it up as if its a secret that their opponents fear.
The U.S. Justice Department has sided squarely with the Anaheim Police Department in an ongoing civil liberties legal battle over clandestine cellphone-tracking technology that is increasingly being deployed by law enforcement agencies.

Federal prosecutors argue in a recent court filing that police in Orange Countys largest city properly withheld key details about the equipment from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. The group has sought public release of records on the devices in an 18-month-long case pending in Superior Court.

At issue are extensive redactions made last year to a batch of documents provided to the ACLU. Those records involve devices, initially developed for intelligence agencies, that imitate cellphone towers and can trick mobile phones into connecting to them instead of to the towers.

Law enforcement authorities say the technology  commonly called stingrays, a nod to StingRay, a device manufactured by the Harris Corp.  has played an essential role in tracking potential terrorists and investigating major crimes such as homicides and grand theft.

Critics say the technology can be extremely invasive and potentially abused by police. The devices are capable of sweeping up data from thousands of unwitting cellphone users who have no ties to investigations, privacy and civil liberties advocates say.

Anaheim police and the Justice Department say Anaheims tracker cannot intercept the content of calls or texts.

Use of the devices have has become more controversial as local law enforcement agencies have acquired and begun using the equipment, often without prior public discussion and authorization from elected officials.

In their court filing, Justice Department attorneys warned that releasing even minor details of the confidential, highly sensitive information sought by the ACLU will jeopardize, if not vitiate law enforcements ability to locate criminals and terrorists, and to rescue victims.

The ACLU countered in its legal response that the federal governments argument mischaracterizes the information at issue in order to exaggerate the consequences of disclosure.

The Justice Department has a keen interest in the precedent the Anaheim case could set. Local law enforcement agencies seeking the surveillance equipment must sign a nondisclosure agreement with the FBI, the investigative branch of the Justice Department.

Among other things, the agreement requires Anaheim police to alert the Bureau anytime police receive requests for such information about the devices to allow sufficient time for the FBI to seek to prevent disclosure through appropriate channels, records show. The city of Anaheim has acknowledged it followed that procedure in the ACLU case.

The secrecy around stingrays is in part imposed by the FBI, said Peter Bibring, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California.

The ACLU initially requested information about the intercept devices in July 2014 under a California open-government law. The group sued in March 2015, alleging the Anaheim Police Department violated the law by failing to release documents.

After first denying they had responsive documents, Anaheim officials ultimately provided the ACLU 500-plus pages of records over several months.

The records showed that the department has had the devices since at least 2009 and that Anaheim serves as Orange Countys lead agency in deploying the secret technology.

The Register has reported that at least three other law enforcement agencies in the county have been beneficiaries of Anaheims stingray technology.

As Orange Countys largest city and one of the worlds most visited places, we strive to balance security and openness, said Anaheim city spokesman Mike Lyster said in a prepared statement.

We believe we have done so in this case by providing hundreds of pages of documents with select redactions in the interest of keeping sensitive information from those who may want to (do) harm to our residents, businesses and visitors, Lyster added.

ACLU officials have pressed for more public disclosure, saying records released thus far were improperly redacted and omitted a key four-page document used to obtain judicial authorization to deploy the cell-sweeping equipment.

The civil liberties group wants Superior Court Judge David Chaffee to compel Anaheim police to produce unaltered or less heavily redacted versions of the records previously released and a copy of the authorization template.

Chaffee is expected to rule on the matter next month.

The authorization template is vital because it would show precisely what Anaheim police have been telling judges before deploying the stingray equipment, said Adam Schwartz, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital-privacy rights group in San Francisco.

To date, such documents have been treated as a closely held secret, Schwartz said.

Anaheim city officials acknowledge that a judicial authorization template exists.

In a declaration filed in the ACLU case, an Anaheim officer said he regularly used the template to obtain information that could be used in conjunction with CCS (cell-site simulator) equipment when he was with the departments crime task force and high-tech unit.

He says said the form does not expressly address the use of stingray devices and was intended to compel cellular-service carriers to either provide details about a specific cellphone account or make changes to an account in a way that would help with an investigation.

Anaheim officials argue that the template document is not responsive to the ACLUs records request and relates to confidential law-enforcement techniques, revealing intimate details of the Departments cellular tracking practices and procedures, court records show.

City officials also point to their nondisclosure agreement with the FBI.

The ACLU responded that California courts have repeatedly held that the government cannot contract away the publics constitutional right to obtain records under the state public records act.

Schwartz, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, agrees.

The publics constitutional right to privacy trumps a law enforcement contract involving equipment made by a for-profit company, he said.

It should be a no-brainer, Schwartz said.

Contact the writer: lleung@ocregister.com
A few years ago, the attorneys who work for the California Association of Realtors rolled out some new forms to complement a bevy of changes to the new and improved Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA).

One of these new forms is called the Notice to Buyer to Perform.

Sounds pretty serious, right? It is very serious, and in my opinion, needs to be used as it was designed to be used. Let me elucidate.

The RPA has a number of dates associated with the performance of certain steps. All of these are triggered by whats referred to as the Date of Acceptance, which is the date that the contract  including all counter offers  is actually agreed to by the buyers and the sellers.

The most significant of these dates is the removal of the buyers contingencies.

Once a purchase contract has been fully executed and the clock is ticking, the default dates in the RPA stipulate that the buyers inspection and appraisal contingencies be removed within 17 days of acceptance and the loan approval contingency be removed within 21 days of acceptance.

The removal of all the buyers contingencies renders the buyers initial deposit forfeited should the buyers then decide to cancel.

With me so far?

So what do the sellers do during the 17 and 21 days the buyers have to remove their contingencies?

Wait. And hope.

Some sellers pray. Some agents pray with their sellers.

Savvy seller agents get their Notice to Buyer to Perform (NBP) forms ready to send on the exact day they are eligible to be sent. The Realtor association attorneys stipulate in the RPA that these forms to be sent two days before the buyers are required to remove their contingencies.

So why arent they used in every single real estate transaction?

It feels heavy handed. The NBP gives the seller the option to cancel the contract if the contingency is not removed on time. It might scare some buyers into cancelling the contact to avoid the forfeiture of their deposit money, if for any reason they need a little more time to get their ducks in a row.

Most sellers want to hang on to the buyers theyve agreed to work with and finish the transaction. Especially when its a buyers market and they know they are the only motivated buyers the sellers currently have.

However, in those halcyon days where sellers receive multiple offers initially, agree to hold one or two as back up offers, the buyers are in a different position. One missed date, coupled with the receipt of a NBP, and they may next receive a Cancellation of Contract from the sellers.

Sending the buyers an NBP is crucial to the sellers success in hanging on to the best deal going. Without the NBP, cancellation is difficult and can take weeks, during which time the other back up buyers may disappear and leave the seller with nothing.

And just so you know, if the buyers are likely to slip their contractually obligated dates for whatever reason, those sharp Realtor association attorneys also invented the Extension of Time form, of which I am also a huge advocate. More on that later.

Leslie Sargent Eskildsen is an Orange County real estate agent. She can be reached at 949-678-3373 or leslie@leslieeskildsen.com. Her website is leslieeskildsen.com.
A dental clinic in Anaheim that on Thursday was ordered by the Orange County Health Care Agency to stop using water for procedures after 10 children were hospitalized following treatment there has said it is cooperating with health officials and is reaching out to families of patients who received the procedures over the past four months.

All 10 children had undergone pulpotomies, or baby tooth root canals, between May and September. In all, about 500 patients underwent the procedure during that period.

The agency said its lab confirmed that multiple samples taken from the dental offices water system have tested positive for mycobacteria similar to the kind believed to have sickened the children.

A statement released Friday by Childrens Dental Group Chief Executive Sam Gruenbaum said the problem was confined to the chains clinic at 2156 E. Lincoln Ave. The clinics administrators are asking that all patients who underwent pulpotomies since May, even if they have no symptoms, come in for X-rays and an examination.

Weve been calling the families and we have sent out letters, the statement said. This will continue until we reach everyone possible. Most patients have already come in and many are scheduled.

The clinic also continues to work with the countys health agency in testing its water and irrigation systems. The testing has revealed problems with the water, and a plan to replace the water system is underway in consultation with several experts, technicians and vendors, the statement said.

Once that plan is complete, the clinic will submit it to the agency for approval and implement it as soon as possible, the statement said. Until it does, the clinic will not provide any dental work and will be limited to X-rays and examinations, which dont require the use of water.

Dr. Eric Handler, the countys health officer, said Friday that the clinic cannot perform any dental procedures that involve water until its internal water-processing system is replaced.

They are fully cooperating with us, he said.

Health officials have said there are no concerns about the safety of tap water in the city of Anaheim or other locations outside this particular dental office.

A spokesman for Childrens Hospital of Orange County, where all the affected children were taken, said Friday that several children were still being evaluated. No updates were available regarding the number of affected kids.

Handler said anyone who had a pulpotomy at the clinic between May and September should watch for infection symptoms, including swelling in the neck or a fever.

This type of infection is rare, Handler said, adding that a similar outbreak occurred at a dental clinic in Georgia in 2015.

According to a CBS 46 news report, the outbreak in Georgia, which affected more than a dozen children, occurred in late September 2015 at the Dentistry for Children of Jonesboro.

That clinic had to shut down for eight days to install filtration systems recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and replace the plumbing and medical tubing.

The Orange County Health Care Agency has more information on its website, ochealthinfo.com/dentaloutbreak.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com
A Long Beach company is betting shoppers will have enough curiosity over ice cream flavors that theyll take a chance on a product that makes it easier for people to concoct their own desserts.

The Curious Creamery is New Direction Foods first foray into retail; it has been on store shelves since May, Chief Executive Jareer Abu-Ali said. The ice cream product is sold at BevMo shops in California, Washington and Arizona that agreed to carry the product.

Why BevMo, a store replete with booze and mixers?

Our push is that our product is all about freedom, and that includes alcoholic ice cream, said Ron Tan, the companys vice president of business development.

That freedom, however, is also tied to the startups biggest obstacle. Of the companys two products, ice cream mix and ice cream cake mix, the former is designed as a flavorless powder. That means consumers can add any flavor they want  be it berries or bourbon  but have to put forth some effort to produce something that typically comes packaged as a finished product.

Ice cream has been done the same way for so long, Abu-Ali said.

HOW IT WORKS

A customer who buys Curious Creamerys ice cream mix gets a tub-shaped package that looks like a standard container of ice cream. Inside are two packages of powdered mix and directions.

Each package provides enough powder for one batch of ice cream; its up to the buyer to decide what to blend with the powder.

Someone going for a more traditional ice cream flavor might choose cream or pureed fruit.

The manufacturers recommendations call for using ice-cold liquids in the combination; coffee or alcoholic beverages are also possibilities. Beer can be mixed in as is, but directions suggest anyone using wine or hard liquor add water to cut the alcohol content to about 6 percent.

The buyer stirs the powder mix and ingredients of choice using a power mixer, then leaves it to freeze for four to six hours.

Abu-Ali and Tan said their proprietary mix enables consumers to make ice cream that has more nuanced flavors than store-bought versions.

You can take a coffee from Peru and you can take a coffee from Sumatra, Tan said. You can make an ice cream out of them, and you can taste the differences.

HOW THE FOUNDERS WORK

Abu-Ali has spent more than a decade working in various positions in what some would call the world of big food.

That part of his career ended, however, after he filed what he called a whistleblower case against Pinnacle Foods, the New Jersey company with brands that include Vlasic, Duncan Hines and Mrs. Butterworth.

Abu-Ali alleged in his lawsuit that Pinnacle fired him for raising objections to his former employers handling of pickle products, a Law 360 article published in January 2013 reported. Abu-Alis filing alleged Pinnacle Foods fired him for trying to call attention to such problems as pickles being kept in storage beyond the time when the products could have been used for food, the article stated.

Abu-Alis attorney, Damian Christian Shammas, said a New Jersey judge dismissed the case in Pinnacles favor in late 2015. He is appealing that decision. Pinnacle said in a statement that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

Whatever the outcome, Abu-Ali said his decision to go to court ended his career in the established food industry.

People that used to know you dont know you anymore, he said.

Its a huge industry, but its very incestuous.

After leaving New Jersey, Abu-Ali joined his wife in Thailand, where they established a consultancy called ASEAN-American Industrial Food Consulting Center at Naresuan University.

Thailand is also where Abu-Ali met Tan, who grew up in Long Beach and also worked in the food industry. At the time they met, Tan was involved in exporting products from Southeast Asia. The pair bonded over experimental juice blends before deciding to open an ice cream business in Southern California.

For now, New Direction Foods business offices are in Bixby Knolls, and the product is manufactured in Commerce. The company is looking for more spacious offices.

New Direction Foods has raised some $3 million from investors backing its ice cream venture, Abu-Ali said. He aspires to start similar companies, including one selling whole-food ice cream  or premanufactured ice cream with a high percentage of natural ingredients.

Besides BevMo, New Direction Foods also has deals to sell Curious Creamery products in Wal-Mart stores, and Ralphs spokeswoman Kendra Doyel said in an email that most Ralphs groceries are likely to carry the products in October.

Though Abu-Alis days with big food companies are over, he wouldnt be surprised if New Direction Foods takes off, influencing larger manufacturers.

If this company is successful, I think youre going to see the big guys produce this kind of product, he said.
The cost of diapers has become a political issue in California.

Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a series of bills that included eliminating the sales tax on disposable diaper purchases  which could have saved families an estimated $100 a year. Brown cited concern about eliminating revenue from a precariously balanced state budget.

A second bill Brown is considering would provide a monthly $50 stipend to parents in the CalWORKS welfare program for the purchase of diapers. If approved, the state benefit would be the first of its kind in the nation.

Helping bridge a little bit of the affordability gap for some Orange County families are two diaper banks that distribute free or low-cost diapers.

One of those diaper banks, Clear Charity in Orange, will be the focus of a charity event later this month at The District at Tustin Legacy.

Participating merchants at the Tustin shopping center will help boost Clear Charitys stockpile of diapers by offering on Sept. 29 discounts on purchases and gift items to shoppers in exchange for donations of packaged disposable diapers.

Shop for Charity will run 5 to 8 p.m. and will include a free reception for shoppers, featuring light food and wine.

Shoppers are asked to drop off a dozen or more diapers at collection boxes. A list of participating retailers and other information can be found under the Events & Promotions section of the shopping centers website, thedistricttl.com.

Vendors at the shopping center have begun making their own donations, said Edie Trott, marketing director for The District at Tustin Legacy. Diapers are starting to roll into our office now.

Founded in 2014, Clear Charity began providing diapers to low-income families in May by offering up to 50 percent off wholesale prices or 50 diapers free per month, depending on income.

Clear Charity is run by husband-and-wife team Jae and Dana Perez-Kim and has distributed more than 6,000 diapers to families, Jae Perez-Kim said.

Diapers can be expensive: The national average is 26 cents per diaper, with some parents paying up to 50 cents per diaper at convenience stores, Jae Perez-Kim said.

The diapers from Clear Charity can cost as low as 7 cents each, he said.

Clear Charitys mission is to broaden assistance to families whose incomes arent low enough to qualify for government assistance, but which still struggle to meet Orange Countys high cost of living.

We want to be able to help families making $40,000 in Orange County, Perez-Kim said as an example. That doesnt go anywhere in Orange County.

The charity also has helped provide diapers to refugee families in Orange County assisted by the Tiyya Foundation.

Clear Charity distributes Cuties Economy Plus Packs, from newborn to size 6, provided through the Community Diaper Program offered by online shopping discounter Jet.com and its JetCares.

Jet.com has a partnership with the Cuties brand, part of a national campaign the White House launched in March to help offset the high cost of disposable diapers for low-income families.

Diapers are available for pick up from Clear Charity from noon to 4 p.m. every Tuesday at 438 E. Katella Ave., Suite 216, Orange. For more information on the diaper program, go to clearcharity.org.

The other diaper bank program in Orange County is a partnership between OC Food Bank and HomeAid Orange County, which distributes diapers to charitable agencies and groups that operate shelters and serve families in need with children.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com or on Twitter @TellTheresa
SACRAMENTO  Federal prosecutors are taking the rare step of announcing they will seek no further charges after convicting the father of a congressman of illegally funneling nearly $270,000 in contributions to his sons campaigns.

The announcement by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Sacramento is good news for Democratic U.S. Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove.

He was not charged and has denied knowing about his fathers activities. Prosecutors said they have found no evidence that he was involved, but until Friday had said their investigation was continuing.

He is facing a tough re-election campaign against Republican Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones.

Eighty-three-year-old Babulal Bera of La Palma was sentenced last month to a year and a day in federal prison and fined $100,000 for violating federal election laws.
The funny thing about diplomacy is that its usually wise to pursue it when its fruitless. Whether youre aiming to stall, look good or feel out your negotiating partners weak points and red lines, theres plenty to accomplish even when a formal agreement is out of reach  or undesirable. So the Obama administration doesnt merit reflexive criticism over its protracted talks with Russia over the latticework of proxy wars roiling Syria. But when diplomacy is a messy cleanup effort in response to a sequence of foreign policy failures, the results are apt to reflect it. And the administrations fresh deal with Moscow on the Syrian battlefield should call forth a serious round of renewed skepticism.

To begin with, the agreement, which applies U.S. and Russian force to jihadist groups while ceasing broader hostilities and opening civilians to humanitarian aid, demonstrates just how shortsighted the administrations goals have become. Although the outsized Russian military presence in Syria is itself a policy failure that needs to be mitigated, Russia isnt exactly the root cause behind the rest of Americas struggles. The other key players making a mockery of U.S. goals  Iran, its proxies and Turkey, our authoritarian NATO ally  have powerful agendas of their own that theyll keep right on pursuing no matter how Russia figures into the equation. Hezbollah, especially, has gotten off scot-free. Unlike ISIS and Syrias al-Qaida affiliates, that terrorist organization wont be targeted by the joint military push promised by the deal. But because the White House is scrambling to compensate for the costs of its weak and reactive posture toward adversarial Russian moves worldwide, it hasnt made the decisive players in Syria a priority.

Thats not to say that Russias influence hasnt been a painful game changer in at least one important instance. Moscow insists that its sustained backing for the Assad regime, which the U.S. maintains must be replaced, has more to do with the threat of state failure in its absence than with its own selfish calculations of national interest. But last spring, when Syrian opposition leaders came together with key representatives of the Syrian military and the Assad regime to form a national unity government in waiting, Russia failed to back the effort, focusing instead on side negotiations that contributed to the nascent transition groups dissolution. U.S. negotiators have good reason to believe that their Russian counterparts are the only combatants on Assads side who could tolerate his phase-out from power. But recent history does not suggest that Russia wishes to pursue that course of action in good faith. They have put forth no proposal that takes the Syrian rebels seriously as a partner in a new post-war regime, and, at a critical moment, they withheld support for the countrys best chance at beginning to leave the bloody Assad era behind.

To make matters worse, the administrations new deal is all but unenforceable and has, in fact, already been grievously violated. Beleaguered rebels in Aleppo reported that regime troops have once again dropped barrel bombs on the city and were fighting to cut off humanitarian aid. The regime launched its own allegations against the rebels. But because the deal lacks any enforcement mechanism, Assads forces are free to dominate the air war without consequence  and, despite being reduced to a shadow of their former strength, to thereby dominate rebel forces.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who has worked hardest on the U.S. side and has the most at stake as a negotiator, has done his level best to insist that such violations are little more than speed bumps on the path toward a manageable peace. Unfortunately, the fog of war tolerated by the agreement has produced a cloudy haze within the deal itself. As the Washington Post recently reported, Kerry had to walk back his embarrassing claim that U.S.-Russian cooperation would go so far as to include joint approval for the very kinds of airstrikes that the Assad regime has used to flout the deal. To clarify, the State Department had to note in a statement, the arrangement announced last week makes no provision whatsoever for the U.S. and Russia to approve strikes by the Syrian regime, and this is not something we could ever envision doing. Putin must not have known whether to laugh or shake his head. Perhaps he did both.

The time has long since passed to secure U.S. national interests around Syria in an ideal fashion. At least the Obama administration recognizes that it is too late to fully achieve what should have been Americas goals in the country and the surrounding region. That is little excuse, however, for trudging down the humbling road of agreements made and broken without any firmer policy unfolding along another vector of power. American efforts against ISIS and the regions al-Qaida offshoots are better than nothing, but they are still inadequate, constrained not only by the pro-Assad coalition in Syria but also by the geopolitical rats nest in Iraq, where Iran is also making great gains. It is hard to resist the impression that the administration has been reduced to running out the clock on its time in office. Thanks, in part  but only in part  to Russia, President Obama has managed to hand off to his successor just the sort of sprawling, open-ended war he was elected to end.

James Poulos is a columnist for the Southern California News Group.
SONOMA  Ryan Hunter-Reay said this week has been a full range of emotions with the birth of his third son only hours before his father-in-law was found dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

The former Indianapolis 500 winner is married to Beccy Gordon, and the couple welcomed son, Rhodes Maverick Hunter-Reay, on Wednesday. Not long after, they learned former racer Baja Bob Gordon had been found dead alongside his wife in their Orange home.

Police said Bob Gordon died of a gunshot wound and Sharon Gordon was strangled.

Hunter-Reay said the Gordon family wanted him to proceed to Sonoma Raceway, where IndyCar concludes its season Sunday. Robby Gordon, meanwhile, went ahead with his stadium super trucks event in Costa Mesa this weekend.

Said Hunter-Reay: This is all around a family of racers. This is what makes our blood flow.

Orange Police, in the meantime, on Friday said there was no new information on the status of the investigation into the deaths of Bob and Sharon Gordon.

The Orange County Register contributed to this report.
Almost 9,000 people in Riverside County are listed as gang members in a database used by law enforcement  and its likely that not all of them are aware.

Under state law, information in the CalGang database is visible only to law enforcement officers, who use it as an investigative tool and intelligence index. Someone does not have to be convicted of a crime or be contacted by police to be entered into the system.

That leads critics to see the database as a secretive surveillance system that obviously has to be reformed  even as its supporters say it helps police monitor and stop gang activity, so obviously its a benefit.

In an effort to make CalGang more transparent and accurate, Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, introduced a bill in March that would require law enforcement agencies to notify people who are added to the list. Adults are not notified, but a 2014 law required that parents of juveniles be told when theyre entered.

Webers bill, AB2298, also includes provisions related to privacy and accuracy and would make it easier for names to be removed. The bill has passed the state Senate and the Assembly and is awaiting Gov. Jerry Browns signature.

After the bill was introduced, the California state auditor published a report on the CalGang database, concluding it has inadequate oversight and that its data is not collected and maintained in a manner that preserves individuals privacy rights.

Weber said having ones name on the list could lead to more serious consequences, such as adding years to sentences of people convicted of non-gang-related crimes. Though CalGang information is not supposed to be used for any purposes unrelated to law enforcement, the auditors report found that it was used in some employment screenings and military-related screenings.

Sgt. Adam LeVesque, who works in the Riverside Police Departments Gang Intelligence Unit, said the purpose of the database is not to collect vast amounts of information on people, but to lead police to crime suspects.

I think if the public were able to see how we use this information, they would feel more comfortable with us collecting it and more secure knowing this type of information leads to us taking violent criminals off the street on a routine basis, LeVesque said.

Weber said in a phone interview that the database, developed in 1997, needs to be used for the purpose it was designed for.

Im saying that the database obviously has to be reformed, and there has to be some verification of what is used, she said.

GETTING ON, OFF LIST

A person could be listed in the CalGang database as either a gang member or an affiliate  someone known to associate with active gang members and whom a law enforcement officer reasonably suspects may be involved in criminal activity or enterprise, according to the state auditors report.

The criteria for a name to be added are described in the report as broad. If the person doesnt say during a custody interview that they are in a gang, two other criteria must be met. Those include having gang tattoos, frequenting gang areas, wearing gang dress and being identified as a gang member by an informant  who could be either credible or untested.

CalGang policy calls for peoples names to be taken off the list within five years unless their information is updated. But the auditors report found several instances in which agencies did not purge names in that time frame, due in part to inadequate oversight.

If Webers bill becomes law, people will be removed from the database if they have not been convicted of a gang-related crime within three years of being added, and an appeal process will be established.

The bill calls for CalGang and similar databases to comply with federal requirements regarding privacy and accuracy of information and for law enforcement agencies to submit annual reports on the databases. Those reports will be made public.

WHOS ON THE LIST

Each California county maintains its own regional node of the database and is required to compile demographic reports of gang members in its node.

Through a California Public Records Act request, The Press-Enterprise acquired Riverside Countys demographic report in April, which showed that 8,955 people were considered gang members.

Data provided by the Riverside County District Attorneys Office showed that more names are being removed from the list than added:

 Between Jan. 1, 2011, and April 5, 2016, 7,739 names were added to the list and 12,487 were removed.

 From Dec. 31, 2015, to April 5, 2016, 307 names were added and 552 were removed.

The Press-Enterprise was denied a request for the last 100 names added to the list and their corresponding ZIP codes.

HOW CALGANG IS USED

California law enforcement officers who are trained to use the database can pull it up on a computer in their patrol cars.

According to a report compiled for the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, the goal is to improve the effectiveness of the regional law enforcement and criminal justice agencies through the efficient handling and exchange of criminal justice intelligence and investigative information on gangs and gang activity.

LeVesque said the database is an essential tool in gang-enforcement operations, helping police identify targets in their investigations, vehicles suspects drive or associates.

It provides the kind of leads that we could follow up on  sometimes within minutes, he said.

A classic example he gave of how the database is used would be if police receive a description of a person at large who was involved in a gang-related crime. Police can search the database for people with similar descriptions. If the suspect had identifiable tattoos or shouted the name of their gang, police can search for those things, too.

By being able to search for members of a gang and look for suspects that match a description, obviously its a benefit, LeVesque said.

On the other hand, Dave Maass, spokesman for Bay Area nonprofit digital civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation, sees the database as a means for police to spy on innocent people.

CalGang is so strange in that you can get added to it and associated to it and find yourself being pulled over more often, having a harder time with your interactions with police, because somebody at some point decided you need to be earmarked, Maass said.

NOTIFICATION

Lobbyist John Lovell, who represents the Riverside Sheriffs Association, which opposed Webers bill, said the database is well used by Riverside County sheriffs deputies.

Its a very reliable investigatory tool, Lovell said. I would analogize it to a lighthouse; you dont know how many ships it keeps from hitting the rocks but thats not a reason to tear the lighthouse down.

Lovell said notifying people whose names are added to the database could be problematic. Law enforcement may be forced to share sensitive information with gang members who appeal, he said; that could endanger informants or expose information about a larger investigation.

While Webers bill would require notifying people added to the list, it allows exceptions if doing so would compromise an active investigation.

RESTRUCTURING

The State Auditors Office recommended that the California Department of Justice oversee CalGang, providing an oversight structure that ensures that information is reliable and that users adhere to requirements that protect individuals rights.

Weber, who said her suspicions of the database intensified after reading the auditors report, said she hopes the bill will lead to more accountability. If not, she said, it may be time for CalGang to go.

If we cant get the transparency we need, it should be abolished, Weber said.

LeVesque, however, believes getting rid of CalGang would slow gang-enforcement operations.

Without it we are left to knocking on peoples doors and contacting people who may be too afraid to talk, LeVesque said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9284, atadayon@scng.com, @PE_alitadayon
With the increasing popularity of charter schools in California, special-interest opposition to them has grown, primarily among those most threatened by their success: the states powerful teachers unions.

With more than 1,200 charter schools in California and with an estimated 580,000 students attending charter schools in the 2015-16 school year, the state boasts more charter schools and charter school students than any other in the country. According to the California Charter Schools Association, approximately 158,000 students are on wait lists hoping to attend such schools.

Clearly, they are popular and there is public demand for them. Perhaps its the flexibility and accountability of the schools. Maybe its to avoid the poor performance of the typical public school, which protects some underperforming teachers with tenure and other rules. Whatever it is that attracts so many parents to charter schools, something about them is upsetting to the states teachers unions.

On August 31, the California Teachers Association announced it was launching the Kids Not Profits campaign. The stated goal of their efforts is to garner more accountability and transparency of California charter schools. But thats not all. The campaign further aims to expose the coordinated agenda by a group of billionaires to divert money from Californias neighborhood public schools to privately-managed charter schools. And that is where the misdirection, deception and political chicanery begin.

For those without expertise in the charter school movement, keep one thing in mind: Charter schools are public schools. They just approach teaching and kids learning differently than the neighborhood public schools that are overburdened by political limitations and bureaucracy, much of which has been perpetuated and sustained by union leaders.

The idea that billionaires are trying to enrich themselves by taking away money from local schools is not only false but an inflammatory scare tactic meant to denigrate the good work philanthropists are doing in charter schools to help repair the broken, status quo public school system that other special interests, like the unions, prefer.

The Kids Not Profits website tries to demonize these efforts by pointing out that charter school advocates spent over $11 million in the June 6 primary to influence state legislative races and school board elections, because they want private corporations to be able to profit from public education. Their claims are patently false and not grounded in fact.

Take, for example, one of the states  and nations  chief advocates for charter schools, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. In January, Hastings announced a $100 million fund to help improve access to quality education. He is giving money to schools  not trying to profit or take money from public education.

On the other hand, what CTA neglects to mention in its campaign is that it has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into political campaigns over the past couple of decades, including $4.2 million from January through the end of June this year via its Issues PAC, plus more than $1 million through the Association for Better Citizenship to influence local races. Then theres the nearly $1 million spent by the California Federation of Teachers to support candidates and ballot initiatives. And that doesnt take into account the millions they will spend on other political fights in November.

Its also important to understand how much profit the unions take out of California schools. In 2009 alone, the CTAs income was more than $186 million, all of it tax-exempt, according to an analysis of public records by Troy Senik, writing for City Journal. The income the union collects year after year comes directly from taxpayer-funded teachers paychecks. Imagine if that money could stay with good teachers or was spent directly in the classroom for students.

Theres nothing wrong with donating to political campaigns. What matters is whether the outcomes they seek are reasonable. Unfortunately, the outcomes desired by the teachers unions just happen to be a status quo where their interests are catered to, regardless of their effects on students. And thats why they are threatened by charter schools  because they lose revenue for their political agendas

In the past month, local unions like United Teachers Los Angeles, which is best remembered for threatening to strike in 2014 if its members didnt receive a 17.6 percent raise, have also gone on the offensive against the education reform community.

UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl announced in August that the union was launching an ad campaign carrying messages that billionaires should not be driving the public school agenda.

This is a major intervention in shaping the public narrative, Caputo-Pearl told members at the unions 2016 conference, which featured repeated attacks on charter schools and those who fund some of them.

The dishonest narrative the unions want to present is that they are the ones standing up against sinister billionaires who just want to make money. The problem is, it is just not true.

Never mind that teachers unions in California get more than their fair share of the multibillion-dollar education budget in the state, and have considerable leverage in how education funds are allocated and what policies govern public schools. They have had control of public education for a long time, so it is they, the union leaders, who should be held responsible for the deterioration of California public schools  a public school system where more than half the students lack proficiency in math and English. Its indefensible.

Attempting to shift the blame for shortcomings in our education system on reformers and charter school advocates is purely diversionary. It isnt charter school proponents who are undermining education. Nor is the current state of affairs the fault of the average teacher who works hard every day to educate the children of our state.

Behind the facade of kids not profits  and whatever public narrative unions are trying to spin  the unions goals are fundamentally about one thing, and that is political power. This is what thwarts progress in our education system. Instead of embracing innovation and progress to help students, the union bosses have chosen to stifle any form of competition and reform. Their latest campaign is just another sad and frustrating attempt to deceive the public and maintain political power.

Brian Calle is the opinion editor for the Southern California News Group and Sal Rodriguez is a staff columnist.
A 65-year-old Lodi man who was awaiting trial for the 1989 cold case killing of a transgender woman in Santa Ana has died in custody from stage four lung cancer, his attorney said Friday.

Douglas Gregory Gutridge had been charged with murder in connection to the death of 35-year-old Carla Salazar. He had been in custody since his arrest in December 2014 following an investigation by a newly created Orange County Cold Case Homicide Task Force.

His attorney, Kristine Adams, said Gutridge died at Anaheim Global Medical Center early Friday. He had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

Adams said she had been fighting in court to have Gutridge released to hospice care. Because he was in police custody, he was not allowed to speak to his family members in Lodi before his death, she said.

Salazar, a transgender woman who lived alone in her Santa Ana apartment, was found stabbed to death in June 1989. Gutridge, who was 37 at the time, contacted detectives after reading news accounts of the killing; he said he was the last person to see her alive.

The case went cold until 2008, when the Orange County Crime Lab discovered DNA of an unknown man on evidence collected by Santa Ana detectives, authorities said.

A DNA comparison a year later showed Gutridge was inside the apartment, police said. The evidence was not enough for an arrest.

The countys cold case task force focused on Salazars death for one of its first investigations.

Authorities allege evidence from heightened DNA technology showed Gutridge had placed his hands on Salazars body. Gutridge was taken into custody at his Lodi home, marking the first arrest for the task force.

Adams said she was preparing for a preliminary hearing in which she hoped to see Gutridge exonerated.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Larry Yellen said the case will now be dismissed.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com, 562-221-8798
Economist Milton Friedman said, and was proved right many times over, that nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program. The same could be said for temporary taxes. Theyre about as eternal as death.

Its actually a ghost we are considering here, though, tax hikes authorized by Proposition 30 in 2012 that were to die within a few years but will live on to haunt Californians if they are extended by Proposition 55 this fall.

Prop. 30 was approved by voters as a means to continue funding state schools without cuts. The initiative hiked sales taxes and bumped up income taxes  retroactively  on the states wealthiest residents, those making more than $250,000 a year. The new sales tax rate expires this year, the income tax increase at the end of 2018.

No tax hike, even a temporary one, is harmless. An analysis released last month by the Kersten Institute for Governance & Public Policy found that Prop. 30 had a significant and immediate chilling effect on California business activity. Small businesses, said David Kersten, were hit particularly hard.

As Kersten points out, the fallout from Prop. 30 began right away. The Central Valleys Daily Democrat reported in February 2013, just months after the tax hikes were passed, that the exodus of the wealthy had begun. Chris Plastiras, a realtor in the Lake Tahoe area, told the Democrat that due to Prop. 30, well-heeled Californians were buying fast and furious in Nevada, where there is no state income tax. He said hed never seen anything quite like this.

A year later, Lee Schneider, a California hedge fund salesman, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Prop. 30 was the deciding factor behind his move from Walnut Creek to Texas, another state with no income tax.

The Chronicle reported that Schneiders new neighborhood in Austin is full of cars with license plate frames from California dealerships, and told his story about a flight from Austin to Los Angeles shortly before Christmas, in which 11 of the 12 seats in the emergency row were occupied by people who had moved from California to Texas.

Schneider said that just before he left California he built a $2 million home at the foot of Mount Diablo, then took a loss on the sale. But, he told the Chronicle, I can make half of it back in one year of tax savings.

This is not only a ghost story, its a story of a broken promise. Gov. Jerry Brown, Prop. 30s most prominent supporter, told the people he was elected to serve that the tax hikes were going to be a short-term fix  just a little something to get by on, a plea befitting of a junkie.

But Sacramentos big spenders and their political allies just couldnt let that happen. Craving more, they hardly waited a year after Prop. 30s passage to begin looking for, and eventually finding, a back-door way to perpetuate the tax hike. Now its Prop. 55, and it sets up a replay, extending the tax hikes through 2030.

And, again, small businesses will get the states boot to their teeth. Kersten believes they will bear the brunt of the impact, as they did with Prop. 30. Their burden eventually will impact all Californians in terms of lost economic output and wages.

Dont do any California dreamin that this will be the last time Sacramento goes to the voters looking for a temporary tax hike. Voters should instead demand that lawmakers restore the conditions that made California a vibrant, dynamic state, where opportunity overflowed and an unlimited future seemed possible. That will require tax cuts, not tax hikes.

Kerry Jackson is a fellow at the Center for California Reform at the Pacific Research Institute.
SANTA ANA  One teen was killed and another was wounded Friday night in a suspected Santa Ana gang shooting, police said.

Around 9:30 p.m., officers responded to a shots-fired call in the 400 block of South Birch Street, Santa Ana police Sgt. Rosa Ponce de Leon said. Police found evidence of a shooting, but did not find any victims.

A short time later, officers were notified that two shooting victims were at Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, Ponce de Leon said.

One of the victims, a teenage boy, died around 10 p.m. and the other, also a teenage boy, was at the hospital with a gunshot wound to his lower abdomen, she said. His condition was not immediately known.

Police suspect that the shootings are gang-related. No motive or suspects have been identified late Friday night.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@scng.com
WASHINGTON  A U.S. airstrike this month killed a senior Islamic State militant who oversaw the groups information and propaganda activities, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The strike against Wael Adel Salman al-Fayad took place Sept. 7 around the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic States defacto capital, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. Cook described Fayad as one of ISILs most senior leaders who was minister of information and a member of the groups Shura Council. ISIL is an acronym for the Islamic State.

Cook said the Fayad had been a key figure in the Islamic States production of gory videos showing the mistreatment and slaughter of prisoners.

The online activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported the death of Fayad, also known as Abu Mohamed Furqan, earlier in the day on Twitter. The group said that Fayad had led the Islamic States sophisticated online and social media operations, which have helped promote the militants message and attract follows from North Africa to the former Soviet Union.

The news of Fayads death comes several days after the Pentagon said it had confirmed that Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the Islamic State spokesman, died in a U.S. strike in August. According to Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, Fayad had been designated for selecting someone to replace Adnani, who died just a week before Fayad.

As the Obama administration targets Islamic State leaders from the air, the U.S. military is hoping to accelerate the ground campaign against the group in both Syria and Iraq. U.S. Special Operations troops are now on the ground in Syria supporting partner forces battling the Islamic State.
MIAMI  Donald Trump made his usual sarcastic call Friday for Hillary Clintons Secret Service agents to be stripped of their firearms  and then added, lets see what happens to her.

Trump has long incorrectly suggested his Democratic opponent wants to overturn the Second Amendment and take away Americans right to own guns. At a rally in Miami, he again riffed about confiscating the agents guns and then went further.

I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right? Trump asked the crowd. Take their guns away, she doesnt want guns. Take their  and lets see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK, it would be very dangerous.

Trumps meaning was not immediately clear and a campaign spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for an elaboration. A spokeswoman for the Secret Service also declined to comment.

But the seemingly ominous comment evoked a remark Trump made last month that many Democrats condemned as a call for Clintons assassination. Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, the Republican nominee erroneously said his opponent wants to abolish, essentially, the Second Amendment.

He continued: By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I dont know.

Within minutes, the Clinton campaign condemned the remark. Robby Mook, her campaign manager, said, A person seeking to be the president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way.

Trump later disputed that criticism, saying everyone in his audience knew he was referring to the power of voters and there can be no other interpretation.

Trump, who has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, eventually took to Twitter to say the Secret Service had not contacted him about the remarks.

The comments Friday in Miami came hours after Trump finally reversed his long-held position that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Appearing in Washington, he said Obama was born in the United States but then incorrectly suggested that the Clinton campaign had started the conspiracy theory.

While campaigning in South Florida, which has a large Cuban-American population, Trump also said that if hes elected president, he will reverse Obamas efforts to normalize relations with Cuba  unless the country abides by certain demands. Among those, he said, would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of all political prisoners.

Trump says hell stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression.

The comment marks yet another reversal for the GOP candidate, who previously said he supported the idea of normalized relations, but wished the U.S. had negotiated a better deal.

Trump also said the U.S. has a broader obligation to stand with oppressed people  a comment that seems at odds with his America first mantra. The next president of the United States must stand in solidarity with all people oppressed in our hemisphere, and we will stand with oppressed people, and there are many, he said.

He added that the people of Venezuela are yearning to be free, they are yearning for help. The system is bad. But the people are great.

Trump has often cited the country as a model of a failed state, warning that if Clinton is elected, shell turn the U.S. into Venezuela.

Jill Colvin contributed reporting from Washington
FRESNO  A former convict charged with the attempted murder of two jail officers in California has pleaded not guilty.

The Fresno Bee reports that Thong Vang stood in a yellow jail jumpsuit at Thursdays arraignment.

Authorities say Vang shot the unarmed officers Saturday when they approached him after he cut to the front of the visitors line at the downtown Fresno jail.

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said an officer shot in the face might leave the hospital soon. She said the other officer, who was shot in the head, remains in very critical condition.

Vangs court-appointed attorney, Antonio Alvarez, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the public should withhold judgment until more is known.

Vang was released from prison in 2014 after serving 16 years for raping three girls.
Iyanna Persely shook the plastic colander in her hands, allowing the sand to drop back to the ground but leaving behind a pile of trash that she added to the rest of the junk she found on Saturday morning.

The 14-year-olds father Rodney Persely woke the family up at 5:30 a.m. so they could drive from their home in Cabazon in Riverside County to spend the morning at the beach  not to take the waves or relax on the sand, but to be a part of the worlds largest coastal clean up effort.

We want to do something good for the environment. We do it every year, said Rodney Persely, one of dozens of volunteers from the company Nestle Waters who showed up at Huntington State Beach Saturday for California Coastal Cleanup Day.

Now in its 32nd year, the event coincides with International Coastal Cleanup Day. An estimated 800,000 people worldwide help pick up about 18 million pounds of trash each year on the same day.

Eban Schwartz, spokesperson for the California Coastal Commission said with about 50 percent of the tallies in, there were about 37,360 volunteers statewide who picked up about 324,260 pounds of trash. Final figures likely will double those amounts.

Among the findings were a few oddities, including a backpack filled with dead crabs discovered in San Mateo County and a letter from a soldier to his mother dated 1941 in Solano County.

In Orange County, with figures still coming in by mid-afternoon, there were about 5,562 volunteers around the county who picked up 38,361 pounds of trash.

Erin Carptenter, of Rialto, was one of the helpers at Huntington State Beach, combing the fire pit areas, finding little pieces of trash scattered about.

People just toss it and dont pay attention, (as if) Oh well, it will just burn, he said.

Costa Mesa volunteer Denisa Martins wasnt having much luck finding trash  and that was a good thing.

Its our backyard, so we try to keep it the way it is, she said.

Julia Williams, cleanup director for Orange County Coastkeeper, was glad to see such a large turnout.

In the morning, she was helping to set up the first beach clean up after party, called the Trash Free OC Jamboree. On display was a 6-foot tall art sculpture made from recycled materials created by Brandon Bollinger, a Yorba Linda teen who spent a year making the underwater scene for his church. Bottles and plastic bags were turned into sea creatures, and straws made for perfect little lobster legs.

This is the coolest thing Ive ever seen, this is crazy, Williams said.

She said the hope for the after party is to take what people learn during the clean up and continue their education. Stations were set up where people obtained stickers, and if they hit all the stations theyd be entered into a raffle to win prizes.

At the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, a few dozen students from Rancho Verde High School near Moreno Valley spent the morning helping out.

Oscar Zaradoza, a 16-year-old from Perris, found beer bottles, card board and a handful of sharp skewer sticks, a lot of cigarette butts, and some socks.

I think its terrible, my mom always taught me when you go to a place you should leave it the same or even better, he said.

Last year, they found a dead raccoon on the beach. This year, their big find was a crumpled boogie board.

You would think somebody would just pick it up or throw it away, said teacher Pam Rybzinski.

The teachers who joined the students said it was uplifting to watch them.

They made the choice to do it on their own. They started doing it a few years ago and now they kept it going, said Adam Vincent, a chemistry and physics teacher. All we have to do is chaperone. But they are already showing awareness and taking time out of their Saturday. Its not something we require for a grade or anything, they just do it for fun.

Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com
The whistleblower won his job back thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court  a rare victory, and a vindication. But what does winning mean when you actually show up at work?

For improperly fired air marshal Robert MacLean, it meant six months in a far-flung office with no colleagues and no duties. It meant complaints filed with various governmental agencies over continued retaliation. And, as of last month, it meant finally being sprung from near-solitary confinement and assigned to the Transportation Security Administrations VIPER team in Washington D.C.

Thats Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response to you and me. Its mission is counterterrorism, and it patrols aviation, rail and marine facilities nationwide.

Im actually doing police work, said MacLean, formerly of Ladera Ranch, who was blackballed from law enforcement after the TSA fired him for disclosing information that embarrassed the agency.

Last time I did foot patrol was back when I was in the Border Patrol, right before 9/11, MacLean said. I didnt join law enforcement expecting to be on foot patrol at this stage of my career  but anythings better than that solitary confinement. Its one of the worst things you can do to a person, to place them in an empty room doing nothing.

But all is not quite well. The reunion between employer and employee has been arduous, at best, with MacLean making fresh reports about potential threats to passenger safety aboard aircraft, a security clearance stuck in suspended animation and continued conflict over precisely how much back pay he should get.

Theyre not giving up on getting rid of him, said MacLeans attorney, Tom Devine, legal director for the Government Accountability Project in Washington, D.C.

The TSA declined comment, saying it does not comment on matters involving current or pending litigation.

SENSITIVE SECURITY INFORMATION

MacLeans saga began in 2003, when he received an alarming emergency alert from the Department of Homeland Security, TSAs parent agency, detailing a more ambitious, broader-scale version of the 9/11 plot, according to court briefs.

Within 48 hours, he got an unencrypted text message from the TSA scrapping all overnight missions to save money on hotel rooms.

That, MacLean thought, was crazy. He protested up the food chain, got nowhere, and finally shared the information with a reporter from MSNBC. Fallout was fast and furious: Lawmakers decried the cost-cutting idea as foolish, officials backtracked, and overnight missions continued as usual.

Three years later, during a conflict over the outdated formal dress code for air marshals, MacLeans bosses discovered that he was the source of the embarrassing hotel leak. The message he shared in 2003 was retroactively stamped sensitive security information, and MacLean was fired.

He fought in court for years, seeking whistleblower protection, but lost at most every turn. His reputation was battered, his law enforcement career shattered, his finances destroyed. But in January 2015, the Supreme Court said the Whistleblower Protection Act was intended to protect employees like him, who were trying to protect the public  and MacLean got his job back.

MacLean has become a celebrity in whistleblower protection circles and a poster boy for their causes. He will get the Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage later this month, which recognizes individuals who, with integrity and at some personal risk, take a public stance to advance truth and justice, and who challenged prevailing conditions in pursuit of the common good.

RED X

Despite the fact that MacLeans case, and face, have been all over the news  making him perhaps the best-recognized undercover agent in the federal government  the TSA put him back on flights as a covert air marshal.

He flew missions for nearly three months before the TSA assigned him to fly Middle Eastern routes. Attorney Devine likened it to putting a red X on every flight MacLean is assigned to. Its a risk not only to him, but to the passengers on those planes.

MacLean filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in February, and the TSA pulled him from flights and assigned him to a deserted office in Chantilly, Va. The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform blasted the TSA over MacLeans treatment in May, and the new ground-based assignment came last month.

There are still outstanding issues, however. The biggest one may be MacLeans security clearance. He has been working on an interim clearance while the agency processes his permanent clearance  something which usually takes just a few months, but which has been grinding on for 16 months for MacLean.

The TSA has hired contract investigators in four states, attorney Devine said, and theyre asking his friends and family questions like, If he was willing to leak information to the press in 2003, how can we trust him not to leak classified information to the press today?

Devine thinks there may never be peace for MacLean at the TSA. He has filed a legal action under the new Presidential Policy Directive 19 for MacLean, which is designed to ensure that intelligence community employees can report waste, fraud and abuse while protecting classified information  and protect employees from retaliation.

MacLeans pay is also stuck in 2005, where it was when the TSA put him on administrative leave before improperly firing him. The two sides are fighting about whether he would have had promotions in that time, and if the government should pay for them.

The genuinely good news, though, is that Robert has had a real job, real duties, Devine said. Hes no longer sitting in a room, paid to bounce off the walls.

Contact the writer: tsforza@scng.com
Offaly showed its generosity with four Centra stores hosting Pink Walks this October for the Irish Cancer Societys Action Breast Cancer.

Offaly showed its generosity with four Centra stores hosting Pink Walks this October for the Irish Cancer Societys Action Breast Cancer.

The Offaly Centra stores are on target to raise 3,800 for the very worthy charity cause. Over 210 people from all over the county pounded the pavements of their towns, villages and neighbourhoods demonstrating tremendous community spirit and real support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Centra stores who got their community walking for this great cause were: Loughnanes Centra Birr, Baggots Centra Clara, Leavys Centra Tuallmore and Dunphys Centra Rhode.

Centras Pink Walks touched every part of the country with almost 200 Centra stores nationwide hosting their own local walk and are on target to raise a staggering of 225,000 for the charity. Over ten thousand participants collectively walked an amazing 50,000 kilometres through villages and cities around Ireland to help drive awareness of breast cancer and raise badly needed funds.

All of the funds raised will go directly to the Irish Cancer Society, which helps provide information, advice and support services for women with breast cancer in Ireland. This is the fourth year that Centra has supported the Irish Cancer Societys Action Breast Cancer, with the campaign over the last three years raising over 1 million.

Commenting on the success of Centras Pink Walks, Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of Centra, said, The Centra Pink Walks continue to go from strength to strength. With the number of walks doubling this year and the fundraising amount continuing to increase, it shows how close this cause is to peoples hearts. Centra retailers should be commended for their unprecedented support by encouraging customers in their local communities to get walking for such a deserving cause and we are very thankful of their support.

Commenting on the funds announcement John McCormack, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, said I would like to thank all the customers and staff of Centra who contributed to the success of these Centra Pink Walks. The support has been wonderful for so many reasons. Not only in terms of raising vital funds but also increasing the level of breast awareness; getting people more active which is a key way to reduce your risk of cancer; and creating solidarity, shown in the great numbers which turned out for these walks. We are astounded by the money raised which will help us work towards better support those with breast cancer, as well as funding invaluable research in this area.

The Irish Cancer Societys Action Breast Cancer is Irelands leading provider of breast cancer information and support, reaching over 25,000 women who are concerned about breast cancer and breast health every year. The Society strives to ensure that everyone affected by breast cancer has the support they need, when they need it. Anyone concerned about breast cancer or breast health should call the Irish Cancer Societys National Cancer Helpline on Freefone 1800 200 700.
Max B Will Be Free Much Sooner Than Previously Thought Abel Shifferaw

Max B aka The Wave God aka The Silver Surfer aka Wavy Crockett aka The Wavy One, the influential 38 year-old Harlem, New York City rapper, whose non rapping name is Charly Wingate will be getting out earlier than previously thought. Max B was serving a seventy five year sentence for an armed robbery that ended in the murder of David Taylor. New Jerseys Bergen County Prosecutors Office initially charged Max B with such crimes as first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and first-degree kidnapping in what amounted to be a 12-count indictment. With a new legal team, Max B entered a plea deal that included the dropping of all charges outside of aggravated manslaughter. Word is he will be out in two to six years, a marked improvement from before. Artists such as French Montana and fans of Max B took to social media to express their happiness with the development. Staying Wavy will be much easier soon.

Max B made the following statement about the new developments regarding his sentence:

I would like to take this time to humbly express my gratitude to the Bergen County Courts, The Honorable James J. Guida, and Mr. Grewal of the Bergen County Prosecutors Office for looking into my Post-Conviction Relief. This proceeding was not a question of my guilt or innocence, but about the bad advice, poor judgment, and overall ineffectiveness of my trial attorney. I would also like to thank my legal team at The Law Offices of Bruno & Ferraro; my wonderful attorneys John Bruno, John Bruno Jr., John Lotorocca, and Linda Peterson did an outstanding on my case and fighting for me. I wanna thank The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee. I wanna give a special thanks to my friend and partner Frank Babar and Phase One Network, William Cosgrove, Corey Whitaker, and The Playbook Agency. Without the support of the Phase One team, I wouldnt have made it this far. I want to thank my boy Masar, Alpac, and my brother from another mother, French Montana aka Mac with the CheeseI love you bro! Wave Gods till we die!!! To all my fans that been holding it down for me all these years, still banging my music and still keeping it wavy. I love you all and Stay Wavy. Last, but certainly not least, my lovely and wonderful mother Mamaveli, I love you! Max B is coming home. Sentence got shortened. Looks like the Gang will be working wit the Wave.  Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) September 16, 2016 https://www.instagram.com/p/BKbrAyPA-dY/

Max B is coming home soon!  pic.twitter.com/VxWq1VgwRv  Karen Civil (@KarenCivil) September 16, 2016

Max Bs fingerprints are all over the sound of modern rap music  Wosny Lambre (@BigWos) September 16, 2016

H/T: Noisey
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday upheld the second-degree murder conviction of Michael E. Harris of Omaha.

Harris, now 46, shot and killed Isice Jones, 28, on July 5, 2004, outside of Harris home near 24th and Spencer Streets.

Prosecutors had argued that Harris resented Jones because of the attention Jones paid to Harris future wife, Valerie Johnson, and her 7-year-old daughter, according to court documents.

Jones was a friend of the girls father and had promised that he would look after the girl following his friends death.

Defense attorneys had argued that Harris was afraid of Jones and shot in self-defense.

At trial, a jury convicted Harris of second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. He previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon.

He was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison.

Harris unsuccessfully appealed his conviction in 2005. The new appeal alleged several failures by the attorneys who handled his original defense as well as the first appeal.

The state high court rejected those allegations, including a claim that his attorneys should have called two additional witnesses.

The court said testimony from those witnesses would not have altered the outcome of the trial.
LINCOLN  The Omaha-based River City Gender Alliance has asked to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Nebraska and three other states challenging new federal health care rules.

The rules, which were finalized in May, bar discrimination by doctors, hospitals and insurers against transgender people.

Nebraska filed the challenge along with Texas and three other Republican-led states in late August.

At the time, State Attorney General Doug Peterson said the suit addressed an attempt by the Obama administration to expand the definition of legal terms beyond that intended by Congress.

Specifically, he said, the federal government was trying to expand the definition of sex to include gender identity.

On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a motion to intervene on behalf of the Omaha group and the ACLU of Texas, saying the states were seeking to undermine anti-discrimination measures and allow religion to be used to harm others.

Kate Parrish, president of the Omaha alliance, called the suit a direct attack on the transgender communitys right to function normally and safely in everyday life. It is harrowing for our members to see our rights to health care coverage and medically necessary treatment endangered simply because of who we are.

According to the motion to intervene, the alliance provides peer support for transgender and gender nonconforming people. It has more than 150 members.

Among them are several members who need treatment related to gender transition, the motion said. One is a Nebraska state employee who receives health coverage through the state employee health plan and who has been denied coverage for a hysterectomy and hormone therapy.

Another works at a Catholic hospital and receives health coverage through the hospitals employee health plan. At least one gets primary care at a public hospital, while one or more get primary care at a Catholic hospital.

At least one member has been subjected to discrimination related to the persons transgender status while receiving care at a hospital, the motion said.

Suzanne Gage, a spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office, said she had no comment on the motion Friday.

The states lawsuit contends that the rules could force doctors to perform gender transition surgery, or refer patients for such surgery, contrary to their religious beliefs or medical judgment.

It asks a federal court in Texas to block the new regulations.

Transgender rights have become a growing legal battleground, with struggles emerging about whether to add gender identity and expression to anti-discrimination policies and whether to adopt policies accommodating transgender individuals in areas such as restroom use.

The states lawsuit also raises questions about religious freedom and the extent to which businesses and individuals can refuse to provide services based on their sincerely held beliefs.

Similar questions have arisen in the context of same-sex marriage and of providing contraceptives.

Danielle Conrad, executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, said the states health regulation lawsuit has broad implications for Nebraska because the state has a high percentage of hospital beds in religiously affiliated facilities.

Its important strong nondiscrimination provisions remain in the law so health care facilities are not permitted to refuse treatment based on their religious beliefs, she said.

Days before the health regulation lawsuit was filed, the same Texas court issued a temporary injunction blocking a federal school guidance letter about transgender students from taking effect.

The letter directed public schools to let transgender students use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.

Joining Texas and Nebraska in the health regulation lawsuit were Wisconsin, Kentucky and Kansas, along with the Christian Medical and Dental Association and Franciscan Alliance, an Indiana-based network of religious hospitals.

The regulations broadly affect the health care system because providers who accept federal funding, including Medicare and Medicaid, have to comply.
An online child porn scheme involving a southeast Nebraska man was so calculated, each member of the operation had one of four specific roles in exploiting children:

Hunter, talker, looper and/or watcher.

Brandon L. Hennerberg, 31, of Diller was considered a hunter, someone who would chat with minors on social media sites, persuading them to move to a private chat room. Known as sam on websites, he also served as a talker, chatting with them and encouraging them to engage in sex acts, according to court documents.

Theyll do whatever they can do to facilitate a relationship, said Matthew Roth, chief of the general crimes unit for the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of Michigan. Hennerberg originally was charged in Michigan, but in June, he pleaded guilty in Lincoln to one count of being part of a child exploitation enterprise.

Hennerberg was sentenced this week to 35 years in federal prison for his involvement in the child enticement ring.

According to federal court documents, Hennerberg and a group of others enticed 10- to 14-year-old girls via social media and dared them to perform sexual acts on camera in a chat room.

After the hunter was done, the talker then contacted the minors, encouraging them to complete dares that escalated into sexual activity.

A looper, pretending to be a minor, would play a previously recorded video of a minor performing sexual acts in order to persuade the new youth to follow suit.

The watcher made sure no unwanted users or suspected law enforcement officers accessed the chat room.

The people who accessed the chat room recorded the girls, officials said, and some later then distributed the videos.

An IP address from a social media profile matched Hennerbergs computer in Diller, a town of about 260 people 20 miles east of Fairbury. Hennerberg lived there with his parents.

Hennerberg admitted to federal agents that he spoke with girls online and that his role was to persuade girls to perform sex acts on camera.

Agents found Hennerbergs computer, which was logged into more than 10 chat rooms. Officials also found child pornography in a folder on the computer.

Roth said many exploitation operations contact youths on the messaging app Kik. Parents, he said, should have access to their childrens phones so they can read the conversations.

Parents also can take away their childrens phones at night to prevent such contact, Roth said.

These kids arent doing this in the kitchen at 4 p.m., he said.

Project Harmony, a child-advocacy group, suggests that parents talk with children about technology safety. Adults should set limits on Internet use, restrict access to inappropriate sites and make sure kids know they wont face punishment if they tell a trusting adult theyre being harassed.

Before your child gets a phone, talk about potential scenarios. ... What would you do when others are talking negatively about someone else in a group chat/text? said Angela Roeber, a Project Harmony spokeswoman.

Safety is a conversation and a shared responsibility among us all, Roeber said.
Prosecutors will venture down the rarest of routes in their attempt to present advanced DNA analysis that could tie Anthony Garcia to the burglary of a Creighton doctors house the same day another Creighton doctor was killed.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Friday that his office will ask the Nebraska Supreme Court on Monday to step in and rule that a district judge was wrong in barring the evidence.

Such an action could set up a State Supreme Court showdown  and could result in a delay of Garcias trial, set to begin Sept. 26.

Prosecutors rarely appeal evidentiary issues before trial  in fact, they rarely are allowed to. Case law typically limits prosecutors to appealing only when a judge suppresses evidence.

Thats essentially what Douglas County District Judge Gary Randall did when he denied prosecutors use of a newer DNA analysis that could more strongly link Garcia to an attempted burglary at the home of Dr. Chhanda Bewtra, a former supervisor.

Authorities allege that skin cells left on Bewtras door handle can be connected to Garcia. Further, prosecutors allege, those skin cells were left on May 12, 2013  the same day that Garcias former boss, Dr. Roger Brumback and wife Mary, were killed in their Omaha home near 114th and Shirley Streets.

Friday, Judge Randall rejected prosecutors request that he reconsider his decision barring the new analysis.

This Court believes any additional delay in this trial is not in any partys best interest and it would likely negatively impact the evidence that can be presented by both the State and the Defendant, Randall wrote. At some point, the State, the Defendant and the public are entitled to a resolution of this case.

Garcia was charged in July 2013 with the March 2008 killings of Thomas Hunter, 11, and Shirlee Sherman, 57; and the May 2013 killings of the Brumbacks. Authorities allege that he committed the slayings as revenge for being fired from Creighton University Medical Center in 2001 by Hunters father, Dr. William Hunter, as well as Dr. Brumback.

Kleine said his office hasnt sought any delays in the case and wasnt seeking a delay this time.

He noted that prosecutors presented Garcias attorneys with the new analysis in mid-June  some three months before Garcias trial. Kleine blamed Garcias defense team  Jeremy Jorgenson of Omaha and Robert Motta Sr. and Robert Motta Jr. of Chicago  for doing little to scrutinize the evidence before a Sept. 1 hearing.

Kleines office had brought the scientist who developed the in-depth analysis  Dr. Mark Perlin of Pittsburgh  to Omaha so that Garcias attorneys could question him.

The only delays that have taken place in this case have been caused by the defendants continuances, Kleine said. Now theyre in effect being rewarded by saying, Were not prepared. Thats not a reason to exclude evidence, especially when theyve had this stuff for a couple of months.

Prosecutors have declined to detail what the analysis shows.

The TrueAllele analysis  developed by a Pittsburgh company, Cybergenetics  typically attaches more conclusive odds that DNA evidence belongs to someone.

Without TrueAllele, prosecutors would have to rely on previous test results indicating that the skin cells on Bewtras door handle likely belonged to Garcia or one of his male relatives.

Jorgenson said it would take him months to prepare to properly challenge TrueAllele.

He pointed out that TrueAllele has been around for three years and argued that it wasnt the defendants fault (prosecutors) didnt do it soon enough.

He also noted that prosecutors had been prepared to go to trial, without the TrueAllele analysis, in April.

Douglas County prosecutors say University of Nebraska Medical Center experts didnt alert them to the new analysis until April of this year. That led them to contact Cybergenetics to perform the analysis. Perlin returned his results to prosecutors in late May, and prosecutors turned it over to Garcias defense team on June 13.

In his order Friday, Randall noted that Garcias trial start date has been delayed three times since February 2015. The first trial date was continued at the request of the defense.

It was reset for September 2015. Less than a month before trial, Garcia alleged that he had been raped by five jailers. A judge delayed the trial and ordered Garcia to be evaluated for mental competency.

It then was rescheduled for April of this year. However, two of Garcias attorneys withdrew from the case, citing concerns about out-of-court comments made by another of Garcias attorneys, Alison Motta of Chicago. Judge Randall denied her application to practice in Nebraska and reset the trial start date for late September.

Garcia didnt invoke his right to a speedy trial until this May.

Jorgenson argued that his clients right to a speedy trial was greater than our county attorneys interest in presenting evidence that will delay the trial indefinitely.

Randall agreed, saying the defendants right to a fair and speedy trial ... (outweighs) the states untimely desire to adduce Cybergenetics TrueAllele DNA analysis evidence.

Jorgenson said if prosecutors appeal, they run the risk of charges being dismissed against Garcia because he didnt receive a speedy trial.

Don Kleine can throw the dice, he said. In my reading and interpretation, (he) can choose between trial and letting Garcia walk.

Kleine disputes that, saying Garcia and his attorneys have caused the delays so far. Garcias speedy-trial rights wont be violated because of the appeal, he said.

Kleine said he has spoken with the victims families about fighting for the evidence. He said any case is a continual search for the truth  and this DNA analysis will help.

They want justice  and they want this done the right way. Bottom line, the jury  the finder of fact  should be able to hear this evidence.
Elkhorn Public Schools will hold a dedication ceremony for their newest elementary school and show off renovations and upgrades at three secondary schools on Sunday.

Arbor View Elementary, Elkhorns 10th elementary school, will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the school, near 208th and Boyd Streets. The school opened last month with about 250 kids.

From 2:30 to 4 p.m. the district will hold open houses at Elkhorn Middle, Elkhorn South High and Elkhorn High. Along with the construction of Arbor View, additions and renovations to those schools were funded by a $63.1 million bond issue approved by voters in 2014.

Elkhorn Middle has a new auxiliary gym and fitness center, along with a remodeled front entrance and exterior. At Elkhorn High, computer labs were renovated into new science classrooms, and at Elkhorn South, a 500-student addition will help accommodate enrollment growth.
When the new Springfield Platteview school board convenes in January it will be the first board in eight years with full control of the taxes that the district levies.

Five people are running for three at-large seats on the board.

The Learning Communitys common levy will end after this school year. And Springfield Platteview will go back to deciding what to do with all of its tax revenue rather than sharing it with the other districts in the Learning Community. The district is expected to gain about $4 million a year after the end of the common levy, assuming that its tax rate doesnt change.

There is no one on the board whos served in a non-common levy environment, said incumbent Brenda Sherman, who is running for her third term. Thatll be our challenge coming up: How do we learn to levy properly so we manage our funds properly?

Many of the candidates, including Sherman, said they would consider lowering the districts levy.

Fellow incumbent Bob Icenogle, running for his second term, said the common levy was bleeding us dry. With it gone, the biggest challenge will be handling facility repairs that the district has had to put off while losing tax revenue to other districts in the Learning Community, he said.

Its been exciting, he said. Its been challenging to work through the Learning Community situation. I think I still have some things I could offer and would like to offer.

Kyle Fisher, who has spent the past two years on the Learning Community Coordinating Council, testified against the common levy at the State Legislature multiple times. Before that he was on the Springfield Platteview school board.

He said he wants to return to the board to continue to help the district grow and improve its facilities and technologies.

Fisher said lowering the tax levy was something to consider but not promise. A few bond issues have failed during the past several years, and the district has necessary facility repairs, he said. In the long run, I hope so, he said of lowering the levy, but I would not make any promise up front.

Kraig Kingston, who is running for the first time, said he wants to do away with the Learning Community altogether. Its not a good thing for Sarpy County, so I would like to see it go away.

He said he shares the desire to improve the districts facilities; he wants to add a gymnasium to the middle school.

Lisa Roseland, wife of Springfield Mayor Bob Roseland, said city and district boundaries also are challenges. I want to make sure Springfield holds its identity. I dont want us to be absorbed by anybody.

She said theres a lot of growth on the horizon for the town, and the district will need to ensure that its facilities and programs can accommodate the influx of students.

* * *

Brenda Sherman

Age: 51

Party: Republican

Home: Springfield

Occupation: accountant

Public offices held: serving second term on Springfield Platteview school board

Education: bachelors in accounting from Central College, 1987

Family: married; four children

Faith: Presbyterian

Bob Icenogle

Age: 71

Party: Republican

Home: Springfield

Occupation: retired teacher

Public offices held: serving first term on Springfield Platteview school board; served two terms on Springfield City Council

Education: Bachelor of Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1967

Family: single

Faith: Protestant

Kyle Fisher

Age: 54

Party: Republican

Home: Springfield

Occupation: consultant

Public offices held: Learning Community Coordinating Council; Springfield Platteview school board; Sarpy County Visitors Committee

Education: Bachelors in business and physical education from Nebraska Wesleyan University, 1986

Family: married; one child

Faith: Methodist

Lisa Roseland

Age: 46

Party: Republican

Home: Springfield

Occupation: office associate

Public offices held: none

Education: Gretna High School, 1988

Family: married; two children

Faith: Evangelical Lutheran

Kraig Kingston

Age: 44

Party: Republican

Home: Springfield

Occupation: sales representative

Public offices held: Sanitary and Improvement District board for SouthCrest Hills Phase 2

Education: Platteview High School, 1990

Family: married; two children

Faith: Christian
Omaha Fire Battalion Chief Joe Salcedo has returned to duty after being placed on paid administrative leave in August over social media posts. But the Fire Department isnt saying whether he was punished.

Screen shots of his Facebook page that were provided to The World-Herald indicate that Salcedo shared a post saying President Barack Obama is a cop-hating terrorist, and so is the (Black Lives Matter) movement.

Salcedo also shared memes saying Once you advocate killing cops you are not protesters you are now terrorists and America does not have a police problem it has a criminal entitlement problem fueled by poor leadership and a weak criminal justice system.

A department spokesman said in an email that an internal investigation had been completed, but the results were a personnel matter and would not be released.

Salcedo is the battalion chief for fire training. He also has served as interim chief.
BROWNVILLE, Neb.  Grandma tried to hide the scar.

The big one, more than an inch wide, that ran down the middle of her head. She dyed her hair dark colors. She never let a stylist touch it. Looking at photos of her, you wouldnt know it was there.

But Lisa knew. And she wondered.

Growing up, Lisa Smith shared a room with her grandmother Maurine Chaney Everette in the familys home in California. Her grandmother, Smith said, was like a mother to her. She was there to cook and bandage scraped knees. But there were things she rarely talked about  her scar, details of her childhood spent in an orphanage in Oklahoma. When Maurine died in 1992, she took much of her past with her.

Smith, who now lives in Auburn, Nebraska, and works as a cook at the River Inn Resort in Brownville, was left with questions.

Today, she has many of the answers.

In 2010, Smith was able to track down distant relatives from her grandmothers side of the family, many of whom thought Maurine had died as a young girl in the train accident.

This month, she will meet one of her distant cousins, author Mary Ruth Hughes, in person for the first time. Hughes will travel to Brownville and hold a book signing and writers workshop at 6 p.m., Sept. 24 at the River Inn.

It means a lot to Smith  a member of a her family, once lost, traveling to Nebraska to see her. It all started with a simple search.

In 2010, Smiths mother was dying of brain cancer. In and out of lucidity, she started telling Smith to find her family.

Smith knew her grandmother had been in a train accident  she assumed Maurine must have been on the train. Smith knew her grandmother had grown up in an orphanage in Oklahoma. She knew Maurine had a brother. But other than that, she didnt know much.

So she started looking online. She found a page for her grandmothers brother Woodrow, one of the few family members she knew by name, on findagrave.com, and reached out to the woman who maintained the page, Mary Ruth Hughes.

Hughes, recalling the exchange now, said she was surprised and delighted to hear from her long lost cousin. She replied.

Smith said, She wrote back and said Oh my god, were family. And I think, No, no. This is too easy. 

But it was. Alexander Lee Chaney, Smiths great-grandfather, was the brother of Hughes great-grandfather. Smith told Hughes she was looking for information on her grandmothers family.

Hughes put Smith in touch with her first cousin, Bonnie Holdeman, who was living in Madill, Oklahoma. Holdeman invited Smith down to the Chaney family reunion, held annually on July 4 for more than 100 years in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.

Smith grabbed her son Andrew, now 20, and the two headed south.

They met up with Holdeman, and she took them to a historical society in Madill to look for information about what happened to Maurine.

There, they found a newspaper clipping.

Frisco Train Smashes Farm Wagon; Three Are Dead; Others May Die, the headline read.

According to the story, in June 1918, Maurine, then 3, was traveling with her mother, Minnie; her father, Alexander; her 6-month-old sister, Sabra; her brother Amos, her brother Woodrow, and her sister Martha Pauline, through Madill. Amos was driving the wagon.

At a railroad crossing, an eastbound passenger train collided with the wagon. Minnie and Sabra, the baby, were killed instantly. Alexander died later at the hospital. Maurine, unnamed in the article, suffered a serious head injury. She was transported to a hospital in Sherman, Texas.

At last reports, she was resting well, though her recovery is considered very doubtful, the story said.

Following the accident, theres a gap, Smith said, though she thinks her grandmother spent years recovering in the hospital. Doctors had to remove a piece of her skull.

Two years later, at 5, her grandmother and brother Woodrow turned up at an orphanage in Oklahoma.

There was an older Chaney sister, Smith found, recently married and likely not in the wagon that day. Smith thinks the sister, a poor newlywed, would have been overwhelmed financially by the idea of caring for young siblings, especially Maurine, who could have turned out to be mentally disabled from the accident.

So, Smith speculates, she left Maurine and Woodrow to be raised in the home. The other siblings scattered, and years passed.

The story of the train wreck resonated through branches of the Chaney family. For decades, they whispered warnings of the dangers of railroad crossings and spoke of the cousins who were killed.

We always knew it was this huge thing, Holdeman said. When Holdemans grandmother drove over railroad tracks, she closed her eyes.

Smith and her son visited the spot where the train accident took place. Smith took video. Andrew stood by.

It hits you where you live, Andrew said. My great-grandmother being at such a young age, as an infant barely surviving being hit by a train when the rest of her family had been killed, it makes you thankful for her ability to survive and carry on after that.

Maurine grew up in the home and left in 1932. She married, moved to California and had a daughter.

Smith doesnt know why her grandmother was always so quiet about her parents and siblings. Maybe she never knew all that much to begin with.

But with her trip to Oklahoma, Smith hoped, in a way, to validate her grandmothers place in the family.

Because when the train hit the wagon, Smith found out, the family had been on their way to the Chaney family reunion.

When she and Andrew arrived there in 2010, she signed in under her great-grandfather and grandmothers name.

Maurine? she heard from many distant relatives, didnt she die in the accident?

No, Smith told them. She lived to be 77.

It was an awesome feeling to be able to validate her, Smith said. I know that a lot of people doing family history arent looking for that, but I was so close to her that I wanted to do her memory justice.

* * *

TRACING YOUR OWN ROOTS

Lisa Smith found missing family members on findagrave.com, a website started by Jim Tipton in 1995 as a hobby, tracking famous peoples graves. Now thousands of contributors submit new listings, updates, corrections and photographs every hour, says Tipton, of Salt Lake City.

A family tree is a puzzle that needs solving, said Marcie Garnett, a professional genealogist and member of the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society. And solving it can be addicting  shes traced her own family tree back to the 1600s.

Here are some tips Garnett and others offered for decoding your own family tree:

 Start with yourself and work backward.

 Use a pedigree chart, available for free on many websites.

 List places along with names and dates of birth, death and marriage. This will give you an idea of where to begin searching for source records.

 Begin searching for records of birth, death and marriage to find extra names and information. Most states have departments where important records are stored. In Nebraska, the office of vital records is in the Department of Health and Human Services. In Iowa, it is in the Department of Public Health.

 Use the census. Online subscription services such as Ancestry.com are available to access the 17901940 census records kept by the National Archive, and many public libraries subscribe and provide free access. (Decennial census records are confidential for 72 years.)

 Check the historical societies of cities, counties or states for any records that might be available.

 Dont give up! Census data prior to 1850 often lists only the heads of households, which can make things difficult. This is where many people stop, Garnett said. The information is often located elsewhere.

 The National Archive lists resources for other types of searches, such as military and immigration records: archives.gov.
DefExpo2022: Invest for Defence to be held on October 20

Modi meets mother on b'day, BJP turns visit into poll bugle with 67 events

Ahmedabad

oi-PTI

Ahmedabad, Sept 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his 66th birthday with a visit to his mother, Heeraben Modi in Gandhinagar. He was accorded a grand reception in Ahmedabad on Friday night as he landed at in Gujarat for his 66th birthday on Saturday.

This is the PM's third visit in recent times to Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due next year.

Governor OP Kohli, the entire Gujarat cabinet including the Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP leaders including the newly-appointed president Jitu Vaghani and hundreds of party workers welcomed PM Modi at the airport.

PM Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat); seeks her blessings. pic.twitter.com/GKaVsQJlTo  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

After his grand reception, PM Modi thanked Gujarat BJP leaders and party workers and drove to the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar where he spent the night. Some of the party workers seemed disappointed as PM Modi did not address them.

Later, he would go to the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate various irrigation projects.

Dahod collector Lalit Padaliya said the inauguration ceremony will be held at Limkheda town, around 25 km from the city, and the PM will also address a rally there."The Prime Minister will inaugurate Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project," Mr Padaliya said.

PM Narendra Modi greets people from houses around his mother's residence, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). pic.twitter.com/qQxlFkcT5I  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Later in the afternoon he would go to Navsari where he is scheduled to take part in a function where aid would be distributed to the differently-abled persons.

"In Navsari, PM will distribute kits and aid to 'divyang' citizens. He will also address a large gathering near Navsari town," Mr Pandya said.

BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of next year's polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.

Last month PM Modi visited his home state twice -- to condole the death of Sawminarayan sect's leader Pramukhswami Maharaj and later to inaugurate an irrigation scheme in Saruashtra region.

But Modi's birthday visit has not been all hunky-dory, at least for those that have chosen to take on him.

On Friday evening, hours before Modi landed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Dalit rights leader Jignesh Mevani was detained by the police at Ahmedabad airport. Some leaders of the dominant Patidar community, which has been fighting for a reservation quota, too, have been detained to prevent the kind of vehement opposition and chaos that BJP chief and Modi's closest aide Amit Shah faced recently in Surat.

PTI
Thaw between CJI and Modi? CJI wishes PM on his birthday

Ahmedabad

oi-Vicky

Ahmedabad, Sept 17: Amidst a face off between the judiciary and the union government over the appointment of judges, Chief Justice of India, T S Thakur wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday on Saturday.

Justice Thakur who is in Gujarat on a two day visit, met Modi at the Raj Bhavan on Saturday morning and wished him on his birthday.

The Prime Minister, tweeted, "Met CJI Shri Thakur. I thank him for his wishes." Although not many read much into this, it is still being seen as a nice gesture on part of the CJI who seeks to put the judiciary-centre face off controversy to rest.

Met CJI Shri Thakur. I thank him for his kind wishes. pic.twitter.com/1ElNIgoP1m  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2016

Over the past few months a lot has been said and written about the appointment of judges to the higher judiciary. The judiciary has been blaming the centre of not acting fast on the appointment of judges.

Justice Thakur had made his displeasure known publicly on two occasions. The first time was in court when he lost his cool and hit out at the centre for trying and stall appointments. He even went on to say that he would have to issue a judicial order if the centre did not buck up.

The second time was during an independence day address at the Supreme Court. He had said that he was disappointed that the Prime Minister during the Red Fort address had not spoken about the appointment of judges.

On the last date of hearing of a matter pertaining to judicial appointments, the centre had blamed the High Court for the delay.

While handing over a sealed cover with the names of those cleared for appointment the centre through the Attorney General said that there was no delay. He had also said that it was the high courts which delayed the process as they were filling up posts that had fallen vacant in 2007.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, September 17, 2016, 10:46 [IST]
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India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Sept 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). Meanwhile, Special 2G Court to pronounce it's order on its jurisdiction to try the Aircel-Maxis deal case.

Get all the latest news updates of the day:

10.00 pm: Complaint filed against AAP MLA Sarita Singh in an alleged bribery case in Delhi. Delhi police probing the matter.

9.30 pm: Broadband internet services restored in Kashmir Valley.

9.15 pm: NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal admitted at Mumbai's JJ Hospital with symptoms of dengue.

9.00 pm: People in UP elected Akhilesh with hope for development but now the cycle is punctured: Rahul Gandhi

8.50 pm: French government issues warning about attack in a church in central Paris

8.30 pm: Mahanadi Issue: Anything concrete is yet to come out: Chhattisgarh CM

8.15 pm: Rajendra Choudhary removed from SP spokesman post, Ambika Chaudhary likely to be the next SP spokesman

8.00 pm: There are still some demands by some ppl, we'll accommodate legit demands within limits of Constitution: Nepal PM

7.30 pm: Israeli military 'shoots down' rocket fired from Syria

7.15 pm: Union Minister Piyush Goyal attends 'Sewa Karya' programme on the occasion of PM Modi's birthday in Delhi..

7.00 pm: Cauvery protest: We have information that there is some political party's hand in the violence. We are enquiring: Karnataka CM

6.30 pm: Indian cricket Team arrives in Kanpur for its 500th test match.

6.07 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi departs from Navsari.

6.05 pm: Congress Vice president Rahul Gandhi addresses a 'Khat Sabha', Gulabi gang activists also present.

5.34 pm: Police conducts checks near Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport following terror alert, security increased at airports.

5.33 pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra inspected her under construction house at Chharabra near Shimla, today.

5.02 pm: Navsari has set 3 records and has made a mark for itself on the map of the world. Congratulations, says PM Modi.

4.18 pm: Shamshabad: BJP Pres Amit Shah participates in cleanliness drive & plant sapling on the occasion of PM Modi's b'day.

4.17 pm: Total capacity released from C'garh has ability to fill Hirakud Dam 5 times,don't understand reason for controversy?, says Raman Singh.

4.16 pm: PM Modi at Samajik Adhikarita Shivir, will distribute assistive devices to Specially abled people, shortly.

3.34 pm: 2 maoist including a female arrested with arms & ammunitions by Purulia police & produced before Court in West Bengal.

3.23 pm: We wanted him (JP Nadda) to hear us out, but he did not stop. We wanted to stop him, says Student AIIMS Bhopal.

3.22 pm: Bhopal: AIIMS medical students throw ink at Union Minister JP Nadda in protest, demand better facilities & faculty

2.10 pm: Mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is resonating all over: PM Modi in Limkheda, Gujarat.

2.05 pm: PM Narendra Modi speaks at the launch of schemes for tribal development in Limkheda, Gujarat.

PM Narendra Modi speaks at the launch of schemes for tribal development in Limkheda, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/IGqG7hgjBU  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

1.45 pm: Gayatri Prasad Prajapati to be re-inducted in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet, will take oath soon.

1.35 pm: Shivpal Yadav to continue as the Samajwadi Party State President.

1.34 pm: Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav keeps Shivpal's PWD department, gives him his previous departments with a few others.

1.25 pm: Cleaning campaign organised at Marina beach, Chennai on International Coastal Cleanup day in Tamil Nadu.

1.20 pm: Special 2G court dismisses applications filed by Dayanidhi Maran and Kalanithi Maran, challenging its jurisdiction to try Aircel-Maxis deal case.

1.05 pm: PM Modi being felicitated, will unveil schemes for tribal development in Limkheda, Gujarat shortly.

PM Modi being felicitated, will unveil schemes for tribal development in Limkheda, Gujarat shortly. pic.twitter.com/Kd1UO12YvQ  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

12.35 pm: Embraer aircraft deal: CBI registers preliminary enquiry to probe alleged kickbacks.

12.10 pm: The Second Ship of Project- 15B, Guided Missile Destroyer, Mormugao launched in Mumbai

The Second Ship of Project- 15B, Guided Missile Destroyer, Mormugao launched in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/yoUd07BKnI  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

11.53 am: Jisha murder case charge sheet submitted at sessions court in Ernakulam (Kerala).

11.48 am: Akhilesh Yadav's supporters in UP demand that he be made UP chief of Samajwadi Party again.

UP: Akhilesh Yadav's supporters demand that he be made UP chief of Samajwadi Party again. pic.twitter.com/2FjSHUgoYK  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 17, 2016

11.25 am: Surat: World's biggest cake weighing 3750 kg has been made for PM Modi's birthday, attempting to break world record.

Surat: World's biggest cake weighing 3750 kg has been made for PM Modi's birthday, attempting to break world record. pic.twitter.com/WWe64MFiY6  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

10.50 am: Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh & Sports Minister Vijay Goel flag off 'Khel Vikas Daud'

Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh & Sports Minister Vijay Goel flag off 'Khel Vikas Daud' pic.twitter.com/kwwcnD4ovE  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

10.17 am: Rio Paralympic silver medallist in shot put Deepa Malik arrived in Delhi last night to much celebration.

10.00 am: Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik's sand sculpture in Puri (Odisha) on the occasion of PM Modi's birthday.

Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik's sand sculpture in Puri (Odisha) on the occasion of PM Modi's birthday. pic.twitter.com/GvwJsnrKGv  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

9.12 am: India should address the voices of secular, nationalist & democratic Kashmiris. Shaukat Ali

India should address the voices of secular, nationalist & democratic Kashmiris. Shaukat Ali pic.twitter.com/SX2GXqBbxk  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

8.55 am: First year student from MFA course (Hyderabad Central University) commits suicide; body taken to hospital.

8.50 am: Chief Justice of India TS Thakur meets PM Modi at Raj Bhawan, greets him on his birthday.

Gandhinagar: Chief Justice of India TS Thakur meets PM Modi at Raj Bhawan, greets him for his birthday pic.twitter.com/L1IUeneSJx  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

8.30 am: Vice President Hamid Ansari arrived Margarita Island, Venezuela, for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit.

8.00 am: PM Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat); seeks her blessings.

PM Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat); seeks her blessings. pic.twitter.com/GKaVsQJlTo  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

OneIndia News
As the countdown clock struck zero, rocket of Aakash BYJUS took off from Bandra Bandstand

Navy's Most Advanced Guided Missile Destroyer 'Mormugao' Launched In Mumbai

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Sep 17: An indigenously built warship equipped with a range of high-tech missiles was launched today with Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba saying the stealth destroyer can be compared with the best vessels in the world.

Christened 'Mormugao', the vessel has been built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.

Admiral Lanba's wife Reena launched the bedecked ship at a function at MDL here at 11.58 AM and it was released into the Arabian Sea for the first time. The vessel will undergo certain testings required by Indian Navy and would be subsequently known as INS Mormugao.

Four more such destroyers would be built and delivered by MDL during 2020-2024, the PSU said in a statement.

The first ship of the Visakhapatnam class was launched on April 20, 2015. Mormugao has a displacement of 7,300 tonne with maximum speed of over 30 knots.

The warship is equipped with surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine rocket launchers. It is also capable of carrying two anti-submarine warfare helicopters.

Addressing the function before the launch, Admiral Lanba said, "This ship serves the Make in India drive of the country as it is indigenously built."

"It secures the sea in a better way. Contract for this ship was signed on January 2011. It can be compared with best ships in the world and has been developed by our own designers at DRDO as well as other government agencies and private companies," he said.

There is a pressing need to build more such ships and reduce the construction period of future vessels, the Navy chief said.

Admiral Lanba said since 1960 Indian Navy and MDL are building ships together. nMDL is the only dock in the country that has capability to build submarines

PTI
Yadav family feud ends, Shivpal's portfolios restored

India

oi-PTI

Lucknow, Sep 17: The feud in Uttar Pradesh's first family has ended, with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tonight restoring all but one portfolios of Shivpal Yadav and promising to support him as SP's state unit president, a post from which he was himself removed three days back triggering the power tussle with his uncle.

As per the compromise worked out by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh's demand of having a say in ticket distribution has been met as he will be made the head of the state Parliamentary Board, which makes final decisions on deciding the candidates, party sources said.

Before the announcement was made, Mulayam held a meeting with brother Shivpal and Akhilesh this evening to end the deadlock and discuss ways to strengthen the party. Akhilesh restored Shivpal's key portfolios including Irrigation and Cooperative which were taken away three days back.

Shivpal was also given additional portfolios of Minor Irrigation and Medical Education. However, Public Works Department, which was among the portfolios taken away from Shivpal, was kept by the CM with himself.

The Chief Minister has also sought time from the Raj Bhawan for oath of sacked minister Gayatri Prajapati, a Raj Bhawan release issued this evening said.

Uttar Pradesh: Why Mulayam cannot afford to lose Shivpal Yadav?

Akhilesh had stripped Shivpal of the portfolios and sacked Prajapati after he was replaced by his uncle as the party's state unit head, triggering a full blown war in the family. Subsequently, Shivpal had tendered his resignation from the Cabinet as well as party post.

"I have myself congratulated SP's UP unit president Shivpal Yadav after meeting him at his residence.... I will extend all my support to Shivpalji," Akhilesh told reporters here earlier in the day, indicating rapproachment with his uncle with whom he was engaged in a turf war.

His remarks came a day after he said he felt "very sad" when he was replaced with Shivpal as the state party president by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

PTI
Hamid Ansari arrives in Venezuela to attend NAM Summit

International

oi-PTI

Margarita Island (Venezuela), Sept 17: Vice President Hamid Ansari arrived here on Saturday to attend the 17th NAM Summit during which India is expected to raise its concerns over terrorism besides deliberating on key issues like UN reform, climate change and nuclear disarmament.

Ansari was received by Venezuela's Executive Vice President Aristobuli Isturiz at the Santiago Marino Caribbean International Airport here and was accorded a ceremonial welcome. The Vice President is leading the Indian delegation in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is only the second Indian Premier to give the Cold War-era bloc's summit a miss after Charan Singh in 1979.

Vice President Hamid Ansari reached Margarita Island, Venezuela, for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit. pic.twitter.com/7PkSSgxsFV  ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

While briefing reporters on his way to the summit being held in Venezuela's Margarita Island, Ansari had said India will strongly take up its concerns about terrorism at the summit as it has been doing so at all international forums.

"Yes we are doing it (raising concerns over terrorism) on all fora and certainly it (NAM) is an important forum and we will take it up, no question about it," Ansari told reporters on his way to attend the NAM summit.

"Terror is something which impedes everything. If our objective is development, then terror cuts right across it. We need peace, we need social peace, we need international peaceboth these are being interrupted by terror," he had said.

During his three-day visit from Friday evening (early Saturday morning India time) to Sunday, Ansari will also hold bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

"The summit is expected to deliberate on issues of contemporary relevance and concern such as terrorism, UN reform, the situation in West Asia, threats to peace and security, UN peacekeeping operations, climate change, sustainable development, economic governance, south-south cooperation, refugees and migrants, and nuclear disarmament," according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

"All these issues are of relevance in the context of the discussions that will take place at the United Nations in coming months," the MEA said in a statement.

The Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit brings together leaders from 120 developing countries that are its members. The NAM Summits are among the largest gatherings of countries, after the United Nations.

India is one of the founding members of the NAM and it had hosted its 7th summit in 1983 in New Delhi. The last NAM Summit was hosted by Iran in 2012. The membership of NAM comprises 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan).

There are 17 countries and 10 international organisations that are Observers at NAM. The NAM came into being 55 years ago when leaders of 25 developing countries met at the 1961 Belgrade Conference.

The summit comes amid political and economic turmoil in this oil-rich country which has skidded into crisis as global crude prices have plunged since mid-2014, pushing President Maduro's socialist model to the brink.

PTI
Islamic State bomber detained in Russia for attempting attack in India was recruited through Telegram

Why India should get access to Islamic State bomber detained in Russia

Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence

ISIS 'minister of information' killed in airstrike: Pentagon

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Sept 17: A senior Islamic State operative, considered the terror group's information minister, was killed in a coalition airstrike in Syria, the Pentagon said on Friday, a week after another raid eliminated a top ISIS leader.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that Dr Wa'il, also known as Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, has been killed in a precision airstrike near the ISIS stronghold of Raqqah in Syria.

"On September 7, coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Raqqah, Syria, that targeted and killed Dr Wa'il, one of ISIS's most senior leaders," Cook said.

Wai'l operated as the minister of Information for the terror organisation and was a prominent member of its Senior Shura Council - ISIS's leadership group, he said. Wa'il oversaw ISIS's production of terrorist propaganda videos showing torture and executions.

He was a close associate of Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the ISIS spokesman and leader for plotting and inspiring external terror attacks, he said. Al-Adnani was successfully struck and killed by coalition forces on August 30, he added.

"The removal of ISIS's senior leaders degrades its ability to retain territory, and its ability to plan, finance, and direct attacks inside and outside of the region. "We will continue to work with our coalition partners to build momentum in the campaign to deal ISIS a lasting defeat," Cook said.

PTI
New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the three-match Test series against India which begins on September 22 in Kanpur after a scan revealed a grade two ligament strain in his left ankle. Southee felt pain in his left foot during a training session and will now head back to New Zealand for rest and rehabilitation with a goal to be fit for the start of the five-match ODI series beginning on October 16 in Dharamsala. Watch video to know more.
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Russian Gaming Week is Bringing Eastern Europe's iGaming Players to Sochi

Published September 17, 2016 by Lee R

Even iGaming pros are not fully aware of the proximity of opportunities in Eastern Europe.

On October 27th, the Eastern Europe market frontier will open up to ambitious and enterprising iGaming professionals at one of the regions best resort hotels.

Galactic Journey

Russian Gaming Week RGW Sochi at the Sea Galaxy Hotel will bring together gambling business representatives to discuss the most topical issues to the region.

Kicking Into Gear

This conference is seen as a kickstart of the stalled process of establishing a gambling zone in this territory, which since initiation in 2014 has not seen much movement since. The revival in Sochi was launched just this last 10th of August 2016, with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedevs signing of regulation demarcating a gambling zone within the territory of Krasnaya Polyana resort in Krasnodar Territory.

Topics of Discussion

Further implementation, prospects for investment, and the reason for the delays will all be illuminated and discussed by organizer Smile Expo as central themes of Russian Gaming Week at the RGW Sochi industry congress.

Themes

Key themes that the event will address include the development process of constructing a gambling zone in Sochi; new prospects for investments in Russia; changes in local gambling business legislation; and casino monetization with minimum investment.

Major Representation

The Congress is set to host major gambling representatives so they can discuss the most significant topics for business development, share their experience, and reveal casino monetization secrets. Smile will further position attendees for local support from attending Sochi authority representatives to pave the way for further development of iGaming in Russia.

Networking

Leading international as well as domestic gaming manufacturers will showcase their best products and solutions to the fast growing East European market. RGW will offer over 1000 innovative and popular games, slot machines, equipment and services for gaming and amusement operators as well.

Outlook

The vitality of the Eastern European region is still a foreign notion to many iGaming professionals, and Russian Gaming Week gives all attendees the opportunity to tap into an emerging market which offers value to any type of iGaming service and support enterprise.
This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

Reprinted from Counterpunch

The decision of a British parliamentary foreign affairs committee to apportion responsibility for the destruction or Libya and its transformation from a functioning into a failed state to former British prime minister David Cameron further confirms the verdict reached by Irish revolutionary leader James Connolly over a century ago when it comes to the British ruling class. "Their crimes," Connolly said, "would shame all the devils in hell."

Of the numerous examples of Western military intervention in recent times, none has been more grievous or disastrous than NATO's 2011 intervention in Libya, which as mentioned only helped turn the country into a failed state. Unleashed under the auspices of UN Security Council Resolution 1973 -- a UN mandate abused to effect the toppling of the Gaddafi-led government in Tripoli despite its official and stated objective of "protecting civilians" -- NATO's intervention in the form of airstrikes did not result in the democratic society so gushingly anticipated by its supporters. Instead it ushered in crisis and chaos as Libyan society descended into an abyss of tribal, sectarian, and brutal internecine conflict, allowing ISIS to gain a foothold in the country.

Compounding the mendacity fueling regime change in Libya in 2011 was the fact that under Gaddafi Libya by then was a country open for business with the West, and had been for the best part of a decade. If Muammar Gaddafi was the "tyrant" the US claimed he was upon his death at the hands of a mob, what was he when President Obama was shaking hands with him at the G8 Summit in Italy in 2009, to which the Libyan leader had been invited as head of the African Union?

As Oscar Wilde said, "A true friend stabs you in the front."

Another grievous consequence of the chaos in Libya has been a refugee crisis of biblical dimension. Over the past five years tens of thousands of Libyans, desperate to escape the hell the country has become, have risked a perilous voyage across the Mediterranean in barely seaworthy vessels. Thousands of them have drowned in the attempt with more sure to follow. These are the desperate human beings whom David Cameron once infamously described as a "swarm."

The reality of regime change in Libya has proved a world away from the fantasy embodied in the fatuous proclamation made by Cameron during a visit to Benghazi along with his then French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011. Flush with the triumphalism of a man cocooned from the consequences of his decisions, the British prime minister took to a microphone to congratulate the Libyan people for "choosing democracy."

As if this wasn't bad enough, in 2015, US Special Envoy to Libya, Jonathan Winer, had the astounding temerity to claim in an article on the US State Department's official blog that the overthrow of Gaddafi was a "moment of pride for Libyans and those who supported them." By "those who supported them," Mr Winer was referring to the US and its European allies, responsible for the previously mentioned NATO intervention without which the rebels would not have succeeded given that their revolt did not have the mass support of Libyans; this despite the myth of it being a popular revolt, deployed in order to support the toppling of the existing government.

When Gaddafi claimed that the revolt in Benghazi in the east of the country was being led by al-Qaeda, governments and opinion formers in the West scoffed, preferring to regard the rebels as democrats. Of course there were people among the rebels fighting to bring about democratic change, but they were by no means the driving force of the uprising. In June 2011, for example, a few months before Muammar Gaddafi was murdered, the American conservative magazine, National Review, carried a story on its website citing a report compiled by two French think tanks. It revealed that "jihadists have played a predominant role in the eastern Libyan rebellion against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, and that 'true democrats' represent only a minority in the rebellion."

The simple truth is that Libya and its people were victims of the West's crude attempt to hijack the momentum of the Arab Spring at the very point at which it came to the end of its reach. The speed of its spread and mass support in Tunisia and Egypt, where it succeeded in toppling two pro-Western dictators in the shape of Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, caught Washington and its allies by surprise. Libya is where they decided to try and place themselves at its head, motivated not by the desire to help effect democratic change in the country but to ensure that the extensive and lucrative oil exploration contracts and economic ties forged with the Gaddafi government were protected and upheld upon his demise. This was their motivation and a failed state is the result.

When it comes to David Cameron's role in this disaster, in many ways he is worthy of even more opprobrium than his predecessor, Tony Blair, has faced over Iraq. Cameron, after all, had the experience of Iraq's destruction to draw upon when it came to Libya yet still ploughed ahead regardless.

The burning question a world interested in justice has long demanded an answer to is when are these so-called leaders and democrats, members of a ruling elite dripping in the blood of millions, ever going to be held accountable for the vast human suffering they have and continue to sow across the world?
Reprinted from Gush Shalom

ZIONISM WAS a revolutionary idea. It proposed that the "Jewish people" should create a new Jewish entity in the land of Palestine.

The Zionist project was very successful indeed. By 1948, the embryo nation was strong enough to create a state. Israel was born.

When one builds a house, one needs scaffolding. When the building is finished, the scaffolding is removed.

But political ideas and structures don't die easily. The human mind is lazy and apprehensive, and clings to familiar ideas, long after they have become obsolete. Also, political and material interests become vested in the idea and resist change.

Thus "Zionism" continued to exist after its aim had already been achieved. The scaffolding became superfluous, indeed obstructive.

WHY OBSTRUCTIVE? Let's take Australia, for example. It was created by British settlers, as a colony of Britain. Australians were deeply committed to Britain. During World War II they came to us, on their way to fight for Britain in North Africa. (We liked them very much.)

But Australia is not Britain. A different climate, a different geography, a different location, which dictates different political options.

If we consider World Jewry as a kind of motherland, like Britain for Australia, Israel should have cut the umbilical cord at birth. A new nation. A new location. A different neighborhood. Different options.

This never happened. Israel is a "Zionist" state, or so the vast majority of its citizens and leaders believe. Not being a Zionist means being an apostate, almost a traitor.

But what do Israelis mean by "Zionism"? Patriotism? Nationalism? Solidarity with Jews around the world? Or something much more: the idea that Israel does not really belong to its citizens, but to all the Jews around the world?

THESE BASIC conceptions, whether conscious or unconscious, have wide-ranging consequences.

Israel is officially and judicially defined as "a Jewish and democratic state." Does that mean that non-Jewish citizens of Israel, such as the Arabs, do not really belong, but are only tolerated and their civil rights are questionable? Does it mean that Israel as such is, in reality, a Western nation transplanted to the Middle East? (In itself a Western name.)

Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, suggested in his fundamental book "The Jewish State" that in Palestine we would volunteer to serve as an outpost for European civilization against barbarism. Which barbarians did he have in mind?

Some 110 years later, the Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Barak, expressed the same idea in more colorful words, when he described Israel as a "villa in the Jungle." Again, it is easy to guess which wild beasts he had in mind.

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Global Adjustable Resistors Market Revenue and Growth Rate Forecast 2016-2021

Adjustable Resistors

http://www.mrsresearchgroup.com/market-analysis/global-adjustable-resistors-market-2016-production-sales-supply.html

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MRS Research Group added new research report on Global Adjustable Resistors Market 2016 includes Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Demand, Supply, Application, Segmentation, Opportunity, Market Development, production, capacity utilization, supply, Analysis and Forecast by 2021The Global Adjustable Resistors Industry 2016-2021 Market Research Report' is analytical reports based on a current situation and trends of the global as well as Chinese market. It is in-depth study of the comprehensive content which compiles statistics for the key elements of subject. The repot ensure the quality of the content and guideline which needed. It includes basic information of the company profile, products, generated revenue and future treads and various other vital data.Complete Report With TOC Available @It keeps the main focus on the priority need of the individualand provides a brief report on the annual basis. The global Adjustable Resistors market report will provide significant and reliable information on the market clearly in structured format. The report will offers you a key manufacturer of the products, applications, DROS and others.Our experts team takes out key information from the various sources which include primary and secondary sources and help to provides related information of the client interest. Report will easily mold information as per client requirement which covers forecast and analysis of Adjustable Resistors market on global and regional level.We generate reports on market variations across verticals like energy, chemicals, technology, food, electronics and others. It consists of a highly detailed analysis of the subject.Access Free Sample Report @We use numerous tools and techniques to collect information on various parameters. The report includes key competitors in global Adjustable Resistors market. Our experts team provides forward-looking insight on market growth. It will clear you with the suitable schematics diagrams, statistical analysis and related deep insight. It will also cover value chain analysis, market attractiveness, supply-demand & Chinese import export and 2011-2016 revenue for each company.It includes proper segmentation at the micro and macro level, dominant, largest and leading segment in the market. Moreover, includes future projects in the market with most reliable information indispensable for marketplace.Table of Content Of Adjustable Resistors Market (Index) :Chapter One Introduction of Industry1.1 Brief Introduction of Industry1.2 Development of Industry1.3 Status of IndustryChapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Industry2.1 Development of Manufacturing Technology2.2 Analysis of Manufacturing Technology2.3 Trends of Manufacturing TechnologyMRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting. It consists of head such as, latest report, category, niche market and news. Reports published on the million of category like chemical, machinery and equipment, consumer goods, manufacturing and construction etc. Latest national, international, business News published under news portal.Contact UsJoel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.comWebsite:
MEMS-based IoT sensors are being adopted widely into diverse application areas

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=9428

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/iot-sensors-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Internet of Things (IoT) is a network that is embedded with sensors, electronics, network connectivity, and software enabling physical objects to gather and exchange data. As IoT rises into dominance, sensors are playing a pivotal role for measuring the physical quality of objects and enumerating it into a value, which can be read by another device or user. IoT devices are equipped with sensors which are capable of registering changes in pressure, temperature, motion, light, and sound. In the physical world, more and more objects can now communicate with each other through embedded IoT sensors, actuators, and tags. The global IoT sensors market has been segmented on the basis of types, application and geography. In addition, an exhaustive cross sectional analysis of the global IoT sensors market across four broad regions has been covered under the scope of the study.A surge in demand for IoT sensors in the automotive industry and the booming Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) market are strongly driving the growth of the IoT sensors market. Furthermore, increase in demand for consumer electronics and growing demand for smart devices is boosting the market growth. Smart devices account for a considerable portion of consumer electronics. Thus, increasing global sales of consumer electronics is fueling growth of the IoT sensors market. While smartphones and related products are already used to a large extent, smart electricity, gas and water meters are expected to witness rising demand over the next few years. The conjoint effect of all these trends and drivers is thus set to bolster the growth of the global IoT sensors market during the forecast period.Free PDF For Latest Advancements with Technological breakthroughs is @Stringent government regulations and policies across the globe are encouraging the development of smart cities and this is offering a potential growth opportunity to the global IoT sensors market. IoT sensors would be used in smart cities in smart meters, smart grids, intelligent traffic management systems, and smart parking among others. Further, technological advancements in the medical industry are set to offer a substantial opportunity for the growth of the IoT sensors market. The deployment of healthcare devices using IoT sensors could transform the healthcare industry by focusing on better patient care, lowering costs, and increasing efficiency. The IoT sensors market has huge opportunity and scope in the emerging markets of Asia Pacific and Rest of the world (RoW). Emergence of new players in the developing markets such as China, Japan, India, Australia, Russia, and Brazil coupled with the adoption of better and advanced technologies has led to the increase in competitiveness in the market.The competitive profiling of the key players in the global IoT sensors market across four broad geographic regions is included in the study. These include different business strategies adopted by the leading players and their recent developments as in the field of IoT sensors. The market attractive analysis of the major application areas has been provided in the report, in order to offer a deep insight of global IoT sensors market.A comprehensive analysis of the market dynamics that is inclusive of market drivers, restraints and opportunities is included in the purview of the report. Market dynamics are the distinctive factors which impact the market growth, thereby helping to understand the ongoing trends of the global market. Therefore, the report provides the forecast of the global market for the period from 2015 to 2023, along with offering an inclusive study of the IoT sensors market.Some of the major players in the IoT sensors market are: Infineon Technologies (Germany), STMicroelectronics N.V. (Switzerland), IBM (U.S.), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), Ericsson (Sweden), InvenSense Inc. (U.S.), Libelium (Spain), ARM Holdings Plc. (U.K.) and Digi International Inc. (U.S.) among others.Market Insight can be Viewed @The global IoT Sensors market has been segmented into:Global Sensors Market, by TypesAccelerometersGyroscopesMagnetometersPressure SensorsTemperature SensorsLight SensorsOthersGlobal IoT Sensors Market, by End-Use Industry:Consumer ElectronicsHealthcareAutomotiveIndustrialBuilding AutomationRetailOthersTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Solar Cell Paste Market 2016 Trends, Growth, Development Challenges and Opportunities Forecasts till 2022

Solar Cell Paste

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MRS Research Group added new research report on Global Solar Cell Paste Market 2016 includes Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Demand, Supply, Application, Segmentation, Opportunity, Market Development, production, capacity utilization, supply, Analysis and Forecast by 2022The presented report by MRS Research Group on the global and china market is the in depth analysis of various factors surrounding Solar Cell Paste industries globally. The report throws light on different drivers, restraints and opportunities that exists and expected to arise in future. Prepared by the team of experts and available on MRS Research Group site, the report offers an overview of all the key performance indicators of the industry. The analysis covers the industry on the accounts of revenue, volume, wherever applicable.Access Free Sample Report @This MRS Research Group report has taken considered all the internal and external factors influencing global and china industry. Report has covered the key players of the industry along with current and potential competitors. Report does not only highlight the glimpses of global market, but it goes in details of the industry, current scenario, revenues (net ad gross) of the competitors and their position in the market in terms of geography, monetary value and brand value or goodwill.This valuable information available in the MRS Research Group report is coupled with present and future opportunities hiding in the Solar Cell Paste industry. Report considers the importance of R&D in the industry and fathoms upcoming inventions too. It compares the current status of global and china industry with the future goals and growth. In this report, available on MRS Research Group site, the expert team has successfully delivered a complete and realistic picture of the future actions, that the Solar Cell Paste is expected to take. The report covers all question that a business faces in a bid to sustain its industrial position.Read Complete Report @Table of Content Of Solar Cell Paste Market (Index) :Chapter One Introduction of Industry1.1 Brief Introduction of Industry1.2 Development of Industry1.3 Status of IndustryChapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Industry2.1 Development of Manufacturing Technology2.2 Analysis of Manufacturing Technology2.3 Trends of Manufacturing TechnologyChapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers3.1 Company A3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Product Information3.1.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.1.4 Contact Information3.2 Company B3.2.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Product Information......MRS Research group provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Prof Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.comWebsite:
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NEWS BLOCKS:

Four Seasons Enters Vietnam

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts will open its first hotel in Vietnam. This will be a property in Nam Hai Hoi An. The famous hotelier will become a managing company of the hotel starting from this December.



In order to debut on the Vietnamese market, Four Seasons concluded agreement with Hotel Properties Ltd. and ASB Development Ltd. The Dubai joint venture is the owner of the resort that will be managed by the hotelier. The full name of the hotel complex is Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An. The resort will consist of 40 private villas and 60 more resort villas. The villas will be renovated before the rebranding. The territory of the resort also includes three swimming pools and three restaurants.



Hoi An is one of the most popular resorts in Vietnam, so the choice of the location was not random. This idyllic place is a perfect destination for debut according to Four Seasons. The company considers Vietnam one of its strategic markets, so the hotelier plans to add more properties in this country in future.

17.09.2016Stay 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.
For Night Market's third act, the Friday night marquee event swapped an Asian theme for a little bit of Latin flair.

The second main event of the 2016 Feast Portland weekend, Night Market hosted 19 chefs at Southwest Portland's Zidell Yards, transforming the gravel yard into a sunset dance party fueled by creative bites and local booze.

We loved Jose Chesa's escabeche-style duck, cleverly tucked into an ice cream cone and layered with avocado and orange-sweet potato. Tyler Malek, the whiz kid behind Salt & Straw's crazy-delicious creations, scooped up a sweet corn copo -- a Costa Rican shave ice treat -- with cilantro and marionberry. But the bite that stole the show (for us) was Podnah's beef rib taco. Jiggly soft Snake River Farms beef rib earned a drizzle of hatch chili cheese sauce, raw onion and cilantro. We went back for seconds.

Unofficial events: Sometimes the best things aren't on the schedule. On Friday morning, a line wound out the door of Southeast Portland's Whiskey Soda Lounge for a last-minute, unofficial "hangover brunch" pop-up from Pok Pok chef Andy Ricker and Mission Chinese madman Danny Bowien. There were coconut-lemongrass cocktails cascading from a fountain enshrined in flowers and a photo of a young Tina Turner. Across the room, a congee station was set up with a DIY toppings bar -- everything from "bouncy pork" to fresh-cracked, soft-boiled eggs. Plates of thrice-cooked bacon and rice cakes, Chongqing chicken wings and Pok Pok fish wings were carried around the room. On the back patio, a soup station had been set up ladling aromatic boat noodles. We grabbed a table near the back, threw back a few Tigers and burned our mouths on the four-alarm Chongqing wings. This is the kind of Feast celebration we were looking for.

Girls just want to have fun(size): New to the Feast Portland line-up were a handful of "fun-size" events, basically, mid-size events somewhere between the intimate dinners and the massive marquee events. And we're all about it. We popped by the "Eat your Feelings: Noodle Edition" party at Han Oak for everything carb-loaded. We found a full house, sparkling wine flowing, music bumpin' and bites like General Tso pig tails and Italian Wedding soup dumplings making their way from the kitchen. We'd love to see more of these events on the schedule next year, helping to bring more people into the Feast fold without having to brave massive lines and huge crowds of the big-tent events.

-- Samantha Bakall

sbakall@oregonian.com

Follow @sambakall
Correction appended.

State officials have once again found high levels of a potentially toxic substance near Bullseye Glass, a Southeast Portland stained-glass plant that's been at the center of a toxic air scare since February.

An air monitor registered a spike of selenium on Sept. 6 at a level that a state health expert said can cause coughing but no long-term damage. The element is one of several potentially hazardous substances that the plant uses to make stained glass.

Department of Environmental Quality officials inspected the facility Friday after confirming the air monitor's results. But the department is still stumped as to the source of the elevated levels.

Records reviewed by the department showed that in September, Bullseye only used selenium in furnaces equipped with industrial filters, regional air quality manager Michael Orman said. And if the spike was caused by malfunctioning filters, then one would expect to see elevated levels of other toxic substances that the plant uses, he said. Selenium's the only one that registered a spike.

While the state continues to grapple with the mystery, officials put new restrictions on Bullseye's use of selenium. The plant's no longer allowed to burn selenium in unfiltered furnaces - even though there's no evidence it had done that in September anyway - and it's limited to using 5 pounds of the element per day.

Bullseye Glass officials could not be reached.

Oregon Health Authority toxicologist David Farrer said that while the spike in selenium is a concern, it's not a grave one. Selenium doesn't cause developmental problems for children and research points to it not being a carcinogen, he said.

"From a health perspective, it's not too serious," he said.

Farrer said he checked an agency database of emergency visits for the area that includes Bullseye, and found that there were no more for breathing issues than normal on the day in question.

The state found selenium at 887 nanograms per cubic meter. In the two weeks prior, levels ranged from less than 1 nanogram to 24, Farrer said. The state has deemed 710 being the level at which "immediate negative health effects could occur," based on the level set by New Hampshire, which state officials said has the strictest standards for selenium in the country.

Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect the fact that selenium is not a heavy metal.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

503-294-7674; @fedorzarkhin
balzer doc.jpg

Former Coffee Creek Correctional Facility corrections officer Brian Balzer describes the state's only prison for women in a three-year-old marketing video. Balzer is facing two felony charges for allegedly having a sexual relationship with an inmate and for providing her with contraband. Full video below. (Oregon Department of Corrections, AFSCME)

(Oregon Department of Corrections, AFSCME)

The attorney for an alleged victim jailed in a sexual misconduct case involving a former prison guard has taken a step to get her released pending trial.

But the prosecutor has objected, saying the woman was "complicit" in the "illicit relationship."

The 41-year-old woman has been held in the Washington County Jail on a material witness hold since Aug. 16 while awaiting the trial of Brian Balzer. The ex-corrections officer is accused of having sex with the woman while she was an inmate and he was a guard at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.

Last month, Washington County Circuit Judge Charles Bailey ordered that the woman remain in custody on the material witness hold because of the state's concerns that she wouldn't show up to testify at trial. The judge had cited the woman's history of drug addiction and recent parole violations as the reasons to keep her behind bars.

The woman had made an emotional appeal to the judge for her release, saying she had cooperated with the investigation and would return to testify against Balzer. She also testified that she spent two years in Coffee Creek's mental health unit.

A material witness is someone with information about a case who has been deemed unlikely to appear at trial. State law allows a material witness to be held in jail without any time limit, but in most cases detention lasts for less than a week.

The woman's attorney, Betsy Rawls, has asked the court to allow her client to give a deposition to secure testimony in the case instead of keeping her jailed. In a response filed this week, prosecutor Dan Hesson said that wouldn't work because the woman's in-person testimony before the jury is crucial to his case.

Rawls, Hesson wrote, identifies her client as "the victim," seemingly to suggest that her incarceration is unfair. Rawls told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the woman was cuffed and shackled for an appearance in the court last month.

Under Oregon law, there is no consensual sex between staff and inmates because of the inherent power difference between them.

Hesson wrote that the woman's own actions landed her in jail and said that she "was complicit in perpetuating the illicit relationship" with the ex-guard, including sending him love notes with lip and heart emoticons after she was released from custody.

"This case was not initiated by a sex abuse victim's disclosure of sex abuse, it was initiated because" the woman and Balzer "both wanted another illicit interlude (this time in a hotel room) and they got caught," Hesson wrote.

617816 12/03/2015 19:19

The investigation into Balzer began in 2014 after the woman was released from Coffee Creek into a halfway house. She told a staff member there that she "wanted to spend the night" with the former guard, according to court records.

Hesson wrote that in her request, the woman described Balzer as a family friend whom she wanted to see for dinner and movies. "This was not a 'family friend from out of town' - this was her illicit lover," Hesson wrote.

After officials learned of the relationship, Hesson said, the woman wrote Balzer two emails in which she said she loved him.

Balzer resigned from his position at Coffee Creek, Oregon's only prison for women, in 2013. A grand jury indicted him last November on one count each of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct and supplying contraband. He posted bail after his December arrest and has been free since, pending his Oct. 4 trial.

In the months after Balzer's arrest, the woman began violating her parole, court records say. She tested positive for methamphetamine and dropped out of her drug treatment program. She stopped checking in with her Lane County parole officer, who issued a warrant for her arrest.

By early June, Hesson requested a material witness warrant for her because he didn't think she would show up for the trial, then scheduled for July. Hesson noted the woman's lengthy criminal history and said he and other law enforcement officers couldn't find her.

Hesson later asked the court to push back the trial date because he still couldn't find her. Judge Bailey set the new October date and said he wouldn't reschedule the trial again.

In Oregon, a judge can keep material witnesses in custody until they testify or release them pending trial. Material witness detention laws exist in nearly every state. Oregon's statute is used most often when witnesses don't want to testify for fear of retaliation. Gang cases are a common example.

After Washington County's controversial decision to jail a material witness in a murder case for more than 900 days until his release last year, state lawmakers passed a bill to prevent witnesses from the same fate. House Bill 2316 allowed a judge to order pretrial depositions, to emulate live testimony, so that witnesses could go free pending trial.

In asking for the court to allow a deposition in the Balzer case, Rawls wrote that the woman "continues to struggle with anxiety while in custody given that the original incident occurred in similar surroundings." The attorney further wrote that the deposition would ensure that prosecutors wouldn't need to dismiss charges against Balzer if the woman failed to appear at trail so her client should be released.

But Hesson disagreed. A deposition, the prosecutor wrote in his response, would replace the woman's in-person testimony with a transcript or video recording and weaken the state's case. Her credibility, Hesson said, will be critical to his case and something jurors must determine by hearing her in person.

The state would not be able to adequately address any impeachment evidence offered at trial against the woman, who has a significant criminal history, Hesson wrote. The woman would also not be available to testify during the state's rebuttal, he said.

"(The woman) has led a life of crime which spans nearly two decades," Hesson wrote. "She chose to jeopardize this case by violating her court ordered supervision, by becoming a fugitive, by doing drugs, and by making herself unavailable for trial."

It's unclear when the judge will rule on the matter.

Emily E. Smith of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report.

--Rebecca Woolington

503-294-4049; @rwoolington
It's been nearly two years since Oregonians said yes to legalizing marijuana for recreational use, yet voters in dozens of places across the state will weigh in again in November.

Fifty-three communities from Lake Oswego to Pendleton will consider a range of questions that, in essence, boil down to whether they should allow legal marijuana businesses within their borders.

The flurry of local ballot measures underscores that even in Oregon -- the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana more than four decades ago and home to a long-established medical marijuana program -- legal pot remains a tough sell for some.

"What these votes in these small places mean is we are not comfortable as a state with taking that last step to legalization," said Jim Moore, director of the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University. "Clearly, we had a vote. The vote said yes, but a lot of people voted no and they are finding out that they can act on that no."

Like Washington and Colorado, the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, Oregon gives local communities a say in whether they want legal marijuana in their hometowns.

It's not just recreational marijuana businesses voters will consider on Nov. 8. Thirty-eight cities and counties will also vote on whether to allow medical marijuana processors and retailers.

Local control provisions are part of legalization measures up for a vote this fall in five states -- Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada and California, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a national organization that advocates for legalization and helped draft the Colorado's 2012 law.

In Colorado, 189 communities have imposed some type of prohibition on marijuana businesses. In Washington, an estimated 107 communities prohibit state-licensed marijuana businesses or have temporary bans, though most of the state's larger cities have opted into the industry, which generates an estimated $4.4 million in sales a day.

As the marijuana industry in both states has evolved, some communities have eased their restrictions. For instance, leaders of Thornton, a city north of Denver, recently reversed course and began accepting applications from marijuana retailers.

And in Washington, legislators last year passed a law offering local communities a share of marijuana tax revenue as an incentive to open their doors to the industry, said Jim Doherty, legal consultant for the Municipal Research and Services Center, which conducts research for local governments in that state.

Some local leaders, he said, initially worried about "secondary effects" from marijuana shops, but over time the establishments turned out to resemble liquor stores.

"People go in, they shop and they leave," Doherty said. "It's not like people are hanging around with long hair and in hippie vans out front."

In Oregon, the rules around how a community opts out of the regulated marijuana industry are complicated.

City councils and county commissions where at least 55 percent of voters opposed the state's 2014 legalization measure had a window when they could impose bans on production and sales.

Under that provision, 53 communities, all in eastern Oregon, moved to block marijuana businesses. They needed to take action by last December.

Since December, however, any local government interested in opting out, even those that met the 55 percent threshold, must put the issue to a vote during the general election in November.

Sources: Oregon Liquor Control Commission, Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Department of Revenue

Grant and Klamath counties were among the communities to impose bans. Local marijuana activists collected enough signatures to put measures on the May ballot that would have repealed them. Voters in both counties decisively rejected those efforts.

Bans are on the November ballot in 47 cities and six counties.

Recent polling by DHM Research, a non-partisan opinion research firm with an office in Portland, found that 60 percent of Oregon voters oppose local bans on recreational marijuana shops. While 67 percent of Portland area voters reject bans, the poll found that 54 percent voters outside of the metro area do as well.

The poll, which DHM Research paid for, did not address medical marijuana retailers.

Advocates for cannabis legalization say local bans are unfair to consumers who will end up driving elsewhere to shop. And they wonder why local communities would choose to miss out on extra tax revenue and jobs.

For John Sajo, a longtime marijuana activist in rural Douglas County, blocking the newly legal industry only hurts the cash-strapped county where medical marijuana production already flourishes. The latest Oregon Health Authority statistics show the county is home to 1,194 medical marijuana grow sites.

Douglas County voters this fall will decide whether to allow medical and recreational processing and retail facilities. They will also weigh whether to permit licensed recreational cannabis production.

"Marijuana is already here," Sajo said. "The question is: Are we going to get the tax revenue and the industry, the regulated industry, which will be larger scale than the current medical grows?"

Oregon collected an estimated $25.5 million in cannabis tax revenue through the end of July. Revenue from marijuana sales is supposed to be divvied up among a variety of programs, including 10 percent for city law enforcement and another 10 percent for county law enforcement.

Local communities that opt out of regulated recreational marijuana won't get the local law enforcement money. They also can't capitalize on the up to 3 percent additional tax local governments may impose on recreational marijuana sales.

Local leaders who want to impose that tax have to put the question to voters.

According to the Oregon Department of Revenue, a local tax is on the ballot in 106 communities, including Portland, where officials conservatively estimated it will generate $3 million to $5 million a year.

The DMH poll found that most Oregon voters support a local tax on recreational marijuana sales.

"Though some may not view legalization positively in the abstract, an overwhelming majority believe their communities should seek benefits in the form of increased tax revenues," said John Horvick, the firm's vice president and political director.

The local tax is on top of the 17 percent tax the state will impose on recreational sales starting when the Oregon Liquor Control Commission begins regulating the market later this year.

For some local officials, the prospect of additional revenue isn't enough to overcome deep reservations about legal marijuana.

In Lake Oswego, where voters will consider whether to reverse a moratorium on recreational marijuana businesses as well as whether to allow medical marijuana dispensaries, Mayor Kent Studebaker said the city would miss out on "maybe tens of thousands of dollars" by rejecting marijuana businesses.

"That is a choice we make," Studebaker said. "It's a larger question than just revenue. I am talking about what's right for the community."

In Marion County, where 51.7 percent of voters rejected the state's marijuana legalization measure in 2014, Commissioner Kevin Cameron said commissioners decided to ask voters: "Is this something that you changed your mind on or still say no to?"

Voters will decide whether to allow medical marijuana processors and new dispensaries in unincorporated Marion County. They'll also consider whether to permit recreational cannabis businesses, including producers, processors, wholesalers and shops.

A local tax is on the ballot as well in case voters approve recreational pot sales.

For his part, Cameron said he wants to take "as much time as possible" to see how the industry evolves before letting in marijuana businesses.

"We have to do it to protect the kids and the people," he said.

Besides, he said, marijuana isn't exactly a scarce commodity.

"Has there been a shortage?" he asked. "Have you heard anyone complain about a shortage of recreational marijuana in Marion County?"

Further complicating the issue, some supporters of bans are preparing for the possibility that voters may end up saying yes to marijuana businesses.

Places like Lake Oswego and Marion County, for instance, have drafted regulations for where retail stores could operate.

In Oregon City, where voters will weigh a ban on medical and recreational stores and processors along with a potential tax in case sales are approved, Mayor Dan Holladay said he doesn't have "strong feelings one way or another" on whether pot sales should be allowed.

"The strong feeling I have is if the voters of Oregon City say they want that, the regulation should be as non-restrictive as possible," he said. "This is just another business."

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
Blue Lake Regional Park

An aerial view of Blue Lake Regional Park in Fairview, south of the Columbia River.

(Metro)

Blue Lake is now open for fishing, swimming and wading after authorities shut down such activities there earlier this month because of an algae bloom.

The water's blue-green algae toxin levels are "below guideline values for human exposure," the Oregon Health Authority said Friday. The agency issued a health advisory because of the bloom Sept. 7.

People who bring their dogs to the lake should still be cautious because the water has toxins above "very low exposure levels established for dogs," the agency said in a new release.

Health officials also ask people to watch for signs of algae blooms in lakes throughout the state because agencies monitor a "fraction" of them for blue-green algae.

Health officials said Sept. 7 that the algae bloom hadn't affected any public drinking or potable water.

They said exposure to some toxins caused by algae blooms can cause symptoms similar to those of food poisoning: cramps, diarrhea, fainting, nausea, vomiting and weakness. Other toxins, they said, can cause dizziness, numbness and tingling that can result in difficulty breathing or heart problems.

"Contact with cells from a bloom can cause skin irritation and a red, puffy rash in individuals with skin sensitivities or those who develop rashes easily," health officials said.

Children and pets stand a higher risk of exposure, according to health officials.

The Oregon Public Health Division tracks algae bloom advisories on its website, where it lists more information about algae and ways to contact health officials.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
The Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont Co.s pending $130 billion merger will be a subject of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday.

The Consolidation and Competition in the U.S. Seed and Agrochemical Industry hearing is set for 10 a.m. Hearings are webcast live online at www.judiciary.senate.gov

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in June sent a letter to the Department of the Justice Antitrust Division urging a careful examination of the Dow DuPont merger. Grassley chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over antitrust issues.

The seed and chemical industries are critical to agriculture and the nations economy, and Iowans are concerned that this sudden consolidation in the industry could cause rising input costs in an already declining agriculture economy, Grassley said in an Aug. 23 statement.

The senator is a farmer in Butler County, Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. He has routinely urged Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission officials to pay more attention to tie-ups and questioned whether the Justice Department itself has enough staff adequately informed about farming to properly review the mergers, the newspaper reported.

Concern also comes from the European Commission, which cited the lack of competition that could result in the agriculture industry. On Sept. 9, the Commission halted its ongoing investigation of the merger, telling the two companies to provide relevant missing data.

Dow and DuPont officials had hoped to see the merger completed by the end of the year, and a Dow spokesperson said the routine procedural part of the (European Commissions) process does not change timing expectations.

The merger would result in a combined company known as DowDuPont, which would then spin off into three separate, independent businesses within 18 to 24 months: Material Sciences, said to stay headquartered in Midland, and Agriculture and Specialty Products, to be based in Wilmington, Delaware, where DuPont is currently headquartered.

Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris called the companies plan the largest and most consequential merger in our sector at this years annual shareholders meeting.

Grassley said it would result in the largest biotechnology and seed firm in the country. Grain prices are hovering near their lowest levels in years amid a global supply glut, and farm incomes have plunged, Reuters reported Thursday.

And on Wednesday, Bayer announced it would buy the worlds largest seed firm, Monsanto Co., for $66 billion. Representatives from both companies are scheduled witnesses at the hearing.

The full witness list includes:

 James C. Collins Jr., executive vice president, agriculture division, E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington, Delaware

 Tim Hassinger, president and CEO, Dow AgroSciences LLC, Indianapolis, Indiana

 Erik Frywald, CEO, Syngenta International AG, Basel, Switzerland

 Jim Blome, president and CEO, Bayer CropScience North America, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

 Dr. Robb Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Monsanto Co., St. Louis, Missourri

 Dr. Diana L. Moss, president, American Antitrust Institute, Washington, D.C.

 Dr. Bob Young, chief economist and deputy executive director, public policy, American Farm Bureau Federation, Washington, D.C.

 Chris Novak, CEO, National Corn Growers Association, Chesterfield, Missourri

 Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union, Washington, D.C.
State Sen. Jim Stamas has been recognized as 2016 Legislator of the Year by the Michigan Manufacturers Association in recognition of his leadership on behalf of manufacturers in Michigan.

Its an honor to be recognized for supporting Michigan manufacturing, which is the foundation of our economy  employing thousands of workers and generating billions of dollars in revenues for local communities, schools and the entire state, said Stamas, R-Midland. As we look to continue Michigans recovery, it is important that we have a positive environment that enables our manufacturers to thrive and grow. While it is great to be recognized for our efforts, the true reward is seeing an improved state that is creating jobs and opportunities.
To the editor:

The 48 Hour Film Project is a national short film competition. Participants are given certain criteria (genre, prop, line of dialogue and character name), and each part must be included in the film. In addition, the short films include a script and musical score, written by the project participants.

This particular challenge, while done in Midland, was submitted with teams from Detroit to represent Michigan in the national competition July 22-24. Midlands own GO Great Lakes Productions participated in this most recent challenge, enduring a very hot and humid weekend and covering four different locations in Midland and Bay counties. Their efforts were rewarded with the Best-in-Genre award, given on Aug. 16 in Detroit. The movie titled, Melonball Run, is available for public viewing via YouTube are: https://youtu.be/mNN0TJi1G7s

A project like this movie cannot be accomplished by itself. GO Great Lakes Productions would like to thank the Shick Family, JR Bornemann, Brent and Chris at Grape Beginnings, and Kevin at MI Float. Special thanks to the Midland Police, Incuba8 Labs and the H Hotel. This project is a great community-building competition, one that the team plans on doing again.

For more information or to see how you can get involved in the next project in November, visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GOGreatLakesProductions or contact me at my website, www.danbellevillemusic.com

DAN BELLEVILLE

GO Great Lakes Productions
BLOOMINGTON  Crime Stoppers of McLean County needs the publics help in finding a person who is being sought for arrest for felony charges.

Jeffrey Ray Walls is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 215 pounds. He has short brown hair and green eyes. He has light brown skin and a large build. His last known addresses were in Bloomington. Walls has used aliases that include Kenneth Herman and Jerry Walls.

He is named on a warrant charging him with one count of burglary, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of theft on school property.

Crime Stoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of people who commit felony crimes in McLean County. Call 309-828-1111.
NORMAL  Boy Scout and Girl Scout programs serving at-risk youths in McLean County received a boost Friday with grants from O'Brien Mitsubishi and Mitsubishi Motors USA Foundation.

W.D. Boyce Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of Central Illinois each received a $15,000 grant. The grants were announced Friday morning at the Mitsubishi dealership on Fort Jesse Road.

The money helps make up funding lost when the Boy Scouts' ScoutReach program and the Girl Scouts' Outreach program didn't receive funding from United Way of McLean County.

John Meek, a board member and past president of the W.D. Boyce Council, said the United Way's decision has cost the council $125,000 in funding in the past three years, but the board has worked hard to make up the difference.

Because of its importance, our board has refused to walk away from the ScoutReach program, he said.

George Clay, executive director of W.D. Boyce Council, said 400 boys are served by the program in Bloomington-Normal. The after-school program focuses on character building, citizenship and teamwork, Clay explained.

Jennifer Ewan, fund development professional with the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, said Outreach is the most expensive program because it is staff driven. It also focuses on leadership development.

Ewan said the mission of the Girl Scouts is to build girls of courage, confidence and character.

Both programs also address bullying and how to prevent it. Ewan said that was an area where schools said education was needed.

Ryan Gremore, general manager and vice president of O'Brien Mitsubishi, said the programs mean so much to our community and we understand the hardship.

Gremore said, We don't intend this to be a one-time gift and expressed hope that other businesses will contribute to the programs.

It's important to come together as a community, said Gremore.

Clay called the outreach programs an investment in the community's youth.

It's going to pay off, not just today in giving them something to do, but 20 years from now when they become leaders in the community, he said.

W.D. Boyce Council serves 19,000 youths in 14 counties. Girl Scouts of Central Illinois serves 17,000 girls in 38 counties.
IOWA CITY, Iowa  Local government has always been big for Geoff Fruin.

"Growing up in Bloomington and having my father (Jim) serving on the city council exposed me to local government at an early age and ultimately played a big part in the path I took," he said. "I hope I'm able to have a long career."

At 36, Fruin already has risen to the top of that profession: in July, Iowa City promoted him to city manager, the top spot in its administration next to Mayor Jim Throgmorton.

It's a fast rise, said Normal City Manager Mark Peterson, who should know: he took his position at age 39 and has held it for nearly two decades.

"He loves the profession, he takes it very seriously and he takes public service as a noble calling," Peterson said of Fruin. "I like to think that we had a positive influence on Geoff  I think we did  but clearly his success in Iowa City is due primarily to him."

After graduating from Central Catholic High School, the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois at Chicago, Fruin started his career with the town, where he eventually became assistant city manager.

"Coming back to Normal after school was tremendously fortunate because it was such a defining period in that community's history with the uptown project; 2004 wasn't the beginning of it, but it was still in its infancy," Fruin said. "That's an experience that most city managers never get to have."

At the same time, Fruin said, he saw how a local government can be a "really cohesive unit that works well together," including a city council that "has provided political leadership to tackle big projects."

"I had two great mentors in Mark Peterson and (Deputy City Manager) Pam Reece who got me pointed in the right direction," he said.

Even when Fruin was an administrative analyst, Peterson said, "we quickly saw that he had significant capabilities, so we expanded the scope of his responsibilities."

That experience helped him return to Iowa City in 2011.

"It was a very difficult decision. Obviously I have family in the (Twin City) area and deep roots," Fruin said. "My wife (Jenny) is from Iowa City, and her family resides here, which was one of the reasons that we wanted to come back."

Fruin also was drawn by then-City Manager Tom Markus, who, unlike Peterson, planned to leave in a few years. He's now city manager in Lawrence, Kan.

"I knew there would be an opportunity potentially in the future, and that was certainly one of the appealing aspects of the move," Fruin said.

Fruin said he thinks of Normal often, both because he seeks professional advice from Peterson and Reece and because the cities are alike. He was thrilled to welcome Normal officials to his city for a tour of the public library this summer.

He also visits Normal "a few times a year, and it's really gratifying for me to see the continued progress in the area," he said.

Fruin said he hopes to stay in Iowa City long term. He and his wife have three kids  Calissa, 7, Hadley, 5, and Paxton, 1.

"Iowa City is a great city, and from a professional standpoint, it presents a lot of challenges and opportunities that I'm excited to work on for quite some time," he said, "so I hope that's the case."
Politics persisted in the Illinois Supreme Court this week. In another straight party-line vote, it refused to reconsider its decision that denies citizens a chance to change how state legislative boundaries are drawn.

Currently, a once-a-decade debacle lets General Assembly power brokers manipulate the redistricting process so their friends and party have a distinct ballot box advantage for years at a time.

In reaching their original decision, the four majority Democrats on the states top court searched hard and found a speck of constitutional daylight to run to, meaning citizens wont get a chance to vote on the desperately needed remap reform. Because the proposal would have given the state auditor general a role in deciding the makeup of a redistricting commission, the proposal is dead meat, they said.

Backers of the initiative said if court Democrats had studied transcripts from the 1970 convention that rewrote Illinois century-old governing document, they would have found the framers intent and put the grassroots effort on Novembers ballot.

So I decided to check in with a former Twin City resident who was one of the 116 people who framed the current constitution.

John Wenum served on the McLean County Board for 13 years when he taught political science at Illinois Wesleyan University. Today, he lives with wife Nan in central Wisconsin, sounds half his 87 years of age on the phone and serves on the Juneau County, Wis., county board (his fifth term).

Theyre on thin ice, he was quick to tell me, referring to the Supreme Court majority. He said delegates to the constitutional convention narrowly defined the types of issues that could be the subject of a citizen initiative, but clearly opened the door to structural and procedural matters involving the General Assembly.

It was because for years the legislature had played some very strange games with reapportionment and for decades even refused to allow consideration of a constitutional convention to redo the process, Wenum said. We tried to build in a method where, if enough people were frustrated, they could take the initiative.

In 1980, a decade after the new constitution was written, Wenum authored a letter to the editor on this very page.

The drafters of the 1970 Illinois Constitution, he wrote, knew full well the reluctance of persons in government  elected, appointed or civil service  to take any action which limits their sphere of authority or their job security.

Well, thats one thing that hasnt changed in 46 years.

In his dissenting opinion this month, Justice Robert Thomas said the court was ignoring its duty to resolve any doubt about the constitutional provision in favor of the right of the people to have a voice in government, as the drafters intended. He began his dissent by saying, The Illinois Constitution is meant to prevent tyranny, not to enshrine it.

Now that Democrats on the state supreme court have found constitutional religion, maybe they could enforce Section 2 of Article VIII.

Thats the part about how the General Assembly must establish a balanced budget each year.

When's the last time that happened?

Photo finish

Happy retirement to longtime Pantagraph photographer Lori Ann Cook-Neisler. Her fine work has graced these pages for 36 years. Many readers didnt need to check the photo credit to know which photos were hers.
EUREKA  The Woodford County Boards public safety committee has rejected a proposed noise ordinance after hearing strong complaints.

The unanimous vote came at a recent meeting. The proposal had been drawn up by Assistant States Attorney Jason Spence at the committee's request.

The ramifications of this piece of radical legislation pits neighbor against neighbor, said Paul Burton of Congerville. Tolerance between neighbors is what we have to promote. This is not promoting tolerance.

The proposal would have made it unlawful to create or allow loud and raucous noise on private property and named specific examples. Actions subject to the ordinance included, but were not limited to using sound equipment, restrictions on construction, using machines with engines and general yelling and shouting. It also defined decibel levels, distances and included exemptions.

The ordinance was born out of a dispute among neighbors who live in unincorporated Woodford County near Evergreen Lake.

What we wanted was simply to adopt the Illinois EPA guidelines (for noise pollution), said Ann Kaufman of rural Hudson. Woodford County just needs to adopt the established penalties and give directions to police.

Spence said the EPA guidelines are not statutes that can be enforced by police unless they are put an ordinance.

Board member Doug Huser said similar ordinances had been erased from the books because they were unfair.

They are hard to enforce; theres always a kink somewhere, Huser said. This is not fair for everybody. We dont need it.
"Teen Wolf" Season 6 is still under production but further delay is also hurting the crew of MTV's famous series. However, recent spoilers have also been released where Scott, Stiles, Lydia and the gang will face their biggest enemy in Beacon Hills.

According to reports, Dylan O'Brien who plays Stiles Stilinski is still not returning from the set of "Teen Wolf" Season 6 as he was injured from filming the "Maze Runner" in mid-March. While it has been six months since he was dragged by a moving car while filming the "The Maze Runner" which eventually hurt his face, it seems that he is still recovering from his injuries.

It is possible that Dylan O'Brien will not be joining the first episodes of "Teen Wolf" Season 6 as they have also provided a good storyline indicating why he is not with them. The actor will come back though on October.

For the upcoming "Teen Wolf" Season 6, viewers will be seeing new villains that will have the power to erase people from reality. "Something terrible is going to happen," Lydia said. "Something worse than death."

What could be worse than death? MTV reported that since the evil that was trapped in the Dread Doctors has already escaped, the gang will be hunting this evil. The new villains will go after Stiles where Malia and Sheriff Stilinski will forget about him.

As this is the last season for "Teen Wolf" the whole cast will want to be part of this production, Dylan included. Stiles will be a big part of "Teen Wolf" Season 6 and it will revolve around his disappearance.

Fans are also hoping to see more of Stiles and Lydia moment, reports Hollywood Life. And, viewers will not be disappointed as the two will have a great moment in the premiere of "Teen Wolf" Season 6.

Are you waiting for a Stiles-Lydia moment? Are you excited to watch "Teen Wolf" Season 6? Share with us your thoughts below.
Reports that "Reign" Season 4 will be its last season has been circulating online although it is definite that the upcoming season is still undergoing. Fans of the CW show have also been monitoring the show's progress as the cast has been posting recent development of "Reign's" production.

For the upcoming "Reign" Season 4, the story will mostly revolve around Queen Mary's second and third marriages. Her relationships with her second husband and third husband will also be the main focus of the upcoming season.

Adam Croasdell from "East Enders" will join "Reign" Season 4 as the third husband of Queen Mary (Adelaide Kane). He will be appearing in three episodes and may even become a season regular if things go well.

Croasdell will play Bothwell, a very loyal and in love with Mary of Scots. However, he also has a bad reputation which could make things complicated for the two. Christian Today reported that Croasdell may not even be coming on the first episodes of "Reign" Season 4 since viewers were left with Queen Mary losing her husband in Season 3 of "Reign."

It is probable that the story line for Bothwell will come in mid-season of "Reign." Of course, Queen Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley will also be arriving on "Reign" Season 4.

The real events of "Reign" will have Lord Darnley being killed just a year after being married to Queen Mary. Once the second husband dies, Bothwell will swoop her off her feet and will successfully make her fall in love with him although Bothwell was involved in the murder of a close relative of the queen.

The cast of "Reign" Season 4 is also busy and has been providing their avid viewers their latest images through Instagram which fans are happy to see.

Re-gram @littlespoonman sadpuppies #siblingproblems #reign A photo posted by Adelaide Kane (@adelaidekane) on Sep 16, 2016 at 8:42am PDT

"Reign" Season 4 is reported to air in the first quarter of 2017 although a recent report from Parent Herald indicates that it will be moved to a later release date so as to give way to HBO's "Game of Thrones." This move is also logical so as to give the CW series a fighting chance to redeem itself from its dipping viewership.




Platform Marketing & Automated SeoSamba 1st Regional Daily Press Group In Spain Named "Best Project From Digital Transformation 2016" With Local Digital Kit

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09.15.2016, Paris (France) - Vocento, the largest group of local and regional press in Spain, was honored for Local Digital Kit, a new online service based on automated marketing platform SeoSamba.

Local Digital Kit by Vocento, marketing services and innovative online advertising using the platform of automated marketing multiuser white label SambaSaaS, is now permanently change the way small and medium enterprises develop their presence and reputation online, as well as their local marketing.

Launched in March 2016, Local Digital Kit met a huge success with advertisers in the local press, culminating in the award of "Best Project Of Transforming Digital 2016" in the Second Edition of the Awards National eCommerce & Transformation Digital from over 180 nominees.

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Google and Facebook have cannibalized their income worldwide, the press groups must reinvent their advertising offering to increase their online revenues, offset the decline in traditional channels, and compete with the giants of the net.

With this award, the Observatory of Commerce Online & Digital Transformation of the Digital Economy Business School Forum Local Digital Kit award as the best innovative solution to help SMEs stronger foothold in their respective local markets.

An achievement made possible by the creation and perpetuation of a mobile web presence and high performance for SMEs, and backed by an increased visibility in local or regional print media, as well as optimum SEO in local results search engines, thanks to "technical and tactical optimization of search Marketing and SEO," said Roberto de Celis, Vice President of the Digital Advertising Vocento, when receiving the award.

"Local Digital Kit is revolutionizing the market of local digital advertising and responds to the most pressing challenge that SMEs currently face: improving the quality and quantity of leads generated through online marketing budgets for small businesses," added Mr Celis.

Michel Leconte, SeoSamba President, added that "in a saturated market of digital advertising deals targeting SMEs, the recognized brands of the local newspapers Vocento group is ideally positioned to provide the best advertising services to their local customers. SeoSamba platform provides end-to-end 'unparalleled including all the services necessary to assemble, produce and spread digital advertising, with packaged solutions offering a clear perspective and incomparable results sought by small and medium enterprises. "

"Local Digital Kit is the most effective response to develop a comprehensive digital presence, efficient and sustainable for local businesses in Spain. A comprehensive solution integrating marketing resources, SEO services and search engine marketing that neither Google nor Facebook, or the Yellow Pages type of providers are able to provide, "says Leconte.

"Vocento newspaper provides brands a turnkey solution and innovative digital advertising designed to grow without limit. We are convinced that Vocento and its news media and their local advertisers continue to reap other rewards for Local Digital Kit in the coming months, "concluded Mr. Leconte.

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(Capture a screen customized interface SeoSamba platform)

For more information on web marketing services SeoSamba and its French partners, visit http://www.seosamba.fr , send email to info@seosamba.fr or call + (33) 675 637 635. To more information on Local Digital Kit, thank you for visiting http://www.localdigitalkit.com .

About Local Digital Kit

Local Digital Kit of the Group Vocento is a complete and innovative solution for digital marketing in Spain. Vocento helps small and medium enterprises to create and manage their web presence with mobile sites responsifs, directories lines, digital advertising on the websites of local and regional press, optimal referencing in search engines, full traceability of phone calls, and reports in real time or on demand via an online interface. For more information on Local Digital Kit, thank you for visiting http://www.localdigitalkit.com or call + (34) 902 102 961 (Spain).

About SeoSamba

SeoSamba created the only online marketing platform for automated optimization of an unlimited number of websites for search engines. The SeoSamba platform provides online marketing services to high performance especially effective for press media, franchise operators, web agencies, web directories and specialists SEO white label.
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions
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Patna: Noted classical dancer and Padma Vibushan award recipient Sonal Mansingh in Patna on Friday slammed today's 'Bollywood dance' saying it was certainly a form of entertainment but it cannot be termed as 'dance'.

"What we do is not just shaking our bodies; it's lot more than that and it's a form of art. In our ancient books, dance is presented as a means to 'moksha'. Today's dance is more like a circus," the eminent Odissi and Bharat Natyam dancer said.

The 72-year old Mansingh who was in the state capital to participate in the ongoing Small and Documentary Film Festival said that she had been coming to Bihar since early '70s when she would regularly perform in Motihari.

"Later on, I performed at Rajgir, Chhapra, and Ara and fell in love with Bihar that has traditionally been rich in terms of art, culture, and talent. Bihar's various dialects, folk songs, and the rich history are very inspiring and refreshing," she said.

Mansingh also recalled her meeting with national poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar and paid her tribute to him by reciting his poem 'Mere Bharat ke Divya Vishal'.
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Corals on Mytilus Seamount in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New England.
PHOTOS: Mass Daf Performance In Sanandaj

09/17/16

Report by IFILM; photos by Aryan Nasrollahi, Mehr News Agency

A thousand players of Daf musical instrument have performed together at 6th National Daf Festival in the city of Sanandaj for the first time in Iran's history. The group included thousands of men and women of various ages from Sanandaj, wearing traditional Kurdish clothes.







Daf players sang Kurdish, Persian and Arabic songs from poets of Sanandaj region, which created a great passion among the audience at the festival.







Performers from 21 Iranian provinces participated at the Rahmat Daf festival held on 14-16 September, 2016 in Kurdistan Province.

At the closing ceremony of the festival, winners were announced. Also, Professor Hamid Reza Ardalan, a distinguished expert in Kurdish music, was honored.







The earliest evidence of the Dap (Daf) dates back from Irans Sassanid era. Daf is a large Persian frame drum used in popular and classical music.

Iran, a mosaic of cultures and civilizations, is home to a number of ethnic minorities such as the Kurds, Turkmen, Azaris, Arabs and Lors.



























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Can International Cooperation Revitalize Wetlands on Afghanistan-Iran Border?

09/17/16

By Fatemeh Aman (source: LobeLog)

Efforts to revive the Hamoun wetlands on the Iran-Afghanistan border are intensifying. A recent panel at the Atlantic Council described international involvement as vital both to help resolve this environmental challenge and to raise awareness about the devastating impact of climate change on the region.



Kajaki Dam on Helman River in Afghanistan, which flows into Hamoun Lake



The Hamoun Lakes are transboundary wetlands that consist of three lakes: Hamoun-e Helmand entirely in Iran, Hamoun-e Sabari on the border, and Hamoun-e Puzak, almost entirely inside Afghanistan. Fed by the Helmand (Hirmand) River, the wetlands once supported great plant and animal diversity in the Sistan Basin. However, as a result of drought and poor water management on both sites, the lakes have nearly disappeared.

On the Iranian side, some of the causes are: diversion of Helmand water to fill four reservoirs in Sistan-Baluchistan, creating dykes on the Iran-Afghan border, and the Iranian Fisheries Companys introduction in 1983 of an invasive species of fish that destroyed almost all of the reeds.

On the Afghan side, the development of dams and canals in provinces bordering Iran has lowered the Helmands water level. In 1998, a dispute between Iran and the Taliban regime, and the Talibans subsequent closure of the sluices to the Kajaki Dam, completely stopped the flow of Helmand water into Iran and Hamoun lakes for nearly four years. This coincided with one of regions worst droughts.





Hamoun Wetlands (map)

The drying up of the Hamouns has hit the regions economy hard, causing low employment, severe poverty, and more drug trafficking. It has also led to a serious public health crisis since the so-called 120-days wind, which in the past would cool the air and power windmills, has now extended to 160 days and is a source of fine dust particles and pollution.

The Helmand water is a national issue in Afghanistan and becoming a national issue in Iran. Interestingly, all Afghan governments, before and after the fall of Taliban, and all Iranian governments, before and after the 1979 revolution, have maintained the same position on water and what they considered their share of water. What currently adds to the dilemma is a persistent drought that is threatening the livelihood of the region and intensifying the dispute.

In dealing with the Hamoun crisis, both countries need international support. One positive step came when UNESCO designated the Hamoun Lakes as a UNESCO biosphere reservoir. The UN Environment Program is also working with both Iran and Afghanistan on Hamoun rehabilitation efforts. But more needs to be done.





October 2013 file photo: Hamoun Wetlands (map)



At a recent event at the Atlantic Council, the documentary Once Hamoun depicted the transformation of what was once an oasis into an arid region. Filmmaker, Mohammad Ehsani told the audience that currently there is a collective will in Iran and broad public awareness to resolve the environmental issues. Recently, he continued, a one-million-signature campaign, Im Urumia Lake was initiated by celebrities and called on the United Nations to help retrieve Urumia Lake.

Other speakers emphasized the importance of international involvement and diplomacy in assisting Iran and Afghanistan to reach new agreements on water-sharing and better management of this scarce resource.

Both sides should avoid politicizing the dispute and not attempt to use it as leverage on other issues. So concludes my new paper , Water Disputes Escalating between Iran and Afghanistan, presented at the event. Communication between both sides at the level of political leaders, as well as scientific, academic, and civil societies, to resolve the dispute is essential, I write, adding that the problems of the Helmand River and Hamoun lakes are a regional challenge that can only be resolved collectively.

According to Masoumeh Ebtekar, chief of Irans Department of the Environment, some steps have been taken to revitalize the Hamouns, including removing dykes on the Iran-Afghan border, releasing 20 million cubic meters of water from the reservoirs into the Hamouns, and dredging to facilitate a better flow of water. But more needs to be done. Involving people and raising public awareness about the importance of preserving the ecosystem may be the most important step.

Although Irans economy is slowly recovering from sanctions, many ordinary Iranians have not seen much benefit, notes Barbara Slavin, the acting director of the Future Iran Initiative who chaired the Atlantic Council event. There is a robust environmental movement in Iran and a resumption of international lending for this purpose would be a potent signal that the nuclear deal can improve Iranians current and future standard of living.




How bright a future is there for communities in western Riverside County? That will be decided by residents who are being asked to give their input on the type of streetlights to be used in the region.

Streetlight demonstration areas have been installed in Hemet to allow members of the public to view and comment on a variety of new LED technologies.

Western Riverside Council of Governments is behind the program to help jurisdictions buy up to 63,000 Southern California Edison-owned streetlights in western Riverside County and retrofit them with energy-efficient technologies.

The goal is to cut municipal utility costs by $10 million per year in the region, officials said.

Demonstration areas showcasing such technologies are open in five locations throughout western Hemet. Residents are encouraged to visit the areas and provide input by answering online survey questions. Areas will be active through January.

Although the demonstration is in Hemet, the top choices will be used throughout the region. Hemet was selected for the test because it owns most of the light poles being used.

We are excited to be an integral part of such an innovative approach to determining lighting needs for our community, Hemet Mayor Bonnie Wright said in a news release.

She said giving the public the ability to provide feedback means future LED retrofits can be customized to each community.

Demonstration areas are at these locations:

 West Florida Avenue and California Avenue

 South Sanderson Avenue between Domenigoni Parkway and Wentworth Drive

 North Cawston Avenue at Eaton Avenue, extending to North Sanderson, close to Cawston Elementary School and Rancho Viejo Middle School

 The 74 between Myers Street and Lyon Avenue

The poles with new lights have a special, white streetlight tag with a code that can be scanned from any smartphone, which will link to a series of questions about that streetlight.

The survey asks participants to weigh in on visual and aesthetic preferences of the lights, how safe the lights make the neighborhood feel and how well they keep the streets lit.

http://cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js

Contact the writer: 951-368-9086 or cshultz@scng.com
Mr. and Mrs. Dolly E. Beam of Perris married in 1888.

But, after nine years of marriage and three children, Mrs. Beam had finally had enough. She packed up the children and moved in with her mother. Her husband had turned out to be a less-than-exemplary family man.

Mr. Beam had a barber shop in Perris but it was reported to be a front for a gambling operation. Eventually, Mr. Beam gave up the shop for the gambling table.

According to the story Mrs. Beam later told, in August 1898 Mr. Beam and another man packed up a wagon, saying they were going to make a strike, in gold mining presumably. They left, saying they would be home by Christmas with a lot of money.

Apparently Mrs. Beam heard nothing further from her husband for several months. Then, just after midnight on Nov. 19, the westbound Santa Fe overland train was held up by two men near Daggett in San Bernardino County. One of the train robbers was shot dead. It was quite a mystery as to who the dead robber was  until a man by the name of J.H. Tuttle suggested it was none other than Dolly Beam. A photo was sent to Mrs. Beam for identification, but she declared it was not her husband.

The dead man had a beard, and it was thought that this might be throwing off a positive identification. The body was given a clean shave and a new photo was circulated in Southern California newspapers.

This time, seeing a photo in a local newspaper, Mrs. Beam identified the dead man as her late, but perhaps not lamented, husband. However, officials were by this point a little dubious. Mrs. Beam went to San Bernardino to see the body. She identified it as her husband not just by sight but by various scars and birthmarks on the body.

D. Gardner, also of Perris, who knew Dolly Beam well, went to San Bernardino after Mrs. Beam to also make an identification. After seeing the dead man in person, Gardner also said it as Mr. Beam. But, again, there were doubts about Gardners identification. It was reported Gardner took just a very quick look at the body before declaring it was Beam.

On Dec. 17, the Press & Horticulturalist reported that a malicious telegram had been sent to Los Angles newspapers from San Bernardino, with a copy to the Riverside Enterprise.

The telegram said, Gardners game was to identify the dead train robber as Beam, then marry Mrs. Beam and the three little slivers off the Beam. Gardner replied to the insinuations, saying he went to San Bernardino from purely public spirited motives, not to use the morgue as a divorce court.

However, with no one else coming forward to identify the body, the story faded away and officers had no choice but to assume it was Beam and move on to other cases.

Then, on Sept. 11th, 1899, the mail train pulled in to the Perris depot and, to the surprise of those at the station, none other than Dolly Beam stepped out of the train, alive and well.

He had been living in Bakersfield since leaving Perris and had come back to collect his children. They left with their very much alive father two days later.

If you have an idea for a future Back in the Day column about a local historic person, place or event, contact Steve Lech and Kim Jarrell Johnson at backinthedaype@gmail.com.
Moreno Valley named a new city attorney this week, filling a position that has been vacant for more than a year.

Martin Koczanowicz, who has been in private practice and worked as a city attorney in the Central Valley, will take over starting Sept. 30.

The City Council approved his selection Tuesday in a closed-door meeting. His contract will go to the council Tuesday for approval.

Koczanowicz has been an attorney for more than 25 years and has been in private practice specializing in government work since 1999, Moreno Valley Administrative Services Director Terrie Stevens said.

He worked as a city attorney on a contract basis for Tulare and Grover Beach and was a deputy city attorney for Fresno in the 1990s. Before that, he worked in criminal and civil defense for private companies.

He graduated in 1984 from University of La Verne School of Law.

Councilman George Price said Koczanowicz was the councils top choice.

We were lucky to get him and I think hes going to work out very well, he said.

Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez said in a statement from the city that the council was looking for a lawyer with strong municipal experience who can relate to the council and general public.

Martin certainly fits this description, he said. He is an outstanding lawyer with excellent credentials and the experience necessary to run the citys legal department.

Koczanowicz will be paid $235,000 annually. He also negotiated a provision in his contract that restricts the citys ability to fire him within 90 days after a new council member is seated.

The last two city attorneys both left shortly after elections in which the council makeup changed.

In April 2015, four months after a new council majority took over, the City Council announced its mutual separation with then-City Attorney Suzanne Bryant after discussing her performance and possible termination at three closed-session meetings.

Her predecessor, Robert Hansen, was placed on leave in December 2012 in the first meeting at which a new council was seated. He later retired and the council agreed to pay him six months pay and benefits.

Since July, Steve Quintanilla, who has his own practice and is also city attorney for Rancho Mirage and Desert Hot Springs, has served as the citys interim top legal adviser.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9558, ighori@scng.com, @ImranGhori1
Four months after the Beaumont city manager and six other officials were charged with misappropriating some $43 million, the city council plans to consider appointing a new top executive from a small Texas city.

Todd Parton is scheduled to be considered for the job during a city council meeting Tuesday, Sept. 20. Parton currently is city manager in Kerrville, Texas, about 50 miles northwest of San Antonio.

If appointed on that date, he would begin working Oct. 31 in Beaumont City Hall, officials announced in a written statement released Friday night.

Parton would replace 64-year-old Palm Desert resident Alan Kapanicas who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal conspiracy, six counts of embezzlement, and 24 counts of misappropriating funds.

Kapanicas was at the helm of Beaumont city government nearly 22 years, though he worked directly for the city for only about four years. When named city manager in 1995, he and his wife formed General Government Management services, a firm that provided Kapanicas services to the city  and billed the city for work associated with issuing city bonds.

In 2011, the city council hired Kapanicas as a city employee to do the same job. His six-year contract called for a base salary of $218,920, with annual increases of 2-1/2 percent.

Beaumont has seen phenomenal growth in recent decades. Between 2000 and 2010, the citys population more than tripled to 36,877, according to the U.S. Census. By last year, the city had grown an additional 18 percent to an estimated 43,811.

Kerrvilles population has grown far more modestly from the 20,425 residents recorded in the 2000 Census to a current estimate of 23,500, a gain of roughly 15 percent in 16 years.
The proposed new city charter was cast as the way to end decades of destructive political infighting or a surrendering of self-government Thursday in a debate between the campaigns for and against changing the citys governing document.

John Longville, one leader of the campaign in favor of Measure L, which would repeal the citys existing charter and replace it with a new one created by a citizen committee, kicked off the debate at Little League Western Region Headquarters with an argument for replacement.

Like its neighbors, Longville said, San Bernardino has had a variety of leaders over the years, and the city has been affected by the same economic blows  including the loss of Fontanas Kaiser Steel, then the repair functions at the Santa Fe Depot, then Norton Air Force Base.

But those cities didnt file for bankruptcy; comparatively, theyre thriving, he said.

We see neighboring cities able to function better than we are, said Longville, whose political career includes stints as Rialto mayor, assemblyman and now president of the San Bernardino Community College District board of trustees. Its just the reality. Some of them quite well. Why is San Bernardino functioning so poorly?

The reason, he said, is the 46-page charter first passed in 1905 and amended 135 times since then, which he said makes it unclear who is responsible for fixing problems and therefore breeds arguments.

James F. Penman, the city attorney from 1987 until 2013, countered that if San Bernardinos charter were responsible for the bankruptcy, then the city would have gone bankrupt  as other cities did  during the Great Depression.

The city charter is not the reason for the bankruptcy. Poor leadership on the part of certain elected officials and certain appointed officials is the reason we went bankrupt, he said, pointing to the $4 million general fund reserve the city had when Mayor Judith Valles left office in 2006. You cant spend more money than you take in and not go bankrupt.

And he said the arguments at City Hall werent over lines of power, but instead over issues officials were elected to address.

Penman pointed to the new charters elimination of elections for city attorney, city clerk and city treasurer and to its shifting of some responsibilities from an elected mayor to an unelected city manager.

The new charter takes away your rights and your leadership in electing City Hall, he said, arguing that its important those positions be directly responsible to voters, rather than to City Council members who would appoint them under the new charter.

Longville said that in the century since the charter was passed, city government had gotten too complex to expect elected officials to understand it fully the day they were sworn in.

When I was mayor of Rialto, I was proud of what I did and I think I did a pretty darn good job, he said. But when I first came in there was sure a lot that I didnt know and I was glad there was a professional city manager, as there is in almost every city in California.

Penman countered that following that argument to its logical conclusion would mean the state Legislature should choose the governor and Congress should choose the president, since running the state and federal government also requires great expertise.

Penman also suggested that an elected city attorney helps prevents scandals like those in Bell, Moreno Valley and Beaumont.

Longville said San Bernardino has had its own scandals, and that the relevant thing it shares with Bell is low voter turnout.

Thats because both cities have elections in odd-numbered years, rather than even-numbered years when many more people come out to vote for state and federal offices, Longville said. The charter change would align elections with state elections.

If approved by a majority of voters Nov. 8, Measure L will replace the existing charter with the 14-page new charter.

Contact the writer: rhagen@scng.com; @rmhagen on Twitter
An expectant silence filled the dark, cavernous Northpoint Church during a recent Corona Symphony Orchestra rehearsal.

The 1,000-plus seats were empty. The only light shone on 50 musicians on a large wooden stage, readying for the debut of Circle City Suite  a musical homage to the history of Corona and Norco composed by California Baptist University music professor Glenn Pickett.

Pickett sat cross-legged by the harp, breathing heavily and clutching the sheet music he took two years to write, eyes fixed on conductor Marco Mejia.

After a delicate flute interlude, the orchestra erupted in a thunderous movement that reverberated through the church. A beaming Pickett, now sitting bolt upright in his chair, flashed a toothy grin and a thumbs up.

By the time the orchestras Oct. 15 show rolls around, 75 Southern California musicians  many of whom play professionally  will premiere Picketts suite along with several other well-known selections. The concert also aims to garner interest in orchestra-sponsored youth music programs, said Don Kindred, executive director of the nonprofits.

This summer, 170 students participated in the Corona Youth Conservatory  a route to local orchestras hosted at the local Civic Center. Last year, the first Corona Youth Symphony Orchestra was launched.

Our end goal is to get our youth kids sitting up there with these guys, Kindred said during the Northpoint rehearsal.Weve given our students a pathway to improve and have a place to perform.

CORONAS ORCHESTRA

In 2001, Kindred was approached by a church musician who asked off-handedly if he was still playing bass. At 52, Kindred hadnt played much over the past two decades, but he took a set of the sheet music and began rehearsing for the upcoming show.

I realized very early on there was a ton of talent in the IE, with very few groups or venues to perform in, Kindred, now 67, said.

With the help of some business-minded musicians, Kindred formed the nonprofit Corona Symphony Orchestra in 2008. The first show, at the Corona Civic Center, was an overwhelming success. In need of more space, Kindred cut a rental agreement with Northpoint Church pastor and music afficionado David Hague.

Hundreds of musicians have since auditioned for a part in the ensemble, many with musical degrees and experience playing around the globe. A glance across the stage during a recent practice revealed a wide range of players  from teens to septuagenarians, dressed in T-shirts or business suits.

Noemy Wheeler was born in El Salvador, her father an orchestral conductor and missionary. Wheeler attended music schools in Morocco and Spain. During a 2005 performance in Spain, a 26-year-old Wheeler was recruited to pursue masters degrees in violin performance and conducting at California Baptist University in Riverside.

During her studies and subsequent teaching position at Cal Baptist, Wheeler honed her skills at the Corona Symphony Orchestra. Shes played in professional and community orchestras around the world and has backed out of community groups that didnt meet her standards.

Im picky about who I play with, the Moreno Valley resident said. In Corona, its dynamite. We like excellence. Our conductor pushes us a lot, and we have a good group of people that care about quality.

Jordan Horwich plays cello in the Corona orchestra. The 55-year-old Corona resident just retired from Intel after decades working there. In his formative years, Horwich said he was invited to attend the Juilliard School in New York, but decided to pursue a more profitable career.

Ive played with nearly every community group in Orange County and many in Riverside County, Corona is the best Ive ever played in, Horwich said. Its great to be able to put on that variety of music to attract different people and friends to these performances, Horwich said.

UP-AND-COMERS

The orchestras success helped realize another Kindred brainchild: a youth music conservatory where Inland youngsters could receive low-cost instruction in cello, violin and bass  instruments not typically encouraged at public schools, explained Lori Bonner, a music teacher at the conservatory and El Cerrito Middle School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District.

The conservancy began four years ago in a school cafeteria. Only four students showed up to those first classes.

Pianist Michaella Ottolini was one of the original four. A pianist first and principally, the 16-year-old Corona native joined the conservatory to try her hand at cello. She was named to the youth orchestra last year.

Its changed so much, Ottolini said, popping open a door to the Civic Center practice hall, as a rush of harmonies streamed out behind her. At first, it was only me on cello, but with all the new students its allowed me to be part of an orchestra. Thats what I wanted.

The conservatory trains students between 6 and 18, from beginners to experts. The 15-week programs are held at the Civic Center, where on a recent afternoon a cacophony of sound blasted through every room lining the Sixth Street courtyard. A room of kindergarten-aged violinists worked to master Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Another was filled with viola players producing discordant sounds. In a third room, Tyler Black, 13, rehearsed a solo on the bass.

The thing I like most about (the bass) is how loud it is, you can give the group a beat, said Black, a Corona Fundamental Intermediate Middle School student who also plays violin, drums and trumpet.

The $150 enrollment cost helps cover rental costs and pay instructors, Kindred said.

Weve kept the cost as low as possible because we want to make sure anyone can play, Kindred said. The goal is to raise the next generation of string musicians.

CIRCLE CITY SUITE

Marco Mejia brought the Corona Symphony Orchestra to a hush with a wave of his baton. Wiping his brow with a forearm, he stepped back to address the musicians gathered around him.

What do you guys think; its a pretty nice piece, huh? Mejia said.

A Riverside native living in Orange, Mejia hopes to one day conduct an international orchestra. Many in the Corona orchestra, including Horwich, say he has the chops to make it happen. For now, he leads the Inland group with a palpable intensity thats drawn the respect of his cohorts. Knowing his efforts are promoting youth music has given him even more incentive to perform with gusto, he said.

Its exhilarating being up there, the maestro said during a break. Its control beyond belief, like being in control of a living organism.

The crown jewel of the performance is the Circle City Suite, a five-movement suite with a video accompaniment and dictations by Norco Mayor and historian Kevin Bash. Pickett wrote the suite after years of intrigue about Coronas central roadway feature.

I wanted to know more about the (Corona) Circle, and why that didnt survive, said Pickett, a longtime Corona resident now living in Riverside. I came up with pictures, then wrote the music to accompany them.

The suite honors Native American rituals, arduous cross-country journeys, Coronas iconic road races, Norcos proud history during World War II and a hopeful bit about the future of both cities. Members of the youth orchestra will line the nave of the church to perform with the adult symphony.

This piece was written for our city; I dont know that thats been done anywhere before, Kindred said. This is kind of unchartered territory. Its going to be quite a show.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9644, poneill@scng.com, @PE_PatrickO
Two suspected cases of leprosy in Jurupa Valley schoolchildren have raised questions about a disease so rare in the United States that some doctors no longer look for it.

About 6,500 people in the U.S. have the condition, which is also known as Hansens disease.

State public health officials say one case has been confirmed this year in California. The last confirmed Inland region case was reported in San Bernardino County in 2010.

The illness is so scarce in this country that even doctors think leprosy has been eradicated here, said Dr. Maria Ochoa, a dermatologist who directs the Dr. Thomas H. Rea Hansens Disease Clinic at County-USC Medical Center.

Sometimes it gets missed because people believe it doesnt exist anymore, Ochoa said. But as a physician, we still have to keep a lot of diagnoses in mind.

Leprosy is a long-lasting bacterial infection that is not easily spread and can be treated and cured with multi-drug therapy using antibiotics, said Ochoa and other experts.

Yet people with the ancient disease continue to be ostracized due to a lack of information and fears passed on for centuries before treatment was possible.

A doctor recently diagnosed leprosy in two children who may live in the same home and be related. One of their parents reported that to the childrens Jurupa Valley school, Indian Hills Elementary, on Sept. 1.

If the diagnoses are confirmed through specimen testing at the National Hansens Disease (Leprosy) Program in Baton Rouge, the childrens cases would be monitored by Ochoas clinic.

California Department of Public Health statistics indicate 49 people were confirmed with the disease in the state from 2011 through 2015. One was under age 15.

HARD TO CATCH

Leprosy is a disease that, untreated, can cause skin lesions, muscle weakness, and damage to peripheral nerves  the network linking the central nervous system to the rest of the body, including the skin, muscles, hands and feet  and sometimes the upper airway.

The disease can infect people of all ages.

Dr. David Scollard, director of the countrys leading center for leprosy testing, research and treatment, said leprosy in children is more common in other countries where its widespread.

The disease is rare in this country altogether, said Scollard, who runs the National Hansens Disease (Leprosy) Program in Baton Rouge. It is very unusual to have children (with it) in this country, but its not unheard of.

The immune systems of about 95 percent of people are able to eliminate the slow-growing bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae, that causes the disease. They wont get infected no matter how exposed they are, Scollard said.

Researchers believe those immune systems ability to protect themselves better than others may be genetic, said Ochoa, who left Thursday the 19th International Leprosy Congress in Beijing.

However, the way the disease spreads is not fully understood. The bacteria lives and reproduces inside skin cells and peripheral nerves.

Some transmission questions cant be answered definitively because the germ dies outside the body and cant be grown in a lab. That also makes leprosy much less infectious, Scollard said.

This is one reason the transmission is so low and its not as highly contagious as people imagine, he added. Its one of the hardest diseases to catch.

PROLONGED CLOSE CONTACT

Whats clear is that the one in 20 people who are susceptible would need prolonged close contact with an untreated person  primarily in the same home, Ochoa and Scollard said.

Its believed to spread mainly through coughing and sneezing respiratory droplets.

But its not likely or easily spread via drinking fountains, bathroom faucets or other surfaces in schools or workplaces, or via casual contact such as using the same pencil, shaking hands, or riding on the same bus, Scollard added.

Transmission via skin-to-skin contact would be very rare, if at all, and likely only through an open wound, Ochoa said.

Researchers believe infected armadillos, whose low body temperatures make them hosts for Hansens and other diseases, may spread the bacteria to some in this country and Mexico who play with or eat the animals, Ochoa said.

The disease is endemic to Texas, Louisiana, Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, Mexico, the Caribbean, most of South America, Southern Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

A 2014 report by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Hansens Disease Program indicates the bulk of cases reported from 2004 through 2013 were among people born in the U.S., Micronesia and the Pacific Islands, Mexico, Brazil, India and the Philippines.

Ochoas clinic  one of the states three federally funded leprosy outpatient clinics  is open two days a week and sees about 12 new patients a year. A team that includes doctors, a nurse, a podiatrist and occupational therapist makes diagnoses, monitors and treats people and does research.

Many in this state were infected in India, with 60 percent of global cases, or the Phillipines or Mexico years ago, Ochoa said.

In poor, rural areas of the world, diagnosis is clinical. In this country and others with resources, lab tests confirm the disease and determine which form it is.

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EARLY DIAGNOSIS CRUCIAL

Clinical trials are underway on a vaccine developed in India that Ochoa described as promising.

Treatment began in the 1940s. Now two or three oral antibiotics  rifampin, clofazimine and dapsone  are given for six months to two years, or from five to seven years in severe cases.

People with the disease arent contagious 24 hours after starting antibiotics. The disease can be cured, but people can have relapses, Ochoa said.

Disfigurement can occur if the disease isnt treated.

The disease can wreck the bodys capacity to feel pain and injury. Hands and feet can be injured and possibly infected, which could lead to amputation or deformity of fingers or toes as cartilage is reabsorbed into the body, according to American Leprosy Missions.

Early diagnosis and treatment usually prevent disability according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Our whole emphasis is on early diagnosis and beginning treatment before infection has proceeded very far because thats the way you get the best results, Scollard said.

Yet problems with misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis continue in the U.S.

Thats partly because the disease can have symptoms similar to others including flu, West Nile, measles, ringworm, or skin disorders including pytiryasis alba, cutaneous lymphoma and sarcoidosis, according to Ochoa and Riverside County Director of Disease Control Barbara Cole.

But thats also because many doctors simply arent watching for leprosy, which in 2005, the World Health Organization declared had been eradicated.

People (arent) thinking Hansens anymore. They believe the disease is gone, Ochoa said.

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Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@scng.com
The Great Depression was notorious for its ill-conceived government interventions to prop up prices and create jobs through unnecessary and unproductive make-work programs, which only served to prevent needed corrections in the economy and ended up prolonging the depression. Yet, many of these policies persist to this day. A Michigan cherry farmer recently illustrated the fallacy of one such example: agricultural marketing orders.

Under a marketing order, growers of certain agricultural commodities form what is, essentially, a cartel and turn over crop supply decisions to boards overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (or a similar agency at the state level), which are empowered to try to stabilize markets. During bumper years, the government sets restrictive quotas to artificially suppress the supply of crops, thereby raising prices higher than the free-market rate.

Such arrangements were authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1937. Today there are marketing orders for roughly three dozen agricultural products, including milk, fruits, vegetables, nuts and specialty crops. One of those marketing orders, the Cherry Industry Administrative Board, covers tart cherries grown in seven states  Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

The CIAB recently directed farmers to prevent a portion of their crops from making it to the market in an attempt to bump up prices. For cherry farmer Marc Santucci, owner of Santucci Farm in Traverse City, Mich., this order, which came just four days before his harvest, meant that he had to dump 40,000 pounds of his tart cherries  14 percent of his crop. The CIAB even sends people out to ensure that farmers have dumped their crops on the ground, where they are left to rot.

Santucci decided to protest the order in a very public way by posting a photo of the dumped cherries on Facebook. The image went viral, and has been shared nearly 67,000 times.

I posted it because I want people to know that we sometimes do stupid things in this country in [an] attempt to do the right thing  we end up doing the wrong thing, Santucci told UpNorthLive.com, the website of a local NBC affiliate in Traverse City.

The move is particularly foolish, Santucci said in a separate Facebook post last month, because of the global nature of agricultural markets. [I]t is a shame that we had to drop 14 percent of our cherries while at the same time [the United States was] importing the equivalent of 200 million pounds of cherries, or 40 percent of U.S. consumption, he asserted. The only way we are going to stop the continued growth in imports is to compete head-to-head, not with one arm tied behind our back.

Such food waste and artificially-high prices would not happen in a truly free market. Agricultural commodities should be subject to the same laws of supply and demand as other goods, which would provide consumers with more food at lower prices, allow for greater competition and encourage a more efficient allocation of farmland for growing various crops. It is the marketing orders themselves which should be allowed to wither and rot.
San Bernardino County is at odds with legal experts over whether the law was broken Tuesday when a presentation on a rave at the San Manuel Amphitheater was given to the Board of Supervisors but not agendized.

At the request of Board of Supervisors Chairman James Ramos, sheriffs Capt. Stephen Dorsey and Leonard Hernandez, deputy executive officer for the countys community services group, gave a roughly 15-minute presentation on security protocols, traffic and noise management at the three-day Nocturnal Wonderland rave at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, followed by five minutes of board discussion and questions for Dorsey and Hernandez.

The presentation was not placed on the board agenda. Supervisor Josie Gonzales, whose district includes the Devore area where the event was held, learned of the presentation when she returned to work Wednesday. She was not pleased.

Gonzales sent a letter to Ramos, copied to her other colleagues on the board, County Counsel and county Chief Executive Officer Greg Devereaux, expressing her disappointment.

I informed your office that I would not be able to attend the Sept. 13 Board of Supervisors meeting. Despite being well aware that I would not be in attendance at the meeting, you called for a presentation and solicited board discussion about an item in my district without notifying me, or the public, Gonzales said in her letter.

Ramos said in a telephone interview he had announced at a prior meeting he would be requesting an update on the Labor Day weekend event.

Gonzales believes the board violated the Ralph M. Brown Act during Tuesdays meeting. Ramos said he spoke to County Counsel prior to Tuesdays meeting and was told the Nocturnal Wonderland presentation would not be a Brown Act violation.

In place for the last 63 years in California, the Brown Act governs the publics right to be informed of, attend and participate in meetings of local government and legislative bodies. The law requires that public agencies post an agenda 72 hours before a scheduled meeting, listing the items on the agenda and a brief description of no more than 20 words for each item.

The Brown Act specifically states that no action or discussion shall be undertaken on any item not appearing on the posted agenda.

But supervisors did discuss the matter following Tuesdays presentation, with Supervisor Janice Rutherford and Robert Lovingood suggesting there were still kinks to work out, and recommended Nocturnal Wonderland end at 11 p.m. and not 2 a.m.

Ramos said during Tuesdays meeting he was advised by County Counsel to ask if anyone from the public wanted to comment. No one in attendance did.

After consulting with County Counsel, county spokesman David Wert said in an e-mail Friday there was no violation of the Brown Act, but declined to elaborate on why the county was maintaining that position. He said Tuesdays presentation will be included in an agendized item at the Sept. 27 Board of Supervisors meeting regarding the proposed formation of an electronic dance music event task force.

Brown Act experts concur with Gonzales that the board violated the law.

The local government body is obligated to inform the public when it requests a report be made from staff or anyone else at that meeting. The fact they dont take any particular action is beside the point if they have asked for and gotten a report on an issue that could have been described on the agenda, said Terry Francke, general counsel for Carmichael-based Californians Aware. The courts have made it clear that the Brown Act applies not only to actions taken and discussions held at meetings, but also to the process of acquiring information at meetings, meaning the public has just as much right to be informed as to reports to be made at a meeting.

Peter Scheer, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition in San Rafael, said since no action was taken by the board at Tuesdays meeting, and the presentation will be agendized and revisited at its next meeting, the county can likely remedy the problem  this time.

Its a strategy that does not work more than once, Scheer said. Its important to note it was a violation, and in going forward they should adhere to the letter of the law. 

Nocturnal Wonderland and its sister events have been problematic with some Devore residents and even residents as far away as Crestline since they began at the amphitheater in 2013. Continued complaints from residents of loud noise into the early morning hours, heavy traffic and loitering prompted Rutherford to propose terminating the countys contract with LiveNation, which hosts the events, in the summer, but the effort failed due to lack of consensus.

Gonzales said the controversy and resident concerns over Nocturnal Wonderland was even more reason to agendize Tuesdays presentation.

Electronic dance shows have been a controversial issue. It has been an open forum discussion, and we have consistently had the public coming in and stating their positions and concerns, Gonzales said in a telephone interview. Its not like its just a little issue in the backwoods where nobody cares.

Rutherford said in a telephone interview she was taken aback when Ramos requested the presentation Tuesday, as she had told several of her constituents  Devore residents who have complained about raves  not to attend Tuesdays meeting because nothing was planned for discussion.

I was caught off guard and my constituents were caught off guard and I am very disappointed, Rutherford said. She said she expressed her disappointment to Ramos after the meeting, and her staff has been reaching out to Devore residents informing them of what happened and that it will be revisited on Sept. 27.

One of those Devore residents, Valerie Henry, president of the Devore Rural Protection Association and 32-year resident of the area, said Friday she and other residents felt cheated.

I think its totally unfair that we werent forewarned, she said. I think we should have had the opportunity to provide our input as well.

She did say the Labor Day weekend event was better than prior events and not as loud, but there were still issues with attendees loitering and wandering into her neighborhood when the rave, which begins at 4 p.m. and ends at 2 a.m., is dormant.

Theyre bored stupid, so they wander up here, Henry said.

Contact the writer: jnelson@scng.com, @SBCountyNow on Twitter
Authorities say a pipe bomb exploded in a Jersey Shore town shortly before thousands of runners were due to participate in a charity 5K race to benefit Marines and sailors.

No injuries were reported in the blast in Seaside Park around 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

The third annual Semper Five run was canceled, and the immediate area was put on lockdown.

The pipe bomb was in a plastic garbage can when it exploded. Authorities immediately cleared the boardwalk and beach area, and bomb-sniffing dogs were being used to search the area.

Authorities said there was a report of at least one other explosive device that a state police bomb team would make safe, but further details were not disclosed.

Officials say runners had been scheduled to pass by the area around the time the blast occurred. But the start of the race had been delayed after an unattended backpack was found, and the area was mostly empty when the blast occurred.

Numerous state and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating.

It wasnt clear when the boardwalk and beach will reopen. The public was being urged to avoid the area.
Whats in a name?

In the Riverside Unified School District, it means plenty of discussion and debate.

Board members are taking a new look at the process for naming schools and buildings.

President Tom Hunt and trustee Kathy Allavie are part of a district committee that will talk about changes to the 5-year-old policy. A recommendation could come to the full board in November, Hunt said.

The district has received many requests to name facilities in honor of former educators and community leaders, so its a good time to revisit the policy, Hunt said.

We want to make sure its done in a proper way and in a public forum and its fair, he said.

The district allows naming of school theaters, libraries, cafeterias, multipurpose rooms, offices and future honor walls. Classrooms and academic facilities are excluded.

Allavie said the board might look at eliminating the ban on classroom sponsorships. The district has received a couple of requests from people who have expressed interest in paying the cost of a science lab in exchange for having their name on the building, she said.

At the time, we had strong feelings about not wanting corporate logos on a classroom, she said. What if a community person wants to put their name on a science building? Would we feel the same way?

Hunt said he supports changing the requirement that a nominee get unanimous board approval. He prefers a four-fifths majority.

I feel a unanimous vote gives the power to one person, he said.

Allavie disagreed, saying that attaching someones name to a library or theater is a big honor and should carry the full boards weight.

The current policy also requires recommendations in writing sent to Superintendent David Hansen, who must inform board members of the proposals before a vote. The policy was approved during the tenure of the previous superintendent, Rick Miller, who left the district in 2013.

Because Hansen is part of the governing team, he is subject to the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act, the states open meeting law. Board members cant contact one another to reach consensus about legislative business outside a public meeting.

We thought the superintendent could call and poll us, Hunt said. By him doing that, it skirts on the edge of breaking the Brown Act.

Hunt said he recently became aware of the issue and that no Brown Act violations have occurred since Hansen became superintendent in 2014.

Naming of district schools at times has been controversial. Riverside Unified captured national media attention in 1998 with an emotional and sometimes angry debate over the naming of King High School for the late civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Fifteen parents complained to a grand jury that the district violated its policy in naming the school. They believed the board should have waited a year from the time the name was proposed before adopting it. The board subsequently clarified the policy.

It is one of those issues that is always fraught with tension, Allavie said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9292, stwall@scng.com, @pe_swall
A capacity crowd filled Fontana Unifieds school board meeting this week as the board discussed a district policy addressing registered sex offenders coming onto campus.

The board was looking to bring district policies into alignment with a changed state law, as school boards and other local government agencies across the state are required to do.

Passed in 2013, Senate Bill 326 changed existing state law to require parents to be notified 14 days in advance of a registered sex offender coming onto campus. The law wasnt controversial in Sacramento, passing with broad support from both Democrats and Republicans, passing 77-0 in the Assembly and 37-0 in the state Senate.

Contrary to what the public largely believes, before 2013, sex offenders were already able to come onto school campuses in some circumstances.

Prior law prohibited a registered sex offender from being in any school building or upon any school grounds without lawful business thereon and without written permission from the chief administrative official of that school, an April 2013 analysis of the bill reads in part.

By chief administrative official of that school, the law means principal, according to the analysis.

Registered sex offenders whose crime was against a victim under the age of 16 were also previously prohibited from working as an employee or volunteer with minors, under prior law, if they were working with minors in an unaccompanied setting on more than an occasional basis or would have supervisory or disciplinary power over a child.

Under the 2013 law, the principal now has to notify the parents and guardians of all the students at the school that a registered sex offender has been granted permission to come onto school grounds as a volunteer.

Nothing in the law, though, either originally or in the 2013 revision, requires that a principal give that initial permission to a sex offender.

And according to Fontana Unified officials, thats not likely to change.

I must reaffirm our practice is zero tolerance, Fontana Unifieds Interim Superintendent, Randal S. Bassett, said.

To imagine we would allow anything like this is unthinkable, board member BarBara Chavez said.

Nonetheless, after hearing parent after parent speak out against allowing sex offenders near their children, the board voted unanimously to amend policy to read that no sex offenders be allowed on any Fontana school grounds unless mandated by law.

Staff writer John M. Blodgett contributed to this story.

Contact the writer: byarbrough@scng.com; @LBY3 on Twitter
Instances of voter fraud are minuscule, most voting systems are safe from outside hackers, and the biggest threat to a clean November election may be aging voting machines, according to extensive studies compiled by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York Universitys School of Law.

Donald Trump has alleged the election might be rigged against him and has called for volunteers to monitor polling places. That spurred the Brennan Center to hold a media teleconference Tuesday to review studies that it and others have done.

We believe the heated rhetoric about rigged elections is overblown, said Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Project at the Brennan Center. Its harmful to our democracy and its legitimacy. It shifts attention away from real problems.

She added that sending partisan volunteers to monitor the polls easily leads to illegal voter intimidation.

Despite the evidence compiled by the Brennan Center, some remain convinced that voter fraud is a problem and that all voters should be required to show identification before casting ballots. Voter ID is required by some states, but not California.

Courts have recently struck down voter ID and proof-of-citizenship laws in five states, saying the requirements could reduce voter participation.

John Eastman, a constitutional law professor at Chapman University, dismissed the rulings as hack jobs. He chalked up the Brennan Centers findings to a liberal bent that has included policy papers that oppose voter ID laws and support increasing the minimum wage.

Voter fraud is not a one-off thing, Eastman said. Its a massive conspiracy to control elections.

He pointed to citations in the book Whos Counting? How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk, by John Fund and Hans von Spakovsky, although Funds description of voter fraud in a 2012 appearance to promote the book was less sweeping than Eastmans.

Im not saying its rampant, but its more than zero, Fund said, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer account.

Trumps rigged-election concerns are total nonsense, said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College.

Trump talks about people showing up at multiple polling places, but such impersonation fraud is practically nonexistent, Pitney said. His warning about fraud in certain parts of Pennsylvania were a clear appeal to racism.

There are legitimate concerns about the security of mail ballots, but that is a completely different issue, Pitney added.

HOW COMMON?

Every election brings a certain amount of voters who attempt to vote twice, said Melissa Eickman, public information manager for the San Bernardino County elections office.

While those cases are referred to the District Attorneys Office for investigation, the instances typically are due to voter mistakes and not deliberate attempts to stuff the ballot box, Eickman said. For example, vote-by-mail voters might have forgotten they sent in their ballots and go to a polling place.

Voter registrations are checked against Department of Motor Vehicles and Social Security databases to help ensure that only citizens register, said Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley.

Typical among the studies cited by the Brennan Center to debunk the voter fraud myth was an analysis by Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt of more than 1 billion ballots cast from 2000 to 2014.

He found 31 credible allegations of voter impersonation.

Fund has argued that voter fraud goes largely unnoticed because its relatively easy to do but difficult to prove.

Orange County has also experienced voter intimidation. In 1988, Assembly candidate Curt Pringle and Republican operatives hired uniformed security guards to stand outside polling places with signs in English and Spanish that said, Non-citizens cant vote.

Pringle, who won by a narrow margin, and co-defendants paid $400,000 to settle a civil suit alleging the move was designed to scare off Latino voters.

HACKERS

While hackers  apparently in Russia  were able to access voter registration databases in Arizona and Illinois earlier this year, Democracy Project Deputy Director Lawrence Norden said elections systems in the United States dont have the same vulnerability as those databases because they arent hooked up to the internet.

Additionally, most electronic voting systems have a paper backup. In California, all electronic voting systems are required to produce a paper record of each ballot.

The voter registration system, which is part of an online state database, and the vote-counting system are completely separate, Eickman said.

The vote-counting system is not connected to the Internet, and it is under 24-hour surveillance to ensure unauthorized people dont gain access, she said.

Contact the writer: mwisckol@scng.comjhorsmean@scng.com
The Ghana Standards Authority has mounted a defence of the importation of substandard diesel fuel into the country, claiming fuels with non toxic sulphur chemicals are expensive for people to afford.



A report by campaign group, Public Eye, revealed Swiss firms have been exporting to Africa, diesel with toxin levels that are illegal in Europe. Vitol, Trafigura, Addax & Oryx and Lynx Energy have been named in the trade which the report blamed on weak regulatory standards in the African continent.



Public Relations Officer of the Authority, Amponsah Bediako, explained that fuel products that do not contain toxic Sulphur chemicals are too expensive that the country cannot afford. The products coming in may contain a lot of sulphur, but that is our standard, and should not be termed substandard, he told 3FM.



He assured that the levels of sulphur in fuels brought into the country will be brought down to protect the health of Ghanaians but that will come at an additional cost.



We shall bring the levels of sulphur very low and protect the health of people, but that will mean a lot of money close to over one billion dollars. If we are not willing to spend that much money it will not be that possible, Mr Bediako said. M



Meanwhile, the executive secretary of the Ghana Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, Duncan Amoah, says it will ensure that consumers get value for money.



I can assure you that whatever it takes to make these authorities answer to us will be done soon. We will engage them till they give us the needed answers, said Some drivers have meanwhile claimed regular faults with their vehicles due to the substandard fuels that are sold at the pumps across the country.



50% petroleum products on the market dangerous



A comprehensive report by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, ACEP, has revealed that about 50% of imported petroleum products which come into the country contain dangerous Sulphur chemicals.



According to a commodities researcher, Gian Valentino Viredaz, the findings from Ghana is alarming.



Our findings are indisputable, we went round some fuel stations in Africa and sampled them in Netherlands and it came out that, the diesel and other fuel products sold in Africa are sub standard, and they come with a lot of health issues. It is a very important issue that should be raised, he said.



But chief executive of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo Horsi, says the findings of the report are not completely accurate as petroleum products in the country are of better standards than what is sold in the United States.



He said: The products we get in this country are well in standard much better than the standard sets. What we should be looking at is improvements in standards, which should start from the authorities.



Mr Horsi blamed policy makers for settling for cheap petroleum products, explaining that issue of cost is the major determinant in settling for petroleum products.



Its a policy decision that comes with cost implications, and we need to look at this. We will definitely look at this, he told 3FM But Viredaz argued the justification is flawed, saying if its a cost issue then it cannot hold. Other east African countries have shown that it is possible to import good quality products.

Source: tv3network.com









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Teachers in the Assin South District of the Central Region have been banned from organising wedding and funeral ceremonies in the area during school terms.

The directive, which was said to have been issued by the District Director of Education, Mrs Nelly Sally Coleman, during a familiarization tour to the circuits in the area will mean no teacher in the district could hold weddings or funerals even on weekends. No reasons were given for the decision by the education directorate which is said to have triggered anger among the teachers in the district. Among other allegations made by the teachers in the area, the Educational Director is said to have refused to grant the mandatory three- month maternity leave to female teachers and rather grant them only six weeks leave.

The teachers have also accused Mrs. Coleman of refusing to grant Ghana Education Teachers who are due for retirement the three-month terminal leave as required. She has so far, demonstrated gross disrespect to all teachers in the district, the teachers alleged and urged the GES to immediately call her to order since her actions and inactions remains a hindrance to quality education in the district. They claim the Education Director has wrote an official letter to all basic school teachers in the district to pay GHC50 for a workshop on capitation grant preparation on 23rd and 24th June, 2016. Further, they accused her of unwarranted delays in signing some documents relating to teachers salaries that are submitted to her for approval, noting some of the documents have been at the directorate as far back as March 2016. Head teachers and teachers who visit the directorate will have to spend several hours before they are attended to.

According to them, the director has developed a penchant for refusal to process the application of untrained teachers who have successfully completed their professional programmes at the University of Cape Coast, University of Education Winneba and other accredited tertiary institutions, unto the rank of for professional status. Her reason for refusing to upgrade most teachers is that, the teachers should put their certificate down until five to seven years before they are upgraded, the teachers alleged.

Source: citifmonline.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.

Featured Video
The General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress said anybody who accuses NDC of stealing its visions and ideas can only be a neophyte in politics.



Johnson Asiedu Nketia said the policies promised by the governing party in its manifesto are promises based on the party's social democratic ideologies and cannot therefore be deemed to be stolen ideas.



Addressing a charged crowd of NDC supporters in Sunyani, where the party is launching its 2016 election manifesto, the erudite General Secretary said the party that believes in the welfare system of nation building cannot be said to be copying a party with capitalist ideology.



He was responding to the opposition New Patriotic Party which has on several occasions accused NDC of stealing its manifesto promises.



Touching on one of those promises, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said it can only be a case poor lenses, or a case of a bad dream for the NPP leader Akufo-Addo to claim to be the one with the vision to establish the Cashew Development Fund.



He said under the leadership of president John Rawlings with Dr Kwabena Donkor leading the Agric Ministry giant strides were made in the growth of cashew in Ghana.



More importantly, he said it was Dr Nkrumah who began the commodity development board with emphasis on the growth of Cocoa and other cash crops.



He found it rather laughable that several years down the line, the NPP under Nana Akufo-Addo, will now claim to be the ones who birthed the cashew development board.



He said the social democratic ideology of the party has been expressed in its commitment to the implementation of the NHIS, school feeding program and other social welfare policies to help the have nots in the society.



Johnson Asiedu said the NDC campaign is fully oil and poised for victory and urged the party faithful to support the agenda.



He said for a party which cries over a stolen manifesto promise cannot be trusted to jealously guard the state resources insisting that the time to kill the elephant is now.



The manifesto launch was attended by the party bigwigs including President John Mahama, Vice President Kwasi Amissah Arthur, party executives and ministers of state and party supporters.

Source: myjoyonline.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.

Featured Video
By now, its highly probable youve seen the clip of Jimmy Fallon tousling Donald Trumps hair during the Republican presidential nominees latest appearance on The Tonight Show.

Its also quite likely youve witnessed some of the backlash to that segment: one social media analytics firm reckons negative mentions of The Tonight Show on Twitter spiked over 2,300% from normal levels after that golden birds nest was rustled.

Writers, comedians, commentators and plain ol folk derided the host for his gentle, playful, and quasi-affectionate treatment of a man who has spent an entire campaign shitting on minorities, the family of a fallen U.S. soldier, and common decency itself.

Trump: Savage dark-skinned illegals, roaming the streets in search of murder and mayhem Fallon: What? WHAT? Haha, wow!  ?netw3rk (@netw3rk) September 16, 2016

Still, the segment wasnt just uncomfortable to watch, it was also kinda concerning. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, author and historian Rudolph Herzog  who wrote a book about the use of humour in Nazi Germany  said theres something so wrong about the softball approach Fallon took.

It seemed a bit like Fallon was sucking up to him a bit. Thats how it came across.

While he definitely didnt make any full-blown comparisons between Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler, Herzog said when a comedian has the airtime, thats the moment to find a really intelligent and funny way to tear off the mask. Thats a task he believes Fallon didnt accomplish, cause its not about his hair.



That endears people to the man, because people like individuals who have faults.

Herzog did compare Fallons humanising teasing and the comedic parlance more broadly used to describe Trump to the humour exhibited during Hitlers rise, saying a lot of people were laughing, literally, before he took power.



He seemed such a ridiculous person with his little mustache. A lot of people in the establishment thought he was miserable. And then also the stuff he wrote in his book all seemed so absurd Then Hitler actually did what he wrote in his book.

Look, Herzog did go ahead and say comparisons to Hitler are very, very problematic due to his singular impact on the world, but there is stuff to take away from Hitlers rise to power any time youre dealing with a demagogue.

While nobody could accuse Jimmy Fallon of being Americas most scathing comic  far from it, tbh  comments like those from Herzog might just be enough for the media to pivot on how much it allows Trump to get away with.

Read the whole interview here, before Fallon interviews Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday. Watch this space.



Source: The Hollywood Reporter / Variety.

Photo: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon / YouTube.
An 18-year-old was arrested after police said he waved what appeared to be a handgun at a school bus carrying students in East Hanover Township Friday afternoon.

Joel Kramer, of Grantville, waved a gun, which turned out to be a BB gun, at the bus in the area of Saginaw Street and Houston Drive at about 3:54 p.m., police said.

In fear of her safety and the safety of her students, the bus driver drove away, went to a local school and dialed 911, according to police.

State troopers found Kramer in the area and determined he was holding a BB gun, police said.

Terroristic threats charges are pending against Kramer.
Restaurant Inspections.jpg

(PennLive)

Many midstate food establishments are inspected each week and come through with no problems.

But some in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties had violations during inspections conducted from Aug. 21 to Aug. 27.

In Lebanon County, inspectors noted a variety of cleanliness issues, including dust accumulations in food prep areas and old food debris on equipment.

In Lancaster County, some food establishments are coping with insects and slime.

Inspectors at a Dauphin County establishment found cooked food being held at unsafe temperatures before serving.

At one York County restaurant, dead roaches were found on the floor of the food prep area and around food equipment.

A Perry County food business was found to have mildew and rust on storage shelving.

And in Cumberland County, a number of school cafeterias were inspected, with one being ruled out of compliance with the state food code.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture oversees restaurant inspections in the state. Inspection reports are "snapshots" of the day and time the inspections took place. In many cases, violations are corrected on site prior to the inspector leaving.

Click on the links below to see how restaurants and other food establishments in the region fared:
Mariner East Pipeline map.jpg

Mariner East Pipeline project

(Sunoco)

The state Department of Environmental Protection has turned down Sunoco Logistics' current environmental protection plans as part of the Mariner East 2 pipeline project. Instead, the DEP has given Sunoco a long to-do list, StateImpact Pennsylvania reported.

While the DEP says Sunoco's permits were "technically complete," numerous issues have been documented along the 17-county pipeline route.

The Chapter 105 deficiency letters sent to Sunoco and posted on DEP's website September 6, outline an incredibly long list of problems with the company's proposals including: a lack of construction details for water crossings, no analyses for how water quality standards for each crossing will be maintained or how the area will be restored after construction, no mention of nearby drinking water wells and contact information for those responsible for them, no project wide cumulative impacts analysis, no secondary impact analysis, no explanation of how threatened or endangered species will be protected, no evidence of consultation with or approval from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for protecting cultural heritage sites, and no emergency plans in the case of a pipeline rupture.

The DEP's ruling comes after an August hearing in Harrisburg where landowners and environmentalists begged for more time to analyze the possible impact of the Mariner East 2 project on Pennsylvania.

In July, Commonwealth Court upheld a decision by a lower court which allowed Sunoco to seize the property of three couples in Cumberland County via eminent domain. The couples have since appealed.
constitution.jpg

By Anastasia Boden

Today, many people will glance at their calendar and remark that it is Constitution Day--a celebration of the day that the Founding Fathers signed our Constitution in 1787.

Anastasia Boden (submitted photo)

But will it resonate just how much significance that document has--even over 200 years after it was signed?

Though old, the Constitution has renewed significance to hundreds of Americans each and every day.

Take Raleigh Bruner, the owner of a small moving company in Kentucky.

After helping his sister move, he thought that it might be a good way to make a living. He started a moving company, Wildcat Moving, and named it after his alma mater--the University of Kentucky.

But Raleigh soon learned that Kentucky law made it illegal to run a moving business if the existing moving companies object.

That law is called a "Certificate of Necessity" law, but some call it the "Competitor's Veto."

The way the law works is that when an entrepreneur applies for a license to run a moving business, he must notify all existing businesses of the application.

The existing businesses can then protest the application for any reason--including the simple reason that they don't want to compete.

A protest subjects the applicant to a government hearing akin to full blown litigation, where the applicant must prove to a bureaucrat that his business is "necessary."

Of course, proving that your business is necessary in advance is a nearly impossible feat. The only way to prove that your services are needed is to open your doors and let consumers decide.

Bruner filed a civil rights lawsuit arguing that the law violated his constitutional right to earn a living.

A federal judge agreed, and struck down the law. Now that Bruner can operate free of the Competitor's Veto, he's turned Wildcat Moving into a thriving business. For Bruner, the Constitution signifies his right to earn a living for himself and his family.

The Constitution is also significant to La'sheika White, an African-American mother whose son is prevented from attending the school of his choice in St. Louis next year--simply because he is black.

The White family formerly lived in St. Louis, where her nine-year-old son, Edmund, attended a charter school.

The family recently moved to Maryland Heights, Missouri, and they would like to continue enrolling Edmund in the same school that he has been attending since kindergarten.

But Edmund is prohibited from transferring by a policy that allows only non-black students living in the County to transfer to public schools in St. Louis.

The original purpose of the discriminatory policy was to assist desegregation, but the Whites have filed a constitutional lawsuit arguing that prohibiting students from attending the school of their choice--solely because of their race--is unconstitutional.

To La'sheika, the Constitution represents her right to be free of irrational discrimination.

The Constitution is also significant to the Murrs, who own two adjacent properties in St. Croix, Wisconsin. The Murrs purchased a waterfront lot in 1960 and built a family cabin on it.

They enjoyed their cabin on the river so much that, three years later, they bought a second lot as an investment property. Local law now prevents the Murrs from using or selling their investment lot.

The Murrs filed a constitutional lawsuit seeking compensation for the government's taking of their investment parcel, arguing that they had been denied all economic use of their property.

But a Wisconsin court ruled that because the Murrs own the adjacent cabin lot, and they can still use that cabin, they have not been denied all economic use of their property "as a whole," and are not entitled to compensation.

In other words, by treating the two, separate parcels as one, the court allowed the state to avoid compensating the Murrs when it took their property.

The Supreme Court of the United States will hear the Murrs' appeal next term. To the Murrs, the Constitution represents their right to compensation when the government deprives them of use of their property.

All three of these families are represented free of charge by Pacific Legal Foundation, a non-profit legal organization dedicated to protecting constitutional rights.

To these people, and to their attorneys, the Constitution isn't just an old document, it's a bulwark against infringements on their rights.

Although it's especially important to think about the Constitution today, for many across America, every day the Constitution promises them important individual liberties.

Americans would be wise to bear that in mind even after the clock strikes midnight, and it's no longer Sept 17.

Anastasia Boden is an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative foundation that favors business and private property causes.
By Jim T. Ryan

Staff Writer

Drug abuse and its associated medical litter is an issue again in Newport, with a mother saying her sons found a used needle along the train tracks on Third Street over Labor Day weekend.

"I don't want them to go down to the playground because there was drugs there," said Denise Vazquez, "so I let them play around here and now they can't do that either."

Vazquez said her 9- and 7-year-old sons were playing hide and seek when they found the used needle near the train tracks on Sept. 5. That's the second time her children found drug paraphernalia.

"Thank God my kids are smart enough not to pick it up," she said.

Vazquez called the state police and put a photo of the needle on the Perry County Talk Facebook page to tell others to be on the lookout.

Vazquez's story isn't unique. Duncannon and Liverpool residents found syringes from drug use this summer.

There also were major dealer busts by the state police in conjunction with the FBI in Newport earlier in the year.

Those incidents along with a growing overdose death rate in Pennsylvania -- including two deaths in Duncannon this summer -- have many residents demanding action from police covering their communities, and from elected officials to make drug law enforcement a priority.

Vazquez would like to see more patrols by state police in the borough. That likely will be difficult for troopers to do on the level residents expect to curb drug problems.

At a recent Duncannon Borough Council meeting, state police officials said troopers in Newport already are stretched thin. They do their best and certainly will respond to calls about drug activity, but they're not the same as a local force.

"I think we need to get our police force back," Vazquez said.

Newport has been without a police department of its own since 2012 when borough council disbanded it due to finances.

"A lot of us are in favor of resurrecting a police force," Newport council President Gerald Robinson said. "We're trying to work with Oliver Twp."

Even if the municipalities decide to move forward, Robinson said it could be a year or more before a regional force becomes operational. Money is tight and there's the question of how best to finance a police department.

"We're going down the road," Robinson said, "but where we are is in the middle somewhere."

Having even one local police officer dedicated to the borough certainly would help tackle some of Newport's drug and other problems, Robinson said.

In the meantime, borough officials wrestle with how to tackle drug issues.

"I don't know there's much we can do. Our hands are tied because we don't have our own police," Mayor Mary Hetrick said.

She's concerned about the problem, but to the best of her knowledge there haven't been plans for anti-drug community activities aimed specifically at the current problems. She said the borough is open to suggestions.

"It's not new," Hetrick said. "You just didn't hear about it. I'm not happy about when people find needles and things like that."

Jim T. Ryan can be reached via e-mail at jtryan@perrycountytimes.com
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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Blend notes:

Sweet tastes mixed with the deep bouquet of biking give life a special touch that rapidly turn into an addictive substance for the body and mind. With a hint of endorphins generated from mountain biking, diverse landscapes far from civilisation and a warm and balanced lifestyle make days in the valley the perfect recipe for enjoying a mellow adventure with an intense and spicy undertone.



This is what makes up the spirit of our specific blend, perfect for serving with bikes, trails, sunsets, and friends.

Note: Best served quite chilled!

RIDER:

Break the routine, travel with friends and discover new horizons through mountain biking! This lifestyle gives meaning to everything we cant understand, an escape valve, it transports us to a place where all our bodys energy is renewed and our mind is cleared.This story takes us on an adventure north of Mexico in Baja California, searching for new trails, new tastes and new experiences in the wineries of Valle de Guadalupe".In a hidden corner of civilization, surrounded by mountains with great rock formations is a place called Bruma , located in the heart of the wineries is a little bed and breakfast with excellent design and a touch of old Mexican architecture. A perfectly balanced space ideal for adventure and relaxation.After a long trip from Mexico city, it was time to take our bikes and start to ride towards the tallest mountain we set our eyes to:  The Sierra Blanca. Without having much knowledge of the area we decide to adventure ourselves in search of some trails. Having criss-crossed the valley, pedalling mostly through fire roads and having seen several trailheads, it was time to make a decision and choose one. It was easy and we set our hearts on a small trail of approximately 8km long that went down to the skirts of the wineries. A fun natural technical single track among ruts, rock slabs and boulders that challenged us to go faster as the trail progressed."Valle de Guadalupe" is a small wine producing town located north of the country, surrounded by mountains with a history that dates back to the 1900s when the first Russian descendant families coming to the USA started to develop the first wineries of the area. The terrain and weather are perfect for growing grapes thanks to the rich limestone that allows excellent water filtration and perfect nutrients for its growth. Nowadays, the valley is home to several wineries among them Paralelo from Grupo VYVA.Days here start with Dona Yolandas kitchen, the soft aroma of coffee mixed with the fragrance of the place make the days spent here very special. Watching through the window and seeing the(fog in Spanish) fall between the wineries is like being in the clouds. The soft and lazy sounds of the kitchen combined with the smells of Mexican food make a call to the senses telling us breakfast has been served. This is a time to get everything ready and share with the other guests of the house the first meal of the day in the dining room. Bread, fruit and the local specialty (Enfrijoladas, Huevos a la Mexicana, Enchiladas, etc) all specialties in Dona Yolandas cookbook.Time passes slowly between conversations and anecdotes while the first rays of light warm up the valley slowly dissolving the fog. Around 9:00 am the weather of the valley is at its best to hop onto our bikes and explore the area. It is impossible to look at the surrounding mountains and not see a possible spot to play with our bikes with all the natural features this place has. Great boulder formations are part of this places charm as is the type of dirt and vegetation characteristic of arid places, made up of small brushes that maintain distance between each other, making natural trails that are perfect to ride or walk through.
VIDEO: 2 Texas Officers Wounded Responding to Suicide, Suspect Killed in Standoff

A suspect is dead and two police officers were injured Friday night while answering a 911 call about a suicide in Fort Worth.

Police say that the incident took place in the Wedgwood neighborhood of Fort Worth, at about 8:30 p.m.

Officer Ray Azucena and probationary officer, Xavier Serrano, who was in field training, arrived at the home and found one person shot dead inside the house, police say.

They were told a witness to the shooting may be in the shed in the backyard. When the officers approached the shed, they were fired upon. They returned fire, police said during a press conference.

Azucena was shot multiple times in the upper torso and extremities. He was in critical condition at John Peter Smith Hospital, but came out of surgery late Friday night and is expected to recover.

Serrano was struck once in his bullet-proof vest. He was alert and talking to officers after the shooting, police say, and was also taken to JPS.

The gunman was killed in a SWAT standoff that ended around 12:30 AM Saturday, WFAA TV reports.

Police say they have been called to the same home multiple times for domestic issues between a son and father.
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While speaking at a campaign rally in Miami, Florida (which he referred to as Ohio a few times), Donald Trump suggested once again that Hillary Clinton might be assassinated.

Telling another lie about Clinton, this time claiming shes going to abolish the Second Amendment, Donald Trump put the cherry on his fail of a lying birther day by suggesting Hillary Clinton might be shot.

The Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Hillary Clintons Secret Service detail should disarm, Take their guns away. Lets see what happens to her.

Watch here:

I think that Clintons bodyguards should drop all weapons- they should disarm. They should disarm immediately, what do you think? Lets see what happens to her.

Trump said this after being called out for lying for blaming Hillary Clinton for his own birtherism. So this is how Trump tries to change the subject when hes caught lying.

Donald Trump was spoken to by the Secret Service the last time he suggested his opponent might be shot if she won. Trump adviser Al Baldasaro told a radio host that Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for (fictional) treason, and later explained that he wanted Clinton shot for (fictional) treason, not assassinated.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you spell deplorable.
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Ive long maintained Fox & Friends is the most DEPLORABLE show on the Fox News Network. Its Morning Zoo Happy Tee Vee Talk is used to promote hate, resentment, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Trumpism. Thursday we got another example, and  BONUS!!!  Donald Trump got almost a quarter hour of air time to lie again.

By now youve no doubt heard how Agent Orange verbally attacked the Flint pastor who had the temerity to interrupt him and gently remind him that the church was not the appropriate place for a political speech. So, he called into the Curvy Couch Thursday  his 2nd Foxy Friends Reach-A-Round this week  and alleged a conspiracy.

However, lets first read what REALLY happened in the church from someone who was there and not named Donald in the article Trump Criticizes Flint Pastor  But Misstates Key Facts About Their Encounter. NPRs Scott Detrow reports that unlike what Trump told those Foxy Friends:

The audience was saying, Let him speak, let him speak,  Trump told Fox and Friends.



That isnt true. In fact, several audience members began to heckle Trump, asking pointed questions about whether he racially discriminated against black tenants as a landlord.



And thats when Timmons  who Trump said Thursday had planned to ambush him  stepped in to defend Trump, saying the Republican nominee was a guest of my church, and you will respect him.



Thank you. Thank you, Pastor, Trump responded.

In other words, immediately after she shut him down Pastor Timmons defended Donald Trump from parishioners attacks. Did Trump refrain from attacking the pastor the next day when he had a chance? Not so much. And, while Trumps crackpot conspiracy theory was extensively derided, most most mediate outlets blamed Trump.

However, it was a Fox and Friends set-up from the get-go. More than an hour before Trumps phone call, I watched those Foxy Friends quote a Todd Starnes column alleging a conspiracy. Trump just validated it by adding a new detail lie, that the pastor was nervous.

Media Matters also caught it: Fox Helps Trump Spin An Interruption During His Church Speech In Flint, Michigan, As A Set-Up:

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): Todd Starnes was looking at her Facebook earlier in the day, and the Reverend Faith Green Timmons wrote this, Today is our day. We have our chance to show Donald Trump that this nation is filled with intelligent, wise black citizens of integrity. Many of whom live right here in Flint, Michigan. What he will see is how we are braving a man-made catastrophe  referring to the water  He will not use us, we will educate him. And so some have wondered whether or not it was a set-up ambush. Although, by saying we will educate him, maybe what she was writing was were going to tell him what happened.



HUNTSMAN: I do think there is something to that. When theyre on campaigns, the candidates do a lot of the attacking but it is important to listen to what the people have to say, to what the voters have to say. So Im not sure they wrote that the best way they could have, but in terms of Donald Trump being out there, we know its half of the purpose, right. To hear one of the concerns they care about, things they want him to speak to. Thats an important part of it.

Thats how Fox & Friends injects venom into the body politic.

BONUS! This also proves something Ive said before: Nothing that originates as a Todd Starnes Stain ever holds up to scrutiny.

Youll find Trump parroting the lie about Pastor Timmons at 9:01, but the whole thing should be watched to see how many lies those Foxy Friends allow him to spew in 11 minutes, 41 seconds:

MAKING BOOK HELL SAY SOMETHING BONEHEADED: In the middle of a book tour Bill Loofah OReilly promised hed keep his big mouth shut for once in his life. Too bad it was only that one time and only about his former boss because, as always, he said many DEPLORABLE things just this week:

As he credits Reverend Wright for the inspiration for his latest Killing Truth book, OReilly also pimped the book by attacking Colin Kaepernicks Patriotism. He attacked athletes taking the knee during the National Anthem, as he found new ways to defend Donald Trump based on nothing factual. He also lied about whether he ever defended Roger Ailes in the first place, yet showed more compassion for Ailess family than the victims of his sexual harassment.

Laughably he believes Fox News equally attacks Trump and Clinton. Consequently, the mendacious station is Fair and Balanced. And, to prove it, he cut to a Trump rally because Trump cooperates with him. He rarely points out the ugly things his milkshakin buddy says, but seizes on Hillary Clintons basket case remark. He demonstrates his White Privilege by claiming because every Black person he knows has I.D, voter disenfranchisement is a myth. As if he really knows any Black people.

But, most egreciously OReilly Whitewashes Scandals Swirling Around The Trump Foundation  I Dont Understand The Controversy. Oh, cmon, Bill, be honest. A 4-year old child could understand that report.

SEAN HACK HANNITY: There are many reasons hes a hack. Frinstance Former GE CEO Jack Welch Says Watching Hannity Gets You One Full Hour Of Hating Hillary Clinton. Need more proof?

PASSAGES: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss:

Fox News Channels New Leaders Bill

Shine, Jack Abernethy Sign Multi-Year Deals

Meanwhile, FOX News Channel Launches New Political Analysis Show with Two Non-Trumpkins, Dana Perino And Chris Stirewalt, To Host New Fox News Show.

What could possibly go wrong?

STILL CLEANING UP AFTER THE AILES SCANDAL:

Fox News founders name ripped off Ohio U.

building right after president announces removal

Rudy Giuliani was instrumental in Roger Ailes split from Fox

Roger Ailes Puts Two New York Homes on the Market

CREDIT WHERE CREDITS DUE: Or a stopped clock finds a nut every once in a while.

Foxs Greg Gutfeld Calls Out Conservatives

Who Laud Julian Assanges Release Of

Hacked Information For Political Reasons

Megyn Kelly is a special case under this rubric. Very occasionally she actually performs journalism . . .

Megyn Kelly schools Katrina Pierson: The

media didnt force Trump to be a birther

Thats a Dodge!: Megyn Kelly Battles

Trump Spox Over Whether Hes Still a Birther

. . . . but most of the time shes just another GOP shill:

Nonsense!: Megyn Kelly Blows Up at Media

Matters Head for Going After Fox, Wallace

After Four Years And Multiple Investigations,

Fox News Megyn Kelly Relitigates Benghazi

Megyn Kelly Says NY Attorney Generals Inquiry

Into Trump Foundation Should Wait Until After Election

Megyn Kelly Helps Ivanka Trump Reach

Out To Women With Her Child Care Policy

Fair and Balanced shes not.

FURTHER READING: Longer articles worth your time:

Fox News Coded Language About School Safety

Fox Falls For Trump Lie: Clintons Child Care

Plan Has Been Available For More Than A Year

STUDY: Cable News Devotes 13 Times As Much

Coverage To Clinton Health As Trump Foundation

Headly Westerfield is addicted to watching Fox and Friends and swearing at his tee vee.
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In a desperate effort to cover up their lie, the Donald Trump campaign put out a press release that provided proof that Hillary Clinton didnt start the birther conspiracy.

This is the transcript of an interview that a Clinton advisor did with CNN that was released by the Trump campaign:



PATTI SOLIS DOYLE: There was a volunteer coordinator, I believe in late 2007, I think in December, one of our volunteer coordinators in one of the counties in Iowa. I dont recall whether they an actual paid staffer, but they did forward an e-mail that promoted the conspiracy.

WOLF BLITZER: The birther conspiracy?

DOYLE: Yeah. Hillary made the decision immediately to let that person go. We let that person go.

The transcript shows that Hillary Clinton shot down the birther conspiracy. When a staffer forwarded an email that promoted the conspiracy, that Clinton staffer was fired.

In other words, Donald Trump just released proof that Hillary Clinton didnt start the birther conspiracy as he claimed at his event earlier on Friday.

It is unfathomable, but it appears that the reemergence of Trumps birtherism has caught his campaign by surprise. The memo and interview that they cited were proof that Hillary Clinton didnt begin the birther conspiracy.

Donald Trumps own campaign just proved that their candidate is a liar.

The Trump campaign appears gripped by chaos. They are desperate and looking for anything that will make Donald Trumps birtherism go away, but all they did was verify that Hillary Clinton didnt begin the birther conspiracy.
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The New York Times has has called Donald Trump a liar, and theyre not alone. This is a big deal. Gail Collins in her new column asks of the events that got us to this point, How did we get to this place, people? It is a conundrum to be sure. Not what Trump did, but that the mainstream media helped him do it.

As Newsweeks Kurt Eichenwald said in a tweet, In 8th yr of a Democrats presidency, the Republican nominee announces to the press that the president was born in USA. Are we in a movie?

It seems like it. But movies are better scripted. More believable. There is an internal coherence to movies lacking in the opportunistic Trump campaign. And there is no doubt that the mainstream media stuck its collective head up its nether regions when Trump announced his con, or rather his candidacy (they are indistinguishable), and steadfastly refused to remove it.

What do I mean? Let Paul Krugman describe this state of affairs:

All along he has treated the news media with contempt, and been rewarded with obsequious deference  his lies sugar-coated, described as disputed or stretching the truth, while every aspect of his opponents life is described as raising questions and casting shadows, despite lack of evidence that she did anything wrong.

For example, fellow rich guy Mark Cuban is pushing for an interview with Trump, and Eichenwald says much as he appreciates that move, it makes my heart bleed to know he had to take over reporters roles.

Speaking of cable news people, The Washington Posts Greg Sargent tweeted,

Donald Trump once again urinates on the cable nets, and once again they hold out cups to catch the precious fluids.  Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) September 16, 2016

And Eichenwald added his disdain of TV reporters:

I truly believe Trump could stand up at a press conference, do nothing but jingle his keys, & TV reporters would spend 7 days analyzing it.  Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) September 17, 2016

Some journalists, like Sargent, Eichenwald and CNNs Brian Stelter have realized this and begun to push back. But is it enough, and is it too late? Sargent isnt hopeful, if his analysis of yesterdays events are any judge:

After carefully considering today's events & pondering the collective response to them, I've figured out what it all means. We're f*cked.  Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) September 16, 2016

On the other hand, when did we ever see the media speak of its own this way before? Or of Trump?

And Krugman, who suggested this morning that The Matt Lauer debacle may have helped bring things into focus, references AP and The New York Times, which was forced by Trumps antics to come out and actually call Donald Trump a liar of long standing. As Krugman says, I suspect Donald Trump is feeling a bit sandbagged right now.

Trump may well wake up to a different reality today, one he also responsible for, even if it is the opposite of the one he has worked so hard to create. You want hope? The Atlantics James Fallows put it nicely:

End of days: even Fox is blasting Trump on birtherism right now.

Or, as Mother Jones David Corn put it, Maybe Donald Trump shouldnt try to shoot anyone on Fifth Avenue tonight.

Donald Trump is trying to play the hero in all this, but the mainstream media, for a change, is not letting him get away with it.

The Washington Post made Trumps dishonesty a headline, Trump admits Obama born in U.S. but falsely blames Clinton for starting rumors, and The Boston Globe reported of Trumps falsely accusing rival Hillary Clinton of spawning the so-called birther controversy in 2008.

Gail Collins nails it when she Hillarys biggest problem is that the public thinks shes dishonest when, in fact,

What we have here is a candidate for president of the United States who makes stuff up all the time, but is either incapable of realizing that hes telling a lie, or constitutionally unable to take blame for being untruthful.

The mainstream media has to accept blame for this Trumps distortion of reality. The evidence now is that the mainstream media is waking up to the truth. Not every reporter is still eager to hold a cup out to catch Trumps fluid, and the question Krugman asks is, will this last, and if it does, has the turn come soon enough?

We wont know until it happens, but he asks a question we will all no doubt be asking, and that is, just imagine how different this election would look if wed had this kind of simple, factual, truly balanced (as opposed to both-sides-do-it) reporting all along.
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

Just when Native Americans are protesting an oil pipeline due to environmental fears it will rupture and despoil the Missouri Rivers water supply, and the pipelines owner is touting the safety record of conveying petroleum through a pipeline, the Native Americans fears were proven to be warranted. Although not in the Midwest and nowhere near the Missouri River, a gasoline pipeline ruptured earlier this week and prompted governors in Alabama and Georgia to declare a state of emergency in their respective states.

Now, no American should delude themselves into thinking the states of emergency are over environmental or health concerns because that would mean there was a conscientious regard for the health and safety of Alabama and Georgia residents. The reason the governors, Nathan Deal of Georgia and Robert Bentley of Alabama each issued executive orders declaring a state of emergency is because the oil industry is concerned they cannot sell gasoline in the areas the pipeline serves. In fact, each executive order suspends restrictions on the maximum number of hours fuel delivery truck drivers can stay behind the wheel.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) sets the maximum number of behind the wheel time out of high regard for public safety. Apparently, to allay fears that all big-rig drivers can exceed the U.S. DOT limits and endanger other motorists, the orders only apply to big-rig drivers tasked with transporting highly-flammable gasoline. Obviously, since a pipeline transporting roughly 1.3 million barrels of gasoline and other petroleum products every day, and no idea of how long it will take to reopen, there are going to be an excess of gasoline tanker trucks on the highways; and their drivers will be exceeding the maximum hour limits to be behind the wheel and still be safe. What could possibly go wrong?

It is reported that as of late Thursday evening, the ruptured section of the pipeline remains unexcavated over safety concerns. The gasoline already spilled, conservative estimates of 250,000 gallons thus far, is for the time being trapped in a mine water retention pond out in the open. Cleanup crews attempting to dig out the damaged part of the pipeline say the amount of spilled gas is probably more like 336, 000 gallons. The EPA on site said that the gasoline is unlikely to breach the retention pond and enter the nearby Cahaba River; the Cahaba River is Alabamas longest free-flowing stream and a breach would devastate the waterway.

Safety officials said local residents are safe because the open-air quarter-million gallons of gasoline isnt near any homes. However, the pipelines operator, Colonial Pipeline, said although it did shut off the line, there is still gas in the pipeline that may be leaking. They are unaware if it is still leaking because the section that ruptured is unexcavated due to safety concerns over the safety of the cleanup crews. They are also unaware why the pipeline leaked in the first place and probably why local residents say they are concerned over the risk to their health as well as the environment.

It doesnt matter that the gasoline is confined in a big open-air pond because it started leaking underground and besides the soil, surface and groundwater in jeopardy of contamination, gasoline fumes are toxic; but not toxic enough to declare a state of emergency over the health risk to Alabama and Georgia residents.

As transporters of refined petroleum products go, Colonial Pipeline is one of the largest-volume transporters in the world. Colonial provides gasoline for about 50-million people from Texas to New York and this is not its first, or even second major spill. The company has already had to settle with the federal government over Clean Water Act violations due to pipeline oil spills affecting five states in the late 1990s. And, the Atlanta-based Colonial Pipeline had to pay the largest civil penalty in EPA history in 2001, $34 million, for a 1.4 million gallon oil spilled in another pipeline system.

The Federal government maintained that the typical culprits leading to major oil and gas spills, pipeline corrosion, mechanical damage, and operator error caused seven spills in the 1990s with three of those resulting from gross negligence. For this latest state of emergency spill, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said they will be issuing a corrective action order to Colonial Pipeline instructing them what they have to do to get the pipeline back in operating order.

As of Friday, there were about 519 Colonial employees and outside contractors working in shifts to remove the gasoline and clear away the spilled material around the suspected leak site. However, because there is so much highly-flammable gasoline confined to a small open-air area, the crews have to take extra precautions to protect themselves from vapors that are not only harmful if inhaled, they are potentially flammable if they reach certain concentrations. But still, the state of emergency dealt with allowing oil tanker drivers to stay behind the wheel longer than is safe and there are no extra precautions being taken to protect other drivers.

There is no completely safe way to transport something as highly flammable as gasoline, or crude oil for that matter. Besides the risk of conflagration, there is the little issue of near- and long-term health risks and environmental damage to consider. There is no way America, or any other country, can get completely free of using fossil fuels, but that doesnt mean there is no use trying.

If there is any good to come from this latest fossil fuel disaster, it may well be that the alleged proven safety of oil and gasoline-conveying pipelines is proven not to be errant. It may also be that the environmentalists and Native Americans in North Dakota protesting yet another dangerous pipelines construction will cite a real-time object lesson for why another rupture-prone pipeline is an ecological and environmental disaster waiting to happen.
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By John Whitesides

LINCOLN PARK, Ga. (Reuters)  Louis Brooks, 87, has walked to cast a vote at his neighborhood polling place in Georgias predominantly black Lincoln Park neighborhood for five decades. But not this year.

Brooks says he will not vote in the presidential election for the first time he can remember after local officials moved the polling station more than 2 miles (3 km) away as part of a plan to cut the number of voting sites in Upson County.

I cant get there. I cant drive, and its too far to walk, said Brooks, a black retired mill worker and long-time Democratic Party supporter. He said he does not know how to vote by mail and doesnt know anyone who can give him a ride.

A Reuters survey found local governments in nearly a dozen, mostly Republican-dominated counties in Georgia have adopted plans to reduce the number of voting stations, citing cost savings and efficiency.

In seven of those counties, African-Americans, who traditionally back Democrats, comprised at least a quarter of the population, and in several counties the changes will disproportionately affect black voters. At least three other counties in Georgia dropped consolidation plans under public pressure.

While polling place cutbacks are on the rise across the country, including in some Democratic-run areas, the Souths history of racial discrimination has made the region a focus of concern for voting rights advocates.

Activists see the voting place reductions as another front in the fight over Republican-sponsored statewide voting laws such as stricter ID requirements that disproportionately affect minority and poorer voters who tend to vote for the Democratic Party.

Several of these have recently been struck down by courts that ruled they were designed to hinder minority voting.

There is a history in those states of using different strategies to cut voting in minority communities, said Leah Aden, senior counsel at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Hogwash, said Robert Haney, chairman of the Upson County Board of Elections, denying that race was a factor in his boards decision.

Nobody is trying to keep anybody from voting, said Haney, adding that officials would send a ballot to the home of anyone who needed it. He said the cut in polling sites from nine to four was designed to increase efficiency by closing low-turnout sites, saving about $20,000.

The Nov. 8 election will be the first presidential contest since the Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that Georgia and all or parts of 14 other states with a history of racial discrimination no longer need federal approval for election law changes like polling place consolidations.

Since the court ruling, the Reuters survey found, more than two dozen local governments in eight of those states have implemented new cuts in polling places. Two thirds of those were met with public opposition.

Four of the states  Arizona, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina  could be election battlegrounds in the fight for the White House and control of the U.S. Senate.

IMPACT CAN BE DISASTROUS

This is part of the story of voting in the South, said Willie Williams, a black small business owner from Daphne, Alabama, where polling stations were cut to two from five during last months municipal elections over the objections of black voters.

Williams, who still keeps his fathers receipt for his poll tax  the tax some blacks in the South had to pay to qualify to vote before civil rights laws in the 1960s eliminated it  says the reduction was just another tool in the tool kit for shaving off minority votes.

Daphne city officials denied any racial motivation, saying the changes were meant to improve safety and create better access and parking for voters.

Still, Isela Gutierrez, a research director at the liberal group Democracy North Carolina, says the effects of such cutbacks can be wide ranging. The elections boards arent lying when they say some of these locations have low turnout and it makes better administrative sense to close them  but the impact can be disastrous.

Numerous academic studies have found people are less likely to vote the farther they must travel and the longer they must wait in line, which becomes more likely with fewer voting sites.

Some of these changes individually may affect only a small number of voters, but in the aggregate across the country it will be a very large number of voters, said Danielle Lang, voting rights counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based voting rights and campaign finance group.

The issue gained prominence in a March primary in Arizonas Maricopa County, where more than 30 percent of residents are Hispanic. A decision to slash polling places left voters in lines for up to five hours. Republican county officials said they misjudged turnout.

CONSOLIDATIONS

Georgia has been an epicenter for efforts to reduce polling places since the Supreme Court decision. And in that state, which has not backed a Democrat in a presidential election since 1992, polls show Republican Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in a close battle for the presidency that could be decided by turnout of minority voters.

If you want to restrict voter turnout in minority and disadvantaged communities, a good way is to move a polling place somewhere they cant get to, said Stacey Abrams, Democratic leader in the Georgia state legislature.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said race was being unfairly inserted into the debate on polling place changes.

Its election officials making adjustments based on the changing ways people are voting, he said.

A Reuters analysis, using voter registration lists for 2012 and 2016, found at least two Georgia counties where the changes disproportionately affect blacks.

A consolidation plan in Macon-Bibb County closed six polling places in black-majority neighborhoods, and only two in white majority areas. McDuffie Countys decision to eliminate three polling places means two-thirds of the countys black voters, and one-third of its white voters, will now vote in one location.

Other changes have had little impact on minority voters. In Georgias Lumpkin County, for example, where blacks are just 2 percent of the population, officials consolidated seven polling locations into one to make the county compliant with federal disability laws.

Voting rights groups in several states have tried to form patchwork networks to track the changes, which are not well publicized, and then fight back where necessary with threats of lawsuits, petition drives or complaints to federal officials.

In Upson County, Haney said, the elections board dropped a proposal to close a polling site in heavily black Salem, a sparsely populated rural area, after residents pointed out the hardship of traveling an extra 10 miles (16 km) or more.

But the Lincoln Park site, which had just 230 voters cast a ballot in person on Election Day 2012, was more easily combined with a polling place in the center of the nearby town of Thomaston, he said.

Kay King, the only African-American member of the elections board in Upson County and the only one to vote against the voting site closures, said she knew it meant some Lincoln Park residents would not be able to vote.

They walk to the store, they walk to church  when you dont have transportation to get to something like this, it makes you not want to do it, you just throw your hands up, she said.

(Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Jason Szep and Ross Colvin)
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Republicans will stand by Donald Trump even when. Yes, even when period, because there is no low too low for Republican leadership.

Republican leadership stands by Trump even after he twice suggested Hillary Clintons assassination. They stand by Trump even as he peddles yet another false conspiracy in order to blame Hillary Clinton for his own pathetic birtherism  oh, and Republican leadership stood by Trumps birtherism, too.

Republicans stand by Trump even when

They stand by Trump even with the anti-trust violation scandal for which he was fined fined him $750,000 by the Federal Trade Commission.

They stand by him after he asked Russia to hack Hillary Clinton.

They stand by Trump after he and his running mate Mike Pence slobbered over Putin and Putins dictator style leadership, saying he was stronger than President Obama.

They stand by Trump after he refused to disavow his birtherism regarding President Barack Obama. They stand by Trump now that he has suddenly admitted that Obama was born here, but only while peddling another lie and of course, devoid of personal responsibility  there was no apology to the nation let alone the president.

They stand by Trump even though he took 4 deferments from the Vietnam war draft. This same man keeps stoking conspiracies about Hillary Clintons health.

They stand by Trump after he belittled a Gold Star family, mocked a disabled reporter, routinely denigrates women reporters and journalists  calling them Little Katy and suggesting theyre bleeding so they are emotional and no good at their job.

Republicans stand by Trump after he was busted illegally donating to Florida Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi from his foundation, as she was deciding whether or not to pursue a case against his Trump University.

Trump made a similar donation to then Texas Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott.

They stand by Trump even though his foundation claims to have given a lot of money to people and organizations who say they never received a dime.

Republicans continue to stand by Trump even as his collection of thug aides and advisers are busted for ongoing sexual harassment, arrested for battery of a female journalist, and more.

Trump has a history of tenant intimidation and racial discrimination. No problem for Republicans.

Trump has four bankruptcies. No problem for the self-described fiscally responsible party.

Republicans stand by Trump even after he proposed banning Muslims from the country. They walked the disavow the policy but support the hate-peddler line on this one, a dance as ridiculous as the Trump supporters who claim they arent deplorable.

If you enable and support deplorable actions, you are eventually deplorable yourself. And that is where we are right now.

There is no low too low for Republican leadership, and this is why the party is drowning in its own self-inflicted injuries. Republican strategists can see the writing on the wall, and this is why many of them are calling out Donald Trumps reprehensible lies and rhetoric.

But Republican leadership is doing with Trump what they did with Rush Limbaugh, back when they were so afraid of the unofficial head of their party and hate-mongering radio host that the would bow down to Limbaughs lies and hate rather than stand up for reality and civility.

This is a party of cheap cowards, too afraid to stand up for whats right to lay any claim to having a moral high ground.

This is the party that lets the poor and middle class bear the weight of risks taken by the wealthiest  a moral hazard of an economic policy that is covered for with an utter disregard for law, order, authority, structure, respectability, common decency, policy making and intellectualism.

Republican leaders like Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) need to held accountable for the rotting stench of birtherism and assassination whistles they are standing by with their support for Donald Trump. They dont get to claim that Trumps tax policy is worth this level of destruction of our shared values and ideals.

The presidency is not a clown office to be filled with a carnival barking hate-monger just so Republicans can get their way for the wealthiest among us.
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By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  Apple Inc and other U.S. multinationals will face new curbs on tax loopholes under a rule imposed by Washington, part of a scramble among governments worldwide to bolster their corporate tax bases.

Acting shortly after a European Union grab for billions of dollars in back taxes from Apple, the U.S. Treasury said it was tightening restrictions on companies use of foreign tax credits to reduce what they owe in U.S. taxes.

We are closing another tax loophole that contributes to the erosion of our tax base, Treasury Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy Mark Mazur said in a statement.

The fight for multinational tax revenues escalated on Aug. 30 when the EU ruled Ireland was giving improper state aid to Apple in the form of a deal for low taxes. The EU ordered Apple to pay Ireland 13 billion euros ($14.6 billion) in back taxes, prompting U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to express concern the EU ruling could undermine the U.S. tax base.

Analysts have speculated whether Apple would be able to cut its U.S. tax bill by claiming foreign tax credits for its extra tax bill in Ireland.

Under normal circumstances, U.S. companies can reduce the taxes they owe the U.S. government by the value of the tax credits they claim for taxes paid abroad on foreign profits. No U.S. tax is due on those profits until they are brought into the United States, or repatriated.

The new rule will prevent companies faced with back tax bills from splitting, a strategy that allows companies to bring foreign tax credits into the United States without repatriating the income from which they were derived.

Apple had no comment on Treasurys tax notice. The technology giant is not the only U.S. company in the crosshairs of EU state aid investigations.

Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state, while Amazon.com Inc and McDonalds Corp are under investigation by the EUs executive arm.

The new rule was likely to ratchet up transatlantic tensions over corporate taxes while eliminating one more strategy U.S. companies can use to cushion the blow from increasingly aggressive EU tax collection efforts.

The tax notice specifically cited European Union state aid investigations as a risk to U.S. revenues.

The Treasury had no comment on whether its notice would have an impact on Apple directly, but a spokesperson said the notice applies to all companies required by a foreign government to pay additional taxes, including those hit by state-aid cases.

(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Howard Goller)
WASHINGTON  The for-profit college boom has gone bust.

Closures of high-profile schools such as ITT Technical Institute have left thousands of students in limbo while raising questions about the future of an industry that provides much of the training for vocational, technical and other mid-level skilled jobs.

For-profit schools are facing major challenges on several fronts after a period of meteoric growth.

Federal and state officials have filed suits or launched investigations into allegations of predatory lending and false advertising by some leading chains. At the same time, the Obama administration is trying to reshape the industry by pushing new regulations that would tie student debt limits to job prospects and make it easier for students to have their loans forgiven if they were defrauded  with the school potentially on the hook for the tab.

For-profit schools began aggressively expanding their numbers and enrollments in 2000 as online education became more widespread, attracting students who were more likely to be low-income, minority and part-timers.

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Those schools ratcheted up their growth even more after the Great Recession, when many Americans sought new skills in hopes of finding better jobs in a tough labor market. Wall Street drove education company stock prices sky-high.

The problems that followed, including high default rates on student loans and accusations of predatory lending, triggered a crackdown by the Obama administration.

ITT's parent company blamed the administration's actions for the closure of the chain's 137 campuses last week, meaning 35,000 students who were preparing to start classes this month won't get the degrees they were seeking.

'It felt like home to me'

Alvaro Laborin, a 36-year-old Navy veteran from Los Angeles, said he spent the last few years working all manner of odd jobs  bartender, mechanic, Uber driver, even a walk-on Hollywood extra  to be able to afford cybersecurity classes at an area ITT campus.

"It felt like home to me," Laborin said. "This school has been around since before I was born, and now it's gone?"

He was among about 20 ITT students at a clinic last week at the offices of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles to figure out their options. They include trying to transfer ITT credits to other schools or seeking forgiveness on student loans.

Laborin wasn't sure if he would try to attend another for-profit school or try a public community college. But he said he would not quit on his goal of a college education.

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"I'd rather be in debt up to my neck for the rest of my life than give up now," he said. "When things like this happen, you have to either change or be the one who gets left behind."

Less than 18 months ago, thousand of students at another high-profile for-profit chain were forced into the same situation. Corinthian Colleges Inc. closed the doors on its remaining campuses following government allegations of falsified job placement rates.

Many students at ITT, Corinthian and other for-profit schools paid for their education by taking out federally backed and private student loans. And though borrowing has shot up at all colleges and universities in recent years, students at for-profit schools led the way.

Their federal student loan originations increased tenfold from 2000 to 2011, according to new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Those students were more likely to default. Many either didn't finish school or graduated but were unable to land well-paying jobs in their field.

"They've done their part of the bargain. They took out the loans to pay for their education. They graduated, and what the school promised them wasn't true," said Debbie Cochrane, vice president of the Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit group that advocates for broader access to higher education.

Since 2004, annual default rates for students at four-year, for-profit schools have been two to three times those of public or nonprofit private institutions, the New York Fed researchers found.

Despite the high-profile closures, the industry still is large. In 2015, there were about 3,500 for-profit institutions, including two-year and four-year vocational and technical schools. That's an increase of 36 percent since 2000, according to the New York Fed data.

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About 1.6 million students attended those schools. Enrollment nearly quadrupled from 2000 to 2011, with a surge after the Great Recession began in late 2007.

Although enrollment has declined since 2011, a sharp increase in heavily debt-saddled students has drawn the ire of consumer groups and liberal activists who have accused the schools of predatory lending.

'This sector grew too fast'

Steve Gunderson, president of Career Education Colleges and Universities, a trade group for the for-profit college industry, acknowledged there have been problems.

"This sector grew too fast and too much during the recession. We practiced open enrollment and admitted students even if they weren't academically prepared," he said. "A lot of students dropped out, had debt and default. We shouldn't walk away from that."

But Gunderson and others in the industry have said the Obama administration has unfairly targeted for-profit schools through enforcement actions and new regulations.

The moves threaten opportunities for students to get trained in fields that public and private nonprofit colleges often don't offer, such as truck driving, cosmetology, automotive repair and medical office work, said Gunderson, whose association does not include ITT Technical Institute.

For-profit schools filled educational gaps as many community colleges began offering more four-year degree programs. But after the Corinthian and ITT closures, some community colleges are offering themselves as alternatives for students seeking to transfer their credits.

U.S. Education Department officials said their actions against ITT were designed to protect students, as well as taxpayers who are on the hook for federal student loans that don't get paid back.

The department forgave about $171 million in debt owed by Corinthian students. About $500 million in student loans to ITT students would be eligible for forgiveness, offset in part by about $90 million in insurance ITT had paid to the Education Department, said Education Undersecretary Ted Mitchell.
MINNEAPOLIS  Fair warning to any U.S. Bank employees looking to capitalize on competitor Wells Fargo's recently tarnished reputation: Don't.

Or at least don't use an orange flier.

"So help me God, if I find a branch in one market with an orange flier that says if you bank at Wells come to U.S. Bank, they're going to be let go," said U.S. Bank CEO Richard Davis, at an investor's event in New York on Thursday. "That's not the way we do business. It will come to us if we've earned it."

Wells Fargo is trying to clean up a yearslong scandal that broke a week ago after employees opened millions of accounts for customers without their knowledge.

Asked by an analyst whether the scandal is a "disruptive opportunity," Davis didn't rule it out, but said he'd come down hard on anyone in his company who tried to explicitly make the case.

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"We went out on Monday morning and asked everyone in the company to take no advantage of the Wells circumstance. None. Because the fact of the matter is, the circumstance itself, whatever it becomes, is going to be ours to the benefit if the customers decide to move toward us," he said. "It may be an opportunity for us but it's not our job to go out there and call that out. It'd be inappropriate."

Davis did, however, say that Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank is always trying to take customers away from competitors, and allowed that Wells Fargo's scandal could help U.S. Bank in the long run.

"We've worked hard to earn everybody else's business as the next potential customer and client," he said. "I think we'll find out over the next couple of months and next couple of years."
Credit and debit cards have modern flair, but cold, hard cash is still an international traveler's best friend.

But how do you even get foreign currency these days? How much cash should you take? And whatever happened to travelers checks? We talked with currency expert Bruce Beattie, owner of Foreign Currency Exchange in Birmingham, Mich., who keeps close watch on travel money issues around the world.

Why would an international traveler need cash at all? Isn't cash old-fashioned?

"Cash is still critical for emergencies and for smaller purchases where you can't use a debit or credit card," he says. "Have some foreign currency so if you arrive at an airport and can't find an ATM, you have enough money for a taxi, train or a bottle of water at least."

Can't I just use my debit or credit card abroad? I have one with no foreign transaction fees.

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U.S. credit cards still do not work everywhere in the world or work in strange ways, he says. For instance, "Germany is still largely a cash country even though it is the biggest euro zone," he says. "You can't charge a cup of coffee there. They want cash for anything under $30, basically."

Sometimes, even a no-fee credit card will register overseas as a cash advance, incurring fees. Sometimes, your credit card simply won't work, even if it has chip and pin technology. Always take backup cards. And, of course, cash.

Whatever happened to travelers checks?

They still exist, but almost no one uses them. "It got to the point that counterfeiters figured out how to make them," says Beattie. "In one famous case in Milan, $40,000 of fake travelers checks were passed. Then nobody wanted to take them anymore. We stopped selling them in 2007. People would tell us they couldn't cash them anywhere.

"If you still have them, deposit them into your bank account. They are still good."

If you don't bring enough foreign currency, where can you get it abroad?

"Currency exchange windows at airports, railway stations and hotels have the worst rates, and cruise ships, too, because you are a captive audience," he says. Instead, use a bank or bank-owned ATM, preferably one inside of a bank for the best rates and safest transaction. "If you use an independent ATM you are at risk of skimming machines (that criminals install to commit fraud). Also, privately owned ATMs can charge as much as 10 percent in fees, plus the regular exchange fee."

What about changing money on the street?

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Not a great idea. "You might pay a bit more at a bank, but it is worth it. We had a travel agent take a group to Tanzania. They bought old Tanzania dollars on the street that turned out to be worthless," he says. "They got taken."

You sell foreign currency. I'm sure a lot of people take only like $500, but do some people carry a lot of cash, like tens of thousands?

Yes, says Beattie, who sells to everyone from experienced business travelers to first-time study-abroad students. "I always ask people, what is your comfort level with carrying cash? If it is not high, don't carry too much because you will be worried about it." If you do carry cash, split it up and keep most of it in the hotel safe. Be sure you know rules on how much cash is allowed to be taken in and out of the countries you plan to visit.

Why is the exchange rate I get never as good as what I see on currency information sites such as www.xe.com?

Those are rates for large currency market transactions and midpoint between buy/sell rates, he says. Still, published rates give you a rough idea of the true retail exchange rate. "With the euro, we are (selling it) about 3 to 4 percent above the XE rate," says Beattie. "The rates on some more exotic (unusual) currency can be different."

What if you find yourself without any cash or credit cards?

"Someone can wire you money via Moneygram or Western Union. In our experience, transit time, depending on where you are, is 10 minutes to a week. Sometimes someone takes a cut of it along the way," he says.

What about a prepaid credit card where you can add value to it?

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Be careful. "Some prepaid cards you buy are actually like gift cards and can only be used in the United States," he says. However, a card such as the prepaid VISA Travel Money card or Travelex Cash Passport prepaid Mastercard is reloadable and usable in other countries, making it good for students studying abroad.

If you buy too much foreign currency, can you change it back into U.S. dollars when you get home?

"Yes. But you will get less for it than you paid for it."

What about old foreign currency? Can I still use it when I travel or trade it in?

"It depends on the currency itself. Some have a window in which you can turn it in. For instance, Germany uses the euro. But the old German mark has not closed the window for exchange; it still has value. But the Italian lira and French franc, those countries stopped honoring that currency a few years ago."

So if I have old French francs are they worthless?

"Pretty much, except to the secondary market of collectors. Some people collect old foreign currency. It has to be in pristine shape," he says. "But a lot of currency has the same problem. In Switzerland, any currency prior to the past two issues have been de-monetized. It has no value. Sometimes I have people come in, maybe their father has passed away and they open a safe deposit box and find this old currency, maybe 4 grand worth of old Swiss francs, and I have to tell them it has no value."

What countries have money that never expires?

The U.S. and just a couple others. The euro (which the public began using in 2002) does not expire (at least yet). "Most currency expires. Brazil, for example, has had three or four currency changes since the '70s," he says.

Some places in the world accept tips in U.S. dollars but they ask for crisp new bills. Why?

So the bills can more easily be verified as real and be accepted for exchange at their banks, Beattie says. Once he was traveling in Asia and tried to exchange a bill that had a sharp crease on the face of the president. After a long examination, the bank clerk finally took it.
An inmate temporarily released from jail so he could undergo surgery on his leg disappeared from a Rochester hospital this morning before undergoing the procedure.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Levi Troy Dahl. He was wearing a GPS bracelet at the time he took off. That bracelet was found this morning in a Rochester Walmart parking lot, according to Todd Earl, a chief deputy with the Freeborn County Sheriff's Office.

"I guess he felt it was better to have his freedom than a fixed leg because I'm sure he is in a lot of pain," Earl said.

Dahl was arrested in Freeborn County on Sept. 6 for criminal vehicular operation, fleeing a police officer and reckless driving, according to a news release from the Freeborn County Attorney's Office. He made his first court appearance on Sept 8 and bail was set at $75,000.

On Thursday, the court approved a prosecutor's motion to temporarily release Dahl from the Freeborn County Adult Detention Center for "humanitarian reasons" so that he could have surgery on his leg. The court also approved the prosecutor's request that Dahl be placed under house arrest and required to wear a GPS bracelet.

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An arrest warrant has been issued for Dahl. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Freeborn County Sheriff's Office at 507-277-5200 extension 5.
MANTORVILLE  Gov Mark Dayton proclaimed Friday to be Dodge County Courthouse Day. Cumah Blake, of the governor's council, read the proclamation at the rededication of the courthouse Friday afternoon.

Third Judicial District Judge Jodi Williamson was the master of ceremonies for the event.

The day was a celebration of the newly renovated courthouse and the Government Services Building  the former Kasson-Mantorville Intermediate School  across Main Street from the courthouse.

County Facilities and Fleet Manager Duke Harbaugh was the county's project manager for the remodeling. Just before the ceremony in the courtroom, he said, "It's good to see this (ceremony) because that means it's over."

He started working for Dodge County in March 2015 and the two projects have fully occupied his working hours.

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Harbaugh received a spontaneous ovation from the packed courtroom after Judge Williamson talked about his labors.

"He's in charge of everything," she quipped.

The projects began in earnest in November 2014. The year before that was taken up with planning, which included input from the then-new judge.

During Friday's ceremony Williamson talked about how the team, including Sheriff Scott Rose, had to plan for security and storage of evidence, as well as more room for personnel.

"We beat Olmsted County at having a security checkpoint," she crowed.

She thanked County Commissioners David Erickson and John Allen, who served as the Board of Commissioners' building committee for the projects.

John McNamara, of Wold Architects of St. Paul, was the architect and Alvin E. Benike Inc. of Rochester was the builder. The project cost well over $8 million.

Williamson said that construction on the original courthouse started in 1865, and it cost taxpayers about $15,000 before it was complete. Construction dragged on for years. At one point, a memo was issued saying that people who wanted offices in the courthouse would have to furnish their own wood to build them.

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Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice G. Barry Anderson talked about Sept 17, 1787, when the U.S. Constitution was signed. He said the Mantorville courthouse has long stood as a, "Silent sentinel to the cause of justice," and, quoting Commissioner Steven Gray who had spoken earlier, "the commitment of the people of Dodge County to those less fortunate."

Anderson said he admired the commitment of Dodge County to its historical roots and noted that the character of the oldest operating courtroom in the state was kept intact.

"This project emphasizes the historic structure and avoided the new overwhelming the old," he said.

During planning, it was decided to model the new courtroom after a photo of the courtroom dated 1904. It has coffered ceilings, dark wood accents, a wooden judge's bench and wooden dividers enclosing the jury box and between spectators and the attorneys' tables.

"It's a courtroom befitting of the people of Dodge County," Williamson said.

In the Government Services Building, Taxpayer Services Director Rose Culbertson said she likes her new office. "What's not to like? I have my own office with a door!" She also appreciates the juxtaposition of the finance department and administration so employees in the two departments can talk more easily.

Harbaugh summed it up. "It all went fairly smoothly because of the employees and the commissioners. All the hard work has come to an end."
People's Food Co-op of Rochester will be hosting a fundraiser for the PFC Community Fund from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Bleu Duck Kitchen.

"Your support will help build the fund, which in turn, supports more grassroots projects in our community," said Brad Smith, the co-op's member services manager.

Established by the People's Food Cooperative in 2003, the PFC Community Fund was founded with the intent of providing supplemental or project-specific funding to local nonprofit organizations that have missions consistent with the goals of the People's Food Cooperative. The fund gives priority to grant requests for educational projects, developmental projects and events that have a focus on food and food systems, nutrition, health and well being, sustainable agriculture, cooperative education and social change.

A past recipient of a community fund grant will be on hand to talk about the benefits of the PFC Fund. Bleu Duck will serve appetizers, beer and wine. There also will be a cash bar.

Seating is limited. The cost is $40 per person. RSVP required. Call or register at the People's Food Co-op's customer service desk at 507-289-9061.

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Bleu Duck is located in the Conley-Maass building at 14 Fourth St. SW in Rochester.
A Rochester woman was injured Thursday night after she apparently lost control of the car she was driving in heavy rain.

Ubah Ahmed Mohamed, 22, was traveling on West River Parkway, just north of Zumbro Drive, when she crashed into a wooded area east of the roadway, the report says.

When members of the Rochester Police Department, Rochester Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance responded they found Mohamed semi-responsive, said Capt. John Sherwin. Firefighters had to extricate Mohamed from the vehicle because of the extent of the crash damage.

She was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus; no information about her was listed Friday afternoon, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Mohamed, who was alone in the vehicle, was issued a citation for not having a driver's license.

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The crash was reported at 9:36 p.m.
Union leaders and food service workers stepped up their battle with Mayo Clinic over its plan to outsource hundreds of jobs, staging their second rally in as many months while announcing a portion of those workers are seeking to join a union.

"It's not just about this group of 700 workers. This is about the future of Rochester, and are we going to be a city of haves and have nots?" said Jamie Gulley, president of the Service Employees International Union, as food service workers, union representatives and DFL lawmakers and candidates rallied in front of the Gonda Building.

SEIU Healthcare is battling Mayo's plan to subcontract its food vending service to Morrison Health Care at 20 facilities across the country. The move would affect an estimated 700 Mayo food service workers in southern Minnesota, who would become Morrison employees under the proposal. The switch would also affect Sodexo food service workers who work at Mayo facilities but are not Mayo employees. Under Mayo's proposal, they too would become Morrison employees.

Sodexo employees say the proposal would mean thousands of dollars in extra insurance and benefit costs for workers.

Chris Hotopp, a Sodexo food service worker, said he learned in meetings with Morrison management that his health care costs would jump to $212 per month from $89, and the 160 hours of sick time he has accrued would be eliminated as a Morrison employee. He would have to work a month to earn four hours of sick time, but those hours wouldn't roll over at the end of the year, meaning if he got sick in January, he wouldn't have any sick days. He also would have to pay for his own uniform.

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"Financially, I'm looking at $5,000 worth of health insurance and other benefits that they're cutting out over a year," Hotopp said. "It 's going to be a big cost in my pocketbook."

Mayo officials have said the current food service arrangement is not meeting the needs of patients and customers, and surveys frequently have cited food service as an area needing improvement. They also have said they are seeking to standardize their food service operations across its system

"We fully understand that this change is difficult for our food service employees, which is why we are committed to protecting jobs and salaries and offering one of the most generous transition packages in the industry," said Mayo spokeswoman Ginger Plumbo. "Contrary to many other employers in similar situations, Mayo is supportive of our food service staff if they want to seek and secure other jobs within our organization."

Back to the bargaining table

Friday's picket, the second since Mayo's labor troubles arose, comes days before Mayo and union leaders head back to the bargaining table set for early next week.

Gulley, SEIU president, said the union is seeking to challenge Mayo's assumption that subcontracting will produce better food service. The group is asking for an 18-month reprieve to prove "we can beat any patient satisfaction score at another location" with proper training. The union also is proposing to create a fund from union dues to pay for that training.

"We think that Mayo should test that assumption" before making a decision that will impact 700 employees, Gulley said.

Bullhorn in hand, DFL leaders stood on a library stool in front of the massed crowd to argue that the battle between workers and Mayo, the state's largest private employer, has city- and statewide implications.

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In an interview, DFL State Rep. Tina Liebling, whose district includes Mayo, questioned whether Mayo's proposal was "the only solution" to deal with the food quality issue.

"I'm deeply concerned not just about what's happening to these people but about Mayo as an institution and how they're viewed when they do these kinds of things," Liebling said. "I think Mayo has a bit of a tin ear to the community."

Other legislative leaders to join in the picket were DFL House Minority Leader Rep. Paul Thissen, of Minneapolis; DFL Rep. Erin Murphy, of St. Paul; and DFL Rep. Tim Mahoney.

Nonunion workers trigger election

The event also served to spotlight the news that a group of non-union Sodexo employees who work at Mayo had collected enough signatures to trigger an election to join SEIU. More than half of the 700 employees affected by Mayo's proposal are union members represented by SEIU. A group of 126 non-union Sodexo employees signed cards to hold an election.

Wes Keck, a Sodexo food service worker, said joining a union will give employees a voice at the bargaining table.

"We can negotiate pay scales. We can negotiate raises," said Keck, who has been a food service worker at Mayo for 17 years. "Morrison has told us that on some jobs, they'd have caps where you will never get another raise if you stay in the job."
The open-ended nurses strike at Allina Health now is approaching the end of its second week. More than 4,000 nurses have been off the job since Labor Day in a dispute over health insurance.

Allina and the Minnesota Nurses Association both say they want the nurses to return to patients' bedsides.

But no new talks are scheduled, and neither side is asking to return to the table.

Where do negotiations stand?

They're at a standstill. Resuming negotiations is the key to getting a deal and ending the strike. But neither side wants to make the first move. A federal mediator has not stepped in yet to bring them back to the bargaining table.

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How is this strike different from the one-week walkout in June?

The rhetoric is definitely different now. During the June strike, the nurses questioned the quality of care that Allina's replacement nurses were providing. There hasn't been much mention of that this time around. The union says it is receiving far fewer reports from workers inside the hospital during this strike  a development it attributes to an information blackout by Allina.

But this strike also is quite different from the one-week walkout. There's more at stake financially with the open-ended nature of this strike. The union says nurses are much more interested in learning why they're in this predicament. So the union has focused on questioning Allina's business dealings.

What developments are worth watching for?

Obviously, a resumption of talks. That would be the first sign of movement toward a deal. And then the question is: Who initiates? Who shows the first sign of being willing to compromise? Or does it come from the federal mediator?

The number of nurses who cross the picket line also could influence the length of this strike. At last count, Allina says, 489 regular nurses had gone back to their jobs, and that number keeps growing. If that number surges in the next week or so, that would signal eroding support within the union for the strike, and it could snowball.

Also, Oct. 1 could become a real squeeze point for the union. That's when the nurses' company-paid health coverage stops if the strike is still going. And remember the central issue in this dispute has been whether the nurses get to keep their current health plans.

What are the pressures on Allina?

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This is really expensive for the company. They're paying replacement nurses double the rate employee nurses get. And they risk alienating other labor groups. As Allina CEO Penny Wheeler said this week, Allina's workforce is highly unionized.

So there's a lot at stake for both sides.
A number of Minnesota men who came to the United States as child refugees from Cambodia may soon be forced to return to a country they scarcely remember.

That's because they were convicted of crimes as young adults, and the federal government is deporting them. The men's families are pressing authorities to let them stay, saying they've turned their lives around and have long been productive members of society.

More than 150,000 Cambodians sought refuge in the United States after the Vietnam War. Among them was Chan Om. Now 46 years old, he's among about 10,000 who eventually settled in Minnesota.

But on Aug. 26, his life here was turned upside down. Om went to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Bloomington for a regular check-in because of a past felony conviction. His wife Deena Parseth explained what happened next.

"Thirty-five minutes later, he called me, he said 'I got locked up now. Can you just come and get the car?'"

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Parseth said Om doesn't talk much about his past. But court records show he was convicted in 2004 of taking part in the armed robbery of a St. Paul restaurant owner. A judge sentenced him to three-and-a-half years in prison.

But now her husband has a steady job. Parseth said he volunteers at a Buddhist temple and dotes on his young niece.

During rush hour Wednesday, Parseth stood in front of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's office in downtown Minneapolis alongside dozens of protesters. They were there to demand the release of Om and more than a half-dozen other Cambodian men who also face deportation.

Since ICE detained Om nearly three weeks ago, his sister-in-law Sovanna Leang said it's been tough trying to figure out exactly where he is.

"Every time we call immigration ... they would just tell us they're going to here, here and here. And it's not really where they're at until we actually get a phone call from our loved ones," Leang said.

Just before Wednesday night's rally started, Om did call  from Modesto, Calif. He'd also made stops with immigration officials in Louisiana and Arizona.

Kosol Sek heads the International Khmer Assembly, a Cambodian-American advocacy group.

He said the deportations are the result of an agreement the U.S. and Cambodian governments struck in 2002. It allows refugees with criminal records to be deported. Sek said the Cambodians ICE is targeting for deportation are facing a second punishment for their crimes.

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"These are victims from the Vietnam War. They're people that have served their time. They've been released into society. They have family members. They have wives," Sek said. "So they're fully functional members of society."

According to Sek, ICE has detained seven Cambodians who'd been living in Minnesota, and at least one is already back in southeast Asia.

Paul Lelii, an attorney who works with the Cambodian community, said the refugees facing deportation are caught up in an unfair system that fails to consider their individual circumstances.

"Asylum doesn't go away because the political winds of a law change," Lelii said. They're the children of people who assisted this country. We brought them here. The last thing we should be doing is sending their children back to the place we saved them from."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement refuses to comment on specific cases. But a Twin Cities spokesperson for the agency said in an emailed statement that people awaiting removal from the United States could be released from custody if ICE is unable to obtain foreign travel documents or carry out a deportation order for some other reason.

Klobuchar's office said in a statement that she's meeting with Cambodian community members "to see how we can help them."
The Minneapolis Police Department on Thursday started tracking demographic information including race and gender of people involved in traffic stops.

The department hopes the move will increase transparency and public trust in police, Chief Janee Harteau said in a statement.

"The goal is to provide more information and context to data sets that community members may be interested in," she said.

They'll also log demographics during suspicious person, suspicious vehicle, truancy, curfew and attempted arrest calls.

A new feature in Minneapolis squad car computers will require cops to enter demographic data of the person they stopped and why they did so before the call can be cleared, according to police. Officers will also note whether they searched a person.

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The data collected will be analyzed and released to the public quarterly.

A police statement said the change came after consultation with the Police Conduct Oversight Commission, the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, the Chief's Citizens Advisory Council and the police union, among others.

St. Paul police have been gathering similar data on some police stops for more than a decade.

Civil rights groups and the city's Police Conduct Oversight Commission have long been pushing for better data collection by Minneapolis police officers  especially in cases where a person is stopped for being suspicious, but not booked.

Police call those investigatory stops. And a commission study last year found that officers documented the race of the people they stopped just 11 percent of the time.

Commission member and Minneapolis attorney Jennifer Singleton said the data collection effort will help the public learn a lot more about suspicious person and traffic stops. Singleton said there's widespread concern about racial profiling, but only anecdotal information to back it up.

"When that data isn't collected, we just don't really have a way of knowing what exactly is going on, and who's being stopped and why they're being stopped," Singleton said. "So it's hard to get a handle on just what's happening."

Minneapolis NAACP President Nekima Levy-Pounds said the Police Department's move is a step in the right direction toward accountability. But she said data collection is only the first step.

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"The question will be how the Minneapolis Police Department decides to use the data that it collects in changing the behavior of officers, especially when there are concerns surrounding racial profiling and mistreatment of people of color," she said.

Levy-Pounds said the Police Department needs to take a close look at the use of low-level ordinances as a reason to stop people, and that the department should appoint someone to analyze the data and ensure that it's used to change police procedures.

Minneapolis Police Federation President Lt. Bob Kroll said the union doesn't have a problem with data collection. But he said to get an accurate picture of any alleged bias by officers, researchers must compare racial data from suspicious person stops with the physical descriptions of suspects reported by 911 callers.

"The data needs to start there. And if they do that, we are fine with the rollout and the collection on the back end. But otherwise, any type of study, the figures can and probably will look skewed," he said.
Associated Press

ST. PAUL  More than 1,000 officers in the Twin Cities area are training on how best to handle demonstrators in the wake of a fatal shooting of a black man by St. Anthony police in Falcon Heights.

Officers are learning more about constitutional rights of protesters, practicing tactics for making arrests when necessary and hearing about what to do if they are attacked verbally or physically.

"It's a tough balance because we want people to be able to express whatever their issue is, even if it's an anti-government or anti-police message, but we want to see that done in a manner that the public and protesters and the officers are all safe when that happens," St. Paul Police Senior Cmdr. Steve Frazer said.

In the two months since Philando Castile was killed, hundreds of people have gathered in St. Paul for protests, and marches have shut down traffic. Officers are under heightened scrutiny as demonstrators question systemic police practices.

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"With current events, we want to make sure that everyone is ready," Frazer said.

On July 9, three days after Castile was killed, hundreds of people marched onto Interstate 94 in St. Paul, shutting down traffic for hours. Police said officers were pelted with cement chunks, bottles, rocks and other items. Over 20 officers were injured, and officers arrested about 50 people.

Demonstrators have been critical of the rationale for arrests and say the crowd gets amped up with the large police presence.

"I think automatically they go to a military response," said Jason Sole, chairman of the Minneapolis NAACP Criminal Justice Reform Task Force. "You're really going to beat us with sticks? To come out there ready with helmets, ready for an element that doesn't exist, it makes people escalate.'"

About half of those being trained are from the Saint Paul Police Department, and the rest are from 15 other agencies.

Most of the nearly $1.8 million the city spent on Castile protests as of Aug. 19 was used for police staffing. A police spokesman says there is no cost to the city for the training that's now underway, and the St. Paul police department isn't charging other agencies for their officers to attend.
If you are the status quo candidate in a change election in which the national mood is sour and two-thirds of the electorate think the country is on the wrong track, what do you do? Attack. Relentlessly. Paint your opponent as extremist, volatile, clueless, unfit, dangerous. Indeed, Hillary Clinton's latest national ad, featuring major Republican politicians echoing that indictment of Donald Trump, ends thus: "Unfit. Dangerous. Even for Republicans."

That was the theme of Clinton's famous "alt-right" speech and of much of her $100 million worth of ads.

Problem is, it's not working.

Over the last month, Trump's new team, led by Kellyanne Conway, has worked single-mindedly to blunt that line of attack on the theory that if he can just cross the threshold of acceptability, he wins. In an act of brazen rebranding, they set out to endow him with stature and empathy.

Stature was acquired in Mexico whose president inexplicably gave Trump the opportunity to stand on the world stage with a national leader and more than hold his own. It's the same stature booster Sen. Barack Obama pulled off when he stood with the French president at a news conference in Paris in 2008.

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That was part one: Trump the statesman. Part two: the kinder gentler Trump.

Nervy. Can you really repackage the boasting, bullying, bombastic, insulting, insensitive Trump into a mellow and caring version? With two months to go? In a digital age in which every past outrage is preserved on imperishable video?

Turns out, yes. How? Deflect and deny  and pretend it never happened. Where are they now -- the birtherism, the deportation force, the scorn for teleprompters, the mocking of candidates who take outside money? Down the memory hole.

Orwell was wrong. You don't need repression. You need only the sensory overload of an age of numbingly ephemeral social media. In this surreal election season, there is no past.

Clinton ads keep showing actual Trump sound bites meant to shock. Yet her numbers are dropping, his rising.

How? Trump never goes on the defensive. He merely creates new Trumps. Hence:

(1) The African-American blitz. It's a new pose and the novelty shows. Trump is not very familiar with the language. He occasionally slips, for example, into referring to "(BEG ITAL)the(END ITAL) blacks." And his argument that African-Americans inhabit a living hell and therefore have nothing to lose by voting for him hovers somewhere between condescension and insult.

But, as every living commentator has noted, the foray into African-American precincts was not aimed at winning black votes but at countering Trump's general image as the bigoted candidate of white people.

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Result? A curious dynamic in which Clinton keeps upping the accusatory ante just as Trump keeps softening his tone  until she finds herself way over the top, landing in a basket of deplorables, a phrase that will haunt her until Election Day. (Politics 101: Never attack the voter.)

(2) The immigration wobble. A week of nonstop word salad about illegal immigration left everyone confused about what Trump really believes. Genius. The only message to emerge from the rhetorical fog is that he is done talking about deportation and/or legalization. The very discussion is off the table until years down the road.

Case closed. Toxic issue detoxified.

Again, that's not going to win him the Hispanic vote. But that wasn't the point. The point was to soften his image in the Philadelphia suburbs, pundit shorthand for white college-educated women that Republicans have to win (and where Trump trails Romney 2012 by 10 points). Which brings us to:

(3) The blockbuster childcare proposal. Unveiled Tuesday, it is liberalism at its best, Big Government at its biggest: tax deductions, tax rebates (i.e. cash), and a federal mandate of six weeks of paid maternity leave. The biggest entitlement since, well, Obamacare.

But wait. Didn't Trump's acolytes assure us that he spoke for those betrayed by the sold-out, elitist, GOP establishment that for years refused to stand up to Obama's overweening mandates, Big Government profligacy and budget-busting entitlements?

No matter. That was yesterday. There is no past. Nor a future -- at least for Ivanka-care. It would never get through the GOP House.

Nor is it meant to. It is meant to signal what George H. W. Bush once memorably (BEG ITAL) read(END ITAL) off a cue card. "Message: I care."

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And where do you think Trump gave this dish-the-Whigs cradle-to-college entitlement speech? Why, the Philadelphia suburbs!

Can't get more transparent than that. Or shameless. Or brilliant.

And it's working.

Charles Krauthammer is a columnist for the Washington Post.
A vacation on Ireland's west coast should have provided relief from the depressing realities of the U.S. election season.

But it's hard to escape when every Irishman or woman you meet asks the same question, differing only in the choice of adjective:

"You Americans aren't really going to elect that awful (or dangerous or bigoted) Donald Trump, are you?"

My reply: "I still believe most Americans have the common sense to grasp that Trump presents the greatest threat to U.S. security and democracy since the end of the Cold War."

Anyone who doubts the threat need only observe Trump's repeated praise for Russia's Vladimir Putin, which he continued last week. "I've already said he is really very much of a leader," Trump gushed to NBC's Matt Lauer, "far more than our president has been a leader. The man has very strong control over a country."

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Take a close look at what the Donald finds so appealing about the ruthless Putin, and you see what we could expect from a President Trump.

Since 2000, Putin has systematically dismantled every check and balance that might have limited his power.

Regional governors, once freely elected, are now controlled by the Kremlin. Any serious political opposition at a national level has been crushed.

The dynamic and dedicated democrat Boris Nemtsov was assassinated near the Kremlin's walls; oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky was sent to a Siberian jail for a decade; anticorruption fighter Alexei Navalny received a suspended prison sentence on trumped-up charges, while his brother was jailed as a hostage.

Trump claims he "doesn't happen to like the (Russian) system, while praising the ex-KGB colonel who designed it. Perhaps the GOP nominee secretly dreams of the day when he can snap his fingers and muzzle pesky Democrats, while putting Hillary Clinton behind bars on Trumped-up charges.

Ah, but Putin has an 82 percent approval rating, Trump has crowed. Perhaps, if you trust Russian polls. What Trump didn't mention is how Putin earns his popularity.

It isn't through improving the Russian economy, which depends primarily on oil and has tanked as oil prices plummeted. Putin's determination to maintain central state controls has thwarted efforts to diversify Russia's exports.

Trump should (but doesn't) pay attention to the means Putin uses to divert Russians' attention from his economic sins.

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First, the Kremlin seized control of all privately owned national television stations (most Russians still get their news from TV). Journalists critical of the regime have been beaten and murdered; the Kremlin, of course, denies any connection and Trump brushes off questions on the subject. That's no surprise, given Trump's open hostility to pesky journalists and calls for harsh (but unconstitutional) libel laws.

Yet you'd think the Donald would pause at other steps Putin has taken to distract the Russian public: stirring up Russian xenophobia and nationalism, and blaming all the country's ills on conspiracies by Russia's enemies  especially the United States.

Trump's role model has invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Putin is trying to undermine NATO, the European Union, and Western democracy as a system, financing far-right parties in Europe, and an anti-Western information war. The Kremlin launched RT (Russia Today), a satellite network that broadcasts a global stream of ugly stories and conspiracy theories about the evils perpetrated by European countries and the United States.

None of this appears to bother the GOP candidate, who has his own enemies list, and has made clear he's willing to junk NATO and America's alliances in Asia.

Trump also seems indifferent to Putin's anti-democracy efforts, which include hacking efforts to influence the U.S. election in his favor. Indeed, last week the Republican nominee gave an interview to the Kremlin's mouthpiece, RT, in which he denounced U.S. media as "unbelievably dishonest." Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, compared this on Twitter to Ronald Reagan "giving interviews to Pravda while campaigning to be our president."

Which leads me to the most dangerous aspect of Trump's Putin-ophilia. The GOP candidate appears totally oblivious to how he is letting himself be used.

Putin's weakened Russia no longer poses the same threat the Soviet Union did during the Cold War. But the Russian strongman seeks to promote an alternative model of "managed democracy" (meaning authoritarianism with democratic trappings). He is working to weaken Western democracies, with money, propaganda and violence at the edges  at a time when those countries are under strain.

Any U.S. leader, when dealing with Russia, must keep Putin's machinations in mind. Yet Trump is so narcissistic he thinks he can easily outmaneuver Putin. The Donald keeps repeating that Putin called him "brilliant" (a claim Putin says is a mistranslation). "If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him," Trump told Lauer.

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In other words, if Putin flatters him, Trump is willing to ignore or even facilitate the Russian leader's global misbehavior (and domestic crackdowns), even if this undermines U.S. interests.

Here's the Trump mindset, as South Carolina's Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham succinctly put it: "Other than destroying every instrument of democracy in his own country, having opposition people killed, dismembering neighbors through military force, and being the benefactor of the butcher of Damascus, (Putin's) a good guy."

In Ireland, they joke that Trump is "Putin's poodle." Should Trump reach the White House, that line won't be funny at all.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Student success starts with students in school.

That's the basic philosophy behind programs seeking to stem truancy early. Southeast Minnesota's latest effort is a Dodge County collaboration that has school districts, the county attorney and sheriff's offices, and the Minnesota Prairie County Alliance working to address potential problems quickly, rather than waiting until late in the school year when trends become more obvious and serious damage has been done to a student's academic path.

By creating an attendance review board, the effort has the chance to not only educate students and parents about the ramifications of truancy, but also determine whether barriers to a student's ability to attend class can be overcome.

A similar effort started in Mayo High School and Willow Creek Middle School two years ago proves an early engagement can make a difference.

Within the first year of the Rochester program, which was implemented by Rochester Public Schools and the Olmsted County Attorney's office, nearly two-thirds of the 33 students deemed "continuing truant" at Willow Creek changed their class-skipping habits and avoided a court petition. In Mayo High School 73.2 percent of truant students adopted new behaviors.

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The program's success has been expanded in the district.

That success is partly due to raised awareness, but it also benefits from other county and nonprofit agencies that joined forces to provide resources that helped students overcome attendance barriers and continue to encourage them to show up for class.

We expect the Dodge County effort will see similar results and encourage other southeast Minnesota counties to find ways to tackle truancy.

Doing so will produce communitywide benefits beyond simply changing students' habits. Truancy isn't a problem that only affects schools. It often festers and grows, fueling higher rates of drug use, sexual exploitation and victimization. Eventually, it can be costly for the entire community by crushing student potential and fostering a variety of costly concerns.

Addressing it early will improve students' success, putting them on a solid path into the future.
How are you observing Constitution Day ?

It was 229 years ago that the signatures of 39 men were place on a 4,543-word document that begins with the often-quote "We the People." Yet, how many of us have made a habit of revisiting those words, as well as the document's 27 amendments ?

Khizr Kahn, the father of a deceased Muslim U.S. soldier, raised the challenge to presidential hopeful Donald Trump earlier this year, to the amusement of many, but the question lingers: How familiar with the document are those who delighted in Kahn's challenge?

Most of us likely haven't read it since high school civics class.

The words resonate today. They are frequently referenced as November elections near, but too often can misappropriated, simply because people don't take the time to fully read the 7,591 words in the original document and its amendments.

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As our country faces important decisions, we owe it to ourselves to fully understand the document that helped create our nation and continues to shape who we are as a people.

Constitution Day seems like a good day to make that happen.
Congressional candidate Jim Moylan will not let truth or distortions stop him from saying anything to get elected. It is up to political analy Read morePolitical ploys at the last part of election?
Barack Obamas two presidential campaigns pioneered the acceptance of illegal foreign donations. I first wrote about it in the 2008 New York Post column Dubious donations. In 2012 it was same as it ever was, or so it seemed. By September 2012 Peter Schweizers Government Accountability Institute had produced a 98-page report documenting the phenomenon. The silence of the mainstream media showed it was same as it ever was in that respect too.

This time around the Clinton campaign appears to have moved on to credit card fraud. That is the gist of Liz Crokins New York Observer exclusive Hillary Clinton campaign systematically overcharging poorest donors. Crokin reports:

Hillary Clintons campaign is stealing from her poorest supporters by purposefully and repeatedly overcharging them after they make whats supposed to be a one-time small donation through her official campaign website, multiple sources tell the Observer. The overcharges are occurring so often that the fraud department at one of the nations biggest banks receives up to 100 phone calls a day from Clintons small donors asking for refunds for unauthorized charges to their bankcards made by Clintons campaign. One elderly Clinton donor, who has been a victim of this fraud scheme, has filed a complaint with her states attorney general and a representative from the office told her that they had forwarded her case to the Federal Election Commission.

This is a story with a local angle several times over. Crokin identifies a Minnesota victim and two banks with deep Minnesota connections  Wells Fargo and US Bank  along with a related complaint to the Minnesota Attorney General. The complaint is going nowhere.

Well, I will concede this much. If true, the reported credit card shenanigans are far from the worst thing about either Obama or Clinton.

NOTE: Crokins story comes with the disclosure that Donald Trump is the father-in-law of Jared Kushner, the publisher of Observer Media.
Power Line helped to launch Stewart Millss political career in 2013, when we posted his video letter to senators Franken and Klobuchar. The video was an effective defense of gun rights in general, and the AR-15 in particular. Millss family owned Mills Fleet Farm, a chain of rural/exurban Midwestern stores that sell, among many other things, a store brand AR-15. Stewarts video performance was so good that his friends told him he should go into politics. Stewart agreed, citing his familys hunting camp rule: anyone who complains about something has to try to fix it.

Stewart ran against incumbent Democrat Rick Nolan in Minnesotas 8th District in 2014, and lost a narrow race that attracted an enormous amount of Democratic Party money. Nolan is a retread who once represented a different Minnesota district, and is seen as ripe for defeat.

Since 2014, Mills and his family have sold their company, and he is contributing substantially to his own campaign. Still, he needs help from fellow conservatives.

Stewart is a friend of mine, a good guy and a solid, common-sense conservative. He is a strong candidate who has learned from his experience two years ago, and is favored by many to win this time, even though presidential years are traditionally tough for Minnesota Republicans. Minnesotas 8th District is historically Democratic territoryDuluth, the Iron Range, and the remote northwestern portion of the state. Millss family has lived in the 8th for generations.

The 8th is rapidly morphing into Republican territory. Hillary Clinton is deeply unpopular there, and Donald Trump leads her in the polls I have seen by ten to twenty points. Trump may be a drag on the Republican ticket in Twin Cities suburbs, but he is a boon in the northern part of the state, and his presence on the ticket will be a big help to Stewart Mills.

The bottom line is that Minnesotas 8th District is a huge opportunity for a GOP takeover that will strengthen the partys control of the House. Replacing a hack Democrat like Rick Nolan with a solid conservative like Stewart Mills is as big an upgrade as you could wish for. I urge you to go here and contribute whatever you can to his campaign.
Professor Robert Kaufman traces the connection between the monumental foreign policy disasters and misjudgments of the Obama administration in the Wall Street Journal column Whats a Reagan internationalist to do? (accessible via Google here. Professor Kaufman observes: As secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton served loyally as President Obamas first mate on his foreign-policy Titanic. Professor Kaufman draws a contrast between Clinton and Trump in this respect: [U]nlike Mr. Trump, Mrs. Clinton has an actual record of mistakes and bad judgment in foreign policy. He then invites readers to consider:

Hillary Clinton named the ill-fated reset with Mr. Putin, subverting Ukraines independence and imperiling Americas Eastern European NATO allies fearful of becoming Mr. Putins next target. She also blocked efforts to place the murderous Boko Haram on the State Departments list of international sponsors of terrorism, fostering the Obama administrations fictitious narrative that killing Osama bin Laden had ended the war on terror. Mrs. Clintonemblematic of the administrations unwillingness to acknowledge radical Islam as a dangerblamed the attack on the Libyan Embassy on a Coptic Christian video denigrating Islam rather than on the obvious culprits and their Islamist motivations timed for the anniversary of 9/11. She fatuously called Syrias Bashar Assad a reformer with whom we could do business, and she touted the absurd notion that American smart power could substitute for American resolve, moral clarity and military might. Mrs. Clinton remained silent, too, on President Obamas systematic, unwise and dishonorable obsession with putting distance between the U.S. and a democratic Israel while conciliating the worst and most anti-American regimes in international politics. Candidate Clinton still defends an indefensible Iran deal she advocated as secretary of state that puts Iran on the autobahn to crossing the nuclear threshold while tranquilizing Americans to the gathering danger.

On that last point, Professor Kaufmans indictment could could be filled out with the acts recalled by Michael Oren in his memoir Ally deriving from his tenure as Israels ambassador to the United States. Given the limited space at his disposal, Professor Kaufman moves on:

As secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton bears heavy responsibility for the debacle in Libya. She was the administrations leading proponent for American intervention under the auspices of the United Nations, NATO and the Arab League, bypassing the Congress. Libya has become a breeding ground of Islamist terrorism because Americas mission was ill-defined and its withdrawal premature. Nor did Mrs. Clinton resign on principle when Mr. Obama prematurely withdrew from Iraq, failing to negotiate a status of forces agreement that would have retained a sizable American presencesomething the president could have achieved had he wanted it. On the contrary, Mrs. Clinton voiced no public objection to Mr. Obamas catastrophic decision precipitating Iraqs collapse, with ISIS and a revolutionary Iran filling the vacuum. Nor, despite her allegedly private misgivings, did Mrs. Clinton resign on principle or object publicly to Mr. Obamas bungling and vacillating policy toward a Syrian civil war that has metastasized into a murderous, regional and sectarian civil war and a humanitarian refugee crisis wreaking havoc not just the region but also in Europe and the U.S. The pivot to Asia that then-Secretary of State Clinton unveiled in 2011 has also proved hollow. Like Mr. Obama, Mrs. Clinton has de-emphasized the gathering danger of Chinas swelling ambitions, defined combating climate change as the priority, and emphasized diplomacy rather than American hard power. The combination of Chinas military buildup and Americas precipitous build-down that Mrs. Clinton backed has increased the apprehension of traditional democratic allies in East Asia as well as India. A vote for Hillary Clinton is therefore a vote for Mr. Obamas dangerous doctrine, which fears American power more than it fears our enemies. As secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton contributed enormously to lowering the barriers to aggression everywherewith much worse to come unless we reverse course.

Professor Kaufmans column closes the circle on the point I have been trying to make here regarding the epic Obama foreign policy disasters with which we will be contending for a long time to come.

NOTE: We interviewed Professor Kaufman on episode 35 of our Power Line Show. The Power Line Show podcast is posted here.
Hashir Aminu is the first Nigerian to pass the Cisco Certified Design Expert Certification (CCDE) examination since it was introduced by the world networking company Cisco System Inc.

As Technical Leader for IT Service Delivery with Global Service Provider business unit of Cisco in Saudi Arabia, 39-year-old Hashir is also helping service providers of national scale across the Middle East and part of Africa to maintain and maximizes guaranteed high-availability and return on investment in IT.

Cisco certification identifies IT professionals who have expert-level knowledge and skills in network design, network design principles and theory at the infrastructure level.

This prestigious credential recognizes expertise of network designers who can support the increasingly complex networks of global or country scale, by effectively translating business and government strategies into evolutionary IT strategies.

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES Mohammed Lere, Hashir attributed his success to hard work. He said Nigeria has the potential to excel in IT and called on the government to support young Nigerians pursuing careers in Information Technology.

PT: How many of you took the examination this year?

Hashir: The exact number is never revealed by the governing body, but its on a scale of hundreds and hundreds of candidates attempting, with a passing rate of less than 3%.

PT: How do you feel being the first Nigerian to take and pass the CCDE examination?

Hashir: Being among the elite group of about 300 individuals worldwide to attain this certification is very fulfilling. CCDE is the highest certification you can get in Cisco at the moment at expert level. And like I said, the passing rate is less than 3%; so you just have to prepare seriously before you take the examination.

PT: What is next for you now?

Hashir: To continue building on my current experience that has spanned over 16 years, mentoring aspiring IT professionals that are serious and committed, and improving on technologies and solutions that will help countries, businesses and individuals with special interest to my country Nigeria.

PT: What do you do now?

Hashir: I am working with Cisco Systems Inc. as a Technical Leader for IT service delivery with Global Service Provider Business Unit, based in Saudi Arabia; helping service providers of national scale across the Middle East and part of Africa to maintain and maximize guaranteed high-availability and return on investment in IT.

PT: What is the cost of achieving this and other certifications?

Hashir: The cost ranges up to $2000, depending on the certification you are aiming at. The expert level is about $1600 with the qualification exams at $400. Other lower certifications cost less.

PT: Where can a professional with this qualification work?

Hashir: This is an advanced level certification. The CCDE has advanced-level skills in IT Solution, infrastructure design principles and expertise for large networks that span a country or global scale. This could be in a multinational company that has IT installed base spanning the globe or across a country, with thousands of branch offices.

PT: What is the average pay one can budget for such certification?

Hashir: I will say an average of about $4000 because of travels and registration. Training is not part of this budget and some of us substitute training with real world experience; while others require training which will cost almost another $4000.

PT: What is the first step for one who wants to study such?

Hashir: There are different stages on the career path towards IT and Cisco Certifications. I will suggest starting with the Associate level, then the professional level, then the Expert level and finally, the Architect stage. This progression reinforces knowledge as you climb the ladder as well as validates your knowledge at some stage, experience and expertise.

PT: Is there any advanced certification that is higher than the one you have now?

Hashir: Yes. There is the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr); this is the highest attainable IT certification which correlates to so many assessment levels, such as ones experience, exposure and a board level defense, if candidates experience/exposure qualifies for it. There are about 10-20 people globally with this certification. I intend to attempt it next year, God willing.

PT: How would you rate IT in Nigeria?

Hashir: Nigeria has a great potential in its IT landscape. I will classify it as an emerging country with high potential, and the penetration of IT is still below par. Nigeria was ranked as No. 112 in 2013 and 119 in 2015, which means we dropped 7 places within 2 years. United States Ranked No. 7, Finland being No. 1 on the Networked Readiness Index Rankings done by the World Economic Forum last two years. This demonstrates the ICT revolution index.

We need to work from infrastructure as well as services points of view. We need to develop in-house talents, attract ICT investors and multinational companies, create reliable and hospitable environment that will nurture ICT. We have to realize that we are hitting an infliction point whereby every home; every company; every city and every country is becoming digital one. For us to be competitive and remain relevant, we have to embrace these changes and put a road map and strategy that will position the country. There are simple steps that are effective and strategic that we can take, despite our economic and development issues.

PT: Many Nigerians want to be like you, what would you advise them to do?

Hashir: I will say they should aspire to be more than me. Anything is possible as long as you are committed. You have to make sure its something you want to do and love to do, because at some point, thats the only thing that will keep you moving. Building a career and starting out in an environment like ours is not easy. I had all my education from primary school to university level in Nigeria and I knew what I went through 12 years ago  challenges with electricity, internet access, peers to collaborate, access to resources and share knowledge, as well as shortage of funds. If your motivation is normal, you will give up and resign.

PT: What has been your motivation?

Hashir: I have strong affinity to technology and computers right from childhood and I continue to build on that, regardless of the odds of where I come from or being the only one pursuing a career in that direction. Secondly and most importantly, my working class parents were very supportive even though they have very little understanding of what I was doing in the early stage; they continued to support me in every way. These days, I will say I have a very supportive spouse who understands me very well and what I am doing.

PT: Thank you Hashir and congratulations.

Hashir: Thank you Lere and Premium Times.
The Presidency has issued the statement below admitting that the speech read by President Muhammadu Buhari contained insertions plagiarised from a 2008 speech by U.S. President, Barack Obama.

A statement by a presidency spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said an investigation had been launched into the matter and that officials so far identified to have committed the blunder would be punished.

Read PREMIUM TIMES initial story on the plagiarism saga here

Read full presidency statement below.

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that prompt and appropriate disciplinary action be taken against those responsible for a wrongful insertion in his speech delivered on September 8, 2016 at the launch of the Change Begins with Me campaign.

It was observed that the similarities between a paragraph in President Obamas 2008 Victory Speech and what President Buhari read in paragraph nine of the sixteen-paragraph address while inaugurating the Campaign on Thursday, September 8, 2016 are too close to be passed as coincidence.

There was a mistake by an overzealous staff and we regret that this has happened.

Already, a Deputy Director in the Presidency has accepted responsibility for the insertion of the contentious paragraph.

This serious oversight will be investigated thoroughly and appropriate sanction meted.

The Presidency wishes to state in the clearest possible terms that it regrets this unfortunate incident and will ensure that this does not happen again.

President Buhari urges Nigerians to look beyond this incident and focus on the message of change which the country needs in order to restore our cherished value systems.

Garba Shehu

SSA to the President

(Media & Publicity)

September 16, 2016
President Muhammadu Buhari has given special promotions to members of the Committee on Audit of Defense Equipment Procurement, CADEP, who are serving officers in the military.

According to documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the special promotion was in recognition of their high level of dedication, immense commitment and honesty while serving in the Committee.

The affected officers were promoted by a single rank.

Mr. Buhari had in August 2015 directed the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, to convene a 13-member CADEP to investigate the procurement of hardware and munitions in the Armed Forces between 2007 and 2015.

Of the 13 members, five are in active service, and have been promoted, PREMIUM TIMES confirmed.

They are Commodore T. D. Ikoli; Air Cdre I. Shafii; Col A.A. Ariyibi; Brig Gen Y.I. Shalangwa who is the Secretary.

The special promotions will be promulgated in the Armed Forces Orders and the Federal Government gazette in due course, a letter given to one of the five officers and seen by this newspaper, revealed.

The CADEP submitted its third interim report in July 2016, detailing how former senior military officers, political appointees and private individuals diverted funds meant for arms, while the deadly Boko Haram insurgency continued to ravage the North East.

Among the big names the report indicted were former Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika and Kenneth Minimah, who served at different times under President Goodluck Jonathan.

But the panels work became controversial after critics raised concerns with the exclusion of Abdulrahman Dambazau, also a former army chief during the review period.

Mr. Dambazau currently serves as the Minister of Interior and is a close ally of Mr. Buhari.

The government claimed Mr. Dambazaus tenure as army chied was not covered by the report, a claim dispelled by a PREMIUM TIMES fact-check.

Many of the indicted persons are now facing trial. Also, the Nigerian Army has compulsorily retired its officers indicted by the arms procurement probe panel.

The letter seen by PREMIUM TIMES says the special promotion was approved by the C-in-C, referring to President Buhari, and was ratified by the Army Council.

It was not immediately clear how the president compensated the retired committee members.
Five years after he told a high court judge that he was a former spokesman of Boko Haram, and that the present senate majority leader, Muhammed Ali Ndume, was a sponsor of the deadly sect, Ali Konduga, alias Azzawahiri, fresh out of jail, says his claims were false.

Mr. Konduga now wants Mr. Ndume to forgive him.

His quest for pardon took him to the Maiduguri home of Mr. Ndume on Wednesday where he was beaten by angry family members.

Mr. Konduga had claimed that as a Boko Haram spokesperson, he specialized in sending threat messages to politicians who were in opposition to the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said he did all that under the sponsorship of Mr. Ndume.

Mr. Ndume denied the allegation at the time. But the State Security Services, SSS, said it had details of phone contacts between the senator and Mr. Konduga.

One source told PREMIUM TIMES that the man just came to the gate of the senators house and introduced himself as Ali Konduga, the one that implicated our boss as Boko Haram sponsor.

We were shocked but we held our cool and went inside to inform the family about his presence in the house; and when some of the senators younger brothers came out to clear their doubts about the visitor, they were shocked to behold Ali Konduga alias Azzawahiri staring at them.

When they asked him his mission in the house, he said he was there to meet the senator and apologize to him for all the wrong he did to him.

Before he could end his statement, the brothers descended upon him and beat the living light out of his life; it took the intervention of some persons who immediately called the police to save his life, the source said.

At the time, Mr. Ndume was away in Saudi Arabia for the 2016 hajj (Islamic holy pilgrimage).

The senator confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES.

Yes, I was informed about the sad incident this evening that Ali Konduga of all people was in my house to apologize to me but ended up being beaten up by my younger brother, he said by text message.

I learnt the DSS had released him, and he was in my house to apologize. Though, he is not the kind of person I should welcome in my house, I was not happy with the way my younger brother treated him. Thank God he was taken to the GRA police station; and I have instructed that he should be taken to the hospital for treatment. But the police must allow him to tell the whole world how he was used, Mr. Ndume said.

Mr. Ndume said before his trip, Mr. Kondugas father had earlier approached him to apologise on behalf of his son.

A police officer at the G.R.A Maiduguri police station confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES.

The officer, who asked not to be named because the matter was being investigated, said Mr. Konduga to be mentally unstable.

He was brought in on Wednesday evening by some persons who claimed he was trying to invade Senator Ndumes house located along off Damboa road on Wednesday, said the source.

He had some bruises on him. We tried to find out what happened to him and he said he was there to apologise to the senator, just as those that brought him to the police station had also claimed.

But from the way was speaking; he does not seem to be in his stable mind. So we want to take time to investigate his mission to the house since he returned home after his jail term, as we have also found out that he was in the house on the eve of Sallah. But was told that the Senator was not in town, the police source added.

The SSS could not be reached for comments. There has been no known spokesperson for the service since 2015.
Sandwiched between hills and a large expanse of lush-green vegetation, Moon Council Ward cuts a picture of a masterclass painting.

It is the largest of 15 wards in Kwande, a local government area in Benue State, North-central Nigeria, on the border with Cameroon. Kwande is known for its spiritual meaning to the Tivs of that area, as it is home to Jato Aka, the most revered guardian of the Tiv myth, and Swem, its ancestral god.

But now, Moon is almost a ghost town. Most of its over 38, 000 people  according to 2006 national census figures  fled during a brutal raid by herdsmen in 2014.

Surviving residents, senior government officials and security sources told PREMIUM TIMES how suspected Fulani herders launched a bloody attack on the once peaceful community early 2014, and how the impact has remained till date.

Dozens were killed in the attack, residents said, and most were women, children and the elderly. The raiders also set fire on homes, worship centres, clinics and markets.

Three years after the invasion, the assailants still occupy Moon communities. The indigenous people who fled in 2014 now live in neighbouring villages, towns and as far as Cameroon.

Against all odds

The distraught women of Moon, many who lost husbands, children and relations, are now coming together to help one another overcome the tragedy.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES from Jato Aka, a former school teacher from Anyiase, in Moon, Stella Iyande, 43, offered a rare peek into how displaced widows and other women are overcoming despair and crushing poverty that stalked them after herdsmen sacked their villages.

In tear-filled eyes, Mrs. Iyande recounted how over 300 women, mostly widows formed a cooperative known as Moon Displaced Women Organisation and through it, empowered their members to meet some of the needs of their families.

Most of our members lost their husbands during the war by the so-called herdsmen, who have also taken over our properties, she recounted.

In the heat of the crisis, many of us escaped to Jato Aka and neighbouring communities while others scaled the mountains to Cameroon.

On arrival in Jato Aka, Mrs. Iyande said they kept roaming from one part of the town to another, begging for food and shelter.

According to her, neither the state nor the federal government created a camp to accommodate thousands of people, who escaped the onslaught.

However, some residents of Jato Aka accommodated some of the displaced families while majority slept with their children in the market square, churches and school premises.

Apart from accommodation, Mrs. Iyande said it was difficult to feed and pay for treatment when members of their families became ill.

Another Moon widow, Dooshima Samuel, said she nearly lost her children shortly after they escaped to Jato Aka.

My husband was killed in an ambush while returning from the farm on the first day the herdsmen attack our village, she said.

My three children and I ran to Jato Aka before they took over and burnt down the entire village. Not long after that, two of the children came down with high fever.

Unable to pay for their treatment in the local clinic, Mrs. Samuel said she used herbs and local concoctions to treat the children.

When our children fall sick, we treat them with herbs because we dont have money to take them to the hospital. Those who cannot look after their children send them away to live with relations in other towns, she said.

We also give out our children to Igbos so they could learn trading. We approach the traders and beg them to connect us with their colleagues, who would be interested in taking our children as apprentice shopkeepers.

That is why many of our children now live with Igbo traders in Jato Aka, Gboko and even in Makurdi, she narrated.

Those who abhor begging among the displaced women go around Jato Aka and neighbouring areas, doing menial jobs like weeding, washing clothes and dishes and babysitting for well-off families.

The cooperative was to take care of the Moon women. Mrs. Iyande said she rallied the displaced women and together floated a cooperative society.

After seeing the suffering of our women, I called some of them one day and said that the begging thing wasnt helping us, she said.

That was how we established the Moon Displaced Women Organisation. We have up to 300 members.

To join the cooperative, each woman paid N50 registration fee and another N50 as monthly dues.

Collectively, she said the women raised over N100, 000, which they disbursed as soft loan to members to trade on market days.

While our meeting is held monthly, we, however, give monies to our members every market day and they use it to do petty trading. At the end of the market day, they bring the principal sum to us with a little interest, she said.

With the proceeds from the trading business, Moon women have now been able to feed and meet some basic needs of their families.

How Moon lost its innocence

Even after the 2014 attack, Moon (pronounced Moo) remains a beautiful scenery in the north central region. Its name is derived from the river that crisscrosses the entire area, making it almost green all year-round.

The sparkling River Moon flows mysteriously down the Cameroon Hills and connects the five Moon communities, before emptying itself into River Katsina Ala and then to the Benue River.

The lush vegetation and water attracts cattle herders to the predominantly farming communities.

The leader of one of the Moon communities, Apeaor Adebo, said before the attack, Fulani herdsmen only came for grazing shortly after harvest season and left before the planting season.

Sometimes they would not come for five years and when we least expect, they would return but not without seeking permission from us, Mr. Adebo recalled.

A former Vice Chairman of Kwande Local Government Area, Abo Utah, said before their homeland was overrun in 2014, it came had come under repeated invasion by soldiers from the nearby 93 Battalion in Takum, Taraba State.

Before the herdsmen invasion, we had series of attacks by soldiers from Takum in Taraba State. At the time, some soldiers will come and attack us claiming that the land we occupy belonged to Taraba State, he said.

But we have always been in Benue State and all the infrastructure found in the area belonged to the state. We petitioned the National Human Rights Commission and the army headquarters at the time and drew attention to what the soldiers were doing.

When herdsmen attacked, it was by far more deadly.

A former teacher at the Local Government Education Authority Primary School, Tse Maduku, Gabriel Wende, said on March 14, 2014, heavily armed herdsmen laid siege on Moon communities.

At the time the assailants arrived the area, Mr. Wende said the people had eaten the evening meal and were ready to go to bed.

As the sound of gunfire rang out across the villages, people started running aimlessly and at that time, the herdsmen had laid ambush in some of the escape routes to the community and were firing at everything in sight, he recalled.

Children, old men and women and all those who couldnt escape on time were massacred in their numbers. Many people who were unlucky ran into ambushes and were gunned down or butchered.

Under one week, locals said the herdsmen killed 72 people.

We recorded the names of all those who were killed and identified their corpses. Unfortunately, we could not account for everybody because, many people were killed in the bush and we couldnt recover their corpses, said Mr. Otah.

We share common boundaries with Taraba State and the Republic of Cameroon, so some of our people fled across the hills to Cameroon. We cannot tell the exact number of our people who have died.

The herdsmen have occupied our communities for three years now and our people cannot farm. Many of those who survived the invasion have died either from disease or hunger. We have never experienced that kind of brutality since the days of our forefathers.

The attackers set fire on 18 primary schools, four junior secondary schools, two senior secondary schools, four healthcare facilities and all the worship centers and markets in Moon.

The Marine Police Station located in the area was not spared. It was vandalised while the police officers reportedly fled.

Mr. Wende, who has been reposted to the local education office, said all the teachers who served in Moon Ward have been posted to schools across Kwande Local Government Area.

Our pupils and students are roaming the streets because most of the parents cant pay for their education and we dont have IDP camp where government can come in and assist us, he lamented.

For over three years now, majority of our children have been forced to drop out of school. The condition is really complicated that our people now use the little money they have for feeding instead of paying school fees or buying drugs.

It is very pathetic that our children who are supposed be future leaders are not in school. Even though the state government is trying, we still appeal for more help. When our children are not in school, what is our fate tomorrow?

When our people die, we bury them here in Jato Aka but some of our people sneak into our villages in the night to bury them.

Forgotten and abandoned

While helping the displaced women through the cooperative, Mrs. Iyande made a passionate appeal to the federal government and aid agencies to assist Moon people return home.

We heard they have formed peace committees and we are now at peace with the herdsmen but when we go back and start farming, the Fulanis would come with their cattle and destroy our crops. They preach peace but have continued to kill our people and occupy our communities, she lamented.

What worries me most is the raping of our girls and women. We are afraid of them and that is why we always move in groups. They rape us. This is bambera nut season and we produce it a lot here.

Many of our women sneaked back to plant the nuts but the herdsmen will destroy the crops. We dont know what to do and we cant say when this crisis will end. Out of fear, we move from one place to another. Sometime, they will advise us to go home and as we got home, we see the Fulanis again and we run away.

We want to appeal to the politicians to talk to the government to assist us. People that are helping us are fed up now. While we feel they are not doing enough for us, they too are tired of helping us. We dont know where to go.

When the Fulani herdsmen came, they killed two of my sons and three of husbands brothers on the first day and the next day, they destroyed our school and we fled down to Jato Aka. We had a family of 15 compounds but no building is standing there now.

Today, Moon communities have become beautiful wasteland and the foreboding silence enveloping the area is only broken intermittently by the chirping of a birds, and the thud sounds of thousands of cattle grazing on long abandoned farmlands.

PREMIUM TIMES spotted thousands of cattle grazing at the Roman Catholic Mission Primary School, Maav.

Based on what was found on the chalkboard in one of the structures still standing, the last time pupils studied in the vandalized was on October 23, 2013.

When contacted, the National Coordinator of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Garus Gololo, said members of his organization were not responsible for the attack in Moon Ward.

According to him, after the meeting his group had with the state Governor, Samuel Ortom, most of the herders in Benue Zone A relocated to neighbouring Taraba State.

The only place we have Fulani herdsmen now is Anyii where we had a meeting with the people of that area, Mr. Gololo said.

Our people have not grazed in any part of Kwande during the past six years. We only have them in Kashimbila.

When told that we spotted thousands of cattle herded grazing in Moon Ward, Mr. Gololo said the cattle might have been stolen.

He said, Maybe they are the cattle we have been looking for. Gana carried over 3000 of our cattle and we only heard the cows are inside the bush. We dont know where he is but we have heard that the cattle are being hidden in that area.

There are some Fulanis, who are rearing the stolen cattle for him but they are not Nigerians. We learned he hired them from the Republic of Chad.

But Governor Ortom blamed the crisis of Moon and many other parts of the state on Fulani herdsmen.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, the governor said Fulani herdsmen have prevented an entire generation of children of the area and many other areas in the state from going to school.

What has happened has tended to wipe out almost an entire generation of our children from gaining knowledge and that is why I have been crying to the federal government and all those that care about the future of the people of Benue State to come to our aid, the governor said.

I wish it is possible for you to go around to appreciate the magnitude of the destruction, killings and stealing that are taking place. But the truth of the matter is that apart from Moon, there are several other communities that have no opportunity of getting their children back to school for several years.

There are people who have been barred from going back to their homes for several years. I strongly wished that the federal government would collaborate with us to find lasting solution to this problem.
Nigeria is to protest the seizure of electronic wristbands taken to Saudi Arabia for use by its pilgrims.

The Consulate-General, Nigeria Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Muhammad Yunusa, said this at the post Arafat meeting organised by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Friday in Makkah.

The wristbands were introduced by NAHCON to monitor each pilgrims movement and facilitate easy identification where the need arises.

However, thousands of the items were seized at the airport in Madinah by security officials and all entreaties by Nigerian officials for release fell on deaf ears.

Following this, NAHCON suspended the use of the wristbands by the pilgrims rendering the project useless.

Mr. Yunusa said the action of Saudi authorities ran counter to the understanding reached by the two governments before the introduction of the wristbands.

He said the embassy had in February informed the Saudi government of Nigerias plan to introduce the wristbands and this was followed up in July.

This action is unfriendly, undiplomatic and we are going to protest against it, he said.

The diplomat urged state officials of pilgrims welfare agencies to caution their drivers against reckless driving, saying it was giving Nigeria a bad image.

Earlier, the Charge dAffairs of Nigeria to Saudi Arabia, Salisu Umar, commended NAHCON for a hitch free pilgrimage.

He appealed to officials to start preparing early for next years pilgrimage to make it better. (NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari would, during his participation in the 71st UN General Assembly, sign the Paris Treaty on Climate, Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said at a news conference in New York.

This is contained in a statement signed by the spokesman for the Nigerian Mission to the UN, Akinremi Bolaji, and released in Abuja on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally-binding global climate deal at the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December, 2015.

The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2C. The agreement is due to enter into force in 2020.

The statement quoted the minister as saying that some of the world leaders, including President Barrack Obama of America and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, had already signed the Treaty.

Mr. Onyeama said that top on Nigerian UN agenda during the General Assembly was to engage African Union and other countries to work towards the reform of the United Nations.

He said the leaders would also be engaged to be more democratic and responsive to the needs of the world.

In addition to the wave of change, Nigeria will like to propose to the UN body to create an agency dedicated for the youth, Mr. Onyeama said.

The minister assured the international community that Nigeria would support a new UN Secretary-General that would be development and Africa-friendly as well as sympathetic to the course of Nigeria.

On investment, power and insecurity in Nigeria, he said that the Federal Government had established various security mechanisms to create attractive investment environment for would-be investors.

With the fall in oil price, Nigeria is looking into diversification of its economy towards agriculture and solid minerals.

It is expected that there will be a lot of investment opportunity for foreign investors during the US-Africa Business Forum, scheduled to take place next week in New York.

Nigeria has been invited as one of the focal countries whose economies search light is beamed on, he said.

He also said that Nigeria would host a high level side event on Climate Change, to showcase its efforts in the Ogoni clean-up.

This event, according to him, will come up after the president has signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The minister also addressed issues of poverty, migration, human rights, terrorism and security and on challenges in retrieving Abachas loot and other Nigerias assets stashed abroad. (NAN)
Abuja residents have expressed anger over the one-month long strike by workers of the Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company, which has left thousands struggling daily to get around the capital city.

The company, established in 1984, operates mass transit buses commonly known to Abuja residents as El-Rufai buses.

The buses, named after former FCT Minister and current Kaduna governor, Nasir El Rufai, shuttle passengers between the city centre and satellite towns.

Workers of the company withdrew their services about a month ago after the government-run firm failed to pay their five-month salaries.

The strike has nearly crippled public transport system in the federal capital.

Bus parks now feature large crowds during rush hours in the mornings and evenings, as commuters depend solely on private service providers who mostly exploit the situation by arbitrarily increasing fares.

Toor James, a civil servant, told PREMIUM TIMES that El-rufai buses mean so much for many workers in Abuja. He said since the strike, other service providers have been exploiting the situation to charge exorbitant fares.

This is challenging to low income workers, Mr. James lamented.

Edoka Matthew, a security guard, said since the government established AUMTCO, it ought to make sure the workers were paid so the company can continue to provide service to the masses.

Tarry Ubua, an educationist, told PREMIUM TIMES that many residents of satellite towns like Nyanya, Mararaba, Masaka, One-man village and Ado, who work in Wuse, Central Area and Garki, rely heavily on the so-called El-rufai buses.

According to him, many of these people cannot afford to spend more than a few hundreds on transportation each day, so they use buses, which usually charge an average of N100 per trip, however long the distance.

Although I do not use El-rufai buses, I know that passengers pay as little as N70 to N150 from Masaka/Mararaba/Ado/One-man village/Nyanya axis to the centre of town.

Despite the heavy traffic that plagues that particular express road, the El-rufai buses do not increase their fares, so people like to use them.

Sometimes, you even see people standing inside the buses all through the ride because they only have N50 as fare from those satellite towns to Wuse.

This is not an option for coaster buses and small cars, which are now the available means of transportation for these people, he said.

Since the strike, commuters now pay as much as N200 to N250 from these satellite towns to the city centre.

The masses are the ones suffering from this strike action. I think the powers that be should just settle these workers so the poor masses can resume paying less for transportation, Maureen Aba, a resident, told PREMIUM TIMES.

An official who pled anonymity at AUMTCO had earlier told PREMIUM TIMES on September 7 that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) planned to shut down the company.

According to him, in-house investigations revealed that FCT minister, Muhammad Bello, had agreed to scrap the transport company on the recommendations of FCTA officials.

Should the minister carry out the plan, about 920 staff of the company will join the labour market, aside throwing the commuter system in the territory into chaos.

However, when PREMIUM TIMES on Friday sought clarification from Stella Ojeme, the Director of Information at FCTA, she denied the claim of plans to shut AUMTCO down.

FCTA is not planning to shut AUMTCO down. The company will be restructured to put it back to profitability, since it is a limited liability company.

As for the salary arrears, FCTA may consider a bail-out after the restructuring. The restructuring will occur after the Administration has completed a forensic study of all the company books which has already started, she said.

Hassan Abdulhameed, a driver with the company, Thursday informed PREMIUM TIMES that AUMTCO management had told workers over six months ago that there was no money to pay them.

They told us the FCTA had not made the money available. Since we embarked on the strike action, many of us have been looking up to God for survival, he said.

Mr. Abdulhameed, who claimed he usually made over N80, 000 for AUMTCO in a day, is now forced to engage himself as a freelance driver.

We get lucky sometimes to get outside jobs, where a person may need the services of a driver and call us to work for a small sum. If not for small opportunities like these, survival would have been very difficult, he said.
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, on Friday protested the non-payment of workers salaries in two Federal Government Colleges in Lagos and Ondo States.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports the colleges are the Kings College, Lagos, and the Federal Government College, Idoani, Ondo State.

Alade Lawal, the Secretary General of the ASCSN, said in Lagos that union officials would ensure that education officers in the schools do not resume work.

The union had earlier cautioned parents and guardians not to release their children and wards to resume classes in the affected schools.

According to Mr. Lawal, the ultimatum given to the government to pay the workers salary, expired on Thursday.

He, however, said that as at that day, government had not responded,

Until government responds to our demands, the workers will not be allowed to operate, the secretary said.

Mr. Lawal had called on the government to take urgent steps toward paying the salary of education officers outstanding since May 2016 in the schools.

Education officers in the schools will not resume classes on Thursday, September 15 unless salary owed them since May were paid by Wednesday, September 14.

Since May officers in Kings College and Federal Government College, Idoani, have been put in financial embarrassment in violation of Public Service Rules.

We are afraid that the decision, not to pay the salaries, may extend to other schools if there is no resistance from the workers and their Trade Unions.

This is also worrisome because the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office have continued to shift blames on the matter, Mr. Lawal had said.

The secretary said that the other 102 colleges have been mobilised to join the strike, if the government still refused to pay the officers in the two schools, saying, injury to one is injury to all.

He said the association was still battling to ensure that arrears of salaries and allowances, owed by the last administration to some categories of officers, are settled.

Mr. Lawal appealed to the government to reduce the hardship facing the workers due to poor take home pay by paying them without further delay.

The welfare of citizens should be among government priorities, he said.

He, therefore, urged the government to pay the workers to douse tension that had started to build up in all the 104 unity colleges over the issue.

(NAN)
The Nigerian Army said it had recovered 55 assorted weapons from suspected criminals in the Niger Delta.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division, Enugu, Ibrahim Attahitu, told journalists in Enugu on Saturday that the recoveries were made during a military exercise tagged Operation Crocodile Smile.

He also disclosed that 23 militants and criminals were killed by soldiers in their bid to flush out criminals in the area.

The GOC said that many of the criminal fled with various degrees of injury.

He said that 38 camps belonging to the militants and 91 illegal refineries, including bunkering sites and underground tunnels used by the suspects, were destroyed in the 10-day exercise.

The precursor operations were followed by `Exercise Crocodile Smile proper, which was orchestrated and conducted with sequencing and lines of operation to upgrade the skills, expertise and competence of the troops in land and riverside environments.

Over 3,000 soldiers were deployed along two axis on land, creeks and the general littoral area of the Niger Delta region, while forward-operating bases were established from where operations were conducted along the creeks and littoral area, he said.

Attahiru, however, regretted that four soldiers died during the exercise, explaining that three lost their lives in a boat mishap while one died during cross fire with the militants.

He said that the exercise was also used to cement relations with civilians through humanitarian services in neighbouring communities.

Books, stationeries and generators were donated to some schools while others were given facelift and infrastructure improvement.

The effects of these humanitarian programs were immediately felt in the peaceful and warmth relationship that existed between troops and local communities throughout the exercise period, he said.

The GOC said that collaboration between the army and other security agencies, including the Navy and Air Force and Police, had remained very emphatic.

He revealed that the recent voluntary handover of arms and ammunition by militants and criminal elements in Imo and Rivers had direct bearing with the exercise.

By and large, the exercise was a huge success as those engaging in economic sabotage were stopped during the period, while a number of criminals, militants and economic saboteurs were also arrested, he added.

The the operation was largely carried out in Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers as well as some states within the supervision of 82 Division of the Army. (NAN)
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New Delhi, Indever Karsjia, from New Delhi and Elisha Kotadia from Mumbai are the lucky Vodafone U customers who swayed to some of the best EDM music at The Ultra Music Fest in Singapore. Indever and Elisha garnered the maximum likes for their GIF to be declared winners of Vodafone U Back to Campus campaign that promised a Million Fun Experiences to users and participants.Earlier, Mandeep Ramna of Panjab University, another winner of Vodafone U Back to Campus Million Fun Experiences initiative, flew to the Tomatina Festival in Spain, with a friend. Being physically present at the Tomatina, an annual Spanish ritual drawing visitors from across the globe, was a dream come true for Mandeep.For Inderver, Elisha, and Mandeep, the most delightful part of winning with Vodafone U, was that each of them got to take a friends along with them on their all expenses paid trips, gifted by Vodafone India.Vodafone U Back to Campus was a month long campaign created with the objective of engaging with youth in 400 leading colleges across 50 cities in the country and on the digital platform through the Vodafone U website and Vodafone U Facebook posts. This campaign gave the students an opportunity to win an all expenses paid trip to the popular Tomatina Festival in Spain and the iconic Ultra Music Fest in Singapore. To win these exciting experiences, youngsters had to click a GIF with their buddies, upload the GIF on social media and tag their friends with #FunWithU@Vodafone.Thanking Indias youth for making the smart choice with Vodafone U, Apoorva Mehrotra, Business Head  Delhi-NCR, Vodafone India, said, Vodafone U is a one of its kind telecom offering created specially for the youth of India. Through the Back to Campus - Million Fun Experiences initiative, Vodafone U invited youngsters to create memorable moments with their buddies and get the opportunity of winning trips to globally popular events like the Tomatina in Spain and the Ultra Music Fest in Singapore. It is indeed a good feeling to have received a more than enthusiastic response from Delhiites to Vodafone U Back to Campus and we believe it is testimony that Vodafone U has made headway in being seen as the preferred mobile youth brand. I congratulate Indever Karsija on winning this contest. Vodafone will keep coming back with more exciting and fun experiences to delight our customers.
A new national survey says affordability is a growing concern across the country for people considering buying homes, but thats not such a major problem these days in Rose Kellys corner of the market.

In a recent ad, the Galloway Township-based agent with Century 21 Frick Realtors featured five residential listings. Two were in Egg Harbor City, the others were in Galloway, Mullica and Egg Harbor townships.

The highest price for a home in her ad was $110,000 for a lakefront townhouse in Galloway. The lowest price was $54,000 for a one-bedroom place in Egg Harbor Township in need of rehab.

There are so many homes in South Jersey at an affordable price, but they need updating or theyre sold as-is, said Kelly, whose territory runs from Egg Harbor City and Mays Landing into Atlantic City. You can get a lot of house for the money, but it depends on the condition and the area.

In real estate, the location of a property and the shape its in are always important factors. But the National Association of Realtors latest survey of homeowners and renters found that the increasing price of homes across the country appears to be causing a widespread ripple of worry about whether this is a good time to stop renting and start owning.

How much are homes selling for near you? Transactions are from county property records. Settlement dates are listed; deed filings may

NARs quarterly Housing Opportunities and Market Experience, or HOME, study reported last week that 78 percent of homeowners believe now is the right time to buy. In March, that figure was 82 percent.

Among renters, 60 percent called now a good time to buy a home. But last December, 68 percent of renters believed it was a good time to become a homeowner.

The chief economist for the NAR, Lawrence Yun, blamed much of that reluctance to buy on two factors: increasing prices and decreasing supplies of available homes around the country.

This summers historically low mortgage rates injected some additional demand into the market, but the dearth of homes for sale continues to keep a lid on sales but not prices, Yun said when the national group released its latest survey. Given the stiff competition and limited homes available at the lower end of the market, its not surprising at all that those under the age of 34 ... are the least confident about it being a good time to buy.

But buyers and sellers around much of South Jersey know very well that theres no shortage of options available on the local market.

A lot of homes are upside-down right now, Kelly said, meaning the owners owe more on them than the houses are worth. A lot of people havent been able to pay their mortgages because of casinos closing. The availability is definitely here. It is a buyers market.

Over the first seven months of this year, the number of closed sales increased in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean counties, but prices were lower in three of those counties.

In Atlantic County, the number of single-family home sales climbed almost 23 percent from January through July over those same months in 2015, but the median price dropped more than 13 percent.

On affordable housing, it's towns' math vs. advocates OCEAN CITY  A recent ruling on state affordable housing obligations is casting doubt on the

For single-family homes this year, the median sale price was $170,000; last year, it was $196,000. The median means that half of all sales were above that price and half were below it.

In Cape May County, single-family home sales dropped by more than 8 percent this year from last year. The median price for the first seven months was $275,000, down from $300,000 in 2015.

Kelly said agents have a lot of tools they can use to help people buy their first homes, starting with simple math.

You can actually own a home for less than you pay in rent, she tells customers, who probably dont know all the programs available to encourage first-time buyers.

In rural areas of the county, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program lets first-timers wrap closing costs into their mortgages.

A young couple just starting out, they cant afford a $200,000 house, but they can come to the (settlement) table with no money down and no closing costs, which is very appealing to people, Kelly said.

The Federal Housing Administration also offers a 203K loan that lets buyers add renovation costs to their mortgages and pay them off over time, too. Plus Kelly notes that the Atlantic County Improvement Authority offers another incentive: grants to first-time buyers who stay in their homes at least five years.

Most people tend to want a move-in-condition home, but thats hard to come by at the lower prices, the agent added. They almost always need a little bit of TLC or updating, but a lot of young people are willing to do that ... and they can do things in their own time.

Contact: 609-272-7237

Twitter @PressBeach
Its time again for The Press of Atlantic Citys Halloween story contest for young writers. Last year, the contest was so popular we received more than 2,000 entries.

Heres how it works: The contest is open to students throughout South Jersey in kindergarten through grade 12. Weve supplied the beginning of a story. (See Curious Cats below.)

Young authors will provide the end of the story.

Students are encouraged to include an illustration for their stories, on a standard sheet of 8.5-by-11-inch paper.

A team of Press editors will select a winner in each grade.

Winning writers will receive a $25 gift card, have their stories printed in The Press on Oct. 30 and have the chance to read their story for a video at PressofAC.com.

Teachers are encouraged to use the contest as a class writing assignment.

The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Oct. 7.

Please include contact information on each entry (name, grade, school and parents email or phone number), so we can notify winners.

Entries must be no more that 300 words.

Mail entries to:

Halloween Story

C/o Tim Faherty

The Press of Atlantic City

1000 W. Washington Avenue

Pleasantville, N.J. 08232

or email to Halloween@pressofac.com.

CURIOUS CATS

There goes another one.

Dex pointed to a cat running across the street of their quiet college town. What does that make, five? Six?

Meghan, his older sister, rolled her eyes. Oooh. Spooky. Imagine seeing cats on Halloween. She threw the Gryffindor scarf of her Hermione Granger costume over her shoulder. Come on. Weve got a lot more houses to hit on the other side of University Street.

Dex looked to his friend, Brenner, for support. This was difficult, since Dex had cut the eyeholes in his Captain America mask unevenly.

Brenner tried to appear sympathetic, but his Mr. Spock makeup made it hard for him to show emotion. He said, It is kind of odd. They all seem headed in the same direction.

Meghan turned around. Oh right. Its some kind of cat conspiracy, Im sure. Like that movie where the mad scientist cats build a brain-control machine and turn everyone into cats.

Dex mumbled something under his breath and reached into his bag for a piece of candy. No sooner had he popped it in his mouth than he spit it out.

Yuck!

Meghan laughed. Ha! Youd better check the expiration date.

Dex wasnt amused. Thats not candy. It tastes like cat food.

Brenner picked up the wrapper his friend had dropped.

Huh, he said. It looks like a Three Musketeers bar, but its spelled wrong. It says, Three Mousey Ears.

So? Big deal, Meghan said. Somebody must have mixed up their cat treats with their candy.

Not just somebody, said Dex. He held up another wrapper from his bag. Meowsmallows?

Brenner rooted through his bag. I think its all cat food, he said. Then he noticed a smudge on the back of his hand and began to absent-mindedly lick it off.

Meghan shook her head. You guys are crazy. And while were standing around, everyone else is snagging all the candy.

Sure enough, the once-quiet street was filled with trick-or-treaters, their long tails hanging behind them.

I know its dark, said Brenner. But doesnt it seem like everybodys wearing the same costume?

By now they were in front of the universitys science building.

Look, Brenner said, pointing to the third floor.

Wha ... Meghan started to say. Then she froze. There, crowded in the large window, were more cats than she had ever seen in one place before. They seemed to be staring down at the children. And ... could they be smiling?

On top of the building, a large antenna, shaped like two pointed ears, turned slowly. As they watched, it began to glow and give off an odd, purring sound.

Meghan gripped Dexs arm. He flinched.

Meghan? he asked. Whens the last time you trimmed your nails?

...

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? YOU DECIDE!

CONTEST RULES

1. The contest is open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

2. Young authors must come up with the ending for the story weve supplied (Curious Cats).

3. All entries must be the original work of the student and no longer than 300 words. Typed entries are encouraged.

4. Students are encouraged to submit illustrations with their stories. While the artwork will not be judged, some drawings will appear in print or in an online gallery. Illustrations should be submitted on a separate piece of 8.5-by-11-inch paper.

5. All entries and pictures should include the students name, age, school, grade and parent's phone number or email.

6. Deadline for entries is 5 p.m. Oct. 7.

7. Mail entries to: Halloween Story, c/o Tim Faherty, The Press of Atlantic City, 1000 W. Washington Ave, Pleasantville, N.J., 08232 or email to Halloween@pressofac.com. IncludeHalloween Story in the subject line.

8. Stories or artwork cannot be returned.

9. Winners will be selected at the sole discretion of the Press staff.
Four officers were shot in separate incidents in Philadelphia and Fort Worth, Texas, Friday night, and local police departments are reacting to the attacks.

In our time of need @PhillyPolice was there for us. We are here for them. Thoughts are with our blue family across the bridge, tweeted the Atlantic City division of the states Police Benevolent Association, a union representing active and retired officers.

Wounded Atlantic City police officer released from hospital, called a 'fighter' ATLANTIC CITY  Resort police officer Joshlee Vadell, who was shot in the head 12 days ago, 

A "rambling" note expressing hatred for police was found after a man opened fire on a Philadelphia police officer before launching into a shooting spree, injuring a second officer, killing a woman and wounding three other people before he was shot and killed by police in an alley, authorities said Saturday.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said police found what he called a "rambling" note at the scene of the Friday overnight rampage that police believe was written by the gunman and that expressed hatred toward law enforcement and named a probation officer.

The wild chase and shootout through the streets of Philadelphia began about 11:20 p.m. Friday when Sgt. Sylvia Young was ambushed while sitting in her patrol car; she was shot a number of times in the arm and protective vest, Ross said.

The gunman fled then shot into a nearby bar, hitting a security guard in the leg; he grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg, Ross said. Moments later, as police gave chase, the suspect shot into in a car, killing a woman and critically wounding a man.

The world has really changed, North Wildwood Police Chief Matthew T. Gallagher said in response to the shootings. Officers have a rough job.

In Fort Worth, meanwhile, police say a suspect is dead after shooting and wounding two officers who responded to a reported suicide at a home.

The shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. Friday. Fort Worth police say responding officers initially found a man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head.

Pipe bomb explodes ahead of Ocean County 5K SEASIDE PARK, N.J. (AP)  A pipe bomb exploded in a New Jersey shore town Saturday shortly b

The officers were subsequently told that a witness was located in a backyard shed and were shot after opening the shed door. Police returned fire, a standoff ensued and police later confirmed the unidentified suspect was dead.

Four officers being shot in one night, including two allegedly targeted just over the Delaware River, prompted reactions from many South Jersey law enforcement authorities.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those officers, Gallagher said.

The Atlantic City Police Departments official Twitter account reposted a tweet from the New Jersey PBA which quoted the unions president, Patrick Colligan, as saying: This relentless assault must stop.

Departments from Wildwood, Sea Isle City, Harvey Cedars, and other municipalities also used social media to show support for the wounded officers.
SEASIDE PARK, N.J. (AP)  A pipe bomb exploded in a New Jersey shore town Saturday shortly before thousands of runners were to participate in a charity 5K race to benefit Marines and sailors, authorities said.

No injuries were reported in the blast in Seaside Park around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's office. He said no surrounding structures were damaged.

The FBI has taken over as the lead agency in the investigation. But officials would not say whether they believe the incident was terror-related or if they suspected participants in the third annual Semper Five run were targeted.

Brad Cohen, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI's office in Newark, declined to discuss the matter at length during a brief news conference staged Saturday evening. He also declined to take questions from reporters, citing the "active, ongoing" investigation.

The race had been scheduled to start shortly before the blast occurred, but it was delayed due to the large numbers of people registering for the race and reports of an unattended backpack being found. Della Fave noted that if the race had started on time, a "good number of people" would have been running past the area where the explosion occurred.

The race was canceled, and the immediate area was put on lockdown. Several homes near the scene were evacuated as a precaution, though those residents were allowed to return home early Saturday night. However, authorities said several beaches in the area would remain closed until further notice.

The pipe bomb was in a plastic garbage can when it exploded, Della Fave said, but the immediate area where the blast occurred was mostly empty at the time. Authorities immediately cleared the boardwalk and beach area, and bomb-sniffing dogs were used to search the area.

Shortly after the blast occurred, Della Fave told reporters at the scene that preliminary reports said there may have been other devices connected to the pipe bomb, but those devices apparently had not gone off.

New Jersey State Police said later in the day that bomb technicians "rendered safe" items located in a plastic trash can where the explosion occurred; they did not specify what those items were or provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation. They also said there was nothing to reports of another explosive device near the site of the explosion.

Chad Ruedin, who happened to be walking along the boardwalk when the blast occurred, told News12 New Jersey that when he heard the explosion, he initially thought it was the start of the charity race. But after thinking about it for a minute, Ruedin said he thought to himself "that was one hell of a start to a race."

Ruedin said he soon saw smoke coming from the garbage can and saw other debris in the area, though he didn't know if those items were parts of the can and/or trash that had been in the receptacle.

Numerous state and federal law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation. Attorney General Christopher Porrino and Col. Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the state police, briefed Gov. Chris Christie on the investigation.

"Working with the FBI and ATF, we are taking every step to ensure the safety of the public and to determine who was responsible for this explosion, which occurred at a time when runners in this charity race could have been in harm's way," Porrino said in a statement. "We are grateful that nobody was injured, but this is a serious act of violence against the people of New Jersey. We will not rest until we find the person or persons responsible."

It wasn't clear when the boardwalk and beach would reopen. Some other community events went on as planned in nearby towns on Saturday, though officials said security at those sites had been stepped up in the wake of the blast.

It wasn't immediately clear if the charity race would be rescheduled.
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A husband and wife found dead in their home on North Oxford Avenue earlier this week have been identified.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's office said Richard Allen, 60, and his wife, Marianne Allen, 59, were both found with gunshot wounds to head. An investigation and autopsy shows that Richard Allen shot Marianne before turning the gun on himself.

One neighbor says there was a sign of odd behavior at the home before police arrived that day  a sign on the door that said to call 911.

Neighbor Joseph Hitchner, 82, said Thursday that the couple had been depressed lately and were both ill.

They were in poor health, he said. I still cant believe this happened.

After Hitchner woke up for the day around 10 a.m. Wednesday, he went to open his blinds and noticed an 8 by 11 white paper in the storm door of 228 North Oxford Avenue.

He couldnt see what it said at first, but noticed after returning to his house around 2 p.m. when police swarmed the area that it said Call 911.

Richard Allen had been hospitalized from Friday to Tuesday of this past week, Hitchner added, diagnosed with pancreatitis. The couple has lived in the home for about 15 years.

Im just shocked about the gun thing, he said. Im really going to be affected by it. Im directly across the street, and were friendly.

Hitchner added that the Allens usually got up for the day around 5 or 5:30 a.m. They used to be active people, he said, going outside and to the beach. But lately, they hadnt been doing much, and Marianne told him they were both sick.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A "rambling" note expressing hatred for police was found after a man opened fire on a Philadelphia police officer then went on a shooting spree, injuring a second officer, killing a woman and wounding three other people before he was shot and killed by police in an alley, authorities said Saturday.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said police found what he called a "rambling" note at the scene of the Friday overnight rampage that police believe was written by the gunman and that expressed hatred toward law enforcement and named a probation officer.

Sixth suspect arrested, charged in Atlantic City Expressway shootout EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP -- A sixth suspect was arrested and charged in connection with the braze

Ross said police believe only the one gunman was involved in the violent events, which he described as "completely bizarre."

The wild chase and shootout through the streets of Philadelphia began about 11:20 p.m. Friday when Sgt. Sylvia Young was ambushed while sitting in her patrol car; she was shot a number of times in the arm and protective vest, Ross said.

The gunman fled then shot into a nearby bar, hitting a security guard in the leg; he grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg, Ross said. Moments later, as police gave chase, the suspect shot into in a car, killing a woman and critically wounding a man.

Ross said two police officers and University of Pennsylvania police officer Ed Miller chased the man into an alley, where he was shot and killed. Miller was wounded.

Both Miller and Young, a 19-year police veteran, were in stable condition Saturday at Penn Presbyterian Hospital. Young was struck up to eight times. Bullets hit her protective vest and her left arm.

Aside from the officers, the identities of the suspect and others shot in the spree were not immediately released.

Mayor Jim Kenney praised officers and pleaded with them to follow Young's example and wear their protective vests.

"Thank you for what you do for us every day, and please, please, please, every shift, please wear your vest," he said. "They will save your life, as we saw tonight."
VINELAND  A city man was charged with twice burglarizing a pharmacy by breaking into a storeroom through the back door.

Police said they were alerted to a burglary at CVS Pharmacy on West Landis Avenue around 1:30 a.m. Sunday by the stores security company.

Police arrested Jose Octavianni, 34, of Vineland, after he was seen riding his bicycle from the store.

Police said Octavianni pried open the door and stole merchandise on Sept. 9 and again on Sunday.

He was charged with burglary and possession of burglary tools and was lodged at the Cumberland County jail in lieu of posting $70,000 bail.

Meanwhile, police are investigating an unrelated burglary that occurred Thursday at a home on North Myrtle Street.

Police investigating the burglary found that the suspect had damaged the deadbolt to a door leading to the second floor apartment. The tenant said his laptop and collectible sneakers, size 10.5 Air Jordans, were taken in the burglary.

The burglary happened sometime between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday.

Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to contact Vineland police at 856-691-4111.

Vineland police also charged a homeless man with trespassing after the property owner discovered him living in his motor home.

Neighbors called police around 1:30 p.m. Thursday about a trespasser who was seen outside a home on North West Avenue.

Police said the suspect, Emanuel Melendez, 39, told them he had been living in the motor home for the past two weeks because he had nowhere else to stay. Melendez was charged with trespassing and released on a court summons.
VENTNOR  Beaches along Absecon Island and the rest of the Jersey Shore may need a good cleanup soon, but Saturday was all about the bay side for volunteer environmentalists.

The Absecon Island Back Bay Cleanup involved an effort by hundreds of community volunteers, and organizations and businesses to clear trash and debris from the bay waterways. The event coincided with International Coastal Cleanup Day, and similar efforts stretched along New Jersey coastline.

Being out on the water every day, in the back bays and ocean, its staggering to see how much trash and debris litters the wetlands, said Rich Moore, of Teal Charter Cruises in Margate.

Moore worked with Sustainable Downbeach, Atlantic County Utilities Authority and other environmental organizations to create the event.

People gathered with gloves, trash bags, canoes, kayaks, motor boats and paddle boards at sites for the Absecon Island cleanup that included Newport Marina and the Viking Rowing Club Dock in Ventnor, Atlantic City High School Boat House in Atlantic City, Captain Andys Dock in Margate and Borough Hall Dock in Longport.

Diane Birkbeck organized the Ventnor location at the rowing clubs dock Saturday. More than 60 volunteers walked along the edges of the water, or paddled in kayaks to pick up bottles, plastic bags, food wrappers and other trash along the high-tide line of the marshes and meadows.

Jay Cooke, of Ventnor, said he and his family have been trying to keep the waters clean for years.

We fish and walk along these waters year-round, he said. We live on the water and we try to leave the environment better than we found it. Ive always encouraged my children, grandchildren, family and friends to pick up trash when they see it.

Cooke volunteered his time Saturday with Donna Bahnck, of Margate, and Marjo Atack, of Mays Landing. The two women are members of the Viking Dragon Boat team and said coming to the event to clean up in their own backyard made sense.

We feel like we need to help out and clean the water we enjoy, Atack said.

The trio traveled around in the water by boat, helping ferry people from one spot to another and to bring in bags full of trash and debris. Pierre and Priscilla Beuret, of Ventnor, were also out on the water in their boat, assisting with pick-ups and transportation.

They have lived in the area for about 30 years, they said, and have seen the water quality of the island bays improve over time.

About 30 years ago, you wouldnt have wanted to swim in the bay, Pierre said.

Its much cleaner and nicer than it was then, but there is still some to be desired, Priscilla said, indicating there is still work to be done to make the bay cleaner.

Genny Henderson, of Linwood, made her way in and along the marshes in her red kayak. Among her finds were bottles, many plastic bags, Styrofoam, wood and metal debris, and a single boot.

Isabella Iezzi was very familiar with the bay area. She used to come to the dock all the time as a rower in high school. She came Saturday morning with the two children she nannies to help clean the area and get the children involved with volunteer work.

Its a great event, because they bay definitely gets dirty, she said. After summer, nobody really cleans up, so this is a way we can give back. It also gives the kids an opportunity to start volunteering at a younger age and its something for them to do.

Organizers and leaders from all the cleanup sites will gather Monday to make official counts on how much trash and garbage was picked out of the bay areas.

Without the marshes and clean water, there would be flooding, wed lose marine life, Cooke said. We have to work to preserve and enhance them, and build generational awareness of it. Im certainly dedicated to it.
Protect piping plovers

to enable beach driving

Beach-nesting piping plovers are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, but we paid for a beach-driving permit, and therefore, should be allowed to drive on the beach. Big thanks to an endangered species, ruining any chances of beach-driving in the summer.

In 1986, the number of piping plover pairs nesting in New Jersey was 102. In 2015, it had increased to only 108. Protecting them has effectively done nothing to help piping plovers in New Jersey. It's up to us, as responsible and well-informed citizens, to help promote wildlife conservation in the places we deem special.

Recently, MassWildlife has been working in partnership with a number of towns, property owners and other stakeholders to develop a habitat conservation plan. Due to intensive monitoring and management undertaken in accordance with federal guidelines, the Massachusetts population of piping plovers now exceeds the region-wide recovery goal of 625 pairs. MassWildlife now hopes to allow for increased management flexibility to increase recreational opportunities while continuing to provide adequate protection for these vulnerable birds.

The take-home message is simple: If we exceed the region-wide recovery goals, we get to drive on the beaches again. Let's save the piping plover.

Michelle Stantial

Dennisville

Plenty to atone for

It was reported that Georgetown University will give admission preference to descendants of slaves to atone for the sins of the Jesuits. In a related issue, I heard a rumor that a burger chain will allow Native Americans to cut in front of the lines to atone for the sins of Gen. George Custer.

Thomas Barrett

Brigantine

Trump is job destroyer

Donald Trump says he will be the biggest job creator ever. I beg to differ. He was a job destroyer here in South Jersey when his casinos were reorganized in bankruptcy.

I can't imagine how the rest of the country can't see through his false promises and the "I am wonderful" persona. He struts to the podium as if he were a king. He relishes the attention from people who are blindsided by his real intentions.

Agnes Philen

Mays Landing

Traffic light needed

Ventnor Heights could use a traffic light at the end of the Dorset Avenue bridge going into Ventnor Heights. Very dangerous getting across the street, especially on weekends. The motorists there are not courteous to the pedestrians.

Deborah Gunter

Ventnor
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.




JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Sept. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Anglo American Platinum Limited ("Anglo American Platinum" or the "Company") announces an investment in Greyrock Energy, Inc. (Greyrock), the leader in small scale gas-to-liquids technology. Greyrock's systems, use proprietary catalysts to convert methane rich feedstocks into premium transportation fuels while also generating significant potential environmental benefits. Greyrock's catalysts incorporate metals produced by Anglo American Platinum.

The Greyrock process, which produces hydrogen as a by-product, will provide an alternative source for hydrogen and support lowering the costs associated with hydrogen delivery for use in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). By accelerating the commercialization of Greyrock's technology, the investment is aimed at driving demand for PGMs both directly and indirectly through enabling the adoption of FCEVs, which require platinum based catalysts.

Greyrock's Direct Fuels Production and Flare-to-Fuels product lines convert flare gas, natural gas, natural gas liquids, bio-gas, or other similar feedstocks that would otherwise be wasted into clean liquid transportation fuels, with hydrogen produced as a by-product during the process.

This investment forms part of Anglo American Platinum's Platinum Group Metals (PGM) Investment Programme, which provides growth capital to companies that can demonstrate the commercial viability of products or technologies that use or enable the use of the company's metals. Greyrock has synergies with previous investments, Hydrogenious Technologies and United Hydrogen Group. Together, these companies could significantly reduce the delivered costs of hydrogen, laying the foundation for large scale adoption of zero emissions fuel cell technology. Anglo American Platinum also has investments in three global fuel cell companies, Ballard Power Systems, Altergy Systems and Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells.

Andrew Hinkly, Executive Head of Marketing at Anglo American Platinum, said, "We support the commercialisation of new applications that use our metals, particularly those that are synergistic with our business and existing portfolio companies. Greyrock's systems produce clean transportation fuels that could be used by Anglo American in its operations while simultaneously providing a solution to the environmental challenge posed by flaring. This investment in Greyrock boosts demand for our metals while simultaneously working to reduce the delivered cost of liquid fuels and hydrogen. Our investment in Greyrock adds yet another building block to our portfolio of investments."

Robert Schuetzle, CEO of Greyrock, said, '"We are excited to partner with Anglo American Platinum. Their investment will allow us to accelerate the deployment of our technology across the globe. In addition to adding Anglo American Platinum as a strategic investor, Greyrock looks forward to working with the Company in other important areas where there are synergies."

About the Platinum Group Metals (PGM) Investment Programme

Anglo American Platinum's Platinum Group Metals (PGM) Investment Programme was established in 2013 and sits at the heart of the broader market development undertaken by the Group. The PGM Investment Programme will provide early stage capital and/or growth capital to companies that can demonstrate the commercial viability of products or technologies that use or enable the use of the company's metals. The programme aims to facilitate additional benefits in the form of reliability of PGM supply and long term pricing benefits as well as exploring the broad Anglo American industrial complex for commercial opportunities.

Further Information on Greyrock Energy, Inc.

Greyrock has developed its state of the art Direct Fuel Production technology and GreyCat catalyst, enabling production of clean liquid fuels from a variety of gas resources, including flare gas, bio-gas, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. Greyrock systems enable customers to solve key environmental and energy challenges. The company is based in the United States of America.

Flare gas is produced in the processing of crude oil and is often flared (or burned). Burning flare gas produces carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon black, and other pollutants. Flaring can also release methane, which, according the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO 2 . The World Bank estimates that globally, approximately 140 billion cubic meters (~5 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas is flared annually, resulting in the emission of more than 300 million tons of CO 2 . Eliminating these emissions would be equivalent to removing more than 77 million cars from the road.

www.greyrock.com

Anglo American Platinum Limited is a member of the Anglo American plc Group and is the world's leading primary producer of platinum group metals. The company is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE). Its mining, smelting and refining operations are based in South Africa. Elsewhere in the world, the Group owns Unki Platinum Mine in Zimbabwe. Anglo American Platinum has a number of joint ventures with several historically disadvantaged South African consortia as part of its commitment to the transformation of the mining industry. Anglo American Platinum is committed to the highest standards of safety and continues to make meaningful and sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations.

www.angloamericanplatinum.com

Anglo American is a globally diversified mining business. Our portfolio of world-class competitive mining operations and undeveloped resources provides the raw materials to meet the growing consumer-driven demands of the world's developed and maturing economies. Our people are at the heart of our business. It is our people who use the latest technologies to find new resources, plan and build our mines and who mine, process and move and market our products  from diamonds (through De Beers) to platinum and other precious metals and copper  to our customers around the world.

As a responsible miner, we are the custodians of those precious resources. We work together with our key partners and stakeholders to unlock the long-term value that those resources represent for our shareholders, but also for the communities and countries in which we operate  creating sustainable value and making a real difference.

www.angloamerican.com

For further information, please contact:

Investors: Media: Emma Chapman Mpumi Sithole (SA) +27 (0) 11 373 6239 (SA) +27 (0) 11 373 6246 emma.chapman@angloamerican.com mpumi.sithole@angloamerican.com

Related Links

http://www.greyrock.com



SOURCE Greyrock Energy, Inc.
STAMFORD, Conn., April 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aircastle Limited ("Aircastle" or the "Company") (NYSE: AYR) announced that it completed a $120 million senior unsecured term loan with a group of seven Japanese financial institutions led by Development Bank of Japan, which served both as the transaction arranger and lender. The loan has a three year term, and it will provide working capital for general corporate purposes, including aircraft acquisitions.

Mike Inglese, Aircastle's CFO, stated, "This financing is another example of Aircastle's success in building on our strategic relationship with Marubeni Corporation, broadening and diversifying our funding sources under favorable terms. We welcome the expansion of our global bank group and look forward to building long-term relationships with these world-class financial institutions."

About Aircastle Limited

Aircastle Limited acquires, leases and sells commercial jet aircraft to airlines throughout the world. As of December 31, 2015, Aircastle's aircraft portfolio consisted of 162 aircraft on lease with 53 customers located in 34 countries.

Safe Harbor

All statements in this press release, other than characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not necessarily limited to, statements relating to our proposed public offering of notes and our ability to acquire, sell, lease or finance aircraft, raise capital, pay dividends, and increase revenues, earnings, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income and the global aviation industry and aircraft leasing sector. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "seeks," "estimates" and variations on these words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our historical performance and that of our subsidiaries and on our current plans, estimates and expectations and are subject to a number of factors that could lead to actual results materially different from those described in the forward-looking statements; Aircastle can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements which are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated as of the date of this press release. These risks or uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described from time to time in Aircastle's filings with the SEC and previously disclosed under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of Aircastle's 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, new risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Aircastle to predict or assess the impact of every factor that may cause its actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Aircastle expressly disclaims any obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement to reflect future events or circumstances.

For more information on Aircastle, please visit www.aircastle.com.

SOURCE Aircastle Limited

Related Links

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LONDON, April 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Findings



Academic learning management systems (LMS) crossed $ million in revenue in 2015. The academic LMS market is characterized by seismic shifts in technological demands and innovation, a solid movement to the cloud, rapid adoption of new learning pedagogies, and a user-centric product development strategy.



- Academic LMS serves as an excellent means to deliver multimedia and interactive course content to today's generation of digitally connected students. The need for this shift in learning/teaching methodologies is the result of change in expectations of today's students and their parents regarding educational institutions.



- The academic LMS market can be divided into two key segmentsK-12 and higher education. The higher education segment includes the continued learning market. The higher education segment contributed 68% of the total academic LMS revenue in 2015, whereas K-12 contributed % of total revenue.



- Across both segments, LMS analytics are helping institutions become more accountable by providing tools to measure learning and institutional outcomes. This allows institutions to take more informed decisions and improve outcomes for all parties involved including students, instructors, parents, and institutions.



From a regional perspective, North America and Latin America (NALA) contributed % of Academic LMS revenue in 2015, followed by % from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and % from Asia-Pacific (APAC). Overall, the market is expected to experience a CAGR of % (20152022). Most of this growth will come from increased investment in higher education in the Middle East and from emerging economies in Asia. While there are small pockets of excellence in Latin America, overall revenue contribution from Latin America has slowed down due to currency fluctuations, particularly in Brazil.



- Major trends in the academic LMS market include a strong shift towards cloud-based deployments, growing mobile interactions with LMS, exploration of new learning pedagogies such as competency based education and predictive learning, growth of regional content in LMS, and integrating data across educational technology solutions to measure and improve learning outcomes.



- In an extremely competitive and fragmented market, vendors are struggling to find a balance between feature heaviness, ease of use, and speed of deployment. Customers value quality and maintenance that include demanding a seamless experience across devices, ease of use, a rewarding user experience, and an attentive customer support.



Key Questions This Study Will Answer



- Is the market growing? How long will it continue to grow and at what rate?

- What regional trends exist in LMS market, and what do they mean for global growth strategies for vendors?

- Are the products/services offered today meeting customer needs, or is additional development needed?

- What are the critical success factors? Who is further along the curve in addressing these issues?

- What are the major drivers and restraints in the LMS market? What do vendors need to know to stay ahead of the curve?

- What are the major trends and how will they impact the LMS market?





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Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- During their visit to the United States for the 71st General Assembly of the United Nations, Argentine President Mauricio Macri and First Lady Juliana Awada will be hosted for dinner at the residence of Jack Rosen, Chairman of Rosen Partners, an international real estate development firm. Rosen is also President of the American Jewish Congress and Chairman of the American Council for World Jewry. Taking place on the evening of Monday, September 19, they will be joined by a gathering of prominent American leaders, including elected officials, businesspeople, and journalists, among others.

Says Rosen, "My wife Phyllis and I are pleased to announce that Argentine President Mauricio Macri and First Lady Juliana Awada graciously have accepted our invitation to dinner with a cross section of American leaders who are deeply interested in the new direction his administration has taken.

"Elected earlier this year, President Macri has brought bold ideas and a breath of fresh air to the entire hemisphere. With his renewed commitment to a free market economy, bringing an honorable end to disputes over national debt, countering the undue influence of Iran and its proxies, and remaining dedicated to strengthening the rule of law, Macri is paving the way for a new generation of leaders in the Americas.

"We look forward to exploring the opportunities President Macri's vision presents for the advancement of U.S.-Argentina relations and cooperation on mutual matters of concern."

SOURCE American Jewish Congress
CANTON, Mass., April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Baskin-Robbins, the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, today announced that Island Creamery, Inc. (ICI) has acquired more than 20 Baskin-Robbins shops in Puerto Rico, becoming the brand's new sole franchisee on the island. Under the agreement, Island Creamery, Inc.  owned and operated by Puerto Rico-based The Larrea Group, a company with nearly four decades of experience in the local restaurant industry  will transform and grow the brand on the island by remodeling existing shops and adding new locations in Puerto Rico over the coming years.

"We're pleased to work with the Larrea Group to re-energize the Baskin-Robbins brand in Puerto Rico and to expand our presence on the island," said Weldon Spangler, Senior Vice President, Baskin-Robbins U.S. and Canada. "The Larrea Group has decades of experience in the local restaurant industry, so we feel they will be a strong franchisee for the Baskin-Robbins brand in Puerto Rico. We can't wait to share our brand's 'more flavors and more fun' with even more guests on the island in the years ahead."

Baskin-Robbins currently has more than 7,600 shops in nearly 50 countries around the world, including more than 2,500 locations in the U.S. Baskin-Robbins has been a preferred ice cream brand on the island since 1976. The brand features an extensive array of premium ice cream flavorsincluding local flavorsalong with custom ice cream cakes, delicious ice cream sundaes, refreshing frozen beverages and other frozen treats.

Island Creamery, Inc.'s acquisition of the Baskin-Robbins shops represents a new era of possibilities for the iconic ice cream brand that has been present in the lives of Puerto Rican consumers for more than 40 years. This agreement has also sustained the jobs of more than 180 team members that diligently operate the more than 20 shops.

In addition to developing new Baskin-Robbins restaurants in Puerto Rico, Island Creamery, Inc. will also remodel existing locations with the brand's latest shop design, featuring bright and modern decor, comfortable seating, ice cream "super graphic" artwork, pink spoon door handles and digital menu displays to make it even easier for guests to choose and personalize their Baskin-Robbins order.

Baskin-Robbins provides a variety of premium ice cream flavors made with the highest-quality ingredients. Today, all locations in Puerto Rico offer once again the brand's classic "31 flavors," including such favorites as Pralines 'n Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip and Cookies 'n Cream.

"We are honored and grateful for the opportunity to transform and grow the Baskin-Robbins brand in Puerto Rico, and are especially proud to have contributed to the preservation of 180 local jobs. It is a privilege to expand Baskin-Robbins' presence in Puerto Rico and bring the brand's world-famous range of '31 flavors' and other delicious frozen treats to even more guests on the island," said Juan Antonio (Tony) Larrea, President of Island Creamery, Inc.

For more information about Baskin-Robbins' wide variety of ice cream flavors and frozen desserts, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BaskinRobbins), Twitter (www.twitter.com/BaskinRobbins) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/BaskinRobbins).

About Baskin-Robbins

Named the top ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine's 37th annual Franchise 500 ranking in 2016, Baskin-Robbins is the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops. Baskin-Robbins creates and markets innovative, premium hard scoop ice cream and soft serve, custom ice cream cakes and a full range of beverages, providing quality and value to consumers at more than 7,600 retail shops in nearly 50 countries. Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion led to the creation of more than 1,300 ice cream flavors and a wide variety of delicious treats. For further information, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com.

About Island Creamery, Inc.

Island Creamery, Inc., part of The Larrea Group, will now operate all Baskin-Robbins shops in Puerto Rico. Founded in 1976, The Larrea Group owns and operates multiple U.S. franchise restaurant concepts in Puerto Rico with a team of 7,000 people.

CONTACT:

Ellie Mannix

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130822/NY68312LOGO

SOURCE Baskin-Robbins

Related Links

https://www.baskinrobbins.com


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitcoin IRA, the only approved Bitcoin-based IRA and 401(k) investment plan provider is on a mission to educate people about the benefits of digital currency based investments, especially IRAs. As a part of this initiative, the company is now giving away free downloadable educational material in the form of a Bitcoin Investor Guide.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160917/409008

Bitcoin IRA's Free Bitcoin Investor Guide Clears any Misunderstandings about Digital Currency Investments

California based Bitcoin IRA has received a lot of interest from the Bitcoin community, the Bitcoin-based investment offering has already opened accounts worth over $500,000. The increased popularity of Bitcoin makes it an attractive asset class that enables Bitcoin IRA investors to invest in digital currency instead of other conventional asset classes like cash, gold, bonds and artwork. All investments and terms of the Bitcoin IRA scheme are in accordance with the IRS regulations, applicable for all types of IRAs.

"This is a pioneering investment option in the retirement industry. For the first time ever, IRA owners can hold actual bitcoin in a private and anonymous securitized wallet. This will pave the way for more alternative investments for years to come. We are thrilled to be a part of this moment in history."

 says Chris Kline, the Chief Operating Officer at Bitcoin IRA.

With Bitcoin gaining mainstream status as a decentralized global currency, it has a lower risk of collapse compared to traditional investment assets. Bitcoin IRA investors will be in possession of actual Bitcoins in an IRA-designed security wallet instead of a digital currency derivative. This ensures the security of their investments with a possibility of attractive returns.

Bitcoin IRA has some of the most reputed members of the financial community in its ranks. Among them, the most prominent one is Ed Moy, who is the Chief Strategist and Advisor for Bitcoin IRA. Moy is the former director of US Mint and he has served as a Special Assistant to the former President of the United States, George W Bush. He was also the first person to invest in Bitcoin IRA's offering.

The Bitcoin IRA's Bitcoin Investment Guide will help to clear any misconceptions associated with Bitcoin as an investment vehicle. The guidebook is available for download here.

About Bitcoin IRA

Bitcoin IRA.com is the only Bitcoin-based retirement investment portfolio that allows people to invest Bitcoin directly into an IRA or 401(k). The investment options offered by Bitcoin IRA are approved by IRS. The platform constantly works with leading fintech professionals to provide secure, high-quality Bitcoin investments.

Learn more about Bitcoin IRA at  https://BitcoinIRA.com

Get your free Bitcoin IRA Bitcoin Investment Guide at  https://bitcoinira.com/bitcoin-401k-rollover/?AID=707&cID=2592

Media Contact

Contact Person: Johannes Haze

Contact Email: [email protected]

Location: Los Angeles, USA

Bitcoin IRA is the source of this content. Virtual currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and accounts and value balances are not subject to FDIC and other consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only.

Related Links

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Bitcoin IRA

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Bitcoin IRA

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NEW YORK, April 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Volume demand for carbon black has a direct association with the end use industries, with the automotive industry taking precedence, given that the largest quantity of this material is utilized by tires and other rubber products largely used in automobiles. Any volatility in the production of tires and, to a lower degree, mechanical rubber products has a corresponding effect on demand for carbon black. Tire production, in turn, is heavily reliant on automobile production, which has been posting steady growth over the past few years and is likely to continue doing so.



However, the concept of tire retreading has its own pluses and minuses. While increase in retreading is apt to hit new tire production, the market for carbon black stands to gain since the material is used in both instances. Technological developments and innovative applications in these sectors will also be instrumental in fuelling demand for carbon black.



Other industries that make use of carbon black, albeit to a lesser extent, include plastics, printing inks and paints and coatings. Of these, plastics and paints and coatings are widely utilized by the construction sector, which has been posting steady to rapid growth depending upon the region. For instance, the mature markets of the developed world, such as North America and Western Europe are witnessing stagnation in their construction industries, while the emerging economies of Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Eastern Europe are flourishing construction hubs. Therefore, it goes without saying that demand for carbon black in the latter regions is bound to record faster growth than the former due to impetus in construction activity aimed at boosting infrastructure.



Worldwide market for Carbon Black application segments explored in this study includes Industrial Rubber Products, Paints & Coatings, Plastics, Printing Inks & Toners and Tires. The global markets for the above mentioned application segments are analyzed in terms of value in metric tons and value in USD. Global consumption of Carbon Black, estimated at 13.2 million metric tons valued at US$13.7 billion in 2015, is expected to reach 13.9 million metric tons equated to US$14.4 billion in 2016 and further forecast to maintain a CAGR of 5.6% between 2016 and 2022 to reach 19.2 million metric tons equalent of US$20.4 billion by 2022.



This report reviews, analyses and projects the Carbon Black market for global and the regional markets including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and Rest of World. The regional markets further analyzed for 18 independent countries across North America  The United States, Canada and Mexico; Europe  France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom; Asia-Pacific  China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea; South America  Argentina and Brazil.



This 328 page global market research report includes 240 charts (includes a data table and graphical representation for each chart), supported with meaningful and easy to understand graphical presentation, of market numbers. This report profiles 21 key global players and 29 major players across North America  5; Europe  5; and Asia-Pacific  19. The research also provides the listing of the companies engaged in manufacturing and supply of Carbon Black. The global list of companies covers addresses, contact numbers and the website addresses of 180 companies.

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ATLANTA, April 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Joe DeLago, CEO of Good2Go Auto Insurance Company, widely known for its Cell Phone Safety Discount, has issued written pleas to CEOs of American auto manufacturers to eliminate technological distractions from all new vehicles sold. April is nationally recognized as Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Good2Go is fighting to bring awareness to the growing epidemic.

Distracted driving, which occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving task to focus on another activity, such as texting or dialing a cell phone, is a major contributor to auto accidents in the United States. In fact, in 2013, distracted driving caused 10% of fatal crashes and 18% of all injury crashes. Worse, distracted driving contributed to 3,154 deaths and 424,000 injuries in motor vehicle crashes.1

"With thousands of people dying and hundreds of thousands more becoming injured, distracted driving is a huge threat to the safety of American citizens," says DeLago. "It is imperative that we do something to decrease that threat. Good2Go has led the charge on that front with our Cell Phone Safety Discount, but we can't do this alone-- auto manufacturers need to help."

DeLago argues that automakers are actually encouraging distracted driving by creating dashboards with smartphone features and Wi-Fi capability. "As manufacturers continue to cater to millennials, they're adding more and more technology to vehicles. These connected vehicles are drawing drivers away from the ultimate task, driving. Auto manufacturers need to eliminate distractions rather than adding to the problem."

Volkswagen, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Hyundai, Ford, Chevrolet, Kia, and Dodge have all offered models with Bluetooth technology standard since 2013. Even using a hands-free device to control a cell phone can delay a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. Whether the technology is hands-free or not, there is a significant, four-fold increase in accident potential.2 "It is as if auto makers are installing full service bars in lieu of glove compartments in their new cars. Would we, as a society, accept that?" asks DeLago.

Wi-Fi capability is the latest technology being pushed by auto manufacturers. Some makers like Chevrolet cater to parents, with commercials featuring small children using their Wi-Fi connection to power video games. However, children aren't the only ones using the internet. Ford is on the forefront of in-dashboard internet with its SYNC3 system. This kind of interactive technology requires higher-level visual and audio functioning, which distracts the brain from the most important task, which is driving safely.

"At Good2Go, we believe that it is important for auto manufacturers to prioritize the safety of drivers over the attractiveness of technology as a selling feature," says DeLago.

To learn more about Distracted Driving Awareness Month, visit the official US Government website for Distracted Driving: distraction.gov. To find out more about the Good2Go CEO's plea to auto manufacturers, visit Good2Go.com; there you can also learn more about how you can qualify for Good2Go's Cell Phone Safety Discount.

About Good2Go: Based in Atlanta, GA, Good2Go is a member of American Independent Insurance Companies, which offers affordable car insurance online to help uninsured drivers get the car insurance they need to drive legally. Good2Go specializes in minimum liability car insurance, and offers collision and comprehensive coverage. For more information, visit Good2Go.com.

1 U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

2 http://www.distraction.gov/

SOURCE Good2Go
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, September 15, 2016 in US District Court for the District of Columbia, Gilbert R. Chagoury filed a complaint against the United States Government under the Privacy Act and the Judicial Redress Act for leaking false information to the media, causing great damage to his reputation and property, and denying his Constitutional right to due process. The complaint names as defendants, the FBI, the Department of Justice, the National Counter Terrorism Center, the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, the Central Intelligence Agency, and US Customs and Border Protection.

Gilbert Chagoury has an exceptional record of public service and demonstrated commitment to core American values such as religious freedom. As the complaint makes clear, despite his well-known love of the United States and his numerous, generous charitable contributions over 35 years of visiting America, Gilbert Chagoury was denied a visa by the United States Department of State in 2015. This decision was based on false information. This injustice was compounded when anonymous employees of the US Government leaked information to the media about the denial of Mr. Chagoury's visa application, including the false information that led to the visa denial. Because Gilbert Chagoury is a successful businessman, an influential advocate for religious freedom, a global philanthropist and a friend of prominent political leaders including many here in the United States, the LA Times published the story.

"This was a deliberate, outrageous and unlawful leak of information and more importantly, misinformation about Gilbert Chagoury. It violated the Privacy Act, the Judicial Redress Act, and his right to due process. He is suing to recover his reputation and the property and business interests that have been unjustly harmed by this irresponsible action," said Stewart Baker of Steptoe and Johnson, LLP, attorney for Mr. Chagoury.

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C.  552a(b), the FBI, DOJ, NCTC, State Department, DHS, and CBP may not "disclose any record which is contained in a system of records by any means of communication to any person, or to another agency" unless certain exceptions apply. At no point in time did Mr. Chagoury provide the Government with either verbal or written consent to disclose any information or misinformation concerning him to third parties.

While US citizens have long been protected by the Privacy Act, until recently, foreign nationals have not had recourse under that statute when their privacy has been violated by the US Government. The Judicial Redress Act extends those Privacy Act protections to citizens of certain other countries. Signed into law by the President in February 2016, the Judicial Redress Act allows foreign citizens in European countries to sue the United States for unlawful disclosure of personal information under the terms of the Privacy Act. Mr. Chagoury, a citizen of the United Kingdom, is bringing the first suit under the Judicial Redress Act.

"All of my life, from when I was a boy in Nigeria, I have loved America because it was the land of freedom and justice," Chagoury said. "I started coming to the United States over 35 years ago and have done everything I can to help America over my long career. I have close family members who are US citizens. To be falsely linked to terrorism and then have my reputation smeared in the media is an injustice that I could not allow to go unanswered."

"I have always been told that American justice demands due process, yet I was given no explanation for having my visa revoked and no opportunity to rebut these falsehoods before my reputation was dragged through the mud. That is not the America I know and love. I only want to clear my name."

This intentional leak to the media of false information about Mr. Chagoury repeats a similarly unlawful incident from 2010, when he was wrongly placed on the no-fly list, without notice or opportunity to be heard, and his placement on the no-fly list was leaked to the media. When challenged with facts, the U.S. Government reversed that decision, formally apologized and allowed him to travel to the United States, which he did multiple times without incident until recently.

As an important industrialist in Nigeria, and an ambassador to the Holy See and UNESCO, he has assisted the U.S. whenever possible, and U.S. Ambassadors and officials often call him to help solve their problems.

The Chagourys have been coming to Los Angeles for over 35 years. They frequently visit family members who are United States citizens and live in the United States. Their love of America has led the Chagourys to give generously to several American charitable organizations including St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and the Beverly Hills 9-11 Memorial.

CONTACT: Mark Corallo

Corallo Media Strategies, Inc.

703-838-9705

[email protected]

SOURCE Gilbert Chagoury
The SIIA CODiE Awards, http://siia.net/codie , are the premier awards for the software and information industries, and have been recognizing product excellence for over 30 years. The awards offer 91 categories that are organized by industry focus of education technology and business technology. Nintex Workflow was honored as one of 215 finalists across the 62 business technology categories.

"I am amazed by the level of innovation and creativity of the products that have been selected as this year's CODiE Award finalists. We are happy to recognize them for their great contributions and impact they are making on the software, content and business technology industries," said Ken Wasch, President of SIIA.

The Nintex Workflow platform, http://www.nintex.com/workflow-platform, enables organizations to quickly and seamlessly automate a wide range of business processes. IT managers trust Nintex's technology to create secure and scalable workflow solutions for operating departments. Working across large enterprise wide technology ecosystems like Microsoft and Salesforce, Nintex enables companies in over 90 countries to generate greater employee productivity and efficiency. In less than 10 years, Nintex has built a global network of more than 1,500 partners serving over 6,000 customers worldwide. Many Nintex customers run hundreds of workflow each day and there are over one million Nintex workflows which are each run an average of 500 times annually. The success of the Nintex Workflow platform is the result of Nintex's significant investment in a wide range of product development initiatives which have expanded the capabilities and addressable use cases for this platform.

"We've long regarded our workflow platform as something everyone can use to solve a wide range of business problems," said Mike Fitzmaurice, Nintex's Vice President of Workflow Technology. "Nintex is delighted that our technology has been recognized by the SIIA for providing valuable IT service management solutions."

The SIIA CODiE Awards are the software and information industry's only peer-reviewed awards program. The first round review of all nominees is conducted by software and business technology executives with considerable industry expertise, including members of the industry, analysts, media, bloggers, bankers and investors. The judges are responsible for selecting the CODiE Awards finalists. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products and the scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners. Winners will be announced during a virtual award ceremony on May 18.

Details about each finalist are listed at http://www.siia.net/codie/Finalists.

Media Contacts

Kristin Treat Allison Bostrom Nintex Public Relations SIIA Communications [email protected] [email protected] cell: (215) 317-9091 (202) 789-4466

About the SIIA CODiE Awards

The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to showcase business and education technology's finest products and services. Since 1986, thousands of products, services and solutions have been recognized for achieving excellence. For more information, visit siia.net/CODiE.

About Nintex

Nintex, together with its 1,500 partners, helps thousands of customers around the world achieve digital transformation. Operations leaders and IT professionals turn to the Nintex workflow platform to automate processes of all types, pulling together content from disparate sources, from existing enterprise data to content from major ecosystems, such as Microsoft and Salesforce. To learn more visit, www.nintex.com.

Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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EAST HANOVER, N.J., Sept. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis today announced positive results of the Phase III EXPAND study showing that oral once-daily BAF312 (siponimod) significantly reduced the risk of confirmed disability progression compared with placebo in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). SPMS is a form of MS characterized by continuous worsening of neurological function over time, independent of relapses. Topline results of EXPAND were presented at the 32nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in London, UK.

BAF312 is an investigational selective sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator. Initial, first interpretable data from the EXPAND study show:

Treatment with BAF312 reduced the risk of three-month confirmed disability progression by 21% compared with placebo (p=0.013). The risk reduction for six-month confirmed disability progression was greater, further supporting robustness of the data.

A consistent reduction in the risk of three-month confirmed disability progression across predefined subgroups.

A significant difference in favor of BAF312 compared to placebo over 12 and 24 months in annualized relapse rate, the percent change in brain volume, and change from baseline in the volume of T2 lesions (brain lesions identified by a T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scan). The difference in change from baseline in the timed 25-foot walk test (T25FW) was not significant.

BAF312 was generally safe and well tolerated, with a profile comparable to other drugs in the same class.

"There are very few available treatment options to delay disease progression in SPMS, and there is a high unmet need for effective therapies with an acceptable safety profile for people with the condition," said Vasant Narasimhan, Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer for Novartis. "Novartis is the global leader in understanding the role of S1P receptor modulation in the treatment of MS, and the positive results of the EXPAND study are a continuation of our ongoing efforts to innovate and meet the needs of patients. These data are a positive stride forward in an unserved disease area, and we look forward to evaluating next steps with health authorities."

EXPAND is the largest randomized, controlled study in SPMS to date. Patients enrolled in EXPAND were representative of a general SPMS population. They must have been diagnosed with SPMS and also demonstrated progression of disability in the two years prior to study. The majority of patients had non-relapsing SPMS. The mean age at study entry was 48 years, and patients had a median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 6.0, which corresponds to the use of a walking aid.

Novartis will complete full analyses of the EXPAND data and evaluate next steps in consultation with health authorities. The full study results, including data from primary and secondary endpoints, will be submitted for publication.

About the EXPAND Study

The EXPAND study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study, comparing the efficacy and safety of BAF312 versus placebo in people with secondary progressive MS (SPMS). It is the largest randomized, controlled study in SPMS to date, and included 1,651 people with SPMS from 31 countries. At the time of the study, individuals enrolled in EXPAND had a mean age of 48 years and had been living with MS for approximately 17 years. Patients had received a diagnosis of SPMS, and also demonstrated progression of disability in the two years prior to study. They also had an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score between 3.0 and 6.5 inclusive, with a median score of 6.0, which corresponds to the use of a walking aid. Patients were randomized to receive either 2mg BAF312 or placebo in a 2:1 ratio, respectively.

The primary endpoint of the study was the time to three-month confirmed disability progression, as measured by the EDSS, versus placebo. Secondary endpoints included delay in the time to six-month confirmed disability progression based on EDSS versus placebo, the time to confirmed worsening of at least 20% from baseline in the timed 25-foot walk test (T25FW), T2 lesion volume, annualized relapse rate (ARR), and the safety and tolerability of BAF312 in people with SPMS.

About BAF312 (siponimod)

BAF312 (siponimod) is an investigational selective modulator of specific types of the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor. The S1P receptor is commonly found on the surface of specific cells residing in the central nervous system (CNS), that are responsible for causing CNS damage that drives loss of function in secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In-vitro studies show that BAF312 enters the brain and by binding to these specific receptors, may prevent the activation of these harmful cells, helping to reduce loss of physical and cognitive function associated with SPMS.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that disrupts the normal functioning of the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord through inflammation and tissue loss. The evolution of MS results in an increasing loss of both physical (e.g., walking) and cognitive (e.g., memory) function. There are three types of MS: relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS).

SPMS is characterized by gradual worsening of neurological function over time. This leads to a progressive accumulation of disability, independent of relapses, which can severely affect patients' abilities to carry out everyday activities. It usually follows an initial phase of RRMS, which accounts for approximately 85% of all MS diagnoses; a quarter of people with RRMS will eventually go on to develop SPMS within 10 years of their initial RRMS diagnosis, rising to more than three-quarters after 30 years. There remains a high unmet need for effective and safe treatments to help delay disability progression in SPMS.

MS affects around 400,000 people in the US.

About Novartis in Multiple Sclerosis

The Novartis multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio includes Gilenya (fingolimod, an S1P modulator), which is indicated for relapsing forms of MS and is also in development for pediatric MS. Extavia (interferon beta-1b for subcutaneous injection) is approved in the US for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS. In Europe, Extavia is approved to treat people with relapsing-remitting MS, secondary progressive MS (SPMS) with active disease and people who have had a single clinical event suggestive of MS.

In addition to BAF312 (siponimod) in development in SPMS, investigational compounds include ofatumumab (OMB157), a fully human monoclonal antibody in development for relapsing MS. Ofatumumab targets CD20, and is currently being investigated in two Phase III pivotal studies.

In the US, the Sandoz Division of Novartis markets Glatopa (glatiramer acetate injection) 20mg/mL, the first generic version of Teva's Copaxone* 20mg.

Disclaimer

The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by words such as "continues," "investigational," "continuation," "ongoing efforts," "stride forward," "look forward," "next steps," "will," "in development," "being investigated," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals for BAF312 and OMB157, potential new indications or labeling for Gilenya or Extavia, or regarding potential future revenues from BAF312, Gilenya, Extavia, OMB157 and Glatopa. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that BAF312 or OMB157 will be approved for sale in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that Gilenya or Extavia will be submitted or approved for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that any of BAF312, Gilenya, Extavia, OMB157 or Glatopa will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, management's expectations regarding such products and investigational compounds could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including unexpected clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the company's ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; general economic and industry conditions; global trends toward health care cost containment, including ongoing pricing pressures; unexpected safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation offers a broad range of medicines for cancer, cardiovascular disease, endocrine disease, inflammatory disease, infectious disease, neurological disease, organ transplantation, psychiatric disease, respiratory disease and skin conditions.

Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis AG, which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care and cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2015, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.4 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 8.9 billion (USD 8.7 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 118,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are available in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact [email protected]

*Copaxone is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: [email protected]

Eric Althoff Novartis Global Media Relations +41 61 324 7999 (direct) +41 79 593 4202 (mobile) [email protected] Christine Cascio Novartis Division Communications 862 778 8026 (direct) 862 926 7992 (mobile) [email protected]

Novartis Investor Relations

Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

E-mail: [email protected]

Central

North America

Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944 Richard Pulik +1 212 830 2448 Pierre-Michel Bringer +41 61 324 1065 Sloan Pavsner +1 212 830 2417 Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425



Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188





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WESTERVILLE, Ohio, Sept. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SalesFuel is pleased to announce their expanded relationship with Digital First Media, who has secured a corporate subscription to SalesFuel's AdMall PRO product.

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AdMall is the sales intelligence leader for local media & digital marketing used by more than 3,000 media properties. It ensures account executives are prepared to speak intelligently about every advertiser's line of business, their customers, competitors and sales-building opportunities.

Digital First says the driving factor for the purchase on the client side was the "Digital Audit" feature of AdMall PRO. This provides a real-time data capture of a client's or prospect's digital presence in less than a minute, while incorporating category-specific audience behavior within the analysis. AdMall PRO also provides sales teams with access to category intelligence, presentation development, a co-op database, and thematic mapping to complete the sales conversation.

"This partnership represents a major benchmark in the growth of our company", says SalesFuel CEO C. Lee Smith. "Adding all of Digital First to our stable of clients including Gannett, McClatchy, Gatehouse, CNHI and BH Media means we can count virtually every large newspaper company in the country as corporate AdMall clients. This shows the power our products have in helping sales teams hit revenue goals and to find new ways to sell. Digital revenue is the future and all reps need to know how to close that business."

Previously, SalesFuel had the MediaNews Group division of Digital First Media as an AdMall client. This new contract at Digital First Media adds all of the MediaNews Group properties with an upgrade to AdMall PRO and adds the entire 21st Century Media group (formerly Journal-Register) as brand new AdMall PRO clients.

Digital First Media has 800 multi-media platforms including web, mobile, social and print. Its assets have won a combined 49 Pulitzers, employ more than 10,000 people and serve more than 75 million customers monthly.

About SalesFuel

SalesFuel provides more than 3,000 sales teams nationwide with "The Power to Sell Smarter" through its unique portfolio of sales tools, training and intelligence. This empowers sales teams to provide value-first to their accounts, stand out from their competition and attract a higher level of talent and clientele.

SalesFuel is best known for its AdMall product line for media sales and agency new business hunters and its AudienceSCAN line of marketing research and customer purchase intent data. The company's current core products also include the SalesFuel API as well as Gitomer Certified Sales Training. SalesFuel's consulting partners can provide assistance with strategic planning, pricing models, compensation/incentive programs and digital marketing.

Thought leadership is delivered free-of-charge through the firm's many white papers and daily sales briefings at SalesFuel.com. SalesFuel also produces the MediaSalesToday.com e-publication, which is updated several times daily for media sales professionals across North America.

For more information, visit our website at www.salesfuel.com.

About AdMall

AdMall is the sales intelligence leader for local media & digital marketing used by more than 3,000 media properties nationwide, including: television, cable, newspaper, digital, direct response, out-of-home, radio, cinema, local search, and magazine. Additional information on AdMall and a free trial for qualified companies can be found at AdMall.com.

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SOURCE SalesFuel, Inc.
NEW YORK, April 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Terrorist attacks using Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), People Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (PBIED) and Vehicle-Borne Explosives (VBIED) have challenged homeland-security agencies, military strategists and field commanders for decades. In encounters wherever nations had overwhelming combat power, their adversaries resorted to a much simpler combat techno-tactic: the use of (Kamikaze-like) suicide bombers, vehicle-borne explosives and roadside IEDs.



According to the Chicago Project on Security & Terrorism 2015 reports, in 2014 alone, there were 424 confirmed PBIED & VBIED suicide attacks  an increase of 90% over the 223 suicide attacks in 2011  causing the death of 3,554 people by 2014 vs. 2,027 in 2011. MEA (especially the GCC) governments are ready to invest whatever it takes to defeat (or at least cap) this epidemic.



The purpose of standoff PBIED, VBIED and weapon detection technologies is to determine at a safe distance if a human subject or a vehicle are carrying explosives or weapons. Concealed explosives detection is perceived as one of the greatest challenges facing the counter-terror and military communities. The threat posed by suicide bombers is the key to the emergence of transformational counter-terror technologies and tactics. The maturity and deployment of advanced standoff detection technologies, capable of detecting suicide bombers and other terrorists at a safe distance, will change the landscape of homeland security and asymmetric warfare.



According to the Standoff IED, Person-Borne & Vehicle-Borne Explosives & Weapon Detection: Technologies & Middle East & Africa Market  2015-2020 report, the cumulative 2015-2020 revenues will reach more than $1.8 Billion.



The report examines each dollar spent in the market via 2 orthogonal money trails:



1. By 6 Technology Markets:

1. Walk-By Explosives & Weapon Sensing Systems

2. Pass-through Threat Detection Corridors

3. Standoff PBIED Detection

4. Standoff VBIED Detection

5. Standoff IED Detection

6. Other Technologies

2. By 4 Revenue Sources:



- Government Funded R&D

- Government Funded Testing & Evaluation

- New Systems Sales

- Aftersale Revenues



This Standoff IED, Person-Borne & Vehicle-Borne Explosives & Weapon Detection: Technologies and Middle East & Africa Market  2015-2020 report is a resource for executives with interests in the industry. It has been explicitly customized for decision makers to enable them to identify business opportunities, developing technologies, market trends and risks, as well as to benchmark business plans.



Questions answered in this 215-page report include:



- What will the MEA market size be in 2015-2020?

- What are the main Standoff IED, Person-Borne & Vehicle-Borne Explosives & Weapon Detection technology trends?

- Where and what are the market opportunities?

- What are the market drivers and inhibitors?

- Who are the key vendors?

- What are the business and technological challenges?



The Standoff IED, Person-Borne & Vehicle-Borne Explosives & Weapon Detection: Technologies and Middle East & Africa Market  2015-2020 report presents in 215 pages, 20 tables and 97 figures, analysis of current and pipeline technologies and 18 leading vendors. This report, granulated into 10 submarkets, provides for each submarket 2013-2014 data, analyses; and projects the 2015-2020 market and technologies from several perspectives, including:



- Business opportunities and challenges

- SWOT analysis

- Market analysis (e.g., market dynamics, market drivers and inhibitors)



The report presents:



- Current and pipeline technologies:

1. Standoff Walk-by & Pass-through Threat Detection Corridors:

Walk-through Corridors  Active Electromagnetic Weapons Detection, Passive Electro Magnetic Signature Corridor, Standoff Passive MMWave Doorways, Focal Plane Array Passive MMWave, Walk-through Corridors  Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy Systems, Covert Walk-through Biometric Identification Corridors, Fused Standoff PBIED Detection &Video-based Biometrics, Walk-by Active Centimeter Range (Ku band) Microwave System

2. Open Space Standoff Explosives & Weapon Detection:

Bi-Modal Standoff Open Space IED, PBIED, VBIED  Explosives & Weapon Detection Systems

3. Standoff Vehicle-Borne Explosives Detection:

Standoff Raman Spectroscopy Based VBIED Detection

4. UGV Standoff IED, Person-Borne & Vehicle-Borne Explosives & Weapon Detection:

UGV detection Expectation Management systems, UGV Management software, UGV Mobility technology, Pipeline UGV IED, PBIED & VBIED Detection technologies, Cobham Antenna Technology, IAI CIMS Systems, Standoff MMWave IED Detection robots.

5. Multi-Modal Fused Standoff IED, Person-Borne & Vehicle-Borne Explosives & Weapon Detection:

The CounterBomber Technology Standoff Active MMWave, Standoff Passive MMWave Imaging, Standoff MMWave PBIED Gait signatures Detection technologies, Infra-red Standoff Detection, Standoff Terahertz, Laser-Based Explosives Detection technologies, Standoff Raman Spectroscopy, Standoff Non-linear Wave Mixing Detection Technology, Standoff Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Explosives Detection, Triple Modality Standoff Detection Technology, Differential Phase-Contrast X-ray Imaging, The University of Puerto Rico Advanced standoff Detection Techniques, Rydberg Spectroscopy/Microwave Scattering Based Detection



- Key Vendors: Alakai Defense Systems, APSTEC Systems, BAE Systems, Boeing, ChemImage Sensor Systems (CISS), Cobham plc, Flir, Fluidmesh Networks, Genia Photonics, GE Security, Honeywell, IAI, Implant Sciences Corporation, Raytheon, SAGO Systems, TeraView, ThruVision Systems, Rafael.



For readers who wish to acquire more information, the report includes 8 in-depth appendices:



1. R&D Programs and Projects

2. The Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO)

3. Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED)

4. Guided Aerial IEDs

5. 2014 IED, PBIED & VBIED Attacks

6. Suicide Terrorism

7. The U.S. PBIED, VBIED & IED Detection Eco-System

8. Short Term Global Geopolitical Outlook





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WASHINGTON, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Thycotic, a provider of privileged account management (PAM) solutions for more than 3,500 organizations worldwide, today unveiled Secret Server 9.0, the latest version of the company's flagship solution which enables businesses of all sizes to store, distribute, change and audit passwords in a secure environment. Secret Server 9.0 provides organizations with a fundamental security layer to protect against cyber-attacks that target privileged accounts to get at critical information assets within an organization.

Thycotic's strengthened solution continues to provide protection of privileged accounts while being the fastest to deploy, easiest to use, scalable enterprise-class solution offered at a competitive price. With it, Secret Server 9.0 brings three additional, major features to its customer base.

"Whether an IT manager needs to have multiple sites, meet uptime SLAs, a global IT team that needs guaranteed access, a limit on what vendors can do on UNIX systems, or need to manage sessions for IT admins using Macs, Secret Server 9.0 now provides the capabilities to do all of the above and more," said Ben Yoder, Product Manager at Thycotic.

Major enhancements of Secret Server 9.0 include:

Geo Replicated Databases

Geo Replication leverages Microsoft's SQL Server Replication to let each site have its own database, so even if the primary site goes down or the remote sites don't have external internet access they can still use Secret Server.

UNIX Command Whitelisting - SUPM

With its UNIX Privilege Management product module, Secret Server administrators build a UNIX command whitelist. When a user runs an SSH launcher, they are limited to a subset of commands while operating as root. This works on any device that uses SSH, such as network equipment, UNIX, and Macs.

Mac Session Launcher

With its Mac Session launcher, Secret Server 9.0 Provides a Mac Launcher with the same feature set as Windows Session Launcher, including session recording, proxying, and launching of custom Mac applications.

"These new enhancements allow users to grant access and protection even if the network between sites goes down. They also increase and broaden overall security with specific control management and cross platform support," said Jonathan Cogley, Founder and CTO of Thycotic. "Our customers will continue to see the benefits of Secret Server with our latest updates and will now be able to meet industry standard compliance regulations and policies for Unix SUPM."

To learn more about Thycotic and their PAM solutions, please visit the company's website and follow Thycotic on Twitter at @Thycotic. For more information on Secret Server 9.0, please visit http://bit.ly/23bR51E.

About Thycotic

Thycotic, a global leader in IT security, is the fastest growing provider of Privilege Management solutions that protect an organization's most valuable assets from cyber-attacks and insider threats. Thycotic secures privileged account access for more than 3,500 organizations worldwide, including Fortune 500 enterprises. Thycotic's award winning Privilege Management Security solutions minimize privileged credential risk, limits user privileges and controls applications on endpoints and servers. Thycotic was founded in 1996 with corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C. and global offices in the U.K. and Australia. For more information, please visit www.thycotic.com.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Kahan Jacqueline Velasco Thycotic Gutenberg Communications T: 202-802-9399 T: 408-680-0564 E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

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BOSTON, April 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- World-renowned Tivoli Audio, known for its iconic design and quality sound, announces new product launches and changes in management for 2016.

This year will prove to be pivotal for Tivoli Audio as they release their first limited edition model and product line since transitioning ownership in May 2015. Tivoli will be presenting the new line, designed by VP of Development Paul DePasquale, to exclusive partners while at the High End Munich trade fair in May 2016. Tivoli Audio promises modern technology, offering a user-friendly audio experience, while mixing in their penchant for design driven aesthetics and quality, which put the brand on the map.

DePasquale, 10-year veteran of Tivoli Audio, whose career consists of audio engineering, product development, and sales management, understands what makes the brand special. "While developing this product line we wanted to inject technology into the brand while staying true to its roots: expressing audio as Art," says DePasquale.

In addition to the new path for Tivoli Audio products, Silvio M. Pupino, who successfully launched Tivoli Audio to a worldwide audience, will rejoin the company as VP of International Sales. "I believe in the future success of the brand and am excited to help drive Tivoli into the future of home audio," says Pupino.

DePasquale, Pupino, and Daniel Atanasov, VP of Finance who also leads operations and logistics, will be directing Tivoli Audio. "Tivoli Audio is driven by its team of talented and dedicated employees who value the importance of thinking bigger, exploring new ideas, new partnerships, and never forgetting the finer detail of what actually makes a manufacturer a brand," says DePasquale. "Fifteen years after the company's inception, Tivoli Audio continues to create simple to use, beautifully crafted, high quality products, by leveraging technology without sacrificing design."

For more information regarding Tivoli Audio, visit tivoliaudio.com

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BOCA RATON, Fla., April 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TransMedia Group today named international marketing, communications and corporate business development expert Sonja Warner Vice President of Global Corporate Communications. Warner, who has a Ph.D, an MBA and M.A. in communications, brings fluency in Russian and four other languages to the expanding international PR firm (www.transmediagroup.com).

"Dr. Warner brings to TransMedia Group impressive cross-functional experience in Organizational Development, Change Management, Global Communications and Start-Up Operations," said TransMedia CEO Tom Madden. "We're elated to have someone so well-versed in Global Marketing, Brand Development and Launch, Strategic Analysis and Planning, join our firm at time we're growing so rapidly internationally."

She has an M.A. in Communications, M.A. in Computer Science and an M.B.A. and is a Change Management Certified Specialist and a Six Sigma Lean Professional and Six Sigma Black Belt Professional. She is fluent in English, German, Russian, Croatian and Ukrainian.



Among clients Warner has advised on Organizational Development and Change Management Processes have included such leading global companies as Berlin Chemie Menarini Group, Mili Healthcare, Schwarzkopf Henkel, Robert Bosch Corp., Microsoft, Buderus, DHL, Hyundai, KIA, Ukrprominvest, Alfa Bank, Raiffeisen Bank and Swedbank.



Her experience includes Managing Partner of Worldwide Innovative Communications, Inc., a strategic communications agency with global experience and presence supporting U.S. companies in their global initiatives, and, opposite- introduce and develop international business in North America. Sonja's consulting work focuses on organizational development, corporate communications, marketing and strategic solutions for her clients, including leading manufacturers and companies worldwide.

About TransMedia Group

TransMedia Group is a full-service, multi-lingual international public relations firm serving clients worldwide since 1981.

Media contact: Adrienne Mazzone 561-750-9800 x2270; [email protected].

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If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Patna, Sep 13 : Reacting to repeated attacks on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by RJD leaders, the Congress on Tuesday dared the Lalu Prasad-led party to quit the grand alliance.

Congress state President Ashok Choudhary said: "If there is a problem with or complaint against Nitish Kumar, then the RJD is free to exit the grand alliance-led-government."

The Congress is an ally of the grand alliance of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and RJD in the state.

Choudhary said it was unfair of the RJD to criticise Nitish Kumar despite being a part of the state government and the ruling alliance. "There is an attempt to tarnish the image of Nitish Kumar," he said.

RJD Vice President and former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and former MP Mohammad Shahabuddin had taken jibes at Nitish Kumar, calling him "Chief Minister of circumstances".

The JD-U on Monday appealed to Lalu Prasad to restrain senior leaders of his party from speaking out publicly against Nitish Kumar.
New Delhi, Sep 15 : The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside the death sentence of a Kerala man accused of rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in 2011, exonerating him of murder charges but said he would undergo life imprisonment for rape.

Govindaswamy had been convicted and sentenced to death by a trial court, and the sentence was confirmed by the Kerala High Court.

The apex court on Thursday set aside the death sentence for murder but upheld conviction and sentencing for rape and other charges.

Govindaswamy had raped and murdered the victim when she was travelling by train from Ernakulam to Shornur on February 1, 2011, to attend her betrothal ceremony the following day.

Govindaswamy first tried to rob her in a deserted ladies compartment, and when she resisted he assaulted her and threw her out of the moving train. He alighted from the train and brutally raped the unconscious and badly injured victim. The crime took place between Vallathol Nagar Railway Station and Shornur. She died a few days later.

"The sentence of death for commission of offence under Section 302 IPC is set aside ...," said the bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Prafulla C. Pant and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit while upholding the conviction of Govindaswamy for rape under Section 376 (Punishment for rape) IPC.

Speaking for the bench, Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "We are of the view that not only the offence under Section 376 IPC was committed by the accused, the same was so committed in a most brutal and grotesque manner which would justify the imposition of life sentence as awarded by the learned trial court and confirmed by the High Court."

Upholding Govindaswamy's conviction and sentencing for rape, the bench in its judgment said, "So far as the offence under Section 376 IPC is concerned, from a consideration of the post-mortem report, DNA Profile and the evidence of (prosecution witnesses) there can be no manner of doubt that it is the accused... who had committed the said offence."

"The DNA profile... clinches the issue and makes the liability of the accused explicit, leaving no scope for any doubt or debate in the matter," the bench said.

On the question whether the man was responsible for injury caused by the fall of the woman from the moving train, the court said, unless the fall can be attributed to Govindaswamy based on "cogent and reliable evidence" the "liability of the accused for the said injury may not necessary follow".

The court said what has also to be ruled out is the possibility of the deceased herself jumping out of the train.

Discussing the evidence, the judgment said, "The fact that the deceased survived for a couple of days after the incident and eventually died in hospital would also clearly militate against any intention of the accused to cause death by the act of keeping the deceased in a supine position."

Holding that Govindaswamy could not be held liable for the injury caused by the fall of the victim, the judgment said, "We are...of the view that the offence under Section 302 IPC cannot be held to be made out against the accused so as to make him liable therefore. Rather, we are of the view that the acts of assault, etc. attributable to the accused would more appropriately attract the offence under Section 325 IPC (Punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt)."

While setting aside the conviction for murder under Section 302 IPC, the court altered it with Section 325 (Punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of IPC.

The top court has maintained the conviction of Govindaswamy under Section 376 (Punishment for rape), Section 394 (Voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) read with Section 397 (Robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), and Section 447 (Punishment for criminal trespass) of IPC.

All the sentences imposed shall run concurrently, the bench said.
New Delhi, Sep 15 : Nepal's new Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' arrived here on Thursday on a four-day state visit to India.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj received him at the airport, ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Prachanda, elected Prime Minister on August 4, has come to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is accompanied by his wife Sita Dahal.

The couple will stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as state guests.

Prachanda is scheduled to meet Modi on Friday. He will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee and several union ministers during the September 15-18 visit.

"I am confident that the visit would not only normalise the relations that experienced some bitterness in the past, but also build a strong foundation for mutual trust," Prachanda said earlier.

During the visit, both sides will discuss more support for reconstruction in the wake of the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal, agreements related to hydroelectricity and a postal highway.

Prachanda is also scheduled to meet Nepal citizens based in India and attend a reception at the Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi.

On Friday, Prachanda is scheduled to meet Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal. On Saturday, he will meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

He will also be visiting Himachal Pradesh to see the Nathpa Jhakri hydropower project.
Chennai, Sep 15 : Normal life is likely to be hit in Tamil Nadu on Friday due to a general strike called to demand Cauvery water from Karnataka and to protest against attacks on Tamils there.

Private milk and petrol distributors, auto-rickshaw and omni bus drivers, traders and others have announced their participation in the shut down.

Barring the ruling AIADMK, which is silent on extending support to the strike, all major political parties have extended support to the strike.

Most private schools have declared a holiday on Friday.

Around 4,500 privately-owned fuel outlets would be closed from morning till evening on Friday.

But all company-owned, company-operated fuel outlets of Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum would be open on Friday, said U.V. Mannur, state-level co-ordinator for Oil Industry and Executive Director Indian Oil.

Many shops are likely to remain closed on Friday as members of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Traders Association are also taking part in the shutdown.

Vegetable wholesale markets are also likely to remain closed.

DMDK founder A. Vijaykant will launch a hunger strike with his party colleagues here.

Police said they were taking steps to prevent untoward incidents. Additional security will be provided to organisations owned by Kannadigas.
Bengaluru, Sep 15 : Motorists with vehicles registered in Karnataka took off their number plates while driving through or entering Tamil Nadu during the Cauvery riots, a Bengaluru resident said on Thursday.

A company executive based here was caught up in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu during the violence in both states and spent a night in a hotel in the city to escape mobs targeting vehicles with Karnataka (KA) number plates.

Widespread violence had broken out in the capital and southern Karnataka on Monday over the apex court order to release Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, with angry Kannadiga protesters torching over 30 buses of a Tamil-owned bus depot in Bengaluru.

A few hundred protesters entered the bus depot and reportedly manhandled the drivers and other employees there.

Hotel staff in Coimbatore had advised the executive to park his vehicle underground to escape notice.

"As I finally left Coimbatore for Bengaluru, I was stopped by Tamil Nadu police personnel who warned that they could not guarantee safety to my car because of the Karnataka number plate," the executive told IANS asking not to be named.

"I kept driving... As I reached Salem, another group of Tamil Nadu policemen told me to remove the KA number plate. I did that, only to find that numerous vehicles were plying similarly without number plates.

"Clearly, all of them were from Karnataka, either on their way out of or had just entered Tamil Nadu, and had been given the same instruction," the executive said.

When mobs in Karnataka attacked vehicles with Tamil Nadu (TN) number plates during the Cauvery row, there was counter violence in Tamil Nadu where Karnataka (KA) vehicles were targeted.

Violence had erupted after a group of unidentified assailants attacked the New Woodlands Hotel, owned by a Kannadiga, in Mylapore in Chennai.

In Karnataka, the violence started soon after the Supreme Court ordered the state to release 12,000 cusecs of the river water daily till September 20, modifying its earlier order to release 15,000 cusecs.

Angry protesters in Bengaluru took to streets and initially targetted trucks bearing Tamil Nadu registration numbers and also attacked hotels and shops in localities where more Tamils reside across the city.

As per the 2011 census, around 2.5 million of the 10-million people in the city are Tamils, constituting the second largest community after Kannadigas.

Vehicular traffic on the busy 150 km Bengaluru-Mysuru state highway had came to a standstill as hundreds staged demonstrations at Ramanagaram, Kengeri, Mandya and Srirangapatna against the court order. Violence began subsiding on Tuesday after curfew was imposed.

According to the executive, some motorists managed to procure Kerala (KL) number plates from wayside shops to give their vehicles a sense of "neutrality" in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

"This could have happened only in India," he said, after reaching Bengaluru. "Where else would police tell motorists to drive without number plates?"
New Delhi, Sep 15 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday registered a case in connection with the murder of Bihar journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, an official said.

Informed sources said a CBI team had reached Siwan to probe the case.

The CBI took over the case from Siwan police which had registered a case on May 13. Police had said Ranjan's killing was part of a premeditated conspiracy.

The central agency registered the case under Sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 34 (act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 27 of the Arms Act against unknown assailants on the request of the Bihar government and further notification issued by the Centre.

Ranjan was shot dead on May 13 in a busy market place near Station Road in Siwan district of Bihar.

Ranjan was the Siwan bureau chief of Hindi newspaper Hindustan, a part of the Hindustan Times Media company.

The state government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising two Deputy Superintendents of Police, three Inspectors and five Sub-Inspectors to trace the killers.

Siwan Police had registered the case on a complaint of Ranjan's wife Asha Ranjan.

Asha urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday to ensure justice to her following the release of former Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Mohammad Shahabuddin from jail.

Shahabuddin, who is alleged to be behind Ranjan's killing, was released on bail on September 10 by the Patna High Court.
New Delhi, Sep 15 : Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with his Nepalese counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" on Friday, India on Thursday said that it would like to know the priorities of the new dispensation that is in place in Kathmandu.

"Primarily the reason for this visit is for us to meet and greet the new Prime Minister of Nepal and to understand from him first hand what are the priorities of the Nepalese government in terms of development, reconstruction," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in his weekly media briefing here.

He said that India has offered assistance of $1 billion following the devastating earthquake in April last year "of which very little has been utilised".

"The idea is for us to meet Prachanda, to convey to him our continued interest in the stability, peace and prosperity of Nepal and to learn from him first hand what are his developmental priorities,which are the areas he wants to focus on and where Indian assistance can provide the maximum benefit to the people and government of Nepal," Swarup said.

Prachanda arrived here on Thursday on a four-day visit to India.

The new Maoist-led government in Nepal assumed power early last month after the ouster of K.P. Sharma Oli as Prime Minister.

After the talks between Modi and Prachanda on Friday, the two sides are expected to sign some agreements.

During the course of his stay here, the visiting dignitary will also hold meetings with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal apart from calling on President Pranab Mukherjee.

On Friday evening, he will attend a joint business event organised by Assocham.

On Saturday, he will visit the Nathpa Jhakri hydro power project on the Sutlej river in Himachal Pradesh before returning to Nepal on Sunday.
Washington, Sep 16 : WikiLeaks whistleblower and former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden hit back on Friday at a House Intelligence Committee report that described him as a "disgruntled employee" and not a "principled whistleblower".

Snowden mocked the committee's findings on Twitter, challenging several points.

"The claim I "doctored performance evaluations?" This one is amazing: I reported an XSS (hacking) vulnerability in CIA annual review system," Snowden said.

A summary of the 36-page two-year report, said Snowden "was a disgruntled employee who had frequent conflicts with his managers and was reprimanded just two weeks before he began illegally downloading classified documents".

The report said Snowden "doctored his performance evaluations" and exaggerated his resume to obtain "new positions at the NSA".

"He took advantage of its access as network administrator to search hard drives on his colleagues' computers," it stated.

According to Snowden, he "could go on".

"Bottom line: after 'two years of investigation', the American people deserve better. This report diminishes the committee," he said in his concluding tweet.

The report released on September 15, came as Snowden supporters have launched a major push to have him pardoned before US President Barack Obama leaves office, and as Hollywood film "Snowden" hits theatres in the US.

"Edward Snowden is no hero -- he's a traitor who wilfully betrayed his colleagues and his country," The Telegraph UK quoted Devin Nunes, the Intelligence Committee chairman, as saying.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told the media on September 12 that Snowden is "charged with serious crimes, and it's the policy of the [Obama] administration that Snowden should return to the US and face those charges", ABC news reported.

Snowden on September 13, laid out his case for presidential pardon stating that though his actions were against the law, they changed the nation for the better.
Dhaka, Sep 16 : At least 17 persons were killed and many injured in separate road accidents in Bangladesh on Friday.

Eight persons were killed when a bus hit a mini bus in Brahmanbaria district, 109 km northeast of Dhaka, Xinhua news agency reported.

Four persons were killed as a bus rammed a three-wheeler in Madaripur district while others five were killed in Tangail district when a bus skidded off the road.
Chennai, Sep 16 : The dawn-to-dusk shut down strike called in Tamil Nadu by various organisations representing farmers, traders, transporters and others evoked a good response and ended peacefully on Friday.

Meanwhile, a man who had set himself on fire on Tursday to protest Karnataka's attitude to water-sharing succumbed to his injuries on Friday.

A majority of the shops, private schools, transport services like auto-rickshaws and private buses, and fuel outlets did not function in support of the shutdown, called to demand Cauvery river water and protest against attacks on Tamils and their property in Karnataka.

Several buses and trucks from Tamil Nadu were burnt to ashes by the hooligans in Karnataka over Supreme Court's order to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu couple of days back. There were also incidents of Tamil Nadu truck drivers humiliated and assaulted by the demonstrators in Karnataka.

Police took into custody leaders and cadres of DMK, MDMK and other parties who tried to stage demonstrations onrailway tracks and roads. Across the state, police took into custody several thousands belonging different organisations.

Normally-crowded places like bus stands, commercial centres and roads wore a deserted look across the state even as a large number of policemen were deployed outside the stands, railway stations and other places.

While public transports, government offices, schools, colleges, banks and others carried on with their routine, a majority of shops remained closed across the state.

Many private schools also declared holiday while majority of auto-rickshaws, taxis and private buses remained off the roads.

The vegetable wholesale market in Koyambedu here was closed.

However, essentials like milk delivery by the state government undertaking Aavin was not affected, though supplies by private dairies were affected.

Privately-owned fuel outlets remained shut but those owned by the oil marketing companies were functioning.

Barring the ruling AIADMK party that remained silent on the issue of shutdown, all other major political parties had extended their support.

The BJP, while supporting the strike cause, condemned those organisations that planned demonstrations outside the central government offices.

In Trichy, MDMK leader Vaiko was prevented by police from holding protest blocking the rail traffic.

Speaking to the media, Vaiko said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government is also adopting the same policy like the earlier Congress government when it comes to the Cauvery river water sharing issue.

The central government is not setting up the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority, he said.

In Chennai, the DMDK party held a hunger strike while its founder A. Vijaykant citing health reasons did not participate in the protest as announced earlier.

DMK leader M.K. Stalin tried to hold protest in Egmore Railway Station but was taken into custody by police. Party's Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi was also protesting and taken into custody.

Vignesh, who attempted self-immolation here on Thursday protesting against Karnataka's attitude towards sharing of Cauvery river water, succumbed to his burn injuries on Friday.

In the neighbouring Puducherry too shops remained closed while the government buses operated in lower numbers and private transport services remained off the roads.

Meanwhile Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa announced release of water from Mettur Dam for Samba rice cultivation.

She said the water level in Mettur Dam is 84.76 feet. Hoping for further release of water from Karnataka as per apex court orders and expected water release order from Cauvery Supervisory Committee, Jayalalithaa said water from Mettur Dam is being released.
Lucknow, Sep 16 : Patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav appeared to have worked out a truce in the warring Samajwadi Party on Friday amid signs that his disgruntled brother Shivpal Yadav could get back the plum cabinet portfolios taken away by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

And even as Akhilesh Yadav said publicly that he wanted to have the final say in picking candidates in next year's assembly elections, Mulayam Singh ordered that sacked Mining Minister Gayatri Prajapati - a Shivpal protege - should get his job back.

Mulayam Singh also told party activists that the Samajwadi Party would remain united as long as he was around.

Both Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav vowed to abide by whatever Mulayam Singh decreed. But the Chief Minister said he felt "bad" the way he was replaced as the state party president with Shivpal Yadav on Tuesday that brought the family feud out in the open.

Having already rejected Shivpal Yadav's resignation as the state party chief, Mulayam Singh added that Akhilesh Yadav would call on Shivpal, the Chief Minister's uncle. He added that his son would never defy him.

Akhilesh Yadav also rejected Shivpal Yadav's resignation from the cabinet as PWD Minister and pledged to follow his father's word. But he didn't give any indication that he was ready to totally back off.

Akhilesh Yadav told India TV: "I am ready to return party posts and even portfolios but I must have the power to distribute tickets because the forthcoming poll is after all a test for me and my party."

Asked how he would respond if someone demanded the Chief Minister's post, Akhilesh Yadav replied: "Probably I will give away that too, provided the one who wants it really deserves it."

Many in the Samajwadi Party appeared to feel that Akhilesh Yadav had been forced to backtrack vis-a-vis Shivpal Yadav by Mulayam Singh, who retained Shivpal Yadav as the state party chief.

Earlier, hundreds of Shivpal Yadav supporters massed outside his residence and raised anti-Akhilesh slogans demanding that all the departments be restored to their leader.

They accused Akhilesh Yadav of humiliating Shivpal Yadav and insisted that the Chief Minister should apologize to his uncle by touching his feet.

More than two dozen Samajwadi Party legislators and Uttar Pradesh assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey met Shivpal Yadav.

Some Shivpal supporters also demanded action against party General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, who on Thursday termed Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh as the villain in the entire sordid episode.

Shivpal Yadav told his supporters that he would always stand by Mulayam Singh but made no mention of Akhilesh Yadav and asked the gathering not to do anything that hurts the party's image.

"Hum sab Netaji ke saath hain (We are all with Mulayam)," he said.

Akhilesh said: "It is my responsibility as a son to accept Netaji's decision. I accept Netaji's decision to bring Gayatri Prajapati back into cabinet.

"It is election time. We should all come together and work. There is no fight between Ramgopal Yadav, Akhilesh and Shivpal."

The war within the Samajwadi Party erupted on Tuesday when Akhilesh Yadav ousted the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, another Shivpal protege, after earlier showing the door to Prajapati.

Mulayam Singh then replaced Akhilesh Yadav as the state party chief with Shivpal Yadav. Hours later, a furious Chief Minister took away key portfolios held by Shivpal Yadav, igniting an unprecedented crisis in the Samajwadi Party.
Canberra, Sep 17 : A controversial Australian senator has hired a former advisor to US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation Party which holds four seats in the Australian senate, is expected to announce the identity of the former Trump adviser on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The appointment was confirmed by Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby at a community forum in northern Queensland on Friday night.

"Just on the economic things, tomorrow (Saturday) there'll be a front-page announcement, from what I understand," Ashby said when asked about economic policies.

"We have just hired - and they've just landed in the country yesterday (Thursday) - one of the world's leading economists, who has worked for Donald Trump."

"We have just taken him from the Trump camp, so he's come on board with us."

Hanson's hardline anti-Islam and anti-immigration stance has drawn many comparisons to the policies of the controversial businessman-turn-politician.

The senator made front-page news on Wednesday when she used her maiden Senate speech to warn that Australia is "at danger" of being inundated by Muslims.

"We are in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own," Hanson said.

Hanson reiterated that she would not be backing down from her comments.

The One Nation Party received 4.3 per cent of the national vote in July's Federal election, enough to guarantee two senate seats in Queensland and one each in New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA).
Washington, Sep 17 : Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said that the Secret Service agents who guard his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton should disarm to "see what happens to her" without their protection.

"I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons," Trump said on Friday night at a rally in Miami, adding "I think they should disarm. Immediately."

"Let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away, OK. It'll be very dangerous," the New York Times quoted the Manhattan billionaire as saying.

Presidential nominees are protected at all times by heavily armed teams of Secret Service agents, some uniformed and some undercover.

Trump's comments were an echo of widely condemned remarks he made in August at a campaign rally in Wilmington, North Carolina where he had suggested that gun rights supporters should rise up against Clinton if she were elected to stop her from appointing judges who might favour stricter gun regulation, the New York Times reported.

Trump never apologised for the comments, despite angry denunciations from Clinton's running mate, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia.

In response to Friday night's remark, Robby Mook, Clinton's campaign manager, said Trump had shown "a pattern of inciting people to violence".

"Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of commander in chief. This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate," the New York Times quoted Mook as saying.
Beijing, Sep 17 : Typhoon Meranti has left at least 14 persons dead and another 14 missing in China, authorities reported on Saturday.

Meranti, the world's strongest typhoon this year, arrived in Xiamen province early Thursday, wreaking havoc as it passed through, EFE news reported.

In Fujian, at least seven persons were killed, while another six died in the neighbouring province of Zhejiang and one more in Taiwan, where the typhoon left great devastation before reaching China.

Fourteen people were still missing in China, although the figures continue varying.

Around 3,31,000 persons were relocated in Fujian, where authorities estimate the direct economic losses to be $249 million.

Workers were still trying to restore electricity in the city of Xiamen, whcih was left in a massive blackout after the typoon disrupted its water supplies.

Some parts of Xiamen's railway network were also damaged and 61 train routes will be modified between September 16 and 25.

The typhoon, which has reduced to a tropical depression since Thursday night, moved northward causing heavy rainfall in other areas of Fujian and in the neighbouring provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui and Shanghai city.

Zhejiang, with six dead, five missing and 70,000 relocated, was the next most affected area after Fujian.

More than 600 workers were continuing rescue efforts in the flood-affected regions of Zhejiang.

Shanghai experienced its heaviest rains this year from Thursday night until Friday morning.

Fujian province said the coastal fishing sector would be affected from until September 19 due to the proximity of Malakas, while Shanghai's Flood Disaster and Flood Control Measurements urged its departments and organisations to be prepared for the arrival of the typhoon.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : A panel appointed by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Saturday ordered the Delhi government to "reimburse to the state exchequer" the entire amount that the Aam Aadmi Party had spent on its advertisements.

The committee on content regulation of government advertisements charged the AAP government in the national capital of violating Supreme Court guidelines.

Its order said: "The Committee directs the Government of NCT of Delhi to get the entire expenditure so incurred on ... category .. reimbursed to the state exchequer from the Aam Aadmi Party."

It was also critical of the advertisements carried out by AAP outside Delhi.

The panel said if some Chief Ministers thought they were "special" and their policies were vital to the entire nation, then such political parties should bear the expenditure of such publicity and not the concerned government, an official here said.

The three-member committee, was headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B. B. Tandon, and included Ogilvy and Mather India's Piyush Pandey and journalist Rajat Sharma of India TV.

The panel passed the order taking cognizance of complaints registered by Congress leader Ajay Maken.

It found there had been violations in categories like outstation advertisements, false and misleading ones, and on self-glorification. AAP had also targeted political opponents, media, and even mentioned parties in power by name.

It further added that the AAP government should not have issued advertisements on incidents occurring in other states.

As per the Supreme Court order of May 13, 2015, advertisements by state governments should not be "outside its boundaries", but it should be for attracting investment, business and talent to the state.

The apex court had also clarified that such advertisements should be designed accordingly for the purpose, and released for specific target group, the panel said.

The committee, however, rejected another complaint of the former Congress minister on advertisements celebrating anniversaries of parties in power, as the guidelines permits them.

It also directed that the AAP government should assess all expenditure made on advertorials -- advertisement in the form of editorial content -- mentioning AAP, along with those in which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tried to target the opposition.

The Information and Broadcasting ministry had in April constituted the content regulation committee.

The panel members were chosen by a selection committee headed by Chairman of Press Council of India Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad (retd).

The apex court had in its May 2015 order laid down criteria as per which government advertisements could only carry pictures of certain dignitaries like the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India.

Later the court had issued a modified order, allowing Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, Governors and State Ministers to appear in government advertisements.

The two-year panel could also recommend corrective actions to the government.
Chennai, Sep 17 : Life was back to normal in Tamil Nadu on Saturday following a peaceful dawn-to-dusk shutdown Friday on the Cauvery waters dispute, marred only by the death of a self-immolation victim.

Private schools, shops, petrol pumps and other establishments that were closed on Friday, resumed their business.

The Chennai city wore a washed look owing to overnight rains.

The general strike on Friday was called by different organisations representing farmers, traders, transporters demanding Cauvery river water and protesting against attacks on Tamils and their property in Karnataka.

Several buses and trucks from Tamil Nadu were burnt to ashes by the trouble mongers in Karnataka over Supreme Court's modified order on September 12 to release 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu.

There were several incidents in which Tamil Nadu truck drivers were humiliated and assaulted by the demonstrators in Karnataka.

A member of Naam Tamizhar Katchi party, had also succumbed to his burn injuries on Friday after he tried to self-immolate himself here on Thursday.

His body was taken to Mannargudi - around 340 km from here - to his native for final rites.
Washington, Sep 17 : Hillary Clinton thought she would borrow a leaf from Donald Trump's book. Instead, she reached for a dictionary of insults and flung "half" of her presidential rival's supporters in a "basket of deplorables".

"Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic -- you name it," charged the Democrat at a New York fundraiser kindling a firestorm.

Then as the controversy blew in her face, Clinton "regretted" saying "half" in a "grossly generalistic" way, yet doubled down on the insinuation as her surrogates joined the chorus.

She had viciously attacked millions of hard working Americans by putting them in baskets as if they were "objects and not human beings", a "deeply shocked and alarmed" Trump charged coming down on her like a tonne of bricks.

"Was it her 47 percent moment?" wondered the pundits, recalling 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney's costly comments that 47 percent of the people dependent upon government will vote for rival Barack Obama "no matter what".

Trump called it far worse than that as an "overheated" Clinton left a 9/11 ceremony at ground zero early and wobbled and helped by three secret service guys stumbled into her van -- and another controversy over her health.

Less than two hours later she emerged unaided from her daughter Chelsea's New York apartment and waved to the waiting media saying "I'm feeling great" and hugged a "conveniently" waiting little girl in what critics called a staged event.

As she went off the campaign trail to recover from a bout of "walking pneumonia", hubby Bill inadvertently stirred more controversy saying Hillary had fainted "frequently -- well not frequently, rarely -- but on more than one occasion, over the last many, many years".

More than her repeated bouts of cough -- that she jokingly attributed to her allergy for Trump -- Clinton's failed efforts to "power through" her illness fanned renewed feelings of distrust and suspicion about the former secretary of state.

"Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia," said David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Obama's presidential campaigns. But "what's the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems?" he asked on twitter.

Trump, who has previously raised questions about Clinton's health and stamina, atypically wished her well and instead acting very 'presidential' reached out to African Americans and women and the jobless.

He finally conceded that Obama was born in America, went to a black church in Flint, Michigan, unveiled a "child care tax" plan and promised four percent growth with his prescription to shore up the economy.

Then as Clinton returned to the campaign trail, Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, went ballistic over "Hillary's mafia" trying to pin on him the blame for her never-ending email scandal.

"Everything HRC touches, she kind of screws up with Hubris," said an angry Powell in a leaked email to a friend. "For good reason she comes across as sleazy," added the first and only black former defence chief in another email.

He did not spare Trump either. Calling him a "national disgrace" and an "international pariah", the general wrote to CNN's Fareed Zakaria in December 2015 that "you guys are playing his game, you are his oxygen".

Meanwhile, with health concerns taking centre stage, both candidates released selective medical information about themselves.

Fast food-loving Trump did so with elan on reality TV "The Dr, Oz Show", admitting he was overweight at 236 pounds and would like to lose at least 15 pounds.

Clinton's doctor too proclaimed her healthy "other than a sinus and ear infection and her recently diagnosed pneumonia" -- leaving aside a history of falls and a concussion back in 2012. In sum, one was "fat", the other just "exhausted".

But the choice was stark, suggested Maureen Dowd, author of "The Year of Voting Dangerously".

Trapped between two candidates with the highest recorded unfavourables, voters "were veering between anxiety over Trump and depression over Hillary," said the New York Times columnist.

Meanwhile, with Trump catching up and even winning Ohio, "the mother of all swing states", by 5 points in a new poll, Democrats worried if Hillary Clinton would fall through the enthusiasm gap between the two parties.

But Alan M. Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor and a Clinton supporter, offered bipartisan help with his new book, "Electile Dysfunction: A Guide for the Unaroused Voter".

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Srinagar, Sep 17 : Has the decision by senior PDP leader and Lok Sabha member Tariq Karra to quit to protest Kashmir civilian killings set the cat among the pigeons in the ruling party camp? Will others follow in his footsteps, worsening the crisis that has engulfed the PDP-BJP government over the last two months?

These question are now being intensely debated in Kashmir's political circles.

Karra, one of the founders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), blamed both Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and her late father, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, for aligning with "the BJP that is run by the fascist RSS".

Announcing his decision to quit the party as well as Parliament, Karra made an appeal to all other PDP leaders and legislators to "decide whether they want to co-exist among their people or serve as collaborators of the forces in power in India".

Karra, the face in urban Srinagar of the PDP that has its known bastion in rural south Kashmir, echoed veteran separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's appeal made to mainstream politicians of Kashmir.

In his statement, Karra said he had been living under tremendous stress and the deaths of the civilians in protests during the ongoing cycle of violence had made things unbearable for him, hence he decided to quit.

The timing of his announcement is ominous. The PDP-BJP coalition government is battling unprecedented unrest in which the separatists are calling the shots. The government is already under strain amid speculations that it is only a matter of time when Governor's Rule will imposed in the troubled state.

Mehbooba has come under sharp criticism for failing to control the violent unrest that has left 86 civilians and three policemen dead so far. More than 12,000 civilians and security forces have been injured. Some 100 injured civilians hit by dangerous pellets face the prospect of permanent blindness.

In an alarming situation like this, Karra may have indeed dealt a severe jolt to Mehbooba, who also heads the PDP, and her political capital in the state.

PDP insiders told IANS here that Karra has support of some other leaders and MLAs within the party who are equally unhappy with Mehbooba and her decision to continue the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

While some of the disgruntled leaders say they had always opposed joining the right-wing BJP, loyalists of Mehbooba claim the discontent owes itself to the failure of the dissidents to get ministerial berths.

Whatever the reasons, Karra's ruffling of feathers finally boils down to two things.

Will Karra's move pose an immediate threat to the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir? May be. But only if more PDP leaders follow him.

Is it the beginning of the formation of a third front that could in future become another regional force committed to preserve the uniqueness of Kashmir within the union of India?

The idea of a third front as an alternative to both the PDP and the National Conference has been doing the rounds in the political circles of Kashmir for a long time.

The PDP-BJP coalition, as of now, has the support of 56 MLAs in the 87-member state assembly. These including 28 PDP, 25 BJP, two from Sajad Lone's Peoples Conference and an independent.

But a senior PDP leader known to be a Mehbooba Mufti loyalist ruled out any threat to the coalition government.

"At best Karra could garner support of two to three MLAs, who also we are told would not resign to favour him. The unfortunate decision has amounted to back-stabbing because he could have waited for things to return to normal if he had waited so far for two years with pangs of conscience," the leader told IANS, requesting anonymity because the PDP has asked its leaders not to speak to the media.

(Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in)
Washington, Sep 17 : Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is facing criticism after appearing to hint at the assassination of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for a second time, media reports said.

Trump on Friday night at a rally in Miami suggested Clinton's security detail should give up their guns and "see what happens to her".

"I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons," Trump said, adding "I think they should disarm. Immediately."

"Let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away, OK. It'll be very dangerous," the New York Times quoted the Manhattan billionaire as saying.

Presidential nominees are protected at all times by heavily armed teams of Secret Service agents, some uniformed and some undercover.

Trump's comment, which came as he criticised Clinton over gun rights, was not the first time he has called for Clinton's Secret Service detail to "disarm". But it is the first time he has wondered aloud what would happen to her should she suddenly deprived of armed protection, CNN noted.

In response, Robby Mook, Clinton's campaign manager, said Trump had shown "a pattern of inciting people to violence".

"Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of commander in chief. This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate," Mook said.

Friday's remark comes just more than a month after Trump made comments that were interpreted by many as a threat of violence against Clinton.

"Hillary wants to abolish -- essentially abolish the Second Amendment. By the way, if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment (the right to own guns) people, maybe there is, I don't know," Trump said during a rally in North Carolina in August.

The Trump camp later said he was referring to action through the ballot box, not violence.

The Secret Service has declined to comment on Trump's Friday night remark, spokeswoman Catherine Milhoan said.

Trump's remarks came just hours after the real estate magnate was forced to reverse his long-held position that President Barack Obama was not born in the US, the BBC reported.

Speaking at a campaign event in Washington, he said: "President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period."

But he went on to accuse Clinton of starting the so-called birther controversy -- President Obama's citizenship conspiracy theory.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : A horde of female fans, along with some men, jumped on the stage to get selfies with Varun Dhawan when the actor was in the national capital for an event on Saturday.

The "Student Of The Year" actor was here to speak about his professional as well as personal life at India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit.

There was a five-minute commotion when during a discussion about how he handles all the female fans frenzy, some of his fans started jumping on the stage to get selfies with the "Main Tera Hero" star.

Young girls and boys were seen getting on the stage, while the guards tried to stop them. However, all their attempts were in vain.

In fact, one of the security guards fell on the stage while trying to control the crowd. It was only after several warnings over stopping the session midway and asking Varun to go back did the crowd calmed down.

The actor, who is enjoying the success of his latest release "Dishoom", also urged the crowd to get their act together.

He said: "Don't cry guys. It is not humanly possible for me to take a selfie with each one of you".
London, Sep 17 : Six years after the language in Enid Blytons Famous Five books was updated in an attempt to make them appeal more to modern children, the publisher has decided to abandon the idea because the new versions "didnt work".

In 2010, the series' publisher Hachette announced that it would be making "sensitive text revisions" to Blyton's 21 Famous Five books, the Guardian reported on Friday.

This followed market research that suggested children were no longer engaging with the tales about child detectives, due to their dated language.

Changes made included replacing the word "tinker" with "traveller", "mother and father" with "mum and dad" and "awful swotter" becoming "bookworm". The revisions also made the language more gender-neutral, with the character Anne altered to enjoy teddies instead of dolls.

On Friday, Anne McNeil, publishing director of Hodder Children's Books, told the Guardian that the publisher's "sensitive reworking" of Blyton was not received well by readers.

"We want Enid Blyton's legacy to go on. Millions of readers have learned to read with her," McNeil said.

Blyton (1897-1968) was a British bestselling children's writer. She authored the Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven, and Adventure series.
New York, Sep 17 : Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has joined a growing list of celebrities and other public figures rooting for a presidential pardon for whistleblower Edward Snowden.

#PardonSnowden, Dorsey tweeted on Twitter.

The Pardon Snowden campaign, launched by three human rights groups, replied with a thanking note.

Besides Dorsey, others supporting the campaign are heavyweights like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, author Joyce Carol Oates, actor Danny Glover, Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Britain-based human rights group Amnesty International, Mishi Choudhary, technology lawyer and legal director of Software Freedom Law Centre, and US-based Human Rights Watch.

The campaign, launched on Wednesday, can be accessed on pardonsnowden.org and is also supported by Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the human rights organisation American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who said that Snowden should be thanked, not punished and should be allowed to return the US.

Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, revealed government surveillance programmes to the media. He currently lives in self-imposed exile in Russia to avoid charges in the US for violating the Espionage Act and other laws.

According to Romero, if Snowden were to face trial, he would have no opportunity to argue that he performed a public service. Under the Espionage Act, such an argument would be useless.

Snowden joined the launch of the campaign via teleconference from Russia and said, "While I am grateful for the support given to my case, this really is not about me. It is about us. It is about our right to dissent."

The White House has said it had no plans to pardon Snowden.

"Snowden has been charged with serious crimes, and it is the policy of the administration that Snowden should return to the US and face those charges. There are mechanisms in our criminal justice system to ensure that he's treated fairly and consistent with the law," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.

According to a report on online portal Fast Company, 10,000 people signed a petition by Wednesday night. The campaign said they were getting nearly 2,000 new signatures on the petition every hour and expect the total to get a lot bigger.

On Wednesday night, Snowden was beamed into Manhattan's Upper West Side, to join the audience in singing "Happy Birthday" to Oliver Stone, director of "Snowden", the new biopic released on Friday.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra on Saturday alleged that Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung had "refused" to meet him and Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

Mishra said that he along with Jain had gone to meet the LG after Jung on Friday night asked Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to immediately return to Delhi from Finland.

"We thought there must be some urgency that is why LG sent a fax to Manishji yesterday (Friday) asking him to return immediately. So we went to meet him to know about the issue. But when we reached his office, we were apprised that he won't be coming to office as today (Saturday) being a weekend day.

"When we contacted him on phone, Jung told Satyendar Jain that he was not at home too and could not meet us. Today (Saturday) LG doesn't want to discuss work," Mishra alleged.

Asked if he had taken appointment before meeting the LG, Mishra said: "We cannot wait for the appointment when such an outbreak of vector borne disease is in Delhi."

He alleged that the Lt. Governor "blocked" his number and was not taking his calls.

Jain reiterated the same thing, and said, "LG refused to talk on the issue of fax sent to Manish Sisodia by his office yesterday (Friday)."

Sisodia is in Finland on a tour to study the education framework there to improve the standard of education in Delhi government schools.

Sisodia on Friday denied he was holidaying in Finland, saying India needed to learn a "lot from their education system, the best in the world".
New Delhi, Sep 17 : In his career of four decades, Amitabh Bachchan has carved a place for himself in showbiz but the megastar doesn't think he is doing something extraordinary and says that he is just doing his job to earn a living.

Asked his mantra for success and the 73-year-old shared: "I get up in the morning and I have a film to work on".

"I am doing my job and I need a job because I have to earn a living and that is why you go to work," Big B said at India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit here on Saturday.

The actor is back on the silver screen as a lawyer with the film "Pink" post his much appreciated role as a cranky father in "Piku".

The actor shuns away the question over how he gets into the character of such varied characters and said that "do we ask doctors whether they can operate on kidney or stomach."

The actor has been an inspiration for many, and when he became a part of the event with his "Pink" co-star Taapsee Pannu and film's producer Shoojit Sircar, they expressed their admiration for him.

"After so many years , this man doesn't take things for granted. The amount of effort that he puts in,clearly shows where he is", Sircar said, adding that he has worked with him for the last 11 years and has seen the energy of a 14-year-old boy in Amitabh.

Talking about women who have influenced him, Amitabh said: "The woman who inspired me is my mother. She was a Sikh and I am half a Sardar. She gave me a lot of strength.

"I used to play in the backyard and there was a day when some guys came and beat me up. I came back crying. My mother asked me to go back and fight and beat them up. And i went."

The actor spoke about problems that women face on a daily basis and asserted on how wrong is the belief that men don't cry.

"It is okay for men to cry," he said.
Shimla, Sep 17 : Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday said anti-India activities will not be allowed from his country.

He was here on a day-long visit to India's largest hydropower project in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh being run by public sector Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL).

"We will not allow any activity that is against our neighbouring countries from our soil," Dahal told reporters after visiting 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri plant.

He said his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would help in strengthening the ties between the two countries.

"The talks were held in an open and warm atmosphere. I am feeling much elated after the talks," he said.

Expressing satisfaction over the operation of the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri plant, he said visiting this hill state "is like a homecoming for me".

SJVNL is commissioning a 900 MW Arun Stage III project in the Himalayan nation.

Indian Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal, who was accompanying Dahal, said talks were on for commissioning more hydropower projects in joint ventures with Nepal.

Official sources said the Nepalese Prime Minister, who was accompanied by his cabinet colleagues and a high-level delegation of officials, also visited the powerhouse of the plant, located some 170 km from the state capital.

Dahal expressed interest in the operation of the turbines, generation of electricity and the lifespan of such mega projects, a SJVNL official told IANS.

He also discussed issues relating to acquisition of land for the project and rehabilitation of the project affected locals.

SJVNL Managing Director R.N. Mishra said the project in Nepal would be completed in five years.

"Nepal has huge potential of hydropower, largely untapped. SJVNL is keen to invest and collaborate with Nepal for more projects," he told IANS.

SJVNL is a joint venture between the central and the Himachal Pradesh governments. The former holds 74.5 per cent stake, while the remaining 25.5 per cent is held by the state government.

However, the central government sold 10 per cent equity in May 2010.

SJVNL's first hydro project in Himachal Pradesh started generation in 2004-05.

Besides the 1,500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri plant, the company's two other operational projects are 412 MW Rampur Hydro Electric Project also in the hill state and 47.6 MW Khirvire Wind Power Project in Maharashtra.
Islamabad, Sep 17 : Taliban group Jamaat ul Ahrar (JuA) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack in a mosque in Pakistan as the death toll touched 28.

In a statement released on Friday midnight it said its target was the peace committee of Anbar district as it killed 13 of the group's mujahideens and handed over other members to the governments of Swat and Bajaur Agency.

JuA is a spin-off of the main insurgent group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Efe news reported.

"Our struggle against peace committees and the government will continue until sharia (Islamic law) is imposed," the statement said.

A suicide bomber on Friday blew himself up in a mosque in Mohmand Agency's Anbar tehsil, leaving at least 28 persons dead, including five children, and 31 injured.

The injured were transported to hospitals in Bajaur Agency, Charsadda and Peshawar for treatment.

The bombing took place in the village of Butmaina in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan, where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

The Deputy Administrator of Mohmand agency, Naveed Akbar said the bomber came in as prayers were in progress and blew himself up in the main hall. A curfew was later imposed in the area.

The attack came a day after the nationwide celebrations of the Eid-ul-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice).
Caracas, Sep 17 : The Non Aligned Movement (NAM) summit of leaders gets underway in Venezuela's Margarita Island on Saturday, which will be an occasion for Venezuela to gather support for a global deal to bolster oil prices, Venezuelan Petroleum Minister Eulogio del Pino has said.

Venezuela, currently in the throes of an economic crisis, is host to the 17th NAM Summit, that is expected to bring together leaders from 120 developing countries that are its members.

"Obviously we are going to use this meeting to build consensus," Del Pino told reporters.

"The focus for the consensus is Algeria, where we hope to reach important stabilisation accords to obtain a fair price for hydrocarbons that all producer countries are seeking," he said.

During September 26-28, Algeria is to host meetings of the International Energy Forum and the 13-nation Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which are also taking part in the NAM Summit.

Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari is already in Venezuela to attend the summit, during which key issues of concern like terrorism, UN reform, climate change and nuclear disarmament are expected to be discussed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said in New Delhi.

"The oil price keeps falling, which hurts us all," Ecuador's President Rafael Correa was quoted telling reporters in Quito before leaving for the NAM meeting.

"So we are going to talk in Margarita with bilateral and multilateral meetings between OPEC members and non-OPEC members who are important producers and exporters."

OPEC member Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves, has been one of the countries worst hit by the fall in crude prices which has left its economy in a crisis.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is battling a brutal recession that has unleashed shortages of food and medicine, coupled with mounting pressure from the centre-right opposition for a referendum to remove him from power.

"I will make the most of the presidency of the movement to continue speaking out against this pro-imperialist right, which is on its knees for imperial interests," the politically left-leaning Maduro was cited as saying in this regard. He accuses his opponents of plotting a coup against him with American backing.

On Wednesday, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay announced they had stripped Venezuela of the rotating presidency of the South American regional trading group Mercosur.

Oil accounts for 96 per cent of Venezuela's export earnings, while its price fell by more than two-thirds, from over $100 a barrel to under $30 between June 2014 and January 2016. Prices have recovered somewhat this year, rising to nearly $50 in May, before dropping to just over $40 a barrel in recent weeks.

Amid a global supply glut leading producer Saudi Arabia has recently indicated that there is no output freeze in the offing.

OPEC member Iran, attending the ongoing NAM summit, has been ramping up production to its pre-sanctions levels despite the recent supply glut.

Following its June meeting in Vienna when it decided against an output cut, OPEC, which accounts for 40 per cent of global crude output, said in a statement that its members were committed to a "stable and balanced oil market and that the market is moving through the balancing process".

The price of the OPEC basket of 13 crudes closed trade on Thursday at $41.67 a barrel.

Instead, the Indian basket, composed of 73 per cent sour grade Dubai and Oman crudes and the rest by sweet grade UK Brent, closed trade on Thursday at $43.39 per barrel, as compared to $44.44 on the previous trading day, as per official data.

As per available data, US West Texas Intermediate fell by 2 per cent on Friday and closed at $43.03 a barrel, after falling to $42.74, the lowest intra-day level since August 11 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude traded at $45.87 a barrel, that is, at 1.6 per cent lower than its previous close on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

It was reported that Iran's crude oil exports touched a 5-year high in August at 2.11 million barrels per day - up 15 per cent from its July exports.

Amid the recent fluctuation in global oil prices, state-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC) moved in contradictory ways on transport fuels, increasing the price of petrol by 58 paise a litre and decreasing diesel by 31 paise per litre effective from Friday -- both at Delhi, with corresponding changes in other states.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : Actor Varun Dhawan wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday on Saturday and thanked him for ushering in digital age in the country.

The actor was a part of India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit here on Saturday, and took the opportunity to thank Modi as well as wish him.

"Today is Narendra Modi's birthday and I am not going to sing but I think we can do something special," said Varun.

The actor asked each and every attendee to take out their cell phones and switch on their flash light. With only flash lights and birthday song rhythm, Varun created a surreal moment.

The actor lauded Modi for giving a new definition to 'aangutha chaap' term.

The "ABCD 2" star said: "When I was in school, I used to hear this term 'aangutha chaap hai yeh' that means someone who uses thumb to sign. But I think we are in new India and in new India we don't use thumb to sign but to sign in... Our Prime Minister is someone who has ushered in the digital age in this country and I think we need to give respect to him."

"So let's take out our phones and put on your flash light and sing happy birthday song," he added.

The crowd was more than eager to be a part of this, and helped Varun wish Modi.

The actor later confessed to being bumped as he could not capture the moment on his phone.
Patna, Sep 17 : In a positive development for Bihar, an area prone to annual devastating floods, a Kathmandu-based international organisation has generated district-level flood maps for the state's 33 districts, and an online flood application system, officials said on Saturday.

"With the support of the Australian government, ICIMOD's Koshi Basin Programme (KBP) collaborated with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to generate district-level flood maps for Bihar's thirty three districts, and an online flood application system" said Shahriar Wahid, Project Coordinator for the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

He said the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR), KBP and JAXA was used to generate near real-time flood information and damage assessments. PALSAR has the capability to map flooding 24/7, in all kinds of weather.

ICIMOD KBP coordinator and hydrology expert Shahriar Wahid said mapping and monitoring floods can be highly challenging using optical remote sensing data, especially as floodwaters are rising.

Most images are obstructed by clouds as the majority of satellites are optical and cannot penetrate through it which tend to occur over flooded areas,' Wahid said.

PALSAR has been instrumental in overcoming those obstacles and was recently used in August to prepare 33 district inundation maps at the height of flooding in Bihar. ICIMOD and JAXA provided a quick estimate of the inundated areas including agricultural, grassland, barren area, built-up area and fish ponds. Floodwaters had engulfed 18,755 sq kms affecting ninety four per cent of agricultural land.

"Bihar Inter Agency Group (BIAG) members, namely international non-governmental organisations and UN agencies, are currently assessing the impact of floods in the state's affected districts, and naturally this flood map would be extremely helpful to them," said Asif Shahab, Project Officer, Environment and Climate Change, Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA).

He said the maps would be useful to Bihar government's Disaster Management Department (DMD), which is involved in search and rescue operations and distributes relief and manages flood relief camps.

Flood maps illustrating village-level inundation have the potential to support BSDMA in several community-level risk reduction activities. Such information is crucial to the government's smooth response to flood management as waters continue to rise in Bihar.

According to them, Bihar is India's most flood-prone state and is under constant threat of flooding. Every year, floods destroy lives, livestock, infrastructure and bring with them a huge financial toll.

During a disaster obtaining reliable information is crucial, according to BSDMA, whose mandate is to design disaster risk reduction plans and policies as well as long-term preparedness.

One key challenge for BSDMA is the mapping and monitoring of flood-affected villages.

Floods and related disasters are a perennial concern in the Kosi basin, where seasonal monsoon rains and glacial melting frequently lead to dangerously high water levels in the river.

Bihar, where the Kosi merges with the Ganga, is India's most flood-prone state, with 76 per cent of residents in the northern regions vulnerable to recurring floods.

Bihar annually suffers loss of life, property, infrastructure and agriculture due to floods.

According to BSDMA, floods displaced 33,200 people in 2014.

Kosi is one of the most sediment-laden rivers in the world, making it highly prone to flooding.

One of the most serious disasters occurred in August 2008 with the breaching of the Kusaha embankment near the India-Nepal border, resulting in flooding of five districts of north Bihar.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : The Congress on Saturday demanded that an FIR be lodged by the CBI against persons in the Aam Aadmi Party government responsible for siphoning off public funds for private purposes.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress Delhi Chief Ajay Maken said that the amount being used for advertising under the AAP government's tenure in Delhi has increased 14.5 times as compared to previous governments.

The Congress also accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of misusing public funds for "political activities of the Aam Aadmi Party".

Maken told reporters here: "During 2014, when Delhi was under President's Rule, the total amount spent on advertising was Rs 14.5 crore. The very next year, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government, spent Rs 127 crore on advertisements and in the current fiscal it's Rs 207.73 crore."

The Congress leader accused the Delhi Government of ignoring the Supreme Court guidelines on advertising, and said the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) supports his allegations.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : A fresh squabble broke out between the Delhi government and the LG office on Saturday as Water Minister Kapil Mishra alleged that Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung had "refused" to meet him and Health Minister Satyendar Jain -- which was promptly denied by the LG office.

Mishra said that he along with Jain had gone to meet the LG after Jung on Friday night asked Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to immediately return to Delhi from Finland in the wake of rising cases of vector-borne diseases.

"We thought there must be some urgency that is why LG sent a fax to Manishji yesterday (Friday) asking him to return immediately. So we went to meet him to know about the issue. But when we reached his office, we were apprised that he won't be coming to office as today (Saturday) being a weekend day.

"When we contacted him on phone, Jung told Satyendar Jain that he was not at home and could not meet us. Today (Saturday) LG doesn't want to discuss work," Mishra alleged.

The Lt. Governor's Office swiftly denied Mishra's charge that Jung had refused to meet the two ministers.

In a statement, the Lt. Governor Office said both the ministers had come without "either seeking prior appointment" from Jung or intimating him of their visit, to discuss the vector-borne disease situation.

"The Lt. Governor's office came to know of their visit only through the media gathered outside, who had prior information that they were going to visit the LG office," the statement said.

Lt. Governor's office stated that Jung's secretary met the ministers since the Lt. Governor's office is operational all days of the week.

"However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt. Governor," it said.

Asked if he had taken a prior appointment, Mishra said: "We cannot wait for the appointment when such an outbreak of vector-borne disease is on in Delhi."

He alleged that the Lt. Governor had "blocked" his number and was not taking his calls.

The LG office also accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of politicising the issue.

"It is regrettable that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to politicise the issue instead of providing succour to the public," the statement said.

Sisodia is in Finland on a tour to study the education framework there to improve the standard of education in Delhi government schools.

Sisodia on Friday denied he was holidaying in Finland, saying India needed to learn a "lot from their education system, the best in the world".
New Delhi, Sep 17 : Actress Sonam Kapoor says her father and veteran actor Anil Kapoor is a staunch feminist, who brought up his two daughters and one son without any bias.

"Cinema is a beautiful medium, and can be used to inspire change. Ignorance is what is destroying our country. My father is a staunch feminist. I was not brought up any differently than my brother Harsh (Harshvardhan)," Sonam said here on Saturday.

The actress, who portrayed the strong real-life character of Neerja Bhanot, an airhostess who lost her life in her pursuit to save passengers on a hijacked flight.

Sonam, whose sister Rhea is a film producer and whose brother Harshvardhan is awaiting the release of his Bollywood acting debut "Mirzya", has often said she found Neerja's tale extremely inspiring. Her movie was also lauded by many for telling a tale of a woman's bravery.

Sonam was here at NDTV India's Youth for Change conclave to talk on the subject "How aspirational can women really be?" She shared the panel with lyricist, screenwriter and ad guru Prasoon Joshi as well with Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest.

Joshi rued: "It is really sad that we have to speak about women at conclaves like this. It means not everything is well in our society."

Earlier in the day, the team of "Pink" -- co-producer Shoojit Sircar and actors Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu -- too raised their voice against the notions around women in Indian society and the need to break free from it.
London, Sep 17 : Actor Daniel Radcliffe strongly believes Hollywood needs to step up and fix gender bias as he feels there's a lack of roles for women in the industry.

"It's sad that people are having to come out as feminist. I thought we'd have got beyond this point. I would hope it would be assumed of me that I was one. You see amazing male characters, and there is an absolute dearth of roles for women," Radcliffe told Elle magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The 27-year-old had earlier shared that he thought gender equality wasn't an issue in Hollywood anymore.

"It is nuts to me. I'm incredibly glad gender equality has come up because I had just f***ing naively thought this was not an issue any more because how can this still be happening?"It's crazy. It is definitely the time for our industry to step up. Especially if we want to pride ourselves on being a liberal, progressive industry then you can't be doing that," the "Now You See Me 2" actor added.
Hyderabad, Sep 17 : BJP national president Amit Shah on Saturday participated in the 'Swachh Bharat' programme here on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 66th birthday.

Soon after his arrival at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, he took part in the programme organised by the party at Shamshabad, on the city outskirts.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah said various programmes were being organised across the country to mark Modi's birthday.

The BJP chief said under Modi's leadership, the country is touching new heights.

"We pray for his good health and long life so that he continues to serve the country for a long time," said Shah while greeting Modi on behalf of the party.

Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, BJP's Telangana unit president K. Laxman and other leaders also participated in the programme.

Earlier, Shah was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival on a day-long visit. The BJP president later left for Warangal to address a public meeting on the occasion of Hyderabad 'Liberation Day'.
PM Narendra Modi being welcomed at an function where he celebrated his 67th birthday with the disabled in Gujarat on Saturday Image Source: IANS News

PM Narendra Modi with a blind girl who recited a story using Braille as he celebrated his 67th birthday with the disabled in Gujarat on Saturday Image Source: IANS News

Navsari (Gujarat), Sep 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking his 66th birthday on Saturday in the presence of over 11,000 disabled people at a function creating two world records, asked if any of his dozen predecessors had ever marked an occasion like this.

"I am lucky to celebrate this day with so many divyangs (people with disability). Did any Prime Minister ever do this?" asked Modi in Gujarati to the massive crowd made up mostly of Gujarati-speaking people.

The Prime Minister's birthday in the agricultural city of South Gujarat marked world records of most number of people fitted with hearing aids and people with disability provided kits and a logo formation through wheelchairs.

Before coming to Navsari, Modi also announced six water supply projects worth Rs 1,757 crore and four lift irrigation projects worth Rs 2,000 crore under the Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojna, for the districts lying in the state's forest belt at a function in Limkheda in Dahod district.

He also donated 66 cows to the families of persons with disabilities and congratulated people of Navsari for adopting 20,000 disabled persons.

Saying that he was blessed to be amidst the disabled, Modi said: "Previous governments only held 57 camps for divyangs while we held 4,000 in only two years."

Asking people not to pity the disabled, the Prime Minister announced a universal syllabus in sign language that would be the same for all the regions.

"Like people here can't understand Tamil, sign languages are different in different regions. We had started a programme of a universal sign language, so it would be common for all.

"Don't pity divyangs, they have self respect, they deserve equality," he said, adding that people also need to change their views on the girl child.

Modi also interacted with some mentally-challenged children, while 11,232 disabled people received wheelchairs, tri-cycles, smart sticks, smartphones, laptops with special software for mentally challenged people, Braille scripts, callipers aid and other tools and scholarships, marking three world records.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani meanwhile announced special lifts in government offices in the four major cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodra and Rajkot.

He also announced that all the streetlights of Gujarat would be converted to LEDs within the next five months. Rupani added that an annual sports tournament would be held in the state.

Speaking of the Clean India campaign, Modi said that no previous government had ever made an attempt to revolutionise the bid for cleanliness.

"Did any one ever do such a revolution for cleanliness? Media has helped a lot in spreading the awareness, and today if an old person throws garbage in the open, then their grandchildren ask them not to do so as Modi dada has said," he said.

Adding that the world has expectations from India, the Prime Minster said that the days of "tardiness" are over.

Priests from Swami Narayan trust also attended the function and gave their blessings to Modi, who recalled his early days spent in Navsari as an RSS pracharak.

(Kushagra Dixit can be contacted at kushagra.d@ians.in)
Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), Sep 17 : Narayanpur district police has nabbed three Maoists, including the head of a local outfit, during a search in Kuinar village in Chhattisgarh, police said on Saturday.

One of the arrested Maoists had a reward of Rs one lakh on him.

According to police, a team of officers did a search operation in Akabeda, Kastoormeta, Kodkanar and Kuinar jungles, in Abujhamand. While returning, the soldiers found two suspects hidden in Kuinar jungle. They surrounded and captured them.

The Maoists were identified as Nani Kunjam, 40, president of local Maoist group Nana Koram, and Motu Koram, 37.

A large haul of guns, a 2 kg tiffin bomb and 200 meters of electrical wire was also confiscated from the Maoists.

A case has been registered against the men on charges of murder, attempt to murder, arson and Arms Act.
Lucknow, Sep 17 : Conflicting signals continued to emerge from Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday amid efforts by party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to douse the raging fire of dissent between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and state party president Shivpal Yadav.

In the morning, as supporters of both leaders came face to face and protested on the streets in favour of their respective leaders, party chief Mulayam Singh swung into action and stuck to his ground on his decision to appoint his brother Shivpal Yadav as state unit chief.

Mulayam Singh, however, accommodated son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in the candidate selection process of the state parliamentary board.

Akhilesh Yadav, who reallocated the portfolios he stripped Shivpal Yadav of, additionally gave him medical education and minor irrigation. He however left an irritant -- as he retained the most important portfolio of PWD with himself and did not return it to his uncle.

Angry at the supporters of Akhilesh Yadav for almost laying siege to his house, Mulayam Singh is reported to have rung up the chief minister and asked him to tell his supporters to retreat immediately. Supporters of Akhilesh Yadav also tried to stop the car of Shivpal Yadav who was headed to the residence of Mulayam Singh, giving his security men a tough time in clearing the road for the cavalcade.

Later addressing party workers at the party headquarters in Vikramaditya Marg, Mulayam Singh chided the youth workers and asked them to remain within limits. He asked them what they were doing in Lucknow when all the decisions had been made for elections for the state assembly.

"While BJP leaders are working overtime to strengthen booths for elections you are engaged in tamasha (drama) here," he said angrily.

He once again reiterated his support for younger brother Shivpal Yadav and said he too had done immense work for the party, and mused that he would not allow all this to happen in the party to which he has given his sweat and blood.

Mulayam Singh also said that during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he had given everything that was asked of him by the Chief Minister and his team but the disastrous results were for all to see. The SP won just five of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state while the BJP won 73 with its alliance partner Apna Dal, the Congress won two seats and Bahujan Samaj Party drew a blank.

Akhilesh Yadav later appealed through the media that banners, hoardings and posters along with sloganeering should be stopped with immediate effect. He also informed that he had lunch with uncle at his home and wished him on his becoming the state unit chief.

"We have done a lot of work with regards to infrastructure, development, roads, dairy, electricity, and in the social sector, and we will go to the people with our good work, seeking a second term," he told reporters.

The situation continued to be fluid however as tensions continued in both camps.

While Shivpal Yadav supporters are angry that he has not been given the PWD portfolio, they also fear a parallel centre of power - chairman of the state parliamentary board - has been created which, they say, will create problems in the future during the distribution of tickets for the forthcoming state assembly elections.

Akhilesh Yadav supporters are sullen that the decisions of their leader had been reversed and the re-induction of ministers like Gayatri Prajapati in the cabinet would taint his clean image. Sensing that some knots still continued, Mulayam Singh has called a meeting between Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav again.
Ohio, Sep 17 : A white police officer fatally shot an African-American teen robbery suspect in capital city Columbus, Ohio, after the boy pulled out an air gun, media reports said.

Responding to reports of an armed robbery, a police officer shot 13-year-old Tyre King, multiple times on Wednesday during a police confrontation, after he drew what looked like a handgun from his waistband.

Chief Kim Jacobs, speaking to reporters at a news conference on Thursday, held up a photo of the type of gun found at the scene and said "Our officers carry a gun that looks practically identical to this weapon."

"It turns out to not be a firearm in the sense that it fires real bullets, but as you can see it looks like a firearm that could kill you," USA Today quoted Jacobs.

Jacobs identified the officer who shot King as Bryan Mason, a nine-year war veteran. He will be placed on leave for at least a week during the investigation.

"There are allegations that have been made regarding his actions, and those allegations cannot be taken as factual until a thorough, unbiased investigation has taken place," lawyer representing King, Sean Walton told CNN.

In other cases of black people being shot by the police, in July police shot dead 37-year-old Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while 32-year-old Philando Castile was fatally shot by police in St. Paul, Minnesota, the next day.

This case has also drawn a sharp comparison with the November 2014 killing of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African-American boy, who was shot by a police officer in Cleveland.

According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 23 states and the District of Columbia regulate non-powder guns and 11 of them place age restrictions.
Faridabad, Sep 17 : Highlighting the importance of financial discipline, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the non-performing asset (NPA) issue is a result of "lack foresight of financial management".

Highlighting the importance of fiscal prudence, the Minister also said that the governments must strike a balance between "populism" and "financial discipline".

"One of the reasons why the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) targets in India were statutorily brought in was really because in public life and politics, there was always a conflict between populism and financial discipline.

"Populism is when you act on the spur of the moment and make a sound-good noise which pleases the audience of the day. You earn a few brownie points, and whether you earn votes on that account is still a doubtful proposition. But at the end of the day, you find your accounts have gone haywire and the financial management itself has suffered," he said in his address at the convocation function at the National Institute of Financial Management.

Jaitley said the underlying principal behind this financial management was that everybody must learn to live within their means.

"Living strictly within means for governance or business purposes is too conservative a target," he said adding: "If you want to expand, you can't do so merely on the strength of savings. You also do it on the strength of debt. But then you have to borrow as much as you can service."

Referring to the US' sub-prime crisis which shook the world, he said: "Whenever the world has seen any sort of crisis, it is when you disproportionately borrow and the asset quality to support that borrowing itself goes down...even in relation to some of our sectors, the NPA issue is a result of lack of foresight in financial management."

The Finance Minister's comments came a day after he reviewed the performance of the public sector banks.

"You expand disproportionately, take debt disproportionately, the capacity of the business to service that debt itself is inadequate," he noted.

Jaitley advocated "borrowing only such amounts that you are able to service, not to leave the next generation heavily in debt".
Islamabad, Sep 17 : A Pakistani rights group has appealed against a court order to hang a mentally ill man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, reports said.

Death row prisoner, Imdad Ali, who is around 50 years old, was sentenced to death for the murder of a religious teacher in 2002. His execution is scheduled for September 20.

"Imdad Ali is mentally ill and has suffered years without proper treatment," a report by the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) said on Friday.

JPP said it had filed an appeal against a Lahore High Court decision in August which dismissed pleas that Ali could not be executed on the basis of his mental illness, Pakistan Today reported.

His medical condition should be looked into, as well as the extenuating circumstances that had aggravated his mental illness during his lengthy time on death row, the organisation argued.
Islamabad, Sep 17 : With Kashmir on top of the agenda, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for the US on Saturday to attend the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Meanwhile, Islamabad has strongly rebutted India's stance on Jammu and Kashmir at the UN Human Rights Council, calling it "a travesty of history".

Sharif, who will address the UN General Assembly on September 21, on Friday met Hurriyat leaders in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in Muzaffarabad to take inputs and take them into confidence, the Pakistani media reported.

On Friday, Sharif also met Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to discuss Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing's alleged interference in Pakistan. Sharif is likely to raise this issue during his address at the United Nations.

Sharif, in his address, will highlight issues such as "Kashmiri people's right to self-determination" and alleged "atrocities" being committed by Indian security forces. He is to also urge the international community and the UN to "live up to their promise" of the right to self determination of the Kashmiri people in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, Pakistan's Foreign Office said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has in a strong rebuttal to India at the UN Human Rights Council referred to a recent speech by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MP Tariq Hameed Karra who called life in Kashmir "worse than under Nazi rule".

Pakistan called for the Kashmiris to be allowed to "freely decide their future through the United Nations' mandated plebiscite".

The Pakistan delegation also termed India's focus on Balochistan at the UN as "open interference in Pakistan's internal affairs".

Earlier, India had slammed Pakistan, saying it was ironical that a nation "that has established a well earned reputation of being the global epicentre of terrorism" was holding forth on human rights.

The focus on Kashmir comes as nearly 90 people have died in clashes with security forces in the valley since July 9, a day after the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani by security forces.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : National passenger carrier Air India on Saturday said it landed two of its outbound flights midway to address medical emergencies of its passengers, ensuring their safety and well being.

According to the air carrier, a Chicago-bound flight AI 127 on September 16 and AI 174 SFO-Delhi flight on September 17 landed midway at Norway and Helsinki respectively to address medical emergencies of the passengers.

After taking off from Delhi, a passenger on board AI 127 complained of giddiness and when his condition did not improve even after providing medical help on board, the aircraft was landed at BOD airport in Norway and the passenger was immediately rushed to hospital, the airline said in a statement.

"In another medical emergency, AI 174 SFO-Delhi landed at Helsinki airport, when a 2 year 5 months old child accompanied by parents complained of health problem during the flight," said the statement.

Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and Managing Director of Air India said: "In close to 24 hours, Air India managed two medical emergencies effectively, giving top most priority to our passenger's well being."

"I would like to appreciate our crew for managing these situations who time and again have demonstrated their expertise," Lohani added.
Hanamkonda (Telangana), Sep 17 : BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday slammed Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for not celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day, saying he was afraid of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

He also targeted Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government for not allowing the schemes launched by the central government from reaching the people in the state and alleged that the ruling party is spending the money to buy MLAs from other parties.

Shah was addressing a public meeting in this town in Warangal district to mark Hyderabad 'Liberation day', marking the day in 1948 that erstwhile Hyderabad State had merged with the Indian Union following "Police Action", as the Indian military operation against Nizam's army is popularly called.

Shah said Karnataka, Marathwada and Telangana had to wait a year longer for independence as Nizam let loose his army of 'Razakars' on the people. He said the 'Razakars' committed excesses and killed thousands of people in villages.

"While Maharashtra and Karnataka officially celebrate liberation day, it is unfortunate that Telangana Chief Minister KCR feels ashamed to celebrate it," he said.

Shah said KCR was afraid of Owaisi and was doing vote bank politics. "KCR feels Owaisi will help him in remaining in power. KCR should understand people's sentiment. People of Telangana have made you CM and not Owaisi," he added.

The BJP chief said if Owaisi remained KCR's priority, people would teach him a lesson in 2019 elections.

Exuding confidence that BJP will come to power in Telangana with absolute majority in 2019, he said BJP would then officially celebrate Hyderabad liberation day.

Listing out the schemes launched by Modi government during last two years, Shah alleged that KCR had stalled implementation of these schemes in the state.

Claiming that the central government gave Rs 90,000 crore to Telangana in two years, he said the money had not reached the grass roots.

"Where has this money gone? You may have seen people from TDP, from YSR Congress or Congress joining KCR's party. Are they joining the party for free?" Shah asked.

Alleging that KCR government is indulging in corruption, he said it should realize that it can't continue ruling the state with defections as people have seen through its game.
Kalaburgi (Karnataka), Sep 17 : With no reply to his letter or an appointment to meet, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday chided Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being indifferent to the state over the raging Cauvery river water sharing issue with Tamil Nadu.

"Though it's over a week since I wrote to him (Modi) seeking his intervention to resolve the Cauvery issue by convening a meeting of the chief ministers and sought an appointment to meet him personally in Delhi, no reply yet to the letter or response for time to meet him," lamented Siddaramaiah, who was here on a day's official trip.

Noting that the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal has made a provision for the riparian states to find a solution to any problem through understanding and consensus, he said in a federal set-up, it was the duty of the central government and the Prime Minister to convene a meeting of chief ministers to resolve inter-state issues, as some PMs did in the past.

In a letter to Modi on September 9, on a day when Karnataka was shut down in protest against releasing the river water to Tamil Nadu on a directive by the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister urged Modi to convene a meeting of the chief ministers at a short notice for resolving the Cauvery river water impasse with Tamil Nadu.

Citing a precedent over 20 years ago, when under similar circumstances of deficit flows, the Supreme Court had requested then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to resolve the issue, the Chief Minister had said the "unrest", if continued, would have a serious impact on the state's economy as also the IT economy, which brought enormous revenue and foreign exchange to the country.

On Saturday, Siddaramaiah said: "I also spoke to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) seeking time to meet the Prime Minister on this issue but there is response yet to my oral request."

Asked if the Prime Minister was uncooperative and not interested to intervene in the matter, he said: "You can draw your own inference."

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of changing its stance on the water dispute, he regretted that the opposition party in the state was trying to politicise the issue by advising the state government against releasing water in defiance of the apex court directive.

The Chief Minister, however, hoped the state government's decision to release water would work in its favour when the main case comes up for the final hearing on October 18 in the top court.

"We do not have enough water in the reservoirs to release to Tamil Nadu after October 20, as it would result in denying drinking water to Bengaluru and other cities and villages dependent on Cauvery till the onset of monsoon in June next," he said.

The state requires at least 27 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water to meet the drinking water needs after October 20 and the four reservoirs in the state would have 28 tmcft, while Tamil Nadu will have 42 tmcft in its reservoirs.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : India woman gymnast Dipa Karmakar on Saturday recollected that people often asked her whether her sport has anything to do with circus.

Dipa, who finished fourth in the Rio Olympic Games, has made gymnastics popular in India due to her feats.

"People used to ask me what is gymnastics, is it something to do with the circus? And when I made it to the Olympics, there was a lot of pressure to get a medal," Dipa said at NDTV Youth for Change programme.

"But I just forgot all of that and tried to give my best," the 22-year-old girl from Tripura added.

Wrestler Sakshi Malik, who got a bronze medal at the Rio Games, is also enjoying the adulation coming her way.

"Life has definitely changed after the medal. I had gone alone and when I came back I found the whole country with me. Being made to feel very special," said Sakshi.
Gurgaon, Sep 17 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday dubbed the controversy over beef found in biryani and the gang rape of two sisters in Mewat as a "trivial issue".

"These are trivial issues and I don't pay much attention to these small issues. Today we should be talking about Swarna Jayanti celebrations and achievements of Haryana government," Khattar told reporters.

The Chief Minister was talking to the media on the sidelines of an event to celebrate 50 years of Haryana.

On August 25, a couple was beaten to death and two of their relatives, including a woman and a minor, allegedly gang raped after being held hostage by five armed robbers in Dhingeri village of Tauroo in Mewat, 45 km from Gurgaon.

Even as the murder and gang rape incident rocked Mewat, a new controversy erupted after beef was found in samples of biryani collected in the region. Haryana has banned beef consumption.

A state-run veterinary office that tested the samples stated that beef was used in the biryani being sold in the district.

Earlier, on the direction of the Haryana government, Haryana Cow Protection Task Force in charge DIG Bharti Arora, and Gau Sewa Aayog Chairman Bhani Ram Mangla, ahead of Eid held a drive to check biryani for beef and collected seven samples from Mewat.

Later, Haryana Minister Anil Vij said all seven samples were found to contain beef during laboratory tests at the Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Hisar.
New Delhi, Sep 17 : The BJP and the Congress on Saturday attacked Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal government for violating the Supreme Court guidelines and spending taxpayers' money on advertisements after a panel set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry ordered it to reimburse the amount so spent. The AAP government denied the charge.

The panel on content regulation of government advertisements charged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of violating Supreme Court guidelines and ordered it to "reimburse to the state exchequer" the entire amount that it had spent on its advertisements.

The panel was also critical of the advertisements put out by AAP outside Delhi.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded the amount of Rs 18.64 crore be recovered from AAP leaders.

"We demand reimbursement of Rs 18.64 from the responsible AAP leaders for violating Supreme Court guidelines," Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta, of the BJP, said in his letter to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung.

In his letter, Gupta said he demanded "that the responsibility of AAP ministers and officers of the Delhi government should be fixed so that it does not happen in future".

"Stern action should be taken against them."

Gupta alleged that the AAP has spent the money to improve the image of its party leaders in the public domain and to mislead the people.

The BJP further demanded that an officer should be appointed in the LG's office for passing the advertisements.

The Congress on Saturday demanded that an FIR be lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation against persons in the AAP government responsible for siphoning off public funds for private purposes.

Addressing a press conference, state party chief Ajay Maken said that the amount being used for advertising under the AAP government's tenure in Delhi has increased 14.5 times.

It also accused the Kejriwal government of misusing public funds for AAP's "political activities".

"During 2014, when Delhi was under President's Rule, the total amount spent on advertising was Rs 14.5 crore. The very next year, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government, spent Rs 127 crore on advertisements and in the current fiscal its Rs 207.73 crore."

Welcoming the panel's order, Maken said that while the Chief Minister says that he does not even have the power to buy a pen, the order of the committee proves that in the last 18 months, Kejriwal has "blown up more than Rs 100 crore" of government money for personal and political activities of the AAP.

"The order (of the committee) comes as a big relief for the tax payers of Delhi, as their hard-earned money siphoned off by the Chief Minister will now be recovered from his party," he said.

Citing the recently published CAG report, the Congress leader said the report has indicted the Delhi Government for spending 85 per cent of the total money allocated for publicity outside Delhi.

"How can you use funds meant for Delhi in other states," he asked, adding that the Kejriwal regime had given a number of advertisements in other states trying to fulfil his political agenda.

However, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday clarified that his government has not violated apex court guidelines on advertisements.

"I don't think we have violated guidelines of the Supreme Court on advertisements as the government has not given advertisement for glorification of its own image. Advertisements were meant for public welfare," Jain told reporters here.

He also asked why no body was questioning the civic bodies when they have put up hoardings bearing the pictures of mayors and councillors.

"BJP-ruled civic body hoardings carrying pictures of mayors and councillors can be seen across Delhi. They are spending money meant for taking preventive measures to stop the spread of dengue and chikungunya, on hoardings. Why doesn't anybody question them?" Jain asked.
Panaji, Sep 17 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's tongue may have stretched because of his constant criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday.

"In Delhi, 36 or 40 people died from dengue and chikungunya. While this is happening, the chief minister is on leave. Sometimes I compare, there (in Delhi) he keeps criticises Modi and here he attacks me. His tongue must have extended in length because of the amount he keeps talking. Now he has cropped it.. trimmed it," Parrikar told a meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party workers here.

The Delhi Chief Minister has undergone a surgery in a Bengaluru clinic to re-position his tongue, which doctors have claimed is a reason for his constant coughing.

Parrikar said he sympathises with the Delhi chief minister, but also added that the AAP government had no right to leave the people of Delhi, who were reeling under a chikungunya and dengue spell without anyone in charge.

"He (Kejriwal) is not there and deputy CM is in Finland on a world tour. If your mohalla clinics are so good, how can 40 people die of chikungunya. You cannot fool all the people all the time. Your lies are being exposed," he said .

Parrikar also recounted a joke circulating on social media about Aam Aadmi Party MLAs landing up in Delhi's Tihar prison.

"A Whatsapp message is doing the rounds, that the Tihar jail superintendent wrote a letter to the LG (Lt. Governor) that I have more MLAs in my custody. These people have cheated, given wrong assurances and are roaming around the world without responsibilities. Goans should be careful. Goans do not get conned by schemes," he said.
Kolkata, Sep 17 : Former West Bengal Pradesh Congress chief Manas Bhunia, now a dissident leader, is likely to join the ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday, a senior ruling party leader said.

Bhunia, who has been gunning for state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Leader of the Opposition Abdul Mannan over the past couple of months, has made up his mind to cross over to the Trinamool next week. "Most probably, he will join on Monday," the leader said.

A number of other Congress leaders and functionaries of its mass organisations are set to pitch their lot with the Trinamool along with Bhunia.

The Sabong lawmaker has been at loggerheads with the state party leadership over his decision to continue as the Public Accounts Committee chairman of the assembly, disregarding the legislators' plea to him to step down.

Earlier, he had sought Mannan and Chowdhury's removal from their posts.

Rejecting Mannan's plea to appoint CPI-M's Sujan Chakraborty as PAC charman, Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on July 4 announced Bhunia's appointment to the post.

On July 8, Bhunia formally accepted his appointment as the PAC chairman, claiming that he was "never officially informed about the party's stand". He however had admitted of having received informal requests by the party to quit the post.

Bhunia had defied calls by Chowdhury, Mannan and the Congress legislature party to step down from the post.

Getting aggressive of late, Bhunia recently described Congress general secretary C.P. Joshi as a "sleeping (AICC) general secretary", and lavished praise on state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, calling her the country's best chief minister.
Moscow, Sep 18 : The US-led coalition killed 62 Syrian government troops and injured some 100 others in a round of airstrikes in eastern Syria's province of Deir al-Zour, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

"Today, in areas close to the Deir ez-Zor Airport, the aircraft from the international anti-Islamic State coalition carried out four air-strikes against units of the Syrian government troops surrounded by terrorists," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The operation left 62 Syrian servicemen dead and about 100 injured, the spokesman said, adding that the warplanes entered the airspace of Syria from the Iraqi border.

Syria's national TV also confirmed the killing of Syrian servicemen by the US-led coalition.

A monitor group, however, reported that the airstrikes have killed over 30 Syrian soldiers,.
Moscow, Sep 18 : Moscow has called an urgent UN Security Council meeting after US-led coalition airstrikes hit Syrian forces, killing 62 soldiers and wounding 100 more, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry has also demanded full and detailed explanation from Washington over the incident in Dier al-Zor, in which 62 Syrian troops were killed and over 100 injured.

Moscow stressed that it was concerned by the US airstrike targeting the Syrian army units which had been destroying the Islamic State.

The ministry added that the Russian side had never been notified of US plans to carry out bombings in the Dier al Zor area.

Earlier on Saturday Russia's Defence Ministry said that four strikes against Syrian positions had been delivered by US-led coalition aircraft - two F-16 jet fighters and two A-10 support aircraft.

The Syrian military called the bombing a "serious and blatant aggression" against Syrian forces, and said it was "conclusive evidence" that the US and its allies support IS militants.

US Central Command later issued a statement, saying that the US-led "coalition would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit." It promised to look into the incident.
1SEO.com Digital Agency

1SEO.com Digital Agency, the Philadelphia, PA-based leading national SEO agency, is pleased to announce that they have been recognized as one of the top 100 places to work in Pennsylvania. This designation is granted to the company by the Central Penn Business Journal in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Team PA Foundation, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) -- PA State Council and Best Companies Group.

Company culture is something we take very seriously because were a family business, and as our company grows, we dont want that family feel to go away, said CJ Bachmann, 1SEO.com Digital Agencys VP of Operations.

Recognition as one of best places to work in their home state is yet another in a long line of prestigious accolades that 1SEO.com Digital Agency has received so far in 2016. Others include their ranking on Inc. 5000s list of fastest growing companies, their recent acknowledgement as a Google Premier Partner and their being shortlisted for 16 US Search Awards.

Were having a big year! said Lance Bachmann, Founder and CEO of 1SEO.com Digital Agency. Its always a thrill when we get recognized for the great work we do for our clients, but we wouldnt be able to do that work without the culture we have, so being recognized for that is just as awesome, he added.

To learn more about the best SEO company in PA and what theyve done to earn the several awards and other distinctions theyve received this year, visit http://www.1SEO.com today or call 215-946-1046.

About 1SEO.com Digital Agency:

1SEO.com Digital Agency is a Philadelphia, PA-based digital marketing firm that provides end-to-end solutions for their clientele, which is comprised of hundreds of businesses in countless industries that operate in several sectors, from the niche to the mainstream. Using a full suite of services like search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click (PPC), social media optimization (SMO), website design, content writing and email marketing, 1SEO.com Digital Agency helps their clients win online by cultivating online presences and harvesting leads, closes, conversions and profits.

To learn more, please visit http://www.1seo.com/.
It is expected that the use of the HyGIeaCare Prep will clearly lower barriers to entry for colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening.

HyGIeaCare Inc. announced that a review of the experience for the first 791 patients in Austin TX has been published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Digestive System ( http://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/hygieacare-preparation-for-colonoscopya-technical-update-for-success-2161-069X-1000458.php?aid=79003 ). The paper was co-authored by Harish K. Gagneja, Parth Parekh, Dawn Burleson and David Johnson.

HyGIeaCare Prep represents a paradigm shift from the standard per oral purgative laxatives traditionally prescribed prior to colonoscopy. This innovative approach provides a safe and highly effective preparation, a requisite for performance for high quality colonoscopy and detection of colonic lesions.

Patient satisfaction is universally high with 95% of patients willing to pay for a HyGIeaCare prep in the future, despite the additional charge.

Integration into a gastroenterology practice is fluid with scheduling of the colonoscopy coordinated with the time of the HyGIeaCare Prep, so as to allow prompt and timely arrival of all patients to the colonoscopy suite.

By providing options to what otherwise might be barriers specifically related to the intolerance or refusal to take oral purgatives, HyGIeaCare Prep offers a new exciting advance in colonoscopy preparation. It is expected that the use of the HyGIeaCare Prep will clearly lower these barriers to entry for colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening.

This publication teaches that patient satisfaction from the HyGIeaCare Prep is universally high with 95% of patients willing to pay for a HyGIeaCare prep in the future, said Gavriel Meron, Chairman and CEO of HyGIeaCare, Inc. It is expected that the use of the HyGIeaCare Prep will clearly lower barriers to entry for colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening.

In addition, the HyGIeaCare Prep is safe and there have been no serious adverse events in patients referred by their gastroenterologist who underwent HyGIeaCare Prep in the U.S.

For more information about HyGIeaCare please go to our website: http://www.hygieacare.com

About HyGIeaCare, Inc.

Gavriel (Gabi) Meron, Chairman and CEO -- founder and former CEO of Given Imaging, the Company that successfully brought the PillCam to the world - partnered with Texas- based Lifestream Purification Systems to form HyGIeaCare, Inc. to bring the HyGIeaCare FDA-cleared Prep System and procedure exclusively to the GI world.

The goal of HyGIeaCare is to provide unique services and solutions to gastroenterologists to deliver better GI outcomes for their patients and their practice through a chain of HyGIeaCare Centers to be established in the US and throughout the world.

To date four HyGIeaCare Centers have already been established  Austin TX in August 2015, and in 2016 - Dallas TX, Norfolk VA and Gilbert AZ. Additional Centers, in Jackson MS and Cincinnati OH are expected to open later in 2016. More than 2,000 patients have performed the procedure with 97% adequately prepped, with very high patient satisfaction - 95% of the patients responding with feedback have told us that they would again choose HyGIeaCare prep over the alternative oral prep.

# # #

Contact: Michal Gorodish michal.gorodish(at)hygieacare(dot)com
Robert Reich

Salt Lake Community Colleges 2016 Tanner Forum on Social Ethics is hosting Robert Reich Oct. 19, 7-8:30 p.m. on the SLCC South City Campus in the Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State Street, Salt Lake City. Free tickets for this event will be available at the Grand Theatre website beginning Sept. 19, and doors will open at 6 p.m. on the evening of the event for first-come, first-served seating. Reich will sign books from 8:30-9:30 p.m. in the Grand Theatre foyer.

Reich is considered one of the worlds leading thinkers about work and the economy and is currently teaching public policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He served during three national administrations, including as Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton and on President Barack Obamas economic transition advisory board. In 2008, Time magazine named Reich one of the ten most successful cabinet secretaries of the past 100 years. He has a nationally syndicated column and writes frequently for New York Times, The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, which named Reich one of the nations top ten thought leaders. Reich has almost 1.4 million followers on Facebook, where he hosts podcasts and posts videos under the categories Bob In Conversation, Tax Fact of the Day and the popular Office Hours.

The Tanner Forum on Social Ethics brings nationally and internationally recognized speakers in the area of social ethics to Salt Lake Community College annually. The Tanner Forum enhances the Colleges mission as a community-based learning institution by providing opportunities for the students, faculty, staff and wider community to come together for the thoughtful examination of critical issues in contemporary social ethics. The Tanner Forum on Social Ethics is funded in part by the O.C. Tanner Company.

The landmark Grand Theatre is a 1,100-seat venue located at Salt Lake Community Colleges historic South City Campus, home of the innovative and state-of-the-industry Center for Arts and Media. The theatre dates back to the 1930s when it was part of South High School, which SLCC purchased in 1989, a year after the school closed. The Grand Theatre began offering productions that year and has since with great care and expense retained its Depression-era charm and attraction while also incorporating the latest technology in lighting and sound. For the past two years it has been an official screening venue for the annual Sundance Film Festival. Every season the Grand is host to award-winning theatre and dance productions and concerts that attract arts enthusiasts from all along the Wasatch Front.
Readers Respond

This week we lost another beloved figure in the world of childrens publishing, author and illustrator Barbara Seuling. Commenting on our obituary, PW readers who had known and worked with her mourned her loss.

Barbara was an influential force in the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators, a worldwide organization of 25,000 creators of books for young readers. For many years she organized an annual conference of authors and illustrators in New York at the Bank Street College.... The legions of people who knew Barbara through her work with SCBWI are mourning her loss today.Marvin Terban

The world is less wise, less warm, and less welcoming for Barbaras loss. I attended a conference at her home in Vermont and received guidance, inspiration, and love that continued on for years and led to publication.Rose Kent

I would not be writing for children if I hadnt had the fortune to land in Barbara Seulings workshop in her Manhattan apartment years ago.Roxane Orgill

From the Newsletters

Tip Sheet

The editors of Atlas Obscura: An Explorers Guide to the Worlds Hidden Wonders (Workman) pick the 10 strangest places on earth.

Childrens Bookshelf

The inside story on Rick Riordan Presents, a new imprint at Disney-Hyperion curated by the mega-selling author that will focus on mythology-based fiction for middle grade readers.

Religion Bookline

A survey of Christian distributors, as the number of them hits a new low.

Global Rights Report

How a Facebook post by Antoine Leiris, whose wife was killed in the November Paris terror attacks, turned into an international bestselling book.

BookLife Report

An updated look at the case for and against offset printing for self-published authors.

Preview for Librarians

Get a sneak peek at each weeks starred reviews, plus a recap of news relevant to librarians, delivered every Friday afternoon.

Sign up for these and other great, free newsletters.

Blogs

ShelfTalker

A bookseller compiles a reading list of diverse nonfiction titles for children.

Podcasts

Week Ahead

PW senior writer Andrew Albanese digs in to our annual salary survey and discusses the historic swearing in of Carla Hayden as librarian of Congress. Hayden is the first woman and the first African-American to hold the post.

More to Come

The More to Come crew discusses IDWs distribution switch, Attack on Titan, and comics events at the Small Press Expo in D.C. and the Brooklyn Book Festival in N.Y.C.

KidsCast

Ben Hatke talks about Mighty Jack, his new graphic novel (First Second), a modern-day reinterpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk.

LitCast

Chuck Gunderson discusses the Beatles U.S. concert tours from 1964 to 1966, the subject of his two-volume [em]Some Fun

Tonight [/em](Backbeat).

PW Radio

Seanan McGuire talks about her latest novel, Once Broken Faith (DAW), book 10 in the October Daye urban fantasy series.

The New Elegant but Easy Cookbook by Marian Burros and Lois Levine (S&S) was the most-read review last week on publishersweekly.com.
A dignified older man in a suit tries to make sense of his life in a home for senior citizens as he struggles to hold on to his memories. Thats the haunting premise for Wrinkles (Arrugas) by Paco Roca, a graphic novel just published in the U.S. by Fantagraphics. When it appeared in its native Spain in 2007, Wrinkles started a revolution in Spanish graphic novel publishing, winning the Spanish National Comics prize in 2008 and virtually every other Spanish comics award, and selling 50,000 copies. It was even adapted into an animated film.

It was just the start of a recent boom in Spanish graphic novel publishing, with production surging, and more and more Spanish cartoonists finding an international readership. According to statistics from Tebeosfera, a Spanish comics website, the number of comics published in Spain grew to 2,905 in 2015, up from 2,470 in 2012.

Though there have been many notable Spanish comics makers in the pastBlacksad, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, an elegant noir series starring an anthropomorphic cat hero, is an international bestseller, and artists David Aja (Hawkeye) and Marcos Martin (Private Eye) have gained acclaim in the mainstream U.S. comics marketthe development of Spains own comics culture has been relatively recent.

Previously, most of the comics published in Spain were imported from the U.S. and France, and put out by large publishers such as Planeta, Panini, and Norma, with a few homegrown titles. However, thats all been changing as the worldwide comics culture grows, and Spanish indie publishers such as Astberri and La Cupola have brought over such esteemed U.S. authors as Chris Ware and Daniel Clowes, as well as helping develop native authors such as Roca.

According to David Macho, an agent and translator who works with many Spanish artists in mainstream U.S. comics, the revolution began about a decade ago with a boom in fanzines, followed by a big explosion of new professionals finding a home at publishers like Astiberri, Norma, Dibbuks, or ECC, he said. All the new talents want to leave their mark and the indie graphic novel market isnt indie anymore. It keeps growing and growing, and its more solid by the day.

The latest generation of Spanish cartoonists is getting a showcase this month with a U.S. author tour sponsored by the Spain Arts and Culture organization. The delegation includes author Santiago Garcia, and artists Ana Galvan, David Rubin, Javier Olivares, and Jose Domingo. They were all set to appear at the Small Press Expo (September 1718) in Bethesda, Md., to promote Spanish Fever, an anthology of Spanish indie comics being published in English by Fantagraphics. Besides Wrinkles and Spanish Fever, Fantagraphics list includes two books from Argentina: Lucas Varelas wordless SF extravaganza, The Longest Day of the Future, and Growing Up in Public by Ezequiel Garcia, a searing look at artistic life in Buenos Aires.

Latin-American cartoonists are also getting a U.S. readership. Last year Fantagraphics published a gorgeous U.S. hardcover edition of The Eternaut by writer Hector German Oesterheld and artist Francisco Solano Lopez. Originally published in the 50s, the book is an important literary classic in its native Argentina, although its then-explosive political message forced Lopez to flee to Spain. The U.S. edition sold out of its first printing and was nominated for three Eisner Awards, winning Best Archival Collection/ProjectStrips. A second printing just came out.

Perhaps the best-known Latin-American cartoonist in the U.S. is the Argentinean Riccardo Liniers Siri. Enchanted Lion has published three volumes of his wildly popular comic strip Macanudoa fourth is due later this yearand he also works with Toon Books, Francoise Moulys childrens graphic novel house. Liniers has seen a similar growth in indie cartoonists in Argentina. Its an amazing art form, and Latin Americans love amazing art forms, he said.

However, throughout Latin America there is often a problem getting access to independent comics from the U.S., as Spanish publishers often control the rights and the books dont always make it to Latin America. To solve this, Liniers and his wife, Angie Erhart Del Campo, formed La Editorial Comun, a small company that publishes Latin-American cartoonists such as Power Paola (Virus Tropical, published in the U.S. by 2dcloud) and international cartoonists including Guy Delisle and Dash Shaw. Though its lineup is smallfive or six books a yearthe demand is there, Liniers says, and he expects the reputation of Latin-American cartoonists to grow internationally. Just as with the boom in literary authors like Garcia Marquez in the 80s, it will happen with comics at some point.

Though its line of Spanish speaking authors wasnt a deliberate publishing strategyWe just publish the best cartoonists from around the world that we find, said Fantagraphics publisher Gary GrothFantagraphics has more books coming from this vibrant market. Next year Fantagraphics will publish a U.S. edition of Las Meninas by Javier Olivares and Santiago Garcia (both part of the aforementioned author tour), a book about artist Diego Valazquez that won Spains National Comic Award last year. Its a strong story and the artwork is sensational, Groth says.
New Department of Labor regulations, set to kick in December 1, will make companies pay time and a half to salaried employees who earn less than $47,500 annually when they work more than 40 hours per week, and publishers appear ready to limit hours rather than pay overtime.

Of the 241 senior managers who responded to PWs annual salary and job survey, 48% said they will make sure that employees earning less than $47,500 annually do not work more than 40 hours per week. The second-most-favored option, cited by 32% of managers, is to pay the overtime. Few managers said they expect to take more drastic measures: 4% said they will replace full-time employees with part-time workers, and only 1% said they will eliminate positions to avoid paying the higher costs.

As with the current regulation, which requires employers to pay overtime to salaried employees earning under $23,600 who work more than 40 hours per week, not all salaried employees who earn less than the salary threshold will qualify for overtime. Companies are able to exempt employees from overtime through the use of various criteria, such as a duties test, which looks at, among other things, how much discretion an employee has to set his or her own hours. In publishing, this could mean that editors who have been told they need to complete a report on a manuscript by a certain deadline will qualify for overtime, but editors who read a galley only because it seems interesting will not be eligible. There can be a fine line between who is exempt and who is not, a human resources executive said.

The 104 respondents to the PW survey who earn less than $47,500 are somewhat unsure how the new regulations will affect them: 32% said they dont expect to benefit from the change, and another 31% said they dont know what the impact the will be. (Roughly 37% of respondents earning less than $47,500 said they work more than 40 hours per week.)

Whether the regulations will have teeth is another question. Whereas almost half (47%) of respondents affected by the regulation said they dont expect to feel pressure to work extra hours without claiming overtime, 38% said they do think they will be pressured to work extra hours without extra pay.

Employees in editorial positions were the largest share of those who said they think they will benefit from the new regulations, as well as the largest share of those who said they expect to feel pressure to work overtime without additional compensation. Thirty-eight percent said they think they will benefit from the new regulations (another 38% said they didnt know whether they would benefit). An even higher percentage (44%), however, said they think they will be expected to work more than 40 hours without overtime pay.

The president of a midsize publisher said his company has no editorial employees who earn less than $47,500, though two marketing assistants at the company make less than that; the human resources department has already been told to limit these assistants hours to no more than 40 hours per week. Steven Piersanti, president of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, also said his company has no editorial employees earning less than $47,500. The company has a few employees in other departments who dont reach the threshold, and when they exceed 40 hours (which is not often), they are paid overtime, Piersanti said. Most of those employees, he added, are eligible to be promoted, and if they are they will earn more than $47,500.

A representative from another publisher speculated that many companies who have employees close to the new threshold will make salary adjustments. Spokespersons for Penguin Random House and Hachette Book Group both said their companies will continue to adhere to the Department of Labor guidelines. The HBG spokesperson added that the only thing that will change is the number of people who are now eligible for overtime.

How Publishers Will Comply with New Overtime Regulations

Options Responses Limit hours for employees 48% Pay the mandated overtime 32% Raise employee salaries above the threshold to make them exempt from overtime pay 8% Replace full-time employees with part timers 4% Eliminate positions to pay for higher costs 1% Other 7% Dont know 18%

Source: PW Annual Salary and Jobs Survey
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. -- Year after year, Matt Hardy struggled to spark an itch for writing in his students.

His fourth-graders in Eden Prairie thought it was a "boring and contrived" task. They didn't see a point, Hardy said, to inscribe something only he, and maybe the class, would ever read. He wanted a space where students could share their work to an audience. But to throw a child's writing up online and open the floodgates? That seemed too dangerous.

In 2010, Hardy set out to find a workaround. Hardy, who studied computer science at the University of Minnesota, Morris, spent his spare time writing a modified WordPress code and enlisted the help of Dan Flies, a programmer and Hardy's longtime college buddy.

A few months later, they introduced Hardy's students to Kidblog, through which they could write blogs and essays, and comment on each other's posts. Teachers could decide to make blogs public.

Hardy said he saw an opportunity to grow Kidblog as a business. Not only was it a "sweet, seven-letter, two-syllable domain name," he heard other teachers say they would like something like it in their classrooms. So in the spring of 2012, he "retired" from eight years of teaching to pursue his new venture full-time.

"There's that nagging feeling that this is worth reading but it might not be read," Hardy said. "It's tricky to decide, 'I want someone else to see this, but who? And how?' Kidblog tries to solve some of those questions."

Hardy showed off Kidblog at local networking events and tech demos, where it caught the eyes of investors. Kidblog has raised about $1 million in investments from local angels and a venture capital firm, and Silicon Valley-based seed fund 500 Startups, which was founded by PayPal and Google alums.

Kidblog has since moved out of Hardy's home office into a space in the Warehouse District's Colonial Warehouse. The staff grew to six full-time people who code, maintain and sell Kidblog to teachers and schools.

By 2012, they hit a wall, and the product had to grow up as well. Teachers started to ask for ways to customize which posts can be made public. With WordPress, Hardy said, either all of a classroom's work is made public or none. Hardy and his team spent the next two years building a custom interface from scratch, one that could more flexibly meet the safety and privacy needs of students.

In May, Kidblog launched a new platform under Kidblog.org. The new interface allows teachers to create multiple classrooms and regulate what content and comments are posted. Students get to pick their audience, whether that's just their teacher, parents, classmates or the entire web. The public option requires the teacher's approval.

"That itself is a very powerful decision to make as an author, particularly for a young author," Hardy said. "It's not the teacher deciding; it's the student."

With its new platform, Kidblog shed its "freemium" business model and opted for a try-and-subscribe approach. In the past, teachers could get Kidblog for free and pay for additional features like a bigger cap for file uploads. Now, they'd have to pay $44 per year or $9 per month after a 30-day trial.

It was a rugged transition. About half of Kidblog's clients couldn't pay for the subscription and left. Hardy said users loved having the platform in class, but for many teachers, it was too much to pay for out of pocket.

To ease the burden on teachers, Kidblog started to offer plans for schools and school districts. A school could pay per student enrolled in Kidblog -- starting from $3 a student up to 300 students, $2.50 for the next 250, and so on, up to 1,000 students -- and any number of teachers can use it in their classes.

Hardy said the switch was not an easy decision, but a necessary leap in the company's evolution.

"I think what is now obvious for all of start-upland is that 'give it away and figure out how to monetize later' is fine as long as you're delivering real value to users," he said.

Today, Kidblog serves at least 5,000 schools and districts around the world, Hardy said. Most of its clients are in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. He said there were about 5 million users last year.

Hardy did not disclose Kidblog's annual revenue, but he said by August, the company hit last year's mark. His goal is to get the revenue in the millions in the next year, he said.

Technology use in K-12 has been booming, as more students trade in notebooks for Chromebooks. In the Edina School District, in Minnesota, students each get a Chromebook to use in class as early as third grade. When they get to middle school, the laptop becomes a part of the backpack to take home, just like textbooks, said Steve Buettner, the district's director of media and technology.

Districts like Edina have invested generously in hardware, but they keep a frugal eye out for free classroom apps and programs. Buettner said his district uses Blogger and Google sites, which are free, to fill demand for a classroom publishing space.

While those may be a good choice for an individual blogger, it may not be as optimal for a classroom of students or a teacher managing over 100 students' work, Hardy said.
By PTI: Srinagar, Sep 17 (PTI) Around 200 militants from across the border are trying to infiltrate into Kashmir, while some have already sneaked into the Valley and the number of encounters along the LoC has increased, a senior BSF officer said today.

"There has been an increase in the number of encounters along the LoC this year, and seeing that there is no denial that infiltration has taken place...Around 150-200 militants are waiting on the other side of LoC to infiltrate," Inspector General BSF, Kashmir Frontier, Vikash Chandra told reporters at a function here.

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He also blamed Pakistan and militant organisations for the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

"This whole unrest is Pakistan sponsored. The militant organisations there have a huge hand in all this and they are trying their best (to fuel the unrest)," Chandra said.

He said some militants, who were waiting in launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, have managed to infiltrate into the Valley.

"Some have infiltrated and some have been killed in the encounters," he said.

Lauding Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary CRPF for tackling the unrest in the Valley, Chandra said they were doing their job with "utmost bravery and alertness".

"The situation that has arisen is not force-specific. Every force is working as per the situation and in todays situation, the CRPF is doing the better job. I salute the jawans of CRPF for working in this situation. I feel the Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF are doing their job with utmost bravery and alertness. They are trying to control the prevailing situation," he said.

The BSF officer said replacing pellet guns with PAVA shells showed the "intent" of the government to minimise the human loss.

"The government instead of firing bullets climbed down and came down to (using) pellets and now it has climbed from pellets to PAVA shells. See the intent in this," Chandra

said.

Earlier, 251 recruits were inducted into the force at an attestation-cum-parade function at the subsidiary training centre at Humhama in the outskirts of the city here.

The centre, established in June 1990 to impart basic training to recruits, has so far trained 15,219 recruits, 1,265 communication personnel and 4,307 group C staff which includes 2,178 Kashmiri youth, including surrendered militants. PTI SSB MIJ TA AQS GVS AKK RG AQS

--- ENDS ---
Xavier Elfonsto Buckner, 27, of Davenport, was sentenced on Thursday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to eight years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to U.S. Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel, Mr. Buckner was ordered to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term and pay $100 toward the Crime Victims Fund.

In a three-day jury trial that ended May 11, Mr. Buckner was found guilty of felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence at trial stated there was a shooting Aug. 3, 2015, in the 700 block of West 14th Street, Davenport, with witnesses identifying Mr. Buckner as the shooter.

Police officers collected spent casings from the scene, and a warrant was issued for Mr. Buckners arrest, according to court records. On Aug. 11, 2015, police saw Mr. Buckner in a vehicle in the area of 700 W. 14th St., court records stated.

The vehicle fled from officers, with the chase ending when multiple police cars blocked the vehicle. A stolen, loaded .38-caliber handgun found on the back passenger floorboard was identified as belonging to Mr. Buckner, according to court testimony.

A criminalist also compared four casings collected from the scene shooting and concluded they had been fired from the weapon found in the vehicle, according to court testimony.

Mr. Buckner had a 2006 felony convictions for reckless use of a firearm and a 2008 third degree burglary charge.

The case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Project Safe Neighborhood initiative.
A former teacher is suing Rock Island-Milan School District 41 for alleged wrongful termination.

Wendy Koopman of Andalusia was working as a special education teacher at Earl Hanson Elementary School when she was "violently attacked" by a male student, according to the lawsuit filed in Rock Island County Circuit Court this week. Among other injuries, Ms. Koopman suffered a broken nose, a chipped tooth, and a concussion, the suit says.

The suit alleges that after the attack on Jan. 12, 2015, Ms. Koopman spent the rest of the school year on medical leave recovering from her injuries and post-traumatic stress. She also sought and received worker's compensation benefits because of her injuries.

When Ms. Koopman returned for the 20152016 school year, she was three years into a four-year probationary employment period with the school district before she would receive tenure.

Ms. Koopman also previously filed a grievance with the school district seeking to assure the incident would not affect her progress toward tenure. The school district confirmed in writing it would not, according to the suit.

The school district also repeatedly assured Ms. Koopman in writing that the 20152016 school year would be considered her fourth year of probationary employment, the suit says.

However, in its April 2016 meeting, the Rock IslandMilan Board of Education did not renew Ms. Koopman's work contract, saying she had completed just "three years of probationary service."

Despite having received a "proficient" rating on her 20152016 school year evaluation, Ms. Koopman received a letter of dismissal. The letter did not provide any specific reasons for Ms. Koopman's dismissal, which is contrary to Illinois state law procedure, according to the suit.

Ms. Koopman maintains that her termination from employment was retaliatory and therefore in violation of the Illinois worker's compensation statute. Rock IslandMilan School District 41 spokeswoman, Holly Sparkman, declined to comment on the litigation.

Ms. Koopman is seeking an excess of $50,000 from Rock IslandMilan School District to compensate for her financial and emotional losses. A hearing is set for Jan. 19, 2017.
DAVENPORT -- Msgr. Marvin Mottet died Friday at the Kahl Home in Davenport.

His death comes three months after he marked the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. He was 86. Arrangements are pending at Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport.

Msgr. Mottet studied at St. Ambrose College, was a priest and teacher in the Davenport Diocese and led the National Campaign for Human Development in Washington, D.C

He was ordained to the priesthood in Davenport in 1956 and helped form the Catholic Interracial Council to address racial discrimination and segregation in the city a year later. He brought both Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. to Davenport on separate occasions to receive the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award, an award he also received years later.

He opened the Social Action Department for the Diocese of Davenport in 1969. His advocacy of the Two Feet of Social Justice led to the use of an outline of a pair of shoes as a symbol throughout the world.

In 1978, he became executive director of the National Campaign for Human Development and helped open Catholic Worker houses in Washington, D.C., and two in Davenport. He is credited with starting or assisting organizations such as Legal Aid, Center for Active Seniors Inc., Quad-Cities Interfaith, Interfaith Housing, Project Renewal and Cafe on Vine.

He survived a near fatal bout with cancer in his 30s, a kidney transplant, hip replacement surgery and other health challenges. According to the diocese's newspaper, The Catholic Messenger, Msgr. Mottet often joked that if they dont run out of used parts, Ill be all right. Sometimes I feel like a used truck.

He presided at healing Masses at Sacred Heart Cathedral until his health prevented it.

St. Ambrose University presented him its McMullen Award in 2007. In 2011, the Roundtable Association of Catholic Diocesan Social Action Directors presented him its Servant of Justice Award. The League of United Latin American Citizens in Davenport honored him in 2013.
DAVENPORT  About 15 soldiers from Rock Island Arsenal participated in the Modern Woodmen of America Salute to Heroes parade on Sept. 11.

The U.S. Army Sustainment Command color guard also presented the colors prior to the community event at Modern Woodmen Stadium following the parade.

The march began in Rock Island, crossing the Centennial Bridge into Davenport and ending at Modern Woodmen Stadium where Modern Woodmen representatives, Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch, fire and police department officials and others opened a community event with remarks about the losses of 9/11 and the brave men and women first responders who lost their lives trying to save their fellow countrymen.

The event featured first responder vehicle displays, kids activities, American Red Cross booths, self-defense classes and more.

This year marked the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
ROCK ISLAND -- Saying he hoped he had added value to the community, Rock Island city manager Thomas Thomas submitted his resignation Friday.

The Rock Island City Council will decide whether to approve his resignation and its proposed severance package at Monday's 6:45 p.m. council meeting.

Mayor Dennis Pauley had no comment Friday, other than to confirm Mr. Thomas's letter of resignation.

"It is time for me to pursue other opportunities and interests," Mr. Thomas wrote in his letter. "I will step down from my position as City Manager for the City of Rock Island on September 20, 2016."

A proposed severance agreement connected to his resignation would provide Mr. Thomas with six months' salary -- about $77,500 -- along with pay for accrued and unused vacation time in a lump sum. In November 2015, the city council approved raising his annual salary to $154,902.

"The City of Rock Island is a strong city with many unique opportunities," Mr. Thomas wrote in his letter of resignation. "I hope that I have added some value to that tradition of excellence.

"I have given full attention to my duties and responsibilities," his letter stated. "It has been a unique honor to serve as Rock Island's City Manager. I will truly miss my associations here. I am proud of the important work we completed during my tenure as your City Manager."

It has been a somewhat tumultuous run for Mr. Thomas, who started with Rock Island on Oct. 24, 2011. His tenure was marked by a new $22 million police station at 1212 5th Ave. that tripled the space available to the department.

But he also had high visibility development projects fail.

The latest came Sept. 6 when Wal-Mart abruptly pulled out of a supercenter planned at the former Watch Tower Plaza site on 11th Street. Since 2012, Rock Island had spent at least $15 million to clear the 20-acre site, buy buildings or buy out business leases for 21 properties.

Last year, the city abandoned a proposed 90-acre development known as Jumer's Crossing at the Interstate 280 and Illinois 92 intersection. Rock Island spent $1 million for the land and ran up thousands of dollars in legal fees in a failed effort to condemn part of a levee so it could build an access road to the site on Big Island.

In 2013, Fareway proposed building a grocery story at the former Audubon Elementary School site on 18th Avenue. The school was closed in 2010. Neighbors protested the grocery store plan and a city planning commission recommended the site not be rezoned for the store.

After Fareway dropped its plan for the site, the school was demolished in 2014 and a CVS Pharmacy was built on the site in 2015.

In its quest for development and improvements, Rock Island has increased its debt load. The city's outstanding bond debt in 2011 was $39.9 million in 2011; last year it was $68.5 million.

Ald. Joshua Schipp, 6th Ward, said he plans to accept Mr. Thomas' resignation.

"If it goes through, I only wish him and his family the best in their transition," Ald. Schipp said. "I do feel there is, and will continue to be, a strong focus on the topics, mostly with Big Island and Wal-Mart.

"Mr. Thomas has done some great work for the city," Ald. Schipp said. "His intentions have always been for the growth of the city and expanding the sales tax. He certainly inherited no shortage of issues, and generational issues that any city has.

"Rock Island has its unique challenges," he added. "To reiterate, his (Mr. Thomas') heart was always in it for Rock Island."

Ald. Stephen Tollenaer, 4th Ward, said the Wal-Mart project produced some positive results for the city, such as the Black Hawk Commons business park. A former dilapidated trailer park at 11th Street and Blackhawk Road became home to Missman's new corporate offices in 2014. The site also includes the Black Hawk College learning center and State Farm Insurance, both formerly in Watch Tower Plaza.

The alderman said he didn't think Mr. Thomas was being forced out by council members. "He brought it (resignation) up," Ald. Tollenaer said.

"I think the condemnation of Mayor Pauley and Thomas Thomas have been unwarranted," he added. "The mayor never voted on the Watch Tower Plaza project. Elected officials unanimously voted on the 11th Street redevelopment plan.

"In my view, he (Mr. Thomas) hung his hat on this initiative."
Police spokesman T.J. Smith spoke at a news conference Friday in the area where 32-year-old Crystal Edmonds was found. Smith says she was found about 3 a.m. with a gunshot wound to her head, and died about 11 a.m.

Smith says investigators don't have much evidence, and urged anyone with information to call police. He says "tips work," and notes that information from residents led to two arrests after a man was stabbed and robbed in northeast Baltimore earlier this week.

Police say area residents have complained about illegal activity, but there is no evidence that Edmonds was involved in criminal activity.
G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now!
Two soldiers from the bilateral force were lightly wounded in the operation, launched after clashes in the village of Toumour, near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border, on Monday.

By Reuters: Soldiers from Niger and Chad have killed 38 Boko Haram fighters during operations that followed attacks by the Nigerian Islamist group on two border towns in southeastern Niger earlier this week, Niger's army said on Saturday.

Two soldiers from the bilateral force were lightly wounded in the operation, launched after clashes in the village of Toumour, near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border, on Monday.

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ARMS AND AMMUNITION SEIZED

The Nigerien and Chadian forces also seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition, according to the army statement read on national radio. It said soldiers were continuing to pursue Boko Haram fighters in the area.

Boko Haram has killed thousands of civilians and displaced some 2.4 million people across Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad during a seven-year insurgency aimed at establishing an emirate based on a radical interpretation of Islamic law.

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Just when Turner seems to be growing stronger than ever in Latin America, its regional president, Juan Carlos Urdaneta, has announced that hes stepping down.

By the end of the year, Urdaneta will leave Turners top position in Latin America, with Gerhard Zeiler, president of Turner Broadcasting System , taking over the role temporarily until a replacement is found. They will both share the position from 1 October.Leaving Turner has been a difficult decision to make, especially regarding the professional team I have led during the last 16 years, said Urdaneta. Im leaving but Im certain great success is waiting in the companys future.The announcement comes during a very active time for Turner Latin America, as the company has recently taken control of Chiles CNN and reinforced its commercial offering in the country, while its negotiating with Telefonica to buy Argentinas Telefe network Juan Carlos Urdaneta first established Turners business in Latin America, making the region become a great revenue generator for the company. For 16 years, the units DPTI has annually grown by 15-19%, added Zeiler. Without his strategical vision, Turner wouldnt have been able to build up such a prosperous pay-TV and free-to-air division.
Tesla just struck a deal to build one of the largest battery storage facilities in the world. It will provide a 20-megawatt Powerpack system at a substation in Mira Loma, California. The lithium-ion battery system will store 80-megawatt hours of energy, enough to power more than 2,500 households for a day, according to a Tesla blog post. Tesla expects the grid to be completed by 2016. Southern California Edison owns the substation.
The classic Daniel Patrick Moynihan quote that everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts, is an import maxim in public policy debates. This is doubly so in criminology, where billions of dollars, quality of life in communities, and  most importantly  the very safety of law-abiding citizens rest on policymakers getting it right.

But despite the facts, critics still maintain that Texas criminal-justice reforms have failed to reduce crime and recidivism. The reforms at issue began with a spate of legislation passed during the 80th Texas Legislature in 2007, including a sweeping reorganization of the states community correction system under HB 1678. Facing prison and jail capacity overruns with no space to house violent offenders, the legislature prioritized probation and parole for low-risk offenders. Weve illustrated time and again that once these policies were in place, crime rates continued to fall in-tandem with these reforms, despite similar protests from critics of the day that the opposite would happen.

For instance, in a recent Real Clear Policy op-ed, Sean Kennedy argues that despite Texas reform efforts, the re-arrest rate for state prisons and state jails (a Texas-specific type of short-term state incarceration facility) has not changed significantly since 2004. Even assuming that re-arrest rates are a good measure of recidivism reduction, the problem with this argument is that the composition of the prison population before and after the reforms is importantly different. Why? The 2007 reforms focused only on nonviolent and low-level offenders. (See graphic.)

Texas 2007 criminal-justice reforms shifted many non-violent offenders away from incarceration while increasing resources for proven rehabilitation programs and supervision, such as probation officers, resulting in improved public safety.

Its almost a cliche that limited prison capacity should be reserved for those who were afraid of, not for those we are mad at, prioritizing bed space for violent or high-risk offenders. This was not the case in Texas prior to 2007, when only 22 percent of the admissions to state facilities for violent, property, and drug offenses were violent offenders. In 2015, this number grew to 27 percent, meaning that the prison composition on net became far more criminogenic. In fact, contrasting admissions from the two years, the only population that grew in raw terms was violent offenders.

Was this because Texas was suddenly beset with bands of violent super-predators marauding the state after having been given lenient sentences? Clearly not. Texas 2007 reforms didnt address violent crimes. But had we kept the status quo, we would have likely not have had the space to house new offenders. On pace, we would have been 11,464 over operational capacity by 2010. (Operational capacity, not design capacity, means milking every last square foot of residential space in a facility.) Texas state beds now hold a greater number of violent offenders than they did before the reforms.

The bottom line is that Texas has successfully focused criminal-justice resources on violent offenders while diverting non-violent offenders  whenever appropriate  to alternatives to incarceration. The data show that the non-violent offenders who received probation or who were diverted to rehabilitation programs are now less likely to reoffend than before when they were housed with violent offenders in the general prison population. Texas criminal-justice reforms have made Texas safer. They are  and should remain  a model for the rest of the nation.

Derek Cohen is the Deputy Director of Right on Crime. During his Ph.D. coursework, he taught several undergraduate sections of criminal justice research methods and statistics. Randy Petersen is a senior researcher with the Right on Crime initiative and a veteran of 21 years of law enforcement as a sworn officer.
By PTI: Warangal (Tel), Sep 17 (PTI) Five students, including two girls, of an engineering college today drowned in a reservoir near here, police said.

A group of six students of Vaagdevi Engineering College at Bollikunta near here went to Dharmasagar Reservoir for an outing.

Tragedy struck when five of them stepped into the reservoir for a bath, but they drowned, police said.

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The victims, all aged around 18, were third year students of computer science, police added. PTI COR RSY DIP SDM

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Delhi witnessed another round of confrontation between AAP government and Najeeb Jung as two ministers, Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra alleged that LG did not wish to work on Saturday.

By India Today Web Desk: Even as chikungunya claimed two more lives in Delhi on Saturday, AAP government and Delhi LG Najeeb Jung renewed their wranglings. LG's urgent fax to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday asking him to cut short his Finland tour in the wake of dengue and chikungunya menace became the latest flashpoint.

Lt Governor Najeeb Jung rebutted the allegations leveled by Delhi ministers that he refused to give AAP leaders an audience and discuss the ways to deal with dengue and chikungunya outbreak effectively in the city.

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"The Lt Governor's office strongly rebuts charges levelled by Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra. Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra came to the Lt Governor's office at 11.45 am without either seeking prior appointment from the Lt Governor or intimating him of their visit," a statement from LG office read.

READ: Delhi ill, L-G Najeeb Jung asks Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to return from Finland immediately

AAP MINISTERS AT LG OFFICE

Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party ministers Satyendra Jain and Kapil Mishra reached LG's office Saturday morning to know the 'urgency', which forced Jung to send a fax to Sisodia in Finland. The AAP ministers alleged that the LG refused to meet them as it was a weekend.

"When we reached his office, we were apprised that he won't be coming to office as today is a weekend day," Mishra said.

Mishra further said, "When we contacted him on phone, Jung told Satyendar Jain that he was not at home and could not meet us. LG does not want to discuss work on Saturday."

READ: As Delhi battles diseases, Congress's Bhagoda Diwas jibe at missing AAP leaders

LG REJECTS AAP's CHARGES

While a meeting between Jung and AAP ministers did not take place, the secretary to LG met the Jain and Mishra as LG's office asserted that it was functional on all days of the week.

"They (Jain and Mishra) neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt Governor. It is regrettable that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to politicize the issue instead of providing succour to the public," the LG's office said in a statement.

READ: 2,000 beds unoccupied in Delhi hospitals, claims AAP minister Satyendra Jain

CHIKUNGUNYA DEATH TOLL UP

Meanwhile, two more elderly persons suffering from chikungunya died in Delhi taking the total number of fatalities to 15. Both the deceased were aged above 70 and succumbed to chikungunya compliacations at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. One of them had hypertension while the other had kidney ailments as well.

Out of 15 chikungunya deaths, seven people died at SRGH followed by five at Apollo Hospital while AIIMS, Bara Hindu Rao and PSRI hopital reported one death each. ALSO READ:

Delhi: Dengue-chikungunya outbreak worries shoo away tourists

AAP calls for meeting of health ministers of all states neighbouring Delhi



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In this photo taken Tuesday Aug. 30, 2016, Theo Padnos poses at the family's house in remote Reading, Vt. In 2012, journalist, Padnos slipped into Syria to cover its unfolding civil war and was promptly kidnapped by members of an al-Qaida branch. Convinced he was a CIA agent because he spoke fluent Arabic, the group held the Massachusetts native for nearly two years before releasing him in August 2014. Padnos retraces his journey in "Theo Who Lived," a new documentary screening Sept. 30 in Cambridge, Mass. Its theatrical premiere is in New York City on Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

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By PHILIP MARCELO, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP)  In 2012, freelance journalist Theo Padnos slipped into Syria to cover its unfolding civil war and was promptly kidnapped by members of an al-Qaida branch.

Convinced he was a CIA agent because he spoke Arabic, the group held the Massachusetts native for nearly two years before releasing him in August 2014.

Now, Padnos is retracing his journey in "Theo Who Lived," a documentary being screened Sept. 30 in Cambridge. Its theatrical premiere is in New York City on Oct. 7, followed by a wider release.

Padnos, 47, who has been living in Paris and Vermont, tells the Associated Press he's grateful to have survived.

The ordeal not only changed his outlook on life but also gave him perspective on the Syrian conflict that he feels is important to share.

Padnos is working on a nonfiction book, a play and a novel drawing on his experience. He wrote about his captivity for the New York Times Magazine shortly after his release and is trying to continue writing about the region as a journalist.

"I had a real spiritual voyage, which was terrifying for me and my family at the time," Padnos said from his family's vacation home in Vermont. "But looking back, this is what life gave me and I'd like to take what I learned and turn it into some positive benefit."

The film follows Padnos as he returns to places in Turkey and Israel that figured prominently in his 22-month capture. The film crew never set foot in Syria. Padnos reflects on his captivity on sets emulating his tiny prison cell and the room he was subjected to torture and beatings.

Along the Turkey-Syria border, he recalls the moment when his travelling companions instruct him to dash across the field and hop the razor wire fence separating them from Syria.

It's a moment Padnos says he'd replay in his mind for months after.

The trio of men had claimed they were providing supplies to the Free Syrian Army and offered to take him across the border with them. But they were actually affiliated with al-Qaida. They staged a fake interview, beat him and took him hostage shortly after crossing the border.

"This is where I threw my life away. It's like a precipice that I walked up to and I actually jumped," Padnos says in the film. "Now I'm back in a safe place and I'm thinking why did I ever jump?"

Padnos also details a series of failed escapes, including one in which cellmate and American photojournalist Matthew Schrier managed to sneak out through a narrow prison window but Padnos could not.

Padnos' mother, Nancy Curtis, who is interviewed in the documentary, says she still has mixed emotions about her son's release. During the ordeal, she became close to the parents of other Americans kidnapped by extremists overseas. Many of them were not as fortunate as her family, she says.

Curtis and other family members, working with the U.S. and Qatari governments, successfully arranged for Padnos' release just days after the Islamic State beheaded New Hampshire journalist James Foley in a video. The family maintains that no ransom was paid.

"I always clung to the hope that he'd come home," Curtis said. "But I also don't feel great joy and happiness. Probably anyone who has had a solider in the war who came home but knows others that didn't have similar emotions."

Director David Schisgall says Padnos' story is a rare eyewitness account of life inside a jihadi group by an outsider with a deep understanding of the region's language and culture.

Having spent years prior studying Arabic and Islam in Yemen and Syria, Padnos was able to build trust and friendships with some of his captors.

Near the end of his captivity, he was given greater freedoms and even travelled personally with the then-high commander of al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida affiliate in Syria.

"The real intimacy he developed with his captors was remarkable," Schisgall said. "It's a very important message for Americans to see these people fighting as complicated individuals who are both very dangerous but also very human."
FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014, file picture, a worker touches hieroglyphs at an archaeological site outside Karkemish, Turkey, meters away from the Turkey-Syria border and the Syrian city of Jarablous. Despite Syrias civil war, archaeologists on the Turkish side of border-straddling Karkemish unearthed sculptures, mosaics and other artifacts in relative safety although sporadic gunfire and shelling was occasionally audible from the Syrian side. Now they plan to open the remains of the strategic city from the Hittite era to the public next year, despite the proximity of conflict in neighboring Syria. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

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By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press

The tourist gate and ticket house are ready at the ancient city of Karkemish, where Turkish troops crossed last month into Syria and ousted Islamic State militants from the border.

Despite Syria's civil war, archaeologists on the Turkish side of border-straddling Karkemish unearthed sculptures, mosaics and other artifacts in relative safety although sporadic gunfire and shelling was occasionally audible from the Syrian side. Now they plan to open the remains of the strategic city from the Hittite era to the public next year, despite the proximity of conflict in neighboring Syria.

Such are the modern fortunes of Karkemish, which dates back thousands of years and was excavated before World War I by British archaeologists including T.E. Lawrence, later known as Lawrence of Arabia. A century later, the area was demined and a Turkish-Italian team started work at the site controlled by the Turkish military.

Then came Turkey's Aug. 24 military incursion into Syria from the Karkemish area, which could ease security worries about the archaeological park on the Euphrates. Its opening, delayed several times, is scheduled for May 2017.

"The situation is definitely more favorable to tourism," said Nicolo Marchetti, a professor of archaeology and art history of the Ancient Near East at the University of Bologna and project director at Karkemish on the Turkish side.

The February construction of a protective, mile-long (1.7-kilometer) wall on the border, stretching from the train station of the modern town of Karkamis to a railway bridge built by Germans a century ago, was required for the tourist project, Marchetti said.

The prefabricated wall "can be removed swiftly if peace breaks out," he said.

The remains of the citadel and inner town are on the Turkish side, where the most valuable archaeological items of Karkemish lie. But part of the ancient outer town is in the Syrian town of Jarablus, held by IS militants until Turkish ground forces occupied the area.

Marchetti expressed concern about what he called "a void of responsibility" for protection of archaeological heritage on the Syrian side of Karkemish.

Turkey is a party to a 1954 Hague agreement calling for the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflict.

Syria's lawlessness has already fueled widespread looting of artifacts, some of it by IS militants who have also destroyed ancient statues and structures, notably in the ancient town of Palmyra. Russia built what it called a "temporary" military encampment inside a zone that holds the UNESCO world heritage site in Palmyra after militants were driven out earlier this year.

In western Syria, Syrian government forces have used archaeological sites, cutting holes in mounds dating from ancient communities and using them to protect tanks and personnel from any attack from the other side, according to Dan Lawrence, a lecturer in the archaeology department at Durham University in Britain.

A lot of archaeological material on the Syrian side of Karkemish is especially vulnerable because it is just below the ground surface, said Lawrence, adding that he saw video of Turkish tanks moving through Syrian areas where he worked before the civil war.

"Anything you do in that area will have a massive impact on the archaeology," he said.

IS fighters tried to dig a large ditch through the Syrian side of Karkemish earlier this year, but a U.S.-led coalition aircraft destroyed their bulldozer, said Marchetti of the University of Bologna.

Echoing complex conflicts in the region many centuries ago, Turkey supports U.S. airstrikes against the IS while seeking to thwart U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, which are also fighting the Islamic extremists.

The Bible's Jeremiah refers to Karkemish for a battle there in which the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar II, defeated the Assyrians and their Egyptian allies.

In 1516, long after Karkemish's demise, Ottoman imperial forces defeated Mamluk troops at the battle of Marj Dabiq near Aleppo, opening the way to Ottoman conquests in the Middle East. The battle's date was Aug. 24, 500 years to the day before Turkey sent troops into Syria.
Contributed photo Shasta High School graduate Chris Navarro (second from left) holds the Emmy award he won at the 2016 Creative Arts Ball for being part of the sound mixing team for "Mozart in the Jungle."

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By Alayna Shulman of the Redding Record Searchlight

A Shasta High School graduate is now an Emmy-winner.

Chris Navarro, an automated dialogue replacement mixer in the Hollywood sound industry, was part of a five-man team that won for the Amazon original series "Mozart in the Jungle," which follows the lives of symphony members in modern-day New York City. Navarro and his colleagues were up against episodes of The Simpsons, Modern Family, Veep and Silicon Valley.

Specifically, the team won for outstanding sound mixing for a half-hour comedy or drama series for the episode "Nothing Resonates Like Rhinoceros Foreskin."

Navarro's win was announced Sept. 10 at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which his mother, Redding resident Molly Navarro, attended with him and other family members.

"It certainly is going to be a milestone for him," Molly Navarro said. "What worried him most was that we had traveled all the way over there, and all this hype, and what if he lost. And I said, 'It doesn't matter. I would not trade this experience for anything else. This is perfect.'"

It's the first Emmy for Navarro, 41, but not his first major award  in 2014, he won a Cinema Audio Society award for his work on the astronaut blockbuster "Gravity" starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. His work centers on re-recording bits of dialogue and making them match actors' movements so that no one can tell their words were recorded in a studio.

Molly Navarro recalled a time she watched her son go to painstaking detail to find an actress whose voices matched the one in the starring role and could emit a more convincing gasp of horror and, "It's him!"

"They interviewed all sorts of ladies to try to get the exact sound," Molly Navarro said. "Right when her part comes in ... Chris does something with the soundboard. The lady had to do it about six or seven times before they actually got it right."

Navarro didn't intend to go into the audio industry, but studied and planned to work in music. In a 2014 Record Searchlight interview, he said he got a job in the industry to pay off student loans, then never left.

He said other small-town natives should follow their dreams, because, "there's nothing keeping you from it except yourself."
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By Joe Szydlowski of the Redding Record Searchlight

Two California state agencies are coming to Redding on Monday to present an overview of the medical marijuana industry, regulations still in the works and requirements for license applicants.

"We thought, before we've already put out (specific regulations) and proposed them, it's good to have a dialogue with the public," said Lori Ajax, bureau chief of Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation.

The Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation and the Office of Medical Cannabis Safety will discuss their roles in the regulatory structure of the medical pot economy under the 2015 Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) for the first half of the meeting, which begins at 1 p.m. at the Redding Library community room. Attendees will also break out into small groups based on the license type they're interested in, she said.

Then the public will be invited to speak starting at 4:30 p.m., she said.

"One of the reasons we're staying open until 7 is it can be difficult for people to get out of work," she said. "We wanted to be available for people to come by after work, give us tips."

Her agency will govern dispensaries, distributors, transportation and testing while the Office of Medical Cannabis Safety will regulate manufacturing such as edibles.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture will regulate cultivation and tracking marijuana products. It held a similar public meeting Wednesday.

However, MMRSA did set some rules in place, she said. Any operation would have to have a permit from the local government and a seller's permit, for example. But other ones need some clarity, she said.

"How do you define ownership interest? Who should have background checks?" she said.

The other two agencies are still forming many of those regulations and want the public's opinions on what the rules should look like, Ajax said.

"We're putting out some concepts and asking, 'What do you think about that?' or 'Do you have an alternative?'" she said. "...'Do you agree about this approach?' It's going to be like that  back and forth."

One example asks whether the bureau should set limits on how much medical cannabis can be bought per month and, if so, what those limits should look like, according to the agenda documents.

Visit http://www.bmcr.ca.gov/meetings/index.shtml to view the meeting's documents, including some of its ideas.

If you go

Who: Open to the public

What: California Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation overview of and workshop new regulations and structure of the medical marijuana industry, including for-profit businesses.

When: Monday 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: Redding Library community room

Schedule:

1-1:45 p.m. Opening remarks and overview of new regulations and the state agencies that implement them.

1:45-2:45 p.m. Explanation of general license requirements

3-4:30 p.m. Small group discussions based on business license type

4:30-7 p.m. Public comments
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Redding police this afternoon went to Alta Mesa Elementary School in the south part of town after someone reported a suspicious package behind the school, but they said the report appeared to be unfounded.

The call came in about 1:40 p.m.

According to dispatch reports, the package was on the ground near a large tree behind the school.

Sgt. Chris Smyrnos said officers went to the scene and searched the area extensively, but could not find anything that matched the reports. When they contacted the woman who reported the package, Smyrnos said she became "somewhat uncooperative."

A school employee said students were not evacuated over the incident.
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The Great Depression was notorious for its ill-conceived government interventions to prop up prices and "create" jobs through unnecessary and unproductive make-work programs, which only served to prevent needed corrections in the economy and ended up prolonging the depression. Yet, many of these policies persist to this day. A Michigan cherry farmer recently illustrated the fallacy of one such example: agricultural "marketing orders."

Under a marketing order, growers of certain agricultural commodities form what is, essentially, a cartel and turn over crop supply decisions to boards overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (or a similar agency at the state level), which are empowered to try to "stabilize" markets. During bumper years, the government sets restrictive quotas to artificially suppress the supply of crops, thereby raising prices higher than the free-market rate.

Such arrangements were authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1937. Today there are marketing orders for roughly three dozen agricultural products, including milk, fruits, vegetables, nuts and specialty crops. One of those marketing orders, the Cherry Industry Administrative Board, covers tart cherries grown in seven states -- Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

The CIAB recently directed farmers to prevent a portion of their crops from making it to the market in an attempt to bump up prices. For cherry farmer Marc Santucci, owner of Santucci Farm in Traverse City, Mich., this order, which came just four days before his harvest, meant that he had to dump 40,000 pounds of his tart cherries -- 14 percent of his crop. The CIAB even sends people out to ensure that farmers have dumped their crops on the ground, where they are left to rot.

Santucci decided to protest the order in a very public way by posting a photo of the dumped cherries on Facebook. The image went viral, and has been shared nearly 67,000 times.

"I posted it because I want people to know that we sometimes do stupid things in this country in [an] attempt to do the right thing -- we end up doing the wrong thing," Santucci told UpNorthLive.com, the website of a local NBC affiliate in Traverse City.

The move is particularly foolish, Santucci said in a separate Facebook post last month, because of the global nature of agricultural markets. "[I]t is a shame that we had to drop 14 percent of our cherries while at the same time [the United States was] importing the equivalent of 200 million pounds of cherries, or 40 percent of U.S. consumption," he asserted. "The only way we are going to stop the continued growth in imports is to compete head-to-head, not with one arm tied behind our back."

Such food waste and artificially-high prices would not happen in a truly free market. Agricultural commodities should be subject to the same laws of supply and demand as other goods, which would provide consumers with more food at lower prices, allow for greater competition and encourage a more efficient allocation of farmland for growing various crops. It is the marketing orders themselves which should be allowed to wither and rot.

This editorial originally appeared in The Orange County Register.
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Much of the best habitat in this country for wildlife and fish  from the Trinity Alps here in California to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina  is found on public lands. Most of these public lands, so important to anglers and hunters, are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

Across the West, more than 70 percent of the available habitat for trout, and virtually all of the strongholds for native trout, are found on public lands. The high quality fishing and hunting opportunities found within a two-hours' drive of Redding are almost all on public lands. Much of the Trinity River, with its world-class steelhead fishing, flows from and through national forests. Same with the legendary trout fishing in the McCloud and upper Sacramento rivers. The fabled B zones in our backyard offer some of the country's best Blacktail deer hunting.

Sometimes we take for granted how valuable public lands are for outdoor pursuits like hunting and fishing. They offer cheap  often free  access and camping. They offer plenty of undeveloped, scenic landscapes where you can stalk fish and game. You can drive to much of these lands, and hike or ride a horse to the rest.

Maybe the best thing about them, however, is that federal public lands belong to all Americans, not just to residents of the state or county in which they happen to be. That's one of the most egalitarian concepts this country has ever advanced. And it's pretty unique in the world.

But this concept is again under attack. In recent years, more than 50 bills have been introduced in state legislatures to transfer, sell or otherwise reduce the public lands managed for all Americans by the Forest Service and the BLM. Congress is considering similar proposals.

No doubt management of these lands could be improved. But let's be real: "Transfers" of public lands to states or private entities are unlikely to achieve this. No state can afford the costs of wildfire response on these lands, let alone the overhead costs associated with conserving the ecological, scenic and historical values of these lands and ensuring reasonable recreational and commercial access.

Nor is offloading federal public lands likely to improve access or quality of opportunity for fishing and hunting. Just look at what most states have done with open space they have owned; they've mostly sold it off.

Those pushing for the so-called "return" of federal lands to states conveniently ignore an important fact: at no time did the Western federally managed public lands belong to the states. Title to these lands was either ceded to the federal government as a condition of statehood or acquired through treaty, conquest or purchase by the federal government acting on behalf of the citizens of the United States.

Public lands are one of the best ideas America ever had. These lands are the "office" for those of us in the sporting industry, whose livelihoods are dependent on good sporting opportunities. For those of us for whom fishing and hunting are simply a life-defining passion, our public lands are the gift that keeps on giving.

Sept. 24 is National Hunting and Fishing Day. We should mark the occasion by just saying no to the misguided effort to assert local control over our national forests and BLM lands. It's a fiscally unsustainable idea, likely to reduce public access and diminish fishing and hunting opportunities  and it's a slap in the face to Teddy Roosevelt and other sportsmen-conservationists by whose vision and sporting ethic we have these lands in the first place.

Michael Caranci is president of the Shasta-Trinity-Cascades Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Reader Amit Arora met the cast of Half Girlfriend at Times Square in New York, and sent us pictures.

The film's lead actor Arjun Kapoor with Amit.





Shraddha Kapoor takes a break.





Amit with the other cast Vikram Massey and Anisa Butt.





Half Girlfriend is based on Chetan Bhagat's (centre) book of the same name.

If you encounter/meet/see film or television personalities and take a photograph or a video of the star(s), mail us your pictures at moviesdesk@rediff.co.in

Or, upload the picture on ZaraBol
The feud in Uttar Pradesh's first family has ended, with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday night restoring all but one portfolios of Shivpal Yadav and promising to support him as SP's state unit president, a post from which he was himself removed three days back triggering the power tussle with his uncle.

As per the compromise worked out by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh's demand of having a say in ticket distribution has been met as he will be made the head of the state Parliamentary Board, which makes final decisions on deciding the candidates, party sources said.

Before the announcement was made, Mulayam held a meeting with brother Shivpal and Akhilesh this evening to end the deadlock and discuss ways to strengthen the party.

Akhilesh restored Shivpal's key portfolios, including Irrigation and Cooperative which were taken away three days back.

Shivpal was also given additional portfolios of Minor Irrigation and Medical Education.

However, Public Works Department, which was among the portfolios taken away from Shivpal, was kept by the CM with himself.

The chief minister has also sought time from the Raj Bhawan for oath of sacked minister Gayatri Prajapati, a Raj Bhawan release issued on Saturday evening said.

Akhilesh had stripped Shivpal of the portfolios and sacked Prajapati after he was replaced by his uncle as the party's state unit head, triggering a full blown war in the family. Subsequently, Shivpal had tendered his resignation from the Cabinet as well as party post.

"I have myself congratulated SP's UP unit president Shivpal Yadav after meeting him at his residence.... I will extend all my support to Shivpalji," Akhilesh told reporters here earlier in the day, indicating rapproachment with his uncle with whom he was engaged in a turf war.

His remarks came a day after he said he felt "very sad" when he was replaced with Shivpal as the state party president by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

With Shivpal getting party's responsibility, a major overhaul in the organisation is likely.

There are speculation that present state general secretary Arvind Singh Gope might be replaced by Om Prakash, while party spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury will be removed and senior party leader Amibka Chowdhury will be given his charge.

The final decision regarding the changes will however be released to media after a go-ahead by Mulayam.

On Friday night, after Mulayam's intervention, Akhilesh announced that Shivpal will be given back his portfolios and Gayatri Prajapati will be reinducted as Cabinet minister, issues which had triggered an all-out war between the two.

When asked about his meeting with Shivpal, Akhilesh on Saturday said in a lighter vein, "You (reporters) can say anything. You are saying I had lunch there, but I only had tea".

About his demand on ticket distribution, the chief minister said, "It's going to be my examination (in elections). I will certainly say that much to the national president whom I like."

He added that "Politics is not a game for me, it is a serious business. I am a player... have played football and cricket also... I don't score self goal."

In the morning, hundreds of Akhilesh supporters reached the party office here demanding his reinstatement as the state president.

Donning red caps and carrying posters of the chief minister and his wife Dimple Yadav, the supporters started for the party office this morning, raising slogans like "Akhilesh ko adyaksh banao" (make Akhilesh the state president), saying only "Akhilesh bhaiya could lead the party".

The heads of four frontal organisation of Samajwadi Party -- Chhatra Sabha, Lohia Vahini, Yuvjan Sabha and MSY Youth Brigade -- according to sources, have also written to party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav demanding that Akhilesh be reinstated as the state unit chief.

About protests by his supporters, Akhilesh said, "I have appealed them not to engage in any sloganeering or use any posters or hoardings. It's election time and everyone should go to booth level and spread awareness on the good work done by the government."

"Wherever the youths go, the direction changes. We have a great organisation," he said.At the party office, Mulayam rebuked the supporters of Akhilesh as well as Shivpal for taking to the streets over a dispute involving the two.

"I will not let this happen in the party. I have worked hard to bring it to this position. This 'tamasha' (circus) will not be allowed," he told the SP workers in a closed-door meeting, according to sources.

As soon as Mulayam arrived at the party office here, he was surrounded by party workers as well as the media. The SP supremo directly went to the auditorium where the supporters of his son Akhilesh were shouting slogans, demanding that he be reinstated as the party's state unit president.

Mulayam defended his decision of replacing Akhilesh with Shivpal as the Uttar Pradesh SP chief, saying his brother had worked "shoulder-to-shoulder" with him to bring the party to its current position.

The SP supremo also lashed out at the chiefs of the party's front organisations and asked them not to indulge in such protests and instead, work "on the ground" to strengthen the party.

During the protests, supporters of Akhilesh were also seen burning posters of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh.

On party's poll prospects, Akhilesh said, "Samajwadis are at number one. They surveys are pointing to it. When we only promised to work in 2012, we got tremendous support and now we have fullfilled all the promises. We will form government again. There is no rifht in the party"

Earlier, hundreds of Akhilesh supporters gathered outside party office and later at party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's residence. Suporters of Shivpal also gathred outside his residence.

On intervention of Mulayam, Akhilesh directed youth workers to meet him at his residence and he himself reached uncle Shivpal's residence to "congratulate him".

IMAGE: Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow. Photograph: PTI Photo
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday rebuked the supporters of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and state Cabinet minister Shivpal Yadav for taking to the streets over a dispute involving the two.

"I will not let this happen in the party. I have worked hard to bring it to this position. This tamasha (circus) will not be allowed," he, according to sources, told the SP workers.

As soon as Mulayam arrived at the party office in Lucknow, he was surrounded by party workers as well as the media.

The SP supremo directly went to the auditorium where the supporters of his son Akhilesh were shouting slogans, demanding that he be reinstated as the party's state unit president.

Mulayam defended his decision of replacing Akhilesh with Shivpal as the Uttar Pradesh SP chief, saying the latter worked "shoulder-to-shoulder" with him to bring the party to its current position.

The SP supremo also lashed out at the chiefs of the party's front organisations -- Lohia Vahani, Mulayam Singh Yadav Youth Brigade, Chhatra Sabha and Yuvjan Sabha -- and asked them not to indulge in such protests and instead, work "on the ground" to strengthen the party.

"We have been asked to work at the booth-level to strengthen the party. Netaji (Mulayam) told us that while the BJP was actively working in the state, we were involved in staging protests and asked us to shun such activities," a youth leader said.

Earlier, before meeting the SP chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav Youth Brigade president Mohd Aibad said, "We have conveyed our feelings to Netaji that we (all the youth front organisations) will not be able to work with anyone except Akhilesh. We want him back as the party's state president. The youth is feeling dejected after his removal. They are depressed and even ready to immolate themselves for him (Akhilesh)."

MLCs Rajpal Kashyap, Anand Bhadauria and Sunil Singh Sajan, all of whom had, in the past, held posts in the SP's front organisations, were also seen raising slogans in Akhilesh's favour.

"Netaji, on many occasions, has said that the youth should lead. We want him to bring back Akhileshji, who is the undisputed leader of the youth and the poor and who has done a lot for the development of the state," Kashyap said.

During the protests, supporters of Akhilesh were also seen burning posters of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh.

Mulayam left the party office after meeting the party workers, without talking to the media.

Photograph: Reuters
Prashant Bhushan contended that there was "total non-application of mind" on part of the Patna High Court which granted the bail on September 7.

By Mail Today Bureau: At a time when the political temperature in Bihar is rising over the release of gangster-turned politician Mohammad Shahabuddin on bail, noted lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan on Friday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court seeking its cancellation.

Within hours of Bhushan moving the SC and his petition getting listed for September 19 for an "urgent" hearing, the state's Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-RJD government, which is facing a political heat over the issue, also moved the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of Shahabuddin's bail.

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The fact that the state government had acted under pressure is clear as its prosecution team had not seriously opposed Shahabuddin's bail in Patna High Court. Shahabuddin walked out of Bhagalpur jail after a decade on Saturday. The apex court agreed to hear Bhushan's plea on September 19.

BAIL WILL AFFECT FAIRNESS OF TRIAL

Bhushan contended that there was "total non-application of mind" on part of the Patna High Court which granted the bail on September 7. Bhushan moved the apex court on behalf of Chandrakeshwar Prasad of Siwan, whose three sons were murdered allegedly at the behest of Shahabuddin.

The lawyer has said in the petition that it was strange that the Patna HC decided to grant bail to Shahabuddin when he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of two of Prasad's sons, Girish and Satish, in Siwan in 2004 by bathing them in acid. The third son, Rajiv Roshan, the sole witness to the chilling murders, was killed in June 2014 while on his way to depose in court.

Ironically, the same Patna HC had refused bail to Shahabuddin in February and had directed that trial in the Rajiv Roshan murder case be expedited. However, after seven months, Justice Jitendra Mohan Sharma of the High Court in Patna granted him bail. Prashant Bhushan said grant of bail to a "notorious historysheeter" would affect fairness of the trial as his presence outside would have a "chilling effect on witnesses".

Observing that the Patna High Court committed a grave error by granting the bail, Prashant Bhushan has asked how a free and fair trial will be possible when the history-sheeter is out on bail. Bhushan also raised questions about the prosecution not opposing the bail plea by bringing all relevant facts of cases pending against Shahabuddin to the Patna High Court's notice.

ALSO READ:

Casting a long shadow



--- ENDS ---
An unidentified person threw ink at Union Health Minister J P Nadda at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, amid protest by students over "poor facilities" at the institute.

IMAGE: Ink was thrown at Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda at the entrance of the AIIMS when he was in his car leaving the institute, surrounded by protesting students amid and rains and chaos. Photograph: ANI Photo

Ink was thrown at the minister at the entrance of the AIIMS when he was in his car leaving the institute, surrounded by protesting students amid and rains and chaos.

Few drops of ink fell on the minister's kurta. An official of AIIMS Bhopal, on the condition of anonymity, said it is so far not known who threw the ink.

He said the police have started investigating the matter.

Students had gathered to lodge protest over "poor facilities" at AIIMS when Nadda was at the premier medical college to dedicate a number of facilities.

A third year MBBS student Rishi Prem claimed two of the protesting students, Ijya Pandey and Anjali Krishna, sustained injuries as the minister's vehicle made a forced exit.

IMAGE: Medical students protest against Nadda's visit. Photograph: PTI Photo

"No student of AIIMS college threw ink at Nadda. We protested silently against lack of infrastructure at AIIMS where no surgery has taken place yet," Prem, a student who hails from Kerala, claimed.

"We just wanted to talk to the minister for improving AIIMS. We don't have even minimum facilities at the institute (required) for treating patients and learning. There is no permanent director at AIIMS," Prem added.

Director, AIIMS-Raipur, who is also acting in-charge of the Bhopal facility, Dr Nitin Nagarkar, was not available for comments despite repeated calls.

The AIIMS source declined to comment on the condition of the two students who were injured.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has reignited another controversy by seeking to disarm the secret service body guards of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to see what happens to her.

I think her bodyguards should drop all weapons. Disarm immediately. Take their guns away, lets see what happens to her, Trump said at an election rally in Miami, Florida.

Take their guns away, OK? Itll be very dangerous, Trump said, stocking another controversy. While this is not for the first time that Trump has said this, but it is for the first time he said that such a move would be dangerous for Clinton.

Trumps remarks came when he was criticising the gun policy of the Democratic presidential nominee.

Trump alleged that Clinton wants to destroy Second Amendment, referring to the United States Constitutions clause that enshrines the rights of Americans to bear arms.

The Clinton Campaign slammed Trump for such a remark, saying the real estate tycoon has a pattern of inciting people to violence.

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President, has a pattern of inciting people to violence, said Robby Mook, campaign manager Hillary for America.

Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief, he said.

This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate, just like it should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate to peddle a conspiracy theory about the President of the United States for five years, Mook said.

But weve seen again and again that no amount of failed resets can change who Donald Trump is. He is unfit to be President and it is time Republican leaders stand up to denounce this disturbing behavior in their nominee, said the Hillary campaign manager.

Trump also alleged that Clintons campaign relies on the tired tactic of smearing opponents who question her policies as racists.

Clintons campaign relies on the tired tactic of smearing opponents who question her policies as racists, Trump said at an election rally in Miami, Florida.

Its the oldest play in the Democratic play book -- and Americans have had enough. They want solutions, and they want better lives  not more petty attacks from failed and discredited politicians, he said.

Trump told his supporters that while his opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, he calls them hardworking American patriots who love their family and country.
A fine arts student at the University of Hyderabad, which was rocked by the suicide of PhD scholar Rohith Vemula earlier this year, allegedly committed suicide in his hostel room in the wee hours of Saturday apparently under depression, police said.

Nelli Praveen Kumar, aged about 25, a first semester student of Master of Fine Arts course of Department of Fine Arts, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, was found hanging from ceiling in the room at about 4.15 am, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Madhapur) Kartikeya told media persons.

As per the information available so far, Praveen belongs to a backward caste, the DCP said.

Praveen's roommate, M Raj, who is also his classmate, returned from his painting studio and found the room latched from inside. When Praveen did not open the door despite several knocks, his roommate alerted other students in the hostel. They managed to push the door open and found him (Praveen) hanging from the ceiling, he said.

"Praveen was immediately shifted to the University Health Centre. After preliminary examination by the medical officer, he was rushed to a private hospital. After examining him, doctors declared him dead," the senior police officer said.

On receiving information, police reached the hospital and one team went to the hostel room and recovered a laptop, a tablet, two cell phones and two notebooks after a search.

"In one of the notebooks, a note has been found, which is believed to have been written by the deceased, but the handwriting has to be compared for which it will be sent to forensic science laboratory," the DCP said.

As per the content of that particular note, it seems that Praveen was apparently under depression and perhaps he was "comparing his own performance", Kartikeya said.

In one of the notebooks, on September 9, Praveen wrote about his state of mind. "Why am I unable to study well? Why am I so scared of everything? Why am I unable to mingle with anyone? When I went to the department today morning, one student came and greeted me but I could not acknowledge properly, why am I like this? I have to study well and do something otherwise there is no meaning to my life. Why am I always unhappy? Why do I have this feeling that I am a lonely person?" Praveen wrote.

"During the investigation, we spoke to some people, who were known to him, including his roommate, about what could be the possible reason (for the suicide). We are analysing all evidences... We need to speak to some more people and also his family members to verify if he had any personal issues. Step by step, investigation is underway and it will be done in a fair manner," he said.

UoH Pro Vice-Chancellor Vipin Srivastava said Praveen was admitted to MFA course around one-and-half-months ago.

"It (suicide) is an unfortunate incident. We don't know the reasons for him to resort to the extreme step. It is a shock to all of us. He was good at academics and had never expressed any kind of depression," he said.

A case under section 174 CrPC (unnatural death) has been booked in connection with the incident, the DCP said, adding his brother reached the hospital and his body was later moved to Osmania General hospital by police for postmortem.

Praveen, who hailed from Shadnagar town of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana had on Friday attended his classes, the Pro V-C said.

The University condoled the untimely death of Praveen and the Department of Fine Arts held a condolence meeting.

On the allegation of some varsity students that the ambulance reached the hostel late and the students had to take Praveen on a bike to the health centre, Srivastava said, "Praveen was taken to the health centre on a bike. But, there was no delay as such by the ambulance."

"We look after our students very well. New students can also attend counselling centre on the University. Some students can make allegations... People are entitled to their opinion... But the allegations are baseless," he said.

Rohith Vemula's suicide on January 17 at the UoH had sparked massive nationwide protests, resulting in a fierce political slugfest, with a string of political parties and Dalit organisations siding with students and accusing the BJP and varsity administration of being anti-Dalit.

He was among five research scholars, who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and one of the accused in the case of assault on an ABVP student leader. The suspension was later revoked.

UoH has been witnessing sporadic protests since Vemula's vdeath, with students demanding removal of Appa Rao from the VC's post. Appa Rao and others were earlier booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of Vemula's suicide.

IMAGE: Praveen Kumar. Photograph: ANI
Around 200 militants from across the border are trying to infiltrate into Kashmir, while some have already sneaked into the Valley and the number of encounters along the Line of Control has increased, a senior Border Security Force officer has said.

"There has been an increase in the number of encounters along the LoC this year, and seeing that there is no denial that infiltration has taken place... Around 150-200 militants are waiting on the other side of LoC to infiltrate," Inspector General BSF, Kashmir Frontier, Vikash Chandra told media persons.

He also blamed Pakistan and militant organisations for the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

"This whole unrest is Pakistan sponsored. The militant organisations there have a huge hand in all this and they are trying their best (to fuel the unrest)," Chandra said.

He said some militants, who were waiting in launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, have managed to infiltrate into the Valley.

"Some have infiltrated and some have been killed in the encounters," he said.

Lauding Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary CRPF for tackling the unrest in the Valley, Chandra said they were doing their job with "utmost bravery and alertness".

"The situation that has arisen is not force-specific. Every force is working as per the situation and in today's situation, the CRPF is doing the better job. I salute the jawans of CRPF for working in this situation. I feel the Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF are doing their job with utmost bravery and alertness. They are trying to control the prevailing situation," he said.

The BSF officer said replacing pellet guns with PAVA shells showed the "intent" of the government to minimise the human loss.

"The government instead of firing bullets climbed down and came down to (using) pellets and now it has climbed from pellets to PAVA shells. See the intent in this," Chandra said.

Photograph: Reuters
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with his mother on his birthday in Gandhinagar on Saturday. Photgraph: @narendramodi/Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Saturday greeted by President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and other prominent persons on his 66th birthday.

Modi, who is in Gujarat, received birthday greetings from President and Vice President over phone.

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is on a visit to India, also wished him over phone.

Chief Justice of India T S Thakur personally met Modi at Raj Bhawan in Gandhinagar to greet him, official sources said.

'My warm greetings and good wishes to PM @narendramodi on his 67th birthday, tweeted Mukherjee.

'Let this day be the beginning of a year of greater achievements in life of PM @narendramodi and our nation, he said in another tweet.

'May the Almighty bless PM @narendramodi with good health, happiness & many more years of dedicated service to the nation, Mukherjee added.

IMAGE: PM Modi with Chief Justice of India T S Thakur at Raj Bhawan, Gandhinagar. Photograph: @narendramodi/Twitter.

In response, the PM tweeted I thank Honourable Rashtrapati ji for his kind birthday greetings. (sic)

Vice President Ansari, who is visiting Venezuela, also wished Modi.

In his reply, the PM tweeted, My gratitude to Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari for his wishes.

Modi also thanked CJI Thakur for his wishes.

Met CJI Shri Thakur. I thank him for his kind wishes, he tweeted.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party veteran L K Advani, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Sadananda Gowda, Uma Bharti, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Maneka Gandhi and others too wished the PM and he thanked them all on Twitter.

Modi visited his mother Hiraba in Gandhinagar and took her blessings. He reached the residence of his brother Pankaj Modi in Raysan area of state capital, where his 97-year-old mother is staying and spent around 25 minutes with her.

He later drove to the Raj Bhavan where he is staying during his visit to the home state.

Born on September 17, 1950, Modi turned 66 on Saturday. He reached Gandhinagar to spend his birthday with tribals and divyangs (differently-abled).

Later in the day, he will travel to Limkheda in Dahod district to launch many schemes for development of the tribal area.

Modi is also scheduled to attend a function at Navsari where he would distribute aid to differently-abled persons.

Race for world records on PM Modis birthday

IMAGE: A 3,750-kg cake made for the PM's birthday in Surat. Photograph: ANI

The Guinness Book of World Records is set to get new entries on Prime Minister Narendra Modis birthday.

A cake weighing 3,750 kg, claimed to be worlds biggest, has been made in Surat, Gujarat. The cake will be cut by girls coming from various tribal areas and will be distributed among them and others.

In Gujarats Navsari city, the Centre organised a mega camp on Friday for the differently-abled, where they attempted to light 1,000 lamps simultaneously.

Although they fell 11 short of their target, they still entered the Guinness Book and created a beautiful sight.

Earlier, the benchmark was 500, and what the people of Navsari achieved was 989.
By PTI: From Asim Kamal

Margarita Island (Venezuela), Sep 17 (PTI) Vice President Hamid Ansari arrived here today to attend the 17th NAM Summit during which India is expected to raise its concerns over terrorism besides deliberating on key issues like UN reform, climate change and nuclear disarmament.

Ansari was received by Venezuelas Executive Vice President Aristobuli Isturiz at the Santiago MariAo Caribbean International Airport here and was accorded a ceremonial welcome.

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The Vice President is leading the Indian delegation in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is only the second Indian Premier to give the Cold War-era blocs summit a miss after Charan Singh in 1979.

While briefing reporters on his way to the summit being held in Venezuelas Margarita Island, Ansari had said India will strongly take up its concerns about terrorism at the summit as it has been doing so at all international forums.

"Yes we are doing it (raising concerns over terrorism) on all fora and certainly it (NAM) is an important forum and we will take it up, no question about it," Ansari told reporters on his way to attend the NAM summit.

"Terror is something which impedes everything. If our objective is development, then terror cuts right across it. We need peace, we need social peace, we need international peace?both these are being interrupted by terror," he had said.

During his three-day visit from Friday evening (early Saturday morning India time) to Sunday, Ansari will also hold bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

"The summit is expected to deliberate on issues of contemporary relevance and concern such as terrorism, UN reform, the situation in West Asia, threats to peace and security, UN peacekeeping operations, climate change, sustainable development, economic governance, south-south cooperation, refugees and migrants, and nuclear disarmament," according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

"All these issues are of relevance in the context of the discussions that will take place at the United Nations in coming months," the MEA said in a statement.

The Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit brings together leaders from 120 developing countries that are its members. The NAM Summits are among the largest gatherings of countries, after the United Nations.

India is one of the founding members of the NAM and it had hosted its 7th summit in 1983 in New Delhi. The last NAM Summit was hosted by Iran in 2012.

The membership of NAM comprises 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan). There are 17 countries and 10 international organisations that are Observers at NAM.

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The NAM came into being 55 years ago when leaders of 25 developing countries met at the 1961 Belgrade Conference.

The summit comes amid political and economic turmoil in this oil-rich country which has skidded into crisis as global crude prices have plunged since mid-2014, pushing President Maduros socialist model to the brink. PTI ASK KIS KIS

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In the letter to the Union Minister Gadkari, Tejaswi stated how rivers in Bihar especially Ganga, Sone, Gandak and Mahananda had wrecked havoc in the state and damaged the national highways as water level rose unprecedentedly and flowed over the national highways.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav has shot a letter to Union Minister for Road and Highways, Nitin Gadkari over the damaged national highways in the state. Several national highways in the state were badly damaged as a result of massive floods which hit Bihar last month.



In the letter to the Union Minister Gadkari, Tejaswi stated how rivers in Bihar especially Ganga, Sone, Gandak and Mahananda had wrecked havoc in the state and damaged the national highways as water level rose unprecedentedly and flowed over the national highways.

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"Due to these floods, dangerous potholes and cuts have developed in the road crust and eroded shoulders badly. There has been dangerous breaches in many stretches of national highways in the state", wrote Tejaswi Yadav.

Letter sent to Union Minister for Road and Highways, Nitin Gadkari by Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav

Tejaswi also sent a detailed report of flood damaged roads to the Union Minister for better understanding of the ground realities. The deputy CM demanded that these damaged national highways required emergent repair to restore traffic on them.

ALSO READ: Tejaswi Yadav capable of not only becoming CM but PM also, says Bihar minister Abdul Gafoor





The deputy CM further added reconstruction of roads and replacement and rehabilitation of bridges was also urgently required to restore road assets in original condition. Tejaswi demanded the Centre to provide Rs 28.39 crores for repair of the national highways and Rs 187.49 crore for national highways under road construction department.



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CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry to probe allegations of commission paid to middleman for the supply of three aircraft worth Rs 208 million from Embraer to DRDO.

By Press Trust of India: CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) to probe allegations of commission being paid to middleman in the supply of three aircraft worth USD 208 million from Brazilian company Embraer to Defence Research and Development Organisation for airborne surveillance systems.

CBI sources said the agency started a PE against unknown officials of Defence Ministry on a reference from the ministry that the company used services of middleman.

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A preliminary enquiry is registered by the agency when the complaint is short on enough material to substantiate a prima facie criminality in its allegations.

After registering the PE, CBI examines various stakeholders, seeks material related to the matter to zero in on the criminality and then registers an FIR against the suspects.

During a PE, the agency cannot record statements or carry out searches.

ALLEGATIONS SURFACED IN BRAZILIAN PAPER



The allegations of commission being paid in the deal surfaced in a Brazilian paper which claimed that Embraer had taken the services of middlemen to get the deal of aircraft supply in Saudi Arabia and India.

According to defence procurement rules of India, middlemen are strictly barred in such deals.

Leading Brazilian news paper Folha de Sao Paulo had reported last week that Embraer paid commissions to a UK-based defence agent to finalise the USD 208-million deal with India.

DRDO had purchased three aircraft from the company in 2008 and customised them for serving as air-borne radar system known as airborne early-warning and control systems or AEWCS for the Indian Air Force.

US SCRUTINISING EMBRAER DEAL



The newspaper had claimed that the US Justice department was scrutinising Embraers deal with India.

The Brazil based company has been under investigation by the US Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised the Americans suspicions, it said.

Since then, the investigation has widened to examine business dealings with eight more countries.

The allegations prompted Defence Ministry to hand over investigation to CBI.

DRDO has also sought an explanation from Embraer.

Also read:

India-Embraer jet deal under scanner for graft, Defence Ministry seeks firm's reply within 15 days

Parrikar writes to CBI, seeks preliminary inquiry into 2008 Embraer aircraft deal



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Shania Twain coming to Indianapolis on first tour in nearly five years
Who would have guessed that an upcoming movie based on a Japanese novel about the persecution of two Jesuit priests in 17th-century Japan, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Liam Neeson, would have an Abilene connection?

Darryl Tippens, Abilene Christian University distinguished scholar and former English professor, didn't have to guess. He got it straight from a man directly involved in the movie.

Tippens and that man, Midland oilman Dale Brown, will host a panel discussion on the movie, 'Silence,' at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Room 117 of ACU's Biblical Studies Building. The discussion, which is part of ACU's annual Summit, is free and open to the public.

'I was quite surprised to learn about Scorsese's interest in making the movie,' Tippens said.

The novel, also titled 'Silence,' was written by Shusaku Endo and was published in Japanese in 1966. An English translation was issued in 1969 and is pretty much unknown, Tippens said, except to college literature professors and their students.

Backing up a bit, Tippens was an English professor at ACU before leaving to serve as provost of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, which like ACU, is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. He returned to ACU in 2014 to take on the role of distinguished scholar, working through the ACU provost's office.

At Pepperdine, Tippens got to know Dale Brown, who was on the board of regents. Brown's son, Tod, is on ACU's board of trustees, which is similar to a board of regents. Tippens learned that the Browns were interested in a project that would bring the Japanese novel to the big screen.

The novel and movie tell the story of an actual event involving the persecution of two Jesuit priests in 17th-century Japan. The Browns connected with Scorsese, who they learned had been interested in the same idea for 30 years. The Browns are contributing to the movie's financing, Tippens said, but their interest goes much deeper.

'Dale and Tod are both interested in being faithful to the novel,' Tippens said.

Dale Brown has actually been on location, consulting with Scorsese about the content. The movie is expected to be released in selected markets in November, according to online movie sources.

Scriptwriter for the movie is Jay Cocks, who also scripted the movies 'Gangs of New York' and 'Age of Innocence.' Tippens has read the script and liked it because it follows the novel, which he has taught. It's not surprising that the novel is not well read outside of Japan, he said.

'It's like other great literature that never became a best-seller,' Tippens said.

IF YOU GO

What: The Silence of God and Human Suffering, a panel discussion of an upcoming film, Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Liam Neeson.

When: 9 a.m. Wednesday

Where: Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building Room 117, Abilene Christian University campus

Admission: Free, open to public




By PTI: Kolkata, Sep 16 (PTI) With the death toll rising to 80 in Kashmir unrest, noted journalist Siddharth Vardarajan today said it was due to the policing attitude of the Narendra Modi- led Central government that Delhi has lost the plot in Kashmir.

"The first thing I would say is that Delhi has lost the plot in Kashmir. Instead of trying to solve the problem they are in a state of denial and have resorted to policing to solve the problem of Kashmir.

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"They are resorting to the use of pellet guns and jawans who are using it are not at all trained to use it properly. You always try to create an exception while dealing with the Kashmir issue," noted journalist Siddharth Vardarajan said while addressing a panel discussion on Kashmir issue.

Journalist Krishna Prasad said the policing attitude or Danda (stick) culture of the Centre has further aggravated the problem of Kashmir.

Former bureaucrat Amit Kushari said while looking into the Kashmir problem, no one should ignore the sentiments of the people of Jammu and Ladakh who are very much Indians.

Another youth injured in clashes last week succumbed today, taking the toll to 80 including two policemen in the unrest that has gripped the Kashmir Valley since July 8, when Hizbul militant Burhan Wani was gunned down in an encounter and violent clashes broke out. PTI PNT NN RCB

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Dan Carpenter/Special to the Reporter-News Shaula Patton, owner of the Feathered Star in Clyde, relates the story behind one of the quilted runners being donated Saturday to the new Hendrick Hospice Care Center.

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By Dan Carpenter, Special to the Reporter-News

CLYDE  When Shaula Patton got the word that the new Hendrick Hospice Care Center needed quilted bed runners, she rallied her compadres.

"I initially got word (via a flier) that Hendrick was asking the quilting 'community' for help in getting these for their rooms at the hospice center," said Patton, owner of The Feathered Star in Clyde. "I immediately put the word out via social media, and to my customers asking if they thought we could make a few."

Patton said the response was "amazing," and the result  more than 60 bed runners  is being presented to representatives of the center Saturday at Patton's shop.

"To see such an outpouring of love is wonderful," said Nancy Edgar, a Hendrick employee and coordinator of the effort on behalf of Karen Tucek, hospice care center director. "We initially asked for a donation of 30 quilts, which would have allowed us to have two for each bed. With the donation coordinated by Shaula, we will have nearly 100 quilts."

Beverly Lynn of Abilene is a member of the Abilene Quilters Guild. She and other members gladly agreed to make the quilts, which measure 24-by-72 inches.

"A quilt represents love and caring, and there is nothing better than having one close," said Lynn, who has been quilting for almost 14 years. "I also love the idea of having something homey and comforting in the hospice rooms. It was a pleasure to be part of this project."

Patton said several people made more than one quilt, including some specifically for children.

"I did four in honor of special people in my life," she said. "Quilts often bring back memories of family traditions, and there's something about the fabric that speaks to people. Often, just talking about the quilt can bring comfort."

Patton said she loves seeing quilters come together for things like the donation to hospice.

"Quilters are givers," she said. "If there is a cause, they are there, giving back. Nearly everyone I know has a positive hospice story, so it made this project even more meaningful."

The quilts being donated Saturday came from as far away as Ranger, Gorman, Sweetwater, Roscoe and Cisco, in addition to Abilene and Clyde.

"We've also received quilts from a lady in Montana, who sent us five," said Edgar. "A lady in Ozona sent some, and we're also coordinating with a quilt shop in Winters for more."
Sometimes things don't go according to plan, whether from divine intervention, human error or a fleeting-yet-intense downpour.

That's what the Texas Leadership Charter Academy and its principal, Melinda McCarty, had to deal with this week. And for two days in a row.

At the exact moment of dismissal both Wednesday and Thursday, the skies opened up when students were supposed to leave. McCarty and her staff needed to be prepared. Unfortunately, it didn't go well either day. But for entirely different reasons.

McCarty explained in an email to the Reporter-News:

'On a typical day, TLCA Abilene utilizes two release areas. Front pick up is for parents who choose to park on North 8th or the vicinity and walk up to receive their children who are escorted by staff as a group to the front lawn of the building. State Street is for parents who (use) a family number system that operates much like a curbside valet where eight faculty members stand curbside and personally load every student into a car. It usually works very well, given that we are still working with two way traffic on already narrow streets.

'And then there are severe weather days.'

Thunder and lightning in the area of the former Valley View Elementary, where TLCA operates, forced administrators to hold the children in the cafeteria and ask parents to remain in their vehicles. Some didn't get the message and, waiting outside, grew tired of waiting for their children.

Eyewitness accounts posted on social media websites said a state trooper  a parent of a child at the school  got involved when the school's representative approached some of the upset parents.

It escalated from there into a messy situation, according to reports on social media. McCarty said the administrator was delayed further releasing the students because of the confrontation.

Eventually, the children were released to their parents.

With heavy rain again in the forecast Thursday, McCarty was well aware the situation could turn bad for a second day. She said she assessed the situation and the school released some of the students going to the front of the school 'a few minutes early' to meet their parents. Some of the parents weren't there, though.

It was early, after all.

This only seems to be a problem with inclement weather and, as McCarty said, 'Thankfully, these severe weather events don't occur too often.'

DOODLE 4 GOOGLE CONTEST OPEN

Want to draw something billions of people will see? Here's your chance. Any student in grades K-12 can enter a contest to have a drawing featured for a day as the Google doodle on the search engine's website.

Here's how it works: Using the Google logo, young artists are asked to express what it is they see as the future. Robots everywhere? Build it. Teleporters moving things from one place to another? Animate it. Cats and dogs getting along? Draw it.

Artists can use any medium, from clay to food and from pencils to compute design. Entries are due Dec. 2.

For information, visit doodles.google.com/d4g.

Twitter: @TimothyChippARN
Jane Ann Nixon couldn't recall whether her son was 18 or 19 or exactly what year he graduated from Jim Ned High School, but there are some details she never forgets.

Her son Martin Denson, an Army soldier, was killed in action during the U.S. invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989.

'He was one of two killed that day,' said Nixon, who was one of five Gold Star mothers honored during the annual POW/MIA Recognition Dinner Friday night at VFW Post 6873, which is named in honor of Denson.

Nixon said she remembers a military attache coming to the family's house the next day to deliver the news. The date of her son's death also is her daughter's birthday.

'It's hard but proud,' said Nixon about going through the dinner, which she attends each year. There are times when dealing with the loss is harder than others, including the Christmas holidays.

'It's horrible,' Nixon said. ' I haven't put up a Christmas tree since then.'

Nixon said her son was at loose ends after graduating from high school and initially resisted going into the military. Once he made the decision, she said, Denson was determined to make the military his career.

That career was cut short in a military action that deposed dictator Manuel Noriega but has been largely forgotten by the public.

'He's back there,' Nixon said of Noriega. 'It's like it was for nothing, and I know that's wrong.'

Nixon said she had to give permission to have the post named in honor of her son.

'Why wouldn't I want that?' she said.'It's the greatest thing.'

A couple of years ago, 20 members of her son's unit came to Abilene to put up a plaque for Denson.

'I didn't realize there was so much camaraderie,' she said.

Also honored Friday night was former POW Dennis Bruno, a veteran of World War II. Bruno, who enlisted with the Canadian Air Force, was captured in Germany and spent nearly 18 months in Stalag 4B. He said the guards were mostly disabled combat veterans.

'I remember one guard who had lost an arm on the Russian Front,' said Bruno, who later served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a chief master sergeant.'I think they were happy to be prison guards.'

In a strange way, being a POW introduced Bruno to his future wife, Ruby, who had been married to Frank 'Foo' Fujita, an Abilenian who was a POW in Japan for more than three years. Fujita died in 1996. It was at a POW function that Dennis and Ruby met.

Fujita was a member of the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard, also known as the Lost Battalion, which was captured at the Battle of Java.

Ruby Bruno said her first husband, who was of Japanese heritage, was targeted by Japanese soldiers, who tried to get him to get him to change his allegiance. When Fujita refused, his treatment was harsh.

'It was a lot worse for him than it was for me,' Bruno said.

Of the 900 soldiers, mostly from West Texas, captured, more than 160 died. Fujita wrote about the experience in his memoir, 'Foo: A Japanese-American Prisoner of the Rising Sun.'

Guest speaker for Friday's event was Marcus Romero, veterans service officer for Taylor County.

'It's a pretty solemn event,' said Romero of the dinner. 'I think it's important that we recognize the POWs and MIAs who have made those sacrifices.
There is not a Libertarian Party member who holds state office in Texas, but Mark Miller hopes to change that in 52 days.

'It is difficult in Texas, even for Democrats. This is a Republican state,' Miller said.

He is a candidate for railroad commissioner, opposing Republican Wayne Christian and Democrat Grady Yarbrough on Nov. 8 to replace David J. Porter. Porter, the chairman who was elected in 2010, did not seek re-election.

There are three commissioners, the longest-serving of which will be Christi Craddock, who was elected in 2012. Commissioner Ryan Sitton was elected in 2014.

Miller is in Abilene on Saturday, wearing another hat. He is vice chairman of the state executive committee. By law, the leaders of political parties are required to meet on a regular basis. As many as 30 Libertarians are expected for the all-day meeting at Abilene Woman's Club.

The leaders will discuss the upcoming election and plan ahead for 2017, Miller said.

Miller said his party, established in 1971, is on the upswing. Presidential candidate Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor as a Republican, is on the ballot in 50 states.

'Our message is important,' Miller said. 'We are taking advantage of this opportunity.'

Miller ran against Sitton in 2014, earning only 3.2 percent of the general vote. But, he said, times have changed. He was not given a chance to meet with any newspaper editorial board two years ago. This time around, however, he has been endorsed by both the Houston Chronicle and Dallas Morning News. He said their view is that the major party 'ran particularly bad candidates. The two big parties believe they're the only game in town, and that's a shame.'

To emphasize that, he said the public never goes for buying gas from just ExxonMobil or BP.

Miller is a petroleum engineer, giving him expertise to serve on the commission, he said.

He believes the commission is tasked to regulate, 'not push' the oil and gas industry.

He is familiar with the battle between those with surface rights and those with subsurface rights. As a Libertarian, he is for protecting rights and would work to find a solution rather than pick one over the other.

While Miller admitted he may be a 'hard sell' in West Texas, royalty and property owners should understand his stance. In this mineral rights vs. surface rights rub, he said, 'we can work something out. That's what neighbors do.'

'I am not against fracking, or oil and gas, but can't we do this better?' he said. Injection wells may well cause problems in some areas but not in others.

'The science still is evolving. We have to deal with it,'

He has challenged the effectiveness of the commission, the subject of his book 'Oil & Gas and the Texas Railroad Commission' and a state agency that he would like to see renamed the Texas Energy Resources Commission to better reflect its role. It no longer involves railroads. His opponents, he said, do not want to change the name because they fear the EPA would try to lessen its authority and, he said, because of the cost.

'Only five percent of the voters knows what the commission does,' he said. 'Other than the governor, it's the most important office in the state.'

He said Christian only wants to champion the oil and gas industry and is for 'business as usual.' Yarbrough, he said, is an educator who 'doesn't know anything about oil and gas.'

Miller said the industry is stabilizing and Permian Basin activity is on the upswing. The recent downturn in price has given the industry time to improve efficiency.

'When it's stable again, it may be much stronger,' he said.
Two 17-year-olds killed in a multi-vehicle accident Monday in Nolan County were home-schooled students from Seminole on a mission trip to help Louisiana flood victims.

Funeral service for Stephen Wiebe was Thursday while the service for Lidia Penner was Friday. Wiebe and Penner were among a group of six  four teens and two adults  who were on their way to south Louisiana. The group was a part of Grace Mennonite Fellowship in Seminole.

Frank Schmitt, pastor of the church said Wiebe's funeral had more than 700 in attendance and had to be moved to a different church building to accommodate the crowd.

'The church has really pulled together,' said Schmitt, adding that the community has been generous in its support to the church.

Wiebe was remembered as a young man who loved working on the family farm and loved animals, said Schmitt, who called the teenager an archetypical farm boy from another time.

'Stephen was an outstanding young man, very respectful,' he said. 'That's what I'll remember about him.'

Penner in 2014 moved with her family to Seminole from Los Cienes, Mexico, from which the family had moved to pursue financial opportunities. Schmitt said that while she was reluctant to leave friends in Mexico, she had made many new friends in Seminole. Schmitt described Penner as a person with a gentle and quiet spirit.

The accident occurred about 9:30 a.m. Monday. According to Texas Department of Public Safety, a Peterbilt truck driven by Richard Burton Weeks of Abilene had a blowout on its left front tire and veered across the median, striking the Ford Excursion carrying the church group. The other teen passengers  Susie Lowen, 19, and Johnny Klassen, 16  sustained minor injuries.

The driver of the Excursion, 37-year-old Bernhard Peters of Lamesa, was transported to Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene with what were described as 'critical' but 'non-incapacitating' injuries. Schmitt said Thursday that Peters was still hospitalized.

The other passenger in the Excursion, 39-year-old Henry Peters of Seminole, who had minor injuries.

Three other vehicles were involved in the accident. The truck also struck a 2011 Mercedes-Benz driven by Joe Ramirez of El Paso, who was sent to Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater with what was described as 'non-incapacitating' injuries. A passenger in the car, Marlene Garcia, had minor injuries.

Two other vehicles, a Chevrolet Cruze and a Ford F-250 pickup, were damaged by the center cable system that the Peterbilt truck went through when it crossed over the median.
Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Courtney Edwards is trying to rest her aching back on the bleachers in the Griffin arena during the West Texas Fair & Rodeo Friday. Her two boys competed with steers at the fair.

SHARE Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Despite the occasional shower and puddles, people continued to visit the West Texas Fair & Rodeo Friday afternoon, but heavier rains in the evening kept people away. Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Brad Hicks and his son Bryson Hicks feed the goats at the petting zoo at the West Texas Fair & Rodeo Friday afternoon.

By of Special to the Reporter-News

Last chance to go to the fair

Even in the middle of a hot afternoon, funnel cakes seem to sell like hot cakes.

That was true Friday as Landon Storey manned a booth that was attracting visitors, even when the traffic was slow. His wife, Katie Storey, and her mother, Kelley Ledet, know a winner they see it.

"They've been in this same spot 30 years," Storey said.

All the family lives in Nashville but comes to the West Texas Fair & Rodeo every year, one of several events where they set up shop.

"She just loves coming here," Storey said of his mother-in-law, "so we keep coming."

Business was a little slow at some booths Friday afternoon but was expected to pick up in the evening if the rain stayed away. It didn't, but there's always Saturday, the last day of the fair. Rochelle Johnson, executive vice president and general manager of the Expo Center, said attendance at the fair was on track to equal the 2013 attendance. A record was set in 2014, she said, and then topped last year.

But 2013 and 2016 are considered normal years, Johnson said, while 2014 and 2015 were exceptional. Before Friday's rain, showers on Sept. 10 and Thursday night were partly responsible for this year's lower turnout, Johnson said. Although the Sept. 10 rain ended in the morning, it forced the cancellation of the fair parade, and parade participants would have received free tickets to the fair that day. They usually are accompanied to the fair by parents and grandparents, who pay to get in. The cancellation of the parade meant about 5,000 fewer tickets were sold that day.

"That's a tough one to overcome," Johnson said.

On the bright side, gate receipts were up by $3,000 over 2013 as of Wednesday night, the latest numbers Johnson had. And, 1,300 people turned out for the Crystal Gayle concert Wednesday night, Johnson said. Only a previous Pat Green concert did better.

Christen Horner and her two boys, ages 4 and 2, were doing their best Friday to keep Landon Storey busy at his funnel cake booth. The family lives in Coleman and comes to the rodeo performances each year.

They attend Fountaingate Church in Abilene and also enjoy the church's fair booth where all things fried can be purchased  fried Oreos, fried Snickers, you name it. But for the moment, Horner and her boys were looking forward to a funnel cake. As small as the two boys were, Horner assured they could eat more than their share.

"I'll be lucky to get a nibble," she said.

Inside the Modern Living Mall, Kenneth and LaRue Walker had the place to themselves. All was quiet as they strolled through the exhibits. He volunteers selling tickets every year and was enjoying just being a visitor on Friday.

Although neither entered an exhibit this year, LaRue promised that next year she will enter her prized mesquite bean jelly. Each year at her family reunion, LaRue sells jars of jelly for $60 each. Proceeds of sales at the reunion finance the next year's event, she said.

The beans are spicy by themselves, she said, but "lots of sugar" turns them into a tasty treat that she thinks will please the judges next year.

"My family loves it," she said.
The observance of historic events was the reason for a ceremony Friday morning at Dyess Elementary School, but it was the children of today  representing the future  who gave it special meaning.

In single file and with an orderliness that would make their military parents proud, the children marched out of the school to take their place for the outdoor ceremony that noted four historic events:

Recognition of the school as the first to be integrated in Abilene on Jan. 21, 1963

The 229th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787

The 202nd anniversary of the national anthem, written Sept. 14, 1814

The 69th anniversary of the creation of the Air Force on Sept. 18, 1947, when the National Security Act of 1947 was implemented.

David Young, superintendent of the Abilene Independent School District, beamed with admiration for what the children added to the ceremony.

'There's just something special about being here at Dyess Elementary,' Young said.

Constitution Day is observed each year at Dyess Elementary, which primarily serves families stationed at Dyess Air Force Base. This year's observance included the unveiling of a Texas historical marker in front of the school signifying it as the first to be integrated in Abilene.

A dedication ceremony was held in February, with a mock-up of the marker standing in. Once the marker was cast, it was installed. The marker is the result of the efforts of many people, led by Tremayne Hubbard, a Dyess airman who is president of the Dyess African-American Heritage Committee and also a member of the Taylor County Historical Commission.

Hubbard recognized a need for the marker and set about doing the research necessary to get it approved and cast by the Texas Historical Commission. Much of his research came from Andrew Penns, founder of Interested Citizens of Abilene North (ICAN), and from a doctoral dissertation written in 1994 by Steven Kent Gallaway, an Abilenian who was earning a doctorate in education administration from Texas Tech University.

Penns and Gallaway were present for Friday's ceremony, but Hubbard was unable to attend. Several members of the Dyess African-American Heritage Committee participated in the ceremony.

Col. David Benson, commander of the air base, cited the work done by Hubbard, the heritage committee and others responsible for the marker.

'Thank you,' he said, 'for the hard work you have done to preserve this piece of history in Abilene.'

Benson said he was struck by what a woman who was among the black children attending Dyess Elementary School on that historic day had said about it. As a child, she didn't know she was making history. She just knew something was a little different.

'She got to go to school with her friends,' Benson said.

Children of all races lived in the same housing and played together on the grounds at Dyess, but before Jan. 21, 1963, the black children attended an all-black school across town. Several parents petitioned the school board to integrate Dyess Elementary.

Friday's ceremony, which included the Pledge of Allegiance, presentation of the colors by schoolchildren, and the singing of the 'Star-Spangled Banner,' ended with two songs that are meaningful to many Americans, 'God Bless America' and 'Lift Every Voice and Sing.' The latter song was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson in 1899 and set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson in 1900.

It was first publicly performed Feb. 12, 1900, as a poem in a celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

At the end of Friday's ceremony, Dyess Elementary Principal Michael Newton, who has been at the school since 2005, dismissed the children with words befitting the military setting.

'At this time,' he said, 'students retreat back to the classroom.'
By PTI: Kochi, Sep 17 (PTI) A special investigation team (SIT) of Kerala Police today filed the charge sheet in a court here in the sensational rape-and-murder case of a Dalit woman at nearby Perumbavoor in April, three months after the arrest of a migrant labourer.

The charge sheet, submitted in the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court,named Ameerul Islam, a native of Assam who was arrested in June, as the lone accused in the case and charged him with offences, including rape and murder.

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Ernakulam Rural SP PN Unnirajan, a key member in the SIT headed by ADGP B Sandhya, said the charge sheet was submitted after conducting a "scientific and technical probe".

The accused has been charged under various sections of the IPC, including 449 (house-trespass), 376 (punishment for rape), 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), besides relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.

Unnirajan said the police, which collected 125 pieces of documentary evidence and around 75 exhibits, succeeded in building "a strong case" against the accused and filing the charge sheet within the 90-day mandatory period.

There are 195 witnesses in the case, he added.

"The SIT formed by the new (state) government probed the case very well," Unnirajan told reporters at Aluva.

Ameerul, a migrant labourer from Assam, was arrested on June 16, 50 days after the gruesome murder of the 30-year-old law student which became a major issue in the run-up to the Kerala Assembly election in May.

The woman, hailing from a poor family, was raped and brutally assaulted with sharp weapons, before being murdered at her residence on April 28.

The rape-and-murder case was in focus during the Assembly polls campaigning with the opponents attacking the then UDF regime for the "tardy" progress in the investigation and failure to nab the culprit.

The LDF government, after coming to power in the state on May 25, had changed the constitution of the investigating team and entrusted the probe with ADGP Sandhya at its first Cabinet meeting itself.

Police had said a blood-stained chappal (slipper), found from a canal near the victims residence, was one of the key pieces of evidence in zeroing in on the accused.

A DNA test conducted on the saliva found from the bite mark on the victims back, the blood found on the chappal and the lock of her room had confirmed the involvement of only one person in the crime, they had said.

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Over 100 police personnel were involved in a "scientific" probe into the incident. They questioned over 1,500 people and went through over 20 lakh telephone call records before zeroing in on the accused. PTI TGB VS RC MAV

--- ENDS ---
Police have clashed with protesters in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, after an antigovernment rally.

The police intervention came after hundreds of demonstrators held a rally on September 17 protesting an upcoming referendum that would give Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev greater powers and a longer term in office.

Several journalists were also detained by police during the clashes, including at least two freelancers working for RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service.

One RFE/RL journalist was taken from the scene of the protest in a bus with some 30 detainees.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The protest, which was sanctioned by the government, was organized by the National Council of Democratic Forces, an umbrella organization uniting part of Azerbaijan's opposition forces.

WATCH: Footage Of The Baku Protest (natural sound)

Demonstrators oppose the holding of a September 26 referendum in the tightly controlled South Caucasus country that is expected to strengthen the authority of Aliyev, extend the length of presidential terms, and drop the minimum age for future presidential candidates.

Some slogans at the rally included "No to monarchy, end to robbery!" and "Where is the $140 billion oil money?"

Activists have warned that Azerbaijans government has stepped up the repression of journalists, civil society activists, and human rights workers ahead of the referendum, and urged the West to do more to confront Baku.

The oil-rich South Caucasus nation has faced growing social and economic problems stemming from falling world oil prices in recent years.


The announcement of Uzbek President Islam Karimov's death at the start of this month seems to have touched off a chain reaction in Central Asia. After years of wondering what the succession processes would look like in the region, we are now getting a glimpse of how these things work.

To look at how these succession schemes are playing out, RFE/RL assembled a Majlis, a panel, to discuss the current efforts being made on behalf of a second head of state.

Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. From Scotland, we were joined by our friend Dr. Luca Anceschi, chair of the Central Asian Studies Center at the University of Glasgow. Participating from Washington was Erica Marat, assistant professor and director of the Homeland Defense Fellowship Program at the College of International Security Affairs of the National Defense University and author of numerous articles on Central Asia. And Bakhtiyor Nishanov, deputy director of Eurasia at the International Republican Institute from Washington D.C., also took part from Washington. I've been waiting for these moments in Central Asia for a couple of decades, so I was in on this also.

The focus of the talk was Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. All three countries took steps related to the position of the second leader of their countries.

The first to move was of course Uzbekistan, driven to action by the death of longtime leader Karimov. Authorities stalled on naming an interim leader in the first days after the September 2 announcement of Karimov's death.

Sidestepping The Constitution

Constitutionally, the powers of the president should have transferred to the chairman of the Senate, Nigmatullo [Nigmatillo] Yuldashev. Instead, at a joint session of parliament on September 8, Yuldashev declined the responsibility and urged that the job go to Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev.

Nishanov noted, "The constitution was specifically amended to prevent this kind of power grab, to prevent the prime minister coming in and just talking over."

Ignoring the constitution in Uzbekistan is nothing new. Authorities there disregarded the two-term presidential limit when Karimov was elected to a third term in 2007 and a fourth term in 2015. In both those cases the seven-year term also expired well before the elections were held.

Nishanov said Uzbekistan has demonstrated "complete disregard for the constitution" in this transition process, which may bode ill for the country's future.

But it's not just Uzbekistan.

Following the death of Turkmen Saparmurat Niyazov in late December 2006, the constitution of Turkmenistan was similarly overlooked. There, too, the chairman of the Senate was constitutionally next in line to take over as acting president. But that person, Ovezgeldy Ataev, was arrested shortly after the official announcement of Niyazov's death and Health Minister Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov was named acting leader.

Berdymukhammedov won the February 2007 presidential election despite a constitutional prohibition on an acting head of state running in such polls.

Authoritarian Agendas

Parliament passed amendments to Turkmenistan's constitution on September 15 that lifted an age limit (70 years) and extended the presidential term from five to seven years, paving the way for Berdymukhammedov to remain in power until he dies.

Anceschi said the constitutions the Central Asian states approved in the early 1990s were "in most cases highly presidential," and he added, "They've [the constitutions] been amended with authoritarian agendas in mind, and that entrenched even further authoritarian politics."

The amendments to Turkmenistan's constitution were passed less than two weeks after Karimov was officially declared dead. It is true the proposed changes to the constitution were first announced in early January and published, for "public discussion," in February. But the date for parliament to vote on the amendments was never entirely clear, only that it would happen in the second half of the year.

Karimov's death might have spurred Turkmenistan's second president to have the measures passed sooner.

Nazarbaev Shuffles The Deck



The death almost certainly seems to have affected the succession preparations in Kazakhstan.

"Seeing what happened over there in Uzbekistan, considering that [Kazakhstan's President Nursultan] Nazarbaev is only two years younger than Karimov it must have had some impact on his way of seeing the future," Anceschi said. He added, "I think that what we've seen in the last week is the beginning of a transition."

Nazarbaev started to shuffle government officials on September 8. Among the changes, Nazarbaev moved trusted ally Prime Minister Karim Masimov over to head the Committee for National Security [KNB]. Some saw this as a demotion but in Uzbekistan the relatively smooth transition of power has been overseen by the shadowy head the National Security Service, Rustam Inoyatov.

Nazarbaev might be imitating that strategy of a trusted figure being in charge of national security as a guarantee for the president's family after the president is gone. Masimov is additionally well suited to this job since he is part ethnic Uyghur and so cannot aspire to the presidency because that would risk angering neighbor and major trading partner China, as Beijing has been trying to suppress Uyghur nationalist sentiment in the western Xinjiang region [bordering Kazakhstan] for decades.

Grooming A Successor?

Nazarbaev named Deputy Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintaev as prime minister. Sagintaev emerged from relative political obscurity at the end of 2015, appearing ever more frequently in the media, and addressing an increasingly wide range of issues.He appears to have been groomed for something.

Nazarbaev's eldest daughter Darigha was appointed to the Senate on September 13, sparking speculation she might succeed her father. As in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, according to Kazakhstan's constitution the speaker of the Senate takes over in the event a president cannot perform the duties of office. Darigha is only a Senator now, but some feel it is just a matter of time before she rises to become speaker.

However, Marat said it was unlikely Darigha would ever be president. "When you look at Kazakhstan, I think the power transition is going to be different because in Kazakhstan the structure of the state and political elites is different," she said. "There's more competition and there is more bureaucracy, in the good sense of it."

"Tajikistan is the only contender for dynastic rule, power transfer, the son [of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon] is groomed to possibly become the next leader," she added.

It does seem that succession in Kazakhstan will be more complicated than in Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan. As Marat and Anceschi said, there are strong political and economic elites in Kazakhstan.

It also appears some of the transition team for the succession is taking shape, raising questions about what Nazarbaev is planning for the near future.

The Majlis discussed these issues in greater detail and looked at questions of popular acceptance for the second leaders, the durability of current policies, differences between an election and a coronation, a bit about the current situation in Kyrgyzstan, and other topics.

An audio recording of the Majlis can be heard here:

Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to Majlis on iTunes.




The United Nations on September 16 appointed a new goodwill ambassador: a Yazidi woman who was raped, tortured and sold into sexual slavery by the Islamic State group in Iraq.

During an emotional ceremony at UN headquarters, Nadia Murad Basee Taha, 23, accepted the distinction from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, becoming the first trafficking victim to hold the position of UN goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.

Murad said the IS committed genocide against the Yazidi minority group, killing her mother and brother and making her a sexual slave along with thousands of other Yazidi girls and women, many of whom have died since or still remain in captivity.

After three months of captivity, Murad was able to escape and resettle in Germany.

"Maybe I lived, so that I would be able to use my heart and soul and my words to be their voice," she said.

Ban said he had been moved to tears when he heard Murad's story.

"Nadia shows with her life how important it is to fight for trafficking victims," he said. "They deserve justice. And when we empower them, they can help transform our world."

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa


Russian President Vladimir Putin says the world faces the most dangerous decade since World War II and predicted that the historical period of the West's "undivided dominance over world affairs" is coming to an end.

Speaking on October 27 at a conference of international policy experts in Moscow, Putin said the decade ahead is "probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and, at the same time, important...since the end of World War II."

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Putin laid the blame for the situation at the feet of Western countries, which he said have cast aside the norms of international affairs in order to maintain dominance and hold down countries they see as "second-class civilizations."

The Russian leader also said he had no regrets about sending troops into Ukraine and sought to explain the conflict as part of the efforts by Western countries to secure their global domination.

Putin claimed in his speech to the Valdai Discussion Club, a think tank, that the West had helped incite the conflict and also seeks to stoke a crisis over Taiwan in an attempt to enforce global dominance.

Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, triggering the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II and driving relations with Western countries that back Ukraine and its drive to be part of the European Union and NATO to their lowest depths since the Cold War.

Putin cast the conflict in Ukraine as a battle between the West and Russia for the fate of the second-largest Eastern Slav country. It is partly a "civil war," he said, as Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Kyiv has flatly rejected both of those ideas.

The goal of what Russia refers to as a "special military operation" is to take the eastern Donbas region, Putin said, adding that in his view the region would "not have survived" on its own had Russia not intervened militarily in Ukraine.

WATCH: A local official told Russian conscripts "You are not cannon fodder" in a video published online recently. The men responded by angrily shouting that, actually, that's exactly what they are.

But the war has gone far beyond the Donbas region, with Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, and other nonmilitary structures, killing tens of thousands of Ukrainians across the country.

Putin used the speech largely to rail against the West, saying it has nothing to offer to the world "except its own domination," and the goal of globalization "is neocolonialism to dominate the world." He said Russia is only trying to defend its right to exist in the face these Western efforts.

Putin also asserted that more and more nations refuse to follow Washington's demands and Russia will never accept the West's attempts to dominate the world.

Citing gay pride parades and the acceptance of transgender people in Western countries, Putin also defended "traditional values" and said "nobody can dictate to our people how to develop and what society we should build."

He also said Russia has never considered the West an enemy and has many things in common with it but will continue to oppose the diktat of Western neoliberal elites.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Putin's speech presented no new ideas.

"We don't believe that Mr. Putin's strategic goals have changed here. He doesn't want Ukraine to exist as a sovereign, independent nation state," Kirby said.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Putin's speech can be described as "for Freud," referring to psychoanalysis founder Sigmund Freud.



"The person who invaded a foreign country, annexed its land, and committed genocide accuses others of violating international law and the sovereignty of other countries? One truth: The person who started a wind will get a storm. The storm is coming," he said on Twitter.

Answering questions from journalists after his speech, Putin reiterated the Kremlin's assertion that Ukraine plans to use a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory. The claim has been dismissed as false by Ukraine and its allies, who say Russia may have raised the matter because it plans to use such a bomb in Ukraine as a pretext for escalation.

"It was me who ordered [Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu to inform by phone all his colleagues about it," Putin said, adding that Russia does not need to use dirty bombs in Ukraine.

Putin also said he supported plans by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit Ukraine's nuclear power plants for inspections.

"It must be done as soon and as openly as possible because we know that Kyiv authorities are now working to cover up such [dirty-bomb attack] preparations," Putin said, without giving any exact information proving the claim.

Ukraine invited IAEA inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities after the Kremlin made its unsubstantiated claim about the preparation of a dirty bomb -- which would use the explosion of a conventional warhead to spread radioactive material or chemicals over a wide area.

Ukraine said it would welcome inspections because it had "nothing to hide."

According to Putin, Russia has never talked about the use of nuclear weapons in the war with Ukraine despite his own promise to defend Russian territory with any means at our disposal" and saying his words were "not a bluff."

"We see no need for [using nuclear weapons in Ukraine]," Putin told reporters. "There is no sense for that, neither political, nor military."
An investigative journalist and former political prisoner in Azerbaijan says repression of journalists and opposition activists in Azerbaijan is increasing in the country.

RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova, who spent 17 months in prison before her release in May, spoke at a U.S. congressional hearing in Washington on September 16 about the harsh conditions faced by journalists who report on corruption.

The hearing, Azerbaijan: Do Human Rights Matter? was organized by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and held ahead of a September 26 constitutional referendum that will ask voters to strengthen the president's authority and extend his term in office.

International rights watchdogs have widely criticized the referendum.

Ismayilova, who addressed the hearing by video conference from her home in Baku as she is barred from leaving the country, said there are 138 political prisoners in Azerbaijani prisons.

She said pro-Western journalists, bloggers, politicians, and civil activists have faced repression in Azerbaijan under the rule of President Ilham Aliyev.

Ismayilova, who was arrested on charges widely believed to be in retaliation for her reports on corruption among Aliyev's family and friends, added that "Russian media has its bureaus in Baku, while RFE/RL's Baku bureau is closed and its equipment has been confiscated illegally."

Richard Kauzlarich, who served as U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan in the 1990s, declared at the hearing that "quiet diplomacy has not worked as a means of persuading the government to tolerate greater freedoms.


The White House said President Barack Obama will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The September 19 meeting comes amid preparations to seize control of Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, from the Islamic State militants.

"The two leaders will have a chance to check in on the counter-ISIL campaign. Also the campaign to liberate Mosul," White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said on September 16.

The United States deployed an additional 400 troops to Iraq earlier this month as local forces prepare for an assault on Iraq's second largest city.

Allied forces have been carrying out "shaping operations" around the northern city, working on an airfield near the town of Qayyarah that will provide a staging area and striking suspected IS chemical weapons facilities nearby.

Jihadists seized the city in 2014 and it is now their last major stronghold in Iraq.

Influential Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has been mustering thousands-strong demonstrations to demand government reforms.

The White House also said Obama would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, which begins September 19.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama warned that the United States may walk away from a Syrian cease-fire deal reached with Russia last week unless Syria allows humanitarian aid to reach needy people.

After Obama met with his national security team on September 16, the White House issued a statement saying Obama "expressed deep concern that, despite decreased violence across the country, the Syrian regime continues to block the flow of critical humanitarian aid." .

Obama "emphasized that the United States will not proceed with the next steps in the arrangement with Russia until we see seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access," the White House said.

The president's statement came after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Washington will not agree to begin joint targeting of Islamic militants in Syria, as called for after seven days of cease-fire under the deal, until Syria permits the aid to flow.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry told Lavrov by telephone that the United States expects Moscow to use its influence on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach Aleppo and other areas in need."

"Repeated" delays in allowing the convoys the aid to enter the country have been "unacceptable," Kerry said.

The ultimatum to Russia and Syria came at the same time the United States and Russia abruptly cancelled a scheduled United Nations Security Council meeting on the Syrian cease-fire deal on September 16 and as signs emerged that the truce that went into effect on September 12 was fraying.

After three days which saw a marked decrease in violence and no deaths, the first civilians since the start of the truce were killed on September 15, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body. Three more died and 13 were injured in air strikes in rebel-held Idlib province on September 16, the Observatory said.

Shells were also fired by insurgents into two besieged Shi'ite villages and clashes hit areas east of Damascus as well on September 16.

But the biggest problem under the deal has been the Syrian government's refusal to let UN aid into rebel-held areas of Aleppo that are surrounded by pro-government forces and where an estimated 300,000 civilians are trapped without food and other necessities.

The UN has blamed the government for holding up its aid convoys by denying them letters guaranteeing access.

Another provision of the deal faltered on September 16 when Syrian government forces returned to their positions along the Castello Road, where they previously had withdrawn under an agreement to clear the way for civilians and aid to move alongthe key thoroughfare.

Viktor Poznikhir, the first deputy chief of the Russian General Staff's operations directorate, said that Syrian troops returned their tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery to their original positions because they were being shelled by opposition groups.

While he said Russia is ready to extend the cease-fire for another 72 hours if the United States agrees, Poznikhir returned some rhetorical fire at Washington, warning that the situation on the ground "could get out of control" unless the United States forces rebels it backs to comply with the cease-fire and clear the vital roadway.

He said the Syrian army has fully complied with the truce, while opposition forces have violated it 144 times .

"We expect decisive measures from the American side, aimed at influencing the armed groups under their control to rigorously carry out the September 9 agreement," he said.

Sharp disagreements between the United States and Russia also emerged over the decision to cancel the UN meeting on the cease-fire deal on September 16.

Moscow's UN ambassador charged that the meeting was cancelled because the United States was unwilling to provide security council members with documents detailing provisions of the cease-fire deal.

"We believe that we cannot ask them to support documents which they haven't seen," Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said.

The U.S. mission to the UN said it called off the meeting because it could not agree with Russia on a way to brief the council that would "not compromise the operational security of the arrangement."

"We believe the Security Council can play an important role in the resolution of the crisis in Syria," a U.S. spokesman said.

"However, right now we are focused on the implementation of the agreement...particularly the urgent need for humanitarian aid to reach Syrians in need."

Despite the exchange of accusations, Churkin said Kerry and Lavrov will hold several meetings in New York next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, one of them as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, TASS, AFP, and dpa


A Pakistani court trying former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf over a deadly raid on Islamabad's notorious Red Mosque has ordered the confiscation of his property.

Judge Pervaiz Qadir Memon passed the order on September 17 in a case concerning the death of radical cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, one of more than 100 people killed when Pakistani troops stormed the Red Mosque in 2007.

Musharraf faces multiple charges, including treason and murder for the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.

Musharraf ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999. He resigned in 2008 to avoid possible impeachment and went into exile overseas.

He returned in 2013, after which he was barred from leaving the country while facing multiple lawsuits -- a travel ban that was lifted so he could seek medical care.

In January, Musharraf was acquitted over the 2006 killing of a Baloch rebel leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti.

But several cases against him remain -- one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, as well as suits alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, the assassination of Bhutto, and the raid on the Red Mosque.

Based on reporting by AFP and Geo TV
A curfew has been imposed in a tribal district in northwest Pakistan where a suicide bombing killed at least 36 people.

The attack occurred on September 16 during Friday prayers at a mosque in the Mohmand tribal district, one of seven tribal districts along the porous border with Afghanistan.

At least 29 people were wounded in the attack in the village of Pai Khan. About 200 worshipers were inside the mosque at the time of attack.

Security forces have launched an operation in the area.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar -- a breakaway faction of the banned Tehreek-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- claimed responsibility for the attack. The group claimed the attack targeted members of a vigilante force that killed 13 of its members in 2009.

The group also claimed responsibility for an attack on lawyers in Quetta, which killed 73 people on August 8.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the bombing, saying the government would remain steadfast in its fight against extremists.

The White House denounced the attack, saying it was an "appalling reminder that terrorism threatens all countries in the region," and said the United States would continue to work with Islamabad to fight terrorism.

With reporting by Dawn


Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow did not annex the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 but claimed it was "reunified" with Russia.

Putin said at a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in the Kyrgyz capital on September 16 that actions by the Ukrainian government were the "root cause" for what happened to Crimea.

"Russia did not annex anything," he said, in response to comments made by Ukrainian Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Mikolay Doroshenko. "Whatever happened with Crimea is the result of unlawful actions of certain political forces in Ukraine who had brought the situation to a state coup."

Moscow forcibly annexed Crimea shortly after thousands of unmarked Russian soldiers landed on the peninsula in early 2014.

The action was widely condemned by many Western countries and in an overwhelming vote by the UN General Assembly.

Doroshenko, who represented Ukraine at the CIS summit in Bishkek, raised objections to two items on the bloc's agenda, including handing the CIS presidency to Russia because he said Moscow's annexation of Crimea had breached international laws.

Along with Russia's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, the takeover of Crimea led to economic sanctions from several Western countries and the EU against Russia.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax


By Pankaj P. Khelkar: Pune district has recorded the maximum number of chikungunya cases in Maharashtra from January to September this year. While 92 per cent of chikungunya cases in Maharashtra have been reported from Pune, the city also ranks second in reporting the number of dengue patients. These are the official figures released by the state health department. During a telephonic conversation with Dr Kanchan Jagtap, Tvtn Deputy Director of State Health department vector- borne diseases for Maharashtra state talked the rising number of patients suffering from vector-borne diseases.

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Also read: Central government hospitals in Delhi to reserve 10 per cent beds for dengue, chikungunya patients

From January 2016 till date, as many as 435 chikungunya cases have been reported from Maharashtra. Out of these, there have been 225 from Pune city, 168 from the outskirts of Pune, taking the total count of chikungunya cases in Pune district to 393. Chikungunya cases have also been reported from PCMC corporation - 14, Aurangabad - 5, Ahmednagar - 11, Satara - 6, Nasik - 4, Beed - 4 and Akola - 1.



DENGUE RAMPANT IN MAHARASHTRA



Maharashtra has also witnessed as many as 2572 dengue cases being reported this year. As many as 413 cases have been reported from Nasik, 310 from Mumbai, 247 from Thane, 161 from Pune, 95 from Ahmednagar, 72 from PCMC and 60 from Kolhapur. Senior doctors at BJ Medical college and Sassoon General Hospital have been continuously discussing the spurt in cases of dengue and chikungunya and the treatment being administered to the patients.

Also read: Delhi civic body helpline flooded with complaints as piles of garbage are linked to chikungunya outbreak



A senior practicing doctor, who is the senior vice-president of the Indian Medical Association of Maharashtra, said that he had been getting 10 positive cases of vector-borne diseases on a daily basis. "There are 6,000 private practitioners in the Pune civic body, which means approximately 60,000 people are likely to have been tested positive for vector-borne diseases", said Dr. Avinash Bhondavey, senior vice-president of the Indian Medical Association of Maharashtra.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said he remained "positive" about the Syria cease-fire agreement struck with the United States last week but called for more transparency from Washington.

Putin, speaking in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, on September 17 said he was "positive rather than negative" but said Washington needed to be "honest."

Moscow has accused Washington of refusing to share details of the closed-door truce agreement.

"They don't want to make it public because the world community... will understand who is really not abiding to what," Putin said.

He also accused opposition rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a key Russian ally, of using the cease-fire to "regroup."

He claimed that Washington was facing a "difficult problem" in separating the rebels from terrorists, in reference to the opposition's ties with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, and Islamic State militants.

The United States and Russia cancelled a scheduled United Nations Security Council meeting on the cease-fire on September 16 as signs emerged that the truce was fraying.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP


The U.S. government has paid $1.2 million to the family of an Italian aid worker killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in a landmark deal.

It is believed to be the first payment of its kind by Washington to the family of a drone strike victim killed outside an official warzone.

Giovanni Lo Porto, 37, was killed while being held hostage by Al-Qaeda in January 2015. American aid worker Warren Weinstein, 73, was also killed in the drone strike.

The U.S. government has offered condolence payments to the families of civilian casualties of air strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the Lo Porto payment is different because he was killed in Pakistan and because there was an official apology and acknowledgement from Washington.

The payment was confirmed by the White House. It was unclear whether the Weinstein family also received payment.

The payment to Lo Porto's family was considered a "donation in the memory of Giovanni Lo Porto."

Last year, U.S. President Barack Obama admitted that Lo Porto and Weinstein were accidentally killed in a secret counterterrorism mission and expressed his regret for the deaths. It was announced that compensation would be paid to the families.

The operation had targeted an Al-Qaeda compound in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.

Ahmed Farouq, a U.S. citizen who had become an Al-Qaeda leader, was killed in the same operation. Another U.S. citizen turned Al-Qaeda terrorist, Adam Gadahn, was killed in a separate operation in January.

Weinstein was a business development expert working in Pakistan on a contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

He was snatched from his home in Lahore on August 13, 2011, shortly before he was due to return home after seven years working in Pakistan.

Lo Porto disappeared in January 2012 in Pakistan. He had worked for an international aid group called Welthungerhilfe.

With reporting by BBC and The Guardian


The United States has announced that it does not recognize the legitimacy, and will not recognize the outcome, of Russian Duma elections scheduled on September 18 in Crimea.

"Our position on Crimea is clear: the peninsula remains an integral part of Ukraine. Crimea-related sanctions against Russia will remain until Russia returns control of Crimea to Ukraine," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said on September 16.

"We also continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Crimea, including the status of the ethnic Tatar community and widespread reports of missing persons and human rights abuses," he said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko earlier in the day accused Russia of transforming Crimea into a "concentration camp."

Russian President Vladimir retorted in kind later at a forum in Kyrgyzstan, declaring that Russia did not annex the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014, but rather "reunified" it with Russia.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Sep 17 (PTI) The death toll has risen to 28 in the destruction caused by Meranti, the worlds strongest typhoon this year in China, even as the country braces for yet another powerful typhoon for which an orange alert has been issued, officials said today.

Twenty-eight people were killed and 15 others are still missing when Meranti struck eastern Chinese provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang province two days ago, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

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Meranti, the strongest typhoon this year, made landfall in Xiamen City, Fujian on Thursday, with a maximum 17-grade wind force bringing extraordinary rainstorms.

As many as 18 people died and 11 others were missing in the province, Fujian flood control authorities said today.

The typhoon paralysed several cities in the south of the province, including Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou.

Direct economic losses in Fujian were over 16.9 billion yuan (about USD 2.6 billion).

Ten people died and four remained unaccounted for in neighbouring Zhejiang after the typhoon brought heavy rainfall. More than 902 houses collapsed and over 1.5 million people were affected, Zhejiang provincial flood control headquarters said.

Meanwhile, forecasting authorities today issued an orange alert for waves and storms, as typhoon Malakas moved to the east coast of China.

China has a four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Malakas, the 16th typhoon in 2016, has entered the southern part of the East China Sea this afternoon, Chinas National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said.

The typhoon is expected to whip up waves from seven to 12 meters-high off Taiwans east coast, southern and central parts of the East China Sea, and the nearby Diaoyu Islands from today to tomorrow.

Waves up to 4.4 meters-high are also expected in the coastal regions of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, said the Center.

Coastal regions in Fujian and Zhejiang will see storms and rain starting this night, and residents and ships operating in related waters were told to stay clear of those areas, according to the center. PTI KJV NSA CPS SAI CPS

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Panaji, Sep 16 (PTI) Climate change is responsible for reduction in the volume of Himalayan glaciers, Union Minister Anil Dave said today, while adding that countries located around the mountain ranges cannot be held responsible for the phenomenon.

India and China discussed the crucial issue of rapid melting of snow on the Himalayan mountain ranges during a summit of Environment ministers of BRICS countries here.

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"Climate change is a big issue and its impact is something which we feel and observe. Each and everyone has a clear understanding that there is something wrong going on the globe," the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.

He was briefing reporters about deliberations at the two-day long meeting of Environment ministers of BRICS countries that took place in South Goa.

"About 30-40 years back, those who had been to Himalayan ranges would say there were him ki chadar but now `baraf ka roomal bhi nahi hai (earlier people used to say there was a blanket of snow in the Himalayas, but now there is not even a handkerchief of snow). Snow at the mountain peaks is melting at a rapid pace," Dave said.

"It is not that countries which are surrounding the mountain ranges are responsible for it; it is the effect of the climate change globally.

The Environment Minister said, "We discussed all these things (problems faced by Himalaya), particularly with China. These are the two countries (India and China) on either side of the mountain ranges."

Dave said China or any other country cannot be blamed for the current state of Himalayan ranges.

"We all are concerned, they (China) are also concerned." Blaming each other is not going to help," he added. PTI RPS RSY SRY

--- ENDS ---
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Sep 17 (PTI) The US is closely monitoring the current situation in Karachi, where political party MQM is facing a crackdown after its former self-exiled leader Altaf Hussain in London delivered an anti-Pakistan speech and asked his workers to launch attack on media, an official has said.

"Were monitoring those events very closely," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters yesterday when asked about the arrests of the leaders of Mutthaida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the biggest party in Karachi.

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"Were aware that Pakistan security forces have arrested some MQM members allegedly involved in violent protests and that these operations have included the closure and the demolition of offices deemed to have been illegally constructed," Kirby said.

Responding to a question, he said the US routinely communicates with Pakistani about issues like this. PTI LKJ KIS

--- ENDS ---
Aman Vihar MLA Rituraj from AAP said that his constituency is one of the most unsafe places in Delhi.

By Parbina Purkayastha: "Five lakh population and one small police station, law and order situation is out of control, rapes and assault is a common thing, my constituency is one of the most unsafe place in Delhi to be" said AAP MLA, Rituraj of Aman Vihar constituency. If people's representative sounds so helpless one can imagine what will be the plight of the citizens of this locality in Delhi.

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Two teenage girls, 17 and 18 were allegedly gang-raped in front of their male friends in Delhi reminding nothing has changed on the streets of Delhi even after introducing a stringent rape law after the famous Nirbhaya incident.

"We talk of smart cities, we talk of 'beti bachao, beti padhao' but the dark side of national capital visits more than often to remind how unsafe and unsmart the city is for its citizens," he said. According to the resident girls in Aman Vihar's most localities stay inside the house after 5-6 pm in the evening as it is known for different kind of activities like robbing, rape, molestation, assault, eve teasing, murder and nothing can be changed. "No police have ever visited here for patrolling or to address the problems we raised," said a resident.

ACCUSED ASSAULTED BOYS

"The girls and boys were first beaten up, were dragged for about 100 meters and then the gang of guys took turn to rape the girls. When the boys objected, the accused boys assaulted them too." said another resident.

The locals say the girls worked in a factory and were there to take a break and chat with their friends in this park was their daily affair. "The two girls used to work in a shoe factory and while returning would often sit in the park, rest and chat with friends" said Vaibhav, a local.

According to the locals, the accused are anti socials who live in the neighbouring locality, these kind of activities are part of system in this area. They say, the same gang of guys have molested some other women earlier too, but the victims had not reported the matter to the cops to avoid social stigma.



PROPER POLICING NEEDED

The MLA told India Today that he had reiterated the terrible condition of Aman Vihar and the need of a proper police station to the centre but all attempts were futile. "It is not possible for me to alone change the situation, law and order has fallen apart in my constituency for which we need more police and police stations" said Rituraj. He added since the police works under the Center they are handicapped after a point.

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"There are hundreds of rapes which go unreported from Aman Vihar because they don't file a FIR but they come to me and cry. They fear social and legal hassles but always cry for desperate help. In this particular rape incident who will help them, the girls are extremely poor. One of the girl have recently lost her parents and no one is there to help them" asks MLA, Rituraj

Aman Vihar police station team identified four accused and arrested them and tracked the fifth person who reportedly led the youth. On sustained interrogation, the accused boys admitted to raping the girls. They pleaded they were minors and police are verifying their ages.



Also read:



Delhi shocker: 2 girls out for a walk gangraped in park, 4 arrested



--- ENDS ---
The Guardian publishes detailed investigation into Saudi aggression crimes against Yemen





LONDON, Sept. 17 (SABA)  The most comprehensive investigative report released by London-based the Guardian daily found out that more than one-third of all Saudi-led air attacks against Yemen since March 2015 have hit civilian sites, such as school buildings, hospitals, markets, mosques and economic infrastructure.



The report, published by the Guardian on Friday, based on a survey conducted by the Yemen Data Project, a group of academics, human rights organizers and activists, detailing all-Saudi-led air strikes that deliberately targeted civilians and residential areas, as well as economic and cultural sites in Yemen.



The findings revealed that the Saudi aggression intensifies air attacks to coincide with its military and political setbacks. The escalations mainly aims at civilian targets.



The report records more than 8,600 air attacks between March 2015 and the end of August this year. Of these, 3,158 were listed as having hit civilian sites, including 942 struck residential quarters, 114 hit public markets, 34 mosques, 147 destroyed schools and 26 raided universities.



Based on the findings, the newspaper noted that the aggression countries concentrated their air attacks on some particular civilian sites, such as air striking a public market in Serwah district of Marib governorate with 24 strikes and a school in Dhubab town of Taiz governorate has been hit nine times.



In Saada, the Saudi-led aggression declared the whole governorate a military target but data shows air raids hit mostly non-military sites.



It said the most heavily-bombed region is Saada since the Saudi aggression in May 2015 dropped leaflets declaring all of Saada a military target and advising residents to leave.



Incidents involving non-military sites in Saada outnumber hits on military targets three to one in the database.



Findings of some air strikes against civilian targets in Saada indicates to the killing of 10 children in a school in Haidan area in August 2016, and a public market in Sihar district with five strikes and a mosque in the same area with 10 air attacks.



Taiz, the most densely populated governorate according to the Guardian, was the second highest percentage of air attacks involving non-military sites.



In September 2015, 135 people died in Taiz governorate when a wedding party was struck in the village of Wahija, near al-Mukha, and more than 30 died in June this year when airstrikes hit a market in Hayfan during the supposed ceasefire.



Taiz has also seen the largest number of school buildings struck in a single governorate with one site in al-Omary, Dhubab being hit nine times. Taiz airport and the docks in al-Mukha have been hit 16 and 18 times respectively.



In comments to the survey findings, the UKs shadow defense secretary, Clive Lewis, said: Its sickening to think of British-built weapons being used against civilians and the government has an absolute responsibility to do everything in its power to stop that from happening. But as ministers turn a blind eye to the conflict in Yemen, evidence that humanitarian law has been violated is becoming harder to ignore by the day.



The Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson, Tom Brake, said the data added more weight to calls for the suspension of arms sales. Despite consistent evidence showing targeting of civilians, first Cameron and now Mays governments have continued their hypocritical defense of Saudi Arabias brutal campaign in Yemen, he said.



The investigation into Saudi brutal air aggression also included a number of charts and graphics showing precise figures about civilian death tolls, the size of the destruction in civilian infrastructure, historical cities and civilian targets.



MA



SABA

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[17/September/2016]
Delhi government hospitals have been directed not to refuse admission to any patient suffering from dengue or chikungunya.

By Astha Saxena: Patients worrying for shortage of beds in government hospitals in Delhi can take heart as the Centre has decided to reserve 10 per cent of the beds in all government hospitals for those afflicted with dengue and chikungunya patients.

Like dengue and malaria, the government on Thursday has declared chikungunya as a notifiable disease. Data and records on number of patients and their mortality rate will have to be maintained on a regular basis.

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On Friday, a meeting was held between Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain to discuss the present situation created by the vectorborne disease in the Capital. Chikungunya and dengue continued to wreak havoc in the capital with the death toll from the two vector-borne diseases climbing to 30 till Thursday even as the number of affected people crossed 2,800.

"The Centre will reserve 10 per cent beds in all its hospitals in Delhi for dengue and chikungunya patients," Jain said after the meeting with Union Health Minister J P Nadda. This means, there will be 1,000 extra beds for dengue and chikungunya patients at the government hospitals in Delhi.

All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS), RML and Safdarjung hospital are run by the Centre and they witness large number of outstation patients. Seven of the 12 chikungunya victims belonged to Uttar Pradesh, including two from Ghaziabad, and five from Delhi.

DELHI'S BATTLE AGAINST CHIKUNGUNYA Chikungunya is a viral illness and its symptoms are similar to those of dengue, which include high-grade fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain and headache and joint swelling. It also causes rashes but is not a threat like dengue in which there is a risk of bleeding due to abrupt fall in platelet count. The sudden spike in chikungunya cases in Delhi and other parts of north India, has come nearly 10 years after a big outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease across the country. In 2006, over 13 lakh suspected chikungunya fever cases were reported across the country, according to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP). The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC),which compiles the vector-borne disease cases report on behalf of all civic bodies, had pegged the total number of cases till August 20 at 20.

Chikungunya is taking its toll in the national Capital where the number of cases have climbed to over 1,700 this season and fever clinics are swamped with the ongoing rush of patients.

Seventy-five-year-old J D Madan died on Thursday morning at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH). He was the fifth person to have lost his life to complications triggered by chikungunya, at the hospital in the last five days.

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"The patient, a resident of Kalkaji, was admitted on August 12 at night with complaints of fever and chills along with swelling and rashes on his body. He was also a patient of chronic myeloid monocytic leukemia. The hospital has admitted 100 patients till date this season, who have tested positive for chikungunya and 39 for testing positive for dengue," SGRH said.

Delhi government hospitals have been directed not to refuse admission to any patient suffering from dengue or chikungunya.

Five deaths from chikungunya complications have been reported till Thursday at Apollo Hospital. Most of the victims were aged 80 or above. Doctors say that chikungunya is not a life-threatening disease in general, but rare cases lead to complications that prove fatal, especially in children and older people.

Delhi government hospitals have already been directed not to refuse admission to any patient. "At our hospital, about 1,500 beds are lying vacant. The situation in Delhi is under control," Jain added.

In the letter to Nadda on Thursday, Jain had said that due to lack of proper healthcare facilities in neighbouring states, there is pressure on the medical infrastructure in Delhi and hence, there should be a meeting of Health ministers of the NCR region to review the state-wise action required to augment the healthcare facilities for effective tackling of the issue.

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Meanwhile, the Centre had sought a detailed report from Delhi government on deaths due to dengue and chikungunya, including medical history of the deceased. The Delhi government has also issued orders to all keep all Mohalla clinics, Polyclinics and dispensaries open for all days including Sundays and gazetted holidays till October 30.

ALSO READ:

Delhi shivers, hospitals quiver under dengue-chikungunya outbreak





--- ENDS ---
Donald Trump, in a bizarre speech, asked Hillary Clinton's bodyguards to drop guns. He then said, " Let's see what happens to her."

By Reuters: Donald Trump on Friday called for disarming the bodyguards who protect his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, and mused about the consequences of such a move by saying "Let's see what happens to her."

The Republican presidential nominee was speaking at a rally in Miami, where he contrasted his supporters, who he said back police and want crime reduced, to Clinton, who he derided as someone who "lives behind walls and raises money from hedge funds."



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Also Read: Trump makes U-turn after 5 years, admits Obama was born in the US

DISARM HILLARY'S BODYGUARDS. LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO HER: DONALD TRUMP

"I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm. I think they should disarm immediately, what do you think, yes?," he said.

"Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Take them, let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away, okay. It will be very dangerous."

Both candidates have been protected by the Secret Service for months, but Trump's latest take on Clinton's security detail brought swift denunciations, particularly from Clinton allies.



TRUMP GETS SLAMMED

"Tonight, Donald Trump once again alluded to violence against Hillary Clinton," said Elizabeth Shappell, spokeswoman for Correct The Record, a pro-Clinton media watchdog group.

"This is a truly deplorable comment that betrays our nation's most fundamental democratic values," Shappell said in a statement.

Stuart Stevens, a Washington-based political consultant who worked on Republican Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, tweeted: "The Secret Service should investigate this threat."

TRUMP HAS DONE THIS FOR THE SECOND TIME

Trump made a similar comment about Clinton and her armed protection in May while accepting the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, when he said Clinton would end the US Constitution's Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms.

"Let's see how they feel walking around without their guns or their bodyguards," he told the gun lobby group, speaking about Clinton and her Secret Service detail.

Also Read: Donald Trump leaves everyone 'open-mouthed', hints at Hillary Clinton's assassination by gun-rights supporters

Trump was criticized by opponents last month when he suggested that gun rights activists could act to stop Clinton from nominating liberal US Supreme Court justices, a comment some interpreted as encouraging a political assassination.

"If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks," Trump told a rally in North Carolina on August 9.

"Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know," he continued.

Clinton has called for tighter access to guns, including universal background checks, but has never said she planned to get rid of the Second Amendment.

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Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Friday's remarks fall into a pattern of Trump inciting people to violence.

"Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief," Mook said in a statement.

Also Read:

Did Donald Trump marry an 'illegal' immigrant? Melania Trump in the midst of an immigration row

How pastor interrupted Donald Trump's attack on Hillary Clinton



--- ENDS ---
The Pacific Islands Creative Arts Australia Incorporated (PICAA Inc) has some exciting news for the Samoan community  especially in Melbourne Australia.

This follows the announcement of their upcoming show titled Amataga ole Alofa which will be staged at Melbourne on the 23rd to the 24th of this month.

Rita Seumanutafa, director of PICAA INC, and music director of the show says the idea to have a production was born when she was asked to put together a Samoan theatre production earlier this year.

Rita did not have a production planned out, or a cast to work with.

But I knew a lot of talented Samoan people in Melbourne who would love the chance to do something extraordinary for the Australian public, said Rita.

Something that would highlight Samoan creative artistic talent and was different from the usual music and dance performances already seen in Melbourne.

So I asked Delsa Tuitea  a BA (TV and English Lit) graduate to write a play within two weeks; another friend Steve Tafea to direct the play once Delsa had finished the script.

Rita, Delsa and Steve are current youth leaders within their respective EFKS churches in Melbourne and were already skilled in creating and producing Samoan plays and performances, so the transition to a bigger stage was not that difficult to do.

In terms of cast members, Rita had been contacted by various New Zealanders who had moved over to Melbourne in previous years looking for opportunities to perform on stage as they had Performing Arts backgrounds in NZ.

Within one week, Rita had put together a cast and crew (front and backstage) of nearly 50 Samoans ready to dedicate their next 6 weeks in rehearsing this production.

Asked about the message behind the play Rita said, Amataga ole Alofa or The Beginning of Love is based on the Samoan creation story, placing three supreme gods as rulers of the heavens.

Drama unfolds when Tagaloa, one of the gods, creates land and sea without consulting the others.

Love plays out in the relationships between the gods children, in a love triangle between Sina, Tuli and Tagi. The relationship between Samoan parent and child is also highlighted in this story  weaving mythology and fantasy together to create a show is entertaining, thought provoking and inspiring. The name of the play was chosen by the shows playwright DelsaTuitea.

Moreover, Rita said that they are working with eight dancers in this production.

The dancers make up the talented dance group from Melbourne  Tama Tatau and Nesian Pearl.

The dance choreography is created by the groups leaders Victor Vitaliano and Filomena Wairasi.

A major feature in this play is the sounds of The Melbourne Samoan Choir  who provide a musical background of traditional Samoan songs as well as original compositions.

This is the first play produced by PICAA INC.

However, the play was premiered in June 2016 to a sold-out audience.

So from that evening, PICAA INC. was encouraged by the Samoan community who attended, to develop the play and prepare it for the larger Pasefika community in Melbourne. And thats why they are hosting this show on September 23rd and 24th.

The cast have re-joined together for the last 6 weeks and are ready to present a richer and fuller presentation of Amataga o le Alofa, said Rita.

The show is funded by PICAA INC. via community fundraisers.

Said Rita, PICAA INC. is a non-profit organisation and relies solely on self-fundraising. Whilst there is limited funding available for our group, we are determined to provide a platform for our talented actors, dancers, musicians, production crew to get their chance to be on stage in Australia.

And like any other thing in life, there are always challenges.

Rita said, As well as financial challenges, there is the element of time commitment available from each individual in this show. Many of us cannot afford to pursue the performing arts as a full-time job here in Australia  roles are very rare for Pacific peoples, job opportunities in this industry are limited also.

Many of the actors who have performing arts degrees in our show rely on organisations such as PICAA INC. to provide events that allow them the opportunity to perform in their chosen field.

So in order to raise our young families and get ahead, full-time jobs must be kept.

However Rita and her PICAA Inc. Group are optimistic.

This is just the start of a Pacific theatre movement happening here in Australia and PICAA INC. is ready to take the challenge in order to allow more Pasefika creative artists to pursue the Arts at a higher level.

This show has been promised to be an amazing show for the whole family and especially for the Samoan community in Melbourne.

You can expect to see a theatrical performance that is first-class, well-rehearsed and through the performance  artistic talent and skill that is delivered with pride from our cast.

There are many comedic moments in this story, as well as a few tear-jerking ones, but all in all, the performance will leave the audience proud to be part of a community that is supporting Pasefika talent.

Finally, they are also calling out to all the young Pasefika people to stand up and embrace their identities.

We encourage all young Pasefika people to not be afraid of using their Pasefika identities in order to create career paths for themselves.

Often our creative talents are boxed into cultural activities, or to be used when were at home or with our church groups. We would like to inspire young people to use their talents: music, dance, art, crafts, theatre, and film together with their own Pasefika identities to forge their own artistic future.
In the Samoa Observer of 14 September 2016, the story titled Court vindicates candidate was published.

It described the ruling by the District Court the week before in connection with an allegation arising from the recent General Elections.

The defendant in this case was Leoo Dr. John Adams. He entered his name to contest the seat of the Aleipata Itupa-i-luga constituency, but he was challenged by M.P. Amituanai Fagaivalu Samu.

As a result, Leoo was prevented from contesting the seat.

After the elections though, it was revealed that five other candidates had similarly been disallowed to contest the seats of their choices.

Why? Because their opponents had objected saying they were not eligible to contest those seats.

In Leoos case however, the complainant argued that Leoo had not provided his monotaga as the law demanded. (Monotaga is service to the village.)

And then on 24 February 2016, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the eligibility challenge.

Later, with Leoo now being accused of making a false declaration, the matter was heard in the District Court, the allegation was not proven, and the charge was dismissed.

Still, even though he has now been cleared of a very serious accusation that is very likely to haunt him for the rest of his life, what about the corrupt government officials who had allowed this gross injustice to continue all the way up to the Supreme Court?

Indeed, what does that say about this countrys general election system that has for years been instrumental in maintaining this one-party rule in a country that is supposed to be founded on God, and yet we have reached the point where weve become the laughing stock of the free world?

So lets see.

On the front page of the Sunday Samoan of 11 September 2016, the story titled - $5.7 million waste, closure possible - was published.

On the front page of the Samoa Observer of 13 September 2016, the story titled - Lawyer moves to quash charges - was published.

On the front page of the Samoa Observer of 14 September 2016, the story titled - Legal twist raises eyebrows - was published.

Now the question is: What do these stories have in common?

Answer: The governing Human Rights Protection Party.

And what are they telling us? Its a two-word story. Absolute Power, its called.

As for aspiring politician Leoo Dr. John Adams, now that the worry he would have been nursing all that time as he was waiting for that court hearing to come along, no doubt today hes both relieved and sad.

He said: Our constituency was not given the chance to vote in the general election. So when I was disqualified the seat was automatically given to the other candidate. The people of the village and the constituency werent able to express their Constitutional rights to vote.

And now that hes cleared of any wrongdoing, hes grateful that the decision of the court just proved that I was right all along.

He went on: I am glad that it is all over because it took up a lot of time. Ive got a busy clinic and every time we have a court case or hearing, I take a day off and for me; it wasnt an easy thing to do because I have a clinic to look after and most importantly I have a lot of patients coming in for help.

But now that its done, I am happy and relieved. At the same time, I am sad and disappointed that we just got the final decision now and its too late.

Leoo says he is sad that the 1,800 people of their constituency who registered were not given the chance to vote.

He goes on to explain: Our constituency was not given the chance to vote in the general election, because there were only two candidates from our constituency, and that was me and Amituanai. So when I was disqualified the seat was automatically given to the other candidate.

So the people of the village and the constituency werent able to express their Constitutional rights to vote. Thats my biggest disappointment and also the biggest disappointment for the people of our constituency.

But now that the court case if done, I am glad that we have set the record straight. I never made a false declaration. I am not capable of making a false declaration.

And the courts decision now proves that I was eligible to contest in the general election this year. But its already too late.

Leoo says he truly believes that for Samoa to move forward, its Constitution should be amended to ensure that the discrepancies such as the one that showed up this time are done away with.

He says: My opinion is that the government needs to revisit the amendment because it has not been prepared well. What about people who have rendered Monotaga for 20 to 30 years on an on and off basis?

Leoo also believes the amendment limits and discourages election candidates. This is unfortunate, he says. He believes the opportunity should be given to people to have a voice and represent their constituencies in Parliament.

If you look at it, five out of the five cases of all the candidates, who have been disqualified were successful. So that says something about the current legislation.

Maybe they need to relook and revisit the current legislation. Because the biggest losers are the people of the constituency who are not given the opportunity to vote.

Especially those constituencies that have only two candidates. They automatically give the seat to one of the two candidates if the other one drops out or has been disqualified.

Nevertheless, he wants to make it clear that he is not implying the legislation is wrong.

I am not saying its wrong, he explains. I am just saying its unfair.

He also points out: In my opinion, this is something our government needs to have a look at moving forward. I think one of the things our government should do is to allow the villages or the constituencies, to make their decisions on who they believe should represent them in parliament.

Take for instance what happened to Le Tagaloa Pita and his monotaga.

He was disqualified from running in the election because he didnt have a monotaga. But that is a practice according to the customs (agaifanua) of his village or constituency in Savaii. I think the legislation contradicts with some of the customs in our villages.

I strongly believe that the constituency should be given the opportunity to choose whether they want someone else to represent them in parliament or not. This is done so that they should also be given the chance to vote.

My biggest disappointment is that the people of our constituency who were eligible to vote were not able to vote.

Looking ahead, Leoo said he is not sure whether he will put up his hand again for the next election.

Well see how it goesI might change my mind.

Serving was what motivated Leoo to contest in the March General Election this year.

I am a servant, and serving people was the main reason why I wanted to run in the general election.

I have always been serving my people and the people of my constituency, and I thought that it was about time I take my service to the next level. Thats what motivated me to run in the first place.

I have been a doctor for 35 years now. I have been working in different places in Samoa. Its all about service. If God thinks that I can do a better service being a doctor, then so be it. I am just a servant.

Finally, he wants to thank all the people who have been supporting him throughout the case.

I want to thank the people of my constituency for all their support and patience during the court case. A lot of people showed their support and had given me their support.

I also want to thank my families and friends for believing in me and for helping me out all throughout the court case.

Still, I am happy that it is all over and it was successful, he says.

Lastly, I want to thank all the nuns and sisters and also the elders at the Mapuifagalele Home for the Elderly, for they are my biggest supporters.

Have a peaceful Sunday Samoa, God bless.
Re: World Bank approves $12million for Samoa

Please Mr. Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, explain in laymans term what these ambitious reforms mean?

-fiscal position

- boost economic growth

- build our resilience to natural disaster & climate change

And explain in detail when you say, improve the quality of life for all..........HOW?

Is the government now going to look to improve the BASIC NEEDS of those who live in the rural area of Samoa?

Should these families the Smoa Observer has been highlighting the last several weeks expect to have running water piped to their homes?

Can they expect FREE education and lunch meals for ALL the children of Samoa?

Can they expect job opportunities so they can care for their families immediate needs?

I dont understand what this money is for? Like all other monies Samoa receives through these organizations, it some how gets co-mingled with other funds and then disappear. Or its appropriated to projects/ventures that were not part of the funding....and World Bank?

Stella M
A senior official of Doordarshan has been missing for the last 24 hours after he left his mobile phone behind yesterday and went away without informing anyone.

By India Today Web Desk: A senior official of Doordarshan has been missing for the last 24 hours. Delhi Police has launched a massive search operation after an ADG level-rank official of Doordarshan went missing.



Yesterday afternoon, he left his mobile phone behind without informing anybody and has since been untraceable.

Many police teams have been constituted to find out his whereabouts. Checks are being carried out at hospitals, ISBTs and railway stations.

--- ENDS ---

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Australian Cyclist, Tim Robertson, is the new Champion of the Ford Tour of Samoa 2016.

Robertsons winning time of 10:09:06 in the 335km four-day race was good enough to secure his first win. This is his second attempt at claiming the title.

It was a close race.

Second place went to Andrew Price of Wellington, who was 1 minute 30 seconds behind first place.

Third spot went to another Wellingtonian Mike McKay. He finished 1 minute 30 seconds behind Price.

In his acceptance speech, Robertson was full of praise of previous champion Christian Wengler who had a bad accident on day 3 which forced him out of the Tour.

"My victory is hollow, he said. Christian was on his way to winning his third Tour of Samoa but for the accident that ended his challenge."

"I accept this victory on his behalf, and on behalf of all the great riders in this year's event."

Race Director, Seti Afoa, was equally excited for the new champ.

"Tim is a worthy champion. His win is on account of his amazing calculated ride throughout the tour."

Rebecca Marley of Christchurch was crowned the women's champion for the second year in a row.

Second place went to Anna Dungey of Cycle Surgery in Christchurch. Third place went to USO rider, Debs Paranihi of Wellington.

The tour ended with a Victory Ride of 30 riders from Mulifanua wharf to the Town Clock in Apia yesterday.
Samoa has followed the lead of a number of countries  including the United States of America  to ban the sale of all Samsung Galaxy Note 7s.

The decision by the government, confirmed by the Office of the Regulator yesterday, follows concerns about the risk of the battery causing fire.

The Office of the Regulator has decided to halt all type approvals of Samsung Galaxy note 7 for sale here in Samoa, a statement said.

This is as a result of concerns raised as a result of international reports of Galaxy Note 7 devices exploding from faulty battery packs."

The Regulators decision to halt the type approval for Samsung Galaxy note 7 devices mean that any retailer proposing to sell these devices in the country will not be issued type approval to sell these devices."

This is pursuant to the Regulators powers under Section 60 of the Telecommunications Act 2005 and the Regulators order No 2011/02 that gives the Regulator the power to type approve any telecommunications equipment that will be directly or indirectly connected to a telecommunication service.

Elsewhere, the U.S. regulators issued an official recall of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phone on Thursday.

Samsung already has voluntary recalled the devices after a few dozen devices exploded or caught fire. That was out of about 2.5 million phones sold.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman, Elliot Kaye, blasted Samsung for trying to do the recall on its own, saying that anyone who believes that to be adequate "needs to have more than their phone checked."

Kaye said about 1 million devices are affected.

The recall comes at a crucial time for Samsung, as its rival Apple just announced its own latest versions of the iPhones, which go on sale Friday. The Note series is one of Samsung's most expensive, and demand for the phone had been high.

U.S. aviation safety officials also have taken the unusual step of warning airline passengers not to turn on or charge the phone during flights, or put them in checked bags.

Back in Samoa, the statement said the Regulator will resume its type approval of this device once it has independently verified that it is safe for consumers.

There have also been reports of a global recall of the Device and the Regulator encourages retailers who have imported the device to make use of the recall."

For any clarification people are encouraged to contact the Regulators office on telephone 30282.
A family at Sogi who have been told by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois government to relocate is not leaving without a fight.

In fact the Tokuma family has engaged the services of a lawyer to challenge the governments decision to relocate them.

This was confirmed by family elder, Nanai Liu Tokuma, 76, during an interview with the Sunday Samoan yesterday.

The familys lawyer is Pau Tafaogalupe Mulitalo.

We have been left with no other option, Nanai said. Weve tried everything so that we can keep our land but now we have nowhere to turn to for help so we have decided to take this matter to Court.

Asked if they are seeking money and compensation as part of their lawsuit, Nanai said no.

This is not about money and it will never be about money, he said.

Were not looking for any compensation or anything; we just want our freedom to remain on this land. This land was offered to us by the late Mataafa Mulinuu when the government at the time mistakenly charged my father with the death penalty. Luckily he escaped the charge.

He added that the Court challenge is about fighting for their inheritance.

We dont want any money. We just want the government to give us that freedom to live and die on this land."

Ive already given my statement to the lawyer; its all in his hands now.

Asked for a comment, lawyer Pau said he believes the Tokuma family has a legitimate claim.

The Tokuma family has been living in Sogi for more than a hundred years.

Pau made reference to an incident involving the government many years ago.

One of those problems was when Nanais father, Tokuma Torurae, was mistakenly charged by the government and when he was about to serve his death penalty, someone testified that Tokuma didnt kill the businessman."

Then the late Mataafa offered the land for Torurae and his family because the government couldnt afford to pay what they owed him."

At this stage, were looking at imprisonment, unlawful detention and the death penalty that nearly took the old mans life."

This matter shouldn't be taken lightly especially when Mataafa told Tokuma go live on the land with your children.

Pau said the familys Court claim is seeking three orders. They are:

 An order from the court to restrain the government from asking the family to pay for any surveying and evaluation works on the land.

 An order to stop the government from relocating the family

 A decision by the government to allow these people to own the land

Pau said the family strongly believes in their case.

Its not that they didnt have any written evidence to prove their right to the land, Pau said. They have lived on this land for more than a hundred years now; that in its self says it all. This case isnt going to be an easy one. I will be doing this case for free and were working on it now.

History

Earlier this year, Nanai, rejected a warning from Prime Minister Tuilaepa for them to move.

Were not going anywhere, he said. Thank you Prime Minister Tuilaepa for your warning that we now have to leave. But let me tell you something, you know nothing about this piece of land. So leave us alone.

At the time, Tuilaepa said a 30-day eviction notice given to the Sogi residents has expired and there will be no more chances.

For your information, this land was given to our father, the late Tokuma Torurae by the late Mataafa - the first Prime Minister of this country, Nanai said. With his words to my father  Go live on the land with your children; the government cant afford to pay what we owe your father, now the land is yours forever.

Asked to elaborate, Nanai said his father had been mistakenly charged for the death of another businessman.

He was sentenced to death, he said. I remembered vividly when our father said goodbye to us with his hands already handcuffed, ready to be executed. His hands were already tied, with a rope on his neck and cloth that covered his face.

While walking towards where he would be hung, two Chinese men ran and told the Police that they were the ones who killed the businessman. My fathers life was spared.

My father walked out free while fighting back tears right in front of us and our mother thats why we were offered this land where were living now.

I know the government has all the power in running the government. I dont care still, we have all the right to fight for this land.

It was not possible to get a comment from Prime Minister Tuilaepa or the Samoa Land Corporation yesterday.

But the decision by the government to relocate residents of Sogi was initially announced in 2011.

The government then offered families a quarter acre of land at Falelauniu which they will lease to own at just over $30,000 and $3,000 cash to relocate. Many families at Sogi have taken up the offer. But many others have refused.
Voters statewide face many land-use measures on the November ballot, including the Chargers stadium and others in San Diego.

But does this run around normal planning review mean were all turning into citizen planners that wrestle with floor-area ratios, environmental mitigation and urban design?

Speaking at a breakfast forum sponsored by the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute this week, three panelists said this years raft of measures reflects a breakdown between grass-roots residents and professional planners and elected officials, who normally make such decisions.

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If community plans are kept up-to-date and elected officials reflect community priorities, then so-called ballot-box planning may occur less often, they said.

Initiatives are traditionally the last resort, both on the pro-growth and slow-growth side, said Brian Adams, political science professor at San Diego State University who has studied citizen participation and voting trends. They will try to work through the regular legislative process before they try an initiative. I think that will continue. But given the uncertainty and risks involved, I dont see the initiative being used more often than it is, though it does seem to have a spike this year.

Adams counted eight items on the Nov. 8 ballot in Southern California, including five in San Diego County  Measure B for the Lilac Hills Ranch housing project in North County; Measures C and D, the two Chargers-related measures in San Diego; Measure R in Del Mar to require voter approval on certain projects; and Measure T in Encinitas on housing policy.

But as much as sponsors hope voters go their way, Adams said defeat is more common. From 2001 to 2008, only 35 percent of 40 pro-growth measures in California passed; 42 percent of 89 slow-growth measures passed; and 29 percent of 17 neutral measures passed.

Sometimes a previous ballot measure requires future measures, such as Encinitas Measure T.

This was borne out of mistrust, and land-use regulations were no longer in sync with our changing community, said acting planning director Marjeet Ranu.

He said its cost about $1.4 million and required scores of meetings to develop what would become the citys new affordable housing plan if voters approve. While the cost was perhaps three times of a standard review, the effort took two years to complete, about half the normal time.

One of the persuasive arguments being made is the new plan would bring the city into compliance with state law, he said. And if the voters reject it, legal advisers have warned that it could still be imposed through court order.

 See what a downtown Chargers convadium might look like.

A ballot measure can be a way to get around standard processing procedures, as the Chargers are doing with their Measure C to build a stadium-convention center complex downtown. But unless the campaign is framed correctly in terms of clear benefits to the public personally, it can fail.

Political consultant Tom Shepard said the Petco Park ballot measure in 1998 initially drew only 35 percent approval during initial polling. But when it was promoted on the basis of redeveloping a rundown part of downtown, support rose to 65 percent and the final approval came to just under 60 percent.

That concept of whats in it for me, from my perspective, is missing in the Chargers proposal, and thats how you win, Shepard said.

Money spent is no guarantee of success, he noted. Developer Rick Caruso spent some $11 million, far more than his opponents, on a shopping center initiative in Carlsbad this year and still lost.

Along with money, project developers with outsized egos can get tripped up in trying to win over the public.

That kind of swagger thats necessary to get through the processing of getting a project entitled can backfire in a situation where the final judge is the voter, Shepard said.

Added Adams: Its not easy to convince voters to vote yes. Its a lot easier to convince them to vote no for a variety of reasons... It can be a crap shoot.

Developer consultant Nathan Moeder commented during the question-and-answer session that even the threat of a referendum or initiative can scare away potential developers. Given the regions need to provide for predicted population growth, he said, planning may suffer and the present housing shortage worsen.

Developer Tony Pauker said he includes room for a no-go decision when the risks of ballot challenges are factored into a project.

We just dont touch it, he said, especially in infill developments where the financial risks of delay can be high. Its not worth the trouble to do it.

roger.showley@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley
Real estate brokers are toast, retail centers are burnt toast and the current economic boom is about to peak.

So said Christopher Lee, CEO and president of CEL & Associates, a leading industry consultant who addressed a Thursday forum sponsored by the University of San Diego Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate.

This has got to be some of the best times to be in real estate, he said. Real estate is in an incredible transformation, not a transition. So many things are changing at a rapid accelerated pace in the way we do business.

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Brokers are obsolete, Lee said told an audience of about 250, because their clients can find most information they need directly.

Google is the No. 1 source for selling real estate, he said, so brokers will become consultants, similar to advisers at accounting firms.

Retail centers are so-yesterday  We might as well give them their last rites right now, he said  because of online shopping.

Many retail centers are going to be updated and no longer utilized as retail centers as you know them, he said. Its done, its over.

Instead, he said, bars, restaurants and other activities will take the place of brick-and-mortar shops. Consumers will visit to participate in 10-K races or check out popup consumer shows, such as camping equipment displays.

Based on the last 50 years of economic cycles, Lee said the current boom is likely to end in 2017, 18 or 19 and another upturn may begin in 2023. It will be characterized by globalizing and knowledge. The generation raised on the Internet, transparency, relationship-driven interaction and new technologies will be in charge.

On the residential side, Lee said homeownership by 2025 will drop below 60 percent, down from the record 69.2 percent in the mid-2000s.

People are not buying homes  they are renting  and we will continue to move to a rental-based society, he said. Uber, Lyft, iTunes, Airbnb: You name it, youre out there doing it. Its all about renting, not owning.

When asked about millennials moving to the suburbs to buy homes when they have children, Lee predicted many baby boomer parents will rent not sell their houses to the younger generation and downsize to rented apartments in central cities.

In San Diego the affordability problem will accentuate such a trend.He noted that only 44 percent of San Diegans earning the median income can afford the median-priced home. In Atlanta, its 77.8 percent.

This is where you want to be if youre in multifamily (housing investment and construction), he said. San Diego is a great place to be because no one can afford anything. Keep wages and down and its even better (for multifamily investors).

Among 100 predictions he has come up with for the next 10 years, Lee offered these:

Buildings will be fined and taxed if they are not energy efficient and water-wise. Every one of these things is making real estate the energy czar for America. He also said the federal government is likely to pass a mandatory building code that property owners will have to follow.

Commercial buildings will include some form of urban farming, starting with the use of 700,000 excess shipping containers.

Women will represent 40 percent of individuals in the C suite for CEOs, CFOs and chief technology officers. They will make decisions on leases, capital and other important matters.

Coworking spaces will become more common as a way to utilize office buildings 24 hours a day rather than just from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Warehouses and other industrial buildings will employ robots and robots will build buildings. Consequently some 10 million jobs for humans will disappear. I dont know what were going to do with all the people.

Young real estate graduates will have the pick of plum industry jobs because of retiring baby boomers. Theres not enough of you and not enough good ones and smart ones. Dont take the cheap stuff (job offers).

Despite the rent-not-own trends, he said, first-time buyers with enough savings should act now because of low interest rates and plan to stay in place for several years, implying that flipping houses wont be an option in many cases.

2025 predictions

Christopher Lee made 100 predictions in his Strategic Advantage newsletter. Heres a selection of real-estate-related possibilities beyond those mentioned above:

By 2025, 25-30 percent of real estate firms in existence in 2015 will be gone via merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, retirement or inability to compete.

Big data, when combined with health monitoring, will make apartment units and personal computers the gateway to preventive and ongoing medical diagnoses.

Homes, apartments, work stations and workplace environments will become smaller.

As much as 35 to 45 percent of current office work will be conducted away from the office.

The average number of square feet per employee in office buildings will shrink to less than 100 square feet (down from about 250 square feet).

Within a decade, there will be thriving underground parks, office and retail complexes.

By 2025 the real estate industry should see the first of many floating cities under construction with a 2030 date for occupancy.

Over the next decade, expect water shortages to impact the desirability of several U.S. cities. (San Diego is not mentioned.) Housing affordability will be the political focus over the next decade.

-

roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley
San Diegos Portfolium, which gives college students and recent grads a platform for showcasing academic projects to employers, said this week that it has raised $6.55 million in a first round of venture capital funding.

The 18-employee social network start-up, which began in the EvoNexus incubator downtown, said it will use the money to expand its user base and market position as a bridge between university students and the job market.

According to 85 years of research, work samples -- projects, papers, presentations, etc. -- are the number one indicator of job performance, above GPA, major, school prestige  even endorsements, said Adam Markowitz, founder and CEO of Portfolium.

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The funding round was led by SJF Ventures. University Ventures and USA Funds also participated. Previously, Portfolium had raised $895,000 in seed funding from angel investors in June 2014.

With limited work history, recent college graduates sometimes struggle to find their first job and wind up being under-employed, according to Markowitz.

In every classroom, in every city in this country, there are students being left behind by a recruiting system that simply isnt equipped with the radar to detect their skills and talents, he said.

Portfoliums platform is akin to LinkedIn but tailored to students/recent grads. Markowitz said fewer than 13 percent of college students use LinkedIn because they dont have a long work history to show off on a resume.

The fact is that the main thing they do have in large quantities are work samples from college class projects, open online courses, extracurricular activities, hobbies, student clubs and so on.

We have thousands of case studies from students who received interviews and job offers via Portfoliums messaging platform from the very companies that turned them down when they applied online with their resume only, said Markowitz.

Students can join Portfolium any time -- well before graduation -- to highlight their projects and develop relationships with other students and potential employers.

Upoaded projects range from writing samples to public speaking videos, PowerPoint presentations to photo-essays, computer code samples to graphic design work.

To date, the company has 3.75 million students and 200 universities, colleges and community colleges signed up, said Markowitz. Californias UC and Cal State systems are partners with the company. The Ohio State University, Cornell Tech and a few other schools outside of California also are partners.

The platform is free to students. Portfolium provides guidelines to help students understand what is appropriate to share on the social network. The platform also has privacy settings so students can filter who is allowed to see what projects in their portfolio.

Portfolium has partnerships with 60,000 employers to date. They include big companies such as Boeing, Intel, ESET, Disney, Oracle, ViaSat, AXA Advisors, Marriott and others.

Portfolium makes money in a similar way to LinkedIn. It charges employers for access. It has a TalentMatch feature  which uncovers skills posted on the platform and helps employers follow the work of students.

Universities and colleges also pay a small fee to access data and analytics tools to track the skills and abilities of their students based on the projects that they post on the Portfolium platform.

We believe that Portfolium can erase the workforce skills gap by changing the way students are measured and recruited by employers and helping companies make millions of new connections with talented entry-level employees, said Arrun Kapoor, managing director of SJF Ventures.

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973
A bright, big and seemingly full moon shined down on the content faces at the Del Mar Fairgrounds  a place that many of us local San Diegans already hold near-and-dear to our hearts.

Those in attendance at this years KAABOO Del Mar festival on Friday were enjoying an escape from reality while grooving to tunes from the nostalgic nighttime headliners of the show  you know, Hall and Oates, Fall Out Boy, Gavin DeGraw and Jimmy Buffett. Night one wrapped a full day of KAABOO artists of all genres, kicking things into high gear at our once-small-now-big backyard fest. Like a parent to a child that is now talking, walking and making decisions for itself  so are we, San Diegans, to KAABOO. The majority of people seemed proud that our festival had clearly grown in many ways.

1 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | The Del Mar Fairgrounds opens its doors to KAABOO 2016 Friday. The music festival runs through Sunday September 18. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | Duffy Mike of San Diego waits for Gavin DeGraw to take the stage at KAABOO Del Mar 2016 Friday. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | The Del Mar Fairgrounds opens its doors to KAABOO 2016 Friday. The music festival runs through Sunday September 18. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | Vicky Carrillo of Chula Vista dances to St. Paul & the Broken Bones during KAABOO at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Friday. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | From left to right, Giuseppe Destito and Tauna Destito of Encinitas attend the opening day of KAABOO Del Mar 2016. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | Music fans watch watch St. Paul & the Broken Bones perform at the Sunset Cliffs stage during KAABOO Del Mar. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | Jimmy Buffett headlines day 1 of KAABOO Del Mar Friday. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | St. Paul & the Broken Bones perform at the Sunset Cliffs stage during opening day of KAABOO Del Mar Friday. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | Russel Dixon and Heidi Dixon of San Diego take a photo in front of the Sunset Cliffs stage at KAABOO Del Mar 2016. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | Gavin DeGraw performs at the Trestles stage during KAABOO Del Mar Friday. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | Gavin DeGraw fans enjoy his performance during KAABOO Del Mar Friday. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | Daryl Hall & John Oates perform at the Sunset Cliffs stage during KAABOO Del Mar Friday. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 13 SAN DIEGO, CA-SEPTEMBER 16, 2016: | A cleaning crew cleans up after day 1 of KAABOO Del Mar Friday. |(Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune) ** For tronc publications only, no licensing, no sales.** (Misael Virgen / San Diego Union-Tribune)

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After our first taste of something so grandeur and long-awaited, we wanted more. The crowds had already begun envisioning specific areas where KAABOO could be improved upon its return this year. Year one delivered notes of innocence, excitement and opportunity.

Year two, fans knew what they wanted fixed. They requested: a better local music stage, more bathrooms, air conditioning in the over-heated comedy area, different musical acts, more craft beer, more food variety and so on.

Alas, the people spoke and they were heard  and things did seem much smoother this year.

Traffic was worse, which comes with a growing festival, and spaces were generally more congested, but there was much more organization and preparation apparent. The improvement was seen in quicker bathroom lines, an enhanced local music stage, a larger variety of musical acts, expanded food options, a comedy area with air conditioning and bands that had long-time fans flying out from Colorado, Washington, Texas and Florida to come take part in the sunny, San Diego fest.

KAABOO felt older on the first day. It felt wiser, too. For the most part, the future of the festival is looking bright as the moon did tonight in the crystal clear, Southern California sky.
A former Glendale city manager, along with his two sons, has filed a $1-million claim against the city, claiming his wife died in a wheelchair accident caused by an uneven sidewalk, records show.

On the afternoon of March 16, James Starbird was pushing his wife, Carolyn, in a wheelchair on the sidewalk in the 1200 block of Ethel Street when the chair hit an uplifted sidewalk, thrusting his wife forward. She struck her head on the concrete, which caused a severe concussion, and died shortly afterward. She was 66.

There are meter maids, meter readers  a lot of people who work for the city who had to have seen this elevation change in time to protect against this sort of accident, said the Starbird familys attorney Steven Glickman. You cant have city personnel ignoring these dangerous conditions, especially with disabled people in wheelchairs.

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City Atty. Mike Garcia declined to comment on the claim, other than to say it was under review. He did not know Thursday whether the city had received any complaints about that particular sidewalk prior to the incident.

After the incident, city officials spray-painted the roughly 1 1/4-inch change in elevation a bright orange, Glickman said, adding that if something that simple had been done earlier, this tragic accident never wouldve happened.

When a broken, damaged or uplifted sidewalk is reported in Glendale, depending on the severity, crews are sent within a day to pave over the tripping hazard with asphalt, according to Roubik Golanian, the citys public works director.

We make it safe immediately, he said, adding that in a rare occasion a temporary fix wont work, the city will wait until maintenance crews can replace the sidewalk.

He added that the City Council sets aside funding annually as part of a comprehensive sidewalk repair program.

Depending on that amount, we do an inspection of a given district, and we hire a private contractor, and they go to work, Golanian said.

The city has 45 days to respond to the familys claim. If the city doesnt respond, the claim is deemed rejected and the Starbirds next alternative would be to file a lawsuit.

James Starbird was Glendale city manager for nearly 14 years, until 2011. He previously worked in the cities of Eureka, Monrovia and West Covina.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Tchekmedyian writes for Times Community News.

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The now-retired LAPD sergeant who leaked a recording of his controversial stop of Django Unchained actress Daniele Watts filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Los Angeles Ethics Commission to block the public disclosure of his and other police officers personnel records.

Jim Parker is seeking a court order to prevent an administrative law judge and the Ethics Commission from holding a public hearing this month over the commissions misconduct allegations against him, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The Ethics Commission formally accused Parker last year of misusing his position and disclosing confidential information by giving TMZ the recording of his encounter with Watts, according to the lawsuit.

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Parker contends in court papers that at the hearing slated for Sept. 26, he would need to introduce his personnel records in order to adequately defend himself.

He also contends that the commissions enforcement director wants to introduce a list of all LAPD employees, including officers, who participated in an online Ethics Commission training and their test results. The lawsuit argues that making such peace officer personnel records public would violate the Penal Code.

We will review the complaint and have no further comment at this time, said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the L.A. city attorneys office.

The Ethics Commission could not be reached for comment.

Administrative Law Judge Samuel D. Reyes, who is named in the lawsuit and is convening the hearing later this month, also could not be reached for comment. In June, Reyes denied Parkers motion to dismiss the commissions accusation.

On Sept. 11, 2014, Parker responded to a report of a couple having sex in a parked car in Studio City and found Watts and her boyfriend, Brian James Lucas. The pair matched the description of the couple in the initial report, police said.

The police officer asked them for identification. Lucas provided his identification but Watts refused and walked away, police have said. Other officers handcuffed her but the actress was released when Lucas gave authorities her identification.

Afterward, both Watts and Lucas gave a public account of their brief detention, sparking outrage and criticism amid a national debate over the treatment of minorities by law enforcement.

On Facebook, Lucas claimed that police acted as if the pair had engaged in prostitution because he is white and Watts is black.

In a recording first leaked to TMZ, which Parker later admitted he submitted to the media outlet, the sergeant can be heard asking for Watts identification. She responds by questioning whether she was being stopped because she was black.

Who brought up the race card? Parker said.

Im bringing it up, she said.

I said nothing about you being black, Parker said during the exchange.

Parker has said he had no plans to arrest either Lucas or Watts. The couple ultimately pleaded no contest to a charge of disturbing the peace, and were ordered to write a letter apologizing to Parker. The city attorneys office dismissed lewd conduct charges against them as part of the plea deal.

Parker has said that he leaked the recording to quell the escalating public controversy and defend his and the LAPDs reputation.

The LAPD opened an internal affairs inquiry and accused Parker of insubordination for speaking to the media without permission. He retired in June 2015, ending a 26-year career with the department.

Parkers attorney, Larry Hanna, has previously told The Times that the Ethics Commissions charges were unprecedented and called the commission very vindictive.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing the LAPDs rank-and-file officers, joined Parker in filing the lawsuit.

Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com | Twitter: @MattHjourno

kate.mather@latimes.com | Twitter: @katemather

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UPDATES:

3:15 p.m.: This story was updated with a statement from the city attorneys office.

This story was originally published at 5 a.m.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee died at the age of 88 at his residence in Montauk, east of New York.

By AP: Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, who challenged theatrical convention in masterworks such as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "A Delicate Balance," died Friday, his personal assistant said. He was 88.

He died at his home in Montauk, east of New York, assistant Jackob Holder said. No cause of death was immediately given, although he had suffered from diabetes. With the deaths of Arthur Miller and August Wilson in 2005, he was arguably America's greatest living playwright.

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Several years ago, before undergoing extensive surgery, Albee penned a note to be issued at the time of his death: "To all of you who have made my being alive so wonderful, so exciting and so full, my thanks and all my love."

Albee was proclaimed the playwright of his generation after his blistering "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" opened on Broadway in 1962. The Tony-winning play, still widely considered Albee's finest, was made into an award-winning 1966 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.



SHARP-TONGUED HUMOUR, DARK THEMES HIS HALLMARK

The play's sharp-tongued humor and dark themes were the hallmarks of Albee's style. In more than 30 plays, Albee skewered such mainstays of American culture as marriage, child-rearing, religion and upper-class comforts.

"If you have no wounds, how can you know you're alive?" a character asks in Albee's 1996 "The Play About the Baby."

"It's just a quirk of the brain that makes one a playwright," Albee said in 2008. "I have the same experiences that everybody else does, but... I feel the need to translate a lot of what happens to me, a lot of what I think, into a play."

Albee challenged audiences to question their assumptions about society and about theater itself. He did it with humor and a sense of linguistic delight, using withering barbs and word play to hint at deeper meaning.

Praise for the playwright came from far and wide on Twitter after his death. Mia Farrow, who was in a staged reading of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" called Albee "one of the great" playwrights "of our time." Michael McKean wrote: "There was only one Edward Albee. #Irreplaceable." Playwright Lynn Nottage wrote: "I will miss his wit, irreverence & wisdom. He enlivened the theatre landscape."

Albee's unconventional style won him great acclaim but also led to a nearly 20-year drought of critical and commercial recognition before his 1994 play, "Three Tall Women," garnered his third Pulitzer Prize. His other Pulitzers were for "A Delicate Balance" (1967) and "Seascape" (1975).



SEVERAL MAJOR PRODUCTIONS TO HIS CREDIT



Many of his productions in the years after "Seascape" were savaged by the press as inconsequential trickery, a shadow of his former works. But after "Three Tall Women," a play he called an "exorcising of demons," he had several major productions, including "The Play About the Baby" and "The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?" which won him his second Tony for best play in 2002.

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Many of his works had similar things in common: domestic rancor inflamed by booze, a sense of unknown anxiety, a lost child who creates a marital friction and precise but flailing language that alternates between comic and profound.

In interviews, Albee recoiled at the idea of drawing parallels between his works or between his cynical outlook and his unhappy childhood.

"Each play of mine has a distinctive story to tell," he told The Santa Fe New Mexican in 2001.

Albee was born in 1928 and was adopted by a wealthy suburban New York couple. His father, Reed Albee, ran the Keith-Albee chain of vaudeville theaters; his mother, Frances Albee, was a socialite and a commanding presence who kept a hold on him for much of his life.



WORKED AS A MESSENGER

Estranged from his parents, Albee moved to New York and worked as a messenger for Western Union before gaining notice with "The Zoo Story," a one-act play written in 1958 about two strangers meeting on a bench in Central Park.

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With "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and 1964's "Tiny Alice," Albee shook up a Broadway that had been dominated by Tennessee Williams, Miller and their intellectual disciples.

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" presents an all-night drinking bout in which a middle-age professor and his wife verbally spar and unravel their illusions during a visit by a younger couple. It won five Tonys including best play, actor (Arthur Hill) and actress (Uta Hagen), and the film version won five Oscars including best actress (Taylor) and supporting actress (Sandy Dennis).

Albee also directed the American premieres of many of his plays, starting with "Seascape" in 1975. "Seascape" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" were revived on Broadway in 2005, and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" was revived on Broadway again in 2013. "A Delicate Balance" was revived a year later, starring Glenn Close.

Albee brought back "The Zoo Story" to startling effect in 2007 with "Edward Albee's Peter and Jerry." The shattering encounter between two strangers in a park that is "The Zoo Story" became the second act of the new work. The first act was based on Albee's much later "Homelife."

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It was one of a number of fruitful productions around the time Albee turned 80 in 2008.

GLOBAL RECOGNITION

That year saw the world premiere of his play about identical twins, "Me, Myself and I," in Princeton, New Jersey; a New York revival of two of his early one-act classics, "The American Dream" and "The Sandbox"; and the premiere of "Edward Albee's Occupant," about sculptor Louise Nevelson and the cult of celebrity.

Albee was honored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1996 for his lifetime contributions. Then-President Bill Clinton praised Albee as a man who inspired a generation of American dramatists. Clinton also awarded Albee a National Medal of the Arts that year.

Into his 70s, Albee continued to write provocative and unconventional plays. In "The Goat or Who is Sylvia?" the main character falls in love with a goat.

Albee's longtime companion, sculptor Jonathan Thomas, died in 2005.

--- ENDS ---
San Diego police and transportation officials are not doing enough to protect pedestrians from being injured and killed, a lack of attention to detail and data that is contributing to a rising number of fatalities, a city audit has found.

Auditors said 270 people died on San Diego streets over the last 15 years, and the frequency of the incidents is climbing.

The three-year period from 2013 to 2015, when 66 pedestrians lost their lives, was the deadliest since 2001, according to the report released Thursday.

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During that time, more pedestrians were killed than any other type of roadway user, the audit said.

The 116-page report said police do not enforce traffic laws in ways that would help reduce injuries and fatalities.

At the same time, transportation officials working to upgrade intersections and increase pedestrian safety too often make such improvements at traffic signals that do not generate the most accidents and injuries, the audit said.

Other cities with substantial pedestrian-safety infrastructure needs have used data to identify and proactively improve the most hazardous locations for pedestrians, the report found.

The audit included 18 specific recommendations. Among other things, the proposed changes call for incorporating historical data into enforcement operations, upgrading traffic signals, improving training and raising public awareness of pedestrian dangers.

The public information campaign should include a core message that can be customized to fit different neighborhood needs, the audit said.

Nationally, San Diegos pedestrian fatality rate was tied for 10th place with Los Angeles, among large cities, according to a 2014 report by the National Complete Streets Coalition.

The group found San Diego and Los Angeles had a rate of 1.79 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 population, compared to 2.97 in Tampa, Fla., on the high end and 0.72 in Minneapolis, on the low end.

San Diego officials agreed to all 18 recommendations. In a formal response to the audit, Assistant Chief Operating Officer Stacey LoMedico said the police and transportation departments would make the recommended changes over the next six months.

The Transportation and Storm Water Department will use available crash data over five years to develop a methodology for identifying locations that pose the greatest risk to pedestrians, LoMedico wrote.

Pedestrian safety has been an increasing concern as the number of accidents continues to rise.

On Sunday night, a 48-year-old woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking along Linda Vista Road near Mesa College. Hours before the auditors report was issued, police said a teenager was struck near Mira Mesa High School.

Kathleen Ferrier of Circulate San Diego, a nonprofit group that works to make neighborhoods more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, said the recommendations put forward in the audit mirror a list of suggestions her organization promoted in June 2015.

Our streets should be safe no matter where we go or how we get there, Ferrier said. The report shows that pedestrians are especially vulnerable. The data is alarming.

City officials have been aware of the problem for some time.

Last year, city officials adopted a program called Vision Zero, a plan to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2025. To meet those objectives, the plan calls for action involving engineering, enforcement and education.

The mayor included $23 million in this years budget for Vision Zero projects, including new and improved bicycle facilities, sidewalks, lighting, medians and traffic signals, city spokeswoman Katie Keach said in a statement Thursday. Moving forward with the recommendations in the audit report will ensure additional progress on this critical issue.

San Diego police issue more than 100,000 tickets a year to drivers who commit Vehicle Code violations that can endanger pedestrians, the audit noted. Last year, they also conducted 70 drunk-driving saturation patrols, 50 DUI checkpoints and two dozen targeted enforcement efforts for bicycle and pedestrian safety.

Auditors said police should rely on their own statistics to help improve traffic enforcement in neighborhoods that are historically more dangerous for pedestrians.

LoMedico said police can apply some of the same practices they use to combat more serious crime to traffic enforcement, and will do so by early next year.

The SDPD regularly uses data to determine criminal activity trends and assist with policing efforts, she wrote. These same strategies can be used to address traffic-related issues.

The audit said transportation officials could also improve public safety by better prioritizing improvements to San Diegos 1,600 intersections governed by traffic lights.

City crews improved or plan to improve more than 200 of those traffic signals in recent years, but too often the upgrades were made at street corners that were not the scene of repeat accidents, the audit said.

Of the 207 signalized intersections where improvements were made since 2010 or are planned, 49% experienced two or less pedestrian accidents in the previous 10 years, and 18% had no accidents at all, the report showed.

The transportation department has the expertise and resources to develop a basic methodology, utilizing existing collision data, to identify locations that have experienced the highest pedestrian collision rates, the audit said.

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com

McDonald writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

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San Diego Countys median household income is up, according to federal data released this week, reflecting a national trend.

According to the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey, household income in San Diego County rose slightly to $67,300 in 2015, up from $61,430 in 2013. That beats the statewide average of $64,500.

In 2013, 29.4 percent of households in San Diego County had income of $100,000 or more. In 2015, that rose to 32.1 percent.

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During that same time, the population with income between $35,000 and $99,999 rose to 42.6 from 42.2. The percentage making less than $35,000 shrank from 28.5 percent in 2015 to 25.2 percent in 2013.

The Census has found unexpectedly strong growth in median household income nationwide, breaking a years-long patter of stagnation. Nationally, almost all age groups, household types, regions, and racial groups experienced income gains, the bureau found, with the exception of households outside of metro areas.

While income is up, California is still among the top four states that, along with Washington, D.C., have the highest income inequality as measured by a formula known as the Gini index.

The Gini index is a score given to states, under which 0.0 is perfect equality in income distribution and 1.0 is total inequality where one household has all of the income. The U.S. has an index of 0.482, while Californias is 0.488, which ranks fifth in the country.

San Diego Countys income gap is lower, about 0.459, which ranks 40th among 58 counties in the state. Marin County had the most inequality by that measure, and Solana County southwest of Sacramento had the least.

The latest Census report also highlighted an overall decline in the share of Americans living in poverty.

The poverty rate is calculated without counting income from federal anti-poverty programs. Data show the national average was 14.7 percent, a decrease from 15.5 percent in 2014.

California and San Diego followed suit. Statewide, the population living in poverty decreased from 16.4 percent in 2014 to 15.3 in 2015. The 2015 rate in San Diego was 13.8, down from from 14.7 percent in 2014.

Contact Lauryn Schroeder via Twitter or Email.
The San Salvadors tour commemorating explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillos 1542 Pacific Coast expedition turned out to be historic in a very unexpected sense.

A stowaway was on board.

After the newly built replica of Cabrillos ship left San Diego Bay about 6 p.m. Sept. 10 en route to its first stop at Santa Catalina Island, a woman was discovered hiding behind a bunk bed curtain.

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 On Wednesday July 22nd, 2015. The handcrafted ship, a replica of explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillos Spanish flagship, will eventually join the Star of India and other historic ships at the Maritime Museum on the San Diego waterfront

Ray Ashley, the captain and head of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, said they had inspected the ship before departure, but well check more carefully next time.

The Avalon harbor master in Catalina was notified and the uninvited passenger, described as a middle-aged woman who may have volunteered when the ship was under construction, was escorted ashore shortly after the galleons arrival Sunday morning.

A sheriffs spokesman there said no charges were filed and the adventure seeker was sent via ferry back to the mainland. L.A. Sheriffs Sgt. James Ross didnt know if his office paid for her return fare, but acknowledged, We do things like that. Were in the public service business.

Meanwhile, the San Salvador, with its crew, continued north to Oxnard to serve as a four-day floating exhibit at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum there before it continues its journey north to Morro Bay and Monterey.

Were all astounded at how well she handled, particularly under sail, better than we could have imagined, said Ashley of the shake-down cruise.

There were no major problems, he reported, just a slew of little ones. Were still boat building in a way.

Ashley said it was hard to believe the excitement the ships arrival generated. She incites a real powerful response. People ask, What is that? Are you from that ship? Some asked the Avalon harbor master if the San Salvador was the Black Pearl or some other pirate ship.

Especially moving, Ashley said, was the reception in Oxnard from local Native Americans. An elder with the Chumash mariner tribe paddled out in a tribal canoe to bless the ship.

While the galleon motored north, its sails were rigged for a time so the stays could be gradually tightened, like tuning a piano, Ashley said.

A few passenger spots are still available for segments of the return journey  but, unlike the stowaway, guests will have to purchase a ticket from the maritime museum office.

Ray Chavez, 104 (Diane Bell / UT )

Lest we forget: As Fleet Week coincided with the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, a Poway military veteran recalled another disastrous attack on the United States.

With amazing clarity, Ray Chavez, age 104, the oldest survivor of the 1941 Pearl Harbor bombing, recalled the events of that fateful day.

While on patrol in the night-time hours before the Dec. 7th attack, his minesweeper crew briefly spotted the periscope of a Japanese mini-sub before it disappeared. Shortly after returning home, exhausted from his all-night work shift, Chavez was shaken awake by his wife. She frantically told him enemy planes were flying overhead.

In disbelief, he went outside to check. Then, without pause, he slipped back into his uniform and rushed to take his place once again on his small boat, the Condor, to do what he could to help as bombs exploded around him.

When someone asked if he had been afraid that day, Chavez replied, No.

His valor exemplifies what has come to be called the greatest generation.

Chavez and his daughter, Kathleen, have been invited by the San Diego-based Spirit of Liberty Foundation to go to Washington D.C. for national Veterans Day ceremonies on Nov. 11 and to Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 for the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack.

Public recognition: San Diegos KPBS TV station won, not just one, but two national public media awards in Boston the other day. At the Public Media Development and Marketing Conference, PBS President Paula Kerger honored KPBS General Manager Tom Karlo as development professional of the year, citing his inspiring leadership.

The KPBS Producers Club, comprised of 1,400 loyal and generous contributors, also earned the station a 2016 philanthropy award. The clubs donations ($2.1 million in 2015-16) have enabled the public TV station to invest in local news production and double its content staff.

Beat goes on: Most folks visit the White House for political reasons. Not Carlsbads Claire DAndrea. For her, it was an affair of the heart. She took part in a Sept. 9 session on cardiovascular disease.

DAndrea is a nurse who works with Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine. Because she suffers from heart disease, she was trained as a community educator by WomenHeart, a national coalition for women with heart ailments. Her role at the White House-sponsored Making Healthcare Better meeting, was that of patient advocate.

While strides have been made, the coalition maintains that heart health care still needs improvement and coverage gaps remain.

diane.bell@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1518

Twitter: dianebellSD

Facebook: dianebell.news
A man armed with a knife robbed a Wendys restaurant in North Park Friday, police said.

The thief walked into the fast food joint on El Cajon Boulevard near 30th Street about 10 p.m. and went straight to a bathroom, San Diego police said.

He then came out wearing a red and black mask, went up to an employee, and demanded cash at knife-point, police said.

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The man left with an unknown amount of money.

The robber was described as 30 to 40 years old, 5 feet 9 inches, 200 pounds and clean shaven, with a heavy build. He was wearing jeans and an orange flannel under a blue hoodie.

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
A march to protest the fatal shooting of Sergio Weick by sheriffs deputies in August is planned in Vista Saturday afternoon.

Weicks family, troubled by the outcome of the deadly confrontation, plan to meet with other protesters at 3 p.m. on Bronze Way near the site of the shooting.

Members of United Against Police Terror and other activists are expected to join in a walk to the Vista sheriffs substation, said Weicks aunt, Maria Hoyt.

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Deputies tried to pull over Weick on Aug. 11 to arrest him on a warrant from a February standoff, sheriffs officials said. They said the deputies believed Weick would have a shotgun with him.

Weick led them on an 8-minute pursuit, then stopped on Bronze Way and ran into a gated community. When deputies Peter Myers and Christopher Villanueva ran after him, they rounded a corner and saw Weick stopped and facing them, sheriffs homicide Lt. Kenn Nelson said.

He said they saw Weick reach toward something metal at his waistband and they opened fire on him. Weick was hospitalized, but his family had him taken off life support after organ donation, Hoyt said.

She said a surgeon told the family he had removed 25 bullets from Weick. It looked like he was shot in the back and his left side head to toe, Hoyt said. I could see one shot or even two, but if he was running away there was no need to shoot him 25 times.

However, Nelson said on Friday that the hospital surgeon did not removed any bullets from Weick. He said the only bullets removed were during an autopsy, when seven rounds were recovered.

Nelson said the two deputies fired more than seven rounds between them, but that many rounds missed Weick. He said Weick had knives on him, and a shotgun was found in his car.
A month after missing its original deadline for completion, the annual dredging of the Oceanside Harbor continues to drag on, fueling anger among city officials and vendors.

Its a disaster, said Councilman Jerry Kern. Its absolutely horrible.

When the project failed to wrap up by Aug. 4, officials estimated it would take another month to get the work done. As of Wednesday, contractor CJW Construction had removed about 180,670 cubic yards of sand, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers  far short of the 260,000 needed to complete the project.

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A status report posted on the federal agencys website said CJW had been unable to work for six days the previous week because of high swells in the area. Only 5,000 cubic yards of sand had been dredged during that period, according to the report.

CJW referred all questions to the Army Corps, which oversees the annual dredging project. A spokesman for agency did not return calls for comment Friday.

The annual dredging is necessary to remove sand that builds up at the harbor entrance, creating dangerous and unpredictable swells that can overturn vessels and make it difficult for boats to safely navigate the waters. The work is designed to keep the harbor entrance at a depth of about 25 feet. In July, city officials measured the depth at about 8 feet.

The sand cleared from the harbor has an extra benefit because it is poured onto city beaches, typically in time for the summer tourist season. The work usually takes three to four weeks, but this year the project is in its third month.

City officials blame the delay on CJW, a new contractor hired by the Army Corps earlier this year. They say the company doesnt have the equipment necessary to do the job quickly.

Army Corps officials have previously said theyre working with the contractor to complete the work safely and in as short a time as possible.

Oceanside City Manager Michelle Lawrence said her staff has been told it will now be mid October before the work is finished. In order to make that target, the contractor would need to dredge about 20,000 cubic yards of sand each week.

The delay is frustrating to vendors like Donna Kalez, general manager of Oceanside Adventures, who said her whale-watching company has had to cancel dozens of trips since the project began because its 50-foot catamaran cant safely exit the harbor.

Its just terrible, she said.

Mayor Jim Wood has also fired off a series of letters to Army Corps officials saying businesses are losing thousands of dollars in revenue due to the dredging, including room cancellations.

Local businesses have suffered greatly, Wood wrote in his most recent letter dated Sept. 8. The long term impacts of this failed dredging effort are unknown; the city and Visit Oceanside have received a substantial amount of input from visitors who say they will not return again due to the extremely poor beach-going experience caused by floating pipes and bulldozers and pipes on the beach.

Lawrence said the Army Corps has not responded to the latest letter.

The agencys $5 million, one-year contract with CJW can be extended for an optional two years for a cost of $11.5 million, but city officials have urged the Corps not to renew the contract and to find another company more qualified for the job.

Oceanside officials also want to make sure the public understands the city has no control over the project, which is funded by the federal government.

The city continues to file official complaints with the Army Corps of Engineers, said Councilman Chuck Lowery. Its their job to deal with this. We as a city have no control over it. None. Its very frustrating.

edward.sifuentes@sduniontribune.com

@EdwardSifuentes
Across the county, any public school kid who tears open a half-pint of cafeteria milk will probably be dropping their straw into Hollandia Dairy milk.

The San Marcos-based companys products have been an institution at area schools for decades and the Hollandia creamery is local landmark, built in the 1950s on a 17-acre site along Mission Road.

Six decades later suburbia moved in, but the creamery  the only one in the county  and its iconic white silos remained. It stays busy, processing 1 million half-pints of milk every weekday.

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Hollandia is now five years an expansion project that includes tearing down the aging facility, after building a modern processing plant right next door.

When it came time to update the operations, we made a conscientious decision to stay here, said Chief Operating Officer Hank van Nieuwenhuyzen.

We want to be able to show that local matters, that quality matters, that service matters, because that is really what this company was built upon, he said.

In addition to serving every school district in the county, the dairy provides milk to military bases and jails. Its retail and food service markets  including hotels, restaurants, cruise ships  reach into Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Schools are the biggest slice of the business, accounting for 40 percent. Military, retail and food service markets each make up about 20 percent. The processing plant at Mission and Mulberry Drive runs day and night, Monday through Friday.

Van Nieuwenhuyzen said the upgrades are about both modernization and growing the companys retail side, where nostalgia and a love for locally sourced products could play a big part.

Anybody thats been to school in this county will recognize our name, he said.

Work on the expansion project began in 2011 and is happening in phases, starting with the completion of a new 16,000-square-foot wastewater treatment plant tucked deep on the property.

Closer to Mission Road is Hollandias new two-story, 40,000-square-foot building  a quarter is office space, the rest is refrigeration.

Next up is a 21,000-square-foot building for more cold storage, followed by construction of a roughly 40,000-square-foot processing and bottling facility. That work started six months ago when crews tore down a 5,000-square-foot building along Mission.

It will be years  perhaps 2022  until the entire overhaul is done.

The project is a major step into the future for the dairy, which was founded more than 60 years ago by the de Jong family, which immigrated from war-weary Europe.

Pete De Jong, 89, said when he looks at the expansion work it fills you with gratitude  and also of course a little bit of anxiety.

This is so far beyond what we ever dreamed, he said.

De Jong said he remembers when his older brother first moved to California in the 1940s, finding prosperity in the land of milk and honey. In 1949, that success prompted their father to move his wife and other kids  they had 10 in all  from Holland to North County.

They started a dairy in Escondido and eventually bought land in San Marcos. That holding eventually grew to 144 acres for cows to roam. The cows were relocated to Riverside County in the 1990s, and Hollandia sold some of its land to the San Marcos Unified School District to build Mission Hills High School. They also sold property to the city for what became Hollandia Park.

The de Jong descendants still own and operate the business, and the company has about 6,800 cows on its San Jacinto farm, which recently converted to using 100 percent solar energy.

Van Nieuwenhuyzen, himself a Dutch immigrant, joined Hollandia about 35 years ago as a delivery guy and is now helping lead the modernization project. Last week, walking from the old San Marcos processing plant to the new building, he stopped in front of the dirt lot between the structures.

This is the 1950s, he said, motioning to his left. He then pointed to the right. What we are doing here is building for the future.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
A haircut can make a person feel better on the outside, but a new North County charity will focus on reproducing those positive vibes from the inside out.

Shear Love Movement, founded by Rancho Bernardo hairstylist Meghan Foley, was created as a catalyst to bring together charity-minded hairstylists with community organizations that help the needy.

The organizations first event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Bellus Academy cosmetology school in Poway. As many as 250 disadvantaged people --- all referred by local service organizations, schools and churches --- will receive free haircuts that day, as well as free hair products and lunch.

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Foley said she hopes the inaugural event is the start of a social movement in which salons and beauty schools nationwide will band together to use their talents to give back to the community.

As cheerleader and organizer in chief, Foley said, her newly launched website (shearlovemovement.org) can be used as a master calendar and planning resource to coordinate events. She said she plans to devote at least half of her time in the future to expanding Shear Love.

We all have a season in life when were called to do something, she said. I think its my time to be a leader and help create this for other people.

Foley grew up in Poway, where her mom worked as a hairstylist beginning in the early 1980s. Twelve years ago, Foley graduated from Bellus Academy and for the past five years, she has owned and operated Meghan Noel Salon in the Rancho Bernardo Courtyard center. But in recent years, Foley said, shes felt like something was missing in her work.

I really started feeling like what I was doing was superficial and mundane and I was very unfulfilled in my salon. I thought, this isnt my calling. Its not what I was put here to do, she said.

The experience that sparked Shear Love was a comment from a client who said she found the stimulating and uplifting conversation they shared during the appointment just as valuable as the haircut.

I realized right then what an impact we as stylists can make in peoples lives, Foley said. Were not only there to give a haircut but to empower and inspire them and create possibilities in their lives.

To help expand on her vision, she went back to her alma mater, Bellus Academy, which has a long-established community service program. The Poway school provides more than 400 haircuts each year to San Diegos homeless community as well as to battered women in shelters. It also trains its students to spot the signs of domestic abuse in women customers and connect them to resources.

Brad Quick, regional director for Bellus campuses in California, said students are strongly encouraged to give back.

One of our values is being humanitarian, he said. In this industry of beauty and wellness, its important to use our craft to make people feel confident about themselves. Were not just service providers, were like psychologists to our clients. They confide in us and we help them feel better about themselves.

Quick said he was impressed by Foleys enthusiasm when he first met with her three months ago to discuss the Shear Love Movement event.

There are certain people you meet who are very passionate about what theyre doing in life. She comes across that way right away, he said. Ever since then, shes put in incredible time and effort and this event has grown and grown. It shows what you can do when you can rally people around you for a great cause.

Quick said he is expecting from 25 to 50 stylists to donate their services on Sunday. Theyll be joined by 40 to 50 Bellus students who will serve as assistants. He said theyre expecting from 200 to 250 clients that day.

Sundays event isnt open to the public for walk-ins. Foley said she is setting appointments for pre-screened clients that have been referred to her by the Salvation Army, Boys and Girls clubs, schools and churches. She said she still has a few slots open. People can contact her through her website for details.

Besides the haircuts, participants will receive a bag of free hair products from Olaplex and other beauty product suppliers. Members of the Poway Elks Lodge will host a barbecue for the volunteers and clients. And Wicked Awesome Ice Cream Company will be giving away dessert.

Foley said she hopes the clients served next weekend emerge with much more than a good haircut and a goodie bag. Shes hoping the experience will set each of them on a more positive course in life.

Maybe theyre stressed out by their circumstances, they cant afford a meal and they dont have any confidence at a job interview, she said. I hope this experience fills them with love and the knowledge that theyre worthy.

She also hopes the experience is life-changing for the stylists and students.

 I hope theyre inspired and realize its not just a job or a transaction, she said. Its an honor and a privilege to work with these people every single day.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen
It would be irresponsible to approve millions of dollars in new tax breaks while the states budget remains precariously balanced, Gov. Jerry Brown said this week while vetoing seven measures.

Each of these bills creates a new tax break or expands an existing tax break, Brown said. In total, these bills would reduce revenues by about $300 million through 2017-18. As I said last year, tax breaks are the same as new spending  they both cost the general fund money.

Among the measures Brown rejected were those exempting diapers and womens menstrual products from sales taxes and giving homeowners with lender write-downs on their underwater mortgages an income tax break on their paper incomes.

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The bills legislative sponsors were angered by Browns rejection.

Today Governor Brown sent a clear message to all women in California, said Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, who carried Assembly Bill 1561. He told us periods are a luxury for women. Let me be clear; biologically periods are not luxuries and they are definitely not something women should be ashamed of. We have a long way to go in our journey for equity in California.

The specifics of these bills aside, Browns position on punching holes in the states tax system is not quite as high-minded as he makes it sound.

For one thing, hes shied away from anything approaching comprehensive tax reform during his second governorship, even though the need for a major overhaul is evident to anyone.

The state budget is dangerously dependent on taxes from a relative handful of high-income Californians. Browns 2012 temporary tax hike increased that dependence. A November ballot measure, Proposition 55, would extend it.

Brown has acknowledged the volatility that the dependence fosters, because incomes of the wealthy are tied to the stock market and other investments. But hes declined to spend political capital on making the tax system more stable.

Furthermore, there are already tens of billions of dollars in tax exemptions on the books that warrant reconsideration and, in some cases, elimination.

While Brown rejects relatively minor sales tax breaks for diapers and tampons, for instance, hes not touched a special sales tax break for custom computer software that benefits corporate purchasers but doesnt apply to the off-the-shelf software that ordinary consumers buy.

While he wants beleaguered homeowners who get mortgage breaks to pay income taxes on phantom income, he eagerly signed legislation a couple of years ago to expand corporate income tax credits for wealthy movie and TV producers, including the Disney conglomerate, that do their shoots in California. His administration even maintains a website that invites producers to apply for the tax credits.

The cost, in terms of lost income, for the movie tax break alone, is about $300 million a year  or just about Browns estimated cost (over two years) of the seven proposed tax breaks he says would be damaging to the state budget.

As with many other issues, Browns only consistency is his inconsistency.

Walters is a columnist with the Sacramento Bee.
Donald Trump played cable news channels like a fiddle yet again Friday, tantalizing them with the notion that he would hold an event at his new hotel in Washington, D.C., to renounce and apologize for his past loud embrace of the ugly fiction that President Obama was not born in the United States. As Trump took the podium at the Trump International Hotel, the headline on the bottom of CNNs screen was Trump to address birther issue.

Instead, Trump spent a half-hour introducing former military leaders and war heroes who praised his candidacy and finally said, Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period. Now we all want to get back to making America strong again.

This dishonesty blew the medias mind and the mind of anyone who thinks Trump should be condemned for his awful behavior and chronic dishonesty. It is absurd to say Hillary Clinton or her campaign started the dishonest trope when the only link appears to be one anonymous email circulated by supporters and another forwarded by a volunteer Iowa county coordinator of Clintons 2008 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination showing Obama wearing traditional Somali clothing during a visit to Africa, an email the campaign denounced as outrageous and offensive. Trump also finished nothing. For years, without any evidence, Trump led the birther movement, which is built on both willful ignorance and a more calculated attempt to delegitimize the first African-American president. Trump is a big reason why this lie will be repeated in internet fever swamps forever.

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Yet even as cable network talking heads denounced Trumps latest lies and the Congressional Black Caucus denounced him for encouraging racists and bigots and being the hater in chief, one can feel the dread over a Trump presidency growing across the nation. With the huge exception of his continuing praise of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, the New York billionaire has become a markedly better candidate in recent weeks, and its reflected in state and national polls. He is actually following a discernible and logical strategy. By going to Mexico City to make a joint appearance with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, he pushes back at the criticism that someone with his temperament could ever handle the demands of the Oval Office. By going to African-American churches and retreating from birtherism, Trump isnt making a serious play for black votes so much as sending out a reassuring message to undecided voters that he is within the broad mainstream on matters of race.

Whether that is actually true wont matter to voters so turned off by Hillary Clinton that they would consider voting for someone with as much baggage as Trump. After months of ad-hoc campaigning, the GOP nominee finally seems to be listening to strategists who say his path to 270 electoral votes and 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. depends on sanding off his rough edges and convincing enough people that he wont be a reckless and vengeful commander in chief.

We dont buy this makeover. When it comes to Donald Trump, the sample size is too large to assume he would govern thoughtfully and show the prudence, nuance and empathy that the job of president demands. Unfortunately, and shockingly, were 53 days from finding out if the job is his.

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By India Today Web Desk: After Mulayam slams Akhilesh, UP CM pledges full support to Shivpal

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today slammed his son Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his supporters for raising slogans against Shivpal Yadav.

Soldiers from Niger and Chad kill 38 Boko Haram fighters

Two soldiers from the bilateral force were lightly wounded in the operation, launched after clashes in the village of Toumour, near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border, on Monday.

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Have lost touch with friends after Rio Bronze, says Sakshi Malik

Sakshi Malik became a national phenomenon and an instant hit with the youth around India after her Rio Olympic Bronze medal and the 24-year-old said her life has changed dramatically since.

Mind Rocks 2016: Amitabh 'Pink' Bachchan lays the smackdown on patriarchy and sexism

Amitabh Bachchan's larger-than-life, famed affable persona was on full display at the India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2016. Getting the crowd to eat out of his hand, he broke into chaste Hindi to demonstrate feigned surprise in his trademark style.

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On Sept. 4, sitting in the 90-plus-degree heat in St. Peters square in Rome with 100,000 others as the bells rang to celebrate the sainthood of Mother Teresa, one word kept popping in my head like a yellow caution light:

Paradox.

The setting was spectacular. In a cloudless sky, the sun hit the square like a celestial spotlight. A banner with Mother Teresas portrait hung from the cathedral as if she were looking out over the masses, bathing us all with love, radiating the same compassion and mercy she showed millions over her long life of service. The variety of races, countries and colors was a microcosm of all humanity.

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But for a woman who served the poor for nearly 50 years, lived among them, started a religious order to soothe, feed and educate them and provide comfort as they died, this was a production that cost plenty. People paid a lot of money to travel from around the world for this ceremony. Nations sent high-level representatives. Cardinals, bishops, priests, sisters from every order and every continent were there. Some had made it a pilgrimage, traveling by foot for months.

People wanted to honor her, yet she probably would have lectured all of us for not spending the time and money on serving others instead of going to this expense and effort.

A paradox can seem like a contradiction, but within it might be a greater truth. The physicist Neils Bohr said, The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may be another profound truth.

I have read several books about Mother Teresa. Two stand out as coming to opposite conclusions about her. Malcolm Muggeridges 1971 book, Something Beautiful For God, was an outgrowth of the television program he did for the BBC in the 1960s. I can only say of her that in a dark time she is a burning and a shining light; in a cruel time, a living embodiment of Christs gospel of love, he wrote.

Muggeridges book was a kind of valentine to Mother Teresa.

Christopher Hitchens 1995 book, The Missionary Position, was also an outgrowth of a documentary. Hitchens described her as a demagogue, similar to money-grubbing televangelists, providing PR cover for dictators and criminals by accepting their stolen money, and criticized her stand against abortion and contraception.

Hitchens book was more like a well-footnoted grenade.

To some, she was a devoted follower of Gods. To others, she was a fraud. A myth created by a church that needs a hero.

She was also a woman of profound doubt, the depth of which was revealed only after her death, in the letters compiled in the book Come Be My Light. In one letter to her bishop she wrote, Every time I have wanted to tell the truth  that I have no faith  the words just do not come  my mouth remains closed. And yet I still keep on smiling at God and all.

What role does doubt play in a persons faith? The philosopher Paul Tillich said, Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.

Another paradox for me, as I sat among Sisters of Charity from around the world  an order started by Mother Teresa in Kolkata in 1950 that is now in 133 countries  is that she was known for taking in the unwanted. Yet this ceremony was taking place on a continent that was turning away refugees and putting up razor-wire fences to keep them out.

When Mother Teresa was in Tijuana in 1991, she fell ill and was rushed across the border to Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, where procedures by top cardiologists saved her life. The irony of this was pointed out by Hitchens, who noted that she had access to the worlds best medical care, but her own facilities in Kolkata lacked basic hygiene.

And yet, I spoke with one of the nurse-practitioners who helped care for her during her time at Scripps Clinic. Whenever the doctors would come by to examine her, she lectured them about how they should be spending some of their time serving the poor in Tijuana, the nurse told me. Also, when she was strong enough to take a shower, according to this nurse, Mother Teresa took only cold showers, because she knew that the people she lived among didnt have access to hot water.

My final paradox was in pondering whether Mother Teresa was a celebrity or a hero. Remember, she died just a few days after Princess Diana died. The differences in their funerals were revealing.

I didnt have my copy of Joseph Campbells book The Power of Myth, with me in Rome, so I downloaded it and read this description: One of the many distinctions between the celebrity and the hero is that one lives only for self while the other acts to redeem society.

When the canonization ended, I talked with the people around me as we slowly made our way out of the square (which is actually a circle  yet another paradox). One was an Italian woman whose son was having open heart surgery the next day and she was praying for a miracle. Another was a womens handbag designer from Manhattan who volunteers with the Sisters of Charity in the South Bronx. Two were nuns from Ukraine. One was the head of a major worldwide corporation. Another was the head of an NGO who had worked alongside Mother Teresa since the 1980s. To them, she was both celebrity and hero.

And now, officially, a saint.

Nelson is the founder and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University. His most recent book is Quantum Leap: How John Polkinghorne Found God in Science and Religion.
Discussion over whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States has re-emerged in the campaign fight between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Why? Because back when Trump was considering a run for president in 2011 and when he was in the political spotlight in 2012, he was constantly talking about Obamas birth certificate.

Now those comments are coming back to haunt him. Check out some of his tweets about it, for example.

Donald Trump even said he would give $5 million to a charity of Obamas choice if he would give his college records and application and his passport applications and records.

Birtherism is back in the news this week because of Trumps attempt to walk back some of these statements.

When a Washington Post reporter asked him Wednesday whether he believed Obama was born in Hawaii, Trump declined to answer. That prompted his campaign manager to release a statement saying Trump now believes that President Obama was born in the United States.

But his campaign is also blaming the birther issue on Clinton.

"Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy," Trump said Friday. "I finished it."

Factcheck.org and several other fact checking sites have pretty in-depth looks into whether Clintons campaign really did emphasize Obamas country of origion back in 2008 that you can read for yourself.

Factcheck.org: Was Hillary Clinton the Original Birther?

politifact.com Fact-checking Donald Trump's claim Hillary Clinton started Obama birther movement

The Washington Post Fact Checker: Donald Trumps ridiculous claim that Hillary Clinton started the birther movement

Clinton took to Twitter to set the record straight from her own point of view Friday too.

Are you glad to see Trump walking back his statements? Does it change your opinion of him? Or do you think this should now go away as an issue?

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Government editor Michael Smolens talks with Fox 5 about the tightening Presidental race.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin
The forceful arrest of a man on campus at San Diego State University on Thursday sparked a brief student protest later that day, but things appeared quieter at the school through late Friday afternoon.

A video of two police officers forcing an African-American man to the ground in front of a Starbucks on campus was repeatedly posted Thursday on social media sites including Twitter, which had about 40 comments referring to police brutality and racism.under the hashtag #BlackUnderAttackSDSU.

According to the police log, the arrested man was Marquis Dejon Campbell, 20, who was booked for resisting arrest and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

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The video shows two police officers standing next to Campbell. One of the officers said, I need you to sit down for your own safety.

After Campbell didnt comply, the second officer grabbed his arms from behind. The other officer quickly joined the struggle, and one of the officers can be heard again telling Campbell to sit down.

Campbell can be heard saying, I didnt do nothing as the officers forced him to the ground. They did not appear to use weapons or strike him.

The man who captured the video can be heard saying as he watched the arrest, What is this? Is that serious?

As news of the arrest and the video quickly spread Thursday, interim SDSU Police Chief Josh Mays met with protesters and the media to address the issue.

SDSU President Elliot Hirshman also addressed the arrest in an e-mail sent Thursday to students and faculty.

The use of force in an arrest is a significant matter and we understand the concerns members of our community have expressed about the arrest, HIrshman wrote. Consistent with department policy this incident will be evaluated and reviewed by the field supervisor, a lieutenant, a use-of-force expert and the Chief of police.

Mays called the video a very important piece, but its also one piece of the overall information.

He said the arrest was in response to two calls police received at about 12:45 p.m. regarding a man who was acting erratically and had jumped over a construction fence near the universitys open air theater.

Mays added that the arrested man was not a student and was uninjured in the arrest.

The context of the investigation, what happened before and what happened after, is still being reviewed and being investigated, Mays said.

After a woman asked Mays about the protocol of arresting someone under the influence, Mays said every situation is different, but the standard procedure is to use two officers because the suspect could be violent.

The arrested person then is taken to jail and placed in an area to sober up, he said.

The same woman asked Mays why the officers did not get off the man being arrested when he said they were breaking his back. Mays said he couldnt answer because he hadnt seen that part of the investigation.

Mays also stressed the need to continue dialogue between the police and campus community, and he welcomed people to check with the police department to learn of any updates on the investigation.

I realize and share the concern, specifically about the incident that occurred, he said. I have worked with many groups and have spoken with many of you today on important topics, and those topics will continue.

Coincidentally, the arrest happened on the same day as a morning community engagement awareness forum, a public meeting the campus police department holds every other month.

Mays meeting with students, members of the Afrikan Student Union led a silent protest outside of Manchester Hall, the site of Hirshmans and other administrators offices.

In a statement late Friday, the Afrikan Student Union said their main goal was to get information about what happened.

The purpose of the protest was met. That was to know: why the male was arrested, why was he restrained in that matter and where could we ge more information about the ongoing investigatoin, Toni Sparrow, president of the group, said in the statement. We are satisfied that Chief Mays was cooperative and understanding. We will be working with the police department to build better relations and open communication.

The Daily Aztec, SDSUs student newspaper, reported Afrikan Student Union member Kevin Archangel saying the demonstration was a show of solidarity. Other students in the article said they appreciated Mays appearing to talk to students, but they still had questions about the arrest.

On Twitter, most comments were critical of the police.

If bro was WHITE, that wouldve NEVER happen, one person tweeted..

Others blamed Campbell.

Im against police brutality, but they clearly asked him to sit down & he refused, read another tweet. Cops have to protect themselves.

The video also was posted on YouTube.

Staff writers Abby Hamblin and David Hernandez contributed to this report.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP)  Authorities in the Dominican Republic announced Monday that they will demand an explanation from the U.S. government for why it annulled the diplomatic and tourist visas of the Caribbean countrys electoral commission president.

Commission officials said the U.S. should also share any relevant information that would explain the action taken against Roberto Rosario, who said the U.S. consul notified him of the decision late last week.

The U.S. Embassy declined to provide details, except to say that it had the right to revoke U.S. visas based on information that may come to light at any moment.

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It is the first time that U.S. has annuled the diplomatic visa of a high-level Dominican official. Rosario, whose diplomatic visa was to have expired next year and the tourist visa in 2024, traveled with some frequency to the U.S. because the electoral commission has several offices there to serve the Dominican community.

Rosario said last year that the U.S. ambassador had previously threatened to cancel his visa at a time when Dominicans of Haitian descent complained they could not vote because their IDs were being illegally held by government officials. As president of the electoral commission, Rosario in 2007 launched a program to withhold those IDs, saying they had been fraudulently processed to obtain Dominican nationality.

The annulment of Rosarios visas comes as Dominican senators prepare to debate whether he should be re-elected as the commissions president.
As sex trade thrives in West Bengal, via cross-border, the indian law is more favourable to the trafficker than to the victim, who wait for years to get justice.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: "It was my mother who sold me to a trafficker in India, when I turned 18" says Tamana Khan from Dhaka, Bangladesh, tears rolling down her eyes, reflecting the betrayal by her own. She was rescued three years ago, by Akash who came in as a customer but was pained to see Tamana, who was howling for help. He escaped with her, returning her to parental home in Dhaka. Unfortunately for Tamana, the mother, again tried selling her. This time Tamana ran back to Akash, both fell in love and got married. But the mother, who had to return the money to trafficker as a result of her daughters escape, slapped kidnapping case on Akash. As the legal case drags on, Tamana now 21 who wants to stay with her husband is caught in the web of law.

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Seema (20) another Bangladeshi girl was trafficked by her Uncle, who promised her to land her a job in a Bar. Instead, she was sold to a brotherel for sum of 2.5 lakh Rupees. Raped by over a 100 men in five years she was held captive, she was moved from one brothel to the other. She one day found herself at the border. It was BSF gaurding the Indo Bangla border who rescued her. Seema says her mother does not know that she was victim of a thriving flesh trade. She wants to go back to her family in Bangladesh but is stuck, awaiting a long legal process.

There are a number of NGOs in West Bengal working on internal human trafficking, but few deal with cross-border trafficking.

NGO COMES TO THE RESCUE

Neela and Sheila both teenagers, also rescued by NGO, have waited for four years already, to head to Dhaka. Last year the NGO filed a petition in High Court to fast track their case.

In Narendrapur, on outskirts of Kolkata, 150 girls in Sanlaap, a shelter home run by NGO, 23 of them are from Bangladesh. The story of each one resonates in their faces, is a sense of betrayal of a childhood, their youth and an unsure and perhaps an unsettling future. But there is another connect, most of them have been in these shetler home from several years, with system fighting a legal battle which these women are not sure will make them even the winners.

INDIA-BANGLADESH BORDER: HUB FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING



West Bengal is the hub of internal and cross-border human trafficking in India. It shares approximately 2,220 kilometers of land border and 259 km of riverine border with Bangladesh, most of which is unfenced, making cross-border trafficking in persons, drugs, and fake currency seamless. The districts in the state which are most vulnerable to cross-border human trafficking include North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Nadia, Malda, and Cooch Behar. The state serves as a source and transit point. (Girls are supplied to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, according to a local activist, via trains from Malda)

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Identified route of human trafficking:

- Dhaka-Barisal-Jessore-Satkhira cross border

- Bansal-Jessore-Benapole by bus cross border

- Gabtali-Dhaka-Jessore-Satkhira bus vus via Mancha and cross the border

- Dhaka Chapi Nawabgunj by bus and cross the border

- Dhaka Dinajpur-Lalmonirhat by bus cross the border

Tapoti Bhowmick, Senior Programme Co-ordinator for Sanlaap echoes the sentiment of NGO. "The critical issue concerning the cross-national victim is that while the perpetrator or trafficker (Indian or foreign national) may receive modest punishment, trafficked persons are victimised twice," she said.

Once the cross-national victim and the trafficker are arrested in India, they are both charged under the Foreigners Act of 1946.

The NGO filed a petition in High Court to fast track their case.

PLIGHT OF BANGLADESHI VICTIMS



The MHA advisory of May 2012 on preventing and combating human trafficking in India - dealing with foreign nationals says " It is seen that in general, the foreign victims of human trafficking are found without valid passport or visa. If, after investigation, the woman or child is found to be a victim, she should not be prosecuted under the Foreigners Act. If the investigation reveals that she did not come to India or did not indulge in crime out of her own free will, the state government / UT administration may not file a charge sheet against the victim. If the chargesheet has already been filed under the Foreigners Act and other relevant laws of the land, steps may be taken to withdraw the case from prosecution so far as the victim is concerned."

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But the advisories are often a forgotten chapter, with each victim reaching waiting for several years in a shelter home. Sadly, the chapter of ordeal does not end with rescue of these women. These shelter homes often act as a solace, as often they wait for legal battles over them to conclude. They are unsure, once bruised and battered by society, they will be set free, even though they yearn that, they do not know what awaits them, except for a flicker of hope.

BSF TO HANDLE SITUATION



There are a number of NGOs in West Bengal working on internal human trafficking, but few deal with cross-border trafficking. There is also a lack of adequate human resources to deal with this issue. Some local activists have suggested that to effectively address it, transit homes run by NGOs in collaboration with the Border Security Force (BSF) along the Indo-Bangladesh border can be set up.

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Once the trafficker and the victim are apprehended by the BSF along the border, the victim can be sent to a transit home rather than to a police station till her antecedents are verified by the Bangladesh government. Further, according to NGOs in the State, the BSF should develop a good rapport with child care and protection agencies. Though even the force, which has recently been involved in rescue of trafficked women and children feel, language is a huge barrier. It is difficult for their "jawans to understand that whether the woman is a victim of illegal immigrant."

The BSF is now closely working on the issues of cross-border trafficking, and good networking between community-based organisations and BSF border outposts. With better working relations between Border Guard Bangladesh ( BG), and better coordination between the governments and NGOs on either side of the border, there seems to be some hope.



ALSO READ:

Kingpin of International human trafficking caught, 26 women rescued



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When we in Belize think of Mexico, we think of cheap prices! tacos and Mexican beer! big city shopping at Walmart! crowds of people! CANCUN! but just across the Rio Hondo in Northwest Belize, the town of La Union is really none of those things.

Wellexcept Mexican beers.

In this neck of the woods, La Union stands in stark contrast to that view of Mexico and equally stark contrast to her prosperous neighbor, separated only by a fairly narrow river, the Mennonite villages of Blue Creek.

Where one side is gorgeous open pasture and farm land including Circle R, the largest producer of rice in Belize, the Mexican side rises up on a scrubby cliff side (an escarpment) and the town clings to the side of it.

A bus does go to Chetumal (the capital of the state of Quintana Roo) and you could take the winding Rio Hondo that way as well, but it seems light years away from the city.

In fact, La Union is so far from the city the residents use Belize cell phone service  Digicel and Smart phone credits were on sale at the small local shops.

Let me just get to the photos.

The one road in and out of Blue Creek.

Just after the gate keepers booth is the Police Station and customs and immigration.

And then down a small hillto the ferry to Mexico. $1bzd per person to cross.

Apparently the river is about neck deepso even though it looks shallow you cant walk acrosshere.

On the other side, a taxi.

And an immigration station. We gave our namesand a few dollars. My name, for the record in La Union, is Rebecca Cutest.

We walked along the crumbly road passing small homesand shops. A school and some churches. Honestly? There wasnt too much to seeor too many people about. Even though the population is estimated around 2000 to 2500. 3-4 times that of Blue Creek.

During our walk in the HEAT, we were passed by the Federal Police and the Mexican army (they have a base in town)patrolling.

We walked back down to the less legal crossing in the river.

We are in Mexico, that bank? Belize.

Apparently the US government has been here a few times in the last few weeks to examine this pretty weak link in the border. And it is speculated that things will tighten up very soon.

We walked back passing my favorite market by far.

Onefor the name.

Twobecause of the kitten.

And threebecause of the strange reminder that you are in Mexico. WHITE EGGS!

White eggs are illegal in Belize.

Dripping with sweat, we headed back to modern Belize.

Super interesting to me. A village in Mexico that basically exists because of Blue Creek, Belize. Who knew? I am getting more and more inspired to travel to the small towns of Belize  the farthest corners because, well againwho knew? In this outpost of Belize, I found a village filled with friendly people, gorgeous farm landscapes and some major industry.

Fascinating.

And before I go, as you drive into Blue Creek, you can see a cut-away in the Mexican cliff side. Apparently there is a large cenote called Cenote Encantado that is ice cold and bottomless. Its a kayak ride down the ride or a hike into the jungle. I MUST GO BACK TO SEE THIS CENOTE!
By PTI: Hyderabad, Sep 17 (PTI) A fine arts student at the University of Hyderabad, which was rocked by the suicide of PhD scholar Rohith Vemula earlier this year, allegedly committed suicide in his hostel room in the wee hours today apparently under depression, police said.

Nelli Praveen Kumar, aged about 25, a first semester student of Master of Fine Arts (MFA) course of Department of Fine Arts, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, was found hanging from ceiling in the room at about 4.15 AM, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Madhapur) Kartikeya told reporters.

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As per the information available so far, Praveen belongs to a backward caste, the DCP said.

Praveens roommate, M Raj, who is also his classmate, returned from his painting studio and found the room latched from inside. When Praveen did not open the door despite several knocks, his roommate alerted other students in the hostel. They managed to push the door open and found him (Praveen) hanging from the ceiling, he said.

"Praveen was immediately shifted to the University Health Centre. After preliminary examination by the medical officer, he was rushed to a private hospital. After examining him, doctors declared him dead," the senior police officer said.

On receiving information, police reached the hospital and one team went to the hostel room and recovered a laptop, a tablet, two cell phones and two notebooks after a search.

"In one of the notebooks, a note has been found, which is believed to have been written by the deceased, but the handwriting has to be compared for which it will be sent to forensic science laboratory," the DCP said.

As per the content of that particular note, it seems that Praveen was apparently under depression and perhaps he was "comparing his own performance", Kartikeya said.

"During the investigation, we spoke to some people, who were known to him, including his roommate, about what could be the possible reason (for the suicide). We are analysing all evidences... We need to speak to some more people and also his family members to verify if he had any personal issues. Step by step, investigation is underway and it will be done in a fair manner," he said. (MORE) PTI VVK DK NP DIP

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Known for their platter-like shape, stingrays are venomous creatures related to sharks. These species made it into high-profile news in 2006, when Australian "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin was stabbed to death by one.

WATCH THIS STINGRAY CHEW LIKE A HOOMANhttps://t.co/nL0bT83hHr  Sean Leonard (@spleonard1) September 16, 2016

Still, the mystery of these species is not lost on scientists. A team of researchers discovered that at least one species of stingray chews their food before swallowing. The paper, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, showed the ability of the creatures using high-speed video technology. This revelation is new - until now, scientist assumed that only mammals chew their food before swallowing - but there are also different definitions of what "chewing" entails. For instance, birds have a gizzard for grinding up their food, although it's a different kind of "chewing" than what they expect of mammals.

With this in mind, the research team, comprised of scientists from the University of Toronto and the University of Washington, filmed ocellate river stingrays through a tank with a see-through glass bottom. They filmed the animals as they captured three kinds of food - soft, medium, and hard - and watched as the stingrays grabbed it, chewed, and then swallowed it. Specifically, as stated by Phys.org, they found that stingrays pull their prey in by using suction made by undulating their bodies, then moving the right and left parts of their jaws back and forth to bite and tear their prey. They also found that the stingrays can move their upper and lower jaws independently, making their chewing something like mammal mastication.

With this discovery, the team suggested that chewing may not be as unique to mammals as scientists originally thought, and they are planning on studying other stingray species to see if they too, are able to chew their food.
By PTI: Hyderabad, Sep 17 (PTI) A first semester student of MFA course at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) here allegedly committed suicide in the wee hours today, police said.

Nelli Praveen Kumar, a student of Department of Fine Arts, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, was found hanging in his hostel room, Joint Commissioner of Police (Cyberabad West) M Stephen Ravindra told PTI.

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"Reasons are not known...no suicide note was found," he said, adding, some students took him to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

According to UoH officials, at about 4.15 AM Praveens roommate, also his classmate, returned from his painting studio and found the room latched from inside.

When Praveen did not open the door despite several knocks, his roommate alerted other students in the hostel. They managed to open the latch through the ventilator and found him hanging from the ceiling, they said.

Praveen was immediately shifted to the University Health Centre and after preliminary examination by the Medical Officer, he was rushed to a private hospital along with the Medical Officer.

Doctors at the hospital, after examining him, declared him dead. His brother reached the hospital and his body was later moved to Osmania General hospital by police, UoH officials said.

Police said Praveen hailed from Shadnagar town of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana and his parents have been informed about the incident.

UoH Pro Vice-Chancellor Vipin Srivastava said Praveen was admitted to MFA course around one and half month ago.

Police is investigating the matter. University officials and faculty members are in touch with his close friends and family, he said.

The University condoled the untimely death of Kumar and the Department of Fine Arts held a condolence meeting this morning.

PhD research scholar Rohit Vemula had allegedly committed suicide on January 17 in a hostel room on the campus. He was among five research scholars who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and one of the accused in the case of assault on an ABVP student leader. The suspension was revoked later.

His suicide had triggered a political storm with opposition parties launching an attack on the Union Government amid allegations that the action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students after Bandaru Dattatreya had written a letter to the then Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani seeking action against their "anti-national acts. PTI VVK DK AAR

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The red planet may have been capable of supporting life for a longer time period than scientists had previously thought. According to a new study, some of the lakes and streams on Mars formed just two to three billion years ago, an epoch by when, researchers believed, the planet had lost the majority of its atmosphere and therefore was too cold to host surface liquid water.

"We discovered valleys that carried water into lake basins that filled and overflowed, indicating there was a considerable amount of water on the landscape during this time," said Sharon Wilson, study leader. Additionally, one of the newly discovered Martian lakes was similar in size to California's huge Lake Tahoe, and it flowed over to "Heart Lake", a massive basin that held more water (670 cubic miles) than Lake Ontario (393 cubic miles) and Lake Erie (116 cubic miles) combined.

The age of the lakes on Mars were estimated by checking the valleys associated with the concerned water bodies, especially if they shaped into the debris aprons that surround the 22 impact crater areas whose ages were approximately known. Incidentally, according to observations based on data from NASA's Curiosity rover, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and other missions, it was previously already established that Mars had surface liquid water bodies around 3.7 billion years ago. The new study stretches the time span of the presence of lakes and streams on the Martian surface, which means the planet was capable of hosting life for nearly a billion years longer than first thought.

"A key goal for Mars exploration is to understand when and where liquid water was present in sufficient volume to alter the Martian surface and perhaps provide habitable environments," said Rich Zurek, MRO scientist. The recent findings are most likely to lead to more studies about how the frozen planet warmed up enough to allow a period of flowing water, as per reports. One of the theories forwarded include the extreme change in the red planet's axial tilt that led to more illumination of its polar ice.
Just as the population on Earth is growing, the strain on the planet's resources continues to increase each day. Although ecologists do assert that we haven't reached the extreme limit yet, we can't ignore the fact that Earth only has a finite amount of resources. It is necessary to start planning for the inevitable now and it may sound surprising but no other alternative is as promising as space resources.

Asteroid mining aims to acquire natural resources from all these extra-terrestrial objects including asteroids and other minor planetary bodies floating around in our solar system. Hollywood has already presented images of Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck as two well know asteroid miners; however, asteroid mining isn't at all science fiction. Asteroid mining is soon to become a reality, and there's a good reason for it.

According to a report published on NASA's official website, the mineral wealth that can be mined out from the asteroid belt that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is equivalent to 100 billion dollars for each person on Earth at present. It may be a lot of wealth, but nothing's more important than the fact that this means a lot of resources.

Chris Lewicki, CEO of Planetary Resources, an asteroid mining company stated earlier, "All of the things that are available to us on this planet, we have to bring it all with us when we go to space. That obviously, is not very scalable."

NASA also stated earlier that, by the end of 21st century, space exploration will be reliant upon what we can mine in the cosmos. A number of government as well as private companies are already working on these asteroid mining projects. Luxembourg had recently taken a 220 million fund for space mining projects whereas the U.S. also signed the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act into law, states Futurism.com. Private companies like Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries also have a number of techs in helping humanity dig for the cosmos.

Asteroid Mining:

There is obviously a difference between passing laws and actually working on technology to have a functioning mining operation. Earlier this year, the United Arab Emirates described their intention to establish some policy regarding space mining and earlier on, ministers of Luxembourg announced a very large initiative that their country is starting. So, it seems that the only actual obstruction is developing the required technology.

The asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is in fact about 330 million kilometers from Earth. Fortunately, Lewicki asserts that we may not have to go that far so as to find viable asteroids for mining. "That's the great benefit of all the near-Earth asteroids. There are about 14,000 that have been discovered, and a few thousand of them are actually far easier to make the journey to."

While asteroid mining seems like an enormous leap, it is quite important to remember that advancements take place in little measured steps. The technologies for asteroid sampling are reportedly already set for testing on Earth. Planetary Resources is going to launch Ceres, which are a series of Arkyd 100 satellites that will carry out advanced imaging of Earth. The satellites will be equipped with hyper-spectral sensors that can track water content, oil and gas leaks, and even forest fires. And so, the era of space mining is already well underway, providing an alternate source of energy resources for the consumers on Earth.
Scientists were finally able to describe and decode the molecular mechanisms behind a genetic mutation of metabolic enzymes linked in the development of brain cancer and leukemia.

This scientific breakthrough was done in a joint research by Frederick Antoine Mallette, of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre and the University of Montreal, and Marc-Etienne Huot, of Laval University. The researchers found out that the specific molecular modes of actions of a mutated metabolic enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenases 1,2 (IDH 1,2) particularly the metabolic activities involved in cancer cell formation. Through this findings, researchers can exploit this discovery to develop anti-cancer treatments that could specifically target these metabolic activities, as reported on Medical News Today.

"With the identification of the molecular modes of action that contribute to cancer in patients carrying IDH1/2 mutations, it is now possible to consider personalized treatment to potentially improve therapeutic response." Dr. Mallette said on the report.

Medical Times reported that brain cancer and leukemia are two diseases causing thousands of death in Canada annually. In a 2015 cancer statistics, brain cancer and leukemia caused 3,000 and 6,2000 diagnoses respectively. While on the statistics gathered by American Cancer Society, leukemia is the leading cancer developed by children which accounts to 1 for every 3 cancers for 19 years old and below. Both cancer types are generally considered as the most fatal of all cancer types. What worsens the situation is that the treatment for these cancers is very expensive with a relatively low chance of survival and recovery rate. Also, Researchers confirmed that some genetic mutations linked to brain and blood cancer formation is said to be hereditary like the one caused by Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Meanwhile, this research that was published in Nature Communications, was funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada Research Chairs Program, Cole Foundation, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, and the Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Sante.
Present on the stage National President of Bhartiya Janata Party , respected Sri Rajnath Singh Ji, respected Nitin Gadkari Ji, Gopi Nath Munde Ji, Sri Rajiv Pratap Rudiji, Sri Devendra Ji, Eknath Tharse Ji, Bhai Vinod Tawade Ji, Ashish Selar Ji, all the senior party leaders present on the dais, and my regards to all including Chatrapati Shivaji, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Ji, Chatrapati Sahuji, Mahatama Fule ji.

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Its my belief that Maharashtra to play a crucial role in making India Congress-free, Brothers and Sisters, I have a believe that perhaps none has witnessed such a mammoth crowd in the history of Mumbai- I am watching the people who have assembled in such a large number here. I want to salute Maharashtra, BJP, Mumbai BJP and all its workers for their extra ordinary effort, they have been crucial to making this historic event come true and they have been successful. I also believe that people will go to their native place with firm conviction in the all corners of Maharashtra. Brother and sisters, Mumbai is like a second home to us Gujaratis. Gujarati language prospers here in Mumbai. Mumbai is like mother land (maikaa) for Gujarati language. And Before 1960, we belonged to one state- Greater Maharashtra, we separated some fifty years ago and thus Maharashtra is like our elder brother - Gujarat is the younger sibling. But Brother and sisters, when the two states separated, there were questions on how Gujarat will develop. Gujarat doesn't have natural resources or industry and was located between a desert (Rajasthan) on one side and Pakistan on the other. That time we don't had anything but today, we overcame all of that and have shown that the most inclement situations can be turned around. With its hard work and dedication Gujarat has scaled new heights.

Brothers and sisters, when I was looking at the Gujarat and Maharashtra yesterday, which our media friends may also have missed - Gujarat and Maharashtra both have started working as an separate state from May 01, 1960 - But in these years Gujarat has seen 14 CMs while Maharashtra has seen 26 CMs. It is because one leader here always wants to pull the chair of other leader. Now tell me, what kind of politics would this state be having?

Brother and sisters, This reflects the character of the Congress government. If we don't understand it, the country's problems will not be solved. The root causes of the problems of India are not its people or its geography or its history or its natural resources - It is the Congress-led governments who are responsible. There is only solution India has to be rid of Congress and we will have to make this dream come true. It was Mumbai where from the August Kranti movement started with the slogan of "Quit India"- It was this movement that got India freedom. Today, from the same Mumbai, we need to hear cries of 'Congress-free India'.

Brother and sisters, Congress is deeply involved in vote-bank politics. Divide and rule has been the special characteristic of the Congress politics. This what Congress has learnt while fighting for independence from the British. India got freedom but had been divided into three pieces. Son of India, Sardar Patel has united India - the unity mantra heard all around, but at the other hand the Congress created deep divisions between brothers. Fight over language, caste, creed, sects, religion, natural resources, water, village vs cities - which ensures their vote bank politics secured . The problems we face won't be solved till we free India from vote bank politics and get it on path of development politics.

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Brothers and sisters, BJP has proved that it is dedicated to the mantra of development through its economic policies and political philosophy. The condition of poor, scheduled castes and tribes will not improve without development in this country . Some people will feel pain in their stomach if I start talking about Gujarat, so I want to discuss about Madhya Pradesh, which is accepted as Bimaru State. Congress govt had made Madhya Pradesh a sick state. But BJP govt under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan has excelled the state on the path of development. Today, Madhya Pradesh is no longer a BIMARU state.

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Brothers and sisters, there was not much progress in the agriculture field during Congress rule but BJP govt gave special attention to the agriculture sector. M.P govt spent money on irrigation projects. Brothers and sisters, now I can proudly say that there was a time when Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were number one in paddy farming but after efforts the BJP led govts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, we have witnesses record number of production of rice and wheat in the country- credit goes to the farmers and the citizen of the state too, for this achievement. What is the reason that in Maharashtra, irrigation projects have fallen in ditch due to corruption, farmers face repeated drought and are forced to commit suicide? What is the reason that every time Maharashtra farmers have to face drought situation? Maharashtra farmers face drought, commit suicide due to congress's wrong policies.

Brothers and sisters, I assure you the states ruled by the BJP will not have suffer from such problems. But friends, congress party does not believe in the politics of development. I am surprises that there is Congress govt at centre and whether congress leaders are in power or not all works are done on their direction. But Congress leaders make speeches, then it looks like they are speaking for some other govt, or even for some other country. I heard a speech of big Congress leader yesterday who was speaking on corruption. How Congress leaders even dare to talk about corruption? They are still making speeches despite indulging in corruption with innocent faces. And see the irony; the Adarsh commission report has indicted Maharashtra ministers. On one hand, Maharashtra government decides to save the corrupt and on the other, a Congress leader is giving sermons in Delhi on corruption. There is no correlation between the words and deeds of Congress leaders. Cong adopts 'divide & rule' policy to rule. Congress is deeply involved in minorityism, communalism. The Manmohan Singh government identified some 90 minority strongholds across India and announced special schemes for them. When asked, how much of the funds had been spent on these areas in three areas, this government said in Parliament that not a single rupee had been spent. This is live example of Congress' vote bank politics. Brothers and sisters there was tradition of Octroi in Gujarat as we separated from Maharashtra. We decided to take Octroi out of system to make way for reforms. We abolished Octroi from Gujarat. What Maharashtra has done? They put local body tax in the name of Octroi. Brothers and sisters you tell me- are you not agitated because local body tax ( LBT)? This is nothing but a way to loot people.

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Brothers and sisters, congress leaders were making speech on black money. Brothers and sisters, it their govt, so it is their responsibility to bring back black money. You ask any citizen of this country, everybody will tell you that robbers and thieves stash their black money in Swiss banks. Should we not bring that money back to India? Should we not spend that money on poor or the farmers living in villages?

All BJP MPs, under Advaniji's leadership, have given in writing that no BJP leader has money stashed in banks abroad. I want to challenge Congress to pass a law, form a committee in the Parliament, and bring this black money back to India in three years and give it to poor. But, brother and sisters they don't want to do this as they know that their partymen are immersed in this.

Brothers and sisters, I was watching television and reading newspapers in past two- three days that Tea-sellers in this rally have been given VIP passes, times have changed. I assure you my friends that not only tea-seller, every poor is a VIP for us. Friends this is the change of winds.

Few moments before Ashish Ji said that Congress had ensured blackout of cable TV in some areas so that people don't get to see Modi speak, Congress friends, Modi may not be there on TV screens but he has made place in hearts of people of the country."

Brothers-sisters, the biggest problem before the country today is unemployment - the youth of the country is craving for employment - he needs employment - he is ready to work hard - he is ready to leave his family and village - but the youngsters of the country are deeply disappointed - you can imagine - over 35% of the Indian population is below 35 years - what miracle is not within reach for a country that is the youngest nation on the Earth with so much of youth power? - You tell me youngsters - shouldn't the youngsters get job opportunities? - shouldn't they get the opportunity to live with dignity? - But brothers-sisters - it doesn't reflect in the planning of the Delhi government that our youngster should live with dignity, should get opportunity and should contribute to the nation building - the whole world is pushing for skill development - and India is the only country that just keeps on making new committees - the prime ministers preside over the committees - and no meetings of such committees are held for 3 years.

Brothers-sisters, there should be emphasis on skill development - they should think for the dignity of our poor labourer - 'Shram-aiv-Jayate' should be the Mantra in India - the labourer should be honoured, it should be the Mantra of our country - and it can happen brothers-sisters, I want to give example of Gujarat - what can we do for the dignity of a person living an ordinary life? - And it doesn't need a huge budget - we took a small decision - if the child of a poor family can't study, if goes to ITI, he becomes turner, fitter, plumber, wireman, runs machines - these small jobs - does courses of one-year, two-year duration - and after that, he keeps on looking for job - we took a historical decision - we said the child who, after passing 7th, 8th, 9th, does ITI for two years, will be considered 10th pass - the child who does ITI after 10th will be considered equivalent to 12th pass - later on, if he wants to pursue diploma engineering, he can go through that - if he want to join degree engineering by doing good in diploma, door are open for him - and due to that - the son of a poor mother, of a widow has got this opportunity - can't it happen so in India? - But brothers-sisters, the government sitting in Delhi doesn't care for the youngsters for the country

And this is not just it - corruption, brothers-sisters, and such a hideous corruption - shouldn't this country be free of corruption? - Should corruption end? - Can it happen? - It can happen; I give you an interesting example - brothers-sisters - in our Gujarat, there is a check-post in Bilad, and your Maharashtra has one in Acchad - on a same road - on one side is the Gujarat check-post and 2 Kms away is the Maharashtra check-post - second, Gujarat has check-post in Songarh and Maharashtra in Nawapur - on that route, the vehicles that cross through the Gujarat check-post, also cross the Maharashtra check-post - the rates are similar at Gujarat and Maharashtra check-posts - but the difference between Gujarat and Maharashtra check-posts are - Gujarat's check-posts are technology driven using information-technology network and machines, minimizing human intervention - and at Maharashtra check-post, it is done manually - and the result is - friends, in the last 10 years, the income from the Maharashtra check-post, is 437 crore - and the income of the Gujarat check-post is 1470 crore - at the very same check-post, the income of Gujarat is 1033 crore more than Maharashtra's - you tell me - where did this 1033 crore of Maharashtra go? - Shouldn't Congress answer this?

Brothers-sisters, it is not that there are no solutions to the problems - today, a youngster, no matter how qualified he is, how many degrees he has - he keeps on applying for jobs - youngsters, you keep applying for jobs, taking exams, but even after that, are you confident of getting job? - Marks are good, has written the paper, it has gone well - but looks for someone known before the interview who can recommend - because if there would be no recommendation, no matter how many marks one has got, one would not get the job - and what one needs for recommendation - Mahatma Gandhi is needed - the bundle of notes with the picture of Mahatma Gandhi is needed - if there isn't the bundle of the notes with Mahatma Gandhi's pictures, nothing moves in the interview - friends, isn't that so? - From where a poor mother's son would bring recommendation, from where a widow mother's son would arrange the bundle of notes with Mahatma Gandhi's pictures? - Would he live such a life?

Brothers-sisters, there is solution to that - we carried an experiment in Gujarat - we had to recruit 13000 teachers - we decided we would not conduct interviews - we asked everyone to feed such and such information in computer - lakhs of youngsters did so - we asked the computer to prepare a list of first 13000 based on marks - the persons figuring in that list were given job offers and they are working as teachers now

Who says corruption cannot be done away with - brothers-sisters, if the country decides once that we have to change the circumstances - then brothers-sisters, circumstances can be changed - here in Maharashtra, do you get 24-hour electricity brother? - Please speak - do villages get electricity? - Don't get, isn't it? - In your neighbourhood, in Gujarat - electricity is supplied 365 days, 24 hours - whenever I go to Shirdi or Nashik by road via Saputara - once I asked how could we identify which village was in Gujarat or which one in Maharashtra, as all the boards of the villages were similar, then people told me, sir, "Sir, there is no need to look on boards, the village that is in dark is in Maharashtra while the village that has light is in Gujarat." - Why brothers? - And there is reason behind it - their policies are responsible for it

Brothers-sisters, you would be aware of the Sardar Sarovar dam of Gujarat built on River Narmada- the dam also generates electricity - and Maharashtra, too, has some right on that electricity - bigger is the generation of electricity, Maharashtra gets more of it - but to generate electricity, water is needed - now, the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam is complete, only gets are to be placed - it is now five years, but the Congress government of Delhi doesn't allow to place the gates due to political reasons - we said, I said to the prime ministers - let's have the gates placed - if water storage causes some problem to any village, we would not close the gate and let the water pass - but, at least, let's place the gates first - gates are ready but are so big that it will take three years to put them in place - it is now six years that we are not getting permission - brothers-sisters, if the government of Delhi gives us the permission to place the gates - you tell the chief minister in Maharashtra, you pressure him that he put pressure on the Congress government in Delhi - and if the gates are placed on Sardar Sarovar dam, Maharashtra can get free electricity worth 400 crore every year - now, you see - we are ready to give, but they do not have time to take it

Brothers-sisters, if we want to bring development, it can happen - brothers-sisters, the biggest problem before the country is good governance - we got 'Swarajya' but we didn't get 'Surajya'; didn't get 'Susashan' - from this very land of Maharashtra, Lokmanya Tilak had given a Mantra, "Swarajya Mera Janmasiddh Adhikar Hai" - brothers-sisters, the nation fought with "Swarajya Mera Janmasiddh Adhikar Hai" - and we got 'Swarajya' - today, the need of the time is - that we all demand that 'Surajya Mera Janmasiddh Adhikar Hai' - before Independence, 'Swarajya' was our birthright, after Independence, 'Surajya' is our birthright

Today, bad governance is the root-cause of every problem - and brothers-sisters - it doesn't matter how healthy your body is, how strong it looks - weight is good, height is good, sleep is good, no breathing problem, everything is ok - but if affected with Diabetes once, even if doesn't affect the looks, it gradually causes many other diseases, and gradually, the whole body gets damaged - this bad governance, too, is like the Diabetes

In a state, this bad governance, like the Diabetes, becomes the reason behind every illness - and therefore, brothers-sisters - until we don't to the politics of 'Susashan' - until we don't follow 'Susashan' while moving ahead - we will not be able to do any good to the country - and therefore, brothers-sisters, when I have come to you here today - I have come to speak on pushing for good governance

Brothers-sisters, see the difference between two visions - on one side, India' pride INS Vikrant - the Indian Army is proud of - the INS Vikrant making India proud in the battlefield - the Delhi government is hell-bent on dismantling this historical heritage into pieces - is planning to sell it to convert it into pieces - and on the other side, see the Gujarat's vision - we are dreaming to make a grand monument by collecting pieces of iron from the different corners of India, from farmers - we are dreaming to create a heritage of history - by bringing the pieces, we want to realize the dream of unity; we want to make alive the heritage of history - and these people - they are planning to dismember the historical heritage turning it into pieces - this is the difference in visions

Brothers-sisters, when I have come to the land of Mumbai today, I want to remember the Bollywood; I want to remember the film industry - brothers-sisters, this is the centenary year of the film industry - nowhere in the world so many films are made, nowhere in the world films are made in so many languages - we have a unique treasure, a unique strength - if there had been vision and rationality - if the governments of Delhi and Maharashtra had planned significant steps to take the film industry centenary to newer highs - holding seminars discussing technology, discussing contribution of the film industry in the nation-building, dreaming for new, for more - shouldn't there be a film university in India when so many films are being made - a full-fledged university for the film industry, for human resource development, for technological research, for historical research? - But brothers-sisters, the people neck-deep in the votebank politics - they missed such a big opportunity

Brothers-sisters, I want you to speak a slogan today - would you speak? - Would you speak with full strength? - See, in elections, votes are sought in the name of the party- in so many elections held in the country, votes were sought for parties - but, for 2014 elections, I want the votes be sought in the name of the country and not in the name of party - nation is bigger than party and therefore brothers-sisters, we want to move ahead by taking a Mantra - we want to take the voice raised in Mumbai to the whole country in the 2014 elections - and we want to tell it to the nation that vote for the nation in 2014 elections and not for the party - and we want to say 'vote for India'

'Vote for India'- brothers-sisters, I say - and will you say 'vote for India' after me, will you? - You have to say 'vote for India' will you? - for liberation from dynasties- please speak with full strength - for liberation from dynasties - for liberation from nepotism - for liberation from corruption - for liberation from price rise - for liberation from bad administration - for unity of India - for one India, best India - for the politics of 'Suraj' - for the politics of 'Susashan' - for the politics of development - for the defense of the country - for security of everyone - for houses to live - for food - for medicine for the ill - for welfare of the poor - for improving education - for job opportunities for the youngsters - for dignity of women - for welfare of farmers - for a self-supporting India - for a strong India - for a prosperous India - for a progressive India - brothers-sisters - 'vote for India' - 'vote for India' -'vote for India' - with this Mantra, we reach to each corner of the country.

Please say with me with full strength, with fists closed, with raised hands - 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' - 'Vande Mataram'.

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FLORENCE, S.C.  Harvest Hope is searching for volunteers to help sort and categorize food donations.

The nonprofit organization works with 145 partner agencies to supply food for eight counties across the Pee Dee. Harvest Hope supplies area food banks, organizes mobile food pantries and oversees feeding programs for children and senior citizens.

Harvest Hope distributed more than 25 million pounds of food last year, enough to provide almost 20 million meals to feed struggling people every week throughout 20 South Carolina counties, according to the organizations annual report.

And Harvest Hope volunteers play an integral role in the organizations success.

We rely on our volunteers," said Donna Lollis, donor relations manager at Harvest Hope in Florence . "I dont know of any nonprofit that could survive without their volunteers. I think every nonprofit needs somebody to come along beside them, partner with them and help them reach their goals.

In 2015, 224 volunteers provided just over 4,500 hours of work at the Florence branch of Harvest Hope. Volunteers primarily sort food from food drives, ensuring that food items are not expired, damaged or recalled. They also pack pack-to-feed boxes which are taken out on the mobile food pantry, Lollis said.

Both individuals and groups can sign up to volunteer at Harvest Hope. Individuals are required to go through a short training. If a group signs up, just one member is required to go through the training.

It is a wonderful way to give back to your community and also learn about what we do and have a little fun in the mix of it, Lollis said. We all want to give back; sometimes we just dont know where. We may not always be able to do a food drive or give a monetary donation, but volunteers are important because its an integral part of what we do.

Volunteer shifts are available Monday through Thursday, 8 to 11 a.m. or 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sign up at www.harvesthope.org/Florence-orientation or contact Rebecca Jones at rjones@harvesthope.org or 843-661-0826 ext. 1115 for more information.

The Florence branch is at 2513 West Lucas Road at the back of the Pee Dee State Farmers Market.
A 29-year-old and his friend were chased and allegedly beaten up by gau rakshaks as a calf they were "illegally" transporting in their car died in an accident.

By Gopi Maniar Ghanghar : Cow vigilantism claimed yet another life in Gujarat, this time in Ahmedabad. A 29-year-old man, who was allegedly beaten up by gau rakshaks four days ago, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Ahmedabad on Friday.

As the news of the death spreads, a steady stream of people have been gathering outside the V.S. Hospital. Police officials too have been stationed at the hospital in anticipation of a law and order situation.

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WHAT HAD HAPPENED

Mohammad Ayyub was allegedly attacked by a group of cow vigilantes on Tuesday, a day after Bakri Eid, when he and his friend Sameer Sheikh were bringing a cow and a calf to Ahmedabad, police said.

"People are saying that they found a cow in the car but that doesn't mean that they should take the law in their hands," said Rozar Khan, Ayyub's uncle.

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India Today expose: How Gau Rakshaks turn into extortion mafias



In the wee hours of Tuesday, Ayyub's car had a collision with another car on the highway, leading to the death of the calf, police said.

Ayyub, who was also injured in the accident, tried to flee but was chased by a group of men and beaten up, police said.

His friend Sheikh, however, was saved by a policeman who was on duty nearby.

MANY COMPLAINTS, MANY ALLEGATIONS

Police first registered a complaint of accident. Later, a complaint was filed by three gau rakshaks against Ayyub and Sheikh for illegally transporting the animals.

Later, on scanning the CCTV footage, the police saw that the duo were beaten up by some men. Following this, they registered another complaint against those who were thrashing the two.

Ayyub's family claimed that the three gau rakshaks are among those who attacked Ayyub and Sheikh. Police, however, said that there was no evidence to suggest the same.

"We had detained them as well but Sheikh could not identify them. Also, we haven't got any evidence to establish their presence at the spot," said R.R. Bhagat, a senior police officer.

"We have filed an attempt to murder case against unknown people," he said.

Ayyub's family alleged that Sheikh refused to identify the cow vigilantes under pressure. "By filing the complaint, it's clear that they were at the spot," said Rozar Khan.

ALSO READ

Exclusive: Yes, we are goons, say Punjab's self-appointed cow vigilantes



--- ENDS ---
Image: A classic view of the Loch Ness Monster, near Inverness, Scotland, that was taken in April 19, 1934. It was later revealed as a hoax (Getty)

A recent photograph claimed to be of the elusive Loch Ness monster is making waves and stirring controversy online.

The Huffington Post explained the story behind what many people are calling "the most convincing Loch Ness Monster photograph ever": Whiskey warehouse worker -- no jokes please -- Ian Bremner "was looking to photograph some red deer, but instead found what he says could be Nessie having an afternoon swim, he told 'The Scotsman.' 'This is the first time I've ever seen Nessie in the loch. I would be amazing if I was the first one to find her,' Bremner said." He claims that he didn't see the strange creature at the time, but only noticed it upon returning home and reviewing his photos.

RELATED: Loch Ness Monster Find Is a Film Prop

The Loch Ness monster first achieved notoriety in 1933 after a story was published in a local newspaper describing not a monstrous head or hump but instead a splashing in the water that appeared to be caused, the photographer said, by fighting ducks. A famous photograph showing a mysterious head and neck in silhouette brought Nessie international fame, but was later revealed to be a hoax.

Most photographs of Nessie, like those of Bigfoot, are famously blurry and ambiguous: Is that blob a shaded tree stump or a Bigfoot leg? Is that dark curved thing in the water a wave or the back of a lake monster? It's usually hard to tell what, if anything, the image is of.

Bremner's photo is far clearer, better lit, and sharper than previous Nessie images. Some are suggesting that the new photo may even conclusively prove the beast's existence. In this case, however, the new photo's clarity is its undoing. A closer look reveals why.
In the field of international relations, there is not always a clear distinction between "good guys" and "bad guys." The complex interplay among national interests, resource scarcity and even gaps in cultural understanding among other variables tend to complicate these sorts of black-and-white distinctions... most of the time.

Sometimes, however, it is clear who the "bad guys" are, typically ruthless, power-drunk, genocidal despots who imprison, assault, torture and even kill their own people. Throughout modern history, these sorts of regimes seemingly do everything in their power to render themselves international pariahs, but instead find support in their global partners.

WATCH VIDEO: Who Are the Longest Reigning Dictators?

But who would ever back such a brutal government? Well, it turns out the United States has, repeatedly, as Laura Ling explains in this video.

Take Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge leader responsible for the deaths of up to a quarter of Cambodia's 7 million people in the late 1970s.

First, a bombing campaign launched in Cambodia during the Vietnam War led to instability that created a vacuum for the Khmer Rouge's ascension to power. The United States even encouraged China to support the despot simply to thwart the influence of Vietnam and the Soviet Union. Later, after the exile of Pol Pot, the United States clandestinely funded the former dictator and his supporters to the tune of $85 million in payments.

And Pol Pot is by no means some isolated beneficiary of U.S. support of a foreign dictatorship.

WATCH VIDEO: What Are the CIA's Biggest Failures?

A decade earlier, in 1967, Major General Suharto ascended to the presidency of Indonesia. By the time he was on top, Suharto had already made his bones, figuratively and pretty much literally, with the United States as a ruthless anti-Communist .

In 1965, in repelling a coup by the Indonesian Communist party, Suharto and his forces led "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century, along with the Soviet purges of the 1930s, the Nazi mass murders during the Second World War, and the Maoist bloodbath of the early 1950s," in the words of a 1968 CIA study titled, "Indonesia - 1965: The Coup That Backfired (PDF)."

"Backfired" is a bit of an understatement for the as many as 1 million Communists -- or simply suspected Communists -- killed and a further 1.5 million imprisoned. During the genocide, the United States allegedly provided economic, technical and military support to the Indonesian government in its hunt for suspected Communists.

Americans are rightly proud of their past, but to advance toward a better future, sometimes we have to take a closer look at the darker chapters of our history. Laura Ling has more.

-- Talal Al-Khatib

Learn More:

The Washington Post: Why the World Should Not Forget Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields of Cambodia

Human Rights Watch: Indonesia/US: Seek Justice for 1965-66 Mass Killings

BBC: Profile: Guatemala's Efrain Rios Montt
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Terming GST reform as a "game changer", Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha today said the government is working "overtime" to implement the indirect tax regime from April 1 next year.

The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2016, for introduction of the GST in the country was accorded assent by the President on September 8 and the same has been notified as the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016.

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"GST is the biggest game changer. But it is also a challenge. We are working overtime to make it happen from April 1, 2017," Sinha said at the Chief Secretaries Conclave organised by industry chamber PHDCCI here.

Government wants to implement the tax reform from April 1 next year so as to ensure a smooth rollover to the changed tax structure from the beginning of the new fiscal and to avoid mid-year alterations.

Sinha assured the gathering that the GST and other path breaking reforms that the government has committed to its people will be implemented as promised.

"A silent revolution is happening and despite teething problems, India would move on to accomplish the objectives and targets set in by the government in all sectors of economic activities with increased participations of all stakeholders to further improve the spirit of governance," he said.

The infrastructure sector - roads, civil aviation, energy, conventional and non-convention, power, petroleum and railways - have improved their performance as per targets, he said adding the civil aviation sector has begun to grow at the rate of 20 per cent, posing a serious challenge to railways in terms of traffic.

Speaking at another session in the conclave, CEO of the Niti Aayog Amitabh Kant said: "We are trying to build a spirit of competition on ease of doing business among states."

States are now competing among themselves to attract investors and this is a positive sign, he added.

He said the government is focused on innovation and trying to make India an easy simple place to do business.

The government has taken various steps to facilitate further improvement, including bringing in the bankruptcy law, e-biz platform for a single channel of approvals and a national company law tribunal, he added. PTI RNK ANU

--- ENDS ---
Pakistan is home to nearly 200 million, the sixth largest nation by population in the world. Counted among the 200 million are an ethnic minority group of just 4,000 people, known as the Kalash.

The Kalash are light-skinned minority group of about 4,000 people who inhabit a lush 1,000-square-mile valley in an isolated region of northeast Pakistan.

Watch Jules Suzdaltsev unravel the history of these mysterious people in this video.

How exactly did this indigenous group find its way into Pakistan? Although no historian can say for certain, the current consensus among scholars as well as local lore among the indigenous population is that the Kalash descended from Alexander the Great and his Macedonian forces, whose campaign of conquest engulfed much of East Asia around 300 B.C.

WATCH VIDEO: What Life Is Really Like in Pakistan

In 2014, an international team of researchers collected DNA samples from 1,490 people belonging to genetically distinct populations. What the researchers found, and published in the journal Science, in Kalash DNA was traces of European and Middle Eastern ancestry, bolstering the case that the Kalash are descendents of Alexander the Great and his army.

In a country where 96 percent of the population identify as Muslim, the Kalash have their own religion, a polytheistic faith that involves ancestor worth and a single "creator deity." The Kalash people also have their own language, culture and traditions.

WATCH VIDEO: Are the U.S. and Pakistan Really Allies?

These religious and cultural differences have occasionally led to clashes in a part of the world not exactly known for moderation. Neighboring Muslim communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been a threat to the Kalash, with many falling victim to assaults, robberies and conversion attempts by both the Taliban and even local Muslims.

Because of the small size of the Kalash community and the encroachment of the outside world, the Kalash have sought protection both from the Pakistani government and United Nations.

-- Talal Al-Khatib

Learn More:

CNN: Kalasha: Happiest People in Pakistan?

BBC: Pakistan Clashes Over Kalash Teenager's Conversion

Washington Post: A Little-known Pakistani Tribe that Loves Wine and Whiskey Fears its Muslim Neighbors
Bam urges gov't to clarify foreign policy direction

A senator wants the government to clarify the foreign policy direction that it plans to take, given the variety of statements issued by President Duterte and other administration officials.

Sen. Bam Aquino said he will file a resolution to clarify the matter so that national interest will not be compromised.

"Kailangan natin malaman kung ano ba talaga ang foreign policy ng administrasyon, particularly with regard to the US," said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam saw this need for clarification after President Duterte reportedly said in a speech before newly appointed civil servants last September 12, that American troops must leave Mindanao.

On the contrary, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella maintained President Duterte's statement was not official policy and that American troops will remain in Mindanao.

On September 13, President Duterte also announced that the Philippines would no longer engage in joint maritime patrols with the US in order to avoid hostilities.

But in September 15, Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay was reported to say that the joint patrols with the US will continue, "because this is our commitment to the United States."

In addition, President Duterte reportedly mentioned that the Philippines is considering the procurement of military equipment from Russia and China.

But Abella later cleared this up when he said that the government would continue to honor its present agreements with the United States.

"Given recent conflicting statements from the President and government representatives, there is a need to clarify government's approach to foreign relations and ensure a clear and coherent foreign policy towards ensuring our national interest," Sen. Bam said.
Press Release

September 16, 2016 SENATOR DE LIMA'S STATEMENT ON THE SENATE PRESIDENT'S REFUSAL TO GRANT PROTECTIVE CUSTODY TO EDGAR MATOBATO I am perplexed, disturbed, and extremely disappointed with the Senate President's refusal to grant protective custody to Edgar Matobato. The grant of protective custody to witnesses may not be in the Rules, but this is a long-standing practice, probably in any legislative body in the world, because it is an ancillary and inherent power of the legislature to support its mandate of conducting inquiries in aid of legislation. The grant of protective custody, like the power to cite in contempt, is one of the ancillary powers inherent in the Senate Committees conducting legislative inquiries. In light of this, I am withdrawing the Committee's request asking the Senate President to approve the Committee recommendation for the grant of protective custody to Matobato. Instead, I will bring the issue to the Committee, with the end in view of asserting our inherent and ancillary power as a Senate Committee conducting an inquiry in aid of legislation to grant the witness protective custody of the Senate. The grant of protective custody, like the power to cite in contempt, is a Senate power, not a prerogative of the Senate President. It is my submission that the Committee on Justice and Human Rights as a standing committee of the Senate has the authority to grant protective custody to a witness testifying before it, on behalf of the Senate as a whole. The protection of Senate witnesses is paramount, especially those who have endangered and are willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to shed light on criminal wrongdoings upon the invitation of the Senate. This is undertaken as a matter of course, since it is the automatic obligation of the Senate to protect witnesses who have entrusted their security to this body in exchange for the vital information only they are able to share in aid of legislation. We are even hard put in searching for a precedent where protective custody was refused to a witness who needed it. We cannot now pretend that the explosive testimony of Edgar Matobato fails to meet precedents on previous grants of protection. Edgar Matobato has provided the Senate vital information that sheds light on the whole complexity of the President's War on Drugs, especially on the similarity of the strategy adopted by the DDS and that of the vigilantes that now roam the whole country. The relevance of his testimony to the inquiry on extra-judicial killings is self-evident. Regardless of the personalities involved, his testimony merely shows that what is transpiring now in this country has happened before in Davao City. His testimony raises the legitimate question of whether the DDS has anything to do or is in fact involved in the nationwide War on Drugs, at least insofar as the aspect of extra-judicial and vigilante killings are concerned. No other government agency or office is in a position to provide protective custody to this witness. The circumstances leave no doubt, considering that it is the President who is being accused by the witness, that his security and custody cannot be left to any agency of the Executive Branch, leaving the Senate as his only choice for sanctuary. It is therefore highly irregular and incomprehensible for the Senate to be unable to perform this obligation to a witness whom it has invited on the basis of the vital information only he can provide to an inquiry conducted in aid of legislation.
Press Release

September 16, 2016 Legarda: Healing of Ozone Layer Proves We Can Protect the Earth In celebration of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (September 16), Senator Loren Legarda encouraged everyone to continue to do their part in helping heal the ozone layer while also taking action to address other environmental concerns such as climate change. "The healing of our ozone layer through every nation's adherence to the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol is proof that when nations unite and work together, we can fight a challenge as great as ozone layer depletion. This should inspire us as we now aim to halt further warming of the planet," said Legarda, the UN Global Champion for Resilience. In 1985, alarmed by the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica, nations adopted the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. This was followed in 1987 by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which banned the use of substances that are responsible for ozone depletion such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). All members of the United Nations ratified the two treaties. Three decades after the Vienna Convention was adopted, scientists confirm that the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica is beginning to close. According to recent research by the University of Leeds and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the hole may close permanently by 2050. However, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has now raised concerns over the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which replaced the CFCs and the HCFCs. While the HFCs are good for the ozone layer, they contribute to global warming. In line with this, the 27th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda next month aims to reach a global consensus on phasing out HFCs. "I am happy that the ozone layer is now gradually recovering, but now we are faced with challenges brought about by climate change. We must continue with our efforts towards healing the ozone layer but we must also take urgent action to limit global warming to 1.5C," said Legarda. "As we celebrate International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, let us be reminded that no challenge is too great if all nations, all of humanity, will unite to protect our only home. Development need not come at the cost of the environment and the survival of the Earth. Our actions must be geared towards development that is sustainable, one that ensures a livable world for future generations," Legarda concluded.
Press Release

September 16, 2016 Recto: Livestream major infra projects, feed footage to Palace for Digong's viewing If CCTVs are now being trained on government office workers, work on critical government infrastructure can also be livestreamed. Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said one way to speed up the completion of traffic jam-causing road constructions is to install a camera which would allow Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials and the public to monitor progress, or the lack of it, real-time. For "big-ticket flagship" projects, Recto said footage of jobsite cameras can be fed to Malacanang, where President Duterte can see it. He said Dutertecan benefit from having a war room solely dedicated to monitoring infrastructure projects. Noting that "there's a Big Brother watching minimum wage janitors in many offices today like the Bureau of Customs," Recto said such a setup could be applied to projects "that cost billions in taxpayer's money." Recto said rush jobs like the weekend repair of critical stretches of major urban roads can benefit from this kind of "benevolent surveillance." If that kind of "remote monitoring" is being used by owners of houses being built, many of whom are abroad, then the same should be done on major infrastructure projects, the senator said. Recto said if a construction site is already captured by existing road cameras or from one mounted on a private building, "then we can ask the one controlling it to share the footage." "Kung MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) camera at sapul ang isang road reblocking, baka pwede i-share online," Recto said. If livestreaming cannot be done for technical reasons, Recto said both government agencies funding infrastructure projects and private contractors should create a platform "where time-lapse still photos can be viewed by the public." "Gusto natin ang proyektong permanenteng nag-se-selfie," Recto said. Recto said livestreaming is one IT-based "helper" that enables transparency in large-scale public works undertaking. Another, he said, is for government to open an account or page for government infrastructure projects in the popular social networking site Facebook (FB) so that people can track their progress and monitor their implementation. "If there are proposed classrooms in a town, then the field office of the DPWH can open an 'FB Page on the Construction of Classrooms in the Town of Santa Maria,' adding there details such as the cost, timetable, name of contractor, and approved budget ceiling," he said. And with most mobile phones nowadays functioning as cameras too, it will be easy to upload pictures showing construction progress on the FB group account. "If there's a post saying it is proceeding as scheduled, then you can 'like' it. If there's a photo showing no work has been done, then you can share it. Either way, you can comment to give your praise or displeasure. Pwede ka sumama sa 'unlikers'," Recto explained. He said bringing monitoring online, through a popular social media site, would allow more people to be involved, "unlike the traditional methods of divulging project details." "Kung yung usual karatula lang yan o tarpaulin sa project site mismo, yung dumadaan lang ang nakakakita. Paano kung isang irrigation reservoir sa bundok na unggoy lang ang nakatira? Mayroon bang makakabasa ng billboard doon?" he asked.
Press Release

September 16, 2016 Villar promotes the Philippines as an agri-tourism destination at China-ASEAN Expo Sen. Cynthia Villar promoted the Philippines as an agri-tourism destination as she led the Philippine delegation at the China- ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) held in Nanning, Guangxi, China. The Philippines' theme this year is agri-tourism supplementing the bid to promote the Philippines as a destination of choice for agri-tourism. The theme is anchored on "Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016", enacted into law as Republic Act 10816 last May. Villar as then chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, authored and principally sponsored the said law. "The Philippines is blessed with abundant natural resources, biological diversity and cultural heritage. Our country has what it takes to take a strong lead in agri or farm tourism, that is the main motivation for me, my fellow legislators and industry stakeholders to put in place an enabling law that improve the industry standards, professionalize the industry players and boost the growth of the industry," Villar said in her speech at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center. Villar noted that the key essence of the Farm Tourism Development Law is that the Philippine government "recognizes that tourism, coupled with agriculture extension services, can disseminate the value of agriculture in the economic and cultural development of the country, serve as a catalyst for the development of agriculture and fishery communities, and provide additional income for Filipino farmers, farm workers, and fisherfolk." Under the law, the formulation and implementation of the Farm Tourism Strategic Action Plan will put in place a "comprehensive set of programs, projects and activities for the growth of farm tourism in the country". Villar said the country's participation in the CAExpo is an ideal opportunity to promote what the Philippines can offer in agri-tourism. The number of farm tourism sites and destination is expected to increase since the law encourages the establishment of at least one farm tourism camp in every province in the Philippines. "We invite you to visit the Philippines and check out our farm tourism sites, both as a tourist and as a businessman or investor. The timing of your next visit could not have been more perfect since agri-tourism is now considered a sunshine industry and with the new law in place, the opportunities and possibilities will become even more exciting in the next few years," Villar added. The Philippine Pavilion at the CAExpo features the Authority Freeport Area of Bataan, Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority, and General Santos City as the Philippines' City of Charm 2016. Also on display are the top products of 28 Filipino companies. Held from September 11 to 14, CAExpo is China's second-biggest international trade event with 4,600 display booths that attract some 57,000 participants. It is the only fair dedicated to the promotion of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area for regional trade and economic cooperation. The Philippine contingent are composed of 28 Filipino companies, General Santos City Government, investment promotion agencies and almost 100 delegates from the private and government sectors.
Press Release

September 17, 2016 ANGARA URGES GOVT TO MAKE TOURISM A PRIORITY TO HELP SOLVE PH UNEMPLOYMENT Senator Sonny Angara has urged the government to prioritize tourism growth in the country which he said is an effective way to provide jobs for Filipinos. Angara has also joined calls to increase the tourism budget as the proposed allocation for the Department of Tourism (DOT) was reduced from the current year's P3.6 billion to P2.4 billion for 2017. Of the total P2.4-billion budget, P300 million would be allotted for branding, which is a huge drop from the P1.1 billion in 2016. DOT Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo explained that the department still have unused funds from this year's allocation that can fill the budget gap next year. "Our country has so much to offer--we have the world's best islands--and I think we haven't advanced Philippine tourism as much as we should in order to attract the same number of foreign tourists, or even more, as our neighboring countries," Angara said. The senator lamented that while visitor arrivals in the country continue to rise, with a total of 5.36 million foreign visitors in 2015, this only accounted for 1.9 percent of the total international tourist arrivals in the Asia-Pacific region, based on the latest data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The Philippines falls far behind its Southeast Asian neighbors--Thailand with 29.9 million foreign visitors last year or 10.7 percent of the total Asia-Pacific region international tourist arrivals; Malaysia with 25.7 million foreign visitors (9.2 percent); Singapore with 12.1 million foreign visitors (4.3 percent); Indonesia with 10.4 million foreign visitors (3.7 percent); and, Vietnam with 7.9 million foreign visitors (2.8 percent). The DOT said it is targeting 6.5 million foreign tourists arrivals in 2017, and up to 12 million foreign visitors by 2022. "We must realize the potential of the tourism industry as a major economic driver and job generator for the country. There's still so much room for our tourism to grow," said Angara, one of the authors of the Tourism Act of 2009 which helped gear the Philippines not only as a premiere travel destination but also as an investment haven for domestic and foreign investors. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council's Economic Impact 2016 study, tourism provided jobs to four million Filipinos or about 10 percent of the total employed Filipinos in 2015. This includes employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services, and activities of the restaurant and leisure industries directly supported by tourists. "Some of these jobs can hire even those who did not reach college. Sa dami ng kabataan natin ngayon na hindi nakapagtapos ng kolehiyo dahil kapos sa buhay, ang tourism sector ang isa sa mga pwedeng mag-absorb sa kanila at makapagbigay ng trabaho upang maiangat sila mula sa kahirapan," the lawmaker said. Angara commended Bohol's tourism recovery program after being hit by an earthquake and a typhoon in 2013 that caused a sharp decline in tourist arrivals in the island. "Bohol invested in tourism to bounce back from such calamity. Now, tourism has become the third biggest income provider for most households in the province, and the locals begin setting up their own businesses to take advantage of the rising number of tourists," the senator said. He added that with the increase in tourism budget and in close coordination with the Department of Transportation and Department of Public Works and Highways, the government can build the necessary infrastructure, fix and build new airports, improve road networks, and boost its tourism marketing campaign so as to sustain the country's tourism significant growth over the past years.
About 1,200 residents of the society staged a protest, on Thursday, followed by a 'dharna' at Greater Noida authority and Pari Chowk.

People who lived in an incomplete residential project in Zeta-1 area of Greater Noida since last two years have come to streets after power and water supply were disconnected and eviction notice was hung by builder on Thursday.

By Shashank Shekhar: Over a thousand of families who have been living in an incomplete residential project in Zeta-1 area of Greater Noida since last two years came to streets after power and water supply were disconnected and eviction notice was hung by the builder on Thursday night.

Residents who have already taken loan for their houses have been staying "illegally" in multi-storied AVJ heights, which is an incomplete project on ground with dues amounting to several crores to Greater Noida authority, Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL) and other government agencies.

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About 1,200 residents of the society staged a protest, on Thursday, followed by a 'dharna' at Greater Noida authority and Pari Chowk. They had stopped the traffic at Pari Chowk when police had to lathi-charge to disperse them and bring the situation under control. Superintendent of Police (rural) Abhishek Yadav intervened and found that both builders and residents have violated rules. Builder has not completed the project, which lacks fire safety certification.

STALLED PROJECTS

Buyers were promised possession of their flats in 2014. Residents claims that NPCL has disconnected their electricity connection on Tuesday but their generators installed in the building was functional but finally on Thursday builder switched it off and asked them to vacate the property.

Nearly 1,000 residents held a protest following which a joint meeting of authority and discom was held by the police on Wednesday restoring their power and water supply. Continuing the supply in lieu of a part payment within seven days, has been agreed upon. The residents claim that the builder had not paid the dues of Rs 86 crore to Greater Noida authority and Rs 45 lakh to the NPCL. To pay the pending dues, maintenance charges were increased two folds.

"We had a meeting with the authority officials, police and the power department. The police assured us of taking legal actions against the builder. Officials said we can continue to live in our flats in absence of completion certificate," said Dinesh Chandra Shukla of residents welfare association of AVJ Heights.

Residents claim that the builder was supposed to give possession letters, and instead only provided print outs of those. Vinay Jain, owner of the project however, told MAIL TODAY that regular protests by the buyers have badly hit his goodwill and resulted in the delay. He is ready to do what he had promised, provided the residents cooperate.

"Both the sides are at fault. Builder should have completed the project before asking people to shift. Buyers should have moved only after getting completion certificate and registering their property," said SP Yadav, who has made temporary arrangements. FIR of forgery has been registered against the builder.



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Builders, manufacturers, traders to puncture Modi's black money scheme









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The names of a veteran Santa Clara County sheriffs deputy and a gun-wielding elderly man he shot in an encounter at a Saratoga home earlier this week were released by authorities Friday.

Eugene Craig, an 86-year-old Saratoga resident, was shot by Sgt. Doug Ulrich and later died as a result of his injuries at a local hospital, said Lt. James Jensen, a Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office spokesman.
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After more than five years as de facto head of the birther movement, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump finally conceded Friday that President Obama was born an American citizen.

President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period, a tight-faced Trump said in a brief statement at the end of an event at his new hotel in Washington, D.C. Now we can all get back to making America strong and great again.

Trump also accused Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton of being the first to attack Obamas citizenship, something the former secretary of state has denied and media fact-checkers say is false. He quickly left the hotel ballroom, ignoring shouted questions from reporters.

But he and his supporters might be the only people in America convinced the dispute will now disappear.

Trump has spent years peddling a racist conspiracy aimed at undermining the first African American president, Clinton said in a tweet Friday. He can't just take it back.

For Trump, the controversy marked the end of a week when he tried to finally put the birther issue behind him, only to apparently step on his own message.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Earlier this month, for example, both Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a top Trump supporter, said the billionaire developer now believes Obama was born in this country. It was an apparent attempt to toss some old baggage off the Trump bandwagon as polls show the presidential race tightening.

But in an interview with the Washington Post published Thursday, Trump refused to say whether he believed that the president was born in Hawaii in 1961, rather than in his fathers native country of Kenya, as many in the birther movement have argued.

Trump declined to say whether he believes Obama was born in Hawaii.

Ill answer that question at the right time, Trump said. I just dont want to answer it yet.

But later Thursday, the campaign hastily moved back on message, with campaign spokesman Jason Miller crediting Trump with closing out the birther issue in 2011.

Having successfully obtained President Obamas birth certificate when others could not, Mr. Trump believes that President Obama was born in the United States, Miller said in a statement.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

But it was Obama who released the birth certificate, not Trump. And far from ending the birther controversy years ago, Trump as recently as 2014 questioned the authenticity of the birth certificate, saying in an Irish television interview that a lot of people feel it wasnt a proper certificate.

This is what Trump does, said Katie Merrill, a Democratic consultant. Every time he has a couple of good days reading off the teleprompter, he goes off message and blows up again.

Fridays event was also typically Trump. At a Friday morning appearance on the Fox Business Network, Trump declined to discuss the birther issue, saying, We have to keep the suspense going, OK?

When he did turn to the question of the day, he devoted the first part of the event to a virtual infomercial for his newly opened Trump International Hotel and followed it with words from some of the former military people joining him onstage.

It was only in the final minute of the 30-minute event that Trump brought up the birther question and even then began with the provably false assertion that Clinton was the first to question Obamas citizenship.

Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it, Trump said.

It wasnt just Clinton who was outraged by Trumps brief dismissal of the issue that catapulted him into political prominence five years ago and his campaigns statement that Trump forced the president to release his birth certificate.

The idea that he handled it is a strident statement loaded with racism that he single-handedly brought this black man, the president of the United States, to heel, said James Taylor, a professor of politics and director of the African American Studies program at the University of San Francisco. And now the suggestion that hes not going to talk about his leadership of the birther movement will be an issue.

In a Washington, D.C., news conference Friday, members of the Congressional Black Caucus slammed Trump for declining to apologize to Obama. Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland called the November election a referendum on bigotry.

For the Trump campaign, the hope is that Fridays birther flareup will be a one-day wonder that will disappear from the headlines and let the Republican candidate continue his nonstop onslaught on Clinton, an attack that polls show seems to be working.

The birther issue is settled, Boris Epshteyn, a senior adviser to Trump, said on Fox News Friday. Now we have to focus on the economy and other important issues.

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.

With polls now suggesting Trump has a real shot at winning in November, the birther battle can be seen as an effort to clean Trump up, to make him look more presidential to the undecided voters who are worried about his blustering, bombastic personality, but who really dont want to vote for Clinton.

All the crazy things hes done now appear to be inoperative, to use a phrase from the Nixon era, said Tony Quinn, a former GOP consultant who now runs the nonpartisan California Target Book, an online almanac of state politics. Now they can just say this (birther stuff) and move on and do it in a way that gets a lot of coverage.

Trump already has backed off or trimmed some of his most controversial proposals, like a ban on Muslim immigration, deportation teams to oust the estimated 11 million undocumented residents from the country, and his proposed deep tax cuts.

Most voters wont pay much attention to the birther battle, Quinn said, since they will see it as just another plan, proposal or complaint from politicians running for office.

A lot of people are thinking, Lets make a change and see what happens, he said. Trump is about where Arnold (Schwarzenegger) was in 2003, where if he is sane for a month ... (people will) vote for Trump.

But Democrats are unlikely to let the birther question die, especially since it was Trump and his team who brought the issue back into play.

Donald Trump cannot walk away from this racist lie with a shrug and a wink, Donna Brazile, interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement Friday. He must apologize to President Obama, his family and the American people for this hateful and divisive lie.

Dont expect that to happen, said Merrill, the Democratic consultant.

Trump needs to answer for why he was the spokesman for the birther movement in the first place, she said, and say what happened to change his mind. Trump doesnt do well in the polls when hes forced to explain himself, which is why the Clinton campaign should keep the issue in the news, Merrill added.

The fact that he raised the birth issue just 11 days before the first presidential debate virtually guarantees that it will be an issue there, she said.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
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Owners of the popular Bay Area restaurant chain Burma Superstar fired back against charges made in a lawsuit that they didnt fairly pay their employees, calling the allegations frivolous and false.

In the Alameda County Superior Court lawsuit seeking class-action status, current and former kitchen workers slammed the Burmese food eatery for allegedly paying workers less than minimum wage, stiffing them on overtime pay and denying breaks and sick leave.

But a spokesman for Burma Superstar predicted the chains owners will be totally exonerated and will prevail in court.

The owners value their team as an extension of their family, and strive to treat everyone with the utmost respect, providing good wages and excellent benefits - well beyond what is required by federal, state and city laws, said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for the chains owners.

He said that for the last six years the owners have provided health care to employees, and that many of their workers have been with the company since the restaurants opened in 1992.

This frivolous lawsuit is based on false allegations, Ballard said.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three employees and around 100 similarly situated workers by attorneys for the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center, Asian Law Caucus and Centro Legal de la Raza. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified back wages, attorneys fees, and other penalties.

The allegations lodged by the workers involve all of the Burma Superstar locations, including Alameda, Oakland and San Francisco.

We are disappointed that the company is taking the position that their employees very real claims are frivolous, said Mana Barari, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center. We hope that Burma Superstar will reflect more seriously on their practices and move toward becoming the model employer they claim to be.

More for you Burma Superstar kitchen workers sue popular Bay Area chain

Many employees of the restaurant are immigrants who speak Spanish, Chinese, or Burmese and little or no English, Barari said, which could have led to them being taken advantage of by their bosses.

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.

Theres several reasons employers get away with it, and one is that workers dont complain about these kind of conditions, Barari said. Its the fear of losing their jobs, and often for these workers that means immediately losing their source of livelihood and food on the table ... Some employers maximize these challenges and vulnerabilities to maximize their profits, and I think thats what youll see in this case.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley
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San Francisco, the city that has made even McDonalds compost its leftover Big Macs, still has a problem with trash dirtying its beaches.

Thousands of volunteers showed up at beaches around the Bay Area on Saturday morning, sifting through sand and impaling stray wrappers with sticks as part of the annual Coastal Cleanup Day that spans about 2,000 miles of the states shoreline at 920 different sites, led by the California Coastal Commission.

When we come out here in the morning, you can see San Francisco, one of the largest markets in the world, looks like a garbage dump, said Corey Mason, a DJ bumping tunes for volunteers along a stretch of Ocean Beach along the Great Highway, at Golden Gate Park.

This year, 1,325 volunteers recovered 4,100 pounds of trash from the beaches lining the west side of San Francisco, said Denise McKinney, an organizer of the Ocean Beach cleanup with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

In a decade of cleanups, McKinney has come across anything and everything  spare tires, luggage, a sofa and a fake Christmas tree  all coated in sand. On Saturday alone, volunteers unearthed a burnt outhouse, a corset bone and a large metal pipe.

One woman came back and said her daughter learned what a condom was today, McKinney said with a laugh. Sex ed on the beach.

Much of the mess tends to be blamed on homeless people on the beach or young partygoers not cleaning up after their bonfires, but thats only part of the problem. More often than not, its litter in San Franciscos neighborhoods, from the Richmond District to Ocean View, that swirls down storm drains and winds up in the bay, to be washed up on the beach.

The cleanup itself is only part of what were doing here, McKinney said. Were trying to get people to understand where this trash is actually coming from. ... Its coming from our neighborhoods, not people going out on the beach.

Most of the litter is pretty commonplace: countless cigarette butts and plenty of beer bottles. Lots and lots of cigarette butts.

Discarded butts are far and away the most popular pieces of litter on all of Californias beaches, said Eben Schwartz, manager for the Coastal Commissions Marine Debris program. Organizers this year placed an emphasis on the dangers of ashing cigarettes in the sand.

These things need to be properly disposed of because theyre poisoning our waters and our marine wildlife, Schwartz said, adding that cigarettes make up about 40 percent of the recovered trash.

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Two friends and high school seniors walked Ocean Beach, stopping to snag gum wrappers and other little litter caught in the sand.

Youd be surprised at what people forget to throw away, said Keesha Patron, 17, to her friend Tanya Fisher, 18.

Why did the two college-bound teenagers give up a Saturday of sleeping in?

This is our environment, Fisher said. This is our Earth. Its our responsibility to take care of it. Theres no way to reverse the damage, but I wish there was.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
Confronted with allegations that he misused school district resources, lied about an affair with an employee and bullied workers with his explosive temper, former Hayward Superintendent Stan Dobbs grew visibly angry and hurled a profanity at the districts investigator, according to a report.

It really startled me as I saw the anger in his eyes. I mentally reviewed my options in case he became violent, wrote investigator Steve Hummel of Paradox Technology in Fremont.

Minutes later, after conferring with his attorney, Dobbs re-entered the room like he was a different person, Hummel said. Calm, polite and pretended like nothing had happened.

The 11-page report commissioned by the district prompted the school board to fire Dobbs early Thursday in a 3-0 vote that came at the end of a six-hour meeting that began Wednesday evening.

Efforts to reach Dobbs, who took charge in 2013 and had been on paid leave since June, have not been successful.

Hummel found that Dobbs systematically lied and blamed employees for headaches of his own creation.

Dobbs is inherently dishonest about his guilt when he makes mistakes or does wrong, Hummel wrote. He never admits when he is at fault. He deflects the blame to others around him, sometimes to the very people that stood up for him.

The report looked into an episode in February, when Hayward school officials drew scrutiny for having former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald speak at Tennyson High School as he awaited trial on rape charges.

At the time, Dobbs placed the blame on the schools principal and claimed to be in the dark. But the investigator found it was more likely than not that Dobbs was well aware of McDonalds visit, citing emails, text messages and reported conversations as well as Dobbs desire to be in control of everything he touches.

The report said that when Dobbs served as treasurer for John Taylors Hayward City Council campaign in late 2015 and early 2016, Dobbs asked an employee of the school district to design a logo for Taylor, a violation of district policy.

According to the report, Dobbs denied asking for the print job and claimed Taylor had named him treasurer without his permission.

In an outburst in September 2014, Hummel wrote, Dobbs screamed profanities at employees for not ordering him a new work vehicle. The next month, Dobbs lost his temper in the office of a female employee, the report said, storming out and slamming the door so hard he broke a picture frame on the wall.

The report said Dobbs seems to be completely unaware of the financial status of projects under Measure L, a school facilities bond passed by voters in 2014. Hummel wrote in his report, He blamed his assistant superintendent and project manager for not briefing him sufficiently.

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Further, according to Hummel, Dobbs had an affair with an employee, but when asked about it fabricated a detailed and fantastic story to explain why the employee was able to describe the interior of his apartment.

Dobbs has in the past denied many of the allegations against him, and he filed a claim against the Hayward district in July, asserting that board members wrongly disclosed information about the investigation against him. Claims are necessary precursors to lawsuits against public agencies.

A Change.org petition with more than 500 backers had urged the Hayward district not to fire Dobbs, saying the former superintendent boosted test scores and graduation rates and instilled a college-going culture.

One supporter, Teresa Smith, wrote that Dobbs had given Hayward students something to strive for and be proud of. She blamed certain members of the school board for looking at the past instead of actually caring about the students.

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, also defended Dobbs, saying the district made great strides under his leadership.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
Former Oakland As outfielder Rickey Henderson used to call it the old okey-dokey. Thats when someone appears to be doing one thing when they are actually doing something else.

Henderson has long since retired, but the okey-dokey lives on in City Hall, where members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are making a show of regulating the so-called Google buses that tech workers ride from the city to jobs in the South Bay at places like Facebook, Google and Apple.

The Municipal Transportation Agency is just concluding an 18-month pilot program for the tech buses meant to calm fears that they are clogging streets and to provide a way for the shuttle companies to pay for using Muni bus stops. Most people thought the program worked and would be made permanent.

But the progressive wing of the supervisors, particularly Jane Kim and Aaron Peskin, say they need to improve the system and want to streamline routes and create new rules the shuttles must follow. They say the buses are the cause of displacement and gentrification.

Unfortunately, none of that is true. Lets look at the okey and the dokey:

Tech shuttles are regulated by the city supervisors: Actually, the supervisors have no authority over the shuttle buses, which are regulated by the MTA. The supervisors may pass a resolution of some kind, but as one insider put it, they would be passing a non-binding resolution in support of a tentative agreement over which they have no jurisdiction.

Theyre playing politics, says MTA Board director Gwyneth Borden. Were separate agencies, so they dont get to tell us what to do.

All right then, the supervisors can pass something that will say the shuttles cant use Muni bus stops: Go ahead. As Supervisor Scott Wiener says, the board cant stop private buses from using public streets. The shuttle companies already have parking lots and white zones picked out for stops and will just use those.

And, he says, If they start using those, we have no leverage (to increase fees or negotiate changes to routes). The leverage we have is that they are using Muni stops.

A nice, sensible solution would be to create bus hubs where tech workers would take a shuttle bus to reach the hub for another shuttle bus: And where are you going to put those hubs? Wiener asks. Who wants to have a hub in their neighborhood with hundreds of buses?

In fact, a memo sent to the MTA board by Sustainable Streets cited five likely hub sites and said there was not enough space at any of them.

Well, something has to be done, because this controversy isnt going away: Really? Because it seems we hadnt heard much about this from residents until this overheated rhetoric from some supervisors  Kim called the buses rolling gated communities  started up. The pilot program created some changes, like taking big buses off narrow streets, and it seemed to be working.

I represent the district that is most impacted by buses and has the most riders, Wiener said. I am receiving far fewer complaints than even a year ago.

In fact, a January survey by the Bay Area Council found that 63 percent of voters support shuttles, and 83 percent said they helped get cars off the road.

Yeah, well, we can prove that the buses are causing gentrification and displacement: Nonsense. The buses dont create housing demand any more than a rooster crowing causes the sun to rise.

For starters there are only 8,000 to 9,000 riders. The real story is that the city is gaining 10,000 new residents a year  many with well-paying jobs  which creates intense pressure on the housing market. Explain to residents in the Sunset, where there are few tech buses, why the shuttles are causing their home prices to go through the roof.

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The real issue is the consistent failure to build housing, which creates a shortage that drives up rents and home prices.

So what if it is harder for the techies? Maybe they will just leave: Not likely. A 2014 survey by researchers at UC Berkeleys Department of City and Regional Planning found that if shuttles were not provided, 48 percent of riders said they would drive alone, and 15 percent would carpool.

But cmon, the real issue is that hard-core progressives are mad as hell that the city is changing. Theyre angry that the techies not only have good, high-paying jobs, but that they have the nerve to move into their trendy, hip neighborhoods.

Now they want them to leave so we can turn back the clock and no one has to change. But no one can stop the simple economics of a wonderful, desirable place to live and a boom economy.

So the haters and critics direct their anger to a scapegoat  the tech shuttles  all in the name of improving the program.

Its the old okey-dokey.

C.W. Nevius is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His columns appear Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail: cwnevius@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cwnevius
Remember the fuss over the Google buses? Local housing activists were up in arms about the shuttles, saying they contributed to gentrification, high housing costs and exclusivity.

San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim called the buses rolling gated communities, and there were angry demands for regulation and restrictions. But then it seemed to all die down. Maybe, it seemed, shuttle buses werent such a big deal after all.

Well, if thats what you think, youre in for a shock. This week the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Council released a shuttle census.

What they found was stunning. Ridership has grown dramatically, to 9.6 million passengers in 2014. If all shuttle providers were combined, they would represent the seventh-largest transportation entity in the Bay Area.

And this is just the start. As they become more common, the shuttles may transform Bay Area transportation.

This is an important trend, said Gabriel Metcalf, president of the urban-policy think tank SPUR. We are probably in the early stages of a set of transportation changes we cant even predict.

Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

Well, heres one prediction: This alternative transit option is only going to grow.

Keep in mind that the data to create the census were available only through 2014  and that while 35 shuttle operators contributed numbers, others declined to participate.

Which means, says MTC spokesman John Goodwin, that a reasonable assumption would be that the numbers would be up for 2015.

But even the 2014 numbers are remarkable. The census found that 34,000 riders take a shuttle each day, nearly double the 18,000 riders from two years earlier.

The study found there are 804 shuttle round trips between Bay Area counties a day, 308 of which are along the Santa Clara County-San Francisco corridor. And the number of shuttle buses has increased to 765, up from 473 in 2012.

So this isnt just a promising alternative  its a whole new system of private transportation. Now, what does that mean for the future?

For starters, this will definitely affect public transit. In many cases, the people taking shuttles are passing up the chance to ride buses, trains and light rail.

The complaint is that this is creating a two-tiered transit system. The haves, who work at the high-powered companies, can ride in comfort, while the have-nots end up on a public bus.

Metcalf says its a little late to worry about that.

We already have a two-tier transportation system, he said. The vast majority of commuters drive their cars. The wealthier people are driving for the most part.

You could make a case that its a good civic practice to support public transportation, but lets get real. The public transit experience can be gritty, smelly and  sometimes  a little scary.

Granted, most of the time everything is fine. But all it takes is one of those bad experiences. If you had the option of riding a company bus or cramming yourself into a crowded city bus, what would you do? My guess is youd ask to be directed to the nearest shuttle stop.

The analogy is to the taxi industry in San Francisco. Cab companies tried to keep the number of permits low, to keep demand high. The problem was there werent enough taxis and some drivers refused to pick up passengers at far-flung locations like the Outer Sunset.

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Thats when companies like Uber and Lyft stepped in, filled that gap and changed (Im not going to say disrupted) the personal transportation game in the city. The shuttle buses are doing the same.

Its kinda cool when we hear about new markets and new creations that we never knew we needed, says Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

There are also benefits for those who dont ride shuttles. Goodwin says the average private bus is transporting 44 riders, so if every one of them was going to drive solo, that one bus is removing 40 cars from the road.

And, says Guardino, it is certainly a cost-effective solution for taxpayers, because they are not footing the bill. The companies are doing this themselves.

All in all, Guardino says, the shuttles are actually a good thing for the Bay Area.

Instead of people throwing stones, he said. They should be throwing roses.

Nice thought, but I dont think were quite there yet.

C.W. Nevius is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His columns run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: cnevius@sfchronicle.com
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Over the past couple of years, a herd of unicorns  the tech industrys term for private companies worth more than a billion dollars  have thundered through Silicon Valley. This week, one of them stumbled out of the pack.

Brisbanes Mode Media has abruptly shut down, leaving bloggers unpaid, investors frustrated and rumors swirling in its wake.

The company, a publisher of lifestyle sites and operator of an ad network which placed big brands campaigns on smaller websites, told investors and employees Thursday that it was closing its doors after failing to find a buyer or line up financing.

Bankruptcy appears to be a possibility. It would be the first so-called unicorn based in the Bay Area to face such a fate. While others have been gobbled up in acquisitions or forced to accept lower valuations in financing rounds, none of the companies publicly tracked on lists of unicorns has simply gone under.

Only one small part of the business, a provider of private social networks called Ning, will continue to operate, thanks to a deal with a company run by a Mode board member.

Samir Arora, a showy entrepreneur who made his name by selling a software company to IBM during the dot-com boom, started Mode as Glam.com in 2003. The startup became a publisher for fashion and lifestyle bloggers, many of whom now allege the company failed to pay them for ads it ran on their sites.

As Glam, the company sought female audiences with a pink logo and splashed the color on its office walls, and Arora dressed in colorful ties or pocket squares to match. After the company changed its name to 2014 in Mode, courting wider audiences, it adopted a black-and-white design, and Arora adopted an all-black wardrobe, Forbes reported last year.

The company raised at least $224.6 million from 10 investors including Accel Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, German company Hubert Burda Media and others. It also received debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank.

As talk of an initial public offering grew, Mode acquired social network Ning in 2011. The deal brought Marc Andreessen, a Ning co-founder, onto Mode Medias board of directors.

An August 2013 round of funding valued the company at $1 billion. According to a report in Business Insider, the company filed secretly for an initial public offering that year, but never followed through.

The company had offices around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, London, Mumbai and Tokyo. A search on LinkedIn shows 361 people who list Mode Media as their current employer. Employees were not paid severance, according to one person who was laid off Saturday.

As an ad network, Ning sold ads and placed them on its own websites as well as independent ones with which it had deals. It then collected money from companies and ad agencies, sometimes months after the campaigns ran, and then paid out a share of the revenue to the independent publishers it represented. As such, at any given time, it owed and was owed a substantial portion of the money it made.

Mode experienced turnover at the top in the following years, culminating in the departure of founding executives and board members this year.

In April, co-founder and CEO Arora resigned and Andreessen left the board. Jack Rotolo, a top sales executive, stepped in as interim CEO. A source close to the company said the events leading up to Arora and Andreessens departures were an early sign of trouble.

A spokeswoman for Andreessen Horowitz confirmed the timing of Andreessens board departure and said the firm didnt have more information on Mode.

Co-founder Dianna Mullins departed in August. She wrote a farewell letter addressed to the company on Medium that foreshadowed its surprisingly rapid end.

You had it all, Mullins wrote. Then, she continued, Success started to wear on you. You started to go a bit wayward. Mullins declined to comment further.

On a company blog, Modes Ning subsidiary announced exciting news Thursday that Cyndx LLC will take over the operations of ... Ning Inc. from Mode Media effective immediately.

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Cyndx is a New York investment-advisory firm run by Jim McVeigh, a former Bank of America Merrill Lynch media and technology banker. A biography of McVeigh provided by Monster Worldwide, where he serves as a director, says that McVeigh is a member of Mode Medias board of directors.

Reached Friday, McVeigh declined to comment on whether he is still on Modes board or discuss the companys sudden collapse.

Unlike Modes advertising business, Ning made steady if small revenues from the thousands of customers who used it for private networking. Only three people present themselves as working on Ning on their LinkedIn profiles, though others at the company may have played support roles.

James Armstrong worked as senior director of technical operations at Mode Media between 2007 and 2009. He said he noticed an unusual amount of turnover in his time with the company.

At least half the people who were there when I started were not there when I left, Armstrong said.

Armstrong said conversations hes since had with other employees showed signs of trouble.

It seemed they were spinning their wheels and not building a business anymore, Armstrong said. Their moment had passed.

Jessica Floum is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jfloum@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfloum
The records are 1,000 differently-abled persons making a formation on wheelchairs at a single venue creating the largest wheelchair logo, 1,700 deaf persons being distributed 3,400 hearing aid machines at one place and 989 persons lighting earthen lamps within 30 seconds.

By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Today, three world records got registered in Gujarat's Bagdadi on the occasion of PM Narendra Modi's 68th birthday.

While one record - most persons (989) lighting earthen lamps within 30 seconds - was set last evening, another two feats were achieved today in the presence of Modi, he said. All the three events were held at the same venue in Navsari.

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Today's records are: 1,000 differently-abled persons making a formation on wheelchairs at a single venue creating the largest wheelchair logo; and 1,700 deaf persons being distributed 3,400 hearing aid machines at one place. PM in his speech categorically said that "This would have been not possible without active participation of these 'Divyangs' (differently-abled)"

ALSO READ | PM Modi thanks Rahul Gandhi for birthday wishes as Twitter showers its love



All these records were broke in presence of officials of the Guinness World Record. "Today I feel very proud that all three records which were set by countries like Spain and America broken by us. Earlier in Varanasi we tried to break them but due to some technical issues we couldn't break them. But today finally we broke it." Said Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, while addressing people at Navsari in the presence of Modi.

On Friday first record was made when 1,002 children tried to light diyas (earthern lamps) within 30 seconds, out of which 989 persons lighted lamps in 30 seconds.

Today 1,000 differently-abled persons made a formation on wheelchairs at a single venue and created the largest wheelchair logo. Earlier, the Guinness World Records had recognised 346 differently-abled persons making wheelchair formation in 2010, and then third one also got created at same venue when 1,700 hearing-impaired persons were distributed 3,400 hearing aid machines, and this has also found a place in the world record.

ALSO READ:

On Modi's birthday, people have been put behind bars: Kanhaiya Kumar at Mind Rocks



--- ENDS ---
J. David Ake / Associated Press 2014

A San Francisco tax preparer has been convicted of filing false claims for $1,000 federal tax refunds for clients at his storefront office in Bayview-Hunters Point.

A U.S. District Court jury found Josiah Larkin guilty Thursday of conspiracy and five counts of presenting false refund claims to the Internal Revenue Service for 2012 tax returns. Four of Larkins employees had previously pleaded guilty to related charges, and two of them, Krishell Robinson and Ursula Choice, testified against him..
Donald Trump unveiled a new version of his tax plan on Thursday, actually several new versions, as the fact sheet on his website changed several times throughout the day.

At a speech in New York, Trump said his new plan is so simple, I think H&R Block would be a disaster. While it would streamline taxes in some ways, in others, the tax system would be more complex.

Although the newest plan is his most detailed to date, tax experts still found certain aspects ambiguous or incomplete. On some issues it was completely unclear, and his math was not something I could follow, said Bill Smith, a managing director with accounting firm CBIZ MHM.

The latest version would reduce the number of federal brackets to three  12, 25 and 33 percent. These are the same percentages he mentioned at an August speech in Detroit. Today, there are seven brackets ranging from 10 to 39.6 percent.

Trumps original plan, released last year, called for three brackets of 10, 20 and 25 percent. The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center estimated his original plan would reduce federal revenue by $9.5 trillion over the first 10 years and yield persistently large, and likely unsustainable deficits.

Trump subsequently replaced that plan with something less specific, boiled down to eight bullet points.

The Tax Policy Center had planned to update its analyses of Trumps and Hillary Clintons tax plans on Friday, but postponed them to digest Trumps latest. In March, the center estimated that Clintons proposals would increase tax revenue by $1.1 trillion over the next decade.

Trump says his latest plan would cost only $4.4 trillion over a decade.

It would increase the standard deduction (for people who dont itemize) to $30,000 for married couples filing jointly and $15,000 for singles. That is up from $12,600 and $6,300, respectively, in 2016. But its lower than the $50,000 and $25,000 levels he proposed last year.

He also would cap itemized deductions at $200,000 for married couples and $100,000 for singles.

For the first time, he proposed eliminating the personal exemption, which lets households deduct $4,050 per person, and the head of household filing status, often used by single parents.

Trumps new plan, like previous ones, would abolish the individual and corporate alternative minimum tax and the estate tax. But in a new twist, he would tax unrealized capital gains over $10 million at death, presumably at the capital gains rate.

The most puzzling, and controversial, piece of Trumps tax puzzle involves the business tax.

His original plan said, No business of any size, from a Fortune 500 to a mom and pop shop to a freelancer living job to job, will pay more than 15 percent of their business income in taxes.

Today, corporations (generally large companies) pay the corporate tax rate, which tops out at 35 percent.

Other businesses  including partnerships, limited liability companies and the self-employed  pay no tax at the company level. Instead, the owners pay tax on their share of profits at their individual tax rates, which top out at 39.6 percent. These are known as pass-through entities. (Trump himself has positions in hundreds of LLCs.)

If Trump cut the top rate on all types of businesses to 15 percent, and the top individual rate to 33 percent, employees would have a big incentive to become independent contractors.

It would also render meaningless Trumps vow to eliminate carried interest. Clinton also has promised to eliminate this tax break, which lets managers of real estate, private equity, venture capital and hedge funds have most of their income taxed as a long-term capital gain at a top rate of 23.8 percent, rather than ordinary income.

If Trump lowered the tax on all business income to 15 percent, these fund managers would pay even less than they do today.

On Thursday, he seemed to backtrack on his single rate for all businesses. Or did he?

One version of his tax plan said it lowers the corporate tax rate to 15 percent. Some people thought that meant only corporations would pay 15 percent. Unlike previous versions of the plan, this 15 percent rate would not apply to pass-through businesses, Alan Cole of the Tax Foundation wrote.

Trumps plan changed later in the day to say it will lower the business tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent. ... This rate is available to all businesses, both big and small. This seemed to corroborate his original plan.

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Commenting on his latest plan, the National Federation of Independent Businesses said, We strongly support Mr. Trumps proposal to create a single business tax rate that would create parity between small businesses and their larger competitors.

Steven Rosenthal, a senior fellow with the Tax Policy Center, said Trumps plan was deliberately written ambiguously ... so his audience can hear what they want to believe.

Trumps new child care proposals, unveiled earlier in the week, are also confusing. He said most families will be able to take an above-the-line deduction for children under age 13, capped at the state average based on the age of the child, as well as for elder care for a dependent. Above-the-line means the family does not have to itemize deductions to claim it.

Then he says, The child care exclusion would be provided to families who use stay-at-home parents or grandparents as well as those who use paid caregivers, and would be limited to 4 children per taxpayer.

Whats not clear is how stay-at-home parents would take a deduction for child care expenses they never incurred. I asked the Trump campaign, and got only this response: The tax credit will be available to both working parents and stay-at-home parents.

But the write-off Trump was referring to is a deduction, not a credit.

He also proposed a spending rebate for child care expenses for lower-income families that would be paid through the Earned Income Tax Credit, and a new Dependent Care Savings Account where families could save up to $2,000 per year, with a 50 percent matching contribution from the government for lower-income folks.

In a fact sheet, Trump said these new plans would not replace the existing child care tax credit or flexible spending account for dependent care, but the same child care spending cannot be used for multiple benefits programs  no double-dipping.

Under Trumps plan, parents would have five child care tax breaks, up from two currently.

I dont think H&R Block will go out of business anytime soon.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender
A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Friday night in an apartment complex parking lot in Richmonds Hilltop area, police said.

Residents of the Bella Vista apartments, 3400 Richmond Parkway, began calling police about 10:30 p.m. after hearing multiple gunshots. When officers got to the area, they found the teenager suffering from multiple bullet wounds, said Lt. Felix Tan, a police spokesman.

The teenager, later identified as Chrisean Nealy of Richmond, was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital, Tan said.

Homicide detectives were interviewing witnesses, checking for surveillance footage and following up on other leads Saturday morning.

Tan said the shooting appeared to be targeted, but police have not yet identified a motive. No arrests have been made.

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The slaying came just 12 hours after a 16-month-old boy was hit in the leg by an errant bullet in the city. The baby was expected to make a full recovery and be released from a hospital Saturday afternoon, Tan said.

Police asked anyone with information on the shootings to call (510) 620-6860.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
A sexually exploited teenager at the center of a Bay Area police scandal told an Oakland police sergeant a year ago that she had sex with some of his colleagues when she was underage, but the sergeant kept the illicit behavior secret, Alameda County prosecutors said Friday.

Tell me you were an adult, Sgt. Leroy Johnson, who has since retired from the force, allegedly told the Richmond teenager on Sept. 21, 2015, in a Facebook message.

Id be lying, responded the woman, who is now 19 but at that time had just turned 18 and had used the name Celeste Guap.

Santiago Mejia/Special to The Chronicle

Johnson was one of two Bay Area police officers charged Friday in Alameda County Superior Court with crimes in connection with interactions they had with the young woman, a sexually exploited teen whose attorneys have asked that she be identified by her first name of Jasmine. Five other officers are expected to be charged in coming days.

Also Friday, the womans lawyers filed a legal claim against Oakland  a precursor to a lawsuit  seeking at least $66 million in damages, alleging that several police officers who should have helped Jasmine instead gave her money or protection in exchange for sex.

These acts, the claim states, have caused (the victim) to suffer unimaginable abuse, pain and suffering that she and her family will endure for the rest of her life.

Johnson was charged with a misdemeanor count of failing to report child abuse. A former Livermore police officer, Dan Black, was charged with five misdemeanor counts, including engaging in prostitution and lewd conduct in public, for allegedly having sex with Jasmine.

The two officers were not arrested and were ordered to appear in court Oct. 4. Efforts to reach them and their attorneys have been unsuccessful.

Black took Jasmine to restaurants in Berkeley and Albany in April, when she was 18, and told her, Just to be clear, Im not paying you, but I will buy you dinner, according to an affidavit by Inspector Jim Taranto of the Alameda County district attorneys office.

Black is accused of paying for dinner and furnishing the teenager with alcohol in exchange for having sex with her twice in his motor home, which he allegedly parked on a public street in Berkeley.

The young woman has told The Chronicle she had sex with about 29 officers in the Bay Area over the past two years, and that her relations with at least four officers occurred before she turned 18. Jasmine said a few officers paid her while others warned her about antiprostitution stings or ran the names of people she knew through confidential databases.

Authorities have said Oakland police began investigating the scandal after an officer who had a relationship with Jasmine committed suicide Sept. 25, four days after the alleged Facebook exchange between the teenager and Johnson. But the district attorneys office was kept in the dark for months in violation of police policy.

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.

District Attorney Nancy OMalley, who called the officers behavior morally reprehensible, has said charges will be filed against four additional current and former Oakland officers and one former Contra Costa County sheriffs deputy, alleging crimes including oral sex with a minor and misusing computer databases.

OMalleys office had been delaying the filing of charges until Jasmine returned from Florida, where she was jailed in late August after biting a guard at a rehabilitation center.

The scandal has rocked the Oakland police force, where officials recently said four unidentified officers would be fired, seven would be suspended without pay and one would be referred to counseling after an internal review.

Several police agencies  including the San Francisco and Richmond police departments  are still weighing whether to fire or discipline numerous officers who had sex or engaged in other inappropriate behavior with the teenager.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenbergs nearly 10-year stint as music director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra has been a period of great excitement for the ensemble, with dynamic performances and a series of interesting, provocative commissions. But the coming season will be her last, and the opening concert Thursday, Sept. 15, in Berkeleys First Congregational Church suggested that the doldrums may be starting to set in a little early.

There wasnt anything particularly off-kilter about the program, and the orchestral playing was as robust and fine-grained as ever. Say what you will about the New Century, these string players always work together like a splendidly honed mechanism, balancing full-throated ensemble textures and precisely etched details.

What seemed lacking on Thursday was the overarching sense of purpose that can motivate the orchestras finest showings  a conviction that each element of a program fits into a larger whole and that the program in turn contributes to a narrative shape for the entire season.

On this occasion, what we got was more of a grab bag of musical episodes, stitched together willy-nilly. At the center was pianist Inon Barnatan, who joined the orchestra for a brisk, resonant and occasionally muddled account of Mozarts Piano Concerto No. 13 in C, K. 415.

With the orchestra providing plush and pointed accompaniment, Barnatan plunged right into the concerto in energetic fashion. It took him most of the first movement, though, to adjust to the churchs live acoustics and to get his rhythms calibrated with those of the ensemble.

The latter two movements came off more persuasively, including a tender account of the central slow movement and a tautly etched rendition of the finale with all its abrupt shifts in tone and tempo deftly charted.

The rest of the program ranged from the sublime to the forgettable, without much mediation among them or much formal logic to govern the proceedings. Weberns Langsamer Satz (Slow Movement), a lushly Romantic string quartet exercise written for the composers youthful lessons with Schoenberg, got the evening off to an almost hedonistic start.

After intermission came Philip Glass four-movement Symphony No. 3 for String Orchestra, which is divided about equally between vivacious, surprising writing and stretches of predictable torpor (you could stage a whole debate on the subject Glass: Genius or Fraud? using only evidence drawn from this score). Happily, Salerno-Sonnenberg led the orchestra in a deeply committed account, bringing vibrancy to the even-numbered fast movements and their rhythmic byplay, and diving deep into the repetitive murk of the slow movements.

The evening closed with excerpts from Peter Heidrichs Happy Birthday Variations, an amusing but thin parlor trick that subjects the familiar tune to a series of stylistic imitations from Haydn and Mozart to the Hungarian czardas. Competing with the loud neighboring strains of the Cal Band, the orchestra skipped over several of the variations without making listeners feel we were missing anything vital.

Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman

New Century Chamber Orchestra: 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., S.F. 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18. Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Rd., San Rafael. $29-$61. (415) 392-4400. www.ncco.org
Edward Albee, the preeminent American playwright of his generation, died Friday at age 88 at his home in Montauk, N.Y. According to his personal assistant, Mr. Albee died after a brief illness.

An overnight sensation from the off-Broadway run of his first short play, The Zoo Story, in 1960, and the Broadway run of his first full-length drama, Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, two years later, Mr. Albee is widely credited with having injected a new, badly needed iconoclastic energy and uncensored language into post-World War II American theater.

Like many playwrights who rise to the heights so quickly, Mr. Albee paid a heavy price. His career went into eclipse in a widespread critical backlash for almost two decades, exacerbated by a sometimes public battle with alcoholism in the 1970s that he has said affected his writing as well as his health. Unlike most of his peers, though, he outlived his eclipse to re-emerge as one of the nations most prolific, influential and bankable playwrights in the 90s and remained an eminent figure for the rest of his life.

Though often at war, publicly, with theater critics and some of his colleagues in the profession  most notably, American Conservatory Theater founder William Ball in the 70s  Mr. Albee was showered with honors both early and late in his career, starting with a Drama Desk Award for Zoo Story. He was recommended four times by the Pulitzer Prize for Drama jury, and received three Pulitzers  for A Delicate Balance (1967), Seascape (1975) and Three Tall Women (1994). The Pulitzer board turned down its jurys 1963 recommendation for Virginia Woolf, and no award was given that year. The apparent snub was met with outrage in literary and theatrical circles.

Mr. Albee received the first of his three Tony Awards for Woolf, however, also winning the award for The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia in 2002 and a lifetime achievement award in 2005. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1996.

Born March 12, 1928, in the Washington, D.C., area and adopted at about 2 weeks old, Edward Franklin Albee III  as his adoptive parents named him  was raised in a well-to-do theatrical household in New Yorks Westchester County. His father, Reed A. Albee, owned a number of theaters, inherited from his father Edward Franklin Albee II, who had made the family fortune as one of the nations most powerful vaudeville producers and partner in the Keith-Albee Theater Circuit.

Mr. Albee was not close to his parents, who, he said, disapproved of his determination to become a writer, having started writing poetry in childhood. His father was distant. His mother, whom he dramatized in Three Tall Women, an avowedly autobiographical play, tried hard to groom him to become a member of their wealthy circuit, which he said he abhorred.

I dont think they knew how to be parents, he told his biographer, Mel Gussow. I probably didnt know how to be a son either.

After being sent to a succession of schools from which he was expelled, including Valley Forge Military Academy, Mr. Albee graduated from the Choate School in Connecticut in 1946, and went on to Trinity College in Hartford, from which he was expelled the next year for not attending classes and chapel. He moved to Manhattans Greenwich Village, a long-established hotbed of cutting-edge visual, literary and performance artists, and supported himself with odd jobs while honing his writing.

At the suggestion of Thornton Wilder, to whom he had shown some of his poetry, he tried his hand at writing plays. Though Wilder was not encouraging about his first dramatic effort, Zoo Story, Mr. Albee sent it around to various producers. It was picked up by a German director and premiered in German translation on a double bill with Samuel Becketts then new Krapps Last Tape.

It had its English language premiere the next year off-Broadway, again with the play by Beckett, who would become one of Mr. Albees primary mentors and a longtime friend. The plays impact was immediate, inspiring legions of imitators among aspiring playwrights of the 60s. The overwhelming success of Virginia Woolf sealed Mr. Albees place as the nations leading new inventive and provocative playwright, though those same qualities led to much of the outrage that greeted his next major play, the enigmatic Tiny Alice in 1964.

It was also that play that caused Mr. Albees major rift with ACT, when Ball staged it with his own rewritten ending  unknown to the author, who succeeded in having the original ending restored when Ball took his ACT production to New York. Ball, however, revived his own version in the mid-70s at ACT, and Mr. Albee was unable to close down the production as a violation of contract. Through he collected some damages, it would be the last ACT production of one of his plays until it staged The Goat in 2005.

Mr. Albees reputation began to suffer in the 70s after a string of poorly received adaptations  The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Malcolm, Breakfast at Tiffanys, Lolita  and such plays as Counting the Ways, The Lady From Dubuque and The Man Who Had Three Arms. Later he would blame the lack of success of some of these works on the effects of his alcoholism, which had become severe. He credited his longtime lover and partner, sculptor Jonathan Thomas, with helping him get sober and stay on the wagon. Thomas died in 2005, after they had been together for 35 years.

By then, Mr. Albees second act was well established with the critical and popular success of his new plays in the 90s, Three Tall Women, The Play About the Baby, Goat and his revisiting of Zoo Story with a new first act, the complete play now titled Peter and Jerry. Critics, scholars and theater companies were busy reviving and reconsidering virtually everything he had written  even the most problematic works  and debating the importance of various recurring themes such as missing or imaginary babies, autobiographical elements, the status of the outsider, perceived sexual transgressions, his prolific use of puns and, most significantly, a relentless castigation of attempts to hide behind fantasy and self-deception. Mr. Albee had achieved the rare feat of becoming an established literary eminence while remaining one of the theaters most notable enfants terribles.

Funeral plans have not been announced.

Robert Hurwitt is the former theater critic of The San Francisco Chronicle.
N.Praveen, a student of first year Master of Fine Arts, was found hanging in his room L 204.

By Indo-Asian News Service: A student of University of Hyderabad allegedly committed suicide by hanging in his hostel room on the campus on Saturday, police said.

N.Praveen, a student of first year Master of Fine Arts, was found hanging in his room L 204.

Other students in the hostel alerted Resident Medical Officer (RMO), who got Praveen shifted to a nearby private hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

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The body was shifted to government-run Osmania General Hospital for autopsy.

Police said no suicide note was found in Praveen's room.

"The reasons behind Praveen's death are not yet known. We are investigating," a police officer at Gachibowli police station said.

Praveen hailed from Shadnagar town in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana. He had taken admission into the university two months ago.

In January, Rohith Vemula, a Dalit research scholar, had committed suicide by hanging in a hostel room, due to alleged caste discrimination by the university authorities.

The incident had triggered widespread protests in universities across the country.



Also Read:

Rohith Vemula suicide: HRD panel claims scholar was not a Dalit, exonerates university V-C



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Lurking in the background of this years highly unusual election campaign is the notion that the American political system has become both dysfunctional and corrupt. The insurgent campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have built large followings on the fact that they are outsiders to the existing system; Hillary Clintons greatest vulnerability is the perception that she is the quintessential insider, one who has built a political career around her ability to manipulate interest groups to her advantage.

There is in fact something to this point of view: America has become what I label a vetocracy, in which the government has become paralyzed as a result of the ability of well-organized groups to veto initiatives they dont like. The legitimacy of American democracy will not be restored unless we can overcome vetocracy; unfortunately, none of the existing candidates (and least of all Trump) has proposed a workable solution to the problem.

Vetocracy is the outcome of the collision of changes in American society with our underlying constitutional system of checks and balances. Over the past 20 years, the United States has seen the emergence of a highly polarized Congress in which there is zero ideological overlap between the two major parties: The most liberal Republican today is considerably more conservative than the most conservative Democrat. The second change is the rise of a new generation of rich and well-organized interest groups that dispose of an order of magnitude more money than they did a generation ago. A series of Supreme Court decisions has legitimated an unlimited flow of money into politics.

A healthy democratic political system should create institutional rules that soften polarized positions and force compromise. Our system does the opposite, distributing power much more broadly than other modern democracies: We have a separately elected executive, a powerful upper house of our legislature, a judiciary that routinely overturns legislation, and delegation of many functions to state and local government.

To this constitutionally mandated separation of powers we have added new veto points: The Senates routine use of the filibuster means that only a 40 percent minority is needed to block legislation, and senatorial holds mean than any of 100 senators can block any mid-level executive or judicial branch appointment. The consequence of the latter rule is that there is today a backlog of dozens of appointments, leaving important agencies and benches devoid of leadership. Under these conditions, it is not surprising that Congress has not passed a budget under regular order for nearly a decade.

Trumps answer to vetocracy is himself: I alone can fix these problems because Im too rich to be bribed and too outside the system to respect its rules. It is not clear that he has the faintest understanding of how American government actually works, because he seems to think he can change decades of accumulated policy by issuing decrees from the White House on Jan. 20. By offering up his person as the solution to deeply embedded institutional problems, he is following in the path of Juan Peron and any number of other would-be charismatic Latin American leaders whose ultimate legacy was a deteriorating rule of law.

So what would be required to fix the dysfunctionality of the current American system? We can start by reducing veto points, changing the role of money in the system, and forcing more compromise. There are some obvious quick fixes that would not require constitutional change, like eliminating routine use of the filibuster and getting rid of senatorial holds, which prevent a motion from reaching a vote. The most daring proposal on the table is one made by Terry Moe and William Howell in their new book Relic, in which they suggest that federal budgets be submitted by the president as an unamendable package, subject only to an up-or-down vote by Congress. This would replace 535 potential veto points (each individual member of Congress) with a single one.

Getting money out of politics would require a different strategy. A different Supreme Court might reverse Buckley vs. Valeo and Citizens United and again permit greater regulation of money in politics. Short of that very long-term prospect, it might be possible to walk back the current regulatory regime to channel more money to the parties so that wealthy outside insurgents have less opportunity to manipulate individual races. In the electoral system, a shift toward preferential ballots such as instant-runoff or ranked-choice voting would preserve our single-member system and yet provide greater opportunity for third-party candidates to arise. Finally, citizens across the nation should demand nonpartisan redistricting as they did in California to prevent the sort of partisan gerrymandering that has cemented the Republican hold on the House of Representatives.

In the end, no set of institutional changes will overcome deep divisions within American society. But in the age of clamoring outsiders, it is important to keep in mind the need to change our institutional rules rather than simply blowing them up. The last thing we need in the U.S. is a charismatic Latin American caudillo.

Francis Fukuyama is a senior fellow at Stanford University and Mosbacher director of the universitys Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. To comment, submit your letter to the editor http://bit.ly/SFChronicleletters.
Californians think we have a system of public education. What we really have is a system for rationing public education.

I got a taste of this in the spring, when I took my 5-year-old son to our local school district offices to determine his educational future. This being California, the determination was made not by any test or assessment but by a lottery. An administrator pulled names out of a hat to fill spots in our elementary schools new Mandarin immersion program.

The beginning of the academic year is when we hear fine speeches about how our state is committed to doing the very best for every child. But when you see firsthand how educational resources are allocated, California schools leave much to chance.

We do this for two reasons: scarcity and avoidance. Educational resources here are scarce  there is simply more demand for schooling than the states wobbly budget system can accommodate. And so we use lotteries and formulas, so that our officials can avoid the work of deciding who deserves resources, and so that Californians can avoid reckoning with our collective failure to support public education.

By all reliable accounts, there arent nearly enough good, experienced teachers in our schools. The state offers only 180 days of instruction (when research suggests there should be more than 200 days). And the inadequacy of newer programs and schools offered by some districts in the name of educational choice only underscores the ongoing scarcity. There are not enough career-readiness programs, Advanced Placement classes, charters, magnets or language immersions to meet the demand for high-quality options.

Theres little hope of trying to do more to meet those needs, because California decouples school funding from academic needs. Our state constitutions school-funding formulas, known collectively as Proposition 98, guarantee only a portion  you might say a ration  of the state budget to schools. (Tellingly, that money is supplemented by a small amount  usually $1 billion, or less than 2 percent of annual education funding  from the state lottery.)

In the absence of funds to meet all our students needs, we turn to educations version of lotteries to allot scarce resources. State law (mirroring federal guidance) directs school districts to use a lottery system for charter school admissions once the number of pupils who want to enroll exceeds the number of spaces. Districts with magnet programs do the same. Many of these lotteries have complicated rules and exclusions, often in the name of diversity, as well as with the aim of keeping kids in their neighborhood schools, or keeping siblings together.

Such lotteries are not all that fair. Research shows the lotteries favor students whose parents have the time and resources to investigate their local educational possibilities and sign their children up in the first place. (We parents gotta play to win.) Then theres a bigger question: Does random allocation of educational resources really represent justice?

This year, the California Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote, declined to hear challenges that said California doesnt provide enough school funding or qualified teachers to meet the states constitutional guarantees of education for all. In declining, the court endorsed the argument that, while there might be problems with funding and teachers, these werent constitutional problems  because the impact of bad policies was arbitrary, and not felt by any particular group of students.

Mariano-Florentino Tino Cuellar, an associate justice of the Supreme Court, dissented powerfully from that logic. Curtailing access to educational opportunity, the justice argued, doesnt become justifiable simply because its done arbitrarily.

Arbitrary selection has at times been considered a means of rendering a governmental decision legitimate, he wrote. But where an appreciable burden results  thereby infringing a fundamental right [like the right to an education]  arbitrariness seems a poor foundation on which to buttress the argument that the resulting situation is one that should not substantially concern us.

The brilliantly cynical filmmaker Orson Welles once said, Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck. He wasnt wrong  our parents, where and when we were born, the people we happen to meet, all influence the direction our lives take, through no fault or deed of our own.

My own son was lucky. His name was pulled 16th out of the hat, winning him the place he now enjoys in that Mandarin immersion kindergarten. His own luck will transfer to his younger brother, who is automatically eligible to join the program when he reaches kindergarten age.

But California is not as fortunate in leaning its educational system so heavily on luck. Our schools are supposed to be equalizers, helping counter the lottery of life. Instead, they are emulating it.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at http://bit.ly/SFChronicleletters.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger waxed poetic Friday about his immigrant experience in a fundraising email for Senate Republicans.

Today marks the 33rd year that I have been a US citizen, the former California governor wrote in an email to fellow Republicans.

It was 1968. I moved to America with nothing but my gym bag, wrote the Austrian native, setting out on a career path that made him one of the greatest bodybuilders ever and a Hollywood star before he set foot in politics. The United States was the only place I could make my big dreams a reality, he wrote, adding that he found the Republican platform of free enterprise, low taxes and military strength the recipe for greatness.

But, he warns darkly, I care about our countrys future. I know you do too.

If this sounds like a drum roll for Schwarzenegger to swear off his partys standard bearer, Donald Trump, whose support for immigration is limited to beautiful women and temporary workers in his hotels, forget it. Schwarzenegger wants donations to help Republicans hold their Senate majority, which is looking firmer by the day with probable holds in Ohio and Florida.

 Carolyn Lochhead

Carrying water: There are so many conspiracy theories out there about Hillary Clintons health, it only seems fair to add another one: Donald Trump did it.

Shes back on the campaign trail now, but when the Democratic presidential candidate abruptly left a 9/11 memorial service Sunday it was reported that she had been diagnosed a couple of days earlier with pneumonia and that, combined with the hot, muggy New York weather, left her overheated and dehydrated, according to her doctor.

The dehydration was quickly fixed with bottles of water and Gatorade, Clintons aides said. But how could Clinton let herself become so dehydrated? Easy, a person close to Clinton told a reporter for the Politico news site. The former secretary of state is reluctant to hydrate.

She wont drink water, and you try telling Hillary Clinton she has to drink water, the unidentified person said.

You dont have to be a doctor to know that the more water you drink, the more time you spend in the bathroom. But restrooms arent created equal, as anyone who has compared the lines at a concert intermission could tell you.

Clinton ran into that problem at a Democratic presidential debate in December when she was so late getting back to the stage from a restroom break that the debate had restarted without her.

And heres where Trump comes in.

I know where she went  its disgusting, I dont want to talk about it, Trump told a laughing, cheering crowd in Michigan a couple of days later.

So here was the choice for Clinton:

1. Drink deeply and stay healthy, but take the chance of having to make a hasty dash, with the prospect of renewed ridicule from Trump, or ...

2. Ignore the doctors, keep the fluids to a minimum, and hope for the best.

Face guaranteed ridicule or a possible risk to your health? When it comes to an ambitious politician running for office, theres really no choice.

 John Wildermuth

One of us: San Franciscans love their goofy mascots (Lou Seal, anyone?) and their fake Twitter accounts. @KarltheFog, we love to hate you!

So naturally the campaign to pass Proposition V, a soda tax, on the November ballot has come up with a combination of both. Meet Sammy Soda, a mascot who is appearing around town dressed as a giant red Coke can but with the word Diabetes written in the same curly font as Coca-Cola.

Sammy has his own Twitter account  follow him at @SammyTheSoda  where his profile reads, SpokesCup for Big Soda. Fan of Obesity, Diabetes, Cavities and Big Gulps of Sugar for Kids.

Hes got 116 followers. Make that 117. Gotta keep an eye on this one.

 Heather Knight

A real battle: Calling San Jose state Sen. Jim Beall a real leader, Gov. Jerry Brown gave the veteran legislator his imprimatur in a contentious Democrat versus Democrat re-election battle against termed-out Assemblywoman Nora Campos.

Actually, contentious doesnt begin to describe the election. To get a feeling for the contest, just know that in April Campos husband, Neil Struthers, got into a brawl with a couple of union leaders at a casino night fundraiser at San Joses Fairmont Hotel.

Campos accused Beall of being behind the incident and warned Beall and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, to call off your thugs, referring to the union guys.

Both de Leon and Beall denied any connection with the fight, with a Democratic Senate spokesman calling the Campos charge bizarre, irrational and an utterly preposterous accusation.

Or politics at its most basic, if you prefer.

For Brown, the Beall endorsement was a rare venture into electoral politics. The governor has only endorsed a handful of candidates this year, including Hillary Clinton for president, Attorney General Kamala Harris for Senate and Assemblyman Bill Dodd of Napa over former Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada of Davis in a Democrats-only race for a state Senate district that includes Napa, Yolo and Solano counties.

 John Wildermuth

Not all the ugliness is reserved for the presidential race: Earlier this week we wrote about Democrat Doug Applegates messy divorce, including a couple of restraining orders, as Applegates surprisingly stiff challenge to Republican Rep. Darrell Issa in suburban San Diego gained national financial backing.

Now Sacramento Democrat Ami Bera, whose father was just sentenced to a year in prison for a donor scheme to aid his son, is out with a new ad broadcasting sexual harassment charges against his challenger, Republican Scott Jones. The University of Virginias Crystal Ball, which handicaps races based on polls and analysis, still shows the district leaning toward Bera, although it is one of the few truly swing districts in the nation and has gone back and forth between the parties in recent years.

 Carolyn Lochhead

Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com, jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com, hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead, @jfwildermuth, @hknightSF
Los Angeles producer Steven Ellison, best known as Flying Lotus, sparked some controversy during his second night in the Bay Area when he made a misogynistic joke about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

During a sold-out concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Friday, Sept. 16, Flying Lotus told the crowd that while he doesn't like Donald Trump, "I couldn't possibly vote for a woman who doesn't give an awesome blowjob" -- alluding to Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and his sex scandal with then-intern Monica Lewinsky.
By PTI: Mumbai, Sep 17 (PTI) Indian firms overseas direct investment fell 84 per cent to USD 399.06 million in August, data from RBI showed.

Indian companies had made an investment of USD 2.47 billion in the markets abroad during the same period last year.

Compare to July this year, direct investments in August were down by 82.6 per cent.

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The investments were in the form of issuance of guarantees (USD 97.14 million), loans (146.36 million) and equity (USD 155.56 million).

Palava Dwellers Pvt Ltd was among the biggest investors, which invested 21.75 million in its wholly owned subsidiaries in Jersey, Mauritius and The Netherlands.

WNS Global Services invested USD 15.35 million in a joint venture in the UK, General Insurance Corporation infused USD 11.9 million in a wholly owned business in South Africa and Bharat Petroresources spent USD 15.15 million in a fully owned unit in the Netherlands.

Crompton Greaves invested USD 19.39 million in its joint venture in the Netherlands. PTI KPM BAL

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Confronted with allegations that he misused school district resources, lied about an affair with an employee and bullied workers with his explosive temper, former Hayward Superintendent Stan Dobbs grew visibly angry and hurled a profanity at the districts investigator, according to a report.

It really startled me as I saw the anger in his eyes. I mentally reviewed my options in case he became violent, wrote investigator Steve Hummel of Paradox Technology in Fremont.

Minutes later, after conferring with his attorney, Dobbs re-entered the room like he was a different person, Hummel said. Calm, polite and pretended like nothing had happened.

The 11-page report commissioned by the district prompted the school board to fire Dobbs early Thursday in a 3-0 vote that came at the end of a six-hour meeting that began Wednesday evening.

Efforts to reach Dobbs, who took charge in 2013 and had been on paid leave since June, have not been successful.

Hummel found that Dobbs systematically lied and blamed employees for headaches of his own creation.

Dobbs is inherently dishonest about his guilt when he makes mistakes or does wrong, Hummel wrote. He never admits when he is at fault. He deflects the blame to others around him, sometimes to the very people that stood up for him.

The report looked into an episode in February, when Hayward school officials drew scrutiny for having former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald speak at Tennyson High School as he awaited trial on rape charges.

At the time, Dobbs placed the blame on the schools principal and claimed to be in the dark. But the investigator found it was more likely than not that Dobbs was well aware of McDonalds visit, citing emails, text messages and reported conversations as well as Dobbs desire to be in control of everything he touches.

The report said that when Dobbs served as treasurer for John Taylors Hayward City Council campaign in late 2015 and early 2016, Dobbs asked an employee of the school district to design a logo for Taylor, a violation of district policy.

According to the report, Dobbs denied asking for the print job and claimed Taylor had named him treasurer without his permission.

In an outburst in September 2014, Hummel wrote, Dobbs screamed profanities at employees for not ordering him a new work vehicle. The next month, Dobbs lost his temper in the office of a female employee, the report said, storming out and slamming the door so hard he broke a picture frame on the wall.

The report said Dobbs seems to be completely unaware of the financial status of projects under Measure L, a school facilities bond passed by voters in 2014. Hummel wrote in his report, He blamed his assistant superintendent and project manager for not briefing him sufficiently.

Further, according to Hummel, Dobbs had an affair with an employee, but when asked about it fabricated a detailed and fantastic story to explain why the employee was able to describe the interior of his apartment.

Dobbs has in the past denied many of the allegations against him, and he filed a claim against the Hayward district in July, asserting that board members wrongly disclosed information about the investigation against him. Claims are necessary precursors to lawsuits against public agencies.

A Change.org petition with more than 500 backers had urged the Hayward district not to fire Dobbs, saying the former superintendent boosted test scores and graduation rates and instilled a college-going culture.

One supporter, Teresa Smith, wrote that Dobbs had given Hayward students something to strive for and be proud of. She blamed certain members of the school board for looking at the past instead of actually caring about the students.

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, also defended Dobbs, saying the district made great strides under his leadership.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
Most people go to the doctor for medical advice. Why cant we all get a checkup for our financial health, too?

The short answer is its expensive, since theres no health insurer to cover the prognosis of your nest egg. For average Americans, hiring a financial adviser doesnt make sense because the cost of the advice can easily exceed any benefit seen in your bottom line. Thats why top advisers cater to the rich, whereby a small percentage fee goes a long way. Middle-class clients pay a bigger chunk of their assets, a fact often hidden in confusing fine print.

Is there a better way? One possible solution is the robo-adviser: Startups and established firms are experimenting with technology to dole out advice. But most platforms offer only simple guidance, focused on investing rather than more complicated questions like budgeting and retirement income.

Another idea is to get people wide-ranging, soup-to-nuts financial advice the same way they get health insurance  through their employers.

Financial Engines, a company based in Sunnyvale, is about to announce such a service. Its designed to deliver personal financial planning, mostly through the offices, factories, and retailers at which people spend most of their day. Co-founded in 1996 by Nobel Prize-winning economist William Sharpe, Financial Engines is leveraging a unique business model: About 700 companies, employing a total of 10 million workers, already pay the firm to help their workers manage 401(k)s. It offers basic education and online tools that sync up with each companys plans. Employees can even pay extra to sign up for managed accounts, which are 401(k) investment portfolios tailored by Financial Engines to their specific needs.

But now the company wants to branch out and offer those employees advice on all aspects of their financial existence, not just their 401(k). Were broadening our focus beyond retirement, said Lawrence Raffone, Financial Engines chief executive. Were going to start helping people with even more of their finances. The question, however, is whether personal advice can be both profitable to his firm and affordable to middle-class workers.

For an additional fee, workers will be assigned their own personal financial adviser at the firms newly rebranded Financial Engines Advisor Centers. These experts will manage investments both inside and outside their clients 401(k)s and come up with strategies that cover everything from college savings to health care costs.

Raffone said Financial Engines has an inherent marketing edge: a captive audience of 10 million workers who already know the company through their employers, which are some of the biggest companies in the U.S. When it comes to managed 401(k) accounts, Financial Engines has a 60 percent market share, according to research firm Cerulli Associates. Thats three times larger than its closest rival, a managed-account service offered by investment research firm Morningstar Inc.

More and more companies are hiring companies such as these to help employees with retirement investing. The percentage of 401(k)-style plans offering managed accounts doubled from 2009 to 2014, to 22 percent, Cerulli said. Revenue at Financial Engines, a publicly traded company, has tripled over the past five years, to $311 million in 2015.

Since some employers worry that employee financial stress hurts productivity, the firm provides the managed-account option to help ease the burden, particularly for employees close to retirement. For example, Financial Engines Income+ product helps retirees with the challenging task of turning nest eggs into regular income after retirement.

Managed accounts arent for everyone, particularly younger workers who can get by with target-date funds. Even as companies offer managed accounts to more workers, Cerulli noted that the share of those who sign up is flat, hovering around 7 percent of participants who are offered them. About 10 percent of the 10 million workers at Financial Engines 401(k) plans use its managed-accounts service.

As useful as managed 401(k) accounts are in helping workers plan for retirement or predict their monthly Social Security check, their scope is limited. They do little to help an employee worried about issues such as debt, the rising cost of college, and overspending. Managed-account providers, or the employers themselves, can offer online resources or put on group seminars covering financial topics, but the advice is often vague and unhelpful.

In a group setting, you cant solve an individuals problems in the same way you could if someone is sitting down across the table, said Jason Roberts, CEO of the Pension Resource Institute, a firm that helps companies manage retirement plans. Thats why Roberts thinks financial planning solutions are the next wave of benefits that plan sponsors will seek to offer to employees. This is where Raffone wants to come in.

In starting the service, he will rely on a ready-made network of advisers and offices. His company recently bought the Mutual Fund Store, an investment adviser with 125 U.S. locations and about 300 employees, bringing Financial Engines total staff to more than 800. Starting this week, every Mutual Fund Store is being rebranded as a Financial Engines Advisor Center. Raffone also plans to bring advisers directly into the workplaces of existing clients.

But can Financial Engines make a profit providing personal advice to workers with an average persons net worth? Right now, the average retirement account handled by Financial Engines is $125,000, while the median is just $55,000. About half of U.S. households age 55 and older have nothing saved in a retirement account, according to the Government Accountability Office, and the rest hold a median of about $109,000.

If they can do one-on-one (advice), Id be impressed, said Ronald Surz, a pension consultant who is president of PPCA Inc., in San Clemente (Orange County). I just dont know how you get paid for that.

Raffone is still figuring that out, too. Financial Engines managed-account product charges workers as much as 0.6 percent of assets annually, though the average is closer to 0.4 percent. Financial planning will probably cost more. The company expects pricing to run from a third to half of the 1.5 percent to 2 percent or more that middle-class Americans could expect to pay. (The affluent typically pay 1 percent to hire a financial adviser  less, if theyre very wealthy.)

Whatever the fee comes to, Raffone said it will charge clients in a transparent way  without, for example, receiving commissions to steer them into particular products. Financial Engines was a strong supporter of a new Department of Labor conflict of interest rule, scheduled to go into effect next year, that requires advisers to put clients interests first when handling retirement accounts. Thats a legal duty that Financial Engines already has, but its one that many firms are still fighting in court, a fact that Raffone bemoans.

Its actually embarrassing for the industry to say they cant put their clients first, Raffone said.

Ben Steverman is a Bloomberg writer. Email: bsteverman@bloomberg.net
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Over the past couple of years, a herd of unicorns  the tech industrys term for private companies worth more than a billion dollars  have thundered through Silicon Valley. This week, one of them stumbled out of the pack.

Brisbanes Mode Media has abruptly shut down, leaving bloggers unpaid, investors frustrated and rumors swirling in its wake.

The company, a publisher of lifestyle sites and operator of an ad network which placed big brands campaigns on smaller websites, told investors and employees Thursday that it was closing its doors after failing to find a buyer or line up financing.

Bankruptcy appears to be a possibility. It would be the first so-called unicorn based in the Bay Area to face such a fate. While others have been gobbled up in acquisitions or forced to accept lower valuations in financing rounds, none of the companies publicly tracked on lists of unicorns has simply gone under.

Only one small part of the business, a provider of private social networks called Ning, will continue to operate, thanks to a deal with a company run by a Mode board member.

Samir Arora, a showy entrepreneur who made his name by selling a software company to IBM during the dot-com boom, started Mode as Glam.com in 2003. The startup became a publisher for fashion and lifestyle bloggers, many of whom now allege the company failed to pay them for ads it ran on their sites.

As Glam, the company sought female audiences with a pink logo and splashed the color on its office walls, and Arora dressed in colorful ties or pocket squares to match. After the company changed its name to 2014 in Mode, courting wider audiences, it adopted a black-and-white design, and Arora adopted an all-black wardrobe, Forbes reported last year.

The company raised at least $224.6 million from 10 investors including Accel Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, German company Hubert Burda Media and others. It also received debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank.

As talk of an initial public offering grew, Mode acquired social network Ning in 2011. The deal brought Marc Andreessen, a Ning co-founder, onto Mode Medias board of directors.

An August 2013 round of funding valued the company at $1 billion. According to a report in Business Insider, the company filed secretly for an initial public offering that year, but never followed through.

The company had offices around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, London, Mumbai and Tokyo. A search on LinkedIn shows 361 people who list Mode Media as their current employer. Employees were not paid severance, according to one person who was laid off Saturday.

As an ad network, Ning sold ads and placed them on its own websites as well as independent ones with which it had deals. It then collected money from companies and ad agencies, sometimes months after the campaigns ran, and then paid out a share of the revenue to the independent publishers it represented. As such, at any given time, it owed and was owed a substantial portion of the money it made.

Mode experienced turnover at the top in the following years, culminating in the departure of founding executives and board members this year.

In April, co-founder and CEO Arora resigned and Andreessen left the board. Jack Rotolo, a top sales executive, stepped in as interim CEO. A source close to the company said the events leading up to Arora and Andreessens departures were an early sign of trouble.

A spokeswoman for Andreessen Horowitz confirmed the timing of Andreessens board departure and said the firm didnt have more information on Mode.

Co-founder Dianna Mullins departed in August. She wrote a farewell letter addressed to the company on Medium that foreshadowed its surprisingly rapid end.

You had it all, Mullins wrote. Then, she continued, Success started to wear on you. You started to go a bit wayward. Mullins declined to comment further.

On a company blog, Modes Ning subsidiary announced exciting news Thursday that Cyndx LLC will take over the operations of ... Ning Inc. from Mode Media effective immediately.

Cyndx is a New York investment-advisory firm run by Jim McVeigh, a former Bank of America Merrill Lynch media and technology banker. A biography of McVeigh provided by Monster Worldwide, where he serves as a director, says that McVeigh is a member of Mode Medias board of directors.

Reached Friday, McVeigh declined to comment on whether he is still on Modes board or discuss the companys sudden collapse.

Unlike Modes advertising business, Ning made steady if small revenues from the thousands of customers who used it for private networking. Only three people present themselves as working on Ning on their LinkedIn profiles, though others at the company may have played support roles.

James Armstrong worked as senior director of technical operations at Mode Media between 2007 and 2009. He said he noticed an unusual amount of turnover in his time with the company.

At least half the people who were there when I started were not there when I left, Armstrong said.

Armstrong said conversations hes since had with other employees showed signs of trouble.

It seemed they were spinning their wheels and not building a business anymore, Armstrong said. Their moment had passed.

Jessica Floum is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jfloum@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfloum
NEW YORK  Here is your mattress shopping bill of rights, 2016 edition:

You are entitled to a multiple-night sleep test in your home.

Returns should be free.

Getting rid of the mattress should not require turning back flips and begging.

In recent years, a number of new companies, including Casper, Helix, Leesa, Saatva and Tuft & Needle, have declared that they will abide by these rules. This is great news, assuming they actually follow through. So this summer, I put the five companies to the test by ordering a mattress from each, then returning them all, just to see how painful the process would be.

Why bother? Lets begin with something that should have been obvious to mattress retailers decades ago but apparently was not: Buying bedding in a showroom is absurd. Most of us spend a quarter to a third of our lives on mattresses, and they are essential to our physical and mental health. So testing plastic-covered beds while fully clothed, under the fluorescent lights of a store with a commissioned salesclerk hovering over us, makes no sense whatsoever.

When I made a similar declaration (and conducted a similar test) in the Wall Street Journal in 2004, the process was painful and expensive. I paid several hundred dollars in return and disposal fees and spent a lot of time waiting.

Things are better now. All five of the companies I tested charged me nothing for the return. Only Saatva charges any shipping or delivery fee, and its $99 covered three guys showing up at my apartment with a plastic-wrapped mattress and carefully carrying it inside. The other four companies compress their mattresses and cram them into boxes for shipping, though Casper offers free courier delivery of the box in my neighborhood.

I offer no recommendations on comfort. Mattresses are like shoes or bras or chairs in that different people with different bodies will have different needs.

As for the hassle of returning an unwanted mattress, none of the companies flunked the test. Leesa normally requires customers to keep a mattress for at least 30 days before returning it, but it waived that rule when I sent an email questioning the logic of that policy when I knew I didnt want it anymore.

Saatva sent a crew to pick up its mattress, so there was no trouble there. (And it should have been hassle-free given that it snootily markets its product as a luxury purchase, unlike other online mattress sellers who stuff their beds in a box and leave it for you to handle.)

Still, many things happened during the return process that I never could have predicted. Its not practical for individual consumers to recompress their beds, shove them in the original boxes and hand them back over to UPS or FedEx, though one early Tuft & Needle customer did manage to box up his mattress for return and stick the company with a $300 shipping bill.

So the surprises began when Casper, Helix and Leesa dispatched the 1-800-Got-Junk truck to fetch my never-been-slept-on bedding. Under normal circumstances, the companies try to find a way to get returned mattresses to a needy person. Helix claims to have 3,000 donation partners in its database.

But when it came to my mattresses, the local Salvation Army truck was booked until October, according to the customer service representatives at Tuft & Needle and Helix, who tried to help me before calling in the junk haulers. Bedbug-fearing nonprofit groups and strict New York City regulations pose special challenges for the companies in my area, it turns out.

Evan Cohen, general manager of the 1-800-Got-Junk franchise that covers Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, said it manages to completely recycle 30 to 40 percent of the mattresses. The other mattresses go to transfer stations, where some parts of them may be recycled before the rest of the material ends up in a landfill.

The potential environmental cost of returns is bad enough. But the companies must also pay 1-800-Got-Junk to haul the mattresses away. Cohen said he would charge an individual $118 to haul away an old mattress. Mattress companies that hire the company to handle returned mattresses get a bulk discount.

Still, those costs are high enough on mattresses that ranged from about $550 to about $950 for my full-size models to have the potential to cause serious problems for the companies. David Wolfe, chief executive of Leesa mattress, said he was all for the unalienable right to an in-home trial.

But its not going to be helpful for the industry if people start to order multiple mattresses, he said.

He urged consumers to thoroughly research any mattress purchase before starting an in-home trial. And you cant blame the guy for not wanting to end up like Zappos, where people frequently order piles of shoes with the intention of keeping just one or two pairs.

All of the companies claim return rates below 10 percent. 1-800-Got-Junk reports having taken in about 9,000 mattresses this year on behalf of the various direct-selling mattress retailers it works with.

Tuft & Needle provided the most unusual return experience Ive ever had as a consumer. Its website promises that we will work together to donate a returned mattress. Its that easy, the site reads.

In reality, the company could not find a charity partner near me. So it posed a challenge of sorts. I could find a worthy organization on my own and send Tuft & Needle an ad hoc receipt of sorts, with a signature from the recipient. Failing that, I could give the mattress to a friend or family member in need and provide similar proof. If that didnt work, I could post a note on Craigslist or Freecycle offering to give the mattress away. And if that wasnt possible, the junk truck was an option.

Given that the other companies had told me how hard it was to give a mattress away in New York City, I wasnt optimistic. But I posted a note on my personal Facebook page, and a friend Id made years ago and hadnt seen since popped up to tell me about a sex-trafficking victim her organization was helping. The client had just moved to a new apartment with her family and was sleeping on the floor. Could I help her? And sorry but no, the organization had no moving truck or anything like that.

Which was how I found myself behind the wheel of a rental van a few nights later with a case manager from Sanctuary for Families, driving to a neighborhood in Queens that the organization asked me not to identify. We hauled the mattress up a narrow flight of stairs and dropped it off for the grateful recipient.

I will be able to sleep happy for once, she said.

That was a heartwarming and unexpected ending to what was supposed to be a virtual shopping experience, but I need not have left my own apartment. Daehee Park, a co-founder of Tuft & Needle, said that if I had spoken up about the van rental bill and the time-consuming nature of the potential donation, the company might have hired a errand runner from TaskRabbit to handle it. We try to do what we can, he said.

Like Wolfe at Leesa, however, he does worry about people abusing their in-home testing privileges (though he declined the New York Times offer to pay in full after all, as did the other companies). He and his competitors deserve enormous credit for trying to make free, in-home trials the price of admission for participating in the mattress industry, and all of us should demand the same deal from brick-and-mortar retailers.

So now that the mattress startups have proved that theyre serious about real-world sleep tests, please dont take undue advantage of them.

You can never prevent people from gaming a system, Park said.
A 1-year-old baby being held by his mother on a Richmond sidewalk was shot in the leg Friday by an errant bullet when someone opened fire on a man more than two blocks away, police and witnesses said.

Gunshots broke out about 10:15 a.m. on Second Street and Bissell Avenue, where a man in his 20s was shot, residents said. A bullet that missed the man flew 2 blocks north up Second Street and struck the infant in the leg at McDonald Avenue, said Lt. Felix Tan, a spokesman for the Richmond Police Department.

When the shooting happened, the mother was holding her child in her arm as she waited in front of the Bay Area Rescue Mission, a food pantry and distribution center, said Leo Freels, a warehouse manager.

Freels, 45, said he was inside the warehouse fetching a refrigerator for the mother, when co-workers told him a baby had just been shot.

It didnt occur to me that the baby in her hands was shot, Freels said of the mother he was helping. I got a baby the same age. Its crazy.

Freels said he ran back outside and saw the injured child. He and other workers wrapped up the babys leg in bandages. As others called 911, Freels put the baby in his car and sped him and his mother to the Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center on Nevins Avenue.

The mother was freaking out, but the hospital staff calmed her down, said Freels, adding that the mother lives in Richmond and that her baby is going to be fine.

Police did not release the names of the mother and child.

Tan said police officers went directly to the McDonald Avenue food pantry as soon as they received calls of the shooting. While there, officers learned that a 25-year-old man had been shot at Second Street and Bissell Avenue and had already been taken to a hospital.

No suspects have been identified, he said.

The man suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Tan said.

Residents in the area where the gunfire broke out said they heard at least three shots and then saw a man on the ground wounded.

Its really frightening. I didnt go outside. Its awful. It was terrible, said Janet Hackett, 74, who looked out her door and saw the wounded man.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @SarRavani
A male who was shot in the face is expected to survive his injuries, Berkeley police said Saturday.

Police received reports just after 10 p.m. Friday of gunfire, speeding cars and a vehicle crash along Ninth Street in West Berkeley, said Lt. Andrew Rateaver of the Berkeley Police Department.

Officers believe shots were fired around Allston Way and Ninth Street. They found a male with a gunshot wound to his face near a car crash at Ninth and Pardee streets, about six blocks south of where the gunfire was initially reported, Rateaver said.

Initial reports indicated the victim may have been a juvenile, but Rateaver did not have information on his age Saturday, saying only that he was young. He was transported to a hospital for treatment.

Police said there was a link between the gunfire, speeding cars and a crash but did not know who fired at whom, how many cars were involved or other details. Officers detained one person near the crash while others fled the scene.

Were still trying to put it together, Rateaver said.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call (510) 981-5900.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
A sexually exploited teenager at the center of a Bay Area police scandal told an Oakland police sergeant a year ago that she had sex with some of his colleagues when she was underage, but the sergeant kept the illicit behavior secret, Alameda County prosecutors said Friday.

Tell me you were an adult, Sgt. Leroy Johnson, who has since retired from the force, allegedly told the Richmond teenager on Sept. 21, 2015, in a Facebook message.

Id be lying, responded the woman, who is now 19 but at that time had just turned 18 and had used the name Celeste Guap.

Johnson was one of two Bay Area police officers charged Friday in Alameda County Superior Court with crimes in connection with interactions they had with the young woman, a sexually exploited teen whose attorneys have asked that she be identified by her first name of Jasmine. Five other officers are expected to be charged in coming days.

Also Friday, the womans lawyers filed a legal claim against Oakland  a precursor to a lawsuit  seeking at least $66 million in damages, alleging that several police officers who should have helped Jasmine instead gave her money or protection in exchange for sex.

These acts, the claim states, have caused (the victim) to suffer unimaginable abuse, pain and suffering that she and her family will endure for the rest of her life.

Johnson was charged with a misdemeanor count of failing to report child abuse. A former Livermore police officer, Dan Black, was charged with five misdemeanor counts, including engaging in prostitution and lewd conduct in public, for allegedly having sex with Jasmine.

The two officers were not arrested and were ordered to appear in court Oct. 4. Efforts to reach them and their attorneys have been unsuccessful.

Black took Jasmine to restaurants in Berkeley and Albany in April, when she was 18, and told her, Just to be clear, Im not paying you, but I will buy you dinner, according to an affidavit by Inspector Jim Taranto of the Alameda County district attorneys office.

Black is accused of paying for dinner and furnishing the teenager with alcohol in exchange for having sex with her twice in his motor home, which he allegedly parked on a public street in Berkeley.

The young woman has told The Chronicle she had sex with about 29 officers in the Bay Area over the past two years, and that her relations with at least four officers occurred before she turned 18. Jasmine said a few officers paid her while others warned her about antiprostitution stings or ran the names of people she knew through confidential databases.

Authorities have said Oakland police began investigating the scandal after an officer who had a relationship with Jasmine committed suicide Sept. 25, four days after the alleged Facebook exchange between the teenager and Johnson. But the district attorneys office was kept in the dark for months in violation of police policy.

District Attorney Nancy OMalley, who called the officers behavior morally reprehensible, has said charges will be filed against four additional current and former Oakland officers and one former Contra Costa County sheriffs deputy, alleging crimes including oral sex with a minor and misusing computer databases.

OMalleys office had been delaying the filing of charges until Jasmine returned from Florida, where she was jailed in late August after biting a guard at a rehabilitation center.

The scandal has rocked the Oakland police force, where officials recently said four unidentified officers would be fired, seven would be suspended without pay and one would be referred to counseling after an internal review.

Several police agencies  including the San Francisco and Richmond police departments  are still weighing whether to fire or discipline numerous officers who had sex or engaged in other inappropriate behavior with the teenager.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite
The WTO's appeals judges upheld an earlier ruling that found India had broken WTO rules by requiring solar power developers to use Indian-made cells and modules.

By Reuters: India lost its appeal at the World Trade Organisation in a dispute over solar power on Friday, failing to overturn a US complaint that New Delhi had discriminated against importers in the Indian solar power sector.

The WTO's appeals judges upheld an earlier ruling that found India had broken WTO rules by requiring solar power developers to use Indian-made cells and modules. The appeal ruling is final and India will be expected to bring its laws into compliance with the WTO rules.

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"This report is a clear victory for American solar manufacturers and workers, and another step forward in the fight against climate change," US Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement.

Indian officials made no immediate comment on the appeal outcome.

US solar exports to India have fallen by more than 90 percent since India brought in the rules, the statement said.

As in the earlier ruling, which was issued in February this year, the judges said India could not claim exemptions on the basis of that its national solar power sector was included in government procurement, nor on the basis that solar goods were in short supply.

There was also no justification on the grounds of ensuring ecologically sustainable growth or combatting climate change.

The dispute, which the United States first launched in February 2013, involved an increasingly common target of trade disputes - solar power, with an increasingly common complaint - local content requirements.

The appeal ruling came just days after India launched a WTO complaint against subsidies for the solar industry in eight US states.

Under WTO rules, countries are not allowed to discriminate against imports and favour local producers, but in the past five years countries keen to support their own manufacturers have frequently resorted to local content requirements, while keeping a sharp eye out for their use by others.

"We strongly support the rapid deployment of solar energy worldwide, including in India," Froman said.

"But local content requirements are not only contrary to WTO rules, but actually undermine our efforts to promote clean energy by requiring the use of more expensive and less efficient equipment, making it more difficult for clean energy sources to be cost-competitive."



--- ENDS ---
Midcentury modern design mania isn't losing momentum. The style revival is more popular now than a few years ago, when it began to be seen in store showrooms and magazine spreads.

Some real estate agents are amplifying the movement by specializing in selling homes built in the 1950s and '60s, and by playing up their retro architectural features. Think low ceilings, stone facades and sunken living rooms.
WASHINGTON  Hate crimes against American Muslims have soared to their highest levels since the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to data compiled by researchers, an increase apparently fueled by terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad and by divisive language on the campaign trail.

The trend has alarmed hate crime scholars and law-enforcement officials, who have documented hundreds of attacks  including arsons at mosques, assaults, shootings and threats of violence  since the beginning of 2015.

While the most current hate crime statistics from the FBI are not expected until November, new data from researchers at Cal State San Bernardino found that hate crimes against American Muslims were up 78 percent over the course of 2015. Attacks on those perceived as Arab rose even more sharply.

Police and media reports in recent months have indicated a continued flow of attacks, often against victims wearing traditional Muslim garb or seen as Middle Eastern.

Some scholars believe the violent backlash against American Muslims is driven not only by the string of terrorist attacks in Europe and the United States that began early last year, but also by the political vitriol from candidates like Donald Trump, who has called for a ban on immigration by Muslims and a national registry of Muslims in the United States.

Were seeing these stereotypes and derogative statements become part of the political discourse, said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at the San Bernardino campus. The bottom line is were talking about a significant increase in these types of hate crimes.

He said the frequency of anti-Muslim violence appeared to have increased immediately after some of Trumps most incendiary comments.

The latest major episode of anti-Muslim violence came last weekend, when an arsonist on a motorcycle started a fire that engulfed the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, Fla., where Omar Mateen  the gunman in the June massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando  had sometimes prayed.
1 Deadly crash: Four people died and more than 40 were injured Saturday in a charter bus crash near Rockingham, N.C., state troopers said. The injured were transported to hospitals, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately known. University of Gods Chosen coach Demetrius Hollingsworth said football players and coaches from Ramah Juco Academy were traveling from Rock Hill, S.C., to face UGC when their bus struck an overpass on Interstate 74 in Richmond County. The bus may have blown a front tire, the State Highway Patrol said. Images from the scene showed the sidewall of the bus almost sheared off. Rockingham is 70 miles southeast of Charlotte.

2 Officers shot: One of two police officers who were shot while responding to a reported suicide at a house in Fort Worth, Texas, was released Saturday from the hospital. Officer Ray Azucena was treated for a minor chest wound. Officer Xavier Serrano remained in the hospital in stable condition with wounds to his torso, arms and shoulder. The officers were shot while seeking a witness to a shooting that killed a man in his home Friday. The officers were directed to a backyard shed, from which a gunman started firing. The gunman later was found dead inside the shed, but Officer Daniel Segura said its not clear if he died from a police bullet or his own. The dead men were not identified.
GEOLOGIST SEAMOUNTS, Hawaii  The turquoise waters became darker and darker, and squiggly glow-in-dark marine creatures began to glide past in the inky depths like ghosts.

The three-man submarine went down, down, down into the abyss and drew within sight of something no human had ever laid eyes on: Cook seamount, a 13,000-foot extinct volcano at the bottom of the sea.

Scientists aboard the vessel Pisces V visited the volcano earlier this month to examine its geological features and its rich variety of marine life, and an Associated Press reporter was given exclusive access to the dive. It was the first expedition to the Cook seamount by a manned submersible.

Among other things, the researchers from the University of Hawaii and the nonprofit group Conservation International spotted such wonders as a rare type of octopus with big fins that look like Dumbos ears, and a potentially new species of violet-hued coral they dubbed Purple Haze.

Conservation International hopes to study 50 seamounts, or undersea volcanoes, over the next five years.

We dont know anything about the ocean floor, said Peter Seligmann, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Conservation International. What we know is that each one of those seamounts is a refuge for new species, but we dont know what they are. We dont know how theyve evolved. We dont know what lessons they have for us.

Seamounts are either active or dormant volcanoes that rise dramatically from the bottom of the ocean and never reach the surface. They are hotspots for marine life because they carry nutrient-rich water upward from the sea floor. Seamounts are believed to cover about 18 million square miles of the planet.

Cook, situated over 100 miles southwest of Hawaiis Big Island, is part of a group of undersea volcanoes known as the Geologist Seamounts that are about 80 million years old and could hold many new animal species, as well as elements such as nickel and cobalt that mining companies could extract.

My goal today is to ... find out whats living on them, find out how they support ocean life, what their effect is from ocean currents and essentially what drives the ocean, what makes the ocean what it is, said Greg Stone, a marine biologist on board. Seamounts are a key part of that, and something which humanity knows very little about.

Two other seamounts were studied over three days of expeditions: McCall, home to a large number of deep-sea sharks, and Loihi, an active volcano.
WASHINGTON  With each scripted speech, shift in policy and attempt to whitewash his past behavior, Donald Trump is brazenly betting that voters now settling on their choice for president are willing to shove aside all that came before his late-in-the-campaign recalibration.

Its a deeply uncertain proposition given Trumps staggeringly negative standing with most Americans. Polls show more than half believe the Republican nominee is unqualified to be president and is biased against women and minorities.

But his strategy doesnt require moving huge segments of the electorate.

Seven weeks from the Nov. 8 election and with absentee ballots already available in a few states, Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton are fighting for a small sliver of undecided voters who, in many cases, simply cant stomach either.

What these candidates are trying to convince the voters of is, Im not as bad as the other one, said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster.

In recent weeks, Trumps attempts to make that case have sometimes left him looking like a candidate with little resemblance to the one who stunned the Republican Party during the primaries.

He now largely reads speeches off teleprompters despite casting aspersions on other politicians for relying on the devices. Hes rolled out proposals on policies in which hes shown no previous interest, including child care and paid family leave. And hes made overtures to minorities, including blacks and Latinos, groups with whom he has minimal support.

Trumps latest attempt to persuade voters that hes the lesser of two evils came Friday, when he abruptly reversed course on his lie that President Obama was not born in the United States.

Trumps role as chief promoter of the conspiracy theory about the nations first black president has left him with almost no support among African Americans and has turned off moderates who bristle at its racist undertones.

Trumps newfound acceptance of Obamas birthplace seems unlikely to sway many of those voters. He offered no apology for pushing the falsehood for years and instead said the rumors originated with Clinton, another inaccurate claim.

Trump aides have long believed voters doubts about Clinton created an opening for the Republican, if he could control his worst political impulses. He showed no ability to do that throughout the summer but was finally persuaded by a new team of advisers who presented him with plummeting polls and a stark warning that he was on the path to defeat.

Aides say the tightening polls have validated the new approach in Trumps eyes.
After Brad Hargreaves co-founded coding boot camp General Assembly, he noticed that many of its students, employees and instructors were having a hard time finding housing, often living with roommates well into their careers.

That inspired him to take the boot camps goals of convenience and community and apply them to create prepackaged group houses through a startup called Common, which launched three residences in its Brooklyn hometown over the past year.

This is a huge need, Hargreaves said. Everyone can see a housing crisis in major cities. We are trying to create a product that works for both real estate developers and renters.

Common is now opening two houses, each with 12 bedrooms, in San Franciscos South of Market neighborhood. It charges $2,600 to around $3,000 for a furnished bedroom and private bathroom with access to sleekly outfitted shared spaces such as high-end kitchens and lounge areas with 60-inch LED TVs. The price includes high-speed Internet access, all utilities, household supplies like toilet paper and cleaning services for the common areas. Were trying to take the pain points out of sharing with roommates, Hargreaves said.

Beyond the creature comforts, Hargreaves hopes Common will generate some intangible benefits for its residents: a sense of belonging.

We encourage Common members to know their neighbors, be friendly, have community, said Hargreaves, 30. His own living situation is a traditional apartment with his wife and a baby on the way, and hes never lived communally full time, but he and other folks from the companys 25-person staff usually bunk in Commons new homes for a week before the residents arrive, so they can iron out kinks.

James Tensuan/Special to The Chronicle

Residents of the first SoMa house, called Minna for a nearby street, started moving in during early August. The house is still adding new roommates. Many said that finding community was a primary motivator. Minna is fully occupied; the other house, called McCoppin, will open Oct. 1 and just began to take applications.

Its hard to make good friends in San Francisco, said Sana, 34, who declined to give her last name. (Many residents seemed hyper-aware that they represent a polarizing group in San Francisco, in part because they work at large technology companies like Facebook, Google and LinkedIn.)

Sana found the Minna house through a Facebook ad and gave up an apartment at the nearby luxury complex Nema to move there. I thought, if you see people everyday, it would be easier, she said. I really love meeting everyone.

Sharing houses is hardly new, of course. San Francisco has a vibrant history of cohabitation, ranging from 1960s-vintage funky group homes in the Haight to a bevy of high-end tech-focused communal residences that emerged in the past decade often backed by utopian-minded millionaires who rehabilitated stately mansions and moved in along with like-minded cohorts.

Backed by $25.9 million in venture capital, Common represents a version 3.0  a profit-driven attempt to take communal living large-scale, by spreading it to urban centers as a viable housing solution for Millennials. (The company is quick to say that there is no particular age focus. The Minna house residents ranged from early 20s to late 30s.)

Common is not the only venture-backed company in the space. WeWork, the $16 billion co-working company, just opened WeLive, communal buildings in New York and Crystal City, Va. Residents get apartments with their own kitchen and bathroom and access to shared amenities like a yoga studio, arcade room and high-end kitchen. WeWork projects that WeLives annual revenue will be over $600 million within three years, according to a leaked investor memo reported by BuzzFeed last year. WeLive said it had no immediate plans for San Francisco.

In the Bay Area, OpenDoor runs communal homes in the East Bay, while a startup called Starcity that just graduated from the Y Combinator accelerator in Mountain View aims to create communal houses. Theres already been one casualty in the space: Campus closed last summer after two years, during which it ran 34 communal houses in the Bay Area and New York. We were unable to make Campus into an economically viable business, founder Tom Currier wrote in a farewell letter to residents.

Its important to note that Common, WeLive and their ilk are not egalitarian, democratically run households, according to experts in cooperative living.

This is a landlord-tenant dynamic, said Raines Cohen, a community organizer with Co-Housing California in Berkeley. I dont think anyone will mistake these for grassroots communities.

Rather than giving residents a voice in day-to-day matters, companies like Common are saying, You can trust us; were a brand and well take care of things, Cohen said. Franchises survive and thrive by offering a predictable, standard package.

In fact, several Common residents said that was part of the attraction.

Its worth it from a luxury standpoint  its modern, clean, renovated; all the appliances work, said Reid Spitz, 24, who works for an investment banking firm that led one of Commons VC rounds. He also appreciated the fellowship. The first night we all cooked together, and then did an icebreaker of asking each other existential questions.

Each Common facility has a community manager  a resident who gets discounted rent in exchange for arranging events like potlucks, book clubs and concert outings. Residents keep active discussions going online via Slack channels, as well as impromptu meetings in the hallways.

While Minnas neighborhood a block south of the Mid-Market headquarters of Uber and Twitter is a bit seamy, the generous common spaces, nicely decorated rooms, roof decks and other high-end amenities compensate for that, Spitz and others said.

One challenge for Common and others may be churn. Half a dozen residents interviewed one recent evening said they see themselves living there for a year, tops. On the other hand, San Francisco and other cities Common is targeting have a seemingly endless stream of people moving there for well-paid work.

With Commons first houses in Brooklyn, it quickly discovered that month-to-month leases resulted in too much turnover, detracting from the community feeling, Hargreaves said. Now it prefers 12-month leases.

Even in sticker-shock San Francisco, Commons price seems steep. We look at prevailing rents and seek to price below a studio in the neighborhood and above a house-share on Craigslist, Hargreaves said. The average one-bedroom in SoMa is $3,600 a month; this is a substantial discount to that.

Common said it accepts residents on a first-come, first-served basis to make sure theres no discrimination in housing. Minnas initial half-dozen residents seemed fairly similar in age and profession, perhaps a function of self-selection and the ability to afford the rent. Pets are barred. Children are technically allowed but would be logistically difficult, Hargreaves said. Parents whove toured the Common houses have elected not to follow through.

The new crop of high-end communes have come under fire from the likes of the San Francisco Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, which decries digerati dorms as a capitalistic infrastructure.

Common operates as a property manager, renting its locations from landlords either for a set rate or a percentage of revenue, and taking responsibility for repairs and maintenance. In San Francisco, the Minna house was previously occupied by a marijuana dispensary (and theres still one on the ground floor). The McCoppin house was purchased from the estate of an owner who had left it vacant. Both properties were dilapidated, the company said.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Tracing the historic roots of Indian heritage, Miku Kumar's collection brought a refreshing palette of colours and designs on the ramp.

By India Today Web Desk: Designer Miku Kumar launched her bridal collection to an enthralled audience of the packed people at a scintillating fashion show at Runway Week in the national capital's Tyagaraj stadium on September 16, 2016.

Wowing audiences from the fashion and media, Miku Kumar brought a refreshing palette of colours and designs on the ramp.

Appreciating Miku on her first show's success, Shaine Soni, chairperson of Miss India Elite, remarked: "It was a wonderful collection.You have a wonderful future."



Also Read: Beauty of Indian handlooms comes alive at India Runway Week

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MikuKumar explained her collection as elegant regal heritage "catering to the modern Indian woman, with style and substance still in touch with the ethnic roots.

Rakhi Chauhan, the director at Five Elementz Theatre Group showed her appreciation of Miku's designs thus: "It spells luxury with class."



The young Indian designer from West Bengal added, "Our collection is about the ethnic routes of Indian heritage. Our brides dress as maharanis.. with flared lehengas and rich embroideries of zardozi, sequins and cutdaanas, anarkali jackets and skirts with traditional crop tops. The colours of this collection are predominantly peach orange and hues of green."





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Students of AIIMS, Bhopal, throw ink at Union Health Minister JP Nadda after not getting to meet him and discuss their concerns.

By Rahul Noronha: Students of AIIMS Bhopal threw ink at Union Health Minister JP Nadda at the campus when the minister was visiting during a trip to Bhopal today.

The students had been protesting the lack of academic facilities at the institute. Two students have been detained by the police in connection with the ink throwing incident.

ALSO READ | Ink attack: Delhi Police chief blamed for attack on Kejriwal

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The first batch of the institute is scheduled to pass out in November 2016 but the institute does not have a full fledged hospital as yet.

TWO STUDENTS SUSTAIN MINOR INJURIES



On Saturday, Health Minister JP Nadda went to the AIIMS campus to inaugurate CT and MRI machines. AIIMS students had already been staging a protest demanding more facilities on campus. A group of students attempted to gherao the minister when he reached the institute in his car and in the ensuing scuffle two students, identified later as Anjali and Ujjawala, sustained minor injuries. Soon after that when the Minister was at the campus, protesting students threw ink at the Minister. The ink fell on the Minister's car as well as his attire.

A student who did not wish to be identified said that they wanted to talk to the Minister about their grievances but he was not ready to talk to them.

ALSO READ | India grappling with shortage of health workforce: Nadda



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Senior Islamic State leader who oversaw the group's production of execution and torture videos killed in an airstrike

By Indo-Asian News Service: A senior Islamic State leader who, as the extreme group's "minister of information", oversaw the group's production of torture and execution videos, has been killed in an airstrike in Syria, Pentagon said on Friday.

MODUS OPERANDI

"On September 7, coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Raqqah, Syria, that targeted and killed 'Wa'il', also known as Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, one of IS's most senior leaders," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

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"He operated as the minister of information for the terror organization and was a prominent member of its Senior Shura Council - IS's leadership group," Cook said.

ALSO READ

ISIS plans to attack India through its bases in Bangladesh and Pakistan



Wa'il was killed by a drone targeting his home in al-Raqqah, IS's de facto capital in Syria, according to an ABC news report, citing an anonymous US official as source.

TARGETING IS LEADERS

The confirmed death of "Wa'il" is the second strike in the past two weeks targeting a senior IS leader involved in the terror organization's media operation. Earlier this week, Pentagon confirmed that the group's spokesman al-Adnani was killed in an airstrike on August 30 as he rode in a vehicle near the Syrian town of al-Bab.

Wa'il was a close associate of al-Adnani, said Cook.

ALSO READ

Armed ISIS gunmen attack restaurant in Dhaka, 5 including 3 cops killed in gunbattle



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Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali ordered magisterial probe in Rajouri incident and also constituted a four member committee to submit a report on losses.

By Ashwini Kumar: Even as Rajori is simmering with anger the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday succumbed to the pressure and ordered Magisterial probe to unravel the conspiracy into communal tension in the district.

Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali interacted with members of different communities and senior district authorities.

He later ordered magisterial probe in Rajouri incident and also constituted a four member committee to submit a report on losses so as to provide compensation to the affected.

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He also warned that strict action shall be taken against the miscreants trying to disturb the peace and tranquillity in the region. Ali was speaking at a meeting convened with the district administration and members of civil society to review the law and order situation in Rajouri.

INVOLVE ALL RELIGIOUS HEADS

He further instructed district administration Rajouri to involve all religious heads and members of civil society in maintaining peace and tranquility in the area.

He asserted that religious heads have to play pivotal role in such situation and they must come forward and help the administration in maintaining peace.

'Religious heads have a social responsibility and they must come forward and give joint message of brotherhood', he added.

Appealing for peace, Minister said that Rajouri and Poonch are known for communal brotherhood where people always lived together and helped each other in crises. He said that it is the land of Sufi saints of all religion.

"We have shrines of Hazrat Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah at Shadra Sharief, Shri Budha Amarnath Ji Shrine at Mandir Mandi Poonch and Shrine of Baba Nangali Sahib at Poonch which speaks itself about the bonds of amity among the people of this area," Ali said.

Instructing Police to identify trouble makers, the Minister said that there is need to identify miscreants in the society. He said that few elements cannot be allowed to disturb the peace adding that peace loving people should themselves identify the trouble mongers and handover them to Police.

Earlier, he convened separate meeting with the representatives of various communities and sought their cooperation in maintaining amity and harmony in the district.

The Minister also said that elements inimical to the peace shall be dealt with iron hands and nobody shall be allowed to disturb the social harmony in the region.

ALSO READ:

Nawaz Sharif to highlight Kashmir issue at UNGA speech

PDP MP Tariq Hamid Karra resigns from Lok Sabha, party as Kashmir continues to be on boil



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By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today attacked ruling BJP in Gujarat over the detention of dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, saying the episode reflects the "partys fear" and its days in the state are "numbered".

Gujarat Police detained Mevani last night, who led a Dalit movement to protest against the Una flogging incident, in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to his home state.

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AAP leader Ashutosh claimed that several Patidar leaders and party volunteers were detained since yesterday.

Modi, who landed in Gujarat yesterday, spent his birthday with his mother Hiraba.

"Mevani was arrested immediately after he landed in Ahemdabad from Delhi. Many AAP volunteers have also been detained. This shows the BJP fear that its days in the state are numbered," Ashutosh said.

"This is the way a king (Modi) celebrates his birthday. Dahod, Ahemdabad, Navsari and Gandhinagar have been turned into fortresses. While being the Chief Minister of the state, Modi would refer people of the state as his 5 crore Gujaratis, but now he is afraid of the same citizens," Ashutosh said.

BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of next years polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.

Mevani, who floated the Dalit Atyachar Ladhai Samiti following flogging of Dalits in Gujarats Una over rumours of cow-slaughter, had quit AAP, but sources said he still maintains links with the party. PTI PR DIP RG DIP

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Comedian Kapil Sharma could be in deeper trouble as Maharashtra forest department has submitted a negative report to the revenue department and recommended registering an FIR against him for destroying mangrove forest.

By Saurabh Vaktania: More trouble is brewing for standup comedian Kapil Sharma as the Maharashtra's forest department has found him guilty of destroying mangrove forests in Mumbai. The forest department submitted a negative report to the revenue department headed by collector on Saturday.

The 15-page report said, "Huge mangrove land was destroyed by bungalow owners including Kapil Sharma." It calls for registering an FIR under relevant environment laws against the comedian immediately.

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'MANGROVE LAND DESTROYED'

The popular comedian is accused of destroying "over ten metres of mangrove land" to build illegal structure at the back side of his bungalow in Versova.

The report said that in all over 450 metres of mangrove land was destroyed by 50-60 bungalow owners in the area- home to several celebrities.

On last Monday the forest department conducted a survey at four bungalows area in Andheri West, where Kapil owns a house. The survey was done using GPS technology and the results were matched by Google earth.

"The bungalows owner including Kapil Sharma have filled the mangroves land and killed all mangroves. They have in fact planted other trees to destroy mangroves," the report said.

'TAKE PROMPT ACTION'

The forest department has sought, in its report, immediate action against the violators of environment laws. The owners carried unauthorised constructions on the back side of their bungalows destroying mangroves completely in the affected area, the report said.

"We expect soon the revenue department, which is head by collector will file FIR in the matter at Versova police station," said the probe report.

RTI FILED AGAINST

Meanwhile, RTI activist Asad Patel filed a complaint against Kapil Sharma for allegedly destroying mangroves for his office construction. The complaint was registered at Versova Police Station.

The complainant accused Kapil Sharma of illegal construction, encroachment, illegal eco-destruction, destroying and theft of mangroves and debris dumping. The police have launched a probe into the matter.

TWEET AND TWISTS

Earlier, Kapil Sharma created row with his tweet in which he alleged that a BMC official demanded a bribe of Rs five lakh from him. He tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make his point.

Immediately, an inquiry was initiated into the matter. But, the investigation landed Kapil Sharma in trouble as he came under scanner for illegal construction and violating environment protection laws.

It was found that Kapil had permission to build ground-plus-one structure but he built ground-plus-two structure. Not only this, he is now being charged with destruction of mangrove forests on the back side of his bungalow.

ALSO READ:

50 bungalows in Kapil Sharma's neighbourhood under scanner for uprooting mangroves



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Bellary residents follow a bizarre superstition where the rituals for the dead are performed on living persons to please the rain gods.

By Pratiba Raman: At a time when Karnataka government is planning for an Anti-Superstition bill and even contemplating to ban astrology shows on television, there's news of a peculiar superstitious practice followed in Bhimasamudra village of Bellary district in Karnataka to impress rain gods.

A married old man who is alive is carried like a dead body and the villagers follow all the rituals (Hindu Ritual) which is usually performed for a dead body during funeral.

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The man, though alive, will be taken in a procession like a dead body in a chariot in the village. After that he will be taken to graveyard keep him in the graveyard pit.

The villagers return after burying the man. Interestingly, the man who is in the pit alive comes out, goes to a pond take bath. He returns to the village after one or two hours of the last rites.

RITUAL FOLLOWED FOR THREE DAYS



By following this superstitious ritual for three days continuously, villagers believe that they will impress the rain gods who will bless them.

"When there is delay in rain for two or three months, people in our village will be talking to each about the need to use someone as dead body, do all the rituals to impress the rain gods.

So we will ask everybody to volunteer for this ritual," said A T Bheemanna, one of the villagers.

"If someone agrees to come forward, we will dress him as a dead body, do all kinds of rituals followed in Hindu religion. After that will take him on a procession in the village. We do this for three days. We go to graveyard and come back to the village. That's it," he added.

The authorities are taking measures to ensure such practices are kept under check in the state.

"Yes we are mulling over the anti superstition bill. Still a long way to go. We are against those practices that degrade humanity," KPCC Working President, Dinesh Gundurao.

Also read:

Super CM to superstition? Karnataka CM, who backs anti-superstition bill, spotted walking with a lemon

Indian superstitions and the theories behind them: Not to be missed



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LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images

YARI PLAINS, Colombia  The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia kicked off its last conference as a rebel army Saturday as it looks to transition into a political movement following the signing of a peace accord to end more than a half-century of hostilities.

The FARCs top leader, Rodrigo Londono, addressed about 500 mostly unarmed and semi-uniformed guerrillas who had arrived from all parts of Colombia to attend the meeting. Speaking from a giant stage planted in the desolate plains of southern Colombia, the bearded leader known by his alias Timochenko said that over the next week commanders will ratify a peace accord reached with the government last month and debate political strategy going forward.
By India Today Web Desk: The death toll in ongoing unrest in Kashmir went up to 81 as the pellet-ridden body of a youth was found here in the summer capital.

The body of teenager Momin Altaf Ganai, a resident of Harwan in Srinagar, was found in the area late last night a police official said today. He said Ganai's body bore injuries caused by pellets.

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The teenager was injured in clashes between protesters and security forces in Harwan yesterday, the official said, adding that he had gone missing immediately after the clashes.

More than 40 people were injured in the clashes in different areas of the Valley on Friday.

MASSIVE PROTESTS

The incident triggered massive protests in Srinagar. Although the boy had pellet injuries, sources said that the security forces asserted that they had pellets from a distance and that it was not the cause of the youth's death.

Sources said that the deceased was the son of Muhammad Shafi, a resident of New Theed Harwan in Srinagar. The teenager was reportedly a student of Greenlight School Ishber. Soon after the death locals resorted to nocturnal protests.

This is the second incident where a youth succumbed to injuries due to clashes in less than a week's time in the valley. On September 11, Javid Ahmad Dar (16) died after he suffered grievous injuries during clashes.

Dr. Farooq Jan, medical superintendent of SKIMS, said, "A bullet had torn apart his popliteal artery, which runs in close proximity to the joint capsule of the knee. We tried to repair it, but he landed into acute renal failure."

Nearly 150 people were injured in the clashes on September 11.

Also read:

Hurriyat hawks exposed: How funds flow from Pakistan to fuel Kashmir unrest

Kashmir unrest: Terrorism grossest violation of human rights, says India; rejects UNHRHC proposal

Supreme Court rejects petition against 'government funding' to separatists in Kashmir







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MANILA  Abu Sayyaf extremists on Saturday freed a Norwegian man kidnapped a year ago in the southern Philippines with two Canadians who were later beheaded and a Filipino woman who has been released by the ransom-seeking militants, officials said.

Kjartan Sekkingstad was freed in Patikul town in Sulu province and was eventually secured by rebels from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which has signed a peace deal with the government and helped negotiate his release, Philippine government officials said.

Sekkingstad, held in jungle captivity since being kidnapped last September, was to stay overnight at the house of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari in Sulu and then be flown to the southern city of Davao on Sunday to meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, said Jesus Dureza, who advises Duterte on peace talks with insurgent groups.

It was not immediately clear whether ransom was paid for Sekkingstads release. Duterte suggested in a news conference last month that 50 million pesos ($1 million) had been paid to the militants, but that they continued to hold on to him. The military said Saturday that relentless assaults forced the extremists to release the hostage.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende confirmed Sekkingstads release and said he was in contact with Dureza.

We are following the situation closely and are now working together with the Philippine authorities to bring Sekkingstad to safety, Brende said in a statement. We continue to work on it and we will not rejoice before Sekkingstad is safe and sound with the Philippine authorities.

While Duterte has pursued peace talks with Misuaris group and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, he has ordered the military to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, a smaller but more brutal band that the president says aims to establish an Islamic state or caliphate.

Sekkingstad was kidnapped from a marina on southern Samal Island on Sept. 21, 2015, with Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall and Halls Filipino girlfriend, Marites Flor, sparking a massive land and sea search by Philippine forces.

Ridsdel was beheaded in April and Hall was decapitated in June after ransom deadlines lapsed. When Flor was freed in June, she recounted in horror how the militants rejoiced while watching the beheadings.
LAGOS, Nigeria  Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari has apologized for plagiarizing President Obamas 2008 victory speech and says he will punish those responsible.

The announcement comes as Obama is set to meet Buhari, the leader of Africas largest economy and most populous country, this week in New York.
BEIRUT  The U.S. military said it may have unintentionally struck Syrian troops while carrying out a raid against the Islamic State group on Saturday, threatening an already fragile U.S. and Russian-brokered cease-fire that has largely held despite alleged violations on both sides.

If confirmed, it would mark the first known direct American strike on Syrian President Bashar Assads forces. The United Nations Security Council held a closed emergency meeting Saturday night at Russias request to discuss the air strike.

U.S. Central Command said the strike was immediately halted when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military.

The Syrian military said the deadly air strike hit a base in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour that is surrounded by the Islamic State, allowing the extremists to advance and overrun Syrian army positions in the area. Russias military said it was told by the Syrian army that at least 62 soldiers were killed in the air raid and more than 100 wounded.

The apparently errant strike could deal a crushing blow to the fragile cease-fire that has largely held for five days despite dozens of alleged violations. The cease-fire, which does not apply to attacks on Islamic State, has already been the subject of disputes between Moscow and Washington, with each accusing the other of failing to fully implement it.

Coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit, the U.S. military statement said.

The Syrian military called the strike a serious and blatant attack on Syria and its military, and firm proof of the U.S. support of Daesh, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said the U.S. is investigating the incident and expressed regret over the loss of life as she spoke to reporters outside the Security Council chamber.

But she accused Russia of pulling a stunt that is uniquely cynical and hypocritical in calling for the emergency meeting, while never taking similar action to condemn Assads regime for some of the most systematic atrocities we have seen in a generation.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin then walked out of the acrimonious meeting. He said that in his decades as a diplomat he had never seen such an extraordinary display of American heavy-handedness as we are witnessing today and was appalled by Powers remarks.
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Sep 17 (PTI) Sri Lanka today asked the international community to ban all fishing methods that harm marine eco-systems worldwide.

"I want to take this opportunity to call for the discontinuation and banning of all fishing methods that harm marine eco-systems, worldwide, in particular, bottom trawling," Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said in his address to the Our Ocean Conference 2016, which concluded here yesterday.

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In his address, the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister outlined the commitments made by Sri Lanka under the themes ? Marine Protected Areas, Marine Pollution, Sustainable Fisheries, and Climate and Ocean.

"By the end of this year, we will complete the construction of a sea turtle conservation complex to treat and provide a sanctuary for injured turtles and educate and create awareness among the local communities," said Samaraweera.

Noting that amongst the different ecosystems in Sri Lanka, mangroves represent a unique collection of specialised fauna and flora adapted to survive in brackish water conditions and in inter-tidal zones, the Minister said the government is in process of drafting a National Policy for Conservation and the Sustainable Utilisation of Mangrove Ecosystems.

In July this year, to mark International Mangrove Day, President Maithripala Sirisena inaugurated the worlds first mangrove museum in Sri Lanka.

The President has also given leadership in declaring a National Coastal and Marine Resources Conservation Week to be observed in September every year.

The first observance will take place from September 17 to September 23, he said.

Observing that Sri Lanka has already declared nine Marine Protected Areas in various parts of the country, Samaraweera said in addition, four new areas providing habitats for marine mammals, coral, migratory and shore birds, and other marine life will also be declared as Marine Protected Areas, shortly.

The Minister pledged to implement and improve the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan that will delineate responsibilities for the operational response to oil spills, and increase cooperation across sectors to coordinate and integrate their resources to respond effectively. PTI LKJ UZM

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Lt Governor Najeeb Jung refused to meet the ministers and said he didn't want to discuss work on a Saturday.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra today alleged that Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung had "refused" to meet him and Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

Mishra said that he along with Jain had gone to meet Jung after he on Friday night asked Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to immediately return to Delhi from Finland.

"We thought there must be some urgency that is why LG sent a fax to Manishji yesterday (Friday) asking him to return immediately. So we went to meet him to know about the issue. But when we reached his office, we were apprised that he won't be coming to office as today (Saturday) being a weekend day.

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Also read: Delhi gangrape: My constituency the most unsafe place, says Aman Vihar AAP MLA



LG DID'NT WANT TO DISCUSS WORK



"When we contacted him on phone, Jung told Satyendar Jain that he was not at home too and could not meet us. Today (Saturday) LG doesn't want to discuss work," Mishra alleged.

Asked if he had taken appointment before meeting the LG, Mishra said, "We cannot wait for the appointment when such an outbreak of vector borne disease is in Delhi." He alleged that the Lt. Governor "blocked" his number and was not taking his calls.

Jain reiterated the same thing, and said, "LG refused to talk on the issue of fax sent to Manish Sisodia by his office yesterday (Friday)."



IN FINLAND TO STUDY EDUCATION SYSTEM



Sisodia is in Finland on a tour to study the education framework there to improve the standard of education in Delhi government schools.

Also read: Delhi ill, L-G Najeeb Jung asks Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to return from Finland immediately

Sisodia on Friday denied he was holidaying in Finland, saying India needed to learn a "lot from their education system, the best in the world".

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By PTI: Shirdi (Maha), Sep 17 (PTI) The Consul General of Malaysia in India Eldeen Husaini Muhammad Hashim today released the translated version of Sai Charitra Granth, a book on the life of Sai Baba here.

The book is translated into Malay by a social outfit called I love Sai.

"I am happy that the book is translated into Malay," Hashim said, who also visited the Shirdi shrine.

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The envoy expressed confidence that the relations between India and Malaysia can be developed further. PTI CORR HVJ NRB ASV BAS

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BJP MP Manoj Tiwari (left) was reportedly pulled up by the party leadership for his fogging drive with Delhi water minister Kapil Mishra on Tuesday.

By Rakesh Ranjan: The bonhomie between BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and AAP minister Kapil Mishra at a joint fumigation drive in the Capital on Tuesday has not gone down well in to the BJP camp. Sources said the Delhi unit of the party is not happy that Tiwari shared stage with the 'PM basher'.

According to sources, some party leaders have reported the matter to BJP's central leadership. The sources said following the complaing, a top BJP functionary called up the Lok Sabha MP and pulled up Tiwari for his photo-op with Mishra at a time when BJP-led MCDs and the AAP government are locked in a bitter battle over dengue and chikungunya.

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Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay told Mail Today that he would seek a clarification from the parliamentarian.

"This does not send across a right message within the cadre and the party. I will speak to him (Tiwari) and seek clarification. Party leaders in general must be sensitive to the political position of the BJP," Upadhyay said.

Another office bearer pointed out that the BJP MP had the entire MCD machinery at his disposal to promote sanitation and fumigation, and but it was surprising that he chose to share the opportunity with the AAP minister.

Tiwari could not be reached despite repeated attempts. Sources close to him said the MP had left for Singapore two days after his public appearance.

FUMIGATION DRIVE

On Tuesday, Tiwari had gone for a fumigation drive with Kapil Mishra, who has viciously attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions in recent times. In one of his tweets, Mishra had even termed Modi an 'ISI agent'.

Delhi BJP leaders said this act of Tiwari has not only embarrassed the party but also left its leaders in MCD demoralized. The BJP, which controls all three MCD zones in Delhi, has been facing severe criticism for the spread of dengue and chikungunya, which have so far claimed 20 lives in the city.

Sources said that plan for the joint fumigation drive was finalized by the two leaders at Tiwari's official residence in North Avenue. According to a BJP insider, the two had met over lunch on Tuesday, where Mishra is said to have convinced Tiwari to show a united front in the fight against dengue.

A senior leader also questioned the timing of the photo-op. "The AAP ministers are globe-trotting when Delhi is reeling under the mortal threat of Chikungunya and dengue. Such an act unjustly provided a positive advertisement to the AAP government," he said.

This is not the first time when Tiwari has landed himself in trouble with the top brass. Earlier, he faced flak for his unsavoury comments against Kiran Bedi, who was BJP's chief ministerial face against Arvind Kejriwal in the 2015 assembly polls. "We don't need someone like a thanedar (policeman). We need a leader who can take everyone along," he had said.

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ALSO READ:

BJP sees red over Kapil Sharma's tweet; MP Manoj Tiwari says he shouldn't have dragged PM into this





--- ENDS ---
By PTI: *

Solar solutions provider Maxwell Solar and Wind Energy has installed 250 kv grid connected rooftop solar plant at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai.

The plant has been set up on the Arcade building of the WTC spread across 25,000 sqft and the power from the project will cater to the air conditioning of the building and will generate over 3 lakh units annually.

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"Through this initiative, WTC Mumbai is participating in governments mission to scale up the solar power to more than 10 percent of total energy mix by 2022," Chairman Kamal Morarka, WTC Mumbai, said in a statement today. (MORE) PTI PSK ARS ABI

--- ENDS ---
At India Today Mind Rocks 2016, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs runner-up Keshav Tyohar talks about his life being transformed ever since the show.

By India Today Web Desk: Runner-up of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Class 10 student Keshav Tyohar carries off his boyish charm with aplomb.

Though the boy did not win the singing reality show, she does believe that it has been a great platform for him: "My life has totally been transformed since Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs. Now I feel like reality shows are like a crash-course."

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"My guru in Patna groomed me, after which I went to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, where I learnt the nuances of singing technique. Currently, I am learning from Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan."



Watch: Mind Rocks 2016: Keshav Tyohar has the perfect makings of an entertainer



When asked if it's purely talent or a bit of luck that gets one to the industry, Keshav said, "Luck HAS to be on your side if you want to enter the industry."







Having charmed the audiences with a few soulful Hindi/Bollywood numbers despite being just 15 years of age, Keshav says, "I learn Indian classical music, which is why I like songs that have the 'feel'."

--- ENDS ---
BENGALURU: The world is beautiful and is shrouded by a veil of mystery that every traveler in us loves to explore. You dont have to be a millionaire to splurge mammoth proportions of money to visit these places. But there are few places on this planet where entry is simply prohibited. The reasons are many which prohibit travelers and tourists from exploring these places. From being political hideouts to religious archives for documents, there are many places which still maintain their secrecy in this world of clutter and chaos. Given below is a list of eleven such places all across the globe, that still maintain their charm to lure travelers and tourists alike.

1. Area 51, Southern Nevada:

Area 51 is back to stroke the flames of curiosity and intrigue. You must have watched a number of movies and read a lot about this military facility in Nevada, and yet no one knows what exactly is going on in this facility. Nobody is allowed to enter this facility in Nevada where the US claims to be experimenting with the latest aircrafts and state-of-the art weaponry. But as the Urban Legend goes, Area 51 is the place where aliens and UFOs are kept.

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By Aditya Mohan Wig: Sachin Pilot strides onto stage, dressed in a white kurta-pyjama suit with a waistcoat. Raghav Chadha is not far behind, also wearing a more western version of the same outfit, gold-rims twinkling on his eyes. Anupriya Patel is the last to come out; the 35-year-old Union Minister is dressed in red, and is wearing a happy smile as well.

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The questions are pointed right from the start; Rajdeep Sardesai asks Sachin Pilot why he's not standing for the post of President for the Congress. Pilot is visibly perturbed, especially when Sardesai asks the crowd to cheer if they agree. The crowd goes wild. Nonetheless, Pilot is a seasoned politician; with a quick throwaway line about the will of the people, he swiftly turns his answer into a promotion of Rahul Gandhi: "If you recall, he was elected unanimously to the post of VP to the Congress. I feel that the same will happen when it comes to being President. I think it should happen sooner rather than later."

ALSO READ | Mind Rocks 2016: I am not worried, even Gandhiji, Subhash Chandra Bose went to jail, says Kanhaiya Kumar

Rajdeep Sardesai doesn't give up. "Do you think you should be party president?"

"Unfortunately for you, Rajdeep, I know my capacity and my limitations. The job I have been given is to revive the Congress in Rajasthan, and that's what I'm doing," said Pilot.

There are a few moments of laughter and then Sardesai quickly shifts to their respective ages. "Do you think 40 is a young age for a politician in India. In a country where 65% of the population is 'young', most of our politicians are over the age of 65. Is this right?" When no one bites, Sardesai makes it personal; "How old are you?" he asks each of the panelists in turn.

"I'm 39-year-old," says Sachin Pilot, "I'm 27-year-old," says Raghav Chadha, upon which Sardesai says "27 and the national treasurer?"

"There are many other young people in the party. The social media head is 28. But this is part of what we're doing. We're really rebuilding the political landscape. I'm 27, and I'm sitting in between a former Union Minister and a current Union Minister. That's part of the change we're bringing," said Chadha.

ALSO READ | Mind Rocks 2016: Women can enter any field today because of Dr Ambedkar: Ginni Mahi



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"And what about you, Anupriya?", asked Sardesai.

"I'm 35, but I don't think it's question of young and old. People need to be seasoned in thought; it's the maturity that's important. How maturely will you be able to take decisions. Remember, the decisions we make affect lakhs and crores of people. So I don't think it's young and old in that way; one has to be seasoned in their thoughts. Modiji is 66 - it's his birthday today - and he has more energy than most people in politics, regardless of age. He works for 20 hours a day," said Patel.

Watch video



--- ENDS ---
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Richmond Road was all smiles Saturday as dozens of groups supporting the black community on Staten Island marched to Tappen Park.

With the motto "Not Going Back, Moving Forward," the sixth annual Black Heritage Family Day kicked off Saturday morning.

The celebrations were a way of bringing the Island's black community together for a day of positivity and unity, organizers said.

"There's so much racial tension right now, but we're not going back to a time when we were considered second-class citizens," said coordinator Minnie Graham. "We're going to unite, collaborate, do what it takes to show we are just as American as everyone else."

Check out this drumline at Tappen Park for Staten Island Black Heritage Parade Posted by Staten Island Advance on Saturday, September 17, 2016

The day began with an opening prayer, followed by songs like "Lift Every Voice and Sing," and "Star Spangle Banner."

Grand marshals included Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) and NYC Public Advocate Letitia James. Senator Diane Savino and Assemblyman Mike Cusick also joined the parade.

The parade announced six honorees: Al Curtis, Samuel Dekyem, Abraham Tucker, Rev. Sumbo Ojo, Edward Josey and Det. Quania Rios.

Richmond Road was blocked off as marching bands, dance groups, community organizers and families marched in a "People's Parade." Neighbors gathered on the sidewalks to watch the parade.

The parade began in 2011 as a way of bringing together all cultures that originated from Africa.

"We wanted our kids to be part of their African heritage," said Carissa James of Clifton. "This kind of thing is hard to find on Staten Island -- we don't have much for children to do, so it definitely brings back some of the unity."

James noted the diversity of the parade, which brought out neighbors of other heritages too.

"There's unity with everyone, not just one culture," she said.

The day concluded with a "We Are Family" festival in Stapleton's Tappen Park, where the marching bands held drumlines, food was served and old friends caught up with one another. At 4 p.m., the festival concluded with a twilight concert, which included gospel music and local hip hop music.

"It's important to see that there are people doing positive things here," said Kelly Etheridge, Worthy Matron of the Silver Queen #43 sorority.

"We're showing Staten Island that we do matter," added Past Matron Valerie Diggs, "that we're working together for our community."
UPDATE:

The boardwalk at Seaside Heights has been evacuated as a result of an explosion in a garbage pail Saturday morning, according to Path.com.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A device exploded in a garbage pail along the route of a 5K run to benefit military soldiers on Saturday in Seaside Park, N.J., according to NJ.com.

The explosion occurred at 9:30 a.m. along the route of the Seaside Semper Five Marine Corps Charity 5K, said the report.

No one was injured in the explosion, but the area "is on lock down while bomb dogs search of additional devices," according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. At least one other device was found, the statement said.

"People should avoid the area," Al Della Fave, spokesman for the county prosecutor's office, told NJ.com.

There was "no real damage to structures," he said.

Both federal and state law enforcement agencies -- including officials from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad and the county prosecutor's office -- were on scene after the blast.

People posted on social media that they heard a "very loud explosion" in the area.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Drug paraphernalia was near the body of the Arden Heights man found dead in the woods Friday evening, according to a law enforcement source.

Timothy Beyer, 37, who was found at around 6:30 p.m. near the Village Green Shopping Plaza off Arden Avenue, was last seen 9 a.m. Thursday, the source said.

A source at the scene Friday night told the Advance the incident is being investigated as a possible overdose.

It is unclear who discovered the body.

Just before 6 p.m., police responded to a report of an aided man near Arden Avenue and Arthur Kill Road, and EMS personnel declared him dead at the scene, police said.

The city medical examiner will determine the cause of death and the investigation is ongoing.

Beyer was found just a few blocks from his home and lived in a quiet neighborhood where residents said they weren't too surprised about the incident. Several told the Advance they noticed suspicious activity in and around the home.

"I thought the house was a bit creepy," one neighbor said. "You know when you can feel something is off? There were strange looking people in the house, but I never saw drug-related things."

The small white house seemed abandoned when an Advance reporter visited the residence Saturday afternoon. The front yard was unkempt with overgrown shrubbery, and several garbage bags were lined up near the front door.

A note near the entrance said the doorbell didn't work and listed a few contact numbers.

"I thought it was very odd," another neighbor said of the house. "It's been like that for over a year."

Police said Timothy Beyer lived at this house in Arden Heights.

A few residents said the police have been called to the home a few times for disturbances.

"It was a little bit of a stain on the neighborhood," a third neighbor told the Advance. "The house was always suspicious. The kids called it the haunted house."

A woman claiming to be Beyer's mother-in-law declined comment when reached by phone Saturday.

However, people who said they knew the victim, including one woman claiming to be his mother, posted positive comments on SILive.com.

"No parent is ever prepared for this kind of loss. Nor does any parent want to see or hear harsh words about their child. Suffering is bad enough and stressful on the family. Sometimes death breaks up families. You see... this man/ person you speak of was my son. My first born. I will never be able to hold him, hug him or kiss him on his cheek ever again. I wish this was all just a bad dream," a commenter, wolfgem, wrote.

Another reader said Beyer was recently married and was a nice man who helped others.

"Smart, kind, hard working, loyal, honest and caring are words that describe the person in this article," SILive user rzarrilli wrote. "By no means was this man a burden on society, nor did he neglect his responsibility to his family. Recently married, this loving man attempted to help another person and sadly, the stresses of life and his caring were too much for him to handle.

"Yes, he made a choice to attempt to block out his everyday pain."
By India Today Web Desk: Highlight173: Thank you for being with us at India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit. See you all next year.#



Highlight172: Ankit brings down the curtains at India Today Mind Rocks 2016 with 'Sun raha hai na tu' from Aashiqui 2.#



Highlight171: Ankit announces his first project as solo music director in 'Tum Bin 2'.#



Highlight170: And Ankit becomes a judge too!#



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Highlight169: And here comes the 'Galliyan' melody from Ankit Tiwari.#



Highlight168: Ankit Tiwari talks about his passion for new kinds of music and his first love for AR Rahman songs.#



Highlight167: We all have to be stubborn to do something: Ankit Tiwari.#



Highlight166: Ankit Tiwari enthrals the audience with 'Tu jo hai to main hu from the movie Roy.#



Highlight165: Singer Ankit Tiwari is here for the last session of India Today Mind Rocks#



Highlight164: Kangana Ranaut delivers her famous dialogue from the movie Tanu Weds Manu Returns, 'Sharmaji Jab Kahin Jana Hi Nahi To Bus Ke Dhakke Kyu Khane'#



Highlight163: Kangana Ranaut shakes a leg at the India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2016#



Highlight162: Gender equality brings about a huge debate on homosexuality: Kangana#



Highlight161: Feminism is not gender equality, says Kangana#



Highlight160: In a consensual relationship, there is nothing to be ashamed of: Kangana Ranaut#



Highlight159: Don't indulge in traps, Kangana Ranaut tells students at Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight158: Pink celebrates the women's pride: Kangana Ranaut#

Highlight157: For me, feminisim is not just fighting for rights: Kangana Ranaut#



Highlight156: Bollywood queen Kangana Ranaut recites poem at Mind Rocks Youth Summit#



Highlight155: In the realm of love, only one language should be used and that is language of poetry: Kangana Ranaut#



Highlight154: Kangana Ranaut talks about feminism at Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight153: At 17, I went to a cops station and lodged an FIR: Kangana#



Highlight152: Deal with the bully, don't ignore the bully: Kangana Ranaut#

Highlight151: Your character defines you, nothing else does: Kangana Ranaut#



Highlight150: My accent is fake, so what: Kangana Ranaut at Mind Rocks#



Highlight149: There are so many types of power: Kangana Ranaut#



Highlight148: How do you replace giants, asks Kangana Ranaut#



Highlight147: Kangana Ranaut reveals that she was jobless, moneyless, shelterless#



Highlight146: We will make sure that you guys have fun, Kangana Ranaut tells students#



Highlight145: I'm a bit nervous, says Kangana Ranaut#



Highlight144: The next session is Feminism 101: Why Men Need to Take That Class. And we have with us on stage, Kangana Ranaut#



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Highlight143: RJ Raunak interacts with audience in his Bauaa style#



Highlight142: RJ Raunak mimicks Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2016#



Highlight141: The next session is LOL With RJ Raunak#



Highlight140: Session ends with the national anthem.#



Highlight139: I speak truth and only truth: Swamy on having a huge fan following on Twitter.#



Highlight138: No one can stop me from doing anything: Swamy on being banned by the party to speak to media.#



Highlight137: BJP believes in non violence in case of Pakistan. But I think that Pakistan should be handled with arms: Swamy.#



Highlight136: Swamy takes a dig at Arun Jaitley, says he will be a better Finance minister as he is an economist and Jaitley is just a lawyer.#

Highlight135: Let Swamy write it for me that I am 'anti-national', I'll keep it at my home: Owaisi.#

Highlight134: Cow-vigilante issues are matter of police administration: Swamy.#

Highlight133: Owaisi avoids question of triple talaq, says matter sub-judice.#

Highlight132: Owaisi quotes Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who had said that Tricolour cannot be a national flag.#



Highlight131: Swamy counters says Owaisi is anti-national but agrees that he is a patriot.#



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Highlight130: I will not engage in a particular kind of sloganeering: Owaisi.#



Highlight129: I would congratulate those who are raising slogans here: Asaduddin Owaisi.#



Highlight128: The next session is The Patriot Act Who Gets To Decide. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and MP Subramanian Swamy are the speakers#



Highlight127: Everybody become Rickshawali subscribers, says Anisha at Mind Rocks Summit#

Highlight126: With YouTube, I can create my own content without depending on anyone: Anisha#

Highlight125: Earlier, people were not aware of web series: Angira Dhar#



Highlight124: Talent has a lot of scope: Angira Dhar#

Highlight123: There is a lot of alternative content that is floating around, says Angira Dhar#



Highlight122: Rickshawali aka Anisha sings her favourite period song at India Today Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight121: Thank you so much for enjoying Band Baaja Baarat, says Angira Dhar#



Highlight120: My family was a bit shocked in the beginning, says Anisha#



Highlight119: I started such content to give messages, says Anisha#

Highlight118: I started making videos because I feel that there are a lot of things that people don't talk about on TV, says Anisha#



Highlight117: We shot this web series over a span of 11 days, says Angira Dhar#



Highlight116: I was with Yash Raj before I got Band Baaja Baaraat, says Angira Dhar#



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Highlight115: Angira Dhar, YRF web series star and Rickshawali aka Anisha take stage to talk about YouTube sensations.#



Highlight114: Dynasty also raises the bar of expectations: Pilot.#



Highlight113: Legacy in politics may help you enter, but it will not take you forward if you do not have substance: Anupriya.#



Highlight112: We are trying to give a political alternative to people: Raghav.#



Highlight111: Kejriwal was a nobody and now he is running a government: Raghav.#



Highlight110: Rahul Gandhi should be Congress president: Pilot.#



Highlight109: One has to be seasoned in the thought process. It is not about being old or young: Anupriya Patel.#



Highlight108: Am married to politics: Raghav Chaddha.#



Highlight107: As you get older, you want to be young: Sachin Pilot.#



Highlight106: AAP's Raghav Chaddha, Congress's Sachin Pilot and BJP'sAnupriya Patel take the stage.#



Highlight105: Sushant Singh dances on Shudh Desi Romance#



Highlight104: How tough was it for Sushant Singh Rajput to be the on-screen Dhoni, asks Rajdeep Sardesai#



Highlight103: At Mind Rocks Summit, actor Sushant Singh Rajput says journey right now is very important#



Highlight102: I felt cheated because there were no girls in Delhi College of Engineering, says Sushant Singh Rajput#



Highlight101: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput narrates how he was chosen to act in a film on Mahendra Singh Dhoni#



Highlight100: Time for the new session - From Small Screen to Big Pitch Being a Player in Bollywood#

Highlight99: Manoj Pandey, Dean, SRM University, New Delhi talks about his University.#



Highlight98: Get concepts right in your head: Shantanu.#



Highlight97: Hire fast, fire faster: Vivek.#



Highlight96: There will be more number of people who will try to pull you down: Vivek.#



Highlight95: You cannot have sleep, friends, money together: Shantanu Deshpande.#



Highlight94: The entrepreneurship journey is a very lonely one: Vivek.#



Highlight93: Education outside books is more important: Vivek Prabhakar.#



Highlight92: Nothing was inspiring me while I was doing my marketing job: Vivek Prabhakar.#



Highlight91: I was bored, so I left my job: Vivek Prabhakar, Co-Founder, Chumbak.#



Highlight90: I realised that all I wanted to do was to earn money: Shantanu Deshpande, CEO & Co-Founder, The Bombay Shaving Company.#



Highlight89: Coming up: Shantanu Deshpande, Vivek Prabhakar to talk about creating jobs.#



Highlight88: India Today Mind Rocks breaks for lunch.#

Highlight87: Why censor Bollywood? It is not going to get better anyway: Sorabh Pant#



Highlight86: Stop labelling. The only time labelling is necessary when brand Zara is on sale: Sorabh Pant#



Highlight85: I am the Rahul Gandhi of comedy world. Every one loves my sister, but I want to be in the limelight: Sorabh Pant.#



Highlight84: Sorabh Pant, founder of East India Comedy takes the stage now to tickle your funny bone.#

Highlight83: Alisha performs on famous Bollywood number Ek Do Teen#



Highlight82: Alisha Behura shows her skills at the Mind Rocks Youth Summit#



Highlight81: So You Think You Can Dance winner Alisha Behura reveals why she is known as Krump Queen#



Highlight80: At the youth summit, Keshav sings Bollywood numbers Main Kisi Se Kahunga Nahi and London Thumakda#



Highlight79: Keshav Tyohar talks about his journey and how his guru groomed him#



Highlight78: My life has totally transformed after Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, says Keshav#



Highlight77: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2014 runner up Keshav Tyohar sings Tere Sang Yaara at the India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit#



Highlight76: I have the worst time management skills, I do everything at the last minute, says Kaveri Kapur#



Highlight75: At Mind Rocks Summit, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi's daughter Kaveri Kapur sings her famous song 'Did You Know'#



Highlight74: Queen of Chamar pop, Ginni Mahi sings lines from her famous song Danger Chamar#



Highlight73: If we talk about caste system then we can say that it has been created by us, it was not created by the almighty: Ginni Mahi#



Highlight72: It is because of Dr BR Ambedkar that we are able to express our views, says Ginni Mahi at Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight71: Ginni Mahi sings her favourite song Fan Baba Sahib#



Highlight70: Musical artist Ginni Mahi talks about her songs and how she wants to break the caste system#



Highlight69: Kanhaiya Kumar says it is not easy to divide India.#



Highlight68: We want azaadi to make a new India, we want azadi from corruption: Kanhaiya Kumar#



Highlight67: In our country there is law, there is Supreme Court, but is anybody above our law, asks Kanhaiya Kumar#



Highlight66: AISF leader Kanhaiya Kumar thanks PM Narendra Modi at Mind Rocks Youth Summit#



Highlight65: It is a worrisome situation that people don't understand politics but they know Modi and his politics#



Highlight64: At Mind Rocks Summit, Kanhaiya Kumar says he is not a politician#



Highlight63: Even Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh went to jail, says Kanhaiya Kumar#



Highlight62: Giving long speeches don't work at all, says Kanhaiya at Mind Rocks Youth Summit#



Highlight61: Azaadi for me means to live your life according to your whims and fancies, says Kanhaiya Kumar#



Highlight60: Varun Dhawan session comes to an end. Gear up the next session with Kanhaiya Kumar, Ginni Mahi, Kaveri Kapur, Alisha Behura and Keshav Tyohar.#



Highlight59: Life is beyond selfies and social media: Varun.#



Highlight58: Varun talks about that 'special one' in his life.#



Highlight57: Varun shows off his dancing skills with the song 'Saturday Saturday'.#



Highlight56: I will never say Dilwale was a mistake after doing Badlapur: Varun.#



Highlight55: Varun shows how to do a perfect push-up.#



Highlight54: Varun takes up the one-handed push-up challenge.#



Highlight53: Varun sings the birthday song for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.#



Highlight52: Varun Dhawan delivers dialogues from movies Main Tera Hero, Dishoom.#



Highlight51: Varun spills the beans about the relationships, first break-up and how he took it in a typically filmy style.#



Highlight50: Varun talks about the need of relationships in his life.#



Highlight49: Varun Dhawan talks about his first kiss.#



Highlight48: The session is divided into 3 parts: The Art of Loving, The Art of Fitness and The Art of Dancing.#



Highlight47: Actor Varun Dhawan takes the stage with a bang.#



Highlight46: The session with Amitabh Bachchan, Shoojit Sircar and Taapsee Pannu ends. Time for the new session - Dancer, actor, star ABCD with Varun Dhawan#



Highlight45: Amitabh Bachchan recites a poem at the youth summit#



Highlight44: At Mind Rocks Summit, bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan tries to cheer a young girl, clicks a selfie with her#



Highlight43: Aaj Khush To Bahut Hoge Tum, Amitabh Bachchan delivers his favourite dialogue from movie Deewar#



Highlight42: At Mind Rocks Summit, Shoojit Sircar talks about making unconventional movies Vicky Donor, Piku and Pink#



Highlight41: Shoojit Sircar talks about what he had to go through during Vicky Donor's making#



Highlight40: Shoojit Sircar says a woman can help another woman, that is my belief#



Highlight39: It is always said that boys don't cry, but I do cry, reveals megastar Amitabh Bachchan#



Highlight38: Big B says when your mother's blessing are with you everything will be okay#



Highlight37: My mother inspires me, says Amitabh Bachchan at Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight36: Actor Taapsee Pannu talks about her character in the movie Pink#



Highlight35: Big B reveals how he worries about his granddaughters#

Highlight34:Shoojit Sircar says Amitabh Bachchan is still a 11-year-old when it comes to working in a movie#



Highlight33: Amitabh Bachchan narrates how they used to stand in front of the gates of Delhi University's college Miranda House#



Highlight32: At Mind Rocks Summit, Amitabh Bachchan reveals his mantra to success#



Highlight31: Shoojit Sircar talks about his new movie Pink at Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight30: I have seen girls walking post 8'o clock and know that cars slow down at that time, says Shoojit Sircar#



Highlight29: India Today Rocks, says Bishan Singh Bedi's son Angad at Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight28: Producer Shoojit Sircar greets the audience, asks them whether they have watched Pink#



Highlight27: Actor Taapsee Pannu says when you say 'no' to a boy then no here is not a word it is a sentence#



Highlight26: Big B talks about how a Big B contestant was thrown out of her house by her family members#



Highlight25: Don't go by log kya kahyenge phrase, says Amitabh Bachchan#



Highlight24: Thank you so much everyone for welcoming me, says megastar Amitabh Bachchan at Mind Rocks Summit#

Highlight23: Big B makes a grand entry at Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight22: The next session is The Big Pink: The Angry Young Man Writes To Young Women. Speakers are Big B, actor Taapsee Pannu and producer Shoojit Sircar#



Highlight21: Sakshi Malik thanks the audience for all love and support.#



Highlight20: Sakshi Malik's family does a 'Baby ko Bass pasand hai' dance.#



Highlight19: Yes, there were apprehensions in the beginning: Sakshi Malik's father.#

Highlight18: Women wrestling has improved a lot in the recent years: Sakshi Malik.#

Highlight17: The number of girls participation in wrestling has increased manifold: Sakshi Malik.#



Highlight16: And as expected Sakshi Malik does a dhobi pachchad with audience.#



Highlight15: Sakshi Malik throws an open challenge to audience to wrestle with her.#



Highlight14: Boys do have a problem to wrestle with me: Sakshi Malik#



Highlight13: Father had a condition before I joined wrestling. The condition was that I should never hurt ears: Sakshi Malik#



Highlight12: Life has become busy and so friends have become far: Sakshi Malik#



Highlight11: Sakshi Malik says life has changed after her Olympic glory#



Highlight10: The first session of Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2015 begins with wrestler Sakshi Malik#



Highlight9: If you want pocket money, earn some - Bamzai's message for the young audience#



Highlight8: Bamzai gives lessons to the young audience at Mind Rocks Summit#



Highlight7: Kaveree Bamzai, Editor special projects, India Today Group gives the welcome speech at India Today Mind Rocks#



Highlight6: Loud cheers by the audience as the band performs#



Highlight5: Rock band Squarez Attached performs at India Today Mind Rocks 2016#

Highlight4: The action is about to begin with megastar Amitabh Bachchan#

Highlight3: The first session of Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2016 is with India's Real Sultan Sakshi Malik#

Highlight2: Welcome to India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2016. The day-long celebration of ideas, music and art is to begin shortly#

Highlight1: Mind Rocks is an event designed especially for the youth. The day-long conference is a forum that allows bright young minds to interact in an open two-way conversation with their icons#



--- ENDS ---
Talking about Kashmir BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said that Jammu and Kashmir is one state where the President's Rule is needed. He also said that India won't part with even an inch of Kashmir, but will also take back that part which is illegally occupied.

By Anindita Satpathi: In a high-decibel, high-energy session that saw two of the most outspoken leaders in politics today engage in a verbal duel, questions on what constitutes patriotism were discussed and skilfully deflected.



TV Today Network's Managing Editor Rahul Kanwal kicked off the session by drawing attention to the climate of intolerance seemingly perpetuated by the ruling party. "Bhakt, deshdrohi, sangh are terms we attribute to each other. We are so quick to pronounce judgment." Swamy walked in to considerable cheering, looking visibly pleased to be present at the event. Asaduddin Owaisi got a somewhat different response, he was greeted with cries of "Modi, Modi..." Unperturbed, he went on to make a series of arguments, stemming from the constitution of a secular, democratic nation. He went on to say that in Savarkar's vocabulary, the attribution of slavery goes back to 1,200 years whereas the Indian Constitution qualifies ghulami (slavery) only for the last 200 years i.e. British rule. Following that line of argument, if Savarkar's idea of Bharat differs from the one laid down by the Constitution, his argument holds no basis in a democratic country. "Nowhere in the Constitution is it mentioned that swaraji slogans must be uttered," Owaisi adds.



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Swamy respectfully disagrees to clarify that Owaisi didn't distinguish between "rashtrawaadi aur deshbhakti". Swamy says, "While the former is a sentiment stemming from our ancient tradition demonstrating allegiance to the land, deshbhakti is about fighting to protect the sovereignty of the nation. Hindus and Muslims, being of the same land, have the same DNA" linking it to the BJP's argument of all Muslims being born Hindu. If Owaisi refuses to acknowledge this, he is rashtravirodhi." The second and third important factors are cow protection and implementation of the Uniform Civil Code.

CONSTITUTION, SAVARKAR'S IDEOLOGY CAN'T CO-EXIST



Owaisi retorts saying that if that is the title Swamy confers upon him, he will be happy to frame it and put it up in his house as an honour. "Look at the contradictions. If Hindus subscribe to Savarkar's ideology, India wouldn't even have the Tri-colour flag. Savarkar even denied the validity of the Constituent Assembly because he thought of it as a body sanctioned by the British. In this case, does Prime Minister Modi adhere to his RSS oath or the country's oath?" The crowd goes wild.

Also read: Subramanian Swamy says he wouldve made a better Finance Minister than Arun Jaitley



Rahul asks whether the fact that there have been no countrywide riots is an achievement for Modi after two-and-a-half years of NDA's rule. Kashmir is another front on which consensus is unlikely. Swamy counters saying that Jammu and Kashmir is one state where the President's Rule is needed. He adds, "Not only will India not part with an inch of Kashmir's territory, but it will also take back the part that has been illegally occupied," Owaisi calls it an Agenda of Alliance.



Owaisi refers to Modi's surprise flight to Pakistan to see Nawaz Sharif as contrary to his ideals. "For all his opposition to Islam, he (Modi) has accepted the highest civilian award from Saudi Arabia. Swamy responds, "That's because the world accepts him as a leader, while Muslims in India don't."

Owaisi: (PM Modi) Obama se milenge toh hamara pet kaise bharega?

Owaisi: If Swamy became the Finance Minister, dal wouldn't be as expensive.

CRUSHED PAK INTO 2 PARTS IN 1967: SWAMY



Swamy: We crushed Pakistan and broke it in two parts in 1967. Now is the time to break it into four parts and crush it for once and for all.

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Swamy: Rajnath Singh is the best Prime Minister after Vallabhai Patel.

Swamy: Uttar or dakshin mein asaani se dosti nahi hati (on his avowed fallout with Arun Jaitley)

Rahul: Our two guests want to ask questions, but not answer them.

Sidelight: When asked to shake hands with Swamy, Owaisi says "Our hands may meet but our hearts will not."

ALSO READ | Mind Rocks 2016: Kanhaiya Kumar Modi-ed out at Youth Summit

Watch the video here:



--- ENDS ---
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The ACT currently has 29 St John's Ambulance defibrillators in Civic, Belconnen, Parkes, Barton, Acton, Deakin, Narrabundah, Weston, Kambah, Tuggeranong, Campbell, Kingston and the airport.

Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson has promised $240,000 worth of defibrillators and heart disease education if the Canberra Liberals win the October 15 election. Credit:Matt Bedford

Opposition Leader and health spokesman Jeremy Hanson will announce the campaign promise on Sunday, which will include funds for an additional 24 publicly accessible defibrillators across Canberra.

The Canberra Liberals have pledged $240,000 for the purchase of more public defibrillators around the city and a heart attack awareness and education program.

Eight defibrillators will be rolled out each year through to the first half of 2020, costing $90,000 overall.

The remaining $150,000 would be spent on a public awareness campaign, designed to educate people about the warning signs of a heart attack.

Run in conjunction with Heart Foundation ACT, the party's modelling shows the education program would have a fixed annual cost of $50,000 between 2017-18 and 2019-20.

Mr Hanson said staff close to the public access defibrillators would be trained in their use, while the wider public would be advised about the importance of knowing CPR and calling triple zero as quickly as possible.

"Hundreds of Canberrans suffer heart attacks every year and the difference between life and death is often how quickly first aid can be applied," he said.
Junction of the Gooandra and Tantangara Creeks. Credit:Matthew Higgins In layman's terms, we're atop the Great Diving Range. As the sun creeps higher in the sky, the frosty world underfoot slowly transforms into a muddy maze of puddles, which as I clumsily soon discover, are easy to slide, ankle deep into. Brrr! Continuing east, on the surrounding hills, droplets of water still cling onto the leaves of snow gums now shimmer in the sun. "It looks like an oil painting," gasps Higgins, as I attempt to capture the scene on my camera while still shaking the icy water out of my left boot. While the brumbies have temporarily vanished from view, the birds keep us company for the next half an hour or so. First it's the call of a lone White-throated treecreeper and then a fleeting sighting of a Grey Shrike-thrush, and just when I'm starting to wonder if it really is only a five kilometre trek after all, Higgins announces "there it is!"

Partially concealed among a copse of eucalypts the old miner's hut chimney is a lot bigger than I expected, although its state of ruin confirms it's a long time since it was fully functional. Matthew Higgins inspects the old miner's hut chimney at Gooandra -the oldest structure in Kosciuszko National Park. Credit:Tim the Yowie Man "To the best of our knowledge the chimney, which dates to the early 1860s is the oldest standing structure in the entire park," reiterates Higgins, adding "its floor rotted due to salt for stock use, being stored underneath it." Just 20 metres away from the chimney is Gooandra Homestead, a simple weatherboard house with corrugated iron gable roof and veranda. Higgins explains it was transported here, probably by bullock wagon from near the Lobbs Hole Yarrangobilly road junction by Fred Lampe in 1913. Apparently Lampe a sheep grazier who first obtained the pastoral lease for Gooandra in 1903, continued to use the old mining hut as his kitchen and also built a woolshed and several other structures nearby. Restored Gooandra Homestead, complete with hitching rail. Credit:Tim the Yowie Man

While the homestead is now in surprisingly in excellent condition, photographs show that in the 1980s it was in a sad state of dilapidation with a fallen tree having smashed the veranda and brumbies having kicked out several walls. Gooandra Homestead in a state of disrepair in 1988. Credit:David Scott "Hours and hours of volunteer effort by the Kosciuszko Huts Association working in conjunction with the Parks Service has brought this place back from being a ruin," explains Higgins, who along with David Scott, co-authored the Gooandra Homestead Conservation Study in 1991. "It's great to see that a plan on paper enacted on the ground and resulting in the conservation of a significant mountain structure," says Higgins as we push the wooden front door open. Inside is a large room complete with fireplace while on the other side of a hall way which runs the length of the building are a number of bedrooms. In one of the rooms the original wall paper is clearly torn between each of the boards, a reminder the building was partly dismantled when transported here more than a century ago.

Torn wall paper inside Gooandra Homestead, which was dismantled and rebuilt at its current location more than 100 years ago. Credit:Tim the Yowie Man Although most walkers and snowshoers only trek as far as the homestead and turn around, in an attempt to further thaw-out, Higgins entices me to trek another two-and- a-half kilometres to the junction of Gooandra and Tantangara creeks. "Water is one of the key characteristics of the high country it's one of the most well-watered parts of Australia and that's why the Snowy Scheme is here, and so seeing these streams and their beautiful clear running water is refreshing to the spirit," ponders Higgins, as he splashes a handful of icy water from the Tantangara on his face. Not far upstream there's another large mob of brumbies. They must feel the spirit here too, either that, or they are sheltering from the strengthening southerly which makes our walk back to the carpark a bit of a slog. At the mention of Kosciusko National Park, many immediately think of the ski resorts of Perisher and Thredbo, however the lesser known northern realms of the park are just as rewarding to explore on foot.

A walk to Gooandra Homestead provides a window into the life of both our gold rush and early pastoral days, and if like us, you go mid-week, you'll probably have it all to yourself. Just be sure to pack a spare pair of socks. Fact File The walk: Gooandra Homestead is accessible via a 9.4 kilometre return walk along the Gooandra Trail which starts near Six Mile diggings, located on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains Highway about six kilometres north of Kiandra (about 2.5 hour's drive from Canberra). Stay: The return drive and walk is easily achievable in a day trip from Canberra. However if you want to make a weekend of it, the closest accommodation is at Adaminaby, around 30-minutes' drive from the start of the Gooandra Trail.

Did You Know? Gold was first discovered in Kiandra in 1859, and although the peak of the rush lasted only a couple of years, the surrounding area was mined for sometime afterwards with those miners who remained trying to strike it rich. A walk along just about any trail within cooee of Kiandra will reveal a landscape littered with tailings piles and sluices. Tim's Tip: Despite the spelling, it is pronounced 'Go-andra, not 'Goo-andra'. Oldest structure: While the old miner's hut chimney at Gooandra is thought to be the oldest structure in Kosciuszko National Park, the oldest in-tact building in the park is actually Old Currango Homestead, built in 1873 by Tom O'Rourke. It is located just below the tree line at the north-west end of Currangorambla Plain. More: www.khuts.org WHERE IN CANBERRA?

Where in Canberra this week. Credit:Tim the Yowie Man Cryptic Clue: Singing is much more soothing to the ears than trail bikes. Degree of difficulty: Medium Where in Canberra last week. Credit:Tim the Yowie Man Last week: Congratulations to Ian McKenzie, of Weston, who was first to correctly identify last week's photo as a scene at the Cotter Reserve, near the site of the old Cotter Pub. Dave Walter, of Duffy, took the photo during a recent drive with his wife Elizabeth to see the Cotter Dam overflowing. "The family of emus were obeying the road rules .... almost!" exclaim the Walters.
Taxi plate owners will wait until the end of a two-year review before calling for compensation, the head of their new advocacy body said.

ACT Taxi Plate Owners Association chair Phil Button said the decision by the Labor government last October to legalise Uber had already rendered licence plates worthless, and there had been no ACT plates sold since December 2014.

Private owners of ACT taxi plates will wait for another year before pressing for compensation, Phil Button says. Credit:Karleen Minney

But he disputed the claim by Canberra Taxi Industry Association executive director Tony Bryce that plate owners wanted compensation to be sped up and come before the government's planned two-year review period, due to end next October.

He said the plate owner organisation, founded in March, was working methodically with government to monitor the impact.
The National Broadband Network is sold in five speed tiers, with download rates ranging from 12 megabits per second (Mbps) to 100Mbps. The faster the speed, the more expensive a package is likely to be. Under the NBN, unlimited plans are still relatively uncommon, but many higher speed plans also include larger download quotas. NBN's footprint currently includes roughly 3.8 million premises. However, only 1.6 million premises have activated their connection. "The issue facing consumers...is the actual speed that will be delivered via copper (fibre-to-the-node) won't be known for sure until the NBN connection is actually installed," said Laurie Patton, CEO of Internet Australia. "So we suspect that some ISPs might be suggesting their customers order a low speed package rather than risk complaints about not providing the speed promised. The best way to resolve this problem is to revert to a fibre-based NBN."

How do I know I am getting what I paid for? "The real trick is to test regularly. Just one individual speed test will typically give a peak speed at that point in time and may not be representative of experience over time," said Mr Kidman. Sites such as Speedtest.net, Speedof.me and TestMy.net are all useful resources for anyone looking to check their internet speed. "They will give you a straight upload and download, showing peaks and troughsThen you can match that against the deal for which you are paying."

Mr Kidman said the definition of an acceptable speed varied from household to household, but consumers should expect "about 75 per cent of the advertised speed, most of the time". He was unaware of any internet service provider (ISP) advertising a minimum connection speed. "Check and save that data, so if there is an infrastructure problem you can prove it," he said. Dominic Green, principal lawyer at Sydney law firm Green & Associates, said consumers should always check the terms of their contract.

"Regulations require ISPs to provide consumers with a Critical Information Summary (CIS) at the time of sign up. It generally relates to charges but also has a clear description of service." The CIS is designed for the average person as a short, concise document. However, even if a consumer does not read the CIS, they are still protected by the industry code and consumer law. Mr Kidman said the most common mistake in purchasing internet packages was focusing on the "two big numbers" advertised: price and the top maximum speed. "Top max speeds are always 'up to' speeds...but a relatively low percentage of Australians would currently reach the top speed, and those that did would be exclusively NBN-connected or part of the existing cable structure," he said. Can I leave my contract early?

In its 2015 ISP Satisfaction Survey, consumer group Choice revealed that respondents with Internode, Westnet, TPG and iiNet were less likely than average to report problems. Telstra users were more likely to report problems, including very slow speed, disconnections, failure to connect and unexpectedly high bills. So what rights do consumers have if their internet is consistently underperforming? "Put blankly, you have a right to terminate the contract if there is a breach, like consistent drop-outs, or slow service," Mr Green said, adding that the biggest consumer misconception was that contract terms were absolute and binding. "That is not the case. Often people put terms in contracts, whether or not they know they are enforceable, as a scare tactic."
A renewable energy project on the site of an old north Queensland gold mine could help lead the state into a post-coal energy future, State Development Minister Anthony Lynham said on Saturday as he warned a failure to diversify the state's economy could be disastrous.

Speaking at a meeting of the TJ Ryan Foundation think tank at the Queensland University of Technology, Dr Lynham said the transition to renewable energy was "beyond doubt".

The proposed solar and hydroelectric power station on the site of the Kidston gold mine, north-west of Townsville. Credit:Genex

And those behind the Genex project, about 270 kilometres north-west of Townsville, hoped they would strike gold at the Kidston mine once again, in the form of clean energy for Queensland's north.

Dr Lynham said the adjacent $300 million 150 MW solar farm and $282 million hydroelectric power stations would power the region 24 hours a day.
How many businesses could be created if local entrepreneurs received the fortunes of the wealthiest? Bloomberg created the 2016 Robin Hood Index to look into the question.

They took the richest individuals of 42 economies with different political regimes and regulatory environment for businesses, and compared their net worth to the procedural start-up cost for small- to medium-sized companies.

Billionaire Gina Rinehart's wealth could get more than 25,000 companies going, according to the index. Credit:Bloomberg

The index shows, hypothetically, how many businesses can be started with the net worth of each country's wealthiest individuals. The numbers were crunched using data from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and the World Bank Doing Business 2016 report. Start-up costs was expressed in the original Doing Business report as a percentage of the gross national income per capital. They include all official fees and fees for legal or professional services to set up a company (if such services are required by law or commonly used in practice).
Jonathan MacRobert is a Canberra-based design professional.

TT: I read that Australia builds the biggest houses per capita and Canberra builds the biggest houses in Australia. How much space do we really need?

Canberra has a lot of big houses but we don't need all that space to live happily. Credit:Virginia Star

JM: An architect friend told me about 10 years ago that she and her partner lived very comfortably in 50 square metres in Sydney. She did admit that the apartment had a two-storey-high north-facing facade. She also mentioned a good sleep, a light-filled breakfast, a productive week at work and access to a shack in the bush to recharge were ingredients in her mix. I have recently been thinking about how much space we need? My wife is a chucker, I am a sentimental hoarder. So how much space do we need? The Buddhists say, "clear your desk and clear your mind" and for us  the shed, the bookshelf and the wardrobe and also that little storeroom under the stairs and the hatch under the house yada, yada, yada. OK you've got the idea that I have some work to do, so I guess a little clean up might be valid. I have come to realise that I don't actually take up that much space, that I really only have one favourite chair, well actually two if you include the sunny newspaper desk. The sunshine is so important to keep the black dogs at bay and a little bit of outlook would be great. But I don't need much more.

TT: They say "less is more" except when it is not enough. Where does design fit in?
Kumar's allegation follows the arrest of prominent Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, who was picked up by the Ahmedabad Police on Friday night ahead of Modi's two-day visit to Gujarat for his 67th birthday celebrations.

By India Today Web Desk: A number of people have been put behind bars on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, student leader from JNU, Kanhaiya Kumar, today alleged.

Kumar's allegation follows the arrest of prominent Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, who was picked up by the Ahmedabad Police on Friday night ahead of Modi's two-day visit to Gujarat for his 67th birthday celebrations.

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ALSO READ | Mind Rocks 2016: Kanhaiya Kumar Modi-ed out at Youth Summit



Kumar had met Mevani when the latter's Dalit Adhikar Manch had organised a huge rally in Gujarat's Una to protest the brutal flogging of four Dalit men by cow vigilantes in July.

"Today is Modi's birthday and 200 people have been put behind bars," Kumar said at the India Today Mind Rocks 2016 event in New Delhi today. He, however, did not specify whose arrest he was talking about.

Watch the video



"MODI AND SHAH NOT ABOVE THE CONSTITUTION"



Kumar repeatedly trained his guns on Modi and BJP president Amit Shah as he attacked the government for targeting dissenting voices.

"The Supreme Court has clearly defined what sedition is. Modi and Shah are not above the constitution," the former JNU Students Union leader, who was jailed for sedition earlier this year, said.

"If Modi's police had not jailed us, you would not have invited us here," the 28-year-old quipped.



Kumar asked how can Modi, who turns 66 today, be a leader of a nation with "65 per cent youngsters". "How can the leader of 65 per cent youth be a 65-year-old man (sic)?" he said.

Watch the video





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The Auditor-General's report, on June 16, 2016, also severely criticised most aspects of the project. As for the case against the tram, one need only check out the technical papers on canthetram.org, the various surveys done over the past two years and the preponderance of letters to the editor that are against the tram. M.Flint, Erindale Trip speaks volumes So Opposition leader Bill Shorten is going to miss a few days of Parliament to meet, among others, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. ("Shorten to skip Parliament for date with dynamic Trudeau", Sunday Times, September 11.) It says much about today's Labor Party that its leader is off to visit a liberal charlatan like Trudeau rather than a socialist and Labour leader like Jeremy Corby in Britain.

John Passant, Kambah Time residents spoke up So it looks like the plan is now half complete as the Giralang shops debacle creeps towards a new phase. Now Woolies has pulled out, if Aldi doesn't take it up then it's a forgone conclusion. It's easy to see the plan includes development where units take precedence over shops. The ACT government want this and the contempt shown to questions from local residents has been sustained and shameful. I have spoken with Andrew Barr who previously stated his support for the approved DA. That changed to a statement that he and the ACT government support a compromise solution, which residents have no knowledge about.

My repeated attempts to get mainstream media interest failed. Letters, emails and calls to ACT government ministers take on average three months to get a reply. It looks like Giralang residents need to get active again or we may end up with a compromise DA for 80 flats and no shops. Andrew Zed, Giralang Spot the differences We need to be circumspect comparing Foy Group's Berkeley Vale refinery with the one proposed for Hume ("Proposed fuel factory sparks emission fears from residents", Sunday Times, September 11, p4). The Berkeley Vale facility is one quarter the size of the refinery proposed for Hume and its fuel holding tanks a fraction of the size of the 1.8million litres also proposed for Hume.

Berkeley Vale does not operate 24/7, nor does it burn plastics as proposed for Hume but rather ingests mixed fuels and refines them into re-sellable fuel (which the Hume facility could do as well). It may also be only 700 metres from residences, however, those residences are all to the east towards the coast and the prevailing sea breezes across Lake Tuggerah disperse the noise and pollutants to the west over industrial areas and bushland. This won't be the case in Hume where prevailing winds will disperse pollutants through ridges and valleys over Eastern Tuggeranong, Southern Woden and Jerrabomberra, not to mention Tralee. Readers may care to check 15 Apprentice Drive Berkeley Vale on Google maps. G. Downing, Macarthur Stamping out rat-runs As anyone who regularly drives to work during Canberra's version of peak-hour will find, their average speed is already down to 40km/h. Perhaps, those road safety bureaucrats that Mark Francis complains about ("Speed limits too low", Letters, September 11), are just trying to stamp out any "rat-runs" developing through those faster 50km/h suburban speed zones?

Michael Crowe, Hawker Blind to brutality John Rodriguez says that in pointing out "the commies were the real bad guys" in my critique of Mark Kenny's article ("Politics a fertile field for beat-ups", Sunday Focus, p19) that I "ignored the many Australian and Russian lives lost fighting Goebbels' Nazi army" (Letters, September 11). Rodriguez's historical focus underscores my main point: while much attention is focused on the war against Hitler, there is only historical blindness when it comes to confronting the real causes of fascism's rise in Germany. Mark Kenny was contributing to that blindness by portraying it as nothing more than the agitation of one devious man. And he was doing this to make a facile point about Donald Trump, Brexit and some anti-Muslim protesters. Whether Rodriguez  or any of the other mavens of political correctness out there  likes it or not, more Russians (and Ukrainians) died fighting and fleeing the communists than died at the hands of the Nazis.
As Australians we cannot sit idly by and simply hope the Hanson era will pass without causing irreparable damage to our social cohesion and dare we say, further putting Australia's security at risk by feeding the very radicalisation she so vehemently rallies against.

The both of us are speaking together to appeal to all Australians and every culture in our rich fabric to speak out against extremism in all its forms. We need to show that love, compassion, an open mind and a desire to live a fruitful life is what unites us as Australians. We must appeal to our best selves.

We must not forget that Hanson and the One Nation party are democratically elected into our Parliament. The proportion of seats the party has is a reflection of how many people voted for it. Democracy is a powerful tool but, at times, an Achilles heel if it is exploited by opportunistic politicians who have sought to "speak truth to power" by sowing seeds of fear and division. Only the collective voices for a safer and stronger Australia, free from hate and fear of the other, can lead us forward.

Let the reasonable voices unite and let us expend our energies into trying to inject love and compassion into a world that is being increasingly filled with destruction and despair, for the forces binding us together are stronger than the forces pulling us apart.

Alpha Cheng is the son of Curtis Cheng, who was the victim of an Islamic extremist's attack outside NSW Police headquarters in Parramatta on October 2, 2015. Curtis and his family emigrated from Hong Kong in 1996. Mariam Veizadeh is a lawyer, community advocate and Welcome to Australia Ambassador.
In 1997, Pauline Hanson's book The Truth envisioned that by halfway through the 21st century, Australia would be ruled by an Asian lesbian cyborg called Poona Li Hung.

The notion  since disowned by its putative author, who now testifies that the first time she read The Truth was after it had been printed and bound under her name  is one of those stray pieces of Hansonilia that might have been forgotten forever had the lady not got herself re-elected to Parliament (where presumably she keeps a watching brief on Labor Senate leader Penny Wong for latent signs of automatism).

On Wednesday night, Senator Hanson celebrated her return to politics with a speech full of verve and contumely.

Listening to the speech, I was reminded of a hoax email that has been circulating around the United States for years. In it, an Australian Prime Minister (sometimes it's John Howard, sometimes Kevin Rudd, sometimes Julia Gillard) addresses these remarks to Australian Muslims:
It was satisfying to see my erstwhile boarding master at Knox Grammar, Neil Albert Futcher, "found guilty by a jury of 22 child sex charges, including eight counts of buggery" last Wednesday.

As reported by the Herald, as the verdicts were read out, the court room was filled with the sounds of sobbing. Futcher, as far as it is known, did not offend while at Knox in 1974  and I have asked many of my fellow boarders  but wreaked a terrible trail of destruction once he moved to Trinity Grammar the following year. Bravo, to those former Trinity boys, now in their 50s, who came forward and gave their evidence that saw him convicted.

The verdict came the day after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse released its findings about what happened at Knox, noting particularly that the long-time headmaster of Knox, Dr Ian Paterson, "failed to prioritise the welfare of boys over the reputation of the school". No one who reads the report, most particularly from page 59 onwards, can doubt it.

Once again, I simply cannot put the figure that emerges from the royal commission together with the legendary educator of unimpeachable integrity I knew. But Dr Paterson's conduct in the face of the allegations that emerged, his enabling of the culture that allowed child abuse to take place over so many years, most particularly in the 1980s, was nothing less than disgraceful.
Spring is in the air, which means one thing is certain: it's magpie swooping season.

You have probably experienced it at some stage. The sudden whoosh above your head causing you to duck in fright. Looking up, you see a flash of black and white as the magpie banks around to have another go at you.

It's a classic Australian phenomenon, and now magpie victims can report their attack on a website called magpiealert.com.

The website shows a map of all reported magpie swoopings in Australia, including those which cause injury.
As the greyhound racing industry lurches from one controversy to another  most significantly in New South Wales, where it will soon be banned  attention has turned to saving the animals from a deadly fate.

With that in mind, nine greyhounds were on hand to, hopefully, meet loving new owners as part of the RSPCA's Big Adopt Out on Saturday.

Buffy Ashley of 'Grey Hounds New Beginnings' sits with Dakota during the RSPCA Big Adopt Out at the RNA Showgrounds. Credit:Lisa Maree Williams

Greyhounds New Beginnings  Life After the Track founder and director Buffy Ashley said her organisation worked with trainers to find ex-racing greyhounds a new shot at life.

"They can have injuries or be too old for the track or simply be non-chasers, when they just don't want to comply and do what they're meant to do," she said.
She learnt about fashion with Alexander McQueen, however during her apprenticeship with the modern master of fashion, Zoe Bradley fell in love with paper instead of fabric.

Bradley joined McQueen at the height of his career in 1997 when he was the creative director of both Givenchy in Paris and his eponymous label back in London.

Acclaimed UK paper artist, Zoe Bradley, creating a new work at Chatswood Chase titled Red Rose Dress using 400 hand sculptured paper roses. Credit:Steven Siewert

"He wanted unusual sculptures, he would scribble silhouettes he wanted on a bit of paper on Friday and I'd have to go from there and produce something by Monday," she said. Bradley was charged with creating his famous oversized hats, collars and wings.

"My time there cemented my love for showpiece designs, you'd never know who would be coming in, everyone from Isabella Blow to Nick Knight had an opinion and visited regularly. After throwing myself into that world I knew that creating spectacular show pieces instead of commercial wares was my true calling."
"Cancer," she says. "I'm very sick." Now it's her words that take my breath away. Finally I ask her what has happened and she tells me a jumbled tale of having weird symptoms, ignoring them, thinking they were one thing, and then finding out they were something quite different. Cancer. Lymphoma. The kind she will die from soon if she doesn't start treatment. If anyone should not have to get cancer at this very moment, it is my little sister Maggie. After years of being married to the boy next door, the high school sweetheart, the man who has defined her, my sister is quite suddenly a single woman, unattached, on her own. A woman who created a storybook home is now homeless - house-sitting here for one friend, and there for another. When the going gets tough, we like to dance. I take out my iPhone and for the next 10 minutes as we wait for the stem cell delivery, we dance around the room to Billie Jean. Her college-age children are like planets cut loose from gravity. Is it better for Maggie that our mother died recently and our father a few years previously? That she doesn't have to face their worry about her illness, their judgment about her failed marriage?

I feel something pulling at me from across the country, but even more so from deep within. As if there is a buried magnet in my body, quivering to the pull of my sister. What is the deepest part of the body? Is it the blood? The bone? The marrow of the bone? I don't even know what that means: the marrow of the bone. I will find out later. September. Here we are again, in the hospital, ready for the transplant. It has taken Maggie longer to arrive here than we thought it would. Two weeks after my cells were harvested in May, and just a day before she was scheduled for the transplant, the cancer broke through the chemotherapy and began spreading again. Maggie's summer was a haze of full-body radiation and more and stronger chemotherapy - strong enough to assault and destroy all of her bone marrow. Every few weeks she landed back in the hospital with infections and close encounters with the terrifying nearness of death. But eventually the cancer was beaten back and Maggie was free of infection and ready for the transplant.

After all the complex treatments she has received, the setup for the transplant seems low-tech, even anticlimactic. Just Maggie, in a bed, hooked up to fluids. The administering doctor explains the procedure. "In a few minutes," the doctor tells Maggie, "your sister's frozen stem cells will be wheeled into the room. We'll thaw them here, in a warm water bath. Once thawed, I'll extract five million of the cells with this." She holds up a large hypodermic needle. "And then I will push them into your vein," she says, examining the central catheter in Maggie's chest. We wait for more information, but the doctor has finished her explanation. "That's it?" I ask. "That's the transplant," she says.

"The whole process will take about 15 minutes." "Then what happens?" Maggie asks. "Well, it's really quite miraculous," says the doctor."Once your sister's stem cells enter your bloodstream, they know where to go. They have a chemical homing signal that directs them to the bones. And then, over time, they engraft in your marrow and start to replenish your blood. "You can think of them like salmon that instinctually swim upstream to spawn. Salmon swim for the headwaters. Stem cells swim for the bones. It's as if they remember where they came from and are looking to return home." The doctor sounds like a narrator in a National Geographic film. The doctor leaves to oversee the transport. The band of nurses circles around Maggie in the bed. One who has cared for her during many harrowing stays in the hospital is also with us.

"So what really happens?" Maggie asks the nurse. "It's not really as simple as that, is it?" "Well, that is actually what happens," the nurse says. "We'll transfuse you with millions of new stem cells. You may feel a little woozy, maybe a little nauseous. But that will last just for a few minutes. That's it. It takes about 12 to 14 days for the cells to engraft and start producing new blood cells. It's afterwards - over the next months - that you'll have some hurdles to get over." "I don't want to hear about them right now," Maggie says. "Right now I want to dance. Who has music?" "You want to dance?" the nurse asks, regarding the tiny, emaciated, bald woman in the bed. "It's something we do," I say. "When the going gets tough, we like to dance."

I take out my iPhone. The only danceable music I have is Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. It will do. And so for the next 10 minutes as we wait for the stem cell delivery, we dance around the room to Billie Jean. Several nurses watch from the doorway. This is probably the first time a patient and her family, all wearing masks and protective clothing, have danced to Michael Jackson while waiting for a bone marrow transplant. Maggie dances like a funky little dervish, somehow managing to look sexy at 41 kilograms. There's a passage in Toni Morrison's book Beloved where Baby Suggs preaches to freed slaves going out into a dangerous world. We have to love ourselves first, she tells her people. You can't count on anyone else if you don't love yourself first. "In this here place, we flesh," she says. "Flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Love it. Love it hard." She lists all the bodily things they must love: their guts and blood and bones. "The dark, dark liver - love it, love it and the beat and beating heart, love that too. More than eyes or feet. More than lungs that have yet to draw free air. More than your life-holding womb and your life-giving private parts, hear me now, love your heart. For this is the prize." I watch Maggie dancing, dragging the IV pole around the hospital room. What courage she has shown as she's learnt to love herself - body and heart - even in the midst of cancer's assault. She's loved her flesh. Even as it has drooped and burned and ached and aged.
Money reader Mendy Amzalak is set to prove his stunning win in the last Shares Race, where he came from last to first position in week four, was more than a fluke.

Last week it was thanks to investor relations and research company Redchip, that Amzalak's $10,000 outlay turned into a cool $35,000 in the final week and pipped The Australian Financial Review's stalwart Phil Baker for first place.

A junior miner has set up Money reader Mendy Amazlak's stellar lead after week one.

This time, it's a tiny miner named Niuminco Group that has doubled its share price value in just a week. Bear in mind, however, this is a 1 stock and has a track record of volatility.

Amzalak will be able to take heart in the fact he also holds the top seven best performing stocks so far, which is surely a Shares Race record.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, is on his first official overseas visit to India in his second term as Prime Minister, unlike in the first term when he chose to head first to Beijing instead.

By Smita Sharma: After the initial highs and then severe lows in bilateral relation in the last two years, India and Nepal sought to reboot ties on Friday. An inclusive Nepalese constitution and society development agenda ,security and stability in relations were prominent in talks as Narendra Modi met with his counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Delhi's Hyderabad House.

PM Modi praised Dahal, the man who replaced KP Oli -the predecessor seen as playing the anti-India and pro-China cards.

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Dahal popularly known as Prachanda is on his first official overseas visit to India in his second term as Prime Minister, unlike in the first term when he chose to head first to Beijing instead.

Calling Prachanda a 'catalytic force of peace', PM Modi commended the role he 'personally played in strengthening the democratic institutions in Nepal'.

"I am confident that under your wise leadership, Nepal will successfully implement the Constitution through inclusive dialogue accommodating the aspirations of all sections of your diverse society," said PM Modi in the joint media remarks after post talks.

Prachanda hailed the new constitution of Nepal as historic and stressed,"You are aware that my government has made serious efforts to bring everyone on board as we enter the phase of implementation of the Nepali constitution."

Earlier addressing the Nepali community at an embassy event upon arrival in Delhi on Thursday evening, Prachanda had accepted that 'without taking Janjatis,Tharus,Madhesis into confidence, the right atmospherics cannot be created for implementation of the constitution.'

The entire spectrum of bilateral relations was discussed in restricted and delegation talks, with focus on economic engagement, energy and hydropower sectors.



INDIA EXTENDS ADDITIONAL LINE OF CREDIT FOR QUAKE RECONSTRUCTION

The two sides signed three agreements including an MoU on Management Consultancy Services for Upgradation/Improvement of Road Infrastructure in Terai Area .An Amendatory agreement to 1 billion US dollar Line of Credit agreement signed on November 25,2014 was inked. This will enable reapportioning of unutilised funds for post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal.

Additionally India has extended a New Line of Credit agreement for 750 million US dollar for post-earthquake reconstruction projects in the Himalayan nation.

Highlighting the agreements Modi said," I am confident that it would bring relief to millions of people affected by last year's devastating earthquake in Nepal.India has also agreed to extend additional Line of Credit for new projects such as Phase-2 of Terai Roads, power transmission lines, substations and a polytechnic in Kaski."



BORDER SECURITY DISCUSSED

The two leaders also took stock of the open border that witnessed months of blockade, agitation and violent force following the promulgation of the new constitution of Nepal.

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"Open borders between our countries provide great opportunities for cooperation and interaction among our people. But, we must also continue to guard against elements that seek to misuse the border," stressed Modi.

Recognising the need for translating decisions into actions, the two leaders agreed to focus on close monitoring and time bound completion of all development projects.



INTENSIFYING ENGAGEMENTS AMIDST A TIGHT ROPE WALK

In his new term that will last for nine months before the baton is passed on to Nepali Congress's Deuba, Prachanda will have to do a tightrope walk between New Delhi and Beijing Asked about Kathmandu's proximity to Beijing and projects signed during the KP Oli regime, Indian Foreign Secretary Jaishankar called the Indo-Nepal relationship 'a unique one.'

"While neighbour's share geography, not all neighbours have the same historical and cultural binding or an open border," Jaishankar said downplaying speculations of growing influence of the dragon on Kathmandu.

Prachanda who is being hosted the guest wing of Rashtrapati Bhawan received a ceremonial welcome on Friday morning and later in the evening he called on President Pranab Mukherjee.President Mukherjee is expected to travel to Nepal in the first week of November post Diwali.

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The Nepalese PM also extended an invitation to PM Modi for an official visit which Modi accepted. Prachanda will visit the Nathpa Jhakri hydroelectric project in Himachal on Saturday as well as visit Yoga Guru Ramdev's Patanjali Yogapeeth in Haridwar and hold further meetings in Delhi prior to his departure on Sunday.

ALSO READ:

Nepal, India must resolve all issues through diplomatic channels, says Foreign Minister Prakash Mahat

Days after it said China is high priority, Nepal sends special envoy to India



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Disability in prisons is invisible and mostly ignored For the first time, researchers are compiling figures on the number of disabled prisoners. This group is largely invisible in official records and experts argue that with little support inside, they are less able to cope with jail and are virtually guaranteed to end up back inside, effectively a double punishment. Previous research found about 42 per cent of male prisoners had an acquired brain injury, compared with about 2 per cent in the general population. Another study found that more than 40 per cent of Victorian prisoners had a psychiatric risk rating, indicating that they had a mental health issue. New research has also found that young Indigenous people with foetal alcohol spectrum are greatly over-represented in prisons. Professor Stuart Kinner, of Griffith University's Criminology Institute and its Menzies Health Institute, said in 2015 for the first time the standard disability flag was added to national data collected every three years on the health of people moving through the prisons system. The measure of disability is based on a World Health Organisation definition and assesses the functional impact of having a disability, such as difficulty participating in education and work.

Early data using the standard disability flag has found 30 per cent of prisoners have long-term health conditions or disability that restrict their ability to participate in employment and education and limit their general activities. Almost two-fifths (38 per cent) of prisoners aged 35-54 had limited activity or participation in work or education, compared with 14 per cent of the general population. Kinner said there was little evidence of programs for disabled prisoners and because prisons are state-based there was no requirement for co-ordination. "We are not picking up people who have significant needs in the prisons system. This has major implications for their ability to follow instructions, take medication  for their day-to-day functioning. Making sure we identify those people is critical to their appropriate management in prison." He said people with mild to moderate disability are particularly over-represented in prisons. "These may be people who are falling through the cracks, and this has contributed to them ending up in prison in the first place."

Kinner said such disabilities often involved complex health needs that were not being met in the corrections system. "There's a large number of people who experience significant functional impairment, with a range of health problems and learning challenges. They may have a life-time's experience at how to cover these up. There's a strong incentive to cover up some disability in prisons, it can make you quite vulnerable." The 2015 Ombudsman's report found that Prisons Victoria was not routinely screening people who come into prisons for disability, including cognitive and psychiatric disabilities. The Ombudsman also found that many prisoners were not getting special help for their disability. The report highlighted the example of a special unit for people with intellectual disability at the Port Phillip Prisons, Marborough Wing. While the specialist wing has 35 beds the Ombudsman found there were 95 people registered in that prison with an intellectual disability. Disabled prisoners vulnerable

Michelle McDonnell, spokesperson for the Smart Justice Project, led by the federation of community legal centres, said prisoners with an intellectual disability were particularly vulnerable to bullying and harassment and when their condition had not been formally diagnosed their behaviour was often seen by staff as disobedience and they may be punished. McDonnell said there was also evidence that people with disabilities spent longer in prison because they were less able to access parole because of barriers such as difficulty getting secure accommodation and problems negotiating the justice system. "We've had a 68 per cent increase in the prison population [over 10 years to 2014], that's why all the money has gone on infrastructure and not on services. If we really want to reduce the reoffending rate it makes sense to support people with disability both inside and outside prison." Researchers at Melbourne University's School of Population and Global Health, who screened people for intellectual disability after their release from jail, found that those with this impairment were significantly less able to manage their own health care after their time in jail. Rudey is taking part in a project jointly run by Jesuit Social Services and RMIT's Centre for Innovative Justice, which aims to support ex-prisoners with an ABI and provide recommendations about how the criminal justice system can improve its awareness of this disability. The researchers have been working with a group of ex-prisoners with ABI for the past year.
Private colleges are offering 100 per cent NSW taxpayer-funded scholarships with little state government oversight in a program that is costing the public more than $40 million.

The revelations come at the same time as the federal government attempts to claw back hundreds of millions of dollars in wasted public funding on the scandal-plagued vocational education sector.

This reporter enrolled himself in a workplace health and safety course at Alert Force, a private college based in Potts Point that has campuses around Australia.

"Hurry limited places!" an ad on the Alert Force website read. "Govt [sic] subsidies of up to 100% are available for eligible students."
Paul White at his Kirawee home in Sydney's south. He says he won't give up until he finds out who killed his wife 43 years ago. Credit:Peter Rae At 10am she called her father to remind him it was her mother's birthday. About midday she answered a knock at the door. Once inside, the man terrorised Mrs White, forcing her at knifepoint to undress in front of him and to fold her clothes in a neat pile. Paul White said his late wife, Lynette, was a "very caring" woman who loved people and had a great sense of humour. His sadistic intentions were disturbed when someone delivering nappies turned up outside, prompting Mrs White to run towards the front door, presumably for help.

Her killer followed, stabbing her at least 11 times and slitting her throat in the hallway. Paul and Lynette White married in the early 1970s, two years before she was murdered at their Coogee home. Mrs White fell back into the second bedroom, where Shane lay in his cot. This is how her husband found her when he arrived home to find the door slightly ajar at 7.30pm. Lynette Patricia White worked as a hairdresser before giving birth to her son, Shane. Credit:Paul Borderi

"I just went straight into the bedroom, turned the light on and there was Lyn just lying there," Mr White said from his home in Sydney's south this week. "Shane was in his cot about a metre away, there was blood everywhere." Lynette White on her wedding day. Credit:Peter Rae Mr White first laid eyes on Lynette, a caring woman with a great sense of humour, at Grace Bros at Bondi Junction in the early 1970s. They were married for two years before the killer burst into their home, possibly under the guise of asking for a glass of water.

Ten months later, on April 22, 1974, 20-year-old Maria Smith was raped, gagged and strangled after answering a knock at the door of her Randwick home. Similarities between the crimes brought the two cases under the same investigation  Strike Force Tourmaline. The cases were reinvigorated early last year after NSW Police received valuable information that a notorious serial killer could have been behind the murders. Detectives recently visited Bandali Debs in Goulburn prison, where he is serving life sentences for the murders of two Victorian police officers and two prostitutes. He was happy to talk but told police he was in Europe when Ms Smith was murdered, a claim later confirmed.

"This is one of those hard slogs and about going down every possible avenue," Detective Chief Inspector John Lehman, head of the Unsolved Homicide Unit, said. "For example, we have persons of interest and we have seen these people were either not considered back in the day or weren't looked at probably closely enough and were discarded too early in the investigation. "That is why we are now trying to catch up and make sure those persons are looked at more closely." Working on the theory that the killer hurt himself during Mrs White's murder, police are cautiously hopeful that the discovery of blood at the scene may provide the breakthrough her family need. When police arrived at the Coogee unit in 1973, they found the nappies that had been left at the front door had been brought inside and were soaked in blood.

"The theory was because of those nappies he brought back in that he may have injured himself, potentially badly," Detective Kelly said. "Because it was such a frenzied attack, it is possible the knife slipped." Preliminary results from the blood found under the carpet showed a male DNA profile mixed with Ms White's DNA profile. Police are running the profile through a national DNA database for potential matches. The development may help mitigate some challenges posed to the case because of missing post-mortem swabs and original crime scene samples.
Police arrested 77 people at the Defqon.1 dance music festival at western Sydney on Saturday night.

Nearly 25,000 people attended the day-long festival at the Sydney International Rowing Centre.

A heavy police presence greeted revellers at the Defcon.1 dance festival. Credit:Brook Mitchell

The police crackdown followed the death of a 26-year-old man at last year's festival. In 2013, a 23-year-old man died after overdosing on ecstasy.

The police operation is the latest attempt to stem the growing use of ice. Officers from Penrith Local Area Command, the North West Metropolitan Region and the Dog Squad monitored the behaviour of festival goers throughout the day.
A man who shot a Good Samaritan, leaving him a paraplegic, has been sentenced to at least two decades behind bars.

Graeme Hunt was on the verge of retirement when he was made a paraplegic by Ali Chaouk, 25, who shot the Merrylands resident in the chest after he came out of his house after hearing arguing in March 2014.

Grame Hunt was shot when he went outside to ask if the group needed help.

Downing Centre District Court heard on Friday how Chaouk had fired three bullets into 18-year-old Rhynal Nand shortly before coming across Mr Hunt, who asked him if everything was alright.

"What's it got to do with you, you f***ing dog," Chaouk asked Mr Hunt before raising his arm and shooting the man in the chest.
The extra surge in Sydney's population predicted by the NSW government will be concentrated in Canterbury, Parramatta, the Hills, Camden and the inner city.

The Department of Planning and Infrastructure this week released figures showing the Sydney and NSW populations were growing much faster than predicted only two years ago.

When the government's previous population projections were released in 2014, the population of Sydney was expected to be 6.25 million in 20 years, up from about 4.3 million in 2011.

The government's updated forecasts show the city is expected to have about 6.42 million in 20 years  170,000 more than predicted only two years earlier.
Premier Mike Baird's signature policy to create new jobs in NSW gave hundreds of millions of dollars in payroll tax cuts to big corporates in the Sydney CBD, but was barely used by small business, new data reveals.

Almost one-third of new jobs qualifying for the Jobs Action Plan, introduced five years ago by Mr Baird when he was Treasurer, were in the City of Sydney, which added 40,395 jobs.

North Sydney (8416 new jobs) ranked second. Blacktown (4530) ranked third for adding new jobs under the scheme, beating Parramatta (4380), despite its reputation as the second CBD.

Businesses received a $5000 rebate on payroll tax for each extra staff member they hired, paid in two tranches on the first and second anniversary.
Brisbane has welcomed home more than 1000 troops from the local Seventh Combat Brigade, who returned from training Iraqi forces in the fight against IS.

Adelaide Street was a sea of khaki on Saturday morning with a shining brass band leading the column of soldiers through the streets, lined by appreciative onlookers.

Australian Serviceman Corporal Tim McAllister of the 2/14 Light Horse Regiment with wife Olivia and two-year-old son Hamish after the Welcome Home Parade on Saturday morning. Credit:Lisa Maree Williams

Corporal Tim McAllister from the 2/14 Light Horse Brigade was one of the returned veterans participating in the parade and said "it was nice to see the public still supports us".

"It was a good turnout today, especially for a non-Anzac Day event," Corporal McAllister said.
A car has crashed into a shop in Labrador on Saturday afternoon, with reports the driver has suffered serious injuries.

At 12.59pm police were called to Babbidge Street where a car had come off the slip road, crashing into a business and also knocking down a light pole.

A car has crashed into a shop at Labrador on Saturday morning, leaving the driver with reportedly serious injuries.

Police said the crash has caused significant damage to the building and debris is strewn over the road, meaning the street will be closed during the clean-up.

A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said paramedics were able to free the driver just before 1.30pm after securing the shop.
The first rule of Game of Thrones is don't mention the next season of Game of Thrones.

The second rule of Game of Thrones is don't mention the next season of Game of Thrones.

It's Brienne (Gwendoline Christie, right) and Podrick (Daniel Portman) to the rescue.

Fairfax Media caught up with Magic Penis himself, Podrick Payne, known to his mum as Daniel Portman, ahead of his appearances at Oz Comic Con in Brisbane this weekend.

We were warned ahead of time that Mr Portman wouldn't discuss the next season of Game of Thrones, which is reasonable, HBO's militant and ridiculous (it's TV, you aren't saving lives, guys) secret-keeping around the popular series is famous.
Maharashtra Minister for Tribal Welfare Vishnu Savara went to meet the grieving family when he was chased away by a mother of a child who died of malnutrition. When asked about the series of deaths due to malnutrition, he said, "so what".

By India Today Web Desk:

Minister Vishnu Savara had gone to meet the distressed family living in a small hut at Khoch village in Mokhada, when the mother lost her calm and asked Savara, "Where were you when my son died. You are coming after 15 days. We do not want to meet you".

Infuriated villagers also expressed their anger at the failure of the Savara's administration to tackle the misery of malnutrition in the tribal-dominated area, which is approximately 150 km away from Mumbai.

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THE BRUTALITY OF IT

When they told him that 600 children had died this year and asked what he had done for them, he said, "So what?". The government is doing its work, implementing schemes".

It was only a matter of time when the irate villagers and the mother of the dead child chased him away, and to this he said, "If you don't want me to come, then I won't".



MISERY OF MOKHADA VILLAGE AND OTHER DISTRICTS

Recently, according to a Gulf News report, it was found that nearly 28% children were severely underweight at the health camps in Mokhada. Since July 2016, 17 children have died of malnutrition in Mokhada alone.

Last year, as many as 1,274 children below six years died of malnutrition in three districts - Nandurbar amounts to 662 deaths, Palghar 418 deaths, and Thane 194 deaths - all in ten months.

According to the World Bank, India has the highest number of children suffering from malnutrition.

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It's a trend no one is monitoring, and it's benefiting some of the largest companies in the world.

Businesses are infiltrating Victorian schools to spruik technology, energy drinks and cars to a captive young audience.

There are fears students will struggle with basic life skills. Credit:Jamieson Murphy

Fairfax Media understands the Victorian Education Department does not track businesses' involvement with schools. But critics say tougher rules are needed to ensure school lessons and teachers' independence are not compromised by commercial pressures.

Major technology companies have gained access to schools under pressure to create technology oriented classrooms. Microsoft, Apple and Google provide training, accreditation and awards to Victorian teachers, who in turn promote the products in schools and on social media.
Top Melbourne fashion designers are campaigning to save the last pleating workshop in Victoria.

Simon Zdraveski, the owner of Specialty Pleaters in Williamstown North, says without urgent support, the 80-year-old bespoke business will fold by Christmas.

Specialty Pleaters owner Simon Zdraveski with fashion designer Kara Baker who has started a campaign to keep the 80-year-old artisan business from folding. Credit:Nicole Cleary

Lost would be local access to the rare trade and hundreds of paper "moulds", or patterns, compiled since the business was founded by a Fitzroy family in the 1930s.

Mr Zdraveski wants to keep Specialty Pleaters going but it is not viable. His aged machines need replacing and there are "astronomical" overheads.
Five teenage boys have been accused of stealing two vehicles and ramming a police car during a pursuit across Melbourne that began during another home invasion in the city's south-east.

Police allege four of the teenagers broke into a home in Cranbourne East just after 1am on Sunday and fled in the family's BMW and Volkswagen before a fifth teenager joined them in the crime spree across the city.

Police are seeking witnesses after a 13-year-old girl was knocked unconscious. Credit:Paul Rovere

The homeowners were uninjured during the aggravated burglary, police said.

Victoria Police spokesman Sergeant Kris Hamilton said police tracked the two stolen vehicles in Richmond to Reservoir.
A man has died after his motorbike collided with a ute in Melbourne's north-east on Friday night.

Police believe the man lost control of his motorcycle on Memboka Road in Croydon Hills around 11.20pm, before slamming into a ute carrying a family-of-five.

The motorcyclist died at the scene, however the family of five were unharmed. Credit:Georgia Matts

The motorcyclist died at the scene.

The family, which included three girls, two 12-year-olds and one aged 9, were not physically injured during the crash.
Beirut: The fragile one-week ceasefire in Syria co-sponsored by the United States and Russia risks not being extended, as the countries quarrel about the details amid increasing violence and a failure to deliver aid.

The second attempt this year by the Cold War-era superpower foes to halt the conflict has succeeded so far in curbing the fighting, but it remains a risky gamble in a war that has made a mockery of all previous peace efforts.

Washington and Moscow, which support opposite sides in the war between President Bashar al-Assad and insurgents, have agreed to share targeting information against jihadist fighters - mostly Islamic State - that are their common enemies, if the truce holds.

Although the details of the pact remain secret, that could see them wage war on the same side for the first time since World War II. But such unprecedented cooperation would come at a time of deep mistrust between the two countries, whose relations are at their worst for decades.
"I was upset with the President. Quite frankly, I still am," he said, saying President Barack Obama failed to act aggressively against black nationalist "terrorists," such as the Baton Rouge shooter, Gavin Long. "I'm a police officer. I'm a chief. But I'm also an American citizen, and I have just as much rights as any other American citizen." His critics, however, say Dore's post not only exposed his racist views but also raised questions about his past, including ones tied to unsubstantiated allegations that he caused the death of a black man in custody.That the majority-black town had entrusted Dore with the badge compounded the sense of betrayal. "This has brought out the real intentions of people, what they really think and really feel," said Sharon Stevenson, a black resident who led the campaign to fire Dore. "The mask has come off." 'If anything, I was too nice' Jonesville sits at the crux of four flood-prone rivers, surrounded by fields of cotton and soy and the occasional old plantation house, a vestige of the slavery-based economy that once enriched white families. Towering Native American mounds that once stood here are now small piles, their dirt long ago appropriated for construction projects.

The town of 2200 has also shrunk - by half since a clothing plant closed in the late 1980s. "There's nothing here. There's no jobs," said Dore, who runs FleX Fitness, the town's only gym. Dore is built like an Olympic wrestler, with bulging arms covered in tribal tattoos. He grew up in New Iberia, the heart of Cajun country, and says tragedy in his youth pushed him to become a cop. First, his older brother was killed by a drunken driver. Then his mother drowned in an auto accident that Dore insists is an unsolved murder. Dore took a job at the Iberia Parish jail, then became a police officer in the nearby town of Baldwin. There, he had his first brush with controversy. In May 2012, Dore was leading Damon Abraham to a holding cell when Abraham, a black man wanted for failure to appear in court, bolted. Dore chased him through the streets and into the woods, where he used a stun gun on Abraham at least twice. Back in the jail, Abraham stopped breathing. Dore performed CPR, but Abraham died. Several witnesses told investigators that Dore used the stun gun on Abraham while he was handcuffed. One said Dore also threatened to arrest his "black ass".In a letter to the US Justice Department, Abraham's family called it a "clear-cut murder of an innocent man".

But Louisiana State Police found no probable cause to arrest Dore, and Dore says he did nothing wrong. "If anything, I was too nice," he said, lamenting his failure to handcuff Abraham from the start. "It bit me in the behind." Two months later, Jonesville hired Dore as a police officer. Last year, financial trouble forced the town to gut its police department. Dore went from being one of 14 full-time officers to being in charge of just two. At 30, he was chief of police. 'I lost my cool'

Dore was holidaying in Florida with his wife, who serves as the town judge, and his stepdaughter when he heard about the Baton Rouge shooting. Already upset about the slaying of five officers 10 days earlier in Dallas, he was devastated to learn that Matthew Gerald, with whom Dore had trained, was among the dead in Baton Rouge. Dore immediately took to Facebook. "How many police officers have to die trying to protect the citizens of this country," he fumed. "Any other president would have declared full on war on this group. Since when in our f---ing history do we stand idle to the ambush murders of law enforcement. It has to STOP NOW!!!!!" On the drive back to Louisiana, Dore's phone began ringing. His post was spreading quickly. People in Jonesville and beyond were accusing him of racism. Dore reread his post.

"I said, 'Damn. That's not how I meant for it to come out.' " Dore said that he was quoting Long, the Baton Rouge shooter, when he wrote "white police officers". And that the "group" he mentioned was not the activist group Black Lives Matter but black sovereign citizens, the sometimes-violent separatist organisation of which Long claimed to be a follower. "When that Cajun blood gets a-runnin', we get mad. The filter comes off. And I'm 100 per cent guilty of that," Dore said. "I lost my cool, and I let my emotions get the best of me. But by no means am I racist." 'Bewildered and surprised' Sharon Stevenson watched in horror as Dore's post tore through Jonesville. She had learned about it from her youngest son, who worked out at Dore's gym. That the post came from a man her son considered "cool" made it all the more shocking. Soon, the comments on Facebook took a dark turn. Some black residents demanded that Dore resign. Some whites said he was a victim of a witch hunt. According to Stevenson, at least one commenter appeared to threaten violence against blacks.

"It was terrifying," she said. "I said, 'He is going to set a fire in this little town.' " Decades earlier, Stevenson, 56, had been one of the first black employees in the local welfare office. The post reminded her of attitudes once expressed openly in Jonesville. Whites here overwhelmingly resisted desegregation, and the community had brushes with Ku Klux Klan violence, including the 1964 firebombing of a church not far from town. Hiram Evans remembers seeing crosses burn. Now the first black mayor of Jonesville, Evans said he was "bewildered and surprised" when Stevenson called about Dore. Evans had taken a chance on the young white officer after the Baldwin incident. Now he wondered: Had he hired a racist? Other black residents were wondering the same thing. "A lot of people were upset that they hired him because he had already been accused of killing a black guy," said Lucretia Duncan, a local event planner. "When he expressed his views about the president and his 'white brothers,' that kind of threw people for a loop."

Two days later, the mayor summoned Dore to a public hearing. The hall was filled to capacity, and the atmosphere was tense. Stevenson and two other women called for Dore to step down, saying the black community could no longer trust him. Dore offered an apology but refused to resign. "I should not have allowed my emotions to get the best of me," Dore told the crowd. "I'm sorry, but you should have thought about it before you even hit those keys," Stevenson replied. The council voted to fire him.

'50 different death threats' Dore's termination made news statewide. Within hours, he was inundated on Facebook with messages of support and job offers from sympathetic police departments in several states. He also received "probably 50 different death threats," he said. "It's a shame those whackos didn't get you rather than [the] other officers," one message said. In Jonesville, his firing divided neighbours and co-workers along racial lines. People who once said hello to one another now looked the other way.

Tillman Jolly, a white carpenter whose Facebook page includes a photo of a gun atop a Bible, urged people to march to town hall and demand Dore's reinstatement. Jolly thought Dore's post had been "tough but fair" and that Jonesville had axed its best police chief over political correctness. "The people in charge of Jonesville are 90 per cent black," Jolly said. "It pissed them off that he bashed their president." Within hours, more than 1500 people had pledged to a ttend the Aug. 6 rally, including several motorcycle gangs. But then the Catahoula Parish sheriff called and said the state police believed "outside elements" planned to attack officers at the rally. So Jolly canceled it. Dore approved of the decision. "I don't want any more police officers being murdered," he said. Besides, he said, it would be "suicide" to return to his old job. "I assure you I would eventually be shot and killed." While Dore said he plans to sue Jonesville for wrongful termination, the mayor allowed that Dore may not be a racist: "That's a situation between him and God," he said. But he said he does not regret firing his chief.
The Colonial Pipeline crosses the southland and up the east coast, carrying gasoline from refineries in Houston.

Gasoline can be seen in the pond to the right. In this heavily wooded area, the spill poses a real fire danger.

More than 250,000 gallons of gasoline have spilled in Shelby County, Alabama, after a major fuel pipeline ruptured this week.

The governors of both Alabama and Georgia have declared a state of emergency.

The Colonial Pipeline crosses the southland and up the east coast, carrying gasoline from refineries in Houston.

The spill spans an area roughly two acres in size, with the fumes creating the most immediate environmental hazard. Roads have been closed into the northern end of the 39,000 acre William R. Ireland Sr. Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area which is adjacent to the spill area. Gasoline leaks create a continuing fire hazard, and can enter groundwater sources despite containment efforts.

An emergency response team of 500 people has been dispatched, including both fire fighters and cleanup crew, but according to Colonial, little cleanup has been done so far.

Pipeline spokesperson Bill Berry said "It's not safe for our workers to recover much product off of the pond due to gasoline vapors. It's a challenge for us to do much because the vapors are not at safe levels for human health. "

The Federal Government has restricted airspace above the spill location.

Gasoline prices in supplied regions could rise substantially because of the loss. The states of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina are expected to be the first markets impacted by the shortage. Alabama Governor Robert Bently has lifted Department of Transportation restrictions on the number of hours fuel truck drivers can work each day, so that more gasoline can be brought in via highways. Those restrictions are in place to prevent accidents due to driver fatigue.

Residents throughout the south have been advised to be prepared for significant fuel shortages in the coming months.

Data from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates that the spill is Colonial's largest since 1966, when 22,800 barrels of gasoline leaked in South Carolina.

This spill comes at a critical time for the industry, as the Standing Rock Sioux and their supporters continue a months' long protest against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. A similar leak in the Dakota line could corrupt the Missouri River waters that millions of people and animals depend upon for survival.

As alternative energy sources become increasingly available and affordable, Americans across the political spectrum are questioning whether pipelines are the best answer to our energy needs.

The Colonial Pipeline is the largest gasoline pipeline in the U.S.

There is no "safe" fuel transport pipeline. Eventually, every one of them leaks or breaks. This is one of four significant spills already reported in September*, and it is assumed that many minor leaks, perhaps hundreds each month, are never reported by pipeline owners.

It is quickly reaching the point where the only people who really profit from this kind of fossil fuel extraction, refinement, and transport are those who have financial investments in the corporations doing the work.

It is an outdated system that brings an outdated fuel to Americans who could be happier and healthier if the same amount of money were invested into other options.

*Kern County, CA; Bay Long, LA; Sweetwater, TX
National commission on presidential debates requires 15% to Debate Trump, Clinton

This puts him just shy of the 15% that he needs in order to participate in the Clinton versus Trump televised debate scheduled for FOXNews for September 26, 2016.

Update, 9/16: The Commission on Presidential Debates has announced that only Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, will participate in the presidential debate on September 26th.

Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson polled 13% in a national Quinnipiac University poll released today, Wednesday, September 14.

This puts him just shy of the 15% that he needs in order to participate in the Clinton versus Trump televised debate scheduled for FOXNews for September 26, 2016.

The 15% is an artificial level set by the commission. Only candidates polling above 15% ten days before the debate, may participate in it. The rule makes it very difficult for third-party candidates. Green Party candidate Jill Stein polls around 3% -- not bad for a third-party candidate, but not even close to debate participation.

A CBS news poll of Ohio put the former New Mexico Governor at 10%, but Ohio is an important swing state and it means he could be a factor in the election.

The Johnson-Weld campaign took out a full-page ad in today's New York Times, asking the commission to at least allow Johnson to participate in the first debate and then take a national poll. Sounds good to me.

A minority of Libertarian party regulars think it is a mistake for Johnson to participate in the debate, given that he can make mistakes as bad as he did last week, when he did not know that Aleppo is a city in Syria at the epicenter of the Civil War.

Ironically, the gaffe appears to have given Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, a boost in the polls. Johnson was on every cable news network last week on able to remember what Aleppo was on MSNBC.

Facebook users generated 8.1 million likes, comments, shares and posts about Johnson in the week ending Sept. 11, more than double the 4 million interactions a week he had been averaging for the past month. This according to USA TODAY, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/09/14/gary-johnson-facebook-traffic-aleppo/90349664/

The only week this year in which Johnson has generated more Facebook traffic was the end of July, when he was a fixture on TV talking about his candidacy as an alternative to the two major parties that were staging their conventions.

By comparison, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump generated more than 75 million Facebook interactions last week. Green Party candidate Jill Stein generated 1.8 million interactions.

This seems to disprove the axiom that all press is good press. While it is true everybody was talking about Johnson, it is a good bet that not all of that chatter was praise.

If elected, Gary Johnson would be the third president Johnson after one each in the 19th and 20th century. What does Johnson actually believe in?

Johnson's views have been described as fiscally conservative and socially liberal[112] with a philosophy of limited government[113] and military non-interventionism.[114][115] He has identified as a classical liberal.[116] Johnson has said he favors simplifying and reducing taxes.[117] During his governorship, Johnson cut taxes fourteen times and never increased them.[118] Due to his stance on taxes, political pundit David Weigel described him as "the original Tea Party candidate."[119] Johnson has advocated the FairTax, a proposal which would abolish all federal income, corporate and capital gains taxes, and replace them with a 23% tax on consumption of all non-essential goods, while providing a regressive rebate to households according to household size, regardless of income level. He has argued that this would ensure transparency in the tax system and incentivize the private sector to create "tens of millions of jobs."[120] In June 2016, Johnson said that he supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership, stating that he previously thought it limited fair trade, but is now informed it, in fact, fosters free trade.[121]

Johnson has said that he supports balancing the federal budget immediately.[122] He has stated he supports "slashing government spending", including Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security,[117] which would involve cutting Medicare and Medicaid by 43 percent and turning them into block grant programs, with control of spending in the hands of the states to create, in his words, "fifty laboratories of innovation."[122] He has referred to Social Security as a pyramid scheme. He has advocated passing a law allowing for state bankruptcy and expressly ruling out a federal bailout of any states.

Johnson has expressed opposition to the Federal Reserve System, which he has cited as massively devaluing the strength of the U.S. dollar, and would sign legislation to eliminate it. He has also supported an audit of the central bank, and urged Members of Congress in July 2012 to vote in favor of Ron Paul's Federal Reserve Transparency Act.

In his campaign for the Libertarian Party nomination, he stated he opposed foreign wars and pledged to cut the military budget by 43 percent in his first term as president. He would cut the military's overseas bases, uniformed and civilian personnel, research and development, intelligence, and nuclear weapons programs.

He has stated his opposition to US involvement in the War in Afghanistan and opposed the US involvement in the Libyan Civil War. He has stated that he does not believe Iran is a military threat, would use his presidential power to prevent Israel from attacking Iran, and would not follow Israel, or any other ally, into a war that it had initiated.

Johnson presents himself as a strong supporter of civil liberties and received the highest score of any candidate from the American Civil Liberties Union for supporting drug decriminalization while opposing censorship and regulation of the Internet, the Patriot Act, enhanced airport screenings, and the indefinite detention of prisoners. He has spoken in favor of the separation of church and state, and has said that he does not "seek the counsel of God" when determining his political agenda.

This puts him just shy of the 15% that he needs in order to participate in the Clinton versus Trump televised debate scheduled for FOXNews for September 26, 2016.

Johnson endorsed same-sex marriage in 2011; he has since called for a constitutional amendment protecting equal marriage rights, and criticized Obama's position on the issue as having "thrown this question back to the states." Johnson supports the enforcement of Protected Classes that was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and believes that providers should be prohibited from not providing service to customers based on demographics, such as race or sexuality.

This differentiated him from his Libertarian Party opponents in the party primary, especially Austin Petersen. He has been a longtime advocate of legalizing marijuana and has said that if he were president, he would remove it from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act as well as issue an executive order pardoning non-violent marijuana offenders.

Johnson opposes Roe v. Wade, believing states should decide the matter (accessibility to abortions); however, he has stated he personally believes that "it's the woman's choice."

Johnson has stated his opposition to gun control and has said, "I'm a firm believer in the Second Amendment and so I would not have signed legislation banning assault weapons or automatic weapons." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Johnson#Political_positions
When Corporatons Own Politicians, the Will of the People Doesn't Matter

Even among respondents who work in the coal industry or have family members that do, 62 percent support the CPP.

As litigators prepare oral arguments for the 24-state suit to stop the federal government from implementing the Clean Power Plan (CPP), a Citizen Cabinet survey finds that two-thirds of registered voters in the states party to the suit (67 percent) actually favor the Plan.

Eight states were also surveyed, including four that are party to the lawsuit; in all four  Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas  two-thirds or more also support the plan. Across the country as a whole, 69 percent approve of the CPP, with similar majorities in key swing states surveyed.

The Clean Power Plan seeks to reduce greenhouse gases from power plants two to three percent a year. The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments on September 27.

The in-depth national survey, which also includes statewide samples in California, Florida, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia, was conducted by the Program for Public Consultation, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland (PPC), and released by the nonpartisan group, Voice Of the People.

"Clearly the forces driving this lawsuit are not arising from public resistance to the Clean Power Plan," said PPC Director Steven Kull.

Interestingly, even among respondents who work in the coal industry or have family members that do, 62 percent support the CPP.

Support was not however, bipartisan. Nationally only 47 percent of Republicans are in favor, and a slight majority of 52 percent oppose the plan. Among Democrats 89 percent approve, as does 64 percent of independents.

But if the federal government were to make efforts to mitigate the effect of the Clean Power Plan on coal workers  either by providing support for coal industry workers who lose their jobs or providing support to the coal industry by enabling it to sequester carbon dioxide  support increases to a bipartisan majority, rising to 61 percent among Republicans, 94 percent among Democrats, and 78 percent overall. Between these methods, providing support for coal industry workers who lose their job is far more popular (overall 73 percent, Republicans 68 percent, Democrats 80 percent) than providing support for carbon sequestration (overall 48 percent, Republicans 44 percent, Democrats 46 percent).

There is bipartisan majority support, though, for specific measure to reduce carbon dioxide. Support for providing tax credits for installing fuel-efficient lighting, doors, windows and insulation, building new energy efficient homes and installing wind and fuel cells (overall ranging from 73-78 percent), ranges from 62-69 percent among Republicans, while Democratic support ranges from 84-87 percent.

Bipartisan majorities also favor requiring higher fuel efficiency standards for light cars and trucks, heavy duty vehicles and requiring electric companies to have a minimum portion of their electricity come from renewable sources (overall 71-74 percent). Republican support for these ranges from 56-57 percent, while for Democrats, 84-89 percent.

The CPP is central to the commitment as part of the United States participating in the international agreement negotiated in Paris and signed in New York in April, 2016, by which the U.S. has agreed to pursue the goal of reducing its greenhouse gases by 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, or about two percent per year. Seventy-one percent of American registered voters approve of participating in the agreement. Among Republicans a slim majority (52 percent) approve, but 61 percent said the agreement is at least tolerable. Democrats overwhelmingly approve (89 percent) as did independents (66 percent).

Support for reduction of carbon dioxide appears to be driven by concerns about the health effects of air pollution as much or more than concerns about climate change. While carbon dioxide does not have a direct effect on health, steps that reduce carbon dioxide also reduce soot and smog, which do have negative health effects. Seventy-four percent say that it should be a high priority to reduce air pollution from energy production (Republicans 51 percent, Democrats 93 percent). Seventy percent nationally say it should be a high priority to reduce greenhouse gases (Republicans 44 percent, Democrats 91 percent).

The Citizen Cabinet panel of 5,975 respondents was drawn from Nielsen-Scarborough's probability-based national panel, which was recruited by mail and telephone using a random sample of households. Additional recruiting by telephone and mail was conducted by Communication for Research. The margin of error is +/- 1.6 percent. State samples: Calif. 523 (MoE +/- 4.3 percent); Fla. 421 (+/- 4.8 percent); Md. 419 (+/- 4.8 percent); N.Y. 414 (+/- 4.8 percent); Ohio 449 (+/- 4.6 percent); Okla. 419 (+/- 4.8 percent); Texas 419 (+/- 4.8 percent); and Va. 441 (+/- 4.7 percent). The survey was fielded April 16June 10, 2016.

Bipartisan majorities also favor requiring higher fuel efficiency standards for light cars and trucks and heavy duty vehicles.

Unlike a standard poll, Citizen Cabinet surveys take respondents through an online process called a 'policymaking simulation' that seeks to put them in the shoes of a policymaker, giving them essential information and presenting key arguments on both sides of each issue. The content of the simulation was vetted for accuracy and balance by Republican and Democratic congressional staffers, as well as experts from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy.

Once the survey results are released, a public version of the policymaking simulation is posted at vop.org for anyone to try. Citizens are encouraged to go through the simulation and then share their recommendations with their Congressional representatives at: http://research.cfrinc.net/vop16128pub/

The full report can be found at: http://vop.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/EE_Report.pdf

The full questionnaire with frequencies can be found at: http://vop.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/EE_Quaire.pdf

Voice Of the People is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization using new methods and technology to give citizens a more effective voice in government.
Multiple Aspen Prize Finalist Community Colleges a First for California

The art center at Chafee college. California's Chaffey College and Pasadena City College Named Among Ten Finalists for 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Multiple Aspen Prize Finalist Community Colleges a First for California

$1 Million Prize for Excellence in Four Areas:

Learning, Degree Completion, Employment and Earnings, and Access and Success for Minority and Low-Income Students; Winner to be Announced in March 2017

Washington, D.C., September 13, 2016  California's Chaffey College and Pasadena City College were named today as two of ten finalists for the 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation's preeminent recognition of high achievement and performance in America's community colleges.

The $1 million prize fund will be awarded in March 2017 in Washington, D.C. to the winner and up to four finalists with distinction. (See complete list of finalists below.)

The Prize, awarded every two years since 2011, recognizes outstanding institutions selected from an original pool of more than 1,000 public community colleges nationwide. With a singular focus on student success, the Prize assesses community colleges' achievements in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings for graduates, and access and success for minority and low-income students.

Chaffey College (28,000 students) (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)

"Chaffey College has pioneered some really exciting programs, including its FastTrack program aimed at providing accelerated eight-week courses for its students," said Joshua Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program in Washington, D.C. "With FastTrack students outperforming others by nearly 10 percentage points, this is the kind of scaled intervention that community colleges across the country ought to pay attention to."

Chaffey College stands out as one of the nation's top community colleges for many reasons, including:

Serves a diverse, historically underrepresented population, of which 81 percent are students of color, more than 60 percent of whom are Hispanic

A high first-year retention rate of 73 percent that's well above the national average of 52 percent

Awarding substantially more degrees per 100 students each year with an increase of 75 percent over five years

Pasadena City College (34,000 students) (Pasadena, CA)

"Pasadena City College has made incredible strides in closing the achievement gap for minority students, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Not only are PCC's STEM programs dominated by Latino students, but women and first-generation students are also highly represented," said Joshua Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program in Washington, D.C. "This reflects the college's strong demonstrated commitment to making sure all students succeed both while in college and in promising careers after they graduate."

Pasadena City College stands out as one of the nation's top community colleges for many reasons, including:

Serving a large, diverse population of students, more than 76 percent of which are students of color and 43 percent are the first in their families to attend college

A graduation/transfer rate of 49 percent, well above the national average of 39 percent

A program that fast-tracks graduation by providing priority registration to students who are only a few courses short of completing their degree

A leader among California community colleges for the number of associate degrees for transfer awarded, for the number of associate degrees awarded, and for the number of associate degrees awarded to minorities

Community colleges today enroll nearly half of all US undergraduates-7 million students-working toward degrees and certificates. This includes rapidly growing numbers of low-income and minority students. While fewer than 40 percent of all community college students graduate, Aspen Prize finalist institutions demonstrate that every community college can help more students achieve success while in college and after they graduate.

This fall, the Aspen Institute will conduct a rigorous review process that includes examination of extensive data on performance and improvements in learning, graduation, workforce, and equitable outcomes for all students as well as multi-day site visits to each of the ten finalist institutions. Then, a distinguished Prize Jury of higher education experts will select a grand prize winner and up to four finalists with distinction.

The 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence was awarded to Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. In 2013, Santa Barbara City College (California) and Walla Walla Community College (Washington) were co-winners. In 2011, Valencia College (Florida) was the inaugural Prize winner. According to the Prize rules, former winners were not eligible to reapply this cycle.

The Aspen Prize Finalists selected today reflect the diversity and richness of American community colleges.

The 2017 Aspen Prize Finalists (listed in alphabetical order):

Two colleges have been named finalists in four consecutive Prize cycles (indicated with *) and two others were finalists for a second time (indicated with #)

Anoka-Ramsey Community College  Coon Rapids, MN

Broward College  Fort Lauderdale, FL#

Chaffey College  Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Contact: Ms. Alisha Rosas, 909-652-6115, [email protected]

Indian River State College  Fort Pierce, FL#

Lake Area Technical Institute  Watertown, SD*

Northeast Community College  Norfolk, NE

Odessa College  Odessa, TX

Pasadena City College  Pasadena, CA

Contact: Alexander Boekelheide, 626-585-7422, [email protected]

San Jacinto College  Pasadena, TX

West Kentucky Community and Technical College  Paducah, KY*

####

The Aspen Prize is funded by the Joyce Foundation, the Siemens Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation.

Nursing students of Pasadena city College. California's Chaffey College and Pasadena City College Named Among Ten Finalists for 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Multiple Aspen Prize Finalist Community Colleges a First for California

The Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the New College Leadership Project, and other initiatives, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges' understanding and capacity to teach and graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income and minority students on American campuses. For more information, visit http://highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize/.

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners.
By Maha Siddiqui: Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav came down heavily on his chief minister son Akhilesh Yadav and his supporters. The SP chief admonished Akhilesh supporters for raising slogans against Shivpal in an attempt to defy his own decision to make his younger brother the state chief.

"Had he (Akhilesh Yadav) not been my son, no one would have accepted him," Mulayam Singh said adding, "I and Shivpal formed the Samajwadi Party. Akhilesh was in the school then."

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"No one can act on his own. If there was some issue, it should been brought to my notice. Why did he (Akhilesh Yadav) took away portfolios from Shivpal Yadav," asked Mulayam Singh.

Addressing party workers, Mulayam Singh asserted that Shivpal had worked hard in building the party.

"I have nourished the party with my blood. Shivpal has suffered a lot for the party," Mulayam said.

MULAYAM LASHES OUT AT AKHILESH



"In 2014 we did as Akhilesh told us but we ended up with five seats. Who was left red faced, him or me?" said Mulayam while addressing his party. By saying so Mulayam suggested that Akhilesh can go wrong and that he has the right to correct his wrong decisions.

He also told the partymen that the decisions taken by him will not change and Shivpal Yadav will be the UP SP chief. Though Mulayam criticised Akhilesh for some of his decsions he also praised his work in the state.



On the other hand, Akhilesh Yadav extended his full support to Shivpal Yadav for the upcoming assembly elections. He appealed to party workers to work hard for the polls.

Also read: Akhilesh Yadav hands back Shivpal his portfolios, assures Gayatri Prajapati's induction in Cabinet



"I congratulate Shivpal Yadav on being made state chief of the party. He has my full cooperation for the assembly elections," Akhilesh Yadav said.

AKHILESH MEETS SHIVPAL

Amidst slogan shouting by his supporters Akhilesh Yadav reached his defiant uncle Shivpal Yadav's residence sparking furhter speculations over the ongoing rift in the party. While they tried to work out a patch up formula over lunch, supporters of the CM raised slogans against Shivpal Yadav outside.

Akhilesh's wife Dimple Yadav and Shivpal's wife Sarla Yadav were also present during the patch up meet between the two SP heavyweights.

Also read: Shivpal, wife and son resign from all posts as Samajwadi family crisis deepens in UP



Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav returned those portfolios to Shivpal that were taken away from him except the PWD department, which the chie minister has kept with him.



AKHILESH SUPPORTERS HIT THE STREETS

Earlier in the day, hundreds of supporters of UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav took to streets on Saturday in Lucknow. They held demonstrations at party headquarters and also outside the residence of party supremo Mulayam Singh.

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The protesters demanded that Akhilesh be reinstated as the state party chief as he is the face of SP for the upcoming assembly elections. The CM supporters carried placards and banners saying, "oust uncle, save SP".

The truce hammered by Mulayam Singh looked under threat. But, by afternoon things looked to settle down as the warring factions buried their differences.

Also read: Shivpal Yadav's supporters lash out at Akhilesh





--- ENDS ---
Monterrey County School Gests State Approval for Program Projected to Save $4M

The Soledad Unified School District approved a contract with OpTerra Energy Services, Inc. (OpTerra Energy Services) at its last board meeting of August to design and construct the first solar project at Soledad High School.

The project is funded through a $2 million, zero percent interest loan from the California Energy Commission and is expected to be completed by February 2017.

It is estimated that the project will generate over 745,000 kWh of clean electric energy, which is the equivalent to removing 257 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere annually. The energy savings associated with the project's renewable energy production will save the District approximately $45,000 annually after loan payments  totaling over $4,000,000 in energy savings over the 25-year life of the project.

"Aside from the financial savings, the installation of solar panels at our high school to produce clean electricity represents a tremendous opportunity for the District to help preserve and protect the environment for future generations. It also impacts our local economy as it creates employment opportunities in the green job sector, and supports a homegrown energy source," said Mr. Cesar Vega, Chief Business Official for the District.

"The Board of Trustees is very excited to move forward with this project. We take pride in our ongoing leadership and vision regarding energy conservation, reducing our energy costs, and setting a positive example of sustainability for our students," stated School Board President Marie Berlanga.

The solar project is the first step in a comprehensive energy program that the District hopes will leverage State of California Proposition 39 funding provided to every public school district for energy efficiency upgrades. The potential scope of a district-wide project would include solar at all District sites and upgrading interior and exterior lighting with LED technology which dramatically reduces energy costs and improves the learning environment and campus safety.

"The District is pleased that the State of California has become a partner with Soledad schools to meet our sustainability goals. We are also excited to be partnering with OpTerra Energy Services on this initial project at Soledad High School. We chose OpTerra as a partner based on their successful track record in the region with several Monterey County school districts, cities, and Hartnell College," commented Interim Superintendent Jorge Z. Guzman.

"The OpTerra team is proud to support the District's implementation of the solar project at Soledad High School. Our core values as a company are centered on doing more than just modernizing facilities and engineering technical solutions  our work with Soledad will help the District improve its classroom and learning environments and be an environmental leader in the communities in which its students live," shared OpTerra CEO John Mahoney.

The Board of Trustees approved the project concept at its March 9, 2016 meeting and OpTerra Energy Services was selected through a competitive procurement process in April, 2016. Construction is expected to begin in the fall.

About Soledad Unified School District: The Soledad Unified School District is located in Monterey County in the heart of the Salinas Valley. The district serves approximately 4,900 students in grades K- 12. There are 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 comprehensive high school and 1 continuation high school. The District's website can be found at http://www.soledadusd.org.

OpTerra Energy Services OpTerra Energy Services: Building the Sustainable Energy Economy.

About OpTerra Energy Services: OpTerra Energy Services is a national energy company that works with education, local government, commercial, industrial, and institutional organizations to implement efficiency and sustainable energy solutions that save money, enhance safety, improve assets, and protect the environment. As a subsidiary of ENGIE S.A., the number one energy efficiency services provider in the world, OpTerra Energy Services provides a unique and extensive set of energy and sustainability management services to thousands of customers across the U.S. The company has provided more than $2 billion in energy savings for its customers over the past 40 years. To learn more, please visit http://www.opterraenergy.com or contact Lani Wild, Communications Manager, at 415-735-9080.
One of the Largest Ever Found on Earth

Gancedo is likely the second or third largest meteorite ever found on planet Earth.

Over the weekend, a work crew used a crane to hoist a 30-ton meteorite out of the Campo del Cielo (Field of Heaven) about 670 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the border between the provinces of Chaco and Santiago del Estero.

The meteorite, named Gancedo, has been tentatively declared the second largest yet discovered on Earth. Careful weighing will have to be done before that title can be formally declared, as well as tests to confirm that it is an actual meteorite.

This confirmation seems likely.

The accurately named Campo del Cielo is blistered with craters caused by a powerful meteor shower 4000 to 4700 years ago. At least 26 craters spread across an area of less than 2 x 12 miles.

Excavation at the site has already revealed an estimated 100 tons of space debris.

The undisputed champion of meteorites is called Hoba and was found in Namibia almost a century ago. Hoba weighs a whopping 66 tons. Though it has been fully uncovered, it has never been moved from its discovery location due to its enormous size. Hoba is thought to have slammed into our planet about 80,000 years ago, and is estimated to be between 190 million and 410 million years.

Gancedo's competition for the second largest is El Chaco. Weighing in at 37 tons, Chaco is also from the Campo del Cielo, and is therefore a brother of Gancedo, so to speak, likely arrived in the same space shower.

"While we hoped for weights above what had been registered, we did not expect it to exceed 30 tons," the president of the Astronomy Association of Chaco, Mario Vesconi, told the Xinhua news agency. "The size and weight surprised us."

"We could compare the weight with the other large meteorite found in the province. Although we expected it to be heavier, we did not expect it to exceed 30 tons," Vesconi reported to the Argentinian government news service, Telam.

"We will weigh it again. Apart from wanting the added confidence of a double-check of the initial readings we took, the fact that its weight is such a surprise to us makes us want to recalibrate."

--------------------

About Meteorites

Eugen Zibiso Hoba, the largest known meteorite on Earth, was declared a national monument in Namibia in 1955. It has never been moved, but is a popular tourist destination, visited by thousands each year.

A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the Earth's atmosphere and impact with the Earth's surface. When the object enters the atmosphere, various factors like friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate that energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting/falling star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides." Meteorites that survive atmospheric entry and impact vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create a crater.

Meteorites that are recovered after being observed as they transit the atmosphere or impact the Earth are called meteorite falls. All others are known as meteorite finds.

Meteorites have traditionally been divided into three broad categories: stony meteorites are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals; iron meteorites that are largely composed of metallic iron-nickel; and, stony-iron meteorites that contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material. Modern classification schemes divide meteorites into groups according to their structure, chemical and isotopic composition and mineralogy. Meteorites smaller than 2 mm are classified as micrometeorites. Extraterrestrial meteorites are such objects that have impacted other celestial bodies, whether or not they have passed through an atmosphere. They have been found on the moon and Mars.
Light Pollution in SoCal's Coastal National Parks Steady or Decreasing.

The western end of the mountains offers the best stargazing. An upcoming star party is scheduled for October 1 (details) at Rancho Sierra Vista in Thousand OaKs

Photos of the night sky in the Santa Monica Mountains can be

Light Pollution from within SoCal's Coastal National Parks Steady or Decreasing

Two of the parks, however, experience very high levels of the light pollution

Thousand Oaks, CA - A study published today found that the amount of light pollution produced within Southern California's three coastal National Park Service units has not significantly changed, and in one case has decreased, over the past two decades.

Overall, however, the study found that extremely high levels of nighttime lighting are present within two of the three parks, and all of them are highly influenced by light pollution in the surrounding regions. Light pollution interferes with the view of the night sky and disrupts the daily and nightly rhythms of species.

UCLA researchers, working with National Park Service scientists, examined satellite data between 1992 and 2012 to see how lighting levels were changing from within National Park units. They concentrated on lights visible within the park boundaries and found that nighttime lights...

decreased inside Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego,

remained extremely low within the boundaries of Channel Islands National Park, off the coast of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties, and

have been relatively stable within Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which is found within and to the west of Los Angeles.

"The good news is that we now have a baseline measure of the lighting conditions within Southern California's coastal national park units. Now we can work with people in the cities in the surrounding regions to decrease their contribution to the problem and conserve night skies," said Tom Gillespie, the study's lead author and a professor of geography at UCLA. "Rarely are ecological problems remedied this easily, through small actions by large numbers of people."

Tips on reducing light pollution are available on the website from the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the National Park Service.

"There have been many studies showing that artificial light disrupts ecosystems," added Stacey Ostermann-Kelm, the program manager for the Mediterranean Coast Network Inventory and Monitoring Program, which focuses on the long-term monitoring of vital signs important to the ecological health shared between Southern California's three coastal National Park Service units. "The orientation of animals moving across the landscape and the timing of seasonal and daily activities such as breeding and nesting of birds can be influenced by night lighting."

Gillespie and his team were commissioned to analyze nighttime lights for the Mediterranean Coast Network. The study is a first step in long-term light pollution monitoring around the parks and establishes a standard methodology for ongoing research. Results are used by park managers for planning, management, and decision-making.

Specific findings for each of the parks:

Cabrillo National Monument

San Diego, CA

Found on the tip of Point Loma, with sweeping views of the city, Cabrillo saw nighttime lights on average decrease since 1992. But the monument still has a high level of lighting in and immediately adjacent to it. The biggest impact on nighttime lights in Cabrillo is from the adjacent Naval base. The surrounding cityscape and active naval base contribute to significant "sky glow" caused by the scattering of light in the atmosphere, which washes out views of the night sky and increases ambient illumination levels even at locations where no lights are found in the park itself.

The southern tip of the park is the darkest area and therefore is the best location to view night skies in the park. The close proximity of CABR to a large urban center makes it an ideal place to observe the night skies without much direct glare just a short drive from the city.

The park and Cabrillo National Monument Conservancy will host a full moon event on September 16.

The study concluded that Channel Islands has some of the lowest levels of lighting with it when compared to 59 other national parks. The park is, however, still influenced by "sky glow" caused by the scattering of light in the atmosphere from the mainland, which washes out views of the night sky and increases ambient illumination levels even at locations where no lights are found in the park itself.

Other studies have found that even low levels of nighttime lighting may negatively affect nesting habitat and reproductive success of seabirds. They noted that fledglings can be attracted to night lights and may be injured, or grounded, and consequently vulnerable to predation or exhaustion.

The eight Channel Islands are vital habitat for seabirds, providing essential nesting and feeding grounds for 99% of seabirds in southern California. The islands host half of the world's population of ashy storm-petrels and western gulls and 80% of the U.S. breeding population of Xantus's murrelets. In addition, the islands are home to the only major breeding population of California brown pelicans in the western U.S.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Los Angeles and Ventura counties

The Santa Monica Mountains experience high levels of light pollution from within the boundaries of the recreation area, which as a whole remained stable for the two decade period studied. Changes did occur within the recreation area, which stretches over 40 miles from near Hollywood Boulevard to the agriculture-heavy Oxnard Plain.

Light Pollution from within SoCal's Coastal National Parks Steady or Decreasing Two of the parks, however, experience very high levels of the light pollution

Decreases in light levels within recreation area boundaries were detected in the interior sections of the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills, as well as much of Malibu, while increases were found on the edges, in the Conejo Valley and along the coast, in western Malibu and over the Ventura County line. Sections surrounded by Los Angeles already reached the highest light levels detected by the satellite in 1992 so it was not possible to determine if they increased further.

The decreases could be related to local outdoor lighting policies. Nearly all cities and counties situated in or adjacent to the Santa Monica Mountains have nighttime lighting zoning restrictions, a dark skies ordinance, or a Local Coastal Program with policies protective of the dark skies, including the cities of Calabasas and Malibu, as well as the Santa Monica Mountains Local Coastal Programs.

The western end of the mountains offers the best stargazing. An upcoming star party is scheduled for October 1 (details) at Rancho Sierra Vista in Thousand Oaks.
COO Penny Greens Firm Included as No. 314 in Profit 500 Ranking of Canadas Fastest-Growing Companies; Glance Appoints Vice President of Finance

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA  (Marketwired)  09/16/16  Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE: GET) (FRANKFURT: GJT) congratulates its Chief Operating Officer and co-founder Penny Green on the recent news that Ms. Greens law firm Bacchus Law Corporation has been ranked as no. 314 in the 28th annual Profit 500 ranking of Canadas Fastest-Growing Companies by Canadian Business and PROFIT.

As founder and CEO of Bacchus for 18 years, Ms. Green played a pivotal role in developing the law firms operations and legal presence, with a keen focus on working with emerging high-growth companies. Additionally, Ms. Green has received numerous awards for her business success, including ranking as one of PROFIT W100 Top Female Entrepreneurs in Canada and as a finalist for the 2012 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards.

Its a great honour to have my company ranked as No. 314 this year and included in the PROFIT 500 for two consecutive years, says Green, Now I am thrilled with the continuing opportunity to apply my experiences running a multi-million dollar enterprise and working with many fast growing companies to build Glance into an international fintech leader. Glance is growing at a very fast pace and our goal is to make Glance Pay the industry standard for mobile payments for restaurants.

Ms. Green has been the full time COO of Glance since February 2016 and has been instrumental in growing and operating the company. The other founder of Glance Technologies is Desmond Griffin, who previously co-founded and acted as the CEO for PayByPhone, which he took from concept to a platform processing tens of millions of mobile payments annually for millions of consumers in over 100 cities around the world. Ms. Green continues to be a member in good standing with both the Law Society of British Columbia and the Washington State Bar Association.

Ranking Canadas Fastest-Growing Companies by five-year revenue growth, the PROFIT 500 profiles the countrys most successful growth companies. A joint venture between Canadas premier business media brands, the PROFIT 500 is published in the October issue of Canadian Business and online at PROFITguide.com.

Additionally, Glance is pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Gallagher as Glances Vice President of Finance. Ms. Gallagher is an experienced Chartered Accountant, with a broad range of business knowledge. She has a unique blend of skills, which includes coordinating financial audits across various industries, as well as extensive knowledge of marketing and strategy initiatives. Ms. Gallagher spent four years working as a Senior Auditor at KPMG, where she worked with publicly listed companies.

Glance also announces that, in accordance with the terms of Ms. Gallaghers employment, it has granted to Ms. Gallagher incentive stock options to purchase an aggregate of 55,000 common shares of Glance at an exercise price of $0.28 per share.

About Glance Technologies Inc.

Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that allows customers to pay their restaurant bill instantly with their mobile device. Glance Pay aims to revolutionize how smartphone users choose where to dine, settle their restaurant bills, access their payment records and interact with their favourite restaurants. Glance Pay intends to become the industry standard as one of the four pillars in restaurant payments, beside credit cards, debit cards and cash. Glance trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker symbol GET.

For more information about Glance, please go to or and follow Glance Technologies and Glance Pay on Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. In particular, forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the completion of the offering.

Although Glance believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements.

Contacts:

Glance Technologies Inc.

Christina Rao

Vice President, Investor Relations

(604) 723-7480
By India Today Web Desk: For Anupriya Patel, the young Union minister from Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned 66 today, has more energy than most of the younger politicians around.



Speaking at India Today's Mind Rocks 2016 summit in New Delhi, Patel said Modi's energy is infectious and inspiring. "At 66, PM Modi has more energy than most young leaders," the Apna Dal leader said.



Among the other leaders, apart from Patel, who participated in the session titled 'New Blood, Old Tricks: Divide and Rule' were senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot, and the Aam Aadmi Party's Raghav Chaddha.



When Pilot was asked if Rahul Gandhi, at 46, was fit to lead the Congress, Pilot replied, "Yes, he is. He was made the party vice-president at 42 and it is only a matter of time before he is made the president. And I will prefer it sooner than later."

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ALSO READ | Mind Rocks 2016: Kanhaiya Kumar Modi-ed out at Youth Summit



When the host Rajdeep Sardesai asked Pilot why he can't be made the Congress president, the MP from Rajasthan said, "I know my capacity and my limitations. I am focused on working for the party in Rajasthan."



At this point, AAP's Chaddha took the political high ground by claiming that his party is against dynasty culture. "The AAP was formed to put an end to dynasty politics," the 27-year-old National Treasurer of the AAP said.



The three leaders also invited the predominantly younger audience from New Delhi's best schools and colleges to join politics as a career. "Politics is not a hegemony of a few elite families. Youngsters should join politics," Chaddha said.

ALSO READ:

Mind Rocks 2016: Enjoy every moment - don't always be in a hurry to Snapchat or click selfie, says Kaveree Bamzai



--- ENDS ---
5 seats up for election on St. Joseph County Council, majority at stake

Five of the nine seats on the St. Joseph County Council are up for election
By Press Trust of India: Nepal's Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda, who was in India on a "goodwill" visit in September, is set for another trip to New Delhi where he plans to take up the abrogation of "unequal treaties" with its giant neighbour.



"My first India visit was a goodwill one...This time I will raise the issue of all the past unequal treaties, including the unequal treatment meted out to Nepal on Mahakali-Pancheshwar Treaty," the Prime Minister said.



Prachanda, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, had sparked a controversy by visiting China soon after he took office in August in departure with tradition where top Nepalese leaders made New Delhi the first port of call.



Nepal swore in its first post-royal government on August 22, Prachanda, who was on a four-day "official" visit to India in September, will be heading to New Delhi in November for his second visit in three months.



"We were unable to raise important issues during my first India trip, nevertheless, we are now all prepared to bring into discussion those issues in my next India trip scheduled after three weeks," the Prime Minister said in Nepal's western town of Mahendranagar on Sunday.



During his September visit, Prachanda had stressed the need to redefine bilateral ties and review all treaties, including the 1950 Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship agreement, in new perspectives.



He had harped on the need to push the bilateral relations on a new basis by breaking the old chain of ties.



"We are for revising and if need be abrogating all the past unequal treaties signed between Nepal and India," the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by theTelegraph Nepal onlineon Monday.

--- ENDS ---

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Expedition 49 flight engineer Kate Rubins, aboard the International Space Station, wears a flight suit hand-painted by pediatric cancer patients as part of The Space Suit Art Project.

HOUSTON  An astronaut on board the International Space Station debuted a colorful flight suit on Friday (Sept. 16) as part of an effort to raise awareness about childhood cancer and the benefits of pairing art with medicine.

NASA flight engineer Kate Rubins revealed "COURAGE," a hand-painted flight suit created by the pediatric patients recovering at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The unique garment was produced by The Space Suit Art Project, a collaboration between MD Anderson, NASA Johnson Space Center and ILC Dover, a company that develops NASA spacesuits.

"This project has really inspired me," said Rubins during a live video conversation with MD Anderson pediatric cancer patients and representatives of The Space Suit Art Project on Friday. "It was an amazing opportunity to get a chance to paint with you guys. I remember this suit when it was just a blank canvas and all of you guys painted on it." [Evolution of the Spacesuit in Pictures (Space Tech Gallery)]

Before she launched to the station in July, Rubins joined former-astronaut-turned-artist Nicole Stott and other NASA representatives who lent their time and artistic talents to create "COURAGE" and mentor the young cancer patients at MD Anderson.

"We here are all experiencing our first real art exhibit on the space station," Stott told Rubins from Mission Control.

Born out of the hospital's Arts in Medicine Program, which helps patients cope with cancer treatment through art, The Space Suit Art Project inspired the leaders within NASA's space station program to support the effort with help from astronauts, scientists and engineers. The agency provided the patterns for the suits and collaborated with ILC Dover to assemble the garments.

"COURAGE" was delivered to the space station on July 20 on SpaceX's ninth Dragon cargo spacecraft to supply the orbiting laboratory.

"When we were unpacking all the cargo, I said let us look out for this spacesuit. This is so important and all of these kids have made some beautiful art," said Rubins.

In addition to "COURAGE," which was created by having cancer patients paint their designs directly onto the flight suit's fabric, The Space Suit Art Project has also produced wearable, replica spacesuits based on the equipment worn by astronauts outside the space station.

The project's first spacesuit, named "HOPE," was stitched together from more than 600 painted art pieces created by patients, families and staff at MD Anderson. It is intended to represent the hope patients and families have as they go through treatment.

Astronaut Kate Rubins assists young patients at the MD Anderson Cancer Center as they discover the healing aspects of art, helping to create the "COURAGE" flight suit in May 2016. (Image credit: NASA)

Stott and Ian Cion, the director of MD Anderson's Arts in Medicine program, embarked Aug. 31 on a 12-day journey to pediatric cancer centers in Cologne, Germany; Moscow, Russia and Tokyo, Japan to provide young patients with a chance to contribute to the "UNITY" spacesuit.The creation a second replica spacesuit is now underway as an international collaboration with children's hospitals around the world. "UNITY" will symbolize the global issues surrounding childhood cancers, with a goal to unite others, help spread awareness about childhood cancers and offer hope and courage to cancer patients around the globe.

Stott and Cion were in Houston on Friday to be in Mission Control for the live event with Rubins on the space station.

"COURAGE," which was painted by MD Anderson patients, many of whom were in isolation during their treatment, is meant to demonstrate the courage it takes to be isolated from family and friends during long periods of time.

According to MD Anderson, research shows that creative arts therapy can benefit patients' mental and behavioral health. The hospital uses art activities like The Space Suit Art Project to give patients a sense of control and purpose, make them more comfortable in the hospital environment and help build a sense of community among patients and families.

"I can tell you that wonderful healing things are coming from these art projects with the people working them," said Stott. "I know for myself, like Kate said, the inspiration that comes from this is 'gi-normous,' in the words of my son."

"As September is childhood cancer awareness month, this couldn't have happened at a better time," she said.

On average, one in 285 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20.

"COURAGE," once returned to Earth, is scheduled to go on display at Space Center Houston, the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center, in January 2017.

See The Space Suit Art Project's first replica spacesuit, "HOPE," at collectSPACE.com.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2016 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
When Russia's air force began airstrikes in the fall under the pretense of battling Islamic State but instead bombed those rebels doing battle against IS and the Assad regime, Washington did nothing. Rather than continuing to provide assistance to the non-Islamist groups that make up the Free Syrian Army, the United States gave them less and less support and soon none at all. Even when from the fall of 2014 to March of 2015 the Nusra Front became a threat to secular rebel groups like Division 13 or the Hazzm Movement, the US did nothing to protect these moderate groups.

This allowed Nusra Front to continue to expand, simply because the other groups had shrunk. Or, as one rebel commander in Aleppo put it just days ago, "They're here, it's true. But why? Because no one else is here. Where were the US and Russia? The US was nowhere and the Russians bombed us. And now both are saying: 'Trust us!'"

The remaining rebel groups aren't rejecting the Russian-American plan -- they are maneuvering. They are doing so for the same reason they cooperate militarily with former Nusra fighters: pragmatism born out of necessity.

The following scenario could develop over the next few months: More moderate rebels will neither decouple themselves from the radical groups nor will they go up against them. Doing so would be tantamount to military suicide.

Charles Lister, an Anglo-American author and likely the most knowledgeable person out there about Syrian rebel groups, wrote recently on his Facebook page: "Having spoken with leadership figures from several dozen armed factions in recent weeks, I can say that not a single one suggested any willingness to withdraw from front-lines on which JFS is present. To them, doing so means ceding territory to the regime." One way or another, Assad stands only to profit from the deal. If the rebels split, then even what is left of his army, weakened or not, could retake their areas. If they don't split, then they will be bombed by the imminent Russian-American air alliance.

Falling Short

But if the stated goal of this agreement is to negotiate a solution making an end to the war possible and, moreover, to prevent a radicalization of the rebels, then it is promoting precisely the opposite on both points. It creates absolutely no pressure whatsoever for Assad to agree to negotiations. For as long as Iran's Revolutionary Guard continues to provide it with a supply of fighters and Russia guarantees the long-term deployment of its air force, the Syrian dictator can continue to pursue military victory. Without them, however, he would go under pretty quickly.

In a recent report, former Russian colonel Mikhail Khodarenok gave the Syrian forces devastating marks. "Assad's soldiers busy themselves with collecting bribes at checkpoints," the report reads. "The Syrian forces have not conducted a single successful offensive in the past year."

He writes that much of the fighting is conducted by foreign units, mercenaries and Syrian militias. "Assad's generals do not believe their troops can bring the country to order without military aid from foreign states." He says a dramatic dearth of men, morale and supplies is responsible. "It is impossible to win the war with such an ally as Assad's army." That's why "a drastic decision" is needed to end the Syria campaign in 2016, involving the withdrawal of troops and leaving only the military bases, he writes.

Playing Into the Propagandists's Hands

The desolate situation of its protege is one of the primary reasons that Russia intervened in Syria one year ago. But since September, Russian air force squadrons have also shown that they are perfectly capable of destroying Syria all on their own. It was nevertheless important to Moscow that it join forces with the US for the Joint Implementation Center, because it means the Americans will also be politically liable for the bombings, the targets of which they aren't even certain of. Radicals will die, as will moderate rebels and civilians. On the ground, it will look as though the Americans have taken over the task of killing from Assad.

And it all plays right into the hands of all the jihadist propagandists. They have long been spreading the idea that the American government ultimately wants to keep Assad in power and that all of the political talk has been nothing but a smoke screen. Kerry's statements, the plans for next week and the targeted US attacks in Idlib and Aleppo all fit disturbingly well together.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas corruption charges came after a two-year investigation by Brazilian authorities.

On September 14, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his wife, Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva, and his Workers Party were officially charged with corruption.

Deltan Dallagnol, a public prosecutor, held a press conference where he explained that his office has evidence that Lula da Silva and his entourage took part in an elaborate scheme that caused an estimated $12.6 billion in losses to Petrobras.

Dallagnol is the head of the much-talked about Operation Carwash, an anti-corruption investigation based in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. is a semi-public Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry, which was involved in the countrys biggest corruption scandal that erupted in 2014. Here is more information on the scandal:

According to the investigation, a small number of top Petrobras officials colluded with an organized cartel of 16 companies to overcharge Petrobras for construction and service work, and these top officials received bribes and kickbacks. Petrobras officials have pegged the total of all bribes at nearly $3 billion. As of August 2015, 117 indictments have been issued, 5 politicians have been arrested, and criminal cases have been brought against 13 companies. Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff, who promised to reduce corruption during her election campaign, and former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, both of whom served on the board of directors of Petrobras during the scandals, have both been blamed. This has sparked protests in Brazil.

Dallagnol claimed that the former leader received $1.11 million in bribes, including a luxury apartment on the coast of Sao Paulo from one of the engineering and construction firms. Dallagnol said that the ex-president was the maximum commander of a vast corruption scheme at the state oil company, and added:

Lula, was being charged with corruption and money laundering as part of the scheme. He was the conductor of this criminal orchestra. The Petrobras graft scheme aimed at keeping the Workers party in power by criminal means.

A lawyer for the former president said in a statement that prosecutors lacked evidence to back up their accusations, which were part of a political persecution to stop him from running in the 2018 election. The 70-year-old politician has not ruled out running again for president in 2018, but a criminal conviction would bar him from being a candidate for the next eight years.

Lula da Silva has been indicted by a court in Brasilia for obstruction of justice in a case related to an attempt to persuade a defendant in the Petrobras scandal not to turn states witness. Recent polls showed that despite the investigations and the scandals, Lula would be a favorite to win the next presidential election.

The scandal damaged the Workers Party and caused its fall from power last month. Lulas chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached by Congress on unrelated charges of breaking budget rules.
Copenhagen (Denmark) September 17, 2016 (SPS) - The Danish government called Friday for the withdrawal of military forces from Elguergarat region and the respect of the cease-fire agreement signed between the Polisario Front and Morocco in 1991.

The Danish Foreign Ministry affirmed, in a written response to questions raised by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Danish Parliament, it supports an investigation into Morocco violation of ceasefire, calling on Morocco and the POLISARIO to resume negotiations to reach a final solution to the conflict in Western Sahara.

As it regards the position on the plundering of Western Sahara resources, the Danish Government indicated it notified all companies to be caucious when it comes to economic activities in Western Sahara, stressing that human rights remains a priority in Danish foreign policy. (SPS)

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Shaheed El-Hafed (refugee camps) September 17, 2016 (SPS) Parliamentary delegations from El Salvador and Hungary is on a working visit Saturday in the Saharawi refugee camps, where it will meet with Sahrawi authorities.

The delegations includes a member of the Salvadoran parliament and another of the Hungarian parliament, indicated the Bureau of the National Council, adding that the Salvadoran Parliament is expected to sign a protocol of action for the creation of a Sahrawi-Salvadoran parliamentary friendship commission.

The bureau of the National Council (Parliament) decided the establishment of this commission at its meeting held Thursday under the chairmanship of Mr. Khatri Addouh.

The parliamentary delegation will visit Sahrawi institutions to "find out about the democratic and institutional experience" and meet with Saharawi officials, added the source. (SPS)

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from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 68th Independence Day in an hour-long extempore speech.

Following is the English rendering of the full speech, delivered in Hindi:

My dear countrymen,

Today, all Indians in the country and also abroad are celebrating the festival of independence. On this day of sacred festival of independence, the prime servant of India extends greetings to all dear countrymen.

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I am present amidst you not as the Prime Minister, but as the Prime Servant. The freedom struggle was fought for so many years, so many generations laid down their lives, innumerable people sacrificed their lives and youth, spent their entire lives behind bars. Today, I pay my respect, greetings and homage to all those who laid their lives for the country`s independence.

PM Narendra Modi with kids PM Narendra Modi with kids

I also pay my respects to the crores of citizens of this country on the pious occasion of India's independence, and recall all those martyrs who had laid down their lives in India's struggle for freedom. The day of Independence is a festival when we take a solemn pledge of working for the welfare of mother India, and also for the welfare of the poor, oppressed, Dalits, the exploited & the backward people of our country.

My dear countrymen, a national festival is an occasion to refine and rebuild the national character. This National festival inspires us to resolve ourselves to lead a life where our character gets refined further, to dedicate ourselves to the nation and our every activity is linked to the interest of the nation and only then this festival of freedom can be a festival of inspiration to take India to newer heights.

My dear countrymen, this nation has neither been built by political leaders nor by rulers nor by governments.

This nation has been built by our farmers, our workers, our mothers and sisters, our youth. The country has reached here today because of generation to generation rigours undertaken by our sages, our saints, our maestros, our teachers, our scientists and social workers. These great people and these great generations, who had worked for the country throughout their lives, deserve our deepest respect.

This is the beauty of India's Constitution, this is its capability which has made it possible that today a boy from small town, a poor family has got the opportunity to pay homage to the Tricolour of India at the ramparts of Lal Quila (Red Fort). This is the strength of India's democracy. This is an invaluable legacy which we have inherited from our architects of the Constitution. I pay my respects to those architects of the constitution of India today.

PM Narendra Modi at Red Fort PM Narendra Modi at Red Fort

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Brothers and sisters, today if we have reached here after independence, it is because of the contribution of all the Prime Ministers, all the governments and even the governments of all the States. I want to express my feelings of respect and gratitude to all those previous governments and ex-Prime Ministers who have endeavoured to take our present day India to such heights and who have added to the country's glory.

This country has been built on such foundation of ancient cultural heritage, where we were told of only one mantra during Vedic period, which is indicative of our work culture, which we have learnt, we have memorized - "Sangachchhdhvam Samvadadhvam sam wo manansi jaanataam." We walk together, we move together, we think together, we resolve together and together we take this country forward.

PM Narendra Modi

Having imbibed this basic mantra, 125 crore countrymen have taken the nation forward. Yesterday only the first Parliamentary Session of the new government had concluded.

Today, I can proudly say that the session of Parliament reflects our thinking and it is a reflection of our intentions. We are not for moving forward on the basis of majority, we are not interested to move forward by virtue of majority. We want to move ahead on the basis of strong consensus. "Sangachhadhwam" and, therefore, the nation has witnessed the entire session of Parliament.

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Having taken all the Parties and Opposition along while working shoulder to shoulder, we achieved an unprecedented success and the credit for this does not go to the Prime Minister alone, the credit does not go to the people sitting in the government, the credit for this goes to the Opposition also, the credit goes to all the leaders of Opposition too and also all the Members from Opposition.

From the ramparts of Red Fort, quite proudly I salute all the Members of Parliament, I also salute all the political parties and by virtue of their strong support, we could take some important decisions intended to take the nation forward and yesterday the Session of Parliament had concluded.

Brothers and sisters, I am an outsider for Delhi; I am not a native of Delhi. I have no idea about the administration and working of this place. I have been quite isolated from the elite class of this place but during the last two months while being an outsider, I had an insider view and I was astonished. It is not a political platform, rather it is a platform of a national policy and, therefore, my views should not be evaluated from a political perspective.

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I have already said, I salute all the ex-Prime Ministers and earlier governments who have brought the country thus far. But I am going to say something else and it may not be seen from political point of view. When I came to Delhi and noticed an insider view, I felt what it was and I was surprised to see it. It seemed as if dozens of separate governments are running at the same time in one main government. It appeared that everyone has its own fiefdom. I could observe disunity and conflict among them. One department is taking on the other department and taking on to the extent that two departments of the same government are fighting against each other by approaching Supreme Court. This disunity, this conflict among people of the same country! How come we can take the country forward? And that is why I have started making efforts for razing those walls; I have started making efforts at making the government, not an assembled entity, but an organic unity, an organic entity, a harmonious whole- with one aim, one mind, one direction, one energy.

Let's resolve to steer the country to one destination. We have it in us to move in that direction. A few days back...Nowadays newspapers are full of news that Modi-ji's government has come, officers are reaching office on time, offices open in time, and people get there in time. I observed that India's national newspapers, TV media were carrying these news items prominently.

As the head of the government I could have derived pleasure in the fact that everything started going on time, cleanliness got the attention, but I was not taking pleasure, I was feeling pained. That thing, I want to tell today in public. And why, because if government officers arrive office in time, does that make a news? And if that makes news, it shows how low we have fallen. It becomes a proof of that, and that's how, brothers and sisters, the governments have run? Today in the face of global competition, when we have to realise the dreams of millions of Indians, the country cannot run on the lines of "it happens", "it goes".

In order to fulfill the aspirations of masses, we have to sharpen the tool called the government machinery, we have to make it keen, more dynamic, and it is in this direction that we are working.

My countrymen, it's not long since I have come from outside Delhi, but I give you an assurance that the people in the government are very capable - from the peon to the Cabinet Secretary, everybody is capable, everybody has a power, they have experience. I want to awaken that power, I want to unite that power and want to accelerate the pace of the welfare of nation through that power and I shall definitely do it. I want to assure the countrymen that we will achieve that, we will definitely do that. I could not say this on 16th May, but today after my experience of two-two and half months, keeping the Tricolour as witness, I am saying on 15th of August that it is possible, it will be achieved.

Brothers and sisters, time has come to give a serious thought to the fact that whether we have a duty to create India of the dreams of those great people who gave us freedom, whether we have a national character?

Brothers and sisters, can someone please tell me as to whether he or she has ever introspected in the evening after a full day's work as to whether his or her acts have helped the poor of the country or not, whether his or her actions have resulted in safeguarding the interest of the country or not, whether the actions have been directed in country's welfare or not? Whether it should not be the motto of one and a quarter billion countrymen that every step in life should be in the country's interests?

Unfortunately, we have an environment today wherein if you approach anyone with some work, he begins by saying "what does it mean for me?" He begins by saying "what does it involve for me?" and when he come to know that it does not entail any benefit for him, immediately he says "why should I bother?" We have to rise above the feelings of "what does it mean for me?" and "why should I bother?".

Everything is not for self-interest only. There are certain things which are meant for the country and we have to refine this national character. We have to rise above the feelings of "why should I bother?" and "what does it mean for me?" and instead we have to think that "I am for nation's interest and in this field, I am going to lead". We have to inculcate this sentiment.

Brothers and sisters, when we hear about the incidents of rape, we hang our heads in shame. People come out with different arguments, someone indulges in psycho analysis, but brothers and sisters, today from this platform, I want to ask those parents, I want to ask every parent that you have a daughter of 10 or 12 years age, you are always on the alert, every now and then you keep on asking where are you going, when would you come back, inform immediately after you reach. Parents ask their daughters hundreds of questions, but have any parents ever dared to ask their son as to where he is going, why he is going out, who his friends are. After all, a rapist is also somebody's son. He also has parents. As parents, have we ever asked our son as to what he is doing and where he is going? If every parent decides to impose as many restrictions on the sons as have been imposed on our daughters, try to do this with your sons, try to ask such questions of them.

My dear brothers and sisters, the law will take its own course, strict action will be taken, but as a member of the society, as parents, we also have some responsibilities.

If somebody tells me that those who have taken guns on their shoulders and kill innocent people are Maoists, are terrorists, but they are also somebody's children. I would like to ask of such parents if they had ever asked their children as to why they were taking a wrong path. Every parent must take this responsibility; he must know that his misguided son is bent on killing innocent people. He is not able to serve himself nor his family nor the country. I want to say to those youngsters who have chosen the path of violence that whatever they are and wherever they are, it is all because of mother India only that they have got it.

Whoever you are it is all because of your parents. I want to ask you to think how green, how beautiful and how beneficial this earth can become if you shoulder the plough instead of the gun which spills blood on this land. How long shall we have bloodshed on this land, how long shall we take the lives of the innocent people and what have we got after all this? The path of violence has not yielded anything to us.

Brothers and sisters, I had gone to Nepal recently. There I said something publicly to draw the attention of the whole world. There was a time when the Emperor Ashoka who had chosen the path of wars, got converted to the path of Buddha at the sight of violence.

There was a time in Nepal when their youngsters had opted for the path of violence but today I witness that the same youngsters are waiting for their constitution. The same people associated with them are framing the constitution. And I further said that if Nepal could present the best example of moving from the weapons to the books then it could provide inspiration to the youngsters in the world to abandon the path of violence.

Brothers and sisters, if Nepal, the land of Buddha, can give message to the world then why can't India too do the same? So it's the call of the hour that we renounce the path of violence and take the path of brotherhood.

Brothers and sisters, for one reason or the other, we have had communal tensions for ages. This led to the division of the country. Even after Independence, we have had to face the poison of casteism and communalism. How long these evils will continue? Whom does it benefit? We have had enough of fights, many have been killed. Friends, look behind and you will find that nobody has benefited from it. Except casting a slur on Mother India, we have done nothing. Therefore, I appeal to all those people that whether it is the poison of casteism, communalism, regionalism, discrimination on social and economic basis, all these are obstacles in our way forward. Let's resolve for once in our hearts; let's put a moratorium on all such activities for 10 years, we shall march ahead to a society which will be free from all such tensions. And you will see that how much strength we get from peace, unity, goodwill and brotherhood. Let`s experiment it for once.

My dear countrymen, believe in my words, I do assure you. Shun all the sins committed so far, give up that way, follow the way of goodwill and brotherhood, and let's resolve to take the country forward. I believe we can do that.

With advancement of science, brothers and sisters, we have a rising feeling of modernity in our mind, but what do we do? Have we ever thought what the sex ratio in the country is like? 940 girls are born against per 1,000 boys. Who is causing this imbalance in the society? Certainly not God. I request the doctors not to kill the girl growing in the womb of a mother just to line their own pockets. I advise mothers and sisters not to sacrifice daughters in the hope of son. Sometimes mother-father feel tempted to have son in the hope of supporting them in old age. I am a person who has worked in public life. I have come across families with five sons, each having bungalows, access to fleet of cars, but parents are forced to live in old-age homes, Vriddhashrams. I have seen such families. I have also seen families with only daughter as progeny, that daughter sacrifices her dreams, doesn't get married, and spends entire life in taking care of old parents.

This disparity points to female foeticide and the polluted and tainted mind the 21st century has. We will have to liberate from it, and that is message to us of this freedom festival.

Recently Commonwealth Games were organised. Indian sportspersons brought glory to the country. Nearly 64 of our sportspersons won. Our sportspersons brought 64 medals. But of them 29 are girls. Let's feel proud and clap for them. Girls also contribute to India's fame and glory. Let's recognise it. Let's take them along, shoulder to shoulder. This way we can get over the evils that have crept in social life. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have to proceed in that direction as a social and national character.

Brothers and Sisters, development is the only way forward for the country. Good governance is the only way. There are only these two tracks to take the country forward - good governance and development, we can move forward only by taking them with us. We wish to move forward with the intent of taking them with us. When I talk of good governance, you tell me, when I ask a person in private job, he tells that he does the job; when you ask the same from a person in government job, he says that I do the service. Both earn, but for one it is job while for the other it is service. I ask a question from all brothers and sisters in government service, whether the word "service" has not lost its strength, its identity? Persons in government service are not doing "job", they are doing "service". We have to revive this feeling, we have to take this feeling forward as a national character; we have to move forward in this direction.

Brothers and Sisters, whether the citizens of the country should take steps for the welfare of the nation or not? You imagine, if these 125 crore countrymen move one step forward, then the country moves 125 crore steps forward. The meaning of democracy is not just limited to electing a government, but its meaning is that 125 crore of citizens work together joining shoulder with the government to fulfill hopes and aspirations of the country, this is the meaning of democracy.

We have to create partnership with the people. We have to proceed under Public-Private Partnership. We have to proceed along with the participation of the people. But, please tell me why our farmers commit suicide? A farmer takes loan from the moneylender, but fails to repay his loans. He takes loan for the wedding of his daughter, but fails to repay. He will have to suffer hardships during his whole life. He chooses to commit suicide. Who will save the poor families of such farmers?

Brothers and sisters, I have come here with a pledge to launch a scheme on this festival of Freedom. It will be called Pradhanmantri Jan-Dhan Yojana. I wish to connect the poorest citizens of the country with the facility of bank accounts through this yojana. There are millions of families who have mobile phones but no bank accounts. We have to change this scenario. Economic resources of the country should be utilized for the well-being of the poor. The change will commence from this point. This yojana will open the window. Therefore, an account holder under `Pradhanmantri Jan-Dhan Yojana` will be given a debit card. An insurance of Rs 1 lakh will be guaranteed with that debit card for each poor family, so that such families are covered with the insurance of rs 1 lakh in case of any crisis in their lives.

My brothers and sisters, it is a country of young people. The 65 percent population of the country happens to be under the age of 35 years. Our country has the largest number of youths in the world. Have we ever thought of deriving an advantage out of it? Today, the world needs a skilled workforce. Today, India also needs a skilled workforce. At times, we look for a good driver but he is not available, we look for a plumber, but he is not available. If we need a good cook, he is not available. We have young people, they are unemployed but the kind of young people we seek for are not available. If we have to promote the development of our country then our mission has to be "skill development" and "skilled India".

Millions and Millions of Indian youth should go for acquisition of skills and there should be a network across the country for this and not the archaic systems. They should acquire the skills which could contribute towards making India a modern country. Whenever they go to any country in the world, their skills must be appreciated and we want to go for a two pronged development.

I also want to create a pool of young people who are able to create jobs and the ones who are not capable of creating jobs and do not have the opportunities, they must be in a position to face their counterparts in any corner of the world while keeping their heads high by virtue of their hard work and their dexterity of hands and win the hearts of people around the world through their skills. We want to go for the capacity building of such young people. My brothers and sisters, having taken a resolve to enhance the skill development at a highly rapid pace, I want to accomplish this.

Brothers and sisters, the world has undergone a change. My dear countrymen, the world has changed. Now India can not decide its future by remaining isolated and sitting alone in a corner. The economics of the world have changed and, therefore, we will have to act accordingly. Government have taken many decisions recently, made some announcements in the budget and I call upon the world and call upon the Indians spread world over that if we have to provide more and more employment to the youth, we will have to promote manufacturing sector. If we have to develop a balance between imports and exports, we will have to strengthen manufacturing sector. If we have to put in use the education, the capability of the youth, we will have to go for manufacturing sector and for this Hindustan also will have to lend its full strength, but we also invite world powers.

Therefore I want to appeal all the people world over, from the ramparts of Red Fort, "Come, make in India", "Come, manufacture in India". Sell in any country of the world but manufacture here. We have got skill, talent, discipline, and determination to do something. We want to give the world an favourable opportunity that come here, "Come, Make in India" and we will say to the world, from electrical to electronics, "Come, Make in India", from automobiles to agro value addition "Come, Make in India", paper or plastic, "Come, Make in India", satellite or submarine "Come, Make in India". Our country is powerful. Come, I am giving you an invitation.

Brothers and sisters, I want to call upon the youth of the country, particularly the small people engaged in the industrial sector. I want to call upon the youth working in the field of technical education in the country. As I say to the world "Come, Make in India", I say to the youth of the country - it should be our dream that this message reaches every corner of the world, "Made in India". This should be our dream. Whether, to serve the country, is it necessary for the youth of the country to be hanged like Bhagat Singh? Brothers and sisters, Lal Bahadur Shastri had given the slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan". A soldier sacrifices himself at the border and protects Mother India. Similarly, a farmer serves Mother India by filling the godowns with grains. This is also nation's service. Filling the granary is the biggest nation`s service that a farmer provides. That is why Lal Bahadur Shashtri had given the slogan of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan".

Brothers and Sisters, I would like to pose a question to my youngsters as to why despite them, we are forced to import even the smallest of things? My country's youth can resolve it, they should conduct research, try to find out as to what type of items are imported by India and then each one should resolve that, through may be micro or small industries only, he would manufacture atleast one such item so that we need not import the same in future. We should even advance to a situation wherein we are able to export such items. If each one of our millions of youngsters resolves to manufacture at least one such item, India can become a net exporter of goods. I, therefore, urge upon the youth, in particular our small entrepreneurs that they would never compromise, at least on two counts. First, zero defect and, second again zero effect. We should manufacture goods in such a way that they carry zero defect, that our exported goods are never returned to us. We should manufacture goods with zero effect that they should not have a negative impact on the environment. If we march ahead with the dream of zero defect in the manufacturing sector then, my brothers and sisters, I am confident that we would be able to achieve our goals.

Brothers and sisters, the youth of India has completely transformed the identity of India in the world. Earlier, in what manner did the world know our country? Till only 25-30 years back, if not more, there were many people in the world who thought that India was a country of snake charmers, it was a country which practiced in black magic.

The real identity of India had not reached the world, but my dear brothers and sisters, our youngsters, 20-22-23 years old youngsters have mesmerized the whole world with their skills in computers. Our young IT professionals have given a new path of making a new identity of India. If our country has this strength, can we think something about the country? Our dream is, therefore, of "Digital India". When I talk of "Digital India", I don't speak of the elite, it is for the poor people.

You can imagine what a quality education the children in villages will get, if all the villages of India are connected with broadband connectivity and if we are able to give long distance education to the schools in every remote corner of the villages. If we create a network of telemedicine in the places where there is a shortage of doctors, we can have a clear guideline of the way in which health facilities have to be provided to the poor people living in those areas.

The citizens of India have mobile phones in their hands, they have mobile connectivity, but can we walk in the direction of mobile governance? We have to move in a direction where every poor person is able to operate his bank account from his mobile, is able to demand various things from the government, can submit applications, can conduct all his business, while on the move, through mobile governance and if this has to be done, we have to move towards `digital India` and if we have to move towards `digital India` then we have a dream.

Today we are importing electronic goods on a large scale. Friends, you will be surprised that we are bringing in these televisions, mobile phones, iPads and all these electronic goods. It is a necessity to import petroleum products, oil, diesel and petrol. Second to this is the import of our electronic goods. If we move ahead with the dream of `digital India` to manufacture electronic goods and become self reliant at least there, how big can be the benefit for the treasury! Therefore, e-governance is what we need to take this idea of `digital India` forward.

E-governance is easy governance, effective governance and also economic governance. E-governance paves the way for good governance. There was a time when we used to say that the railways provided connectivity to the country. That was it. I say that today it is IT that has the potential to connect each and every citizen of the country and that is why we want to realise the mantra of unity with the help of "digital India".

Brothers and sisters, if we move ahead with all this then I believe that a `digital India` will have the potential to stand with the world on equal footing. Our youth have that capability, it is an opportunity for them.

Brothers and sisters, we want to promote tourism. Tourism provides employment to the poorest of the poor. Gram seller earns something, auto-rickshaw driver earns something, pakoda seller earns something and tea seller also earns something. When there is talk of tea seller, I feel a sense of belongingness. Tourism provides employment to the poorest of the poor. But there is a big obstacle in promoting tourism and in our national character and that is - the filthiness all around us. Whether after independence, after so many years of independence, when we stand at the threshold of one and half decade of 21st century, we still want to live in filthiness? The first work I started here after formation of government is of cleanliness. People wondered whether it is a work of a prime minister? People may feel that it is a trivial work for a Prime Minister but for me this big work. Cleanliness is very big work. Whether our country can not be clean? If 125 crore countrymen decide that they will never spread filthiness, which power in the world has ability to spread filthiness in our cities and villages? Can't we resolve this much?

Brothers and sisters it will be the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. How do we celebrate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi? Mahatma Gandhi, who gave us freedom, who brought so much honour to such a big country in the world, what do we give to Mahatma Gandhi? Brothers and Sisters, Mahatma Gandhi had cleanliness and sanitation closest to his heart. Whether we resolve not to leave a speck of dirt in our village, city, street, area, school, temple, hospital, and what have you, by 2019 when we celebrate 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi? This happens not just with the Government, but with public participation. That's why we have to do it together.

Brother and Sisters, we are living in 21st century. Has it ever pained us that our mothers and sisters have to defecate in open? Whether dignity of women is not our collective responsibility? The poor womenfolk of the village wait for the night; until darkness descends, they can`t go out to defecate. What bodily torture they must be feeling, how many diseases that act might engender. Can't we just make arrangements for toilets for the dignity of our mothers and sisters? Brothers and Sisters, somebody might feel that a big festival like 15th August is an occasion to talk big.

Brothers and Sisters, talking big has its importance, making announcements too has importance, but sometimes announcements raise hopes and when the hopes are not fulfilled, the society sinks into a state of despondency. That's why are in favour of telling those things, which we can fulfill just within our sight. Brothers and sisters, you must be getting shocked to hear the Prime Minister speaking of cleanliness and the need to build toilets from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Brothers and sisters, I do not know how my speech is going to be criticised and how will people take it. But this is my heartfelt conviction. I come from a poor family, I have seen poverty. The poor need respect and it begins with cleanliness. I, therefore, have to launch a "Clean India" campaign from 2nd October this year and carry it forward in 4 years. I want to make a beginning today itself and that is - all schools in the country should have toilets with separate toilets for girls. Only then our daughters will not be compelled to leave schools midway. Our parliamentarians utilising MPLAD fund are there. I appeal to them to spend it for constructing toilets in schools for a year. The government should utilise its budget on providing toilets. I call upon the corporate sector also to give priority to the provision of toilets in schools with your expenditure under Corporate Social Responsibility. This target should be finished within one year with the help of state governments and on the next 15th August, we should be in a firm position to announce that there is no school in India without separate toilets for boys and girls.

Brothers and sisters, if we proceed with the dreams, we are in a position to realise them. Today, I wish to tell one more specific thing. It has its own importance to discuss the matters and express the views of nation's interest. However, our Members of Parliament do not get opportunity though they are willing to do something. They can express themselves, write to the government, agitate, give memoranda. Still they do not get opportunity to do something on their own.

Today I have come to you with a new idea. We are running so many schemes in the name of the Prime Minister in our country, there are numerous schemes in the name of various leaders. However, today I am going to announce a scheme on behalf of the Member of Parliament- Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana. We shall fix some parameters. I urge upon the Members of Parliament to select any one of the villages having population of three to five thousand in your constituency. The parameters will be according to the time, space and situation of that locality. It will include the conditions of health, cleanliness, atmosphere, greenery, cordiality etc.

On the basis of those parameters, each of our MPs should make one village of his or her constituency a Model Village by 2016. Can't we do at least this? Shouldn't we do this? If we have to build a nation, we should start from the village. Make a Model Village. The reason of fixing this target for 2016 is that it is a new scheme. It takes time to formulate a scheme and then to implement it. After 2016, select two more villages for this purpose, before we go for the General Elections in 2019. And after 2019, each Member of Parliament, during his/her tenure of 5 years must establish at-least five model villages in his/her area. I also call upon the Members of Parliament from urban areas to adopt one village of their choice.

I also urge upon the Members of Parliament from Rajya Sabha to adopt one of the villages. If we provide one model village in each district of India then the surrounding villages shall be automatically inspired to follow that model. Let us establish a model village, let us establish a village well equipped with all systems and facilities. The birth anniversary of Jai Prakash Narayan Ji happens to be on 11th October.

On 11th October, the occasion of birth anniversary of Jai Prakash Narayan Ji, I will present a complete blueprint of Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (Members of Parliament Model Village Scheme) before all Members of Parliament and State Governments, and I urge upon State Governments also that as per the feasibility in their respective states, all the Members of Legislative Assembly resolve to establish a model village. You can imagine all the Members of Legislative Assembly and all the Members of Parliament in the country establishing a model village. All of a sudden, there would be a model village in each block of India which could inspire us to transform the amenities in rural areas and could give us a new direction and, therefore, we want to move ahead under this Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.

My dear brothers and sisters, ever since our government has taken charge, there has been a discussion in the newspapers, on TV channels as to what would happen to Planning Commission. I believe that when Planning Commission was constituted, it was done on the basis of the circumstances and the needs of those times. In recent years, Planning Commission has contributed to the growth of the country in its own way. I respect that, I am proud of that, but the prevalent situation in the country is different, global scenario has also changed, governments are no longer the centre of economic activities, the scope of such activities has broadened. State governments have been at the center of development and I consider this a good indication. If we have to take India forward, it can happen only by taking the states forward.

India's federal structure is more important today than in the last 60 years. To strengthen our federal structure, to make our federal structure vibrant, to take our federal structure as a heritage of development, a team of Chief Minister and Prime Minister should be there, a joint team of the Centre and the states should move forward, then to do this job, we will have to think about giving the Planning Commission a look. So, I am saying from the rampart of the Red Fort that it is a very old system and it will have to be rejuvenated, it will have to be changed a lot. Sometimes it costs more to repair the old house, but, it gives us no satisfaction. Thereafter, we have a feeling that it would be better to construct a new house altogether and therefore within a short period, we will replace the planning commission with a new institution having a new design and structure, a new body, a new soul, a new thinking, a new direction, a new faith towards forging a new direction to lead the country based on creative thinking, public-private partnership, optimum utilization of resources, utilization of youth power of the nation, to promote the aspirations of state governments seeking development, to empower the state governments and to empower the federal structure. Very shortly, we are about to move in a direction when this institute would be functioning in place of Planning Commission.

Brothers and sisters, today, on 15th August, we also have the birth anniversary of Maharishi Aurobindo. Maharishi Aurobindo, being a rebel, moved on to achieve the status of a Yoga Guru. With regard to the destiny of India, he remarked, "I have a faith that the divine power and spiritual heritage of India will play an important role towards the welfare of the world." Such sentiments were echoed by Maharishi Arvind. I strongly believe in the words of legends. I have great faith in the statements made by ascetics, sages & saints and that's why today at the ramparts of Lal Quila I am reminded of the words of Swami Viveknanda. He had said - "I can see before my eyes Mother India awakening once again. My Mother India would be seated as the World Guru. Every Indian would render service towards welfare of humanity. This legacy of India would be useful for the welfare of the world". These words were spoken by Swami Viveknanda ji in his own style. Friends, the words of Viveknanda ji can never be untrue. The words of Viveknanda ji, his dream of seeing India ensconced as World Guru, his vision, it is incumbent upon us to realize that dream. This capable country, blessed with natural bounty, this country of youth can do much for the world in the coming days.

Brothers and sisters, our foreign policy is a much talked about issue. I clearly believe that India's foreign policy can be multi-dimensional. But there is an important issue to which I want to draw your attention that the way we fought for freedom, we fought together; we were not separate at that time. We were together. Which was the government with us? What were the weapons available to us? There was a Gandhi, a Sardar and lakhs of freedom fighters and such a huge empire. Didn't we win in the struggle of freedom against that empire? Did we not defeat the foreign powers? Did we not force them to leave India? We were the ones, they were our ancestors only who showed this might. If the people of India could remove such a big empire without the power of the government, without weapons and even without resources, then friends, it is the need of the hour to eradicate poverty, can we not overcome poverty? Can we not defeat poverty? My 125 crore dear countrymen, let us resolve to eradicate poverty, to win against it. Let us move with the dream of poverty eradication from India. Our neighbouring countries are also faced with the same problem. Why not get together with all the SAARC nations to plan out the fight against poverty? Let`s fight together and defeat poverty. Let us see at-least for once as to how wonderful is the feeling of being alive instead of killing and getting killed.

This is the land where incidents from Sidharth's life happened. One bird was shot with an arrow by one brother and the other took out that arrow to save it. They went to mother- whose bird, whose swan? Whether killer's or saviour's, they asked of mother. The mother replied, saviour's. The saviour has more power than the killer and that makes him Buddha in future. And that's why I seek cooperation from neighbouring countries for fighting against poverty in concert and cooperate with them, so that together with SAARC countries we can create our importance and emerge as a power in the world. It is imperative that we work together with a dream to win a fight against poverty, shoulder to shoulder.

I went to Bhutan, Nepal, all the dignitaries from SAARC countries took part in oath-taking ceremony; this marked a good beginning. This will definitely yield good results, it is my belief and this thinking of India, in the country and the world, that we want to do well to the countrymen and be useful for the welfare of the world, India wants such a hand to be extended. We are trying to move forward with these dreams to achieve them.

Brothers and Sisters, today on 15th August we will resolve to do something for the country. Let's be useful for the country, we will move ahead with a resolve to take the country forward, and I assure you, Brothers and Sisters, as well as my colleagues in the Government, that if you work for 12 hours, I will do so for 13 hours. If you work for 14 hours, I will do for 15 hours. Why? Because I'm amidst you not as a Prime Minister, but as the first servant. I have formed the government not as a ruler, but as a servant.

Brothers and sisters, I assure that this country has a destiny. It is destined to work for the welfare of the world, it was said by Vivekanand ji. India is born; this Hindustan is born in order to achieve this destiny. One hundred and twenty-five crore countrymen have to move forward wholeheartedly for the welfare of the nation.

Once again I feel proud of the devotion, the sacrifices of the security forces of the country, para-military forces of the country, all the security forces of the country to protect Mother India. I say to the countrymen, 'Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty'.

The army is vigilant, we should also be vigilant and the country scales new heights, we have to move forward with this resolution. Speak loudly with me with full force - Bharat Mata ki jai, Bharat Mata ki jai, Bharat Mata ki jai. Jai Hind, Jai Hind, Jai Hind. Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram!



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STAMFORD  A badly burned man who held two family members hostage was subdued with a Taser Wednesday morning at a downtown home, police said.

Craig Daley, 38, held his mother and her granddaughter in a bear hug before releasing them at the Clinton Avenue home about 8 a.m. Wednesday, police said.
Making his first speech from the ramparts of the massive Red Fort in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi scripted history without using one. The hour-long impromptu was a welcome break from the staid text-driven August 15 addresses of the earlier Prime Ministers.

1. Making his first speech from the ramparts of the massive Red Fort in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi scripted history without using one. The hour-long impromptu was a welcome break from the staid text-driven August 15 addresses of the earlier Prime Ministers.

2. Sporting a flaming orange and green headgear and trademark short-sleeved khadi kurta, Modi got rid of the bullet-proof cover behind which stood some of his recent predecessors while delivering their I-Day speeches.

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3. Before beginning the speech, Modi, in a departure from convention, took salute from the chiefs of the armed forces.

4. In another break from tradition, over 10,000 people heard their PM speak from an enclosure that has so far been reserved for the VIPs on the occasion.

5. Breaking the security cordon and reaching out to school children to wish them on Independence Day was another first scored by Modi at the 16th century Mughal fort in the heart of the national capital.

6. Also, for the first time in years, there was no reference to Pakistan in the PMs hour-long address. In fact, Modi made no mention of any country except the neighbouring Bhutan and Nepal which he recently visited.

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It was 2006 when Henry Holland stormed the London Fashion week catwalk with his collection of fashion groupie t-shirts.

Ten years on, with a successful ready-to-wear business and an army of celebrity of followers on his side, the designer has gone back to where it all began.

Accordingly, the finale of his spring/summer show - unveiled in East London's Spitalfields Market today - was a homage to the slogan t-shirt.

Updated for 2016, with phrases such as 'I'm yours for a tenner Kendall Jenner ' and 'Let's Get Obscene Cara Delevingne', Holland's new t-shirts look set to win favour with a new generation of fashion fans.

House of Holland - slogan t-Shirts 1 /17 House of Holland - slogan t-Shirts House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Model Bella Hadid Rankin for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Model Karlie Kloss Carin Backoff for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Model Kendall Jenner Monica Urquijo for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Model Irina Shayk Carin Backoff for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Model Taylor Hill Carin Backoff for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Designer Simone Rocha Jim Turnbull-Walter for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Model Binx Walton Carin Backoff for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Designer Gareth Pugh Jim Turnbull-Walter for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Designer Giles Deacon Jim Turnbull-Walter for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Model Lexi Boling Carin Backoff for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Designer Molly Goddard Henry Holland for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Designer Roksanda Illincic Jim Turnbull-Walter for LOVE Magazine House of Holland Slogan T-shirt Designer Ryan Lo Jim Turnbull-Walter for LOVE Magazine

The range was made immediately available to customers after the show today, marking a shrewd move on Holland's part to dip his toe in the trend for 'buy now, wear now' fashion.

But this was not the only one chapter in this story. Holland is no one trick pony but a man with limitless ideas and no fear when it comes to indulging his playful side.

For next season, this means, as Holland described in his collection notes, "a chaotic sense of freedom".

Bardot style gingham print tops, patchwork silk dresses and embroidered negligees trimmed with netting were a mainstay in a House of Holland show in which fun ranked highly.

Door knocker earrings, hooded puffas and a series of lattice detail gingham court shoes were among the show's most wearable inclusions.

Henry's still got it.
A new play exploring why humans suffer takes the audience with it as it moves through the tunnels below Waterloo station.

Dreamplay, at the Vaults theatre, is an entire dream sequence that sees modern-day sources of suffering played out in various scenarios and settings, as the audience physically moves with it.

First shown in Stockholm over 100 years ago, Dreamplay has been reworked by director Sara Bedi for a modern-day twist at the Vaults theatre.

Director Sara Bedi told London Live: Our production is a response to Stringbergs original play, Strindberg was getting at: what is the meaning of life? Why do we suffer? Why do we feel pain?

The structure of his play was a dream  so its random, locations change and characters change.

Vaults is located in the tunnels below Waterloo station

The purpose of it was to really investigate our own experience of life and why we feel the things we do.

Were trying to ask the same questions but weve reimagined it for a modern world.

So its a modern dream and there are lots of examples in there of modern suffering, like social media and pressures that are put on us about careers and family life.

Dreamplay explores modern-day sources of suffering

Sara added that despite the play being over 100 years old, it remains relevant and accessible today.

She said: We all dream  we wanted to make the audience the dream makers. So our audience go on the journey themselves.

I think thats what connects us all: the very human experience of suffering, how we live that through dreams, and how we try to make sense of that while we sleep.

That subconscious world is really alive for all of us, so our whole process was really how do we tap into that?

The Vaults theatre, located in the tunnels below Waterloo station, presented a space that is equally really challenging but also brings so many opportunities.

She said: Weve got some really intimate spaces and the audience moves with the play, so we really get to play with the claustrophobia and also the open spaces, so I think that helps us tap into the nature of a dream as well.

Dreamplay runs at the Vaults until October 1, 2016.
T his week, Londoners welcomed the new Hopper bus fare, a pricing cap that allows passengers to take a second bus or tram journey within an hour of their first on free of charge.

The Mayor of Londons new venture is estimated to help people in the capital save on 30 million journeys per year - which isnt surprising, considering they ferry 6.5 million people around London per day.

But the money-saving fare is just one of many significant milestones in a long and interesting history of these iconic motor vehicles in the capital - and this gallery of images shows just how intrinsic Londons buses have been to city-dwellers, ever since their introduction in the early 19th century.

On Saturday 4th July 1829, George Shillibeer began operating the city's first Omnibus service, running from Paddington along the New Road to Bank. He imported the idea from Paris where the service was already popular.

As you can see from the last image in this gallery, the first London buses are a world away from the electric-powered behemoths Londoners are used to swiping on to today. Most notably, theyre drawn by horses, and if they were still in use today, you might be waiting a while to get to work - the buses ran every three hours, with 18 passengers simply flagging down the bus anywhere on route.

Its interesting to note that before 1907, buses were painted in different colours to signify their route. Back in the early 1900s, competing bus companies operated in the capital and London General Omnibus Company - which eventually became the biggest operator in London  decided to douse their fleet in red paint to stand out from the rest.

After much encouragement from the Metropolitan Police - and, we imagine, a lot of lost and confused passengers - they also introduced numbers on the buses to signify different routes. You can learn more about how each London bus route got its number here.

Of course, horse-drawn buses didnt stay around for long. In 1902 LGOC implemented so-called motorbuses in order to compete with newly unveiled Central London Railway; now known as the Central Line.

Nine hundred of these B-Type buses were used to transport troops during the war effort, some of which even housed carrier pigeons.

One of the great things about London buses is they have long championed diversity, bringing together characters from across the capital together - and these images show how everyone from commuters, to suffragettes, to soldiers have used the service.

Even Cosmo, a baby elephant, can be seen attempting to ascend the stairs at the back end of a double-decker.

Fox Photos/Getty Images

Of course, no mention of London buses would be complete without a hat-tip to the iconic 1950a Routemaster bus. These days, youre more likely to board one on the way to a wedding, but it was once an important part and iconic part of Londons transport system. Sadly, they were withdrawn from service on 9th December 2005, and were replaced with easy access low-floor buses.

Luckily, tourists and nostalgic Londoners can still enjoy the bumpy but fun experience of riding an iconic red double-decker Routemaster between Tower Bridge and Kensington on two linking 'heritage routes', number 9 and number 15

Want to learn more about the rich and varied history of Londons buses? Click on the gallery above.

Follow us on Twitter: @eslifeandstyle
T hree men have been arrested after a gun was thrown from a car during a police chase in north London.

Officers attempted to stop a suspect car in Hackney just after 5.30pm today but the driver sped off.

Scotland Yard confirmed a suspected firearm was thrown from a window of the car in Philip Lane, Haringey, as police gave chase.

The incident ended as the suspects car smashed into parked vehicles in nearby Dongola Road around 6pm.

Philip Lane was sealed off while officers hunted for the firearm.

Dramatic images showed police vans parked at either end of the road which was cordoned off by police.

Three men were arrested over firearms offences and are being held at a north London police station.
D etectives investigating the disappearance of a baby born in Barnet more than 11 years ago have arrested a man.

The 38 year-old man was arrested in Hertfordshire yesterday on suspicion of preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course justice.

He was taken to a west London police station where he remains in custody.

A 31-year-old woman who was previously charged in connection with the investigation appeared in custody at Kingston Crown Court on July 8.

Two other people, a 50-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man, remain on bail.
The announcement comes on the heels of Yahoo shareholder and billionaire investor Carl Icahn launching a proxy fight to wrest control of the Yahoo board.

By Press Trust of India: Microsoft Corp. has announced that it had reached out to Yahoo Inc. with a possibility of a fresh deal that does not involve an acquisition of the Internet company.

"Microsoft is considering and has raised with Yahoo an alternative that would involve a transaction with Yahoo but not an acquisition of all of Yahoo," Microsoft said in a brief statement on Sunday.

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The announcement comes on the heels of Yahoo shareholder and billionaire investor Carl Icahn launching a proxy fight to wrest control of the Yahoo board at the upcoming July three annual shareholders meeting.

Microsoft withdrew its unsolicited $33-a-share buyout bid on May 3, after the two sides failed to agree on a price.

Icahn has called the Yahoo board's decision to reject Microsoft offer as irrational and wants to force Yahoo to return to the bargaining table with Microsoft.

Microsoft did not elaborate on the new proposal.

Microsoft said that it was not proposing to make a new bid to acquire all of Yahoo at this time, but was continuing to explore and pursue its options to improve and expand its online services and advertising businesses.

"Microsoft reserves the right to reconsider that alternative depending on future developments and discussions that may take place with Yahoo! or discussions with shareholders of Yahoo! or Microsoft or with other third parties." Microsoft noted that there can be no assurance that any transaction will result from these discussions.

The New York Times cited "people involved in the confidential discussions" as saying that Microsoft has in mind a partnership or joint venture for search-related advertising.

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T wo men have been arrested after a man was fatally stabbed as he left work, police have said.

Tobi Animashaun, 25, died in hospital on Monday after an attack in Anchor and Hope Lane, Charlton, the previous evening.

A 23-year-old and a 22-year-old were arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday and remain in police custody, Scotland Yard said.

Police said Mr Animashaun was leaving work through a security gate when he was attacked by a group of men.

He was stabbed in the chest and abdomen, post-mortem examination results showed.

Paying tribute to him, the victim's family said: "Tobi was a son, big brother, cousin and friend. He had a heart of gold and was protective of everyone in his family, especially the girls.

"It truly saddens us that we have lost Tobi but his spirit will live on in our hearts. We do hope the people who are responsible for this are brought to justice."

Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Gwyn said: "Tobi was attacked by a group of males as he left work on Sunday evening.

"We are keeping an open mind as to motive but he was attacked just as he exited the security gate.

"We are keen to speak with anyone with information and ask they contact us as a matter of urgency."

Anyone with information should call police on 020 8721 4805 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A police chase through Westminster sparked "chaos" when a wanted man crashed into an elderly pedestrian, a police motorcyclist and a bus.

The man, who is on recall to prison and was wanted for burglary, was being pursued by police down the Strand before the smash close to Trafalgar Square.

The crash sparked dramatic scenes at the tourist hotspot just after 2pm today.

Fran Perrow, from Twickenham, said: "First of all, there was a big police chase and there were at least seven police vehicles."

She added that the action unfolded opposite Charing Cross Station in an area that was "really busy with lots of tourists milling around".

Ms Perrow said: "Suddenly there were a lot of police sirens, there were a lot of horns, tourists were jumping back off the road on to the pavement."

"This all just happened very quickly - tourists leaping out of the way, an awful lot of noise, an awful lot of confusion, and people scattering in different directions to get out of the chaos.

"Then we noticed there was a man running down the road, absolutely legging it down the road. He was all in black."

She said he was running "like his life depended on it".

Metropolitan Police confirmed a man in his 70s was hit by the car.

He was assessed by paramedics from London Ambulance Service but turned down treatment.

It is not yet known if the motorcyclist was injured.

The driver fled from officers following the crash but was later caught.

He was arrested on suspicion of burglary, failing to stop, dangerous driving and wanted on recall to prison and is being held at a central London police station.
F ine artists have slammed cruel vandals who scrawled an upsetting message over their work at a north London building site.

A group of artists braved torrential rain in a bid to brighten up hoardings at a housing estate in Hackney Wick as storms lashed the capital yesterday.

The collective from Creative Wick created street art on the white fences surrounding the site of a new Peabody housing estate on Fish Island.

But, the artists were devastated to find that vandals had scrawled nobody knows who you are and nobody gives a damn in blood red across their work overnight.

Trained fine artist Michael Worobec, 52, told the Standard that the group felt as if they had been attacked.

He said: We did it for the community, we even left space for others to add their work in.

We thought it would get gratified over eventually but its the message thats cruel.

It feels as though we have no safe space to do our work as artists. Its very upsetting.

Mr Worobec added that the group did not know who was behind the graffiti.

He said: It could be a local campaign group as the area is being gentrified but this is community housing, thats why we were doing it.

Mayor of Hackney Phil Glanville branded the vandalism awful.

He wrote on Twitter: That's awful & so unlike Hackney or Tower Hamlets.
A pig and a policeman caused a social media storm with their stunning dance-off in aid of Macmillan cancer support.

The quick-stepping pair met in the middle of the high street in Kingston as part of a 24 hour dance-a-thon organised by Marks and Spencer.

Running from midday Thursday to Friday, the event included a silent disco through the night with the aim of raising 24,000.

The video was posted to the Kingston Police Facebook page with the cheeky caption: "Couple of pigs having a dance off." It has already received almost 50,000 views.

But its not the first time that PC Dan Graham has been lauded for his moves. In May, a clip featuring the Kingston officer went viral within hours of being posted to Facebook.

It has been viewed over 1.5 million times, with many declaring PC Graham the worlds best dancing cop.

PC Graham, who is part of a 999 response team in Kingston, told the Standard at the time he was "surprised" by the response to the video.

He said: "It's nice to see the reception from showing a bit of personality and character. It's not something the public are used to [from a police officer]."
M Ps, actors and thousands of demonstrators have joined a march through London today, urging the Government to take more action on the refugee crisis.

They began in Park Lane at 12.30pm before marching under a "Refugees Welcome" banner to a rally in Parliament Square.

Actors Vanessa Redgrave, Douglas Booth and Juliet Stevenson are set to join them, with some giving speeches at the rally from 3pm.

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas MP, Labour's Lord Alf Dubs and Liberal Democrat campaigner Baroness Sheehan will also speak.

The capital's Park Lane came alive with a sea of colourful placards carrying slogans such as "no-one is illegal", "stop the drowning","choose love" and "be human", as protesters began the procession.

In a nod to the imminent summit, they chanted: "Theresa May, you will say refugees are welcome here."

Demonstrator Maria Spirova, who came to the UK from Bulgaria in 2011, said "this seems to be the biggest issue of our time".

"Not being involved means not living on this planet," the 32-year-old, who lives in Oxford, said.

"It seems there are unrelenting numbers of people for which life means ending up living without prospects in a tent somewhere.

"Huge swathes of humanity are being denied a life."

People of all ages joined the chanting crowd, including 73-year-old Jose Peto, from Southend-on-Sea.

Protest: Thousands have joined the London march / Help Refugees

She told the Press Association: "Refugees are the same as everybody. We are bombing their countries, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, and refusing to take them is criminal."

Daniel Harris, from London, was taking part in the march despite being on crutches and suffering from a torn Achilles tendon.

The 35-year-old said he wanted to "show his solidarity" and that the "Government is not doing enough".

"With more education, people would realise this is a humanitarian issue and not an economic one. It is really disgusting that not enough is being done," he added.

According to organisers Solidarity with Refugees, last year's event attracted 100,000 demonstrators, shortly following the publication of an image of refugee toddler Alan Kurdi's body washed up on a beach in Turkey.

The group said that at least 50 organisations and 200 religious leaders are involved in this year's rally and have together written to the Government demanding that the UK take a "fair and proportionate" share of international refugees.

Protesters come together in London to say to the government that refugees are welcome in the uk

The letter urged authorities to provide more safe routes of passage to the UK and offer more support to those already in the country, on top of the UK's current commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrians by 2020.

These demands come days before Prime Minister Theresa May is set to attend US summits discussing international responses to the refugee crisis.

Solidarity with Refugees director Ros Ereira said: "The summits next week in the US are the best opportunity for our Government to take proper action to tackle the refugee crisis, committing Britain to taking its fair share of responsibility.

"And this demonstration is the public's best opportunity to show the Government that's what we want them to do. Britain is a country that should welcome people fleeing desperate situations - let's make that message heard loud and clear."

Truly, Madly, Deeply actress Juliet Stevenson, who is currently starring in BBC thriller One of Us, added: "This march will unify people from all backgrounds and creeds under a single banner - that refugees are welcome here in Britain.

"The global refugee crisis is worse than ever, so now is not the time for us to stand idly by. The Government must take urgent action now or history may judge us very harshly."

The rally will also hear from refugees who have joined the campaign after finding a safe home in the UK.

Freshta Sharif, whose family fled Afghanistan in 1993, said: "As a refugee I know how important it is for countries to welcome and offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.

"If it wasn't for the UK granting asylum to my family after it got too dangerous for us to stay in Afghanistan, I might not be here today.

Protest: Actress Juliet Stevenson joins the march / Help Refugees

"We're in the middle of a massive refugee crisis and I would like to see UK politicians commit to throwing the same lifeline to far more people who need it."

According to the UN's refugee agency, more than 3,200 people have died or gone missing attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year.

Figures show a total of almost 300,000 people have attempted the journey and thousands remain stranded in Greece and Italy in poor living conditions.
T housands of protesters will take to the streets of central London today to support refugees coming to the UK.

Almost 100,000 Refugees Welcome campaigners marched through London last year after the world was rocked by harrowing images of the body of Syrian child Aylan Kurdi.

One year on, demonstrators will share the refugees still welcome message from midday as world leaders prepare to discuss the issue at the UN refugees and migrants summit next week.

Solidarity with Refugees, the campaign group responsible for the marches, said the UN meeting meant the timing of the march is critical.

Protest: Campaigners gather outside London's Shard / Dean P

They said: Last year, in the week of our demonstration, the government agreed to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees. We know that public pressure can make a difference.

Eighty per cent of Britons want our government to do more and we want to tell the government that we are waiting to help.

In the days leading up to the march, Solidarity with Refugees has collaborated with social video platform Seenit to release videos filmed by people around the world.

They show messages from different companies, charities and refugee camps around Europe speaking about the refugee crisis.

The videos provide an insight into life inside the camps and the struggle to maintain support from Western cities, including London.

As increasing numbers of refugees travel into Europe, diminishing resources leave many people living without sufficient medical supplies or proper food.

Crisis: Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Kos

Volunteer groups are working to provide basic medical supplies, like rubber gloves and cotton wool, or hot food.

But they explained that, although awareness has increased since the march last year, the situation in the crowded and chaotic camps is not improving and support is waning.

A group of women who provide free food to refugees in Calais said there are "more and more" people turning up at the camps every day and that it is not a long term solution to the crisis.

They said: "We need more activism back home because the situation here is not getting any better, there are more people coming every day.

"Anything we do here is useless if there isnt awareness in the UK, so we have to demonstrate."

Waning supplies: Volunteers are desperately trying to get more medical equipment / Angelos Tzortzinis/2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Another volunteer working in Calais urged people to take to the streets to have a say in "the issue of our age".

He added: "It belongs to all of us, it is not something that is going to go away soon. It is something that we all have to work around."

The march, from Park Lane to Parliament Square, will be calling on Prime Minister Theresa May, to "do more to share responsibility".

The group wrote: "We call on our government to do more to lead the way towards a more humane global response.

"To offer safe passage to the UK for more people who have been forced to flee their homes.

Clashes: Left wing protesters are held back by police from right wing protesters / EPA/ANDY RAIN

"And do more to help refugees in the UK rebuild their lives here."

One of the voices featured in the videos is that of a young male refugee in the camp on the Greek island of Leros.

In a piece to camera, he said: I am coming from genocide in Iraq to genocide here. We have lost our hope.

My message from Leros to those people that are going to the demonstration in London is: You are our voices. You are our hope.
A dedicated NHS tax aimed at managing the growing cost of health care in the UK may be introduced, the Lib Dems have suggested.

Former health minister Norman Lamb has announced a panel of medical experts will consider the case for a special wage levy to fund the NHS and care system.

He said it could mean the public paying an "extra penny in the pound" via their National Insurance contributions.

Carving out a special revenue stream for the NHS would also help to ensure investment in other vital services such as education is not distorted by the demands of the health system, he said.

Speaking at the Liberal Democrat party conference in Brighton, he said he wants to be honest with the public about the funding crisis at a time when other political parties are "too scared" to talk about raising taxes.

He said: "Political parties are scared, very nervous about saying anything about tax.

"They see it as not in their interest to be completely honest (with the public) about the scale of the problem and so nothing is said.

"There's a complete dishonesty with the public about this."

He told party members: "It's no good just condemning the Government for its failure to invest in the NHS and social care. We have to surely come up with our own solutions.

"We must lead the debate.

"That's why I want this party to consider a dedicated NHS and care tax."

Mr Lamb said he believed the public would be willing to pay the tax because they would know where the money was going.

The panel will consider whether local authorities would be able to adjust the rate depending on local need.
S adiq Khan met hundreds of young people of different faiths and backgrounds at Chicagos oldest synagogue during a tour of America.

The Mayor of London shared his views on how international communities can work together to promote social integration and tolerance across the globe.

Mr Khan used the meeting at Temple Sholom to reiterate his message that London is open to people of all faiths and backgrounds.

The Mayor was pictured taking selfies with faith leaders and those who turned out to greet him.

He said: London is an incredibly diverse and tolerant city, but improving social integration is still one of the big challenges we face.

Thats why Im keen to hear from people of many different faiths here in the US to learn from their experiences and to share ideas on how we can bring communities together and strengthen the social fabric that underpins any successful city.

I also want to tell everyone around the world, loud and clear, that London is open to people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Last week, Matthew Ryder was appointed deputy mayor for social integration, social mobility and community engagement.

Mr Khan asked Matthew, a leading QC, to help ensure Londoners from different faiths, ethnicities, backgrounds and social classes are better integrated into the capital.


N igel Farage celebrated his final conference as Ukip leader by going skinny dipping in the sea off Bournemouth, it has been revealed.

His friend and Ukip financial backer Arron Banks said they got naked and went for a swim after a late-night drinking session on the eve of the conference.

The millionaire businessman told BBC Radio 4's Any Questions on Friday night that Mr Farage would not make another comeback as Ukip leader, saying "I can tell you he's not coming back".

He told the show: "I can tell you he's de-mob happy because we had dinner last night and we had a few drinks and it was late at night and we went skinny dipping off the Bournemouth pier.

"So, if ever a man was out to leave British politics, that's it."

Shocked fellow guest Angela Eagle, Labour's former shadow business secretary, declared: "Ew, what a terrible image."

Nigel Farage -The highs and lows of his Ukip leadership

Presenter Jonathan Dimbleby also appeared taken aback by the revelation and said: "Can we just record for posterity that you, Arron Banks, and Nigel Farage last night went skinny dipping off Bournemouth pier - is that what you said?"

A relaxed Mr Banks replied: "Well, Nigel actually said to me 'let's go for a paddle', I said 'come on, man up, let's just go for a swim - strip down'."

Clearly less than impressed with the image being conjured, Ms Eagle said: "I think there should be a law against it."

However, Mr Farage claimed on LBC today that he kept his underpants on during the dip.

Hesaid it had seemed an "amazingly good idea" to go for the midnight splash but insisted it "wasn't skinny-dipping".

"It was absolutely wonderful," he said.

"I'm not saying we should recommend people chuck themselves into the sea all around the place but I can assure you it's not the first time I've done such a thing and I intend to do it again."

Meanwhile, the party's only MP will take to the conference stage as the bitter divisions in the party showed no sign of healing under new leader Diane James.

Douglas Carswell has been given just five minutes to address party activists at their autumn gathering despite being the only member of Ukip to have been directly elected to Parliament.

The Clacton MP is one of a number of high profile figures in Ukip who have been frozen out by supporters of outgoing leader Nigel Farage.

Ms James had been urged to find a way to reunite the party after months of spats and infighting among its most high-profile members.

But within an hour of her leadership victory she took the decision to wipe Neil Hamilton from Saturday's agenda for the party's annual conference, which is being held in Bournemouth.

The leader of Ukip's Welsh Assembly group, who Mr Farage has been fiercely critical of, has been replaced by a 10 minute coffee break and a five minute speech by Nathan Gill, the man he ousted.

Mr Hamilton, who only found out about the so-called purge after being told by reporters, said it was a "rather bizarre way" to unite a party.

He also claimed Ms James would find it "difficult to define herself".

Although Mr Farage did not officially endorse any candidate during the contest, it was clear that he was keen for Ms James to take over.

Ms James insisted she was a "new leaf, new book, new era" but admitted Mr Farage would offer "help" and said she would be "absolutely nuts" to ignore it.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.
B ritain would not be able to withstand a full-scale attack from Russia, according to a former top military general.

Former commander of the Joint Forces Command, General Sir Richard Barrons delivered a scathing assessment of the UK military in a 10 page private memorandum to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon.

Sir Richard, who left his post in April, said the armed forces would not be able to protect the country from an attack by a serious military power.

His criticism comes after the Governments decision to increase defence spending by nearly 5 billion by 2020/21 and to meet Nato's target to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence for the rest of the decade.

In his memo, Sir Richard said: "Capability that is foundational to all major armed forces has been withered by design."

He added: "There is a sense that modern conflict is ordained to be only as small and as short term as we want to afford - and that is absurd.

"The failure to come to terms with this will not matter at all if we are lucky in the way the world happens to turn out but it could matter a very great deal if even a few of the risks now at large conspire against the UK."

The document, seen by the Financial Times, gives a withering judgment of the country's ability to defend itself against a full-scale military attack and singles out Russia, a country seen as more dangerous and unpredictable since its annexation of the Crimea and incursion in Ukraine.

Sir Richard said: "Counter-terrorism is the limit of up-to-date plans and preparations to secure our airspace, waters and territory ... there is no top-to-bottom command and control mechanism, preparation or training in place for the UK armed forces (to defend home territory) ... let alone to do so with Nato."

On Britain's ability to defend itself from aerial attack, he said: "UK air defence now consists of the (working) Type 45 (destroyers), enough ground-based air defence to protect roughly Whitehall only, and RAF fast jets.

"Neither the UK homeland nor a deployed force - let alone both concurrently - could be protected from a concerted Russian air effort."

His critique has been supported by Major General Tim Cross, who served in the Army for nearly 40 years.

Maj Gen Cross also rejected suggestions Sir Richard's comments were a case of "sour grapes" because he was overlooked for promotion.

"Like all commanders, and I did this myself when I handed over command of my division, what Richard has done is produce what we call a haul down report," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He added: "He's speaking truth into power and it's a normal thing to be doing."
Going by the chatter alone, it's difficult to tell the mother and child apart in the fashion designing duo Neeta and Nishka Lulla. With the interview about to begin, Nishka, 29, says "Maa, talk loudly" to which Neeta's reaction is that of a teenager who has made a habit of ignoring her parent's commands; she coolly sips her Starbucks drink and peers into the phone keeping tabs on the recently launched autumn winter bridal collection, Vrindavan Symphony.

For the photo shoot when Neeta, 52, thinks she too could do with more lip colour, Nishka is quick to say, "You don't need it, Mamma". No wonder then the popular costume designer of such films as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Jodhaa Akbar, Neeta Lulla, says, "She is my mother. She is the biggest critic of my work and everything else." As if on cue, Nishka replies, "I am the one who is always reminding you to eat."

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(From left) Nishka and Neeta Lulla. Photograph by Mandar Deodhar; Make-up: Priya Todarwal; Hair: Sarita Poojari

Theirs is a relationship suited for a Hollywood chick flick rather than a Bollywood Barjatya setting. They get along with each other's friends; go out drinking; have travelled on vacations to South Africa, Rome and Dubai. They may not always be on the same page- Nishka thinks her mother has far too much black in her wardrobe and Neeta thinks that Nishka's style is a lot like hers when she was young-but they support each other. Says Nishka, "It is a friendly bond. Yes, she can be embarrassing when she talks me to me like a child in front of people I work with, but she is more of a teacher and mentor to me. We are poles apart when it comes to designing. What I have learned from her is that you work hard and express yourself most honestly in a collection."

Neeta was 16 when she married Shyam, a psychiatrist. "I was told to marry because I never wanted to study," recalls Neeta whose interest lay in extracurricular activities rather than books. A year later she had her first child, Siddharth. "My calling was 'I will sit at home, enjoy, throw kitty parties'," she says. Instead her husband, with the backing of his parents, sent her to college to study fashion and encouraged her to set up her own label. Three-andhalf years later, she had Nishka, who spent much of her childhood in Neeta's studio situated in a room in the house. "I tried to imitate what she was doing," says Nishka. "After school and homework, I was making clothes for my dolls and doing embroidery."



Also Read: Masaba Gupta's new festive line is just wow!

Nishka may have shared her mother's passion for clothes but she wasn't an easy child to manage. "She was more of a problem child than my son," says Neeta. "At the parents-teacher meetings, I'd tell my husband to go because the teacher would have only complaints." A student of Bombay Scottish School, situated right next to their home in Mahim, Nishka would be caught standing by the window staring right into her mother's studio. These were early signs that Nishka was destined for fashion. Says Neeta, "She learned to say 'Match' before 'Mom'." By the age of five, Nishka had become a self-appointed assistant to her mother at photo shoots. When Neeta was roped in to dress up Govinda and Juhi Chawla in foil for a magazine cover, it was young Nishka who patted the material to give it shape.

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Models in Neeta Lulla's creations.

Nishka believed she had the coolest mother ever. Neeta, who has dressed Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, would return from her trips abroad with a bagful of clothes for her daughter. "I'd blame Juhi Chawla for Nishka having so many pinks in her wardrobe," says Neeta. But Nishka wouldn't simply wear clothes, she would style them. By the age of 10, Nishka had decided that she wasn't cut out to be a doctor like her father. After school, she immediately enrolled for a fashion design course at SNDT Women's University, simultaneously pursuing bachelor's degree in literature by correspondence.



Also Read: Cutesy children charm on the runway of India Kids Fashion Week

Neeta credits a supportive and considerate family which enabled her to strike a balance between maternal and professional responsibilities. "For the longest time my son didn't even call me 'Mom', he called me Neeta," she says. Designing clothes for multiple films at a time, styling magazine shoots, building her label, showcasing collections, spending time with family, Neeta managed it all without a fuss. "I never measured the time I spent with my children. It was not about sitting with them, it was important I was around," she says. "My children have been independent right from the beginning because they have always seen me work.

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I wasn't the sort of mother who was like 'Study, study, you have to come first and do this'. It was quite simple; either you study or you'll sit at home and do nothing." Adds Nishka, "When most of my friends' moms would come to pick them up from school, I used to think that it is cool that my mother is working.

I was so proud of her." Having a husband who had fixed working hours compared to her more erratic schedule meant the children never felt ignored. "Shyam says, 'You shouldn't say no to an opportunity as long as you can. He'd say do it if you can and enjoy it."

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Neeta's mantra is different. "I'd say do it no matter what. Challenge yourself and push your boundaries." Over three decades, Neeta has done exactly that. She has developed a reputation as one of India's leading couturiers and bridal wear designers. Her elaborate lehengas and embroidered cholis are found at the flagship store in Mumbai, as well as in five multi- designer stores across India and online. From working with metal and mirror to designing elegant saris and comfy palazzos and cotton pants, Neeta caters to women of all age groups. With over 300 films to her credit and winner of four National Awards, she is admired for her meticulous research and knowledge of fabrics, and is thereby, sought after for period films, the most recent being Mohenjo Daro. Panned on social media especially for the leading lady's ostentatious headgear and going overboard in the sartorial department, the film is the rare blip in an otherwise illustrated career. Neeta is currently designing both costumes and jewellery for Gautamiputra Satkarni starring Hema Malini. Apart from these roles, she is also the dean of the Whistling Woods School of Fashion and Design, Mumbai.

With such an experienced professional easily accessible, Nishka's first job was as employee of her mother. She worked at the store in Santa Cruz, understanding retail business and the workings of the designer-client relationship. She assisted her mother on a few films. "She treated me like all other assistants at work," says Nishka. But it was important for Nishka to find her own voice as a designer and that by her own admission took a couple of years. She started on a high, winning the design for Barbie contest at Lakme Fashion Week in 2009, but then it was followed by a lacklustre debut at the next edition. "It was a mess. I don't even want to look back at the collection," she says. "I knew I was going to be compared to Neeta Lulla. I was trying to be grand, and at the same time, put my sensibilities of being girly and ready-to-wear. That experience taught me that you have to do what you want to do. I learned a lot about myself."

Nishka doesn't do couture and bridal wear as of now. Instead she has carved a niche as a designer whose style statement is more boho-chic, reaching out to a younger clientele with dresses (flared, asymmetrical), crop tops, tunics, jumpsuits and skirts. She also designs for urban women clothing brand 109F. Unlike her mother who dresses Indian brides by celebrating India's handloom and its craft traditions such as zardozi, Nishka's aesthetic is more western, with a penchant for lighter hues-white, blue, sea green, peach and yellow-and feminine prints. She wants to expand her expertise to get into designing crockery and stationery.

This freedom of expression can be attributed to Lullas' liberal parenting style. "You can't push them to succeed at everything because somewhere it takes a toll," says Neeta. "We have given children the leeway to experiment and succeed or fail in their field and understand what their calling is." Marriage to businessman Dhruv Mehra has taken Nishka away from home but she still visits the place she grew up daily, especially to see her ageing grandmother. Her bedroom, coloured pink, has been kept intact with the many teddies still perched on shelves. "These are all mementos from my trips," says Neeta. "Shopping for her was the easiest thing to do." For once she does sound like the mother, proud that her daughter has found her feet.

Photograph by Mandar Deodhar; Make-up: Priya Todarwal; Hair: Sarita Poojari

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J amie Oliver has dismissed claims he will join The Great British Bake Off when it moves to Channel 4.

The celebrity chef said he "would love to be a judge" in a magazine interview just days before the news of the show leaving the BBC broke.

Presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins announced they will not host the show when it leaves the BBC.

Judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who have both been on the programme since it began in 2010, are yet to confirm their plans.

Mr Oliver told The Telegraph: "As much as I would get massive cred from my kids for having any kinda role, I've totally got my hands full even if I was asked, which I haven't been.

"I'm sure they'll pick the new hosts wisely - I'm just as keen to see who they are as you are."

The BBC announced it would be losing the show as it was unable to afford it, saying in a statement they were "a considerable distance apart on the money" with the show's producers.

The corporation is believed to have offered Love Productions 15 million per year to keep the show, BBC News reported.

Further reports said this amount was around 10 million short of what they would need to keep the show.

Jay Hunt, Channel 4's chief creative officer, promised fans of the show that Bake Off will have a "safe home" on the channel, despite an outpouring of complaints from viewers.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Ms Hunt said: "Great British Bake Off will have a safe home. The show of soggy bottoms and good crumb will be made by exactly the same team who have always made it.

"We love it just as it is. And for an amateur baker like me, that's a real cause for celebration."

Speculation about celebrities who could join the show has been rife with people such as Jo Brand, actress Jennifer Saunders and former Big Brother host Davina McCall all being named.
National Green Tribunal held in its order that all Metro rail projects needed clearance after an Environment Impact Assessment and said the same will apply for the Railways' dedicated freight corridor.

By Harish V Nair: The Delhi Metro got a big relief on Friday when the Supreme Court stayed the May 31 order of the NGT mandating environment clearance for construction of its Noida line.

Apart from the DMRC, the SC order also benefits various under-construction works of Indian Railways and metro rail in various cities as they were also stayed by the NGT. New metro projects or expansion of the existing ones are currently being undertaken in several cities, including Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

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"The order of the National Green Tribunal is stayed," a bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice A M Khanwilkar said. The bench was hearing pleas filed by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) and the Metro Rail against the order passed by the green tribunal that they are required to seek ECs for all their projects.

THE VERDICT

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the PSUs, said construction works like metro rail in cities and dedicated freight corridors would help in reducing pollution and asking them to seek ECs was ridiculous.

Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh also said the metro rail and dedicated freight corridors would reduce dependence on cars and trucks for travel and transportation of goods. The law officers said polluting industries should be asked to get environment clearances and not those which help in reducing pollution.

Rohatgi referred to some notifications which say that the metro rail does not need ECs from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for their projects.

Earlier too, the MoEF had told the tribunal that Railways and Metro Rail projects were not within the purview of the 2006 Environmental Impact Assessment Notification and therefore, prior Environment al Clearance was not required.

"The Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development (Metro Rail Cell) vide Office Memorandum dated May 22, 2009 has sent a Cabinet note to the MoEF and that the MoEF have vide Office Memorandum dated June 2, 2009 responded to the Cabinet note stating that the metro projects are not required to seek EC under EIA Notification.

In view of the above, the construction of the metro line from Noida to Greater Noida does not require an EC and it is respectfully submitted that the construction is in accordance with the Office Memorandum dated June 2, 2009 issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest," an affidavit filed by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in the NGT had said.

The National Green Tribunal had on May 31 held that all metro rail projects needed Environmental Clearance after conducting proper Environment Impact Assessment.

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National Green Tribunal had passed the same order when the matter pertaining to construction of the Railways' dedicated freight corridor came up before it.

ALSO READ:

NGT junks review plea seeking stay on Noida Metro work





--- ENDS ---
Nepal's new Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda assured that he will not allow any anti-India activity from the soil of his country.

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Nripendra Misra and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval (Right) during the joint statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal at Hyderabad house in New Delhi on Frida

By Manjeet Negi: NSA Ajit Doval and Nepal's new Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda discussed several issues between the two neighbours in New Delhi today. Prachanda assured that he will not allow any anti-India activity from the soil of Nepal.

For the first time, Nepal tried to bolster bilateral ties with India during Prachanda's period than in the time of former Nepalese prime minister KP Oli. Oli had adopted more China-centric policies.

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VISIT TO IMPROVE INDIA-NEPAL TIES



Now, India does have a lot more hope in Prachanda. He is seen as far more balanced in his foreign policy as well as his view of India's role. Prachanda has also made it clear that he was unhappy with Oli's handling of the Madhesi crisis and his tilt towards China. He also realised that the growing anti-Oli sentiment was due to the latter's proximity to China and his cold vibes towards India. Indeed, as Oli began to appear shaky, China even sent in a team to steady his hold over power by intervening between him and his political partners.

China has built up anti-India rhetoric and sentiment in Nepal over a period of time. In fact, at one point of time, it had managed to change even Prachanda's mind about India. Prachanda, however, realised that ground realities were that a majority of Nepalese were not in favor of China's role in their country.

As Oli leaned towards China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had come in for criticism. The Opposition also pointed that the Modi government's policy had pushed Nepal to China's lap. Now, today's Meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and Nepalese PM Prachanda will surely come as boost to India foreign policy which has consistently advocated more moderate and inclusive policies in Nepal.

ALSO READ:

Modi-Prachanda reset ties; India extends additional Line of Credit to Nepal



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Chennai, Sep 17 (PTI) Narcotics Control Bureau has seized 3.690 kilos of a very pure form of cocaine worth around Rs 10 crore in the international market and arrested a Brazilian national for possessing the drug.

Acting on a tip off, NCB authorities searched the hotel room of Dasilva Jailson in suburban Pallavaram yesterday and seized the cocaine from his possession in one of the largest seizures of its kind.

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In a press release here, NCB Zonal Director Prem Anand Sinha today said the Brazilian had travelled from Rio de Janeiro to Chennai via Dubai.

"Although Dasilva Jailson had a valid tourist visa from August 2016 to February 2017, he was planning to leave the country on 24th September after delivering the consignment," he said.

The seized cocaine was sandwiched on both sides of outer cover of four note books and seven packets were kept in between seven childrens books.

"The seized contraband is worth around Rs 10 crores in local illegal market and is one of the largest cocaine seizures made in the region," Sinha said.

Stating that the seized contraband of a "very pure form and sourced directly from the cocaine production belt in South America," he said though the seizure was made here, the consignment "is believed to have been for distribution across metro cities in various states."

The present seizure, besides other similar exercises of cocaine by NCB here has "dealt a severe blow to the Cocaine syndicate operating in the southern Indian states," Sinha said, adding further investigations was on to find out the Jailsons links in Chennai. PTI VGN RC ASV

--- ENDS ---
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In March 2015, I wrote a column suggesting Hillary Clinton was too old to run for president. It generated a lot of blowback, as I suspected it would, even though she hadn't yet formally announced her candidacy. Carter Eskew, who ran Al Gore's media campaign in 2000, berated me in The Washington Post for "the sexist and ageist nature" of what I had written and called it "remarkably outrageous." But Clinton's recent bout of pneumonia and episodes of appearing to lose her balance in public raise important questions, and age should not be off-limits as a topic. To be clear, the same concerns apply to Donald Trump -- in my view, even more so.
When Whitney Gilbert and Shadese (DeeDee) Griffith began dating more than a year ago, neither could have expected that they and their family w
By Rohit Kumar Singh: Expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav has asked RJD President Lalu Prasad to clarify whether dreaded don Mohammed Shahabuddin was a leader of his party or a criminal. Pappu Yadav said the people of the state were looking for an answer from Lalu over the issue.



"If Shahabuddin is a national leader of the RJD, which is in power in the state, why did it approach the Supreme Court for his bail cancellation. If he is a criminal, how come he is a national leader of RJD. Both scenarios are contradictory", said Pappu Yadav.

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'MAKE STAND ON SHAHABUDDIN CLEAR'



Pappu demanded that the RJD supremo make his stand clear on whether he feels Shahabuddin is a leader or a criminal. Pappu said, "If the state govt had approached the Supreme Court for Shahabuddin's bail cancellation without seeking a go-ahead from Lalu, Lalu must immediately walk out of the alliance govt in Bihar."



Also read: Nitish Kumar being humiliated on Lalu's behest, says former RJD MP Pappu Yadav



"Lalu should walk out of the Grand Alliance if Bihar govt has approached the apex court seeking cancellation of Shahabuddin's bail without his permission", the expelled RJD MP said.



He added that if the state govt had sought his permission and then approached the Supreme Court, how could Shahabuddin remain in RJD being a criminal?



"Lalu should sack Shahabuddin from his party if he is a criminal", said Pappu Yadav.



Also read: Ready to go back to jail, says Siwan strongman Shahabuddin



The expelled RJD MP attacked Lalu, saying the RJD President was an opportunistic leader and was concerned only about his two sons, Tej Pratap and Tejaswi.

'LALU HAS CHEATED EVERYONE'



" Aisa koi saga nahi, jisko Lalu ne thaga nahi (there is no one whom Lalu has not cheated)", said Pappu Yadav.

--- ENDS ---
America is already great. The rest of the world stinks.

If youre an investor, its hard to argue against that assessment of our planet. The isolationist investor, who keeps his investments in American companies, has been outperforming the globalist ocean-hopper for years.

Look at the numbers: The S&P 500 Index, representing most of the U.S. stock market, scored annualized returns of 14.5 percent over the past five years. Stock in the rest of the world returned 4.5 percent per year, as measured by the MSCI ACWI Ex USA Index of foreign stocks worldwide.

American stocks beat the world in four of the past five years, and so far in 2016.

Its enough to make you go jingo, conjure up a mental Trumpian wall, and deport foreign stocks from your portfolio.

Would that be a good idea?

On one side of that argument sits one of the grand solons of investing, Jack Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group and inventor of the index mutual fund.

Bogle doesnt own international stocks, although his old company runs foreign-stock mutual funds.

By investing in U.S. stocks, youre already investing abroad, he often notes. The giant American companies in the S&P 500 get roughly half their sales in foreign lands. Meanwhile, the U.S. has well-regulated markets, an innovative culture, dynamic economy and the rule of law.

So, domestic stocks provide profits from abroad with all the comforts of home.

On the other side of the argument sits just about everybody else in the financial advice business. They preach the gospel of diversification  spreading investments at home and abroad is a way of reducing risk.

The idea is that foreign and domestic markets dont always move in tandem, and the foreigners will have their day.

Before 2008, the foreign markets did so much better than the U.S. I think of it as before the crash, and after the crash, said David Ott, chief investment officer at Acropolis Investment Management in Chesterfield. You cant really tell whats going to do better next.

Foreign stocks lag Americas because the developed worlds economies are lagging the U.S. Meanwhile, emerging nations suffer with debt and the commodities bust.

America is moping through a second-gear recovery, but the situation in Europe and Japan is a lot worse, says Ott. Clearly, theres a feeling of uncertainty about how all of us are going to get out of this mess.

That situation isnt about to change soon, says Peter Donisanu, global research analyst at Wells Fargo Advisors in St. Louis.

He predicts flat stock prices in the developed markets of Europe and Japan heading into next year. Theres just nothing on the horizon to lift them out of the doldrums. Meanwhile, nerves may jangle as the British start negotiating to leave the European Union.

Some emerging markets have been throwing a party this summer, and emerging market mutual funds are up 12 percent for the year, according to Morningstar. The average Latin American fund is up 29 percent, reflecting the investor celebration in Brazil when leftist President Dilma Rousseff was impeached.

That party is winding down, says Donisanu, and Latin stock prices now look rich.

The best opportunities now are in emerging Asia, says Donisanu. The Chinese economy, which scared world markets into a steep selloff early this year, is stabilizing. The bogey man of China falling off a cliff is gone.

Still, Wells Fargo sees better prospects at home, so Donisanu recommends lightening up on emerging market stocks.

But he thinks investors shouldnt turn away from foreign stocks in general, despite the long performance lag. Just when you think you cant take it anymore, theres a turn, he says.

In fact, foreign stocks are now looking a little cheap, when measured by dividend yields and price-earnings ratios. As of last week, the S&P 500 index was selling at 18 times this years expected earnings, while foreign developed markets were at a cheaper 15.5 and emerging markets at 13.

The S&P has a 2.1 percent dividend yield, compared to 3.4 percent for developed-country foreign stocks and 2.7 percent for emerging markets.
Six years after the Great Recession ended, jobless older workers are the forgotten story of the economic recovery. U.S. employers are creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs every month, but millions of older workers who want a job cannot find work.

The economic data documenting the problem is clear. So is one of the most important causes: age discrimination.

Consider the latest government jobs report.

On the surface, job growth is looking solid  the national jobless rate in August was unchanged at 4.9 percent, and 151,000 new jobs were created. More than 270,000 new jobs were added in each of the previous two months.

The jobless rate for workers over 55 was even lower, at just 3.5 percent. But that figure is deceptive. If you add in workers holding part-time jobs who would rather be working full time, and unemployed workers who have recently given up on seeking work, the jobless rate for older workers last month was 8.7 percent, according to analysis of the government figures by the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) at the New School.

Further, if you add jobless workers who gave up looking after more than four weeks, the 55-plus unemployment rate is a whopping 12 percent, SCEPA analysis shows. Looked at another way, 2.5 million older Americans want a job but do not have one.

Age discrimination is illegal under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. The law prohibits treating job applicants or employees who are over age 40 less favorably because of age. (The law applies to employers with 20 or more workers.) But most of the complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission focus on age-bias terminations rather than hiring  simply because hiring discrimination is so difficult to prove.

Yet two-thirds of older workers believe age discrimination occurs in the workplace, according to a 2013 survey by AARP.

Older job seekers need much more time to find a job than younger workers  36 weeks in 2015, compared with 26 weeks for younger workers, SCEPA data shows.

The evidence

A recent study by economists at the University of California at Irvine and Tulane University found strong evidence of age discrimination in hiring, particularly for older women. The researchers sent out 40,000 dummy job applications that included signals on the job-seekers ages, and then monitored the response rates. They measured callback rates for various occupations; workers age 49-51 applying for administrative positions had a callback rate 29 percent lower than younger workers, and it was 47 percent lower for workers over age 64.

Other studies suggest that the long-term jobless rate for women over age 55 is several percentage points higher than it is for men.

But older men are struggling too  especially white males with less education. This shows up in government numbers on job tenure, according to Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist and SCEPAs director. From 2012 to 2014, median job tenure with a current employer for white males age 55 and older with less education (high school or less) decreased to 16.7 years from 17.7 years, while job tenure for all other groups rose. The people who are losing the most are white, high school-educated men, she said.

If demand for labor continues to grow, older workers should start to see more opportunity as employers become less picky about whom they want to hire. But that will not happen until wages rise significantly  something that has yet to occur in the current recovery, according to Ghilarducci.

Economists have been surprised by the increasingly weak relationship between wages and low unemployment, she said.

Indeed, in July, 29 percent of older full-time workers age 55-64 were in what Ghilarducci calls bad jobs. That means they were earning less than two-thirds of the median wage for workers in that age range.

She adds that when older displaced workers do find new jobs, they typically go back to work with about 75 percent of their former pay.

These income disruptions play havoc with retirement plans.

Nearly half of current retirees retire earlier than planned, according to survey research by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. And 60 percent of older workers who experience involuntary job loss end up retiring involuntarily, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

Lost income in the decade leading to retirement can cut into future Social Security earnings by reducing the credits used to calculate a workers benefits. It also can force workers to file for benefits early, sharply reducing lifetime benefits. The ramp-up to retirement also gives some workers  especially empty nesters  a chance to catch up on retirement saving, but that does not happen when income from work stops. If anything, jobless older workers are more likely to crack open their nest eggs early.

What to do about age discrimination? The problem begs for a mass movement response, argues Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism (Networked Books, March 2016). We need something like the womens movement, which made people aware that things they thought were their own personal problems  like being perceived as incompetent or being paid less  actually were widely shared political problems that required collective action.

A movement to fight age bias would not just help todays older workers, she adds  it will help younger workers, too.

Confronting ageism means making friends of all ages, and pointing out bias when you encounter it  like, when everyone at a meeting is the same age. It means joining forces across age groups  not seeing older people as alien and other, but as us  our own future.
NEW YORK  Wells Fargo & Co., embroiled in a scandal over the opening of sham accounts, was sued on Friday by customers who accused the bank of fraud and recklessness for its behavior.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Utah, and seeks class-action status on behalf of hundreds of thousands of customers nationwide.

Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Last week, the San Francisco-based lender agreed to pay $190 million to settle regulatory charges that employees opened some 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge, in order to meet sales targets.

Wells Fargo, the country's third-largest bank by assets, has said it has fired 5,300 people over the matter and would eliminate sales goals in its retail banking on Jan. 1, 2017.

Federal prosecutors have begun examining Wells Fargo's practices, and the bank's Chief Executive Officer John Stumpf is scheduled to testify before Congress next week.

In the complaint, three plaintiffs said customers were hurt by "abusive and fraudulent tactics" used by employees who felt they had to "do whatever it takes," including selling products they did not need or want, to meet sales quotas.

It was not immediately clear how the three named plaintiffs were specifically harmed by the bank's alleged wrongdoing.

The case is Mitchell et al v. Wells Fargo Bank NA et al, U.S. District Court, District of Utah, No. 16-00966.

Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York.
The bankruptcy of Koreas Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd. is causing ripple effects for importers bringing goods from Asian factories to U.S. malls by creating a shortage of trailers to move ocean-shipping containers on U.S. roads.

The worlds seventh-largest container carrier has more than 500,000 containers, and many already are clogging up ports and truck yards, tying up trailers that cannot be used to handle other cargo. That is beginning to worry freight handlers at U.S. West Coast ports and is the first sign of other effects from the failure of Hanjin.

The problem stems from Hanjins shortage of cash, which has stranded $14 billion of cargo owned by companies such as HP Inc., Home Shopping Network and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Much of the cargo is on more than 100 ships at sea because cargo handlers, tug operators and ports are refusing to work with Hanjin unless they get paid up front.

An attorney for the shipper did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Terminal operators in the California ports of Long Beach and Oakland are not taking back empty containers. Many in the industry doubt Hanjin will pay storage costs, and a growing number of empty containers and the trailers they sit on are stranded.

If its not fixed in the next couple of weeks, I think youll see a huge ripple effect across the industry, said Weston LaBar, executive director for the Harbor Trucking Association in Long Beach.

LaBar said there were thousands of Hanjin containers on trailers out of circulation, and the uncertainty surrounding Hanjin appears to be pushing truckers to lock in trailers from his organizations pool.

We doubled in bookings this morning, LaBar said. We have availability, but were getting to the point where we may be leased out for our chassis.

Shipping executives said that there was an ample supply of shipping containers but that trailers were limited. The West Coast ports previously have experienced brief shortages even when the stream of trade is functioning normally.

The Hanjin collapse has exacerbated the problem.

At GSC Logistics Inc., Chief Executive Officer Scott Taylor said he was stuck with nearly 80 empty Hanjin containers on trailers, racking up charges for cargo owners, that his company processed recently and could not return to a terminal operator at the Port of Oakland.

If it says Hanjin on the side, theres no place for it to go right now, Taylor said.

Grocery chain Kroger Co. told Reuters it had 880 shipping containers tied up on Hanjin ships. The companys attorney, Ron Leibman, told a U.S. judge who is overseeing Hanjins U.S. bankruptcy case that Kroger did not expect to be able to return the containers once it received its products, creating a headache and added costs for the company.

Empty containers were sitting on trailers, said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy for the National Retail Federation. This is causing problems with the terminal operators and truckers who need the equipment to haul full containers, he said.

Karen Vellutini, a vice president at Devine Intermodal, a trucking company in West Sacramento that services the Port of Oakland, expects the availability of trailer chassis to become a problem as the holiday season nears and as more Hanjin ships arrive in ports and unload containers.

Were not seeing it yet, but its inevitable, Vellutini said. This problem is going to compound.

In Southern California, shipping industry executives are discussing setting aside a staging area where truckers could drop off empty containers to free up trailers, said Mario Cordero, chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, which regulates carriers, terminal operators and ports.

They are trying to address what could be even a greater crisis as these numbers mount, Cordero said.
"My nipples were bleeding, my uterus in an agony of cramps, and my body worn out from the labour and the constant waking up to feed a baby who never seemed satisfied by what he was getting from the breast." These lines from Pallavi Aiyar's book Babies and Bylines--Parenting on the move, reflect one thing; it's not easy being a mother. That it takes some time to adjust to motherhood, a new baby and a different lifestyle.

"I had no idea of the storm that parenting an infant would bring to my hitherto unruffled and content life," says 40-year-old Aiyar, award-winning journalist, author and mother, while talking about the stress she had to face after her firstborn. "When I became a mother for the first time, the experience had sucker-punched me. I'd felt marooned on a new planet without a map." Mother of two sons, Ishaan, 8 and Nicholas, 5, Aiyar has lived in Beijing, Brussels and Jakarta and is now based in Tokyo, Japan, with diplomat husband Julio, and two cats, Tofu and Caramel, and has come a long way since then. She now freelances for publications and has written three books; Smoke and Mirrors and Chinese Whiskers, both which were published during the second trimester of her two pregnancies, as well as Punjabi Parmesan.



Also Read: This mother is trying to raise awareness about sepsis after losing her son to it



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For her fourth book, Babies and Bylines, which was released about four months ago, Aiyar decided it was time to write her memoirs, touching upon issues such as surviving pregnancy, post-childbirth dilemma, dealing with colicky infants, the impact of children on marital life, feelings of unworthiness and worrying about underperforming at work. "It's not a pregnancy book. I didn't want to write an instruction manual. There is in fact very little talk about preparing women for a child and childbirth. Society never prepares you for a child, nor your mother, doctors and peers. I wanted to talk about all these rather than pretending that it is a natural phenomenon," she says.



Talking about her first born, Ishaan, who was colicky, Aiyar says, "Every scream was like a personal rebuke on my mothering skills. I used to think why my child is a crazy demon. I avoided going out thinking what if he cries." It was a tough time for Aiyar as a professional too. There were important things happening around her at that time-the Lehman Brothers crisis was all over in newspapers and on television, but she was just not able to engage beyond her child. "For me, therefore, it was important to make this ordeal of motherhood public," she says.



Also Read: After losing 8-year-old daughter to cancer, mother shares haunting photo to raise awareness

So, can women have it all? Aiyar says, "No. Life can be gendered. While I was in a state of emergency, like a soldier on war postchildbirth, my husband, Julio, seemed to have the mental space to pursue his interests like reading and politics. While the child affected me the most, I resented my husband being so calm." Over the years Aiyar but seems to have made peace with the fact that the fifty-fifty parenting split that she had envisaged is never going to materialise. She says, "The intensity of feelings behind the battles with my husband, and with myself have dulled." It is easy to complain about motherhood as it is tedious, thankless and exhausting, she says, but "harder to explain why is it so precious."

--- ENDS ---
Who are you? Who, who? Who, who? I really want to know.

I apologize for inflicting an earworm from The Who but the question the bands lyrics asked in 1978 (and never really answered) looms especially large these days.

Not in the existential way that has befuddled some of my peers since their first toke on a marijuana cigarette. No, I mean in the sense of a life pedigree. Name, age, sex, race. Things that identify us. Officially.

I know who I am. But in a world that includes thieves and worse, can I prove it to you?

Until I was 15, when I got a high school photo ID, I did not exist in the formal identification sense. Then came a drivers license. It provided the ticket to motoring freedom  and a lesson in the potential for fraud.

By using an X-Acto knife to surgically rearrange numbers on what was then a plain paper card, someone could make himself appear older. That is, drinking-age older. How easily 12-14-50 could become 12-10-45. Laminate the thing and the forgery would be hard to notice.

Higher tech intervened. My home state of Illinois started using separate-colored backgrounds behind month, day and year, so alterations would stand out. Such a simple solution for a simple problem in a simple time.

As a kid, I saw an ID card as a badge for belonging. I was so proud of my high school newspaper press card that I still have it. Heck, I even married the student editor, whose signature made the thing official.

My Vietnam-era draft card made me realize that belonging was not always an optimal thing.

Very few IDs of that era had photos. Not even drivers licenses, which did list age, sex, height, weight and the colors of hair and eyes. Who you were didnt matter so much in a mostly cash, pre-terrorism society. You didnt even need identification to board a plane.

In the 1980s, I became aware of a threat that society came to call identity theft. I shared an office with a reporter who lived in Maplewood and rented out a room. Before moving on, his boarder got credit cards in his landlords name and enjoyed the abundant advantages of living at his victims mailing address.

I think my friend spent a very unpleasant year of writing letters and making phone calls to sort it all out.

Now, the internet is electronically putting the risk of a thieving boarder into pretty much everybodys home.

A year or two ago, I was startled to receive a credit card statement showing that I had bought some fancy tool at a store I never visited, in Springfield, Ill. The problem was resolved with ease.

But Im not sure what mischief to expect from the Hannah matter. Hannah, if she exists at all, seems to skip out on bills that end up mailed to my address. Im leaving out her last name here to protect any innocent others of the same moniker. For months, my wife and I have returned the dunning letters to their senders. Now were getting phone calls, too.

I was working late in my garage on a recent night when a wrecker pulled up and its driver asked, Does Hannah live here? I laughed, and replied, Youre the repo man, arent you? And he was. Hannah, if youre reading this, theyre after your Hyundai Elantra.

These days, identification has become a key to keeping terrorists off airplanes and putting them into jails. And yet, except perhaps for people with passports, there is no universal, virtually certain identifier.

This is despite technology that would let us microchip everyone, like our pets. My modern press card has a tiny transmitter that opens the security gate in the newspaper lobby. If my body had one, I could just emit my identification to anyone with a device to read it.

But maybe we have no universal identifier because that kind of technology scares the heck out of a lot of us. I know some folks grasping at the last threads of their anonymity. In vain, I think.

Even if you live without the cellphone that leaves a trail of electrons wherever you go, there are assorted license plate readers and facial recognition cameras and probably some amazing tools still kept secret.

Not bothered to be me, I kind of like the idea of having a simple, verified way to prove who I am. Thats the aim of REAL ID, a Homeland Security program that encourages states to provide drivers licenses that meet high standards of reliability.

Illinois just got on the bandwagon. Missouri officials apparently remain skeptical of promises that the information wont all end up in some Big Brother federal database. Given that technology stripped so much of our privacy years ago, I dont know that it would matter.

And if it would help in any way to find the elusive Hannah, so much the better.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  Tiffany Outlaw, who knew activist Darren Seals Jr. from the Michael Brown protest movement, listened in a pew at Greater St. Mark Family Church as he was eulogized Saturday.

I was telling my mom that now I know what it felt like when Martin Luther King was killed, said Outlaw, 32, of St. Louis. Its the same feeling.

Outlaw was among several hundred people at the funeral for Seals, 29, of north St. Louis County, who was found fatally shot inside a burned car in Riverview on Sept. 6. Its terrible, she said, wiping away tears.

Seals had been active in protests in Ferguson after the police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. Among the speakers at the funeral Saturday was Browns father, Michael Brown Sr.

He showed my family love, he said. He went real hard for my family. I cant do nothing but show some love and respect for his, too.

Also speaking was Seals father, Darren Seals Sr. I miss my son, I miss him a lot, he said. I forgive the person who killed him, because Im a Christian. God is going to deal with you.

He said he was overwhelmed by the love displayed for his son in news accounts and on social media.

He asked those attending to stop blaming the police for everything. We are killing each other, he said. We got to step up.

Lewis Reed, president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, presented the family with a resolution from the board.

Reed said that when people read about the Brown protest movement, they will be able to look into the records of St. Louis and read about Darren (and) that he made a difference in his life.

Reed said Seals had been focused on moving for positive change. That needs to remain as the focus, he said. Go out, shake it up and make it happen.

St. Louis County police continue to investigate Seals death. A police spokesman, Officer Benjamin Granda, said the public has played a crucial role in trying to find Seals killer.

We have been sitting down with activists and having an open dialogue, Granda said.

He added that police want to continue to build bridges since Ferguson, because we are all working toward the same goal. We all want justice for Mr. Seals and his family.

Christine Byers of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
CRESTWOOD  Eric Greitens campaign office in a strip mall in this southwest St. Louis County suburb is the same glass-walled room where dozens of his supporters stood at attention six months ago.

Most of them then were veterans, some wearing camouflage. They barked out their allegiance to him in martial unison, multiple American flags crowded behind them.

On a recent Saturday morning, Greitens and his supporters again packed into the room  but the room and the crowd looked very different. There were notably more women and children, with little if any camouflage in sight. There was a flag, but not a forest of them. There was a sign-up sheet for volunteers. There were pastries.

In the earlier gathering, Greitens, a former Navy SEAL then seeking the Republican nomination for Missouri governor, gave a seething speech in which he accused opponents in the GOP primary of lying about his military record. I am proud of every day that I served, and every veteran should be proud of every day that they wore the uniform of the United States of America, he declared, to a chorus approving shouts from the assembled veterans.

Now battling Democratic Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster for the governors office in the Nov. 8 general election, Greitens more recent message was kinder, gentler and aimed right at the moms in the room: We are committed to serving you as a family, he said, after referencing his wife, Sheena, and their two young sons. We recognize that this is a family endeavor.

Greitens  who made national news during the primary for a campaign commercial in which he fired a semi-automatic rifle to set off an explosion  has disarmed since winning the GOP nomination Aug. 2. His first post-primary commercial traded in the weaponry for stirring music and an into-the-camera explanation of how he founded the philanthropic organization the Mission Continues to help returning veterans help their communities.

It is the textbook definition of a general election pivot. While former Navy SEAL remains at the top of his resume, Greitens now is as likely to mention his humanitarian work in Calcutta, India, as his military record in Iraq.

He hasnt changed his standard conservative positions on right to work, gun rights or abortion. But his speeches now focus more heavily on political reform, economic growth and other issues that resonate with the center.

Im telling you, he told the Crestwood gathering last month, emotionally bemoaning the unemployment rate, people are hurting in the state of Missouri.

Broadening the base

Even when he mentions bedrock conservative themes such as welfare reform, he tends to put a human spin on it these days: Were going to reform welfare so that more people can step out of poverty and into the middle class and live lives of purpose and dignity and meaning.

Kenneth Warren, political science professor at St. Louis University, called Greitens pivot Politics 101.

Winning the primary is different than winning the general election. Hes got to appeal to a much broader base. Hes got to go after independents  and moderate his pitch, Warren said.

He noted that a majority of Missouris general-election voters live in urban areas, while a majority of Republican primary voters dont  a factor that, in itself, necessitates a change in focus and tone. Youre not going to see any of those sorts of gun ads from the primary in Greitens general election campaign, Warren predicted.

Such thematic flexibility may come easily to someone of Greitens wide-ranging resume: The 42-year-old Maryland Heights native and Parkway North graduate is a former soldier, Rhodes scholar, White House Fellow, author and Democrat-turned-Republican nonprofit founder.

Im a political scientist, I look objectively at these things, and when I first read his resume, I thought, My God, said Warren. Hes got an incredible resume, an almost a too-good-to-be-true resume.

What Greitens resume doesnt include is even one minute in elective office. He has sought to turn that lack of political experience to his advantage with his political outsider mantra, focusing heavily on political ethics reform.

Despite a generally more positive general election persona, there have been recent reminders that Greitens still has the combat veterans willingness to attack.

For example, Greitens campaign has taken to regularly blaming Koster for violent crime in Missouri  a tactic that appears based in either misunderstanding the attorney generals duties or in hoping that the public will.

Chris Koster is the chief law enforcement officer of the state of Missouri, and do you know what his legacy is? Murders are up 30 percent. Rapes are up 60 percent, Greitens told the crowd in Crestwood, repeating a common talking point he employs on the trail. Were talking about lives that are lost, lives that are damaged, because of Chris Kosters failures.

The problem with that line of attack is that prosecution of violent crimes is handled by local prosecutors, not the attorney general. Kosters office can get involved in a criminal case only under special circumstances, at the behest of other officials; it isnt his regular job. In terms of statutory duties, blaming the attorney general for the violent crime rate makes as little sense as blaming the state treasurer or the lieutenant governor.

When this was pointed out to Greitens recently, he doubled down, using the unrest in Ferguson as an example. As the chief law enforcement officer, (Koster) should have imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew, said Greitens. But in fact, the attorney general doesnt have the lawful authority to do that or anything like it.

Moments like that, indicating lack of governmental knowledge by Greitens, could play into Kosters campaign strategy of painting his opponent as too inexperienced to be Missouris chief executive.

Mending fences

Another lingering concern for Republicans is whether Greitens will be able to unite a Republican Party that was badly fractured by a brutal four-way primary, which he won with less than 35 percent of the vote. He won in part by attacking political insiders, including the lobbying industry, political donors and the Republican-controlled Legislature, as corrupt.

Its a different race, but the message and the strategy isnt changing that much, maintained Austin Chambers, Greitens 21-year-old campaign manager: Hes going to come in and shake up Jefferson City.

Its a strategy that in some ways has been as divisive as it is successful. Some key traditional Republican-leaning groups in agriculture, law enforcement and gun rights have opted to endorse the Democrat, as have some key GOP donors. In Jefferson City, some Republican lawmakers havent gotten over their friendly-fire injuries from Greitens during the primary campaign.

He definitely has a lot of fences to mend, state Rep. Dave Hinson, R-St. Clair, told The (Washington) Missourian last month. Its all right to say youre an outsider, but you cant criticize everyone you have to work with now as a career politician.

A planned party unity event the morning after the election had to be canceled because one Greitens GOP opponent, businessman John Brunner, refused to attend. Brunner has since disappeared from the political radar. Fellow primary candidate Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has endorsed Greitens but has yet to campaign with him.

Of his primary opponents, only former Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway has stumped with him. Of course, I was hoping Id be standing here advocating for myself, Hanaway told the crowd in Crestwood, drawing a big laugh.

She touted Greitens familiar primary-campaign persona as an American patriot.

But she ultimately rested her argument for him in civilian territory: Eric and Sheena have a beautiful family, and they understand what all of us understand: that all the effort that we put forth isnt to serve ourselves, its to make a better Missouri to pass on to the next generation.
MILLSTADT  Live Oak Wine Decor in Millstadt is what it sounds like: Owner Dave Chaput takes used wine barrels and wooden shipping crates and makes them into decorative and functional items.

Its a pretty wide array of items, ranging from bar stools, tables and Lazy Susans to hot pads made of wine corks and beer and wine flights made using staves from wine barrels. Custom laser engraving also is offered at the shop.

At least a hundred people have something made at the shop but they may not know it: When Columbia-based Stumpys Spirits Distillery unveiled a new bourbon at a recent release party, the first 100 of those bottles came in custom engraved wooden cases made at Live Oak.

Customers also can rent items from the shop.

Chaput, who lives in Smithton and is relatively newly retired, says hes loved woodworking all his life. Running his business, he says, sure beats his previous jobs.

Q: How did you come to starting this business?

A: Weve been operating ever since about the first of this year. I retired last year. Ive been the CFO of a couple mining companies. My last job was in Denver. I met some people out there who did similar stuff and kind of inspired me to do a wine-themed business. Its pretty popular with people. Weve focused on a couple of different areas using wine crate panels and wine barrels for wine-themed home decor. Ive always liked woodworking, always been a woodworker so it seemed a natural fit to meld the two things together. It was a good time to do it. I was able to get this building; its kind of a neat old building. Used to be a hardware store. Its all worked out pretty well.

Q: Seems like anything wine- or booze-themed is successful. Why might that be?

A: We had a couple in here who were redoing their basement. They bought a bunch of stools and an end table and some mirrors. The wife was like, Well, Ill take one of these and two of these and so on. Im not really sure (why the wine theme is so popular). Its kind of that rustic feel, the wine feel. We also do event rentals. Weve been involved with a number of people getting married at outdoor venues or wineries and weve rented out barrels, glass-top tables, candle staves. Weve also got raw oak planks with the bark on them that we use for tabletops.

Q: When you think up ideas of things to make, is the sky the limit for that creative process?

A: I like them to be functional pieces of art, if you will, that people can use. The Lazy Susans for instance are pretty practical, some of the trays made out of the wine panels are good for parties or in the kitchen.

Q: I assume this work is more relaxing than being a company CFO.

A: Its a lot better. I get a lot of flexibility. Its not the 9-to-5 grind or the 7-to-7 grind, if you will. I was in the mining business for 35 years. Thats pretty intense stuff. This is much more relaxing, much more enjoyable.

Q: What was it like making the transition from that life to this one?

A: Ive met a lot of really nice people in Millstadt. A lot of people have come by to see what were doing. Theyll see the barrels in the windows and want to know whats going on. Had some really great people drop in. Running your own business, in a lot of ways its so much easier because you dont have 50 people working for you. But now youre dealing with credit cards and sales tax and all the minutiae. You start out just wanting to make stuff, soon it becomes a real business. But its not bad. Its all stuff that I know about. I think if youre starting from scratch and trying to learn all that stuff and didnt have any experience, it would be more difficult.

Q: Where are you getting your raw materials from?

A: The barrels we get from a few different barrel brokers, ones in Denver and ones in Milwaukee. But all the barrels essentially come from California. We have to buy them a truckload at a time for it to make sense. The panels and crates are a little bit more difficult. The barrels all end up in one place but the crates all end up in different liquor stores or distributors. Thats a little more work to try to collect those. But Ive made a number of contacts across the country where I can get the crates.

Q: Youre reusing things originally meant for a single purpose. Whats it like giving new life to these materials?

A: They have so many barrels in California that a lot of times theyre just getting thrown out or cut in half so people plant flowers in them. Theyre wasted. I like wood, I hate to see the wood wasted. Its nice to be able to get that repurposed or recycled and put it to use again. Well make something for people that theyll be able to use in their home and enjoy for a long time. We refer to it kind of as a useful piece of art, something they can use and enjoy seeing.
Dalton Prager, who was striving to reduce his dependence on a ventilator so he could travel to see his wife, in hospice care in Kentucky, died Saturday in St. Louis.

My angel, my best friend, the love of my life, my husband went to be with the Lord our God today, Katie Prager wrote on the couples Facebook page.

The Pragers were featured in a story in the Post-Dispatch last week about their fight to be together.

They were born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that attacks the lungs and also affects the digestive system and multiple other organs.

Both had received lung transplants. Katie Prager, 26, never fully recovered and moved home to Kentucky and went on hospice care.

She wanted a visit with Dalton, 25, but he developed complications after his lung transplant and moved to the St. Louis area near his parents for care. He was fighting pneumonia in Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

The couple had not seen each other since their fifth wedding anniversary in July, when they spent about 10 minutes together in a hospital room.

Our situation hasnt been ideal, and it hasnt been the easiest, but the one thing I want people to know is that we still have each other even if it is long-distance, she told the Post-Dispatch last week. Even if I dont get to see him again.

On Saturday, Daltons mother, Renee Prager, wrote: You may Breathe Easy now my son. You are my true hero.
HOUSTON  Miguel Moll knew the risk of rape when he was thrown into a Texas jail in 1989 after joyriding in a stolen car.

Then 17, he was placed in a holding pen in Houston, and an older inmate said of the teenager, I got this one. The comment sparked the first of many fights Moll had while behind bars.

The mentality you have to develop very quickly is either that of a wolf or that of a lamb, he recalled.

A generation later, the federal government has adopted guidelines intended to prevent prison rape in part by separating young offenders from adult inmates. But four years after the rules were supposed to take effect, they are proving difficult to adopt in the nations crowded jails and penitentiaries.

Since 2012, states have been working to meet the standards set forth by the Prison Rape Elimination Act, or PREA, which was partially inspired by the 1996 death of Rodney Hulin, an undersized 17-year-old inmate who hanged himself in Texas after his requests for help after repeated rapes by adult inmates were denied.

Texas sheriffs offices say separating the two populations has been a challenge because of overcrowding and steep costs.

Its a big logistical headache, Brazos County Sheriff Chris Kirk said.

The law was also supposed to provide for better staff training, improved reporting and investigation of all sexual assaults behind bars and more money for research.

In 2011-12, an estimated 4 percent of state and federal inmates and 3.2 percent of jail inmates reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another inmate or facility staff, according to the Justice Department.

The rape-prevention law is a valuable and important act, and we take it very seriously, said Ryan Sullivan, a spokesman for the Harris County Sheriffs Office, which has about 150 youth offenders at its jail in Houston. The facility holds more than 9,000 inmates.

The Harris County Jail was cited in a May audit for not housing 17-year-old offenders apart from adult inmates. Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas County is spending more than $11,000 per week to keep at least 60 juveniles separated from adults at its jail complex.

Like Moll, Art Medina was incarcerated at 17 in Texas. He was later sentenced to life in prison in 1985 for his role in a fatal Houston-area carjacking and spent 15 years in solitary confinement after seriously wounding an inmate who threatened to rape him. He was paroled after serving a total of 26 years.

Now in their 40s, both men have returned to the prison system as volunteers to help adopt the PREA standards. Medina said in the past inmates felt like nobody cares about them.

That culture has changed. People are being held accountable, he said.

The nations 7,600-plus prisons, jails, community-based facilities and juvenile detention centers are being checked on their compliance with the law. So far, only 12 states are in full compliance, according to the Justice Department. Thirty-six other states say they are working to comply.

Still, the department said in an email that it is sees evidence of a very substantial effort nationwide to satisfy the new standards.

The age separation has been especially complicated in states such as Texas that prosecute 17-year-olds as adults. Advocates say some facilities still question whether the federal mandate applies to them.

In many jurisdictions, one of the biggest barriers is summoning the political will to make changes, said Brenda Smith, who was a member of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, which helped develop the standards.

States that do not comply face losing 5 percent of their federal prison grants. County jails and local lockups are usually not included in the determination of whether a state is in compliance. Locally run facilities have no risk of losing federal money unless that funding is directly tied to a state contract for jail services.

Smith, a law professor at American University in Washington, D.C., said that means local authorities can only be held accountable by public criticism or lawsuits.

In Michigan, the prison system faces federal and state lawsuits filed by prisoners who allege officials failed to adequately separate offenders ages 14 to 17 from adults, resulting in sexual assaults.

A Wisconsin legislative report concluded in July that the states prison system was not splitting up the age groups. And an American Civil Liberties Union survey in North Carolina in 2014 found that none of the 60-plus county jails that responded appeared to be in complete compliance.

Those findings have renewed calls for the states that prosecute 17-year-olds as adults to raise their age of adult criminal responsibility to 18. Those states include Texas, Michigan and North Carolina. Sullivan, Kirk and other Texas jail officials say they would be in favor of raising the age.

Efforts to raise the age failed in the last legislative session in Texas, but advocates plan to try again next year, said Elizabeth Henneke, policy attorney with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
LIMA, Peru  Four centuries ago the Count of San Isidro planted nearly 2,000 olive trees from his native Spain in a sprawling grove on the edges of Lima, the capital of colonial Peru.

Perfectly suited to the arid climate, the olive trees thrived as the city grew around them. Their twisting, knobby trunks and shady leaves became the centerpiece of a park named for them  El Olivar  thats a magnet for couples, exercise enthusiasts and children on school field trips.

However, in a feat of poor planning, officials surrounded the trees with a 25-acre carpet of crabgrass that every week receives more than 2 million gallons of water, practically drowning the 1,700 trees.

After nearly a century of overwatering, many of the slow-growing trees are at risk of dying. Eleven have exposed roots and are in danger of falling, as one did in 2014. The problem is drawing attention to how residents and city planners waste scarce water resources ornamenting Lima with lush parks unsuited to the capitals dry environment.

Lima was built atop a desert, Maureen Vilca, a teacher at a private Catholic school, reminded her students as they sat under the trees on a recent school day.

The district of San Isidro, Limas wealthiest and best-organized, is looking for ways to urgently fix a problem created by previous administrations. Under consideration are plans to substitute the current grass for a less thirsty species, or using targeted irrigation techniques to prevent overwatering. Under normal conditions the trees could live more than 1,000 years, said Fernando de la Vega, who oversees San Isidros parks.

Salustio Pomacondor, a forestry expert, said the lack of water planning is endemic to Lima. He cited as an example a 6-mile stretch of parks along El Malecon, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean and which the city spent years improving without much consideration for the constant watering that such immaculate landscaping requires.

Another example of the focus on aesthetics over utility is the preference on downtown sidewalks for willows, a tree usually found next to rivers and which requires 40 gallons of water each week.

Pomacondor said the majority of Limas 9 million residents have little notion of how scarce a resource water is in the capital despite the fact that annual rainfall rarely exceeds a third of an inch. While an estimated 700,000 residents have no access to running water, the rest consume an average of 66 gallons a day, more than their counterparts in other Andean capitals such as Bogota, Quito or La Paz.

Everyone plants whatever they feel like, he said.
A notorious runaway robot was arrested and the police had to handcuff the electronic device after somebody called the authorities to complain about it.

By India Today Web Desk:

A crazy runaway robot was found lingering outside a political rally when people called the authorities and soon police arrested the machine. The robot has already escaped from its lab twice.

The infamous robot -- Promobot -- was supporting Russian Parliament candidate Valery Kalachev in Moscow when authorities attempted to handcuff it and take it away.

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Promobot which is short for Promotional Robot, is a unique machine created by Russian scientists and is designed to work in customer relations. It can realistically interact with humans and can even remember every person it has ever met.

It is believed that the arrest occurred after a member of public called police, as Promobots were recording the opinions of voters on a variety of topics "for further processing and analysis by the candidate's team".

According to a Mirror report, a company spokesman told Inverse magazine, "Police asked to remove the robot away from the crowded area, and even tried to handcuff him".

Thankfully, "According to eyewitnesses, the robot did not put up any resistance".

Watch the hilarity of it here.





It is not the first time the infamous Promobot has hit the headlines as in the past, it has escaped its lab twice, which caused chaos in the city. Although the ruckus soon ended after its batteries ran out.

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People in the news business spend more time examining their consciences than a monastery full of monks. Having spent time in both institutions, I know this for a fact.

Lately the news industry has been angst-ridden by suggestions that political coverage has been too hard on Democrat Hillary Clinton and too soft on Republican Donald Trump. The debate, which goes under the generic term false equivalence, had gasoline poured on it in a Sept. 5 piece by the influential New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. He suggested that Trump was being graded on the curve, while meanwhile, we have the presumption that anything Hillary Clinton does must be corrupt.

Last week the polling guru Nate Silver of Fivethirtyeight.com took to Twitter with what he called a math-y way to think about the problem. Silver wrote:

Lets invent a unit called the mitt, after Mitt Romney, which measures a candidates scandalousness. Romney himself = 1 mitt (pretty low).

Silver also gave President Barack Obamas candidacies a single mitt-worth of scandalousness. Remember: You dont get a mitt for policy disagreements. Romneys 47 percent gaffe doesnt qualify, but the savageness of his Bain Capital layoffs would.

On this scale, Silver wrote, Hillary Clinton measures 5 mitts. Some stories are exaggerated. But theres a lot there! Much more than Romney or Obama.

Clinton is in fact treated by media as a 5-mitt candidate. Sometimes the balance is off. But overall she deserves  and gets  much scrutiny.

But Trump is a 50-mitt candidate! Theres everything: corruption, racism, lying, fitness for office. Like nothing weve ever seen before.

Trump gets harsh coverage. But it cant, or doesnt, fully scale up to his candidacy. Hes treated as a 7 mitt when hes really a 50.

The compromise winds up being that media covers Trump broadly, but thinly. Many vectors of reporting but not much sustained focus.

This is the smartest analysis Ive seen of the subject. Clearly there are some arbitrary aspects to what Silver labels as a mitt-worthy scandal. Does Trump really have 50 mitts? I started counting and only got to two dozen, but I could have missed a few.

Similarly, while Clintons old Whitewater-era financial finagling and her email troubles are certainly mitt-worthy, others are not so clear cut. Benghazi was investigated to a fare-thee-well and even partisan congressional committees dropped the subject. The Clinton Foundation investigations were full of innuendo, but no smoking guns. The basket of deplorables comment, like Obamas cling to guns and religion remark in 2008, falls into the category of true, but badly phrased and gratuitously insulting gaffes, not scandal.

At the risk of running afoul of Godwins Law (As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazism or Hitler approaches 1) its as if this were 1944 and people were comparing Adolf Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt. One killed 6 million Jews; the other locked up Japanese-Americans. Both bad, but there are degrees of bad.

The trouble with the political press gazing at its various navels is that the Washington press corps tends to follow a kind of group-think. And since the news media in the rest of the country get most of their political news and views from the Washington press corps, the group-think becomes pervasive.

In his 2013 book This Town, The New York Times Mark Leibovich described the insular nature of official Washington and the impulse for everyone, from civil servants to elected officials to lobbyists to reporters, to be part of the in-crowd. The city, Leibovich wrote, operates in a reality distortion field. The non-self-awareness is doubly astonishing for a place so preoccupied with how things play.

It takes some nerve to do as Krugman did and call out fellow members of the group. Being a Nobel Prize-winning economist grants a man a certain independence; people will probably still ask him to lunch.

Being a non-Washington political pundit is like having a seat way, way in the back of the last press bus. You cant do much first-hand reporting and thus must rely, like the non-pundit rest of the country, on people who have better seats on the bus.

Still, during the Whitewater scandal 20 years ago, I suggested that first lady Hillary Clinton might face obstruction of justice charges after the infamous missing billing records from her old employer, the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Ark., turned up in a closet in the Clinton White House. She would later explain in her memoirs that the house had been a mess. Thats a mitt.

That said, any of Trumps dozens of mitts is worse and collectively, they are disqualifying. That he wont release his tax returns is, by itself, disqualifying. So is the deal with Trump University. So are his business practices in the casino industry. So is the fact that the Trump Foundation is a sham. The list goes on and on.

Do the math. Count the mitts. Clinton is flawed. Trump is a fraud.
Fired for not shooting

Far too many times on these pages, we've recounted awful stories of unarmed people who died in police-involved shootings. It's easy to mourn the victim and judge the officer, while questioning why the use of lethal force is so often necessary to resolve confrontations. Unless we're there, none of us can fully grasp the pressures at play.

Here's a bizarre case that flips the typical scenario. On May 7, officer Stephen Mader, of Weirton, W.Va., encountered an upset, armed man who seemed to be goading the officer into firing first. Instead of opening fire and eliminating the threat, Mader opted to talk the man down, reasoning that the man wasn't thinking straight and might actually be attempting "suicide-by-cop."

Two backup officers arrived as Mader was working the situation. They saw that the man was armed and immediately shot him dead. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this week that Mader was fired from his job for not shooting. His commander reasoned that the exercise of restraint in an attempt to de-escalate wound up placing the other officers in danger as they arrived at the scene.

As in other police-involved shootings, we can't know for sure because we weren't there. But this certainly seems like a case in which an officer exercised his better judgment, tried to save a life, and is being punished for it. If any police departments in the St. Louis area are looking for an experienced officer who thinks first before pulling the trigger, Mader might be worth a recruiting call.

Make mine a double

Normally we don't go in for obscure social media contests but we're going to make an exception for Ted Drewes. Who wouldn't?

SoolNua, a marketing agency in Dublin, Ireland, tells us the fabulous frozen custard that St. Louisans have been devouring for 86 years is number one in the world. With 30,000 votes cast from 13 countries, Drewes topped Bratislava, Slovakia's, Koun brand, and ice cream from the five-star Grand Hotel Toplice in Slovenia to win the top spot in the #worldICECREAMindex.

Free for a fee?

Admission to the St. Louis Zoo is free, but studies by Washington University graduate students are not. The university is charging a discounted price of $10,000 to study admission fees for the zoo, and zoo President Jeffrey Bonner says he hopes a donor will cover the study's cost. If you're confused about who's paying what for which service, join the club. All we know is, the zoo is still free, and let's hope Bonner can come up with a cost and support structure to keep it that way.

Oops, Part Deux

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry should trademark the word "oops," because it'll forever be attached to his identity since he uttered it in a 2012 GOP presidential debate after forgetting the names of the three federal departments he would eliminate if he became president. Well, he's gone from the governor's mansion in Austin, and it's safe to say his presidential potential is null and void. So what's left?

"Dancing With the Stars," that's what. Perry somehow allowed himself to be talked into competing on the show  genius glasses and all. And his national debut this week was at least as embarrassing as his oops moment. So bad, in fact, that the show's judges gave him the lowest ranking among all competitors. The ranking tends to be a sign that Perry won't be long for the show.

At least he should get credit for trying. He says he wanted to train so he could dance at his daughter's upcoming wedding. Seems like a private session with former "Dancing With the Stars" champion Emmitt Smith, of the Dallas Cowboys, or an Arthur Murray dance studio closer to home might have been the smarter choice.

Nightingale falls silent

Robert R. Timberg probably won't go down in the annals of literature as one of the world's great authors, but his contributions documenting the scars of Vietnam deserve special recognition following his Sept. 6 death. The former Marine served in Vietnam from 1966 to early 1967, long enough to be badly injured and permanently disfigured in a land mine explosion. Undeterred by his injuries, he launched a second career as a journalist and book writer.

Timberg's seminal work, "The Nightingale's Song," chronicles the lives of five U.S. Naval Academy students who came of age as the Vietnam conflict was becoming the war that divided America. The five were John McCain, John Poindexter, Oliver North, Bud McFarlane and Jim Webb, each of whom rose to national political prominence and played key roles in the Iran-Contra affair of the 1980s.

Timberg's writing career placed particular focus on McCain, who became a U.S. senator after enduring severe injuries and torture during seven years of captivity in North Vietnam. We can't do justice to his work in this small space, but trust us when we say that Nightingale belongs on your top 10 reading list.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This item has been corrected to reflect the proper military academy featured in "The Nightingale's Song."

Health train

The St. Louis County health department will soon begin staffing a mobile health clinic at a north St. Louis County MetroLink station six hours a day, four days a week, thanks to a federal grant of more than $940,000.

The clinic will provide blood pressure and cholesterol level screenings, help connect patients with a primary care doctor and help them enroll in health care coverage. Commuters who need follow-up care will get a free transportation voucher. The clinic's goal is to reach 15,000 patients over 18 months.

Making it easier for North County residents to access health care is an excellent step to improve patients' health, encourage primary care physician visits and cut down on use of emergency room visits to treat routine health issues.
On Thursday, the day after the Republican super-majorities in the Missouri Legislature handily overrode 13 of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixons 20 vetoes from last springs legislative session, St. Louis Democratic Mayor Francis Slay tweeted: Lesson from the veto session: It matters who represents us. Please register to vote. And vote.

Hard to argue with that. But heres the rest of the story: In most of the legislative races in Missouri this November, theres only one candidate running.

In 97 of the 163 races for Missouri House seats, and eight of the 18 Missouri Senate races, only one major party candidate is running. Republicans are unchallenged in 66 House districts; Democrats are unchallenged in 31. In eight Senate races, four Republicans and four Democrats have no major party opponent.

Studies have found very few Americans can actually name the state lawmakers from their districts. But in Missouri, even if voters are hyper-informed, odds are that they wont have a choice when they get to the polling place.

Legislators want it like that. Every 10 years, when Missouri legislative districts are redrawn after the Census, political party committees nominate candidates to redistricting commissions. The governor chooses commission members from among those nominated, picking an equal number from both parties.

The commission members then cooperate in drawing districts that lean heavily to one party or another. Very few districts contain significant numbers of both Republican and Democratic voters. Only a handful of the 66 House seats where there are actual races this year are regarded as truly competitive.

This system favors candidates who can win party primaries with extremist views, yielding divisive partisanship once they get to the Legislature. Republicans dominate in outstate Missouri, Democrats in the big cities. Only in the suburbs can a moderate candidate from either party hope to find a competitive district, and increasingly suburban districts have become either deep red or deep blue.

The result is legislation like the no-limits gun bill and punitive fees on Medicaid patients that were passed this spring and then reapproved last week over Nixons veto. There is no longer a home for moderation in Missouri.

It doesnt have to be this way. As we have noted before, our neighbors to the north in Iowa found a way to draw legislative districts that dont pander to extremists. An Iowa body called the Legislative Services Agency, comprised of civil servants committed to nonpartisanship, draws the maps. The LSA is advised by a committee appointed by legislative leaders, but the appointees cannot hold elective or party office.

Missouri should follow suit. Politicians wont do it, so it will take a direct citizens initiative. But the result would be a Legislature that better reflects the common sense of all Missourians.
By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is celebrating his 66th birthday today. On the occasion, PM Modi flew down to Gandhinagar to meet his mother Heeraben to seek her blessings. Elaborate arrangements have been made in Gujarat and across the country to observe the birthday of the 14th prime minister of the country.

PM went to his mother's residence without the carcade or any officials. He greeted locals on his way home. This is the PMs third visit in recent times to Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due next year.

It's @narendramodi's birthday as he turns 66 today. Here is a look at some of the events from his life #ITSlideshow pic.twitter.com/xTKW1kVzCh India Today (@IndiaToday) September 17, 2016

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Governor O P Kohli, the entire Gujarat cabinet including the Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP leaders including the newly-appointed president Jitu Vaghani and hundreds of party workers welcomed Modi at the airport.

Apple CEO Tim Cook wished PM Modi on his birthday. Cook in a tweet wished the PM and also quoted Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.



A very happy birthday to @narendramodi. Vasudhaiva kutumbakam - the world is one family. Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 17, 2016

Also read: Modi-Prachanda reset ties; India extends additional Line of Credit to Nepal

After his grand reception, Modi thanked Gujarat BJP leaders and party workers and drove to the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar where he will spend the night. Some of the party workers seemed disappointed as Modi did not address them.



Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik's sand sculpture in Puri (Odisha) on the occasion of PM Modi's birthday. pic.twitter.com/GvwJsnrKGv ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

MODI TO MEET HIS RELATIVES



After meeting mother, Modi will meet other family members, Gujarat. Modi's mother lives with his younger brother Pankaj Modi in Gandhinagar.

Later, he would go to the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate various irrigations projects.

Dahod collector Lalit Padaliya said the inauguration ceremony will be held at Limkheda town, around 25 km from the city, and the PM will also address a rally there."The prime minister will inaugurate Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project," Padaliya said.

Also read: Will this Modi-special birthday cake break the Guinness World Record?



Later in the afternoon he would go to Navsari where he is scheduled to take part in a function where aid would be distributed to the differently-abled persons.

#WATCH PM Narendra Modi meets his mother on the occasion of his birthday today, in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). pic.twitter.com/pl3IPgWLC6 ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

PM TO ADDRESS GATHERING AT NAVSARI



"In Navsari, PM will distribute kits and aid to divyang citizens. He will also address a large gathering near Navsari town," Pandya said.

Incidentally, on the eve of Modi's birthday about 989 lamps were lit simultaneously in Navsari making it a rare feat.

Navsari (Guj): 989 lamps lit simultaneously on eve of PM Modi's birthday, makes Guinness World Record. pic.twitter.com/xH8uhBdPKe ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

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BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of next year's polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.

Last month Modi visited his home state twice -- to condole the death of Sawminarayan sects leader Pramukhswami Maharaj and later to inaugurate an irrigation scheme in Saruashtra region.

with inputs from PTI





--- ENDS ---
EAST HANOVER, N.J., Sept. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis today announced positive results of the Phase III EXPAND study showing that oral once-daily BAF312 (siponimod) significantly reduced the risk of confirmed disability progression compared with placebo in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). SPMS is a form of MS characterized by continuous worsening of neurological function over time, independent of relapses. Topline results of EXPAND were presented at the 32nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in London, UK.

BAF312 is an investigational selective sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator. Initial, first interpretable data from the EXPAND study show:

Treatment with BAF312 reduced the risk of three-month confirmed disability progression by 21% compared with placebo (p=0.013). The risk reduction for six-month confirmed disability progression was greater, further supporting robustness of the data.

A consistent reduction in the risk of three-month confirmed disability progression across predefined subgroups.

A significant difference in favor of BAF312 compared to placebo over 12 and 24 months in annualized relapse rate, the percent change in brain volume, and change from baseline in the volume of T2 lesions (brain lesions identified by a T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scan). The difference in change from baseline in the timed 25-foot walk test (T25FW) was not significant.

BAF312 was generally safe and well tolerated, with a profile comparable to other drugs in the same class.

"There are very few available treatment options to delay disease progression in SPMS, and there is a high unmet need for effective therapies with an acceptable safety profile for people with the condition," said Vasant Narasimhan, Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer for Novartis. "Novartis is the global leader in understanding the role of S1P receptor modulation in the treatment of MS, and the positive results of the EXPAND study are a continuation of our ongoing efforts to innovate and meet the needs of patients. These data are a positive stride forward in an unserved disease area, and we look forward to evaluating next steps with health authorities."

EXPAND is the largest randomized, controlled study in SPMS to date. Patients enrolled in EXPAND were representative of a general SPMS population. They must have been diagnosed with SPMS and also demonstrated progression of disability in the two years prior to study. The majority of patients had non-relapsing SPMS. The mean age at study entry was 48 years, and patients had a median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 6.0, which corresponds to the use of a walking aid.

Novartis will complete full analyses of the EXPAND data and evaluate next steps in consultation with health authorities. The full study results, including data from primary and secondary endpoints, will be submitted for publication.

About the EXPAND Study The EXPAND study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study, comparing the efficacy and safety of BAF312 versus placebo in people with secondary progressive MS (SPMS). It is the largest randomized, controlled study in SPMS to date, and included 1,651 people with SPMS from 31 countries. At the time of the study, individuals enrolled in EXPAND had a mean age of 48 years and had been living with MS for approximately 17 years. Patients had received a diagnosis of SPMS, and also demonstrated progression of disability in the two years prior to study. They also had an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score between 3.0 and 6.5 inclusive, with a median score of 6.0, which corresponds to the use of a walking aid. Patients were randomized to receive either 2mg BAF312 or placebo in a 2:1 ratio, respectively.

The primary endpoint of the study was the time to three-month confirmed disability progression, as measured by the EDSS, versus placebo. Secondary endpoints included delay in the time to six-month confirmed disability progression based on EDSS versus placebo, the time to confirmed worsening of at least 20% from baseline in the timed 25-foot walk test (T25FW), T2 lesion volume, annualized relapse rate (ARR), and the safety and tolerability of BAF312 in people with SPMS.

About BAF312 (siponimod) BAF312 (siponimod) is an investigational selective modulator of specific types of the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor. The S1P receptor is commonly found on the surface of specific cells residing in the central nervous system (CNS), that are responsible for causing CNS damage that drives loss of function in secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In-vitro studies show that BAF312 enters the brain and by binding to these specific receptors, may prevent the activation of these harmful cells, helping to reduce loss of physical and cognitive function associated with SPMS.

About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that disrupts the normal functioning of the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord through inflammation and tissue loss. The evolution of MS results in an increasing loss of both physical (e.g., walking) and cognitive (e.g., memory) function. There are three types of MS: relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS).

SPMS is characterized by gradual worsening of neurological function over time. This leads to a progressive accumulation of disability, independent of relapses, which can severely affect patients' abilities to carry out everyday activities. It usually follows an initial phase of RRMS, which accounts for approximately 85% of all MS diagnoses; a quarter of people with RRMS will eventually go on to develop SPMS within 10 years of their initial RRMS diagnosis, rising to more than three-quarters after 30 years. There remains a high unmet need for effective and safe treatments to help delay disability progression in SPMS.

MS affects around 400,000 people in the US.

About Novartis in Multiple Sclerosis The Novartis multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio includes Gilenya (fingolimod, an S1P modulator), which is indicated for relapsing forms of MS and is also in development for pediatric MS. Extavia (interferon beta-1b for subcutaneous injection) is approved in the US for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS. In Europe, Extavia is approved to treat people with relapsing-remitting MS, secondary progressive MS (SPMS) with active disease and people who have had a single clinical event suggestive of MS.

In addition to BAF312 (siponimod) in development in SPMS, investigational compounds include ofatumumab (OMB157), a fully human monoclonal antibody in development for relapsing MS. Ofatumumab targets CD20, and is currently being investigated in two Phase III pivotal studies.

In the US, the Sandoz Division of Novartis markets Glatopa (glatiramer acetate injection) 20mg/mL, the first generic version of Teva's Copaxone* 20mg.

Disclaimer The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by words such as "continues," "investigational," "continuation," "ongoing efforts," "stride forward," "look forward," "next steps," "will," "in development," "being investigated," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals for BAF312 and OMB157, potential new indications or labeling for Gilenya or Extavia, or regarding potential future revenues from BAF312, Gilenya, Extavia, OMB157 and Glatopa. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that BAF312 or OMB157 will be approved for sale in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that Gilenya or Extavia will be submitted or approved for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that any of BAF312, Gilenya, Extavia, OMB157 or Glatopa will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, management's expectations regarding such products and investigational compounds could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including unexpected clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the company's ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; general economic and industry conditions; global trends toward health care cost containment, including ongoing pricing pressures; unexpected safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation offers a broad range of medicines for cancer, cardiovascular disease, endocrine disease, inflammatory disease, infectious disease, neurological disease, organ transplantation, psychiatric disease, respiratory disease and skin conditions.

Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis AG, which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care and cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2015, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.4 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 8.9 billion (USD 8.7 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 118,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are available in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library For questions about the site or required registration, please contact [email protected]

*Copaxone is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Novartis Media Relations Central media line: +41 61 324 2200 E-mail: [email protected]

Eric Althoff Novartis Global Media Relations +41 61 324 7999 (direct) +41 79 593 4202 (mobile) [email protected] Christine Cascio Novartis Division Communications 862 778 8026 (direct) 862 926 7992 (mobile) [email protected]

Novartis Investor Relations Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944 E-mail: [email protected]

Central North America Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944 Richard Pulik +1 212 830 2448 Pierre-Michel Bringer +41 61 324 1065 Sloan Pavsner +1 212 830 2417 Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425 Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novartis-baf312-reduced-the-risk-of-disability-progression-in-pivotal-phase-iii-study-in-secondary-progressive-ms-patients-300329758.html

SOURCE Novartis
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has released an updated agenda for its 2016 Iran Risk Summit, a public event featuring a distinguished lineup of current and former foreign leaders, lawmakers, and Iran experts to be held on September 19 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, on the sidelines of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.

The day-long public event of interviews and discussions will examine the political and economic environment since the signing of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Comprised of former diplomats and lawmakers, UANI is spearheading a global education campaign focused on the risks of doing business with Iran, warning hundreds of international companies that may be contemplating Tehran as a new investment opportunity.

To RSVP, please follow this link. A complimentary lunch will be provided for all attendees. More speakers will be added in the coming days.

Media interested in covering this event should email Steven Cohen at [email protected].

Iran Risk Summit 2016 Monday, September 19, 2016 Roosevelt Hotel, New York City 45 East 45th Street

8:00 - 9:00 AM Coffee & Registration 9:00 - 10:00 AM The Iran Nuclear Deal After One Year: The View from the United Arab Emirates Speaker:His Excellency Yousef Al OtaibaUnited Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States Moderator: Ambassador Mark D. Wallace UANI CEO and Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform 10:30 - 11:30 AM The Iranian Market: A New Gold Rush? Speakers: Governor Bill Richardson UANI Advisory Board Member; Former U.S. Secretary of Energy; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; and Former Governor of New Mexico Dr. August Hanning UANI Advisory Board Member; Former Director of the Federal Intelligence Service of Germany Dr. Matthew Levitt Fromer-Wexler Fellow and Director, Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence The Washington Institute for Near East Policy Moderator: Nicolle Wallace Political Analyst, MSNBC Former White House Director of Communications 11:50 AM - 1:00 PM The Future of the Iranian Nuclear Deal Speakers: The Honorable Eliot Engel (D-NY) [Invited] Ranking Member, House Foreign Affairs Committee U.S. Representative for the 16th Congressional District Dr. Gary Samore UANI Advisory Board Member Former UANI President Former White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction under President Obama 1:00 - 2:30 PM Iran's Destabilizing Role in the Middle East* Speakers: Dr. Ray Takeyh UANI Advisory Board Member Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Former Senior Advisor on Iran, U.S. Department of State Tony Badran Research Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Mohammed Khalid Alyahya Research Fellow, Gulf Research Center Non-Resident Fellow, The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East Moderator: Dr. Michael Makovsky CEO, Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs *A complimentary buffet lunch will be provided to Summit attendees during this session. 2:30 - 3:30 PM The Iran Nuclear Deal After One Year: Has Iran's Behavior Changed? Speakers: MK Tzipi Livni Co-Head, Zionist Union Party, State of Israel Former Israeli Foreign Minister and Justice Minister Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa Legal Advisor in the Kingdom of Bahrain Former President of the United Nations General Assembly and Former Bahraini Ambassador to France, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland Radosaw Sikorski UANI Advisory Board Member Former Polish Foreign Minister; Defense Minister; and Marshal of the Sejm Moderator: The Honorable Joseph I. Lieberman UANI Chairman and Former U.S. Senator (I-CT) 3:30 - 5:00 PM TBA: Current Government Officials to Speak

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160917005028/en/

UANI

Steven Cohen, 212-922-0063

[email protected]

Source: United Against Nuclear Iran
By Daria Sito-Sucic

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's top court upheld a ban on a "discriminatory" national holiday in the country's autonomous Serb Republic, setting the regional government on a collision course with the deeply divided country's central authorities in Sarajevo.

The Constitutional Court ruled that January 9, the date on which Statehood Day is held, discriminated against the region's Muslims Bosniaks and Catholic Croats since it coincides with a Serbian Orthodox Christian holiday.

January 9 is the date when Bosnian Serbs declared independence from Bosnia, precipitating a three-year war that claimed 100,000 lives when rival forces carved ethnically pure statelets out of multi-ethnic Bosnia with the backing of their kin in neighboring Serbia and Croatia.

The court also ordered a halt to next Sunday's regional referendum on holding the holiday. Many see the vote as a dress-rehearsal for a threatened 2018 plebiscite on full secession for the region. The court said the vote harmed the constitutional order.

The Serb Republic said it would push on with the poll in defiance of the court, drawing fire from Western officials who said the referendum was directly challenging the national judiciary and would be considered a threat to the rule of law and stability of the country.

"They cannot halt our decision," said Milorad Dodik, President of the Serb Republic. "We will vote in the referendum. We will show that the citizens of the Serb Republic stand by its holiday."

Bosnian Serbs commemorate Statehood Day by hanging out flags and holding religious ceremonies. But non-Serbs say celebrating it on a religious holiday violates their country's constitutional principle of secularism and pluralism.

Bosnia's international peace envoy Valentin Inzko, who has powers to impose laws or sack officials seen as obstructing the Dayton peace accords that ended the Bosnian war, said disrespect of the court's decisions would "constitute a direct and serious violation" of the U.S.-brokered peace accords.

"The Dayton Peace Agreement is an international peace treaty that cannot be challenged without consequences," the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia said in a statement.

Russia, a traditional ally of Serbs both in Serbia and in Bosnia, has backed it.

(Editing by Thomas Escritt and Dominic Evans)
People shop at a vegetables market near a damaged building in the rebel held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, August 30, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Armed conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa are not only devastating the economies gripped by fighting, but are sapping growth in neighboring countries and those hosting millions of refugees, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday.

In a new study analyzing 179 conflict countries since 1970 to quantify economic costs, the IMF found that the drops in economic output in war-torn Syria, Libya and Yemen in recent years have far exceeded the worldwide average.

After five years of war, Syria's gross domestic product is less than half its pre-conflict level in 2010, while Yemen lost 25 percent to 35 percent of its GDP in 2015 alone. Oil-dependent Libya saw its GDP fall 24 percent in 2014, the IMF said.

After three years of conflict, Middle Eastern and North African countries wracked by fighting suffered average GDP losses of 6-15 percentage points, compared to a 4-9 percentage-point average worldwide, according to the study.

Countries bordering a high-intensity conflict zone suffered an average annual GDP decline of 1.4 percentage points worldwide, with a bigger drop of 1.9 percentage points in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The migration of more than half of Syria's population - 6.6 million internally and more than 5 million to other countries - has magnified the economic losses, dramatically escalating poverty, unemployment and school dropouts in countries that were already struggling, the IMF said.

Many of the refugees are skilled workers, leaving the countries in conflict with a significant brain drain.

In contrast to Europe, where the influx of refugees from Syria and Yemen has only had a small economic impact and some positive effects, the migration has had a much more detrimental effect in Middle East and North African host countries, according to the study.

In Lebanon, migrants competing for informal employment have pushed down wages across the economy, pressuring already-stretched public services, including health care and education.

Physical infrastructure damage, now estimated at $137.8 billion in Syria and more than $20 billion in Yemen, represents a long-term challenge for policy makers and has reduced trade and output in neighboring countries, according to the study.

The IMF study urged policymakers to prioritize fiscal spending to protect human life and serve basic public needs.

It said the top priority for the IMF and other external partners was to scale-up humanitarian aid in conflict zones and neighboring countries hosting refugees, using grants and concessional loans as much as possible.

The study emphasized the importance for conflict-torn countries and their neighbors to maintain well-functioning institutions, especially central banks. These, in turn, should use monetary and exchange rate policies to shore up confidence in their economies.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico arrives for the European Union summit- the first one since Britain voted to quit- in Bratislava, Slovakia, September 16, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

By Tatiana Jancarikova and Jason Hovet

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Ukraine is doing less than Russia to meet its obligations under the Minsk peace plan, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday, stepping up calls for the European Union to end sanctions against Moscow.

Fico said sanctions have been ineffective while harming European Union and member Slovakia's economic interests. But added he would respect EU solidarity on the issue.

"When speaking about the implementation of the Minsk agreement, it needs to be said clearly that both parties are violating it. Actually, if we were to do an inventory of how Ukraine is meeting it, you would have to say Ukraine is meeting it even less than Russia," Fico told Reuters in an interview.

"With the Minsk agreement (to bring peace in Ukraine), it is necessary to take stock. It is not true that Ukraine is the good guy and Russia is the bad guy," he said.

The EU imposed energy, financial and defense sanctions on Moscow after it annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and agreed in June to extend them until the end of January.

Fico has repeatedly called for the end of the sanctions, most recently after meeting President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in August.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a phone call on Saturday to do his part in implementing the peace plan.

"The Chancellor expressed the opinion that the coming weeks must be used to take a decisive step forward," a German government spokeswoman said, adding Merkel told Poroshenko it was essential that both Russia and Ukraine demonstrated the political will to reach an agreement.

Merkel said last month there was no reason to lift sanctions as Russia has not fulfilled its commitments under the Minsk agreements aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine where Kiev and the West say Russia is arming and supporting separatist rebels.

Germany's Social Democrats, junior partner in Merkel's ruling coalition, have adopted a more conciliatory stance toward Moscow than her conservative bloc.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a senior SPD member, has said the EU should gradually phase out sanctions imposed against Russia over the Ukraine crisis if there is substantial progress in the peace process.

But Merkel insists the sanctions can only be lifted once the peace agreement is fully implemented, not partially.

Fico said on Saturday the sanctions had done nothing to change Russian policy. "Sanctions are harming the EU and Russia and they help the United States. I reject them but at the same time I won't break the unity of the EU on that," he said.

Slovakia holds the rotating EU presidency until the end of this year.

The central European country imports almost all its gas and oil from Russia, as well as nuclear fuel to generate two power plants. It exports cars to Russia, though these are just a fraction of its exports to the EU.

Some neighboring countries have also questioned the use of sanctions on Russia. Hungary has taken a similar line as Slovakia. Czech President Milos Zeman has also repeatedly called for ending sanctions.

(Additional reporting by Michael Nienaber in Berlin; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Dominic Evans)
Congress is all set to hold statewide demonstrations in Punjab on Sunday as Captain Amarinder Singh demanded arrest of Akali Dal leader Virsa Singh Valtoha for his alleged caste slur against Dalit MLA Tarlochan Soond.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday demanded immediate arrest of Akali legislator Virsa Singh Valtoha for his alleged caste slur against the party's senior Dalit leader and MLA Tarlochan Soond inside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

He said that if Valtoha was not arrested, the Congress would hold statewide demonstrations at block level on Sunday to protest the incident.

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"If anyone else would have made such remarks he would have immediately been arrested, why not Valtoha?" he asked with complainant Congress leader Tarlochan Soon on his side.

'WHY IS SPEAKER SILENT'

Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Captain Amarinder questioned the silence of Vidhan Sabha speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal over the issue. The Congress leader also criticised Speaker Atwal for summarily dismissing Soond's complaint without ordering an inquiry.

He alleged that despite himself being a Dalit, Atwal and other Dalit leaders from Akali Dal and BJP turned a deaf ear to the incident in order to keep their chances of getting election tickets alive.

'CRIMINALS ARE BEING ENCOURAGED'

The former Chief Minister expressed apprehension that the upcoming assembly elections might be violent in the state. He said that so many criminal gangs are active in Punjab as the government made the parole norms for criminals easy.

Captain Amarinder said that people like Valtoha were being deliberately propped up by the Badals to intimidate the Dalits and minorities. The presence of over 50 organised criminal gangs in the state and government's decision to make parole easy are dangerous signs ahead of elections, Captain Amarinder said.ALSO READ:

Captain Amarinder Singh slams AAP for failing to control dengue, chikungunya

Punjab University Students Union announces support for Congress

New political party Saadi Soch launched in Punjab







--- ENDS ---
A toy story which has put Sri Lanka on the world map By Alvin Sallay View(s): View(s):

BIYAGAMA: And here I was make-believing that God threw away the mould after he made me. This is something we all like to indulge in, feeding our ego like an obese child merrily stuffing his or her face with candy. But one look at the factory floor at DSL Lanka (Douglas and Sons) and my self-esteem was punctured rapidly for there were ranks and ranks of Alvins  a plush toy which is the brainchild of Mano Sheriff. She laughs when I tell her my bubble has been burst. Alvin the Aliya, or Elephant, is one half of the Meiya and Alvin toy collection which is cuddly and cute and is now widely sold in the US, Europe and Asia  and soon to be sold in Sri Lanka, the birth home.

Meiya the Mouse came first. I had created this toy and Mothercare suggested Meiya should have a friend and that I should do a childrens book about them, says Mano, managing director and CEO of DSL Lanka. A first-ever infant toy that combines soft textile and natural rubber the Meiya and Alvin collection is made for babies and toddlers. Mano, who pictures a world of innocence in which children can be who they are and where the purity of childhood is held sacred, has also done a storybook  A Day At The Park With Meiya And Alvin  which has been translated into seven languages including French, German, Spanish and Catalan.

Made at the BOI-approved company in Biyagama and launched two years ago, Meiya and Alvin has also been a big hit in the US where it went on sale last July. More than 150,000 pieces of the toys have been manufactured. Hundreds more were being made the day I discovered my mould was still around. To be precise it is many moulds as a single mould can only be used 15 times before it is cast aside and liquid rubber is poured into a fresh one. Mano takes me on a guided tour of the factory  they have another in Galle both of which employs around 900 workers  showing how her idea is born.

Returning from Australia

It all began back in 1991  the year she, her husband and two children, decided to move back from Australia where they had emigrated two years earlier. Im a chartered accountant by profession and when we were living in Australia (1989-90), I worked as a finance manager at a toy company, Mano relates. Fed up with life in not-so green pastures, the family returned home and Mano tied up with Saroj Perera, chairman of Douglas and Sons. I was working for an American company which said it would like to buy toys made in Sri Lanka. So I started my own buying company and DSL was the local collaborator who was in partnership with a Korean company.

From the inception I was involved in this company giving orders, and buying and exporting to the States. We were making Barrington Bear, Peter the Rabbit among other popular toys. In 2001 the Koreans moved out and DSL came under the full control of Mr. Perera. In 2006 he invited Mano to join him as a partner with the assurance that the orders would continue. A few years after becoming a partner, Mano decided it was time to start her own brand of toys and Bonnika was born styled on a doll owned by her grandmother. I still have this doll at home. It is made of porcelain and was quite a big doll, around 18 inches. We were only allowed to make dresses for it.

I never thought then that one day I would be making dolls and stuffed toys for children all over the world. Inspired by the porcelain doll, Bonnika a beautifully crafted rag doll was the first homegrown product from DSL and it rolled off the production lines in 2012. It was special as rubber and fabric was used, a combination never used before in the world of dolls which had always relied on porcelain and ceramic. This has led today to Meiya and Alvin, plush toys, each with its rubber head and stuffed bodies, making it easy for little hands to grip.

Alvin in the oven

My tour of the factory floor begins with the plastic moulds where the rubber heads of Meiya and Alvin are made. Large ovens bake the moulds for three hours before they are taken out and left to dry for a day. The heads, with the frayed edges shaved off, are then taken to a dehumidifying room where it is kept for two weeks so that the smell of rubber wears off. The heads are then spray and hand-painted with every minute detail etched. At another end of the production line, stuffing made out of recycled polyester from PET bottles is hosed into the bodies of Meiya and Alvin. It takes 60 days from start to finish. Each piece retails around US$18. The price is worth it for mothers around the world for their babies love it.

DSL manufactures around 250,000 pieces of toys every month yet Mano feels a lot remains to be done. She explains the split is 70-30 at the moment  70 OEM (buyers branding and selling the toys under their own name) while only 30 per cent are their own brands (Meiya and Alvin plus Bonnika). The target is within the next two years to make it an even playing field, 50-50. Her goals are quite attainable as the world is moving away from the plastic Barbie Doll to more natural products like those made in Biyagama.

The horror stories coming out of China  a few years ago American companies had to recall all their dolls made in China as they were found to have excessive amounts of lead in their paint  has also helped DSL. We are an environmentally- friendly factory, very green. But it is still tough to match the pricing out of China. We however have an edge as a lot of buyers love the fact that the toys are made in Sri Lanka. They know our factories are not sweat shops and that our workers are happy and have a smile on their face. Although our prices may be higher, they still come because of our ethical manufacturing standards, says Mano. And of course because of Meiya and Alvin. Who can resist an Alvin?
The truce has largely held since going into effect on Monday, but both sides have alleged dozens of violations.

By AP: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday questioned the US commitment to a shaky cease-fire in Syria, suggesting that Washington wasn't prepared to break with "terrorist elements" battling Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

BOTH SIDES ALLEGE VIOLATIONS

The truce has largely held since going into effect on Monday, but both sides have alleged dozens of violations, and aid convoys have been unable to enter rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo -- a key opposition demand.

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Russia has in turn accused Washington of failing to rein in the rebels, and on Saturday Putin asked why the United States has insisted on not releasing a written copy of the agreement. Officials have provided details of the agreement in press conferences, but have not released an official document, fueling suspicions on both sides.

"This comes from the problems the US is facing on the Syrian track - they still cannot separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from the half-criminal and terrorist elements," Putin said during a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

"In my opinion, this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad. But this is a very dangerous route."

He appeared to be referring to the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group previously known as the Nusra Front, which is deeply embedded in rebel-held areas and fights alongside more moderate groups.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Putin's remarks during a phone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Lavrov noted the "refusal by an array of illegal armed groups to join the cease-fire," and Washington's obligation to "separate units of the moderate opposition from terrorist groupings," according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

PROBLEMS WITH THE CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT

Under the cease-fire agreement, the US and Russia would work together to target the Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as the Islamic State group, while Assad's forces refrain from striking opposition-held areas.

But Washington has warned Russia that unless aid is delivered to Aleppo, it will not move ahead with the formation of the joint coordination center.

The UN has accused Assad's government of obstructing aid access to the contested city. The Russian military says insurgents have held up the delivery by firing on government positions along the main route leading into besieged, rebel-held districts, in violation of the cease-fire.

The Syrian government said it has done all that is necessary to facilitate the entry of aid convoys to Aleppo, but that armed groups have failed to withdraw from the supply routes and are committing "dangerous, provocative acts."

Russia's military said Syrian rebels violated the cease-fire dozens of times over the past day, including with strikes on military and civilian targets in Aleppo.

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VIOLATIONS

The Interfax news agency quoted Col. Sergei Kopytsin as saying Saturday that mortar fire and homemade rockets struck Aleppo 26 times. Russian news agencies cited another official, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Savchenko, as saying there had been 55 violations throughout the country. Syria's state news agency SANA said insurgents have violated the cease-fire 12 times in the last 12 hours. No casualties were reported.

Syrian activists said government forces have meanwhile killed five civilians. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a woman and child were killed Saturday in Talbiseh, in the central Homs province. It says two men were killed outside Damascus and a child was killed in Aleppo province.

The Syrian Civil Defense group in Homs said government artillery caused the deaths in Talbiseh. A video of the rescue mission showed bodies strewn across the ground.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced half the country's population since March 2011.

ALSO READ:

US, Russia reach deal for Syria ceasefire, truce from Monday

IS 'information minister' killed by airstrike in Syria: Pentagon

--- ENDS ---

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German investors to the rescue of failed CIFL By Quintus Perera View(s): View(s):

Battered depositors of the failed finance company  Central Investment and Finance Co Ltd (CIFL)  appear to be on lucks way when on Thursday a 5-member delegation from Vandell Financial Services SA, Germany arrived in Sri Lanka, partly with the intention of investing in and bailing out the local finance company. According to Wijaya Gunawardene, President, CIFL Depositors Association (CIFLDA), the German investors would be infusing Rs. 5 billion to revive CIFL. The delegation is expected to be in Sri Lanka for several days and if all goes well the investor has agreed to pay outright 50 per cent of the depositors deposits.

Speaking at the airport, delegation member -Joachim Spatz, former Member of the German Parliament/Advisor to Government and Private Financial Institutions in Germany and European countries, said they were planning to find a solution to the CIFL crisis and will have discussions with the authorities on this matter and other investment options. We are interested in the development of the country and very optimistic. We are also interested in the development of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, he said. Mr. Gunawardene, who was at the Katunayake Airport to receive the German delegation, told the Business Times that the total amount to be brought into Sri Lanka by this German investor would be around Euros 250 million out of which Rs. 5 billion would be pumped into CIFL and the balance for other investments in Sri Lanka.

While the investors are looking at other investments in the country and expected to have discussions with Reginald Cooray, Governor  Northern Province, to explore the possibility of investing in the north and also in the east. The German delegation is expected to have extensive deliberations in a bid to finalise the investment process with the Central Bank, Board of Directors of CIFL and the CIFL Depositors Association. The other members of the delegation are Prince David, Head of Delegation Team/CFO, VFS-Germany; Ms. Martina Skrezipietz, Chief of the Due Diligence, Investment Transaction Management; Rainer Kell, Assistant to the Investment and Transaction Management/Programme Manager and Volker Fehrensen,

Attorney at Law, Legal Advisor to Government and Private Financial Institutions in Germany and the European Countries. Several other CIFLDA officials were at the airport to welcome the delegation. Mr. Gunawardene said that this proposed investment is possible due to the intervention of C. Caldera, former Director, Finance & Guarantee Property Developers Pvt Ltd (also a collapsed finance company). Mr. Caldera is also the coordinator of the visit. The team is due to meet the media on 20th September. CILF was initially registered as a public limited liability company on 3 July 1968. Subsequently it came under the ownership of Deepthi Perera of ASPIC Group in 2004. It became a public liability company in July 2011 and is currently listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange with its share capital at Rs. 632 million.

As of December 2012, the public deposit liability stood at around Rs. 3.5 billion and around 4,200 depositors, many who are senior citizens and government servants. According to past records, the crisis  on top of the crash of finance companies after the Golden Key debacle in end 2008  occurred in December 2012 as the Central Bank drew the attention of the directors to some irregular activities. Then the authorities brought in Roscoe Maloney, owner of another failed entity, Touchwood investments, as an investor in May 2013 but a month later the latter disappeared abroad and to this day is yet to be traced by the authorities. The matter is now in courts where a bail-out plan is being discussed.
Hayleys enters tea bungalow tourism By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s):

The Amaya hotel chain is set to open up in Nuwara Eliya with four boutique bungalows on tea estates under the Hayleys Group with an investment of approximately Rs.200 million. Four tea estates belonging to Kelani Valley Plantations and Talawakelle Plantations are set to open up to the tourisms niche clientele as boutique ventures in Nuwara Eliya due to the increasing general demand and the fact that both these products go hand in glove, Hayleys Leisure Managing Director Lalin Samarawickrama told the Business Times.

These would be typical colonial bungalows and one of the oldest of those in the country located at Oliphant estate under the Kelani Valley Plantations is currently being renovated at a cost of around Rs.50 million, he said. The Oliphant bungalow would come under the Amaya brand and marketed along with the estate name with seven rooms scheduled to open in December for which marketing is set to get underway by the end of this month, Mr. Samarawickrama explained. This bungalow is set to offer tourists a lot of trekking, the Ceylon Tea experience and holidaying in the middle of Nuwara Eliya.

The other locations currently identified for the promotion of tourism on tea estates through its bungalows would be on Pedro Estate in Nanu Oya and other parts of Nuwara Eliya. Three bungalows would be under refurbishment throughout next year, the head of the groups leisure arm noted adding that these would comprise at least six rooms in each. Attracting visitors from markets like the Middle East who prefer to holiday in cooler climes like Nuwara Eliya and Kandy and the UK clientele that wish to reminisce the bygone era in the focus of this market, Mr. Samarawickrama explained.
Lanka Tiles to outsource much-in-demand tiles View(s):

Lanka Tiles PLC (Tiles) is gearing to outsource products that arent produced in Sri Lanka, but has a strong demand for customers here, officials said. Things like polished glazed porcelain tiles arent manufactured here. So, we want to outsource these tiles as they have a strong demand, an official told the Business Times. He said that the company is trying to outsource this from India. We are negotiating with a Gujarati firm to lease a manufacturing line of a factory there and outsource it, he said. He said that the fibre cement plant in the 100 acre land at Divulapitiya that Tiles has planned will start soon will produce ceiling boards, wall paneling and asbestos free roofing sheets.

This will open a huge market for us, he said. We will channel all production to the local market, he said. Given the demand and shift to larger format tiles, the company has been making necessary amendments to its existing production mix, while a capacity enhancement is expected at the end of FY 2017E. The investment on expansion is expected to be substantial during the year, he said adding that larger tiles attract higher margins.

Analysts say that the overall tile market continues to grow, albeit the industry as a whole being affected by the floods during the month of May. Tiles caters mainly to the local household market, which contributes 90 per cent to top line sales. (DE)
Lankawe Mehema Wenne Nehe  View(s):

Glancing through the pages of a Sunday newspaper on September 11, my attention was drawn to a government notice calling for public representations on the 2017-2021 National Action Plan for Human Rights. Ok, this is great, I thought. Here is a government that not only talks of transparency but makes it happen day-in-day-out. I was about to rally the troops (ask human rights groups whether they would be meeting to discuss some proposals to be presented) when I checked the closing date for public representations: Wednesday, September 14. Whoa! Just three (3) days for public representations and mind you Monday September 12 was a public holiday. Whos fooling whom! Checking the website www.mfa.gov.lk that was listed for more details, one finds a different deadline listed here:

Friday, September 16 which also happened to be a public holiday. It was like some hidden hand in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ticking off the boxes (one being the call for public representations) while the shoddy communication to the public could also be interpreted as a cosmetic gesture while a draft plan is been prepared. I was quickly reminded of veteran musician Sunil Pereras popular baila Lankaawe ape lankaawe but further digging revealed another side of this tale. That, in fact several dozen rights activists, academics and lawyers  representing civil society  have been co-opted into three committees dealing with civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights; prevention of torture and rights of women and entrusted with preparing a draft in each sector.

However in the two drafting committees on labour rights and migrant worker rights, representation is not even minimal from civil society and the people who really matter. The only trade union representative in the labour rights group is Leslie Devendra, among the last remaining veteran trade unionists but who is also Director General for trade union activities at the Presidents Office while the committee on migrant workers doesnt have any peoples representative or prominent one. Whats going on? The five committees are believed to have had their first meeting last week and expect to finalise drafts for each sector by the end of October 2016 in preparation for the plan to be effective from next year. The newspaper notice by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says inter alia that 

the inter-ministerial committee, established by the Cabinet of Ministers, to develop a National Human Rights Action Plan for 2017- 2021 has decided to call for observations or views from all stakeholders, including the civil society and interested organisations on the drafting of a new  action plan. The Inter-ministerial Committee on Human Rights Action Plan requests all interested stakeholders to send in their observations or views preferably before 14 September 2016, the notice said. This committee was appointed by the Cabinet on May 5, 2016 and it seems to have taken nearly four months to appoint drafting committees with hardly a month to prepare a final draft.

While other committees have ample representation from civil society though with limited time, labour rights and migrant worker rights are equally or even more important and not having civil society representation on two vital areas of Sri Lankas economy is inexcusable, particularly in todays Yahapalana environment. Some others who were associated with the previous 2011-2016 Action Plan discussions recall the many meetings in which civil society was involved in to draft the plan, five years ago and at a time when the Mahinda Rajapaksa-administration was hostile towards human rights activists. What is surprising is the rush to prepare a draft by a government that is more amenable to human rights and warm towards the international community.

With some of the most respected names in the human rights discourse represented in committees on civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights; prevention of torture and rights of women, proposals emerging these groups are most likely to be much better than the previous plan; except for labour rights and migrant workers. On the other hand plans are a-plenty in Sri Lanka but whether it works or is made effective is another matter of concern. The labour rights drafting committee comprises U.H.C. Priyantha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour; Rajiv Goonetilleke, Senior State Counsel; Dr. Champika Amerasinghe (a medical professional); Geoffrey Alagaratnam PC; Nigel Hatch PC; Leslie Devendra; Pearl Weerasinghe and S. Wimalaweeera, Ministry of Labour. Leslie Devendra and Nigel Hatch were also in this May 2011 drafting committee.

The rights of migrant workers committee this time has Yamuna Perera, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Employment; Yuresha de Silva, Senior State Counsel; Wasantha Seneviratne, Faculty of Law and a representative from the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs while in the May 2011 committee, Viola Perera from the Action Network for Migrant Workers which promotes Sri Lankan migrant workers, and W.M. Aponso representing employment agents were present. While in many ways, the administration is following a good practice of calling for tenders on public contracts and representation on issues of public importance, sometimes its behaviour like this weeks public call for representation on a human rights action plan is as if the ghosts of the Rajapaksas still prevail in the corridors of authority.

Its not too late to co-opt proper civil society representation in these two committees and delay the final draft to mid or late-November to make sure a proper working paper is before the Cabinet rather that a slipshod effort to portray labour and migrant worker rights. Signing off after a holiday-filled seven days which as usual makes it one of many unproductive weeks in Sri Lanka heres a line from Sunils classic  Engalanthe ehema wunath lankawe ehema wenne na Na na na me wage ratak aththe na.
National Budget leaves tiny space for citizens proposals By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

Public proposals for budget 2017 are pouring into the Finance Ministry in response to newspaper advertisements for representations from citizens while Treasury officials grapple to tackle the massive fiscal deficit, unbearable public debts and adverse trade deficit affecting the countrys economy. The Finance Ministrys Trade and Investment Department is now sorting out the proposals from the public in addition to numerous other work, ministry officials said. The department is sorting out suitable proposals in various fields relating to social welfare schemes, health and education, management of public sector income and expenditure and the infrastructure development, policy improvements in the area of trade and investment, SME sector and the deployment of the labour force, they revealed.

If these proposals contribute towards increasing the efficiency and productivity further discussions will be held before arriving at a final decision, they added. However the reality is that the inclusion of proposals sent by citizens in previous national budgets has been minimal as most of it is confined to personnel needs of individuals and did not serve the countrys interest or government policy at all, a senior Treasury official told the Business Times. Although one or two citizens proposals were incorporated in budgets presented during the last five years, it is around 30 to 50 per cent of proposals submitted by various organisations, trade unions, private sector institutions, the trade chambers, pressure groups and professionals that have been incorporated in previous budgets, official data perused by the Business Times revealed.

According to this data, the department received 1,285 proposals for the 2016 budget which was nearly a five-fold increase when compared with the proposals received for the 2015 budget. The average per year of citizens proposals for the budgets presented during the last five years was around 900 although the number of proposals dropped to 257 for the 2015 budget. Data shows that 609 proposals were included in the 2016 budget and of that around 300 had been submitted by various organizations, trade unions, private sector institutions, the trade chambers, pressure groups and professionals.

The ministry will entertain citizens proposals for the budget until October 1. Making ad hoc proposals for 2017 budgets will not solve the countrys economic problems, former President. National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) Sunil Wijesinha told the Business Times. Every budget proposal should be made by carefully analysing with current data covering almost all angles  fiscal, economic, administrative, social, legal, he said, adding; We have not seen any of the local organisations or individuals submitting their budget proposals following such a co-coordinated approach.

Those proposals seem to have been developed to satisfy the requirements of the moment and meet the needs of proponents rather than to fulfill the long-term policy objectives of the government, he added. Mr. Wijesinha has suggested handing over the task of handling and formulating budget proposals to a separate think tank without vesting the responsibility in a few Treasury officials and the Ministrys Department of Trade and Investment. Tax proposals are considered by the Treasury once a year at budget time during a few hurriedly-arranged consultations with departmental heads, he said adding that it should be done following a proper data analysis with the coordination of revenue collecting departments.
Samsung Galaxy Note7: Dont use but can be carried on-board View(s):

Global aviation regulators have issued a warning against the use or charging of Samsungs latest Galaxy Note7 smartphone but passengers are allowed to take it on board in their carry-on luggage SriLankan Airlines issued a statement on Thursday highlighting that it has completely banned the use or charging of Samsungs latest Galaxy Note7 smartphone onboard all its flights with immediate effect until further notice. The phones battery the airline noted was reported to have had several incidents of catching fire.

Passengers can carry the smartphone onboard as part of their carry-on luggage and not stow them in the checked-in baggage. Moreover, travelers will have to switch off the phone and remove the batteries as well before taking it onboard, officials said. The international Air Transport Association (IATA) and United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have also issued directives banning the use and charging of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on flights.

An announcement at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) check-in counters displays a notice for travellers on precautions to be taken by owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 device. It says that the device must be carried in carry-on baggage as stowing in checked-in baggage is prohibited; it should be switched off while onboard and not to be charged while onboard. Users were also advised to inform cabin crew when a device is damaged, hot, produces smoke, is lost, or falls into the seat structure.

Due to the current situation Samsung is planning on recalling its two million Galaxy Note7 devices sold worldwide. In the meantime the company has worked on a software patch that could be sent to these devices made available from September 20 and that will limit how much users can charge the device. In China, the South Korean brand Samsung will recall 1, 858 Galaxy Note7 units acquired as test devices ahead of the official start of sales.
US investment firm picks Kandy as its training and research centre View(s):

Wisewel LLC, an investment research firm based in Cleveland, US has set up a company in Kandy named Wisewel Sri Lanka to develop a team of Data Scientists and Quantitative Analysts to support its US operations. In a media release, Managing Director of Wisewel, Chandika Jayawardane, based in the US, says that their primary objective is to build algorithms to identify investment and trading opportunities in the currencies, equity and financial derivatives in the global markets.

Sri Lanka has a talent pool that could be effectively trained to function and excel in this field, he said adding that Kandy was picked at the first choice to start operations because of low risk of employee turnover and the high quality of candidates coming out of educational institutions such as the University of Peradeniya. Wisewel is working closely with the Department of Statistics and Computer Science of the University of Peradeniya. Recently the company recruited four university undergraduates as interns to train them on the algorithm development process.

These interns will be guided by Charith Wickramasinghe, an Investment Analyst based in Kandy Wisewel recently held a seminar in Kandy which was facilitated by its Chairman, Dr. Ananda Jayawardane through a videoconference linkup from the US. Dr Jayawardana explained the strategies used for training and development of new recruits and highlighted how the trainees will benefit from working for a US based financial organisation such as Wisewel.

Dr. Roshan Dharshana Yapa and Dr. Prabath Gunathilaka of the Department of Statistics and Computer Science at the University of Peradeniya explained what an algorithm is, its development process and uses. They said that it is a computer program developed after carrying out research on the behavioural patterns in the financial sector, and algorithms can be used to make investment decisions in a few seconds. They also added that the University of Peradeniya intends to build a Data Science Centre in the future.
Your electricity bill in 2020 By Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya View(s): View(s):

By August 2016, electricity sales growth recorded was 9.6 per cent (compared with the first eight months of 2015), the highest since 2010. So there is no relief on the demand front, to call for relief, now that Sampur power plant is delayed, suspended or cancelled. If the Sampur project went ahead, with essential additional environmental safeguards and technical/contractual amendments, relief would have come by 2020.

Impacts of bad decisions or indecision today on power generation, are felt only after five years, in the form of price increases and power cuts. Impacts of good decisions would take longer, to be implemented and to bear fruit, typically in ten years.

Have a look at the costs of electricity production and delivery, summarised from publications of the Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL).

2011: The first full year of operation of Norochcholai No 1 generator 2016: The first full year of operation of entire Norochcholai power plant

With Sri Lankas electricity prices still not adequately competitive with other countries in the region, what are the cost components that can be reduced? Certainly the highest cost is for generation energy, which includes fuel bills and purchases of renewable energy. Generation capacity costs are the next, which include fixed payments to independent power producers, depreciation in case of CEB licensees power plants, and fixed maintenance costs of both private and CEB power plants.

The generation capacity cost is Rs. 4.05 per unit of electricity sold, and for the first time, quite rightly, includes the fixed costs of Norochcholai power plant reflecting depreciation, interest and maintenance costs. Costs of distribution too are high, which must decrease to internationally accepted levels of Rs. 3 per unit sold. The date was Sunday, 31st March 2002. The

new Government of December 2001was just four months old. The Prime Minister called the Japanese Ambassador to his residence on a Sunday, mind you, to tell His Excellency the following: CEB engineers have misled the previous Government and the present Government. The Norochcholai Power Plant is cancelled, and therefore, Sri Lanka does not need Japanese financing to build such a power plant.

A press release was issued, on a Sunday, read out on evening news bulletins including ITN, signifying the urgent desire of the then Government to cancel the power plant. For whose benefit? Certainly not for customer benefit, as the generation cost figures show. Similarly, issuing a statement from Prime Ministers office, the Upper Kotmale project too was cancelled in 2003. At the end, both Norochcholai and Upper Kotmale were eventually built, and contributing today about 50 per cent of the daily needs of electricity, at an energy cost of less than Rs. 6 per unit. Now look at the production costs of electricity. The table elaborates how the cost of Rs. 8.62 per unit in 2016 is structured. Rs. 7.68 per unit of electricity at the point of production, when adjusted for the loss of 10.9 per cent of energy in transmission and distribution, would be Rs. 8.62.

The price Sri Lanka pays for renewable energy is very competitive, arent they? If you are happy with your electricity bills, if bills do not cause you to exclaim when you see them every month, then that is fine. This is not the case for many, especially the industries and commercial customers.

It was again a Sunday, 15th May 2016, that the Government picked to first announce the suspension of the Sampur power plant project (Sunday Observer). The project was about to enter construction. So the Government again works overtime on Sundays, not to build essential infrastructure projects to reduce electricity prices and stabilise the supply, but to urgently issue cancellation orders on power plants being built. By now, one by one, the new Government has either cancelled or suspended all power plants that were in the construction or planning stage. With the demand growing at 9.5 per cent per year, no significant power plants are being built, to meet the extra capacity need of about 200 MW each year.

So where do we go from here?

Actually, there is nowhere to go from here. Ideas to build power plants operating on gas, would take at least 10 years to materialise, produce electricity at a price higher than otherwise. Are we pursuing even the gas option in the proper manner? Information in the public domain say that the BoI has received four proposals for gas terminals, on which decisions (meaning deals) would be made within six months, obviously from parties known to the Government, because there was no bidding round publicly announced. With the need for competitive bidding firmly written in the law, all these proposals will surely fail, when contenders petition.

Besides, if the Government is not to harm the population with higher electricity bills, Sri Lanka needs only one gas terminal, not four as decided by BoI. So there will be no gas, no coal, but only diesel power plants, along with expensive renewables added in small quantities. The solar sangramaya will add more renewable energy at Rs. 22 per unit, work only during the day. So, here is the comparison of energy costs of generation, thanks to the Governments great initiatives in cancelling power plants on the drawing boards, and replacing them with,, well , nothing for now.

There are eight steps to disaster in electricity generation:

Ridicule planners, plans, engineers and economists,

Announce everything else to produce electricity is cheaper than what is given in the long term plans and the power plant projects in progress,

Cancel all power plant projects of any significance,

Fill newspapers with headlines saying that there are so many cheaper proposals at BoI and elsewhere to build power plants of various description,

Announce bids for diesel power plants, also offer to buy renewables at prices even higher than diesel,

Blackouts,

Price increases,

Temporary diesel power plants become permanent.

Step 1 started last September. So, the Government over the past one year, has crossed 50 per cent of the road to disaster, by reaching step 4 of the above path to disaster. Half of step 5 has also been achieved last week, with solar sangramayas price of Rs 22 per unit. The remainder of step 5 to disaster, the announcement to supply diesel power plants will be issued shortly, emulating theFebruary 2002 order by the Prime Minister to CEB to buy 200 MW of diesel power plants, weeks before Norochcholai was cancelled by him.

So, when money runs out to pay for diesel and the pricy renewables, blackouts will come, or prices will be increased. As seen in previous situations where the eight steps to disaster were followed to the last step(1992-1995), (1997-2000), (2002-2004) and now starting in 2015, it will be a combination of price increases and blackouts: remember 1996, 2001, 2002? Blackouts of 2004 were averted with heavy expenses on diesel.

It takes at least 15 years to educate, train and produce a power system planner, with a degree in engineering, post graduate qualifications and work experience on complex subjects of power generation, transmission, stability, economic dispatch, energy efficiency, control systems, protection, etc. The combination between engineering and economics, financial and modelling skills are essential, along with hands-on work on analytical models.

Even with such wide experience, if you ask a trained planner, a question that may seem trivial to a lay person, such as what do you think of 100 megawatt of solar, a trained planner would require a good one hour to explain, and one month to analyse the engineering and economic impacts. A politician decides in one minute! However, committees in the Government and those appointed by the Government, who all know better than the trained planners, are now conducting planning for the power sector, journalists included. The end result is obvious. So, get your candles ready, standby generators serviced, with plenty of money set aside to pay for diesel driven power. Blackouts are surely coming in 2018. You now know who is to be held responsible.

(The writer can be contacted

attilak@rmaenergy.lk)
Malaysias nonchalance raises wider concern View(s):

Following the unprovoked assault on Sri Lankas High Commissioner to Malaysia Ibrahim Ansar at the Kuala Lumpur international airport that countrys Deputy Home Minister rather cursorily dismissed the incident and therefore Malaysias own responsibility as the host country to protect the person and dignity of an accredited diplomat.

Deputy Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed called it an isolated incident triggered by political conflicts and said it had nothing to do with terrorism.

What is worse is his prognosis that the incident will not have any impact on Malaysia.

The Deputy Minister cannot be more wrong. Already the envoys of India and US are reported to have raised this matter with the Malaysian authorities. It will not be long  if indeed it has not already happened several days back given the seriousness of what happened  before the dean of the diplomatic corps in Malaysia whoever that might be, protests at the violation of Article 29 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961). That article is clear enough. It states that the person of a diplomatic agent shall be inviolable.

It goes on to say that the diplomatic agent shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention and that the receiving State shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom or dignity which is the article relevant to what happened to our envoy.

There was indeed an attack on his person and his dignity and his freedom of movement was violated by a gang of thugs who were not directly involved in any political conflict in Sri Lanka and are probably the paid agents of a Sri Lankan militant group whose remnants are to be found in Malaysia.

If the Deputy Home Minister has heard of the Vienna Conventions but not read or understood them due to impaired comprehension he should be made aware that the responsibilities of the receiving state not only apply in peace time but also in times of armed conflict.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed appears to find solace  if sweeping it under the carpet was not his intention  in the fact that the attack on Ansar was precipitated by political rather than terrorist motives according to his conclusion.

The Deputy Minister might find that distinction comforting. But it would be surprising if Sri Lankas envoy and another diplomat who was also at the receiving end of the thuggery and were injured in this vicious attack as clearly seen in the video, would take solace in Jazlan Mohameds attempt to minimise this disgraceful act which was partly due to his governments failure to act expeditiously and responsibly as it should have as the host state.

Nor would the diplomatic community in Malaysia some of who have suffered at the hands of robbers and snatch thieves including envoy Ansars wife, in the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

A physical assault on an accredited diplomat whether carried out by a terrorist or a political dissident is still a physical assault and surely an offence under Malaysias criminal law. That act is compounded by the fact that the victim was a diplomat who should have the protection of the host state and the attack happened in the so-called restricted area of the countrys main airport.

The Deputy Minister has the temerity to say that this was an isolated incident implying that it will not happen again. On what evidence or available information does he make such a prediction? Unless of course he is privy to what transpired right from the beginning when protests were launched against the invitation extended to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to participate at this conference on Asian political parties.

A question that would be uppermost in the minds of many including Kuala Lumpur-based diplomats and representatives of international organisations is whether the Deputy Minister knows much more than he is disclosing.

For the Deputy Minister to say with such certainty that this thuggery was an isolated incident and imply it will not happen again does raise suspicions whether the Malaysian authorities were aware of what was likely to happen or had anticipated it but did not take preventive action.

They cannot say that they were unaware of possible disturbances and the dangers that could flow from them as certain pressure groups had protested to the Malaysian authorities at the invitation extended to Mahinda Rajapaksa and there were sporadic demonstrations as the protestors tried to track down Rajapaksa.

The Sri Lanka High Commission had already alerted the Malaysians and called for security. The High Commission had assessed the situation correctly and taken the necessary precautions by pre-warning the relevant authorities which would have meant first alerting the relevant division of the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.

Malaysian diplomats posted abroad would have done the same had any of their visiting politicians or officials faced a similar threat. At least the Malaysian diplomats I have known during the last 50 years were very professional and capable officers and I have little doubt they would have acted correctly. It is others who seem to have failed in their duties of care.

Even at the airport when suspicious groups were observed the High Commission is reported to have informed the Malaysian authorities of the possible dangers.

So not only were the Malaysians warned ahead but the more disturbing fact is that the group of thugs that eventually assaulted Ansar had followed him to a restricted area of the airport which required passes for entry.

The question is why the airport authorities or the police or whoever is responsible for ensuring security in the international airport did not check whether the persons who followed Ansar into the security area had passes or permits that allowed them legitimate access to this area.

The New Indian Express correspondent P.K. Balachandran has in a detailed report set out the sequence of events. It is useful reading some paragraphs from Balachandrans report which presents damning evidence of the state of play in Malaysia.

An appalling lack of security at the airport and a corrupt Malaysian administration are blamed for the brutal assault on the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Malaysia, Ibrahim Sahib Ansar, by local Indian Tamil radicals at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on September 4.

Informed sources told Express that security at the KLIA is so lax that anyone can enter it and go up to the immigration area without any security check of their person and bags. There is no concept of VVIP security to ensure that high risk individuals are protected against demonstrators, thugs or terrorists. In fact the Sri Lankan envoy was beaten up by intruding thugs in the No Entry (High Security) area.

Envoy Ansar had alerted the police well in advance about a potential threat to Sri Lankan dignitaries in view of former President Mahinda Rajapaksas visit to Kuala Lumpur to attend an international political parties conference. But no special security systems were put in place.

A day before the assault on him at the airport, the Malaysian police had informed the envoy of a plan to throw petrol bombs at his residence. Security at the house was stepped up but only for a day. Subsequent to the attack on him on September 4, no security was given to him despite a specific request put in by the Sri Lankan government.

One might then ask whether those thugs were known to the security at the airport, had entre to the restricted area and therefore may have connections to Malaysian politicians, or to corrupt police/officials who let them in.

After all the people of Sri Lanka are quite acquainted with the conduct of some of their politicians, officials and police to be shocked at the goings-on in Malaysia as reported by Balachandra.

The Deputy Home Minister is quite casual about the incident having no impact on Malaysia. That surely is a curious and dangerous thing to say. Perhaps if he abandons behaving like two of the three proverbial monkeys who see nothing and hear nothing and casts his eyes round the world he might come to his senses.

How many acts of terror in which dozens or more have died have been reported from different parts of the world in the last six months for instance? It is also widely known that newly formed militant groups or political formations intent on spreading terror are attracting radicalised youth and others who fall prey to the promise of martyrdom or a romanticised notion of the cause. They come from different countries, different backgrounds and different ethnicities. Yet their goal is the same.

Increasingly State surveillance is widened and security tightened at airports and other points of departure from a country to prevent citizens and foreigners leaving to join militant organisations such as ISIS that is attracting youth  both male and female  as those living in the UK have learnt in the last year or two.

Some ethnic minority youth born in the UK including young school girls have left their families behind and surreptitiously left to join such organisations that are spreading their radical message. Media reports have said that some of them have already been killed.

The more security is tightened particularly at western airports and border crossings, the more these potential recruits or their minders search for other routes via which they could reach their destinations.

So airports where security is lax and unchecked visitors seem to be able to come and go as they please are surely vulnerable both as points of departure or as targets of attack by militants who wish to popularise their case irrespective of how they do it and whatever the consequences.

We know from experience that politicians do speak a lot of rubbish often to cover up their own failings or those of their government. Malaysias Deputy Home Minister is no exception. When he says the Ansar assault will have no impact on Malaysia he is contributing to the pile-up of political rubbish.

The publicity that this incident has received in the media not only in Sri Lanka and Malaysia but in the wider region and the widely distributed video have only exposed the lackadaisical approach of Malaysian authorities to security, especially at its main international airport and the danger posed to foreign diplomats in the host country.

These are surely issues that would not have gone unnoticed by those who wish to harm society or individuals irrespective of the consequences.

The Deputy Minister also said that this incident was triggered by politics. Then could he explain why a monk at the Senthul Buddhist Vihara was attacked by the same thugs or their colleagues? Is he saying that the monk was also involved in the politics that he speaks of? Or was he the innocent victim of the kind of terrorist politics that Malaysia breeds?
PM hires US company to make Sri Lanka a vibrant social market economy View(s):

Leading US firm to coordinate Central Programme Management Unit to restructure and transform development process

Accelerated and integrated economic programme all over the country; Cabinet approval sought for five-tier agreement

Crash-landing SriLankan gets emergency financial support to pave way for signing of public-private partnership

By Our Political Editor

The troubled national carrier, SriLankan Airlines, where a head-on battle is under way between the management and the pilots, has received further life support again.

This is after Treasury funding for the financially crashing airline was to be stopped from October this year, as revealed in these columns on March 27. Notwithstanding this, an undisclosed amount was provided to the airline just a month ago.

This time, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the provision of a letter to SriLankan Airlines declaring that the Government of Sri Lanka will consider taking over a part of the debt of the company until such time the restructuring is completed. The Cabinet has agreed that the Ministry of Finance will extend the required financial support to SriLankan Airlines. A similar decision has also been made in respect of Mihin Lanka. It was sought by the Ministry of Public Enterprise Development under which the two carriers come.

The ministry said in a Cabinet memorandum that the restructuring plan envisaged in 2015 has now changed, and the Government has embarked on a Private Public Partnership (PPP) which will ensure the Going Concern of the Company and that the Auditors have requested for a letter from the shareholder (the General Treasury) confirming the same. It adds accordingly, they are expecting the airline to continue its operations until the PPP is finalised. It should be noted that maintaining the Going Concern status of the airline will be a pre-requisite for concluding a successful Public Private Partnership, the Ministry has said.

However, the Ministry of Finance has made clear that the Treasury has provided substantial investment and financial support to the two state owned airlines without any return of investment. Hence, it has insisted that the process of entering into the Public Private Partnership (PPP) should be concluded before the end of October 2016 in order to mitigate any further deterioration of the negative net worth of both the entities.

The Ministry of Finance has also taken up the position that all assets and liabilities including contingencies need to be transferred to the proposed PPP entity without creating additional financial burden on the Treasury. This position is a clear indication that the Treasury may not absorb any of SriLankan Airlines losses.

For the SriLankan Airlines, the life support from the Treasury could not have come at a better moment. Copies of the accounts for the financial year ended March 31 this year, circulated among the Cabinet of Ministers, paint a gloomy financial picture. The accounts raise more questions than answers. They cast a serious doubt whether any prospective partner would show interest looking at the colossal losses.

Non-current (or fixed) assets with SriLankan Airlines amount to Rs. 23.5 billion. The current assets are placed at Rs. 26.8 billion whilst the current liabilities are Rs. 99.9 billion. Economists and Chartered Accountants say that in a healthy company balance sheet there should be a ratio of 2:1 or two billion rupees of current assets to one billion rupees of liabilities. In the case of SriLankan the ratio is negative and extremely alarming now. The national carrier is becoming increasingly insolvent if not insolvent already.

As for the operational aspects during the Rajapaksa administration (year ended March 31, 2015), the turnover was Rs. 132 billion whilst the latest accounts (ending March 31, 2016) reveals that it was Rs. 129 billion. Thus, there has been a revenue reduction of Rs. 2.5 billion. The net operational loss that stood at Rs. 14 billion had been creditably pruned down to Rs. 7 billion under the present administration. That indeed is a plus point for the national carrier though it is still in the red. The loss before taxation was Rs. 16 billion (under the previous regime) but the latest accounts reveal that it has come down to Rs. 12 billion. This loss is after payment of Rs. 2.5 billion as compensation for not accepting orders placed with Air Bus Industrie in Toulouse, France for A 330s and A 350s. Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim revealed in March this year that the price for the new aircraft was 30 % higher than the normal price. He said then that with moneys lost, the Government could have built 300 schools or 65 fully equipped hospitals. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, a Government source said, has made clear there will be no Treasury funding for SriLankan after October this year.

The Rs. 140.6 billion accumulated loss alone would require 14 years to wipe off on the basis of making Rs. 10 billion profit every year as from now. How the orders came to be placed under the previous administration and who is the Air Bus Industrie agent in Colombo still remain a mystery. Nor has a fully-fledged inquiry been carried out to identify the crooks who skimmed off commissions.

The financial situation of SriLankan Airlines is fast deteriorating as the management is locked in a head-on battle with the Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL), this time over breathalyser tests. An earlier controversy centred on pilots using the Business Class lounge in Colombo and other airports. It has been withdrawn by the management. Sujith Jayasekera, a senior pilot has now been suspended without pay after he allegedly refused to subject himself to a breathalyser test. The management has argued that his refusal amounted to his being under the influence of alcohol, a charge pilot Jayasekera strongly denies. Yet, he was allowed to fly an Airbus A 330 with a complement of passengers after his refusal. Pilot Jayasekera has now challenged the composition of the team that conducted the test alleging that it included three retired police officers. Since then nurses have been included in the team to conduct breathalyser tests. Public statements issued by the SriLankan Airlines management have compounded the situation. Admission of controversial issues within the airline or placing an official stamp, some complain, would put off would-be partners and lower passenger confidence both in Sri Lanka and abroad. Pilots complain that one of the causes for the deterioration of relations is the lack of proper airline management expertise among those running the airline.

The ALPGSL called upon its membership to engage in a work to rule campaign as a protest against this suspension. The managements tough stance against this was conveyed to the pilots. Captain Rajind Ranatunga, head of flight operations said in a message to them that In light of the decision made by the ALPGSL instructing its members to adhere to the published roster, it is with much regret that we the Flight Ops management are compelled to take the following decisions in order to minimise the disruption to the flight schedule.

1) A two week roster will be published and annual leave will be cancelled during these two weeks. Crew whose annual leave is cancelled will be placed on STBY duty, but if the situation normalises the annual leave will be reallocated. However annual leave will be cleared due to contract expiry and there will be no impact on crew members who have commenced annual leave in the present roster.

2) Flights requests/off day requests/mutual changes may not be accommodated.

3) Mihin Lanka flight crew will be seconded to SriLankan.

4) Non-essential training such as command training and CCQ (Cross Crew Qualification) training will be postponed. We sincerely hope the situation will normalise as soon as possible.

The ALPGSL, however, has stuck to its decision. The imbroglio continues.

The national carrier is among those which will be affected by last Tuesdays decision by the Cabinet of Ministers to place a 15 % VAT on airline tickets for those flying out of Sri Lanka. Details of the new Value Added Tax (VAT) draft law were exclusively revealed in these columns last week. They were approved by the ministers. Ministers also approved a 21 page draft law which makes provision for the VAT payments for any taxable period commencing on or after January 1, 2015 and ending on or before March 31, 2016 and for the period commencing on April 1, 2016 and ending on May 1, 2016 and for the period commencing on July 12, 2016 and ending prior to the date on which this Act comes into force.

The Government expects the VAT increase to take effect from October 1 unless procedural formalities delay it further. One area of delay, it is feared, is the likelihood of groups opposed to the new taxes going to the Supreme Court. Yet, careful consideration has been given to the preparation of the new draft Bill taking into consideration the recent rulings of the Supreme Court.

New development strategy

Another significant matter awaiting the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers is a far reaching proposal by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to hire the services of a firm from the United States for setting up a Central Programme Management Unit. He wants to introduce a draft law in Parliament titled Development (Special Provisions) Bill.

Wickremesinghe has told his ministerial colleagues that Given the time constraints, and the complexities involved, adopting a traditional approach in setting-up such a unit, may not result in meeting the desired outcomes. He has recommended that McKinsey and Company of the United States be hired to undertake the task for three months. He has recommended contractual payments of US$ 2.3 million during 2016 with a supplementary budgetary allocation through the consolidated fund.

The objective of the Central Programming Management Unit, Premier Wickremesinghe has explained, is integrated and accelerated economic development across the country and restructuring and transformation of the economy to a vibrant and sustainable social market economy. Having reviewed the capabilities, and proven experience in setting-up of similar Central Programme Management Units (CPMU) in rapidly transforming economies, such as Malaysia, it was considered to request McKinsey and Company to submit a proposal to set up a suitable unit in Sri Lanka. He has revealed that the company has submitted a proposal pursuant to several visits, consultations and evaluations.

Wickremesinghe has said that a five-tier agreement has been proposed with the US firm. They are:

= The core leadership team will comprise a team of four leaders from various McKinsey offices, with experience in country transformation, McKinsey Delivery Methodology and knowledge on Sri Lankan context and on topics of national priority.

= The Global Expert Panel will be a selection of McKinsey experts from around the globe on each priority project.

= The Senior Experts drawn from an advisory team of experienced practitioners from around the globe e.g. Nika Gilauri, former Prime Minister  Minister of Finance and Ministry of Energy for Georgia and Peter Ho, former Head of Civil Service, Singapore.

= The working team will be a full team consisting of a project manager and four consultants, who will be co-located with Sri Lankan working team for the duration of the project and serve as the primary liaison on day-to-day project matters.

= The support team will be a full time remote team comprising research analysts, economic modelling specialists, visual graphics designers, communication specialists and administrative support staff who will support the working team on a continuous basis.

Among the deliverables assigned to the US company is what is called clear prioritisation criteria and a prioritised subject of economic initiatives expected to yield highest impact. Another is clear documentation and alignment on meetings, reporting cadences and decision rights (i.e. what gets decided by PM vs by Minister etc.)

The proposed Central Programming Management Unit will function under the Prime Ministers office. The focal points of co-ordination will be the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs (under the Premier) and the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade and the proposed Agency for Development.

JHU convention

On the political front, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) will have its annual convention on September 24. One of its leaders, Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said yesterday that the party hopes to form a broad front with parties that helped in the January 8 revolution that elected President Sirisena to office. We will throw open our membership to different groups and will reduce the inclusion of members of the Buddhist clergy at different leadership levels, he added. The JHU sessions follow that of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP).

President Sirisena will leave today for New York to attend the 71st sessions of the UN General Assembly. The occasion also marks the first anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals. More than 140 world leaders, the UN said yesterday, will attend the current sessions.

Officers and men my top priority- New Air Chief

The separatist war was raging. It was a sultry afternoon on February 5, 1986. A Bell 212 helicopter was flying low along the Kalawanchikudi-Maha Oya Road in the Batticloa District. It was providing air cover to a Police convoy led by ASP N.K. Illangakoon, who was to later become the Inspector General of Police.Those were the days when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) pilots did not wear helmets or the bone dome (their protective headgear). Suddenly the front window cracked and a bullet hit the pilots head. Blood poured down his face but he was still able to gain altitude, turn the chopper and make an emergency landing at the SLAF base in Batticaloa. A De Havilland Heron Riley aircraft captained by Squadron Leader Donald Perera (later to become Air Force Commander) landed at the base to fly the pilot casualty to Colombo. When it arrived at the Ratmalana airport, a helicopter with its rotors running was on the ground. Wing Commander Oliver Ranasinghe (who was also to become a Commander of the Air Force) flew the casualty and touched down on a makeshift helipad at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital. He was admitted to Ward 15, meant for troops, and became the first officer to enter there as a casualty. Doctors who were waiting hurriedly examined him. Unbelievable but true, the pilot had escaped death miraculously. A bullet had grazed his head but did not enter his skull. Otherwise it would have been certain death. The fire came from a member of the Karuna group which carried out Tiger guerrilla operations in the east. It was led by Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, the LTTE eastern leader, who was to later become a Deputy Minister in the Rajapaksa Government. That lucky pilot lived long enough to become the 16th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force last Monday. Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy who has won the nations highest gallantry awards is a veteran helicopter pilot and a qualified Flying Instructor. For the first time, officers and men in the 25 SLAF installations in Sri Lanka got a live coverage of AM Jayampathy taking over as Commander. This was through video streaming to large screens, for which the SLAF has the technical capability. AM Jayampathy succeeded Air Marshal Gagan Bulathsinhala who has served a year and a month, the shortest stint any SLAF Commander has been in office. In fact, Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiaratchchi had recommended an extended term after he reached 55 years on Sunday September 12, 2016. There were expectations that President Maithripala Sirisena who was chief guest at the Ranaviru Real Star  2016 on Sunday night would give some indication. This was because the Defence Secretary and the Armed Forces commanders were all present. However, other than blending socially with his usual camaraderie he gave no indication. It was later that night that he telephoned Defence Secretary to say that he had made up his mind. The President asked him to prepare papers for the appointment of Air Vice Marshal Jayampathy who was later promoted as Air Marshal. AM Bulathsinhla was promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal after his retirement. His sudden retirement denied him the opportunity of making the customary farewell calls on SLAF installations countrywide. My highest priority, Air Marshal Jayampathy told the Sunday Times is the welfare of my officers and men. He said he would ensure that their living standards are improved so that their morale remains high. It is only then that they can serve our organisation, the public and the country better, he pointed out. He said that he would also endeavour to recruit more members of the minority communities to the SLAF. Their interaction with their new colleagues and the people would thus help in reconciliation efforts. In a post-war scenario, that would be a key factor, he said. The new Air Chief declared that dreaming of grandiose plans and trying to make them a reality was not a right approach and was impractical. We do need to modernise. We must dream of things which can be turned into reality. We have to bear in mind the economic situation in the country and not pose higher financial burdens on the Government. We will tailor our modernisation needs accordingly and improve them incrementally. Air Marshal Jayampathy who counts 33 years of service in the SLAF said there was no gainsaying the SLAF air capability should be developed through new platforms. We have to co-ordinate our efforts with the Sri Lanka Navy and the Coast Guard in a larger effort to protect our security interests. That is to curb smuggling of drugs, gold and other contraband since they affect our economy. We are an island nation and we have a vast economic zone to protect. We also have to secure Sri Lankas Flight Information Region (FIR). Ninety per cent of the FIR is in the ocean. We have to develop a programme for eventualities in this area. The Malayasian flight MH 370 that disappeared has raised various issues. It showed that only some countries were equipped to carry out searches. We must be geared to identify an area in the unlikely event of an incident. Although our role is largely related to air capability and allied matters, I would say that our organisation is a multi-purpose university, AM Jayampathy said. The SLAF was training skilled personnel. They could help Glider flying in Nuwara Eliya to help tourism. They could gear themselves to overhaul commercial aircraft. We have the technical expertise for it. We will begin by giving our officers and men a good deal so they would be much happier to serve. I assure this, he added.
CBI has finally registered an FIR in the Siwan journalist Rajdev Ranjan murder case, which took place on May 13, and began investigations.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has finally taken over the investigation into Siwan journalist Rajdev Ranjan murder case which took place on May 13, this year. Couple of days after the brutal killing, the Bihar government had ordered for a CBI probe into the incident.



However, after a delay of almost four months, CBI has finally registered an FIR in the case and began investigations. The eight-member team on Friday reached Siwan and met local police which handed over the documents pertaining to the case to the CBI officials.

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On Saturday, the CBI team visited the crime spot in Siwan, the railway station area where the killing took place. The CBI officials, reportedly, also questioned the six accused persons in the case who were arrested and are lodged in Siwan jail at present which includes Laddan Mian, the close aide of dreaded don Md. Shahabuddin. The team has also met Rajdev Ranjan's wife and other family members regarding the journalist's killing.

The CBI team is likely to file an initial status report in the case to the CBI headquarter on Monday following which further action will be taken.

Two alleged sharp shooters of Md. Shahabuddin, Md. Kaif and Javed Mian, who are also allegedly involved in the murder of the journalist are absconding and out of police net. The Siwan police on Friday attached the property of Md. Kaif in order to pressure him to come out of the hiding and surrender.

Also Read:

CBI inquiry in Bihar journalist murder case

Victims family to challenge Shahabuddins bail in SC tomorrow

Lalu's son spotted with Shahabuddin's sharpshooter, creates controversy

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Non Alignment: Will Lanka abandon principles View(s):

Not many seem to have noticed it; nor would any to have missed the news; but the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) began its 17th Heads of Government summit yesterday.

Sri Lanka, a one-time chairperson of the now 120-member nation Movement, the second largest grouping to the United Nations Organisation, was not represented by either the President or the Prime Minister, nor the Foreign Minister who instead was in the US capital speaking at a seminar on the Oceans. Sri Lanka was represented by only a wanna-be Foreign Minister clearly sending a strong signal that the Movement had served its purpose, outlived its usefulness and was of little significance to the country anymore.

Once a front-line member of the Movement, Sri Lanka opted for the non-aligned path in the countrys foreign policy since its inception in 1961 on the back of its predecessor, the Afro-Asian Solidarity Movement. In 1976, Sri Lanka became the Chairperson of the Movement, the zenith of its stature in world affairs and in the thick of the Cold War between the then super-powers, the United States and the Soviet Union. Former President J.R. Jayewardene who privately said that there were only two non- aligned countries in the world and named the United States and the former Soviet Union, publicly said that non-alignment was the silver thread than ran through Sri Lankas foreign policy. Has Sri Lanka exited the Movement for all intents and purposes, and even more so, abandoned its long cherished non-aligned principles in its foreign policy?

This years summit was in Venezuela, with a Government that is rabidly anti-US on the one hand, and on the other, economically in ruin, with a population overflowing to neighbouring Colombia in search of food. The Venezuelan Government has had to shift the conference to the isolated Margarita island so that mass protests could be avoided around the venue. That bad is the situation in that country.

When Sri Lanka hosted the NAM summit, the domestic situation was not a picture of prosperity either. The economy was in shambles. Shortages were galore; textile queues, rice rations, exchange controls  and the Government of the day faced angry public criticism that while the people were starving, the Government was hosting a Beggars Banquet, an unkind reference to the leaders of several poor nations attending and being hosted to gala dinners.

The Non-Alignment principles however survived in Sri Lanka, as did the Cold War. In 1979, Sri Lanka passed the baton to Cuba, not the most non-aligned of nations given its long battles with the United States. The NAMs last chairperson was Iran, another virulently anti-US country. Sri Lankas then President urged his soul-mate the Iranian President to establish a New World Order without spelling what it was, but Iran was too embattled with US-imposed sanctions to care about giving leadership to NAM.

What then is Sri Lankas foreign policy? The post-January 2015 Government has realigned the anti-West stance adopted by its predecessor, and in the process also reset its one-time criticism of China, hugging that country at least with one arm when the previous Government did it with both.

The Prime Minister spelt out his approach to foreign policy in a recent speech in Singapore on the subject of the Indian Ocean (ST2 cover page of September 4)  which is the most strategically important aspect of Sri Lankas foreign policy, where he called for a New Indian Ocean Order where no one nation-state in and around its waters plays a dominant role. That should indicate a Non-Aligned foreign policy.

And yet, does it all mean that Sri Lanka has ended its affiliation with the Non-Aligned Movement  55 years after it was founded?

and the world, the Movement

Does Sri Lankas distancing itself from the Non-Aligned Movement with its secondary presence at the summit in Venezuela this week, together with the absence of the Indian PM and many other Heads of Government  even the UN Secretary General giving it a skip this time  mean it is the end of the road for the Movement?

NAM was born in the height of the post-World War II Cold War period when a host of nations in Asia and Africa regained their Independence. The common history of centuries of colonial rule and the oppression that came with it, brought the Nehrus, Nkrumahs, Titos, Sukarnos, Nassers and our own Kotelawelas and Bandaranaikes together.

If the Non-Aligned Movement was to tackle the post-colonial political issues, the momentum it gathered in the 1960s and the 1970s saw the collective bargaining on economic issues through what was known as the North-South dialogue; the pressing for a better deal for the poor South from the rich North. The vehicle for these changes was the United Nations which was then seen as the protector of the weak and the meek.

The Group of 77 (countries) sprouted, pressed the arguments on behalf of these newly independent countries. They became a formidable economic force to be reckoned with. This saw the emergence of UN agencies like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the like. Sri Lanka played a major part in this period of contemporary world history. Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike moved for the creation of the World Fertilizer Fund (WFF) in Rome, which Sri Lanka co-sponsored later in a joint resolution with New Zealand at the UN General Assembly in New York in 1974. It was to create an international fertilizer supply scheme managed by the UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Alas, as Leelananda de Silva, an eminent public servant of yesteryear who served the Sri Lankan Government and the UN for 35 years later says in a book he has just released, these Third World initiatives did not last long as the economically developed world of the North kept opposing and obstructing these initiatives, and countries of the economically developing South kept abandoning the principles of joint action and solidarity to curry favour individually with the countries of the North.

This week, a British Parliamentary Committee report found the then British PM David Cameron and the then French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of making a mess of the military intervention in Libya in 2011. Earlier, the Chilcot report found ex-British PM Tony Blair and the then US President George W. Bush Jnr., invading Iraq illegally; all of them jointly and severally have brought continued suffering to the world in general and West Asia in particular. The Non-Aligned Movements collective voice is mute in the face of all that is happening to many of its member-states except for the many resolutions that would be passed in Venezuela this week.

On the economic front too, UNCTAD and like-minded Third World-led initiatives have given way to the West-dominated World Trade Organisation (WTO) and more of its ilk. With the emasculation of the Non-Aligned Movement, just when most of its members see the UN being dominated by the West, and when its collective strength is most needed, the motto applicable to the Movement of All for One, One for All, now seems more like Each for Itself, and God for All.
The real truth behind Oliver Stones biopic film Snowden View(s):

Renowned filmmaker Oliver Stone will release his latest film Snowden a biopic surrounding the life of Edward Snowden an American computer professional , former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee and former contractor for the United States government who copied and leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013 . Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt stars as the lead. The following is a look at the inaccuracies between Stones film Snowden to be released this month and the actual truth behind Edward Snowdens story.

The 4-minute theft

The movie suggests one of the events that motivated Snowden to steal NSA surveillance documents and then leak them was Director of National Security James Clappers false testimony in which he said the NSA does not wittingly collect records in any way on American citizens. Indeed, Snowden himself has suggested this was one of his motivations. But Clappers testimony was in March 2013, and Snowden reportedly began stealing documents as early as April 2012.

Snowden began downloading documents related to the NSA collecting information from transoceanic fiber optic cables while working as a contractor for Dell in April of 2012,according to Reuters, which cited U.S. officials and other sources. In March 2013, Snowden got a job as a systems administrator for Booz Allen Hamilton to gain better access to documents. At some point, he built a custom Web crawler to systematically scrape specific information from NSA systems while he went about his work as a computer security expert. Consequently, the films suggestion that Snowden decided to steal documents right before he fled Hawaii for Hong Kong is clearly inaccurate. By the time Clapper testified, Snowden had already been allegedly stealing documents for 11 months and discussing his planned leak with journalist Laura Poitras for two months.

3 weeks at the Mira Hotel

The film shows Snowden meeting with Poitras, as well as journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, in early June 2013. On June 4, the phone rings in Snowdens hotel room. Asked if he had received a call before, Snowden answers: Not once, not in three weeks.

The line is a minor one, but it belies what is known about Snowdens stay in Hong Kong. Specifically, Snowden reportedly checked into the hotel just days before that phone call.

Edward Jay Epstein of the Wall Street Journal went to Hong Kong and found that Snowden didnt check into the Mira Hotel until June 1, despite having arrived in the Chinese special-administrative region on May 20.

Mr. Snowden would tell Mr. Greenwald on June 3 that he had been holed up in his room at the Mira Hotel from the time of his arrival in Hong Kong, Epstein reported. But according to inquiries by Wall Street Journal reporter Te-Ping Chen, Mr. Snowden arrived there on June 1.

Epstein also cited a source familiar with the Defense Intelligence Agency report on the Snowden affair in order to report that: U.S. investigative agencies have been unable to find any credit-card charges or hotel records indicating his whereabouts between May 20 and June 1.

I no longer have access to any of these files

The Guardian published the first Snowden story, revealing a top-secret program to collect records of phone calls made by Americans, on June 5, 2013. On June 9, as the leaks captivated the world, Snowden identified himself in a YouTube video. The next day, the film shows Snowden discussing the security of the stolen files with the journalists in his hotel room.

I no longer have access to any of these files myself, the Snowden character says after pressing a key on a laptop on June 10. You guys have them all.

This statement is clearly false, based on an interview Snowden gave to Lana Lam of the South China Morning Post on June 12. Snowden provided Lam with information that was withheld from the American journalists.

I did not release them earlier because I dont want to simply dump huge amounts of documents without regard to their content, Snowden told Lam over encrypted chat. I have to screen everything before releasing it to journalists.

Snowden added that he had much more information to release.

Hiding in Hong Kong and finding asylum

The movie shows Snowden spending all of his time in Hong Kong at the Mira Hotel and then, after his name becomes public on June 10, fleeing with his lawyer to the home of a poor family. He hides there until he boards a flight to Moscow with WikiLeaks adviser Sarah Harrison.

What does film leave out? The on-the-ground work by WikiLeaks to find Snowden asylum and at least three trips the American fugitive made to the building housing the Russian consulate in Hong Kong. As Snowden found a safe house in Hong Kong, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sent his personal assistant and girlfriend, Sarah Harrison, to find Snowden asylum outside of China. Harrison, who was in Melbourne at the time, told Vogue that Assange called her on the morning of June 10 and dispatched her immediately and secretly to canvass foreign embassies to see which countries might be amenable to granting Snowden asylum. A U.S. official told Epstein that CCTV cameras recorded Snowden entering the skyscraper housing the Russian consulate in Hong Kong three times in June.

Courtesy Yahoo News
Car parks to go skywards as demand increases By Sandun Jayawardana View(s): View(s):

The Government is planning to develop several multi-storeyed car parks around the Greater Colombo area as more and more vehicles enter the roads and the demand for parking space increases.

Urban Development Authority (UDA) Chairman Dr. Jagath Munasinghe revealed the Authority had drafted a set of proposals regarding the setting up of multi-storeyed public car parks in areas such as the Colombo Fort as well as along Baseline Road and Galle Road.

He observed that most of the development plans for Colombo were currently being redrawn as the latest development plan for the city had been drafted in 2007-2008. It is time we update the plan with new development. The development of such car parks is part of the updating.

As part of these plans, the UDA is planning to completely redevelop the area around Borella Junction and multi-storeyed car parks will be part of this development process.

Accordingly, car parks are due to come up in the Borella, Dematagoda and Narahenpita areas along Baseline Road. Several plots of land have already been identified as suitable lands to develop the car parks, Dr. Munasinghe added. These include lands belonging to the Department of Prisons at Welikada, which will become available once the prison complex is shifted out.

While the UDA is also looking to develop such car parks along Galle Road, the lack of land along this area is currently proving to be an obstacle, Dr. Munasinghe conceded. Attempts are continuing to identify any suitable lands in the area for development.

Cost of the car parks would vary, depending on their designs and the types of technologies that are available at the parks.

Meanwhile, the UDA has acquired a property belonging to Cargo Boat Development Company PLC at Janadhipathi Mawatha in Colombo Fort for the development of a multi-storeyed car park. However, the previous owner of the land had requested the Authority to divest the land in order to construct a multi-storeyed car park themselves. Dr. Munasinghe said the UDA had acquired the property sometime back but the compensation might not have been paid yet. Once the UDA finds out all the details regarding the acquisition process and any transactions, it would negotiate with the party. If they want to go for the same kind of process, we would not have any problems. However, if they have a different type of proposal, we would have to reconsider as according to the UDA development plan; this area is earmarked for a multi-storey car park development.
CEB engineers union paints dark picture for countrys power sector Consumers will have to pay the price for govt's lack of direction and decision to scrap Sampur power plant View(s): View(s):

Ad hoc decisions with regard to the countrys power sector will cost the Government billions of rupees and the burden will have to be borne by the consumers, the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) warned.

Referring to the decision to scrap the Indian funded coal power plant in Sampur, CEBEU President Athula Wanniarachchi claimed a lack of clear direction by the Government, coupled with apparent disregard for the advice of professionals, would hurtle the country towards a power crisis that it would not be able to overcome without pumping enormous funds to run and maintain costly diesel power plants.

This would mean consumers would have to endure rising electricity tariffs, he added.

He further said the decision was liable to cost the Government an additional Rs.170 billion over four years. The estimate had been made on the assumption that it would take at least four years for the proposed two combined cycle power plants at Kerawalapitiya (300 Megawatt) and Hambantota (170 Megawatt) to be converted from diesel to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). These plants are needed to meet a power crisis expected to hit the country in 2018-2019.

The Government has now asked India to relocate the plant to Kerawalapitiya where it would be constructed as an LNG plant.

Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has called for a meeting on Wednesday between representatives of the CEBEU and senior Ministry and CEB officials to discuss concerns raised by the engineers.

While the union was not against LNG or sources of renewable energy, the CEBEU President said they felt professionals were not allowed to have a say when it came to making important decisions regarding the countrys power sector and decisions were being made by politicians and businessmen.

Ministry secretary, Dr. Batagoda though, dismissed the claims made by CEBEU. The Sampur power plant would only be completed by 2021, long after the power crisis was expected, he pointed out. He also said it would not take years to convert the power plants to LNG as the engineers claimed.

The government was planning to construct a floating LNG terminal at the Colombo Port and this could be done within a year, he claimed. If the engineers lend us their support, we can have the plants operational by 2018/2019.
Kilinochchi market complex gone in blazing inferno View(s):

The Kilinochchi market complex with some 120 shops was razed to the ground in a massive fire which erupted on Friday night, police said. Kilinochchi regions Deputy Inspector General W.M.R.M. Welikanna said special police teams were deployed for investigations. Ceylon Electricity Board officials were also carrying out on-the-spot investigations as initial reports seem to suggest that faulty wiring may have caused the fire, he said.

District Secretary S. Arumainayagam said damages so far were estimated at a massive Rs. 400 million. Initially, the areas people had tried to douse the fire and later some 100 Army personnel had also joined with some three water bowsers, but were not successful. They then summoned the fire brigade from Jaffna but it took about two hours for firefighters to arrive and by that time, the whole market complex was gone in the inferno.

Shop owners, dazed by shock and horror, were pleading that the Government should give them compensation.
Lanka on Red alert for Chikungunya, Zika View(s):

Health desks at airports take precautions after two deaths in Chilaw

By Chris Kamalendran

Sri Lankas entry and exit points, particularly the Bandaranaike International Airport and the Colombo Port, have been placed on high alert to prevent the spread of two deadly diseases raging in Asia. One is Chikungunya which is fast spreading in New Delhi. The other is the Zika virus prevalent in Singapore and now Thailand. Both are mosquito-borne diseases.

The airports health desks have been told to caution passengers travelling to the affected countries, Quarantine Director Dr. Palitha Karunaperuma told the Sunday Times. We are also seeking the help of travel operators to educate them on the need to advise travellers to be extremely careful, he said.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne confirmed there were threats from the two deadly diseases but declared that the state-run hospitals were being geared to cope with it. The warnings came as there were two reported deaths of pilgrims from Nallanrankatuwa in the Chilaw area. They had been admitted to the Chilaw Hospital with high temperature after they returned from India the same week.

The victims were identified as Sujatha Malani (65) and G.C. Ranmenike (66). One of the bodies was released only in a sealed coffin, while the hospitals medical superintendent, Dr. Dinusha Fernando, said further investigations were under way.

The Quarantine Director said airlines operating to Singapore, India and Thailand had been told to exercise caution and report to health authorities, if there were any sick passengers.
Mangala for ban on fishing harmful to marine eco-systems worldwide View(s):

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has called for the discontinuation and banning of all fishing methods that harm marine eco-systems worldwide, singling out bottom trawling in particular. He made the remarks while participating in the Our Ocean Conference 2016 at the US State Dept in Washington D.C.

Speaking at the conference, Minister Samaraweera also outlined steps taken by Sri Lanka (SL) to protect the countrys marine environment. He revealed that SL was currently in the process of drafting a national policy for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of mangrove ecosystems. He also recalled that, in July this year, President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as Minister of Environment, inaugurated the worlds first mangrove museum.

SL has already declared nine Marine Protected Areas in various parts of the country, while four new areas providing habitats for marine mammals, coral, migratory and shore birds, and other marine life will also be declared as Marine Protected Areas shortly, the minister revealed.

By the end of this year, we will complete the construction of a sea turtle conservation complex to treat and provide a sanctuary for injured turtles, and educate and create awareness among the local communities.

The Sea Mammals Regulations of SL will also be reviewed and amended, he added.

Pointing out that, a third of the countrys population lives along the coastal belt, Mr. Samaraweera noted new activities to protect these communities and assess the impact of sea-level rise and climate change will be introduced.

Furthermore, he pledged SL would implement and improve the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan that will delineate responsibilities for the operational response to oil spills, and increase cooperation across sectors to coordinate and integrate their resources to respond effectively.

Arrangements are presently under way to hold the Sri Lanka NEXT  Blue-Green Era conference in Colombo, with the goal of promoting sustainable development through blue-green economic initiatives. This conference will take place in parallel with the 5th Asia Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum next month, it was further noted.

The minister also drew attention to the countrys fishing industry and steps taken to ensure sustainable fishing.

We will conduct a survey of fish resources and establish a robust fisheries information system by 2018; introduce environment-friendly fishing gear; prohibit destructive fishing gear; and introduce an effective fisheries management system through vessel monitoring and enforcement of relevant laws. The minister outlined SLs commitment to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and pointed out that, in recognition of the positive steps taken by the country, in addressing issues linked to IUU fishing, the EU had lifted the a ban on export of fisheries products from SL in June, this year.

The Conference was held at the US State Dept on September 15-16 and was attended by representatives of approximately 100 countries, including Heads of State and Government, Ministers, officials, academia, NGO community, leaders from the public and private sector and young people.

The Conference which was inaugurated by the US Secretary of State John Kerry, was also addressed by US President Barack Obama.
One killed, 12 injured in stampede at Ratnapura perahera View(s):

A sixty-year-old woman was killed and 12 others were injured in a stampede at the Ratnapura Saman Devalaya Perehara on Friday.

The incident occurred after two elephants began fighting each other, police said.

According to the police a mahout tried to control the fighting elephants by sticking one of them with an elephant goad/ankus (Henduwa).

In an attempt to escape the mahouts elephant goad, the elephant had fled in the direction of the crowd.

Police said the elephant did not turn on the onlookers, but the crowd panicked and began running in all directions, knocking down and trampling one-another in the process.
President to attend key economic meetings in Goa View(s):

President Maithripala Sirisena will attend two key economic meetings in the western Indian coastal town of Goa next month.

One is the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Trade and Economic Co-operation (BIMSTEC). The other is the BRICS, an economic grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He will leave Sri Lanka on October 18.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will travel to New Delhi from October 4 to 6 for the World Economic Forum meeting. For this purpose, he will fly direct from New Zealand, to which he is expected to pay an official visit.

President Sirisena leaves today for New York for the 71st session of the UN General Assembly. He is due to speak on September 21.
Top schools for doctors children: Akila says No to Rajithas Yes View(s):

By Chrishanthi Christopher

The ongoing dispute over admitting doctors children to popular schools continues, with the Education Minister taking a tough stand, but the Health Minister appearing to take a softer line. The doctors request is unacceptable and cannot be acceded to, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said after the doctors met with Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne to resolve the dispute by getting admission to the children.

Mr. Kariywasam told the Sunday times the admission system would have to be breached if the GMOAs demands were to be met. He said there was a procedure to be followed in the admission of children to Grade One of schools and there would be chaos if this was not adhered to.

The Education Minister said the procedure was designed to give every child a school, and priority could not be given to children of doctors.If I do this it will create a precedent to other officials in the state sector. This will be discriminatory to the ordinary people, he said.

According to regulations, a classroom can only have 35 students and the school authorities have reported that they have the maximum numbers. Some principals and teachers have even warned they would resign, if the number was increased, he said.

Around 200 doctors on transfer this year, stormed into the Education Ministrys office on Wednesday, demanding a meeting with Minister Kariyawasam on the issue of schools for their children.

They alleged that their children had not got good schools following their transfers to new stations and that the children be given priority to enter the 12 popular schools in the country. The minister said that in one instance, a doctor who was transferred to a hospital within five kilometres of where had been in Colombo was asking his child be admitted to a top school in Colombo.

GMOA spokesman Nalinda Herath said Health Minister Senaratne had promised he would give them a favourable solution by the end of this week.

Minister Kariyawasam said Dr.Senaratne had not spoken to him but in any event he could not and would not violate the procedure. The GMOA has suggested that a quota be given to doctors and the GMOA could distribute the quota among its members. But Mr. Kariyawasam had rejected this proposals saying many doctors also felt that the distribution might not be fair.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) has condemned the doctors demand that the best schools be given to their children.

CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that if the request was adhered to, the poor peoples children would suffer and their quotas would be snatched by the privileged doctors.
By PTI: Aurangabad/Patna, Sep 17 (PTI) An RJD MLAs son has been arrested for allegedly attacking a youth for not letting him overtake his motorcycle in Bihars Aurangabad district but police claimed the alleged incident is not a case of road rage and the two had old enmity.

Kunal Pratap, the son of Birendra Sinha, Obra (Aurangabad) MLA of the ruling RJD, was arrested last midnight in connection with the stabbing case, Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Satya Prakash said.

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The accused was today sent to jail, he said.

The victim, Pintu Yadav, was admitted to Daudnagar primary health centre from where the doctors referred him to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), the SP said, adding that he was out of danger.

In his complaint, Yadav, who was riding a motorcycle, said Pratap stabbed him for not letting his car overtake him near Neema petrol pump.

The SP, however, said both Pratap and Yadav are residents of village Bhagwan Bigaha and it seems that the incident is the fallout of their old enmity.

"It can not be said a road rage incident. They were very much knowing each other and had some old rivalry, probably, relating to elections," he said.

Meanwhile, Sinha rubbished the charges against his son saying, "no such incident of stabbing happened and hence there is no question of his sons involvement in it."

"Pintu has criminal antecedents. Let there be fair investigation and everything would be clear as my son is innocent. Had my son been involved in the case I would not have sent him to police station for making statement," Sinha told PTI.

Earlier this year, JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi was suspended from the party after her son Rocky Yadav was allegedly involved in an incident of roadrage wherein a Class XII student was killed when he apparently overtook the car of the leaders son. PTI AR SUS DIP

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Erudite monk who guided many on the path of meditation By D.C. Ranatunga View(s): View(s):

Saffron-robed monks and nuns in their hundreds carrying sprigs of white flowers solemnly walked along the red carpet at Parliament grounds to pay their last respects to one of the most erudite Maha Theras in modern Sri Lanka, the Most Venerable Nauyane Ariyadhamma Anu Nayaka Thera of the Sri Ramanna Nikaya. Well -versed in the Burmese tradition of meditation, the Maha Theras serenity, composure and loving kindness were evident in his personality.

Watching the proceedings over national television thousands of miles away, I went back several years when we used to pay occasional visits to the forest monastery at Na uyana, off Kurunegala past Melsiripura to pay homage to this most revered monk.

Stretching over several hundreds of acres in the hilly terrain, the solitary forest hermitage was the abode of the Anu Nayaka Thera for many decades. Facilities were also provided for hundreds of monks interested in leading an isolated life meditating to do so undisturbed. The Maha Thera guided them along the path enunciated by the Buddha in his teachings to realise the ultimate objective of reaching nirvana.

The monks live in kutis away in the jungle spending their time meditating. They come down the pathways around 10 in the morning to gather at the assembly hall, fall in line and walk through the green canopy of trees on pindapatha carrying their alms bowls. The dayakas are ready in the alms hall with the dana. They line up, with a dish to serve the monks as they come along. Leaving behind a single monk to deliver a short sermon and convey merit, the others return. The monks hardly do any talking. They are so disciplined to strictly follow the Vinaya rules the way meditative monks should do as preached by the Buddha.

In the early days Ariyadhamma Anu Nayaka Thera led the monks and often delivered a sermon prior to the dana. Later on he stayed in his kuti and we were allowed to pay homage to him. With a serene smile adorning his face, he always spent the little time reminding us of the words of the Buddha. We made sure not to spend time discussing anything other than the Dhamma.

Among the great admirers of the Anu Nayaka Thera was Ajahn Brahmavamso who, on his visits to Sri Lanka, used to pay a courtesy call on the Anu Nayaka Thera and spend at least one night at the Na uyana monastery. He found the environment in the forest hermitage most conducive to teaching. Ajahn Brahm spent time late into the night discussing the Dhamma with the monks, most of whom invariably happened to be foreign monks who had come to study the Dhamma in the ideal surroundings they preferred. Having been brought up in the Thai forest tradition himself, Ajahn Brahm greatly admired the manner in which Na uyana monastery was being managed providing the ideal environment to lead a solitary life in the Dhamma.

I have closely observed how much the Anu Nayaka Thera concentrated when delivering a sermon. He would take the vatapatha closer to his face, close his eyes and start the sermon. I have only seen him open his eyes at the end of the sermon.

We were fortunate in participating at the special Buddha pooja he used to conduct at the Ruvanveli Seya in Anuradhapura. Thousands flocked for these pinkamas and there was pin drop silence throughout the pooja.

The Anu Nayaka Thera having formed the Sri KalyaniYogasrama Samstha organisation to spread meditation, set up forest monasteries in remote parts of the country. I remember visiting Elle Kanda forest monastery off Matara once to plan a visit by Ajahn Brahm to conduct a programme for the laity and the clergy in ideal peaceful environs.

He rarely appeared in public or posed for photographs; just once I caught him in my little camera on a visit to Na uyana.

One of Sri Lankas greatest meditation masters, the Anu Nayaka Thera, while maintaining the forest tradition, ensured taking the practice of meditation to the wider society.

Having been ordained in 1957 when he was 18 and received higher ordination two years later, he learned the Burmese language and studied under Ven. Nyaninda Sayadaw when the latter was in Sri Lanka in the 1960s. He later visited Myanmar on several occasions to study abhidhamma and practise meditation. He mastered the art of meditation under Burmese meditation masters and spread the practice for the benefit of the clergy and laity in Sri Lanka.

He was awarded the title of Mah kammahncariya (Great Meditation Teacher) by the Government of Myanmar as recognition of his services in teaching Dhamma and meditation but being the simple monk he was, preferred not to be overawed by such titles.

In addition to his own practice the blessings of several thousands of clergy and the laity who were beneficiaries of his great service over a period of nearly 60 years in robes will ensure that the path of the Most Venerable Ariyadhamma Maha Thera would be a clear and smooth one until he reaches the ultimate goal.
Be on your guard, there could be LTTE sleeper cells: Major Gen. Kamal Gunaratne View(s):

My book is for the families of the poor soldiers who authored the final victory

By Chandani Kirinde

Umpteen stories are written on how wars are fought and won and this is true of Sri Lanka, too, where since the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009, countless books have been authored giving different perspectives of how the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) defeated the Tamil Tigers.

The most recent publication titled Road to Nandikadal, authored by Major General Kamal Gunaratne whose entire career in the Sri Lanka Army spanned the three decades of the separatist war in the North and East of the country, seeks to tell the story from the perspective of a battle hardened soldier.

He chose to launch the book earlier this month, a day after he hung up his uniform for the last time  35 years and six days from the first day he donned military fatigues. It has been an exhaustive exercise for the newly retired Major General, four years of writing in long hand in Sinhala, not wanting a ghost writer to author the book for him. I have written the book from my heart. Its 100 percent honest and based on my first hand experiences of more than three decades in the army, he said.

Through his book, Major General Gunaratne tells the reader the story of what inspired him to join the Army, his frustrations at times working within a system where hierarchical politics sometimes got in the way of sound decisions in the best interests of the country, the camaraderie of soldiers who fearlessly went forward in the final battle against the LTTE knowing they were facing certain death or serious injuries, his feelings of euphoria on seeing the lifeless body of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran lying at his feet and still has a word of praise for the dreaded terrorist leader for his unfettered commitment to his cause.

The flush of military victory has receded over the years but the release of his book has once again opened up new discussion on whether such a publication is a precursor to a possible career in politics. I am a well experienced and very successful military commander who reached the pinnacle of my career. If I enter politics, I will be an infant in the field. Hence you will never hear the name Kamal Gunaratna in politics, he says firmly.

The rumors of his possible entry to politics, he says, were sparked by the presence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the launch of his book earlier this month. I have the highest respect for President Rajapaksa for his unwavering support to the military when he was under tremendous pressure from the international community to stop military action. As for Gotabaya Rajapaksa, he was my Officer Commanding when I joined the Army and I learnt a lot under him. This is why they were among the five persons I personally chose to invite for the event. But this does not mean I will align with them in politics, he says.

Two other special invitees to the book launch were the widows of two much decorated senior military officers, Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne and Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa. They died in action in 1992.If not for these two generals there would be no road to Nandikadal. They are the two most respected generals who ever served in the SLA.

A notable absentee on the occasion was former Army Commander and now Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka. Asked why his former Commander was left out of the invitee list, Major General Gunaratne says it was to avoid an embarrassing situation.

Now he is a politician and they have their own problems and I did not make it an embarrassing situation for anyone. I have given due respect and due recognition to General Fonseka in my book and I still respect my Commander General Sarath Fonseka, not Field Marshal or politician Fonseka, he says.

Questions of political affiliations aside, Major General Gunaratne is uneasy about recent developments like the attacks on the Kandyan dancers at the Jaffna University and the attack on our High Commissioner in Malaysia. I am not a hardliner but we have to learn lessons from the past, he says.

And in this situation, he does not mind being called an alarmist and warns it is too early to downsize the army or withdraw the military form the north and east even if the LTTE is militarily defected. The army must remain as it is for the next five years, he says. To justify his argument, Major General Gunaratne points to the presence of more than 12,000 rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres in the north and east. Among these, he says were around 500 suicide cadres and the lack of a mechanism to monitor their level of integration, means there is a threat of them regrouping. If the proper leadership emerges to give them motivation and moral courage, there could be a few hundred ready to take up arms again. Some sections of the Diaspora too have not given up their dream for a separate state and are active in pursuing different means to revive separatism, he cautions.

I am an alarmist due to valid reasons, he says.

Major General Gunaratne is assured a place in the history which records the decisive final battle against the LTTE. This is because he headed the 53 Division whose men killed Prabhakaran and wiped out almost the entirety of the top leadership of the Tamil Tigers.

While he talks openly about his jubilation and that of the soldiers around him on that fateful day on seeing the LTTE leaders body, he says its a matter that must be left at that. Prabhakaran s body was cremated. Well leave it at that, he says when asked for more details of what happened after the famous scenes were flashed across the nation over television showing the LTTE leaders body lying on the ground surrounded by hundreds of soldiers. A memento he is taken from the scene, the Identity Card of Prabhakaran remains with him, which in due course he hopes to hand over to the army museum.

I wrote this book mainly for the families of the poor soldiers who came forward to defend the country. I want their loved ones to read it and understand the bravery of these soldiers. I did not want to antagonise anyone. I just want to get everyone into the picture about what transpired on the battle front, he says.
London Buddhist Vihara marks 90-year history with exhibition View(s):

By Neville de Silva in London

A week-long exhibition depicting the 90-year history of the London Buddhist Vihara founded by the Anagarika Dharmapala was held at the Vihara last week. The Vihara has a unique history as the first Buddhist temple to be established outside Asia and the first temple that brought the Buddha Dhamma to the west.

Founded in 1926 by the Anagarika Dharmapala, the great Buddhist revivalist and writer who carried the Buddhas message to the world, the exhibition attracted a wide cross-section of people of different religions and faiths particularly as the Vihara is considered the Centre of Excellence for Theravada Buddhism in the west and performs an important task in the UK including teaching the Dhamma to British-born children and youth of Sri Lankan lineage and to others in the community.

Despite some difficult times it faced in the early years, the London Vihara remains the pre-eminent Buddhist Vihara in the UK offering a highly-valued Dhamma Duta service to the British community in the United Kingdom.

The Most Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala Thera, the chief monk of the Vihara and the Chief Sangha Nayake of the United Kingdom, in his introductory address set out the outstanding work done by the Anagarika Dharmapala in carrying the Buddha Dhamma to parts of the world that remained unaware of the great and noble teachings. The London Vihara, which is managed by the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust in Sri Lanka, is one of the great achievements of the Anagarika. He said the pictures displayed at the week long exhibition were a testimony to that achievement.

The exhibition was officially opened by Lord Nick Bourne, Under-secretary for Communities and Local Government and was attended by several dignitaries including the Mayor of the Borough of Ealing, Dr. Patricia Walker and the President of the Buddhist Society Dr Desmond Biddulph.
Sri Lanka a pearl in Chinas past, present and future View(s):

Fascinating stories about a Lankan prince, Maritime Silk Road and the science of tea

By Ameen Izzadeen

What have a 19th generation Chinese descendant of a Sri Lankan prince, an 11th century mariner and three key cities in China got to do with 17 Sri Lankan journalists, who have just returned from a ten-day trip to China, courtesy the Chinese embassy in Colombo?

The answer: A fine silk thread connecting the ancient Maritime Silk Road with the new Maritime Silk Road that symbolises Chinas rising soft power.

As we visited the three cities in our itinerary  first, the capital Beijing in the North-East, then the port city of Quanzhou (pronounced Chanzhou) in the South-East and Kumming the city of eternal spring in the West  the imaginary silk thread attached to us kept extending, just as the real silk thread extended from the boiled cocoon as the spool turned. The imaginary thread spun a tapestry depicting the places we visited, Chinas glorious past and its dream for the future, with Sri Lanka shining like a pearl on the Maritime Silk Road  a key component of Chinas ambitious One-Road-One-Belt (OBOR) project.

What do you think of the new Maritime Silk Road? This question was posed to me by a young Chinese journalist, who was among an army of media personnel covering our visit to the graveyard where a son of Parakramabahu VI and his descendants are believed to have been buried. Parakramabahu VI ruled Sri Lanka from the Kotte Kingdom from around the second decade in the 15th century to 1459,

Well, it is a good idea, because enhanced trade ties can not only lead to an economic boom but also diminish the chances of countries going to war. We can achieve world peace. We must promote it, I said, standing close to a place where Chinese archaeologists found tombstones describing the burial of the descendants of a Sri Lankan prince. He was known in China as Prince Ba Lai Na.

Love in Quanzhou

The graveyard lies a short drive from our hotel in Quanzhou, which was the starting point of the ancient maritime silk Road. It is said that Zheng He, the renowned Chinese mariner, began at least six of his voyages from this port. Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim eunuch who served Emperor Yongle of the Ming dynasty, was no stranger to Sri Lanka. On his maiden voyage and subsequent voyages, he visited Sri Lanka.

It was he who is believed to have taken the Sri Lankan prince to China to meet the emperor. The prince on his journey back fell ill after he reached Quanzhou. It was winter, too. After his recovery, which took a long time, he had decided to remain in Quanzhou, where he fell in love with a noblewoman of Chinese-Arab origin with the surname Pu. After the Sri Lankan princes marriage to this woman, the emperor naturalised him and gave him the name Shi.

When we visited the ancient cemetery, Quanzhous cultural affairs officials told us that the totem on the tombstones showed two snakes in an art form that was popular in the 15th century Sri Lanka. More research was being carried out in both China and Sri Lanka, they said, adding that more evidence would expedite the process of declaring the story of the Sri Lankan prince and the artefacts associated with him as UNESCO world intangible cultural heritage. The Quanzhou port already enjoys this status following UNESCOs recognition of the ancient Maritime Silk Road in 1991. Intangible Cultural Heritage is defined by UNESCO as practices, customs, knowledge and skills  as well as instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated with them  that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage.

Our hosts, Quanzhous Foreign Affairs Committee officials, were keen to take us to as many such places of cultural importance as possible so as to underscore the links between Quanzhou, Sri Lanka and the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

The princess

First to a living heritage, a princess: We fondly called her Kumarikawa, meaning princess in Sinhala. Wearing a blue dress that gave her the appearance of a princess, 53-year-old Xushi Yine welcomed us to her handicraft and antique shop in Quanzhou. She said that to see us in her shop, where pictures she had taken of herself with Sri Lankan dignitaries such as Prime Ministers Ranil Wickremesinghe and D.M. Jayaratne and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya adorned the walls, gave her the feeling that she was being visited by her long lost relatives.

Xushi was a 19th generation descendant of the Lankan prince, as to whose real identity opinions differ among Sri Lankan historians. She took us to a house which was a stones throw away from her shop. This was where the Sri Lankan prince lived 600 years ago, she told us. The house has, over the years, undergone renovations, while its ownership has changed from the Shi family. Although owned by its present occupiers, the house is under the care of the Quanzhou municipal government, because it is part of the ancient Maritime Silk Road heritage.

Xushi was zeroed in as a present day descendant of the Sri Lankan prince, following the Sri Lankan governments request to the Chinese government in 1986 to trace the lost tribe of the Lankan prince. A decade-long search led them to a cemetery where they found the tombstones with inscriptions to say that the remains were of the descendants of a Sri Lankan prince. It was later found that even in Taiwan there are descendants of the prince.

At Quanzhous maritime museum, which showcases the historic Maritime Silk Road, curator Ding Yuling told us that a book is being written about the Lankan prince. Other officials said a docudrama is being made about Xushi, who has emerged as Quanzhous icon representing Chinese President Xi Jinpings ambitious Maritime Silk Road Project which seeks to link Colombo, Hambantota and other key ports in the Afro-Asian region with Quanzhou, the largest metropolitan region in Chinas Fujian Province.

Quanzhous history records visits by traders, seafarers and explorers. Among them were the Persians, the Arabs, the most notable among them being Ibn Batuta, the Europeans, among them was Marco Polo, the Tamils from Tamil Nadu and, of course, the Sri Lankan Sinhala prince. Buddhist pagodas, Hindu kovils, Christian churches, Muslim mosques and Manichaean temples stood side by side as the city emerged as a classic example of the Chinese peoples respect for multiculturalism. Basking in its glorious past, Quanzhou with a population of 8 million people in an area of 11,250 square kilometres, is emerging as one of the worlds largest ports. Its people believe President Xi Jinpings ambitious OBOR initiative will once again make this port city a pivot of world trade.

Live and let live

The message from Quanzhous history is that in trade relations between people of different countries, cultures, religions and races, co-existence is a blessed byproduct. This is also the message that Quanzhou wants to give the rest of the world as it gears up for the Maritime Silk Road project, which is, according to Chinese officials, a live-and-let-live initiative that will propel the economy of not only Chinas south but also other countries all the way up to Somalia and Djibouti, where China is building a naval base  not far from an American military base  to ensure maritime security in the Indian Ocean.

In 2014, Sri Lanka and China entered into a defence and maritime security cooperation agreement. This and another agreement that gave China the right to explore Sri Lankas ocean for the wreckage of ships of Zhang Hes fleet apparently raised alarms in New Delhi and Washington. Asked about this agreement to explore Sri Lankan waters, Quanzhou Museum Curator Ding said she was aware of this agreement, but her museum or marine archaeologists of Quanzhou were not involved in it, though they have the technology to do so. She also said the museum maintained academic ties with Sri Lankas universities and she was keen to visit Sri Lankas maritime museum in Galle. A delegation of Quanzhou maritime museum officials is expected to visit Sri Lanka in November.

Quanzhous officials dismissed the idea that China entertained any military ambitions through its Maritime Silk Road project. They insisted it was purely aimed at improving trade, academic and friendly relations. They said that many companies based in their prospering city had expressed a willingness to invest in Sri Lanka.

Tea science and tea art

Our three-day stay in Quanzhou also took us to Anxi, one of its counties, and the birthplace of tea. It is said people in this area used tea as a herb more than 3000 years ago and as a hot reviving brew some 2,500 years ago. Today, tea is also a cold sweet drink in China. Sri Lanka may be the worlds number one tea exporting country, but the first tea saplings were brought to Sri Lanka by British planters from China in 1824. Given this history, I felt that our visit to Anxi was like a reunion between a mother and a child long separated from her.

It is in Anxi County that we learnt the word teaology  the science of tea. At the Anxi Tea College of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, students are offered degrees to doctorates in teaology.

Television cameras followed us when we visited Anxi, the region that produces Chinas best tea and houses the nations largest tea distributing centre. Chinese journalists asked whether I liked Chinese tea. Of course, I said. It is a health drink, like Sri Lankas black tea. I told them the two countries should cooperate and learn from each others knowledge and experience in tea production.

But a problem is the language barrier. At the Anxi Tea College officials said the courses were in Chinese but they had plans to introduce courses in English and open the college to foreign students. Tea is not only a science; it is an art linked to tradition. At the Anxi tea distribution centre, two Chinese girls, clad in green kurtas and white pants, performed the tea ceremony for us. While one girl painted a flower on a white paper, the other girls slender hands moved like waves as she handled the utensils to make hot tea for us. With Anxi offering many useful tips to Sri Lankas tea trade, we realised that the visit was worth all the tea in China.

(More next week.)
Rohit Sharma managed to retain his spot in the Test squad for the New Zealand series despite going through a lean patch with the bat. However, the right-handed batsman missed out on getting some quality practice after getting dismissed for 18.

By India Today Web Desk: Rohit Sharma missed out on the opportunity to score runs on a flat deck but his Mumbai team-mates Kaustubh Pawar and Suryakumar Yadav slammed centuries to frustrate New Zealand on day two of the tour game at the Ferozshah Kotla.

Rohit managed to retain his spot in the Test squad for the New Zealand series despite going through a lean patch with the bat. However, the right-handed batsman missed out on getting some quality practice after getting dismissed for 18.

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On a flat wicket, his Mumbai team-mates thrived including Pawar (100 off 228 balls), Yadav (103 off 86), Siddhesh Lad (86 not out off 62) and rookie Arman Jaffer (69 off 123). (Also read: Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane receive Arjuna awards)

Mumbai, resuming the innings at 29/1, went on to reach 431/5 at stumps on the penultimate day after New Zealand had posted 324/7 on the opening day. A total of 402 runs were scored in 90 overs at a run rate of 4.46.

For the visitors, it was a tough day in the field with their bowlers toiling in the sun with little success. Not a lot was expected from the quicker bowlers on a flat deck but the effort from New Zealand's spin trio of Ish Sodhi (2/132), Mitchell Santer (1/71) and Mark Craig (0/60) was also nothing noteworthy.

The spinners were expected to make an impact even though the pitch continued to play true, without offering much turn. (Also read: Cheteshwar Pujara should play ahead of Rohit Sharma: Sourav Ganguly to India Today)

Looking ahead to the Test series, the lone disappointment from the India's point was the early fall of Rohit, who also featured in the Duleep Trophy final to gain some form. Walking into the middle after the fall of Jaffer, Rohit took 10 balls to get off the mark but he opened his account in style, a straight hit for a six on the bowling of leg-spinner Sodhi.

However, that was the sole high point of his brief stay as another attempt to hit Sodhi out of the park saw him being stumped. For that brief period post lunch, Sodhi and left-arm spinner Santer were in the middle of a probing spell, leading to Rohit's dismissal.

But it was all Mumbai after that as Yadav joined Pawar at the crease. Yadav would have gone back without scoring had Sodhi not made mess of a regulation catch off his own bowling. That dropped catch proved costly for New Zealand. (Also read: Stuart Binny, Shardul Thakur dropped from India's Test squad vs New Zealand)

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Whether it was the express pace of Trent Boult and Neil Wagner or the three spinners, it did not matter much to Yadav. Such was his dominance that he brought up his 50 as well as his 100 with a six.

He ended up smashing eight sixes with a majority of them going over midwicket, to go with nine fours. He raced to his hundred post tea and was dismissed soon after.

(With PTI inputs)

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A fireworks display staged at Bethlehem College on Friday night has proven to be a fizzer with a large number of locals both in Tauranga and further afield.

Several readers have contacted SunLive as well as taken to social media to express their anger at the fireworks display and their frustration over the colleges lack of advertising of the event.
Even the prospect of rain didnt deter a small crowd from taking part in Alzheimers Tauranga/WBOPs Memory Walk in Mount Maunagnui this morning.

The annual walk saw participants embark on a gentle 3km stroll to honour family and friends who have or have had dementia, as well as raising much needed funds for the local branch of the Alzheimers Society.

Dementia touches two thirds of all New Zealanders, and the number of people affected is increasing every year, says fundraising coordinator for Alzheimers Tauranga/WBOP Julie Sargisson.

Were pleased to offer this fun, affordable opportunity to get a group of friends or family together to honour those you know who have been affected, while knowing that you are helping people in your own community to get the support they need.

Starting at Coronation Park, the walk took in Pilot Bay before the crowd headed over to the Mount Main Beach where the event concluded.

Some notable faces in the crowd this morning were Tauranga MP Simon Bridges, Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby, and Alzheimers Tauranga/WOP patron Sir Gordon Tietjens.
A protest rally against New Zealands cannabis laws will be staged outside the Tauranga Police Station this afternoon.

The Stop The Arrests rally is one of 26 protests taking place around the country from 4pm to 5pm today, and aims to highlight the issue of cannabis law reform, especially for medicinal uses.
Bad weather has forced the Tauranga Coastguard to postpone its flares demonstration that was set to take place tonight.

The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate the correct deployment method and usage of flares, as well as to educate the public on what to expect when they see one thats been deployed.

The demonstration was set to take place in Sulphur Point, Mount Maunganui and Papapmoa Beach, from 6.30pm.

A Tauranga Coastguard spokesman apologises for any inconvenience caused by the postponed of the demonstration.

The coastguard are still looking to run the demonstration and once a date is confirmed members of the community will be notified well in advance of the event.
Its been one of Taurangas most controversial roads and now Winston Peters is calling for the tolls on Route K to be axed.

The New Zealand First leader wants a complete overhaul of the Tauranga transport network as well as an investigation into the feasibility of a light rail public transport network for the city.
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has made it clear that his son Akhilesh is his successor, the party's future and is free to take decisions.

By Panini Anand:

In a bid to put to rest the turmoil that the Samajwadi Party found itself surrounded by, party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has said that there will be no split in the outfit as long as he is alive. This is the crux of the crisis surrounding the party. What Mulayam is trying to say is that he is the one calling the shots in the Samajwadi Party while he is around.

The SP supremo has made it clear that Akhilesh is his successor, the party's future and free to take decisions. This is the first time Akhilesh took such a big step that involved one of the most important leaders (Shivpal Yadav) of his party. He is now answerable to only one person in the party -- his father Mulayam.

SP's WIN IN 2012 POLLS



Prior to the 2012 Assembly elections in UP, Mulayam had projected Akhilesh as the party's youth face and asked him to hold rallies against Mayawati and build public opinion in favour of Samajwadi Party across the state. Akhilesh more than lived up to the expectations and helped his party win a decisive mandate in the elections.

Also read: Akhilesh's attempt at image makeover too little, too late?

Buoyed by the UP polls win in 2012, Akhilesh made fast strides to surpass leaders of his father's generation. Those unhappy or disillusioned with the Bahujan Samaj Party voted for the SP, that is how the mandate was described. Akhilesh, thus, became the chief minister of one of India's politically most crucial states. Mulayam Singh set an example by voluntarily giving up the chief minister's post. Many senior party leaders chose to keep mum despite not welcoming the appointment of Akhilesh Yadav as Uttar Pradesh CM. This was Mulayam Singh's first big move. Here's another.

DANGER OR DRAMA?

The present political crisis confronting the Samajwadi Party has been a sequel to Mulayam's key move. In order to ensure that senior party leaders do not rebel against the govt, it was important to grant them the ministries of their choice and a freedom to work the way they wanted. In this way, Mulayam not only kept the senior leaders of his party pleased, but also cautioned Akhilesh against probable dangers or yet-unencountered political crises.



But ahead of the UP elections now, SP leaders are all locked in a race to get tickets to contest. Both economic aspects and political ambitions to ensure one's party's win are associated with ticket distribution. Dealing with this is not easy.

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Also read: Yadav clan reaches a truce: Shivpal to remain state party chief, Akhilesh gets big say in ticket distribution

Mulayam Singh knows well enough that what is harming the party the most is the fact that almost every leader is eyeing the CM's post. And they all see themselves as perfectly capable enough to lead. This has hurt Akhilesh Yadav's image.

Shivpal is a crucial part of Mulayam's gameplan. Mulayam Singh appointed Shivpal as party's Uttar Pradesh unit chief. Miffed over this development, Akhilesh stripped Shivpal of his ministries. Shivpal enjoys a good rapport with the most downtrodden section of society, but he had to accept the chief minister's order.

MULAYAM HELPS AKHILESH, SHIVPAL RECONCILE



Akhilesh for the first time is coming across as strong and unwavering, and that too against his own party leader. This sends a clear message to the party. Mulayam Singh has helped the two leaders at loggerheads with each other in his party reconcile their differences. He has also made it clear to party workers that as far as ticket distribution is concerned, Akhilesh will prevail. Akhilesh has become a sort of invincible warrior, being both the face and future of the party, and other senior leaders of the party have been dwarfed in comparison.

Also read: Akhilesh Yadav blames 'outsiders' for crisis in party

The prominence that Rahul Gandhi's Kisan Yatra occupied in the media has been pushed from the front page to those inside by Mulayam Singh's management of the Samajwadi Pari-War drama.

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Syracuse, N.Y.  Cor Development Co. sought a court order Friday requiring the city of Syracuse to sell it the last of five parcels at the Syracuse Inner Harbor, where the company has launched a $350 million redevelopment.

Cor alleged in a lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court that the city has refused to follow through on a 2012 agreement to sell it a parcel of land on the east bank of the harbor, a former Barge Canal terminal at the northwest corner of Solar and West Kirkpatrick streets in the city's lakefront area.

The city previously sold four of the other five parcels of land that make up the harbor in 2014 and 2015. However, on Sept. 9, the city notified Cor that it would not sell the company the remaining parcel, land along Solar Street where the company wants to build three retail and office buildings.

Cor said the city cited the city's pending appeal of a portion of a court decision in a lawsuit over tax exemptions for Cor's development of the harbor.

Mayor Stephanie Miner sued Cor Dec. 15, alleging the company broke a promise not to seek tax breaks for its construction of hotels and apartment, retail and office buildings at the harbor. She filed the lawsuit the same day the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency approved an estimated $44.6 million in property, sales and mortgage recording taxes for the development.

State Supreme Court Judge James Murphy dismissed the city's lawsuit, ruling that the city failed to provide any evidence that Cor had promised never to ask for tax breaks. However, the city filed an appeal of one portion of the judge's ruling, in which he ruled that the city could not seek to take back ownership of the land already sold to Cor.

In the lawsuit filed Friday, Cor said the city's appeal is moot because Murphy dismissed the city's lawsuit in its entirety, including the part that alleged that Cor had broken a promise not to seek tax breaks. The company noted that the city has not appealed the judge's overall dismissal of the city's lawsuit.

"Even following this string of court losses, the city stubbornly persists in attempting to frustrate Cor's redevelopment of the Inner Harbor," the company said.

"In this latest volley, the city is baselessly refusing to close on the last remaining parcel that it agreed to transfer to Cor under the disposition agreement, in flagrant breach of that agreement and in violation of its contractual promises to Cor."

City officials declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday. A Cor representative said the company would not comment beyond what was in the lawsuit.

Cor recently completed construction of a 134-room Aloft Hotel on the south bank of the harbor and has begun construction on the first of two buildings on the west bank that will each contain retail space and 54 apartments.

It recently submitted plans to the Syracuse Planning Commission for the middle of three two-story, 31,000-square-foot commercial buildings on the east bank. The first floor of the buildings will contain retail tenants and the second floor will contain office space.

The office space in the first building is to house Cor's new headquarters. The company plans to relocate its headquarters and 60 employees from Fayetteville to the harbor.

However, without ownership of the land along the east bank, Cor will not be able to proceed with construction of the retail and office buildings.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
AUBURN, N.Y. -- A man is accused of robbing a gas station with a BB gun early Friday.

Weston R. Rhodes, 21, and Lucas A. Corrado, 23, were each charged with second-degree robbery. Rhodes was also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Both men reside at 215 Genesee St. in Auburn.

Auburn police officers responded at 3:13 a.m. to a report of a robbery in progress at the Kwik Fill gas station at 302 Genesee St.

Witnesses told police that a man entered the gas station, showed what looked like a handgun and demanded money. The clerks complied and the man left with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police said their investigation showed Rhodes committed the robbery, though they did not provide any details of the investigation.

Rhodes used a BB gun, which looked like a real handgun, during the robbery, police said.

Rhodes robbed the gas station by himself, police said. But Corrado is accused of helping with the planning and implementation. Police said Corrado was found near the gas station and had the money from the robbery.

Police asked anyone with information about robbery to contact 315-253-3231 or 315-255-4702.

Weston R. Rhodes
Calvin P. Lucey-McCabe Wide.JPG

Calvin P. Lucey-McCabe

(New York State Police)

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. -- A Madison County man has been accused of uploading child pornography at a state college, the New York State Police said.

Calvin P. Lucey-McCabe, 20, of Maple Avenue, Hamilton, was charged with possessing a sexual performance by a child, a felony.

State police said its Computer Crime Unit was investigating uploads of child pornography at Morrisville State College. The investigation showed that Lucey-McCabe, a former Morrisville student, uploaded "images consistent with child pornography," state police said.

Lucey-McCabe was arrested Wednesday in the village of Hamilton. State police did not provide details of their investigation or of their case against Lucey-McCabe.

He was arraigned in Morrisville Village Court and ordered held at the Madison County jail in lieu of $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Troopers are continuing to investigate. State police asked anyone with information about the case to contact Investigators Andrew Wilmot or David Weaver at 315-366-6000.
OTISCO, N.Y. -- Two teenagers were injured Friday when the pickup-truck they were driving

went off a road in southern Onondaga County

and rolled over.

Otisco firefighters, Tully Ambulance and sheriff's deputies responded around 3 p.m. to a reported crash on Otisco Road, between Route 80 and Barker Street in the town of Otisco

Two 17-year-old boys were going west on Otisco Road in a 2003 Dodge pickup-truck when the vehicle left the road, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, a spokesman for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office. The pickup hit a culvert and then rolled over several times, he said.

The driver suffered minor injuries. He was taken by Tully Ambulance to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

The passenger had a serious head injury. Rescuers had him airlifted to Upstate by Mercy Flight, Seeber said. The teen was in stable condition.

Both teens were wearing seat belts, but deputies determined excessive speed was a factor in the accident, Seeber said. The driver, who is from LaFayette, was ticketed for speed not reasonable and prudent.
copen.JPG

John G. Copen

(Rome Police Department)

ROME, N.Y. -- An Oneida County man is accused of injuring a 4-year-old boy by hitting the child in the face.

John G. Copen, 24, of Rome, was arrested this week and charged with assaulting a child, said the Rome Police Department. The investigation into Copen started Friday when the boy's injuries were reported.

Copen hit the boy's face -- leaving the child with multiple injuries, police said.

The boy was treated and later released from Rome Memorial Hospital. He was offered counseling by the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, police said.

Copen was charged with second-degree assault, a felony. He is being held at police headquarters pending arraignment, police said.

Detective E.A. D'Alessandro, who is assigned to the advocacy center, and Detective Richard Galluppi investigated. The investigation is open, and police said more charges are possible.
CANASTOTA, N.Y. -- The last remembered words of U.S. Marine Pvt. Frank Penna were spoken to his best friend.

It was November 1943, and Penna and Cpl. Larry Smith were in the Pacific Ocean fighting in World War II. Their boat had struck an unexpected reef, and they had to swim to shore.

The men were about 200 yards from the beach when Smith asked his friend if he'd said a good act of contrition -- a prayer used to seek forgiveness for sins. Penna told Smith he'd said two.

Then, before the Marines headed into battle, Penna uttered his last recorded words.

"May God bless you," Penna told his friend.

Penna, of Canastota, died on Nov. 20, 1943 during a battle in the Gilbert Islands. He was 24 years old.

Thanks to a letter sent by Smith to Penna's family in Canastota shortly after the young Marine's death, Penna's last words escaped the island. But it would take nearly 73 years for Penna's body to make it home.

And on Saturday morning, with his family and community watching, Penna was finally buried next to his parents.

Penna's journey home to Central New York started in June 2015, when History Flight Inc. found what they believed to be the remains of 35 lost Marines in a burial site on Betio Island. DNA submitted by Fred Penna, his only living sibling, allowed researchers to find and identify Penna's bones.

The Marine was flown to Syracuse on Thursday. Hundreds of people stood vigil on the streets of Canastota as a motorcade escorted his remains home.

The community again joined Fred Penna and his family Saturday morning for Frank Penna's funeral. Veterans and law enforcement saluted as a silent honor guard carried Penna's flag-draped casket into St. Agatha's Church.

The scent of incense filled the air as the Rev. Stephen Wirkes, pastor of St. Agatha's, gave a eulogy for Penna.

"He can rest now, not in an unmarked grave, but with his mother and father," he said.

Wirkes shared the story of Penna's final words as he reflected on the cost of freedom -- a price he said Penna nobly paid. As the pastor spoke directly to Penna, the eyes of mourners drifted between the casket and a photo of the handsome, uniform-wearing Marine.

"You never heard these words while you were here," Wirkes said. "Pvt. Penna, we won the war. We won the war."

After the funeral Mass, a motorcade brought Penna to St. Agatha's Cemetery for his long-awaited burial in his family's plot.

Fred Penna, 92, sat next to his brother's grave -- listening as taps were played and a gun salute was given for his brother. He nodded solemnly as a Marine handed him the flag that had blanketed his brother's casket.

Then, with a small smile, Fred Penna handed the flag to his grandson.

"Easy on this," he said. "You take care of this."
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Sep 17 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz today met Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif and discussed bilateral relations and regional developments with particular focus on Afghanistan.

Aziz met Zarif on the sidelines of the 17th NAM Summit in Venezuela and appreciated Irans role as the President of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Foreign Office said here.

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Iran is the outgoing President, having led the NAM process since 2012.

They discussed bilateral relations and regional developments with particular focus on Afghanistan, it said.

"Aziz briefed his Iranian counterpart on the situation in Kashmir and Pakistan-India relations," it added.

Aziz also met Venezuela Foreign Minister Delcy Rodrguez and the two sides decided to strengthen bilateral relations and take measures to expand trade between the two countries.

Expressing satisfaction at the friendly relations between Pakistan and Venezuela, Aziz and Rodriguez identified significant potential for enhancing trade and economic ties between the two countries.

Pakistan sought Venezuelas support for a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with MERCUSOR, under the Framework Agreement that it signed with MERCUSOR bloc in July 2006.

The two sides also decided to promote cooperation in multilateral forums for mutual benefit.

Congratulating Venezuela on assuming the Presidency of NAM, Aziz urged the need to reinvigorate the Movement by enhancing political solidarity and economic cooperation among its member countries.

Rodriguez welcomed the idea and said the two sides would work closely to make NAM stronger and more relevant.

Aziz is leading Pakistans delegation to the NAM Summit being held in Margarita Islands, Venezuela from September 15-18. PTI SH ZH

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Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba was speaking to reporters after the launch of new warship Mormugao from Mumbai-based Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.

By Press Trust of India: The Scorpene data leak controversy won't affect the ambitious project of building submarines in the Indian dockyards with the help of foreign shipyards, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said here on Saturday.

He was speaking to reporters after the launch of new warship Mormugao from Mumbai-based Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.

Under Project 75 I, Indian and foreign shipyards are supposed to construct submarines in Indian dockyards. The project for building six submarines is estimated to be worth USD 6 billion.

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Scorpene Data Leak: Talks for more submarines were on, claims French company DCNS



"Defence ministry has decided that it (Project 75 I) is to be part of a strategic partnership, where you have an overseas technology partner. A committee formed last year has identified which Indian shipyards can participate in the building and once the ministry decides on the state partnership model, project 75 I model would move forward," he said.

'PROBE FOUND SCORPENE LEAK TOOK PLACE IN FRANCE, NOT INDIA'

Preliminary investigation in the Scorpene data leak case has found that the leak did not take place in India but at the office of defence company DCNS in France, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said here on Saturday.

"There is a high-level committee which is inquiring into the Scorpene leak on our side. Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done, whether any mitigation measures are required or not," he said.

"Preliminary probe in the case has found that the leak did not take place in India but at DCNS office in France," he Navy chief said. "In France, DCNS and the French government have launched an inquiry. Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done," he said.

India shelves plan to expand French submarine order after Scorpene data breach



SCORPENE SECRET

Over 22,000 pages of secret data on the capabilities of six highly-advanced Scorpene submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with DCNS were leaked, raising alarm bells in the security establishment.

The combat capability of the Scorpene submarines, being built at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai at a cost of USD 3.5 billion, went public when an Australian newspaper, The Australian, put the details on the website.

Some of the leaked documents relate to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the submarines which are used to gather intelligence underwater.

Scorpene leak: French firm seeks injunction against Australian newspaper leaking secret data



Earlier, the indigenously built warship, Mormugao, equipped with a range of high-tech missiles was launched, with the Navy chief saying the stealth destroyer can be compared with the best vessels in the world.

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The vessel has been built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.

The vessel will undergo certain testings required by Indian Navy and would be subsequently known as INS Mormugao.

ALSO READ:

Navy's missile destroyer Mormugao launched, to be service ready after three years



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whereas Nexus devices offered a barebones or vanilla Android experience, the new Pixel series will come with its own unique interface as well as a slew of close-sourced applications

the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL, which are believed to be the first members of this fresh series of smartphones

I believe this change in product nomenclature and shake up in marketing strategy is meant to boost profits coming from Google-branded handsets and tablets -- especially following the creation of the Alphabet umbrella company

According to "analysts" and "insiders", Google will finally retire its Nexus line of Android smartphones this year and will replace it with an entirely new series of handsets called ''.They say that. Not sure how that will sound to developers but I think, after several years of Android's market dominance, Google's objective in releasing its own line of devices has already started to shift.Well, anyway, these leaked photos purportedly show TPU sleeves made for what some are calling. ( source Various sources claim that the regular Google Pixel will have a 5.2-inch display while the XL version will sport a larger 5.5-inch screen. As for the internals, both handsets - to be crafted by HTC - are expected to be powered by the same (upgraded) Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and to handle multitasking with 4GB of RAM.In April 2015, Google disclosed that while its total revenues grew 23 percent year over year to $1.8 Billion USD, its earnings from selling Nexus devices went down to 2 percent quarter over quarter. ( source ). With that,
Hand, foot and mouth disease is commonly seen in babies and toddlers, but more than a dozen college students at the Florida State University (FSU) have recently been struck with this viral infection.

Florida State University Health Services director Lesley Sacher said that less than 16 cases had been seen on-site but she knows of more students who were either seen by a healthcare provider elsewhere or who called without coming in.

Sacher said that the outbreak started as "a trickle" on Monday, Sept. 12, but no new cases were reported on Wednesday.

The disease, which is characterized by painful mouth sores, fever and skin rash on hands and feet often affects children below 5 years old.

Infectious disease specialist Amesh Adalja, from the Center for Health Security at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, however, said that it is not surprising to see cases of the illness on a college campus because it can also affect adults. Adalja said that some people who have evaded infection as a child may get it at a later age.

A number of viruses belonging to the group known as enteroviruses can cause the disease, so it is also possible that some who have already been infected when they were a child only have immunity to one type of virus but not to another type, which could still make them susceptible to a second infection.

The close-quarters of college dorms likewise provide a perfect breeding ground for an outbreak so these places are likely to have more cases of contagious diseases.

FSU workers already sanitized the dorms of the affected students and students who live in school housing including sorority and fraternity houses were asked to sanitize their surroundings and install bottles of hand sanitizer in response to the outbreak.

"Students should take the necessary precautions to sanitize their living and communal spaces including bathrooms," said Tom Jacobson, director of Environmental Health and Safety.

Social events at the campus were also canceled to reduce exposure to the disease.

The university already informed the county health department and will reach out to local bars and restaurants so they could sanitize their establishments as well.

The disease can be transmitted via direct contact with unwashed hands, sneezing and coughing as well as contact with surfaces contaminated with feces and blister fluids. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, those who contract the infection often get better in a few days.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A 17-year-old from Virginia, Jacob Ajit, tweaked a T-Mobile prepaid device into giving him unlimited access to 4G internet for no charge whatsoever. According to the teen, the method is so simple that he is shocked that nobody found the loophole until now.

T-Mobile has previously taken steps to eliminate the data cap for all its plans through its T-Mobile One initiative.

The teenager, who is studying at Virginia's Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, realized that he could get unlimited free data on his handset by logging into T-Mobile's national network. After pondering and deciding that his findings would pose no harm to T-Mobile and its customers, Ajit went public with his feat.

He also points out that he reached out to T-Mobile and informed the carrier about its security flaw.

"It's a trivial fix to whitelist Speedtest servers based on their official host list," Ajit says.

He goes on to add that going on the web without a data plan was a "fun challenge" to him, and explains that he stumbled on the exploit while fiddling with a prepaid SIM card of T-Mobile.

By loading the prepaid SIM, Ajit was able to connect the phone to the T-Mobile network, but it showed no service. It would constantly redirect him to a T-Mobile portal that urged him to upgrade his data plan.

As he started clicking on random links, Ajit noticed that some of them mysteriously opened up. He observed that the app that gauged his internet speed was up and running, which led him to the conclusion that the app was able to fetch data.

"One thing I noticed was that it was picking a T-Mobile Speedtest server," he affirms.

Ajit connected the dots and realized he could access media sent from any "/speedtest" folder. This is most likely due to whitelisting that T-Mobile put in place for speed test media files, but the interesting thing is that they work regardless of the host.

To test his theory, Ajit created his separate "/speedtest" folder online and packed it with media. He was able to access them easily. The teenager then proceeded to create a proxy server, virtually allowing users to access any site by tapping into his technique. He explains that this permits users to circumvent "any artificial shackles" and allows the phone's radios to talk to the network's radios unbridled.

By using a small security trick, Ajit managed to get free data from T-Mobile, without making any payments or having any binding contract with the data company.

He underlines the dangers of unnoticed and downplayed security flaws that can be easily be used by malicious users such as hackers. Also, he emphasized that fixing the issue would take very little effort on T-Mobile's part. Ajit explains that all the carrier needs to do is check their whitelist against the official Speedtest server list.

He goes on to add that the broader picture involves security specialists making errors "due to oversight." Ajit did manage to surf the web without paying for traffic, which is pretty innocuous, but his exploit underlines the existence of numerous zero-day vulnerabilities that are dangerous and yet remain unaddressed.

Ajit admits that the thought that all software systems are vulnerable is "a bit scary," but he seems confident that the liabilities will be removed sooner than later.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A mockumentary featuring Thor renting a flat in Australia and living a (relatively) normal life aired at Comic-Con earlier this summer and recently made its way online. It's a fun little spoof that goes to show how perhaps superpeople and normal people aren't meant to room together, as it seems clear that Thor's roommate Darryl Jacobson becomes more than a little annoyed with the god of thunder.

The "Team Thor" video is meant to be a goofy way to explain why exactly Thor wasn't seen picking a side in Captain America: Civil War. However, as it turns out, fans may not have seen the last of Thor's roommate Darryl after all.

Speaking with Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, IGN reports Darryl may appear again in the future. First, Waititi explained further what Thor was up to following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

"Thor briefly rented a room in a flat in Australia after the Ultron debacle," he tells IGN. "Just to get some downtime  to get away from The Avengers, to get away from America. So he had a little downtime in Australian. And he met this guy Darryl and they shared a flat together. So that's Darryl."

Waititi then implied fans may see Darryl again in some capacity, though he didn't mention specifics.

"I think you probably could see him again," he says. "There may be other little pieces of that thing that everyone saw that may just be a small part of a bigger thing."

There are a couple of ways to view Waititi's statements. It seems like he's either implying that Darryl could make some kind of appearance in Thor: Ragnarok, or that the three-minute spoof video may actually be a part of a much longer version of said spoof, possibly in the same vein as previous Marvel One-Shots. Fans will likely have to wait a while to find out for sure. Waititi is still filming Thor: Ragnarok, and is set to release in theaters Nov. 3, 2017. In other Marvel news, Groot actor Vin Diesel recently confirmed that the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy will both be appearing in Avengers: Infinity War, though the actor didn't elaborate on how the two groups might team up. According to the film's directors, the movie will serve as both a beginning and an end to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as fans know it.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Unicorns, Big Foot, Nessie: what all these things have in common is that there has yet to be any real proof that these mythical creatures really do exist. Well, at least until now.

Get ready, nonbelievers, because there is now photographic evidence that the Loch Ness Monster is real  that is, if you see what this Scottish man sees.

Fifty-eight-year-old Ian Bremner works at a whisky warehouse during the week, and is an amateur photographer on the weekends. After driving around the Highlands in Scotland on Saturday in search of capturing images of red deer, the whiskey worker instead stumbled on what could be the greatest Nessie sighting to date.

Bremner snapped a photo of what many are calling the most "convincing" evidence of the Loch Ness Monster.

Whether or not you believe it, the photographer is surely convinced that he really did capture a Nessie sighting. The monster, who is spotted in the water between the Scottish villages of Dores and Inverfarigaig, appears to show off its long, snake-like body as it is swimming away.

If this is true, then this is proof that the mythical beast is very much real.

Tales of the Loch Ness Monster began when the creature was first reportedly spotted in 1933 in the Scottish Highlands. Accounts claim that Nessie looks like a serpent with a long, wavy body. While many might think it is just a myth, others believe it could be a relative of dinosaurs. With new creatures found in the depths of the ocean even today, who knows what is really lurking underneath?

"It's a part of the world that always makes you second guess what you're seeing," Bremner said in an interview. This is the first time I've ever seen Nessie in the loch. I would be amazed if I was the first one to find her. I'm normally a bit of a skeptic when it comes to Nessie and I think it's just something for the tourists but I'm starting to think there is something out there."

Then again, it could just be a photo of three seals.

This is exactly what Bremner's friends  and probably the rest of the world  thinks is what is in the photo. Just take a good look.

However, there have been over 1,000 alleged Loch Ness monster sightings over the past years, so it's always a possibility that Nessie is still swimming right under our noses.

Source: Scotsman

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In the near future, Outlook.com users will be able to send Google Drive documents and Facebook Photos via email to their friends, families, and colleagues.

Microsoft has decided to add some useful features that might transform Outlook.com into a must-have email service.

In the next few weeks, Microsoft plans on adding the nifty tools. Whenever they are made available, folks should see them under the attachment options.

"Today, we added three enhancements to make sharing simple. First, we extended the cloud storage capabilities for Outlook.com by adding support for Google Drive," says Microsoft via the Outlook blog. "Second, we added the ability to share your Facebook photos from Outlook. And finally, we made it easier to find files and photos buried in long email conversations."

This is not the first time Microsoft has added Google Drive and Facebook photo integration to Outlook. The company's Android and iOS apps have both had these features for quite some time.

Unfortunately for those who use Windows 10 Mobile and the previous versions, these options were not added, suggesting once again that Microsoft may be showing more love toward third-party mobile operating systems than its own.

Microsoft might add these options to the Windows 10 Mobile app after it is finished doing so to Outlook.com.

Outside of the new features, Microsoft is also adding something it calls "attachment view" to Outlook.com. We're not certain if this feature has already been added to Android and iOS, but we're guessing if not, it shouldn't take long.

Whenever a message has been received with several attachments, users can just click on the attachment icon and a thread with all the attached documents should pop up at the bottom.

We didn't get the chance to use these features because Microsoft is being very slow in rolling out the new Outlook to all users. At the moment, many Outlook.com users are stuck with the old user interface, despite the new one having been released months ago.

The new UI is important for users to gain access to this new feature, so we're hoping Microsoft will roll it out quickly before the end of 2016.

Microsoft has been doing a lot of cool things with Outlook lately. The company made it possible for users to check their emails using HoloLens. This means, users can view holographic emails, but whether or not that is useful is something left to be seen. Still, it's a cool addition in a bid to prop up its headset, which is being sold to developers for $3,000.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
After hitting a major setback in early September, aerospace company SpaceX is planning to recover from its losses and immediately resume its rocket launches in November, reports reveal.

On Sept. 1, a hopeful launch turned sour as the company's Falcon 9 rocket abruptly exploded during preparations for a test fire at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Because of the incident, space services have been temporarily suspended while scientists investigate why the rocket burst into flames.

Elon Musk, the CEO and founder of SpaceX, has said that the incident was a "fast fire," not an explosion. But eyewitness accounts say the blast turned the 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket into a "bowl of fire."

The Sept. 1 incident was a major blow to Musk's company, as the rocket was supposed to lift off the Israeli communications satellite known as Amos 6 into space. Both Facebook and Eutelsat, a French satellite provider, have invested about $100 million each for leasing bandwidth.

Although grounded by the rocket explosion, SpaceX has not been deterred. On Sept. 13, the company's president announced plans to resume flights in November after SpaceX's almost three-month hiatus.

"We're anticipating ... being down for about three months, getting back to flight in the November timeframe," said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell during a satellite industry conference in France.

Shotwell did not explain what type of repairs are needed for the Falcon 9 rocket to return to flight in November.

SpaceX has also not disclosed how much damage the explosion caused to the ground support equipment and the launch pad, but the $200 million Amos 6 satellite was destroyed in the accident.

But can SpaceX recover quickly enough for its rocket launches to resume?

Before the incident in early September, the last SpaceX accident happened in June 2015, when a Falcon 9 rocket blew up a few minutes after it was launched.

The next month, SpaceX identified the problem as a faulty strut, but the company did not get back to its missions until December 2015. It resulted in a five-month hiatus.

Tory Bruno, the CEO of United Launch Alliance, has told Reuters that it usually takes about 9 to 12 months for a company to recover from a space launch accident.

However, Popular Science has pointed out that SpaceX's operations are different from that of ULA, so it would not be a surprise if the former can return to the launch pad sooner.

Still, the Musk-led company's return to rocket launches depends on how long it would take engineers to determine the cause of the blast and then fix it. MIT scientist Paulo Lozano says based on the complexity of the problem, recovery could take a while.

"If a turbo pump in the rocket engine fails, it could take months or years to recover from a failure like that," Lozano told Popular Science. "It's not the same as something simple like a leaking valve."

Photo: Steve Jurvetson | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Christened 'Mormugao', the vessel has been built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.

Launching ceremony of The Second Ship of Project- 15B, Guided Missile Destroyer, Mormugao. (Photo: ANI)

By Press Trust of India: An indigenously built warship equipped with a range of high-tech missiles was launched today with Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba saying the stealth destroyer can be compared with the best vessels in the world.

Christened 'Mormugao', the vessel has been built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.

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Admiral Lanba's wife Reena launched the bedecked ship at a function at MDL here at 11.58 am and it was released into the Arabian Sea for the first time. The vessel will undergo certain testings required by Indian Navy and would be subsequently known as INS Mormugao.



#WATCH: The Second Ship of Project- 15B, Guided Missile Destroyer, Mormugao launched today in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/dKKwdEJjRL ANI (@ANI_news) September 17, 2016

Four more such destroyers would be built and delivered by MDL during 2020-2024, the PSU said in a statement.

The first ship of the Visakhapatnam class was launched on April 20, 2015.

Mormugao has a displacement of 7,300 tonne with maximum speed of over 30 knots. The warship is equipped with surface- to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and anti- submarine rocket launchers. It is also capable of carrying two anti-submarine warfare helicopters.

Addressing the function before the launch, Admiral Lanba said, "This ship serves the Make in India drive of the country as it is indigenously built."

"It secures the sea in a better way. Contract for this ship was signed on January 2011. It can be compared with best ships in the world and has been developed by our own designers at DRDO as well as other government agencies and private companies," he said.

There is a pressing need to build more such ships and reduce the construction period of future vessels, the Navy chief said.

Admiral Lanba said since 1960 Indian Navy and MDL are building ships together.

MDL is the only dock in the country that has capability to build submarines.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sent out warning letters to online retailers carrying e-cigarettes to address illegal sales to minors. The move comes a month after the agency formally banned the sale of e-cigarettes to those below 18 years old.

To be clear, this does not mean that the recipients have been caught selling to those underage. Rather, they are given 15 days to submit a reply to the FDA after receipt of their letters, explaining how they intend to prevent future sales to minors. Online retailers who will violate the FDA's new rule will be fined $275.

"Retailers play a vital role in keeping harmful and addictive tobacco products out of the hands of children and we urge them to take that responsibility seriously," said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the Center for Tobacco Products at the FDA.

The American Vaping Association, however, has decried the FDA sending these warning letters as the agency has not offered compliance guidelines for online retailers to follow. Specifically, this makes it difficult to identify an appropriate age-verification platform. In brick-and-mortar stores, buyers are to provide a photo ID for age verification.

The FDA has inspected some 8,700 brick-and-mortar stores from Aug. 8 to 31.

According to Wells Fargo, the e-cigarette market is estimated to be worth $4 billion.

E-Cigarette Use In Teens

A group of researchers from the University of Michigan carried out a study to determine what drives teens to use e-cigarettes. Based on their findings, which was published in a study in the journal Tobacco Control, about 65 percent students between the eighth and 12th grades are using e-cigarettes for their flavor, with strawberry and chocolate as favorites.

On the other hand, about 13 percent of eighth graders and 20 percent of those in the 10th and 12th grades do it for the nicotine.

E-cigarettes are heavily marketed as healthier alternatives to tobacco cigarettes but Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health's Patricia Folan warned against their use.

"Even without nicotine, inhaled products that contain flavorings can be damaging to the lung tissue and would not be considered safe for adolescents or adults," she said.

The FDA Rule On E-Cigarettes

The new rule was set in place to protect the youth by limiting their access to e-cigarettes and tobacco products in general. The use of tobacco cigarettes in the youth has dropped in the past 10 years but teen use has spiked for other tobacco products, like e-cigarettes. In fact, e-cigarette use in high school students has jumped from 2011's 1.5 percent to 2015's 16 percent, an over 900-percent increase.

Based on the new FDA rule, e-cigarettes may not be sold those below 18 years old. If they will be sold in vending machines, these vending machines must be located in adults-only facilities to restrict access.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
This week, Apple announced the iPhone 7 Indian price and what more big news were you waiting for? Adding on to this, we also came across a survey, hinted first by MacRumors and witnessed by many MacBook Pro (retina) users. The survey paved way for rumours regarding the removal of headphone jack from the MacBook Pro in the coming years. Well, that's not it all. We also witnessed Samsung urging its users to power down the Note 7, and iOS 10 got lukewarm response from Apple users.

Along with these, this week, we also witnessed a couple of launches including Astrum Action Cameras that resembles Go Pro, but in a budget friendly range, and Canon EOS M5, among others. Vikas Agarwal of OnePlus also announced this week via an official forum post that OnePlus 2 users would soon be getting VoLTE updates over-the-air. We also reviewed Audio Technica SR 5 headphones.

Here's a list of best 10 stories we have covered this week in consumer technology:

Samsung Urges Users To Power Down The Note 7

They say that once you are at the top the only place you can go is down. Samsung is learning this the hard way. Just when it was enjoying a good head start over Apple's latest iPhones, the Note 7's battery issue spoilt its party. Now Apple's new phones are hitting the store shelves within a week and the Koreans are still figuring out the fiasco. Cases of exploding Galaxy Note 7 prompted Samsung to initiate the recall programme last week. The company will be replacing every Note 7 sold so far with a fresh unit.

Read The Full Story Here

Dual-Camera Smartphones That Launched Much Before The iPhone 7 Plus

This year's iPhone launch was a mixed bag. Fans were mostly disappointed by the lack of a fresh design. At the same time, careless snobs were pleased by the iPhone's new water-repelling skills. Opinions were divided on the exclusion of the 3.5 mm jack. However, one things that got everyone excited was the iPhone 7 Plus' dual-camera setup. The phone's 12-megapixel camera module is coupled with 12-megapixel telephoto lens to help you zoom-in better. The Cupertino company isn't the first one to implement such camera assembly in mobiles.

Read The Full Story Here

Apple iOS 10 Gets Lukewarm Response From Users

Apple just rolled out the iOS 10, but it seems it has not started on the smoothest of starts. The OS targeted at iPhones, iPads, and the 6th generation of iPod touch, does bring in numerous enhancements. However, due to technical issues and hick-ups during the download stages, have already started getting it negative feedback from users who have started venting their frustrations online. Apple, on its part has assured everyone that the issues will be sorted out soon, but the start for iOS 10 has certainly been buggy.

Read The Full Story Here

Will MacBook Pro Soon Lose Hackphone Jack?

Well, MacBook Pro with OLED panel is expected to be launched officially in October, this year. But, wait... a new rumour is making rounds. According to a post by Juli Clover on Mac Rumors, Apple has been sending out surveys to the users of current MacBook Pro with Retina display... and one question among them is "Do you ever use the headphone port on your MacBook Pro with Retina display?"

Read The Full Story Here

Apple India Reveals iPhone 7 Pricing Details

Keep your expensive iPhone jokes handy as Apple has just unveiled the pricing details of its latest handsets. The best thing is that the information comes directly from Apple's official website in India. Apple has also confirmed that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be launching in India on October 7. Earlier today, Apple slashed the the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus prices to make way for the waterproof iPhone duo.

Read The Full Story Here

Apple iPhone 6S And 6S Plus Get Price Cuts

Is this the biggest price cut in the history of smartphone giant Apple in India? Well, it certainly looks so, especially with the company's recent announcement of INR 22,000 being slashed in the price tag of both iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. This means that, iPhone 6S 128 GB would, from now, be available at INR 60,000 (original price INR 82,000) and iPhone 6S Plus 128 GB will be available at INR 70,000.

Read The Full Story Here

Audio Technica SR5: First Impressions

When it comes to listening to music, choices of headphones we have today are enormous, and choosing the best one among them is obviously difficult. Starting from INR 500 to thousands of rupees, we get headphones for all genres of music. Audio Technica SR5 comes with a 45 mm dynamic driver, giving a balanced sound output. Priced at Rs 10,750 on Amazon India, this is definitely one of the very few available headphones at such price that come with a Hi-Res Audio logo on the box.

Read The Full Story Here

Move Over iPhone 7, The Wait for 7S Has Started

If Tim Cook isnt worried now, he must either have nerves of steel or he doesnt bother reading what newspapers (if so, I am ready to become his fan boy!) and websites have to say about Apples iconic smartphone brand that has made fan boys drool for close to a decade and critics growl for just about the same timeframe. More than the criticism about the latest edition of the iPhone being design resistant and water resistant, what should be worrisome is the almost immediate resumption of the rumor mills suggesting that the successor of the iPhone 7, slated to arrive this time next year, could do away with the home button.

Read The Full Story Here

The Mystery Of The Exploding Smartphone

Developers at Apple must be grinning from ear-to-ear. Obviously one loves it when ones archrival faces the same problem as one did some years ago. Yes! We are referring to the explosive batteries on the Samsung Note 7 and its impact on the cell phone industry as a whole and on market leadership in the segment. News about the exploding batteries and the decision to recall Note 7 phones are now passe. To make matters worse, the airline industry went berserk with a call to power off the device in case it was found on passengers. However, there was nothing about what could cause these blasts and how one could overcome this hazard.

Read The Full Story Here

Moto E3 Power May Launch In India On Sept 19

It looks like Lenovo is all set to launch its upcoming Moto E smartphone, the E3 Power, at an event on Sept 19. Confirming this, Lenovo event sent out a tweet on Monday that the Moto E3 Power will be available for purchase exclusively on Flipkart. Also, the e-commerce portal has launched a micro-site for the Moto E3 Power. However, we still are not sure whether the company will be launching only the Moto E3 Power or any other variant as well!

Read The Full Story Here
Elecciones presidenciales

El pais mas grande de la region elige este domingo a su proximo mandatario. Tras no lograr hacerse con la mayoria de los votos en los comicios del 2 de octubre, Luis Inacio "Lula" Da Silva y Jair Bolsonaro se disputan la Presidencia en una balotaje que enfrenta tendencias y valores contrapuestas. Con equipos en el terreno, Telam presenta una cobertura exclusiva con noticias, analisis, opinion, fotos y mas.
With notoriously forced smiles and no crowd to cheer him on, the far-right politician Bolsonar walked in and out of the polling place in Rio de Janeiro. | Read More
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal Prachanda today said a solution to the Madhesi problem was in sight soon as his government was holding sincere talks with the community, noting legitimate demands will be accommodated within the framework of the Constitution.

Calling his talks yesterday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi "very successful", Prachanda said Nepals peace process has the goodwill and encouragement of India.

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"We are holding talks with them (Madhesis). Before coming here, we had a meeting with them. Talks are going forward in a cordial environment. I am confident that a positive solution to the problem will be found soon," Prachanda told a select group of journalists.

He, however, refused to give a timeline in arriving at the solution.

He said after finding the solution to the demands of the Madhesi community, the Constitution will emerge as a historical achievement for all sections.

The Madhesi community, mostly Indian origin, have been strongly opposing certain provisions of the Constitution, saying they will politically marginalised the community. The Madhesis have been seeking Indias intervention on the issue.

The Nepalese Prime Minister said his government will take on board all sections of the Nepalese society in implementing the Constitution, adding "we will accommodate legitimate demands within the framework of the Constitution."

He said he had come to India with a "definite purpose" and that the visit has been very successful, adding there is a convergence between Indias neighbourhood first policy and his governments top priority in improving ties with the neighbours.

"Trust and understanding are fundamental elements of any bilateral ties," he said. There was chill in Nepals ties with India during tenure of previous government headed by K P Sharma Oli.

Asked whether India was not supporting the peace process, he retorted "do not twist things" adding amendment to the Constitution is an internal process.

Prachanda said Nepals Constitution has been promulgated after a painful transition and its implementation will provide for a solid foundation for democratic, inclusive and justice based polity in the country for which its people had tirelessly fought for.

"As we embark on the phase of implementation of the Constitution, there will be consolidation of peace, stability and inclusiveness democracy in Nepal," he said.

Asked about allegations that India had extended support to the Madhesi agitation, he said "I have never seen Madhesi agitation by linking it with anyone. I was also leader of Madhesi protest."

On Nepals ties with China, he said Nepal wants a "balanced relationship" with both India and China.

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Asked about reports that a planned visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Kathmandu has not materialised due to some issues, Prachanda said talks are on about the high-level visit. "There was no dispute. We hope the high-level visit will happen soon." PTI MPB RG

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Five engineering students lost their lives after falling into a water reservoir while trying to click a selfie in Telangana's Warangal district.

By Ashish Pandey: Five engineering students lost their lives after falling into a water reservoir while trying to click a selfie in Telangana on Saturday.

The incident took place at the Dharmasagar reservoir in Warangal district.

According to the police, five engineering students, including two girls, reached the reservoir for a swim. In a celebratory mood, the students started taking pictures and clicking selfies at the water body.

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FUN VISIT TURNS TRAGIC



Unfortunately during one such selfie attempt over a rock surrounded by water, a girl slipped into the reservoir. To save her, the other students too jumped into the water body and all of them drowned.

Also read: Tamil Nadu: Yet another selfie death as class 12 boy falls into 120-foot well



The deceased have been identified as P Sravya Reddy (19), P Vinootna (18), P Sivasaikrishna (20) and Karne Sivasai (19), studying in the third year of Vagdevi Engineering College.

Police is trying to identify one more person, whose body was fished out of the reservoir.

VIGIL AT RESERVOIR STEPPED UP



Speaking to India Today, Warangal Police Commissioner G. Sudhir Babu said, "Ignoring safety and warning signboards, students went into the water reservoir that led to their death. We have instructed the local dministration to step up vigil at the reservoir to avoid such incidents in the future."

Meanwhile, police have registered a case and sent all bodies for autopsy. Further investigation into the case is going on.

Also read: 14 Pune students drown in Murud beach tragedy



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The Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday acknowledged that President Barack Obama was born on America.

By AP: After five years as the chief promoter of a lie about Barack Obama's birthplace, Donald Trump abruptly reversed course on Friday and acknowledged the fact that the president was born in America. He then immediately peddled another false conspiracy.

"President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period," Trump declared, enunciating each word in a brief statement at the end of a campaign appearance. "Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again."



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TRUMP BLAMED CLINTON



But as the GOP presidential nominee sought to put that false conspiracy theory to rest, he stoked another, claiming the "birther movement" was begun by his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. There is no evidence that is true.

Also read: How pastor interrupted Donald Trump's attack on Hillary Clinton

"Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it," Trump said.

While the question of Obama's birthplace was raised by some backers of Clinton's primary campaign against Obama eight years ago, Clinton has long denounced it as a "racist lie."

"Trump has spent years peddling a racist conspiracy aimed at undermining the first African-American president," Clinton tweeted after his Friday event. "He can't just take it back."

Indeed, it is clear Trump's foes will try to keep the criticism of his actions alive. African-American members of Congress held a news conference near Washington's convention center to denounce him immediately after his appearance.

Trump's allegation on Clinton starting the controversy is the latest example of his tendency to repeat statements that are patently false. However, that did not affect his ability to beat more than a dozen challengers in the GOP primaries and has yet to dissuade his loyal supporters.

Also read: US Air Force just grounded F-35 fighter jets, the most expensive weapon in history



TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN



His statement on Friday, in a sprawling ballroom at his new Washington hotel, lasted only a few seconds following a lengthy campaign event featuring military officers and award winners who have endorsed him. That turned the appearance into a de facto commercial for his campaign and property, as the major cable TV networks aired the full event live in anticipation of comments Trump had hyped hours before.

"I'm going to be making a major statement on this whole thing and what Hillary did," he told the Fox Business Network. "We have to keep the suspense going, OK?"

For years, Trump has been the most prominent proponent of the "birther" idea. He used the issue to build his political profile, earn media attention and define his status as an "outsider" willing to challenge conventions.

Friday marked the first time he said in no uncertain terms he was mistaken. But Trump did not explain how or when he'd come to that conclusion.

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As late as Wednesday, he refused to acknowledge Obama was born in Hawaii, declining to address the matter in a Washington Post interview published late Thursday.

Also read: Trump owes Obama an apology: Clinton

"I'll answer that question at the right time," Trump said. "I just don't want to answer it yet."



CLINTON ATTACKS TRUMP



Clinton seized on Trump's refusal during a speech Thursday night.

"This man wants to be our next president? When will he stop this ugliness, this bigotry?" she asked.

Hours later, Trump's campaign spokesman Jason Miller issued a statement that suggested the question had been settled five years ago - by Trump.

"In 2011, Mr Trump was finally able to bring this ugly incident to its conclusion by successfully compelling President Obama to release his birth certificate," Miller said.

"Mr Trump did a great service to the president and the country by bringing closure to the issue that Hillary Clinton and her team first raised," he added.

The facts do not match Miller's description. Trump repeatedly continued to question Obama's birth in the years after the president released his birth certificate. In August 2012, for example, Trump was pushing the issue on Twitter.

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"An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud," he wrote.

Also read: India loses WTO appeal in US solar dispute

Even in January of this year, Trump sounded skeptical when asked whether he now believed the president was a natural-born citizen.

"Who knows? Who cares right now? We're talking about something else, OK?" Trump said in a CNN interview. "I mean, I have my own theory on Obama. Someday I'll write a book."



U-TURN TO WIN AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTES

Trump's reversal comes as he works to win over African-American voters - many of whom have been turned off by his attempt to delegitimise the nation's first black president.

Obama took the unprecedented step of releasing his long-form birth certificate in 2011, amid persistent questions from Trump and others.

On the day he released the document, Obama jabbed at Trump, saying, "We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers."

The president added Friday that he hoped the election would focus on more serious issues, and said he "was pretty confident about where I was born."

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After Trump's event, the GOP nominee invited photographers and a camera on a tour of his new hotel property, without reporters present.

Meanwhile, the backdrop of blue curtains that Trump had spoken in front of collapsed, toppling a row of American flags like dominoes.

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By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Sep 17 (PTI) Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said that if elected he would reverse the concessions being given to Cuba unless it provides religious and political freedom to its people.

"We are also going to stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression. The Presidents one-sided deal for Cuba benefits only the Castro Regime," Trump told his supporters at an election rally in Miami, Florida, which has a significant population of Cuban-Americans.

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"But all of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro Regime were done through executive order, which means the next President can reverse them ? and that is what I will do, unless the Castro Regime meets our demands," he said.

Those demands will include religious and political freedom for the Cuban people, Trump said.

Trump also talked about Venezuela, saying if he is elected the President, he would to push to expand freedom for all people.

"Venezuela is a beautiful, vibrant, and resource-rich country, filled with amazing and hardworking people. But Venezuela has been run into the ground by socialists," he said.

"The next President of the United States must stand in solidarity with all people oppressed in our hemisphere, and I will stand with the oppressed people of Venezuela yearning to be free," Trump said.

"Here, in America, I will push to expand freedom for all of our people," he added. PTI LKJ UZM

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Al Capone was eventually convicted of tax evasion rather than for his criminal activities. Maybe the only way we will end the inhumane treatment of refugees is when concerns about the amount of money being spent eventually trumps any concern about their welfare. Shame. Denise Stevens, Healesville Stand up for law enforcement While law enforcement bodies are targeting Australians linked to tax evasion and laundering profits from crime, their job will get much harder unless the government abandons plans to sell off the corporate register. The government must also require the register to include the ultimate owners and controllers of the corporations listed. Currently, the register includes shell companies listed at fake addresses with bogus directors. A public register of the real owners and controllers of corporations would help law enforcement agencies in their work and assist businesses such as banks and casinos to ensure they do not get caught up in the laundering of the profits of crime. Mark Zirnsak, Tax Justice Network Australia

THE FORUM PM is compromised Evidence is growing that Malcolm Turnbull's leadership is compromised. Take his use of the term "mandate" to justify his ongoing push for a plebiscite on marriage equality, the terms of which were ill-defined until recently. However, when it comes to that same mandate regarding spelt-out "iron-clad guaranteed" changes to superannuation, he's prepared to compromise (aka cave-in) significantly. He did so not in the face of overwhelming public opinion or parliamentary opposition but to appease the conservative/hard right members of his back bench. Methinks both his personal convictions and his hold on power are similarly compromised. Kevin Bailey, Croydon Irony of One Nation

Senator Malcolm Roberts assures us that Pauline Hanson is "a very, very competent and highly intelligent person". Given that he possesses such a renowned scientific mind I am left no grounds with which to dispute him. I am therefore forced to conclude that, when she chose to call her party "One Nation", the irony was intentional. Peter Lawrence, Bentleigh East China influence grows Australia has a shameful history of bullying and stealing from our nearest neighbour, East Timor, one of the poorest countries in the world. Timor-Leste is almost entirely dependent on oil and gas revenue, with 90 per cent of its income coming from this sector. As the one major oil field (Bayu-Undan) in the Timor Sea that sends royalties to Timor-Leste winds down, the nation faces a collapse in income within a decade, while political and military instability looms large. Australia must negotiate permanent maritime boundaries with Timor-Leste according to international law. If our government doesn't care about Timor-Leste's future, it should at least care about our national security, for the Chinese influence in Timor-Leste has grown alarmingly in the past few years.

Bob McEwan, Elwood Looking after lobbyists No wonder Donald Trump is gaining votes. America commits $US38 billion in military aid to Israel while one in seven US families live below the poverty line. It seems the country is run to serve lobbyists' interests, not serve ordinary Americans. Bill Hisheh, Macleod Weak animal code

The medical experiments on greyhounds are barbaric but unfortunately not uncommon (News, 11/9). Every year, millions of animals suffer and die in labs, often for no demonstrable benefit to human health. The National Health and Medical Research Council must toughen up the weak standard of justification in its code of practice. Also of concern is the system of self-regulation under which animal research institutions operate. There is an irreconcilable conflict of interest when the party who receives public funding for a research project involving animals also decides whether the use of animals is justified. The key to reform is transparency. Government should mandate more public access to information about animal experiments and how the benefits outweigh the costs. The animal research industry gets away with committing great wrong because it operates in secrecy. Rob Buttrose, Moonee Ponds Back door entry Before we start congratulating ourselves for attracting such large numbers of international students we should remember that many view this as simply a back door into Australia. They enrol with private institutions of dubious quality and end up with a qualification that does not match the skills that Australia requires. But it sure beats trying to get into this country by boat.

Barry Lizmore, Ocean Grove Staff bear the brunt The article about insurance companies (News, 11/9) made me wonder whether a company has ever gone broke because it treated its customers too well. Obviously, some people try to defraud insurance companies, but the majority don't. What is really sad is that companies' policies are made not by the staff but by the well-paid executives and boards of directors. Howard Bellin, Brighton Carving out a future

I recently visited Bathurst Island and saw how the local Aborigines are carving out a sustainable existence. I watched Mario skilfully paint bird carvings he'd fashioned from irongum. I was so impressed I bought one. The co-op's sales office was full of beautiful local artworks, all reasonably priced. A few days later, back in Darwin, I happened on a few souvenir shops in the mall. I spied carved birds, boomerangs and artworks hanging on the walls. All seemed more expensive and of poorer quality than the original works I'd seen on Bathurst Island. I picked up one carving. It was lightweight due to the cheap timber and nearly twice the price I had paid. I happened to turn it upside down and to my horror saw a "Made in China" sticker. I ventured to a similar shop to find a repeat experience. Why are Darwin's souvenir shops peddling stuff imported from China, when they can get the real product for a lower price just a two-hour boat ride away? Sure put a margin on to ensure profitability. But what a win/win/win  for the Bathurst community, Darwin's traders and the tourist who buys the "real" thing. Tony Taggart, Sandringham Proud of health service

Recently, on a weekend, I took a woman, whose first language was not English, to the Royal Dental Hospital. With an abscess she was in excruciating pain. The waiting room was full. After a 2 hour wait, my friend was treated appropriately and kindly. The following Monday I rang the North Richmond Community Dental Hospital and was given a follow-up appointment for three days later. We were so impressed with the professionalism of the service. The receptionists were efficient and helpful, and the treatment thorough. Further appointments were arranged with an interpreter provided if required. Too rarely do we sing the praises of our public health system but I thank the government and council for providing an amazing amenity. Bernadette Murray, Moonee Ponds Local MP too busy for us Thank you Health Minister Jill Hennessey and others for taking steps towards enabling end-of-life choices. It's a pity my local MP, Lizzie Blandthorn, is far too busy into the foreseeable future to meet constituents to hear our points of view. Part of the job, I'd have thought. Arrogance or the social conservatism of the "shoppies union" in action?

Anne Sgro, Coburg North Crack lamington elusive The ubiquitous cooking shows on TV have spawned a subset of baking shows. And personality required to excel at this sort of baking. Perfectionist? Obsessive compulsive comes closer. My annual entry into the Royal Melbourne Show lamington contest provoked these thoughts. I have sought out the recipes most likely to be successful and have fiddled with various techniques. One can try to solve "uneven coconut distribution", but it is near impossible to solve the issue of icing viscosity. Furthermore, one needs to tumble the little beggars in coconut without disturbing the shape or leaving fingerprints. Constructing a lamington is not unlike handling nitro glycerine. Too much pressure or an act of clumsiness, and the partially built cube is dispatched to the zombie plate where the mutant cubes sit awaiting consumption by undiscriminating family members. The results came through on Thursday night. I have a year to figure out what I did wrong. Tony Long, Glen Iris

Close calls often deadly While a one metre minimum distance for cars passing cyclists is welcome, this won't ensure cyclists' safety. We need infrastructure. Unfortunately, in this neo-liberal era, government prefers citizens to bear the responsibility and cost for their safety. Daily I commute to work, notionally protected by my helmet, bell, reflectors, lights and hi-vis clothing. But they did nothing to protect me from the driver who failed to look at a roundabout the other morning, nor were they helpful when I and a line of cyclists were nearly felled by a utility vehicle. Close calls are a frightening reality for us. Such incidents are rarely recorded but they can result in injury or death. Bruce Hurst, Fitzroy North Try plain credit card
The nine of us outliers were shepherded away to our allotted classroom to be instructed in the Catechism by an old Catholic priest. We were such a tiny tribe the other kids didn't even bother to taunt us, at least not aloud. We were, I suppose, fortunate. In a larger town not a half hour away there was a Catholic school, and the pupils copped the street chant of "Catholic dogs, jump like frogs, eat no meat on Friday". The bolder pupils, it was said, responded with a battle cry of their own: "Catholics, Catholics ring the bell, while the Proddies go to hell". Here was Australia's Donald Trump in a skirt; one who does not know or care to admit that Muslims, far from swamping the nation, make up about 2.2% of its population. You need numbers for challenges like that. We didn't have the numbers.

Our little group simply put its collective head down. It is likely most of our fellow pupils didn't give the matter a thought that lasted beyond lunch time, but when you're a child, you are hyper-sensitive to your place in the world, or what you perceive it to be. We knew, or felt, there was some secret form of judgment that marked us as outsiders, though we weren't as isolated as the even smaller number of pupils from families who belonged to a mysterious sect known as Cooneyites, and none of us experienced the desolation of Indigenous kids who came from a creek-side settlement 10 kilometres out of town. They were treated as if they didn't exist at all unless they were winning a footy game for the town. We imagine, these days, that Australia has moved beyond all that. We look back at those years of my childhood as a sort of Dark Ages. Religious  and associated political  divides have faded since. Why, the Liberal Party has produced two Catholic prime ministers  Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull  and from the National Party, a deputy prime minister, Tim Fischer. Use a racial slur at the footy today and you'll likely find yourself banned from attending future matches.

And yet. The leader of a political party that gathered the support of almost 600,000 Australian voters at the last election stood in our national Parliament this week and declared, in effect, there was no place in Australia for the followers of one of the world's two most prominent religions. Pauline Hanson went so far as to deny that Islam was a real religion, which might come as a surprise to a lot of the world's 2.3 billion adherents. She asserted no more Muslims should be allowed to immigrate, no more of their places of worship ought to be built and those that already stood should be "monitored". Here was Australia's Donald Trump in a skirt; one who does not know or care to admit that Muslims, far from swamping the nation, make up about 2.2 per cent of its population. Hanson, you'd imagine, ought to have developed a bit of empathy for outsiders. She was brought up working hard, ran away from home several times, left school at 15 and was married for the first time at 16.

Instead, she appears to wish a new Australian Dark Age on public discourse, and gives no pause to consider the effect on the children condemned as would-be terrorists before they have the chance to figure where they might wish to fit within the Australian community. Would she have declared half a century ago that all Catholics be condemned because the Irish Republican Army was involved in terrorist activities? Elsewhere this week raged an argument about publicly funding, to the tune of millions of dollars, campaigns for and against allowing people who love each other to marry. Could there be a person left in Australia who doesn't have an opinion on same-sex marriage and who still needs persuading one way or another via a public slanging match? It is hard to imagine a more effective way to ensure that the children of same-sex partnerships feel judged as worthless than to have one side of the argument spend millions of dollars advertising that their parents' relationship is illegitimate or worse. There are lots of ways little kids can be made to feel outsiders.
A 50-year-old woman is in a serious but stable condition in Liverpool Hospital after she was struck by a car in Sydney's south-west in what is believed to be a targeted attack.

Police believe the crash is a result of an ongoing neighbourhood dispute.

Emergency services were called to Kinkuna Street in Busby about 11pm where they found the woman suffering compound fractures to her legs, a fractured pelvis and lacerations to her head.

Initial investigations said the women was struck after a Toyota Landcruiser drove onto the footpath, trapping her between it and a Subaru Forrester.

She was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital where she will require surgery.
Detectives have confirmed the killing of Queensland mother April Bailey and her bother Ian was a case of mistaken identity.

Last week, 34-year-old Danielle Lee Fels was arrested over the incident as police made a fresh appeal for information, suspecting up to four people were involved in the crime.

April and Ian Bailey died in 2004.

Detective Inspector Damien Hansen confirmed the siblings, who were allegedly killed in front of April's four-year-old daughter Violet, were targeted because of the actions of another woman called April from the same area.

"The woman charged and other persons of interest heard an April was going to be in possession of a substantial quantity of drugs," Detective Inspector Hansen said.
Intaj Khan's private training college, an important source of his wealth, received sharp criticism for its teaching practices in a 2014 report by a federal regulator.

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) report, obtained by Fairfax Media, found numerous regulatory breaches by the Western Institute of Technology.

Intaj Khan, chief executive of Western Institute of Technology. Credit:Michael Copp

They included a lack of staff resources, a lack of industry consultation, lack of student records, a failure to properly monitor plagiarism and inadequate courses.

There was also serious concerns raised around a building course that did not address safety procedures as well as a lack of qualified staff at WIT.
Opposition families and children spokeswoman and former nurse Georgie Crozier said she was also "comfortable" with legislative change, provided appropriate safeguards were in place to ensure vulnerable people were not exploited.

Upper house leader Mary Wooldridge said she generally supported the notion of an assisted dying regime in Victoria, telling The Sunday Age: "This is where we need to head, but it has to be done carefully."

Days after more than half of the Victorian cabinet publicly declared their support for giving people a greater choice to die with dignity, a number of opposition frontbenchers have also endorsed a policy shift, making it increasingly likely that state Parliament could pass legislation if the vexed issue is reignited.

Momentum is building for Victoria to legalise assisted suicide, with a growing number of Liberal MPs joining the ranks of Labor ministers who are in favour of reform.

Opposition corrections spokesman Ed O'Donohue  who chaired a parliamentary committee that examined end-of-choices earlier this year  said he would vote in favour of assisted dying laws if the issue was put to a conscience vote.

"Our report has created a pathway for reform that deals with the perceived risks, and by world standards is a relatively modest regulatory framework," Mr O'Donohue said. "If the committee's recommendations were to be reflected in legislation, I would vote in favour of that."

The push to give terminally ill people the ability to choose the timing and manner of their death intensified in June, when Mr O'Donohue's Legal and Social Issues Committee handed down a report that the Andrews government must respond to by the end of the year.

Based on a 10-month inquiry and more than 1000 submissions, the bipartisan report recommended an assisted dying regime be available to adults who are suffering from a serious or incurable condition at the end of their life and which is "causing enduring and unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner the patient deems tolerable".

Under the proposal, only patients with decision-making capacity would have the right to ask for help to die - not their relatives or another person. First they would make an initial verbal request to their doctor, then they would need to fill in a form, and then they would need to affirm their wish to die verbally again.
The government has until December to formally respond, but Hennessy this week became the first minister to publicly declare her support for such a shift. More than half of her cabinet colleagues have since followed suit, while Premier Daniel Andrews' previous resistance has also softened.

According to Hennessy, allowing terminally ill people to decide the manner and timing of their death is a logical step beyond Labor's reforms to palliative care and advance care directives. But she also knows the issue is emotionally charged and fiercely contested, even in a state as progressive as Victoria.

For some MPs their position will be underpinned by religious beliefs. For others it will come down to the type of model chosen: the necessary safeguards to ensure that vulnerable people are not exploited. And some views, like hers, will also be shaped by personal experience.

It was an experience that began when the Labor MP was a child at school  "I was the kid whose mum had the slight limp" she recalls  but back then, the disease wasn't debilitating enough to stop her mother aspiring for a good life.

Yet, soon enough, her condition deteriorated. By the time Hennessy graduated, Joan had lost the ability to drive a car. By the time Hennessy was juggling politics and a family of her own, her mother was effectively quadriplegic, constantly having to go to hospital to manage the skin sores, the falls, the infected catheters. And eventually, her mother, now 76 and weighing about 40 kilograms, posed the inevitable question: what options did she have to control her own death; "to die at her own behest"?
Beijing: China is in a bind over what to do about North Korea's stepped-up nuclear and missile tests, even though it is annoyed with its ally and has started talks with other UN Security Council members on a new sanctions resolution against Pyongyang.

China shares a long land border with North Korea and is seen as the only country with real power to bring about change in the isolated and belligerent nation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un laughs as he watches a winter river-crossing attack drill. Credit:KCNA

However, Beijing fears strengthening sanctions could lead to collapse in North Korea, and it also believes the United States and its ally South Korea share responsibility for growing tensions in the region.

China is in a difficult spot, a source close to the Chinese leadership said when asked if Beijing's attitude to North Korea had changed after its fifth nuclear test earlier this month .
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Sep 17 (PTI) The US has agreed to be a partner country in the next edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January 2017, an official has said.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal announced this during a meeting with the visiting delegation of Gujarat on Thursday, State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters yesterday.

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Biswal met with a Gujarat delegation, led by Resident Commissioner Bharat Lal who was accompanied by Indian Charge dAffaires Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

"The Assistant Secretary praised Resident Commissioner Lal for his efforts to make the state of Gujarat a model of innovation and sustainable economic growth and reform for India," he said.

"She also announced US intent to participate as a Partner Country in the 2017 Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, the government of Gujarats biennial investors summit that brings together global business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, and policymakers," Kirby said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had attended the last Vibrant Gujarat Summit. PTI LKJ CK KIS

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For Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans, the arts is not a frippery, a luxury, an extra in the life of a city. It is a necessary engine of economic and cultural development, particularly in New Orleans, a city so known for musicespecially, of course, jazz.

Supporting and nurturing the arts, Landrieu said, helped save New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Addressing the 2016 Lincoln Center Global Exchange (GX) conferencewhich featured speakers including Samantha Power, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, and David Rubenstein, co-founder and CEO of the Carlyle GroupLandrieu said, Arts are essential, necessary. Its not an add-on, not the cherry on top of the banana split. Its actually the banana.

People feel hopeless about America, Landrieu said, but across all boundaries, the arts unite us, giving us hope. If we turn away from that that would be sad.

Space, he added, without art, without music, without color, without beautyis a very boring space.

We saw that in New Orleans after Katrina. The city was empty. It was brown. It was quiet. There was nothing there. It was boring. And essentially what happened, the artists came to remind us it wasn't buildings that mattered, it wasn't church, it wasn't businesses, it was the soul of who we were as people. That, he said, was mostly manifested through artists that reminded us [of it] through words and music.

This years GX conference focused on art and conflict, and art and the environment. Landrieu was adamant that civic leaders should think of employees wanting to live in cities where they may want to go to the opera. Culture makes up the DNA of who we are as a people, said Landrieu.

Relating a story of how Hugh Masekela had come to own one of Louis Armstrongs trumpets, with New Orleans a significant fulcrum, Landrieu said, Art transcends geography and it transcends time.

But for all his keenly held, romantic talk about art and music providing a window to the soul, artists also have to eat and a city has to house and feed the artists it professes to cherish.

When Landrieu was Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana (from 2004 to 2010, when he became Mayor of New Orleans itself), he and his team conceptualized the cultural economy.

That meant first calculating how much of the states economy was dependent on the arts, and how many peoples lives and livelihoods were interlinked with it. In Louisiana, it was estimated, that 185,000 people worked in the arts. Culture means jobs, he said. Its economic development and economic growth. And its about how a city lives and breathes and New York is about as good an example of this as anywhere else in the world.

New Orleans had aimed to plant seeds and nurture them. That meant removing a tax on live music venues, ensuring schools provided a decent arts education, and implementing a housing policy that took into account not just good design but also ensured that artists had somewhere to live. This was the spur for New Orleans musicians village, spearheaded by Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis.

There was a need, said Landrieu, for beauty and resilience when it came to keeping culture central to urban planning, negotiating, for example, with developers to create sustainable, creative space.

After Katrina, we rebuilt the whole city, the way it should have been and, by the way, theres global warming and sea levels rising, Landrieu said. The arts created communion in and among people.

The Republicans and Democrats cant agree on what time of day it is, he said to audience laughter. But take them to a Kennedy Center Honors event, and have Paul Simon or Chita Rivera entertain them, Landrieu said, and watch political divisions melt away. People find communion and peace and common ground around art, music and historic preservation.

Culture was in New Orleanss blood, bones it really is the DNA, the special sauce you feel in New Orleans. Artists, Landrieu said, create or recast things to edify peoples souls. People in Iowa say OK, you have it (arts and culture) there, we don't. That categorically is not true. Everywhere in the world has indigenous, authentic things that are different from every place else.

Politicians, philanthropists, artists and the people have to come together to nurture our cultural life, said Landrieu. The city, for him, is both museum and canvas, and the people via the arts through light, fire, water, how the roads are done, create their own beautiful canvas. That lifts people and brings people together at the end of the day.

Landrieus conclusion was as passionately put as the rest of his speech, and drew fervent applause. In terms of the arts, he said, If we going to rebuild, we ought to stop taking for granted what was there before. Were actually going to run to it rather than away from it, which is why we invest so much in it.
After a few weeks off, political satirist Bill Maher emerged refreshed and more cynical than ever on his program Real Time Friday night.

The comedian addressed the weeks biggest controversy during his monologueTrump finally acknowledging after being at the forefront of a five-year racist crusade against the first black president that Barack Obama was born in the United States. As is his wont, the bloated ex-reality show host delivered the news in true Trumpian fashion: in seven seconds, during a press conference announcing the grand opening of his tacky new hotel, while flanked by a fellow birther (Thomas McInerney, a retired Air Force lieutenant general), claiming Obama should be thankful that he finished the racist speculation he stoked, and that Hillary Clinton started the birther movement (a bold-faced lie).

He blamed it on Hillary. Of course, said Maher, rolling his eyes. Because even when [Trump] admits he lies, he has to tell another giant lie! He says Hillary and her campaign started birtherism in 2008, which is something contradicted only by newspapers, television, Twitter, eyes, ears, and smell. Hillary started birtherism? Oh yes, I think we all remember that. I think it was right after Hillarys casinos went bankrupt.

A softball, Fallon-esque softball interview with Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conwaywhos been a guest and pal of Mahers for twenty years dating back to his ABC series Politically Incorrectfollowed, as did a bickering panel wherein political pundit Margaret Hoover, serving as the moderate voice of reason, assured the American people that the country will survive regardless of who wins the presidency (Hoover is also the wife of Daily Beast EIC John Avlon).

But the nights biggest highlight came courtesy of Maher himself. During a his New Rules segment, he delivered an important monologue about the need for a return to decency in American politics.

Both candidates must sign a pledge that whoever loses the election in November, whether its Hillary or whether its Orange Hitler, the loser has to congratulate the winner and concede graciously. Why? Because civility is nearly dead in this country and we need to return to some basic level of bipartisan decency and respect for our opponents, offered Maher.

If you want to know why our country is so tense and our government doesnt work, its because society functions on some basic rules of conduct and theyre all going away. Its why filibustering has become not a rare principled protest, but the everyday automatic cockblocking that defines government now, he continued. Ted Cruz filibustered Obamacare for nearly a day by reading Green Eggs and Ham: a book about how you might like something if you give it a chance. Its why Republicans, who claim to worship the Constitution, can just ignore their duty in fulfilling a Supreme Court vacancy. And speaking of the Supreme Court, which used to stay supremely out of partisan bickering, its why Ruth Bader Ginsburgyes, even sweet, scholarly, grandmotherly Ruth Bader Ginsburgtalked trash about Trump this year like she was in a rap battle.

But I gotta tell ya: Donald Trump didnt create this swamp. He just rose from it. He and Hillary are the first two candidates in memory not to call and congratulate each other after they won their respective races. Forever, thats what people did! Even Al Gore called George W. Bush after he lostand he didnt even lose! In the Senate, members used to refer to each other as my friend from the other side of the aisle. They didnt mean it literally, of courseno one thinks of Ted Cruz as a friendbut you say it anyway.

Maher then pointed to the birther movement as playing a large role in the disintegration of bipartisanship in America, but also to when Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouted You lie! at POTUS while he delivered a 2009 speech to the joint session of Congress, as well as racist and homophobic Maine Gov. Paul LePage leaving a voicemail for one of his political opponents labeling him a socialist cocksucker.

I keep saying that this election is a referendum on decency. Its a chance to reject the gutter and punish people who want to live there, but right now, we are rewarding them, said Maher. The guy who said You lie? The next day donations poured into his coffers because now in America, when you act like an asshole youre a hero.

He then cut to footage of politicians coming to blows in various parliaments around the world. This is what parliament looks like on a bad day in the Ukraine. And heres the Turkish parliament. And the one in South Korea. And the one in Nepal. Yeah, we laugh at it, but that is where were headed, because the real infectious disease thats threatening our election isnt pneumoniaits a total lack of class.
TIJUANA, Mexico  A few of the cartels drones have crashed. How many more have made it across the border is a matter of guesswork, like so much in this city so close to the United States.

One drone that we know of soared over the streets where tourists are invited to take pictures with zonkeys (local burros painted to look like zebras) and vendors sell statues of the Virgin Mary alongside Bart Simpson T-shirts. There is always something of the circus here: illusion, chicanery, and imagination in the service of survival.

All seemed to be going well for that inexpensive Chinese drone, at first. Its normally outfitted with a camera, and was designed to carry a payload of up to 15 pounds. But then it collapsed under the weight of six and a half pounds of methamphetamine and plunked down in a supermarket parking lot about 10 blocks short of the existing wall. One was reminded of those old films of the first flapping, failing flying machines at the beginning of the last century.
A woman who was in a mall shopping for some sunglasses soon realised that her vape has exploded inside her Louis Vuitton bag which was worth Rs 1.2 lakh.

By India Today Web Desk:

Mara McInerney was shopping for sunglasses at the Freehold Raceway Mall in New Jersey on last Sunday. And then, the there was smoke, a lot of smoke.

NBC New York reports that McInerney's vape was inside her Louis Vuitton handbag, which she says she paid nearly $1,900 (Rs 1.2 lakh) for. Suddenly, while sitting on the counter, her bag started throwing out black smoke.

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Finding out about the cost of her Louis Vuitton bag, internet soon was seen mourning.

Here's the surveillance footage:





"Terrifying, scary. It sounded like a gunshot. It sounded like a bomb went off," she said.

It happened on last Sunday which was the 15th anniversary of 9/11. "I thought someone had put something in my bag," she added.

No one was injured, though the handbag died a terrible death, which apparently suffered "holes" as a result of the blast. The reason for the explosion was apparently the vape's lithium battery, which McInerney described as "charred".

Judging by, the vape case appears to be intact, though one cannot fail to notice that it "melted".

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Historians, trained to take the long view but living in the here and now, have been struggling to make sense of Donald Trumps chaotic bid to win the presidency and thus become the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military force in the world.

Never before have so many global strategy mandarins of the Republican Party dismissed their nominee as reckless and fundamentally unfit to serve as president. That verdict was delivered by 50 GOP foreign policy elites this summer in a blistering collective denunciation. The establishments fears about Trump were no doubt exacerbated when MSNBC host Joe Scarborough reported early last month that Trump asked one of his foreign policy advisers three times in a single briefing why the United States could not use nuclear weapons in its military operations.

The closest historical parallel to the anxiety and existential doubt stimulated by Trump may be the 1964 presidential election, when Lyndon Johnsons campaign rolled to a landslide win by assailing Barry Goldwater as a bellicose and reckless extremist. The depiction has stuck, to a large extent, down through the decades.

In reality, the Arizonan was a model of stability, experience, and strategic continuity compared to Donald Trump.

At first blush the two men seem similar in key respects: bluntly outspoken in their views, divisive inside their party and out, and rhetorically careless on the subject of nuclear weapons and their potential use (about which more below).

But its the differences that stand out, strikingly so the closer you examine them. Unlike this years Republican standard-bearer, Goldwater in 1964 had considerable experience as a public servant, having served two terms in the U.S. Senate. He was a lifelong Republican, whereas Trump has variously flirted with the Democratic Party and called himself an Independent before declaring himself a Republican at the start of this race. And Goldwater, notwithstanding his hard-right views, was an amiable individual in interpersonal relations, courteous and tactful in his dealings with political opponents. He had difficulties with the press, but was generally respectful toward individual journalists.

In contrast to Trump, who has ricocheted wildly in his policy positions and seems to have no core values beyond personal aggrandizement, Goldwater was consistent in his views, dependably conservative and hewing to a libertarian position on governments role in society. He had a reputation for personal integrity. On race relations Goldwater voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act (on constitutional grounds), but he had backed civil rights legislation in Arizona over a long period of time, and ended racial segregation in his family department stores. He was no bigoted ethno-nationalist like Trump.

Even on national security, we should resist drawing a straight line between the two men. The contrasts are stark. Goldwaters foreign policy, while hawkish on many issues, was well within the Cold War consensuson the Soviet Union, on China, on Vietnam, and on most other issues. The common perception of him as a walking powder keg derives primarily from his infamous convention speech in 1964 (extremism in defense of liberty is no vice), but that address was designed to revive a flagging campaign with rhetorical fervor. It was not a reflection of outlandish policy ideas on the core issues of the Cold War. A veteran himself, Goldwater honored Americas servicemen and women on a regular basis; the notion of him denigrating the service of his fellow Arizonan John McCain as Trump has done is impossible to imagine. Nor can one picture him disparaging the military and threatening to fire its current leadership as Trump did in a recent televised forum.

As both senator and presidential nominee, Goldwater advocated fidelity to allies in Europe and Asia, firmness in response to Moscows aggression, and consistency with the bipartisan doctrine of containment. Trump, on the other hand, has transformed his national security vision into a series of discrete commercial negotiations devoid of geostrategic logic. For him, its about insisting that allies pay for the protection Washington provides. He asked in 2013: How long will we go on defending South Korea from North Korea without payment? When will they start to pay us?

With respect to Baltic nations, the refrain is the same: the United States should defend them against an attack by Russia only if they had first fulfilled their obligations to us. NATO, Trump has said more than once in this campaign, is obsolete. He has promised to consider recognizing Russias annexation of Crimea and end sanctions against Moscow. Trumps bizarrely naive infatuation with the cunning Vladimir Putin was on display once again in recent days, as he lavished praise on the Russian autocrat and waved aside concerns about Moscows suppression of the media and interventions into neighboring countries.

It is inconceivable to imagine that Goldwateror any other nominee of the party of Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bushwould have advocated transforming NATO or Americas alliances in Asia into mob-style protection rackets as Trump has consistently proposed.

True, on nuclear weapons Goldwater in his day generated consistent concerns. In May 1963, he caused widespread uproar when he suggested on the ABC Issues and Answers program that defoliation of the forests by low-yield atomic weapons could achieve wonders in the battle against insurgents in South Vietnam. That October, he referred to the nuclear bomb as merely another weapon in Americas arsenal, a suggestion he repeated the following spring.

At no point did Goldwater explicitly advocate that atomic weapons be used. Democrats nonetheless relished painting him as a warmonger who if elected would use the bomb on Hanoi or Moscow or both. The notorious Daisy television commercialthe first attack ad in history, it is often saidjuxtaposes a little girl in a meadow plucking a flower and an ominous countdown and exploding nuclear mushroom cloud. These are the stakes, intones LBJ. We must either love each other, or we must die. Although it aired only once, the commercial captured the acute fear about Goldwater as commander-in-chief that Trump has engendered today among national security experts and voters in both parties.

But even on this issue Goldwater had two qualities in his favor that Trump utterly lacks: a relatively even temperament and a basic if rudimentary knowledge of the workings of the international system. Trumps constant need to respond aggressively to even minor slights, his unalloyed narcissism, and his fundamental lack of stability makes the prospect of him holding the nuclear authenticators profoundly terrifying.

Such is the state of affairs this campaign season: The candidate previously considered the most extreme presidential nominee of either party in modern U.S. history suddenly looks the picture of maturity and moderation.

Gordon M. Goldstein is an adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Fredrik Logevall is a professor of international affairs and history at Harvard University.
Pam MacKinnon is the most prolific of directors of Edward Albees plays, helming productions of The Play About The Baby (2002), The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2003), Peter and Jerry (2007), Occupant (2008), A Delicate Balance (2009 and 2014), and the 2012 Broadway production of Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, for which she won a Tony (the production also won Best Revival of a Play, and Best Actor, for Tracy Letts, who played George).

Below, MacKinnon recalls working with Albee, who has died aged 88, and the charming phone message she received from him when she won the Tony Award.

Pam MacKinnon

I am very sad that Edward has died. Very sad. I just landed in Frankfurt Airport to a slew of phone messages, texts and emails.

Edward and I first met in 2002 when his play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? was in rehearsal for Broadway, a revival of All Over was rehearsing for the McCarter Theatre, slated to then come in the New York after, and I was directing The Play About the Baby on the heels of its off-Broadway run for a production in Philly.

These were heady, fun times for him... and me. He came to my rehearsals, just like the others I imagine, once a week. The actors and I were a little terrified; it was Edward Albee after all.

Soon after that I directed the regional premiere of The Goat at the Alley Theatre in Houston. After some missteps on my part about the set, we drove together in a crappy rental car to a storage unit of his.

He had taught for years in Houston and had amassed quite an art collection by local artists. We pulled out several paintings. "Which ones do you want to use?" It was a lot like working on a show downtown. We even co-opted the artistic director's brand new office furniture for the production. Better than a young director getting fired, that's for sure.

A few seasons later, I brought my cat with me to Hartford when I directed his reimagined Zoo Story [newly titled as Peter and Jerry]. She hid under the bed in the strange new apartment. Edward got down on hands and knees and talked to her: "She knows; she knows." [Editors note: The same words are spoken by a character in Albees The Lady From Dubuque.] Naturally she came out to say hello; it was Edward Albee after all.

Years later when I won the Tony for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? he called early the next morning and left a message: "Isn't it nice when things go the way they're supposed to? Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations. I love you. Will you marry me? Please say no." When I replaced that phone, I lost the voicemail, but I'm not forgetting that message.

He was an iconoclast but so kind. If he thought you had something to offer, he treated you as a colleague, regardless of your resume. He worked all over: campuses, small regional theaters, small European theaters, Broadway, off-Broadway, downtown. Loved younger artists. Wrote and directed his way. He poured as much of himself into the teenage role, and the middle aged woman role and the old man role, as he did to roles that "looked like" him. He was fierce and funny and loyal and uncompromising, and that all showed up on the page and with him in rehearsal. We had a blast together, even when it was hard.

He gave my career an artistic spine. I loved him. I miss him. I am determined and excited to direct more of his plays.
Either Edward Snowden is lying or his former boss is. Thats one way to read contradictory statements from the two men about whether Snowden actually knew that much about one of the most controversial surveillance programs that he exposed to the world three years ago.

Its a program that gives the National Security Agency access to data from the worlds biggest technology companies, including Facebook and Google, and it features prominently in the new Oliver Stone biopic Snowden, which premieres Friday and portrays its namesake as a genius hacker who saw first-hand how the NSA abused its formidable powers. That movie has renewed a long-simmering battle between Snowden and his critics. And its revealing new information about the biggest leak from the U.S. intelligence community in decades.

For the first time, the man who hired Snowden as a contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton at an NSA facility in Hawaii said Snowden actually didnt have any access to that program, known commonly as PRISM. Whats more, Steven Bay said, Snowden failed to understand the regime of oversight and legal scrutiny in place to prevent unauthorized spying on Americans.

He asked me two or three times on how to get access to what essentially was the PRISM datawe didnt call it that internally, but thats kind of what everyone knows it is, Bay told the national security publication The Cipher Brief this week. (The interview came days before a blistering report by the House Intelligence Committee that appeared timed to sully Snowdens reputation in advance of the movies release. Snowden vehemently rebutted the report on Twitter.)

Thats one of the interesting things about his story is that people dont realize, Bay continued, he never actually had access to any of that data. All of the quote domestic collection stuff that he revealed, he never had access to that. So he didnt understand the oversight and compliance, he didnt understand the rules for handling it, and he didnt understand the processing of it.

Perhaps. But in testimony to the European Parliament in 2014 (PDF), Snowden made crystal clear that he knew first-hand about the NSAs inner workings. Its that experience, and Snowdens resume in the intelligence community, that has helped to transform him from a simple leaker of classified documents into the most famous critic of global surveillance, and a man that journalists, lawmakers, and now a Hollywood director have relied on to explain how the global surveillance system really works.

The NSA granted me the authority to monitor communications worldwide using its mass surveillance systems, including within the United States, Snowden told lawmakers investigating his disclosures, which also showed the NSA has monitored the cell phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. I have personally targeted individuals using these systems under both the President of the United States Executive Order 12333 and the US Congress FAA 702, the section of surveillance law that governs the PRISM program.

I know the good and the bad of these systems, Snowden continued, and what they can and cannot do, and I am telling you that without getting out of my chair, I could have read the private communications of any member of this committee, as well as any ordinary citizen. I swear under penalty of perjury that this is true.

Plenty of experts with unassailable credentials have criticized NSA operations in the same manner as Snowden. And theres no doubt that the information he exposed triggered the most significant public debate about global surveillance in a generation. His leaks led to changes in law and rulings from courts that at least some NSA programs were illegal.

But its Snowdens description of his own knowledge and experience that Bay said motivated him to reveal what he believes is the more accurate version of Snowdens time inside the worlds most powerful intelligence agency.

I get frustrated by things like people considering Ed an expert in all things NSA, even though he was kind of a junior analyst and had a relatively junior role there, Bay said. Hes not the foremost expert on this stuff. Hes a smart guy, dont get me wrong, and he had experience, but he wasnt some senior level person He didnt understand the programs. He didnt understand the oversight.

Reconciling Bay and Snowdens statements isnt easy. Through his attorney, Snowden declined to comment for this article, and Bay didnt respond to requests for an interview.

But the findings of investigations into Snowdens leaks, as well as interviews with other people who either worked with Snowden or helped to assess the fallout from his disclosures, shed some more light on both claims.

First, theres the question of what access Snowden really had to the PRISM program, authorized by section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. On Thursday, the House Intelligence Committee released the unclassified version of its investigation into Snowdens leaks and his career in the intelligence community, which found that he failed basic annual training for NSA employees on Section 702

That basic training consists of a test, which is open book and not timed. An employee is shown a series of slides pertaining to NSAs authorities under the law and the agencys obligations to restrict or minimize access to certain information about U.S. citizens in order to protect their privacy. The employee is then asked a series of questions about what he just saw in the slides.

If an employee doesnt pass the test, he cannot have access to 702 surveillance programs. According to internal NSA emails obtained by Vice under the Freedom of Information Act, in April 2013 Snowden failed the test and then complained to an official with the agencys compliance division that the test asked trick questions. Snowden was told thats not how the test is designed, and that if he failed, he could take it again.

Its not clear from the emails if Snowden took the test again. But if Bays comments are to be believedthat Snowden never had access to 702 datait seems unlikely that he did. The job for which Bay hired Snowden was the last one he held before removing classified material from the NSA facility in Hawaii, one month after he complained about the test.

Of course, its possible that Snowden knew enough about the kinds of surveillance under 702 to have concerns about it. After all, he was quizzed on the authorities when he took that test. And the fact that surveillance was conducted under the law was not a secret. The 2008 amendment of existing surveillance law, which led to the creation of section 702, involved spirited, public debates between intelligence officials, lawmakers, and civil liberties advocates over the appropriate scope of surveillance authorities.

While the inner workings of 702 surveillance were classified, the fact that it existed, and that it involved gathering personal communications from technology companies, was not. At the time the law was passed, many critics, including those with whom Snowden is now aligned, said the new law authorized unconstitutional surveillance against U.S. citizens.

Section 702 wasnt the only thing Snowden leaked about. He also revealed details about how the NSA conducts surveillance on computers in foreign countries, which, he has said, pertained to his work on cyber operations targeting China. (In the Snowden film, he is working on counterintelligence operations, essentially hacking Chinese hackers who are trying to penetrate computer networks in the United States.)

My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked, Snowden told the South China Morning Post on June 12, 2013, after he had fled Hawaii and landed in Hong Kong. That is why I accepted that position about three months ago.

This goes to another core element of Snowdens narrativethat he was a highly-skilled technical expert working on sensitive intelligence operations. Theres no dispute that Snowden did have a higher-than-average level of proficiency with computers.

His resume came across, it looked solid, and it had a lot of the good technical things I was looking for, Bay told The Cipher Brief. When we interviewed him [in February 2013], we had a set standard of questions, technical questions, that we asked. And we asked most of those questions and it was pretty evident early on that the questions were very simple for him.

He knew his stuff, Bay said. So he offered Snowden the job.

But a super hacker he was not, another ex-NSA employeeone who oversaw Snowdens work in Hawaiitold The Daily Beast.

Multiple times he applied to become an operator within TAO, or Tailored Access Operations, the NSAs highly secretive and elite offensive hacking outfit, but we denied him because he didnt have the technical acumen, the former employee said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The interview was conducted before Bay made his public remarks about Snowden.

He wasnt the brightest person, but he knows a lot about cryptography and can speak about technology, the former employee said. But, he added, knowing 10 percent more than the average person doesnt qualify you as an expert in the NSAs eyes. Snowden didnt have the requisite level of expertise to work on missions exploiting foreign computer networks, which is the job he wanted to do, the former employee said.

The former employee noted that in Hawaii, Snowden did work on operations involving China. But, he said, his role was as a junior analyst, and that he played a supporting role to other more senior personnel.

On the question of expertise, the House Intelligence Committee gave Snowden a harsh assessment, calling him a serial exaggerator and fabricator who doctored his performance evaluations and obtained new positions at NSA by exaggerating his resume and stealing the answers to an employment test. The committee offered no evidence to back up those claims, at least in this unclassified version of its report.

For his part, Snowden took to Twitter and attacked this and other allegations of the committee. He called the idea that he doctored an evaluation amazing and said that he had actually reported a vulnerability in the computer system that the CIA uses to conduct its annual reviews, which could have been exploited.

Snowden also refuted the committees characterization that he began downloading documents, which it said eventually totaled 1.5 million, months before congressional testimony by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that the U.S. didnt collect large amounts of information on U.S. citizens. Snowdens leaks about the NSAs collection of Americans phone records eventually showed Clapper wasnt telling the truth.

The committee seems to suggest that Snowden began his plan to reveal classified information long before the time of Clappers testimony. But Snowden says he was actually downloading information as part of a NSA-approved program, called Heartbeat. In the Snowden movie, Heartbeat is portrayed as Snowdens creation, a kind of master index of the many surveillance operations that the NSA was running. That suggests that Snowden may well have had sufficient access at least to know about the programs the NSA was running, even if he wasnt privy to the information they were generating.

On Twitter, Snowden said the Heartbeat program was approved by two levels of my management and that I built it. The House Intelligence Committee, however, found no evidence to corroborate that claim, according to a congressional staffer with knowledge of the committees inquiry.

Ultimately, it wasnt Snowdens technical expertise or his knowledge of surveillance law that allowed him to abscond with classified information. The NSA had failed to install equipment and policies that may have helped to detect what Snowden was doing. The physical removal of those files also hardly required the skills of a high-end hacker.

But in the aftermath of that event, Snowden became the most visible commentator about the information he stole, and his own description of his resume, his access, and his technical knowledge have solidified his reputation as an expert who is qualified to talk with nuance about the NSAs operations.

Its that expertise thats now being questioned, and its no accident that the House Intelligence Committee chose to release its findings one day ahead of the movie premiere. Snowden is now getting the Hollywood treatment in the next stage of his career as a public figure. The counter-offensive against him will be more forceful than ever.
With its drinks poured at a rate of knots and spat insults flying even faster, Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? remains the most resonant theatrical legacy of playwright Edward Albee, who died aged 88 Friday.

This savage, funny, and devastating play, whose first performance on Broadway was in 1962, evokes the volatile marriage of the middle class Martha and George, with its carapace of viciousness and underbelly of true, tragedy-scarred love.

It was most recently rendered on Broadway in a 2012 Steppenwolf production with Tracy Letts as glowering George, Amy Morton as the viperish-then-vulnerable Martha, and Carrie Coon and Madison Dirks as the young couple, Honey and Nick, who become enmeshed in George and Marthas psychodrama.

The influence of the play is enduring: any graphic distillation of marital or family trauma on stage and screen is rooted, or owes an unspoken debt, to the verbal pyrotechnics of Albees play.

Woolf reached a global audience through the classic 1966 movie, directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Sandy Dennis, and George Segal as Nicka role for which Segal received an Oscar nomination. (He lost out to Walter Matthau for The Fortune Cookie; Taylor and Dennis, however, won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively.)

Segal is the last surviving cast member of this classic movie version, and spoke to The Daily Beast exclusively on Friday night from his home in Los Angeles.

We rehearsed it for six weeks, he recalled. It was a lot of fun to do. Elizabeth and Richard were the king and queen of the world at that moment, and there was a lot of buzz about it. For any actor, its a pleasure to play. I have seen it performed on stage in Paris. It works everywhere, its a staggering work.

Along with Death of a Salesman, which he performed in alongside Lee J. Cobb (in the 1966 CBS version), its one of Segals proudest achievements, he said. For me, there was a great satisfaction of being involved with it.

He recalled meeting Albee only once in New York City. He was a little drunk, and I was auditioning to replace George Grizzard in the original cast [Grizzard was playing Nick]. I didnt get that, but I did get the movie role. Albee was kind of rueful, but funny in an ironic way.

During filming, said Segal, everyone rose to the occasion, as you would with a piece as good as that. Any actor would, given such first class material. Its like any great play: it gets to people. Its moving and funny, but it hits your funny bone but through the use of anger and rage. Its hypnotic and magnetic. The feeling it gives an audience, as things unfold and get so very dark, is: theres no getting out of it.

The cast did not see Albee on the set. He was never there, recalled Segal. We never saw him. I dont know why. Its really tough for playwrights to be in that environment, to see even minor changes done to their work. But I also think he got an amazing deal at the timeenough for him to stay out of the way.

The effect the movie had on audiences was the same the play had, said Segal. People had never seen anything like it. I spoke to someone in Indianapolis, who told me there had been a sharp intake of breath right at the beginning, and then no-one let their breath out for the entirety of the film.

For Segal, this is down to not just the power of Albees words, but what the play focuses on and deconstructs so explicitly: the rancorous, emotional flesh and bones of a marriage, which up to that point had never been so unflinchingly evoked on film. For Segal, and presumably many other actors, the invective Albee writes is a rich banquet to feast on.

There was such shock value, said Segal. People, married couples like George and Martha, just didnt talk to each other in that way at that time. Now this kind of thing is all over our TVs all the time. But this was a time of Doris Day. Nobody had ever seen anything like this in movies. And this was no small movie. It had Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in it, the most popular stars of the day. And this film was right out there for everyone to see.

Thats why actors are so drawn to it. Its so satisfying to say that stuff. The words, Albees words, are all there for you. They come from a real place. He had a way with dialogue Segal paused, and recited, as Martha does in one of the films famous lines, What a dump!

(And here is the 1949 Bette Davis film, Beyond The Forest, Martha was trying to recall):

Later, even the grand Davis told Barbara Walters that Albee had made that line famous in Woolf.

Albees dialogue was singular, said Segal. We had never seen anything like it before, or the effect it had on people.

Segal is now 82, and appearing in popular ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. I asked what it was like to be the last surviving member of the Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? movie cast.

Segal laughed. Its the roll of the dice. Ive no idea why it is, but it is. I loved all those people.
During the many years in which I have reported on food, whether served in restaurants, sold in shops or dished out in institutions such as schools, hospitals, or airlines, I have almost always found that it is the person at the top who makes a major difference. The attitude, standards, and humanity of said leader invariably filter down through the staff and is reflected in the most basic of consumer levels.

In that regard, I have never known nor worked for anyone who was so directly responsible for a restaurants reputation as Joseph H. Baum, the driving force behind Restaurant Associates. In its heyday, the company operated numerous famous establishments, including the Hawaiian Room, the Newarker (at the New Jersey airport), the Rainbow Room, the Forum of the Twelve Caesars, La Fonda del Sol and, most notably and historically important, the Four Seasons in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue in New York. (He would later go on to open the legendary Windows on the World in the World Trade Center.)

Closed a few months ago, the original incarnation of the Four Seasons is virtually extinct, but is supposed to reopen in a new location. (Full disclosure: I am consulting with the Major Food Group, the team taking over the Seagram Building space.) It will be interesting to see which element, if either, survives the legendthe physical place or the restaurants name.

Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, to a family that ran a resort hotel, Baum dreamed of greater things and, after working menial hotel and restaurant jobs, he honed his skills at Cornell Universitys famed hotel school and then fought in World War II. What amazingly emerged from such a conventional background was the spirit of film impresario Cecil B. DeMille, a man who wanted to be an over-the-top creative, completely far out and passionate (bordering on obsessive) about quality. Most of all, he was a born host and always wanted to give customers as much as he possibly could, often putting a strain on company profits.

One of Baums most consistent and well-known practices, especially at the Four Seasons, was to barely mark up the wines. Let them have a good time, he would say, then theyll order a second bottle. Which they often did.

I began to work for the Four Seasons when the place looked like a setting for Armageddon: all freshly poured concrete, hanging coaxial cable, dangling electrical outlet boxes and paint-spattered drop cloths. I had just stopped reviewing restaurants for Cue magazine and the Village Voice and was hired to do research for this new restaurant with its seasonal theme, searching out products, recipes, and all sorts of seasonal food expressions from around the world.

Baum explained that since New York was the crossroads of the world, the cuisine should reflect that and he went all out for foods that were seasonal, organic and local.

What I learned from my time with him was how to be a far more serious and perceptive critic. He taught by doing and the lesson was that every single element that goes into a restaurant is a matter of choice. Everything. Steak-knife blades were tested to see if they could cut steak without bending. Every chair and table was auditioned for height and comfort. It took two weeks to choose the black pepper for the table and then a few more days to determine the level of grind. Given the blatant discomfort of guests at so many in restaurant these days, it would be hard to guess what he would make of it all.

Baum also liked to appear tough and a little mean at first meeting, which was a demeanor that covered his basically softie nature. One of his most quoted openers when unexpectedly appearing at a company restaurant was, Whats wrong with the consomme? Asked why, he answered, Theres always something wrong with the consomme. The question, of course, put the chef and manager immediately on the defensive.

Ever on the lookout for themes that might fit new locations, Baum asked all of us to keep thinking. That inspired me to suggest a restaurant named Xanadu based on one of my favorite poems, Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The opening lines provided the theme: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure dome decree.

Good, Baum said, but that X may be a problem. No one will know how to pronounce it as Z and telephone information will never find it. Maybe we spell it with Z?

That settled, we moved to other inspirations within the poem such as the reference to:

A damsel with a dulcimerIn a vision once I saw:It was an Abyssinian maidAnd on her dulcimer she played,Singing of Mount Abora.

Well have that damsel and dulcimer at the entrance to greet guests, he said, and because it names a mountain, maybe this one should be at the top of a building. (Thinking of creating a pseudo-Ethiopian-Middle-Eastern-harem menu, he was once again prescient, as those fusion elements are now in vogue for new restaurants.)

Our big disappointment was the lack of solid food themes in the poem, leaving only a reference to honey-dew and the milk of Paradise. Doubting honey-dew referred to melon, we decided both could inspire cocktails.

That finished, we moved on to the next thing.
In a way, it was the most anticlimactic news item of the year.

In 1983 the KGB recruited Mahmoud Abbas, who is now president of the Palestinian National Authority and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, according to two Israeli scholars researching Soviet-Palestinian relations.

Identified by his codename Krotov, or Mole in the documents cited by the researchers, Abbas is described in a capsule biography that includes his birth in British Mandate Palestine in 1935, his membership in the central committee of Fatah, his political party, and the PLO, followed by the citation of his alleged recruitment by the KGB in Damascus, where he spent his childhood and passed his formative political years, and where he had returned from other ports of exile in the Middle East in the early 1980s.

Also of interest: the main liaison between the Israelis and Palestinians today is Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who twice acted as Moscows ambassador to Damascus, the first stint beginning in 1983, the year Abbas supposedly was turned.

The timing of this embarrassing disclosure may have been suspicious, coming amid a news cycle in which Russian President Vladimir Putin has been trying to foster Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Moscow, one more regional role that Putin lately usurped from his American counterpart. However, the provenance of the information was decidedly more convincing.

Gideon Remez and Isabella Ginor of the Truman Institute at Hebrew University in Jerusalem came across Abbass name in documents of the Mitrokhin File, a tranche of handwritten copies of decades of KGB archives, which was painstakingly smuggled out of the then-collapsed Soviet Union in 1991 by the eponymous former archivist, Vasili Mitrokhin.

To date, no one has successfully refuted or debunked any of the contents of this archive, which resides at the Churchill Archives Center at the University of Cambridge and has furnished two important volumes on the Cold War, The Sword and the Shield, an internal history of the Soviet special services going back as far as 1918, and The World Was Going Our Way, a catalogue of the KGBs efforts at promoting Marxism-Leninism, or just anti-Western subversion, in the Third World. Both books were co-written by British historian Christopher Andrew; the second was published a year after Mitrokhins death in 2004.

Scholars and Western intelligence officials believe the Miktrokhin Archives descriptions of Soviet skullduggery have done an enormous amount to illuminate the darkest recesses of Eastern bloc clandestinity and in aggregate constitute what the FBI reportedly has termed the most complete and extensive intelligence ever received from any source.

Nevertheless, Palestinian officials insist that the accusation that their boss ever worked for Moscow Center is risible.

Theres a clear trend of attempting to damage Abu Mazen [Abbas], a fellow central committee member of Fatah, Mohammed al-Madani, told the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz. This is another attempt to slander him.

And, as The New York Times Peter Baker reports, the PLO and Fatah brass have noted that the recruitment of Abbas would have been superfluous given the well documented and rather public affiliation between the Soviet government and these stateless institutions. Abbas even headed a Palestinian-Soviet friendship foundation, which put him well within the Russian orbit.

Abbass curriculum vitae is murky and contradictory.

On his presidential website, for instance, Abbas writes in the first person that in 1982, ahead of the [Israeli] invasion of Lebanon, I discussed my PhD thesis, entitled The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and the Zionist Movement, at the Moscow Institute of Orientalism.

(As one can probably glean from the title, that dissertation, later turned into a monograph with a similar name, caused Abbas some headaches in later years when he succeeded the late Yasser Arafat as the top man in the PLO and the Palestinian administration.)

And this is where the murkiness of Abbass self-accounting comes in.

In 1982 there was no Moscow Institute of Orientalism, as his autobiography states; or better said, the school was possibly incorporated into Moscow State University in 1954, almost 30 years before Abbass scribblings on Zionism and its discontents. But there was a similar-sounding Institute for Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which is where the PLO chairman probably earned the equivalent of a doctorate. That is the conclusion of the Congressional Research Service and is confirmed to The Daily Beast by Grant Rumley, a research fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who is writing a forthcoming biography of Abbas.

In 1982, the director of the Institute for Oriental Studies was Yevgeny Primakov, a famed Soviet Arabist, intelligence operative and diplomat whose career spanned the Communist and post-Communist eras.

Primakov had served as Pravdas correspondent in Cairo (where he was also likely a spy) before going on to become chairman of the Supreme Soviet, the highest legislative body in the USSR, and the first deputy chairman of the KGB. (His immediate successor, as the KGB refashioned itself into the Federal Security Service, or FSB, was a then semi-anonymous operative out of Dresden and a mayoral administrator in St. Petersburg named Vladimir Putin.)

In the wake of the abortive Communist coup in 1991, Primakov became the head of the SVR, Russias new-minted foreign intelligence service, and culminated his career in Russian government as prime minister under Boris Yeltsin.

In 1999, Primakov famously ordered his plane en route to Washington, D.C., to turn around midair and fly back to Moscow when he discovered that NATO had begun bombing Serb forces in Kosovo; an ostentatious cancellation of a long-planned state visit that cost an economically straitened Russia $15 billion in U.S. trade deals.

After Yeltsins decline and fall, Primakov soon emerged as Putins failed rival for control of Russia. He died last year.

So it is entirely possible, not to mention titillating to consider, that the spadework for recruiting a young and ambitious Palestinian refugee from Syria can have been conducted at an elite institute for higher learning, headed as it then was by a veteran spook fluent in Arabic and widely regarded as Russias most valued expert on the Middle East.

But would Primakov have even needed to perform any spadework by the time Abbas was ready to defend his thesis?

There is another celebrated school in Moscow that was very well connected to KGB agentry, especially for someone out of the Levant.

A 2010 article in the Russian news service RIA Novosti states that despite widespread myths, Patrice Lumumba University did not release from its walls very many successful politicians: about a dozens future ministers and only two future leaders of their countries One was Bharrat Jagdeo, president of Guyana who received his masters in economics in 1990 in Moscow, and the second was Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian National Authority, who graduated from the law faculty and then in 1982, defended his candidates dissertation on the topic at the Moscow Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences. (Other sources, including Abbass website, suggest he earned his law degree in Syria.)

Founded in 1960 as the Peoples Friendship University, the academy was renamed a year later for the Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba and expressly established as a finishing school for tiers-mondiste intelligence cadres, in the words of Nikita Khrushchev. Among Soviet officialdom, the objective was to educate students from underdeveloped countries so they can return to their homelands to become the nucleus for pro-Soviet activities.

The first vice rector of Patrice Lumumba was Pavel Erzin, a major general of the KGB. He was by no means the only faculty member with a sideline in espionage. The American journalist John Barron, who published a pathfinding history of the Soviet special services in 1974, wrote that other KGB officers and agents serve on the faculty, which must obey the dictates of the KGB. Students are selected primarily on the basis of their potential usefulness to the KGB.

Questions of Abbass scholastic tenure in Moscow previously emerged in a bizarre accusation leveled a year ago by the narcoleptic Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson who insisted that the Palestinian, Putin and Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei all knew each other as classmates at Patrice Lumumba University in 1968.

Leaving aside the fact that Putin would have had to be a very precocious 16 year-old in 1968 for this to be true, and that there is no biographical evidence (or even rumor) of his attendance at Patrice Lumumba, intriguing whispers in the Russian state media that Khamenei may have also once graduated (he was declared a marquee alumni in a 50th anniversary celebration on RT) have so far failed to yield any documentary corroboration. Abbas, on the other hand, is listed as a graduate on one of the universitys alumni websites, albeit decades after Carson suggested.

Among the more visible second or third-tier graduates of Patrice Lumumba, which today goes by its original name, are Anna Chapman, the pouty pinup Mata Hari of the 10-person Russian spy ring broken up by the FBI in 2010, and Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, more commonly known as Carlos the Jackal.

Carlos, who was arrested by the French in Khartoum in 1994 and is currently serving a life sentence at Clairvaux Prison for his murder of French policemen and counterintelligence officials in Paris, briefly attended Patrice Lumumba with his brother Lenin and a bevy of other Venezuelan communists.

Both Carlos and Lenin distinguished themselves in Moscow only as loudmouth poseurs with a kitsch understanding of Marxism; their preferred form of agitation was chasing skirts and playing guitars. They were expelled for anti-Soviet provocation and indiscipline and although Carlos was eventually able to set up training camps in East Berlin and Budapest, the Warsaw Pact nations never warmed to him. He kept insisting that he, too, was a KGB agent, a claim the KGB denied steadfastly. Mitrokhin judged his claims to be baseless braggadocio.

That said, Carlos did become infamous for his work for the KGBs preferred proxy terror organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), whose deputy leader and head of foreign operations, Dr. Wadi Haddad, was an active Soviet agent throughout most of his career, codenamed NATSIONALIST.

Haddad was recruited in 1970 after the PFLPs successful hijacking two years earlier of El Al flights bound for Tel Aviv. The PFLP received regular consignments of weapons and ammunition from the KGB, typically transferred under the cover of night at sea off the coast of Aden. The nature of our relations with W. Haddad, KGB chairman Yuri Andropov told Brezhnev the year of Haddads enlistment, enables us to control the external operations of the PFLP to a certain degree, to exert influence in a manner favorable to the Soviet Union, and also to carry out active measures in support of our interests through the organizations assets while observing the necessary conspiratorial secrecy.

Thus employed as an arms-length proxy for carrying out difficult assignments that Russian operatives did not want their own fingerprints on, the PFLP carried out the (botched) Operation VINT, which was an attempt to kidnap the deputy station chief of the CIA in Beirut for exfiltration to the Soviet Union. It also struck an Israeli oil tanker, Coral Sea, using RPGs supplied by the Soviets.

When the PFLP split in 1972, upon its founder Dr. George Habashs repudiation of terrorism, Haddad set up shop in Baghdad and started the Special Operations Group, all the while continuing to receive Soviet assistance and materiel. Its fortunes dimmed considerably after the hijacking of an Air France airliner which culminated in Israels daring raid on Entebbe in 1976, and after another busted-flush hijacking that culminated in a West German commando raid in Mogadishu the following year. Haddads died in 1978.

Carlos, meanwhile, was excommunicated from the PFLP in 1975 in the aftermath of what should have been his most spectacular success, the siege of the OPEC conference in Vienna, which made the Latin American revolutionary a household name.

Only, instead of executing the Iranian and Saudi oil ministers, as hed been instructed to do, Carlos and his team (which consisted of Baader-Meinhof veterans) instead ransomed them back to their governments in exchange for millions, rationalizing that this money could be used to conduct even bolder operations against Israel, the West and its constellation of allies. Not that the Special Operations Group needed more money, of course, given the steady largesse of a nuclear superpower. The OPEC siege, Mitrokhin and Andrew write, was almost certainly carried out with the foreknowledge, if not quite coordination, of the KGB.

Carlos would eventually outstay his welcomes in East Germany and Hungary, whereupon he relocated to Damascus in 1985. By then the PLO leadership, including Abbas, was establishing a new base of operations after their eviction from southern Lebanon by the Israelis in 1982, and from Tripoli in northern Lebanon by the Syrians in 1983.

Where Andropov saw the PFLP as malleable and plausibly deniable prop to further pro-Soviet subversion internationally, he viewed the PLO, codenamed KARUSEL, with far more skepticism, mainly because the KGB disliked its then chairman, Yasir Arafat, so much.

The Cairo-born Arafat was first introduced to the KGB by his Egyptian mentor, Gamal Abdel Nasser, whose regime was Moscows most strategically important ally in the Middle East in the late 60s and early 70sthe KGB ran a virtual state out of the Arab worlds most populous nationuntil Anwar Sadat put a definitive end to the special relationship in favor of a pro-American alignment.

Arafats first official visit to Moscow was in 1972. It did not go well.

According to Mitrokhin and Andrew, he failed to impress the Centre, which distrusted the slanted nature of the information he provided and found him anxious to maintain contact with reactionary Arab regimes as well as with the Soviet bloc. He had also lied about his own life story: he wasnt born in Jerusalem, as hed always maintained, but in Cairo. And Arafat never fought to defend Port Said during the joint French-British-Israeli attack on Suez in 1956, as he claimed, because he was in Czechoslovakia at the time attending a student conference assembled by the Communists.

Still, perhaps eager to keep a rising talent in Palestinian nationalism closely tethered, Moscow Center simultaneously cultivated and spied on the chairman. From 1968 onward, the Soviets had a well-placed agent, codenamed GIDAR, who appears to have been Hani al-Hasan, Arafats intelligence advisor and personal confidant, even as Lt. Col. Vasili Samoylenko, an officer in the KGBs First Chief Directorate, was attempting to run Arafat. (Years later, Arafat and Samoylenko would be photographed standing next to each other at a wreath-laying ceremony in Moscow.)

The Communist regime to which Arafat was closest was Ceausescus in Romania.

Not wanting to be out-marshaled by a lesser satellite state, Moscow continued to cultivate Arafat and the PLO throughout the 70s. A Politburo resolution in 1973 even instructed the KGB to maintain contact with Arafats operatives via the Beirut rezidentura, the spy outpost located in every Soviet embassy. After formally recognizing the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people the following year, the Soviets also opened an office for the organization in Moscow, a privilege then only accorded to one other insurgency: the National Liberation Front of Vietnam.

By the time Reagan was in office, coincidental with the time of Abbass alleged recruitment, the KGB somewhat warmed to the PLO. Arafats efforts to rebrand himself an international figure with statehood aspirations were seen as valuable. So much so that when Abu Iyad, a member of Fatahs Central Committee, traveled to Moscow in 1978 to complain about the peremptory behavior of a KGB officer in the Beirut rezidentura, that officer was replaced.

The Soviets even went so far as to train nearly 200 PLO militants in Russia, albeit with a reminder of why they wisely stayed aloof in the first place.

According to the PLO commander Ahmad Rashad, The participants in the course did not correctly understand the political aspects of sending military delegations abroad. As a result, the upper echelon of the delegation, namely the participants in the battalion officer courses, refused to study and asked to return using all sorts of illogical excuses.

Thirteen PLO fighters were dismissed from the training course, according to Ahmad, for offenses ranging from alcoholism to the trading of counterfeit money to sexual perversion.

It took almost half a decade for Arafat to rehabilitate this dysfunctional relationship with a moribund Soviet Union, although the chances that one or more of his underlings were themselves being groomed or poached by the KGB during the locust years are high. Abbas has claimed that he never intended to join the PLO at all, but suddenly found himself selected to its executive committee in 1980 by Fatahs Central Committee, while he was in Moscow ostensibly pursuing his academic study.

One wonders how that happened. And who in fact did the selecting.
Its estimated that, beneath Earths waters, 3 million undiscovered shipwrecks exist. And right now, all across the planet, the locations of a select few of these lost ships are actively being sought.

Some of these expeditions are publicly sanctioned by governments and others are privately funded by organizations, foundations, or like Bill Paxtons character in the Titanic, greedy bastards. However, the public curiosity surrounding theses expeditionss searches and/or findings are greater than one might think. Not only is the internet overloaded with sites and blogs dedicated to covering news and updates regarding the hunts for shipwrecks, but books, YouTube fare, and podcasts about the subject are also rather easy to find. Moreover, once a upon a time, both National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel aired reality programming which followed the adventures of teams of people who get their adrenaline kicks searching the open seas for sunken vessels and their lost treasures of shiny shit. Obviously, for many of us, theres just something about shipwrecksmaybe the history or the treasure or the mysterythat we find fascinating.

Last week was a good week for shipwreck aficionados. According to a small group of smart, overachieving explorers from the Arctic Research Foundation, a 19th century shipwreck has been found. According to The Guardian, on Sept 3, the ARF found Sir John Franklins long-lost, second ship, the HMS Terror, at the bottom of an Arctic bay.
Martha Jefferson was born in 1772, just as Monticello was rising above her, promising a life surrounded by beauty, luxury, and pampering. For the first ten years of her existence this promise held, but in 1782 Marthas mother died, leaving a father incapacitated by grief, but still a father in pursuit of his daughters future happiness. He set out a stringent regimen of study which included reading, writing, literature, languages, music, art, and dance.

Two years later, Martha and her father traveled to France, joined later by Marthas younger sister and her enslaved maid, Sally Hemings. In France Martha boarded at a convent school and received a formal education few other American women of the day would acquire in their lifetimes. At her fathers Paris residence, she received another kind of education, conversing with world leaders and learning, among other things, that there are countries where slavery was illegal. I wish with all my soul that the poor Negroes were all freed, she wrote her father from school. She listened eagerly as her father and his secretary, William Short, talked of plans to set up their slaves as free tenant farmers when they returned to Virginia. But the 17-year-old Martha listened eagerly to William Short for another reasonshe had fallen in love and her father had taken note; he abruptly took Martha, her sister, and Sally Hemingswho was pregnant with Thomas Jefferson's childback to Virginia.

There the realities of the Virginia way of life and her fathers new preoccupations with Monticello, politics, and dare she imagine itSallyconvinced Martha it was time to claim a life for herself. After three short months at home, with her fathers whole-hearted blessing, Martha married her distant cousin, Thomas Randolph, a man determined to make his way in Virginia without dependency" on the institution of slavery.
The cruelest irony of a U.S.-led coalition strike that mistakenly killed at least 62 Syrian forces is that rather than damage the Islamic State, as the strikes intended, the coalition may instead been a boon for the terror group.

The Syrian forces based near the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, the site of four strikes Saturday, were a buffer between the citizens of Deir el-Zour and the terror group. And if Syrian troops were hit by a coalition strike, it could lead them to retreat, creating an opening for ISIS to move onto a major city in eastern Syrian.

In recent months, ISIS has made an increasingly aggressive push for the city, putting Syrian government forces on the defensive. While ISIS has launched strikes against the airport, near the site of Saturdays strikes, the airport has always remained under Syrian government control.

A defense official told The Daily Beast that U.S. Central Command now has concluded it was a mistaken strike and is trying to determine how it made such a big mistake.

The repercussions came swiftly. On Saturday evening, U.S. officials reportedly told their Russian counterparts that they reject the unintentional loss of life, essentially admitting responsibility for a strike. And Russia called for an emergency United Nations Security Council session Saturday night.

Around the region, some looked at the strike as proof that the United States created the ISIS threat and now is conducting strikes on its behalf.

These attacks confirmed that the U.S. clearly supports the terrorism of Daesh, said SAMA television, a Syrian state-run news outlet, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

What remains unclear is how the U.S. military could make such a mistake. A U.S. Central Command official told The Daily Beast that U.S. officials monitored the strike site, roughly 30 miles southwest of the city center, for two days before Saturdays strike.

There was a tank and other vehicles occupied by ISIS. There were people there who we thought were ISIS, the CENTCOM official said.

In a statement from CENTCOM, which is in charge of the American effort in Syria, U.S. officials said they had been tracking what they believed to be an ISIS fighting position for a significant amount of time before the strike.

But it was the Russians who first alerted the U.S. that it had made the mistake, forcing the U.S.-led coalition to abort its strike campaign, according to a U.S. Central Command statement, and admit it has been responsible for the attack around the airport.

Late Saturday local time, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the U.S.-led coalitionusing two F-16s and two A-10sconducted four strikes near Deir el-Zour airport around 5 p.m. and had killed Syrian troops.

The coalition airstrike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military, Central Command said in the statement.

Even before either side could confirm what precisely happened, combatants in the Syrian war began to spin the incident. The Russians, who first reported the strike, said the mistake showed why it was so important for the U.S. to coordinate with Assads biggest ally

The Russian defense minister spokesman also immediately noted such accidents could have been avoided had the U.S. and Russian coordinated their strikes over Syria, even as the U.S. said it had informed the Russians about the strikes. It is unclear how much time lapsed from when the U.S. informed the Russians and when it dropped ordnance.

If these strikes were undertaken as a result of a coordination error, it will be because the Americans continue to refuse to coordinate with Russia regarding their actions against terrorist groups in Syria, Konashenkov said.

The strike marks the first time the coalition has struck the forces of Bashar al-Assad, the dictator whom Washington has long threatened to deposeand long managed to avoid attacking. Whats more, it would mark a potentially illegal act by the United States in a country in which they have not been invited or declared war. The attack also strengthens Russian claims that the U.S. does not know what it's doing in Syria. From a tactical standpoint, the attack could put the Syrian army in a defensive posture until it can determine the U.S. motives behind the strike. And that could benefit ISIS, at least temporarily.

The U.S. is very familiar with Deir el-Zour. It has conducted scores of precise strikes around city, targeting ISIS and should know the city well.

Most notably, the U.S. conducted a raid in May 2015 in the area that killed a top ISIS financier, Abu Sayyaf, and captured his wife, Umm Sayyaf, who was believed to have held American hostage Kayla Mueller.

Konashenkov said Syrian officials had informed the Russians that at least another 100 Syrian troops had also been injured.

Of course, the U.S.-led coalition has struck the wrong targets beforeoften with deadly results. In January, the Pentagon admitted to bombing civilians on at least 14 different occasions. In July, an off-target airstrike in northern Syria killed more than 60 people. The U.S. has even come close to hitting its allies, nearly bombing American-backed rebel forces when it meant to target Syrias affiliate in al Qaeda.

But to the Assad regime, the strike today was no accident. Damascus called it a "serious and blatant aggression.

On Monday, the U.S. and Russia entered a ceasefire agreement in Syria, in part to get humanitarian aid to cities like Aleppo. The ceasefire does not apply to strikes targeting ISIS. How this attack will impact the ceasefire is so far unclear.
Julia Roberts Says MLK Jr. Paid Hospital Bill For Her Birth

YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT

The actress said her parents were friends with King and his wife, and the couple helped out when they couldn't afford the bill.
By PTI: Geneva, Sep 16 (PTI) In a set back to India, WTOs appellate body has upheld the rulings of a panel which had stated that the governments power purchase agreements with solar firms were "inconsistent" with international norms.

"The appellate body (of the WTO) upheld each of these panel conclusions appealed by India," the WTO said in a statement.

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In April, India had appealed against WTOs panel ruling that the countrys power purchase agreements with solar firms are inconsistent with international norms. The US had filed the complaint before the global trade body alleging discrimination against American firms.

The appellate body is a standing body of seven persons. It listens to the appeals from reports issued by panels in disputes involving WTO members.

The US had dragged India to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the issue in 2014, alleging that the clause relating to domestic content requirement in the countrys solar power mission was discriminatory in nature and "nullified" benefits accruing to the American solar power developers.

An official said that India would have to implement this order in the next 6-7 months. The case assumes significance as India has recently dragged the US to the WTO over Americas domestic content requirements and subsidies provided by eight states in the renewable energy sector. PTI RR CS MR

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray on Monday dared Maharashtra government to arrest him and warned the state that they will have to "regret" the consequences in the event of that.



"Arrest me and be ready to bear the consequences.... you will have to regret," Thackeray, who was attending a ceremony at Bahadursheikh Naka here, said.



"If Raj is arrested, entire Maharashtra will be set on fire," he said.



Justifying the attack by MNS activists on north Indians at the railway board examination centres in suburban Mumbai on Sunday, Thackeray said MNS took the step against candidates appearing for railway recruitment exams as it was a planned operation of north Indians.



Advertisements of these exams are given in February and are being conducted now as per the plan designed for north Indians. These advertisements are never published in Marathi newspapers, he said.



Thackeray, who is on a tour of the Konkan region Mahad, Khed, Chiplun and Ratnagiri, asked people not to sell land to non-Maharashtrians. These people have created a votebank by purchasing land in Konkan area, he said.

--- ENDS ---

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The Senate should consider Merrick Garland's nomination

Probably a lot of Texans agree that government isn't working very well at a lot of different levels.

But there's a particularly horrible example that could be fixed quickly. Right now the Senate, is intentionally crippling the Supreme Court by refusing to hold a hearing on a Supreme Court nominee. Holding a hearing doesn't mean senators have to approve the nominee.

But they have a constitutional duty to examine the qualifications of a nominee and vote yes or no. It's at least six months that they've been dragging their feet. What guarantee do we citizens have that they'll hold a hearing next year? Suppose there's another Senate from one party and president from the other? The Senate already has been practicing shirking their duty. What's to ensure they'll do any better six months from now? Meanwhile, the Supreme Court no longer can decide close cases.

Call your Texas senators and ask them to stop making government work even worse than usual; ask them to push for a prompt hearing on the current Supreme Court nominee.

ROSEMARIE SWANSON

Bryan

Who will discuss inappropriate comments by A&M's chancellor?

"Less screaming, more diversity" are positive words in the evolution of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets (Eagle, Sept. 11) we hold in high regard.

With numbers growing and educational standards high, it is hard to believe our Chancellor John Sharp used the analogy of the A&M community blindly "drinking the Kool-Aid" the Corps mixes. (For all of you too young to remember the reference, Google Jonestown massacre.)

This reminds me of another leading Aggie, Clayton Williams who, when referring to rape in 1990, recommended: "just lie back and enjoy it." Clayton didn't win his gubernatorial bid that election but unfortunately the A&M community has no recourse but to follow the appointed Sharp to the "Kool-Aid."

Who has the power to pull him aside and discuss his inappropriate behavior?

SUZANNE BLACK

College Station
Iowa organizations earn grants from A Community Thrives initiative

Seven Iowa organizations receive grants from the USA TODAY Network to support families in need, local initiatives.
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NORWALK  A man last seen in the Norwalk River early Friday after a brawl has not been found.

Police said that at 12:18 a.m. they responded to the area of 22 Wall St. for a fight. El Mexicano Restaurant is located at that address.

Arriving officers were immediately notified that three men were in the Norwalk River. Officers observed two men climbing out of the river in the area of Freese Park, and observed a third in the distance, swimming toward the Wall Street bridge.

Officers immediately went to the area but lost sight of the man. A search ensued, with the Norwalk Police Marine Unit and the Norwalk Fire Department searching the river, to no avail.

The assistance of the Connecticut State Police Dive Team was also requested with additional specialized equipment.

Friday afternoon, police said the man still had not been found.

Norwalk detectives and the police Marine Unit are investigating the incident.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective John Taranto at 203-854-3012. Anonymous tips can be left at any of the contacts below:

Norwalk police tip line, 203-854-3111.

Internet tips can be sent to police website at norwalkpd.com.

Text tips can be submitted by typing "NPD" into the text field, followed by the message, and sending it to CRIMES (274637).

llake@hearstmediact.com
To help illuminate some of the complexities surrounding matters in the Middle East, the World Affairs Forum and Norwalk Library present a lecture from John P. Entelis, professor of political science and associate director of the Middle East Studies Program at Fordham University.

Entelis received his Ph.D. from New York University and studied Arabic in Cairo, Harvard and Princeton. He has been awarded several Fulbright awards, including a U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship to conduct research in Lebanon, a Senior Fulbright professorship at the University of Algiers and one at the University of Tunis and a Fulbright Regional Research Award to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

Entelis is the author or co-author of numerous scholarly publications on the comparative and international politics of the Middle East and North Africa, including Algeria: The Revolution Institutionalized, Culture and Counterculture in Moroccan Politics, State and Society in Algeria, and Islam, Democracy, and the State in North Africa. He is the former president of the American Institute for Maghrib Studies and former editor-in-chief of its scholarly journal, the Journal of North African Studies.

This is a free event. No reservation is necessary.

BROOKSIDE

Each day, nearly 40,000 people are diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes throughout the United States.

To help fight this disease, each year the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation hosts walks all across the nation in the hopes that by spreading awareness, they can change the future for people living with diabetes.

Lend JDRF your support on Sept. 25 when it hosts its annual walk to raise funds to find a cure for Type-1 diabetes at Brien McMahon High School. Get some fresh air, meet new people and raise money for JDRF, the leading global organizations funding Type-1 diabetes research.

Participants can walk alone or form teams. Registration for the event kicks off at 9 a.m., and the walk commences at 10 a.m. People of all ages are welcome. There is no fee, but participants are encouraged to raise funds.

For more information on the event or the charity, call 914-686-7700 or go to walk.jdrf.org.

ROWAYTON

Make the most of the weather while you can with beach crafts at Bayley Beach for Stone and Shell Painting on Thursday from 4-5 p.m.

The event will take place at the picnic tables right by the playground.

The event is for all ages, so even if your child is not old enough to create a craft alone, have fun creating together. If you have a newborn, sit and chat with the moms and have a snack. Organizers will also have beach blankets for the younger children to play and to give parents a rest.

To register, email RowaytonParents@gmail.com. For information, check out the Rowayton Parents Exchange website at rowaytonparentexchange.com.

SOUTH NORWALK

Beneath the facade of restaurants and family storefronts littered throughout South Norwalk, there is an underground art movement that is quietly thriving.

Catch a glimpse of this movement for yourself as the Norwalks Parking Authority debuts its new fall exhibit, Kismet, at the Maritime Garage Gallery.

The fall Kismet exhibit will focus on the theme of fate or destiny, and the force that is believed to control the future. From relationships to fashion, environment to politics, kismet plays a role. Pieces will revolve around how the concept of kismet controls the outcome in the community, the world or artists lives.

Exhibiting artists include Jean Marc Bara, of Greenwich; Ingrid Baron, of Fairfield; Bobbie Bernstein, of Westport; Francie Grace, of Wilton; Margaret Alcock Prezzano, of Ridgefield; Charmaine Rawsthorne, of Norwalk; and Joanna Stuart, of New Haven, among others.

Local art aficionados as well as representatives of local business and government will attend the opening night reception on Wednesday.

The gallery will be open from Wednesday to Dec. 2, and is free. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays.

For information, contact maritimegallery@norwalkpark.org.
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NORWALK  A New York man who police say robbed a Connecticut Avenue bank last month has been identified and will be extradited to face charges in the theft.

Lt. Thomas Mattera, commander of the Norwalk Police Departments Detective Bureau, said that Norwalk police have obtained an arrest warrant for 45-year-old Kevin Credle, of the Bronx, N.Y. He will be charged with robbing Webster Bank at 402 Connecticut Ave. on the morning of Aug. 5.

Mattera said Credle is being held in New York on parole violation charges and, once extradited to Connecticut, will face first-degree robbery and fourth-degree larceny charges here.

Mattera commended the investigative work of Detective Daniel Fitzmaurice in the case.

Based on forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts, Detective Fitzmaurice was able to piece this together, Mattera said. He did an excellent job.

Police were dispatched to the bank at 10:05 a.m. on a report of a robbery. Witnesses described the robbery suspect as a black man in his 50s, wearing glasses, with a medium build, approximately 5 feet, 6 inches tall. The suspect walked with a cane in his right hand and has a large gap between his teeth, police said.

The suspect had fled on foot across the street to Stop & Shop and left in a black sedan, possibly with New York plates.

According to police, witnesses stated that a weapon was mentioned, but not shown during the robbery. The suspect passed a note to the teller demanding money, police said.

The amount of money taken was not disclosed.

Crime scene unit investigators and detectives collected evidence at the scene and a surveillance photo was released by police.
The AmeriKat's favorite painter acted as a backdrop

of AIPPI's 2016 Congress Opening Ceremony





However, before we get to that, there is the question of the Opening Ceremony. Unlike Rio last year where the audience was impressed and invigorated (some very much so....) at the array of dancing and dancers at the opening event, the Milan opening started a bit more serene. The walls of the cavernous hall melted into images of Italian landscape scenes, before Felipe Caro ( President of AIPPI ) officially opened the Congress. Felipe declared that the next few years will see a number of changes in AIPPI, changes that will continue the cycle of innovative and energetic discussion and work towards converging IP law.





Francis Gurry addressing the Congress Francis Gurry ( Francis Gurry ( Director General, WIPO ) addressed the Congress participants noting that AIPPI and WIPO share a long (120 year) and fruitful relationship. AIPPI, back then was the only non-governmental agency on the scene. Now there are hundreds. The landscape has definitely changed since AIPPI was founded almost 120 years ago. Back then IP was primarily focused on identifying the policy features that would reward creation and innovation. Today, the conversation has gone further by addressing the entire consumer value chain - how we consume IP, how we distribute it and how we protect in a global era.





Gurry went on to identify some difficult challenges that needed to be addressed in IP, with the help of AIPPI. These were as follows:

Clearing the registered IP application backlog. There is demand for IP protection by the sheer number of applications pending (e.g. 2.7 million patent applications). However, the system is struggling to keep up with the demand. How are we going to address this? Policy harmonization between patent offices has greatly increased by the sharing of platforms and infrastructure between IP offices. This should continue. Copyright will continue to present challenges. A recent survey found that revenue from the creative industries exceeded those of telecoms and the entire GDP of India ($1,900 billion), but copyright law is under pressure. It is a real challenge to identify exactly where value resides given the new business models and value chains. There is significant on-going work on these issues currently undertaken by the Commission (see recent Kat posts here) to ensure that copyright is fulfilling its function in the new economy and is continuing to provide a mechanism to finance culture. The tension between globalization and diversity will continue and there is no easy fix. Globalization requires a certain amount of functionality to be standardized. We all want our phones to work as soon as we land in whichever country. These standards are created by international rules. However, in wanting international standardization, we also have to be mindful of national rules that preserve and promote diversity of products to encourage economic growth at a state level. After Gurry's presentation, the audience was treated to a spectacular performance of Italian music, acrobatics and visual imagery of Italian innovators and creators, followed by copious amounts of Italian cuisine. The AmeriKat, having expelled the virtues of cacio e pepe on some unwitting UK Group friends, slinked back to her hotel in an uncharacteristic example of an early night. But in her defence, did she mention that this year's AIPPI Congress is jammed-packed?

So when she finally landed in Milan this morning for this year's AIPPI Congress her cares melted away. That is until she saw her agenda....This year's AIPPI Congress is jammed packed with incredible events, from panel sessions dealing with everything from contributory patent infringement to IP and food, to lunch time sessions focusing on expert evidence and study questions on copyright and linking, IP securities and added matter. The final day will be devoted to a very political topic - the fate of the UPC post-Brexit followed by a biosimilars preliminary injunction mock trial in the UPC. The AmeriKat and a team of incredible friends and contributors, including her colleague Vanessa Rieu ( Bristows ), will be reporting from the events on the IPKat over the coming days.
For the Intelligencer

The National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation cost-share grant program provides grant assistance for eligible historic preservation, research, oral history, interpretative, and educational projects. Grants are offered through an annual, competitive grant cycle. Since 2001, 130 projects have been awarded $1.9 million with $3.1 million in cost-share match, totaling $5 million in public-private investment toward the revitalization of the Route 66 corridor. This year, four of the eight projects that were awarded grants are from Illinois!

The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway is pleased to share the information provided by the National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program (https://www.ncptt.nps.gov/rt66/2016-cost-share-grants-announced/). The announcement comes at a special time in U.S. history, with 2016 being the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and the 90th anniversary of Route 66.

From the National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, here is the information on the Illinois recipients:

Rialto Square Theatre Marquee Restoration Project Location: Joliet, Illinois Total Grant amount: $55,710

The Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Illinois, was built on an original alignment of Route 66 in May of 1926, just six months before the National Highway Act of November 11, 1926 ushered the Mother Road into existence. These two entities - (1) an ornate vaudeville stage and movie palace dispensing talkies to a gleeful American public, and (2) a national highway designed to accommodate the new automobile fad - would become important elements of US culture from those days forward.

Known as the Jewel of Joliet the theatre was constructed to spare no expense. The buildings style was a wildly eclectic mix of Greek and Roman Neoclassical Rococo, Italian Renaissance, and Art Deco, among others. Every detail of the theatre was more ostentatious than the next, and it was touted as one of the worlds wonder theatres.

By the 1970s both Route 66 and the Rialto had fallen into disrepair as Route 66 was bypassed and by the Interstate Highway System. By 1978 the Rialto was targeted for demolition to make way for a parking lot. In response the Will County Cultural Arts Association was created to save the theatre from the wrecking ball. They listed the property on the National Register of Historic Places, and by the 1980s restored the theatre back to operating condition. The theater has served as a matinee and community center ever since, welcoming over 100,000 visitors a year.

Watching over Route 66 for nearly a century is the Rialtos distinctive, seven-story vertical neon sign and marquee, which have heralded films and events to residents and travelers alike. Grant funds will assist with the restoration of the marquee to its 1926 appearance.

The Mill on Route 66 Accessibility Project Location: Lincoln, Illinois Total Grant amount: $22,720

The Mill Restaurant in Lincoln, Illinois, is a prime example of early American roadside architecture, and is one of the few buildings from the era still standing. The restaurant was first opened on Route 66 in 1929 under the name of the Blue Mill. The eatery was constructed by local contractors in the shape of a small Dutch windmill with sails on the front. It was white with blue trim, with continuously turning sails decorated with lights.

In 1945 an army barrack from Camp Ellis was attached to the back of the building to accommodate a restaurant, bar, and dance hall. It was then that the entire building was painted red and renamed The Mill. One of the restaurants claims to fame was its fried schnitzel. The Mill also offered a display of strange objects to attract and entertain customers: a mechanical leg kicked its way through a hole in the ceiling; four life-sized figures, a suit of armor, and a 20-pound stuffed catfish were on display; and a basket above the bathroom door - when opened - would blast a loud siren throughout the restaurant.

The Mill closed in 1996 and stood deteriorating for many years. In 2006 the Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County was created to promote and preserve the Mill and other Route 66 sites in Logan County. The foundation worked with the City of Lincoln to save the building from the wrecking ball and gain title to the property. The foundation has been working to restore the National Register-eligible property to a museum and visitor center ever since. A NPS grant in 2008 helped with structural repairs. The current grant will provide accessibility to the building including an entrance and bathroom. The original basket and loud siren that once adorned the bathroom door will also be restored.

Del Rheas Chicken Basket Neon Sign Restoration Project Location: Hinsdale, Illinois Total Grant amount: $34,600

The Chicken Basket began in the 1930s as a lunch counter attached to a service station in then- rural Hinsdale, Illinois. This mix and match of functions was typical for Route 66 establishments, which often operated on very thin profit margins that required them to be creative in attracting customers. Legend has it that in the late 1930s two local farm women offered a deal to original owner Irv Kolarik, who was looking to expand his food menu. They would reveal their excellent fried chicken recipe to Mr. Kolarik and his customers if he would promise to buy the necessary chickens from them. To sweeten the deal the women offered to teach him how to actually fry the chicken. Soon, the service station was history and the Chicken Basket was born.

The restaurant we see today was built in 1946 adjacent to the original location of the 1930s station. The one-story brick building was constructed in a no-nonsense, utilitarian commercial style of the immediate postwar period. Overall, the restaurant retains much of its original 1946 appearance and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The restaurant has a flat, steel roof that did double duty in the 1950s; to attract customers, Mr. Kolarik flooded the roof in winter and hired youths to ice skate on top of the building.

The restaurant flourished, but like many other successful businesses along Route 66, the Chicken Basket faced a serious challenge with the coming of the interstate in 1962. However in 1963, Delbert (Dell) Rhea, a savvy Chicago businessman, purchased the restaurant and turned things around through aggressive advertising aimed at Chicagos expanding suburban population as well as Route 66 travelers. Today the restaurant continues to flourish. NPS grant funds will assist with restoration of the neon sign.

Spragues Super Service Rehabilitation Project Location: Normal, Illinois Total Grant amount: $31,398

The brainchild of William W. Sprague, the two-story, Tudor Revival style Spragues Super Service on Route 66 in Normal, Illinois, was a combination cafe, filling station, and service station, built toward the beginning of the Depression to provide service and food to travelers. The second story of the building provided housing for both Mr. Sprague and for the service station attendant.

The Spragues Super Service is an excellent model of preservation through partnership. In 2003, the current owner began the preservation process by listing the property on the National Register of Historic Places. The owner then applied for grant funds from the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation program to develop a preservation plan and to address urgent needs/repairs. With the preservation plan in hand, the owner was able to appeal to the City of Normal for additional funds to assist with repairs to the roof and heating system. Because of this positive track record, the owner next applied for and received additional grant funds for heating and air conditioning work from the Illinois State Tourism Department. In addition, the owner arranged for volunteer work days at the station involving the Illinois Route 66 Association. In 2011, the building was designated as a local landmark by the Town of Normal, and in 2016, the town voted to acquire the property to secure is preservation and protection. Now known as Ryburn Place, the goal is to open the property as a Route 66 visitor center.

Following a preservation plan prepared in 2009 a new roof and bathrooms have been installed, and the historic, wood frame windows and doors have been rehabilitated. The NPS grant will help repair and stabilize the exterior stucco and masonry and rehabilitate the last of the windows.

For additional information, visit https://www.ncptt.nps.gov/rt66/2016-cost-share-grants-announced/, or search the National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program grant database at http://ncptt.nps.gov/rt66/grant-projects/.
A Holiday Shores man with five earlier DUI convictions has been found guilty of a sixth.

Jurors on Wednesday afternoon returned with a guilty verdict against Carl E. Bettorf, 58. The trial took place at the Madison County Criminal Justice center in Edwardsville.

Bettorf faces six to 30 years in prison when Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli sentences him, which is likely to happen in late October or early November.

Jurors were chosen Monday, and attorneys for both sides presented opening statements Tuesday morning.

The case was prosecuted by Madison County Assistant States Attorneys Jim Buckley and Tara Steele.

Bettorf was defended by attorney John Delaney.

Jurors got the case Tuesday afternoon and returned to continue their deliberations the next morning. They announced their verdict around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

I want to thank the jurors for their perseverance and dedication to justice to the community, said States Attorney Tom Gibbons in a written statement.

Bettorf was arrested on Nov. 28, 2009. He was pulled over on St. James Road, in Moro, by Illinois State Trooper Shaun Dannenbrink.

We fought for a very long time to get this case to a jury trial, Gibbons said. Despite all the defendants efforts to delay and derail this case, with this unanimous decision by the 12 jurors, we have finally secured justice for the citizens of Madison County.

Bettorfs criminal history includes convictions in July of 1987 and January of 1990, and others.

Gibbons praised Buckley and Steele for prosecuting the case, and Dannenbrink for conducting the stop and arrest.

It takes a whole team of dedicated professionals working from start to finish to get the job done, he said.
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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

The island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara is home to some of Indonesias most well-known coffees. Be it Arabica or Robusta, Flores has it. Yet, there are not many coffee shops in Jakarta using coffee from the island, said Indonesian Latte Art Artist head Ardian Maulana.

Mainly, it is because of the difficulty in obtaining the coffee, said Ardian, who is also the event director of the 2016 Flores Coffee Festival, in an official statement. He also noted minimum orders, seasonal problems, as well as a lack of product standardization as additional factors.

(Read also: Coffee guerrillas fighting for the perfect cup)

Meeting demand is still an issue for Flores coffee farmers. According to the festival organizer Kompas, the Manggarai Coffee Farmers Association (Asnikom) already had 24 tons of coffee orders on its waiting list this year. It also stated that Asnikom, which has around 1,200 farmer members spread in Manggarai, Flores, had only managed to fill 50 percent of the demand.

On the other hand, Ngada Regent Marianus Sae said that Ngada regency in the Bajawa highlands, another coffee-producing area in Flores, had produced enough coffee to cater to the demand. We only exported a small amount of the coffee. The rest was sold to farmers in Manggarai, who then re-sold in other areas, he said, adding that the regency produced over 3,000 tons of coffee every year.

(Read also: Sipping Mt. Kelimutu coffee during sunrise in Flores)

According to Kompas, 70 percent from the total of 7,269 tons of Flores coffee produced last year was sold by brokers in other areas, including North Sumatra, Aceh, North Sulawesi and West Java, which led to the lost of its identity because it gets sold under another brand that sells more in the market. Compared to Arabica, Robusta is said to be the most popular Flores coffee in the market. Therefore, through this festival, we hope that there will be a solution to the problem, Ardian said.

The Flores Coffee Festival is being held until Saturday at Bentara Budaya Jakarta in Palmerah, West Jakarta. In addition to a few coffee booths, it also hosts coffee-related talk shows, workshops and music performances. (kes)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 16 2016

The Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) has taken down 29 billboards across the city for violating regulations.

Agency head Jupan Royter said on Thursday that most of the billboards either had no permit or their licenses had expired.

Most of the billboards were removed in August, he added.

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Linkedin Caleb Jones (Associated Press) Geologist Seamounts, Hawaii  Sat, September 17, 2016

The turquoise waters became darker and darker, and squiggly glow-in-dark marine creatures began to glide past in the inky depths like ghosts.

The three-man submarine went down, down, down into the abyss and drew within sight of something no human had ever laid eyes on: Cook seamount, a 13,000-foot extinct volcano at the bottom of the sea.

Scientists aboard the vessel Pisces V visited the volcano earlier this month to examine its geological features and its rich variety of marine life, and an Associated Press reporter was given exclusive access to the dive. It was the first-ever expedition to the Cook seamount by a manned submersible.

Among other things, the researchers from the University of Hawaii and the nonprofit group Conservation International spotted such wonders as a rare type of octopus with big fins that look like Dumbo's ears, and a potentially new species of violet-hued coral they dubbed Purple Haze.

Conservation International hopes to study 50 seamounts, or undersea volcanoes, over the next five years.

"We don't know anything about the ocean floor," said Peter Seligmann, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Conservation International. "What we know is that each one of those seamounts is a refuge for new species, but we don't know what they are. We don't know how they've evolved. We don't know what lessons they have for us."

During the Sept. 6 dive, the submarine splashed into the water, and as it dove, the only sounds were radio communications from the surface, the hum of an air scrubber that removes carbon dioxide from the passenger chamber, and the voices of the crew. The thick, hot tropical air inside the steel sphere became cooler and drier as the submarine descended.

"We don't know what we're going to find," said Conservation International's Greg Stone, a marine biologist on board. "There will always be the unexpected when you go into the deep ocean."

Halfway to the volcano's summit, which is 3,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific, no sunlight penetrated. The only light that could be seen from the submarine's face-sized windows was the bluish glow of the vessel's own bright lights. Occasionally, bioluminescent creatures drifted past in the darkness.

The Pisces V submersible sits on the deck of a research vessel during an expedition to previously unexplored seamounts off the coast of Hawaii's Big Island on Sept. 8, 2016. Conservation International and the University of Hawaii are exploring seamounts in the area to assess the biodiversity and geological composition of the deep-sea mountains. (AP/Caleb Jones)

Stone and subpilot Terry Kerby, who helps run the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii, watched as the volcano and its rugged basalt walls hundreds of yards high came into view.

Seamounts are either active or dormant volcanoes that rise dramatically from the bottom of the ocean and never reach the surface. They are hotspots for marine life because they carry nutrient-rich water upward from the sea floor. Seamounts are believed to cover about 18 million square miles of the planet.

Cook, situated over 100 miles southwest of Hawaii's Big Island, is part of a group of undersea volcanoes known as the Geologist Seamounts that are about 80 million years old and could hold many new animal species, as well as elements such as nickel and cobalt that mining companies could extract.

"My goal today is to ... find out what's living on them, find out how they support ocean life, what their effect is from ocean currents and essentially what drives the ocean, what makes the ocean what it is," Stone said. "Seamounts are a key part of that, and something which humanity knows very little about."

Within minutes of the vessel's arrival at the summit, life began to appear  a starfish clinging to a rock, joined shortly after by eels, sharks, chimaera (also known as "ghost sharks"), shrimp, crabs and two rare Dumbo octopuses. One of the octopuses changed color from white to pink to reddish brown as it swam by.

Several types of deep-sea corals were found along the seamount's cliffs, including a vibrant purple one.

"I need to go home, look through the literature ... and also go and run some genetic analyses," said Sonia Rowley, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii who is taking part in the project. "But as this is a new seamount ... that no one had dived on before, it won't be any surprise to me whether this is going to be a new species."

Two other seamounts were studied over three days of expeditions: McCall, home to a large number of small deep-sea sharks, and Lo'ihi, an active volcano.

Lo'Ihi has been extensively surveyed by manned submersibles over the past 30 years. The past few times Kerby was there, he saw a large Pacific sleeper shark lurking about the volcano's crater.

As hot vents shot out volcanic gases around them, the team released bait in the water and the 7-foot shark appeared in front of the submarine. Kerby was delighted to see his "old friend."

The team also saw 6-foot eels and a number of new geological formations around the crater. Scientists say Lo'ihi is likely to someday become the newest island in the Hawaii chain as volcanic activity pushes the summit upward.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Bekasi  Sat, September 17 2016

Members of a motorcycle gang attacked a group of high school students, killing one of them, on Jl. Raya Hamkam in Bekasi, West Java, on Thursday night.

Pondok Gede Police chief Comr. Sukadi said on Friday that the slain student, 15-year-old Tedy Suliwandana, and his friends had been hanging out when seven teenagers on motorcycles called them.

They yelled at them while riding the motorcycles but Tedy and his friends did not answer, he said, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

Indonesia is highly likely to secure a seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council as its presence would appropriately reflect the world's current concerns at the global organization, an expert has said.

With the complexities of the ongoing international issues and looking at Indonesia's position, a seat in the UNSC would reflect and give voice to the most relevant concerns," University of Indonesia international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

As the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation and third-largest democracy, Indonesia holds great significance in terms of contributing to the global discussion, he said, saying that the Southeast Asian country would have a say in pressing concerns, including Islam, terrorism and democracy. Indonesia would also be a representative to voice the concerns of developing countries, Hikmahanto further said.

He also pointed to the Indonesian Ambassador at the Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, Dian Triansyah Djani, whose extensive experience could lead to a successful lobby for candidature.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said in a statement on Friday that she plans to convey Indonesia's candidacy for the 2019 to 2020 period at the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Venezuela over the weekend.

The council is comprised of 15 members and five permanent members: US, China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom, with the ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. Indonesia will be competing with the Maldives for representing the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesia has previously been elected three times as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, serving during 197475, 199596 and most recently in 200708.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17 2016

Indonesian pilgrims are preparing to return home after performing the jumrah  a stoning of the devil ritual and the last major haj practice, which had taken lives in the past.

Religious Affairs Ministry spokesperson Rosidin Karidi told The Jakarta Post on Friday that all Indonesian pilgrims were in their respective hotels after finishing the ritual on Thursday afternoon, Saudi Arabian time.

After performing the jumrah, all pilgrims returned back to their hotels on buses. Half of them are now waiting for their return flights to Indonesia, while the rest will go to Medina first to perform the mandatory Arabian prayers, he said.

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

Despite recent reports that Singaporean banks are sharing the names of their clients embracing Indonesias tax amnesty with the local police, the State Palace believes the neighboring country will not hinder the implementation of the program.

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung called on Indonesian taxpayers who have money stashed in Singapore to not to be afraid of participating in the tax pardon. He rejected reports that participation in the program would be considered tax evasion in the neighboring country.

He explained that Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati had communicated with her counterpart in Singapore about the issue. In addition, during a meeting at the ASEAN Summit last week, the Singaporean finance minister and prime minister assured attendees that the country was making no attempts to hinder the tax amnesty program.

"Thus, anyone who puts their assets in Singapore and wants to join the tax amnesty, whether in the form of assets repatriation or declaration, please do not be afraid because the applicable law is the Indonesian tax regulation," Pramono said in Jakarta on Friday.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani also reiterated that the Singaporean government had told her that it had asked Singaporean banks to facilitate the participation of their high-wealth Indonesian customers in the program.

"There are four Singaporean banks where Indonesian high-wealth individuals put their money. They were asked to facilitate and provide ease for customers joining the tax amnesty and they also confirmed the reported transactions were not classified as suspicious," she said. (ags)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo traveled to Bandung, West Java, on Saturday for several working visits and to officially open the 19th National Games (PON).

Accompanied by First Lady Iriana, the President arrived at Husein Sastranegara airport at 11:30 a.m., Antara news agency reported.

Jokowi is set to attend the opening ceremony of the quadrennial event at Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium on Saturday evening.

Prior to the main event, along with Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani and West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, Jokowi visited two regencies in West Java to distribute food supplies to local children and pregnant women.

Tribunnews.com reported that at least 5,000 personnel from the National Police, Indonesian Military and West Java Public Order Agency were assigned to secure the stadium and guard several other locations in Bandung.

The sporting event, which officially runs from Sept. 17 to 29, will see 44 sporting competitions featuring thousands of athletes from 33 provinces. (rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) reportedly arrested a member of Regional Representatives Council (DPD) during an operation early on Saturday morning.

The antigraft commissions chairman, Agus Rahardjo, confirmed the arrest but refused to give further details.

"Please wait for the press conference this afternoon," he said as reported by Kompas.com on Saturday.

No information is available yet on how many people were arrested in the operation.

Updates will be provided as the story develops. (rin)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

Jakartas General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) has deployed 26,392 field officers to verify the voters data prior to the gubernatorial election to be held on February 15.

The process to update the voter list started on Sept. 8 and is set to end on Oct. 7.

The officers, who are deployed across the city, are now verifying Jakarta residents data from house to house. They will check whether the voters data is still correct. After the verification, the officers will affix stickers on residents houses, Sumarno said at his office on Friday.

KPU Jakarta promises to accommodate the voting right of people who do not hold electronic identity cards (e-ID).

About 164,000 people, 2.7 percent of all Jakarta residents, have not yet received e-IDs. Therefore, KPU Jakarta will assist those people in getting a statement from the Jakarta Civil Registry and Population Agency declaring that they are Jakarta residents.

Another KPU Jakarta commissioner, M. Sidik, estimated that there were 8.2 million voters in the capital, but added that number was likely to change, as the KPU was still synchronizing voter data with the 2014 presidential election voter list from the Home Affairs Ministry.

Sidik added KPU Jakarta would focus on updating the data on people evicted from their houses by the city administration. We still dont know the exact number of people who have been relocated, he said. (bbn)
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Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17 2016

In what can be seen as another attack on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Indonesia, the government has decided to ban apps designed for LGBT people due to allegations that they are being used to facilitate child prostitution rings.

The decision was made after a meeting between representatives from the Communications and Information Ministry, the National Police, the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and other related stakeholders on Wednesday.

The panel issued a recommendation to block three apps, namely Grindr, BoyAhoy and Blued.

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Linkedin Bagoes Wiryomartono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17 2016

Unlike the previous post-Soeharto administrations, the government of President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla envisions and directs it political agenda to maximize the archipelagic countrys maritime potential.

The people expect the new administration to lead a new direction for urban and land development with highly concentrated populations in regard to maritime resources. In other words, the current government should prioritize its policy of urbanism within the framework of integrated coastal development.

The goals include the necessities for the improvement of: interisland communication, export oriented facilities and the productivity of the countrys maritime geography.

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Linkedin Julie Pace (Associated Press) Fairfax, Virginia  Sat, September 17, 2016

Stepping deeper into the political fray, Michelle Obama warned young voters against being "tired or turned off" in the 2016 election. She urged them to rally behind Hillary Clinton, "particularly given the alternative."

Mrs. Obama is emerging as one of Clinton's most effective advocates, especially with voters who backed President Barack Obama but are less enthusiastic about his potential Democratic successor. The Clinton team's biggest challenge regarding Mrs. Obama is getting the reluctant campaigner to commit to more events.

The rally Friday in Virginia was Mrs. Obama's first solo campaign event for Clinton and comes nearly two months after her star turn at the Democratic convention. Speaking to mostly students at George Mason University, she repeatedly jabbed Trump without mentioning him by name, declaring that being president "isn't anything like reality TV."

The first lady pointedly called out those who continue to question the president's citizenship "up to this very day." Drawing on a frequently quoted line from her convention speech, Mrs. Obama said her husband had responded to those questions by "''going high when they go low."

Hours earlier, Trump stated for the first time that the president was born in the United States, though he did not apologize for devoting years to promoting false allegations that Obama was not an American citizen.

Beyond her ability to take on Trump with a smile, Mrs. Obama's real value to Clinton is her wild popularity with Democratic voters, particularly young people and blacks. She vouched repeatedly for Clinton's resume and character, urging voters motivated by her husband's history-making campaigns to feel the same way about the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. party.

"When I hear folks saying that they don't feel inspired in this election, well let me tell you, I disagree I am inspired," Mrs. Obama said.

Clinton aides want Mrs. Obama in battleground states as much as possible between now and Election Day. Friday's rally in northern Virginia, less than an hour drive from the White House, is the only event she's publicly committed to, though the Clinton campaign expects her to make additional appearances.

Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director and a former Obama adviser, called the first lady "an advocate without peer."

"There is no other surrogate with the reach, credibility and respect she has," Palmieri said.

Clinton herself has started referencing Mrs. Obama in her campaign remarks, using her convention address as a guidepost for what she promises will be a more aspirational finish to her campaign.

"As Michelle Obama said in her fabulous speech at the Democratic Convention, when we go to the polls this November, the real choice isn't between Democrat or Republican. It's about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four years of their lives," Clinton said Thursday during a campaign stop in Greensboro, North Carolina.

That convention address ran just about 10 minutes, yet it was perhaps the most powerful of the four-day gathering. In the midst of a heated campaign, with two candidates who are viewed negatively by so many Americans, the first lady provided a striking contrast by speaking as a mother hopeful about her daughters' future.

"Part of what makes her so appealing and effective as a surrogate is that she's relentlessly positive, even when things on the campaign trail get negative," said Olivia Alair Dalton, Mrs. Obama's former spokeswoman.

Mrs. Obama has carefully cultivated her image as a devoted mother who prefers to stay out of the political fray. She sets limits on how often she's willing to campaign, even for her husband's White House races, and largely steers clear of controversial topics. And she's embraced her role as a pop culture fixture far more willingly than her role as one of the most popular figures in Democratic politics.

Unlike her husband, who forged a strong bond with Clinton during her four years as his secretary of state, Mrs. Obama does not have a particularly close relationship with the Democratic nominee, though the two are said to be friendly.

Yet the first lady is fiercely protective of her husband's legacy and has been a major player in discussions about his presidential library and other post-White House projects. And there's perhaps nothing more crucial to preserving Obama's legacy than a Clinton victory.
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Linkedin Khairil Azhar (The Jakarta Post) Lhokseumawe, Aceh  Sat, September 17 2016

Twenty-two Mindanao students were emotionally welcomed into our schools. They arrived recently during a rather cool afternoon, when the sun was about to set behind the tropical Pidie, a center of the historic long-lasting conflicts in Aceh. They have traversed the sea in hope of escaping the conflict in the Muslim region of the Philippines.

They were welcomed with a Ranup Lampuan dance, a tradition we have in the now peaceful Aceh to welcome our guests. Betel quid in a golden tray it means.

There was music, physical movements, smiles, colorful dresses, make-up and happiness.

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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17 2016

The development of the Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka, West Java, a national strategic project that has lagged for years as a result of land-procurement issues, is expected to speed up after the Transportation Ministry decided to renounce its construction role.

The construction of the land infrastructure for the airport is being delegated to the provincial-owned enterprise Bandara Internasional Jawa Barat (BIJB), which was initially in charge of the airport development before President Joko Jokowi Widodo instructed the ministry to take over the project in January to expedite construction.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said BIJB had sent a letter to the ministry, stating it would build the land infrastructure as it expected to get fresh funding from a convertible bond; a corporate bond that can be converted by the holder into common stock of the issuing company.

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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu, Central Sulawesi  Sat, September 17, 2016

The Operation Tinombala task force found the body parts of an alleged murder victim conducted by members of the notorious East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group in the Salubangan mountains of Parigi Moutong district in Central Sulawesi.

The task force suspects the victim to be 58-year-old Agus Pananto, who was murdered in September last year, Operation Tinombala spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto said on Friday.

"We found the location in the ravine near water flow," he said.

The task force found incomplete body parts in the location such as ribs, leg bones and arm bones without the head. The team also found the shirt and trousers suspected to belong to the victim at the location, Hari added.

Meanwhile, Operation Tinombala task force III chief Sr. Cmr. Helmi Kwarta Rauf said from investigations conducted on several captured MIT members that it was revealed that the victim was allegedly beheaded by Suharyono, also known as Yono Sayur. Other members were also allegedly involved in the killing such as Barok, whose task was to hold the victim, and Salma, aka Opik, who took pictures.

"We are still in pursuit of Yono Sayur and Barok as they are still hiding in the woods, while Salman has been arrested," he said.

The team brought the body parts to Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Palu for several forensic tests.

There are at least 15 remaining members of the militant group hiding in forests since the shootout in which most of the members were captured and killed, including their leader, Santoso aka Abu Wardah, who was killed in an ambush in July. (rin)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17 2016

Attorney General M. Prasetyo said that the execution of Filipina death-row inmate Mary Jane Veloso could be carried out in the next round of executions.

But Velosos execution will go ahead only if a court case in the Philippines, in which she is implicated as a victim of human trafficking, has been ruled on, he added. We are still waiting for the legal process in Manila, Prasetyo said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday.

Even though Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had reportedly given the green light for Velosos execution, the Indonesian government would still wait for the legal process to finish, he said.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

Palestine has expressed its appreciation for Indonesias ongoing support of the country's independence. The message was conveyed by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki to Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Venezuela on Friday.

"Indonesia has been and will consistently continue to bring up the issue of Palestine's independence in various meetings, so the issue of Palestinian independence receives attention and international support," Retno said in a statement released by the Foreign Ministry.

During the meeting, Retno asserted that Indonesia would continue to give assistance and technical cooperation to Palestine. She also stressed to her Palestinian counterpart that support for Palestine did not only come from the Indonesian government but also from its people.

"The Indonesian people strongly support the struggle of the Palestinians. This can also be seen in the construction of the hospital in Gaza, which received funding from donations from the Indonesian people," Retno said.

According to the statement, the two ministers also discussed the importance of international support for Palestine.

Indonesia will also participate in the NAM Palestinian Committee meeting as part of a series of high-level meetings at the NAM summit, held on Sept. 17 to 18, on Margarita Island in the Caribbean Sea. (rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

A police watchdog is calling for the National Police to thoroughly investigate abuse allegations against Lampung Police deputy chief Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti and charge him if the crime was proven.

"Propam [the Police's Internal Affairs Division] must charge and dismiss him," chairman of Indonesia Police Watch Neta S. Pane said on Friday.

Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti, who gained public fame during his term as the Jakarta Police's general crimes division chief, denied the allegations but National Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said Propam would still carry out the investigation. The woman, identified only as AY, who works as a model, reportedly suffered severe bruising to her face and filed a complaint to the police on Friday.

In 2013, East Java Police stripped former Mojokerto Police chief Sr.Adj.Cmr. Eko Puji Nugroho from him position and moved him to a non-strategic position for sexually harassing one of his female staff member. The female staff member, however, was fired from the Police Force without honors for disciplinary conduct. (rez/rin)
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Bali  Sat, September 17 2016

Eduarda Carvalho said she never thought her dream of spending a beautiful holiday on Gili Island in West Nusa Tenggara would ever turn into a nightmare.

The speedboat that was supposed to carry her and other foreign tourists to the pristine island north of Lombok exploded five minutes after it started sailing from Padangbai harbor in Karangasem, East Bali. It was scary. About five minutes after [we] left, we saw an explosion. And we saw people with injuries. The entire body, the Portuguese said.

Carvalho said she did not see fire when the explosion occurred. Its not fire. Only explosion, smoke and shattered glass. Many people were panicking. We all panicked.

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Linkedin Severianus Endi (The Jakarta Post) Pontianak  Sat, September 17, 2016

The Singkawang District Court has sentenced a souvenir seller in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, to nine months and 10 days in jail and ordered him to pay a Rp 50 million (US$3,795) fine for owning and selling body parts of protected animals.

The seller, whose name was not revealed, was arrested on April 21 in a joint operation between the West Kalimantan Police special crimes directorate and West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) after it was discovered that the seller was selling animals body parts, BKSDA chief Sustyo Iriyono said on Saturday.

"Souvenir stores selling parts of rare animals are always accepted by the public because there is a certain prestige in owning preserved animals. We hope the verdict will provide a deterrent effect.

The court found the seller guilty of owning and selling three orangutan skulls, two sun bear skulls and sun bear fangs and nails, nine antlers, two beaks of helmeted hornbills, a number of preserved pangolins, porcupine thorns and preserved turtles. The seller admitted that he received his products from many parts of Kalimantan.

West Kalimantan World Wildlife Fund (WWF) manager Albertus Tjiu welcomed the sentence as previously perpetrators for similar cases had only received two to five-month prison sentences. (rin)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 17, 2016

Indonesia has expressed its commitment to staying in ASEAN and contributing more to Southeast Asias growth and unity amid current regional challenges and concerns about Indonesia's focus on other international cooperation.

Brushing off concerns that Indonesia would focus more on the G20 cooperation with major economies, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto reiterated during his speech at the 2016 Conference on Indonesian Foreign Policy that ASEAN had and would always be the major interest of Indonesia's foreign policy.

"Indonesia will always be with ASEAN through every rise and fall. ASEAN contribution to the world cannot be underestimated by anyone and the member states have also built deep trust with each other," Wiranto said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry director general for ASEAN cooperation Jose Tavares said ASEAN remained a priority in the country's foreign policy, although Indonesia also took part in global cooperation through various international forums.

"Indonesia will never leave ASEAN. The regional cooperation will keep continuing because [Southeast Asian countries] are our important neighbors," Jose said on the sidelines of the event.

He asserted that Indonesia would further strengthen its leadership within the regional body to ensure that all member states stood in unity to overcome regional challenges, as well as to stay relevant for people in the region. (rin)
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Linkedin (The Nation) Bangkok, Thailand  Sat, September 17, 2016

Thailand's foreign ministry has cautioned against any rush to link four Thailand-based schools to a terrorist organization just because they have a handful of foreign shareholders.

The Turkish embassy in Bangkok said in a statement on Wednesday that Pan-Asia International School, Chindamanee School English Programme, Siriwat Wittaya English Programme and Wichai Wittaya English Programme in Thailand were connected to the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation (FETO).

We have been in touch with the embassy to request legally recognised and reliable evidence. But we have not received any additional information to date, Thai foreign ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee, said yesterday.

Sek said a preliminary check showed that Turkey had targeted these schools only because of some of their foreign shareholders.

But these shareholders have not held any executive position in the schools. They have not had any policymaking power, either, he pointed out.

Thai authorities are discussing the matter and might release a statement later, he added.

These four schools are legitimate entities in Thailand and the interests of their students and parents should be protected, he stressed.

Accreditation issue

In its statement, the Turkish embassy announced that starting from the school year 2016-17, the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkey will not accredit the diplomas issued by the FETO-connected schools operating outside of Turkey, and certificates of equivalence will not be issued by the ministry for the diplomas given by these schools.

The move will not affect students in Thailand. But we are discussing whether it will affect the accreditation of the schools graduates in other territories, Sek said.

Education Minister General Dapong Ratanasuwan said he had already assigned Adinan Pakbara, secretary-general of the Office of Private Education Commission, to investigate the alleged link between the schools and the alleged terrorist organisation.

Adinan, meanwhile, said he planned to look into the allegation, and would also contact the Turkish embassy to discuss further action.

Spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command, Colonel Phirawat Saengthong, said his agency was also looking into the sensitive allegation.

Deputy Police spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said police had already learned about the statement issued by the Turkish embassy.

We will gather intelligence in collaboration with both local and international organisations, he added.

In response to the Turkish embassys claim, Pan-Asia International School denied the allegation and said the issue would not affect the schools teaching and students.

This issue is all about the internal politics of Turkey and it does not have anything to do with us. We assure that the students will not be affected by this allegation, because we are officially registered with the Thai Education Ministry, the school stated.

Pan-Asia International School, which was established by Jordanian businessman Husni Hamad and is situated in Bangkoks Prawet district, is one of four institutions in the Marmara Schools Group.

The school uses the US curriculum and International Baccalaureate, preK-12, for teaching.

Its main student group is Muslim.

In July, the Turkish embassy accused a Bangkok-based Turkish business association of having links with Gulen, the US-based cleric Turkey accuses of directing the mid-July coup attempt, and asked Thai authorities to keep a close watch on the business group.

The association rejected the allegation, saying it had nothing to do with the authorities in Turkey and their politics.

On August 30, the Turkish embassy also issued a statement to make clear that the so-called Thai Turkish Business Association did not in any way represent Turkey or the Turkish business community.
(front page)

Standing Rock Sioux lead protests for rights, dignity

Fight against building pipeline on reservation

Reuters/Andrew Cullen

STANDING ROCK SIOUX INDIAN RESERVATION  Members of more than 200 Native American tribes and supporters have come from every corner of North America to stand with the Standing Rock Sioux in their fight to stop the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline near their reservation. Thousands have made their way here to join the fight to defend sovereign treaty rights and against potential fouling of the areas water supplies, gathering at this remote protest camp on the banks of the Cannonball River.

We joined them as a Socialist Workers Party solidarity and fact-finding delegation.

Our tribe has opposed the Dakota Access pipeline since we first learned about it in 2014, wrote David Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, in the New York Times Aug. 24. Although federal law requires the Corps of Engineers to consult with the tribe about its sovereign interests, permits for the project were approved and construction began without meaningful consultation.

On Sept. 9 the Sioux won an important victory. The U.S. Department of Justice, Department of the Army and Department of the Interior announced they would put a halt to any construction within 20 miles of Lake Oahe.

Important issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other tribal nations and their members regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally, remain, the joint statement said. It is now incumbent on all of us to develop a path forward that serves the broadest public interest. But the decision is only temporary.

The tribe had filed court papers in district court on Sept. 2 seeking to halt construction on sacred and historic sites in the path of the pipeline. The next day, Energy Transfer Partners, the builder of the pipeline, sent bulldozers to begin removing topsoil from the area.

Protesters who tried to stop the earth-moving machines from desecrating the sites were met with company security guards, attack dogs and pepper spray. Six people were bitten and at least 30 pepper-sprayed. Since then protesters have camped along the county road, in sight of the area, to make sure the company doesnt try to return.

Knowing a court decision was imminent, thousands of protesters, known as protectors, marched Sept. 9 from the main encampment to the site of the confrontation. Many then caravaned to protest at the state Capitol in Bismarck where the court is located.

When District Court Judge James Boasberg rejected the tribes request to halt construction, the three federal agencies put out the Sept. 9 joint statement barring further work on the pipeline pending more consultation. The agencies said they would invite tribes to government-to-government discussions.

These same government agencies had given Energy Transfer Partners a green light for the $3.8 billion, four-state project that would start oil flowing from North Dakota to southern Illinois by the end of the year. The Sept. 9 government statement noted, [We] have seen thousands of demonstrators come together peacefully, with support of sovereign tribal governments  to voice heartfelt concerns about the environment and historic, sacred sites.

We are going to beat this

This is the beginning of unifying indigenous people, said Andrew Heska White Mountain of the Hunkpapa Lakota Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Stopping the pipeline is for the future of our people. If it goes through, it will destroy our land and water. They desecrate our burial sites. They will not respect our elders. We are going to beat this.

There are deeper historical reasons for the size and breadth of the response to the assault on the reservation here. In its relentless march west, Washington and its capitalist social relations brutalized the native people, slaughtering tens of thousands and driving those who survived onto the reservations, where they face oppressive conditions and few opportunities.

The Standing Rock reservation, home to some 8,000 members of the Standing Rock Sioux, occupies over 2 million acres in North and South Dakota. The unemployment rate on the reservation was a staggering 60 percent in 2014 reports the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

While Native Americans were promised sovereignty on the reservations by Washington, they face invasive attacks wherever the bosses smell profit.

This assault on dignity and sovereignty led to the size and breadth of the mobilization here.

More than 200 flags line the dirt road leading into the main camp, each presented by delegations from other tribes arriving at the camp over recent months. The population of the camp rises and falls, but often numbers in the thousands.

Tents and tepees fill the land here near the banks of the Cannonball River. The slogans Water is Life and No DAPL [Dakota Access pipeline] are written on cars, posters and banners throughout the camp.

At the heart of the camp lies a constantly burning fire pit, surrounded by a kitchen and dining area, a place for meetings and for donations. Before each meal, a tribal elder says a traditional prayer. The camp is abuzz with conversations between members of different tribes and generations.

After the government agencies announced the pause in construction of the pipeline, Mike McFeely, a columnist for the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, tried to nudge Native American protesters to leave. They won, he wrote. There is nothing to protest.

That sentiment found no echo in the camp. Supporters continue to arrive. Donations of clothing and camping gear are coming too, anticipating the arrival of the cold North Dakota winter. We need to keep the camp up to keep pressure on the federal government, many people told us.





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(front page)

US, Moscow make peace deal, Ankara attacks Kurds

Washington and Moscow announced they have brokered a partial cease-fire in Syria beginning Sept. 12 between the regime of Bashar al-Assad, which is backed by Moscow and Tehran, and opposition groups backed by the U.S., Turkish and Saudi Arabian governments. If the truce holds, Washington and Moscow say they will begin to coordinate military operations against Islamic State and the former Nusra Front. The Barack Obama administration has been pursuing such a deal for months, in hopes of stabilizing the region in the interests of U.S. imperialism.

At the same time, Washington continues to back a Turkish government offensive inside northern Syria aimed primarily at preventing any expansion of Rojava  the Kurdish-controlled region in northeastern Syria and a smaller area around Afrin in the northwest.

Obamas course reflects the relative decline in U.S. imperialisms military, economic and political power in the world. There is growing agreement within the U.S. ruling class that Washington and its allies are incapable of achieving victory in the area.

The U.S. intervention and widening war have spread chaos in the region and a refugee disaster that is roiling nation-states across Europe. CIA Director John Brennan said Sept. 7 that he doubted Syria and Iraq can be put back together again.

The only road to any semblance of stability, Washington now believes, is a bloc with Moscow.

Whether the truce holds or not, working people in Syria will continue to face devastating consequences.

A shaky, limited agreement

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the deal in Geneva Sept. 9. Kerry said it calls for a sustained period of reduced violence and allows delivery of humanitarian relief to residents of Aleppo and other areas. If the truce holds a week, Washington and Moscow say they will begin coordinated attacks on Islamic State and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. The latter group, formerly known as the Nusra Front, had been affiliated with al-Qaeda but says it no longer is.

Washington is pressuring other opponents of the Syrian government to distance themselves in every way possible from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, Kerry said. And Lavrov said Moscow would assure that Assads air force doesnt function in the areas singled out for Russian-American cooperation.

The Syrian government, Tehran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which supports Assad, have said they will take part in the cease-fire. So have many of the armed groupings opposing Assad, while voicing pessimism about any lasting break from combat. Citing an opposition source, Reuters reported Sept. 12 that armed groups would continue to operate with Jabhat Fatah al-Sham  because it was impossible to disentangle the forces that fought side by side.

State Department envoy Michael Ratney told opposition forces they had to separate from former al-Qaeda forces or face severe consequences.

The civil war in Syria began in 2011, after the Assad government crushed popular protests calling for greater political rights. Since then the regime has fought a shifting array of opposition groups. It has used barrel bombs, starvation sieges and gas attacks against civilians. Washington, Moscow and the competing capitalist powers in the region have intervened in the conflict, seeking to advance their own interests.

In the vacuum created by the war, the jihadist Islamic State  organized by former officers from Saddam Husseins Baathist army in Iraq and elements from al-Qaeda  was able to seize substantial areas in both Iraq and Syria. Islamic State is now weakening, losing territory and recruits.

Ankara deepens attacks on Kurds

The most effective fighters against Islamic State have been the Kurds  the peshmerga militia of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq and the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) in Syria. Their advances have given a boost to the struggle for national rights and self-determination throughout the Kurdish-populated areas, including in Turkey and Iran  a development all of the ruling classes in the region as well as Washington oppose.

Ankara is continuing its offensive in northern Syria, sending tanks, troops and Turkish-backed Syrian fighters across the border to occupy territory between Jarablus  just west of the Euphrates River  and Afrin. In a Sept. 4 meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Obama told him to finish the job.

Turkish officials have renewed talk of creating what it calls a safe zone where some of the roughly 3 million Syrian refugees now in Turkey would be relocated. Turkish officials say 20,000 have already been returned to Jarablus.

Washington is demanding the YPG withdraw east of the Euphrates River. At the same time, U.S. officials are trying to work with both the YPG and Turkish government to launch an offensive against Islamic State in Raqqa, the capital of its caliphate.

Ankara is also pressing its offensive against the Kurdish population inside Turkey, in the name of fighting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkish authorities suspended more than 11,000 teachers in the province of Diyarbakir Sept. 8, alleging they had links to the PKK. When hundreds of teachers protested the next day, dozens were detained and their rally dispersed with water cannon. This is an attack on our unionized struggle, Suleyman Guler, the provincial head of the teachers union, told Reuters.

Regardless of what happens next in Syria, workers in the region face the prospect of continued war and turmoil.

A Sept. 8 article in the Washington Post, titled, A Reminder of the Permanent Wars: Dozens of U.S. Airstrikes in Six Countries, pointed to Washingtons bombings and attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen over the Labor Day weekend.





Related articles:

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(front page)

US imperialist power declines across Asia as Beijing expands

President Barack Obamas last official visit to Asia in early September highlighted the continuing challenge to Washingtons domination of the Pacific by Chinas growing economic and military capacity. This is despite Obamas pivot to Asia to counter Beijings influence that has been a central foreign policy initiative of his administration.

Obama visited Hangzhou, China, Sept. 4-5 for the G-20 summit, a meeting of heads of state of the worlds larger industrialized countries. He was in Vientiane, Laos, Sept. 6-8 for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Media reports of Obamas tour focused on diplomatic rebuffs, including a clash between security officials over Obamas arrival in Hangzhou and a canceled meeting with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.

Obama pushed unsuccessfully at the ASEAN meeting for a sharp declaration opposing Beijings expanding claims to islands in the South China Sea.

In a visit to Asia in 2009 Obama called himself Americas first Pacific president. He has made 11 trips to Asia during his two terms. This is where the actions going to be when it comes to commerce and trade, he told reporters at the ASEAN meeting.

The administrations Asia pivot, announced in 2011, assumed the winding down of U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. But conflicts and instability in the Mideast have escalated.

While Washington continues to seek Beijings collaboration, along with Moscows, to help stabilize the world, the pivot was intended to strengthen military and trade alliances with other Asian nations to counter Beijings more assertive role in the region.

Washington assumed that a merely symbolic reassertion of U.S. power and resolve would be enough to make China back off, noted Hugh White, an Australian journalist and former government defense adviser, the Financial Times reported Sept. 5. But Chinas assertive posture in the East and South China Sea today is strong evidence that they were wrong.

Chinas economic weight

While in Laos, Obama announced a $90 million contribution to help clear U.S. bombs there  acknowledging but not apologizing for this unintended cost of Washingtons brutal war in Vietnam. From 1964 to 1973 U.S. warplanes dropped 2 million tons of bombs over Laos in 580,000 missions. Eighty million cluster bombs remained undetonated. These have killed some 20,000 people since the wars end.

At the same time, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced investments in Laos worth billions, including a hydro-power project, a rail line to China, and a $1.6 billion special economic zone.

Beijing has opened a new rail line to Afghanistan, opening an alternative trade route for that land-locked country, where it is already the leading foreign investor. In 2011, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Washington would sponsor the construction of new transport links to Afghanistan, but nothing happened.

A centerpiece of Washingtons Asia pivot was the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade pact intended as a counter to China, signed in February with 11 other Pacific nations. It covers 40 percent of the worlds gross domestic product. But Obama still hasnt presented the pact to Congress for ratification, and the two leading presidential candidates have criticized it.

Relative decline in U.S. power

The U.S. imperialist rulers came out of World War II as the victor. This included naval supremacy in the Pacific and South China Sea. It was China, above all, whose land, resources and cheap labor the U.S. rulers lusted for.

But the war had opened a new upsurge of struggle across Asia, Africa and Latin America against colonial rule and imperialist domination. A revolution by the workers and peasants ended foreign domination of China and made it clear that any intervention by Washington would be fiercely resisted. Washingtons plans to intervene were further thwarted by mass protests by U.S. troops across Asia demanding to go home.

For three decades until 1979, Washington refused to recognize the government of China, instead backing the Republic of China government on Taiwan with massive military and economic aid.

With the collapse of the Stalinist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe from 1989-91, Washington and its closest imperialist allies believed, mistakenly, that they had won the Cold War and would reap new markets for investment and trade. They anticipated similar openings in China.

At the same time, they acted as if they now had free rein to impose their will politically. At the ASEAN conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2010, Hillary Clinton lectured Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi that Washington had a national interest in the South China Sea and told Beijing to stay out. Yang warned his Southeast Asian hosts in response, China is a big country. And you are all small countries.

Since then, Beijing has accelerated work to build artificial island military bases in the South China Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin backed Beijings stance when he attended the G-20 summit. The Russian and Chinese navies began eight days of drills in the South China Sea Sept. 12, their largest ever joint operations.

The Chinese government is also building its first overseas naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa, and in August pledged increased military aid to the Syrian government.

The massive growth of capitalist industry and trade in China over the past 30 years has meant increasing competition for U.S. imperialism. This drives the Chinese rulers to seek a political and military role in the Pacific commensurate with their economic strength. They continue to make headway at Washingtons expense.





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(feature article)

Month of action begins in Cuba against US embargo

Includes solidarity with Puerto Rico, Oscar Lopez

We Remember: Solidarity against the Blockade and Terrorism, is the theme of a series of days of action involving workers and farmers across Cuba over the next two months. Initiated by the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), the events will highlight U.S. imperialisms more than 50 years of aggression against the Cuban Revolution.

The events will lead up to the Oct. 27 U.N. General Assembly vote on a Cuban resolution to denounce the embargo.

Coinciding with We Remember, the Committees for Defense of the Revolution, the neighborhood organizations across Cuba, will conduct public hearings to denounce the negative impact of Washingtons embargo.

During his March visit to Cuba, President Barack Obama told the Cuban people, Its time, now, for us to leave the past behind. But Cuban working people are not willing to forget the reasons they made the revolution in 1959  overthrowing the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista  or the blood shed defending the gains of the revolution from Washingtons attempts to overturn it.

The days of action will emphasize the campaign of lifting the genocidal U.S. economic blockade against Cuba; the return of the territory illegally occupied by the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo; and denouncing the offensive of imperialism and the oligarchies against revolutionary and progressive governments of Latin America and the Caribbean that threatens the peace and stability of all nations, ICAP said in a Sept. 5 press release.

The events also overlap with an annual week of solidarity with the independence movement in Puerto Rico and commemorations of the U.S.-backed coup that overthrew the government of Salvador Allende in Chile and installed the Pinochet dictatorship in 1973.

Workers at the Hotel Copacabana, along with members of the Italian community in Havana, kicked off We Remember with a tribute to Fabio Di Celmo Sept. 4. Di Celmo, a 32-year-old Italian tourist, was killed in 1997 by a bomb placed by Raul Ernesto Cruz Leon, a mercenary from El Salvador, who was financed by counterrevolutionary Cuban-American groups in Florida.

Those groups were hoping to deepen the economic crisis in Cuba caused by the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, which had accounted for 85 percent of Cubas trade, by scaring off tourists.

On Sept. 12, ICAP commemorated the anniversary of the arrest of five Cuban revolutionaries in Florida in 1998. They became known as the Cuban 5 over the 16-year-long international campaign to win their freedom. The Five had been gathering information on rightist groups there to prevent more attacks on Cuba, like the one that killed Di Celmo. They were framed and imprisoned on conspiracy charges by the U.S. government. The last three of the Five were freed and returned to Cuba when Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced plans to re-establish diplomatic relations in December 2014.

What will ensure justice is solidarity, said ICAP President Kenia Serrano at the opening of a photo exhibit on the Five and in solidarity with Cuba. Among the groups present was U.S. Pastors for Peace, which is currently facing attacks on their tax-exempt status by the IRS because of its solidarity with Cuba.

Solidarity with Puerto Rico

In Manzanillo, Cuba, students at the Blas Roca Calderio Teaching College held an assembly that took up the example of the Five, the fight against the U.S. embargo and the fight to free Oscar Lopez Rivera, a Puerto Rican independence fighter imprisoned in the U.S. for more than 35 years. The meeting was covered bynewspaper.

Along with deepening their knowledge on the effects of Washingtons economic, commercial and financial blockade of our country, Nohemi Rabaza Fernandez, ICAP representative for Granma province, told students, we want you to join the just cause for the independence of our sister Caribbean island and for freedom for Lopez Rivera.

During the discussion, Beatriz Castellano Gorgoso proposed that students form a committee in solidarity with Lopez Rivera.

A Sept. 21 event will honor Chiles former foreign minister, Orlando Letelier, who was assassinated in 1976 in Washington, D.C., by Pinochets agents. An Oct. 6 ceremony will recall the 73 people killed when CIA-backed terrorists blew up a Cubana Airlines flight from Barbados that year.

October 8 activities will mark the assassination of Che Guevara by U.S. forces in Bolivia in 1967. Guevara, an Argentine revolutionary, fought in the Cuban Revolution and became a central leader of the victorious revolutionary government.

The blockade imposed by the United States persists, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told a Sept. 9 Havana press conference, saying the damages last year amounted to $4.6 billion. Last year, for the 24th year in a row, the U.N. General Assembly called for an end to the embargo. Only the U.S. and Israeli governments voted against the resolution.





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Momentum grows for Oct. 9 Free Oscar Lopez protest

Che: Society must be converted into a gigantic school







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(Socialist Workers Party statement)

Fight for health care, retirement for all

We joined thousands of retired and working miners, their families and supporters as they rallied in Washington, D.C., Sept. 8 to protest attacks by coal bosses and the government on pensions and health care for retirees won in past labor battles. The Socialist Workers Party stands shoulder to shoulder with miners in their efforts to defend their future.

Tens of millions of other workers  working, unemployed and retired  face the same challenge, attacks by the bosses and the government on their right to health care and retirement. This social crisis cant be solved boss by boss. Working people, organized and unorganized, need to join together to fight for full government-funded pensions and medical coverage as a social right for all.

Cradle-to-grave health care is what all workers need. We cant let them be tied to company profitability, nor accept deeper and deeper government attacks on Medicare and Social Security as the rulers let their funding run out.

Mine owners and an increasing number of other employers are using bankruptcy courts to weasel out of union contracts and obligations to fund retirement benefits and medical care for the workers they exploited for profits and now try to discard like worn-out machines.

The working class produces all the wealth, as our labor transforms natural resources into things people need. But under capitalism the bosses expropriate the lions share. They use their wealth and power to exploit workers here and abroad. The crisis today in their dog-eat-dog capitalist system is putting increasing pressure on the bosses to cut away at our wages, pensions, health care and political rights.

Working people and our unions have a vital stake not only in defending what weve fought for and won from the employing class, but above all in building a mass social and political movement of the working class to extend these conquests as universal rights  not means-tested charity  for all, Socialist Workers Party National Secretary Jack Barnes explains in Are They Rich Because Theyre Smart? Class, Privilege and Learning Under Capitalism. Through our labor, the working class, in this country and worldwide, produces more than enough wealth to provide education, health care, housing, and retirement to every human being on earth, for a lifetime.

We can fight to rebuild our unions to lead all workers in this struggle. In carrying this fight forward we will transform ourselves. Well gain confidence in our capacity to overthrow the dictatorship of capital, establish our own workers and farmers government and join the worldwide struggle for socialism.





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On the Picket Line







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[September 16, 2016] Fitch Affirms HP Inc.'s IDR at 'BBB+/F2' on Samsung Printer Business Acquisition

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ratings for HP Inc. (HP), including the Long- and Short-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) at 'BBB+/F2', on HP's acquisition of Samsung's (News - Alert) printer business. The Rating Outlook is Stable. Fitch's action affects $10.8 billion of total debt, including the undrawn $4 billion revolving credit facility (RCF). A full list of ratings follows at the end of this release. Fitch expects the acquisition of Samsung's printer business to strengthen HP's modest position in the A3 copier segment by adding laser print intellectual property (IP) and engines to HP's product offerings. The deal also adds Samsung's $1.8 billion of fiscal 2015 revenue, primarily in the A4 segment, bolstering HP's strong A4 segment leadership. Operating EBITDA was not disclosed but Fitch believes Samsung's printer business profitability is likely well below that of HP's, given lower scale. HP believes there are meaningful cost synergies related to the deal by leveraging the A4 segment supply chain and elimination of duplicate non-revenue-generating costs. HP expects $150 million to $200 million of costs associated with the integration, which will be paid within the first three years after close. At the same time, Fitch believes integration risks are meaningful, given potential complexities around cross-border deals. HP will migrate Samsung's A4 segment products to HP branded products over time, benefitting the company's relationship with Canon (News - Alert), which provides original equipment manufacturer (OEM) services for HP's A4 segment products. HP announced it entered into a definitive agreement to buy Samsung's printer business for $1.05 billion in cash. Fitch believes HP is likely to use available cash (the majority of which Fitch believes is located outside the U.S. as of July 31, 2016) to fund the transaction. In connection with the deal, Samsung has agreed to buy $100 million to $300 million of HP common stock after the deal closes. HP expects to close the acquisition within 12 months, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Fitch expects mixed operating results for HP in the near term with restructuring-driven profit margin expansion and solid cash flow offsetting revenue growth below Fitch's expectations at separation from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. HP's solid third fiscal quarter (3Q16) performance in personal computers (PCs) may have signalled an inflection point after the Personal Systems Group (PSG) segment declined by mid-single digits in constant currency in 1H16. The company and other top providers should continue gaining share in PC shipments with HP performing particularly well in premium and gaming models. Constant currency organic revenue declines for the Printing segment should continue moderating through fiscal 2017, driven by secular headwinds in consumer printing and excess channel inventory for supplies that caused the company to recently shift its go-to-market strategy. HP is focusing on profitable growth, which has contributed to profit margin expansion, and growth markets, including 3D printing, packaging and the A3 segment. The acquisition should enable HP to address the business market with both laser and proprietary PageWide technology, providing optimal technologies across departments. KEY RATING DRIVERS --Leading Share Positions: Fitch believes HP's ratings benefit from the company's market leadership in A4 segment laser and inkjet printing and PCs, particularly in the U.S. HP's extensive installed base of inkjet printers drives significant recurring revenue from replacement ink. The company's market positions also result in significant scale, enabling cost leadership, supporting research and development (R&D) investments and brand equity, particularly within consumer markets. --Solid Annual Free Cash Flow (FCF): Fitch expects solid annual FCF of $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion, with potential upside from cash taxes, up from Fitch's original expectations of more than $1 billion at separation. Greater than expected profit margin expansion from restructuring, Fitch's expectations for improved working capital efficiency following the company's inkjet supplies model shift and HP's capex-light model enabled by OEM printing and EMS PC relationships will drive solid FCF. -- Secular Demand Headwinds: Fitch expects secular demand headwinds within HP's core markets will continue pressuring organic revenue growth. Fitch expects the A4 segment, in which HP is a leader with 30%-35% share, will continue contracting within the consumer market, while the business market should remain stable. HP expects higher-margin ink supplies will stabilize by the end of fiscal 2017. PC unit shipments are expcted to continue declining but moderate (to low- from mid- single digits) through the intermediate term from an aging PC installed base and HP to benefit from share consolidation.



--Significant Offshore Cash Build: Fitch believes HP's significant offshore cash balances could drive incremental borrowings to fund domestic cash uses and pressure credit protection measures. HP has committed to returning to shareholders pre-dividend FCF not used for acquisitions. Given Fitch's estimate that HP generates the vast majority of FCF outside the U.S., the company continues relying upon various strategies to access foreign cash, which could include repatriation, to support shareholder returns. Should HP exhaust tax-efficient strategies to access foreign cash, the company would need to curtail shareholder returns or borrow to maintain its current pace of stock buybacks. --Reasonably Conservative Credit Metrics: The aforementioned potential financial policies adjustments notwithstanding, Fitch expects HP to manage debt levels to maintain reasonably conservative credit protection measures. Specifically, Fitch expects total leverage (total debt/operating EBITDA) below 1.5x through the intermediate term, although Fitch's negative rating sensitivity provides headroom up to 2x. Fitch estimates total leverage was approximately 1.3x for the latest-12-months (LTM) ended July 31, 2016.

--Significant Revenue Diversification: Fitch expects HP's significant and well-diversified installed base and addressable markets reduces operating volatility, despite formidable demand headwinds in core markets and exposure to cyclical demand patterns. The company's initiatives in the A3 segment for business customers could add modest volatility, given business customers' uneven spending patterns. However, the company continues to have a healthy mix of consumer and commercial customers, a variety of products across core end markets, and significant sales outside the U.S. KEY ASSUMPTIONS Fitch's key assumptions within the rating case for HP include: --Constant currency organic revenue growth of 3% in fiscal 2016, driven by continued but moderating headwinds in printing and stabilizing PC demand; --Positive constant currency organic revenue growth by the end of fiscal 2017 and the continuation of positive constant currency organic growth through the intermediate term, driven by stabilizing PC shipments, healthier channel inventory for inkjet supplies and expansion into A3 segment, 3D printing and graphics; --Operating EBITDA margins expanding into the double digits, driven by restructuring actions and a focus on profitable growth; --Relatively consistent debt levels, given total leverage is already approaching HP's articulated 1.5x target; and --FCF used for acquisitions and shareholder returns, supported by ongoing access to offshore cash. RATING SENSITIVITIES The ratings could be downgraded if Fitch expects: --Negative constant currency organic revenue growth beyond the near term, likely from share losses in the A4 printing segment, weaker than expected PC shipments, extended ink supplies inventory glut or lack of traction in the A3 segment; --Total leverage above 2x, likely from incremental borrowing to support ongoing shareholder returns, given the majority of FCF is offshore. The ratings are unlikely to be upgraded in the absence of Fitch's expectations for: --Sustained positive revenue growth, driven by significant penetration in growth markets, offsetting secular declines in core printing and PC markets; --HP will sustain operating EBITDA margins in the mid-teens, driving significantly higher annual FCF and enabling the company to lower the total leverage target closer to 1x. LIQUIDITY Fitch believes HP's liquidity is sufficient as of July 31, 2016 and supported by: --$5.6 billion of cash and investments, the vast majority of which Fitch believes is located outside the U.S.; --An undrawn $4 billion RCF that fully backstops commercial paper (CP) programs in the U.S. and Europe. Fitch's expectation for $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion of annual FCF also supports liquidity, although Fitch estimates a significant majority of cash flow is offshore. Total debt was $6.8 billion at July 31, 2016 composed of senior unsecured debt with staggered debt maturities. Fitch affirms the following: HP Inc. --Long-Term IDR at 'BBB+'; --Senior unsecured revolving credit facility at 'BBB+'; --Senior unsecured debt at 'BBB+'; --Short-Term IDR at 'F2'; --CP Rating at 'F2. Date of Relevant Rating Committee: Sept. 14, 2016 Summary of Financial Statement Adjustments - No material adjustments have been made that have not been disclosed in public fillings of this issuer. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com. Applicable Criteria Corporate Rating Methodology - Including Short-Term Ratings and Parent and Subsidiary Linkage (pub. 17 Aug 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/869362 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=1011819 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1011819 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160916005734/en/

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Dining: Tastes of Tiranga  Navrang Mahal still sets the gold standard for Indian food in Phuket

When it comes to authentic Indian food in Phuket, Navrang Mahal is always one of the first names that springs to mind. Founded two decades ago, it still sets the standard in the market. New venues come and go all the time, while Navrang Mahal remains integral to Phuket  its not just a restaurant, its an institution



By Anton Makhrov

Saturday 17 September 2016, 12:00PM

Navrang Mahals two branches are located in busy tourist hotspots (Karon and Patong) where restaurant managers constantly face the temptation to make things simpler to cater for mass-tourists tastes. This is one of the few dining venues that does not buckle under the pressure of the market, it stays true to its own colours, or rather to the colours of Tiranga, Indias national tricolour: saffron yellow, white and green.

Out of the two restaurants, my personal favourite is Navrang Mahal in Karon, where chef Uttam Singh runs the kitchen. A living manifestation of Indian hospitality, he is always happy to help you choose your dishes and adjust them to your taste, so dont hesitate to ask. If youre not as familiar with Indian cuisine, rest assured that you can rely on his recommendations completely, as I did during my most recent visit. If I relied on my own on my knowledge, I would have inevitably ordered things that are far from typical Indian food, but the dinner he served was a comprehensive introduction to Indian cuisine.

Navrang Mahals menu has lots of vegetarian options, but chef Singh suggested going straight to the meats and served me up some Chicken Achari Tikka, pieces of chicken first marinated in yoghurt with Indian spices, then grilled to juicy perfection and served on a bed of vegetables. The meat was incredibly tender thanks to the marinade and tasted just delicious on its own, but I decided complement it with some tangy chutney.

Choosing these traditional Indian condiments is all about picking the right balance, and Chef Singh has got a well-honed knack for it. Actually, he picked what I would likely have chosen myself: first, some mildly spicy fresh mint sauce for fragrance; second, some pickled onions for sourness; and last but not least, sweet and spicy jam-like fruit chutney.

At Navrang Mahal meat lovers can find an impressive variety, prepared in styles such as Tikka, Tandoori, and Kebab, but we limited ourselves to Chicken Achari Tikka and from there moved on to the curries, the cornerstone of Indian nutrition. Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani is a must-try dish here. If you think no-one can surprise you with this staple Indian dish, please, give chef Singh a chance. Ive tried many in my life, but the one at Navrang Mahal is the creamiest, the smoothest and the richest by far.

Other curry options include hot and spicy Lamb Vindaloo and fiery Rogan Josh, mild Dal Makhni, succulent Prawn Masala and many more. Our special treat was Paneer Methi Malai, which I had never tried before but will definitely order again. As one can tell by the original Indian name, this is a cottage cheese (paneer) curry with fresh fenugreek leaves in a rich and creamy gravy. Perfect for those looking for a milder dish but who still want to sample the authentic taste of India.

Navrang Mahals curries go perfectly with basmati long-grained rice, but it would be an inexcusable mistake not to try some of the many breads, so we opted for ever-popular Garlic Naan and whole wheat Laccha Paratha, which I had never tried before. The latter turned out to be a layered North Indian flat bread brushed with ghee (clarified butter), crispy on the outside yet melting in your mouth. Plus the bread is easy to tear into bite-sized pieces.

Last but by no means least comes Raita, the renowned yoghurt dip. Some Indian dishes range in terms of spiciness from hot to extra hot, and thats when having a dairy product on the table becomes crucial. Despite the widespread belief, neither water nor beer help when you accidentally have too much chili.

Capsaicin, which is an active component of chili peppers, is a hydrophobic compound, thus water-based liquids simply cannot extinguish the fire in your mouth. The cold and slightly sourish yoghurt is the first and only remedy, take good note of this before diving into the world of authentic spicy Indian cuisine. Or you can always ask Chef Singh to prepare your food a little less spicy.

Navrang Mahal, in Karon is located at Karon Sea Sands Resort and Spa. Visit NavrangMahal.com for directions and menu. For those who fancy a nice weekend retreat, Karon Sea Sands has attractive green-season promotional rates on accommodation. For more information, please call +66 (0)76 286 464.
Mug-throwing teacher guilty of minor disciplinary offence

NAKHON RATCHISIMA: The 58-year-old teacher who maimed a 17-year-old schoolgirls face in Nakhon Ratchasima province has been found guilty of a minor disciplinary violation by an inquiry and faces a possible salary cut.

accidentshealthviolence

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 17 September 2016, 08:50AM

Teacher Paithoon Klaengkrathok, 58, is questioned at Chokchaisamakkee School in Nakhon Ratchasima province on Wednesday (Sept 14). Photo: Prasit Tangprasert

The finding was announced by Chukiat Wisetsena, director of the Secondary Educational Service Area Office 31, yesterday morning (Sept 16).

He said a fact-finding committee found that Paithoon Klaengkrathok, a physical education teacher at Chokchaisamakkee School, committed a minor disciplinary violation in throwing a mug towards a group of students in his care.

The three-member committee headed by Samak Waikhunthod, director of Sura Nari Withaya School in Nakhon Ratchasima, concluded Mr Paithoon had thrown a mug at a group of his students, but did not intend to hit Naruedee Jodsanthia, who suffered a severe facial injury.

Her classmates said the mug hit a wall, bounced off and then hit Miss Naruedees head, Mr Chukiat said. Students earlier said the teacher wanted the students sit quietly outside while waiting for his class, but it was too hot to sit on the ground, so some stood up and he became angry.

The impact of the mug damaged a nerve in Miss Naruedees face. The injury prevented her from closing her mouth and left eye, and caused her face to distort to one side.

The investigative committee concluded that Mr Paithoon violated the Educational Personnel Act, which required teachers to refrain from bad behaviour. His action was considered to be a minor disciplinary offence, Mr Chukiat said.

The penalty could be probation, a temporary salary cut or a reduction in his pay scale. The management of the teachers school would decide what was appropriate within 15 days, Mr Chukiat said.

Mr Paithoon has also been charged by police with physical assault causing injury to a student.

Read original story here.
Phuket Airport heading for over-capacity despite B5.67bn new terminal

PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha officially opened the new terminal at Phuket International Airport yesterday (Sept 16), bringing to fruition a B5.67 billion project to double the airports passenger capacity to over 12.5 million travellers a year.

tourismtransportimmigrationeconomics

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Saturday 17 September 2016, 09:00AM

The new International Terminal is fitted with more than 30 immigration officer stations in both the arrivals and departure halls. Photos: Tanyaluk Sakoot

Buses,taxis and private cars crowd drop-off zone at the old terminal at Phuket Airport just days before the new International Terminal opened. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

The celebratory opening came after months of system checks and test runs, beginning in February with a flight of tourists arriving from Hong Kong and culminating with four flights over two days, last Thursday and Friday (Sept 8-9), with hundreds of tourists pouring in from China.

The test runs have allowed staff to iron out last-minute wrinkles in making the passenger flow as smooth as possible, Phuket Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan told The Phuket News.

Although reserved in revealing details of security at the new facility, Ms Monrudee noted that the new terminal will remain on Level 3+ security, the highest level without invoking intrusive measures that interfere with passenger travel.

The huge building offers more than 73,000 square metres of floor space over four floors. The Arrivals Hall alone covers 5,910sqm, of which 2,980sqm is inside air-conditioned space. The five baggage claim points are served by a carousel 380m long, and the inbound immigration hall features 19 counters with 38 officer stations.

The Departure Lounge alone covers 4,280sqm, serving four gates, with 96 check-in counters and 17 outbound immigration counters with 34 officer stations. The outbound security points feature 11 latest-technology x-ray machines, Ms Monrudee noted.

As its name International Terminal indicates, the new terminal itself is to be dedicated to serving international travellers, Ms Monrudee explained.

However, the old terminal will undergo extensive renovations and later be dedicated to serving domestic passengers only, she said.

Despite the prowess of the new terminal, concerns were voiced more than two years ago that Phuket Airport would be over-capacity soon after the mega-expansion project was complete.

Its imperative for us to get further expansion going [at Phuket] if we are to catch up with the fast-growing traffic demand, said Mekin Petplai, then-President of Airports of Thailand (AoT), which operates six major international airports in Thailand, including in Phuket.

Mr Mekins concerns drew action, with basic plans for a B3 billion upgrade to the upgrade to raise passenger throughput capacity to 18 million by 2018 tabled back then.

His concerns were well-founded. Phuket Airport served a total of 12,525,864 travellers  6,955,139 international and 5,904,217 domestic  in 2015, according to AoT statistics, and the islands critical tourism portal is on track to bust that figure this year.

From Jan-July this year, Phuket served 8,943,834 passengers, compared with 7,465,621 during the same period last year  already a 19.7-per-cent hike in the number of passengers passing through the airport.

Meanwhile, the opening of the International Terminal also marked the ninth anniversary of the Flight OG269 air disaster in 2007, when a One-Two-Go aircraft crashed at the airport, killing 89 of the 130 persons on board. One survivor succumbed to burn injuries several days after the crash.

Following damning reports over safety regulations, One-Two-Go was subsequently shut down by its parent company Orient Thai, which still operates flights today.

Phuket Airports only other disaster was Thai Airways Flight 365 from Hat Yai International Airport which crashed into the Andaman Sea off Phukets west coast on August 31, 1987, killing all 74 passengers and nine crew on board.

Phuket Airport does not hold activities, nor displays any plaques, in remembrance of either event.
PM promises budgets for tourism developing Phuket projects

PHUKET: During his visit to Phuket yesterday (Sept 16), Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha promised the Governor of Phuket that his government would find the budgets needed for projects that would assists in promoting the islands tourism industry such as infrastructure projects including road construction, the light rail system and underpasses.

constructionlandtransporttourism

By Suthicha Sirirat

Saturday 17 September 2016, 11:58AM

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha seen here with Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada at Phuket Rajabhat University. Photo: Suthicha Sirirat

Urgent Phuket projects was one of a variety of topics discussed when PM Prayuth held a meeting with officials from the Andaman region and local residents at Phuket Rajabpat University yesterday afternoon.

PM Prayuth, who was accompanied by Deputy PMs, Gen Narong Pipatanasai and Somkid Jatusripitak, and Minister of Interior Gen Anupong Phaochinda, was welcomed to the meeting by Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada who raised a number of island developing projects which would need support from the government and requested PM Prayuth allocate the required budgets so that the projects could go ahead.

Gov Chamroen announced on Sept 7 that he planned to bring a range of urgent projects needed on the island to the attention of PM Prayuth when he visited the island yesterday to preside over the Startup Thailand and Digital Thailand 2016 event held at the Duangjit Resort & Spa in Patong.

Projects that needed support from the PM included the light rail system, International Conference and Exhibition Centre, underpass projects, expressway and Andaman railway. (See story here.)

After discussing the projects, PM Prayut said that the central government would need several trillion baht to support all projects that each province has proposed, but that all projects that will improve the infrastructure of Phuket and help to promote tourism would be supported.

Projects like road and bridge construction and anything that assists with developing tourism in general are a must for us. The government will fully support these projects and will seek funds for them. These projects will happen, PM Prayuth said.

For those projects that have come to a standstill due to environmental issues, we will provide the necessary budgets so that assessments can be carried out so that the environmental problems can be fixed, he added.

Meanwhile, more than 100 police and military security personnel had to be deployed at Phuket Rajabhat University prior to PM Prayuts visit to the campus yesterday afternoon, as more than 500 Phuket sea gypsies turned out in the hope of delivering to the nations leader a plea to stave off forced relocation from their village in Rawai.

Under instruction from Col Akanit Danpitaksan, Chief Inspector of the Phuket Provincial Police, the security personnel had to move the sea gypsies to a site on Ratsadanusorn Rd, about one kilometre to the north from the campus, and ensured they did not block traffic at the busy Wor Kor intersection. (See story here.)
Risking all in drug war

PHILIPPINES: Pedicab driver Reyjin dives into a neighbours house for a quick meth fix, fearful of taking a bullet to the head in Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes brutal war on drugs but unable to quit.

crimedeathdrugspoliticspoliceviolence

By AFP

Saturday 17 September 2016, 03:35PM

odrigo Duterte rose to the nations top job after spending most of the past two decades as mayor of Davao, earning a reputation as a ruthless leader willing to forsake human rights to enforce law-and-order. Photo: Manman Dejeto/AFP

Close to 3,000 people are said to have died violent deaths since Duterte took office over two months ago and immediately implemented his scorched-earth plans to eradicate drugs in society, ordering police to shoot dead traffickers and urging ordinary citizens to kill addicts.

The bloodbath has seen unknown assailants kill more than half the victims, according to police statistics, raising fears that security forces and hired assassins are roaming through communities and shooting dead anyone suspected of being involved in drugs.

Armed police constantly circle in Reyjins Manila slum community, but he continues to snort the fumes of the highly addictive methamphetamine known as shabu that Duterte has warned is destroying the lives of millions of poor Filipinos.

Its scary because I could be next, said the gaunt, gap-toothed 28-year-old, speaking on the condition his identity not be revealed for security reasons.

The father-of-three said two masked motorcycle gunmen riding in tandem on a motorcycle had shot dead a woman who sold small amounts of drugs to him and other residents.

She was sitting in the alley when she took two bullets to the head, he said.

Such riding-in-tandem murders are one of the most common forms of killings by the shadowy assassins.

Often a piece of cardboard, with drug peddler or drug addict written on it, is placed on the corpse. This has led to the war on crime becoming known as cardboard justice.

Meanwhile, police have reported killing 712 people they have branded drug suspects.

National police chief Ronald dela Rosa has repeatedly defended his officers, insisting they only kill when their own lives are in danger.

However, two policemen have been charged with murder over the jailhouse deaths of a father and son, who autopsies showed to have been beaten so badly before being shot that their limbs were broken.

The United Nations, the US government and human rights groups have expressed alarm at the bloodshed, with some critics warning the Philippines is in the midst of a reign of terror as authorities act with no regard for the law.

Duterte and Dela Rosa have repeatedly insisted they are acting within the boundaries of the law, while accusing their critics of siding with the drug traffickers and ignoring the devastating consequences of what they describe as a national shabu crisis.

They say most of the unexplained deaths are being carried out by drug syndicates waging war on each other.

Yet on the day he was sworn into office, Duterte gave a speech to a crowd in a Manila slum in which he called on them to kill drug addicts in their own community.

And in an address to a group of drug addicts who had surrendered to police last week, Dela Rosa called on them to kill their suppliers and burn down their homes.

Dela Rosa later apologised for the comments, saying they were made because he was angry, but they nevertheless added to an atmosphere of a dramatic breakdown in the rule of law.

In Reyjins Manila slum, the violence and security presence has slowed the drug trade and made shabu more expensive.

But lots is still available, in what could be a worrying sign for Duterte who vowed during the election campaign that he could completely wipe out the trade within six months.

If you want to buy, you just go stand there on the street and somebody will approach you, said Reyjin, who took his first hit of shabu when he was 13.

You hand over the money and he will tell you to wait and have somebody else deliver the drugs to you.

Even the shabu dens, in which people rent out their huts for addicts to take a hit, are still operating, according to Reyjin.

Reyjin said he earned about 400 pesos (B295) a day, taking passengers on short pedicab trips and occasionally doing odd jobs.

He said he was spending about one quarter of his earnings on shabu. It used to be a 50-peso-a-day habit, but the price of shabu had doubled because of the drug war, according to Reyjin.

Neighbours said the eldest of Reyjins three children, a grade-schooler, looked malnourished and often went to school hungry.

The two other siblings looked dirty and were forced to wear hand-me-down clothes in their one-room house, they added.

The neighbours said they also suspected him of stealing small items from their homes to fund his habit.

Reyjin said he was aware of the toll his habit took on his family.

But, even compounded by the threat of his children being orphaned in the drug war, he said he could not stop taking shabu.

Sometime I tell myself I have to stop, he said.

But my body craves it.
Urine trouble: Japan train driver pees on track

JAPAN: Japanese train operator JR East has apologised after a driver urinated over the railway track while on duty because he did not want to delay services by using the toilet, media reported on today (Sept 17).

transport

By AFP

Saturday 17 September 2016, 02:08PM

The incident happened at Sakura station in Chiba, southeast of Tokyo. Photo: Lerk/wikipedia

The driver, in his 50s, felt the urge to go on Monday (Sept 12) as his train stopped at Sakura station in Chiba, southeast of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK and the Asahi Shimbun said.

He then opened the cabin door away from the platform and urinated over the rails before departure as he did not want to cause a delay by going to the restroom, Asahi said.

The company, which received a report of the case from an eyewitness, instructed him to go to the restroom if necessary, NHK said without clarifying if he would be punished.

We deeply apologise for giving distrust and uneasiness to our customers, the company said, according to NHK. Taking this case sincerely, we will provide thorough instruction and never repeat similar incidents.

The case comes after a bullet train driver came under fire earlier this month as an online photo emerged of him operating it with his feet up.

Central Japan Railway said the 29-year-old acknowledged that he operated the high speed train in that position for 10 seconds and the company vowed a strict response.
[September 16, 2016] Worldwide Enterprise Storage Market Holds Steady in Second Quarter, According to IDC

Total worldwide enterprise storage systems factory revenue remained flat year over year, posting 0.0% growth and $8.8 billion during the second quarter of 2016 (2Q16), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker. Total capacity shipments were up 12.9% year over year to 34.7 exabytes during the quarter. Revenue growth declined within the group of original design manufacturers (ODMs) that sell directly to hyperscale datacenters. This portion of the market was down 21.5% year over year to $794.7 million. Sales of server-based storage were up 9.8% during the quarter and accounted for almost $2.4 billion in revenue. External storage systems remained the largest market segment, but the $5.7 billion in sales represented flat 0.0% year-over-year growth. "After a slow start to the year, the enterprise storage system market remained steady during the second quarter," said Liz Conner, research manager, Storage Systems. "Spending on all flash deployments continues to grow and help drive the market. The decreasing cost of flash media, coupled with increasing use cases, high density deployments, and availability of flash-based storage products, have resulted in rapid adoption throughout the market." 2Q16 Total Enterprise Storage Systems Market Results EMC (News - Alert) and HPE remained in a statistical tie* for the top position within the total worldwide enterprise storage systems market, accounting for 18.1% and 17.6% of spending respectively. HPE's year-over-year growth rate as reported by IDC was impacted by the start of the H3C partnership in China that began in May of 2016; as a result, a portion of HPE-designed storage systems were rebranded for the China market and do not count in HPE's market data from that point forward. Dell held the next position with a 11.5% share of revenue during the quarter. IBM and NetApp accounted for 6.8% and 6.7% of global spending respectively. As a single group, storage systems sales by original design manufacturers (ODMs) selling directly to hyperscale data center customers accounted for 9.0% of global spending during the quarter.







Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide Total Enterprise Storage Systems Market, Second Quarter of 2016 (Revenues are in US$ millions) Vendor 2Q16

Revenue 2Q16 Market

Share 2Q15

Revenue 2Q15 Market

Share 2Q16/2Q15

Revenue

Growth T1. EMC* $1,599.7 18.1% $1,693.0 19.2% -5.5% T1. HPE*^ $1,556.7 17.6% $1,431.3 16.2% 8.8% 3. Dell $1,011.8 11.5% $888.9 10.1% 13.8% T4. IBM*+ $601.3 6.8% $712.2 8.1% -15.6% T4. NetApp* $595.4 6.7% $615.4 7.0% -3.2% ODM Direct $794.7 9.0% $1,011.8 11.5% -21.5% Others $2,676.4 30.3% $2,1479.6 27.9% 7.9% All Vendors $8,828.7 100.0% $8,832.1 100.0% 0.0% Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker, September 16, 2016

Notes:

* IDC declares a statistical tie in the worldwide enterprise storage systems market when there is less than one percent difference in the revenue share of two or more vendors.

^ HPE's 2Q16 revenue as reported by IDC excludes the H3C business being rebranded in China.

+ IBM's 2Q16 revenue excludes x86 servers due to the sale of that business to Lenovo (News - Alert). In addition to the table above, an interactive graphic showing the worldwide market share of the top 5 total enterprise storage systems vendors plus ODM Direct sales over the previous five quarters is available here. Instructions on how to embed this graphic into online news articles and social media can be found by viewing this press release on IDC.com. 2Q16 External Enterprise Storage Systems Results EMC was the largest external enterprise storage systems supplier during the quarter, accounting for 28.2% of worldwide revenues. HPE and NetApp finished in a statistical tie* for the number 2 position, each with 10.6% and 10.5% of market share. IBM finished the quarter in the number 4 position with 9.5% share of worldwide revenues. Hitachi (News - Alert) and Dell rounded out the top 5 in a statistical tie* with a 7.4% and 7.0% share, respectively, of worldwide external enterprise storage revenue during the quarter. Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide External Enterprise Storage Systems Market, Second Quarter of

2016 (Revenues are in Millions) Vendor 2Q16

Revenue 2Q16 Market

Share 2Q15

Revenue 2Q15 Market

Share 2Q16/2Q15

Revenue

Growth 1. EMC $1,599.7 28.2% $1,693.0 29.9% -5.5% T2. HPE*^ $602.2 10.6% $597.2 10.5% 0.8% T2. NetApp* $595.4 10.5% $615.4 10.9% -3.2% 4. IBM $538.0 9.5% $630.6 11.1% -14.7% T5. Hitachi* $419.0 7.4% $365.9 6.5% 14.7% T5. Dell* $394.9 7.0% $373.3 6.6% 5.8% Others $1,527.1 26.9% $1,390.9 24.5% 9.8% All Vendors $5,669.0 100.0% $5,666.2 100.0% 0.0% Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker, June 3, 2016 Notes:

* IDC declares a statistical tie in the worldwide enterprise storage systems market when there is less than one percent difference in the revenue share of two or more vendors.

^ HPE's 2Q16 revenue as reported by IDC excludes the H3C business being rebranded in China. Flash-Based Storage Systems Highlights The total All Flash Array (AFA) market generated almost $1.1 billion in revenue during the quarter, up 94.5% year over year. The Hybrid Flash Array (HFA) segment of the market continues to be a significant part of the overall market with $2.3 billion in revenue and 26.1% market share. Taxonomy Notes

IDC defines a Disk Storage System as a set of storage elements, including controllers, cables, and (in some instances) host bus adapters, associated with three or more disks. A system may be located outside of or within a server cabinet and the average cost of the disk storage systems does not include infrastructure storage hardware (i.e. switches) and non-bundled storage software. The information in this quantitative study is based on a branded view of the disk storage systems sale. Revenue associated with the products to the end user is attributed to the seller (brand) of the product, not the manufacturer. Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sales are not included in this study. In this study, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) sales do not reflect their OEM sales to Sun Microsystems (News - Alert) and Hewlett-Packard. IDC's Worldwide Disk Storage Systems Quarterly Tracker is a quantitative tool for analyzing the global disk storage market on a quarterly basis. The Tracker includes quarterly shipments and revenues (both customer and factory), Terabytes, $/Gigabyte, Gigabyte/Unit, and Average Selling Value. Each criteria can be segmented by location, installation base, operating system, vendor, family, model, and region. For more information about IDC's Worldwide Disk Storage Systems Quarterly Tracker, please contact Lidice Fernandez at 305-351-3051 or [email protected]. About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading media, data and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter (News - Alert) at @IDC. All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160916005784/en/

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[September 16, 2016]

Lighthouse Technology Partners Sets Regional Records at Annual Microsoft Conference

GREENWICH, Conn., Sept. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lighthouse Technology Partners was honored at the recent Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference for their technological expertise and sales growth. Held each year, Microsoft recognizes Partners from around the world for their excellence in innovation and implementation of Microsoft technologies.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160916/408839

Lighthouse won both New York Metro Cloud Partner of the Year and East Region Compete Partner of the Year, setting regional records for the number of customers deploying cyber-security, Office 365, Azure, and SharePoint solutions. This is the first time in the conference's 13-year history that one Microsoft Partner has won both awards.

Brian Desrosier, President of Lighthouse Technology Partners commented: "I am extremely proud to receive these awards. Ourteam works very hard to reduce our customer's investment in networking, server equipment and software with cost efficient, cloud-based solutions. Most importantly, however, this is about outstanding customer service and employee productivity. To be named top New York Metro Cloud Partner demonstrates our business is growing. Being named top East Region Compete Partner shows we are able to provide solutions best suited for our customers' needs, while dramatically reducing their cost structure."







According to Microsoft Partner Executive, Justin Revand, "Lighthouse has shown extraordinary dedication to modernizing customers' IT infrastructure (servers and related equipment), developing intranet & ECM solutions, and in developing foundational cyber-security solutions built on Office 365, EMS, and Azure, designed specifically to each customer."

About Lighthouse Technology Partners

Lighthouse Technology Partners, founded in 1984, serves customers between ten and 8,000 users, in both commercial and non-profit markets. The company is a national leader in helping customers reduce on-premise IT, by moving to safer and more efficient cloud solutions. They design, deploy and manage on-premise and cloud solutions including security, compliance, Microsoft Office 365, Azure IaaS (infrastructure, computing power, and storage as-a-service); and develops SharePoint Portal and ECM solutions. For more information, please visit: www.greenwichLTP.com.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lighthouse-technology-partners-sets-regional-records-at-annual-microsoft-conference-300329667.html

SOURCE Lighthouse Technology Partners
11AAA semis will be awesome and more from HS football quarterfinals

high-school-sports
[September 17, 2016] Tata Consultancy Services and GE to Revolutionize Gas Turbine Manufacturing with Smart LEDs and Predix

NEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, today announced that it has developed an innovative digital solution to connect Intelligent LEDs, to GE's Predix operating system for the Industrial Internet through Intel Atom-based gateways, providing critical analytics to save significant time and costs in the manufacturing process. The digital solution will analyze temperature at various points on the metal turbine parts as they are assembled and cooled, allowing operators to know when the next operation can be performed, reducing wait time between operations and improving quality monitoring. The pilot application was built and deployed for GE Power's gas turbine manufacturing plant in Greenville, South Carolina. During the turbine manufacturing process, rotor stacking is a key process and needs extremely high levels of precision. If the rotor wheels are stacked incorrectly due to differences in the surface temperature, it will require reassembly, incurring heavy additional costs and two to three weeks of shipment delays. TCS' new digital solution provides automatic data collection of ambient room and rotor surface temperatures, measuring for unacceptable variations, notifying workers when the next operation may proceed, and alerting workers to any non-uniformity. This application is built on the intelligent LED platform by GE and Intel that can reduce costs and energy consumption and provide data collection and analytics capabilities. This platform is composed of smart LED fixtures from Current, powered by GE, integrated with sensors that monitor temperature, humidity and any physical object presence, transmitting the data to an Intel Atom-based gateway where the information is streamed to th Predix cloud.



"The TCS solution will enable significant cost and time savings in the rotor stacking process  and is one example of what can be built on the Predix platform," said Denzil Samuels, Head of Global Channels and Alliances, GE Digital. "This demonstrates the power of three industry leaders leveraging their respective best-in-class capabilities to transform the manufacturing industry." "TCS teaming up with GE and Intel on this innovative solution will deliver the benefits of Industrial IoT in bringing certainty in complex manufacturing operations. This will also be a valuable addition to TCS Digital Store and GE's Predix ecosystem," said Anupam Singhal, Vice President, Tata Consultancy Services.

As part of the GE Digital Alliance Program, TCS has made significant investments in scaling its Predix practice, having more than 550 of a planned 1,000 consultants already trained with hands-on execution experience across designing, architecting and conceptualizing solutions on the Predix platform. Predix helps industrial businesses with their digital transformation using software, apps and analytics that enable them to operate faster, smarter and more efficiently. About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS, infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India's largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 362,000 of the world's best-trained consultants in 45 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $16.5 billion for year ended March 31, 2016 and is listed on the BSE Limited and National Stock Exchange of India Limited. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com. To stay up-to-date on TCS news and events in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For global updates, follow @TCS_News. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131002/LA90934LOGO-b To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tata-consultancy-services-and-ge-to-revolutionize-gas-turbine-manufacturing-with-smart-leds-and-predix-300319973.html SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

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[September 17, 2016] Vertex Innovations Named one of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Inc. Magazine's 35th Annual Inc. 5000 List

LITTLETON, Colo., Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine has ranked Vertex Innovations on its 35th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment its independent small businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Domino's Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000. "The Inc. 5000 is has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success," said Vertex Innovations president, Wayne Smith. "As a small business in such a powerful industry, I am very proud that our growth rate has placed us alongside so many other leading U.S. companies." Wayne continued: "We hope that this recognition of Vertex inspires and sets a precedent for innovation among our peers and partners in the wireless sector." The 2016 Inc. 5000 is the most competitive crop in the list's history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year growth of 433%. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue is $200 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 640,000 jobs over the past three years, or about 8% of all jobs created in the entire economy during that period. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. "The Inc. 5000 list stands out where it really counts," says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. "It honors real achevement by a founder or a team of them. No one makes the Inc. 5000 without building something great  usually from scratch. That's one of the hardest things to do in business, as every company founder knows. But without it, free enterprise fails."



The 2016 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2012 to 2015. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2012. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2015. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2012 is $100,000; the minimum for 2015 is $2 million. Vertex Innovations attributes much of its rapid growth to its unique and innovative program management service model. The company will showcase this model with a 1967 Shelby GT 500, also known as "Eleanor," at the CTIA Super Mobility 2016 conference in Las Vegas next week. How does the no. 1 classic muscle car in America relate to the wireless network of tomorrow? Attendees will have to visit the Vertex booth (#4361) to find out. Located just on the main aisle between the Tower and Small Cell zone and the Connected Life and Technology zone, Vertex will have "Eleanor" on display and will be running a contest to give away a Ninebot by Segway Minipro.

About Vertex Innovations:

Headquartered in Littleton, Colorado, Vertex Innovations was established in 2003 to help the most innovative and successful companies stay ahead of the future. With a robust service offering ranging from performance-based solutions to excellence training and customized software integration, Vertex equips network operators, equipment manufacturers, contractors, strategic suppliers, and others with telecommunication infrastructure in order to wholly improve communication, public safety, and profit gains. Vertex Innovations currently has active projects across 17 states with a growing team nationwide. At any given time, Vertex has approximately 2,000 live project sites throughout the U.S., including dark fiber, C-RAN, DAS and more. To learn more, please visit www.vertex-us.com. About Inc. Media:

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 15,000,000 today. For more information, visit www.inc.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vertex-innovations-named-one-of-americas-fastest-growing-private-companies-in-inc-magazines-35th-annual-inc-5000-list-300321007.html SOURCE Vertex Innovations

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[September 17, 2016] Digital Transformation Takes Hold In New York

NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- To help New York City area companies accelerate their digital transformations, DocuSign, the global eSignature and Digital Transaction Management (DTM) leader, will host Momentum X on Tuesday, September 27 at the W Hotel Union Square. The complimentary half day event will feature top thought leaders sharing their insights and experiences on going digital to accelerate speed to results, reduce costs, decrease risk in increased security and compliance, and delight their customers. Individuals may register at https://momentum.docusign.com/en. The event underscores the shift from manual, paper-based processes to faster, easier, more convenient and secure digital business among organizations of every size and industry. Today, the vast majority of C-level executives have digital transformation among their top three strategic objectives. For many, it's the top priority as going digital positively impacts nearly every area where businesses are measured, including revenues, efficiency, costs, security, compliance, customer experience, and sustainability. "We expect that the most successful businesses will be fully digital by the end of the decade  a trend we're seeing mirrored here in Manhattan," said Neil Hudspith, president of worldwide field operations at DocuSign. "Across the DocuSign Global Trust Network, we're finding organizations of all sizes are advancing their digital agendas to be the disruptors in their industry, rather than the disrupted. The time has never been better to start or advance a company's digital journey to drive competitive advantage before it's too late." DocuSign's Momentum X events bring together key learnings, insights and best practices on going paperless from thought leaders and industry luminaries around the world. Attendees will discover the leadership, technology and culture requirements for taking their business fully digita, learning from other digital heroes who've led their industries, companies and departments through transformation.



As the world leader in capital raising, listings and equities, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) delivers data to companies and individuals that helps them manage their business in real time. NYSE has made the digital transformation with DocuSign to automate client communications, contracting and transactions. "The New York Stock Exchange standardized on DocuSign to increase efficiency and better serve our clients," said Margaret (Peggy) Sullivan, director of strategic analysis & market data, NYSE. "DocuSign's turnaround time facilitates faster, easier connections for our clients and employees to accelerate business decisions." For more on NYSE's digital transformation with DocuSign, view the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU0m3heQsl8.

Based in Jersey City, New Jersey, TD Ameritrade Institutional is a leading provider of comprehensive brokerage and custody services to more than 5,000 fee-based independent Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs). TD Ameritrade delivers an advanced technology platform and personal support from dedicated service teams that enable RIAs to grow and manage their practices more efficiently while optimizing time with clients. DocuSign has helped TD Ameritrade Institutional automate agreements to reduce contract cycle times and eliminate "Not In Good Order" documents, all to create a world-class experience for RIAs and their clients. "By embedding eSignature directly into our processes with the DocuSign API, we were able to replace what was once a manual, paper-based account opening process with a fully digital experience that empowers advisors and their clients to sign agreements  anytime, anywhere, on any device  with a single click," said Bob Mahoney, director of technology product management, TD Ameritrade Institutional. "DocuSign helped us create an industry-leading experience for the advisors on our platform so that they can do the same for their clients." As the host of the Momentum X events, DocuSign has unique expertise in helping more than 250,000 companies and 100 million users complete nearly one million digital transactions a day across 188 countries. Organizations who use DocuSign achieve faster speed to results, lower cost, increased security and compliance, and better customer experiences. On average, 84% of transactions are completed via DocuSign in less than one day; 62% in less than one hour; and 51% in 15 minutes or less  dramatically faster than the days or weeks typically required with paper. On average, DocuSign delivers $36.44 in value per document to customers  including hard dollar savings, productivity improvements and revenue gains  over paper methods. Beyond NYC, announced Momentum X tour dates include Philadelphia (September 29), Los Angeles (November 15 and 16), and Seattle (November 17), with additional locations to be announced. For more information and to register for a Momentum X event, visit https://momentum.docusign.com/en. For more information on DocuSign, visit www.docusign.com. About DocuSign, Inc.

DocuSign is changing how business gets done by empowering anyone to send, sign and manage agreements anytime, anywhere, on any device with trust and confidence. DocuSign and Go to keep life and business moving forward. For more information, visit www.docusign.com, call +1-877-720-2040, or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Copyright 2003-2016. DocuSign, Inc. is the owner of DOCUSIGN and all of its other marks (www.docusign.com/IP). All other marks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners. Contact:

Gregor Perotto

DocuSign

[email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151102/283113LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-transformation-takes-hold-in-new-york-300321243.html SOURCE DocuSign, Inc.

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[September 17, 2016] Lenovo Receives TUV Rheinland Greater China's First IEC62368 Server Certificate

HONG KONG, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The RS160 server series from the Lenovo Group (hereinafter referred to as "Lenovo") has been given the first IEC62368-1 Second Edition CB certificate to be issued by TUV Rheinland Greater China (hereinafter referred to as "TUV Rheinland"). Rudi Du, Sales General Manager of the TUV Rheinland Greater China Electrical Division, presented the certificate to Robert West, Program Director PA SIT and Compliance PMP, Certified Executive Project Manager at Lenovo. All previous Lenovo server products had received IEC/EN 60950-1 CB and GS certificates from TUV Rheinland. In his speech, Du said: "Lenovo engineers and the TUV Rheinland project team worked together to revise the existing industrial design guidelines on fire, electrical, and mechanical safety in under two months. We also issued TUV Rheinland Greater China's first IEC 62368-1 Second Edition CB certificate for server products. This means Lenovo server products now satisfy the design requirements of IEC62368-1 Second Edition three years in advance. This not only lays a solid foundation for the products' entry into the European Market in 2019, but also demonstrates Lenovo's commitment to utmost quality and safety as the leader in the IT industry." The IEC62368 Standard: New Concept, New hallenges



The IEC62368-1 standard is a set of safety requirements targeted at audio, video, information, and communication technology equipment. Advances in audio and video multimedia technologies have led to greater fusion between A/V and IT equipment. The boundary between the two is now blurred. As the new standard which will soon replace IEC60950-1 and IEC60065, IEC 62368-1 does not simply combine the two old standards. It introduces the new concept of Hazard-Based Safety Engineering (HSBE), in which different levels of personal protection are required for different hazardous energy sources. The Lenovo Server Division introduced the HBSE concept during the initial product-design phase. Through close collaboration with TUV Rheinland, Lenovo accurately identified the technical requirements of the standard and converted them into solutions during the design stage. During this process, Lenovo's division gained more in-depth understanding how HBSE-based IEC62368-1 is more applicable and time-efficient than IEC60065/60950-1. At the same time, it also offers more possibility for implementation of the design. This translates into a new direction in product testing and evaluation.

Focus on IT Products and Market Trends TUV Rheinland's professional localized service team provides manufacturers with total testing, inspection, and certification solutions that satisfy market access requirements around the world. TUV is one of the few organizations capable of providing product export certification for both North America and Europe at the same time. The firm, which has been No. 1 in terms of global CB certification quantity for eight successive years, possesses national certification bodies and CB testing laboratories in many service branches. TUV Rheinland has issued hundreds of thousands of CB certificates since its establishment. More than half of the certified products have been in the IT category. To maintain its leadership in IT product certification, through the years TUV Rheinland has closely followed and studied the development of future standards. By continually enhancing its laboratory accreditation as well as upgrading its testing equipment and personnel capabilities, TUV Rheinland has helped local manufacturers bring their products from the production line to the global market more quickly. The experts at TUV Rheinland use this method to open the door to international markets for retailers, buyers, and manufacturers. At the same time, they ensure the sustainable development of product safety within the global flow of merchandise. About the CB System: The CB system established by the IEC Conformity Assessment for Electro-technical Equipment and Components (IECEE) is the first international system to implement multilateral recognition of safety testing reports and certificates for electrical and electronic components, equipment, and products. The IECEE now has 52 member organizations, as well as 65 national certification bodies (NCB) and 276 CB testing laboratories (CBTL). CB product certificates and reports are now widely accepted in Europe and other parts of the world. Once a product has received its CB certificate and report from an accredited NCB, this means that it has passed safety testing by the CBTL. It therefore conforms to the applicable IEC standards, and is recognized by other CB member states. Media Contact: Simon Hung

Tel: +852-2192-1948

Email: [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160906/8521605604

Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150602/8521503584LOGO

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[September 17, 2016] FASTSIGNS Continues Co-Brand Program Growth With Addition Of Prominent Photo Industry Expert & Business Leader

CARROLLTON, Texas, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, announced today it has signed an agreement with new franchisee and prominent photo industry leader, Gabrielle Mullinax. She will add to her existing photo retail shop, Fullerton Photographics, a Co-Brand FASTSIGNS center. Located at 908 North Harbor Blvd. in Fullerton, the FASTSIGNS center will be complete in fall 2016 and will mark nearly 40 Co-Brand centers for FASTSIGNS, which currently has franchised locations in over 615 locations in nine countries worldwide. "As a proven innovator in the photo industry, Gaby is a welcomed addition to the FASTSIGNS family and we know that she will provide a 'More Than' experience to every customer who walks through her doors," said Mark Jameson, EVP of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. "The addition of this latest Co-Brand center in California further deepens FASTSIGNS' development commitment to take our Co-Brand concept into new markets across the country as we look to provide comprehensive visual communications services from coast-to-coast." Mullinax, a current resident of Yorba Linda, began her photo industry career in the early 1990s as a stay-at-home mom and talented professional photographer. As a frequent customer of Fullerton Photographics, she stumbled upon the opportunity to purchase the company in December 1999. Upon taking ownership of the shop at the turn of the millennium, she helped pave the way in the industry converting the business from analog to digital in order to integrate new products and services to achieve greater revenue. "As a woman business owner, I've found a true partner in FASTSIGNS who will help expand my existing business by providing our new and current clients the ability to stay on the cutting-edge of the sign, graphics and visual communications industry," said Mullinax. "For businesses looking for ways to expand their current portfolio and increase their revenue in today's fast-paced market, FASTSIGNS offers an opportunity, including training and support, that is first-class in service and made the decision process easy for me." Fullerton Photographics provides clients an array of products and photography services customized to create endless possibilities using the modern photograph. Over the last two decades, Mullinax has become a proven photo industry leader, most recently serving as a past president of Photo Marketing Association International of which she served as the first-ever woman president. She was also the first-ever chairwoman of the Buck Rogers National Photofinishers Group and a member of Independent Photo Imagers. To continue to attract interested franchise candidates in the photo industry, FASTSIGNS is exhibiting at the PRO 58th Annual Convention & Trade Show Sept. 26-30 at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Local entrepreneurs are invited to meet with the brand's franchise development team that will be in attendance at the show to learn more about its Co-Brand program and growth opportunities across the country. FASTSIGNS' has continued to grow through the company's Co-Brand and Conversion programs. With franchisees coming from the print and photofinishing industries, the Co-Brand program accounted for 20 percent of the franchise agreements signed in 2015, a significant increase from prior years. Launched in 2012, the FASTSIGNS Co-Brand program offers independent business operators with print and photo-related services the opportunity to add the FASTSIGNS brand and a full-suite of sign and visual graphic solutions, while continuing to own and operate their existing business. Getting started is quick; FASTSIGNS will help finance the franchise fee with as little as $15,000 down to begin the Co-Brand or conversion process. Co-Brand franchisees consistently report that adding a FASTSIGNS franchise to their business has added value for customers, promoting long-term growth opportunities for their businesses. For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679) or download an eBook that explores the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity at http://amzn.to/1FrnDJu. About FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the largest sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 615 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in nine countries including the US, Canada, England, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Grand Cayman, Mexico and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive sign and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, sell more products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points including decor, events, wearables and marketing materials. Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on Twitter @FASTSIGNS, Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fastsigns. Franchise Research Institute has named FASTSIGNS a top sign and graphics franchise and has awarded the company certification as a 2015 World-Class Franchise for four consecutive years. FASTSIGNS was also recognized by USA Today, Military Times magazine, G.I. Jobs magazine and Franchise Business Review as one of the top franchises for military veterans. Most recently, the company was selected as one of 15 national recipients of the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the Department of Defense's highest recognition presented to employers for their exemplary support of National Guard and Reserve members. For more information about FASTSIGNS franchise programs, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679) or visit http://www.fastsigns.com/ . Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160216/333668LOGO







CONTACT: Rachel Tabacnic

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fastsigns-continues-co-brand-program-growth-with-addition-of-prominent-photo-industry-expert--business-leader-300322766.html SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

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India is no ordinary country. They say if India didnt exist, no one would have had the imagination to invent it. We Indians love to gossip and quarrel over smallest of issues. For us, ideas are worth dying for. The more adversarial the idea the better. We are also born to oppose. We Indians always need an enemy to fight, perhaps a fortress to capture! India has survived through the long tradition of discussions, contestation and debate.

For the newly independent countries in the post-war period, India became a flag-bearer of democracy in spite of high illiteracy, bone-chilling poverty and social evils like the caste system. Such were the odds against India that the Western commentators believed if democracy can make it there, it can make it anywhere. Ironically, India stuck to democracy while country after country fell perilously into the hands of autocrats and tin-pot dictators.

How did that happen? Gopal Krishna Gandhi says, The people are fuel. They combust, ignite. They spur, empower. Building democracy is like searching for truth. The search for truth is like digging for gold. You wash the nuggets under the tap and you have the full value of the gold. In the immediate aftermath of independence, India did precisely that.

Using the power of democracy, India created a new paradigm. It rejected the view that a country must first become economically fit for democracy. It chose to be economically fit through democracy. India debunked the perception that democracy impeded development. Indias success extended the hand of democracy globally. By holding the banner of democracy aloft, India blazed a new trail in a world surrounded by democratic darkness. That prompted Bernard Levin, renowned columnist of The Times (London), to say that if democracy in India falls, the end of democracy itself will be in sight.

Democracy by its very nature is a contested terrain. Its genius, material value and implications must be constantly debated. What is beyond debate is that no one has a right to question that contestation. Democracy is a daily plebiscite. Demand for more power, more autonomy represents a daily interrogation of that existence. Democracy goes through frequent negotiations, compromises, failure of talks and accords. It is through constant churning that Indian democracy matured.

In History in the Making, J H Elliot makes a distinction between a chosen nation and a victim nation. A chosen nation thinks it has spiritual, biological and other characteristics to make it a dominant power and a victim nation tends to attribute its misfortunes to others.

Nehruvian India didnt blame others for all its miseries. It believed that discrimination against the oppressed classes and women was not the fault of the White coloniser, but a product of traditional Indian practices. Tagore insisted that Indians should glory in the illumination of lamps lit everywhere in the world. The nationalism of Gandhi and Tagore was not based on a sense of persecution nor a sense of cultural or racial superiority. India today claims to be a chosen nation but continues to behave like a victim nation.

India has much to celebrate, but much more to ponder. Are we celebrating too much? Are we celebrating to be amused or entertained? Grace is the celebration of life which seems to be in short supply. We are looking for history in all the wrong places. We have thus become the victims of streetlight effect, that is, propensity to look for something only where the search is easy.

Asked about the impact of the French Revolution on the Western civilisation, Chou Enlai told Kissinger, too early to tell. The jury is still out on many historic events. It is indeed too early to pass conclusive judgement on Indias 75-year journey. But the journey is long enough to notice the spots on the skin.

The journey of Indian democracy has many proud moments. India has crossed many pinnacles and climbed many summits. But the journey has also been littered with many flashpoints, fault-lines and reckless brinkmanship. The journey of ideas has been perilous. What is democracy if not the battle of ideas? Will India be the phoenix of freedom or the phoenix of fear?

India has a proud history of thought  from thought to discussion, from tradition to canon formation and from sociology of knowledge to the anthropology of knowledge.

In the initial years, the network of gatekeepers-free press, vibrant civil society, enlightened citizenry kept democracy shining. As years passed, the gatekeepers have become increasingly powerless. Indias attractiveness about democracy is increasingly tarnished while its economy continues to limp.

India finds itself in a state of aporia and rupture. How has it come about? Political parties are largely to blame. Most parties are shells built around a single leaders transient popularity. Parties no longer have roots in our society. Parties treat citizens as consumers. They have dialogue with pollsters, not voters. Age of intermittent citizenship perhaps?

While a new kind of leaderism has emerged, parties have become bodies without organs, clenched and muscular but without real internal metabolism. The supporters dont swarm the rallies, leaders choreograph the swarm of supporters with tweets and Russian bots. We dont know who to trust, leaders promising El Dorado or the media and their condescending comments. Today everything is politics.

Spanish philosopher Daniel Innerarity calls it democracy without politics. The difference between the representatives and the represented is becoming too large. French historian Pierre Rosanvallon terms it impolite democracy. People are aggravated and the political system is agitated, but their interaction barely produces anything new.

Another disturbing trend is the near complete merger of the nation with the state. The boundary between the state and market too is becoming fuzzy.

The phenomenon of what John Keane of University of Sydney calls unelected representatives has seriously undermined democracy. At a time when Parliament is being used increasingly as a rubber stamp and other democratic institutions have suffered serious erosion, unelected representatives (bureaucrats, religious leaders, business tycoons and media empires) have begun to alter the political geography of democracies.

Democracies are increasingly turning to the unelected bodies to demarcate boundaries between the market and the state as also to resolve conflicts of interest and to allocate resources. If remedial action is not taken, such bodies may become, for all practical purposes, a new branch of government. It is not clear who is accountable to whom and for what. Bureaucracy is happily unaccountable.

Politics has become nastier and murkier. It is too fractious. The toxicity of public discourse is undermining critical thinking. The crescendo of abuse towards political rivals is alarming. Social media has deepened polarisation. It isnt the cause but a conduit. Political class has become a consummate cultural warrior.

Politics is increasingly being reduced to procedures of consensual governance which engages different stakeholders but excludes any voices contesting the hegemonic consensus. This phase has been variously described as post-democracy and post-politics era.

Citizens are treated as conscripts. Citizens are fast losing their power of no. Gandhi taught us how to say no. No is not only a symbol of resistance, it is the strongest word in any language. It implies a halt, a cessation that enough is enough.

Democracy needs opposition, what J K Galbraith calls countervailing power. Quoting John Stuart Mill on how democracy is government by discussion, Amartya Sen argues that if you make discussion fearful, you are not going to get a democracy, no matter how you count the votes.

Democracy also requires a strong citizenry, and not citizens as conscripts. In some countries, citizens assemblies now seem a viable addition to the tools of democratic governance. These assemblies give voice to citizens on complex, value-laden topics outside of what can be the polarising dynamics of electoral politics.

Democracy today exhibits plebiscitary trends and clientelist distribution of offices and resources to loyal soldiers of supporters. India is no exception. We often hear ruling party leaders claim that whosoever wins an election has the popular mandate to govern. Has India become what Guillermo O Donnell calls delegative democracy?

In a delegative democracy, the supreme leader becomes the embodiment of the nation and the main custodian of the national interest. By implication, it means that whatever the prime minister does need not bear any resemblance to what he said or promised during the electoral campaign. Institutional vandalism is there for all to see. Because the government needs to rescue the nation from the crisis, its actions dont always respect democratic institutions.

Delegative democracy is anti-pluralist and, in the end, anti-democratic. What we are attempting at is the re-foundation of the nation and righting the wrongs of history. Prime Minister Narendra Modi often proclaims: Ours is a new India with new methods and policies. The grand narrative of what is new and modern presupposes that it is an incomplete project. It is also imbued with the idea of progress. The problem is that the philosophy of progress rejects cultural pluralism.

Democracy means power coming to where the people are. What is happening today in many parts of the world is the people coming to where the power is.

The day party members and bureaucrats begin falling over themselves to prove their loyalties to a leader by outdoing the other in extremism, democracy dies.

Large sections of people live under hardscrabble conditions. In the midst of massive growth of inequality, there is a grotesque celebration of greed. On all global parameters of democracy, India is slipping. As the Berggruen Institute Governance Index shows, on all the three measures  state capacity, public goods provisioning and democratic accountability, Indias decline is significant.

There is a danger of democracy degenerating into power grabbing. India remains vulnerable to populist demagoguery and the predatory power of cross-border corporate and governing institutions,

What lies ahead is the great unknown. Politics is turning into a one-way mirror. While India remains a democracy at the core, the gamification of democracy is worrying. The self-restraint of the executive has all but disappeared and gatekeepers of the cabinet meant to step in when all else fails have disappeared. The shine came off Indian democracys halo long ago. Today, it is no more a shining beacon of hope.

Myth makes the people, not the people the myth. Modi holds a Manichean vision of the world often taking an anti-elite tone. He not only looms large on Indian politics, he is, today, among the most popular leaders in the world. He owes his success to his ability to keep his narrative people-centric, making a fine distinction between good people and evil elites. He has invented a new notion of people which is anchored in a religiously defined community. What is important is what he says. It is even more important what he doesnt. He smartly seeks to convey through symbols and allusions. However, it is not hard to see how he has attempted to replace unpleasant facts with comfortable fantasies.

There has been genuine progress in some sectors but a positive political narrative is also the result of media grandstanding and statistics being cherry-picked.

India seems to be moving towards post-democracy where formal aspects of democratic institutions remain largely in place while politics and government are increasingly slipping back into the control of privileged groups. Leaders have become big. It is the people and the institutions that have become small.

Great leaders create more leaders, not gobs of followers. In German dramatist Bertolt Breadts play, Life of Galileo, one of the characters says, unhappy land that is in need of heroes.

No democracy is imperishable. In fact, the most notable quality of democracy is its fragility. Democracy often gives its deadly enemies the means by which it is destroyed. John Adams went to the extent of saying that there never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. Democracy is facing a critical crisis globally.

Political parties, core institution of democratic accountability, need to be reformed and strengthened. They need to be rescued from leaders. Weak parties are prone to patronage deals. The political parties have become the hidden world of match-making, who gets what and why. It is time to save democracy from itself.

Democracy has expanded in India but has it deepened? Democracy requires new imagination and constant reaffirmation. We dont know what the best model of democracy is. As Turkish writer Nazim Hikmat says, The most beautiful ocean is the one we have not yet seen. What we know is that peacock dancethree steps forward, one step backwards and spread colourful feathers is not the model to flaunt. Democracy is a journey but also a destination. India hasnt lost the path, but hasnt found the way.



(The author is Director, Institute of Social Sciences, Delhi)
[September 17, 2016] NYU Tandon Professor Siddharth Garg is "Brilliant"

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Popular Science magazine has named Siddharth Garg to its 15th annual Brilliant 10 list, a roundup of young scientists and engineers doing world-changing work. Garg, an assistant professor in NYU Tandon's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was recognized for his work in the field of hardware security, which focuses on outsmarting criminals' attempts to build vulnerabilities into the chips that power everything from computers and smartphones to the systems that run cars, major utilities, public transportation, and nuclear facilities. Popular Science likens Garg's area of expertise to "the premise of a bad supervillain flick," describing the all-too-real potential for tampering during the chip design and manufacturing process. In the past decade, chip production has moved from an "in-house," closely guarded process to one that requires components to circle the globe as they are designed, fabricated, and ultimately installed in products. Where there was once little opportunity for outside vendors to access chip blueprints or circuitry, there are now multiple points at which malicious actors may intervene. Garg, who joined NYU Tandon in 2014, was hailed for developing new strategies for safeguarding chip integrity. In 2015, he discovered serious vulnerabilities in the security of a popular method for camouflaging circuits to deter intellectual property theft. Common wisdom held that these so-called camouflaged gates could withstand thousands of years of hacking before their functionality was discovered. Garg's findings showed that such gates could be reverse-engineered in mere minutes. He ubsequently introduced a novel camouflaging scheme in which the functionality of a chip is dependent on small fluctuations in the concentration of impurities with which the silicon is doped. The optical tools used to "de-layer" a chip for IP theft would be unable to discern the functionality of a chip protected using this method.



Garg was also cited for a visionary technique of "split manufacturing" designed to foil attempts to compromise a chip during the fabrication process. Rather than giving foundries access to a complete chip blueprint, the design plan is split into pieces and divvied up between several foundries. It is far more difficult for a malicious actor to alter a circuit's functionality without access to a full blueprint. Popular Science noted that while others have proposed split manufacturing schemes in the past, Garg is the first to devise mathematical methods of both splitting and reassembling components that can be implemented without prohibitive increases in manufacturing costs. "We are very proud to see another member of the NYU Tandon faculty counted among the Brilliant 10," said NYU Tandon President and Dean of Engineering Katepalli R. Sreenivasan. "Professor Garg is working in one of the most thrilling, complex, and impactful areas of research  there is simply no underestimating the importance of innovation in cybersecurity. We are especially pleased to see a national spotlight on the kind of work that not only advances a scientific field but contributes to the safety and security of society at large."

Garg is the third current NYU Tandon faculty member to be named to the Brilliant 10. Others are Justin Cappos and Maurizio Porfiri. Nicole Abaid, who earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering in Porfiri's lab and is now assistant professor at Virginia Tech, made the list in 2015. "We at Popular Science were blown away by this group of the country's most promising young minds in science and engineering," said executive editor Kevin Gray. "Solutions to the world's most pressing problems are in the hands of this year's Brilliant 10." The Brilliant 10 are featured in the October issue of Popular Science and at popsci.com. http://www.popsci.com/tags/brilliant-10. About the NYU Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, when the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture as well as the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly) were founded. Their successor institutions merged in January 2014 to create a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within the country's largest private research university and is closely connected to engineering programs in NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates business incubators in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu. facebook.com/nyupoly

@nyupoly Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151013/276541LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nyu-tandon-professor-siddharth-garg-is-brilliant-300322920.html SOURCE NYU Tandon School of Engineering

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A Pakistani child who was injured in a suicide bombing is treated at a local hospital in Khar, Pakistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing dozens of worshippers and wounding many others, officials said. Several children were also among those killed or wounded in the deadly attack. (AP Photo/Anwarullah Khan)
Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy

By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat
[September 17, 2016] Accelerated Connections Inc. Acquires OneConnect Services Inc. and Canopco to Become One of Canada's Leading Independent Telecom Companies

TORONTO, Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Accelerated Connections Inc. (ACI) announced today it has acquired OneConnect Services Inc., a large independent business telecommunications provider, as well as hospitality communications division Canopco, from diversified Canadian investment company and telecommunications operator Globalive Capital Inc. With this acquisition, ACI will be poised to compete with the largest incumbent telecom companies in Canada. In a move that will double revenue for ACI, the newly-combined company hits the ground running with more than 100 employees supporting over 1,000 fibre Ethernet connections, over 12,000 Hosted PBX and SIP trunking customers, multiple data centres across the country, over 100 national retail brands, and over 1,000 hotels. The acquisition also translates to wins across all three properties. "This move puts ACI in a position to more effectively compete with Canada's largest incumbent telecom companies," said ACI founder and president Michael Garbe. "This gives us access to a larger portion of the market, an businesses will have more choice when it comes to their service provider."



"For OneConnect and Canopco, it means a larger geographical footprint as well as a brand new colocation offering." Canopco was founded by Globalive 18 years ago and owns much of the communications landscape in the hospitality sector. This move gives ACI the access to the industry they've been looking for. "The merger allows ACI to leverage Canopco's existing network of hotels to aggressively get more clients in the hospitality industry. ACI has recently started to move into hospitality industry connectivity," said Garbe.

"We are pleased with this transaction, which gives OneConnect and Canopco the ability to extend the ACI services to their growing customer base," said Brice Scheschuck, Chief Executive Officer of Globalive Capital Inc. "With the combined companies' complementary strengths, ACI, OneConnect and Canopco will be able to meet the growing demands of the marketplace and offer even more customers an alternative, independent communications solution." Related Links OneConnect Services Inc. Canopco This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/accelerated-connections-inc-acquires-oneconnect-services-inc-and-canopco-to-become-one-of-canadas-leading-independent-telecom-companies-300323873.html SOURCE Accelerated Connections Inc.

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Astiyak Ahmed, 14, has a monthly routine he cant afford to miss. Since the age of two, he, along with his father, has been visiting the paediatric thalassaemia unit of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital at Sion in Mumbai. Astiyak has thalassaemia major, a genetic disease that reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells, causing severe anaemia. Every month on the 21st or so, he undergoes blood transfusion. He spends those four hours playing games or watching movies on his fathers phone.

One could mistake Astiyak for an eight-year-old, owing to his frail figurehe weighs just 30kgand short stature. His growth has been stunted, a common side-effect of the disease. Most thalassaemia patients have iron depositions in their organs like liver and heart because of frequent blood transfusions. The iron deposition in the body also affects their thyroid and pituitary glands, affecting growth and weakening bones, says Dr Mamta Manglani, head of paediatric haematology-oncology at the hospital. Though the excess iron is toxic, most patients have to undergo transfusions all their life.

Bone marrow transplants through siblings or a matching unrelated donor are the main cure for thalassaemia patients. Four young patients have been cured since last August thanks to the new bone marrow transplant unit at the Sion hospital. Patients have a 25 per cent chance of finding a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donor in their siblings. HLA are proteins or markers that help the immune system identify which cells belong to the body. Astiyak can't get a bone marrow from his sister as he is over the ideal age of eight and has hepatitis C, acquired from blood transfusion. For now, all doctors can do is give him blood transfusions and prevent complications.

A NEW TOOL ON THE BLOCK

Thalassaemia is caused by the mutation of a single nucleotide or letter, which is one of the building blocks of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA contains our unique genetic code) and ribonucleic acid (RNA is like a copy of the DNA that carries instructions from it to make proteins), in the haemoglobin gene in a genome of more than 3 billion such letters. If doctors can somehow find a way to fix this mutation, the disease can be cured. CRISPR-Cas9, a new genome engineering tool, offers hope. If it becomes a part of clinical practice, patients like Astiyak would no longer need a bone marrow transplant. It would be possible to use the patients own cells to repair gene mutations.

Mapping Disease: Prof S. Ramaswamy of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine | Bhanu Prakash Chandra

Such possibilities have, therefore, caused excitement in the scientific community. Hundreds of papers have been published since the tool was first developed in 2012. There is, however, a patent war waging between two renowned universities in the United States. Molecular biologist Jennifer Doudna of the University of California and Emanuelle Charpentier, now at Umea University in Sweden, published a paper in 2012 on the enzyme Cas9 that perfectly cuts the DNA. In 2013, Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology published a paper showing how CRISPR-Cas9 can be used on mammalian cells.

But the battle over ownership hasn't deterred numerous labs the world over to use the tool in their studies to uncover the mysteries lying in the genomic code of organisms. Among a flurry of research papers and ethical debates, some researchers claim the tool is ready to be used on humans. This July, Chinese researchers from Sichuan University were the first ones in the world to get approval to use CRISPR-Cas9 on lung cancer patients.

While most researchers think it is too early to be used in humans, CRISPR-Cas9 has immense potential. What makes it different from earlier genetic engineering tools like zinc finger nucleases and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) is the ease of use and precision. What usually took specialised infrastructure with bulky machines and months of engineering in the lab can now be done in a matter of weeks in any well-equipped microbiology lab. It has brought down the cost and time significantly and has democratised gene editing. In fact, labs can even outsource the engineering part to companies specialising in it for a cost. It has become the most widely used tool for gene editing and has been announced as Science magazines breakthrough tool for 2015. There are speculations that the researchers behind the technique will soon win a Nobel Prize for their work, which would be a rare feat as it has been only four years since its discovery.

Already, CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to create genetically modified mosquitoes that do not spread malaria, repair genes that cause blindness, prevent HIV infections in cells, cure hepatitis and arrest the spread of cancer cells. It has been widely used in fruit flies, zebra fish and even primates. There was a furore when Chinese researchers announced that they have used the technology in human embryonic cells. Eyeing the innumerable commercial uses and popularity of this technique, investments worth billions of dollars ride on its research by pharmaceutical companies.

Memory charm: Aparna Ashok of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, is using CRISPR-Cas9 to better understand Alzheimer's disease | Bhanu Prakash Chandra

WHAT DOES IT DO?

CRISPR-Cas9 was developed while studying the defence mechanism of bacteria against viruses. Scientists found that certain sections of DNA were frequently repeated in some bacteria. They called it clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats aka CRISPR. They later found that the bacteria use CRISPR as a database for the viruses it has encountered. When attacked by a virus, the bacteria use CRISPR to produce an RNA matching that of the virus. These together produce an enzyme Cas9, which cuts the genetic material of the virus, disabling it. If it can work in virus, it could also be used to cut any DNA at specific locations, including those of humans, thought researchers.

CRISPR-Cas9 has two componentsa guide RNA that finds and binds to the desired location in the gene and Cas9 that cuts the DNA at the location. When the cell tries to repair at the cut, there are errors in the sequence that cause mutations, which disable the gene. This helps to study the impact of the particular gene on the organism. Alternatively, by providing a corrected template of DNA that fits at the cut ends, researchers are hoping to cure genetic diseases in humans.

ARE WE CLOSE TO A CURE YET?

Most of the work with the tool is currently being conducted on animals and in vitro in labs. Researchers say even though we sequenced the human genome 15 years ago, we still dont know everything about human genes.

Engineering comes from this understanding that makes you predict what kind of properties you will see. This kind of understanding does not exist in biology today, says Professor S. Ramaswamy of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Bengaluru's National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). Just because we have the tools to build a bridge does not mean we should build a bridge when we dont know how much load the bridge can take. While he himself doesnt work with the technology, he chairs the department of biotechnologys task force on genome engineering. He says though the technology is still evolving and is not ready to be used in humans, it is still important as it helps ask specific questions about various life processes in organisms. With CRISPR-Cas9, it is now possible to tweak a single gene and study its properties or create conditions mimicking human disease in animals or stem cells. Whether it is in plants or humans or animals, the understanding of mechanism by which a disease is caused is where the big impact is, he says. Only when we understand, can we fix the problem. You cannot correct in predictable fashion if you dont understand. In the next 15 years, there will be a dramatic opening of our understanding of molecular basis of disease mechanism.

WORK IN INDIA

A major breakthrough in stem cell technology along with CRISPR-Cas9 is responsible for this fast-developing field in genomics. In 2006, Japanese Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka and colleagues developed iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cell) technology, which showed that by increased expression of just four genes any adult cell can be converted into stem cells, capable of developing into any kind of cell. Researchers can, for example, take your blood cells and turn them into cells of the heart, liver or brain, which are genetically identical to you.

Using CRISPR-Cas9 and iPSCs, a team of researchers at NCBS and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences are trying to better understand Alzheimers disease. APOE is a gene that is associated with the late onset of Alzheimers disease. APOE4 is a fairly common variant of this gene, present in 11-16 per cent of the population. Though having the variant increases the risk for the disease, not all those who have the variant end up with Alzheimers. ResearchersPhD scholar Aparna Ashok and Dr Mitradas Panicker of NCBS, Dr Sanjeev Jain, Dr Mathew Varghese and Dr Meera Purushottam of NIMHANS, and Dr Odity Mukherjee of InStemare using patient samples to create stem cell lines with variants of APOE and study its impact on the disease. Ashok, who is the one using CRISPR-Cas9, says they have already edited the APOE gene within the stem cells since starting work about a year ago. This is the first Indian study using both genomics and biology to create cellular models of late onset Alzheimers disease, targeted at the Indian population, and is expected to provide important insights, says Mukherjee. This kind of specific targeted gene editing is achieved using CRISPR-Cas9. Previously, you could do it [genome editing] but it was a herculean task, says Panicker. You had to use large numbers of cells, use complicated DNA constructs and the desired change occurred usually at very low frequency. With this technology, you can do it in a few weeks, be very precise and reproduce it very rapidly to confirm the results.

This kind of precision is also helping Dr Deepa Subramanyam and her colleagues at the National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, ask vital questions about stem cells. They are trying to find out what kind of changes happen in the stem cells when they change from stem cells to other types of cells. They are specifically asking what role does the movement of molecules in stem cells play in their differentiation to other types of cells. Though they are studying stem cells of mice currently, the process would be similar for humans and plays an important role in making regenerative medicine safer, she says. Using fluorescent tagging of proteins, it is now possible to observe the changes in protein expression without fixing the cell that results in killing it. We are using CRISPR-Cas9 to engineer specific mutations in genes that are of importance to us and engineer labels, so that you can track things in real time, says Subramanyam.

Calling CRISPR-Cas9 a quantum leap for life sciences, Dr Sanjeev Galande, professor of biology at Indian Institute of Scientific Education and Research, Pune, says it has inspired a wave of studies on specific genes by altering them. His lab has used the technique to study how the embryonic stem cells change into all the other cell types and how cancer cells turn metastatic and spread to other tissues. His lab is also trying to understand the mechanism by which one X chromosome in females is turned inactive. There are about 12 projects using CRISPR-Cas9 in his lab of 22 researchers and they do the whole process in-house. Once you adopt it for one process, it is easy. What changes is just the guide RNA. The technology spreads like wildfire in the lab. Once someone learns it in the lab, it is cool, others jump to learn it. How popular a technology gets at the clinic level depends on how popular it is at the lab level, he says, Now almost all modern labs have started thinking about this technology. It is just a matter of a few years by when it will be in the clinics or at least in clinical trials.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

One of the crucial reasons scientists and researchers still arent keen to use CRISPR-Cas9 to edit genes in humans is because of off-target effects; despite its precision, the tool impacts other locations than the one intended, causing undesired mutations. Right now, researchers sequence the genome after editing to know whether it has been changed, but the full impact of the mutation in the gene may be understood only years later.

Dr D. Sundar, associate professor, department of biochemical engineering and biotechnology, IIT Delhi, and his team are working on designing a tool that will predict the ideal target for CRISPR-Cas9 and improve its overall accuracy. When you are talking about using it on humans, it has to be more precise than it is and our tool will help increase its efficiency, he says. This kind of focus on off-targets is uncommon and the paper on their tool will be published soon, he informs.

Tracing Thoughts: Dr Odity Mukherjee of InStem, who is also working on the Alzheimer's study | Bhanu Prakash Chandra

Another challenge is that editing the gene in all the billions of cells of the body is an uphill task. So you have to start in a place where the cells can multiply and become larger and larger in numbers, like the bone marrow, says Galande. But still, there are issues like how you can deliver therapy there. This is a scientific issue that has to be worked out together by researchers in labs and the doctors in clinics. Another widely cited concern by scientists is gene drive, where the edited genes are inherited faster than in nature, possibly dominating the gene pool.

WHERE DO WE STOP?

While it may take 10 to 15 years to see it being applied in humans, plenty of revolutionary research is being done with the technology across the world. MIT Technology Review had reported that three US institutes were working on growing human tissue inside pigs to harvest organs like liver, heart and kidneys for transplantation using CRISPR-Cas9 and iPSC technique. Another team from South Korea created 'double-muscled' pigs by genetic editing that would be suitable for human consumption. Some Chinese companies like BGI are using the gene editing technique to create tiny pigs to be sold as pets. A Harvard Medical School team claims to have created elephant cells with 14 genes from woolly mammoth that can increase cold tolerance. There are plans to release endangered Asiatic elephants tolerant to cold in north Siberia.

However, not everyone is excited about some of these eccentric propositions, with fiery ethical debates raging on how far we should attempt to meddle with our genes. Many fear that the gene editing tool might end up in wrong hands and lead to dangerous consequences. Others say there will be a demand to create tailor-made babies with desirable traits. A few others are scared about the impact of these organisms on the environment. Last December, a group of ethicists and researchers from the US, China and the UK debated on using the gene editing tool in human beings. They agreed that research could be done on human embryos and germ-line cellssequence of cells that develop into eggs and spermsbut these embryos cannot lead to pregnancy.

Also, each country has its own guidelines in dealing with these tricky issues. The US National Institutes of Health do not fund any research involving the use of human embryos. It is, however, allowed in China. The Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines, on the other hand, prohibit germ-line cell editing.

Some scientists dont think the fear and hype are justified. Historically, every time there has been a breakthrough technology, the end-of-the-world prediction has been constant. But it has never happened, says Ramaswamy. He says the possibility of someone creating something dangerous from the technology is infinitesimally small and should not be used as an excuse to unfairly restrict the progress of science.

While agreeing that it is too early for CRISPR-Cas9 to be used in humans, Subramanyam says we need to have faith in regulatory bodies to ensure that it is not used before the required approval. Because the flip side is so much more powerful," she says. "If you can generate a type of tissue that will help a sick individual, I think that type of power is so much greater than the possibility that there will be some crazy person who would want to clone people.

WHAT IS A GENE?

Each cell of our body contains a genome or a complete set of DNA in its nucleus. Each strand of DNA contains millions of tiny nucleotides named A (adenine), C (cytosine), T (thymine) and G (guanine). A gene is a part of the DNA that is coded for information that builds a specific protein using the four letters. Human beings have 20,000 genes and many of them are responsible for our health.

WHAT IS GENE MUTATION?

Gene mutation is a change in the DNA sequence of A,C,T, G owing to errors in DNA replication or owing to environmental factors. This results in a change in the kind of protein synthesised. Most gene mutations are detected and corrected by the cells, while a few become permanent. Gene mutations cause genetic variation in the species and can be inherited. Some mutations cause diseases.

WHAT IS GENE EDITING

It is a type of genetic engineering where parts of DNA are edited, inserted or removed using molecular scissors called nucleases. There are three types of genome-editing toolszinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) and the latest CRISPR-Cas9. CRISPR-Cas9 is the cheapest, fastest and the most precise of the tools. CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to cause changes at multiple locations at once, which help to study and understand complex genetic conditions.
FOOD SECURITY

Paswan said that the food and consumer affairs ministry has send an ultimatum to Kerala and Tamil Nadu asking them to implement the NFS Act at the earliest
Having worked in the United States in the field of big data and analytics for more than a decade, Gaurav Vohra and Sarita Digumarti believed in the power of big data and analytics. They felt that all companies, no matter what size, rely on data and analytics to make critical business decisions.

From understanding consumer behaviour to predicting market trends, even right down to product features, many moves are driven by analytics and data in companies across the world. Looking at the huge opportunity being presented by big data analytics, they thought that it was the need of the hour to skill professionals in this field. In 2010, back from the US, they decided to start their venture Jigsaw Academy in Bengaluru that specialises in imparting online training to professionals in the field of big data and analytics.

The analytics and big data sector has seen consistent growth in the last five years despite an increasingly uncertain global outlook. The advanced analytics market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 33.2 per cent and big data at a CAGR of 26.4 per cent, almost six to eight times that of the overall IT markets. We wanted to bridge the gap between the demand and supply for qualified, industry ready professionals by training individuals as well as corporate participants in widely used technologies and tools in big data processing and analysis. The volume of data generated is growing exponentially and data processing requirements are getting more and more complex and a data scientist profile requires a mix of skills that are hard to find in the current scenario. They need programming skills plus statistics plus business backgrounds, Vohra who is the co-founder and the CEO of the company told THE WEEK.

Both the co founders have observed that the demand for skilled data professionals is coming from almost every field. For instance, an e-commerce company tries to gauge the interest and behaviour of its customers and accounts that are in the form of information and data. This data can be used to create a more personalised experience for a customer whenever he or she visits their website. Similarly there is a lot of structured and unstructured data in a cement company. This data can be used by the cement company to take strategic business decisions. Data analysts can come very handy for different set ups, added Vohra.

The academy runs different courses in the field which involve analytics for beginners, big data for beginners, analytics for leaders, domain and advanced courses such as financial analytics, retail analytics, HR analytics, advanced certification in retail analytics and advanced certification in financial analytics. Besides this, the academy has analytics workshops which involve corporate training and college workshops. The course fee varies from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 for each course and the average course is for six months. Ever since its inception the Jigsaw Academy has trained over 40,000 students across 30 plus countries. The company which started with a handful of employees has today a strength of around 155 people and has been funded by the Manipal Global Education Services.
Police have launched a massive search for an Additional Director General (ADG) of Doordarshan who has been missing since Friday afternoon after reporting for duty, police said on Saturday.

According to police, the DD official, identified as Jayant M. Kharche, went missing from his office in Mandi House.

He was staying in south Delhi's Andrews Ganj area with his family.

"We received a call from the family members of the officer around 11 p.m.," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal told IANS.

"He was seen coming out of the office around 1.30 p.m. on Friday. Even his mobile phone is switched off, so we have launched a massive manhunt for him," the officer added.

"Several teams have been deployed at the airport, railway stations and hospitals to find the officer," Narwal said.

Police has also checked the call details of the officer and are investigating the matter.

A missing case has been registered at Tilak Marg police station, police said.
A fresh squabble broke out between the Delhi government and the LG office on Saturday as Water Minister Kapil Mishra alleged that Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had "refused" to meet him and Health Minister Satyendar Jainwhich was promptly denied by the LG office.

Mishra said that he along with Jain had gone to meet the LG after Jung on Friday night asked Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to immediately return to Delhi from Finland in the wake of rising cases of vector-borne diseases.

"We thought there must be some urgency that is why LG sent a fax to Manishji yesterday (Friday) asking him to return immediately. So we went to meet him to know about the issue. But when we reached his office, we were apprised that he won't be coming to office as today (Saturday) being a weekend day.

"When we contacted him on phone, Jung told Satyendar Jain that he was not at home and could not meet us. Today (Saturday) LG doesn't want to discuss work," Mishra alleged.

The Lt. Governor's Office swiftly denied Mishra's charge that Jung had refused to meet the two ministers.

In a statement, the Lt. Governor Office said both the ministers had come without "either seeking prior appointment" from Jung or intimating him of their visit, to discuss the vector-borne disease situation.

"The Lt. Governor's office came to know of their visit only through the media gathered outside, who had prior information that they were going to visit the LG office," the statement said.

Lt. Governor's office stated that Jung's secretary met the ministers since the Lt. Governor's office is operational all days of the week.

"However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt. Governor," it said.

Asked if he had taken a prior appointment, Mishra said: "We cannot wait for the appointment when such an outbreak of vector-borne disease is on in Delhi."

He alleged that the Lt. Governor had "blocked" his number and was not taking his calls.

The LG office also accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of politicising the issue.

"It is regrettable that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to politicise the issue instead of providing succour to the public," the statement said.

Sisodia is in Finland on a tour to study the education framework there to improve the standard of education in Delhi government schools.

Sisodia on Friday denied he was holidaying in Finland, saying India needed to learn a "lot from their education system, the best in the world".
Did they just declare another holiday? I dont want a special class on Saturday, said my seven-year-old son, disturbed and amused at the same time. Who are these people? Why are they burning buses? he asked, watching the violence on news channels. I had the same questions. A schoolmate from Pune pinged, Hope its not a repeat of 1991!.

For me, as a schoolgirl, the Cauvery row had only meant holidays. But the violence reported in newspapers had been unsettling. The hatred for the water snatchers came naturally to innocent kids and immature adults, thanks in part to cunning politicians. When asked about it, the elders at home could only sigh. Little did we realise that a water dispute had pitched Kannadigas against Tamils. The political opponents of the then chief minister S. Bangarappa had alleged that the anti-Tamil violencethat claimed lives, destroyed property and led to exodus of Tamilswas state-sponsored. But what every peace-loving Kannadiga knew for sure was that the opportunists had won.

On September 12, familiar visuals of arson and mob fury flashed on television screens, soon after the Supreme Court spelt out the verdictKarnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu daily, till September 20. Farmers in Karnataka, who had completed sowing in five lakh hectares, were distraught at the thought of having to part with more water for the samba (rice) crops in Tamil Nadu. Buses were torched, stones were flung at buildings and the police, and roads were blocked. Tamils were the target. Curfews were imposed in some parts of the state and two people were killed in Bengaluru. One was shot in police firing while another jumped from a three-storey building to escape police lathi charge.

A familiar city had become a total stranger. Mobs destroyed the sense of security one experienced in the once sleepy city which, even after the IT boom, retained its reputation as a peace-loving place.

Newsrooms in Bengaluru came alive, but the media decided to play down the violence to prevent a flareup of emotions. But the lure of TRPs took over. Many journalists held on to their conscience, fighting the temptation to share the (unverified) visuals of rioting, lest it disturb peace. Netizens, surprisingly, exercised restraint and social media ensured rumours were countered with appeals for peace and warnings to mischief mongers.

Fired up over water: Charred remains of buses in Bengaluru | Bhanu Prakash Chandra

As violence spread rapidly to Mysuru, Mandya and Hassan, there was little doubt that it was an organised unleashing of terror. The Central Reserve Police Force and Karnataka State Reserve Police descended on the streets of Bengaluru. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Tamil counterpart J. Jayalalithaa wrote letters to each other seeking protection for their people and property. After a quick location check of my extended family, I sent messages to my non-Kannadiga friends stranded in their offices, telling them to stick to English, leave their Tamil Nadu registration vehicles in office and reach home safely. Paranoia had set in.

The Cauvery has always been like family, bringing only fond memories. Paschimavahini in Srirangapatna is where the ashes of our beloved are immersed. The tube rafting along the backwater canals in Pandavapura amid lush sugarcane fields, the memories of watching film shootings, the gushing and whistling sounds of the river in the Visveswariah canal at Krishna Raja Sagara Dam, are all testimony to this unique bond. Cauvery nammadu (the Cauvery is ours) is no mere slogan when it comes from the heart of a Cauvery basin dweller.

But now, once again, as part of a decades-old water dispute, a verdict on sharing water during a distress year has fuelled regional politics, hijacked peace and made farmers on both sides vulnerable.

In 2007, the final order of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal was out and was gazetted in 2013. It directed Karnataka to release 192 tmc to Tamil Nadu annually, which is measured at Biligundlu, on the border. When there is a good monsoon, Karnataka allows free flow of water from its reservoirs, which exceeds both the expectations of Tamil Nadu farmers and the stipulated quota of water. The water war begins only when the monsoon fails. The upper riparian state finds it difficult to adhere to the month-wise allocation, and the lower riparian state, insisting on compliance, knocks on the Supreme Court door, bypassing the supervisory committee constituted to monitor and review the situation.

Police disperse pro-Kannada activists during protests | PTI

A decade into journalism, I ventured into the troubled waters, painstakingly read the tribunal orders, watched the political speak of parties and the government, argued with legal experts, visited the river basin, and shared the wisdom and concerns of farmers. Yet, I found that every drought year brought a sense of helplessness as the same political games played out, the courts gave predictable verdicts, protests disrupted lives and livelihood, water was released to Tamil Nadu, the state legal team was called names and the Karnataka government got a breather as soon as the southwest monsoon in Karnataka receded and the northeast monsoon arrived in Tamil Nadu.

While the riparian states are still debating the distress sharing formula, and even the total yield in the reservoirs, the tribunal order seems to be more a hurdle than a facilitator. There is an urgent need to expand cultivable area, build additional storages to tap a good monsoon and mitigate water shortages.

Long before it got the IT city tag, Bengaluru had carved a reputation of a friendly cosmopolitan city. While Kannada hardliners rue that Kannada is sandwiched between ennada and ekkada, referring to the huge Tamil and Telugu speaking population, it was never the trigger for violence. Identity politics seems to be the new tool of vested interest groups.

As I sat quietly wondering if the scientific community should find its voice in the cacophony of political rhetoric to end the Cauvery logjam, my son walked in. If we cannot share, we should create another river for ourselves, he ruled.
Leading event in Florida focuses on Channel, MSPs, APIs, Enterprise Communications, Hot Topics in Tech and Communication and Service Provider Trends

Norwalk, CTSeptember 15, 2016 TMC announced today the conference program for ITEXPO Florida, being held February 8-10, 2017 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale. ITEXPO is the communications and business transformation event where influential buyers gather to make their purchase decisions. The enterprise mid-market, resellers and service providers attend for three full days of content, six collocated events, powerful keynotes, an interactive exhibit floor and hours of dedicated networking time.

The communications industry is experiencing exciting growth as many vendors are developing new and innovative product and services. ITEXPO continues to reflect this evolution and weve never before had so much insightful content in one event, said Rich Tehrani, TMC CEO and conference chairman. Companies of all sizes and from all sectors will join us at ITEXPO, and we look forward to helping them develop new business relationships and to adopt more intelligent solutions that will transform their businesses.

The Conference Program Includes:

Keynote Presentations announced to date:

Fritz Hendricks, President at Onvoy

Sumit Dhawan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, End User Computing at VMware

IDEA Showcase - Startup Pitch Event

All About the API

Enabling the API Economy

What Companies Think about when they Formulate their API Strategy

Panel: Creating Contexual Experiences by Embedding Voice and Messaging into Apps

Panel: Bringing Telecom Innovation to Market Faster with APIs

Tips for Adding Real-time Communications to Your

What App Users Want from APIs

Panel: Raising The Bar for SMS - How Cloud Communications APIs are Driving Innovation in Legacy Telco Service

Panel: Common Mistakes to Avoid when Building your API

Consequences of an Unhealthy API  What Businesses Need to Know

Mobile-first Communications APIs and The Mobile Last Mile

Managing the API Lifecycle for Successful Development and Adoption

Panel: What MSPs Need to Know About APIs

Turbocharge your API Strategy with SDK

Moving Toward a Modular Enterprise

Panel: The Embedded Communications Revolution: How WebRTC will Change Everything

Business Communications Essentials

Communicating and Collaborating with Different Generations in the Workforce

The Case for UC Diagnostics

Panel: Unlocking Worker Productivity through Mobile Devices

Intellicom Analytics Research

Enterprise Communications: It's Personal

Panel: Cut the UC Hype: Which Deployment Model is Right for You?

Hot Topics in Tech and Communications

From CIO to CDO: How to Drive Innovation and Value with Data

Leveraging Analytics for Business Intelligence

Panel: How will Machine Learning and AI Impact Businesses?

Panel: Demystifying SD-WAN

Update: International Cloud Computing Standards

Containerization as an Alternative to Traditional Virtualization

Women in Tech

Chillin' Like a Villain: Applying Critical Thinking to Security

Adaptive Security: The Next Layer of Defense

How Businesses are Embracing VR

Panel: New Revenue Opportunities with Communications Apps

Threat Actors Explored: Grandmothers, Gangsters, Guerrillas and Governments

They Work for Us, Litigating Away the Innovation in Internet Security

Panel: Emerging Technologies Likely to Influence Your Business

MSP Expo

Finding Your Niche in the Cloud

The Modern MSP: Recurring Revenues and New Business Opportunities from Office 365

Panel: So You Want to Build a Successful Hosted Cloud Communications Business

Panel: How to Differentiate Your Telecom, Managed, Hosted, and Cloud Services for Revenue Growth

Moving from MSP to MSSP for Fun and Profit

Why Automation is Critical for MSPs to Succeed

Panel: How Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is Reshaping Managed Services in the 21st Century

The Emergence of Workplace as a Service

CyberSecurity as a Managed Service

Managed Network Services for Small Businesses

Become Indispensable: How to Become "Sticky" and Make Your Clients Love You

Panel: What Every SMB Wants to KNow about MSPs  and the Right Answers

Service Provider Trends and Topics

Mobility and Software Solutions for Asset Lifecycle Management and Capex Optimization

Panel: The Growth & Importance of Data Analytics

Panel: The Evolution of Networks and Services: How Virtualization is Shaping the Solutions of Tomorrow

Virtualizing the Network: Lowering CAPEX, OPEX and Increasing Flexibility

Talking Analytics in the Age of Software Defined Networks

Monetizing Communications Services in a Digital World

SIP Forum

Panel: Why Are Operators Struggling with Digital Transformation?

Protecting Your Customers in a Digital Economy

What's New in Enterprise Communications

Making Skype for Business Work for Your Business

Context, Wearables, and WebRTC: Communications Next

Intellicom Analytics Research

Panel: Expanding WebRTC Capabilities Beyond the Typical Use Cases

Panel: Digital Transformation: Are You Using the Right Tools to Collaborate?

Surviving the eFlood: Using Technology to Avoid Drowning in Email

Panel: Expect the Unexpected: Whats Next for Enterprise Networks

To be considered for speaking opportunities in any of these sessions please complete the online form https://www.itexpo.com/east/call-for-papers.aspx. ITEXPO speakers must adhere 100% to TMCs no commercialism policy. If speakers cannot avoid commercialism, please do not submit a proposal. Questions regarding speaking opportunities at ITEXPO should be sent to Dave Rodriguez at 203-852-6800 x146 or Erik Linask at 203-852-6800 x284.

ITEXPO is supported by Diamond Sponsor: Digium; Platinum Sponsors: 888VoIP, Fiber Mountain, Grandstream, Sangoma, Sansay, Yealink; Gold Sponsors: ABP Tech, NetSapiens, Snom, Teli, Taqua, Vitelity and Vodia Networks.

For more information or to register for ITEXPO, contact Frank Coppola at 203-852-6800 x131. For media inquiries, contact Jessica Seabrook. Companies interested in exhibiting, sponsorship or advertising packages for ITEXPO should contact TMC's Joe Fabiano at 203-852-6800 x132 or Maureen Gambino at 203-852-6800 x109.

For the latest ITEXPO news, updates and information follow the event on Twitter at @ITEXPO.

About TMC

Global buyers rely on TMCs content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. This presents branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities for vendors/sellers.

TMCs Marketplaces:

Unique, turnkey Online Communities boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking.

boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking. Custom Lead Programs uncover sales opportunities and build databases.

uncover sales opportunities and build databases. In-Person and Online Events boost brands, enhance thought leadership and generate leads.

and boost brands, enhance thought leadership and generate leads. Publications , Display Advertising and Newsletters bolster brand reputations.

, and bolster brand reputations. Custom Content provides expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts.

provides expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts. Comprehensive Event and Road Show Management Services help companies meet potential clients and generate leads face-to-face.

For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit www.tmcnet.com.

Media and Analyst Contact:

Jessica Seabrook

Marketing Director

TMC

203-852-6800 x 170

[email protected]

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Edited by Alicia Young
The management of the Shalom Hotel in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Yerushalayim is thinking about expanding the building to add additional rooms while community rabbonim are opposed. They fear an expansion will bring additional visitors and tourists which will result in a compromise in the level of tznius in the community.

The local planning board headed by Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman on Wednesday afternoon 11 Elul convened to discuss the plan. The hotel currently has 280 rooms and it wishes to add another 170 rooms. The planning board rejected the request citing planning and transportation issues in the area as well as explaining the area is zoned as a residential neighborhood and enlarging the hotel would compromise the character of the area.

Kikar News adds the community rabbonim worked hard to enlist the support of the experts, who presented opposition to the plan based on the professional considerations detailed above, succeeding in defeating the planned project. It is added the opinion of the area rabbonim is unanimous in their opposition to the expansion plan.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Results of a new study at the University of Haifa have found that no difference in the risk of developing schizophrenia between second-generations Holocaust survivors and those whose parents were not exposed to the Holocaust.

However, an examination of various sub-groups showed that second-generation survivors whose parents were babies during the Holocaust are at higher risk of suffering from a more severe course of schizophrenia. Likely these are transmitted from the parental environment to the child commented Prof. Stephen Levine, the lead author of the study. The study was undertaken by Prof. Stephen Levine and Prof. Itzhak Levav of the Department of Community Mental Health at the University of Haifa, together with Ms. Inna Pugachova, Ms. Rinat Yoffe, and Ms. Yifat Becher of the Ministry of Health.

The study was based on information on 51,233 individuals who immigrated to Israel through 1966, and was made possible thanks to the cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health, with funds from Israel Science Foundation and published in Schizophrenia Research. The research population included individuals who experienced the Holocaust directly, while the comparison group comprised of individuals who immigrated to Israel before the Holocaust began in their respective country of origin. All the second-generation subjects were born between 1948 and 1989, and were followed through 2014 to ascertain whether or not they suffered from schizophrenia.

The question of the impact of exposure to the Holocaust among second-generation survivors is the subject of disagreement among researchers. Clinic-based studies have found that trauma increases psychopathology in the offspring of Holocaust survivors, while community based studies have found that there is no such effect among adult s, as noted by Levav and collaborators in two large representative samples in Israel

The researchers sought to examine whether parental Holocaust exposure is associated with schizophrenia among second-generation survivors. The good news is that the association was not significant.

However, a more specific inquiry showed that offspring to mothers with Holocaust exposures in the womb only were 1.7 times more likely to have a more severe course of the disorder. Similarly, offspring to mothers exposed to the Holocaust in the in the womb and thereafter were 1.5 more likely to have a more severe course than persons not exposed. Among offspring to fathers exposed in the womb and thereafter were 1.5 times, and those whose fathers exposed at ages 12 had offspring with similar risk to have a worse course of the disorder than persons not exposed.

Transgenerational genocide exposure was unrelated to the risk of schizophrenia in the offspring, but was related to a course of deterioration in schizophrenia during selected parental critical periods of early life. This implies an epigenetic mechanism  namely arising from environmental influences on the way genes expressed themselves. The findings inform health policy decision makers about refugees who suffered from extreme adversity, and extend existing results regarding the transgenerational transfer of the effects of famine and stress in parental early life.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
From Watergate to Deflategate, scandals involving prominent public figures invariably revolve around the same questions: What did they know, and when did they know it?

As two former allies of Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie prepare to go on trial Monday for closing access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in September 2013, allegedly in an act of political revenge, it is Christies version of events that has fueled the most speculation.

What the governor knew and when he knew it are just two of many questions still being asked after three years, three separate investigations and the release of thousands of pages of private texts and emails.



WHEN DID CHRISTIE LEARN THE LANE CLOSURES HAD BEEN ORDERED BY SUBORDINATES?

Christie said in December 2013 no one in his office was involved. A month later, he said he was heartbroken to learn deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly, one of two defendants on trial next week, lied to him. Yet a former Christie staffer  who is expected to testify at the trial  texted a colleague during that December news conference that the governor flat out lied, according to a court filing last month. Christie denies he lied.



WHO ARE THE UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATORS, HOW HIGH-RANKING WERE THEY AND HOW DEEPLY WERE THEY INVOLVED?

Media organizations sued to get the list but were denied by a federal appeals court after an unidentified person on the list filed a motion to stop its release. The list itself likely wont be introduced at trial, but defense attorneys are expected to use the names on it to try to show the alleged scheme extended far beyond Kelly and Bill Baroni, a former executive of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The U.S. attorneys office has said the unindicted co-conspirators either were cooperating with the investigation or were otherwise not charged because there wasnt believed to be enough evidence to convict them. Christie has said its highly doubtful hes on the list.



WHAT WILL DAVID WILDSTEINS TESTIMONY REVEAL?

The former political blogger and director of interstate capital projects at the Port Authority pleaded guilty in May 2015 and told a judge the scheme was aimed at punishing Democratic Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who hadnt endorsed Christies re-election. Wildstein hasnt spoken publicly since the scandal broke, but his attorney, Alan Zegas, has said evidence exists to establish Christie knew of the lane closures while they were occurring. Zegas has offered no further details.



WAS BARONI ACTING ON ANYONES ORDERS WHEN HE TOLD A LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE THE LANE CLOSURES WERE PART OF A TRAFFIC STUDY?

Jurors likely will watch the video of Baronis appearance in which he engaged in frequently testy exchanges with lawmakers, some of whom he had sparred with previously when he was a state senator.



WHATS ON CHRISTIES PHONE?

Defense attorneys have subpoenaed the cellphone of Christie and other high-ranking staffers at the time of the lane closures and their aftermath. They have accused the U.S. attorneys office of not aggressively pursuing since-deleted text messages between the governor and a subordinate sent during Baronis legislative testimony.

(AP)
The Associated Press and two other news organizations sued the FBI on Friday to learn who the government paid and how much it spent to hack into an iPhone in its investigation into last years San Bernardino, California, massacre.

The lawsuit seeks records about the FBIs contract with an unidentified vendor who provided a tool to unlock the phone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, who with his wife killed 14 people at a holiday gathering of county workers in December 2015.

Gannett Co., which owns USA Today, and Vice Media LLC joined the complaint with the AP, seeking to learn more about the mysterious transaction that cut short a legal dispute in which the government sought to force Apple Inc. to unlock the phone.

Understanding the amount that the FBI deemed appropriate to spend on the tool, as well as the identity and reputation of the vendor it did business with, is essential for the public to provide effective oversight of government functions and help guard against potential improprieties, said the suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

In rejecting earlier requests to divulge the information, the government said revealing the records could affect enforcement proceedings, but did not elaborate.

The case stems from the FBIs announcement in March that it had purchased a tool to unlock the iPhone, aborting the court fight with Apple that had in turn triggered a debate about the proper balance between electronic privacy and national security.

The FBI for weeks had maintained that only Apple could help it unlock the phone. At the Justice Departments request, a magistrate judge in February directed Apple to create software that would bypass security features on the phone so that the FBI could get into the device and scour it for potential evidence. Apple contested the order, saying the FBIs demand set a dangerous precedent and could undercut security protections for its customers.

The two sides were headed for a court showdown when Justice Department officials revealed that a party outside the U.S. government brought it a potential solution to unlock the phone. The FBI said a week later it successfully unlocked the phone using the tool. The suit cites media reports as saying investigators did not find any links to foreign extremist groups.

The FBI would not say how much the solution cost or reveal how it worked. It also refused to share the information with Apple, which had expressed concern that circumventing its security protections could compromise its products.

The suit by the media organizations argues that there was no legal basis to withhold the information and challenges the adequacy of the FBIs search for relevant records. It also said the public has a right to know whether the vendor has adequate security measures, is a proper recipient of government funds and will act only in the public interest.

It was the third suit the AP has filed against the Obama administration under the Freedom of Information Act.

(AP)
The Republican senator who oversees the U.S. foreign aid budget said Friday that Israel made a mistake by signing a new $38 billion security agreement with the Obama administration.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have gotten a better deal if he had waited until President Barack Obama left office.

Graham said there is ample support in Congress among Republicans and Democrats for providing Israel with more military aid. And a new U.S. president, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, would be more generous too, he said on a conference call arranged by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.

They left money on the table, Graham said of Israel.

The security agreement, which begins in the 2019 budget year, is set to last 10 years and amounts to $3.8 billion annually. The current deal expires in 2018 and gave Israel $3.1 billion in military assistance each year.

Graham, who chairs a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, said Congress isnt a party to the agreement and shouldnt be bound by the deal. He said he intended to test in the coming weeks a provision that restricts lawmakers from providing for more money than the deal mandates by pushing for a supplemental budget that would give Israel an additional $1.5 billion over what the administration has proposed.

The Obama administration is trying to neuter Congress but undercutting its ability to appropriate money, according to Graham. I will not stand for that, he said.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, seemed to side with Graham on that point. Corker said in a statement Wednesday that the agreement sends an important signal about our long-term commitment to Israel, but the amount of money is ultimately up to Congress to decide.

The U.S. and Israel signed the agreement Wednesday after months of negotiations conducted amid the tension between the two nations created by the nuclear deal with Iran. Netanyahu acknowledged the strain but stressed that the agreement proves that relations between Israel and the United States are strong, powerful.

Obamas national security adviser Susan Rice, who witnessed the signing, called it a sign of Washingtons unshakable commitment to the security of the Jewish state.

The total includes $33 billion in foreign military financing funds  which is money used to buy materiel and ammunition  as well as $5 billion in missile defense funding. Under the previous arrangement, Congress approved funds for Israels Iron Dome missile defense system separately and on an annual basis.

The new agreement eliminates Israels ability to spend a fraction of the funds on fuel for its military. In another apparent concession, Israel has agreed not to ask Congress to approve more funds than are included in the deal unless a new war breaks out, according to U.S. officials.

Graham said lawmakers this year wanted to give Israel $600 million for missile defense  $100 million more than the agreement proposes to provide in 2019 when the threats Israel is facing from Iran and extremists groups are expected to be even more pronounced. Graham said he also pushed for a $300 million hike in the foreign military financing account.

Iran, Graham said, will view the new agreement as a watering down of the U.S. commitment to Israel.

(AP)
Sympathy: John Cryan the British boss of Deutsche Bank

You have to feel some sympathy for John Cryan the British boss of Deutsche Bank. When he took the helm of the German lender in July 2015 he found it loaded with bad loans and all manner of regulatory disputes.

Now Deutsche has been targeted by the US Justice Department (DoJ) for penalties of $14bn (10.5bn) over its sales of mortgage-backed securities.

The scale of the potential penalty is far beyond the money set aside in the banks accounts, and happens to be the same number as the 14bn (12.5bn) levy that the European Commission is seeking to impose on Apple over its Irish tax avoidance.

Deutsche trusts that the DoJ penalty is just a first draft and can be negotiated down.

If it really thinks that it should perhaps talk to BNP Paribas and Standard Chartered, both of which felt they were in with a fighting chance of defying US justice, but failed miserably.

It is a little hard to feel any schadenfreude about Deutsche Banks problems, even though Britain is on its way out of the EU.

The 72 per cent state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland and publicly quoted Barclays still have to settle their differences with the US over mortgage-backed securities. Neither British bank has put aside sufficient sums to cover industrial scale fines of the kind faced by Deutsche.

No one should underestimate the enthusiasm of the US authorities for making banks pay big and in full. JP Morgan Chase was fined $13bn for much the same offences, Citigroup $7bn and Goldman Sachs $5.6bn.

And Goldman dumped most of its mortgage securities before the financial crisis hit eight years ago when Lehman Brothers imploded.

The implications of the DoJ campaign for RBS and Barclays should not be underestimated. The two banks may be far better capitalised than at the time of the financial crisis, but penalties on this scale could punch a huge hole in their balance sheets and require new capital raisings. Barclays would need to speed up asset sales and might even have to sacrifice the dividend. So it is no small wonder that both shares tanked in latest trading, dragging down the FTSE 100.

Fining banks is all very well, except it is not the bankers, who caused the mess, but shareholders and taxpayers who suffer. US Senator Elizabeth Warren, who helped set up the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau post the financial crisis, is outraged that nine senior financiers  including Stan ONeal of Merrill Lynch, and Robert Rubin and Chuck Prince of Citigroup  have never been prosecuted. All have been accused by regulators of giving false evidence and misleading credit agencies and the authorities.

A senior UK banker once told me that bad behaviour at banks would not be resolved until co-workers, customers and the public saw top executives carted off to chokey in handcuffs. That still has not happened.

Choosing Kim

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim has been a different kind of leader at the global development lender, focusing on pet issues such as health policy, climate change and responses to the global refugee crisis.

Along the way he has failed to win the wholehearted support of the Banks notoriously rebellious staff, stuffed with PhDs, or respected outsiders such as the banks former chief economist Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz. Despite the critics, and a declared desire by the executive board for an open selection process, Kim is marching speedily to re-appointment this week.

President Obama  who renominated Kim  seeks to make sure that whoever is elected his successor in November, the Bank remains in safe Democrat hands. Curiously Britains new, harder-nosed Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel was quick to endorse Obamas choice, despite her harsh assessment of how aid money is spent. Britain, as the biggest contributor to the Banks poverty fighting arm the International Development Association (IDA), and with a magnificent aid budget of 12bn, could have made a different choice.

It looks as if Kim will be reappointed without challenge. He may well be the right person, but Patel needs to explain why she put a tick against his name so quickly and why other candidates, from the developing countries, were not considered. After all, Obama wont be around much longer to repay any political favours  as if he would, anyway.

Brexit notes

You may never have heard of Skepta, who has just won the Mercury prize, or his Grime music that comes from North Londons estates.

More familiar will be the last two Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, on the red carpet in London this week for a movie launch. But what all these artists and other talented souls have in common is they are part of creative Britain which last year notched up an 11bn surplus on trade with the rest of the world.
Many holidaymakers see duty free shopping as a big part of their trip, whether it is buying souvenirs or spending on spirits and perfume at the airport.

A third of us browse and buy at the duty free store when we travel, according to recent figures from Nationwide Building Society, while many also take advantage of tax free shopping at popular holiday destinations worldwide.

However, we may not be getting the bargain we think we are, recent studies have shown, and in some cases we may end up paying more than at home.

Frustrating: Paul Bigmore was owed 20 in tax from the goods he bought  but gave up trying to claim it back

WE SHOULD HAVE SAVED ON TAX BUT PROCESS WAS TOO COMPLEX At the end of a long trip, charity worker Paul Bigmore, from South-East London, flew back from Ecuador with his family  and was delighted to discover that the local store offered tax free shopping. He says: We bought a large number of gifts for friends and family, and the store said that we would save more than 20 with the VAT refund. The process involved filling in several forms, but it seemed worthwhile. Once at the airport, Paul, 40, was given inaccurate information about how to reclaim the tax. He says: I knew I needed a stamp, but when I went to the information desk, the lady behind it told me this needed to happen after security. However, when we went through we were told that this was incorrect and it was too late to go back. Paul never got his tax refund. He adds: I wonder how many other people give up as well. The process seems unnecessarily complex. Airport staff should be better informed if these services are to work well.

Global price gap

Travellers will find discounts vary a lot by country and product, according to website Dutyfreeaddict.

Drinkers of spirits save a fortune in Canada where a litre of Absolut vodka costs just 12, compared with 22 in the US. Similarly, Bombay Sapphire costs 15 compared with 20 in pricey Germany.

Champagne lovers can pick up a bottle of Moet et Chandon for 25 while those buying in an airport in Brazil pay 62.

Photographers can save 179 on a Coolpix camera priced at 213 in the duty free in South Korea, compared with 392 in Hong Kong.

Australia is best for the fragrance Eternity Aqua Men, as a 50ml bottle costs just 28 against 59 in the US.

But the rules surrounding duty and tax free shopping are complex, meaning many of us do not get a bargain at all. How much you save depends on where you are going, the type of product you buy, and which store you buy it in.

UK shoppers

Some airport stores operate a dual-pricing policy according to destination, while others spread the tax savings across all shoppers saying this gives everyone a better price.

The UK Travel Retail Federation says there is confusion among travellers about tax and duty free shopping, much of it stemming from the abolition of duty free within the European Union in 1999. A spokesman says: Most travellers passing through British airports dont know which the 28 EU member states are, and therefore whether they can buy duty and tax free.

Recent research suggests fewer of us believe we are getting a bargain. The number of travellers who believe that duty free is cheaper than on the high street fell two percentage points to 29 per cent last year, according to the Duty Free World Council.

The catch

Duty free is the best known shopping perk and means goods are free of Excise Duty, the tax included on the price of alcohol and tobacco. For example, on cigarettes, 16.5 per cent of the price is duty, plus 3.93 for a packet of 20. On a 28 bottle of vodka, duty makes up 11 of the price.

The savings on such products should be considerable but the catch is that the duty free allowance is limited. Only those who travel outside the EU can claim it, and it includes just 200 cigarettes, a litre of spirits and two litres of wine, or fortified wine. Exceed the allowance and duty will be charged.

No VAT

While duty free applies only to spirits, wine and cigarettes, many other products can be offered VAT free to travellers and this explains why so many other products  including watches, sunglasses and jewellery  are also available in tax free stores.

VAT is charged at 20 per cent on many of these goods, but is waived for those travelling outside the EU  so products subject to VAT should be cheaper for long-haul travellers.

But it is not always the case. Some airport shops have been accused of pocketing VAT refunds rather than passing them on. A Treasury review into this practice was due to report this month, but has been delayed.

While some companies, including WH Smith, have pledged to refund passengers who are travelling outside the EU on eligible products worth over 6, others may have different policies. World Duty Free, which runs most of the duty free stores in UK airports, says that though it can claim back VAT only for those travelling outside the EU, it pays the equivalent of VAT for other travellers, which should in theory make products 20 per cent cheaper for everyone.

Shopping trip: Abu Dhabi airport

A spokesman says: For the vast majority of British passengers flying to EU destinations, this is a huge advantage. Typical categories which are sold at equivalent VAT free prices include fragrance, skincare, cosmetics, sunglasses, watches, jewellery and handbags.

Price confusion

Comparison of prices between airport shops and supermarkets reveals a mixed picture with savings available on some products but not on others.

For example, a litre of Pimms is currently available for 12 through Ocado and 14 at Gatwicks duty free store. However, 700ml of Bombay Sapphire Distilled Gin is 21 at Ocado and 20 at Gatwick.

Similarly, 50ml of CK Be Eau de Toilette is 31 at Heathrows duty free store and 23 at Boots. However, 150ml of Dolce Eau de Parfum from Dolce & Gabbana is 105 in Boots and 84 at Heathrow.

A spokeswoman for World Duty Free says these price differences are often due to high street offers, saying: There will always be here today, gone tomorrow offers on the high street which sharply drop the price of one or two things, but we aim to offer year-round savings.

The firm pledges to refund the difference if undiscounted products are cheaper on the high street.

Tax free abroad

Some holiday destinations offer tax free shopping opportunities, enabling British travellers to claim a VAT refund before they leave the country or after they return. But this can be lengthy and complicated.

Smell a bargain: But some perfume works out to be better value in stores like Boots

Global Blue, which provides tax free shopping for UK citizens in 13 countries, says that shoppers can save up to 19 per cent. But customers must follow a series of steps in order to claim successfully.

When paying for purchases, ask the staff for a Tax Free Form; then go to the Customs Authorities desk at the airport or point of departure and present your completed form, passport, receipts and purchases to get a stamp on your form. The Customs stamp is vital, as without it, the form will not be processed and the refund claim will be rejected.

The next step is to present the form at a tax refund desk for a repayment in cash or to a credit card. Destinations where UK citizens can shop tax free include Morocco, Norway, Japan and Switzerland, but you will need to search for specific stores in order to get the refund.

Compare costs

You can check the prices of products in duty free stores on most airport websites, and even phone or email ahead to reserve purchases. Websites such as Easydutyfree let you view the prices in tax free shops in airports worldwide and you can compare them with prices in the UK using website MySupermarket.
Royal Bank of Scotland is facing the threat of a crippling multi-billion-pound fine for selling toxic mortgage securities.

Taxpayer-backed RBS, along with a string of other banks, has been accused of fuelling a bubble in rising housing prices which exacerbated the consequences of the 2008 financial crisis.

It is accused by US lawmakers of bundling up poorly underwritten home loans and misleading investors by selling them as safe securities.

Accusations: RBS is accused by US lawmakers of bundling up poorly underwritten home loans and misleading investors by selling them as safe securities

The threat of a whopping penalty for this came a step closer yesterday when Deutsche Bank was handed a 10.5bn fine by the US Department of Justice for its part in the scandal, sending shares in the German giant tumbling.

The fine was far above what analysts predicted, and sparked fears RBS would have to shell out for a similar-sized fine, making it the biggest financial penalty in its history.

RBS shares fell 4.43 per cent or 8.6p to 185.6p as investors grew worried the bank  in which the Government has a majority stake  would have to pay up to 10bn to settle the claims.

Neil Wilson of ETX Capital said the size of the Deutsche Bank fine would have serious implications for RBS.

Even a third of this figure would deliver a crippling blow to the lender, making its return to profitability even further off, he said. It would also derail plans to return the bank to private ownership any time soon.

The Government pumped 46bn of taxpayers money at 502p per share into RBS at the height of the financial crisis to save it from collapse. It has managed to sell a portion of its 84.4 per cent stake, but still owns 72 per cent.

And the prospect of the Government selling more of its stake was even more unlikely yesterday, following news of Deutsche Banks astronomic fine.

However, the German bank, run by Briton John Cryan, said it had no intent of paying the full amount, and wants to go back to the negotiating table. It said: The bank expects that they will lead to an outcome similar to those of peer banks which have settled at materially lower amounts.

Earlier this year, the DoJ agreed a 3.7bn settlement with Goldman Sachs over similar claims. Other banks which settled recently include Bank of America, Citigroup and JP Morgan. Citigroup had initially been asked to pay 9.2m, but it managed to whittle the fine down to 5.3m.

RBS refused to comment, but it is believed that it has not begun discussions over a potential penalty  likely to be enforced after 2017  with the DoJ. It is understood RBS feels it is in a strong financial position and able to withstand any potential penalty  although it has not yet accepted or denied any wrongdoing.
Tasty investment

Tate & Lyle has expanded capacity at its oat-making factory in Kimstad, Sweden, as part of an $100million (80million) investment.

At the facility, the ingredient maker uses a patented manufacturing process, without the addition of chemicals, to transform Swedish oats into its products used for breakfast cereals, smoothies and baked goods.

The investment means that capacity at the facility has increased more than tenfold since it was acquired by Tate & Lyle in 2013.

Tasty: The investment means that capacity at the factory has increased more than tenfold since it was acquired by Tate & Lyle in 2013

Broker boss

Icap has announced the appointment of Seth Johnson, currently head of strategy at the market brokers global broking division, as the chief executive of EBS BrokerTec, its electronic trading unit.

Johnson takes over from Gil Mandelzis, who decided to leave Icap.

Johnson will continue to sit on the Icap Global Executive Management Group (GEMG) and will report directly to the inter-dealer brokers chief executive Michael Spencer.

Bank plans

Standard Chartered is set to spin out its private equity business to its managers in a bid to reduce risk, according to reports.

If the banks plan goes ahead, the private equity units managers would take control of the business, which oversees about 3.8billion of assets.

Standard Chartered has been seeking to recover from heavy losses last year under the stewardship of chief executive Bill Winters, the former boss of JP Morgans investment bank.

Getting better

Losses at insurance technology firm Watchstone Group, formerly known as Quindell, have narrowed in the first half of the year.

The company, which the Serious Fraud Office is investigating over alleged accounting irregularities, said that pretax losses came in at 8.2million in the period, an improvement on last years 32.3million loss.

Revenues rose 11 per cent to 31.9million.

First profits

NEC Group has posted its first set of financial results under private ownership, which show annual revenues at the Birmingham-based events firm up 5 per cent to 133.8million, while earnings rose 15 per cent to 31.8million.
MATTOON -- For 95 years, the Fields Church has carried forth its core values, legacy and commitment to being a life-giving church.

While the church has operated under different names and at different locations, its overall mission has been a constant.

"Our heartbeat is that people know God, experience freedom, discover their purpose and make a difference," said Lead Pastor Travis Spencer.

The Fields Church last week held a Community Open House with the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce to celebrate its newly renovated facility at 900 DeWitt Ave. East in Mattoon. The average congregation size is 550 on any given Sunday, said Spencer.

"We experienced a building-wide renovation that tripled our lobby space, increased seating capacity in our auditorium, added an indoor PlayZone for children, doubled our nursery space, and added three outdoor patios and a playground for outdoor gatherings," said Lead Pastor Travis Spencer.

The ministry team also consists of Evan Courtney, executive pastor; Tina Johnson, financial director and personal assistant to the lead pastor; Ashley West, spiritual growth pastor; Victoria Greer, kids director; Denise Porter, office administrator; Griffin Timer, janitorial care.

Fields offers two identical Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. each Sunday; middle school and high school programming from 6-9 p.m. on Sunday; Open Play Zone hours, Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and office hours Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

During morning worship services, live bands play modern worship music with accompanying video and lighting, said Spencer.

"Our desire is to communicate the story of Jesus and help people worship him through excellence," he said. "We have some very gifted people using their talents for God."

He said the goal is to offer space where the community can gather throughout the week.

"We have a state-of-the-art indoor play environment designed for young children and families," he said. "We have great meeting space that would be great for businesses and organizations to host employee meetings and training gatherings."

He said the indoor play zone is an excellent way for adults to connect while their kids enjoy playing in a safe, clean and friendly environment.

Also, this month, small group gatherings of all topics have begun. The idea is to help people in their spiritual, social and family developments, he said.

Spencer has 20 years of ministry experience and is ordained with The Assembled of God. He also has a journalism degree from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
CHARLESTON -- The Tarble Arts Center will be getting an addition to the building that will include an instructional/lab area, a storage area, and circulatory space.

The addition will be made at the northeast corner of the building. Specifically, the work will provide approximately 1,800 square feet of new space that will include these spaces.

Along with the addition, the project will also encompass work to 1,400 square feet of existing workspace to be converted into instructional/lab space. A conference room will also be converted into a gallery and circulatory space.

The project has been contracted to cost roughly $1 million. However, the project will not be paid for through university funds, according to Paul McCann, interim vice president for business affairs. The possibility of an expansion was made available with a donation from Jan Tarble, and Friday, the Eastern Illinois University Board of Trustees green lit the project to move forward.

Also, Eastern has selected an external search firm, Witt Kieffer, to help facilitate a national search set to take place over the year for a new provost and vice president for academic affairs in the planned absence of Blair Lord.

The board approved the use of the firm in Oak Brook, for no more than $90,000. Board Vice Chair Kristopher Goetz said no internal resources are available to conduct the search, which is why the university sees the external firm as necessary to find someone for the position.

President David Glassman said the use of this firm will allow the university the ability to reach the largest and most robust pool of national candidates to apply for this position.

Earlier this year, Lord, following a majority vote of "no confidence" from faculty in the fall of 2015, announced his retirement as of June 2017.

The meeting documents state that an external search firm can provide significant assistance in this process by developing and enhancing the quality of the candidate pool, recruiting and screening potential candidates, and coordinating search and recruitment logistics.

Until his retirement, Lord has said he wanted to have the rest of the academic year to handle and progress initiatives he has been working on.

The board decided to not act on either the fiscal year 2017 budget approval or the fiscal year 2018 budget submission, as they were scheduled to do according to the meeting agenda.

This was predominantly because the uncertainty caused at the state level, Timothy Burke, trustee, said. The state legislature has yet to lock in a full budget for the year. The state also has yet to fully fund the appropriations to state universities promised in the summer, Paul McCann, vice president for business affairs, said.

A preliminary budget for fiscal year 2017 was approved at the last board meeting, but updates to the budget were and are likely as the university attains a clearer understanding of the financial climate in the state.

The preliminary budget approved earlier includes a substantial decrease in revenue compared to previous years, barring fiscal year 2016s revenues, of which the university currently has only received one-third of what was appropriated from the state in 2015.

The decrease largely comes from a dip in state revenue budgeted. Using the figure in Gov. Bruce Rauners proposed fiscal year 2017 budget released in February, EIU budgeted for $34 million in state revenue, which is approximately three-fourths of 2015s appropriation.
Calix, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides cloud and software platforms, and systems and services in the United States, rest of Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company's cloud and software platforms, and systems and services enable broadband service providers (BSPs) to provide a range of services. It provides Calix Cloud platform, a role-based analytics platform comprising Calix Marketing Cloud, Calix Support Cloud, and Calix Operations Cloud, which are configurable to display role-based insights and enable BSPs to anticipate and target new revenue-generating services and applications through mobile application. The company also offers EXOS, a carrier class premises operating system and fully integrated with its GigaSpire family of systems to be ready for deployment as a complete subscriber experience solutions for BSP's residential and business subscribers; and AXOS, a software platform to access edge of the network by its architecture and operations. It offers its products through its direct sales force and resellers. Calix, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
The following companies are subsidiares of Select Medical: ACC Capital, AbsoluteCVO, Actra Rehabilitation Associates, Advantage Rehabilitation Clinics, Alexandria Sports, Allevant Solutions, Ambulatory Care Solutions, Ambulatory Care Solutions of Arkansas LLC, Ambulatory Care Solutions of Ohio LLC, American Current Care, American Current Care of Arizona, American Current Care of Arkansas, American Current Care of California, American Current Care of Delaware, American Current Care of Hawaii, American Current Care of Illinois, American Current Care of Kansas, American Current Care of Massachusetts, American Current Care of Michigan, American Current Care of Missouri, American Current Care of Nebraska, American Current Care of New Jersey PA, American Current Care of North Carolina, American Current Care of Ohio, American Transitional Hospitals, Archer Rehabilitation, Argosy Health, BHSM ES, Benchmark Acquisition Corp., Benchmark Medical Management Company, Benchmark O&P Holdings, Benchmark Orthotics & Prosthetics, Blue Hen Physical Therapy, CM Occupational Health, CRI ES, California Rehab Institute Medical Group, California Rehabilitation Institute, Cape Prosthetics-Orthotics, Caritas Rehab Services, Carrollton Physical Therapy Clinic, Central Iowa Physio, Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospitals, Coastal Virginia ES, Concentra Akron, Concentra Arkansas, Concentra Group Holdings, Concentra Group Holdings Parent, Concentra Health Services, Concentra Holdings, Concentra Inc., Concentra Integrated Services, Concentra Laboratory, Concentra Occupational Health Research Institute, Concentra Occupational Healthcare Harrisburg, Concentra Operating Corporation, Concentra Primary Care, Concentra Primary Care of New Jersey PA, Concentra Primary Care of Ohio, Concentra Solutions, Concentra South Carolina, Concentra St. Louis, Concentra-UPMC, Concentramark, Connecticut Physical Therapy, Crowley Physical Therapy Clinic, DG Physical Therapy, Dignity Select Nevada, Douglas Avery & Associates, ES LTACH, Eagle Rehab Corporation, Eden Sports, Elizabethtown Physical Therapy, FC Select, FC Select II, Frederick Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Freedom Management Services, GH General, GH General-San Antonio, GP Therapy, GR General-Scottsdale, GRSH ES, Georgia Physical Therapy, GlobalRehab, GlobalRehab  Fort Worth, GlobalRehab  San Antonio, Great Lakes Specialty HospitalHackley, Great Lakes Specialty HospitalOak, Gulf Breeze Physical Therapy, Hand Therapy Associates, Hospital Holdings Corporation, Hudson Physical Therapy Services, Indiana Rehabilitation Services, Indianapolis Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, Integrity Physical Therapy, Intensiva Healthcare Corporation, Intensiva Hospital of Greater St. Louis, Jeffersontown Physical Therapy, Johnson Physical Therapy, Joyner Sportsmedicine Institute, KORT Rehabilitation at Home, Kentucky Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Kentucky Rehabilitation Services, Kessler Hudson County Rehabilitation, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Kessler Orthotic & Prosthetic Services, Kessler Professional Services, Kessler Rehab Centers, Kessler Rehabilitation Corporation, Kessler Rehabilitation Services, Keystone Rehabilitation Associates of Warren, Keystone Rehabilitation Systems, Keystone Rehabilitation Systems of McMurray, LTACH @ Riverside, Leesburg Sports, LifeBridge Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, LifeSigns Management, Louisville Physical Therapy, Madison Rehabilitation Center, Matrix Healthcare Services, Matrix Rehabilitation, Matrix Rehabilitation-Delaware, Matrix Rehabilitation-Georgia, Matrix Rehabilitation-Ohio, Matrix Rehabilitation-South Carolina, Matrix Rehabilitation-Texas, Metro Rehabilitation Services, Morris Area Rehabilitation Association, National Healthcare Resources, North Dallas Physical Therapy Associates, Northstar Health Service, NovaCare Occupational Health Services, NovaCare Outpatient Rehabilitation, NovaCare Outpatient Rehabilitation East, NovaCare Rehabilitation of Ohio, OHC of Hawaii, OHR/Baystate, OHR/MMC, OHRH, OHRH ES, OMP Insurance Company, OSR Louisiana, OSR Property Ventures, Occspecialists Corp., Occupational Health + Rehabilitation LLC, Occupational Health Centers Of Kansas, Occupational Health Centers of Arkansas, Occupational Health Centers of California, Occupational Health Centers of Delaware, Occupational Health Centers of Georgia, Occupational Health Centers of Illinois, Occupational Health Centers of Louisiana, Occupational Health Centers of Michigan, Occupational Health Centers of Nebraska, Occupational Health Centers of New Jersey, Occupational Health Centers of New York, Occupational Health Centers of North Carolina, Occupational Health Centers of Ohio, Occupational Health Centers of The Southwest, OnSite OccMed, Orthopaedic Services of Paducah, PHS Physical Therapy, PR Acquisition Corporation, PSHR Physical Therapy, PTSMA, Pacific Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine, Penn State Hershey Rehabilitation, Philadelphia Occupational Health, Physio at Hammonds Centre, PhysioKids, PhysioLink Corporation, Physiotherapy Associates, Physiotherapy Associates Holdings, Physiotherapy Associates NRH Rehab, Physiotherapy Associates Union Rehab, Physiotherapy Corporation, Physiotherapy-BMHI Holdings, Physiotherapy-BMI, Pinnacle Health Select Rehabilitation, Pro Active Therapy, Pro Active Therapy of North Carolina, Pro Active Therapy of South Carolina, Pro Active Therapy of Virginia, Professional Rehab Associates, Professional Therapeutic Services, Professional Therapy Systems, Progressive Therapy, R.S. Network, RCI (Michigan), RCI (WRS), RPN of NC, RUSHWINC Properties, Rebound Oklahoma, Regency Hospital Company, Regency Hospital Company of Macon, Regency Hospital Company of Meridian, Regency Hospital Company of South Atlanta, Regency Hospital Company of South Carolina, Regency Hospital of Atlanta, Regency Hospital of Columbus, Regency Hospital of Fort Worth, Regency Hospital of Fort Worth Holdings, Regency Hospital of Greenville, Regency Hospital of Jackson, Regency Hospital of Kansas City, Regency Hospital of Minneapolis, Regency Hospital of North Central Ohio, Regency Hospital of North Dallas Holdings, Regency Hospital of North Dallas II, Regency Hospital of Northwest Arkansas, Regency Hospital of Northwest Indiana, Regency Hospital of Portland, Regency Hospital of Rhode Island, Regency Hospital of Rockford, Regency Hospital of Southern Mississippi, Regency Hospital of Toledo, Regency Hospitals, Regency Management Company, Rehab Associates, Rehab Associates of Jackson Hospital, Rehab Colorado, Rehab Missouri, Rehab Provider Network of Colorado, Rehab Provider Network of New Mexico, Rehab Provider Network of North Carolina, Rehab Provider Network of South Carolina, Rehab Provider Network of Texas, Rehab Provider Network of Virginia, Rehab Provider NetworkEast I, Rehab Provider NetworkEast II, Rehab Provider NetworkIndiana, Rehab Provider NetworkMichigan, Rehab Provider NetworkNew Jersey, Rehab Provider NetworkOhio, Rehab Provider NetworkPennsylvania, Rehab Xcel, RehabClinics, RehabClinics (PTA), RehabClinics (SPT), Rehabilitation Center of Washington, Rehabilitation Consultants, Rehabilitation Hospital of Vancouver, Rehabilitation Institute of Denton, Rehabilitation Institute of North Texas, S.T.A.R.T., SLMC Finance Corporation, SMR Banyan Tree, SSM Select Rehab St. Louis, Saco Bay Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Select Air II, Select Employment Services, Select Hospital Investors, Select LifeCare Western Michigan, Select Medical International (US), Select Medical International Limited, Select Medical Property Ventures, Select Medical Rehabilitation Clinics, Select Medical of Kentucky, Select Medical of Maryland, Select Medical of New York, Select NovaCareKOP, Select NovaCarePBG, Select NovaCarePIT, Select Physical Therapy Holdings, Select Physical Therapy Network Services, Select Physical Therapy Orthopedic Services, Select Physical Therapy Texas Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of Albuquerque, Select Physical Therapy of Chicago, Select Physical Therapy of Colorado Springs Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of Connecticut Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of Denver, Select Physical Therapy of Illinois Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of Kendall, Select Physical Therapy of Las Vegas Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of Lorain Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of Louisville, Select Physical Therapy of Ohio Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of Portola Valley Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of Scottsdale Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of St. Louis Limited Partnership, Select Physical Therapy of West Denver Limited Partnership, Select Provider Networks, Select Rehabilitation HospitalHershey, Select Software Ventures, Select Specialty Hospitals, Select Specialty HospitalAkron, Select Specialty HospitalAnn Arbor, Select Specialty HospitalArizona, Select Specialty HospitalAugusta, Select Specialty HospitalBeech Grove, Select Specialty HospitalBelhaven, Select Specialty HospitalBroward, Select Specialty HospitalCentral Pennsylvania, Select Specialty HospitalCharleston, Select Specialty HospitalCincinnati, Select Specialty HospitalCleveland, Select Specialty HospitalColorado Springs, Select Specialty HospitalColumbus, Select Specialty HospitalDallas, Select Specialty HospitalDanville, Select Specialty HospitalDaytona Beach, Select Specialty HospitalDenver, Select Specialty HospitalDes Moines, Select Specialty HospitalDurham, Select Specialty HospitalErie, Select Specialty HospitalEvansville, Select Specialty HospitalFlint, Select Specialty HospitalFort Smith, Select Specialty HospitalFort Wayne, Select Specialty HospitalGainesville, Select Specialty HospitalGreensboro, Select Specialty HospitalGrosse Pointe, Select Specialty HospitalGulf Coast, Select Specialty HospitalHouston, Select Specialty HospitalJackson, Select Specialty HospitalJohnstown, Select Specialty HospitalKalamazoo, Select Specialty HospitalKansas City, Select Specialty HospitalKnoxville, Select Specialty HospitalLaurel Highlands, Select Specialty HospitalLexington, Select Specialty HospitalLincoln, Select Specialty HospitalLittle Rock, Select Specialty HospitalLongview, Select Specialty HospitalMacomb County, Select Specialty HospitalMadison, Select Specialty HospitalMcKeesport, Select Specialty HospitalMemphis, Select Specialty HospitalMilwaukee, Select Specialty HospitalNashville, Select Specialty HospitalNorth Atlanta, Select Specialty HospitalNorth Knoxville, Select Specialty HospitalNortheast New Jersey, Select Specialty HospitalNortheast Ohio, Select Specialty HospitalNorthern Indiana, Select Specialty HospitalNorthern Kentucky, Select Specialty HospitalNorthwest Detroit, Select Specialty HospitalOklahoma City, Select Specialty HospitalOmaha, Select Specialty HospitalOrlando, Select Specialty HospitalOshkosh, Select Specialty HospitalPalm Beach, Select Specialty HospitalPanama City, Select Specialty HospitalPensacola, Select Specialty HospitalPhoenix, Select Specialty HospitalPittsburgh/UPMC, Select Specialty HospitalQuad Cities, Select Specialty HospitalSaginaw, Select Specialty HospitalSan Antonio, Select Specialty HospitalSavannah, Select Specialty HospitalSioux Falls, Select Specialty HospitalSouth Dallas, Select Specialty HospitalSpringfield, Select Specialty HospitalTallahassee, Select Specialty HospitalTopeka, Select Specialty HospitalTriCities, Select Specialty HospitalTulsa, Select Specialty HospitalTulsa/Midtown, Select Specialty HospitalWestern Michigan, Select Specialty HospitalWichita, Select Specialty HospitalWilmington, Select Specialty HospitalWinston-Salem, Select Specialty HospitalYoungstown, Select Specialty HospitalZanesville, Select SpecialtyDownriver, Select Subsidiaries, Select Synergos, Select Transport, Select Unit Management, SelectMark, SemperCare, Special Care Hospital, Sports Orthopedic Rehabilitation Services, St. Marys Medical Park Pharmacy, Susquehanna Physical Therapy Associates, Swanson Orthotic and Prosthetic Center, TJ Corporation I, The Parks Physical Therapy and Work Hardening Center, The Rehab Center, The Rehab Group, The Rehab Group-Murfreesboro, TheraWorks, Theraphysics Partners of Colorado, Theraphysics Partners of Texas, Therapy Associates of Martinsville, Therapy Centers of South Carolina, Therapy Centers of The Southwest I, TriHealth Rehabilitation, Trumbull P.T. Corp., U.S. HealthWorks, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Alaska, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Arizona, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Florida, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Georgia, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Illinois, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Indiana, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Kansas City, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Kentucky, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Maine, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Minnesota, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of New Jersey, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of North Carolina, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Ohio, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Pennsylvania, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Tennessee, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Texas, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Washington, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group of Wisconsin, U.S. HealthWorks Provider Network of Colorado, U.S. HealthWorks of Colorado, U.S. HealthWorks of Illinois, U.S. HealthWorks of Indiana, U.S. HealthWorks of Kansas City, U.S. HealthWorks of Minnesota, U.S. HealthWorks of New Jersey, U.S. HealthWorks of North Carolina, U.S. HealthWorks of Pennsylvania, U.S. HealthWorks of Tennessee, U.S. HealthWorks of Washington, U.S. HealthWorks of Wisconsin, U.S. Medgroup, U.S. Medgroup Of Kansas, U.S. Medgroup of Arkansas, U.S. Medgroup of Delaware, U.S. Medgroup of Illinois, U.S. Medgroup of Massachusetts, U.S. Medgroup of Michigan, U.S. Medgroup of New Jersey, U.S. Medgroup of North Carolina, U.S. Medgroup of Ohio, U.S. Regional Occupational Health II, U.S. Regional Occupational Health II of NJ, USHW of California, USHW of Texas, Valor Healthcare, Victoria Healthcare, WWLTACH, West Gables Rehabilitation Hospital, and Wisconsin Prosthetics & Orthotics.

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Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of PPG Industries: AIPCF V Texstars Blocker Inc., AkzoNobel, Alpha Coating Technologies LLC, Alpha Coatings Inc., Broad Range Development Limited, CG Holdings Manufacturing Co., Centro de Investigacion en Polimeros S.A. de C.V., Chemfil Canada Limited, Chorlton Trade Paints Limited, Comercial Mexicana de Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Comex, Comex Industrial Coatings S.A. de C.V., Consorcio Comex S.A. de C.V., Cristacol S.A., Cuming Microwave Corporation, Deutek SA, Dexmet Corporation, Dexmet Holding Corporation, Distribuidora Kroma S.A. de C.V., EPIC Insurance Co. Ltd., Eberle Design Inc., Empresa Aga S.A. de C.V., Ennis Canadian Holding Company, Ennis Paint Canada ULC, Ennis Paint Netherlands Holdings LLC, Ennis Paint U.K. Holding Company Limited, Ennis Traffic Safety Solutions Pty Ltd, Ennis-Flint, Ennis-Flint Inc., Foshan Bairun Chemicals Co. Ltd., Fpu Industrial S.A. de C.V., Grupo Comex S.A. de C.V., Hemmelrath Automotive Coatings (Jilin) Co. Ltd., Hemmelrath International Trade (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hodij Coatings B.V., Homax Products, Industria Chimica Reggiana I.C.R. SPA, Johnstones Paints Limited, Kalon Investment Company Limited, Kalon South Africa Proprietary Limited, Karl Woerwag Lack-und Farbenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, Masterwork Paint, MetoKote Corporation, MetoKote Mexico Holdings Inc., MetoKote UK Limited, MetoKote de Mexico S. de RL de CV, Milamar Coatings LLC, OOO Tikkurila, PPG A P Resinas S.A. de C.V., PPG AC - France SA, PPG ALESCO Automotive Finishes Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Architectural Coatings (Puerto Rico) Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Inc./PPG Revetements Architecturaux Canada Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Ireland Limited, PPG Architectural Coatings Italy S.r.l, PPG Architectural Coatings UK Limited, PPG Architectural Finishes Inc., PPG Asian Paints Private Ltd., PPG Business Services S.A. de C.V., PPG COATINGS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., PPG Canada Inc., PPG Cetelon Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Cieszyn S.A., PPG Coatings (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, PPG Coatings (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., PPG Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Thailand) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Wuhu) Company Ltd., PPG Coatings (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings B.V., PPG Coatings Belgium BV, PPG Coatings Danmark A/S, PPG Coatings Deutschland GmbH, PPG Coatings Europe B.V., PPG Coatings Nederland BV, PPG Coatings S.A., PPG Coatings South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PPG DYRUP S.A., PPG Deco Czech a.s., PPG Deco Polska sp. z.o.o., PPG Deco Slovakia s.r.o., PPG Deutschland Business Support GmbH, PPG Deutschland Sales & Services GmbH, PPG Distribution S.A.S., PPG Europe B.V., PPG Finance B.V., PPG Finland Oy, PPG France Business Support S.A.S., PPG France Manufacturing S.A.S., PPG Guadeloupe SAS, PPG Hemmelrath Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Holdco SAS, PPG Holdings (U.K.) Limited, PPG Holdings Argentina USA LLC, PPG Holdings Latin America USA LLC, PPG Iberica S.A., PPG Iberica Sales & Services S.L., PPG Industrial Coatings B.V., PPG Industrial do Brasil - Tintas E. Vernizes - Ltda., PPG Industries (Korea) Ltd., PPG Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Industries (UK) Ltd, PPG Industries Argentina S.R.L., PPG Industries Australia PTY Limited A.C.N. 055 500 939, PPG Industries Colombia Ltda., PPG Industries Delfzijl B.V., PPG Industries Europe Sarl, PPG Industries France S.A.S., PPG Industries International Inc., PPG Industries Italia S.r.l., PPG Industries Kimya a Sanayi VE Ticaret AS, PPG Industries LLC, PPG Industries Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Industries Lipetsk LLC, PPG Industries Middle East FZE, PPG Industries Netherlands B.V., PPG Industries New Zealand Limited, PPG Industries Ohio Inc., PPG Industries Poland Sp. Z.o.o., PPG Industries Securities LLC, PPG Industries de Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Investment (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Italia Business Support S.r.l., PPG Italia Sales & Services S.r.l., PPG Japan Ltd., PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes Canada LP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.K. LLP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.S. LLC, PPG Luxembourg Finance S.aR.L., PPG Luxembourg Holdings S.aR.L., PPG Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Packaging Coatings (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Performance Coatings (Hong Kong) Limited, PPG Powder Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Refinish Distribution Limited, PPG Romania S.A., PPG Reunion SAS, PPG SSC Co. Ltd., PPG Switzerland GmbH, PPG Trilak Korlatolt FelelosseguTarasasag (PPG Trilak Kft.), PPG Vietnam Co. Ltd., PRC-DeSoto Australia Pty Ltd., PRC-DeSoto International Inc., PT. PPG Coatings Indonesia, Painter's Supply, Paintzen, Peintures de Paris SAS, Plasticos Envolventes S.A. de C.V., Polymeric Systems Inc., ProCoatings B.V., ProCoatings BV, Protec Pty Ltd, Reno A&E LLC, Revocoat France SAS, Revocoat Holding SAS, Revocoat Iberica SLU, Revocoat S.A.S, Road Infrastructure Investment Holdings Inc., SEM Products Inc., Sealants Europe SAS, Sierracin Corporation, Sierracin/Sylmar Corporation, Sigma Marine & Protective Coatings Holding B.V., SigmaKalon (BC) UK Limited, SigmaKalon Group, Sikar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Spraylat International Ltd, Texstars LLC, The Crown Group Co., The Crown Group Inc, The Homax Group, Tikkurila Group, Tikkurila Oyj, Tikkurila Sverige AB, Traffic Safety Intermediate LLC, Traffic Safety Parent LLC, VF Specialty Products LLC, Vanex Inc., Vernisol S.p.A., VersaFlex Acquisition Corp., VersaFlex Inc., VersaFlex Intermediate Holdings LLC, Versaflex, Viasa S.A. de C.V., Whitford, Whitford B.V., Whitford Corporation, Whitford Jiangmen Ltd., Whitford Ltd. (HK), Whitford Ltd. (UK), Whitford Pte. Ltd., Whitford S.r.l., Whitford Worldwide Company LLC, and Worwag Coatings.

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Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated insurance holding company in the United States. The company develops, markets, and underwrites insurance products for personal residential insurance, such as homeowners, renters/tenants, condo unit owners, and dwelling/fire; and offers allied lines, coverage for other structures, and personal property, liability, and personal articles coverages. It also advises on actuarial issues, oversees distribution, administers claims payments, performs policy administration and underwriting, and assists with reinsurance negotiations; places and manages reinsurance programs for the insurance entities; and operates Clovered.com, an online platform in which consumers receive side-by-side quotes from various carriers across multiple states, as well as educational materials about homeowners' insurance policies. It offers its products through a network of independent agents, as well as Universal Direct, a direct-to-consumer online platform, which enables homeowners to directly purchase, pay for, and bind homeowners' policies. The company was formerly known as Universal Heights, Inc. and changed its name to Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. in January 2001. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The following companies are subsidiares of Eli Lilly and: 1096401 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, ARMO BioSciences Inc, ARMO Bioscience, Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Alnara Pharmaceuticals, Alnara Pharmaceuticals Inc., Andean Technical Operations Center, Applied Molecular Evolution Inc., AurKa Pharma, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc., ChemGen, CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, CoLucid Pharmaceuticals Inc., Dermira, Devices for Vascular Intervention(DVI), Disarm Therapeutics, Dista Ilac Ticaret Ltd. Sti., Dista S.A., Dista-Produtos Quimicos & Farmaceuticos LDA, ELCO Dominicana SRL, ELCO Insurance Company Limited, ELCO Management Inc., ELCO for Trade and Marketing S.A.E., ELGO Insurance Company Limited, Elanco Animal Health Ireland Limited, Elanco Switzerland Holding Sarl, Eli Lilly (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Eli Lilly (Philippines) Incorporated, Eli Lilly (S.A.) (Proprietary) Limited, Eli Lilly (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Eli Lilly (Suisse) S.A., Eli Lilly Asia Inc., Eli Lilly Asia Pacific SSC Sdn Bhd, Eli Lilly Australia Pty. Limited, Eli Lilly B-H d.o.o., Eli Lilly Benelux S.A., Eli Lilly Bienes y Servicios S de RL de CV, Eli Lilly CR s.r.o., Eli Lilly Canada Inc., Eli Lilly Cork Limited, Eli Lilly Danmark A/S, Eli Lilly Egypt for Trading, Eli Lilly European Clinical Trial Services SA, Eli Lilly Export S.A., Eli Lilly Finance S.A., Eli Lilly Ges.m.b.H., Eli Lilly Group Limited, Eli Lilly Holdings Ltd., Eli Lilly Hrvatska d.o.o., Eli Lilly Interamerica Inc., Eli Lilly Interamerica Inc. y Compania Limitada, Eli Lilly International Corporation, Eli Lilly Ireland Holdings Limited, Eli Lilly Israel Ltd., Eli Lilly Italia S.p.A., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Eli Lilly Kinsale Limited, Eli Lilly Nederland B.V., Eli Lilly Nigeria Ltd., Eli Lilly Norge A.S., Eli Lilly Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd., Eli Lilly Polska Sp.z.o.o. (Ltd.), Eli Lilly Regional Operations GmbH, Eli Lilly Romania SRL, Eli Lilly S.A., Eli Lilly Saudi Arabia Limited, Eli Lilly Services Inc, Eli Lilly Services India Private Limited, Eli Lilly Slovakia s.r.o., Eli Lilly Sweden AB, Eli Lilly Vostok S.A. Geneva, Eli Lilly and Company, Eli Lilly and Company (India) Pvt. Ltd., Eli Lilly and Company (Ireland) Limited, Eli Lilly and Company (N.Z.) Limited, Eli Lilly and Company (Taiwan) Inc., Eli Lilly and Company Limited, Eli Lilly de Centro America S.A., Eli Lilly do Brasil Limitada, Eli Lilly farmacevtska druzba d.o.o., Eli Lilly y Compania de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Eli Lilly y Compania de Venezuela S.A., Glycostasis Inc, Greenfield-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Heart Rhythm Technologies Inc, Hybritech, Hypnion, ICOS Corporation, ImClone GmbH, ImClone LLC, ImClone Systems Holdings Inc., ImClone Systems LLC, Imclone Systems, Irisfarma S.A., Ivy Animal Health, Kinsale Financial Services Unlimited Company, Lilly (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd, Lilly Asia Ventures Fund I L.P., Lilly Asia Ventures Fund II L.P., Lilly Asian Ventures Fund III L.P., Lilly Cayman Holdings, Lilly China Research and Development Co. Ltd., Lilly Deutschland GmbH, Lilly France S.A.S., Lilly Global Nederland Holdings B.V., Lilly Global Services Inc., Lilly Holding GmbH, Lilly Holdings B.V., Lilly Hungaria KFT, Lilly Japan Financing G.K., Lilly Korea Ltd., Lilly Nederland Finance B.V., Lilly Nederland Finance B.V. - GCC, Lilly Nederland Holding B.V., Lilly Pharma Ltd., Lilly Portugal - Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Lilly S.A., Lilly Suzhou Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Lilly Trading Co. LTD, Lilly USA LLC, Lilly Ventures Fund I LLC, Lilly del Caribe Inc., Lilly ilac ticaret limited sirketi, Lohmann Animal Health, Loxo Oncology, Lylly Centre for Clinical Pharmacology PTE. LTD., Novartis Animal Health, OY Eli Lilly Finland AB, Origin Medsystems, PT. Eli Lilly Indonesia, Pacific Biotech, Pharmaserve-Lilly S.A.C.I., Physio-Control, SGX Pharmaceuticals, SGX Pharmaceuticals Inc, Spaly Bioquimica S.A., UAB Eli Lilly Lietuva, Valquifarma S.A., and Vital Pharma Productos Farmaceuticos.

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. It also offers ProxyEdge, an electronic proxy delivery and voting solution; data-driven solutions and an end-to-end platform for content management, composition, and omni-channel distribution of regulatory, marketing, and transactional information, as well as mutual fund trade processing services; data and analytics solutions; solutions for public corporations and mutual funds; SEC filing and capital markets transaction services; registrar, stock transfer, and record-keeping services; and omni-channel customer communications solutions, as well as operates Broadridge Communications Cloud platform that creates, delivers, and manages communications and customer engagement activities. The company's Global Technology and Operations segment provides solutions that automate the front-to-back transaction lifecycle of equity, mutual fund, fixed income, foreign exchange and exchange-traded derivatives, order capture and execution, trade confirmation, margin, cash management, clearance and settlement, reference data management, reconciliations, securities financing and collateral management, asset servicing, compliance and regulatory reporting, portfolio accounting, and custody-related services. This segment also offers business process outsourcing services; technology solutions, such portfolio management, compliance, fee billing, and operational support solutions; and capital market and wealth management solutions. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Lake Success, New York.
The Vacheron Constantin Overseas World Tour: the spirit of travel. The name of the iconic Overseas collection was not chosen by chance when it was launched in 1996. With its distinctive casually elegant design, at ease in any situation, the Overseas was conceived as the ideal companion for globetrotters and travellers. To remark the tight association between the 2016 Overseas collection and the theme of travel, Vacheron Constantin developed a fascinating project in collaboration with Steve McCurry, the American photographer winner of the most prestigious awards.





Francois Constantin and his travels around the world









 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin





 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin





 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin











Time for inspiration: Manufacture Vacheron Constantin, Geneva



Within the Manufacture, the union of opposites expresses the spirit of the Maison. Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi created a play on materials in a blend of sophistication and simplicity, harmony and discipline, flowing and closed spaces, modern and timeless lines. The atrium consists of an interplay of staircases, gangways and an elevator, all entirely in glass with a load-bearing structure in raw concrete.

 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin

Steve McCurrys perspective

"You find yourself facing this incredible shape, this architecture, this singular design that is also an authentic work of art, a concrete example of human genius. I see it as a perfect match between beauty and precision. Admiring the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin is like setting off on an extraordinary voyage."





Within the Manufacture, the union of opposites expresses the spirit of the Maison. Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi created a play on materials in a blend of sophistication and simplicity, harmony and discipline, flowing and closed spaces, modern and timeless lines. The atrium consists of an interplay of staircases, gangways and an elevator, all entirely in glass with a load-bearing structure in raw concrete.Steve McCurrys perspective





Time for tradition: Chefchaouen, Morocco

For almost 100 years, the inhabitants of this small town have been colouring it in blue. Whatever the explanation behind this tradition, it is perpetuated because locals found it beautiful and draw from it their identity and their distinctiveness, since no other village in the world features such a monochrome beauty, like an ocean in the desert.  Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin

Steve McCurry's perspective: "I have visited a similar blue location in India. There is a poetic story likening this blue city to the skies or heaven. Viewing the town at night from further away provides a magical vantage point where the warm-hued lights give a nice contrast to the blue-painted city."









 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin





 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin





 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin





 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin

 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin









 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin





 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin









 Steve McCurry / Vacheron Constantin





To discover more of the new Vacheron Constantin Overseas models, we also invite you to read our articles on various models:







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Founded in Geneva in 1755, Vacheron Constantin has consistently cultivated the spirit of travel inherited by one of its founders, Francois Constantin, who relentlessly travelled the world to expand the activities of the Maison.The values associated with travel are indeed an intrinsic part of the Vacheron Constantin heritage and philosophy.The name of the iconic Overseas collection was not chosen by chance when it was launched in 1996. With its distinctive casually elegant design, at ease in any situation, the Overseas was conceived as the ideal companion for globetrotters and travellers.To remark the tight association between the 2016 Overseas collection and the theme of travel,developed a fascinating project in collaboration with, the American photographer winner of the most prestigious awards including the Magazine Photographer of the Year, the Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal two first-place prizes in the World Press Photo contest (1985 and 1992) and the Robert Capa Gold Medal Award for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad.The Maison and McCurry chose twelve locations, little-known and sometimes inaccessible sites captured by the lens of the photographer, that chime with the fundamental values of Vacheron Constantin.Beyond their beauty, the shots reflect the spirit that has been driving Vacheron Constantin for 260 years and give a representation of the world as to the expression of time.Lets start this world tour from West to East, from Mexico to Japan.Designed to channel water through the Mexican desert, this exceptional aqueduct is the architectural proof of complex expertise and in-depth technological knowledge. Born out of the encounter of the Roman and Pre-Columbian civilisations, this monumental work was built between 1553 and 1570. Stretching from Zempoala to Otumba, it spans an incredible 45 kilometres.Steve McCurrys perspective:One of the worlds largest railway stations, this architectural gem is set in the heart of the Big Apple. Each day, millions of travellers pass through it in an uninterrupted choreography. This is where the heart of Manhattan pulses almost round the clock. For Vacheron Constantin Steve McCurrys team was able to re-discover this mythical location in the middle of the night with only a few discrete travellers.Steve McCurrys perspective:The Crawick Multiverse site is a gem nestling in the hills at the heart of the Dumfries region. The visionary architect and landscape artist Charles Jenks has transformed a former open cast coal mine into a landscape art design. The ecology of the site and the monoliths found there inspired its construction based on space, astronomy and cosmology. Extending an invitation to journey from the centre of the Earth to the furthermost galaxies, it brings universes together through the unique and far-reaching perspective of its inspired creator.Steve McCurry's perspective:The Paris Astronomical Observatory is the oldest in the world still in operation. Built in 1667, this centre of knowledge that witnessed the birth of new sciences such as geodesy and meteorology remains firmly closed to the public. Set in a lush green environment at the heart of Paris, its historical dome houses an astronomical telescope pointing towards the sky and drawing the visitor's gaze towards infinite expanses where time and space meet.Steve McCurry's perspective:Overlooking one of the world's most famous squares, the GUM roof represents a technical and architectural feat. Built in 1893, its glass dome with monumental iron arches spans almost 2.5 hectares. Standing at the very top of its majestic vaults means enjoying the privilege of a unique perspective on the Red Square, almost touching the bulb-shaped towers of Saint Basil's Cathedral, and feeling the vibrations or more than one thousand years of history as well as an entire population.Steve McCurry's perspective:Carved out of rock at the top of a hill in the 13th century, Lalibela was built as a "new Jerusalem". Its 11 buildings symbolise earthly and heavenly Jerusalem with a trench to represent the River Jordan. Free of any ornaments or statues, this rock-hewn site features a roof level with the ground which invites travellers to enter a world of utter simplicity and humility.Steve McCurry's perspective:Samarkand lies at a strategic geographical and cultural crossroads, on the Silk Route in the direction of China, and it is one of the most ancient inhabited cities of Central Asia. It was successively Greek, Persian, Turkish, Mongolian and Iranian, during the heyday of each of these civilisations. The magnificent mausoleums and other buildings of the necropolis are graced with shimmering ceramic decorations, ornate domes and all the magic of Middle Eastern art that has found its way through the ages to dazzle modern-day travellers.Steve McCurry's perspective:This ancient stepwell is a legendary and mesmerizingly beautiful work of art intermingling symbolic ornamentation and optical illusions. Located near a temple in Abhaneri, in the state of Rajasthan, it has been a major centre of social life through the centuries. To reach the water, one must descend countless steps spread over several successive levels. The population regards this itinerary as in invitation to meditate.Steve McCurrys perspective:In Sichuan Province, a monumental Buddha has been towering over the Min River for 13 centuries and appears destined to defend it for eternity. A 71metre-high colossus, hewn out of the rock between 713 and 803 AD, was created to protect the sailors braving these rushing waters.Steve McCurrys perspective:In Japanese, onsen means "hot spring". It is the name given to thermal baths, regarded as poetic, ritual and sacred places. In the province of Akita, the beauty of the Onsen emanates from the presence of unspoilt yet well mastered natural elements  water, steam and the environment  that never undermine the humble, pared-down simplicity of the establishment. Before immersing in these hot springs bursting forth from the earth, one has to follow a specific ritual paying tribute to the serenity of purification.Steve McCurrys perspective:This is just a preview of an exceptional tour. Do not misswith all the photos shot by Steve Mc Curry and
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By Patrick Donachie

Glen Oaks residents and community leaders gathered at Tribute Triangle Park Sunday to remember the lives lost 15 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001. Speakers talked about the virtues the United States continued to stand for, while first responders recalled the despair and heroism in vast supply on the day of the terrorist attacks.

We are a nation of immigrants, but we gather today as one, Rabbi Menashe Bovit of the Bellerose Jewish Center said during the ceremony. The flag, and everything that stands behind it, has stood up against opponents over the generations. Now we have a new battle.

The event was one of several held throughout the borough last weekend to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. The two buildings collapsed after Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked two passenger jets and crashed them into the buildings. Terrorists also struck the Pentagon, while passengers rushed a hijacked cockpit and brought down another plane in Pennsylvania.

Bob Frederich, the president of the Glen Oaks Village Co-op, said the park was originally a parcel owned by the co-op that went unused. The co-op decided to create a park on the area that would commemorate the memory of the 9/11 victims.

This is a place for people to come and think about loved ones, he said.

Retired NYPD Capt. Joe Concannon spoke about how the event was sponsored by an organization called Support Your Local Police. He was one of several first responders who recalled how he experienced the fateful day 15 years earlier. At the time, he was working in the 24th Precinct on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. He recalled everyones initial reaction to the first plane strike.

Everyone was thinking a Cessna, a misguided tour plane, he said. We didnt know yet.

A Seventh Day Adventist minister spoke about his son, a firefighter with the FDNY when the planes hit the towers. On the morning of 9/11, he was heading home after completing his shift but turned around and headed for the World Trade Center when he heard the news of the attack. He survived, but many on his engine died, and he remained at the scene for weeks, helping with the recovery. The minister concluded his speech with a brief prayer.

We are hopeful, looking forward to that morning, he said, where all will be made new.
Hopewell Community Park remains a 'labor of love' for local community

The lush green park is a product of the combined efforts of the Hopewell Township community and a symbol of decades of conservation efforts in Beaver County.
Contributed photo New Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program patches mark the 35th anniversary of program at Sheppard Air Force Base.

By Claire Kowalick of the Times Record News

For decades, working with, and for, the community of Wichita Falls has been a part of the mission of Sheppard Air Force Base, an installation that celebrates its 75th anniversary this weekend.

Sitting just north of the city, Sheppard represents an important part of Wichita Falls for numerous reasons.

Sheppard Military Affairs Committee (SMAC) Chairman Jon Larvick said Sheppard is important economically for the area, but also base personnel's cooperation and volunteerism in area events is vital.

Larvick retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 2011. He attended training school at Sheppard in 1997, and served missions all over the world. Like many who pass through this area, Larvick said there is just something special about the relationship between Sheppard and Wichita Falls.

"It starts with the welcome. They stress that, and it sets the tone for everything. The hospitality in Wichita Falls is second to none," Larvick said.

Larvick returned this year to serve as the new head of SMAC, a position that serves as a liaison between the base and area cities. The role of SMAC is to ensure the base and community have a beneficial relationship.

"Sheppard represents more than $750 million in economic benefit to the area. The city's identification with the base is really strong. As Henry Florsheim with the city said, 'Sheppard is Wichita Falls, and Wichita Falls is Sheppard,'" Larvick said.

"There are airmen, civilian contractors, retirees. These people are shopping with you at the grocery store, sitting next to you in a restaurant. This is a really close knit community," he said.

Most communities with a military installation nearby have a base-community liaison, but Larvick praised the work of former SMAC president Tom Whaylen for his work ensuring Sheppard feels welcome in the Wichita Falls area.

"We have a huge relationship-building mission. We have managed to develop a committee of civic leaders that keep the public informed and we work toward common goals," he said.

Gathering socially, as well as formally, is just as important in relationship building, Larvick said. Base and local leaders meet regularly to eat, talk and enjoy each other's company. "When you meet socially, that builds into trust which allows us to solve problems together," he said.

With tough issues coming up for the Air Force  a pilot shortage and the ever-looming threat of another base realignment program  SMAC is there to help Sheppard any way it can.

"We emphasis the importance of the military's value to the area  to landowners, the city, county. We support military members and their families," he said.

Larvick said his biggest goal is keeping his eyes open for potential mission additions at the base. He said SMAC is always on the lookout for every opportunity to grow Sheppard.

Whaylen served as the first SMAC president and was instrumental in shaping the relationship between Sheppard and the community.

Sheppard represents more than 20 percent of the area's economy  more than $1.08 billion annually  and is the leading employer in the area, providing more than 15,000 military and civilian jobs.

Beginning in 2006, Whaylen built the position from the ground up and traveled across the state and to Washington, D.C., to speak to representatives about Sheppard

In 2005, before Whaylen was in office, the Base Realignment and Closure process moved the medical training mission out of Sheppard, causing a $48 million annual loss to the area.

In his post, Whaylen was vigilant of future BRAC plans and made sure Sheppard was seen in the best possible light.

Federal fiscal year budgets in 2013 and 2015 included BRAC plans, but none affected Sheppard.

The catastrophic, four-year drought in North Texas area put a "red dot" on Sheppard due to fears of reduced access to water supply. SMAC was on the job after the drought ended, dispelling any concerns about the future of the base.

Joint efforts between the city and base have pooled resources to fund projects that might not have been possible for each entity on its own.

During the drought, Sheppard was a front-runner in water conservation. As a military installation, Sheppard could have claimed the rights to be immune from water restrictions, but instead expanded conservation programs at the base. Sheppard utilized gray water for watering grass even before the drought, and cut water usage by more than 65 percent.

For events in Wichita Falls like the St. Patrick's Day festival and Hotter'N Hell, Sheppard volunteers are vital in helping set up and run events.

The Wichita Falls Regional Airport shares runway space and the control tower with the base. A new airport provides a beautiful welcome to Sheppard personnel and area residents. The Jenny-to-Jet exhibit and mural at the airport memorialize the area's aviation history.

A state grant with matching funds secured this year by Wichita Falls made a $30 million security and transportation project possible near the Sheppard main entrance.

Col. Gregory Keeton, 80th Flying Training Wing commander, said the positive view of Wichita Falls has lasting impact around the world in part because of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program, housed at Sheppard. ENJJPT has trained more than 7,200 fighter pilots for the NATO alliance and celebrates a 35-year legacy in North Texas this year.

"The strong relationship between the partner nations that participate in ENJJPT and the community around Sheppard plays a vital role in our nations' respective security. Not only do the pilot training students learn about the United States and our way of life, but we are able to learn just how much alike we are in our goals in service to our nations. Every student and instructor pilot that attends our program returns to their home country with a positive view of Wichita Falls, northern Texas, and the United States, thanks in large part to the welcoming nature of the communities that surround Sheppard AFB," Keeton said.

Lt. Col. Ashley Cannon, commander of the 363rd Training Squadron at the 82nd Training Wing, and this year's air show director, said, "The great relationship and partnerships with the community have not only been vital in planning, resourcing and executing the Open House Air Show, they're essential to everyday mission accomplishment and so many other events throughout the year. We are so grateful to them for their unwavering support for our airmen and mission."

Sheppard will be honored with a city proclamation at the Wichita Falls City Council meeting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Base Commander Brig. Gen. Patrick Doherty, Keeton and 80th Operations Group commander, German air force Col. Bernhard Hey will accept the proclamation, marking a trio of milestone anniversaries  the 75th anniversary of Sheppard, the 50th anniversary of the German air force pilot training program at Sheppard and the 35th anniversary of ENJJPT.

With dedicated leadership on both sides of the fence, the special relationship of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base is aiming high for years to come.

SAFB FAST FACTS



Sheppard Air Force Base has been part of the North Texas community for 75 years. It is one of the largest and most diverse training bases in the Air Force. The officers and enlisted students trained at Sheppard are critical to the combat capability of the U.S. and its international partners.





has been part of the North Texas community for 75 years. It is one of the largest and most diverse training bases in the Air Force. The officers and enlisted students trained at Sheppard are critical to the combat capability of the U.S. and its international partners. The 82nd Training Wing delivers 60,000 technical training graduates annually in more than 900 aircraft maintenance, civil engineering and logistics courses. The annual economic impact to North Texas is more than $750 million. With 9,000 employees, Sheppard is the region's largest employer with more than $21.6 billion in physical assets.





The German Air Force developed a partnership with Sheppard Air Force Base and began pilot training here in 1966, providing both T-38 aircraft and paying tuition to the Air Force. Celebrating a 50-year anniversary this year, the German training program became the template for ENJJPT.





The ENJJPT country sponsor program recognizes the impact of community individuals and organizations as fundamental to the success and enduring partnership of the 13 NATO partners. The Wichita Falls Junior League has been a partner to German pilots, students or instructors, and their families, for all 50 years.
By Judith McGinnis of the Times Record News

This month marks the 35th anniversary of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base.

The 80th Flying Training Wing hosts ENJJPT, the world's only internationally manned and managed pilot training program. In the past 35 years, ENJJPT has graduated an estimated 7,200 combat trained pilots to NATO allies, which includes branches from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

It is a collaborative effort. As commander of the 80th FTW, Col. Gregory S. Keeton works directly with the U.S. chain of command and ministry of defense representatives from each of the NATO countries.

"It's their version of a steering committee that meets every year," Keeton said. "Each has a say on how the program is run and we work with each branch to execute their vision."

Annually there are an estimated 200 Undergraduate Pilot Training graduates, as well as 175 graduates of Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals and 60 pilot instructor training graduates.

Keeton arrived at Sheppard as an ENJJPT student pilot in 1994 after graduation from the Air Force Academy. After multiple assignments took him across the country and overseas, he returned to Sheppard in 2014 as vice commander of the 80th FTW.

According to Keeton, there's more to ENJJPT than "just training and professionalism."

"The great side effect is we give a piece of America to the pilots that they take home to their countries," Keeton said. "It's a better understanding that we can do a training mission together."

Another part of what ENJJPT pilots and instructors take home is an appreciation for North Texas. The ENJJPT sponsor program makes a social bridge; each country has a sponsor family. It gives each a different point of view about a state some thought was all "cowboys and rodeos."

Dee Ann and Noros Martin have welcomed pilot training families since 1974, before the ENJJPT partnership was formalized in 1978.

"It's not just a relationship with families from the Netherlands," Dee Ann Martin said. "We made friends from England and have traveled to Italy to visit friends there, too. We still communicate with people from Germany and Holland we met 30 years ago. They really opened up to us."

The Martins developed a strong bond with families from the Netherlands, helping them find homes and schools and become accustomed to living in a new community. The couple have been cultural ambassadors, entertaining Dutch families at their home, going to graduation ceremonies, taking trips and hosting get-togethers at Possum Kingdom Lake.

"We've been with them for new babies and weddings, and supported them when there's been a death in the family," Martin said. "Some things in life are the same no matter what country we come from."

The holidays have always been a special time for the Martins, something to share with ENJJPT families. Whether it was Halloween, Christmas or Easter, both cultures brought out the best of their traditions.

"It may be different in Europe but we love to get the young people involved," Martin said.

In appreciation for the kindness shown, the Martins were inducted into the 80th FTW Hall of Fame for their continued support of ENJJPT. In 2014, they accepted the Air Education and Training Command International Student Support Award for the sponsor program.

Unique to their sponsor experience was a special recognition from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

The Order of Orange-Nassau, a civilian order of chivalry, is presented to people who in a special way show a commitment to helping others. The Martins were recognized for their support of the Royal Netherland Air Force Detachment at Sheppard.

Noros Martin was knighted by Queen Beatrix. In a ceremony attended by hundreds of people, the Order of Orange-Nassau was presented to Dee Ann by Gerard van der Wulp, deputy chief of mission of the Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C., in ceremonies at the Wichita Falls Country Club.
Wichita Falls Record News A delegation from Germany arrives at Sheppard Air Force Base on Oct. 31, 1966, a short time after German Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training began.

By Christopher Collins of the Times Record News

In the early 1960s, a U.S. congressman from Archer City and a three-star general once stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base began to map out a plan.

Graham B. Purcell Jr., who represented Texas' 13th District, hatched a plan with Lt. Gen. Thomas Estes Moore to bring a contingent of Germans to Sheppard so they could be trained to fly fighter planes. The German military was receptive  Wichita Falls offered more days of clear weather than Germany, which made it an ideal backdrop for pilot training.

Purcell and Moore were successful is drawing the Germans here. This year the city celebrates 50 years of hosting a German delegation at its Air Force base.

"I'm very proud of what (my father) was able to do," said Graham Purcell's son, Blaine Purcell. "It demonstrated his know-how of working with people to achieve a common goal."

Military figures indicate that 2,500 German pilots have graduated from Sheppard's training program since 1966. Currently there are 66 German air force personnel in the base's Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program.

Blaine Purcell said he recently conducted research on his father's role in bringing the German air force to Wichita Falls in an attempt to shine light on the oft-forgotten origins of the town's German delegation. He recalled one Christmas he spent as a child at the home of the military attache to West Germany where his father was working to iron out a deal.

Shortly after, the U.S. House and Senate Armed Services committees authorized required contracts, which allowed for the purchase of land, the construction of a runway and $42 million for aircraft and other equipment. The German delegation was born.

Fast forward to 1986, when H.P. Scheule (pronounced Shoo-la) arrived in Wichita Falls after being selected to travel from Germany to the U.S. for pilot training. His training was concluded in 1987 and Scheule went back home to Germany, but not before marrying wife Kristin.

By 1995, Scheule came back to Sheppard after accepting a job as a pilot instructor. He said one factor in his decision to return was the sense of community, both on base and in the surrounding city.

"Ever since coming to Sheppard for the first time, there's been a strong bond between the air base and the community. And I remember that even from being a student back then," Scheule said.

As an instructor, Scheule works with some of the most capable people  both physically and mentally  the German air force has to offer. He describes the training program as "demanding."

"When you get selected to come to Sheppard  generally you only see the best," he said.

The instructor left Wichita Falls again in 2000, this time bound for Chicago, where he had taken a pilot job with United Airlines. But the events of 9/11 created a shakeup in pilot employment, so in 2005 Scheule found himself back at Sheppard.

He now teaches pilots to fly T-38 aircraft through academics and a machine that simulates real-life flying conditions.

"It's very rewarding working with those young aspiring individuals," Scheule said.

The German delegation of student pilots and instructors is part of the military's larger ENJJPT program, which is based at Sheppard. The program celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.
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If Democrats want to beat Donald Trump, they need to get past the freak-out stage and get to work.

In a sane and just world, this presidential race would be a walkover. Commentators would already be sketching out their postmortem analyses of an all-but-certain Hillary Clinton victory. Pare the contest down to its essentials: A former senator and secretary of state, eminently qualified to be president, is running against a dangerous demagogue who has never held public office and should not be allowed anywhere near the White House. Ought to be case closed.

But it's not. Clinton's big lead in national polls following the party conventions, which approached double digits, has shrunk to about 2 points  far too close for comfort. Trump has gained ground in swing-state polls as well. If the election were held tomorrow, Clinton would probably win. But Nov. 8 is many weeks away, and the recent trend line is hardly in her favor.

Why has the race tightened? I've heard a lot of theories, but I'm not sure I really buy any of them.

Trump's current set of handlers  campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and chief executive Steve Bannon  have done a better job than their predecessors of keeping their candidate from committing acts of self-destruction. They have gotten him to use a teleprompter more, rant and rave less, and sometimes go as long as 48 hours without spewing idiotic vitriol on Twitter. These are no small accomplishments.

Conway bravely goes on the cable shows every day and tries to explain the unexplainable. Sometimes she is made into a liar by her own candidate, as happened Wednesday when she denied that Trump would release any medical records on "The Dr. Oz Show," only to see him do just that a few hours later. Pretty much every time she appears, she has to pretend that one or another of Trump's nonsensical issue positions makes sense  or, on many issues, that he even has a settled position. But she is unfailingly patient, polite and nonthreatening.

Clinton, meanwhile, has been through a rough patch. Just as it seemed she might be getting past the latest hubbub over her emails, she told backers at a fundraiser that half of Trump's supporters fit into a "basket of deplorables." Then she felt wobbly at Sunday's 9/11 commemoration and later disclosed that she has pneumonia.

And by the way, I'm well aware that Trump has said worse things about the voting public; there is video of him opining that half of Americans are freeloaders. I'm also aware that in the larger sense there is no real comparison between Clinton's serious, inclusive, fact-based campaign and Trump's noxious stew of bigotry, resentment and juvenile fantasy.

Voters have been informed of Trump's ignorant and outrageous statements, his real and potential conflicts of interest, his bankruptcies, his hucksterism, his untempered temperament and all the other factors that make him unthinkable as a president. Coverage by the news media brought all this information to light. Don't blame the media for the fact that many people say they plan to vote for him anyway.

Instead, if you want to stop Trump, focus on the fundamentals  and get busy.

Ordinarily, this would be a tough election for any Democratic candidate to win. That is because, historically, a party that controls the White House for two terms in a row has difficulty winning a third. In addition to that headwind, nearly 70 percent of Americans say they believe the country is on the wrong track  an ominous sign for the incumbent party.

Trump, with his soaring unpopularity and general flakiness, is no normal candidate. Many voters  including many Republicans  obviously believe that while it may be the GOP's turn to take the helm, it will never be Trump's turn. Still, there are those who have real doubts about Trump but may still vote for him because they want change.

But the Democratic Party has structural advantages in a presidential year, as Barack Obama so vividly demonstrated. The party's coalition of women, young people, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Hispanics has growing weight in the electorate. Trump's base  older, whiter, more male  is a shrinking portion of the overall vote.

And the electoral map favors Democrats, giving Clinton more paths to victory than Trump. If she wins Florida, it's over. Same if she wins Ohio. And she could even lose both and still get to 270.

Angst doesn't help. Energizing the Democratic Party's reliable voters, especially in crucial states, can make all the difference.

Eugene Robinson's email address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com.
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Last week, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton took a shot at not just her opponent, Donald Trump, but also his supporters. "You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables," she said. "Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic  you name it."

Trump called on her to apologize, and Clinton later tried to walk back the remarks, but some observers say her comments were similar to Mitt Romney's infamous "47 percent" gaffe during the 2012 election.

Were Clinton's remarks wrong? What does this mean for the presidential race?

JOEL MATHIS

On the same day Clinton made her "basket of deplorables" comment, three leaders of white nationalist, alt-right groups gave a joint press conference in Washington to do two things.

First, they wanted to praise Trump's presidential candidacy, both for his leadership style and because it has been a vehicle for their newfound prominence. Second, they wanted to explain their vision of America as a homeland to those of European stock.

"I want my grandchildren to look like my grandparents," said Jared Taylor, editor of the white supremacist website American Renaissance, "not like Fu Manchu or Whoopi Goldberg or Anwar Sadat."

On Saturday, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin told the Values Voters Summit that physical violence might be needed to survive the tyranny of a Clinton presidency.

"I do think it would be possible, but at what price? At what price?" he asked. "The roots of the tree of liberty are watered by what? The blood of who? The tyrants, to be sure, but who else? The patriots."

Underlying all this, Trump himself. He launched himself into politics with a racist campaign to suggest that President Barack Obama wasn't really born in the United States  an attack he has never disavowed, despite conclusive evidence to the contrary. Trump made his bones as a politician, then, by embracing the deplorably dark side.

So it's no surprise that polls show, as Vox has reported, that "compared to white people, black people are viewed by Trump supporters as less intelligent, more lazy, more rude, more violent, and more criminal. About 40 to 50 percent of Trump supporters held at least one of these views, while fewer than 35 percent of Clinton supporters did."

Should Clinton have said what she said? Well, it was certainly impolitic. But if you don't like being called deplorable, don't be deplorable. Clinton's comments might've been bad politics, but they contained more than a little truth.

BEN BOYCHUK

Until you read the name nine paragraphs ago, had you ever heard of Jared Taylor? I'm betting the answer is a no. And you are unlikely to hear or read his name again. Because he's not especially important and his ideas appeal to a small slice of aggrieved Americans.

Bevin, the Kentucky governor, quoted Thomas Jefferson when he referred to the "tree of liberty." Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, which is good. But he also owned slaves, supported the French Revolution before the Terror and was a forefather of the modern Democratic Party, which surely makes him triply deplorable.

Think of it this way: The Communist Party of the United States of America recently endorsed Clinton for president. Communist regimes in the 20th century were responsible for the deaths of nearly 100 million people. Americans who subscribe to a genocidal ideology also support Clinton. That's beyond deplorable.

On the other hand, how many bona fide communists are there in the United States today? Excluding university faculty members, you might be able to fill up Yankee Stadium.

Still, if Trump's campaign is supposed to denounce this person or that, then Clinton's campaign must be held to the same standard. Americans have a right to know that the next leader of the free world will not truck with advocates of mass murder.

On it's own, Clinton's "basket of deplorables" crack doesn't matter much. In a broader context, it matters quite a bit.

The same Day 3 guys from the alt-right gave a press conference that attracted far more attention than it deserved, the 68-year-old Democratic nominee for president was reportedly diagnosed with pneumonia. But her campaign said nothing about it until Sunday, when Clinton collapsed at a Sept. 11 memorial event.

Last week, questions about Clinton's health were the stuff of conspiracy theorists  at least according to the Clinton campaign and her enablers in the press.

You know what's deplorable? That's deplorable.

Joel Mathis is an award-winning writer in Kansas. Ben Boychuk is managing editor of American Greatness. Reach them at joelmmathis@gmail.com, bboychuk3@att.net
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Bratislava, Slovakia

With policy splits among European Union countries putting their bloc under existential threat, national leaders agreed Friday on a six-month time table to come up with solutions for the multiple crises hobbling their union. But they delivered few concrete commitments on ways to bridge the deep differences.

While not on the agenda, Britain's decision to leave the EU hung over the meeting, reinforced by the absence of British Prime Minister Theresa May. But the 27 leaders attending talks in the Slovak capital had plenty of other divisive issues to discuss: Migration, a common European defense policy, worrying unemployment and the anemic state of the economy

In the end, the leaders committed to have a clear roadmap of the way ahead and some practical results when they meet in late March to mark the 60th anniversary of the EU founding Treaty of Rome in the Italian capital.

"Europe can, must move forward, as long as it has clear priorities: protection, security, prosperity and the future of the youth," said French President Francois Hollande in a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel called the current situation in the EU "critical," not only because Britain voted in June to leave the EU, the first ever member to do so.

She noted the migration crisis and economic problems that have fed growing disenchantment with the EU among many member states. Still, she said there was a common willingness to bounce back beyond the many issues that divide and even anger individual EU nations.

EU Council President Donald Tusk agreed, saying the mood in the EU now was "sober but not defeatist."

Still, comments by some leaders as they left the meeting suggested hard work ahead.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the staunchest opponent of liberal EU migration policies, again blamed Germany for refusing to set limits on migrant arrivals under Merkel.
Washington, D.C.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman may have been absent from Wednesday's congressional hearing on his investigation of Exxon Mobil and climate change. But GOP lawmakers put him in the crosshairs nonetheless, saying the probe would have a "chilling impact" on scientific research.

"The Committee wants the truth, Americans deserve the truth, and the Constitution requires that we seek the truth," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee.

Republican lawmakers insisted there are legitimate differences of opinion on climate change, and one said a comparable investigative approach might have prevented the Wright Brothers from inventing the airplane.

Democrats, including Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, an engineer by training, countered that the Schneiderman investigation is based on fact, not opinion.

Schneiderman and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey are "investigating potential fraud," Tonko said. "They are not infringing on the First Amendment rights of Exxon Mobil or industry scientists ... fraudulent speech is not protected by the First Amendment." He compared the Exxon Mobil investigation to state probes of Big Tobacco in the 1990s.

Schneiderman is pursuing Exxon Mobil to determine whether the company lied to the public and investors, pooh-pooing climate change even though its own research suggested greenhouse gases were, in fact, affecting the Earth's climate.

Smith has framed Schneiderman's probe as a free-speech issue, arguing that the state attorney general and the environmental groups backing him are attempting to suppress the company's First Amendment right to express its viewpoint on climate change.

Schneiderman has subpoenaed Exxon Mobil, and Smith, in turn, has subpoenaed Schneiderman, Healey and nine environmental groups. The net result: Defiance on all sides.

Although contentious at times, the hearing Wednesday was a leisurely expedition into Constitutional law more typical of a Supreme Court confirmation.

A panel of four law professors debated the power of Congress under Article I of the Constitution to issue and enforce subpoenas against state officials.

"If you think the science is wrong, then attack the science, not the messengers," said Ronald Rotunda, one of three law professors called by Republicans. "If Congress cannot investigate things like this, the Watergate committee would have never gotten off the ground."

The lone witness called by the Democratic minority, former House counsel Charles Tiefer, said Republicans had "failed to identify one subpoena to a state attorney general" in 200 years of U.S. history.

"The reason?" he said. "It never happened."

Both sides played the "Red Scare" card, summoning visions of the Sen. Joe McCarthy probes of the 1950s and the havoc created in the name of rooting out Communist influence.

The battle surrounding the dueling subpoenas strikes to the heart of the climate change issue. In short, is human causation of global warming an indisputable scientific fact? Or is it open to interpretation?

For environmental groups backing Schneiderman, there is little dispute. The overwhelming weight of scientific evidence is that human-caused climate change is real and only a significant reduction in carbon-based greenhouse gases can solve it long term, they say.

And any attempt by Exxon Mobil or any other fossil fuel entity to argue otherwise puts them on the level of Big Tobacco, which for years disputed the U.S. Surgeon General's conclusion in the 1960s that smoking causes cancer.

Smith, who represents the San Antonio area and has benefited from years of campaign donations by Exxon Mobil and other fossil-fuel producers, has countered that Schneiderman's aim is to stifle legitimate differences of opinion over the magnitude of climate change, the extent of human causation and what the appropriate solutions might be.

Democrats at the hearing pointed out what they considered a contradiction in Republican logic on probing a state attorney general. They played a video of Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chair of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, saying on CNN that there is no "federal jurisdiction" for a congressional investigation of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who received a campaign donation from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and subsequently decided not to open a probe of potential fraud by his Trump University.

(On Tuesday, Schneiderman announced an investigation of Trump's foundation, which issued the check to Bondi.)

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., asked Tiefer how the GOP claim of no jurisdiction in the Bondi case squares with its claim of wide jurisdiction in the Schneiderman case.

"They don't have it, and you don't have it," Tiefer said.

dan@hearstdc.com
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Malta

Since January, newly elected town officials have set about changing Malta's reputation as a town that is unfriendly to business to one that's open to business. In response, Malta's first order was to rezone the town's two major thoroughfares  routes 9 and 67.

Led by new Supervisor Vincent DeLucia, Route 9 was successfully rezoned from residential to commercial.

Now it's Route 67's turn. At 5:45 p.m. Monday, the bedroom community's planning board will host a public hearing to discuss establishing the busy road, west of the Northway, as commercial.

More Information Malta's Economic Development Committee The members of Malta's new Economic Development Committee, chaired by Town Councilman Timothy Dunn: Rai Archibald, Schwartz Heslin Group Greg Conners, GlobalFoundries Jeff Haraden, Mohawk Honda John Hartzell, town councilman Paul Loomis, Malta Business and Professional Association Sharyn Marchione, retired from GE and Bechtel Darren O'Connors, deputy town supervisor Glenn Rockwood, Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency Todd Shimkus, Saratoga County Chamber Tom Roohan, Luther Forest Technology Campus All but Loomis, Shimkus and Roohan are residents of Malta. Zoning hearing Proposed changes to Route 67 zoning will be discussed at 5:45 p.m. in a public hearing on Monday at Malta Town Hall, Route 9. See More Collapse

"Most people who live out there want it," said Timothy Dunn, a newly elected Malta town councilman. "People can't get out of their driveways because there is so much traffic, but they can't sell their homes either. They want it commercial so they can sell."

Not everyone wants growth. Raymond Road residents, whose homes abut a 100 acres of open space on Route 67 are fighting the measure. A petition with 94 signatures is asking the town to preserve the area as residential.

"We don't want to change the character of the neighborhood," said Paul Sausville, former Malta supervisor who lives at 1074 Raymond Road. "Malta is growing in leaps and bounds. What we need to do is stop and catch our breath. We want to preserve our quality of life and go back to our roots as a bedroom community."

But Dunn says relying on residents to carry the burden of economic growth is not a solution to smart growth. For one thing, the sales tax that Malta receives from the county is based on the community's total assessed value. Larger communities, like Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park, get the lion's share of sales tax revenue. Malta gets 4 percent. And with growth booming all around, but not in Malta, that percentage may shrink.

We don't have a town tax," said Dunn. "And we don't want one. We want to keep Malta tax free."

Dunn said these zoning steps are important because for too long Malta has been beset by a hodgepodge of projects. There was no comprehensive plan that aligned with a clear vision for the community. That's next with the forming of the Economic Development Committee. Led by Dunn, this group of area business leaders, most of whom live in Malta, will implement a master plan for growth.

"We have to realize our future, not let it happen to us," said Dunn who would like to see a mix of supply chain providers to serve GlobalFoundries and Luther Forest Tech Park as well as restaurants and other small to mid-size businesses springing up along the new commercial corridors.

Dunn also pointed to another issue that is a detriment to Malta's economic health  a glut of vacant storefronts and apartments on Route 9. Considered Malta's downtown, the mix of businesses and multifamily dwellings were built in anticipation of the boom from GlobalFoundries and Luther Forest. While there was an influx of residents, most bought single-family homes. The storefronts, on the other hand, always struggled to be leased.

"The development didn't align with market realities," said Dunn. "The thing about commercial development, it is a strategy to build a tax base and encourages people to live and work here. Expecting residential areas to guide the tax base is like the tail wagging the dog. It doesn't make sense."

wliberatore@timesunion.com  518-454-5445  @wendyliberatore
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New Paltz

The crowd of hundreds of college students  dotted here and there by retirees  rallied with feverish energy in a small park here on Friday morning for their political folk hero.

Their chants of "Ber-NIE! Ber-NIE!" were reminiscent of a time in the spring when U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders angled to win New York's Democratic presidential primary, a victory that could have fundamentally shifted the momentum of his challenge to Hillary Clinton.

Yet in the 19th Congressional District, Sanders doesn't want to be the sole focus anymore.

"That 'Bernie' has now got to be transferred to, 'Zephyr,' " Sanders said, his thick Brooklyn accent cropping the "R" off Zephyr Teachout's name ("Zephuh") throughout his remarks.

The underlying message of Friday's rally was that the progressives' goals, if not their names, are interchangeable.

Central to the campaigns of both Sanders and Teachout is the contention that regular people have been shut out of the political process. Then again, that has become the platform du jour for candidates of all political stripes this year  including Republican Donald Trump, who occupies the opposite end of the political spectrum from Sanders' supporters.

Sanders reiterated his belief that this year's election is a battle between billionaires and the people. That messaging may as well have been taken from Teachout's own playbook, with the candidate making official corruption (and related campaign finance issues) the hallmarks of her own bid for office.

"We've gotta take on the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics," Teachout said, quoting former New York Gov. (and President) Teddy Roosevelt.

Teachout pledged she would "take on the billionaires and replace them with people power" and bring with her to Washington the residents of the 19th District.

Sanders said Teachout would stand out in Congress.

"You will have a leader who has the guts to stand up to the billionaire class and tell these greedy people that they cannot have it all," he said. "You will have a congresswoman who understands that grass-roots democracy and bringing our people together and mobilizing people is the only way that real change ever, ever takes place."

Embracing Sanders poses challenges for Teachout. He remains a polarizing figure on the right, and Teachout's Republican opponent John Faso was quick to assert that Sanders is "the nation's preeminent socialist."

"One of the major problems in the country, as I said yesterday, is that we don't have enough cooperation across party lines," Faso said after the rally, referencing a Thursday debate in which he compared Teachout's left-leaning policy prescriptions to the far-right leaning congressional Freedom Caucus that includes acolytes of the tea party movement. In the process, Faso painted himself as a more center-right Republican similar to the district's popular congressman, Rep. Chris Gibson.

"I don't view compromise as a dirty word," Faso said at a news conference at a firehouse on the other side of New Paltz. "... And I see professor Teachout as, frankly, being a far-left radical who has a gauzy and idealist and dreamy view of how the world should look like. But it's not a practical solution to fixing the problems that we face."

In a district led for the past six years by a Republican ranked as one of Congress' most bipartisan members, Teachout's latest effort to fire up her base likely needs to be parried by striking the moderate tone that has helped Gibson gain such popularity.

Both Teachout and Faso seek the support of about 26,000 unaffiliated voters in the district, where the Republicans have a roughly 2,300-voter advantage (another 10,000 voters are Conservative Party members). The district includes all of Columbia, Greene, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties, and parts of Broome, Dutchess, Montgomery and Rensselaer counties.

If there are coattail effects of the top of the ticket in November, it's possible voters alienated by both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Trump might gravitate toward a congressional candidate blessed by Sanders, given his appeal to those who feel alienated by politicians in general.

Siena College's March poll of voters statewide showed 53 percent of independents have a favorable view of Sanders, compared to 39 percent who had that view of Clinton and 32 percent who felt that way about Trump.

While there has yet to be public polling on the 19th District general election, Siena's June primary polling showed that self-described moderate Democrats and Republicans viewed Sanders in at least a somewhat favorable light. Sanders was viewed favorably by 62 percent of moderate Democrats and by 38 percent of Republicans  more than double the number of moderate GOP voters who viewed Clinton favorably.

Regardless of how far from center she may skew, Teachout on Friday elicited a comparison to a popular Democrat who represented the Hudson Valley, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley in Congress for 20 years.

"Zephyr's a great replacement for Maurice Hinchey, who was our liberal hero," said rally attendee Rocco Rizzo, an Ulster County resident who sported a "Sanders for President" T-shirt beneath a jean jacket bearing a "Teachout for Congress" sticker.

"Hinchey also voted with his conscience and not the party," Rizzo said.

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
On September 5, a young Palestinian man, Mustafa Nimir, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers while driving late at night in the Palestinian refugee camp of Shufat, where he lived with his family. To justify this unwarranted, extrajudicial killing, Israeli authorities initially claimed Nimir and his cousin were terrorists, but no evidence supports this allegation. The disturbing willingness to use deadly force without due process and the denial of accountability for this murder is unfortunately symptomatic of Israeli state policies towards Palestinians.

The Jewish Federation seems to believe that incidents such as this, and the policies that result in such actions, are a "public relations" problem. A federation event on Sept. 18th has the goal of "ensuring" that the "pro-Israel tent is inclusive and diverse". The event will feature Philip Jones, "progressive outreach director" for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). According to the event description, Mr. Jones aims to "link AIPAC's pro-Israel message with the progressive movement [to] show that they are not mutually exclusive narratives".

No amount of PR can change the fact that Israel  recipient of massive military aid from the U.S., lobbied for by AIPAC  routinely commits significant human rights violations, with devastating long-term traumatic impacts on the Palestinian people living on the occupied West Bank and in blockaded Gaza, almost half of whom are children.

Israel doesn't have a public relations problem. It has a human rights problem.

As people learn more about Israeli human rights violations, the movement to end U.S. military aid to Israel will grow and the campaign to protect Palestinian human rights will gain strength.

What "human rights" violations?

An incomplete list includes: the system of checkpoints that restrict Palestinian freedom of movement; the preferential access for Jews living in illegal settlements to decent roads, adequate water, and other resources; the demolition of Palestinian homes; the policy of detaining, interrogating, and imprisoning Palestinian children as young as 12 for up to a year or longer without trial, detentions which often include subjecting children to physical violence; and the bombing of hospitals, schools, mosques and residential neighborhoods in Gaza in 2014.

Recently, a Bethlehem-based human rights group uncovered a practice by the Israeli military of "kneecapping" young Palestinians in the Dheisheh refugee camp, that is, deliberately shooting youth in their knees so as to cause long-term disabilities and suffering.

If being "pro-Israel" means support for these policies of the Israeli government, then it is, indeed, incompatible with a progressive vision. A progressive world view  one that respects and seeks to protect the human rights of all, including Palestinians  cannot be reconciled with Israeli policies.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter.

Thankfully, growing numbers of progressives, including increasing numbers of Jews, are questioning Israeli policies. As American Jews, many of us struggle with the contradiction between what are taught as historical Jewish values  a commitment to peace and justice  and the policies of the Israeli government. This is reflected in the rapid growth of groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace that support dignity, equality and human rights for all. It is also significant that the issue of Palestinian human rights was recently discussed by the Democratic Party platform committee and garnered much support.

And, it is inspiring that groups as varied as the Presbyterian church, the United Church of Christ, the American Studies Association, and the Black Lives Matter movement, have questioned the continued military support provided by the U.S. to Israel and have stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Support is growing for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a non-violent human rights based movement initiated by numerous sectors of Palestinian civil society.

Unfortunately for AIPAC and the Jewish Federation, no matter how many events they have to reach out to the "progressive" community, they cannot alter the basic facts of the brutal and illegal Israeli policies. Nor can they change the long arc of history, which, as has been said, bends towards justice.

Mark Mishler, of Albany, is an attorney and a member of Jewish Voice for Peace.
[September 17, 2016] Alibaba and UTCC Join Forces to Create an International E-commerce Program For the First Time in Thailand

BANGKOK, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), Asia's leading business university with a commitment to creating innovation driven entrepreneurship, offers innovative entrepreneurship courses to students in every faculty via the digital hybrid learning system. While its EGG Project, aimed at training students to start startups, provides an opportunity for student to run a real business and prepare them to enter the era of digital economy and Thailand 4.0. Alibaba.com, China's largest online shopping platform under the leadership of tycoon Jack Ma, earlier this year announced its move to acquire Lazada from the Germany-based Rocket Internet, which will help it tap into the ASEAN market. Alibaba and UTCC, represented by UTCC president Associate Professor Dr. Sauwanee Thairungroj, UTCC senior vice-pesident for academic affairs and research Assistant Professor Dr. Thanawat Polvichai, and Alibaba.com Thailand country manager Jerry Wu, have joined hands to offer a certificate program in e-commerce for Thai entrepreneurs and UTCC students in order to create 4.0 business-minded entrepreneurs. For the first time, there will be an "exclusive dream trip" to Alibaba.com headquarters in Hangzhou, China for full e-commerce training.



Associate Professor Sauwanee said under the cooperation of UTCC and Alibaba.com, the university prepares to provide short-term training for SME entrepreneurs who will receive a certificate from Alibaba. All UTCC students, currently numbering over 20,000, will also receive the training as part of their exit exam, which will ensure that all UTCC graduates are equipped with e-commerce knowledge, especially on the Alibaba platform. In addition, there will be an exclusive dream trip to bring Thai SMEs to Alibaba headquarters in Hangzhou, China to learn about corporate culture, online trading, import and export, and Alibaba.com membership. The UTCC president said Alibaba Thailand, UTCC and the Thai Chamber of Commerce share the intention to strengthen competitiveness of Thai SMEs and help them expand their businesses overseas. E-commerce will become necessary for all entrepreneurs and will provide them with a global platform for their products, while UTCC students will become the 4.0 business-minded entrepreneurs driven by innovation or "innovation driven entrepreneurs" under the university policy.

Mr. Wu said Alibaba.com looks to provide Thai SMEs with knowledge and capability in exporting. He said Thai people are familiar with e-commerce but lack confidence on the security of the system as well as the knowledge on how to export via Alibaba.com. Therefore, Alibaba has entered into a partnership with UTCC to provide training for Thai entrepreneurs on e-commerce, which will be the first time in Thailand. He expects to see 5,000 SME entrepreneurs become Alibaba.com members. Alibaba believes UTCC is a great partner as the university shares its goal to develop Thai entrepreneurs, the culture of innovative idea and way of doing business, creativity and quick action. Mr. Surapon Vongvadhanaroj, Vice Chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the Thai SMEs lack understanding on e-commerce, which will become necessary in the future. The partnership of UTCC and Alibaba.com will play a role in developing over 80,000 chamber members all over the country and helping them expand their businesses globally. The signing of the memorandum of understanding will create an e-commerce capability for UTCC students and faculty members as well as Thai entrepreneurs, allowing them to utilize online trading on Alibaba.com, learn techniques to generate millions from online shops, exchange experiences with Alibaba Chinese Gold Members and access one-on-one consultation on selling products on the Alibaba platform. For more information, please contact:

Pitchpatu Waiyachote

University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce

Mobile: +66-92-262-2729

Email: [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160829/8521605420

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[September 17, 2016] BlackLine Expands European Operations With New Germany Office

LONDON and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackLine, a leading provider of financial controls and automation solutions that enable Continuous Accounting, today announced the details of its latest European expansion, including a new base of operations in Frankfurt, Germany, that will serve as a strategic hub for meeting the needs of companies across the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). The new Frankfurt office and DACH expansion efforts will be led by Petra Ellmerich, a 30-year software industry veteran with sales and management experience at such market-leading companies as Infor, Oracle, Cognos and Siemens. BlackLine's cloud-based software platform helps organisations remain competitive, reduce risk and transform their existing Finance & Accounting (F&A) departments into Modern Finance organisations by automating key processes such as the financial close, account reconciliations, intercompany accounting and controls assurance. "The tremendous reception we've had for our software from companies all over the world confirms the value our solution provides and our ability to help global companies transform their existing F&A operations into true Modern Finance organisations," Mario Spanicciati, BlackLine's chief strategy officer, said. "We've seen increasing demand from mid-size and large organisations across Europe. The market opportunity, coupled with our long-standing relationship with SAP, made opening an office in Germany a logical next step." The BlackLine Financial Close Suite for SAP Solutions complements the functionality inherent in the SAP ERP Financials solution and the SAP S/4HANA Finance solution, bringing enhanced control and automation to F&A departments worldwide. In 2013, the BlackLine Financial Close Suite for SAP Solutions becme an SAP-endorsed business solution. Earlier this year, the BlackLine Connector 3.0 achieved certified integration with the SAP NetWeaver technology platform running on the SAP HANA platform, providing embedded, real-time integration between SAP ERP and the BlackLine Financial Close Management solution. Working together, the BlackLine and SAP offerings deliver an end-to-end solution to accelerate the financial close and enable Continuous Accounting. Both BlackLine and SAP were recently recognised by Gartner as Leaders in the 2016 Magic Quadrant for Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) Solutions.



BlackLine customers include more than 100 companies operating in the DACH region, including locally headquartered companies Kempinski Hotels and Trivago. BlackLine has sales, implementation and support teams to serve customers in German. Additionally, BlackLine products and solutions are available in the German language. To visit the new German website, go to www.blackline.com/de. BlackLine's EMEA operations (Europe, Middle East and Africa) are headquartered in London. Leveraging BlackLine's expanding global footprint in EMEA and APAC (Asia-Pacific), several of the world's leading accounting advisory and professional services firms, including Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC and Resources Global Professionals, offer 'BlackLine Certified Implementation Professionals' to assist in the deployment and execution of the BlackLine Finance Controls and Automation Platform.

About BlackLine

BlackLine is a provider of cloud-based solutions for Finance & Accounting (F&A) that centralize and streamline financial close operations and other key F&A processes for midsize and large organisations. Designed to complement ERP and other financial systems, the BlackLine Finance Controls & Automation Platform increases operational efficiency, real-time visibility, control and compliance to ensure end-to-end financial close management, fueling confidence throughout the entire accounting cycle. BlackLine's mission is to continuously improve the quality, accuracy and efficiency of Finance & Accounting by centralizing key functions within a single, unified cloud platform. Enabling customers to move beyond outdated processes and point solutions to a Continuous Accounting model, in which real-time automation, controls and period-end tasks are embedded within day-to-day activities, BlackLine helps companies achieve Modern Finance status, ensuring more accurate and insightful financial statements and a more efficient financial close. More than 1,500 companies with users in approximately 120 countries around the world trust BlackLine to ensure balance sheet integrity and confidence in their financial statements. BlackLine is recognized by Gartner as a Leader in its 2016 Magic Quadrant for Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) Solutions and as a pioneer of the Enhanced Financial Controls & Automation (EFCA) software category. Based in Los Angeles, BlackLine also has regional headquarters in London, Singapore and Sydney. For more information, please visit www.blackline.com. SAP, SAP HANA, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061117/LAF027LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blackline-expands-european-operations-with-new-germany-office-300319790.html SOURCE BlackLine

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[September 17, 2016] China Financial POS Terminal Industry Report, 2016-2020

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With the development of electronic information technology and Internet technology, emerging payments like online payment, mobile payment and fixed-line phone payment have produced certain shunting effect on e-payment in the traditional consumption areas as well as exerted an influence on POS terminal-based e-payments. However, POS terminal manufacturers have taken the initiative to adapt to the market environment by constantly launching the products with Bluetooth, USB, NFC, QR code and other payment functions, so as to keep the sustained and steady development of the industry. By the end of 2015, 22.82 million units of POS terminals joined the UnionPay network in China, up 43.2% YoY. After years of development, China's POS acquiring environment has been further improved. In 2015, each POS terminal corresponded to 240 bankcards; POS terminal ownership per 1,000 people rose to 16.66 units. But compared with major developed countries, the number of bankcards corresponding to a POS terminal in China is still high. In the next few years, as emerging technologies are introduced, POS payments will be safer and more convenient, and the POS terminal market potential will be gradually released. By 2020, there will be 58.85 million POS terminals joining the UnionPay network in China, registering a CAGR of 20.9% during 2015-2020. In terms of competition, due to strict certification system, POS terminal industry has high barriers to entry and thus a relatively high market concentration. Leading POS terminal brands in the Chinese market include LANDI Commercial Equipment, PAX Global, Xinguodu, New POS Technology, VeriFone, Newland and Justtide. In 2015, Fujian LANDI Commercial Equipment Co., Ltd sold roughly 3.2 million units, still ahead of its counterparts, followed by PAX Global Technology Limited with 2.05 million units and Shenzhen Xinguodu Technology Co., Ltd with 1.724 million units. Fujian LANDI Commercial Equipment Co., Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the France-based Ingenico (100% shareholding in 2012). Relying on the latter's technial support, Fujian LANDI Commercial Equipment have shaped a complete product line covering financial payment terminals, mobile payment terminals as well as smart payment terminals. As of March 2016, the company sold a total of 10 million units of POS terminals. In May 2016, it launched a new generation of financial security POS terminal product named E8 Family.



The Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed PAX Global Technology Limited mainly develops and sells EFT-POS products as well as provides related services, with a rich product line. The company has shipped more than 14 million units since its inception, ranking third worldwide in 2015. With respect to market development, it has been adhering to the business at home and abroad, boasting remarkable achievements in the United States, EMEA, Brazil, APAC, etc., which accounts for 55% of total revenue. As a listed company in China's A share market, Shenzhen Xinguodu Technology Co., Ltd specializes in the R&D, production and sales of payment terminal products; featured products include desktop POS, wireless handheld POS, telephone POS, multimedia POS, etc. In 2015, as its new production line went into production, about 2.42 million units of POS terminals were produced each year. In addition, the company has developed the "terminal + Internet + finance + big data" strategy, according to which, Internet payment technology will be used in the cloud computing and cloud storage technology based transaction data processing and storage capacity building, so as to provide customers and merchants with the one-stop integrated payment service solutions containing smart payment terminals, online and offline payment technology operation services.

The report provides the following: Overview of Chinese financial POS terminal market, embracing definition & classification, category of technology, industrial chain, policies and trends; Analysis on global payment industry, including card issuance, consumption, POS terminal shipments, competition pattern, etc.; Analysis on Chinese POS terminal industry, including market size, competition, import & export; Analysis on Chinese payment industry, involving non-cash payment, bank card payment, third-party payment, etc.; Analysis on Chinese acquiring industry, such as general situation, policies, market size, competition pattern, etc.; Analysis on five overseas companies (Ingenico, Verifone, Cybernet, Bitel, First Data) and eight Chinese peers (Fujian LANDI Commercial Equipment, PAX Global Technology, Shenzhen Xinguodu Technology, Fujian Newland Computer, SZZT Electronics Shenzhen, New POS Technology, Castles Technology, and Sunyard System Engineering), including their profile, financial conditions, featured products, R&D status, distribution of production bases, technical features, etc. Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04091850-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com __________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-financial-pos-terminal-industry-report-2016-2020-300320126.html SOURCE Reportlinker

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[September 17, 2016] CPI ASC Signal Division Receives Contract for Antenna System in Indonesia

PLANO, Texas, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The ASC Signal Division of Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI) has been awarded a contract for high-frequency (HF) antennas in Indonesia by Pratama Wahyu Teknik (PWT), a communications systems integrator headquartered near Jakarata. PWT has ordered four Model 3005 Spira-Cone HF antennas for air-to-ground communication and navigation purposes for the Indonesian National Directorate General of Civil Aviation for RDARA, the Regional and Domestic Air Route Area coverage agency in Makassar and Merauke, Indonesia. CPI ASC Signal Division's Model 3005 HF antenna system was first developed to meet a requirement by the U.S. Navy for a low-profile antenna to replace older, rotatable log-periodic antenna systems. This model includes mode voting technology, which is widely used in non-commercial HF systems, and extends the use of that technology into the commercial sector. Although this is CPI ASC Signal Division's first project for PWT, the new contract is not its first project in Indonesia nor the region. CPI ASC Signal Division has been supplying antenna systems to the Southern Pacific region for approximately 12 years, including the provision of state-of-the-art antenna products to Australian aviation authorities and the Indonesian military through large, multi-national original equipment manufacturers. "The Southern Pacific region relies heavily on air transportation for a variety of its social and economic needs, and it is vital that it has access to reliable, proven technology for aviation communications and navigation applications," said Keith Buckley, president of CPI ASC Signal Division. "CPI ASC Signal Division's HF antenna systems are trusted components of aviation systems throughout the region. We are honored that Pratama Wahyu Teknik, a world-class integrator, has recognized our Model 3005 technology as optimal for its system needs in Indonesia, and we look forward to a productive relationship." About CPI ASC Signal Division

In September 2015, ASC Signal was acquired by Commuications & Power Industries LLC, becoming CPI ASC Signal Division, a multinational manufacturer of high-performance, highly-engineered satellite Earth station, radar and HF antenna systems. Its customers include international broadcasters and Fortune 500 companies, as well as military and government organizations. CPI ASC Signal Division leads through design innovation that capitalizes on a more than 40-year heritage of engineering creativity and excellence. The ASC Signal Division of CPI is a member of the World Teleport Association and the Society of Satellite Professionals International and a supporter of the satellite industry's Better Satellite World campaign. www.cpii.com/ascsignal



About Communications & Power Industries LLC

Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI), headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is a subsidiary of CPI International Holding Corp. and CPI International, Inc. CPI develops, manufactures and globally distributes components and subsystems used in the generation, amplification, transmission and reception of microwave signals for a wide variety of systems including radar, electronic warfare and communications (satellite and point-to-point) systems for military and commercial applications, specialty products for medical diagnostic imaging and the treatment of cancer, as well as microwave and RF energy generating products for various industrial and scientific pursuits. www.cpii.com/ Certain statements included above constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations, beliefs or forecasts of future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the results projected, expected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, competition in our end markets; our significant amount of debt; changes or reductions in the U.S. defense budget; currency fluctuations; goodwill impairment considerations; customer cancellations of sales contracts; U.S. Government contracts; export restrictions and other laws and regulations; international laws; changes in technology; the impact of unexpected costs; the impact of a general slowdown in the global economy; the impact of environmental laws and regulations; inability to obtain raw materials and components; and the impact of unexpected results of, or issues in connection with, dispositions and acquisitions. These and other risks are described in more detail in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All future written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. We undertake no duty or obligation to (i) publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events occurring after the date hereof, (ii) to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in our expectations or (iii) to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statement if CPI becomes aware that such statement is not likely to be achieved.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cpi-asc-signal-division-receives-contract-for-antenna-system-in-indonesia-300319704.html SOURCE CPI International Holding Corp.; CPI International, Inc.

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[September 17, 2016] Eastern Michigan University uses augmented reality sandbox to help students move mountains

YPSILANTI, Mich., Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For some students, topographical maps can look like nothing more than paper with squiggly lines. A professor at Eastern Michigan University sought to change that perception through augmented reality. Katherine Ryker, an assistant professor of Earth science education, built an Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox to help both EMU and local students gain an interactive understanding of complex Earth processes. The AR Sandbox combines a physical box of sand, a Microsoft Xbox Kinect camera, a digital data projector, simulation and visualization software and a computer. A virtual map is then displayed on the sand, which can be manipulated by students to create mountains, volcanoes, river channels or glacial deposits. Students can also hold their hands over the map to create virtual rain. EMU is one of only three Michigan schools to have this technology. Western Michigan University and Ithaca High School, located in the middle of the state, are the others. "It helps EMU studens develop spatial thinking and improve their understanding of maps in an exciting and engaging way," said Ryker. "It's a hands-on way to learn about geography and geology."



Ryker built the sandbox by hand during December 2015 and January 2016, with funding from an eFellows grant, courtesy from EMU's Faculty Development Center. The grant supports faculty in obtaining resources needed to successfully pilot innovative, technology-based projects that enhance student learning. The sandbox has attracted campus-wide attention from academic departments, ranging from children's literature to the ROTC, each interested in utilizing the sandbox to fit their curriculum.

"It's exciting to see that it is a technology with a diverse set of applications outside of just geography and geology," Ryker said. The Augmented Reality sandbox is currently housed in the Geography and Geology department in room 202 of Strong Hall. To visit the Augmented Reality Sandbox, please contact Katherine Ryker: [email protected]. To learn more visit the the Geography and Geology department website. About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It serves 22,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. EMU is recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information, visit the University's website. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403063

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150904/263875LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eastern-michigan-university-uses-augmented-reality-sandbox-to-help-students-move-mountains-300320780.html SOURCE Eastern Michigan University

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[September 17, 2016] Filmlance Turns to DDN End-to-End Media Workflow Management to Meet Its Rapidly Growing Storage Needs

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Direct Networks (DDN) today announced that Filmlance, one of Sweden's largest independent media production companies, is replacing its entire Quantum StorNext file system and storage infrastructure with DDN's MEDIAScaler workflow management and end-to-end storage solution. The new solution, based on DDN's MEDIAScaler offering, is designed to work with increasingly higher-resolution formats  such as 4K, 8K, UHD, HDR and IMF  as well as to accommodate rapidly rising camera counts and higher frame rates. Deploying DDN MEDIAScaler will enable Filmlance to meet the Big Data requirements of today's films and TV series shot in ultra-high definition. MEDIAScaler allows Filmlance to manage its end-to-end media workflows within a single platform, including ingest, editing, transcoding, distributing, collaboration and archiving. The system is designed to scale to 100s of petabytes, and meets Filmlance's needs today and well into the future. Tweet this: With @DDN_Limitless media workflow management, #Filmlance support hi res formats & rapid data growth - http://bit.ly/2anEsbV



Henrik Cednert, Filmlance's CTO, explains, "Creating a show has always generated huge amounts of files. The older shows were running around 10 terabytes. But these new shows, shot in ultra-high definition, generate about 40 terabytes of source material. Additionally, we know future files and workflows will be even larger so we had to prepare for that eventuality as well." Established in 1988, Filmlance has produced more than 100 high-end television and feature films. Its filmography includes major motion pictures, animated children's films, TV films, TV series and short films. Many of its productions have received awards and have attracted a great deal of attention at film festivals around the world. Filmlance's hit series, "The Bridge," was nominated for a BAFTA award in 2013 and has been sold to more than 130 countries with successful remakes in France, the UK, Mexico and the US. In March 2016, Filmlance launched its latest series, "Spring Tide." The first episode of the crime thriller had an even better debut than Filmlance's hit series, "The Bridge," which was first issued three years ago. These new hits provide Filmlance with an increased viewer base and enhanced revenues, but it also has put a serious strain on Filmlance's IT operations.

Filmlance's many projects  especially the new offerings shot in ultra-high definition  are generating massive workflow and storage requirements. DDN's MEDIAScaler offering is proving to be invaluable in meeting the challenges associated with modern media workflows such as those confronting Filmlance. "Our MEDIAScaler solution uses a parallel file system client for some of our users and NFS for others. With MEDIAScaler we don't have any permission issues," Cednert says. "We can connect with any computer in our IT infrastructure using regular gigabit Ethernet. This is far more versatile than other solutions that require IT to buy licenses, fiber cards for the computers, and other add-ons. As a result, the DDN solution is much more cost effective." Scaling with Ease

The DDN implementation met all of the key requirements established by the Filmlance IT team  including the requirement that it scale with ease. Cednert explains that although streamlining post-production operations was a major goal, the ability to work efficiently with constantly growing file sizes was a key criteria. The system's raw deployed capacity of one petabyte with growth patterns built in to accommodate 100s of petabytes provides the required scalability. Cednert adds, "The beauty of this system is that we don't have to do a lot of planning regarding increasing capacity in the future  we just buy another box and add it to the system as we need it. This makes for a much smoother process than we had before. Plus, the DDN solution is geared to meet the needs of Filmlance's demanding post-production environment, now and in the foreseeable future." Supporting Resources Read the Filmlance Case Study

More on DDN MEDIAScaler

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Follow DDN: Blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook About DDN

DataDirect Networks (DDN) is the world's leading big data storage supplier to data-intensive, global organizations. For more than 15 years, DDN storage has designed, developed, deployed and optimized systems, software and storage solutions that enable enterprises, service providers, universities and government agencies to generate more value and to accelerate time to insight from their data and information, on premise and in the cloud. Organizations leverage the power of DDN storage technology and the deep technical expertise of its team to capture, store, process, analyze, collaborate and distribute data, information and content at largest scale in the most efficient, reliable and cost effective manner. DDN customers include many of the world's leading financial services firms and banks, healthcare and life science organizations, manufacturing and energy companies, government and research facilities, and web and cloud service providers. For more information, go to www.ddn.com or call 1-800-837-2298. Media Contacts:

DDN

Michael King

Sr. Director of Marketing

Email: [email protected]

Work: 408-419-2892 IGNITE Consulting, on behalf of DDN

Linda Dellett, 303-439-9398

Kathleen Sullivan, 303-439-9365

[email protected] 2016 All rights reserved. DDN Storage, DDN and MEDIAScaler are trademarks owned by DataDirect Networks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130223/MM65263LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/filmlance-turns-to-ddn-end-to-end-media-workflow-management-to-meet-its-rapidly-growing-storage-needs-300320478.html SOURCE DataDirect Networks (DDN)

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[September 17, 2016] Greece Raises 246 million Euros in First Public Auction of Broadcasting Licenses

ATHENS, Greece, Sept. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Greece concluded a first-of-its-kind auction for national television licenses following an international tender process that drew more interest than projected and raised far more for the country than expected. The process drew 11 participants. Four participants received broadcast licenses, which last for ten years and sold for an average of EU 61.5 million. This auction fell under the auspices of an agreement between Greece and its international creditors to streamline the TV media market. It ends 27 years of legal ambiguity, in which private TV stations operated under temporary licenses of dubious legitimacy. This legal ambiguity had been repeatedly criticized by Greece's top Constitutional Court. The new process provides 10-year licenses, brings revenue to the Greek government and ensures that media ownership is transparent and financially sound. "The Greek Government has acted decisively and fairly to open up and streamline the unregulated ad hoc chaos that existed within the TV market and we have done so in a transparent and unimpeachable manne,'' said Minister of State Nikos Pappas. He said the auction process "provides a blueprint of how Greece can move forward in attracting foreign investment, by allowing investors to know what the rules are and that they apply equally to all.



"Greece is open for investment, and investors will seize these opportunities,'' Mr. Pappas said. "The success of this process and the staggering amount of 246 million Euros -that far exceeded any estimation prior to the auction- is a definite vote of business confidence in the country, one that marks a milestone as we move forward." Mr. Pappas said the unregulated media market, which had included eight broadcasters, encouraged corruption among public officials and institutions. He said that, rather than run broadcasting units with the intent of turning a profit, some of the stations existed as corporate loss-leaders whose only reason to exist was to influence political figures and events."

In addition, Greece plans to set up a government agency to oversee the sale of all broadcast advertising. In return, the government will take a 30% advertising commission on all sales between broadcasters and advertisers, up from the current 10% commission. Mr. Pappas said the goal of a central, state-supervised advertising marketplace was to curb tax evasion. (Release issued by the Government of Greece) For more information, please contact: Dimitris Karamanis , PM's General Secretary Office Email +30 6982 959260 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/greece-raises-246-million-euros-in-first-public-auction-of-broadcasting-licenses-300322094.html SOURCE Government of Greece

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[September 17, 2016] Hatch-Zhongshe joint venture to target environmental challenges in China

SHANGHAI, Sept. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended a commercial signing ceremony in Shanghai today which marked the formal establishment of a new joint venture between Hatch and the Zhongshe Baiqi Joint Investment Development Co. Ltd. The newly-formed Hatch Beijing Environment & Technology Co. Ltd. (HBET) will focus on providing solutions to some of the most serious environmental issues facing China today. The HBET joint venture will draw on Zhongshe's financial strengths and Hatch's deep technical expertise and decades of environmental experience in the resources, energy, infrastructure and municipal sectors. The signing ceremony for Canadian and Chinese companies was held in conjunction with the Canada China Business Council annual gala, which was attended by Prime Minister Trudeau during his inaugural visit to China, and by Canada's Minister of International Trade, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland. "Today, we're building on Hatch's strong commitment to China and moving forward to deliver a new level of environmental services and innovation," said Joe Lombard, Hatch Global Managing Director for Metals. "Hatch is now uniquely positioned to help advance China's environmental priorities, bringing together our top technical and environmental experts from around the globe." Lombard emphasized the close working relationship with Zhongshe as a key to future success. "We're deeply gratified to have Zhongshe as our partner, one of China's preeminent companies with involvement in multiple sectors and industries across the country. Through this partnership, Hatch will introduce clean technologies and execute world-leading environmental remediation and management programs that support China's policies to protect and improve the environment." "The Hatch Beijing Environment & Technology Co. Ltd. is a new player in the field of Chinese environmental protection," said Mr. Ma Jian Fei, Chairman, Zhongshe. "Through the joint efforts of the Canadian and Chinese company, it will play an important role in water treatment, soil remediation, solid waste disposal, river and lake recovery, and new, environmentally-friendlymaterials in China. We look forward to bluer skies, cleaner water and a better environment in China."



For Hatch's global team, HBET will open up new opportunities to supply and implement best-in-class environmental methods and state-of-the-art technologies, both acquired and developed in-house. The joint venture builds on Hatch's 40-year history in China during which the company has provided engineering, project management, and technology transfer to some of China's major state-owned and private enterprises, notably QSLIC, Baosteel, Galaxy Lithium, and Angang Steel. Based in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area, HBET will provide environmental management, evaluation, planning, consultation, and delivery of environmental projects, including cleanup, technical training for engineers, and the promotion of new environmental technologies.

Hatch in China Hatch's long-standing history in China and with Chinese companies involves major industrial projects and clients in the mining and metals sector. Hatch's presence on the mainland is reflected by over 150 employees and offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenyang. With the formation of HBET, Hatch now has four joint ventures with Chinese companies and has provided over half a billion dollars in services over the last 20 years. Since 2009, Hatch has played a key role in the development of the QSLIC industrial complex in Golmud, which today features the world's largest, state-of-the-art magnesium smelter and calcium carbide furnaces, engineered and built using Hatch technology. Chinese leaders recently visited QSLIC and commended the complex facility's industry-leading design, environmental safeguards and exemplary contribution to the development of China's resources and circular economy. Hatch holds a Class A Design License from Chinese authorities, which provides the same status as other design institutes in the country to directly design, manage, and deliver projects in the Chinese metallurgical industry. About Hatch Whatever our clients envision, our engineers can design and build. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient and innovative. We draw upon our 9,000 staff with experience in over 150 countries, including China, to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve. About Zhongshe Baiqi Joint Investment Development Co. Ltd. Zhongshe Baiqi Joint Investment Development Co. Ltd. was founded in 2006. This group of diversified, independent companies engages in emerging industries and in acquiring the scarce resources China needs. Zhongshe's strategic initiatives involve project financing and investment, asset and business management, and consultation and information services. Known for employing the best resources, talents and technologies in China, Zhongshe focuses on community and public welfare in industries that include unconventional oil & gas, environmental services, finance, health care, sole concession lottery operations and security. Photo - http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160901_C3121_PHOTO_EN_764140.jpg

Photo - http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160901_C3121_PHOTO_EN_764142.jpg

For further information: Nancy White, Director, Marketing & Communications, Hatch, Tel: +1 905 491 7585, Email: [email protected]; Simon Dai, Manager, Marketing & Communications, Hatch China, Tel: +86 (21) 6119 5926, Cell: +86 (138) 1789 9360, Email: [email protected]

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[September 17, 2016] JDR Consulting Expands Operations to Australia; Provides Systems Support to Charter Hall

DALLAS, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- JDR Consulting, LLC, a minority-owned, certified small business and leading management consulting company, announced today that it has been selected by the Charter Hall Group, headquartered in Sydney, Australia, to provide supplementary support for its Yardi Voyager 7S system and other application software. The Charter Hall Group is one of Australia's leading property groups with a total managed property portfolio of $17 billion and 295 commercial properties under management. JDR will be supporting Charter Hall with business process and configuration recommendations, data migration services, ongoing system maintenance, help desk support and customized traiing services.



"JDR brings a deep understanding of Yardi and other key applications to the table," said James Doust, Head of Corporate Business Systems at Charter Hall, "with their support, we will be able to transform our technologies into efficient and effective business tools that will help us maintain sustainable returns for our investors, and offer a positive experience for our tenants both now and into the future." "JDR has been offering its support and best business practices to property management companies in the U.S. and Canada for years," said John Rivers, CEO of JDR Consulting, "we look forward to expanding our international operation to Australia, and are happy to be partnering with such a highly skilled and motivated team."

About JDR Consulting, LLC JDR Consulting, LLC is a minority-owned, certified small business and leading management consulting firm specializing in program and project management, systems implementations, IT solutions and services, custom programming and report writing, training, accounting services and help desk services. We provide services and support to major players in the Real Estate, Financial Services, Government, Investment Management, Insurance, Higher Education and Healthcare industries. Our highly skilled project management and software implementation teams are experts in the implementation of such products as Yardi, MRI, RealPage, Timberline, JD Edwards, LRO, Great Plains and many more. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151123/290189LOGO Contact:

Mandy Cooke

Marketing Manager

888.481.7755

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jdr-consulting-expands-operations-to-australia-provides-systems-support-to-charter-hall-300316071.html SOURCE JDR Consulting

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[September 17, 2016] Kudelski Security Expands Global Advisory Services With Appointments of John Hellickson and Darrell Switzer

CHESEAUX, Switzerland and PHOENIX, Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kudelski Security, a trusted advisor and cybersecurity innovator for the world's most security-conscious organizations, today announced that it has expanded its Global Advisory Services with the addition of two experienced cybersecurity executives. John Hellickson will lead the company's Strategy and Governance practice and oversee consulting services focused on helping chief executives (CxOs) develop and manage long-term cybersecurity programs. He was formerly the global chief information security officer (CISO) at First Data, the world's largest third-party processor of credit and debit card transactions. Darrell Switzer will lead Kudelski Security's Incident Response and Cyber Resilience practice. "John possesses a rare combination of technical and executive management expertise honed in one of the most stringent, regulated and risk-averse environments in the world," said Rich Fennessy, chief executive officer of Kudelski Security. "There are few people as qualified as John and we're thrilled to have him on board. He brings the strategic vision, business acumen and real-world experience today's organizations need to effectively improve their cybersecurity posture, reduce risk and combat threats." Hellickson has more than 25 years of IT experience, the last two decades focused on security and risk management. He's served as an executive security consultant and trusted partner, providing companies with risk management strategies aligning technology, people and processes with business objectives. At First Data, he rose from security engineer to CISO, leading a global team to create a business-driven, risk-balanced strategy and cybersecurity program. Hellickson served seven years in the U.S. Air Force, his last assignment protecting systems supporting the country's nuclear war plan. He is a certified information systems security professional (CISSP) and board member of the non-profits Security Advisor Alliance and Veteran's Passport to Hope. "Security has become a primary factor in maintaining a profitable and reputable business, so it's incumbent on leaders to build programs that can enable this growth and support critical business processes," said Hellickson. "Not only does this ensure the confidentiality and integrity of information assets, it empowers chief security officers to accurately represent their programs to executive leadership. I look forward to being a part of this process and helping clients develop, measure and prioritize their programs within a governance structure that can effectively meet the demands of their business." Hellickson joins Kudelski Security at a time of rapid global growth, following the expansion of its U.S. presence earlier this summer. Building off its reputation in Europe as trusted advisors and innovators with proven R&D capabilities and high-quality engineering expertise, the company has established a strong foothold in the U.S. market with a growing Fortune 500 client base, unique capabilities and a plan to change how clients work with providers to design, deploy and manage cybersecurity. Kudelski Security provides world-class advisory services delivered through four core areas: Strategy and Governance; Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Management; Incident Response and Cyber Resilience; and Strategic Cyber Staffing. Its advisors collaborate with clients to build and articulate a clear security vision, providing a measurable plan and blueprint for achieving priorities. In addition to Hellickson, Kudelski Security has appointed security veteran Darrell Switzer to lead its global Incident Response and Cyber Resilience practice. Switzer has more than 17 years of hands-on incident response experience, including Fortune 500 client initiatives that aligned security strategies to business priorities. Previously, he held senior posts with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Citibank and FishNet Security. A frequent lecturer, Switzer has delivered presentations at such high-profile events as Black Hat, SecureWorld, The US Law Foundation and Cybersecurity for Community Banks Conference. He is currently an active member of Infragard and the Electronic Crimes Task Force. "Darrell's specialization in incident response and proven experience building proactive cybersecurity programs will be a huge asset to our clients as they look to effectively identify, contain and mitigate threats," said Mark Carney, vice president of Global Advisory Services at Kudelski Security. "Darrell and John are tremendous additions to our advisory services leadership team. They will undoubtedly support our continued rapid growth and efforts in building a team of renowned industry experts and experienced advisors who can help corporate security leaders become better equipped to protect their organizations." About Kudelski Security

Kudelski Security is the premier advisor and cybersecurity innovator for today's most security-conscious organizations. Our long-term approach to client partnerships enables us to continuously evaluate their security posture to recommend solutions that reduce business risk, maintain compliance and increase overall security effectiveness. With clients that include Fortune 500 enterprises and government organizations in Europe and across the United States, we address the most complex environments through an unparalleled set of solution capabilities including advisory, technology, managed security services and custom innovation. For more information, visit www.kudelskisecurity.com.







Kudelski Security Contact: John Van Blaricum Vice President, Global Marketing Kudelski Security (650) 966-4320 [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160722/392252LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kudelski-security-expands-global-advisory-services-with-appointments-of-john-hellickson-and-darrell-switzer-300321490.html SOURCE Kudelski Security

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[September 17, 2016] Linde expertise in materials sourcing, logistics and permitting: Facilitating photovoltaic cell capacity expansion in South East Asia

SINGAPORE, March 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Major photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturers in South East Asia are expanding capacity and are partnering with Linde to quickly establish the reliable, high-quality supply chain they need as they extend material supply lines beyond their home countries. A case in point: Linde has been awarded multiple wins of gas and chemical supply for a number of world leading PV cell manufacturers' first plants in South East Asia. Linde not only provides materials, but also regional expertise in the form of engineering solutions and permitting guidance to deliver high-value advantages to customers in this competitive space. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130530/NY23246LOGO-b Consolidation has quickly turned to expansion in the PV industry, and cell manufacturers are taking advantage of growth markets, local incentives and favorable trade terms by adding capacity in Thailand, Malaysia, India and other regional locations. In addition to building greenfield factories, manufacturers are faced with creating international material supply chains, navigating permitting and licensing in a new country, and building gas and chemical distribution systems, all of which are core competencies of Linde. Linde offers a complete portfolio of gas and chemical products required for photovoltaic processes. Bulk gases used in the manufacture of PV cells are nitrogen (N 2 ), hydrogen (H 2 ), oxygen (O 2 ), argon (Ar), and in some cases, helium (He). Specialty gases used in PV manufacture are silane (SiH 4 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), hydrogen fluoride (HF), phosphine (PH 3 ) and diborane (B 2 H 6 ). Operating with its subsidiary Asia Union Electronic Chemical Corporation (AUECC), which has manufacturing sites in mainland China and Taiwan, Linde also provides a full range of wet chemicals, including high-purity aqueous acids, bases and etchants. Andreas Weisheit, Head of Linde Eectronics explains "Linde is the leading gas and chemical provider in the South East Asia region, with a long history in each of the individual countries in which we operate. Project windows are very short and customers need a materials supplier who can successfully execute sourcing, logistics and engineering solutions on aggressive timelines. Being close to our customers with the right resources means that Linde already has a multi-functional team in place on day one, and can help them ramp production as quickly as possible. Because of all we have to offer, we have become partners with PV manufacturers who have an immediate need for a well-functioning, reliable supply chain."



To safely, store, handle, connect and distribute the gases and chemicals used in PV manufacture, detailed design considerations, which include local and global standards, and legal legislation, which is different in each particular country, must be taken into account. Linde experience with local permitting and licensing has benefitted customers needing to minimize their project timelines. Design codes, safety quantities, safety distances, package sizing, material handling techniques and emergency response accessibility are all considered when designing facilities and associated equipment in gas and chemical, source to point-of-use supply schemes. Linde has the expertise to fully design greenfield gas and chemical facilities, including BSGS (bulk specialty gas systems), abatement and distribution piping networks, chemical CDM (chemical distribution modules) and specialized co-axial distribution piping. The Linde Engineering services division is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, supports Linde locally and globally and is currently active in executing multiple projects throughout the region. Linde can offer all molecules, full turnkey installation and all associated equipment and a complete point-of-use guarantee for all gases and chemicals used in the PV process.

About The Linde Group In the 2015 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of USD 19.7 bn (EUR 17.944 bn) , making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 65,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development. For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com Linde Electronics is an industry leader in gases for the electronics marketsemiconductor, solar, display and LED. Linde Electronics helps electronics companies achieve their goals through a strong focus on quality and environmental leadership, its expertise, commitment to the industry through ongoing investments in processes, engineering, and on-site and localized solutions, a broad portfolio that includes environmentally sustainable and highly specialized and rigorously measured electronic specialty gases (ESGs), bulk/pipeline gases, equipment, and services, and through working closely with customers to better meet their evolving needs. For more information, visit www.linde-gas.com/electronics or contact [email protected]. Asia Union Electronic Chemical Corporation (AUECC), a Linde subsidiary, is a leading supplier of wet process chemicals to high-tech industries worldwide. AUECC is the first choice for wet chemicals among solar cell manufacturers. Its products support the photovoltaic wet process solutions for saw damage repair, surface texturisation, surface cleaning and PSG removal and edge isolation. For more information, visit http://www.linde-gas.com/en/products_and_supply/electronic_gases_and_chemicals/wet_chemicals/index.html.

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[September 17, 2016] Lokai Innovates With Facebook Messenger And Invites The World To Walk Together For charity: water

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lokai today launches "Walk With Yeshi," a first of its kind immersive journey built specifically for Facebook Messenger, that provides the global community with a completely new way to experience and understand the water crisis in Ethiopia. A platform to support Lokai's second partnership with charity: water, the revolutionary Facebook Messenger bot gives anyone on the planet the ability to virtually join Yeshi on her daily walk for water. Yeshi represents millions of women in rural Ethiopia who spend an average two-and-a-half hours a day walking to access water, which often is polluted and impure by most standards. The Walk With Yeshi experience is created to mirror that full-length of time, giving users time to reflect and build empathy with the true daily experiences of people on the other side of the world. Walk With Yeshi is at the forefront of Facebook Messenger's responsive technology. Once people begin the experience, Yeshi will send images, gifs, videos, audio files and interactive maps and, in return, she will ask users to answer specific questions, upload their own media and even select options from multiple-choice quizzes. To experience Walk With Yeshi, simply message 'hello' to Live Lokai on Facebook Messenger, or at www.facebook.com/livelokai. On Sunday, Lokai hosted a two and a half hour walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn, allowing members of the Lokai community early access to the Yeshi experience and raising awareness for the water crisis in Ethiopia. "We are humbled to see our community come out in support of such an important cause and encourage others to Walk With Yeshi," said Lokai founder Steven Izen. "As a brand we're interested in changing the way people think about giving. Utilizing new technology is a powerful way to connect our young community eye-to-eye with those in need of their help. You can only understand how long a two and a half hour walk is, when you have to walk it. And you can only understand the water crisis when you've met someone effected by it. Building the Walk With Yeshi experience was a way for us to accomplish both of these things using Facebook Messenger." "Today, 663 million people don't have access to clean water. And almost 90% are living in rural areas -- often remote, isolated villages where water is a great distance away. They're walking hours every single day to get dirty water from swamps, rivers or ponds, because that's the only water available," said Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of charity: water. "663 million people making that journey can be hard to imagine, but when you experience what that daily walk could look like, it becomes more concrete. The Walk With Yeshi is a new, innovative way for us to tell that story together."



A socially responsible brand that represents the importance of finding balance along life's journey, Lokai has partnered for a second time with charity: water to launch the limited edition Water Pack and Water Lokai bracelet to help bring clean water to communities in Ethiopia. The product range and supporting campaign will be available through September 16. The limited edition Lokai Water Pack is available at Lokai.com for $46. The Water Lokai is also sold individually at Lokai.com for $18. Ten percent of net profits from the Water Pack and Water Lokai purchased until September 16th will fund charity: water wells in Ethiopia.

Lokai has grown through the popularity of its message of finding balance through life's highs and lows. The water bottle represents a brand evolution beyond bracelet, it embodies how important finding balance is in every aspect of your life, both mental and physical. Since its launch in 2013, Lokai has raised over $6 million for a variety of non-profit organizations worldwide. Their partnership with charity: water represents the newest chapter in the brand's ongoing commitment to give back. Supporters can share their Water Lokai photos on Instagram, tagging @livelokai and using the hashtag #livelokai. For additional information on Lokai's partnership with charity: water, please visit Lokai's charity page. About charity: water

Right now 663 million people on this planet don't have access to clean, safe drinking water. That's nearly one in ten of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing countries. We use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need. Learn more at www.charitywater.org. About Lokai

Lokai is a socially responsible lifestyle brand that represents the importance of finding balance along life's journey. Cornell University Cum Laude Graduate, Steven Izen, founded the company in 2013, on the heels of a deeply emotional and transformative experience. Realizing that life is a cycle of highs and lows, he grew to appreciate the importance of remaining both humble and hopeful. The company infuses its trademark bracelets with elements sourced from the highest and lowest points on Earth  water from Mt. Everest and mud from the Dead Sea. The Lokai lifestyle is devoted to finding balance, sharing success during life's peaks and gaining perspective during lows. Lokai supports this message by donating 10% of their net profits to various charitable organizations. Since launching, Lokai is sold in over 160 countries. Please visit www.lokai.com for more information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SVOq4IurI4 www.Instagram.com/livelokai www.Twitter.com/livelokai www.Facebook.com/livelokai Content and Tools Walk with Yeshi Video: https://youtu.be/-SVOq4IurI4

Lifestyle Video: https://youtu.be/BZBllD7wgfE

Water Pack Unboxing: https://youtu.be/Lip9gY0vnA4

Spinning Lokai & Water Bottle: https://youtu.be/NpGV6l0ADIM

Full Press Kit: https://lokai.box.com/s/d05ep1x990u9xm15r5rer87d4jly8tws Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402551

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402550LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lokai-innovates-with-facebook-messenger-and-invites-the-world-to-walk-together-for-charity-water-300320033.html SOURCE Lokai

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[September 17, 2016] Mack Weldon Hires Matthew Congdon, Design Lead For Calvin Klein Underwear

NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Furthering its commitment to product innovation, an expanding executive team and surging sales, Mack Weldon, the men's premium basics brand, has tapped Matthew Congdon to serve as its Creative Director. The role, which was created for Congdon, is effective immediately. Congdon is an industry expert with more than 19 years experience designing multiple categories of menswear for multinational brands, including his most recent role as the Vice President of Men's Design at Calvin Klein Underwear. There he lead global design and product development for the $1 billion business and oversaw the recent launches of the Air Fx and Intense Power collections. Congdon also served as the Design Director of Men's Knits at Uniqlo from 2006 to 2012 where he helped launch two major collections for the brand, AIRism and Heattech. Earlier in his career, he held design positions at Perry Ellis, J. Crew, Nautica and Club Monaco. "Matthew joins Mack Weldon with tested experience innovating leading brands and creating value through design. We admire his experience in the category of course but, as important, is his keen understanding of technical design and performance fabrictwo core elements of the Mack Weldon brand," said Michael Isaacman, co-founder and Head of Product for Mack Weldon. "Over the last four years, we've proven our model of technically-enhanced products that bring comfort, style and function to men's essentials," added Brian Berger, founder and CEO of Mack Weldon. "Matthew joins Mack Weldon to extend that mission to related categories and double down on innovation in our core businesses."



In his role, Congdon will oversee the design team and Mack Weldon's product offering, upgrading and expanding the core underwear, sock and T-shirt lines. He will also play a key role as the brand considers new categories that fit its product strategy, amplifying the recent moves in sweats and key sportswear and technical items, like the Vesper Polo, the anti-microbial 1285 Performance Dress Sock, Merino Wool series and the swim-friendly Amphibious Underwear. His appointment comes as Mack Weldon surges in sales. The brand recently celebrated its millionth unit shipped and is on track to double revenue this year.

"Mack Weldon is an ideal home for me: a product-focused men's brand that values design and technical innovation around a set of core items  over chasing fashion trends. I've been a fan for some time and am thrilled to build upon the great work they've done delivering function, comfort and quality to guys," said Congdon. "Another thing Mack Weldon does so well is speak to and understand its consumer," added Congdon. "As a designer, being able to test items and get immediate feedback is a huge draw for me. Mack Weldon is one of the most digitally savvy, direct-to-consumer brands and I am looking forward to helping support their growth." Congdon is a New York City resident and is an alumni Parsons School of Design. About Mack Weldon

Mack Weldon (mackweldon.com) was founded in 2012 by Brian Berger and Michael Isaacman with a mission to reinvent men's basics. The company manufactures, designs and distributes underwear, socks, t-shirts and a limited range of wardrobe essentials engineered to promote comfort, mobility and performance. Its simple and elegant e-commerce site features an easy shopping experience and volume based pricing. The company has been featured in the New York Times, WWD, GQ, People Magazine, Men's Health, and many others. Mack Weldon is based in New York City. For further information, please contact:

Brenner Thomas

The Lead PR

212.584.5668

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mack-weldon-hires-matthew-congdon-design-lead-for-calvin-klein-underwear-300321480.html SOURCE Mack Weldon

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[September 17, 2016] Meet "Your Networking Ally": Zyxel Launches Rebranding Campaign

HSINCHU, Taiwan, Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Zyxel Communications today announced the launch of a global rebranding campaign "Your Networking Ally." For nearly 30 years, Zyxel has earned a reputation for innovative products that "make the world connect." The company is now looking ahead to build networks that help people achieve their goals and change the world for the better. This huge undertaking is not something Zyxel will deliver alone. Market research firm Gartner says by 2020 there'll be nearly 21 billion connected devices in the hands of users. Connected devices create more efficient workplaces, new ways of living, and fresh business models. Yet, in spite of these developments, much of the world's potential and many of today's opportunities remain trapped behind slow, insecure, and even non-existent network access. This is what Zyxel is trying to change. By identifying as "Your Networking Ally," Zyxel highlights its core competence and the close relationship it shares with customers. People and organizations need a partner who understands their struggles and provides solutions that help them meet these challenges. Zyxel is that ally. The new tagline is supported by a number of stories that illustrate how Zyxel is makin change happen. Examples include delivering banking services to remote villages in China, securing an irrigation system for growing flowers in a drought-prone region of the U.S., or connecting school kids in Europe to the world of knowledge. Zyxel is the networking ally standing alongside customers with integrated end-to-end networking solutions in hand.



Zyxel president Gordon Yang describes the transition to becoming a solution provider as "solid and exciting." "It's solid because we are holding most of the technologies in our hands already," Yang said. "And it's exciting because we are standing side-by-side with our customers, helping them achieve their goals -- unlocking their potential."

A refreshed vision calls for changes inside and out, starting with a new look. The graphical twist to the letter x at the center of the new Zyxel logo shows how Zyxel connects customers to their potential with both wired and wireless connections. The new "Ally" characters exemplify Zyxel's approachable and supportive nature. Finally, our refreshed visual identity applies five bright and distinct colors that reflect the diversity of the Zyxel team and its rich set of end-to-end solutions for various applications and vertical markets. The story of "Your Networking Ally": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCGWqoA7Mw For more information please visit: www.zyxel.com About Zyxel Communications Focused on innovation and customer-centricity, Zyxel Communications has been connecting people to the Internet for nearly 30 years. Our ability to adapt and innovate with networking technology places us at the forefront of creating connectivity for telcos and service providers, business and home users. Zyxel is building the networks of tomorrow, unlocking potential, and meeting the needs of the modern workplace -- powering people at work, life, and play. Zyxel, Your Networking Ally. 1,500 passionate associates worldwide

100 million devices creating global connections

700,000 businesses working smarter with Zyxel solutions

150 global markets served Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160907/8521605655LOGO

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160907/8521605655-a

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[September 17, 2016] Minnesota School District Selects Hikvision Equipment for Security Overhaul

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., Sept. 1, 2016 /CNW/  Hikvision USA Inc., the North American leader in innovative, award-winning CCTV and IP video surveillance products, has provided Becker Public Schools in Minneapolis, Minn. a multi-step security upgrade to protect its students, staff, and facilities. Shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December of 2012, Becker Public School District decided that their older surveillance system was in need of a serious overhaul and selected Hikvision video surveillance equipment for the project. "We were really looking to expand our camera system following Sandy Hook," said Sumre Robinson, network manager for Becker Public Schools. "It wasn't necessarily to increase the numbers of cameras, but to eventually be able to provide access to the cameras to police in an emergency situation." Becker School District called on local integrator Security & Sound to complete the installation, and Hikvision surveillance products were selected. A rigorous implementaion process ensued and the critical nature of the project propelled the work. Phil Otto, CFO of Security & Sound in St. Bonifacius, Minn., proposed using a multiple-phase installation with Hikvision surveillance cameras to complete the system. The first stage of execution improved visibility around exterior entries. The second stage saw upgrades to interior areas with IP cameras and expanded coverage of hallways and rooms. Challenges to this project included finding cameras that were both durable and unobtrusive, selecting vandal-resistant products for outdoor areas, and securing zero-light areas at night with infrared cameras.



"As with most schools, the Becker School District had concerns about their parking lot surveillance coverage and video capabilities after dark," Otto said. "We recommended Hikvision's DarkFighter line of PTZ cameras in key outdoor areas where evening lighting was an issue but color video was desired. Hikvision's DS-2DF8223I-AEL 1080p PTZ camera was chosen to cover the parking lots due to its color lux rating of 0.002 and built-in tour and auto tracking features. The camera's low light capabilities coupled with the ambient light from the parking lot allow the camera to stay in full color at all times regardless of cloud cover or inclement weather." "Hikvision works to create versatile solutions for diverse applications and vertical markets," said Jeffrey He, president of Hikvision USA and Hikvision Canada. "Video surveillance in educational facilities is essential, which is why we offer solutions to meet the requirements of these applications. It is satisfying to know that our products help school safety and city officials provide safer educational environments for students and staff."

In the end, Hikvision's extensive product line provided a full range of networked cameras that fit every requirement from the administration. On top of that, the Hikvision products also met budget requirements  a crucial piece of the puzzle for most schools and school districts. To learn more about Hikvision's cutting edge video surveillance solutions, visit Hikvision's booth at ASIS, #1811, in Orlando, September 12-15. About Hikvision Hikvision is the world's leading supplier of video surveillance solutions. Featuring the industry's strongest R&D workforce, Hikvision designs, develops, and manufactures standard- and high-definition cameras, including a variety of IP cameras, analog cameras, and cameras featuring the latest in high-definition analog technology. Hikvision's product suite also includes digital video servers, hybrid and standalone DVRs, NVRs, and other elements of sophisticated security systems for both indoor and outdoor use. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403259 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/minnesota-school-district-selects-hikvision-equipment-for-security-overhaul-300321077.html SOURCE Hikvision USA

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[September 17, 2016] New Brand Identity With Refreshed Corporate Logo

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rainbow Design Services has refreshed its logo. "We have created something really special over the last 22 years. Our business has grown and evolved and we want to make sure that our visual representation represents who we are today. We have used the former logo for more than 17 years and it has served us well. Changing our logo wasn't a decision we took lightly, we are proud of our rich history, but we are not the same company we were 17 years ago. Our visual brand identity has a dated feel and no longer adequately presents all that we are as a company," said Jeff Mardis, Rainbow Design Services' President/CEO. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403373LOGO With the help of an outside marketing firm, Rainbow Design Services has adopted a new modernized logo with a more contemporary font and a bright orange color. The new visual identity, with its bold colors and up-to-date font, better represent the company as modern and evolving. "When designing our logo we wanted something that was not trendy but timeless. During this process we learned that orange is symbolic of strength and endurance, qualities we hope that our customers use when describing Ranbow Design Services." The new logo will be part of a corporate rebranding and marketing plan that represents the current philosophies, offerings, and culture of Rainbow Design Services.



While the brand and logo are changing to better represent what the company is today Rainbow Design Services' core values remain the same and have enabled us to develop long lasting customer relationships. "We're honored to have a varied and loyal partnership with some amazing companies, including Charter Communications and Comcast Cable. Our customers are always our priority and we plan for it to stay that way." This new representation of Rainbow Design Services clearly shows that we are evolving as a company. We are aware that changing a logo is a process that can involve many steps and takes some time, so we will finalize it gradually. The first major industry event where the new brand will be revealed is SCTE in Philadelphia in late September.

About Rainbow Design Services Widely acknowledged as an industry leader, Rainbow Design Services is a full service Telecom Engineering and Design firm. We specialize in documenting and engineering FTTx, RF, HFC and ISP, and deliver customized GIS & Engineering services related to these assets to clients across an expansive range of markets and localities. Rainbow Design Services is proud of our strong reputation of consistently meeting aggressive schedules while maintaining a standard of delivering high-quality products that continually exceed our client's expectations. Everything we do is done in a GIS (mapping) platform, and thus is delivered in most any standard CAD/GIS format. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky Rainbow Design Services' two decades of practice has resulted in a solid foundation of technical expertise resulting from experience, and the dedication of our diverse staff. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-brand-identity-with-refreshed-corporate-logo-300321265.html SOURCE Rainbow Design Services

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[September 17, 2016] New Study Released in Hong Kong Demonstrates Indoor Building Environment has Significant, Positive Impact on Cognitive Function

HONG KONG, Dec. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Improved indoor environmental quality doubled participants' scores on cognitive function tests, according to a new study by researchers at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Center for Health and the Global Environment, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University. The study was released in Hong Kong today. Primary support for the study came from United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) and its UTC Climate, Controls & Security business. "The Impact of Green Buildings on Cognitive Function" study found that employees' cognitive performance scores averaged 101 per cent higher in green building environments with enhanced ventilation compared to a conventional building environment. "When it comes to the decision-making ability of green building occupants, intelligence is in the air" said John Mandyck, United Technologies Chief Sustainability Officer. "We know green buildings conserve natural resources, minimize environmental impacts and improve the indoor environment, but these results show they can also become important human resource tools for all indoor environments where cognitive abilities are critical to productivity, learning and safety."



"The payback for improved indoor environmental quality far outweighs the investment, considering that more than 90 per cent of the costs associated with a building are related to the people who work within it once construction is completed," he added. "The results of this study have tremendous implications for major cities such as Hong Kong, where workers spend an average of 50 hours per week in their offices, making it one of the hardest working cities in the world[1]. Building owners and employers should evaluate the quality of the indoor environment they provide to their staff, primarily related to indoor ventilation, as this study proves there are measurable benefits to worker productivity from optimized air quality," said Titus Yu, managing director, UTC Climate, Controls & Security, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

The double-blind study evaluated the cognitive performance of 24 participants who experienced conditions in a laboratory setting that simulate those found in conventional and green buildings, as well as green buildings with enhanced ventilation. Researchers measured cognitive function for nine functional domains, including basic, applied and focused activity levels; task orientation; crisis response; information seeking; information usage; breadth of approach; and strategy. The largest improvements in cognitive function test scores occurred in the areas of crisis response, information usage and strategy. Crisis response scores were 97 percent higher for the green environment and 131 percent higher for the green environment with enhanced ventilation and lower carbon dioxide levels compared to the conventional environment.

Information usage scores for green and enhanced green environments were 172 and 299 percent higher than in the conventional environment, respectively.

For strategy, green and enhanced green scores were 183 and 288 percent higher than the conventional environment. The Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard Chan School and SUNY Upstate Medical are launching a second phase of research, which will move from the lab into real buildings across the United States. This research will also be supported by a gift from United Technologies. The full report is available at www.CHGEHarvard.org/COGfxStudy and www.theCOGfxStudy.com. Follow the discussion on Twitter using the hashtags #COGfxStudy and #IntelligenceInTheAir. About UTC Climate, Controls & Security UTC Climate, Controls & Security is a leading provider of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, building controls and automation, and fire and security systems leading to safer, smarter, sustainable and high-performance buildings. UTC Climate, Controls & Security is a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, follow @UTC_CCS on Twitter. About United Technologies United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit the website at www.utc.com or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC. Please find the appendix here. Michelle Mak

+852-2884-7248

[email protected] Ann Hung

+852-9231-7871

[email protected] Note:

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[September 17, 2016] Palo Alto Networks Unveils New WildFire European Cloud Hosted in the Netherlands

AMSTERDAM, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW), the next-generation security company, today announced that customers in Europe can now benefit from the power of Palo Alto Networks WildFire cloud-based threat analysis and prevention capabilities from a data center located in the Netherlands. With local resiliency built-in, this helps European organizations meet their data privacy needs via the WildFire EU (European Union) cloud. In today's threat environment, a global, cloud-based, community-driven approach to aggregated threat analysis is key to achieving the best possible threat intelligence and prevention to effectively defend against a community of attackers who share information, attack methods and techniques. However, many organizations around the globe, and specifically in Europe, are concerned about data privacy, and this can affect their readiness to share data with a global cloud and may be further limited by regulation. To address privacy needs and still deliver on the benefits of threat data shared globally, the WildFire EU cloud enables customer-submitted files to remain within EU borders while still offering protections generated by the largest threat analysis tool in the world, used by more than 10,000 organizations globally as part of Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform. This global protection capability is key to preventing successful cyber breaches at all stages of the attack lifecycle. Additionally, with the WildFire EU cloud, security teams across Europe can accelerate threat hunting, analytics and response efforts, with globally correlated intelligence from the entire WildFire community, made directly accessble through Palo Alto Networks AutoFocus contextual threat intelligence service.



Quotes "The benefits of cloud-based threat analysis are clear when it comes to preventing successful cyberattacks, but especially for organizations in Europe , privacy concerns can limit the ability to share or transfer data. With a European cloud, global prevention capabilities are within reach so we can better counter increasingly sophisticated threats, but with the knowledge that files stay within the EU." Dr. Salvo Rosa, chief information officer and SielteCloud business unit manager, Gruppo Sielte S.p.A.

, privacy concerns can limit the ability to share or transfer data. With a European cloud, global prevention capabilities are within reach so we can better counter increasingly sophisticated threats, but with the knowledge that files stay within the EU." "A cloud-based, community-driven approach for advanced threat detection and prevention is paramount to successfully combating adversaries. Since we launched WildFire, we've continued to invest in, innovate and expand its analysis capabilities to counter the high volume and increasing sophistication of threats. By introducing our WildFire EU cloud, we're making sure that our customers can benefit from excellent threat analysis capabilities while keeping files within the EU, alleviating data transfer concerns." Lee Klarich , executive vice president, Product Management, Palo Alto Networks

"We are pleased Palo Alto Networks is hosting its new EU cloud in the Netherlands , a decision which underscores the vibrant and talent-rich community that is helping businesses from across the globe to develop and grow. The Dutch have long taken a proactive attitude towards cybersecurity, and Palo Alto Networks selection reinforces the value of this commitment to the international cybersecurity market." Marco de Vries , deputy executive director North America , Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency

, a decision which underscores the vibrant and talent-rich community that is helping businesses from across the globe to develop and grow. The Dutch have long taken a proactive attitude towards cybersecurity, and Palo Alto Networks selection reinforces the value of this commitment to the international cybersecurity market." Learn more

Read the WildFire EU cloud blog post

Register for the upcoming webinar, Threat Prevention on Your Terms

Palo Alto Networks WildFire About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is the next-generation security company, leading a new era in cybersecurity by safely enabling applications and preventing cyber breaches for tens of thousands of organizations worldwide. Built with an innovative approach and highly differentiated cyberthreat prevention capabilities, our game-changing security platform delivers security far superior to legacy or point products, safely enables daily business operations, and protects an organization's most valuable assets. Find out more at www.paloaltonetworks.com. Palo Alto Networks and the Palo Alto Networks logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160824/401061LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/palo-alto-networks-unveils-new-wildfire-european-cloud-hosted-in-the-netherlands-300317953.html SOURCE Palo Alto Networks

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[September 17, 2016] QuantumClean & ChemTrace to exhibit at SEMICON China 2016

QUAKERTOWN, Pa., March 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- QuantumClean and ChemTrace will exhibit at SEMICON China 2016 tradeshow being held at Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai, China from March 15-17, 2016, Booth #5154. QuantumClean operates on the frontier of the sub-20nm ultra-high purity semiconductor parts cleaning capability through leading-edge technologies, resources and expertise, producing Atomically Clean Surfaces process chamber parts. The industry's demand for cleaner process chamber parts and tighter controls continues to accelerate. QuantumClean created its first technology roadmap in 2000 that predicted these trends and identified solutions to the industry's ever-changing requirements. Over the ensuing years, QuantumClean's R&D and Engineering teams have consistently delivered innovative solutions to the industry's most challenging part cleaning related issues ahead of the competition and most recently, the team has delivered the sub-20nm cleaning protocol. We look forward to sharing our capabilities with Individual Device Manufacturers, Foundries, OEMs and OPMs during our participation at Semicon China 2016. ChemTrace provides independent analytical verification of process tool part cleaning effectiveness for many of QuantumClean's leading-edge semiconductor fab, OEM and OPM customers which have critical cleaning requirements. "Since we first introduced non-destructive tool component analysis capability in the late 1990's, ChemTrace analytical techniques are now widely recognized by leading Device Manufacturers and OEMS as the analytical testing techniques of choice. Expansion of our global footprint to include laboratories in Korea, Taiwan and Singapore allows regional customers to have direct access to our laboratories for rapid turnaround time analysis," stated Surjany Russell, ChemTrace Sales Director. The technical commercial and management teams of QuantumClean and ChemTrace will be present throughout the show and welcome the opportunity to discuss solutions to your current and future parts cleaning/refurbishment challenges and analytical requirements.



About Quantum Global Technologies, LLC QuantumClean and ChemTrace are divisions of Quantum Global Technologies, LLC which is headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

QuantumClean is the global leader in sub-20nm outsourced process tool parts cleaning, performance coatings and restoration services, tool part life extension and process tool part optimization solutions to the semiconductor wafer fabrication, OEM & OPM industries. Founded in 2000, QuantumClean operates innovative Advanced Technology Cleaning Centers built on the premise of providing customers process improvement through consistently cleaner parts that exceed industry standards. These solutions dramatically reduce our customers' total cost-of-ownership. With 19 Advanced Technology Cleaning Centers located in 9 countries, QuantumClean provides unsurpassed cleaning capability worldwide. ChemTrace is a globally recognized leader of analytical testing. Founded in 1993, ChemTrace provides state-of-the-art analytical services and problem solving expertise to improve current technologies in semiconductor, solar and photonics manufacturing. ChemTrace is expert in micro-contamination analysis in the fields of trace metals, particles, anions, cations, organics and particles. The ChemTrace comprehensive analysis portfolio covers testing of critical materials and processes such as water, chemicals, wafers and wafer depositions, tool components, airborne molecular contamination, cleanroom construction materials and cleanroom consumables. To learn more about QuantumClean and ChemTrace, visit their websites at www.quantumclean.com and www.chemtrace.com. Media Contacts

QuantumClean: Karen Phillips, 1-215-892-9314, [email protected]

ChemTrace: Surjany Russell, 1-510-687-8012, [email protected] To learn more about SEMICON China 2016 visit their website at http://www.semiconchina.org/ QuantumClean, ChemTrace, Advanced Technology Cleaning Centers, ATCC, Process Improvement through Consistently Cleaner Parts, Single Part Chemical Clean, SPCC and are registered trademarks of Quantum Global Technologies, LLC. QGT, Atomically Clean Surfaces, VeriClean, Environmentally Clean Process, ECP, Final Surface Finish, FSF, Selective Deposition Removal, SDR, V-Clean, Cleancoat, Alternative TWAS, C-Coat, M-Coat, Y-Coat, Z-Coat, The Perfect Order, The Perfect Qual, The Perfect Process Transfer, Service Request form, SRF, Analytical & Engineering Services, PartSmart and PT3 are trademarks of Quantum Global Technologies, LLC To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quantumclean--chemtrace-to-exhibit-at-semicon-china-2016-300235022.html SOURCE QuantumClean

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[September 17, 2016] Raytheon - US Navy collaboration improves mine detection

PORTSMOUTH, R.I., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)  Division Newport have enhanced Raytheon's AN/AQS-20A mine-hunting sonar for better performance and reliability, including higher-quality imaging of objects deep under the sea, improving the system's ability to identify and classify mines. Raytheon and NUWC formally launched the AN/AQS-20A collaboration last year, under a 'work for private party' contract funded by Raytheon. Improvements in both system performance and image quality resulted from the strong working partnership of this Rhode Island-based, government-industry team of experts. Tested at sea, the system's optimized sonars captured images of the ocean floor with enough clarity to see the contents of lobster pots. "Together with NUWC, we've applied our collective expertise to enhance this critical undersea warfare technology  and we've achieved outstanding results," said Paul Ferraro, vice president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' Seapower Capability Systems. "Building on the system's proven performance, we've increased its ability to go further and see objects more clearly  critical abilities for the Navy's mine warfare mission." AN/AQS-20A is the only mine-hunting sonar currently in production for the U.S. Navy and the only system certified for deployment from the Navy's Littoral Combat Ships, as the primary sensor for mine coutermeasure missions. The system demonstrated solid performance throughout a recent Technical Evaluation, conducted by the Navy, where AN/AQS-20A performed as designed and exceeded reliability and operational availability requirements.



About AN/AQS-20A

AN/AQS-20A is the most advanced and capable mine warfare sensor system, uniquely providing detection and classification through the integration of multiple sensors. The system is towed undersea to simultaneously scan the water column for anti-shipping mines forward of, to the sides and beneath the vehicle. Sophisticated sonar, electro-optical sensors and high-precision location information are used to provide high-resolution images of mines and mine-like objects. End-to-End Mine Countermeasure Capability

Raytheon provides both a modern mine-hunting and mine-neutralization capability to the U.S. Navy. Supporting mine-clearing operations in both deep-ocean and littoral waters, AN/AQS-20A detects, localizes bottom, close-tethered and volume mines, and identifies bottom mines. The AN/ASQ-235 Airborne Mine Neutralization System reacquires and neutralizes mines found by the AN/AQS-20A. AMNS consists of a helicopter-deployed launch and handling system equipped with four unmanned Archerfish neutralizer vehicles, which destroy mines via remote control from the operator in the MH-60S helicopter.

The advanced technologies of these systems deliver a comprehensive, end-to-end solution  detection to neutralization  enabling the Navy to safely and effectively execute its mission, with reduced risk to its ships and crews, ensuring safe access and passage for military and civilian vessels on the world's oceans and waterways. About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2015 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 94 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter @Raytheon. www.raytheon.com Media Contact

Carolyn Beaudry

+1.401.842.3550 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon--us-navy-collaboration-improves-mine-detection-300319423.html SOURCE Raytheon Company

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[September 17, 2016] Reynolds and Reynolds Announces New LAW Wyoming F&I Library

DAYTON, Ohio, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reynolds and Reynolds Company today announced the release of the Reynolds LAW Wyoming F&I Library, which is a comprehensive catalog of standardized, legally reviewed finance and insurance (F&I) documents for new car and truck dealers throughout the state of Wyoming. Jerry Kirwan, senior vice president and general manager of Reynolds Document Services, said: "The documents in the LAW Wyoming F&I Library are designed to help streamline the car-buying process and enhance the consumer experience with the dealership. Using standard documents written in consumer-friendly language can help to create a clearer, more consistent, and more efficient F&I process for the F&I manager and for the consumer. And, because of those improvements to the overall F&I process, the overall consumer experience with the dealership can be improved." Kirwan noted that because regulatory scrutiny is an ongoing concern for automotive retailers, the LAW Wyoming F&I Library is a tool to help dealers meet compliance obligations and manage risk. The documents in the library are regularly reviewed for legal sufficiency with the latest automotive regulations by Reynolds' industry-leading foms specialists alongside Reynolds' outside legal partners.



The printed documents in the LAW Wyoming F&I Library also are available in a digital format, which can help facilitate the conversion to laser-printed transactions and e-contracting. Reynolds Document Services maintains licensing agreements with all major providers of electronic F&I (e-F&I) solutions. About Reynolds LAW Brand Documents

Reynolds' LAW brand is well established as one of the most trusted brands in the automotive industry. LAW documents are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and have been endorsed by a number of state automobile dealers associations and leading automotive finance institutions. The flagship product of the LAW brand is the Reynolds LAW 553 Universal Retail Installment Sale Contract, the most widely accepted document in auto finance. The Reynolds LAW 553 is regularly reviewed by industry experts to help keep pace with new legislative and regulatory developments. Reynolds and Reynolds was founded in 1866 as a business forms printer. Since the 1920s, Reynolds has been known as the leader in serving automobile dealerships nationwide with standard and custom automotive documents to help dealers manage their operations more efficiently and serve their customers more effectively. About Reynolds Reynolds and Reynolds is a leading provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms designed to help dealerships deliver better business results and transform the customer experience. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, and Celina, Ohio. (www.reyrey.com) To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reynolds-and-reynolds-announces-new-law-wyoming-fi-library-300319238.html SOURCE The Reynolds and Reynolds Company

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[September 17, 2016] Sandhills Introduces New Equipment Inspections Features In Inventory Management App

LINCOLN, Neb., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sandhills Cloud (a suite of industry-specific, platform agnostic business tools and apps for dealers, manufacturers, auctioneers, and other businesses in the construction, agriculture, transportation, and aviation industries) includes inventory management features that simplify and streamline equipment inspections for users. The new rollouts further evolve Sandhills' apps, business tools, and hosted technology services to better accommodate the specific needs of buyers and sellers in these industries. The mobile-friendly Inventory Management app makes accessing, processing, and referencing equipment and aircraft information especially easy. Users input inventory specs and information and upload photos directly from their mobile devices. Inspections follow a standardized format, ensuring that data is collected consistently and thoroughly. And, because the Sandhills Cloud works in conjunction with Sandhills' print and online advertising outlets (including Truck Paper, TractorHouse, Machinery Trader, and Controller), specs, information, and photos are pulled directly from the app into online and in print listings, making marketing efforts seamless. Users eliminate cumbersome and unneeded emails and paper trails, and standardize inspection procedures across divisions, locations, and taff. In addition to improving internal business efficiencies, the new inspections features in the Inventory Management app ensure accountability at every step with oversight checkpoints for UEMs (Used Equipment Managers) and other dealership personnel. Standardized, thorough information ensures that buyers receive the details they need, effectively generating high-quality sales leads. The app is also a useful reference for staff. "The app is mobile, and it's easy to use, so it keeps inventory right there in the salesperson's pocket," explains Sandhills Department Manager Eddie Turner. "A salesperson can easily reference the app to recall a specific detail about a machine, whether they're out on the lot with a customer or offsite."



Future iterations of Sandhills' Inventory Management app will focus on managing and editing inventory more succinctly, including features that make editing and referencing inventory listings simpler for sales staff. Future rollouts will also include features that simplify rental fleet management with asset check-in/check-out and cost tracking. The Sandhills Cloud also continues to evolve, integrating user security roles that put dealers in control of the data their staff can access. The Inventory Management app is part of a comprehensive list of apps and tools that help businesses engage customers in retail, wholesale, and auction markets. Other apps are focused on internal business processes including organizing customer relationships and leads, measuring return on advertising investments, gauging the reach and success of hosted websites and online listings, and much more.

About Sandhills Publishing

Sandhills Publishing is an information processing company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our broad range of products and services are aimed at gathering, processing, and distributing information in the form of trade publications and corresponding websites that connect buyers and sellers across the trucking, agriculture, construction, heavy equipment, aviation, and technology industries. Our integrated, industry-specific approach to hosted technologies and services offers solutions that help businesses large and small operate efficiently and grow securely, cost-effectively, and successfully. Sandhills Publishingwe are the cloud. Contact Human Resources

120 West Harvest Drive

Lincoln, NE 68521

[email protected]

(402) 479-2181 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150316/182003LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sandhills-introduces-new-equipment-inspections-features-in-inventory-management-app-300320213.html SOURCE Sandhills Publishing

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[September 17, 2016] Secretary of State: Pennsylvania using all available resources to safeguard cyber security of election

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of State Pedro A. Cortes said today the Commonwealth is taking advantage of all available resources in working to ensure the security and integrity of the November election. "In recent weeks, there has been talk about vulnerabilities in the nation's election infrastructure," Secretary Cortes said. "Our election staff is working closely with federal and state experts to implement all available strategies to strengthen security." Department of State (DOS) staff recently joined election officials nationwide in a conference call with U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson. During that call, Secretary Johnson offered his agency's assistance in conducting risk assessments as the states prepare their election systems for the November balloting. "The Department has since been in touch with the DHS cyber security team to look at ways they can be of assistance in Pennsylvania," said Deputy Secretary of Elections and Administration Marian K. Schneider. "We have had conversations with Homeland Security regarding the services they could provide before November," Deputy Schneider said. "Our goal is to proactvely take any steps possible to make sure that Pennsylvania's statewide election infrastructure is as secure as possible."



Schneider pointed out that the Department has never permitted any precinct voting systems to be connected to the Internet, and that prohibition is still in place. In addition, DOS is preparing an updated directive for the counties that will cover good cyber security practices for elections, including isolating computers from networks, strict password and privilege management, best practices for preparing voting systems and transmitting election night returns, and pre-election logic and accuracy testing. When complete, the directive will be posted on the DOS website.

"Most of the information in the directive has been communicated to the counties in the past, but this will serve as a refresher and will gather all the information in one document," Schneider said. She added that adherence to the processes in the directive will minimize risks associated with the legacy voting systems in use throughout the Commonwealth. The Department also recommends that the counties refer to guidelines issued by the federal Election Assistance Commission. The state Office of Administration's Chief Information Security Office works on a regular basis with DHS' Security Liaison to monitor threats and respond appropriately. The Enterprise Information Security Office is taking all possible steps to guard the Commonwealth's systems, including the voter registration database, and to defend the Commonwealth against cyber attacks, reduce its vulnerabilities and minimize the damage and recovery time from any attacks, if they occur. MEDIA CONTACT: Wanda Murren, (717) 783-1621 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/secretary-of-state-pennsylvania-using-all-available-resources-to-safeguard-cyber-security-of-election-300320140.html SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of State

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[September 17, 2016] Sharper Shape, Edison Electric Institute, and SkySkopes Submit First-of-its-kind Application for Long-distance Drone Flights

GRAND FORKS, N.D., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the global leader in drone-based asset inspections, Sharper Shape, submitted a waiver application to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), requesting approval to perform beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights. In coordination with the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and SkySkopes, the leading drone service provider in North Dakota, this waiver would allow members of the EEI-Sharper Shape partnership to demonstrate and develop commercial long-distance flights for electric company asset inspections. In addition to submitting one of the first waiver requests, Sharper Shape and SkySkopes are working with Xcel Energy, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., Minnkota Power Cooperative, Houston Engineering, Northern Plains Railroad, University of North Dakota and the Edison Electric Institute to conduct test flights.

Today marks the first day that companies can submit waiver applications to the FAA, whose Part 107 drone regulations set clear rules for line-of-sight operations and include a new waiver policy to enable qualified applicants for more advanced drone use cases, like BVLOS. BVLOS flights are able to travel 10-20 miles, compared to roughly 1,500 feet (one-third of a mile) under visual-line-of-sight regulations. "Inspections via long-distance drones will help us improve the reliability, resiliency and security of the power grid, which ultimately benefits our customers," said Michael Lamb, vice president, Xcel Energy operating services and enterprise transformation office. "This waiver is a major step toward industry-wide BVLOS asset inspections." "Beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights will provide electric companies with a new tool to more quickly and efficiently inspect critical assets during routine maintenance and following a storm or natural disaster," said EEI Director of Government Relations Chris Hickling. "EEI thanks the FAA for its work in developing new rules and taking steps toward allowing businesses to better utilize unmanned aerial systems. We're excited to pursue demonstration flights through our partnership with Sharper Shape and SkySkopes." The test flights will leverage Sharper Shape's new Sharper A6 drone and Sharperscope 5.0 payload, which were also announced today. The Sharper A6 drone is the world'sfirst drone optimized for BVLOS asset inspections. Notably, the Sharper A6 uses four redundant cellular networks to make it virtually impossible for the drone to lose communication with ground control operators. Sharper Shape leverages the LTE commercial multi-billion-dollar networks, while other vendors use point-to-point (P2P), which cannot communicate beyond line of sight, or satellite connection, which suffers from high costs and invariable latency which increases the response time and impedes a pilot's ability to make quick adjustments during the flight.



The A6 drone can collect a comprehensive variety of useful data (including information from its HD cameras, infrared sensors, corona detector, LiDAR sensor, etc.), and is to this day the only platform capable of doing so in a single flight. The sensors have been carefully selected and integrated into the Sharperscope 5.0, a system that Sharper Shape has engineered specifically for electric company BVLOS inspections and which syncs directly to the Sharper Shape cloud. "With Sharper Shape's A6 drone, operators can conduct long-distance flights with peace of mind that inspections will be safe, secure and accurate," said Sharper Shape CEO Tero Heinonen. "We're excited to team up with SkySkopes to fulfill the mission of the EEI-Sharper Shape partnership: make BVLOS flights a reality for U.S. electric companies in the very near future."

In conjunction with submitting the waiver application, SkySkopes and Sharper Shape kicked off a string of test flights including: The first flight using the new Sharper A6 drone via a line-of-sight demonstration to inspect the Xcel Energy Bison Substation

A final flight with a fleet of drones to celebrate the day's events "These test flights have contributed to a monumental day for the U.S. drone industry," said SkySkopes President and CEO Matt Dunlevy. "We look forward to continuing to pioneer new developments for drone flights in the U.S. alongside Sharper Shape." Sharper Shape, EEI and SkySkopes are optimistic to test BVLOS flights in the U.S. by the end of the year. About Sharper Shape

Palo Alto, CA-based Sharper Shape is the global leader in drone-based automated inspection and maintenance planning services for infrastructure asset owners. The Sharper A6 is the world's most advanced drone for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) asset inspections. Using the Sharperscope 5.0 multi-sensor system and proprietary automated analysis software, Sharper Shape provides asset inspection services which drastically reduce maintenance costs for high-value assets such as power lines, pipelines, railways and more.



About SkySkopes

Grand Forks, N.D.-based SkySkopes has emerged as a leading UAS flight operations company in the United States. SkySkopes is a Federal Aviation Administration 333 exempted and fully insured UAS operator offering a wide range of high-resolution video and imaging services, including topographical mapping, thermoimagery, hyperspectral imagery and 3D modeling, to clients including members of the construction and real estate industries as well as cell tower and wind turbine operators. Founded in 2014, SkySkopes was the first commercial UAS startup in North Dakota to receive FAA exemption status and is the first company in the U.S. to fly a commercial UAS on military property. For more information, visit skyskopes.com.

Media Contacts

Michelle Favalora (Sharper Shape)

(408) 975-3031

[email protected] Kymra Knuth (Sharper Shape)

(408) 568-6775

[email protected] Matt Dunlevy (SkySkopes)

(701) 738-4825

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sharper-shape-edison-electric-institute-and-skyskopes-submit-first-of-its-kind-application-for-long-distance-drone-flights-300318995.html SOURCE Sharper Shape

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[September 17, 2016] SMART CHINA is Changing the World with its Best and Brightest

SINGAPORE, Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This September, join hacker Josh Klein as he explores some of China's most innovative experiments, technologies, and teams that are pushing the boundaries of human ingenuity, in the new three-part series from Discovery Channel. Find out how China is leading a wave of global innovation on SMART CHINA, premiering on Discovery Channel on September 3rd as part of the channel's HOUR CHINA programming block which features the best of China. Josh Klein is a hacker. He loves examining things - from systems to processes to animal behavior - then, taking them apart and putting the pieces together again to produce something better and more efficient. On each episode of SMART CHINA, Josh delves into how China - once known as the world's biggest factory - transforms into the world's biggest laboratory of entrepreneurship and invention, to help us live cleaner, greener, and smarter as we move into the next century. The series will introduce unique new products and technologies such as the supercapacitor tram, food safety tracking systems, visible light cmmunication, a price comparison app, and autonomous drive technology. It will also examine how these innovations could help address a number of environmental and lifestyle challenges faced in China, such as air pollution, water scarcity, traffic congestion, and food safety.



Smart Move

Premieres 3rd September

Josh travels thousands of kilometers to meet with some of China's smartest minds, learn about their unique innovations, and joins forces with a panel of experts to search for innovations that could radically solve the world's transport problems. A super powered tram packed with supercharged capacitors is capable of travelling almost ten kilometers on only ten seconds of charge. An incredible innovation has the potential to transform commercial air travel. An innovative travel tool could make daily commutes more convenient. The future of transportation is here! Smart Life

Premieres 10th September

In this episode, Josh unearths innovations that could radically transform our lives. An incredible tech uses naked light to transmit digital data 10,000 times faster than today's Wi-Fi and it's near impossible to hack; an advanced food safety tracking system ensures safety of produce from farm to table; and when self-propelled liquid metal robots find their feet and walk into our daily lives, this could well usher in a new century where science fiction becomes science fact.

Smart Planet

Premieres 17th September

Creating a smarter planet for the future doesn't mean negating the past. In fact - quite the opposite, combining traditional wisdom plus future tech equals a smart future. Josh investigates technology that could transform our lives and create a clean, green Smart Planet. This episode unveils groundbreaking futuristic projects: an elegant innovation harnesses the power of the sun like never before, maximizing plant growth and generating solar energy; a vehicle connected to the smart world around could make our futuristic life safer and more efficient; coal - an ancient energy - is being revolutionized and transformed into a clean green power source; and a living, breathing, cleaning machine has the ability to filter up to 2,400 cubic meters of polluted water a day. SMART CHINA is produced by Discovery Channel in cooperation with the China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC).

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[September 17, 2016] STI Telecom and Telairity Partner to Sell Telairity Nexgen Encoders in Brazil

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- STI Telecom, one of the largest system integrators and satellite communications solutions companies servicing the broadcast market in Brazil, has entered into a partnership with Telairity, the broadcast industry leader in H.264/MPEG-4 encoding technology, to sell Nexgen encoders in Brazil and throughout South America.



The announcement was made jointly today by STI Commercial Manager, Thiago Monteiro in Rio de Janerio, and Telairity VP of Sales, Matt McKee in Santa Clara, CA.



STI Telecom will be demonstrating Telairity's Nexgen encoder line, featuring the versatile 1RU half-width BE8600 contribution encoder, at the SET EXPO 2016 show in Sao Paulo, August 30 to September 1. The STI Telecom booth is #108A, located at the Expo Center Norte in Exhibition Hall Red.



The BE8600 is a light, compact, low-power unit sized to go just about anywhere with the power and flexibility to do just about any encoding task: HD or SD, high bitrate 4:2:2 for archival storage or low latency and low bitrate 4:2:0 for backhaul or direct-to-view distribution. Companion half-width "buddy" systems further extend its versatility, including a modulator for RF transmission and a broadcaster for secure, reliable Over-the-Top (OTT) IP transmission in any standard streaming format.



Other Nexgen systems include the multi-channel 1RU BE8700 distribution encoder, and the SES3200, a blade-based encoder built on the high-reliability Telco-grade ATCA chassis, able to scale up to 32 channels.







The strategic partnership enables STI to sell Telairity equipment and also serve as the principal point of contact for Telairity support in the region, significantly strengthening the technical and sales capabilities of Telairity throughout the South American market.



STI works closely with medium to large broadcasters as well as smaller clients, delivering a comprehensive set of services and equipment for content production and delivery. Located in downtown Rio de Janeiro , STI also provides turn-around services in its own Teleport facility, with antennas for transmission and reception of all major satellites, providing coverage for Brazil , the Americas, and Europe .





Commercial Manager, Thiago Monteiro noted: "Our clients rely on us to provide them with reliable, upgradeable equipment, backed by a support team that understands how to quickly get them back on air wherever and whenever a problem occurs. Telairity encoders, with their reputation for reliability, quality and ease of use, help us to fulfill our primary service mission, and we are pleased to have them as our ongoing supplier of encoder equipment."



"We're gratified that STI Telecom, one of the premier broadcast services companies in all of South America , has chosen Telairity as its encoder supplier," said Telairity VP of Sales, Matt McKee . " South America in general and Brazil in particular is among the most active markets globally for expanding broadcast and video services, and we're happy to be accepted as a primary supplier of encoders for the region."







About STI Telecom



STI Telecom is a telecommunications company specialized in satellite communication solutions for video, audio and data transmission. Active in the broadcast market since 2005, STI Telecom has innovative and customized solutions that meet every need. Located in downtown Rio de Janeiro , STI Telecom operates its own Teleport facility, providing turn-around services for broadcasters, with antennas for transmission and reception of satellites covering Brazil , the rest of the Americas, and Europe . In addition, STI Telecom has a subsidiary in Miami ( USA ) that not only facilitates its relationship with U.S. suppliers like Telairity, but also offers advantages for customers who wish to import equipment on their own.



About Telairity



Telairity produces innovative real-time standards-based video compression solutions for broadcasting, telephony, Internet services and aligned industries. The company's unique video processing technology, based on the Telairity TVP multi-core video processor architecture and associated direct-execution AVClairity video compression software, delivers the industry's lowest latency and best price/performance for real-time video encoding. The company's global headquarters is located in Santa Clara, Calif. ; regional offices are in Beijing, China and Amman, Jordan . Further information is available at www.telairity.com.



Telairity and AVClairity are trademarks of Telairity, Inc. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.



Photo(s):

http://www.prlog.org/12582783



Press release distributed by PRLog To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sti-telecom-and-telairity-partner-to-sell-telairity-nexgen-encoders-in-brazil-300319190.html SOURCE Telairity Semiconductor

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[September 17, 2016] TCS Unveils New Unemployment Insurance System for the State of Mississippi

NEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, today announced that the Mississippi, Rhode Island and Maine (MRM) Consortium has gone live with the TCS developed Unemployment Insurance (UI) Application for Benefits. Mississippi began implementation of the UI solution prior to the formation of the consortium, while the states of Maine and Rhode Island plan to adopt the solution in the near future. Mississippi's Unemployment Insurance program helps unemployed individuals throughout the state by providing monetary benefits to those who have involuntarily lost their jobs, while they look for new employment opportunities. TCS has been helping several U.S. states to modernize their systems that support Unemployment Insurance programs. The TCS developed solution is a robust and highly scalable platform with the ability to easily control multiple functional requirements, such as support for online claims processing, adjudication, appeals, and extensive tracking of all claims and payments. Playing a key role in the MRM Consortium's digital strategy, the TCS developed UI solution also includes an enhanced mobile app that provides easy access for claimants to file weekly certifications with work search details. The MRM Consortium states now have a strong foundation for future modernization, offering greater flexibility, shared maintenance cost and ease-of-use, and the ability to move towards cloud based systems in the near future. "The successful launch of the TCS developed UI multi-tenant application in Mississippi demonstrates that the MRM Consortium continues to move forward," said Mark Henry, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. "We are pleased that Mississippi is the first state to launch such an application and we look forward to the deployment in Rhode Island and Maine next year. This success certainly required extensive team work and coordination by all the partners, and is an example of what we can achieve together."



"TCS is delighted to partner with the MRM Consortium to pioneer this robust multi-state Unemployment Insurance modernization," added Tanmoy Chakrabarty, Global Head, Government Industry Solutions Unit, TCS. "We believe this will be a harbinger for many other U.S. states to enhance their systems and fast-track improved service delivery to their stakeholders." Over the past few decades, there has been a federal push for states to upgrade their legacy Unemployment Insurance systems that support employees who are involuntarily unemployed. The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) has supported the concept of multi-state consortia for joint UI modernization efforts. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), which had already undergone such modernization efforts, joined forces with Maine and Rhode Island to form the MRM Consortium and develop UI modernization applications to reduce long term maintenance and support costs. TCS was selected by MDES to build a UI application that consolidated data and business processes into a single, secure and accessible environment with core and state specific components.

For more information about TCS' Government Business Unit, visit us at www.tcs.com/Government. About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS, infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India's largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 362,000 of the world's best-trained consultants in 45 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $16.5 billion for year ended March 31, 2016 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com To stay up-to-date on TCS news in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131002/LA90934LOGO-b To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tcs-unveils-new-unemployment-insurance-system-for-the-state-of-mississippi-300322870.html SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

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[September 17, 2016] TE Connectivity Names Heath Mitts Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, today announced that it has named Heath A. Mitts the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective September 12, 2016. Mitts joins TE from IDEX Corporation, where he most recently served as senior vice president and CFO. IDEX (NYSE: IEX) is a globally diversified company specializing in fluid, metering, health and science technologies, as well as fire, safety and other products. Prior to serving as CFO at IDEX, he held senior global finance positions at PerkinElmer and Honeywell International. Mitts holds an MBA in finance from Pennsylvania State University and an undergraduate degree in finane and political science from Southern Methodist University.



"We are thrilled to welcome Heath aboard as our CFO," said TE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Lynch. "We are confident that with his strong financial experience and track record, he will help us continue to deliver consistently strong financial performance and value for our shareholders." Mario Calastri, who has served as the TE's interim CFO since February will resume his position as senior vice president and treasurer. "Mario did an excellent job stepping into the role of interim CFO over the last seven months and will work closely with Heath during the transition period," said Lynch.

ABOUT TE CONNECTIVITY TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL) is a $12 billion global technology leader. Our connectivity and sensor solutions are essential in today's increasingly connected world. We collaborate with engineers to transform their concepts into creations  redefining what's possible using intelligent, efficient and high-performing TE products and solutions proven in harsh environments. Our 72,000 people, including over 7,000 engineers, partner with customers in close to 150 countries across a wide range of industries. We believe EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS  www.TE.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110310/PH62357LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/te-connectivity-names-heath-mitts-executive-vice-president-and-chief-financial-officer-300319593.html SOURCE TE Connectivity Ltd.

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[September 17, 2016]

Vitech to Be Featured at the 2016 Critical Illness Insurance Forum

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitech, a leading provider of insurance administration software, announced today that it will be participating in the 2016 Critical Illness Insurance Forum, which will be held September 19-21 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Vitech's CEO, Frank Vitiello, will be a featured panelst in an informative session titled "Sales Process Compliance  Make Sure Everyone is Playing the Same Tune." Frank will offer his insights and expertise drawing from his many years of experience supporting insurance carriers and benefit organizations across the country.







"Technology can play an important role in the coordination and streamlining of a complex sales process," said Frank Vitiello. "I look forward to this unique opportunity to share related ideas, best practices and strategies with some of the industry's most prestigious organizations."

The Critical Illness Insurance Forum is an interactive event for professionals involved in the development, distribution, or administration of Critical Illness Insurance products. The event is organized by LIMRA, LOMA, the National Association for Critical Illness Insurance, and the Society of Actuaries, and features an interactive format that encourages the discourse of Critical Illness Insurance topics and challenges.

About Vitech

Vitech Systems Group, Inc. is a leading provider of administration software to insurance, retirement and investment organizations. Vitech's V3 for Insurance software is a complete insurance administration solution. Vitech offers its clients proprietary enterprise software, related implementation services, ongoing support, and a cloud-based application hosting option. For more information, please visit http://www.vitechinc.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150210/174651LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vitech-to-be-featured-at-the-2016-critical-illness-insurance-forum-300319467.html

SOURCE Vitech Systems Group, Inc.
[September 16, 2016] iSIGN Media Provides an Update on the Delay in the Filing of Annual Financial Statements and Related Documents

TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. ("iSIGN" or "Company") (TSX-V: ISD) (OTC: ISDSF), a leading provider of interactive mobile advertising solutions that serves brands, commercial locations, retailers and service providers throughout North America today provides the bi-weekly update to its previous announcement on the late filing of its annual audited financial statements, management discussion and analysis and related CEO and CFO certificates, collectively the "Required Documents"). The Company will be filing the Required Documents by no later than October 31, 2016. The additional time for the filing of the Required Documents is needed by the Company to resolve certain valuation matters relating to intangible assets and payment of monies owed to our auditors. The Company applied to the applicable securities regulatory authorities for a management cease trade order related to the Company's securities which was approved and is now in place against the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for so long as the Required Documents are not filed. A management cease trade order does not affect the ability of other shareholders to trade the securities of the company. Until the Required Documents are filed, the Company intends to provide information in accordance with National Policy 12-203  Management Cease Trade Orders, including the issuance of bi-weekly default status reports. The Company is not subject to any insolvency proceeding and there is no other material infrmation concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed.



About iSIGN Media

iSIGN Media, based in Toronto, is a data-focused, software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that is a pioneering leader in gathering point-of-sale data and mobile shopper preferences to generate actionable data and reveal valuable consumer insights. Creators of the Smart suite of products, a patented interactive proximity marketing technology, iSIGN enables brands to deliver targeted messaging, personalized offers and loyalty perks to consumers' mobile devices in proximity and with real-time proof of redemption. iSIGN's data gathering capabilities provide analytics on price points, typical purchases, in-store dwell time and other shopper metrics that identify emerging consumer behaviors. These insights enable smarter business decisions and provide increased ROI metrics for more transparent marketing. iSIGN delivers relevant, timely messages on an opt-in basis at no charge to consumers, transmitting rich media to consumer mobile devices via Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity in complete privacy as opposed to iBeacons, apps, downloads and required surrendering of personal information. Proven to increase brand engagement and customer loyalty, iSIGN generates preference-based, predictive "clean data" without compromising consumer privacy. Partners include: IBM, Keyser Retail Solutions, Baylor University, Verizon Wireless, TELUS and AOpen America Inc. www.isignmedia.com Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, which involve risks and uncertainties associated with iSIGN Media's business and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect iSIGN Media's current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. iSIGN Media assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

 2016 iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor Its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility or accuracy of this release. SOURCE iSIGN Media Corp

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[September 16, 2016] SolarCity Statement on Nevada Public Utilities Commission Vote to Grandfather Existing Solar Customers

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the Public Utilities Commission's unanimous vote to ratify the stipulation negotiated by SolarCity, the Bureau of Consumer Protection, NV Energy and Public Utilities Commission Staff to grandfather solar customers in Nevada, Jon Wellinghoff, former Consumer Advocate for the State of Nevada and current SolarCity Chief Policy Officer, issued the following statement: "On behalf of Nevada's 32,000 rooftop solar customers, we thank the Public Utilities Commission for unanimously approving our agreement to grandfather existing solar customers. The Public Utilities Commission's decision to grandfather existing solar customers is an important step forward for Nevada, to protect theinvestments thousands of Nevadans have made in our clean energy economy, and affirms that grandfathering should be the law of the land."



The ratified agreement will grandfather all Nevadans who applied to install rooftop solar before December 31, 2015 on the net metering program they signed up under, for a period of 20 years. These customers include thousands of Nevadans who applied to go solar but have not yet installed their systems, and now have the ability to install solar under the grandfathered net metering program. SolarCity intends to commit the resources necessary to complete those installations and help all of their existing customers power their homes and communities. This order does not reverse the higher fees and charges on Nevadans who wish to go solar in the future. SolarCity intends to work with the Public Utilities Commission, legislators, and stakeholders to find a long-term solution that gives all Nevadans the freedom to install rooftop solar without being punished with higher charges.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/solarcity-statement-on-nevada-public-utilities-commission-vote-to-grandfather-existing-solar-customers-300329672.html SOURCE SolarCity

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[September 17, 2016] EV Group Scales Up Nanoimprint Lithography for Display Manufacturing

ST. FLORIAN, Austria, March 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, today introduced the EVG7200 LA SmartNIL system for display manufacturing and other applications that require large-area substrates. Leveraging EVG's proprietary SmartNIL technology, the automated UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) system enables cost-efficient nano-patterning in high-volume manufacturing (HVM) applications. The EVG7200 LA is specifically designed for Gen 2

(370 mm x 470 mm) display panel manufacturing but can address a wide spectrum of biotechnology, photonics and optics applications. A few examples of imprinted patterns and devices supported by the EVG7200 LA include: wire grid polarizers, which enable better clarity and lower power consumption; lenticular lenses for direct-view 3D screens; and other functional surfaces that enable new features and specifications. High-resolution photos of the EVG7200 LA can be downloaded from EVG's website at http://www.evgroup.com/en/about/news/2016_03_EVG7200LA/ NIL is a highly cost-efficient method of enabling nano-scale patterns on large areas since it is not limited by sophisticated optics that are required with optical lithography, and since it can provide optimal pattern fidelity for extremely small (sub-100-nm) structures. EVG, which has the largest installed base of NIL systems in production, has continually extened the capabilities of its NIL solutions to address new and emerging market needs and technology requirements. The latest addition to EVG's NIL portfoliothe EVG7200 LAbrings nanoimprint lithography to a whole new level by enabling high-quality nano-patterning on panel-size substrates. As a result, novel structures based on nanotechnology that can improve device performance are now available for use in display manufacturing and other demanding large-area applications.



"EV Group's market and technology leadership in nanoimprint lithography is built on years of field experience working with our partners and customers in multiple markets, as well as research and development work in our demo labs and NIL Photonics Competence Center," stated Dr. Thomas Glinsner, corporate technology director at EV Group. "Driven by customer demand, we took our robust SmartNIL technology?which has already achieved outstanding imprint results on substrates up to 200 mm in diameter in high-volume manufacturing?and scaled it up to Gen 2 panel size. With the EVG7200 LA, we can now offer a full patterning solution for the display market, where companies have not previously considered NIL for their manufacturing efforts." The EVG7200 LA features EVG's SmartNIL technology, which in combination with multi-use soft working stamp technology adapts to uneven and rough surfaces to provide unmatched conformal imprinting (down to 40 nm) with high uniformity and pattern fidelity. This capability is especially critical to successfully manufacture wire grid polarizers, where pattern transfer into metal layers is needed and where critical dimensions of the device features fall below 100 nm. In addition, SmartNIL's soft stamp fabrication technology combined with automated low-force detachment extends the lifetime of master stamps, which results in significant cost savings for customers.

Demonstrations of the EVG7200 LA SmartNIL system are available at EVG's headquarters in

St. Florian, Austria. About EV Group (EVG)

EV Group (EVG) is a leading supplier of equipment and process solutions for the manufacture of semiconductors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), compound semiconductors, power devices and nanotechnology devices. Key products include wafer bonding, thin-wafer processing, lithography/nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and metrology equipment, as well as photoresist coaters, cleaners and inspection systems. Founded in 1980, EV Group services and supports an elaborate network of global customers and partners all over the world. More information about EVG is available at www.EVGroup.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ev-group-scales-up-nanoimprint-lithography-for-display-manufacturing-300234991.html SOURCE EV Group

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[September 17, 2016] Logicalis US Announces Strategic Partnership with HealthCast Solutions

NEW YORK, April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthcare providers nationwide may want to keep an eye on New York's I-STOP prescription monitoring program, a law that took effect March 27th mandating electronic prescribing for both controlled and non-controlled substances throughout New York State. The mandate, which seeks to end over-prescription of controlled substances, requires all prescriptions to be created and transmitted electronically for tracking purposes. Physicians who do not comply will face fines and/or imprisonment. While other states have similar laws in place, New York's is the first to carry both financial penalties and jail time for violators, something experts believe may soon expand nationwide. According to Logicalis Healthcare Solutions, the healthcare-focused arm of Logicalis US, an international IT solutions and managed services provider (www.us.logicalis.com), adopting two-factor ID single-sign-on (SSO) will allow healthcare providers to participate securely in Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) in advance of such an expansion. To help, Logicalis US announced today it has formed a strategic partnership with industry-leading SSO and identity access management provider, HealthCast Solutions. "To comply with EPCS regulations, you must have two-factor authentication technology in place," says Ed Simcox, US Healthcare Practice Leader, Logicalis Healthcare Solutions. "HealthCast leads the market in two-factor-ID connectors for Epic EPCS; this is an important step in allowing physicians the ability to prescribe controlled substances from their homes or offices as securely as they can in the hospital setting, and it is what makes our relationship with HealthCast so timely and relevant. In addition, they are also an industry leader in SSO technology, which has much broader implications; EPCS is a compelling reason to implement SSO, but there are numerous benefits beyond EPCS that healthcare organizations should also consider." What Can Single-Sign-On Do for You? Enhance patient care with secure, streamlined access to electronic health records (EHRs). Improve clinician satisfaction by making sign-on easier and faster. Help healthcare organizations conserve both time and money by saving an estimated 30 to 45 minutes per physician per day with simplified log-in processes. Boost IT department productivity by reducing the number of password-related service desk calls. Increase the speed with which healthcare organizations reach true "meaningful use" with EHRs. Meet critical HIPAA and EPCS regulatory requirements, including two-facor ID.



Joan Mehn , HealthCast CEO. "In large part, that frustration stems from the time it takes to simply sign in and out of accounts, something which is further hampered by the large number of passwords physicians are expected to commit to memory. Single-sign-on is the answer, and by combining the purchase of our top-ranked software with the skills brought to market by an organization like Logicalis which has a long history of success in healthcare IT consulting and professional services, we can help healthcare organizations enhance patient care, improve workflow efficiency and ensure clinician delight." Through this strategic relationship, Logicalis will offer its healthcare clients HealthCast's entire portfolio of enhanced SSO offerings, including rapid VDI access, enterprise SSO, EPCS authentication, a biometric proximity badge activation software solution, and soon, a patent-pending offering called Secure Patient Desktop which will enable patients to securely share the same devices for access to patient portals. As HealthCast's healthcare implementation partner in the United States, Logicalis Healthcare Solutions will install, configure and create custom clinical workflows for each of the organizations' mutual clients.

Want to Learn More? Find out how "any access" solutions can help simplify clinicians' secure access to patient data via any device, anywhere, at any time: http://ow.ly/ZSyNx.

Examine the four key technologies behind healthcare any access solutions, then download a white paper that explores the business case for healthcare access solutions: http://ow.ly/ZSy8H.

Read an article that answers the question, "Clinicians may want simplified access to sensitive data, but do they need it?": http://ow.ly/ZSz1r. About HealthCast

Since 1996, HealthCast has created software for healthcare providers to enable fast, simple, and secure access to patient data. Solutions provide unparalleled speed to EHRs and virtual desktops, secure fast-user switching, automated workflow within applications, unique proximity badge features, remote access solutions with second factor authentication, and "roaming sessions" to allow users immediate re-access to their work at any computer throughout the enterprise. It is known for its application Connectors and its track record of integrating 100% of any application requested for integration. Its single sign-on solution has the distinction of being ranked #1 in both the 2011 and 2014 KLAS SSO report and continues to be top-ranked today. About Logicalis

Logicalis is an international IT solutions and managed services provider with a breadth of knowledge and expertise in communications and collaboration; data center and cloud services; and managed services. Logicalis employs over 4,000 people worldwide, including highly trained service specialists who design, deploy and manage complex IT infrastructures to meet the needs of over 6,500 corporate and public sector customers. To achieve this, Logicalis maintains strong partnerships with technology leaders such as Cisco, HP, IBM, EMC, NetApp, Microsoft, VMware and ServiceNow on an international basis. It has specialized solutions for enterprise and medium-sized companies in vertical markets covering financial services, TMT (telecommunications, media and technology), education, healthcare, retail, government, manufacturing and professional services, helping customers benefit from cutting-edge technologies in a cost-effective way. The Logicalis Group has annualized revenues of over $1.5 billion from operations in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific and is one of the leading IT and communications solution integrators specializing in the areas of advanced technologies and services. The Logicalis Group is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg and London AIM Stock Exchanges, with revenues of over $6 billion. For more information, visit www.us.logicalis.com. Business and technology working as one

To learn more about Logicalis activities through a variety of social media outlets, click here. Media contacts:

Lisa Dreher, VP, Marketing & Business Development,

Logicalis US

[email protected]

425-201-8111

www.us.logicalis.com Karen Franse, Communication Strategy Group for Logicalis US

[email protected]

866-997-2424

www.gocsg.com Marianne Taylor

Marketing Specialist, HealthCast

[email protected]

208-275-8247

www.gohealthcast.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160407/352797LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/logicalis-us-announces-strategic-partnership-with-healthcast-solutions-300248159.html SOURCE Logicalis US

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[September 17, 2016] Solutions to Boost Indonesia's ICT and Media Industry to be Unveiled at Inaugural Communic Indonesia and Broadcast Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- An international showcase of innovation and technology for the continued development of Indonesia's digital landscape begins tomorrow with the launch of Communic Indonesia and Broadcast Indonesia 2016, held from 31 August -- 3 September at the Jakarta International Expo, Kemayoran. The industry events bring together over 264 exhibiting companies from more than 28 countries/ regions, as well as top business and government leaders from Indonesia's ICT and broadcasting space to discuss and provide insights to industry shifts, critical issues and trends impacting Indonesia. "Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy and embracing digital technology is key to harnessing the opportunities of a globalised market. Local industries need to continually invest in and upgrade their capabilities to become smarter, move up the value chain, and be better equipped to compete in the global arena. Communic Indonesia and Broadcast Indonesia will connect local industries to international expertise and best practices that will help spur this growth," says Mr Ben Wong, President Director of organiser PT. Pamerindo Indonesia. Communic Indonesia Showcase Solutions critical to accelerating development of Indonesia's ICT ecosystem to fulfil the aim of becoming Southeast Asia's largest digital economy by 2020 will be showcased at Communic Indonesia. They include innovations in infrastructure, broadband, satellite communications, Internet of Things (IoT), mobility and enterprise solutions including security, cloud and big data. International pavilions from China, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan will also be showcasing the best of what each country/region has to offer. Coordinating the pavilion from Taiwan is the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association., Karen Tsai, its Project Manager comments on their first showing at Communic Indonesia, "Indonesia's ICT needs are rapidly growing as continued economic growth is driving both demand for and affordability of communication services. In view of this, we believe Taiwan's high-level quality and reliable products as well as our premium service standards, will bode well with Indonesian buyers. For the inaugural edition of Communic Indonesia and Broadcast Indonesia 2016, over 15 Taiwanese companies will present a multitude of product specialisations for the Indonesia ICT market." With the world headed towards a future of IP driven content consumption, demand for over-the-top (OTT) video in Indonesia is also increasing. As mobile penetration continues to grow and the country becomes more connected, "pay-TV operators and service providers in Indonesia are at the crossroads of exciting new opportunities to reach their consumers on any screen, anytime and anywhere, to encourage a more interactive viewer relationship," says Stephane Le Dreau, General Manager SEA, NAGRA. "Communic Indonesia is good platform for NAGRA to showcase our unique position to help these pay-TV service providers leverage high-value content -- a proven enabler to drive telco service adoption and monetize networks -- and the new IP environment to deliver a seamless experience across all screens while increasing flexibility, agility and scalability, and getting on the path of an IP-based future." Broadcast Indonesia Showcase The liberalisation of the film and movie industry in Indonesia this year to allow 100 per cent foreign ownership of projects bodes extremely well for attendees to Broadcast Indonesia, as a boost in foreign investment will undoubtedly inject new vigour into the industry. The event will present a comprehensive line-up of acquisition, production and post production solutions, alongside management, distribution systems, digital displays and professional audio and light solutions. Designer and manufacturer of innovative technologies for use in broadcast, AV, live events and production environments, Datavideo, will be showcasing their range of production equipment including 4K Multi-Channel Units, Video Commanders, Streaming Solutions, DAC Converters, Virtual Studios, Virtual Green Boards and Teleprompting Systems. "We are bringing an extensive range of solutions to Broadcast Indonesia, that is well suited for broadcasters, production houses, houses of worship, education and the AV market. We have 30 years of experience in this space, and Indonesia-based companies will certainly benefit from our low cost but reliable system solutions," says Frank Lin, Managing Director of Datavideo. Indonesia ICT Summit 2016 Indonesia's business and government leaders of the ICT and broadcasting industry will gather to discuss strategies to crafting Indonesia's digital future at the Indonesia ICT Summit 2016, hosted by Masyarakat Telematika Indonesia (MASTEL). The conference, held from 31 August -- 1 September, will feature more than 120 speakers across three tracks on Broadband & IoT, E-Commerce, and Digital Broadcasting. The conference will be headlined by Indonesia's top media and tech business leaders from companies including First Media, Huawei, IBM, iflix, Indosat Ooredoo, Microsoft, MNC Group, Mataharimall, Orami, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia and PT Smartfren. It will kick off with an Opening Keynote Address from H.E. Mr Rudiantara, Minister for Information & Communication Technology Indonesia, followed by a Visionary Address on Driving Digital Economy Innovations in Indonesia's ICT and Broadcast Landscapes by Ir Kristiono, Chairman, Masyarakat Telematika Indonesia. In addition, Broadcast Indonesia will also host the Content Creation and Distribution Conference on 31 August where key industry players will discuss ways in which to enrich Indonesia's production industry. Communic Indonesia and Broadcast Indonesia 2016 is staged in co-operation with Singapore Exhibition Services -- organiser of the hugely successful annual CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia in Singapore. SHOWS AT A GLANCE:







Communic Indonesia 2016 / Broadcast Indonesia 2016 Date: 31 Aug - 3 Sep 2016, Wednesday -- Saturday. Venue: Jakarta International Expo, Indonesia Opening Hours: 31 Aug - 2 Sep 2016: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm | 3 Sep 2016: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Admission: Business and trade professionals only Website: www.communicindonesia.com/ | www.broadcast-indonesia.com/

Media Contact Astied Julias

Pamerindo Indonesia

T: +62-21-2525-320

E: [email protected]

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A nearly 13-year-old Lincoln-based shuttle service is shutting down.

Sept. 23 will be the last day for OmaLiNK, a service that ferries people between Lincoln and Omaha and within those two cities.

A notice on the company's website reads:

"Effective September 24, 2016 Omalink will cease all operations. Reservations for travel between today and September 23rd will be honored. All other reserved customers will be refunded, contacted and advised of the closure. We want to thank all of our valued customers for their loyalty and support."

A manager in the local office referred questions to OmaLiNK's owner, Groome Transportation of Richmond, Virginia. No one there could be reached for comment.

OmaLiNK got its start in the fall of 2003 as a shuttle service taking people from Lincoln to Eppley Airfield in Omaha.

It grew over the years both organically and through acquisitions, though it wasn't easy. The company fought to be able to expand its offerings. In 2006, it won the right to offer limited taxi service in Lancaster County, and in 2011, an acquisition gave it the right to operate within Omaha.

Founder Chris Stokes sold the business in 2013 to Groome Transportation. A Groome official at the time told the Journal Star that OmaLiNK was a good fit and that it had no plans to make any changes.

At the time of the sale in 2013, OmaLiNK had 47 employees and 21 vehicles.
[September 17, 2016] SONOS, With Partners and Industry Leaders, Ushers in New Era of Connected Home Listening

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Flanked by music and tech industry leaders at an event in Manhattan, Sonos today unveiled software innovations including voice control and partner app integrations that make it easier than ever for listeners to navigate, discover and share music in their homes. The company also demonstrated how partners are building new connected home experiences on the Sonos platform, further bolstering its leadership in multi-room home audio. "With the unprecedented growth in streaming, music has become abundant and immediate," said Sonos Chief Executive Officer John MacFarlane. "Together with a growing ecosystem of partners, we're making sure Sonos owners can easily play the music they love out loud in every room in the home, and intuitively control that experience using our app, our partners' apps, touch and voice." Alexa, Turn It Up!

Sonos owners with an Alexa-enabled device such as an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot will soon be able to use Amazon's popular Alexa service to control their Sonos sound system, the companies announced. The software integration  collaboratively built from the ground up using the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) SDK  taps into both Sonos' and Alexa's existing music capabilities so owners don't have to learn additional commands or key words. Simply ask Alexa to play your music from Amazon Music, Spotify and more and it will flow to any group of Sonos speakers in the home. By integrating Alexa into their Sonos sound systems, owners can use their voice to play, pause, skip, control volume and more. "Our Amazon customers love listening to music. With Echo and Alexa, we combined that love of music with the ease of hands-free voice control, and today, music is one of the most-used features on Alexa-enabled devices," said Mike George, vice president, Amazon. "We're thrilled to collaborate with Sonos to combine the magic of Alexa with an incredible way to listen to music in every room in the home." "Our mission is to fill every home with music," said Sonos President Patrick Spence. "We don't care what you listen to, how you get to it, or in what room  we just want it to be effortless, quick and epic. Alexa on Sonos will be all that, and fun too." These new voice capabilities will be delivered in a software update that will work with new and previously purchased Sonos and Alexa-enabled devices such as Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV. The companies will begin rolling out the experience through an invite-only beta test later this year, with general availability in 2017. I Want My Spotify

Sonos also announced a Spotify Connect integration with additional functionality that will make it the only whole home sound system that can be fully controlled directly from the feature-rich Spotify app, including play controls and easy access to grouping and ungrouping of rooms. Spotify will be the first music streaming service that allows Spotify Premium listeners to have full control of the music all over their homes outside the Sonos app. The inherently social listening experience also makes it possible for everyone in the home to control a listening session with both the Spotify and Sonos apps, which stay linked with one another. Friends coming over? They can connect to your WiFi and use their own Spotify app to instantly pay music to your Sonos speakers without downloading the Sonos app. And since you can control your Sonos system when you're away from your home WiFi, you can now have music playing for you as soon as you come home.



"Fifty percent of all Sonos households use Spotify," said Sonos Vice President of Software Antoine Leblond. "By tightly integrating the Spotify experience with the Sonos system, we've created an easier way for Sonos owners to get music out of their phones and playing all around their homes." "We're excited to partner with Sonos and enhance the at-home listening experience," said Gustav Soderstrom, chief product officer at Spotify. "Spotify listeners can now seamlessly transition their listening throughout the day from their headphones, to the car, to their computers, to their Sonos system at home with complete control of all their favorite Spotify features directly from the Spotify app."

This free software update will be available in October as part of the Sonos public beta program. More to Come

Rapid innovation is happening across native apps from all the streaming services. Sonos also announced its commitment to enable direct control experiences across its entire lineup of music service partners, including Pandora. "We've collaborated with Sonos for years to create a delightful, personal in-home experience for Pandora listeners," said Tim Westergren, Pandora CEO and founder. "Using your Pandora app to control Sonos will take this unique music experience one step further  making it easier to use than ever before. We're excited to continue our quest with Sonos for the ultimate home music solution." Sonos: The Heart of the Connected Home

Sonos also announced the company's first-ever endorsed partner integrations with connected home leaders Crestron, Lutron, Savant, Control4, iPort and Deutsche Telekom's QIVICON. These joint collaborations seamlessly integrate Sonos' sound platform into the connected home, making it even easier for customers to control their music at home, whether from a touchscreen panel, a light switch or a remote control, all with the simple push of a button. "Custom installers are at the vanguard of making the connected home a reality," said Spence. "For years they have worked tirelessly to bring disparate technologies together, and are pushing hard to make smart homes both accessible and ubiquitous. Our work together ensures our sound platform integrates well with their systems now and in the future." Advocates for Quality Listening at Home

Sonos also announced a series of initiatives to advocate for higher-quality music listening experiences at home, both through consumer education and industry activism. "There's a huge gap between how people feel about music and how they experience it at home," said Sonos Chief Marketing Officer Joy Howard. "We're using the weight of our brand and our unique position in the industry to create a better future for music." The effort kicks off with a new global marketing campaign that pokes fun at the absurdities of modern listening and exposes the problems that stand between us and the music we love. The hilarity of listening on "craptop" speakers, the frustration of a phone tethered to a speaker by Bluetooth and the irony of wiring a home for sound in the age of WiFi are all part of the campaign. The work premieres on TV, online and out of home on September 1. Sonos will also partner with Airbnb to use the power of music to make everywhere feel even more like home. The companies will work together to enhance the home listening experience, not only for Airbnb's host community, but for their 100+ million guest arrivals around the world. Sonos has been offering Sonos systems to new Airbnb hosts, and together the two brands recently piloted a Sonos Home pop-up activation with promising early results. Finally, Sonos announced it has joined the Open Music Initiative, an organization founded in June 2016 by Berklee's Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship with the goal of dramatically simplifying the way music creators and rights owners are identified and compensated for their art. As a member, Sonos will champion high-quality music experiences worth paying for, a major hurdle for continued growth. "Sonos is the perfect partner for OMI  it's a company that deeply and genuinely cares about the power of music in our daily lives and sees the long-term health of the entire music industry as something worth fighting for," said Panos Panay, founder, Open Music Initiative and founding managing director of BerkleeICE. "With the brainpower of companies like Sonos, OMI will more quickly bring solutions to ensure proper compensation for all creators, performers and rights holders of music." Video, photography and more information about the other news of the day is available here: http://press-us.sonos.com/en. For more information about Sonos, please visit www.sonos.com. About Sonos

Founded in 2002, Sonos creates the leading whole-home sound system. Once a tech start-up populated with nerdy engineers and brilliant designers who love music, Sonos has grown into a global music brand dedicated to transforming the experience of listening out loud to music in the home. Its wireless home sound system makes it easy for everyone to listen to the music they love in every room of their home, and appreciate it all with the highest sound quality. Sonos is now in more than 60 countries, with dozens of streaming music providers, through thousands of retailers, and in millions of homes. With a constant investment in software and services, Sonos is improving the experience customers have with music in the home for years after they buy it. Sonos is changing the way people listen to music  one home at a time. Sonos, Inc. is a privately held company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California with additional offices in Boston and Seattle, as well as in the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and China.  2016 by Sonos Inc. All rights reserved. Sonos and all Sonos product names and slogans are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sonos, Inc. Video | Images Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402549 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150922/269147LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sonos-with-partners-and-industry-leaders-ushers-in-new-era-of-connected-home-listening-300319969.html SOURCE Sonos

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[September 17, 2016] Expensify Launches Australian Office

BRISBANE, Australia, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Six months after launching in the United Kingdom, Expensify, the world's fastest growing receipt and expense management software, announced today the launch of its first Australian office at Xerocon South. "With offices on three continents and four time zones, we can now truly offer 24/7 support to all of our customers around the globe," says David Barrett, founder and CEO of Expensify. "We've always served Australian customers, and we're thrilled to now have boots on the ground to further meet their needs." Some of these Australian customers include Atlassian, Nando's, Swatch, and La Trobe University, in addition to thousands of small businesses. As part of the launch, any Australian customers who sign up before December 31 will receive free accounts for the rest of 2016. "Operating in another new country means new opportunities to further refine our product to meet the needs of global customers," continues Barrett, "in addition to non-stop support for all of our customers worldwide, and the hance to deepen our relationship with strategic partners in the region, such as Xero and Locomote." Expensify and Xero announced a global strategic partnership at the inaugural ExpensiCon last May, and Expensify has been recognized as one of the best add-ons available in the Xero marketplace of 500 apps.



"We're thrilled to welcome Expensify to the region," says Rod Drury, CEO and founder of Xero. "Expensify and Xero share a deep commitment to serving small businesses by providing financial tools at a price they can afford, so it's fantastic to have them in the neighborhood. Expensify is a perfect expense management add-on for Xero customers, and together we can meet the accounting and bookkeeping needs of organizations of any size." About Expensify:

Founded in San Francisco in 2008, Expensify has quickly become the innovation leader in automated receipt and expense management with an easy-to-use, Cloud-based mobile and web app. With entirely automated expense reporting processes and features such as patented SmartScan technology, company card management, and integrations with all major accounting softwares, Expensify has quickly grown to serve over 100,000 companies. The ExpensifyApproved! program for accountants includes partnerships with global firms such as BDO, Eide Bailly, and EisnerAmper; partnerships are already in the works with Australian accounting firms.

To learn more about Expensify, visit use.expensify.com, or check out we.are.expensify.com to join the team. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140814/136145 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/expensify-launches-australian-office-300322685.html SOURCE Expensify

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[September 17, 2016] The 18th China International Optoelectronic Expo Opens Today

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tens of thousands of visitors from around the world gathering at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center are about to be amazed by a wide variety of innovative technologies, including the model of the world's first quantum experiment satellite nicknamed "Micius" or "Mozi", 360 dome theater created by top notch laser technology, drones, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicle, intelligent robots, intelligent medical and more. Surrounded by an array of products built with latest optoelectronic technologies, visitors will be able to closely experience the incredible magic power that profoundly change our lives. Today, all these are gathered in the 18th China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE 2016) at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. 1st stop: explore Hall 4 "Photonics Innovation Pavilion" The outstanding contributions made by the optoelectronics community are rarely known by the public, but now you can have an intuitive experience here in CIOE. In 2016, CIOE opens a window to the future with the debut of the biggest highlight of the Expo - "Photonics Innovation Pavilion". The Photonics Innovation Pavilion primarily focuses on innovative optoelectronic technologies that would change the future, including biophotonics, quantum communication / quantum satellite, emerging displays (OLED and graphene as the representative of flexible display), AR / VR, photonic manufacturing, robots and drones. During the event, the most groundbreaking products and technologies in the industry will be showcased by major players, including 5 top notch research institutes under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 national optoelectronics laboratory, 13 premier domestic and foreign colleges and universities and 2000 optoelectronics companies. This line-up presents the "Olympic Games" of optoelectronics technologies across the world. 2nd stop: enrich yourself with over 400 high-tech meetings A large number of cutting-edge academic and industrial meetings will be held uring the China International Optoelectronic Expo, including 1 themed conference, 18 professional forums and over 400 sessions. The topics cover various technologies in the optoelectronic industrial chain, such as optical communications, fiber optic photonics, biomedical, micro-nano optics, optical measurement, laser technology, big data cloud computing, IoT, optical manufacturing, sapphire, infrared sensing and smart community. Seven academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering and more than 200 domestic and foreign experts will share in-depth insights in their respective areas. Each meeting would be like a charging station to empower attendees, making them find the trip worthwhile by getting valuable insights into the industry.



3rd stop: rejoice in more than 40 on-site activities Thousands of high-tech products will dazzle the audience, and hundreds of meetings will bring a fresh and brand-new experience for the attendees. In addition, the Expo also offers an array of activities and platforms, such as Sino-US optoelectronic technology PK platform, optics lens application design contest, alumni association of photoelectric colleges and universities, smart product experience zones, 360  dome theater world tour, photograph equipment appreciation for astronomy enthusiasts, exhibition of excellent astrophotography works... All these innovative activities are both scientific and entertaining. Here you will find how optoelectronic technologies are closely connected to everyday life, and how CIOE's mission - "high-tech changes life, photoelectric illuminates the future"- is lively demonstrated.

About China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE) (www.cioe.cn) Established in 1999, CIOE is the largest show of its kind in the world featuring over 3, 200 optoelectronic brands and their latest products in the area of 110, 000 sqm at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. There are concurrent specialized expositions focusing on Optical Communications and Sensors, Lasers and Infrared Applications, Precision Optics, LEDs, Sapphire Technology & Touch Screen and Smart City. About UBM Herong (www.ubmherong.com) CIOE is organzied by Shenzhen UBM Herong Exhibition Co Ltd, a joint venture company of UBM Asia, a wholly owned company of UBM plc. listed on the London Stock Exchange. UBM Herong is able to tap on UBM's extensive global reach and show management expertise to service exhibitors and visitors even better. Its strong bond with companies and professionals in the field of optoelectronics enables it to support the industry's continuous growth and technological development. Media contact:

Shirly YI

+86-755-86290891

Email: [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160902/403842

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160531/373450LOGO

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160531/373451

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-18th-china-international-optoelectronic-expo-opens-today-300322462.html SOURCE China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE)

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[September 17, 2016]

ReneSola to Participate at the 3rd Credit Suisse Renewables Roundup in Las Vegas, Nevada

SHANGHAI, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ReneSola Ltd ("ReneSola" or the "Company") (www.renesola.com) (NYSE: SOL), a leading fully-integrated solar project developer and provider of energy efficient technology products, today announced that it is scheduled to attend the 3rd Credit Suisse Renewables Roundup Conference on Monday, September 12, 2016 at the Las Vegas Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During the conference, management from the Company will be available to meet with institutional investors. Attendance at the conference is by invitation only for clients of Credit Suisse. Interested investors should contact your Credit Suisse sales representative to secure a meeting.

About ReneSola

Founded in 2005, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2008, ReneSoa (NYSE: SOL) is an international leading brand and technology provider of energy efficient products. Leveraging its global presence and expansive distribution and sales network, ReneSola is well positioned to provide its highest quality green energy products and on-time services for EPC, installers, and green energy projects around the world. For more information, please visit www.renesola.com.







For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

ReneSola Ltd

Ms. Rebecca Shen

Tel: +86 (21) 6280-9180 x106

Email: [email protected]

The Blueshirt Group Asia

Mr. Gary Dvorchak, CFA

China: +86 (138) 1079-1480

Email: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Blueshirt Group

Mr. Ralph Fong

Tel: +1 (415) 489-2195

Email: [email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/renesola-to-participate-at-the-3rd-credit-suisse-renewables-roundup-in-las-vegas-nevada-300322670.html

SOURCE ReneSola Ltd.
[September 17, 2016] Kuang-Chi Near Space Test Flight Set For 2016, R&D Center Open In Haikou

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kuang-Chi Group, a Shenzhen-based technology conglomerate, has announced that Traveler II Beta will carry animals into near space during a test flight this year. The announcement came during the opening ceremony of the company's research center for near space technologies in Haikou, Hainan, China's southernmost province. Traveler II Beta is a flying device used for data collection and analysis, and traveling in the near space region, which is between 20 and 100km above sea level - more than twice the altitude flown by commercial airlines. In June 2015, Traveler completed its first test flight in New Zealand, reaching the designated flight altitude of 21km and successfully transmitting data back to the ground. Located in the Haikou Hi-tech Zone, the only one of its kind in the province, Kuang-Chi's Haikou Institute of Future Technology signed an agreement on the dvelopment and exploration of near space technologies in December 2015. According to Haikou Mayor Ni Qiang, more than 40 projects have been introduced to the hi-tech zone since 2015 and more than 80% of those are high-tech companies. The mayor noted that the area is a good fit for Kuang-Chi, as it is heavily focused on innovation.



"Haikou has the best research resources for space exploration. Wenchang Satellite Launch Center is located in Hainan and most of its scientific workers are living in Haikou, which will help our near space exploration," according to Dr. Liu Ruopeng, president of Kuang-Chi. Additionally, the rich sea resources around Hainan provide much space for future applications of environmental analysis and monitoring. Traveler II Beta's main subsystems have been completed and are in the final stage of assembly and testing. The manned Traveler II is also in the final stage of assembly and cabin tests are expected to be completed by the end of 2016 with flight tests beginning in 2017.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Kuang-Chi is a company focused on the development of future technologies. Originating as a five-person team, the company has created a Global Community of Innovation of more than 2,400 employees in 18 countries and regions. Kuang-Chi's subsidiary company KuangChi Science Limited (00439.HK) is concentrated on the development of future technology and conducts R&D of different disruptive technologies such as future space exploration and artificial intelligence. On August 31, the company announced the interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2016, with a turnover of approximately HKD 312 million, representing a significant increase of 461.77% over the same period last year and a profit of approximately HKD 105.53 million. Of the revenue, the Cloud, a space platform that provides integrated services, including internet access, data collection, and data analysis, as well as other communication services and is the group's first commercialized product, accounted for HKD 284.73 million. The company's market value grew to nearly HKD 17.3 billion these days. Inquiries:

Kuang-Chi:

[email protected]

+86-181-2625-4673 Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160906/0861609140







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[September 17, 2016] Vision Talks Executive Roundtable Series Explores Open Source Innovation in Atlanta on Monday, September 12

BEDFORD, Mass., Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The international Vision Talks executive roundtable series is coming to Atlanta on September 12, 2016 with the support of IBM and EnterpriseDB (EDB). The series, under the theme of Achieving Digital Transformation: The Promise, Challenge, and Opportunity of Open Source Software in Data Management, explores how open source software is helping organizations meet today's data-driven demands. IBM and EDB are co-sponsoring this free event to provide a forum for c-level executives and data industry leaders to share how they have transformed their data infrastructure with open source and the benefits realized.







DATE: Monday, September 12, 2016 TIME: 6:00-8:00 p.m. EDT LOCATION: SweetWater Brewing Company, 195 Ottley Drive NE, Atlanta REGISTER: Click here

Kathleen Kennedy, President of MIT Technology Review, will moderate the discussion at the Vision Talks executive roundtable in Atlanta. The Vision Talks panelists include: Mitch Pirtle , Director of Software Engineering, Technology Fellows Program, Capital One;

, Director of Software Engineering, Technology Fellows Program, Capital One; Lenley Hensarling , Executive Vice President, Strategy and Product Management, EDB;

, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Product Management, EDB; Srinivas Pothuganti , Senior Director/Business Leader at MasterCard; and

, Senior Director/Business Leader at MasterCard; and Lindon B. Ward, Jr. , Distinguished Engineer, IBM Power Systems, OpenPower Solutions. The Vision Talks series culminates with Postgres Vision 2016, the preeminent event for thought leadership, collaboration, and networking with the best and brightest companies defining the future of enterprise Postgres and open source data management. This unique event includes insights from technology and business luminaries, Fortune 500 use cases, a look at the Postgres ecosystem, and long-range outlooks from press and analysts such as Gartner and IDC. Featured sponsors include Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM, Infor, Pivotal, Google, Red Hat, Carahsoft, Avnet, Ashnik, Nexxodata, and Shadow-Soft. For more information and to register for Postgres Vision, click here. About EnterpriseDB (EDB) Corporation

EDB is the leading worldwide provider of PostgreSQL software and services that enable enterprises to reduce their reliance on costly traditional solutions and slash their database spend by up to 80% or more. With powerful performance and security enhancements for PostgreSQL, sophisticated management tools for global deployments and database compatibility with Oracle, EDB software supports mission-critical enterprise applications. More than 3,600 enterprises, governments and other organizations worldwide use EDB software, support, training and professional services to integrate PostgreSQL into their existing data infrastructures. EDB is based in Bedford, Massachusetts. EnterpriseDB is a registered trademark of EnterpriseDB Corporation. EDB and EDB Postgres are trademarks of EnterpriseDB Corporation. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners. Media Contacts for EDB:

Nancy Scott Cairbre Sugrue EnterpriseDB Sugrue Communications +1 781.357.3090 +44 (0)1932 429 779 [email protected] [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160106/319928LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vision-talks-executive-roundtable-series-explores-open-source-innovation-in-atlanta-on-monday-september-12-300323585.html SOURCE EnterpriseDB

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[September 17, 2016] Aviation Leaders Harris Corporation and PrecisionHawk Launch LATAS with Live Manned Aircraft Alerts to Help Drone Operators Fly Safer

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PrecisionHawk Inc.  a leading provider of aerial data and safety platforms for drones  today announced the launch of its low altitude traffic and airspace safety platform (LATAS). LATAS is the only platform to link drones, 3d ground data and live manned aircraft data from the FAA into a single system that tells a drone operator when and where it's safe to fly. The launch comes shortly after PrecisionHawk signed a five-year deal with Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), a systems integrator for the FAA. By integrating Harris' manned aircraft data, LATAS can provide traffic alerts to drone operators without any delay and build tools for drones and manned aircraft to see each other's real-time location for the first time. PrecisionHawk first proved this concept under the FAA Pathfinder program and then with the Department of Homeland Security, and last week became the first company approved for beyond line of sight commercial flight under a Part 107 waiver.



"We have done significant testing to measure how LATAS, equipped with Harris' real-time air traffic data, can enhance the safety of a drone pilot when flying beyond visual line of site (BVLOS)", said Tyler Collins, VP Airspace at PrecisionHawk. "As thousands of new operators join the drone space under Part 107, our goal is to provide an easy to use and reliable safety tool that gives a drone operators a complete picture of their surroundings and how those surroundings are changing in real-time." Harris' airspace data is available through the LATAS API to drone manufacturers and app developers, and drone operators can sign up to use the LATAS dashboard for free today. The free LATAS web dashboard acts as a digital observer for the drone operator. Equipped with airspace data maps that are rigorously analyzed by airspace and geospatial experts at Skyward, LATAS makes the operator as knowledgeable as possible about the environment around them during flight. A user submits a flight plan to see no fly zones and receive real-time notifications of hazards on the ground or in the air.

"This partnership combines PrecisionHawk's UAS industry innovation with Harris' FAA critical networks expertise," said Ed Sayadian, president, Harris Mission Networks. "Harris developed the first UAS surveillance capabilities covering the entire National Airspace System, which are now being integrated into LATAS." About PrecisionHawk Inc.: PrecisionHawk is a terrestrial data acquisition and analysis company founded in 2010. The company provides an end-to-end solution using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for data collection and analysis software tools to deliver better business intelligence to clients across a wide range of civilian industries. PrecisionHawk also owns terrestrial data software, DataMapper, satellite imagery provider, Terraserver, and the Low Altitude Traffic and Airspace Safety platform for drones, LATAS. A privately held company based in Raleigh, NC and Toronto, Canada, PrecisionHawk's investors include Intel Capital, Millennium Technology Value Partners, Verizon Ventures, a subsidiary of USAA, NTT Docomo Ventures, Yamaha Motor and Indiana University's Innovate Indiana Fund. More information about PrecisionHawk can be found at www.precisionhawk.com or on Twitter @PrecisionHawk. About Harris Corporation: Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers' toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $7.5 billion in annual revenue and 21,000 employees worldwide. The company is organized into four business segments: Communication Systems, Space and Intelligence Systems, Electronic Systems and Critical Networks. Learn more at harris.com. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160908/405614 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aviation-leaders-harris-corporation-and-precisionhawk-launch-latas-with-live-manned-aircraft-alerts-to-help-drone-operators-fly-safer-300324894.html SOURCE PrecisionHawk

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[September 17, 2016] Intelligence Community Faces a Future of Increasing Complexity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cybersecurity will remain as much of a challenge for the next administration as it has been for the current White House, especially in light of the constant barrage of cyber attacks from nation states, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said. "The Russians hack our systems all the time, not just government but corporate and personal systems," he added. But for all the mounting global threatsincluding those from China and North Koreano matter who becomes the next president, "it will be OK," he stated. Clapper made the remarks at the opening at the Intelligence & National Security Summit held in Washington, D.C. this week. AFCEA International and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) sponsored the two-day conference. Senior intelligence officials, including FBI Director James Comey and CIA Director John Brennan, touched on a variety of issues other than cybersecurity and the presidential election during the event. On the terrorism topic, Comey believes it is the threat that will dominate intelligence efforts during at least thenext five years and will be the result of "crushing" of the Islamic caliphate in Syria and Iraq and the surviving "hardened killer" militants who will flow into Europe to carry out attacks.



Brennan echoed the concern, saying that despite the group's loss of territory in Syria and Iraq, militants threaten security in the United States and Europe. Though al-Qaida in Iraqthe predecessor of ISILonce had been "reduced to the hundreds," the group reemerged, he said. And while security in Europe improved following attacks in France and Belgium, a fragmented alliance of 28 countries and different legal systems slows progress. Intelligence experts participating in the event's panel discussions agreed that combating terrorism is a multi-faceted challenge. Nick Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, pointed out that the new face of global terrorism has morphed to an unrecognizable and nearly unmanageable element. Its face, he said, is the core of al-Qaida, the rise of the Islamic State, insurgent groups growing in Africa, radicalization in Europe and the increased risk of threats in the United States. In fact, the terrorist threat today is "broader, wider and deeper than any point in our past," with homegrown terrorism a mounting problem for national security, he added.

In Clapper's opinion, climate change will be an underlying meta-driver of unpredictable instability in the coming decades. "Major population centers will compete for ever-diminishing food and water resources, and governments will have an increasingly difficult time controlling their territories. And so, because of all of these factors, after ISIL's gone, we can expect some other terrorist entity to arise and a cycle of extremism that will continue to control us for the foreseeable future. And by the way, our more traditional adversaries like Russia and China and Iran and North Korea will continue to challenge us," he stated.

"And of course, technology will continue to be disruptive. Just think about the fact that Uber is the biggest taxi company in the world, and they don't own any cars. Airbnb is the biggest hotel company, and they don't own any properties. It is difficult to predict how technology will affect national security," Clapper said. "Tech areas like artificial intelligence, health care and agricultural, self-driving cars and 3-D printing have the potential to revolutionize our lives for the better or they could present vulnerabilities that are very hard to predict." Read more summit coverage online, including more about what DNI James Clapper had to say about the coming changes in the U.S. government after the November elections. AFCEA International, established in 1946, is a non-profit membership association serving the military, government, industry and academia. Join online. INSA is the premier intelligence and national security organization that provides a unique venue for collaboration, networking and examination of policy issues and solutions. Join online. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160909/406196

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130410/DC92618LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intelligence-community-faces-a-future-of-increasing-complexity-300325777.html SOURCE AFCEA International

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[September 17, 2016]

Samsung Canada Is Working with Health Canada Regarding The Recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note7

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. today confirmed it has been working with Health Canada following its announcement of battery cell issues related to the Galaxy Note7.

Samsung is working with Health Canada on a corrective action plan to expedite a Canadian recall of the product affecting the following model numbers of the Galaxy Note 7:









Color BOM Code

(Part No.) UPC Code SKU Code Remark Black SM-N930WZKAXAC 887276171883 SMN930WK64 Black, 64GB Silver SM-N930WZSAXAC 887276177229 SMN930WS64 Silver, 64GB Blue SM-N930WZBAXAC 887276177243 SMN930WB64 Blue, 64GB



Customers who have Galaxy Note7 can replace their current device with a new device under the terms of the Canadian Product Exchange, which was previously announced Tuesday, September 6, 2016. To register for a Galaxy Note7 Exchange, owners should visit: CanadaNote7exchange.expertinquiry.com to initiate the Galaxy Note7 product exchange.

The terms of the recall will be announced as they become available.

About Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc.

Samsung Electronics Canada inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances and printers. In 2015, Samsung was ranked one of the top 10 most influential brands in Canada, based on a study by Ipsos Reid. Committed to helping Canadians live connected and make a difference, its Samsung Hope for Children corporate giving program supports children's education, sustainability and health-related issues in communities across the country. To discover more, please visit http://www.samsung.com/ca

SOURCE Samsung Electronics Canada
Spaghetti Feed fights bullying

A spaghetti feed fundraiser to support the HOME B.A.S.E. (Bullying and Suicides Eliminated) program will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 26 at Our Saviours Lutheran Church, 1200 S. 40th St.

HOME B.A.S.E. is a program of the Mental Health Association of Nebraska. The spaghetti feed is sponsored by the mental health association, the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office, Lincoln Police Department and Our Saviour's Lutheran Church.

Money raised at the event will go toward the mental health associations WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) support groups in Lincoln and Lancaster County middle and high schools. The support group will assist in teacher and student education as well as outreach services in the schools.

Cost of the spaghetti dinner is a free will donation. In addition there will be a raffle, with tickets selling for $1 each. For information go to mha-ne.org. To donate to the Home B.A.S.E. program call Melissa or Destenie at 402-441-4371.

RISE begins fall workshops

RISE Lincoln, a motivational series for women business leaders, will kick off its fall series of workshops on Thursday with Getting Your Brain in Shape for Taking Risks.

The session begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Apothecary, 140 N. Eighth St. Diane Kortus is the speaker.

On Oct. 20, Pursuing Your Passion at Great Risk will feature Pam Dingman, Lancaster County engineer; Karen Kunc, director, Constellation Studios; and Sara Gilliam, editor-in-chief, Exchange Magazine and founding board of directors for Carry the Future.

Supporting your Business's Success by Supporting Your Community will be held Nov. 10. Representatives from Cornhusker Bank, Raising Canes and Firespring will speak.

All sessions begin with networking at 5:30 p.m. followed by the presentation from 6:15-7 p.m. For information go riselincoln.org or email riselincoln@gmail.com.

Creighton premieres documentary

A Council Bluffs, Iowa, native and one-time Creighton University student who became a leading voice in postcolonial Africa is the subject of a new documentary produced by Creighton theology professor and filmmaker John OKeefe.

OKeefes film, Bishop Vince: A Monumental Life, tells the story of the Rev. Vincent McCauley, born in Council Bluffs in 1906, who became the first bishop of the Diocese of Fort Portal in Uganda. McCauley served in Africa and in the interests of African causes for nearly half of his life.

The film will be shown at 5 p.m. Sept. 23 during Creightons celebration of Africa Rising Week. The screening takes place in the Hixson-Lied Auditorium at the Harper Center, 602 N. 20th St., Omaha.

Prior to beginning his priestly and episcopal careers, McCauley graduated from Creighton Preparatory School and also attended Creighton University for a time. In 2006, the Diocese of Fort Portal took up the cause of McCauleys canonization and he has been named as Servant of God.

The premiere of Bishop Vince: A Monumental Life is free and open to the public.

Science & spirituality to be explored

Omahas First Central Congregational United Church of Christ, 36th and Harney streets will hold its first annual Science and Spirituality Colloquy Sept. 24 and 25..

I think sometimes there is a misconception that there cant be a connection between science and spirituality," said Scott Jones, senior pastor at First Central. "But by opening the ideas and starting the conversations, we hope people can start to see that personal faith and science can indeed reside on the same plane.

The event starts at 1 p.m. Sept. 24 with music and panel discussions. Speakers include professionals from varied faith backgrounds, including Native Americans and Jewish. In an effort to attract multi-generational participation, a science fair open to all ages will be incorporated into the event.

In addition, the final two performances of the Brigit St. Brigit Theater Companys play Inherit the Wind also take place during the weekend event.

Science fair and panel discussions are free to the public, but reservations are appreciated and can be made by calling the church at 402-345-1533. Tickets for Inherit the Wind are available on the theater companys website: Bsbtheatre.com. For more information on the Science and Spirituality Colloquy go to firstcentral.org.
[September 17, 2016] UpGrad & IIIT-B Partner to Bring Onboard SocialCops for Their Data Analytics Program

MUMBAI, September 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- UpGrad, the online education platform for working professionals and IIIT-B have tied up with SocialCops for their Data Analytics program. SocialCops is a data intelligence company that leverages data and technology to bring the entire decision making process to one place - from collecting and merging to visualizing data. As a part of this tie up, UpGrad will leverage their knowledge and case studies to train students to be able to use the power of technology, mobile and community to improve decision making using data sourced from grassroots. One of the case studies shared will include SocialCops's study on small and marginal farmers' data where they identified areas in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha where farmers needed support in training and nutrition. Speaking about the partnership, Prukalpa Sankar, Co-Founder SocialCops said, "At SocialCops, we are big believers in the power of data in driving critical decisions. We are constantly looking for ways to educate people on how to make data work for them. Our partnership with UpGrad is a significant step in this direction. We are excited to share learnings from some of the most complex problems we have worked on with UpGrad's community of professionals looking to accelerate their career in data analytics. We hope to build many more such meaningful conversations with UpGrad." Adding on span >Mayank Kumar, Co-Founder & MD, UpGrad said, "SocialCops is playing an instrumental role in revolutionizing decision-making and governance at all levels - right from the national to village-level - by leveraging data and its technology-based platform. We are excited to collaborate with them and will add another aspect to our program."



The 12 month academically rigorous and industry relevant Data Analytics program, co-developed by IIIT-Bangalore and UpGrad also features mentors, case studies and guest lecturers from Uber, Genpact, Cognizant Technologies, Gramener among others. According to experts, Data Analytics industry in India alone is expected to face a shortage of at least 2 lac data scientists. This program, which was curated for working professionals to acquire industry know-how, grow their professional network, and accelerate their career in data analytics, now aims at bridging this gap by readying professionals for this foreseen demand of the industry. As a part of this partnership, SocialCops will also look at recruiting quality analytics talent from this program for their Data Analytics teams. The program will have industry leaders such as Sameer Dhanrajani (Business Leader, Analytics & Data Sciences, Cognizant Technology Solutions), Ujjyaini Mitra (Associate Director, Analytics, Flipkart), Kalpana Subbaramappa (Ex-AVP, Genpact), Vinit Vishal (Head-Analytics, Arvind Brands) among many others as individual contributors for the program.

With this program, IIIT-Bangalore and UpGrad aim to train over 10,000 professionals in the field of data analytics. The curriculum covers the depth and breadth of the subject in the form of interactive lectures, live sessions and a 3-month capstone project mentored by industry professionals. About UpGrad UpGrad (upgrad.com) is an online higher education platform founded by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, Ravijot Chugh and Prabhav Phalgun in March 2015. UpGrad looks to provide quality post graduate online programs for working professionals who wish to build and expand their skill sets. Since its first program on entrepreneurship launched in November 2015, UpGrad has launched programs on digital marketing, angel investment and a data analytics diploma in association with IIIT Bangalore.

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Briggs: Elkharts RV workers are only essential until a recession

RV sales are great for job security in Elkhart, yet horrible for human bodies.
Three Iowa men were arrested Friday after police found 56.9 grams of cocaine in their vehicle.

Police stopped a car driven by Phillip Plummer, 34, of Sioux City, Iowa, on Interstate 80 Friday and searched it after the officers smelled a strong marijuana odor.

Police found the cocaine, just over 3 pounds of marijuana and $15,605.

Phillip and passenger Andre Plummer, 41, were arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver and Jon Stabile, 25, was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting a class 3 felony.

They remained in jail Saturday afternoon.
Galaxy S10 vs. S10 Plus vs. S10e vs. S10 5G: What should you buy?

The Galaxy S10e, S10, S10 Plus and S10 5G have a lot in common, but these are the key differences you need to know before you buy any of these Samsung phones.
Steve Rose Is Being Silly If He Thinks This Guy Is Going To Beat Rep. Yoder And His EPIC Campaign Bank Account . . .

Hope For The Election They Lost . . .

Here's a quick look at Kansas City's daily newspaper waging their last battle for influence in Johnson County politics among retirees who mostly vote Republican.Take a peek at double tap links and remember that sales, viewership and or even accurately representing the public trust stopped meaning anything to this newspaper a long time ago:
"Nick Haines, Mike Ferguson, Barbara Shelly, Jack Cashill and Dave Helling discuss the overrides of Jay Nixon's vetoes of gun and voter ID legislation, the impact for Jay Nixon as the most overridden governor in Missouri state history, MO lawmaker Jamilah Nasheed's pledge of allegiance protest, streetcar expansion, Kemper Arena, Kauffman Center and the Raytown School District's attendance incentives."

Quick peek at newsmakers talking this week in Kansas City and even a bit of rare debate among the top tier pundits.at the description . . .You decide . . .
More Greeks are enrolling in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at Harvard than students from any other country

More Greeks are enrolling in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at Harvard than students from any other country. The statistics are from Mathesis, a stats agency at Crete University Press, that gathered data from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The report, Evaluating Geographic Data in MOOCs, by S.O. Nesterko et al found that there are more Greeks logging into Harvard courses in proportion to the countrys population. Greece also has the highest portion of successful completion of courses with 13.6 percent of students completing the course and receiving a participation certificate.

Greeks ranked in the top three when it came to completion of courses with Greece at 13.6 percent, Spain with 12.72 percent and Germany at 12.68 percent. The average completion rate is 4.3 percent.

There were 3,875 students from Greece participating at MOOCs courses at Harvard placing Greece ahead of other European countries. The second-highest participation rate was in Spain where there were 1,414 students per million inhabitants. There were 4,580 Greeks participating in a course over the last semester with the highest number of students from the United States (240,000), India (54,000) and Canada (22,000). In Europe, Spain has 10,600 students, followed by Britain with 8,000 students. There were a total of 3,582,360 students from 193 countries enrolled last July.

The success of Greece at MOOCs at Harvard are yet another sample of a different Greece that insists and fights for a position in the world with self-confidence and hard work, says Mathesis director, Stefanos Trahanas.

Read more here.

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Representatives of Greeces international creditors ended their exploratory talks in Athens on Friday with serious reservations

Representatives of Greeces international creditors ended their exploratory talks in Athens on Friday with serious reservations about a series of policies being promoted by the government, including some heralded by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Thessaloniki last week, while they concluded that only half the prior actions tied to the next tranche of 2.8 billion euros have been implemented.

A high-ranking official of the Finance Ministry conceded that plans to protect businesses bank accounts from being seized by tax authorities will not go ahead and instead the government will offer more incentives for the use of credit card transactions.

Another serious concern voiced by foreign inspectors, and particularly by the representative of the International Monetary Fund, relates to proposals by the Education Ministry for a more complicated process in the dismissal of teachers at Greek private schools.

The two sides also failed to see eye to eye on Greek proposals for immunity from prosecution to be granted to Greeks who return undeclared income from abroad and for the freezing of social security contributions owed by self-employed professionals, both measures that were declared by Tsipras in Thessaloniki last weekend.

The composition of the supervisory board of a new privatization fund was another bone of contention in negotiations. Greek officials described the hitch as technicalities that would soon be overcome.

French Finance Ministry sources indicated last week that Jacques Le Pape, a former aide to IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, might head up the fund. But Greek government officials have not confirmed this and there are said to have been disagreements between the two sides.

Government sources indicated on Friday that a new multi-bill bundling together a total of 15 prior actions demanded for the 2.8 billion euros will go to Parliament in the coming days.

Greeces progress will be assessed at a Euro Working Group scheduled for September 29.

Read more here.

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The results of the EU27 informal Summit held in Bratislava reaffirmed what was becoming conspicuously clearer, a steady and gradual division within the union on a number of issues, ranging from the challenges the continent faced on the refugee crisis and the Brexit to the economic policies needed to exit the economic crisis in the periphery and measures to counter terrorism.

The EU27 agreed to refrain from issuing a common statement at the end of the Summit, a decision that simply reinforces the fact that there are clashing opinions on the pressing issues facing the continent. During a joint press conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande acknowledged the need to strengthen exterior border controls and support peripheral member-states feeling the brunt of the refugee crisis.

The European leaders agreed to adopt a road map in an effort to regain the European citizens lost trust in the institutions on many levels. Merkel spoke of the necessity by all EU countries to jointly follow a working plan in order to get the European project back on its feet. She stressed the 27 EU leaders agreed to present their proposals to this end by March 2017. Merkel said that European Commission President Jean Claude Junckers speech before the European Parliament would be the blueprint on which the EU would work over the next few months. On his part, Hollande pointed out that Europe was compelled and would look into the future.

The French President added that the EU should support Greece and Bulgaria that were under the most pressure from the refugee flows. The Hungarian PM Viktor Orban was quite blunt in his assessment of the Summit claiming it had failed. The Hungarian politician said he would try to change the self-destructive and naive migration policies of the EU.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
The director of a University of Nebraska-Lincoln program aimed at promoting better and more efficient approaches to food sanitation was critical of statements made by Donald Trump last week calling for an end to specific regulations.

In an economic speech on Thursday, the Republican presidential nominee said he would eliminate specific regulations tied to food production that have grown into a massive, job-killing industry.

Calling the new rules implemented by the Food and Drug Administration to control manufacturing, processing and packaging of food for people, pets and livestock inspection overkill, Trump promised to roll back the regulations, according to The Hill, a political website.

But those regulations implemented by the FDA were the result of collaboration between government regulators and industry leaders, said Angela Anandappa, the director of the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Alliance for Advance Food Sanitation.

Food processing companies worked with the FDA to set baseline standards for sanitation practices, Anandappa said, while government regulators determined how to best implement those standards across the industry.

The symbiotic relationship is important, Anandappa said.

Thats the way food safety laws are made in this country. People dont recognize the difference between being regulated and what is driving the requirements of regulation.

The regulations are not made as the government pushing it out onto individuals, Anandappa explained, but as a way for industry to communicate to the government the best practices for food processing and packaging.

Its a process Anandappa worked with at the University of Kentucky, where she served as the program coordinator for the Food Systems Innovation Center when the FDA was developing the Food Safety Manufacturing Act in 2010.

Food safety is an issue industry takes seriously, she said. Companies that must recall products contaminated with salmonella, listeria or other contaminants suffer penalties, whether its a lawsuit or damage to their brand.

The potential economic impacts of food that hasnt been safely manufactured make it easier to do things the right way on the front end, Anandappa said.

Its not always someone looking over your shoulder.

In his speech, Trump referred to the FDA as the "Food Police, which dictate how the federal government expects farmers to produce fruits and vegetables and even dictates the nutritional content of dog food, the Hill reported.

The rules govern the soil farmers use, farm and food production hygiene, food packaging, food temperatures and even what animals may roam which fields and when.

A fact sheet published Thursday morning as a companion to Trumps speech was later pulled from the candidates website and a new one without the food safety proposals was posted.

At UNL, eight food companies -- Cargill, Hershey, Kelloggs, Nestle, ConAgra Foods, Ecolab, Neogen and Commercial Food Sanitation -- joined the Alliance to develop better and more efficient approaches to food safety.

This is not about competition when it comes to food safety, said Anandappa, who also worked in the food industry as a supply chain safety group lead at Kraft Foods. Theres no such thing as a competitive edge in food safety -- you design a product and the product speaks for itself and thats how you remain competitive.

Rolling back food safety regulations would be harmful to consumers as well as a burgeoning field at universities around the country like UNL, which moved its Department of Food Science and Technology into the Food Innovation Center at Nebraska Innovation Campus in 2015.

UNL plays a huge, huge role in food safety research for the state, the region, and for industry through its collaboration, Anandappa said. All of those extramural funds were trying to get, some of them are linked to regulations.

And developing industry-oriented partnerships like the Alliance, where public food safety education is also a major goal, are more difficult to maintain without matching funds from the government.

Rolling it back, from a food safety perspective, would take work that has been done for decades and throwing it out the window, she said. Thats not progress for human health.
The European Federation of Journalists voiced concerns that a new law restricting the number of television broadcasting licences in Greece will undermine pluralism and independent journalism

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on Friday voiced concerns that a new law restricting the number of television broadcasting licences in Greece to four will undermine pluralism and independent journalism in the Greek media. In an announcement posted on the EFJ website, it backed the Athens journalists' union ESHEA in denouncing the closure of four out of eight Greek private TV channels and the thousands of job losses that will result.

"The EFJ strongly supports the mobilisation of media workers in the protest to safeguard media pluralism and independent journalism in Greece.

"Early this year, the Greek government has passed a law to allow only four TV licences to issue to private broadcasters. The European Commission expressed serious concerns about media independence in the country. On 30 August, Prime Minister Alexis Tsiprass government launched the auctions claiming that it would crack down on corruption in the media sector and enable better regulation," the EFJ announcement said.

Prior to the results, it added, ESHEA had expressed their concerns regarding media concentration, media ownership opacity, job losses and threats for journalists social rights and independence.

"The four 10-year licences were successfully bid on 2 September by three shipowners and a construction magnate. Two of them already own the major private TV stations. Currently, Greece has eight TV channels. Following the bid, four of these channels will have to suspend operations within 90 days," EFJ pointed out.

It cited ESHEA's statement that the closure could cost the jobs of 1800 journalists, technical staff and employees, while also having an impact on another 3,000 media industry workers.

"The case will be submitted to the Council of Europe platform for the protection and safety of journalism. The EFJ will write to the European Commissioner Gunther Oettinger regarding the case," the announcement said.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
The popular travel website AFAR released a travel guide listing the hidden gems of Europe and Athens took two top spots

The popular travel website AFAR released a travel guide listing the hidden gems of Europe. Only 29 gems made the list and not surprisingly, Athens took two top spots!

At number 18, the Central Market in Athens is described as noisy, smelly, and chaotic, but its an experience no foodie or photographer should miss.

An AFAR Local Expert writes, the colours, shapes, and patterns are a compositional dream, but the market is not for the squeamish. You can find every conceivable creature from the sea on sale here. The floor is wet and the air smells salty. In the next building, animal parts you didn't even know were edible are hanging from hooks or stacked in baskets - Sheep's head anyone? Around the exterior of the market you can find spices, fresh fruit and vegetables.

Coming in at number 20 is the Hellenic Parliament Building. The AFAR expert describes the Grand Change of the guards experience, well worth watching and fascinating to watch and photograph.

Every Sunday morning at 11:00 am, visitors can watch the elite unit of the Greek Military, known as the Athens Evzones, perform the Grand Change. They are guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier while they march from the barracks to the Parliament and perform maneuvers marching along with a band.

To read this article in full, please visit: AFAR

Read more here.

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Whether youre heading abroad for an international destination wedding or opting for a domestic celebration, we wish you all the happiness in the world, in.oyster.com notes to its readers in a recent article and adds:

"But just remember, some destinations come with baggage; this time, we're talking about the unwanted reality of unhealthy divorce stats. For example, if you really want to start your life together fighting against the odds, then jet off for a romantic wedding in the beautiful gothic city of Bruges and try your luck battling Belgiums 71-percent divorce rate -- the worlds highest. Alternatively, for a solid statistical foundation for your marriage, you should head for Mongolia, where the chances of staying together are among the highest in the world, with a measly 0.38-percent divorce rate to contend with.

However, you dont find Belgium or Mongolia placing high on many dream destination wedding lists, so weve picked the most popular places in the U.S. and internationally to get hitched and prepared you with the stats. From Nevada to Mexico, Hawaii to the Caribbean, here are the worlds most popular wedding destinations and the divorce rates that follow them around like unwanted guests at the party.

And another piece of sage advice; big weddings with low costs reportedly lead to the longest marriages, while expensive ceremonies and celebrations have the opposite effect. So we guess what the stats are saying is that theres a compromise to be made -- just like in a marriage itself!"

The complete list of the "Divorce Rates for 6 of the Worlds Most Popular Wedding Destinations" includes:

According to a survey conducted by The Knot, Hawaii is the third most popular destination among American couples planning a wedding abroad. (N.B. In this study, Hawaii was considered an international destination, unlike the other 49 states.) Thirty-three percent of couples opt for Oahu as the spot for the ceremony, making it the most popular island for a dream wedding.

As for the negative aspect that goes with Hawaii...well, there really isnt one because -- at just 9.1-percent -- Hawaiian weddings have the joint fifth lowest divorce rate of any state. Whats more, if things do go badly on the islands, a divorce filing fee is a relatively inexpensive $175, which Nicolas Cage would know as he divorced Lisa Marie Presley just 108 days after their Hawaii wedding.

Elvis and Priscilla, Angelina and Billy Bob, Demi and Bruce; Las Vegas has had its fair share of celebrity marriages that have failed to go the distance, which is no surprise since Vegas is the divorce capital of the U.S. Think long and hard about whether you want the Little White Wedding Chapel to host your nuptials and remember, 13.9-percent of all adults in Vegas have been divorced. Just think about Britney -- her marriage to her childhood friend Jason Alexander is one of the shortest celebrity Vegas weddings on record; their "relationship" was annulled after just 55 hours!

Nearly half of all U.S. destination weddings take place in the top three locations of Florida, Nevadaand California, but Florida is the host of the most nuptials, with 22-percent of couples surveyed heading to the land of theme parks, sunshine, and oranges for the wedding of their dreams. On a bum note, Florida has the fifth highest divorce rate out of all fifty states, at a high four of every thousand people. Not that you should let that stop you planning your dream wedding at Walt Disney World; according to Disney By The Numbers, 15,000 weddings have taken place at Walt Disney World since 1991, although the number of those that ended with "happy ever after" is unclear. What we can say is that Disney beats the McDonalds Wedding Party every time.

All you have to do is stay on the island for 24 hours and pay a $50 fee and youre eligible to be married in Jamaica. But we wouldnt recommend meeting a stranger on day one of your Jamaican vacation and committing for life on day two, because you might quickly find yourself part of the Caribbeanislands high divorce rate of 9.4 of every thousand people. However, don't be put off by the figures; there must be a reason why one in three American couple destination weddings take place in Jamaica. The hope of sun, sea, sand...and longevity?

Of all Mexico's many stunning potential wedding destinations, Cancun on the Caribbean coast is the most popular among U.S. couples. And so it should be with a divorce rate of only 15 percent. Whether you opt for a beachfront service or an elegant all-white ceremony in Cabo, you can enjoy the day with the knowledge that wedding in Mexico means you won't have scary divorce statistics hanging over your nuptials. Marriage Trends in Latin America suggests the reasons for the low rates of divorce in Mexico -- and other Latin American countries -- are a mixture of a lack of progressive laws, the value placed on the family unit ,and the strong influence of Catholicism in the country. However, it's interesting to see that the U.S. influence (i.e. a likelihood of divorce) is most apparent closer to home, as northern Mexico states lining the American border have a higher rate of divorce than those to the south.

It's not just A-listers who head to Italy and the Amalfi Coast when they want a spectacular destination wedding; the country is the favorite European location for weddings among Americans. Twenty-six percent of European destination weddings from the U.S. take place in Italy. As well as Amalfi,Tuscany, Rome and the Lakes are popular spots for couples looking for a wedding with rustic charm. Italy is another country where the influence of the church is a factor in keeping divorce rates low. According to the United Nations Statistical Division, the figure is 0.8 iof every thousand people in Italy, a country where -- until 2015 it took three years to get a divorce. (It's now only three months.) One caveat: While the divorce rate may be low, a survey by American Consumer Opinion found that Italy has the lowest percentage of happily married couples of eleven countries recorded; on the flip side, the US had the second highest percentage of couples satisfied with their lot.

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: in.oyster.com
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is set to see UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Sunday afternoon for a short one-on-one meeting, CNA reported on Saturday as the President departs for New York.

Anastasiades will be heading to New York, accompanied by the government spokesperson Nikos Christodoulides, while Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides is expected to arrive in the US on Sunday.

During his meeting with the UN Secretary General, the President is expected to discuss the Cyprus problem, CNA reported, and the meeting Anastasiades, Ban, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will have on September 25 at 11:00 am.

President Anastasiades will also inform the UN Security Council on the Cyprus problem, where negotiations stand, and the next steps in the process, in a meeting he will have with the permanent members on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, the President is expected to meet with the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Later in the evening, President Anastasiades will be speaking at a meeting of Concordia on the future of Europe, CNA reported.

Program of meetings

The President is then set to meet with the Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday and the US Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday. On Tuesday evening, President Anastasiades will attend the dinner hosted by the US President, Barack Obama, for country representatives taking part in the UN General Assembly.

The Presidents program also includes meetings with economic agents, such as the Vice-President of the Bank of Cyprus Wilbur Ross, the head of Exxon Mobil, Rex Tillerson, and the President and CEO of the Libra Group, George Logothetis.

In New York, President Anastasiades will be honoured at a special ceremony by the American Jewish Committee.

Moreover, the President will speak at major events organised by the Cypriot American community on Friday night, where he will make a speech at their annual dinner. He will also meet with Archbishop Demetrios Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America as well as with leaders of the Greek and Cypriot American community.

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
Omans State General Reserve Fund (SGRF), a sovereign wealth fund, plans to support a joint venture that aims to facilitate investment in Indias power sector, a report said.



SGRF will join Canada-based La Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ), a leading institutional fund manager and Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), a sovereign wealth fund in backing the platform company set up by Indias Tata Power and ICICI Venture, added the Oman Observer report.



The plat plans to raise an initial capital of up to $850 million to be contributed by the sponsors and partner investors either directly or through their affiliates, according to the report.



This can be upsized going forward, depending on market opportunities. The platform targets acquisition of controlling stakes in power generating companies, both conventional thermal, hydroelectric and transmission assets in India, the co-sponsors were quoted as saying in the report.



Abdulsalam al Murshidi, executive president of SGRF, said: We are excited to be part of this Platform that combines the expertise of two of Indias leading business groups along with international reputed institutional investors.



We are also particularly thrilled to invest in the worlds fifth largest electricity producing country and increase our exposure to Indian infrastructure, a key beneficiary of Indias economic development.



It has been our constant endeavour to leverage opportunities in the Indian power sector and create stakeholder value through organic and inorganic means, Anil Sardana, CEO & MD, Tata Power, was quoted as saying in the report.



This Platform is one such step in this direction for assets that would be win-win for all stakeholders as it would be value accreting considering the assets would be near-completion or already operating. We are happy to have co-sponsor and investors of tremendous reputation namely ICICI, CDPQ, KIA and SGRF and we hope this would generate good value for them too, he added.
Modul University Dubai, a subsidiary of Dubai Investments PJSC and Austrias leading international private university in the Middle East, is showcasing its academic and executive programs and leading a certified training masterclass on digital marketing in the hospitality industry at the Hotel Show, which opened today (September 17) at Dubai World Trade Centre.



A first-of-its-kind university specialised in tourism and hospitality courses in the region, Modul is currently welcoming its first batch of students at its new campus at One JLT, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, said a statement from the Austrian institution.



During the three-day event, Modul will be hosting a masterclass on Developing a Digital Marketing Strategy for Revenue Optimisation as part of the Vision Conference.



Being conducted by Martin Kubler, lead lecturer at Modul University Dubai, the masterclass focuses on insights needed by todays hoteliers to optimise revenue through digital marketing channels including social media, mobile and web.



In his comments, Zaid Maleh, the managing director of Modul University Dubai, said: "The Hotel Show offers a great platform for us to showcase our expertise in the hospitality and tourism domain."



"Through the masterclass, the university aims to communicate the current best practices in identifying and managing the online audiences as well as developing and managing marketing programs on social media channels," he stated.



The Austrian university, which offers European undergraduate and MBA degrees in international management and tourism and hospitality, is backed by 100-plus years legacy of Modul Colleges excellence in tourism and hospitality education worldwide.



The courses on offer are accredited by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Three Turkish soldiers and four Kurdish militants were killed on Saturday in clashes in the southeastern Hakkari province while Turkish gendarmerie launched helicopter-backed security operations elsewhere in the region, security sources said.



Three Turkish soldiers were also wounded in the clashes in village of Agacdibi, around 20 kilometeres south of Hakkari province bordering Iraq and Iran. An operation to capture the militants is underway, sources said.



In Sirnak province bordering Iraq, several Turkish attack helicopters bombed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets near Cudi and Gabar mountains in support of land troops carrying out operations in the area.



Southeastern Turkey has seen a surge in violence since the PKK, which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in the region, abandoned a ceasefire in 2015. Thousands of militants, security force members and civilians have been killed in fighting across the region.



More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, began its insurgency in 1984.-Reuters
Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system on Saturday shot down a stray "projectile" fired during fighting in Syria's civil war, Israel's military said.



There has been frequent spillover of fighting between the factions in Syria into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, but, according to Israeli media, this was the first time Iron Dome was activated to intercept the errant fire.



"A projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. No injuries were reported," the military said in a statement.



A spokeswoman added it was most likely stray fire.



Israel usually retaliates with air strikes against battle stations in Syria.



The military has stationed Iron Dome batteries in areas that have been targeted by cross-border fire, which is most frequently from Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.



The system usually only fires an interceptor if the enemy rocket is calculated to strike near a populated area.-Reuters
Atlas Copco, a leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions, said its portable energy division has completed 25 years of its global operations successfully.



A ceremony was organised by the company to celebrate the 25th anniversary at its global

headquarters in Belgium.



Portable Energy is a division within Atlas Copcos Construction Technique business area. It develops, manufactures and markets portable compressors, high pressure boosters and generators for portable power worldwide.



The Yellow Plant is a 27,000 sq m facility at the heart of the companys Airpower site in Wilrijk (Belgium). It has been the global competence center for the development, marketing and production of portable compressors, and associated equipment, since 1991.



The official celebration was held in the presence of the plants 300-plus employees, including more than 50 members of staff who have worked at the plant since it first opened.



Among the latest innovations to emerge from the Yellow Plant is the new 8 Series compressor range.

These energy-efficient, lightweight compressors have received positive reviews from professional users of portable compressors across the world.



Peter Lauwers, the president of the Atlas Copco Portable Energy, said: "Over the years, we have launched technologies and equipment that remain unrivaled to this day. Our compressor range, with the indestructible HardHat canopy, is just one example."



"With the 8 Series, which was developed and built in-house, we push into new performance territory once again," he stated.



On its future plans, Lauwers said: "Our focus on sustainability has resulted in compressors fit for multiple applications, lowering the total cost of ownership for our customers and offering a Tier-4 final engine solution for the lowest emissions levels and the highest fuel efficiency."



Connectivity, he stated, was another important trend driving the company's product development.



"Our customers want to be continuously able to monitor their compressors and by doing so optimize their operations, said Lauwers.



Ronnie Leten, the chief executive of Atlas Copco, said: "I always refer to Atlas Copco Airpower as the university of compressor technology. Our expertise travels the world and brings the world to Wilrijk."



"Atlas Copco portable compressors have made the work of our customers easier, safer, more efficient and more sustainable. That is an accomplishment to be proud of, especially on a special day like this one," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Golden rays of sun broke through the clouds Friday morning just in time to shine on the ceremonial cutting of a blue satin ribbon at the site of Nebraskas first commercial solar energy park just west of Lincoln.

Today in a fundamental sense, is about the sun, how we use the sun and mans relationship to the sun, Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler said. The city of Lincoln is very proud of what LES has accomplished here.

With the 5-megawatt facility online, Lincoln Electric System now gets a third of its power generation from renewable sources, a third from coal and the final third from natural gas, Lincoln Electric System CEO Kevin Wailes said.

Politicians, LES board members and utility executives attended the dedication ceremony at the facility just west of Lincoln, and it was broadcast live on the Cube in the West Haymarkets Railyard, where about 40 people watched.

The large screen offered a prime view of the event, but trucks making deliveries to nearby restaurants and bars sometimes made it difficult to hear the speeches.

The utility then gave two tours of the solar farm, busing people from the Railyard out to the 46-acre site on West Holdrege Street near Northwest 75th Street.

The community solar project is owned by Oakland, California-based developer Enerparc. LES has a 20-year contract to buy power from the company. The $8.9 million solar park has 15,333 solar panels, 19 miles of direct current cabling, 3.5 miles of alternating current cabling and 60 inverters.

The property on which it is built is leased from Ellen and Gary Hellerich, who farm the surrounding fields.

"We harvest the corn. We harvest the soybeans and now we harvest the sun," Gary Hellerich said in an interview at the site.

Beutler said the solar park is an example of the close working relationship between the community and public utility.

LES began to explore solar options at the urging of customers after surveying the community. To help gauge interest, LES created SunShares, a program that lets customers pay a little more on their bills to support solar efforts. More than 1,200 customers signed up to do so.

Gaye Mason, one of the SunShare members who watched the ceremony from the Railyard, said shes proud of Nebraskas heritage of public power. She sees the new solar park as the next step in that progressive tradition.

Its time to carry on with that vision of sustainability, she said. I would hope in the future its no longer a political issue.

There are challenges, Mason said, but they shouldnt divert from the goal of environmental and energy sustainability.

LES board voted unanimously on Friday to move forward with a new virtual solar net metering program. The program, which is still in the planning stages, will let customers buy a portion of the solar parks output for the remaining life of the 20-year contract and have it offset their own power use.

For a limited time, SunShares participants will be allowed to credit their previous contributions toward virtual net-metering enrollment fees.

The program will let people buy a panel at the community solar park and get credit for the electricity it produces at the same rate as someone who installs solar panels on their house. Actual ownership will remain with the developer, but the customer will get credit for the electricity as if he or she owned the panel.

Bob Dvorak, another Lincoln SunShares subscriber, said he cant install solar panels on his house so hes excited to be able to benefit through virtual net metering.

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry equated development of the solar park to a form of economic, environmental and energy diplomacy.

"LES commitment to expanding its portfolio of renewable resources is building a bridge to a more sustainable future and providing an extraordinary example for the rest of America, the 1st District congressman said.

Construction began on the solar farm in March and it went online in late June, producing enough electricity to power about 900 homes.
WASHINGTON -- NASA scientists may have noticed a wobble in Earth's axis Tuesday morning. Harry Reid, the irascible top Democrat in the Senate, had shown contrition.

The day before, Reid had attacked the integrity of Republicans, including the majority whip, John Cornyn, suggesting they were doing the bidding of the billionaire Koch brothers.

But Tuesday, Reid began his daily remarks to the Senate by declaring that "I want everyone to know that my criticism of the senior senator from Texas is not based on anything dealing with his character, his integrity."

Cornyn rose to express his "gratitude."

And then, as quickly as it had begun, the feel-good moment was over. A McClatchy reporter asked Reid about his remorse and Reid said "with great irritation" that he hadn't apologized. "He didn't ask for an apology, and he didn't expect an apology," Reid snapped.

Being Harry Reid means never having to say you're sorry. The former boxer and cop, retiring in January, is departing the Senate the way he led it: with ferocious partisanship and explosive language.

On the same day he gave his non-apology to Cornyn, he also suggested that Donald Trump is fat: "Take a look at this character that's running for president.  He's not slim and trim. He brags about eating fast food every day."

In the same news conference, Reid offered some violent imagery to describe Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) as she negotiated a spending package with Republicans: "You could put a gun to her head right now and she can't tell you what they're trying to come up with."

Just before returning to Washington from his summer break, Reid sat down with the Reno Gazette-Journal, saying it was "crazy" of Patricia Smith, whose son was killed in Benghazi, to blame Hillary Clinton. He also described Rep. Joe Heck, the Republican candidate to succeed him in the Senate, as "the most fraudulent person" he's known in 50 years of politics.

And Reid defended the false allegation he made in 2012 that Mitt Romney had not paid taxes for 10 years. "I'd do it again," Reid said. He reasoned that it's one of his strengths to "tell the truth," then added, "Maybe not the truth -- it's how I feel."

I've enjoyed covering Reid and will miss him when he's gone. His wild rhetoric made for good copy. But in this Age of Trump, I also wonder whether Reid's style -- insults, insinuations and sometimes false allegations -- helped to clear the way for worse.

To be sure, Trump is a uniquely Republican problem, created by years of GOP coddling of extremists. But I can't help thinking Reid is one who deserves some blame for the deterioration of discourse that numbed the country to Trump's vulgarity.

Reid has suggested that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom he must work every day, "agrees with Trump's view that women are dogs and pigs." He's accused Republicans of being "drunk with power," "puppets," "amateurish" and "cowards" who are led by "crazies."

George W. Bush, in Reid's telling, was a "loser" and a "liar" who "betrayed the country." Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan was a "hack" and a "fraud," and the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission "unethical, prevaricating," "a treacherous miserable liar," a "first-class rat" and a "tool."

Reid got in trouble for praising Obama as a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." He described Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as a "snake oil" salesman. He likened opponents of Obamacare to defenders of slavery.

Long before Trump's campaign, Reid said that "I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican." He joked to an Asian audience, "One problem that I've had today is keeping my Wongs straight." He has instructed the American Bar Association to "get a new life," advised a reporter to "get a brain" and asked another journalist whether she spoke English, suggesting she "turn up your Miracle Ear."

Reid shows no sign of easing into retirement. He walked onto the Senate floor Wednesday with a wooden cane and, peering at his speech through black horn-rimmed spectacles, proceeded through his daily denunciation of the Republicans. He accused them ("the party of Trump, whose pal is Putin") of trying to establish an "oligarchy." From there he went on to host a photo op where he derided news photographers as a "mob" and to hold a news conference where he accused Senate Republicans of a "ploy." The bile was bountiful -- and it was only lunchtime.
State Sen. Bill Kintner has made it abundantly clear that he doesnt intend to leave office in the wake of his cybersex scandal  he admitted to engaging in sexual activities with a woman over Skype using his state issued computer.

Hes ignored repeated calls to resign from Gov. Pete Ricketts, Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley, the Legislatures Executive Board and fellow lawmakers.

Both the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World-Herald editorial boards called for his resignation.

Perhaps most importantly, voters in his district circulated a petition asking him to resign.

But Kintner remains firm, saying he believes staying in the Legislature is in Gods plan for him.

Sen. Ernie Chambers disagrees. Strongly and in rhyme.

Known for his drawings and poems circulated around the capitol, Chambers has been sending out what he calls Kintner-grams. The first of the typewriter-written memos took direct aim at Kintner and his scandal, with Chambers promising to read the State Patrol report of the incident and other Kintner-themed poems on the floor of the Legislature.

While perhaps not the most dignified way to make his point, the memo was clear in its message: Kintner should resign or expect more public humiliation via Kintner-grams.

Chambers has made good on his promise, issuing several other missives, each containing vulgar rhymes about the embattled senator and the scandal.

Though we agree with his point, we cannot condone his methods.

One particularly harsh memo included a blurred out image of Kintners wife, Lauren, and references to personal and medical situations.

Kintner has asked Chambers to be a man and apologize to my wife.

And he should. Attacking Lauren Kintner was inappropriate. She was a bystander to her husbands betrayal and shouldnt be targeted or demeaned by others, especially in such a public way.

If Chambers wants to push Kintner out of the Legislature, he should do so through political and legislative means, not by humiliating and harassing the senators family.
Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, September 17

The maiden international flight, which had taken off on Thursday from Chandigarh International Airport to Sharjah (UAE), returned today.

Carrying 130 passengers, including members of a high-profile delegation, consisting of Punjab ministers, senior bureaucrats and representatives of trade associations, the flight touched down at the airport this evening as per schedule. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was one of the passengers on the very first international flight from the local airport, did not take the return flight. He (Badal) has some work at Delhi, so he took another flight, said a senior officer.

Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa was the first passenger to come out from the international terminal today. Terming the trip to be successful, Dhindsa claimed that the state industry, especially those related to food and tourism, was all set to get a big boost in the coming days.

Talking to The Tribune, Dhindsa said industrialists and businessmen were equally excited and upbeat with the beginning of the air connectivity. We got a warm welcome at Sharjah. At our investors meet there, more than 200 industrialists and businessmen participated and showed interest in investing in Punjab, said Dhindsa. The minister added that one of the top companies in tourism, owned by a Punjabi, is interested in investing in tourism industry here. Another large-scale company in food and processing industry has shown interest in trading with us and is keen on setting up food parks in Punjab, said Dhindsa. NK Sharma, MLA from Dera Bassi, said industrialists in the Gulf were interested in making most of the new connectivity.

Punjab economy will benefit

Punjab economy will benefit for sure from the newly launched air connectivity. We had very successful investors meet on Friday there. Industries, especially food and processing, tourism, information and technology, will get a big boost in the state.

Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Finance minister, Punjab

IT industry will definitely get a big boost

We went there to see opportunities for industries in Mohali. I got a chance to interact with a number of industrialists and big businessmen there and I sensed their special interest in Mohali. IT industry will definitely get a big boost.

Sanjiv Vashisht, president, Mohali industries ASSN

We received a warm welcome at Sharjah as people there seemed equally upbeat over the Mohali-Gulf air connectivity. Businessmen from both sides see a lot of opportunities and want to make the most of it.

NK Sharma, MLA, Dera bassi

'Happy to be part of historic moment'

Its simply marvellous. I went there with my wife, daughter and grandson to be a part of the historic moment. On Saturday, we got air tickets worth Rs 4,000 each from Sharjah to Mohali, and reached here within three hours.

JS Bedi, chairman, Gian jyoti group of institutions

'Air connectivity has brought Mohali, Dubai quite close'

The air connectivity has brought Mohali and Dubai quite close. This development has opened new vistas for both regions. Now its up to us how much we gain from it. Being one of the top cities of the world, Dubai has lots to teach us.

Kamna Aggarwal, CIImember
Huma Yusuf

ON a recent trip to Agra, it didnt take long for a shopkeeper to recognise me as Pakistani. I can tell from the way you speak Urdu, he explained. On hearing Im a Karachiite, he began reciting addresses  the homes where his grandfathers brother and cousins have lived since Partition. A few days later in Delhi, a rickshaw driver, after eyeing me suspiciously in his rear-view mirror, spontaneously shared memories of his one trip to Lahore as a young boy to visit family members who had relocated.

Ironically, the warmest reception came from the official at Agras police reporting department. Insisting I join him for tea, he expressed glee at the reporting system, saying it gave him the opportunity to meet people from across the border. My family and friends like to hear who is visiting, where they are from, and how they are enjoying the sights of Agra; these sites belong to all of us, they are our joint past. This assessment was particularly welcome given attempts in recent years on both sides of the border to claim the Taj Mahal or ascribe it a contemporary nationality.

Each time I travel to India Im struck by the rush of memories and the need to share them; flickering memories of bungalows in Lahore, school days in Lyallpur, fruit trees in Attock. The conversations proceed as if by rote  nostalgia; regret at the diminishing contact; expressions of affinity and kinship; a heartfelt wish to visit Pakistan in their lifetime.

Such exchanges were particularly resonant given the current state of bilateral relations. There seemed to be a tacit acknowledgement that the escalating political rhetoric has its own momentum and logic, and that, while the issues being raised are of import, they matter at the level of state and strategy and have little to do with society and shared histories.

The warm exchanges primarily occur with middle-aged or elderly Indians, people in their late 40s and older. For them, the memories of shared ties are immediate, or just a generation or two away. As such, they contrast greatly with the perceptions of younger Indians.

Speaking to Indian youth  students, academics, aspiring civil servants, waiters, mobile shop wallahs  I was struck by the different tone of engagement. On realising my nationality, I was asked where in Pakistan I was from, our cities bearing little distinction for them. The slightly chattier ones would remark on the latest episode of Coke Studio or gush about Humsafar  a giddy mention of Fawad Khan would inevitably follow.

Of Pakistans politics, provincial dynamics, economic issues, urbanisation and demographic trends there was little information. Questions about the practice of Islam or the role of women betrayed levels of naivete. With some I detected slight bewilderment at the realisation that there are universities, technology start-ups, and flyovers across the border too.

One cannot generalise from social exchanges during a short visit. But it is common sense to assume that, as we move further from the generation that experienced Partition, the level of knowledge and understanding on both sides of the border will decrease. Rather than memories, the hawkish rhetoric of politicians and strategists will inform perceptions and attitudes. The dialogue between the two countries will become increasingly one-dimensional and securitised.

This sets the stage for increasingly tense bilateral ties. Politicians are beholden to their constituencies, and constituencies with little knowledge of the other country beyond that  imparted by jingoistic and state-serving media  on both sides will have a declining appetite for dialogue.

Already the disconnect between generations is evident in the countries foreign policies towards each other. Commentator Sadanand Dhumes recent description of Narendra Modis Pakistan policy as [yo-yoing] wildly between giddy embrace and frigid standoffishness can equally apply to the Pakistani side. This policy pendulum acknowledges the affinity and latent desire for greater engagement, but kowtows to the need to take a tough stand on thorny issues. As the former instinct declines with the passage of time, the latter will stoke greater volatility, perhaps even conflict.

The only way to avoid this eventuality is to move beyond the catchphrase and genuinely improve people-to-people ties. The efficacy of soft power is evident in the fact that, beyond terrorism, Pakistan is known by young Indians for its music and dramas. This cultural consumption must be supplemented by meaningful exchanges  academic, cultural, historical, and most importantly personal, in the form of cross-border travel opportunities. Having people on both sides of the border who can humanise the other will be key to ensuring stability in the region for decades to come. The exchanges over coffee cannot be left to Fawad Khan and Karan Johar alone  youth on both sides of the border deserve the same opportunity to connect.





The writer is a Pakistan-based freelance journalist. (By arrangement with Dawn)
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 16

A day after the World Health Organisation questioned the effectiveness of India's disease surveillance system amid growing concerns over a mounting vector crisis the country is facing, particularly the national Capital, the Delhi Government today declared chikungunya a "dangerous/ notifiable" disease directing the authorities concerned to issue a notification in this regard immediately.

With this reporting of both positive as well as suspected cases of chikungunya will be mandatory by all hospitals, nursing homes and labs in Delhi once the notification is issued.

The move came days after Health Minister Satyendar Jain and later Union Health Minister JP Nadda maintained that chikungunya, which has claimed more than a dozen lives and affected more than 2,500 people who have reported with the infection in Delhi this season, is "non-fatal" in itself.

Jain appeared to be downplaying the crisis being in a denial mode about chikungunya being a cause of death "alone" while asking the media not to "hype" saying it creates a panic among people.

However, Jain attributed the decision to notify chikungunya as a dangerous disease to "problems" in locating patients who have diagnosed with chikungunya faced by the MCDs and thus in preventive response.

"In light of the prevailing chikungunya outbreak, it is hereby directed that the issue of notifying chikungunya as dangerous/notifiable disease, be immediately taken up with the concerned local bodies for the issuance of such notification as decided in the review meeting on September 14," read an order issued today by Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

"This is to be done on priority to ensure that every hospital, nursing home, laboratory shall furnish the data of chikungunya patients to the concerned government agencies without failure. This is imperative for monitoring the situation and to take requisite remedial action," Jain said in the order.

In another order, Jain said that to tackle the dengue and chikungunya outbreak, all the 'mohalla clinics', polyclinics and dispensaries will remain open on all days, including Sundays and gazetted holidays during their working hours till October 30.

1,000 beds reserved in Centre-run hospitals for dengue and chikungunya

All Central government-run hospitals in Delhi will reserve 1,000 beds for dengue and chikungunya to handle the upsurge in patients.

"Nadda ji has agreed to it and an additional 1,000 beds at Centre-run hospitals will be available for treatment of dengue and chikungunya," said, Jain said following a meeting with Union Health Minister J P Nadda.

Jain called on to discuss the prevailing health situation in the national Capital when Nadda assured all support to the city government.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today declared Panchkula (Rural) and Sirsa districts as open defecation-free (ODF) at a function in Panchkula.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister assured the Central government that all districts in the state would be declared ODF by December 2017. Union Minister for Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar was also present on the occasion.

The Chief Minister said the state government was making concerted efforts to achieve the goal of Swachh Bharat Mission in the state and eight more districts would also be declared ODF on November 1, the day when Haryana would begin its Swaran Jayanti celebrations. These districts are Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Karnal, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Hisar and Fatehabad.

Tomar congratulated the Haryana Government for translating the Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of Swachh Bharat into reality and added that Haryana had taken lead by declaring Panchkula and Sirsa districts as ODF.

Swacchta Saptah begins in Ambala

Ambala: Local MP Ratan Lal Kataria started the Swacchta Saptah at the Ambala Cantonment railway station here today. He said, The birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being celebrated as Swacchta and Sewa Divas across the country. The PM has initiated 70 different projects for the welfare of the people of the country and Swachhta Abhiyan is one of them. The Ambala district administration is working towards making Ambala ODF. OC
Ambala, September 17

With 19 more dengue cases, the confirmed dengue cases have jumped to 127 in the district. Of total, 82 dengue cases have been reported from the Lal Kurti colony in Ambala Cantonment.

Ambala Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh held a meeting with officials of the Municipal Corporation, Health Department, Education Department and Public Health at his camp office today. He directed the officials to take necessary steps to stop further spread of dengue in the district.  TNS
Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17

A meeting between former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and former Congress leader Venod Sharma has created a buzz in political circles. But former Union Minister Sharma has claimed there is nothing political about it.

It was a courtesy call on Hooda in New Delhi in connection with his birthday celebrations. The motive attached with the meeting are baseless and unfoundedThere was no political agenda at the meeting, Sharma told The Tribune today. Hooda turned 69 on September 15.

An influential Brahmin leader, Sharma was a Cabinet minister in the Hooda government. The two were considered close before parting ways in the run-up to the 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Sharma floated an outfit, Haryana Jan Chetna Party, which contested the 2014 Assembly elections.

The Fridays meeting between Hooda and Sharma, reportedly in the presence of Congress MLAs Kuldeep Sharma and Karan Singh Dalal, is apparently seen as a prelude to Sharmas re-entry into the Congress. Incidentally, the former union minister and Kuldeep Sharma share close family ties.

The meeting assumes importance at a time when the former Chief Minister is facing a series of cases, including CBI cases, at the hands of the BJP government. Political observers see the meeting as the emergence of new permutations and combinations in the Haryana politics though Sharma had denied any political agenda in the courtesy call.

Recently, MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi had merged his Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) into the Congress.
Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 17

As many as 1,409 cases were settled on the spot during the quarterly Lok Adalat held by the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) here today.

District and Session Judge and chairman of the DLSA Lalit Batra said the cases had been disposed of amicably. Around Rs 1.34 crore were awarded as compensation, while Rs 4.01 lakh were collected as fine under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Secretary of the DLSA Surya Chander Kant said 4,443 cases were taken up in the Lok Adalat.

Of the total disposed of cases, 29 were related to accidents, for which Rs 92.55 lakh were awarded as compensation. Six cases of matrimonial dispute, 96 cases of civil, 81 criminal and 74 of cheque bounce were disposed of amicably, he added.

495 cases settled

Ambala: Of 495 cases, 366 were settled on the spot at a quarterly Lok Adalat organised by the District Legal Services Authority at the District Court Complex here today.

The Lok Adalat was organised under the supervision of District and Sessions Judge Deepak Gupta.

Secretary of the DLSA-cum-CJM Archana Yadav said, During the lok adalat, a fine of Rs 1,56,600 was recovered in 326 cases. Besides, 11 civil disputes, three cases of cheque bounce, four cases under the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, in which compensation of Rs 29.77 lakh was awarded, and 22 cases of criminal compoundable were settled.
Governor Ricketts is in the right to question the legislative committee investigating the Department of Correctional Services. The common person reading the Sept. 7 article  Ricketts objects to Frakes interrogator  may wonder why our elected officials are using taxpayer dollars to hire Mr. Steve Lathrop to serve as a mouthpiece during the line of questioning.

It's insanity for the committee to flat-out deny that this tactic is anything less than a political stunt. Are there not six committee members who are trained in the law? Are we to believe that not one of them is capable of sufficiently educating themselves properly to serve in the same capacity as Mr. Lathrop? Taxpayers should wonder how much is being expended for Mr. Lathrops services or should we believe that he is donating his time to serve on behalf of the committee? If you are a constituent of one of the legislative committee members, maybe these are questions you should be asking or considering.
Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 17

Visiting Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda today stated that the Nepal government would not allow its land to be misused against the neighbouring country.

Responding to a query that Pakistan was trying to use Nepal for terrorist activities against India, Prachanda said, We will not allow our land to be used for anti-India activities.

The hills make me feel that I am not in India but in Nepal as both nations have similar topography, geography, culture and people, said Prachanda, who was on a three-hour visit to inspect the 1,500 mw Nathpa-Jhakri Hydro-power Project of Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) at Jhakri,145 km, from here.

Referring to bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said the talks were fruitful and the relations between the two neighbouring countries would strengthen. Dil se baat hui, khul ke baat hui (We had heart-to-heart talk, without any reservations) and both countries found new grounds to go forward.

On his way back, he also talked to a gathering of people of the Nepali origin. The Nepalese were overwhelmed to have a glimpse of Prachanda.

Prachanda, who reached Jhakri by an IAF chopper at 11 am, went to the underground powerhouse, which is the biggest powerhouse of the country. He returned at 2 pm.

Prachanda evinced keen interest in the project and said it was encouraging as the SJVNL was working on a few hydro-electric projects in Nepal also. He said a memorandum of understanding had already been signed with India in May 2014 for the commissioning of 900 mw Arun-3 hydro-power project. SJVNL engineers briefed him about the technical specifications and functioning of the project. Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the SJVNL RN Mishra also gave a detailed power-point presentation on the Nathpa-Jhakri and Rampur hydro-power projects.

Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal said the Arun-3 project was a beginning of a new chapter in strengthening the relations between India and Nepal and said the two countries were working together on more projects.

Goel also appreciated the efforts of the Himachal Government for waiving 12 per cent duty in hydro-power projects on the Chenab basin which would ensure the restart of these projects. Himachal Agriculture and Power Minister Sujan Singh Pathania said the state government had also taken a historic decision to spend 1 per cent of the total cost of the project on the welfare of the project-affected areas.

BJP MP from Mandi Ramswaroop Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Nand Lal, Nepalese Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Prakash Sharah Mahat and Physical Infrastructure and Transport Minister Ramesh Lekhak, MPs from Nepal Padma Narayan Chaudhary, Lalbabu Raut, Yogendra Chaudhary, Tek Bahadur Basnet, Jungilal Raya, former MP Pratibha Rana and Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae were also present on the occasion.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 17

A senior Border Security Force (BSF) officer today said 25 to 30 militants have managed to infiltrate into Kashmir since the unrest erupted in the Valley in July.

As many as 25-30 militants have managed to sneak into the Valley in the past over two months, Inspector General, BSF, Vikash Chandra told reporters on the sidelines of a function on Srinagars outskirts.

This is for the first time that a senior security officer has divulged the number of the militants who have managed to cross into the Valley during the current unrest that has kept the entire security grid on the tenterhooks.

Almost all security agencies have apprehended that during the unrest Pakistan was trying to push more militants to Kashmir. While the anti-militancy operations were halted due to the unrest, during this period the Army has foiled many infiltration bids and killed 23 militants in various operations. On August 8, three BSF personnel were killed close to the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmirs Machil sector. The BSF is deployed along the 350-km LoC in the Kashmir region, under the operational control of the Army.

The BSF IG said 150-200 more militants were ready to infiltrate from across the LoC.

There has been a spurt in infiltration. More militants are trying to infiltrate into Kashmir from across the LoC. There are reports that 150-200 terrorists are waiting to infiltrate, but we are ready to handle them, he said, adding that militant commanders frequently visit the LoC to inject hate against India.
Tribune News Service

Jammu/Rajouri, September 17

The situation in Rajouri town was limping back to normalcy as curfew was relaxed in different areas even as no incident of violence or stone-throwing was reported from any part throughout the day today.

The administration, however, decided to continue night curfew in the town and any decision regarding the relaxation in the curfew on Sunday would be taken only after reviewing the situation.

We relaxed curfew in phased manner. In some parts of the town, we relaxed curfew for three hours, while it was relaxed for two hours in other parts. The curfew relaxation passed off peacefully. The curfew will continue and any decision on relaxation or lifting it would be taken only after reviewing the situation tomorrow, said Rajouri District Magistrate Shabir Ahmed Bhat.

He said they had meetings with different sections of society, including senior members of both communities who favoured restoration of peace and normalcy in the town. They have sought strict action against those who created trouble and disturbed peace in Rajouri. We have assured them that nobody would be spared for instigating the people for violence and communal tension, the District Magistrate said.

Reports suggested that the district administration allowed curfew relaxation in Bela Colony, Jawahar Nagar and Gujjar Mandi Chowk areas for three hours, while the curfew was relaxed for two hours from 3 pm to 5 pm in part of the old city.

However, the members of minority community did not open their shops and business establishments in protest against the damage caused to their property. They made it clear that their protest would continue till the government announces adequate compensation for them.

Meanwhile, the state administration has directed the Rajouri Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to identify the miscreants involved in instigating the people for communal tension and violence, and arrest them within 48 hours. It also directed that CCTVs and flood lights be installed in all hyper-sensitive areas of the town within 15 days.

The high-level committee, headed by Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD), visited the damaged shops which were set on fire by the miscreants in violence on September 14 evening and assessed the losses suffered by the shopkeepers and businessmen.

On Wednesday evening, violent protestors had ransacked a hotel and a general store while three shops, including a showroom, were set on fire. Around half a dozen shops were also damaged by the miscreants. The Army was called out for restoring peace following violent clashes between two communities in the area over beef-related rumours. Four persons have been arrested while the state government has ordered a magisterial probe to look into the incident.
Jammu, September 17

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) organised a plantation drive and blood donation camp here today.

The plantation drive and blood donation camp were organised as a part of a countrywide programme. The plantation drives and blood donation camps were organised at 25 locations across the country wherein more than 500 units of blood was donated. More than 25,000 saplings were also planted in the plantation drive.

In one such function at its Regional Headquarters in Jammu, a plantation drive was carried out in the Power Grid office and township. A blood donation camp was organised at Government Medical College, Jammu, in association with the Department of Transfusion Medicine, Government Medical College, Jammu.

The plantation drive was led by the Executive Director, NRTS-II, Anil Jain. Anju Jain, president Shrishti Mahila Samiti, senior officers, employees and their family members attended the function. More than 100 saplings of various species were planted.

The blood donation camp was also led by Anil Jain. He along with Anju Jain was the first to donate the blood.

Dr Vijay Sawahney, Head of the Postgraduate Department of Transfusion Medicine, welcomed Anil Jain, Anju Jain and all members of the Power Grid family.  TNS
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 17

Even as people in the national capital grapple with two vector-borne diseases  chikungunya and dengue  the political turf war has renewed between the AAP government and Lt Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung, with the latter shooting off a fax message to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to cut short his Finland trip.

In the wake of widespread criticism of Sisodias foreign trip, his ministerial colleagues  Health Minister Satyendar Jain and Water Minister Kapil Mishra  today went to Jungs office thinking that he needed to discuss the health crisis. However, AAP ministers claimed they were denied audience with the LG, which according to them is his casual approach in dealing with the grave situation.

Talking to reporters after they failed to meet Jung, Jain referred to his 10 day-long travel to the US earlier this month when the city was witnessing the rising cases of dengue and chikungunya. He wondered why he did not cut short his visit even by one hour. Jung had returned to Delhi from the US earlier this week.

Rebutting the allegations, the LGs office said it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment. The LGs office accused the AAP government of politicising the health crisis.

However, the ministers, in their counterargument, said no appointment was sought since Jung had sent an urgent fax to Sisodia yesterday and they thought the LG must have something important to discuss. We were told that its off today and he does not sit in the office. We called him but he is also not at his home, Mishra said.

Mishra has also written a letter to Jung asking why Sisodia has been asked to cut short his trip to Finland, saying the LG could have discussed the health issue with him and Jain.

Notwithstanding LGs order, Sisodia is coming back to Delhi tomorrow as scheduled. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is recovering at a Banguluru hospital following a throat surgery.
Ananya Panda

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 17

The AAP government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Saturday began a fresh confrontation with ministers Kapil Mishra and Satyendar Jain questioning Jungs move to summon Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia back to Delhi from Finland on the grounds of the health crisis instead of taking up the matter with Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

Jain and Mishra went to meet Jung at his office following his fax to Sisodia, but the meeting did not materialise as Jung was not in his office.

It appears he is not in a mood to work today, Mishra said taking a jibe at Jung. But the L-G office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment even as it accused the AAP government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with a health crisis.

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Jung on Friday asked Sisodia to return to Delhi immediately from Finland, where he was on a study tour, in view of the sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the capital.

The ministers waited outside the L-G office saying no appointment was sought to meet the Lt Governor since he had sent an urgent fax to the Deputy Chief Minister and they thought that Jung must have something important to talk about.

The L-G has sent an urgent fax to Sisodia, so we thought there might be some emergency and we came to meet him but he is not in the office. We were told that its off today and he does not sit in the office. We called him but he is also not at his home. It appears he is not in a mood to work today, Mishra said.

Hitting back, the L-G office said the Lt Governor came to know of their visit only through media.

The secretary to the Lt Governor met the ministers since the Lt Governors office is operational on all days of the week. However, they neither submitted any letter nor did they give any representation to the Lt Governor, the L-G office said in a statement.

Mishra, however, said since Delhi is grappling with dengue and chikungunya, they did not wait for an appointment to meet Jung. We thought perhaps Jung Saheb has found a very good idea to fight the diseases that he wanted to share with Sisodia. So we came running to meet him as we work on even weekend.

The Lt Governors office said it is regrettable that at a time when Delhi is facing a health crisis, the elected government is choosing to politicise the issue instead of providing succour to the public.

The Lt Governors office is keeping a close watch on the health situation in Delhi and is getting regular updates on the situation from the Chief Secretary and Secretary, Health, the L-G office said.

Jain said he talked to Jung over phone but he was not available for meeting. I called on his number but he is not available. When I asked him about his fax to Sisodia, he said he did not want to talk about it, Jain said.

Went to LG office. Asked on phone if anything urgent as he faxed yty to recall deputy CM. Ans: nothing urgent to discuss, no time today, Jain tweeted.

Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, is in Finland along with his officers, to study the education system of that country. Refuting the allegation of the Opposition that he is holidaying in Finland, Sisodia on Friday had said that it was not a sin to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhis education system.

AAP leader Ashutosh claimed that Jain and Mishra were told that Jung did not meet anyone on weekend. This shows how sensitive Jung is about the matter, he said.

AAP spokesperson Deepak Bajpai also hit out at the BJP saying it did not want to cooperate at a time when the AAP had undertaken the One Delhi campaign to fight the vector-borne diseases. With PTI
Bhopal, September 17

Students of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, allegedly threw ink at Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Saturday when he refused to stop to listen to their grievances against facilities at the institute.

Students were holding protests at the entrance of the medical institution against poor facilities they were provided at one of India's most prestigious educational institutions. Someone threw ink at the minister when he did not stop to listen to the protesters. A few drops fell on the ministers clothes.

Protesters however denied being behind the incident, instead claiming that two students were wounded when the ministers vehicle made a forced exit.

No student of AIIMS threw ink at Nadda. We protested silently against lack of infrastructure at AIIMS a surgery has yet to take place," a third year student, Rishi Prem, said.

"We just wanted to talk to the Minister about improving facilities provided at AIIMS. We don't have even the minimum facilities required for treating patients or for learning. There is no permanent director at AIIMS."

Dr Nitin Nagarkar, director of AIIMS-Raipur who the acting in-charge of the Bhopal facility, was unavailable for his comments.

"It is yet unknown who was behind the incident. Police are currently investigating the incident," an official of the institute said, although he refused to confirm or deny claims that two students were injured.  PTI
New Delhi, September 17

The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) to probe allegations of commission being paid to middlemen in the supply of three aircraft worth $208 million from Brazilian company Embraer to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for airborne surveillance systems.

CBI sources said the agency started a PE against unknown officials of the Defence Ministry on a reference from the ministry that the company used services of middlemen.

A preliminary enquiry is registered by the agency when the complaint is short on enough material to substantiate a prima facie criminality in its allegations.

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After registering the PE, the CBI examines various stakeholders, seeks material related to the matter to zero in on the criminality and then registers an FIR against the suspects.

During a PE, the agency cannot record statements or carry out searches.

The allegations of commission being paid in the deal surfaced in a Brazilian paper which claimed that Embraer had taken the services of middlemen to get the deal of aircraft supply in Saudi Arabia and India.

According to defence procurement rules of India, middlemen are strictly barred in such deals.

Leading Brazilian news paper Folha de Sao Paulo had reported last week that Embraer paid commissions to a UK-based defence agent to finalise the $208-million deal with India.

The DRDO had purchased three aircraft from the company in 2008 and customised them for serving as airborne radar system known as airborne early-warning and control systems or AEWCS for the Indian Air Force.

The newspaper had claimed that the US Justice Department was scrutinising Embraers deal with India.

The Brazil-based company has been under investigation by the US Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised the Americans suspicions, it said.

Since then, the investigation has widened to examine business dealings with eight more countries.

The allegations prompted Defence Ministry to hand over investigation to the CBI.

The DRDO has also sought an explanation from Embraer.  PTI
Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, September 17

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the entire world was watching India with high expectations and the country could not afford to have hota hai, chalta hai (casual) attitude anymore. He stressed the need to bring in a drastic change in the way administrators respond to various situations.

Many a times, we do see things happening in front of our eyes but our response remains very casual or poor. I believe that a country like India cannot afford such an attitude. Days of hota hai-chalta hai-dekhenge are over, as the world is watching us with great expectations, the Prime Minister said.

Modi, who turned 66 today, celebrated his birthday with Tribals and Divyangs (differently-abled people) at Navsari in south Gujarat. Financial aids and assisting devices to over 11,000 Divyangs were distributed to mark Modis birthday.

Earlier, Modi sought blessings from his 97-year old mother Hira Ba. Modi had arrived in Ahmedabad late on Friday and spent the night at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar. He shunned the usual protocol and took with him a very few security guard to the house of his younger brother Pankaj Modi with whom his mother live.

He reached his brothers house at 7 am and spent about 25 minutes with his mother exchanging pleasantries. He also twitted on his handle, mothers blessings give a new energy to work, and also posted two intimate pictures with his mother.
In a recent issue of The New Yorker, there was an article about Bryan Stevenson, author of "Just Mercy," a book recently chosen by Lincoln libraries for community discussion. He is the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, which guarantees legal representation for all death penalty inmates in the state of Alabama. He senses bias against the poor and minorities in our criminal justice system.

Stevenson believes the history of lynchings influences the subsequent extensive use of death sentences in the South. He attended a meeting at the University of Texas at Austin to discuss this very premise. Jordan Streiker, the professor who convened the meeting, stated that, "In one sense, the death penalty is clearly a substitute for lynching. One of the main justifications for the use of the death penalty, especially in the South, was that it served to avoid lynching. The number of people executed rises tremendously at the end of the lynching era." Streiker and his sister, Carol, have written a forthcoming book, "Courting Death: the Supreme Court and Capital Punishment." This book explores the links between lynching and state-sponsored executions.

On Nov. 8, Nebraska will vote to retain the repeal of the death penalty with a life sentence and no parole. The thoughts of Streiker and Stevenson are very telling and add more evidence that the death penalty is not appropriate for a civilized and moral people. Vote to retain the repeal as passed by the Nebraska State Legislature.

Amy Birky, Lincoln
Mumbai, September 17

The Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL)s second Visakhapatnam Class-destroyer, with more than 60 per cent indigenisation and increased stealth power, was launched ahead of its schedule here on Saturday, officials said.

The Guided Missile Destroyer ship of Project 15B was launched by chief guest Reena Lanba, wife of Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Chief of Naval Staff. The momentous event was attended by a large number of naval officers, sailors and MDL staff and workers.

Loud cheers and thunderous claps marked the launch as the warship smoothly slid into the Arabian Sea waters for the first time.

Named Mormugao, the hull of the 7,300-tonne, 163.2 metres long guided missile destroyer, which was constructed on dry area, floated on water for the first time, which is a milestone event for any vessel.

The Project 15B missile destroyers are modern warships equipped with the latest weapons package, in continuation of the lineage of the highly successful Delhi and Kolkata Class ships.

Under the Project 15B, MDL will build a total of four destroyers, the first of which was Visakhapatnam, launched on April 20, 2015, followed by Mormugao. Other deliveries are scheduled between 2020-2024, said an official.

The warships can achieve a maximum speed of 31-32 knots and are equipped with surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine launchers, multi-mission radar for surveillance along with medium range air/surface surveillance radar and other advanced electronic warfare and decoys.

Fitted also with the Barak-8 long-range missiles, Mormugao has been named after the picturesque port in Goa, the home state of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

After Visakhapatnam and Mormugao, the next in the queue is Paradip followed by another warship expected to be named after a coastal city of Gujarat.

Since 2010, MDL has delivered one major warship to the Indian Navy almost every year, starting with the high-end stealth frigate, INS Shivalik, and later INS Satpura and INS Sahyadri in the same class.

Then came the stealth destroyer INS Kolkata sporting a unique silhouette, followed by the INS Kochi.

Full clip of launch of Mormugao.... pic.twitter.com/36pVQVRAek  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) September 17, 2016

The third and last destroyer in that series, Chennai, was delivered in August this year and will be commissioned shortly.

During the same period two highly sophisticated MSVs were constructed and delivered to foreign clients as high value export orders.

MDL is also building six Scorpene Class submarines under transfer of technology from Frances DCNS. The first in this class, Kalvari, is due for commissioning shortly, followed by a second launch later this year.

Detailed design of the futuristic stealth frigates, P17A, is currently in progress and work on it is expected to start early 2017.

This will be the first time MDL will use the integrated construction methodology by leveraging the new infrastructure created in the yard, marking a paradigm shift in the way warships will be built in India in the future.  IANS
Margarita Island (Venezuela), September 17

Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Saturday held talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a host of issues of mutual interest after arriving here to attend the 17th NAM Summit.

Ansari called on Maduro in his first official engagement in Venezuela after arriving here as the leader of the Indian delegation at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is only the second Indian Premier to give the Cold War-era blocs summit a miss after Charan Singh in 1979.

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Ansari was accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar and Secretary West Sujata Mehta.

The meeting between Ansari and Maduro came less than a month after Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez visited India to personally hand over an invitation for Indias participation in the 17th NAM Summit.

She had held substantive talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to explore deepening of ties in a range of areas including in trade and investment and hydrocarbons sector.

The two countries had also agreed to finalise a number of key pacts, including double tax avoidance agreement.

The two sides had agreed to move ahead for an early finalisation of a number of agreements in different areas, including extradition treaty, Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) on Criminal Matters and Air Services Agreement.  PTI
New Delhi: Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday asked Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is currently in Finland on a study tour, to return to Delhi immediately in the wake of sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases in the National Capital.

Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, along with his officers is in Finland to study the education system of that country.

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Refuting the allegation of the Opposition that he is holidaying in Finland, Sisodia said it was not a sin to study the schooling system of other countries to fix the problems in Delhis education system.

He said he had worked hard to improve the education system in the National Capital and he was in Finland to see what more needs to be done.

Learning from across the world is not a sin. Its a sin to defame an educational tour as a holiday. Im in Finland.

We need to learn a lot from their education system, the best in the world (sic), he said in a series of tweets.  TNS/PTI
Panaji, September 17

Taking a jibe at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who recently underwent a tongue surgery, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said Kejriwals tongue had to be trimmed as it had grown long due to speaking much against Prime Minister and him.

In Delhi, he speaks against PM Modi and here (in Goa) he speaks against me. His tongue had grown big and had to be trimmed, he said, addressing a core group of workers ahead of the state Assembly polls. But, Parrikar was quick to add, I sympathise with him (Kejriwal) as he is on sick leave.

The Defence Minister took a dig at the AAP leaders for abandoning Delhi when the state was reeling under chikungunya and dengue attack.  PTI
New Delhi, September 17

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached over Rs 91 crore kept in a Singapore bank in connection with a money laundering probe in a Mumbai-based ponzi scam case.

The amount, which was attached under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), pertains to the City Limousine chitfund case and a probe is underway against the Chairman of chitfund, Sayed M Masood, for floating illegal ponzi schemes by promising extraordinary returns.

Officials said the agency carried out the action with the help of their Singaporean counterparts and attached "Rs 91.3 crore in foreign currency in Singapore bank accounts". The total seizure of assets in this case now totals to Rs 385 crore.

The agency had attached Rs 166 crore in Singapore last year and Rs 6 crore funds lying in a Swiss bank account in 2012 apart from few other such attachments in the past in this case.

The central probe agency considers these funds to be the "proceeds of crime".

The agency is investigating the case as it suspects that "by floating ponzi schemes offering astronomically high returns, Ms City Limousines (India) Limited and Ms City Realcom Limited, its Chairman and other directors of the companies have cheated thousands of investors across the country of funds to the tune of hundreds of crores."

An attachment, under PMLA, is aimed to deprive an accussed from taking benefits of their ill-gotten assets and such an order can be challenged by the accused at the adjudicating authority of the said Act within a period of 180 days. PTI
Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17

At least 150 Indian students face deportation in New Zealand for allegedly submitting fake financial documents to the Immigration authorities. They were handed over the deportation orders last week.

According to the Migrant Workers Association of Aotearoa, these students had applied for admission in private colleges through travel agents.

They paid full fee (between 20,000 to 30,000 dollars). As per New Zealand Immigration requirements, international students need to provide evidence of enough funds to meet their living expenses for the duration of the course. The agents, in connivance with bank officials, submitted fake financial documents to the Immigration on behalf of the students. The latter had no knowledge of it till they received the deportation orders, said Anu Kaloti of the Migrant Workers Association of Aotearoa. She said this was done despite the fact that some students had the required funds.

She said the students, most of them from South India, had the support of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand. Ten days ago, they had held a peaceful protest. One of them, Sairup Teegala, a student at Royal Business College, had told a local Indian community news portal that it had been a nighmare for him and had I known I had been misled by the agent, I would not have boarded the flight to New Zealand."

However, New Zealand Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce maintained the responsibility for submitting the correct information lay with the individual students.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Texas native Robert Barclay grew up eating and loving barbecue. Now hes smoking and selling it.

Last month Barclay opened The Heartland Smokehouse restaurant at 7115 Durand Ave., Suite D2, between Wendys restaurant and Jiffy Lube in the strip center in front of the Walmart Supercenter and Petco.

Barclay had worked in the hotel and restaurant industries, then worked in information technology for a large medical manufacturer in Texas and then Cleveland. His career led him to SC Johnson in Racine, first as a contractor in 2000 and then a full-time employee in 2001. He retired from SCJ in mid-2015 and worked all of last school year as cafeteria manager at Concordia Lutheran School, 8500 Durand Ave.

Meanwhile, Barclay and his wife were looking at restaurant possibilities.

I was intent on opening a barbecue, Barclay said.  Im a Texas boy. I grew up on barbecue. They would serve it on butcher paper.

He added, I spent the last several years mastering the technique of smoking meats.

At Heartland, Barclay uses a water smoker, also known as a Chinese smoker. The meats are smoked with mesquite wood, cooked by water vapor which rends them into the marinade pan below.

The menu includes a brisket sandwich and pulled-pork sandwich for $6 each, several half-pound burgers, grilled chicken sandwich, salads and soups.

Heartland is open for breakfast and lunch; breakfast items include sandwiches, biscuit-and-gravy plates and pancakes.

At Heartland they also make their own small-batch ice creams with about 25 recipes and eight to 10 available on any given day. Theyre sold by the pint, half-pint, as an ice cream sandwich, deep-fried strudel and a la mode.

Special orders are also available for $11 per pound, including baby back ribs, whole briskets, smoked chickens and turkeys and smoked sausage.

And Barclay offers catering for events ranging from 10 or 12 people to about 300, either with the restaurants menu or an expanded one.

The Heartland Smokehouse is open for breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday-Friday. From 10-11 a.m. there will be a mixture of breakfast and lunch items available.

Uniformed first responders and active-duty U.S. military members get a 10 percent discount at the Smokehouse.

For more information, call 262-865-8354.
New Delhi, September 17

A panel appointed by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Saturday ordered the Delhi Government to "reimburse to the state exchequer" that entire sum that the Aam Aadmi Party had spent on its advertisements.

The committee on content regulation of government advertisements charged the AAP government in the national capital of violating Supreme Court guidelines.

Its order said: "The Committee directs the Government of NCT of Delhi to get the entire expenditure so incurred on ... category .. reimbursed to the state exchequer from the Aam Aadmi Party." It was also critical of the advertisements carried out by AAP outside Delhi.

The panel said if some Chief Ministers thought they were "special" and their policies were vital to the entire nation, then such political parties should bear the expenditure of such publicity and not the concerned government, an official here said.

The three-member committee, was headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B. B. Tandon, and included Ogilvy and Mather India's Piyush Pandey and journalist Rajat Sharma of India TV.

The panel passed the order taking cognizance of complaints registered by Congress leader Ajay Maken.

It found there had been violations in categories like outstation advertisements, false and misleading ones, and on self-glorification. AAP had also targeted political opponents, media, and even mentioned parties in power by name.

It further added that the AAP government should not have issued advertisements on incidents occurring in other states.

According to Supreme Courts order of May 13, 2015, advertisements by state governments should not be "outside its boundaries", but it should be for attracting investment, business and talent to the state.

The apex court had also clarified that such advertisements should be designed accordingly for the purpose, and released for specific target group, the panel said.

The committee, however, rejected another complaint of the former Congress minister on advertisements celebrating anniversaries of parties in power, as the guidelines permit them.

It also directed that the AAP government should assess all expenditure made on advertorials  advertisement in the form of editorial content  mentioning AAP, along with those in which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tried to target the opposition.

The Information and Broadcasting ministry had in April constituted the content regulation committee.

The panel members were chosen by a selection committee headed by Chairman of Press Council of India Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad (retd).

The apex court had in its May 2015 order laid down criteria as per which government advertisements could only carry pictures of certain dignitaries like the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India.

Later the court had issued a modified order, allowing Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, Governors and State Ministers to appear in government advertisements.

The two-year panel could also recommend corrective actions to the government.

Biased

The Aam Aadmi Party claimed the order was a "ploy by the central government and the Bharatiya Janata Party to defame" Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals government.

AAP leader Ashutosh said the committee's remarks were an example of how the Congress and the BJP came together to target the government.  Agencies
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 17

A Government of India panel probing the propriety of advertisement spending by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has held his government guilty of using public money for political gains and directed the Aam Admi Party to reimburse all ad expenses to the state exchequer.

Setting the stage for fresh confrontation between the Centre and AAP, the three-member committee on content regulation of government advertising said in its report finalised yesterday that the Kejriwal-led Delhi Government had violated the Supreme Court guidelines on government advertisements on several counts.

These counts include issuance of outstation ads with no public purpose for Delhi residents; false and misleading ads, ads glorifying Kejriwal, ads against media and some on incidents that occurred in other states.

The committee has directed the Delhi Government to reimburse ad expenditure to the state exchequer from AAP accounts and recommended action against those who handled these ads.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministrys committee comprising ad expert Piyush Pandey, TV anchor Rajat Sharma and former bureaucrat BB Tandon yesterday shared the report with the Delhi LG, Delhi HC and Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, on whose complaint the findings have come. While Maken demanded an FIR and a CBI inquiry into alleged siphoning off of Rs 284.67 crore by the Delhi Government for AAPs publicity, the AAP government called for uniform standards for all state governments.

Maken cited a recent CAG report to say the Delhi Government had spent 85 per cent of its entire publicity budget on outstation ads such as in Punjab. He had approached the SC against Kejriwals ads on July 13, 2015, after the SC laid down government advertisement guidelines on May 13, 2015.

The SC referred the complaint to the Delhi HC, which tasked the GOI committee to probe it. The GOI committee was set up in April this year on apex courts directions.

The Delhi Government defended itself before the panel saying it had taken a conscious decision to issue outstation ads to communicate its path-breaking achievements to people across India and to attract talent (doctors, nurses and teachers) to Delhi.

On Kejriwals glorification, the Delhi Government said, The CM is the natural face of the government... This is no exception as government communication strategy of every Indian state is represented by its CM and that of the nation by the PM.

The panel rejected Delhi Governments defence citing SC guidelines, which seek to prevent arbitrary use of public funds for advertising by public authorities to project particular personalities, parties or governments without any attendant public interest. It said, If some CMs think they are special and their policies should be shared with all of India, their political parties should bear the expenditure of such publicity.
Aurangabad/Patna, Sept 17

An RJD MLAs son has been arrested for allegedly attacking a youth for not letting him overtake his motorcycle in Bihars Aurangabad district. The police, however, claimed the alleged incident was not a case of road rage and the two had old enmity.

Kunal Pratap, the son of Birendra Sinha, Obra (Aurangabad) MLA of the ruling RJD, was arrested last midnight in connection with the stabbing case, Aurangabad SP Satya Prakash said. The accused was today sent to jail, he said.

The victim, Pintu Yadav, was admitted to Daudnagar primary health centre from where he was referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital, the SP said, adding that he was out of danger.

In his complaint, Yadav, who was riding a motorcycle, said Pratap stabbed him for not letting his car overtake him near Neema petrol pump.

The SP, however, said both Pratap and Yadav are residents of Bhagwan Bigaha village and it seems that the incident is the fallout of their old enmity. It can not be said a road rage incident. They were very much knowing each other and had some old rivalry, probably, relating to elections, he said.

Meanwhile, Sinha rubbished the charges against his son. No such incident of stabbing happened and hence there is no question of my sons involvement in it. Pintu has criminal antecedents. Let there be fair investigation and everything would be clear as my son is innocent, Sinha said.  PTI
Aurangabad/Patna, September 17

An RJD MLAs son has been arrested for allegedly attacking a youth for not letting him overtake his motorcycle in Bihars Aurangabad district but police claimed the alleged incident is not a case of road rage and the two had old enmity.

Kunal Pratap, son of Birendra Sinha, Obra (Aurangabad) MLA of the ruling RJD, was arrested last midnight in connection with the stabbing case, Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Satya Prakash said.

The accused was today sent to jail, he said.

The victim, Pintu Yadav, was admitted to Daudnagar primary health centre from where the doctors referred him to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), the SP said, adding that he was out of danger.

In his complaint, Yadav, who was riding a motorcycle, said Pratap stabbed him for not letting his car overtake him near Neema petrol pump.

The SP, however, said both Pratap and Yadav are residents of Bhagwan Bigaha village and it seems that the incident is the fallout of their old enmity.

"It cannot be said a road rage incident. They know each other and had some old rivalry, probably, relating to elections," he said.

Meanwhile, Sinha rubbished the charges against his son saying, "No such incident of stabbing happened and hence there is no question of my son's involvement in it."

"Pintu Yadav has criminal antecedents. Let there be a fair investigation and everything would be clear as my son is innocent. Had my son been involved in the case I would not have sent him to police station for making statement," Sinha told PTI.

Earlier this year, JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi was suspended from the party after her son Rocky Yadav was allegedly involved in an incident of road rage wherein a Class 12 student was killed when he apparently overtook the car of the leader's son.  PTI
Mumbai: Navy Chief Sunil Lanba said on Saturday that preliminary investigation into the Scorpene data leak shows that it did not happen in India but at the DCNS office in France. There is a high-level committee, which is inquiring into the Scorpene leak on our side. Similarly in France, DCNS and the French government have launched an inquiry. Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done. Whether any mitigation measures are required or not, Lanba said. IANS

Five engg students drown in Telangana

Hyderabad: Five engineering students drowned in a lake in Telangana's Warangal district on Saturday, the police said.

A student, Ramya Pratyusha, who survived the tragedy, said they were standing on the banks of the lake when one of them slipped into the water and the others entered the lake to save him. Rescuers have retrieved the bodies of four students. A search is on to trace the fifth student. All five students were in the final year of B.Tech (computer science). PTI

Sexually harassed, girl immolates self

Muzaffarnagar: A 14-year-old girl allegedly committed self-immolation after she was sexually harassed by two youths of the same village. The incident occurred at Lacheda village on Friday. The youths, Mohan Kumar and Sonu Singh, have been arrested, SHO Amresh Singh said, adding a case of abetting suicide and under POCSO Act was registered against them. As per the complaint, the youths allegedly molested her when she had gone to the fields. PTI

I would be better as FM

I am an economist. He (Arun Jaitley) is a lawyer. How can he be better than me? BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, whose antagonism for Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is open, said to a query on whether he will make a better Finance Minister than Jaitley.

My accents off, so what?

If my accent is off, whats the big deal? People find my accent fake and when these same people go abroad, the locals there find their accent fake. People who say we are dark are called dark abroad  actress Kangana Ranaut on how people make fun of her accent.

Rahul? Nitish is PM material

Nitish Kumar is PM material... I am unaware if Rahul Gandhi is the prime ministerial candidate of the Congress for the 2019 General Election  Lalu Prasad Yadav. The Rashtriya Janata Dal supremos contention was immediately supported by Janata Dal-United leaders.
Washington, September 17

With Islamabad seeking to forcefully raise the Kashmir issue at the UN, the US has maintained that India and Pakistan should resolve their issues bilaterally.

What we have saidnothing is changed about our view that we want to see India and Pakistan work this out bilaterally, State Department spokesman John Kirby on Friday told reporters when asked about Pakistans attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at international forums.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said he would raise the Kashmir issue in his address to the UN General Assembly this year. He has appointed more than 20 special envoys on Kashmir who are travelling across the world, including the United States.

When asked how he viewed Pakistans effort to raise the issue on international forums, Kirby said, Thats for them to speak to.  PTI
Geneva, September 17

Pakistan criticised India on Saturday over human rights abuse in Kashmir and threatened to tell the world about "abysmal rights situation" in other parts if it continued to talk about Balochistan.

Pakistan said the sudden Indian focus on Balochistan was consistent with their "playbook of seeking to distract attention from the repression unleashed in Kashmir".

Pakistan's delegation to the UN Human Rights Council strongly rebutted India's "untenable stance" on Jammu and Kashmir and slammed its "persistent interference" in Balochistan.

"In strongly-worded right of replies, the Pakistan delegate termed India's attempts to deny its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir a 'travesty of history'," Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said.

The delegate said Pakistan was not surprised by the "intemperate" remarks of the Indian leadership and the Indian delegation, which constitute "open interference in Pakistan's internal affairs, especially in Balochistan".

"The increasing international attention being given to the plight of the Kashmiri people is being desperately countered by New Delhi by attempting to shift attention elsewhere," it said.

Given the "persistent, irresponsible flouting of international norms governing inter-state behaviour by India, we are constrained to point out the abysmal human rights record of the Indian government", FO said.

The delegate referred to a Bill in Indian Parliament seeking to penalise those who depict Jammu and Kashmir as disputed territory and said: "This was yet another pathetic effort to alter facts to conform to their own deluded sense of reality".

The delegate drew the attention of the Council to the recent statement by a PDP Parliamentarian, who has described the current Indian repression as "worse than the Nazi forces".

Stepping up its offensive against Pakistan on the Balochistan issue at the UN Human Rights Council, India called Pakistan a nation that practices terrorism on its own people on Friday.

Exercising its right of reply and raising the Balochistan issue second time in three days at the UNHRC, India said the irony of a nation that has established a well-earned reputation of being the global epicentre of terrorism holding forth on human rights.  PTI
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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 17

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today sought the immediate arrest of Akali legislator Virsa Singh Valtoha for passing casteist remark against Banga MLA Tarlochan Singh Soondh inside the Vidhan Sabha. He said the party would stage statewide protests at the block level tomorrow to press for Valtohas arrest.

Addressing the media here, he said Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal dismissed Soondhs complaint without ordering an inquiry. He said: Nobody shall approve of hurling a shoe at anyone, but what happened in the Vidhan Sabha was the reaction to a provocation and anguish and anger of a community.

Addressing a gathering at Ajnala, he termed Navjot Singh Sidhus front a B team of the BJP. He said, It is a tonga party of four persons  two sitting in the front and two at the back. It will hardly have any impact.

Capt Cong CM face, says Asha Kumari

Jalandhar: Punjab affairs in-charge of the Congress Asha Kumari on Saturday said there was no doubt that PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh was the party's chief ministerial candidate and an official announcement in this regard would be a mere formality. She said since AICC president Sonia Gandhi was unwell at the moment, she would make an announcement soon. TNS

Told no need to apply for ticket: Manpreet

Jalandhar: Convener of the election manifesto committee Manpreet Badal on Saturday said: "I was told by AICC secretary Harish Choudhary that I do not need to apply for the ticket. He said the manifesto was almost ready and would be submitted to the PPCC chief on September 30. It is likely that the members of the committee may meet former PM Manmohan Singh who is assisting them. TNS

Badals criminalising politics: Bhattal

Phagwara: Former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal on Saturday accused the Badals of criminalising politics and spreading "political and administrative terror" in the state. Talking to the media on the sidelines of a Mahila Congress rally, she said the Badals had turned a prosperous state into a wholesale drug market. Bhattal said efforts were on to finalise the party manifesto by October 2. OC
With conscientious, would-be pet owners increasingly looking to adopt, the number of rescue and shelter organizations has increased in recent years.

With that spike has also come a growth in the number of hoarding cases involving rescue operations.

While the majority of the rescue organizations  including those that utilize foster homes  are reputable and take excellent care of otherwise threatened dogs and cats, animal welfare advocates say its important to properly vet any rescue organization before adopting an animal from them.

There are some rescue operations that are really good and really legit, but there are some organizations that arent that way and are really in it for the money, Racine Public Health Administrator Dottie-Kay Bowersox said. So when you make donations of cash or food, or when you adopt these animals, you really have to be a conscientious buyer.

While Heather Jensen, the former president of an organization called Lucky Mutts Rescue who was charged last week with 26 counts of mistreating animals, may be the most recent rescue operator to be exposed as an alleged hoarder, she isnt the first. Two years ago, 60 animals were seized from the former Orphan Kanines, 1922 Kremer Ave., Caledonia, after police served a search warrant at the location and found the animals in deplorable conditions.

Considering such situations, Raechelle Cline, a spokeswoman with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said its important to do ones homework when considering adopting a pet from shelter or rescue.

Cline urges would-be adopters to consult checklists like the Essential Questions to Ask Before Buying a Dog or Puppy available on DATCPs website.

If you ask to see where the dog is being kept and they deny you that option, you should find a different place to get a dog, she said.

Headlines aside, Angela Speed, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Humane Society, notes that lot of rescues and shelters do important work, taking in animals from government-run shelters in other parts of the country, including the South, where kill rates are much higher. Lucky Mutts Rescue apparently received many of its animals from shelters far from Wisconsin, including some from Oklahoma.

Cline said rescue organizations licensed by the state must follow certain rules, especially if they receive any form of payment for the animals they adopt out. Any animal conveyed to a buyer by a shelter, for instance, must have a certificate of veterinary inspection.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17

Four dental colleges figure among the top 10 from Punjab and Chandigarh in giving donations to the BJP, according to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms. During 2014-15, Desh Bhagat Dental College, Muktsar; Gian Sagar Dental College, Banur; and National Dental College, Dera Bassi; donated Rs 3 lakh each to the saffron party. Avtar Singh, who has mentioned Shri Sukhmani Dental College and Hospital, Dera Bassi, as his address, also contributed the same amount. Ludhiana-based Avon Cycles Limited and Avon Ispat and Power Limited donated Rs 2.75 lakh and Rs 1.75 lakh, respectively, to the BJP from 2010 to 2012. Both firms also gave Rs 2.5 lakh each to the Congress in 2011-12, besides Rs 2.5 lakh each (2011-12) and Rs 5 lakh each (2014-15) to the SAD. The Wahid Sandhar Sugar Mill, owned by a Doaba Akali leader, gave Rs 25,000 to the CPM in 2011-12.
Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Rajpura, September 17

Adding fuel to the fire on the issue of Chandigarh international airport, Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia today claimed that the airport belonged only to Punjab and under no circumstances Haryana will be allowed to stake claim over it.

Talking on the sidelines of a religious function in memory of Tarlochan Singh, father of Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhumma here, Majithia said the state government made ample efforts to make the airport functional. The airport is located in Mohali and it undoubtedly belongs to Punjab, he said, adding that only Punjab had the right to name it.

Earlier this week, Haryana objected to Punjabs claim on the airport by calling it Mohali International Airport in newspaper advertisements and hoardings. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar shot off a letter to his Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal expressing deep anguish over the matter.

We have already named the airport as Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh International Airport. I think Haryana should have no objection to it, the minister said.

Taking a dig at AAP, he said the party had lost its little support that it claimed it had in Punjab. AAP leaders have shown their true colours by comparing panj pyaras with their party leaders. The party stands exposed now, he alleged.

Agriculture Minister Tota Singh and Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema were also present on the occasion.
Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17

The Election Commission of India will act tough to check corrupt practices such as the use of money or muscle power in the upcoming state Assembly elections. A clear indication in this regard was given here today by state Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh.

The Commission has planned to empower the civil society to catch candidates and their supporters using money, drugs, liquor etc to bribe voters. VK Singh said a dedicated website and applications would be put in place through which the common man could upload videos of candidates or their supporters distributing money, liquor and other material to lure voters. On the basis of these videos, the Commission would alert its flying squads and observers, who would immediately rush to the spot and take appropriate action.

VK Singh said the Commission could countermand the election in any constituency where it gets hard evidence that money or muscle power was used to bribe or browbeat voters. Giving examples, he said if such tough measures could be taken in Bihar and Tamil Nadu, these could be taken in Punjab too.

He said the Commission could not do much in case of the violation of the model code of conduct because it had no legal backing. It could only warn the party or candidate concerned, he said. No penalty could be imposed for the violation.

He said he had sought record of all officials, who will be put on duty to conduct the elections. He said he would ask the Commission to not allow camps of political parties outside the institutions where polling booths would be set up.

Commenting on the deployment of security forces, he said it was a matter of great concern that now paramilitary forces had to be deployed to conduct elections in states like Punjab. There were days when just Home Guard jawans were put on duty to get elections conducted, he said. He gave instances of countries where not even a single security official is deployed for polling.
Vandana Shukla

Foetal ultrasound technology became easily available in India by the late eighties; the 1991 census started showing the demographic changes in 0-6 age-group, which touched a danger mark in the 2001 census reports (1981962, 1991945, 2001927). Just 927 girls were born for a thousand male births, when India was stepping into 21 century. Children born around this time are now entering the marriage market. Who would have thought two opposites  womens empowerment through education and their foetal elimination  would lead not only to jittery bride hunts but would challenge gender stereotypes bred over centuries.

That Rohit Khandelwal got crowned as Mr World and Sakshi Malik won an Olympic medal in wrestling, is not just an internet joke. Women are flexing muscle and men are rushing to cosmetologists. Trends have changed so fast in the last five years on the Indian wedding scene, it has caught the sociologists, cosmetologists and match-making sites by surprise.

Sex selection, the most abominable example of the mistreatment of women in Indian society has come to roost. It is hitting Indian patriarchy where it hurts the most. Either brides are not available within the framework of matching caste and social status, or their demands are illogically high for the grooms, affecting the social dynamics; turning gender handicaps into privileges, as never before. Men of the marriageable age and their families are desperate to find a bride so that they can produce a naam lene wala/ wali (heir). Gender preferencenone!

Menaka wont seduce

Paeans have been written praising womens shringara. In the traditional marriage market, before the prospective groom and his family came to view the girl, she would spend hours in a beauty parlour so as to appear acceptable. Looking beautiful and feeling dutiful was a womans dharma. Alas, the asht nayika of Bharata Munis treatise on shringara is going through a changeover. Trends have changed phenomenally; young males are more conscious of their looks. Five to eight men come to my clinic on a daily basis for different types of cosmetic procedures for matrimonial purpose, says Dr Vikas Sharma of National Skin Hospital, Panchkula. With a team of six specialist doctors, he provides services to rapidly growing cosmetic make-over for males, aged between 25 to 35 years. Maximum clients come for androgenetic alopecia; hair transplant treatment for baldness or receding hairline. Other procedures in demand include scars removal, tattoo removal (usually girlfriends name), dark circle removal, filling pits caused by acne, laser skin resurfacing, laser skin lightening and laser facial  usually before meeting a prospective bride or for matrimonial ceremonies.

No more restricted to men from glamour industry, 20 per cent growth in this sector is fuelled by rising number of aspiring grooms, desperate to seduce a bride. We have counsellors who discourage them from irrational expectations, and for not opting for procedures not needed, still sometimes they insist, adds Sharma.

Dr Monika Mittal, a dermatologist, offers a different perspective. Girls are well settled, they are getting better pay packages; to charm the women males want good looks. Most young men take laser procedures for hairless chest, smooth skin and even lighter complexion. Sometimes girls come along and demand, make him as fair as I am.

Stressful life and delayed marriages are a major reason behind pre-mature baldness, sagging skin or double chin; advanced and non-invasive technology is available to get a grooms look, for a price.

Great expectations

To get sample data on the changing trends, I approach an executive of Jeevansathi.com. What will you do with data, would you like to know my story? Siddhant Gupta (name changed) could not marry his sweetheart of seven years. Marriage needs solid ground, dating is different, was his beloveds parting gift when she proceeded to marry a man working for a multi-national company with a sea-facing flat in Mumbai, in his name. His arranged marriage could take place only after his father bought a separate flat for him. Now, a hunt for a bride for his 28-year- old brother has hit a dead-end. The girls refuse to share the flat with either the older brother or his parents. His family doesnt have the resources to buy another flat. In desperation, his mother says, We dont want an Aggarwal girl. A girl from any caste will do. We just want a girl to marry our boy and adjust with us.

The failed attempts at marriage enhance their quantum of misogyny in equal proportion. Another desperate-to-marry young man of 32, equipped with a foreign degree, complains; his marriage proposals received rejection on trivial grounds like  he is not tall enough, salary not as good as the girls and his is a shared accommodation with his parents. Girls are money-minded; understanding and sharing hold no value to them.

If road to arranged marriage is riddled with great material expectations, dating and live-in route to marriage doesnt seem to offer an alternative. Puneet Sachdeva, Mumbai-based documentary film-maker, with a record failed double-digit relationships, wishing to culminate in marriage and having kids, is frustrated with his inability to understand neo liberated, iPhone brandishing and Instagramming symbol of tomorrows motherhood, who want to get pampered emotionally and financially, and yet want to be acknowledged and regularly branded as the superior one.

Space for settling down

Migration from smaller towns to the metros adds to the complexities of the marriage bazaar. Earlier, only males came to metros in search of work, their wives adjusted to the city life inside the four walls of home. She was trained to accommodate to the demands of her man and his family. With women working on equal grounds, housing has become a major issue in marriage, and women dont want to move an inch when it comes to their living space. Why should she, she earns as well as many boys, even better, havent we spent on her education and comforts? So much noise around a little misuse of 498 A (IPC anti-dowry law) has made parents like me cautious. We want to ensure she gets everything before we clinch the issue of marriage, says a father of a young girl, a defense professional.

Times are changing and so are demands. A popular matrimonial website found astounding response to a survey conducted by them; 51.9 per cent women want their prospective spouses to share domestic chores equally and 39.5 per cent want men to have culinary skills.

In deep-rooted patriarchy, womens demand for greater financial security in marriage resonates the same old practices one assumed would become dated with women empowerment. Higher education, equal salaries and greater freedom to choose should have liberated marriages from the shackles of monetary burden on the parents. Two young independent beings should have felt more confident of building a life independently. For now, the old rules persist in a new garb. The patriarchal parameters  that the groom should be taller, older, better educated and with greater financial assets is reinforced by highly educated women, in their search for a suitable boy.

Avtansh Behal, an undergraduate student at Sciences Po, Le Harve, France, wonders, Do they aspire to be inferior by demanding everything better from men, after what they earned with education and empowerment? For now rules have reversed, good looks and dowry that the well settled men demanded in marriage for centuries, is being played back on them.
Pushpa Girimaji

Last week my daughter informed me that there was a fire in her school, which was quickly put out. The next day when I asked the principal about it, she flatly denied any such occurrence. I am now worried about the safety of my child and of course, the other children who study in the school. What action can I take to ensure that the school is fire safe?

I wish there were more such parents who bothered about these issues of safety-that would ensure a safer environment for our children. First and foremost, find out whether the school has a fire safety certificate, if not they have to get it immediately and display it in a prominent place.

I must mention here that soon after the devastating fire at the Lord Sri Krishna Middle School in Kumkanonam, Tamil Nadu, a public interest litigation was filed before the Supreme court by Avinash Mehrotra, seeking the highest courts intervention in ensuring that children studied in schools that were safe and secure in all respects. In response to that, the Supreme Court Bench said it had become imperative that each school follow the bare minimum safety standards, in addition to the compliance of the National Building code of India, 2005, in particular Part IV- Fire &Safety and the Code of Practice of Fire Safety in Educational Institutions (IS14435:1997) of the Bureau of Indian Standards.

So schools have to comply with this. I would suggest that you look up on the net, the judgement of the Supreme Court in Avinash Mehrotra V Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No 483 of 2004, judgement date: April 13, 2009. Armed with that, you can then confront the school and ask them whether they are complying with the Supreme Courts directive. You can also ask the education department and the fire department whether they are ensuring compliance.

Some of the points enumerated by the apex court:

Provision of adequate capacity and numbers of fire extinguishers of ISI marks to be provided in eye-catching spots in each block of the school.

First-aid kits and necessary medicines should be readily available in the school.

Provision of water tank and separate piping from the tank with hose reel to the ground floor and first floor.

Fire-fighting training to all teachers and students from class X to class XII.

Fire task force in every school comprising of head of the institution, two teachers/staff members and one member from the Fire and Rescue Department should be constituted. The Fire and Rescue Department member shall monitor and make fire safety plan and conduct inspections once in every three months.

Display of emergency telephone numbers and list of persons to be contacted on the notice board and other prominent places.

Mock drills to be conducted regularly; Fire alarm to be provided in each floor and for rural schools separate long bell arrangement in case of emergency.

All old electrical wiring and equipment shall be replaced with ISI-mark equipments and routine maintenance conducted by the school management in consultation with the Fire and Rescue Department.

No high tension lines should run inside or in close proximity to the school. Steps must be taken to shift them if they are already there.

The Fire and Rescue Department shall frame guidelines with Dos and Donts for schools and issue a fitness certificate, which shall be renewed periodically. (You can see the complete list in the judgement).

What the Supreme Court said in this case is highly relevant: .educating a child requires more than a teacher and a blackboard, or a classroom and a book. The Right To Education requires that a child study in a quality school, and a quality school certainly should pose no threat to a childs safety.

Articles 21 and 21 A of the Constitution require that Indias schoolchildren receive education in safe schools. In order to give effect to the provisions of the Constitution, we must ensure that Indias schools adhere to basic safety standards without further delay.

Whenever I confront the school about some issue, they take my daughter to task. So how do I overcome this problem?

School fire safety is not just your problem, it concerns all parents. So get the parents together and all of you go and meet the principal. Similarly, your complaint to the education department can carry all your signatures. I would also suggest that you form a safety committee in the school to regularly oversee safety. The committee can also ensure that the school renews fire safety certificate regularly.
Kalpana Sunder

Wander around any street in Copenhagen, and chances are that it ends up as an impromptu design tour. From streetlights to name boards and public spaces, the design ethos is functional, minimalistic and edgy! Copenhagen and design are practically synonymous and the city is studded with famous names  Bang & Olufsen, Ecco, Georg Jensen, Arne Jacobsen, watchmaker Skagen, and, of course, Lego which translated means play well.

Danish design has been influenced by the German Bauhaus school, its own nautical heritage, as well as Japanese design idioms; traditional Japanese stoneware, textiles, tatami straw mats, origami folded paper have influenced the Danish creations.

Simplicity and functionality are the trademarks of Danish design that permeates through to buildings, furniture and household objects. The Danish design ethos is led by ideas of social democracy  beautifully crafted things to make life better, not just for the wealthy, but democratically available to all, says our local guide.

The Danish make use of natural materials and neutral colors and play with textures, with a deep respect for wood. Danish aesthetics also has a strong relationship with nature and natural shapes come into play with lights and seating.

Homeliness is the first feeling when you enter a Scandinavian home. You can tell that its owners have respect for nature and wood and leather. Even hotels, banks, offices and airport lounges subscribe to local ideas of minimalism. The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Copenhagen, is celebrated as the worlds first design hotel, designed in 1960 by architect Arne Jacobsen.

The long winters and few hours of sunlight inspired Scandinavian designers to create bright, practical environments, explains Giuseppe from the local tourist office. And almost every house is full of candles  a Danish obsession embraced all through winter, which helps provide hygge (cosy atmosphere). Practicality and the ease of use are at the foundations of Danish design philosophy, whether its focused on the most mundane objects like a shower head or a simple door knob, a simple chair or a rubbish bin. Sleek finish and craftsmanship are what make each object outstanding.

It was a Dane who designed the Sydney Opera House, and architect Henning Larsen built Copenhagens imposing opera house with glass, limestone and metal when Maersk  another famous Danish name  put up the money for a new one in Copenhagen. Taking a boat-trip along the citys canals and around its harbour, ducking our heads as we pass under low bridges, we saw modern designs, along the route, like the angular gleaming black granite slab of the Royal Library called the Black Diamond, making a striking contrast with the citys historic buildings of stone and brick.

Light, water, open spaces and sustainability are the key elements in the recent architectural boom in the Danish capital. The emergence of bold urban planning and new architectural experiments can be seen in localities like restad where the cutting-edge apartment complex 8 tallet is built like the number 8. The free town of Christiania in Copenhagen  a graffiti-ridden alternative social experiment has been a car-free zone since the 1970s, and this meant the need for locals to look for alternative transport methods. Classic Christiania Bikes designed with a trailer on the front, perfect for transporting kids, friends and goods are today popular all over the city.

For a design fix, a visit to the Design museum Denmark, is mandatory. One starts appreciating the ergonomic approach to furniture design, such as the iconic egg chair and ottoman with its molded cocoon shape. Danish modernists like Arne Jacobsen designed buildings as well as the silverware, coffeepots, and chairs to complement these. With whimsical names like Ant, Egg, and Swan, his iconic chairs are wildly popular even today.

The citys main artery for fashion and design stores is called the Stroget, where there are design stores aplenty. Illums Bolighus, displays candle stands shaped like snakes and whimsical mobiles crafted from paper, delicate white vases that look like origami. Next door is Georg Jensen, luxury brand of silver jewellery and table items.

What makes Copenhagen and its design sensibilities stand out is its encouragement to creativity in all its forms and fresh ideas that spill into every sphere of life without compromising on sustainability and accessibility to all. And the city best exemplifies the dictum Design is not a thing you doIts a way of life!
Harish Khare

Blame-mongering is becoming a very fine art in India. As a nation, we seem to have settled for periodic bouts of shouting accusations, finger-pointing and demanding resignations as a very acceptable substitute for problem-solving.

Take, for example, the all the hangama about chikungunya and dengue in Delhi. If one were to switch on any of the so-called national news television channels, one would get the unmistakable impression that the outbreak is confined to Delhi. Some news reports are also giving the impression that all these patients have got afflicted because the Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, is away from the national capital. This is misleading and tendentious.

It needs to be noted that a large number of cases of dengue have also been reported from Mohali, Chandigarh and Panchkula, as also from various other parts of India. These cases do not  and, need not  provoke any great hue and cry. Nor is anyone asking for anyone's resignation in Haryana or Punjab or Chandigarh.

But the 'national' channels are fixated on Delhi. Quite a bit of this scare-mongering has to do with the TRP rating structure, which is loaded in favour of big metropolitan centres and the television crowd sees a business opportunity in highlighting and exaggerating even routine afflictions and breakdowns in Mumbai or Delhi.

This is an altogether unhelpful approach. It personalises the governance processes. Let us be very clear: we in India have an abominably poor health infrastructure  whatever fabulous rate of growth we may be officially claiming. Anyone who visits the AIIMS in Delhi or the PGIMER in Chandigarh will know the truth: hapless patients are pouring in from distant places because there are just no health facilities and doctors in the neighbouring states. And, all it takes is a very little spike in this or that disease and we have a "crisis" knocking on our door.

While it is possible to blame the politicians and political parties for failing to sufficiently prioritise public health (over, say, fancy defence toys), it is counterproductive to expect a health minister  at the Centre or in the states  to provide professional leadership and guidance in matters which are inherently technical.

It is for the doctors and other professional health administrators in each city and town to sound alerts about possible outbreak of this or that disease. Most diseases emanate from a lack of personal and neighbourhood hygiene. This has to do with public awareness, civic consciousness, and citizens' sense of responsibility for their own health and towards society. Only in the last decade have we started attending to this task. Without personal and community involvement, no sarkari health campaign can succeed. The Prime Minister's Swachh Bharat drive is crucially dependent upon civic response. It is unhealthy to put too much of the onus on the politician and the government without making demands on the citizens and communities.

Delhi has layers and layers of multiple authorities. Almost all the big hospitals belong to the central government, a few decent ones to the state government and the others to the municipal corporation. What is lacking is an inter-governmental synergy because the Centre and the Kejriwal governments have been working at cross-purposes on every single issue. The need of the hour can only be professional calm and diligence.

But a larger prejudice is at work among a section of the television media. There seems to be an unprofessional anxiety to rubbish the AAP government in Delhi.

Finally, on Saturday, the Western Command, headquartered at Chandimandir, got a new full-fledged General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Lt-Gen Surinder Singh. The last incumbent, Lt-Gen KJ Singh, had retired on July 31, 2016.

This means that for more than six weeks, this crucial post was without a proper commander. The Indian Army is one institution that takes justifiable pride in its organisational rigour, discipline and code of conduct. Like any modern organisation, the Army too has a well-defined protocol and drill of promotion and succession. It was known to everyone at the Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence that Lt-Gen KC Singh would retire on July 31, 2016, and yet, the powers-that-be were unable to name a successor. We have a Raksha Mantri, who otherwise is all talk and more tall talk, but he was obviously unable or unwilling to attend to ensuring that the Western Command had a full-time GOC-in-C. There was an interim arrangement, no doubt. But that is not very re-assuring.

The armed forces get instant respect from the citizens for their absolutely critical role in preserving and protecting our territorial integrity. Most citizens like to believe that at least there is one institution in the country that remains untainted by routine aberrations that have come to define many organisations in our national life.

Yet, the sad fact is that senior appointments in the three services  Army, Navy and Air Force  are increasingly getting embroiled in considerable jockeying and lobbying. There are factions and factionalisms. The country first came to know of these unhappy goings-on when the Vajpayee government found itself constrained to dismiss Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, the then Chief of the Indian Navy. The country was to learn later that there were irreconcilable differences between Admiral Bhagwat and the then Defence Minister, George Fernandes.

It is no longer unusual for senior generals to approach the courts to seek redress of what they perceive as "injustice" done to them in matters of promotion and posting. A few weeks ago, we had learnt how the present Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Dalbir Singh, had accused the former Chief, the controversial VK Singh, of bad faith and favouritism.

Many knowledgeable people suspect that the unusually long delay in naming a full-time commander at Chandimandir had to do with intrigue and infighting, primarily because the Raksha Mantri is no longer able to command the respect of the armed forces. No one will know the truth. But there is no smoke without some kind of fire.

Among the people I came to know when I came to Chandigarh more than a year ago is Mr Sanjay Tandon. He is the president of the Chandigarh unit of the BJP. He drops in for a cup of coffee once in four months, but we rarely talk of current politics. He makes a very pleasant company. When we first met, he graciously presented me a set of books that he had authored with his wife Priya. The couple calls these books the Sunray series. There is an inspirational story for each day, purported to steer the reader into a nobler realm.

The other day, Sanjay Tandon came with the latest  the sixth  in the series, Sunrays for Friday. Curiously enough, there are two forewords: one from the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, and the other from Justice JS Khehar of the Supreme Court.

Though I am unable to share the Tandons' unbounded devotion and faith in Sri Sathya Sai Baba, I am impressed that these two working professionals are dedicated to social causes and spiritual awareness. What makes this dedication all the more special is that both Priya and Sanjay are children of distinguished fathers. Priya's father was the Chief Justice of India (Justice MM Punchhi) and Sanjay is the son of Mr Balram Dass Tandon, who for long was a prominent BJP leader in Punjab and is currently the Governor of Chhattisgarh. Both could feel  but do not  entitled to an arrogance that is so common to the ruling families. Instead, both come across as being overloaded with humility.

The stories from day-to-day life are meant to guide the reader to a kind of meaningfulness in behaviour and thought. Each story is preceded by an inspirational quote from Sai Baba. For instance: "Every human being has the capacity to seek and secure the Truth of the Universe of which they are a part of; they have the wherewithal to train themselves in virtue, justice, love and sympathy to escape from the particular to the Universal." Each story is meant to lessen spiritual confusion.

The Tandons' book-series should have many takers, because despite all our wonderful material progress, we seem to be becoming a spiritually and morally poorer nation.

Time for some spiritual nourishment? Coffee?

kaffeeklatsch@tribuneindia.com
Vijay C Roy in Chandigarh

For decades, Indian agriculture scientists have tried and failed to predict onset of deadly diseases to crops. The result is enormous wastage of money and efforts. A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India says annual crop losses caused by pests and diseases amount to Rs 50,000 crore, which is significant in a country where at least 20 crore people go to bed hungry every night. There is hope: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), popularly called drones, are coming. Punjab may soon see the rollout.

The man behind the technology in this part of the country is Taran Singh (37), an IIT Khargpur graduate in agriculture. He is also an IIM Kolkata passout. He has worked in Indian and international markets, especially the UK and Middle East, for 11 years and has experience in management, consulting, business solutions, data analytics, food manufacturing and supply chain. Taran is eager to do something innovative in precision agriculture (application of precise inputs like water, fertilizers, and pesticides at the right time for increasing crop productivity). He is passionate about making a platform for community-based farming.

When I was in Class VII, I saw a documentary about an NRI who returned from overseas and revolutionized floriculture in Punjab. When I cleared IIT entrance exams, I chose B.Tech in agriculture from IIT Khargpur, the only IIT in India offering such a course, he said.

He says these drones can help in warning a farmer 10 days in advance about crop growth & water stress and fertilizer requirements by using artificial intelligence.

How it works

A drone is a flying computer and works with the help of artificial intelligence to make the best possible decisions in-flight. So, farmers can be advised about the exact amount of urea needed, for instance, in a wheat field. Most farmers in Punjab are small and marginal. They need to save on urea and water to cut input costs.

Drones require a controller, something the pilot uses to launch, land, and navigate. Controllers can take many forms, from gamepad-like controllers to smartphones and tablets. Regardless of how they look, controllers need to communicate with the drone, and typically do that using radio waves. Drones are typically run by 2.4 gigahertz radio waves. To communicate with their aircraft, many drone controllers use Wi-Fi, which can be transmitted on the 2.4 gigahertz spectrum, and is something that smartphones and tablets can tap into without any accessories.

Crop imaging over vast tracts of farmland can help in early detection of pests and weed attacks. At the moment nobody in India is using agri-analytics. The deployment of drones will help farmers, insurers, commodity experts and even traders, says Taran.

Future is here

There is a need for coordination among agriculture, corporate and commodity experts with guidance from academics, says Taran, adding his company Agnext is in talks with a leading university in Punjab. He has also tied up with a leading mobile equipment manufacturer to set up a demo centre in Gurgaon. The move will expand Internet of Things (proposed development of internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data).

The food industry is quickly embracing the very latest Internet of Things devices and big data innovations.

By collecting more and more data on crops and growing conditions, yields can not only be controlled, but predicted. This data enables farmers to access accurate information on growing conditions so they can implement changes to increase yields.

In the near future, farmers may expect some help for speedy settlement of claims in crop insurance, thanks to drones. Insurers are taking a serious look at drones besides a real-time mobile application to address claim settlements. As part of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), deployment of drones has been allowed to estimate crop losses in localized calamities.

We are innovating digital interventions to solve agriculture issues, introducing a unique platform of hardware, software and analytics as a device. Our aim was to create integrated hyperlocal farm data collection and crop analytics platform using latest technological innovations, says Taran.
Ishrat S Banwait & Sanjam Preet Singh in Chandigarh

In the run-up to the Panjab University student elections, a student leader was asked about the stand of his party on the education policy. He safely avoided the question. In the din of mela votaan da (festival of votes), the question died out.

All that has mattered in these polls are quality of food in hostel mess and the condition of hostels and bathrooms. All student outfits this year talked of regulating the fee structure along with unspecified steps for womens empowerment. While PUSU and the Students for Society (SFS) wanted to oust political parties from the campus, the Student Organisation of India (SOI) and NSUI failed to come out with manifestoes spelling out their stance on much larger questions about academic excellence.

Newly elected president Nishant Kaushal said he did not possess enough knowledge about universitys academic performance in the last few years, while Amritpal Singh, presidential candidate from the SFS said: Student leaders dont talk about academics but lure students with trips, parties and booze.

A senior professor, who does not wish to be named in view of the senate elections, rues the lack of discussion on academic issues. The teaching model is outdated. Teachers do not provide students with what they require; they just rush to complete the syllabus. Senate member Satya Pal Jain, who is the additional solicitor general of India and a former Member of Parliament, said: The senate needs to concentrate more on universitys academic activities.

Meanwhile, grading by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) surprised all: PUs score dipped by 0.12 points from last time (2009). In the Times Higher Education university rankings for BRICS, PU slipped from 39th position in 2014 to 121st in 2015.

Shelley Walia, a professor of English, believes the impetus for better academic standards has to come from students first, and must be backed by a vibrant faculty. The question that needs to be asked is: do students who contest elections have a vision that can solve our immediate problems such as a crisis in higher education? Prof Walia says students should fight against low teacher-student ratio, declining standards of research and long delays in re-evaluation of answer sheets.

Student outfits are least concerned about the academics. In two years of my service here, I have not seen a single party organising any academic activity, says Paramjeet Singh, a professor of economics. One reason for this is student leaders are not grounded in ideology-based politics, he adds. Jatinder Singh, a former JNU student and now a professor of political science in Punjabi University, Patiala, says: In JNU, quality of food is not as important as the debate on nationalism, or, politics of cow protection, Dalit oppression and the Union Budget.

About NAAC downgrade, Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover said: The NAAC changed its system of evaluation, while Times stopped considering international research. This reflected in our score. The fall in ranking should not be construed as a dip in performance. The university has been improving. On paper, not everything is wrong with the university. It was ranked 12th in the first National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development this April. In February, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) graded PU as the Best University Campus.

Is it enough to judge a university? Only students and teachers can tell.
Hemant Rana in Chandigarh & Ravinder Saini in Jhajjar

Cracking exams for coveted government jobs and topping them could hardly be the only measurement of ones brilliance or intellectual depth. What lends significance to toppers is their conviction and persistence to excel in a field where they want to prove a point. In case of Haryana, women are repeatedly challenging the stereotypes: Sakshi Malik did it in Rio Olympics last month. And a few days back in the Haryana Civil Services exam results, Jhajjars Shweta Suhag and Hisars Shashi Vasundhra reinforced the same belief: in the state notorious for a low gender ratio, women can be best if they decide to, no matter what their circumstances are.

Last year, when Army Chief, Dalbir Singh Suhag, came to his native village Bishaan in Jhajjar, he told villagers that he wanted to see village girls working as top officers. One of the girls listening to him was Shweta Suhag, a 24-year-old science graduate in zoology. Within months, Shweta accomplished her mission: she topped the HCS examination. She is Bishaans newest pride. The villagers recently honoured Shwetas father, Rakesh, and grandfather, Jagdish, by presenting them pagris (turbans). I want to see Bishaan girls moving ahead in different fields for which I am ready to help, said Shweta. Daughter of a clerk with Haryana Roadways, Shweta did her preparatory study from Sonepats Bisana village. Her family shifted to Rohtak from where she completed her senior secondary. Then she went to Delhi to pursue BSc in zoology from Delhi University besides a two-year course in human rights.

For Hisars Shashi Vasundhra, ranked 12th in the HCS exams, the selection has a deeper meaning. She has carried forward the legacy of her late mother and other women in the family.

My mother, Shashi Kanta, was the first women sub-divisional magistrate from the SC community. I was 10 when I lost my mother to cancer, says Vasundhra.

Though we didnt see much of our mother, I along with my younger sister, Shashi Himshikha, grew up listening to her stories of honesty and courage. This stood her in good stead when she couldnt make it for the HCS in the first attempt.

My mother played a crucial role in enforcing liquor ban in Sonepat where she was posted. In a male-dominated society, my mother never underestimated herself and expected a similar attitude from us, says Shashi. Soon after Vasundhras mother passed away, there was some uncertainty in the family over the girls future. But their maternal aunt, Nirmala Sarhadi, adopted both of them and ensured they got good education and upbringing.

Vasundhra is MSc (zoology) and currently pursing LLB from Panjab University, while her sister, a master of law, is preparing for state civil services (judiciary). As a constant reminder to the girls about their mother, her aunt prefixed the first name of her sister Shashi to their names.

In our society, the stress has always been on carrying on the legacy of men. But I wanted Vasundhra and her sister to take forward from where their mother left, says Sarhadi. Vasundhra now wants to work for the marginalized and vulnerable section of society, especially women and children.

It hurts me to see that our state has the worst gender ratio in the country. As an officer, I will ensure we get rid of the tag and women get their due place, says Vasundhra.
MOUNT PLEASANT  A Kenosha woman is scheduled for court later this month after allegedly returning stolen items from a local department store for store credit.

Vanessa Piencikowski, 32, of the 3500 block of 10th Avenue, along with an accomplice, Rachel Fehl of Kenosha, were reportedly caught on camera stealing from Kohls, 5500 Washington Ave., and another Kohls in Kenosha, according to the complaint.

The incidents occurred in August and September 2015. During the alleged thefts at the Mount Pleasant Kohls in September 2015, the women entered the store with empty plastic Kohls bags, the complaint said.

The women then allegedly took items off the shelves and put them in the bags as if they had already been purchased, according to the complaint.

The women then went to the return counter. Piencikowski reportedly returned two skincare products and one hair-care product and received $198.63 in store credit. Fehl returned four pieces of jewelry and a razor-shaver combination and received $137.73 in store credit. The returned items had not been purchased, the complaint said.

The women then reportedly purchased other versions of the items they had stolen, according to the complaint.

Both women returned the next day and once again allegedly returned stolen items. This time a loss prevention employee required the two to present identification. Fehl provided her drivers license and Piencikowski only provided her drivers license number, the complaint said.

The estimated value of the stolen items from the Mount Pleasant location was $310.73 from Piencikowski and $251.95 from Fehl, according to the complaint.

Piencikowski faces two misdemeanor charges for retail theft. She is scheduled for a pre-trial conference at 3:15 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.

She remained in custody as of Friday night at the Racine County Jail, online records showed.

Fehl, of the 6500 block of 28th Avenue, was found guilty on one misdemeanor charge that was filed in May for retail theft in Racine County, according to online court records. It was not clear if the charge was related to the Kohls incident.
Jasmine Singh in Chandigarh

Law enforcement agencies sifting through reams of news stories in daily newspapers have reached a startling revelation: Of the 50 headlines that fill the pages of a daily newspaper, at least 10 involve crimes against women. These include molestation, domestic violence, gang-rape, and trafficking. Haryana, notorious for gender biases, has a massive task at hand. To begin with, the state government last year opened all-women police stations in each of its 21 districts. Punjab already has a similar set-up.

But merely opening exclusive women thanans is oversimplifying a deep-rooted social malaise. Haryana which has 879 females per 1,000 males (far below the national average of 940:1000) has a lot to reflect and act. The first task is on the social front, which is ringed in by a solid law enforcement mechanism and then a swift justice delivery system. State government sources say of the 256 raids conducted across the state from January 2009 to March 2016, as many as 18 hospitals and 27 doctors were found guilty under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (barring doctors to conduct tests to determine sex of a foetus). But only four doctors were convicted in Karnal, where the number of raids conducted was the highest.

In such a challenging scenario, women police stations hold the key to instilling confidence among women. Here's a look inside such thanas:

Haryana

Young Assistant Commissioner of Police Pankhuri Kumar, supervisory officer of the Ambala Women Police Station, has her task cut out: motivate and encourage women to report a crime. On an average, the ACP, along with her team of about 30 women cops, receives at least three complaints, mostly from rural areas, which involve marital discords. While complaints of molestation and elopement are common, no rape case has been registered so far.

Out of the 77 cases registered so far, 26 cases are still under investigation, says the SHO Rajni Rani. The women cops also have to make the distinction between false and genuine complaints. Being a woman cop has its own challenges for one expects sympathy, but for us, law comes first, and we have to keep our emotions aside, says the ACP. At times her team also doubles up as counsellors.

Even though they take the help of a local police station while organising a raid, these women cops handle most of the cases themselves. One such case prompted ACP Kumar to recommend Inspector Amarjeet Kaur and Sub Inspector Balwinder Kaurs names for an award. She was able to track down a girl a day after she was reported missing. The girl when found refused to reveal her identity, but Inspector Balwinder crosschecked and brought her home as the girl had eloped, says the ACP.

This is just one odd case, for most rural women of Haryana these women police stations act as a grievance cell where women report dowry issues, domestic violence and as small as not being properly fed by in-laws.

The idea behind the creation of these women police stations was to provide security to women, and instill confidence in them, says Inspector Manjit, in-charge of women police station Panchkula Sector-5. Working with a staff of a dozen women cops, she is surprised to see women opening up to them. They can talk to the women investigating officer without feeling embarrassed or scared, says Inspector Manjit.

Dissecting crimes

Cases of rape and attempt to rape in Haryana are on the rise. While 617 rape cases were registered in the seven-month period last year, the number has now risen to 637 this year. Rape cases in Gurgaon, Kaithal and Sonepat have gone up too. Also, there is a 27 per cent jump in the number of attempt to rape cases. There is, however, a decline in the number of molestation cases but an increase in number of dowry deaths and acid attacks.

SHO Nirmala Devi from Kaithal police station explains, Crime and reporting the crime are two different things. We don't deny the increase in crime, but we also maintain that unless a crime is reported, we can do nothing about it.

The SHO says with the passage of time women police stations will be able to put a check on the crime rate as well. But unlike Punjab, these stations in Haryana are facing a staff crunch and have to liaison with local police stations.

Meanwhile, in Punjab

The Bathinda women police station is the oldest and most well-known station of Punjab. Like Haryana, in Punjab too, cases of domestic violence are reported maximum. On an average, each woman police station gets at least 40 complaints in a month, which are immediately put under inquiry, followed up with an FIR. What is different from Haryana is that the women police stations of Punjab get more complaints from urban areas. This is alarming, says SHO Beant Kaur, in-charge of Bathinda women police station.

Ironically, despite being around for a long time, the presence of women police stations in Punjab has done little to bring down crime against women. As per data, 597 rape cases were reported across Punjab till August 2015, 826 cases of molestation and 1,054 cases of dowry were registered at the same time. Yet there was only 0.3 per cent conviction in rape cases. This is despite the fact the state has mahila police stations and mahila cells.

SHO Sukhpal Kaur, Ludhiana, says her thana, which came into being in 2010, has currently lodged 100 FIRs, the highest in Punjab. We get to register the cases; the inquiry comes through the women cells. And rape cases come in the respective stations; we only do the investigation if it is marked to us. Rural and urban women must come out and file their complaint all by themselves.

Emotional side

Mahila police stations in both the states are often criticized for being sympathetic towards the victim. The sympathetic nature can affect her judgment, says advocate at Punjab and Haryana High Court and Co-opted member Vigilance Committee Of Bar Council Of Punjab and Haryana, Anurag Singh Tagra. There are two ways of looking at this situation: if a woman investigating officer can judge the mentality of the other woman (victim), she would know how far a criminal can go. This makes it easier for a lawyer to explain his client's (a male) viewpoint. On the other hand, women by and large have similar family set-ups, so they go through the same marital problems. That could be a reason why a woman cop feels sympathetic for a female victim.

Nishi Singh from an NGO, Sunehra Aaj, disagrees. Women police are also human; they are trained the same way their male counterparts are. Unlike a male cop who will be brash no matter what, a woman cop will still maintain a balance; she can be sympathetic and practical at the same time.

jasmine@tribunemail.com
Azhar Qadri in Srinagar

Last month, former school principal Altaf Ahmad had to drive through Srinagars downtown neighbourhood to attend the marriage ceremony of a relative. The region was already in the midst of an unrest in which protesters, including stone-pelters, had taken a centre-stage.

On the way back home during night hours, Ahmad encountered groups of protesters and was surprised how much of it has changed. It was an entire new level of defiance, he says. In the mid-1960s, the former school principal said, young men would also throw stones at the police outside his ancestral home in a downtown locality of Srinagar. He remembers how it ended: a policeman would run to his station to get a bullet of a self-loading rifle and fire it into the air. This was it. Everyone would disperse after that, he says.

During those years, the protesters would make it a point to stay out of harms way, he said. Decades later, in 2016, it has changed. The protesters now cross the line and attack police stations, camps of counter-insurgency forces or a mini secretariat.

The pattern of stone-pelting is usually rudimentary. Groups of young men and teenagers assemble in a locality, block roads and wait for the police to arrive. Once the security forces come in sight and range, the protesters throw stones and rocks. The clash can last for a few minutes or for many hours, depending on the strength of the protesting crowd, location of the clash, and amount of anger.

Heres a first-hand account: On a mid-summer afternoon in the last week of August, a group of protesters blocked a narrow road connecting Dadsara and Noorpora village in south Kashmirs Tral sub-district. The roadblock was set up with logs and stones. The protesters were made up of nearly 10 teenagers and young men, some of whom sat on a roadside under the shade of a weeping willow. One of them wore a black mask and stopped a feeble traffic movement by signalling them with a stick.

We will continue doing this for six months, said a teenage protester, a cab driver by profession. If nothing happens, then we will do it for six more months.

The roadblock on the Dadsara-Noorpora road is one of the several that have been set up on roads exiting Tral sub-district, the heartland of new-age militants and home of militant commander Burhan Wani whose death on July 8 sparked the latest unrest. The intensity of clashes in Tral has been less compared to the other parts of the region, where more than 80 civilians have been killed and several thousand injured as police and paramilitary forces attempted to quell demonstrations.

A police officer, in charge of a district in south Kashmir, says stone-pelting is increasingly becoming ubiquitous. It has now become, almost, a genetic trait.

Separatists are separate

It is usually driven by a lot of factors, and sometimes it has specific objectives and sometimes it is simply agitational, the official said. There is no definite linkage between stone-pelters and separatist groups, he said.

The teenage protesters, who had blocked the Dadsara-Noorpora road, refused to give their names as most fear getting identified. After a few questions, the group became suspicious and demanded the reporter to show his bag. It contained a laptop, a notebook and a camera, enough to cconvince them and continue questioning.

We follow the Hurriyat but only when they support this. If they call if off, we will not follow them, a teenager said of the love-hate relationship.

During the first week of unrest, the police had no detailed record about the number of stone-pelting incidents that took place in the region as it was overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation.

Ticking time bombs

A few years ago, a team of experts had studied batches of young stone-pelters and later concluded that these boys were ticking bombs. The situation now is different. All psychology fails in this place, a member of the team said, refusing to speak further.

Police officers say though the pattern of stone-pelters differs, some of them do become hardened, a sort of urban legends in their locality. In some cases, stone-pelting becomes a futile exercise. For instance, a stone-pelter in south Kashmir, known as Tiger, is now a militant. The police said he was a pioneer of stone-pelting in his locality and was arrested several times on charges linked to stone-pelting before he became a militant.

Ahmad, the former school principal who saw stone-pelting this summer after decades, says boys today are different from the previous generation. They dont seem to fear anything. They are not even afraid of losing their lives.

The stone-pelting took an increasingly frontal role in the Kashmir conflict for the first time in 2008 when the regions witnessed its first unrest. The second time the stone-pelters paralysed the state governments writ was in 2010 when the unrest continued through the entire summer and autumn.

Nearly 5,000 protesters were booked under different sections for stone-throwing during the 2010 summer agitation while 1,325 persons, including 95 minors, were arrested during 2013 when Kashmir witnessed widespread protests following the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 17

Chief Minister Harish Rawat today said apple growers of states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir and Uttarakhand should frame a mutually beneficial policy.

He was speaking at the inauguration of an exhibition in which farmers from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh participated. He stressed the need to tackle the problem of climate change jointly.

We could take up these issues together and even approach the Centre for help, he said.

Uttarakhand was facing problems due to the changing weather pattern. There was need for a ten-year plan to forewarn the farmers about the changes. We need consultants who can prepare plans for our farmers. In this case, the World Bank could be approached for help, the Chief Minister said.

On the other hand, suggestions by additional secretary Tikam Panwar of allowing the Department of Horticulture to promote five orchards as tourism spots was accepted by Horticulture Minister Preetam Singh Panwar. The minister said this could be done by a private player as it would be better for the Department of Horticulture not to divert from its core activities.

During the exhibition, apple varieties, such as red fuji, Italian and Chinese varieties and pears from Himachal Pradesh, attracted a lot of attention.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 17

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the construction of a 43-km stretch of the road from Thuli Gad to Ruplali Gad in Champawat district. This stretch forms part of the Tanakpur-Jauljibi national highway project.

Already, the state Public Works Department is constructing a 12-km stretch from Karoli Gad to Thuli Gad, running along the Sharda and Kali rivers, which is also the site of the Pancheshwar dam.

The issue was hanging fire as the Indian and Nepalese governments had not been able to complete the survey on the water level for the dam, which would then play a role in deciding the road alignment.

However, considering security and strategic concerns, the Central government has given the go-ahead to the construction of the road.

Now, we will have to work on land transfer for the construction of the 43-km stretch of the road. I think it will not be a problem as there is less habitation, said DS Garbyal, Secretary, Public Works Department.

A total of 106 hectares of forestland will be acquired for the construction of the highway that has both economic and strategic importance. Whatever land from the people or forestland is acquired will be dealt according to the guidelines. Around 210 hectares have already been acquired. Now, a survey will be carried out for land transfer,said Garbyal.

Early this year, Chief Minister Harish Rawat had written to the Union Home Minister for speedy release of funds for the road. This road link will enhance our transport network and increase and strengthen our trade related activities, he had then said at a press conference. The Central government will bear the entire cost of the project being promoted under the Border Area Development Programme.
Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 17

A bond of cooperation and friendship was sealed between apple growers of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh here today for combating the ill-effects of climate change and introducing new varieties of apples in the state.

The apple exhibition organised by the Uttarakhand Department of Horticulture provided a platform to growers from both states. Kundan Singh Panwar, an apple grower from Jaunpur in Uttarakhand, told the Tribune that climate change, fragmented land holdings and wild animals were continuing to take away the zeal and energy of farmers.

A farmer finds his efforts wasted due to fragmented holdings. Efforts towards chakbandi havent taken off yet. Then there is this fear of wild animals foraging on his labour. It is enough to drive away farmers from this activity, said Panwar.

Unpredictable weather and change in weather conditions in the apple belt too is a matter of concern. We need to go for resilient varieties of apples that withstand the sudden change in temperature and continue to give us a good yield, he added.

He said the Uttarakhand government need to take proactive steps to declare wild animals vermin, as had been done in Himachal Pradesh.

Rajinder Chauhan, president of the Apple Growers Association, who hails from Kiari in Kothkhai (Himachal), said more newer varieties of apple, which are location specific, should be introduced in all apple growing states.

Farmers and scientists should work together to stem the decline in production and productivity of apple crop by introducing newer varieties, he said.

He stressed the need to go for rejuvenation of old orchards. We have started the exercise of replacing trees that are old and senile with newer ones, he said.

Chauhan has a word of advice for Uttarakhand farmers to go for diversification by growing pomegranates and other fruits. In my orchard at Kiari, I am growing other fruits. It helps me immensely. A fruit grower should keep all his options open, he said.

An optimistic Chauhan said Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu Kashmir need to do more in the area of horticulture.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 17

The Himalayan School of Engineering & Technology, Swami Rama Himalayan University (SRHU), celebrated Engineers Day on the occasion of the 155th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr M Visvesvaraya today.

Dr Vijay Dhasmana, Vice-Chancellor of SRHU, Dr Prakash Keshviah, Dr RC Ramola and Dr Mukesh Bijalwan lighted the lamp to inaugurate a formal ceremony organised in the college.

This was followed by speeches on the importance of celebrating Engineers Day and a presentation and video on the life and works of Dr M Visvesvaraya.

Dr Prakash Keshviah, adviser (finance), SRHU, discussed in detail the contribution of Visvesvaraya towards the development of the country. Dr RC Ramola, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, spoke about the future plans of the engineering college.

Various technical activities and competitions were organised to mark the celebrations. These included technical quiz, model and poster-making competition, junkyard war, tower making, assembly and disassembly and know the product.

Competitions such as debugging code, LAN gaming, blindfold programmer and chal chitra were also organised. The creations of the participants were displayed in an exhibition organised on the college premises. Dhasmana and principals, deans, faculty and students of the other colleges visited the exhibition.

Dhasmana gave away awards to talented students.
Dhaka, September 17

After years of failed negotiations, Bangladesh and Canada have finally agreed to hold talks to find a way to the thorny issue of extraditing fugitive Noor Chowdhury  the self-confessed killer of the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman  who has been hiding in Canada.

The two countries reached a consensus during a meeting between Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in Montreal yesterday, the national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.

After the talks, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Huq told reporters that the officials of two countries would find out a way for extradition of Chowdhury from Canada. The aim of the discussion would be to bring Noor Chowdhury to justice and execute the verdict of the Bangabandhu murder case, he said.

Huq said the government has been trying to extradite Chowdhury, who is in his 70s, from Canada and this decision will open a new window to bring him to Bangladesh.

Chowdhury is a former Bangladeshi military officer who was convicted in absentia in the August 1975 for the assassination of Sheikh Mujib. He is leading a fugitive's life in Canada.

He is one of the five absconding killers of Sheikh Mujib.

In 2009, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh sentenced Chowdhury and 11 others to death in the case. Five of those convicted were hanged in 2010; another five, including Chowdhury, have avoided returning to Bangladesh, and one has died.

Chowdhury was granted visitor status in Canada in 1996, and hasn't left the country since.

Choudhury's extradition is a thorny issue because Canada has been a fully abolitionist country since 1998 and in 2011 then Canadian envoy to Dhaka had said Canada can't extradite him as he could face the death penalty in his home country.

In their discussion yesterday, the Hasina and Trudeau also discussed militancy and described it as a "global problem".

The foreign secretary said the Canadian premier highly appreciated Bangladesh's anti-militancy stance. He said the two leaders also discussed trade issues, including investment and export of garment products.

This was the first visit of an elected Bangladeshi prime minister to Canada in 30 years, the report said.  PTI
Washington, September 17

The US is closely monitoring the current situation in Karachi, where political party MQM is facing a crackdown after its former self-exiled leader Altaf Hussain in London delivered an anti-Pakistan speech and asked his workers to launch attack on media, an official has said.

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"We're monitoring those events very closely," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters yesterday when asked about the arrests of the leaders of Mutthaida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the biggest party in Karachi.

"We're aware that Pakistan security forces have arrested some MQM members allegedly involved in violent protests and that these operations have included the closure and the demolition of offices deemed to have been illegally constructed," Kirby said.

Responding to a question, he said the US routinely communicates with Pakistani about issues like this. PTI
United Nations, September 17

A young Iraqi woman, who survived trafficking at the hands of ISIS, has been appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.

Nadia Murad Basee Taha, the 23-year-old Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is the Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The appointment marks the first time a survivor of atrocities is bestowed with this distinction.

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Nadia is a fierce and tireless advocate for the Yazidi people and victims of human trafficking everywhere, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday at her induction ceremony, which was held in connection with the UNs commemoration of the International Day of Peace.

She was subjected to unspeakable abuse and human rights violations at the hands of ISIL. Nadia has shown exceptional courage in speaking out. She gives a much-needed voice to trafficking victims who continue to suffer, and who demand justice, the UN chief added.

Murad had briefed the UN Security Council in its first-ever session on human trafficking in December last year.

She described being rounded up with fellow Yazidis in Iraq in 2014 and witnessing as ISIS fighters shot men and boys in cold blood. She was bought and sold various times.

ISIS or ISIL is an al-Qaeda splinter group and it has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria.

It is two years since ISIL seized Sinjar. It is unconscionable that thousands of Yazidi, in particular women and children, continue to be held captive, Ban said, calling for their immediate release.

And I repeat: the crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq against the Yazidi may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide.

A relentless advocate for victims, Murad was recently named one of Time Magazines 100 Most Influential People of 2016.

During her Ambassadorship, she will focus on advocacy initiatives and raise awareness around the plight of the countless victims of trafficking in persons, especially refugees, women and girls.

UNODC is the lead UN entity fighting all forms of human trafficking, including sexual slavery, forced labour, child soldiering and trafficking for the purpose of organ removal.

It is also the custodian of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and mandated to manage the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.

Nadias appointment as a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador, provides a unique opportunity to urge others to join us in our fight against human trafficking. We know that Nadias extraordinary commitment to the plight of trafficking victims will move people to take action against this scourge, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov said in his message on her induction.  PTI
RACINE  The former president of the Milwaukee and Racine-based animal rescue operation Lucky Mutts Rescue was the subject of numerous complaints before police and city health officials were finally able to gain entry to her home this month, a city official has confirmed.

Heather D. Jensen, 33, and her boyfriend, Terry S. Bogard, 64, both of 1437 Harmony Drive, were charged Monday with 26 counts of intentionally or negligently mistreating animals after police, after City of Racine Health Department staff entered their 928-square-foot home on Sept. 9 and found 24 rescue dogs and two personal dogs living in cramped, filthy conditions.

The animals were reportedly housed in stacked crates, which appeared to be too small for many of the dogs. An officer who entered the home reportedly was so overwhelmed by the stench of urine that he could only stay in the residence for 30 seconds.

The animals were taken out of the home with the help of officers, Health Department staff, and Wisconsin Humane Society staff.

Citation issued in April

Although the condition the home may have been alarming, it wasnt the first time that either police or Health Department staff had been called to the residence, Racine Public Health Administrator Dottie-Kay Bowersox said.

The Health Department was first called to the home on April 21, after a neighbor complained about piles of dog feces in the backyard. When the feces were not cleaned up five days later, the Health Department issued the residence a citation.

That citation seemed to do the trick, but it wasnt long until the Health Department received another animal waste complaint  this time on July 28. When the couple refused to clean up the excrement this time, crews from the Department of Public Works stepped in to take care of the mess.

Police also fielded complaints about the residence, said Racine Police spokesman Sgt. Adam Malacara; among them a June 30 complaint of an animal at large and an animal mistreatment complaint from April 29.

It was for a dog that was supposedly in a van in the driveway of that house for three days, Malacara said about the latter incident.

When police spoke with Jensen, she apparently told officers that she just picked up the dog that morning and that it had food and water available to it in the van.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, which licensed the shelter, gained entry to the home on Aug. 12. They ordered Jensen to clean up the facility and reduce the number of animals being housed there. But less than a month later, after receiving another animal welfare complaint, the Health Department called DATCP back to Racine.

That was on Sept. 7. The seizure took place two days later.

We asked for entry into the property a couple of different times  once in July, and once in August  and she (Jensen) refused to let us into the property. The state, according to her license, can enter at any point for an inspection, Bowersox said.

Lucky Mutts and Jensen

Attempts to reach both Lucky Mutts Rescue staff and Jensen were unsuccessful Thursday and Friday, but a message posted on Lucky Mutts Rescues Facebook page on Monday, Sept. 12, stated that Jensen had been removed as president from the organization, and from the rescue itself.

A phone call made to Lucky Mutts on Friday went directly to voicemail. A reporter who called Jensen on her cellphone was hung up on after identifying herself.

According to DATCP, the license for the rescue is listed as 1437 Harmony Drive, Jensens address.

But the rescue operation itself has apparently been operating out of 9225 Beloit Road, Milwaukee.

They are not keeping dogs overnight there. It is a drop off point. They use it for intake, explained Raechelle Cline, a DATCP spokesman.

Although shelters and rescues that house more than 25 dogs a year must have a license, any shelter or home that houses fewer than that does not. Lucky Mutts has apparently applied for another license for the Milwaukee location, Cline said.

The Wisconsin Humane Society is caring for the 24 rescue animals found at Jensens home at its shelters in Racine, Milwaukee and Ozaukee county campuses.

All of the animals are doing well, but some are receiving medical treatments, WHS spokeswoman Angela Speed said.
Islamabad, September 17

A Pakistan court on Saturday ordered the confiscation of Pervez Musharraf's property after the former dictator "persistently failed" to appear in the case involving the killing of a cleric during the 2007 Lal Masjid operation.

A sessions court in Islamabad is trying 73-year-old Musharraf, who is currently in Dubai for purported medical treatment, over killing of Abdul Rasheed Ghazi when army stormed the Lal Masjid in the heart of the city.

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Additional District and Sessions Judge (West) Pervaiz ul Qadir Memon ordered confiscation of Musharraf's properties under Section 88 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a lawyer said.

"The court ordered confiscation of property as the court said Musharraf persistently failed to appear in the case," according to lawyer Tariq Asad, who represented the cleric.

The court also rejected a plea by Musharraf's lawyer, Akhtar Shah, who had contended that since army was acting in aid of civilian administration during the Lal Masjid operation, hence, no criminal case could be filed against any official of the armed forces.

Musharraf, who has been living in Dubai since March, has not appeared even a single time in the court despite warnings.

The former military ruler flew to Dubai for purported medical treatment after the Supreme Court lifted the ban on his foreign trips and it is believed that he may never return to face a slew of several high-profile cases against him.

The court declared him a proclaimed offender and confiscated surety bonds of Rs 200,000 this year.

A case was registered against Musharraf in 2013 for alleged role in killing of Ghazi.

Musharraf ruled from 1999 to 2008 when he stepped down after his supporters lost elections. He lived in Dubai and returned in 2013 to take part in elections but was embroiled in several criminal cases, including high treason for abrogating the constitution in 2007.

In January this year, Musharraf was acquitted by court for alleged role in killing of Baloch rebel leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006.  PTI
Moscow, September 17

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday accused Syrian rebels of using a fragile ceasefire to regroup, as diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Washington simmered over a lack of humanitarian aid access.

Fresh shelling and clashes were reported overnight in some areas of the war-torn country, but the US-Russia brokered truce which took effect on Monday appeared to be largely holding.

In New York, the UN Security Council cancelled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss whether to endorse the ceasefire, billed as the last chance to end the five-year war that has killed 300,000 people.

The closed-door consultations were scrapped after Moscow and Washington failed to agree over disclosing details of the ceasefire to the council.

Putin, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said he remained "positive" about the truce but lashed out at rebels.

We see attempts to regroup among these terrorists, to switch one label for another, one name for another and keep their military capacity," he said in televised remarks while on a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

Putin said Washington apparently "has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad," calling it a "very dangerous path."

Moscow said yesterday that it was ready to prolong the truce by 72 hours, but there has been no formal announcement of an extension.

The implementation of the truce has been complicated by the presence of jihadists  who are not covered by the ceasefire  and mainstream rebels on some of the same frontlines.

A challenge for Washington is to persuade opposition groups it backs to separate themselves from the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, previously called Al-Nusra Front.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and condemned "repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid," spokesman John Kirby said.

Kerry told Lavrov that Washington "expects Russia to use its influence on the Assad regime to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach the battleground northern city of Aleppo and other areas in need," Kirby said.  AFP
Moscow, September 17

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Syrian rebels today of using a fragile ceasefire to regroup, as diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Washington simmered over a lack of humanitarian aid access.

Fresh shelling and clashes were reported overnight in some areas of the war-torn country, but the US-Russia brokered truce which took effect on Monday appeared to be largely holding.

In New York, the UN Security Council cancelled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss whether to endorse the ceasefire, billed as the "last chance" to end the five-year war that has killed 300,000 people.

The closed-door consultations were scrapped after Moscow and Washington failed to agree over disclosing details of the ceasefire to the council. Putin, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said he remained "positive about the truce but lashed out at rebels.

Putin said Washington apparently has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad, calling it a very dangerous path.  AFP
Washington, September 17

The US has given a donation of $1.32 million to the family of Giovanni Lo Porto, the Italian aid worker killed in January 2015 by a US drone strike. Documents detailing the condolence payment also confirmed the attack took place in Pakistan.

In April 2015, US President Barack Obama admitted that Lo Porto and another aid worker, Warren Weinstein, were killed in a drone strike against a suspected al-Qaeda base in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Lo Porto and Weinstein had been held hostage by the terrorist group since 2011.

Documents quoted by the Italian daily La Repubblica this week show that the US government signed an agreement with the Lo Porto family on July 8, to pay a total of 1,185,000 euros ($1.32 million) as a donation in the memory of Giovanni Lo Porto. The admission was made shortly after Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzis visit to Washington.

The US Embassy in Rome and Lo Portos brother, Daniele, confirmed the payment made to Lo Portos parents, Vito and Giusy.

We did that knowing that no dollar figure would ever bring back their loved ones and, out of respect for the families, we are not sharing any details of those payments, a spokesman for the embassy told The Guardian.

On the anniversary of Lo Portos death, his family complained that both Rome and Washington had forgotten about them. No Italian government officials showed up for Lo Portos funeral, his brother Daniele told The Guardian.

Following the payment, Lo Portos mother Giusy released a statement indicating that she did not believe justice had been served.

I will not see my son at home with his smile. They took my precious son and they also killed me. Now all that remains for me is to wait until the last day of my life for divine, not earthly, justice, she said.  IANS
WATERFORD  The newly-christened Fox River Trail, a 220-mile waterway that winds from Waukesha County through Waterford and to northern Illinois, will bask in the television spotlight next spring.

Outdoor Wisconsin, the long-running Milwaukee Public Television show, recently filmed an episode in Waterford featuring the trail and the villages recently-opened canoe and kayak launches.

Yorkville native and Union Grove High School graduate Emmy Fink hosted the segment, which will be aired sometime next spring.

Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald and administrative analyst Barbara Messick joined Fink in the episode. The segment also featured the Tichigan Kayaker Club, Ewald said.

It was great to talk about the Chamber of Commerce, Absolutely Waterford, Real Racine and the Waterford Library collaborating to spread the news of our work here regarding the canoe and kayak launches, Ewald said.

The village is truly grateful for the financial support provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Racine Community Foundation, Ewald added. The support helps Racine County and the village identify their place in southeastern Wisconsin.

In June, Waterford opened the canoe and kayak launches with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by state and local dignitaries. One launch is at Village Hall Park, 123 N. River St., while the other is at Case Eagle Park in Rochester.

The launches provide safe and easy access around the Waterford and Rochester dams. Paddlers now can travel from the headwaters in Waukesha County through Racine and Kenosha counties to the Illinois state line and beyond.

About the show

Outdoor Wisconsin has been on the air for 31 years. The show features segments on hunting, fishing, camping, biking, conservation, and wildlife observation across the state.

Outdoor Wisconsin is Milwaukee Public Televisions longest running local production and consistently ranks, according to Nielsen numbers, in the top 20 of all public television programs seen in the Milwaukee area, according to the MPTV website.
DOVER  An offer to run a 6-inch sewer pipe through a 4-mile stretch of the town doesnt smell right to many town residents.

Lakeview Neurological Rehabilitation Center, 1701 Sharp Road, Dover, must eliminate its sewage discharge by 2020. The hospital could haul away sewage or connect to a sewage treatment plant.

The hospital wants to run a 1-inch pipe from Lakeview to the Eagle Lake Sewer Utility treatment plant, 25300 Kickapoo Drive, Dover, or the Western Racine County sewer utility plant, 1020 N. River Road, Rochester.

Installing the pipe would cost about $600,000, said Douglas Snyder, an engineer from Baxter Woodman, Lakeviews engineering firm.

During discussion about the proposed pipe earlier this week, the Dover Town Board asked if Lakeview could install an additional 6-inch sewer line that could serve residents in the area if they chose to connect.

Lakeview officials said they would install the 6-inch line at no cost to the town, and town officials said residents would not be required to hook up to the line at any time.

But almost all residents who appeared at an informational meeting about the proposal Wednesday night were unenthusiastic about utilizing such a line. About 40 residents attended the meeting, a joint session of the Town Board and the town Plan Commission at the Dover Town Hall, 4110 S. Beaumont Road, Kansasville.

Several residents said they feared the sewer line would attract housing developers and alter Dovers rural character.

We like our quality of life here, said Marie Frederick, a commissioner on the Eagle Lake Sewer Utility Board. Does a 6-inch sewer line attract subdivisions? This might be a 6-inch highway for them.

The sewer line would offer an alternative to the mound systems and septic tanks many residents use to dispose of sewage.

Mound systems dont last forever, said Town Board member Mike Shenkenberg.

Plant capacity

The Eagle Lake treatment plant has plenty of capacity, said Jeff Bratz, the sewage utility administrator. The plant can take in 400,000 gallons of water per day, but usually only gets between 160,000 and 180,000 gallons a day, Bratz said.

Lakeviews proposed 1 inch line would bring in an additional 14,000 gallons per day, Bratz said.

Lakeview also would like the town to borrow the $600,000 for the project through a low-interest loan program offered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

None of the residents at Wednesdays meeting seemed thrilled about the prospect of the the town borrowing money for a private business project.

The deadline for the town to apply for the low-interest loan is Oct. 31. Town officials will continue to gather information, hammer out details, and keep residents as informed as possible, said Town Chairman Tom Lembcke.

Nothing has been decided at all, Lembcke said. We just wanted everyone to be as informed as possible.
On Monday A Current Affair turns its attention to the recent knife attack in Minto once again with Tracy Grimshaw to interview Wayne Greenhalgh.

Greenhalgh was set upon and repeatedly stabbed in the abdomen, chest and neck while out walking his dog last Saturday afternoon.

The frenzied attack, which was caught on camera, shocked the nation.

Now the grandad they call The Tank will open up to the nation about the moment he stared death in the face and survived to tell the tale.

In this incredible interview, Tracy Grimshaw will visit the Greenhalgh house in the south-western suburbs of Sydney which became a war zone last weekend.

Plus, youll see Wayne Greenhalghs emotional reunion with the heroic neighbour who came to his rescue, armed with a fence paling.

7pm Monday on Nine.
YORKVILLE  Daryl Poisl Sr. knows all too well the life-changing risks of living on a road with fast-moving traffic.

Poisls daughter, Amy Poisl Krenzke, 43, was killed May 31 after she went out into Highway 11 chasing her dog and was hit by a gravel truck.

The Racine County Sheriffs Office called the crash an unfortunate accident, but it left Poisl with a heightened sense of speed and road conditions.

I never want another family to go through the hell that we have been through, he said. And thats what it has been  hell.

Thats why the 64-year-old retired dairy farmer wants the speed limit dropped to 45 mph from the current 55 mph on Braun Road from Interstate 94 to 57th Drive where the road ends.

Poisl, who lives on that stretch of the road, collected signatures from his neighbors, presented them to the Yorkville Town Board last week and has requested the change.

Poisl and his wife, Patricia, have lived on Braun since 1984. The area certainly has grown since then, and as other municipalities repair and renovate roads, many drivers are using Braun Road as a shortcut around the snarls.

There are so many more cars now than when we first moved here, Poisl said. There are more subdivisions and more everything.

People think there are no signs or no cops here so they take the back roads and fly by, Poisl added. At night, it sounds like theyre hitting 80 and 90 mph.

Poisl said people who walk along the road, kids who bike on it, and motorists who drive on it can be inattentive. People are on cellphones everywhere, he said.

When Poisl gathered signatures from his neighbors, he found almost of them thought the same things about the traffic. They agreed right away, Poisl said. They were glad that someone was trying to do something about it.

Daryl L. Poisl Jr. lives next to his father on Braun Road.

Its ridiculous how fast some of these cars go, said the younger Poisl. People just come down this road hauling (butt).

Sheriff to be contacted

A town official agreed. I believe that limit is way too fast for that stretch of road, said Terrence OBrien, Yorkvilles towns code enforcement officer.

OBrien said he would ask Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling to place a speed display along the road to show drivers how fast they are going.

To have the limit changed, traffic and engineering studies must be conducted, and crash data from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation must be analyzed, said Yorkville Town Chairman Peter Hansen.

Theres a process, but your recommendation is the start, Hansen told Poisl at the board meeting.
The Emmys tomorrow generally marks the traditional start of the Fall season, which sees a slew of favourite shows returning in the US.

So when can Australian viewers expect them here?

A select few have been scheduled by free to air networks.

TEN has the most confirmed airdates so far.

American Horror Story 9:30pm Monday September 19 on ELEVEN

Scream Queens (pictured) 9:30pm Wednesday September 21 on ELEVEN

Modern Family 7pm Sunday September 25 on TEN

The Simpsons 8:30pm Wednesday September 28 on ELEVEN

Son of Zorn 9pm Wednesday September 28 on ELEVEN

Updated: Macgyver Saturday October 8 on TEN

Scorpion Saturday October 8 on TEN

Hawaii Five-0 Saturday October 8 on TEN

There is no date as yet for NCIS, This Is Us or Empire.

Seven has confirmed it will screen the following titles on 7flix in the week of September 25:

Updated: Greys Anatomy 8:30pm Monday September 26

Quantico 9:30pm Monday September 26

How to Get Away with Murder 10:30pm Monday September 26

Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 8:30pm Tuesday September 27

Blindspot is due the week of October 2nd on Seven.

The Blacklist is yet to be confirmed.

Fans of The Amazing Race have a long wait -it wont even screen in the US until next year.

Nine is fast-tracking The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey over two nights (no longer a 3 night affair) 8:40pm this Monday and Tuesday.

Survivor has a new timeslot of 10pm Thursdays (Syd / Bris) following The Footy Show from September 29 (10:30pm Melb / Ade / Per). It will launch a week after its US screening -but if there are any US pre-emptions we could well catch up for the finale (unclear).

There is no confirmed date for The Big Bang Theory as yet.

Foxtel has a slew of returning titles, most of which are fast-tracked:

The Strain 8:30pm FOX8 Wednesday September 28

Westworld 12pm Showcase Monday October 3

The Flash 7:30pm FOX8 Wednesday October 5

Arrow 7:30pm FOX8 Thursday October 6

Divorce 8:30pm Showcase Tuesday October 11

Supergirl 8:50pm FOX8 Tuesday October 11

DCs Legends of Tomorrow 7:30pm FOX8 Friday October 14

Victoria 8:30pm BBC First October 16

The Fall 8:30pm BBC First Thursday October 20

SBS 2 has South Park back on air from 8:30pm this Thursday.
The FedEx Performance Zone tracks the form of all the players in the UEFA Europa League group stage; check out the stars of matchday one.



1st: Giuliano (Zenit)

Zenit's amazing comeback from 3-0 down to win 4-3 was in no small part thanks to their Brazil winger, who scored the equaliser and set up the Russian side's other three goals in a truly inspired display. The 26-year-old has also netted four times in as many Russian Premier League appearances since his summer move from Gremio.

"That was incredible," said Giuliano. "It is difficult to explain what went on in those first 77 minutes. Our opponents were better than us during this period. The key was our second goal  after that we believed in ourselves again and started to play much better. I have five goals and four assists already, which represents a great start to my Zenit career."

AFP/Getty Images

2nd: Leon Bailey (Genk)

The Jamaican, 19, moved up nine places with his two goals, which proved to be in vain for his team in their 3-2 loss at Rapid Wien. He now has five goals in his last five UEFA Europa League games in addition to one scored in the Eerste Klasse this term.

3rd: Alexander Grunwald (Austria Wien)

The captain and playmaker leapt 31 places courtesy of a superb strike and assist  along with a 78% pass completion rate  in the Violets' 3-2 triumph at Astra Giurgiu.

On the rise

11th: Haris Medunjanin (Maccabi Tel-Aviv)

A fantastic performance by the midfielder was highlighted by two goals in Maccabi's dramatic reversal against Zenit. He jumps a massive 156 places and his all-round play was strong with a solid 82% pass completion rate and three crosses which found a team-mate.

13th: Alexandre Pato (Villarreal)

The former Milan forward chipped in with a goal and an assist to help the Yellow Submarine to a 2-1 victory over Zurich. His link-up play was just as impressive as he connected with a team-mate with 27 of his 32 passes  a high completion rate (84%) given most were in the attacking third.

Honourable mention

23rd: Jan Sykora (Liberec)

He may not be a fast climber, but the midfielder registered the fastest goal in UEFA Europa League history  his strike at Qarabag coming after just 10.69 seconds. It elevated him 84 places.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
Militants launched 30 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas over the past day.

This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.

In particular, terrorists violated ceasefire 16 times in Donetsk direction. The militants shelled Avdiyivka (18km north of Donetsk), Verkhniotoretske (22km north-east of Donetsk), and Zaitseve (67km north-north-east of Donetsk), using grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms.

Four ceasefire violations were recorded in Luhansk direction. The terrorists shelled Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk), using small arms.

In Mariupol direction, 10 ceasefire violations were spotted. The militants used grenade launchers and small arms to shell Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), Marinka (35 km south-west of Donetsk), and Novotroitske (32km south of Donetsk).

ish
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has held a meeting with Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and Vice-President of the European Commission for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis.

This has been reported by the press service of the Head of State.

The parties have discussed the situation in Donbas in the context of declaring the ceasefire regime and deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the occupied territories.

Petro Poroshenko welcomed the EU Councils decision of September 15 to prolong individual sanctions for 6 months and urged the EU to preserve comprehensive sanction pressure on Russia until the restoration of territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea.

The Head of State has urged the EU to accelerate the process of making a decision on the introduction of the visa-free regime for Ukrainians and completion of ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.

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The energy ministers from Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to meet in Minsk on September 21 to discuss energy supply to Donbas.

Former President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma said this at the 13th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reproted.

"We are discussing these issues every time. It is planned that our minister and the Russian minister will meet on September 21 and discuss bigger matters," Kuchma said.

He said that the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure of Donbas required investments, and it should be also discussed at the meeting.

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Pope Francis meets with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi to discuss the global displacement crisis on September 15, 2016.  L'osservatore Romano

ROME, Italy  Pope Francis discussed the plight of millions of forcibly displaced people around the world with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Thursday, during a private audience in Vatican City.

Grandi expressed his deep appreciation for the Popes strong advocacy and support for refugees and internally displaced people and spoke of the unprecedented figure of 65 million forcibly displaced by conflict, persecution and violence.

The Pope and the High Commissioner shared their concern over the magnitude of the humanitarian crises around the world. Grandi noted in particular the situation in the broader Middle East, Europe, North Africa and Sub-Saharan African regions, which host at least 12 major conflicts, most of them producing displacement of a catastrophic nature.

Pope Francis and UN Refugees Chief discuss global humanitarian crisis

The two also discussed the situation in Latin America and the progress made in Colombia with the recent peace agreement, along with their concern over the tens of thousands who have fled gang-related and other forms of violence in the Northern Triangle of Central America.

The High Commissioner informed the Pope that he is travelling to New York to attend the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, which will be held at the General Assembly on September 19. Grandi said to Pope Francis that he sees the meeting as an opportunity for leaders to focus on displacement issues and expects it will help to enhance protection for those forcibly displaced and otherwise on the move.

"The Pope has long been a strong advocate for the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers," Grandi said. "His voice gives strength to the weak and hope to the marginalized."
The number of South Sudanese refugees sheltering in neighbouring countries has this week passed the 1 million mark, including more than 185,000 people who have fled since fresh violence erupted in the country in Juba on July 8. With this milestone, South Sudan joins Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia as countries which have produced more than a million refugees.

Most of the recent arrivals have crossed into Uganda (143,164), but a surge of people have entered western Ethiopias Gambella region in the past week and others have been heading to Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic. These countries have commendably kept their doors open to the new arrivals.

The violence in July came as a major setback to peace efforts in South Sudan, coming as the fledgling country prepared to celebrate its fifth anniversary and amid a short-lived peace deal between supporters of President Salva Kiir and former First Vice President Riek Machar.

The fighting has shattered hopes for a real breakthrough and triggered new waves of displacement and suffering, while humanitarian organizations are finding it very difficult for logistical, security and funding reasons to provide urgent protection and assistance to the hundreds of thousands in need, including 1.61 million internally displaced people.

Most of those fleeing South Sudan are women and children. They include survivors of violent attacks, sexual assault, children that have been separated from their parents or travelled alone, the disabled, the elderly and people in need of urgent medical care.

Uganda is hosting the lions share of South Sudanese refugees, with 373,626, more than a third of them arriving since early July. They keep coming; over the past week more than 20,000 new arrivals were recorded, primarily through the Oraba crossing in the northwest. New arrivals report increased fighting across the Greater Equatoria region and attacks by armed groups that kill civilians, loot villages, sexually assault women and girls, and recruit young boys. Many refugees arrive exhausted after days walking in the bush and going without food or water. Many children have lost one or both of their parents, some forced to become primary caregivers to younger siblings.

A surge of people, more than 11,000, many of them from the Nuer tribe, have crossed into Gambella during the past week, bringing the number of South Sudanese refugees in that country to more than 292,000. The majority were women and children, including some 500 children travelling alone. Most had fled from Nasser, Maban, Mathiang and Maiwut in Upper Nile and cited insecurity and fears of renewed conflict after seeing significant troop movements. New arrivals from Jonglei talked of food shortages as one reason for fleeing.

Neighbouring Sudan hosts the third largest number of South Sudanese refugees, 247,317, and people continue to come to the countrys East Darfur, South Darfur and White Nile states. Those in the two Darfurs cite growing unrest and heightened food insecurity, especially in the north-western states of Northern Bahr El Ghazal and Warrap, as their reasons for flight. White Nile state has 41% of all South Sudanese refugees in Sudan. Currently, an average of nearly 1,800 people are arriving per month. Floods are preventing others from leaving South Sudan.

Smaller numbers have been fleeing to Kenya, DR Congo and Central African Republic since the return to conflict in July. About 300 people a week have been crossing into Kenya, citing insecurity, economic instability and drought and reporting that the flight corridor between Torit and Kapoeta remains dangerous due to armed bandits. Kenya has over 90,000 South Sudanese refugees.

The DR Congo is currently experiencing an influx into Ituri province close to the border with South Sudan and Uganda. An estimated 40,000 South Sudanese refugees are said to be in the country and we are continuing registration.

UNHCR field staff report that new arrivals are camped in schools and churches, while the less fortunate sleep in the open. Refugees lack food and basic household items. An estimated 5% of the children are unaccompanied, and many women and girls said they were sexually assaulted during their flight. Early this month, refugees near the city of Doruma (Haut-Uele province) were attacked, their food rations stolen, and a health centre looted by unknown attackers.

Insecurity in South Sudans Central Equatoria has also significantly affected UNHCRs ability to access and assist thousands of refugees inside South Sudan itself. In Lasu settlement, some 40 km south of Yei, nearly 10,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Central African Republic and Sudan have not received their monthly food rations since late June this year.

Without further funding and support, we and our partners will struggle to assist the needy with even the most basic assistance. UNHCR is calling on donors to provide US$701 million for South Sudan refugee operations, of which 20% has been funded.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
27,000 ha forest land encroached upon

Encroachment of forest land in the name of building settlements for landless has gone unchecked in the western region.
Apex court dangles the sword of Damocles over CIAA chief Karki

The Supreme Court (SC) has reopened the case of appointment of Lokman Singh Karki as the chief commissioner of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, in a move that could lead to some dramatic events in coming days.
Call to use single womens fund in rebuilding homes

Women for Human Rights, Single Women Group (WHR-SWG) has asked the government to use the Emergency Fund for Single Women to rebuild homes for single women who were displaced by the last years earthquake.
The Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P are still the current smartphones of Google, the smartphones were introduced back in September 2015. Tech fans are now waiting for the tech monster to unleash their successors.

Reports have been pumping the internet that Google will introduce a couple of new smartphones under a new title, the upcoming smartphones of Google will be called Pixel (was named as Nexus Sailfish) and Pixel XL (formerly called Nexus Marlin), which means that the Nexus branding is going down the drain.

It seems like Google is trying to bring a new brand into existence that will catch the consumer's attention, a brand that will not only include the tech company's smartphones, but some of their other devices. As Google already unleashed the Pixel Chromebooks in the past, based on the report of Android Headlines.

Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones have leaked several times online, and both of these devices were also certified by the FCC already.

The official unveiling of the sought after Google smartphones for 2016, formerly dubbed by their codenames HTC Sailfish and HTC Marlin, is drawing near. The tech monster is most likely going to officially unveil the two smartphones at the company's event on October 4, according to PC Advisor.

However, in terms of specifications, it has been said that the Google Pixel and Pixel XL will come along on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 System on Chip (SoC), as well as similar RAM of 4 gigabyte.

But, the smartphones internal built-in storage will come in two different models, 32 gigabyte and 128 gigabyte. It is not yet confirmed on whether or not the two devices will be made available in both handset variants. Pixel (Sailfish) is speculated to have the standard size of 5-inch, while the Pixel XL (Marlin) will come out as an expanded option of 5.5-inch, Christian Today reported.

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Rumors about "MacBook Pro 2016" redesign suggesting that Apple is slowly swaying away from Intel's shadow for choosing their proprietary chipset over the 7th generation Kaby Lake processor. This is further supported by the latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus which both powered by Apple's newest chip A10 Fusion. And the rest of the world would have to wait for the upcoming A10 successors for laptops.

In contrast to the speculated Intel Kaby Lake processor availability as culprit for "MacBook Pro 2016" delay, another rumor suggested the Cupertino-based company is working with a proprietary chipset to power their 2016 laptop flagship. This statement was supported by The Verge report where A10 Fusion chip in iPhone 7 has sent Intel to anxiety.

According to the report, AMD is not Intel closest nemesis (not even close since AMD's thunderbird vs Intel's Pentium) but the hardware master Apple. It is evident with the current performance of Apple's A series mobile processors as leading in the market compared to Intel's x86 chips. The lead was further exacerbated by sudden whoops as A10 Fusion chip introduced in the latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

This further led to the idea that Apple might consider an A10 successor for its "MacBook Pro 2016" models and beyond given the fact that A10 has the power to handle workloads in PC. Also, this strengthens the rumors and speculations about "MacBook Pro 2016" redesign. However, nobody really knows how close Apple to biting the bullet of coming up with A10 successor for laptops and iOS as the universal operating system.

Furthermore, in the context of "MacBook Pro 2016" redesign, Mac Rumors reported about the survey conducted by Apple regarding the new laptop features such as battery life, ports, SD card and the headphone jack. In one of the survey questioned shared by a Mac Rumors reader said "Do you ever use the headphone port on your MacBook Pro with Retina display?"

It seems like Apple is serious about headphone jack removal in laptops. Assumption was headphone jack took its first step towards the antic box when Apple first introduced the wireless AirPod earbuds to public last September.
About 92 percent of Soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have made it home alive, according to Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West.



That's the highest percentage in the history of warfare, despite the rising severity of battle injuries from increasingly lethal weapons, said West, Surgeon general of the Army and commander of Army Medical Command. She spoke here on August 18, 2016 to the Defense Writers Group.



August 24, 2016 - About 92 percent of Soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have made it home alive, said Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West. Shown here, Soldiers in a tactical critical care evacuation team prepare for a patient transfer mission at Forward Operating Base Orgun East, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Marleah Miller) The survival rate in Vietnam was around 75 percent, she told her audience.



CONTRIBUTING FACTORS



There are a number of reasons for improved survival rates, West said.



Soldiers, not just medics, are receiving much better training in lifesaving techniques, and Army medicine has continued to advance, she said. Another reason is that casualties are transported swiftly back to hospitals and receive excellent care en route.



Other contributing factors are less obvious, she said, like improved communication from the point of injury.



For example, a video teleconference line has been established between forces deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq back to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, which is usually the first stop for casualties, she pointed out.



Communications channels have also been established with follow-on treatment centers, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland; Naval Medical Center San Diego; and the Army's burn center at Joint Base San Antonio.



During a recent video teleconference, West recalled, physicians in the U.S. were able to see that a Soldier's head wound was causing inter-cranial pressure and advise medical staff to address while still in theater.



Open communications channels also mean that medical staff stateside can better prepare for an incoming casualty, West added.



FUTURE SURVIVABILITY



While battlefield survival rates continue to improve, Soldiers in future conflicts may not be so fortunate, West said.



In the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. forces had the luxury of air superiority and could evacuate casualties almost at will, she said.



A Soldier with a head wound in Afghanistan could arrive from the point of injury to Bethesda Naval Medical Center where the medical specialist was standing by within 24 hours of being wounded, she said.



"That's unprecedented," she said.



But in a conflict with a near-peer enemy U.S. forces cannot count on that level of air superiority, West said. So Army medicine is looking for alternative ways of treatment.



For one, the Army will be asking a lot more of its medics in the future. That could mean teaching them sophisticated techniques and procedures that they currently don't perform. First responders, those non-medics in the fight, will also be asked to do more, she said.



Advances in telehealth will also play a vital role, she said. Telehealth, employing telecommunications technologies to deliver virtual medical services, has already come a long way.



In the near future, a Soldier could be fitted with medical sensors that collect and relay medical data to an intensive care specialist, or a vascular surgeon in the U.S. could instruct a medical provider in theater to do a relatively complex procedure on a blood vessel.



"It won't make that person a trauma surgeon," West said. "But that reach-back could help when needed." By U.S. Army David Vergun

Army News Service

Copyright 2016 Comment on this article
Divide and rule

It seems all but natural that the Nepali Congress is deeply marred by factionalism. Ever since the party unification in 2007, all nominations by the party have been divided by then party president Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba in a 60:40 ratio. Now Ram Chandra Poudel, who leads the previous establishment faction after Deuba was elected the party president in March, has demanded at least 40pc stake within the party.
UW Trustees Give High Priority to Science Initiative Facility

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees has reaffirmed its commitment to UWs Top-Tier Science Initiative, including construction of a new science facility on campus.

Trustees voted unanimously Thursday in favor of a resolution declaring the planned Science Initiative building as one of the highest priorities for new facilities and buildings at UW, while continuing the boards strong support of the implementation of the programmatic Science Initiative elements.

The Science Initiative, aimed at lifting the universitys foundational science programs to top-quartile status, has received support from Gov. Matt Mead and the Wyoming Legislature. In addition to approving $2.3 million in annual recurring dollars for Science Initiative programs, the Legislature has allocated a total of $100 million in one-time funding for construction of a Science Initiative facility. The building will contain studio-style classrooms to facilitate active learning, along with state-of-the-art research centers in scientific imaging and biological research.

Lawmakers also appropriated $3 million to acquire property north of campus for the building and other potential projects in line with UWs long-range development plan. Efforts to acquire those properties are underway, along with planning for the building itself. A timeline for construction has not yet been established.

The new Science Initiative building is necessary to continue the progress and reach the goal of having Top-Tier Science Initiative programs at the University of Wyoming, the trustees resolution states.

Endorsed by the governor-appointed panel of accomplished scientists, industry leaders and other professionals, the initiative aims to transform science education and improve student success at UW and across the state, while creating world-class facilities to propel research on issues important to the state and nation. The initiative emphasizes collaboration among multiple disciplines by assembling researchers into a single complex with shared instrumentation, technical support and collaboration spaces.

The plan also signals a dramatic change in the way the foundational sciences are taught at the university, moving from traditional lectures and laboratories to an active-learning format.

Botany Professor Greg Brown, the College of Arts and Sciences associate dean who heads the Science Initiative, told the trustees that significant progress has been made on programmatic pieces of the initiative. The Learning Actively Mentoring Program -- a mentoring and professional development program with an emphasis on helping instructors adopt active-learning strategies in large-scale classrooms -- started this summer. The Wyoming Research Scholars Program -- which pairs undergraduate students with faculty mentors who can model the scholarship, teaching, service and outreach activities of a professional scientist -- recently selected 22 new and returning students for the new academic year. And the Competitive Research Innovation Program -- aimed at helping UW attract and retain the nations best faculty in emergent areas of science relevant to the state -- will get started this year.

In other business, trustees this week approved a $2 million expenditure of reserve funding in UW Residence Life and Dining Services to expand the kitchen of the UW Conference Center. That will allow the staff of UW Catering and Events to move its food preparation facilities to the Conference Center from the aging Crane/Hill kitchen.

And the board authorized the purchase of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and Pi Kappa Alpha sorority houses, which have been vacant for more than a year. No decisions about uses for those structures have been made.
Wyoming Business Tips for Sept. 25-Oct. 1

A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Lisa daCosta, Teton County WSBDC business adviser

I have social media and buy some advertising. My business is small, but do I need public relations, too? Michael, Cheyenne

Advertising is paid media. Public relations and publicity are earned media.

Public relations relates to getting positive publicity and press about your business, and your products and services. Consumers do distinguish between advertising and publicity and are much more influenced by articles about a product than a clear paid placement. A study conducted by Nielson indicates that expert content lifted consumer familiarity with, and influenced, likely purchase of product more than 80 percent more effectively than branded advertising.

When should a business invest time or money in public relations? When its product or service is the best version of itself. There is such a thing as bad press and, if the product is not up to snuff, no reporter will cover it; the chances of bad reviews doing more harm than good is high.

Here are some next steps in readying a public relations launch:

-- Take the time to develop the business angle and pitch. Consider what makes the company and product interesting, and what are the angles, related to current news and trends, that the company can emphasize. Include in the pitch the company identity, values and culture that make it and the product different from the competition. Create a narrative about the company and why it is unique, then be ready to share it.

-- There are a number of free or inexpensive portals to find reporters or press release distribution channels, including Help a Reporter Out (helpareporter.com), muckrack.com or prweb.com, for small companies to target the right people and channels that matter for their businesses. Target the media venues and journalists who are already writing about your sector, and develop a pitch specifically targeted to each one of them.

-- Follow these journalists on social media like LinkedIn or Twitter, and comment on their work to start building a connection that can be used to introduce yourself and your product at the right time. For small or startup businesses, an effective public relations strategy and message can be developed and rolled out in-house.

A blog version of this article and an opportunity to post comments are available at www.wyen.biz/blog1/.

The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922.
Over the previous 14 qualifying sessions, weve grown accustomed to Mercedes letting it really go in Q2 and blowing their opposition away. Qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix was different. Mercedes still blew their opposition away, but left it to Q3 before the beast was unleashed.

A stunning 1:42.584, the all-time lap record around Marina Bay, saw Nico Rosberg claim pole ahead of his 200th race start tomorrow. No-one else could get within 0.500, with Daniel Ricciardos last ditch effort enough to demote Lewis Hamilton off the front row, with the two of them starting second and third respectively.

Max Verstappen was fourth, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, in the sole healthy Ferrari, after Sebastian Vettel dropped out in Q1, the legacy of an anti-roll bar failure.

Toro Rosso backed up their strong pace this weekend, with Carlos Sainz sixth ahead of Daniil Kvyat in seventh. Fernando Alonso is the meat in a Force India sandwich, with Nico Hulkenberg eighth, Alonso ninth and Sergio Perez rounding out the top 10, although hours after the session Perez was handed a five place penalty for not slowing for a late Q2 incident, and a further three places for overtaking under yellow flags.

In what was already promising to be a classic race, the fact that the Red Bull duo will be starting on more durable SuperSoft tyres, compared to the more brittle UltraSoft of those around.

From Pole to last  in 363 days

Ferrari were aiming to do just one lap in Q1, thus saving tyres for the race. A good strategy, except with just seven minutes remaining on the clock, Sebastian Vettel reported, the anti-roll bar broke.

Through the corners, his SF16-H had a wheel lifting on the ground and when he boxed in, still complaining that its just stupid, there wasnt enough time to fix it and get him back out. He will start P22. And last.

Elsewhere it was a rather uneventful session, with the usual suspects of the Manors, Renaults and Saubers battling out. However, as Vettel was already out, it meant one of the six drivers would make Q2. That went to Marcus Ericsson, getting his Sauber through.

Up front, Ricciardo showed his hand by lapping in 1:44.255, with Raikkonen and Verstappen slotting in behind. The Mercedes duo comfortably made it through, albeit not with impressive times.

Late drama in Q2

Q2 was progressing as expected, with the big three teams comfortably at the head of the timing sheets, and an almighty battle for the rest of the top 10 spots due to unfold, except for Ericsson, who didnt emerge for a second Q2 run. It was Rosberg who topped the session with a 1:43.020.

However, it was here Red Bull decided to run the SuperSoft, giving them an advantage in the race tomorrow, but not off the start-line.

In the dying embers, a yellow flag was flown, as Haass Romain Grosjean had crashed at T10/11, hitting the wall broadside. Thankfully he was ok, but any driver behind him had to back-off their hot-lap.

Romain Grosjean capped off a miserable weekend by crashing out of Q2. (Image Credit: @F1 Twitter)

Seconds later, another yellow was flying in Sector 3, as Jenson Button had stopped his McLaren. Replays showed he brushed the wall on the exit of Turn 14, puncturing his left-rear. Fernando Alonso was ahead of anyone and was able to complete his lap, which got him through to Q3.

However, there was controversy as Sergio Perez overtook a slowing Esteban Gutierrez whilst passing the Button incident, then promptly went on to get into Q3. He was later demoted to 18th on the grid.

Rosberg blitzes the field

Then there were 10. two Mercedes, one Ferrari, two Red Bulls, two Force Indias, two Toro Rossos and one McLaren. It was expected to be tight between them for pole, but in reality, no-one could even get remotely close to Nico Rosberg.

The business was done on the first runs in the final 12 minutes, delayed by 10 minutes, whilst the barriers were fixed after Grosjeans accident.

Smashing Vettels lap-record, Rosberg became the only man to break the 102-second mark, doing so in 1:42.584, which was 0.709 clear of Hamilton, 0.956 clear of Raikkonen and 1s+ clear of both Red Bulls. Pole was won there and then, despite Verstappens traffic and warm-up issues.

On final Q3 runs, it was only Ricciardo who improved significantly and moved himself to P2, splitting the Mercedes. Hamilton had a scruffy lap, and didnt improve, like Raikkonen, to leave Rosberg with 0.531 in hand.

The Toro Rossos slotted in behind, in a race where a strong result could do wonders for what is left of Daniil Kvyats confidence. Force India will be pleased to out-qualify both Williams, in their on-going battle for fourth in the constructors and yet another Q3 appearance shows McLaren-Honda are getting there.

The 61 laps of the 2016 Formula One Singapore Grand Prix get underway at 13:00pm UK time on Sunday afternoon.


Extreme Escapes is a new original reality series with death-defying stunts premiering on REELZ, Saturday, November 29 (Pictured: Murray SawChuck narrowly escapes from a deadly explosion).

Each one-hour episode of Extreme Escapes brings the shock, wonder and danger of escapology to television with astonishing performances by artists including Las Vegas headlining comic magician Murray SawChuck, Americas Got Talent contestant Spencer Horsman, Masters of Illusion LIVE! performer Farrell Dillon, Las Vegas Illusionist Jan Rouven and Hungarian escape artist David Merlini.

In Extreme Escapes top escape masters challenge the laws of physics in unbelievable stunts performed all around the world including magician Brandy LaPlante attempting to be the first woman to complete the insane car drop escape before being crushed and magician Michael Turcos attempt at a mobster-style challenge where hes shackled, put in cement shoes and tossed to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Other daring stunts attempted on Extreme Escapes include illusionist Jonathan Pendragon putting himself in the line of fire for a dangerous and often deadly featattempting to catch a speeding bullet.

The series also features a precarious escape set in China where internationally acclaimed illusionist Franz Harary must break free from the chains binding him to railroad tracks in the face of a powerful locomotive.


The Vegas Viking Lodge of the Sons of Norway is hosting its 22nd annual Scandinavian Holiday Bazaar Saturday, Oct. 22 at Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas (Photo credit: Erik Pappa).

The public is invited to the 22nd Annual Scandinavian Holiday Bazaar on Oct. 22, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Community Lutheran Church at 3720 E. Tropicana Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89121, where you can shop for imported and domestic holiday items including table decorations, ornaments including those made of straw, dishes, trolls, T-shirts, hats, rosemaled calendars, baked goods, lefse, other food items and more!

Enjoy heart-shaped waffles onsite along with coffee and lemonade and conversation with fellow Scandinavians. There also will be a Grannys Attic for new & gently used items.


On Sunday, April 22, cuddly canines in need compete in The Animal Foundations 9th annual Best in Show, Las Vegas most famous dog show at Orleans Arena. Magician Nathan Burton hosts the event as 50 furry contestants from The Animal Foundations Lied Animal Shelter participate in the highly anticipated American Kennel Club-style dog show.

As The Animal Foundations largest event, Best In Show is Southern Nevadas premier fundraiser for benefitting lost, unwanted and abandoned animals. The dogs compete for the audiences hearts in several categories, and pups with the most crowd applause will advance to compete for the title of Best In Show. Even though there is only one winner, all handsome hounds will be available for adoption immediately following the show.

Tickets are on sale now $12 for adults and $5 for children 2-12 years of age and seniors. On Sunday, April 22, 2012, the Orleans Arena doors open at noon, and the family-friendly show begins at 1:00 p.m. For tickets call 284-7777 or visit www.OrleansArena.com.

With more than 50,000 animals passing through The Animal Foundations Lied Animal Shelter doors each year, Best In Show is important in so many ways. Contracts with government municipalities allow The Animal Foundation to provide care for the first 72 hours of each animals stay. To maintain these services and add further services such as adoptions, humane education and the recently opened low cost spay/neuter clinic, the Foundation relies on the generous efforts of animal lovers through fundraisers like Best In Show.
A juicy love affair

At 6 pm, the daylight is failing, but Shyam Dangol is busy taking in orders and marshalling the kitchen during an after-work rush at the Great Tasty Boso Rahit Momo in Pulchowk. By the time a steaming plate lands in front of Nishant Shilpakar, a regular patron at the eatery, Dangol has clocked well over 500 plates of momos for the day. Sometimes we end up making about 6,000 pieces a day. Thats a lot of momos, he says, though not complaining.
Up to 12 resort projects along Ke Ga Beach in the southern central province of Binh Thuan have been left abandoned

In the early 2000s, many companies decided to invest in resorts along Ke Ga Beach in Ham Thuan Nam District following a call from local authorities.

However in 2007 while some of the projects had opened and others were still under construction, the Ministry of Transport issued a decision to build Ke Ga Port to transit bauxite from the Central Highlands for export.

According to the ministry, the port project cost between USD550 million and USD1 billion and was planned to cover an area of 366 hectares along 2.3 kilometres of Ke Ga Beach.

The resort investors were requested to be suspended as the land was going to be handed over to the national-level port project. Since then, the resorts have been left idle, leaving them abandoned, while some parts were temporarily used to keep chickens and dry fruit.

The construction of Ke Ga Port was expected to start in late 2009 but was delayed several times. At a meeting with Binh Thuan Province's authorities in 2013, the government asked to stop the project as it would not be effective. The government also urged Binh Thuan Province to compensate the investors.

Some photos of the abandoned projects along Ke Ga Beach:
French President Francois Hollande (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel deliver a joint statement after the European Union Summit of 27 Heads of State or Government in Bratislava, Slovakia on Sep 16, 2016. (Photo: AFP/Stephane de Sakutin)

The 27 leaders meeting, without their British counterpart, in the Slovak capital Bratislava issued a roadmap to heal deep divisions and deal with the problems rocking the EU -- mass migration, security and a faltering economy.

In a show of unity after the summit in the hilltop Bratislava Castle, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande pledged to make the plan agreed by their fellow leaders a success.

"We committed in Bratislava to offer to our citizens in the upcoming months a vision of an attractive EU they can trust and support. We are confident that we have the will and the capacity to achieve it," the 27 EU leaders said in a so-called Bratislava Declaration.

"The EU is not perfect but it is the best instrument we have for addressing the new challenges we are facing," it added.

The roadmap leads to a summit Rome next March to "round off the process launched in Bratislava", symbolically on the 60th anniversary of the bloc's founding treaty signed in the Italian capital.

'SOBER BUT NOT DEFEATIST'

Key to the process will be cooperation between France and Germany, who form the traditional power axis of the EU despite their differences on key issues like the economy.

"Germany and France will very intensively play their part in the coming months in order to make all this a success," Merkel told a rare joint press conference with Hollande.

Merkel repeated her warning that the EU was in a "critical situation" - although her influence as leader of the EU's biggest economy has been undermined by her unpopular decision to open Germany's doors last year to nearly a million refugees.

Hollande, who leads Europe's top military power now that Britain is on the way out, said "France and Germany will continue to work so that we can deliver concrete measures."

France and Germany produced a joint defence plan ahead of the summit and the unusual summit joint press conference clearly signalled they will take the lead in rebuilding confidence after Britain's shock Jun 23 referendum decision to quit.

EU President Donald Tusk, who chaired the meeting after touring capitals to find common ground, said the 27 had to focus "on the current situation in Europe, the fact that millions of Europeans feel insecure."

Former Polish premier Tusk said Friday's talks were "sober but not defeatist."

With security making the headlines and people traumatised by deadly terror attacks, leaders put the focus on boosting EU defence cooperation - an issue Britain was lukewarm on at best as it feared it would undercut NATO.

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker submitted his own roadmap on Thursday, including controversial plans to approve an EU military headquarters and a combined military force by June 2017.

'ALL ON THE SAME BOAT'?

Greeted by soldiers in bright blue uniforms and ceremonial plumes, the leaders held a first round of talks in towering Bratislava castle and then lunched on a river cruise aboard a German-flagged boat down the Danube to informally discuss Brexit.

Maltese Premier Joseph Muscat quipped in a tweet: "We are all on the same boat, literally."

All the EU leaders insisted there will be no formal Brexit talks until Britain triggers the two-year divorce process and says what it wants.

Tusk said he understood why Britain needs time to prepare, suggesting Prime Minister Theresa May could go for January or February, but the EU was ready and could even start the talks "tomorrow."

Despite the promise of one vision, cracks in the union are evident everywhere.

The migration crisis is the most divisive issue, with many Eastern European leaders including Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, the summit's host, blaming Merkel for opening the continent's doors.

Tensions had bubbled up earlier this week when Luxembourg's foreign minister called for Hungary to be suspended from the EU for treating refugees other countries like "animals".

Europe is also divided on the economy. Thrice-bailed out Greece last week gathered mostly centre and centre-left southern EU leaders in Athens to urge their northern counterparts to share more of the migrant burden and ease up on austerity.
A production line of Sai Gon Beer Alcohol Beverage JSC. The brewer asks the Ministry of Industry and Trade to list its shares on the HCM Stock Exchange .- Photo vnexpress.net

Sabeco said it planned to sign a consultant's contract with Maybank Kim Eng Securities JSC before September 20.

According to a source, it will take at least two months for all the procedures required for listing to be completed.

In August, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged the equitization process be carried out for Sabeco, which is still the nation's largest domestic brewery, with nearly 90 per cent financed with State capital.
During his trip, Winters called upon senior Vietnamese government and business leaders to exchange views about Vietnams investment opportunities and economic potential. In addition, he was keen to find out how Standard Chartered can further contribute to the countrys growth and the development of its financial sector.

Vietnam is an attractive emerging market driven by its young and dynamic population and increasing integration into the global economy. Being one of the oldest international banks in the country gives us deep local knowledge, which, combined with our excellent international expertise and network, puts us in an ideal position to facilitate Vietnams growth, Winters said.

During his visit, the bank launched Standard Chartered Credit Cards in Vietnam. Winters also affirmed that the bank will continue to invest and drive trade, investment, and the creation of wealth in the country.

Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group, with a 150-year history in some of the worlds most dynamic markets. The bank opened its first Vietnamese branch in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in 1904 and set up its locally incorporated entity, Standard Chartered Bank (Vietnam) Ltd., in 2009. The Vietnamese subsidiary provides a full suite of banking products and services for corporations, financial institutions as well as small and medium-sized enterprises and individuals.

Standard Chartered has been the sole Sovereign Credit Ratings Advisor to the Government of Vietnam since 2012. In this capacity, the Bank has been a trusted partner through a period of macroeconomic instability. Standard Chartered was named the Best Foreign Bank in Vietnam by the Global Banking & Finance Review in 2014 and 2015, and by Global Business Outlook in 2016.
Vinacafe Bien Hoa has been in the market for almost half a century. Its product portfolio include 3 in 1 Original, which has been a customer favourite in the last 23 years, and Vinacafe Chat, which it launched in 2015, with two flavours of filtered coffee, Hanoi and Saigon.

In May 2016, Vinacafe Bien Hoa launched the coffee maker CAFE de NAM Phin Dien inspired by the unique and traditional Vietnamese phin coffee filters but with the added convenience and hygiene of contemporary coffee preparation.

With a single capsule and a push of a button, consumers will be able to enjoy, within 45 seconds, a cup of genuine coffee in three Vietnamese-style coffee flavours: ice dark coffee, strong hot coffee, and ice coffee with condensed milk. With this machine, the company hopes to bring Vietnamese coffee drinks to the world, at equal footing with international drinks such as the Expresso and Americano.

In July 2016 Vinacafe signed the agreement with the Consumer Protection Association of Vietnam committing to list all the ingredients in its products.

The list of the top 50 most valuable brands of Vietnam was released by Brand Finance on September 15. The total value of these top 50 brands of Vietnam was $7.26 billion. Among them are Vinamilk, Masan Group and FPT. This ranking applied the criteria of the ISO 10668 in evaluating brand names. It is recognised by tax and audit agencies and valid in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) transactions.
Photo by MIAMI HERALD

American Airlines executives Gabriel Crespo, left, and Lina Santiago, right, greet Christine Valls, American Airlines sales director for Florida, U.S. Hispanic and the Carribbean, center, who arrived in Cienfuegos, Cuba, on American Airlines inaugural scheduled service from Miami on Sept. 7. If the American Airlines executives were born in Cuba they most likely would not have been able to spend the night on the island. The Cuban government requires anyone born there who left the country after 1970 to have a Cuban passport.
[Update] Koshi boat capsize: 37 people rescued

Thirty-seven people have been safely rescued after a boat capsized in the Koshi River on Saturday.
Mindful Eating: Slower Consumption for Better Health

With tight schedules and busy lives, sitting down to a meal free of distraction can be more of a luxury than the norm. Mindful eating gets pushed aside for many reasons. Taking a break to satisfy your hunger may also seem like the perfect opportunity to catch up on social
Cleanup continues in China's eastern Fujian and Zhejiang provinces following deadly typhoon Meranti's landfall Thursday, but the region is also on the alert as typhoon Malakas approaches.

At least 13 people in China were killed in the wake of Meranti, the Associated Press reported, and another 14 are missing. Millions of homes also lost electricity.

The storm killed two people in Taiwan earlier in the week.

On Saturday, typhoon Malakas brushed Taiwan's eastern coast, closing offices and schools and disrupting transportation in the country's capitol, Taipei. No major damage was reported, despite wind gusts near 200 kilometers per hour.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said Malakas is moving north at 15 kilometers per hour.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - FARC - is scheduled to host a week-long meeting beginning Saturday in the jungle conclave known as Yari Plains.

FARC rebels are gathering for their 10th congress, this time to discuss a peace agreement with the government that is expected to be signed on September 26, ending a half century of civil war in Colombia.

"So much pain and tears. So much pointless mourning and deprivation. So many lives and severed smiles to finally conclude that the way out is not war, but civilized discussion," Rodrigo Londono, also known as Timochenko, FARC leader, said.

Colombia's five decades of conflict led to the deaths of more than 220,000 people and left millions displaced.

In June, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Londono signed a bilateral cease-fire, following nearly four years of negotiations between the two sides in Havana.

Part of the plan to help the FARC fighters includes paying them 90 percent of Colombia's minimum wage as they emerge from their hideouts. The negotiators compared the monthly $200 subsidy to the thousands of dollars spent on each army bombing raid.

Under the agreement, the rebels and government soldiers will receive amnesty for all but the gravest crimes.

Once the deal is approved, FARC will have nonvoting representation in Congress until 2018 and can participate in elections. From then on, the former rebels will have to win votes like candidates in any other political party.

After the agreement is signed, a 180-day countdown begins toward the full demobilization of the fighters, a process that the international community will monitor.

Colombians will then vote on the deal in an October 2 referendum, and the government must win support from many who would prefer to have defeated the guerrillas through military force to avenge years of kidnappings and attacks.

Reports say most opinion polls suggest Colombians will support the deal
Bosnia expects the European Union's foreign ministers to accept its membership application next week, the start of a long path towards joining that could yet be overshadowed by a Bosnian Serb referendum that threatens to expose deep ethnic divides.

The country, beset by economic woes, had an earlier attempt at gaining EU approval scuppered by arguments between its autonomous governments, set up 20 years ago to preserve the country's unity at the end of an ethnic war.

"I expect that we'll get a positive decision from the EU General Affairs Council simply because we have done everything that was expected from us," Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak told a news conference on Friday.

Cajoling the countries of the western Balkans along a path towards closer European integration is a major goal for the EU, which sees the promise of membership as a guarantor of peace in a region that is still scarred by the wars that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

Bosnia filed its membership application in February, but the country's autonomous Serb Republic rejected key conditions imposed by Brussels, including the expansion of a trade deal with Croatia to cover the whole EU, which delayed approval.

Under pressure from the West, the Serbs relented in July, paving the way for the EU ministerial council to consider Bosnia's membership bid at its session on Tuesday.

The country, divided into Bosnian-Croatian and Serbian autonomous regions, remains deeply divided, a legacy that exacerbates the country's economic difficulties and poor investment climate.

Those divisions have been highlighted by the autonomous Serb Republic's plans to hold a referendum on celebrating a national day on Jan. 9, an Orthodox Christian holiday - a prospect that has angered the province's Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosniaks.

The country's highest court is expected to decide on Saturday whether to allow the vote. But the predominately Orthodox Serb Republic is likely to defy any ban, setting up another flashpoint.

Crnadak, himself a Bosnian Serb, said the referendum would not be an obstacle on Bosnia's EU path, adding that he hoped a way could be found of celebrating the Jan. 9 holiday legally.
Koshi boat capsize: 50 police deployed to search for missing people in Koshi barrage

District Police Office Saptari has deployed police at the Koshi Barrage for the rescue operation after a boat capsized in the Koshi River on Saturday.
"Snowden," the new movie from filmmaker Oliver Stone, tells the tale of National Security Agency contractor-turned-whistle-blower Edward Snowden largely through the lens of his personal life. It's a sympathetic account of the computer expert, as opposed to a polemic on whether his decision to leak government documents was right or wrong. Stone frames Snowden's decision to leak secret NSA documents to the world by casting them alongside important personal events in his life.

The film opens in China in 2013, right before Snowden gets holed up in a hotel room with filmmaker Laura Poitras and journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill to offer classified information about the NSAs intrusive global surveillance. Soon afterward, Snowden will be a household name  hero to many, traitor to others. The film does not focus on the effects of the leak. It is more a character drama.

Almost 10 years before the leaks, we follow a rather gawky Edward Snowden, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, struggling to keep up with the Army Reserve's grueling physical training. The film presents him as a patriot who wanted to serve his country. His stay in the Reserve, clearly not his forte, lasted just a few months. He found his calling in the more cerebral CIA environment as a computer analyst. But soon afterward, the film shows, his personality and principles clash with the agencys covert methods.

After resigning from the CIA, he goes to work at the National Security Agency and soon discovers the NSA is conducting secret surveillance on people and political leaders who have nothing to do with terrorism.

From patriotic to paranoid

Gordon-Levitt offers a solid performance as a shy but principled Snowden. He does not possess the piercing look and sharp intellect of the real Snowden, but he does portray Snowdens boyishness and sensitivity. The actor deftly transitions from a staunch, rather conservative patriot, trusting his government, into a disillusioned and fearful, often paranoid human being when he discovers his computer programs being used to spy on innocent people.

His relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, is the center point of the saga. Stone uses it to reveal, through fights, discussions and romantic moments, Snowdens thoughts and reactions to the things he goes through at work, years before he decides to take his fateful trip to China in 2013.

As in previous films such as Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK and Nixon, Oscar-winning filmmaker Stone is more interested in the character dilemmas absorbing Snowden rather than the political developments that came after his revelations. In the film they are an afterthought to a modern-day tragedy.

The film flows crisply, sometimes as a romance, sometimes as an espionage thriller. Some chilling scenes are memorable, such as when Snowden talks via satellite with his former CIA boss and mentor, Corbin OBrian, played by Rhys Ifans. OBrians image, a big-brother meme, is projected huge on the wall looming over the small, standing figure of Snowden.

One could argue that Stones sympathetic look of Snowden, who makes a cameo appearance in the last scene, is preaching to the choir. However, this is a solid character drama that reveals a protagonist's genuine inner turmoil leading up to his choices.
Israel say its military force has shot dead a Palestinian man who had stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier in the West Bank.

The Saturday morning violence took place at a security check in the divided city of Hebron.

The violence happened one day after Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinian assailants in separate incidents in Hebron and East Jerusalem.

More than 200 Palestinians and 34 Israelis have been killed in an upsurge in violence in the past year.

Israel blames the violence on a campaign of incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders.

The Palestinians say the violence is the result of frustration due to decades of occupation.
Israel said Saturday that it had used its "Iron Dome" missile defense system to destroy two rockets fired from Syria, marking what officials said was the first time the short-range system had been activated to intercept projectiles fired by combatants in Syria's civil war.

Israeli media quoted military officials as describing the rocket fire into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as "unintentional spillover" from the war. There were no reports of casualties from the shoot-downs.

Israel has sought to avoid direct involvement in the Syrian conflict, but it launched airstrikes on cross-border military targets as recently as Tuesday, after warheads fell in the Israeli-occupied zone. Shortly after those strikes, the Israeli military denied Syrian claims that one Israeli fighter and a drone had been shot down.

There has been no public comment from Syria on the latest incidents.

The military deployed the portable Iron Dome missile batteries early last year to protect its northern flank from rocket and artillery fire from the Golan Heights, a strategic Syrian plateau seized by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967.
Libya has resumed oil exports for the first time since military forces under the command of army General Khalifa Haftar, loyal to the parliament in Tobruk, recaptured oil installations west of Benghazi this past week.

Meanwhile, Fayez Saraj, who heads Libyas U.N.-brokered national unity government, met in Cairo with the head of the Tobruk-based parliament, Aquelah Saleh, according to Arab and Egyptian media. The men reportedly have been trying to cobble together an agreement on a new government acceptable to rival political factions.

Parliament Speaker Saleh has repeatedly insisted on the need for a limited-size government acceptable to all parties. The Tobruk parliament refused to approve a unity government, composed of 30 ministers, earlier this year.

Ramzi Ramieh, a Libyan military analyst, told Arab media that the talks were centered on building a tightly knit government of under a dozen people.

He said Saleh and Saraj were attempting to put together a government with a three-member defense council, including Haftar, and a three-member presidential council, along with representatives of Saraj and outgoing interim Prime Minister Abdullah al Thinni.

At the same time, Haftar was promoted to the rank of field marshal by Saleh. It is not clear whether the move would affect the talks.

The move came days after Haftars forces captured Libyas strategic oil-export installations of Ras Lanouf, Sidra, Zoueitina and Brega.

'Promising development'

The oil exports resumed, according to the Arab daily Al Hayat, with a Maltese-flagged tanker leaving the port of Zoueitina, with cargo bound for China.

U.S. Libya envoy Jonathan Winer called the shipment a promising development in a tweet, saying, Well-placed Libyans say the military has withdrawn from the oil terminals, leaving them in the hands of the countrys National Oil Company.

The U.N. special envoy for Libya, Martin Kobler, told journalists in Misrata late Thursday that he considered the army presence in the oil installations a problem.

It is very important to have ... the Libyan national army out of the oil fields and out of the oil terminals," he said. "The oil belongs to all Libyans, and it is the National Oil Company which has the management of oil in the country.

Kobler added that he welcomed the statement from the head of the National Oil Company, Mustapha Sanullah, saying that he was acting under the authority of the presidency council.

It is good to lift oil exports in Libya," he said. "However, it is very important that the exports are done legally.

In a related development, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Choukri said in a statement from New York, where he was attending the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly, that Egypt supports the legitimacy and actions of the Libyan army to maintain security in the country.
In celebration of the National Park Services 100th anniversary this year, adventurer Mikah Meyer is traveling across America with the goal of visiting every one of the more than 400 sites within its jurisdiction.

The young traveler set out from Washington, D.C., in June and has already experienced dozens of sites. And VOA has been following him every step of the way.

He recently wrapped up visits to three national parks a historic battlefield, a peace memorial and a U.S. presidential home with a famous front porch. All three sites, connected by history, gave Mikah a rare window into America during the 1800s.

The War of 1812  a short history

In a military conflict that is often referred to as Americas second war of independence against the British, there were no declared winners. But despite humiliating losses for the U.S., especially when the British captured and set fire to much of Washington, including the U.S. Capitol building and the White House, the Americans at the time believed they won the war and with good reason.

They had successfully defended their sovereignty against British aggression, British capture of American seamen and British incitement and support of Native American attacks on U.S. citizens along the Northwest frontier. The Royal British navy was shocked by a number defeats at sea in ship-to-ship battles with American frigates.

And the British suffered humiliating losses in the battle of New Orleans, where its army experienced one of its worst defeats in history  at the hands of mostly untrained American volunteers which included blacks and Native Americans.

The war also secured American's westward expansion - something Britain and Spain were desperately trying to stop.

Ultimately Britain, the world's foremost military superpower, was forced to settle for a negotiated peace without any territorial concessions. The two sides eventually wound down the war with the signing of a peace treaty in Ghent, Belgium, on December 24, 1814.

Native American defeat

The biggest losers of the war of 1812 were Native Americans, who had aligned themselves with the British to defend their territories.

During the two-year and eight-month-long conflict, they lost their revered Shawnee chief, Tecumseh, who had formed a confederation of tribes to block American expansion into their territories.

They also lost sovereignty of their lands in the Old Northwest - territory that included the modern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and the northeastern part of Minnesota.

The River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe, Michigan, commemorates a series of battles that took place there in the winter of 2013 when it was known as Frenchtown, Michigan.

From January 1823, the north bank of the River Raisin became a battleground where the Americans and the British fought for control of Michigan and the Lower Great Lakes, and - some say - for the future of Frenchtown, Canada, and Tecumseh's alliance of Native American tribes. The battles ended with a decisive victory for the British and the indigenous tribes. It took about nine months for U.S. forces to regain their momentum.

Encompassing about 30 hectares (76 acres), River Raisin is one of four national battlefield parks within the national park system, and the only one that focuses on the War of 1812.

Atrocities committed on all sides

Mikah said his main takeaway from his experience there was how openly and fairly the National Park Service has handled a battle site where all sides committed atrocities, including the United States.

Usually we talk about ourselves only as the good guys and everything we did was as heroes, he said. But they really acknowledge that every side did some really nasty things to each other and they want to make sure that they are telling all those sides of stories.

To make his point, he gave the example of a painting on display there that depicts Native Americans scalping Americans, which he described as propaganda by the U.S.

It was Native Americans scalping Americans but they were holding knives and whiskey that was labeled with labels from Britain, so the idea was to try to incite the rest of America into being angry at the British because the British had enlisted the natives to fight for them.

Mikah got a tour from a park ranger, who told him he had to be careful about his description of the park's history, "depending on who is visiting - if it's a native person, if it's a Canadian or Brit, [Canada was part of the British colony then] or if it's somebody from the U.S. - because people can get really offended.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, so it depends on who's hearing the story, the ranger added.

Remember the Raisin!" became a popular rallying cry during the War of 1812 after the battles in River Raisin. The aftermath of the forced removal of Native Americans from the Northwest Territory at the conclusion of the war continues to influence the United States today.

Battle of Lake Erie

A major turning point in the war came on September 10, 1813, when U.S. Captain Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet of nine American ships to a victorious battle over six British warships on Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio.

It is considered one of the biggest naval battles of the War of 1812.

By winning control of the lake, the Americans were able to cut off British forces, and their Native American allies, from their supply base. It also allowed the Americans to gain control of the Northwest Territory, recover the city of Detroit, which had fallen into British hands, and kill Tecumseh.

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial in Put-in-Bay, Ohio, was established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Put-in-Bay.

Mikah pointed out that the focus of the historic site is not to commemorate the battle itself, but to celebrate the long-lasting peace among Britain, Canada and the U.S. that still endures, and also the world's longest undefended border, about 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles).

The whole town - and all around the island - they have American flags and British flags, local flags and peace flags, he said. So I think as a community, theyve really taken on this idea of representing this peace that has been lasting since the Treaty of Ghent.

Dont give up the ship

During his visit to the Peace Memorial, Mikah noticed the recurring phrase Dont give up the ship! posted in various forms throughout the town of Put-in-Bay.

That was their battle cry, he explained. Because the U.S. had nine ships and the British had six - the U.S. lost their flagship right away  the Lawrence - and then ended up transferring the flag over to the Niagara to finish the battle and basically it was this idea of don't lose this battle.

A fitting symbol

The parks centerpiece, a Doric column rising 107 meters (352 feet) over Lake Erie, stands about eight kilometers (five miles) from the U.S.-Canadian border.

The pillar is the tallest open-air observation deck in the entire national park system, Mikah noted, even taller than the Statue of Liberty.

It is a fitting tribute, Mikah observed, that at the base of that peace memorial there are three American sailors and three British sailors buried together in the crypt.

A two-hour drive along the lakeshore from Put-in-Bay is Mentor, Ohio, home of James Abram Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, who served from March 4, 1881, until his assassination later that year.

His home, at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, stands on what remains of the Presidents 65-hectare (160-acre) farm, which includes a Visitor Center in a restored carriage barn built in 1894, a windmill and other buildings.

The most interesting part of Mikah's visit was learning how hard the National Park Service worked to make the interior appear as it would have when the president actually lived there.

Mikah said there had been many changes made to it both during and after Garfield's life, and he thought the park service did a "fantastic" job of recreating the rooms to their original state.

So from that perspective, it was the best-maintained and the best-preserved house site that I've been to this whole trip, he said.

Presidential porch

What Mikah also found interesting was Garfields Birth-of-the-front-porch campaign. In 1880, he would greet thousands of well-wishers during his presidential campaign as they stopped by his front porch.

Thats because the train let out in the backyard of his farm, so people would get off the train and they would walk to his front yard and they would set up camp, theyd put up tents and wait for the next day to hear him speak on his front porch.

Mikah remarked how unlikely that scenario would be in todays presidential campaigns!

Coming attractions

In the coming days, Mikah will be visiting Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls, which is not part of the US National Park Service, but will make a fascinating story nonetheless.

To follow Mikah and learn more about the places hes traveling to, he invites you to visit him on his website.
A pipe bomb exploded in a trash bin in a New Jersey beach town Saturday, forcing cancellation of a charity foot race involving thousands of runners.

No injuries were reported, but authorities in Seaside Park called off the "Seaside Semper Five," a five-kilometer race meant to raise money for U.S. military personnel. The event was hosted by members of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The FBI was leading the investigation, but officials hadn't said whether they thought the blast was an act of terrorism. Authorities said three pipe-bomb-type devices wired together had been found near the boardwalk. Only one of the devices was thought to have detonated.

Brad Cohen, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI office in Newark, New Jersey, told reporters Saturday that federal, state and local law enforcement officers were "working together to conduct a thorough investigation to find out who is responsible."

Following the explosion, the area was put on lockdown. Several homes in the neighborhood were evacuated. Residents were later allowed to return home, but several nearby beaches remained closed.

A man walking along the boardwalk when the blast occurred told a local news station that after hearing the blast he thought, "That was one hell of a start to a race."

Officials have not said whether the race will be rescheduled.
The Obama administrations proposal to admit 110,000 refugees next year has triggered vocal Republican opposition and perked up an old question: How many refugees can the United States take in without straining its financial resources?

The answer depends on whom you talk to. Refugee Council USA, a coalition of refugee advocacy organizations, last month called on the administration to admit 200,000 refugees in the coming year, up from 85,000 this year.

I think the goal of 200,000 is a good number, said Betsy Fisher, policy director for the International Refugee Assistance Project at the Urban Justice Center, a New York-based advocacy group and a member of Refugee Council USA. It is a significant increase from current levels, but its still a tiny percentage of the U.S. population and a relatively small proportion of individuals who are in need of resettlement.

High cost of resettlement

The president's Republican opponents contend that even current levels of refugee admissions are unacceptable. They say refugees pose security risks, and that the cost of resettlement is too high.

Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, an adviser to presidential candidate Donald Trump and a supporter of the Republican businessman's immigration policy, blasted the administrations latest plan as reckless and financially irresponsible.

In addition to the very serious national security implications and the initial resettlement costs, admitting 110,000 refugees will result in an enormous long-term financial burden on the taxpayers, Sessions said in a statement.

According to Sessions, the real cost of resettling refugees in the U.S. is much higher than the administrations estimate of $1.5 billion a year. The senator cited an estimate by a Heritage Foundation scholar that put the total lifetime cost of admitting just 10,000 refugees at $6.5 billion. By that calculation, Sessions said, admitting 110,000 refugees would cost U.S. taxpayers $71.5 billion.

Other experts question those estimates, and proponents of more refugees say that while newly arrived refugees require benefits, over the long run they contribute to local economies.

Generosity a U.S. tradition

Historically, the U.S. has run a generous refugee resettlement program. In 1980, the country admitted more than 230,000 refugees, and through most of the following two decades, the number remained well above 100,000 a year, according to State Department data.

Every president has brought a considerable number of refugees, so this is nothing new, said Lavinia Limon, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Committee on Refugees and Immigrants, a large refugee resettlement agency based outside Washington. The president that brought the most refugees every year was President George Herbert Walker Bush. After that was President [Ronald] Reagan and President [Jimmy] Carter.

But the number of annual refugee admissions has slipped under 100,000 in the 15 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as the U.S. briefly stopped admitting refugees from countries with an al-Qaida presence and put in place tighter screening procedures.

Of the worlds 21 million-plus refugees today, less than 1 percent are resettled in Western nations. In comparison to its acceptance this year of 85,000 refugees, the U.S. yearly takes in about 1 million legal immigrants who are not refugees.

With the Syrian conflict sending millions scurrying for their lives in the worst migration crisis since World War II, the administration has found itself caught between a public backlash against Syrian refugees and growing international calls to do more for escapees from war and repression.

Other countries accept more

While Republicans have called for a halt to admitting Syrian refugees because of fears they might bring terrorists with them, international critics have argued that the worlds largest economy has the capacity to absorb a lot more than the 70,000 refugees it admitted in 2015. They point to Germany, which accepted nearly 800,000 refugees last year, and Sweden, which, with a population of only 10 million, took in more than 160,000.

Under pressure, the Obama administration increased the number of refugee admissions this year to 85,000, including 12,000 from Syria, and Secretary of State John Kerry told U.S. lawmakers this week that number would rise to 110,000 next year. The proposal was circulated ahead of two refugee summits in New York where President Barack Obama will call on world leaders to do more for refugees, but whether Congress will provide funding for his proposal remains to be seen.

Even so, refugee advocates say that the U.S., given the size of its economy and population, can take in even more.

I dont see any reason why we couldnt be taking 200,000 to 250,000 people a year, Limon of the U.S. Committee on Refugees and Immigrants said. We have the capacity. Were a huge, very wealthy nation.

The U.S. has admitted about 3 million refugees over the past 40 years, with many settling in small towns such as Boise, Idaho, and Utica, New York, where theyve remodeled houses and set up businesses to contribute to local economic revival.

'Productive members of our society'

I think community support is still quite strong in places that have the experience of the refugee resettlement program, because by and large the program has been successful, said Kathleen Newland, a senior fellow and co-founder of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. Refugees have arrived. Theyve been welcomed. Theyve integrated well, for the most part, and have in a pretty short period of time become productive members of our society.

Sessions, the Republican senator and Trump supporter, said the Obama administration has ignored the common-sense concerns of the American people" who oppose admitting more refugees.

Historically, public sentiment toward refugees has seemed to matter little in how many refugees the U.S. has admitted.

In fact, long before U.S. presidential candidates and other politicians began fanning fears of terrorists masquerading as refugees seeking shelter in America, the American public was less than welcoming toward refugees.

Presidents overlook opposition

Consider public opinion surveys during key periods of refugee admissions to the U.S.:

In 1959, a Gallup survey found that 55 percent of Americans opposed permitting a U.S. plan to resettle 56,000 people fleeing from communist Hungary.

In 1979, another poll found that 62 percent of the public opposed a government plan to double the number of refugees from Vietnam and other countries that formerly were part of French Indochina.

In 1980, 71 percent disapproved of recently arrived Cuban refugees resettling in the U.S.

But none of that stopped the U.S. from taking in large numbers of refugees from those countries.

Nation is divided now

In recent months, surveys have shown that most Americans remain opposed to Syrian refugees entering the country.

Were a divided nation, Limon said.

Bipartisan support for the U.S. refugee resettlement program evaporated last year, as the Paris and San Bernardino attacks stoked fears that terrorists might infiltrate the flood of refugees pouring out of Syria and the rest of the Middle East.

Republican presidential candidates and members of Congress called for a stop to admitting Syrian refugees, while more than two dozen Republican governors threatened to withdraw from the refugee resettlement program altogether.

The administration responded by saying it vigorously vetted refugees, with Syrian refugees undergoing an extra layer of screening. But that has not swayed critics, and public opposition to refugees has remained unchanged.

With the administrations latest announcement coming less than two months before the November presidential election, the controversy is unlikely to go away anytime soon.
Russian lawmakers under President Vladimir Putin have proven themselves nothing if not efficient.

This last session alone, the lower legislative chamber, the Duma, and the upper chamber, the Federation Council, passed nearly 2,000 laws, including a record 160 pieces of legislation by the upper house in one day last June. Despite the presence of three blocs in nominal opposition to Putin's ruling United Russia party, most of the measures passed nearly unanimously.

Welcome to what the Kremlin calls managed democracy, a system that simulates democratic institutions, to some extent. Analysts say the tradition is likely to continue when Russians head to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament.

In 2011, opposition parties were banned from participating, and the results, election observers argued, were marked by widespread fraud. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the results, and Putins rule. Analysts say the Kremlin learned from its mistakes.

It looked like there was no need for competitive elections [five years ago, but] ... now it's changing, said Nikolai Petrov, an analyst based in Moscow. The Kremlin is not eager to practice large-scale fraud. Its eager to avoid any scandals, to avoid any threat of mass protest.

Russian spring redux?

With that in mind, the Kremlin insists these elections will be different. Raucous televised debates have become the norm.

So, too, have Western-style political ads on television and street canvassing by party volunteers. Most noticeably, more political parties are campaigning; a few are led by some of the opposition leaders who rallied against the Kremlin in 2011.

Yet even the opposition argues a shake-up in Russias pliant Duma remains unlikely.

Mikhail Kasyanov, a onetime prime minister under Putin who has since joined the opposition, will lead the liberal PARNAS party in Sundays vote. But despite appearing in televised debates, Kasyanov calls these elections a sham. He says he and other party members have faced routine harassment at rallies and a relentless smear campaign on state television.

They're letting us participate to show you  the West  that we're a free country, Kasyanov said. Putin loves imitations of everything  of separation of powers, of independent courts and a free press. And of course, he loves imitations of fair elections.

The limits of these elections have also been on display.

Consider problems the Levada Center has faced as election day approached. Russia's sole independent polling organization, Levada, was labeled a "foreign agent" by authorities under a law that bans foreign funding of Russian nongovernmental organizations involved in loosely defined political activities. Levada representatives say their troubles began only after opinion polls showed support for Putin's United Russia party ebbing. The foreign agent" label prevents it from conducting research into Sundays vote.

Still, most analysts expect United Russia to retain its grip on power. Despite an economy struggling with Western sanctions over the annexation of Crimea and low world oil prices, the party is buoyed by Putins continued popularity.

Also aiding United Russias showing: low voter turnout amid repressive measures introduced in the wake of the 2011 protests. There were arrests and sentencing of opposition figures and supporters  an effort that stoked fear in the movement, opposition leaders acknowledge. There was also the conviction of Alexei Navalny, the nominal leader of the opposition movement, preventing his participation in further elections.

And then there was the slaying last year of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. Although several arrests have been made, Nemtsovs supporters say police have little interest in finding out who ordered the killing.

With the opposition demoralized and the Kremlin riding high from its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, political analyst Petrov says the government can simply afford more nuanced election results than in 2011.

I think this is a little more sophisticated approach, to demonstrate that this kind of opposition will get very tiny popular support, he said, to demonstrate how unpopular they are.

Soapbox politics

On a recent evening in downtown Moscow, Dmitriy Gudkov spoke to a smattering of voters and railed against the powers that be.

Gudkov is the only opposition member of the Duma fighting to retain his seat in parliament. To do so, hes been forced to switch parties and crowdfund his campaign through soapbox meetings with his electorate.

Yet Gudkov rejects the idea that the opposition is weak; its just deprived of resources to get its message across, he says.

If you take a champion swimmer like Michael Phelps and you fill up the pool with acid, he won't able to swim, Gudkov said. But it doesn't mean he's a weak swimmer.

Whatever the results of this election, Gudkov is taking the long view.

Politics is a marathon, he said.

Yet watching Russia's beleaguered opposition come in last place may be the real point of these elections.

Barring the unforeseen, it's a Kremlin plan most expect to work beautifully.
The Amazon rainforest holds the biological keys to kick-start a "fourth industrial revolution" if its biodiversity is protected, said a study published on Friday.

New digital technologies such a 3-D printing and quantum computing create the potential for the Amazon's unique plants to drive major advances in medicine and engineering, said the study by Brazilian scientists.

"Leveraging the Amazon's vast biomimetic and biodiversity assets, we can aspire to develop revolutionary innovations in multiple fields," said Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio, one of the study's authors and chairman of Space Time Ventures, a Brazilian technology company.

"For example, a long-lasting foam produced by a species of frog has inspired the creation of new technologies for capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."

Amazon plants could also lead to breakthroughs in antiseptics, anti-wrinkle creams, gynecological medicines and anti-inflammatory drugs if they are coupled with new technologies, said the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Deforestation and climate change are threatening to turn the world's largest tropical forest into dry savannah land, destroying its biological promise, said the study.

If more than 40 percent of the forest is cleared, the resulting "savannization" process could become irreversible, said the study.

Currently about 20 percent of the Amazon basin rainforest has been cut down, said Castilla-Rubio.

"If business as usual continues, the Amazon will transform into savannah... this has massive consequences," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Brazil has reduced the rate of illegal deforestation by nearly 80 percent in the last decade, the study said, meaning there is still time to stop the rainforest from becoming savannah land.

Protecting indigenous land rights, combating climate change and providing the right incentives for businesses to move away from extracting natural resources are crucial for further reducing the deforestation rate, Castilla-Rubio said.

Much of the forest was cleared for economic activities such as mining, cattle ranching, agriculture or logging, but the study shows the Amazon has more value if left standing, he said.
The recent killings of two Turkmen anti-Islamic State commanders in northern Syria is raising concerns about how conflicts between competing military forces are impacting the continued fight against IS.

"These kinds of incidents complicate the effort against IS," said Talal Silo, the spokesman for U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), one of at least four militias fighting IS.

Several groups  Kurds, tribal Turkmen and Turkish-backed rebels  control parts of northern Syria after IS fighters were driven out of border areas in recent weeks.

And while the varying forces vow to chase IS from areas further south, they have an uneasy detente and sometimes attack one another. There is great mistrust among the competing forces and that schism has grown with the killing of the Turkmen commanders, officials from the various forces say.

Hani al-Mulla, the Turkmen commander of the Seljuk Brigade, was killed last week by unknown assailants. He led fighters primarily based near the IS-held town of al-Bab who have joined with SDF to fight IS. His death came less than a month after another Turkmen commander, Abdulsettar al-Jaddir, was killed on the day he became chairman of a local military council aligned with the pro-Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as YPG.

Turkmen are an ethnic Turkish minority and have lived scattered throughout the Middle East for centuries.

Both men opposed Turkey's decision to send military forces into northern Syria last month to back elements of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Turkish officials said the incursion is targeting both IS and the YPG. Ankara accuses the Kurdish militia of being terrorists linked to the outlawed PKK Kurdish rebel group and of seeking to carve out an independent state on Turkey's border.



Some point finger at Turkey, others at IS

There is no regional law enforcement authority to investigate the Turkmen murders, though SDF commanders say they are looking for suspects. Suspicion ranges from the involvement of Turkish intelligence -or Turkish-backed rebels - to IS, according to sources in the region.

"Turkey has been involved in some assassinations before, but we are not able to come to conclusion that the Turkish National Intelligence is behind the killing of al-Mulla," said SDF spokesman Silo.

Ilhan Tanir, a freelance Turkish journalist, told VOA that Turkey is trying to break up the SDF and increase support for the FSA which Ankara directly backs.

"I think the killings of two commanders have dealt a blow to the SDF and the fight against IS," he said. "They were against Turkish operation and have been removed. This gives an impression to me that Turkish interests are served."

There has been no official comment from Ankara on the murders.

But the Turkmen commanders were also responsible for leading battles against IS that killed many IS fighters  a motive for a possible revenge from IS.

"According to what I have heard from my sources it was the Islamic State terrorists that assassinated al-Mulla," Abdurrahman Mustafa, the former chairman of the Syrian Turkmen Assembly, said of one of the slain commanders.

Al-Mulla was known for his ability to bring different groups together to form a more powerful alliance in the fight against IS. He was reportedly coordinating with Arab and Kurdish units within the SDF and his death leaves a vacuum.

Semir Hafiz, a Syrian Turkmen leader said despite the killings of two commanders "the fight against IS is moving forward."

And Turkmen leader Mustafa said the addition of Turkey's military - and rebels it backs - will only help against IS.

"With ongoing Turkish operations, now there are concrete gains on the ground against IS," he said.

VOA's Sirwan Kajjo and Mutlu Civiroglu contributed to this report.
Local body restructuring: 38 districts submit recommendations as extra time ends

With hardly a month left for the Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC) to finalise its recommendations on the restructuring of the local bodies, only half of the 75 districts have sent in their reports as the extended deadline for the technical committees ended on Friday.
Around 75,000 refugees are stranded in a no-man's land on the Syria-Jordan border, and hundreds are dying because they are cut off from food and medical aid, Amnesty International said Friday.

The alert came ahead of two high-profile summits in the United States on the global refugee crisis.

The human rights group obtained rare video footage from the border area showing upturned rocks scattered across the desert landscape  makeshift graves that mark the untold suffering of tens of thousands of refugees seemingly forgotten by the outside world.

In less than a year, the number of people stranded on this desolate frontier has soared from a few hundred to its present level.

"People that we were able to speak to described some really desperate conditions," Amnesty's Sara Hashash told VOA. "They said food is running out, diseases are spreading, some people are dying because of preventable illnesses. And what's truly tragic is that if they really did have access to medical care, some of those people's lives would be saved."

The border between Syria and Jordan, known as the "berm," has been closed since June, when six Jordanian soldiers were killed in a suicide car bomb attack by suspected Islamic State militants. Hashash said the added border security was understandable, but Jordanian authorities must abide by humanitarian law.

"At the very least, in the interim what they need to be doing is allowing humanitarian operations at the berm area on that Syrian-Jordan border to resume," she said.

Supplied by cranes

In early August, the U.N.'s World Food Program used huge cranes to drop a month's worth of food and medical aid over the sandy ridge that separates the two countries, but that has now run out.

U.N. Special Envoy Angelina Jolie highlighted the plight of the stranded refugees on a trip to Jordan earlier this week.

"Jordan has been warning for years that they would reach a point where they, on their own, could do no more. The world has known about the situation in the berm for months, but no solution has been put forward. This is symptomatic of a wider problem," Jolie told reporters on a visit to the Azraq refugee camp.

Amnesty is calling for the international community to come together to solve the crisis at the twin refugee summits next week, one scheduled Monday at the U.N. General Assembly and the other a leaders summit set for Tuesday, to be hosted by President Barack Obama.

"It has to be an international solution if we are really going to tackle this refugee crisis," Hashash said. "And that's why we are trying to ask world leaders at the summits next week, at the Obama summit in particular, to make really concrete commitments to take in more refugees and really bear their fair share of responsibility."

Aid groups say the desperate situation at the Jordan-Syria border is a stark symptom of the world's failure to deal with the refugee crisis.
U.S. military officials said coalition aircraft had accidentally struck Syrian government troops Saturday during a raid against Islamic State fighters.

Syrian and Russian sources said dozens of soldiers were killed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group gave a toll of at least 80 soldiers killed.

The U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement that the strike was in an area the coalition had attacked in the past, and that coalition members had informed their Russian counterparts before it began.

The statement said the strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations blasted Russia for calling the U.N. Security Council into emergency session late Saturday to review an apparently errant U.S. bombing run that may have killed dozens of Syrian government troops.

Samantha Power, speaking to reporters on her way into the closed-door session, said Russia's action was "a stunt replete with moralism and grandstanding," designed to divert public attention from some of the "most systematic atrocities in a generation."

Power said the U.S. government was still gathering facts about the bombing, which some reports said might have killed as many as 80 troops in Deir Ezzor. She said U.S. coalition warplanes thought they were targeting Islamic State extremists, and that it "was not our intention" to violate a cease-fire by hitting Syrian government fighters.

If we determine we did indeed strike Syrian military personnel, that was not our intention, and, we of course, regret the loss of life, she said.

But Power then cited repeated incidents of Syrian government atrocities  airstrikes against hospitals and schools, cordons around cities that caused starvation, and use of chemical weapons against civilian targets. In all those cases, the U.S. envoy said, Moscow never called for Security Council action.

"Imagine how often the council would be meeting if we were to call an emergency meeting each time Russia or Syria bombed a hospital" in the war-ravaged country, Power said. "Russia never calls for Security Council consultations about these practices."

Russia sees US 'demagoguery'

Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said Power's angry words were "demagoguery of the highest order."

Churkin said timing of the U.S. strike was suspicious, coming as the two countries were attempting to forge a lasting cease-fire deal, and questioned whether it was truly a mistake.

It may well be, one has to conclude, that the airstrike has been conducted in order to disrupt the operation of the Joint Implementation Group and to actually not allow it to be set in motion, Churkin said.

The Russian envoy said the United States was losing control of the moderate Syrian militant factions it backs, and he contended this had empowered extremists like IS and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as the al-Nusra Front).

He went on to question who is in charge in Washington. Is it the White House or Pentagon? Because we have heard statements from the Pentagon which simply fly in face of what we have heard from President [Barack] Obama and Secretary of State John] Kerry, he said.

Both ambassadors stopped short of saying that Saturday's airstrike meant the cease-fire deal had collapsed.

The United States is extremely serious about making this agreement work, Power said, but she urged Moscow to deliver on its obligations to get the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop bombing moderate opposition groups that are party to the cessation of hostilities.

Warning to Russia

Security Council members gathered several hours after the reports that U.S. warplanes had struck the Syrian forces near the Deir Ezzor airport. A U.S. statement said coalition commanders had informed Russian authorities about the planned strike in advance.

For its part, Russia's Defense Ministry described the coalition strike as evidence of Washington's "stubborn refusal" to coordinate its actions with Russian forces fighting alongside government forces loyal to Assad.

The truce, aimed at halting military operations by Syrian forces, their Russian allies and U.S.-backed rebels seeking to oust the Assad government, was designed to clear the way for humanitarian aid to besieged areas of the country. Hundreds of thousands of civilians in those areas have been cut off from outside aid for months and are facing critical shortages of food and medicine.

Putin doubts US commitment

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country was holding up its end of the cease-fire agreement, but he cast doubt on the United States' commitment to the deal, saying Washington was deviating from its own call for openness.

"I don't really understand why we have to keep such an agreement closed," Putin said in a televised appearance on a trip to Kyrgyzstan. He also said Moscow would not unilaterally release the terms of the deal.

The Russian leader further criticized U.S. officials for their inability to separate the so-called healthy part of the opposition from what he called "the half-criminal and terrorist elements."

"This is a very dangerous route," he said.

Pact strained

Under the cease-fire agreement announced by Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Geneva a week ago, hostilities should have paused Monday, when the Muslim world marked the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

U.S. and Russian military leaders were then set to coordinate airstrikes against IS fighters and those of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which are not parties to the truce.

Officials in Washington and Moscow on Friday expressed a desire to extend the cease-fire pact and confirmed aid deliveries had not yet begun. But they agreed on little else concerning the tenuous situation in Syria.

The White House indicated Friday that the next phase of the deal would not move forward until the aid was moving freely.

Clashes delay aid

Ahead of the coalition airstrikes at Deir Ezzor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said intermittent shelling and clashes had resumed overnight on several fronts in Syria. In particular, fighting erupted between rebels and pro-government forces in the opposition-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, and airstrikes hit several towns in the central province of Homs.

Forty trucks carrying desperately needed relief for the divided city of Aleppo waited Friday at a checkpoint at the Turkish border, and the U.S. blamed the Syrian government for the holdup.

"Those trucks should be going in and that aid should be getting delivered with or without the arrangement that was arrived at in Geneva," State Department spokesman John Kirby said. "It is the [Syrian] regime that is blocking the movement."

U.N. relief officials said conditions were not yet safe for the vehicles to cross into Syria. But Churkin said an aid convoy was expected to head to eastern Aleppo Sunday morning.

Steve Herman contributed to this report from the State Department; Jamie Dettmer contributed from Gaziantep, Turkey; Margaret Besheer contributed to this report from the United Nations.
The U.S. says it will not recognize the outcome of Russian parliamentary elections planned for Crimea Sunday, the first since Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014.

"The United States does not recognize the legitimacy, and will not recognize the outcome, of the Russian Duma (lower house of parliament) elections planned for Russian-occupied Crimea on September 18th," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

"The peninsula remains an integral part of Ukraine. Crimea-related sanctions against Russia will remain until Russia returns control of Crimea to Ukraine, the statement said.

"We also continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Crimea, including the status of the ethnic Tatar community and widespread reports of missing persons and human rights abuses," Kirby said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said the elections are "completely illegitimate" and expressed concerned about the "extreme number of Russian troops in Crimea.

Meanwhile, a group of unidentified anti-Russian protesters attacked Moscow's embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with fireworks in the early hours of Saturday.



The protesters were holding a banner reading: "Russian pigs, you are not welcome here. Fireworks today, Grads (cluster-fired rockets) tomorrow.

They also chanted, "Freedom to prisoners of the Kremlin," and, "There will be no elections."

Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014, following a local referendum the U.N. General Assembly nearly unanimously called illegal.



Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted his soldiers moved into the strategic Black Sea peninsula before the referendum took place, but has repeatedly denied backing the pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since it began in April 2014.
A resort island in Venezuela, marked by economic crisis and political protests, welcomes leaders from the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement gathering Saturday and Sunday for its 17th summit.

The crisis-torn island of Margarita is a former tourist destination that has become blighted with trash on streets, scarcity of food and water, rampant crime and a dwindling number of foreign visitors; until this week.

President Nicolas Maduro has allocated money for the island to make sure everything is ready for the summit; a move condemned by opposition leaders who say the meeting is costing Venezuelans millions.

According to Venezuela's Presidential Press, members of the Non-Aligned Movement - a group that still seeks relevance in a post-Cold War world - will discuss topics that include peace, economic development and disarmament.

"We hope to reach important agreement with other countries that we want to have a fair price for our hydrocarbons," Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino said.

Venezuela, an OPEC member and home to the world's largest proven oil reserves, is also seeking support for its campaign to cut global crude production in a bid to raise prices.

"We don't want prices to be in the hands of speculators, as has been happening for the past two years," he said.

Despite massive reserves, Venezuela imports oil.

The economic crisis and oil crunch in the country have caused food shortages and riots.

Margarita Island has also been the scene of anti-government protests where dozens of people were arrested after Maduro was greeted by pot-banging demonstrators during one of his visits.

According to reports, more than 14,000 police and military personnel have been deployed to the region to head off any possible turmoil at the summit site.
Zimbabwean police dismissed reports that they used live ammunition in downtown Harare to disperse an anti-government protest Saturday.

A coalition of opposition parties said police used live bullets in dispersing the demonstrators, resulting in injuries.

Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for the opposition coalition, said that "in Kuwadzana, Dzivaresekwa, Mufakose, Epworth and Kambuzuma, live ammunition was fired from a truck which was being used by police and militia." He said two people were injured as a direct result of the shootings, and "we have more than 20 people receiving treatment. Over a 100 people have been arrested throughout the country. Some of these people include [opposition] members of Parliament."

The nonprofit group Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights confirmed in a tweet that dozens of protesters had been arrested.

In a telephone interview Saturday, Zimbabwe police spokesman Paul Nyathi denied that his organization had used live ammunition to disperse protesters.

"That is a false statement. ... There are no live bullets which have been used by the police, and whoever is making such allegations should come forward and prove the allegations," he said.

Zimbabwe has been rocked by an unprecedented wave of protests since July calling on President Robert Mugabe to fix the economy and respect human rights.

Mwonzora said protests would continue until Mugabe addressed the economic and rights issues or stepped down. Mugabe has been in power for 36 years.
Coalition forces killed one of the Islamic State terror groups most senior leaders in a precision strike in Syria this month, the Pentagon said Friday.

Wail Adil Salman al-Fayad, Islamic States so-called minister of information, who also went by the name Dr. Wail, was targeted and killed by an airstrike on September 7, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.

Fayad was targeted in Raqqa, the terror group's self-proclaimed capital. At the time of the strike, Fayad was sitting on a motorcycle next to a house, a defense official who saw footage of the strike told VOA Friday.

Cook said Fayad was a prominent member of the terror groups Senior Shura Council, the governing authority of the IS that hands down orders and ensures they are followed. He oversaw the production of IS propaganda videos, which promote executions and torture.

According to the Pentagon, Fayad was a close associate of Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the IS spokesman and chief strategist who was hit and killed by a coalition airstrike August 30 near Al Bab, Syria. U.S. forces confirmed his death September 12.

A defense official told VOA the strikes on Adnani and Fayad had further isolated IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who heavily relies on a small circle of people to pass down orders and collect information.

Thats two of his closest confidants, whom hes spent years developing a trusting relationship with. Two dead within just a couple of weeks, the defense official said.

Adnani was directly involved in recruiting foreign fighters and also directed IS's major attacks outside its strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

"Significant operations carried out on his watch include the Paris attacks, the Brussels airport attack, the Istanbul airport attack, the downing of the Russian airliner in the Sinai, the suicide bombings during a rally in Ankara and the attack on a cafe in Bangladesh," the official said. "In total, these attacks killed over 1,800 people and wounded nearly 4,000."
Nepal, India reaffirm cooperation, ties

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Friday that his government was committed to strengthening ties with neighbours and forging an enduring partnership with India.
A lively controversy has blown up concerning the briefing of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, by the office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Contrary to tradition, Donald Trump spoke publicly about this meeting. He noted that judging by the body language of his interlocutors, he was able to conclude that they were not in the habit of being listened to very attentively by President Barack Obama.

Trump revealed of nothing of the contents of their talks. However, his remarks sparked a tempest in the Intelligence world, where there are questions about the political exploitation of the briefing.

Leaks from the office of the Director of National Intelligence have indicated that Donald Trumps team, which was present at the meeting, seemed divided. The candidates military advisor, ex-Director of the DIA, Michael T. Flynn, apparently interrupted the briefing a number of times to ask questions. The governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, allegedly touched his arm to signal him not to cause problems, then, when Flynn insisted, he apparently asked him to speak more quietly, before telling him to Shut up!.

Michael T. Flynn has published an open letter from 88 retired Generals and Admirals, asking them to support Donald Trump [1].
The Iraqi government has demanded the restitution of the territories occupied by the Kurdish Regional Government in 2014.

In 2014, the attempt to partition Iraq had been coordinated by the United States, Israel, Jordan and Turkey, in agreement with Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The initial plan was for the occupation of al-Anbar by Daesh, and the oil-fields of Kirkuk by the Kurdish Regional Government of Iraq [1]. The Iraqi troops had withdrawn without fighting either Daesh or the Kurds, leaving behind, as agreed, the new weapons that had just been delivered by Washington to the jihadists.

At that time, Washington organised the destitution of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, who opposed the dismantling of his country. An international Press campaign was organised to claim that he was giving preference to the Shia over the Sunnis, although he had just been comfortably re-elected by both communities.

However, taking into account the slow but inexorable advance of the Syrian army and Russia on the other side of the border, and the agreement reached by Moscow and Washington, it seems that the idea of creating a Kurdistan across parts of Iraq and Syria has been abandoned  or postponed [2].

The oil fields of Kirkuk are no more historically Kurdish than the North of Syria. The Iraqi national budget plans for the transfer of royalties from the oil fields to the national Treasury. But the Kurdish Regional Government hijacked them for its own profit, and exported the oil extracted with the oil stolen by Daesh via its own pipe-line.

The new Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi (photo), became caught up in the situation. He managed to exclude a part of the politicians paid by Washington, and formed a new government on 15 August 2016. Thus he continues to apply the policies of his predecessor.

In Erbil, the headquarters of the Kurdish Regional Government of Iraq, there is anxiety about the consequences of peace - President Massoud Barzani, whose mandate came to an end in June 2013, has profited from the crisis to postpone the elections indefinitely, and hold onto power by eliminating his opponents. The restitution of the conquered territories would mean a 40% reduction of the surface he administers. And in particular, the oil-fields of Kirkuk would drastically diminish his colossal revenues, and would prevent him from pursuing the traffic that he has organised with Daesh and Turkey.
Today we meet in Bratislava at a critical time for our European project. The Bratislava Summit of 27 Member States has been devoted to diagnose together the present state of the European Union and discuss our common future. We all agreed on the following general principles.

Although one country has decided to leave, the EU remains indispensable for the rest of us. In the aftermath of the wars and deep divisions on our continent, the EU secured peace, democracy and enabled our countries to prosper. Many countries and regions outside still only strive for such achievements. We are determined to make a success of the EU with 27 Member States, building on this joint history.

The EU is not perfect but it is the best instrument we have for addressing the new challenges we are facing. We need the EU not only to guarantee peace and democracy but also the security of our people. We need the EU to serve better their needs and wishes to live, study, work, move and prosper freely across our continent and benefit from the rich European cultural heritage.

We need to improve the communication with each other  among Member States, with EU institutions, but most importantly with our citizens. We should inject more clarity into our decisions. Use clear and honest language. Focus on citizens expectations, with strong courage to challenge simplistic solutions of extreme or populist political forces.

We committed in Bratislava to offer to our citizens in the upcoming months a vision of an attractive EU they can trust and support. We are confident that we have the will and the capacity to achieve it.

We welcomed the State of the Union speech of the President of the Commission.

We held a broad debate on the key priorities for the coming months. On this basis, the President of the European Council, the Presidency of the Council and the Commission proposed the following work programme (the "Bratislava roadmap"):

The Bratislava Roadmap

I. General diagnosis and objective

 Determined to make a success of the EU at 27

 Many common challenges ahead of us: people concerned by a perceived lack of control and fears related to migration, terrorism, and economic and social insecurity. Need to tackle these issues as a matter of priority over the coming months

 Working together, the EU27 have the means to tackle these challenges. We are determined to find common solutions also as regards issues where we are divided; priority here and now to show unity and ensure political control over developments in order to build our common future

 Need to be clear about what the EU can do, and what is for the Member States to do, to make sure we can deliver on our promises

II. Migration and external borders

Objective

 Never to allow return to uncontrolled flows of last year and further bring down number of irregular migrants

 Ensure full control of our external borders and get back to Schengen

 Broaden EU consensus on long term migration policy and apply the principles of responsibility and solidarity

Concrete measures

a) full commitment to implementing the EU-Turkey statement as well as continued support to the countries of the Western Balkans

b) commitment today by a number of Member States to offer immediate assistance to strengthen the protection of Bulgarias border with Turkey, and continue support to other frontline States

c) before the end of the year, full capacity for rapid reaction of the European Border and Coast Guard, now signed into law

d) migration compacts for cooperation and dialogue with third countries to lead to reduced flows of illegal migration and increased return rates, to be assessed by the December European Council

e) work to be continued to broaden EU consensus in terms of long term migration policy, including on how to apply the principles of responsibility and solidarity in the future

III. Internal and external security

 Internal Security

Objective

 Do everything necessary to support Member States in ensuring internal security and fighting terrorism

Concrete measures

a) intensified cooperation and information-exchange among security services of the Member States

b) adoption of the necessary measures to ensure that all persons, including nationals from EU Member States, crossing the Unions external borders will be checked against the relevant databases, that must be interconnected

c) start to set up a Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) to allow for advance checks and, if necessary, deny entry of visa-exempt travellers

d) a systematic effort against radicalisation, including through expulsions and entry bans where warranted as well as EU support to Member States actions in prevention

 External Security and Defence

Objective

 In a challenging geopolitical environment, strengthen EU cooperation on external security and defence

Concrete measures

a) December European Council to decide on a concrete implementation plan on security and defence and on how to make better use of the options in the Treaties, especially as regards capabilities

b) start implementing the joint declaration with NATO immediately

IV. Economic and social development, youth

Objective

 Create a promising economic future for all, safeguard our way of life and provide better opportunities for youth

Concrete measures

a) in December: decision on extension of the European Fund for Strategic Investment in light of evaluation

b) Spring 2017 European Council: review progress as regards delivering on the different Single Market strategies (including Digital Single Market, Capital Markets Union, Energy Union)

c) October European Council to address how to ensure a robust trade policy that reaps the benefits of open markets while taking into account concerns of citizens

d) in December - decisions on EU support for Member States in fighting youth unemployment and on enhanced EU programmes dedicated to youth

V. Way ahead

 Deliver on promises: strengthen the mechanism for reviewing the implementation of decisions taken. Loyal co-operation and communication of Member States and institutions

 Bratislava is the beginning of a process. The coming formal European Council meetings will allow for concrete follow up on the themes mentioned here. The Heads of the 27 will meet informally at the beginning of 2017 in Valletta. The March 2017 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties will bring together Heads in Rome and will be used to round off the process launched in Bratislava, and set out orientations for our common future together.
David Letterman is back, baby, and just in time, because we cannot stop ruining our air and water. The former Late Show host returned to television for the first time this year to interview Indias prime minister, Narendra Modi, about clean energy for the National Geographic Channels Years of Living Dangerously. The second season of the docuseries features Letterman, among other celebrity hosts like Sigourney Weaver and Don Cheadle, throwing his wry humor and seasoned interview skills behind the fight against global warming. Lettermans episode on solar energy, titled Into the Light, airs October 30. And hey, if nothing else, even if humankind fails in its attempt to stop the planets slow slide into oblivion: Free sandwiches.
Nepathya enthrals fans in South Korea

Organisers say band received overwhelming response from their fans at the KBS Arena in Seoul
Spoilers ahead for the premiere episode of HBOs High Maintenance.

Max Jenkins and Helene Yorke first met on the High Maintenance episode Olivia as the cruel and catty friends saved as Assholes in The Guys phone. Three years later, the beloved web series has grown up into an HBO show, and so have their namesake characters. But not well. The premiere episode sees Max and Helene spiral deeper into codependence and misanthropy, with Max trying  and ultimately, failing  to get out of the relationship. Vulture spoke with the two actors, who became friends IRL after meeting during the web series, about their friendship, working with gay porn star Colby Keller and RuPauls Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen, and the syndrome of gay laughter.

What was it like to revisit these characters after so many years?

Helene Yorke: Were jumping into characters but it really does feel like jumping back into yourself because even though we arent these people, we had the massive fortune of being written for and collaborating with Katja and Ben on this. So it felt like slipping into the best-fitting pair of pants ever because they were perfectly tailored to you.

Max Jenkins: Could not have said it better, exactly.

What did the casting and collaboration look like?

MJ: Well I think why anyone has a positive response to the characters in High Maintenance is because Ben and Katja write for their friends. I saw Ben say in some interview recently: And then we ran out of friends! We were on the friends end so we were fortunate enough to benefit from that.

HY: It was interesting because Katja cast both Max and I in episodes of 30 Rock separate from one another, and we hadnt met one another until we showed up to shoot Olivia. We showed up on set and Max was in an interview on an HBO teaser, and we embraced, we kissed, and that was the end of it. Then we spent the day together being these dickheads. So, you know, I think she had this instinct that we would work well together. They had an idea for what they wanted in this prototype of these two people you see on the L train all the time that are wearing very ironic clothing and talking about themselves and art. A big jumping-off point was people that say, Oh my god, yeah, literally! Or whatever.

How did you see your characters relationship evolve since the first iteration?

HY: Its been almost four years since we did it the first time, and you get the sense that these characters have been through that amount of time together as well. You get the sense that that episode was [them] three years ago and this episode is them three years into that same toxic relationship, and where they are now, who they are, and who they are to one another. And their relationship has developed and become what it becomes.

MJ: Well, something brilliant about the structure of High Maintenance is it allows you to see the cycle of some New Yorkers lives, and zoom out and see the absurdity of the hamster wheel. I thought this episode was this moment where my character almost breaks out of the cycle of our friendship.

HY: But cant quite escape the toxicity.

MJ: Some things about the way that a lot of the episodes are framed is you can see these montages of people in their hamster wheel.

HY: Yeah, and like, whyre these people friends, what is it that they give to one another, how do they survive in this New York ecosystem? And how do they need each other in a fucked-up dependent way?

MJ: Yeah, and as a gay man, I worship and want to be certain women in my life and see them as manifestations of my spirit or what I want to be. And so the danger of this is when the two egos involved are just eating each other and [theres] this claustrophobic mindfuck.

Do you feel like the relationship was always toxic or do you think it became that way over these few years?

HY: Do you ever have those [relationships] where you meet in the beginning, youre like, oh my god, this person gets me and were vibing so much and we totally get each others humor? And then it starts to disintegrate and you realize that this person is actually dragging you as you grow and change and as you learn, youre like, hang on a second, this isnt good for me anymore. So its probably been toxic, theyve always liked each other for maybe the wrong reasons, theyve always been attached to one another in their own selfish dah dah dah, but its sloped into darkness. Whereas before, they probably enjoyed being quippy, but then they started to depend on that quippy negativity and now they need it and it feeds them.

MJ: When Ben and Katja were writing this episode, we talked briefly about the phenomenon of gay nervous laughter. Its part of my experience of being a gay man in the midst of searching for validation. And in terms of my character in the show, I think Helenes character feeds that gay laughter because he wants to be validated by her and then he meets someone who calms that gay laughter. I call it gay laughter just because its my experience in life. But he meets someone who calms the gay laughter and allows him to live without it momentarily. I call it gay but I think its really just the human experience of searching for validation in your career and in your personal relationships. And filling that lonely silence of wondering if anyone sees me or likes me.

It is a very human experience but its also, I think, specific to being a gay man and doing a certain performance that is validated by straight women.

HY: Yeah, like a dance, monkey, dance type of thing that you find yourself becoming victim to.

MJ: Yeah, Helene, you might not remember this but one of the first times we hung out, I was just so excited to be with you and I was experiencing that gay nervous laughter which is, yes, coupled with that performance of being the fag to her hag. Helene stopped me in my tracks and was like, Hey, uh, you dont have to be my fag, just so you know. She kind of called me out on it. She allowed me to put my performance to rest, at least for the time being, because she saw that I was being a yes-man and she didnt want me to do that with her. She wanted me to be honest.

What do you hope people get from the episode?

MJ: My understanding of peoples reaction to the original episode Olivia is that theres intense loathing for characters, and my hope would be that this episode blows that open and shows that theyre just trying to get by in New York and theyre real people because, me and Helene were, you know, just being ourselves pretty much. I mean, we dont think of them as caricatures. Or at least I dont.

HY: Ill never break your leg, baby. Wont scream at you, laugh at you for being on meth.

I think theyre written in our voice in the sense that, its like anything. If you hold a mirror up to any aspect of society and you can see whats funny about it, you can see whats ironic about it, and both Max and I have been victims of these kinds of people in the past. Of course there are aspects of characters that live inside of all of us. Just speaking for Max and not for myself, Ive never met a more generous, kind, honest, open person in my life, I cant speak to anybody with a greater character. But whats fun is to take your own observations of the world and turn them into something fictionalized that also feels truthful.

MJ: We started with the characters as archetypes of the New York asshole, and I hope that we breathed more life into them. Certainly just the fact that we never ended up naming our characters anything other than our own names means a lot. It makes it harder for me to create a delineation. There were some costume things that were really different for me, but not really. I was really feeling it, and also Ive never gotten a better role or better writing to play, so for that reason alone, it was essential that I bring all of myself to it.

What do you think happens to your characters next?

HY: You sort of imagine that it cant be for forever, right, so maybe shes the one that, in a true act of tragedy, is like, I dont need you anymore and has an easy time leaving. Whereas his exit was harder. I just imagine shes the one that ends up like, Fuck this. Im going to go get my own apartment, and then thats the end of it.

MJ: From what I understand about addicts and what I looked up about meth before we shot the episode, it seems like something thats always with you. And so I would love a same time next year type of situation where we could check in with these characters and see the ways in which they try to pull each other below the surface and are like continually clawing for air.

Max, I wanted to ask you specifically what it was like working with Colby Keller, because, a lot of gay men know who he is. [Colby Keller is a porn star.]

MJ: We had a huddle and we were shooting another scene before Colby had come onboard, and they told me who he was, and I didnt actually know who he was yet. But then I Googled him and immediately recognized his face.

HY: Such a dreamboat. Ive got a crush on him

MJ: Recognized his face and other parts, um. Uh, he was amazing. He was so dead serious about being on set and it was really charming. I mean hes a pro. He was kind of showing us all the ropes. He was telling me about how to have sex on camera. He was saying that I should envision a delicious dinner that I had had. He was saying, just pretend youre eating something delicious. And thats what you see on camera.

What were you thinking about eating?

MJ: I was thinking about just, like, a really satisfying Thai dish.

I also love that Bob the Drag Queen [the winner of RuPauls Drag Race season eight] was also in that episode. It all felt very New York.

HY: Isnt he awesome in it too? I mean, he was incredible. Hes so good and heartbreaking, its beautiful.

MJ: He galvanized the whole set for the most liked person there.

HY: Didnt he win, did he win RuPaul?

He did win.

HY: He won but when we were shooting it wasnt clear whether or not he had won yet. Didnt we not know yet? It was like he couldnt reveal anything, they have to be so cagey and not tell you.

MJ: [Ben and Katja] were sure. They knew he was going to win. They had all put their bets on him.

HY: Oh my god, Im, like, obsessed with that. And they were like, no we need to get Bob the Drag Queen, hes definitely winning. They love RuPauls Drag Race. Did you know that about Katja and Ben?

MJ: Its a huge inspiration for them.

Oh, it is?

HY: Yes. They love, they like had lunch with RuPaul at the Ivy in Los Angeles. And RuPaul, I believe, is a fan of the show. I dont want to put words in her mouth, I love her.

MJ: Oh my god. No you didnt, she tweeted about it. RuPaul is one the most important figures of our generation.

This interview has been edited and condensed.
Last night at What Did You Expect? Photo: Joan Marcus/Public Theater

Richard Nelsons Gabriel family plays, like the Apple family plays before them, are studded with topical political references; Nelson sets each installment on the day of its opening and adds material nearly up to curtain time to make it absolutely current. In What Did You Expect?  the second part of the Gabriel trilogy, which opened last night at the Public Theater  the characters cite Hillarys pneumonia, Bills creepy charm, Trumps appearance on Jimmy Fallon, and liberal panic about the polls. But though these references sparkle brightly, they quickly fade, like tweets. Indeed, for a series subtitled Election Year in the Life of One Family, politics is oddly recessive. Whether Hillary will be human in the first debate has no more obvious weight in the 100-minute play than the hundreds of other matters, from historical picnics to Edith Whartons pornography, that rise up briefly in the conversation as another meal is prepared in the familys well-worn kitchen.

But to say that politics in Nelsons plays is recessive is not to say it is inconsequential. Rather, by exploring the underwater part of the iceberg whose visible tip is politics, he is challenging the idea of what political theater can be. Without debating policy, psychoanalyzing politicians, or fomenting rebellion, his minutely detailed, aggressively nondramatic group portraits of ordinary left-leaning middle-class people in Rhinebeck, New York, demonstrate, at a very fine grain, how control over our lives, and our government, seems to have been outsourced to mysterious other powers. Who are we? one character asks. Is this really our country?

In the case of What Did You Expect? these questions  and the title question, too  arise with urgency because of an unexpected financial crisis. In Hungry, the first play of the trilogy, we saw what appeared to be the satisfactory resettling of Patricia, the widowed matriarch, into a nice if expensive assisted-living facility nearby. But now her son George and his wife, Hannah, have discovered that, before the move, Patricia, who is 82, was bamboozled into a reverse-mortgage scheme on her house; as a result, she cannot use equity to pay down her mounting debt. The family scrambles to find a solution, but the local economy is not booming except for businesses that service the arriviste community. George and Hannah consider selling the family Bechstein upright piano, which, however, George uses for teaching his students. Georges sister-in-law Mary, still living in Patricias house, hopes she may find something valuable to sell among the papers of her late husband, Thomas, who was also Patricias son, Georges brother, and a successful playwright. Wait, it gets more complicated: Helping Mary search is Thomass first wife, Karin, who has been integrated, somewhat awkwardly, into the menage. Meanwhile, Thomass and Georges sister, Joyce, hasnt a penny to spare, being an assistant costume designer in New York, and Patricia, deeply ashamed of herself, can only ask, plaintively, What can I do?  as much about preparing dinner as about solving the crisis she doesnt understand how she caused.

You will recognize the macro-issues from the news: eldercare, gentrification, middle-class squeeze. But though the Gabriels are examples (and sometimes victims) of long-term trends going on the country, they do not interpret their lives from that angle. It is through the audience that the play carries out its political agenda. Nelson seems to have calibrated exactly how many topical references (and no more) he must toss into the mix so that we are always subliminally aware of the ideological context; its like watching a soap opera with CNN on in the background. Only What Did You Expect? is a lot more entertaining than either soap opera or news. As always in these plays, the extreme naturalism of the writing is made delightful by the intelligence and humor of the characters, whose conversation mostly centers on literature and theater and feminism and food. And it is made compelling by the social drama of prickly people in a small room with knives.

If What Did You Expect? advances the Gabriel narrative into a moment of crisis  part three will open on Election Night  it is not noticeably different in tone from Hungry or, for that matter, from the Apple plays, which concern another Rhinebeck family. The knives that cut the potatoes are never brandished. To keep material that deliberately abjures extremes of expression from turning merely mild, an extreme form of naturalistic acting must take up the slack; as I will eventually get tired of saying, the Publics cast, under Nelsons direction, is heartbreaking in its fierce, ordinary believability. (They are Maryann Plunkett as Mary, Roberta Maxwell as Patricia, Jay O. Sanders as George, Lynn Hawley as Hannah, Amy Warren as Joyce, and Meg Gibson as Karin.) But in any case, you dont come to the Apple or Gabriel plays for their individual qualities as events or for their jaggedly new profiles, any more than you keep spending the holidays with your family because you expect this years version to be radically different from last years. Rather, you come back for whats always nearly the same. You come back because you believe, against considerable evidence, that somehow, together, things will be better.

What Did You Expect? is at the Public Theater through October 9.
New Delhi issues joint statement on PM Dahal's state visit

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is presently on a state visit to India from September 15-18 at the invitation of Prime Minister of India, was accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rastrapati Bhawan Friday.
Heart of Texas Airshow will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Texas State Technical College Airport, 3801 Campus Drive.

The aerial show will be from 1 to 5 p.m. each day.

General admission tickets cost $15, and tickets for senior adults, children ages 7 to 12 and military personnel with an ID cost $8.

Walk for the Homeless

Mission Wacos annual Walk for the Homeless will be from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, starting at the Meyer Center, 1226 Washington Ave.

Individuals or groups can attend the 1.2-mile educational and prayer walk, which will include stops at Compassion Ministries, Caritas, My Brothers Keeper, a local church, MHMR, the Department of Veterans Affairs regional offices and the Salvation Army.

Participants are encouraged to bring hygiene items for the homeless.

For more information, visit www.missionwaco.org.

Kaleidoscope Concert

In conjunction with Baylor Universitys Family Weekend, four major ensembles from the Baylor School of Music will present a Kaleidoscope Concert at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jones Concert Hall in Baylors Glennis McCrary Music Building.

Performing will be the Baylor Symphony Orchestra, Bella Voce, the A Cappella Choir and the Wind Ensemble.

For more information, visit www.baylor.edu/ music or call 710-3991.

History Coalition

The McLennan County History Coalition will have its quarterly meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Dr Pepper Museum, 300 S. Fifth St.

For more information, call Ken Brittain at 772-6659.

Hispanic genealogy

The Waco-McLennan County Library will present Genealogy 101: Finding Your Hispanic Roots, a brown-bag lunch genealogy session, from noon to 1 p.m. Monday at West Waco Library and Genealogy Center, 5301 Bosque Blvd.

Family historian Isolda Quintero will discuss research techniques and the major resources available for Hispanic genealogy research.

Lunch is not provided.

For more information, call 750-5945 or visit wacolibrary.org.

Quilters Guild

The Waco Homespun Quilters Guild will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Lakewood Christian Church, 6509 Bosque Blvd.

Debbie Panton will give a presentation on Labels and Their Quilts.

Guests are welcome.

For more information, visit wacohomespunquiltguild.org.

Block party

Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, 1624 Wooded Acres Drive, will host a block party to recognize police, firefighters, sheriffs and dispatchers from noon to 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

The event will include free pulled pork barbecue and hot dog sandwiches with beans and coleslaw; games; a firetruck on display; pony rides; an inflatable bounce house; and an accelerator slide for children.

Law enforcement officers and their families are invited to attend lunch.

For more information, call 399-9974.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or email to goingson@wacotrib.com.
Wacos leisure and hospitality industry has grown by 800 people in the past year, part of an increase of 2,300 jobs in the area since August last year, according to figures released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A total of 11,900 people are employed in the leisure and hospitality sector in the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes McLennan and Falls counties.

Other job sectors with sizable increases include education and health services, with an increase of 700, and professional and business services, with a jump of 500.

The workforce commission reported that the Waco MSA saw its jobless rate drop from 4.6 percent in July to 4.4 percent in August. And though the number of people employed the past year has increased considerably, the jobless rate in August last year actually was lower at 4.2 percent.

The workforce commission said more people are looking for jobs, noting that the Waco MSAs civilian labor force, which includes the unemployed and employed, increased from 119,600 in August last year to 122,300 this year.

Several factors are creating demand for workers in leisure and hospitality, said Carla Pendergraft, director of marketing for the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau.

First of all, weve had three new hotels open this year, and each must be staffed, Pendergraft said. Then, we have the third-highest occupancy rate in the state at 74.7 percent, which is behind only Austin-Round Rocks 79.1 percent and Dallas 76.5 percent. The statewide average is 65.9 percent.

Such occupancy rates mean there are more people cleaning rooms, taking phone calls and taking care of people, Pendergraft said.

The new hotels that opened this year are the TownPlace Suites at Legends Crossing; Candlewood Suites at New Road and Interstate 35; and Home2 Suites by Hilton near Bagby Avenue and South Valley Mills Drive, in the mixed-use development anchored by the Gander Mountain outdoors store.

Pendergraft said restaurant employees are included in the leisure and hospitality tally, and just think of how many new ones of those we have.

Magnolia Market at the Silos, Sixth Street and Webster Avenue, has become a tremendous magnet for visitors, Pendergraft said. Its appeal has steadily grown, and it welcomes an average of 35,000 visitors a week, she said. That translates into 1.8 million guests per year for the Silos and Waco.

Statewide, Texas employers added 190,600 jobs since last August, workforce commission Chairman Andres Alcantar said in a press release.

The fact that our state has added jobs for 16 of the last 17 months is a credit to the diversity and resilience of employers in Texas, Commissioner Ruth R. Hughs said in the press release.

Texas seasonally adjusted jobless rate increased to 4.7 percent in August, up slightly from 4.6 percent in July.

The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area recorded the lowest unemployment rate for August, at 3.4 percent. The Austin-Round Rock MSA had the second-lowest rate at 3.5 percent, followed by the Lubbock MSA with a rate of 3.8 percent, according to the press release.

A report prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the national unemployment rate remained at 4.9 percent in August for the third month in a row.
In the section of the South Waco Community Center dedicated Friday as the Waco Hispanic Museum, Joe M. Lopez sat contemplating a more innocent version of himself.

In a framed picture on display, its 1962, and Lopez is 19. He is holding an alto saxophone and beaming, along with the other members of a popular Waco-based Mexican-American dance band.

We were the Starlights, he said. We played all around Central Texas, on up to Lubbock and those places.

It was before he was shipped to fight in Vietnam, before he was blistered and crippled by Agent Orange, and before he became a Waco police detective working to solve grisly murders. At 19, his problems were smaller in scale, such as getting his saxophone run over by a band trailer during a gig in Lubbock.

It was as flat as a pancake, he said. For the next nights show, a good Samaritan offered him a tenor saxophone, which he hurriedly adopted as his instrument from then on.

People are the focus at the new museum, which had its ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday at the community center, 2815 Speight Ave.

The collection consists largely of photos, news articles and clothing from ordinary residents who made up Wacos Hispanic community. That community has grown from about 8 percent of the Waco population in 1970 to about 30 percent today.

Lopez, who served on the museum committee along with his wife, Santos, said he hopes the museum will preserve the stories of that community before its too late. He and other museum volunteers say the collection is just the seed of whats to come.

Its taken a long time to get off the ground, but we cant go anywhere but up, he said. Maybe in a couple of years, well be in a bigger place, but I think its going in the right direction now.

Museum chairman Louis Garcia and Councilwoman Alice Rodriguez thanked city leaders and volunteers at a luncheon of carne guisada before the ribbon-cutting.

This is a dream come true for me, Rodriguez said.

She said that in the future, the museum will have special exhibits on topics such as sports, music, neighborhood and civic organizations.

What you see today is just a teaser, she said.

Among the lunch guests was Byron Johnson, director of the citys Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, who has consulted with museum leaders on the project.

This is an excellent start to the project, Johnson said. All museums start off small, even the Smithsonian. They grow to meet the needs of the community. The group has done an absolutely wonderful job getting started on this.

He said starting the museum in an unused corner of a popular community center in the heart of a Hispanic neighborhood was a wise move.

Good place to start

In many parts of the country, museums get put into areas without high traffic, and theyre rarely successful, he said. This will give them an anchor for a range of educational programs aside from just exhibits.

Johnson said he hopes to see the museum evolve to include an informative website, an oral history program and an archive of historic documents.

Lopez said there was no community effort to preserve Wacos Hispanic heritage when he was growing up in the 1950s. He was glad to see photos in this exhibit of Joe Rodriguez, an uncle of Councilwoman Rodriguez, who is thought to be Wacos first Hispanic policeman.

He was smart, Lopez said. You can tell by the pictures he was smart. He wrote all the manuals for the police department.

Lopez is thought to be the second Hispanic officer, though he said it wasnt easy to get the job. He interviewed in 1968 after coming back from fighting in Vietnam but was turned down without an explanation. He said he discovered it was because he had been misidentified as another Joe Lopez who owed money at a local furniture store.

Lopez served as a beat cop for a couple of years. One day, Rodriguez, who was then a police captain, called him into his office and told Lopez he would be a detective. For the next decade or so, Lopez worked investigating crimes for the Waco Police Department and later worked for the McLennan Community College police. Even today, he continues to hold a peace officers licence.

Ill always be a cop, he said.

For information on volunteering or contributing to the Waco Hispanic Museum, contact Louis Garcia at 549-9730.
The law that decriminalized truancy across Texas a year ago is serving its purpose in McLennan County, and Midway and Waco school districts are serving as good models for how to keep students in class by addressing the underlying causes of absences and focusing on strengthening family bonds, county judges and district officials said.

We were just talking to a young man earlier today who was having some truancy issues, and the conversation is this is all in your control,  Midway ISD truancy administrator Tammey Harlen said.

Sending a child to court has become a last resort at Midway ISD and other districts across the county, Harlen said.

This month marks the first anniversary of Texas lawmakers decriminalizing truancy for students. In that year, McLennan County and school district officials have seen a significant decrease in the number of cases that reach court.

The new law requires school districts to take a proactive approach to attendance issues and mandated the creation of the McLennan County Truancy Committee to coordinate efforts.

From September 2012 to September 2013, Justice of the Peace Fernando Villarreal had 921 parent and student court cases, he said. At the time, his court was handling the bulk of truancy cases, including Waco ISDs.

The next year, justice of the peace districts were redrawn, spreading out the number of cases each court handled. In the first year truancy was decriminalized, Villarreal had 119 student cases filed in his court and 249 parent cases, he said.

Other judges saw similar fluctuation, he and Justice of the Peace Brian Richardson said. Richardson has been handling truancy cases for the past year and half, and Villarreal has been handling the cases since 1992.

As you can see, theres been an impact, and Im not going to say it was anything other than following procedures and questions. Really and truly, when this committee got together, that was a blessing to all of us. Because we got to put eyes on people, and you get to meet them and build a relationship with them and you get to ask questions, Richardson said. As a justice of the peace, we cant talk to schools and give them legal advice or give them formats and flow charts, but as a McLennan County Truancy Committee, we can offer that to them.

Truancy was decriminalized after critics and politicians said the old law kept students out of school longer because of heavy or unpaid fines. The old law sent about 100,000 students in Texas to criminal court each year, according to the Associated Press.

The new law took the criminal component away from the child, but parents could still face criminal court, Villarreal said.

A plan made in April by the McLennan County Truancy Committee, which the new law mandated, has helped push the number of new truancy cases down, Villarreal said. Several judges, a county commissioner, the Waco mayor, the Waco ISD superintendent and others sit on the committee.

The plan includes uniform processes for handling and filing truancy cases and a system for tracking truancy information and sharing it among schools, the courts and other juvenile justice entities.

The plan also asked districts to voluntarily adopt some form of the following truancy prevention measures:

 A behavior improvement plan that includes a specific description of required or prohibited behavior, the period the plan will be effective and penalties for additional absences.

 School-based community service.

 Referral to counseling, mediation, mentoring, teen court, community-based services or other services to address the students truancy.

With 20 public school districts in the county, each with its own way of handling truancy cases, the plan is expected to make the processing of cases more unified and smooth, the judges said. The committee met with district officials two weeks ago to make sure everyone was on the same page with the new plan as the school year started. They used Midway and Waco ISD truancy procedures as examples of how districts can intervene before truancy cases actually make it to courtroom.

The new law and district policies have helped maintain WISDs attendance rate at about 94 percent for the past two years, officials said. They did not have the number of truancy cases on hand.

I think we have seen a decrease in cases, only because of the truancy prevention measures weve put into place, counseling services director Tiffany Sommerfeld said. Weve tried a couple of different things as opposed to going straight to court. Its not that were being more lenient. Were sticking to the rules of the law. However, weve put in more truancy measures to where were trying to educate the parents to get their students into school and emphasizing the importance of the students being in school. As a district, weve also put into place, for a lack of better words, incentives, to get them to come to school, stay in school and enroll in school.

One of those incentives that also helps set the district apart from others is offering dual-credit courses for free, Sommerfeld said. At other districts, parents have to pay for dual- credit courses, she said. Considering 80 percent of Wacos students are economically disadvantaged, thats a huge incentive for students to come to school and get college-level credit that may not have been an option before, she said.

Waco ISD also has a step-by-step truancy intervention process, which the county committee has used as an example for other districts to follow, assistant superintendent Rick Hartley said. That process starts with phone calls to parents or guardians, then a student conference, then a letter to parents or guardians.

After that, if truancy issues continue, students are referred to campus-based interns and the campus counselor, and then go to Communities in Schools specialists. If those steps still havent addressed the issue, a cohort meeting is set up with a campus team. Student court and peer mediation can take place, and a warning letter is then sent home. From there, the intervention methods escalate to a home visit and possibly the districts Saturday Diversion program, in which families go in on a Saturday to address the ongoing issue.

Only after that, if the issue continues, is the case referred to court, according to the districts truancy manual. The district is also in the process of creating a brochure that breaks down the law for parents and setting up informative, automated phone calls and emails about the process to send parents when their student misses a day.

Were trying to focus mostly on the family piece of it and not so much the part thats no longer criminal, Sommerfeld said. I honestly believe thats not something were focusing on at all. Its building relationships. Its that parents now know their students are cared about, and theyre not just a number. They have somewhere theyre wanted, and its a safety thing.

At Midway ISD, the number of truancy cases has decreased the last three years. In 2013-14, the district had 89 court cases. It had 65 cases in 2014-15 and 56 in 2015-16 as enrollment grew, district officials said. The district is modeling what officials called a holistic approach.

While the district has steps and procedures similar to Waco ISDs, the biggest change the district made was opening its doors for parents to talk with truancy officials, truancy facilitator Marva Harrison said. Before the new law, parents felt a disconnect or were even surprised by their childs attendance issues, Harrison said. Part of that was because truancy policies werent up to the district, she said.

Now, the policies encourage conversations and even family focus groups to tackle the core reasons a child is missing school before a child is referred to court, she said.

Not all truant children are delinquents, she said. Truancy issues are often as simple as parents not providing the proper documentation when a child is absent because of a medical appointment or something similar.

Its not about getting you to court. Its about making sure your kid is in school, Harlen said.

As the judges look back over the past year and move forward into the next, they and district officials can agree the law is working, because the law created uniformity within the school districts and within the overall judicial system, Villarreal said.

Having done this for so many years, I like the fact that there seems to be a greater emphasis, Villarreal said. We have more judges who are equally committed as I am to have a positive impact on truancy, and because of the formation of the committee we have more people who understand the issues and are more supportive. Everybody now sees what everybody else is doing, so theres more unison in folks working together to deal with this very important issue.
Pakistan mosque suicide bomb attack kills 23 - officials

At least 23 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on a mosque in north-western Pakistan, officials say.
Fifteen years ago on 9/11, I was in front of a computer screen at work when I received a message to go to the Internet or turn the TV on at the sheriffs office. There had been a normal level of activity in our division, but then all came to a halt. The typing stopped. The phone calls quit. The normal chatter disappeared. There was no air to breathe in the room. It was all in our chests.

As I watched, I, an old veteran, spoke to a young co-worker. I said words that have since proven to be true: Say goodbye to the America you know, because we will never be the same.

She looked at me as if I were trying to make light of the whole situation evolving before us in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Burns with smoke

As I remember the pictures, films and reports hour by hour and for months to come  right up till now, really  my nose still burns from smoke a thousand miles away. My ears still ring from sirens, remembering the New York firemen I had met just 11 months earlier while buying a used fire truck. I knew on 9/11 that many of them died that day. More than half of the firemen who perished were volunteers. In many departments there were two or more family members  brothers, fathers, sons and daughters.

Today my eyes tear up, too, at the memory of those innocent victims who chose to jump instead of burning to death in the towers. The anger inside me has died down but not gone out.

Today we honor our first responders  law enforcement at all levels; our fire departments, both paid and volunteer; and those who see the worst  our ambulance and medical staff, all the way from the crash site through the emergency room to the operating table.

Today we honor those who perished in this attack. We recognize the pain of their families and the loneliness they must feel as they remember their loved ones lost that day.

Today we recognize and pay tribute to the courage shown on United Airlines Flight 93, specifically the passengers whose actions lessened the totality of this assault. They chose to die as fighters, not victims.

Seize your grief

Today we say we remember but we must reach deep inside and seize the emotions of that day to truly do so. Seize your grief, your sadness, your anger. Remember, too, our inspiring coming together as one nation because this battle still is being waged against us as a nation  and only we as indivisible can win this war.

We as Americans have lived a protected life. We have been ever fortunate in that the majority of our wars have been fought overseas. Although the families of our fallen have certainly known the cost of war, our military members have paid the cost of war with their lives and wellbeing. Our general population that day 15 years ago had never truly had a taste or felt the sting of such warfare.

So here it is and its not a good feeling. And that sting of war is with us 15 long and tumultuous years later.

It is time to stir the memory of this assault 15 years ago to again come together as a nation in honor of the fallen, both on that day and in the ensuing battles to come. We must come together as a people of all creeds and backgrounds and put leadership in charge that supports our troops, law enforcement, the fire and medical personnel as they go about their daily responsibilities the best they can.

As a people it is up to us to survive as a free nation.

Vietnam veteran Bill Mahon is the former McLennan County veterans service officer. He was one of the local leaders of efforts to save the Doris Miller Veterans Affairs Medical Center from closure more than a decade ago.
WAHOO  Two individuals were arrested near Mead this afternoon after being chased off by a gas station attendant that thwarted their attempts to install a card skimmer in Wahoo.

Luis Raul Hernandez, 35, of Hollywood, Fla. and Ricardo Viera, 47, of Miami, Fla. were arrested by Saunders County Sheriff Deputies this afternoon after they fled from the Corner Market, when confronted by clerk Lisa Nemitz at around 1 p.m. today.

Saunders County Sheriff Kevin Stukenholtz said the two Florida natives had rented the car they were driving.

Nemitz said an alarm went off in their convenience store at the corner of 12th and Chestnut streets, showing something was wrong at the pumps and she went out to check.

She said she noticed they had a key in the card reader and told her it was ok.

She said she told them it wasnt, got their license plate number and went inside to dial 911.

They sped off with both their doors open, Nemitz said.

She said store owner Joe Spicka came immediately to ensure that none of the pumps had been compromised.

Stukenholtz said they did not locate a card reader upon arrest and have charged them with criminal mischief.

With Wahoo being only 35 minutes away from larger cities, they thought they might have found an easy target.

And they would have if it werent for an alert clerk, Stukenholtz said.
PM Dahal meets ex-Indian PM Singh

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held a meeting with former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday evening.
The higher quest

Shortlisted for the Madan Puraskar, 2072, Ghanashyam Khadkas Nirvana revisits the question of if spiritual healing could indeed be the ultimate therapy
He was a member of Tony Abbott's prime ministerial Praetorian guard to the very end: a hardline cigar-chomping conservative who did all he could to keep Malcolm Turnbull out of The Lodge.

But a year after Abbott's fall, Mathias Cormann  the very private West Australian senator known primarily as the guy with the Schwarzenegger accent  is now emerging as one of Turnbull's key lieutenants.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said "such actions are not in keeping with the government's commitment to reduce internal and external red tape." Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It was Cormann who last week shepherded the government's $6 billion omnibus savings bill through the Parliament, spearheading negotiations with Labor to achieve a rare bipartisan budgetary accord.

But it wasn't the first time.
Perth murder victim Annabelle Chen, whose body was found in a suitcase dumped in the Swan River, was a big time gambler at Crown Casino in Burswood according to former staffers.

Workers at the casino claim it wasn't unusual to see her there six and seven nights a week.

Annabelle Chen and one of the tiles found inside the suitcase dropped at the Fremantle Traffic Bridge.

They are convinced she was part of a regular group of gamblers who could win or lose tens of thousands of dollars in a night - but asked staff to record only their winnings, not their losses.

"She used to come in all the time," a former casino worker said.
Local Government Minister Tony Simpson has resigned from the state government's cabinet, saying he no longer fully supports Premier Colin Barnett.

The former minister issued a statement saying that the party's leadership issue now needs to be brought to a head.

"I have taken this step reluctantly and with a heavy heart, but have done so because I no longer have confidence in the direction and leadership being offered by the Premier and hence cannot say that he has my full support.

"I hope the issue of leadership with the Parliamentary Liberal Party will come to a head. In any case, relinquishing my Ministerial duties will give me more time to devote to my electorate and the task of retaining the seat of Darling Range.
You could say that you need a small gold mine to buy a plane ticket to the heart of WA's mining rich country.

The sky-high airfares to regional WA have been a hot topic for many years, and now the Pilbara Regional Council are calling for a state government inquiry into the pricey flights from Perth to the Pilbara.

Pilbara locals are fighting for cheaper plane seats. Credit:guvendemir

Pilbara Regional Council CEO Tony Friday wants the local residents to pay subsidised airfares, and is hopeful the state government will consider developing a regional travel support package.

"It's not about airlines taking profits, it's a misguided tax incentive that has rigged the system against local residents," Mr Friday said.
Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020.

Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work.

Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri.
Three agreements signed between Nepal, India

Three agreements were signed between Nepal and India on Friday in the presence of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
Uma Regmi elected as NWA Chairperson

The third General Convention of Nepal Women's Association (NWA) has elected Uma Regmi (Adhikari) as the new Chairperson of the Association.
Watts Water Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells products, solution, and systems that manage and conserve the flow of fluids and energy into, through and out of buildings in the commercial and residential markets in the Americas, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers residential and commercial flow control products, including backflow preventers, water pressure regulators, temperature and pressure relief valves, and thermostatic mixing valves. It also provides heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and gas products, such as boilers, water heaters, custom heat, and hot water solutions; hydronic and electric heating systems for under-floor radiant applications; custom heat and hot water solutions; hydronic pump groups for boiler manufacturers and alternative energy control packages; and flexible stainless steel connectors for natural and liquid propane gas in commercial food service and residential applications. In addition, the company offers drainage and water re-use products comprising drainage products and engineered rain water harvesting solutions for commercial, industrial, marine, and residential applications; and water quality products that include point-of-use and point-of-entry water filtration, conditioning, and scale prevention systems for commercial and residential applications. Further, it provides smart mixing system under the IntelliStation name. The company sells its products to plumbing, heating, and mechanical wholesale distributors and dealers, as well as original equipment manufacturers, specialty product distributors, do-it-yourself chains, and retail chains; and directly to wholesalers and private label accounts. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1874 and is headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts.
US election: Trump accepts Barack Obama was born in US

Donald Trump, the main supporter of false claims about Barack Obama's birthplace, has finally said he accepts that the president was born in the US, "period".
Vidya Balan down with dengue

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Advertisement

By The Associated Press

Sep. 17, 2016 | PHILADELPHIA, PA

By The Associated Press Sep. 17, 2016 | 07:50 AM | PHILADELPHIA, PA

Two police officers and four civilians have been wounded in a wild shootout that covered a number of blocks in West Philadelphia, and a suspect has been shot and killed.



Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross says Sergeant Sylvia Young was shot up to eight times, multiple times in her protective vest, late Friday night. Officials say Ed Miller, a former member of the Philadelphia police force who is an officer with the University of Pennsylvania, was also shot. There was no immediate work on Miller's injury. Both are in stable condition.



Ross says a suspect walked up to Young's police vehicle and opened fire just before 11:30 pm, hitting the 19-year veteran in the left arm. He says the suspect then fled and shot into a nearby bar, striking a security guard in the leg. He then grabbed a woman and used her as a shield before shooting her in the leg. Then, moments later, the suspect shot into a car, striking a man and a woman who police say are in critical condition.



Ross said Miller and two police officers chased the man into an alley, where he was shot and killed.



The identities of the suspect and the others who were injured were not immediately released.



Meanwhile, police in Texas say a suspect is dead after shooting and wounding two officers who responded to a reported suicide at a Fort Worth house.



The shooting happened about 8:30 pm Friday. Fort Worth police say responding officers initially found a man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head.



The officers were later told a witness was in a backyard shed and were shot after opening the shed door. Police returned fire, a standoff ensued and police later confirmed the unidentified suspect was dead.



Police identified the injured officers as probationary officer Ray Azucena and field training officer Xavier Serrano.



Authorities say Azucena underwent surgery after being shot in the upper torso and extremities, and is expected to recover. Police say Serrano was saved from serious injury by body armor.




By The Associated Press Sep. 16, 2016 | 12:29 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

Republican Gov. Matt Bevin says the state has resolved a funding issue for a project to build a statewide broadband network.

A group of private companies has borrowed $289 million to build the network. Kentucky officials had promised to pay the companies about $28 million a year for internet service, including $13 million from the state's public school districts. But state officials soon found they could not use the money from public school districts, creating a $13 million gap.

Finance Secretary William Landrum said the state has signed several agreements with private telecom companies that will save the state more than $10 million. He also said the state plans to sell excess capacity from the network to private companies.

Bevin said the project will be finished and has the "absolute commitment" of this administration.
Woman files sexual abuse case against actor Santosh Panta

A female security guard at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan has filed a sexual abuse case against actor Santosh Panta.
Lakota MilkyWay

Whether the stars, the sun or the moon, the Lakota people have always been avid watchers of the sky. They called the stars the "Woniya of Wakan Tanka:" the holy breath of the Great Spirit.This ancient tradition has held fast in modern Lakota culture in part because Victor Douville, an elder and member of the Sicangu Oyate Lakota Tribe, which is formally known as the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and based on the Rosebud Indian Reservation within the U.S. state of South Dakota. He's been a Lakota studies teacher at Sinte Gleska University on that reservation since 1971, but his interest in the stars started many years before that."Star knowledge for me started when I was a young boy laying out in the haystack looking up at the Big Dipper and my uncle said 'Oceti Sakowin,'" Douville says.Oceti Sakowin, in the Lakota language, means "Seven Council Fires." The phrase refers to the seven council fires among the Lakota people that are represented in the sky in what many astronomers call the Big Dipper.The Sicangu Oyate Lakota people traditionally watched the movements of the night sky to determine the best times for planting and harvesting and other seasonal activities. A working knowledge of astronomy was key to survival, and they did it all without telescopes or other modern equipment.Understanding Tribal Nations: The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is one of nine Native American tribes within the U.S. State of South Dakota that are formally recognized by the U.S. federal government. The U.S. government is required, under the terms of the treaties it signed with the tribes, to allocate funding for education, health care and other services, but there are deep disputes over whether the federal government is fulfilling its treaty requirements.Eight of the nine tribes within South Dakota are formally known as Sioux tribes, by the name used colloquially during the pioneer era to describe the Lakota people and other groups. The name Sioux is still used formally, but many people who are members of those tribes prefer to use their traditional tribal names. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe, which is based on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, is often referred to as the Sicangu Oyate Lakota Tribe.Douville wanted to keep that knowledge alive. In 1984, the university launched a Lakota astronomy course, and Douville worked with Ronald Goodman, who had written about Lakota star knowledge, to gather traditional stories and teachings from Lakota elders and medicine people."There were a lot of challenges," Douville says. "There were a lot of skeptics out there saying that [Lakota star knowledge] was just made up recently."Douville says the biggest challenge was to ensure that Lakota astronomy aligned with modern science."That way, we can make it more legitimate," he says. "So that was the challenge there, to make people believe and realize that this is also equal to what they had."The larger astronomy world has long had a fascination with Lakota star knowledge, including grappling with who knew what, and when.One event in particular captured the interest of the Smithsonian Institution, a group of museums and research centers administered by the U.S. government, when researchers curated an online exhibit called "Lakota Winter Counts." For Lakota people, winter counts are histories or calendars in which events are recorded on hides, cloth or paper, with one picture for each year.One winter count noted in that exhibit is "The Year the Stars Fell," which a Smithsonian researcher discovered referred to an 1833 Leonid meteor storm that was widely recognized by the larger astronomy community. That discovery led to broader connections between Lakota star knowledge and modern astronomy.Today, many astronomers examine star charts and other artifacts from tribes across the continent for signs of a connection between modern and ancient knowledge."There are a lot of cultures around the world that perceive the arrangement of the stars in the sky in different ways than we do in some of our Anglo-European perspective," says Judy Vondruska, who teaches astronomy and physics at South Dakota State University.A modern tipi is a landmark at Sinte Gleska University, located on the Rosebud Indian Reservation within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Students at the university can learn about Lakota star knowledge.Binesikwe Means, GPJ Tribal Nations, Rosebud Indian ReservationDifferent cultures use their knowledge of the stars for different reasons, and for some cultures those reasons might be more practical. For many indigenous groups in what is now the U.S., the stars indicated when certain animals would move or became historical markers for important events."That's slipped away from the Anglo-European perspective, because for us it's more just stories we've inherited from Greek and Roman mythology," Vondruska says. "It wasn't as embedded in our everyday existence as it was for many of these other cultures."For Douville, it's important to pass Lakota star knowledge to younger people so that it continues to have every day use. And the younger Lakota people who learn under Douville say his passion for teaching them is always evident."Leksi Victor is a definite treasure to Sinte Lakota Oyate," says Damon Leader Charge, one of Douville's former students. Leader Charge uses the term "Leksi," or uncle, as an honorific in referring to Douville. Sinte Lakota Oyate means "Lakota family."Douville practices the traditional values he teaches, Leader Charge says."He is always ready and willing to give, to share his knowledge, to ensure those teachings live on for generations to come, just as our ancestors did in the past," he says.The next big challenge, Douville says, is to finish developing a traditional calendar based on Lakota star knowledge.Douville's connection to his people and his dedication to preserving Lakota culture is what motivates him."I try to get the student to know that connection between what's here and what's above," he says, referring to the stars. "What we do down here impacts above, and what happens up there impacts down here. I want them to know that."
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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A handful of the worlds top wakeboarders did a demonstration on a pond south of the Perimeter Highway Friday.

That event was held one week after Surf Expo, the wakeboard industrys largest trade show, in Orlando, Fla.

The riders made the trip to Winnipeg to show their support for a new cable wakeboard system called Konex Wake Parks, which was developed in Winnipeg by Daniel Kathan and his father, Alan.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS BUSINESS - Konex Wakeparks make an innovative cable wakeboard system that they want to sell worldwide. Photo taken at the Konex Research Facility on Hunter Road in Springfield, MB. Mike Fisette is a local wake boarder that demos the system. Martin Cash story. Sept. 16, 2016

Konex launched its website in July, made a splash at Surf Expo and then held the first demonstration Friday.

Its the result of four years and about $1 million worth of their own cash and sweat equity.

Theres a lot going on, said Daniel Kathan, 25. But were feeling good. Weve had tremendous feedback from the market.

Surf Expo is where early adopters, wakeboard park owners and professional wakeboarders congregate.

When the owners saw the technology, they were blown away, said Daniel. This is going to save them countless hours of maintenance and repairs and keep the systems up and running.

When the owners saw the technology, they were blown away. This is going to save them countless hours of maintenance and repairs and keep the systems up and running Daniel Kathan (right), with partner (and father) Alan Kathan

It allows riders to jump higher and execute better tricks for a sport thats on the short list for the 2020 Olympics and may make it in 2024.

Cable wakeboarding is an offshoot of boat-propelled wakeboarding in which the wakeboarder is attached to an overhead ski lift-type of cable that stretches across a body of water and connects to fixed towers. The cable pulls the wakeboarder to ramps where he executes tricks.

Daniel learned about the sport while working on the development of the largest wake park in the country, Adrenalin Adventures in Winnipeg. He learned the business from the bottom up, all the while becoming a highly ranked wakeboarder. Among other things, he saw the faults and limitations of current systems and thought he could make a better one.

He convinced his father, Alan, a retired Fisheries and Oceans Canada regional director who was in charge of building and maintaining 250 harbours and marinas in Central Canada, to become his partner.

I was looking for something to do when I retired, and Daniel told me his idea a few years ago. It took me about a half a minute to realize it had real potential, Alan said.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS BUSINESS - Konex Wakeparks make an innovative cable wakeboard system that they want to sell worldwide. Photo of towers taken at the Konex Research Facility on Hunter Road in Springfield, MB. Martin Cash story. Sept. 16, 2016

After that, they designed and developed equipment that can be configured in 20-foot, 31-foot or 40-foot towers with 1,200 feet of cable that pulls wakeboarders up to 55 km/h.

The components will be made in Winnipeg. Konex will do the assembly.

Jeff Ryzner, the CEO of North Forge, the development agency that helps startups, has been working with the Kathans for three years.

Working with entrepreneurs with deep domain knowledge and passion is an incredible experience, he said. Its the spirit of entrepreneurship. The ultimate question is: are you willing to bet on yourself. These guys have 100 per cent bet on themselves.

Ryzner believes it will not have been a reckless endeavour.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Alan Kathan (left) and Daniel Kathan are a father and son team.

Im convinced this is going to be in wakeboard parks around the world in the years to come, Ryzner said. This is the type of innovation that will take the sport into the Olympics.

As the owner of Adrenalin Adventures, Jason Rohs is a big supporter of what the Kathans are doing, but hes also aware of the challenges theyll face in the marketplace.

I know that Dan has definitely got some passion behind it, and Ive been supportive, Rohs said. But there is lot of competition worldwide for these types of cable systems. The capital investment is pretty substantial, especially if you have an existing system.

At about $32,000, the Konex system is competitively priced in a market dominated by a few German companies. The trick will be to convince operators of wakeboard parks to switch to a better system.

Im my toughest critic, but the reaction from Surf Expo was great, said Daniel. People are telling us they want to swap out systems they just bought for ours.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Konex Wake Parks Inc.s cable wakeboard system is catching eyes worldwide. Winnipeg wakeboarder Mike Fisette demonstrates the system Friday.

There are about 1,000 parks around the world. New parks are popping up at a 175 per cent year-over-year growth rate. Daniel thinks Konex has scared the competition. Theyre confident they have a good shot at breaking into the market. The Kathans think theyll be able to start shipping about 10 systems per month by the end of their first year in operation.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In 1981, Winnipeg was on the front lines of the abortion battleground. In school classrooms, sex education was often met with snickers. At hospitals and clinics, male doctors routinely outnumbered their female counterparts.

For women, it was a difficult time to find feminist, pro-choice, non-judgmental health care. Enter the Womens Health Clinic.

On Friday, the clinic will be celebrating its 35th anniversary  35 years of education, advocacy and empowerment; 35 years of changing womens lives.

Reducing harm, being non-judgmental, being sex-positive, being realistic about what goes on in womens lives  Gio Guzzi, co-ordinator of the birth control and unplanned pregnancy counselling program at the Womens Health Clinic, of the programs mission

(The birthday bash will be at the Marlborough Hotel, featuring spoken-word performances and DJ Mama Cutsworth. Full disclosure: I am the MC for the event.)

Over that time, talk about womens choice, abortion, birth control, family planning, sex education and feminism changed radically  evolving from quiet discussions to open conversations.

The clinic has helped normalize those conversations, some of which can be polarizing. Youll encounter abortion, feminist and pro-choice on its website. At last years spoken-word event Pro Voice for Choice, women were given an opportunity to share their stories and show theres no one or right way to experience abortion.

The clinic has been a pioneer when it comes to birth control access. Its birth control and unplanned pregnancy counselling program is a cornerstone of that work.

Trained volunteer counsellors provide guidance and education on birth control, unplanned pregnancy options (abortion, adoption and parenting), STIs and safer sex practices, as well as sexuality and relationships. They also provide referrals. Everything is explained in plain language by a peer.

We try to do a lot in that room, says Gio Guzzi, the program co-ordinator, who has been at the clinic for 30 years.

My hope is that we make a connection to people, a connection that makes you feel like youve been heard and not pre-judged. We try to be an access point in a lot of different ways. What we try to do is provide access to birth control and methods that are donation-based  pay what you can. That opens it up. We try to work so that theres no age bias going on. We go on the health of the client. Hopefully, we shroud it in acceptance. Reducing harm, being non-judgmental, being sex-positive, being realistic about what goes on in womens lives.

Being realistic means acknowledging that, yes, women have sex. That, yes, sometimes birth control can fail. That, yes, as long as women can get pregnant and dont want to be, there will be abortion. That, yes, contraceptives  when used correctly  prevent unplanned pregnancies and STIs, but also give women agency.

Cost, availability and lack of accurate and unbiased information all remain barriers to contraception.

The pill has only been legal in Canada for 47 years. Between 1961 and 1969, it could only be prescribed for menstrual regulation and pretty much any other usage than the one it was designed for.

The pill is now the go-to form of contraception for most Canadian women, but you dont have to look far to find stories from women about GPs withholding access. Heres mine: when I was in my early 20s, I learned my new family doctor would not prescribe birth control (of any kind) for ethical reasons. I had to find a new doctor.

But the pill is just one kind of contraception. There are variety of other options out there, from the patch to the vaginal ring to the shot. Accessing those options can be another story.

Guzzi points to the intrauterine device (or IUD). Its a form of long-acting reversible contraception  a T-shaped device containing either copper or levonorgestrel is inserted into the uterus. IUDs are among the most effective forms of birth control and are popular among women in Europe and Asia.

In North America, despite gaining some popularity, IUDs still remain among the least popular methods of birth control. And not for lack of demand, either.

A lot of practitioners dont feel comfortable or arent trained to insert them, Guzzi says. So we get a lot of clients who have been given a prescription for an IUD and they come here.

Emily Peters, program assistant in the clinics eating disorders program, was 19 when she first walked through the doors of the centre as a client, looking for an IUD.

I had some GPs in the past that would stigmatize female sexuality in a way I wasnt comfortable with, she says. I was able to meet with a counsellor who was able to answer all my questions about IUDs. Its a really cool, free service. Theres so much misinformation out there.

Peters, now 24, attended a private Christian high school. Our sex ed was basically, Dont have sex, she says. She didnt know anything about STIs or how to prevent them, nor did she know anything about birth control.

Peters is among one of the 600 or so women who have completed Guzzis training over the years to become a volunteer birth control counsellor. It was so empowering and so cool to be trusted with being in a room with someone whos in a vulnerable position, and youre able to give them information to make an empowered choice.

Joan Dawkins, the clinics executive director, says theres always work to be done around reproductive health. Shed like to see full, free birth control at teen clinics. Shed like to see women in rural and northern communities have much better access to birth control and abortion services.

The clinic has come a long way from its beginnings. It now has a staff of 120 and a volunteer staff of 80, as well as a board of directors. The 2000s brought a five-year period of intense growth, with the abortion clinic opening in 2006, the provincial eating disorder prevention and recovery program opening in 2009, and the Birth Centre, which is run by the clinic, opening in 2011.

There was a period of time we needed to grow into that growth, Dawkins says. Now, the clinic is looking at tackling its strategic five-year plan, which includes looking at how to better meet the needs of indigenous, newcomer and transgender populations.

Our new strategic plan says, Get back out there, Dawkins says. I think thats super-exciting. I think theres a real re-energizing of Womens Health Clinic.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @JenZoratti
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police renewed a public appeal early Saturday for missing woman Christine Wood, the former university student who vanished nearly a month ago.

Police made their latest appeal amid media reports of fundraising efforts to help the family with travel funds to continue their search in Winnipeg.

The family is from the remote, fly-in community of Oxford House First Nation.

WPS HANDOUT Christine Wood

The Winnipeg Police Service continues to request the publics assistance in locating 21-year-old Christine Wood, stated a police bulletin Saturday.

The former University of Winnipeg student was last seen the evening of Aug. 19 in St. James. Her parents told media shortly after her disappearance that it is extremely unusual for her to be out of contact with them for so long.

Since that time, a number of potential sightings have been reported to investigators, police said in the appeal Saturday.

Christine has possibly been observed in the Osborne Village area, downtown near Portage Place, the North End and east of Polo Park in St. James, police said.

Christine was staying at a hotel near Sargent Avenue and Berry Street with her parents while accompanying a family member to a medical appointment in Winnipeg on the night she went missing. She told her parents she was going out for the evening and never returned. She hasnt been in touch with family or friends since.

Her parents have described their daughter as having dark brown hair but the photo police released twice in the last week show her hair may possibly be dyed red.

She is 5 6, indigenous with shoulder length hair. She was last seen wearing a green top with a red striped Adidas jacket over top, denim shorts and carrying a white purse.

A fundraiser in Thompson Friday raised over $5,000 for travel expenses while Christines family continue the search in Winnipeg, according to media reports.

Police said their investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should call the Winnipeg Police Service missing persons unit at 204-986-6250.

In addition to police, the Bear Clan volunteer safety patrol has made Christine the focus of ongoing searches.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The flood of 2011 was the beginning of the end for Greg Selingers government.

When it struck, Selinger had been premier for a year-and-a-half. Before that, he had served as finance minister in the government of Gary Doer, and in this role, he earned a reputation as a careful steward of provincial finances, overseeing a decade of balanced budgets.

Manitobas NDP was then held as an exemplar of a left-of-centre government pursuing progressive policies while being fiscally responsible. But all that changed in the spring of 2011.

As the water levels rose, so did the bills. The flood disaster on the Assiniboine River, Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin was the most expensive in Manitobas history. The direct cost to the provincial and federal governments surpassed a billion dollars. Add in the largely untallied costs to private citizens, and that figure probably soars to well over $2 billion.

As a consequence, there was zero chance of balancing the provincial budget in 2011, or the year following. Events beyond Selingers control derailed the provinces finances, and he never recovered fiscal control.

Like the person fighting a weight problem who starts wearing sweatpants, Selinger appeared to have just given up. Short-term flood costs morphed into a long-term structural deficit, and the prospect of a balanced budget was pushed ever further into the future.

Floods forced Selingers first fateful decision: a reversal of his 2011 election commitment not to raise taxes. He announced in the 2013 budget, with almost no prior warning, an increase in the PST. The stated need was to build infrastructure, especially flood protection, as was strongly emphasized by both Selinger and his minister of infrastructure and transport, Steve Ashton.

In truth, relatively little was ever spent on flood protection. A long and expensive laundry list of potential flood-mitigation projects was announced, but almost none was built with the extra PST revenue. The PST increase simply ended up in general revenue to make a soaring deficit look slightly less bad.

Not all of Selingers cabinet was onside with the flood-related decision to increase the PST. But it was another flood-linked issue that appears to have triggered the cabinet revolt in 2014: Ashtons decision to purchase  untendered  $5 million in Tiger Dams from a prominent supporter, as well as a push by Ashton to fast-track a health-care clinic in The Pas. It is not clear there was any genuine impropriety, but the optics were beyond terrible. Cabinet colleagues were unhappy with this apparently new style of business under then-premier Selinger.

At the time, Ashton was the highest-profile cabinet minister because of the constant stream of flood-related news, not because he held the most senior portfolio. One wonders whether ministerial rivalry contributed to the internecine warfare that erupted within the Selinger government.

Though it was the people around Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin who paid, and are still paying, the heaviest costs, the flood of 2011-12 cost all Manitobans. The cost was both financial and political. Manitobans suffered through a dysfunctional government for the final two years of Selingers term.

For obvious reasons, the flood disaster of 2011-12 must not happen again. Here we turn to the expertise of engineers and hydrologists.

Plans have been drafted for new outlets to Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin that, when built, would avert floods similar to those experienced in 2011-12 and 2014. The primary obstacle is not in the construction and engineering, but the politics.

First Nations people living along the shores of Lake St. Martin, Lake Manitoba and the Dauphin River have a long history of ill-treatment from provincial and federal governments. Most notably, they were not consulted when the Fairford Water Control Structure and Portage Diversion were built. Both structures greatly increased flooding on traditional First Nations lands, particularly downstream of the Fairford River that drains Lake Manitoba.

Premier Brian Pallister has placed construction of the Lake Manitoba/Lake St. Martin outlet as a priority for his government. But before that happens, he will need to work hard to repair damaged relations with the affected First Nations. This will serve as an easily measured benchmark of his political skills.

Until an engineered flood solution is complete, all Manitobans and even their government remain at risk.

Pallister will be reminded of this every time the legislature sits. He need only look across the aisle to see where the remaining opposition members are seated (Selinger off to the side), and which familiar faces are now gone (Ashton, Theresa Oswald, Eric Robinson, Greg Dewar, Dave Chomiak, Sharon Blady, Kerri Irvin-Ross, Tom Nevakshonoff etc.).

That is the power of a flood.

Scott Forbes is an ecologist at the University of Winnipeg.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/09/2016 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This weeks column features a potpourri of news from the travel industry  from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Canadians today  and in the near future  are likely to continue to deliver the greatest number of visitors to Cuba on an annual basis. But with more announcements that seem to be coming through regularly about new flights and ships being allowed by the U.S. government to travel to and from Cuba, it is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Americans. Twice as many U.S. citizens visited Cuba in the last year as the year before, and those numbers are expected to increase exponentially.

But equally noteworthy, it is also becoming a new sought after destination for other nations, as well. European tourism to Cuba is reported to be up by 60 per cent. It is believed these increases are in no small part because of security concerns at other destinations, which were once traditional favourites for the European travel market. The Middle East and Africa are two of the regions quoted in travel reports put out by the huge French hospitality company Accor, who operate a number of tourist properties around the world, and in Cuba.

Al Diaz / Miami Herald Passengers arrive in Cienfuegos, Cuba, on American Airlines inaugural scheduled service from Miami to Cuba on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016.

Business to the island is projected to be so good that Air France has announced it will increase its schedule to Cuba from 11 to 28 weekly flights starting in November.

Finding accommodations for all the new and return visitors to stay may become a short-term challenge, as Cuba rushes to make as many deals as possible, as quickly as they can, to increase hotel and resort capacity for the future.

While Americans are not supposed to be staying at resort properties, there are no such restrictions for the French and other European travellers.

One of Accors most desired properties in Havana, the Hotel Seville, could be booked for US$120 last year and as of November will be available only for those willing to shell out US$280 per night.

Its only a toy!

The gun lobby in the United States may think its a nifty idea, but many Canadians may look upon it with a more discerning eye.

The newest souvenirs that are apparently selling quite well at Moscows Sheremetyevo International Airport are items relating to Russias best known assault rifle, the Kalashnikov.

This was the gun used by warriors of all sorts, not just the Russians. It was a big seller for the Russian manufacturer who were glad to sell it to just about anyone who wanted to buy. It has often been associated with terrorist groups, as well.

Now, the Moscow airport store sells T-shirts and other trinkets with the insignia I Love AK, alongside replica models of the gun.

While officials say it is easy to see that the model is not real, I cant think of any airline flying to Europe or North America who would allow it on board. And it seems it may be a little large to put into ones suitcase.

It should be a well-known fact by now that any replica of a weapon, large or small, that a passenger attempts to take on an aircraft will not only be confiscated, but the passenger will likely be denied the flight, and potentially even charged with a crime.

At the same time, the Kalashnikov is certainly a brand that is recognized around the world, and associated with Russia.

Every country has to be known for something. I am not sure any other countries would take pride in knowing that it is their favourite weapon of war that identifies them with greatness.

Read Rons blog at www.thattravelguy.ca. Listen to Rons latest podcast every Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. via his website or on demand on iTunes.

pradinukr@shaw.ca
Earlier this month, Cotter High School teachers were surprised with a breakfast where Vice Principal Mary Eileen Fitch revealed the schools ACT score averages.

It was a celebration for the teachers and recognizing the work they did in and out of the classroom to push their students and ensure they were as prepared as possible for one of the most crucial tests of a high-school students career.

In 2015 Minnesotas composite average for ACT scores was 20.8  Cotters average composite score last year was way above that, at 24.9, and Fitch felt it necessary to reward the teachers for their work.

It is a proud moment for the school, Fitch said. It shows theres a lot of hard work and effort paying off.

She said it was a combination of teachers motivating and connecting with their students and students willingness to engage and learn from them. That combination is present in multiple disciplines and subject matter, and it helps students perform better on the tests.

Seth Haun, a math teacher at Cotter, said hes proud of the school he works for and the students for their hard work and devotion to learning.

He said he tries to spend time with students on test strategies, specifically when it comes to multiple choice for math.

The kids works on their own and seek help on their own for the most part, Haun said. Ive tutored students in the past, which I know helps, but its also nice to see the students motivated.

Mike Costello, an English teacher at Cotter, said its rewarding to get feedback that students are thriving and learning.

We have a group of hardworking, smart kids, he said. As a school, Im pretty happy with the amount of reading and writing the students are asked to do ... its cumulatively beneficial for them.

Haun and and Costello, as well as Fitch, said they hope to see these kind of results from their students in the future so they can have more opportunities to succeed the beyond high-school classroom.
I traveled on two highways recently that begin in my home state and end in the South.

U.S. Route 41 starts in Copper Harbor, Michigan, at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, and ends in another peninsula  Florida in Miami. U.S. Route 45 starts in Ontonagon, Michigan and ends in Mobile, Alabama.

The highways travel concurrently between Milwaukee and Richfield, and intersect again at Oshkosh.

As a native of Michigans Upper Peninsula, my biased view is that both highways begin in the U.P. and end in the South. But the northern terminus of Highway 45 was Chicago until 1934. When Highway 41 was originally planned, its southern terminus was Naples, Florida. My sister and her boyfriend own a home in Naples, and the entrance to their gated community is right off Highway 41.

Most of my recent miles on Highway 41 happened in Naples earlier this month, when I took my first true vacation in nearly two years to visit my sister.

Hurricane Hermine made landfall far north of where I was, but sent wind gusts and rain my way. The rain limited my pool time during my first few days of vacation, and the wind gusts sent foliage hurling toward me while I was out walking the dog. I felt something brush the back of my head, turned, and spotted a giant palm frond on the ground behind me. So I was nearly brained by a palm frond.

I may have fired up the blender a bit early that day to help soothe my shaken nerves. My vacation included reading, shopping, a wine tasting, Cuban food, fresh seafood, sightseeing and a visit to the beach. The best part, though, was time spent with my sister Sarah, Shane and their dog, Nutmeg.

I drove on Highway 45 last Saturday, departing before the sun finished rising and heading north through Tigerton, Antigo, Eagle River and past the headwaters of the Wisconsin River. Its a scenic drivepast fields, forests, lakes and rolling hills. I recommend a pit stop in Wittenberg where you can buy Nueskes Applewood Smoked Meats. And perhaps another in Three Lakes, home of a great winery. If you stop in Land OLakes for gas, do not pay at the pump. Go inside, where tiles on the floor mark the border between Wisconsin and Michigan.

My destination was just over the border in Watersmeet, Michigan, hometown of my college roommate and dear friend, Lynn. Her father passed away on Aug. 30 at the age of 77, and I traveled north to attend his memorial service.

Lynns parents, Richard and Jane, treated their childrens friends like members of the family. If you ever left their home hungry, it was your own fault. Her father went by the nickname Dick, and I suspect he and his wife heard many versions of jokes about their names, the same as popular characters from books used to teach children to read from the 1930s to 1970s. Lynn and her family lost their mother unexpectedly in 2005.

Their father first served his country as an airplane mechanic in the Air Force. When he returned to his hometown, he served as a member of the Watersmeet Fire Department for 45 years, with 35 years as its chief. He dedicated his firefighting career to training others and wrote grants to help fire departments across the Western U.P. get the training and equipment they needed. He became a certified emergency medical technician when he was 64, and served as the oldest EMT in the state.

He also served on the Watersmeet School Board for 23 years, with 20 as the president or vice president. His commitment to serving his community inspires and humbles and me.

While a later than expected start and heavy rain made me miss the Mass, I arrived in time to view the photos of Dick, the display of firefighter turnout gear as a memorial, and the soda acid fire extinguisher that served as his urn before the family welcomed guests to the lunch celebrating his life. Representatives from area fire departments, emergency services and law enforcement agencies attended the lunch to pay their respects.

After lunch, Lynn delivered a beautiful and moving eulogy for her father, and family and friends also shared remembrances of Dick. The stories had me laughing and crying. One person shared that Dick never went radio silent and made himself available any time to those who needed his help.

A few minutes later, beepers went off in the room.

It was the last call for Watersmeet Township Fire Chief #51. I dont think there was a dry eye in the room. It was both poignant and devastating.

Firefighters lined up after and saluted as Lynns brothers carried their fathers urn outside to a waiting fire truck. His grandchildren climbed on board for one last ride with Grandpa and more than 20 fire trucks, ambulances and police cars lead the procession to the cemetery where members of the American Legion paid tribute to him.

After the inurnment, I visited with Lynn and her family at their fathers home before heading south on Highway 45. I arrived at my apartment after the sun set.

There are times when words fail us, when we see someone we love hurting and know there is nothing we can say that will take the pain or grief away. All we can do is be there, and hope that our presence offers some small solace.

Some friends become family. Lynn is my sons godmother, and she lets me spoil and love her children like they were my niece and nephew. I feel blessed to know her and her family. And I would travel many more miles on highways to be there if they need me.
Sauk Prairie will get a glimpse of one of the two eclipses that will occur over the next thirty days. The total solar eclipse is only visible over the Atlantic Ocean ending toward the North Pole on March 20, and the total lunar eclipse is best seen in western North America on April 4. However, the partial phase of the lunar eclipse will greet those who rise before the sun on the morning of April 4.

The Full Moon occurs on April 4 at 7:05 a.m., but the moon sets just before this, around 6:40 a.m., as the partial eclipse is ongoing. The partial phase begins around 5:17 a.m., as the moon slips into the deeper part of Earths shadow and begins to turn a bit red. The moon will become close to completely eclipsed around 6:34 a.m., just as it is setting. This will make for a strange and wondrous view for those awaking to the day to find a blood red moon setting in the west.

At the same time that the moon is setting, the sun is rising in the east. Sunrise will continue to arrive earlier every morning and sunset later every evening from the spring equinox on March 20 through June. Spring arrives precisely on March 20 at 5:45 p.m.

Spring planets and constellations

On March 21, a day after the new moon and eclipse graces the far north, a crescent moon returns to the sky just after sunset. The moon will be right beside Mars, and the next night the moon rises a bit higher to float beside Venus. On March 29 the moon will be high in the sky and not far from Jupiter. The moon and Saturn keep close quarters around April 8, but they dont rise until after midnight.

Back in the west, Venus draws attention as it shines at magnitude -4 and stays above the horizon for three hours. In early April, Venus closes in on the star cluster the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus. This grouping of stars is setting in the west while the spring constellations rise in the east. Leo, Virgo, and Libra rise up from the horizon, carrying along a slew of distant galaxies that can be viewed through large telescopes. Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, is taking on its spring look, with the bowl of the dipper turning upside down as it sends spring showers to Earth.
A Madison man is being held in the Columbia County Jail after being charged with concealing up to $5,000 worth of stolen jewelry and accused of stealing up to $40,000 worth of property.

Thomas Williamson, 47, appeared in court for a bond hearing on Friday afternoon by video from the jail.

The allegations are that the defendant stole an enormous amount of jewelry and could be as much as $40,000 of value, said District Attorney Jane Kohlwey. The defendant has a considerable criminal history, including prior theft and receiving stolen property.

Williamson was arrested on Tuesday when the Portage Police Department responded to a call by a woman at around 7:30 a.m. asking for help ejecting her boyfriend from her bed. At the home on East Edgewater Street, Williamson was arrested, according to the police report, on suspicion of violation of probation and possession and suspected theft of jewelry, totaling roughly $30,000.

The woman who called the police had been dating Williamson for about eight weeks, according to testimony in the criminal complaint, noticing on Sept. 11 that she had pieces of jewelry missing. Williamson had come over to her house on Monday night, she told the officer, and early Tuesday morning she woke up to find Williamsons duffle bag in her kitchen with seven baggies of jewelry in an end pocket. Williamson was still asleep at the time.

When police arrived, Williamsons car was searched, reportedly uncovering several pieces of jewelry that the woman identified as hers, worth several hundred dollars in total. Police reported finding more jewelry, that the woman did not recognize, though she later reported missing over $40,000 worth of jewelry, according to the complaint.

I would note from the outset that Mr. Williamson has been in custody since Tuesday, without the complaint , said defense attorney Jennifer Cunha. At first it was a misdemeanor and then it was a felony, and I was actually just handed my copy of the complaint right now. The felony alleges that he stole between $2,500 and $5,000. Now the District Attorney is saying $40,000.

I can address those issues, Kohlwey interjected.

The point is that he has been in custody since Tuesday without any sense of where this case is going and it is changing by the minute, said Cunha.

Kohlwey explained that the case had always been a felony, but had originally been misfiled by the clerk of court, going on to say that there had been no fluidity to the case.

The complaint, if Ms. Cunha bothers to read the entire complaint, clearly says at the end, up to $40,000 of jewelry is estimated by the victim here, said Kohlwey.

He has stolen property from other people going back to 2007 with a conviction in 89 for bail jumping and criminal damage to property as well.

Judge Alan White ruled that despite Williamson being a long-time resident without any history of missing court, his past criminal record is not irrelevant, and other points would be taken into consideration.

We also look at the strength of the complaint  what is alleged in the complaint  and $40,000 is the allegation, said White, but the jewelry was found in the defendants bag.

White ordered Williamson to be held on $500 cash bond and set his next court date for Dec. 7.
Probably the only place in Dodge County where you can find decades worth of aviation engineering scaled down to fit in the trunk of a car is in the sky at the Dodge County Fairgrounds.

Thats where the Beaver Dam Radio Control Flyer have been meeting, flying and battling for air dominance for more than five years.

Lined up along the grass on the fairgrounds is a scaled-down Spitfire, P48 Thunderbird alongside a gyro-copter, model eagle and on the far end are quad-copters zipping around flags and foam hoops. Most will take flight on any given Wednesday or Saturday evening during the summer.

We just do it for fun out here, Jerry Virnig said.

He said the group has about 24 members and typically 10 people show up during the week to fly their planes or drones. In the course of one night, he said you could see scaled model planes, drone racing, combat planes and oddities like a bald eagle that flaps its wings flying around.

According to Douma Harris, the club started in 1965. Back then the club grew by word-of-mouth, but now Harris says that he prefers getting in touch with people via Facebook to spread information.

Virnig said Harris got him into the group years ago and he has been attending the meet-ups ever since.

When the temperatures fall, the club can be found in Central Wisconsin Christian School, 301 Fox Lake Road in Waupun, usually on a Saturday.

Once in a great while you hit a wall, Harris said.

Harris said the group is steadily growing with the help of advances in the technology and engineering of the planes and copters. Specifically the rise in quad-copters or drones has piqued peoples interest.

[Some] stuff flies itself, almost, Virnig said.

With drones made for photography and drones that do, in fact, fly themselves, he said its easier than ever to get into the hobby. Taking part in a club like this more than 20 years ago was somewhat expensive, Virnig said.

The air space over the Dodge County Fairgrounds is not only home to remote planes, but also the speedy quad-copters known as drones.

Drone racers like Noah Katsma and Mike Fredricks are two highly-experienced people who drive out to the fairgrounds to get some laps in with their drones.

Both Katsma and Fredricks are involved in a separate club in Dodge County that is strictly for competitive drone racing. Its called Bladed Fury FPV Racing.

Flying a drone is similar to the remote control planes in that a racer holds a remote control to pilot the aircraft. Where it differs is that the drone has a forward mounted camera that broadcasts its feed in real time back to the pilot who is usually sitting and wearing head gear in order to see where the drone is heading.

As one of the scale remote plane pilots said, they look like [Geordi] La Forge from Star Trek: The Next Generation when Katsma and Fredricks have their headgear on.

The headgear displays a first-person viewpoint of the drones flight that both men said become a very immersive experience.

Its like pod racing in Star Wars, Fredricks said.

The group hosts races once a month off Prospect Road. Katsma said he sees about 20 racers show up from all areas of Wisconsin and a group from Chicago makes it way to Dodge County as well. Each race is an organized event that tracks times and awards points to the best racers.

Katsma said safety is important, given that the drones can fly as fast as 90 miles per hour.

These things could kill someone, he said.

A race in Dodge County can draw in a fair share of spectators, Katsma said, which is why he puts in a lot of effort to keep it safe.

He said that it is an expensive hobby to get into, but suggested that if anyone is curious, he/she can try to learn the basics with a $20 drone and some cheap goggles and see how that feels before going all in on a $500 to $1,000 drone/goggle setup.

The benefit to starting low is that usually cheaper drones are built with stabilizers that keep the devices level when they are in the air. The types of drones that are built for racing dont stabilize and require the racer to shift the crafts angles to make turns and overpasses.

Now these kids with their darn video games are better than us old timers, Virnig jokes.

The one time when the scale plane pilots and the drone racers get together is for combat plane battles.

Combat involves more than five people controlling the same type of plane down to the size and engine. Attached to the rear of each plane is a 30-foot colored ribbon. A pilot wins by having the last plane in the sky with a ribbon still flapping. Contestants cut the ribbons by slicing them off the opponents planes with their own planes front propellers.

There are lots of collisions and lots of wrecks, Virnig said.

For about 10 years Virnig used to travel around the United States to compete in plane combat. He got out of it because it started to get hard to travel out to places in Montana, he said.

On rccombat.com, anyone can see how Virnig fared in competition going back to 2001.

Harris said the group is always looking for new people join the club or to teach others.

Especially now with plane kits, he said, You buy it and fly it almost immediately.

Virnig said its common to see people stop by from Highway 33 just to see what is going on.

We are happy to train people, he said.

For more information on the Beaver Dam Radio Control Flyer, search for the group on Facebook. If people are interested in watching a Bladed Fury FPV Racing race, check out the schedule on their Facebook page.
A Sauk County jury took about two and a half hours Friday to find a Baraboo man guilty of homicide by intoxicated driving in a 2014 crash that took the life of his friend.

Defendant Matthew J. Steinhorst, 33, of Baraboo, showed little reaction as Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Wendy Klicko read the jurys verdict: Guilty on all counts.

He was led from the courtroom in a suit and tie and transported back to the Sauk County jail, where he will remain until he is sentenced.

A state corrections worker will conduct an inquiry into Steinhorsts life history over the next six weeks. Pre-sentence investigations, as they are called, are meant to inform judges about a defendants background and character prior to sentencing.

The 12-person jury convicted Steinhorst on three charges, including homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited blood alcohol level, and homicide by use of a vehicle with a detectable amount of marijuana in his blood.

With the guilty verdict, jurors indicated they couldnt reasonably doubt the prosecutions contention that Steinhorst was the driver in the May 31, 2014, crash that killed 31-year-old James V. Wedekind of Baraboo.

Although Steinhorst said multiple times in a 911 recording that my buddy was driving, he one time said I just rolled this truck over. Assistant District Attorney Michael Albrecht seized on that statement during his closing statement.

I just rolled this truck over, Albrecht repeated, after playing the statement on a loop. I just rolled this truck over. The defendant told you everything you need to know.

Defense attorney Cole Ruby accused prosecutors of misleading jurors by playing that one phrase, and ignoring its context. Steinhorst repeated that his buddy was driving because a 911 operator asked him where the crash occurred, and he didnt know, so he was explaining why, Ruby said.

And his statement that I just rolled this truck over was immediately preceded by him saying that my buddy was driving. Ruby insisted investigators viewed the crash through a lens of tragedy, and conducted their investigation with the idea that someone must be held accountable.

One person can look at an ink blot and see something very clearly, Ruby said. Another person can look at the same ink blot and see something very different.

Ruby argued that evidence used against Steinhorst, including blood stains, documented injuries and witness statements, couldnt conclusively show he was in the drivers seat at the time of the crash. There was no single piece of direct evidence that showed Steinhorst was driving, Ruby said.

But Albrecht told jurors to apply reason and common sense to the four days of testimony they heard over the course of the trial. He showed pictures of the rolled truck, which was caved in on its passenger side, and asked jurors which occupant was more likely to have sustained fatal injuries to his right side, as Wedekind did, and which person was more likely to have only sustained one severe injury to his left arm, as Steinhorst did.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the pre-sentence investigation is complete. The homicide by drunken driving charge carries a maximum possible penalty of 40 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.
When Glenda Crook was hired as the Columbus School Districts high school and middle school ag teacher this summer, she began making a list of the supplies shed need to restart a program that had been put on hold a year earlier.

I was making a really conservative list, just what I knew Id need to get by, Crook said.

Then she found out the district was going to be the recipient of a $20,000 grant from ag corporation Monsanto.

Suddenly, she found herself in the enviable position of being able to buy not just test tubes and safety goggles, but big ticket items, like an aquaculture tank to raise tilapia and an electrophoresis kit to teach her students how to analyze DNA.

This is awesome, Crook said. What a great opportunity to get the program up and running with the resources this grant will provide.

Crook brings a wealth of knowledge  and curriculum  with her as she restarts the Columbus program. She spent the last 19 years as an ag teacher at the Lodi School District and is currently the Region III vice president for the National Association of Agricultural Educators.

In the year ahead, she will be teaching six classes at the high school and three at the middle school, that a total of 404 students have signed up for.

High school classes

At the high class, ag classes will include Plant Science, Animal Science, Natural Resources, Agribusiness Management, Ag Careers and Leadership and Food Science.

The Food Science class, which will be offered second semester, will be a science equivalency class, meaning the course will count as a half credit toward the students required three science credits. Crook described the class as chemistry with food. It looks at subjects like preservatives, food colors, sugars and sweeteners, fats and flavors, and then applies the principles of chemistry to them.

While science equivalency credits are new at CHS, Crook said she had five ag classes at Lodi that filled that bill. She hopes to be able to add more here, as her curriculum gets more established.

She also hopes to to break her Plant Science and Animal Science classes into more specialized courses in the future. For instance, instead of offering one general Plant Science class, shed like to offer three separate courses: Horticulture, Landscaping and Greenhouse Management. Likewise, Animal Science could be broken down into Small Animal Science, Large Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine.

But before she makes any changes, Crook wants to get input and feedback from the community. Toward that end, she is forming an advisory council, similar to one she had in Lodi.

Well open it up to people in the community, business owners, parents, Crook said. Mostly youd like to try to get people who are in the actual agriculture field because they have a better understanding of what they want their employees to know when they hire them or what kind of things we should be teaching in the classroom so theyre prepared for work.

Middle school curriculum

At the middle school, Crook will teach three classes this year. All sixth graders will be required to take a nine-week class called Food, Forests and Wildlife. Then seventh and eighth graders will have two classes to choose from: Animal, Plants and Food Science and Pizza, Pets and Plants.

Pizza is a great way to teach students about agriculture because they can trace everything on a pizza back to where it came from, Crook said. The pizza sauce, for instance, was made from tomatoes, which were harvested from a tomato plant, which grew in the soil.

We start with a soils unit, because everything comes from the soil, Crook said. Then they get to take a look at everything from the ground up basically. We work our way through different types of animals and plants and try to give them a taste of the different types of courses well have at the high school.

Introducing agriculture

Ultimately Crook would like to see children get introduced to agriculture well before they hit middle school. At her previous school, the FFA chapter ran a Food for America program that promoted agricultural literacy for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Third graders took a field trip out to a farm each year to learn about livestock and animal production, and the high school FFA members would lead some of the presentations there.

Crook said the farm visits had a big impact on the students. When the third graders would reach high school themselves and it was their turn to lead the presentations, they would all remember what farm they had gone to back when they were younger and what they had learned there.

Its important to help kids understand where their food comes from because most people today are four generations removed from the farm, so they dont have any agriculture background, she said.

Focusing on science

Crook is trying to make her curriculum science-focused, to prepare her students for todays agriculture careers.

She hopes to be able to add a standalone biotechnology course to the high school schedule at some point, but until then, she said she can incorporate elements of it into her other classes.

Crook has already used some of the Monsanto grant money to purchase science tables for her high school classroom, to make it easier for students to do lab tests and experiments. She also has plans to invest in bio-tech equipment, like an electrophoresis kit and a Vernier probe, and other items that will give her students real-world, hands-on learning opportunities.

Also on her list of supplies, thanks to the grant money: a 200-gallon aquaculture tank  about the size of a dunk tank  that will allow her students to raise tilapia, as well as hydroponics and aquaponics systems for growing plants in water. The two systems, which are each about the size of one of the new science tables in her classroom, are similar, but with aquaponics, plants grow in water from the fish tank, which has a lot of nitrogen in it.

Crook said she envisions setting up the aquaculture tank and the hydroponics and aquaponics systems out in the schools greenhouse, providing the heater there still works and she can figure out a way to block the sun in a portion of it to prevent algae blooms in the water.

At Lodi, Crook said she gave one of her students the mission of growing lettuce for the school lunch program with the systems, and he was harvesting about a pound and a half of leaves a week from September until December, when the plants started to fade. Then he wanted to experiment with growing something else.

It really gets the students engaged, when you say, Heres this system. What do you want to grow in it? Crook said.
When the Columbia County Boards Finance Committee discusses the coming years budget, the members do a lot more than crunch numbers.

Fridays special session focused extensively on the human element of being a county employee.

Corporation Counsel and Human Resources Director Joseph Ruf said many county jobs -- including but not limited to sheriffs deputies, jailers, certified nursing assistants at the Columbia Health Care Center and social workers at the Health and Human Services Department -- entail taking care of people who are in deep distress.

There is so much conflict, Ruf said. Its a lot of unpleasantness that you have to deal with. The work of many of our employees is dealing with unhappy people.

Rufs reflection came in response to a question from Supervisor Dan Drew of the town of Pacific: Is burnout a problem for county workers?

For many of them it is, Ruf acknowledged.

But burnout is only one factor in why Columbia County experiences, from time to time, frequent employee turnover.

Geography and compensation also play a part, Ruf said.

In many cases, Columbia County hires people who hail from other parts of Wisconsin, and this is where they get the first job experience that enables them to move on to jobs closer to their hometowns, when those jobs become available, Ruf said.

By the same token, he said, We have managed to hire people who are from Columbia County and who want to come back here.

One of the departments where the staff is relatively inexperienced, Ruf said, is the sheriffs office.

And that was why, at last months joint meeting of the County Boards Executive and Human Resources committees, members of both committees reached a consensus that, among the new job positions requested by the countys various departments, a proposal to add another patrol deputy and hire a new patrol lieutenant for the sheriffs office are the top priorities.

We have a very good department, but its a young department, Ruf said of the sheriffs office. So a little extra supervision will help.

Although HHS Director Dawn Woodard also expressed a need for more supervisory staff in the Division of Children and Families, her request did not rank as high among members of the Executive and HR committees.

Other requests for new personnel that the Finance Committee will consider in the next two weeks include:

Replacing the contracted staff that cleans county buildings with an in-house custodial staff, capable of handling maintenance as well as cleaning. According to Ruf, Building and Grounds Director Cory Wiegel is making this request partly in anticipation of the countys move, in June, to a new three-story Administration Building and two-story HHS Building now under construction on opposite sides of the Portage Canal.

Reclassifying a position of jail sergeant into a non-sworn position as jail lieutenant, to help administer the jail.

Increasing the work hours of some personnel in the Clerk of Courts office from 37.5 to 40 hours per week. Now is a good time to do this, Ruf said, because in mid-year all court-related workers will be moved temporarily to the Annex, while a top-to-bottom renovation of the courthouse takes place.

Starting next week, the Finance Committee will meet with representatives of various county departments to hear, and possibly revise, their 2017 budget requests.
It seems like everyone is trying to scare us. Candidates try to scare us, the media tries to scare us, and the movies try to scare us. Watch out for Islamic terrorists. Watch out for illegal immigrants. Watch out for aliens from outer space.

But hold on a minute. Lets take a closer look. Are we really in danger from Islamic terrorists? Here in Sauk County?

Are illegal immigrants siphoning money away from me? Get real.

Since we are all armed to the teeth now in Wisconsin, I am more likely to be shot by a disgruntled reader who hates my tree-hugging, bleeding heart point of view than by an Islamic terrorist.

And illegal immigrants? The crime rate among them is lower than the rate for average citizens, in part because they are honest, hard working people and in part because they want desperately to stay under the radar and not be noticed by any authorities. And they get far fewer benefits from our society than we do.

What should we really be afraid of? Of getting sick and not having enough money to pay for drugs or hospital care. Of drinking water contaminated with livestock waste or fracking chemicals.

Of massive oil pipelines that endanger the health and livelihoods of thousands of people in order to make a few people very rich.

Of growing working class poverty as wages fail to keep up with the costs of living.

Those are the real dangers. Not as sensational as terrorists and bloodthirsty immigrants, but much more genuine hazards for most of us.

Lets consider a few facts: over the last 10 years, the average number of Americans killed annually by Islamic terrorist immigrants is two. And for far right-wing terrorists, the number is five. Meanwhile, the average number of Americans killed each year by armed toddlers is 21. So stay away from playgrounds and day care centers.

Also dangerous are lightening (31 people killed per year), lawnmowers (69) and buses (264).

Another serious threat that kills 737 people on average each year is falling out of bed. And finally, there are the 11,737 Americans who are shot by other Americans every year.

We are killing each other far faster than terrorists, lightening and buses can kill combined. Five-hundred people have been shot and killed in Chicago this year, more than the total for New York City and Los Angeles, together.

So in reality, we had best beware of toddlers and our fellow Americans.

Our love of guns and our general fear of others have turned us into our own worst enemies.

As for aliens from outer space, if they are smart, they wont come here. They might get caught in our crossfire.
SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
BP, plc, once known as British Petroleum, is one of the worlds 7 oil & gas supermajors with operations spanning the globe. In terms of revenue, it ranks 4th on the list and the company is vertically integrated as well with operations in all segments of the oil and gas sector. Operations are currently underway in 80 countries around the world, the company can produce 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalents per day, and it lays claim to nearly 20 billion barrels in proven reserves. On the retail end of the business, the company operates more than 18,700 fuel stations and its largest segment is in the US.

The company was founded in 1908 with the purpose of exploring for and producing oil in the middle east. The company expanded into Alaska in 1959 and then accelerated its expansion when it merged with Amoco in 1998. Another merger with Burhman Castrol in 2000 created the company that is traded today.

BP, plc rebranded itself in 2000 giving new meaning to its name. The once British Petroleum is now Beyond Petroleum and focused on a major shift in its business. The company is working hard to move away from non-renewable carbon-based energy and into biofuels, solar, and wind. The company hopes to be net-zero in regard to carbon emissions and production by 2050 or earlier and is well on the way to doing so. Among the many avenues of advance are the build-out of solar and wind farms as well as the expansion of a major EV charging network. The network totaled more than 9,000 stations around the middle of 2022 and expansion was ramping in order to meet the goal of 100,000 EV stations before 2050.

BP p.l.c. currently operates through 4 segments including Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Oil Production & Operations, Customers & Products, and Rosneft segments. The company produces and trades in natural gas and oil liquids, offers biofuels, and operates wind and solar power generating facilities. The company also provides de-carbonization solutions and services, such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, as part of its green agenda.

In addition, it produces and refines oil and gas for its downstream operations as well as invests in upstream, downstream, and alternative energy companies including advanced mobility. Advanced mobility is the future of transportation and includes technologies like EV, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cells. To that end, the company is building 7 hydrogen production and storage hubs in key locations around the world. The company aims to produce blue and green hydrogen for the global transportation industry with production beginning in 2027. Blue hydrogen is hydrogen captured from the companys natural gas deposits using a process that captures the waste carbon.
South Jersey Industries, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides energy-related products and services. The company engages in the purchase, transmission, and sale of natural gas. It also sells natural gas and pipeline transportation capacity on a wholesale basis to residential, commercial, and industrial customers on the interstate pipeline system, as well as transports natural gas purchased directly from producers or suppliers to customers. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 147 miles of mains in the transmission system and 6,815 miles of mains in the distribution system; and served 384,062 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southern New Jersey. In addition, it markets natural gas storage, commodity, and transportation assets on a wholesale basis for energy marketers, electric and gas utilities, power plants, and natural gas producers in the mid-Atlantic, Appalachian, and southern regions of the United States. Further, the company owns and operates rooftop solar-generation sites. Additionally, it owns oil, gas, and mineral rights in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania; acquires and markets natural gas and electricity to retail end users, as well as provides total energy management, fuel management, and energy procurement and cost reduction services. The company was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Folsom, New Jersey.
The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AFD.TECH, AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Alfa Consulting, Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda , Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Avieco, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, BRIDGEi2i, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, ClearEdge Partners, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Ergo, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Founders Intelligence, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Headspring, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, King James Group, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision LLC, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations  Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Olympus Systems Corporation, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis AG, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zestgroup, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.

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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.
First Hawaiian, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for First Hawaiian Bank that provides a range of banking services to consumer and commercial customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, and Treasury and Other. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, and other deposit accounts. It also provides residential and commercial mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, automobile loans and leases, personal lines of credit, installment loans, and small business loans and leases, as well as commercial lease and auto dealer financing. In addition, the company offers personal installment, credit card, individual investment and financial planning, insurance protection, trust and estate, private banking, retirement planning, treasury, and merchant processing services. It operates a network of 54 branches, which include 49 in Hawaii, 3 in Guam, and 2 in Saipan. The company was formerly known as BancWest Corporation and changed its name to First Hawaiian, Inc. in April 2016. First Hawaiian, Inc. was founded in 1858 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
McEwen Mining Inc. engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of gold and silver. It also explores for copper deposits. The company owns 100% interests in the El Gallo and Fenix projects located in Mexico; and the Black Fox Mine and Stock Mill, Grey Fox, and Froome and Tamarack properties in Canada. It also owns interests in the Fuller, Davidson-Tisdale, Buffalo Ankerite, and Paymaster exploration properties located in Canada; and a 49% interest in the San Jose mine located in Argentina. In addition, the company owns 100% interests in the Gold Bar and Tonkin properties located in Eureka County, Nevada; and interests in the Los Azules copper project located in the cordilleran region in the province of San Juan, Argentina. The company was formerly known as US Gold Corporation and changed its name to McEwen Mining Inc. in January 2012. McEwen Mining Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.

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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.
S&P Global Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. It operates in six divisions: S&P Global Ratings, S&P Dow Jones Indices, S&P Global Commodity Insights, S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Mobility, and S&P Global Engineering Solutions. The S&P Global Ratings division operates as an independent provider of credit ratings, research, and analytics, offering investors and other market participants information, ratings, and benchmarks. The S&P Dow Jones Indices division is an index provider that maintains various valuation and index benchmarks for investment advisors, wealth managers, and institutional investors. The S&P Global Commodity Insights division offers data and insights for global energy and commodity markets and enable its customers to make decisions. The S&P Global Market Intelligence division delivers data and technology solutions for customers to provide insights for making decisions. It offers data and services that bring end-to-end workflow solutions, including capital formation, data and distribution, ESG and sustainability, leveraged loans, private markets, sector coverage, supply chain, and issuer solutions, as well as credit, risk, and regulatory solutions. The S&P Global Mobility division provides insights derived from unmatched automotive data, enabling its customers to anticipate change and make decisions. The S&P Global Engineering Solutions division offers engineering expertise and solutions in industries, such as aerospace and defense, energy, architecture, construction, and transportation. Its solutions empower business and technical leaders to transform workflows and make decisions. S&P Global Inc. was founded in 1860 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
American Water Works Company, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.4 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems. It also provides water and wastewater services on various military installations; and undertakes contracts with municipal customers, primarily to operate and manage water and wastewater facilities, as well as offers other related services. In addition, the company operates approximately 80 surface water treatment plants; 480 groundwater treatment plants; 160 wastewater treatment plants; 52,500 miles of transmission, distribution, and collection mains and pipes; 1,100 groundwater wells; 1,700 water and wastewater pumping stations; 1,300 treated water storage facilities; and 76 dams. It serves approximately 14 million people with drinking water, wastewater, and other related services in 24 states. American Water Works Company, Inc. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey.
CarMax, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer of used vehicles in the United States. The company operates through two segments, CarMax Sales Operations and CarMax Auto Finance. It offers customers a range of makes and models of used vehicles, including domestic, imported, and luxury vehicles, as well as hybrid and electric vehicles; and extended protection plans to customers at the time of sale, as well as sells vehicles that are approximately 10 years old and has more than 100,000 miles through wholesale auctions. The company also provides reconditioning and vehicle repair services; and financing alternatives for retail customers across a range of credit spectrum through its CarMax Auto Finance and arrangements with various financial institutions. As of February 28, 2022, it operated approximately 230 used car stores. CarMax, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Richmond, Virginia.
Appeal For Missing 61-Year-Old Woman From Gwersyllt

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Sep 17th, 2016

A missing persons appeal for a 61-year-old woman from the Wrexham area has been issued this evening.

North Wales Police are appealing for help in tracing Janet Goodwin, 61, Gwersyllt.

She is described as being 5ft2, with red shoulder length hair and is wearing bright blue trousers, white top, black flip flops.

Anyone with any further information is advised to contact North Wales Police on 101.

*No picture has been issued at present. We will update if and when one becomes available.
University Makes History as Glyndwr Launches New Library Service

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Sep 17th, 2016

A new bilingual shared library system is being rolled out across universities in Wales to revolutionise students access to learning materials.

Wrexham Glyndwr University launched the new system earlier this month and implemented the Ex Libris Alma and Primo cloud-host process and is already reaping the benefits.

The new system  along with a single sign-on facility  will improve and broaden access to a vast range of books and electronic resources essential for staff and students in a 21st century university.

Paul Jeorrett, University Librarian, said: Students returning in the coming weeks will really notice the difference.

The staff are really happy with these latest developments and say the system is much clearer and easier to use.

The nine universities of Wales, together with the NHS libraries in Wales and the National Library of Wales, now share the same library management system and discovery interface.

He added: We have always worked strongly in partnership with other universities and organisations, but this is the biggest project we have ever done. This innovative system will make a huge difference to our students.

This is just the start of many collaborative opportunities with other universities in Wales. This is a moment in history for Glyndwr.

This provides a platform for building deeper and wider collaboration and for further work in opening up and sharing content.

At the launch of the new system Wrexham Glyndwr Universitys VC Dr Maria Hinfelaar, said: It is a very important step in making our systems and services for our students, smooth, seamless and connected.

I like to see this is a collaboration between all the Welsh universities and so must congratulate all the team behind this and look forward to seeing it in action.

Student Union President Emily Karim, who is also studying at the university, has used the system already and gave a glowing review at the launch.

She said: Its very sleek and smooth, its extremely useful and it will be a great advantage to the students.

Sue Hodges, Chairwoman of the Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum (WHELF), said years of hard work led to this remarkable achievement.

This is a remarkable achievement which demonstrates the trust, commitment, vision and strength of collaboration within WHELF, she said.

I would like to thank all of the WHELF institutions and Ex-Libris for their fantastic efforts in delivering the implementation and roll-out of the system on time and to extremely challenging deadlines.

Students will benefit immensely from this type of next generation LMS which provides easier access to all resources for teaching, learning and research.
Wrexhams Broadband Issues Raised With Communications Firms

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Sep 17th, 2016

Broadband issues in Wrexham have been raised in face-to-face meetings with two different companies in one day by the towns MP.

Wrexham MP Ian Lucas met with both Virgin Media and BT in Parliament earlier this week to discuss issues that residents and business had raised with him about broadband services in the town.

Mr Lucas meeting with Virgin Media was to catch up on the latest developments on the companys plans to bring their fibre broadband to the town.

The plans  which came about after Mr Lucas challenged Virgin Medias chief executive to bring the scheme to Wrexham during a Parliamentary committee  will see 24,000 Wrexham properties linked up to superfast broadband.

Mr Lucas said: I know there has been a great deal of interest in the proposals in Wrexham and so I wanted to catch up with Virgin Media to see where we are. They told me that they are hoping to start the physical work to link Wrexham up before Christmas, and that they hope to have things complete around nine months or so later.

They will be working towards Wrexham from the Chester direction, and have promised to keep me updated. They were very grateful for the help they have received from Wrexham council officers  I know that the officers I contacted to get the project set up did all they could to help.

As well as meeting with Virgin Media, Mr Lucas also spoke with BT Chairman Sir Michael Rake, and raised a number of concerns people had put to him about broadband connections.

He said: A local business recently came to me with concerns about the speed of their internet connection  but, despite being located very close to a BT exchange, and despite my raising the subject directly with BT complaints handlers, they were told that they could not be connected to the services they needed for technical reasons.

That is simply not good enough and, sadly, it is not an isolated case. I told Sir Michael this and he accepted that there were issues which BT do need to look at with its broadband service provision.
It has now been one year since the 2015 contract negotiations between the Big Three and the United Auto Workers, which saw a rebellion by rank-and-file autoworkers against the efforts of the UAW to force through pro-company agreements. The new contracts gave a green light for the destruction of jobs and the continued erosion of workers living standards.

This outbreak of workers anger took the UAW, corporate management, the establishment media and the Obama administration by surprise. After decades of relentless attacks on jobs and living standards, workers were determined to fight back. The Socialist Equality Party and the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter played a critical role in the autoworker rebellion, advancing a program and analysis for autoworkers to carry forward their struggle.

One year after the initiation of this struggle, it is clear that the warnings raised by the WSWS about the nature of pro-corporate deals imposed by the UAW are being borne out. With the assistance of the UAW, the auto companies are seeking to attack autoworkers on several fronts.

As the anniversary of the 2015 contract expiration passed, Ford announced that it is ending small car production in the United States. The company said it planned to shift most of its small car operations around the world to low wage areas by 2019. The 2015 contract agreement sanctioned these changes.

This follows the announcement earlier this summer by Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne that the company is ending passenger car production in the US. The announcement coincided with the layoff of a full shift, 1,300 workers, at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) outside Detroit. These were the first permanent layoffs since Fiat Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy in 2009. The company is in the midst of a reorganization of production, the full impact of which is not yet known. Remaining workers at SHAP have been left in limbo, not knowing if they will have jobs going forward once the plant stops building the Chrysler 200 passenger car in December of this year.

Meanwhile, Fiat Chrysler is attempting to implement a reorganization of skilled trades work with the connivance of the UAW. The company wants to create a new class of conductors, essentially forcing production workers to perform basic maintenance now performed by better-paid skilled tradesmen. The UAW is seeking to ram through these changes without a vote in the name of promoting competitiveness.

The contracts rammed through by the UAW have set a pattern that the Detroit-based auto companies are seeking to follow in negotiations with Canadian autoworkers. The Unifor union, formerly the Canadian Auto Workers, has set a Monday strike deadline in contract talks with General Motors. In comments this week, UAW President Dennis Williams predictably refused to spell out any concrete solidarity action that the American union would take in support of Canadian GM workers. Indeed, the last thing the UAW wants is to encourage a militant struggle by workers in Canada, or any other part of the world.

Since the signing of the 2015 contract, all the automakers have been recording record profits. However, in recent months there have been signs that the boom in auto sales following the 2009 forced bankruptcy and reorganization of GM and Chrysler is coming to an end. This presages further attacks on the living standards of autoworkers, as management seeks to offset falling sales by driving up productivity and cutting costs.

During the 2015 battle, the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter stressed the need for workers to construct new organizations of struggle in opposition to the UAW as the first necessity of waging a serious fight against management.

A worker at the Jeep complex in Toledo, writing in to the WSWS this week, said, I was brought in full time in 2013 and thought both the union and management took advantage of the fact that new hires didnt know the full contract language or any of our rights. It hasnt gotten much better in the following three years; there seems to be no solidarity among union members, even to the point that the union seems to be hiding information.

Many hourly workers perform jobs or duties they arent supposed to because management has them convinced theyll get in trouble if they dont, and the union often lets the problem go unaddressed. Even when grievances are filed for unfair treatment, there is little to no headway made against the problem.

The 2015 contracts maintained the two-tier wage structure, removing any cap on the number of lower paid tier-two, now called in progression, workers that could be hired. While in progression workers received pay increases, it still takes eight years for them to reach the top pay scale. Meanwhile, senior workers, whose wages had been frozen for 10 years, received a miserable 3 percent annual increase.

Mary, an in progression worker at the Fiat Chrysler Warren Stamping plant north of Detroit, spoke to the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter about her experiences under the 2015 contract. Even after one year we havent gotten all the things they said were negotiated. Our legal services are not going to start until November 1. That is one year after the contract took effect. We lost a whole year.

Fiat Chrysler workers decisively rejected the first contract brought back by the UAW for ratification in September 2015. The UAW responded with a barrage of lies and threats aimed at intimidating workers in order to secure a yes vote. The new agreement submitted by the UAW for ratification was in all essentials a repackaging of the same deal previously rejected by the workers.

Quite frankly the last contract wasnt great, said Mary. The contract created a new pay scale for Temporary Part Time [TPT] workers and workers at Mopar [parts distribution center]. It is basically a third tier. Previously TPTs were paid at the same scale as regular workers. Now they have their own [lower] pay scale. A lot of TPTs work on our line and are maxed out making $19 an hour. We now have a division among TPTs, some under the old scale and some under the new. I feel badly for them. Any kind of subclass is not good.

I worked as a TPT before I was hired full time. It was chaotic. They cut our pay several times and then brought us back up again. They kept promising us they would bring us in as full time and kept changing it. The majority had to take a pay cut when we finally got hired in full time.

They have proven that even when times are good they can create a new, lower pay system. If there is a downturn, there will be nothing to stop them from taking more of our wages. It is common knowledge that the UAW is a joke. This job is too much BS for too little money.

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The Great Autoworkers Struggle of 2015

[SEP Pamphlet Series from Mehring Books]
On September 6, the tenants association Kotti & Co held an election meeting in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin featuring representatives of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Left Party. Only members of current and former governing parties were invited, all of which are responsible for the social misery in the city and rising rent prices. Critics of their policies were not welcome and were not permitted to speak.

Seated on the panel was Bundestag member Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) as well as the housing policy spokespersons of the Greens (Katrin Schmidberger), the Left Party (Katrin Lompscher), and the CDU (Matthias Brauner).

After the SPD and CDU reiterated their tired campaign promises about more affordable housing and rent control and the Left Party and Greens made their calls for a ban on speculation and a speculation tax, the discussion began.

When Endrik Bastian began to speak, introducing himself as a candidate of the Partei fur Soziale Gleichheit (Socialist Equality Party of Germany, PSG), he was cut off and the microphone taken from his hand. Sandy Kaltenborn, a self-employed designer who plays a leading in Kotti & Co, justified this by saying other parties were not allowed to promote their positions.

Tenants present were surprised by this anti-democratic behaviour. It was apparent that any comments critical of the role played by the Left Party, the Greens and the SPD were to be prevented at all costs. The organisers of the meeting were not concerned with the interests of tenants. Instead, they wanted to campaign for red-red-green, as the coalition of the SPD, the Left Party and the Greens is popularly known.

In its articles and speeches, the PSG has repeatedly demonstrated the connection between housing shortages, exorbitant rents and growing poverty in Berlin and the reactionary politics of the governing and opposition parties. Endrik Bastian, running as a direct candidate of the PSG in the Mitte 5 electoral district, intended to make clear that the current orgy of enrichment carried out by property speculators in the Berlin housing market was a direct result of the politics of the SPD and the Left Party.

The facts are clear:

With the privatisation of the city-owned non-profit housing association GSW in 2004, the governing red-red coalition of the SPD and the Left Party gave the go-ahead for massive property speculation. Approximately 1,300 apartments in the high-rise buildings around the Kottbusser Tor neighbourhood in Berlin-Kreuzberg, where the meeting took place, were affected. Since the GSW was privatised, the rents there have risen sharply and have eaten up almost half of the already low incomes of residents.

As a consequence of the growing housing shortage, rent prices throughout Berlin are climbing sharply and the SPD, the Left Party and the Greens want to make sure the profits from rental incomes are not left to the speculators alone. They want in on it, too. That is why they call for re-municipalisation, or putting the housing back under the control of the local authorities. For renters, this would change little, but it would create a great deal of lucrative positions for the parties of the Senate and their clientele.

With their campaign, Kotti & Co have taken on the task of mobilising the anger of renters to reinforce the call for re-municipalisation.

Their game became clear when a World Socialist Web Site reporter intervened in the discussion, confronting the Left Partys Katrin Lompscher. First, I would like to know why your party, which calls itself left, sold the GSW to speculators during the 10 years in which you governed under Klaus Wowereit. You paved the way for property speculation and massive rent increases.

Lompscher, who from 2006 to 2011 served as senator of health in the red-red Senate controlled by the Left Party and the SPD, became irritated. Given the budget deficit of 400 million, she said, at the time there was no choice but to sell the GSW. But, of course, she now sees that as a mistake.

Second question, continued the WSWS reporter, What is left and progressive about the call for re-municipalisation? The German property company Deutsche Wohnen AG, which ultimately bought up the GSW, profits twice. First, with the privatisation of the GSW and the outrageous rents, which brought them gains on the stock market. Then again through the high compensation involved in buying it back from them. If you are in government, you will force the population and the renters to pay for the resulting budget deficit, just as in the past.

Lompscher did not respond. Instead, the Green Party representative answered that one obviously does not want the Deutsche Wohnen AG to profit twice from this. But at the moment there was no legal basis for expropriation. One could not force Deutsche Wohnen AG to do anything.

When one resident pointed out that housing needed to be a basic right and that no one should be allowed to speculate on it, Lompscher lectured her: Were up to our necks in capitalism, which regards things differently. One first has to change the legal framework, not just make a revolution.

On this point, the representatives of the established parties and the tenant association Kotti & Co were united. The latter is more than happy to be called a revolutionary opponent of real estate sharks in the media. But that is a farce. The renters association was founded in 2011 at the end of the red-red coalition government, when the disastrous consequences of the GSW privatisation began to show themselves and the first rent increases were already announced. Since then, they have organised regular protest actions. In 2012, they occupied the forecourt of the former GSW high-rise south of Kottbusser Tor.

They raised the demand of re-municipalisation early on and strived for a public referendum on rent prices. However, they withdrew this demand last November after making a deal with the parties of the Senate to recognise Kotti & Co as a direct negotiating partner in re-municipalisation matters.

A September 7 press release stated: For months, Kotti & Co have been in discussion with the Greens and the Left Party about the future path toward re-municipalisation and gradual autonomy. It goes on to say that Kotti & Co have even presented a financing plan for re-municipalisation in broad outlines.

It is no wonder that Sandy Kaltenborn, as spokesperson for Kotti & Co, reacted so sharply when PSG candidate Bastian took the microphone in order to expose these issues. This anti-democratic behaviour speaks volumes about the machinations in the rental policy of Kotti & Co and the Left Party.
Amid escalating tensions inside the European Union (EU) and between the EU and the United States, the heads of the 27 EU member states, minus Britain, met for their first post-Brexit summit in the Slovak capital, Bratislava.

The summit reaffirmed proposals by top EU, German, and French officials to react to Britains exit from the EU by reorganizing the union as a military alliance with broad police powers at home. Beyond the broad lines of this reactionary program outlined in the so-called Bratislava declaration issued by the European Council, however, the remaining EU countries failed to agree on any concrete proposals. Explosive conflicts erupted over the economic crisis in Europe and the millions of refugees fleeing wars in the Middle East and Africa.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, the leader of the euro zones third-largest economy, refused to join the final press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande. Only weeks ago, Renzi stood together with Merkel and Hollande on an aircraft carrier off the Italian island of Ventotene to call for EU unity after Brexit and revive longstanding plans, blocked until now by Britain with the support of the United States, to turn the EU into a military alliance. Yesterday, however, he attacked the summit and openly stated his disagreement with German and French policies.

I cannot take part in a joint press conference with Merkel and Hollande if I dont share their conclusions on economy and migration, Renzi told reporters after the meeting in the Bratislava Castle. He added, Its not a controversy, Italy doesnt see it in the same way as the others.

Renzi, whose government is deeply unpopular due to its austerity measures, lashed out in particular at Berlin for demanding harsh spending cuts in response to Italys banking crisis. In the same way countries must respect rules on deficit, they also have to respect other rules, like on the trade surplus, Renzi said. And there are some countries who dont respect them; the main one is Germany.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing across the Mediterranean have arrived in Italy and Greece, which have demanded that other EU countries take in or help fund the accommodation of refugees. Renzi attacked the summit for failing to produce any meaningful agreement on this issue.

Describing todays document on migrants as a step forward requires an imagination [worthy of] word jugglers, he declared. The usual things were said again.

Hungarys anti-immigrant premier, Viktor Orban, who has built a fence on the Hungarian border in a reactionary attempt to keep out all refugees, publicly attacked EU quotas requiring Hungary to take in migrants.

During my conversation with Martin Schultz, the president of the European parliament, I asked him to show respect for the Hungarian people, Orban said. I asked him to stop using their law-creating tricks, deceiving the sovereign decisions and the will of the national states.

Effectively acknowledging the deep divisions inside the EU, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declared that it would have been inappropriate to issue written conclusions after the summit.

As the Bratislava summit made clear, the UKs vote to leave the union reflected divisions and conflicts that extend throughout Europe and threaten to bring down the total dissolution of the European Union. Since its formation in 1992, a year after the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union, the EU has aligned itself with US-led wars, implemented pro-business restructuring measures and carried out attacks on workers living standards. Especially since the outbreak of the 2008 economic crisis and the 2011 wars in Libya and Syria, however, these class and international conflicts have undermined attempts to fashion common EU policies.

In response to the Brexit vote, which was organized amid deepening misgivings in the British ruling class over a German-led EU, Germany and France are moving ahead with attempts to unify the EU as a military alliance that Britain had previously blocked, at Washingtons request.

European-American tensions are also erupting to the surface, after EU powers called for an end to trade talks with the United States and imposed a 13 billion fine on Apple, the largest US corporation, for not paying taxes in Ireland. Yesterday, as EU heads of state met in Bratislava, US authorities imposed a $14 billion fine on Germanys leading bank, Deutsche Bank, on fraud charges related to US mortgage-backed securities in the lead-up to the 2008 Wall Street crash. Deutsche Bank responded by vowing to fight the fine.

Deutsche Bank has no intent to settle these potential civil claims anywhere near the number cited, the bank said in a statement. The negotiations are only just beginning. The bank expects that they will lead to an outcome similar to those of peer banks which have settled at materially lower amounts.

Financial disputes are becoming intertwined with strategic conflicts between Washington and the EU over European attempts to formulate military policy independently of the United States. In the lead-up to the summit, Paris and especially Berlin led a reactionary push for military build up, austerity, and authoritarian forms of rule exemplified by the ongoing state of emergency in France.

A six-page proposal, drafted by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, was leaked to the press. It is high time to reinforce our solidarity and European defense capabilities in order to more effectively protect our borders and EU citizens, it declared. Given that the United Kingdom has decided to leave the EU, we will now have to act with [the remaining] 27 member states. It called for a sharp expansion of military spending to develop aerial refueling capacities, satellite surveillance, cyber warfare, and drones.

At their joint press conference yesterday in Bratislava, Merkel and Hollande confirmed that post-Brexit internal and external rearmament were the center of discussions at the summit. Themes discussed included security, migration and border protection, Merkel said. EU leaders also agreed to reduce flows of refugees and on more cooperation on security, she added.

Hollande stressed the main message from Bratislava was the need to secure control of the EUs external borders.

The bullet points in the brief Bratislava declaration issued by the European Council give a glimpse of the reactionary plans being worked out by EU leaders. The section titled Migration and external borders calls for strengthening Fortress Europe, denying the right of asylum to refugees fleeing war, and for mass deportations of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. The paper demanded that the EU Never allow a return to uncontrolled flows [of refugees] of last year and further bring down the number of irregular migrants. Ensure full control of our external borders.

On internal security, it envisages the building of an integrated EU police state, modelled on the policies of the American ruling class implemented under cover of the war on terror after the September 11 attacks. It calls for Intensified cooperation and information-exchange among security services of the Member States and the adoption of the necessary measures to ensure that all persons, including nationals from EU Member States, crossing the Unions external borders will be checked against the relevant databases, which must be interconnected.

It also demands concrete measures to prepare to defend Europes geopolitical and economic interests militarily against its rivals. In a challenging geopolitical environment, the December European Council [should] decide on a concrete implementation plan on security and defence, declares the paper.

This echoes European Commission President Jean-Claude Junckers State of the European Union address Wednesday. Soft power is not enough in our increasingly dangerous neighbourhood, he said, stressing that Europe can no longer afford to piggy-back on the military might of the United States and should take responsibility for protecting our interests.

These proposals underscore the falseness and hypocrisy of the EUs claims to represent freedom, peace, and civilization against the anti-immigrant chauvinism and nationalism of British political parties that campaigned for Brexit. As the EU seeks to convert itself into a military and police regime pursuing a reactionary anti-immigrant policy, the only constituency for peace and democratic rights to be found on either side of the English Channel is the working class.
Canadas Liberal government released a Green Paper last week to initiate a phony public consultation on Bill C-51, the draconian attack on democratic rights implemented by Stephen Harpers Conservative government in the name of combatting terrorism.

Even though the Liberals voted in favour of Bill C-51 at every stage of its adoption by parliament in the winter and spring of 2015, Justin Trudeau sought to don the mantle of a staunch defender of democratic rights during last years election campaign. Appealing to the deep popular hostility to the police state powers contained in Bill C-51, he pledged that a Liberal government would amend the new law in order to introduce greater oversight of the national-security apparatus and limit some of its new powers.

Under Bill C-51, Canadas premier spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS), is empowered to actively disrupt national security threats a vaguely-defined formulation which goes well beyond terrorism to include threats to Canadas economic stability, constitutional order and diplomatic interests. Moreover, in so doing CSIS is expressly authorized to break the law and violate the Canadian constitutions Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Bill C-51 places only two limits on CSISs disruption powers: when using illegal methods CSIS must obtain permission from a judge in a secret proceeding; and it is forbidden from killing or causing anyone bodily harm, violating their sexual integrity or disrupting the course of justice.

C-51 also established a new speech crime of promoting terrorism in general, under which persons with no connection to any terrorist group, let alone to any concrete plan for an attack, can be jailed for up to 5 years. It also lengthened the time suspects can be detained without charge to seven days, empowers the states to ban websites and publications deemed to contain terrorist propaganda, and makes it easier for the authorities to obtain peace bonds, which restrict the activities and movements of people who have not been charged with any crime.

The Trudeau governments Our Security, Our Rights consultation document makes clear from the outset that it is intent on retaining these anti-democratic powers virtually in their entirety. The Green Paper fully embraces the reactionary war on terror narrative that was employed by the previous Conservative government to legitimize military interventions abroad, including in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, and Syria, and attacks on democratic rights at home.

Just as the previous Conservative government did, the Liberals depict 21st Century terrorism as constituting a virtually unprecedented national security threata threat, which if it is to be successfully countered, requires expanding the repressive powers of the state and restricting traditional civil liberties. In protecting national security, declares the Green Paper, the Government must find an appropriate balance between the actions it takes to keep Canadians safe and the impact of those actions on the rights we cherish.

The claim that the Liberal government is seeking to carefully strike a balance between rights and security is preposterous.

Like Harper and his Conservatives, the Trudeau Liberals are using the terror narrative to justify the aggressive assertion of Canadian imperialist interests overseas and attacks on democratic rights at home.

In the name of fighting Islamist terrorism, the ten month-old Liberal government has dramatically expanded Canadas participation in the Mideast war, a conflict aimed at consolidating US hegemony over the worlds most important oil-producing region.

The Liberals are also in the process of finalizing plans for a major troop deployment to Africa to uphold the interests of Canadian big business, which is a major player in the scramble for Africas mineral wealth. Trudeau has likewise justified this deployment as necessary to counter the spread of terrorism.

Concealed in all of this is the role US imperialism, Saudi Arabia, Washingtons other Gulf State allies, and Canada have played in arming and supporting Islamist extremist forces, including al Qaida, so as to use them as proxy forces in regime-change operations. That was true in Libya in 2011 and in Syria for the past five years.

This crime is then compounded by the invocation of the terror threat by the western powers, Canada included, to justify overturning long established legal principles, like habeas corpus and the presumption of innocence, and expanding the power and reach of the national security apparatus.

This assault on democratic rights is aimed first and foremost at the working class. Under conditions of ever-deepening social inequality and growing social opposition to militarism and austerity, the ruling elite is erecting the scaffolding of a police state in anticipation of social unrest.

During the election campaign, the Liberals said they would make eight specific changes to Bill C-51, then organize a public consultation on it. In a process even the Globe and Mail described as equivalent to ragging the puck, i.e. stalling, the government has reversed this order, deciding to start with the supposed consultation instead.

This will please the security agencies, which have been vigorously pushing back against even the Liberals modest proposals to amend Bill C-51. Speaking to CTV last week, former CSIS Director Richard Fadden baldly declared, I would leave (the law) as it is.

In a move clearly aimed at countering criticism of its new disruption power, CSIS officials have repeatedly said that they are making routine use of them in countering terrorism, although they have studiously avoided providing any details.

To date, the Liberals have taken steps to implement only one significant change to Bill C-51. Last June, they introduced legislation to establish a parliamentary committee to oversee the national security apparatus along the lines of similar bodies in Britain and Australia. The existence of parliamentary committees, staffed by trusted and carefully vetted representatives of the ruling elite, has done nothing to halt the assault on democratic rights in these two countries, which, like Canada, are part of the US National Security Agencys Five Eyes global surveillance network.

In announcing the Bill C-51 consultation, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale referred to a handful of other possible changes to the law. These include a sunset clause that would require the legislation be reviewed by parliament every three years, a re-working of the definition of terrorist propaganda, a change to ensure that all CSIS disruption warrants comply with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and a reassertion of the constitutional right of all Canadians to engage in lawful advocacy and protest.

None of this can be taken at face value. The reopening of the law every three years is more of a threat than a protection, since it will allow the political establishment to periodically intensify their assault on democratic rights and strengthen the state apparatus to be used against the working class. The promise to protect lawful protest will do nothing to change the fact that the catch-all definitions of terrorism that have been adopted in Canada and elsewhere since 9/11are so expansive that they can be readily extended to mass strikes and other forms of social opposition. Moreover, the ruling elite has systematically pushed to criminalize dissent, illegalizing strikes, placing new prohibitions on demonstrations and otherwise greatly circumscribing the right to lawful protest.

Significantly, Goodale and the Liberals have fallen silent on their pledge to require the countrys signals intelligence agency, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), to obtain a warrant when eavesdropping on Canadian citizens. Since at least 2005, CSE has been conducting warrantless surveillance of Canadians metadata, under a flagrantly mendacious legal claim that metadata is not communication. The spy chiefs are determined to retain this power unfettered.

The Liberals fraudulent pose as defenders of Canadians democratic rights is further exposed by the Green Papers vigorous promotion of the national security apparatus.

With consummate cynicism, the consultation document declares in its introduction, National security institutions in Canada are professional, responsible and effective in the work they do. They work within a well-defined set of legal authorities and respect Canadian law.

It would scarcely be possible to offer a more dishonest depiction of the record of Canadas intelligence agencies. In the fifteen years since the Chretien Liberal government, using 9/11 as a pretext, vastly expanded the powers and budgets of Canadas intelligence services, they have repeatedly violated the law, been complicit in torture and other war crimes, and lied to the courts.

Canadas security services collaborated in the illegal US rendition program and created their own version by fingering Canadians travelling abroad for indefinite detention and torture by authoritarian Middle Eastern and North African governments

In late 2013, it emerged that CSIS and CSE had been systematically lying to the courts for years about the enlistment of CSEs Five Eyes partners to spy on Canadians when they travelled abroad.

Barely a week after the Liberals Green Paper was released, a Globe and Mail report revealed the widespread use of so-called IMSI catchers, small, portable devices used by intelligence operatives to gather all data from cell phones within the area in which they are operating. The article pointed out that, unlike in the US, there are no legal regulations in Canada on the use of IMSI catchers, meaning that the spy agencies have a free hand to collect data from people en masse without their knowledge.

The consultation document includes language suggesting that even greater powers should be handed to the police. It presents in a favourable light the arguments advanced by police chiefs for a law compelling individuals to hand over their passwords and other encryption information so the state can access their encrypted communications.

Much of the explanatory information that is presented is really one-sided, said David Christopher of the internet rights group Open Media. We have all this background information written in a way that seems to address police concerns rather than what the public [is] most worried about.
Flints Mott Community College was the venue on Thursday for a broadcast forum of third-party and independent candidates for US president. The Socialist Equality Party presidential candidate, Jerry White, participated, along with seven other candidates, five of whom were independent.

In addition to White, participants included: Robert Dionisio (United Party USA); John Johnson (Independent); Lynn Kahn (Independent); Lloyd Kelso (Independent); Scott Smith (Independent); Emidio Soltysik (Socialist Party USA); and Terry Wheelock (Independent).

The host of the event was Tom Sumner, a local radio and online talk format broadcaster. The three-hour program was called Off The Beaten Path To The White House. The full broadcast is available online on the programs archive.

A panel of area journalists including Rick Pluta from Michigan Public Radio and Bryn Mickle from MLive asked a series of questions to which each candidate responded in turn, given a fixed time period to answer. Candidates were allowed to make opening and closing statements, also within a time limit.

Sumners introductory remarks made reference to the hatred felt by the population for Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump: Rarely in recent history has there been a presidential campaign cycle where dissatisfaction with the nominees of the two dominant political parties has would-be and likely voters looking for more choices.

During the first round of questioning, Mickle asked, The Congress has been debating for months about a federal aid package for Flint in the wake of the water crisis. What do you see as the federal role in helping the city?

Jerry White speaks on the Flint crisis

A total of ten questions were asked to all the candidates. Views on terrorism, gun violence and declining living standards were some of the subjects covered.

White focused his remarks on the growing danger of war and the crisis of the capitalist system. His closing statement is cited here:

The most critical question in these elections, which is being ignored by the media and both candidates, is the preparation for a massive escalation of military violence in the aftermath of the elections. The Union of Concerned Scientists notes that seven days a week, 365 days a year, the US and China are only one mistake away from a nuclear war. The very fate of humanity is at stake.

But the biggest danger is that the working class is not aware of how well-advanced these war plans are. We are fighting, the Socialist Equality Party is fighting, to build a mass movement against war, based on the working classthe class that creates collectively all the wealth in society We are fighting for the working class to take political power in our own hands and reorganize society on the basis of the principle of production for human need and equality.

Capitalism has failed. Twenty billionaires in America have the same amount of wealth as the bottom 150 million Americans. That has to end. Workers and youth are sick of these wars, sick of inequality, theyre sick of government indifference and government spying and police killing.

Join our campaign, SEP2016.com. Thank you very much.
Asia

India: Uttarakhand government school teachers on strike

Government schools across Indias northern state of Uttarakhand closed on Tuesday when 25,000 teachers walked out for an indefinite period over a raft of 18 demands. Schools remained closed the following day. Teachers vowed not to return to work until their demands, which the government has agreed to in three meetings since 2015, are fulfilled.

The main demands advanced by the Government Teachers Association are assured career progression and two additional leave periods. Other demands include regular yearly transfers, amendments in the transfer policy to give everyone a chance to serve in hills and plains, expedited promotions and salary rises. The trade union is also seeking grade pay parity between all teachers and no disciplinary action against any teacher without thorough investigation.

Striking Gujarat sanitation workers arrested

Over 600 contract sanitation workers from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), New West Zone have been on strike since August 22 to demand permanent jobs. Around 170 were arrested on Sunday when they participated in a cultural program of song and dance held in their support outside the Vastrapur Lake areas open air theatre. The AMC has begun firing striking workers and hired strike-breaking contractors to remove hundreds of tonnes of garbage accumulating in the city.

The AMC employs around 6,000 contracted sanitation workers on a wage of 6,000 rupees ($US90) a month. Many have been on a contract basis for 15 to 20 years. Despite several protests in the past, the AMC refuses to make them permanent. Strikers say their demands for permanent jobs and wage increases are according to law. Under the slogan, No Rights, No Work, they have refused to go back to work until their demands are met.

Gujarat oil refinery workers strike

Some 3,000 workers at the government-owned India Oil Corporations Gujarat refinery refused to start work on Tuesday after talks with management failed to resolve their long-pending issues. Their grievances were first raised three years ago. Demands include decent toilet amenities, proper drinking water and canteen facilities, and parking space. Other grievances were ongoing delays in the payment of contract workers and delays in issuing gate passes.

Strikers returned to work the following day after management gave a vague assurance that it would resolve their issues.

Karnataka rural health workers maintain protest

Anganwadi (rural health) workers and their assistants began a hunger strike in Kalaburagi city on September 8 demanding time-bound promotions and an end to the punishment transfers of militant anganwadi workers to distant centres. A Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers and Assistants Federation spokesman said assistants in Kalaburagi district who have passed qualification exams and have three years service are being denied promotion.

Their action is part of a state-wide campaign by anganwadi workers demanding permanency, government employee status and an 18,000-rupee minimum monthly wage.

Uttar Pradesh contract health workers on strike

Thousands of contract workers under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) have been on strike across Uttar Pradesh for over a week. Strikers include paramedics, lab technicians, nurses and auxiliary nurse midwives. Their demands are job security, better salaries, an end to outsourcing, accident insurance and a provident fund.

A protesting doctor told the media that many colleagues had full qualifications and ten years service but the government refused to appoint them to permanent positions. A union spokesman said workers ended protests in March after authorities gave an assurance that demands would be met.

More than 75,000 NRHM contract workers have been demanding permanent jobs since 2005.

Odisha steelworkers maintain protest

Hundreds of retrenched contract workers of multinational steelmaker Tata Steel have been protesting in front of the companys newly-built ferrochrome plant in Gopalpur port, Odisha since August 2, demanding jobs. The plant has not yet started production.

The workers are from displaced and affected families, who were earlier employed by Tata Steel. They formed a negotiating group, the Gopalpur Tata Steel Prakalpa Prabhabita Chasi Manch and held three meetings with the administration but failed to secure any jobs.

Under a program initiated by the government in 2013, Tata Steel recruited 1,800 unskilled workers on a daily wage basis. The government revised the project in 2015, making 860 ineligible for assistance and they were retrenched.

Pakistani steelworkers strike over unpaid wages

Workers at state-run Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) have been on strike since August 4 over unpaid wages. On September 7, the government approved payment of two months salary and gratuity funds due since April 2013 and provident funds due since April 2015 for retired workers. However workers claim they were owed four months salary.

The delay in paying wages has been ongoing for over a year. The steel mill has been allowed to run down and jobs are being axed in preparation for privatisation. Previous attempts to privatise PMS met with strong opposition from workers, while the government continued to cut production.

The government has agreed to implement the demands of the International Monetary Fund, including plans to privatise state-run enterprises such as power, airlines, airports, mining and manufacturing, along with health and education.

FATA teachers announce intention to strike

Government school teachers in Pakistans Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) announced on September 7 they would shut down all schools in the region if the government continued to delay time scale promotions and payment of allowances. Their demand follows a three-week strike in May by 25,000 teachers over the demands, which would bring them in line with teachers in other provinces. The strike ended after the federal government agreed to implement upgrades in accordance with a July 2012 four-tier formula.

The All Teachers Associations-Fata Mohmand Agency alleged that while some teachers have received promotions, about 22,000 are still waiting for the upgrade. Teachers also complained they have not been paid deputation allowances since 1972.

South Korea: Strike by KB Autotech workers in tenth week

Hundreds of workers at the auto parts manufacturer KB Autotech in Asan have been occupying the factory since July 8, when they were told they would be locked out for attempting to form a union. The company has withdrawn hired goons from the factory but demanded that workers cease their union activity before bargaining on wage and job security issues can begin. Workers have insisted that the lockout be lifted first.

Taiwan railway workers protest

As part of ongoing protests over low staff numbers, long working hours and forced overtime, members of the Taiwan Railway Workers Union demonstrated in front of the Executive Yuan in Taipei on September 10 and presented officials with a petition signed by 1,800 of its members. The petition demanded that the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) increase its overtime pay and provide a higher allowance for workers forced to work overnight away from home.

Following failed negotiations over the issues on August 17, the Railway Workers Union and the Train Drivers Union threatened to strike during the mid-autumn festival holiday (September 15 to 18).

TRA has around 4,000 employees. Train drivers claim that the state-owned rail operator currently has 1,074 drivers, plus 74 in training, well short of the full staffing requirement of 1,345 drivers. Rail workers want staffing levels increased or the number of passenger and cargo services reduced.

China Airlines flight attendants protest

Flight attendants from Taiwans flag carrier China Airlines (CAL) demonstrated in front of the Taoyuan City Hall in Taipei on Wednesday, protesting against the citys delay in confirming an agreement signed by the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union (FTAU) and CAL in June. The union alleged that CAL has violated commitments it made to end a five-hour strike on June 24.

Flight attendants decided to strike in June against CALs new deal, which the airline asked them to sign in May. The deal would increase their working hours to 220 per month and slash rest time from 24 to 12 hours on certain long-haul flights. All flight attendants would have to report for duty at the nations main airport in Taoyuan, instead of Songshan Airport in Taipei. They would not be paid for the extra travel time.

The FTAU alleged that CAL reneged on the agreed increase in guaranteed days off, saying that while the airline followed through with providing a guaranteed 123 days off each year, it cut the number of attendants working on each aircraft from 12 to 10, increasing the workload of those on duty.

Filipino Pizza Hut workers in Quezon protest

Some 30 employees of the fast food restaurant chain Pizza Hut who were dismissed demonstrated in front of the companys head office in Cubao, Quezon City on Tuesday to demand reinstatement. Workers alleged that Philippines Pizza Incorporated (PPI), the mother company of Pizza Hut, illegally terminated 285 permanent workers and replaced them with contract workers. The PPI Workers Union claimed that PPI is ignoring a Supreme Court order directing it to reinstate all terminated workers.

Australia and the Pacific

South Australian metro train drivers reject pay offer

At a three-hour stop work meeting by Adelaide Metro train drivers on Wednesday, members of the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) rejected the state Labor governments latest offer in their long-running negotiations for a new enterprise agreement. The offer came after the RTBU called off two four-hour strikes in late August and re-entered talks with the government.

Adelaide Metro drivers, train controllers, station staff and ticket inspectors have not had a pay increase for nearly three years since their old agreement expired in December 2013.

The government has offered 2.5 percent annual pay increases over three years but wants the agreement to include a provision allowing forced redundancies. In the latest offer the government wants to replace the redundancy clause and offer workers job relocation within a reasonable distance, at 75 percent of their pay.

The union has called for a higher pay rise, better rostering arrangements and improved job security provisions, but hinted that it is open to do a deal on the redundancy clause if other offers are improved.

Queensland coal miners strike entering fifth week

Workers at Anglo Americans German Creek coal mine in the Bowen Basin, central Queensland have been on strike since August 22 in a dispute over a proposed enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA). The previous EBA, covering 140 workers, expired in early April 2014. The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has held 16 meetings with the company since then.

The CFMEU has a charter of demands that include an end to casualisation of the workforce, an improved redundancy process, higher accident pay, and maintenance of the current wage rates. The miners have already suffered a considerable reduction in income due to roster changes implemented last year.

In a move to break the strike, the mine operator Capcoal has engaged labour hire company WorkPac to advertise for excavator operators. According to the union, they are being offered $60 an hour, along with free accommodation and meals, plus an extra $2 per hour back-paid if they stay on for three months.
The New Zealand Maori king, the traditional figurehead of the central North Island Tainui tribe, used a speech on the 10th anniversary of his coronation last month to end his personal support for the Labour Party. Kiingi Tuheitia endorsed the Maori nationalist Maori and Mana parties, saying he would like to see the Maori electoral seats return to Maori control. Labour currently holds six of the seven parliamentary seats reserved for registered Maori voters.

Tuheitia blamed comments by Labour leader Andrew Little that he could not work with the Maori Party, which was established following a split from Labour in 2004 after the Labour government cut off tribal claims to the foreshore and seabed. The Maori Party, which currently has two MPs, has been a coalition partner in the conservative National Party-led government since 2008, providing Maori credentials for its offensive against the working class.

Maori, who make up 15 percent of the population, can register for either the general roll or the Maori roll at elections. Maori MPs can also represent general electorates and hold places on the party lists in the mixed-member proportional voting system. Calculations are now emerging in the Maori political elite that if a unified Maori movement can take the seven Maori seats, that bloc could be used as a lever to decide whether Labour or National governs.

Last month, the Mana and Maori Parties began discussions about working together in next years election. The talks are driven by ambitions within both parties for a more direct role in government. Neither would have any compunction in collaborating with any government to impose the next stage of the austerity agenda demanded by big business. Neither party has any broad support, particularly in the Maori working class, and face the prospect of electoral annihilation.

The Kingitanga movement, which Tuheitia leads, is formally apolitical, but has traditionally been a bulwark of support for Labour. The kings close relation, Nanaia Mahuta, has held the Hauraki-Waikato seat since 2002. After unsuccessfully challenging for Labours leadership in 2014, Mahuta was relegated to 12th place in Littles caucus line-up, considered a slap in the face by the Maori political establishment.

In July, the Maori Party voted to install Tukoroirangi Morgan as its new chairman. A personal advisor to the king, Morgan is a right-wing figure at the head of the Tainui tribes extensive business operations. Between 1996 and 1999, Morgan was an MP for the anti-immigrant, populist NZ First Party. After losing his seat he joined Tainuis corporate leadership, overseeing more than $NZ1 billion in assets and investments.

Morgan immediately declared the Mana and Maori parties could co-operate to take the Maori seats off Labour and hold the balance of power. I make no secret about it: thats the agenda, Morgan told the Politik blog.

The king also endorsed Mana leader Hone Harawira, saying: Hone has the strength to fight for what he wants, hes got the loyalty of the people he represents. Harawira quit the Maori Party in 2011. After siding with National for two years he bitterly claimed the Maori Party had betrayed the people who voted for it. He established Mana as a new political trap for the working class, posturing as radical and pro-poor. Mana became discredited in the working class, however, when it allied with Kim Dotcoms pro-business Internet Party in the 2014 election, which saw Harawira lose his seat.

Harawira welcomed Tuheitias comments, describing unity as a core element of Manas very existence. Harawira claimed to oppose the current governments agenda of allowing the rich to get richer at the expense of the poor and the dispossessed, and selling off the nations assets, even as Mana seeks unity with the Maori Party, part of that government, which has been instrumental in imposing austerity on the working class.

The possibility of a Mana-Maori Party alliance is being hailed by some pro-Labour commentators. The trade union-funded Daily Blog proclaimed that following the recent deal between Labour and the Greens to formally align for the election, the only way we get a truly progressive Government in 2017 would be if Labour-Green + MANA-Maori Party had the majority.

Far from being progressive, these are bourgeois parties, all lurching further to the right under the impact of the global economic crisis and drive to war. The Maori nationalist parties aim to block any movement to the left by the working class, while advancing claims by the privileged indigenous elite for a greater share of the profits and positions available within capitalism.

Tuheitia called for a Maori share in New Zealands sovereignty by 2025, implying a formal role for the Maori tribal leaderships in the countrys constitutional set-up. He promised to call another meeting of tribal leaders before the end of the year to pursue Maori property rights over fresh water sources, including those essential for hydro-electricity generation.

Under the rubric of self-determination, Maori leadership groups, such as the Iwi Chairs Forum, have backed successive attacks on the public sector in order to divert funds towards Maori trusts and business. This has included the drive to establish publicly-funded, privately-run charter schools and the Whanau Ora scheme, which has been used as a wedge to privatise welfare delivery.

Maori nationalism, the ideology of both Mana and the Maori Party, has been promoted by Labour and National governments over several decades. Its purpose is to divide workers along racial lines to prevent any unified struggle against austerity and militarism, and to subordinate Maori workers to the wealthy elite that Tuheitia represents. Treaty of Waitangi settlementsmulti-million dollar payments to Maori tribes, ostensibly as redress for the crimes of colonialismhave enriched a thin layer of Maori entrepreneurs who are deeply involved in the exploitation of workers of all races.

By 2013, Maori corporations owned $NZ42.6 billion in assets, an increase of 15 percent compared with 2010. Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) has turned a $170 million payment from its 1995 Treaty settlement into assets worth $1.1 billion, rivalling the South Islands Ngai Tahu tribe and Aucklands Ngati Whatua. Its investments and holdings include farming, fishing, property development, a major retail park and hotels. When the government partially privatised state-owned electricity company Genesis Energy in 2014, TGH purchased 5 million shares. It owns the ground leases for the Huntly Power Station, Waikato University and parts of Hamiltons central business district.

There is a vast gulf between the tribal elite and the Maori working class, which is mired in poverty and unemployment. According to researcher Max Rashbrooke in his 2015 book Wealth and New Zealand, wealth inequality within the Maori population is twice as great as among European New Zealanders. As the countrys economic and social crisis deepens, the appeals for Maori unity from Mana and the Maori Party aim to obscure this fundamental class division in order to prevent Maori workers from uniting with their non-Maori counterparts against the capitalist system.
The Partei fur Soziale Gleicheit (PSG, Socialist Equality Party) held its final election meeting in Berlin on Thursday evening. Leading representatives of the PSG and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) outlined a socialist programme that unites the struggle against war with the fight against social inequality, the strengthening of the state apparatus and xenophobia.

Peter Schwarz, secretary of the ICFI and a member of the PSGs national executive, spoke first, dealing with the growing threat of war. The struggle against war is at the centre of our election campaign because no other issue affects the working class in such a way as the war danger, he began. While many people are disturbed by increasing militarism, few can imagine the far advanced level of preparations for war by leading politicians and military figures.

To see what is being discussed in ruling circles, it is necessary to study specialist military journals and the publications of political think tanks, or articles from specialists who evaluate these issues. He said, Here, for a long time the question has not been if, but when, a major war will break out. Even the use of nuclear weapons and the possibility of winning a nuclear conflict are seriously being discussed.

Schwarz cited, among other documents, a study by the Institute for National Strategic Studies: Russias behaviour has resulted in defence strategists considering it necessary to concentrate on a possible confrontation and conflict with Moscow. This concerns the conventional, nuclear and missile areas of NATO.

According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, the US plans to spend $348 billion on the modernisation of its nuclear weapons by 2024. Over the coming 30 years, according to estimates, it will reach $1 trillion (1000 billion dollars), said Schwarz.

He demonstrated that the US was not only preparing for a nuclear war with Russia, but also against China. Russia and China, for their parts, were rearming in response. But also the European great powers, and Germany in particular, are rearming for war. Seventy years after the end of the Second World War, German militarism is back.

He went into detail about the return of German militarism, which ultimately serves the imperialist interests of German big business. Schwarz concluded by summarising the fundamental preconditions for a global anti-war movement. It had to be led by the working class, and be anti-capitalist, i.e. socialist, and above all, internationalist. In order to put an end to capitalism, which is the cause of militarism and war, the new anti-war movement must be completely independent from all parties and organisations of the capitalist class.

The international character of the PSG and its election campaign was demonstrated by two speeches from ICFI international members. Jerry White, the presidential candidate for the Socialist Equality Party in the US, spoke to the meeting via video link. He delivered the greetings of the SEP and summarised the situation in the United States. Among workers and young people here, there is a broad anti-war sentiment, White said. But this sentiment could find no expression in a political system totally dominated by the financial aristocracy.

The SEPs presidential election campaign had made this its task, said White. Together with our comrades in Germany and the International Committee of the Fourth International, we struggle for the building of a mass movement against war and the capitalist system. We unite workers in the United States, Germany and throughout the entire world.

Chris Marsden, national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party, the British sister party of the PSG, spoke on the experiences and lessons from the Brexit.

Marsden focused his remarks on the right-wing coup attempt against Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. His election last year had been a distorted expression of the shift to the left among workers and young people in the face of the reelection of a Tory government. Corbyn had appealed to social dissatisfaction and persuaded hundreds of thousands to join the Labour Party, which today has 640,000 members. But Corbyn had always retreated in the face of the right-wingers in the party.

Their attempts to remove Corbyn began immediately after the Brexit referendum, Marsden continued. In this way, they sought to overturn the referendum result and use the Labour Party as an instrument for a political regroupment. The methods used to carry this out included the exclusion of 130,000 Labour Party members from the leadership election, the surveillance of emails and social media accounts of Corbyn supporters, a ban on constituency Labour Party organisations from meeting, and a cleansing of the party of alleged Trotskyist saboteurs. Marsden made an explicit warning: What the Labour apparatus is doing today to the Corbyn supporters is merely a foretaste of what the party would do in the face of an uprising by the working class. He reported that the purging of Corbyn supporters from the party had been unofficially described as Operation Icepicka reference to the weapon used to assassinate Leon Trotsky in 1940.

Endrik Bastian, the PSGs candidate in Berlins Mitte 5 district, then dealt with the role of the Left Party in Germany. He recalled in particular their impact in the decade between 2002 and 2011, when they governed jointly with the SPD and transformed the city into the capital of poverty.

The Berlin election was a trial run to lay the groundwork for an SPD/Left Party/Green federal coalition. Such a government would not represent any progress, warned Bastian. In 1998, the SPD and Greens formed a governing coalition to send the German army once again on foreign military missions and cut wages and social benefits in the Agenda 2010. This alliance is now to be revived with the assistance of the Left Party so as to begin the next round of social attacks and break new ground in German militarism. Bastian went into detail about the Left Partys demands for a stronger state.
Following a sneak preview of Oliver Stones new biographical film, Snowden, Stone and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden participated in a live interview September 14 that was shown in 800 theaters throughout North America.

Stone was at a theater in New York City, along with actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who portrays Snowden in the film) and Shailene Woodley (who plays Snowdens girlfriend, Lindsay Mills). Snowden was in his apartment in Moscow. The event was hosted by critic and author Matt Zoller Seitz. Stones film opens September 16.

The live broadcast and the widespread interest in and support for Snowden, especially among young people, in a country whose government has charged him under the Espionage Act, are objectively significant.

Thomas Drake, a former NSA senior executive and whistleblower, who was prosecuted by the US government in 2010 under the Espionage Act, was present in the audience in New York and received a standing ovation for his actions.

During the interview Snowden addressed the argument that those who had nothing to hide had nothing to fear from NSA surveillance. This specious argument, an apology for police-state operations, has been utilized by the media and the intelligence community in defense of NSA practices that clearly violate the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. Snowden traced the origins of the official line of reasoning quite appropriately to Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels.

Privacy isnt about something to hide but about something to protect, Snowden commented. The you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide argument is repeated reflexively by government officials and the media, and people need to consider when they are being manipulated to think in a certain way.

After advising people to set up password managers, encrypted communication and take other precautions to protect themselves from NSA surveillance, Snowden continued, If you want to stop the NSA from spying on you, the best way to do that right now, perhaps the only way we can do that given the disparity of resources, is through the political process. This is something were not hearing enough about in this campaign season. Nobodys talking about the Constitution, nobodys talking about their rights, theyre all calling each other names, and Im not sure thats what we need right now. We need to be talking more about issues of substance.

In the question and answer session, Snowden once again came across as a very sincere person, genuinely appalled by what he saw during his time at the NSA (and CIA). However, he is far from understanding either the driving forces or the implications of the mass surveillance. There is a connection between the economic crisis, the vast social inequality in America and globally, and the accumulation of vast amounts of data on the population. The government and military-security apparatus are preparing for mass social opposition and upheaval.

In response to an online question from a 15-year-old who asked what could be done, Snowden responded that, In thinking about these issues, we need to act locally before globally and we have the most influence on the officials closest to us. Snowden advised the audience to talk about the issues in the film because if the people are silent, it lets the government get away with what they are doing.

The WSWS will be posting a review of Snowden in the coming days. The film is useful in shedding light on Snowdens own evolution, from an individual who wanted to serve in the US army Special Forces to someone deeply concerned with the NSAs rampant criminality, its effort, as he puts it, to conduct a dragnet on the whole world.

Stones film also makes clear that Snowdens hope that Barack Obama would act differently from his predecessor was dashed, that the spy agencies went on as before.

At one point during the film, Gordon-Levitt/Snowden shares his realization that the surveillance of the population of the entire planet is not about terrorism, its about social and economic control, its only about protecting the supremacy of the US government. The film also has many limitations.

The difficulty is that Snowden and Stone continue to be oriented toward applying pressure on one or another section of the media or ruling elite to rectify the situation and return America to the proper, Constitutional path. As the experience of the Obama administrationwith its countless drone strikes, its kill lists, its ongoing war on democratic rightsdemonstrates vividly, this is a mistaken and false perspective. Obamas claims that there would be no more wire tapping were one lie among many.

Snowdens exposure of NSA illegality and conspiracy was a brave action and he deserves to be defended against all the attacks launched by the media and politicians. On September 15, for example, every member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence signed a letter to Obama urging him not to pardon Snowden, arguing that he had caused tremendous damage to national security. The campaign against Snowden is a thoroughly bipartisan affair. Meanwhile as the turnout of thousands of people on September 14 in dozens of cities across the US (and Canada) shows, public opinion is increasingly hostile to the warmongers and spymasters in Washington.
One year after former Prime Minister David Cameron promised to settle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020, only 2,800 have arrived in Britain.

This is just over half the rate of 4,000 a year needed to meet the paltry commitment, under conditions where there are more than 4.8 million refugees from the war-torn country.

The British governments refusal to honour even its own pledge exposes its callous contempt for the millions of victims created by its participation, both overt and covert, in predatory US-led wars in Syria, Iraq and Libyawaged ostensibly to protect the people of the Middle East and North Africa from the brutality of Islamic State (ISIS) and similar Islamist forces.

The civil war in Syria, with all its atrocities, is the product of the five-year long attempt by the US and its allies to topple President Bashar al-Assad via a constantly shifting coalition of armed proxies and to install a more pliant, pro-American regime. Its purpose was to ensure US control over the Middle East as part of a broader campaign to dominate the entire Eurasian landmass, where it confronts Russia and China.

The Obama administration and its partners, including Saudi Arabia, the Gulf petro-monarchies and Turkey, turned to extreme right-wing Islamic fundamentalist forces, such as ISIS and various al-Qaeda-linked outfits, to carry out their objectives. Having played a key role in spawning such groups, the imperialist powers then exploited their existence to justify further military intervention in Iraq and Syria and attacks on democratic rights at home.

Cameron refused to take part in a broader European Union programme to relocate refugees who reached Europe. Instead, he pledged to increase humanitarian funds to refugee camps in the Middle East in order to ensure that the refugees did not make the attempt.

He grudgingly established a separate schemethe Vulnerable Persons Relocation Schemeto specifically take in Syrian refugees, ignoring the vast numbers of refugees from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq and elsewhere.

Cameron announced Britains promise to accept 20,000 refugees over five years following the outpouring of public anger over the plight of Syrian refugees last summer, particularly after the heartrending image of the body of three-year-old Alan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach. Britain should fulfil its moral responsibility to help those refugees, he said.

The scheme was to be particularly targeted at helping women and girls, survivors of violence and torture, children and adolescents, refugees with medical needs and disabilities and those at risk due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The proposed number to be taken under the scheme exposed his promise as a fraud, and even this minuscule number was hedged with tight conditions. The programme would only be open to refugees registered in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and Turkey, not those already in Europe. It later emerged that the scheme would be funded by the Department of International Developments refugee aid budget, with only 20,530 per annum for each refugee over their five years on the programme being made available to local authorities for their housing and education needs.

Furthermore, the implication of the five-year funding is that the programme will then be terminated. Instead of asylum and the right to residency, refugees are being offered a short term stay in a move clearly intended to evade Britains obligations under international law, not just in this case but more broadly.

Most of the refugees have been dispersed across 118 Local Authorities, mainly in Scotland and northern England. Other Local Authorities explained that the main reason they have been unable to take part in the programme was a lack of suitable flats and houses, or childcare and school places. According to the parliamentary watchdog, the National Audit Office, an estimated 4,930 extra homes and 10,664 school places are needed for the refugees, putting the 20,000 target at risk.

An even smaller number of people from countries other than Syriajust 652were brought to the UK as refugees under the Gateway Protection Programme in 2015.

In another token gesture, Cameron also set up a Minister for Syrian Refugees, a special cross-Whitehall post that was promptly axed by his successor as prime minister, Theresa May, in July.

Last May, at the height of criticism over his response to the plight of child refugees, Cameron promised to take in 3,000 vulnerable children and their carers, including unaccompanied minors, from the Middle East and North Africa, by 2020, approximately 700 a year. This would include a large number who had parents already in the UK.

However, the children must have arrived in Europe before 31 March 2016 to qualifya restriction inserted to prevent parents sending their children to Britain. This is of a piece with the governments attitude towards highly vulnerable children separated from their parents. Most of these children are in the Jungle Camp in Calais.

It is unknown how many children have entered the UK under this schemepresumably, none at allsince the government has so far refused to say how many unaccompanied child refugees it has taken in under that commitment, even refusing a Freedom of Information request to do so. Earlier this month, the Information Commissioner ordered the government to disclose the figures, but this has not been honoured as yet.

More broadly, according to the Refugee Council, only 30 percent of children who arrived in Britain alone have been granted asylum so far this year. Typically, they are granted short term leave to remain that expires after two and a half years. The top two countries of origin for new applications in 2016 from unaccompanied children were Iran and Afghanistan.

The Council reported that so far this year, the government has locked up 47 children in immigration detention, which only served to exacerbate their plight, despite promising six years ago to end the practice. The Government announced a few months ago that it was closing Cedars, the specialist family detention unit. Given the lack of specialist resources, this only means they will be held in facilities even less well equipped to care for them.

Last year, there were 1.25 million first-time applications for asylum in EU countries, more than double the number in 2014--mostly by Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi nationals. The UK received just 38,370 first-time asylum applications in 2015--3.1 percent of the EU total.

According to the Migration Observatory, asylum applicants and their dependents comprised a mere 7 percent of Britains net migration in 2014, down from 44 percent in 2002. Just 36 percent of first time asylum applicants were accepted in 2015, with 35 percent of those who appealed winning the right to stay.

A recent Home Affairs Select Committee report on the migration crisis warned that the government was unlikely to fulfil its 20,000 target of Syrian refugees. It noted the horrendous situation facing asylum seekers in the refugee camp known as the Jungle in Calais, but called for Britain to accept just 157 unaccompanied children from it who had family in the UK.

Its main concern was the need for greater border security and further steps to control migration. It noted that beefed up security at airports and major ports was displacing malevolent attention to smaller points of entry that lacked resources, and called for security to be tightened up at these entry points as a matter of urgency.
During a three-day visit to Sri Lanka this month, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon lauded the current government, which is seeking to whitewash Colombos war crimes with the help of UN, the US and India.

Ban travelled to the war-ravaged Northern Province, and visited several refugee camps, where thousands still live seven years after the countrys protracted communal war ended in the militarys defeat of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). At refugee camps he carried babies and showed a smiling face to war victims.

The UN chief first visited Sri Lanka on May 23, 2009, just five days after the LTTEs defeat. That visit occurred amid international outrage over the savage bombardment of LTTE-controlled areas in the north, which killed tens of thousands of civilians. At the end of the war, about 280,000 civilians were detained in military-run camps. Thousands of Tamil youth were dragged off to secret detention centres.

Back then, Ban declared he would ensure the investigation of human rights violations. Today, however, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), with his blessing, is supporting a domestic investigation that will enable the government to cover up the atrocities.

Washington supported the war and turned blind eye to former President Mahinda Rajapakses anti-democratic rule. It began to criticise the war crimes only during the final days of the war. That was because China was emerging as the principal supplier of military hardware and funds to Colombo.

The bogus US-led human rights campaign culminated in a regime-change operation that ousted Rajapakse and installed Maithripala Sirisena as president in the election in January last year. United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who assisted Washingtons operation, became prime minister.

Ban hailed the work supposedly done by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government. He said there was some gap between expectations of the international community and the level of what the [Rajapakse] government had been doing. But today the picture is very different and it was receiving recognition and appreciation [from the international community] unlike in the past.

The UN secretary generals remarks on the progress in North were aimed at hiding the miserable conditions of the people there. Thousands remain missing after the civil war ended, the North and East are still under military occupation, and many families are living in makeshift camps. Poverty has spread. Hundreds of political prisoners of all ethnicities have been held without trial for years.

Ban indirectly admitted that the UN did nothing to stop the wartime massacres, saying the body had made serious mistakes and did not meet the expectations of the people and the world. Even after the war, had we been more actively engaged, we could have saved much more, many more human lives.

Three years after the war ended, Ban, to deflect criticisms, appointed former senior UN official Charles Petrie to conduct an internal inquiry. It showed that the UN did nothing to prevent war crimes. That failure was not accidental, however. The UN only raised concerns after the US began to use the threat of human rights to pressure Rajapakse to distance himself from China.

Bans recent visit also sought to bolster the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government, which is facing growing opposition from workers, youth and peasants, as well as campaigns by Tamils for justice for missing people and the return of land grabbed by the military.

In a speech in Galle, Ban urged young people to back reconciliation and avoid conflict. His advice reflects the fear among the ruling elite about the potential social explosion among youth, who face unemployment, social deprivation and education cuts.

The UN head also praised the government for many efforts taken to establish democracy and good governance, including the 19th Constitutional Amendment and Right to Information Act. The constitutional amendment is a cosmetic change, reducing some powers of the executive president. The information act provides limited access to state documents, while entrenching broad areas that remain off-limits, such as any records relating to the countrys national security, diplomacy or economy.

Putting on a show of concern, Ban advised the government to reduce the military occupation in North and East and speed up the process to allow displaced people to return home.

Sirisena advised the media he had informed Ban that he needed to move slowly as the country had come out of a long-drawn conflict. Likewise, Ban told a press conference: Reconciliation may take a longer time than one may expect.

Reconciliation means a power-sharing agreement between the government and the Tamil capitalist parties, including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). However, a section of the dominant Sinhala ruling elite is hostile to even limited power-sharing.

Moreover, the entire establishment is particularly sensitive to any war crimes investigation because successive governments and military leaders were responsible for the atrocities. Sirisena himself was a leading minister in Rajapakses cabinet before defecting to the US-backed camp.

During Bans visit, allies of Rajapakse and extremist Buddhist groups held protests in Colombo denouncing UN interference in Sri Lanka. Sirisena and Wickremesinghe are also seeking to appease these elements, as well as the military.

Ban was welcomed by TNA leaders, including Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran. The UN visit was another occasion for TNA leaders to claim to be working to alleviate the dire conditions of the Tamil masses and to justify their backing for the government and the US.

No genuine investigation into the war crimes can be expected from the UN, which is a lackey for the US and other major imperialist powers, or the ruling classes in Sri LankaSinhala and Tamil alike. The democratic rights of the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim workers and poor can be established only as part of the fight for an international socialist program.
The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is responding to poll numbers and other indications of declining support among younger voters by deploying its most prominent surrogates to college campuses.

The moves come a day after two national surveys, one conducted by Quinnipiac University and the other by CBS News and the New York Times, found that more than a third of voters under the age of 30 plan to vote for third-party presidential candidates.

Clinton is widely despised, especially by young people. According to the Quinnipiac University poll, Clinton has the support of just 31 percent of voters aged 18-34, with 29 percent for Libertarian Gary Johnson, 25 percent for Republican Donald Trump and 15 percent for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

Another poll, published in Bloomberg News, found that Clinton leads Trump by only 36 to 33 percent among young voters in Ohio, with Johnson drawing the support of 22 percent, contributing heavily to her overall five-point deficit to Trump in the state.

Press reports suggest that the Democratic Party was planning to refocus its efforts to reach young people by attacking Johnson and Stein and warning that any vote for one of these third-party candidates would help elect Trump as president. Former Vice President Al Gore, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders all made appearances in different venues on Friday to insist that young people must back Clinton.

The New York Times wrote, referring to younger voters, that they recoil at Mr. Trump, her Republican opponent, but now favor the Libertarian nominee, Gary Johnson, or the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein.

The Wall Street Journal reported, Hillary Clintons once-commanding lead among young voters has nearly collapsed, several polls show, a factor making the presidential race much closer in recent weeks and prompting the Clinton campaign to move quickly to keep a core Democratic constituency in the fold.

In its most visible response, the campaign has begun sending the partys most popular stars to college campuses to urge students not to sit out the election or back third-party candidates, who are drawing support from young voters.

In Ohio, one of the most important battleground states, the Clinton campaign has deployed the two most prominent left figures in the US Senate, Clintons principal challenger for the nomination Sanders and Warren, to speak at major Ohio college campuses in order to corral young voters behind the Democrats.

Sanders speaks at the University of Akron and Kent State University this weekend, while Warren will appear at Ohio State University in Columbus and at Cleveland State University.

Michelle Obama kicked off the weekend campus blitz with an appearance Friday night at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Ohio is one of a number of Rust Belt states that have been devastated by decades of deindustrialization, and further ruined by the 2008 financial crisis. Facing a dearth of jobs, the only viable futures presented to young people are: enlist in the armed forces or attend college in the hope that employment prospects will be better after graduating with a degreealong with thousands of dollars in debt. According to the states Development Services Agency, half a million youth aged 18-34 live in poverty.

In sending Sanders and Warren to the heavily contested state, the Clinton campaign is attempting to pull one of the most disaffected demographics in the electorate back into the campaign of the Democratic Party.

Sanders has worked for decades within the orbit of the Democratic Party. During the primaries he won some 13 million voters, including large numbers of young people. The senators political revolution now consists of trying to convince his supporters to back the favored candidates of the millionaires and billionaires he used to denounce. He has refused to criticize the Obama administrations bailout of Wall Street banks and has remained silent on the USs escalating drive to world war.

Warrens progressive credentials are based on her academic publications detailing the economic hardship of middle-income families, and her subsequent roles in advisory and regulatory bodies, including the Congressional Oversight Panel. She has defended the Obama administrations assault on working conditions while spouting empty criticisms of Wall Street.

According to the campaigns official announcement, Sanders and Warren will emphasize Clintons plans to make free community college and debt-free college available to all Americans, protect access to health care for Americans, reform our immigration system  raise the minimum wage and protect our climate.

These are all empty gestures. Clinton is pledged to continue the policy of the Obama administration, which has overseen a massive transfer of wealth from the working class to the super-rich.

Not on the agenda for discussion at these campus meetings are Clintons plans for war. Clintons political record as a war hawk stretches back more than 20 years, longer than the entire life span of many of the young voters her campaign is striving to ensnare. As First Lady to President Bill Clinton, she actively supported the bombing campaigns in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq.

Clinton has consistently acted as one of the most hawkish figures in the American political establishment. Since supporting the criminal invasion of Iraq in 2003, she has consistently voted against troop withdrawals and for the continued funding of a war that, to date, has killed more than a million people over the course of thirteen years. As head of the Department of State from 2009 to 2013, she played a pivotal role in prosecuting the wars in Afghanistan, Syria and Libya.

The Clinton campaigns attacks on Republican rival Donald Trump have been based on the right-wing assertions that Trump is a puppet of Russian interests and unqualified to be Commander-in-Chiefthat is, unqualified to lead the military-intelligence establishment. Her bid for the presidency has the formal endorsement of 95 retired generals and admirals.

The author also recommends:

Clinton and Trump bow to the military

[08 September 2016]

As Clinton escalates war threats, Sanders begins campaigning for Democratic nominee

[03 September 2016]
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - Two former students at an Alabama university are being held without bail after jurors found them guilty of sexual battery during a spring break attack in Panama City Beach.

It took the jury about two hours to reach the verdict Thursday. After their decision was announced, 23-year-old Ryan Austin Calhoun and 23-year-old Delonte Martistee were taken into custody. Sentencing was set for Oct. 21.

The assault, which investigators referred to as a "gang rape," happened in March 2015.

Jurors watched several versions of a video that showed the victim lying on a beach chair while the two former Troy University students fondled her.

The News Herald (http://bit.ly/2cBNcMu ) reports the incident, along with a couple of others that year, led to a slew of new spring break-related laws.

___

Information from: The (Panama City, Fla.) News Herald, http://www.newsherald.com

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Leon County and City of Tallahassee officials have announced that they will be holding several community meetings in the coming weeks.

City and county officials said that they are having community meetings to understand how they can best meet the needs of the citizens during disasters. Each meeting has been set to start at 6 p.m.

Staff will give a thirty minute presentation that overviews Hurricane Hermine aftermath. Following staff, officials said that attendees will have a chance to speak. They said they will use the feedback to improve response efforts.

A list of the meeting dates and locations is below the video.

 Monday, Sept. 19  Bethel AME, 501 W Orange Avenue

 Wednesday, Sept. 21  Woodville Community Center, 8000 Old Woodville Road

 Thursday, Sept. 22  Eastside Branch Library, 1583 Pedrick Road

 Monday, Sept. 26  Fire Station #4, 2899 West Pensacola Street

 Tuesday, Sept. 27 St. Peter's Anglican Church, 4784 Thomasville Road

If you are unable to attend one of the community dialogue sessions but would like to provide input, comments can be sent to Hermine@Talgov.com.
Opposition Forum for Democratic Change will next week take its petition to the ministry of foreign affairs concerning Dr. Kiiza Besigyes aide Sam Mugumya and four others who are detained in DR.Congo.

This is after some party officials were arrested as the attempted to deliver a petition to the Embassy of DR Congo in Kampala on Wednesday.

The partys Deputy Secretary General Mr.Harold Kaija says they are now seeking audience with the ministry of foreign affairs to know the fate of Mugumya and other party officials.

Mr. Sam Mugumya was arrested by Congolese authorities in 2014 while allegedly fleeing to exile.

The others are Mr. Aggrey Kamukama, a businessman in Rukungiri Town, Mr.Steven Mugisha, a trader, Mr. Nathan Bright and Mr. Joseph Kamugisha, a boda boda rider.

Story By Damali Mukhaye
You are the owner of this article.
A Palestinian man stabbed an IDF soldier from the Nahal Brigades 50th Battalion near Hebrons Tel Rumeida neighborhood on Saturday morning in the fifth attack this weekend. He was shot and killed by another soldier.

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Stabbing attack

X

Friday saw four attacks, including a stabbing in Hebron, an attempted stabbing in Jerusalem, a vehicular attack in Kiryat Arba, and an incident of stone-throwing at a bus on Highway 1.

Scene of the attack, Saturday.

According to an initial investigation into the Saturday morning attack, the Palestinian man arrived at an IDF checkpoint, where he was asked to show the soldiers identification. He handed them a piece of paper, and then pulled out a knife and stabbed one of them.

The soldier, lightly wounded, was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.





The knife used in the stabbing attack. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
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In a series of emails recently obtained by hackers and published by the site DCLeaks.com, former US Army general and secretary of state Colin Powell states that Israel has in its possession 200 nuclear warheads.

"Iranians can't use one if they finally make one," Powell wrote to Democratic donor Jeffrey Leeds, a hedge-fund founder who serves on the board of the Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York, referring to the Shiite states nuclear capabilities. "The boys in Tehran know Israel has 200, all targeted on Tehran, and we have thousands," he continued.
In a series of emails recently obtained by hackers and published by the site DCLeaks.com, former US Army general and secretary of state Colin Powell has claimed that Israel has 200 nuclear warheads in its possession.

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"Iranians can't use one if they finally make one," Powell wrote to Democratic donor Jeffrey Leeds, a hedge-fund founder who serves on the board of the Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York, referring to the Shiite states nuclear capabilities.

An Iranian nuclear facility in Isfahan. "Iranians can't use one if they finally make one." (Photo: EPA)

The email exchange between the two occurred in March 2015, and was conducted through Gen. Powells personal Gmail account. Discussing a speech given by Prime Minister Benjamin Neyanyahu to a joint session of Congress, in which he expressed his staunch opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, Powell wrote, "The boys in Tehran know Israel has 200, all targeted on Tehran, and we have thousands."

Responding to an inquiry by the Associated Press on Friday, Powell said through a spokesperson that he was referring to public estimates of Israels nuclear arsenal.
The Israel Police has arrested 18 Palestinian illegal aliens, residents of the West Bank, on Route 5 in the Sharon plain area.

Police officers signaled for the car in which the illegal aliens were riding to stop by the side of the road, but its driver did not comply. He was eventually forced to stop as a police barricade was erected at a point the road.

Once the car stopped, its occupants all started to flee on foot. They were arrested and taken into questioning.
The Pentagon said on Friday that a US-led coalition air strike on Sept. 7 killed an Islamic State (IS/ISIL/ISIS) leader who oversaw the militant group's propaganda.

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Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement that the air strike took place near Raqqa, Syria, and targeted and killed Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, also known as Dr. Wa'il.

Islamic State controls parts of Iraq and Syria and has broadcast its beheadings of journalists and aid workers over the past few years. The group has sympathizers in several countries who have carried out bombings and shootings of civilians.

"Wa'il oversaw ISIL's production of terrorist propaganda videos." (Archive photo)

The Pentagon said Wa'il was minister of information and prominent member of Islamic State's Senior Shura Council, or leadership group.

A US Defense Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Wa'il was targeted by the air strike while he was on a motorcycle outside his house.

"Wa'il oversaw ISIL's production of terrorist propaganda videos showing torture and executions," Cook said in the statement, using an acronym for the group. "He was a close associate of Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the ISIL spokesman and leader for plotting and inspiring external terror attacks."

On Aug. 30, Islamic State said Adnani was killed in a US air strike in Syria, which was later confirmed by the Pentagon.

On Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged that US special operation forces are accompanying Turkish and vetted Syrian opposition forces battling Islamic State in and around the area of the Syrian border near al-Rai and the town of Jarablus, further east.
The IDF does not see a direct connection between all of the five terrorist attacks that occurred on Friday and Saturday , but security officials in Israel nonetheless fear that such a wave of lone wolf terrorist attacks may inspire others. These concerns are amplified by the fact that the Jewish New Year and the sensitive period of the High Holy Days are about two weeks away  with Rosh Hashanah starting on October 2.

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This is why a total closure has been placed on the West Bank town of Bnei Naim (only allowing for exceptions in cases of humanitarian need), which was the home of the terrorist who attempted the vehicular attack at Elias Junction in Kiryat Arba on Friday and was subsequently shot and killed. The town, which is located near Hebron and to the east, has also been home to a number of other terrorists in the past year. Now there are concerns that the Friday attackers relatives may seek revenge, or gather inspiration to perpetrate their own terror attacks.

Scene of the Hebron attack, Saturday.

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The IDFs Judea and Samaria Division (the territorial division responsible for the West Bank area) commanders have decided to not, as of yet, reinforce its territorial brigades beyond usual weekend parameters, although several battalions are expected to join security efforts once ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

The satbbing in Hebron, Saturday.

However, security forces in the West Bank area have been instructed to stay aware, especially when on patrol and when in sensitive areas. Judea and Samaria Division officials specifically praised the actions of soldiers from the Nahal Brigades 50th Battalion, which has been responsible for the Hebron area in the past few months. Soldiers from the battalion prevented the escalation of several attacks in the past two days, including the two stabbing attacks in Hebron  one on Friday, the other on Saturday.

Scene of the Hebron attack, Saturday. (Photo: AFP)

Fridays stabbing attack was the first at Hebrons Gilbert Checkpoint since the attack that occurred in March, in whose aftermath IDF Sergeant Elor Azaria shot and killed a neutralized terrorist. Since then, the guard position has been upgraded, with the intention of increasing the distance between Palestinians undergoing security checks and soldiers. Hebron Territorial Brigade officials are investigating how the attack occurred despite these upgrades.
NIAMEY -- Soldiers from Niger and Chad have killed 38 Boko Haram fighters during operations that followed attacks by the Nigerian Islamist group on two border towns in southeastern Niger earlier this week, Niger's army said on Saturday.

Two soldiers from the bilateral force were lightly wounded in the operation, launched after clashes in the village of Toumour, near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border, on Monday.

The Nigerien and Chadian forces also seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition, according to the army statement read on national radio. It said soldiers were continuing to pursue Boko Haram fighters in the area.
A Jewish woman from Kurdistan was forced to flee her home and leave her four children after her husband, a devout Muslim, abused her and threatened to sell her to ISIS after she refused to adopt his more religious lifestyle. Her journey has brought her all the way to Israel.

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Baher Muhammad Gahar-Fur, 35, was born in Sulaymaniyah, in Iraqi Kurdistan and didn't even know she was Jewish. At 15, she married a Muslim Kurd and the couple had four children, who are today 5, 11, 15 and 16.

Baher Gahar-Fur

Over the years, her husband gradually became more religious and radicalized and began to pressure Baher to adopt his lifestyle. When she refused his demands, he became incensed and eventually informed her that he had decided to sell her for $2,200 to a group of ISIS fighters who were approaching the village.

The next morning, when her husband left for work, she packed a suitcase and with great sadness at leaving her children, fled toward the Turkish border. Because Turkey does not allow Kurds to enter the country, Baher joined a group of Syrian refugees and together they crossed the border.

ISIS fighters (Photo: EPA)

Several days after she arrived in Turkey, Baher's story somehow came to the attention of Eli Domenz, an Israeli businessman who was born in Turkey and has connections to the Turkish government. After making contact with Baher, Domenz set her up in a safe house and made contact with the Israeli Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs.

Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri immediately ordered that the woman be processed and a month later, with the aid of the government, Baher landed in Israel and was located to a community in the south, where relatives reside.

In a meeting with Deri, Baher explained that she discovered she was Jewish 10 years ago, but that she "grew up in a Muslim family in every way." Baher is currently in Israel on a tourist visa while the Interior Ministry examines her story and her roots to issue her an identity card and offer her permanent residency.

"This is truly about saving lives," said Deri who also announced that a search to locate other family scattered throughout Israel is underway. Baher thanked Deri and told him she was very glad to make it to Israel. "I love Israel and hope to be reunited with my family," she said as she wrapped herself in an Israeli flag.
Minister of Education Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) presented on Tuesday a six-year budget plan for higher education.

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Speaking at a press conference, Bennett was joined by the Council for Higher Education's Planning and Budgeting Committee Chairman, Prof. Yaffa Zilbershats; Chairman of the Association of University Heads, Prof. Peretz Lavie; Chairman of the Natinal Union of Israeli Students Gilad Arditi; and Director of Budgets Department in the Ministry of Finance, Gil Levi. The minister presented eight central points that comprise his plan, the first of which is the addition of two billion shekels to promote research infrastructures and to encourage research and scientific excellence.

The second is 120 million shekels for innovation and improvement in teaching, in part through grants to produce various courses.

L-R: Yaffa Zilbershats, Naftali Bennett, Amir Levi (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

The plan also includes the intention to increase the number of international students from 12,000 to 25,000 by 2022, increasing the number of faculty members of students with an emphasis on engineering and computer science, and allocating billions of shekels to expand the accessibility of higher education to the ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors, as well as for the advancement of women and Israelis of Ethiopian descent.

The plan allots 100 million shekels to promote the humanities in various institutions of higher learning, as their prestige and demand for them has been in sharp decline in recent decades. Inter alia, the money will be allocated to digitizing studies and attracting doctoral candidates.

According to data presented at the press conference, the base for the higher education budget in 2016 is 10 billion shekels, and it will henceforth increase with each year: by NIS 449 million in 2017, NIS 723 million in 2018, NIS 1 billion in 2019 and so on until reaching NIS 1.8 billion in 2022.

Lavie said that the institutions had suffered in recent years from a serious dearth of budgeted funds: "When we want to bring back a researcher who's at a university in the United States, he's ready to pass up the American salary, but he wants the same laboratories that he has there. For that, the universities are crying out for budgets. I think that now we can return to the country those Israeli researchers who have acquired a global reputation for themselves."

Zilbershats said that the multi-year plan constitutes a large achievement and will allot the highest ever budget for higher education. She added that the plan would "also promote research in the natural sciences, in Judaism, in the social sciences and in the humanities."

Bennett said, "Higher education has a central role in keeping a relative advantage for the State of Israel. The future of the State of Israel is dependent on it. In the six-year plan, we're setting a higher bar, and one of the goals is to narrow the gaps in Israeli society. We'll know that we've succeeded when the next Israel Prize laureate comes from Sderot, when the Faculty of Medicine in Tel Aviv will be full of students from the periphery. Then we'll know that we've met the bar."
The IDF has sent reinforcements to the Hebron area on Saturday following a weekend surge in Palestinian attacks that shattered weeks of relative calm.

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The buildup comes after footage showing a Palestinian pulling out a knife during a security check in Hebron earlier Saturday and attempting to stab a soldier, prompting forces to open fire and kill the attacker.

Image from attempted stabbing on Saturday

The incident came a day after several Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians, police and a soldier.

In the first Friday attack, a man came out of Jerusalem's walled Old City brandishing a knife in each hand and shouted "Allahu akbar" as he rushed at the officers, who opened fire and killed him. The man had both a Jordanian and a Palestinian ID on him, police said.

Shortly afterward, two Palestinians rammed their car into a bus stop, wounding three Israeli civilians near a West Bank settlement. Security forces opened fire, killing one of the Palestinians and wounding the other.

A few hours later, at a junction near Hebron, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier, who opened fire and killed him, the military said.

Scene of the Jerusalem stabbing attack Friday (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Palestinians have carried out a wave of attacks, mainly stabbings, over the past year, killing 34 Israelis and two Americans. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed during the same period, most of them identified by Israel as attackers.

Saturday stabbing attack

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The IDF said late Saturday it was sending a Kfir Brigade battalion to reinforce security in the area. This is the same battalion in which Sgt. Elor Azaria was serving in Hebron when he shot and killed an already neutralized terrorist.

Israel has blamed the violence on incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The Palestinians say it is rooted in nearly 50 years of military occupation and dwindling hopes for independence from Israeli rule.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, condemned what she called Israel's "extra-judicial killings" of the attackers, but did not condemn the attacks themselves.
President Reuven Rivlin visited the family of his predecessor, Shimon Peres, in the Sheba Medical Center on Saturday night where Peres has remained since his stroke on Tuesday.

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"About an hour ago, Shabbat left, and it certainly carried with it many prayers for the recovery of Shimon Peres," said Rivlin. "He has such a presence. He's a man who is in every place in the country and involved in every matter. I came to support the family. All of us hope that we'll see the ninth president get better."

Shimon Peres (Archive photo: EPA)

Sheba's director, Prof. Yitzhak Kreis, updated the press on Peres's physical condition, which remains unchanged: serious, but stable. He said that a CT scan would be carried out on Sunday to decide on the next steps of his treatment.
BEIRUT -- At least 80 Syrian soldiers were killed in a US-led coalition air strike at an army position near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group said, citing a source at the airport.

Russian jets had been bombing in the same area at the same time, the Observatory said. The source at the airport said the air strike had paved the way for Islamic State fighters to overun the position at Jebel Tharda, the Observatory said.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the killing of terrorist Sayid Amro on Saturday after he was shot to death while attempting to stab a border police officer at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem on Friday. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry response said the "killing is an act of barbarism," and questioned the Israeli version of events.

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The Jordanian Foreign Ministry added that they are following details closely and are working to ensure the return of Amor's body to his family.

Sayid Amro

Amro's family held a protest Saturday to demand the return of Sayid's body from Israel as soon as possible. Family members blocked streets and burned tires to pressure authorities into acting quickly. The family was also interviewed by kingdom media and demanded an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Amro's family claimed he held no extremist views and did not belong to a political party. According to them, Sayid went to Jerusalem to visit family members and pray at the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Amro family burning tires in protest Saturday

The Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, also strongly condemned what it called "the execution of a Jordanian citizen, Sayid Amro, in the land of Palestine." A message from an organization member said "The minimum the Jordanian people expect from the government is to close the Israeli embassy in Amman."

Amro, 20, entered Israel Friday and was shot and killed the same day after running at border police officers with two knives in his hand and attempting to stab them. One of the police officers was hurt. A police investigation into the incident revealed that before attacking the officers, Amro shouted "Allahu akbar" before being shot and killed.
A map of the Middle East in an Algerian geography textbook that labels Israel by that name rather than with "Palestine" has evoked a public furor.

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In response, the Ministry of National Education announced that the textbook would be removed from the seventh grade curriculum and that an investigation would be launched.

The offending map listing 'Israel' as opposed to 'Palestine'

The ministry explained that the publishing house responsible for the book was at fault, claiming that the version that they approved did not include the word "Israel." The publishing house's director, Hamidou Masudi, apologized "for offending the Algerian's sensitivities. This was a lapse and an unintentional mistake."

Minister of National Education Nouria Benghebrit

Masudi explained that the book's designer was under the pressure of a deadline, downloaded a map from the internet that labeled the Jewish state as "Israel."

Minister of National Education Nouria Benghebrit has received the brunt of the criticism. One opinion piece in the Algerian newspaper Echorouk was entitled, "Hasn't the time come for this minister to go?"

This "mapgate" has worsened the tense relations between Benghebrit and the Islamist parties in the country that are protesting her efforts to move Islamic and Arab studies to the margins.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Thursday the State of Arizona has reached a settlement in a lawsuit challenging SB 1070. The settlement keeps in place a key provision of SB 1070 section 2(b) which allows Arizona law enforcement to check the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally. Under the settlement, all Plaintiffs and Defendants in Valle Del Sol vs. Whiting, agreed to dismiss their appeals.

We have succeeded by keeping the key provisions of SB 1070 in place, said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Our goal while negotiating this settlement was to find a common sense solution that protects Arizona taxpayers while helping our great state move forward.

In September 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Susan R. Bolton granted Arizonas request for summary judgment and dismissed six of seven of the Plaintiffs claims in Valle del Sol v. Whiting. Judge Bolton also upheld section 2(b) which allows officers, while enforcing other laws, to question the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally. The ACLU and other plaintiffs appealed the U.S. Districts Court decision. Both parties have agreed to dismiss their appeals.

Under the settlement, an Informal Attorney General Opinion will be issued providing guidance and clarity to Arizona law enforcement agencies and officers on how to comply with the key provision of SB 1070 section 2(b). The U.S. Supreme Court (link is external) also upheld section 2(b). The informal opinion memorializes the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Supreme Court rulings. The Plaintiffs also agreed to reduce their attorneys fees to $1.4 million dollars.

The final terms of the settlement are currently pending court approval.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - This week marks the 50th birthday of the national literacy organization Reading Is Fundamental.

There are few things as important as getting a book into the hands of a child, and, for 50 years now, RIF has done its part to ensure more children are reading more books. In 2014, the organization distributed more than 24,000 books in Arizona alone.

Arizona is doing its part, too.

Governor Ducey has put early literacy on the front burner of his education plan, finding innovative ways to encourage children to read and learnand have fun doing it.

The governor and Mrs. Ducey started their first summer in office by releasing a public service announcement promoting the importance of childhood literacy. That year, Governor and Mrs. Ducey also launched their first summer reading program. The idea: By motivating children and families to visit their local public libraries and sign up for Arizona's summer reading program, families could avoid students losing achievement gains made during the previous school year (often called the summer slide).

In addition, Governor Ducey has spearheaded several efforts to show children that reading can be fun. One example? In March, the governor launched his first annual bookmark design contest, encouraging children to design bookmarks to show why they love Arizona. The winner would have his or her designs reproduced and even distributed in the Arizona State Capitol, and he or she would join Governor Ducey for a meet-and-greet.

The contest received 1,800 entries from young people across the state within two weeks.

Arizona is doing its part to increase early literacy and get children excited about reading. As Governor Ducey said, We know early literacy is a strong predictor of future success, and we have to do all we can to equip our students for that future success.

FOR GOVERNOR DUCEY, LITERACY IS A KEY PART OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE Theres no issue in education more unifying, or more pressing, than early literacy.  Governor Ducey

In August 2016, Governor Ducey Spoke At Read On Arizonas Literacy Summit, Where He Talked About The Importance Of Early Literacy. GOVERNOR DUCEY: Theres no issue in education more unifying, or more pressing, than early literacy, and thats because a childs success in school, and in life, starts withand depends ontheir ability to read. (Read On Arizona Literacy Summit, Governors Office Of Education, 08/23/16)

At The Summit, Governor Ducey Accepted The PaceSetter Award On Behalf Of The State Of Arizona, Saying, If Theres One Thing Arizona Does Better Than Anyone, Its Innovation. GOVERNOR DUCEY: If theres one thing Arizona does better than anyone, its innovation. Supporting and promoting innovation has allowed us to create new opportunities and solve age-old problemsand now, were leading the nation in taking innovative approaches to improve early literacy for our children. (PaceSetter Award Acceptance  2016 Literacy Summit, Governors Office Of Education, 08/23/16)

In May 2016, Governor Ducey And Mrs. Ducey Launched Their Summer Reading Tour To Encourage Students To Read And Learn Throughout The Summer And To Avoid The Summer Slide. Governor Doug Ducey and First Lady Angela Ducey will launch a summer reading initiative with a joint appearance at BASIS Phoenix Central school on May 9, 2016. The initiative encourages Arizonas youth to stay sharp in their off-time by spending time every day reading and learning throughout the summer months. . . . The summer reading initiative aims to combat summer slidethe tendency for students to lose some of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year. (Governor Doug Ducey And Mrs. Angela Ducey Visit Arizona Schools To Encourage Summer Reading, Governors Office Of Education, 04/26/16)

Governor Ducey: Reading Throughout The Summer Is Essential To Maintaining Educational Excellence Year-Round. GOVERNOR DUCEY: Making sure Arizonas students stay mentally engaged and active over the summer months is essential to maintaining educational excellence year-round. Research shows that early-childhood reading proficiency is one of the strongest indicators of a students likelihood of graduating from high school. (Governor Doug Ducey And Mrs. Angela Ducey Visit Arizona Schools To Encourage Summer Reading, Governors Office Of Education, 04/26/16)

In March 2016, Governor Ducey Launched His First Annual Bookmark Design Contest So That Children Could Showcase Why They Love Arizona. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey launched his 1st Annual Bookmark Design Contest on March 15, 2016. Arizona children ages 5  12 are encouraged to design bookmarks showcasing a Why I Love Arizona theme. (Gov. Duceys First Annual Bookmark Design Contest: #WhyILoveAZ, Arizona Education News Service, 03/21/16)

As A Prize, The Winners Design Would Be Reproduced An Printed On Bookmarks And Distributed To Students In The Arizona State Capitol And He/She Would Join Governor Ducey For A Meet And Greet At The Executive Tower. The winner of Gov. Duceys 1st Annual Bookmark Design Contest will have his/her design reproduced and printed on bookmarks that are distributed to students touring the Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower. The winner will also be invited to the Executive Tower for a meet and greet with Governor Ducey. (Gov. Duceys First Annual Bookmark Design Contest: #WhyILoveAZ, Arizona Education News Service, 03/21/16)

Within Two Weeks, The Contest Received 1,800 Entries From Young People Across The State Eager To Make Reading Fun. (Read On Arizona Literacy Summit, Governors Office of Education, 08/23/16)

In February 2016, Governor Ducey Kicked Off Read Across America Day, Visiting Schools Across The State And Joining Arizona Cardinals Players, Among Others, To Read To Children And Promote An Essential Life Skill. GOVERNOR DUCEY: Reading is an essential life skill. We know early literacy is a strong predictor of future success, both academically and professionally, and I'm pleased that I get to spend my morning reading with some great Arizona students as we celebrate Read Across America Day. (Media Advisory: Governor Doug Ducey To Kick Off Read Across America Day, Governors Office Of Education, 02/25/16)

Governor Ducey, In The Spirit Of Encouraging Young People To Read, Talked About The Need To Celebrate The Authors Who Have Brought Us Such Classics And Tweeted A #BookOfTheDay Throughout March. (Remembering The Importance Of Early Literacy On Read Across America Day, Governors Office Of Education 03/03/16; Twitter, 03/05/16; Twitter, 03/07/16; Twitter, 03/12/16; Twitter, 03/13/16; Twitter, 03/30/16; Twitter, 03/31/16)

Here Were A Few Of The Governors Books Of The Day On Twitter:

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Voirst

Ramona Quimby, by Beverly Cleary

The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling

In January 2016, Governor Ducey Proclaimed February 14-20 Arizona Adult Literacy Week [To] Encourage And Promote Literacy And Lifelong Learning Across Our Great State. (Arizona Adult Literacy Week: February 14-20, 2016, Governors Office Of Education, January 2016)

In June 2015, Governor Ducey And Mrs. Ducey Launched Their First Summer Reading Program In Order To Motivate Children And Families To Visit Their Local Public Libraries And Sign Up For Arizona's Summer Reading Program. Governor Doug Ducey launched the Summer Reading Program in June 2015, encouraging Arizona students to spend time every day reading and learning throughout the summer months. The initiative, a partnership with Read on Arizona and other organizations dedicated to the cause of childhood literacy, encourages all Arizona children and families to visit their local public libraries and sign up for Arizona's Summer Reading Program. (Summer Reading Program, Governors Office Of Education, June 2015)

Governor Ducey: Educational Excellence Should Be A Priority Year-RoundNot Just During The School Year. GOVERNOR DUCEY: Educational excellence should be a priority year-round  not just during the school year. . . . Picking up a book for at least 20 minutes each day is an easy, fun way for kids to keep their minds active, prevent learning losses and keep all Arizona students on track for a successful future. (Summer Reading Program, Governors Office Of Education, June 2015)

In June 2015, Governor Ducey And Mrs. Ducey Released A Summer Reading Public Service Announcement (PSA) To Promote The Importance Of Childhood Literacy.
Latest News

Washington, DC - Secretary Kerry spoke today via telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Syria. The Secretary and Foreign Minister Lavrov reaffirmed the importance of extending and solidifying the cessation of hostilities in Syria. They agreed on the urgent need for humanitarian aid to begin flowing.

Secretary Kerry expressed concerns about the repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid, and emphasized that the United States expects Russia to use its influence on the Asad regime to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach Aleppo and other areas in need. The Secretary made clear that the United States will not establish the Joint Implementation Center with Russia unless and until the agreed terms for humanitarian access are met.
Latest News

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I offer warm wishes to the people of Chile as you observe your nations Independence Day on September 18.

"The United States values its close and productive partnership with Chile. Our countries are bound together by our deep commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. My government is proud to work with yours to support peace and security throughout our hemisphere, to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and to encourage our students, researchers and businesspeople to travel to each others shores.

"During my visit to Valparaiso last year for the Our Ocean conference, I witnessed firsthand the strength of Chiles concern for safeguarding our natural environment. Your country is renowned for the beauty of its landscape and coasts, and has a well-earned reputation for leadership on renewable energy, marine protection, and climate change. The United States looks forward to our continued work together on these and other issues for many years to come.

"As you celebrate with friends and family this Dieciocho, I wish all Chileans Unas felices Fiestas Patrias!"
Latest News

Washington, DC - The United States condemns in the strongest terms todays terrorist attack in Mohmand Agency, Pakistan, which has killed as many as 25 and injured many more. This attack against civilians at a mosque during Friday prayers is an appalling reminder that terrorism threatens all countries in the region, and we send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed as well as our thoughts and prayers to those injured.

The United States stands with the people of Pakistan against the scourge of terrorism and will continue to work with the Government of Pakistan against those who committed such outrageous attacks.
Mogadishu: Somalia`s Islamist militant group al Shabaab attacked a town in a region near Kenya`s border, killing at least seven Somali soldiers, the group and Somali officials said.

Al Shabaab, which regularly attacks Somali forces in its campaign to oust Somalia`s Western-backed government, pulled its fighters out of El Wak overnight, residents said on Saturday.

"We captured five military vehicles and killed several members of the government forces," al Shabaab`s military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters after the assault was launched on Friday afternoon.

Somali Major Mohamed Jimcale told Reuters by telephone from the nearby Somali town of Baardheere that government forces had retreated to another town where there is a base for the African Union`s AMISOM force.

"We lost at least 7 soldiers and two vehicles," he said.

Accounts and figures given by the officials and al Shabaab often vary.

Residents and government troops said al Shabaab had cut offer communications to El Wak before the attack. Al Shabaab fighters often stage raids and then withdraw before government forces have a chance to stage a counter attack.
Texas: Donald Trump on Saturday took his campaign to Texas, a state still up for grabs on Election Day, where he bashed Hillary Clinton`s immigration policies as too lax.

As president, the Democratic candidate would virtually end border enforcement and place the country "in grave peril," her Republican rival said.

He was speaking before a sympathetic audience in a Houston suburb that included people who said their friends or family members had been killed by undocumented immigrants. Many wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words "A Stolen Life."

The issue has been core to Trump`s campaign since he said last summer that many Mexican immigrants were drug smugglers and rapists.

Using unusually subdued tones in the presence of victims` families, the real estate tycoon asserted that Clinton would "implement amnesty by executive order, violating our constitution and putting the entire nation in grave peril."

Clinton has called for a softening of immigration practices, saying she would deport only violent criminals and terrorists, a position in stark contrast to Trump`s vow to build a border wall and deport huge numbers of the undocumented.

But his suggestion that immigrants are disproportionally responsible for serious crime appears to be refuted by several studies.

Trump, however, insisted Saturday that Americans are being killed on a daily basis by the undocumented.

"Every day our border remains open, innocent Americans are needlessly victimized and killed," he said.

"Every day we fail to enforce our laws... a loving parent is at risk of losing their child."

While Trump repeated his charge that Clinton would introduce "total amnesty in the first 100 days, which means Obamacare, Social Security and Medicare for illegal immigrants," her website does not mention amnesty.

It does promise to "introduce comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to full and equal citizenship within (the) first 100 days," lifting the threat of deportation in many cases.
Fort Worth: Two police officers have been shot and wounded while answering a reported suicide at a house in Fort Worth, Texas.

The shooting happened about 8:30 pm yesterday. Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt Marc Povero said officers arriving at the house found a man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head.

The officers were told a witness was in a backyard shed. Povero said the officers were shot after opening the shed door. Police returned fire.

EMS spokesman Matt Zavadsky says the officers' wounds didn't appear to be life-threatening. However, Povero says one officer is in critical condition after being shot in the "upper torso and extremities." The other officer was saved from serious injury by body armor.

Povero says the shooter's fate is still unknown.
Washington: The US Air Force said that it has grounded 10 of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, just over a month after they were declared "combat ready".

The decision affecting the most expensive weapons system ever was made "due to the discovery of peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside the fuel tanks," the Air Force said in a statement on Friday, describing the action as a "temporary pause in flight operations".

The faulty cooling lines affected a total of 57 aircraft, the statement said. Only 15 of those planes had been fielded with the remainder still on the production line and will be fixed there, CNN reported.

The plane's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, has delivered 108 F-35As. The Air Force plans to buy 1,763 of the jets.

Of the 15 grounded aircraft already in the field, 10 had been declared combat ready, one was being used in testing, and the final four were for training, with two of those four training aircraft belonging to the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

"While nearing completion, the F-35 is still in development and challenges are to be expected," the Air Force said.

Representatives from the Air Force and Lockheed Martin's F-35 programme told CNN that the defective cooling lines were not found in all the aircraft. They said the use of the faulty part was limited to one sub-contractor that did not work on all the planes.

"Safety is always our first consideration and Lockheed Martin is committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible to return jets to flying status," Michael Rein, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin, told CNN in a statement.

The F-35 jet has been described as the most expensive weapons system in history with a programme cost estimated to be $400 billion.

The F-35A is the Air Force's version of the jet, the US Marines and Navy will also have their own F-35 variants.
Geneva: Baloch Republican Party (BRP) founder Brahamdagh Bugti on Saturday said that the party has called for a central committee meeting on September 18 and 19, wherein they will move their agenda of filing cases against ex-chiefs of the Pakistani Army like General Pervez Musharraf who have been involved in the killing of Baloch women and children in Balochistan.

Speaking to ANI, Bugti said, "We have called for a central committee meeting of the BRP on September 18 and 19 in which we will move forward on our agenda, wherein we will decide to file cases against ex-chief of Pakistani Army Staff like General Pervez Musharraf, Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and those DGs of ISI involved in the killing of Baloch women, children in Balochistan in the International Court of Justice."

"We will also register cases against these leaders in the European countries. That is what our plan is. We will discuss this and then will move formally on it," he added.

The Baloch Republican Party founder had earlier clarified that he has not made a formal request to India for asylum, but added that if does get the opportunity in the future, he would certainly consider it.

"Our people in Balochistan and Afghanistan are in a very difficult situation. Very few of them are able to come to Europe, rest are living there only. So, we want that the Indian Government should open there doors for them and provide them access, including myself. Right now, I`m here (Switzerland), but I face problem regarding my travel. So, if I get an option to be in India, I will definitely go there," Bugti had said.

Responding to how he views the campaign that has started after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s remarks on Balochistan on August 15 during his Independence Day speech at the ramparts of Red Fort, Bugti said that it has helped to highlight the issue.

"It is very positive. We have always been trying to highlight the Balochistan issue nationally and internationally. But when Indian Prime Minister Modi Sahib talked about it, it got more highlighted and the public there knows about it now. Earlier nobody there (India) knew what is happening in Balochistan and people are talking about it now. Things are going in a good direction now," he said.
Islamabad: A suicide bomber targeted a mosque in Mohmand Agency's Anbar tehsil, leaving at least 24 people dead, including five children, and 31 others injured.

The injured were transported to hospitals in Bajaur Agency, Charsadda and Peshawar for treatment.

The bombing took place in the village of Butmaina in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan, where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

Akbar said that the bomber came in as Friday prayers were in progress and blew himself up in the main hall. A curfew was later imposed in the area.
New Delhi: Balochistan's representative at UNHRC has heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's for highlighting the human rights violations in Baloch area.

PM Modi's call for action against Pakistan for its atrocities against the Baloch people in Pakistan has send chills down the spine of Pakistan military and establishment, Mehran Marri, Balochistan's representative at UNHRC said.

Marri confirmed that Pakistan has intensified military operations in many Baloch areas in the recent weeks.

The Baloch representative urged the US to rethink its policy regarding Pakistan and take a step in same direction as India and Afghanistan have taken.

While requesting the US to take a step Marri said, US is well aware of connivance and dirty games that Pakistan security agencies and military play in Balochistan.

His statements come after the US recently said it is against independence for the Pakistani province of Balochistan where there have been allegations of human rights violations that were flagged by PM Modi in his I-Day speech.

While thanking PM Modi for lending support, Marri said, Myself and the Baloch nation is very grateful to India for raising the issue, adding, We see New Delhi is very serious about addressing the issue of Balochistan and human rights violations that Pakistan is committing there.

In a first for any Indian Prime Minister in an August 15 Independence Day speech, Modi referred to human rights violations in Balochistan and the part of Kashmir that Pakistan controls.

The public reference to Balochistan by Modi was viewed as India hitting back at Pakistan for persistently raising the Kashmir issue and its attempts to internationalise it.

Notably, Days after PM Modi highlighted the Balochistan issue, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati on Friday launched a website and mobile app for All India Radio's Balochi service to reach out to the people who speak the language across the globe.
Aurangabad/Patna: An RJD MLA's son has been arrested for allegedly attacking a youth for not letting him overtake his motorcycle in Bihar's Aurangabad district but police claimed the alleged incident is not a case of road rage and the two had old enmity.

Kunal Pratap, the son of Birendra Sinha, Obra (Aurangabad) MLA of the ruling RJD, was arrested last midnight in connection with the stabbing case, Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Satya Prakash said.

The accused was today sent to jail, he said.

The victim, Pintu Yadav, was admitted to Daudnagar primary health centre from where the doctors referred him to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), the SP said, adding that he was out of danger.

In his complaint, Yadav, who was riding a motorcycle, said Pratap stabbed him for not letting his car overtake him near Neema petrol pump.

The SP, however, said both Pratap and Yadav are residents of village Bhagwan Bigaha and it seems that the incident is the fallout of their old enmity.

"It can not be said a road rage incident. They were very much knowing each other and had some old rivalry, probably, relating to elections," he said.

Meanwhile, Sinha rubbished the charges against his son saying, "no such incident of stabbing happened and hence there is no question of his son's involvement in it."

"Pintu has criminal antecedents. Let there be fair investigation and everything would be clear as my son is innocent. Had my son been involved in the case I would not have sent him to police station for making statement," Sinha told PTI.

Earlier this year, JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi was suspended from the party after her son Rocky Yadav was allegedly involved in an incident of roadrage wherein a Class XII student was killed when he apparently overtook the car of the leader's son.
Patna: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has formally launched a probe into the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, a police officer said on Saturday.

According to the officer, they have handed over all the documents related to the case to an eight-member CBI team, which reached Bihar's Siwan district on Friday.

The premier investigation agency of the country took over the case from the Siwan police, which had registered a case on May 13 this year, based on a FIR filed by the deceased's wife, Asha Ranjan.

On the basis of preliminary investigations, the local police have already said that Ranjan's killing was the result of a premeditated conspiracy.

The CBI registered the case under sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (an act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 27 of the Arms Act against unknown assailants, on the request of the Bihar Government and a subsequent notification issued by the central government.

Ranjan was shot dead on May 13 in a busy market area near Station Road in Siwan district of Bihar. He was the Siwan bureau chief of Hindi news daily 'Hindustan'.

The state government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising two Deputy Superintendents of Police, three Inspectors and five Sub-Inspectors, to trace the killers.

Meanwhile, Asha Ranjan has expressed happiness over the CBI probe into the case. "At last, the CBI has started the probe," she said.

She had urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday to ensure justice to her following the release of former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin from jail.

Shahabuddin, who is alleged to be behind Ranjan's killing, was released on bail on September 10 by the Patna High Court.
Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Birendra Sinha's son Kunal Pratap reportedly stabbed a youth for 'refusing' to let him overtake his car at in Bihar's Aurangabad district on Friday.

The victim has been admitted to a government hospital and his condition is said to be critical.

Speaking to CNN-News18, the RJD MLA completely rejected al the charges against his son saying, he didn't stabbed any youth.

Interestingly, Sinha claimed that the alleged victim slashed himself with a blade and is trying to falsely implicate his son.

He termed the entire incident as a political conspiracy. The RJD Sinha said a fair police investigation will soon reveal the truth.

The report further said Kunal Pratap was detained last night, following which large number of RJD supporters gathered outside the police station to demand the release of Pratap.

The incident took place months after Rocky Yadav, son of Janata Dal-United leader Manorama Devi, allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, son of a businessman, on May 7 after the latter overtook his vehicle.
New Delhi: The tripartite meeting between the Centre, Odisha and Chattisgarh over the Mahanadi water issue will be held in the national capital on Saturday.

The meeting will be chaired by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati. Chief Ministers of both the states will also be present.

Odisha and Chhattisgarh are at loggerheads over sharing waters of the Mahanadi River.

Odisha has accused Chhattisgarh of not consulting it while building seven to eight barrages on the Mahanadi saying that it is affecting the flow of the river.

The Chhattisgarh Government has questioned Odisha`s objection to the barrages, saying the barrages are not at all hampering the flow.

There has been a demand from Odisha to set up of a tribunal to look into the issue of water-sharing.
New Delhi: AAP ministers Satyendar Jain and Kapil Mishra on Saturday went to meet Lt Governor Najeeb Jung at his office following his fax to Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to return from Finland, but the meeting did not materialise as Jung was not in his office, triggering a fresh spat between the two sides.

"It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra said taking a jibe at Jung. But the LG office retorted that it was operational on all seven days of the week and the ministers did not seek prior appointment even as it accused the AAP government of politicising the issue when the city was grappling with a health crisis.

Jung yesterday asked Sisodia to return to Delhi immediately from Finland, where he was on a study tour, in view of sudden spurt in Dengue and Chikungunya cases in the national capital.

The ministers waited outside the LG office and said that no appointment was sought to meet the Lt Governor since he had sent an "urgent" fax to the Deputy Chief Minister and they thought that Jung must have something important to talk about.

"The LG has sent an urgent fax to Deputy CM Sisodia so we thought there may be some emergency and we both came to meet him but he is not in the office.

"We were told that it's off today and he does not sit in the office. We called him but he is also not at his home. It appears he is not in a mood to work today," Mishra said.

Hitting back, the LG office said that the Lt Governor came to know of their visit only through media.

"Secretary to the Lt Governor met the Ministers since the Lt Governor's office is operational on all days of the week. However, they neither submitted any letter nor gave any representation to the Lt Governor," the LG office said in a statement.

Mishra, however, said that since Delhi is grappling with Dengue and Chikungunya they did not wait for an appointment to meet Jung.

"We thought perhaps Jung Saheb has found some very good idea to fight the diseases that he wanted to share with Sisodia. So we came running to meet him as we are working on Saturday and Sunday also."

The Lt Governor's office said that it is "regrettable" that at a time when Delhi is facing such a serious public health crisis, the elected government is choosing to "politicize" the issue instead of providing succour to the public.
New Delhi: An official committee indicts Kejriwal government for splurging on advertisements, projecting image of politicians and party in power.

A Central government appointed Committee today came down heavily on AAP government in Delhi, saying it had splurging exchequer's money on advertisements projecting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party in violation of Supreme Court guidelines and asked the ruling party to reimburse it.

The three-member committee, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon, had been constituted by the I&B ministry on directions of Supreme Court to address issues related to address issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising.

The committee had received a complaint from Congress leader Ajay Maken accusing the AAP government in Delhi of splurging public money on advertisements.

In its order issued today, "the Committee came to the conclusion that the Government of NCT of Delhi has violated guidelines issued by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in six of the nine areas listed by the complainant".

The violations include "outstation advertisements, false/misleading advertisements, advertisements for self- glorification and to target political opponents, advertisements against media, advertisements mentioning the party in power by name and also advertisements issued on incidents occurring in other states."

In its order, the panel which also comprised adman Piyush Pandey and journalist Rajat Sharma, has said that AAP should be made to reimburse the expenditure since the violation of the Supreme Court order of May 13, 2015, has taken place.
New Delhi: Police have launched a massive search for an Additional Director General (ADG) of Doordarshan who has been missing since Friday afternoon after reporting for duty, police said on Saturday.

According to police, the DD official, identified as Jayant M. Kharche, went missing from his office in Mandi House.

He was staying in south Delhi`s Andrews Ganj area with his family.

"We received a call from the family members of the officer around 11 p.m.," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal told IANS.

"He was seen coming out of the office around 1.30 p.m. on Friday. Even his mobile phone is switched off, so we have launched a massive manhunt for him," the officer added.

"Several teams have been deployed at the airport, railway stations and hospitals to find the officer," Narwal said.

Police has also checked the call details of the officer and are investigating the matter.

A missing case has been registered at Tilak Marg police station, police said.
Chandigarh: A video clip of AAP MP Bhagwant Mann was posted on Twitter in which he claimed he was "on leave" for personal engagements and asked the supporters not to believe the rumour that was being spread by other political parties.

With opposition parties taking a swipe at AAP for the "missing" Sangrur MP, Mann, in the video clip said, "Rumours are being spread that I am upset with my party and I have gone missing. After the rally at Baghapuarana in Moga, I took leave for personal work. That is why there is no activity on my Facebook or in other part of Punjab for the last two days."

"It is a complete lie that I am upset or I am seeking something or I may be thrown out (of the party). Do not believe these lies. I will soon be active and will disclose my programme about rallies," the MP said in the video.

Notably, questions are being raised after Mann remained absent from the political conference organised by AAP at Chhapaar Mela in Ludhiana on Friday.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal described AAP as a "bunch of unprincipled leaders" and said the party will "vanish" from the political arena of the state before the assembly polls next year in the wake of the ongoing "tug of war" within the outfit.

Taking a jibe at Mann, he said if the need rises, the government will trace the Lok Sabha MP as it is the duty of every government to trace "missing persons".

Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh on a question about Mann said he had no idea about his intentions and whereabouts.

"However, I must say that there is strong sense of introspection among the Punjabi AAP leaders, who are the sons of the soil, about they being ruled over and exploited by the others and they are duly standing up against it and may be Bhagwant Mann is also feeling the same way," he said.
Brussels: A terminally ill child has become the first minor to be euthanised in Belgium since age restrictions on such mercy killings in the country were lifted in 2014, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The head of the federal euthanasia commission gave no details of the minor beyond saying it was an exceptional case of a child with a terminal illness, the Het Nieuwsblad reported.

"Fortunately there are very few children who are considered (for euthanasia) but that does not mean we should refuse them the right to a dignified death," Wim Distelmans told the newspaper.

Since its euthanasia legislation was amended in 2014, Belgium has been the only country in the world that allows children of any age, as long as they are able to make rational decisions and are in the last stages of an incurable disease, to choose to end their suffering.

The Netherlands also allows mercy killings for children, but only for those aged over 12.

The Belgian amendment, which was passed after heated debate - notably over the meaning of a required "capacity of discernment" - offers the possibility of euthanasia to children "in a hopeless medical situation of constant and unbearable suffering that cannot be eased and which will cause death in the short term".

Any request for euthanasia must be made by the minor, be studied by a team of doctors and an independent psychiatrist or psychologist and have parental consent.
Panaji: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday downplayed the issue of rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkar floating a political outfit in poll-bound Goa.

"So many parties are there. AAP is there. Anyone can float the party, this is democracy," the ex-CM of Goa said.

He refused to comment on the happenings in the RSS in Goa but added that he is a "disciplined Swayamsevak".

"I am swayamsevak, I follow RSS. You will have to go to shakha to follow RSS," Parrikar told reporters here in the background of the ongoing controversy within RSS in Goa.

"Discipline is the most important aspect for me. I have followed the discipline and I will continue to follow it. If you want any comment on RSS you will have to contact RSS," he said.

Parrikar was talking to reporters at the sidelines of a health camp organised by BJP to mark the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

RSS had recently relieved its Goa Vibhag Sangh Chalak Velingkar, who has now formed a parallel outfit called RSS Goa Prant.

Velingkar has also announced that Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, of which he is the convener, would be floating a political party on October 2.

BBSM headed by Velingkar has been agitating demanding regional languages as Medium of Instruction in state's elementary education.

Velingkar was "relieved" as Goa RSS chief on August 31 after BBSM expressed its intent to launch a political party to take on BJP in the 2017 Goa Assembly polls.

His supporters had detached themselves from the RSS' Konkan prant, and had formed the 'Goa prant', which the RSS leadership had refused to recognise.

He has been spearheading a hectic campaign for the primacy of regional languages like Konkani and Marathi as MOI in schools and wanted the BJP government to stop support to English medium schools.

Velingkar has locked horns with the BJP government headed by Laxmikant Parsekar over the issue, with members of his outfit even showing black flags to party chief Amit Shah during a recent visit to the state.

He recently said the "Sangh unit" in the coastal state will function "independently", at least till the Assembly polls.

However, RSS had been quick to debunk him, saying none of its units can dissociate themselves from the outfit and brought in Laxman Behre as the new Sangh chief in Goa.
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met his mother on the occasion of his 66th birthday in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The Prime Minister tweeted few pictures of him seeking blessings from his mother Heeraben Modi .

PM Modi was seen sharing some light moments with his mother.

The PM was accorded a grand welcome when he landed in Ahmedabad on Friday night.

Gujarat Governor OP Kohli, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs all were present at the airport to welcome the top BJP leader.

PM Modi spent the night at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar.

Later, he would go to the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate various irrigations projects.

Dahod collector Lalit Padaliya said the inauguration ceremony will be held at Limkheda town, around 25 km from the city, and the PM will also address a rally there.

"The Prime Minister will inaugurate Kadana-Hafeshwar irrigation project," Padaliya said.

Later in the afternoon he would go to Navsari where he is scheduled to take part in a function where aid would be distributed to the differently-abled persons.

"In Navsari, PM will distribute kits and aid to 'divyang' citizens. He will also address a large gathering near Navsari town," Pandya said.

BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of next year's polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.

Last month Modi visited his home state twice -- to condole the death of Sawminarayan sect's leader Pramukhswami Maharaj and later to inaugurate an irrigation scheme in Saruashtra region.
Gurgaon: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday dubbed the controversy over beef found in biryani and the gang rape of two sisters in Mewat as a "trivial issue".

"These are trivial issues and I don`t pay much attention to these small issues. Today we should be talking about Swarna Jayanti celebrations and achievements of Haryana government," Khattar told reporters.

The Chief Minister was talking to the media on the sidelines of an event to celebrate 50 years of Haryana.

On August 25, a couple was beaten to death and two of their relatives, including a woman and a minor, allegedly gang raped after being held hostage by five armed robbers in Dhingeri village of Tauroo in Mewat, 45 km from Gurgaon.

Even as the murder and gang rape incident rocked Mewat, a new controversy erupted after beef was found in samples of biryani collected in the region. Haryana has banned beef consumption.

A state-run veterinary office that tested the samples stated that beef was used in the biryani being sold in the district.

Earlier, on the direction of the Haryana government, Haryana Cow Protection Task Force in charge DIG Bharti Arora, and Gau Sewa Aayog Chairman Bhani Ram Mangla, ahead of Eid held a drive to check biryani for beef and collected seven samples from Mewat.

Later, Haryana Minister Anil Vij said all seven samples were found to contain beef during laboratory tests at the Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Hisar.
New Delhi: The CBI on Saturday registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against unidentified Defence Ministry officials and others to probe allegations of kickbacks in the purchase of three Embraer aircraft in a USD 208 million deal inked during the UPA rule in 2008, an official said.

Sources in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said the PE was registered on a reference from the Defence Ministry on allegations related to Embraer employing an agent to facilitate various contracts.

The CBI took the step after its two-day thorough examination of the Defence Ministry request made on Wednesday through a letter regarding alleged corruption in the multi-million-dollar deal with the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, following reports of investigations in Brazil and the US.

PE is the initial step taken by the CBI to examine any case before lodging a First Information Report (FIR) against suspected persons. During a PE, the agency cannot record statements or carry out searches.

In 2008, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a $208 million deal with Embraer for three ERJ-145 aircraft to build indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems for the Indian Air Force.

The DRDO has already sought an explanation within 15 days from Embraer on the issue.

Apart from the CBI probe, the Defence Ministry will also seek information through diplomatic channels from Brazil and the US.

Brazilian newspaper 'Folha de Sao Paulo' had reported last week that Embraer paid commissions to a UK-based defence agent to finalise the deal with India.

It is also alleged that Embraer had taken the services of middlemen to get the deal of aircraft supply not only in India but also in Saudi Arabia.
Navsari (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the entire world is watching India with high expectations and the country cannot afford to have 'hota hai-chalta hai' (casual) attitude anymore.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to bring in a drastic change in the way administrators respond to various situations.

"Many a times, we do see things happening in front of our eyes but our response remains very casual or poor. I believe that a country like India cannot afford such an attitude. Days of 'hota hai-chalta hai-dekhenge' are over, as the world is watching us with great expectations," the Prime Minister said.

Modi, who turned 66 today, was speaking at the Social Empowerment Camp organised here by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The event was organised to distribute financial aids and assisting devices to 'Divyang' (differently-abled) citizens to mark the Prime Minister's birthday.

Modi expressed happiness over being the first Prime Minister to attend such camp and thanked the ministers for inviting him.

Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot along with three of his junior ministers - Ramdas Athawale, Vijay Sampla and Krishan Pal Gurjar - shared the dais with Modi.

"A dozen Prime Ministers came in this 70 years of Independence. But, I feel very fortunate to be here, as I am the first ever Prime Minister to attend such an event," he said.

The Prime Minister said he has put this department (the Ministry) on the centre-stage.

He also took jibes at the past governments for "not holding" enough number of such camps where 'Divyangs' (differently-abled) are given free aids.

"Tri-cycle distribution is going on since 1990-92. But, only 57 such camps were organised during the tenures of all the past governments. While, we (NDA government) have organised 4,000 such camps in just two years. We have put this department (Ministry) on the centres-stage," he said.

Giving details of a new initiative by the Ministry, Modi said it has set up a special lab for developing common sign language for the visually-impaired.

"Our government realised that there are many different sign languages in the country. As a result, one 'Divyang' sometimes fails to understand the language of other. So, we have set up a lab to develop a common syllabus in line with international standards, so that our 'Divyangs' do not face difficulty anywhere in the world," Modi added.

The Prime Minister also hailed 'Divyangs' for winning four medals in the Rio Paralympics.

"These medals drew society's attention towards 'Divyangs'.

They do not want our sympathy or help. All they want is self- respect. They have much more capabilities than us. They just want a level-playing field," Modi said, urging the society to change their attitude towards the 'Divyangs'.

The Prime Minister also interacted with several 'Divyang' children, who had come at the camp, to collect their kits and devices, like Braille kit, laptop, smart-phone, motorised tri-cycle, wheelchair, hearing aid, etc.
New Delhi: In a bold move, the Modi government is all set to grant political asylum to Balochistan leaders, who are fighting for Independence from Pakistan, a report said on Saturday.

The CNN-News18 report stated that the Baloch leaders will be granted political asylum in India within weeks if formally apply for the same.

Separatist Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti welcomed New Delji's move saying, "If I ever get a chance to move to India, I will definitely go there for my people."

Pakistan's illegal occupation of Balochistan has gained international attention after Prime Minster Narendra Modi mentioned about the struggle of Balochi people during his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15.

Earlier in the week, Baloch activists had protested outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City against Pakistan's illegal occupation of Balochistan.

Stepping up its offensive against Pakistan on the Balochistan issue at the UN Human Rights Council, India on Friday said Pakistan is a nation that practises terrorism on its own people and the sufferings of the people of Balochistan are a telling testimony in this regard.

Exercising its right of reply, India, raising the Balochistan issue second time in three days at the UNHRC, said the irony of a nation that has established a well-earned reputation of being the global epicentre of terrorism holding forth on human rights.

Media is buzz with reports that Brahumdagh Bugti, grandson of Nawaz Akbar Khan Bugti, is set to get Indian citizenship. He is currently living in exile in Switzerland.

In a first for any Indian Prime Minister in an August 15 Independence Day speech, Modi referred to human rights violations in Balochistan and the part of Kashmir that Pakistan controls.

The public reference to Balochistan by Modi was viewed as India hitting back at Pakistan for persistently raising the Kashmir issue and its attempts to internationalise it.

Notably, Days after PM Modi highlighted the Balochistan issue, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati on Friday launched a website and mobile app for All India Radio's Balochi service to reach out to the people who speak the language across the globe.z
New Delhi: Pakistan is very scared since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken up the cause of the Baloch people, said a community representative at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC).

"Pakistan military and establishment are having chills running down their spine since PM Modi spoke about Balochistan. They have intensified military ops in Baloch areas in recent weeks," ANI quoted Mehran Marri as saying.

PM Modi had first raised the Balochistan issue in his Independence Day speech, when he highlighted the human rights abuses in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) by the Pakistani military.

He described how the Pakistani forces attacked and abducted Baloch people, including women and children, as part of a fresh offensive to silence the voices of dissent.

"Myself and the Baloch nation are very grateful to India for raising the issue of Balochistan, especially on Aug 15 and then again as recent as two days ago at the UNHRC, so we are very optimistic," Marri said.

The Baloch people see India as being "very serious" about addressing the issue of Balochistan, he added.

"The US is well aware of the connivance and dirty games that Pakistan's agencies and its military play in Balochistan. We will request the US Govt to rethink their policy regarding Pakistan and take a step in the same direction as India and Afghanistan have taken," the Baloch leader said.

Earlier this week, India had raised the issue of Pakistan's human rights abuses in Balochistan at the UNHRC.

"Pakistan is characterized by authoritarianism, absence of democratic norms and widespread human rights violations across the country, including Balochistan," India said.

"It will be in the fitness of things if Pakistan focuses its energies on improving the human rights situation within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," Ajit Kumar, India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, said in a statement at the 33rd Session of the UNHRC in Geneva.

Pakistan on its part claimed that PM Modi's comment on Balochistan is proof of New Delhi's interference in the province.
Srinagar: Around 200 militants from across the border are trying to infiltrate into Kashmir, while some have already sneaked into the Valley and the number of encounters along the LoC has increased, a senior BSF officer said on Saturday.

"There has been an increase in the number of encounters along the LoC this year, and seeing that there is no denial that infiltration has taken place...Around 150-200 militants are waiting on the other side of LoC to infiltrate," Inspector General BSF, Kashmir Frontier, Vikash Chandra told reporters at a function here.

He also blamed Pakistan and militant organisations for the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

"This whole unrest is Pakistan sponsored. The militant organisations there have a huge hand in all this and they are trying their best (to fuel the unrest)," Chandra said.

He said some militants, who were waiting in launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, have managed to infiltrate into the Valley.

"Some have infiltrated and some have been killed in the encounters," he said.

Lauding Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary CRPF for tackling the unrest in the Valley, Chandra said they were doing their job with "utmost bravery and alertness".

"The situation that has arisen is not force-specific. Every force is working as per the situation and in today's situation, the CRPF is doing the better job. I salute the jawans of CRPF for working in this situation. I feel the Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF are doing their job with utmost bravery and alertness. They are trying to control the prevailing situation," he said.

The BSF officer said replacing pellet guns with PAVA shells showed the "intent" of the government to minimise the human loss.

"The government instead of firing bullets climbed down and came down to (using) pellets and now it has climbed from pellets to PAVA shells. See the intent in this," Chandra said.

Earlier, 251 recruits were inducted into the force at an attestation-cum-parade function at the subsidiary training centre at Humhama in the outskirts of the city here.

The centre, established in June 1990 to impart basic training to recruits, has so far trained 15,219 recruits, 1,265 communication personnel and 4,307 group 'C' staff which includes 2,178 Kashmiri youth, including surrendered militants.
Srinagar: Curfew was on Saturday imposed in Harwan area here in the wake of death of a teenager in clashes last evening while the curbs continued in some other parts of the summer capital and two towns of Kashmir.

"Curfew has been imposed in Harwan area of Srinagar city this morning while it remains in force in five police station areas of downtown (interior areas) city and Batamaloo," a police official said.

A pellet-ridden body of a youth was found in Harwan area of the city late last night. He was allegedly injured in security forces action on protesters during the clashes in the area yesterday.

Normal life in the violence-hit Valley remained paralysed for the 71st consecutive day due to restrictions and separatist-sponsored strike.

The official said curfew was also enforced in the towns of Badgam in central Kashmir and Pulgam in south.

Restrictions on assembly of people continued in the rest of the Valley to maintain law and order, he said.

The separatists have extended the protest programme till September 22. They have not announced any relaxation in the strike even in the evening hours.

Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps continued to remain shut while public transport was off the roads.

Schools, colleges and other education institutions also remained closed due to the strike called by the separatist to protest the deaths of civilians.

Mobile telephone, except postpaid connections of BSNL, and internet including broadband sevice continued to remain snapped across the Valley since 4 PM on September 12.

As many as 81 people including two policemen have been killed in the unrest that broke out a day after Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8.
Srinagar: The death toll in ongoing unrest in Kashmir went up to 81 as the pellet-ridden body of a youth was found here in the summer capital.

The body of teenager Momin Altaf Ganai, a resident of Harwan in Srinagar, was found in the area late last night a police official said today.

He said Ganai's body bore injuries caused by pellets.

The teenager was injured in clashes between protesters and security forces in Harwan yesterday, the official said, adding that he had gone missing immediately after the clashes.

More than 40 people were injured in the clashes in different areas of the Valley on Friday.
Kochi: The Kerala Police on Saturday filed a charge sheet in a local court in the brutal rape-murder of a 27-year-old Dalit law student.

The name of an Assam native, Ameerul Islam, featured as the lone accused in the charge sheet.

Police filed the over 1,500-page charge sheet in the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, charging the accused with rape and murder of the woman.

The victim was found dead on April 28 this year in her home by her mother Rajeshwari, who works as a casual labourer.

The accused was arrested on June 16 and is currently lodged in a jail near here.
The work of an artist known for creating artwork about Native American history  similar to pieces inspired by events such as todays Standing Rock Sioux tribes fight against an oil pipeline in North Dakota  is on display at UW-La Crosse.

Jim Denomie will discuss his images being shown in conjunction with the Re-Riding History exhibition running in University Art Gallery.

The Lac Courte Oreille Band of Objibwe member creates paintings that comment on Native American history, along with current events, pop culture, politics and more. He creates images ranging from playful, even dark comedy, to those that are disturbing and somber.

In 1995, Denomie earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Minnesota. Since, he has shown extensively in the U.S. and Europe in group and solo exhibitions. His work is in the permanent collections of museums, as well as many other public and private collections. Denomies work has been included in local and national publications. He has received several prestigious grants and awards.

Re-Riding History: From the Southern Plains to the Matanzas Bay, a traveling exhibition of contemporary works on paper that combines various printmaking methods with drawing, collage and photography, runs in the UW-L University Art Gallery through Sept. 25. Regular gallery hours are noon to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, noon to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, by appointment and during events in Toland Theater. All University Art Gallery exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
Bhopal: An unidentified person threw ink at Union Health Minister J P Nadda at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal, amid protest by students over "poor facilities" at the institute.

Ink was thrown at the Minister at the entrance of the AIIMS when he was in his car leaving the institute, surrounded by protesting students amid and rains and chaos.

Few drops of ink fell on the Minister's kurta.

An official of AIIMS Bhopal, on the condition of anonymity, said it is so far not known who threw the ink.

He said the police have started investigating the matter.

Students had gathered to lodge protest over "poor facilities" at AIIMS when Nadda was at the premier medical college to dedicate a number of facilities.

A third year MBBS student Rishi Prem claimed two of the protesting students, Ijya Pandey and Anjali Krishna, sustained injuries as the Minister's vehicle made a forced exit.

"No student of AIIMS college threw ink at Nadda. We protested silently against lack of infrastructure at AIIMS where no surgery has taken place yet," Prem, a student who hails from Kerala, claimed.

"We just wanted to talk to the Minister for improving AIIMS. We don't have even minimum facilities at the institute (required) for treating patients and learning. There is no permanent director at AIIMS," Prem added.

Director, AIIMS-Raipur, who is also acting in-charge of the Bhopal facility, Dr Nitin Nagarkar, was not available for comments despite repeated calls.

The AIIMS source declined to comment on the condition of the two students who were injured.
Mumbai: A police sub-inspector allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with a service revolver at the office of Superintendent of Police in Jalana, police said on Saturday.

Prabhakar Pathade (32) was on duty in the SP office control room. At around 12.30 AM, he went out and shot himself, a personnel at Jalna Police Control room said.

His colleagues ran outside after hearing sound of firing and saw Pathade lying in a pool of blood. They took him to the nearby civic hospital but he was declared dead before admission.

The reason behind suicide is yet to be ascertained, police said, adding, it is not known whether he was under stress but all aspects are being looked into.

A case of accidental death has been filed and the body has been sent for post-mortem.
Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a police constable was on Friday brutally assaulted by some unidentified men in Nagpur district of Maharashtra, an ANI report said.

As per the report, police constable Prakash Barange was on a patrol when he was stoned down by some youths who were intoxicated at the time of the incident. The accused fled from the scene after the episode.

Barange was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was given medical treatment.

Details awaited.
Mumbai: Former Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, was on Saturday admitted to a city hospital, after he complaint of body pain.

Dr TP Lahane, dean of the government-run JJ Hospital where Bhujbal is admitted, told PTI that the NCP leader had fever and his blood platelet count was down, and complained of body pain. According to Lahane, bhujbal showed symptoms of dengue.

When asked if he was showing symptoms of dengue, Lahane said it was yet to be ascertained.

Bhujbal has been lodged in Arthur Road jail in the city since March this year after the ED arrested him in Maharashtra Sadan scam and other cases.
Jalandhar: Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Saturday sought immediate arrest of Akali legislator Virsa Singh Valtoha for his alleged "caste slur" against senior Dalit leader and MLA Tarlochan Songh Soondh inside the state Assembly.

He also announced that the party will stage statewide protests at block level tomorrow to protest the incident.

The Congress leader's reaction came after the four-day Punjab Assembly session ended on a bitter note recently with the concluding day witnessing unruly scenes, including a shoe being hurled towards the ruling combine members.

Soondh later claimed that he had hurled the shoe at the Akali members as Valtoha had "insulted" him over his caste.

Amarinder, who was accompanied by AICC in charge for Punjab Asha Kumari, Campaign Committee Chairperson Ambika Soni, AICC Secretary Harish Chaudhary and Tarlochan Soondh, today alleged Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, despite being a Dalit, and all other Dalit Akali and BJP MLAs in the Assembly had turned a deaf ear to the incident.

"If anyone else would have made such remarks he would have immediately been arrested, why not Valtoha?" he asked.

The Lok Sabha MP also wondered as to how the Speaker had summarily dismissed Soondh's complaint against Valtoha without ordering an inquiry.

The PCC president said while nobody shall approve of "hurling a shoe" at anyone, what happened in the Assembly was the reaction to the provocation and anguish of a community against "casteist and criminal intimidation resorted" to by people like Valtoha.

The Congress leader alleged that people like Valtoha were being deliberately propped up by the Badals to "intimidate" the Dalits and other minorities.

The former Punjab Chief Minister also apprehended "violent elections" in the state, alleging that the Akali government had introduced "easy parole norms for criminals", thus giving way to many active criminal gangs.

"The presence of over 50 organised criminal gangs and the government's decision to make parole easy, are dangerous signs ahead of elections," he said.

On the allotment of party tickets for the 2017 Assembly elections, Amarinder said the process of screening the applications was going on.

He said the specific dockets for the purpose provided by the AICC were at present being filled up and these will be submitted to the AICC soon.
Phagwara: Two factions of Punjab Congress came to blows over fixing a party poster ahead of a conference of the party's women wing here.

The incident took place late last night with one faction of the party accusing the other of attacking its supporters.

A conference of Mahila wing of the party is scheduled to be held today in which Mahila Congress national president Shobha Ojha and former Punjab chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal will address the workers.

The conference is being organised by Punjab Mahila Congress Vice-President Balbir Rani Sodhi, who is also a contender for the party ticket from Phagwara.

The other faction led by District Congress President Joginder Singh Mann, has accused Sodhi of trying to sideline its members.

When Mann's supporters went at the venue in Satnampura road here to fix the board carrying the picture of the leader and his group, the Sodhi group allegedly opposed it.

It also led to an altercation between members of the two factions.

A police contingent, led by DSP Manpreet Singh Dhillon, rushed to the site to control the situation.

Dhillon today said the force will continue to be deployed at the venue till the conference was over.

Saurav Khullar of Sodhi group told reporters from a hospital that the rival group was led by DCC President's son Harnoor Singh Mann, his supporters Sunny Mann, Gopi Bedi and others.

He alleged that they attacked him with rods and sharp-edged weapons, leaving him injured.

However, Harnoor Singh Mann, when contacted, said he was unaware about the incident.

Notably, Mann and Sodhi factions have long-standing hostility.

Mann had represented Phagwara (reserved) Assembly constituency thrice and had remained a Cabinet minister. But PPCC General Secretary Balbir Raja Sodhi was given ticket in 2012 but he lost to BJP. Sodhi had blamed the Mann group for his defeat.
Lucknow: A day after Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav brokered a part peace deal between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and senior party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, it was announced that Shivpal would continue to remain as the party state president.

As part of the compromise formula, Akhilesh Yadav returned all the portfolios, except the important PWD ministry, withdrawn from hsi uncle and senior Samajwadi Party leader earlier this week.

Sacked mining minister Gayatri Prajapati will be taken back in the UP Cabinet and will soon take oath.

In a bid to end the raging feud in the family, Mulayam Singh Yadav worked on the compromise formula. His brother Shivpal Yadav and son Akhilesh Yadav had on Friday said they would comply with whatever Samajwadi Party supremo says.

Meanwhile, the truce brokered between Akhilesh and Shivpal turned out to be short-lived, as supporters of both the leaders hit the streets on Saturday.

Akhilesh Yadav's supporters, who gathered outside Mulayam's residence demand that Akhilesh be made UP chief of Samajwadi Party again.

Donning red caps and carrying posters of the Chief Minister and his wife Dimple Yadav, the supporters started for the party office this morning, raising slogans like "Akhilesh ko adyaksh banao" (make Akhilesh the state president), saying only "Akhilesh bhaiya could lead the party".

In Allahabad, Akhilesh's supporters were seen carrying placards, which read: Chacha ko hatao, SP ko bachao.

There was a scuffle between security staff of Mulayam and Akhilesh's supporters as the protesters tried to gherao Mulayam's residence on Vikramaditya Marg.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference here, Akhilesh appealed to his supporters to stop protest and not put up banners or carry placards against anybody.

"I have congratulated state party president Shivpal Yadav appointed by Netaji, I appeal to the supporters to stop the protests and work for the party," Akhilesh said

"We are united, there is no rift in Samajwadi Party," the Uttar Pradesh CM asserted.

While mentioning the projects launched by his government, he said "Politics is not a game, it is a serious business."

He urged the SP workers to work hard and educate the people of Uttar Pradesh about the development projects initiated by his government.

According to insiders, while initially Akhilesh bowed down to his father's decision, he continues to be reluctant to give space to his uncle Shivpal in the party, as he fears he could lose out on selection of party candidates for the 2017 state polls.

Akhilesh laid bare his angst while participating in a news channel program, saying he "felt bad" after being removed as Samajwadi Party state president and demanded that he be given a say in ticket distribution for the 2017 Assembly election.
Lucknow: A day after Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said, all is well in the Yadav clan, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's supporters on Saturday demanded that he should be reinstated as the head of state party unit.

Akhilesh Yadav's supporters, who gathered outside Mulayam's residence demand that Akhilesh be made UP chief of Samajwadi Party again.

Donning red caps and carrying posters of the Chief Minister and his wife Dimple Yadav, the supporters started for the party office this morning, raising slogans like "Akhilesh ko adyaksh banao" (make Akhilesh the state president), saying only "Akhilesh bhaiya could lead the party".

In Allahabad, Akhilesh's supporters were seen carrying placards, which read: Chacha ko hatao, SP ko bachao.

After party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav played the peacemaker, Uttar Pradesh CM on Friday restored the portfolios he snatched from his uncle and party leader Shivpal Yadav after days of bitter power struggle in the party.

Akhilesh also took back Mining Minister Gayatri Prajapati, a Shivpal protege whom he had earlier sacked, sparking the crisis in the Samajwadi Party.

Setting in motion the reconciliation process, Mulayam Singh as well as Akhilesh rejected Shivpal's resignation from the Cabinet as well as the head of state party unit, to which he was appointed two days ago replacing Akhilesh.

Mulayam also broke his silence over the five-day no holds barred family war, saying, "There can be no division in the party, till I am there."

The party supremo, who rushed here last evening from Delhi to douse the raging flames of feud, said, "We have a big family, differences may occur...There is no fight between Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh."
Kolkata: Former West Bengal Pradesh Congress chief Manas Bhunia, now a dissident leader, is likely to join the ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday, a senior ruling party leader said.

Bhunia, who has been gunning for state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Leader of the Opposition Abdul Mannan over the past couple of months, has made up his mind to cross over to the Trinamool next week. Most probably, he will join on Monday, the leader said.

A number of other Congress leaders and functionaries of its mass organisations are set to pitch their lot with the Trinamool along with Bhunia.

The Sabong lawmaker has been at loggerheads with the state party leadership over his decision to continue as the Public Accounts Committee chairman of the assembly, disregarding the legislators plea to him to step down.

Earlier, he had sought Mannan and Chowdhurys removal from their posts.

Rejecting Mannans plea to appoint CPI-Ms Sujan Chakraborty as PAC charman, Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on July 4 announced Bhunias appointment to the post.

On July 8, Bhunia formally accepted his appointment as the PAC chairman, claiming that he was never officially informed about the partys stand. He however had admitted of having received informal requests by the party to quit the post.

Bhunia had defied calls by Chowdhury, Mannan and the Congress legislature party to step down from the post.

Getting aggressive of late, Bhunia recently described Congress general secretary C.P. Joshi as a sleeping (AICC) general secretary, and lavished praise on state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, calling her the countrys best chief minister.
Beirut: Air raids on a Syrian army position in the country's east on Saturday killed at least 30 soldiers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

"The strikes near the Deir Ezzor airport killed between 30 and 35 Syrian army soldiers, but we could not identify which warplanes carried them out," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

The Russian and Syrian militaries have both accused the US-led coalition of carrying out the strikes which the Russian army said left 60 Syrian soldiers dead.
North Presbyterian Church at 1327 N. Salem Road will host Buzzs Musical Jamboree from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Toms Grocery Bag, which distributes funds to the Onalaska Public Schools, provides food vouchers to area grocery stores and assists with emergency meal payments when students need assistance.

Music at the event will be provided by Todd Saner and the Irish folk band Celtic Cross. There also will be a silent auction, chickencue and raffle.

For more information about the event, call the church at 608-781-5690.
New York: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday abandoned his false claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States after spending five years peddling conspiracy theories that the country`s first African-American president started life as a foreigner.

But, never one to let a controversy go without fanning its flames, Trump accused Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival in the Nov. 8 election, of starting the so-called birther movement in her failed 2008 presidential campaign against Obama, a claim that does not stand up to scrutiny.

Trump, who has won back some ground in opinion polls and made the White House race more competitive after he went through a summer slump, made his announcement in an attempt to clear the air as he prepares for the first of three televised presidential debates with Clinton on Sept. 26.

"President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period," said Trump, a real estate developer. "Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again," he said at an event in Washington at a new Trump International Hotel down the street from the White House.

Devoting only about 30 seconds to the subject, Trump did not apologise and did not expand upon his abrupt decision to shift from a stance he held for five years.

The New York businessman brought up the birther controversy as far back as 2011, appealing to a right-wing fringe of voters who formed the early base of his support when he launched his presidential bid last year.

The birther conspiracy movement is aimed at challenging the legality of Obama`s presidency - the U.S Constitution requires that a president be a natural-born citizen.

During his presidential campaign, Trump has readily trafficked in other theories that are the stuff of American supermarket tabloids.

There was his declaration that the father of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, one of Trump`s many rivals for the Republican nomination, might have been linked to the assassin of President John F. Kennedy. And there was his false claim that thousands of Muslims in Jersey City, New Jersey, cheered when the World Trade Center twin towers collapsed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In making his announcement on Friday, Trump advanced a widely debunked claim that Clinton and her 2008 campaign had been the original birthers.

"Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. You know what I mean," he said.

His campaign directed reporters to a 2007 memo from then-Clinton adviser Mark Penn, who had encouraged the Clinton campaign to go negative against Obama by saying that his Hawaiian birth and boyhood in Indonesia gave him limited roots in American values and culture.

Penn eventually left the Clinton campaign, and his advice was never acted upon.

The Democratic National Committee on Friday condemned Trump`s bid to link Clinton to the birther idea. "He had the audacity to spout a new lie about the birther movement that he helped to build," it said.

Clinton, who leads Trump by 4 percentage points in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, on Friday demanded Trump apologise to the president for having helped spread the birther idea and said Trump had tried to "delegitimize our first black president."

"His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie. There is no erasing it in history," Clinton said in an address to the Black Women`s Association in Washington.

Clinton seized on the issue after struggling to overcome the fallout from her remark a week ago that half of Trump`s supporters are in a "basket of deplorables" and her initial secrecy about her pneumonia diagnosis.

Obama, who produced the longer version of his Hawaiian birth certificate in 2011 to prove doubters wrong, had famously mocked Trump over the issue at a White House Correspondents Association dinner as the wealthy businessman sat in the audience fuming.

Still, Trump clung to the contention that Obama was foreign-born, tweeting in August 2012: "An `extremely credible source` has called my office and told me that @BarackObama`s birth certificate is a fraud."

On Friday, Obama was asked for his reaction to the latest Trump declaration.

"I`m shocked that a question like that has come up at a time when we have so many other things to do. Well, I`m not that shocked actually. It`s fairly typical. We`ve got other things to attend to," he said. "I was pretty confident about where I was born."

Trump`s embrace of the birther movement has incensed black Americans, whose votes Trump has been trying to court.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a news conference on Friday to urge African-American voters to resist any temptation to support Trump.

"I`m wondering when this country is going to awaken from this reality show," said Representative Brenda Lawrence, a Democrat.

First lady Michelle Obama told a crowd in Fairfax, Virginia, that her husband has set a strong example for those who have doubted "whether my husband was even born in this country."

"Well, during his time in office, I think Barack has answered those questions with the example he`s set: by going high when they go low. And hes answered these questions with the progress that weve achieved together," she said.

At a rally in Miami later on Friday, Trump pushed back on the idea that he and his supporters were racist, saying that when Democrats are in trouble politically, "they always pull out the racist word."

He walked out at the rally to a song from the musical "Les Miserables" in front of a backdrop that read "Les Deplorables," a reference to Clinton`s comment last week about his supporters.

The issue of Obama`s birthplace has not been a factor in the campaign leading up to the November presidential election, but it resurfaced in recent days, taking the focus of Trump`s White House bid away from topics such as immigration, trade and the economy, which he has been using to hit Clinton.

Trump revived the birther controversy on Thursday in an interview with The Washington Post when he declined to say whether he believed Obama was born in Hawaii.

Trump had promised "a big announcement" about the birther issue on Friday, giving the impression it was the purpose of the event at his hotel.

Instead, he held off saying anything about it through more than 20 minutes of endorsements from military veterans. Only then did Trump make a brief statement about Obama`s birth.

Trump devoted more time at the beginning of the event to talking about his hotel where the event took place. He ignored reporters` shouted questions.
Jerusalem: Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system destroyed a rocket fired from Syria at the Israeli-held zone of the Golan Heights Saturday in an apparent rise in tension between the uneasy neighbours.

"A projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence system. No injuries have been reported," a military statement said.

"This is the first time that fire from Syria has been intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence system," a military spokesman told AFP in response to a query.

It was a marked departure from recent tit-for-tat artillery fire and occasional retaliatory air strikes.

Israel deployed batteries on its northern flank as a precautionary measure after a 2015 Israeli air strike against the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group`s forces in Syria.

Israeli public radio said that the military believed the fire from Syria was an unintentional spillover from the country`s complex civil war which is now in its sixth year.

Israel has sought to avoid being drawn in to the conflict, but has attacked Syrian military targets when fire fell on its side of the divide.

On Tuesday, Israeli aircraft targeted Syrian army positions after what the military said was probably stray fire hit the Israeli-occupied zone.

Syria said it had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone, a claim denied by Israel.

The increased tension comes after a fragile new Syrian ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States came into force on Monday.

The truce does not apply to areas held by jihadists such as the Islamic State group.

The Israeli army holds the Syrian government accountable for any fire from its territory, regardless of the source.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

During the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip enclave, Israel deployed its Iron Dome system on land to shoot down rockets fired into the Jewish state.

Funding for the missile system was part of an unprecedented $38 billion US military aid package signed in Washington on Wednesday.

The deal covers the period from 2019 to 2028, and will see Israel receive $3.3 billion per year in foreign military financing -- up from $3.1 billion per year currently -- and $500,000 a year in funding for missile defence.
Moscow: Moscow will convene an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council after a string of deadly US-led coalition air strikes hit a Syrian army base, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said late Saturday.

"The Russian ambassador to the UN has been tasked with convening an urgent meeting of the Security Council over this issue," Zakharova told Rossia-24 public television.

"We demand Washington's full and detailed explanation, and that must be made before the UN Security Council."
Porlamar: The Non-Aligned Movement opens a summit Saturday in Venezuela, seeking relevance in a post-Cold War world as the crisis-torn host country seeks to lessen its growing isolation.

Leaders from the 120-nation group will gather for two days on the Caribbean island of Margarita, where Venezuela will take over the movement`s rotating presidency from Iran.

Venezuela, an OPEC member and home to the world`s largest proven oil reserves, will notably be seeking backing for its campaign to slash abundant global crude production in a bid to raise prices.

"We hope to reach important agreements with other countries that we want to have a fair price for our hydrocarbons," said Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino on the eve of the summit.

"We don`t want prices to be in the hands of speculators, as has been happening for the past two years."

The oil crunch has triggered an economic crisis in Venezuela, causing food shortages, outbreaks of looting and riots.

The crisis is the biggest threat yet to President Nicolas Maduro and the socialist "revolution" launched in 1999 by his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

The government has not said how many leaders will be at the summit, the movement`s 17th.

Del Pino highlighted the fact that representatives from fellow oil-producing countries in the Middle East and Latin America would attend.

Founded in 1961 to represent countries resentful of being squeezed in the power-struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Non-Aligned Movement has struggled in recent years to remain relevant in a post-Cold War world.

Venezuelan opposition leaders condemned the summit as a marginal event that will cost millions of dollars the government can ill afford.

The speaker of the opposition-majority legislature, Henry Ramos Allup, dismissed it as a "meeting of dictators," while fellow opposition leader Henrique Capriles called it "a joke to hungry Venezuelans."

Margarita island has been the scene of anti-government protests recently. Dozens of people were arrested there earlier this month after Maduro was greeted by pot-banging demonstrators during a visit.

The government has deployed more than 14,000 police and soldiers to the region in a bid to contain any unrest near the summit.Venezuela`s crisis has left it increasingly isolated, including in its own region.

On Wednesday one-time allies Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay announced they had stripped Venezuela of the rotating presidency of Mercosur, a South American regional trade bloc.

A furious Venezuela said it refused to recognize the decision.

Venezuela`s former largesse with its oil wealth once ensured it staunch loyalty from regional countries that benefited.

But as crude prices have plunged since mid-2014, Venezuela`s economy has tanked, and its international influence along with it.

Embattled and unpopular at home, Maduro has nowhere near the international clout once enjoyed by Chavez.

The opposition is pressuring for a referendum on removing him from power by the end of the year.

Polls indicate Maduro would lose by a hefty margin. But his opponents say electoral authorities are dragging their feet to protect him.

They held fresh protests Friday after the authorities delayed announcing the timeline for the next step in the process for a second time.
Islamabad: A Pakistani court trying former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over a deadly raid on Islamabad`s radical Red Mosque passed an order Saturday confiscating his property, a lawyer said.

Former president Musharraf, who left Pakistan for Dubai in March for what was described as urgent medical treatment, is facing a string of court cases connected to his 1999 to 2008 rule.

Lower court judge Pervaiz Qadir Memon passed the order Saturday in a case over the death of radical cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, one of more than 100 people killed when Pakistani troops stormed the Red Mosque in 2007.

"The court... today passed an order that his property be confiscated," a lawyer for the Red Mosque, Tariq Asad, told AFP.

"Our next move will be to put pressure on the interior ministry to bring Musharraf back home so he can face all cases against him," he added.

A special court in July which is trying Musharraf for treason, issued a similar order in July but little has resulted from that verdict.

"Today`s court order will help mount pressure on the government," to take action, Asad said.

Musharraf ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999. He resigned in 2008 to avoid possible impeachment and went into exile overseas.

He returned in 2013 in an attempt to contest elections but was barred from taking part in the polls and from leaving the country while facing a barrage of legal cases.

The travel ban was lifted in March.

In January this year Musharraf was acquitted over the 2006 killing of a Baloch rebel leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti.

But four cases against him remain -- one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, as well as those alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, the assassination of opposition leader Bhutto and the deadly raid on the Red Mosque.
Jerusalem: A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier Saturday in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron before he was shot dead, the army said, in the fourth attack on Israelis in less than 24 hours.

A military statement said the attacker drew a knife during a routine security check in Hebron`s Tel Rumeida neighbourhood and wounded the soldier.

"In response to the immediate threat, forces at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death," the statement said.

On Friday, three alleged assailants were killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis, two in and around occupied Hebron and one in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Another man was killed on Thursday, also in Hebron, after allegedly trying to evade arrest by the Israeli military.

Since October, 228 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, one Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in ongoing violence, according to an AFP count.

Israeli forces say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes.

The uptick in violence was a reminder of persistent tensions that continue to alarm the international community and came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the two-state solution was "further than ever" from becoming reality.
Berlin: Demonstrators took to the streets across Germany on Saturday in protest over a massive transatlantic trade deal, dealing a new blow to the disputed accord.

In Berlin, as in Munich, there was a sea of flags as people flocked to join the rallies despite the rain, carrying placards and banners representing dozens of anti-globalisation groups, NGOs, political parties and unions, AFP correspondents said.

"People are not letting their mood be ruined" by the weather, a spokeswoman for the organisers, Kathrin Ottovay, told AFP.

Roland Suess from anti-globalisation group Attac had earlier told AFP they expected 250,000 people to turn out in seven major German cities -- including around 80,000 in Berlin.

Participants waved banners demanding "democracy instead of TTIP" and "share, don`t divide."

The European Union and the United States began negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013, aiming to create the world`s biggest free trade market of 850 million consumers.

A new round of talks is due to start in October and US President Barack Obama wants the deal concluded before he leaves office in January.

A smaller version of TTIP is also in the works with Canada, and that deal, called CETA, is due to be signed in October.

Exporters are in favour of the deal as it promises lower tariffs, less red tape and a wider base of consumers for their goods.

But the negotiations have faced opposition in Europe, where consumers fear it would ride roughshod over the 28-nation bloc`s labour market and environmental standards, and lead to more outsourcing and thereby job losses.

Another prickly issue is the plans for a special court to hear cases by companies against governments over breaches of regulatory issues, which opponents see as giving firms a veto over public policy."CETA and TTIP threaten environmental and consumer protection for millions of people in Europe and North America," said Jennifer Morgan, executive director Greenpeace International.

Not only the people, but European governments too are torn over the planned deals.

The French government has put up strident opposition, with Prime Minister Manuel Valls demanding an end to the talks while the leader of Europe`s biggest economy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, voiced her backing for a deal.

In a recent interview, Merkel noted the high unemployment rate in several EU countries, and said: "we should do everything we can to create jobs -- the free trade agreements are part of that."

But even within her right-left "grand coalition", there is dissent.

Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel last month declared that talks on TTIP have "de facto failed".

He had also insisted that "Europeans must not give in to (the Americans`) demands".

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told Saturday`s Bild daily she was aghast at the "misunderstandings, urban myths and outright lies in the debate" on the merits or otherwise of the treaty.Suspicion is running high in Germany over the accords.

"In Euoope, they need to put people first ... that`s why we must stop TTIP," said Berlin rally coordinator Axel Kaiser, rpresenting a group of small and medium sized firms opposed to the deal.

A recent Ipsos survey found some 28 percent of respondents doubted if free trade could really bring benefits. More than half (52 percent) say it would lead to weaker standards and spawn increasingly inferior products.

Peter Gauweiler, who left the CDU and resigned as an MP in protest over Merkel`s stance in the euro crisis, went as far as to call the proposed treaties "a danger for democracy".

Writing in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, he denounced the proposed special court as a "form of secular sharia of capitalist managers".

But conservative daily Die Welt was more positive.

"Before money can be distributed (to the population), it must first come in," wrote its columnist Daniel Eckert.

"A further lowering of tariff barriers, the dismantling of bureaucracy and international standardisation are rather cost-effective methods to create greater wealth that future generations can benefit from," he argued.
Moscow: The situation in Syria is deteriorating, the Russian military said Saturday, blaming rebels for stepping up attacks and saying the United States would be responsible if the current ceasefire broke down.

"The situation in Syria is worsening," said Russian General Vladimir Savchenko in a briefing shown on television.

"In the past 24 hours, the number of attacks have risen sharply," with 55 attacks on government positions and civilians.

He said 12 civilians had died in the attacks, including two children and a Syrian Red Crescent volunteer.

Russian military officials lashed out at the United States in the strongest language yet over the ceasefire struck last week in Geneva, a last-ditch effort to stop the bloodshed in Syria. The ceasefire has so far lasted five days.

"Russia is exerting all possible effort to restrain government troops from returning fire," senior army general Viktor Poznikhir said during the televised briefing.

"If the American side does not take the necessary measures to carry out its obligations... a breakdown of the ceasefire will be on the United States."

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Syrian rebels Saturday of using the ceasefire to regroup, as diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Washington simmered over a lack of humanitarian aid access.

Fresh shelling and clashes were reported overnight in some areas of the war-torn country, but the US-Russia brokered truce which took effect on Monday appeared to be largely holding.In New York, the UN Security Council cancelled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss whether to endorse the ceasefire, billed as the "last chance" to end the five-year war that has killed 300,000 people.

The closed-door consultations were scrapped after Moscow and Washington failed to agree over disclosing details of the ceasefire to the council.

Putin, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said he remained "positive" about the truce but lashed out at rebels.

"We see attempts to regroup among these terrorists, to switch one label for another, one name for another and keep their military capacity," he said in televised remarks while on a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

Putin said Washington apparently "has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad," calling it a "very dangerous path."

Moscow said Friday that it was ready to prolong the truce by 72 hours, but there has been no formal announcement of an extension.

The implementation of the truce has been complicated by the presence of jihadists -- who are not covered by the ceasefire -- and mainstream rebels on some of the same frontlines.

A challenge for Washington is to persuade opposition groups it backs to separate themselves from the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, previously called Al-Nusra Front.

US Secretary of State John Kerry called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday and was urged to press the rebels for safe passage guarantees the Russian foreign ministry said.A key plank of the truce deal was the delivery of aid to areas including Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people in rebel-held areas of the city are living under government siege.

Under the deal, the main route into Aleppo, the Castello Road, would be demilitarised and aid convoys would enter from Turkey.

But 40 trucks carrying desperately needed food aid were still stuck on the border with Turkey on Saturday.

"Still no progress, but the UN is ready to move once we get the go ahead," said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UN has said it cannot deliver aid until "all guarantees are in place for safe delivery."

AFP`s correspondent in Aleppo`s eastern districts said the city was calm on Saturday after a few rocket attacks overnight.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, two civilians were killed in regime shelling on the rebel-held town of Talbisseh, in central Homs province, on Saturday.

Since the truce came into effect, 47 civilians have been killed in areas controlled by the Islamic State group, including 38 killed in unidentified air strikes.

In all other areas across Syria, 12 civilians have been killed since the truce came into effect.

Under the US-Russia deal, if the truce lasts seven days and humanitarian access is granted, Moscow and Washington are to work together to target jihadists including the Islamic State group.
Tunis: Tunisia announced on Saturday that a state of emergency in force since a deadly attack on the presidential guard last November will be extended by one month.

A statement said that after consulting the premier and head of the national assembly, President Beji Caid Essebsi decided that the measure would be extended from September 19 for a month.

The law allows the authorities to ban strikes and meetings that might "provoke or maintain disorder", to temporarily close theatres and bars, and to "take every measure to secure control of the press and all types of publications".

Tunisia has suffered from a wave of jihadist violence since the 2011 revolt that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The Islamic State group claimed attacks last year on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis and a beach resort that killed 59 tourists.

After a suicide bombing in the capital last November that killed 12 members of the presidential guard and was claimed by IS, authorities declared the state of emergency and a curfew in Tunis.

The curfew was later lifted, but the state of emergency has remained in place and is now being extended for the sixth time.

In March, dozens of jihadists attacked security installations in the town of Ben Guerdane on the border with Libya.

And late last month, an Al-Qaeda-linked group, Obka Ibn Nafaa Battalion, claimed responsibility for a blast that killed three soldiers near Mount Sammama, a hideout for jihadists at war with Tunisian authorities.

Several thousand Tunisians have joined extremist groups including the Islamic State group in Syria, Iraq and neighbouring Libya.
The transition to fall is here  the mornings are dark and cooler, and theres a hint of color showing on some trees. But the biggest change is always the kids return to school.

The first day of school is always a special one. While its been 23 years since our youngest started kindergarten, I remember the day well. Ross wore a fresh pair of sneakers and a mixed look of excitement and fear. Surrounded by a moving sea of Jurassic Park and Barney backpacks, he stood still and quiet amidst the hubbub.

I knelt down to give him some words of encouragement, and he turned to me and gave me a hug. He was growing up.

This year my oldest grandson started kindergarten. In the blink of an eye, as they say.

Heres to the teachers, educators, aides and all those men and women who are entrusted with our precious cargo. Other than parenting, Im pressed to think of a more important job.

I come from a long line of farmers and teachers. My mother was a teacher, as is my brother now and as was his wife. His son and daughter-in-law are teachers. My grandmother was a teacher. My great-aunt Leone Mattson spent 50-plus years as an educator. Her aunt Mae Hardie did the same. Leones daughter was a teacher, and her granddaughter followed suit.

Aunt Mae was the Jackson County school superintendent back in the days when one-room schools still dotted the countryside. When she finally retired in 1958, she presided over four high schools, five grade schools, three junior high schools and 11 rural schools. She was drafted into her position after serving in similar capacities in six other counties in Wisconsin. She had returned to her home in North Bend to retire, only to be elected to the same position twice as a write-in.

A June 5, 1958, article in the La Crosse Tribune announced her retirement.

I trust that the schools of Jackson County will continue to have the wholehearted and united support of everyone so that our boys and girls may secure the best possible education to fit them for lifes duties, she said. I have enjoyed every minute of my years of work with the children of the state and the many fine people I have met through my work.

Mae also helped her niece Leone, who graduated in 1933 from Galesville High School after my great-grandparents found her room and board 20 miles from home. Mae loaned her money to enter teacher training at Gale College. Her first teaching job was at Cuffy Knob School north of Melrose in 1934, for $65 a month.

Leone went on to teach many positions in many schools and often taught multiple generations  my dad, brother and me included. And she never forgot the value of education. She received her bachelors degree in 1961 and her masters in 1974.

Leone was honored with a special awards ceremony in 1986, where she said, I love to teach, even after all these years. I still get a thrill when I see the sparkle in a students eye when a new learning is realized. I was blessed with a great deal of patience, which is so necessary in teaching.

It was the teacher who saved the day for Ross. She greeted him warmly, pinned on his name tag and asked him about his third-grade sister and what he thought about the hot weather. He only nodded his head and said a few words.

While my wife, Sherry, and I stood next to Ross, I thought about how quickly the past five years had gone. No longer was he a baby, an infant or a toddler. He was a boy going to school.

Is he ready? How will he do? Will he like it? Hes so shy; will he make friends?

These and other questions popped into my mind as the older kids started filing into the school. If only I knew.

And then his teacher came up to him and asked him if he would do her a favor. Could he help her be the leader and bring the rest of the kids into the school?

Ross face brightened, and he lifted his head with a nod.

I knew that everything would be fine. And it was.
ST. PAUL  In a 16th-floor conference room with spectacular views of downtown St. Paul, residents of three rural Minnesota communities who might not normally talk about climate change are doing just that.

I drank more water than I thought was humanly possible in July and August, John Geleneau of Morris tells those in the room, including officials shaping state policy on climate change.

Geleneau kept track one day. He drained three bottles of Gatorade and 16 bottles of water in 12 hours, and I never used the restroom, because it was pouring out of me faster than I could put it in me.

Geleneau and the other citizen jurors from Morris, Grand Rapids and Winona responded to postcards that the Jefferson Center, a civic engagement nonprofit, and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy sent in the mail. The idea was find a representative group of residents from those communities rather than host a gathering of people already active on environmental issues.

We were engaging in the climate conversations in the state and realizing that rural communities, rural citizens have different concerns when it comes to climate change, said Anna Claussen, the institutes director of rural strategies.

And even though there was a perception that people in rural areas were unwilling to discuss climate change, Claussen said they found the opposite was true across the political spectrum. As diverse groups of people talked with each other, participants discovered they share a lot more things in common than they thought, she said.

The Rural Climate Dialogues began two years ago in Morris. The latest event happened during two days last week in St. Paul, when participants from all three communities shared their experiences with each other and with state agency officials.

For Melissa Weidendorf, of Grand Rapids, it was talking about how rising energy costs affect people living in poverty, something she knows about firsthand.

We grabbed a space heater and went into the bedroom and shut the door with our dog and bundled up and kind of waited that out for a couple days until I was able to get a refill on the propane, she said. Thats not my situation now, but I know thats a situation that a lot of people in our communities face.

Kathy Sublett, of Winona, said she took her citys tree-lines streets for granted  until emerald ash borer hit.

I think it was 50-plus trees that were cut down on a main street, and I drove down that street a couple of days before I realized, Oh, all the trees are gone, she said.

Invasive species, heavy rains, heat waves, and difficulty paying energy bills are some of the many problems exacerbated by climate change. Yet Sublett and others in the group said they knew next to nothing about it before participating in the dialogues.

I really did not know that people were even looking into severe weather changes even though Ive noticed it, Sublett said.

For Dave Johnson of Grand Rapids, a career in highway construction made him aware of the trend toward heavier rains  they were causing more problems on the job. Now retired, he said he talks about it.

I scatter it around with people who will respond and will listen to me, he said. A lot of people look at you like youre goofy. They dont really realize whats happening. Theyre starting to now, but in the past people just didnt want any part of it.

Johnson said he makes headway when avid hunters and anglers like him start to understand the threats to forests, wildlife, clean water and fish.

While the formal dialogues have concluded for now, organizers hope the conversations will continue. Thats already happened in Morris, where some of the dialogue participants started a group to look at how their community can better respond to climate change.

Those selected for the dialogues often returned the postcard because they were curious or had a vague interest in the discussion, said Kyle Bozentko, executive director of the Jefferson Center.

They then walk away from the event saying, Here are things that I didnt recognize were happening, here are people in my community doing X, Y and Z, I might not want to become fully involved, but Im willing to have these conversations with my neighbors, he said.

Bozentko said rather than push specific policies, the Jefferson Center wants to inform citizens who can then help their communities come up with solutions. How do we create spaces and opportunities for people to take a step out of their regular life to examine issues and learn a little bit more about whats happening?

One approach is to give people compensation for their time. All the participants selected for the juries were paid a stipend and their meals were covered.
Around 250,000 people were expected to turn out for protests in seven German cities

More than 160,000 demonstrators thronged seven major cities across Germany on Saturday in protest over a massive transatlantic trade deal, dealing a new blow to the disputed accord.

In Berlin, as in Munich, there was a sea of flags as people flocked to join the rallies despite the rain, carrying placards and banners representing dozens of anti-globalisation groups, NGOs, political parties and unions, AFP correspondents said.

"People are not letting their mood be ruined" by the weather, a spokeswoman for the organisers, Kathrin Ottovay, told AFP.

Roland Suess from anti-globalisation group Attac had earlier told AFP they expected 250,000 people to turn out in seven major German cities -- including some 70,000 in Berlin.

Some organisers put the national turnout as high as 320,000 while police put the figure at between 163,000 and 188,000.

Participants waved banners demanding "democracy instead of TTIP" and "share, don't divide."

The European Union and the United States began negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013, aiming to create the world's biggest free trade market of 850 million consumers.

But the talks have become bogged down amid widespread in Europe that the deal would undercut the 28-nation bloc's standards in key areas such as health and welfare.

A new round of talks is due in October with US President Barack Obama hoping a deal can be concluded before he leaves office in January.

A smaller version of TTIP is also in the works with Canada, and that deal, called CETA, is due to be signed in October.

Exporters are in favour of the deal as it promises lower tariffs, less red tape and a wider base of consumers for their goods.

But in Europe, consumers fear it would ride roughshod over the EU's labour market and environmental standards, and would bring about more outsourcing which would lead to job losses.

There are also concerns over plans for a special court to hear cases by companies against governments over breaches of regulatory issues, which opponents see as giving firms a veto over public policy.

Story continues

"CETA and TTIP threaten environmental and consumer protection for millions of people in Europe and North America," said Jennifer Morgan, executive director Greenpeace International.

- 'A threat to millions' -

Not only the people, but European governments too are torn over the planned deals.

The French government has put up strident opposition, with Prime Minister Manuel Valls demanding an end to the talks while the leader of Europe's biggest economy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, voiced her backing for a deal.

In a recent interview, Merkel noted the high unemployment rate in several EU countries, and said: "we should do everything we can to create jobs -- the free trade agreements are part of that."

But even within her right-left "grand coalition", there is dissent.

- 'Danger to democracy' -

Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel last month declared that talks on TTIP have "de facto failed".

He had also insisted that "Europeans must not give in to (the Americans') demands".

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told Saturday's Bild daily she was aghast at the "misunderstandings, urban myths and outright lies in the debate" on the merits or otherwise of the treaty.

Suspicion is running high in Germany over the accords.

"In Europe, they need to put people first ... that's why we must stop TTIP," said Berlin rally coordinator Axel Kaiser, representing a group of small- and medium-sized firms opposed to the deal.

A recent Ipsos survey found some 28 percent of respondents doubted if free trade could really bring benefits. More than half (52 percent) say it would lead to weaker standards and spawn increasingly inferior products.

Peter Gauweiler, who left the CDU and resigned as an MP in protest over Merkel's stance in the euro crisis, went as far as to call the proposed treaties "a danger for democracy".

Writing in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, he denounced the proposed special court as a "form of secular sharia of capitalist managers".

But conservative daily Die Welt was more positive.

"Before money can be distributed (to the population), it must first come in," wrote its columnist Daniel Eckert.

"A further lowering of tariff barriers, the dismantling of bureaucracy and international standardisation are rather cost-effective methods to create greater wealth that future generations can benefit from," he argued.
On Saturday, the city of Oakland, California will launch a website where authorities can collect reports of people who patronize sex workers. The reportjohn.org snitch site created by city officials is an odd development in a town plagued by sex abuse scandals within its own law enforcement ranks. It will be interesting also to see what sort of security or privacy measures the site offers to those who use it to submit photos, names, license plates, or other sensitive information to authorities. At the time of this blog post, reportjohn.org is not yet online.

"The first question in the online form gets straight to the point: 'Do you have any photos of the activity?'," says NYT SF bureau chief Thomas Fuller, who previewed the system:

Residents will be encouraged to note down the license plate numbers of suspected johns' vehicles and describe the specific activity they witnessed. The sightings are uploaded to the police, who will send a letter to the address where the vehicle is registered. Karely Ordaz Salto, the chairwoman of the city's Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Task Force, says Oakland is the first city to target johns in this way. "The hope is that they will think twice and this will deter them," said Lt. Jill Encinias of the Oakland Police Department. "We really need to attack this problem from all sides. We need to start focusing on the demand."

If the city authorities of Oakland wants to stop prostitution, though, they might try a little harder at weeding out the johns on their own police force.

The Oakland Police Department is at the center of a scandal involving seven Bay Area departments, in which the teen daughter of an Oakland police dispatcher said she had sexincluding while she was underagewith dozens of police officers in quid pro quo arrangements.

Oakland cops saw plenty, but said nothing. In a corrupt culture of secrecy, the abuse of sex workers, including underage teens, goes unpunished.

From the East Bay Express:

Revelations this past May that multiple Oakland police officers sexually exploited a minor rocked the city and triggered the ouster of three police chiefs in nine days. News reports also uncovered a sprawling sexual-misconduct case implicating dozens of Bay Area police officers, who allegedly exploited a teenager who calls herself Celeste Guap. Now, Oakland's leaders say they intend to hold everyone accountable for crimes committed and policy violations. But did Oakland officials at City Hall and the police department inform Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley about these potential crimes by law enforcement when they first discovered them, or only after the scandal hit the news? If the latter, one expert says they might have violated the city's negotiated settlement agreement, overseen by U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson, which stems from a previous police scandal known as the "Riders" case.

After running into troubles with the law in Florida, Jasmine Abuslin, the 19 year old in that case is returning to Oakland.

Pamela Price, a local civil rights attorney representing Abuslin, said the teen who once used the pseudonym 'Celeste Guap' will serve as key witness in the prosecution of at least seven current and former East Bay law enforcement officers.
By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking days after a Canadian man was released from prison in China, said on Saturday there was "tremendous potential" for stronger and more stable ties with the Asian country. Trudeau won a diplomatic coup last week after China deported Kevin Garratt, who had been detained for two years on allegations of spying. The release came shortly after Trudeau's official visit to China earlier this month and ahead of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's arrival in Canada next week. Asked whether Canada is open to more investment from China, which is seeking a free trade deal with Canada and more relaxed investment rules, Trudeau said there was scope for closer ties. "What we have demonstrated (with the official visits) is that there is tremendous potential for a stronger, more stable relationship with China than there has been for Canada in the past," he told reporters on the sidelines of a global health conference. Garratt, who was arrested in 2014, was charged in January with spying and stealing state secrets, convicted on Tuesday, released on bail and then deported to Canada on Thursday. (Reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by Paul Simao)
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd, whose collapse has disrupted global trade, is considering a restructuring plan to sell more than half its ships, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. However, liquidation remained the most likely outcome for Hanjin Shipping, the newspaper cited the sources as saying. Hanjin Shipping, the world's seventh-largest container carrier, filed for receivership late last month in a South Korean court and must submit a rehabilitation plan in December. The company is working on various scenarios and focusing on one under which Hanjin would retain up to 15 of its 37 ships and return almost all of its 61 chartered ships to their owners, leaving a much smaller carrier, the Wall Street Journal said. A Hanjin Shipping spokeswoman declined to comment to Reuters on any restructuring scenarios, adding that a court ruling on its plan was months away. With debt of about 6 trillion won ($5.33 billion) at the end of June and the South Korean government's unwillingness to mount a rescue, expectations are low that Hanjin Shipping will be able to survive. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Having a child can be one of life's most rewarding experiences  but it doesn't come without its challenges.

One hurdle for mothers can be the time they take off work and the uncertainties about how it will affect their career.

According to research conducted by Dr. Laura Hambley, the founder of Canada Career Counseling, 51 per cent of Canadian women felt their maternity leaves were not well managed, while 36 per cent said the leave had a negative impact on their career progression.

Common problems include being bumped down the seniority list, missing out on a promotion, or not having a job to come back to.

"I think it's an angst-ridden journey for a lot of moms," said Hambley. "They're off and they're away from work and they don't know what to expect when they return, and often times communication is cut off altogether."

Hambley sat down with guest host Andrew Chang on CBC's B.C. Almanac to discuss some of the challenges  and solutions  behind maternity leave.

Don't make assumptions

One of the biggest issues that Hambley has seen is that employers and employees tend to make assumptions right out of the gate.

"Each party is making assumptions  the employer is assuming the women may be less ambitious or less career-driven, or want to come back to a lesser degree, or may not come back at all," she said.

"Meanwhile, the mother is making assumptions that perhaps when she announces the pregnancy, or upcoming adoption, that the employer is going to react negatively.

"We kind of assume the worst case by either side."

According to Hambley, maternity leave is a taboo topic in the workplace, and employers are often reluctant to discuss it with employees  ultimately leading to these negative assumptions

Communication is key

"The employer needs to collaboratively work with the woman and communicate right from the get-go," said Hambley "And they need to look at maternity leave in three stages  before, during and after the leave.

Story continues

"A return-to-work plan should be made so it's very clear what the woman is coming back to."

Hambley also says that employers and employees should come up with a communication plan for the duration of the leave.

"Some women don't want to be communicated with at all," she said. "[While] others want to know when there's learning opportunities, when there's team-building events. They want to be kept in the loop."

The discussion should run right through to a reintegration plan, highlighting how the worker will be onboarded after the leave. Hambley admits this can be a difficult task for businesses, who might have to downsize or scale back operations.

"Let's face it: a lot of things can happen in a year," she said.

Hambley says it's better to have an open and honest conversation on both ends. If the employer is in a position where business needs to scale back, let the worker know immediately. And if the worker decides she doesn't want to go back to her old job, she should show the employer the same courtesy.

With files from CBC's B.C. Almanac

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: What to expect when going back to work after taking maternity leave
MADISON  Penny M. Mau, 54, of Nelson, Wis., was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to one year of supervised release for stealing money belonging to the village of Nelson. She pleaded guilty to the charge June 23.

Judge William Conley also ordered Mau to pay $11,740 in restitution, and a $5,000 fine. Mau paid back about $12,000 to the bank before her scheme was detected, and another $10,000 after she was confronted by the bank. Mau owes the additional $1,600 to the bank to cover the cost of its internal investigation.

The investigation established that between January 2011 and January 2014, Mau stole $22,141 from a village of Nelson account at the Bank of Alma. Maus scheme went undetected for three years because she returned the money she stole by the end of each month, so the shortage would not appear on the monthly statements. During the course of the scheme, she was the clerk of the village of Nelson and an employee of the Bank of Alma, giving her ability to handle the money in a way that avoided detection.

When initially confronted by the bank, there was a $10,000 shortage in a Village of Nelson account, money that had been deposited instead into Maus personal account. Mau initially attributed the losses to accounting errors, but eventually pleaded guilty to taking the money.

However, after her guilty plea in federal court, Mau submitted a resignation letter to the Village of Nelson indicating that she was not guilty of the offense. Mau retracted those statements at her sentencing hearing Thursday and apologized to both the Village of Nelson and the Bank of Alma.
By Leah Schnurr OTTAWA (Reuters) - The head of Canada's statistics agency resigned in a surprising move on Friday over concerns that the agency's independence is being compromised, making him the second top statistician to quit in recent years. In an email sent to the members of an independent advisory board, Wayne Smith said he was stepping down as head of Statistics Canada because of concerns around changes to the agency's data infrastructure. Statistics Canada is responsible for producing major economic reports on everything from jobs to international trade. In an arrangement under the previous Conservative government, responsibility for StatCan's informatics infrastructure was transferred to a department that oversees information technology services across the government. Smith said in his email that Shared Services Canada now holds an effective veto over many of the agency's decisions, including the collection, analysis and dissemination of data. "This loss of independence and control is not only an apprehension, but an effective reality today," Smith wrote in the email seen by Reuters, adding that StatCan is increasingly hobbled by the ineffective and slow services being provided. "I do not wish to preside over the decline of what is still, but cannot remain in these circumstances, a world leading statistical office." Concerns about confidentiality and efficiency had troubled Smith for some time, said Ian McKinnon, chair of the National Statistics Council advisory board. "He felt that losing control of the data infrastructure was incompatible with the continued independence of the agency." The agency was criticized earlier this year for technological issues that delayed the release of some economic reports on its website. Smith came to the job after Munir Sheikh resigned in protest in 2010 after the Conservatives scrapped the long-form census. Anil Arora, who previously helped run Canada's census, will become chief statistician as of Monday, the government said. In a nod to the concerns, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said the government was working closely with the agency toward the reinforcement of its independence. The concerns voiced by Smith come on top of some hiccups with releases in the past, said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets. "It's going to raise a lot more questions than would have been in place before," said Porter. The agency was forced to withdraw a jobs report in 2014, citing a flaw in the way the figures had been processed. The monthly report can be volatile, often prompting economists to question its validity. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr; editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCool)
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About four feet from where I write this column hangs a photo of me taken when I was 3 years old.

Im wearing a little pink dress and holding a phone  one that plugs into the wall even  and the caption proudly proclaims, Even at the age of 3, Jourdan showed signs of journalistic prowess.

The photo was shamelessly stolen from of my mothers Facebook page, where she posted it a few years ago during a fit of craziness in which she convinced herself people outside of my immediate family want to see my baby pictures. Then, because a fellow reporter will stop at nothing to make his co-workers blush, it appeared overnight as an 8-by-10 black and white photo on the pillar between our two desks.

I must admit, I wasnt too pleased to see little 3-year-old me holding her landline phone when I walked in. I turned a little pink and knew immediately which family member was at the root of that bit of embarrassment, but I laughed it off, figuring it wasnt worth the fight.

An 18-year-old from Austria had a different reaction to her parents sharing her baby pictures on social media. The anonymous young woman filed a lawsuit against her parents, alleging that they posted more than 500 baby pictures of her over seven years and refused to delete them.

I think its safe to say there will be no winners here, even if the suit makes it to a court of law. The case will be heard in November, and regardless of how it comes out, I think its safe to say no one will enjoy the winter holidays in that family.

The teen says her parents have made her miserable by constantly posting embarrassing photos from when she was a toddler, everything from getting her diaper changed to learning how to use the potty.

They knew no shame and no limit  and didnt care whether it was a picture of me sitting on the toilet or lying naked in my cot  every stage was photographed and then made public, she told Austrian news outlets.

Her parents then shared them with their hundreds of Facebook friends and refused years of requests to delete them.

The woman believes it violates her rights to a personal life and privacy, which her lawyer argues trump her parents copyright of the images.

I believe it violates good sense, and Im amazed they have any Facebook friends left after posting 500 baby pictures in seven years.

Im not one of those people who immediately hides the posts of people who become pregnant, though I came close when a high school friend started posting weekly updates on her uterus. I dont mind the occasional cute kid photo popping up in my timeline. But I think when the number of photos you post reaches into the hundreds, you have a problem, and that problem is thinking anyone cares that much about what your child does every single day.

This is clearly a different situation. When they started, I imagine her parents likely saw it as a lighthearted way to poke fun at their teenage daughter, who, like all teenagers, took herself a little too seriously. She would have been 11 or 12 at that point, and I can tell you from experience, 12-year-old girls are the worst and also completely incapable of laughing at themselves. But its also pretty clear these parents crossed the line from lighthearted into mean-spirited somewhere around 2010.

I dont blame the girl for being upset. Being denied that simple request for seven years strikes me as something that would be rage-inducing. I can even see her being pretty hurt by it after it became clear her parents would rather dig in stubbornly than delete photos that continually upset her for years.

At this point, they are choosing being right over having a relationship with their daughter.

But the lawsuit is still ridiculous. Block your parents on Facebook. Move out and stop talking to them. But suing them over toddler photos is the definition of frivolous.

Im tired of not being taken seriously by my parents, she said.

Well, this will certainly help.
MADISON  The state Department of Corrections wants Gov. Scott Walker to spend millions of dollars in the next budget to add nurses and security staff at Wisconsins troubled youth prison, but the new positions wouldnt be enough to satisfy federal law.

Walkers administration released state agencies 2017-19 budget requests on Friday. Corrections request calls for $1 million to hire nine nurses to administer medication at Lincoln Hills School for Boys and the Copper Lake School for Girls, the states joint youth prison in Irma.

The agency also wants $1.3 million to create 8.25 additional counselor positions to help the prison come into compliance with staff-to-juvenile ratios mandated by the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Corrections request includes a memo saying that until recently counselors have been handing out inmates medication. The memo notes that delivering medication by non-health care staff is recognized nationally as unsafe and could open the door to lawsuits.

Patient medication requires a scientific knowledge and an understanding of the patients basic and complex health needs, the memo said.

The agency has started moving toward having nurses administer medications at the prison but the facility needs more nurse positions before all the responsibility will shift from security staff to nurses, the memo said.

Another memo attached to the request states that the Prison Rape Elimination Act will require all juvenile prisons to maintain a minimum 1-to-8 staff-to-juvenile ratio during waking hours and a 1-to-16 ratio during sleeping hours by October 2017. If the agency doesnt achieve compliance, it could lose nearly $36,000 in federal funding annually.

The girls side of the prison currently meets those ratios but the boys side cant because it hasnt received enough money, the memo said. Lincoln Hills currently averages a 1-to-12 waking ratio and 1-to-26 sleeping ratio and would need 57.75 positions to comply with PREA. The memo acknowledges 8.25 positions wont be enough to achieve compliance but doesnt say why the agency didnt ask for all 57.5 positions. Pressed on why the agency didnt ask for all the positions, Department spokesman Tristan Cook would say only that the agency was moving toward compliance.

Federal investigators are currently investigating widespread allegations of staff abusing inmates at the youth prison. Allegations have ranged from claims of sexual assault to misconduct in public office.

The state Department of Justice initiated the probe last year but the investigation didnt come to light until December, when agents raided the prison. The FBI has since taken over the investigation. Former Corrections Secretary Ed Wall resigned in February amid bruising headlines.

Walker will take agency budget requests into consideration as he crafts his executive budget. Hell submit that spending plan to the Legislature early next year. Lawmakers will spend months revising it and likely will pass the final spending plan sometime next summer.
The red swamp crayfish is more at home in Louisiana than northwest Minnesota. But state conservation officials say the invasive species has been discovered in a Clay County lake and might not be leaving anytime soon.

Two of the creatures were found in Tilde Lake, northeast of Moorhead, Minn., the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Thursday. The agency suggested the creatures could be castoffs from a classroom aquarium or a crawfish boil.

Many aquarium animals and plants are invasive species that can cause serious harm if released into the wild, Heidi Wolf, DNR invasive species unit supervisor, said in a statement.

A permit is required to import crayfish and most any aquatic animals for any purpose. Without a permit it is illegal to import or possess red swamp crayfish in Minnesota, Wolf added.

Adult red swamp crayfish run from 2 to 5 inches in length and their red coloring has led some sellers to advertise them as freshwater lobster for aquariums, according to an analysis of research by the U.S. Geological Survey. Its popular as bait among largemouth bass anglers; flushing them down the toilet is likely an ineffective way to kill them, the agencys research noted.

The creatures have been found in southeastern Wisconsin and in the Missouri River on the Nebraska-South Dakota border.

The DNR said the red swamp crayfish compete with native species for habitat and eat tadpoles, snails and other small aquatic animals, and their burrowing habits make them extremely difficult to remove and cause damage to levees, dams and water control structures, the DNR said, adding that the most humane way to dispose of the creatures is to put them in a plastic bag in the freezer for a day, then put the bag into the trash.

Wolf urged teachers to check with the DNR about potentially invasive species before bringing aquatic animals into the classroom.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  More than 1,000 officers in the Twin Cities area are training on how best to handle demonstrators in the wake of a fatal shooting of a black man by St. Anthony police in Falcon Heights.

Officers are learning more about constitutional rights of protesters, practicing tactics for making arrests when necessary and hearing about what to do if they are attacked verbally or physically.

"It's a tough balance because we want people to be able to express whatever their issue is, even if it's an anti-government or anti-police message, but we want to see that done in a manner that the public and protesters and the officers are all safe when that happens," St. Paul Police Senior Cmdr. Steve Frazer said.

In the two months since Philando Castile was killed, hundreds of people have gathered in St. Paul for protests, and marches have shut down traffic. Officers are under heightened scrutiny as demonstrators question systemic police practices.

"With current events, we want to make sure that everyone is ready," Frazer said.

On July 9, three days after Castile was killed, hundreds of people marched onto Interstate 94 in St. Paul, shutting down traffic for hours. Police said officers were pelted with cement chunks, bottles, rocks and other items. Over 20 officers were injured, and officers arrested about 50 people.

Demonstrators have been critical of the rationale for arrests and say the crowd gets amped up with the large police presence.

"I think automatically they go to a military response," said Jason Sole, chair of the Minneapolis NAACP Criminal Justice Reform Task Force. "You're really going to beat us with sticks? To come out there ready with helmets, ready for an element that doesn't exist, it makes people escalate.'"

About half of those being trained are from the Saint Paul Police Department, and the rest are from 15 other agencies.

Most of the nearly $1.8 million the city spent on Castile protests as of Aug. 19 was used for police staffing. A police spokesman says there is no cost to the city for the training that's now underway, and the St. Paul police department isn't charging other agencies for their officers to attend.
CUMBERLAND, Wis. (AP)  Politicians, farmers and hunters dominated a Great Lakes summit on wolves, expressing hope that the animals will soon come off the federal endangered species list.

Participants at the meeting Thursday in the northwestern Wisconsin community of Cumberland talked about solutions to wolf problems, including attacks against domestic animals, in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.

The summit was organized by two Republican lawmakers from northern Wisconsin, Sen. Tom Tiffany and Rep. Adam Jarchow, who hope control of the wolf population returns to state governments. As long as wolves are considered endangered, killing them is illegal unless its for personal protection.

The Humane Society of the United States called the event one-sided.

Others argued that wolves have a place in the Great Lakes ecosystem.

A few wolves are OK, said Don Peay, founder of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and a speaker at the summit. Theyre part of the system.

Peay and most others at the summit wanted to manage the wolf population by killing some off. Roughly 4,000 wolves roam the Great Lakes region.

Complaints of attacks on domestic animals have been rising with the wolf population, said David Ruid, wildlife biologist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who helps manage complaints of wolf attacks on farms and ranches.

Ruid said the wolves arent affecting the cattle industrys bottom line, but they are causing great hardship for farmers who live within their territory.

These things are occurring on the local family farm, Ruid said.

Its not just fatal attacks on livestock thats a problem, either, because wolves will harass animals, which can cause livestock to damage fences or slow their eating because theyre on guard, he added.

Congress will likely debate the proposed law after the November election, according to legislative staff at the office of Sen. Ron Johnson, who introduced the bill.
This is such a great question and one that I think about quite often. Outlined below are the three F's that I believe yield a great design without feeling over decorated or over done.

FUNCTION

Good design requires the designer to ask the tough questions. It is really important to learn about the client's lifestyle, their entertaining preferences, and how they will live in the house day to day. I am very partial to designing a home around how you live 95% of the time versus the 5% of the time you might be entertaining guests or have an overflow of family for the holidays. I believe in 100% utilization of a home and that means making sure that every room gets used most of the time. Knowing the client and discussing the realities of their lifestyle is much more important than inserting selections that don't necessarily reflect the client's history and their comfort level. There is nothing worse than being worried about something being ruined with spills and everyday use. Bottom line if something is off limits or is "saved" for special occasions it is not a functional part of a home. Homes that seem over decorated are often those that appear to be untouched and perfectly poised.

FLEXIBILITY

Nothing brings me more joy than to visit a client and see that they are using pieces and moving them around as needed. I say this because the best design is one that is flexible and we often design with this in mind. Let's face it nothing in life is stationary and your home should maintain flexibility to address your changing needs. Adding art, treasures you procure while traveling, and the addition of hand me downs is what makes a home relevant and not overly decorated.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Your home is your personal narrative as well as a place for respite. A good designer will give you the framework to live comfortably while also exploring how to have your home reflect you. This is a very specific passion of mine and a thread I try to use in all of my projects. Some people come to the table with a lifetime of collections and we help incorporate them into the project. Other times, we push the client to explore their past in order to help them more fully understand what has shaped their taste. In almost all of our projects there are pieces that have a story. You may pass over them casually because we have shaped them in a way that makes them feel seamless with the interiors and that is our objective. These elements are not only a tie back to their past but an entree to their future. Bottom line if the house reflects the inhabitants and not necessarily the designer, the house will never feel over decorated.

The image I have included below is a wonderful example of incorporating a piece of the past. This black coral hung in the homeowners parent's house and this large wall presented a perfect opportunity to incorporate it into their home by using a custom shadow box.
Good morning everyone!

The first presidential debate is only days away. And, yes, I am SUPER excited.

But, before that I am headed to Austin to host a very special Politics and Pints on Saturday night as part of the Texas Tribune Festival. If you live in Texas, you had better be there. Seriously.

One other note before we start: The third episode of my quiz show podcast -- Ciquizza! -- is out! This week CNN's Brianna Keilar took on WaPo's Neil Greenberg. It was our best one yet!

You can subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher. Show some love. I guarantee you will enjoy it. GUARANTEE.

Alright, self promotion out of the way. For now.

Let's do this!
AFP News

Ukraine's maritime grain exports were halted Sunday after Russia suspended its participation in a landmark agreement that allowed the vital shipments, blaming drone attacks on its ships in Crimea. The July deal to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine and brokered by Turkey and the UN, is critical to easing the global food crisis caused by the conflict. The agreement had already allowed more than nine million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be exported and was due to be renewed on November 19. On Saturday, Russia said it was halting its participation after its army accused Kyiv of a "massive" drone attack on its Black Sea fleet, which Ukraine labelled a "false pretext". US President Joe Biden called the move "purely outrageous" while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Moscow was "weaponising food". The centre coordinating the logistics of the deal said in a statement that no traffic was planned for Sunday. "A joint agreement has not been reached at the JCC for the movement of inbound and outbound vessels on 30 October," it said. "There are more than ten vessels both outbound and inbound waiting to enter the corridor." Ukraine and the UN have urged that the agreement remains in force. "I call on all states to demand that Russia stop its hunger games and recommit to fulfilling its obligations," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian move "an absolutely transparent intention of Russia to return the threat of large-scale famine to Africa and Asia". "Just today, more than two million tons of food are in the sea. This means that access to food has actually worsened for more than seven million consumers," he said in his nightly address. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said: "It is vital that all parties refrain from any action that would imperil the Black Sea Grain Initiative which is a critical humanitarian effort". - 'Peddling false claims' - Sevastopol in Moscow-annexed Crimea has been targeted several times in recent months and serves as the headquarters for the Black Sea fleet and a logistical hub for operations in Ukraine. The Russian army claimed to have "destroyed" nine aerial drones and seven maritime ones in an attack on the port early Saturday. "In light of the terrorist act carried out by the Kyiv regime with the participation of British experts against ships of the Black Sea fleet and civilian vessels involved in the security of grain corridors, Russia suspends its participation in the implementation of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports," the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram. Moscow's forces alleged British "specialists", whom they said were based in the southern Ukrainian city of Ochakiv, had helped prepare and train Kyiv to carry out the strike. In a further singling out of the UK -- which Moscow sees as one of the most unfriendly Western countries -- Russia said the same British unit was involved in explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month. Britain strongly rebutted both claims, saying "the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale". Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Saturday Moscow would raise the blasts and the alleged drone attack at the UN Security Council. Moscow's military said ships targeted at their Crimean base were involved in the grain deal. The United Nations Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Amir Abdulla, reported that Russia had notified him earlier Saturday of "its concerns about the safety of movements of merchant vessels" under the agreement. Russia had recently criticised the deal, saying its own grain exports have suffered due to Western sanctions. - 'Massive' attack - Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said Saturday's drone attack was the "most massive" the peninsula had seen. City authorities said the harbour was "temporarily" closed to boats and ferries and urged people "not to panic". Attacks on Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, have increased in recent weeks, as Kyiv presses a counter-offensive in the south to retake territory held by Moscow for months. Moscow-installed authorities in Kherson, just north of Crimea, have vowed to turn the city into a fortress, preparing for an inevitable assault. In early October, Moscow's bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland -- personally inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2018 -- was damaged by a blast that Putin blamed on Ukraine. The Russian fleet stationed in the port had also been attacked by a drone in August. Russia's allegations Saturday came as the Ukrainian army reported fighting in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions in the east, including near Bakhmut -- the only area where Moscow's forces have advanced in recent weeks. Pro-Russian separatists fighting alongside Moscow also announced a new prisoner exchange with Kyiv, saying 50 will return home from each side. bur-gw/bfm/caw/mca-yad/dva
State agencies submitted their budget requests for the 2017-19 biennium to Gov. Scott Walker this week. Walker's staff will now use those requests to shape the executive budget he proposes in February.

Here's a brief overview of some agencies' requests.

Department of Health Services

The state DHS is requesting an additional $452 million in general purpose revenue (GPR) for Medicaid in the 2017-19 budget.

"While still a significant amount of funding, this increase is small by historical standards," wrote DHS Secretary Linda Seemeyer.

Seemeyer noted the last three biennial budgets increased Medicaid funding by $650 million, $685 million and $1.6 billion. DHS also expects Medicaid costs to come in below budget in the current biennium, with a $260 million surplus set to lapse into the general fund at the end of the next fiscal year.

"These slowing Medicaid growth rates reflect the success of Governor Walker's entitlement reforms, efforts to improve health outcomes through better care coordination, and initiatives to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse," Seemeyer wrote. "They also result from improved oversight of managed care contracts and reforms enacted by the Governor and Legislature."

Department of Public Instruction

Superintendent Tony Evers is asking for $588,000 to fund grants for teachers who are nationally board certified or who have a Wisconsin master educator's license and opt to teach in high-poverty school districts. Those who teach at high-poverty schools in the Milwaukee school district would be eligible for a $10,000 grant, up from $5,000, while teachers in other districts would be eligible for $7,500 rather than $5,000.

The DPI request also calls for $33.4 million over the biennium to fund public library system aid.

DPI will submit the rest of its request later this fall.

In his cover letter, Evers pointed to several struggles faced by school officials: staffing shortages, mental health challenges among students and flagging state aid. At the same time, he touted a 100 percent participation rate in ACT testing, high graduation rates and a growing number of students taking Advanced Placement classes.

University of Wisconsin

UW System officials have developed a strategic plan called "2020FWD" based on feedback from listening sessions throughout the state.

The two biggest themes from the listening sessions, wrote UW System President Ray Cross, were college affordability and "developing the workforce of tomorrow."

Cross is requesting $42.5 million in GPR to fund 2020FWD initiatives, about half of which would fund a "Focus on the Educational Pipeline" initiative designed to help lead more students to pursue a college education. The initiative would offer more college credit options for high school students, expand access to academic, career and financial advising, make transferring credits easier, expand access to financial aid and help prepare students for the workforce.

Department of Corrections

The DOC request submitted by Secretary Jon Litscher incorporates an 80-cent per hour wage increase for front-line security staff.

Litscher calls for "modest investments" that could have a "significant positive impact" including about $600,000 over two years for additional mental health staff at correctional institutions in Green Bay, Waupun and Columbia.

The DOC request would also provide $2.4 million over the biennium to fund a treatment and diversion unit for inmates with serious mental illness at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution.

The Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth facilities would be given more front-line security staff to help bring the facilities into compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, along with additional mental health staff at Copper Lake. Litscher is also requesting hiring licensed nurses to administer medication to the youth at the facilities.

The reforms to the troubled youth prisons would come in at about $3.3 million.

A program that offers integrated case management and mental health services to eligible offenders with serious mental illness would be given $1.3 million to expand to Eau Claire, Langlade, Lincoln, Menominee and Shawano counties. Opening Avenues to Reentry Success currently operates in 37 of the state's 72 counties. The DOC request would also add staff for the program in Dane and Milwaukee Counties.

DOC is also working with the Department of Workforce Development to offer job skills training to inmates, Litscher wrote.

Department of Natural Resources

DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp submitted a budget request with a 2.1 percent decrease from the 2016-17 base.

Any increases included in the DNR budget would be paid for by the Conservation Fund and would be used to maintain park and forest operations, Stepp wrote.

The proposed budget includes a two-year decrease of about $23.4 million compared to the 2015-17 budget, stemming mostly from differences in amounts budgeted for salaries versus actual salary costs and removing one-time items from the previous budget.

The request would cut 9.5 full-time positions from the DNR's base staffing.

The budget would also reallocate four full-time staff positions to increase its CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) program staff. There are currently 285 permitted CAFO operations in Wisconsin, up from 40 in 1995.

Also included in the request is an analysis on the cost of relocating the Division of Forestry's headquarters to a northern location.

Department of Children and Families

The state DCF is requesting a GPR increase of 1.54 percent in 2018 and 1.9 percent in 2019.

The department's budget request includes $12.4 million over the biennium in funding for victims of sex trafficking, in compliance with a law that requires child welfare agencies to investigate all cases of alleged child sex trafficking and to provide victims or children who are at risk with housing, treatment and services.

DCF would spend less on some Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs and more on others, based on new estimates of the cost to continue them.
LONDON (Sputnik)  Stepanov spoke about the importance of visualisation and analysis during construction projects and during periods of social change, using examples from Russian history to support his case.

The world-renowned design expert also discussed the return to infographics in the design industry and their importance in presenting information in a clear, simple, and easily understandable way, drawing on examples from the ongoing international public opinion project  Sputnik.Polls.

"The London Design Biennale is an excellent event and it is a pleasure to represent the Sputnik design centre at it. The Sputnik design centre is at the cutting-edge of modern design and our various projects and dedication to professionalism keep us there. Just one example is our contribution to the Sputnik.Polls project which sees us provide engaging and useful infographics to support the data," Anton Stepanov, head of the Sputnik design centre, said.
During the lawsuits five-year history, however, Trump won a battle against Schneiderman by forcing the ethics commission to disclose whether it had formally investigated the accusations in his complaint.

In Waters view, Schneiderman is "a famously grandstanding politician who jumps on any issue when he thinks there's something in it for him."

The professor pointed to Schneidermans leadership of attorneys general from politically liberal US states in subpoenaing the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute for research and communications tied to global warming and oil giant ExxonMobil.

"With his record in mind, it is clear the chances are very good that Schneiderman would be acting in Hillary Clintons interest," Waters asserted. "If she is elected president, it is easy to imagine him receiving a high appointment in the Justice Department."
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  "The United States condemns in the strongest terms todays terrorist attack in Mohmand Agency, Pakistan, which has killed as many as 25 and injured many more," Price stated.

This attack against civilians at a mosque during Friday prayers, Price continued, is an appalling reminder that terrorism threatens all countries in the region.

The United States stands with the people of Pakistan against the scourge of terrorism, Price added, and will work with Islamabad against those who committed such outrageous attacks.
STRASBOURG (Sputnik)  On August 30, the European Commission found that Ireland had provided Apple with up to $14.5 billion in illegal tax benefits, allowing the corporation to pay less than 1 percent in taxes between 1991 and 2007. The Commission ordered Apple to repay the amount to Ireland.

"Fixing of tax rates, the collection of tax is a competency of the member states, it is not a matter for the European Union, and Ireland will do anything and everything that it has to do in order to protect its right and its competency in that regard," O Fearghail said on the sidelines of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament.

Apple has paid all the taxes it legally owed, he stressed, adding that there are certain international issues related to tax avoidance through legal loopholes which Ireland has moved to address on its part.
The organizers, NaturFreunde Deutschlands (Germanys Friends of Nature), expect hundreds of thousands to attend the rallies nationwide ahead of the next weeks EU ministerial meeting.

The EUs 27 trade ministers will gather in Slovakias Bratislava on September 23. They are expected to negotiate an annex to the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which aims to establish a free trade zone.
LONDON (Sputnik)  The organization is aiming to get 100,000 people to take part in the march.

"Together we can make a difference by protecting and standing in solidarity with people who are thrust into poverty by circumstances beyond their control. Together we can make sure world leaders guarantee them safety, protection and a dignified future," Oxfam said on its website.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Britain will veto measures to build an EU army for as long as it remains a member of the union, Fallon warned as cited by The Times on Saturday.

Fallons comments came after the Friday unofficial EU summit in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, that the United Kingdom was not invited to.

According to The Times, France and Germany have come up with a timetable for the creation of a "common [EU] military force" and the European Commission is expected to present relevant proposals in December. An agreement on the issue is expected to be reached next summer.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Russian Emergencies Ministry has sent its 56th humanitarian aid convoy for residents of crisis-hit Donbass, the ministry's press service said Saturday.

"Today, trucks carrying humanitarian cargo meant for residents of Donbass started moving from the Noginsk rescue center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry to the Rostov region," the press service said.

According to the ministry, the convoy will deliver food, building materials and other necessary aid to Donbass.
STRASBOURG (Sputnik)  Both the UK government and its people may reconsider the decision to leave the European Union once the bloc offers the United Kingdom its deal on Brexit, the speaker of the lower house of Irelands parliament told Sputnik Friday.

"When I mentioned earlier the fact that it [Brexit] might be revisited by the British government or the British people I think it is something that may well be focused upon when eventually the British government in the negotiations in the European Union get to a point where a package of measures are on offer from Europe, and a lot will depend on how palatable and how acceptable those measures are for the British government and the British people," Sean O Fearghail said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Moscow has done everything to provide Russians with an opportunity to vote at the Russian parliamentary elections in Ukraine, while security at ballot stations should be ensured by Kiev, Russias Central Election Commission (CEC) chair Ella Pamfilova said Saturday.

"We did everything we should for that [for holding elections]," Pamfilova said, commenting on whether the elections would be held in Ukraine.

"All bulletins have been delivered, the ballot stations prepared, everything is done. The rest, including safety, should be ensured by the state, hosting the polls I hope that everything will be fine," Pamfilova added.
STRASBOURG (Sputnik)  Speaking on the sidelines of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Strasbourg, O Fearghail said:

"I think the [migrant] crisis is indicative of failure on the part of the United Nations to fully do the job that its charged with."

According to the Irish politician, organizations like the United Nations need to play a "far more dominant" role in resolving the migration issue.
KIEV (Sputnik)  Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman called a Saturday night attack on the Russian embassy in Kiev a small, though unacceptable incident.

"This is hooliganism, and this is unacceptable, because the Ukrainian capital Kiev must be a different kind of example of culture. That is why I think that such a small incident is not worth any comments," Groysman told reporters.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The fire occurred at about 4 a.m. local time (2:00 GMT), the Sudwest Presse reported. Firefighters managed to evacuate 26 people and quickly extinguish the fire.

Police launched an investigation into the suspected arson, the media said. Property damage is estimated at around 2,500 euros ($2,790).
"Euthanasia of a minor is an option only in very exceptional and hopeless cases," Committees chairman Wim Distelmans was quoted as saying by the outlet.

"Fortunately, there are very few children who qualify, but that does not mean we should deny them the right to a dignified death," he added.
DONETSK (Sputnik)  On Tuesday, the leaders of the Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) and Luhansk Peoples Republic (LPR) in Donbass announced ceasefires effective midnight September 15 and urged Kiev to follow suit.

"Unless shelling is ceased by the end of this week, I will reverse the order on Monday," Zakharchenko told reporters.

Ukraine did not pay heed to the ceasefire offer, he added, stressing that shelling from the Ukrainian side reduced but did not stop following September 15.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the Independent newspaper, the incident took place on Thursday night, when Bartosz Milewski with friends were walking in a park and a group of other men approached them.

"A fight broke out, during which the man was stabbed in the neck with part of a bottle. He suffered a cut to his neck and was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital for treatment. Officers investigating the incident, which is being treated as a racially aggravated hate crime," a spokesperson for the local police said as quoted by the media outlet.

The gang heard Milewski speaking Polish, the publication reads citing a witness.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Two aircraft arrived in Portugal on August 13 to assist the country in battling wildfires, following the corresponding request was made by Lisbon.

"Currently, the Be-200 aircraft had completed their work in Portugal and are on their way to Moscow," the statement read.
According to the contract, only five percent of the extracted coal will be processed in Kosovo, which means that only a handful of new jobs will be created there. Moreover, the government will have to compensate land owners for the right to extract coal on their territories.

Kosovo contains the worlds fifth largest reserves of brown coal, or lignite, estimated at about 12 billion tons.

Opposition parties in Kosovo argue that Clarks company could produce 2.5 million liters of fuel a day, but the region will start earning its three-percent share of sales only if the daily output reaches 5 million liters.

This also means that Kosovo will turn into one big excavation site.

The governments decision to approve Clarks license now is a purely political deal. It will do Kosovans no good and we will make every effort to prevent it from happening the way Clarks company wants, a source in Pristina told Sputnik.

Kosovo accounts for a hefty 60 percent of Serbias mineral wealth. In a 2008 report the Belgrade-based newspaper Economist wrote that with Kosovos breakaway Serbia had lost an estimated 100 billion euros worth of lignite, zinc and tin.

Wesley Clark is not the only one to reap the rewards of the 1999 NATO bombings of Yugoslavia with ex-Foreign Secretary Madeleine Albright and onetime deputy head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) John Covey also standing to gain.
Berlin police confirmed the attendance figure for the Berlin rally. Hamburg police said some 30,000 people assembled in the city center in the afternoon. Police estimates for other cities were reportedly somewhat lower.

Thousands of people marching through Berlin in total silence to protest against the TTIP #StopCetaTTIP pic.twitter.com/4hF7K56E6b  James Ley (@jamesleyplay) 17  2016 .

The demonstration was organized by 30 civil action groups, including environmental watchdogs like NaturFreunde Deutschlands and Greenpeace, together with trade unions and political parties.
Sixty hours and several linkups with the Earth later Philae went to sleep in order to conserve energy.

Scientists hope that the obtained information will offer new insights into the origins of the solar system.

On June 13, 2015 Philae woke up again sending down more information before finally signing off.

Philae was the collective brainchild of scientists from France, Finland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Ireland, Britain, Poland and Russia.

Its Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer was built in Russia.

Deep under their icy crusts, comet cores, which have hardly changed over the past 4.5 billion years, still contain the chemical traces of the solar systems birth.

During its two years of circling the comet the Rosetta has sent down a wealth of invaluable scientific information about the Sun and our solar system in general.

Having traveled further from the Sun than ever before, and faced with a significant reduction in solar power it needs to operate, Rosettas destiny has been set.

On September 30 it will follow Philae down onto the comets surface sending the final bits of information before it finally comes to rest on a chunk of rock and ice lost in space.

Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet is named after its discoverers  Klim Churyumov and Svetlana Gerasimenko.

It was first observed in 1969, when Chuyuimov and Gerasimenko visited the Alma-Ata Astrophysical Institute in Kazakhstan to conduct a survey of comets as part of a team of astronomers from Kiev.
The march was a vibrant display of solidarity by people of all ages and walks of life who felt strongly about the responsibility of UK government.

"The UK has a duty to put humanity before anything else and we are seeing the devastation caused to innocent lives as a result of wars we have been involved in," said one of the ladies who participated in the march.

An elderly couple from London who also attended the march told Sputnik: "We are refugees, and we know firsthand what it feels like needing to leave a country for the safety of ones family. We didn't want to leave our homes but we were forced to! It breaks my heart seeing and hearing about what is happening around the world and I am here to say we are all with them!"

According to organizers of the 'Solidarity with Refugees' march, last year's event attracted well over 100,000 demonstrators, which was further enhanced after images surfaced of refugee toddler Alan Kurdi's body, which had washed up on a beach in Turkey.

This year the group said on their Facebook page that 50 organizations and 200 religious leaders are involved in this year's rally.

On Twitter, the hashtag #WeStandWithYou was trending with mixed sentiments representing both the pros and cons of the refugee debate.

We don't stand for the working class

We don't stand for the British homeless#WeStandWithYou economic migrants  Witch Burner (@Witch_Burner) 17  2016 .

Thank you to all marching today in solidarity with refugees. We mustn't forget the plight of millions-the govt must do more. #WeStandWithYou  Tim Farron (@timfarron) 17  2016 .

How many people supporting #WeStandWithYou have volunteered to use your spare rooms for migrants?  Sargon of Akkad (@Sargon_of_Akkad) 17  2016 .

A former volunteer who had worked in the refugee camps in Calais also joined the march in London and she told Sputnik:

"Seeing firsthand how human lives are being affected in some of these refugee camps has made me want to do more. We are living through one of the biggest humanitarian disasters Europe has ever seen and we, as well as the wider world, need to do more," she said.

Well over 9,000 people tuned into Sputnik's live feed on Facebook from the march in London.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  RBB said that Erardo Rautenberg, chief prosecutor in the state of Brandenburg, is seeking to double-check thousands of data on refugees collected by the Federal Migration Office (BAMF) on suspicion that it failed to detect fake passports.

"There are security deficits that we cannot accept in the interests of our population," Herrmann told Berlin-Brandenburg radio RBB.

In the neighboring Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, authorities have already reviewed some 3,300 passports. Of those, 140 Syrian passports were proven to be counterfeit, and eight of them had not been detected by BAMF.
If the conditions of the US-Russia agreement are upheld, particularly the holding of the ceasefire until Monday, September 19, Russia and the United States will work together to establish a Joint Implementation Center and carry out joint airstrikes against terrorist groups in Syria.

The details of the US-Russia agreement on Syria have not been revealed, mainly because of US unwillingness to do so, according to Churkin. UN Security Council (UNSC) consultations on Syria planned for Friday were cancelled because the United States was not prepared to share the documents of the agreement, the Russian envoy told journalists.

"We have no doubt that it [US-Russia agreement] needs to be implemented. If they [Americans] have some doubts, I dont know. Clearly, there is a lack of unity within the US administrationThe deal was made and we expect it to be implemented," Churkin stressed on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told US Secretary of State John Kerry in a phone call that the entire package of US-Russian agreements on Syria should be made public. Later in the day, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby stated in a briefing that the United States is still not prepared to publicly release the details of the US-Russia negotiated Syria ceasefire agreement.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The appointment ceremony took place at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday.

"I am honoured to name Nadia Murad Basee Taha as Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Nadia is a fierce and tireless advocate for the Yazidi people and victims of human trafficking everywhere," the Secretary General said as quoted on the UN website on Friday.

Ban Ki-moon, who presented the Yazidi woman with the distinction, said she "was subjected to unspeakable abuse and human rights violations at the hands of ISIL [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant]. Nadia has shown exceptional courage in speaking out. She gives a much-needed voice to trafficking victims who continue to suffer, and who demand justice."
Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Defense Forces reported about three terrorist attacks carried out by the Palestinians in Hebron, In particular, three civilians sustained injures in a car ramming attack on a civilian bus stop in the city on Friday.

Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. Israel has been building settlements on the occupied territories despite objection from the United Nations.
During a video link-up, Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir, the first deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, said the number of ceasefire violations by Syrian rebel groups had been steadily on the rise since the truce came into force last Monday.

"Five days into the truce, we can say that only the Russian and Syrian sides have fulfilled their commitments. The United States and the so-called moderate groups under their control have not fulfilled a single obligation."

"Russia has been doing everything in its power to stop the government troops from responding to the attacks in kind. If the US side does not take steps to fulfill its obligations under the September 9 agreement, it will be fully responsible for the breakdown of the cessation of hostilities regime in Syria," he continued.

Lt. Gen. Poznikhir stressed that the key point in the US-Russia deal was that the United States separates "moderate" opposition groups from Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorists.

Syrian opposition forces violated the nationwide truce 55 times within the past 24 hours, Poznikhir said at a videoconference.

"The number of ceasefire violations by opposition groups has been rising steadily." "There were 55 episodes of shelling from their [Syrian rebels'] side within the past 24 hours."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new plan on Syria, which stipulates a ceasefire that came into force on Monday.

"According to the intelligence data, in the areas of Khan Shaykhun, Akerbat, Zarah and Narbe-Nafs terrorists concentrated over 5,500 fighters, 20 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, more than 30 mortars and multiple rocket launcher systems," the official said at a videoconference with Russia's National Defense Management Center.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, Lavrov held a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the initiative of the US side. The two diplomats discussed the new September 9 US-Russian Syrian ceasefire deal which took effect on September 12.

"Due to Washington's continuing claims of ceasefire violations by the Syrian government forces, the Russian foreign minister urged to go beyond accusations and to ensure the US military's full-fledged participation in the ceasefire control mechanism created as far back as in February and March and taking action against its violations," the ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov also called on the United States to exert necessary pressure on the militants to facilitate expansion of the humanitarian access in Syria, according to the statement.
TEL AVIV (Sputnik)  The shelling is unlikely to be intentional and is similar to previous incidents when fighting between rival Syrian factions resulted in mortar shells and rockets landing on Israeli territory, the IDF press service said.

"A short while ago a projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. No injuries were reported," the IDF said in its official twitter account.

An additional projectile was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system a short while later, according to the IDF.
If rebel forces and the Syrian Army observe the ceasefire humanitarian organizations will be able to deliver aid to areas that have been besieged and attacked from the air. On this front, the situation is still difficult, according to the article

For example, it was reported that both opposition and government forces on Wednesday were holding up convoys driving to the city of Aleppo.

As part of the deal, Washington is pressuring Syrian rebels to separate themselves from terrorists before planned airstrikes. However, rebel forces are skeptical of the idea.
The Syrian military said that aircraft of the US-led coalition targeted Syrian government forces near Deir ez-Zor airport, state media reported

The attack resulted in casualties and destroyed Syrian army's equipment and "clearly paved the way" for Daesh terrorist group to advance and gain control over the position, the General Command said as quoted by SANA.

Damascus called the US-led coalition's alleged attack a "serious and blatant aggression" against Syria and Syrian government army.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Daesh terrorists launched an offensive soon after the US-led coalition aircraft attacked the Syrian government forces.

"If this airstrike was carried out due to an error in the coordinates of the targetm it is a direct consequence of US side's unwillingless to coordinate its actions against terrorist groups with Russia," the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman emphasized.

Konashenkov said that fighting with terrorists has been taking place near the Deir ez-Zor airport.
On Saturday, Mehmet Celik writing for the Daily Sabah blasted the "heros welcome" provided to three Americans who died fighting Daesh in Syria suggesting the posthumous commendations were out of place because they were fighting on the side of YPG terrorists in Syria and suggested that the United States honoring their fallen soldiers would "add a new level of tension in the already strained relations between Washington and Ankara over the US Partnership" with the Kurds.

The author advances the official position of the Turkish government that the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) in Syria are an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)  the latter of which is characterized as a terrorist organization by both the United States and Turkey. The State Department, however, does not consider the Syrian Kurds to be associated with the PKK and has not labelled the group as such.

For some time, American Special Forces have been embedded with Kurdish forces in Syria in the effort to oust Daesh terrorists from strategic supply routes most prominently of which has been Manbij which US and YPG Forces were able to evict the jihadists from the critical Syrian city.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US-led coalition on Saturday said it carried out an airstrike against Daesh terrorist group near the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor.

"Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike damaged five ISIL [Daesh] supply routes," Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said in a press statement published on the US Department of Defense website.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday that coalition planes carried out four attacks on the Syrian government forces near the city, killing 62 servicemen and injuring about 100.
ALEPPO (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that the US-led coalition in Syria had carried out four attacks on Syrian government forces, killing 62 servicemen and injuring about 100.

"After the airstrikes, the terrorists started attacking army positions. It looked like air support. Heavy fighting is now ongoing," the source said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more.

"Deir ez-Zor is a major element in the fight against Daesh. This 'error' bombing of forces courageously fighting against the terrorists could blow the common international efforts which gained momentum against Daesh. It blows the hope to see it soon being eliminated," Aita said.

The attack should push the United States and Russia to increase coordination efforts between their respective anti-IS campaigns in Syria, he added, stressing that more communication must take place between all sides.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army earlier on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying Daesh started an offensive following the attacks.

"It [Daesh] could utilize this particular strike in order to do something, taking advantage of that to improve its position," al-Aridi said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army earlier on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more. The attack was later confirmed by the US Central Command, which said that Syrian troops were mistaken for Daesh (the Islamic State/IS) terrorist group.

"We, as an opposition inside Syria, never trust the United States, from nowadays, but also before. How can I trust that the United States wants to stop terrorism when they supported many of those [radical] forces, like Ahrar al-Sham and others, and even refused to put them in the terrorist list. So, the United States is not serious in this war to stop terrorism, so these strikes were expectable," Krydee said.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia. The government-held city of Deir Ez-Zor has been under siege from IS since July 2014.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army earlier on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more.

"Those people who were killed were Syrian people, they had same blood as I do, so the United States are shooting our peopleRussia is always on the side of people in Syria. So we expect hard and tough steps and answer to these strikes from Russia. It must be a tough response. We need to make a ceasefire and to make it successful," Krydee said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army earlier on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more. The attack was later confirmed by the US Central Command, which said that Syrian troops were mistaken for the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

"Today, at 17:00, two US Air Force F-16 planes, two A-10 planes and an unmanned combat aerial vehicle carried out airstrikes on key Syrian army defense positions around six kilometers [3.7 miles] south of the Deir ez-Zor airport," reconciliation center head Vladimir Savchenko said.

The Russian operation commander contacted the Combined Joint Operations Center in Qatar after being notified by the Syrian side about the attack, he added, noting that the strikes then ended at 17:50.
ALEPPO (Sputnik)  The Syrian leadership has sent two letters to the UNSC with a demand to condemn airstrikes of the US-led coalition on the Syrian army positions in Deir ez-Zor suburbs.

"The Syrian leadership urging the UNSC to condemn US aggression and oblige America to refrain from similar actions and respect Syria's sovereignty," the statement said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army earlier on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more.

"I have no doubts that the United States planned for this strike, it is a provocation. They want to test Russia and to put Moscow in a difficult situation to test its response, to see if the Russians would go and help the Syrian army in this situation. It was clear to everyone that the Syrian army was fighting against IS in Deir ez-Zor, not rebels," Ahmad said.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, including the Islamic State (IS), which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia. The government-held city of Deir Ez-Zor has been under siege from IS since July 2014.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army earlier on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more. The attack was later confirmed by the US Central Command, which said that Syrian troops were mistaken for Daesh terrorist group.

"I believe that the United States has blatantly violated the ceasefire agreement. It seems that by conducting this airstrike the coalition aviation meant to pave the way for the IS militants who can now seize Deir ez-Zor without any obstruction," the representative said.

He added that only thanks to support of Russian Aerospace Forces it was possible to stop the offensive of the militants.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more.

I would like to stress that the Russian aerospace forces were not involved at this time in this region, Chief of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy told journalists.

Rudskoy added that Russia would continue airstrikes against IS militants near Deir Ez-Zor, supporting the Syrian Army.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) US-led coalition airstrikes near undermine previous efforts of the international community to resolve Syrian crisis within the framework of the International Syria Support Group, UN Security Council and bilateral agreements, Zakharova said.

They [US airstrikes] not only call into question but put in jeopardy everything that has been reached by the international community both within the framework of the International Syria Support Group, the UN Security Council, and on bilateral basis, Zakharova said as broadcast on the Rossiya 24 television channel.

The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)  The consultations would be held behind closed doors, the diplomats added. The meeting was initiated by Russia.

The coalition conducted four airstrikes against the Syrian forces encircled by Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia) militants near the city of Deir ez-Zor, on Saturday. The attacks killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more.

The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded a detailed explanation from Washington at the UNSC.
Russias Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakhavrova said of the attacks, "If earlier we had suspicions that the Nusra Front is protected this way, now after todays airstrikes on the Syrian army we come to a really terrifying conclusion for the entire world: the White House is defending IS (Islamic State or Daesh)."

The remarks by the Russian Foreign Ministry represent a sharp escalation in rhetoric between Russia and the United States following in the wake of a disturbing statement by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) saying that the bombing of Syrian forces was unintentional, but claiming that the United States had warned Russia about the attack  a position that Russia vehemently denies and sees as the Obama administration looking to off-put blame for the tragic incident.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The attacks by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian army earlier on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks saying they killed 62 servicemen and injured 100 more. The attack was later confirmed by the US Central Command, which said that Syrian troops were mistaken for the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

"Coalition strike on the governmental Syrian forces is an attempt to prevent the Syrian Army from advancing and taking control over Iraqi-Syrian border," Ahmad said.

According to the official, the coalition first aimed to "help Daesh [IS] to acquire control over cities on the border and Deir ez-Zor is a capital of this province."
From 2016 to 2018, the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production plant will build and deliver a total of 24 Su-35 combat jets to China, the governor said according to RIA news agency as part of the agreement first forged between the parties in late 2015.

The Diplomat explains that the "the Su-35 is a Fourth++ generation, twin-engine, highly maneuverable multirole fighter jet powered by two AL-117S turbofan engines. The Russian aircrafts powerful turbofan engine is also the most likely reason why China is interested in acquiring Su-35 fighters."
However, in an email statement to McClatchy, James Asher explains that upon meeting with Blumenthal, he dispatched a reporter to Kenya to research the claim made by the controversial Democratic operative who had previously been best known for spreading rumors that Monica Lewinsky had stalked Bill Clinton.

"During the 2008 Democratic primary, Sid Blumenthal visited the Washington Bureau of McClatchy Co.," said Asher. "During the meeting, Mr. Blumenthal and I met together in my office and he strongly urged me to investigate the exact place of President Obamas birth, which he suggested was Kenya. We assigned a reporter to go to Kenya, and that reporter determined that the allegation was false."

Not only was Sidney Blumenthal trafficking the story to the major investigative news outlet, but Clintons former campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle admitted on CNN on Friday that an Iowa campaign worker for Hillarys 2008 campaign had passed along emails about the birther conspiracy, but was subsequently fired. The Clinton campaign had long argued that while that content originated in the campaign, that the issuance of it to campaign staffers was a "rogue" and unauthorized act.

The revelations regarding Sidney Blumenthal, however, open a new chapter in the questionable history that Hillary has regarding matters of race including the phrases "super predator," "bring them to heel," and her husband Bill Clinton suggesting that a few years ago this guy (Obama) would have been getting us drinks suggesting the Presidents race made him only qualified to be a servant. Social media also remains fixated on Clinton saying that former KKK leader Robert Byrd was her political mentor.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a scathing response to the Obama administration after a US Central Command statement suggested that the US-led coalition had warned Russia prior to the airstrikes against Syrian Army positions at Deir Ez-Zor that left some 62 Assad regime soldiers dead.

The statement by the Foreign ministry comes in the wake of accusations by Russia that the United States has not been dealing in good faith in the ceasefire agreement with Russian General Vladimir Savchenko saying that "the situation is worsening" with rebel forces escalating their attacks since the agreement went into force on September 12.

"Russia is exterting all possible effort to restrain Government troops from returning fire," Senior Army General Viktor Poznikhir said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif plans to hold talks over the disputed by Pakistan and India province of Jammu and Kashmir at the UN General Assemblys (UNGA) annual debate on September 21, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The Prime Minister will specifically focus on the current situation particularly the continuing grave violations of human rights by the Indian occupation forces in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He will call upon the international community and the United Nations to live up to their promise of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," the statement, published on Friday, read.
"The choice is not a pleasant one. However, it is the outcome that best safeguards US interests within the harsh constraints of one of the world's ugliest conflicts," Gjoza, a fellow at Defense Priorities and Master in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, asserted.

His logic is simple. The United States has employed a flawed strategy to resolve the crisis in Syria, a country that does not constitute one of the US' core national interests. Instead of bringing peace to an embattled nation, Washington's approach has been instrumental in protracting violence since it is based on an inherent flaw.

"From the beginning, our policy in Syria has suffered from an inherent contradiction. The United States insists on Assad's ouster as a condition of peace, but the groups that have proven most effective against his forces are hardline Islamic militias, which are themselves anti-American," he explained.
"The main issue is whether we are building a federal Europe or a Europe of nations," he said.

Establishing an EU army, an initiative championed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, will in the politician's opinion move the political and economic bloc closer to a federal Europe, something the current Polish leadership has been vehemently opposed to.

"Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski and Polish President [Andrzej Duda] have clearly stated that a federal Europe is a melting pot that will lead to cultural and national distinctions leveling out. It will create a product that will harm the European Union itself," Olszewski said.
"Yes, we look forward to it, naturally," Ushakov said, commenting on whether the Kremlin expects the UN Security Council's approval of the resolution on Syria .

On Friday, the UNSC consultations on Syria were canceled at the request of the United States and Russia. Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin said the meeting was cancelled because the United States was not ready to share the documents detailing the agreement with the UNSC members. He also cast doubt on the approval of the resolution.
BISHKEK (Sputnik)  On September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new peace plan to address the five-year conflict in Syria which paved the way for a ceasefire to come into force on Monday.

"The US asked us to keep these additional issues in secret so far. We are keeping the promise. We will see how the situation will develop given some parties to the negotiations are not aware of the details" Ushakov told reporters.

If the new ceasefire in Syria lasts for seven days, Russia and the United States will work together to establish a Joint Implementation Center and carry out joint airstrikes against terrorists in the war-torn country.
BISHKEK (Sputnik)  On September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new plan on Syria, which stipulates a ceasefire that came into force on Monday.

"Still, I assume that we have a common aspiration to reach peace in Syria, as well as a common goal to fight terrorism. This is really a common goal, and there is no doubt that everyone in the world understands that, including our American partners, that are facing a challenge to differentiation draw a line between the opposition and terrorists," Putin said.
BISHKEK (Sputnik)  The CIS, which comprises nine of the former 15 Soviet republics, including Russia, is celebrating 25 years since its establishment in 1991. CIS leaders met in Kyrgyzstans Bishkek this week for a summit which ended in a joint declaration.

"We approached the 25th anniversary with basically the same intention  and this is the main result, in my opinion,  to preserve the CIS as a full-fledged international organization," Putin said in Bishkek.

"It is everyones opinion that parallel structures are of no use. Everything that is in the way of progress, that creates red tapemust be transformed to suit concrete tasks," he continued.
After holding talks with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Normandy Four top-level meeting would be empty talks without any practical agenda.

Russia wants Ukraine to develop as an independent and strong state, Putin said.

"We want Ukraine to develop as an independent, economically strong state, so that we have a reliable, stable partner. This is fully in line with our national interests."

The Russian president assured that Moscow will do everything it can to lead to the achievement of this goal, but the decision of fundamental problems depends on Kiev.

"We will do everything that depends on us, so that this goal would be achieved, but we cannot do it unilaterally. We cannot, for example, amend the Ukrainian constitution, this can be done only by Ukraine itself, the Ukrainian leadership," Putin added.

"What we can do is create conditions for the negotiating process and take part in it as a mediator and a guarantor of the arrangements reached. This is what we can, want and will do if our partners in Kiev agree."
BISHKEK (Sputnik)  Russia has been urging the United States to disclose the details of the deal on Syria, which came into force on Monday. It aims to end violence in Syria and allow for relief aid deliveries.

"The only reason why they apparently dont want to make it public is because the international community, as well as American and Russian public will immediately find out who is not abiding by the deal," Putin said in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
"For years, Iran has demonstrated its readiness for a political dialogue with its neighbors in the Persian Gulf, but Saudi Arabia, which has never missed an opportunity to spark regional crises, has always been a stumbling block and an obstacle to this process," he said.

For its part, Iran, in Na'imi's opinion, has opted for a different approach. The Islamic Republic has not fueled regional conflicts and does not adhere to military means of resolving conflicts, particularly when it comes to wars in Syria and Yemen.
During an interview with France 2 TV channel, Sarkozy underscored that Europe should cooperate with Russia on the Syrian crisis.

"I would never carry out a policy of sanctions against Russia. [] We need Russia in order to resolve the crisis and end the Syrian drama. It would be a mistake to create conditions for a new cold war with Russia," he said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Russian Embassy in Kiev said on Saturday that about 20 individuals attacked its building with smoke pellets and fireworks.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry sent a note of protest to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in connection with the actions of violent extremist groups who fired fireworks at the building of the Russian Embassy in Ukraine overnight into September 17. The note stated that the law enforcement bodies of Ukraine, designed to ensure the protection of the Embassy, failed to react to the incident," the statement read.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that the Ukrainian authorities thoroughly and impartially investigate the provocative act of radicals and take immediate measures to ensure the security of the Russian Embassy in Ukraine and other Russian diplomatic missions in Ukraine, in accordance with its international obligations for the protection of diplomatic and consular offices," the ministry said.
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The journalist emphasized that Eastern European states fear that the EU military plan may provide major Western European countries, such as Germany or France, with an excuse to "neglect their new obligation to NATO."

Waterfield called attention to the fact that three months ago the Alliance's leaders agreed to deploy four battalions comprising 4,000 American, British, German, French and Canadian troops in the Baltic states and Poland.

Germany and France have praised the idea of creating an armed EU force.

"The way to a European army is far away. But the way ahead is something that is important. Our populations are expecting closer cooperation in the field of security, including defense," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday as quoted by the journalist.

For her part, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen called upon the Lithuanian leadership "to move forward to a European defense union, which is basically a Schengen of defense," during her visit to Vilnius, Deutsche Welle noted on September 8.
Some, like Professor Stephen F. Cohen, maintain that the bilateral relationship increasingly resembles the post-WWII era, but Shultz does not share this view.

Clearly, "the United States is viewing Russia very differently than it did, let's say, a generation ago. In the 1990s, I think, the US and Russia enjoyed what appeared to be a much warmer relationship, a closer relationship," he said. "For a variety of reasons, the US and Russia seem to be drifting apart. It certainly does not look like its returning to the Cold War era."

Shultz maintained that unlike the Soviet Union and the US, both countries are not adversaries.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Moldovas presidential candidate Igor Dodon said on Saturday he would seek to scrap the EU-Moldova Association Agreement if elected.

"One of my first foreign policy decisions will be to start trilateral talks with Russia and the European Union to revise the association agreement with the EU. I want to have this pact repealed to revive a bilateral deal with Russia," Dodon said on the sidelines of a conference in Moscow.

Moldova is preparing to elect a new president on October 30. Dodon, who leads the Party of Socialists (PSRM), is ahead in the polls with 30 percent of votes.
Although some experts suggested that Russia has aligned itself with the so-called "Shia Axis," Moscow has established working relationships with major Sunni powers in the region, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

While Russia and Turkey are bolstering their economic ties after a period of chill in relations, Moscow and Riyadh are negotiating a crude output freeze agreement aimed at stabilizing oil markets.

The developments on the ground persuaded the Obama administration to take steps to team up with Moscow in the fight against Daesh. The Syrian ceasefire recently brokered by Moscow and Washington may pave the way for further US-Russian cooperation in Syria.

"If the calm lasts a week, Russian and US military experts will map the battlefield together. The so-called Joint Implementation Center will delineate where opposition forces are located, where it's mixed in with al-Nusra Front forces, and where al-Nusra [Front] and Islamic State [Daesh] forces are alone and can be hit by Russia, Syrian or US coalition airstrikes," Dorell writes citing US State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Despite certain difficulties the Syrian ceasefire appears to hold.

However, the so-called "moderate" rebels pose a challenge to the truce, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"llegal armed formations have not started withdrawing hardware and armament from Castello Road simultaneously with the government troops; therefore they failed to observe their obligations in accordance to the Russian-American agreements. Detachments of the opposition are using the ceasefire regime in order to recover their combat capabilities and regroup their forces in the Aleppo, Hama, and Homs provinces. They increase the number of shellings," said the Ministry's statement published on its Facebook page Friday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new plan on Syria, which stipulates a ceasefire that came into force on Monday.

"The Russian minister made another insistent offer to publish a Russian-US agreement on the Syrian settlement to avoid any ambiguity in the perception of the real status of its implementation by the international community," the statement read.
"Bizarrely, once again he praised Russia's strongman Vladimir Putin  even taking the astonishing step of suggesting that he prefers the Russian president to our American president," she said last week. "Now, that is not just unpatriotic and insulting to the people of our country as well as to our commander-in-chief  it is scary."

While Hillary Clinton was recovering from pneumonia, President Barack Obama mentioned the issue in a speech on Tuesday.

"Just last week, [Trump] went on Russian state television to talk down our military and to curry favor with Vladimir Putin. He loves this guy," Obama said, while campaigning for Hillary. The US president also called the Russia leader "Donald Trump's role model."

These remarks, according to Akopov, are meant to portray Trump as "incompetent, unintelligent and unrestrained." The US president, he added, is "in earnest trying to convince Americans that Trump wants to be like Putin. Does Barack Obama really believe that? Surely, not."

Akopov maintained that it all boils down to what Trump has repeatedly said: the billionaire genuinely thinks that Putin is a strong leader, while Obama is not. He has mentioned this in public to attack Hillary Clinton, who, many say, will continue Obama's policies if she is elected in November. In addition, the Republican nominee appears to be intent on improving relations with Russia at a time when the bilateral relationship is at its lowest in decades.
"We want to demonstrate unity. We want to show that the European project will go on," he said.

In turn, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was not that optimistic.

"We are in a critical situation. The point is that we need to act to prove that we can do better," the chancellor said just before the summit kicked off on Friday.

The informal summit was announced by President of the European Council Donald Tusk on June 29, a few days after the British people vote for the UKs withdrawal from the EU.
In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia was never involved in hacking. Moreover, Julian Assange said that Moscow was not behind the leaked documents published on the website WikiLeaks.

Nevertheless, US congressmen insist on new sanctions against Russia even if there is no evidence for the allegations.

It is almost impossible to identify the hackers if they are professionals, information security expert Andrey Masalovich said.

"Edward Snowden said that high-profile hackers always provide cover for themselves. When someone tries to find evidence there will be fake traces pointing at a country like China or Korea, but never at hackers native country," he told the Russian analytical website Svobodnaya Pressa.

The scandal over "Russian hackers" shows that the Americans have no evidence, he added.

The expert suggested that the reason behind the allegations against Moscow is that the leaked Democrats emails may contain information which could provoke domestic and international scandals.

"This is an attempt to hush up the affair and turn public interest away from it. Instead of asking 'how can this be possible in a democratic country,' they try to blame Moscow for everything," Masalovich said.
On Friday, Green Party nominee Jill Stein expressed horror at Hillary Clintons plans to address the growing crisis in Syria by establishing a no-fly-zone arguing that such a measure would bring the United States into direct confrontation against Russian aerospace forces backing the Assad regime.

Currently, the Russian government has backed the controversial Syrian leader with a focus on stabilizing the domestic situation in order to prevent the country from becoming a failed terrorist state overtaken by Daesh terrorists while the United States has long taken the position that the fight against Daesh could be held concurrently with ousting the Assad government.

Somewhat naively, it appears that the United States government believes that the transition of Assad would bring about a democratic movement in Syria, but in recent months the position of the Obama administration has changed drastically with the so-called moderate rebels now known to be interlinked with both al-Qaeda and Daesh affiliated groups bringing to bear the reality in the region that the choice seems to be either Assad or the jihadists.
In an article titled Russia, Chinas rejection of Hague ruling sets tone for SCS exercises, carried by The Hindu and written by Atul Aneja, the author relates how:

Diplomatic sources had earlier told The Hindu that the Russians and the Chinese had come to an understanding that the exercises would not be held in disputed waters. They added that the Russians have been sending a dual signal. While they are conveying to the United States that they stand by the Chinese, they are at the same time preserving their strategic relationship with Vietnam, which hotly contests Chinese claims in the Spratly islands in the SCS.

In another article titled India, U.S. to hold military exercises in Uttarakhand, close to China border, carried by the International Business Times and written by Aditya Bhat, the journalist puts the drills in context by remarking how:
Such attempts do not promote eliminating nuclear weapons, instead only deepening the rift between nuclear and non-nuclear countries, Leontyev added.

Russia and the United States, which together hold almost 90 percent of the world's operational nuclear arsenals, are bound by the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) which lasts until 2021 and stipulates that both sides cut their stockpiles by half.

Russia did not receive any official initiatives from the United States on renewing the treaty, but will consider them should Washington offer them, Leontyev said.

There were no official initiatives. We shall consider them if we receive them, he said.

Broader Nonproliferation

Guidelines to include non-P5 nuclear states in talks on reducing nuclear weapon proliferation should be worked out, the official stressed.

Current non-NPT declared nuclear powers are India, Pakistan and North Korea, while Israel, which is suspected of possessing nuclear weapons, has not declared itself a nuclear power. A number of countries, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey are covered by the NATO nuclear weapons sharing program, while South Africa formerly possessed several nuclear weapons before destroying them in the 1990s.

"We believe that it is necessary to elaborate some guidelines which would allow to include not only countries who are members of the P5, but also all countries with military nuclear potential to this process," Leontyev said.

October

The upcoming P5 talks should also be broader and include political as well as military specialists as Russia plans to bring up a lot of issues, Leontyev stated.

According to the official, Russia plans to bring up a number of issues related to US missile defense, nuclear weapons in Europe and NATO deployment in October.

"It is clear that the discussions of these issues require the presence of not only our political specialists, but also the military ones," he said.

Sanctions

Sanctions imposed against Russia by the United States in the wake of Crimea's reunification with Russia are harming cooperation in the control of weapons, the official stressed.

Relations between Moscow and Washington soured in 2014 after the overwhelming majority of the Crimean population voted to leave Ukraine for Russia, prompting the United States, the European Union and their allies to impose sanctions on Russia.

They [Washington] seemingly say that they are ready [to discuss arms control]. But how can defense issues be discussed without military personnel, amid sanctions imposed against the majority of our defense enterprises We can speak to our US vis-a-vis, but neither they nor we are technical experts, Leontyev said.

Chemical Weapons

Regarding chemical weapons proliferation, Leontyev reminded of a Russian-proposed convention aimed at preventing the weapons from getting into the hands of terrorists.

In August, Russia presented an updated draft of its convention on the fight against biological and chemical terrorism to the UN Disarmament Conference in Geneva.

"We believe that this convention could be timely and relevant. Especially now when we see real cases of terrorist groups using chemical weapons," Leontyev said.
The embassy building did not sustain any visible damage, according to Ukrainian media reports.

On Sunday, polling stations are expected to open at the Russian embassy in Kiev, despite Ukrainian authorities having banned voting in the Russian parliamentary elections on the territory of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russias fifth-generation submarines will use anti-sonar composite materials to hide them from enemy detection systems.

The structure and composition of these new multilayer composite materials will significantly reduce the sonar signals reflected from submarine, isolate working mechanisms from vibrations, and so on, Valery Polovinkin, an adviser to the general director of the Krylov State Research Center, told Izvestia.

He also said that, due to the composite materials high internal loss factor, enemy sonar would simply be unable to pick up the required level of signal while the materials sound absorption characteristics would minimize the spread of vibrational energy.

The use of composite materials would reduce the weight of the submarines structures, increase its reliability and reduce operating costs since composites dont corrode and need no paint.
Late on Saturday, Russia's Central Election Commission said that all participants of the election campaign paid respect to the electoral legislation since the committee received only one complaint in the Moscow region.

"The CEC hotline received one complaint from the Moscow region, we are checking it," CEC Secretary Maya Grishina told RIA Novosti.

According to the official, one of the candidates complained on his rival. This is the only complaint, which is considered at the level of the CEC, all the rest are solved at the scene, she pointed out.

Observers Satisfied

The observers have recorded no serious violations as Russia observes the pre-election silence day.

In general, the situation is fully in line with the legislation. We have not registered any gross violations, Igor Borisov, a co-chair of the monitoring working group of the presidential Council on human rights (HRC), told RIA Novosti.

He pointed to a high level of public awareness ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Before submitting documents for registration to an electoral commission, Russian citizens who have been nominated as a candidate must close their accounts and deposits containing money or valuables in foreign banks outside Russia, and (or) dispose of foreign financial instruments if own any.

Russian citizens can be nominated as candidates directly or under federal lists. Direct nomination includes self-nomination and nomination by political parties. Russian citizens can only be nominated under federal lists by political parties.

Decisions to nominate candidates under the federal list or for single-mandate electoral districts shall be taken by secret ballot at political party conferences. A political party can nominate only one candidate in a single-mandate district.

Russian citizens can nominate themselves for a single-mandate electoral district, but only in one such district.

Political parties must collect at least 200,000 signatures in favor of its federal list of candidates, with no more than 7,000 signatures of voters registered in a given region.

The number of signatures collected in a single-mandate district by parties or self-nominated candidates must amount to at least 3 percent of the total number of voters registered in the given electoral district, or at least 3,000 signatures in a district with less than 100,000 registered voters. A party that has lawmakers in the current State Duma, or is not represented in the lower house but won at least 3 percent of the vote in the previous election, or has a party group in at least one region, is not required to collect signatures.

CAMPAIGN

Political parties that have registered their federal lists of candidates or nominated candidates for single-mandate districts shall publish their election programs no later than 20 days before the election day.

Election campaign advertising can be held on television and radio, published in the print and online media; at special public events; through the production and distribution of print, audio, and video campaign materials; or any other method that is not prohibited by the federal law. Campaigning is prohibited on the day prior to and on the election day.

Voters cast their ballots at polling stations.

The venue for voting shall be provided pro bono to the district election commission by the head of the given district or, in cases that are stipulated by law, by the commander of a military unit, ship captain, head of a polar station, or heads of Russian diplomatic or consular offices outside Russia.

Video monitoring and broadcasting equipment can be installed at polling stations.

The ballot for voting in a federal election district shall include the names of the political parties that have registered federal lists of candidates and monochrome logos for these parties, in the order determined by lots. The lots will be drawn by the Central Election Commission of Russia in the presence of the political parties authorized representatives.
It should be noted that the Chinese manned program is characterized by extreme attention to the security issues. In recent years, space launches of the Chinese are much higher than that of Russia and the United States in terms of reliability of the launches.

Taking into account that currently the Chinese space program is still using highly toxic heptyl rocket boosters, the cost of failure can be very high.

However, the new Chinese missiles, including the Long March 5, will not be so dangerous, which would be an additional guarantee to the well-established security system.

Due to the fact that the Chinese will have enough time to carry out a large number of experiments with Tiangong, any unforeseen situations in the orbit will reduced to a minimum, (the first module will be launched presumably in 2018) until construction begins on the new station.

It should be noted that to date, China has managed to implement its program, in general adhering to the originally established schedule, without any unforeseen accidents.

Thus, it is hoped that with the advent of a private Chinese space station, China will establish a permanent presence in space and will begin to experiment with long-term human presence in space which is required for flights to other planets.

It is clear that over time, major Asian countries such as China and India, with their economic growth, will have to take a leading position in space exploration.

According to Kashin, the rivalry between them will contribute to the progress of humanity, just like it did for the Soviet Union and the United States.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Obama and the Crown Prince agreed on the need to press the parties [in Yemen] to implement an immediate ceasefire and to reach a political settlement, according to the release.

They also discussed developments in Syria, the importance of bolstering the fight against the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, and the urgency of stabilizing Iraq, the release added.

Al Nahyan serves as deputy supreme commander of the UAEs armed forces.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The contract will support the installation of the Aegis systems on the remaining destroyers and configured cruisers configured to carry them, the Defense Department noted.

"Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems [of] Moorestown, New Jersey is being awarded a $157.4 million contract for the follow-on support services [for] the development and fielding of the Aegis Baseline 9 Weapon System and Integrated Combat System," the announcement said on Friday.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  On Tuesday, the agencys Border Patrol police force detained 13 Cubans at a state park on Long Key. Another 56 migrants were arrested during a series of landings along the southern Florida coast during the previous week, the release said.

The Border Patrol "has observed a steady increase in maritime illegal immigration and drug-smuggling attempts over the past year up and down Floridas coastline," Miami Sector Division Chief Todd Bryant said in the release. "The focus is to stop smuggling by prosecuting smugglers and dismantling transnational criminal organizations."
Nearly three-quarters of the contract work will be performed at the subsidiarys headquarters in the US state of Connecticut, with the remainder to be carried out at other Navy port installations. The work is expected to be completed by September 2018, the Defense Department said.

Electric Boat has a monopoly on the construction and maintenance of the US strategic nuclear missile-carrying and attack-submarine fleet, which President Barack Obamas administration has pledged to preserve and expand as the most powerful in the world.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The deal President Barack Obama made with Cuba only benefits the Castro regime, Trump said at a campaign rally in Miami, Florida.

"The president's one-sided deal for Cuba and with Cuba benefits only Castro regime," Trump stated on Friday evening.

However, Trump noted that all concessions Obama has made were done through executive order.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  "President Obama today convened his National Security Council to discuss the global campaign we are leading to degrade and destroy ISIL [Daesh]," the release stated.

Obama was briefed on how the Iraqis have reclaimed more than 50 percent of the territory once controlled by Daesh, the release added.

The President also expressed concerns about the Syrian government allegedly blocking the flow of humanitarian relief.
Gannett outlet USA Today, Vice Media and the Associated Press earlier demanded that the FBI provide the details of the iPhone-breaking exploit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FBI Director James Comey had previously suggested that the exploit cost over $1 million, adding that it was "well worth" it. Comey revealed that the process used to gain access to the data would only work for a phone similar to the shooter's, an iPhone 5C with iOS 9 installed. The FOIA request was rejected by the agency, which stated that revealing the information would imperil its enforcement efforts. Following the FBI refusal, a lawsuit was filed Friday.

The lawsuit states, in part, "The FBI's purchase of the technology  and its subsequent verification that it had successfully obtained the data it was seeking thanks to that technology  confirmed that a serious undisclosed security vulnerability existed (and likely still exists) in one of the most popular consumer products in the world."

Currently, a fierce debate rages between those who favor the needs of law enforcement over a person's right to privacy. Keeping user data secure is crucial, but an increasingly intrusive global security apparatus consistently claims that encryption complicates criminal investigation.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  According to the release, Deputy National Security Advisor Avril Haines met today at the White House with the family of Aya Hijazi, a US-Egyptian dual citizen who was detained in Egypt while doing humanitarian work and has been held in prison for over two years.

Haines reiterated President Barack Obamas deep concern for the well-being of all US citizens held abroad and assured Hijazis family that the United States will continue to offer all possible consular assistance, the release said.

It added that the United States is calling on Egypts government to drop all charges against Hijazi and release her from prison.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The incident occurred on Friday afternoon, when one of the trains passengers said they had seen a man with a gun on the train, which was subsequently isolated, KTLA said citing authorities.

Watch live: 30 people evacuated from Amtrak train in Chatsworth after report of gunman https://t.co/NOsurj91d1  KTLA (@KTLA) September 17, 2016

KABC-TV reported that the evacuated train was the Pacific Sufliner (Train 790) that travels from the Californian city of San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego.

According to KABC-TV, the incident has caused delays in other trains.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the CBS Philly broadcaster , the incident took place near the Sansom street at around 11:20 p.m. local time (3:20 GMT). The police officers have been taken to a hospital and are in stable condition, the broadcaster reported, citing the police.

Conflicting reports emerged over the destiny of a suspect. According to the NBC broadcaster, the suspect also injured four civilians, and later was shot dead by the police. Some other media reports say that the suspect has been detained.

No details over the the circumstances of the shooting have been provided yet.
CAIRO (Sputnik)  On Friday, the French Le Figaro newspaper reported that experts from the Forensic Sciences Institute of the French Gendarmerie (IRCGN) have found traces of the explosive material TNT on the debris of the crashed plane. The experts, who traveled to Cairo last week, were not allowed to investigate the debris in detail though.

"The commission investigating the Egyptian aircraft crash in the Mediterranean Sea in May this year hasn't received so far any data either from the judicial examination, or from the general prosecutor's office that would indicate the presence of traces of explosives on the debris," Bassem Sami said, as quoted by the Youm 7 news portal.

The commission continues to investigate the causes of the crash, and is ready to announce any results as soon as new information is available, he added.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The report came just a day before Friday's US release of "Snowden," a biographical drama directed by Oliver Stone exploring the story behind the whistleblower's leak.

"The report might have been an opportunity to seriously assess the claims of the intelligence agencies of harm or evaluate benefit to the public. But unfortunately, devoid of accurate and hard evidence, it seems to do neitherall we can see from two years of investigations are the same unsupported assertions," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

HRW noted the coincidence and stressed that secrecy should be counterbalanced by public oversight to prevent abuse.
In addition, all these facts have been ignored by major American media, the author wrote. In August, The New York Times reported that over the past 15 years, the US lost track of hundreds of thousands of weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to the report, the Pentagon can only account for 25 percent of the shipments.

"Much of the rest now fuels a vibrant black market, offering arms to the Mideasts least savory characters, ISIS [Daesh] very much included," Kristian wrote.

This "carelessness" is not something new, she continued. In 2014, over 200,000 weapons, some 43 percent of the small arms the US supplied to Afghanistan, were improperly recorded and went missing.

In 2009, US-made weapons were found on the bodies of killed Taliban fighters. In 2007, some 190,000 weapons sent to Iraq were missing.

"Today that same dysfunction persists. We are arming our enemies in significant part thanks to poor record-keeping, a seemingly basic task which our government has yet managed to botch. [] Despite years of evidence that reckless arms transfers contribute to regional chaos, the Obama administration is sending more powerful weapons for distribution in the Middle East," she wrote.

According to her, this "wasteful and dangerous cycle" is unlikely to be stopped in the near future.
Computer Science

100 NYC Title I Schools to Adopt Coding Curriculum

A New York-based provider of classroom-friendly solutions for K12 computer science instruction is bringing computer science to more than 5,000 students enrolled in 100 Title I schools in New York City.

Codesters teaches students Python through its platform that enables students to create interactive graphics, animation, elements and other projects. The company provides a pre-built curriculum with step-by-step lessons that give students instant feedback and assessments. The Codesters curriculum also includes lessons that integrate Common Core mathematics, so that students can improve math outcomes while learning critical literacy of coding, according to the companys website. Additionally, teachers can utilize Codesters learning management system to track student progress through a class dashboard.

The environment provides a rich, differentiated experience for all students, which has allowed all my students to excel, a math teacher from a public school in Bronx, NY told Codesters. Ive watched students who continuously struggle in math come alive and make connections with the programming tools.

In addition to bringing computer science to 100 Title I schools, Codesters will provide content for the national CSforAll Consortium. Both announcements were made yesterday at the White House Computer Science for All summit.

Further information is available on the Codesters site.
- Deputy President Willam Ruto was in Zambia between September 12-14, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Edgar Lungu in Lusaka

- While on his three-day state visit, he passed by a children's home without planning on it

- He shelled out KSh 500,000 to the home and Zambia's media went all out on praising him

An article in one of Zambias local dailies used the Acts 20:35 verse  Blessed is the hand that giveth, than the one that taketh- to describe Kenyas Deputy President Willliam Rutos charitable act while visiting the country.

DP Ruto in Lusaka, Zambia to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Edgar Lungu. Image: Facebook/ William Ruto

READ ALSO: Njuri Ncheke to perform secret rituals ahead of DP Ruto Meru visit

It was reported that as he was on his way to exit the country, he took a detour to a childrens home and shelled out KSh 500,000 to the home.

READ ALSO: This is the team Raila Odinga is banking on to win him the presidency

DP Ruto at a children's home in Lusaka, Zambia. Image: Facebook /William Ruto

READ ALSO: Uhuru's plan B after launching the Jubilee Party

His selflessness was likened to that of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg who recently gave away 99 percent of his wealth to charity across the world. At the time, he was worth USD 45 billion.

READ ALSO: William Ruto's wife shares a power secret on why her marriage works like magic

DP Ruto hangs out with children at a Lusaka children's home. Image: Facebook/ William Ruto

READ ALSO: African president likens himself to God after eating human testicles, brains

DP Ruto was also quoted as saying that the responsibility of taking care of orphaned children should not be left to government alone but even opposition leaders have te duty to offer their advice and services.

READ ALSO: Interior photos of the glamourous Uhuruto's campaign headquarters

DP Ruto arrives at the swearing ceremony for President Edgar Lungu.

READ ALSO: 5 photos of Uhuru's humble moments before God

Deputy President Willliam Ruto was in Lusaka, Zambia between September 12 and 14 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Edgar Lungu.

While he may be praised abroad for his gestures, back home, DP Ruto has been accused of being many things including a land grabber.

Nicknamed Arap Mashamba, one of 'his notorious land grabbings' was that of the Langata Primary School in which primary school going children poured onto the streets to demonstrate against this alongside activists.

READ ALSO: You can never guess where Ruto was when his party was being dissolved

William Ruto at Humanity Growth and Development Agency fundraiser.

READ ALSO: If you vote for my mother, President Uhuru will not win in 2017 -City MP

Unfortunately, the had the misfortune of being tear gassed by anti-riot police

Source: TUKO.co.ke
(Adds details on CDU outage, company no comment)

HOUSTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - BP Plc plans to shut the large crude distillation unit for up to 10 days of repairs at the company's 413,500 barrel per day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana refinery, Midwest trade sources said on Friday.

A BP spokesman declined to discuss operations on Friday at the Whiting refinery.

Repairs on the 290,000 bpd CDU, called Pipestill 12, are expected to begin early next week, coinciding with the planned shutdown of a smaller crude unit and the refinery's gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit, sources have told Reuters.

Sources familiar with plant operations said on Friday they understood Pipestill 12 would only be partially shut, reducing the unit's production by up to 50 percent.

If Pipestill 12 is only partially shut, the repairs may take a month to complete, the sources familiar with operations said on Thursday.

The planned overhaul on the refinery's 90,000 bpd Pipestill 11C crude unit is planned to run until early November as is the overhaul on the 110,000 bpd FCCU 500.

Whiting's 75,000 Pipestill 11A CDU and the 60,000 bpd FCCU 600 will remain in production during the work.

The repairs on Pipestill 12 are expected to focus on the unit's pumps, which have been prone to plugging up the pump, the sources said.

CDUs do the initial refining of crude oil coming into a refinery and produce feedstock for all other units. (Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar and Scott DiSavino in New (KOSDAQ: 160550.KQ - news) York; Erwin Seba in Houston; Editing by Diane Craft)
By Tom Miles

REUTERS - India lost its appeal at the World Trade Organization in a dispute over solar power on Friday, failing to overturn a U.S. complaint that New Delhi had discriminated against importers in the Indian solar power sector.

The WTO's appeals judges upheld an earlier ruling that found India had broken WTO rules by requiring solar power developers to use Indian-made cells and modules. The appeal ruling is final and India will be expected to bring its laws into compliance with the WTO rules.

This report is a clear victory for American solar manufacturers and workers, and another step forward in the fight against climate change, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement.

Indian officials made no immediate comment on the appeal outcome.

U.S. solar exports to India have fallen by more than 90 percent since India brought in the rules, the statement said.

As in the earlier ruling, which was issued in February this year, the judges said India could not claim exemptions on the basis of that its national solar power sector was included in government procurement, nor on the basis that solar goods were in short supply.

There was also no justification on the grounds of ensuring ecologically sustainable growth or combatting climate change.

The dispute, which the United States first launched in February 2013, involved an increasingly common target of trade disputes - solar power, with an increasingly common complaint - local content requirements.

The appeal ruling came just days after India launched a WTO complaint against subsidies for the solar industry in eight U.S. states.

Under WTO rules, countries are not allowed to discriminate against imports and favour local producers, but in the past five years countries keen to support their own manufacturers have frequently resorted to local content requirements, while keeping a sharp eye out for their use by others.

"We strongly support the rapid deployment of solar energy worldwide, including in India," Froman said.

"But local content requirements are not only contrary to WTO rules, but actually undermine our efforts to promote clean energy by requiring the use of more expensive and less efficient equipment, making it more difficult for clean energy sources to be cost-competitive.
The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is pictured at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, May 30, 2016. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader - RTX2ET3V

ALGIERS (Reuters) - OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo said the meeting of OPEC members and non-OPEC producers in Algiers this month would be an informal meeting for consultations and not for decision making, Algerian state news agency APS said on Saturday.

Algeria's energy minister has said there is a consensus among OPEC and non-OPEC producers about the need to stabilize the oil market to support prices.

"It will be an informal meeting, it is not a meeting for making decisions," Barkindo said during a visit to Algiers, according to APS agency, referring to an energy conference between Sept. 26 and Sept. 28.

"We met in June, it is September now and a lot of things happened between the two dates," he said.

His comments appeared to play down suggestions of a major decision at the Algiers meeting where Russia, Iran and other major oil producers were due to meet on the sidelines.

Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed this month to cooperate in oil markets, saying they could limit future output. That pushed up prices on the view in markets that the two top oil producers would be working together to tackle oversupply.

Several OPEC producers have called for an output freeze to rein in the glut, which arose as supplies from high-cost producers such as the United States soared. A price collapse in the last two years has hit the revenues of major producers.

OPEC's de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, has also signaled willingness to cooperate as it faces such pressures.

But any deal between OPEC and non-OPEC producer Russia would be the first in 15 years. Moscow agreed to cut output in tandem with OPEC at the turn of the millennium, although Russia never followed through on that promise.

(Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks to supporters through a bullhorn during a campaign stop at the Canfield County Fair in Canfield, Ohio, U.S., September 5, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Jill Stein have all answered 20 questions from the website sciencedebate.org about science.

Particularly interesting are their answers to this question (emphasis mine):

The Earths climate is changing and political discussion has become divided over both the science and the best response. What are your views on climate change, and how would your administration act on those views?

Hillary Clinton replied that "the science is crystal clear" when it comes to climate change. She went on to explain her plan to reduce US emissions 80% by 2050. (I explore this plan, and its potential costs, in greater detail here.)

Jill Stein described climate change as "the greatest existential threat that humanity has ever faced," and calls for a "WWII-scale" effort to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030. (Some of the details of Stein's plan, like a call to support organic farming, don't seem to pertain directly to climate science.)

Gary Johnson has not yet submitted his responses.

And Donald Trump said this:

"There is still much that needs to be investigated in the field of climate change. Perhaps the best use of our limited financial resources should be in dealing with making sure that every person in the world has clean water. Perhaps we should focus on eliminating lingering diseases around the world like malaria. Perhaps we should focus on efforts to increase food production to keep pace with an ever-growing world population. Perhaps we should be focused on developing energy sources and power production that alleviates the need for dependence on fossil fuels. We must decide on how best to proceed so that we can make lives better, safer and more prosperous.

I'm a science reporter, not a political reporter. So that's the perspective I bring to the table when I read this.

First, here's what's true, regardless of politicians' claims.

The scientific debate about climate change has ended, largely because it's been an obvious, observable reality for decades now. While in the past there were serious researchers who doubted human-caused climate change, they have, one by one, changed their minds given the overwhelming evidence of the last decade. We're living through the warmest year ever. If you're at least sixteen years old, you've lived through all 10 of the hottest years ever recorded. Think that's probably a result of natural trends? Allow Randall Munroe of XKCD to explain with a beautiful data visualization just how unlikely that is.

Story continues

Now, let's read Trump's statement with all that in mind.

An ungenerous reading would tell you that Trump has no idea what he's talking about, other than an eagerness to tell readers that he's not on board with all this scientific hoo-ha. He tucks the field of climate change between scare quotes, uses the word "perhaps" three times, treats addressing malaria and climate change as a binary choice, and doesn't offer a single clear policy proposal.

But let's give Trump's words the more generous reading a presidential candidate's statement deserves. We'll go through it point by point.

Trump: There is still much that needs to be investigated in the field of 'climate change.'

Again, if Trump means that it remains to be seen if climate change is a legitimate field of science or that it's unclear that the world has grown dangerously warm, he's wrong.

You simply cannot understand global atmospheric and oceanic trends, like the unprecedented annual icemelt in Greenland or disappearing countries, without it  just as you can't do biology without evolution or diagnose a broken arm without knowing what bones are.

But in the hard math of climate change, the world has to weigh the economic benefit of 56,000 Greenlanders against the deaths of millions, if not billions, of people.

But if Trump means that it's necessary for climate scientists, like researchers in any field, to expand and refine their findings, he's absolutely right.

We don't know yet just how high temperatures will get given current trends, or precisely how high sea levels will rise in the next century.

We don't know if detailed proposals like Clinton's and Stein's are sufficient to prevent the worst possible devastation, or if more drastic measures are necessary.

If Trump in fact wanted to "investigate" answers to these questions as president, the best option would likely be to increase federal funding for climate research.

Trump: Perhaps the best use of our limited financial resources should be in dealing with making sure that every person in the world has clean water.

Perhaps!

Trump is right that climate change poses a serious risk to global clean water access. A 2013 review of the available research published in the journal Science found that evaporating sources of freshwater in a warming world pose significant risks to the lives and well being of much of the world's population.

In the US, 30 million people rely on the Colorado River for drinking water. But an area stretching from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Denver (not to mention much of Western Mexico) risks losing its only reliable water source as it dries up. Right now, the river's delta has shrunk to just 5% of its original size as a result of warming weather, and does not contain enough water to meet the massive demand of the millions of people dependent on its flow.

Far be it from me to offer specific policy prescriptions, but it seems likely that direct action to prevent the world from getting too hot for water to keep its liquid form would prevent such problems from becoming even more endemic in the future.

Hopefully that's what Trump means!

Trump: Perhaps we should focus on eliminating lingering diseases around the world like malaria.

Female mosquito pupae

Perhaps!

It's a little unclear to me whether Trump is still answering a question about climate change here. But he's absolutely right that malaria, the deadliest disease in human history, presents a serious problem.

Trump might find this study, which investigates how climate change impacts the spread of malaria interesting. It turns out that warming temperatures change the shape and scope of breeding grounds for malarial mosquitoes, increasing the total population at risk. One way to prevent malaria from becoming an even deadlier disease would be to combat climate change  though there's no reason that such programs should be mutually exclusive with direct anti-malarial campaigns.

Trump: Perhaps we should focus on efforts to increase food production to keep pace with an ever-growing world population.

Perhaps!

Climate change is expected to have severe impacts on food security, particularly in parts of the world where people simply cannot afford to pay to ship in food from rich agricultural zones. In fact, long term food insecurity is on the long list of issues you simply cannot understand without understanding climate change.

There are projects underway working on tackling this issue, though I haven't seen any studies showing that one approach is conclusively effective. Trump might be interested to know however that a 2012 study in Science suggests that a shift toward sustainable agriculture might both work to mitigate climate change and global food insecurity.

Hopefully Trump looks forward to devoting more efforts and research towards this problem as president!

Trump: Perhaps we should be focused on developing energy sources and power production that alleviates the need for dependence on fossil fuels.

Perhaps!

Trump: We must decide on how best to proceed so that we can make lives better, safer and more prosperous.

Looking forward to it. Hope this helps!

NOW WATCH: Devastating photos show lakes vanishing around the world





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WASHINGTON _ Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday acknowledged for the first time that President Obama was born in the United States, ending his long history of stoking unfounded doubts about the nations first African-American president but also seeking to falsely blame Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for starting the rumors.

Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. I finished it. You know what I mean, Trump said Friday morning at his newly opened luxury hotel in Washington. President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period.

This is not the first time that Trump has accused Clinton of sparking speculation over Obamas birthplace, an assertion that has been repeatedly disproved by fact-checkers who have found no evidence that Clinton or her campaign questioned Obamas birth certificate or his citizenship.

Trumps 35-second statement included no apology, and he did not disavow the birther movement that he effectively led for more than five years.

Earlier Friday morning, Clinton said Trump owes Obama an apology for promoting the false theory. She did not directly address Trumps accusation that her 2008 campaign promoted the same theory, but her current campaign flatly rejected that claim.

For five years, he has led the birther movement to delegitimize our first black president, Clinton said at a gathering of black women at a Washington hotel. His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie. There is no erasing it in history.

Obama told reporters Friday that he already was pretty confident about where I was born. First lady Michelle Obama noted at a Friday rally in suburban Fairfax, Virginia, that there are those who still question whether my husband was even born in the country.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that with regard to an apology, I dont think the president much cares.

Trumps statement came as he promoted his newly opened hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The event began more than an hour late and, for the first 25 minutes, consisted of a series of military veterans talking about why they support Trump. The lineup included retired Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney, who has publicly questioned the presidents place of birth.

Many of the major cable networks carried the event live, although several cut away as the it dragged on. Afterward, Trump took no questions from reporters, who were seated behind several rows of cheering supporters. Reporters stood on chairs and shouted at Trump, with one of them yelling, Take some questions!

For years, Trump has been the most prominent backer of the birther movement, which lurked in the dark corners of the Internet until Trump, with the help of conservative media, brought it into the mainstream. Beginning in 2011, Trump tried to drum up publicity for his own possible run for the White House by loudly questioning Obamas qualifications for office. Trump never said where he thought the president was born, but he demanded to see the presidents long-form birth certificate and other records. Trump also claimed to have hired investigators who traveled to Hawaii.

Birtherism is far from the only conspiracy that Trump has embraced. Trump has also accused the father of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, of being connected to the murder of President John F. Kennedy. Trump has raised suspicions over the deaths of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in February and Vince Foster  a deputy White House counsel in President Bill Clintons administration  in 1993. Trump claimed that on 9/11 he watched thousands and thousands of Muslims on rooftops in New Jersey celebrating the destruction and has warned that Syrian refugees might be a Trojan horse waiting to destroy the United States.

Questions about Obamas birthplace surfaced in 2007 as he faced Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primaries. In the spring of that year, some Clinton supporters circulated anonymous emails questioning Obamas citizenship, but there is no evidence the campaign encouraged such messages.

Trump campaign officials on Friday pointed to a 2007 memo sent by the Clinton campaigns pollster at the time, Mark Penn, suggesting that Clinton should focus on Obamas lack of American roots, but the document made no mention of his birthplace.

The Trump campaign also highlighted a Friday CNN interview with former Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle in which she said the campaign removed a volunteer in Iowa who had forwarded an email promoting the conspiracy theory.

Hillary made the decision immediately to let that person go, she said. We let that person go.

In April 2011, after renewed questions raised by Trump, Obama released his long-form Hawaiian birth certificate, and Trump congratulated himself by saying that he had accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish.

But Trump did not revise his position, and he repeatedly questioned the validity of the birth certificate. In an October 2011 interview with CNN, Trump said that if you check out the Internet, many people say it is not real. In August 2012, Trump tweeted that an extremely credible source has called my office and told me that @BarackObamas birth certificate is a fraud.

Days before the 2012 election, Trump said in an online video that Obama is the least transparent president in the history of this country and demanded that Obama release his college records and applications, along with passport records. Trump said that if he ran for president, he would release his tax returns  something that he now refuses to do because, he says, several years of his returns are under audit by the Internal Revenue Service. Trump is the first nominee from a major party since 1976 to not release his returns; he has also declined to release documentation of his wifes immigration from Slovenia, his full medical records and other documents typically shared by nominees.

When Trump launched his then-long-shot presidential bid in June 2015, he continued to say in interviews that he did not know whether Obama was born in the United States, although he did not dwell on the issue as he once had. At rallies, Trump repeatedly suggested that the president might not be Christian or that he might sympathize with Islamic State terrorists. In January, Trump said on CNN that he did not know where the president was born.

Who knows? Who knows? Who cares right now? Trump said on Jan. 6 on CNN. Were talking about something else, OK? I mean, I have my own theory on Obama. Someday Ill write a book. Ill do another book, and it will do very successfully.

A sizable minority of voters agreed with Trump. A 2010 Washington Post-ABC News poll found 20 percent saying Obama was born in another country, while 77 percent said he was born in the United States. Those believing Obama was foreign-born plummeted to 10 percent in a 2011 Post-ABC poll after Obama released his long-form birth certificate, but a CNN-ORC poll last September found the number had returned to 20 percent.

In the CNN survey, the belief that Obama was born outside the United States peaked at 26 percent among Republicans and 34 percent among self-identified tea party supporters, compared with 19 percent of independents and 12 percent of Democrats. Among all those who said Obama was born outside the United States, about half thought there was solid evidence for their view, while the rest said it was only their suspicion.

The attacks on the qualifications of the countrys first black president were particularly offensive to many African-American voters. As Trump began to make a pitch to minority voters in August, there was renewed debate over Trumps role in the birther movement.

Democrats seized on Trumps statement Friday in an attempt to galvanize African-American voters around Clintons bid, ramping up their effort to portray Trump as a racist. While polls show Clinton drawing an overwhelming share of the black vote, the concern for Democrats has been whether African Americans, particularly younger voters, will feel compelled to turn out in numbers approaching those that Obama drew.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus political action committee called for an apology on Friday. For them, Trumps comments came across as insulting and pandering, considering how many years Trump had promulgated the birther theory.

He founded it, and that catapulted him into his campaign for the presidency, said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California, who suggested the election would be a referendum on bigotry.

Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-South Carolina, said that while he is used to dog whistles in politics, he has had a difficult time adjusting to these howls of wolves.

These are howls. These are not whistles, Clyburn said. . . . This is not just about the contest for the presidency. This man is on a mission to heap as much insult on this president, to do as much as he possibly can to delegitimize his presidency and to play into a narrative that has been floated in this country for over 200 years.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent out a fundraising appeal on Friday that bluntly stated, We dont want to see this racist man become our President.

Republican former presidential candidate Ben Carson  who now advises Trump, especially on race issues  said on CNN earlier this month that Trump could immediately improve his relationship with African-American voters by apologizing for questioning the presidents place of birth.

On Labor Day, reporters aboard Trumps plane asked him where the president was born, and Trump refused to answer.

I dont talk about it, because if I talk about that, your whole thing will be about that, Trump said. So I dont talk about it.

In an interview with The Washington Post reported online Thursday, Trump was again unwilling to say that Obama was born in the United States, even though several surrogates had said in recent weeks that he now believed it.

I just dont want to answer it yet, Trump said.

That night, Trumps campaign said in a statement that the candidate does believe Obama was born in the United States and that Trump deserves credit for putting to rest questions about Obamas birth.

Early Friday, Trump said in an interview on Fox Business that he would make a big announcement about his stance on the presidents birthplace during the hotel campaign event.

You watch my statement, Trump said. We have to keep the suspense going. OK? So you watch.

Before Trump took the stage, Clinton addressed the Black Womens Agenda group at a hotel less than a mile away from Trumps new one.

Donald Trump looks at President Obama after eight years as our president; he still doesnt see him as an American, Clinton said. Think about how dangerous that is. Imagine a person in the Oval Office who traffics in conspiracy theories and refuses to let them go, no matter what the facts are.

  

Karoun Demirjian, John Wagner, Sean Sullivan, Scott Clement and David Nakamura contributed to this report.

trump-birther-2ndld-writethru
PORTLAND, Maine  Maine lobster industry representatives, politicians and scientists said on Friday that they will dig in against a Swedish proposal to ban imports of American lobster into Europe.

The international dispute started when Sweden announced that it had found 32 American lobsters in the countrys waters earlier this year and that they pose a threat to native crustaceans. The Swedes want a ban on lobster imports into the European Union, but lobster industry leaders and scientists in the U.S. and Canada say the request isnt based on sound science.

U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent, said the group will pressure the U.S. government to keep opposing the proposed ban thats wending its way through the European Union. The U.S. State Department said earlier this year that it would work to make sure exports of lobsters are not restricted without justification.

We believe in our lobsters. Our lobsters are strong, and great, King said. But theyre not going to take over all of Europe.

The EU announced this month it will conduct a more extensive review of the proposal after a scientific panel concluded Sweden raised valid points in its request to declare the American lobster an invasive species. It wont likely be completed until at least next spring.

Three members of Maines congressional delegation spoke out against the proposal at a news conference at a Portland lobster dealer on Friday, and the other member is also on board with the push. Industry representatives said the fight against the ban is important to protect jobs and preserve a key piece of the states economy.

Robert Steneck, a marine ecologist with the University of Maine, said concerns over the possibility of American lobster emerging as an invasive species in European waters are overblown, because there isnt evidence that American lobsters can reproduce and thrive in Europe.

The best available science says this does not meet the measure of an invasive species, he said.

Maine is the biggest lobster fishing state in the U.S. America exports about $150 million of lobster to the European Union every year. Canada also sells lobster to Europe.
In another sign that the revitalization of the Central Avenue corridor is encouraging retailers to come Downtown, Contract Associates, a seller of office furniture and more, will move its new headquarters and showroom to the First National Bank Building in early 2017.

The firm has signed a ground-floor lease to take over 11,295 square feet at 219 Central Avenue SW. About 30 company employees will make the move from the firms current 8,000-square-foot showroom at 800 20th St. NW. For 18 years, we were the anchor infill project in the Sawmill neighborhood, said Maria Griego-Raby, Contract Associates president and CEO. We have enjoyed the location and now believe we can help play an important role in the revitalization of downtown Albuquerque. 

The buildings unique interior architecture is a perfect backdrop to showcase the products the company sells to its customers, said Griego-Raby. A native of Albuquerque, she remembers going Downtown shopping at long-shuttered department stores like McClellans and Woolworths. It was vibrant city center that I hope we will seen again soon.

Founded in 1988, Contract Associates works closely with businesses, education and health care facilities, providing furniture, a well as moveable walls, raised floors, modular casework and sustainable flooring solutions.

Also heading Downtown soon is ABQ Health Partners, which will move its administrative services into the former Bank of America building at 303 Roma Avenue in November. The multi-specialty physician group plans to relocate 240 employees to the building after renovations are completed on 63,000 square feet of space in the building.

Other noteworthy moves Downtown are those of Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, which relocated its 1,000-plus employees into into the seven-story Plaza Campana at 400 Tijeras in 2015. Silver Street Market, which occupies 12,000 square feet of street-level space at the new Imperial Building at 2nd and Silver, also just recently opened for business.
SANTA FE  The state Public Education Department on Friday confirmed that it has begun to take steps to revoke the licenses of six northern New Mexico educators  including a principal at a Santa Fe elementary school  following an investigative report by the Las Vegas, N.M., newspaper.

The Las Vegas Optic was first to report last year that former PED licensure bureau chief Charles Trujillo may have falsified credentials that allowed him to qualify for a job as superintendent of Mora Independent Schools that paid $100,000 per year. After a State Police investigation, Trujillo was arrested last month on 17 charges, mostly for forgery and fraud.

The Las Vegas Optic was first to report last year that former PED licensure bureau chief Charles Trujillo may have falsified credentials that allowed him to qualify for a job as superintendent of Mora Independent Schools that paid $100,000 per year. After a State Police investigation, Trujillo was arrested last month on 17 charges, mostly for forgery and fraud.

On Friday, the Optic reported that its follow-up investigation discovered seven more instances of PEDs Professional Licensure Bureau awarding licenses to people who werent qualified to hold them. Most, but not all, of the licenses in question were handed out while Trujillo was head of the licensure bureau.

After the Trujillo story broke in October 2015, PED said a full investigation had been ordered and that, if any licensee is found to have presented their credentials, they will be held accountable.

PED later hired a private firm to help with the probe. PED spokesman Robert McEntyre told the Journal the day after Trujillo was arrested in August that no other educators were in danger of losing their licenses as a result of the investigation into Trujillo.

On Friday, McEntyre acknowledged that PED was now taking action against six of the seven named in the Optics latest article and was in the process of verifying the work experience of the seventh educator.

Asked why the newspaper was able to find problem licenses that PED itself missed, despite the investigation prompted by the Trujillo scandal, McEntyre provided a statement that didnt address that question. We take any allegation of misconduct or fraud very seriously, and we will go after anyone attempting to cheat their way into our schools or abuse their position of trust, it read.

Based on recent information brought to light, it appears six other individuals dont qualify for licenses they hold, four of which were issued by Charles Trujillo himself. PED is now taking action to verify their credentials, and if necessary, revoke their licenses.

The statement went on to say that PED was taking steps to change internal procedures for verifying qualifications for those who use the higher education pathway to obtain their administrative licenses. Effective immediately, the department will strengthen the protocol for approving post-secondary and reciprocal applications by requiring phone verification of experience for all applicants, the statement said.

Stephanie Ly, state president of the American Federation of Teachers, said Friday that those who obtain licenses fraudulently dishonor all those who worked hard to earn theirs. She was critical of PED and Secretary Hanna Skandera for creating reforms designed to make schools and teachers accountable, but they dont hold themselves accountable, she said. Shame on PED for giving licenses to people who are not qualified.

Among those whose administrative license is in question is Boris Costa-Guerra, principal at Kearny Elementary School in Santa Fe. According to the Optics report, confirmed by PED, Costa-Guerra lacks the required administrative experience for an administrative license.

A person would need six years of post-secondary administrative experience to qualify under the higher education pathway offered through PED. Costa-Guerra was a little short, with nearly four years of teaching experience at New Mexico State University and less than two years as director of the teacher education program at Santa Fe Community College.

Santa Fe interim superintendent Veronica Garcia said that PED told her Friday that Costa-Guerra was still actively licensed, but under review. The issue at hand is his licensure, she said. PED issues the licenses, so we are waiting to hear from them about that.
SANTA FE  More Santa Fe teachers are now considered exemplary this year by the states Public Education Department, but a larger number were also rated ineffective.

PED released the results of the 2015-2016 teacher evaluations Friday. The percentage of Santa Fe Public Schools teachers who are considered exemplary went from 1.30 percent last year to 3.36, which is in line with the statewide trend.

But the number of Santa Fe teachers considered ineffective likewise increased substantially, from 2.40 percent to 6.14 percent.

The PED report also indicates that the percentage of Santa Fe teachers deemed to be effective, highly effective or exemplary this year is 68.04, which is up a bit from 66.70 last year.

Statewide, the PEDs information shows, the number of teachers who reached effective or better has dropped steadily since 2014, when PED launched its teacher evaluation system. This year, 71.3 percent hit that bar, down from 73.8 percent in 2015 and 78.2 percent in 2014.

Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera said she feels that teachers who use their evaluations to improve have seen good results, while those who dont are falling behind.

This is incredible information for the teacher, she added. You get really good feedback.

The controversial evaluation system weighs standardized test scores as half the total in most cases. The rest is based on classroom observation and measures such as professionalism, parent and student surveys and teacher attendance. Teachers are classified as ineffective, minimally effective, effective, highly effective or exemplary.

Skandera highlighted statewide progress in the exemplary category  3.8 percent of teachers were in that group this year, compared with 1.5 percent in 2014. On the other end of the scale, the percentage of ineffective public school teachers in New Mexico has seen similar growth, going from 2.2 percent in 2014 to 5.4 percent in the latest numbers.

SFPS interim Superintendent Veronica Garcia said Santa Fes statistics mirror the rest of the state. There were positives in seeing the district teaching corps overall effectiveness level rise, but the district really needs to look at the data in greater detail to get a better idea of how teachers are performing, she said.

Were in the process of doing a deep analysis of the data, Garcia said. Its too early for me to tell what the data might mean because theres more to the data than meets the eye.

As for why there is also now a greater percentage of ineffective teacher ratings in Santa Fe, Garcia said factors like whether a teacher is new or has moved to a different school, among other factors, need to be considered.

She said the district has until Oct. 13 to submit an inquiry to PED if any of the data is questionable, and that her staff is going to compile data for the teaching staff at every school, which will be released it when its available.

Charles Bowyer, president of the states National Education Association chapter, said Friday that the teacher observations are fair but said grading teachers on student test scores is not.

Many have expressed to me that they have no confidence in the teacher evaluation system, Bowyer said. The data based on student achievement is meaningless. It should be completely discredited this year.

Bowyer also said grading teachers on their attendance is unfair, saying, Its wrong to say that if you get sick youre a less effective teacher.

The NEA and the American Federation of Teachers-New Mexico have sued the state to stop the evaluations, arguing that PEDs approach is fundamentally unfair because it so heavily weights students standardized test results, an approach known as the value-added model. Individual teachers dont have much power over student test scores, the unions say, and, as a result, their evaluations can vary from year to year.

Last December, AFT won an injunction that blocks PED from using the results to make employment, advancement and licensure decisions. Santa Fe District Judge David Thomsons ruling said the evaluation system is not easily understood, translated or made accessible, which led PED to simplify the formula.

Now, only three types of test scores are used in the calculation: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, end-of-course exams and the Istation literacy test.

Skandera said New Mexico still has a lot of work to do, but the evaluations provide valuable guidance that will help teachers raise the bar. Under the old evaluation system, 99 percent of teachers were considered effective.

Like any other profession, we have some struggling teachers, Skandera said. When we see teachers using this as a tool, they are closing gaps.

Journal reporter Kim Burgess contributed to this story.
Growing up in northern New Mexico, Don Usner was fed the stereotype of lowriders.

When I was growing up in the 60s, we were taught to fear them, Usner said. They were bad boys.

But in doing the research for his latest project, an essay to accompany a photo book, Orale! Lowrider: Custom Made in New Mexico, he found that he was rather mistaken.

In the discovery process, I found out that theyre a very homegrown group, not at all bad boys, Usner said. There is that element to the scene, but at the heart and soul of the rider, theyre very local, family-oriented, hard-working, creative, ingenious people.

Usner collaborated on the Museum of New Mexico Press project that was released Thursday with photo editors Daniel Kosharek and Katherine Ware, who also conducted an accompanying interview.

Usner said his attitude actually began to swing several years ago when he was asked to do a lowriders article for a local magazine.

And being an old car guy, he discovered things werent too much different.

I really enjoyed the process, he said. In the process of doing the research, I hung out with car people. I hadnt been engaged with cars since I was in my teens and 20s, but I was totally into it with stock cars and Indy cars. And now I was back with the culture of people who were completely immersed with cars. It was a lot of fun hanging around the shops with the grease and the oil and the mechanics.

The work done with the cars is precise and impressive, Usner said.

Their passion for their craft really impressed me, he said. Their knowledge is so thorough. Its a personal expression. Theyre really conscious of what theyre doing. Its not just a decadent pastime. Its a very deliberate art and craft that they are invested in deeply.

Usner has collaborated or authored other several book-length projects, including The Natural History of Big Sur, Sabinos Map: Life in Chimayos Old Plaza,

and Valles Caldera: A Vision for New Mexicos National Preserve.

Meet the author

Panel discussions and book signings are scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 25, 2 p.m., New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe; Saturday, Nov. 5, 2 p.m. at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th SW, Albuquerque; and Sunday, Nov. 13, at Collected Works Bookstore, 202 Galisteo St., Santa Fe.
We met on a day when hearts were heavy and minds were spinning over the latest horrible case of child abuse in the community.

Which is to say that in New Mexico that could be any day.

Gathered in a room in the South Valley were the men and women on the front lines of child welfare who navigate daily what has become a broken, ineffective and dangerous system that does not always ensure the safety and well-being of our children.

Once again, that system had failed a child, and she was dead. As usual, there had already been much hand-wringing and calling for change. Increase child abuse penalties, some cried. Bring back the death penalty, others demanded.

But those ideas focused on what to do after the damage was done, far too late and, likely, far less effective in preventing future child abuse cases.

If were really going to take child abuse seriously, we need to look at the evolution of how it got to this point, said Bill Wagner, executive director of Centro Savila, a grass-roots behavioral health clinic in the South Valley. Our system is so focused on downstream solutions rather that an upstream model that focuses on what happens beforehand, early on. We need to catch things early on, to promote a culture of health, to look at causes rather than condemnation.

Prevention instead of prosecution, in other words.

Wagner, who is also a clinical social worker, had called together the group, saying it was important to share their collective voice so that it did not get drowned out by political theater. Among those in attendance were Dr. Andrew Hsi, medical director of the University of New Mexicos FOCUS early intervention program; Susannah Burke, executive director of Peanut Butter and Jelly Family Services; Mariana Padilla, district director for U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and former foster mom and teacher; and an attorney who represents clients involved in the foster care system.

Representatives from the state Children, Youth and Families Department had also been invited but were no-shows, Wagner said.

For nearly three hours, we talked about the troubling conditions children in New Mexico endure. Early on, they said, children in New Mexico often experience high rates of trauma and victimization brought on by emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, parental divorce and separation, poverty, family violence, household substance abuse and household member incarceration.

Every indicator of child well-being has New Mexico at or near the bottom, Padilla said.

If left to fester untreated, they said, any one of those issues could lead to serious health issues, criminal activity, substance abuse, mental illness and a repetition of the cycle of trauma to the next generation.

Too many of these children are carrying their trauma forward in ways that are completely inappropriate, Hsi said. We need to be supporting these families long before they reach crisis.

The group advocates for identifying the needs parents and children have right from the first well-child checks, at early childhood programs, in schools  even in waiting rooms at county jails. PBJs Burke said her agency staffs a room at the Metropolitan Detention Center where children awaiting a visit with an incarcerated parent can play and the non-incarcerated parent can be offered support and a list of resources.

Many parents have not been raised in an environment where their own emotional needs are met, Burke said. Were finding over and over that some of these parents welcome non-judgmental support for issues like housing, food, domestic violence, addiction, mental illness, pre-K, prenatal care.

The group acknowledges that, while early intervention programs and outreach efforts are already at work in New Mexico, they fail to reach every vulnerable child and family because of a lack of consistency in training and screening and collaboration among the various state agencies.

Theres no uniformity, the lawyer said. It seems to depend on which social worker or police officer you get. And the agencies just dont work together well.

Waiting for the situation to get bad enough for CYFD intervention, they said, is far too late. And, they said, CYFD is focused on services needed to reunify a family, if appropriate, not how to prevent a family from falling apart in the first place.

If were depending on CYFD, were way downstream, Wagner said. Its like a fireman putting out fires but not preventing them.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle is a lack of funding and, thus, lack of services. Agencies have shut down, social workers are in short supply and child therapists and psychiatrists have left for other states where salaries and Medicaid reimbursements are higher.

People in the field say we cant screen for what families need because there are no services, Burke said.

It will take leadership, the group acknowledges, to make the funding shift to prevention rather than punishment. But weve heard this before.

Several of those who attended this weeks meeting have been involved in a number of child abuse task forces and have consistently spoken out about what needs to be improved within the system to protect children and heal families. So far, however, it appears that not enough has been implemented among their recommendations.

We have evidence of what works, models we can pull from, Wagner said. Were just not doing it.

Its good to keep sharing that collective voice, to keep listening. I am certainly willing to keep the dialogue going.

But its time to start doing more than talking. Our childrens lives depend upon it.

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to ABQjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
If you dont think New Mexico has become a destination  or a haven  for child predators, consider these recently publicized cases:

Sept. 2: Paul Cunningham, a former Los Alamos pastor, was sentenced to one year in jail followed by two years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to one charge of possessing and one charge of distributing child pornography.

June 16: The Attorney Generals Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force announced it had made nearly two dozen arrests in a two-month operation. Fifteen of the 21 men arrested were charged with possessing and/or distributing child pornography.

May 26: Louie A. Mendoza of Albuquerque, then 63, was sentenced to 73 years in prison for more than 20 convictions including criminal sexual penetration and also contributing to the delinquency of a minor for making a girl, then 9 years old, watch pornography and making her pose as a stripper while he took pictures.

Then there is Victoria Martens, 10, who was raped and killed on Aug. 24, allegedly by Fabian Gonzales, 31, and his cousin, Jessica Kelley, 31. The girls mother, Michelle Martens, 35, told police she watched for sexual gratification. It remains to be seen if child pornography was part of this terrible crime, but Albuquerque police in an affidavit for a warrant to search electronic devices found in Martens far northwest Albuquerque apartment reported that when child sexual abuse takes place, the perpetrators frequently record images of the crime. Police have yet to report any findings.

If New Mexico has become a child porn haven, perhaps to some degree it can be linked to a 2014 New Mexico Supreme Court decision written by Justice Petra Maes that concluded because of the ambiguous way the applicable New Mexico law is written, a defendant can only be prosecuted for one count of possessing child pornography even if that person has hundreds or thousands of images.

In 2015, a group of lawmakers led by state Reps. Sarah Maestas Barnes and Randal S. Crowder, both Republicans, and Javier Martinez, a Democrat, tried to fix this legal loophole. They carried a bill to allow for each image to count separately. It passed the House of Representatives unanimously but died in the Democratic Party-controlled Senate Public Affairs Committee.

No surprise that another important effort to hold predators accountable would die in the Senate.

In the 2016 session, Maestas Barnes, Martinez, Crowder and several other lawmakers, backed by Attorney General Hector Balderas, pushed through a bill that increased the penalty for one act of child pornography from three years maximum to up to 11 in some cases, but Democratic-controlled committees in the Senate again refused to allow charges to count for each image.

If the state is to get a grip on what appears to be an epidemic of child exploitation, lawmakers need to address ambiguous language in state law that led to the high courts ruling and make each image count dearly for these predators.

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  2016 Albuquerque Journal

Not surprisingly, Kelly Muncy likes her new digs at St. Martins Covenant House far more than the womens prison in Grants, where she was incarcerated for about 18 months on drug charges.

I love this place. The house is really nice, our bedroom is big, the bathrooms are clean and the balconies have nice views, said Muncy, 29.

A grand opening celebration was held Friday at the halfway house for women, an easily identifiable four-story building at Zuni and Arizona SE that was originally designed to resemble a medieval castle. The building has an attached self-storage locker business.

This gives us a secure place to stay and resources to help us get back on track, Muncy said. Its pretty much up to us what we do with it. Im hoping to have my own place by the end of October and Im currently looking for employment and expect to go back to school in January.

Muncy is among 10 women currently staying at Covenant House, which has six bedrooms and beds for 15 residents. Women will stay from 30 to 90 days, though they can remain longer if necessary, said Dave Webster, associate director of St. Martins. A resident manager remains with the women overnight and other staff members maintain offices there during the day.

The building, which most recently was a bed and breakfast, was purchased by Chuck Sheldon, CEO of T&C Management and a longtime supporter of St. Martins. Sheldon renovated it at a cost of about $200,000 and now rents it at a reduced rate to St. Martins.

St. Martins provides the women with counseling and therapy, case management services, programs for alcohol and drug addictions, behavioral and mental health services, life skills support, job search assistance and access to computers and other resources.

Covenant House was established about three and a half years ago. The move to this new location allows it to accommodate more women, Webster said. The program represents hope for our returning female citizens so they can successfully reintegrate into society after their incarceration, as well as hope they can be reunited with their families and loved ones.

Most of all, Webster said, it represents hope that the lives of these women will not have been lost in the repetitive cycle and revolving door that is the criminal justice system, and is often populated by New Mexicans who live with substance abuse and mental health issues.

Studies have shown that halfway house programs can help reduce recidivism by 50 to 60 percent, making it a more cost-effective solution to the rising rate of female incarceration, he said.

Treatment is more effective than incarceration and costs less money, he added.

Muncys roommate, Bridget Phillippi, 25, spent three years at the womens prison in Grants for identity theft, which funded her drug use.

I like being here. You feel safe and trust the people running it, she said. You can close your door and rest and not have to worry.

Phillippi said she has been getting referrals for jobs and has gone online to register for classes at Central New Mexico Community College and to sign up for food stamps and Medicaid. She said shes hoping to get permanent housing through St. Martins.

Im trying to use all the resources that are available to me here, she said. Im getting another chance, and Im going to try to make it work.
FAIRFAX, Va.  Stepping deeper into the political fray, Michelle Obama on Friday warned young voters against being tired or turned off in the 2016 election. She urged them to rally behind Hillary Clinton, particularly given the alternative.

Mrs. Obama is emerging as one of Clintons most effective advocates, especially with voters who backed President Barack Obama, but are less enthusiastic about his potential Democratic successor. The Clinton teams biggest challenge regarding Mrs. Obama is getting the reluctant campaigner to commit to more events.

Fridays rally in Virginia was Mrs. Obamas first solo campaign event for Clinton and comes nearly two months after her star turn at the Democratic convention. Speaking to mostly students at George Mason University, she repeatedly jabbed Trump without mentioning him by name, declaring that being president isnt anything like reality TV.

The first lady pointedly called out those who continue to question the presidents citizenship up to this very day. Drawing on a frequently quoted line from her convention speech, Mrs. Obama said her husband had responded to those questions by going high when they go low.

Hours earlier, Trump said for the first time that the president was born in the United States, though he did not apologize for devoting years to promoting false allegations that Obama was not an American citizen.

Beyond her ability to take on Trump with a smile, Mrs. Obamas real value to Clinton is her wild popularity with Democratic voters, particularly young people and blacks. She vouched repeatedly for Clintons resume and character, urging voters motivated by her husbands history-making campaigns to feel the same way about the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. party.

When I hear folks saying that they dont feel inspired in this election, well let me tell you, I disagree  I am inspired, Mrs. Obama said.

Clinton aides want Mrs. Obama in battleground states as much as possible between now and Election Day. Fridays rally in northern Virginia, less than an hours drive from the White House, is the only event she has publicly committed to, though the Clinton campaign expects her to make additional appearances.

Jennifer Palmieri, Clintons communications director and a former Obama adviser, called the first lady an advocate without peer.

There is no other surrogate with the reach, credibility and respect she has, Palmieri said.

Clinton herself has started referring to Mrs. Obama in her campaign remarks, using her convention address as a guidepost for what she promises will be a more aspirational finish to her campaign.
Crack-riddled Sara Road will get a makeover this fall thanks to a decision by city councilors at Wednesdays governing body meeting.

The governing body voted unanimously to award Albuquerque Asphalt Inc. a $934,188 contract to begin the Sara Road rehabilitation project. With Mayor Gregg Hull absent to attend his daughters wedding, Councilor and Deputy Mayor Dawnn Robinson ran the meeting.

Mathew OGrady, director of public works, said the project entails milling off 3 inches of asphalt, sealing cracks and laying down new asphalt. The road will be restriped and curb ramps constructed that will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The 80-day project is expected to begin by Oct. 3 and be finished in the last few weeks of December, OGrady said.

The rehab will be the third ongoing road project in the city. Reconstruction of Idalia Road between Iris Road and N.M. 528 is expected to be finished in November, while the extension of Broadmoor Boulevard to Paseo del Volcan is projected to be done in December.

Councilors Marlene Feuer and Cheryl Everett said they were glad to see the Sara project, saying reconstruction of Southern Boulevard is not far behind.

I think this is a really important part of expanding and rebuilding our infrastructure, and Im glad to see it move forward, Everett said.

A public meeting for the first phase of Southerns reconstruction is scheduled for Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. at Meadowlark Senior Center. City spokeswoman Annemarie Garcia said the first phase of construction is expected to begin in early 2018.

In other business, the governing body confirmed the hiring of Connie Peterson as the director of the citys parks, recreation and community services department.

She succeeds Jay Hart, who retired in June.

Peterson has been the departments acting director since Harts departure. Her annual salary will be $91,520.

City Manager Keith Riesberg said Petersons application rose to the top from a number of other applicants.

Ms. Peterson has an impressive resume with more than 20 years of recreation management experience, Riesberg said. She has both private and public sector experience, including working for the city of Rio Rancho in the parks department for the past 11 years.

Peterson has a bachelors degree from Arizona State University in recreation management, and a masters degree in parks and recreation administration from UNM. She was the departments acting director between 2008 and 2009.

The governing body also unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance to issue industrial revenue bonds up to $5 million to Safelite Solutions for equipment and furnishings. Safelite will convert the former Sprint building into a customer contact center that will employ about 900 people. It plans to open in January.
Rio Rancho Public Schools teachers continue to perform better than statewide averages, but slid slightly in some areas compared to last year, according to the latest round of evaluations.

The newest data, released Friday by the New Mexico Public Education Department, classified 41.4 percent of RRPS teachers as highly effective or exemplary, versus 28.6 percent across the state. Only 2.1 percent of the districts teachers were rated ineffective, less than half the 5.4 percent New Mexico average.

Overall, the data reflects the high quality of teachers that we have in Rio Rancho Public Schools, said district spokeswoman Beth Pendergrass. We are appreciative of their service and dedication to igniting student potential. We will continue to analyze the data to determine ways in which we can better support our teachers and students.

But, a year ago, RRPS evaluations were even stronger.

In 2015, 42.2 percent of the districts teachers were rated highly effective or exemplary and less than 1 percent were ineffective.

The controversial evaluation system uses standardized test scores as half the total in most cases. The rest is composed of classroom observation and measures such as professionalism, parent/student surveys and teacher attendance. Teachers are classified as ineffective, minimally effective, effective, highly effective or exemplary.

Overall, 82.4 percent of RRPS teachers reached effective, compared to 71.3 percent across New Mexico.

Statewide, there is growth on both ends of the scale.

Almost 4 percent of teachers were exemplary this year, up from 1.5 percent in 2014. The percentage of ineffective teachers went from 2.2 percent in 2014 to 5.4 percent in the latest numbers.

Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera said she feels that teachers who use their evaluations to improve have seen good results, while those who dont are falling behind.

This is incredible information for the teacher, she added. You get really good feedback.

The states two teachers unions  the American Federation of Teachers-New Mexico and the National Education Association-New Mexico  argue that PEDs system is fundamentally unfair because it weighs standardized test results, an approach known as the value-added model.

Individual teachers dont have much power over student test scores, the unions say, and, as a result, their evaluations can vary from year to year.

Both organizations have sued the state to stop the evaluations and, last December, AFT won an injunction that blocks PED from using the results to make employment, advancement and licensure decisions.

State District Judge David Thomsons ruling noted that the evaluation system is not easily understood, translated or made accessible, which led PED to simplify the formula.

Now, only three types of test scores are used in the calculation: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, end-of-course exams and the Istation literacy test.

PED also altered the way it classifies teachers, dropping from 107 options to three. Previously, the system incorporated many combinations of criteria, such as a teachers years in the classroom and the type of standardized test they administer, while the three new categories are just tied to career length.

The evaluations are also released in the fall rather than the spring to incorporate the newest data from PARCC.

Skandera said New Mexico still has a lot of work to do, but the evaluations provide valuable guidance that will help teachers raise the bar.

Under the old evaluation system, 99 percent of teachers were considered effective.

Like any other profession, we have some struggling teachers, Skandera said. When we see teachers using this as a tool, they are closing gaps.
FORT WORTH, Texas  A gunman hiding in a backyard shed opened fire on two officers and wounded them after they had responded to the home to check on a suicide report, police said Saturday.

Before they were shot Friday night, the officers discovered an elderly man dead in the Fort Worth home, apparently of a gunshot wound, and someone inside the home directed them to a potential witness in the tool shed, authorities said. When they opened the shed doors, the gunman started firing.

The officers, both of whom were wearing body armor, returned fire and took cover until backup officers arrived.

Tactical-squad officers tried to negotiate with the suspect and tear gas eventually was inserted into the shed, but with no response. Finally, an armored police vehicle breached a wall and officers found the suspect dead inside.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect died from a police bullet or his own, police spokesman Officer Daniel Segura said.

The motive for the shooting is unclear, but Segura said there had been at least two calls for disturbances involving a father and son at the address over the past two years, as well as one in 2012. Authorities have not released the names of the dead men or said if they were related.

Officer Xavier Serrano, an eight-year veteran of the force, was in stable condition at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth pending further surgery for his wounds to his upper torso, arms and shoulder. Probationary Officer Ray Azucena, suffered a minor injury when he was shot in his armor. He was treated and released.

Azucena and Serrano, his field training officer, were answering a suicide report about 8:30 p.m. Friday from the home in southwestern Fort Worth.
Hurriyat leaders collected Azadi funds worth crores of rupees sent by Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin to fuel unrest in the Valley.

Intelligence agencies have dug out the details of internet calls between separatist Hurriyat leaders and their Pakistani handlers as they joined hands to foment trouble in Kashmir. The call details, intelligence sources said, establish links between the Hurriyat hawks and their handlers from across the border.

According to intelligence agencies funds from Pakistan reached the Kashmir Valley via Delhi route. Hurriyat leaders collected Azadi funds worth crores of rupees sent by Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin to fuel unrest in the Valley.

Intelligence agencies have dug out the details of internet calls between separatist Hurriyat leaders and their Pakistani handlers as they joined hands to foment trouble in Kashmir. The call details, intelligence sources said, establish links between the Hurriyat hawks and their handlers from across the border.

According to intelligence agencies funds from Pakistan reached the Kashmir Valley via Delhi route. Hurriyat leaders collected Azadi funds worth crores of rupees sent by Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin to fuel unrest in the Valley.

Funds raised in Pakistan and PoK are learnt to have reached the Valley through hawala via Delhi. The funds were transferred from Pakistan to Delhi and from Delhi to Kashmir and again from Kashmir to Delhi.

Geelanis son to be questioned

Naeem Geelani, son the Syed Ali Shah Geelani, is likely to be called for questioning by senior officials for his suspected involvement in hawala funds transfer.

Intelligence agencies have found that Hurriyat leaders run eight trading companies to receive funds from Pakistan. Huge amounts of cash were used for investment in benami properties, intelligence sources said.

Source : India Today
Editor's note: In this investigation, Aderonke Bello uncovers the silent but ongoing murder of twins and infants within the FCT area councils. She spoke to victims, rescued children, and to locals who have been directly and indirectly affected.

Some men came to our house and asked if my sisters husband is around and I said that my sisters husband went out. They now asked if my sister is around and I said she is sleeping. I was trying to ask them what is happening but they did not answer me, they now pushed me away, the next thing that I saw them, they are carrying one of my sister's twin baby. She gave birth to a boy and girl, they now took the girl away, Lami Yakubu, an indigene of Kwali area council, narrated to NAIJ.com.

When Dorcas left the city of Kaduna to take care of her sister who just gave birth, she never anticipated the demise of one of the newly born twins of her only sister.

Up till now, we dont know where the baby is since last year November. The community said they have to stop this. We couldnt go to the police because that is their culture, the culture that, when you give birth to twins they have to carry one and kill."

However, she agreed to the fact that twin babies are sacred: The covenant that is like you will not make them get angry, anything they want or they order you give them, and that covenant you dont give to them will bring a lot of problem to you.

It is the 21 century and the killing of twins is rife within the area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Cold-blood murder

Some area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which are Bwari, Kuje, Gwagwalada and Kwali are killing twins, the albinos and children of nursing mothers who dropped dead.

Investigations reveal that the practice is ongoing, twins, albinos are seen as bad-luck within these communities and they are not allowed to live.

There is a belief in this land that any woman who gives birth to twins is a witch, and also the children are seen as bad luck who can draw diseases, deaths and misfortune to people within the community, Joel Sunday, an indigene of Kiyi in the Kuje area council, told Legit.ng.

This practice, which has been around for decades, is accepted by some indigenes of the communities or seen as nothing special, some also think the practice has stopped.

READ ALSO: How Albinos are murdered in Africa

Mama Abigael believes a child that grows upper teeth is evil

During this Investigation, it was discovered that at least seven twins across the four area councils are murdered in a month.

Pa Alkali Magaji, a farmer living in Kaida-Ganuwa in the FCT, and, whose courtyard housed two twin altars, said it is a normal thing for them to kill twins.

Right from the beginning we dont accept twins in our village. If they happen to give birth to twins they believe that they are witches. Some they will order to kill them, some they will say no but some will do charm to block their coming again and if it happens that the twins die, the masquerade will eat them.

Murder process and altar

Infanticide is carried out through various means, most of which are local and in line with their tradition and culture. Babies that have been confined to death are killed through a gradual poisoning of cooked locally made herbs.

The babies will be kidnapped from their parents; some people will dress up like masquerade to scare away the mother, and then take one or two of the babies.

Suffocation is another method; these processes are termed as shaura. After each ritual, a twin altar would be raised inside the house to appease the spirit of the twins so they will not come back to torment the community, and some also use the altar to worship the spirit of the children. Some were also said to be dumped inside the evil forest.

If you can enter some houses, you will see the altars of twins, it is made of ashes and some other local herbs and no one must go there. It will be there in remembrance of the dead babies and to also plead with them not to fight the community, Madam Sidi, an elderly woman, told Legit.ng.

In contrary to Madam Sidi's claims, Baba Shuaibu argued this and said that altars are raised to celebrate twins in their deaths, a claim which was rejected by some, as the question many asked was: How do you celebrate dead children?.

A child loosen her hair in front of a twin altar in Angwa-Sabudu area of the FCT Council

We build altars to celebrate twins, any house that produces twins will build a barn-like altar in their remembrance."

Mr. Olusola Stevens, who runs a rescue centre for such children in Abuja, added, They build curves for the twins, thats a sign when you see any of those curves and some sacrificial items in that compound, that means they have already given birth to twins before, and they are dead because if they are alive the altar will not be there, but have also seen triple altars, but is not very common. I have seen in two different communities where those altars are made, that means the woman has given birth to triplet but you will not see any of them alive.

Nursing mothers

Another gory discovery is the fact that, some of the locals are fond of burying children alive. Whenever a nursing mother falls sick and dies, the child will be blamed for the death and accused of witchcraft, sadly, the baby will be buried alive with the dead mother.

Well this is strange but true, it is not a big deal. The baby will be laid face down on the dead mothers chest and then will be covered with earth, sometime you can hear the sound of the crying baby inside the grave but that is how it is around here, Beatrice (not her real name) an indigene of Bwari area council told Legit.ng on the phone.

Some people who Legit.ng's reporter asked about the practice declined to comment for the fear of arrest within the community. They neither denied nor confirmed these stories. The only people prepared to comment were those who chose to have telephone conversations.

They called to confirm the stories when the reporter left her contact number. The mostly anonymous callers pleaded with the government to come and stop these heart-wrenching act from occurring.

Rescued Twins, Mabel and Bethel

A man who identified himself as Peter Raymond said his wife and child are dead, he has made up his mind never to get married again, and he believes that he is also under a curse from his ancestors.

As you see me, my wife fell sick, she was bleeding and I dont have money to take her to big hospital because she gave birth in the house. About a month later, she slept and didnt wake up, elders in the village snatched my baby and bury her with my late wife. I was very angry, he said.

Albinos

Unfortunately, there are no native albinos within the FCT Area Council that is living in these communities, as they are perceived as spirits and are often rejected.

Albino babies are not allowed to survive the next day. Further investigations reveal that the local midwives on their own kill these children as it is also not a good omen to them as healthcare workers.

Lives are snuffed out of them quietly, and the community goes about their businesses as if nothing has happened.

Olusola Stevens told Legit.ng about his discoveries since he started working in the area councils in 1999. We have one she too was threatened. We never knew of albino until they brought that girl so when they brought her I was like 'Where is the mother?' They said mother is there and the father too, so I said why bring her here because they are thinking shes a spirit how can a child look like this so?

Mrs. Pada of Rubuchi clutches her set of twins, adamant they will not be killed

"Of course once a child is perceived to be born with evil they dont want to have anything to do with the child so let's do away with the evil child is the next thing. After her we have not been able to rescue any other. I wish they are not killing them secretly though and I have not also seen albino in some of the communities we have gone.

Albinos, even imbecile. Anybody that have a form of imbecile in some village they kill them. They dont give them opportunity to live or even correct whatever wrong that came with their birth.

When teething becomes evil

Any child who brings out the upper teeth first is badluck to his parents and they are cast away in the evil forest. We have rescued some babies in the past, Mr. Stevens narrated.

Teething normally happens in babies between six to nine months, it is common for the lower tooth to come out first in babies, but is not abnormal for the upper tooth to come out first.

The myth believed by the people is that, a baby that grows the upper tooth first is evil who belongs inside the evil forest, should be left to either/killed and eaten up by wild animals, or die of hunger and starvation.

A nurse at an hospital in Wuse II, Abuja, Mrs. Shola Aremu, said: It is ignorance, there is nothing wrong with a child developing the upper or lower teeth. These people only attach unnecessary things to the poor babies. Upper or lower teeth; the way each child develop differs.

Women sit around a barn which houses a twin altar

An elderly woman in Angwa-Sabudu in the Gwagwalada area council told Legit.ng that any child that develops upper teeth first would be killed.

If anyone gives birth to a child that has upper teeth, such child is a witch and we will do the cultural thing to take the life of the child, Martha Wakili said.

Mixed reactions

Some locals who spoke to Legit.ng denied its existence of such infanticide, some are of the opinion that such things only existed in the past. However, many people agreed to the continuos killing, up till date because it is their culture and belief.

I am from Kiyi in Kuje area council FCT, Abuja. It is not true we kill twins in our environment. People are getting awareness and the awareness is still going on, some people are saying something is wrong, yes, it existed before, and that was then not now anymore, Adamu Ahmed said.

Rescued children between the ages of 1 month to a year old living in the Vine Heritage Home

Aminu Galadima, also an indigene of Kuje area council said, Since I was born I heard about it that some villages in Kuje council do such things, but our own village nothing like that, even my wife gave me twins and we are taking good care of them."

Another FCT local, Madam Cecilia Hosea, said such practise existed in the past but people no longer do it.

Rescue

My name is Ruth Stevens, Its been very nice staying here. This place is a home for me and mummy and daddy are my parents. Its a very good place to stay, they take good care of us, send us to school and give us food to eat. I want to act in movies, my message to Nigerians is to stop killing twins, children are gifts from God."

Those were the words of 20-year-old Ruth, who was rescued as a baby by the Stevens who is running Vine Heritage Home in the outskirts of Abuja which serves as an abode for rescued children. The children, however, bear their surname.

My message to Nigerians is that they should stop killing twins and they should embrace twins. They should welcome children, because there are some homes that without children. Their home will not be in peace and children are gift from God."

Olusola Stevens, Missionary at the Vine Heritage Homes

Healthcare facilities

Findings has revealed that; these Area Councils lack adequate health care facilities and facilitators are regularly problems, regardless of the region, which frequently result in maternal death. A pregnant woman with no ante-natal treatment is likely to die in labour.

However, a lack of adequate healthcare facilities and facilitators are national problems, regardless of the region, many pregnant women have met their untimely deaths because of this issue.

We have a beautiful clinic which is empty; no drugs, no doctors to take care of us. This is a beautiful nonsense. Most times we have to drive on okada for 40 minutes on the bad road to take women in labour to the only hospital around here, which is Gwagwalada general hospital. Even if you dont have money they will not attend to you. Many women have died because of this, Amos Jeremiah, an indigene of Abaji area council, said.

READ ALSO: Sacred: Forest of the almighty in Nigeria (Igbo Olodumare)

When a nursing mother dies due to the lack of proper healthcare in the pre, during and post labour exercise, and the child lives, such a baby is never allowed to survive. He/she will be put away and buried with the mother because it is believed such a child is a witch that took the life of his/her mother.

Moreover, the lack of adequate health care may lead to stillbirths, deformed babies, and imbeciles. Such babies are quickly poisoned because they are perceived to represent the anger of the gods.

Mrs. Chinwe Stevens carries a rescued child in her home

Recent murder

On Legit.ngs visit to Vine Heritage Home in April 2016, a Christian missionary orphanage at the Kuje area council, it was revealed that some locals still indulge in the killing up till date.

A twin of 5-month-old who were rescued currently live in the home.

War between illiteracy and tradition

According to research, this infanticide is caught between ignorance of these locals and the culture - which is their way of life.

Culturally, twins are seen as taboos, while the illiterates accept this and turn themselves to murderers. Some traditional leaders aid these killing and sacrifice the babies together with a black goat which will be slaughtered to send the children along a smooth path to eternity. The Bassakomos in their own case kill two chicken to sacrifice the babies.

We encountered three major languages in the course of this report which are; Bassa, Gwari and Gbagyi.

Images of rescued children, an albino girl also live in the home

Many of them are not educated, the percentage of those educated ones in that community are not up to 10% when you talk of education, so that tells you that majority of them are still illiterate, Olusola Stevens told Legit.ng.

Our findings during the visit revealed that, discovered that many locals, children inclusive, cannot communicate in simple English language, and most stick to the local dialects which are majorly the Gbagyi, Gwari and Bassakomo language.

National Orientation Agency (NOA)

The NOA is a governmental body that was set up to communicate the government policies and by staying abreast of public opinion by promoting patriotism and the development of the Nigerian society.

This agency recently embarked on an awareness campaign within some communities in the area councils. Signposts were erected, and T-shirts and public address systems were used to enlighten the locals about the importance of twins.

Despite their effort in 2014, the killings did not stop. Vine Heritage home currently housed a pair of twin toddlers as at the time this report was written.

Musa Chantu, the director of orientation and behaviour modification, at the National Orientation Agency

Speaking to Legit.ng, Musa Chantu, the director of orientation and behaviour modification, said that they plan to continue with the enlightenment once the government is stabilised:

We did receive a report of the unfortunate killing of twins and some other practices around here in FCT. We were so concern about it. We receive that report through FCT administration and the office of the federal capital territory ministry. We have the mandate to enlighten the public and correct such things, so in 2014 when the report came we were able to quickly package a programme which they invited stakeholders from around the six area council of FCT Abuja.

However, we had plan to take the campaign much lower than that level. Of course I can tell you, you now know what happened. The following year was an election year, so many things did not happen. So many programmes were not able to continue and all attentions was on election, and after the elections you know this government is a new government. Not so much has been done on funding because funding have not been easy, you know what I mean?"

Editor's note: The concluding part of this investigation which contains some tales of fear and murder will be released soon.

Source: Legit.ng
Primate Babatunde Elijah Ayodele has warned President Muhammadu Buhari that his end will not be good if he does not find a way to end the present economic challenges facing the country.

In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, the revered prophet who recently predicted the outcome of the fast-approaching American presidential election, told our correspondent that Nigeria needs serious prayers to survive this recession.

Primate Ayodele who spoke at the Isolo home of his INRI Evangelistic church, also predicted the outcome of the governorship election in Edo state, Ghana, among other sundry issues.

Edo election will be won by the All Progressives Congress (APC), although he believes that the PDP has a stronger candidate.

Edo elections

The Edo election, the point is this... to be honest, as a lay man, not being spiritual now, with the kind of governance in the state, PDP has a good candidate. But as God will have it, APC will take it.

In Ondo state...

I don't know the person they picked in Ondo state, but the only way APC can win in Ondo state is if they pick the right candidate, the choice of the people... that is the only way they can win. Otherwise, PDP will retain Ondo state.

Ghana elections

Before the Burkina Faso election, we said that the incumbent would retain the post, but the point is that there would be violence. It's in our book titled 'Warnings to the Nations'. Honestly, the opposition party has a very vibrant candidate, but the have to restrategise to be able to unseat the incumbent.

During Jonathan's era, we said there were only two things that would make him win the election; to eradicate the First Lady's office and that he should look for the Chibok girls. I even said it in 2013 that Jonathan should step down.

America elections

America election which is the serious one that everybody is awaiting, (Donald) Trump will rock Hillary (Clinton) with scandals and blackmail but she has to retrace her steps in order to win that election. Trump is ready to take over from the incumbent president but Hillary must wake up.

Hillary's health needs prayers, and she must restrategise; that's the only way she can win America's election otherwise it will go to Trump. And there are states that Hillary must work on very well; New Jersey, Wisconsin, Philadelphia, Houston and Ohio so that Trump will not turn the whole thing upside down. And Hillary's health is very important.

Hillary Clinto should work on New Jersey, Wisconsin, Philadelphia, Houston and Ohio so that Donald Trump will not overrun her in the forthcoming election.

Earth tremor in Kaduna

The issue is not over... I said since 2013 that Nigerians should pray against national disaster and many thought it would be ocean surge and this year February, we asked the people to pray against earthquake in Nigeria and we still need to pray against another one. Forget about the excuses being given that it was caused by mining, it is not mining, God is angry with Nigeria and unless we do the right thing, if care is not taken, this country will collapse.

We will not be the Nigeria as we are today again in the future or we return to regional system of government.

Buhari

He will find it very difficult to rule this country because he has a very good intention but the people surrounding him are not helping him at all.

Should he step down?

Err... as he is going, if he thinks he cannot finish this term (interruption) but he will not get his second term, that's just it. Second term Buhari is dicey, because this economy is facing what I will call economic tumor because tumor is s problem in human system and he has not addressed it. Why do you put a lawyer to head your economic team? Is that not wrong? He should use the people who know about the economy to handle it. I don't know if they advised him to do that, though, but that advice is destructive, besides you cannot fight corruption because your administration has been corrupted as well and people who are corrupt are in the system. I have said it that corruption will fight Buhari and the House has proved it, that padding is not corruption; it has been in the system for a very long time.

Jonathan said stealing is not corruption and Buhari's government is also saying that padding is not corruption. Tell me, how many people have been jailed? EFCC is trying its best, they will recover these monies but at the end of the day, Magu's efforts will not be appreciated. Go and mark it down! The guy is sincere but he is having a lot of challenges and he will not be able to say it; that's what God revealed to me.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) should change their logo before they can bounce back. Photo: Emmanuel Osodi.

Obasanjo's recent 'activities' with the PDP

I don't know anything about that, but I know that PDP has been cursed. Except they change their logo, refurbish their logo, rebrand it and pray; that's when PDP can come back.

The National Assembly is still going to break. I said something, that except (Bukola) Saraki (Senate president) does what is right, he will be removed and he has done what is right so those fighting him might not get it right.

A lot of things are wrong with the government, a lot of things are wrong with the system, the president doesn't understand what he is doing anymore. The economy is collapsed and we are seeing how it is going now. CBN doesn't even understand the economy, the person at the helm of affairs is confused so Nigeria needs a lot of prayers and unless we can declare public holidays for three days and there should be inter religious fasting and prayer, there may not be an end to these issues because Nigeria is cursed.

Nigeria has been cursed since the time of Abubakakr Tafawa Balewa. Do you know what happened to the man? When the man wanted to pray, that was when they brought him out and they shot him. Awolowo... there's a lot of curse and if these curses are not reversed, there are still going to be ups and downs.

People are saying dollar has risen to N400, it will still come to N500, petroleum will still be scarce, and the price will continue to fluctuate because I don't see the government that Buhari stabilised.

Dollar will still rise to N500 from what it is presently. The president should declare a three-day interdenominational fasting and prayer to avert the crisis in the nation. Photo: Emmanuel Osodi.

Niger Delta Avengers:

Buhari should dialogue with them. Honestly, this problem might somersault the country, let our security agents be very careful. I see another explosive, killing unnecessarily. On the global scene, I see religion causing problem and it is still coming back to cause problems in Nigeria.

The only way to avert this is by having a three-day interdenominational prayer for the country. I am not saying they should call me, I am not the one who will organise it; they should just declare three days fasting and prayers.

Buhari's end is not good, his end will troubleshoot. Mark it down, and note. We need prayers because economic hardship is not over yet, they have not gotten a solution to the economic troubles.

Let's pray we don't lose an elder statesman in the country, we need prayer. PENGASSAN will go on strike and these Niger Delta people will still cause more problems. We need prayers to survive and God to help us.

Source: Legit.ng
The federal government says it has been negotiating with Boko Haram insurgents, captor of the missing Chibok girls since August 2015 just as it announced fresh moves to rescue the girls.

According to minister of information, Lai Mohammed while speaking in a chat with media men in Abuja on Friday, September 16, the FG has spoken with the captors at least thrice since August 2015.

The minister of information, culture and tourism, Lai Mohammed

Leadership reports that Mohammed noted that talks stalled after cracks appeared within the ranks of the terrorist group which now has two leaders.

READ ALSO: Buhari has given us fire change, former governor taunts

He said: Precisely on 17th July, 2015, the DSS opened negotiations process with the group holding the Chibok girls. However, in return for the release of some of these girls, the group also made some demands. These included the release of some of their fighters arrested including some involved in major terrorist actions, resulting in several fatalities, and others who were experts in manufacture of locally assembled explosives.

This was difficult to accept, but appropriate security agencies had to again inform Mr. President of these demands, and its viewed implications. Again Mr. President gave his assent believing that the overall release of these girls remains paramount and sacrosanct. Meanwhile, following the above development, Government and the security agencies had sufficient leverage to work out the modalities of the swap.

The Chibok girls in a recent Boko Haram video.

These included creating the safe haven, or necessary place of swap and working out the logistic details. Based on this, the DSS availed other critical sister agencies of this new situation. Immediately, the Nigerian Army and the Air Force sent some specialists to commence a detailed arrangement for the swap. This was during the last week of July 2015 and 1st week of August 2015.

READ ALSO: EXPOSED: Annkio Briggs reveals where Niger Delta Avengers, others are hiding

The officers representing the various agencies worked out the logistic details, such as the number of persons to be swapped i.e. number of girls and detainees to be exchanged, the vehicles and aircraft, as well as safeguards, i.e. safety of the persons, including the location of the swap.

When it was finally agreed by all parties, Mr. President was again informed that the preparations were concluded, and the first step for the swap would commence on 1st August, 2015. Mr. President robustly gave his approval.

On 4th August, 2015, the persons who were to be part of the swap arrangements and all others involved in the operation were transported to Maiduguri, Borno State. This team, with the lead facilitator, continued the contact with the group holding the Chibok girls.

READ ALSO: What change begins with me would do for us  Nigerians in diaspora

The Service was able to further prove to the group its sincerity, as it established communication contact between it and its detained members. All things were in place for the swap which was mutually agreed. Expectations were high.

Unfortunately, after more than two (2) weeks of negotiation and bargains, the group, just at the dying moments, issued new set of demands, never bargained for or discussed by the group before the movement to Maiduguri. All this while, the security agencies waited patiently. This development stalled what would have been the first release process of the Chibok girls.

It may be important to note that in spite of this setback, the government and the security agencies have not relented in the bid to ensure that the Chibok girls are released safely.

You can learn more about the war on terror in Nigeria 566 Boko Haram detainees released by army (PHOTOS)

Source: Legit.ng
The Nigerian Army has announced the discovery of large cache of ammunitions in Maiduguri, capital city of Borno, just days after the state enjoyed a peaceful Sallah celebration.

Army public relations officer, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman revealed this in a statement released on Saturday, September 17, hinting that the ammunition belonged to Islamist insurgents, Boko Haram.

Ammunition that Nigerian Army discovered in Maiduguri.

The statement read: Troops on Operation LAFIYA DOLE deployed in the outskirts of Maiduguri following a tip off from the Civilian JTF in the area have recovered a large cache of ammunition at a residential area of Bulabulin Ngarnam, Borno State, today morning.

READ ALSO: Chibok girls: FG unveils surprising moves for rescue of missing children

The recovered ammunition include 3 sealed boxes of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, 3 jerry cans containing various calibres of ammunition, 2 sacks containing 5,998 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition and 1, 760 rounds of 5.56mm SS109 calibre of ammunitions.

Boko Haram ammunition discovered by military

In addition, they recovered 5 empty magazines of AK-47 rifle and a magazine of Fabrique Nationale rifle.

The Nigerian Army wishes to once more commend the patriotic zeal and efforts of the Civilian JTF.

READ ALSO: Police apprehends four militants in connection with Igando attack

We also call on all to be more security conscious and report any suspicious person or group of persons as we believe there could be more of such arms and ammunitions hidden or dumped by the Boko Haram terrorists in other parts especially in the north east.

Boko Haram ammunition recovered in outskirts of Maiduguri

Troops checking out the large cache of Boko Haram ammunition.

Troops standing over the large cache of Boko Haram ammunition.

Interesting? You can also view another important military update 566 Boko Haram detainees released by army (PHOTOS)

Source: Legit.ng
Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday, August 31, showed that Nigeria had officially gone into recession.

The NBS figures showed that in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2016, Nigerias economy contracted by 2.06 percent.

The countrys economy shrank by 0.36 percent to hit its lowest point in 25 years. The second quarter report makes Nigerias economy the worst in three decades.

President Buhari is presiding over a battered economy

The recession appears to have further stimulated more suicide cases across the nation a report by New Telegraph suggests.

In the last six months, seven out of the 36 states of the federation sampled, have recorded over 62 cases of suicides according to statistics from the various police commands.

READ ALSO: Outrageous: More people to commit suicide because of Buhari

The report stated that Ogun and Lagos states have the highest figures of 25 and 12 respectively.

Below are the seven states with the highest suicide cases in Nigeria as reported by New Telegraph.

1. Ogun

The Acting Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, has confirmed 25 awful statistics of suicide deaths in Ogun state. On Tuesday, August 16, a housewife identified as Mrs Omolola Atejioye hung herself inside her apartment in Ilishan-Remo, Ikenne local government area of the state.

The tragic incident shocked many residents as the deceased did not leave behind any suicide note. Atejioye, aged 35, tied herself to the ceiling in one of the rooms in the building located along Ago-Iwoye road in Ilishan-Remo. The husband of the deceased, Ayodele, reportedly returned from work about 5:30pm and found her wife dangling in the room.

Why she took her own life could not be ascertained as neighbours gave different accounts about the incident. While some point to health challenges, others claimed she incurred some debts and was struggling to pay back, without success.

2. Lagos

In Lagos state, the PPRO, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police, also confirmed that 12 suicide cases and five attempts were reported to the command in the last six months. Worried by this trend, Badmos said, what is important to the police is to find out why people would want to commit suicide.

She said there is the need to educate those that did not succeed to see reason that killing oneself is not the best way out of any problem. We can prosecute anyone who made attempt to kill himself or herself but that seemed not to be the solution.

The real solutions lie in finding out from such persons the reasons for such an act and talk them out of it. We always advise victims families of victims to monitor them closely because those who commit suicide do so out of depression and frustration ranging from marital, economic, loss of job and some other vices.

3. Ebonyi

Also in Ebonyi state, no fewer than 10 persons have committed suicide with the latest being a 36-year old man in Mgbaleze Isu Community, Onicha local government area of the state, Chijioke Ani, who hung himself in his farm. The state PPRO, DSP George Okafor, confirmed the incidents.

His words: Yes, it is true that a man killed himself at the farm. He did not leave any note behind so, it was difficult to ascertain what could have led him into the act.

Before Anis case, Ogonna Obaji, a 22-year-old man from Umuezeukwu community of the same local government had equally taken his life.

According to his mother, Nkpuma, Ogonna, popularly called Best finished his secondary three years ago and moved to Lagos to join his brother but developed mental problem along the line. She told Saturday Telegraph that Ogonna had tried to take his life with knife and was saved on many occasions.

I left Ogonna with the father in the house and when I returned home, I could not see him. I started looking for him and raised the alarm which attracted our people. We searched for him and later saw him dangling on a tree.

Earlier in January, a 19-year-old teenager girl, identified simply as Chiamaka, also committed suicide. She was said to have been impregnated and abandoned by her lover boy. Chiamaka took her life in her residence at No. 17 Nwike street Abakaliki.

4. Delta

In Delta state, about four reported cases of suicide were recorded by the state police command. The PPRO, SP Celestine Kalu, confirmed the incidents. Those reported were that of a 26-year-old student of Delta State University, Abraka, Evelyn Mogekwu, a woman, identified simply as Jane, who was said to have committed the act after her fiance abandoned her for another woman.

The other incident was that of a student of the Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe- Oghara, Miss Oritsegbubemi Udu. While Evelyn was studying Microbiology at DELSU, Oritsegbubemi was an ND II student of Otefe-Oghara polytechnic.The name of the fourth victim was not given.

Jane, a graduate of economics from University of Benin, allegedly took her life due to frustration after she was jilted by her unidentified boyfriend of seven years.

5. Oyo

Oyo, like other states, recorded four cases of suicide within the period under review. On June 26, a 10-year-old girl, Kudirat Raji, was said to have surprisingly committed suicide in Ibadan. She was residing with her sister at 19, Bumoye Street, Benjamin area, Eleyele, the Oyo state capital. Raji was sent on an errand within the house, but did not return on time.

She was later found to have hanged herself with a rope tied to the window burglary in the house. Just like Raji, a 35-year old commercial motorcyclist residing in Oyo town, Jimoh Yusuff, also committed suicide on July 2, after reportedly killing his wife, Adeola. Yusuff was said to have strangled his wife to death after which he ingested rat poison and died at the General Hospital, Oyo.

There was yet a similar tragedy on August 4, when 48-year old ex-NEPA staff committed suicide in his house at Ayegbami Zone 7, Idi Ose along Akanran road in the Ona Ara local government area of Ibadan. Adepoju was disengaged from the establishment at Abeokuta two years before his death, but his wife said he had not been paid his entitlements.

The deceased however left a three-sheet suicide note indicating that he was suffering from a chronic disease. Aside that, another 54-year-old woman, Oluwabunmi Oluwafemi, also toed the same shameful route on August 29, in Ibadan, by hanging himself on a tree.

The deceased who used to reside in Bembo, Apata area of Ibadan, was said to have gone to spend the weekend with her first child, Opeyemi, in Olugbode, Odo-Ona area of the town before the calamity.

6. Ondo

Unlike other homicide offences, suicide cases are not usually reported to the law enforcement agencies in Ondo state, according to the police. Nonetheless, the PPRO, Femi Joseph, confirmed one reported case in the last six months to the state police command.

The deceased, whose name was not given, was a male from Owo local government area of the state. Joseph told the New Telegraph that the man was found dangling at the ceiling of his one room apartment in the town. The PPRO, however, said people are not reporting such cases to the police because of the traditional perception about suicide as, according to him, they prefer to report such incidence to traditionalists.

7. Kano

And in Kano state, about six victims were recorded, according to police statistics. The six cases had to do with depression, the police further said. Sara Imoleayo, a 400 level student of Bayero University Kano, was among those that took their lives.

Another, who was identified simply as Dauda was overheard complaining of economic hardship on many occasions slaughtering himself with a sharp knife. The remaining ones, Kumbotso, Madobi and Kwakwachi, one of our correspondents gathered died because of excessive poverty.

Source: Legit.ng
President Muhammadu Buhari has departed the shores of Nigeria to attend a United Nations event in the United States of America (USA).

President Buhari will also attend a meeting with the US president, Barack Obama on Tuesday, September 20, where both world leaders will discuss the issue of continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the governments efforts to counter the terrorist group Boko Haram."

The meeting, which has been confirmed by the White House, was not on the itinerary of the president which was released on Friday, September 16, but Buhari has left Nigeria to attend the event.

President Buhari would deliver Nigerias statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly on The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform Our World.

President Buhari shaking hands with some of his officials before departing for USA. Photo: State House

Alone... President Buhari boards the aircraft to leave the shores of the country for the event. Photo: State House.

See you after the trip... Buhari waves to well wishers at the airport before leaving Nigeria's federal capital. Photo: State House

Source: Legit.ng
You might have read Kevin Drums excellent, insightful piece on Mother Jones yesterday, where he blamed Bernie Sanders for the fact that Hillary Clinton is losing to Donald Trump. It included arguments like this one:

I reserve most of my frustration for Bernie Sanders. Hes the one who convinced these folks that Clinton was in the pocket of Wall Street.

Thats a hard-hitting take from a writer who is clearly done with hiding the truth about Sanders. I share Drums frustration, and would like to double down on his argument and even go a step further: Bernie is to blame for every single bad thing happening to Clinton in this election and in her life generally, with no exceptions. Here are five ways that Sanders sabotaged her chances to become president.

Much is made of the fact that Bernie stuck to his principles and voting against the Iraq invasion, but why dont we ever hear about his conversation with Clinton that preceded that vote? Its as simple as digging up archival Library of Congress audio, but apparently thats too much legwork for your average lamestream journalist. Not for me, though. I got the tapes. Heres how it went down:

Bernie: How are you voting on Iraq?

Hillary: Against, obviously. The evidence is threadbare at best, and theres no telling what kind of powder keg well be setting off in the Middle East even if we do manage to depose Saddam. I dont want the blood of American soldiers and the destabilization of an entire region on my conscience, and if that attitude goes against the current political climate, so be itI have the courage to stand firm, and Im secure in the knowledge that Im doing the right thing. Maybe Im alone in this, but I think core values should mean more than the changeable direction of the political winds, and Im confident that history will judge me kindly.

Bernie: Totally, totally. Although 9/11, and all that. But Im with you for the most part. Still, I think it would be kind of hilarious if we voted different ways. Im bored just doing the same old predictable thing all the time.

Hillary: I fail to see the humor in that, but as a woman who is relatively new to the Senate, I feel a powerful historical current demanding that I conform and mute my voicea force so powerful that only a complete chauvinist would hold any actions taken under its influence against me. So yes, ha ha, what a concept, Bernie!

Bernie: Want to flip a coin, and whoever wins votes against, and the other votes for?

Hillary: None of this makes sense to me. And yet, as a woman struggling to make it in a mans world, here are pressures on me to show that I can be one of the guys and not just a shrill harridan. I am powerless against this silent oppression. I will do your coin flip.

Bernie: I call heads. Its heads. Ill vote against.

Bernie never shows her the coin.

Horrible, isnt it? It gets worse: Similar situations played out over the years with Libya, her opposition to gay marriage, welfare reform, the Wall Street bailout, the Patriot Act, the Patriot Act reauthorization, the TPP, the Keystone Pipeline, offshore oil drilling, super PACs, Glass-Steagall, a $15 minimum wage, and the death penalty. Through all that time, he never once showed her the coin.

By saying that Clinton gave paid speeches to Wall Street firms to the tune of millions, or that she sat on the board of Wal-Mart, or that she took huge donations from major banks, or that she had a super PAC, Bernie Sanders literally made those things true. Im not even arguing, as Kevin Drum did, that he brought them to the attention of the American public (who, by the way, have no right to know such facts). Im going where even an iconoclast like Drum wouldnt go, and saying that he actually brought these facts into existence by verbalizing them.

Can I strictly disprove anything he said? No, not now, in this current moment. But were they true before he said them? Or is Sanders capable of conjuring past realities by the mere act of pronouncing them in the present? Can we definitively say he is not the architect of our universe, a demon god living among us, despoiling all that is perfect and virtuous (Hillary)? Did he wake up one morning, say the word Hitler, and invoke historys worst villain? Could he whisper the words eternal darkness and bring our beautiful world to a sudden and savage end? Did he mispronounce the word Zima at one of his fashionable D.C. pubs and afflict Earth with the Zika virus?

Whether you agree with me or just think Im raising some excellent points, you cant deny that these are all questions.

Anytime he was within earshot, hed start going on and on about private email servers, and how they were super ill and more authentic than the lame government servers, and how you could pretty much send the dopest fucking chatz off a private server. Then when Hillary would ask him about it, hed get all shady and go real quiet, knowing it would stoke her interest. The only thing hed even say, when she pressed him, was theyre pretty obscure, I doubt you could even get one. It was classic Iago stuff, slowly ratcheting up her curiosity until she was basically like, Its driving me crazy, I have to have one of these new private servers. Then she sent Huma Abedin to IKEA, and the rest is history.

As a final coup, he ratted her out to the FBI and the Russian hackers at the same time, and then masterfully played the bigger man by refusing to talk about the emails throughout the campaign. Its sinister shit.

He gives her a new, updated copy each year on her birthday.

Have you noticed that Trump refuses to release a full, comprehensive medical report? Conspiracy theories aboundit could be that his body is filled head-to-toe with nothing but fish eggsbut theres one theory that nobody has yet had the courage to say out loud. What if its because Trump already has the report, and it says this right at the end: Oddly, Donald Trump shares 100 percent of his genetic material with Vermont Senator Bernard Sanders. (I dont know exactly how genetics work, but I think my terminology is accurate.)

Need proof? Consider these three bits of evidence: Both are from New York, neither man can pronounce the letter h, and when Donald Trump rejected an offer to debate Sanders, he said, why would I debate my own father?

If true, this would mean Sanders literally spawned Donald Trump, and has been secretly campaigning against Hillary this entire time in order to weaken her candidacy so that his big blustery failson could become president. Its tempting to shake your head and grudgingly give him credit for conceiving such a brilliant plan, but the sad truth that it may doom America to never having its very own Khaleesi slay kween.

So, as you see from these examples, Drum nailed it with his blame Bernie take at Mother Jones, and all the simpering little Hillary is a terrible candidate who nobody trusts, takes no accountability for her actions, seems to have no core principles, and is pulling off the insane feat of matching Trumps historic unpopularity and turning this into a close election truthers are way off base. It all comes back to Bernie, and I wish more people would recognize that. Facts are facts, and until we make an honest appraisal of our own shortcomingsrather than living in a carefully constructed landscape of total denial because, like conservatives, we cant bear to consider that there is something fundamentally wrong with our worldview, and that the lions share of blame lies with us, not with hazy bogeymen that we invent in desperation to stave off the terrifying prospect of coming face-to-face with our own critical errors of thought and actionthere will be no chance of victory.
Honda Civics diesel variant could be re-introduced in a BS6 avatar later this year

Honda Car India has discontinued the diesel variants of the Civic sedan and CR-V 7-seater SUV alongside the Accord Hybrid. Meanwhile, Honda will be launching the updated BS6 avatars of its Jazz, WR-V and City models once the current state of affairs settles down. The company plans to launch the much-awaited 2020 Honda City this month but it remains to be known if COVID-19 would cause the event to be postponed. Honda had cancelled its official media drive that was supposed to happen last month.

Honda Car India has also teased the upcoming BS6 Jazz premium hatchback. The global market has already received its next-generation model but India would most likely have the present generation (in the 2020 facelift) for a few more years. The outgoing BS4 Honda Jazz is available in both petrol and diesel formats, with the latter being the more desirable choice. The 2020 Honda Jazz might not get a diesel powertrain right from the beginning but in due course.

Diesel Honda Civic, CRV Discontinued

Coming to the Honda Civic, the premium sedan was launched back in May 2019 at a starting price of Rs 17.70 lakh ex-showroom. The BS4-compliant 1.8-litre NA petrol mill makes around 140bhp and 174Nm while the 1.6-litre diesel motor is good for 118bhp and 300Nm. The petrol engine comes mated only to a 7-step CVT. The diesel variant, on the other hand, gets only a 6-speed manual transmission.

The Honda CR-V was launched in October 2018 at a starting price of Rs 30.65 lakh (for the diesel variant). The petrol CR-V employs a 2.0-litre NA four-cylinder engine good for 154bhp and 189Nm. The diesel variant, which is being discontinued, churns out 118bhp and 300Nm from its 1.6-litre mill (just like in the Honda Civic).

Honda Accord Hybrid Discontinued

Coming to the Honda Accord Hybrid, the saloon is quite outdated. Being a CBU product, it came with a ridiculous starting price of Rs 37 lakh ex-showroom. The 2.0-litre petrol motor is mated to a pair of electric motors to produce a combined output of 215bhp. Its direct rival, Toyota Camry Hybrid, continues to be the better pick especially in terms of pricing. In 2018 and 2019, not a single unit of Accord Hybrid was sold in India.

As mentioned before, Honda Car India will eventually introduce the diesel models in BS6 formats. There could be a slight change in output but it would be too difficult to tell the difference in real-world driving conditions. The Honda Accord Hybrid might come again with a complete revamp but from a sales perspective, it will be hard to impress with an unreasonable price tag.
Hyundai India launched the new Creta in March, while the new Verna was launched last month

With over 850 Hyundai Showrooms and 1,000 workshops having opened, with compliance to the strictest guidelines in terms of safety and hygiene, sales have taken off to a good start. Hyundai Motor India Ltd, has announced cumulative sales of 12,583 units for the month of May 2020 with most demand seen for its new Creta, the new Verna facelift, Venue, Elite i20 and Grand i10 NIOS.

Cumulative sales of 12,5823 units sold in May 2020, included 6,883 units sold in domestic market and 5,700 units which were exported during the past month. The company strictly abides by all safety and hygiene precautions at all of its plants, showrooms and workshops so as to ensure safety both of its employees and customers with 100 percent social distancing and regular sanitization of facilities.

The new Hyundai Verna facelift, which was launched in May 2020, is the companys third major launch this year, following that of the Aura and the second generation Creta. Hyundai Verna facelift was opened for bookings in the month of March 2020 as launch was initially scheduled for the same month. However, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the country, this launch was postponed.

Hyundai Verna is presented in four variants of S, S+, SX and SX(O). It sports several exterior and interior updates with a front fascia with a dark chrome grille with LED headlamps and LED DRLs. It is also seen with new LED tail lamps, twin tip muffler and new bumper while it sits on new diamond cut alloy wheels.

The interiors of the Hyundai Verna facelift is seen with added space. There is an 8 touchscreen AVNT with HD display, digital instrument panel and a 4.2 colour TFT MID. Ventilated seats, wireless phone charger, driver rear view monitor, an electric sunroof and tyre pressure monitoring system are among its updates. It is also a fully connected vehicle and comes in with BlueLink connectivity offering 45 features.

The 2020 Hyundai Verna facelift gets 3 BS6 compliant engine options. These include a 1.0 liter turbo GDI petrol engine offering 120 PS power and 172 Nm torque, 1.5 liter petrol capable of 115 PS power and 144 Nm torque and 1.5 liter diesel making 115 PS power and 250 Nm torque. 2020 Hyundai Verna takes on the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento.
Interfaces between different materials and their properties are of key importance for modern technology. Together with an international team, physicists of Wurzburg University have developed a new method, which allows them to have an extremely precise glance at these interfaces and to model their properties.

In his Nobel Lecture on December 8, 2000, Herbert Kroemer coined the saying "the interface is the device." Kroemer referred to the mature field of semiconductor heterostructures, which form the basis of all modern electronics.

However, now, in the advent of novel, powerful devices based on the more complex and versatile topological and correlated materials, the statement is timelier than ever. Such materials are at the focus of research in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Wurzburg University: Currently, 16 groups are working in this field, and a Collaborative Research Center (CRC 1170) was established in 2015, which is funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) with nearly 10 Million euro.

Publication in Nature Quantum Materials

In the recent years physicists from Wurzburg University and coworkers from Germany, Canada, the U.S.A. and Korea developed a new method to uncover important charge properties of correlated oxide interfaces with unprecedented atomic scale resolution. The team of Professor Vladimir Hinkov and his coworkers report about this experimental method in the current issue of the Nature Journal "NPJ Quantum Materials."

"Conventional electronic chips are based on networks of so-called p-n junctions, interfaces between semiconductors carrying positive and negative charges, respectively," says Vladimir Hinkov, describing the background of this research. There are several drawbacks to such a setup: First, the junctions are thick, often of the order of hundreds of interatomic spacings. Second, operating the network requires the movement of many electrons, which costs a lot of energy due to electrical resistance. Third, semiconductors do not intrinsically have magnetic properties and their electron configuration is very basic. "This dramatically limits the ways to build functional junctions and to realize magnetic applications," Hinkov reports.

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Versatile properties require sophisticated methods

Transition-metal oxides, on the other hand, exhibit many different properties: Some of them are ferromagnetic, others are antiferromagnetic, and others in turn are high-temperature superconductors with very unconventional properties. Forming interfaces between such materials yields a plethora of phenomena, which hold promise for novel applications such as different sensors, lossless computer memory and ultrafast processors. The price one has to pay is that more sophisticated tools are necessary to study them: This is due to the variety of phenomena and due to the much shorter length scale, over which the properties of oxides change at such heterointerfaces, which is often just a few atomic spacings.

Of crucial importance is the behavior of electrons at the interface: Do they tend to accumulate? Which orbitals do they occupy, i.e. how do the electron clouds arrange around the atoms? Is there magnetic order, i.e. do the tiny magnetic moments of the electrons called spins align relative to each other, establishing magnetic order? Physicists around the world are seeking for answers to these questions.

Measurements on an atomic scale

Hinkov and coworkers developed a new method and analysis software, and it provides answers. It is based on "resonant x-ray reflectometry," a technique exploiting x-ray light created at a synchrotron, with the atomic-scale resolution of less than one nanometer. The physicists apply the technique on thin films of lanthanum cobalt oxide, a material that has interesting magnetic properties.

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In their present work, however, the scientists have concentrated on another aspect: "Before we can delve in the rich magnetic phenomena of this material, we first have to solve a fundamental, very wide spread problem," says Professor Hinkov. "Like many other materials, such as simple table salt and many semiconductors, lanthanum cobalt oxide consists of charged particles. These so-called ions form a sequence of positively and negatively charged atomic layers, stacked to a 15 nanometer thin film. "One can show that enormous electrostatic fields form between the layers, which is a problem, since they cost a lot of energy," as Vladimir Hinkov explains.

"Nature is economical and avoids these field energy costs: It brings positive and negative charges to the opposite faces of the film, respectively, just like between the plates of a capacitor. A new field is formed, which is opposite to the original one and which cancels it."

Corrugated interfaces constitute a problem

This accumulation of pure electronic charge at the film faces is called "electronic reconstruction." According to the physicists, this is a very elegant solution, since it preserves the film face smoothness. For materials, in which electronic reconstruction is not possible, the compensating charge is provided by comparatively large ions, which results in corrugated film faces. As Hinkov explains, such corrugations are detrimental for devices based on film interfaces, especially when, like in transition-metal oxides, the material properties change on an atomic scale at the interface.

Exploiting the new method, the present work shows microscopic evidence that electronic reconstruction is indeed realized at transition-metal oxide interfaces. The method also provides a possibility to study the microscopic properties of such interfaces, which are not limited to electronic reconstruction, but encompass the arrangement of chemical elements, the electronic occupation of atomic orbitals and the spin orientation.

Successful by close, international collaboration

The special "Wurzburg environment" and the close international collaboration enabled this successful work. "Such a scientific endeavor is only possible when experts from many different fields work closely together," says Professor Hinkov. One needs excellent samples, high-precision x-ray scattering instruments, which are operated at modern synchrotron light sources, a dedicated software, and last but not least "colleagues who are willing to spend day and night at the synchrotron to perform the measurements."
Millions of years ago, as the snake family tree grew new branches, the ancestor of modern rattlesnakes was endowed with a genetic arsenal of toxic weaponry, including genes for toxins that poison the blood, toxins that damage muscle and toxins that affect the nervous system, a research team headed by Sean B. Carroll at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has learned.

But in a relatively short period of evolutionary time, as that limb branched further, rattlesnakes like the Eastern and Western Diamondback of North America shed their neurotoxin genes altogether, keeping instead those for toxins that damage the muscles and blood vessels of their prey. Meanwhile, the Mojave rattlesnake retained the neurotoxin and lost certain other genes. Their study is published in the journal Current Biology.

"We were mining the DNA record for information about how evolution works," says Carroll, professor of molecular biology and genetics at UW-Madison and vice president for science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). "To peer into these snakes, which are relatively young in terms of evolutionary time, and to see such dramatic differences in who's-got-what genetically is really surprising. These kinds of genetic changes don't usually happen on this time scale, to this extent."

With Elda Sanchez, a collaborator at the National Natural Toxins Research Center and chemistry department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and colleagues at HHMI, UW-Madison postdoctoral researchers Noah Dowell and Matt Giorgianni got to work tracing the genetic origin and evolution of rattlesnake toxins.

To do so, they examined the genetic code of rattlesnake family members and reconstructed their evolutionary history. They found that neurotoxin genes evolved about 22 million years ago, before the first rattlesnakes appeared, beginning 12 to 14 million years ago.

"Snakes presented this really interesting problem in that you have all these different species of rattlesnakes that came into the New World relatively recently, and they have expanded and diversified greatly," says Giorgianni. "For evolutionary biologists, that's really interesting. We were curious how the components of their venom have changed so quickly over time."

So, they studied the individual branches on the rattlesnake family tree. What they found surprised them and challenged all of their initial hypotheses: Rattlesnakes have quickly evolved a great variety of differences through the loss of genes, resulting in varying venom gene numbers and types.

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Each rattlesnake lineage has deleted two to four entire venom genes compared to their common ancestor, while retaining the genes for only a subset of venom types. The subset of genes each snake species retained varies. Further, only two of the original seven full-length venom genes are shared between the Mojave rattlesnake, the Western Diamondback and the Eastern Diamondback.

"A lot of the genes we've worked on in the lab are genes that are incredibly conserved through history and have changed very little in half-a-billion years, either in number or in character," says Carroll. "This wholesale loss is unusual ... it's not just run-of-the-mill, ordinary variation."

In most species studied, genes that are no longer necessary usually linger a long time in the genome, eventually degrading. For instance, in the human genome we still see the remnants of the large olfactory receptor gene family that gave our evolutionary ancestors a keen sense of smell, even though humans no longer rely on them.

It left the researchers wondering: "How do you have these very different weapons and how did they evolve so quickly and so differently?" says Dowell. Why did snakes delete completely the genes for a variety of toxins?

Giorgianni and Dowell worked tirelessly to determine what they call the "birth order" of the toxin genes to learn just when they first showed up, and when each rattlesnake deleted them. If the genes were a long train, it would be akin to determining the order in which the train's cars were originally linked and when each rattlesnake lost individual cars in the train.

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They learned that Western and Eastern Diamondbacks independently deleted the neurotoxin genes roughly 6 million years ago, while the Mojave rattlesnake lost its muscle toxin gene about 4 million years ago.

Importantly, the researchers also learned how this happened.

The genes that make the toxin proteins sit within a complex that has embedded within it a type of genomic sequence called a transposable element. Transposable elements are made up of the same nucleotide letters that define all genetic material, but only sometimes code for the genes that lead to proteins. However, they make it easier for genes to be duplicated within the complex, and for genes to be deleted.

"You can envision a real quick and dynamic process in rattlesnakes, where this whole locus (stretch of DNA) is sort of breathing -- expanding and contracting," says Giorgianni. "It really highlights how dynamic this genomic region is and helps put into perspective how quickly these things could happen."

Not only does this appear to have led to the unusual venom differences between species, but the researchers found variety in the genes within species as well. Dowell and Giorgianni, assisted by Sanchez, examined four Western Diamondback snakes and looked at their venom gene complexes. One of the snakes had two additional venom genes that the other three lacked, as well as other changes in the complex.

"Aficionados in snake venom have appreciated this variation in venom types within a single species for a long time," says Dowell. "No one had provided a genetic explanation at this level."

That genetic explanation was finally made possible because of technology that enabled the lab to perform high-quality sequencing of specific genome regions. But the researchers also looked in places that biologists rarely do: at regions of the genome that do not code for proteins. It enabled them to peer into an evolutionary window most biologists ignore, Carroll says.

"There are so many opportunities now for understanding what's going on and extending this work outside of snakes to ask: 'How do genomes work in general?'" says Dowell. The researchers can't say for certain why snakes got rid of some of their weapons, but ecologically, they say it's likely related to the individual circumstances each species found itself in over time. Perhaps their prey was more susceptible to one type of venom or another, or evolved defenses against one type but not another.

"I think there's good evidence in nature that there is an arms race going on that generally exists between predators and prey," says Carroll. "Those arms races can be pretty intense and not dissimilar to things like antibiotics and bacteria, where you have a really strong, kind of do-or-die selective pressure that can accelerate the pace of evolution and intensify the changes that take place over time."

"It's the ecological theater in the evolutionary play and we're watching the drama unfolding," he adds.

He is also optimistic the snake genome will continue to tell interesting stories. "We're interested in generality in biology," Carroll says. "You want to discover new phenomena, new rules, new insights. The gamble was that snakes, because of their lifestyle, because they make this concoction of toxins, might have some evolutionary tricks we haven't seen before  There are other chapters to unfold here."
Antimicrobial cutting boards. Flame-retardant carpets. Friction-resistant bearings. Engineered surfaces add value to the things we use, providing extra layers of safety, easing their operation, preserving their quality or adding utility.

At UC Santa Barbara, materials researchers are looking to greatly improve on the concept with a method of micron-scale surface chemical patterning that can not only decrease time and money spent in their manufacture, but also add versatility to their design. In a paper describing a method called "sequential stop-flow photopatterning," UCSB materials scientists describe a new platform for functionalizing and engineering surfaces with patterned polymer brushes.

"It's a really powerful tool you can use for many purposes," said Christian Pester, a postdoctoral researcher in the Craig Hawker Lab at UCSB. He is the lead author of the paper, which appears in the journal Advanced Materials.

If you take a close look at some engineered surfaces, you'll see that at the micro- and nanoscale, they aren't flat and empty, but rather consist of infinitesimal elongated polymer molecules attached at one end to the surface. These polymer brushes imbue the surface with various properties and functions. They can, for instance, repel water, prevent bacteria from attaching, enhance drug delivery or attract other molecules. Patterning polymer brushes allows the combination of multiple functionalities.

Conventional methods of patterning polymer brushes on surfaces are often repetitive and time-consuming, Pester said. For more than one brush, the first polymer growth from an initiating "seed" must be deactivated and the synthetic process repeated after re-depositing new initiating molecules. It can take up to the better part of a day for each type of polymer brush, he added.

With sequential stop-flow photopatterning, the intermediate steps can be eliminated, Pester said.

"It's also chemically more clean, because you're not iteratively depositing the initiator," he said, "which means you're also taking away related washing and cleansing steps."

To accomplish this feat, the substrate (with initiating molecules deposited) is enclosed in a stop-flow cell and a solution streamed in. Irradiation with light can then initiate the reaction. A separate photomask -- essentially a sort of stencil -- is positioned over the top of the cell, thus allowing only some light-activated growth. After the growth step, the light is turned off, the first solution is drained from the cell and a second one is flowed in to functionalize the polymers. Since neither the mask nor the substrate has been moved, only the molecules that have been exposed to light are grown and functionalized. These basic steps may be repeated with variations in the reactants, the light source or the positions of the substrate or the photomask to create polymer brush patterns in a single continuous process.

"We can also create chemical and height gradients on the nanoscale," Pester said, features that are only indirectly accessible with conventional methods.

The technology opens the door to increased versatility in the development of polymer brushes with an eye toward industrial applications. Pester credits the collaborative nature of UCSB research for this scientific development, which is dedicated to the late Edward J. Kramer, materials professor and founder of the campus's Materials Research Laboratory. "I think what is really cool about this project and I think where UCSB shines is in collaboration," said Pester.

Research on this paper was conducted also by Kaila Mattson, Benjaporn Narupai, and Emre Discekici from UCSB's departments of chemistry and biochemistry and of materials. David Bothman from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Kenneth Lee from the Department of Physics also contributed research, as did Daniel Klinger at the Institut Fur Pharmazie, Freie Universitat Berlin.
The prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in the United States is 9.3 percent and expected to increase, along with complications associated with diabetes that include diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults ages 20 to 74 in the United States.

Yet many patients do not adhere to their physicians' eye care recommendations.

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., the Nathan E. Miles Chair of Ophthalmology in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology, and UAB School of Medicine student Zachary Keenum are trying to find answers as to the extent county clinic patients with diabetes in a DR screening program adhere to the timetable of recommended follow-up eye examinations.

"The public health success of DR screening programs depends on patients' adherence to the timetable of follow-up eye care," the report stated. "African-Americans are among those at highest risk for DR and have one of the lowest rates of eye care use."

African-Americans are at higher risk for the ocular complications of diabetes than are other segments of the population. Some research has suggested that the quality of their medical care for diabetes is lower than for other groups. African-Americans' lower rates of eye care are believed to stem from less access and more barriers to care, fewer eye care providers with practices situated in their communities, and a lack of awareness of their high-risk status for vision loss and how routine preventive care could reduce that risk.

Routine dilated comprehensive eye examination remains a cornerstone in the early detection of DR, Owsley says. It creates the opportunity for early intervention and management.

The American Diabetes Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Retina Panel recommend routine, annual dilated eye examination for persons with diabetes, beginning five years after diagnosis for Type 1 diabetes and at the time of diagnosis, and annually thereafter for Type 2 diabetes. The study found that an estimated two-thirds of individuals with self-reported diabetes receive an annual dilated eye examination, and those annual use estimates are even lower among African-Americans.

For the study, screenings were performed at Cooper Green Mercy Health Services' internal medicine clinic in Birmingham. Data from the Jefferson County Health System's administrative database pertaining to eye care utilization for the patients screened were obtained from January 2012 through May 2015.

When the follow-up eye care utilization data were examined, only 29.9 percent of patients adhered to recommendations to have an eye examination within indicated time frames, even though cost and accessibility were minimized as barriers. Two years after the initial screening, 50.9 percent still had not undergone an eye examination. These data suggest that the DR screening program is unlikely to meet its public health goals for adherence to eye care recommendations since many patients do not seek the recommended follow-up care.

Owsley says strategies for developing and implementing effective education at DR screenings should be carried out as next steps. "The education would focus on communicating the importance of seeking the eye care that is recommended following the screening, and also on communicating how to avoid barriers to care."




The internet has transformed the way in which voters access and receive political information. It has allowed politicians to directly communicate their message to voters, circumventing the mainstream media which would traditionally filter information.

Writing in IZA World of Labor, Dr Heblich from the Department of Economics, presents research from a number of countries, comparing voter behaviour of municipalities with internet access to the ones without in the early 2000s. It shows municipalities with broadband internet access faced a decrease in voter turnout, due to voters suddenly facing an overwhelmingly large pool of information and not knowing how to filter relevant knowledge efficiently. Similarly, the internet seemed to have crowded out other media at the expense of information quality.

However, the introduction of interactive social media and "user-defined" content appears to have reversed this. It helped voters to collect information more efficiently. Barack Obama's successful election campaign in 2008 set the path for this development. In the so-called "Facebook election," Obama successfully employed Chris Hughes, a Facebook co-founder, to lead his highly effective election campaign.

Using a combination of social networks, podcasts, and mobile messages, Obama connected directly with (young) American voters. In doing so, he gained nearly 70 per cent of the votes among Americans under the age of 25.

But there is a downside: voters can now be personally identified and strategically influenced by targeted information. What if politicians use this information in election campaigns to target voters that are easy to mobilize?

Dr Heblich's research shows there is a thin line between desirable benefits of more efficient information dissemination and undesirable possibilities of voter manipulation. Therefore, policymakers need to consider introducing measures to educate voters to become more discriminating in their use of the internet.

Dr Heblich said: "To the extent that online consumption replaces the consumption of other media (newspapers, radio, or television) with a higher information content, there may be no information gains for the average voter and, in the worst case, even a crowding- out of information.

"One potential risk relates to the increasing possibilities to collect personal information known as 'big data'. This development could result in situations in which individual rights are violated, since the personal information could be used, for example, to selectively disseminate information in election campaigns and in influence voters strategically."

See the report at: http://wol.iza.org/articles/effect-of-internet-on-voting-behavior
The Human Rights Commission today welcomed New Zealands first human trafficking conviction, saying it serves a strong reminder to kiwi businesses that exploiting migrant workers will not go unpunished.

Feroz Ali was found guilty in the Auckland High Court of 15 people trafficking charges and guilty of 15 charges for aiding and abetting a person to unlawfully enter New Zealand for work on Bay of Plenty orchards.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREAIt was supposed to be a dramatic  but quick  recall.

Samsung Electronics said two weeks ago that it would recall 2.5 million units of its new high-end smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, just days after some customers said their phones had caught fire. The recall is the largest in the history of the smartphone industry, but it also won Samsung praise from some in the gadget industry for the South Korean companys speed and decisiveness.

Today, the recall looks anything but smooth.

Safety regulators in the United States have issued warnings in recent days cautioning consumers not to turn on their Note 7s on airplanes  and not to use their phones at all. South Koreas flight regulator, in a reversal, followed suit, as have others around the world.

And late Thursday, U.S. regulators issued an official recall of the phone because of a risk of fire.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission stepped in on a formal recall. Its chairman, Elliot Kaye, blasted Samsung for trying to do the recall on its own, saying that anyone who believes that to be adequate needs to have more than their phone checked.

The constant reminders of potential combustibility have further dented Samsungs reputation and shaved as much as $14 billion off its market value, just when it looked to be gaining ground on Apple, its longtime rival, with its new line of sleek Galaxy smartphones. They also raise questions about whether Samsungs rush to take back the phones created more problems.

Experts say it led to a ham-handed effort that confused customers, frustrated regulators and continued to generate headlines. Data from the mobile analytics firm Apteligent showed that while Samsungs recall appears to have stopped new sales of the phone, the majority of people who have affected phones are continuing to use them.

I thought, How is it that this is happening?  said Jennifer Shecter, a spokeswoman for the non-profit consumer advocacy group Consumer Reports. She said the group found an inconsistent response to the recall across America, with some stores and carriers still selling the phones days after Samsungs announcement.

Samsung made an announcement, but the government wasnt involved, there wasnt a clear message, there wasnt an approved remedy and there wasnt a clear fix, she said.

A Samsung spokeswoman declined to comment on its discussions with regulators, pointing only to a company statement that said it was working with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The recall is an embarrassing comedown for Samsung, an icon of South Korean innovation that accounts for one-fifth of the countrys exports. Its importance can lead to deference from regulators, experts say.

South Koreas flight regulator recommended last week that airline passengers not use or charge their Note 7 phones on flights only after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration made the same recommendation. Flight regulators in Europe, Japan, India and elsewhere have issued similar notices.

The situation is regrettable, said Kang Jeong-Hyeon, deputy director of the flight standards division of South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. He said the ministry initially had not acted because Samsung told it that the risks were manageable.

But when the United States made its recommendation, South Korea had no choice but to follow, Kang said.

As the authority in the country with the company that made the product, the ministry felt concerned about the repercussions, should it be the first to ban the gadget on airplanes, he said. Samsung confirmed that company representatives had met with the ministry but declined to comment further.

Korean consumer safety regulators say the companys effort had complied with South Korean law and Samsung has taken additional steps in recent days to minimize the damage. This week, it issued a software update that would keep the Note 7 from fully charging, reducing the risk of overheating. It has also bought advertising in American and South Korean media.

Samsung has not given specifics about how many affected phones are in which markets, but many of the affected phones were most likely sold in critical markets where the company ships phones first, such as the United States, South Korea and European countries such as Britain.

In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission requires companies to notify it of defects and to co-ordinate public notification of recalls. The commission also asks the companies to work with it to determine how to notify customers and co-ordinate how the defective products can be replaced or returned.

But when Samsung said on Sept. 2 that it would replace 2.5 million Note 7s, it issued a news release by itself. It set up its own website telling Note 7 users to go back to where they had bought the phones or to contact its call centre.

In Hong Kong, Samsung initially told consumers they would not be affected because the models there used a different battery. A day later, it said about 500 would be affected after all.

Experts say Samsungs desire to deal with the problem quickly may have created confusion. Kim Jinbaek, a professor at the School of Business at Chung-Ang University in Seoul and a former Samsung employee, cited the example of Toyota Motor in Japan, which was criticized beginning in 2009 for dragging its heels in what turned out to be a major safety recall. At the time, Kim said, Toyota was in discussions with U.S. safety regulators.

Samsung, on the other hand, decided not to wait through such coordination, he said.

Adding to the confusion, Samsung in its initial statement said it would replace the phones, avoiding use of the more damaging word recall. Samsung also did not advise users to stop using the phones altogether until Sept. 10.

Samsungs own employees called on the company in an internal electronic bulletin board to act swiftly, according to local media reports that were confirmed by the company. The service allows employees to post messages anonymously.

We want you to make the best decision so we dont feel ashamed before our customers who use the Galaxy phablet smartphones, one posting said, using a word for big phones like the Note 7 that approach the size of the tablet.

The company owes much to the customers who preordered our phones or purchased them, read another. Our future lies in how well we treat these loyal customers.

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Los Angeles police confirmed a TMZ report Friday that a 23-year-old man was found dead in Canadian comedian Norm Macdonalds L.A. home.

The man was confirmed to be Michael Huettner by the Los Angeles Police Department, who added that the incident occurred more than a month ago, on Aug. 11.

TMZ  whose post on the incident did not mention a date  said Huettner was a friend of Macdonalds son Dylan, and was house-sitting while the 52-year-old comedian and his son were travelling outside of the United States.

The gossip website reported that Huettner was found by his parents at Macdonalds condominium. TMZ said that police suspect that the death was an overdose.

The Los Angeles Police Department reportedly ruled out any criminal activity and passed the case to the Los Angeles County Coroners office. A toxicology report is pending.

Macdonalds representatives did not respond to the Stars request for comment.

The Quebec City-born performer is best known for his standup comedy and his five seasons on Saturday Night Live, which ended in 1998. He was travelling on Friday to promote his memoir, Based on a True Story, which comes out on Sept. 20.

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Hes just 9 years old, but Jacob Tremblay sure knows how to work a room.

Part pint-sized adult, sporting neatly combed hair and olive blazer, confidently offering his hand with a smile, hes still kid enough to be distracted by the word giant on a poster for Canadian film Sleeping Giant.

After earning enthusiastic critical praise as kidnap victim Jack in Room, the Toronto International Film Festivals Peoples Choice prizewinner in 2015, Vancouver native Tremblay is back at the festival with Burn Your Maps, a big-hearted dramatic comedy about a Chicago kid who is convinced hes actually a Mongolian goatherd.

Tremblay plays Wes, whose parents, Alise and Connor (Vera Farmiga and Marton Csokas), are struggling after a family tragedy. Their unhappiness and marriage problems cant help but affect Wes, who discovers a photo of a Mongol boy on horseback tending his goats and believes this is his true identity. Before long, hes turning blankets into traditional garb, sleeping in a makeshift yurt and trailing paper goats and golden eagles from his bike.

Struggling filmmaker Ismail (Suraj Sharma, the title character in Life of Pi), a student in Alises ESL class, is another who feels out of place in America. He finds a way to document a trip home for Wes, accompanied by Alise, who just wants her child to be happy.

Asked how this years TIFF differs from his previous experience, Tremblay considers the question for a moment and replies: Id say the difference is probably I have grown a few chest hairs.

Its the same kind of adorably cheeky-cute quip that brought down the house at the Canadian Screen Awards in March, where Tremblay was up for (and won) the best actor prize against movie veteran Christopher Plummer.

Does he remember what he said onstage that night? That hes a legend, Tremblay replied. Hes been on one of my favourite movies, Up.

He also points out he was 8 the last time he was at TIFF. (Hell be 10 next month.) And he is really excited to come back here.

With his Vancouver police detective dad Jason Tremblay sitting in on interviews, Tremblay chatted to the Star alongside Burn Your Maps screenwriter-director Jordan Roberts (writer of Big Hero 6), who clearly had no problem being upstaged by a 9-year-old.

Audiences may think the movie was made in Mongolia, but it was actually shot in and around Calgary, with nearby Kananaskis Country recreation area standing in for the East Asian steppes and mountains.

Roberts said he wasnt sure initially that he could believe the claims of Calgarys film location office that he could find not only credible vistas but a sizable Mongolian population to appear onscreen in Alberta.

I flew in and met them and it was incredible, said Roberts. They are incredible actors. Every one of the (locally cast) actors in that movie, with the exception of the older shaman, are amateur, local actors from Calgary. Some had never acted in their lives. They are an extraordinary group of people.

Hes also enthusiastic about what Sharma brought to the film, contributing both heart and levity.

The role as it was written was pretty funny, but never as funny as it was when he said it, Roberts said. Every time he opened his mouth, he was funny. And Suraj is just such a warm person.

As for Tremblay, I would say this even if you werent sitting here, you little squirt, but he made that possible because he is that kind of actor.

Tremblay made Wes credible, Roberts said. Otherwise, hed just be a weird kid that we couldnt relate to. But because hes so relatable and indentifiable and so grounded, we get to go on this crazy journey with him and we want it for him.

As for his experience shooting Burn Your Maps, Tremblay liked working with the other actors. They had a cast barbecue and he got to raft in a crazy river . . . it was just like a water slide. But perhaps the best part was getting to ride a horse, an animal that looks enormous onscreen with tiny Tremblay happily astride it.

I loved my horse. I felt like a cowboy, he said. I actually got cowboy boots but they dont have the cool blade on the back of them, he added, meaning the spurs. But theyre still pretty cool.

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ST. CATHARINES, ONT.The lawyer for an Ontario veterinarian suspended over mistreatment of animals in his care says his client has received death threats after videos showing him striking, choking and slamming cats and dogs appeared in media reports.

Mahavir Singh Rekhi, of St. Catharines, Ont., pleaded guilty to professional misconduct at the College of Veterinarians of Ontario in July after four former employees filed a complaint about his conduct.

Lawyer Neil Adamson says Rekhi and his family have been subject to serious threats and vigilante justice after some of the 12 videos the former employees submitted to the college as evidence of misconduct were published this week.

Adamson says Rekhi, who attended veterinary school in India, came from a jurisdiction where they treated animals differently, but has taken responsibility for his actions.

Ontarios animal welfare organization has launched a criminal investigation into allegations of cruelty against Rekhi in wake of the news reports.

The college has suspended Rekhi for 10 months, which can be reduced to six months if he attends a variety of training programs, and fined him $10,000.

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An optimist would say Canadas battle against Daesh in Iraq is going well. Lt. Gen. Stephen Bowes is careful not to say that.

Daesh is hurting on the battlefield. There is no doubt about it, Bowes told the Star during an hour-long interview in his Ottawa office this week.

The flow of foreign fighters (into Iraq from other countries in the region and across the West, including Canada) is a fraction of what it used to be. There is no doubt that the leadership has suffered, through airstrikes and other operations against them.

But when you talk about doing well in the Middle East, whats your reference point? Wheres your point in time?

Bowes is almost uniquely positioned both to track evidence of progress in Canadas little-reported military effort in Iraq, and to be wary of premature triumphalism.

As commander since June 2015 of Canadian Joint Operations Command, the 31-year army veteran is responsible for much of the armys work, both in Canada and abroad. His predecessor in the role, Gen. John Vance, is now his boss as chief of defence staff.

The multinational fight against Daesh, led by the Americans and relying heavily on Iraqi forces trained by Canadians, is making progress. Bowes said the effort is moving from degrading the Islamist terror groups capabilities, to dismantling their bases and networks, and moving towards defeat of Daesh.

The next big step  it could come next week or it could take until next year  is for coalition-backed Iraqi forces to take back Mosul, the biggest city in northern Iraq. People say, Whens Mosuls liberation going to start? Id say it already has. Thats what shaping operations are  when youre dismantling leadership networks, when youre taking key crossing sites at rivers on the approaches, when youre disrupting lines of communication. Thats significant preparatory work.

Turkey, a perpetually problematic ally whose government has cracked down hard on suspected plotters of a failed July coup attempt against the administration of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is at least getting much better at controlling its own border. Two thousand fighters a month used to come down into Iraq and Syria from Turkey. Now its maybe as low as 50, Bowes said. That continues to whittle down on Daeshs ability to reconstitute itself after every engagement.

Still, he said, a lot of challenges remain, and there are some really big activities to come.

Its been an odd mission for Canada. When Bowes got his job, Stephen Harper was still the prime minister and six CF-18s were flying steady bombing runs against Daesh targets in Iraq and, sometimes, Syria.

Several months after Justin Trudeaus Liberals were elected, the fighter-bomber mission ended in favour of an enhanced training role, logistical support and some Canadian officers inserted at various points across the coalitions command structure.

In Afghanistan, Canadian trainers would routinely go into combat against insurgents alongside the Afghan soldiers they were training. They called it advise, assist and accompany. There is no accompanying in Iraq. Theres a certain point at which, as theyre following the battle procedure, that theyll move with the Pesh to a certain point thats well behind the FLOT, and after that the Pesh are on their own.

The Pesh are the Peshmerga fighters of Iraqi Kurdistan, the main force Canadians are in Iraq to train. The FLOT is the Forward Line of Own Troops, the furthest part of the battle space that the Kurds can reliably control. Staying back is designed to ensure Canadians dont see combat.

Sometimes combat comes to them. Daesh, using initiative, from time to time have penetrated the FLOT where our forces have had to use their own means for self-defence. That can include close combat. It can also include calling in airstrikes.

The airstrikes are never Canadian combat craft because there are no more in the theatre. Bowes took it well when I made that point.

Theres no secret here. I mean, if we went today to the allies and said, Do you want a six-pack of CF-18s or not? You know what the answers gonna be. But when we identified where we were going to work and what we were prepared to do and what the government had authorized, the reaction weve had has been overwhelmingly positive.

With the end of Daeshs effective control of Iraqi territory within sight, what comes next for Canadas military? Bowes was careful not to speculate. Were there as long as the government of Iraq wants our people to be there. And when that changes, then our political leadership has policy decisions to make. And that truly is above my pay grade.

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OTTAWADefence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance says the Canadian-led NATO force in Latvia is starting to take shape, with several countries having expressed an interest in contributing troops and equipment.

Speaking to The Canadian Press following a two-day visit to Latvia, Vance said the job now is to match up what other countries are willing to provide with what is actually needed to field the 1,000-strong battle group.

Were on the right track, and were on track, Vance said from Croatia on Saturday, where top military officers from across NATO were meeting. Therell be all sorts of international phone calls made and working groups struck to get to this final state.

Among the countries that have indicated their willingness to participate are Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. Each sent representatives on a Canadian-led reconnaissance mission to Latvia last month to get a feel for the situation on the ground.

Italian Ambassador to NATO Claudio Bisogniero confirmed on Twitter on Friday that his country will make a significant contribution to the battle group.

Vance said the more NATO members that contribute to the four battle groups the more likely they are to dissuade Russia from taking any aggressive action in the region.

The Liberal government announced in July that Canada would lead one of four multinational NATO forces in Eastern Europe, where the military alliance has been beefing up its presence in response to recent Russian actions.

Germany, the United States and Britain are leading similar forces in Lithuania, Poland and Estonia, respectively.

Canada will contribute just over 450 troops to the battle group. Vance could not say which specific units would be tapped, but they will include a commander and headquarters staff, military police, logistical and communications support, as well as an infantry company with light armoured vehicles.

The Canadians will form the nucleus of the battle group, which will be based at the Adazi military base, about half an hour northeast of the capital Riga. The first troops will arrive in the spring, but the bulk wont touch down until fall. They will stay six months, before another group of Canadians replaces them.

One potential challenge is making sure the required infrastructure is ready when the battle group begins to arrive. That includes barracks for the troops and hangars for storing and repairing vehicles. As the host nation, Latvia, which has a tiny military, is responsible for making such preparations.

Vance said he had reviewed the Latvians plans, and that work was already underway.

Theyve broken ground, he said, and theyre working furiously at making this happen to meet the timelines.

There have also been concerns that the Canadian military will be stretched too thin, particularly in terms of resupply lines, by conducting three missions in different parts of the world at the same time.

Aside from Latvia, there are currently about 800 military personnel in the Middle East participating in the American-led fight against Daesh of Iraq and the Levant. The Liberal government has also promised up to 600 troops for peacekeeping operations in Africa.

My level of comfort is very high as to where were at, Vance said when asked about logistical challenges. Well have a footprint in Europe. Im very comfortable well meet that. A footprint in the Middle East. Were meeting that just fine. And we have the capability to open and maintain another theatre or two.

Eastern Europe allies asked NATO to bolster its presence in the region as a deterrent against Russia trying to destabilize them in the same way it did in Ukraine. That includes crossing into their territory, inciting Russian speakers within their borders and cyber attacks.

Russia has denied any such intentions, and instead accused NATO of instigating the current standoff by expanding into former Soviet territory and trying to undermine its sphere of influence. It has also warned against any military build-up on its borders.

The four battle groups are intended to send a firm signal to make Russia think twice before taking any aggressive action, Vance said. But they are also modest to prevent any provocation or escalation in tensions between Russia and NATO.

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New government funding devoted to a housing benefit may help hundreds of survivors of domestic violence find safe, permanent homes more quickly, and free up space in shelters for women trying to escape an abusive partner, experts say.

Safe and stable housing is really a basic need for everyone and especially for these abused women and children, said Arlene McCalla, an executive director at Interval House womens shelter in Toronto. Its hard for them to get anything else in their lives done when they dont have a stable place to live.

Toronto is among 22 Ontario communities that will receive $20 million over the next two years to pilot the new benefit. It will be funded by the provincial and federal governments, and run by the individual communities.

The initiative is aimed at helping up to 1,000 domestic violence survivors a year move directly into market-rent apartments instead of spending months in shelters waiting for social housing.

Changes to landlord and tenant legislation that took effect earlier this month will allow victims of physical or sexual abuse to break a current lease on 28 days notice without financial penalty.

Queens Park originally earmarked $2.4 million in last springs budget for a pilot project to help up to 500 women. But the government is boosting that spending to $13.7 million as part of the Liberals action plan to stop sexual violence and harassment, a priority area for the government, said Housing Minister Chris Ballard.

The federal government will contribute $6.3 million from its social infrastructure fund.

Our premier and this government (have) been taking a strong stance against sexual violence and harassment, Ballard said in an interview. Moving it from $2.4 million to $20 million was something (we felt) needed to be done. All Ontarians, no matter where they live, deserve to be safe and free from harm.

Ballard said the province was inspired by a 2010 Interval House pilot project and similar work by other organizations helping victims of domestic violence.

Women who took part in the city-funded Interval House project received $350 per month for two years. Recipients were also enrolled in Interval House job training, life-skills workshops and other programs to help them continue to live independently after the pilot project ended.

McCalla said about one-quarter of the participants were able to stay in market-rate housing at the end of the program.

In Toronto, domestic violence survivors are put on a special priority list for social housing. There are currently 1,500 households on that list and their average wait for housing is 10 months, according to city reports.

That put(s) women who are in the community in danger, because theyre unable to get space in the shelter, because its full of women who cant leave because they dont have a place to live, McCalla told the Star.

Under the new provincial scheme, Toronto will receive more than $3.9 million to help domestic violence survivors. The city has proposed distributing $500 a month, plus some startup housing costs, to 355 households. Under provincial guidelines, the money can go directly to the women or to their landlords, depending on the living arrangements.

The pilot project is welcome news for one woman who fled from a violent spouse and spent nearly five months in a north Toronto shelter before getting a space in rent-geared-to-income housing.

(Housing) is just one big question mark that could easily be taken care of and then have women safe while they tackle other things, she said.

The woman, who asked not to be named because she is still worried her spouse may locate her, said her wait for housing was relatively short because she did not have a family with her and was willing to live anywhere. Not everyone is so lucky.

The amount of (waiting) time increases with the number of children, accessibility barriers, other things that come into play, she told the Star.

Over the next two years, the province will monitor the 22 pilots to see if any of the approaches could work in other communities.

We are not looking necessarily at one-size-fits-all, Ballard said. Weve heard about the need for flexibility in these sorts of programs.

With files from Laurie Monsebraaten

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MONTREALWith Peter MacKay and Jason Kenney on the sidelines of the Conservative leadership battle, a critical number of votes are up for grabs in the campaign to find a successor for Stephen Harper.

When the party gathered for a national convention last spring, most of the delegates were not ready to commit to then-declared candidates Maxime Bernier, Kellie Leitch or Michael Chong. Many were convinced more compelling aspirants were still to come.

The addition of Tony Clement, Deepak Obhrai and Brad Trost to the list of official candidates has fundamentally altered the wait-and-see dynamics in evidence at the convention.

If anything, with the two former ministers who were widely considered as de facto front-runners to succeed Harper last spring not on the ballot, the search for alternatives has resumed with a vengeance.

As the dust settles on MacKays announcement, here are some early observations as to its impact  and a note of caution.

Looking at the declared candidates and the inevitable numbers game a leadership campaign ultimately comes down to, MacKays decision probably most benefits Bernier.

The former Tory leader was Berniers main and possibly only serious competition in Quebec  a province that may not account for a lot of Conservative members but one that comes second only to Ontario in terms of its weight in the leadership ballot box.

None of the other declared candidates has anything approaching a profile in Quebec.

For all that, Berniers Quebec colleagues have not rushed to line up behind him. The Beauce MP is more popular outside his provinces caucus than inside it, as are his libertarian prescriptions.

And few federal parties would contemplate having two Quebec leaders in a row. On that basis, a caucus rising star such as former provincial leader Gerard Deltell, who is not running this time but might want to do so in the future would not necessarily be inclined to support Bernier.

Still it is one thing to not want to support a fellow Quebecer and another to come up with a viable alternative. In Quebec, as elsewhere, there is much searching outside the official stable for a horse to back.

That quest even has some Conservatives  in particular but not exclusively among fans of former transport minister Lisa Raitt  arguing the case for a leader who is not up to the task of campaigning efficiently in French.

Good luck with that.

Canada has not had a prime minister who was not fluently bilingual since 1968. Over that period, every attempt by an opposition party to sell Canadians on the superior merits of a unilingual leader has ended in defeat. Most of todays voters have never lived under a federal government led by a prime minister who could not address them efficiently in French and English. There are no brownie points to be had for knowing the difference between bonjour and bonsoir.

The last party to try to turn back the clock to a non-bilingual prime minister was the Reform under Preston Manning. By the time Manning set out to rebrand the party as the Canadian Alliance in the late 1990s, his inability to address voters in both official languages was costing votes not only in Quebec but also in other parts of Canada.

At the time of Mannings campaign to for the Alliance leadership, I followed his tour in some bedrock Reform communities of southeastern Ontario.

The people who came out to his events genuinely liked the Reform party founder. Many had supported the nascent party since its inception. They were more than happy to welcome Manning in their homes.

I was the only francophone in sight. In more than a few places, party members would wait until Mannings car had pulled out of the driveway to ask me if his French was up to debating Jean Chretien in an election debate.

For all his efforts Manning never became fluent enough to pull off a debate. In the end, that was part of the reason why he lost the Canadian Alliance leadership to the more bilingual Stockwell Day.

If Manning could not convince some diehard Reform activists to overlook his language shortcomings 16 years ago, no 2016 Conservative hopeful should expect to attract support for a party led by a less than fluently bilingual leader from enough voters to bring it back to power.

Chantal Hebert is a national affairs writer. Her column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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A Halton Region manager who oversaw infrastructure projects worth tens of millions of dollars is facing allegations that he received a Mercedes Benz, renovations to his house and a trip to Las Vegas as kickbacks for helping companies get contracts.

In a case being called extraordinary, David Ohashi, a 16-year veteran with the region who oversaw Haltons waste water initiatives, faces eight charges, including three counts of accepting secret commissions, three counts of municipal corruption, fraud under $5,000 and using a forged document.

This was one of those investigations where everywhere I turned something corroborated what was being investigated, said Det. Const. Keith Nakahara, who is handling the case for the Halton police fraud unit.

Ohashi, 56, was released from employment after an internal investigation, according to Halton Region. He was scheduled to make his first appearance in Milton court Tuesday, but the matter was postponed for two weeks.

Nakahara said that while Ohashi was overseeing projects worth tens of millions of dollars, its important to understand that the amounts involved in the allegations against him are very, very small compared to the value of the projects. The alleged profits he made personally was a very small amount . . . some of his alleged benefits werent even financial.

According to the charges filed in court, Ohashi allegedly accepted a 2010 Mercedes C300 for granting a contract to a construction company, as well as airfare to and from Las Vegas for granting a contract to a separate company. He allegedly accepted home renovations from a third company.

Nakahara said none of the companies have been charged.

The forgery charge is for an alleged expense claim for travel outside Canada that was not for work. The charges dont make clear where the alleged trip occurred.

Nakahara said it appears from his investigation that some sub-parts of projects overseen by Ohashi were not needed.

Part of the Crowns theory will be that some of these sub-parts were unnecessary, that the public paid for some things that it didnt need, but thats before the courts, the officer said.

He said the investigation is ongoing. The allegations havent been tested in court.

Outside court, Ohashis lawyer Domenic Basile called the case extraordinary but wouldnt comment on anything else regarding the charges. Ohashi, a Mississauga resident, didnt respond to a request for comment for this article.

Halton Region spokesperson Heather Anderson said Ohashi was released from employment in January 2016. She said the allegations have hit the local government hard.

We are very concerned and disappointed about the charges laid against this former employee, she wrote in an email. The administration and employees of Halton Region are committed to the highest standards of corporate accountability, transparency, responsibility and integrity. These allegations, if proven, would be inconsistent with the values and behaviors of the dedicated 2,500 Halton Region employees who serve taxpayers and make a tremendous contribution to our community every day. Halton Region continues to fully co-operate with police.

Anderson wrote that the region has a rigorous Code of Conduct and a comprehensive Corporate Fraud Policy. We have a robust program of controls in place to prevent or identify inappropriate behaviour including: a strongly adhered to purchasing bylaw, and related policies and procedures and an internal audit group.

Nakahara said there is no indication any other any other Halton staff were involved in the alleged offences. He also said that because the investigation found no other staff involved, senior officers and the Crown's office determined there was no conflict of interest with the region's police force investigating.

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For years, people heading west on the waterfront trail had to end their shoreline journey just beyond the arched span of the beautiful Mimico Creek Bridge and continue on busy Lake Shore Blvd. All that changed in 2012, when the new Mimico Waterfront opened, continuing the trail from Humber Bay Park West to Norris Cres.

The linear park was more than 10 years in the making and a joint project of Waterfront Toronto and Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA). Whats interesting is that entirely new public space was created for it. This stretch of shoreline was previously fronted by private condo and midcentury apartment buildings, built at a time when we didnt have much desire to preserve public access to a once-dirty lake.

To create the park, a strip of property along the lake was either purchased or expropriated. We had to acquire the shoreline across the project area in order to extinguish the property owners exclusive access to the shore, also referred to as riparian rights, says Nancy Gaffney, head of Watershed Programs at TRCA. In some cases it was only 1 metre wide.

On first discovering the extended path, theres a sense of revelation: a new part of the city has been opened up, one thats quite beautiful, along a lagoon-like expanse of water with the sailboats in the Humber Bay Park marinas as backdrop. Small islands and little peninsulas have been created, too, all growing in with trees and shrubs now.

Toronto is not, historically, a master-planned city; it just kind of happened. That makes it both interesting and frustrating. Robert Fulford described it as an accidental city in his 1995 book of the same name, meaning it was never supposed to be Canadas biggest city and a cultural and financial capital. That was Montreals job.

The infrastructure here is forever catching up with the city Toronto has become. Thats true for transit, the electrical grid, and parks too. Parkland might seem further down the list of critical things Toronto needs to prosper, but these spaces that the great landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted called the lungs of the city are directly connected to the quality of the life here.

Toronto has some great parks and parkland, like High Park, a quintessential lung if there ever was one, with both manicured and wild parts, with a name that is strangely compelling. But such places arent in every neighbourhood.

In Buffalo, Olmsted created the U.S.s first comprehensively planned municipal park system in 1870 that included small parks near where people lived. Toronto is becoming an increasingly dense place, despite the continued resistance of people in single-family homes with backyards of their own, and for many people here their only backyard is shared and public: a park.

Toronto has made attempts at catching up, of late. Though its still in the dream big stage, Mayor Tory recently announced the Rail Deck Park initiative, which would cover the active rail corridor west of Spadina Ave. with a new public space, much as Chicago created with Millennium Park over its own rail corridor. It would be a spectacular backyard for the many tens of thousands of people who surround it now, living in towers.

A few blocks east, the city is beginning to look at buying or expropriating a parking lot at 229 Richmond St. W. to create a park for another dense residential neighbourhood, one that grew out of a former industrial zone. Downtown was once rife with such lots, but theyve been filled thanks to the condo boom, and 229 Richmond is one of the last open spaces left.

The Mimico Waterfront shows what Toronto can do when it wants to find creative ways to fit new parks into the growing city, here extending the pleasant safety of the waterfront trail another 1.1 km. At Norris Cres., cyclists and pedestrians are spit back out onto busy Lake Shore Blvd. W. for a kilometre and a half of precarious riding or walking before the side streets of New Toronto provide refuge.

Perhaps one day, all private shorelines will get a similar public right of way, but those single-family homes along the edge might hold onto their riparian rights fiercely.

Shawn Micallef writes every Saturday about where and how we live in the GTA. Wander the streets with him on Twitter @shawnmicallef

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Bite your tongue, maam.

Jennifer Elizabeth Green-Johnson, who is listed on the Dunnville Secondary Schools website as an English teacher, Grades 10 through 12, allegedly instructed one of her students: Why dont you lick me where I fart?

That suggestion is included in two sets of charges before the Ontario College of Teachers, with Green-Johnsons date for hearings to be set next Friday.

Some teachers we remember for the rest of our lives, because they had a profound effect on shaping young minds or instilling a love of learning or helping us navigate the curriculum. I doubt Green-Johnsons students will ever forget her, if only for the purported yips and confirmed yaps she brought into the classroom.

This is not Green-Johnsons first disciplinary rodeo.

In January  five years after the Grand Erie District School Board learned of troubling comments and actions involving students  the Ontario College of Teachers found she had committed professional misconduct; received a reprimand, one-month suspension (already served) and directed to complete a course (at her own expense) regarding appropriate boundaries with students and appropriate classroom management.

Green-Johnson did not contest the accusations outlined in an agreed statement of facts which would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional and conduct unbecoming.

Uncontested facts included:

That same month, Green-Johnson caught two male students play-wrestling outside her classroom. When one student jumped on the others back, Green-Johnson said: So you like it from behind.

In November 2011, while her students were cracking jokes about the size of a mans penis as portrayed in a movie the class was watching, Green-Johnson made a comment to the effect that you could not see the actors penis without a microscope.

The following month, when a student asked the teacher to repeat what shed said, Green-Johnson told the girl to sit down or I will bop you in the nose. To another student, she said words to the effect of stop bitching and sit down.

In January, 2011, Green-Johnson told her students that she had been raped and therefore did not trust men around her children, an assertion that made some of her students feel uncomfortable.

The agreed statement of facts continues: On more than one occasion, (Green-Johnson) used the words stupid, idiots, bitching and/or ass  while conducting her class.

In an incident that fall, students jesting about how much it would hurt to get hit in the groin playfully began swinging their binders at each other. In attempting to stop them Green-Johnson made accidental contact with (one of the students) groin, causing him to fall to the ground in tears.

Grand Erie superintendent Scott Sincerbox confirmed to the Star on Friday that multiple reports have been filed about Green-Johnson, resulting in short suspensions both paid and unpaid. Though not speaking specifically about this teacher, Sincerbox explained that the board implements a progressive disciplinary process up to an including termination with suspensions reported to the College.

The Star was unable to reach Green-Johnson on Friday. Sincerbox said the teacher is not working at this time but hasnt been fired either.

Its pretty unusual for a teacher who has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct to come before us again, says Gabrielle Barkany, spokesperson for the College. She could recall it happening only twice before.

For Green-Johnson, these are actually notifications  summonings to defend herself, that is  Number 3 and 4. Apart from the matter concluded by the boards disciplinary committee in January, there were allegations heard by the College against her in 2007 but those were not substantiated.

This time round, there are two separate sets of allegations, thus two separate cases to be heard.

In one, relating to the 2015-16 academic year, Green-Johnson is alleged to:

Have told a student who brought coffee to class: Get that f---king thing out of here.

Called a student a bloody pedophile.

Told a student: I have never said this to a student before but f--k you.

Told another: It sounds like your ass cheeks are too close together, after the student a made a noise by pressing his lips together.

Told a student whod offered to buy her muffins in exchange for a passing grade: You mean a bribe? Id be able to shit for a week.

Told a female student she looked like a frumpy old lady today.

On the second matter, Green-Johnson is alleged to have slapped and/or hit a male student on the head in March, told him to grow some balls, called him an idiot and discussed personal issues with a student during class even though that individual was not enrolled in the class.

Green-Johnson was suspended for one day without pay in May and six days without pay in February as a result of recent allegations, though its not clear specifically which ones.

School boards can fire teachers. The College can revoke their teaching certificate.

Green-Johnson, holy terror, seems not to have learned her lessons at all.

Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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York University fired a staff member on Wednesday for a series of what critics called anti-Semitic Facebook posts.

In a letter obtained by the Star dated Sept. 14, York informed Nikolaos Balaskas, a laboratory technologist in its science faculty, that his employment was terminated following his Facebook posts and comments that target identifiable groups and denigrate particular religious faiths including those of the Jewish faith.

On Aug. 28, Balaskas shared a photo that stated: Jewish Bolshevik mass murderer Genrikh Yagoda was responsible for between 7 and 10 million deaths. The fact that youve never heard of him is exactly why the Jews should not have total control of the media.

He commented on the post: Pray that these same Zionists, haters of God and His children, do not succeed in their goal of bringing about World War III. Earlier in that month, he reposted a comment in which he accused Zionists of murdering 100 million Christians between 1917-1945 and being responsible for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In a statement to the Star, Balaskas criticized the groups that alerted York to his online comments. Although there are some very disturbing allegations of interference and wrong doing by outside special interest groups that ultimately led to having me unjustly fired, at the moment I just want to clear my name and prevent further attacks and damage to York Universitys reputation so that I can return back to work doing what I love to do  helping students in the labs and being there to listen to and support them as their friend, he stated.

Bnai Brith Canada reported Balaskas social media activity to York in July after multiple students approached the organization, according to Amanda Hohmann, national director for Bnais Briths League for Human Rights.

We get calls all the time from York students so it was very heartening to see that the administration took a step like this, that theyre actually listening to our community, Hohmann said. Its a very positive step, especially considering the history of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on campus at York in the last number of years.

In its letter to Balaskas, the university referenced a meeting he attended Sept. 8, during which he said he regretted if his posts impacted York staff or students but that he does not view them as hate posts.

You acknowledged that some of your posts have been deemed disturbing, and that your response is that persons are not forced to read these posts, the letter states.

York had previously suspended Balaskas three times, including a 10-day suspension in September 2015, according to the letter, which didnt specify the causes of his previous disciplines.

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The Town of Richmond Hill has emerged victorious in its challenge of an Ontario Municipal Board decision that would have significantly reduced the amount of parkland the municipality could demand from developers in exchange for building condos in the booming suburb.

In a decision released this month, a panel of divisional court judges struck down a 2015 OMB decision that set a cap on how much green space the town could request from builders.

It also found that the OMB  the provincially legislated board with the power to overturn municipalities planning choices  exceeded its mandate when it demanded the town use the rate it had set, and not the one determined by the Planning Act.

The approach taken by the OMB is not only unreasonable on the plain wording of the legislation, says the divisional court decision. It is inconsistent with the role that it is intended that municipalities will play in deciding individual planning decisions that affect their citizens. 

Mayor Dave Barrow said the town took a risk when it challenged the OMB in court, but the principle of being able to determine and shape the future of our community was a principle worth fighting for, he said.

Ana Bassios, the planning commissioner for Richmond Hill called the ruling absolute vindication for Richmond Hill council.

And now, since the board cant override councils policy in this situation, its a great relief that Richmond Hill will now be able to acquire the parkland the future population will need, she said.

This means that other GTA municipalities such as Vaughan, Markham, Oakville and Mississauga  who had intervenor status during the court proceedings  will also be able to decide the rate best for their community, said Bassios.

Ira Kagan, a lawyer representing developers Elginbay Corporation and Zamani Homes (Richmond Hill) Ltd., said they will be appealing the courts decision.

The court case was all about whether or not on a pure legal perspective, the Planning Act allowed the OMB to put a different number in than what Richmond Hill chose, said Kagan, a municipal lawyer with Kagan Shastri LLP. We will be arguing that the divisional courts decision was wrong because (setting the rate) was within the OMBs mandate or authority.

Kagan said Richmond Hills preferred rate will make it prohibitive to build condos in the municipality, and with the additional cost likely downloaded on to residents, it could make it more difficult to purchase one too.

The town, in conjunction with the community, spent two years developing a parks plan that would guarantee residents ample green space for its residents in light of intensification pressures that have seen a condo boom along Yonge St. and Highway 7.

The plan relied on getting condo developers to pay for green space through a parkland dedication bylaw  a provision of the provincial Planning Act that requires developers and builders to set aside either land or pay cash-in-lieu.

In 2013, the town passed a bylaw that applied the maximum amount permitted in the act: one hectare for every 300 units, or the cash equivalent. As a lesser amount, the town added in the bylaw that developers could pay one hectare for every 730 new residents. Since this summer, the law has changed so it is now one hectare for every 500 units if the municipality takes cash-in-lieu, the preferred option in municipalities with little available land.

Last year in its decision, the OMB sided with a group of developers. It ruled the towns rate was too high and a disincentive to high-density development. Thus, it imposed a cap on how much the town could charge instead: 25 per cent of the land being developed, or its value in cash.

Richmond Hills appeal was in opposition to this rate, the decision states.

The principle of the ratio is that you need to provide parkland proportional to the number of people moving into the neighborhood, said Bassios. That amount should change depending on whether its a 10-storey, 20-storey or 30-storey building, she said.

The fight is far from over.

The judges ruled that the matter return to the OMB for further determination.

The board will have to wait until the Court of Appeal decides if the divisional court decision is right or not before setting a new date, said Kagan.

If the appeal court agrees with the decision, the matter will go back to the OMB. If the divisional court decision is overturned in the Court of Appeal, then the original 2015 OMB decision  which called for the 25 per cent cap would stand, said Kagan.

A spokeswoman for the OMB says it is bound by the divisional court decision and will comply with their order.

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(Quebec Liberal Jean) Marchand isnt going to be a candidate for the leadership, Lester Pearson remarked at the end of the constitutional conference. For Canadian political watchers, this statement could mean only one thing: Pierre Elliott Trudeau would allow his name to stand.

Or would he?

In the wake of the recent Western, Atlantic and Quebec policy conferences, Ontario Liberals would meet for their own convention at Torontos Royal York Hotel over the weekend that began on Feb. 9, 1968. Aides for the non-candidate Trudeau let it be known that their man would be flying into Toronto for the event. He would appear unofficially, and he would make no formal speech. Trudeau would, however, open a hospitality suite at the Royal York in order to mingle with delegates. His total commitment of time to the convention would be three hours, maximum. Hes coming because of pressure from us, said a forthright Donald S. Macdonald, Liberal MP for Rosedale and a leader in the draft-Trudeau movement. We want him to get an idea of the strength and enthusiasm for his candidacy here.

Trudeau made no secret of the fact that he did not appreciate being pressed into a public appearance in Toronto. His advisers had initially encouraged him to visit the city to meet a few friends, without fanfare, in order to discuss a leadership bid. But once he had agreed to go, they booked the Royal Yorks massive Ontario Room, issued invitations to conference delegates to meet Trudeau at a coffee party, and set up a head table from which Trudeau could hold a press conference. I should have known, of course, he later chided his supporters. I want to tell you all that if I dont run I hope I wont be letting you down. They had intuited what the justice minister himself did not yet appreciate. He was now the hottest ticket in the Liberal leadership race.

Even in his home province, where Rene Levesque, Pierre Bourgault and Daniel Johnson were now eviscerating Trudeau at every opportunity, new and influential sources of support continued to emerge. On Feb. 15, a draft-Trudeau petition appeared in Quebec media, stating that Trudeau possesses all the necessary qualities to lead. It bore the signatures of 200 prominent Quebecers, including actor Jean-Louis Roux, writer Gilles Marcotte and Canada Council chair Jean Martineau, among other intellectuals and professionals. Even Claude Ryan conceded that this affirmation of Trudeaus popularity was an important development. It must be admitted that the signatories are people with influence and definite authority in their respective milieux, he wrote in Le Devoir.

In English Canada, it was the same story. To almost everyones astonishment, (historian/professor) Ramsay Cooks draft-Trudeau campaign had evolved from a modest local initiative into a national movement. Academics, wrote the young Toronto Star journalist Andrew Szende, are almost unanimously speaking out in favour of the former University of Montreal law professor. One of the brightest lights in this movement was Pauline Jewett, a Harvard-trained political scientist who had served as an Ontario MP in the first Pearson minority government. Like Trudeau, Jewett was a dedicated federalist and civil libertarian. (During the October Crisis of 1970, she would break with the Liberal Party over Trudeaus invocation of the War Measures Act.)

She was drawn to Trudeau in 1968 because she believed that only a French-speaking Quebecer could head off the separatist challenge. But what she liked above all was his conviction. If he decides certain things must be pursued, he pursues them with clarity and passion, as he has done with the French-English problem, said Jewett. He has moved shrouds of prejudice and parochialism away from the divorce question, abortion, homosexuality. Why should not this same clarity of perception and passion be brought to bear on some of the other great problems?

Ramsay Cook and Pauline Jewett were among the roughly 2,000 people to attend the policy convention at the Royal York. Of these, 727 would serve as Ontario delegates to the Liberal leadership convention in April.

Like the Quebec policy convention two weeks earlier, the Toronto event proved to be yet another Trudeau show, on the first evening at least. An estimated 1,400 people crammed into the Ontario Room to meet the minister of justice. The atmosphere was electric. As a portent of things to come, receptions being held simultaneously for declared candidates Paul Hellyer and Eric Kierans were practically empty. Between 5 and 7 p.m., Trudeau worked the packed room. Ramsay Cook, who had helped to engineer the spectacle, later wrote that Pierre seemed surprised and even a little confused by the extraordinary reception he had received in Toronto.

Some of the young women in attendance, identified as university students, were plainly smitten  by the man but also by his message. Pierre can excite people like no one else can, said one of them. The thing has mushroomed. Hes like a saviour. And a lot of it has to do with his stand on the federal problem.

After meeting delegates for two hours, Trudeau agreed to talk to the press. Dressed in a light tweed jacket and dark blue tie, he took a seat between Donald Macdonald and Russell Honey, MP for Durham and chair of the Ontario Liberal caucus. Archival footage of the press conference shows Trudeau at his Zen-master best, exuding an air of serene introspection completely at odds with the chaotic energy swirling around him. He was asked about his timetable for a decision on whether to run.

At the outside, 10 days, he replied. If Im lucky, sooner. I dont know whether the answer will be yes or no. There are two kinds of contacts I have to make before I decide. This kind, when I meet people I havent met before and try to find out what they want to do with the party and the country and why they think I should be the man to do it. Then, I will have to sift the information with close friends.

Had he been pushed by his supporters to come to Toronto? Not pushed  induced, he said with a smile. Did he think there should be a Quebecer in the leadership race? Other things being equal, Quebec should be able to put forward a good candidate. But can you find him? Will he be good enough? If the answer is No, forget it! I hope there is no one in this room who is going to support me because Im from Quebec. I have no magic solutions.

After the press conference, Trudeau retired to Donald Macdonalds suite to discuss a possible leadership bid with members of his inner circle, including Ramsay Cook, Jean-Pierre Goyer, Jim Davey and Gordon Gibson. The small group chatted for 90 minutes. Cook sensed that the meeting was historic and took notes, which he later published.

What do you make of this whole thing, Ramsay? Trudeau asked Cook. Will they call me un roi negre, will I fall under the same criticisms as (former PM Sir Wilfrid) Laurier and will I get the Uncle Louis image?

Cook replied that Trudeau would inevitably be called a vendu by Quebec nationalists, just like Laurier and (former PM Louis) St. Laurent. But did that really represent the thinking of Quebecers? he asked. After all, theyd voted for Laurier and Uncle Louis regardless of what the nationalist intellectuals had said.

The conversation then turned to Trudeaus resume. Trudeau knew that he had the aptitude and the drive to be prime minister, but he was worried about his lack of experience. He was afraid that he could not meet his own standards of excellence, Cook observed. Trudeau also wanted reassurance that, if he were to become prime minister, he could count on party members and senior bureaucrats in Ottawa to stand behind him. He did not want to end up another (former PM John) Diefenbaker.

Overwhelmed by the intensity of his reception in Toronto, Trudeau told his supporters that he needed solitude and the counsel of close friends to come to a final decision. My general impression from as disinterested a view as I can take, was that I was talking to a genuinely undecided man, Cook concluded. Trudeau was only too happy to escape Toronto and leave Ontario Liberals to their policy deliberations. He flew off to Montreal later the same evening.

Across Canada, there was a palpable sense the next day that something extraordinary had taken place in the Ontario Room of the Royal York. And it had. Trudeaumania was born.

Canadians had caught earlier glimpses of Pierre Trudeaus nascent sex appeal, his hip sartorial style, and, of course, his commanding intellect. But in Toronto, the mass adulation of Trudeaus supporters combined for the first time with the mainstream medias willingness to cover it positively. The day after this Royal York appearance, photographs of Trudeau being warmly attentive to pretty women made the front pages of the Canadian dailies, alongside headlines like the Toronto Stars Liberals Make It a Love-in for Pierre Trudeau.

Press stories of the justice minister obliging autograph-seekers were filed. Analogies to JFK and the Beatles were made. Almost immediately, anxious journalists and broadcasters began asking themselves whether they were covering Trudeau or inventing him.

There were other, less obvious processes already at work in the burgeoning Trudeaumania phenomenon. Of these, the most influential (and enduring) were the calculated efforts of Trudeaus opponents to position him as a media-generated flash in the pan. In Quebec, his nationalist critics had fashioned a messiah myth to explain his apparently effortless ascent in federal politics. This fiction critiqued English Canadians ignorance of Quebec as much as it disparaged Trudeau. But it was a powerful narrative nonetheless, the more so for having been repeated so often  and by moderates like Claude Ryan as well as separatists like Rene Levesque.

Naturally, many English Canadians thought this critique condescending. On Feb. 9, the day Trudeau appeared at the Royal York, the Globe and Mail ran an editorial entitled Not Sudden, Not a Messiah, condemning Claude Ryan personally. It is wrong to hold that English Canadians are incapable of judging Mr. Trudeau on any grounds but his potential as a safe or messianic French Canadian, stated the Globe. The next day, Ryan conceded in Le Devoir that there was more to the Trudeau phenomenon than the search for un messie canadien-francais. But the messiah narrative stuck, and it resonates still.

Members of the English-Canadian governing elites  many of whom saw Trudeau as a dilettante and interloper  also saw his sudden popularity as a potential Achilles heel. How long can Trudeaus non-campaign continue? demanded one frustrated senior Liberal after the justice ministers Royal York appearance. Okay, okay, said another, identified as an aide to one of the declared leadership hopefuls. Lets just cool off. Hes not the new Messiah. Im fed up to the teeth with all this charisma.

Again, it fell to Canadas seasoned political commentators to challenge the aspersion that Trudeaus popularity was manufactured. Trudeaus charisma was genuine, Anthony Westell wrote after the Toronto appearance. In a sense, he is the man we would all like to be: charming, rich, talented, successful. But Trudeaumania was not an invention of backroom Svengalis or ravenous reporters, Westell insisted. While it is always hard to decide when reporting a bandwagon becomes pushing it, it does seem clear that the press and TV began to hear about Mr. Trudeau from the grassroots before they took him seriously as a possible candidate and began to promote him by publicizing him.

In short, the persistent claim that Trudeaumania was the product of superficial media processes did not arise in isolation. It was deployed actively as a strategy to undermine Trudeau even before he announced his intention to run for the Liberal leadership. That the strategy failed  in the sense that Trudeau won power in spite of this narrative  does not diminish its importance.

Trudeau knew exactly what he was up against, having spent so much of his adult life paddling against the current. Asked in mid-February about whispering campaigns from his Liberal leadership rivals, he replied with characteristic bravado. They want a fight? he said. It makes me feel like running.

Excerpt from Trudeaumania: The Rise to Power of Pierre Elliott Trudeau by Robert Wright 2016. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Whistle-blower Edward Snowden: American patriot or infamous traitor?

A high-profile campaign urging President Barack Obama to pardon Snowden launched this week, tied to Fridays theatrical release of the Oliver Stone movie focusing sympathetically on his story.

I see two outcomes from this campaign:

One, in the short-term, there is no chance this U.S. president will comply.

Two, in the long-term, history is on Snowdens side. The American people, and ultimately the American government, will conclude that their society is better off as a result of Snowdens leaks.

In 2013, the former National Security Agency contractor leaked secret documents revealing surveillance on a staggering scale. Although his leaks triggered an international debate about the appropriate limits of surveillance, Snowden himself was charged by the U.S. government with espionage. He was granted political asylum in Russia and has been living in Moscow as a fugitive.

At Wednesdays launch of the Snowden campaign, three human-rights groups released a petition signed by prominent figures from several countries, including scientists, law professors and celebrities. It urged clemency, a plea agreement or full pardon.

The campaign is being organized by the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The petitions signatories include: Daniel Ellsberg, the whistle-blower who released the Pentagon Papers in the 1970s; Bernie Sanders, the Democratic presidential runner-up to Hillary Clinton; and MIT professor of linguistics Noam Chomsky.

Appearing by video link from Moscow at the launch, Snowden said: If we are to sustain a free society through the next century, we must ensure that whistle-blowers can act again, and safely, as a check on future abuses of power.

There is no genuine possibility that Obama will intervene on Snowdens behalf. For all of its successes in other areas, the Obama administration has made a war against whistle-blowers  and the journalists who cover them  a near-irrational obsession.

However, there will be life on the planet after Obama, and public opinion will change. Last May, Eric Holder, the former U.S. Attorney General, said that Snowden performed a public service in sparking the debate about surveillance. He said Snowden should still face charges but maybe he should try to cut a deal.

The theme at the core of Snowdens leaks  our intelligence agencies running amok  is getting more and more public attention. The 2014 documentary about Snowden directed by Laura Poitras, titled Citizenfour, won the Academy Award for best documentary at the 2015 Oscars.

The theme is also being explored in Americas popular cinema, such as in the Jason Bourne series. The latest example is Oliver Stones movie Snowden, which opens this weekend. It is an ambitious effort to infuse Snowdens complicated story with tension and meaning.

Although billed as fiction, Snowden is based on actual events and sticks closely to them. In interviews, Stone acknowledged that, in a race to gain an audience, this is a gamble: There are no guns, there are no chases, theres no violence in the movie, and a typical coder at the NSA is not that interesting.

After all, in an era of Donald Trump, making things up in the hope that no one will notice is becoming more fashionable.

Take, for example, the Clint Eastwood movie Sully, the highest-grossing film released last weekend in North America. Starring Tom Hanks, the film tells the story of Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who pulled off a miracle emergency landing on New Yorks Hudson River in the winter of 2009.

The drama in the film revolves around apparent efforts by government regulators to pin the blame for the crash on the pilot. It portrays the airline regulators as callous and cruel, and depicts the pilot as their naive, heroic victim.

But that, in fact, never happened. Government regulators supported Sullenberger all the way. The movies portrayal, wildly inaccurate, was shaped to fit Eastwoods widely known, right-wing, anti-government ideology.

Dealing in that type of dishonest climate is not only Oliver Stones cinematic challenge, but it will hound Snowden as he walks down his long road to redemption.

However, like Sully, he will eventually prevail.

Tony Burman is former head of Al Jazeera English and CBC News. Reach him @TonyBurman or at tony.burman@gmail.com .

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Canadian hostage Joshua Boyle delivered his second son in the darkness, a flashlight in his mouth.

Ta-da! he writes to his parents. The astonished captors were good and brought all our post-partum needs, so he is now fat and healthy, praise God.

Boyles correspondence, delivered through intermediaries and written in his tiny, neat penmanship, gives a glimpse into his familys life in captivity.

We are trying to keep spirits high for the children and play Beautiful Life.

Boyles parents believe this is a reference to the movie in which a father protects his son from the brutalities of a Nazi concentration camp by pretending it is just a game.

The writing is depressing, yet sometimes hopeful, sad but also self-deprecating or funny. There are Stompin Tom Connors lyrics and Mother Teresa quotes, references to the International Space Station and Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Merton.

Even when its dark or bittersweet, Boyles writing has brought the family more hope than a video released two weeks ago that warned they may be killed.

Boyle, 33, and his American wife Caitlan Coleman, 31, are being held by the Taliban. They were kidnapped near Kabul during a backpacking trip through Central Asia in October 2012. Coleman was five months pregnant at the time and gave birth to their son in custody. They had a second boy in 2015, after what Boyle tells his parents was a 7  month surreptitious pregnancy.

Boyles father, Patrick, and mother, Linda, shared his writings with the Toronto Star in part because Boyle asked them to. He mentions me by name, writing in that I am among those his family can trust. He writes, Please try and speed things up, make a media storm in the West and East.

Media operates with special considerations when reporting on kidnappings, mindful that what is written could hurt negotiations or risk the hostages safety. The Boyles have always been cautious of publicity, but also want to honour their sons request. After nearly four years, they generally feel helpless and at a loss.

The video of Boyle and Coleman, uploaded directly to YouTube in August, was unlike past proof of life videos. This one contained a threat. Boyle, who appears to be reading from a script, said that if the Afghan government did not stop executing Taliban prisoners, the couple would be killed.

Afghanistans powerful Haqqani network, which has strong links and alliances with the Taliban, are skilled kidnappers and negotiators. The videos release coincided with an August 29 Afghan court decision that ruled Anas Haqqani, the son of the groups founder, would be executed for his role in helping raise funds for the network.

**

I was gambling in Havana

I took a little risk

Send lawyers, guns and money

Dad, get me out of this

 Lawyers, Guns and Money, Warren Zevon

Dad Zevon was a poser, Boyle writes to his father. Searching for meaning  and knowing their sons sense of humour  the family assumes he is making a reference to Warren Zevons song.

It is not clear what Boyle knows about any efforts for his familys release. But in the recent video, he says their lives depend on the help of the Canadian, American and Afghan governments. They will execute us, women and children included, if the policies of the Afghan government are not overturned either by the Afghan government or by Canada, somehow, or the United States.

The Haqqani network, with its close connection to the Taliban and influence both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, have been fighting alongside the Taliban to expel Americans from Afghanistan for years and hostages are part of their arsenal.

Their most high-profile kidnapping was of U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was taken after leaving his base. Bergdahl was held for five years, and freed in May 2014 in exchange for five Taliban prisoners detained in Guantanamo Bay.

Last year, a former U.S. special forces officer testified that Coleman, Boyle and one other American and a Canadian hostage were to be freed with Bergdahl but that the deal collapsed due to bureaucratic infighting.

I failed them. I exhausted all efforts and resources available to return them but I failed, U.S. Army Special Forces Lt. Col. Jason Amerine told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in June 2015.

After Bergdahls release, USAID worker Warren Weinstein was accidentally killed by an American drone strike. Canadian hostage, Colin Rutherford, was freed in January, although details of his release are not known. Ottawa has only said that Qatar was involved in securing his freedom. The Taliban say it was a humanitarian gesture.

**

He was very odd.

Linda Boyle is sitting in her dining room, her sons correspondence, along with cheese and crackers, spread out on the table. She is trying to explain her eldest son, Josh, and why he would decide to backpack in Afghanistan  a question often asked since the kidnapping became public in December 2012.

Boyle and Coleman clearly did not appreciate the danger. Their families  while emphasizing the couples idealism  do not dispute their naivete.

Linda Boyle uses the past tense when she talks about Josh  not because she has given up hope  but because she thinks he will return a different man. He was a very, very proud person, which was definitely his biggest failing, and he knew it, she says. He had such high standards for everybody, but for himself, the highest standards of all.

None of that pride and self-assurance is obvious in the videos or his writings.

Patrick believes his son would accept his mothers characterization of him as odd. He notes that Josh tells him to read Robert Services poem, The Men That Dont Fit In.

Theres a race of men that dont fit in,

A race that cant stay still;

So they break the hearts of kith and kin,

And they roam the world at will.

I met Joshua Boyle while reporting on Omar Khadr, who was then held at Guantanamo Bay. Boyle had married Khadrs sister, Zaynab, after volunteering to be a family spokesperson. The marriage ended in 2010, after just a year. U.S. officials discount any link between the previous family tie and his capture, the Associated Press reported.

We kept in touch because Boyle was incredibly bright and fascinating. We would go for coffee, or he would email me from his travels, encouraging me to keep covering Guantanamo  praising and criticizing my writing, sometimes in the same paragraph. Classic Josh, his mother says when I show them the emails.

But I have come to know Boyle much better during his captivity through the stories of his friends and family.

Boyle, the second of five children, attended a Mennonite school but was active in his youth with both his mothers Anglican church and his fathers Catholic faith. His father is a federal tax judge, his mother, a consummate homemaker.

In 2011, Boyle married Coleman, a longtime friend who he met online as a teenager through their mutual love of Star Wars.

Thats also how he met his friend Alex Edwards, who wrote in a blog after Boyle was kidnapped: He was charismatic, principled, and passionate about his causes, whether they were political, intellectual, or personal  He had a deep insight into human nature, and a knack for finding loopholes. Theres nothing he loved more than standing up for what he believed in, especially if it gave him a chance to thumb his nose at authority.

Boyle and Coleman spent six months backpacking through Central America after they were married, visiting remote villages, staying with local families, craving an authentic experience. The plan had been to then travel through Russia and Central Asia before settling in New Brunswick, where Boyle had bought a home.

They flew to Moscow from New York on July 4, 2012, and hiked through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Postcards home chronicle their travels.

But  without telling their families  they went to Afghanistan. On Oct. 8, Boyle sent an email from an Internet cafe. The last withdrawal from their bank account was made Oct. 9 in Kabul. They had return plane tickets for December 2012.

Richard Cronin, a backpacker who met Boyle and Coleman in Kyrgyzstan, wrote on his blog that Boyle had been so passionate about Afghanistan that he convinced Cronin to go as well. We started talking about Lawrence of Arabia and the explorer Richard Burton. (Boyle) asked me if I admired these explorers. Of course I did, Cronin writes.

He then gave other reasons for travelling to Afghanistan: Whens the next time you will be in Central Asia? And chiefly; the window is closing and the security situation will only deteriorate when the American troops leave.

Cronin, a British citizen, crossed into Afghanistan with an American friend who spoke Dari before Boyle and Coleman, but the couples had exchanged numbers, hoping to meet up again. It wasnt until November, after having the adventure Boyle had promised, and they were staying at a Kabul guest house with an Internet connection that they realized their friends were missing.

They were summoned to the American embassy the next day and were interviewed by the FBI. Our adventure had suddenly turned serious; dangers that had been brushed aside now seemed real and immediate, Cronin writes. We wanted to leave Afghanistan as soon as Eid finished and we could get a taxi to take us to the border.

They waited for Boyle and Coleman back at the Kyrgyzstan guest house until their visas ran out, hoping they would return.

Cronin wrote me in an email this week: I hope Josh and his family get out safely. I have some questions Id really like to ask them. Im sure you do too.

**

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything thats in it,

And  which is more  youll be a Man, my son!

 If, Rudyard Kipling

Dad, know now that Ive long surpassed Kiplings 60 seconds. And Ive learned from your mistakes and mine, the proper focus in life, Boyle wrote.

It is difficult for Patrick Boyle to read this passage. The Boyles have spent four years trying to envision the couples life in captivity, but they also worry about the fate of their two grandchildren, whom they have never seen.

Linda has knitted the boys sweaters, socks and blankets. They have prepared rooms in anticipation of their release. Patrick wrote a letter to his son in August that he hopes might be delivered soon: You and Cait sound like amazing parents, holding up each other and your boys, and protecting them from their horrible reality. I could only hope I would be able to do that in similar circumstances.

Boyle writes of how the boys are being educated and boasts that his four-year-old knows about 100 words in both Latin and Arabic and has mastered sign language. He can do timetables up to 5x5 and also likes to play ISS with blankets.

ISS? His parents have to laugh its so Josh. ISS stands for International Space Station.

Boyle asks one of his sisters to send non-fiction childrens books and bead-and-wire toys. One of the guards is quite amicable, especially toward the children, he writes. Past attempts to send care packages were unsuccessful.

His sign-off probably confused his captors, as it did the FBI.

It is from Stompin Tom Connors song Don Valley Jail, a favourite of Patricks that would loop endlessly from the tape deck during the family road trips.

I still love you, little darlin, Boyle writes

Ill be waiting for your mail.

Michelle Shephard is the Stars National Security correspondent. Follow her on Twitter @shephardm.

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PARISA terminally ill minor has been helped to die in Belgium for the first time since the country did away with age restrictions on euthanasia two years ago, according to the senator who wrote the law.

Liberal Senator Jean-Jacques De Gucht confirmed the death of the sick juvenile to The Associated Press Saturday.

He said the minor was from Belgiums Flemish region, but declined to provide any further details about the patient to protect the privacy of the grieving family.

Belgium is the only country that allows minors of any age assistance in dying, De Gucht said. In Holland, the lower age limit for euthanasia is 12 years.

Its terrible when a youngster suffers, but it gives me some comfort to know that now there is a choice out there for children in the final terminal stages, De Gucht said. Its important that society doesnt neglect people in such pain.

The Belgian law has very strict rules for the euthanasia to be approved. It requires the minor to be in the final stages of a terminal illness, to understand the difference between life and death rationally and to have asked to end his or her life on repeated occasions. It also requires parental consent and finally the approval of two doctors, including a psychiatrist.

The law  one of the most far-reaching in the Western world  had wide public support when it was introduced in 2014, but was opposed by some pediatricians and the countrys Roman Catholic clergy.

Catholic teaching forbids euthanasia and the president of the Italian bishops conference on Saturday described the news of the euthanasia of a child as painful and worrisome.

It pains us as Christians but it also pains us as persons, Genoa Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco told Italian news agency ANSA.

As House of Representative members in Belgium cast their ballots in 2014 and an electronic tally board lit up with enough green lights to indicate the measure would carry, a lone protester in the chamber shouted assassins!

Socialist Hans Bonte at the time said no member of the House hoped the law would ever be used. But he said all Belgians, including minors, deserved the right to bid farewell to life in humane circumstances without having to fear they were breaking the law.

Some have questioned whether children should be allowed to make the choice between life and death. In 2014, a group of doctors  including pediatricians  signed a group letter to voice opposition to the measure.

A lot of people  in whatever profession  still have a problem coping with the idea that people can choose when they end their own life, De Gucht said.

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MANILA, PHILIPPINESAbu Sayyaf extremists on Saturday freed a Norwegian man kidnapped a year ago in the southern Philippines with two Canadians who were later beheaded and a Filipino woman who has been released by the ransom-seeking militants, officials said.

Kjartan Sekkingstad was freed in Patikul town in Sulu province and was eventually secured by rebels from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which has signed a peace deal with the government and helped negotiate his release, Philippine government officials said.

Sekkingstad, held in jungle captivity since being kidnapped last September, was to stay overnight at the house of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari in Sulu and then meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, said Jesus Dureza, who advises Duterte on peace talks with insurgent groups.

A plan to fly the freed hostage out of Sulu, a jungle-clad Muslim region about 950 kilometres (590 miles) south of Manila, was scrapped Saturday because of bad weather, Dureza said.

Dureza said that when he spoke on the phone with Sekkingstad, the Norwegian expressed his gratitude to Duterte.

It was not immediately clear whether Sekkingstad had been ransomed off. Duterte suggested in a news conference last month that 50 million pesos ($1 million U.S.) had been paid to the militants, but that they continued to hold on to him. The military said Saturday that relentless assaults forced the extremists to release the hostage.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende confirmed Sekkingstads release and said he was in contact with Dureza. Borge said he was told that Sekkingstad would be likely handed over to the Philippine authorities on Sunday.

We are following the situation closely and are now working together with the Philippine authorities to bring Sekkingstad to safety, Brende said in a statement. We continue to work on it and we will not rejoice before Sekkingstad is safe and sound with the Philippine authorities.

Sekkingstad fell ill while in captivity, according to an army officer who helped monitor the kidnapping.

Under the intense pressure of focused military operations, the terrorist kidnap-for-ransom Abu Sayyaf group was constrained to release Sekkingstad, as holding him under custody slows down their continued movement, said military spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo.

Military chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya warned the militants to release their other captives, including a Dutch birdwatcher and Indonesian and Malaysian tugboat crewmen, or suffer annihilation.

While Duterte has pursued peace talks with Misuaris group and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, he has ordered the military to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, a smaller but more brutal band that the president says aims to establish an Islamic state or caliphate.

They are no longer hungry for autonomy. They are hungry for a fight to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia, Duterte told troops on Saturday, although his predecessors have regarded the militants as a loose collective of bandits.

Sekkingstad was kidnapped from a marina on southern Samal Island on Sept. 21, 2015, with Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall and Halls Filipino girlfriend, Marites Flor, sparking a massive land and sea search by Philippine forces.

The Abu Sayyaf demanded a huge ransom for the release of the foreigners, and released videos in which they threatened the captives in a lush jungle clearing where they displayed Daesh-style black flags.

Ridsdel was beheaded in April and Hall was decapitated in June after ransom deadlines lapsed. When Flor was freed in June, she recounted in horror how the militants rejoiced while watching the beheadings.

Its so painful because I saw them moments before they got beheaded, Flor told reporters in June in southern Davao city, where she was flown to meet then President-elect Duterte.

They were watching it and they were happy, she said of the militants, adding that she did not witness the killings.

Government forces launched a major offensive against the Abu Sayyaf after the beheadings of the Canadians sparked condemnations from then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called on other nations not to pay ransoms if their citizens are abducted to discourage the brutal militants from carrying out more kidnappings.

The Abu Sayyaf has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the Philippines for deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. Without any known foreign funding, the extremists have relied on ransom kidnappings, extortion and other acts of banditry, and some commanders have pledged loyalty to the Daesh group partly in the hope of obtaining funds.

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General Electric (GE) is set to be the first beneficiary of EDF's (ECIFY) Hinkley Point nuclear power station in the U.K. Approved by the U.K. government yesterday, Hinkley Point will be the first nuclear plant built in the country in 20 years.

General Electric today said it received approval from for a $1.9 billion contract to provide the power station with two conventional power islands. The power islands include a steam turbine, generator and other critical equipment.

GE acquired the technology last year through its purchase of Alstom.

The Hinkley Point power station is a part of a push by the U.K. government to provide cleaner energy. Nuclear energy provides CO2-free energy and when it is completed Hinkley is expected to deliver around 7% of the U.K. power generation.

Andreas Lusch, President and CEO of GE's Steam Power Systems said in a statement, "Producing power that meets today's greenhouse gas emission standards is a top priority."

GE shares were down 0.5% in pre-market trading on Friday at $29.60.

Hinkley Point has proved to be controversial. Not only it is the first nuclear power station built in the U.K. in 20 years, it is also the first major infrastructure project given the go ahead since the U.K. voted to leave the European Union.

The 18 billion ($24 billion) project is two-thirds owned by EDF and one-third owned by China's state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp. Chinese ownership was thought to have been a sticking point for the U.K. government.

EDF's board at the end of July approved the project, but not without casualty. Both the CFO and a board member are rumored to have left the French state-owned energy company over approval of the project.

After the long-awaited approval, the U.K.'s new prime minister said she would need more time to consider the project. A move that was considered by many as a slap in the face to both EDF and the Chinese.

Yesterday, the government finally approved the deal, but with restrictions. "The government will be able to prevent the sale of EDF's controlling stake prior to the completion of construction, without the prior notification and agreement of ministers," said the U.K.'s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. "There will be reforms to the government's approach to the ownership and control of critical infrastructure to ensure that the full implications of foreign ownership are scrutinized for the purposes of national security."

EDF said Thursday it was "delighted by the British government's decision."

It was a sentiment that wasn't shared by either investors or analysts. EDF's shares were recently down 1.68% amid a wider European selloff.

Credit rating agency Moody's Investor Services met news of the project's approval with little enthusiasm. "The Hinkley Point project's significant scale and complexity are likely to affect both EDF's business and financial risk profiles as the group's balance sheet will have to shoulder the financial implications of a very long construction phase during which the investment will not generate any cash flow," noted Moody's senior credit officer Paul Marty.

Paul Whitfield contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Oil prices fell by 2% on Friday.

The retreating oil prices are partially a result of talk that Libya's crude supplies are picking up after a period of decreased output, Fox Business' Phil Flynn said on "After the Bell" on Friday afternoon.

"I don't know if we believe it, but we don't know who we're going to pay because we don't know who's in charge of Libya right now. But that put downward pressure [on prices]," Flynn reported.

In addition, the consumer price index "came in hotter than expected" earlier today, Flynn said. A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive to foreign investors, which puts "downward pressure" on the commodity, he explained.

Separately, the East Coast is in "dire concerns" about a shortage of gasoline, he said. Alabama and Georgia have even declared a state of emergency and lifted EPA regulations to help lift gasoline supplies.

The gasoline shortage is a result of the closure of the Colonial Pipeline after a leak was found on it, Flynn reported. Adding to concerns, the pipe's restart date was delayed by over a week.

"It serves about 500,000 people in the eastern states right now. There's a lot of concerns that they are not going to be able to meet demand for these products so there's some panic buying going on in the East Coast right now," he said.
KKR & Co. LLP (KKR) -backed Arbor Pharmaceuticals LLC and Purdue Pharmaceutical Products LP could be among interested buyers as DepoMed Inc.undefined hits the block after resisting a hostile takeover.

Although the pharmaceutical firm that rebuffed takeover attempts by Horizon Pharma plc (HZNP) just last year and is now exploring a sale has solid growth prospects, its main pain medication drug, an opioid known as Nucynta, accounts for more than 60% of its sales and is subject to both a patent dispute and closer regulatory oversight.

The move to put itself up for bids, which Reuters broke late Thursday, comes in response to activist investor Starboard Value LP's Jeff Smith deal-related agitations at the company. Starboard disclosed a 6.8% activist stake at DepoMed in April, shortly after it had defeated the hostile bid by Horizon Pharmaceuticals.

Starboard said Monday it delivered a letter to the board of Depomed seeking a special shareholder meeting for Nov. 15. The company, which has a 9.8% stake in Depomed, said Depomed needs to replace its board. Starboard faced a Friday deadline to call a special shareholder meeting.

"Starboard has made it perfectly clear that if they get control of the company, they're more likely to sell it," analyst Chiara Russo of Cantor Fitzgerald said in an interview.

The activist fund challenged the company on its plans to shift its legal domicile from California to Delaware. The re-incorporation move would have allowed DepoMed to prohibit shareholders from calling a special shareholder meeting to elect dissident directors, but the pharmaceutical company cancelled the reincorporation plan in April.

After that, Starboard, a prolific employer of proxy fights to elect directors at annual and special meetings, launched efforts to call a special shareholder meeting to replace the entire board of directors with its dissident slate of nominees.

Most recently, in July, Starboard announced it had appointed two pharmaceutical executives as advisers. Starboard often hires advisers who provide sector expertise about the target company's industry. The advisers are potential candidates to become dissident director candidates for the activist fund.

And DepoMed is not the only drug company Starboard has targeted after it rejected an unsolicited bid. The activist fund is in the midst of a campaign it launched at Perrigo Co. (PRGO) earlier this month that came after the drug company fought back a hostile bid from generics giant Mylan Inc. (MYL) last year.

"Depo being bought has been talked about ad nauseum since Starboard came into the picture," Russo said. "Every name has been thrown out there as a buyer."

Much depends on a patent dispute in the United States District Court of New Jersey over Nucynta, which will be decided by the end of this month. Whether or not the company is an attractive target hinges on this lawsuit, analysts say, as does a fair purchase price.

As long as its patent suit is cleared up, DepoMed is likely to be an attractive target. Although it's rare in the pharmaceutical space for a mid-cap company to have products both in development and for sale, the company is obviously heavily dependent on Nucynta.

"It's difficult to find a surviving billion dollar drug company that's doing it on their own with multiple products," Russo said.

DepoMed, which is based in Newark, Calif., focuses on drugs for pain and the central nervous system. Besides chronic pain drug Nucynta, the company markets post-shingles pain drug Gralise, migraine relief medication Cambia, nasal spray for cancer pain Lazanda and arthritis pain medication Zipsor. It also has several drugs in development.

But given DepoMed's dependence on Nucynta, which it acquired in Jan. 2015, it might be better off as part of a company with a more diverse portfolio.

According to analyst Ken Trbovich of Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, DepoMed would fit especially well into Arbor Pharmaceuticals. Trbovich said he has a hunch that Arbor made a bid for DepoMed in the 2015 auction process. Arbor could not be reached to confirm this.

"They couldn't justify the premium because of the unresolved nature of patent filings," Trbovich said of the 2015 auction in an interview. "Timing wise it would make sense that they would have an interest in the company at this point, given the Sept. 30 deadline."

Another potential buyer tossed around by analysts is Purdue Pharmaceutical Products. The company has pending patent litigation against DepoMed over another of it's drugs that could easily be cleared up if it decided to buy DepoMed, both analysts noted.

"From our point of view there's a reason why strategically Purdue would have an interest," Trbovich said in an interview. "Nucynta gives them an opportunity to have a second product in the [oxytocin] category."

Russo said that she didn't think another bid from Horizon was likely, thanks mostly to the company's recent $800 million all-cash acquisition of Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. (RPTP) , which was announced last week.

Endo Pharmaceuticals plc (ENDP) was another name tossed around, although Russo said the company has recently refocused, pledging to focus on organic growth, and likely won't be looking to do more deals soon.

According to Trbovich, a purchase price of $28 per share, or $31.3 million based on shares outstanding, is likely for DepoMed.

Russo said the price could go up to $41.4 million, or $37 per share under certain circumstances, although she conceded that this price was likely a bit high.

According to Trbovich, the FDA has indicated that it may create financial incentives to promote abuse deterrent opioids, which are competitors to DepoMed's drugs. The FDA may also try to have those that are non-abuse deterrent removed from the market, Trbovich noted.

DepoMed closed Friday trading at $24.34 per share, up 14.6% from market's open. Shares ticked up 16 cents Monday.

EDITORS' NOTE: This article has updated to reflect Starboard's statements Monday.
KVERT reported that a Strombolian eruption at Klyuchevskoy continued during 9-16 September. Volcanic bombs that were ejected above the summit crater and the cinder cone landed in the Apakhonchich drainage on the E flank. A lava flow traveled down the Apakhonchich drainage and also down the SW flank. ...

Background:

Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. Kliuchevskoi rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred at Kliuchevskoi during the past roughly 3000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m elevation. The morphology of its 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included numerous major explosive and effusive eruptions from flank craters.

---

Source: Klyuchevsky information by the GVP (Smithsonian Institution)
In this era of political division, the annual Library of Congress National Book Festival couldnt come at a better time. For one day, at least, well all be unified by our love of great books.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, tens of thousands of eager readers will fill the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to hear more than 120 of their favorite authors. Presided over by the newly sworn-in Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, the 16th annual festival is all free, fun and fantastic.

The Washington Post is a charter sponsor of the festival, and this special issue of Book World contains everything you need to plan your visit  and with all the riches on offer, a little planning is a good idea. The convention doors open at 8:30 a.m., and the activities run until 10 p.m. (Please note that all guests will be subject to bag searches  only one bag per guest  so leave plenty of time for this years extra security measures.) You cant bring in food, but youll find plenty of food vendors in the Convention Center and restaurants nearby.

No matter what your interests  fiction, science, food, history or politics  youre in for a booklovers paradise. And with lots of special activities for children and teens, this is truly a festival for the whole family.

 Ron Charles, Editor

Book World

Address: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW, Washington, DC 20001

Metro: Yellow/Green line: Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center

All information is as of Sept. 15. For updates, go to loc.gov/bookfest.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Marvin Joseph)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The basketball legend and author will be in conversation with Kevin Merida, editor in chief of ESPNs The Undefeated. Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time NBA most valuable player, has just published Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White. Discussion , 12:30-1:30. Signing at 2.

Shonda Rhimes

The TV producer and writer of Greys Anatomy and Scandal will talk about her book Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person. She will be in conversation with David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-chief executive of the Carlyle Group and co-chairman of the National Book Festival. Discussion, 2-3.

Salman Rushdie

The author of such works as Midnights Children,  The Satanic Verses  and, most recently, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights  will discuss his books and writing life with Bilal Qureshi from NPR. Discussion, 7-8. S igning at 5:30.

Rep. John Lewis

The congressman, civil rights activist and author will talk about his graphic memoir series  March. Lewis and co-author Andrew Aydin will be in conversation with Michael Cavna, creator of the Comic Riffs column for The Washington Post. Discussion, 5:10-5:50. Signing at 6:30.

Winston Groom and Colson Whitehead

Forrest Gump author Winston Groom, whose new book is the Western saga El Paso, and Colson Whitehead, author most recently of Underground Railroad, will discuss historical fiction with Audie Cornish from NPR. Discussion, 11:40-12:30. Both authors signing at 1:30.

Marilynne Robinson (Alec Soth/Magnum Photos)

Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction : Marilynne Robinson

Marilynne Robinson will receive the 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction and discuss her career with Marie Arana from the Library of Congress. Robinson is the author of four novels, including Gilead, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2005. Her most recent novel is Lila. Award and discussion, 10-10:40. Signing at 11:30.

Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter S. Onuf will discuss Thomas Jefferson in a panel moderated by Melissa Block from NPR. Gordon-Reed, a professor at Harvard, received a Pulitzer Prize for The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. Onuf is a professor emeritus at the University of Virginia and a co-host of the radio show BackStory With the American History Guys. Gordon-Reed and he wrote  Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination. Discussion, 7-7:45. Both authors signing at 5.

Mary Roach s books include Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and her latest, Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War. She will be in conversation with Tim Smith from The Washington Post Book World. Discussion, 1-1:45. Signing at 2:30.

Italian Kitchen: Alessandro Frassica and Victor Hazan Panel

Alessandro Frassica presents Veggie Panino and Victor Hazan presents Ingredienti: Marcellas Guide to the Market in a panel discussion on the Italian kitchen with Guy Lamolinara, co-director of the National Book Festival and communications officer for the Library of Congress Center for the Book. Discussion, 5-5:45. Both authors signing at 2:30.

Two politicians talk fiction: Newt Gingrich and Steve Israel

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and current Rep. Steve Israel will discuss writing fiction with a political background in a conversation with Colleen Shogan of the Library of Congress. Gingrichs new thriller is Treason. Israels new novel is The Global War on Morris. Discussion, 1:30-2:20. Both authors signing at 3:30.

Take the family

An array of childrens events will take place on the lower level of the Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be story times, face painting and crafts, and families can meet Maisy Mouse, watch a Little Free Library being built and visit the Pavilion of the States to learn about the literary heritage of each state. Among the popular childrens and young-adult authors giving presentations on stages throughout the day are Herve Tullet, Kwame Alexander and Lois Lowry.

Youth Poetry Slam

Champion delegates from some of the nations top youth slam groups will compete to be named top youth slammer by performing new works on books and reading. 7:30-9

Where to buy books

On the expo floor, Politics & Prose Bookstore will be selling books (including some pre-signed editions) by festival authors.
Director Jack Hofsiss, left, at the 1979 Tony Award ceremony with composer Richard Rodgers, center, and producer-director Hal Prince, right. (Richard Drew/AP)

Jack Hofsiss, a director who won a Tony Award in his first outing on Broadway for The Elephant Man and who kept working despite an accident that left him without the use of his arms and legs, died Sept. 13 at his home in Manhattan. He was 65.

Hofsiss died after recently being hospitalized for respiratory distress, said producer and longtime friend Elizabeth McCann.

Mr. Hofsiss also directed several TV films, including a 1982 adaptation of The Elephant Man, a version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Jessica Lange, and The Oldest Living Graduate with Henry Fonda.

He was best known for shepherding The Elephant Man to Broadway from off-Broadway in 1979. At 28, he became the youngest person to win a Tony Award for best direction. He also won the Drama Desk Award.

The play was based on the actual case history of Joseph Merrick, a Victorian-era freak-show outcast whom a London surgeon, Frederick Treves, protected and encouraged. Philip Anglim portrayed Merrick, referred to as John in the play, without the aid of makeup or special costuming.

Director Jack Hofsiss in 1997. (Stan Honda/For The Washington Post)

McCann, who produced the play, called Mr. Hofsiss a gregarious and witty man and said she considered him the smartest director she ever worked with.

His career was interrupted on July 20, 1985, when he dived into the shallow end of a Fire Island swimming pool and broke his neck. He ended up in hospitals for nearly eight months.

You spend a lot of time figuring out how you might get rid of yourself. Suicide becomes a very strong possibility. A release, he told the Associated Press in 1986. I never got to the methodology, though. I only got as far as the fantasy.

The support of his family, his show business colleagues and the offer of a job helped Mr. Hofsiss adjust. The job offer from Josephine Abady, artistic director of the Berkshire Theater Festival, was to direct Philip Barrys Paris Bound.

The accident made Mr. Hofsiss confront his physical limitations as a director.

Not being able to jump up and get in the middle of things forced me to be more articulate, he said. Now I have an assistant who jumps up and shoves people around instead of me.

His disability didnt stop him, McCann said. He went every place he could. He went to the theater all the time.

John Bernard Hofsiss was born Sept. 28, 1950, in Brooklyn. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1971 and then moved to New York. He parlayed a job in the casting department at the New York Shakespeare Festival into several directing assignments, including work at the Public Theater, the New York City Opera and the television soap opera Another World.

He made his movie-directing debut in 1982 with Im Dancing as Fast as I Can, which starred Jill Clayburgh.

After the accident, Mr. Hofsiss directed The Shadow Box on Broadway in 1994, starring Estelle Parsons and Mercedes Ruehl, and such off-Broadway productions as James Joyces The Dead in 1999, Surviving Grace in 2002 and Confessions of a Mormon Boy in 2006.

Mr. Hofsiss also served as a Tony Award nominator and on the board of directors of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, which advocates for artists with disabilities and artists of color.

Survivors include three sisters.

 Associated Press
I try to, but I cant control the world, Edward Albee once said. He was being modest  and uncharacteristically so. Because in the world of his creation, a world in which the stage churned with resentment and bubbled with anxiety and simmered in ambiguity, Albee was consummately in control.

A maestro of linguistic control of international caliber, to be sure, on a par with his fellows in the pantheons of modernism and absurdism, Irelands Samuel Beckett and Britains Harold Pinter. Both of those giants were awarded Nobel Prizes for literature, and how Albee eluded the Nobel Committees similar approbation is a puzzlement that leaves, in the wake of his death on Friday at the age of 88, a lamentable missing passage on an extraordinary resume.

[Edward Albee, Pulitzer-winning playwright of modern masterpieces, dies at 88]

There were loads of other awards  enough Tonys and Pulitzers to fill a trophy case  and for the period after the deaths of Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and August Wilson, the unchallengeable distinction of being Americas greatest living playwright. That title, alas, flickers with less radiance now than at previous moments in the countrys cultural history. But Albees talent, like that of these other remarkable dramatists, could stand up to such a hyperbolic designation. And Albee, who like them was a dyed-in-the-wool theater man with no small appreciation for his own powers, would have been the first to agree.

At his death, we are left to wonder when next  if ever  will emerge another playwright of such sustained achievement and breathtaking consequence.

Over a career that spanned seven decades, he wrote masterpieces and little pieces, continuing to do so into old age. He won his last major competitive prize, a Tony, at the advanced age of 74  for The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? a play as prickly and peculiar and outrageous as any in his canon: the story of a world-class architect who confesses to his family, and the world, that he has fallen passionately in love with a goat. The play, produced on Broadway in 2002 and at Arena Stage three years later, had a premise so laughable it might have been smothered in a cradle of derision. Instead, it spoke to us, touchingly, about love and its absence, about the heart and its inscrutable chambers, about secrets harbored in the intimacy of marriage.

It was hilarious, too, owing to one of the surest tricks up Albees sleeve: comic evisceration. If the pregnant pause was Pinters calling card, Albees was venom. In the play that guarantees him immortality  1962s Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?  the titanic clash between George, the milquetoast college professor, and his embittered wife, Martha, Albee invented whole new depths for stage combat of the verbal variety. Their cascade of lacerating put-downs  which will be heard again this winter, in a revival at Fords Theatre directed by Aaron Posner  has passed into legend and echoed in pitched marital battles on stages ever since.

Indeed, Albee milled his language so meticulously as theatrical conversation that it comes as no surprise that so little of his work drew major Hollywood interest, aside from the 1966 film version of Virginia Woolf directed by Mike Nichols. The movie won five Oscars, including those for Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis who played, respectively, Martha and Honey, the latter an intimidated young house guest toyed with, along with her husband, Nick, by George and Martha.

Such has been the influence of Virginia Woolf that its impossible today to imagine characters dreamed up by a slew of gifted dramatists who followed, from Tony Kushner to Tracy Letts, having such colorful mouths on them, without the models Albee supplied.

Albees childhood in the New York suburbs was deeply unhappy, a boyhood in a home with parents he found domineering or unavailable. Of course that scarring imposed itself on his art, contributing to a jaundiced view of family life and a propensity to abstract the bonds of social interaction. The leading characters in some other significant plays, identified merely by single letters (such as in 1991s Three Tall Women) or generically as Man and Woman (1998s The Play About the Baby), underline the distancing that goes on in his work that is sometimes interpreted as a tendency toward extreme opacity. But a late allegorical drama such as The Play About the Baby represents, for me, Albees clear-eyed worldview, in its dramatization of an urbane older couple attempting the daunting task of unloading the burden of their knowledge of life on a couple starting out.

The sense of loneliness in a toxic world that one detects again and again in Albees plays gets its most compelling manifestation in his other unqualified masterpiece, the chilling A Delicate Balance from 1966. A dramedy of the inarticulate fears marinating in the martini glasses of the elite, this reviewer called it, after a seating at a splendid revival at Arena in 2009. In one of the great metaphors theater has come up with for the existential angst of modern American life, a well-heeled suburban couple show up, uninvited, at the home of their equally affluent friends, asking if they can move in. Theyre just too afraid, they say, to live in their own house anymore.

The threads of Albees greatness all come together in A Delicate Balance: the withering comic jabs, the touches of absurdity, the idea of terrors that lurk just beyond the cocoons of our illusions. If we dont have him anymore, were fortunate to still have this, and all of the wisdom of the drama hes bequeathed.
A black female student at American University reported that a banana was thrown at her through her dorm room door earlier this month, and the school is investigating two white male freshmen in connection with the incident.

Black students say the incident, which happened at about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 8 in the Anderson dormitory, was one in a series that has sparked racial tensions on the District campus. Another black student on the same floor of the dorm found a rotten banana outside her door the same night; she also found an obscene drawing on the whiteboard attached to her door.

The reports have sparked outrage on campus and prompted a call from the Black Student Alliance, an umbrella organization for black groups on campus, to suspend the students who were involved. A protest is scheduled at the university for Monday.

Neah Gray, the freshman who found a banana outside her door, said Friday that she was offended. I wouldnt let people drive me out, but its kind of sad that this kind of thing still happens, said Gray, of Brooklyn.

The university released a statement Friday saying that an investigation is proceeding through the student conduct process and that it condemns discrimination and discriminatory harassment. It did not identify the students.

We understand that members of our community feel hurt by an incident that happened in a residence hall and separate allegations of racially biased behavior, the statement said. A university spokeswoman also emphasized that the school has a firm commitment to broadening diversity and understanding, pointing to a newly created Presidents Council on Diversity and Inclusion that plans to meet for the first time soon.

Such incidents on the nations college campuses in the past year have led to widespread outrage, protest and, in some cases, removal of campus leaders. Some schools have pledged to examine how to improve the college experience for minority students, while others have removed statues, murals and facility names that honor slaveholders and segregationists.

Some students at AU, a private university of more than 13,000 students in Northwest Washington, say there have been racial tensions on campus for some time, including similar hate messages aimed at minorities.

In the real world, this would be a hate crime and an assault, Maat Sargeant, an AU sophomore and the president of the Black Student Alliance, said of the banana incident. This kind of thing has been happening at AU for years. Last year, people wrote the n-word on black students doors and put up Trump stickers on the doors of Hispanic students. This is not just a one-time thing.

Devontae Torriente, the AU student body president, said that students of color sometimes feel unwelcome and that the dorm incidents reinforce that discomfort.

Its completely unacceptable that this happened, said Torriente, a junior who is black. I think it does fit into a larger pattern of students of color, specifically black students, feeling unsafe and excluded from the campus community.

Torriente said that he believes the administration has been trying to take steps to address prejudice and racial harassment but that the problem needs to be understood in a larger context.

Its hard to tackle solving a problem on our campus when its such a pervasive national issue, as well, he said. We cant solve the nations problem here at AU. But I think the school is headed in the right direction in figuring out what those next steps need to be.

Sargeant wants the administration to be more responsive and aggressive in dealing with racism. This latest incident, she says, has wounded students of color.

You come into this institution that promotes diversity, and then this happens to you, she said. The individuals are hurt, and the community as a whole is hurt. And were sick of it.
George Washington University opened "The Store" inside a new dorm on campus this fall. The food pantry is for students in need of free food, an issue being addressed at more and more colleges. (Jayne Orenstein/The Washington Post)

George Washington University opened "The Store" inside a new dorm on campus this fall. The food pantry is for students in need of free food, an issue being addressed at more and more colleges. (Jayne Orenstein/The Washington Post)

George Washington University has for years pushed back against the notion that it is a pricey school for rich kids. The school grew its financial aid and ditched a requirement for applicants to submit admission test scores  measures intended to underscore a desire to recruit students from all levels of family income.

Now comes more evidence of economic diversity at GWU: The university is opening a food pantry to help students who are hungry and low on funds obtain free food, seven days a week, no questions asked.

The Store, as GWU calls it, is part of a growing national movement to combat hunger among college students. Advocates say hundreds of campus pantries are distributing free food around the country, a total that has risen significantly in five years.

A lot of schools are asking the question, Do we have food-insecure students?  said Clare Cady, co-founder of the College and University Food Bank Alliance. But she said that sometimes image, risk and politics prevent schools from taking action.

The alliance has 361 members, up from 15 in 2011 and 160 in 2014. Nearly all have active campus pantries. Among its members are Howard and Trinity Washington universities in the District, George Mason University in Northern Virginia and the University of Maryland at College Park.

[More college students battle hunger as education and living costs rise]

GWUs pantry in the District is scheduled to formally open Oct. 1, but it has quietly begun serving students in recent days in a room in the basement of a residence hall between H and I streets NW known as District House. As of Thursday, 21 students had registered interest in using the service. One who did come for food left a note on a brown paper bag:

I just want to say thank you, the note said. I walked in and I felt terrified. I cried at how many options there are, and how much people must care to do this. Bless you all.

Emily Harrison, 20, a junior from Anoka, Minn., said Thursday that she plans to volunteer at the pantry and that she might use it herself from time to time. Food insecurity, she said, is a topic Im passionate about. Harrison said that she helped start a food bank at her high school and that she believes there is need at GWU too. Maybe more than we think, she said.

[Floridas flagship university opens a food pantry]

Justin Archangel, 21, a senior from Moraga, Calif., also plans to volunteer. He said he sympathizes with students in need because when he was applying to college both of his parents lost their jobs.

We were in a tough spot, he said, noting that even though GWU is sometimes stereotyped as a rich kids school, many on campus are not wealthy. I wouldnt be here without scholarships.

At GWU, full tuition, fees, and room and board total about $64,000 a year. Many students get grants and scholarships to reduce the price  a discount worth, on average, more than $27,000 a year. But they also must juggle living expenses and weigh whether and how much to borrow to pay their bills. Those challenges arent unique to GWU. They are found at all levels of higher education, from community colleges to the Ivy League.

[For the poor in the Ivy League, a full ride isnt always what they imagined]

When their meal funds run low, as sometimes happens, students scrimp on food. A survey in April of undergraduate and graduate students at GWU found 43 percent of respondents said they at some point had experienced not having enough to eat, and 52 percent said they were aware of others who were going hungry.

GWU officials, aware of the problem, said they began talking about a pantry in February. Tim Miller, associate dean of students, said the Store will be open to any member of the GWU community  students and staff  who registers through a private online portal.

Unlike many other pantries with limited hours, the one at GWU plans to be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Those who want to take advantage of the service will use an identification card to enter the room, pick up a paper bag, fill it with what they need and leave. The room will run on the honor system, without any staff or volunteers present. Officials hope the hands-off approach will reduce any stigma that might prevent those in need from showing up.

Its about faith and trust, Miller said.

The Store will close from noon to 2 p.m. daily while volunteers stock the shelves.

The first batch of food was brought in recently from the universitys food service. Shelves were loaded with pasta, rice, spices, coffee, tea, jam, peanut butter, granola bars, cereal, juice, canned vegetables, pancake mix and other staples. There also were bags of potato chips and marshmallows, bottles of hot sauce and an array of pots, pans, plates and mugs.

Miller said the operation is entirely funded by donors, at a modest cost. The annual expense will be perhaps $5,000 to $10,000 at most, depending on how much the facility is used, he said. He said GWU plans to stock the pantry through a partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank. He said the school also is arranging to get fresh produce and other perishables from other sources. GWU officials said they are committed for the long haul.

Often the biggest obstacle to starting a campus pantry is figuring out how to keep it going.

If you build it and cant sustain it, that is less ethical than doing nothing, Cady said.
State Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery) is accustomed to joking references about his home as The Peoples Republic of Takoma Park, the suburban Maryland municipality known for its liberal politics and countercultural tradition.

But at Saturdays Germantown candidates forum, Raskin had to answer a less-friendly  and baseless  charge by his Republican opponent for Marylands 8th Congressional District seat that hed been endorsed by the Communist Party USA.

I am not endorsed by the Communist Party USA . . . as my friend the senator is, said Dan Cox, the Frederick lawyer challenging Raskin for the seat being vacated by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who is running for the U.S. Senate. Green Party candidate Nancy Wallace is also on the ballot.

Raskin said he knew nothing about it.

Im not aware the Communist Party even existed anymore. I disavow their endorsement, Raskin said.

[GOP primary in District 8: four moderates and a conservative]

The party does exist, mostly aligning itself with progressive causes and candidates. It seldom runs candidates of its own.

After the forum, held at Montgomery College, Cox referred reporters to an August article on CPUSAs website that mentions Raskin. But its more a friendly shout-out than an endorsement. It cites Raskin and two other Democratic congressional candidates, Washington state Sen. Pramila Jayapal and Zephyr Teachout of New York as all supported by Bernie Sanders and other progressive groups with the goal of adding to the strong fighters for peoples needs in Congress.

The accusation was the lone surprise in the 45-minute forum, sponsored by the Maryland chapters of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees and the AARP.

Cox said he regarded the national debt, revitalization of the nations transportation infrastructure and protection of Social Security as his top priorities. Unlike Raskin and Wallace, he opposes raising the cap on Social Security taxes. He favors allowing Americans younger than 45 to partially opt out of the system and place some of their earnings in private accounts.

[Living room by living room, Raskin expanded his base]

Wallace, a former environmental lobbyist and Washington director for the Sierra Clubs International Population Program, warned that the world faced catastrophic consequences unless it hit an emergency switch and converted to renewable energy. She also said her party has evolved from its original environmental focus to embrace a broader platform of economic, racial and gender equality. She called for cost-free college, a $17-an-hour minimum wage and universal health coverage.

In this country, with this wealth, we shouldnt have to worry about our medical care, Wallace said.

Raskin reprised his basic Democratic primary message, promising to bring to Congress the legislative agenda he pursued in Annapolis. That includes a ban on assault-style weapons and universal background checks for gun sales. Raskin called for a Green Deal to attack climate change, with a tax on carbon emissions and a public works program to repair roads and other infrastructure with an emphasis on environmental sustainability.

Raskin said he would also work to strengthen the right of workers to organize unions.

The unions have been the entree to the middle class for millions of people in our history, Raskin said.

Cox defeated four Republican primary opponents last April, winning 44 percent of the vote out of 46,500 cast. Raskin prevailed over eight competitors in the Democratic primary, including Potomac wine merchant David Trone, who spent a record $13 million of his own funds. Raskin raised about $2.1 million.

The Green Party was not on the Maryland primary ballot, but Wallace was defeated Charles Galloway and Elizabeth Croydon in a mail-in campaign run by the party.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has a 30-point lead over Maryland Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski. He has twice as much cash in the bank and far broader name recognition after 13 years in Congress and a bruising primary in the spring that drew national attention.

But that did not stop Szeliga, the minority whip in the House of Delegates, from challenging Van Hollen on Saturday for his lack of experience in the private sector and arguing that she is better suited to help the middle class.

What hinders the middle class the most is taxes, and what hinders business from creating jobs and moving people into the middle class are regulations, she said before an audience of about 70 people on the Germantown campus of Montgomery College.

Van Hollen, who appeared after Szeliga, told voters he is the candidate who would look out for working families and carry on Mikulskis legacy. My top priority will be to accelerate economic growth in Maryland and around the country and do it in a way that all Marylanders can benefit from those efforts, he said.

[Van Hollen holds commanding lead in U.S. Senate race]

Senate candidate Kathy Szeliga (R) (Brian Witte/Associated Press)

The forum, hosted by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association and AARP, launched a series of at least four events that the candidates plan to attend together  or one after the other  after weeks of bickering over a schedule.

Szeliga and Van Hollen are scheduled to debate Oct. 7 on WAMU-FMs Kojo Nnamdi Show and Oct. 26 on WJZ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore. They are also scheduled to take part in an Oct. 8 forum hosted by the group African Americans in Howard County. Szeliga has criticized Van Hollen for not agreeing to more debates after joining Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) for nine debates and forums during the springs Democratic primary.

An OpinionWorks poll last month showed that 55 percent of likely Maryland voters say they plan to cast their ballots for the congressman in the Nov. 8 election, compared with 26 percent for Szeliga.

I dont see much of a chance of Szeliga winning, said John Bullock, an associate professor of political science at Towson University. Shes resonating with some folks, but if you look at the lead Chris Van Hollen has, I think its insurmountable at this point.

Melissa Deckman, chair of Washington Colleges political science department, said Szeligas Senate run will enhance her credibility within the GOP and raise her profile statewide, regardless of the outcome.

Shes popular in her district, shes viewed as a dutiful soldier within her party, and I think the party will be grateful to her for that, Deckman said. If she wants to rise in the leadership ranks of the party, this will be helpful.

Van Hollen says he is not taking anything for granted.

He and Szeliga have been crisscrossing the state to attend public events, shore up their bases and rack up endorsements.

Van Hollens campaign said it has recruited more than 3,000 volunteers and knocked on nearly 108,000 doors since the April primary. The congressman had collected nearly $8 million in campaign contributions by July, but he spent most of that money on his primary battle against Edwards.

He reported about $566,800 in cash on hand at the end of June, more than twice the $255,000 that Szeliga had in the bank. Her campaign has collected $897,000 since launching in 2015.

In recent months, Van Hollen has visited every major military installation in Maryland, checked in with small businesses throughout the state and met with religious leaders in Charles County, his campaign said.

He has picked up endorsements from state Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D), the state teachers union, the U.S. Womens Chamber of Commerce, NARAL Pro Choice America and the environmental group Ocean Champions, among others.

Szeliga, who runs a construction company with her husband, has appeared at Rotary Club meetings, attended a Marine Trades Association meeting in Middle River, Md., visited a training center for skilled trades in Baltimore and toured the facilities of a Baltimore arcade-game distributor, where she picked up an endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Business.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R), whose approval rating climbed above 70 percent in the OpinionWorks poll last month, endorsed Szeliga in July. She also has the backing of groups including the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Szeliga has focused her campaign on issues that resonate strongly with conservatives, saying she would fight to rein in spending, help fix bureaucracy in the Department of Veterans Affairs and show more support for Israel than her Democratic opponent.

She criticizes Van Hollen for backing the Iran nuclear deal and says he should have spoken out against a recent U.S. payment to Iran that settled a decades-old claim about frozen assets.

Van Hollen, in turn, has tried to tie Szeliga to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and has described her as out of touch with Maryland voters for opposing state laws to legalize same-sex marriage, tighten gun control and boost the minimum wage.

Szeliga, who has said she will support Trump as her partys presidential nominee, also has criticized some of his remarks. She said that same-sex marriage is a settled issue that has little relevance in the election and that enacting a federal $15 minimum wage, something Van Hollen has supported, would drastically reduce hiring.

If elected to the Senate, Van Hollen says, he would push for an end to tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas and for more investments in early education and after-school programs.

Szeliga describes Van Hollen as the ultimate insider in a broken political system, who has worked almost exclusively in politics.

Van Hollen said that his political experience is an asset and that he knows how to work with both major parties and get things done in Washington.

On Friday, Szeliga traveled to Dorchester County, on the states Eastern Shore, for a candidate forum hosted by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. Van Hollen sent former chief of staff Bill Parsons to fill in for him, saying he had a scheduling conflict.

Szeliga accused Van Hollen of ducking the forum to avoid the Chamber of Commerce, saying in a campaign email that hes been failing Maryland businesses for decades.

Van Hollen said he had a previously scheduled meeting with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, which endorsed him that day. His campaign noted that Szeliga missed the first GOP primary debate.

Green Party candidate Margaret Flowers is also running for the Senate seat.
Police have identified a man who died in a motorcycle crash Thursday as Vincent Lucas of Southwest Washington.

Lucas, 21, was riding a motorcycle near the 4600 block of Martin Luther King Avenue in Southwest shortly before 7 p.m. when he lost control and hit a light pole, police said.

Lucas was thrown from the bike and suffered neck and blunt force injuries, police said. Lucas, who was unconscious after the crash, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about this case to call 202-727-9099 or text tips to 50411.
Two men with prior arrests who had set out to rob transgender women are responsible for crimes including a deadly July shooting in Northeast, according to authorities and court papers.

One man, Shareem Hall, 22, of District Heights, Md., is charged with first-degree felony murder in the slaying of Deeniquia Dodds. Dodds, 22, a transgender woman, was shot July 4 and died days later.

At the time Dodds was shot, Hall was on probation for a 2015 burglary conviction, and authorities were seeking to have that probation revoked because he was charged in a drug case, court records show.

The second suspect, Jalonte Little, 26, was awaiting trial on a carjacking charge at the time of the shooting and wore a GPS monitoring device, according to the court papers. Two law enforcement officials said a warrant had been issued charging him in connection with Doddss death, but it had not yet been served because Little was jailed on a robbery charge.

Prosecutors said in court that a third suspect has been linked to the gun used in Doddss killing. Authorities did not identify that person.

This is a conspiracy targeting transgender women, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Saunders said at a Friday hearing.

In an affidavit for Halls arrest, D.C. police said they think Doddss slaying is linked to other robberies in which transgender women were targeted, the first of which occurred June 28. In that case, they said, a man forced a transgender woman to disrobe at gunpoint, then ordered her to run across the street. He took her shoes, police said.

Less than a week later, on July 4, police said, an officer was flagged down just before 3 a.m. and told about an unconscious person. The officer found Dodds with a gunshot wound to the neck.

Another armed robbery was reported July 4, after the shooting, police said, in an area frequented by transgender prostitutes, according to the affidavit.

Dodds, who went by the nickname Dee Dee, lived with her aunt Joeann Lewis. Lewis has said that Dodds worked as a prostitute and that the family worried about her safety.

Dodds was close to her family, and generous toward her four siblings and younger cousins, family members have said.

[We just want to be accepted. Transgender people mourn one of their own]

In the affidavit, police said a witness reported seeing two men fighting with Dodds in the street as Dodds tried to pull away. The witness said that a shot was fired and that Dodds fell to the ground as the men ran.

A second witness told police that earlier that night, Dodds had been carrying a silver purse and a cellphone, according to the affidavit. When she was found wounded, police said, those items were not with her.

Just hours after the shooting, according to the affidavit, police were called by the victim of the June 28 robbery. The victim pointed out a white Pontiac parked in the street, telling officers that the man who robbed her had used that car.

Little was later seen getting into the Pontiac, and the victim identified him as her assailant, according to court papers.

Police said data from the GPS device that Little was wearing showed that he was in the area of the June 28 robbery and the July 4 shooting. The tracker also showed that he was near the armed robbery that was reported after the shooting, according to the court document.

The GPS data, police wrote was consistent with defendant Little driving to and from the scene of the murder in a vehicle, and waiting in the vehicle during the murder.

Authorities wrote that they tracked Hall through cellphone calls with Little. Police said the Glock handgun used in Doddss shooting was later recovered in Prince Georges County in the possession of a person with connections to Hall.

In June 2015, Hall was sentenced to three years of probation after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of burglary.

On April 28, according to court records, Hall was arrested in Prince Georges on drug charges. Halls probation officer was notified a month later. An Aug. 16 court date was set to review Halls probation status. The hearing was not held. A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office declined to comment.

When Dodds was shot, Little was on release awaiting retrial in a 2008 carjacking. He had previously been found guilty, but a D.C. appeals court last year overturned the conviction, finding that police had coerced a confession by suggesting to the then-18-year-old defendant that he would be raped in jail. Prosecutors had asked that Little remain in jail awaiting trial, but a judge ordered him released with GPS monitoring.
Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon: Local Bounty farmers market. Local farmers offer organic produce, local crafts and more. St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 14300 St. Thomas Church Rd., Upper Marlboro. 301-627-8469 or tthomascroom.org or ourlocalbounty@stthomascroom.org.

Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Church Rummage and Plant Sale. Lots of bargains. Proceeds will be used to redecorate the churchs narthex and parlor. Epiphany United Methodist Church, 1014 Country Club Dr. NE. Vienna. epiphanyumc.com. 703-938-3494.

Saturdays through Nov. 30, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Three faith-oriented films, The Artist, The Entertainers and The Horseman, about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how their faith influenced their professions and everyday lives. All are welcome. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Washington D.C. Temple Visitors Center, 9900 Stoneybrook Dr., Kensington. Free. 301-587-0144.

Saturdays and weekdays, opening at 10 a.m.; Sundays, opening at 1 p.m.: American Glass Now, a juried exhibition of contemporary stained glass sponsored by the American Glass Guild. Washington National Cathedral, Pilgrim Observation Gallery (seventh floor; accessible by the west narthex elevators), 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org .

Saturdays and weekdays, opening at 10 a.m.; Sundays, opening at 1 p.m.: Holy City: A Pilgrimage of Sight, Brian Whelans series of nine paintings representing the three Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Islam and Judaism, with churches, mosques and synagogues painted in playful and colorful forms. Washington National Cathedral, north transept, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org.

Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Creating Dementia-Friendly Churches, for caregivers, church members, clergy, neighbors and anyone else interested in this condition and how people respond to it. Explore the science and spiritual aspects, and create strategies for better coping with dementia, particularly in church communities. Lunch will be served. St. Margarets Episcopal Church, 1830 Connecticut Ave. NW. $20, includes lunch. Scholarships are available. Register: edow.org/news-and-events/online-event-registration/.

Saturday, 2:30 to 5 p.m.: Healthy Attachments and Letting Go: A Workshop for Catholic Parents of College Students. Ellen Murphy, a licensed clinical social worker, will facilitate a seminar and workshop for parents of students 17 to 23 old. St. Mark Catholic Church, Monsignor Cassidy Center, 9970 Vale Rd., Vienna. $10. Registration: prayingcollegemoms.org. 703-759-2094.

Saturdays, 5 p.m.: A service of Holy Eucharist will be held in the parish hall, a casual environment with flexible liturgy, contemporary music and visuals. St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt St., Alexandria. 703-549-3312. stpaulsalexandria.com.

Saturday, 7 p.m.: Grace Episcopal Church, Brunswick, Md., will host Lyra, an internationally acclaimed Russian vocal ensemble, based in St. Petersburg. Grace Episcopal Church, 114 East A St., Brunswick, MD. $15; students, $7. Tickets at the door or at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lyra-in-concert-2016-tickets-26790241333 . 301-834-8540.

Saturdays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Food pantry. Volunteers are needed to help families in need. Teens may earn school credits. Work as often as you can: grocery shopping, stocking the pantry and setting up for Saturday. St. Johns Episcopal Church, Broad Creek, 9801 Livingston Rd., Fort Washington. 301-248-4290. stjohns1692@verizon.net or stjohnsbroadcreek.org.

Sunday, 8 a.m.:The Rev. Andrew K. Barnett will preach and serve as the presider. Washington National Cathedral, Nave, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. nationalcathedral.org. 202-537-6200.

Sundays, 8 a.m.: Gospel music will be performed by the Welcome Table Choir and pianist. Healing prayers followed by the Welcome Table Breakfast at 12:10 p.m. Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. 202-347-2635.

Sunday, 8:30 and 11 a.m.: 10th Annual Academy of Discipleship Convocation. Bishop Gregory Vaughn Palmer, United Methodist Church, Ohio West Area, will be the guest speaker. Bishop Palmer will preach during both services and teach during the Sunday school hour in the sanctuary at 9:45 a.m. Annandale United Methodist Church, 6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale. annandale-umc.org. 703-256-8330.

Sunday, 8:30 to 11:15 a.m.: Marthas Table ministry. The charity helps feed homeless men, women and families through its McKennas Wagon soup kitchen, and it collects sandwiches and fruit from volunteers. Washington National Cathedral, Hearst Circle, adjacent to the Wisconsin Avenue parking garage entrance, Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues NW. Free. 202-537-6200. or marthastable@cathedralcongregation.org.

Sunday, 8:30, 10 and 11 a.m.: The Rev. Frank Dunn will preach at the low Mass at 8:30 a.m., a simple Rite I service with no music or incense and minimal ceremony. At 10 a.m., Dunn will lead a forum on a wide range of topics, in the churchs undercroft. At 11 a.m., he will preach at a service that follows the Book of Common Prayer, Rite I, and includes scripture, prayer, a sermon and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Child care is offered in the nursery on the lower level, just off the undercroft, or social hall from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church, 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244. allsoulsdc.org.

Sundays, 8:45 a.m .; Wednesdays, 6 p.m.: Bible study. Calvary Episcopal Church, 509 I St. NE. Free. 202-546-8011.

Sunday, 9, 10 and 10:30 a.m.: Heritage Sunday. The first day of the churchs next 201 years begins at 9 a.m. with Sunday school. A coffee fellowship will be held at 10 a.m., followed by a worship service at 10:30 a.m. Lay leader Kay Smith will update the restoration project at Perkins Chapel. Pastor Moses Sangha will deliver the morning message. After the worship service, all are invited to a luncheon at Glenn Dale United Methodist Church, 8500 Springfield Rd., Glenn Dale. glenndaleumc@verizon.net. 301-262-2299.

Sundays, 9 a.m.: Bible study. St. Pauls Episcopal Church, Rock Creek Parish, Rock Creek Parish, Rock Creek Church Road and Webster Street NW. 202-726-2080. stpaulsrockcreek.org.

Sunday, 9 a.m.: Adult Bible study continues on the first and third Sundays of the month. A Bible passage will be read, with questions for discussion following. Various translations will add to the studys value. The Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes, undercroft, 1217 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Free. 202-347-8161.

Sunday, 9 a.m.: A youth group for students in grades 6 to 12 meets on the first and third Sundays of each month. Members share thoughts on anything they wish to discuss, including the possibility of community service activities. The Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes, 12th Street atrium just off the undercroft, 1217 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Free. 202-347-8161.

Sunday, 9 and 11:15 a.m.: The cathedral returns to its regular worship schedule. The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope will preach at these services of Holy Eucharist. The Rev. Rosemarie Logan Duncan will be the presider at the 9 a.m. service. The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall will be the presider at the 11:15 a.m. service. Washington National Cathedral, Nave, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org.

Sunday, 9:30 a.m.: Susan Page of USA Today will speak with the Rev. Johnsie Cogman of Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Georgetown and the Rev. Camille Cook Murray of Georgetown Presbyterian Church, each the first female senior pastor of her church, in a town hall meeting. The pastors will talk about their callings, challenges and churches. Then they will swap pulpits for the 11 a.m. services, with Murray preaching at Mount Zion, 1334 29th St. NW, and Cogman preaching at Georgetown Presbyterian, 3115 P St. NW. gtownpres.org. 202-338-1644.

Sunday, 10 a.m.: The Families with Young Children hospitality ministry announced regular programming for the third Sunday of every month. Come to the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea, on the crypt level, for the 10 a.m. story time. A childrens book author or volunteer reader will offer a short book with a biblical, spiritual or moral message with time for conversation and interaction. If you want to be part of the groups email list, please send a request to FWYC@cathedralcongregation.org. Parent coordinators Kelly Morrison and Jared Hughes will be in touch. Washington National Cathedral, Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea on the crypt level, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org.

Sunday, 10 a.m.: Adult Forum series Why be a Christian? begins. Barry Seltser will speak on Action and belief: Responding to the human condition. A list of weekly topics and speakers is available at churchs website. And Sunday school will hold its registration and kickoff for the 2016-2017 program year. Students and family members should gather in the Parish Hall Auditorium at 10 a.m. to celebrate the start of another year together, register for classes and meet the teachers. There will also be a Blessing of the Backpacks for returning students. Christ Church, Georgetown, 31st and O streets NW. Free. christchurchgeorgetown.org. 202-333-6677.

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Fall programs preview. Pick up course fliers, leaf through books, talk with facilitators and members of the Christian Formation Committee. Washington National Cathedral, West End of the Nave, (look for the purple congregation banner), 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free. nationalcathedral.org. 202-537-6200.

Sundays, 12:30 p.m.: GriefShare. For people who have lost a spouse, child, other relative or friend. GriefShare classes will meet weekly for 15 sessions to help them face the challenges of deep hurt and isolation and move toward rebuilding their lives. National Presbyterian Church, Administration Building, 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW. Class fee $35. Contact Barb Dear, 202-537-7540 or BDear@NationalPres.org.

Sunday, 1 p.m.: Knitting and crocheting workshop. Join fellow needlers to create items for those in need; instruction, needles and yarn provided. 1 p.m., Washington National Cathedral, fourth floor of the South Tower, Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues NW. Free. Email knitting@cathedralcongregation.org. 202-537-6200.

Sunday, 2 p.m.: Organ recital. Erik Wm Suter of Gaithersburg will perform an all-Durufle program on the Cathedrals 10,650-pipe great organ. Washington National Cathedral, Great Choir, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $10. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org.

Sunday, 2 p.m.: Cathedral gargoyle tour. Docents show slides of the buildings whimsical stone gargoyles and grotesques, followed by an outdoor tour. Binoculars are recommended; cameras welcome. Washington National Cathedral, 7th floor Perry Auditorium, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $22 per adult; $18 per youth ages 10-12, student, senior and military. Reservations suggested. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org.

Sunday, 4 p.m.: Choral Evensong. There will be readings from scripture, a short sermon and musical offerings by the Cathedral Choir of Men, Boys and Girls. Washington National Cathedral, Nave, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-537-6200. nationalcathedral.org.

Sunday, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Jubilee Christian Center of Fairfax is sponsoring its annual Patriot Day Prayer Walk in Fairfax City. The Prayer Walk begins and ends at 10435 North St., Fairfax. jccag.org. 703-383-1170.

Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m.: Social Justice Picnic with Jews United for Justice. A family-friendly, potluck picnic. Bring a dish to share with others. Wheaton Regional Park  Picnic Shelter B, 2002 Shorefield Rd., Wheaton. Free. Email: Laura, Montgomery County organizer, laura@jufj.org, or call 202-408-1423.

Sunday, 3 p.m.: The United Methodist Women of Jerusalem-Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church in Rockville invite the public to  Hattitude: Crowns of Splendor and Glory. Please wear your best hat. The afternoon will feature singing groups, liturgical dancers, a parade of hats, fellowship and refreshments. At Epworth United Methodist Church, 9008 Rosemont Dr., Gaithersburg. Freewill offering. Information: Paulette Dudley, 240-308-0432.

Sunday, 3 to 5 p.m.: Bethesda Jewish Congregation kicks off its Great Names series with Aviva Kempner, independent filmmaker and founder of the Washington Jewish Film Festival. Bethesda Jewish Congregation, 6601 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda. Email admin@bethesdajewish.org. Reservations recommended: 301-469-8636. bethesdajewish.org.

Sunday, 3 to 6 p.m.: International Day of Prayer for Peace. This years theme is Called to Build Peace. The observance will begin with a program of music, prayers, messages and stories presented by representatives of faith communities throughout Prince William County. Bull Run Unitarian Universalists Congregation, 9350 Main St., Manassas. Free. 703-717-3086.

Sunday, 4 p.m.: Join the Cathedral 20&30s Group for Evensong/Evensocial. Every month, young adults (or those who just feel young at heart) will gather for the cathedrals Sunday service of Choral Evensong followed by fellowship at Sayre House. For additional information, please email 20sand30s@

cathedralcongregation.org. Washington National Cathedral, Nave, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org.

Sunday, 5 p.m.: The Barclay Brass in Concert  Bach and Beyond. The new 11-artist ensemble will perform works for brass instruments written by J.S. Bach, Eugene Gigout, William Harris and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Christopher Betts will play the organ on some selections. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. Church of the Redeemer, 6201 Dunrobbin Dr., Bethesda. Free-will offering. www.redeemerbethesda.org. 301-229-3770.

Sundays, 5 p.m.: All are welcome to a service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II, with healing. St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt St., Alexandria. 703-549-3312. stpaulsalexandria.com.

Sunday, 5 p.m.: A Historical Odyssey: From the Cradle to Liberation. A 200-voice will provide musical accompaniment for this multi-media presentation. Shiloh Baptist Church, 1500 Ninth St. NW. Free. 202-232-4288.

Sunday mornings through Sept. 30: Boy Scout Troop 996, the resident troop at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, has been taking orders for its annual mulch sale. Free home delivery may be made in early October to Zip codes 22306, 22307, 22308 and 22309, with a minimum bag order. Cedar and hardwood mulch for plant beds will be available. The church is at 1301 Collingwood Rd., Alexandria. aldersgate.net. 703-765-6555.

Mondays, 9 to 9:45 a.m.; Wednesdays, 4 to 4:45 p.m.: Senior strength and stretch. Wellness coordinator Judy Jurkowski teaches to music exercises that may improve strength and range of motion. Handheld weights are offered for resistance. A chair is used for seated and/or standing support. The class is geared to healthy seniors as well as those with joint, mobility or balance problems. Doctor approval required. Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Rd., Alexandria. 703-765-6555, Ext. 626; or judy@aldersgate.net .

Mondays, 10 to 11 a.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to noon: Gentle yoga. Certified exercise instructor Judy Jurkowski teaches classes designed to relax and soothe, renew and restore. Focus is on deep breathing, slow movement, gentle stretching and strengthening posture. Free. Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Rd., Alexandria. judy@aldersgate.net . 703-765-6555.

Most weekdays, 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Behind-the-scenes cathedral tour for ages 11 and older. See gargoyles and stained-glass windows and climb lots of stairs to view the city from above. Tours offered on weekdays, except holidays. $26; children, seniors, students and military, $21. Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-537-6200. nationalcathedral.org.

Mondays, 11 a.m.: Adult Bible Study. Allen Stuhl leads the meeting each Monday. All are welcome. St. Pauls Episcopal Church, conference room on the third floor of Wilmer Hall, 228 S. Pitt St., Alexandria. 703-549-3312. stpaulsalexandria.com.

Monday, 5 to 7:30 p.m.: Grief support group. The Chesapeake Life Center invites participants to create collages to commemorate lost loved ones. Church of the Redeemer-Bowie, 7300 Race Track Rd., Bowie. $10, registration required. 301-560-3812.

Monday, 7 p.m.: Fiction Fun! In the spirit of former dean Gary Halls Fiction Fun, take part in lively discussions of the human soul as shown in fiction. Luke Wallacw will lead a discussion of Leo Tolstoys War and Peace. Washington National Cathedral, Nave, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free. Reservations required: registrations@cathedral.org. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org.

Mondays, 7 p.m.: Monday night services have a less formal atmosphere, in a somewhat smaller setting, at a more convenient day and time. Celebration of Holy Communion. Refreshments after worship. Child care available. Lutheran Church of St. Andrew, 15300 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. info@mystandrew.org. 301-384-4394 or mystandrew.org.

Mondays, 7 p.m.: Sally Jones leads A Course in Miracles. Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church, 7400 Temple Hills Rd., Camp Springs. Free. 301-449-4308. dmuuc.org.

Mondays, 7 p.m.: Kirsten Norris leads yoga sessions. Bring a mat. Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, Social Hall, 2206 Briggs Rd., Silver Spring. Suggested donation, $5 to $10. The Rev. Jessie Lowry, jessdoerrer@gmail.com or 877-792-8479.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:15 a.m.: Senior Fit, an exercise class for 55 and older to build strength, fitness and cardiovascular health. Required physician consent form is available at the information center or by visiting the website. Lutheran Church of St. Andrew, 15300 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. Free. Call Marilee at 301-384-4394 or go to mystandrew.org .

Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. to noon: Within and Beyond the Wall. The Rev. Mitri Raheb, senior pastor of Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, West Bank, will speak in this week-long Room for Hope Festival. Come or see it live-streamed at myfranciscan.com. Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, 14th and Quincy streets NE. Free. Free parking. 202-526-6800.

Tuesday, 12:10 p.m.: Piano and harpsichord concert. Pianist Ralitza Patcheva and harpsichordist Sam Post continue their investigations into J. S. Bachs Art of Fugue. Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. $10. 202-347-2635, ext. 20.

Tuesdays, 5 p.m.: Listening for God. Read scripture in silence and listen with others during this time of modified Lectio Divina, or holy reading. Washington National Cathedral, nave, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-537-6200 or nationalcathedral.org.

Tuesdays, 7 to 8 p.m.: Caregiver support group. Share joys, concerns and questions with the group. Your knowledge and experience may be just what is needed by those with troubles. All are welcome. Lutheran Church of St. Andrew, 15300 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. info@mystandrew.org or 301-384-4394. mystandrew.org.

Tuesdays, 7 to 8 p.m.: Family-friendly gentle yoga. Certified exercise instructor Judy Jurkowski teaches classes that focus on deep breathing, slow movement, gentle stretching and strengthening posture. All ages are welcome, but parents must stay to supervise children 13 and younger. Free. Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Rd., Alexandria. judy@aldersgate.net. 703-765-6555.

Tuesday, 7 to 8:30 p.m.: Perinatal Loss Support Group, for families that have lost a baby through miscarriage, infant death or stillbirth. St. Andrew member Jeanine McGrath, a registered nurse, will lead the group. Sponsored by St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Silver Spring. Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, 9901 Medical Center Dr., Rockville. Registration: jeaninemcgrath@gmail.com or call 240-481-3903, or Adventist HealthCare, 301-315-3130.

Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.: Homework Helpers invites parents or guardians to bring children in grades 1 to 8 for free after-school tutoring, advice and homework help. The program is certified by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington under its mandatory Safeguarding Gods Children training program. St. Johns Church, Broadcreek, Bayne Hall, 9801 Livingston Rd., Fort Washington. Free. Registration: Ruth LaBelle, program director, 240-461-5330 or hwhelpers@stjohnsbroadcreek.org.

Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Bible study. Three co-conveners meet for a reading of the gospel for the coming Sunday service, reflection and discussion. Neither preparation nor regular attendance is required. A healing service and an exploration of the lives of the saints follows. St. Patricks Episcopal Church, 4700 Whitehaven Pkwy. NW. Free. 202-342-2800.

Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Christ Church Georgetowns Thrift Shop is open on its Wednesday-only schedule. Christ Church, Georgetown, 31st and O streets NW. 202-333-6677. christchurchgeorgetown.org.

Wednesdays, 11 a.m.: Holy Eucharist and healing service. St. Johns Episcopal Church, 6715 Georgetown Pike, McLean. 703-356-4902. stjohnsmclean.org.

Wednesdays, 11 a.m.: A weekly service of healing and an exploration of the life of the saints. All are welcome at this 30-minute contemplative service. St. Patricks Episcopal Church, 4700 Whitehaven Pkwy. churchoffice@stpatrickschurchdc.org. 202-342-2800.

Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.: Join other worshipers for 20 minutes of silent prayer and meditation followed by a short time of prayer for the parish. Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. Information: Catriona, claint@epiphanydc.org. 202-347-2635.

Wednesdays, noon: Celebration of Holy Eucharist with a homily. Church of the Redeemer, 6201 Dunrobbin Dr., Bethesda. 301-229-3770. redeemerbethesda.org.

Wednesdays, noon: A service of Holy Eucharist in the chapel. St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt St., Alexandria. 703-549-3312. stpaulsalexandria.com.

Wednesdays, noon: Low Mass with Healing Rite. All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church, 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244.

Wednesdays, noon: Brown Bags and Bibles. The Rev. Janice Mynchenberg leads a weekly study of the Gospel of Luke, with the help of a commentary by N.T. Wright. Bring your lunch. Georgetown Lutheran Church, 1556 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free. 202-337-9070 or glcpastor100@gmail.com.

Wednesdays, noon and 7 p.m.: Weekly Bible study. The Rev. Robert K. Pines teaches. All are welcome. First Baptist Church, Georgetown, 2624 Dumbarton St. NW. 202-965-1899. firstbaptistgtown.org.

Wednesdays, 4 p.m.: Gentle yoga for all, including newcomers. A percentage of the fee will be given to the Lazarus Ministry and Carpenters Shelter. St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt St., Alexandria. Call Margaret Townsend at 571-218-2161 or email yoga.with.margaret@gmail.com. 703-549-3312. stpaulsalexandria.com.

Wednesday, 6 p.m.: Septembers book club meeting will feature Fredrik Backmans novel A Man Called Ove, the story of a curmudgeon on the brink of an unlikely friendship with his neighbors chatty young daughters. Christ Church Lucketts, 14861 New Valley Church Rd., Leesburg. Free. www.christchurchlucketts.org. 703-771-2196.

Wednesdays, 6 p.m.: Yoga classes. New participants are welcome. Christ Church, Georgetown, 31st and O streets NW. 202-333-6677. christchurchgeorgetown.org.

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.: Weight Watchers meeting. Trinity Episcopal Church, 14515 Church St., Upper Marlboro. 301-627-2636.

Wednesdays, 7 p.m.: Weekly yoga classes. St. Johns Episcopal Church Broad Creek, 9801 Livingston Rd., Fort Washington. 301-248-4290. stjohns1692@verizon.net.

Wednesday, 7 p.m.: Forum on Faith and Politics. Washington Post columnists E.J. Dionne and Michael Gerson will share insights about the upcoming elections. National Presbyterian Church, Sanctuary, 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW. 202-537-0800.

Wednesdays, 7 p.m.: Tai chi classes. A certified instructor will teach advanced and intermediate classes in the movement discipline, which may strengthen the mind and body. Suggested donation, $5. Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church, 7400 Temple Hills Rd., Camp Springs. 301-449-4308. dmuuc.org.

Wednesdays, 7 to 8:30 p.m.: CancerShare, a faith-based support group, invites those living with cancer, cancer survivors and those who sustain them to a weekly support group. Child care available. Free. Burke United Methodist Church, 6200 Burke Centre Pkwy., Burke. 703-250-6100. burkeumc.org.

Wednesdays, 7 to 9 p.m.: DivorceCare. The weekly groups are led by people who understand what you are experiencing and want to help. The goal is to teach the art of healing the deep hurt of divorce and to foster hope for the future. Burke United Methodist Church, 6200 Burke Centre Pkwy., Burke. 703-250-6100. burkeumc.org.

Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.: St. Pauls Book Club. Start by reading Louise Pennys How the Light Gets In, part of the authors Inspector Gamache series set in the quaint Quebec village of Three Pines. The next book selection, for the October 19 book club meeting, is Krista Tippetts Becoming Wise. All are welcome. St. Pauls Episcopal Church, third floor vestry room of Wilmer Hall, 228 S. Pitt St., Alexandria. Information: Reb. Rosemary Beales. 703-549-3312. stpaulsalexandria.com/.

Thursdays, 7:15 a.m.: Morning prayers (Matins) will be spoken. All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church, 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244.

Thursdays, 10 to 11 a.m.: Yoga classes taught by the Rev. Randy Lord-Wilkinson. Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 205 S. Summit Ave., Gaithersburg. Donation of $1 to $10 requested. 301-948-0122. ascensionmd.org.

Thursdays, 11 a.m. to noon: Gentle Yoga. Certified exercise instructor Judy Jurkowski teaches classes that focus on deep breathing, slow movement, gentle stretching and strengthening posture. Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Rd., Alexandria. Free. judy@aldersgate.net. 703-765-6555.

Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Barnabas Bread Basket community meals. Lunch is served every Thursday. Dinner is served on the last Thursday of the month from 5 to 7 p.m. Free. First Baptist Church, 9258 Center St., Manassas. 703-368-2958.

Thursdays, 5 to 7 p.m.: Food distribution program. Help is needed for the distribution of food to the communitys hungry on Thursday evenings. Annandale United Methodist Church, Heritage Drive Campus, 7901 Heritage Dr., Annandale. Information: Betsy Clevenger, 703-425-6424. annandale-umc.org .

Thursday, 6 to 7:15 p.m.: Music on the Lawn. Cloudburst will perform vocalese and instrumentals. Bring a picnic supper or purchase sandwiches, salads, drinks and/or sweets from a Dog Tag Bakery on-site concession. Grace Episcopal Church, 1041 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $10. 202-333-7100 or gracedc.org.

Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: A new six-week evening Bible Study program will begin with a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. Studay begins at 7 p.m. Max Lucados book More to Your Story: Discover Your Place in Gods Plan will be used to guide the sessios. Christ Church Lucketts, 14861 New Valley Church Rd., Leesburg. Free. christchurchlucketts.org. 703-771-2196.

Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: Mens Ministry Book Discussion. This discussion group will focus on Miroslav Volfs work, A Public Faith. Christ Church, Georgetown, Memorial Room, 31st and O streets NW. 202-333-6677. christchurchgeorgetown.org.

Friday, 12:15 to 1 p.m.: Organist Nicholas Will will performe works by Richard Purvis, John Knowles Paine, Benjamin Culli and Leo Sowerby. The Dudley Buck arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner follows. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir. NW. Free, donations welcome. 202-797-0103. nationalcitycc.org.

Friday, 4 to 9 p.m.; next Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 12 to 7 p.m.: Middle Eastern Bazaar. A variety of foods and beverage will be available for purchase. Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, 10620 River Rd., Potomac. Admission, free. 301-765-3400. peterpaulpotomac.org/bazaar.

Fridays, 6:30 p.m.: Recovery ministry. Fellowship and refreshments. Twinbrook Community Church, 5906 Halpine Rd., Rockville. The Rev. Aaron Howard, 301-204-5911.

Next Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Church Yard Sale with food and beverages available. Trinity Episcopal Church, 14515 Church St., Upper Marlboro. Space reservations: Bev Goggins, 301-627-2636.

Next Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Annual Craft Fair. Local crafters will display and sell handmade treasures. There will be a silent auction, a bake sale and a refreshment stand. Information and a registration form for crafters who wish to be included may be found on the churchs website: saintlukeschurch.net/calendar/2016/9/24/annual-craft-fair. St. Lukes Episcopal Church, 8009 Fort Hunt Rd., Alexandria. church@saintlukeschurch.net. 703-765-4342.

Next Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Meditation workshop. Learn a meditation practice rooted in the Christian tradition, Centering Prayer, presented by the Contemplative Outreach Maryland/D.C. chapter. Annunciation Church, 3810 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Onsite registration: $50. comwcentering@gmail.com or 301-461-1502. www.comwcp.org.

Next Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Community Health Fair 2016. Mount Moriah Baptist Church, 1636 East Capitol St. NE. 202-544-5588, Ext. 213.

 Compiled by Gerri Marmer

For more religion events, visit washingtonpost.com/religion.

Send submissions with event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable telephone number at least one week before our Saturday publication day to Religion Events, The Washington Post, 1301 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071; or email rpevents@washpost.com.
In cities circumstances change from hour to hour and block to block and this was demonstrated Wednesday night and Thursday morning in Southwest Washington where a shooting and a robbery attempt both occurred within a few blocks of Nationals Park.

The shooting occurred about 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, about four hours after the Nationals Game had ended about three blocks to the east. On a normal game day, fans would be in the shooting area, walking to their parked cars, or driving away from the stadium.

However, Wednesdays game, which started around 4 p.m. ,was long over by the time the shooting occurred, and fans would have long since departed.

In a brief account of the attack, police said a man was shot in the upper body and taken to a hospital for treatment.

On the morning after the shooting, police said a robbery attempt was reported in the 1400 block of Fourth Street SW. That is two blocks west of the shooting scene and a block or so to the north.

In the attempt, police said, the victim was approached about 7:30 a.m. by someone who asked him for directions.

But within moments, police said, the would-be robber grabbed the victim by the waist of his patns and demanded his money.

However, police said, the victim refused, and the assailant responded by leaving the scene in a hurry.

No injuries were reported and nothing was taken, police said.
Thousands of cars in Alexandria pass by the statue of a Confederate soldier. The City Council wants to move it. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

In a town that once took considerable pride in its Confederate past, the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously Saturday to change the name of Jefferson Davis Highway and seek permission from the Virginia General Assembly to move a renowned statue of a Confederate soldier in historic Old Town.

The councils actions went beyond the recommendations of a task force that studied what to do about the citys controversial Confederate symbols, but not as far as some residents wanted.

After a lengthy public hearing, the council agreed to try to relocate the Appomattox statue from the busy intersection of Prince and Washington streets, where thousands of motorists pass it each day. The pensive and unarmed south-facing Confederate soldier would be moved to a local history museum on the same corner.

Relocating the seven-foot, bronze statue will be a heavy political lift. It cannot be moved without the agreement of the legislature, and the General Assembly passed a bill earlier this year further strengthening prohibitions against cities and counties removing war memorials. T he legislation was vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in March.

[City task force on what Alexandria should do about Confederate memorials ]

The statue occupies the spot where a local regiment mustered to retreat from the city just before Union troops seized Alexandria in 1861. Erected in 1889 and owned by the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, it bears the names of Alexandria residents who died on behalf of the South. Once surrounded by an iron fence, grass and gaslights, its footprint has shrunk significantly, and vehicles have occasionally collided with it.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy did not appear at the public hearing, and it did not return requests for comment Saturday. But it earlier sent the council a book about the statues history.

If this were on Monument Avenue in Richmond, where it is clearly [celebratory], Id say knock it down, said council member Timothy B. Lovain (D). But the statue is a reminder of the costs of war, he said. If it can remain at the same historic corner, with additional context explaining its significance, and be removed as a traffic hazard, the relocation might be politically possible.

The fate of the statue and the renaming of Jefferson Davis Highway, which honors the president of the Confederacy, have been discussed for years. The issue was resurrected last year after a white supremacist who posed with a Confederate flag was accused of killing nine people at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C. That state subsequently decided to remove the Confederate battle flag from its Capitol grounds, and other communities around the country have had similar discussions about Confederate symbols.

Opinions from the 18 speakers who lined up to testify Saturday in Alexandria were as heated as if the Civil War had just ended. They spoke in a chamber where a portrait of Robert E. Lee hangs opposite one of George Washington and where the painted backdrop behind the council is of Alexandria during its Union occupation.

Ellen Tabb decried the task force that recommended the changes to the council, noting that none of the members knew Southern history. She said native Virginians had been vilified at the commissions meetings as racists, bigots and murderers.

Bernard Berne, who lives in Arlington, called Jefferson Davis a tragic hero who thought secession was legal and who should not be condemned for believing in slavery, which was part of the culture at the time.

The two African American council members, John Taylor Chapman (D) and Willie F. Bailey Sr. (D), repudiated that sentiment. Bailey later said that he was speaking not for himself but for his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and other ancestors. To try to say anyone even back then didnt realize its wrong to own a person, thats not right, he said.

Others spoke with passion about the need for Alexandria to own up to its past.

Its never too late to right a wrong, said Greg Thrasher, the director of a D.C. and Detroit-based think tank, Plane Ideas. Yes, black lives matter right now in Alexandria. Black people have civil rights fatigue. How long does it take us to get to equality?

The decision to rename Jefferson Davis Highway, also known as Route 1, which runs from the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River and south to Richmond, was less contentious.

Within the citys historically African American neighborhood of Parker-Gray, the road splits; the northbound portion is called Patrick Street, and the southbound Henry Street. That prompted Mayor Allison Silberberg (D) to suggest the highway should be renamed Patrick Henry. But she and others agreed that the city should set up a community process to find a new name.

Arlington does not have the power to change the highways name without approval from the General Assembly. The Alexandria council asked the city manager to discuss name changes with Arlington in an attempt to keep the highways name consistent if Arlington is willing and able to change the roads name in its jurisdiction.

[Will Alexandria stop flying the Confederate flag twice a year? ]

The council also decided Saturday to consider on a case-by-case basis the renaming of Alexandrias 30 or more streets named after Confederate war heroes. Citizens will have to petition the city to get the street names changed.

It is unclear which streets are named after Confederates. Some, such as Forrest Street, were thought to be named for Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general who later became a founder of the Ku Klux Klan. But the citys director of historic sites said the street may have been named after an unrelated local Forrest family.

It was just a year ago that the city decided to end its practice of hanging three Confederate flags from traffic light poles at the Appomattox statue on Lees birthday and on Confederate Memorial Day.

The statue is the only one of a number of historic Civil War-era monuments in town. The others include the Unions Fort Ward, which is now a park; the National Cemetery, where Union troops were buried starting in 1862; the Contraband and Freedmans Cemetery along the Capital Beltway on South Washington Street; the Edmonson Sisters memorial at 1701 Duke St., and Freedom House, the site of a former slave dealer and slave pen complex at 1315 Duke St.
THE DISTRICT

Man, 34, charged in groping of woman

Police have charged a Virginia man with sexual abuse after he allegedly groped a woman in Georgetown.

A woman was walking on a sidewalk in the 3300 block of Prospect Street about 1 a.m. Saturday when police officers saw a man following her, District police said in a statement.

Within seconds, the suspect ran up behind the victim and groped her, the statement said.

The man ran off before officers apprehended and arrested him, police said.

Police identified the suspect as Sergio Waldo Velaquez-Cardozo, 34, of Falls Church. Velaquez-Cardozo has been charged with third-degree sexual abuse.

Officers and residents in Georgetown have been on heightened alert after police said that four recent sexual assaults on women in the area may be linked.

Authorities said the case is still under investigation, and it is not yet clear whether the suspect arrested Saturday is connected to any other reported cases.

 Lynh Bui

Police ID man killedin motorcycle crash

Police have identified a man who died in a motorcycle crash Thursday as Vincent Lucas of Southwest Washington.

Lucas, 21, was riding a motorcycle near the 4600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW about 7 p.m. when he lost control and hit a light pole, police said.

Lucas was thrown from the motorcycle and suffered neck and blunt-force injuries, police said. Lucas, who was unconscious after the crash, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about this case to call 202-727-9099 or text tips to 50411.

 Lynh Bui

Three vehicles hit by bullets in Northwest

Police are investigating a report that shots had been heard Friday night on Fairmont Street NW near the 14th Street NW corridor and found three cars that had been hit, authorities said.

Police also said they seized a gun from a vehicle in the area and were investigating it.

Two other guns were seized by police Friday night in the corridor, in the 1400 block of V Street and the 1400 block of Columbia Road, said Cmdr. Stuart Emerman of the 3rd Police District.

 Martin Weil

MARYLAND

Police investigating sexual assault of teen

Montgomery County police are investigating the rape of a teenager that occurred Thursday morning in the Olney-Sandy Spring area.

A teen was walking near Route 108 when a man, using no words, directed her to a grassy area and raped her sometime between 7 and 8 a.m., police said in a statement.

The teen reported the incident to her parents when she got home and went to a hospital for treatment, police said.

 Lynh Bui
The Sept. 12 editorial How to check emissions expressed concern that Americans are driving more and burning record amounts of gasoline. Whats the proposed solution? Make it more difficult for Americans to get to work and take care of our families. That is the upshot of a carbon tax. The editorial failed to consider the benefits of affordable transportation.

Americans are using more fuel because lower gasoline prices allow motorists to do more with less. Affordable transportation gives people more job opportunities and makes it easier to take care of a familys diverse needs.

The editorial boards solution is a carbon tax because higher taxes make it more difficult to take unnecessary trips  as though the editorial board is the arbiter of what is necessary. But higher taxes make all trips more expensive. In the Washington bubble, transportation is viewed as a luxury, not a necessity.

Congress thankfully understands that a carbon tax would harm American families and recently voted to reject one. American families have enough challenges on their plates without additional taxes that make the necessities of life more expensive.

Thomas J. Pyle, Washington

The writer is president of

the Institute for Energy Research.
The Sept. 11 front-page article For car buyers, an end to the days of dickering? ignored the one fact that tells the story accurately: Americans like being able to save money on new-car purchases  an average of $500  by letting multiple independent dealers compete for their business. Most credible, quantitative surveys  including from J.D. Power and Car and Driver  of actual dealership customers find a very high level of consumer satisfaction with the dealership experience. And for good reason: The American franchise system for auto retailing promotes intense competition among dealers, and the primary winners are consumers.

The real story about direct sales isnt about profitability or even product; its about the attempt to be exempted from determinations  made by all 50 state legislatures, conservative and liberal alike  that consumers deserve to benefit from having multiple same-brand dealers compete for their business. Thankfully for consumers, their local elected officials continue to believe that preserving this intra-brand competition is important.

Peter Welch, Tysons Corner

The writer is president of

the National Automobile Dealers Association.
AS YOU ponder the impact on political and economic freedom in Cuba of the Obama administrations diplomatic opening to that Communist-ruled country, keep this figure in mind: $50. Thats how much every American visitor has to pay the Castro regime for a tourist visa each time he or she travels to the island, as the administration is aggressively enouraging people to do. Last year, 160,000 people visited Cuba from the United States, which translates into $8 million, not chump change for the financially troubled regime. Those numbers are on course to double in 2016.

We make this point to place the latest celebratory headlines about the renewal of scheduled air travel from the United States to Cuba in a broader perspective. If you think the presidents policy will empower the fledgling Cuban private sector, as opposed to the overbearing state, think again. Easy money from expensive visas is a relatively minor example of the regimes so-far successful efforts to reap direct benefit from the new relationship with the United States. Even more important is the fact that the Cuban armed forces own the countrys dominant tourism companies, and those firms are expanding their role in anticipation of an American influx.

As the Associated Press recently reported, the Cuban military has taken over a previously autonomous office that controlled Old Havana, a major tourist attraction, as well as a bank responsible for most of Cubas international financial transactions. Gaviota, a military-owned tourism company, is in the midst of what the AP calls a hotel building spree, which Cuba needs because its existing hotels lack sufficient capacity, by far, to accomodate hundreds of thousands of additional visitors from the United States. To date, Cuban private operators had been filling the gap by renting rooms in their homes. The militarys activities show that the regime has no intention of sharing the market with these cuentapropistas, as Cuban small businesses are known in Spanish. The Obama administration claims that support for these entrepreneurs is a major aim of its policy; it sees them as a potential source of middle-class pressure in favor of democracy. Meanwhile, it authorizes Starwood Hotels, a giant U.S. firm, to join forces with the Cuban state in operating government-run hotels.

Stripped of the high-minded rhetoric, the fundamental tendency of the new dispensation in U.S.-Cuban relations is toward collaboration between U.S. corporations and military gatekeepers on the island, in which profits take priority over the basic human rights of the Cuban people. If this sounds familiar, its because its very much like the arrangement that once existed between Washington and the kleptocratic Batista regime Fidel Castro overthrew in 1959.
EDWARD SNOWDEN, the former National Security Agency contractor who blew the cover off the federal governments electronic surveillance programs three years ago, has his admirers. After the inevitably celebratory Oliver Stone film about him appears this weekend, he may have more. Whether Mr. Snowden deserves a presidential pardon, as human rights organizations are demanding in a new national campaign timed to coincide with the film, is a complicated question, however, to which President Obamas answer should continue to be no.

Mr. Snowdens defenders dont deny that he broke the law  not to mention oaths and contractual obligations  when he copied and kept 1.5 million classified documents. They argue, rather, that Mr. Snowdens noble purposes, and the policy changes his whistle-blowing prompted, justified his actions. Specifically, he made the documents public through journalists, including reporters working for The Post, enabling the American public to learn for the first time that the NSA was collecting domestic telephone metadata  information about the time of a call and the parties to it, but not its content  en masse with no case-by-case court approval. The program was a stretch, if not an outright violation, of federal surveillance law, and posed risks to privacy. Congress and the president eventually responded with corrective legislation. Its fair to say we owe these necessary reforms to Mr. Snowden.

The complication is that Mr. Snowden did more than that. He also pilfered, and leaked, information about a separate overseas NSA Internet-monitoring program, PRISM, that was both clearly legal and not clearly threatening to privacy. (It was also not permanent; the law authorizing it expires next year.) Worse  far worse  he also leaked details of basically defensible international intelligence operations: cooperation with Scandinavian services against Russia; spying on the wife of an Osama bin Laden associate; and certain offensive cyber operations in China. No specific harm, actual or attempted, to any individual American was ever shown to have resulted from the NSA telephone metadata program Mr. Snowden brought to light. In contrast, his revelations about the agencys international operations disrupted lawful intelligence-gathering, causing possibly tremendous damage to national security, according to a unanimous, bipartisan report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. What higher cause did that serve?

Ideally, Mr. Snowden would come home and hash out all of this before a jury of his peers. That would certainly be in the best tradition of civil disobedience, whose practitioners have always been willing to go to jail for their beliefs. He says this is unacceptable because U.S. secrecy-protection statutes specifically prohibit him from claiming his higher purpose and positive impact as a defense  which is true, though its not clear how the law could allow that without creating a huge loophole for leakers. (Mr. Snowden hurt his own credibility as an avatar of freedom by accepting asylum from Russias Vladimir Putin, whos not known for pardoning those who blow the whistle on him.)

The second-best solution might be a bargain in which Mr. Snowden accepts a measure of criminal responsibility for his excesses and the U.S. government offers a measure of leniency in recognition of his contributions. Neither party seems interested in that for now. An outright pardon, meanwhile, would strike the wrong balance.
I arrived in the United States in 1996 as a foreign correspondent for the Economist. Like many young journalists from Europe, I was instantly won over by the countrys infectious optimism. By most objective measures, the United States was as unequal, class-bound and divided as my own Britain; but it differed fundamentally in its outlook. For some strange reason, nearly all Americans perceived themselves as middle class. They believed, without asking for evidence, that things were improving  or that if they werent, they would. It was as though the entire nation had been subjected to a particularly uplifting course of cognitive behavioral therapy. Smother feelings of resentment. Will yourself to be upbeat.

Two decades later, Americans are in danger of succumbing to the opposite mentality. The sunny affability of Ronald Reagan has been displaced by Donald Trumps dystopian rants about the United States losing; the nations real challenges are blown out of all proportion by a toxic public discourse that accentuates the negative. Suddenly, privileged, cosmopolitan Americans are obsessed with how much they are resented by their compatriots. A supposedly classless society is seized by its internal divisions.

Up to a point, the new mood is bracing. It is past time that Americans confront the long stagnation of middle-class incomes stretching back to the 1970s; it is vital to reckon with the research of Nicholas Eberstadt, whose forthcoming book documents the travails of the 7 million prime-age men who have dropped out of the workforce. But it is also essential to resist a willful pessimism that can infect the culture. Americans should not want to become like Britons, who agonized that class was destiny even when their prime minister was John Major, who quit school at 16.

If Trump and his ilk want to make America great again, they should not talk it down. They should not paint immigration as a mortal threat to the nation  not when the country was built by migrants, not when every study shows that their presence is a boon to the economy and not when the alleged flood of Mexicans is a fiction. Between 2009 and 2014, fewer Mexicans migrated to the United States than returned in the opposite direction. Trump has incited fury about a problem that does not exist.

Equally, Trump and his backers should not rant that trade is destroying livelihoods  not when imports as a share of the U.S. economy have been roughly flat over the past decade, and not when the nations trade deficit with other countries has been halved as a share of its economy. The proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership with East Asia, denounced not just by Trump but also by Hillary Clinton, would boost U.S. national income by an estimated $77 billion annually. Even if there are fair questions about who wins and who loses from trade deals, there is absolutely no excuse for painting the TPP as a plot to harm the average citizen.

Or consider the core grounds for populist resentment: the stagnation of middle-class incomes. Since a peak in the late 1990s, the median U.S. household has experienced no income gain whatsoever: There is a real issue here. But the Census Bureau just reported that last year brought good news: The median household income was up 5.2 percent, the largest one-year jump on record. The gains were highest in percentage terms among poorer households. The number of people living in poverty fell 8 percent.

In the 1990s, this progress would have been celebrated wholeheartedly. The national mood embodied by the youthful President Bill Clinton was bubbly and positive  as was the mood embodied by his political nemesis, Newt Gingrich, another Southern baby boomer. Clinton understood the pain of New Englands hard-pressed textile workers, but he believed he had solutions: He embraced technology, trade and the opportunities of globalization; he used U.S. power to bring the war in the Balkans to a peaceful end. Today, Trump disparages the nation and scorns international engagement. For her part, Hillary Clinton struggles to find the words to challenge him.

So here is an appeal to Trump and Clinton: Do not talk the United States into a self-feeding depression. Part of the solution to the nations challenges is to be found in better policies; the government should do more for those who live paycheck to paycheck. But only part of the solution is to be found there, for the truth is that government has already done more than it gets credit for, and yet the national malaise continues. In the past several years, tax tweaks have helped low-income workers, and Obamacare has extended health coverage to millions; given the gridlock that possesses Washington, it is unlikely that the next few years will see greater advances for hard-pressed families. And so it is time to ask the question: If Americans cant fix all their problems, can they at least rediscover their old talent for living cheerfully with them?
I read with despair about the latest controversy  geographic diversity  in the awarding of licenses to grow medical marijuana in Maryland [Changes in licensees for medical pot criticized, Metro, Sept. 13]. It has been more than two years since the state legalized medical marijuana. As a person with multiple sclerosis who would benefit greatly from access to legal pot, I dont care who grows it or where it is grown.

Maryland politicians have lost sight of the laws purpose. Medical marijuana is not an economic-development initiative or an affirmative-action program. It is a medical program.

Politicians and regulators need to focus on making this drug available as quickly as possible to people who need it.

Marilynne Rudick, Chevy Chase
THE SENTENCING Friday of the last major figure in the illegal shadow campaign behind Vincent C. Grays 2010 election as mayor essentially closed the books on the legal case. There are, however, still plenty of questions about the investigation that targeted Mr. Gray (D) but never charged him  and as long as they go unanswered, there can be no real end to the matter. D.C. residents  as well as Mr. Gray  deserve to know more about how this investigation was conducted, and U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips ought to be more forthcoming with information.

Jeanne Clarke Harris, the public-relations consultant who was a close friend and associate of the businessman who funded the off-the-books campaign benefiting Mr. Gray, was sentenced to three months in a halfway house and six months of home confinement. She had pleaded guilty in 2012 to helping Jeffrey E. Thompson evade campaign-finance limits and to obstruct the federal investigation. In meting out a punishment a bit harsher than the six months of home confinement recommended by prosecutors, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said she wanted to send a message that the culture of corruption in D.C. elections and politics has to be stopped.

Given the controversies, uncertainties and contradictions that surround this long-running investigation, one has to wonder whether that message hasnt become a bit muddled. Those who admitted to subverting democracy in the nations capital received light sentences  the prime exhibit being Mr. Thompsons three months in prison. Prosecutors, in fact, had recommended only home confinement for Mr. Thompson and at sentencing cited his extraordinary cooperation and that he never wavered in his candor.

What then to make of the fact that Mr. Gray, who Mr. Thompson said knew about the criminal activity that helped him defeat former mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), was never charged and, in fact, seems headed back to public office with his election as Ward 7 council member likely in November? Mr. Gray has vigorously denied any wrongdoing and has accused prosecutors of doing him an injustice. Democratic voters who gave him a resounding victory in the June primary obviously agreed.

Mr. Phillips, then newly appointed as U.S. attorney, shut down the investigation late last year soon after taking office without charging Mr. Gray, citing likely insufficient evidence. It was later revealed, first through reporting by The Posts Ann E. Marimow, that prosecutors were worried that Mr. Thompsons personal conduct unrelated to the campaign would undermine him with a jury. Mr. Phillips has never answered questions about the matter; the decision about shutting down the investigation was announced via news release. We are told that this is standard practice, but this was no standard case. Just as FBI Director James B. Comey saw the need to provide information about the handling of Hillary Clintons email investigation because of the high public interest, so should Mr. Phillips.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' awards gala where she took aim at rival Donald Trump, saying that Trump spews "bigotry and hate." (Victoria Walker/Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' awards gala where she took aim at rival Donald Trump, saying that Trump spews "bigotry and hate." (Victoria Walker/Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

Tiny New Hampshire has just four votes in the electoral college, but Tim Kaine was back here for his third visit in five weeks. At back-to-back campaign appearances, Hillary Clintons running mate offered a blunt reason for why.

This race is close, the senator from Virginia said at a rally Thursday in this picturesque New England town. I would rather be us right now than them. I think we have a more straightforward path to win and they have a more complicated path. But [there is] nothing to take for granted because, lets be honest, its been a season of surprises.

To many Democrats, the biggest surprise is that Donald Trump has mounted a comeback. Despite being battered all summer by his own missteps as well as a barrage of attack ads from Clinton, the Republican nominee has been surging in the battleground states.

Public polls over the past week show Trump leading Clinton in Ohio, Florida and Iowa; moving into a virtual tie with her in Nevada and North Carolina; and cutting into what had been comfortable Clinton leads in New Hampshire as well as in Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Clintons return to the campaign trail after her highly publicized bout with pneumonia came at what has turned out to be the low point for her of the general election. She is laboring to regain solid footing before the first of three debates, on Sept. 26.

1 of 57 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail View Photos The Democratic presidential nominee hits the road after her partys national convention. Caption Hillary Clinton loses to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Nov. 9, 2016 Hillary Clinton speaks in New York while her husband, former president Bill Clinton, applauds. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Clinton said she believes Trump has helped her in recent days by reopening painful wounds with a discussion of his long-held birther conspiracy. After five years of peddling lies and innuendo about the circumstances of President Obamas birth, Trump on Friday bowed to the facts and acknowledged for the first time that Obama was born in the United States, although he refused to apologize for his efforts to delegitimize the nations first black president.

[The Take: The birther issue will always be part of Trumps history]

It is too early to know whether the episode will be a turning point that reverses gains for him in many of the battleground states. Clinton has fundamental advantages in an electoral map that is tilted generally in favor of Democrats because of changing demographics, giving her more mathematical permutations than Trump to win.

State by state, Clintons advisers have a sober assessment of where the race stands. But they say that if they can turn out their votes  especially among young people, a critical Democratic constituency that has registered soft support for Clinton  they have ample ways to block Trump from winning the necessary 270 electoral votes despite clear deterioration in several states.

We expected this to tighten. We expect it to tighten even further, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said. Thats why we built a robust campaign in all 50 states, but especially in the battleground states. Its going to come down to small margins. . . . Were spending a lot of time making sure of our vote.

For the first time since Trump secured his partys nomination in May, there is genuine confidence among Republicans that he could win. Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said, We own both the momentum and enthusiasm dynamics right now.

Everybody loves a winner, so people now see these polls tightening where were up, tied or within the margin of error in nearly all of the swing states, Conway said. People are starting to see that Trump can actually pull this off.

1 of 60 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail View Photos The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November. Caption The GOP presidential nominee is pressing his case ahead of Election Day. Nov. 7, 2016 Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Strategists for Clinton and her top allied super PAC, Priorities USA, are intently analyzing the polling shift to understand the forces propelling Trump.

Nowhere have Trumps gains been more consistent than in Ohio, a swing state that Obama carried twice and where the Clinton campaign has been vastly outworking Trumps on the ground and outspending it on the airwaves. In the RealClearPolitics average of recent Ohio polls, Trump leads Clinton 42.5 percent to 40.8 percent in matchups that include both third-party nominees, Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party.

Geoff Garin, the Priorities USA pollster, said Trumps surge in Ohio and elsewhere is largely due to his consolidation of Republican and Republican-leaning independent voters. He said that at the moment, at least, these voters  the Mitt Romney coalition in 2012  see Trump as an acceptable alternative to Clinton following several weeks of relatively disciplined campaigning by Trump.

The phenomenon we are seeing right now primarily is just Donald Trump being normalized among Republican voters, Garin said. But, he cautioned, it doesnt get him beyond the 2012 map in any form or fashion.

Stuart Stevens, who was Romneys chief strategist and is not backing Trump, agreed: I dont think the structure of the race has changed. The structure favors any Democrat, and it particularly favors Clinton over Trump because Trump doesnt have a campaign.

[Megalomaniac Trump vs. deceitful Clinton: How a group of Virginia voters see the presidential race]

At Clintons New York headquarters, her aides attribute much of the movement to which candidate is under fire and which one is out of the headlines. They have seen erosion in her support among white voters during difficult weeks, although they argue that those voters have shifted to the undecided column rather than moving all the way to supporting Trump.

The Clinton campaign is pessimistic about both Ohio and Iowa, which Obama also won twice. Public polls show Trump ahead in both  and comfortably so in Iowa, an overwhelmingly white state and one of the only battleground states in which the Republican establishment has fully embraced Trump. A Monmouth University survey this week showed Trump ahead of Clinton there, 45 percent to 37 percent, with Johnson running in third, at 8 percent.

Florida, another state Obama twice carried, remains extremely competitive, according to public and private polls, and probably will be until the end. Clinton advisers, however, note that they can lose all three of those states and still win the presidency.

Their position is strengthened, they argue, by what they say are strong standings in Virginia and Colorado because of the demographics there, though some public polls show a tightening race in the latter.

Clinton advisers are zeroing in on North Carolina as a potential back-breaker for Trump. In 2012, it was the only major swing state that Romney won, but it is by no means a sure thing for Trump. The RealClearPolitics average of polls there has Clinton hanging to a razor-tight lead, 42.8 percent to Trumps 42.2 percent, with Johnson at 7.2 percent.

Joel Benenson, Clintons chief strategist and pollster, called North Carolina a roadblock state. If we win North Carolina, along with Virginia, where we are in very good shape, we choke off so many paths to 270 that hes threading a needle that has a smaller eye than any previous Republican candidate.

Trump has demonstrated growing support across much of the Midwest, and Clintons team is closely watching Pennsylvania and Michigan, two states Republicans havent won in six straight elections. Clintons campaign has invested heavily in its ground organization in both states. A campaign official said that if Michigan became truly competitive, that would create complications in their electoral college calculations.

New Hampshires four electoral votes and Nevadas six votes might seem trivial at first glance, but both campaigns recognize that if the election ends up in a photo finish, either or both of those states could play decisive roles.

[Clintons impulse to power through illness set off a cascade of problems]

Hours after Kaines appearances here Thursday, Trump punctuated the attention New Hampshire is getting with an evening rally at the middle school in Laconia.

An overall worry for Clinton is the apparent lack of enthusiasm among millennials; polls show her underperforming compared with Obamas results among younger voters. Clinton advisers say that young people are allergic to Trump, as one put it, but not fully sold on Clinton. The campaigns fear is that young voters either stay home in November or decide to cast ballots for one of the third-party candidates. We need to get them feeling better about her, one official said.

Benenson said of voters ages 18 to 34, We are going to continue to galvanize them, organize them and get them out to the polls in November.

To that end, Kaine visited a hip art cafe Thursday in Portsmouth, N.H., where he spotlighted issues for young professionals. He seized on Trumps new child-care policy requiring six weeks of paid maternity leave for mothers, but no benefits for fathers, as a way of stamping Trump as a candidate from an older era whose idea does not take into account todays generation of families.

Two liberal Clinton supporters popular with millennials  Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.)  are fanning out to college campuses across Ohio this weekend on Clintons behalf.

Coming out of the two July conventions, Clinton registered solid and in some cases double-digit leads nationally and in the swing states. The conventional wisdom focused not on whether Clinton would beat Trump but on how big her landslide might be.

Clintons aides said one of their biggest concerns then was complacency  that her supporters, believing Clintons win to be in the bag, would do little to volunteer in the fall or, worse, stay home on Election Day. For a campaign without much to celebrate in the polls, the new atmosphere at least is a welcome antidote.

Im not a big landslide guy, Kaine told the Exeter crowd. Hillarys attitude is, Im an underdog  until Im the winner. 
Donald Trump speaks Sept. 17 in Houston. In a break with GOP orthodoxy, Trump has released a plan to guarantee new mothers six weeks of paid leave and to offer tax credits for child care. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Over the past week, Donald Trump has staked out positions on womens issues that tack far to the left of his party and his running mate, a marked shift from Republican orthodoxy and the presidential nominees past comments about mothers in the workplace.

Trump, who has made inflammatory statements about women in the past and is lagging far behind in polls of female voters, released a plan to guarantee new mothers six weeks of paid leave and offer tax credits for child care. Trump also said that women should be able to access birth control over the counter, a direct contradiction of the platform his party adopted at its July convention.

Politically, the proposals are a departure for the nominee of a party that has only recently started talking more about child care and family-leave policies.

There hasnt been a whole lot of discussion among conservatives on these two issues, especially compared on the left, said Angela Rachidi, a research fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton introduced a child-care plan in May, proposing to cap child-care expenses at 10 percent of income. Her campaign has said the program will be funded by a mix of federal subsidies and tax credits, although it has not provided all the details. Clinton also seeks to establish universal preschool for the nations 4-year-olds and to guarantee up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents or for people caring for ill relatives. Those on leave would get up to two-thirds of their salary, although a ceiling on the amount would apply.

Both Trump and Clinton are garnering praise for taking on the high cost of child care and parental-leave policies that lag far behind the rest of the world.

But Trumps plan is viewed skeptically by people on both sides of the aisle who see it as a slapdash attempt to woo female voters  particularly those in suburban swing districts grappling with the high cost of child care or whether it makes financial sense to return to work after having a baby.

[Donald Trump unveils child-care policy influenced by Ivanka Trump]

Hes a salesman, what can he sell? Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist, said of Trump. I think hes looking at these voters and making a pretty direct appeal to them on policy with that same instinct of selling.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll this month found Clinton leading by 15 points among female likely voters over Trump. Polls in the swing states of Iowa, Ohio and Nevada put Clinton with at least a 10-point lead over Trump with women who are likely to vote.

Madden said Trump is unapologetic about it for those who are criticizing some of the policy details and the fact that its such a departure from the party orthodoxy.

Some conservatives are concerned with what Trump has put forward, particularly about how it will be structured and paid for.

Trumps child-care plan would allow families making less than $250,000 a year to deduct up to the average cost of child care in the state where they live  a sum that works out to about $22,000 annually in the District, compared with about $5,500 in Alabama. Trumps campaign said this allows for a recognition that child-care costs vary nationwide. The campaign said it would be paid for by higher revenue from economic growth, although it did not specify what that meant.

[The states where parents spend the most on child care]

Low-income families would be offered rebates through the earned income tax credit. While conservative economists said the program has been successful and effective, they have concerns with it: The Internal Revenue Service estimated that 23.8 percent of payments were issued improperly in fiscal 2015.

Trumps campaign said there would be no change to the existing tax credit program and that the child-care rebate would be a separate calculation. It said a Trump administration would monitor claims to reduce the rate of erroneous payments and exercise more robust jurisdiction over the system.

Parents who stay at home with their children would also be able to take the same deductions as working parents. Trumps maternity-leave plan is just that  it allows women who give birth to take six weeks of paid leave, funded through unemployment insurance. Trumps campaign said it is a safety net designed for women who would otherwise be forced back to work quickly and could be paid for by eliminating improper payments doled out by the unemployment insurance program.

The maternity-leave policy does not address fathers, adoptive parents or same-sex couples, or those taking time for a family emergency.

Its for some 1950s America that most of us dont live in any more, said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Action.

[Catherine Rampell: Clintons child-care plan doesnt exist]

Trump initially announced his intentions for a child-care plan last month. At that time, Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore told NPR that middle-class mothers with incomes of $60,000 to $90,000 per year would benefit the most from Trumps plan.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economist at the conservative American Action Forum, said Trumps plan could incentivize employers not to offer paid leave  something Trumps campaign said should not happen because it is a limited benefit.

Politically it looks like a bidding war. Hillary has a child-care policy, Im going to have one, Im going to appeal to women somehow, he said. He identifies a constituency and tailors policies to appeal to them, and it drives Republicans crazy because thats not how they want to think about things.

Trump said that his child-care proposals were driven almost entirely by his daughter Ivanka, a working mother of three. They are a departure for both Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence. In a 2004 interview, Trump said that while pregnancy is a wonderful thing for a woman and her husband, the fact is it is an inconvenience for a person that is running a business.

Pence, in a 1997 letter to the editor of the Indianapolis Star, said that children who go to day care get the short end of the emotional stick and that the tax code should be more favorable to families where one parent stays home with children.

[Trump has a problem with women voters. Pence could make it even worse.]

Vivien Labaton, co-director of Make it Work Action, which advocates for family-friendly workplace policies, said both Trump and Clinton need to offer more specifics about their policies. She believes Trumps plan is designed for the Ivanka Trumps of the world rather than working and low-income families.

Labaton said Trumps timing and lack of specificity lead me to conclude that his motives are nothing more than wooing voters, women voters, in the run-up to Election Day rather than a genuine commitment to improving the lives of working women and families. She added that there are still important details to learn about Clintons plan, too.

Trump also veered far from his party when he said on The Dr. Oz Show on Thursday that birth control should be available over the counter.

You cant make birth control available over the counter by presidential decree, said Alina Salganicoff, director of womens health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. It has to go through an FDA process.

In California, pharmacists are allowed to dispense certain methods of birth control to a patient without a prescription. In Oregon, specially trained pharmacists are allowed to administer and fill a prescription for birth control  including pills, patches and rings  after a woman fills out a 20-question self-assessment. The Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill for 15-year-olds and older in 2013 after a lengthy and politically fraught process.

The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid cover birth control for women. Were it to no longer be available by prescription, womens health advocates said that could make it more difficult and expensive for low-income women to access hormonal contraception.

Scott Clement contributed to this report.
Donald Trump spent a lot of time raising doubts over President Obama's birth certificate in 2011. He finally admitted Obama was born in the United States on Sept. 16, but he falsely accused Hillary Clinton's campaign of starting the rumor. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Donald Trump spent a lot of time raising doubts over President Obama's birth certificate in 2011. He finally admitted Obama was born in the United States on Sept. 16, but he falsely accused Hillary Clinton's campaign of starting the rumor. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Donald Trump has prided himself on having unerring instincts and a flair for showmanship, attributes that helped dispatch his Republican rivals in the primaries and that he hopes will land him in the White House in January. His handling of the birther issue  past and present  says just the opposite.

Trumps performance Friday was a hurried and defensive effort to put to bed a lingering controversy that was suddenly resurrected because of his own stubbornness  and his unwillingness to acknowledge error or express regret. In trying to get beyond it on Friday, he compounded his error, perpetuating another falsehood about Hillary Clintons role while mischaracterizing his own actions over the five years since he first elevated the lies and conspiracy theories about whether President Obama was born in the United States.

His 31-word statement, delivered at his new hotel in Washington at the end of an infomercial and campaign rally combination, will not end the discussion. Given the questions he left hanging, its now impossible to believe that his role in perpetuating the birther issue will not become a topic of further discussion, much as Trump and his advisers want it to go away.

The danger for Trump is that the next time he might have to address the issue publicly will be with the biggest audience of the campaign watching, at the first presidential debate on Sept. 26 at Hofstra University. What any smart campaign would have dealt with long ago now lingers with just seven weeks left before the election.

Clinton refused to let the issue drop in the hours after Trumps Friday statement. The birther lie is what turned Trump from a reality TV star into a political figure, she tweeted. Will she not challenge Trump on it at the debate? Many Democrats would accuse her of malpractice if she does not. Just as likely, the issue will be raised by NBCs Lester Holt, who will moderate the first debate. Is Trump prepared to offer an apology or expression of regret if confronted in that forum?

President Obama responds to a question about Donald Trump questioning his place of birth during a meeting in the Oval Office on Sept. 16. (Win Mcnamee/Getty Images)

[Trump says Obama was born in the United States but falsely blames Clinton for starting rumors]

Trumps new campaign team had served him well over the past few weeks, bringing greater discipline to his message (by forcing him to deliver speeches from a teleprompter), having him offer policy proposals designed to appeal to voters where his support is weaker than it should be (even while raising questions of how the arithmetic adds up or the ideology fits with traditional GOP conservatism) and avoiding, where possible, unforced errors.

The strategy in part helped turn what once was a clear Clinton advantage in the polls into competitive contests in many battleground states. Meanwhile, Clinton was stumbling through one of the worst stretches of her campaign, a descent from the lofty post-convention weeks, when Trump was floundering, to fresh controversy over emails, the Clinton Foundation and questions about her guardedness.

But Trumps team proved unequal to a candidate determined to play by his own rules and who had famously remarked that his advisers could say what they wanted about him but that only he could say what he believed. Somehow, Trump managed to change the discussion at the worst possible moment.

Its not as if he hadnt been forewarned that the birther issue remained a problem. More than once in recent weeks, he was asked about it. Fox Newss Bill OReilly put the question to him earlier this month, linking Trumps history on the issue to the candidates calls to African American voters to give him a fresh look. He dismissed those questions. He didnt want to talk about it anymore, he said without giving a straightforward answer.

Inquiries about what Trump believed prompted campaign advisers to claim that he now accepted that Obamas birthplace was the United States. The candidate, however, would never confirm those claims, leaving the issue to fester. When The Washington Posts Robert Costa asked Trump about the issue aboard the candidates airplane on Wednesday night, Trump hedged, once again too clever by half  and the issue blew up in his face.

[For Trump, never wrong and always loved by his admirers]

Reporters shout questions at Donald Trump during a campaign event Sept. 16 at Trump International Hotel in Washington. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

The publication of Costas report Thursday evening set off a scramble inside Trumps campaign. Just after 10:15 p.m., a tortured statement was issued in the name of the campaigns communications director that gave political spin a bad name. It asserted anew that Trump did accept that Obama was born in the United States, although the statement was still in someone elses voice. It also repeated the false claim that it was Clinton who had given birth to birtherism during the 2008 campaign.

That assertion is based in part on a memo written in March 2007 by Clintons chief strategist, Mark Penn, urging the campaign to make note of Obamas lack of American roots. His advice was dismissed by others in the campaign. Some Clinton supporters distributed emails toward the end of the 2008 primaries spreading rumors that questioned Obamas birthplace. Other claims have been offered but without any evidence that Clinton or her campaign did what Trumps team has asserted, according to fact checkers.

The campaigns Thursday night statement also sought to make Trump the hero of the whole story for having prompted Obama to release his long-form birth certificate and thereby answer the question of his birthplace once and for all, as if it were actually in doubt. The campaign email said, Mr. Trump did a great service to the president and the country by bringing closure to the issue.

That last statement could not withstand even the skimpiest of scrutiny. Trump himself never accepted that version of events. If he had actually ended the controversy in the spring of 2011, he somehow refused to act on it, continuing to raise doubts about Obamas birthplace for years afterward, insinuating there was still something fishy there.

Trumps behavior helped give comfort to the many Americans who still believed that Obama was neither born in the United States nor a Christian. It is not surprising that African Americans and others see racism at the root of this ugly chapter of the Obama presidency.

Trumps decisions to push the birther issue in 2011 and then not give it up even after the presidents birth certificate was released will always be part of his history. He cannot wash it away with one terse statement and an exhortation to everyone to move on. Voters can judge him on the totality of that record.
David Sneddon, photographed at a training center in 1999. Now, allegations have resurfaced that he was kidnapped from China by North Korea in 2004. (Courtesy of the Sneddon Family)

Even by the standards of strange tales that come out of North Korea, this one is particularly bizarre.

Did Kim Jong Ils regime order the abduction of an American in 2004 so his children could learn English? Did North Korean agents, with the help of Chinese officials, snatch a student who had been hiking near the border with Burma?

Yes, or at least probably, if his parents, a South Korean abductees advocate and human rights proponents are to be believed. No, if youre talking to American officials.

But Choi Sung-yong, president of the Abductees Family Union in Seoul, says he has information placing the American man, David Sneddon, in Pyongyang. Now 36, Sneddon goes by the Korean name Yoon Bong Soo. He is married to a woman named Kim Eun Hae and they have two children, a boy and a girl, Choi said, citing evidence from an informant in Pyongyang.

Sneddon was taken to Pyongyang because Kim Jong Il had given an order for his children  including the states current leader, Kim Jong Un  to be tutored in English by a native speaker, someone who could also teach them about American culture. Hes a similar age to the Kim children, said Choi, who devotes his days to trying to find out what happened to the missing.

The tale starts when Sneddon, a 24-year-old Brigham Young University student who had completed a two-year Mormon mission to South Korea, was wrapping up a semester studying Chinese in Beijing in the summer of 2004. He had learned Korean and was planning to take a Chinese language class in his senior year at BYU.

[North Korea sentences U-Va. student to 15 years of hard labor in prison]

Hed gone to Beijing that summer to get a head start in Mandarin, his father, Roy Sneddon, said. His course work was done, so he said he was going to take a look around some touristy spots in southeast China before he came back.

David Sneddon had been walking on an easy path in the Tiger Leaping Gorge, a scenic area in Yunnan province that borders Burma, also known as Myanmar. Hed been to a Korean restaurant called the Yak Bar. And then, he disappeared.

His parents thought that their son, one of 11 children, had been detained by Chinese authorities. Roy Sneddon and two of Davids brothers went to the area to investigate but found nothing beyond a suggestion that he had slipped in the gorge and died.

The case went nowhere until four years ago, when Davids parents received a phone call from a man in South Korea who said hed heard of a man fitting their sons description who was living in Pyongyang.

The Sneddon family had not considered the possibility of North Korean involvement.

But on reflection, there had been a strange incident. David had been approached in a supermarket in Beijing by a Korean woman who said her children werent speaking enough Korean in China, and would he mind tutoring them?

And one of Davids mission friends had been working in Yanji, a city near Chinas border with North Korea that has become a first transit point for people escaping. Was the Korean mother laying a trap? Had David or his friend been helping North Koreans escape?

[North Korea sentences former Va. man to 10 years of hard labor]

He had been associated with Koreans in two different ways, Roy Sneddon said in a phone interview from Utah. The conclusion that we drew was that David had been taken, or kidnapped, if you will.

We thought that his background and his language was one of the reasons for it.

Every now and then over the past few years, some Japanese newspapers would raise the possibility that David had been abducted by North Korea, an idea some in Washington saw as part of a Japanese effort to get the U.S. government to pay more attention to North Koreas abductions of Japanese citizens.

During the 1970s and 1980s, apparently under the orders of Kim Jong Il, who was then North Koreas heir apparent, an unknown number of people were abducted and taken to North Korea.

At least 17 Japanese nationals were kidnapped, usually from remote spots on the west coast, and taken to Pyongyang, apparently to train spies in Japanese language and culture.

A famous South Korean film director and a celebrated actress were picked up on orders by Kim, a movie buff.

Along the way, Thai, Romanian and Lebanese women were abducted. The Romanian, Doina Bumbea, was taken in 1978 and not seen again until 2007, when she was spotted in a documentary about James Dresnok, an American soldier who defected to the North after the Korean War and was married to her.

But there has never been an incident in which an American was abducted. (Although in recent years, Pyongyang has made something of a habit of detaining visiting Americans. Two people  University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier and Korean American missionary Kim Dong-chul  are currently being held.)

Now, Choi, of the abductees association, said he was 50 to 70 percent confident about the information he had from Pyongyang. Choi has a track record when it comes to finding out about abductees: He was the one who first heard about Kim Young-nam, a South Korean who was also kidnapped by the North and had been married to Megumi Yokota, a Japanese woman abducted as a schoolgirl.

But the State Department has not raised the case with the North Korean diplomats stationed at the United Nations, a senior administration official said. Nor has it asked the Swedish diplomats in Pyongyang, who represent American interests in North Korea, to take up the case there.

There is no evidence that weve seen that indicates that he was abducted, the official said, although he conceded that there was no evidence that any of the Japanese had been abducted, either.

Indeed, experts said the case shouldnt be quickly dismissed. It was certainly possible that Sneddon had been taken, said Robert Boynton, author of The Invitation-Only Zone: The True Story of North Koreas Abduction Project.

Every time I find myself ruling it out, I realize that there is no more or no less evidence on Sneddons disappearance than there was on the Japanese circa 1995, Boynton said. It was all circumstantial.

[Japan calls for international help as North Korea stonewalls on abductions]

Boynton, whose book focused on the Japanese abductees, cautioned against dismissing the idea because it didnt make sense.

Why would anyone do this? Why would anyone go to such lengths to get something as simple as an English teacher? But North Korea has done this before, he said, with the Japanese abductees who worked as language teachers in Pyongyang.

Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, said he was also inclined to believe that Sneddon was abducted.

Scarlatoiu noted the tense environment at the time. There was close cooperation between North Korea and nearby Burma  Pyongyang had reportedly been selling arms to the Burmese junta  and North Korean agents could have been operating in the area.

The U.S. House of Representatives had just passed the North Korean Human Rights Act, highlighting the nations human rights abuses and offering assistance to anyone who escaped it. Plus, the biggest group of defectors to date  a group of 469 North Koreans  had just arrived in South Korea from Vietnam.

The North Koreans were extraordinarily upset, Scarlatoiu said. I wonder if our own U.S. government agencies could look into opening an investigation.

Read more

North Korea defied world with nuclear test. Now it seeks aid for flood disaster.

After nuclear test, a new push to stop North Korea from sending workers abroad

With each test, N. Korea inches closer to being able to send a nuclear-tipped missile to the U.S.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Refugees and migrants sit next to tents at the Souda municipality run camp on the Greek island of Chios on September 7. (Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)

In the midst of the greatest migration upheaval since the end of World War II, world leaders will gather Monday in New York for a major U.N. summit on the global refugee crisis.

While the summits main agenda item will be the 22-page proposal drafted to strengthen protections for migrants  by ensuring a people-centered, sensitive, humane, dignified, gender-responsive and prompt reception  the situation in the Mediterranean Sea, the transit zone where more than a million people passed into Europe last year, is anything but safe.

After the landmark agreement between the European Union and Turkey signed in March, the traffic along the eastern Mediterranean route  from the Middle East through the Aegean Sea, used by most of the migrants and refugees who arrived last year  has generally slowed, although the United Nations refugee agency reported an uptick in the first week of September, with more than 1,000 migrants crossing into Greece from Turkey.

[The number of Europe-bound migrants falls, but death toll rises]

Meanwhile, traffic along the less-regulated central Mediterranean route, typically with migrants from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa headed to Italy and its outer islands, has increased after a long summer of warmer weather and improved travel conditions. Although the overall flow of migrants across the Mediterranean has fallen this year, the number of deaths at sea has risen by about 15 percent, according to the most recent statistics collected by the International Organization for Migration.

Through the end of September 2015, the organization reported that 470,000 migrants and refugees had arrived in Europe and that an additional 2,900 had died while attempting the journey. By comparison, through Sept. 14 of this year, the IOM reported that 297,000 have arrived on the continent, while 3,200 have died en route.

We already know the U.N. summit is doomed to abject failure, Salil Shetty, Amnesty Internationals secretary general, said in a statement in advance of Mondays assembly. Faced with the worst refugee crisis in 70 years, world leaders have shown a shocking disregard for the human rights of people who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict or persecution.

In geopolitical terms, analysts say that a continued flow along the eastern Mediterranean route, even a small one, risks upsetting the E.U.s deal with Turkey, especially given tense relations after the attempted coup against the Turkish government in mid-July.

[Greece was once the fast lane to Europe for refugees. Now its a grim waiting room.]

In August, approximately 3,400 migrants arrived in Greece by sea, the highest number since April, the month that immediately followed the signing of the deal. The reason for this increase remains unknown.

According to Elizabeth Collett, director of the Brussels-based Migration Policy Institute Europe, it is not the numbers that present an issue. Rather, the potential problem lies in the pressure the constant influx will place on Greece, where, she said, detention centers are overcrowded, few adequate facilities have been prepared, and migrants are underserved by overstretched services.

These difficult conditions could force Greek authorities to transport migrants from outer Aegean islands to the mainland. But according to the E.U. agreement with Turkey, that country will take back migrants only from the outer islands, not from mainland Greece.

Theres this childrens game called Jenga, Gerald Knaus, a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and a founding member of the Berlin-based European Stability Initiative, said in an interview. If you pull out the wrong block, the whole thing might come crashing down.

The paradigm in Europe has been making sure the Turks dont walk away from the deal, he said, but thats not the danger. The danger is that nobody does anything. Its not the numbers themselves that are the problem, its the potential for mistakes they create.

Britain and France to construct Great Wall of Calais to keep migrants from port

French truck drivers protest in Calais, call for dismantling of Jungle migrant camp

Welcome to Greeces refugee squats

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Activists in Aleppo, Syria, protest against the United Nations for what they called its failure to lift the siege on their rebel-held area of the city. (Modar Shekho/AP)

The U.S.-Russia deal to bring peace to Syria seemed near collapse late Saturday, as the two countries publicly accused each other of double-dealing and atrocities in the wake of an apparently mistaken U.S. airstrike that killed dozens of Syrian soldiers.

The U.S. Central Command acknowledged the strike, in eastern Syrias Deir al-Zour province, saying it was halted immediately when U.S. forces were informed by Russia that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military. Central Command said the intended target had been Islamic State forces in the area.

A U.S. Defense official said the strike appears to be an intelligence failure.

Russia and Syria asserted that 62 were killed and about 100 others were injured. Although the Central Command statement did not mention casualties, a senior administration official said the United States had relayed our regret through Russia for the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces fighting ISIL, an acronym for the Islamic State, and had launched an internal investigation.

It marked the first time the United States has engaged the Syrian military since it began targeting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq two years ago. The strike also came at a particularly sensitive time in U.S. and Russian efforts to forge a cease-fire in Syrias civil war, as each has accused the other of failing to comply with an agreement they struck a week ago for a cease-fire, to be followed by coordination of their counterterrorism strikes.

The incident quickly sparked one of the most hostile diplomatic exchanges between Washington and Moscow in recent years. Russia, after calling an emergency Saturday night meeting of the U.N. Security Council, suggested that the strike was not accidental and that it was designed to derail the deal.

Russias U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, also said the strike could be evidence of U.S. support for the Islamic State and an al-Qaeda affiliate fighting the Syrian government, which the United States has sought to help oust. Both Russia and Syria said the Syrian forces at the time were engaged in combat with the militants, which then overran nearby areas.

Churkin spoke outside the Security Council chamber after his U.S. counterpart, Samantha Power, appeared before reporters as the meeting was starting, and scornfully called the closed-door session a Russian stunt.

The Syrian government, assisted by Russia, has tortured and bombed its people, Power said. And, yet, in the face of none of these atrocities has Russia expressed outrage, nor has it demanded investigations, nor has it ever called for . . . an emergency meeting of the Security Council on a Saturday night or any other night.

Seriously? she said. And theyre calling this emergency meeting? Really? Because of a single airstrike . . . in error . . . which we have quickly called for investigating? Power said. Now, of all times, Russia calls for an emergency meeting, so it can stand up here and express outrage.

Churkin, who stalked out of the meeting as Power entered, said that he had never, in all my years in international life, over 40 years, seen such an extraordinary display of American heavy-handedness as we are witnessing today.

Describing Powers remarks as demagoguery of the highest order, Churkin said in an apparent reference to the U.S. electoral campaign that it is extremely tragic that this is the state of political play in the United States.

It is quite significant, and frankly suspicious, that the United States chose to conduct this particular airstrike at this time, Churkin said. I would suggest it is not accidental that it happened just two days before the Russia-American arrangement was supposed to come into force.

Over the past several days, the United States and Russia have exchanged charges of noncompliance with the cease-fire agreement reached in Geneva last weekend by Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The agreement calls for formation of a U.S.-Russia Joint Implementation Center to coordinate strikes against al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, once there have been seven consecutive days of reduced violence in the civil war and humanitarian aid has begun to flow to besieged communities in Syria.

Although violence has diminished, the United Nations has accused the Syrian government of failing to grant permission for safe passage of aid convoys.

Administration officials said Friday that it was increasingly clear that Moscow did not have the influence it thought it had over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Moscow has countered that the United States has failed to separate opposition forces it supports from anti-Assad terrorist groups, particularly those of the former al-Qaeda militia, which recently changed its name from Jabhat al-Nusra to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, or the Front for the Conquest of Syria.

Russia has been anxious for the coordination to begin. But Churkin, who said the agreement called for starting coordination on Monday, said the entire deal was now a very big question mark.

A senior Obama administration official said that the agreement never had a date for implementing the envisioned coordination. While Churkin said that aid deliveries to the besieged northern city of Aleppo would begin Sunday morning, the official said the administration may decide that only one or two days of deliveries might not be enough to prove good faith.

But, the official added, we still think that despite Saturdays airstrike and the exchanges that followed, the agreement is still worth pursuing, and we can still get there.

Deir al-Zour, where the airstrike took place, is far from the populated western region where the separate civil war that is the subject of the cease-fire is focused. The Islamic State controls much of the province, although there are some scattered Syrian military installations.

The Central Command statement said that U.S. surveillance had been tracking an Islamic State fighting position for a significant amount of time before the strike. The Defense official, among several officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said that the militants appeared to have a number of vehicles and a tank.

Coalition airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are coordinated through U.S. military planning cells located in the Middle East. Target tracking is done through a variety of means, including aerial reconnaissance by surveillance drones and communications intercepts.

The Defense official said that before the strike was called off, U.S. forces had destroyed roughly six vehicles and the personnel associated with them. . . . If we did get this wrong, which it looks like we did, its not something we intended to do, the official said.

The Syrian military said in a statement that its troops had been surrounded by militant fighters and that the U.S. strike paved the way for ISIS terrorists to attack a nearby hilltop. In details the Pentagon did not confirm, it said the strike was carried out by four U.S. jets  two F-16 fighters and two A-10 ground-attack aircraft  flying from the Iraqi border.

The statement said the airstrikes were conclusive evidence that the United States and its allies support ISIS and other terrorist organizations. Churkin later said that Russian aircraft had gone to the area to assist the Syrians in repelling the militants.

Russia last year began its own airstrikes in Syria, primarily in support of Assads forces fighting the civil war, but also occasionally targeting the Islamic State. Last fall, the United States and Russia signed a deconfliction agreement to share enough information about where their planes were flying to keep them away from each other.

The Central Command statement said U.S. forces were not required, under the deconfliction agreement, to tell the Russians in advance about the planned strike, but did so out of professional courtesy. A senior official said the Russians had acknowledged the message but then came back to say that the strike was hitting Syrian forces.

Gibbons-Neff reported from Washington. Erin Cunningham

and Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Read more:

U.S. Special Operations forces begin new role alongside Turkish troops in Syria

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
NANTES, France (Reuters) - Egypt took delivery of a second French Mistral helicopter carrier on Friday, part of a $1 billion deal signed last year. Egypt took over the ship at a ceremony in the Atlantic coast port of Saint-Nazaire. It was the second of two France agreed last year to sell to Egypt. The two ships were originally built for sale to Russia, but that sale was canceled after Russia's annexation of Crimea. "It has been a very complicated, uncertain period to manage, but thanks to the French government's support, we were able to find a navy that needed it," a spokesman for the state-backed shipbuilder DCNS told Reuters. The French naval contractor had to strip out all the ship's information systems and instructions written in Cyrillic script and replace them with Arabic and English lettering. The "Anwar El-Sadat" will sail from Saint-Nazaire early next week for joint exercises with the French navy before setting off for Alexandria. The Mistral is known as the "Swiss army knife" of the French navy for its versatility. Capable of carrying vessels and tanks, the will serve as command centers for the Egyptian fleet. Cairo has tried to boost its military power in the face of a two-year insurgency in northern Sinai and fears that civil war in neighboring Libya could spill over. Egypt has also ordered four corvettes, 100-metres long, that will be built in two years, and negotiations are under way to order two more, the spokesman for DCNS told Reuters. (Reporting by Guillaume Frouin,; writing by Maya Nikolaeva, editing by Larry King)
NBC Sports Philadelphia

The big hit eluded the Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series against Astros lefty Framber Valdez, who was filthy. Was he, perhaps, too filthy? Here's what the Phils had to say about Valdez' curious mannerisms on the mound. By Corey Seidman
Remember Second Chance? Truth Be Told? Here are 15 canceled shows from last season youve already forgotten about.

Second Chance

You probably dont remember Foxs sci-fi drama because it had two other titles before it even made it to air  Frankenstein Code and Lookinglass.

Truth Be Told

Another victim of the title change and another piece of evidence

Houdini and Doyle

Thats right, for a short while, Fox aired a show about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle teaming up with Harry Houdini to solve crime.

The Player was supposed to be Wesley Snipes big return to acting, but instead it fizzled out, got its episode order cut, and was basically the first canceled show of the 2015 season.

The Family

Joan Allens missing son returned after a years-ago disappearance  but is he who he says he is? Unfortunately, no one really bothered to find out.

Bordertown

Its the one thats not The Simpsons or Family Guy or Bobs Burgers and it was axed pretty quickly.

Angel from Hell

Containment

Game of Silence

Despite a clever attempt to get Game of at the begin of its title, this remake of a Danish series came and went without much fanfare.

Cooper Barrett

Crowded

Blood & Oil

Best Time Ever

Remember that time Neil Patrick Harris hosted a live variety show? Anyone?

Wicked City

Ill give you $15 if you can tell me what this Ed Westwick midseason drama was about.

Heartbeat

Whether it was Heartbreaker or Heartbeat, this Melissa George-led medical drama never found a pulse.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Roadies' Canceled After 1 Season at Showtime

'Mistresses' Canceled After Four Seasons at ABC

'Feed the Beast' Canceled by AMC After 1 Season
London (AFP) - Around 20,000 pro-refugee demonstrators took to the streets on London on Saturday, according to police, to call on Prime Minister Theresa May to do more to tackle the migrant crisis.

Protesters marched down the affluent Park Lane and the central thoroughfare Piccadilly carrying an array of colourful placards and shouting slogans including "say it loud, say it clear: refugees are welcome here!"

At one point, a group at the front of the protest performed a song and dance routine to Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You", cheered on by fellow protesters.

Some carried signs reading "no-one is illegal", "stop the drowning", while others chanted "refugees - let them stay...Let's deport Theresa May!"

"I've come here today because my kids go to sleep in a safe house every night with full stomachs and I think every child should have that," mother-of-two Claire-Marie Goggin, 47, told AFP.

Volunteer worker Felicity Rose, 33, said the message was "to look after our brothers and sisters from round the world and let them come and to stop penalising them because of where they come from and the colour of their skin."

The event was organised by Solidarity with Refugees, and was supported by groups including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Refugee Council and Stop the War Coalition.

It comes ahead of Monday's UN Summit for refugees and migrants in New York, to be hosted by US President Barack Obama and attended by prime minister May.

Britain's then prime minister David Cameron announced last year the country would accept up to 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next five years.
On September 17, 1787, a group of men gathered in a closed meeting room to sign the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. And it was Benjamin Franklin who made the motion to sign the document in his last great speech.

The Constitutional Convention started in May 1787 in Pennsylvanias State House (which is now called Independence Hall). During four months of deliberations, the delegates drew up a plan for a new form of republican government that replaced a weak central government established by the Articles of Confederation.

George Washington presided over the convention, which featured many of the great minds of the day (James Madison, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris and for a while, Alexander Hamilton), a legend (Franklin) and the most important regional leaders in the United States. Absent were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and John Hancock, among others.

On September 17, the group met one last time to conclude its business in Philadelphia, and to agree on how the Constitution would be sent to the Confederation Congress to start the ratification process with the states.

According to James Madisons notes, the Constitution was first read to the group.

Franklin, in poor health at the age of 81, was at the meeting and wrote a speech to introduce the motion for the conventions delegates to sign the Constitution. Too weak to read the speech, he asked James Wilson to read the speech for him to the other delegates.

I confess that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them, the speech said in its opening sentence. Franklin then made a powerful argument for the new Constitution.

I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better Constitution. For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected? he asked.

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Franklins speech concluded with a plea for all of the delegates to sign the Constitution. In the ensuing debate, Hugh Williamson from North Carolina rejected this idea. He proposed a letter should accompany the document when it was sent to the Congress in New York, because the letter would be found satisfactory to some members who disliked the Constitution. Williamson was referring to three delegates, Elbridge Gerry, George Mason and Edmund Randolph, who objected to the final version of the Constitution.

The three dissenters all spoke during the debate and explained why they wouldnt sign the final document. Gouverneur Morris and Hamilton argued that the delegates needed to sign the Constitution. Franklin then made the final motion to sign the document, which was approved by 10 of the state delegations.

Then, a motion was made to destroy all of the journals that documented the convention, or to put them in George Washingtons possession. The delegates agreed that Washington should keep the journals until a new Congress was formed under the Constitution.

Madison simply wrote one of the most important sentences in American history: The members then proceeded to sign the instrument.

Of the 41 men in the room, 38 signed the document, with George Read also signing for an absent John Dickinson. William Jackson, the groups secretary, then signed to attest the Constitutions authenticity.

The Constitution being signed by all the members except Mr. Randolph, Mr. Mason, and Mr. Gerry who declined giving it the sanction of their names, the Convention dissolved itself by an Adjournment sine die, Madison concluded.

James McHenry, a Maryland delegate, also kept brief notes of what happened on September 17, 1787.

Dr. Franklin put a paper into Mr. Wilsons hand to read containing his reasons for assenting to the constitution. It was plain, insinuating persuasive-and in any event of the system guarded the Doctors fame, he wrote.

After the meeting concluded, McHenry noted, A lady asked Dr. Franklin, Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy? A republic, replied the Doctor, if you can keep it.
Thanks to the "Golden Age of TV," this year's Emmys red-carpet will be longer than any other in history. And you know what that means - more red-carpet gowns to admire.

Ahead of this year's show at Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Sept. 18, we've rounded up five nominees with standout style who we can't wait to see on the step-and-repeat.

Kerry Washington

STYLE SIREN: At the 'Vanity Fair' Oscar afterparty in Versace (left); at the Oscars in Versace; at the NAACP Image Awards in Victoria Beckham. (Photos: Getty Images)

Kerry Washington truly outdid herself at the 2015 Emmy Awards, hitting the red carpet in a glittering Marc Jacobs gown - a shining moment. Since then, the Scandal star, nominated this year for her work in HBO's Confirmation, has stepped up her red-carpet game in riskier ensembles with leather details and plunging necklines. With the help of stylist Erin Walsh, the actress is sure to shine on Sunday.

Kirsten Dunst

LADYLIKE: At the Cannes closing ceremony in Valentino Couture (left); at the Golden Globes in Valentino; at the Cannes premiere of 'Cafe Society' in Gucci. (Photos: Getty Images)

Hot off her run as a juror at Cannes this year, we have no doubts that Kirsten Dunst, styled by sisters Nina and Clare Hallworth, will bring her style A-game to the Emmys this year. The actress, nominated for her work on Fargo, stunned in the hottest designer labels at the festival - from Gucci to Valentino.

Given her tight relationship with Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy (Dunst stars in their directorial debut, Woodshock, due out in 2017), perhaps we might see her in some of the label's newest digs?

Viola Davis

CLASSIC: At the 2015 Emmys in Carmen Marc Valvo (left); at the 2015 SAG Awards in Zac Posen; at the 2015 Golden Globes in Marchesa. (Photos: Getty Images)

When it comes to the red carpet, Viola Davis is the definition of timeless style. Nominated for her role on Shonda Rhimes' How to Get Away With Murder, the actress truly embodies a classic, ageless fashion, often opting for Old Hollywood-inspired fit-and-flare silhouettes or off-the-shoulder looks with incredible detail. She may not be a risk-taker, but she always looks good.

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Robin Wright

TAILOR MADE: At the 2014 amfAR New York Gala in Kate Sylvester (left); at the 'House of Cards' season three premiere; at the 2015 Golden Globes. (Photos: Getty Images)

The sharp elegance that Robin Wright exudes as House of Cards' Claire Underwood, her Emmy-nominated role, easily translates to the red carpet. The 50-year-old is known for her monochromatic, tailored looks - no one in Hollywood rocks a pantsuit quite like she does.

We look forward to seeing what sophisticated ensemble Wright comes up with for this year's show with the assistance of stylist Kemal Harris.

Taraji P. Henson

STUNNER: At the 2015 Emmys in Alexander Wang (left); at the Golden Globes afterparty in Stella McCartney; at the Golden Globes in custom Stella McCartney. (Photos: Getty Images)

Taraji P. Henson is our red-carpet wild card. When it comes to fashion, it's impossible to pin Henson down to just one style. At last year's Emmys she wore a chain-embellished Alexander Wang gown, following it up with a chic white column gown by Stella McCartney at the Golden Globes, as well as a floor-length forest green dress this past week at TIFF.

One thing we can be sure of? Henson never disappoints.
A Maryland court "likely" would find that Gov. Larry Hogan exceeded his authority by using an executive order to require public schools to start after Labor Day, chief counsel to the Maryland attorney general wrote Friday, but he stopped short of saying "unequivocally" that the governor's order went too far. Adam Snyder, chief counsel of opinions and advice for the attorney general, expressed that view in a 24-page letter to two Maryland lawmakers, Del. Anne Kaiser, D-Montgomery, and Sen. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George's, who had requested an opinion.
Damascus (AFP) - US-led coalition aircraft hit a Syrian army position in the country's east on Saturday, an armed forces statement said, while a monitor group reported dozens of soldiers dead.

"Warplanes from the American coalition hit one of the Syrian army's positions... near the Deir Ezzor airport," the statement carried by state media said.

It said the raid was carried out at 5:00pm local time (1400 GMT) and led to an unspecified number of "casualties".

Regime ally Russia said 62 Syrian soldiers were killed and at least 100 more wounded in strikes by "warplanes from the international anti-jihadist coalition".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said at least 83 soldiers were killed in the raids on Jabal Therdeh, southwest of the Deir Ezzor airport, updating an earlier toll of 30 killed.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said he could not specify who carried out the strikes.

Syria's army has been fighting off a fierce offensive by the Islamic State jihadist group on the Deir Ezzor military airport since last year.

"This is a dangerous and bold attack against the Syrian state and army, and clear evidence that the United States and its allies support the terrorist group Daesh," the statement said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

It said the raids had allowed IS to advance on Syrian troops in the area.

The IS-linked Amaq news agency said coalition strikes hit IS positions on Saturday afternoon, but that the jihadist group was able to "seize full control of Jabal Therdeh, which overlooks the Deir Ezzor airport".

A Syrian military source inside the Deir Ezzor airport told AFP that US-led coalition strikes hit two hilltops near the airport.

"There were three raids on two army positions held by the Syrian army on Jabal Therdeh," the source said.

"Then, there was machine gun fire on the wounded soldiers and the paramedics" from the planes, he said.

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"We were the most unsettled by the machine guns."

Under a fragile truce deal negotiated by the United States and Russia, fighting in Syria is to halt on all fronts across the country except those held by IS.

The deal came into force on Monday. If it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington are to begin unprecedented joint operations against jihadist groups in Syria.

The US-led coalition has been carrying out raids against IS for two years in both Syria and Iraq.
The first Apple customers in New York City to snap the new iPhone 7 off the shelves cheered as they entered its flagship store on Friday (September 16), flanked by applauding sales staff.

"Today is my 23 days outside Apple store here in New York City," said Jaime Gonzalez in line before the store opened. "Last year I did it but then because I didn't pre-order, that's the reason that I didn't went first. There was another lady from Europe who decided to take care of the No. 1 spot. But this is me and now in 2016 it's right to be No. 1 and I am going to be No. 1 this time."

"I've been here for a week and a half," said Andreas Francis. "I was trying to get the 7 Plus and the new jet black, but they don't have the 7 Plus or the jet black, so I ended up getting the regular black, then the 7."

Initial quantities of the iPhone 7 Plus have sold out globally, supplies of the larger size of Apple's new phone have been exhausted in all shades, and the smaller iPhone 7 has also sold out in the new jet black color, the company said.

Customers who enter Apple Stores Friday, when the gadgets hit shelves, will not be able to purchase the sold-out phones on site, but they can continue to place orders for their desired models online, Apple said.

The gadgets feature improved cameras and eliminate the traditional headphone jack in favor of new technology.

"It's actually the one thing I didn't like actually, because I used to listen to music all day long," said Rinat from Kazakhstan, on the elimination of the traditional headphone jack. "So when they decided to remove it I actually got really sad but I think I got used to it."

"It doesn't bother me," said Sulton Zohiriy. "Usually I don't listen to a lot of music. The headphone is like the same but different, different jacks, that's all."

The crowds of enthusiasts and overnight campers were smaller than in past years. In part, online pre-ordering has made lines unnecessary for all but diehard fans.

"I actually pre-ordered it, so I was only in line for like, 20 minutes, it was super easy," said Paige Hogan, who pre-ordered the 7 Plus.

The 5.5-inch iPhone model, known as the Plus, has sold out soon after launch since Apple introduced the size with the iPhone 6 in 2014. Phones in newly released finishes are also typically snapped up quickly by customers eager to showcase the latest iPhone design.
GaneshaSpeaks

Apple has successfully carved its niche in the technological sphere and is currently one of the most formidable mobile and technology giant in the world! Innovation, precision and class are some of the words used for the company and its high quality products and services. The highly renowned manufacturer of wonderful gadgets like the ipad, ipod, and iphone  Apple inc. has made remarkable strides in the world of technology. However, recently the European Commission noticed that, compared to other companies, Apple had paid very less tax for their business in Ireland, during the period from 1991 to 2015. Hence, the European Union (EU) has now ordered Apple to pay 14.5 billion pounds (approximately 1148 billion rupees) as tax arrears to Ireland. Obviously, such a large amount is a huge financial blow for any organisation. But, how did the worlds largest technology company and the best customer service provider, suddenly get involved in a legal dispute? Ganesha reveals some of the starry insights that will explain why the company has landed into hot soup.



A bumpy ride ahead for the tech-giant?

According to Apples Foundation Chart, Venus is placed in the 12th house  the House which indicates expenses, and transiting Ketu is currently passing over the Natal Venus. The 12th house also signifies foreign currency and the transit of a planet like Ketu through this House is believed to create problems in this regard. Besides the transit of the malefic planet Ketu through the 12th House at the time when Apple was penalised; the transiting Rahu and sun were in conjunction and they were also passing through the 6th house related to employees. Hence, the company will most probably face government or political pressure, legal issues, and backlash from the administration. Moreover, Rahus transit through the 6th house indicates some unexpected complications.



Problems from various sources?

As transiting Ketu is placed in the 12th house, Apple is likely to get into a serious mess and face unfavourable situations in legal matters. There are major losses indicated. The company may also face internal troubles, especially from employees. Consequently, either the company may incur needless expenses, or the government and legal authorities may take punitive action against them. Business rivals may also create problems for top level officials and try to tarnish the reputation of the company. Currently, Ketu is transiting over the Natal Venus  the planet related to luxurious or expensive items. As a result, till the forthcoming mid-august 2017, there would be a noticeable difference in the companys performance, as compared to the earlier period. Especially the high-end products of the company may under-perform.



Jupiter  the Saviour!

However, the positive and significant factor in Apples horoscope is that transiting Jupiter has already entered the house related to partnerships on 11th August, 2016. Hence, the companys partners and collaborators from all various countries will be very cooperative. The company will also maintain its performance at the commercial and technical level, but the higher authorities will have to make extra efforts to maintain its public image. Under these circumstances, the positive influence of the transiting Jupiter will also increase the chance of the company to sign a major deal with its associates or partners.



The Better Phase:

The business activities of the company will especially gain momentum when the auspicious planets will be transiting in the 11th House and will receive the aspect of the transiting Jupiter, which is already passing through the 7th House. The company will also be able to implement its expansion plans during this period. Plus another good news is that there is a strong possibility of increased overseas business. The transit of Venus from 3rd December till 28th December, 2016, will especially prove to be a relief for Apple. Besides, the transiting Sun will be placed in the 11th House from 14th January 2017 till 12th February 2017, which will provide mixed results in government and legal issues. But, thereafter during the next one month, the company should again remain extra cautious regarding government and legal matters.



Will the worlds leading technology company be able to maintain its reputation in the future?

The effect of the massive penalty imposed on the company may not affect their stocks in the market. However, the upcoming period may not be very favourable for Apple. From 26th January, 2017, onwards, transiting Saturn will be passing through the 10th House, the House related to profession. This planetary transit may increase the possibility of major changes in the top management or change of even the CEO of the company. Besides, the companys business may be adversely affected during this transit of Saturn. The company might also face difficulties while implementing their plans and strategies since they may not be able to achieve their predetermined goals.



Ganesha wishes a bright future ahead to Apple.



With Ganeshas Grace,

Dharmesh Joshi

The GaneshaSpeaks.com Team


Credit: Getty

European tourism has long been synonymous with such iconic landmarks as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Acropolis in Athens or the Prado in Madrid. But a new attraction in the unlikely tourist destination of Northern Ireland has overtaken them all, according to a recent survey.

The Titanic attraction in Belfast became Europe's top travel destination for 2016, according to the World Travel Awards, an honor voted on and bestowed by several hundred thousand industry professionals and members of the public.

The ill-fated ship was first built in Belfast, and the attraction honors the memory of what was then the largest ship afloat, as well as a feat of human engineering. The attraction features replica cabins and art installations, as well as a walking tour of the slipways where the ship was built.

RELATED: Rebuilding Belfast

Since its inauguration in 2012, 100 years after the ship sank, some 3 million people from around the world have visited the Titanic Belfast. Queen Elizabeth II, as well as "Titanic" film director James Cameron have been among that number of visitors in the past four years.

Titanic Belfast - Europe's Best Attraction!

:star2:

Another reason to #DiscoverNI. pic.twitter.com/FLXeqjCDBQ

-- Northern Ireland (@DiscoverNI) September 5, 2016

"It's such a huge accolade for us," Eimear Lewis, communications manager for Titanic Belfast, told Travel -+ Lesiure of the recent award. "It's really a testament to the strength of the Titanic story."

Northern Ireland--and Belfast in particular--has long struggled to attract visitors to its museums, churches and nightlife. A 30-year civil conflict raged in the region until 1998, leaving thousands dead and scaring off many potential visitors to the area.

RELATED: The Ultimate 'Game of Thrones' Travel Guide

In the nearly 20 years of relative peace, however, tourism to the region has begun to rebound, and Northern Ireland has looked to market its striking natural beauty and cultural attractions.

With HBO smash hit "Game of Thrones" being filmed in locations near Belfast, fans of the series in particular have flocked to the region in recent years to visit some of the most famous locations for the show's striking scenery.

"We were known for many other things, and the Titanic story was never really celebrated," said Lewis. "It's very much about the new Belfast."
VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern on Saturday denied a German newspaper report which said he had backed down from his call to end European Union accession talks with Turkey. "The chancellor maintains his call for breaking off EU accession negotiations with Turkey," a spokeswoman for Kern said. German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) earlier quoted Kern as saying that "now is not the best time to ask for a termination of the accession negotiations." The paper said it was citing participants at the EU summit in Bratislava. Kern said in August that he would start a discussion among European heads of government to quit talks with Turkey about joining the EU because of what he said were the country's democratic and economic deficits. The spokeswoman said Kern nevertheless sees Turkey as an important partner in economic and security policy. (Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Dominic Evans)
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies accused the Federal Migration Office (BAMF) on Saturday of severe security flaws, saying its officials were not detecting forged passports when checking the identity of refugees. Merkel's decision a year ago to keep German borders open for refugees has hit her popularity, causing a rift between her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) who are calling for a stricter migrant policy. "We've got security deficits that we cannot accept in the interests of our population," Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told the rbb public broadcaster. He said Bavarian authorities had taken random samples of migrant passports and a "significant proportion" of them was counterfeit, but this had not been detected by BAMF officials. "We cannot accept this given the current situation and security in our country," Herrmann added. His comments are likely to heat up the debate about Merkel's refugee-friendly policy one day before a Berlin city election in which her conservatives look set to suffer a second electoral blow in two weeks. The battle between Merkel and her coalition partners over migration has escalated since the CDU suffered a heavy election defeat in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern two weeks ago. CSU leader Horst Seehofer has pushed for a cap of 200,000 immigrants per year. Merkel has repeatedly ruled out any such limits, despite Germany having taken in around a million migrants last year alone, mostly from war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa. Germany had until July been spared the kind of militant attacks suffered by neighboring France and Belgium. But in late July, Islamic State claimed two attacks -- on a train near Wuerzburg and at a music festival in Ansbach -- in which asylum-seekers wounded 20 people in total. On Tuesday, German police special forces arrested three young Syrians in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on suspicion of being sent by Islamic State for an attack. Because of the tense security situation, Munich's Oktoberfest started on Saturday under tightened security. Organizers of the world's biggest beer festival have banned rucksacks, introduced security checks and erected fencing around the Theresienwiese, an open space near the city center, where six million visitors are expected to drink over seven million liters of brew in the coming two weeks. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber,; editing by Clelia Oziel)
By Ludwig Burger

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Bayer's <BAYGn.DE> $66 billion purchase of Monsanto <MON.N> amounts to a long-term bet that farmers will grow to trust combinations of seeds and pesticides rather than continue to pick from ranges of separate products.

In the short term, the German drugs and chemicals firm hopes to benefit from a marketing and sales force that can promote combinations of the two groups' existing products.

But Bayer has said the main reason for buying the world's biggest seeds company is to develop entirely new product combinations, such as weed killers and crops that resist them.

Some farmers, though, are wary about a merger between two of the largest players in the agricultural supplies market, concerned they will have less choice and that product bundles will be expensive.

"They sell you the seed and their special herbicide. I was offered one deal of that (by Monsanto) and I turned it down because it locked me into one supplier," said North Dakota corn, soy and grain grower Justin Sherlock. "You can't find it from a different company."

The idea of integrating different farm products has been around for a while, but has a patchy record.

Switzerland's Syngenta <SYNN.S> has pursued it since 2011, with some success in emerging markets in Asia and South America, but less in the all-important North American market.

That depressed its share price to a point where it became a bid target - first for Monsanto and then, after that failed, ChemChina, which agreed a takeover deal last year.

BIG BET

Bayer, the world's No.2 crop chemicals firm behind Syngenta, argues better research tools such as gene editing mean compelling product combinations could only be a few years away.

Chief Executive Werner Baumann, a collector of 1980s cars, explains his vision with a repair-and-paint shop analogy: "You can go and buy your own diluents (thinning agent), the first cover, the clear coat and so on and you're not sure how the different components interact with each other and you don't have the guarantee of an optimal surface. What you have with an integrated offering is the promise of an optimal outcome."

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It's a big bet.

Bayer's bid for Monsanto is the largest ever all-cash takeover offer. Analysts at Deutsche Bank and Jefferies have warned the financial burden could drain funding from Bayer's pharmaceutical business, which is struggling to sustain the rate of past blockbuster drug launches.

The German company is paying a hefty premium now for the promise of a business model that some say could be up to a decade away. That's in contrast to Dow Chemical <DOW.N> and DuPont <DD.N>, whose shareholders will share future spoils and risks of a combined agribusiness in a merger of equals.

What's more, Germany's BASF <BASFn.DE>, the world's No.3 pesticides maker, thinks product bundles are a non-starter.

"Farmers don't want to lock into any particular combination of seeds and crop chemical at an early stage," said Markus Heldt, the head of BASF's crop protection business.

"You can sell the two in the bundle, but only if you happen to have the best product in each category. Not even the biggest companies could secure such a dominant position."

'BEHEMOTH'

Combining products has long been a goal for Bayer, and its determination to agree a deal with Monsanto - which saw it raise its bid three times - was driven partly by concerns it could get left behind by a rival tie-up, sources close to the matter say.

During Monsanto's pursuit of Syngenta last year, the head of Bayer's crop protection division Liam Condon branded the proposed combination in internal discussions as a "behemoth" in the making, according to people who spoke to him at the time.

Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant agrees product bundles are the future, and said on Wednesday there was no longer any point developing new products with seeds and chemicals as separate businesses.

"Consolidation in the industry is a prerequisite to further investment in R&D," he added.

But according to one industry expert who has advised all the major global suppliers, it could take 7-10 years for newly developed product combinations to have an impact. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

Complicating their quest for a new business model, Bayer and Monsanto have said digital services - a combination of data gathering, predictive software and precision farming gear - will have to serve as a "hub" in any product suite of farm supplies.

Also, innovation is not just the preserve of established players, with independent, venture capital-backed start-ups looking to break into the market too.

For the time being, though, farmers may take some convincing they should tie their fortunes to a product suite from a single supplier.

"It might make sense in some cases, but in the end farmers should decide for themselves where to buy their crop protection and their seeds," said Bernhard Kruesken, secretary general of Germany's farmers association.

(Additional reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington, Patricia Weiss in Frankfurt and Ben Hirschler in London; Editing by Mark Potter)
Last time, we examined the growing number of college students seeking help for mental health issues.

We also shared the stories of two students, Giorgia and Jason.

Giorgia began attending classes at McGill University in Montreal, Canada in 2010. But the pressure of succeeding and worrying about what she would do after college led to her misusing a medication called Adderall.

Giorgia cut back on eating and sleeping, and began to suspect friends and strangers of spying on her.

Eventually, a doctor found that Giorgia was suffering from bipolar disorder, a condition that causes unusual changes in emotions and energy levels.

Jason began considering suicide after his parents ended their marriage and the deaths of his grandmother and best friend. But he did seek help from a therapist and decided to stop studying at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2008.

Why Millennials may face more problems

Giorgia and Jason are just two examples of the many students struggling with anxiety, depression or other mental health issues.

David Reetz has ideas about why young people are having such a hard time. Reetz directs counseling and psychological services at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York State.

He is also a governing board member of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, a group of over 800 college counseling directors worldwide.

Reetz says the current generation of people in their 20s  often called Millennials  cannot cope with problems the same way that other generations did.

Millennials are less able solve interpersonal conflict or to accept criticism, he says. These skills, he adds, are abilities that employers like their workers to have.

However, Millennials are not to blame, Reetz says.

Access to information about both good and bad aspects of life increased greatly over the last 30 years. He believes the parents of Millennials caused their children to worry more because they worried more.

"I suspect that the parents of Millennials parented in a very different way than previous generations. The parents of Millennials parented with higher levels of anxiety. The parents of Millennials were raised with much more exposure to threats within their communities, throughout the country, even now more internationally."

Reetz says parents of Millennials spent more time supervising their children than other parents did. As a result, these young people had fewer chances to learn how to take risks or solve conflicts themselves.

He adds that social media also has had an influence. Websites such as Facebook and Instagram cause people to compare themselves to others in unfair ways.

But Richard McKeon warns against making claims about how every member of a generation thinks or feels.

"There are certainly many changes in terms of the nature of neighborhoods, and communities, and family life and other issues over time that would make it hazardous to generalize about a whole generation of young people."

McKeon is the chief of suicide prevention for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, known as SAMHSA.

SAMHSA is a federal government agency that studies mental health issues in the U.S. Last June, the agency released a study of over 135,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 25. It found that young people in college are less likely to commit suicide with a plan than those who are not in college.

In other words, college students may suffer from mental health issues, but their conditions may not be as severe as those who are not in college.

McKeon also notes Millennials are not the first generation of young people to face severe mental health issues. In the 1980s and 1990s, the suicide rate among youth in the U.S. reached levels that experts had never seen before.

What colleges and universities can do to help

All the experts VOA contacted for this story said they are pleased that more young people are seeking help for mental health issues.

In fact, Pennsylvania State Universitys Ben Locke says a common concern is that colleges and universities do not have enough resources for students in need. Locke is Penn States counseling services director.

But David Reetz at the Rochester Institute of Technology notes that most colleges have experts whom students can meet with to discuss their problems. Therapy groups are common as well.

Richard McKeon of SAMHSA adds that many other student support workers are now being trained to identify signs of mental health issues in students.

Giorgia never used the mental health support services McGill University offered. She finished her degree program in 2014 and stopped taking all medication over a year ago.

Giorgia says she feels much better, but she wishes she had been more willing to use the services at the school.

Jason did not use the mental health services his school offered either. But he did feel that speaking to the leader of the Jewish culture center on his schools campus helped him.

Jason decided to return to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2012. He will complete his degree after one final semester this year.

The path to improving ones mental health is never easy. But Jason says if students start to feel they have a problem, they should know there is nothing wrong with asking for help.

Im Pete Musto.

Pete Musto reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. What are some of the best ways for young people to deal with mental health issues? How can parents and schools help young people improve their mental health? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

diagnose(d)  v. to recognize a disease or illness by examining someone

therapist  n. a person who helps people deal with mental or emotional problems by talking about those problems

anxiety  n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

counseling  n. advice and support that is given to people to help them deal with problems, make important decisions

cope  v. to deal with problems and difficult situations and try to come up with solutions

access  n. a way of being able to use or get something

aspect(s)  n. a part of something

exposure  n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something

hazardous  n. involving risk or danger

campus  n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school

semester  n. one of two usually 18-week periods that make up an academic year at a school or college
Donald Trump

Former US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is having doubts about both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Gates, who has served under eight US presidents, including George W. Bush and Barack Obama, over the course of 50 years, said there is still too much that we do not know about Clinton's and Trump's foreign-policy positions.

"Neither candidate has seriously addressed how he or she thinks about the military, the use of military force, the criteria they would apply before sending that force into battle, or broader questions of peace and war," Gates wrote in a Wall Street Journal column published on Friday.

Gates noted that both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees have largely stuck to speaking in generalities about the complex issues they would face after being sworn into office.

Those issues, Gates asserted, are numerous and fraught with potential trap doors. Among them, China's claims to the South China Sea, North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Russian President Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime, Iran's aggression, and the long-playing unrest in the Middle East, which is compounded by ISIS-related terrorism and the Syrian civil war.

Hillary Clinton

According to Gates, dealing with China in particular "requires a president with strategic acumen and vision, nuance, deft diplomatic and political skill." He suggested that such qualities are lost on a presidential candidate like Donald Trump.

Writing about the real-estate mogul's hawkish position on China, Gates said, "All we really know is Mr. Trumps intention to launch a trade war with a country holding over $1 trillion in U.S. debt."

He took a swipe at Hillary Clinton's opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership  a trade agreement she initially endorsed  "the failure of which would hand China an easy political and economic win," Gates wrote.

But Gates saved his most searing rebukes for Trump, who has built the foreign-policy arm of his presidential campaign on bluster and innuendo  the likes of which have rattled US allies around the world. He called him "beyond repair" on the issue of national security.

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While noting that both Clinton and Trump have credibility issues on foreign policy, Gates added that "Donald Trump is in a league of his own" in that regard.

Trump had some words for the former defense secretary in response: "I never met [him]. He knows nothing about me. But look at the results under his guidance - a total disaster!"

Here's more from Gates on Trump:

"The world we confront is too perilous and too complex to have as president a man who believes he, and he alone, has all the answers and has no need to listen to anyone ... At least on national security, I believe Mr. Trump is beyond repair. He is stubbornly uninformed about the world and how to lead our country and government, and temperamentally unsuited to lead our men and women in uniform. He is unqualified and unfit to be commander-in-chief."

NOW WATCH: Watch Clinton's brutal attack ad showing veterans watching Trump's controversial statements





More From Business Insider


A rhino is seen after it was dehorned in an effort to deter the poaching of one of the world's endangered species, at a farm outside Klerksdorp, in the north west province, South Africa, in this February 24, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/Files

The illegal wildlife trade is a massive business, and it's killing thousands of endangered species every year.

Rhinos are among the hardest hit. The horns fetch high prices on the black market  up to $60,000 per pound, far more than the price of gold. They're used to make elaborate carvings across East Asia and also believed to have curative properties in some traditional Eastern medicines, despite a lack of evidence.

Pembient, a Seattle-based biotech startup, is trying to solve the rhino poaching crisis with a 3D printer and some clever economics.

The idea is to "bio-fabricate" rhino horns out of keratin  the same material that fingernails and hair are made of  using 3D printing, Pembient's CEO and cofounder, Matthew Markus, told Business Insider. Markus started Pembient in 2015 with George Bonaci, who's now the VP of product.

matthew markus pembient

The company was admitted to Indie.bio, a San Francisco-based accelerator for biotechnology companies, in January of last year.

A dire problem

While rhino poaching in South Africa, a global hotspot, has actually declined in recent months, the problem is still dire: 1,338 rhinos were killed in the country alone in 2015, up from just 13 in 2007, according to the IUCN.

The art and antiques market in China largely drives the problems, according to a paper published in the journal Biological Conservation. Most buyers in China purchase high-value rhino-horn carvings as "investments" and "collectible" items, anthropologist and the study's lead author Yufang Gao wrote.

Pembient's goal is to undercut this market by producing 3D-printed horns genetically identical to real ones on the "macroscopic, microscopic, and molecular" level, Markus said. The fabricated horns, once perfected, will look and feel so real that distinguishing them from the natural ones will be impossible.

Story continues

rhino horn

These fabricated horns will eventually be sold as raw material to traditional carvers in Asia and used to produce high-value goods, like bracelets and combs, that fetch exorbitant prices on the black market. Because Pembient is still in its early stages, exact prices for the fabricated horns aren't set yet.

Pembient's strategy is a radical departure from the traditional demand-reduction approach espoused by conservationists. Reducing demand for rhino horn is "infeasible," Markus said. "And it's not really ethical either."

"These practices are based on thousands of years of cultural tradition  they're a lot older than Thanksgiving," Markus added. "We can't just tell them to stop."

rhino farm horn

'Flooding the market'

Instead of focusing on demand-reduction, Pembient wants to flood the market with cheap, bio-fabricated horns, to reduce the price across the board.

By pushing fabricated horns into the supply-chain at various points, Markus explained, people won't know whether they're buying real rhino horns or fake ones.

Here's the important part: The fake horns are much cheaper to produce and as such, will be sold for a lower price. Ideally, the market will end up discounting every horn, because there won't be a reliable way to determine whether the horn is real.

As the price of rhino horn gets cheaper, the incentives for poachers to slaughter rhinos will decline.

Pembient borrowed this idea from a concept in economics called Gresham's Law, according to Markus.

While conservationists are mostly wary of Pembient's approach, Markus pointed out a shift in mind-set recently.

Pembient rhino horns

"It would be rash to rule out the possibility that trade in synthetic rhinoceros horn could play a role in future conservation strategies," TRAFFIC, a nonprofit that monitors the wildlife trade, wrote in a paper in April.

De-horning, another anti-poaching strategy where park rangers and veterinarians surgically remove rhino horns (the horn grows back), also brings up serious issues. Namely, what are you supposed to do with the horn after it's been removed?

'Prohibition mindset'

Markus thinks that Pembient's strategy to drive down the price of rhino horn through abundance is a more effective strategy than demand reduction.

"If you cordon rhino horn off, you create this prohibition mindset," Markus said. "And that engenders crime, corruption, and everything else that comes with a black market."

Some conservationists, however, don't agree.

The International Rhino Foundation and Save The Rhino International, NGOs dedicated to rhino conservation, pointed out that lots of the rhino horn fetching astronomical prices on the black market is already fake, and poaching is still a huge problem.

"More than 90% of 'rhino horns' in circulation are fake (mostly carved from buffalo horn or wood), but poaching rates continue to rise annually," the organizations wrote in a joint statement, citing a TRAFFIC study. The statement also said that developing and marketing synthetic horns diverts attention from stopping rhino poaching, which is the "real problem."

At the end of September, Markus said he will be attending the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to sit down with leading conservationists.

Fire burns part of an estimated 105 tonnes of ivory and a tonne of rhino horn confiscated from smugglers and poachers at the Nairobi National Park near Nairobi, Kenya, April 30, 2016. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola

There, leading conservationists, as well as startups like Pembient, will continue to discuss the future of rhino conservation.

"While we both have the same goals," Markus said. "There's been a lot of friction."

While Pembient is in a "relatively quiescent" period right now, according to Markus, the company would like to branch out into producing pangolin scales, elephant ivory, and other hard materials harvested from endangered species.

NOW WATCH: Researchers want to try a cutting-edge technique to save rhinos from extinction





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Shout! Factory Kids said today that its CGI Australian toon Blinky Bill: The Movie will get a platform release starting October 7 in Los Angeles. The character is widely popular Down Under  with credits including a 1992 film and a local TV series the following year  and the distributor is hoping to ride that wave to American shores. The pic originally was set to arrive here this month.

Your logline: Blinky Bill (voiced by Ryan Kwanten) is a little koala with a big imagination. An adventurer at heart, he dreams of leaving the little town of Green Patch and following in his missing fathers footsteps. Mr. Bill went missing in the Outback some time ago, and Blinky is the only one who believes his father is still alive. When Blinky discovers a mysterious marker that hints at his dads whereabouts, he embarks on a journey that takes him beyond the boundary of Green Patch and into the wild and dangerous Outback. He quickly makes friends with zoo koala (Robin McLeavy) and Jacko (David Wenham), a nervous frill-necked lizard. Pursued relentlessly by a vengeful cat (Rufus Sewell) who has a personal score to settle with Blinky, the trio must learn to work together if they ever want to survive the rugged Australian landscape and find Blinkys dad. The voice cast also features Toni Collette, Barry Humphries, Richard Roxburgh, Deboarh Mailman, and Barry Otto.

Heres a trailer:

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By David Ingram

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A pipe bomb exploded in a New Jersey beach town on Saturday along the route of a charity race to benefit military veterans, but no injuries were reported in what investigators were treating as a possible act of terrorism.

The explosive device went off in a trash can about 30 minutes after the scheduled start of the race, which coincidentally was delayed, in Seaside Park, a resort about 80 miles (129 km) south of New York City, officials said.

No damage to surrounding structures was reported, and no runners or bystanders were in close proximity to the 9:30 a.m. blast, so no one was hurt, authorities said.

Even so, the explosion stirred dark memories of the bomb blasts at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013 that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's so-called joint terrorism task force assumed the lead role in searching for clues to Saturday's bombing, asking members of the public for any tips that might lead to arrests in the case.

The race, dubbed the Seaside Semper Five 5K, was immediately canceled, and authorities closed the beach and several surrounding blocks while evacuating dozens of nearby homes as a search for more devices ensued.

Initial reports of a second bomb planted in another trash proved untrue, according to a statement issued by New Jersey state police several hours later.

Brad Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark field office, said at an early evening news conference that investigators had determined there was no longer any threat to the community. Police Chief Francis Larkin said residents forced from their homes were allowed to return.

MATTER OF MINUTES

Authorities said the lag in the start of the race, reportedly because of late registrations, proved fortuitous, as the bomb went off before runners were on the race course.

"Its obvious it was meant to affect the run, the fact that it went off at 9:35," Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, said in an interview on CNN.

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The charity run was organized to benefit military veterans and the families of those lost in military service. The run's name is a reference to Semper Fidelis, Latin for "always loyal," the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Asked if Marines and their families had been targeted, Della Fave said, "I think we can assume that, considering the location of the device right along the run route where, if it was just a matter of minutes in terms of difference, there would have been a good number of people running past that explosive device."

The trash can contained several "pipe bomb-type devices" wired together, Della Fave said. "The one went off, and the others did not," he said.

Law enforcement authorities said they did not know the motive for the blast.

The explosive went off near the boardwalk by the intersection of Ocean Avenue and D Street, authorities said. According to a course map for the race, runners would have passed near the intersection twice: once 0.7 miles into the race and again 0.7 miles from the finish.

About 5,000 people were set to run the 5 km race in Seaside Park, a family-oriented resort known for its beachside boardwalk, a local NBC affiliate reported.

At the 2013 Boston Marathon, two brothers of Chechen ethnicity who professed allegiance to Islamist militants planted homemade bombs near the finish line of the renowned race. The subsequent explosions killed and maimed dozens of bystanders in the most high profile attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

(Writing by Frank McGurty and Steve Gorman; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Mary Milliken)
New York (AFP) - From cowboy boots to a chunk of the Berlin Wall and a jar of jelly beans: an auction of Ronald Reagan memorabilia offers a tantalizing glimpse into the private world of a US conservative icon.

Hundreds of items from the 40th president's White House residence and the Bel Air home he shared with wife Nancy until his death in 2004 go on sale in New York next week and are expected to fetch $2 million.

From upholstered furnishings to mementos of his Hollywood career and a monogrammed dinner service, the more than 700 lots include gifts from notables such as Frank Sinatra and Margaret Thatcher.

Interest in the sale is likely to be high just six weeks before Americans go to the polls to elect either Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican rival Donald Trump in a deeply divisive race that has left many Republicans more nostalgic than ever for the late president.

Critics today may root much of today's income inequality in Reaganomics, but for many on the right it was an era when American power seemed unchallenged, before the uncertainties of the post 9/11 era and the 2008 recession.

The collection goes on display at Christie's showroom in New York on Saturday. An online auction begins Monday, followed by a live auction Wednesday and Thursday.

Gemma Sudlow, head of private and iconic collections at the auction house in New York, said the collection was a biography of sorts of Reagan and his wife, who died earlier this year at 94.

- Thatcher his 'n' her -

"It was an incredibly warm home," Sudlow told AFP. "One really got the sense that it was filled with furniture that they had had for almost their entire married life. There was a modesty to it, there was a simple elegance to it."

A marine chronometer, from Frank Sinatra and his wife, is engraved with "Good Morning Mr President" and dedicated "Love Francis and Barbara." It is expected to fetch $5,000-10,000 on the auction block.

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Fans of Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first woman prime minister, may want to bid for "his 'n' her" silver beakers -- engraved R and N -- and each inscribed "With love, from Margaret and Denis Thatcher."

Patriots and historians may hanker after a piece of the Berlin Wall, which Berliners tore down after he left the presidency and following his famous 1987 exhortation to Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall." Weighing nearly 20 pounds (nine kilos), the chunk is signed by Reagan and valued at $10,000 to $20,000.

It was bought back to the United States by a member of the White House staff and presented as a gift to the former president, Sudlow said.

Another star lot is a pair of cowboy boots made of ostrich, cowhide and frog skin, hand-tooled in 14 carat gold, decorated with the presidential seal and valued at $10,000 to $20,000.

They were one of four pairs presented to Reagan in 1980 by actor and "singing cowboy" Rex Allen. Custom-made, Reagan never wore them, leaving the boots in impeccable condition.

- $50,000 necklace -

Those short on furniture could splash out $3,000 to $5,000 on floral armchairs -- or perhaps bid for one or two dining tables that the Reagans used when not indulging their fondness for eating on TV dinner trays.

Another standout is a Chinese screen, originally a gift from the Chinese premier and one of Nancy's particular favorites.

Sudlow said the sale offered "something for everyone." The cheapest lot is a set of bar napkins starting at $200. There is also a fun collection of accessories from the president's desk, including a jar of his beloved candy, jelly beans.

But the most expensive lot is a gold and diamond necklace valued at up to $50,000, which Nancy wore during a state visit to Britain in 1988.

Reputedly one of her favorite pieces of jewelry -- the pendant doubles up as a brooch -- the necklace can be shortened into two or divided into four bracelets.

Further testament to her extravagance, which at times fanned controversy, is a diamond, sapphire and ruby ring made to look like the US flag and a crocodile Hermes handbag valued at $10,000 to $15,000.

There are plenty of ornamental elephants -- the emblem of the Republican Party -- and porcelain eagles -- central to the presidential seal.

"There's a real sense of fun and playfulness in some of the aspects of the decoration," Sudlow said.
By Daria Sito-Sucic SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's top court upheld a ban on a "discriminatory" national holiday in the country's autonomous Serb Republic, setting the regional government on a collision course with the deeply divided country's central authorities in Sarajevo. The Constitutional Court ruled that January 9, the date on which Statehood Day is held, discriminated against the region's Muslims Bosniaks and Catholic Croats since it coincides with a Serbian Orthodox Christian holiday. January 9 is the date when Bosnian Serbs declared independence from Bosnia, precipitating a three-year war that claimed 100,000 lives when rival forces carved ethnically pure statelets out of multi-ethnic Bosnia with the backing of their kin in neighboring Serbia and Croatia. The court also ordered a halt to next Sunday's regional referendum on holding the holiday. Many see the vote as a dress-rehearsal for a threatened 2018 plebiscite on full secession for the region. The court said the vote harmed the constitutional order. The Serb Republic said it would push on with the poll in defiance of the court, drawing fire from Western officials who said the referendum was directly challenging the national judiciary and would be considered a threat to the rule of law and stability of the country. "They cannot halt our decision," said Milorad Dodik, President of the Serb Republic. "We will vote in the referendum. We will show that the citizens of the Serb Republic stand by its holiday." Bosnian Serbs commemorate Statehood Day by hanging out flags and holding religious ceremonies. But non-Serbs say celebrating it on a religious holiday violates their country's constitutional principle of secularism and pluralism. Bosnia's international peace envoy Valentin Inzko, who has powers to impose laws or sack officials seen as obstructing the Dayton peace accords that ended the Bosnian war, said disrespect of the court's decisions would "constitute a direct and serious violation" of the U.S.-brokered peace accords. "The Dayton Peace Agreement is an international peace treaty that cannot be challenged without consequences," the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia said in a statement. Russia, a traditional ally of Serbs both in Serbia and in Bosnia, has backed it. (Editing by Thomas Escritt and Dominic Evans)
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Burkina Faso authorities detained a former prime minister on Friday in connection with the violent attempts to put down a protest that ousted ex-President Blaise Compaore, the High Court prosecutor said. Compaore's 27-year rule over Burkina Faso, Africa's fourth largest gold producer, ended in October 2014 when hundreds of thousands of demonstrators angered by his attempt to extend it further forced him out. Security forces initially tried to crush the demonstration and rights groups said they shot dead at least 10 people. Compaore and several of senior members of his government, including the former prime minister Luc Adolphe Tiao, were afterwards indicted by the then transitional government for various offences. Tiao was charged with "intentional assault, complicity in intentional assault, murder and complicity to murder," Prosecutor Armand Ouedraogo said. He is accused of signing an order authorising the army to crush the protest. The former prime minister returned voluntarily this week from exile in Ivory Coast, where Compaore also resides and has been given citizenship. The fall of Blaise Compaore, despite attempts to repress the protests, inspired activists across the continent to hope it would usher in people-power revolutions to oust autocrats in other African countries. But such protests have been suppressed and many leaders have successfully extended their terms in office. (Reporting by Mathieu Bonkoungou; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Kevin Garratt, a Canadian held in China for two years on suspicion of spying, hugs his wife Julia Garratt after being deported by Chinese authorities, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in this handout picture taken and released by the Garratt family September 15, 2016. Courtesy of the Garratt Family/Handout via Reuters

By Allison Lampert and David Ljunggren MONTREAL/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada did not make concessions to China to secure the return of a Canadian citizen who spent two years in jail and was convicted of spying, Foreign Minister Stephane Dion insisted on Friday. Kevin Garratt, charged in January with spying and stealing state secrets, was convicted on Tuesday, released on bail and then deported to Canada on Thursday. The unexpected release prompted speculation on what Ottawa might have offered China, which is seeking a free trade deal with Canada, more relaxed investment rules, and the extradition of what Beijing has said are corrupt officials. "The prime minister ... would never do these types of things," Dion told a news conference when asked what concessions Canada had made. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has made improving relations with China a priority, had pressed Garratt's case while on an official visit to China this month. "It's one less topic to discuss with the Chinese ... and we'll be able to focus on other issues," Dion said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is due in Canada next week on an official visit. China does not have extradition treaties with the United States, Canada or Australia, which Chinese state media say are the three most popular destinations for suspected economic criminals. Asked whether Canada would be more prepared to consider China's requests for the return of officials, Dion replied, "No, we will do what is right in our relationship with China." Gordon Houlden, a former Canadian diplomat with extensive Chinese experience who heads the University of Alberta's China Institute, said the two nations' judicial systems were so different that they could never seal an extradition treaty. Garratt's family members declined to comment on his condition, saying in a statement that he was recovering in the Pacific province of British Columbia. Garratt's release marked the end of a protracted campaign. "We never fail to raise the difficult issues in any meeting, anywhere," a government official said on condition of anonymity. In an e-mail, Garratt's Beijing-based lawyer James Zimmerman described the effort as "a constant, unrelenting process of lobbying various players in both governments to keep the discussions alive". The head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) spy agency went to Beijing in June to stress Garratt was not an agent, Zimmerman added. CSIS declined to comment. (Reporting by Allison Lampert; Writing by David Ljunggren; Editing by James Dalgleish and Richard Chang)
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Rebels have killed 26 villagers in Central African Republic, a spokesman for the presidency said on Saturday, the worst bloodshed in recent months in a country trying to draw a line under years of religious violence and political turmoil. Albert Mokpeme said the killings took place in the village of Ndomete, not far from the town of Kaga-Bandoro, about 350 km (220 miles) north of the capital Bangui. He blamed fighters from the former Seleka rebel coalition. "There were 26 victims. The Seleka (rebels) went door to door ... The village chief was among the victims," said Albert Mokpeme said. "It was a massacre." Seleka representatives were not available for comment. Violence pitting the mainly Muslim Seleka fighters against rival Christian anti-Balaka militia members started on Friday in Ndomete before spreading to Kaga-Bandoro. Central African Republic's U.N. peacekeeping mission, MINUSCA, dispatched troops to the area and separated the two groups. It said in a statement that it was reinforcing its positions in and around Kaga-Bandoro and stepping up patrols in an effort to protect civilians and prevent further violence. The mission declined to give a death toll. "MINUSCA regrets the loss of human life and the wounded that were recorded and also denounces attacks against the humanitarian community and United Nations personnel," it said, without elaborating further. Central African Republic, which holds reserves of uranium, gold and diamonds, suffered the biggest crisis in its half-century of independence in early 2013 when Seleka toppled then-President Francois Bozize. Christian militias responded by attacking Muslims. A fifth of the population fled their homes to escape the violence, leaving the impoverished nation even more divided along ethnic and religious lines. Former prime minister Faustin-Archange Touadera won a presidential election in February that was meant to help the country emerge from its bloody past. However, rebels and militia fighters still stalk much of the country outside the capital. (Reporting by Joe Bavier; Editing by Louise Ireland)
American officials say U.S. citizens should continue to talk about the balance between privacy and security.

Intelligence and security officials from the military and federal government joined experts from the computer industry and universities recently at a two-day-long meeting in Washington. They said complete privacy would hurt efforts to fight computer crime and terrorism.

James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was among those attending the Intelligence and National Security Summit. He said he understands that people do not want to have all of their personal information made public.

I dont want anybody looking at my stuff. I dont want anybody looking at my banking information, my health care information.

But Comey said he must be concerned for the countrys safety. He said the need for safety and the desire for privacy are sometimes in conflict. He said government officials and civil rights activists must work together to find a solution.

We need to stop demonizing each other, stop saying 'It's impossible,' stop saying Oh, you want to destroy this or destroy that and sit down and say Our values are in conflict -- that we all share -- what could we do?

Comey noted that Americans have never had the guarantee of complete privacy.

The bargain our founders struck was: Your stuff is private unless the people of the United States need to see it.

The U.S. Constitution does not state clearly that citizens have a right to privacy. However, the Fourth Amendment says people have a right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects.

The amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, and says government officials must have probable cause before a warrant can be approved.

It also says the warrant must describe the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Cornell University Law School says the goal of this part of the Amendment is to protect peoples right to privacy and freedom from arbitrary governmental intrusions.

In order to be protected by the Amendment, a citizen must demonstrate an expectation of privacy, one that society is prepared to recognize as reasonable under the circumstances.

In other words, expectations of privacy can change if society changes.

Michael Rogers is the director of the National Security Agency.

This has become such a charged, emotional issue that we're not really having that dialogue, and we're not getting into whats in the realm of (the) possible.

Rogers said there should be a discussion about what law enforcement officials can do and another about what they should do. He said that is a political discussion.

John Brennan is the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He urged a quick resolution to the tensions between security and privacy. He said the government and private business need to work together to find out how things should be done in the future.

If we are going to help to secure and ensure the prosperity of that digital environment in the future, since it is privately-owned and -operated...and thats why I think this interaction and cross- fertilization between the public and private sector needs to be the way of the future. And I think here in the United States we can set a path for how this needs to be done.

Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

VOA Correspondent Zlatica Hoke reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

stuff  n. informal things, material, belongings or personal information

demonize  v. to cause, often unfairly, others to have a bad opinion of someone

bargain  n. an agreement

charged  adj. showing strong feelings about an issue with two opposing sides

dialogue  n. discussion between people

realm  n. an area of knowledge, a field

warrant  n. a court order permitting police to do something

arbitrary  adj. without reason, a plan or justification

intrusion  n. to come into a place where you are not wanted or welcome

prosperity  n. the state of being successful -- usually by making a lot of money

cross-fertilize  v. to combine (two different ideas, style, etc.) in a good or creative way

sector  n. an area of an economy; a part of an economy that includes certain kinds of jobs
Chloe Grace Moretz wore the most gorgeous gold dress that you need to see

Chloe Grace Moretz wore the most gorgeous gold dress that you need to see

Were all aware that Chloe Grace Moretz can pretty much pull off any look. We were googly-eyed over her grunge cover for Glamour UK, and were left speechless by her teenage glow from her Teen Vogue Young Hollywood shoot.

Just yesterday, the newly single it girl was spotted at the 2016 Toronto Internal Film Fest for the premiere of her new film, Brain on Fire, where she slayed the red carpet once again.

Chloe wore a glam, gold Miu Miu dress with silver embellishments, and she looked absolutely stunning!

Chloe Grace Moretz

Chloes ultra-loose pony and deep-red lippie are so effortlessly perfect.

Chloe Grace Moretz

And her sleek pair of silver heels added just the right touch.

Chloe Grace Moretz

She may be young, but she knows exactly what shes doing. We cant help but watch proudly in awe.

Go girl!

The post Chloe Grace Moretz wore the most gorgeous gold dress that you need to see appeared first on HelloGiggles.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets students during a campaign voter registration event at Johnson C. Smith University, in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo: Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Hillary Clinton is pushing her most popular surrogates to college campuses and giving a speech aimed at millennials as polls show her losing their crucial support to third party candidates.

A new Quinnipiac poll released last week found that Clintons support drops a staggering 24 points among voters aged 18 to 34 in a four-way race with Jill Stein and Gary Johnson. Donald Trump is still more unpopular with young voters than Clinton is, with only 26 percent of them supporting him in a four-way match, compared to Clintons 31 percent. But the Clinton campaign is relying on younger voters to help fuel her victory. President Obama won 60 percent of their votes in 2012, a margin that was crucial to his win.

The campaign deployed first lady Michelle Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders to give speeches on college campuses in swing states this weekend. (The first lady and Sanders are much more popular among millennials than Clinton, according to a recent YouGov poll. Trump trails them all significantly, with more young people seeing him unfavorably than favorably.)

Clinton will also give a speech aimed at millennials at Temple University, in Philadelphia, Monday, which will emphasize the specific policy plans she will support aimed at making their lives better. Shell spotlight her plan for free community college and debt free college for families making less than $125,000 a year.

So far, young voters havent taken to Clinton the way they did for Obama, perhaps in part because shes been on the political scene for their entire lives, while Obama was a young, fresh face who stirred crowds with his promise of change. Obama referenced this in his speech on behalf of Clinton last week. I understand were a young country, we are a restless country, he said. We always like the new, shiny thing. I benefitted from that when I was a candidate. He urged voters not to take her for granted simply because shes been around for decades.

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On Friday, Michelle Obama directly addressed a lack of enthusiasm around Clinton at a speech at George Mason University and reminded young voters how important they are to the election. When I hear folks saying they dont feel inspired in this election, well, let me tell you, I disagree, she said, while arguing that she is inspired by Clintons persistence.

In 2012, voters under the age of 30 provided the margin of victory for Barack in four key battleground states, the first lady said. So for any of you who might be thinking that my vote does not really matter, that one  one person cannot really make a difference in this election, I want you to consider this.

Meanwhile, Sanders, who won three-quarters of the youth vote over Clinton during the primaries, rallied college students in Akron, Kent and Canton, Ohio, Saturday, pressing them to vote and take the election seriously. On Friday, Sanders, an independent for much of his life, told a crowd, Now is not the time for a protest vote. Warren spoke at Ohio State University Saturday and will appear at Cleveland State Sunday.

At headquarters in Brooklyn, the campaigns sizeable millennial outreach team has been busy unveiling its college calculator, which shows users how much money they would save on college costs or debt under Clintons proposed plan. The teams head of campus outreach, Kunoor Ojha, came to the Clinton campaign from Sanders team. The campaign also has millennial outreach directors in many swing states.

We have work to do, theres no parsing that fact, said Christopher Huntley, Clintons director of millennial media. We have to let young people know that Secretary Clinton is the only candidate in the race thats going to help them create the future they want.

Huntley said millennial voters are concerned with authenticity in their candidates, which the Clinton campaign has taken to mean emphasizing Clintons detail-oriented focus on specific plans that will help them, not trying to make her seem hip.

Weve found its most successful to talk about her issues and her track record, Huntley said. We arent getting requests for her to do dances or things like that.

The Clinton-supporting super-PAC Priorities Action is also unveiling ads that will aim at convincing young voters that backing a third-party candidate is tantamount to voting for Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Adam Green, founder of the liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee that now backs Clinton, said the candidate should emphasize her college plan to win over young people, much as Sanders liberal proposals attracted millennials in the primary. Clinton criticized Sanders free college plan during the primary as an unrealistic proposal that would give the children of the wealthy access to free college when they didnt need it. In July, she adopted a modified version of Sanders plank, announcing that for 83 percent of families, college would be tuition free.

Young people and voters skeptical of the political process will be engaged if they think its around big ideas that will truly be game changers in their own lives, Green said. The ability to graduate from any college or university with zero debt means people can move out of their parents homes, they can afford to get married and start a life, they can even take risks and start a business. That impacts the trajectory of peoples lives.
Coco Austins definitely got some moves!

The 37-year-old model took to Instagram to share a snap of her impressive AcroYoga skills on Friday, proving that flexibility clearly runs in the family!

WATCH: Coco Austin Celebrates Flat Tummy in Bikini 8 Months After Giving Birth

My sis and I got some yoga in before I left AZ, she captioned a pic of herself and sister Kristy. Trying to get back in the groove with our #acroyoga moves.

My sis and I got some yoga in before I left AZ. Trying to get back in the groove with our #acroyoga moves A photo posted by Coco (@coco) on Sep 16, 2016 at 8:29am PDT

While Coco and Kristy sport matching yoga pants, her Instagram is filled with shots of herself matching with someone else  her 10-month-old daughter, Chanel!

The two played cowgirl in their best Western gear just a week ago:

Even @babychanelnicole got in the cowgirl spirit! This wedding was sure fun.I must say! A photo posted by Coco (@coco) on Sep 8, 2016 at 11:17am PDT

WATCH: Coco Austin and Baby Chanel Pose Poolside in Matching Bikinis for Labor Day Weekend

Sported matching bikinis by the pool:

Mini me and I staying cool,We enjoyed labor day weekend in our cute bow bikinis from the @sugardollz A photo posted by Coco (@coco) on Sep 5, 2016 at 10:50am PDT

And even donned their dressiest duds for a little photo shoot:

Chanel and I work well together in photoshoots! Heres a little candid shot for ya! More to come! A photo posted by Coco (@coco) on Aug 31, 2016 at 11:49am PDT

WATCH: Ice-T and Cocos Daughter Chanel Makes Her Late Night Debut on Tonight Show

The mother-daughter duo seem to do just about everything together  including AcroYoga!

Thats right, Chanel got her first taste of her moms favorite workout earlier this summer.

See more in the video below.

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El Diamante (Colombia) (AFP) - Marxist FARC rebels opened a conference Saturday in remote southeastern Colombia, where they will vote on a historic peace deal reached with the government of President Juan Manuel Santos.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist guerrilla group launched in 1964, is holding its 10th national conference in El Caguan, its Switzerland-sized stronghold, to ratify a peace accord hashed out in nearly four years of talks.

With this "historic" agreement "it is definitely clear that in this war there are neither winners nor losers," said rebel leader Timoleon Jimenez, as he opened the event.

"If our adversaries want to proclaim that they won the war, that's up to them," Jimenez told some 500 guerrillas gathered for the event.

"For the FARC and our people, the greatest satisfaction will always be having won the peace."

The week-long conference marks the first time they will discuss peace instead of war during such an event. If all goes according to the FARC leadership's plan, it will end with the group's relaunch as a political party.

- The 'destiny of Colombia' -

Jimenez, better known by his nom de guerre "Timochenko," has been pushing for a peace deal since he became the FARC leader in 2011.

Jimenez urged his followers to ratify the agreement.

"In your hands lies the destiny of Colombia," he told them.

The FARC, which has an estimated 7,500 fighters, reached a peace deal with the Santos administration on August 24, followed by a bilateral ceasefire.

The Colombian conflict, which has drawn in other leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and criminal gangs, has killed more than 260,000 people, left 45,000 missing and forced nearly seven million to flee their homes.

If the conference approves the peace deal, as expected, Jimenez will sign the agreement with president Santos on September 26 in the Caribbean port and resort city of Cartagena.

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The 297-page document comprises six separate deals: justice and reparations for victims of the conflict; land reform; the FARC's relaunch as a political party; disarmament; fighting the drug trafficking that has fueled the fighting; and implementation and monitoring of the accord.

Jimenez flew in for the conference this week from Cuba, where the peace talks were held.

- Countdown to referendum -

Some 200 FARC delegates, including 29 members of the general staff and delegates elected by the rank and file, will vote on the peace deal.

The conference marks another first: FARC leaders are meeting not in secret, but with the full support from authorities.

The event is held in the presence of around 900 people, including 50 guests and some 400 journalists from around the world.

The peace agreement must still be approved by Colombian voters in a referendum on October 2 -- a step Santos insisted on to ensure the full legitimacy of the process.

Recent opinion polls put the "Yes" vote ahead, though the latest -- released Friday by pollster Datexco -- found support had fallen by 9.5 percentage points, to 55.3 percent, since the previous week.

The "No" camp had 38.3 percent, it found.

The government has yet to open peace talks with a smaller guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN).
Paramount

Its a bit tricky to make a Will Ferrell movie without Will Ferrell, but thats the situation facing a movie currently trying to sort out what to do next.

The indie comedy Captain Dad is set to begin production on September 26, but The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Ferrell has dropped out of the film. The exit has apparently left writer-director Sebastian Silva and producers scrambling to figure out their next move. Cast and crew are already in Colombia (where the motion picture is being shot) waiting for word on whats to come. No word yet on what prompted Ferrells exit.

Replacing Ferrell as the dad in this comedy may be a bit of a tall order considering his marquee value, but producers will have to nudge something along for this film to get made. At the moment, Michael Cera and Catherine Keener are still aboard this project centered around a family vacation that does not go according to plan. According to THR sources, theres a real worry the whole thing might fall apart.

Oddly enough, this isnt the first time Ferrells reportedly exited a project in 2016. A massive sh*tstorm was kicked up earlier this year over word that Ferrell and Adam McKay would be bringing a controversial movie about Ronald Reagan to the big screen. We dont imagine Newt Gingrich will weigh in this time.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
roam-co-roamies-at-sunset

As much as travel can open you up to the world, it can also be isolating  especially if you're renting out a room by yourself.

Bruno Haid hopes that won't be the case for his co-living spaces, which are designed for jet-setters, digital nomads, and itinerant workers.

Haid is the founder of Roam, a company that's developing and renting out co-living spaces across the world. "Roamers," as the company calls its customers, sign a flexible lease that gives them access to all of Roam's locations around the world.

The residences attempt to marry two spheres that most people keep separate: work and home life. The model is somewhat similar to WeWork's communal living project WeLive, which provides renters with fully furnished private rooms and access to common spaces where they can cook or mingle with other WeLive members. But Roam's model caters more to travelers and digital workers who can do their jobs remotely.

"The majority of people are reluctant extroverts," Haid tells Business Insider of Roam's clientele. "Once you're in an environment where you feel really safe and understood and have your privacy, and gain some trust through our environment, it's really a positive way into [co-living]."

Roam customers sign leases for preset blocks of time: $500 a week (the minimum lease is for a week) or $1,800 a month.

roam-yoga-matt-shared-space

The lease gives each Roam user access to a private, fully furnished bedroom that's equipped with a desk, fast Wi-Fi, and an en suite bathroom. Each facility also has co-living and coworking spaces that include a media center, pool, shared kitchen, and event space. All bedrooms also come with cleaning services.

Right now, there are three Roam locations in Madrid, Miami, and Bali. The company plans to open a fourth in San Francisco on Monday, September 19. London and Tokyo locations are planned to open before the end of the year, and a Buenos Aires outpost is coming in the near future.

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During the period of their lease, Roamers are free to move between the locations, staying as little or long as they'd like in each one. The company recommends giving 24 hours' notice before switching locations to ensure availability.

The $1,800 price might sound expensive to those who don't live in San Francisco or New York City. But tenants at WeLive's location in Manhattan's Financial District pay just as much without the ability to move between cities. Plus, for travelers who plan to stay in one location for a couple weeks, $500 might be cheaper than a week at many hotels.

That's not the case in Bali, however, where the average rent and cost of living is a fraction of what Roam charges. But Haid says the price covers more than just rent and upkeep, since the company is using the Bali location as a testing ground for experimental services. Roam is currently operating a daycare there, where they pay caretakers above-market wages.

Haid says he got the idea for Roam when he was working on founding several small tech companies, and hopping between major cities to do so.

"I grew up in Austria and in the hospitality industry and ended up not being able to afford cities like New York or San Francisco. When I'd go from city to city, I'd crash on couches and house-sit for friends," he says, adding, "Housing was always an issue until five years ago when a friend had this idea  let's convert this place that's old, that's been empty for 20 years. Let's try to think it over and try to turn it into a co-living space."

roam-miami-room

In the January 2015, Haid started beta testing Roam with its first location in Bali. The company officially launched in April, with a second location in Miami. The Madrid location opened in early June.

Each space has a different number of rooms and its own idiosyncrasies  Bali has 24 rooms, and the 38-room Miami location is inside what was once the city's oldest inn. The company's most peculiar location is in Madrid  the space is in a monastery with six bedrooms.

Roam is also making sure all its living spaces are all occupied by diverse communities. Prospective members have to go through a vetting process as a part of their application.

"We wanted to balance the community so it's not only 25-year-old mostly male, mostly white developers from San Francisco," Haid says. "That's why we requested a little bit more data, so we have a truly healthy community."

And even though you have to be fairly well off to afford the travel costs and the lease, Roam might be a step in a promising new direction for housing. The company is easing people who can afford private homes into the idea that, with the right crowd, privacy might not need to extend far beyond your bedroom and bathroom. That may even convince people to give denser living arrangements a try, which could help ease housing pressures in crowded cities.

"So this idea  that if we can offer people privacy but also at the same time provide a communal lifestyle, like a shared break room or kitchen  might make a lot of sense," Haid says. "And that's the way a lot of people may want it."

NOW WATCH: Airbnb's new floating apartment has unreal views of the world's largest coral reef





More From Business Insider


According to a Wall Street Journal report, cyber-criminals have begun targeting dating websites in the latest round of internet scams

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 17, 2016 / Compared to traditional criminals, cyber-criminals are typically much more difficult to catch. From hacking to sexual exploitation, cyber-criminals commit their crimes behind the anonymity and relative safety of a computer screen. However, law enforcement is catching up to cyber-criminals. You can now report internet scams and other types of internet crimes directly to the FBI through its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

As Texas federal internet crimes lawyers, we are always monitoring developments in the area of cyber-crime. Technology seems to evolve more quickly than anything else, so it's important to stay on your toes to protect yourself from falling prey to an online scam.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, cyber-criminals have begun targeting dating websites in the latest round of internet scams.

What Are Romance Scams?

When most people think of a "romance scam," they might picture mail order brides or similar scenarios. Although there are undoubtedly plenty of happy couples who have met through so-called mail order bride websites, they are probably the exception, not the rule.

Unfortunately, cyber-criminals have created a new way to exploit people looking for love and companionship. "Romance scams" have started popping up on popular dating websites, such as Match.com and eHarmony. Cyber-criminals go to an online dating site, create a fake profile using another person's photos and fraudulent information, and strike up online conversations with the site's users. They may spend months developing a rapport with a user, making the person believe they are interested in a romantic relationship.

In many cases, cyber-criminals pretend to be an American working overseas temporarily. They lure their victim into wiring money to an offshore bank account, claiming they are stranded without access to funds. According to the FBI's IC3, Americans paid $120 million to cyber-criminals in romance scams in the first six months of 2016 - an increase of 23 percent compared to the first half of 2015.

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In several cases, federal authorities have extradited cyber-criminals from other countries to the U.S. to face prosecution. In one case, an 84-year-old Indiana woman sent over $120,000 to an account in London, believing she was helping a man she met on an online dating website.

The co-founder of a dating website for individuals over age 50 said the site rejects about 15 percent of applicants every day due to scamming.

Cyber-security experts encourage people who use internet dating sites to check profile images with free apps that allow you to reverse-image search a photo to identify its origin. In many cases, cyber-criminals who use fake dating profiles pull images from stock photo sites, or simply find a third party's photo online and pass it off as their own. Internet security experts also warn against sending anyone money online, especially if you have never met the person.

Dallas Federal Cyber-Crime Lawyers

If you have been charged with an internet crime, you could be facing serious penalties. Law enforcement is tough on cyber-criminals. Don't wait to speak to afederal cyber-crime defense lawyer about your case.

Call the Dallas criminal defense Mick Mickelsen to discuss your defense today.Contact us or call 214-720-9552 today. You can also get in touch with us through our online contact form.

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2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204

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Researchers say public mistrust of vaccines is causing diseases like measles and yellow fever to spread.

The scientists said the lower levels of trust can lead to people refusing vaccines. This, in turn, can cause diseases to spread quickly, they warned. But the researchers said they also found a high level of support worldwide for vaccinating children against disease.

Scientists from Britain and Singapore reported the findings. They work for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London and the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health in Singapore.

The researchers questioned 66,000 people in 67 countries to discover their ideas on whether vaccines are important, safe and effective. They also wanted to know whether the development and use of vaccines was in agreement with their religious beliefs.

The survey showed people in Southeast Asia had the highest level of trust in vaccines. Africa showed the second highest level of confidence.

Europeans showed the lowest level of confidence in vaccines. In France, 41 percent of the population questioned the safety of vaccines.

Heidi Larson is with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She says recent media reports of problems involving vaccines have hurt public confidence in France.

Larson noted that many Europeans worried about reports of possible links between hepatitis B vaccines and the disease multiple sclerosis. But she said scientists found no linkage between the two.

Mistrust in France was also driven by public reaction to the H1N1 influenza outbreak fears in 2009. The French government spent $1.4 billion on 94 million doses of the vaccine. The majority were sold or destroyed.

The findings come as a major yellow fever vaccination program has been launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.

The disease has already killed hundreds of people in the area. The World Health Organization aims to vaccinate over 15 million people in both countries.

If everyone agrees to be vaccinated, we can eliminate yellow fever from our country, said Mosala Mireille, one of the doctors directing the program.

Im Anne Ball.

Henry Ridgwell reported on this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

confidence  n. trust or belief

dose  n. the amount of a medicine, drug or vitamin that is taken at one time

eliminate  v. to destroy; to do away with; to put an end to
Did you know that this Big Bang Theory star played a nerd in a Cinderella Story?

Did you know that this Big Bang Theory star played a nerd in a Cinderella Story?

The Big Bang Theory is one of the most beloved and successful television shows on the air right now and while the show skyrocketed the cast to A-list celeb status, as well all know, everyone in Hollywood had to get their start somewhere.

This is Simon Helberg  we all know him as Howard Wolowitz, the mechanical engineer who is constantly reminded by his friends he doesnt have a doctorate degree.

And if you recall, theres this magical little movie starring Chad Michael Murray and Hilary Duff called A Cinderella Story.

But did you know that Simon Helberg had a minor role in this modern day fairy tale classic?

The Big Bang Theory star played the role of Terry, a super dorky guy living in his own little world.

Hes kind of like the high school version of Howard Wolowitz, no?

Simon Helbergs character also appears in the big ~school dance scene~ where Hilary Duff is waiting to meet her one true love.

THEY EVEN DANCED TOGETHER!

They just look like a young, high school Howard and Bernadette. See?!

Now, we need to go re-watch A Cinderella Story!

The post Did you know that this Big Bang Theory star played a nerd in a Cinderella Story? appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Dolly Parton and Pentatonix teamed up recently to rework Parton's classic "Jolene" a cappella style.

CMA's 'Forever Country' Song Features Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson & 28 More Country Superstars: Listen

In a new video posted to Pentatonix's YouTube channel, Parton sings the leads while the Grammy-winning a cappella group's offers support with backing harmonies and rhythm.

Watch it here:

Pentatonix kicks off its world tour in Singapore on Saturday. The song is available across digital storefronts.

Pentatonix's Kirstin Maldonado Gets Engaged in Paris

Both parties praised each other online, with Parton saying it was a lot of fun collaborating on the rearrangement and Pentatonix calling the experience "a dream come true."

Singing with @PTXofficial was pure magic, and we had lots of fun rearranging the song! #PTXDollyJolene

- Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) September 16, 2016

It was magical singing with YOU!! We will never forget it! <3 #PTXDollyJolene https://t.co/tRldEnMoNr

- Pentatonix (@PTXofficial) September 16, 2016

Singing with @DollyParton was a dream come true for us, and we had so much fun arranging the song! #PTXDollyJolene

- Pentatonix (@PTXofficial) September 16, 2016
Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?



Edward Albee, the three-time Pulitzer Prize winner who ushered in a new era of American drama with such plays as Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, Three Tall Women and A Delicate Balance, has died. He was 88.

The playwright died at his home on Long Island, his assistant Jackob Holder confirmed to the Associated Press. No other details of his death were immediately available.

Influenced by Bertolt Brecht and the Theater of the Absurd, Albee invited the audience into his characters psyches in a way that challenged both topical and structural theatrical convention. From the wacky-turned-dangerous dinner party games of 1962s Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to the bestiality of 2002s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, the playwright eradicated the illusion of normalcy by placing seemingly ordinary people in far-fetched situations.

Thats what happens in plays, yes? The shit hits the fan, Albee said in an interview with Playbill in 2002.

Albee was presented with the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for A Delicate Balance in 1967, Seascape in 1975 and Three Tall Women in 1994. Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, arguably his most well-known play and Broadway debut, was selected for the Pulitzer in 1963, but an advisory committee overruled the nomination because of the plays use of profanity and sexual themes, and no award for theater was presented that year.

It did capture the Tony Award for best play, as did The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, and Albee was awarded a special Tony for lifetime achievement in 2005. The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters handed him the Gold Medal in Drama in 1980, and in 1996, he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.

Among our few genuinely great playwrights, Edward Albee seems to be the most fearless and the most successful at discovering difficulty, fellow playwright Tony Kushner said at the PEN World Voices Gala in 2012. Certainly, hes the one important American playwright who has made the investigation of the meaning of dramatic form, the structure of dramatic language and the contract between play and audience a substantial aspect of his lifes work.

Story continues

Born Edward Harvey and adopted when he was 18 days old by Reed and Francis Albee, he grew up as Edward Franklin Albee III in Larchmont, N.Y. Albee was expelled from three schools, culminating in his dismissal from Trinity College in 1947, and he later moved to Greenwich Village. Many hypothesize that Virginia Woolf took inspiration from Albees collegiate experience, but the playwright denied autobiographical allegations.

I think thats foolishness on the part of the playwright to write about himself, he said in a 2013 interview with The Believer. People dont know anything about themselves. They shouldnt write about themselves.

However, Albee did admit that A Delicate Balance came from his experience growing up with a right wing, rich, prejudiced family with whom he never saw eye to eye. I wasnt growing up to be what they wanted, he told told the Dramatists Guild. They wanted a young corrupt CEO, a lawyer or a doctor. They didnt want a writer. Good God  I wasnt going to be what they had bought, so to speak, which gave me great objectivity about them.

Albee said he decided he was a writer at age 6 and began his career by dabbling in poetry and novels, neither of which garnered much success. He didnt author his first play, The Zoo Story, until he was 30. The one-act premiered in Berlin after being rejected by American producers. Albee continued writing one-acts with The Sandbox in 1959 and The American Dream in 1960 before his three-act opus Virginia Woolf premiered in 1962.

Im infinitely more involved in the reality of the characters and their situation than I am in everyday life, Albee told The Paris Review after Virginia Woolf debuted and as he was writing A Delicate Balance. The involvement is terribly intense. I find that in the course of the day when Im writing, after three or four hours of intense work, I have a splitting headache  The involvement, which is both creative and self-critical, is so intense that Ive got to stop doing it.

Hollywood came calling early for Albee, with Mike Nichols directing Ernest Lehmans Oscar-nominated adaptation of 1966s Virginia Woolf film that starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Albee was skeptical of Taylors ability to play Martha (Uta Hagen had toplined the play) but ended up being impressed with her Academy Award-winning performance as well as the film.

In 1973, Katharine Hepburn starred in director Tony Richardsons film version of A Delicate Balance, for which Albee is credited with the screenplay. (Albee muse Marian Seldes had starred in the play.)

Virginia Woolf has been revived three times on Broadway, with Kathleen Turner, Colleen Dewhurst and, most recently, Amy Morton as Martha. The latest production won the Tony for best revival of a play in 2013, with direction by Pam MacKinnon.

MacKinnon also directed Albees latest Broadway revival of A Delicate Balance, starring Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Martha Plimpton and Bob Balaban. If you can get over the Edward Albee myth and intimidation, hes very approachable, MacKinnon said in an interview with American Theatre.

Albee was openly gay, and his longtime partner Jonathan Thomas died of bladder cancer in 2005. Albee avoided the classification of a gay writer. A writer who happens to be gay or lesbian must be able to transcend self, he said when accepting the Lambda Literary Foundations Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011. I am not a gay writer. I am a writer who happens to be gay.

When this remark was met with critique, he told NPR, Maybe Im being a little troublesome about this, but so many writers who are gay are expected to behave like gay writers, and I find that is such a limitation and such a prejudicial thing that I fight against it whenever I can.

Though known for his temper and irascible nature, Albee also was a famous champion of young playwrights. In 1963, he founded the New Playwrights Unit Workshop (renamed Playwrights 66 in 1966), and the organization provided emerging writers, including Terrence McNally, Lanford Wilson, Sam Shepard and John Guare, some of the first opportunities to have their work produced at the Cherry Lane Theater in the West Village.

If you have the ability to help other people in the arts, its your responsibility to do so, Albee told Newsday in 2005. Playwrights 66 folded after eight years, but Albee started the Edward F. Albee Foundation in 1967, and it operates The Barn in Montauk, N.Y., providing residencies for writers and visual artists. He also served as a distinguished professor of playwriting at University of Houston.

Will Eno, an Albee protege who had a residency with the Foundation in 1996, sat down with him for The Dramatists Guild series The Legacy Project, in which Albee reflected on his life and influence.

If you dont live on the precipice, right close to the edge, youre wasting your time, Albee said. I hope that my plays are useful in that sense, that they try to persuade people to live right on the edge dangerously and fully. Because you only do it once.
Edward Albee, the three-time Pulitzer Prize winner who ushered in a new era of American drama with such plays as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Zoo Story, Three Tall Women and A Delicate Balance, has died. He was 88.

The playwright died in his sleep at his home in Montauk, N.Y., The New York Post reported. No other details of his death were immediately available.

Influenced by Bertolt Brecht and the Theater of the Absurd, Albee invited the audience into his characters' psyches in a way that challenged both topical and structural theatrical convention. From the wacky-turned-dangerous dinner party games of 1962's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to the bestiality of 2002's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, the playwright eradicated the illusion of normalcy by placing seemingly ordinary people in far-fetched situations.

"That's what happens in plays, yes? The shit hits the fan," Albee said in an interview with Playbill in 2002.

Albee was presented with the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for A Delicate Balance in 1967, Seascape in 1975 and Three Tall Women in 1994. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, arguably his most well-known play and Broadway debut, was selected for the Pulitzer in 1963, but an advisory committee overruled the nomination because of the play's use of profanity and sexual themes, and no award for theater was presented that year.

It did capture the Tony Award for best play, as did The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, and Albee was awarded a special Tony for lifetime achievement in 2005. The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters handed him the Gold Medal in Drama in 1980, and in 1996, he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.

"Among our few genuinely great playwrights, Edward Albee seems to be the most fearless and the most successful at discovering difficulty," fellow playwright Tony Kushner said at the PEN World Voices Gala in 2012. "Certainly, he's the one important American playwright who has made the investigation of the meaning of dramatic form, the structure of dramatic language and the contract between play and audience a substantial aspect of his life's work."

Story continues

Born Edward Harvey and adopted when he was 18 days old by Reed and Francis Albee, he grew up as Edward Franklin Albee III in Larchmont, N.Y. Albee was expelled from three schools, culminating in his dismissal from Trinity College in 1947, and he later moved to Greenwich Village. Many hypothesize that Virginia Woolf took inspiration from Albee's collegiate experience, but the playwright denied autobiographical allegations.

"I think that's foolishness on the part of the playwright to write about himself," he said in a 2013 interview with The Believer. "People don't know anything about themselves. They shouldn't write about themselves."

However, Albee did admit that A Delicate Balance came from his experience growing up with a "right wing, rich, prejudiced family" with whom he never saw eye to eye. "I wasn't growing up to be what they wanted," he said in an interview with The Dramatists Guild. "They wanted a young corrupt CEO, a lawyer or a doctor. They didn't want a writer. Good God  I wasn't going to be what they had bought, so to speak, which gave me great objectivity about them."

Albee said he decided he was a writer at age 6 and began his career by dabbling in poetry and novels, neither of which garnered much success. He didn't author his first play, The Zoo Story, until he was 30. The one-act premiered in Berlin after being rejected by American producers. Albee continued writing one-acts with The Sandbox in 1959 and The American Dream in 1960 before his three-act opus Virginia Woolf premiered in 1962.

"I'm infinitely more involved in the reality of the characters and their situation than I am in everyday life," Albee told The Paris Review after Virginia Woolf debuted and as he was writing A Delicate Balance. "The involvement is terribly intense. I find that in the course of the day when I'm writing, after three or four hours of intense work, I have a splitting headache and I have to stop. Because the involvement, which is both creative and self-critical, is so intense that I've got to stop doing it."

Hollywood came calling early for Albee, with Mike Nichols directing Ernest Lehman's Oscar-nominated adaptation of 1966's Virginia Woolf film that starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Albee was skeptical of Taylor's ability to play Martha (Uta Hagen had toplined the play) but ended up being impressed with her Academy Award-winning performance as well as the film.

In 1973, Katharine Hepburn starred in director Tony Richardson's film version of A Delicate Balance, for which Albee is credited with the screenplay. (Albee muse Marian Seldes had starred in the play.)

Virginia Woolf has been revived three times on Broadway, with Kathleen Turner, Colleen Dewhurst and, most recently, Amy Morton as Martha. The latest production won the Tony for best revival of a play in 2013 for the production directed by Pam MacKinnon.

MacKinnon also directed Albee's current Broadway revival of A Delicate Balance, starring Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Martha Plimpton and Bob Balaban. "If you can get over the Edward Albee myth and intimidation, he's very approachable," MacKinnon said in an interview with American Theatre.

Albee was openly gay, and his longtime partner Jonathan Thomas died of bladder cancer in 2005. Albee avoided the classification of a gay writer. "A writer who happens to be gay or lesbian must be able to transcend self," he said when accepting the Lambda Literary Foundation's Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011. "I am not a gay writer. I am a writer who happens to be gay."

When this remark was met with critique, he told NPR, "Maybe I'm being a little troublesome about this, but so many writers who are gay are expected to behave like gay writers, and I find that is such a limitation and such a prejudicial thing that I fight against it whenever I can."

Though known for his temper and irascible nature, Albee also was a famous champion of young playwrights. In 1963, he founded the New Playwrights Unit Workshop (renamed Playwrights 66 in 1966), and the organization provided emerging writers, including Terrence McNally, Lanford Wilson, Sam Shepard and John Guare, some of the first opportunities to have their work produced at the Cherry Lane Theater in the West Village.

"If you have the ability to help other people in the arts, it's your responsibility to do so," Albee told Newsday in 2005. Playwrights 66 folded after eight years, but Albee started the Edward F. Albee Foundation in 1967, and it operates "The Barn" in Montauk, providing residencies for writers and visual artists. He also served as a distinguished professor of playwriting at University of Houston.

Will Eno, an Albee protege who had a residency with the Foundation in 1996, sat down with him for The Dramatists Guild series The Legacy Project, in which Albee reflected on his life and influence.

"If you don't live on the precipice, right close to the edge, you're wasting your time," Albee said. "I hope that my plays are useful in that sense, that it tries to persuade people to live right on the edge dangerously and fully. Because you only do it once."
Edward Albee, who died Friday at the age of 88, was, arguably Americas greatest living playwright.

Early in his career, TIME described him as the most talked-about young American playwright. As his career flourishedthrough successes and slumps, multiple Pulitzer Prizes and Tony AwardsTIME continued to review his work.

Here are some of the most notable reviews:

The American Dream

In February 1961, TIME described Albees off-Broadway The American Dream as an impressive one-acter.

The anger in Albees The American Dream is less restrained, although the one-hour work begins as a sort of surrealistic situation comedy about a prosperous bourgeois family. The dialogue is a wildly hilarious melange of cliches, inanities and redundancies. Vacuous, tyrannical Mommy harangues intimidated, impotent Daddy, and both berate semi-senile Grandma, whom they threaten to send off to a nursing home.

The same review issued a bold, if pessimistic, prediction about what would later become Albees most famous work.

Albee has since turned out four more one-act works, is currently working up from one-acters toward full-length drama by writing a two-act play that seems unlikely ever to appear on a midtown marquee, TIME wrote. Its title: Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Despite prior predictions to the contrary, Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? did, in fact, appear on a midtown marquee, making its Broadway debut in 1962 and winning a Tony Award for best play. In 1666when it was turned into a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burtona New York Times critic hailed Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as the best American play of the last decade.

TIMEs October 1962 review of the show, Albees first full-length play, described it as a blood sport as well as a play.

Story continues

The weapons are wordsvicious, cruel, unspeakably humiliating, unpredictably hilariousthe language of personal annihilation. Jabbing, slashing, eviscerating each other are a middle-aged history professor and his wife, TIME wrote.

While noting that the play had jolted the Broadway season to life, the review also highlighted some of its shortcomings: needlessly long (3 hours), repetitious, slavishly, sometimes superficially Freudian, and given to trite thoughts about scientific doom.

But a powerful play never founders on its flaws, TIME wrote. Albees language is whiplash strong and leaves welts. His characters are rivetingly modern, and their weird autobiographical outbursts carry a numbing conviction.

A Delicate Balance

It was difficult for Albees next plays to follow Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? As a play-to-play progression, the effect is dismaying; Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is to The Ballad of the Sad Cafe what an icicle is to its melted puddle, TIME wrote in November 1963.

That trend continued when A Delicate Balance opened three years later: The lateness of the night, the thirst of the soul, the solitary anguish of the selfthese have always been the prevailing mood winds of Albees plays, TIME wrote in 1966. But he cannot construct a credible plot in which to trap them, and he fails again in Balance.

TIMEs largely critical review took issue with the characters and plot construction of A Delicate Balance, the play for which Albee won his first Pulitzer Prize.

Edward Albee can be trusted as a bartender, an unleasher of tirades of aggression, a put-down comedian, and a lover of English whose sentences curl with the involuted beauty of a sea shell, but when he puts on his thinking cap, he is a poseur, TIME wrote. To embrace everyone is to be no one. A Delicate Balance is a wish for oblivion posing as a plea for love, and its fine cast and funny lines cannot hide its phony bones.

Three Tall Women

Albee endured what many characterized as a slump for a couple decades. Prolific as he was, his plays and adaptations werent as well-received as Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? had been.

But Albees Three Tall Women was met with acclaim in 1994, and it later won the Pultizer Prize. A TIME review published in February 1994with the headline Albee is Backhailed it as stunning.
Cairo (AFP) - An Egyptian court froze assets of five prominent human rights defenders and three non-governmental organisations on Saturday, provoking fears of an intensified crackdown on civil society.

They had been under renewed investigation for allegedly receiving foreign funds in a case that stretches back to 2011 and had caused a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Cairo.

European Union External Action Service criticised the decision in a statement.

"The increased pressure on independent Egyptian civil society, in particular human rights organisations and defenders, is not in line with Egypt's commitments to promote and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms as guaranteed by its Constitution," the EU diplomatic service said.

Rights groups quickly denounced the decision, with Amnesty International calling it "a shameless ploy to silence human rights activism".

The rights activists are Hossam Bahgat, who founded the leading Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights NGO, Gamal Eid, Bahey el-Din Hassan, Mostafa al-Hassan and Abdel Hafez al-Tayel.

The NGOs are Bahey el-Din Hassan's Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Mostafa al-Hassan's Hisham Mubarak Law Centre and the Egyptian Centre for the Right to Education.

The court's decision is a "reprehensible blow to Egypt's human rights movement", the London-based Amnesty said in a statement.

"These individuals may subsequently face prosecution and prison terms of up to life, equivalent to 25 years in Egypt."

New York-based Human Rights Watch also criticised the decision.

"Egyptian authorities are single-mindedly pushing for the elimination of the country's most prominent independent human rights defenders," it quoted its Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson as saying in a statement.

- Sisi's UN visit -

In 2011, Egypt provoked international condemnation when it raided Egyptian and Western NGOs in Cairo on suspicion of illegal financing, including the US National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.

Story continues

Police also sought to arrest NGO staff members at the time, forcing 13 foreigners including six Americans to take refuge at the US embassy in Cairo until the Egyptian authorities relented and allowed them to leave Egypt.

Saturday's decision came ahead of a visit by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army chief whose government is accused by rights groups of violations, to New York for United Nations General Assembly on September 20.

The initial probe into foreign funding had been launched amid a crackdown against civil society groups following the 18-day uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak in early 2011 and left the military in charge.

Officials and security services aired suspicions that the civil society groups were plotting against the country, at a time of heightened suspicion in Egypt against Western countries.

Forty-three Egyptian and foreign NGO staff were subsequently placed on trial and handed jail terms of up to five years in 2013 for working illegally. Most of the foreigners were tried in absentia.

A month later, the military led by Sisi overthrew the unpopular Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, unleashing a crackdown on the Islamist opposition as well as rights activists.

Successive governments since 2011 have said that financing for civil society groups should be streamlined and more transparent, but have been accused of trying to control civil society funding.

Some rights NGOs have complained that they work in a legal grey zone, sometimes not receiving the relevant permits to operate which may lead to their closure at the authorities' whim.
The American poet Carl Sandburg once said, Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.

Recently five young people were named to lead that dance for the next year. They are the National Student Poets. They recently enjoyed a ceremony in their honor at the White House.

President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, created the program to honor student poets from five areas of the country.

The first lady said that they felt the program was necessary to prevent the arts from becoming lost in schools.

What we knew is that loss was pretty devastating because we all know what the evidence shows is that when kids are involved in arts, they do better in school and in life. They have higher grades. They have fewer behavioral problems. We talk about this at almost every event. They are more likely to go to college, to graduate, and go on and do wonderful things.

About 70,000 young people apply to the program each year. A team of poets and artists choose the winners.

This years student poets include 17-year-olds Stella Binion of Illinois, Maya Eashwaran of Georgia, Gopal Raman of Texas, and Joey Reisberg of Maryland.

Sixteen-year-old Maya Slameh is from California. The Lebanese American read her poem Sacrilege Incorporated at the event held at the White House.

Maya said she wanted to write to express her feelings about being Arab-American. She wanted to show how that identity was not always a comfortable one.

Maya Eashwaran is Indian American. Her poem Linguistics is about losing some of her Indian identity to American culture.

Maya says the poem was written at a time when she began to realize that she was losing some of her culture, some of her history.

"I was writing the poem after I had realized that I was speaking more English than my mother tongue."

Each National Student Poet spends a year attending poetry classes. They also go to art festivals and do a community service project.

Some of the past winners have taught poetry to women prisoners, worked with veterans, and helped people with Alzheimers.

Stella Binion is from Chicago. She says that her dream is to work with and inspire other students, especially African American girls.

"My dream would be to work with young girls of color, specifically black girls, to, like, empower their voices and (make them) feel like their voices are important and heard through the lines of poetry because that's what poetry has been for me, in terms of, like, my experience as a young black woman."

Joey Reisberg of Towson, Maryland, says he hopes to help develop poetry workshops in Baltimore. Rioting broke out in that city last year, in connection with the arrest and death of an unarmed black man named Freddy Gray. Reisberg says he wants to show that there is much more to Baltimore than the recent unrest.

"I'm thinking less in terms of my own work, and more in terms of, like, leading workshops for Baltimore poets to show that the city isn't as divided as it seems. We're all still people."

At the ceremony, Michelle Obama said she could not have been prouder of all the student poets  from 2016 and earlier years.

Im Caty Weaver.

VOAs David Byrd reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

Do you read or write poetry? What does it mean to you? Let us know by posting in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

echo  n. the repeated sound that is heard when sound waves bounce off of distant object

shadow  n. a dark area of blocked light that appears when something blocks a light source

devastating  adj. causing great damage or harm

comfortable  adj. not painful

inspire  v. to make (someone) want to do something
It was the television writers turn in the spotlight at the Writers Guild of America Wests Sublime Primetime event Thursday night, which was moderated by Better Call Sauls Bob Odenkirk.

An assembly of TV scribes from across Emmy writing categories assembled at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills for a freewheeling forum on the work that earned them nominations this year. The event, introduced by WGAW president Howard Rodman and Varietys Debra Birnbaum, was presented by the Writers Guild of America West, the Writers Guild Foundation, and Variety.

Each of the scribes recounted various issues they encountered in their series over the past season. The Americans showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields noted that many of their notoriously long-simmering plot lines finally reached a boil after four seasons  a welcome payoff for patient viewers (prompting Odenkirk to quip, This is what I was thinking: Oh my God, this shows slower than mine!') and that they think theyll get to every plot and character point they intend to when the series concludes in two seasons.

We tend to move through more story than we expect to, said Fields, but so far this season is breaking in the right places.

UnReal co-creator and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro recounted how her breakdown after several seasons of working on The Bachelor led her to move back to Oregon from L.A. where she focused on creating the short film that inspired the show. Being a feminist working on The Bachelor was sort of like a vegan working in a slaughterhouse, and so it felt like thats what I had to talk about, she said.

After seasoned showrunner Marti Noxon signed on to help Shapiro develop the show for TV, she brought the lessons shed learned about anti-hero casting as a consultant on Mad Men. She credited UnReal leads Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer for adding depth to the material.

Related Content Emmys: When the Run Is Limited, Basic Cable Writers & Directors Go Big

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Key and Peele writer Alex Rubens had similar praise for how his series stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele with whom he also wrote the feature film Keanu, could elevate any material to a more hilarious place. Over the course of the entire series I thought there were one or two sketches that were kind of bad. When they came on TV, I was really bracing myself for themand then they were really funny, he said. So I was like Ohwe [writers] dont matter!

When you have characters who are really compromised in what theyre doing every day, you have to have actors who have likability  theyve got to have soul, said Noxon. Both of those actresses are so strong we were really able to compromise them.

When an audience members question about writing for the opposite gender was raised, prompting a flip on some conventional wisdoms, Shapiro pointed out that she is frequently teased by her staff that her male characters are weak to the point that she asked her friends to put her together with groups of their male friends in order to better understand them. You guys have feelings about things, right? she said.

Amid early career war stories about working with producers who wouldnt even pony up a $1 option, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story writers Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander revealed how David Schwimmer, their choice to play Simpsons friend and confidante Robert Kardashian, prompted them to write the character in a considerably more compelling fashion.

I will give points to David Schwimmer, said Alexander. He was challenging us: What do you have for me? I get it  Im the friend and Im loyal and all that. What else? Alexander admitted the early conversation provoked the duo, who promised to call the actor back with a response. It really pushed us to do a lot more with the Kardashian arc, in terms of him being the moral compass and the one character whos completely selfless and comes to regret what hes gotten into, he said.

We looked on YouTube at the moment of the verdict, when hes standing next to O.J., and when its not guilty you see Kardashians face fall, Alexander continued. And we thought, Wo  he stuck with him for that whole year, but he didnt want to be there. We made much more of a meal out of Kardashians turmoil than we would have if David hadnt provoked us.

Veep writers Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck also participated in the panel discussion along with The Simpsons scribe Carolyn Omine.

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James L. Brooks on Trying to Get Michelle Obama for 'Simpsons,' and 'Edge of Seventeen'

2016 Emmy Predictions: Variety's TV Critics Make Their Picks
Its glam galore as stars take in all of the Emmy Awards fare in Los Angeles. Variety will also be inside all of the invite-only parties with your favorite TV stars toasting to the past year in television. Heres our report for the jam-packed week of Hollywoods hottest bashes leading up to the main event on Sunday, Sept. 18.

Audi Party:

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story lead Cuba Gooding Jr. slid into the very fresh and yet-to-be-opened Catch L.A. rooftop restaurant in West Hollywood Thursday night, chatting the night away until well after midnight. Jamie Foxx also made a surprise appearance in a closed section with Empire star Tasha Smith, who ultimately made a lap around the room with her pal Mary J. Blige. Meanwhile, other stars tended to their own onscreen crew. Cool kids of Modern Family Sarah Hyland, Nolan Gould, and Ariel Winter took photos together near the bar area as nominee Constance Zimmer hung out on the dance floor with UnReal season 2 bachelor B.J. Britt.

Im fanning out, Im definitely fanning out right now, Stranger Things actor Joe Keery told Variety once Veep nominee Tony Hale joined him on the carpet. The party boasted additional talents, including Transparent star Melora Hardin, and Elizabeth Banks.

Blackish actress Yara Shahidi appeared later in the evening, dancing to current hip-hop tunes with her mom/manager, while Mr. Robot standout Rami Malek spent the majority of his night enjoying the Hollywood skyline on the patio with friends.

Variety and Women in Films Emmy Nominee Celebration:

Hosted at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood, Variety and Women in Films Emmy nomination reception on Friday attracted the likes of Julie Bowen, Amanda Peet, Felicity Huffman, Tatiana Maslany, Ryan Murphy and Jill Soloway.

THIS Alia Shawkat and Donald Glover mingle at Variety and Women In Films Pre-Emmy Celebration. Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

Television Industry Advocacy Awards Gala:

The Friday event, presented by TV Guide Magazine and TV Insider to benefit The Creative Coalition, took a moment to recognize celebrities not for themselves, but for their work around social issues. Honorees of the night included Emmy-nominated Jill Soloway, Tony Hale, Michael Kelly, Niecy Nash and Derek Hough. Reid Scott, Dean Norris and Sandra Lee were also there to support and present the awards, while Wendi McLendon-Covey of The Goldbergs hosted the evening at the Sunset Tower Hotel.

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Although the spotlight wasnt on the celebrities the room was still warm with heartfelt compliments and gratitude for how much work had been done. All you gotta do is look around, somebody is always in need of something, Nash said before she accepted her award on stage. Hough echoed the Getting On star when he stated, In general we just need to look out for each other and not judge each other so much and get behind each other and humanity.

Television Academys Performers Peer Group Celebration:

A number of Emmy nominees made the Pacific Design Center their first stop on Friday night, as the stars were toasted for their outstanding performances in television. American Crime star Regina King walked in ahead of her onscreen son, Trevor Jackson, while The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story standout Courtney B. Vance posed next to wife and American Horror Story vet Angela Bassett.

Ill be taking some pictures tonight, dont worry! Vance said in comparison to his appearance at last years fetewhich consisted of him playing the background while Bassett soaked in her 2015 Emmy nod. Its a wonderful time. One minute they wanna talk to you, the next minute they dont. I just go with the flow. Im the same person I was last year today.

TV Academy chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum and Television Academy governor Bob Bergen were also on hand to give kudos to the performers, writers, and producers in attendance.

Entertainment Weekly Pre-Emmy Party:

The Nightingale Plaza, which is appropriately wallpapered with filigree detailed nightingales, was packed wall to wall with some of the most recognizable talent on TV. While Robyns Dancing on My Own and other electronic and eclectic hits accompanied the night, celebrities celebrated their own before the big reveal on Sunday.

Theres nothing to be nervous about! The fact that theres so much TV and it gets dwindled down to just six people  Im happy to be one sixth of that equation, said Tituss Burgess, who is nominated for his role on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The star-studded guest list also included Shiri Appleby, Billy Brown, RuPaul, Matt Walsh and Robin Tunney.

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Emmys Parties 2016

Emmy nominated actors gathered for an annual class photo at the Pacific Design Center 48 hours before show. The TV Academy bestowed the actors with frame-worthy nomination certificates as a badge of their achievement. The class photo is asterisked because

so many of the big name nominees were not there. MIA: Amy Schumer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ellie telmper, Jean Smart, Kathy Bates, Claire Danes, Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Keri Russell, Robin Wright, Bryan Cranston, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Spacey, Liev Schreiber, Rami Malek, Aziz Ansari, Will Forte, Jeffrey Tambor, Peter Dinklage and Kit Harrington, among others. Imagine what the photo would look like with those additions. Its easy to assume many were working, as TV actors actually do.

Keegan-Michael Key, Tony Hale and RuPaul became a quick clique, joking around in the back row as the nominees filled the stage one-by-one. Watching this unexpected amigo trio bloom instantly was a highlight of the night.

Janet Varney quipped Oh, I graduated TV when receiving her certificate from Lily Tomlin and Bob Bergen, governors of the Television Academy Performers Peer. Varney is nominated for a Funny or Die comedy short and is worth the Google.

If audience applause from a room of Academy voters is a reliable indicator, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Constance Zimmer (unREAL) are in for good nights on Sunday. The crowd loved them the most.

The O.J. crew took their own breakout photo afterwards with TV Academy president Bruce Rosenblum. Congrats to O.J. on all of his accomplishments in TV this year, Emmys host Jimmy Kimmel joked at a pre-Emmys event earlier this week.

Anthony Anderson (second from right) asked for and organized this photo. Courtney B. Vance (far left) carried his own DSLR camera around with him on Friday night. At one point, he handed it to industry photo veteran Jordan Strauss  who was shooting the party for the TV Academy  and asked him to take one of this group on his camera.

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Felicity Huffman and Regina King are up for Lead and Supporting on American Crime. At the Performers Nominee Reception, bartenders slung World Class Spirits like Ketel One Vodka and Brett Ratners Hillhaven Lodge Whiskey, while honorees munched on spreads from Wolfgang Puck.

As the Emmy-branded Audis raced out of the Pacific Design Center, they headed for places like the Gersh party at partner Leslie Sieberts house in Holmby Hills. There, Kyle Chandler (nominated for Lead Actor, Drama) blew out a candle on a mini cake the night before his 51st birthday. Siebert is his agent.

Allison Janney and Sela Ward at the Gersh bash, where lights projected the agencys name on hedges. Jeffrey Tambor and Andie MacDowell followed Janney in the door in quick succession. Out by the pool house, Bokeem Woodbine  the scene-stealing gangster from Fargo  went off menu, cracking a bottle of beer from the fridge with party co-host and talent manager Steven Siebert.

Earlier in the night, Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk and the TV Industry Advocacy Awards struck an inspirational tone at their Sunset Tower event honoring TV personalities for their philanthropy. Its about the art of selflessness, Bronk said.

Newlyweds Kym Johnson and Robert Herjavec presented to Derek Hough, one of the honorees. Hough later offered his celebrity appearance services to the other honorees charities, a group that included Niecy Nash, Constance Zimmer and Transparent show runner Jill Soloway.

Two guys who play politics on TV: Tony Hale (Veep) and Michael Kelly (House of Cards). Hale was honored for his work with the International Justice Mission, while Kelly has quietly been lobbying Congress for elder care support programs. He has funneled his work through the Thanks Mom and Dad Fund.

glitter. The three best buddies have a huge Arclight premiere on Tuesday for their feature Dirty 30, which hits theaters and iTunes Friday, Sept. 23.

Mary J. Blige has been on the Emmy party circuit all weekend, and sometimes with a bodyguard. On Friday, Blige was spotted at the Gersh party and EW, after hitting the Audi party with Tasha Smith on Thursday night.

Sarah Hyland and Josh Kelly hooked in to Buzzfeeds battle cries at the viral monolith Buzzies party at Hyde Sunset on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Buzzfeeds consistently viral The Try Guys (42 million views) handle every part of their creative process themselves  from idea to upload. No show is actually easy, Try Guy Ned Fulmer (far right) told TheWrap. (TV projects) may just have a bigger team doing it. We have a smaller team do it. As for the guys favorite shows: Orphan Black, Archer, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Archer. The Try Guys are up for a Streamy Award on Oct. 4 for best Non-Fiction.

Pretty Little Liars' Janel Parrish inside Hyde for the Buzzfeed bash, where autograph hounds crowded the exit.

Carson Kressley won one of the first reality Emmys ever for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy back in 2004. Keeping his sheen, he picked up Mirai face serum, a Masqueology mask, and Madison & Mulhollands Cross Body Travel Bag at the Ultimate Primetime TV Lounge at the W Hotel.

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San Vicente del Caguan (Colombia) (AFP) - After 52 years of conflict, Colombia's FARC rebels open what leaders hope will be their last wartime conference Saturday, where they will vote on a historic peace deal with the government.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist guerrilla group launched in 1964, will hold its 10th national conference in El Caguan, its Switzerland-sized stronghold, to ratify a peace accord hashed out in nearly four years of talks.

The week-long conference marks the first time they will discuss peace instead of war during such an event. If all goes according to the FARC leadership's plan, it will end with the group's relaunch as a political party.

The FARC, which today has an estimated 7,500 fighters, concluded the peace deal with the government on August 24, followed by a bilateral ceasefire.

The Colombian conflict, which has drawn in other leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and criminal gangs, has killed more than 260,000 people, left 45,000 missing and forced nearly seven million to flee their homes.

If the conference approves the peace deal, as expected, FARC leader Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez will sign the agreement with center-right President Juan Manuel Santos on September 26 in the Caribbean port of Cartagena.

The 297-page document comprises six separate deals: justice and reparations for victims of the conflict; land reform; the FARC's relaunch as a political party; disarmament; fighting the drug trafficking that has fueled the fighting; and implementation and monitoring of the accord.

Jimenez flew in for the conference this week from Cuba, where the peace talks were held.

Arriving at the conference site in the vast Yari plains, several hours from the town of San Vicente del Caguan, he underscored the event's importance.

"Everything we are now doing will help us achieve our goals," he said, stepping off a helicopter provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to the guerrilla media outlet Noticias Nueva Colombia.

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- Countdown to referendum -

Some 200 FARC delegates, including 29 members of the general staff and delegates elected by the rank and file, will vote on the peace deal.

The conference is set to mark another first: FARC leaders will be meeting not in secret, but with the authorities' full support in the presence of around 900 people, including 50 guests and some 350 journalists from around the world.

The conference is set to take place in a brick building the guerrillas hastily constructed amid tall grass.

The peace agreement must still be approved by Colombian voters in a referendum on October 2 -- a step Santos insisted on to ensure the full legitimacy of the process.

Recent opinion polls put the "Yes" vote ahead, though the latest -- released Friday by pollster Datexco -- found support had fallen by 9.5 percentage points, to 55.3 percent, since the previous week.

The "No" camp had 38.3 percent, it found.

The government has yet to open peace talks with a smaller guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN).
Bogota (AFP) - Sebastian Echeverry was four years old when the FARC rebels kidnapped his father in western Colombia. Five years later, they killed him.

Today, the 19-year-old student says he has forgiven the people who took his dad. And, together with other children of victims, he is campaigning to vote "yes" in a referendum on a peace deal that would end more than half a century of conflict with the Marxist guerrillas.

Echeverry's father was a lawmaker in the Cauca Valley, on Colombia's Pacific coast.

After the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) abducted him in 2002, Echeverry spent five anguishing years hoping he would return home safely.

"I had a very different kind of childhood. It was strange. I don't remember many colors, games or friends," said Echeverry.

"What I remember are never-ending protest marches. I remember people recording my words saying things to my dad, because that's how we communicated with each other, with messages to prove we were still alive."

Then one day came the news: his father had been killed along with 10 other lawmakers from the region.

Echeverry used to vow he would get revenge. But over the years, he says, he has learned to turn his pain to forgiveness.

Now he is calling on Colombians to vote in favor of peace in an October 2 referendum that will decide the fate of the accord reached after nearly four years of negotiations between the government and the FARC.

"My 'yes' vote is basically because I discovered that when you forgive you stop looking toward the past. You turn the page. You realize that you're a better person and you're capable of building something," he told AFP.

The FARC themselves recently described the killing of the 11 lawmakers in 2007 as "shameful" and "absurd."

- 'No more victims' -

Sebastian and other relatives of FARC victims took part this week in the launch of "Yes, of course," a campaign in support of the peace deal, which aims to end a war that has claimed more than 260,000 lives and left 45,000 people missing.

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Waving white flags stamped with the word "Yes," many spoke of forgiveness.

Harry Gonzalez, whose father was killed by the FARC in 1996, acknowledged that is not always easy.

"Forgiveness is something very personal and intimate for each victim. That's why we have to find other motivations," said Gonzalez, who today co-chairs the peace committee in the lower house of Congress.

"In my case, I found a great motivation, which is trying to make sure there are no more victims of the conflict in Colombia."

Gonzalez, 38, is the son of Jesus Angel Gonzalez, who was governor of Caqueta department. The FARC assassinated him during a campaign against Liberal party politicians across the region in the 1990s.

Eduardo Bejarano, 44, also lost his father to the conflict.

The leftist academic was shot in the head in 1999. Ironically, he had been a peace adviser to former president Cesar Gaviria (1990-1994).

The FARC have been accused of the crime, but it has never officially been solved.

Bejarano, like Echeverry and Gonzalez, is today campaigning for "Yes, of course," for complex reasons.

"Forgiveness isn't something you do for the FARC. I don't practice forgiveness so they can be guilt-free. I forgive because I need to, for my spiritual growth," he said.

"The time will come when the FARC will tell the country the truth about a lot of deaths."

The peace accord would create special courts to judge crimes committed during the conflict and order reparations to victims. Those who confess their crimes will receive lighter sentences.
LEXINGTON,Neb. - The Dawson County Commissioners considered the proposed 2016-2017 county budget on Tuesday during its bimonthly meeting.

At 8:30 a.m., a public hearing was held to hear support or opposition to the proposed 2016/2017 County Budget.

The only speaker during the public hearing was Allan Rickertsen of Cozad. Rickertsen voiced his skepticism and opposition to the county budget.

"How can you go from a $24.1 million budget last year to a $37.8 million budget the next?" Rickertsen asked the board.

"A lot of it is carry over," said Butch Hagan, a commissioner.

Road projects from last year did not get completed, adding to the cost and would hopefully get done in the coming year, Hagan said.

Commissioner Bill Stewart said sometimes an expense in one county department is also counted in another department, leading to the appearance of double listing on the budget- this could lead to adding more in the budget for expenses.

Rickertsen did commend commissioners for holding property taxes - meaning the tax levy, the same as it was last year.

Hagan noted that the cost of road work has almost doubled in recent years, another factor that leads to increased budget costs for the county.

The proposed 2016-2017 property tax request is $10,174,669.07 million. Big portions of the budget are allocated for: the general fund ($16.3 million), roads ($5.7 million), insurance claim ($4 million) and sinking fund ($4 million).

Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to adopt the 2016-2017 proposed budget. Commissioner PJ Jacobson was absent from the meeting.

Dawson County Sheriff Gary Reiber gave his monthly crime report for August. Last month there were 1,135 total services provided and 189 inmate bookings, he said.

In August, 43 handgun permits were given, 103 vehicle inspections were conducted and 267 civil process services were provided.

Total revenue for the budget year so far is $329,794.74, up more than $51,000 compared to this time last year.

Reiber said LB 605 was affecting the Dawson County jail and that statistics were being compiled on the impact the law was having on the jail.

The law requires that those convicted of a class-one misdemeanor or felonies, like a class-IIIA felony, be able to serve time at a local county jail instead of going to the state prison. This is meant to address prison overcrowding, Reiber said.

The state does not provide reimbursement for local county jails for housing inmates as part of LB 605, he said. Although there is a block grant available to county jails to offset costs, funds were only awarded on a competitive basis, Reiber said.

Reiber said he has spoken with State Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg on the impact of the new law on his jail.

"It's another unfunded mandate," Reiber said about LB 605.

Dawson County Treasurer Sharon Wood verified a list of the Sheriff's distress warrants. She said there was $40,906 in distress warrants. A resolution to strike the record for delinquent personal property taxes was passed.

The county would issue county tax sales or begin the foreclosure process for properties that are three years or older with delinquent taxes, Wood said.

Randy Deans, the highway superintendent for Dawson County, presented two bids for asphalt work in the City of Gothenburg for that city and for the county.

About 88 percent of the asphalt work will be done for the county; while 12 percent would be for the City of Gothenburg, Deans said.

The high bid was received from Werner Construction of Hastings - it came in at $3,343,599.77. The low bid came from Paulsen, Inc., of Cozad - it came in at $3,018,716.30.

The project would consist of 15.5 miles of county road getting asphalt, Deans said.

Deans noted that the engineer's estimate put the cost of the project at $3,010,834.91, meaning the low bid from Paulsen was just $8,000 over the estimate.

Action on the two bids was tabled to allow time for the Gothenburg City Council to go over the bids and come to their own decision on it.

Hagan, a former highway commissioner for the county, said the backlog of much needed road work for the county is so big that if 14 miles were paved with asphalt each year it would take five years to finish the backlog.

Commissioners also approved an interlocal agreement between Dawson County and Central Nebraska Public Power District.

No bids from car dealers were received on time for a vehicle order for the county, said John Moore, Dawson County assessor.

A resolution to close two funds - one for county relief and one a veterans relief - was passed by commissioners. Both funds had been merged into other existing funds, said Karla Zlatkovsky, the Dawson County Clerk.

Also, a resolution was passed directing the road superintendent, Randy Deans, to study the use for vacating a road. The road being considered is Road 410, located between 754 and 755.

In other news, Stewart said Lexington would receive about $5,000 and Cozad would receive about $1,100 in funds from the lodging tax.

"Butch and I met with the Dawson County Visitor's Committee. We need to make sure we make better use of that money (lodging tax money) to get it to eligible projects," Stewart said.

The hotel occupancy sales tax, known as the lodging tax, is awarded in the form of either improvement funds or promotional funds.

Funds given out for improvement purposes must be used to improve such things as museums or tourist attractions. Promotional funds must be used to promote an event that can bring in people to the community who will stay in hotel/motel rooms and pay the lodging tax, said Sandra Bappe, executive director of the Cozad Chamber of Commerce.

The lodging tax in Lexington is three percent.

Hagan said a construction project at the landfill was canceled because bidding was not properly advertised. This means the bidding process would have to start all over again, he said.
(Reuters) - State officials in Florida on Friday tripled the active Zika transmission zone in the trendy seaside community of Miami Beach after five new cases of the mosquito-borne virus believed to cause a severe birth defect were identified in the area.

The active transmission zone grew from 1.5 square miles to 4.5 square miles and consists of a large portion of the popular tourist destination, Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a statement on Friday evening.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine told the Miami Herald that the city will begin truck-spraying of larvicide in the zone on Saturday.

"We have a serious problem," he told the newspaper. "Once again, we must take all reasonable and safe action to eliminate this. This is a problem."

The zone was expanded after the Florida Department of Health identified five cases in the area involving three women and two men who all experienced symptoms within one month of each other.

The cases bring the total of non-travel related Zika cases in Florida to 93 and in Miami Beach to 35, the governor said.

Three weeks ago, federal health officials warned pregnant women not to travel to Miami Beach because Zika has been shown to cause the severe birth defect known as microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. [L1N1B00XL]

The Zika virus was first detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil. [L2N1641YI]

Adding to concerns are current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that recommend men wait six months after being infected with Zika before trying to have children to avoid passing the virus to a pregnant partner through semen.

The governor also said on Friday he expects the Zika zone to be lifted on Monday in Wynwood where aggressive mosquito control and community outreach measures have been effective after several cases of Zika were confirmed recently in the neighborhood, north of Miami.

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Scott also announced that he will authorize an additional $10 million in state funds to fight Zika and reiterated his call for Congress to provide more federal resources and funding.

"Every minute that passes that Congress doesn't approve funding means more time is lost from researching this virus to find a vaccine to help pregnant women and their developing babies," he said.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
Paris (AFP) - A French union activist who lost an eye this week when protesters against labour reforms clashed with security forces said Saturday he was going to take legal action against the police.

"I am going to file an official complaint myself. I will do everything to ensure justice is done," Laurent Theron, 46, told the BFM television news network.

The Solidaires union said in a statement that Theron had "apparently been struck by a fragment of a (tear gas) grenade fired by police."

"Unfortunately, despite the care he received in hospital he lost the use of his eye," the union said, adding that "nothing justified the use of force" against Theron.

The statement said that Theron had been talking with colleagues in Paris' Place de la Republique towards the end of the demonstration and that nothing in the vicinity posed a threat to the police.

The police "nevertheless charged with massive use of tear gas and stun grenades."

Thursday saw the latest in a series of demonstrations held to protest a law, forced through in July, that loosens France's notoriously rigid employment legislation.

Across the country, tens of thousands took to the streets. At least four demonstrators and 15 police were hurt -- including two officers who sustained burns due to Molotov cocktails.

Police said an investigation had been opened into the circumstances that led to Theron's injury.

"I had my hand in my pockets. According to the surgeon who operated on me, the projectile was fired directly at me from close by," newspaper Le Monde's website quoted him as saying.

"My eye burst from the force of it," he said.
By Andy Swift



Gabe Rygaard, known for appearing on the History reality series Ax Men, was killed in a car accident on Friday in Washington. He was 45.

RELATED Best & Worst New Shows: The TVLine Staff Share Its Picks and Passes

Rygaards Ford Bronco was one of three vehicles involved in the crash, which occurred just outside Rygaards hometown of Port Angeles, Wash. The six passengers in the other two cars sustained minor injuries; all were treated at the scene and released.

Rygaard joined Ax Men in its second season (2009) as the new owner of Rygaard Logging, a business founded by his father in 1992. Since then, the company has been featured prominently on the show, which just wrapped its ninth season in March.

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Sadly, Rygaard is the third Ax Men cast member to die in the past four years. Jimmy Smith, whose S&S Aqua Logging company was featured heavily on the show, died of cancer in Nov. 2012, while William Colantuono, who appeared in Seasons 2 and 3, was killed in a helicopter crash in Sept. 2013.

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GaneshaSpeaks

Katrina Kaif  the goddess of beauty has been in the clouds from quite some time now, and it appeared as if, she was on a deliberate sabbatical to get over her the emotional stress following the unfortunate heartbreak from the charming Ranbir Kapoor. But, we are almost proved wrong, as Lady Kaif is back with a bang and how! Her upcoming venture  Baar Baar Dekho, in which she will be co-starring with the dashing Sidharth Malhotra has been generating a lot of interest and especially the song  Kaala Chashma from the film has been setting the social media platforms on fire. What picture do the planets present about the fortunes of the charismatic actresss in the times to come. Lets find out!



1) Why has the gorgeous Katrina been out of action from quite some time now?

Ganesha notes that Saturns transit over Natal Ketu through the 5th House from Natal Sun and Venus in her Chart has pulled her back to the background, and has subdued her splendour. This adverse transit of Saturn may have also reduced the flow of opportunities coming her way. Saturns transit through the 5th House, can be a very difficult one to deal with, as there may be creative blocks, emotional stress and problems in love life.



But, Ganesha seems confident that she will be able to bounce back with full force, once Saturn moves from Scorpio to Sagittarius on the 26th January, 2017.



2) Will she come back with a bang in the coming days and what sort of a turn will her career take?

Ganesha says that the year 2017 will be far better than 2016 for Katrina Kaif. She is most likely to come across magnificent opportunities and avenues in 2K17 and things will be working more strongly in her favour. However, a drastic jump is not expected. Career progress would happen at a comparatively slow but steady pace. She will have to put in hard efforts to maintain her position as one of the top actresses of Bollywood, feels Ganesha.



3) What do the stars indicate about the relationships sphere in her life?

Katrina may not take major decisions about her relationship currently. However, there are chances that she may make some surprising revelations regarding her love life in the first half of 2017. Though she may put up a bold face on most occasions in general, the planets currently signify that she would like to play safe and the emotional wounds of the past may take some more time to heal completely. The transiting planets in 2017, will provide her the required boost, to take significant decisions regarding her personal life.



With Ganeshas Grace,

Bhavesh N. Pattni

(Special Inputs: Aaditya Sain)

The GaneshaSpeaks.com Team
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Snowden

Whether you see him as a patriot or a traitor, its a big week for Edward Snowden, who was forced to seek asylum in Russia after revealing the magnitude of the National Security Agencys mass surveillance program.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and a host of other supporters have just launched a full-court press to get Snowden a pardon from President Barack Obama. And Oliver Stones biopic, Snowden, is hitting theaters across the country and around the world  even in Russia.

GeekWires crew saw the movie on Thursday night at Seattles Egyptian Theater. The showing was sponsored by the ACLU, so you can imagine that the audience scored Snowden high on the patriot scale.

After the movie, Shankar Narayan, director of ACLU of Washingtons Technology and Liberty Project, noted that Snowdens revelations helped the national ACLU challenge the NSA over its surveillance programs. He also noted that the controversy continues.

There are new instruments of surveillance that are being deployed every day, Narayan said, pointing to technologies ranging from social-media monitoring software to Seattle City Lights smart meter program. (For more from the ACLU, check out TheyAreWatching.org.

The movie was directed by Oliver Stone, who has taken on similarly weighty topics in films ranging from Salvador and JFK to Wall Street and W. In the traditional pre-movie warning to turn off your cellphones, Stone himself delivers the message in a tone so ominous you may not ever want to turn your phone back on.

Purists will say Snowdens screen saga has been overly streamlined and Hollywoodized. Some websites have already laid out detailed reality checks on the technical points, but without giving too much away, lets just say that Snowden (played with an eerie flatness by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) spent a lot more time and effort to get the goods on the NSA than the movie would lead you to think.

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Shailene Woodley (of Divergent fame) portrays Snowdens girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, who helped convert the right-wing Army vet into an Obama fan  albeit a fan whos quickly disillusioned. Rhys Ifans puts the spook in spooky with his Mephistophelean performance as Snowdens CIA mentor. And Nicolas Cage takes on the role of the burned-out spymaster who gets to say The kid did it! at the end of the movie.

Well, not quite the end of the movie. For Oliver Stones final trick, Gordon-Levitt morphs into the real-life Snowden, sitting in front of a computer in Moscow as his robot avatar interacts with a cheering audience at a TED talk. The transition is part of Stones strategy for making moviegoers realize that this is modern-day reality, not some fictional spy thriller. But its also a bit jarring: How much of all this is Hollywood myth-making, and how much of it is fact?

Because of that unsettling feeling, Im giving Snowden a B-minus  which is about where my colleagues at GeekWire came down as well. Heres a second, third, fourth and fifth opinion:

GeekWire co-founder John Cook: For an Oliver Stone movie, it was better than I anticipated, but I had very low expectations. I felt uneducated [about the Snowden case] before, and I dont feel any more educated after this.  But the acting was pretty good, I thought. (Check out Johns comment below for further thoughts.) Grade: B-

Resident tech guru Kevin Lisota: Im a huge supporter of what Snowden did. Maybe there were things that he put in jeopardy, but I think hell be looked back upon as one of the transformational characters in our history.  I thought the movie kind of dumbed it down, and youve got that cheese-ball love story. It felt like the love story with Anakin and whats-her-name, Padme in Star Wars: Episode II.  And youve got to get this in the review: Why the [heck] was Nic Cage in the movie? Grade: C

Advertising and marketing coordinator Cara Kuhlman: I hadnt followed the Snowden coverage that closely at the time, but I could follow the movie without previous context. It explains some very complex things well. There are a couple of cheesy dramatic moments, but overall, I thought it was a really good film and very informative. It definitely makes me more interested in the issue of Snowden and mass surveillance. Grade: B

Bonus review from Tonia Boyle, my favorite movie companion: I always thought this guy was the victim of a snow job, if you want to call it that.  I didnt know much about his life at all, or what his current state of existence is. Is there any chance that he can go anywhere else? It doesnt sound like it. Cinematically, it was a little rough around the edges. I didnt feel like there was any charisma between the two main characters. Grade: B-

P.S.: Based on the quotes from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump that Stone used in the movie, theres not much chance that Snowdens status will improve after Obama leaves office. Clinton says, I dont think he should be brought home without facing the music. At a different point in the movie, Trump can be heard saying, There is still a thing called execution. For yet another perspective on Snowdens story, check out the tale told by his former supervisor.

More from GeekWire:
By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - A global fund has raised over $12.9 billion from international donors as part of a campaign aimed at effectively eradicating AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis by 2030, conference organizers said on Saturday. The Global Fund asked government, faith-based and private-sector partners to raise a total of $13 billion at a donor conference in Montreal to support its activities over the next three years, starting in 2017. "We can declare success for we have saved the lives of 8 million people in the coming years," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters after attending the conference, which drew several heads of state, singer Bono and Microsoft Corp co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates. The attention generated by the conference "has ensured that the donations are going to continue to flow in" during the coming weeks and months, Trudeau said. The Global Fund, the world's largest aimed at fighting the three diseases, is credited with saving 20 million lives since it was established in 2002. "We have the knowledge and tools to end HIV, TB and malaria as epidemics by 2030, but we need to invest smartly and with focus to make it happen," Mark Dybul, the fund's executive director, said in a statement. The United States, the fund's largest donor, in August pledged up to $4.3 billion through 2019. The amount is subject to congressional approval. The three diseases targeted by the fund are believed to kill more than 8,000 people a day. (Reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by Paul Simao)
(Adds quotes from Trudeau's news conference)

By Allison Lampert

MONTREAL, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A global fund has raised over $12.9 billion from international donors as part of a campaign aimed at effectively eradicating AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis by 2030, conference organizers said on Saturday.

The Global Fund asked government, faith-based and private-sector partners to raise a total of $13 billion at a donor conference in Montreal to support its activities over the next three years, starting in 2017.

"We can declare success for we have saved the lives of 8 million people in the coming years," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters after attending the conference, which drew several heads of state, singer Bono and Microsoft Corp co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates.

The attention generated by the conference "has ensured that the donations are going to continue to flow in" during the coming weeks and months, Trudeau said.

The Global Fund, the world's largest aimed at fighting the three diseases, is credited with saving 20 million lives since it was established in 2002.

"We have the knowledge and tools to end HIV, TB and malaria as epidemics by 2030, but we need to invest smartly and with focus to make it happen," Mark Dybul, the fund's executive director, said in a statement.

The United States, the fund's largest donor, in August pledged up to $4.3 billion through 2019. The amount is subject to congressional approval.

The three diseases targeted by the fund are believed to kill more than 8,000 people a day.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by Paul Simao)
ATHENS, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The governor of the Central Bank of Greece denied on Saturday friction in relations with the government, against the backdrop of an anti-corruption probe which has targeted his wife's business activities.

Yannis Stournaras, who represents Greece on the Governing Council of the European Central Bank and is not an appointee of the present left-led administration, said relations with the government had "never been ruptured".

"There is no plan to sideline me," Stournaras told reporters in response to a question after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday evening.

He said he and Tspiras had a "very good discussion about the banking system and the economy".

Prosecutors earlier in the week carried out a raid at the offices of a business run by Stournaras's wife. The inquiry at the advertising company was part of a broader probe into the finances of a government-funded entity on disease control and contracts they procured on public information campaigns.

The raid coincided with a Central Bank decision to block the appointment of a chief executive and board members of state-controlled Attica Bank, a small lender which has struggled to plug capital shortfalls this year.

Stournaras's spouse, Lina Nikolopoulou-Stournaras, denied any wrongdoing and said the probe was an attempt to smear her husband, a widely respected economist who has led the Central Bank of Greece since June 2014..

"I can assure you my wife is the most honest, sincere, creative and caring person on the face of the planet," he said.

(Reporting By Renee Maltezou, writing by Michele Kambas; editing by Dominic Evans)
ATHENS (Reuters) - The governor of the Central Bank of Greece denied on Saturday friction in relations with the government, against the backdrop of an anti-corruption probe which has targeted his wife's business activities.

Yannis Stournaras, who represents Greece on the Governing Council of the European Central Bank and is not an appointee of the present left-led administration, said relations with the government had "never been ruptured".

"There is no plan to sideline me," Stournaras told reporters in response to a question after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday evening.

He said he and Tspiras had a "very good discussion about the banking system and the economy".

Prosecutors earlier in the week carried out a raid at the offices of a business run by Stournaras's wife. The inquiry at the advertising company was part of a broader probe into the finances of a government-funded entity on disease control and contracts they procured on public information campaigns.

The raid coincided with a Central Bank decision to block the appointment of a chief executive and board members of state-controlled Attica Bank, a small lender which has struggled to plug capital shortfalls this year.

Stournaras's spouse, Lina Nikolopoulou-Stournaras, denied any wrongdoing and said the probe was an attempt to smear her husband, a widely respected economist who has led the Central Bank of Greece since June 2014..

"I can assure you my wife is the most honest, sincere, creative and caring person on the face of the planet," he said.

(Reporting By Renee Maltezou, writing by Michele Kambas; editing by Dominic Evans)
Athens (AFP) - Greece's central banker on Saturday denied that the leftist government of Alexis Tsipras was seeking to squeeze him out as he probes the loans of a politically sensitive bank.

"There is no plan to defenestrate me," Yannis Stournaras told reporters after a meeting with Tsipras.

Relations with the government "had never soured," he insisted.

Stournaras is about to deliver the results of a probe into loans given out by Attica Bank, a state-controlled lender considered close to Tsipras' administration.

Stournaras said the probe by the Bank of Greece and European watchdog SSM, which he oversaw, covered Attica bank loans "over quite a large period of time."

The meeting came two days after investigators raided the office of Stournaras' wife Lina Nikolopoulou, who is a public relations executive, in a separate probe into an allegedly irregular promotion campaign at Greece's state watchdog Keelpno.

Nikolopoulou later issued a statement claiming that the "real target" of the raid was to put pressure on her husband.

Tsipras' Syriza party has repeatedly attacked Stournaras, a respected economist who was finance minister under the previous conservative administration.

Government daily Avgi on Friday said Stournaras was "cornered and lashing out" after the raid on his wife's office.

On Thursday, the Bank of Greece had rejected nominations put forward by the government for Attica Bank's governing board.

A compromise was reportedly reached a day later.
Gwen Stefani is Blake Shelton's #1 tour groupie.



The couple, who are approaching one year of dating, gave concertgoers at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota a special treat when the pop star made a surprise cameo at the country crooner's Friday concert.





A photo posted by SHEFANI (@shefani) on Sep 16, 2016 at 9:39pm PDT





Stefani, 46, and Shelton, 40, performed their duet "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" to roaring applause with the mother of three also belting out her solo hit "Hollaback Girl" as well.













When she wasn't on stage singing with her boyfriend, Gwen was at the side of the stage cheering on Shelton and recording the concert on Periscope for her fans outside of St. Paul.









Earlier in the day, Stefani hinted followers about a surprise appearance when she posted a selfie with the caption "Hi Minnesota" on Instagram, hours before the show. In addition, she shared an adoring photo of her man from their tour bus.





A video posted by Amy Twombly (@oands1023) on Sep 16, 2016 at 8:59pm PDT





Shelton has invited his girlfriend to join him on many of his shows, most recently his Peoria, Illinois and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma shows.



Things appear to be heating up for the couple, and even though they are not walking down the aisle yet, a source close to the couple told PEOPLE they have talked about their future together.





#radperson Gx A photo posted by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) on Sep 16, 2016 at 8:15pm PDT





"Rumors are circulating in their circle that they've begun preparations for a wedding," the source said in August. "There's no date set, but they're planning ahead and having fun talking about it ... Blake and Gwen are madly in love, committed and planning for a future together," the source added.
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd, whose collapse has disrupted global trade, is considering a restructuring plan to sell more than half its ships, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

However, liquidation remained the most likely outcome for Hanjin Shipping, the newspaper cited the sources as saying.

Hanjin Shipping, the world's seventh-largest container carrier, filed for receivership late last month in a South Korean court and must submit a rehabilitation plan in December.

The company is working on various scenarios and focusing on one under which Hanjin would retain up to 15 of its 37 ships and return almost all of its 61 chartered ships to their owners, leaving a much smaller carrier, the Wall Street Journal said.

A Hanjin Shipping spokeswoman declined to comment to Reuters on any restructuring scenarios, adding that a court ruling on its plan was months away.

With debt of about 6 trillion won ($5.33 billion) at the end of June and the South Korean government's unwillingness to mount a rescue, expectations are low that Hanjin Shipping will be able to survive.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Harvard Business Schools (HBS) recently released study on competitiveness stands apart from traditional academic studies: It has the aim of getting directly into the hands of politicians to pull them away from finger-pointing and petty politics.

Why the business school decided to conduct the study

HBS Dean Nitin Nohria told Yahoo Finance that ever since he was appointed to his position in 2010, he has been constantly pressed with questions about the recent recession, with many wondering if the crisis reflected something fundamentally wrong with the US.

A lot of people were beginning to ask the question, Is this something thats cyclical or is this something thats structural? Are we gonna recover from this? he said. That conversation had occurred in so many places that I felt it was really important for us at Harvard Business School to investigate that carefully and deeply.

The Competitiveness Project, which has spanned five years and issued key economic recommendations throughout, has called on top professors at HBS to study this problem while also surveying alums, current students and the general population.

Five years on, key economic problems still persist

Since the project was launched in 2011, Nohria said many of the same problems prevail.

In some ways, its depressing to think that even though theres a sense of urgency that we all feel, that America needs to do better, that so little has really occurred in these last five years, Nohria said.

Nohria added that while we should take some comfort that the financial crisis did not end up totally melting down the global economy, we didnt do much to address the underlying structural issues plaguing our economy, including poor K-12 education, a disadvantaged tax code and outdated trade policy.

Whats the reason? Politics.

What we are finding in this study is that the political gridlock that we all experience in Washington, D.C. right now, particularly at the federal level, does end up being systemically one of the major reasons why we cant seem to address these structural issues, Nohria said.

Story continues

The global impact of the US competitiveness study

Importantly, the lackluster survey results could have broad implications beyond the US to the global economy.

When the US grows at 2%, it means that there is no growth opportunity for everybody else who also wants to sell into the US market, Nohria said of the largest economy in the world. America is so deeply intertwined in the global economic system that if America has a bad time, then you can literally see it.

Nohria added that in his recent travels, the US doesnt seem to be the envy of the world in the way it once was.

Now youre often asked questions, Whats going on? Why cant Washington seem to get its act together and get things done? So there is a real sense in which the admiration for the American political system has come into question, Nohira said.

Perhaps, though, the fact that these problems can be discussed and studied in the US via avenues like the competitiveness projectas opposed to in places like China where there are stringent censorship policiesmeans solutions await.

On the one hand, you can feel a little discouraged that in the last five years not much has been done, Nohira said. More fundamentally, I still believe that in a country in which theres free speech, in which you can in fact do the kind of work that were doing, over time it creates the foundation on which you can respond.

For more on the US competitiveness study, please see below:

Harvard economist never thought his new study would take him where it did

Harvard professor identifies the worst nightmare in America right now

Harvard study singles out a game-changing economic opportunity: TAX REFORM

Theres a silver lining behind the dark clouds hanging over US businesses

Harvard Business Dean: The post-crisis monetary policy is running out of runway

How improved infrastructure could end Americas vicious cycle of poverty

Some companies have taken the next obvious step to filling jobs that sit vacant

Theres one piece of tax reform that would have a real impact with little resistance

Americas outdated education system isnt producing the workers companies need



Revitalizing small businesses is key to drive Americas economic growth
The red carpet is all but pulled up in Toronto, as the festival readies for its Closing Night Gala this evening. But the Holly Hunter-starrer Strange Weather got its Roy Thomson Hall premiere last night at TIFF, and she stopped by Deadlines Toronto studio earlier in the week to talk it through.

Written and directed by Katherine Dieckmann, the movie follows Hunters Darcy Baylor, a single mom who sets out to uncover the truth behind her sons suicide years earlier, as she learns that his business plan for a chain of family hot dog restaurants was purloined by his best friend. Its an odd premise, but Hunters winning performance sells it, blending humor, heartache and horror.

Hunter told me she was attracted to the script, first and foremost. Its really beautiful and has an unusual structure, she said. Theres a tremendous amount of humor in very unexpected places.

She said her career had been inhabited by women directors. Ive worked with a lot of female directors over the course of my career, Hunter noted. Martha Coolidge, Catherine Hardwicke, Jodie Foster. Katherine wrote this, so she and I were both really intent on the protection of the structure, from the noun to the very. We were really in sync on that journey.

For more from Hunter, check out the video above.

Videos produced by Neil Hansen/Route Eleven, camera work by Meaghan Gable and Ida Jokinen. Special thanks to Image Skin Care Canada, Calii Love, Commune, Dan Gunam, and Silverline Studios.

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'Batman-Superman' Pic Adds Holly Hunter, '300's Callan Mulvey, Tao Okamoto
More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong Saturday to protest a violent crackdown on protestors during tense clashes this week in the rebel Chinese village of Wukan.

The 13,000-strong fishing village in southern Guangdong province became a symbol of resistance against corruption in 2011 after a mass uprising over land grabs propelled it onto global front pages and led to landmark elections.

Wukan was back in the headlines after Lin Zulian, who played a key role in the 2011 protests, was detained in June and sentenced to three years in prison last week, triggering protests.

Chinese authorities on Tuesday said they had detained 13 residents for "disturbing public order", which set off a fresh round of protests.

Bloodied villagers threw bricks and stones at riot police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, according to local media reports.

Law enforcement officers were "hitting the villagers, even the old", wrote one resident, Zou Shaobing, on a micro-blog.

It is important for Hong Kong to show solidarity for Wukan, organisers said of the virgil, which was staged just outside China's representative office in the city.

"Today we have Wukan, tomorrow this sort of violence may occur in Hong Kong," lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki told the 100-strong crowd, who chanted "release Lin Zulian and all Wukan villagers".

Veteran pro-democracy protester Lee Cheuk-yan said the violence deployed in Wukan was not so different from the crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Hundreds -- by some estimates more than a thousand -- died after the Communist Party sent tanks to crush demonstrations in the square in the heart of the nation's capital, where student-led protesters had staged a peaceful seven-week sit-in to demand democratic reforms.

"This Wukan incident serves as a reminder to our youth that China's nature has not changed," Lee told the crowd, as people tied black ribbons to the metal fences surrounding the Chinese liaison office.

Story continues

"We are coming out because we are worried," office clerk Jade Lee, 53, told AFP.

Hong Kong was returned from Britain to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal that guaranteed its freedoms for 50 years, but there are fears those liberties are being eroded.

The city saw mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014, which failed to win concessions on political reform, leading to the emergence of a slew of new parties and figures demanding greater autonomy from Beijing.
Beirut (AFP) - Intermittent shelling and clashes resumed overnight in Syria, a monitor said on Saturday, testing a strained truce brokered by Russia and the United States.

An initial 48-hour ceasefire came into force on Monday evening, and was extended for another two days on Wednesday.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, "limited shelling and clashes have resumed on several fronts in Syria."

In particular, fighting erupted between rebels and pro-regime forces in the opposition-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, and air strikes hit several towns in the central province of Homs.

In the coastal province of Latakia, fresh regime air strikes hit rebel groups, including fighters from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, in the flashpoint region of Jabal Akrad.

"So far, Aleppo city is still the calmest of them all," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

Under the truce deal negotiated by Moscow and Washington, fighting is to halt across the country except in areas where jihadists are present.

Aid is then meant to reach battered Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people in the rebel-held half of the city are living under government siege.

But forty trucks carrying desperately-needed food aid were still stuck on the border with Turkey on Saturday.

"Still no progress, but the UN is ready to move once we get the go ahead," said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UN has said it cannot deliver aid until "all guarantees are in place for safe delivery."

AFP's correspondent in Aleppo's eastern districts said the city was calm on Saturday after a few rocket attacks overnight.

On Friday, Russia said that only Moscow and the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad were fulfilling their obligations under the deal.

"Although the ceasefire agreement is bilateral, only one side is truly implementing it," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

Russia said it was ready to extend the truce by 72 hours, but no formal extension announcement followed.

More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011, beginning with anti-government protests that evolved into a multi-front war.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2016 / Lundin Law PC (the "Firm") announces that a class action lawsuit was filed against Yirendai Ltd. ("Yirendai" or the "Company") (YRD) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws between May 11, 2016 and August 24, 2016 (the "Class Period"). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares during the Class Period should contact the Firm before the October 25, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

To participate in this class action lawsuit, click here. You can also call Brian Lundin, Esquire, of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or e-mail him at brian@lundinlawpc.com.

No class has been certified in the above action yet. Until a class is certified, you are not considered represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Yirendai made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: that the Company was experiencing increasing fraud related to customer applications for its loan products; that the implementation of new anti-fraud regulations by the Chinese government could have a negative impact on Yirendai's performance; and that as a result of the above, the Company's statements about its business, operations, and prospects were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. On August 24, 2016, Bloomberg reported that China imposed limits on peer-to-peer lending and placed a new regulations cap on individual borrowing at 1 million yuan. When this information was released to the public, shares of Yirendai decreased in value, causing investors harm.

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders' rights.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contact:

Lundin Law PC

Brian Lundin, Esq.

Telephone: 888-713-1033

Facsimile: 888-713-1125

brian@lundinlawpc.com

http://lundinlawpc.com/

SOURCE: Lundin Law PC
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system destroyed two rockets fired from Syria at the Israeli-held zone of the Golan Heights Saturday in an apparent rise in tension between the uneasy neighbours.

"A projectile fired from Syria was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence system. No injuries have been reported," a military statement said on Saturday afternoon.

"This is the first time that fire from Syria has been intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence system," a military spokesman told AFP in response to a query.

Later in the day the army said Iron Dome took down a second projectile.

It was a marked departure from recent tit-for-tat artillery fire and occasional retaliatory air strikes.

Israel deployed batteries on its northern flank as a precautionary measure after a 2015 Israeli air strike against the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group's forces in Syria.

Israeli public radio said that the military believed the latest fire from Syria was an unintentional spillover from the country's complex civil war which is now in its sixth year.

Israel has sought to avoid being drawn in to the conflict, but has attacked Syrian military targets when fire fell on its side of the divide.

On Tuesday, Israeli aircraft targeted Syrian army positions after what the military said was probably stray fire hit the Israeli-occupied zone.

Syria said it had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone, a claim denied by Israel.

The increased tension comes after a fragile new Syrian ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States came into force on Monday.

The truce does not apply to areas held by jihadists such as the Islamic State group.

The Israeli army holds the Syrian government accountable for any fire from its territory, regardless of the source.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

Story continues

During the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip enclave, Israel deployed its Iron Dome system on land to shoot down rockets fired into the Jewish state.

Funding for the missile system was part of an unprecedented $38 billion US military aid package signed in Washington on Wednesday.

The deal covers the period from 2019 to 2028, and will see Israel receive $3.3 billion per year in foreign military financing -- up from $3.1 billion per year currently -- and $500,000 a year in funding for missile defence.
Rome (AFP) - Italy is not ready to pretend everything is alright when Europe is not functioning properly, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Saturday, the day after a key EU gathering.

"I don't think it would be right for Italy to pretend not to notice when things are not getting any better," he told a conference in Florence several hours after expressing his dissatisfaction that so little had been achieved at this week's summit in Bratislava.

EU leaders had gathered in the Slovak capital on Friday to discuss the EU's future in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the bloc, wrapping up the summit by issuing a roadmap for tackling problems such as migration, security and the faltering economy.

But Renzi said little had been achieved.

"We said more or less the same things" as in previous summits, complained the Italian leader who had been hoping for concrete action on both immigration and economic growth.

As a mark of protest, he had refused to participate in a closing press conference with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying he did not agree with them on key issues such as migration and the economy.

"I am not satisfied" with the conclusions of the summit, he later said, explaining his absence.

"I cannot take part in a press conference with the German chancellor or the French president when I don't share their conclusions."

And on Saturday, he insisted that Italy would not "serve as a fig leaf" for others, in an apparent allusion to France and Germany.

- 'No mention of Africa' -

For Renzi, Italy -- which has been on the frontline of the migrant crisis -- has been largely left to its own devices in coping with the influx, and the solutions it has proposed have not been taken into account.

Italy has been pushing for international agreements with African states to help close migrant routes to Europe and take back some of those arriving via Libya, in exchange for increased aid and investment.

Story continues

But Renzi said the issue was not even raised at the Bratislava summit where the documents presented "didn't even mention Africa," he complained.

On economic growth, Renzi reiterated his critique of Europe's adoption of austerity policies over Washington's choice of investment.

Although Italy is respecting the EU's budgetary discipline rules, it retains the right to say that such rules are "not working", Renzi said, stressing that Italy is not prepared "to pretend not to notice".

Speculation in the Italian press suggested that the reason for Renzi's bad mood was Italy's upcoming constitutional reform referendum which is scheduled for November.

Renzi has staked his political future on the outcome of the referendum on his proposed reforms of parliament and the electoral system.

The vote is shaping up as a referendum on Renzi's two-and-a-half years in office and polls suggest it will be a close-run thing.
By Jim Christie

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 16 (Reuters) - ITT Educational Services Inc filed for bankruptcy on Friday to liquidate its business after the U.S. government restricted financial aid to new students of the U.S. for-profit college operator.

The filing follows ITT's decision earlier this month to shut its 137 technical college campuses in 39 states, a move affecting about 35,000 students and 8,000 employees.

Reuters on Thursday reported ITT had hired restructuring consultants Alvarez & Marsal LLC and bankruptcy law firm Faegre Baker Daniels LLP to prepare the filing.

The U.S. Department of Education in August banned ITT from enrolling new students who receive federal aid, a critical source of revenue for the Carmel, Indiana-based company.

ITT had been under government scrutiny over allegations of fraud and deceptive marketing tactics amid a push by the U.S. government to enforce tighter rules on the for-profit education sector.

Corinthian Colleges Inc last filed for bankruptcy, abruptly closing 28 schools and leaving 16,000 students without classes amid federal and state investigations.

In its voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis, ITT listed assets and liabilities each between $100 million and $500 million.

The case is In re ITT Education Services Inc, 16-07207, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Indiana.

(Reporting by Jim Christie)
His interview with polarizing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was widely criticized for being too lighthearted. But that doesnt seem to have deterred Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon from goofing off when chatting with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.



While the 41-year-old comedian didnt playfully tousle Clintons hair as he had did Trumps, he did greet the former Secretary of State with a gag in an interview taped on Friday thats set to air Monday.



For more highlights and full episodes from the Tonight Show visit Yahoo View.



Fallon donned a surgical mask to welcome Clinton to the show  a callout to her recent bout of pneumonia.



Thank you so much, he said as pulled out the mask from his desk drawer. It is great to have you here.









The move was met with laughter from the 68-year-old politician, who high-fived the late-night host.



Sticking with the joke, he then reached for the hand sanitizer to assure he was staying healthy.



During their interview, Fallon asked Clinton how she walks the line of being both personable and authoritative on the campaign trail.





RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump Debunks Wig Rumors By Letting Jimmy Fallon Mess Up His Hair on The Tonight Show

Tonight Show data-ad-channel="peoplenow data-ad-subchannel=startracks data-auto-play=no>



He explained: Its so tricky because you have to go and you have to say hi to everybody and be happy  and you do. But also people kind of want to see  the badass Hillary  someone whos going to protect us and be strong and tough.



Clinton agreed the duality is challenging.



Its especially tricky for women, she said. It just is. You dont talk about ISIS with a big grin on your face. Itas a constant balancing act.





RELATED VIDEO: Is Hillary Clinton Intimidated by Donald Trump?



During her last visit to the NBC late-night institution, Clinton showed off both her personable and authoritative side when talking about her presidential opponent.



Asked whether Trump intimidated her, she quickly shot back No before adding, Hes a lot more obsessed with me than I am with him with a laugh.



On Sept. 26, both presidential candidates will participate in their first debate, moderated by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt.
A federal judge ruled that BMI can engage in fractional licensing of songs in its catalog, rejecting a Justice Department conclusion that such practices were not allowed under the terms of a 75-year-old consent degree.

U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton wrote that the consent decree neither bars fractional licensing nor requires full-work licensing.

Last month, the Justice Department announced that it had completed its review of the consent decree over BMi and another major music rights organization, ASCAP, and concluded that the current system has well served music creators and music users for decades and should remain intact.

That was a setback for BMI and ASCAP, not only because the Justice Department made no revisions, but that they also mandated a regime of 100% licensing. What that meant is that in the case of a song that has joint ownership, either organization could only represent the work if they had clearance from all of those who had interests. Under fractional licensing, they can grant rights to that part of the work they represent.

Mike ONeill, the president and CEO of BMI, said that as we have said from the very beginning, we believed our consent decree allowed for the decades-long practice of fractional licensing and today we are gratified that Judge Stanton confirmed that belief. Our mission has always been to protect the interests of our songwriters, composers and publishers, and we feel we have done just that. Todays decision is a victory for the entire music community.

Songwriters and music publishers believe that full-works licensing would drive down the prices for their works at a time when many in the industry are already struggling.

Beth Matthews, the CEO of ASCAP, said, This is terrific news for all of us in the songwriting community as we continue to work on modernizing the consent decrees to reflect the real world.

Still, digital music services and broadcasters had pushed the DOJ for full licensing, arguing that it otherwise placed a burden on them. The National Association of Broadcasters argued that by allowing for fractional licensing, stations would have the responsibility to locate and secure licenses from countless other rights owners, an impossibly expensive and practically infeasible task.

Story continues

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demaryius thomas

The Denver Broncos already have a tough matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but they may have to get by without some of their key players.

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Star receiver Demaryius Thomas, per Cameron Wolfe, is questionable:

#broncos injury report: Demaryius Thomas (hip) listed as questionable vs Colts.  Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) September 16, 2016

Mike Klis also had more to add:

Bennie a Fowler out; Demaryius Thomas, Derek Wolfe questionable #9sports  Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) September 16, 2016

The Broncos are going to hope for the best. Thomas hasnt been himself in ages, but theres no doubt the team is better when hes on the field. Leaving Emmanuel Sanders as Trevor Siemians only reliable option sure makes life a lot easier for the Indianapolis Colts secondary.

As for Wolfe, that could be the Broncos biggest loss if he cant play. This team has so many issues getting to Andrew Luck, sacking him just once in the last two meetings. Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware gain more attention, so that often allows Wolfe to sneak through and get a big play.

If there is any good news to come out of this, the Broncos could finally open the door for 2014 second-rounder Cody Latimer to break through, with Thomas out. Denver is still searching for a third pass-catching receiver after lacking one for all of last season. Maybe Jordan Norwood also finds a way to get open and jump up the depth chart.

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Either way, the Broncos will have to brace for the worst-case scenario in having Bennie Fowler, Thomas and Wolfe out. This team has survived games without their best players, but they could be tested early in Week 2.



.

The post Key Broncos may be out Sunday; what it means appeared first on Cover32.
NEWS BRIEF The Islamic States minister of information and one of its most senior leaders was killed in a coalition airstrike near Raqqa, the groups de-facto capital, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Wail Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, known as Dr. Wail, oversaw the production of ISISs propaganda videos, which frequently featured footage of militants torturing and executing prisoners. He was also known to be part of the Shura Council, ISISs leadership body and religious authority.

The news comes weeks after Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the ISIS spokesman, was killed in coalition airstrikes in Aleppo, the Syrian city. The Pentagon said the two men were close associates.

The removal of ISILs senior leaders degrades its ability to retain territory, and its ability to plan, finance, and direct attacks inside and outside of the region, Peter Cook, a Pentagon spokesman, said. We will continue to work with our coalition partners to build momentum in the campaign to deal ISIL a lasting defeat.

Recommended: Just Why Does Hillary Clinton Want to Be President?

It remains unclear how al-Fayads death will affect the organization overall. As Rukmini Callimachi, the reporter covering ISIS and terrorism for The New York Times, said, the killing of al-Adnani last month was not fatal to the organization.

18. As important as he is, I would caution ppl not to see this as a blow ISIS can't recover from. Organization is built to survive deaths  Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) August 30, 2016

Still, ISIS has suffered numerous losses in leadershipas many as 120 people this year, according to some estimatesand it is getting squeezed from the territory it controls in Syria and Iraq.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Contrasting centuries from opener Kaustubh Pawar and Suryakumar Yadav helped Mumbai build a 107-run first innings lead against the New Zealanders on the second day of the warm-up match in New Delhi Saturday.

Mumbai, who started on their overnight score of 29 for one, were 431 for five at stumps in reply the visitors' first innings total of 324 for seven declared.

Overnight batsman Pawar retired after scoring a dogged 100 while Yadav struck an 86-ball 103 to help Mumbai maintain a run-rate of more than four runs an over.

Mumbai captain Aditya Tare on 53 and Siddhesh Lad on 86 were at the crease, the duo putting on an unbeaten 137-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

New Zealand bowlers struggled on a batting friendly Feroz Shah Kotla pitch as Kiwi leg-spinner Ish Sodhi stood out with his two wickets.

Earlier the visiting batsmen also got some crucial batting practice on the opening day with skipper Kane Williamson and Tom Latham registering half-centuries.

The two sides have 15 members each, with only 11 allowed to bat and field in the only warm-up tie before the first match starting September 22 in Kanpur.

Brief Scores:

New Zealenders 324/7 dec (Tom Latham 55, Kane Williamson 50; Balwinder Sandhu 2-21)

Mumbai 431/5 (Kaustubh Pawar 100 retired out, Suryakumar Yadav 103; Ish Sodhi 2-102)
"Its possible that you havent run into the stories of Lou Antonelli. Since 2003, hes been publishing delightful short tales of alternate history all over the nooks and crannies of the SF world. Thanks to Fantastic Books, we now have 28 of these little gems in one place. "Many of Antonellis stories have an unexpected twist ending. And many of them are what he calls secret history stories, which arent exactly alternate historytheyre set in our familiar history, but theres always some element that contemporary observers missed. " -

- Don Sakers, The Reference Library, Analog July-Aug. 2014

A better path develops for a distraught man in Double Exposure by Lou Antonelli (debut 6/11 and reviewed by Frank D). Jake is about to end it all. He has been trying to keep his high maintenance wife happy for decades and has needed to embezzle to satisfy her spending habits. Now, on the verge of indictment and abandoned by his spouse, he buys a gun. Before he pulls the trigger, he spies a Kodak one-day photo hut. Curious, he pulls up to the window. They are holding pictures of him and his last girlfriend from 30 years before. The package is a lot thicker than it should be. Double Exposure is listed as an Alternative History story but I would classify it as a Magical Realism tale. It is set as a second chance tale, a look into a life that should have been. The author is inspired by his memories of the old photo huts (I remember them) and of their disappearance. A cool idea (photos of another life), one that I could imagine would make for a great anthology.

- Frank Dutkiewicz, Diabolical Plots

Great White Ship: A traveler stuck waiting for a flight strikes up a conversation with an old airline employee. The Old Timer tells him a story of a Great White Airship that arrives from a most unusual destination. The story of a craft from an alternate reality and how it got there is only the precursor to the final act. This is one of my favorite stories from this site. I have a great passion for lighter-than-air craft and their potential as a future means of transport, which opens the story. The author uses this speculation to launch into an engaging tale. As fascinating as the main story line is, the alternate history premise that accompanies it is just as worthwhile. This story was well written and very well thought out. It is well worth the read. Recommended.

- James Hanzelka, Diabolical Plots
Lady Gaga won't cry anymore, once she's got Tony Bennett on the line.



Mother Monster honored the singing legend during a special taping for his 90th birthday bash on Thursday night.



Taking the stage at New York City's historic Radio City Music Hall, she thanked Bennett for helping her through tough times. Whether she's "having a bad day" or "really, really sad, and I just feel like I don't know who to call," Gaga admits that Bennett is the one she looks to for solace.



"Because sometimes you don't wanna call your mom and air out everything because then she's nervous," she continued. "Then you call your father, and he gets upset, and he wants to beat the guy up."







The 30-year-old pop queen is likely referencing her split with former fiance Taylor Kinney which they announced in July after nearly five years of dating.



"So I say: Who do I call when I'm in heartbreak? I call Tony. I really do. I really do. I call Tony."



Bennett's best advice for her: "Straight ahead, lady. Just go straight ahead. Because you're a star, and the world loves you."



She credits Bennett for giving her the confidence to stand back up after life knocked her down. "Tony taught me to truly believe in myself  the way that I do for others to believe in themselves," she says, "[And to] put my money where my mouth is."



In the days following the couple's decision to call off their engagement, Lady Gaga released a statement via Instagram about she and Kinney being "soulmates."





RELATED VIDEO: Lady Gaga Breaks Silence Following Taylor Kinney Split





"We are both ambitious artists, hoping to work through long-distance and complicated schedules to continue the simple love we have always shared," she captioned an Instagram photo depicting her and Kinney walking with their arms around each other. "Please root us on. We're just like everybody else and we really love each other."



In celebration of one of America's most treasured musical icons, NBC will air the two-hour special Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.



 Reporting by JEFF NELSON
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that military officials from the United States should be fully involved in monitoring a ceasefire in Syria, Russia's foreign ministry said on Saturday. In a phone call with Kerry, Lavrov also proposed that documents related to the Syria ceasefire agreement should be published to avoid "any double meaning" over how the deal should be implemented, the ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Hori Mondo, adviser to violent feudal lord Akinari in mid-17th-century Japan, knew his life was in danger after he complained about his boss to the shogunate. Fearing for his familys safety, Hori sent his wife and children to the Tokeiji Buddhist temple for sanctuary, while he took shelter in a monastery. When Akinaris assassins showed up at the temple to retrieve Horis family, the abbess turned them away, putting herself between the killers and the people shed been entrusted to protect. The monks, however, werent quite as vehement, and Hori Mondo didnt survive his boss rage.

Thats the most legendary of many stories about the badass women of Tokeiji. The temple, a prosperous convent founded in 1285 in southern Japan, was famous for 600 years as a place of sanctuary for women fleeing abusive relationships or otherwise seeking asylum  until it was taken over by an abbot in 1902 and converted into a monastery. But what sets Tokeiji apart is that it was one of only two temples that allowed women to legally obtain divorces without the consent of their husbands.

The development of Tokeijis role as a divorce temple stemmed from a social need for such places of refuge. Kristina Buhrman, Florida State University

While some women, even those who brought their husbands money and power, were able to negotiate divorces, those fleeing unwanted relationships had just one option: Temples like Tokeiji, which let women get divorced legally after staying only a few years at the convent  and didnt require them to take vows or formally become nuns. Getting a divorce, in other words, didnt resign them to lives of celibacy.

For men, legally splitting has always been an easier affair. A man could write three and a half lines of official pronouncement: I divorce you, goodbye,  says Gina Cogan, an academic and author of The Princess Nun. A lot of the time, men didnt do this, but it was on the books. The laws on the three-line letter didnt really shift until 1946  modern custody laws in Japan favor women, compared with earlier ones that automatically awarded children to the husband.



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According to the temples code, a woman hoping to get out of an abusive relationship had to explain her situation to the nuns, who were supposed to encourage her to return to her husband. If that didnt work, they were to help her get a divorce and require the three-year stay  a slow-moving, religious version of modern-day Reno. Of course the woman could join the temple permanently if she wanted  Buddhist temples were notoriously good places for women to educate themselves and live free of the domestic strictures of life on the outside  but Tokeiji made most of its money from fees offered by the families of women who werent planning on lifetime commitments. Women who chose not to stay could simply re-enter society  newly single and ready to mingle.

In practice, sometimes just having the option of the temple was enough of a bargaining chip to force recalcitrant husbands to negotiate. Women would lodge at nearby inns, which did a tidy business on the divorce-seeking trade; sometimes theyd stay for months, threatening their husbands with forced divorces if they werent willing to come to an amicable separation agreement.

Tokeijis existence heralded a shift in the role of marriage in Japanese culture. A divorce temple was necessary, according to Kristina Buhrman, assistant professor of Japanese religions at Florida State University, because women in Japan were losing rights over their own bodies and property. The development of Tokeijis role as a divorce temple, she says, stemmed from a social need for such places of refuge. Some estimates put the number of divorces there between 1700 and 1868 at about 2,000, though records are patchy.

Some Japanese authorities have reportedly been working on preserving Tokeijis archive for the ages by registering it as a UNESCO Memory of the World site, a project that focuses on protecting heritage documents. (The temple isnt on a short list of Japanese sites whose archives UNESCO agreed to preserve this fall, and UNESCOs Japanese delegation didnt respond to requests for comment.) Tokeijis archive, says Cogan, could ostensibly serve as an invaluable record  not only of life in a Buddhist convent but also of historical economic and legal practices in Japan, as well as the daily lives of women, so often overlooked by tales of kings and conquerors.

It would also serve as a testament to early protests against domestic violence, an issue that is still very relevant in Japan today. One-third of married Japanese women report having experienced such abuse  but, luckily, they no longer need flee to a temple to kick their husbands to the curb.



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Despite a 75-year prison sentence handed down in 2009 for a deadly armed robbery, Wiz Khalifa tweeted Friday (Sept. 16) that rapper Max B will get out of jail early after his sentence was shortened. Max's publicist confirmed the news in a press release.

Max B Gets Wavy on 'Silver Surfer' With Wiz Khalifa, Joe Young & Alpac: Listen

The Harlem-based rapper (real name: Charly Wingate) was sentenced alongside stepbrother Kelvin Leerdam, who received a life term plus 35 years after jurors found that he fatally shot one of the victims.

Max B is coming home. Sentence got shortened. Looks like the Gang will be working wit the Wave.

- Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) September 16, 2016

French Montana further shed light on the situation, saying in an Instagram post that Max could be home in as little as two years.

I had dream about this -- I told my bro this when he lost hope can't wait for you to get home trust me when I tell you God is the greatest ------------ #bossdon #cokewave

A photo posted by French Montana (@frenchmontana) on Sep 16, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT

Max B's publicist issued a press release stating that the rapper had entered a plea deal for the sole charge of aggravated manslaughter, while all his original charges on his 12-count indictment, including first-degree murder and first-degree robbery, will be dropped. No definitive release date has yet been set.

French Montana on 'Wave Gods' Project, 'Mac & Cheese' Album Features & Max B's Influence

"This proceeding was not a question of my guilt or innocence, but about the bad advice, poor judgment, and overall ineffectiveness of my trial attorney," Max said in a statement.

Max, 38 -- who was signed to Jim Jones' Byrd Gang label back in 2006 -- has stayed in the public eye behind bars, even releasing the song "Silver Surfer," featuring Khalifa, Joe Young and Alpac, on SoundCloud in February. The song followed a brief Twitter beef between Khalifa and Kanye West in January, when 'Ye indicated that he would name his next album (eventually titled The Life of Pablo) Waves. "Max B is the wavy one," Wiz tweeted at the time. "He created the wave. There is no wave without him."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel 's party is set for further losses in regional elections in the capital Berlin on Sunday, with the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party expected to make gains.

Support for Merkel and her conservative Christian Democrat Union (CDU) party has been hit by her open-door migrant policy, with a record number of people moving to Germany in 2015, according to official statistics.

This is expected to tell in Sunday's elections, which come after the CDU was knocked into third place by the AfD in regional elections in the region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern earlier this month.

Voting in Berlin started at 7 a.m. London time Sunday and polling stations will close at 5 p.m. London time, according to Reuters. Public broadcasters will publish exit polls shortly afterwards.

"The negative implications of yet another strong AfD performance will further increase the pressure on Merkel," Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at Teneo Intelligence, said in a report on Wednesday.



The AfD party was formed in 2013 and is Euroskeptic and anti-immigration. It is allied with the increasingly popular far-right Freedom Party of Austria.

Nickel forecast that a poor performance by the CDU on Sunday would prompt its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), to again demand controls on Germany's annual refugee intake. Merkel has championed taking in victims of the chaos in Syria and Iraq and, consequently, German net immigration reached a record high of 1.139 million last year.

"The CSU will continue to criticize Merkel over migration," Nickel said.

"The goal is twofold: keep the AfD in check, and use the migration issue for the CSU's traditional strategy of extracting expensive CDU concessions on the economic, infrastructure, and security fronts."

Further ahead, the key test will be whether Merkel gets the CSU's backing for the federal elections in 2017.

"The next signpost to watch will be whether the CSU officially backs Merkel in time for the December CDU federal conference. But even if the Bavarians delay their decision until early 2017 , the lack of alternatives means that time is on Merkel's side," Nickel said.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.






By Michael Nienaber BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives look set to suffer a second electoral blow in two weeks in a Berlin city vote on Sunday as a growing number of voters are expected to express their unease with her refugee-friendly policy. The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to profit from a popular backlash over Merkel's decision a year ago to keep German borders open for refugees and the party could enter its tenth regional assembly out of Germany's 16 states. Polls point to heavy losses for Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) in the vote for the Berlin city assembly which means the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) may be able to ditch them from their current coalition. That would likely raise the pressure further on Merkel one year before a federal election and could deepen divisions within her conservative camp. A drubbing in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern two weeks ago triggered calls from Merkel's conservative allies in Bavaria to toughen up her migrant policy with measures such as introducing a cap of 200,000 refugees per year. Merkel rejects such a limit and defends her approach to find a European solution to the migration issue by securing the continent's external borders, agreeing migration deals with countries like Turkey and distributing refugees across Europe. The recent election losses have even raised questions about whether Merkel, Europe's most powerful leader, will stand for a fourth term next year but her party has few good alternatives so she still looks like the most likely candidate. The latest Berlin poll by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen for ZDF public broadcaster put the CDU on 18 percent, down 5 points from the last election in 2011 and far behind the SPD's projected 23 percent. It put the AfD on 14 percent, the environmentalist Greens on 15 percent and the leftist Die Linke at 14.5 percent. The AfD has campaigned heavily on the migrant issue, playing to voters' fears about the cost of the roughly 1 million migrants who entered Germany last year and about their integration. Security, especially after two attacks claimed by Islamic State in Bavaria in July that injured 20 people and deadly Islamist militant attacks in neighboring France and Belgium earlier in the year, are also a concern to voters. The SPD, Merkel's junior coalition partner at the federal level, wants to form a coalition with the Greens and, if needed, the leftist Die Linke. Berlin's SPD Mayor Michael Mueller has sharply criticized the AfD's migration policy during the campaign, saying a double-digit score for the right-wing party would be seen around the world as the rebirth of the Nazis. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber,; Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Clelia Oziel)
The former first lady of No Limit Records, is standing up to uterine cancer. Mia X, who was the first woman signed to Master Ps label, has been speaking about her battle with the disease via a string of Instagram posts in honor of Uterine Cancer Awareness month.

Sometimes I pretend like nothing is wrong, she wrote in a post earlier in the week. I work smile dance through my worry and pain. I think about women who cant afford their copay. Their medicine, she wrote earlier in the week. The additional cost for seeing specialist. Women who leave radiation therapy and go to work because they still have bills. I think about the harsh reality of the statistics. Add 5 years 10 years to your age and then say Damn!Thats still young though. Women with cancer worry about their children spouse extended family and friends.

As noted in her post, uterine cancer remains underfunded, despite being among the deadliest forms of the disease.

I cant begin to explain the pain and discomfort or the way your other organs react to cancer, she continues. Uterine Cancer kills women Every Day. Yet it is one of the most under studied under researched and underfunded. No matter Gods plan for me Im ok but I want to make sure that I help as many women as I can.

The 46-year-old New Orleans native is hosting an event at the Sportsmans Corner Lounge in NOLA on Saturday to help raise money for the Foundation for Womens Cancer.

See more info below.
First Lady Michelle Obama criticized GOP nominee Donald Trump for his birther comments as she made her campaign trail debut for Hillary Clinton on Friday.



Speaking on Clinton's behalf at a rally at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, the first lady did not directly name the Democratic nominee's opponent but said: "There were those who continued to question for the past eight years up through this very day whether my husband was even born in this country.



"Well, during his time in office, I think Barack has answered those questions with the example he set by going high when they go low," she said, echoing one of the most powerful lines of her widely praised Democratic convention speech in July.



Calling for "steady" and "measured" leadership, Obama said it's "excruciatingly clear" that Clinton is the only candidate who can be trusted to serve as commander in chief.







"If a candidate is erratic and threatening, if a candidate traffics in project, fears, and lies on the trail, if a candidate has no clear plans to implement their goals, if they disrespect their fellow citizens including folks who made extraordinary sacrifices for our country, let me tell you, that is who they are," she said.



Obama went on to make the case for Clinton as "one of the most qualified people who had ever endeavored to become president."



"No one in our lifetime has ever had as much experience and exposure to the presidency. Not Barack, not Bill [Clinton], as he would say, nobody, and yes, she happens to be a woman," the first lady said to applause from the crowd.



"So, we can not afford squander this opportunity, particularly given the alternative. Because here is what we know: That being president isn't anything like reality TV. It is not about sending insulting tweets or making fiery speeches," she continued in another thinly veiled criticism of Trump.



At one point the audience began chanting "four more years" as Obama reflected on her husband's time in office.



To calm the crowd, she said, "You have Barack and me working on your behalf for the rest of our lives."
First Lady Michelle Obama and former First Lady Laura Bush reunited on Friday to discuss their mutual support for U.S. service members, veterans and their families during a conference at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.



In comments that many saw as a direct criticism of GOP nominee Donald Trump  who has come under fire in the past for his casual remarks about the use of nuclear weapons and for threatening to "bomb the hell out of ISIS"  Obama warned that anyone who wants to be the commander in chief should not "pop off about going to war" because it's "serious business and lives are changed forever."



"So I would hope that any commander in chief that would have the privilege of serving would understand that these are real lives and real families that are impacted," said Obama, who in 2011 launched the Joining Forces military initiative with Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden's wife.





Michelle Obama, Reuniting with Laura Bush, Issues a Warning to Presidential Candidates Who 'Pop Off About Going to War'| 2016 Presidential Elections, politics, Donald Trump, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, Military and Soldiers



The first lady went on to reflect on her and President Obama's visits with wounded service members at military hospitals, calling the visits a "sobering experience." But she added that President Obama's recent hospital visits are much shorter than the hours-long visits she and her husband made during the early years of his presidency. "And that feels good," she said.









Are you planning on voting in this year's election? We want to know! Take our survey: https://t.co/b6KMj1ZeAt a People Magazine (@people) August 15, 2016





Bush  who along with her husband, Former President George W. Bush, supports service members and veterans through the Bush Institute  said that first ladies, like presidents, also worry about putting troops in harm's way.





Related Video: Family of Fallen Muslim Soldier Fire Back at Trump After He Made Comments About Wife





"You worry in the White House when you know that there are troops in harm's way, and you think about them every single night when you get in bed," she said. "And there, where you're in the lap of luxury, really  beautiful house where your sheets are changed every single day and you think when you get in bed about our troops are laying out on the ground somewhere.



"And so I would say that the main thing about having troops in harm's way when you live there is that you worry about them all the time, every single day," she added.
In rare form, Michelle Obama exhibited a fiery disposition at a Hillary Clinton rally in Fairfax, Va., Friday night (Sept. 16) in which she took not-so-subliminal shots at Donald Trump. Although the First Lady didnt mention the Republican presidential nominee by name, Mrs. Obama made it very clear who she was referring to.

Being president isnt anything like reality TV, Obama said. Its not about sending insulting tweets or making fiery speeches, its about whether or not the candidate can handle the awesome responsibility of leading this country.

Prior to his presidential campaign, Trump who has branded himself as the nations birther questioned whether or not Barack Obama was a United States citizen, even going as far as to demand the president hand over his birth certificate as proof. Now, five years later, Trump is singing a very different tune admitting Obama was born in America.

The turn of events prompted the First Lady, who has traditionally flown above the mudslinging in politics, to respond. In her nearly 30 minute speech, Obama pulled no punches and spoke on the differences between her husband as Commander-In-Chief and Trump.

There were those who questioned and continue to question for the past eight years, up through this very day, whether my husband was even born in this country, Obama said. Well, during his time in office, I think Barack has answered those questions with the example he set by going high when they go low.

Obama continued to outline some of Trumps behavior he exhibited on the campaign trail stating who Trump has presented himself to be as a candidate, is who he will be if voted into office.

If a candidate is erratic and threatening; if a candidate traffics in prejudice, fears and lies on the trail; if a candidate has no clear plans to implement their goals; if they disrespect their fellow citizens, including folks who made extraordinary sacrifices for our country; let me tell you, that is who they are. That is the kind of president they will be, trust me.
If youre a millennial couple, chances are you flat-out ROCK at this

If youre a millennial couple, chances are you flat-out ROCK at this

A lot of people give millennials flack (*cough cough, Baby Boomers!*) but this new study shows that millennial couples are actually much better at a certain relationship skill than other generations.

Thats right! Were good at something! Turns out, according to the second annual TD Bank Love and Money Study, millennials are better at handling their money and talking about it with their partners.

The study says that 74% of millennial couples talk about their money weekly, and that those who do report higher levels of satisfaction and happiness in their relationships.

simpsons

This is very important, because as many relationship articles will tell you, money and talking about money is one of the highest stressors in relationships, which makes sense. Whether we like it or not, money affects our everyday lives, from where we live to what we eat. Its hard to keep the romance alive if youre feeling stressed out about money and youre afraid of talking to your partner about something that affects the both of you so closely.

The fact that millennials are good at this feels weirdly like a no-brainer. Though other generations will often disparage millennials for being too sensitive and open about their feelings, it seems like the benefit of this is millennials are more likely to be transparent and not shy away from tough relationship conversations.

The survey included 1,902 adults, and included couples of all ages to see how different age groups talked about their money matters. Most of the couples classified themselves as married or committed. Millennials were classified as participants who were 18-34 years old.

Among this group, couples were found to be much happier on average than the other demographics, with 49% of the millennial couples saying that theyre extremely happy with their soulmate. Awww!

Of course, this survey isnt a blanket statement about any particular generation or couple, and every individual and couple has their own challenges to face, but it is still awesome to see something positive being said about the millennial age group. Because, lets face it, were pretty great.

The post If youre a millennial couple, chances are you flat-out ROCK at this appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Eric Auchard FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Mobileye NV said in a U.S. securities filing on Friday that its top executives were assured by Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk that drivers of the company's electric cars would not be allowed to take their hands off the wheel when using the "Autopilot" driving assistance system, but Tesla later allowed hands-free driving over Mobileye's objections. Mobileye said that in product-planning communications between the top executives of Mobileye and Tesla going back to May 2015, the supplier expressed safety concerns regarding Tesla's plans to allow drivers to remove their hands from the wheel while driving. "It has long been Mobileye's position that Tesla's Autopilot should not be allowed to operate hands-free without proper and substantial technological restrictions and limitations," Mobileye said in its filing, which it said was made in response to inquiries. Mobileye, an Israeli company that is a leader in vision systems for vehicles, further alleged in its filing that Musk promised in a subsequent face-to-face meeting with Mobileye Chairman and Chief Technology Officer Amnon Shashua that its Autopilot system would require drivers to keep their hands on the wheel. However, Tesla later backed off this pledge, Mobileye said in its filing with the U.S. Securities Commission, launching hands-free activation features late last year. A Tesla spokeswoman said on Thursday that Mobileye collaborated with Tesla to develop Autopilot over the past three years. The Silicon Valley electric luxury car maker did not have an immediate reply after Mobileye's statement was filed on Friday. Reuters could not independently verify the details in the filing, including that the top-level executive exchanges that Mobileye referred to took place. Mobileye declined to supply specific evidence beyond what it disclosed in its regulatory filing. It said it had commented fully on the breakdown in its ties with Tesla and would provide no further comment. Tesla said in a statement on Thursday that relations broke down with Mobileye over Tesla's plans to develop its own, competing vision system to help drivers avoid collisions. (http://reut.rs/2ctM5CG) Tesla has said that drivers received warnings from their vehicles to keep their hands on the wheel while operating on Autopilot. On Sunday, Tesla said it would update Autopilot to make it more difficult for drivers to ignore warnings to keep hands on the wheel. Those changes and others, Musk said, would probably have prevented the death in May of a Model S driver using Autopilot, which thrust the technology into the pubic spotlight. Musk also said the revised system will allow a driver's hands to be off the wheel for up to three minutes while following a car at highway speeds. The statements in the filing by Mobileye intensified a dispute with Tesla over what led to an acrimonious and unusually public rupture between Mobileye and Tesla. Mobileye's chairman told Reuters on Wednesday the company broke ties with Tesla because it was "pushing the envelope in terms of safety" with Autopilot. (Additional reporting by Tova Cohen in Tel Aviv; editing by Grant McCool)
GaneshaSpeaks

A 66 years old legend, an age during which most people hardly know how to use a computer, Shri Narendra Modi is flying high with the highest followers across the digital platforms. Progressive, tech-savvy, with a no-nonsense attitude and a dream for a Digital India, the countrys 14th Prime Minister from BJP stormed to power in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 dethroning the high and mighty Congress. Modis dream is reforming and modernizing Indias infrastructure and government, reducing bureaucratic complications, encouraging increased foreign direct investment, improving national standards of health and sanitation, and improving foreign relations. It doesnt happen overnight, but two years into his tenure as PM, the reform process has been tardy, owing mainly to the obstructionist policies of his rivals, and many loyalists are beginning to feel dissatisfied with his governance. Yet, Modi is not one to lose heart; he managed to get the GST bill passed, and continues to push for reforms unrelentingly. Despite of the challenges, he has been able to maintain his image as a confident and efficient leader. He has not been without controversies though, especially during his stint as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014. However, he not only seems to have exorcised the ghosts of Godhra but has also learnt his lessons, and as PM he has kept his distance from controversies. His stock is still up, and it will take a lot for his rivals to pull it down, which will be insurmountable, given Modis extremely sharp political acumen and intelligence. On the occasion of his birthday, Ganesha analyses his Horoscope and concludes that he will manage to get the desired results in the year ahead.



Narendra Modi and the Stars  Ganeshas Exclusive Astrological Analysis



Virgo Ascendant arises during the 66th year of his Solar Return Chart. As the Virgo Sign falls in the 12th House of his Natal chart, Ganesha feels this year will be full of radical changes in his life. Ganesha calls it A year of reincarnation for him. However, from the health point of view, the year is not so good. He may face some health problems. Also, he will remain surrounded by worries related to neighboring countries and his foreign policies will be tested this year. He is likely to be at his intellectual best throughout the year. Ganesha finds him taking a keen interest in social reforms and other activities related to the upliftment of the nation. Travelling may continue to be an important part of his governance routine in the coming year also.



Muntha falls in the 8th House of Solar Return Chart. Hence, he will be facing great resistance and criticism from opposition parties. Plus, he also requires to keep constant watch on administrative management and governance as his reforms may hit roadblocks. However, as the year progresses, he would be able to perform impressively and also get the desired result of his efforts.



Muntha Lord Mars is conjunct with Planet Saturn in 3rd House. Planet Mars becomes the years Lord in the Solar Return Chart. Thus, strong and concrete steps and actions will be taken by him to bring some radical changes. He will be working harder to achieve desired results. It is also likely that he will push the reform process in the field of communication and transport, agricultural, trade and commerce, business, media, publishing industry, stock market etc. Overall, it will be a year of progress amid some stiff challenges, feels Ganesha.



Rivals will not be able to stop the juggernaut called Narendra Modi.



With Ganeshas Grace,

The GaneshaSpeaks.com Team
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council will hold urgent consultations on Saturday after US-led coalition air strikes hit Syrian military positions, diplomats said.

Russia requested the meeting, which is set to take place from 7:30 pm (2330 GMT).

"We demand Washington's full and detailed explanation, and that must be made before the UN Security Council," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Moscow.

Russia is "very concerned" by the strikes that "directly targeted the Syrian army, which has been consistently fighting the Islamic State group's forces", she added.

The bombing hit an army position in the east, near the IS-controlled town of Deir Ezzor, a Russian army statement said.

At least 62 soldiers were killed in the strike, according to Russian officials and a Syrian monitoring group.

"These strikes endanger everything that has been done so far by the international community" to reach peace in Syria, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

Zakharova accused the United States of being "simply incapable of honoring its commitment" to distinguish between jihadists and Syrian mainstream rebels in the implementation of a ceasefire in force since Monday.
Science

NASA astronaut shows support for kids with cancer in space

Some childhood cancer patients will chat on Friday with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station wearing a hand-painted spacesuit they helped decorate. NASA says astronaut Kate Rubins will wear the suit, dubbed Courage, during a 20-minute chat Friday afternoon with patients at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Rubins has a degree in cancer biology. Three hand-painted suits have been created through the project, which NASA says is designed to raise awareness about the benefits of pairing art with medicine.
After failing to show up to two hearings for the wrongful death lawsuit filed by his girlfriend Bobbi Kristina Brown's estate, Nick Gordon was found legally responsible "by default" for her death and held in contempt of court Friday morning.



According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Judge T. Jackson Bedford of Fulton County did not reach the judgment by considering the facts of the case. Rather, Gordon was found liable for Brown's death  and up to $50 million in damages plus attorney fees  because he failed to respond or appear in court for his civil hearings.



"In court today, we finally finished a long journey for justice for Bobbi Kristina Brown," Brown's estate attorney R. David Ware said in a press conference outside of the court. "The court agrees with us, by striking Mr. Gordon's answer that he is legally responsible for her death. The only thing left to prove is the value of her life. We intend to do that."





Nick Gordon in Contempt of Court After Failing to Show Up for Hearing on Bobbi Kristina Brown's Wrongful Death Lawsuit| Crime & Courts, True Crime, Bobbi Kristina Brown, Bobby Brown





Brown's father Bobby Brown also released a statement to PEOPLE, saying he is "pleased with the outcome of today's court proceedings."



"All I ever wanted was answers relating to who and what caused my daughter's death," said Bobby in the statement. "Today's judgment tells me it was Nick Gordon. Now I need to process all the emotions I have and lean on God to get me and my family though this."





Nick Gordon in Contempt of Court After Failing to Show Up for Hearing on Bobbi Kristina Brown's Wrongful Death Lawsuit| Crime & Courts, True Crime, Bobbi Kristina Brown, Bobby Brown





Gordon  who has vehemently denied the allegations over the last year  has not responded to a request for comment.



Gordon has never been criminally charged in Brown's death, but a source in the Fulton County District Attorney's office tells PEOPLE that the criminal investigation is "still ongoing." A rep for Brown's estate had no comment.



The court has also ordered a jury trial to determine damages in the case.



 Reporting by ELISSA ROSEN
On Friday, Bobbi Kristina Browns boyfriend Nick Gordon was found civilly liable for her death after failing to appear in an Atlanta, Georgia, court in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Browns estate last year.



Because Gordon had failed to appear twice, Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford said Friday that anything alleged by the plaintiff is admitted through omission.



But Gordons former family lawyer, Atlanta Trial Lawyer Randy Kessler, told PEOPLE that although he is not representing Gordon in the case, he doesnt think the 26-year-old did anything wrong.



As I understand it  and I am not representing [Gordon]  he did not have a lawyer for this civil case and because he failed to respond or to appear, the court simply granted Plaintiffs requests to assess liability, Kessler explained.



To me, that does not establish that he did anything wrong, Kessler continued. It is not a decision on the merits.



While Gordon was found civilly liable for Browns death, he has never been criminally charged in her death. A source in the Fulton County District Attorneys office previously told PEOPLE that the criminal investigation is still ongoing.



This wont change anything in the criminal case, the source said. Generally speaking, it tends to the other way around: a criminal conviction is used in a civil case. Obviously, if he had taken the stand in a civil case, we could have used what he said. But thats not what happened here. The case is still ongoing, but there are no new updates at this time.



Kessler said that if criminal charges appear, Gordon will likely be present in his defense.





He has apparently not been charged with a crime and if he is, his criminal attorney Joe Habachy will defend him vigorously, Kessler told PEOPLE.



Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home on Jan. 31, 2015. After six months of medically induced comas and a hospice stay, she passed away on July 26, 2015.



After Fridays ruling, a Brown family source told PEOPLE, We are praising God. This has been a long time coming. But all the judgments in the world wont bring Krissy back.



We miss her every single day. Even when theres justice, its not comfort. She was gone too soon, and we all have to live with that. I hope Nick lives with it every day for the rest of his life, because we sure are.



Judge Bedford will now determine the amount of damages to be awarded to Browns estate. The suit asked for $50 million.



In court today, we finally finished a long journey for justice for Bobbi Kristina Brown, Browns estate attorney R. David Ware said in a press conference filmed by 11 Alive outside of court. The court agrees with us, by striking Mr. Gordons answer that he is legally responsible for her death. The only thing left to prove is the value of her life. We intend to do that.
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari plagiarized quotes from U.S. President Barack Obama in a speech promising change in the West African country, his office said on Friday. Last week, Buhari gave a speech to launch a campaign titled "Change begins with me," part of his credo to end graft in Africa's biggest economy which is gripped by mismanagement and poverty despite sitting on vast energy reserves. But one paragraph in the speech urging Nigerians not to fall back "on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country so long" was copied from Obama's victory speech after his election in November 2008. "It was observed that the similarities between a paragraph in President Obama's 2008 victory speech and what President Buhari read in paragraph nine of the 16-paragraph address... are too close to be passed as coincidence," Buhari's office said in a statement. "President Buhari urges Nigerians to look beyond this incident and focus on the message of change which the country needs in order to restore our cherished value systems," the office said after a Twitter user joked about the incident. "Those responsible" would be punished, the office said, adding that a deputy director in the presidency had admitted the mistake. (Reporting by Felix Onuah, Camillus Eboh and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Porlamar (Venezuela) (AFP) - The Non-Aligned Movement opens a summit in Venezuela, seeking relevance in a post-Cold War world as the crisis-torn host country seeks to lessen its growing isolation.

Leaders from the 120-nation group will gather for two days on the Caribbean island of Margarita, where Venezuela will take over the movement's rotating presidency from Iran.

Venezuela, an OPEC member and home to the world's largest proven oil reserves, will notably be seeking backing for its campaign to slash abundant global crude production in a bid to raise prices.

"We hope to reach important agreements with other countries that we want to have a fair price for our hydrocarbons," said Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino on the eve of the summit.

"We don't want prices to be in the hands of speculators, as has been happening for the past two years."

The oil crunch has triggered an economic crisis in Venezuela, causing food shortages, outbreaks of looting and riots.

The crisis is the biggest threat yet to President Nicolas Maduro and the socialist "revolution" launched in 1999 by his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

The government has not said how many leaders will be at the summit, the movement's 17th.

Del Pino highlighted the fact that representatives from fellow oil-producing countries in the Middle East and Latin America would attend.

Founded in 1961 to represent countries resentful of being squeezed in the power-struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Non-Aligned Movement has struggled in recent years to remain relevant in a post-Cold War world.

Venezuelan opposition leaders condemned the summit as a marginal event that will cost millions of dollars the government can ill afford.

The speaker of the opposition-majority legislature, Henry Ramos Allup, dismissed it as a "meeting of dictators," while fellow opposition leader Henrique Capriles called it "a joke to hungry Venezuelans."

Story continues

Margarita island has been the scene of anti-government protests recently. Dozens of people were arrested there earlier this month after Maduro was greeted by pot-banging demonstrators during a visit.

The government has deployed more than 14,000 police and soldiers to the region in a bid to contain any unrest near the summit.

- Growing isolation -

Venezuela's crisis has left it increasingly isolated, including in its own region.

On Wednesday one-time allies Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay announced they had stripped Venezuela of the rotating presidency of Mercosur, a South American regional trade bloc.

A furious Venezuela said it refused to recognize the decision.

Venezuela's former largesse with its oil wealth once ensured it staunch loyalty from regional countries that benefited.

But as crude prices have plunged since mid-2014, Venezuela's economy has tanked, and its international influence along with it.

Embattled and unpopular at home, Maduro has nowhere near the international clout once enjoyed by Chavez.

The opposition is pressuring for a referendum on removing him from power by the end of the year.

Polls indicate Maduro would lose by a hefty margin. But his opponents say electoral authorities are dragging their feet to protect him.

They held fresh protests Friday after the authorities delayed announcing the timeline for the next step in the process for a second time.
Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama voiced "deep concern" that key elements of a Syria ceasefire are not being upheld Friday, after huddling with top national security aides.

A week after the United States and Russia agreed to halt bombing and let humanitarian aid into Aleppo, shaky implementation figured prominently in a National Security Council meeting scheduled to focus on the Islamic State group.

"The President expressed deep concern that, despite decreased violence across the country, the Syrian regime continues to block the flow of critical humanitarian aid," the White House said.

The deal has somewhat quieted the bombs over Syria's second city Aleppo, but aid convoys have not been allowed to reach the roughly 250,000 civilians besieged by government forces.

Obama reportedly told aides that the next steps in the deal -- closer military coordination with Russia -- will require "seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access."

Any US military cooperation with the Kremlin could be seen as a tacit endorsement of its war in Syria and support for the Assad regime, which has used barrel bombs and chemical weapons against civilians.

Some within the Pentagon have expressed deep reservations about the agreement, brokered between Secretary of State John Kerry with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, forcing Obama to referee disputes.

Russia, critics say, has repeatedly used talks to blunt criticism of its support of Assad, sow doubt among US allies on the ground and buy time for Syrian forces to improve their position.

But White House and State Department officials have argued any ceasefire, even if imperfect and fleeting, offers desperately needed respite from a brutal five-year civil war that has killed 300,000 people.

Privately, they express concern that Russia may be stalling for time, but say ultimately talks are the only way the Syrian war will come to an end.

Story continues

The Russian government, which controls the media and actively stifles political opposition, faces virtually no domestic pressure over its actions in Syria.

The UN Security Council on Friday canceled a planned meeting over disagreements between Russia and the United States over disclosing details of the ceasefire.

France and other US allies have publicly stated they want more details.

"Since we could not agree on an approach to briefing the council that would not compromise the operational security of the arrangement, the meeting was canceled," a spokesman for the US mission said.
By Kim Palmer

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A Cleveland police officer was indicted for negligent homicide in the shooting death of an unarmed black man on Friday and two former officers in nearby East Cleveland were indicted for kidnapping and assault for beating a black man who was under arrest.

The indictments by a Cuyahoga County grand jury came amid increased scrutiny of the use of force by police in Ohio, where an officer in Columbus this week shot and killed a thirteen-year-old who was carrying a pellet gun.

In the Cleveland case, officer Alan Buford, who is black, was indicted for misdemeanor negligent homicide in the 2015 death of unarmed-breaking and entering suspect Brandon Jones, 18, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty said in a statement Friday.

"It is not reasonable for a police officer to use deadly force if he or she does not believe a suspect poses a threat of death or serious bodily harm to the police or the public, McGinty said.

Prosecutors said Buford and his partner responded to a report of a break-in at a grocery store in Cleveland with guns drawn and confronted Jones, who was carrying a bag of stolen items.

Ohio police in recent years have been the focus of concern over excessive and even lethal force against minority suspects.

In 2014, a white officer in Cleveland shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was carrying a replica gun that shot plastic pellets. The child's death became a rallying point for the Black Lives Matter movement and was one of a number of deaths that led to nationwide demonstrations against the use of excessive force by police.

In the East Cleveland case, two former officers, Denayne R. Davidson-Dixon and Gerald A. Spencer II, were indicted on three counts of kidnapping, two counts of dereliction of duty and one count each of felonious assault, conspiracy, obstructing official business and interfering with civil rights for the July 2016 beating of Jesse R. Nickerson, a prisoner in their custody.

Story continues

The two officers are black, as is Nickerson.

According to prosecutors the officers arrested Nickerson and after arguing with him drove to a park near the police station, pulled him from the squad car and assaulted him.

Davidson-Dixon and Spencer were fired shortly after the incident.

(Reporting by Kim Palmer; Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Andrew Hay)
Singapores Istana Presidential palace (in foreground), pictured on March 6, 2014. (AFP News)



As their top preference regarding changes to the Elected Presidency (EP), Singaporeans want tougher checks and balances that would restrict the governments ability to spend Singapores reserves, a poll by Blackbox Research shows.

In an article citing the results of its poll of 2,668 Singaporeans, the market research agency said on Saturday (17 Sept) that 53 per cent said such checks were absolutely necessary to improve the current system.

Support for candidates who have contributed greatly to the community over a long period of time came in second, while more stringent criteria for those President nominees from the private sector only came in third, it added.

Stronger opportunities for minorities ranked fourth, while the need for greater opportunities for a female President came in a distant last.



When it came to opportunities for a minority President, only 23 per cent thought it was absolutely necessary to provide constitutional protection to ensure minorities could become President, Blackbox Research said.



The polling agency said its findings showed that, overall, fewer than four in 10 Singaporeans have followed the news on this issue in recent months.



Amongst those who have, it is clear that the majority are more focused on the Presidents role as a financial protector of last resort, it noted.

Findings also suggest that many Singaporeans are equally keen to see nominees who qualify based on previous community contribution and not solely on their track record in the private or public sector, it added.

A Constitutional Commission has recently submitted to the government its recommendations on changes to the Elected Presidency.



The government has accepted most of them, and the changes are expected to be put in place before the next election in 2017, according to local media reports.



In a 48-page White Paper issued on Thursday (15 September), the government said that it favours a cautious approach in implementing the changes, in order to maintain a broader pool of potential candidates.

Candidates from the private sector would be required to be top executives from companies with $500 million in shareholders equity. Currently, candidates can qualify as chairmen or chief executives of a company with at least $100 million in paid-up capital.



The government would also reserve elections for candidates from a particular race, if no one of that race has been elected president after five consecutive terms. The move strikes an appropriate balance between multiracialism, and ensuring a president from minority races, said the White Paper.



The government said it would table a bill containing the constitutional amendments as proposed in the White Paper and which would be debated in Parliament during the second reading.


This video shows one of the three police officers who were attacked by a man weilding a meat cleaver in New York City on September 15, walking away from the scene with his shirt lifted from his lower back. He was accompanied by two fellow officers.

The man armed with a meat cleaver was shot near Penn Station in Manhattan on September 15, after attacking three New York City police officers, according to local reports. New York Police Commissioner William Bratton told media three officers were hospitalized at Bellevue, one of whom was struck in the head and sustained a significant injury.

Bratton said the suspect, identified by police as Akram Joudeh, was in a critical condition.

The officer comes into shot 1.05 minutes into the footage. Credit: Youtube/Jose Escalona Martinez (John Doe)
Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna have been on one wild ride!



The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star shared a throwback photo on Friday documenting the early days of friendship between the 29-year-old and his now fiancee.



In the hilarious picture shared on Instagram, Kardashian, Chyna and Kim Kardashian West are seen enjoying the Tatsu roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, California in 2013.



"#throwback from 2013 Six Flags ,,, look at our faces lol. me with @blacchyna and @kimkardashian," Kardashian captioned the photo with three blue emoji hearts.









#throwback from 2013 Six Flags ,,, look at our faces lol,,, me with @blacchyna and @kimkardashian A photo posted by ROBERT KARDASHIAN (@robkardashian) on Sep 16, 2016 at 2:12pm PDT



During an E! Facebook Live in August, the Rob & Chyna reality stars revealed that they met for the first time at Kendall Jenner's 16th birthday at Six Flags.



"Me and Rob, we actually met at Kendall's sweet 16. It was Kendall's, right? At Six Flags," Chyna recalled.



"That's right. Was that Kendall's birthday?" Kardashian said to his fiancee of meeting each other at the amusement park.



Chyna, 28, told fans of looking back at the moment she and her now-fiance first met one another, "The weirdest thing now like looking back at pictures, we was like winning prizes together and sitting on the ride like close to each other."



"It was just like weird. It was funny how like a" Chyna stated before dad-to-be Kardashian finished her sentence.



"Everything just comes full circle," he chimed in, and quipped, "Gotta love Six Flags."



The couple, who announced their engagement in April, are expecting their first child together  a daughter  this fall.



Rob & Chyna airs Sundays (9 p.m. ET) on E!
ALGIERS (Reuters) - OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo said the meeting of OPEC members and non-OPEC producers in Algiers this month would be an informal meeting for consultations and not for decision making, Algerian state news agency APS said on Saturday.

Algeria's energy minister has said there is a consensus among OPEC and non-OPEC producers about the need to stabilize the oil market to support prices.

"It will be an informal meeting, it is not a meeting for making decisions," Barkindo said during a visit to Algiers, according to APS agency, referring to an energy conference between Sept. 26 and Sept. 28.

"We met in June, it is September now and a lot of things happened between the two dates," he said.

His comments appeared to play down suggestions of a major decision at the Algiers meeting where Russia, Iran and other major oil producers were due to meet on the sidelines.

Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed this month to cooperate in oil markets, saying they could limit future output. That pushed up prices on the view in markets that the two top oil producers would be working together to tackle oversupply.

Several OPEC producers have called for an output freeze to rein in the glut, which arose as supplies from high-cost producers such as the United States soared. A price collapse in the last two years has hit the revenues of major producers.

OPEC's de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, has also signaled willingness to cooperate as it faces such pressures.

But any deal between OPEC and non-OPEC producer Russia would be the first in 15 years. Moscow agreed to cut output in tandem with OPEC at the turn of the millennium, although Russia never followed through on that promise.

(Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Louise Ireland)
ALGIERS (Reuters) - OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo said the meeting of OPEC members and non-OPEC producers in Algiers this month would be an informal meeting for consultations and not for decision making, Algerian state news agency APS said on Saturday. Algeria's energy minister has said there is a consensus among OPEC and non-OPEC producers about the need to stabilize the oil market to support prices. "It will be an informal meeting, it is not a meeting for making decisions," Barkindo said during a visit to Algiers, according to APS agency, referring to an energy conference between Sept. 26 and Sept. 28. "We met in June, it is September now and a lot of things happened between the two dates," he said. His comments appeared to play down suggestions of a major decision at the Algiers meeting where Russia, Iran and other major oil producers were due to meet on the sidelines. Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed this month to cooperate in oil markets, saying they could limit future output. That pushed up prices on the view in markets that the two top oil producers would be working together to tackle oversupply. Several OPEC producers have called for an output freeze to rein in the glut, which arose as supplies from high-cost producers such as the United States soared. A price collapse in the last two years has hit the revenues of major producers. OPEC's de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, has also signaled willingness to cooperate as it faces such pressures. But any deal between OPEC and non-OPEC producer Russia would be the first in 15 years. Moscow agreed to cut output in tandem with OPEC at the turn of the millennium, although Russia never followed through on that promise. (Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Louise Ireland)
By William James Bournemouth, England (Reuters) - Nigel Farage, the firebrand of Britain's Brexit campaign, used his final speech as leader of the UK Independence Party on Friday to demand that his successor pushes for a "hard" EU exit that meets the demands of his party's voters. UKIP played a crucial role in the June 23 European Union referendum, tapping into anger at Brussels and rising anti-establishment sentiment to fuel a surprise 52-48 percent exit vote which rocked global financial markets. But the party has suffered a series of bitter rows over its future direction since then and, with its main star Farage stepping down, faces a struggle to retain its influence over voters. His successor is due to be named later in the day. Making his valedictory address at the UKIP annual conference in the southern English resort of Bournemouth, Farage said his party had "changed the centre of gravity" of British politics. But he warned that his successor must not let the government water down the terms of Britain's EU exit. "We can be very proud of the fact that we won the war but we now must win the peace," he told a crowd of cheering activists. "The only mechanism to put pressure on the government to keep the debate live and to make sure that those 17.4 million people (who voted 'Leave') get what they voted for is for UKIP to be healthy and for UKIP to be strong." Commentators say UKIP has become so synonymous with Farage, who first led the party from 2006 until and 2009 then took over the reins again the following year, that his departure leaves a huge gap which will be hard to fill. His speech drew rapturous applause from supporters crowded into the conference hall to see the party's star performer. It set out three criteria by which the success of the government's Brexit negotiations should be judged: whether Britain is outside the single market and free from European regulation, whether it has control of fishing rights in its territorial waters, and whether it has got rid of EU passports. After the referendum result, Farage said he would step down as leader, and has since lent his experience of leading a popular political uprising to U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign. "I intend this autumn to travel around some other European capitals to try and help independents and democracy movements in those countries too," he said. (Additional reporting by Tina Bellon in London; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Hebron (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier Saturday in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron before being shot dead, the army said, in the such fourth attack in under 24 hours.

A military statement said the attacker drew a knife during a routine security check in Hebron's Tel Rumeida neighbourhood, wounding the soldier.

"In response to the immediate threat, forces at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death," the statement said.

The Palestinian health ministry named the man killed as Hatem al-Shaloudi, 25.

He was a resident of Tel Rumeida, as was 16-year-old Mohammed Rajabi, who was shot dead during an attack on Friday.

Rajabi was one of three alleged assailants killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis, two in and around occupied Hebron and one in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Another man was killed on Thursday, also in Hebron, after allegedly trying to evade arrest by the Israeli military.

One of Friday's dead, 28-year-old Saeed Amro, was a Jordanian national visiting Jerusalem, and Amman on Saturday denounced his killing as a "barbaric act" by Israel.

"Amro was part of a group of tourists who had entered the Palestinian territories on Thursday to visit Jerusalem," foreign ministry spokeswoman Sabah Refai said in Amman.

Many Palestinians hold Jordanian passports, and Israeli police said on Friday they were checking if Amro also had Palestinian papers.

But a Jordanian official source told AFP that he was not Palestinian.

- Persistent tensions -

Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi condemned Israel's actions.

"Israel is flagrantly employing a systematic and wilful policy of summary executions against the Palestinian people; such provocative acts are in direct violation of international law and conventions," she wrote in a statement Saturday.

"We call on the international community to engage rapidly and effectively and to hold Israel accountable with punitive measures before it is too late."

Story continues

An Israeli military spokeswoman told AFP that the latest attack was "another expression of the incitement (against Israel) on the Palestinian street and on social networks".

Since October, 227 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, one Jordanian, one Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in ongoing violence, according to an AFP count.

Israeli forces say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since capturing it in the 1967 Six-Day War.

In the Gaza Strip on Friday, a Palestinian medical official said Israeli troops at the border fence east of Gaza City shot and slightly wounded three Palestinian youths.

An army spokeswoman said they had been rioting.

The uptick in violence was a reminder of persistent tensions alarming the international community and came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the two-state solution was "further than ever" from becoming reality.

Previously there had not been an attack in three weeks.

International powers have criticised Israel's continued settlement expansion in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, with more than 500,000 Israelis now living in outposts that the international community considers illegal, as well as incitement to violence by Palestinian leaders.

"Despite warnings by the international community and the region, leaders on both sides have failed to take the difficult steps needed for peace," Ban said on Friday.

"Let me be absolutely clear: settlements are illegal under international law. The occupation, stifling and oppressive, must end," he added.

Ban also hailed former Israeli president Shimon Peres, the last of Israel's founding fathers, who suffered a major stroke this week.

The veteran Israeli leader won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 along with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo peace accords.

The United Nations has been struggling to find a way to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has stalled since a US-led diplomatic effort collapsed in April 2014.
Eleanor Coppola, wife of renowned filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, arrived at the Toronto International Film Festival this week with the sexy, charming road movie Paris Can Wait, her first narrative feature after decades in the industry. Acclaimed for her work in the documentary format (Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse), Coppola is now making waves with her new film, starring Diane Lane, Alec Baldwin and Arnaud Viard. Paris Can Wait centers on a woman confronting a mid-life crisis of sorts, who takes a brief respite from her neglectful film producer husband to take a trip through the scenic French countryside with her husbands French business associate.

As the film begins, Anne copes with an empty nest, her daughter departing for college. The film then transitions into Annes mental escape, the characters experience of a new world, and a celebration of all things Frenchthe art, the breathtaking architecture, the culture and the food. Annes challenge throughoutdealing with dissatisfaction in her lifeis to not fall prey to the charms of the alluring French bon vivant, who has set his sights on his colleagues wife.

This week, Coppola and Viard stopped by Deadlines TIFF video studio to discuss the films many charms, and the genesis of the project. I never imagined that I would be making a fiction feature, Coppola says, but I had an experience that was strong and resonated with me that I was telling a friend, and she said, Oh, thats the movie I want to see. For Coppola, the project was a six-year process. Sharing a 45-page version of the script with family agent Bart Walker and eventual producer Fred Roos, the director was encouraged to continue her pursuits. I did feel I was writing it more for womens voices in the cultural dialogue, she says. I just kind of kept at it.

It was very surprising for me when Eleanor called me, and what I like in the rolethe idea to meet Eleanor and do a film in English, its a tribute to France, this film, Viard says. Im a kind of tourist guide, maybe, but I am very happy if a pretty woman in Paris comes to see me. I like the idea of this romantic comedy in a carlike a road tripand also the idea of when two people meet each other, sometimes you dont know them, but you become very intimate with somebody very fast.

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After bowing at the festival this past Monday, September 12, Paris Can Wait is, at time of writing, among a number of films by high-profile talent still seeking distribution.

To watch Deadlines conversation with Coppola and Viard, click on the video above.

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A Norwegian held hostage by a notorious kidnapping-for-ransom gang in the strife-torn southern Philippines was released Saturday after a year in captivity and will soon be handed over to authorities, officials said.

Kjartan Sekkingstad was abducted by Abu Sayyaf from a high-end tourist resort in September 2015, alongside a Filipina woman, who has already been freed, and two Canadian men who were later beheaded by the Islamic militant group.

Sekkingstad was released by Abu Sayyaf Saturday and handed to another Muslim rebel group in Sulu, a remote archipelago known as a militant hideout, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's peace advisor told AFP.

"He is now released by captors and (is) staying overnight with Nur Misuari's camp... due to heavy rain," Jesus Dureza said, referring to the founder of the Muslim rebel group Moro National Liberation Front.

The MNLF are currently in peace talks with the government and have been working with authorities to secure Sekkingstad's release.

"He is well," Dureza said, adding that Sekkingstad would be handed over to authorities on Sunday and then flown to the southern city of Davao.

The president's spokesman Martin Andanar told AFP Duterte was heading to Davao to receive Sekkingstad.

Norway said the release was a "positive development", adding that it was closely monitoring the situation and working with Philippine authorities to bring Sekkingstad to safety.

"According to Philippine authorities, Sekkingstad is now in a relatively safe place," Norway's Foreign minister Borge Brende said in a written comment to AFP.

"We refrain from celebrating until Sekkingstad has been safely handed over to Philippine authorities."

-- Canadians beheaded --

Resort manager Sekkingstad was among a group seized by Abu Sayyaf from aboard yachts at an exclusive tourist resort on Samal island, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) to the west of Sulu.

Two of the other captives, Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, were beheaded in April and June respectively after demands for ransoms of some 300 million pesos ($6.5 million) each were not met.

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Hall's partner Filipina Marites Flor, also among the four, was freed in June.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of a militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

It is based in remote Muslim populated southern islands of the mainly Catholic Philippines, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

While its leaders have in recent years pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, analysts say the group is mainly focused on a lucrative kidnapping business rather than religious ideology.

The group, which is blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history and listed by the United States as a terrorist organisation, does not usually release hostages without ransom.

But regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said the release of the victim was the result of "an offshoot of ongoing military operations... and the assistance of the MNLF".

Duterte last month ordered a military offensive to "destroy" the Abu Sayyaf, deploying thousands of troops as part of a major assault which has met fierce resistance.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants were hungry to establish a caliphate, as he toughens his stance on the kidnap-for-ransom group accused of a deadly bombing in his home city this month.

The fiery leader, who has threatened to eat the militants alive in a bloodthirsty vow of revenge for the attack in Davao that killed 15 people, said the group was no longer just after money from criminal activities.

Several units of the Abu Sayyaf in the strife-torn southern Philippines have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group but analysts have said they are more interested in funding than ideology.

"They are hungry for a fight to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia. Caliphate is a kingdom for the Muslims," Duterte said in a speech to soldiers.

"The problem is that they do not talk on the basis of what school you can give them," he said referring to previous local services the militants have asked for.

"It's either the caliphate or nothing."

The Abu Sayyaf is a radical offshoot of a Muslim separatist insurgency in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines that has claimed more than 120,000 lives since the 1970s.

The Philippine defence department has said there were no formal links between the group and the Islamic State which holds vast swathes of Iraq and Syria.

"They are ISIS inspired and not actually ISIS supported. They are just ISIS wannabes," defence department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told AFP, using another name for the Islamic State.

Duterte, who has restarted peace talks with the country's two major Muslim rebel groups since taking office on June 30, initially pleaded for peace with Abu Sayyaf but has since hardened his position and branded them as terrorists.

Last month, he launched an offensive against the militants, ordering the military to "destroy" them.

He sent thousands of troops to Abu Sayyaf strongholds in the southern islands of Jolo and Basilan in an assault that had killed 15 soldiers and 32 militants according to the military.

The Abu Sayyaf is blamed for the nation's worst terror attacks and has beheaded foreigners, including two Canadians in April and June after ransom deadlines lapsed.

The militants have also conducted high seas kidnappings in waters bordering the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, prompting the three nations to launch joint patrols.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte makes a

Since the Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte took office in July, he has threatened to eat Filipino rebels, encouraged vigilante violence, disparaged US President Barack Obama, and overseen a bloody crackdown on drug use that has left more than 2,000 people dead.

While his brash words and actions at home have earned him international criticism, Duterte also appears to be advancing a foreign policy that could have outsize implications for the region and for himself.

Since assuming office Duterte has taken a much more antagonistic stance toward the US and its legacy in the Philippines, while at the same time making overtures to China. In light of ongoing tensions over the South China Sea, the Philippine president appears to be walking a fine line between the two most powerful countries in the region.

Duterte's blunt comments directed at Obama brought much of the world's focus to him, but the statement (Duterte's remarks were translated as calling Obama a "son of a whore") fits with Duterte's rhetorical style, and it was reflective of how the new Philippine president would approach relations with the US.

"He's got a sort of deeply held suspicion of the United States, which dates back to his time as mayor of Davao City. He's an avowed socialist as well," Prashanth Parameswaran, the associate editor at The Diplomat, said during the magazine's Asia Geopolitics podcast, adding:

"If you look at the statement that was issued where he expressed regret following the remarks, it states there that despite the fact that regret was expressed, the Philippines is trying to chart a more independent foreign policy for itself. And you can read that in various ways, but the major one is ... it does want to pursue a closer relationship with China, and it's a little bit more cautious in terms of how it approaches the United States."

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After inveighing against Obama, Duterte did meet with the US president on the sidelines of the ASEAN regional summit in Laos earlier this month, but since then he appears to have reiterated his wariness of the US, calling for US military trainers to depart the country, which he said was for concerns about their safety.

Ash Carter US Philippines military alliance cooperation

There are only a few such military trainers in the country, and "Demanding they leave is especially odd given that [Duterte] has repeatedly talked about modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines and counterterrorism as his key security focuses  both of which are assisted by U.S. Special Forces training," Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Business Insider.

No US soldier has been kidnapped by any terrorist organization in the southern Philippines, Poling said. "The Philippine military, at least, seems to be skeptical that this was more than bluster," he added, "as theyve said no official order to throw out the American trainers has been issued by the government." And as of earlier this week, US officials had gotten no such order.

The current Philippine foreign minister has added to the tension, saying that while his country would respect alliances, it wouldn't accept being treated as "the little brown brothers of America."

map south china sea

Duterte has coupled these rebuffs of US personnel with statements about reducing cooperation with the US.

This week he said his country shouldn't take part in joint patrols of the South China Sea  in the Philippines exclusive economic zone, the foreign minister clarified  in order to avoid a "hostile act."

Thus far, Duterte hasn't taken concrete action to undermine US-Philippine cooperation  he doesn't appear to have mentioned the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Act, which gives US troops access to Philippine bases  but he has also made overtures to China and Russia, suggesting wavering commitment to US rebalancing efforts against Chinese ambitions in East Asia.

Duterte has been open to Chinese investment in Philippine infrastructure, saying prior to his election and to a July 12 international court ruling that dismissed China's claims in the South China Sea that he would be willing to "shut up" about disputes in the sea if China provided aid.

In the wake of that July 12 decision, which China rejected, Duterte voiced interest in bilateral talks with China, saying the ruling put the Philippines in a better negotiating position. In August, former Philippine President Fidel Ramos went to Hong Kong for informal talks with Chinese officials. The US, for its part, encouraged the resumption of talks between Manila and Beijing (though the Philippine foreign minister recently cast doubt on those talks).

"I think something we need to keep in mind is also the external stimuli that China is providing here, and I think China has been very good in reading Duterte," Ankit Panda, an editor at The Diplomat, said on the magazine's Asia Geopolitics podcast.

Li Keqiang and Rodrigo Duterte

"And essentially the overtures we've seen after the July 12 ruling has been in big part enabled by the fact that China hasn't really pushed to change facts on the water in the South China Sea, which might force Duterte to take some sort of drastic action," Panda added.

More recently, Duterte expressed interest in buying weapons from Russia and China, saying that even though he didn't want to cut the "umbilical cord" with allies, he wanted to purchase arms "where they are cheap and where there are no strings attached and it is transparent."

Duterte also said his defense secretary would visit Beijing and Moscow "and see what's best," a move that suggests he's doubling down on his break from US policy in the region.

The Philippine president is a little over three months into his term, and while a July poll found him with 91% support, the numerous initiatives he has advanced  the war on drugs, talks with rebels groups, reassessing ties with China  and the bluster with which he has advanced them could pose a risk to the political capital he has accrued.

"Duterte's early moves are, in part, an attempt to consolidate power in Manila," the geopolitical analysis firm Stratfor wrote in late August. "He is capitalizing on his present popularity while laying the foundation he thinks is key to the country's long-term modernization."

It's possible that Duterte is trying to play the US and China against each other to wring favorable terms from both of them. Going forward, however, he could find himself in an increasingly perilous position, having antagonized both a longstanding but at times overbearing ally in the US and a growing world power with little incentive to make concessions in China.

At home, fractious relations with the US, which has supplied about 75% of the country's arms imports since 1950 and extensive military support, could alienate Duterte from the Philippine military leadership, a group he needs in his fold if negotiations with communist rebels are to advance.

afp duterte threatens to pull philippines out of un

Elsewhere, Duterte's emphasis on enforcing tax collection and other regulations could run afoul of the Philippines' business interests, and powerful figures involved in illegal narcotics may soon find his crackdown on the drug trade discomfiting.

In Manila, the "primary risk is that Duterte will open up power struggles on too many fronts and find himself at odds with too many powerful enemies," Stratfor noted.

Moreover, coming terms with China could backfire on Duterte if those terms are seen as unfavorable by Filipinos.

"It's possible that could really hurt him at home," Panda said during The Diplomat podcast. "This is a raw nerve, and I think there's a lot of constituencies in the Philippines that want to see a resolution that really doesn't concede anything to China."

And while the US is loathe to let longstanding relations with the Philippines wither, if Duterte holds to his current line, US-Philippine ties will certainly suffer.

"As for the long-term balance, that will depend on whether Duterte climbs down from this constant stream of anti-American rhetoric that weve seen over the last week," Poling, of CSIS, told Business Insider.

"The U.S. is not willing to walk away from the alliance, but fears are growing that Duterte is determined to severely degrade it. If that happens, the Philippines will find itself in a much worse position in the face of Chinese bullying."

NOW WATCH: Obama canceled a meeting with the Philippines president after he called him a 'son of a b----'





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A cell phone battery caught fire aboard a Delta Air Lines flight on Friday morning, The Virginia-Pilot reported.

The flightfrom Norfolk, Virginia, to Atlanta, Georgiahad just taken off when flight attendants and passengers noticed smoke.

It wasn't a big flaming fire, it was more smoldering smoke, passenger Kristi Parrotte told the paper.

Flight attendants, as well as some quick-thinking passengers, attempted to douse the fire with bottled water while asking passengers in the affected area to move to the front of the plane.

The attendants said the battery that caught fire was not attached to a phone and it was not clear who owned it, according to Kerry Dougherty, a columnist for The Virginian-Pilot who was on the flight.

It is also unclear what type of batteryand in what type of phoneit was.

There have been a handful of instances of phones catching fire on aircrafts, and the Federal Aviation Administration has warned passengers not to charge or use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones while on airplanes.

Travelers boarding this Delta flight were told to keep their Samsung Galaxy 7 phones turned off and not to charge them, and everyone was told to turn off all of their phones once the fire occurred.

We all made the comment that we see this kind of stuff on the news, but weve never seen this in person, Parrotte said.

There were no injuries, however there was some damage to the seats, according to witnesses. The flight landed without additional incident.

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"Delta is working to determine the source and type of the battery and will work with aviation safety officials, MorganDurrant, a spokesman for Delta said in a statement to Travel + Leisure. "Safety is always Delta's top priority," Durrantsaid.

Talia Avakian is a digital reporter at Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter at @TaliaAvak.

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Berlin (AFP) - More than 160,000 demonstrators thronged seven major cities across Germany on Saturday in protest over a massive transatlantic trade deal, dealing a new blow to the disputed accord.

In Berlin, as in Munich, there was a sea of flags as people flocked to join the rallies despite the rain, carrying placards and banners representing dozens of anti-globalisation groups, NGOs, political parties and unions, AFP correspondents said.

"People are not letting their mood be ruined" by the weather, a spokeswoman for the organisers, Kathrin Ottovay, told AFP.

Roland Suess from anti-globalisation group Attac had earlier told AFP they expected 250,000 people to turn out in seven major German cities -- including some 70,000 in Berlin.

Some organisers put the national turnout as high as 320,000 while police put the figure at between 163,000 and 188,000.

Participants waved banners demanding "democracy instead of TTIP" and "share, don't divide."

The European Union and the United States began negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013, aiming to create the world's biggest free trade market of 850 million consumers.

But the talks have become bogged down amid widespread in Europe that the deal would undercut the 28-nation bloc's standards in key areas such as health and welfare.

A new round of talks is due in October with US President Barack Obama hoping a deal can be concluded before he leaves office in January.

A smaller version of TTIP is also in the works with Canada, and that deal, called CETA, is due to be signed in October.

Exporters are in favour of the deal as it promises lower tariffs, less red tape and a wider base of consumers for their goods.

But in Europe, consumers fear it would ride roughshod over the EU's labour market and environmental standards, and would bring about more outsourcing which would lead to job losses.

There are also concerns over plans for a special court to hear cases by companies against governments over breaches of regulatory issues, which opponents see as giving firms a veto over public policy.

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"CETA and TTIP threaten environmental and consumer protection for millions of people in Europe and North America," said Jennifer Morgan, executive director Greenpeace International.

- 'A threat to millions' -

Not only the people, but European governments too are torn over the planned deals.

The French government has put up strident opposition, with Prime Minister Manuel Valls demanding an end to the talks while the leader of Europe's biggest economy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, voiced her backing for a deal.

In a recent interview, Merkel noted the high unemployment rate in several EU countries, and said: "we should do everything we can to create jobs -- the free trade agreements are part of that."

But even within her right-left "grand coalition", there is dissent.

- 'Danger to democracy' -

Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel last month declared that talks on TTIP have "de facto failed".

He had also insisted that "Europeans must not give in to (the Americans') demands".

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told Saturday's Bild daily she was aghast at the "misunderstandings, urban myths and outright lies in the debate" on the merits or otherwise of the treaty.

Suspicion is running high in Germany over the accords.

"In Europe, they need to put people first ... that's why we must stop TTIP," said Berlin rally coordinator Axel Kaiser, representing a group of small- and medium-sized firms opposed to the deal.

A recent Ipsos survey found some 28 percent of respondents doubted if free trade could really bring benefits. More than half (52 percent) say it would lead to weaker standards and spawn increasingly inferior products.

Peter Gauweiler, who left the CDU and resigned as an MP in protest over Merkel's stance in the euro crisis, went as far as to call the proposed treaties "a danger for democracy".

Writing in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, he denounced the proposed special court as a "form of secular sharia of capitalist managers".

But conservative daily Die Welt was more positive.

"Before money can be distributed (to the population), it must first come in," wrote its columnist Daniel Eckert.

"A further lowering of tariff barriers, the dismantling of bureaucracy and international standardisation are rather cost-effective methods to create greater wealth that future generations can benefit from," he argued.
Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday offered what appeared to be his strongest support yet for US presidential candidate Donald Trump -- without explicitly naming him.

"We are carefully watching what is happening in the United States and we, of course, view with sympathy those who publicly state that it is necessary to build a relationship with Russia, on basis of equality," he told journalists at a briefing shown on television.

His remarks were a clear allusion to Trump, the outspoken Republican nominee, who has emphatically professed his readiness to work with Putin, and at one point even said the Russian strongman was much more of a leader than US President Barack Obama.

Putin has so far refused to publicly endorse either candidate.

Trump's praise for Putin, who is reviled by many in the West over his stance on Ukraine and Syria, has raised eyebrows and drawn sharp criticism, particularly from his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

Putin and Trump are not known to have met but the Russian leader shared many tense moments with Clinton when she was secretary of state, even accusing her of meddling in his own election in 2012.

Putin's third term has been marked by rampant anti-Americanism in state media and efforts to stamp out US influence in Russia, which included the banning of several American NGOs and halting the adoption of Russian children by Americans.

The Russian leader also said Saturday that treating another country as an "evil empire" is a tactic to divert attention from other problems.

"Attempts to recreate the image of a so-called 'evil empire' and to scare laymen in this manner... (are) attempts to manipulate public opinion," he said.

"This is rather tragic, it's a crude and counterproductive attempt, and it has nothing to do with the essence of the problems... faced by the United States, of which there are many."
Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Syrian rebels Saturday of using a fragile ceasefire to regroup, as diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Washington simmered over a lack of humanitarian aid access.

Fresh shelling and clashes were reported overnight in some areas of the war-torn country, but the US-Russia brokered truce which took effect on Monday appeared to be largely holding.

In New York, the UN Security Council cancelled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss whether to endorse the ceasefire, billed as the "last chance" to end the five-year war that has killed 300,000 people.

The closed-door consultations were scrapped after Moscow and Washington failed to agree over disclosing details of the ceasefire to the council.

Putin, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said he remained "positive" about the truce but lashed out at rebels.

"We see attempts to regroup among these terrorists, to switch one label for another, one name for another and keep their military capacity," he said in televised remarks while on a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

Putin said Washington apparently "has the desire to keep the capabilities to fight the lawful government of President Assad," calling it a "very dangerous path."

Moscow said Friday that it was ready to prolong the truce by 72 hours, but there has been no formal announcement of an extension.

The implementation of the truce has been complicated by the presence of jihadists -- who are not covered by the ceasefire -- and mainstream rebels on some of the same frontlines.

A challenge for Washington is to persuade opposition groups it backs to separate themselves from the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, previously called Al-Nusra Front.

- 'Unacceptable aid delays' -

US Secretary of State John Kerry meanwhile called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and condemned "repeated and unacceptable delays of humanitarian aid," spokesman John Kirby said.

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Kerry told Lavrov that Washington "expects Russia to use its influence on the Assad regime to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach the battleground northern city of Aleppo and other areas in need," Kirby said.

He added that the United States would not set up a planned joint US-Russian military coordination cell in Syria until regime forces there allow aid into besieged cities.

President Barack Obama also voiced "deep concern" that the Syrian regime continued to block aid.

A key plank of the truce deal was the delivery of aid to areas including Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people in rebel-held areas of the city are living under government siege.

Under the deal, the main route into Aleppo, the Castello Road, would be demilitarised and aid convoys would enter from Turkey.

But 40 trucks carrying desperately needed food aid were still stuck on the border with Turkey on Saturday.

"Still no progress, but the UN is ready to move once we get the go ahead," said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UN has said it cannot deliver aid until "all guarantees are in place for safe delivery."

- Intermittent fighting -

AFP's correspondent in Aleppo's eastern districts said the city was calm on Saturday after a few rocket attacks overnight.

Fighting erupted overnight between rebels and pro-regime forces in the opposition-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Air strikes hit several towns in the central province of Homs and also targeted rebel groups, including fighters from the Fateh al-Sham Front, in the coastal province of Latakia, according to the British-based monitor.

On Friday air strikes killed three civilians, including two children, in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province, the Observatory said.

Under the US-Russia deal, if the truce lasts seven days and humanitarian access is granted, Moscow and Washington are to work together to target jihadists including the Islamic State group (IS).

The Pentagon said Friday that dozens of US Special Operations Forces had been deployed to Syria's border with Turkey to fight IS, at Ankara's request, in support of Turkey's army and "vetted" Syrian rebels.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that a coalition air strike in Syria had killed a senior operative IS operative considered the information minister of the group.

Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, also known as "Dr. Wa'il", was killed in a precision strike on September 7 near Raqa, the jihadists' de facto Syrian capital, Cook said.
The New York Red Bulls will look to extend their unbeaten streak to 12 MLS games when they meet Toronto FC on Sunday at BMO Field in a matchup of the Eastern Conference's top two teams.

Toronto (13-8-7) leads the conference with 46 points, two points ahead of the Red Bulls (12-9-8) and New York City FC (12-9-8). The Red Bulls hold the tiebreaker over NYCFC.

The Red Bulls have not lost an MLS game since a 2-0 decision to New York City on July 3. They are 5-0-6 since then.

Toronto is 3-1-1 in its last five matches and its defense has been in fine form, as it has not allowed two or more goals in its last nine games.

"I think this won't be the last time we see the Red Bulls this year," Toronto fullback Justin Morrow told the Toronto Globe and Mail. "This is a team that we're going to have to get through to win the (MLS) Cup so it's an important match in that sense."

Bradley Wright-Phillips enters the match with a league-leading 18 goals, including five game-winners, for the Red Bulls. New York's playmaker, midfielder Sacha Kjlestan, tops MLS with 15 assists.

Sebastian Giovinco is set to return for Toronto after missing almost a month with quadriceps and adductor strains suffered in an Aug. 27 match against Montreal. The 5-feet-4 midfielder leads the club with 16 goals after a 2015 season in which he captured the Golden Boot, the Newcomer of the Year and the league MVP.
DAKAR (Reuters) - Protesters calling for Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila to resign and hold elections burned tires on Friday in the streets of the opposition stronghold of Lubumbashi, and police fired tear gas to disperse them, U.N.-backed Radio Okapi reported. The radio station reported that police had tried to break up the evening demonstration by local members of the UDPS, the Central African country's main opposition party, led by newly returned exile Etienne Tshisekedi. Elections were scheduled for November but the electoral commission said last month that Congo's voter registry will not even be complete until July 2017. Kabila's opponents accuse him of stalling the vote to cling to power, though his supporters deny the charge. However, donors and Western powers have pressured Kabila not to remain in power beyond when his mandate runs out on Dec. 19. Lubumbashi lies in the heart of the copper belt of Africa's leading exporter of the yellow metal. Kabila won disputed elections in 2006 and 2011 after succeeding his assassinated father, Laurent, in 2001. The constitution limits him to two elected terms, but the country's highest court has ruled he can remain in power until the election takes place, even if that falls beyond the end of his mandate in December. If he does so, however, many analysts fear it could push Congo to the brink of another civil war, like the one that killed millions of people and sucked in half a dozen countries in the region between 1996-2003. Dozens were killed in January 2015 in protests over a proposed revision of the electoral law. (Reporting by Tim Cocks, editing by G Crosse)
London (AFP) - The world's tallest moving observation tower, designed to withstand even the strongest gale force winds, was brought to a standstill when visitors rushed to get a drink at the bar, UK reports said.

The i360, a 162-metre (530-foot) high steel tower ringed by a doughnut-shaped glass observation pod which glides up and down several times a day, became unbalanced during the rush, newspapers said.

The tower, which opened last month on the historic seafront in the southern English tourist resort of Brighton, tripped into its safety mode during a private party last week when sensors detected the load shift.

"It was people moving from the north side to the seaward side because that's where the bar is," its architect David Marks told Brighton newspaper The Argus.

Some 200 passengers were stuck in the air for around two hours.

The attraction "is designed to allow people to move from one side to another but what we discovered was that the settings being measured had too tight a tolerance."

The design is meant to be a 21st-century take on the Victorian pleasure piers that characterise British seaside towns: this time, a vertical pier in the sky.

It is hoped that the attraction will further boost tourism in Brighton, a gem of 1700s and 1800s architectural grandeur.

Designed by Marks and his wife Julia Barfield, the tower is the sequel to their London Eye observation wheel, which opened in the British capital in 2000 and is one of its most popular visitor attractions.

The tower cost 46 million ($60 million, 54 million euros) to build. From the top, visitors can see for 26 miles (42 kilometres) along the coast and out over the English Channel.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday that U.S.-led coalition planes had bombed Syrian troops fighting Islamic State militants near the airport in Deir al-Zor, killing 62 soldiers and wounding about 100 more. If the strikes were a targeting error, the ministry said the bombings were evidence of Washington's refusal to consult Russia over its military action in Syria. Russia has bitterly complained about what it says is a U.S. reluctance to abide by the terms of a shaky ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Washington which it says made provision for joint targeting of Islamic State and other militant groups. "If this air strike was the result of a targeting error, it is a direct consequence of the U.S. side's stubborn unwillingness to coordinate its action against terrorist groups on Syrian territory with Russia," the defense ministry said in a statement. It said that Islamic State militants had immediately gone on the offensive after the strikes and that a fierce battle between them and the Syrian army was now under way in the area, where it said local residents had previously been receiving humanitarian aid by parachute over an extended period. The ministry said the strikes had been carried out between 1700 and 1750 local time by two F-16s and two A-10s, which had entered Syrian air space from the direction of Iraq. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Louise Ireland and Dominic Evans)
Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - A convoy delivering aid to Syrians in Aleppo province was hit by a deadly air strike hours after the Syrian military declared an end to a week-long ceasefire, with an outraged UN warning it could amount to a war crime.

The UN said at least 18 trucks in the 31-vehicle convoy were destroyed late Monday en route to deliver humanitarian assistance to the hard-to-reach town of Orum al-Kubra.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 12 Red Crescent volunteers and drivers had died in the strike while UN aid chief Stephen O'Brian said initial reports indicated "many people" were killed or seriously wounded.

"Let me be clear: if this callous attack is found to be a deliberate targeting of humanitarians, it would amount to a war crime," O'Brian said.

The Observatory was unable to confirm if the planes responsible were Syrian or Russian.

The UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent humanitarian mission had sought to take advantage of the ceasefire, which collapsed on Monday night as shells and bombs rained down on Aleppo city and the surrounding province.

The Observatory said a total of 36 people had died in the violence across the battleground region. An AFP correspondent inside Aleppo city reported almost non-stop bombardment and constant sirens.

Syria's military announced the end to the truce earlier Monday, accusing rebels of more than 300 violations and failing to "commit to a single element" of the US-Russia deal.

The ceasefire, which came into force on September 12, saw an initial drop in fighting but violence began to escalate late last week and the deal came under severe strain over the weekend.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had warned that the truce could be the "last chance" to save the country.

- Aid under attack -

The attack on the convoy is likely to provoke anger at the UN General Assembly in New York, with the delivery of aid to desperate Syrian civilians in rebel-held areas stressed as a key condition of the deal by Washington.

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The US, Russia and other key players are set to gather there on Tuesday for talks aimed at ending the five-year conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced millions.

"Our outrage at this attack is enormous," the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, told reporters.

"The convoy was the outcome of a long process of permission and preparations to assist isolated civilians."

The United States said it was outraged at the attack and stressed that the destination of the convoy was known to the Syrian regime and its ally, Russia.

Aid distribution to Syrian civilians caught up in the conflict had already faced severe difficulties.

The UN held back deliveries destined for Aleppo city because it was unable to obtain security guarantees.

Jan Egeland, head of the UN humanitarian task force for Syria, said the convoy was bombed despite aid agencies coordinating their movements with all sides on the ground.

A Syrian Arab Red Crescent warehouse was also hit, a UN spokesman said.

- 'Pointless' ceasefire -

Inside Aleppo, residents in rebel-held areas hunkered down after the end of the ceasefire which had brought only temporary relief to the population of up to 275,000 people trapped there.

Sirens wailed as ambulances zipped through the eastern half of the divided city, an AFP correspondent reported.

The Observatory said that military planes had carried out more than 40 strikes since the Syrian army announced the end of the truce.

Chief US diplomat Kerry will try to speak to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York before Tuesday's meeting of the International Syria Support Group but statements from Syrian and Russian military officials on the ground appeared to bury the deal.

"Considering that the conditions of the ceasefire are not being respected by the rebels, we consider it pointless for the Syrian government forces to respect it unilaterally," said Russian Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoy.

The ceasefire deal had three key components: fighting between government and rebel forces across Syria would halt, although strikes on Islamic State and other jihadists could continue.

Humanitarian aid would reach desperate civilians, particularly in devastated eastern Aleppo.

And if the ceasefire held, the US was to have set up a joint military cell with Russia to target jihadists.

It came under massive strain on Saturday when a US-led coalition strike hit a Syrian army post near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, where government forces are battling the Islamic State jihadist group.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday blasted the air strikes, which he said showed world powers supported "terrorist organisations" like IS.

His adviser Buthaina Shaaban went further, telling AFP that Damascus believed the raid which killed at least 62 Syrian soldiers had been intentional.

The bloodiest day for civilians was Sunday, when a barrel bomb attack killed 10 in a southern rebel-held town and one woman died in the first raids on Aleppo since the truce started.
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday that a U.N. Security Council endorsement of a Syria ceasefire deal between Moscow and Washington appeared unlikely because the United States does not want to share the documents detailing the agreement with the 15-member body. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power had been due to brief the council behind closed-doors on Friday but that was canceled at the last minute. "The main problem ... which in my mind makes it impossible to produce any resolution, is that they are refusing to give those documents to members of the Security Council or even to read those documents to the members of the Security Council," Churkin told reporters. "We believe that we cannot ask them (council members) to support documents which they haven't seen," said Churkin, suggesting there was lack of unity in U.S. President Barack Obama's administration toward the agreement. The U.S. mission to the United Nations said it could not agree with Russia on a way to brief the council that would "not compromise the operational security of the arrangement." "Right now we are focused on the implementation of the agreement brokered by Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov, particularly the urgent need for humanitarian aid to reach Syrians in need," a U.S. spokesperson said in a statement. The deal reached on Saturday aims to put Syria's peace process back on track. It includes a nationwide truce that started at sundown on Monday, improved humanitarian aid access and joint military targeting of banned Islamist groups. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reached agreement on five documents, which they said would not be publicly released. However, France on Thursday called on the United States to share details of the deal. Churkin said Russia has given two drafts of a possible Security Council resolution to the United States. He said on Thursday that Moscow hoped a resolution could be adopted next week during the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders. "They, in their typical way, came up with a completely different thing, which is trying to interpret and reinterpret the agreement," Churkin said, referring to U.S. officials. A Security Council endorsement would add political weight to the deal, but would have no implications on the ground. The United States and Russia said on Friday they wanted to extend the four-day-old ceasefire in Syria that they have co-sponsored, although the agreement looked increasingly shaky, undermined by increasing violence and a failure to deliver aid. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Will Dunham)
By Lisa Barrington and Osman Orsal BEIRUT/CILVEGOZU, Turkey (Reuters) - The United States and Russia said on Friday they wanted to extend the four-day-old ceasefire in Syria they have co-sponsored, although the agreement looked increasingly shaky, undermined by increasing violence and a failure to deliver aid. The second attempt this year by the Cold War-era superpower foes to halt the conflict has succeeded so far in curbing the fighting, but it remains a risky gamble in a war that has made a mockery of all previous peace efforts. Washington and Moscow, which support opposite sides in the war between President Bashar al-Assad and insurgents, have agreed to share targeting information against jihadist fighters that are their common enemies, if the truce holds. Although the details of the pact remain secret, that could see them wage war on the same side for the first time since World War 2. But such unprecedented cooperation would come at a time of deep mistrust between the two countries, whose relations are at their worst for decades. Russia said on Friday that U.N. Security Council endorsement of the ceasefire, which Moscow hoped would occur next week during an annual U.N. meeting of world leaders, appeared unlikely because the United States did not want to share documents detailing the agreement with the 15-member body. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power had been due to give a closed-door briefing to the council on Friday but it was canceled at the last minute. Churkin, speaking to reporters, suggested there was lack of unity in the U.S. administration toward the agreement. A Security Council endorsement would add political weight to the deal, but would have no implications on the ground. The ceasefire has been reluctantly accepted by rebels who call it skewed in favor of Assad but say they have no choice because of the desperate humanitarian condition of civilians in besieged areas. Assad's government, which holds its strongest position on the battlefield since the early days of the war, is also in no hurry to compromise. Moscow, which holds the key to delivering the cooperation of its ally Assad, said it was ready to extend the truce by 72 hours and called on Washington to press rebels to abide by it. Washington said it agreed that an extension was important, but also voiced alarm over the failure of aid to arrive. Secretary of State John Kerry, who personally hammered out the agreement despite scepticism among some U.S. administration colleagues, told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Washington would not start the agreed joint targeting of militants until aid arrives. CLASHES SPREAD The main dispute of the truce so far is over aid to Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, divided between rebel and government-held zones for years. Pro-government forces encircled the rebel zone this month, trapping an estimated 300,000 civilians there with no way to bring in food. The United Nations pointed the finger at the government for holding up aid by denying letters guaranteeing access. "In order to actually initiate the actual movement of these convoys we need the facilitation letters. They have not come," U.N. humanitarian affairs spokesman Jens Laerke said in Geneva. "It's highly frustrating." After three days which saw a marked decrease in violence and no deaths, the first civilians since the start of the truce were killed on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body. Three more died and 13 were injured in air strikes in rebel-held Idlib province on Friday, the Observatory said. Clashes hit areas east of Damascus on Friday. Residents in the city center were woken up by a large explosion, a witness said, and shells fell near its eastern limits. The Britain-based Observatory said the violence stemmed from clashes between rebels and government forces in the Jobar district on Damascus's eastern outskirts. Each side said the other had attacked first. Both sides accuse each other of failing to withdraw from Aleppo's Castello Road, the main route into the rebel-held area, which would be used to bring aid. Moscow said on Friday the Syrian army had withdrawn from the road but returned its troops there after they came under fire from rebels. Insurgent groups in Aleppo said they had seen no such withdrawal from the government side, and would not pull back from their own positions until it did so. "The regime has not withdrawn from the area," Zakaria Malahifji of the Aleppo-based Fastaqim rebel group told Reuters. Two aid convoys destined for Aleppo were still stuck on the Turkish border after several days while the sides argued over how the supplies were to be delivered. The trucks contain flour for more than 150,000 people and food rations for 35,000 people for a month, a U.N. spokesman said. "OUT OF CONTROL" Moscow is still talking up the agreement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call: "In general, we can still state that the process is moving forward, despite some setbacks." But a Russian defense ministry official said the situation in Syria "could get out of control" unless Washington forced the rebels to comply with the ceasefire. Outside the scope of the truce, the United States is leading an international bombing campaign against Islamic State fighters who control territory in both Syria and neighboring Iraq. The Pentagon said on Friday that the coalition had killed a senior Islamic State leader, Wa'il Salman al-Fayad, in an air strike last week near the group's de facto Syrian capital, Raqqa. Assad appears as uncompromising as ever. He vowed again this week to win back the entire country, which has been splintered into areas controlled by the state, a constellation of rebel factions, Islamic State jihadists and Kurdish militia fighters. A Western diplomat told Reuters the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons would issue a report next week to the Security Council blaming Syrian army units for attacks using chlorine gas. East of Aleppo, a small number of U.S. military personnel entered the rebel-held town of al-Rai near the Turkish border as part of operations to coordinate air strikes against Islamic State, a senior rebel source said. The Americans were forced to leave the area after Turkish-backed rebels protested against their presence, the source said. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial reports appeared to confirm the incident involving a small group of U.S. forces. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident, but it acknowledged that U.S. special operations forces are accompanying Turkish and Syrian opposition forces battling Islamic State in and around the area of the Syrian border near Jarabulus and al-Rai. (Additional reporting by Ellen Francis and John Davison in Beirut, Tom Miles in Geneva, Dmitry Solovyov in Moscow, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Yeganeh Torbati in Washington, Michelle Nicols at the United Nations and Anthony Deutsch in The Hague; Writing by John Davison, Peter Graff and Cynthia Osterman; Editing by James Dalgleish and Andrew Hay)
Moscow (AFP) - Russians on Sunday cast their votes in parliamentary elections set to see parties loyal to President Vladimir Putin stay firmly in charge despite the lengthiest economic crisis of his rule.

The nationwide election follows a tumultuous few years that have seen the country seize the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine, plunge into its worst standoff with the West since the Cold War and start a military operation in Syria.

But the Kremlin exerts near-total control and, after a campaign dubbed the most boring in recent memory, a trouble-free victory for ruling United Russia would help smooth the way for Putin to claim a fourth term as president in 2018.

"I knew who to vote for. Surely you must be aware," Putin quipped to journalists after casting his vote in Moscow, Russian agencies reported.

Looming large is the spectre of mass protests over vote rigging that followed the last legislative polls five years ago and grew into the biggest challenge to Putin since he took charge in 2000.

This time round there appears little chance of repeat demonstrations as the authorities have cracked down on the right to protest while making a show of cleaning up the vote.

The former scandal-tainted election chief has been turfed out in favour of a human rights advocate who has allowed more genuine opposition candidates to take part.

But they face little chance as critics insist the Kremlin's media dominance means the vote can never be fair and instead -- with the 450-member State Duma viewed as a rubber-stamp body that slavishly toes the Kremlin's line -- apathy is widespread.

"The elections are absolutely predictable," Dmitry Pribytkov, 47, told AFP after voting in the second-largest city of Saint Petersburg.

"But this is my country and I have to express my opinion."

- 'Cruise voting' -

Nationwide nearly 39.37 percent of voters had visited the polling stations by 1800 Moscow time (1500GMT), thanks to extremely high turnout in some regions like Chechnya, where it surpassed 80 percent.

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Officials said that as of 1700 Moscow time (1400 GMT) only some 20 percent of people had voted in the capital and 16 percent in Saint Petersburg.

Despite the authorities pledging to crack down on vote-rigging, observers and opposition candidates from around the country posted claims of possible violations including "cruise-voting" -- where people are bussed to vote at multiple polling stations -- and ballot stuffing.

Electoral commission head Ella Pamfilova dismissed claims of widespread fraud and the interior ministry said the number of reported violations has halved since 2011.

Although the country is suffering its longest recession of Putin's rule due to low oil prices and Western sanctions over Ukraine the Kremlin strongman boasts an approval rating of around 80 percent.

While United Russia had slipped in the polls ahead of the vote it still looks set to scoop the largest chunk of the vote ahead of other parties loyal to the Kremlin like the Communists and ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party.

A change to the electoral system that means half of the deputies are now chosen on a constituency basis also looks set to bolster the pro-Kremlin parties as they can use state resources to bolster their campaigns.

Polling stations were due to close in Russia's western-most European exclave of Kaliningrad at 1800 GMT and exit polls are expected shortly afterwards.

- Crimea vote -

For the first time since Moscow seized the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014 residents there voted for Russia's parliament. Ukraine has slammed the poll as illegal.

While leaders from the region's Crimean Tatar minority -- which largely opposed Moscow's takeover -- have said they are boycotting the vote, others said they were proud to take part.

"I went to vote, and all my relatives and neighbours are going," said pensioner Valentina. "We are for Russia."

Voters in some areas of the vast country are also electing regional leaders.

In the North Caucasus region of Chechnya strongman Ramzan Kadyrov performed a traditional dance before casting his ballot as he faces the first electoral test of his iron-fisted rule.

Ahead of the vote, rights groups said that all criticism of Kremlin stalwart Kadyrov had been ruthlessly crushed.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The ceasefire established in Syria has been violated 199 times since it came into force five days ago, a Russian defense ministry official was quoted as saying on Saturday. "The United States and so-called moderate (rebel) groups under their control did not implement any of the obligations taken under the Geneva agreements," Russian news agencies quoted Lieutenant-General Viktor Poznikhir as saying. "If the United States does not take steps needed to fulfill its obligations under the Sept. 9 agreement, then all the responsibility for any collapse of the ceasefire in Syria would lie with the United States," he added. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Gareth Jones)
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Defense Ministry said on Friday that the Syrian army had withdrawn arms from the Castello Road near the city of Aleppo, while Syrian opposition forces backed by the United States had not done the same, Russian news agencies reported. The Syrian opposition violated the ceasefire 39 times in the last 24 hours, the agencies quoted the ministry as saying. (Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Christian Lowe)
samsung-note-7.jpg

Samsung

Is the 1984 Stephen King adaptation Firestarter your favorite movie? Well, even if it is, the time has come for you to cut bait on your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and take that thing back to the store.

The batteries in these brand new devices are serious fire hazards, with one apparently resulting in a car fire and another starting a blaze that led to a house being condemned. Given the amount of reports swirling around these phones blowing up, its no wonder that now comes word that a lawsuit has been filed in Florida after a man claimed his Galaxy Note 7 blew up in his pocket, causing second-degree burns on his leg and thumb.

Samsung issued a recall on roughly a million Galaxy Note 7s earlier this week but this particular incident occurred a week beforehand. Per Reuters, Jonathan Strobel of Boca Raton, is seeking unspecified damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other alleged injuries.

Unfortunately for my client the recall came too late, Strobels lawyer said.

A spokeswoman for Samsung wouldnt comment on the pending suit, according to Reuters, but did say, We are urging all Note 7 owners to power their device down and exchange it immediately.

The recall seems to be taking a while to truly take effect. According to The Verge, just about 130,000 units sold in the U.S.  less than 15 percent  have been returned to Samsung.

(Via Reuters)
Ethan Hawke took center stage at the San Sebastian International Film Festival on Saturday, picking up the Donostia Award for lifetime achievement at a special screening of his latest film, The Magnificent Seven.

"For me, cinema is the church of my choice and festivals like this are holy institutions. Film festivals are a barometer of collective health in our culture," the actor said as he thanked the festival before a packed theater at the Kursaal center.

Read more: San Sebastian Festival Preview: Why Organizers Say It's Stronger Than Ever

Earlier in the day, Hawke fielded questions that found him talking about Donald Trump, diversity, Denzel Washington and how he envisions the rest of his career.

When asked about the message of Antoine Fuqua's remake of the Western classic and whether he thought the Republican presidential candidate would like it, Hawke responded: "I bet Donald Trump would like it. But he might not realize that what the film is actually about is a group of people getting together to defeat him."

The actor also emphasized the subtlety and efficiency of the Magnificent Seven remake.

"I think one of the best ways to speak about diversity is to make a movie with a bunch of people from different cultures and make something beautiful," Hawke said, mentioning co-stars Washington, Vincent D'Onofrio and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. "It's great the movie doesn't talk about race, just shows it. Like any good genre movie, it doesn't speak directly about the subtext."

The actor repeatedly applauded Fuqua's decision to understate the theme of diversity and let the scenes speak for themselves. "If Clint Eastwood walks into a room and everyone stops, it's because he's a gunslinger," said Hawke. "If Denzel walks into a room and everyone stops, you don't know why."

Read more: San Sebastian Festival Preview: Why Organizers Say It's Stronger Than Ever

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Hawke praised Washington as one of the "very few great movie stars who are great artists" and who has done it "even with the albatross of race being thrown at him, which I'm sure gets very boring."

Hawke also hinted at his urge to get into the director's chair, saying he is increasingly drawn to the art of acting and "being different people, playing different roles," but that he "would be lying if I didn't say that I hope the next time I come back to San Sebastian is with a film I directed."

The actor spoke of his graphic novel Indeh, about the Apache leader Geronimo, and said he'd love to play the "background character" in a movie about the Cherokee, starring a Native American.

Hawke wrapped the press conference when asked what the cover of the graphic novel of his life would look like.

"I hope it would be me playing my greatest role as King Lear at 97," he said. "That's what I hope. Big grey hair and covered in wrinkles. God, no!"

Read more: 'The Magnificent Seven': Film Review | TIFF 2016

San Sebastian Festival (photo credit: Pamela Rolfe)
Shailene Woodley is staging a protest at film festivals and its pretty badass

Shailene Woodley is staging a protest at film festivals and its pretty badass

In addition to being a badass actress (We are still crying residual tears from our Fault in Our Stars viewing experience), Shailene Woodley is also a badass activist.

Whether shes speaking up about sex ed in schools, pushing for the world to live more sustainably, or caravaning across the U.S. to campaign for her political candidate of choice, Woodley is always primed to stand up for what she believes in.

divergent

Now shes using her star power to stand against the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would move crude oil from North Dakota down to the Gulf of Mexico. The Department of Justice recently ordered a halt of the construction of the pipeline so that they could take a closer look at the environmental impact.

Woodley, a staunch and vocal opponent of the pipeline, had been a little busy this week with the premieres of her new movie Snowden at the Toronto International Film Festival and in New York, but she hasnt let the glamour of the red carpet get in the way of a good old fashioned protest. In fact, as Brit + Co reports, Woodley has been protesting in both Toronto and New York, and documenting her activism on social media.

From NY to ND, we as sisters stand together to protect clean water, she says in the caption of the Instagram of her New York protest. Let us bridge these divides. Let us see beyond the illusions in front of us. Let us create a world for our children that promises them rivers to swim in, oceans to explore, and lakes to float upon.

Heres to Shailene, a lady that never lets her Hollywood day job get in the way of standing up for what she believes in.

The post Shailene Woodley is staging a protest at film festivals and its pretty badass appeared first on HelloGiggles.
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc. ("ARA" or the "Company") (ARA). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares 1) pursuant and/or traceable to the Initial Public Offering ("IPO") on or about April 21, 2016; and/or 2) on the open market between April 21, 2016 and August 18, 2016 (the "Class Period"), should contact the Firm in advance of the October 31, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased shares of ARA during the Class Period, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esquire, of Khang & Khang, 18101 Von Karman Avenue, 3rd Floor, Irvine, CA 92612, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

There has been no class certification in this case yet. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, ARA issued false and misleading statements to investors and/or failed to disclose that: the Company was engaged in a fraudulent scheme to steer patients away from Medicare and Medicaid plans they qualified for, into more expensive Affordable Care Act plans to obtain greater reimbursement for its dialysis services; the scheme was in violation of federal and state laws; and as a result of the above, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When this information was disclosed, shares of ARA dropped in value, causing investors harm.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, or if you have any questions concerning this notice or your rights, please contact Joon M. Khang, a prominent litigator for almost two decades, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions.

Contacts

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2016 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Concordia International Corp. ("Concordia" or the "Company") (CXRX) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of New York, and docketed under 16-cv-06749, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Concordia securities between November 12, 2015 and August 12, 2016 inclusive (the "Class Period"). This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

If you are a shareholder who purchased Concordia securities during the Class Period, you have until October 14, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

Concordia is a specialty pharmaceutical company that purportedly owns a portfolio of branded and generic prescription products which are sold to wholesalers, hospitals and pharmacies in over 100 countries.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company was experiencing a substantial increase in market competition against the Company's drug, Donnatal, and other products; (ii) consequently, the Company's financial results would suffer and the Company would be forced to suspend its dividend; and (iii) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' statements about Concordia's business, operations, and prospects were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

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On August 12, 2016, Concordia issued a press release announcing that it was lowering its 2016 guidance "to reflect the impact of unexpected competition on several products in our North America segment, and current foreign currency exchange rates." The Company also announced that Adrian de Saldanha, Concordia's Chief Financial Officer, was leaving the Company, and that Concordia's Board unanimously agreed to suspend the Company's $0.075 quarterly dividend.

On this news, Concordia' stock price fell $6.33 per share, or 38%, to close at $10.03 per share on August 12, 2016, on unusually heavy trading volume.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2016 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Power Solutions International, Inc. ("PSI" or the "Company") (PSIX) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, and docketed under 16-cv-08253, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired PSI securities between May 8, 2015 and August 15, 2016 both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

If you are a shareholder who purchased PSI securities during the Class Period, you have until October 21, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

PSI designs, manufactures, distributes, and supports power systems and custom engineered integrated electrical power generation systems for industrial original equipment manufacturers of off-highway industrial equipment and on-road medium trucks and buses. The Company sells its products and services primarily in North America, as well as in the Pacific Rim and Europe.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company inappropriately recognized revenue for certain transactions; (ii) the Company lacked adequate internal controls over financial reporting; and (iii) as a result of the foregoing, PSI's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

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On August 15, 2016, after the market closed, the Company issued a press release and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), announcing that the Company needed additional time to file its quarterly report for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 with the SEC.

On this news, PSI's share price fell $1.52 per share, or 9.85%, to close at $13.91 on August 16, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
A shooter took police in Phildelphia on a wild chase through the streets that left six people shot, including one woman who was fatally injured in the Friday rampage.

The as yet unnamed shooter reportedly set out to harm police officers specifically as he ran through the streets and opened fire on both law enforcement officials and random citizens who had the misfortune to cross his path.

The suspect managed to shoot two officers before police cornered him in a West Philadelphia alley, where he was fatally shot.

Read: Meet Troop Cat Ed, Police Department's Latest Recruit Often Caught Snoozing on the Job

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said at a press conference that authorities discovered a rambling note on the suspect's person that detailed his hatred of police and named a specific parole officer as a target.

"Clearly, we have a lot of unasnwered questions," Ross said. "This is a completely bizarre situation."

Bizarre because the shooter first seemed to target police before he suddenly targetted victims at random and at one point even used a woman as a human shield from gunfire.

Ross said the suspect first approached the police cruiser belonging to Sergeant Sylvia Young around 11:20 p.m. He opened fire and authorities believe Young was struck in her ballistic vest as well as multiple times in the arm.

Officers in the area heard the gunfire, which started their pursuit.

As he fled, the gunman shot into the open door of a bar, Ross said, striking a security guard. As a woman left or fled that same bar, the suspect grabbed a woman and proceeded to use her as a human shield.

The gunman then shot the woman in the leg, Ross said.

Read: Mom Arrested in Connection to Deaths of Twin Sons, 2, Killed in Fire While Home Alone: Officials

As the rampage continued, Ross said the shooter came across a white car "that had nothing to do with him" and opened fire on its occupants.

A man and woman were hit in the chest and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The woman has since died.

Story continues

The chase then continued into an alley, where a University of Pennsylvania officer engaged with the suspect. That officer, former City of Philadelphia police sergeant Eddie Miller, was shot before the suspect was shot and killed by police.

Both Miller and Young were up and talking Saturday morning.

Watch: Widow of Ambushed Baton Rouge Cop Reveals She's Pregnant: 'It's All God's Plan'

Related Articles:
Mall landlords Simon Property Group SPG and General Growth Properties GGP together with brand development company Authentic Brands Group (ABG) announced that the acquisition of the apparel and accessories brand, Aeropostale, has been finalized. This is a landmark move in the history of the retail real estate market. It marks the takeover of a troubled retailer by its landlords, saving thousands of jobs.



The brand will be available in more than 700 retail doors globally. Specifically, over 400 stores in the U.S. and Canada, along with around 300 doors across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia will continue to offer the brand.



Moreover, there are solid scopes of growth for this brand in the long term. This is because, in addition to the expertise of the retail landlords, the brand would benefit from ABGs proven proficiency in brand building and licensing.

SIMON PROPERTY Price

SIMON PROPERTY Price | SIMON PROPERTY Quote

Also, according to the CEO of General Growth Properties, Aeropostale has significant brand equity and the go-forward portfolio of stores generates more than $1 billion in global retail sales, over $800 million of which is from the U.S. This is encouraging for the retail landlords and builds up expectation for solid top-line contribution from the acquired entity.

GENL GRWTH PPTY Price

GENL GRWTH PPTY Price | GENL GRWTH PPTY Quote

The U.S. retail real estate market has been plagued with issues like downsizing and bankruptcies of retailers in recent years. This is because mall traffic continues to suffer amid rapid shift in customers shopping preferences and patterns with online purchases growing by leaps and bounds. These have made the retailers reconsider their footprint and eventually opt for store closures in recent times. (Read: Retail REITs Dip on Macy's Store Closure Announcement).



Aeropostale, too, struggled with cutthroat competition in the retail market and increasing rivalry from online channels and filed for bankruptcy in May this year. Amid this, this latest move marks a noble way for the mall landlords to retain the top-performing malls and avoid bulk store closures resulting from any liquidation move.



Currently, both Simon Property and General Growth carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock in the REIT industry is InfraREIT, Inc. HIFR, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Also, investors can consider another stock  American Assets Trust, Inc. AAT  that has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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By Tyler Behm

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - The mayor of Columbus, Ohio, said on Friday that the air pistol brandished at police by a black, 13-year-old boy as he was shot dead by a white officer this week was nearly indistinguishable from weapons carried by members of the city's police force.

Mayor Andrew Ginther appeared with Police Chief Kim Jacobs for a tense community meeting of more than 200 people, most of them African-American, who were invited to ask questions of city officials at the church gathering for just over an hour.

But Ginther and Jacobs, who are both white, along with the city's public safety director, Ned Pettus, who is black, had few new details to offer about circumstances leading to the fatal shooting on Wednesday of Tyre King.

The officials appealed for patience on the part of the public while investigations of the incident continue.

"Everyone here is emotional. We're all hurting," Pastor Jason Ridley of the Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church, who hosted the gathering, said of the crowd's mood, which grew angry as officials concluded the session after about 30 questions, leaving many others wanting to speak.

"So we don't get a voice?" one woman shouted, drawing applause and jeers before she was removed by security officers.

According to a police account of the shooting, officer Bryan Mason, a nine-year veteran of the force, shot King multiple times after the youth drew what appeared to be a handgun from his waistband during an encounter with police in an alley.

It was later determined to be an air pistol that fires BBs - small, metal, ball-bearing-like pellets, not bullets.

But according to Ginther, the BB gun looks "almost identical" to the 9-milimeter Glock semi-automatic handguns carried by Columbus police officers.

The mayor said police in the Ohio state capital, who have no video footage of the fatal shooting, are expected to begin equipping their officers with body cameras early next year, a step other big-city departments have implemented to provide "additional oversight and accountability."

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Police who confronted the boy were responding to reports of an armed robbery by a man who told officers that a group of males had demanded money and threatened him with a gun. King was one of three young suspects police had sought to apprehend, according to authorities.

King's family members have said in a statement released by their lawyers that the version of events related by Mason, a nine-year veteran of the police who has been placed on leave, conflicted with accounts of witnesses.

King's death comes nearly two years after the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was black, by a white Cleveland police officer responding to reports of a suspect with a gun in a city park. An investigation revealed Rice had a replica gun that shoots plastic pellets.

Rice's death became a rallying point for the Black Lives Matter movement and was one of a number of deaths that led to nationwide demonstrations against the use of excessive force against minorities, especially young black men, by police.

Columbus has remained calm since King's death. Family and friends held a prayer vigil on Thursday near where the boy was shot.

(Additional reporting by Kim Palmer in Cleveland, Laila Kearney in New York; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Record signing Islam Slimani enjoyed a dream Premier League debut for Leicester City as the champions defeated Burnley 3-0 at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

The 28 million pounds ($36.4 million, 32.6 million euros) signing from Sporting Lisbon scored headers either side of half-time before Ben Mee's own goal completed a comprehensive win.

It set the seal on a fine week for Claudio Ranieri's Leicester after they won by the same scoreline on their Champions League debut at Belgian side Club Brugge on Wednesday.

Algeria international Slimani began the process of repaying his transfer fee with two examples of the kind of goal with which he made his name in Portugal.

There was an early chance for him to impress when he picked up possession on the edge of the area with a chance to test Tom Heaton in the Burnley goal.

But he chose to feed Marc Albrighton to his left and the winger's weak shot was straight at Heaton.

Burnley soon found their feet with some dangerous play down the left, George Boyd delivering an inviting cross to the back post from the left.

Close-season signing Ron-Robert Zieler started in goal for Leicester after Kasper Schmeichel was diagnosed with concussion.

The home side were generally on top in the early stages and they could have opened the scoring when Christian Fuchs delivered a teasing cross from the left onto the head of Jamie Vardy.

The striker sent a glancing header just wide of Heaton's goal.

After a cagey spell in which both teams struggled for cohesion, Riyad Mahrez almost gave Leicester a stylish lead.

England's reigning Player of the Year raced from halfway and rode two strong challenges from Burnley defenders before advancing into the penalty area and hitting a low shot that Heaton saved with his legs.

- Defour goes close -

With half-time approaching, both teams had glorious chances to open the scoring.

The first fell to Burnley as Boyd's cross was headed back to the edge of the six-yard box by Scott Arfield, but Steven Defour headed straight at Zieler.

Story continues

Then, at the other end, Fuchs's superb cross found the head of Mahrez, who failed to find the required deftness with his touch and sent his effort wide of the near post.

There was a further chance for Slimani after a neat lay-off by Vardy, but his attempt lacked power and Heaton made an easy save.

Moments later, he just failed to make contact with an Albrighton cross.

But Slimani finally took his chance in first-half stoppage-time as he rose purposefully to outjump Burnley's defenders and power home a header from a Fuchs free-kick.

Just three minutes into the second period the striker added to his and the Foxes' joy with a second headed goal of the afternoon.

A right-wing cross by Mahrez clipped the feet of both defender Mee and Vardy before sitting up invitingly for Slimani to nod home.

Slimani was hoping for a hat-trick opportunity when Vardy delivered a cross from the left, but the ball flew over the Algerian's head.

Heaton then saw a Mahrez effort from 20 yards dip just over his crossbar before turning a powerful drive by Fuchs around the post.

But the third Leicester goal arrived with 12 minutes to go when Mahrez produced more trickery and crossed towards Vardy, only for Mee to divert the ball into his own net.

There was still time for Zieler to mark his first Premier League start with a fine save to keep out a deflected free-kick from Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
By Tatiana Jancarikova and Jason Hovet BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Ukraine is doing less than Russia to meet its obligations under the Minsk peace plan, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday, stepping up calls for the European Union to end sanctions against Moscow. Fico said sanctions have been ineffective while harming European Union and member Slovakia's economic interests. But added he would respect EU solidarity on the issue. "When speaking about the implementation of the Minsk agreement, it needs to be said clearly that both parties are violating it. Actually, if we were to do an inventory of how Ukraine is meeting it, you would have to say Ukraine is meeting it even less than Russia," Fico told Reuters in an interview. "With the Minsk agreement (to bring peace in Ukraine), it is necessary to take stock. It is not true that Ukraine is the good guy and Russia is the bad guy," he said. The EU imposed energy, financial and defense sanctions on Moscow after it annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and agreed in June to extend them until the end of January. Fico has repeatedly called for the end of the sanctions, most recently after meeting President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in August. German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a phone call on Saturday to do his part in implementing the peace plan. "The Chancellor expressed the opinion that the coming weeks must be used to take a decisive step forward," a German government spokeswoman said, adding Merkel told Poroshenko it was essential that both Russia and Ukraine demonstrated the political will to reach an agreement. Merkel said last month there was no reason to lift sanctions as Russia has not fulfilled its commitments under the Minsk agreements aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine where Kiev and the West say Russia is arming and supporting separatist rebels. Germany's Social Democrats, junior partner in Merkel's ruling coalition, have adopted a more conciliatory stance toward Moscow than her conservative bloc. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a senior SPD member, has said the EU should gradually phase out sanctions imposed against Russia over the Ukraine crisis if there is substantial progress in the peace process. But Merkel insists the sanctions can only be lifted once the peace agreement is fully implemented, not partially. Fico said on Saturday the sanctions had done nothing to change Russian policy. "Sanctions are harming the EU and Russia and they help the United States. I reject them but at the same time I won't break the unity of the EU on that," he said. Slovakia holds the rotating EU presidency until the end of this year. The central European country imports almost all its gas and oil from Russia, as well as nuclear fuel to generate two power plants. It exports cars to Russia, though these are just a fraction of its exports to the EU. Some neighboring countries have also questioned the use of sanctions on Russia. Hungary has taken a similar line as Slovakia. Czech President Milos Zeman has also repeatedly called for ending sanctions. (Additional reporting by Michael Nienaber in Berlin; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Dominic Evans)
Its lunchtime and a 37-year-old graphic designer is hungry. Oh, but not for his club sandwich  hes hungry for love. So, like single people the world over, he picks up his iPhone. But hes not about to swipe right or left  a la Tinder  on a couple of hundred comely strangers. Waiting in his phone is exactly one eligible bachelorette. How  civilized.

Were not in the Big Apple, San Francisco, Austin or Chicago. Our lonely graphic designer is dating in Bangkok  the Big Mango. In this corner of the world, courtship has a particular set of rules. Hint: no hookups.

In Southeast Asia, the dating scene is swinging. And so is mobile data use, which is expected to grow more than eightfold from 2013 to 2019. Right now only a smattering of companies are targeting Southeast Asias dating pool, which will reach 420 million by 2025. Compare that with the 2,500 dating companies squabbling over the 124.6 million single adults in the United States. Conservative mobile dating apps like Noonswoon in Thailand, Paktor in Singapore, Mat & Minah in Malaysia and Peekawoo in the Philippines are swooping in to serve the regions signature style of romance  for one thing, its customary for women to play hard to get for years  and to offer customized versions for the Muslim and Buddhist heartlands of Southeast Asia. Savvy to Southeast Asian cultural norms, the developers say they emphasize commitment over flings and are striving to make mobile dating culturally appropriate, with features like group dates, arranged chaperones, Muslim meet-ups and one-match-a-day platforms.

This slew of conservative dating apps could be the remedy for todays aggressive hookup culture and the so-called dating apocalypse.

One group of app makers (Mat & Minah keeps mum on its investor dollars) has raised $13 million in seed funding and already has tens of thousands of registered users since launching a few years ago. And while in-app advertisements and paid premium services help keep these startups afloat, they all aspire to one day become the leading matchmakers in Asia.

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According to Noonswoon CEO Kavin Mickey Asavanant, this slew of conservative dating apps could be the remedy for todays aggressive hookup culture and the so-called dating apocalypse that more serious daters in Southeast Asia abhor. Top-dog dating apps in the market, like Tinder, arent quite fit for the Asian culture, Asavanant explains, and common features like the swipe-to-connect method, which Tinder pioneered, dont sit well with his subscribers, who reject the aggressive and too-forward approach. This is not how you do things in this part of the world, he adds. (Mat & Minah and Peekawoo did not respond to OZYs requests for comment.)

Moreover, the regions collectivist society is something that Paktor takes into account too, says Shn Juay, the apps regional marketing director. Its a group-oriented culture; nobody makes the first move. She explains, Its very hard for our users to write the first line or first sentence. Chalita Waenlor, who lives in Thailand, weeds out potential suitors by not only looks, but also weight, height, college degree, occupation and income. This checklist of prerequisites is an extension of greater Asias status-driven culture; for example, hyper-involved parents still tout their childrens occupations and achievements at Shanghais open-air marriage market. So while Juay says people in the West are generally more open, she adds, We Asians have stricter requirements.

Its a fascinating reminder that all technology has a human side. Most of us would readily acknowledge that one size doesnt fit all when talking about an app and two very different cultures. But we might focus on, say, the need for excellent translation or the right kind of keyboard or emojis. With dating apps, youre also talking about building in morals. Is there code for that?

Some might argue that the dating apocalypse is well under way and that romance in the age of the app is moot. Looking at the data, Tinder, with its more freewheeling nature, boasts 9 billion matches to date. Noonswoon, by comparison, has only 40,000 matches per month, and its one-match-a-day model is a near copy of Coffee Meets Bagel, a San Franciscobased dating app that recently launched in Hong Kong and Singapore. There are also Western dating apps that want to emphasize quality and meaningful relationships, instead of casual hookups, says Coffee Meets Bagel co-founder Dawoon Kang. But some single folks in Southeast Asia say homegrown apps had better understand local culture norms. And Waenlor says they should offer more offline substance to their budding online relationships too. Paktor, for example, set the Guinness World Record for the biggest speed-dating event in 2013 (with 484 singles) in Ho Chi Minh City in an effort to encourage more meaningful connections. (The new world record was set in 2014 in Canada.) Meanwhile, Tinder declined to comment on its strategy or presence in Southeast Asia, but a spokesperson did say the company is focused on improving the Tinder experience for users around the world.

As smartphones spread in emerging Southeast Asia and more work-crazed, love-starved singles come around to the idea of connecting with strangers through apps, theres not yet one poised to take the crown for Southeast Asias dating scene. As for comic lover, Mac geek Wee Viraporn, his well-crafted Noonswoon profile will remain anonymous until the girl on the other end likes him back. Apparently, this is as hot and heavy as it gets before the couple swap phone numbers.

Related Articles
said this week that it would join a group of media companies that want to stop fake news from spreading across the internet. Clearly, the social media company has a lot of work to do.

The latest example revolves around a protest over the Dakota Access pipeline, a controversial project spanning several states that some fear will endanger the environment. The Justice Department this week granted an injunction if favor of a tribal group in North Dakota that wants to stop the oil pipeline, and this week opponents got a public relations boost on Facebook.

On Thursday, Arkansas resident Tyler Eldridge posted an image suggesting the media had suppressed the scale of the protest, and urged social media users to share the photo. Heres a screenshot of what he posted on Facebook (I added the arrow):

woodstock

The photo is a fake, of course. It is not present day North Dakota, but a picture of the Woodstock music festival from 1969.

Even though the image is clearly a hoax, that hasnt stopped people from sharing it widely. As Buzzfeed noted, the story has already been shared by more than 350,000 people--meaning its likely been viewed by many tens of millions (it definitely turned up in my feed).

Get Data Sheet, Fortune's technology newsletter.

Mr. Eldgeridge, meanwhile, appears to be enjoying the prank, and decided to troll everyone a bit more by claiming the media is trying to silence him:

Why is he doing this? It doesnt really matter. The bigger issue is whether Facebook should do anything to stop this sort of viral mischief.

On one hand, you could argue people should be able to post what they want, and that Facebook users can decide whats real and whats not. But on the other, fake news is bad for public debate and for democracy since it fuels misinformation and distrust in the media.

Facebook, for its part, appears to be acknowledging this. Its decision last week to join the First Draft Coalition, a group of a media companies that want to combat fake news, came after the social network included a crackpot conspiracy article among its Trending Stories list about 9/11.

Story continues

Its unclear how far Facebooks efforts will go. After the foul-up over the 9/11 story, Facebook said it would do more to review how trending news articles are selected. This may not apply, however, to situations like the pipeline hoax since those are not technically news stories, and so would not appear in the trending section.

But Facebook should try to crack down on the likes of Mr. Eldridge all the same, especially as one of the coalitions aims is to improve news literacy in general. Some sort of hoax warning might do the trick.

Facebook did not reply to a request for comment.

See original article on Fortune.com

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One victim and a suspect were fatally shot after a chase and shootout in West Philadelphia, according to multiple reports. Two police officers and three civilians were also reportedly wounded.



The shooting started on Friday night, according to KGO-TV. Philadelphia Police Sgt. Sylvia Young was sitting in her police car when a suspect opened fire, according to Fox 29 News. She was reportedly shot up to eight times but survived.



KGO-TV also tweeted an update on the shooting, and said "a note was found from the suspect stating his hatred of police officers."





Suspect Allegedly Shoots Woman and Injures Several Police Officers After Expressing 'Hatred' Towards Cops: Reports| Crime & Courts, Shootings, True Crime, Philadelphia, Police







#Update - a note was found from the suspect stating his hatred of police officers. #WestPhilly a FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) September 17, 2016





"It's absolutely amazing that she is here [alive]," Philadelphia police commissioner Richard Ross Jr. said in a press conference held early Saturday.



Ross said the suspect then fled and shot into a bar, shooting a security guard in the leg before using a woman as a shield, according to ABC News. The suspect then shot the woman in the leg.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.



Soon after, the suspect shot at a nearby car, hitting a man and woman in the chest. Police told ABC News the woman died and man was in critical condition. Ross added that Ed Miller, a member of the police force at the University of Pennsylvania, and two police officers chased the suspect into an alley, where he was shot and killed.



The name of the suspect and the civilian victims have not yet been released. PEOPLE reached out to the police commissioner's office, but a representative could not immediately comment.
Taylor Swift is continuing her efforts to help the flood victims of Louisiana.

In August, Swift donated $1 million to Louisiana flood relief after torrential rains caused massive flooding in the state and killed at least 11 people. Now, the pop star has given another $50,000 to Ascension Public Schools for flood relief efforts.

Taylor Swift Donating $1M to Louisiana for Flood Relief

"We are overwhelmed by the generosity of those wanting to help our students. We are particularly honored that Taylor Swift is reaching out to us. Her investment in our children will have far reaching impacts as we recover from the flood," Ascension Public Schools Superintendent David Alexander said in a statement.

Thank you @taylorswift13 for your generous $50K donation to our schools' flood recovery! #2016flood #AscensionStrong https://t.co/vEa4YsiZkQ

- Ascension Schools (@APSB_official) September 16, 2016

Five of the district's 27 schools closed because of flooding, which has displaced 5,000 students, leaving more than 500 public school employees with damaged homes.

Last month, Swift told The Associated Press that Louisiana residents graciously welcomed her when she kicked off the U.S. dates of her 1989 World Tour in the state last year.

"We began The 1989 World Tour in Louisiana, and the wonderful fans there made us feel completely at home. The fact that so many people in Louisiana have been forced out of their own homes this week is heartbreaking," the 26-year-old said.
Taylor Swift just donated a ton of money to Louisiana Public Schools because shes amazing

Taylor Swift just donated a ton of money to Louisiana Public Schools because shes amazing

Taylor Swift is the princess of nice (Ellen Degeneres being the queen, obviously). While she constantly receives sweet fan gifts, she frequently returns the favor by sending gifts and flowers right back to her fans, as well as donating her time and money to people in need  all because she believes they deserve it.

Swift has once again proven to be so incredibly generous and thoughtful, and now we love her even more.

After over six trillion gallons of rain flooded Louisiana between August 8th and 14th, causing widespread disaster in the state, Swift pledged to donate $1 million to help those in need.

The Red Cross described the floods as being the worst natural disaster to hit the United States since Hurricane Sandy.

Families in Washington, Louisiana were very happy to get a visit from Red Crossers with water & supplies today. pic.twitter.com/sTBbDf92DA  Red Cross Louisiana (@LARedCross1) August 20, 2016

In a statement to the Associated Press, Swift explained her reasoning (not that she needed to).

We began the 1989 World Tour in Louisiana, and the wonderful fans there made us feel completely at home, she said. The fact that so many people in Louisiana have been forced out of their own homes this week is heartbreaking. I encourage those who can to help out and send your love and prayers their way during this devastating time.

Swift seems to be donating the money in chunks to different organizations that really need the help. She has already donated $50,000 to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and to the Salvation Army, according to People.

And most recently she donated another $50,000 to Ascension Public Schools.

We are overwhelmed by the generosity of those wanting to help our students. We are particularly honored that Taylor Swift is reaching out to us. Her investment in our children will have far reaching impacts as we recover from the flood, Ascension Public Schools Superintendent David Alexander said in a statement.

Story continues

Swift is basically an angel.

The post Taylor Swift just donated a ton of money to Louisiana Public Schools because shes amazing appeared first on HelloGiggles.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) - A Tennessee man was arrested on Friday on suspicion of threatening to kill two U.S. lawmakers from Hawaii and others during a planned November shooting spree at a federal building in Honolulu, prosecutors said.

Keahiokahouna Stewart, 36, said in a rambling and hostile e-mail to U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono that he planned to fly from Nashville to Honolulu in November and kill people at a federal building, according to a criminal complaint filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tennessee.

Senator Hirono and U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who represents Hawaii's 2nd District, have offices in the federal building and were the targets of his threats, Lawrence Anyaso, a Special Agent with the U.S. Capitol Police, said in an affidavit attached to the criminal complaint.

"Stewart has made threats to members of Congress and has threatened to attack those persons through the use of a firearm or firearms, Anyaso said.

A representative for Hirono declined to comment. A representative for Gabbard said her office was preparing a statement.

An attorney for Stewart could not immediately be identified and reached for comment. A federal public defenders office in Tennessee that would likely be handling his case did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stewart has been charged with threatening to assault or murder a member of Congress and with transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure the person or another, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors say Stewart's threats followed a series of "grievances" he wrote to various U.S. officials and agencies beginning in Nov 2013 about his social security number and requests for disability pay.

He claimed that his social security number had also been issued to a fellow soldier with whom he was stationed in Korea in 2002, prosecutors said, adding that the claims were false.

Stewart's attack plans appeared to stem from his displeasure at the responses he received from officials.

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Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and U.S. Capitol Police arrested Stewart on Friday morning without incident at his home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

He was scheduled for an initial appearance later on Friday before a U.S. magistrate judge in Nashville.

If convicted of each charge, Stewart faces as much as 15 years in prison.

(Reporting by Tim Ghianni in Nashville, Tennessee; Additional reporting and writing by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Thousands of angry demonstrators defied a curfew Saturday in Indian Kashmir to attend the funeral of a schoolboy whose body was found riddled with pellets, sparking clashes with security forces across the restive region.

The 11-year-old boy's body was found late Friday in the outskirts of the main city of Srinagar, in Harwan, after security forces used pellet guns to break up protesting crowds despite the government vowing to replace the weapons.

Kashmir has been hit by months of violent protests over the killing of a young militant by Indian soldiers.

Government forces fired tear gas shells Saturday to disperse stone-throwing protesters, triggering more clashes in at least half a dozen places across Srinagar and southern parts of the Himalayan valley.

"Forces responded when large crowds defied restrictions. Many were injured on both sides during the clashes that followed," a local police officer told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

Another police official said nearly 100, mostly protesters, had been injured in the latest protests.

The killing of the schoolboy took the death toll to 81 in the worst violence to hit the Muslim-majority territory since 2010.

The government has been coming under growing pressure over the level of casualties in Kashmir during the protests against Indian rule, which broke out after the death of a popular rebel leader on July 8 in a gunbattle with soldiers.

Most have died in clashes between protesters and government forces who have fired tear gas and pellet guns at demonstrators.

India's home minister police and troops would use chilli-based shells instead of ones filled with birdshot after hundreds of civilians sustained serious eye injuries in the clashes.

The metal pellets or birdshot fired from the pump-action shotguns rarely result in deaths, but can often blind victims if the fragments hit them in the eye.

Authorities have imposed a curfew across large parts of the region, with schools, shops and many banks closed.

Story continues

Internet and mobile networks have also been cut off in a bid to prevent protests.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers -- currently numbering around 500,000 -- deployed in the territory, demanding independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.
London (AFP) - A transgender soldier is set to become Britain's first female to serve on the frontline, The Sun newspaper reported Saturday.

Chloe Allen, who joined the army four years ago as Ben, told the tabloid it was "a great honour to make history".

The defence ministry in July announced a lifting of the ban on women serving in combat roles.

The decision, which is being gradually implemented over three years, comes after the United States dropped its official ban on women in combat in January.

Allen, 24, said she would "love to inspire people to just come out and be themselves".

She told The Sun: "As much as it's a big bad world, it's not as bad as people think and it's easier when you've got your mates and your bosses behind you."

General James Everard said: "I applaud Guardsman Chloe Allen for being a trendsetter and wish her every success."

He added that "the British Army is really proving itself as an inclusive organisation where everyone is welcome and can thrive".

Women currently account for about 10 percent of British military personnel.
Houston (AFP) - Donald Trump took his campaign to Texas, bashing Hillary Clintons immigration policies as too lax, in a state still up for grabs on Election Day.

With polls showing a tightening race just over seven weeks before the November 8 election, the Republican candidate turned up the vitriol, saying that as president, his Democratic rival would virtually end border enforcement and place the country "in grave peril."

Trump was speaking a day after a much-hyped televised event in which, after years of questioning whether Barack Obama was an American citizen, he finally declared that the president "was born in the United States, period."

But he also made the surprising charge -- refuted by fact-checkers -- that it was Clinton who originated the "birther" theories about Obama.

On Saturday, speaking before a sympathetic audience that included people who said their friends or family members had been killed by undocumented immigrants, Trump continued his sharp attacks on Clinton.

The immigration issue has been central to Trump's campaign since he said last summer that many Mexican immigrants were drug smugglers and rapists. The candidate made it clear Saturday that he is not about to give up on the attack line, even at the risk of offending many Hispanic voters.

- Continuing attacks -

Trump asserted that Clinton would "implement amnesty by executive order, violating our constitution and putting the entire nation in grave peril."

Clinton has called for a softening of immigration practices, saying she would deport only violent criminals and terrorists, a position in stark contrast to Trump's vow to build a border wall and deport huge numbers of the undocumented.

His suggestion that immigrants are disproportionately responsible for serious crime appears unfounded, according to several studies.

However, Trump insisted on Saturday that Americans are being killed on a daily basis by the undocumented.

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"Every day our border remains open, innocent Americans are needlessly victimized and killed," he said.

"Every day we fail to enforce our laws... a loving parent is at risk of losing their child."

While he repeated his charge that Clinton would introduce "total amnesty in the first 100 days, which means Obamacare, Social Security and Medicare for illegal immigrants," her website does not mention amnesty.

It does promise to "introduce comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to full and equal citizenship within (the) first 100 days," lifting the threat of deportation in many cases.

- Tightening race -

Clinton, who returned to the campaign trail Thursday after a bout with pneumonia, has pressed the theme that her Republican rival is unfit to be president.

"His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie" about Obama's birth, she said. "There is no erasing it in history."

"He's feeding into the worst impulses, the bigotry and bias that lurks in our country," she added.

Appearing alongside Clinton at the Congressional Black Caucus gala Saturday, Obama delivered a forceful plea to black voters to stop Trump from becoming president.

"My name may not be on the ballot, but our progress is on the ballot," Obama said. "You want to give me a good sendoff, go vote!"

Democrats are increasingly worried about poll numbers during a week that Clinton lost momentum.

She fell ill last week during a 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York, where she was seen stumbling limp-legged into her vehicle, an episode that raised tough questions about her overall health and her campaign's transparency.

Polls show the lead she has held over Trump narrowing quickly. One survey gave her just a two-point margin, down sharply in a matter of weeks, boosting worries she is ceding the stage to Trump as time runs out on the campaign clock.

Two of the Democrats' liberal stars, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, were campaigning for Clinton in Ohio on Saturday to drum up support among the young people whose votes she needs on election day.

Sanders ripped into Trump about the "birther" controversy.

"What they were trying to do," he said at a rally, "is to de-legitimize the presidency of the first African-American president we have ever had."

Employing a different line of attack on Friday, Trump again raised the threat of violence against Clinton, suggesting during a rally in Miami that Clinton's Secret Service guards voluntarily disarm and "see what happens to her."

"I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons," the real estate billionaire told a cheering rally. "Take their guns away. She doesn't want guns. Take them. Lets see what happens to her... It will be very dangerous."

Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook condemned Trump's widely criticized remarks, saying they "should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate."
By Emily Stephenson MIAMI (Reuters) - Donald Trump on Friday called for disarming the bodyguards who protect his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, and mused about the consequences of such a move by saying "Let's see what happens to her." The Republican presidential nominee was speaking at a rally in Miami, where he contrasted his supporters, who he said back police and want crime reduced, to Clinton, who he derided as someone who "lives behind walls and raises money from hedge funds." "I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm. I think they should disarm immediately, what do you think, yes?," he said. "Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Take them, let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away, okay. It will be very dangerous." Both candidates have been protected by the Secret Service for months, but Trump's latest take on Clinton's security detail brought swift denunciations, particularly from Clinton allies. "Tonight, Donald Trump once again alluded to violence against Hillary Clinton, said Elizabeth Shappell, spokeswoman for Correct The Record, a pro-Clinton media watchdog group. This is a truly deplorable comment that betrays our nation's most fundamental democratic values," Shappell said in a statement. Stuart Stevens, a Washington-based political consultant who worked on Republican Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, tweeted: "The Secret Service should investigate this threat" Trump made a similar comment about Clinton and her armed protection in May while accepting the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, when he said Clinton would end the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms. "Let's see how they feel walking around without their guns or their bodyguards," he told the gun lobby group, speaking about Clinton and her Secret Service detail. Trump was criticized by opponents last month when he suggested that gun rights activists could act to stop Clinton from nominating liberal U.S. Supreme Court justices, a comment some interpreted as encouraging a political assassination. "If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks," Trump told a rally in North Carolina on Aug. 9. "Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I dont know," he continued. Clinton has called for tighter access to guns, including universal background checks, but has never said she planned to get rid of the Second Amendment. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Friday's remarks fall into a pattern of Trump inciting people to violence. "Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief," Mook said in a statement. (Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Writing by Eric Walsh; Editing by Mary Milliken)
Narrated in a non-linear manner, Raaz Reboot delves into the secrets of the miseries of a young couple, Mr & Mrs Khanna.

It is January 1, 2016. Rehaan and Shaina return to Romania after a few years of their marriage. Apparently they lived there when they were unmarried. But when Rehaan got an offer as a Venture Capitalist for the East European Finance Company, Shaina was insistent that he take up the job. Rehaan was reluctant, since he had a secret to hide.

On the very first day, while unpacking her luggage, Shaina experiences paranormal activities. Rehaan refuses to believe her. A month later, while on a business trip, Rehaan receives a frantic call from Shaina requesting for help.

She is found holed up in a telephone booth in a rural area. Apparently, she had gone there to visit a clairvoyant. And thence, the narrative juggles back and forth as to what plagues them and what leads her to the clairvoyant.

After almost three parts done to death, it's a wonder how they did the same thing for the fourth time again. Emraan Hashmi, who plays the "antagonist" seems to be the only person in this film who understands what's going on but even he can't save the film.

This movie is a bundle full of the worst cliches on earth. The basis of Raaz Reboot is so regressive you feel like you're in the 14th century. A movie set in 2016 says that if you wear a mangal sutra, the ghost won't be able to possess you, but if you don't, you're possesed.

All the other horror tropes are present in this film, which includes an eye in the washbasin, ghost under the bed, mattress being pulled out, and it still doesn't manage to scare. It doesn't take too much time to figure out the climax of the movie involves putting the mangal sutra back onto the possessed woman.

An award should be given to every actor in the movie  Emraan Hashmi, Kriti Kharbanda, Gaurav Arora, Madhu Anand Chandhock  for wonderfully over-acting.

Cliched and boring, one would be tempted to walk out of the movie in the first 10 minutes, but what if the second half got better? Bad news, second half is worse.

There's no polite way to say this: Don't watch Raaz Reboot.

(with inputs from IANS)
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish-backed rebels were pushing south in an operation in northern Syria on Friday, Turkey's military said, and five rebels and five Islamic State militants had been killed across the region. The Turkish military also said in a statement that U.S. special forces were supporting an operation that was being carried out between the Syrian towns of Azaz and al-Rai. Turkish-backed rebels have been battling Islamic State militants along the border as part of operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched last month, and in recent weeks pushed the jihadists away from the frontier with the support of Turkish warplanes and tanks. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun and Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Dominic Evans)
(Reuters) - Two Fort Worth, Texas police officers were shot on Friday when they responded to a suicide call at a home on the south side of the city, police said.

One of the officers was shot multiple times while the other was shot once and suffered minor injuries when the round struck his protective vest, Fort Worth Police Department Marc Povero told a news conference aired on a local NBC affiliate.

The police department said on Twitter that both officers, who were not identified, were in a stable condition and one was to be released from the hospital early on Saturday.

Povero said the officers had responded at about 8:30 p.m. local time to a possible suicide at a home on the city's south side, where they found an unresponsive individual who was shot in the head.

The officers then went to find a witness in the backyard where they encountered an individual in a shed who opened fire on them. The offices returned gunfire and wounded the individual, Povero said.

The suspect died, the NBC affiliate reported. Police did not identify the officers, the suspect or the individual shot inside the home.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Gareth Jones)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A small number of U.S. forces entered the Syrian town of al-Rai near the Turkish border on Friday as part of operations to coordinate air strikes against Islamic State, a senior rebel source said. However, the five or six U.S. military personnel were then forced to withdraw towards the Turkish border after Syrian rebels protested against their presence in the town, the source said. A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also reported the incident and said the U.S. forces had left al-Rai but were still on Syrian soil. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial reports appeared to confirm the incident involving a small group of U.S. forces. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident. But it did acknowledge that U.S. special operations forces are accompanying Turkish and vetted Syrian opposition forces battling Islamic State in and around the area of the Syrian border near al-Rai and the town of Jarablus, further east. Turkey's military said in a statement U.S. special forces were supporting an operation being carried out in northern Syria. Turkish-backed rebels have been battling Islamic State militants along the border as part of operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched last month, and in recent weeks pushed the jihadists away from the frontier with the support of Turkish warplanes and tanks. The fighters Ankara supports were pushing south on Friday and five rebels and five IS militants had been killed in the region, the Turkish army said. The rebel source said the U.S. forces had entered al-Rai, 2 km (1 mile) inside Syria, as part of that operation. In a video circulated on the internet purportedly showing the incident, fighters in al-Rai chanted anti-U.S. slogans and threatened violence against them as a number of vehicles drove out of the area. The Turkish operation also aims to push U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, which have separately been fighting Islamic State, away from the border. Clashes between Turkish-allied forces and the Kurdish YPG militia, a key U.S. partner in the fight against Islamic State, have caused tension between Washington and Ankara. (Reporting by John Davison and Tom Perry in Beirut and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By William James BOURNEMOUTH, England (Reuters) - The UK Independence Party picked a new leader on Friday to replace Nigel Farage, a key player in Britain's vote to leave the European Union, with the incoming Diane James pledging to ensure Britain follows through with a full withdrawal from the bloc. James, a former business analyst and the party's deputy chairwoman, said she would work to ensure that the Conservative government did not negotiate a soft Brexit. "The threats to the referendum outcome are increasing by the day," she told around 1,000 delegates at the party's annual conference in the southern English coastal town of Bournemouth. "This is what I want you to believe in and work with me on: Yes to a true, 100 percent, European Union exit." A member of the European parliament with little public profile, James has the difficult task of succeeding one of the country's most recognisable politicians after winning a ballot of UKIP's 40,000 members with 47 percent of the vote. She will inherit a party which won 4 million votes in the 2015 national election but is now riven with factional disputes and struggling to redefine itself after achieving its main goal of triggering Britain's exit from the EU. An ally of Farage defected to the Conservatives on the eve of the conference, saying that Prime Minister Theresa May had delivered key elements of the UKIP manifesto since taking office in July and that droves of UKIP supporters were doing the same. James, a former analyst with a board-level career in the healthcare sector, said she would ensure the government delivers a Brexit deal that meets the main demands of UKIP voters: more free trade and tighter immigration controls. "No to unrestricted, or uncontrolled freedom of movement into this country... If they come in, they come in on a fair basis," she said. PROFESSIONALISE James said she wanted to professionalise the party, whose colourful and sometimes controversial members have in recent years provided Britain's tabloid newspapers with a litany of scandals and gaffes. Former Prime Minister David Cameron once dubbed them "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists". "Change is going to have to happen," she said, stating her ambition for UKIP to overtake the Labour Party to become Britain's official opposition. UKIP came third by share of the vote in the 2015 UK election, but under the first-past-the-post electoral system, which favours the two main parties, won only one of the 650 seats in parliament. Nevertheless, it remains a potent force in British politics. Under Farage, who tapped into a powerful anti-establishment mood among voters, the party won the European Parliament elections in Britain in 2014 and played a leading role in persuading Britons to vote to leave the EU. Its right-wing policy agenda on issues like immigration has traditionally taken votes from the Conservative Party, but at last year's election it made big gains in centre-left Labour's heartlands among disillusioned working class voters. James chose not to participate in the party's leadership hustings and is little known outside political circles - something she acknowledged in her speech - leaving her with a huge task to maintain the party's momentum. "I am not Nigel-like, I am not even Nigel-lite. I will never ever pretend to be so," she said. At a later news conference she said that she would be "nuts" to ignore any advice Farage had to offer but that she would not let him become a "backseat" driver for the party. (Additional reporting by Tina Bellon; Editing by Michael Holden and Hugh Lawson)
Washington (AFP) - The United States "does not recognize the legitimacy" of upcoming Russian parliamentary elections planned for Crimea, the State Department said.

"The United States does not recognize the legitimacy, and will not recognize the outcome, of the Russian Duma elections planned for Russian-occupied Crimea on September 18th," said State Department spokesman John Kirby in a statement.

Two-and-a-half years after Moscow annexed the strategic peninsula from Ukraine, residents are gearing up to vote Sunday in their first polls to elect deputies to Russia's national parliament.

"Our position on Crimea is clear: the peninsula remains an integral part of Ukraine," Kirby said. "Crimea-related sanctions against Russia will remain until Russia returns control of Crimea to Ukraine."

The US State Department also expressed concern "about the humanitarian situation in Crimea, including the status of the ethnic Tatar community and widespread reports of missing persons and human rights abuses."
UPDATED Sunday Morning Vice News reporter Alex Thompson was released on bond overnight from a Houston jail, says Josh Tyrangiel, Vices EVP Content, News. Many thanks to our excellent lawyers, Tyrangiel tweeted. We urge Harris County to drop the charges. (See tweet at bottom).

UPDATED 3:14 PM With Trump Campaign Response The Trump campaign tells Vice News it was not involved in the decision to arrest Vice News reporter Alex Thompson. Vice News (see tweet below) posted the following statement from a Trump spokesperson: The campaign was not involved in this incident or aware of the details surrounding it. The event organizers were responsible for todays media presence and requested the campaign limit attendance to the traveling pool. The campaign had no staff presence at check-in for guests or media and therefore has no further knowledge of what occurred.

UPDATED 1:47 PM Vice says Houston police have reporter Alex Thompson under investigative hold and that it could be hours before further updates. (See Tweet at bottom.)

PREVIOUS Vice News is reporting that Alex Thompson, one of its correspondents, was arrested by Houston police today and charged with trespassing at a Donald Trump campaign event at the Omni Westside Hotel. Thompson, Vice says, was inquiring about press access  the news organizations credentials apparently were pending approval  when a hotel employee told him to leave or be arrested.

Thompson was arrested around 1:30 PM EST and is currently being held at Houston Central Jail.

VICE News reporter arrested outside a Donald Trump campaign event in Houston. https://t.co/9YokNTXZVL  VICE News (@vicenews) September 17, 2016

According to Vice News, Thompson was in the Omnis lobby to ask members of Trumps communications staff whether a decision on his access had been made.

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A man who identified himself as a hotel manager then asked Thompson to leave and warned that he would be arrested if he did not, Vice reports. Roughly two minutes later, without further warning and while Thompson was waiting for a member of Trumps staff to clarify his access to the event, he was arrested by Houston Police, handcuffed, and escorted outside. Thompson spoke with his editors while handcuffed and said that he was never given any opportunity to explain himself to police.

The arrest comes roughly three weeks before the debut of Vice News Tonight, a weekly newscast debuting October 10 on HBO.

Later this afternoon, Vice News tweeted that Thompson is under investigative hold by the police.

.@HoustonPolice told us our reporter, @AlxThomp, is on investigative hold and it may be hours before we know more: https://t.co/9YokNTXZVL  VICE News (@vicenews) September 17, 2016

UPDATE: Trump campaign says they were "not involved" with the arrest of @AlxThomp at a campaign event in Houston: https://t.co/9YokNTXZVL  VICE News (@vicenews) September 17, 2016

Our reporter @AlxThomp was released on bond over night. Many thanks to our excellent lawyers. We urge Harris County to drop the charges.  (((Josh))) (@Tyrangiel) September 18, 2016

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New Delhi: Actor Varun Dhawan wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday on Saturday and thanked him for ushering in digital age in the country.

The actor was a part of India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit here on Saturday, and took the opportunity to thank Modi as well as wish him.

"Today is Narendra Modi's birthday and I am not going to sing but I think we can do something special," said Varun.

The actor asked all the attendees to take out their cell phones and switch on their flash lights. Using flash lights and a birthday song, Varun created a surreal moment.

The actor lauded Modi for giving a new definition to the term 'aangutha chaap'.

The ABCD 2 star said "When I was in school, I used to hear this term 'aangutha chaap hai yeh' that means someone who uses his thumb to sign. But I think we are in a new India and in this India we don't use the thumb to sign but to sign in... Our prime minister is someone who has ushered in the digital age in this country and I think we need to give him respect."

"So let's take out our phones and put on your flash light and sing the happy birthday song," he added.

The crowd was more than eager to be a part of this, and helped Varun wish Modi.

The actor later confessed to being bumped as he could not capture the moment on his phone.

Watch the video here:
Anyone familiar with Palme dOr winner The Tree of Life or the sprawling CV of iconic filmmaker Terrence Malickfrom Badlands to Days of Heaven to The Thin Red Linewould never question that this is an artist with a voice, a vision, and a level of audacity only surpassed by the extent of his curiosity. In Malicks documentary debut Voyage of Time: Lifes Journey, the filmmaker has realized a vision and a goal going back many yearsan exploration of the universe and all creation, from the sun, to the stars, to the depths of the ocean, and the far-out reaches of space.

A visually gorgeous and elaborate montage akin to extended sequences from The Tree of Life, narrated by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, Voyage of Time is nonetheless undoubtedly its own separate, marvelous creation. In its 90 minute run, the film is not only a look at our world, but an apt metaphor for the work and the journey of the artist into the beautiful and the unknown.

Following the films first screening at TIFF on September 9, producers Nick Gonda, Sarah Green and Sophokles Tasioulis gathered to discuss Malicks vision and the process of working with one of the industrys most enchanting and mysterious auteurs. Terry has been working on this ideaand, in fact, on shots for this movie since he began making films in the 70s. Theres actually footage in this film from the 70s that hes carefully kept, Green explains. Its been a passion of his for his whole filmmaking career to make a film that really examines our relationship to nature, and our place with nature, as humans.

Per Green, Malick shot footage for the film whenever opportunities presented themselves over the years, with the producing team coming on board 12 years ago. The process came into focus over the last year, with the film solidifying and gelling into two different versionsthe documentary and the IMAX experience. In producing and finding imagery for the film, Malick and company did their due diligence, finding great resources within the scientific community. Theres many different astrophysical shots, as youll see, many of which are created from original high-res imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope, says Gonda, who earned his first producing credit on The Tree of Life. In addition to that, and through the guidance of our Visual Effects Supervisor, Dan Glass, we also created live, analogue re-creations of events telescopes wouldnt be able to see.

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Receiving a standing ovation, and drawing rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival prior to its screenings in Toronto, Voyage of Time has already attracted various international distributors, including Universum in Germany, Gaga in Japan, eOne in Australia and Mars in Franc, with Wild Bunch handling international sales.

While Voyage of Time: Lifes Journey is awaiting a release date, Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experiencea 45-minute version of the film, narrated by Brad Pittwill be released October 7.

To view Deadlines conversation with the Voyage of Time producers, click on the video above.

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Jerry West will be 80 in two years, but the decades have done little too soften his competitive spirit. As one of the various high-level recruiters the Golden State Warriors deployed to woo Kevin Durant, West was reportedly critical in closing the deal. Adam Silver criticized the deal, more or less diplomatically, but still managed to include the phrase not ideal, which are roundly considered fighting words for above-the-fray Commissioners. Of course, its in his interest to decry this sort of deal, as the creation of super-teams is a blow to the idealized level playing field the league wants to pretend can exist.

When Silver promised to fix the broken system that allowed the Warriors to sign Durant in the first place, a certain Logo took umbrage, and apparently rang the Commissioner up to tell him he was being a little baby. Heres what West recently told Tim Kawakami on The TK Show, courtesy of CBS Sports Zach Harper.

Its sour grapes, West said. We signed Shaquille ONeal and it wasnt as big an uproar as this. Listen, the owners make the rules. They negotiate with the players. And for them to say something like that, to me its wrong on their part. The commissioner said something like that and I called him about it. I told him I didnt think the comment was fair. Its not fair to Kevin. Its not fair to the Warriors. Its not fair to any team going forward who will sign a free agent of this stature. The players bargained for this. They have a chance to go play where they want to. I only wish I had that opportunity in my career and Im sure a lot of other people felt the same way.

Short of enforcing a draconian measure in which each small-market team gets to keep their homegrown superstars forever and ever (if they are lucky enough to draft one, that is), the rich and powerful will always have the upper hand in the NBA. Rhode Island never gets to invade California and Vermont will never beat Texas in a best-of-seven series.

The system in place is far from perfect (the owners still make too much money, for one thing), but the Warriors did nothing untoward in their pursuit of Kevin Durant. And Jerry West, who went 1-8 in nine trips to the Finals, knows more than most when its time to seize an opportunity and perhaps thats why Adam Silvers boo-hoo posturing sat so poorly with him.

(The TK Show, CBS Sports)
hillary clinton jimmy fallon

Hillary Clinton riffed on the double standard she faces on the campaign trail during an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon on Friday.

"When you campaign, I feel like it's so tricky. People kind of want to see this Hillary, which is the bad-ass Hillary and the serious Hillary." Fallon said, according to a Reuters report published ahead of the show's airing Monday night.

"They want to see someone who's going to protect us and be strong and tough," Fallon added.

Clinton responded:

"It's especially tricky for women. And it just is because you know there's a lot of serious things. The other night, I was on a show and being asked about ISIS and Iran and I was serious. These are important issues that the country needs to talk about. And the Republicans were saying, 'Oh she looks so serious.' Well you don't talk about ISIS with a big grin on your face. They're a barbaric, evil group that we have to defeat and wipe out. But it is a constant balancing act. How do you kind of keep the energy and the positive spirit while taking seriously what you need to."

Clinton was referring to NBC's Commander-In-Chief Forum that news anchor Matt Lauer hosted on September 7, where both she and her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, discussed national security.

After Clinton appeared, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tweeted that she had "no smile."

@HillaryClinton was angry + defensive the entire time - no smile and uncomfortable - upset that she was caught wrongly sending our secrets.  Reince Priebus (@Reince) September 8, 2016

Not the first time

Conservative MSNBC host Joe Scarborough similarly told Clinton to "smile" after she won three crucial states in the Democratic primary. The response from Samantha Bee of "Full Frontal" prompted thousands of others to tweet their #SmileforJoe.

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And those are just the two instances that received a substantial amount of press.

A number of women have addressed being told to smile over the last few years, from actresses and activists to politicians and pundits.

"Stop Telling Women to Smile" is a project from artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh that places portraits of women around major cities to draw attention to the street harassment women face every day. It's turned into a movement, with women sharing their own harassment stories across social media.

As a true testament to the cultural ubiquity of the phrase, in an episode of the show "Broad City," Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson reacted to a stranger on the street saying it by pushing their mouths into a smile with their middle fingers.

After Preibus' tweet, Chelsea Handler responded on her Netflix show, "Chelsea."

"Who the f--- are you to tell someone to smile? This is just another example of how men think they can belittle every woman in the world and order up a smile," Handler said.

"You know what, women? We'll smile when Hillary kicks that pneumonia and trounces Trump in November."

NOW WATCH: 'Its not my thing': Clinton releases ad of Trump stating diaper changes are a wife's job





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Shanice Givenss son, Cyrus, was 6 years old when administrators at his charter school, Success Academy in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, put him on a list of students they wanted to push out. Theyd suspend him for not having on shoes, for not having his shirt tucked, for going to the bathroom, says Givens. So he lost courage and a will to want to do better.



According to Givens, Cyrus was suspended 30 times that school year. Success Academy spokesperson Ann Powell says the kindergartner was suspended only seven times. Either way, thats a lot of suspensions for a 6 year old. Today, city leaders are increasingly pushing to reform school-discipline practices to minimize suspensions for students like Cyrus, heeding calls from activists and researchers who say excessive discipline can fuel rises in student dropout rates and push young people into the criminal-justice system.





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In 2014, Boston mandated that suspensions and expulsions be treated as a last-resort option and that such decisions must come with guaranteed due process for students and their families. Last year, Washington, D.C., passed a bill that would prevent schools from expelling or suspending pre-kindergartners, with some exceptions for classroom violence. And New York City is now pushing to ban suspensions entirely from kindergarten through second grade, albeit with some potential loopholes.

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But data from these school districts indicate that one major factor may be undermining these reform efforts: charter schools.

In New York City, although the charter-school student population represents just under 7 percent of the districts total enrollment, charter schools accounted for nearly 42 percent of all suspensions, according to the latest available state data, from 2014.



Over the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years, of the 50 New York City schools with the most student suspensions, 46 were charter schools in 2013 and 48 were charter schools in 2014. Looking at suspension rates, 45 were charter schools in 2013 and 48 were charter schools in 2014. (These suspension rates control for student population and do not double-count students who receive multiple suspensions.)



A CityLab geographic analysis of these hyper-disciplinary schools finds that nearly all are concentrated in majority-black communities. And among the outlier schools, those with the most flagrant suspension numbers are clustered in the heart of New Yorks black communities, particularly in Harlem in Manhattan, and in Crown Heights, Brownsville, and East New York in Brooklyn.

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Similar patterns extend beyond New York. According to 2011-2012 charter and traditional public-school data from Washington, D.C., obtained by The Washington Post, charter schools accounted for 40 of the 50 schools with the most total suspensions and expulsions that year, despite the fact that they accounted for only 41 percent of the student population that year. Additionally, the 15 schools with the most suspensions and expulsions were all charter schools. And, as in New York City, when controlling for school population, the pattern held: Thirty-nine of the 50 schools with the highest suspension or expulsions rates were charter schools.

Visualizing this data again, it is clear that nearly all of these 50 high-discipline schools, 80 percent of which are charters, are located in neighborhoods with large black populations across the city. And, as in New York, the schools with the highest disciplinary numbers within this group were also clustered in the citys densest black neighborhoods, east of the Anacostia River.

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These racialized geographic disparities also abound in Boston, according to the latest available state data. Over the 2014-2015 school year, though Boston charter schools only accounted for 17 percent of the total student population, they made up 20 of the 50 schools with the highest percentages of student discipline incidents, which include suspensions and expulsions. Charter schools also made up seven of the 10 schools with the highest percentage of students suspended (counting both in-school and out-of-school suspensions).

As in New York and D.C., the majority of these schools, charter and public, were clustered in neighborhoods with Bostons largest black populations, such as Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan.

Examining the schools with the most suspensions in New York, D.C., and Boston, a few patterns emerge. In New York, five of the 10 schools with the most total suspensions in 2013 were part of two prominent charter-school chains, Achievement First and Democracy Prep, which have drawn criticism for their strict disciplinary approaches. Both charter school chains have in the past explicitly adapted the NYPDs broken windows approach into their student discipline policies, as the education writer Owen Davis notes in Jacobin.



In a charter-school context, Davis argues, this approach encourages teachers to rigorously enforce an intricate set of behavioral expectations on students, who are also mostly black and Latino. Because of this approach, Davis writes, minor infractionsa hand improperly raised, a shirt untucked  invite escalating punitive measures: demerits, lost privileges, detention, suspension.

The data suggest that this police-inspired disciplinary approach also may be pervasive in D.C. and Boston. In all three cities, KIPP charter schools have in years past been among those sites with the most disciplinary incidents. In Boston, the KIPP Academy Boston Charter School was ranked third-highest in in-school and out-of-school suspension rates, at 35 percent over the 2014-2015 school year. In D.C., KIPP had five sites in the top 20 schools with the greatest rate of suspensions or expulsions over the 2011-2012 school year.



KIPP school leaders have also sometimes embraced the broken windows theory for their disciplinary approaches, and have sparked controversy for pushing black and Latino students to adjust to frequent surveillance and physical conformity in some cases. A 2014 Atlantic piece described discipline at a KIPP school:

Teachers issued demerits when students leaned against a wall, or placed their heads on their desks. (The penalty for falling asleep was 10 demerits, which triggered a detention; skipping detention could warrant a suspension.) Teachers praised students for shaking hands firmly, sitting up straight, and tracking the designated speaker with their eyes. The 51-page handbook encouraged students to twist in their chairs or whip their necks around to follow whichever classmate or teacher held the floor. Closed eyes carried a penalty of two demerits. The rules did not ease up between classes: Students had to walk single file between the wall and a line marked with orange tape.

When we have a discipline issue with a student, KIPP educators work closely with the student and his or her family to find solutions that will get the student back into his or her learning environment as soon as possible, Steve Mancini, the KIPP Director of Public Affairs, said in a statement to CityLab. In recent years, KIPP has provided additional training to teachers across our network on possible alternatives to out-of-school suspensions. Mancini also added that newer data have shown that KIPP schools have seen decreased suspension rates in these areas, noting, We want to keep students in school as much as possible because we know there is a lot for them to learn.

Research indicates such hyper-disciplinary practices go far beyond headline-grabbing charter-school chains like KIPP. A 2016 UCLA Civil Rights Project study found that that almost half of all black secondary charter-school students attended one of the 270 charter schools where the aggregate black suspension rate was around 25 percent, and where the student population was segregated (defined as at least 80 percent black). The researchers also noted that more than 500 charter schools suspended black students at a rate that was at least 10 percentage points higher than that of white charter school students.



Some racial justice advocates contend that these controversial school-discipline approaches are made possible by the loose regulation and flexibility that school districts have afforded to charter schools.

Hes hyper, and so any child they felt was difficult, they tried to force out.

Charter schools have a free hand to treat black and Latino children however they want, so that explains why they have such high rates of expulsion and suspension, says Julian Vasquez Heilig, a professor of educational leadership and policy studies at California State Sacramento and the NAACP Education Chair of California. Its disturbing but not surprising that charters have accepted this discipline, but its just a continuation of the legacy of structural racism in this country.

Charter schools are in a market, and theyre competing to show their best selves, says Carla Shedd, a Columbia University assistant professor of sociology and African American studies and the author of a new book about Chicago youths contact with police in schools. These policies are designed to exclude individuals who stop them from looking good based on, for example, test scores.

Givens makes a similar argument about why charter-school administrators targeted her son. Cyrus has a different way of learning, says Givens. Hes hyper, and so any child they felt was difficult, they tried to force out.



The perceived harm that charter schools are disproportionately causing to black students through intense disciplinary practices has started to spark political pushback. In late July, delegates attending the NAACP national convention passed a resolution supporting a moratorium on any further expansion of privately managed charter schools, citing their role in furthering segregation and psychologically harmful environments.



Charter schools are providing a seamless transition for [low-income, black] students in terms of how they are already treated, watched, and surveilled outside, says Shedd. The schools say, We have to give them more structure and discipline, thinking of them as problem populations, rather than as individuals. You arent able to respond to kids when using a rubric that views a whole population itself as problematic.

Over the past few years, several civil-rights lawsuits have hit prominent charter schools, like Success Academy, for policies that enforce excessive discipline and which may set up certain types of students to fail. Resentment has begun to build, as some feel that such policies would never be imposed on middle-class white students.



Charter schools think its okay to talk shit to our children and treat them the way they do, says Givens. They come to these poor neighborhoods and they know they can do whatever the hell they want. They think people should be thankful  and they know, well, who is going to fight for them?

This post appears courtesy of CityLab.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Whoa: A great white shark was caught jumping straight out of the water really close to a bunch of surfers and we cant stop watching

Whoa: A great white shark was caught jumping straight out of the water really close to a bunch of surfers and we cant stop watching

Although fall is fast approaching elsewhere, Californians are still enjoying the perks of living in a perpetual summer. Warm beaches, ice cream, sand between your toes, and sharks. Wait, what?

jawes

Thats right. Sharks. Sure, they may be okay from a distance, like when youre separated by glass or viewing them on television, but encountering a shark in person isnt an ideal situation. Especially not when it comes out of nowhere while youre SURFING.

Surfer Nick Masturzo told SurfLine about the incident that occurred at Ocean Beach, San Francisco just before 9 am.

I saw it straight on, Masturzo said. And when I saw that white belly go up and the super defined white of pectoral fins, I knew what it was. I told everyone around me and went in. It was funny, some people were saying, Thats not cool, but I would never say, Shark on a small day to try to clear the water. If it was six-to-eight-foot, maybe.

Though most were quick to clear the water, nearly 30 surfers stayed in the water despite the warning. Great White? No big deal, apparently.

But, to be fair, theres never been a reported shark attack in the area and an incident such as this hasnt occurred since 2005. So, what was the big guy doing there?

Shark Research Committee member Ralph Collier speculates that,

it could be a form of communication between members of the species signifying dominance within a group, he told Surfline, similar to the jousting between male elk and/or deer. [But] we simply do not know.

Its important to remember, however, that no matter how scary sharks are, they maligned creatures and some are even in danger of extinction thanks to hunting, climate change, and other factors. But you know, they could be mostly harmless just a liiiiiiiitle farther from shore.

Regardless of what the shark was doing there, the video is definitely worth the watch! See the full account below:

The post Whoa: A great white shark was caught jumping straight out of the water really close to a bunch of surfers and we cant stop watching appeared first on HelloGiggles.
At Eberstein & Witherite, LLP We Have Dedicated Our Careers to Helping Victims of Texas Truck Crashes Get the Compensation They Deserve

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 17, 2016 / Texas leads the nation in semi-truck crashes. In fact, the number two state for truck accidents - California - is nowhere close to Texas when it comes to tractor-trailer accidents, as Texas outpaces California by 137 percent.

If you have been hurt in a semi-truck accident, or you have lost someone you love in a crash, you need the help and experience of a 1800 Truck Wreck accident attorney . At Eberstein & Witherite, LLP we have dedicated our careers to helping victims of Texas truck crashes. We will help you get the compensation you deserve, so you can put the accident behind you and get back to your life, your family, and your work.

Texas Truck Accidents by the Numbers

Although fatal traffic accidents have actually declined nationwide over the years, they have increased in Texas. There were 32,675 fatal auto accidents in the United States in 2014, and one in 10 of these happened in the Lone Star State.

Overall, Texas fares poorly in every category used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to assess how each state performs in road safety. In most states, fatal truck accidents account for around 10 percent of a state's traffic accidents. In Texas, this number is 16 percent and climbing. In a four-year period, fatal semi-truck crashes in Texas have jumped from 400 to 553 annually - an increase of 38 percent.

Texas is a big state, but this factor alone does not explain why it sees such an unusually high number of serious and fatal truck accidents. According to highway safety advocates, several factors contribute to the rising numbers of truck accidents in Texas.

Geography. Texas is a crossroads between the east and the west. Its position in America's heartland means it sees a significant amount of truck traffic crisscrossing the country. It also has numerous ports along the Gulf of Mexico, which employs 1.4 million workers, but also creates a large amount of truck traffic on Texas highways.

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Population. The roads in Texas are often just as flat and straight as those in other prairie states, however, Texas is home to some of the most populated urban areas in the country. Semi-trucks must drive through dense traffic in some of the most heavily populated areas of the nation.

Oil and Fracking. The oil and fracking industries began experiencing a boom period in 2008 that has shown no signs of slowing down. According to reports, vehicle accident death rates in Texas started climbing the same year.

Hurt in a Tractor-trailer Crash? Talk to a Texas Truck Accident Lawyer

The Texas truck accident lawyers at Eberstein & Witherite LLP have recovered millions of dollars for truck accident victims and their families. We are confident we can help you too. Call us today, or contact us through our online contact form, to learn more about how we can assist you. Texas truck accident lawyers are available to help 24/7. Call 1-800-878-2596.

See our related posts:

4 Things Texas Trucks Can't Do on the Road

More Truck Drivers on the Road a Major Safety Hazard?

Media Contact

Lucy Tiseo

Eberstein & Witherite, LLP

Phone: 800-878-2597

Email: lucy.tiseo@ewlawyers.com

www.1800truckwreck.com

source: http://www.1800truckwreck.com/texas-many-fatal-truck-accidents.html

SOURCE: Eberstein & Witherite, LLP via Submit Press Release 123
YAS, soon youll be able to meet Doctor Strange IRL at Disney World

YAS, soon youll be able to meet Doctor Strange IRL at Disney World

Know upfront that Benedict Cumberbatch is not coming to Walt Disney World. Something like that is simply just a passing dream, and its a really good dream. And can you even imagine waiting in a long, wrapping queue line with the idea that at the very end, you get to hug Benedict Cumberbatch and then he signs your autograph book?? UGH, such a good idea.

Since thats (probably) never going to happen, weve got the next best thing: Soon, youll be able to meet Doctor Strange  Benedicts brand new Marvel superhero counterpart  at Disney World.

Disney just updated their audition website (hi, did you know Disney has an audition website? They do, and you can find out all their upcoming auditions here) to include the role of Doctor Strange.

Screen Shot 2016-09-16 at 3.50.57 PM

Earlier today, Disney also announced that they will be a special Doctor Strange sneak peek happening at Hollywood Studios come this fall. Like theyve done before in the past with sneak-peeks, youll watch a little video about the upcoming movie, maybe see some props, and then actually get to MEET characters from the film  in this case, Steven Strange.

Basically, the long and the short of it is this: Soon, Orlando will be FULL OF BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH LOOK-A-LIKES.

Celebrity Sightings in New York City - April 2, 2016

Possibly, Anaheim, California too, as the same behind-the-scenes sneak-peek will be happening there as well (but no auditions have been announced yet).

These Doctor Strange shenanigans kick off on October 7th, a month before Doctor Strange opens on November 4th. Better start planning your next trip to Disney, because this might be the closest you ever get to (the likeness of) Benedict.

The post YAS, soon youll be able to meet Doctor Strange IRL at Disney World appeared first on HelloGiggles.
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has landed worldwide rights to Barry, the Vikram Gandhi-directed film that drew high praise at the Toronto Film Festival for actor Devon Terrell in his role as a young Barack Obama. This was a hot property and Id heard several distributors chased it and Netflix went out in front with an initial bid said to be in the $4.5 million range, though Im not sure what the final price is. Set in 1981 in New York City, the fact-inspired pic revolves around a young Barack Obama as he tries to find his way as a college student in a new city. He is faced with questions about race, culture, and identity in what proves to be a crucial year in the life of the future U.S. president. Barry premiered in the Special Presentations section Saturday, September 10 at Ryerson Theater. It was a crowd pleaser that scored a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Film is a joint production between Black Bear Pictures and Cinetic Media, produced by Cinetics Dana OKeefe and Black Bears Teddy Schwarzman and Ben Stillman. It is the first production for John Sloss Cinetic. Terrell played the lead in Steve McQueens HBO pilot Codes of Conduct, which didnt get picked up, so this is really his first big role. Gandhi previously directed the SXSW Audience Award winning doc Kumare, and the cast includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Straight Outta Comptons Jason Mitchell, Ashley Judd, Boyhoods Ellar Coltrane and newcomer Avi Nash. This is the second film about the formative years of Obama, after Southside With You, which chronicles his first date with future First Lady Michelle Robinson.

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What happens when dubstep twosome Zeds Dead team up with L.A. up-and-coming producer NGHTMRE? Apparently, the unexpected.

This week, they shared their new collaboration, "Frontlines," a grandiose blast of warped future bass featuring space-y, wistful vocals from Sydney vocalist GG Magree. It's a significant departure from both parties' usual sonic palettes, though still plenty heavy to carry in the dancefloor arsenal.

Zeds Dead Talk Genre-Hopping 'Northern Lights' Album and Deadbeats Label

"The chord progression for this track really stood out to me and I immediately wrote some ideas for vocal chops and arranged the tracks," wrote NGHTMRE on Soundcloud. "A few months later we met up in LA and got in the studio to lock in the main idea and find a vocal. I originally pictured a track between us to be a bit heavier, but once we wrote these melodies and vocal chops I really fell in love with the emotion of the track." Listen to it below.

HARD Announces Australian Tour With Zeds Dead, GTA, Ghastly & More

"Frontlines" is the latest track shared by Zeds Dead as they prepare to release their forthcoming debut album Northern Lights via their own Deadbeats label. To promote the LP, they're hitting the road starting this month for an international tour spanning North America, Europe and Australia, the latter in which they're playing HARD's debut Australian tour. View full dates here.
A whole two days after Apple released iOS 10, T-Mobile announced yesterday (Sept. 15) that its users should not download the update. The major revision to Apple's mobile operating system adds a lot of fun new features, but it also led to connectivity issues on T-Mobile's servers, problems that that Apple rushed to fix.

T-Mobile announced the issue in a tweet, as well as text messages sent to users, stating "iPhone 6, 6+ & SE customers  Do not download iOS 10. We are getting reports of connectivity issues & Apple is working on a fix."

British website The Register claimed a T-Mobile rep blamed Apple by stating, "Its an iOS 10 issue and Apple is working on a fix. We hope to have that very soon."

MORE: The Best iPhone 7 Carrier Deals

Fortunately, Apple released a patch for this problem last night for T-Mobile customers who had already updated to iOS 10. All you need to do is open the Settings app, tap General and tap About and follow the prompts.

T-Mobile users who haven't yet installed iOS 10 can now upgrade without worry, as the problem has been fixed in the installation files. We have a walk-through for how to safely update to iOS 10 here.

While this error isn't as bad as the troubles Samsung is experiencing with its volatile Galaxy Note 7 phones, Apple isn't enjoying the best week either. Many users on all carriers on Tuesday (Sept. 13) reported incidents of iOS 10 bricking iPads and iPhones, another issue the company patched quickly.

Copyright 2016 Toms Guides , a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
In the wake of several cases of ATM frauds where customers PIN has been hacked and the money siphoned off by fraudsters, some banks have issued text messages while some others have sent mails to change ATM pin or sent new ATM pins to their customers.

According to a report in the Times of India, some banks like HDFC Bank, Federal Bank and DBS have sent warning messages to their customers. Some text messages from banks like this one from HDFC reads: The PIN for your debit card has to be changed for security reasons. Please change the PIN at the earliest, the TOI reported.

High-tech ATM frauds have been rising of late. Recently PTI reported that a woman customer had complained of Rs 55,000 being siphoned off her account from abroad. The woman, an account holder with State Bank of Travancore's Pattom branch, said in her complaint to police that the money was withdrawn twice on September 3 and 5.

Police said the cash had been withdrawn from a foreign country from an ATM counter, but did not elaborate.

The heist comes less than a month after some persons lost their money in an ATM theft involving some foreigners, including Romanians.

On August 10, a Romanian national, who along with two other foreigners was suspected to be involved in the hi-tech ATM fraud in which a number of people lost money here, was arrested in Mumbai.

They had obtained details of bank customers and withdrawn money using fake ATM cards.

Police suspected the electronic device at the ATM counter had enabled the fraudsters collect the secret pin code and card details.

The National Payment Corporation of India has said that there is no data compromise at the national level, reported TOI.
My screening of Snowden opened with Oliver Stone wearing his finest menswear in a swanky study, holding his cell phone while lecturing about the value of privacy. There are people who want to look at your phone and steal your data, he basically said, with the stentorian command

My screening of Snowden opened with Oliver Stone wearing his finest menswear in a swanky study, holding his cell phone while lecturing about the value of privacy. There are people who want to look at your phone and steal your data, he basically said, with the stentorian command of a man bearing hard truths. It was as if he was telling us that the CIA or the Cubans or LBJ had killed JFK. Right as I was ready to roll my eyes at the sensationalism, his tone flipped, and he reminded us to turn off our phones during the movie. It was a cute bait-and-switch: a famously dour director showing that he could, in fact, get the joke.

There arent a lot of jokes in Snowden, Stones new biopic about the hyper-polarizing former NSA contractor largely responsible for exposing U.S.As sweeping surveillance programs. (The man, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, does once quip that his girlfriend tastes like liberal after their first kiss in the movie. Thankfully, the cuteness basically ends there.) Back in 2013, Edward Snowden revealed that the government was indiscriminately spongeing up the worlds private data, a scandal that validated conspiracy theorists and paranoid Sri Lankan rappers. He showed how the webcams of regular people were being surreptitiously accessed, and how their naughty texts and Gchats were being scoured for incriminating evidence, turning every global citizen into a potential pressure point in the fight against terror.

When the news broke three years ago, the U.S. government was forced to not only admit wrongdoing, but to also change tactics as a broader debate over privacy and security played out in the public. Snowden absconded to Russia for political asylum, owing to the governments desire to rendition the shit out of him, and hes lived there for the last few years while continuing to speak out about privacy-related issues.

By now, this is well-trod knowledge. It was chronicled in an award-winning docudrama, 2014s Citizenfour, which followed journalists Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald in their attempt to corroborate and communicate Snowdens story. Now, three years after Snowden became a household name, Oliver Stone has given us a scripted melodrama that exists to humanize the man behind the metadata. In the public, Snowden is still treated like Benedict Arnold by political leaders on both sides of the aisle; polling indicates that while American millennials are slightly more favorable toward him, he remains a divisive figure. Given Stones reputation as an activist filmmaker, Snowden comes with a very pointed purpose: Make the audience understand Snowden, and maybe his country will love him.

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Snowden may have some bookish sex appeal, but hes essentially the worlds most notorious geek. This might have been Stones biggest hurdle in making this moviefinding an anonymous, everyman who wouldnt sex it up too much. Enter Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a man who has seemingly rebranded his career as a socially-minded thespian, following a short stint as Zooey Deschanels best friend. Hes good at playing boring, though his performance is is slightly hampered by our real-world impressions of Snowden, whos remained in the public eye for years. Watching the movie, its hard not to note how JGLs voice is much heavier, as though hes speaking into a voice changer set to dumb, and how he lacks the self-conscious tics of a lifelong computer nerd.

Given Snowdens unexceptional personality, Stone is clear to show his evolution from mild-mannered hacker to heroic whistleblower. It becomes clear in the film that Snowden is pushed to action not by any grandstanding impulse, but because of a slow accretion of transgressions that his conscience just cant ignore. Stones telling goes where Citizenfour didnt by reassembling its subjects personal life, in order to give a sense of how a man who once quoted Ayn Rand as an inspiration could end up committing legal treason in service of a righteous moral truth. Early on, Snowden cites 9/11 as the most important moment of his life, and bristles when Lindsay Mills, his eventual girlfriend (Shailene Woodley), disses Bush. We see him smile at the idea of an Obama presidency, before eventually turning conspiratorial as the data collection sprawls out of control. It takes us step-by-step to show how the veneer of a perfect lifethe big salary, the Hawaii beach house, the wonderful girlfriendcould be worn away by the nagging feeling of being complicit in evil.

Citizenfour, which picked up an Academy Award for Best Documentary, worked like one of those Soderbergh art-house thrillers where the camera angles are all askew and everyones halfway between muttering and kissing. The staging was unpretentious, but the stakes were so high you couldnt help but be chilled as Snowden soberly explained how easily the NSA could peek into our private lives. Stone, who loves subtlety like a shark loves land, cant resist being heavy-handed. After Snowden tells Lindsay about the NSAs offer to move to Hawaii, where hell embark on the work that will eventually lead to his whistleblowing, he stands over a pot of boiling water as the steam clouds up his glasses. (Hes lost in the fog, you see.) After Snowden exits the NSAs Hawaii base by way of a tunnel, shortly after transferring the incriminating evidence to a concealed SD card, he walks into a blinding white light, prompting him to smile. (He feels pure, you see.)

Its maybe true that many Americans dont have much of consequence to hide from their governmentnot unless the NSA is really stoked on crawling through the memes theyve Gchatted to friendsbut the implications of how that access could and has been abused is deeply unsettling. Unlike other government employees with top clearance, Snowden was visibly uncomfortable by those implications. In one of the movies livelier scenes, hes recruited into performing a bit of spycraft, as he chats up bankers at a ritzy party in the hopes of finding someone who can give him a bead on the flow of terrorist dollars. (One banker, annoyed by his awkwardness, remarks that he must be a spy, or just stupid.) But Snowden cant stomach the grimier requirements of spy work, and blanches when one bankers life is turned upside-down by an oily agent (Timothy Oliphant) who sees his manipulations as servicing the greater good.

In Snowden, Stone has a subject who went through all of the steps to make sure his revelation of a sweeping conspiracy wouldnt just be called a conspiracy theory, that blanket phrase used to dismiss narrative dissenters as cranks. His existence validates deep-seated anxieties about the shadowy parts of the government and society that Stone has spent his career exploring. Its hard to think of a more sympathetic filmmaker to Snowdens causethey even met nine times during the making of the movie. (This sympathy translated to an awful production experience, as though Stone were locked into a death spiral with the endeavorhe skipped his mothers funeral to continue filming, in order to not lose time.)

Secrecy is security, and security is victory, Snowdens CIA mentor tells him at one point. The ulterior point couldnt be made more obvious if he said that while wearing a shirt that said BIG BROTHERand, in fact, theres one scene where he speaks to Snowden while his face is projected onto a massive wall, looming over the diminished soon-to-be whistleblower. After watching the movie, its easy to think it was a bit heavy-handed, or that it could have been told with a lighter touch. But because the stakes remain high, and because we havent stopped taping over our web cameras, its understandable why Stone would avoid artistic ambiguity. At a Fathom event for the movie, Stone, Gordon-Levitt, and Woodley were joined by the real Edward Snowden, who beamed into the theater via teleconference. At some point, Stone was presented with a birthday cake, and serenaded by the audience. Above him, Snowdens video-stretched face laughed and smiled at the spectacle. It was their short moment of levity, before returning to the real work.
You can get an autonomous vacuum to clean your floor or a mechanical nanny to tell stories to your kids, so why not a robot that helps you socialize with friends?



Due out in November for $100, the Ozobot Evo can help you teach you to program, play games and send messages to friends anywhere in the world.



About the the size of a stack of two stacks of quarters, the 1.2 x 1.3-inch dome-shaped Evo is an upgrade over the Ozobot Bit, an identical-looking $50 robot that teaches kids about programming and logic by following a series of colored lines and dots you draw (or place) beneath it.



The 0.8-ounce Evo works with the same paper-and-ink-based system, but adds in Bluetooth connectivity and a smartphone app that lets you not only control your robot but also send alerts to your friends' bots.



I spent a few hours playing with the Ozobot Evo this week, with intriguing but mixed early results. I received an early beta version of the smartphone app, which allowed me to drive the robot around using an on-screen joystick, make the lights blink in one of five preloaded patterns and cause it to emit one of five preloaded sounds.



I was also able to record any my movements and then play them back. Though I couldn't test the social features in my beta app, I saw some of them working during a briefing with Evollve, the company which makes Ozobot.



As I watched, CEO Nader Hamda demonstrated sending and receiving a message on his phone. When he received the message, his Evo began to do a little dance, complete with lights and sounds. Hamda said these messages could help cheer someone up or otherwise communicate your feelings. Right now, the Evo only has a small set of beeping sounds and light-up patterns, but he told us that users would be able to add their own.



Hamda also told us that the final version of the app, which will be available on iOS and Android around launch time in November, will add games and some cute features like the ability to ask your robot for advice. He gave the example of a teenager asking the Evo whether a girl would say yes to a promposal.



However, in my tests, the aspect of the Ozobot Evo that is most interesting is the paper code feature it shares with the Bit. The device comes with a set of markers in black, red, green and blue colors. When I drew a straight black line on a blank piece of white paper and put the Evo on top of it, it beeped and followed the path I set.

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MORE: Meet Zenbo, a Family Robot Straight Out of the Jetsons



When you draw a series of three colored circles -- the company calls them OzoCodes -- in the robot's path, it reacts accordingly. For example, red/blue/red means to pause for three seconds before proceeding and green/black/red means to turn left. I found that the Evo recognized these patterns pretty well though, a couple of times it appeared to skip over them (perhaps it was how I drew them).



Ozobot.com has a ton of information, including a series of tutorial videos that show you how to program the robot. However, I wish it was easier to find a list of the Ozocodes. There was no documentation in the box and, in order to find a page with a list of the different color patterns and what they do, I had to use Google, because it wasn't easy to locate via the site's navigation. This list should come with the product.



Evollve markets the Bit toward kids and has a section of its site that's filled with PDF lesson plans. Hamda said the company has already sold its education kits with the Bit to around 2,000 schools, who use to teach the students about programming. The Evo is also good for this purpose as it offers all the same capabilities and throws in an infrared sensor that keeps it from bumping into objects.



When I stuck my finger in front of the Evo while it was following a line on paper, the robot stopped and waited for me to withdraw the obstruction. However, when I was using the smartphone app to control the robot, it ran right into my finger.



In addition to controlling the robot with OzoCodes, users can program the bot using a web tool and scripting language called OzoBlockly. At OzoBlockly.com, users can write their programs by dragging some simple logic blocks around the screen and then can save these instructions to the cloud. To run the programs, you press the bottom of the robot against a white circle on the computer screen and the web tool passes the data to its sensors by flashing different colors. Hamda said, you'll also be able to code in JavaScript eventually.



The Ozobot Evo isn't meant for serious work, but it does provide a fun way to learn about programming concepts, if not about real-world coding. We look forward to seeing how its functionality evolves as the product moves closer to launching in November.

Copyright 2016 Toms Guides , a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Not every smartphone exploit is a life-or-death matter of security. Some are just fun. Take, for example, what 17-year-old Jacob Ajit accomplished with just a little spare time and ingenuity.

By using a simple command and a proxy server, Ajit bypassed T-Mobiles internet-activation process and found a way to surf the net for free  until he graciously notified the company of the flaw, that is.

Ajit is a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virginia. Like any high school student with a smartphone and some time to kill, he decided to fool around with the handset -- an unspecified model of iPhone, judging by Ajit's screenshots, with a prepaid SIM card -- and see if there was anything fun he could accomplish. Ajit found that although he did not have an internet data plan on his phone, it did offer a limited LTE connection for the exclusive purpose of accessing the phone's billing information.

MORE: Best Antivirus Software and Apps

If the phone could access billing information online, could it access other things, Ajit wondered? By clicking links in the billing menus, he eventually found his way out onto the T-Mobile website and realized that the phone could indeed access the internet, plan or no plan. He ran a Speedtest app and discovered that the phone had an active 20 Mbps connection.

After connecting to mitmproxy (which allows users to monitor traffic on a network) on his Mac, Ajit found that if Speedtest could connect to the Internet, T-Mobile must be whitelisting its own servers on phones without paid data plans. From there, he simply designed his own fake Speedtest folder and found that his phone treated it just like a legitimate Speedtest server. Instead of testing Internet speeds, though, Ajits Speedtest server took him to a Taylor Swift music video.

The experiment worked, but unless Ajit wanted to program fake Speedtest servers for every site on the Internet, it didnt have much practical use. Thats where Heroku, a proxy server program, came in handy. Ajit created his own Glype-based proxy system, which tricked T-Mobiles browser into thinking that every site he visited had its own Speedtest folder to go along with it. The whole Internet was at his fingertips.

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Rather than use his finding for evil, however, Ajit turned the information over to T-Mobile, which quickly corrected the error. However, it's not necessarily a happy ending; T-Mobile has refused to speak to either Ajit or the press about its faux pas, making the company seem rather ungrateful for a very easy and rather important fix. In the world of mobile carriers, no good deed goes unpunished.

Copyright 2016 Toms Guides , a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TLCs 90 Day Fiance is as much about culture shock as it is about rushing into marriage  and Sundays episode is no exception.

In a first-look clip made available exclusively to TheWrap, Nicole is wowed by the beauty of Azans Morocco, but she doesnt dig its anti-PDA culture. This proves to be a problem for the very touchy-feely American, who gets pretty lovey-dovey over buying some napkins.

Azan turns down her hug advances, which only makes the public display of affection more important to Nicole. Of course, hes got to live there, shes just visiting. You know, for now.

Also Read: '90 Day Fiance' Sneak Peak: Jorge's Girlfriend Is the Absolute Worst (Exclusive Video)

Nicole, 21, and Azan, 23, met through a messenger app but have never met in person. Nicole has a 20-month-old daughter and has never traveled outside of America. Nicoles family is nervous for her to travel alone and skeptical of Azans intentions because they think he is using her for a green card.

So, classic 90 Day Fiance stuff.

Watch the video above.

Also Read: '90 Day Fiance' Clip Puts Family's Fears on Full Display (Exclusive Video)

In addition to those two, here are some other couples that probably wont make it:

Narkyia (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania) and Olulowo Lowo (from Nigeria, living in Vietnam)

Narkyia, 36, and Lowo, 28, met on a Facebook group called Beautiful Big Women, when Lowo privately messaged Narkyia. Lowo tried catfishing Narkyia by pretending to live in Alabama, along with other far-reaching lies. Narkyia fears that she cant fully trust him.

Matt (Williamstown, Kentucky) and Alla (from Ukraine)

Matt, 42, and Alla, 30, met on an international dating site. Matt, married and divorced 3 times, had traveled to Ukraine looking for love. There he found Alla but bringing her to America also means bringing her 7 year old son.

Also Read: TLC Reality Star Toby Willis Arrested on Child Rape Charge

Jorge (Los Angeles, California) and Anfisa (from Moscow, Russia)

Jorge, 25, and Anfisa, 20, met when Jorge stumbled on Anfisas Facebook page and began courting her. Soon he was taking her on expensive trips across Europe. Now he plans to show Anfisa a life of luxury in America where he hopes she will fit in with his large family, which includes protective older sisters.

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Chantel (Atlanta, Georgia) and Pedro (from Dominican Republic)

Chantel, 25, and Pedro, 24, met when Chantels former Spanish teacher pointed her to Pedros Facebook page so she could learn Spanish faster. Chantel has hidden the truth about her relationship with Pedro from her family. They think he is entering the US on a student visa and have no idea that Pedro has only 90 days to marry Chantel or leave the country.

90 Day Fiance airs Sundays at 9/8c on TLC.

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TLC's Second 'Baby Story' Live Birth Delivers 280,000 Facebook Views (Exclusive)

'My Giant Life' Gets Season 2 at TLC (Exclusive Video)

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In the present day all litigations, where big revenue is at stake, are confined to the high courts and the Supreme Court. Till the advent of Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the judiciary was concerned primarily about disputes between private individuals and corporations, among themselves, and between them and the State  litigations for enforcement of rights or liabilities. Litigations, therefore, were primarily on matters of contracts, property, tax and criminal laws. However, the PILs changed the role of the judiciary. It ceased to be confined to enforcement of rights and obligations or punishment of offenders. PILs meant the courts are acting in substitution of the executive and legislature and becoming the ultimate arbiter in matters of policy.

The question whether such jurisdiction as super government and super legislature could be invested in the courts undoubtedly is a predominant question. The emphatic answer is that courts are invested with no such jurisdiction. What is done these days in the name of PIL is acting in substitution of the executive and the legislature, nay, as if the judiciary is the executive and legislature all at once. This is against the Constitution and democracy. However, I do not intend to go into that aspect deeply because if I venture to do so, this article will become more of a discourse on jurisprudence.

In entertaining PILs and wearing the robe of the executive and the legislature, the Supreme Court and high courts undoubtedly brought in many reforms of great public good. But the courts sporting the role of the executive and the legislature, which is not invested in them by law, has many fallouts. The first and foremost is that it has resulted in the very destruction of the judiciary as an impartial administrator of justice. We inherited from the British a wonderful legal system, respected for its impartiality and independence manned by highly qualified, erudite and competent individuals. The independent judiciary was found to be an obstacle by the late Indira Gandhi. She tried to tame it and the courts resisted it. Gandhi had no qualm to publicly declare that she wanted a committed judiciary. She asserted the primacy of the executive in the matter of appointment of judges to the higher judiciary. Since then the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and the high courts became a matter in controversy.

The Supreme Court, in the Judges-2 case, which was a PIL, overruled the seven-judge Constitution Bench judgment in the SP Guptas case and held that in the matter of appointment of judges to the higher judiciary, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) will be entitled to primacy. There was a rider though that the opinion of the CJI is the opinion of the collegium of senior judges, of which he is the head. The judgment in Judges-2 case was no interpretative gloss of the constitutional provisions. It meant rewriting of the Constitution. It may be difficult to fathom that the government did not question the jurisdiction of the court or the maintainability of the PIL by the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association (SCAORA). Still strange is, when the government made a Presidential Reference under Article 143 of the Constitution, it did not question the jurisdiction of the court to rewrite the Constitution. Astonishingly, the government accepted the introduction of the collegium system, unheard of in the legal history of any country. The then Attorney General made it expressly clear that they are not seeking a review of the judgment in Judges-2 case. The Judges-3 case was only about the procedure to be followed by the collegium and its strength.

The legal fraternity, except legendary justice Krishna Iyer who foresaw that it would lead to oligarchy, welcomed the judgment in Judges-3 case. The political class also did not criticise the judgment much. The public at large probably thought that we will have a system where the very best, the most meritorious and men of character would be appointed as judges. However, it did not take much of a time for the said hope to be proved wrong. The power, which the courts could assume in the name of PIL, enhanced the authority, power and prestige of the office of a judge of the Supreme Court or the high court. Many of the judges and legal luminaries actually wanted the son, daughter, nephew, niece, uncle, their progeny and near and dear ones, to be appointed as a judge. The judgment in Judges-2 case introduced a concept of legitimate expectation, namely, elevation as the chief justice of a high court or as a judge of the Supreme Court on the basis of seniority. Sitting or retired judges and the class of legal luminaries realised that it is important to secure a berth for their kith and kin in the higher judiciary at the youngest possible age. This was a guarantee that their progenies will rule high courts as senior judges, reach the Supreme Court and would even become CJI. The judgments in Judges-2 and Judges-3 cases meant an end to the selection based on merit and integrity. The collegium system meant to be a synonym for nepotism, favouritism, oligarchy and what not. Till the judgment in Judges-2 case, the executive had the primacy in the matter of appointment of judges to the higher judiciary, but except for a few exceptions the executive acted upon the recommendations of the CJI. The collegium system introduced as a remedy for the so-called spoiler systems, namely, that a political party elected to power will favour their supporters by judicial appointments, has proved to be counter-productive. It was in the above backdrop that the demand from different quarters for a Judicial Appointment Commission, ideally independent of both the executive and the judiciary, was conceived. To make it possible, the Constitution (Ninety-ninth Amendment) Act, 2014 and the National Judicial Appointment Commission Act, 2014 (the Acts, for short) were enacted.

The NJAC contemplated these Acts, though a step in the right direction, could not have meant a Judicial Appointment Commission independent of the executive and judiciary. The major defect of the Commission was that it was still not independent of the judiciary. The NJAC was to be a six-member committee headed by the CJI, the other members being two seniormost judges of the Supreme Court, two eminent persons to be nominated by a panel consisting of the Prime Minister, CJI, Leader of the Opposition and the law minister. The NJAC thus conceived was a collegium, which has lost some of its primacy, but still one where judges have a predominant role. It is unfathomable that the judiciary could be unhappy with the NJAC. But the elite class of lawyers, who had a great role in the collegium system, considered NJAC as a threat to their vested interests. They accordingly used SCOARA, over which they have dominant control, informal though, to attack and discredit the NJAC. The NJAC was thus quashed before birth.

Till 2015, appointment of judges to the higher judiciary was primarily an issue where the senior judges of the Supreme Court and so-called legal luminaries mattered. The general public, nay, even ordinary lawyers, were not much aware that the judges , who granted themselves the power of appointment of judges, used it to appoint their near and dear ones. Even strong political links or association with bog industrial houses nattered for the coveted posts. The National Lawyers' Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reform  of which I am a part  an association of ordinary lawyers, mostly the first generation lawyers, sons and daughters of the common man, the farmers, teachers, petty traders, workers etc., felt that the time has come to bring the truth to the fore. The forum chose to do whatever it could to avert the justice delivery mechanism being further monopolised. Its president Mathews J Nedumpara intervened in the NJAC case and questioned the very maintainability of the PIL, pointing out that appointment of judges is a legislative policy. He also pointed out that if it is an issue which is justiciable, then the pertinent question is whom should the courts hear? Are not the 129 crore people, citizens of the country? Could a few elite lawyers sitting in Delhi alone be heard and the case be decided in one way or another?

Apart from raising the legal issues, Nedumpara produced a chart titled The Progeny Judges Syndrome, which showed that 50 percent of the appointments in the higher judiciary are kith and kin of judges and other influential people. He brought to the notice of the Constitution Bench that the apex court and the high courts are literally dominated by the kith and kin of judges. Ironically, judges who are elevated from the subordinate judiciary, the vast majority of whom are first generation lawyers, retire as junior judges with hardly any occasion to head a Bench handling PILs, an arena where judges exercise vast power. But unfortunately, Nedumpara was not given due opportunity to be heard. The so-called legal luminaries opposing the NJAC and those who are supposed to be supporting it, being representing the Central and state governments, but who in the heart of their hearts supported the collegium system, did not allow him to be heard. What little the NLC could achieve is bring to the public domain the issue of monopolisation of the higher judiciary. That has meant the judges being forced to acknowledge that there are shortcomings in the collegium system and it needs improvement. Accordingly they authorised the government to prepare a Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges, which will deal with (i) Transparency, (ii) Collegium Secretariat, (iii) Eligibility Criteria and (iv) Complaints.

Could something more unfathomable than the so-called MoP be conceived after striking down the NJAC Act? Today the institution of judiciary is the monopoly of a few families, either as judges or senior advocates, and the cases they decide are primarily of the rich and the mighty. The ordinary lawyers and citizens are totally discriminated. By establishing a Judicial Appointment Commission, independent of the executive and the judiciary, the dream of a judiciary which serves the people would be achieved.

The author is general secretary, National Lawyers' Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reform. Views are personal.
The death of 25-year-old Vignesh, member of the Tamil Nadu fringe group Naam Tamilar, on Friday morning, became just another addition to suicide statistics. Eighteen hours earlier, he had set himself on fire in Egmore while taking part in the party's procession, protesting against Tamil Nadu's rights over Cauvery water and the attacks on Tamils in Karnataka. He was rushed to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital with 93 percent burns, where he fought an unsuccessful battle against death.

Vignesh hailed from Mannargudi near Thanjavur, 330 km south of Chennai. He was the secretary of the Naam Tamilar youth wing in Mannargudi. A rural boy who perhaps thought he will make Chennai remember him for some time to come.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Tamil Nadu has consistently been among the top two states for the highest number of suicides in India, with over 16,000 people killing themselves every year. Chennai had the dubious distinction of the maximum number of suicides in any Indian city, 2,214 in the year 2014.

Self-immolation has been an oft-used route to commit suicide in Tamil Nadu. In 2013, around 2,098 people in the state immolated themselves, translating to an average of over five cases per day. Of the self-immolation incidents in India, nearly 13 percent were reported from Tamil Nadu.

What is it about Tamil Nadu that setting oneself on fire is one of the preferred ways to commit suicide? The state has a history of many political cadres attempting this method; during the anti-Hindi agitation or when MGR was hospitalised and later died, or over the Sri Lankan issue."

"Something is seriously wrong with the DNA of Tamil people,'' says R Mani, a senior journalist. "It is also copycat activity because these acts are subsequently glorified by political speakers instead of ignoring or condemning them."

Mani quotes the case of a Tamil journalist and activist Muthukumar who set himself on fire in Chennai at the height of the civil war in Sri Lanka in January 2009. His death not only led to considerable unrest in Tamil Nadu but also resulted in six others emulating Muthukumar in Tamil Nadu and abroad. Till date, the 26-year-old is eulogised, which only serves as some kind of an incentive to other weak minds to emulate for a cause in the quest for martyrdom.

In the book 'The Copycat Effect', published in 2004, author Loren Coleman writes about how self-immolation came to acquire the stature of a potent political tool in the mid-60s during the anti-Hindi agitation in Tamil Nadu.

He writes : "In 1965, political self-immolations were used in widespread protests in India. As the villagers of Kizhapazhuvur in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchi district looked on in shock, Chinnaswamy, a poor farmer, set fire to his gasoline-saturated body on the eve of Republic Day in 1965 for the preservation of the Tamil language. After his death, Tamil Nadu became the scene of a new, fiery form of Indian political protest: self-immolation. The next night, TM Sivalingam of Kodambakkam in Chennai immolated himself, protesting the imposition of Hindi on Dravidian land. And the next day, Aranganathan of Virugambakkam in Chennai took the same route to death for the same cause. The spate of suicides over the imposition of Hindi continued for a week that year leaving as many as nine people dead, and Tamil Nadu came to be labelled as the land of self-immolation. In the months that followed, the government withdrew its call to outlaw the Tamil language. (Today, self-immolations in India are said to be caused by the "Chinnaswamy effect".)

But it is highly unlikely that Vignesh's so-called martyrdom will get him anywhere. Social activists say Tamil Nadu sees many such youths getting sucked by the empty rhetoric of fiery speeches eulogising Tamil pride and getting emotionally manipulated.

People like Naam Tamilar leader Seeman peddle anti-Tamil venom and youths like Vignesh buy it. Those coming from a rural background get brainwashed. This kind of divisive politics is dangerous as they will now make a martyr out of the boy only to further their own interests,'' says Chandramohan, a social activist

When an AIADMK woman party member attempted suicide in August 2014, reportedly upset over a derogatory article about Jayalalithaa that was published on the Sri Lankan Defence ministry website, the AIADMK chief wrote her a letter asking the party cadre not to resort to such extreme steps. But that did not stop many of them from doing the same when she was sent to jail a month later in the Disproportionate Assets case.

Psychologists attribute this to a form of hysteria where the physical pain is seen as some kind of distraction from emotional pain. "When you think what you believe in is being challenged, you get into a self-destruct mode. In fact, in most cases, those who survive, regret the spur-of-the-moment decision. Also self-immolation in public, as opposed to say consuming poison or hanging oneself, is seen as being martyred and attracts attention. They feel they have strengthened the movement,'' says Purnima Nagaraja, clinical psychiatrist.
The last time Serena Chopra visited Merak, a small village in North-Eastern Bhutan, close to the Arunachal border, a group of CRPF soldiers from India were laying down the wires for the first telephone that would be set up in the village. Chopra knew the village would never be the same again. You put a telephone in a place where there hasnt been one, and you will see how everything changes, she says.

For long, longer than you may remember, the idea of the Indian subcontinent has obscured the macro-cosmic existence of that very idea in reality. That the country is surrounded by a number of other, smaller nations, with a culture, though similar, but contrasting in most places has perhaps more to do with a kaleidoscopic approach to viewing this corner of the world, misrepresented or under-explored at each break in the light. The uniform idea of India serves as an arching reference to everything middle-Asian, the polemic injustice of which is probably, too improper and narrow to articulate to the average listener or reader. But let us still give it a try.

My idea of Bhutan rarely ever took off of the maps that I labelled in Geography classes in school to get marks, or was limited to the responses to questions that embodied middle-age clasping resentment like "Is there a country where an average Indian could be rich? Someone once told me Bhutan does not even have a theatre, or has just one. All of these and many more have for years restricted my image of the country to an extension of my own, that operatic branch that knocks on windows and seems to grow no leaves  until I saw Serena Chopras Bhutan Echoes.

Chopras two leading interests as she was graduating through college were journalism and photography. And with them she wanted to stick, but for the paltry salaries that both professions offered. I had a thing for writing and photography from an early age. But out of college, the money wasnt good. I couldnt afford much. I think it was a Rs 1,000 salary that I got first, Serena says as we talk at her house in 4 Jorbagh.

Chopra, therefore, moved into textile and design, and eventually set up her own business after getting married  before she got back to her camera during the '90s. Eventually the business became so big that I couldnt get out of it. I did though still try and do whatever I could, which even included going to an evening photo school, a small lab that existed out of a third floor apartment in Bhogal, she says.

Chopra, in the midst of her twinning life-roles, went to Bhutan in 1996 where she took out a Hasselblad camera and fell in love with photography all over again. By 2003, she decided to close down her business altogether and take the leap she had for years now been planning.

Thus began her 12-year romance with Bhutan, the result of which is now public knowledge in the form of a book and now an upcoming exhibition.

The first five years are when I reinvented myself as much as I found myself, she says. But Chopra did not just capture table-topping landscapes or fermented identities sparkling in the eyes of tribals torn from civilisation by time, which should be declared as a passe approach to documenting or even photographing. Chopras photographs capture a country in transition, not without its contrasts, on the inside evolving with each passing moment, no less at a time when the country itself underwent monumental change: In March 2008 Bhutan became the worlds youngest democracy.

Which also raises the question that at the heights of a seismic political event like the one mentioned, did she at any time stutter in her objective gaze? I was very sure that I was there as an artist. I have lots of photographs of judges and the Prime Minister that I never used, probably because I never even knew at that point that this would go on to be a book and eventually, an exhibition. I was just there doing what I wanted to do, Chopra says.

The simplicity of Chopras approach is starkly clear in her photographs. One of the most striking observations that can be made about her photographs is, though they are not presented in any sort of linearity, and were not approached with a sense of establishing any in mind, they still register a progression in time. These are photos that if they were pinned randomly to a board, would still find a way of crawling next to each other to establish some sort of context.

The image of a Yak herder alongside a couple of gentleman playing billiards in Thimpu, is a contextual anagram that is incomplete in some sense, without the other photograph. Yet you could replace either and a new duality might emerge. I didnt just want to look at the remote corners of the country. I wanted to look at how the city (Thimpu) was transforming as well. So I went to the only two discotheques that existed at the time in Thimpu, as much as I visited the remote areas. Because the young, who were going to bring in the changes were the ones I wanted to get a sense of, she says.

Recently, Bhutan has been the subject of some speculation and study for its ideational summary to running a country in the form of Gross National Happiness. In a time when nations around the world are beginning to feel stifled by the dogmatic authority of economy as a factor that defines all other factors of governance, a small countrys emphasis on factors like human satisfaction and happiness as a way of governance can push a fair number of troubled souls over the edge. But things are changing.

Unlike us, Bhutan was always this place where the people were still very comfortable in their cultural identity, rooted in their ideals. There used to be 65 percent forest cover at a time and a pair of jeans would have been rare to find on a woman. But they were still modern in their approach to many things, and comfortable in it. When I visit now, I see things have started to change. Thimpu has become a concrete jungle like any other city in the world, and the remote towns that were previously untouched by modernisation are now catching up, Chopra says.

The concurrence of worlds expansion within itself in terms of connectivity and the way people have proceeded to utilising it to perform surgeries on land, is something that Bhutan may no longer be able to keep out or avoid. In that sense it may go the India way and unfortunately, eventually drift with the larger cosmopolitan sub-continental shift. For such a scenario, Chopras work might stand as a testament of a time in history, as even a map to a place and a culture that decades from now may even cease to exist, perhaps, even against its own will. Because the roads that once went into Bhutan may no longer return, but Chopra has walked them all, and before its too late, we should too, through her work or on our own.

Bhutan Diaries will be exhibiting in Kolkata (26 Sep-7 Oct) after which it will move to Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, courtesy Tasveer.
Raging against the waves remains a futile exercise. Congress's valiant attempt to blame the BJP top leadership for its reversal of fate in Arunachal Pradesh is tinged with no small amount of irony and perhaps even a touch of pathos.

It was a little tragic to see Randeep Singh Surjewalla, national spokesperson of India's grand old party, engage in desperate rhetorical gymnastics to mask the ineptitude of its central leadership. To impugn Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Ram Madhav for the switchover of entire Congress government and all but one lawmaker to People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) is the most convenient way to absolve itself of all culpability and pre-empt inevitable questions on an obvious leadership vacuum.

His comments merely embodied the termite-eaten Congress culture that remains rooted in staunch denial even as its edifice crumbles all around and national footprint evaporates faster than "Jupiter's escape velocity."

It is ironic but not unexpected that Surjewalla would accuse BJP of "foul play" and castigate the Prime Minister for committing "fraud on democracy". As reported by IANS, he called PPA "the illegitimate child of the BJP's diabolical design to decimate democracy," and added: "mandate of the people of the border state of Arunachal has been robbed in broad daylight."

It would be pertinent to ask just how "democracy got decimated" when the entire action took place within the Constitutional framework. Unlike in March, when Congress faced a similar rebellion and Kalikho Pul walked over to PPA leading the Supreme Court to "reset" the clock and restore the Tuki government, there appears to be no legal loopholes for the courts to intervene this time.

At best, Congress can raise legitimate questions on ethics. And here, history would be struggling to stifle a quiet chuckle at its attempts to take the moral high ground.

As PTI pointed out in a report, "the dramatic development in Arunachal brought back memories of the famous 'aya ram, gaya ram' episode involving Bhajan Lal who was heading a Janata Party government in Haryana and defected lock, stock, and barrel with all the party MLAs to the Congress after Indira Gandhi came back to power in 1980."

It is also unclear whose "mandate" got "robbed in broad daylight" when elected representatives of the people out of own volition joined another conglomerate which they reckon would better serve the interests of the state.

As CM Khandu told ANI in a statement: It was a unanimous decision of all the Congress legislators to merge with the regional political party We must face the fact that the aspirations of the people of Arunachal Pradesh are very high and these are very regional in character. The politics of the state, therefore, has to be in tune with the aspirations of our people all of us, in the true spirit of Team Arunachal."

It is no secret that northeastern states tend to gravitate towards the party in power at the Centre for better access to resources. Khandu made no bones about it while talking reporters shortly after the "coup" on Friday.

"PPA being an alliance partner of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a conglomeration of BJP and other regional political parties of the North East, we will develop a mechanism on how to get more development funds from the Centre," he was quoted, as saying by PTI.

But there is another compelling reason why Congress lost its government at the northeast frontier state for the second time this year and is suffering the lowest ebb in its history. The party faces an irreversible decline, suffers from habitual electoral reverses and its candidates routinely lose their deposits yet the dynasty at the helm cannot rid itself of past illusions of grandeur.

Rahul Gandhi cuts a sorry figure as a leader and yet cannot avoid indulging in lordly pride. As the Chief Minister of his own party, Khandu was recently made to hang around for an appointment from the Congress vice-president but suffered no waiting period from the Prime Minister who met him even on a Sunday (24 July). Rahul Gandhi met Khandu the day after.

As Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty elaborates in The Wire, "Khandu sought an appointment with party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, and also with the Prime Minister. While they are yet to give him time, the response came immediately from the PMs office. It has left Mr Khandu pleasantly surprised." The article goes on to quote a senior state functionary that "the leadership has not learnt anything from the past"

The small but not insignificant incident brings to mind a similar accusation from Himanta Biswa Sarma, the leader from Assam widely acclaimed for his organisational skills who walked over to BJP just ahead of the Assembly polls from Congress after 15 years, accusing the central leadership for being blithe about the internal implosion.

A NDTV report states how Sarma, who meant to alert the Congress vice-president about the precarious state of the party in Assam ahead of the polls, came away from the meeting with a feeling that "Mr Gandhi seemed preoccupied with playing with his dog instead of paying attention to the people surrounding him".

It is not without reason that Congress's state unit chiefs have been forcing their MLAs to sign 'Gandhi bonds' to pledge their loyalty. Just look at what has been happening in West Bengal where the Congress, according to a report in The Times of India, is set to lose party stronghold Berhampore to the Trinamool Congress with 16 of its representatives in the city council expected to walk over.

These are times of unprecedented calamity for Congress. Blaming rival parties for its ills won't help.
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of "foul play" and committing a "fraud on democracy" after Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu alongwith 42 Congress MLAs quit the party and joined Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA).

"Modi's and BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) foul play and fraud on democracy has come to a full circle in Arunachal Pradesh today," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters.

"PPA is the illegitimate child of the BJP's diabolical design to decimate democracy," he alleged.

"Mandate of the people of the border state of Arunachal has been robbed in broad day light," Surjewala said.

The Congress leader's remarks came after Pema Khandu and 42 Congress MLAs defected to the PPA, an ally of the BJP in the state.

"The gross and rampant misuse of money power finally delivered an immoral government of opportunists and turncoats," Surjewala alleged.

He also said "Sadly the architects of extinguishing and murdering the very spirit of democracy and constitutionalism, are Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and (BJP national president) Amit Shah who rode to power on the promise of cooperative federalism."

"Having been thwarted twice, BJP began by engineering defections, inducements, threats etc to subvert people's mandate," the Congress leader said, adding, "They sacrificed a former Chief Minister and Governor, who enjoyed their patronage."

"BJP government has annihilated the soul of constitutional supremacy," he added.

Surjewala also said that the "prodigal sons of Congress" who have jumped ship have made "massive ideological and political blunder and compromise".

"They have also destroyed trust of people of Arunachal Pradesh, who voted for them as candidates of Congress. Such politics, as we are seeing in Arunachal Pradesh, is neither tenable nor credible," the Congress leader added.

Addressing the media, Congress' northeast in-charge C.P. Joshi said there is no space for the BJP's ideology in the northeast region, and it was trying to impose it there.

"There is no space for the BJP ideology in northeast India," Joshi told reporters, adding that BJP's attempt to try and impose its ideology will have "dangerous impact".

"We have seen what has happened in Jammu and Kashmir. And we are concerned that similar situation will be seen in northeast India," Joshi said.

The Congress leader also said that despite the Supreme Court's judgement, "the fraud that was committed today (Friday) is very ominous for democracy in India".
New Delhi: Water Minister Kapil Mishra on Saturday alleged that Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had "refused" to meet him and Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

Mishra said that he along with Jain had gone to meet the LG after Jung on Friday night asked Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to immediately return to Delhi from Finland.

"We thought there must be some urgency that is why LG sent a fax to Manishji yesterday (Friday) asking him to return immediately. So we went to meet him to know about the issue. But when we reached his office, we were apprised that he won't be coming to office as today (Saturday) being a weekend day.

"When we contacted him on phone, Jung told Satyendar Jain that he was not at home too and could not meet us. Today (Saturday) LG doesn't want to discuss work," Mishra alleged.

Asked if he had taken appointment before meeting the LG, Mishra said: "We cannot wait for the appointment when such an outbreak of vector borne disease is in Delhi."

He alleged that the Lt Governor "blocked" his number and was not taking his calls.

Jain reiterated the same thing, and said, "LG refused to talk on the issue of fax sent to Manish Sisodia by his office yesterday (Friday)."

Sisodia is in Finland on a tour to study the education framework there to improve the standard of education in Delhi government schools.

Sisodia on Friday denied he was holidaying in Finland, saying India needed to learn a "lot from their education system, the best in the world".
Srinagar: Curfew was imposed on Saturday in Harwan area in Kashmir in the wake of death of a teenager in clashes on Friday evening while the curbs continued in some other parts of the summer capital and two towns of Kashmir.

"Curfew has been imposed in Harwan area of Srinagar city this morning while it remains in force in five police station areas of downtown (interior areas) city and Batamaloo," a police official said.

A pellet-ridden body of a youth was found in Harwan area of the city late last night. He was allegedly injured in security forces action on protesters during the clashes in the area yesterday.

Normal life in the violence-hit Valley remained paralysed for the 71st consecutive day due to restrictions and separatist-sponsored strike.

The official said curfew was also enforced in the towns of Badgam in central Kashmir and Pulgam in south. Restrictions on assembly of people continued in the rest of the Valley to maintain law and order, he said.

The separatists have extended the protest programme till September 22. They have not announced any relaxation in the strike even in the evening hours.

Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps continued to remain shut while public transport was off the roads.

Schools, colleges and other education institutions also remained closed due to the strike called by the separatist to protest the deaths of civilians.

Mobile telephone, except postpaid connections of BSNL, and internet including broadband sevice continued to remain snapped across the Valley since 4 PM on September 12.

As many as 81 people including two policemen have been killed in the unrest that broke out a day after Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8.
Interval irritates in action packed movies, emotional TV serials and developing political power-struggles. Always. For, during the commercials, you feel like hanging in mid-air wondering what all would happen from here on. And you dont know precise answers to the questions that keep cropping up halfway through the show.

Yes, its irritating, annoying  even exasperating.

But you cant help it.

The break, or call it truce, that you now see in the battle of oneupmanship within the ruling Yadav clan in Lucknow reveals less and conceals more! Its deceptive.

Here are five questions that continue to puzzle us all:

First, will the Chief Minister, whose additional responsibility as president of state unit of the Samajwadi Party was snatched away in an unseemly game of palace intrigue, be given back his position? There is no clarity on the issue despite Mulayam Singh Yadavs otherwise vague observation that all is fine within the family, the party and the government. "Galti hui humse (Yes, I made a mistake in removing Akhilesh as partys Uttar Pradesh unit chief), Netaji had admitted but didnt elucidate further.

Suspense continues.

Second, who will matter more in distribution of party tickets  chacha Shivpal or bhatija Akhilesh? Its an important question in the backdrop of the fact that the Chief Minister would continue to be the face of the party in the elections.

Third, will the Samajwadi Party supremo side with brother Shivpal on the issue of an alliance with Mukhtar Ansaris Quami Ekta Dal (QED) despite son Akhileshs opposition? Again, there is no clarity. Remember, this alliance was both forged and broken last month. Abruptly.

Fourth, will Mulayam make sure that outsider Amar Singh doesnt get anywhere near any member of the Yadav clan? Akhilesh has already made public his allergy towards the 'outsider' who had been sowing seeds of disunity in the ruling family. Chacha Ramgopal stands rock solid behind Akhilesh on this issue.

And fifth, whats the future of the Samajwadi Party under the present circumstances?

As a face, Akhilesh looks like a strong contender. But thats not what is important. What is more relevant is that his party is a chaotic house in the election year. There are now enough question marks regarding the partys hold over its Yadav-Muslim vote-bank. Remember, the minority community generally goes with the party which is best suited to defeat the BJP. Also remember that Mayawati is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Muslims join her bandwagon in a big way this time, particularly in Western Uttar Pradesh.

The Bahujan Samaj Party supremo has already staged massive rallies at Agra, Azamgarh, Saharanpur and Allahabad. And she will be showcasing her strength on Kanshi Rams death anniversary in Lucknow on 9 October. She is battle-ready. In sharp contrast, her main adversary  the Samajwadi Party  is busy fighting intra-party disorder.

The BJP and the Congress, which happen to be the third and fourth forces in Uttar Pradesh at this point of time, are watching the developments rather gleefully. While the BJP thinks that Muslims would now be divided among the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress almost equally, Prashant Kishor and his computer whiz-kids hold the hope that even a section of backwards, particularly MBCs, might drift towards them. There is no harm in keeping hopes alive. And why not at least as long as there is turmoil in the Samajwadi Party camp?

But lets put the focus back on the developments that bedevil the Samajwadi Party. Latest reports emanating from the VIP zone in Lucknow say that supporters of Shivpal and Akhilesh almost came to blows on the streets today. They were flexing their muscles and raising slogans in support of their respective leaders. And, on his part, Mulayam Singh was reported to be in a state of shock. He didnt know how to douse the fire.

But its interval time. Lets not try to make any conclusive judgement. Netaji is an old-war-horse. You never know, he might surprise us all with an ace up his sleeve. He has done it so many times in the past.

Nevertheless, time is running out fast. Elections are hardly four months away. And the show is about to begin after the break. Its best to keep our fingers crossed. Silence please.
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Rummage sale scheduled

TWIN FALLS  A rummage sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Twin Falls First United Methodist Church, 360 Shoshone St. E. Proceeds will support church missions.

Warm Up Twin Falls is coming again this year. First United Methodist Church will help keep people in our area warm by hanging hats, scarves and gloves on the railing of the church and in the trees. These items are to be taken without charge by anyone in need. More than 350 items were given last winter. A donation box is in the Friendship Room for purchased or handmaid items. For more information, call 208-733-5782.

The Rev. Elaine Steele will lead Sunday at the Buhl Methodist Church, 908 Maple St. The two-day Sunday school classes will meet at 10 a.m. One class will study The Upper Room booklet and the other will continue its discussion of David Brooks book Developing Character. A coffee hour will follow services.

Celebrate National Grandparents Day

TWIN FALLS  Ascension Episcopal Church will hold a grandfamily dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday to celebrate National Grandparents Day. The emphasis on family is on the grandparent/grandchild relationship, but also includes others who fill that role. Free-will donations will benefit youth activities at Ascension. Reservations are requested, but not required. Call 612-750-3057.

Ascensions Sunday worship services of Holy Communion will be held at 8 and 10 a.m. Sunday with the Rev. Neal Collins. Youth Sunday school is on summer break. Nursery care is not available; children are welcome at worship services with their parents. A fellowship coffee hour will be held after the 10 a.m. worship service.

Ascension Cafe, the adult discussion group, will meet from 9:10 a.m. to 9:55 a.m. Led by Tim Dodd, the group will focus on the scriptural readings of the day.

Knit-Us-Together, the handwork group, meets on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. All are welcome for worship, study and fellowship at Ascension.

Ascension Episcopal Church is handicapped accessible and is at 371 Eastland Drive N. in Twin Falls. For more information, episcopaltwinfalls.org or call 208-733-1248.

The Light of Hope

TWIN FALLS  Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all. This famous quote by Emily Dickinson, touches upon the beauty and wonder of this feeling we call hope; this is a state of mind that shines a light in our dark moments and carries us over rough waters.

Unitarians will discuss how hope can dissolve fear and empower us to take another step on our journey at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Vendor Blender and Event Center, 588 Addison Ave. W. in Twin Falls. Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is available.

Chose People Ministries representative to speak

JEROME  Michael Cohen, a representative of Chosen People Ministries will be speaking at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Oct. 23 at Life Church of the Magic Valley in Jerome. Michael will present a message on The Fall Feasts of Israel. Chosen People Ministries is more than 100 years old and was founded in 1894 by Leopold Cohn, a Hungarian rabbi who believed Jesus was the Messiah of Israel. Chosen People Ministries has grown into a worldwide ministry with outreach centers in Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Ukraine and the United States.

This presentation is free and open to the public. The church is at 425 East Nez Perce Ave. in Jerome. For more information, call 208-324-5876.

Former Twin Falls Mayor to speak at mens breakfast

JEROME  The Jerome Free Will Baptist Church will hold its quarterly mens breakfast at 8 a.m. Oct. 1. The event will feature a full hot breakfast, live music and a program featuring Don Hall of Twin Falls.

Hall is a former two-time mayor of Twin Falls and a current city councilman. Hall has been the executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs in Magic Valley. Hall is employed by the College of Southern Idaho as the director of the law enforcement program. Hall will talk about his professional life but, more importantly, his daily walk with his Savior Jesus Christ in both his public and personal life.

The church is at 810 South Cleveland Ave. There is no charge, but a free-will offering will be taken to help cover expenses. All men and teenage boys are welcome. For more information, call 208-308-6541.

To submit information about church events and news. Contact Matt Gooch at mgooch@magicvalley.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday for publication on the Saturday religion page. Please insert Church News in the email subject line.
BLISS  Flows in the Middle Snake River near Bliss will fluctuate beginning late Sunday night through Monday morning.

Idaho Power is adjusting flow levels to accommodate a structure inspection of Shoestring Bridge.

Idaho Power will increase flows at its Lower Salmon project from the current 5,800 cubic feet per second to around 8,200 cfs, beginning at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18 until 2 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19.

Flows below the Bliss Dam downstream will increase from 7,200 cfs to 9,800 cfs from 10:30 p.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday.

After that, Idaho Power will reduce flows to enable divers to inspect the bridge southwest of Bliss both above and below the waterline.

From 6-9 a.m. Monday, flows from Salmon Falls Dam will drop to approximately 1,800 cfs.

The water volume between the dam and bridge increases as other sources enter the river, so flows at Shoestring Bridge will be around 3,200 cfs during the drawdown.

Flows below Bliss Dam will be lowered from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and will drop to as low as 4,500 cfs.

After the bridge inspection is complete, flows will return to normal.
TWIN FALLS  A BASE jumper leaped off the Perrine Bridge at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning. By 9:40, he was jumping again. At 9:51, he soared off the bridge again. And again at 10:04. And again at 10:16.

Danny Weilands goal? BASE jump at least 60 times in 24 hours and break Miles Daishers unofficial world record for most jumps in one day.

At 7:10 p.m., fewer than 10 hours into Twin Falls 60, the 30-year-old Denver man had already completed 35 jumps and was well on his way to smashing Daishers record of 57 jumps in one day.

The difficult part of the feat, of course, is not the BASE jumping itself, but the climb from the landing zone back up to the bridge. Calculated by bridge height, 486 feet, if Weiland climbs up the canyon wall 60 times, hell be climbing at least 29,160 feet.

Thats the equivalent of climbing 131 feet higher than the peak of Mt. Everest.

Its a mental thing as much as it is a physical thing, Weilands friend Bill Snyder said.

While Weiland is aiming to break Daishers record  Daisher made his 57 jumps exactly 11 years prior, on Sept. 16, 2005  its not about beating the legendary BASE jumper who calls Twin Falls home.

In fact, Daisher and Weiland planned to do the 60 jumps together Friday, Snyder said, but on short notice Daisher, sponsored by Red Bull, had the opportunity to travel to China to BASE jump. It was an opportunity, apparently, that he couldnt refuse.

Weiland has been training, Snyder said, by running up mountains in Colorado that reach above 14,000 feet  14ers, as theyre known in the climbing community  helping to build his stamina.

And on his climbs up the canyon rim, it showed. On most climbs, it was taking Weiland less than 10 minutes from bottom to top.

While Weiland was the only jumper Friday attempting 60 jumps, he certainly wasnt working alone. Snyder, a BASE jumper from Michigan, and about 20 other volunteers from the BASE jumping community were helping him to pack parachutes and stay hydrated, and make sure he was playing things safe.

And it was quite a process.

At the bottom of the canyon, in the landing zone south of the river, several people, led by Jessica Fry, were camped out ready to collect his used chute and pack it for a later jump. While they packed, Weiland climbed.

Under the bridge, Snyder and others were ready with snacks, water and prepared parachutes. In total, the group rotated at least 13 parachutes, or rigs, so that Weiland never had to wait.

Once hed climbed the stairs, Weiland hopped on a bike and pedaled to the center of the bridge. Once there, other jumpers moved out of his way, Snyder gave his pack one last safety check, and Weiland jumped, starting the process all over again.

Though things looked to be running smoothly, there were some minor hiccups. On his 24th jump, Weiland landed in the river. A friend ran to buy him new shoes to ensure he wouldnt get blisters from climbing in wet socks and shoes

The canopy I was flying wasnt mine, Weiland explained of his river landing. I wasnt expecting it to have so much glide.

T-shirts on sale under the bridge, with the proceeds earmarked to be donated to search-and-rescue crews, said Twin Falls 60 was a celebration of the BASE community.

Twin Falls 60 for the love of the sport, the love of the people in it, and the joy they bring to the life we live, the shirt said.

Its a community that lost one of its own during an accident June 29 in France when Weilands friend, John Van Horne, was killed while jumping.

But even death could not stop Van Horne from jumping again, as Weiland posted on Facebook that hed be attempting to set the new world record with Van Hornes ashes in his pocket.

Just after 9 a.m. on Saturday, Daisher, along with 15 other BASE jumpers, made his 61st leap from the bridge. Setting the new world record for number of BASE jumps in a 24 hour period.
BURLEY  The Cassia County Sheriffs Office is asking the publics help finding a masked suspect who robbed a Burley convenience store at gunpoint.

Undersheriff George Warrell said the robbery occurred at 10:50 a.m. on Sept. 2 at Unit 54 convenience store on Overland Avenue and 27th Street.

He went in the store packing a rifle, Warrell said. The suspect was able to leave with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Police are looking for a white male suspect who is 55 to 59 tall, with light-colored short or balding hair. He was wearing dark-colored jogging pants and a dark sweat shirt.

He was last seen heading eastbound on foot from the store.

Warrell said there were not any customers in the store at the time of the robbery.

Anyone with information on the suspect should call the sheriffs office at 208-878-2251 or call Crime Stoppers at 208-878-2900 where the caller can remain anonymous.
FILER  The Filer Police Department has finished its investigation of three school employees and found no evidence of misconduct.

The Filer School District announced Friday afternoon the three employees have returned to work.

The news comes after the district announced Sept. 2 that the employees had been placed on leave and were under police investigation.

The school district office closed at 4:30 p.m. Friday and officials werent available to comment. Filer Police Chief Timothy Reeves also wasnt available to comment.

After learning of allegations of misconduct, the district contacted the Filer Police Department and the school district launched an independent investigation.

After examining the facts obtained in this case, it has been determined that there is no basis for the allegations, the district wrote in its Friday statement.

Now, law enforcement officers are investigating the anonymous source of those claims.

Officers are looking at possibly gathering forensic evidence to help identify the source, the district said.

The safety and well-being of our students is always our top priority, the district wrote in a statement. Because this is a personnel matter, the District is unable to release any additional information.

The district and police have not released the names of the employees and declined to discuss the nature of the allegations. But it appeared one of the three employees was Superintendent John Graham.

A Sept. 2 note from the school district was signed by Middle School Principal Shane Hild, who was named the districts acting superintendent.

Any questions about the investigation should be directed to the Filer Police Department.
HANSEN  Bryan Richards has been a fan of Evel Knievel since was 7 years old.

And he felt like a kid again on Friday.

Richards was one of nearly 100 friends, family and staff who gathered next to the launch site in an empty field to watch stuntman Eddie Braun attempt to cross the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket.

When Braun shot into the sky at about 3:50 p.m. and successfully crossed the canyon, cheers erupted from onlookers at the launch site and on a nearby hill.

Richards stood shirtless after the launch, proudly displaying a huge Evel Knievel tattoo that stretched across his back. It depicted Knievel riding on the back of a motorcycle going through the coil of a snake. The word Evel was above it with wings.

Richards traveled a long ways to be there Friday.

He flew from his hometown of London, England to Las Vegas and then drove to Twin Falls.

As the president of the Evel Knievel fan club in England, he wouldnt have miss this moment for anything. He obsessed with all things Evel Knievel.

Its been a lifelong obsession, he said.

It all started when Richards saw Knievel attempt to jump 13 buses at Wembley Stadium May 26, 1975.

Richards owns the helmet Knievel wore during that 1975 jump.

He attends the Evel Knievel Days in Butte, Mont.

He even shares Knievels birthday Oct. 17.

But most of all, Richards said he loves Knievels adventurous spirit.

It was his determination, Richards said. You are never a failure as long as you keep getting up. Life is tough and sometimes it kicks you in the teeth. Hes not here, but he still supports me.

Lewis Taylor, from Brighton, England, traveled with Richards and is also a member of the same fan club. Taylor stood near the launch site in awe of what he witnessed.

Taylor became a fan when he was 10-years-old after watching Knievel at Wembley Stadium. He still has the Polaroids from that day and could feel the spirit of Knievel at the site Friday.

It was truly an emotional experience, Taylor said. Absolutely awesome.
SHOSHONE  Brigid Reedy was stealing the show when she was only 2 years old.

Thats when she started to yodel.

Brigid traveled with her father, John Reedy, to cowboy poetry gatherings and often got invited on stage with the performers.

Now she commands the stage.

At age 15, she is still getting invitations to perform at gathering and festivals across the country. This year, Brigid is a returning performer at the seventh annual Lost N Lava Cowboy Gathering in Shoshone, and she has brought along her father and brother Johnny, 10, who both play guitar. The Reedy family is from Boulder, Mont.

The event features 11 cowboy and Western music musicians and poets from around the Western United States and Canada. The gathering continues at 10 a.m. Saturday with free day shows, vendors, displays and a mountain man rendezvous on the grass outside the community center. The Saturday evening concert start at 7 p.m. with pre-show begining at 6:15 p.m. The Reedy family will be one of the entertainers during the pre-show and jam sessions will follow the concert at the McFall Hotel. Tickets for the evening concerts are $15 per night or $25 for both nights.

Brigid played at Lost N Lava for the first time last year. She loved the experience and was happy to come back again.

It has a beautiful, sweet, loving vibe, she said.

And we like the train that comes through town, John added.

Claudia Reese, an organizer of the event, said she expects more than 200 people to attend the three-day music gathering. The potluck dinner Thursday that opened the event had about 100 people attend, the most theyve seen in years.

Bill Chiles of Rigby has been coming to Lost N Lava for the past six years.

He started playing music when he was 10 but didnt get into the cowboy music genre until 1993. He went to his first cowboy poets and musicians gathering in 1994 in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Chiles plays old cowboy songs such as Strawberry Roan.

Most real cowboy songs are poetry set to music, he said.

Chiles relaxed between sets in the green room set up for entertainers Friday morning. The Reedy siblings were nearby, practicing for their performance later that afternoon.

Cowboy music runs in the blood of the Reedy family. John said he and his wife home-school their children so they can travel to a dozen concerts a year. John has a bachelors degree in music from the University of Colorado. Brigid has been playing the fiddle for 10 years, and Johnny blows through picks, his sister said.

Music is a deep, deep part of who I am, Brigid said. This lifestyle is who I am. Music will always be the most important thing.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday appointed Ethiopian Abebe Aemro Selassie as the new head for its African department.

Selassies appointment was announced in a press release in which IMF boss Christine Lagarde said the economist will succeed Liberian Antoinette Sayeh in the position on Monday, September 19, 2016.

The IMF remains deeply committed to serving our members in Africa. Abe will bring a unique blend of extensive knowledge and experience to his new position as Director of the African Department, Ms. Lagarde said.

Abe brings a profound understanding of the challenges facing Africa, having worked closely with policymakers from across the region for much of his career, she said.

Having had the opportunity to work with Abe over the last five years, I have been struck by his sound judgement, integrity, and commitment to teamwork, she added.

Mr. Selassie worked in the past for the Economist Intelligence Unit, specializing in sovereign credit risk issues, and for the Ethiopian government as Principal Economist in the Office of the President.

He holds a B.A. in Economics from the City of London Polytechnic and a Masters in Economic History from London School of Economics.
(HealthDay)Semaglutide is noninferior to placebo for patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held from Sept. 12 to 16 in Munich.

Steven P. Marso, M.D., from Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and colleagues randomized 3,297 patients with type 2 diabetes to receive once-weekly semaglutide or placebo for 104 weeks. At baseline, 83.0 percent of the patients had established cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, or both.

The researchers found that the primary outcome (composite of first occurrence of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke) occurred in 6.6 percent of patients in the semaglutide group and in 8.9 percent of the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.58 to 0.95; P < 0.001 for noninferiority). Non-fatal myocardial infarction occurred in 2.9 and 3.9 percent of those receiving semaglutide and placebo, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.51 to 1.08), while nonfatal stroke occurred in 1.6 and 2.7 percent, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.38 to 0.99). The groups had similar rates of death from cardiovascular causes.

"The rate of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke was significantly lower among patients receiving semaglutide than among those receiving placebo, an outcome that confirmed the noninferiority of semaglutide," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to Novo Nordisk, which manufactures semaglutide and funded the study.

Explore further Lixisenatide doesn't affect cardiovascular risk in T2DM

Copyright  2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
THE STAGGERING COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LABOR: Encouraging both legal and illegal mass immigration continues to be a primary aim for both politicians and organizations on the left. Breitbart News previously revealed that the wealthy Ford Foundation poured an astonishing $114 million into organizations that push for mass immigration and amnesty. Spencer Lindquist
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Tracing Isha Sesays Career Until CNN, Her Worth And Why She Divorce Her Husband As far as journalists of African origin go, Isha Sesay is one of the most famous on the continent  and by extension, the world. The Sierra Leonean and British journalist has had a successful career since she joined the industry in 1998. In that time, she has worked for a host of major media ...

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Juicy Details of Ayesha Currys Love Story With Stephen, Her Family Members and Recent Pursuits When your husband is one of the greatest basketballers that the NBA has ever seen, then it bestows on you the status of a celebrity wife  and may not even demand that you do anything extra to maintain that status. However, Ayesha Curry, the wife of multiple NBA champion, Steph Curry, is not one ...

What Is Tarek el Moussas Ethnicity, Why Did He Divorce His Wife and Who Is He Dating? Tarek El Moussa has made himself one of the most recognizable men on reality television, especially to fans of HGTV. Thanks to his expertise in the world of real estate, Tarek has become a national star. But even to his hardcore followers, there are questions about Tarek El Moussa that remain unanswered, such as his ...

Fun Facts About Natalie Beckers Lonely Childhood and Eventual Career Success Natalie Becker is an actress of South African descent who became famous for her appearance in films like The World Unseen and The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior. A multitalented individual, Natalie is also a television/radio presenter. She is also a co-founder of the Thought Leader Global Media which she runs together with ...

Top 3 Female CNN News Anchors You Didnt Know Were Africans CNN is one of the leading news agencies in the world. The satellite and cable news network was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and has been one of the best sources of news for a number of years. It also boasts of the best journalists and presenters all around in media broadcasting. The company is a ...

Channels That Aided Katie Pavlichs Growth as a Journalist and All About Her Marriage To Friedson If you have ever come across any Fast and Furious featuring Barack Obama, it is the handiwork of Katie Pavlich. The book which claims to have exposed Obamas bloodiest scandal and the shameless cover-up thereof, has been earning Pavlich much praise and fame ever since it was published in 2012. Nonetheless, Pavlich is more famed ...

Is Oprah Winfrey Married? Husband, Children, Biography, House, Facts Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire philanthropist, talk show icon, producer, actress, and writer. The media icon famously dubbed The Queen Of All Media owns and hosts the highest-rated television program in the media circle. Read more about the powerful television star below. Oprah Winfrey Biography Oprah was born as Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954, to a ...

Who Is Arsenio Hall, What Happened To His Talk Show and Why Do Fans Think He Is Gay? He is one of the funniest beings to have graced the comedy constituent of the American entertainment industry. Arsenio Hall has a reputation for the rib-cracking disposition always portrayed in his comedy roles. He is not just a comedian; he is also an actor and a former talk show host for his popular show, The ...

What Is Woah Vicky Famous For and Who Are Her Family Members? Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Woah Vicky is one of those stars that have utilized the internet as a powerful tool to propel themselves to instant fame. The social media space, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc., offers lots of people the right opportunities and potentials to become superstars overnight. Not everyone achieves ...

Where Is Michael Strahan Since His Retirement From The NFL and Who Is His Partner? Michael Strahan is a retired American football player turned media personality. He played the defensive lineman position and holds the record for most sacks in a single NFL season. He also only played for the New York Giants throughout the entire 15-year professional career that saw him win a Super Bowl ring. In February 2014, ...

How Wendy Williams Went From Being a College DJ to Having Her Own Talk Show and More About Her Divorce Wendy Williams is a former radio personality, now talk show host, who is known for her outspokenness and brash no-nonsense attitude. She gained fame and notoriety for her on-air clashes with celebrities before moving on to host her own talk show. Since 2008, Williams has hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. ...

Who is Sunny Hostin? Her Husband, Family & Net Worth Sunny Hostin is no ordinary Latina  American lawyer but also a successful columnist, multi-platform journalist, and social commentator. A happily married woman and mother of two, Hostin is the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News and co-host of ABCs popular morning talk show, The View. She is a legal expert popularly known as a former ...

Who Is Robert Costa and Is He Married, Who Is His Wife? Robert Costa is a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC who is regarded as being part of Americas next generation of journalists. The University of Notre Dame graduate, who is of Italian/Portuguese descent, has been lauded for his fresh political perspectives in an industry full of old heads. In addition to his work listed above, Costa ...

Team Valor Pokemon Go  7 Key Facts You Need To Know Team Valor Pokemon Go  The craze of the new game Pokemon Go is one that took the gaming world by storm sending teenagers and adults alike into a frenzy and one of its teams Team Valor, has proven to be instrumental in making it so. Before the game was created, Pokemon was a cartoon ...

Sheryl Underwood  Husband, Family & Net Worth She is known for her trademark smile which can be described as the brightest and broadest smile ever seen on planet earth. She is none other than Sheryl Underwood the comedian, actress, and TV host whose funny wits has left America in great awe. Although Sheryl has risen to become an important personality in the industry, ...

Team Mystic Pokemon Go: 7 Facts You Need To Know And Signs You Are One Team Mystic of the break out game Pokemon Go is a team that is full of sass and chivalry. With an enchanting monicker, Team Mystic stands out from the rest of its counterparts and deserves to take the crown as champion in the Pokemon gaming-verse. To be a member of this exceptional team of Pokemon battle ...

Exploring Guy Beahms Dr Disrespect Persona, Wife and Why He was Banned Permanently From Twitch Guy Beahm who is popularly known by his online alias  Dr DisRespect, is an award-winning Twitch.tv streamer. He has leveraged on the Twitch platform to become an internet personality that is quite widely known. His online success is just more proof that anyone who is good at what they do can attain celebrity status ...

Critical Facts About Lee Ann McAdoo  The Infowars Anchor Lee Ann Mcadoo is a conservative journalist and television host whose interests in conspiracies and astrology has established her as a famous American reporter. Often referred to as Wonder Woman, McAdoo is a reporter who works for InfoWars.com, a controversial right-wing website run by radio show host, Alex Jones. Who Is Lee Ann McAdoo? Lee Ann McAdoo was born on 7 ...

Millie Weaver  Age, Husband & Infowars Career Millie Weaver is an American model, journalist, political activist, and social commentator. The young and beautiful journalist rose to fame working as a reporter for a controversial right-wing website InfoWars.com. Also known as Millennial Millie, Weaver is a social media influencer with over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. Who Is Millie Weaver and What Is ...

Is Jessica Tarlov Married? What Are Her Height & Weight? Jessica Tarlov is an American political consultant, strategist, and analyst whose influential and regular TV presence has made a popular figure. A good example of beauty with brains, Tarlov has appeared on various TV networks, mostly the FOX News Network where she is known for her liberal views on political analysis and insights. She is also the senior director ...

Who Is Kelly Rebecca Nichols  Alex Jones Ex-Wife? Kelly Rebecca Nichols is the ex-wife of controversial American radio show host, Alex Jones. She got nationwide attention following her divorce and subsequent custody battle with her estranged husband. Nichols, who worked with PETAs public relations department, was herself no stranger to controversies as she was involved in several publicity stunts of the non-profit animal rights ...

Who Is Bree Morgan  Cole Sprouse Ex-Girlfriend And What Is She Up To Now? Although Bree Morgan became famous through the Instagram, she also sapped some dose of popularity from Disneys sweetheart, Cole Sprouse of the Sprouse brothers. She is not only an Instagram star but also a YouTube vlogger whose popularity has long exceeded the ordinary level. Bree is conspicuously prominent on the internet and has her digital savviness ...

Does Vanna White Have Husband or Children, What Is Her Net Worth / Salary? For over three decades, Vanna White has been a household name, famous as the co-host and letter turner of the iconic NBC game show Wheel of Fortune. The talented and beautiful television personality is also an actress with several TV series and films to her credit. Since making her Wheel of Fortune debut in 1982, she has become one ...

Liz Wheeler  Biography, Husband & Net Worth Liz Wheeler is the kind of girl who sets the room on fire whenever she comes around. In this situation, however, she sets our screens on fire each time she appears as the host of One America News Tipping Point. She is, therefore, a presenter, publisher, consultant and a member of the Board of Zoning ...

Betty White  Net Worth, Children & Husband The entertainment industry will remain indebted to personalities like Betty White who brought something extra to the table and kept the world entertained for donkey years. The comedienne, actress, and writer graced the big screens in the early 50s as a show host and has been a delight since then. She is the queen of ...

Is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Dead or Alive, What Are His Net Worth & Education? Everyone will always remember Bill Nye as the Science Guy. Besides his TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he is well-known for his Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World which started airing in 2017 as well as his appearances in many famous media projects as a science educator. The star studied mechanical engineering ...

Is Cesar Millan Dead, Who Is The Wife & What Is His Net Worth? Cesar Millan is the famous dog whisperer who often stirs up mixed emotions. The Mexican-American is precisely speaking, a dog behaviorist; he has been in the game for over 25 years. His Emmy-nominated television series, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan further pushed his method and tactics into the limelight. The series was produced from 2004 ...

Is Thomas Sanders Gay and Does He Have A Boyfriend? By the time Vine was shut down in January 2017, Thomas Sanders was already popular within and beyond the internet community for his heavy involvements on the online video hosting platform. After the tragic shutdown of Vine impacted on the growing career of the multi-talented personality, he immediately switched over to YouTube where he continued to upload ...

Is Shepard Smith Gay, Who Is The Boyfriend & What Is His Net Worth? There are only a few media personalities who are as bold and confident as Shepard Smith. Apart from his impressive stint at Fox News Channel which includes but not limited to his classic news delivery, upfront stance on virtually every issue and much more; he loves his job as much as he loves his personality. Smith ...

Is Milo Yiannopoulos Gay? His Husband and Net Worth Milo Yiannopoulos is a popular writer, journalist, polemicist, public speaker, and political commentator who is also known as the founder of The Kernel, an online blog. He has been said to be among the list of 100 weird and influential people in the United Kingdom. He appeared on this list as a result of personal beliefs and ...

Does Ryan Seacrest Have A Wife Or Girlfriend, What Is His Net Worth? From radio to television, Ryan Seacrest is a household name and a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. The radio personality, television host, and producer is best recognized as the host of the popular TV talent search contest American Idol. Heres how the media personality who always knew what his lifes ambition was and diligently pursued ...

Is Anderson Cooper Gay, Who is The Boyfriend or Husband? For many, the thought of becoming a millionaire by writing and talking about other people appears unachievable but this is the reality of the prominent American journalist Anderson Cooper who gathered millions of dollars for conducting accurate political analysis and other vital reports on TV. He is the main anchor of the CNN news show Anderson ...

Is David Muir Gay or Does He Have A Wife, What Is His Salary? David Muir is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works for the ABC broadcast-television network and anchors the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir program while also co-anchoring the magazine program 20/20. The Ithaca College graduate, whose show has become the most-watched newscast in America, has covered stories from all across America and the world; reporting ...

Joel Osteen  Divorce Rumors, Net Worth & Family Members Joel Osteen is an American Televangelist, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church based in Houston, Texas, a husband and a father of two. He is an author of many books, seven of which are New York Times Best Sellers and his televised sermons capture more than 7 million viewers per week and 20 million every month ...

Who Is Todd Chrisley? What To Know About His Children, Gay Rumors & Net Worth Premiered on the USA network in 2014, Chrisley Knows Best is one of the most watched family reality TV shows in the U.S. The series which is currently in its sixth season is centered around U.S real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family. The show reveals Todd the patriarch of the Chrisley family as a strict dad who rules ...

Who Is Shannon Bream Of Fox News? Her Husband, Children & Net Worth Shannon Bream who hosts the iconic primetime program started her journalism career in the late 1990s debuting as the evening and late-night news reporter for the CBS affiliate, WBTV. The beauty from America currently works for the Fox News Channel and she is best known for anchoring the primetime program. She also hosts Americas News ...

Is Troye Sivan Gay, Who Is His Boyfriend and What Is His Net Worth? Troye Sivan is an Australian singer and songwriter best known for songs like Happy Little Pill, Youth, Heaven (with Betty Who) and The Boyfriend Tag (with Tyler Oakley) which have all garnered him different awards and ranked on the Billboard Charts. Sivan, who was born in South Africa but now resides in the United States, is ...

Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ...

Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ...

Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ...

Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ...

Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ...

Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ...

Demystifying Pokimane  Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ...

A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ...

Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ...

Alex Aiono Biography  Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ...

Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ...

Princess Love Bio  Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ...

Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ...

Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...

Safiya Nygaard  Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...

The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...

Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...

Inside Fred Armisens Life  Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...

Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...

Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...

Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...

Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...

xChocobars  Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...

Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...

Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...

Matpat (Matthew Patrick)  Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...

Facts About Ricegum  His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...

Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti  Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...

What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...

David Letterman  Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...

Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...

Lester Holt  Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...

What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...

The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...

Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...

The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...

Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...

The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...

Jeff Dunham  Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...

Ellen DeGeneres  Net Worth, Wife  Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...

Revisiting Joan Rivers Death  The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...

The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...

Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...

Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...

How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...

Madison Gesiotto Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...

Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...

What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...

Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...

Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother  Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...

Carli Bybel Bio  Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...

Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...

Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch  a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...

Norm MacDonald  Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...

Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...

Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...

Samantha Bee  Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...

What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap  and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...

Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...

A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...

Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...

Desi Perkins  Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...

The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...

Connor Franta  Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...

Rhett and Link  Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...

A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...

What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...

David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month  Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...

Merrell Twins Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...

Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...

Ninja  Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...

What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...

Emma Chamberlain Biography  Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...

Anna Akana  Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...

Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...

Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...

Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...

Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...

Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...

The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...

Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography  Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...

PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...

Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman  What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...

Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...

LaurDIY  Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...

Lachlan Ross Power  Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...

Alfie Deyes  Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...

Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...

Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...

Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...

Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...

How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman)  The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...

Grace Helbig  Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...

Mark Wiens Bio  Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...

Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...

CaptainSparklez Bio  Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...

Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...

Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...

Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...

Jacksepticeye  Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...

Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...

Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...

Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...

Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...

Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...

Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...

Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...

Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...

Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...

Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...

Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...

Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...

Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel  h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...

Lilypichu Bio  Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...

KSI  What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother  Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...

The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...

The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...

What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...

What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...

Matt Carriker Biography  Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...

Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...

Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents  George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...

Gloria Govan Bio  Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA  after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...

Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...

Who Is October Gonzalez  Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...

Who Is Tony Berlin  Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...

The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...

Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...

Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...

Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel  Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...

Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...

Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband  Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...

Nadeska Alexis Bio  Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...

Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...

A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...

Kay Adams Biography  Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ...

Ben Shapiros Family  Meet His Wife, Kids and Sister Who is Popular for the Wrong Reasons A multi-talented man, Ben Shapiro is a man of controversial nature, an attribute that has made him an unusual public figure. An intellectual whose career path was clearly defined even before he became a man, the Jewish conservative commentator has always had his way with words. He became popular by sharing his critical and often ...

QVC Shawn Killinger Bio  Husband, Net Worth & Facts To Know Shawn Killinger is a prominent TV personality who has worked her way to the top. Though not initially a journalist by training, she defied the odds and today has established herself as a household name, as well as, worked alongside some industry legends. More than just being a reporter, newscaster, and anchor, heres all you ...

Liv Lo  Dissecting the Ethnicity, Parents and Personal Life of Henry Goldings Wife While many are aware that Liv Lo is the better half to Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, only a few understand why his beautiful wife appears increasingly endearing to fans. A former model turned TV personality, and fitness star, Liv has an impressive resume which when combined with that of her statuesque spouse is considered a perfect ...

Stpeach Age, Husband and Other Facts About The Twitch Streamer Lisa Vannatta, famously known by her online alias, STPeach is a Canadian video game streamer cum vlogger who has garnered fame through her appearances on different video-sharing/social networking platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and Twitter. The beautiful lady got her career to a start in August 2015 when she joined the live streaming video platform, Twitch. She rose to ...

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AMY

GOODMAN

WINONA LADUKE : Its time to end the fossil fuel infrastructure. I mean, these people on this reservation, they dont have adequate infrastructure for their houses. They dont have adequate energy infrastructure. They dont have adequate highway infrastructure. And yet theyre looking at a $3.9 billion pipeline that will not help them. It will only help oil companies. And so thats why were here. You know, were here to protect this land.



AMY GOODMAN : Explain what happened to the Sandpiper pipeline, the one that you protested, the one that you opposed.



WINONA LADUKE : What we opposed, yeah. So, for four years, the Enbridge company said that they absolutely needed a pipeline that would go from Clearbrook, Minnesota, to Superior, Wisconsin. That was the critical and only possible route. They proposed a brand-new route that would go through the heart of our best wild rice lakes and territory, skirting the reservations, but within our treaty territory. They did not consult with us, and they made some serious errors in their process. They underestimated what was going to happen there.



And so, for four years, we battled them in the Minnesota regulatory process, which is a process which is more advanced and slightly more functional than North Dakotas regulatory process, which, from what I can see, is largely nonexistent. And in that process, we attended every hearing. We intervened legally. We rode our horses against the current of the oil. We had ceremonies. And they cancelled the pipeline. Thats what they did, after four years very, very ardent opposition by Minnesota citizens, tribal governments, tribal people, you know, on that line.



And that pipeline, you know, big problemwe still have six pipelines in northern Minnesota to go to Superior, the furthest-inland port. But their new proposals are not going to happen there. Enbridge has said that they still want to continue with their proposals for line three. The first pipeline they want, they want to abandon. The beginning of a whole new set of problems in North America, the abandoning of 50-year-old pipelines, with no regulatory clarity as to who is responsible. And so we are opposing them on that, that they cannot abandon, and they cannotthey still cannot get a new route.



But when they announced that, you know, in my area, I could have said, "Hey, good luck, yall. We beat it here. Good luck." You know? But, no, we said were going to follow them out here, too, because we believe thatyou know, we could spend our lives fighting one pipeline after another after another, but someone needs to challenge the problem and say, "This is not the way to go, America. This is not the way to go for any of us." So, we came out here to support these people.



AMY GOODMAN : So talk about everyone whos out here.



WINONA LADUKE : There are a lot of people out here, you know? Its very funny, because I feel like Ive been like the Standing Rock switchboard, the travel guide, for the past two weeks. You know, everybody hits me up on Facebook, calls me up: "Hey, LaDuke, I want to bring out this. I got some winter coats. You know, what should I do?" I was like, "Oh, my gosh!" You know?



So, a lot of people are coming here, united. You know, so what I know is out here is likeyou know, I go walk in here, and Ive seen people from theyou know, from Wounded Knee in 1973. Ive seen people I worked with in opposing uranium mining in the Black Hills in the 1970s and '80s, you know, out here. I mean, I've been at this a while. You know, its like Old Home Week out here. Ive seen people from Oklahoma that opposed the Keystone XL pipeline, and Nebraska. And Ive seen people from, you know, out in our territory that are opposing the pipelines here. The tribal chairman of Fond du Lac is here, and, you know, a whole host of Native and non-Native people. And there are a lot of people that just do not believe that this should happen anymore in this country, that are very willing to put themselves on the line, non-Indian people, you know, as well as tribal members, and they are here. And it is a beautiful place to defend.



AMY GOODMAN : For people who are watching in New York and Louisiana, in California and India, China and South Africa, why does this matter to them?



WINONA LADUKE : This matters because its time to move on from fossil fuels. You know, this is the same battle that they have everywhere else. You know, each day or each week, theres some new leak, theres some new catastrophe in the fossil fuel industry, as well as the ongoing and growing catastrophe of climate change. The fact that there is no rain in Syria has directly to do with these fossil fuel companies. You know, all of the catastrophes that are happening elsewhere in the world has to do with the fact that North America is retooling its infrastructure and going after the dirtiest oil in the worldthe tar sands oil and the oil out of North Dakota, the fracked oilrather thanyou know, they were working with Venezuelasit also has to do with crushing Venezuela, because Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world. And rather than do business with Venezuela, they were bound and determined to take oil from places that did not want to give it up, and create this filthy infrastructure. So, this carbonthis oil is very heavy in carbon and will add hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 to the environment, if these pipelines are allowed through. So, that isyou know, it affects everybody.



AMY GOODMAN : Now, some tribes are for the pipeline. Can you describe the division?



WINONA LADUKE : You know, I dont know that I would say some tribes are for it. I would say some interests in Indian country have been for the pipeline. I mean, historically, the Three Affiliated Tribes is an oil-producing tribe, but they came down here to support the opposition to the pipeline. They came down there. Their whole tribal council came down here a couple of days ago. You know, but the fact is, is that, you know, some tribes have been forced into production of fossil fuels. Eighty-five percent of the Navajo economy, for instance, is fossil fuel-based. About the same percentage of the Fort Berthold economy is fossil fuel-based.



So, you know, just to give a little historic picture: You come out here with your smallpox, and you wipe out 95 percent of the people, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara people, in the early 1800s. They live along these villages, you know, just trying to hang in there. Then you come out here, and you flood their lands. And the agricultural crops that they produced are now owned by Monsanto and Syngenta as trademarked varieties that they created. Right? And then youre out here in North Dakota, and everybody in the country flies over North Dakota and looks down and says, "Well, thats North Dakota." Nobody comes out here. And so stuff continues out here for a hundred years, where these people are treated like third-class citizens, you know, where they have no running water in their houses, and they have oil companies coming out here. And you have high rates of abuse and violence against women and children, and it accelerates and increases in the oil fields, until you have an epidemic of drugs, which now hits this community. This community doesnt get any benefit from oil, but the meth and heroin that came out of those fields is here, you know? Because those dealers came up here, and then they saw these Indian people, and they said, "Well, well just go there." And so these reservations are full of it. You know? And then you say, you know, to that tribe up there, the BIA cuts some backyard deals and starts oil extraction. And so, then you



AMY GOODMAN : The Bureau of Indian Affairs.



WINONA LADUKE : Bureau of Indian Affairs. And then you end up with oilyou end up with haves and have-nots in the oil fields. And you end up with a tribe that now has oil revenues that are coming in. And they look out there, frankly, and they say, "You know? Things havent been going too well for us, so were going to sign a few more of these leases, because, after all, you know, nothing has ever worked out well for us. And so, were going to get a little bit of money." And thats how you getyou know, you force people into that, with a gun to their head, and then they end up destroying their land, you know, which is what is happening up there on that reservation. And theyve had huge investigations into corruption at the leadership. But, you know, you force poor people. You force people into that situation, and thats a perfect storm.



AMY GOODMAN : Youve talked and written about Native Americans having PTSD , post-traumatic stress syndrome.



WINONA LADUKE : Yeah, we have ongoing; I didnt finish it, I still have it. You know, you say "Enbridge," and I get this little like quirk, you know, and because the Indian wars are far from over out here. But, you know, what you get is intergenerational trauma, is what it is known as, historic trauma. And other people have it. But you have a genetic memory, and you look out there, and you seeevery day you wake up, and you see that your land was flooded. And that big power line that runs through this land, that doesnt benefit you. You still have toyou know, everything that is out here was done at your expense, but you still have to pay for it. And every day you go out there, and someyou know, you got a roadblock, that the white people put up, coming into your reservation. And every day you go out there, and you look at your houses, and you see that youve got crumbling infrastructure, and nobody cares about it. And youve got a meth epidemic, and youve got the highest suicide rates in the country, but nobody pays attention. You know, and so you just try to survive. Thats what youre trying to do. Like 90 percent of my community, generally, I would say, is just trying to survive.



You know, I mean, in my community, we have rice. We still have our wild rice. And we can go, and we can harvest wild rice. And we can be Anishinaabe people. You know, we can still live off of our land. You know, these people have a much tougher time living off of their land. The buffalo were wiped out, you know? But this year is their stand. This is their stand. Theyve got a chance to not have one more bad thing happen to them. And from my perspective, my perspective is, is that $3.9 billion pipeline, these guys dont need a pipeline. What they need is solar. What they need is wind. Look at this wind. You know, what they needthey have like class 7 wind out here. What they need is solar on all their houses, solar thermal. They need housing that works for people. They need energy justice. This is this chance, America, to say, "Look, this community does not need a pipeline. What this community needs is real energy independence." They call this energy independence, you know, shoving a pipeline down peoples throats, so that Canadian oil companies can benefit, and, you know, a bunch of people canthe world can worsen. That is not energy independence. Energy independence is when you have solar. Energy independence is when you have wind. Energy independence is when you have some control over your future. Thats what these people want.



AMY

GOODMAN

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GOODMAN

DEBRA WHITE PLUME : What it means to me is that it pushes us further over the tipping point of not only fossil fuel extraction, but the desecration of Mother Earth and the exploitation of Native peoples in the area, as well as the threat to drinking water. Where I live, six hours from here, when I turn on my tap, the water that comes out is from the Missouri River. Its a 50-50 mix with the Ogallala Aquifer and the Missouri River, because at home our aquifer is badly contaminated by decades of uranium mining. So, theres only portions of the aquifer on the Pine Ridge Reservation that pass the Environmental Protection Agencys maximum contaminant level for alpha emitters. So we have to mix half and half with the Missouri River water.



AMY GOODMAN : And what would happen to the Missouri River water?



DEBRA WHITE PLUME : Well, if the pipeline is put in, its going to leak or spill or burst or explode, and that oil is going to get into the water. And Dakota Access pipeline says theyre going to bury it 30 feet under, and theyre assuring everybody that its going to be safe. But I think Western science doesnt really know everything it thinks it knows. And we need to make our decisions based on whats best for Mother Earth and our coming generations. And that includes protecting our water. Water is under threat all over the world. Right now, there are people who have no access to clean drinking water.



AMY GOODMAN : Do you call yourself a protester?



DEBRA WHITE PLUME : No, I call myselffirst and foremost, Im just a regular human being. Im a mother and a grandmother, a great-grandmother. Im Lakota. Im a woman. And itswater is the domain of the women in our nation. And so, its our privilege and our obligation to protect water. So, you know, if somebody wants to label me, I guess it would be water protector.



AMY GOODMAN : You go way back to the Pine Ridge Reservation, where you live today, 1973. Could you describe what happened then?



DEBRA WHITE PLUME : Sure. What happened then was the Indian Reorganization Act government, which is an act of Congress, in place in 1934, governs most Native nations in the United States. Well, our IRA government at that time was very oppressive to Lakota people. They were keeping us from having jobs or homes or whatever few services the federal government provided, because we held onto the Lakota way of life, and we also wanted to reclaim not only our identity, but our lands and the care of our land and the responsibility of caring for our land.



And at that time, the tribal president was Dick Wilson, and he had been working with the federal government to sign away one-eighth of our homeland to the federal government. And it just happened to be where there was a lot of what the fat taker calls resources, and they want to mine ityou know, coal, gas, oil, uranium, whatever it may be, water. And so, we put up a ruckus, and we said, "No, youre not going to do that, because our coming generations need that."



And so, there were a lot of shootouts and armed struggle going on in those days. And in the so-called border towns around us, which we call occupied territory, Indians were getting killed, and their murderers were not being held for justice. They were like charged with the lowest felony there could be, doing two years of probation. And it was just enough was enough. You know, it was a moment in time there was the womens movement, there was the civil rights movement, there was the Vietnam War stuff going on. And we just said, "Thats enough for us, too. Were not going to take this anymore." And we stood up, and we fought. You know, we had to fight our own government, and they called in the FBI and the Marshals and the Army. Basically, it was a military occupation of our homeland.



AMY GOODMAN : And what happened then?



DEBRA WHITE PLUME : Well, Wounded Knee was liberated by relatives from the Four Directions. And the military came in and surrounded the little tiny village of Wounded Knee. And the rest is history. But we were able to get our spiritual way of life removed as a criminal act in American law. Prior to that, it had been a crime to practice our way of life. We have many people that went to prison in those days or were committed to, held in and died at state mental institutions for having a sacred pipe or conducting any of our ceremonies.



AMY

GOODMAN

is doing some great coverage of the protests over the North Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. Here are some interviews and a column from Amy Goodman after a warrant was put out for her arrest in response to her coverage. If you are able, please consider donating in order to support their continuing efforts.********************Native American Activist Winona LaDuke at Standing Rock: It's Time to Move On from Fossil FuelsSeptember 12, 2016Democracy Now!While Democracy Now! was covering the Standing Rock standoff earlier this month, we spoke to Winona LaDuke, longtime Native American activist and executive director of the group Honor the Earth. She lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota. She spent years successfully fighting the Sandpiper pipeline, a pipeline similar to Dakota Access. We met her right outside the Red Warrior Camp, where she has set up her tipi. Red Warrior is one of the encampments where thousands of Native Americans representing hundreds of tribes from across the U.S. and Canada are currently resisting the pipelines construction.This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. Im Amy Goodman. While Democracy Now! was covering the standoff at Standing Rock earlier this month, on Labor Day weekend, we spoke to Winona LaDuke, longtime Native American activist, executive director of the group Honor the Earth. She lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota. She spent years successfully fighting a pipeline similar to Dakota Access, the Sandpiper pipeline. We met her right outside the Red Warrior Camp, where she has set up her tipi. Red Warrior is one of the encampments where thousands of Native Americans, representing hundreds of tribes from across the U.S. and Canada, are currently resisting the pipelines construction. Her tipi is painted with animals that are threatened by climate change. We began by asking Winona LaDuke why communities are now protesting the pipeline.That was Winona LaDuke, longtime Anishinaabe activist from White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota.*********************North Dakota v. Amy GoodmanJournalism is not a crimeBy Amy Goodman and Denis MoynihanDemocracy Now!9/15/2016Last Thursday, an arrest warrant was issued under the header North Dakota versus Amy Goodman. The charge was for criminal trespass. The actual crime? Journalism. We went to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation to cover the growing opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline.Global attention has become focused on the struggle since Labor Day weekend, after pipeline guards unleashed attack dogs and pepper spray on Native American protesters. On that Saturday, at least six bulldozers were carving up the land along the pipeline route, where archeological and sacred sites had been discovered by the tribe. The Dakota Access Pipeline company obtained the locations of these sites just the day before, in a court filing made by the tribe. Many feel that the company razed the area, destroying the sites, before an injunction could be issued to study them.Scores of people, mostly Native American, raced to the scene, demanding the bulldozers leave. The guards pepper-sprayed, punched and tackled the land defenders. Attack dogs were unleashed, biting at least six people and one horse.We were there, filming the guards violence. When we released our video of the standoff, it went viral, attracting more than 13 million views on Facebook alone.and scores of outlets around the world broadcast our footage of one of the attack dogs with blood dripping from its nose and mouth.Five days after the attack, North Dakota issued the arrest warrant. North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Lindsey Wohl, referencing the Democracy Now! video report in a sworn affidavit, states, Amy Goodman can be seen on the video identifying herself and interviewing protestors about their involvement in the protest. Precisely the point: doing the constitutionally protected work of a reporter.Charging a journalist with criminal trespassing for covering an important environmental story of significant public interest is a direct threat to freedom of the press and is absolutely unacceptable in the country of the First Amendment, said Delphine Halgand, U.S. director of the global press freedom watchdog group Reporters Without Borders. Carlos Lauria of the Committee to Protect Journalists added: This arrest warrant is a transparent attempt to intimidate reporters from covering protests of significant public interest. Authorities in North Dakota should stop embarrassing themselves, drop the charges against Amy Goodman and ensure that all reporters are free to do their jobs.Steve Andrist, executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, told The Bismarck Tribune, Its regrettable that authorities chose to charge a reporter who was just doing her job, adding that it creates the impression that the authorities were attempting to silence a journalist and prevent her from telling an important story.This is a story that is critical to the fate of the planet. Its about climate change, and indigenous rights versus corporate and government power.The arrest warrant was issued on the same day that North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple called out the National Guard in preparation for a court decision due out the next day. On Friday, the judge ruled against the tribe, allowing construction to continue. Fifteen minutes later, in an unprecedented move, the departments of Justice, the Interior and the Army issued a joint letter announcing that permission to build the pipeline on land controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers would be denied until after formal, government-to-government consultations with impacted tribes about the protection of tribal lands, resources and treaty rights. Construction and nonviolent blockades continue along nonfederal lands, despite the governments request that Dakota Access halt construction voluntarily.Many have said that journalism is the first draft of history. In the past 20 years, a hallmark of the Democracy Now! news hour has been our coverage of movements, because movements make history. The standoff at Standing Rock is a historic gathering of thousands of people from over 200 tribes from the U.S., Canada and Latin America who call themselves protectors, not protesters. It marks the largest unification of tribes in decades.To date, none of the pipeline security guards have been charged, despite being clearly shown in the video assaulting protesters with dogs and pepper spray. Now, the North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board is investigating the pipeline security guards use of force and their use of dogs.In the meantime, we will fight this charge. Freedom of the press is essential to the functioning of a democratic society. North Dakota, muzzle the dogs, not the press.*****************Lakota Activist Debra White Plume from Pine Ridge: Why I am a Water Protector at Standing RockDemocracy Now!September 12, 2016While Democracy Now! was covering the standoff at Standing Rock earlier this month, we spoke to longtime Lakota water and land rights activist Debra White Plume, who was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and lives along the banks of Wounded Knee Creek. She described what the Dakota Access pipeline means to her.That same day, though, right next to the Red Warrior Camp protesting the pipeline, we spoke to longtime Lakota water and land rights activist Debra White Plume, born and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, living along the banks of Wounded Knee Creek. I asked her to talk about what the Dakota Access pipeline means to her.Lakota leader Debra White Plume of the Pine Ridge Reservation, speaking from Red Warrior. Special thanks to Laura Gottesdiener, John Hamilton, Denis Moynihan.
Montanas prisons and jails are over capacity. What changes in statute and/or funding at the state level  if any - do you think are necessary? If no changes, why not?

Having worked as a prosecutor previously, I understand that overcrowding is a result of a system that prefers to incarcerate. Investing more in our drug and alcohol courts for much-needed mental health and addiction treatment will reduce recidivism while rebuilding families and our local communities. Funding local treatment facilities and providing alternative sentencing would also cut down on overcrowding of our jails and prisons.

We cannot afford to band-aid our mental health and addiction crisis through incarceration anymore. Jail diversion programs do work. I believe it is time to finally address this problem.

Has the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission adequately guided the states hunting and fishing concerns, or does the Legislature need to give the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks more specific direction regarding topics such as land acquisition, wildlife management, predator control, and bison?

The Commission and FWP do what they can to address the needs of Montanans. We ask these experts to manage our greatest assets, wildlife and fisheries, for tourism, guides, hunters and anglers, while managing and balancing wildlife and predators for our agricultural industry.

Just as FWP strikes a balance, so should the Legislature. We should defer to the experts that deal with the day-to-day issues and management. The Legislature should provide direction on larger guiding principles for FWP, but be a voice for our community members when we believe the agency isnt meeting those principles.

Many Montanans depend on the extraction of fossil fuels for jobs, yet there is a strong demand for clean and renewable energy in the region, especially since prices for the latter are falling. How do you propose to help workers in the coal, oil and natural gas industries find jobs in this new economic landscape?

I know this is a very sensitive issue in Montana, especially when so many individuals livelihoods depend upon fossil fuels. That is why I support many of the proposals in Gov. Bullocks blueprint for Montanas Energy Future.

We can help workers by capturing new industries in Montana such as that of renewable energy and the tech industry. Expanding renewables also protects our cherished public lands and resources from damage. Montana has the opportunity to lead the clean and renewable energy industry and we can support communities that depend upon fossil fuels by developing legislation that further incentivizes new industries.

According to Montana University System records, as recently as 1992, the stated funded 76 percent of the university system. Now, though, state support has fallen to 40 percent, which means tuition funds 60 percent of the system  putting higher education out of reach for some Montana families. Do you as a legislator have a responsibility to help and if so, how? If not, why not?

Yes, we must invest in our future leaders by, at a minimum, restoring state funding for secondary education to historic levels. Im confident that the right leadership in the Legislature can work with Gov. Bullock to create a balanced budget and an educated workforce without saddling our students with debt.

I also propose that we freeze tuition, develop low-interest loan programs, expand our internship offerings, explore debt forgiveness, look into three-year curriculum programs, offer new state scholarships, explore tuition waiver programs, and expand high school college jump-start programs (college courses) through our community colleges and universities.

What do you regard as the most urgent problem facing Montana, and how do you propose dealing with it?

Our failing infrastructure is a very urgent problem, which includes our schools, roads, bridges, wastewater treatment facilities, and water treatment facilities. I will advocate for the funding we need to address the crumbling infrastructure in our local communities. Montana cannot afford another two years without infrastructure funding. Our livelihood and well-being depend on our everyday infrastructure. Our childrens education suffers when we dont provide the proper environment. Its time to finally pass an infrastructure bill for all of Montana.
We'll probably never reach a point where people don't feel a phantom itch on their scalp when talking about head lice.

Missoula County Public Schools health services supervisor Linda Simon gets that, but she said it's important for families to understand that there's no need to panic over head lice. They're going to pop up, but it's not a life-or-death situation.

MCPS, along with the Missoula City-County Health Department, met this spring to discuss head lice  how to change procedures and perhaps more necessary, develop a uniform message for the public.

For years, families have been getting mixed messages from schools, the health department and doctors, said Pam Whitney, infectious disease specialist with the health department. No one was on the same page, and that contributed to the misinformation and unnecessary panic, she said.

"What we hope to do is calm people down, get rid of some of those fears, those old wives tales," Whitney said.

That's why they all sat down this spring to hammer out evidence-based procedures.

Simon is in her 19th year with MCPS and said it's been difficult even for her to break out of those old wives' tales. It's no surprise, then, that every year parents still call the schools, angry that their child has head lice and looking for someone to blame.

"It's an emotional trigger for people, in our country in particular," Simon said.

***

The National Association of School Nurses came out this year with an updated position statement on head lice management in schools.

The American Academy of Pediatrics did the same last year, saying "head lice is a nuisance, not a serious disease or a sign of poor hygiene."

"Evidence-based strategies include abandoning 'no-nit' school policies," according to NASN.

For decades, most school districts  including MCPS  had "no-nit" policies. That meant if you had one nit (an egg) in your hair, or something that even resembled a nit to the naked eye, you were sent home. It resulted in too many absences, Simon said, which of course impacts academics.

NASN recommends letting children stay in school when nits or live lice are found, letting families know at the end of the school day about any "infestation," and educating the community about treatment options.

MCPS updated its head lice procedures in May. In essence, nurses will keep track of students who have confirmed cases of head lice, or a recent history of head lice. No missing class, no letters sent home, no singling out children.

"Our tolerance of having bugs in our hair ... brings out the squeamish in people, the panic, the preconceived notions about who gets head lice and who doesnt," Simon said.

Head lice can happen to anyone. They don't spread disease, according to AAP, and they don't jump or fly. Head lice spread through head-to-head contact, which is rare at schools. Simply shaking your head or hair won't transfer head lice; nits are "cemented" to the hair shaft.

"Schools tend to be the place where they are identified, but they're not necessarily where they got them," Simon said, since nits can be there for weeks before they're identified.

***

Newer school nurses today think the district spends more than enough time on head lice, Simon said, but it's nothing compared to when she started. MCPS, like many other districts, had mass classroom screenings.

"Studies have shown that control measures such as mass screenings for nits have not been shown to have a significant effect on the incidence of head lice in a school community, nor have they shown to be cost-effective," according to NASN.

It took staff two to three weeks at the beginning of every school year to do class screenings  a waste of time, Simon said. Even if a nurse did spot something resembling a nit, it may not have been viable. It was difficult to not single out kids.

And if nothing was spotted the day of the screening, that didn't mean that head lice wouldn't appear later on.

"Class screenings give a false sense of security," she said. "It was horrible, absolutely horrible. It was unneeded, unnecessary and so detrimental to not only the kids' attendance but to their emotional health, their parents missing work."

MCPS abandoned its no-nit policy, as well as classroom screenings, years ago.

"But a lot of current parents grew up in that era," Simon said, so screenings and no-nit policies tend to be an expectation. "Parents think if five kids have it, it's ravaging the school. But think about that: If you're in a school of 500, that's a really small percentage."

The biggest adjustment for parents may be that they won't get a letter every time head lice are found on a student in their child's class. There are a few reasons for the change, Simon said: ensuring confidentiality, not inciting a panic and not spreading a misconception about any one student being "highly contagious."

Over the past seven years, reported incidents of head lice in MCPS have ranged anywhere from 80 to 160 a year. And that's only what MCPS knows about. It's possible  and likely  that many more children had head lice but it was never reported, Simon said.

"We're putting less wasted time into it and into things that matter, such as life-threatening allergies," Simon said.

School nurses will still tell a parent if their child has head lice, and while they can go back to class that day, "the expectation (is) that parents will provide treatment that day after school," according to MCPS procedure.

And people can still go to the health department for head lice checks, Whitney said.

"They're definitely still utilized  and I'm glad," she said. "I'm glad we're a trusted place that people can come. Plus, when you come to the health department, you can come in for a lot of different reasons, so you're not singled out. If someone sees your child, they don't know what they're here for. It's a great confidential place to go."

For more information on MCPS' response to head lice, go to www.mcpsmt.org/Page/2109.
U.S. Army Special Forces Lt. Gen. John Mulholland is the featured speaker. Mulholland served as associate director of the Central Intelligence Agencys military affairs office. The evening will also honor local Devils Brigade Chapter member Bob Brugh, who received the associations Order of St. Philip Neri gold medal in June. The gathering takes place at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, 1380 Wisconsin Ave., Whitefish. Tickets are available online at www.SFA28.org for $75.
You dont see this every day on the tracks of Missoula.

Sometime around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, a special train of 21 vintage, private railroad cars will pull into the Montana Rail Link yards east of the yard office at 1001 Defoe Street.

The train, dubbed The City of Spokane, is enroute to that metropolis in eastern Washington and the annual convention of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners (AAPRCO) next week. After a three-night stop in Livingston, which included a tour of Yellowstone National Park for the 160 passengers aboard, itll head west Saturday and be parked in Missoula until Monday morning.

Therell be domes and lounges, round-end observation cars and sleeper cars, said Borden Black of Columbus, Georgia, the associations executive director.

People havent seen cars like this in years and years, she said. The older folks are going to have a lot of memories.

The cars are private and they'll be on MRL property, so train fans, nostalgia buffs and photographers are cautioned not to trespass. The train should be easily viewed from the Northside Pedestrian Overpass and a bike/pedestrian path to the west that runs alongside a chainlink fence paralleling the tracks.

The railroad cars date from 1911 to the late 1950s  the heyday of passenger rail service in the U.S. Missoula hasnt had regular passenger service since Amtrak discontinued the North Coast Hiawatha in 1979.

Another rare sight in these parts: The train is pulled by two Amtrak locomotives, of the ilk that usually roam the Hi-Line tracks in Montana.

While in Missoula the passengers will be touring the Lewis and Clark historic site at Travelers Rest State Park in Lolo and the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, as well as patronizing eateries and shops in town.

The private cars hail from all over the U.S., Black said. Hers, a green 1925 model, came from West Virginia.

Two trains  one from California, the other from Chicago  merged in Denver last weekend to form The City of Spokane. They headed north Tuesday on a route that took them along the front range of the Rockies, down the center of a street in Fort Collins, Colorado, and into Cheyenne, Wyoming. The train overnighted in Casper, Wyoming, before continuing north through the Wind River Canyon, one of the most scenic rail passes in the U.S. thats not normally accessible by rail travel.

Then it was on to Laurel to connect to the MRL line, and west to Livingston.

Black said once the AAPRCO conference is over in Spokane, everyone hooks on to regularly scheduled Amtrak trains to head home, so they wont be coming back this way.

This is unusual because this is rail we cant normally travel, she said. Every year we go off the Amtrak system and find a real scenic freight railroad that lets us use one of their tracks. This year I think weve found a good one.
BILLINGS  The Montana Board of Public Education adopted new science standards for public school students Friday at a meeting in Bozeman.

The standards have benchmarks for what students are supposed to learn at certain grade levels. They don't dictate how teachers get students there, as local districts have control over their curriculum.

The new guidelines resemble the Next Generation Science Standards, which were developed by a 26-state group in 2013 and are considered by many to be more rigorous than most previously instituted standards.

The adopted standards integrate Indian Education for All, Montana's constitutional requirement that schools teach about the state's Native American history and contemporary culture.

Committees made up of Montana educators who wrote the standards reviewed examples from 17 states. They were proposed in July and went through a public comment period.

The state's science standards were last updated in 2006. Since 2011, Montana has updated standards in English, math, art, health enhancement, physical education and now science. Revising standards in Montana is overseen by the Office of Public Instruction and Board of Public Education.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said in an emailed statement she was pleased with the new, more rigorous science standards.

The new science standards have benchmarks at each grade level for K-5, while other standards are grouped at the middle school and high school levels. Standards previously benchmarked only grades 4, 8 and 12.
GREAT FALLS (AP)  Montana law enforcement agencies are learning how to respond to an attack on a nuclear weapons convoy, a scenario that nuclear weapons officials say gives them nightmares.

To date, there have been no attacks on convoys, but the agencies say they are prepared.

Local authorities have been put on notice they could be the first to respond to any incident that occurs off base at Malmstrom Air Force Base or away from guarded nuclear sites, and federal officials want to be sure they are ready.

About 15 local, state, tribal and federal agencies joined Malmstrom airmen recently for an exercise and a demonstration of how security forces airmen would respond to a simulated attack on a convoy. The exercise involved a simulated attack on the transfer of nuclear weapons to a missile launch site.

Stan Moody, Malmstrom's security plans and programs manager, said a presidential order requires an integrated force of federal and local agencies for any nuclear incident response plan to "handle our worst day."

Col. Jay Folds, Malmstrom's vice commander, said the partnerships are working well.

"We've got confidence in what we do," he said.

Col. Ron Allen, 341st Missile Wing commander, told the participants that if there was a situation where the Air Force units were trying to stop an armed attacker, local agencies may be called on to control crowds and handle civilians.

Capt. Jeff Newton of the Great Falls Police Department said his agency has had a good working relationship with federal agencies for the last five years.

Each agency has a role to play, and building the relationships ahead of time is critical, officials said.

Senior Airman Patrick Currie, a member of the 741st Missile Security Forces Squadron Convoy Response Force, said all agencies are learning how to respond and their responsibilities.

"It's important to all be on the same page," Currie said. "We rely on them just as much as they rely on us."
Army Staff Sgt. Justin Meinelschmidt signals his squad to more forward during a platoon live fire exercise in Thies, Senegal. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. CANDANCE MUNDT)

SHARE Army Staff Sgt. Justin Meinelschmidt is a squad leader with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. CANDANCE MUNDT) Senegalese Brig. Gen. Francois Ndaiye (left) discusses training with command team of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. CANDANCE MUNDT)

By R. Norman Moody, Florida Today

Training with Senegalese Army soldiers is a little different than what Army Staff Sgt. Justin Meinelschmidt, of Sebastian, expected before going to Senegal for the three weeks of African Readiness Training 16.

As a squad leader with the 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, he went to help train, but found well before completing the training that he learned a lot from and about the Senegalese as he taught them.

Meinelschmidt, 28, who served two tours of duty in Iraq, said that the training in Senegal has been a great eye-opening experience.

"The Senegalese Army has been very accommodating," he said in a telephone interview from Senegal. "We're training with each other. I've actually learned from them. They are very intelligent. They know up to three languages."

The live fire, tactical infantry training, from July 7 through July 27, is the first partnership with Senegal. The exercise focuses on increasing the capacity of African partners and Army readiness to better prepare to work together if the need arises for a crisis response. The exercise is part of strengthening U.S. partnerships with African nations and build a network to combat common threats and challenges.

Lt. Col. Theodore Leonard, commander of 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said that both armies share fundamentals about discipline, suppressive fire and how to be accurate with weapon systems.

"Both armies are identifying some weaknesses in their training and current proficiency levels," he said.

Leonard said the exercise has built readiness through live fire and platoon situational training.

"Live-fire is the culminating event," he said. "So, we talk a lot about training on the fundamentals, shoot, move, communicate, and medical. A live-fire is one of those areas where you can bring all four of those together and train."

Meinelschmidt said that while he saw the training as very valuable to increasing his readiness, while also helping prepare the Senegalese soldiers, he will take away much more than military training.

"I think it makes me more resilient," he said. "The training has increased my readiness."

Meinelschmidt, a graduate of Sebastian River High School, said the experiences of interacting with the Senegalese will remain with him.

"It has been great," he said. "They are very polite. These people are really rich in culture."

R. Norman Moody is a staff writer at Florida Today. Contact him at 321-242-3651 or nmoody@floridatoday.com.
PABLO  The public has spoken  often in support of draft legislation that would return the National Bison Range to federal trust ownership for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and occasionally in overtly racist verbiage from a handful of those who oppose it.

On Friday, the tribes announced they have revised their draft legislation based on some of those public comments, and are now asking Montanas Congressional delegation to introduce the bill in Washington.

Among the key changes to the proposed legislation that came out of a five-week-long public comment period, CSKT spokesman Rob McDonald said:

 A requirement for the tribes to maintain a publicly-available management plan for the range.

 The inclusion of invasive weed management and control as part of that plan.

 Increasing the amount of payments to Lake and Sanders counties to help offset the $20,000 in federal money the counties currently receive annually.

 A prohibition of gaming on the restored lands.

The comments we received were very helpful, McDonald said. In addition to revising the legislation, we responded to a number of issues that had been raised so the commenters, and the public, would have more information about this issue and the tribes position.

***

In a surprise move in February, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials approached CSKT Chairman Vernon Finley with an offer to back legislation to transfer the Bison Range to the tribes while keeping the wildlife refuge open to all.

Twice in the past 10 years, the tribes and FWS tried and failed to collaborate in the operation of the range, located on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The first attempt ended in an ugly manner, with FWS locking CSKT employees out of the range and forcing them to turn in their gear under the eye of armed federal agents.

The second attempt, which appeared to be working as intended, was stopped by a lawsuit. A similar lawsuit has been filed, again by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, seeking to derail the proposed legislation.

Meantime, the tribes moved ahead with writing draft legislation.

They received 153 comments on it from 145 groups or individuals. Of the 145 who responded, 76 were in favor, 55 were opposed and 14 asked questions without taking a stance one way or the other.

All the comments, and CSKTs responses to them, can be accessed at bisonrangeworkinggroup.org.

McDonald indicated the tribes were especially pleased to receive support for the transfer from the National Wildlife Federation, Montana Conservation Voters, Headwaters Montana, the Flathead Reservation Human Rights Coalition and Mission Mountain Audubon.

In his letter, Clayton Elliott, executive director of Montana Conservation Voters, noted his organization has vehemently opposed efforts to transfer or sell-off public lands to state or private ownership or even to study these misguided proposals.  However, MCV stands in proud support of the National Bison Range Transfer and Restoration Act.

Not only would the transfer return land provided for in the Hellgate Treaty of 1855, Elliott said. It would also put it in the hands of tribes with a proven track record of responsibly managing lands while maintaining public access for the benefit of all Americans.

Elliott cited CSKTs establishment of the nations first tribal wilderness area, the development of a grizzly management plan, work to restore endangered bull trout habitat, the reintroduction of trumpeter swans, and the creation of wildlife corridors on the Flathead Reservation.

***

Several comments that displayed bigoted animosity toward Indians or Indian tribes obviously have little value in any objective evaluation of the tribes draft legislation, CSKT said in its response to comments.

Otherwise, Finley said CSKT staff found many interesting suggestions among the comments. Some proposed renaming the refuge after the Pend dOreille Indian who herded half a dozen bison calves from the Montana prairie to the Flathead Reservation in the 1800s, when Americans were hunting the animal to near-extinction. Todays National Bison Range herd descends from those bison.

Others proposed moving the visitor center and/or main entrance to the top of Ravalli Hill and the high-traffic route of U.S. Highway 93.

The suggestions CSKT did act on in the draft legislation included upping the amount of money the Department of the Interior would pay to Sanders and Lake counties to reduce impact of the transfer.

The federal government currently gives approximately $11,000 to Sanders County, and $9,000 to Lake County, because the Bison Range is located in their counties.

The first draft required Interior to pay each county 90 percent of what it would get if the refuge were still federal land in the first year of the transfer, 75 percent the second year, and 50 percent in years three through five.

The new draft calls for each county to get 90 percent for all five years. The payments would end after that.
Agricultural attaches from around the world visited the Thomas Hereford Ranch at Gold Creek this week. Pictured from right are ranch owner Bruce Thomas on horseback; Phil Karsting, USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator; and Ton Akkerman, counsellor for Agriculture, Royal Netherlands Embassy. Thomas explained their operation and answered questions from the 23 attaches who are members of the ambassador staff of their respective embassies in Washington D.C. They are accompanied by USDA and Montana Department of Agriculture officials on a tour of Western Montana to discuss trade possibilities, agricultural sustainability, and research, among other topics.
TWIN FALLS, Idaho  Bryan Richards has been a fan of Evel Knievel since was 7 years old.

And he felt like a kid again on Friday.

Richards was one of nearly 100 friends, family, and staff who gathered next to the launch site in an empty field to watch stuntman Eddie Braun attempt to cross the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket.

When Braun shot into the sky at about 3:50 p.m. and successfully crossed the canyon, cheers erupted from onlookers at the launch site and on a nearby hill.

Richards stood shirtless after the launch, proudly displaying a huge Evel Knievel tattoo that stretched across his back. It depicted Knievel riding on the back of a motorcycle going through the coil of a snake. The word "Evel" was above it with wings.

Richards traveled a long ways to be there Friday.

He flew from his hometown of London, England, to Las Vegas and then drove to Twin Falls.

As the president of the Evel Knievel fan club in England, he wouldn't have miss this moment for anything. He obsessed with all things Evel Knievel.

"It's been a lifelong obsession," he said.

It all started when Richards saw Knievel attempt to jump 13 buses at Wembley Stadium May 26, 1975.

Richards owns the helmet Knievel wore during that 1975 jump.

He attends the Evel Knievel Days in Butte.

He even shares Knievel's birthday Oct. 17.

But most of all, Richards said he loves Knievel's adventurous spirit.

"It was his determination," Richards said. "You are never a failure as long as you keep getting up. Life is tough and sometimes it kicks you in the teeth. He's not here, but he still supports me."

Lewis Taylor, from Brighton, England, traveled with Richards and is also a member of the same fan club. Taylor stood near the launch site in awe of what he witnessed.

Taylor became a fan when he was 10-years-old after watching Knievel at Wembley Stadium. He still has the Polaroids from that day and could feel the spirit of Knievel at the site Friday.

"It was truly an emotional experience," Taylor said. "Absolutely awesome."
Its so amazing to be here. Ive never had a movie, a moon, and a mine at the same time.

That was cinematographer Kier Atherton speaking to about 60 filmmakers, film-goers, and gritty chilly-weather-busters on Thursday, the opening night of the first-ever Covellite International Film Festival at the Original Mine.

A dazzling full moon rising over the East Ridge opened the show in dramatic style.

Late into the night, hardcore independent film buffs sunk into lawn chairs and snuggled under blankets to ward off the near-freezing temps.

Making its dramatic entrance once darkness hit like a huge theater curtain rising, the moon kept close eye on the intensely creative types mingling in the Mining City.

THREE SHORT FILMS

The orb was a hard act to follow, but three short films somehow pulled it off.

The violent Eliza had the distinction of being the first film to screen for what organizer Don Andrews hopes will be an annual festival in Butte.

Done as what Vimeo calls a martial arts revenge film, Eliza is a Finnish 1980s action-genre eight-minute short by Mikko Lopponen.

When a vicious drug gang discovers an undercover cop has infiltrated their ranks, they and Eliza move in, terrifyingly sharp martial arts weapons blazing.

Heads roll, literally.

The subject matter is not my cup of tea, but people seemed to appreciate the quality music video pastiche cinematography. Still, I shuddered at the gratuitous violence.

Instead, give me a good comedy any time.

I consider myself a longtime film fan  primarily of the classics and a few cult films. So I was relieved when the next two screenings brought hearty rounds of laughter that seemed to rise quickly up to the moon.

That was absolutely funny  I was just giggling, said fan Anna Dockter, plunked down in the front row of the makeshift outdoor movie theater.

I thought it was great fun. We went to hear the music and stayed for the movies. Both were so humorous. A life-long Butte-ite, Dockter bought a day pass for the weekend, as the opening night at the Original was free.

Next up was Lester Leaps In, a 30-minute Montana-made film that set a new bar for quirkiness and dry, off-beat humor and mind-boggling symbolism.

Shot by Atherton in Missoula and Seeley Swan and produced by Skye Grace Bennett and Mike Steinberg, the film unveils an impressive variety of fantastical sets that jibe perfectly with oddball protagonist Lester.

Lester spends the movie working on and selling his film script, ironically a safety flick titled Shake Hands With Danger. I swear, Lester is Pee Wee Hermans older, eccentric brother.

Afterward, Atherton told the appreciative crowd that Lester Leaps In was filmed in one week. Thats when his "movie, moon, mine" alliteration summed up the night.

Even the moon grinned wider than the Berkeley Pit before taking a bow behind a Halloween-ish skiff of clouds.

A CLEVER IDEA

But it was the On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young Lover that capped the night. It featured snappy, madcap dialogue from one ultra-enthusiastic, uber-prepared New Zealander, Richard Meros, B.A., played by Author Meek. Meros narrates nonstop his story from the confines of an airport interrogation room, which tells you what hes willing to do to gain Hillarys love.

What a clever idea  there were some good gags  and very talented people, said Dockter.

The humor was intellectual, zany, physical, and symbolic all at once. I loved it  and other big bouts of laughter from the audience bounced high off the East Ridge to Big Butte and back again.

Laughter is the best medicine, for dang sure.

For that reason alone, Im already a big fan of the Covellite film fest. May it have a good, long run.
NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC,

PLAINTIFF

vs

KATHRYN K. WIEGAND, CAPITAL ONE BANK, QUAD CORPORATION AND ERIN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, DEFENDANTS

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS:

You are hereby notified that there is a petition on file in the office of the clerk of the above court which petition prays for a judgment in rem against the property involved in this action for the sum of $58,759.86 with interest at 4.000% per annum from and including January 1, 2016, on the promissory note executed by Jerry Wiegand, a married person and mortgage executed by Jerry Wiegand aka Jerry L. Wiegand and Kathryn K. Wiegand, husband and wife to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for Great Midwest Mortgage Corporation, its successors and assigns and assigned to Plaintiff, who is the sole and absolute owner thereof.

Said note, together with the mortgage given to secure the same are due and payable by reason of the failure of the Defendants Jerry Wiegand aka Jerry L. Wiegand and Kathryn K. Wiegand, husband and wife to pay the installments of principal when due. Plaintiff also prays in said Petition for the foreclosure of said mortgage dated March 17, 2005 recorded in Document 2005-02140 in the Recorder's Office of Muscatine County, Iowa, with said note dated March 17, 2005 on the following described property, to-wit:

Lot Eighteen (18) of Keyes` Subdivision of Out Lot Four (4), in the Subdivision of Sections Two (2) and Three (3) Township Seventy-six (76) Range Two (2) West of the Fifth (5th) Principal Meridian, according to the recorded plat thereof, and within the corporate limits of the City of Muscatine, Iowa. Situated in Muscatine County, Iowa AKA Lot 18 of Keyes` Subdivision in the City of Muscatine, in Muscatine County, Iowa

and also asking that said mortgage be declared a prior and superior lien to that of each of the above named Defendants; for appointment of a receiver; for the amount paid by Plaintiff for attorneys' fees, abstract expense, costs and accruing costs of this action; that special execution issue for the sale of said real estate to satisfy said judgment, interest, attorneys' fees and costs and for such other and further relief as may be just and equitable.

FOR FURTHER PARTICULARS, SEE COPY OF PETITION NOW ON FILE.

THE PLAINTIFF HAS ELECTED FORECLOSURE WITHOUT REDEMPTION. THIS MEANS THAT THE SALE OF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY WILL OCCUR PROMPTLY AFTER ENTRY OF JUDGMENT UNLESS YOU FILE WITH THE COURT A WRITTEN DEMAND TO DELAY THE SALE. IF YOU FILE A WRITTEN DEMAND, THE SALE WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL SIX MONTHS FROM ENTRY OF JUDGMENT IF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY IS YOUR RESIDENCE AND IS A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING OR UNTIL TWO MONTHS FROM ENTRY OF JUDGMENT IF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY IS NOT YOUR RESIDENCE OR IS RESIDENCE BUT NOT A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING. YOU WILL HAVE NO RIGHT OF REDEMPTION AFTER THE SALE. THE PURCHASER AT THE SALE WILL BE ENTITLED TO IMMEDIATE POSSESSION OF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY. YOU MAY PURCHASE AT THE SALE.

The Plaintiff's attorneys are Petosa Law LLP by Benjamin W. Hopkins, whose address is 1350 NW 138th Street, Suite 100, Clive, IA 50325, telephone number 515-222-9400, facsimile number 515-222-9121.

You must serve a motion or answer on or before the 7th day of October, 2016 and within a reasonable time thereafter file your motion or answer in the Iowa District Court of Muscatine County, at the Courthouse in Muscatine, Iowa. If you do not, judgment by default may be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Petition.

If you require assistance of auxiliary aids or services to participate in court because of a disability, immediately call your district ADA coordinator at (563) 328-4145. (If you are hearing impaired, call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942).

YOU ARE ADVISED TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE AT ONCE TO PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS.
You are notified that there is now on file in the office of the Clerk of Court for Muscatine County, a petition to terminate parental rights in case number JVJV006080 which asks that your parental rights be terminated as it relates to your child born on the 14th day of February, 2013, in the State of Iowa. For further details contact the clerk's office. The petitioner's attorney is Joan M. Black, Assistant Muscatine County Attorney, Muscatine County Attorney's Office, 420 East Third Street, Muscatine, IA 52761, 563-263-0382.

You are notified that there will be a hearing on the petition to terminate parental rights before the Iowa Juvenile Court for Muscatine County, at the Courthouse in Muscatine, IA on the 10th day of October, 2016, at 9:30 o'clock a.m.

You are further notified that unless on or before this time and date of hearing, you appear, or, you serve, and within a reasonable time thereafter file, a written special appearance, motion or answer, in the above-named Court at the Courthouse in Muscatine, IA, judgment by default will be rendered finding your parental rights to be terminated as demanded in the Petition.

You are further notified that you are entitled to be represented by an attorney. If you are unable to employ counsel, you may apply to have counsel appointed by filling out an affidavit of your financial situation. You should do this immediately.

Jeff Tollenaer

Clerk of the Juvenile Court

Muscatine County Courthouse

Muscatine, Iowa 52761

Dates of Publication:

September 3, 2016

September 10, 2016

September 17, 2016
MUSCATINE, Iowa  From pumpkin pie to penguins, children molded, cut, and squished Play-Doh at the Muscatine Art Center on Friday.

Teresa Stenstrup, the program coordinator at the art center, said National Play-Doh day and other national holidays are a fun way for the art center to hold children's events. She said the children who attended the event were enjoying the chance to play.

"They're really creative, all the things they're coming up with," she said.

Melanie Alexander, the director of the Muscatine Art Center, said introducing youth into the center is important in developing long-term interest.

"We like to get kids comfortable with being with the Art Center museum at an early age so that they'll continue to come here throughout their whole life-span," she said.

Alexander said she hopes that being exposed to the center will foster long-term connections to art and history.

"They'll find a love for art and local history, and community connections as well, and they'll have that their entire lives, And then also share that with their families when they have children as well," she said.

Debbie Duncan, who brought her two grandsons, 5-year-old Henry Hagerty and 3-year-old George Hagerty, said she is happy for the free opportunity the events provide for families.

"I think it's absolutely wonderful that they have these," she said.

Stevie Stauffer, who brought her two children, Issac Padilla, 9, and Hailey Rocha, 4, said the event allowed children to come together.

"I think it's very awesome that there's something for the kids to do. There's not always a lot in Muscatine to do so it's just really cool that they have little events like this so kids can get together," Stauffer said.
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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. In connection with the shooting incident in Edchmiadzin city of Armenia urgent investigative actions are performed, advisor to the Chairmen ofInvestigative Committees of Armenia Sona Truzyan told Armenpress.

The investigative department of Vagharshapat has received information about the incident and urgent investigative actions are performed. At this moment we cannot provide any detailed information. The Committee will present the details later, Sona Truzyan said.

According to media reports, the car of the acting Mayor and candidate of Edchmiadzin Mayor Karen Grigoryan who is the son of the MP representing the Republican Party Manvel Grigoryan, appeared under fire on September 16 at 23:30.
FRUITLAND, Iowa  Jennifer Haney has two young children and said what was initially the annoyance of fireworks being set off in the streets of the normally quiet Fruitland has become a much larger issue, and many community members would like it to end.

Several members of the Fruitland community attended the city council meeting this week to ask that something be done to stop those who have allegedly been setting off fireworks this summer.

Haney said the council meeting went well, but many of the citizens hands are tied, as are those of the police department who told Haney they cannot make arrests based on hearsay.

Its unfortunate that the only way they can arrest anyone is if we catch them on camera or write a statement, she said.

But many of her neighbors, Haney said, are afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation.

The unfortunate thing is a lot of the folks that are fed up with it are scared, she said.

Haney said she has witnessed fireworks being set off in the streets of her normally quiet neighborhood in Fruitland beginning on Memorial Day and continuing.

It started with fireworks and has grown into a really big issue, she said.

She decided to speak out, she said, after last weekend. She said the men who have been setting off fireworks were on the corner in front of her home, and they set off a type of fireworks called mortars.

They sounded like bombs, they didnt shoot up in the air, and they basically imploded and left a hole and mark in the yard, she said.

Haney has a 7-week-old and a 3 year old, and said her children were awakened by the noise, and the older child was frightened.

To me that is an act of terrorism, endangering the welfare and well-being of my children, and that is where I absolutely draw the line, she said.

At least two fireworks-related arrests were made in August.

Jeffery M. Riggan, 34, has been charged with one count of disorderly conduct-loud or raucous noise, and one count of fireworks-sell, offer for sell, or use, both simple misdemeanors, according to online court records.

The alleged incident occurred Aug. 8, according to online court records.

Ryan Miller, 34, has been sentenced for one count of fireworks-sell, offer for sell, or use, a simple misdemeanor, according to online court records. Miller was fined $250, after he pleaded guilty, according to court documents.

The offense date is listed as Aug. 21, according to online court records.

Haney said she and her husband, Mason Haney, only want the difficulties and noise to end.

We dont want drama, I dont want people to get in trouble, I just want them to stop doing what theyre doing, she said.

Speaking out, she said, was not an easy choice, but she felt it was what she needed to do.

In hopes that maybe if we start shining the light on them, theyll stop, maybe theyll realize what theyre doing, she said.
FRUITLAND, Iowa - The Fruitland Community Lions Club will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016, at the Fruitland Community Center. Sgt. Motto of the Muscatine Police Department will give a short program. Items on the agenda include reports on Fruitland Fun Day, the Zone Meeting, and Kids Sight. There will be a discussion on future activities as well as possibly having a Halloween Party.
DES MOINES, Iowa  Hunter Werner, a senior at Louisa-Muscatine High School, will join 10 other students throughout Iowa as part of the Statewide Youth Broadband Advisory Council (SYBAC). The council has been established by the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) to engage students on a variety of broadband related topics.

Throughout the school year, the students will meet with ICN Executive Director Ric Lumbard to discuss the importance of true high-speed broadband to the next generation. Last years SYBAC students discussed a range of topics including free public Wi-Fi, SunCube FemtoSat satellite, driverless cars, lack of strong reliable broadband in some Iowa schools, and LiFi (Light Fidelity) wireless communication technology.

These students live and breathe technology and its important to hear their perspectives and listen to their feedback regarding the Internet, we have to bring them to the table, said Lumbard.

Meetings of the SYBAC will be held September-May via video conference. To keep updated on the student initiatives visit https://icn.iowa.gov/benefiting-iowanbs/sybac.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The League of Women Voters of Muscatine County is sponsoring a series of forums to inform the public about the upcoming election. Three events are scheduled before the November election with the public encouraged to come and participate by asking questions.

The first forum will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Muscatine City Hall. Among the candidates who will be on hand to speak about the issues and answer audience questions will be District #3 Supervisor candidates Scott Sauer (R-I) and Nathan Reichert (D), District #4 Supervisor candidates Nathan Mather (R) and Kas Kelly (D-I), Sheriff candidates C.J. Ryan (R-I) and Mike Channan (D), and Auditor candidate Leslie A. Soule (R) who is running unopposed.

The second forum will be conducted at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the Muscatine City Hall. Scheduled to attend are candidates for the Iowa House and Senate who will answer audience questions. Invited are Iowa House District 73 candidate Bobby Kaufmann (R-I) who is running unopposed, Iowa House Distrtict 91 candidates Phil Wiese (D) and Gary Carlson (R-I), Iowa Senate District 44 candidates Thomas Courtney (D-I) and Tom Greene (R), and Iowa Senate District 46 candidates Chris Brase (D-I) and Mark Lofgren (R).

The final forum will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Coralville Public Library and will feature U.S. 2nd Congressional District candidates Dave Loebsack (D-I) and Dr. Christopher Peters (R).

Voter registration forms will be available at all three forums. Those with local cable access will be able to see the forums replayed on the government access channel.
WEST BRANCH, Iowa  The Hoover Presidential Foundation would like to honor area veterans with complimentary seats at their annual Celebration Banquet, featuring keynote speaker Tom Brokaw. The Foundation is asking businesses and individuals to sponsor tickets for area vets.

Brokaw, an acclaimed author, historian and award-winning journalist, wrote the best-seller, The Greatest Generation, in reference to those who fought in World War II. Brokaw holds U.S. veterans in high esteem.

In partnership with Eastern Iowa Honor Flights, were asking for public support to donate a seat or a table for veterans to attend this event, said Jerry Fleagle, executive director of the Hoover Presidential Foundation.

The banquet will be held at the Coralville Marriott from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10.

Its Veterans Day Eve, Fleagle said. What better way to honor a vet or even join with them at this event!

Donors may identify specific recipients, or the Foundation will help locate interested parties in conjunction with the Eastern Iowa Honor Flights.

If a local business buys a table for 10 and needs to fill a few seats, inviting a veteran would be an appropriate gesture, added Fleagle.

Single or double seat donations are also appreciated.

Veterans who wish to purchase tickets may do so at a special rate of $125 each, $50 off the regular non-member price.

In addition to Mr. Brokaws keynote address, Iowa State Sen. Tim Kapucian and Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer will be recognized as the 2016 Uncommon Public Service Award recipients. All guests are invited to attend a pre-banquet reception in the foyer from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. An exclusive VIP reception is available to certain table sponsors and banquet guests who purchase a special VIP pass.

About the Foundation

The Hoover Presidential Foundation is a private nonprofit organization for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum and Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa. The Foundation fosters the collection, interpretation and preservation of historical resources relating to the life, ideas, values and times of Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States.
Important stuff you won't get from the liberal media! We do the surfing so you can be informed AND have a life!
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire regime over 25 times overnight September 17 on the contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijan opposing armies, during which nearly 320 bullets were fired at the direction of Armenian border guards from different caliber weapons.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of NKR Defense Ministry, the Defense Army units fully control the front line situation.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian will leave for New York on September 18 to head the Armenian delegation at the 71th session of the UN General Assembly, where he will also deliver a speech.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of MFA Armenia, Minister Nalbandian will participate in a number of summits that will take place in the sidelines of the General Assembly.

In New York Edward Nalbandian will meet with the foreign ministers of different states and heads of international organizations.

During his stay in the USA, Edward Nalbandian will deliver speeches at a number of prestigious think tanks.
The latest CareerJunction Index (CJI) report shows that software development, financial and project accounting, and representative and sales consulting are the most-wanted skills in South Africa.

The CJI is based on data gathered from the CareerJunction website, and monitors the online labour market in South Africa by examining supply and demand trends.

According to the report, IT professionals are in high demand in South Africa.

Programmers and Software Developers remain at the forefront of market demand. This is especially true for programmers with .Net or C# skills, the report states.

Financial and project accounting skills are also in high demand, with jobs in this sector increasing by more than 30% compared to last year.

IT and Telecommunications Jobs

The CJI report shows a steady demand trend for the IT industry in 2016, and vacancy levels for August are similar to those seen in January.

Despite volatile demand within the telecoms industry, vacancy levels for August were also comparable with January.

The graphs below show volume trends for IT and telecommunications job adverts published on the CareerJunction website over the past 12 months.

More on IT jobs

IT professionals who earn the biggest salaries

Starting salaries for IT professionals in South Africa

IT salaries in South Africa in 2015
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov participated on September 17 in the solemn ceremony of the inauguration of the complex of the new International Airport in Ashgabat, designed to become the main "air gates" of Turkmenistan.

As Armenpress was informed from the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Armenia, the opening ceremony was attended by the representatives of a number of international and regional organizations such as the International Air Transport Association, the Interstate Aviation Committee, the International Road Transport Union, and the International Organization for Migration, the Olympic Council of Asia, Oceania National Olympic Committees and others. Also the leaders and representatives of the airlines and aeronautical services from about 25 countries participated at the opening ceremony.

The new airport will be able to take aircraft of any type and capacity, while ensuring the international standards of service. The capacity of the ultra-modern air harbor will be 2000 passengers per hour. The complex of the new International Airport consists of three terminals - passenger, VIP, as well as cargo, a new runway (WFP), the length of 3800 meters, taxiways, apron and parking spaces for aircraft, air traffic control tower, service traffic, and other objects. The total land area, which is located on the airport complex, is 1,200 hectares.

Formation of modern transport and communication system is one of the basic principles of the economic strategy of Turkmenistan consistently implemented by the Turkmen leader. In accordance with the strategic priorities of the policy of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the opening of the new International Airport will contribute to the further development of the Turkmen aviation activation of mutually beneficial trade-economic and humanitarian ties, tourism, and full integration of Turkmenistan into the world economic system.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The new building of Family and Community NGO was opened on September 14 in Metsamor community. "Tufenkian" Charitable Foundation supported the construction, and the World Council of Churches Armenia Round Table Foundation assisted in purchasing the furniture and equipment, Armenpress was informed from the press service of the World Council of Churches Armenia Round Table Foundation.

Before entering the wooden building, Bishop Sion Adamyan, the Primate of Armavir Diocese of AAC, blessed the house. The festive event was followed by "Sunflower" children's choir and "Palancho" puppet theatre performances.

Family and Community NGO has been Armenia Round Table Foundations partner for many years. The centre was created to serve the children at risk and vulnerable families. It provides education, social and psychological services, organizes the day care of children and carries out rehabilitation work with youngsters who have problems with the law enforcement system.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Euronews has published an article about the April military operations along the entire contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijan opposing armies, examining the events with a retrospective look. Armenpress reports Euronews has talked to the representatives of both sides. The article headlined Nagorno-Karabakh: A time-bomb in the Caucasus? says that the April military operations unfroze the war that had been frozen for over 20 years. On the Armenian side of the front line, many of the soldiers were barely 20 years old. But some had already experienced war.

Were defending our homeland, our family, and all those who live on this land, said one, Aram Yegoryan.

After the 1994 ceasefire, when Armenia defeated Azerbaijan, clashes have erupted repeatedly. Euronews correspondent visited the north of the contact line where the most severe clashes occurred in April. We are not allowed to go beyond these trenches. On the other side, Azerbaijani forces are just a hundred meters away, Euronews correspondent ValerieGauriat reported from the scene.

Supported in April by many Armenian volunteers, Nagorno-Karabakhs army says it stands ready at any time to face an offensive by Azeri forces. Since the ceasefire in 1994, the opposition has always violated the truce. They were the ones who started it last April. Theres no reason why they wouldnt do it again. Were better prepared now, and if it happens, we will resist it very strongly, said SevakSardaryan, Chief of Artillery on the northern front.

One of the displaced residents of Talish village, GarikOhanyan, returned to the scene to show Euronews correspondents what was left of his house. Debris lay on the floor and the building had been badly damaged. This is my home. I suffered for 20 years to build my house  20 years! Nine people used to live here, nine of us! he said. Look, theres nothing left. Everythings destroyed. I dont know what to do.

Garik found refuge in a neighboring village, at his in-laws, where he now lives with his mother, his wife, and their five children. Living conditions are difficult, but they are afraid to go back to their village.

My other son died in the first war, I get a pension for that. I only have one son left, who has five children. What are we going to do now? We have no home, no job, and were stuck here, said Gariks mother AmalyaOhanyan, sobbing as she spoke.

15 kilometres away from Talish village is Tartar Region of Azerbaijan, where the correspondent met with Azerbaijani soldiers. They were given 30 seconds to take photos and get out from there.

According to the correspondent, there were no civilian casualties in Tapqaraqoyunlu village but the damage was significant. The inhabitants were able to return home and now the village is being restored. As in Talish, in this village too everyone here fears a resumption of fighting.

The only solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is war, said another resident, Faig Mustafayev, adding that he sees no other option.

The article states that though the international community does not recognize the independence of NagornoKarabakh Republic (NKR), it makes efforts to develop economy and attract investors.

We believe that we have to return Nagorno-Karabakh to the negotiation table. Twice, in 1991 and in 2006, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh voted for the independence of this Republic. The decision of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the result of their vote, have to be taken into account and become a cornerstone of any further settlement, Karen Mirzoyan, NKRs foreign minister told Euronews.

The recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as a state is also what Karen Matevosyan and his family have longed for. Karen settled here in Stepanakert after he, his wife and their young son fled the pogrom targeting Armenians in Azerbaijan in 1988, in the city of Sumgait. It was really horrible. They burned people alive, they raped women, even children. I would not wish what we went through during those three days in Sumgait on anyone, even my worst enemy, he said.

Karen and his wife can no longer imagine leaving Nagorno-Karabakh, the land of their ancestors, and now theirs. The war in April revived painful memories when they saw their son leave for the front line.

In Stepanakert, capital of NKR, Eurnews correspondent met with one of the students of the Tumo center, whose uncle died during the war. That loss inspired his first project: a photo exhibition dedicated to the everyday life of Armenian soldiers on the front line.

I wanted the public to see our strength by looking at these photos, our spirit. And to see that these men are always ready. I wanted to show the positive aspects, not the negative ones. Ive seen the bad side of things, but I chose to show the good sides, he said.
585 | October 26, 2022 17:43 10 residential buildings built in Ivanyan with the funds of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund will soon be put into operation

571 | October 26, 2022 16:27 Pediatric neurologists from Yerevan conduct free exainations in Stepanakert

571 | October 28, 2022 17:40 Putin to have private talks with Pashinyan and Aliyev

526 | October 26, 2022 17:41 Pope Francis receives Armenian FM

522 | October 28, 2022 17:54 Power supply may be restored, if Kiev recognizes Russias new regions  Medvedev

520 | October 28, 2022 16:52 Zatulin: West seeks to push Russia out of negotiation process at any cost

518 | October 29, 2022 11:04 The statement of the President of the Russian Federation inspires certain hopes. We anticipate that the vital interests of the Artsakh Republic will be fully protected. President Harutyunyan

516 | October 24, 2022 15:04 Video shows destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Azeri-occupied Artsakh territories
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Two Napa natives have taken the tiger -- or the dog -- by the tail and created a company thats growing by leaps and bounds.

Tote Tails is a pet-themed tote bag company started by former Napans Devin Pyner and Amitie Tofanelli.

The company specializes in creating customizable dog, cat and other pet tote bags for animal lovers.

Since starting the company in 2015, the two have created more than 250 different tote bag designs and have sold more than 1,500 custom totes to customers from all around the world.

Tofanelli and Pyner are childhood friends. They met in kindergarten at Vichy Elementary School and have been best friends ever since.

This is their first business. The two also attended UC Davis -- Tofanelli has a degree in philosophy and Pyner in animal science.

The idea to create the business came from a desire to create a sustainable way to donate to local animal welfare organizations, they said.

According to director of sales and marketing Jack Atlasov, they decided that having a business that donates a set percentage (10 percent) of its profits to animal welfare causes was the best way to accomplish this goal.

The idea behind deciding to focus on totes was mostly due to the recent plastic bag ban in many California counties. It was the perfect time to come out with a cute and unique tote bag product for animal lovers that also solves peoples need for a reusable grocery tote bag, said Atlasov.

The group said had already been thinking about creating a tote bag product line made from upcycled T-shirts when they both came up with the idea to create a personalized pet tote bag with an illustration of a persons pet on it that also included personalization options like their pets name and paw prints.

The idea seemed good enough to test -- which Tofanelli and Pyner did by creating a few samples and sending them into the Napa Farmers Market committee to see if they could sell at the market. They were accepted and during their first day selling totes they sold 16 of the totes.

Thats when Amitie and Devin knew they were onto something, Atlasov said.

Less than two years later, Tote Tails now sells in more than a dozen Bay Area farmers markets and arts/craft events every week. The company has recently achieved national distribution and will be prominently featured in Amazon.coms 2016 Holiday Gift Guide and other catalogs.

Currently, all three of the entrepreneurs work full time on their business.

We feel so lucky that our pet tote bags seem to have struck such a chord with our fellow pet lovers, said Tofanelli. The holidays are going to be crazy -- but we are excited and ready for little business to grow.
A woman was arrested on suspicion of forgery and burglary after attempting to get Oxycodone from a pharmacy in Napa on Thursday night, according to Napa Police.

Police were called to the CVS Pharmacy on Trancas Street at 9:07 p.m. because the pharmacist said someone had forged prescriptions for Oxycodone. The pharmacist told police that the prescription pad used to write the prescription had been previously reported stolen.

The woman with the forged prescription, Dominique Marie Rosario, 27, of Caldwell, Idaho, was found with a ledger of numerous pharmacies in and out of Napa in her vehicle, police said.

Rosario was arrested and booked at the Napa County jail on suspicion of forgery, burglary, possession of stolen property, and forging a prescription for a narcotic.
A fire has destroyed the famous Baroque church of San Sebastian in the Peruvian colonial city of Cusco.

September 17, 2016, 09:50 Peru Baroque church destroyed in fire

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 17, ARTSAKHPRESS: Residents watched in despair as the blaze burned the gilded altar and valuable paintings inside the 16th-century church.

The fire began in the early hours of Friday. The authorities say it was probably caused by a short circuit.

Firefighters said hydrants in the area were not working and were only repaired two hours later, BBC News reports.

The local priest urged residents to try to save the church. They rushed to a nearby river to collect water, but it was too late.

The building is still standing but most of the church's ornate interior has been destroyed, including including work by indigenous artist Diego Quispe Tito.

Cusco Mayor Carlos Moscoso broke into tears when he saw the extent of the damage.

The church had undergone extensive restoration work between 2008 and 2013, EFE news agency reported.

Architect Americo Carrillo, who oversaw the work, described the church as "a jewel of Peru's colonial era".

The city of Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire, which was destroyed by the Spanish conquest of most of the Americas.
Napa County exports reached a record $361 million in 2015, a 5.2 percent increase over last year. Thats an extra $18 million in local goods leaving the country, according to the International Trade Administrations 2015 Metropolitan Area Export Overview.

According to the newly released report, Napa County is one of the 63 metro areas to achieve record export levels last year.

Exports continue to be a source of growth for the Napa economy, said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

The five percent increase in goods exports from the Napa metro area is an indication that local companies are realizing the benefits of global trade, said U.S. Commercial Service North Bay Director Elizabeth Krauth.

Assuming a significant portion of Napa Countys export goods includes wine, were not surprised to see these increases, said Patsy McGaughy, communications director, Napa Valley Vintners

This announcement aligns with news earlier this year from Wine Institute of a new record set in 2015 for the export of California wines. These statistics confirm Napa Valleys position as an important player in the global marketplace.

The data shows Napa is growing, according to Robert Eyler, Ph.D. Professor of Economics at Sonoma State University. Napa wine and Napa as a brand have become global statements of quality, said Eyler.

This helps market penetration around the world in areas that may be more Francophile, specific to wine. Napas expansion into food and complementary, lifestyle products also help, he added.

Rob McMillan, founder the Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division, wondered if the increase means Napa wine exports are up, or if there is some other export that is driving that number.

According to McMillan, The average small winery, which makes up the bulk of the Napa wine scene, actually exports very little; less than 5 percent, and, in most cases, nothing at all. Combine that with the strengthened dollar, which make exports more expensive, and the conclusion is a question to me, he said.

McMillan noted that exporting can be an expensive proposition when you think in terms of brand building needed. For instance, how many bottles of wine do you need to sell in Beijing to make a three-week sales trip there worthwhile?

I suspect the growth in exports may be a combination of larger wineries activities aligning with non-wine activities, he said.

According to the report, U.S. metropolitan area goods exports exceeded $1.3 trillion in 2015, and accounted for 89 percent of total U.S. goods exports last year. The report said 156 metropolitan areas tallied merchandise exports worth more than $1 billion in 2015.

Napa County export highlights for 2015 include that nearly 52 percent of goods exports went to markets where the United States has trade agreements in force.

The federal report comes at a time when the benefits of international trade agreements are part of a national political debate, with some candidates questioning if they are costing America jobs.

Current free trade agreement partner markets account for a substantial and growing share of exports for many metropolitan areas, and new trade agreements will increase opportunities for Napa area companies to sell more products to growing markets, according to the news release.

The Department of Commerce continues to focus its services on assisting more Napa-based firms sell their Made in America products to global consumers, which will support additional growth and good-paying jobs, Pritzker said.
Earlier this week, when the latest ceasefire in Syria's long-running civil war took effect, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seized the opportunity to embark on a triumphant tour of a place that has long defied him. He paid a visit to the city of Daraya, a Damascus suburb where rebels managed to resist his forces for four long years until they finally agreed to give up control in the last week of August.

For those four years the government threw everything it had at Daraya. The troops surrounding it tried to starve it out, refusing to let aid convoys bring food to residents. Syrian helicopters pounded the city with barrel bombs, weapons of indiscriminate terror that have little or no military utility. In August, the Syrian air force used rockets and napalm to obliterate the city's last surviving hospital. Some observers believe this was part of a calculated effort to make the place completely uninhabitable.

We've seen the same brutality in far too many places in this war. But there was something different about Daraya - something that helps to explain why Assad was so keen to celebrate its fall.

If you only follow the headlines, you can be forgiven for seeing this war primarily as a fight between two equally nasty alternatives: the totalitarian Baath Party regime of Assad or the totalitarian theocracy of the Islamic State and other jihadist groups. But this is a drastic simplification - one that both Assad and the terrorists want their own supporters, and the world, to believe. But it is certainly truer today than it was back at the beginning of the conflict. By their very nature, civil wars have a tendency to foster extremes. The ruthless are rewarded, while the moderates and the evolutionary reformers tend to get culled out.

That's exactly what has happened in Syria. Today, five years later, it's easy to forget that Syria's revolution started off amid the optimism of the Arab Spring. The first protests against Assad's dictatorship were peaceful: Demonstrators were demanding democracy, not rule by al-Qaida.

And Daraya was one of the birthplaces of this movement. In the revolution's early stages it was the home of the activist Ghiyath Matar, known as "Little Gandhi" for his quixotic embrace of non-violence. When Assad's soldiers arrived to crush local protests, he greeted them with flowers and water. They responded by torturing him to death. His corpse was later returned to his family with its throat torn out. The country's downward spiral began.

In "The Morning They Came for Us," her bloodcurdling account of the early stages of the war, journalist Janine di Giovanni explains what happened next. When she visited Daraya in 2012, locals gave her detailed accounts of a massacre conducted by government troops who had briefly managed to wrest the town away from the rebels. "It was punished," she told me, "because it was a symbol of peaceful resistance."

Yet even amid the descending darkness, the people of the city tried to hold on to their ideals. When Assad's generals realized they couldn't take the place back, they placed it under siege. Hunger became the government's most potent weapon. "'What did you eat today?' I'd ask them," di Giovanni recalls. "'Grape leaves, some salt.' They took leaves from the trees and made soup out of them." Much of the population left, but several thousand locals, many of them activists, remained. In October 2012 they set up a council to govern themselves, and in the years that followed, even as life became nearly impossible, they persisted in holding regular elections - "every six months, inside every single office and department of the local government," says Hussam Ayash, a spokesperson for the local council.

Most importantly of all, he told me, the local government persisted in maintaining its independence from the city's militia, a non-jihadist unit of the rebel Free Syrian Army. In many other rebel-controlled parts of Syria, Ayash explained, local governments have frequently fallen under the sway of fighters, many of them Islamist extremists. By contrast, al-Qaida and its ilk never managed to get a foothold in Daraya. "We had no services," says Ayash. "We had no communications. We had no water. But also nobody could get in or get out. The only fighters in Daraya were the local people. So we had no jihadists."

Ayash spoke to me on Skype from northern Syria, where he is now living after being "evacuated" from Daraya by government forces in the days following the city's surrender on August 25. When the Syrian army managed to capture a key position on the outskirts of the city, Daraya's leaders saw the writing on the wall, and accepted a government offer of safe passage to the north in return for their surrender of control over the community. This uncharacteristically lenient gesture by Assad was a shrewd move, one that enabled him to finally seize control of a key rebel stronghold at relatively low cost to his own troops. It was also calculated to undermine the resolve of rebel holdouts in other hard-pressed areas, who may now see a deal with the government as a more palatable option than continued resistance.

It's hard to overestimate the psychological impact of the city's fall. Fadi Mohammed, another Daraya activist, told me that the city embodied the hopes of the many Syrians who reject extremists of all stripes. He cites one occasion, early on, when protesters formed a human chain around the local government building to protect it from attack by pro-government forces, and recalls the city's devotion to the principle of civilian control. "If the experience in Daraya had been protected and supported by the international community, it could have been a model," he says. "Many people around Syria regarded Daraya as something special." That's a big "if," of course. But it's hard to dismiss the thought out of hand.

"The loss of Darayya is a watershed in Syria's war," wrote analyst Sam Heller of The Century Foundation in a recent blogpost. "For many in Syria's opposition, Darayya represented the best of the Syrian revolution - a bastion of civil activism and nationalist, 'Free Syrian Army' rebels that held together and persevered for years against overwhelming odds, even as rebel-held areas elsewhere slid sideways into jihadism and factional infighting."

To be sure, Daraya is also a place of considerable military significance. As Faysal Itani, an analyst at Washington's Atlantic Council, points out, the city is just a few miles south of Damascus proper, and close to a key government airfield. "My own perception has always been that this is the most important geography of the war," he told me. The surrender of Daraya and other areas near Damascus to government forces are, he says, "the most significant military victories of the war" - victories that owe a great deal, he says, to Russia's forceful intervention on Assad's behalf.

Now the government has succeeded in completely emptying the city of the people who lived there, and there are rumors that Assad intends to replace its rebellious Sunnis with members of other sectarian groups who are loyal to his regime. "What happened in Daraya is ethnic cleansing," says di Giovanni, who notes that the practice of expelling civilians and replacing them with others is a direct violation of international law. "This will set a terrible precedent." The situation is so dire that even the otherwise mealy-mouthed United Nations has seen fit to utter a few critical words about the expulsion of the city's last inhabitants.

Daraya's supporters often speak of it as an "experiment" in self-government and democratic practice. The question now is whether that experiment should be regarded as a failure, or whether its survivors can keep it alive at a time when their spirit of moderation and pragmatism looks like a throwback to a distant era.

Its example remains tantalizing. Here is a case where Syrians stubbornly stuck to the principles of civilized government even under the most forbidding circumstances. And that, clearly, amounts to a particularly potent challenge to Assad's ruling Baath Party. "This idea of the choice, that you only have Assad or ISIS, it's not right," as Ayash put it. "Actually you have another choice, and this choice is us. We are looking for a future, and we think that we'll have a decent future if we are free, with dignity."

The sad reality, though, is that Daraya's fall is a huge blow to this dream, and democratically minded Syrians everywhere are mourning. And this is precisely why the Syrian president decided to take his victory lap there. "It's a real coup for Assad," says di Giovanni. "He hated Daraya. It was everything he loathed."

Christian Caryl is a Senior Fellow at the Legatum Institute in London and a Contributing Editor at Foreign Policy magazine.
Winemaker Julien Fayard believes the next chapter of Napa Valley winemaking will shift the focus from producing big, powerful cabernet sauvignons to instead crafting a variety of wines that highlight the complexity and finesse of the region.

To do that, he and his wife, Elan, along with their business partners, St. Louis residents Cal and Pam Nicholson (owners of Nicholson Jones Winery) and Dave and Laura Nestor, have recently completed construction of Covert Estate winery located in the Coombsville appellation.

When my wife and I moved here from France in 2006 we discovered a new environment, new techniques, new weather, new climate, Fayard said as we toured the 4.5-acre hillside vineyards on the 12-acre property in the hills east of downtown Napa.

The Covert Estate property boasts sweeping views of rolling hills that are dotted with ancient oak trees and expansive horse ranches, with only a few other vineyards in sight. To the south San Pablo Bay shimmers in the distance. Fayard explained that the bowl-like geology of the area, coupled with its nearness to the bay, provides lower daily temperatures when compared to other Napa Valley appellations.

The grapes here ripen steadily and evenly, making for rich wines with complex nuances, he said. We often pick later than vineyards that might be just a few miles away.

Fayard grew up in the town of Saint-Etienne and spent time working at his familys winery and vineyard, cru classe Chateau Sainte-Marguerite, located in the village of La Londe-les-Maures near the French Riviera. For generations, the Fayard family has grown grapes and produced their own expression of the regions signature wine, Provencal rose.

By the age of 16, young Julien had blended his first wine. After obtaining a masters in agriculture and winemaking he worked at renowned French wineries such as Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.

I met Elan in the south of France while she was studying wine and the French language, Fayard said. After we married, we moved to California so that she could be nearer to her family and I could explore making wine outside of France.

With more than a decade of experience making wine in Bordeaux, the duo moved to the Napa Valley in 2006, intent on eventually starting their own wine business in the United States. Elan, a Bay Area native, was thrilled to be home.

We both love Napa Valley and the community, she said. We moved here with little more than the shirts on our backs. Everything we owned or moved from France fit in 4 large boxes. It was a leap of trust.

Fayard teamed up with influential Philippe Melka, a fellow French winemaker behind some of Napas most sought-after Cabernets, including Dana Estates, Vineyard 29 and others.

Julien is immensely talented, Melka said. Between his French roots of winemaking, his adventurous spirit and his great knowledge of the business, he has all the tools to be the next superstar of the industry. He understands the new generation of wines: stylistically pure and fun.

Working alongside winemaker Philippe Melka taught me how to work with the multiple climates and complexities of the Napa Valley, Fayard said. Within most of France (except in Burgundy, for example) winemakers work with fairly well-defined sites that are often large. Here in Napa, winemakers work with multiple sites that can be very, very tiny. So I consider winemaking here in Napa to be much like winemaking done in Burgundy. And so having a winery where we are able to tightly control every aspect of the winemaking, down to even single barrels, is important.

To achieve this level of control, Covert Estate has built a state-of-the-art winery that is completely underground, as Juancarlos Fernandez, partner at Signum Architecture and lead architect on the project, explained.

Because of the underground layout, the winery maintains a constant ambient temperature throughout the facility, including the tank room and the barrel storage, Fernandez said. This gives Julien full control of ideal temperatures for the grapes during crush all the way to the final bottling of the wine.

As we toured the site, it became apparent why they adopted the name Covert  the winery is nearly completely hidden from view.

The winery is fully integrated with the surrounding landscape and heritage oak trees that cover the property, said Fernandez. Visitors to the winery may notice the unique curved tunnels that originate from each of the outer portals, expanding and contracting in response to the winemaking process they accommodate. Also look for the framed views of the surrounding valley from inside of each of the three portals.

Within one of these portals is the winerys tasting room, which, in contrast to the simplicity of the winery, looks like a bachelor pad with leather and fur- covered chairs and industrial-looking modern furniture, much of which is made from reclaimed wood. An enormous volcanic rock topped with a thick glass slab serves as the central tasting table. Above, a twisting and tangled chandelier of metal hangs in the center of the room, providing stark contrast with the soft-rolling hills visible through large glass doors at the caves entrance beyond.

During our tasting, three wines stood out: the 2015 Azur, a Provencale-style rose; the 2013 Covert Cabernet Franc; and the 2012 Empreinte Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2015 Azur ($32 a bottle and only 850 cases made) speaks to Fayards deep family history of producing rose wines in Provence, France, for generations. This wine is stunning, starting with its salmon hue and aromatics of rose petal and wet sea stones.

In the mouth, this wine is breathtaking, with a mix of refreshing subtle citrus notes that blends flawlessly with flint and a whisper of dried mint. The Covert Cabernet Franc ($195 and only 100 cases made) highlights Fayards skill as a winemaker.

This wine showcases how Cab Franc can display a blend of blue fruit (plum and blueberry) highlighted with red-fruit elements (raspberry and dark cherry). The wine has a wonderful blend of both jammy and bright elements, and the texture is smooth and full on the palate.

Fayard makes a few wines under the Empreinte label, and the Empreinte 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Martineze Vineyard on Pritchard Hill ($225) was a show-stopper. This is a cabernet in which anyone familiar with cult-cabs around the Napa Valley will find comfort  full of dark fruit such as blackberry and cassis but also spicy with nutmeg and cloves blended together with layers of toffee and sweet oak, creating a super-rich mouth feel and a finish that lasts for minutes.

It is interesting that during our tasting, we sipped on three different wine brands: Azur, Empreinte and Covert. Each of these had their own label and if you saw them on a shelf youd never know they came from the same winery.

Additionally, the winery also produces the Nicholson Jones brand and Solace. Each brand represents an opportunity for visitors to explore different wine styles, but this unique business model also highlights a possible shift in the nature of wineries, from producing single-brand-focused wines to crafting collections of different brand concepts, providing flexibility within an ever-changing and highly competitive marketplace. Covert indeed.

I think since the 1940s the Napa Valley has shown that it can make world-class wines of power and structure, Fayard said. I believe that the next phase of winemaking will show a different side to this place, making wines that highlight complexity and refinement.

Tastings at the winery are by appointment only. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit www.covertestate.com.
Azerbaijans armed forces violated the ceasefire along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact 25 times overnight, releasing fire 320 times from weapons of different calibers.

September 17, 2016, 10:33 Nagorno-Karabakh reports more Azerbaijani ceasefire violations

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 17, ARTSAKHPRESS: Nagorno-Karabakhs Ministry of Defense says that its advance military units maintain a full control over the situation, continuing their military vigil.
Yerevan, in terms of average monthly salary, is giving way to Syunik region only (according to the recent data by about 10% ). However, the capital city has a high concentration of highly paid officials, employees of numerous companies with foreign capital ( whose wages are higher than in companies with local capital ) , and a lot of entrepreneurs.

It necessary to consider, that for some citizens the salary they receive is not the only source of their income. They also have a "left income , which can be incomparably higher than their official salary . This fact is not taken into consideration by the official statistics but rather manifested in the form of additional " solvency " of the population . No doubt, that the capital city in this regard is a total leader.

There are some interesting facts reflected in prices. Compare, for example, the cost of meat and meat products for August of this year. We have calculated the average price in ten provincial cities per each product. In August, beef in Yerevan was more expensive than on average in provincial towns by "only" 6%. The difference is more obvious, while comparing pork (12% more), chicken legs (almost 29%), and beef fillet (32%). Of course there are exceptions, though very rare. For example, ham in Yerevan is cheaper by 10% than it is on average in provinces.

The commodity market in Yerevan terms of capacity is absolutely incomparable with provincial markets. One third of the population of Armenia lives in Yerevan, but it accounts for over 70% of retail trade turnover. It is clear, that residents of neighboring settlements also use retail products of Yerevan, thus increasing the number of buyers, to the benefit of the capital city. At the same time, taking onto consideration the official data on retail turnover per capita, the sales in provinces are evidently not that active. This factor (unless, of course, the local commodity market is monopolized, and there is no agreement among sellers) to a certain extent prevents the increase of price.

The capital city is on the other scale of the reality. Supermarkets in Yerevan also cannot inflate the price, lets say of the same beef. Otherwise, a part of buyers will switch to agricultural markets. However, it is possible to "slightly" increase the price and repeat the "experiment " after a while. Other objects of trade , of course , try to keep up with the "contestant" . Currently, the process of creeping growth of prices has stalled due to unfavorable trends in customers demand.
The situation has become extremely tense in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia, in the lead-up to the forthcoming mayoral election in the town.

Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned that shots were fired in the city, on Friday night.

According to the information spread in Etchmiadzin, at around 11pm, shots were fired on the vehicle of incumbent Mayor Karen Grigoryan. He was in the car with his brother.

There is information that the shots were fired by mayoral candidate Artur Tumanyan, and the nephew of former Mayor Hrachik Abgaryan.

Later, a fight started between them, during which Tumanyan and Abgaryan were injured. They are hospitalized.

Karen Grigoryans office told Armenian News-NEWS.am that police are dealing with this incident, and we need to follow the course of the respective investigation.

Hrachik Abgaryan, however, spoke to us and denied that his nephew and mayoral candidate Artur Tumanyan had fired on Grigoryans vehicle.

Abgaryan and Tumanyan were beaten, he said. They are now in hospital.

Hrachik Abgaryan added that tension continues in Vagharshapat, and police are overseeing the situation.

The mayoral election in the town will be conducted on Sunday.